Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma lead the way

Overs 46-48.1(Ind: 270/5)

Jadeja hit the winning runs and Kohli racked up a valiant century but Rohit Sharma ensured that he would be in the middle for an Indian victory.

With Roach bowling his final over, Rohit Sharma was biting his time with singles but he spotted a slower one early and hoisted one over long-off for the maximum and effectively seal the match for India.

It was getting tense with couple of dot balls after Raina's wicket. Rampaul was bowling in the right areas and Sammy finally got the field in to restrict the singles. Kemar Roach picked up the wicket of Suresh Raina in his 9th over for nought.

Overs 41-45 (Ind: 247/4)

After reaching his hundred Virat Kohli let himself loose with some quick runs. Though he was living dangerously, he was  lucky enough to get few edges to the boundary. He was eventually picked up by Ravi Rampaul on 117 from just 123 deliveries but not before he had put India in a winning position.

Virat Kohli racked up his 8th ODI hundred as he lead the run chase of 270.

Overs 36-40 (Ind: 210/3)

India crossed the 200 run mark and the required run rate was exactly 6. 60 runs needed off 60 balls.

Overs 31-35 (Ind: 172/3)

Sammy missed a trick or two when it came to restircting the duo of Kohli and Rohit as they forged the 100 run partnership.

Overs 26-30 (Ind: 152/3)

Sammy tried himself, Pollard Samuels and Roach to break the partnership but Kohli and Rohit looked solid in the middle milking runs from every corner of the field.

Overs 21-25(Ind: 122/3)

Virat Kohli racked up his 18th ODI fifty as he, along with Rohit Sharma are turning the heat on the Windies.

Overs 16-20 (Ind: 97/3)

The wicket of Viru brought in Rohit Sharma and after three uncomfortable deliveries, he plunged on to a short one from outside-off  to deep midwicket, a classic pull and he was under way. At the other end, Kohli once again was displaying maturity in the run chase.

West Indies had opted for the bowling powerplay and they brought in the part time offie Marlon Samuels in the 16th over. The very first ball Sehwag tired an inside out shot and was holed out at long-off and the plan worked.

Sehwag was playing the waiting  till then and like a raging bull seeing red, Sehwag went after the spinner only to perish on 26.

Overs 11-15 (Ind: 75/2)

After  a slight rain delay the match was resumed and Sehwag looked to force things along with Virat Kohli.

Overs 6-10 (Ind: 45/2)

It was a subdued start by Virender Sehwag as the maverick opener let others do the talking. With Guati and Parthiv back in the hood, Virat Kohli had been the agresssor. The West Indies attack was disciplined to this point. 

Adrian Barath plucked one out of thin air to dismiss Gautam Gambhir (12) for another cheap score. The bowler -- who else than Ravi Rampaul. It was a short and wide delivery and 10 out of 10 times Gauti would have dispatched for a boundary as he would have done numerous times, but not today. Barath timed his jump to perfection stretching out his right hand to intercept the speeding delivery.

Overs 1-5 (Ind: 23/1)

 As is the norm, Sehwag lived dangerously for the first five overs and was even dropped by Sammy.

  Kemar Raoch delivered the first blow as he sent the tentative Parthiv Patel packing fot just 2 runs.

Rampaging Rampaul leads Windies to 269/9

Overs 46-50(WI: 269/9)

Ravi Rampaul finshed off the Windies innings with a cracking six over the bowler's head. Windies made 269 for 9 in 50 overs with Ravi Rampaul unbeaten on 86 ably supported by Kemar Roach (24).

Overs 41-45 (WI: 229/9)

With Rampaul at the helm of affairs, Kemar Roach stuck in supporting his fellow fast bowler as the inexperience of the pace attack was quite evident in the final overs. With Ashwin hit around the park for runs, the pace battery had the opportunity to wrap up the tail but failed to do so.

The trio of Vinay Kumar, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav tired too many things rather than sticking to wicket-to-wicket bowling. They seldom were on target with their yorkers.

