Temprament vs. Talent

Australia vs. Pakistan 2009-10

The title of this story could also have been Australia vs. Pakistan. Pakistan always had talent in abundance and they are a team of brilliant individuals. Yes they are more like a bunch of talented individuals than a team.

The Australia, as far as memory goes, never had such a weak team. But it is still a team. They might lack talent and experience but they are can more than make it up by grit and determination to succeed. They carry a strong will and temperament to succeed.

Also read my earlier posts

http://fifth-umpire.blogspot.com/2009/06/analyze-this.html

http://fifth-umpire.blogspot.com/2009/12/life-mein-pyas-honi-chahiye.html

Refer to a news item http://www.cricinfo.com/ausvpak09/content/current/story/440513.html where Ponting also conveyed the same message

"As a package, if you look at their team they've got a number of exceptional players," Ponting said. "If they stick together as a group and play well together as a team, they can be very dangerous. Our job is to make sure we don't let them gel too much and combine too well. We've just got to make sure that we've learnt our lessons from this series and we get on with playing some good cricket."

Let's pray for the talent to overcome temperament. You can call be selfish but, for a change, I will support Pakistan since I want India to remain number 1 test team.

Life mein Pyas honi chahiye

Aus vs. WI - 3rd Test
2009/10, Perth

There is an aspect of Australian cricket which is barely written or talked about - Hunger for success. This aspect again came to fore much through the 3rd test. The team might be a shade of what it was about 2 years ago. But the commitment to the game is paramount.

This aspect of Australian cricket is in addition to other aspects which have made them a very strong team. They might not be number 1 team but they still are very strong. Read my earlier posts.

http://fifth-umpire.blogspot.com/2009/05/why-is-australia-number-1-team.html

http://fifth-umpire.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-australia-is-best-test-team-in.html

A few would remember the first game of 1987 World Cup - India vs. Australia. Australia was on verge of losing but won by 1 run. That world cup could be the turning point in Australia's fortunes. Australia won the recent one day series against India, when their team was depleted and was missing 6-7 front line players. They also won the one day series handsomely against England after being beaten in Ashes this year.

I was reminded of a old Pepsi commercial which aptly describes Australian team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvmFiGVoNEc&feature=related

In my opinion they would not be able to dominate world cricket as they had but they still will be very good team to contend.

Let's pray for England win in England vs. SA test series

England start their test series campaign against SA tomorrow. Let us support and pray for them to win the series handsomely for India's cause. Lest they do, South Africa can inch up towards numero uno slot in ICC test ranking.

Consider this the other two top teams, namely South Africa and Australia, are playing 7 and 10 tests respectively in next 12 months. And India is playing only 2 tests and that too against low ranked Bangladesh. Only God can help India in retaining the top ranking.

Trust Sehwag to entertain you - Always

Sri Lanka in India ODI Series - 1st ODI
2009/10 season

Excerpt of converation between Ravi Shatri and Sehwag at the post-match ceremony.

Ravi Shastri to Virender Sehwag: "You are usually a chilled out character. But with the last over going on, and you sitting above [since he was injured and off the field], were you a bit tense?"

Sehwag: "Not at all. I was actually supporting Sri Lanka. My superstition is that whenever I support India, they lose. So I was supporting Sri Lanka."

Indian fielding was good at Rajkot

Sri Lanka in India ODI Series - 1st ODI
2009/10 season
India dropped only 3 catches while fielding in one day international at Rajkot against Sri Lanka. 3 catches in 50 overs compares favourably to 11 catches dropped in last T20 internationals (40 overs).

I wonder how India win matches even after pathetic fielding and patchy bowling! Indian batsmen must be really very good.

Sri Lanka's Sehwag

Journalists, media-men, commentators and common folks like us have nick named Dilshan as Sri Lanka's Sehwag. I wonder if it is a compliment to Sehwag or to Dilshan.

Forget Sehwag! This is interesting.

Well! Forget Sehwag for a bit. I enjoyed reading comments more than the insipid article. But credit goes to author for evoking such comments.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/cricket/article6942221.ece

Quote Unquote - Sachin Tendulkar

http://www.cricinfo.com/sachinat20/content/quote/index.html?object=35320

Dravid's Omission - A few perspectives

Indian cricket team has been announced for the FIRST 2 one dayers against Australia. The logic of announcing a squad for 2 one dayers beats me. The Indian cricket team selections are far from logical...most of the times.

Even though it should not have surprised me but Dravid's omission is more baffling than other selection matters. I am not sure what selectors found out in 6 one dayers (that Dravid played) to throw him out of the team.

Dravid dropped for Australia ODIs

I had a premonition that something like this will happen. Excerpt from my earlier post:

Dravid returns to play one-day matches
Dravid's inclusion was not a good decision. What is done cannot be undone but selectors should start thinking about the time when Sehwag returns to the fold; who will they drop?

There are many plausible reasons for Dravid's non-inclusion:

1. He may not be among the playing 11 - If he was not good enough to play in 11, why was he selected 3 months ago. What has changed in 3 months?
2. To show some respect as he cannot be included in the playing 11 - What kind of respect are selectors showing by giving him the boot?
3. Nation comes first - When Dravid was included in the squad 3 months ago, it was thought that (with his sound technique) he will serve India better than the youngsters. Today, how can the same youngsters be better than him?
4. Youngsters have learnt their lesson - What kind of message are selectors giving youngsters by flip-flopping? Youngsters may still think they are demi-gods.

There might have been some plausible reasons that I am not able to fathom. But was it too difficult (3 months ago) to foresee that this situation might come? Dravid should not have been selected in first place. Or is it too difficult now to give a respectable and reasonable exit to Dravid?

I really feel for Dravid. He has done everything that team required and still he had faced difficult moments. How many people in the world cricket has made more than 10000 runs in both forms of cricket in their career? I sincerely hope that Dravid gets over the ignominy of unceremonious dumping soon.

It is not that the team selection has been poor. I am only making a comment on Dravid's omission. The selected team is good and should be able to beat Australia.

Dravid returns to play one-day matches

Yet again! As expected Dravid is back in India's one day squad.

The Wall returns

In my opinion it is a backward and regressive step as I stated in one of my earlier posts.

Selectors and Rahul Dravid

I hold Dravid in high esteem and I sincerely think India will benefit in this series from Dravid's return. I delved upon some of the reasons for Dravid's inclusion in probables in the above post. There could be one other reason - selectors might want to put positive pressure on a player who is not performing well (read Rohit Sharma). They might be sending a message that no one can take India cap for granted. The thinking is good but their action is not as good . Instead of looking at Dravid (after 2 years of ignorance) they could have looked into some other players with immense potential - Pujara, M Vijay, Rahane, Naman Ojha, Badrinath, Shikhar Dhawan.

I also feel for both Jadeja and Rohit Sharma. Jadeja was never given enough chances at international level to prove his worth while Sharma, when he got a chance, mostly batted at either 6 or 7 where he could not contribute much. Both of them are talented players and I am sure they will do well in future.

I don't want to make a case for Sharma or Jadeja but I think Dravid's inclusion was not a good decision. What is done cannot be undone but selectors should start thinking about the time when Sehwag returns to the fold; who will they drop?