Overs 36-40 (WI: 208/9)

Ravi Rampaul was on a rampage but with the bat as the pacer went beserk clubbing four sixes and three fours en route to a brisk 50 to put some life into the Windies innings.

Lendl Simmons has been the only West Indian basman who has done reasonably well this year and here also he put up a valiant effort of 78 trying to forge partnerships. He played with much maturity and his 102 ball vigil was the only thing that was holding the Windies innings together.

But he was run out attempting to take a second run.

Overs 31-35 (WI: 167/8)

Andre Russell was clean bowled by Ravindra Jadeja for 11 runs as Lendl Simmons waged a lone a battle in the middle. Windies were able to cross the 150 run mark in the 31st over.

Overs 26-30 (WI: 148/7)

West Indies were in total disarray as wickets tumbled in heap and captain Darren Sammy once again failed to impress with the bat. He was not able to judge the length of the ball and stayed back in his crease as the ball spun in.

Overs 21-25 (WI: 120/6)

Pollard and Simmons resuced Windies from the mess that the Indian pacers had put them in and were rebuilt the innings. Sehwag got in spinners to operate from both ends and the man of the moment Ravichandran Ashwin bagged the important wicket of Keiron Pollard.

After hitting Aswhin for two massive sixes, Pollard went for a forward defence only to loop the ball up to silly point. Pollard was the sixth batsmen out and with Lendl Simmons remaining as the lone recognised batsmen, Windies might struggle to play out the 50 overs.

Simmons at the other end completed yet another enterprising half century.

Overs 16-20(WI: 88/5)

Umesh Yadav's good run with the ball continued as the pacer bagged his third wicket to leave Windies tottering with five wickets down.

Its been pace all along for India and Windies have been rattled. Sehwag was attacking from ball one and he got the dividends in the form of quick wickets.

Overs 11-15 (WI: 62/4)

Against the run of play, Darren Bravo gifted his wicket to Vinay Kumar when he was on 13. Simmons and Bravo were looking good for a solid partnership but the classy left hander tried clearing mid-on with a uppish delivery only to end up giving a simple catch to mid-on.

One ball later Vinay struck again with the wicket of Danza Hyatt to leave Windies tottering at 55-4.

Overs 6-10 (WI: 39/2)

Umesh Yadav continued to bowl well barring the 10th over where he was a bit wayward. Lendl Simmons on the other hand looked in good touch and West Indies got a move on after a shaky start.

Yadav in the 7th over had again produced a near perfect delivery to scalp Marlon Samuels (4). Samuels managed to get a leading edge to third slip were Raina executed a fine low catch.

Overs 1-5 (WI: 13/1)

Visakhapatnam: One could say this is just a mediocre West Indies line-up but the inexperienced pace attack are getting it easy, but don’t be fooled because they are bowling like a well oiled machine. Vinay Kumar swung the ball well, Umesh Yadav with pace produced a couple of wicket taking deliveries in the first five overs.

Umesh Yadav sent opener Adrian Barath packing for nought in his first over.

Yadav had been extracting pace and was probing at the outside off line and produced a perfect out swinger in the final ball to induce an edge off Barath duly taken by Parthiv behind the stumps.

The ball pitched a little short of good length and moved away very very late.

After a slight delay owing to the mild drizzle, Indian captain Virender Sehwag won the toss and elected to bowl first at Vizag.

The conditons at Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium are overcast and with two new balls being employed from either ends, Indian seamers would have a field day in the first hour of play.

Has CLT20 come up a cropper?

So another Twenty20 tournament in the form of Champions League T20 is done and dusted with and within days another international fixture for the Indian fans is waiting to happen (England in India ODI series). There was a lot of scepticism around the Champions League Twenty20 right from the beginning and questions were being raised on whether cricket fans would turn up for the event especially on the backdrop of a depressing India’s tour of England. 

More so after the World Cup, IPL was held immediately and there was lot of hue and cry over the crunch schedules. India went to West Indies in between then landed in England then flew back to India for the Champions League and now England is waiting. If we suppose one calendar year to a day, The Indian team would have worked round the clock, i.e. 24 hours a day and as cricket fans or die hard (Indian) cricket fans one would still be watching a 24x7 news channel at a stretch.

Not to forget other international fixtures where the resurgent young Australian setup got the better of a below average Sri Lankan team. Also Shoaib Malik, now better known as Tennis sensation (what kind of sensation !!!) Sania Mirza’s husband made it back to the Pakistan squad. Pakistan blanked a spirited Zimbabwe in ODIs and T20s in the most unconvincing fashion. But as Indian cricket fan one is bound to miss all that. 

Coming back to Champions League T20, like IPL, it was clearly stuffed into the cricketing schedule likepaneer being stuffed into every possible North Indian cuisine. The BCCI has been at the centre of it all and as an arrogant brat they have shown all their detractors the finger and have went about their business as usual. It was evident that the 20 day tournament (how ironical for a Twenty20 competition!!!) failed to pull the amount of crowd an IPL match or an International fixture would be able to do. 

Just as a causal observation, entire sections of the stadiums where the games were played in were empty and even the finals was no difference. The fact that Sunil Gavaskar and the widely respected Harsha Bhogle repeatedly emphasised the sporting spirit of Chennai crowd in the finals was quite misleading to put it rather politely. The qualifying stages which featured the teams from New Zealand (Auckland Aces) and England (Leicestershire Lions) were played out to near empty stadiums. 

So, has the Champions League T20 come up as a cropper? As marketing proposition not all, and surprisingly even in the cricketing front it has done well. Even though it’s Twenty20, CLT20 was able to produce some high quality matches and equally stupendous performances. David Warners’s back to back centuries, RCB’s back to back over 200 run chases. Trinidad and Tobago’s nerve wracking last ball matches. Malinga’s exploits with the bat, Tait’s five-for, Dan Harris’s ton, class of Virat Kohli and Callum Feguson and the dream final of Mumbai and RCB were definitely the highlights of CLT20. 

So was Champions League T20 a flop show even after such great cricket? Unfortunately, it has been a flop show just because of the overdose of cricket. Twenty20 format is like the goose that lays the golden eggs and with the business conglomerates coming together for their share; it could lead to the killing of the goose. 

Comparing the tournament to the UEFA Champions League would be a cardinal sin, even thought the concept and the trophy is similar to UEFA Champions League. CLT20 so far has been a pale shadow of the extravagant soccer tourney. Even IPL is far better an event than CLT20. To make it a tournament which could be widely accepted, credibility is a big factor. With the organising committee already under the scanner with conflict of interest, the rules were bent to accommodate certain teams. The Champions League qualifier was evidently played out to give a second chance to a popular IPL team, an extra foreign player was allowed to accommodate another team. 

Even the composition of the teams was not equal to say the least. With three Indian team or rather IPL teams, two Australian outfits, two England county teams and just one each from Sri Lanka, West Indies and New Zealand, the odds were clearly stacked keeping in mind the monetary benefits and this is precisely were CLT20 fails and UEFA Champions League scores big time. Also CLT20 need to go global to make an impact but will it go the distance to actually make it global?


This article was first published in zeenews.com
(http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/will-clt20-match-upto-uefa-champions-league_730657.html)

CLT20: Mumbai Indians -- Champion of Champions

 Mumbai Indians won the third edition of Champions League Twenty20 on the back of a spirited bowling performance led by Captain Harbhajan Singh as the franchise got the taste of success for the first time in 4 years and their first piece of silverware. 

With a modest total of 139 to defend, that too against a RCB line-up that had chased down above 200 twice before coming into the final was an improbable task but with the likes of talismanic Malinga, mercurial Pollard and the charismatic Harbhajan Singh in the ranks, the Bangalore challenge was squashed by the Indians at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.

Without their big guns in the squad, the depleted and wounded Mumbai franchise was in the news for all the wrong reasons at the start yet they scrapped past the league stages with few low scoring and heart stopping affairs to reach the finals against the formidable RCB which was powered by Gayle force and brute Kohli aggression.

For Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan led from the front and took the Man of the Match award with an impressive tally of three wickets with a run rate under six. He was ably supported by the young Yazuvendra Chahal who kept the pressure on from one end finishing off with 3-0-9-2 with an economy of 3.00. Even big man Keiron Pollard did his bit with the ball even though he failed with the bat in the entire series. James Franklin once again proved to be the man of the moment for Mumbai as the lanky New Zealander came up with another crucial knock with the bat scoring a very vital 41, the top score for the entire match.

Royal Challengers Bangalore were definitely the favourites going into the second innings to chase down a modest total of 139. The RCB bowling came to the fore in the decider with the likes of Nannes and Vettori coming up with stellar performances to restrict the Mumbai batsmen. Sreenath Arvind who is in the Indians squad which would be squaring off against England again had a bad day at the office going for more than 8 runs per over. Raju Bhatkal was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets. In batting, Dilshan top scored with 27 as the star performers Gayle and Virat Kohli failed to deliver in the decider.

The slow pitch of MA Chidambaram Stadium had something for the bowlers as well as the batsmen and the Mumbai spinners utilized the conditions and extracted maximum out of the pitch to choke the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen during the run chase. Even RCB bowlers enjoyed the slowness of the pitch with Vettori taking full advantage. He had Pollard and Bhajji out in the 16th over to give RCB the advantage. But, Lasith Malinga who was adjudged the Man of the Series came good with the bat as well pushing the Mumbai total past 130.

The batting of Royal challengers had predominantly revolved around the top four and once Bhajji scalped the wickets of Gayle and Kohli who were clearly struggling to come to terms with the pitch, the match tilted in Mumbai’s favour. The young Indian players forgot the basics and went for glory shots when the need of the hour was to take singles, doubles and rotate the strike. Mayank Aggarwal, Arun Karthik, Sourabh Tiwari and even the veteran M Kaif crumbled under pressure and went for big shots. From here on it was matter of chipping away the wickets which was done in the usual fashion by Malinga. 


This article was first published in zeenews.com
(http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/clt20-mumbai-indians-win-their-first-piece-of-silverware_730634.html)

Debutant Bairstow powers England to a clean sweep

Debutant Jonny Bairstow won the man of the match award for a powerful cameo of 41 off just 21 balls which included three massive hits over the ropes. He and Ravi Bopara had held their nerves in the end to put England over the line which at one time seemed highly improbable.

Overs: 31-32.2, Eng: 241/4

The winnings runs came in the 32nd over with Ravi Bopara flicking Vinay Kumar for an easy single.

Virat Kohli was hammered for 14 runs in the 31st over and with that the result of the match was more or less settle and India were all set to end the England tour without a single victory. Jonny Baristow again proved how strong the England setup has become with youngsters coming in an owning the international stage like none other.

Overs: 26-30, Eng: 215/4

This set of five overs cost India 51 runs and England more or less took the game away from the visitors in these five overs. Ravi Bopara once again was in the middle of it all keeping his cool and nonchalantly working his way through.

Jonny Bairstow proved to be the difference as England amassed 35 runs in the last three overs courtesy of some fearless brave hitting by the youngster thus closing in on the revised target.

Dhoni took the gamble by giving the ball to Jadeja who was milked for 21 runs in his last over and the gamble paid off as the itchy Trott while trying to cut a ball ended up giving a simple catch to RP Singh at backward square leg. Trott was looking ominous with a well made 63.

Debutant Jonny Bairstow though held his nerve and connected a massive slog to deep mid-wicket then reverse swept Jadeja for a boundary in the same over to ease some pressure.

Overs: 21-25, Eng: 164/3

Ian Bell, trying to clear the long-off boundary wasted his wicket to hand back India with a slim advantage after scoring a quick fire 26 of 21 balls.

Trott and Bell had got another a big over taking 10 runs off RP Singh. Trott had upped the ante and the 

pair of Bell and Trott reached fifty-run partnership in just 36 balls.

Jonathan Trott did not have a single six to his name in 34 ODI, but in this match Trott already hit two as both Trott and Bell milked Jadeja for 21 runs thus putting England back in the reckoning and India in a spot of bother.