BCCI Ka WADA - II

The story so far...

All ICC member countries had to submit to WADA compliant code by July 31 this year. The deadline came and went but BCCI did not do much about the code. The Indian players had concerns about the privacy and procedure involved for drug testing. The players presented their case to BCCI and BCCI acceded to their request.

The players are wary about the whereabouts clause of the WADA code under which they had to mandatorily disclose their location 90 days in advance. As per the clause they had to provide an one hour window each day when WADA representatives could visit them and perform a random drug test. If a player was found to be missing at the specified location and time by WADA representatives, a strike would be recorded against him. 3 such strikes would invite a 2 year ban on the player.

This clause was clearly unacceptable to Indian players. Other cricket players too have voiced their concerns in past but their boards have not done anything about it; all other boards have silently accepted the code. Many other leading sport persons includeing Tennis ace Roger Fedrer and Golf's numero uno Tiger Woods too have unhappily accepted this code.

Many sporting bodies and leading sport persons, on the other hand, were shocked when BCCI refused to sign on the WADA code. Sports minister MS Gill, ace shooter & Olympic gold medal winner Abhinav Bindra and Secretary General of Asian Olympic Council Ranbir Singh were among the many notable figures who spoke against the BCCI. They said when all other leading player form cricket and other sports can accept the clause why can't Indian cricketers.

WADA has put in such a clause for a reason. WADA wants to do a random surprise test so as to catch the culprits. With advanced technology, it is possible for a capacity enhancement drug user to wear off the effects of drug in 24 hours and escape testing. WADA is aware of such technology and hence it has put in daily whereabouts clause.

Even though some other sport personalities have tacitly supported BCCI but general opinion is against the BCCI and Indian cricketers. On the face of it it looks as if BCCI is flexing its muscles again and this time it has take IOC and WADA as an adversary. but i think BCCI refusal has more positives than negatives. In next few posts I will explain why.

Statisitcs say it all

Cricinfo has compiled and published some interesting statistics around English middle order today. It provides empirical evidence to some of the comments I made in my previous article.

English conundrum

The Cricinfo stats reveal that English middle order is worse than all other leading test playing nations other than NZ, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. To read the details follow

How good is England's middle order?

English conundrum

I was thinking of posting article II on BCCI Ka WADA but I could not resist commenting about English selectors predicament after reading the following article on Cricinfo

All change for The Oval?

The article talks about different middle order batting option for 5th and final Ashes Test. The article discusses as many as 14 options for middle order and, as its title suggests, hints at making wholesale changes in the team. An excerpt

England's humiliating innings defeat at Headingley has thrown the Ashes wide open and turned this weekend's squad announcement into the hottest topic of the summer. With Kevin Pietersen missing from a flat-lining middle-order, changes are sure to be considered, particularly at Nos. 3 and 4. But which players will front up at The Oval? Cricinfo casts its eye over the leading contenders

There have been many similar discussions from leading cricket analysts. In my opinion it is quite humorous that things have come to such a state. It is all media speculation right now that English selectors will change the team for final test but the selectors have made matters worse by going along with the media speculation. If England want to build a strong team in near future they should truthfully answer following Q:

1. What does selectors want to achieve by considering players for selection who were not even in radar before the 4th test started?
2. Should the selectors even debate on a player who is touching 40 and was a failure at International circuit (read Mark Ramprakash)?
3. Or should they consider someone who retired long ago because he could not take too much cricket related stress and repeatedly refused to come back to International cricket (read Marcus Trescothick)?
4. Does any of the current batsmen, apart from Pietersen and Strauss, inspire confidence?
5. Is it a happy situation that Flintoff is the second best batsman in the team after Strauss (Pietersen is nursing an injury)?
6. Is there something seriously wrong with English cricket? England has not produced a single batsmen who has averaged more than 45 in last 30 years or so.

I do not know the answers and I am not sure what ails English cricket. I just shred to think what would be the future of home of cricket. For now I will support England for 5th test even though it will be extremely difficult for them to surmount a rejuvenated Australian team.

BCCI Ka WADA - I

The title of this post is not a pun on WADA (World Anti Doping Agency). Wada is a Hindi word that means commitment; BCCI is committed to cricket and more so to Indian cricket. And this commitment has brought BCCI at crossroads with WADA.

WADA was setup under the auspices of IOC (International Olympic Committee). WADA's main aim is to fight against doping in sports. It is the only credible, independent and official anti-doping body. ICC is signatory to WADA norms due to which all ICC members and hence cricketers are supposed to comply to WADA norms. If ICC and its associate members accept the norms, cricket as a sport, will gain more credibility. This can also make IOC to include cricket in Olympics and Asian games.

As things stand, BCCI has refused to accept WADA code especially the whereabouts clause of the players. As per the clause players are supposed to inform WADA about their 3 months itinerary in advance so that WADA can use this information for random dope testing.

BCCI and the cricketers say it is not possible to define 3 months plan well in advance especially when players are not playing active cricket. They also say that releasing such information is a potential security threat for the players. On the other hand WADA says the code has been well accepted by players and sporting bodies world over; it has been put forward after much thought and scientific analysis.

Both WADA an BCCI have valid points. In next few articles I will post my opinion on this issue. For now I will just say that BCCI's refusal to accept the code is not only good for cricket (although it has some negative ramifications) but also for other sports.

Keep on reading...

For all those who are following Ashes

Are you England in disguise?

For all those who are not following Ashes

The article is extremely harsh but true...Australia needs better bowlers

Sorry, Haury

Random Musings

• England has saved the first test. Whew! And what a test it was; Australia was so close to winning it. Even though there was no result, it was a very good advertisement for test cricket. The stadium was full and every ball was being cheered by crowd.

• Hindsight is always 6/6. After Pakistan lost the last test match many analysts questioned team composition. Checkout Former players question team composition Pakistan's cricket is troubled by many factors and team composition could be one of them. In my opinion, rather than criticizing the team after they lost the game (which they could have easily won), former players should try to improve Pakistan cricket as a whole. I think, whatever the team composition was, they should have overcome a paltry target of 167.

• John Buchanan has written some abrasive statements in his new book titled 'The Future of Cricket: The Rise of Twenty20'. It seems, after following various media reports, Buchanan has created some new controversies. Read Buchanan takes swipes at Indian stars to checkout what Buchanan has written. Buchanan has got it bang on - these controversies (whether true or untrue) will make the book profitable. Read one of earlier posts Buchanan and the art of remaining profitable to know more about Buchanan style.

• There has been some rumor about Saurav Ganguly running for BCCI chief's post. Yes, it is just a rumor and Ganguly himself has not commented anything. But if he does become BCCI chief, it would be best thing that has ever happened to BCCI. It would be a rare occurrence when an esteemed cricketer, like him, holds such a vital administrative position in BCCI.

• It feels very sad when you read headlines like Advantage Bangladesh for preview of 1st test match between WI and Bangladesh. I do not have anything against Bangladesh; in fact, I want them to become a serious test playing nation. But the fact is that they are enjoying this advantage because of weakened WI side not because of their own strengths.