Overs: 16-20, Eng: 116/2

Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja bowled few tidy overs to keep a check on the England score.

The 17th over produced a crafty reverse paddle sweep to four, a fifty for Cook, a dropped catch by Dravid the very next ball and finally the prized wicket of Cook with a slower delivery, and bowler, Virat Kohli. The wicket gave given India the advantage in Duckworth Lewis calculations with the required rate creeping up for England.

Munaf Patel slipped on the grass and tumbled on to the sponsor’s logo while attempting to catch a skier from Cook. The fall was very awkward and stretchers were out with Munaf in visible pain. India are now concerned about a player as well as losing out on few overs as well.

Overs: 11-15, Eng: 89/1

With rain pouring down in the backdrop, England seemed really desperate to get a move on as Trott and Alastair Cook went for unorthodox shots. Trott in fact was caught off a no-ball at mid-off in the 11th over.

But the pair evidently kicked off to their gears and the running between wickets was a proof of that. 

Ravichandran Ashwin had troubles gripping the bowl and even in the field, it was getting real tough.

Overs: 6-10, Eng: 58/1

Play resumed with a revised total of 241 in 34 overs.

Before the interruption, Munaf Patel came in as the first change and Trott hoisted him straight for a massive yet an elegant six.

Kumar and Singh after the rusty start made amends with good spell of medium fast bowling backed by superlative effort in the field by the Indians. Cook had troubles in the middle as he got lucky inside edges on couple of occasions as Trott got singles on a regular basis to tick over the scorecard.

Overs: 0-5, Eng: 29/1

After two expensive overs, Vinay Kumar bounced back well to scalp the dangerous Craig Keiswetter. With a scrambled seam the ball kept low as the wicket-keeper batsmen tried to play across the line only to be adjudged Leg before wicket by umpire Nigel Long

The opening bowlers Kumar and RP Singh were wayward to say the least at first giving the England batsmen too many loose deliveries to score off. They failed to stick to the plan and did not bowl according to the field. Both strayed down the leg side on many occasions.

Kesiwetter was evidently the dominant partner with Cook playing the second fiddle.

With a revised total of 270 in 40 overs, it is an uphill task for England to chase down the target with an economy of 6.81. Vinay Kumar started off the proceeding for India as Alastair Cook and Craig Keiswetter got 8 runs in the first over.

On Dravid's swansong Kohli, Dhoni propel Ind to 304

On Dravid’s swansong, when ‘The Wall’ complied a well made 69, Virat Kohli took center stage with an enterprising 107 and Dhoni finally came good to launch a late assault on England bowlers to propel India to 304 for 6 in the fifth and final ODI at Cardiff.

Overs: (46- 50), Ind: 304/2

Dhoni finally came good putting the England bowlers under pressure as he cleared past the 300 run mark with some absolutely brutal hitting. Jade Dernbach who bowled the final over was all over the place and when Samit Patel dropped Dhoni, the frustration in his face was evident. The next ball was launched into the Cardiff crowd with disdain. It took India 304 for six at the end of 50 overs.


India had their best pair on crease for the slog overs and for a change in this tour the pair delivered bang on. MS Dhoni’s maverick hitting was a long due one and he produced his ‘A’ game in the 5th ODI. He employed the helicopter shot, the hammer shot milking Bresnan for 17 runs in the 47th over.

Raina on the other hand played the supporting role giving the strike to his captain.

Overs: (41- 45), Ind: 249/2

Batting Power play was taken in the 44th over as Raina hoisted Bresnan straight over his head for a massive six.

Virat Kohli’s enterprising innings of 107 off 93 deliveries came to a grinding halt as he was out hit-wicket at the worst possible time for India. A set batsmen was what India needed in the slog overs, but he went back a bit too much while flicking Swann to square leg and disturbed the stumps in the process.


Earlier as Raina joined Kohli in the middle, the controversial Hot-spot was employed for a possible glove to keeper from Kohli and again at times the hot-spot was in cold waters. Though the final decision went in favour of India. Rahul Dravid had been already dismissed by Swann in the 42nd over.