Selectors and Rahul Dravid

Indian selectors have included Rahul Dravid among 30 probables for ICC Champions Trophy.

Dravid among Champions Trophy probables

In my opinion it is a regressive step. It is not the Dravid's ability to perform but the timing of the move that disturbs me. Dravid is a great player with sound technique; he has won many a battles for Indian cricket. I have high regards for him and I am sure he will succeed if given a chance and may even perform better than youngsters.

However, Dravid is not in frame for One Day cricket for almost 2 years. Since then other batsmen have performed well. Indian team has seen golden period in two years - they have lost very few one day games. The new batsmen have played some brilliant cricket and have filled the void left by Dravid.

Some media reports have suggested that Dravid inclusion has to do with inability of current crop of cricketers to face short pitch bouncers especially after poor showing at T20 Word Cup. It is true that Raina, Pathan and Sharma do no have technical proficiency of Dravid (everyone can't be a 'The Wall'). But what do selectors want to achieve by announcing Dravid's name? There could be 2 reasons but none of them makes sense to me:

1. To tell new crop of players that they lack technical proficiency of a master and there is a competition for them - There can be only one Dravid. Raina, Pathan or Sharma can't match his technical proficiency. They have earned their places in the team as they too have something which wins matches for India. Every player is unique and we must respect his talent as it is. Let us continue to trust these youngsters as long as they are performing well for the country. If they do not produce the goods then so be it. Selectors have built a team that will serve India for a long time to come.
2. To show some much needed respect to Dravid in twilight of his career - In last t 2 years Dravid would have taken non-inclusion in one day squad in his stride. By announcing his name among probables, selectors are only demeaning him. What was the point of dumping him earlier after a stray poor series?

I shred to think what will happen if, after all this, selectors fail to include Dravid in final 14.

Ponting's real test

Ponting is thought to be greatest Australian test captain ever by many leading analysts. He has led Australian cricket team successfully over last 5 years. Consider this:

1. Australia's winning percentage of tests under his captaincy is more than any other Australian captain.
2. He has always led from front by contributing heavily in middle order. His batting record speaks volumes - a batting average of more than 50, more centuries than any other Australian. (He may even go on to become leading century scorer in the world - Most Hundreds in tests)
3. His team hold the record of winning most tests on the trot.
4. He was Man of the Series as Australia became the first team in 86 years to achieve an Ashes clean sweep.
   

Did Ponting make Australia near invincible or was there some other factor in play. Australia was already number 1 test team before Ponting took over. What made them number 1 team? The answer is Steve Waugh.

Ponting took the baton from Steve Waugh as a test captain at the beginning of 2004 (by that time he was already captaining one day side). He not only inherited the captaincy from an extremely successful captain but also inherited hugely talented players. His playing 11 included Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, Langer, Hayden, Gillespie, Martyn, Lehmann, Lee and Ponting himself. All of them were match winners in their own right and all of them had impressive records. It was next to impossible that anyone could beat the team comprising of these players.

The credit must go to Waugh for making an unbeatable outfit. The players and the team was nurtured by Steve Waugh. All these match winners (except for Lee and Ponting) have since then retired leaving Australian team in dire straits. Neither CA nor Ponting realized what would happen once these were not available. They didn't take any preventive action to fill their places at right time.

Today team is bereft of greats' services and half of the team consists of bunch of inexperienced players. Australia started losing there domination near the end of 2007. 2008 was the worst year for them in recent history - they lost test series to India and SA.

It is true that Ponting has services of Clarke and Hussey but apart from them there is no one in the team who can match the previous team's greats. It is also true that they won the test series again SA in their own backyard with new players. But the real test for Ponting has already begun.

1. Can Ponting leave behind a good team to relive the great moments?
2. Can he create a near invincible team?
3. Can he relive Waugh's legacy?

Only time will answer these questions. If Ponting is able to successfully lead his team for next two years and pass over a winning combination to next captain (most probably Clarke), history will remember him forever.

BBC - Buchanan Bashing Continues

As reported by Cricinfo

Martyn lashes out at Buchanan over 2005 Ashes

An excerpt

"All comments by Warne and MacGill are right and you'd find that 99% of the group from that era would agree," Martyn said in an interview with the Wisden Cricketer. "They're just the only guys who've got [the courage] to say it. The management team didn't plan right, we had a not-very-good, quick preparation in Brisbane and then we landed and away we went.

Future of test cricket

It is interesting to read the comments of die-hard test cricket fans in the following story



ICC chief suggests four-day Tests

There are tests and then there is Ashes

Ashes is considered as most important tournament among Australian and English fans. Fans, critics, analysts, players alike consider it to be more important than many other prestigious tournaments.

One just has to follow the news coming out of Australian and English camps to notice the premium attached to Ashes.

1. Players and important stakeholders started talking about Ashes even before Australian team landed in England. Even while they preparing for T20 World Cup (considered to be more important than a test series in all other countries), all they talked about was Ashes.
June 4, 2009
Siddle ready for Ashes taunts
June 2, 2009
Pietersen thrilled by Ashes talent pool
May 29, 2009
Ponting warns England against half-fit Flintoff
May 26, 2009
Lee and Clark no certainties for first Test
May 24, 2009
England switched Ashes venues on purpose - Ponting
May 20, 2009
England can win Ashes - Flower

2. Former players, who were moot participants in T20 World Cup were/are talking fervently about Ashes.
Don't rely on Bopara for the Ashes - Warne
Gilchrist not convinced of Flintoff's fitness
Dropping Vaughan a mistake - Warne
Hayden warns Australians on reverse-swing
Use World Twenty20 to build Ashes momentum - Gough

3. Current players are no different - they were/are talking more about Ashes even while playing in T20 World Cup.
Pietersen ready for 'big allrounder' Johnson
Siddle wants new-ball responsibility
Reverse-swing could decide Ashes - Pietersen
Fit Flintoff desperate for the Ashes
Lee and Clark train sights on Strauss

4. England set off for secret bonding session

5. England hire Ashes most successful Australian coach in the hope of winning ashes.
Buchanan agrees ECB deal

Why a bilateral test series is considered so prestigious? I do not have the answer for it. Perhaps it has something to do with maintaining the old cricket order. One thing is for sure test cricket will survive the onslaught of T20, at least in England and Australia.

Buchanan and the art of remaining profitable

Mr Buchanan, the renowned Australian coach, must have very good communication and self selling abilities which allow him to get new jobs even after sever public criticisms from the people who have worked with him.

Mr. Buchanan was able to retain his job as director of coaching staff for KKR throughout IPL 2 while they lost game after game and finished at the bottom of the league. Many renowned analysts bunked his theories and warned against his way of working but somehow retained his assignment. Some of my earlier posts touch upon his coaching style

Controversies and Team Standings
Realize your mistake and move forward
Foreign players and IPL

After IPL 2 there were rumors that he along with many of his coaching staff members will be fired. And what does he do? He not only gets a new assignment even before he is fired and that too for the most prestigious series in International cricket.

June 17, 2009
Buchanan on his way out of Kolkata Knight Riders

June 10, 2009
Buchanan agrees ECB deal

Even now the criticisms are not dying down but Mr. Buchanan is carrying on. Excerpts from Australia unruffled by Buchanan deal

Shane Watson, who is in the Ashes squad, said Buchanan would have little impact on England's campaign while the retired Stuart MacGill said the move was more likely to hurt England than help them.

MacGill said in the Daily Telegraph. "What won England the Ashes in 2005 was their bowling, and if you look at it now, we got Troy Cooley and they got John Buchanan. Troy Cooley won England the Ashes and John Buchanan lost it for us. I don't begrudge Buck for trying to make a living, but his coaching record in England isn't crash hot. He lost the Ashes and had a stint with Middlesex that also didn't work out."

Shane Warne, one of the strongest critics of Buchanan's coaching methods, couldn't resist another dig at him. Warne reckoned that Buchanan's switch would only motivate Australia to go harder at England.

"I think that's a great move because that means we've got more of a chance," Warne said. "Hopefully, Buck (Buchanan) will be doing his stuff and he'll be working and doing all his things and hopefully overcomplicating things. I reckon it gives our chances a big boost and makes our blokes more hungry. Hopefully, he gets all of them in a boot camp and Freddie (Andrew) Flintoff and (Kevin) Pietersen hurt their knees, that would be great."

Bravo! He must add a coaching course on "How to lure people into giving profitable assignments?" in his portfolio of consulting services. It will be a huge hit in these times of recession.

India in West Indies - Series preview

Who will the win the series?

Bookies are still favoring India even after pathetic T20 World Cup performance. Media is not particularly favoring any team. I will go with the bookies even though WI has lot of positives to bank upon:

1. India's premier players are not playing - Tendulkar, Sehwag, Zaheer and Raina are nursing injuries.
2. WI is going into the series with lot of confidence after dumping Australia and India out of T20 World Cup and reaching semis.
3. Fatigue of Indian players or as proclaimed by media after poor performance in T20 World Cup.

Let's analyze the perceived positives. It is true that absence of key players will hurt India but it will also reduce fatigue factor. Zaheer and Raina were important members of T20 World Cup but they are replaced by fresh legs. More than the physical fatigue, mental fatigue hurt India in T20 World Cup. That too will be reduced by introduction of new players. Moreover there are many strong contenders for a place in team India. Excerpt from one of my earlier posts

Beyond the bench - Players like Karthink, Nehra, Munaf, Mishra, Balaji are not in the 15 member squad. These players performed exceptionally well in recently concluded IPL and have donned India colours before; they can walk in any other international side based on their performance. Alas! There is no space for them in Indian team. And I am not talking about the other young guns who also performed well in IPL but do not have the international exposure. Surely they will put positive pressure on the players in world cup squad.

More than anything else T20 and one dayers are different games and not for nothing India are placed close 3rd in ICC ranking whereas WI are placed poor 8th. India has lost just 3 dead games in last 18 one dayers. Dhoni's comments sums up everything Indian team reaches Jamaica

West Indies is playing good cricket at the moment. They are having a very good World Twenty20 tournament, but in the 50 overs, you have time to settle down."

IPL is HOT

What about IPL? It has been a month since it got over. Well! A news about IPL just came in...

Excerpt from Behind NFL, MLB & NBA there is IPL

The IPL has emerged as one of the top five most valuable global sports properties in the world. The IPL, which is just two years old, has been placed fifth globally, valued at $ 1.6 billion, behind the established American giants.

Are you kidding me?

I do not know what method did they use to arrive at the results or how scientific was their analysis. But it certainly proves few things:

• Mr. Modi is a great administrator - He has made his mark in the history of cricket. India and BCCI was wary of T20 cricket to the extant of repugning it. Mr. Modi, I must say against all odds, not only conceptualized IPL brought it up in a very short period. And of course made it hugely successful.
• India loves shortest form of game - Why do you think IPL is a USD 1.6 b property?
• The money in cricket world flows from India - What would a billion crazy fans do without cricket.
• Whatever ICC might do to control number of T20 matches, T20 cricket will grow.

I am sure BCCI and IPL governing council would be proud of this news but they must realize that along with adulation comes the responsibilty. BCCI and IPL must use this opportunity to make cricket world much better:

• IPL must use the money judiciouly to develop domestic cricket. It must nurture cricket in small towns and reach out to
• BCCI must support ICC in developing cricket where it is not a major sport.

Mr. Shahrukh Khan has a winner in his hands even though KKR has not made a strong statement on the field.

Passing thoughts

1. All three pre-tournament favourites of World cup are out of the competition. SA was on track till they lost semis but other 2, India and Australia, went out without troubling anyone.

Excerpt from my earlier post Why India is serious contender for the ICC T20 World Cup?
---------------------------------
The betting sites have also given best odds to India closely followed by SA and Australia. At the time of posting this articles the Ladbrokes' odds for India were 5/2 while for SA and Australia were 7/2 and 11/2 respectively.
Did anyone say odds in a T20 match change very quickly?
---------------------------------

2. Media was hounding Dhoni for his alleged rift with Sehwag when there wasn't even a shred of evidence supporting the rumour. In fact they are still hounding him because on the same issue.

But media is saying nothing about Dhoni and Kirsten. They are giving different reasons for their poor show in World Cup; Kirsten says fatigue was a big factor for India's pathetic performance while Dhoni thinks it is not the case. I think media has missed a trick or two here. How callous?

3. Two teams who qualified from group of death are still in the fray for World Cup while the team who was placed in the easiest group, read India, are out.

4. Would SA ever be able to shrug of Chokers tag?
Excerpt from my earlier post Analyze this
---------------------------------
They are not called Chokers for nothing. They inspire hope, excitement and confidence till they lose at the final frontier.
---------------------------------

5. Pakistan team is finally getting up from the right side of the bed. Pakistan fans would be hoping for an encore.

6. English and Australian teams can finally concentrate on real thing (read Ashes), now that the distractions (read T20 World Cup) is finally over for them.

It is a Gentlemen's game - There is no place for indscipline

A nice article from Cricinfo's chronicles. It takes a cue from history and shows us why discipline is important for the game.

When the boot was on the other foot

Analysis continued

In my last post Analyze this I didn't write anything about SL or Ireland. Frankly speaking there is nothing to write about. I don't feel there is any chink in SL's armour while Ireland has too many. The only small thing I could notice is that SL's middle order is low on international T20 experience. Given their current form, it will be tough to beat them. I will not be surprised if SL lift the T20 World cup.

Analyze this

Cricket is analysed on many fronts. In fact it is studied, examined, scrutinized and dissected from many angles before nothing notable is left. To a ardent fan the game is more than a religion and your man is no exception. ICC T20 World Cup has also been analyzed from many angles.

1. Who will win the Cup?
2. What 4 teams will reach semis?
3. What happened to Australia?
4. Is T20 a fun game?
5. What is the future of test matches?
6. etc.

Has anyone analyzed why a team would not win if at all they would not win? I think the title of this post should have been 'Analyze that'...

At the time of writing this post we are through with the first day's play of Super 8s. SA beat England while NZ beat Ireland.