Dravid had danced down the track, was beaten in the flight, the ball rattled the middle and leg stump; ‘The Wall’ had fallen, fallen for one last time on 69. Everyone in the field shook hands with the legend. This was his swansong and as he accumulated his runs, Kohli on the other hand was taking the center stage and probably the limelight as well away from Dravid. But, it’s Dravid, he would have been least bothered.

Overs: (35- 40), Ind: 216/2

Virat Kohli unleashed a flurry of boundaries and a top class six off Samit Patel to propel India past 200 under forty overs and also entered the nineties. In the process the pair of Kohli and Dravid registered partnership of over 150 runs.


With two set batsmen in the crease India were all set to build on a solid platform for the slog overs. Rahul Dravid also reached his fifty of 62 deliveries and that too without much fuss as has been the case with him over the years. He let the youngster Kohli take the risk and pushed himself to the hilt running alongside his quick partner.

The pair were able to put England fielders under pressure converting the ones into two and couple of times twos into threes as well.

Overs: (31- 35), Ind: 173/2

Virat Kohli who had some low scores in the series so far proved good here and along with Dravid played sensibly with some quick running between the wickets, attacking the loose ball and trying to rotate the strike constantly.


After reaching his fifty he evidently shifted to a higher gear and took on Jade Dernbach in the 35th over with two boundaries.

Fifty runs came of this set of five overs.

After a decent start by India, England had crawled back in to the game in the middle overs in previous encounters but this time around a solid fifty by Virat Kohli and equally firm innings of Rahul Dravid ensured that the side were in a good position with 15 overs remaining.

Overs: (26- 30), Ind: 133/2


29th over produced a boundary after long time as Dravid and Kohli, in typical Indian style went after the spinners without any risk. Meanwhile Graeme Swann retreated back to the pavilion possibly due to a sprain.



Ravi Bopara was introduced by Alastair Cook to get in some quiet quick overs. Dravid and Kohli reached fifty-run partnership and steadied the Indian innings.



Overs: (21- 25), Ind: 105/2
Spinners operated from both the ends with Indian batsmen looking far more comfortable. Dravid and Kohli maneuvered the ball into gaps taking at least four singles per overs.

Overs: (16- 20), Ind: 84/2


Greame Swann was given the ball and immediately he scalped Parthiv Patel. Patel who scored 19 off 39 balls had looked itchy and in a foolish act stepped out against the offie only to lob the ball to mid-on.

Again after a decent start both the openers are back in the hut with England evening out things early on.

Virat Kohli joined Dravid in the middle and India would need a solid partnership from the veteran and from the youngster who could fill in the shoes of ‘The Wall’ in the days to come.

Overs: (11- 15), Ind: /0

Ajinkya Rahane ran out of luck as his chancy innings of 26 came to an end with a well judged catch at third man by Steve Finn off the bowling of Jade Dernbach. In walked the wall, Rahul Dravid for his swansong innings to a resounding welcome.

Overs: (6- 10), Ind: /0


Steven Finn produced a testing 6th over which include two unplayable deliveries. Parthiv Patel was beaten comprehensively and in Wasim Akram’s words, it was just too good get a nick.

Bresnan on the other hand bowled well within his limitations sticking to an off-stump line well supported by his fielders. That prompted Rahane to take some risk and tried going over the in-field couple of times which almost cost him his wicket.

Samit Patel dropped a sitter from Rahane at third man off the bowling of Steve Finn. Rahane, though undeterred continued with his offensive attitude.

Overs: (0- 5), Ind: 19/0

Ajinkya Rahane and Parthiv Patel started of steadily against Steve Finn and Tim Bresnan. Parthiv was positive with his footwork and got a cheeky boundary to the fine leg in the very first ball whereas Rahane played with intent first up.

Finn bowled well early on making Rahane uncomfortable with some pace and bounce



England won the toss and opted to bowl first in the fifth and final ODI against India on Friday.