Why India can lose?

• The dreaded F word - Yes, fatigue more mental than physical as they have been away from home and the country for so long. Zaheer has just recovered, Sehwag is out and captain is no longer cool (losing his temper too frequently).
• Bowling at death - Even after being 8 down Ireland could steal few runs.
• Not been tested in the tournament so far - Even Pakistan gave them a win on the platter in a warm up

Why SA can lose?

• The dreaded C word - They are not called Chokers for nothing. They inspire hope, excitement and confidence till they lose at the final frontier.
• Loosing their way while batting - They made 128 while batting against a depleted NZ side and today they huffed and puffed toward a small target of 113 against England.

Why NZ can lose?

• The dreaded D word - They are perennial Dark Horses. They raise the expectations of their fans by giving a good fight but ...
• Their best players are of the team are battling injuries

Why Pakistan can lose?

• The dreaded I word - Inconsistency. One their day they are world beaters and another day they are worse than a club cricket team
• 'It is a fun game'. Or so their captain thinks
• Nothing remains permanent in Pakistan cricket - Captains change, coaches change, administration change, players change and on top of everything their strategies towards the game change.

Why WI can lose?

• Have you seen them winning anything in this decade?

Why England can lose?

• Well they are the hosts, aren't they. If they can give opening day match to Netherlands on a platter, they should not have reached Super 8s. I am sure English fans could give many more reasons.

What ever may be the root cause of future potential defeats, a team that performs on the day and hold their nerve will win the match. It is T20 cricket - if Australia can go out so can everybody else...

Ponting's poor run continues

Ponting and Australia, yet again, have been fined for slow over-rates.

Australia rapped for slow over-rate

What excuse can Ponting provide this time around? They are playing in Queen's country (Queen is symbolic state head of Australia). Ponting was very harsh and critical when he was fined for getting behind the over-rate in India.

Excerpt from Ponting blames Indian batsmen for slow over rate

“I have said since I got back that there are a host of things that conspire against you in India. It is a hard place for fast bowlers to keep running in and get through their overs,” Ponting was quoted as saying in The Australian.

“The sightscreen and spectators play more of a part than they do anywhere else in the world. Their batsmen take up a lot more time than most opposition batsmen do. I mean runs cost you time as much as anything else. When a lot of boundaries are being scored that slows things down a lot,” he said.

What excuse did Ponting have when they couldn't complete requisite quota of overs in the test match against New Zealand? Excerpt from CA takes Ponting to task for slow over rates

Australian captain Ricky Ponting got a rap on the knuckles by Cricket Australia (CA) for being unable to maintain over rates in the first Test against New Zealand.Ponting was fined 30 per cent of his match fee while the other players were docked half for falling three overs short.

“The Australian team clearly needs to look into the reasons why it has not, in recent times, been on top of its game in regard to over rates. The rules and regulations are very clear and we are falling behind, which is not good enough,” CA chief executive James Sutherland was quoted as saying by The Australian.

In fact slow over-rate has been Ponting's bane and his perenial problem. Excerpt from Ponting faces flak for his excuses for slow-over rate in India

Ponting-led teams have never averaged more than the minimum of 15 overs per hour in any series since he took over from Steve Waugh for the series in Sri Lanka in 2003-04.

The best over-rate Ponting’s team has averaged in any Test series is 14.74 per hour against Sri Lanka in Australia in 2004.

That is still short of the mark of 15 overs an hour set down by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Australia’s slowest over-rate in any series under Ponting was 12.78 per hour against the West Indies in the Caribbean this year — while the Indian tour last month (13.38) was the third worst.

Far too many people, including former captains Steve Waugh and Ian Chappel, have critisized him for his on-field tactics but does he listen? A choice of articles from the web

Ricky Ponting under fire after over rates farce
Steve Waugh joins list of Ponting critics
Lame over-rate, lame excuse

Super 8s

After today's Group A and Group C matches, all Super 8 teams except for one have been decided. The last team to go into super 8 will be from Group B and it will either be Pakistan or Netherlands. All other 7 places have been decided

Refer to my earlier post on pre-tournament team seedings have played a significant role in deciding Super 8 group positions India is placed in the toughest group ICC T20 World Cup

First Super 8 group will have India, England, WI and SA. Second Super 8 group will have NZ, SL, Ireland and either Pakistan or Netherlands. Pakistan does not have a good chance to qualify; they will need to beat Netherlands by a huge margin to come into contention as their run-rate is abysmal. They, no doubt, have the talent to do it. But it will solely depend on which team from Pakistan plays against Netherlands? :)

Pakistan always play two different teams in a tournament. One is a world beater team who can win handsomely against the best of the best and another is just a bunch of players going through motions on playing field. If the world beater team comes to play against Netherlands, then only god can save them. Let's just wait and watch.

But one thing is for sure first group is a formidable group and second group (with or without Pakistan) will be a easy group. I think SL and NZ are already surreptitiously celebrating and looking forward to semis...

Australia and test cricket

There was an interesting thought in an article that appeared in The Hindustan Times today.

Excerpt from Aussies look to stave off early exit
Aussie dominance in cricket has always been built on a mental strength. Australians prey on the physical and mental weaknesses of their opposition. Mental disintegration has been the method of approach for Australia for a while now.But that becomes a bit of a problem in T20s There is hardly the time Aussies need to prey on the opposition’s weakness. By the time, they figure out what they need to do to get under the skin, the game is gone.

It is an interesting thought and there might be some truth in it. The most important reason for their dominance in test cricket is their seriousness about it. They plan extremely well for the test matches and ensure that their plan are executed to the perfection including "mental disintegration".

Refer to my earlier post Why Australia is the best test team in world?

India is placed in the toughest group ICC T20 World Cup

The title of this post may may look ridiculous but, unfortunately, it is true. India are placed in tougher of the two groups in Super 8s. The groups, both at preliminary stage and Super 8s, are decided by pre-tournament seedings. For more on seedings and preliminary groupings look at my earlier post

Why Australia, WI and SL are in one group in ICC T20 World Cup?

It is this structure that will make India (Seeded 1 in group A - A1) play against B2 (England), C1(Australia) and D2 (SA) provided they all win and go through to Super 8. Based on their current forms and odds the qualification of all these teams is likely barring England who have lost their easier game against Netherlands. England need to win against Pakistan to qualify to Super 8.

The top three favourites to pick the cup are India, SA and Australia (in that order). Excerpt from my one of my previous posts

Why India is serious contender for the ICC T20 World Cup?

"The betting sites have also given best odds to India closely followed by SA and Australia. At the time of posting this articles the Ladbrokes' odds for India were 5/2 while for SA and Australia were 7/2 and 11/2 respectively."

The other Super 8 group will also be formed on the basis of pre-tournament seedings. The second group will likely to have Bangladesh, Pakistan, SL and NZ. This would be a much easier group to qualify for semis. Ladbrokes' odds, at the time of writing, for NZ, Pakistan and SL are 7, 9 and 9 respectively.