(This post was first published in zeenews.com)
http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/live-india-vs-england-5th-odi_729486.html

Wanted: A fit Indian

Southampton: When team India takes the field at The Rose Bowl, Southampton for the second ODI against England on Tuesday, there would hardly be any player sitting in the dressing room. Half of the original squad is out of the series and have flown back and some of them have been asked to join the team from India.

The ODI series is a chance at redemption for the men in blues but putting up a fit XI seems to be bigger task than the one at redemption.

Interestingly, Indian team would have only six batsmen to choose from the squad to play in the XI if the likes of Tiwary, Jadeja and Badrinath fail to reach in time. Though, it has been confirmed that Manoj Tiwary has just landed in time for the match. At least, India team can afford to choose out of seven now.

It has been a wretched series for India so far, not only because of the performance but the untimely injuries and the rain interruption in the first ODI where India could have put up a good show.

The injury list started swelling on a daily basis right from the start of the series and out of the original squad seven players have been ruled out so far.


Virender Sehwag is out with hearing problem and failing to recover from the shoulder injury.

Zaheer Khan, who opted out of West Indies tour, in a cruel twist of fate, had hamstring pull in the very first Day of the England tour. Later on, he picked up an ankle injury which lead to an immediate surgery. This has put him out of cricket for nearly 8 months. His availability for the all important Australia series is also in doubt.

Ishant Sharma also has an ankle niggle and has wisely decided to sit out.

Harbhajan had a stomach injury, Yuvraj and Rohit Sharma fractured their fingers and Gautam Gambhir is suffering concussion and vision problems.

The Master Blaster also has been ruled out with inflammation on the toe.


It seems Sourav Ganguly might as well be ready to pad up to complete the playing XI.

(This article was first published in zeenews.com)

http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/wanted-a-fit-indian_728976.html

India goes back to Dravid-ian era

Coming full circles might as well fit for Rahul Dravid who has been selected in the ODI squad against England. ‘The Wall’ had resisted the England barrage in whites in the recently concluded Test series and with this selection he would have to don the blues after two years, probably to do the same.

The very first impression that comes up in the mind looking at this intriguing selection is where exactly will Dravid fit in the playing eleven? Off the 16 selected - Gambhir, Kohli, Raina were the middle-order. They did well in the World Cup with Yuvraj sandwiched between Kohli and Raina.

Assuming Dravid would play at any cost, No.3 is the only position for him, meaning Gambhir drops down to No. 4 subsequently followed by Kohli at 5 and others thus messing up the whole batting order.

The recent dismal showing in Tests by Indian batting could very well be attributed in many ways to the chopping and changing of the batting order.

The reason why Dravid was dropped during 2009 for the Australia series was not for his poor form but it had to do with the rate he was scoring those runs.

The primary basis for Dravid’s exclusion during that time was because Gambhir had filled in at No.3. He provided the same solidity like Dravid and did that at a far better strike-rate. But now, Gambhir would have less time to get in his stride at No.4 and Kohli at No.5, well he would be a clear waste of talent like Robin Utthappa, who back in 2007 came at No.6 without much success.

The selectors sitting at Chennai deliberated on Dravid probably because they would have thought he was the man in form or rather only batsman who could stay in the middle looking like a batsman.

They probably fear that the Indian young guns would succumb to the pace and bounce that one is witnessing in the Test matches.

So they need a ‘Wall’, which could take on or rather will bear the barrage. But what the selectors are not realizing probably is that in Test cricket, ‘The Wall’ has his place but in limited over formats, ‘The Wall’ also needs to march forward with authority, which Dravid might not be able to do.

This selection is a decision driven by panic rather than logic. Panic of being blown away like that in Tests. But, why such a fear? This is a team that is the ODI champion and England are no monsters; whatever the English media may portray; whatever theories of being at their own backyard may sound.

Dravid is a fine batsman, skillful and resilient. He is like the BMW on the streets, classy and suave but ODI in the past two years have moved on from streets to the race tracks. BMW may stand out at No.3 but the need of the hour is probably a Porsche, and India does have one in the form of Gautam Gambhir and again Gambhir's absence one just cannot rule out Kohli.