Whether England qualify or not, first group in Super 8 will be the toughest. The team who will top the first group would have the best chance to win the trophy. As for India, they will be seriously tested only in super 8 (if they qualify for it). Their groupings could be biggest setback for them for title hunt.

England Woes - First it was Netherlands and now it is media

A collection of very good articles on England's defeat in the opening match of ICC T20 world cup

England produce the perfect capitulation

Dutch courage spares organisers' blushes

Netherland's glorious final over

Why India is serious contender for the ICC T20 World Cup?

India team is not only the defending champions but is also considered to be favourites to win ICC T20 World Cup again. Pundits, critics, media-personnel and fans alike have put their bets on India.

The betting sites have also given best odds to India closely followed by SA and Australia. At the time of posting this articles the Ladbrokes' odds for India were 5/2 while for SA and Australia were 7/2 and 11/2 respectively. The odds would change as tournament will progress. One can check the betting meter of various online sites at

Twenty20 World Cup Win Market Betting Odds

I am not a betting man but I like to analyze the cricket happenings. Why is everyone considering India as favourites? Is it because:

1. India has a very strong team with fine balance.
2. Indians have much more experience of T20 format than rival team players (courtesy IPL).
3. All the 15 individuals in the team are proven performers - swash bucking batsmen, excellent fielders and wicket taking bowlers.
4. Most of the players are is excellent form and are coming after a successful stint in IPL2.
5. Dhoni is considered to be a fine leader with a cool head and astute thinking.

All these points definitely make India a world beating team. These points have been analyzed threadbare by media and cricket pundits; there is no point in repeating them here. SA and Australia too can run close if we just consider these points. Man for man SA and Australia too have brilliant team.

World Cup squads
India - http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202009/content/squad/402820.html
SA - http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202009/content/squad/402863.html
Australia - http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202009/content/squad/402963.html

So what is it that makes India favourites? Where is the wow factor? Why are odds what they are? I think there are more important points. These are:

1. The bench - Out of 15 individuals in the squad only 11 will play. The bench strength of India is much better that rest of the teams. Dhoni has happy problem of who to take in playing 11 and who to leave. Indian team has the strongest bench among all teams playing in the world cup. One just has to consider how India thrashed Pakistan in a warm up game when their premier bowler (Zaheer) and the regular opener (Sehwag) were injured and warming the bench.
2. Beyond the bench - Players like Karthink, Nehra, Munaf, Mishra, Balaji are not in the 15 member squad. These players performed exceptionally well in recently concluded IPL and have donned India colours before; they can walk in any other international side based on their performance. Alas! There is no space for them in Indian team. And I am not talking about the other young guns who also performed well in IPL but do not have the international exposure. Surely they will put positive pressure on the players in world cup squad.
3. Fear Factor - There are very few players in world cricket who induce fear in the mind of opposition. These players are reverved by fans and opposition alike. India have couple of them - Sehwag, Yuvraj and Dhoni. Australia also used to have few before they lost them to retirement and indiscipline (read Symmonds).
4. Pressure situations - Most Indian players are accustomed to pressure cooker like situations. Over past two years they have seen extremely adverse conditions (both in one dayers and tests) where they have come out strongly. They have won matches from extreme odds. As an old adage goes - been there, done that. Players like Dhoni, Yuvraj, Rohit, Pathan brothers, Zaheer, Harbhajan and Raina have won matches on their own from seemingly impossible situations. They are all big match players.

Did anyone say odds in a T20 match change very quickly?

Emotions unlimited...

Yesterday I posted an article about intensity of cricket when India and Pakistan play each other.

Emotions and India vs. Pakistan encounter

Even though India won comfortably, hoards of fans provided their whole hearted support to their respective teams. It seemed as if World cup final was being played - from the fans was feverish and noise was deafening. Here is a small collection of news stories as reported by media today:

Raw emotions rule Oval 'super show'

More than just a warm-up

Excerpt from http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202009/content/current/story/407210.html

Nothing about this encounter suggested it was a warm-up game. The sell-out crowd, and the intensity in the first innings was something even the final of the actual tournament will be proud of.

Excerpt from http://www.cricinfo.com/wt202009/content/current/story/407286.html

Rohit's innings, and Gambhir's supporting half-century, denied the match of an exciting finish that would have done justice to the feverish atmosphere at The Oval. The ICC wanted everyone to 'Catch the Spirit' and it was impossible not to. Celebrations were adrenalin-filled and every ball - be it dot, six or out - was cheered by an emotionally-charged full house, evenly divided in support between the teams. This was more than a warm-up game.

The players felt the same way, with India shelving all thoughts of experimentation. Dhoni said the bowlers had attempted a back-of-a-length approach in the previous game but merely tried to stick to basics today. "We were not experimenting," Dhoni said. "An India-Pakistan game, even though it's a warm-up, is a tough game to play. We were looking to do the basics, bowl yorkers."

Emotions and India vs. Pakistan encounter

Today there are a few warm-up matches of ICC T20 World Cup. One of them is between arch rivals India and Pakistan while other is between Netherlands and Ireland. I watched bits and pieces of Netherlands vs. Ireland game which preceded India vs. Pakistan encounter. It was scheduled to end an hour before India vs. Pakistan match. The stadium looked to be full when Netherlands and Ireland match was going on. Looking closely, one could notice that most of the fans were wearing either Indian or Pakistani colours and they were already in mood for impending India vs. Pakistan encounter.

Few games raise as much emotions as a India vs. Pakistan encounter. Traditionally there has been immense political animosity between two countries; due to which a game between two countries is not considered less than a tiny battle. There has been no scientific research to determine the level of emotions when these two countries play each other as compared to any other match but the way fans behave or the manner in which media reports says it all. Nothing seems bigger than an India vs. Pakistan encounter.

Media also tries to sell the hype around the match for its own good. But somehow, I think, over past few years the emotions attached with a India vs. Pakistan encounter have diminished - at least among Indian fans. I think it all started with rise of India a financial powerhouse in cricketing world. And around the same time Mr. Vajpayee also came to power in India and started exploring congenial relations with Pakistan which culminated in a few bilateral series between two countries. These bilateral series had salubrious effect on the fans and the craze started dying down.

A long time Indian fan would remember 80s and 90s when there were very few matches between the two countries. And fans used to religiously follow each and every ball of the scarce encounter. Pitched battles in Sharjah and One Day World Cups are part of cricketing folklore. Can you remember anything significant from the matches that were played in last 10 years?

A third interesting thing happened around the same time - rise of Australia as a cricketing powerhouse. Indian team may have a chequered record over last 10 years but they have given nothing away to Australia in their encounters. And many encounters, in last 10 years, between these two countries have been as acrimonious as an India vs. Pakistan encounter. In fact, it is because of India that Australia seems to be relegating the number 1 spot in world cricket. In my opinion, an Indian fan today, relishes thrashing Australia more than beating Pakistan.

Only time will tell what future hold for an India vs. Pakistan encounter but today's encounter may be as bitter as an 80s or a 90s encounter. Why?
1. Pakistan has never beaten India in a World Cup match.
2. ICC T20 2007 World Cup final is still remembered by both nations albeit for different reasons.
2. After 26/11, Lahore attacks and ultimately isolation of Pakistan from world cricket, Pakistan team and fans want to prove a thing or two to rest of the world.

Let's keep our fingers crossed and enjoy the match as a sporting encounter. :)

Why Australia, WI and SL are in one group in ICC T20 World Cup?

Is it pure (bad) luck that Australia, SL and WI are slotted together in group playoffs for Super 8?

The answer is simple 'no'.

There are 12 teams competing in 2009 T20 World Cup. 9 of the 12 teams, including Bangladesh, are ICC full-members countries while remaining 3 (Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands) qualified through a qualifying tournament.

These 12 teams are divided in 4 groups of 3 each based on their seedings. As it is in other sports (like in Lawn Tennis Grand Slams), the teams are divided into groups based on their seedings. The seedings are based on inaugural T20 World Cup played in 2007. Top 4 seeded teams from 2007 World Cup are placed in separate groups. The next 4 seeded teams are placed in these same groups in the reverse order while the last 4 seeds are slotted based on similar logic. WI didn't win a single game in 2007 World Cup in group playoffs; by virtue of their poor performance they are seeded 11th.



2007 seedings and current groupings

Group A: 1-India, 8-Bangladesh, 9-Ireland

Group B: 2-Pakistan, 7-England, 10-Netherlands

Group C: 3-Australia, 6-SL, 11-WI

Group D: 4-NZ, 5-SA, 12-Scotland



So Australia and SL can blame WI for making it difficult for them at group stage. Or they can treat it as an opportunity in disguise; they will be better prepared for Super 8 if they qualify for it.

As for WI, I don't think they have a strong team to challenge either SL or Australia. Predictions, based on team strength can go wrong. As we have seen in 2007 World Cup and recently in IPL, in this format reputation does not matter; course of a match can change in couple of overs and a weak team can beat a potentially strong team. But the chances of WI losing at group stage look very strong.

And if WI lose again, they can look forward to anther group of death in next World Cup.Well! They can certainly blame themselves for 2007 debacle.

Why Australia is the best test team in world?

Australians got a stiff competition from SA and India in 2008. Australians barely managed to overcome stiff Indian resistance in their own backyard while Indians trounced them 2-0 in India. India is a vastly improved test side from what it was 2 years ago. On the other hand SA was on the verge of dethroning Australia as number 1 test side in the world. Alas! They stumbled at the last step. Some would say that they are perennial chokers.

I think, even though SA and India have challenged Australian hegemony over last few years, Australia will remain number 1 team in times to come. In my earlier post "Why is Australia the number 1 team?" we looked at one aspect of Australian cricket - their bench strength. But more than their bench strength, it is their seriousness about about the test cricket that sways the ranking in their favour. Test cricket is considered to be the holy grail in Australia. 2008 was just an aberration for Australian cricket.

When the best players of the were playing in IPL 2009, Australian stalwarts were resting at home. They renounced playing lucrative IPL and also didn't participate in one dayers against Pakistan. Why so? Because they wanted to keep themselves fresh for Ashes. While IPL was in full flow, the voices emanating from Australian cricket suggested that the team was getting into groove for Ashes. Even today, when rest of the world is focused on ICC T20 championship (which is just round the corner), all the news coming from Australian team is about Ashes preparation.

ICC T20 championship is the most prestigious international T20 tournament in the world. Barring 1 or 2 T20 matches in a bilateral series, all the teams play international T20 matches only during ICC T20 championship. And what is the news from Australian camp about ICC T20 championship? Nothing...This says it all. Australians attach immense importance to test cricket and that is why they have been so successful in this format.

What hopes does Australia have in ICC T20 championship? Even though they are placed in group of Death, along with WI and SL, Australia has a strong T20 team. They should be able to go through to next round. Anyway, that is another story...

Win some and lose some

Whew! IPL 2009 is over. What a tournament? We won some and lost some. Let review.
It was a well organized tournament courtesy IPL administration and SA spare a "dog" in the first game.
DD were looking invincible all the way till semifinal when Gilly pounded them to submission.
Most valued & most talked about team lost matches and their most admired & reverved owner lost respect even while its marketing team created maximum brand value. Yes we are talking about KKR.
Most derided and bootom placed teams from IPL 2008 finished 1 & 2.
Broadcaster gained after 10th over due to commercial...oops...strategy break...while teams lost momentum in 11th over.
Indian players, who play all 3 forms of game, look jaded after non-stop playing on foreign shores - NZ and SA. Viru, Gauti, Yuvraj and Dhoni didn't perform half as well as they did last year. Zaheer and Ishant were not even as good as second string Indian bowlers. What will happen in ICC T20 championship?
Last but not the least my prediction about semifinalists was only 50% off mark IPL 2009 Semi-finalists :)

Twenty thoughts on the IPL

Good article from cricinfo
Twenty thoughts on the IPL

It is BAD that regular openers of DD have not performed so far...

I am watching second match between DD and RR. We are at halfway stage of first innings. DD is batting and, as has been the case this season, they are down two wickets. They lost their openers very early. In one of my earlier posts, I made a case out of failures of DD openers.
It is good that regular openers of DD have not performed so far...

The title of this post is exact opposite of my earlier post. What is happening?
DD is through to semis without any significant contribution from the regular openers. Courtesy middle order batsmen, DD was the first team to qualify for semis. It has been good so far for DD but the openers have to perform to go all the way as the competition in the semifinal will be tougher.
The failure of openers, though good for other semi contenders, is not a good news for an Indian fan. ICC T20 championship is just round the corner. Viru and Gauti are regular openers for India team as well. Both of them are important cogs of Indian batting line up. In fact, Gauti was highest Indian scorer and second overall in last T20 championship. If they do not gain momentum before ICC T20 championship, Indian batting line-up may face tough time. They should go to England with few runs under their belt. The competition will certainly be tougher in ICC T20 championship than it is in IPL.
Even a DD hater would be hoping that DD openers get their act together.

Realize your mistake and move forward

Rajasthan Royals
RR was not among favorites before the start of IPL season 2. They lost 2 of their best performers from season 1 due to different reasons - Watson and Tanvir. Analysts were not very confident about Shane Warne's bunch even though they were defending champions. In the initial games RR didn't do anything to belie analysts prediction. They won only 2 of their first 6 games and were languishing at the bottom of points table. One of the games RR won was against hapless KKR; that too was won only by a whisker. In first 6 games their batting was woeful and below par. Smith, one of the stars of IPL season 1 was failing consistently, None of the other batsmen, except for Pathan, was playing up to their potential.
In next 5 games (RR has played 11 matches so far), RR won 3 and also posted tournament's highest total so far - 212. What changed between first 6 games and next 5 games? Warne realized that they have to improve their batting in order to make a dent in IPL season 2. So he recalled Naman Ojha who was sent back to India even before the tournament begun.
Insulting to have been sent back: Naman
Naman Ojha wants to make his journey count
In the 5 games, that Ojha has played so far, he has scored 136 runs at an average of 34. Ojha is now the 4th highest run scorer for RR whereas the top 3 run getters namely Pathan, Jadeja and Smith have each played 10 matches; Jadeja has the highest average among them (27). Ojha has not set the ground on fire with his batting but has made significant contributions for winning cause.
The cardinal point is that Warne realized that team management made a mistake by sending back Ojha and they need to rectify it before it is too late. Now, after 11 games, RR are among the top 4 teams.

Chennai Super Kings
CSK, like RR, were also not doing too well initially even though they started as pre-tournament favorites. CSK's balling was well below par - Flintoff, Gony and Sharma were failing consistently. Batting too was not at its best - even though there was a mini-competition between Hayden and Raina to win Orange cap, rest of the batting was failing badly. In first 5 matches they won only 1 match.
After the initial hiccups, they took some tough decision. They replaced IPL season 1 top bowlers - Gony and Sharma with an unknown name Jakati and a world class player Murli. Flintoff had to leave due to injury. Similarly in batting they replaced Patel with an IPL novice Vijay. All of them performed and today, after 10 games, they are sitting pretty at second place in points table. They won all of their last 5 games. Again the credit goes to Dhoni and team management who realized their mistakes and turned the tide.

Kolkata Knight Riders
I am sure there would have been many more tough decisions that CSK and RR would have taken to improve their standing which are not so apparent. On the other hand KKR are committing mistakes again and again which are apparent to the whole world but not to their world renowned coach. The controversies also are not just dying down.
'Racial rift between KR coaches, players'
Anatomy of Kolkata's disaster
Mr. Khan made a mistake by not listening to Mr. Gavaskar before tournament began. Mr. Gavaskar is respected in cricketing circles not only for his test records but also for his astute cricketing knowledge. I hope Mr. Khan comes out of his silence and acts fast - let their be some more controversies for a better IPL season 3.

It is good that regular openers of DD have not performed so far...

In IPL 2008 DD had a very good team; in fact it was one of the best. The opening combination was supposed to be the best among the 8 participating teams. Viru and Gauti had a great history of scoring profusely at the top; they opened together in all formats of the game both in International and Domestic cricket. They only increased their reputation during IPL 2008 by performing exceptionally well. DD won the matches mostly due to brilliant performances of the opening combination; Shikhar Dhawan at number 3 bolstered their batting line-up. When DD won, they won by huge margin only because of openers and in some instances Shikhar Dhawan. The middle order never really got any chance to play in winning matches. This proved to be a bane for the team, middle order was never tested. When openers failed, middle order just could not deliver and team failed. Sadly DD could win only 7 out of 14 games at league stage.
IPL 2009 has started on a very different note. Viru & Gauti are not performing and Shikhar Dhawan is playing for MI. In the absence of opening cushion, middle order has blossomed. The performance of team in IPL 2009 is better than that of IPL 2008. The team has won 7 out of 9 matches played so far. There has been no change in middle order except that Shohib Malik is not playing. Rest of the middle order consisting of AB, Dilshan, Karthik and Mithi have given the team necessary impetus to win most of their matches.
Moving forward, it can get only better. The opposition can thank their stars that regular openers have not performed so far because if openers perform, it will become extremely difficult for them. The class players that Viru and Gauti are, it is only a matter of time when they start delivering for the team's success.

Media, Money and Betting

This is a good article that apperared in "The Hindustan Times".
Gambling on skills game isn’t playing straight

Most Hundreds in tests

Who holds the the record of scoring most hundreds in his test career?
There are no points for guessing the right answer. The record is held by one and only "Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar". At the time of posting Tendulkar has 42 test hundreds against his name.
More important question is when will "number of centuries" record be broken?
The answer is never.
Unless there are serious changes in the way test cricket is played the record will never be broken. Maybe they start playing with wider bats or white ball; maybe boundaries are shortened or number of fielding players are reduced. All these scenarios are unlikely.
In current form of test cricket, the record will never be broken. It took brilliance of Sunil Manohar Gavaskar (who retired with 34 centuries against his name) to break decades old record of Sir Donald George Bradman of 29 centuries. None of Bradman's or Gavaskar's peers came close to breaking their record. It took Tendulkar's brilliance and his love for the game to break the record.
Can anyone match or exceed Tendulkar's talent in future? Yes.
I am an optimist and an avid cricket fan. I think many more players will come who would be as brilliant as Tendulkar, maybe more so. But it is highly unlikely that anyone be able to play as many test matches as Tendulkar in future. With the advent of T20 cricket and dying interest in tests, I don't think, anyone will be able to surpass Sir Bradman's record let alone come close to Tendulkar's record. In near future a player would play lesser number of tests per year. I am not against test cricket; in fact I like test cricket as much T20 but given the current trend T20 holds more public interest.
Is there a remote possibility for record to be broken?
Only Ricky Ponting (37 centuries) and Jacques Kallis (31 centuries), who are plying active cricket have outside chance of coming close to Tendulkar's record. Ponting has better chances than Kallis but I still think they too will not be able to break the record. On the other side Kevin Pietersen or Mahela Jayawardene may go past Sir Bradman's record but that too seems unlikely.

Foreign players and IPL

I am writing this post while DD and KKR are enjoying their strategy break. The match is interestingly poised as Delhi needs 79 to win from 10 overs with 9 wickets in hand. What could be the better utilization of strategy break?
A news item caught my attention yesterday - Buchanan wants more foreign players. KKR coach wants more than 4 foreign players to be part of playing 11.
Some other coaches have also opined similar thoughts but Buchanan got more media attention as media is always on a lookout for juicy stories from KKR camp. I think this is a preposterous proposition and Buchanan wants to find excuses to justify the poor run of the team so far - KKR has won only 1 match so far out of 8.
Aren't all teams playing with this limitation; if at all this is a limitation? IPL is a domestic tournament and it definitely requires participation of more Indian players. The league is ment to professionalize and improve Indian cricket. In fact the foreign player participation should be reduced to 3 as it is in European soccer clubs. Every country has their own T20 tournament so why this noise for IPL? Is it because team owners has spent lot of money in buying 10-12 foreign players? Or does Buchanan want to pull some wool over the KKR fans?
Let us wait for 2 more years. After the 3rd year, IPL will introduce more teams and maybe then most good foreign players will be optimally utilized. For now, I hope KKR is soon able to win a match for Buchanan sake.

Can India become number 1?

BCCI selection committee is in a dilemma whom to select and whom to drop for ICC T20 world cup. Read the following article on cricinfo
RP in contention for World Twenty20
BCCI selection committee has a happy problem at hand. They have problem of plenty; they can choose 15 member squad from a pool of 20 or more quality players A team's strength can be judged by looking at the quality of players who are not part of team squad. India has very good quality players who are not part of international squad. These qulity players can walk into the team any day on the basis of their performance in IPL or other domestic tournaments.
In this decade India have remained serious contenders for number 1 only because of strong playing 11. But lately the bench strength has improved and they have been winning consistently. It has happened because of improvement at domestic level (Ranji, IPL et. el.) and under 19 level.

We can only expect that team will improve further and in near future India will become ICC number 1 team; albeit in T20 and one day. But test matches are a different ballgame. In test there are players staking claim to get into team but to it will be next to impossible to replace Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman. Let us just hope for the best.