The selection is baffling at one more front as well; Rahul Dravid is in the squad in place of Yuvraj. The team does have nine batsmen and if Yuvraj had to be replaced, ideal guy would have been Rohit Sharma who is already in the squad.

By not selecting Dravid, selectors could have gone in with Ashish Nehra who had submitted his fitness certificate few days earlier. So even if any of the fast bowlers got injured, Nehra would have come in as variety with his left- arm.

But now with RP Singh being called in for Tests he is considered for the ODIs, again a decision defying logic. Indian bowling is the weak link in the squad and the selectors needed to strengthen that. Batting is as strong as it can be which clearly should not be gauged by the performances in Test.

ODI series would feature batting friendly wickets and Indian batters would be at ease. Rahul Dravid is a batsman who can stick it out in the middle and can take a possible humiliating defeat to a respectable one but cannot be a clear match-winner on his own in the limited over format as it is played now. 

(This article was first pubhished in zeenews.com)

http://zeenews.india.com/sports/blogs/23/blog136.html

Dravid’s bitter sweet saga with UDRS

The bitter sweet saga of Dravid and the decision review system (DRS) continued during the ODI series as well. In yet another controversial decision, Hot-Spot technology failed to register any nick when Dravid seemed to have edged Stuart Broad to keeper Prior during the first ODI at Durham, thus overturning the original decision.

Third Umpire Marais Erasmus went with the noise and the original decision of on -field umpire Billy Doctrove was overturned.

The repeated replays showed no signs of any nick on hot sport though a noise was evident. The original decision was not out given by Billy Doctrove which was challenged by Stuart Broad.

The review went to third Umpire Marais Erasmus who overturned the decision without any conclusive evidence what so ever.

Even Rahul Dravid looked perplexed with the verdict and the moment he went to the pavilion, he was seen with the Indian team’s video analyst and the expression was of disagreement.

As has been the case with India, this has not been a good series for the technology as well.

And if you ask Rahul Dravid about using DRS, he would now prefer to use the services of Geoff Boycott’s grandmother than using the technology.

This is the third time in this tour that Dravid has been on the receiving end of this controversial technology.

During the Test series, that too his final one in England, he was dubiously given out caught at silly point by Alastair Cook even when hot spot did not show anything.

But umpire Steve Davis reckoned that the ball had deviated thus Dravid was out.

He was given out caught-behind in the second innings owing to a referral made by the England side. This time around it was the snickometer which failed to register any edge yet the decision went against Dravid.

The third Test match also had a similar incident when the ball hit the shoelaces of Dravid though that time Dravid himself had voluntarily walked.

The inaccuracy of DRS is not only evident in this tour but on Friday Phil Hughes was not given out during the Sri Lanka –Australia series by the ball tracking technology when it was rather clear that the ball had spun enough on a very dry pitch to hit the stumps but the tracker just showed the ball going straight, missing the leg stump.

During the World Cup game as well there was a big controversy regarding the 2.5 meter rule that had saved Ian Bell.

So clearly flaws are there to see in the technology and even though there could be an argument of much fairer judgments.

This series in a strange way has strengthen the BCCI’s stand of opposing the technology but the fact is that a lot of improvement can be done in the system before applying it in full strength.

The supporters of this DRS technology advocate a full proof decision making system but the above mentioned examples are proof of the lack of ‘fool proof-ness’ of DRS technology.


The main reason why these technologies fail at certain instances is because of the unpredictable nature of the game. A ball tracker predicts the path of the ball after hitting the pad, so a computerised path will not keep in mind the amount of spin or seam the ball might have later on.

Similarly, the hot-spot is not able to pick up feather touches and to be frankly if it’s a prominent edge an umpire would know it immediately due to the deviation. It is during these feather touches that the umpire players get confused, and this is where the Hot-spot have to supposedly come in and clear the confusion. But so far the Hot-spot has just gone cold too often for anyone’s liking.

(This article was first published in zeenews.com)

http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/dravid-s-bitter-sweet-saga-with-udrs_728850.html

IPL: A bit of cricket and lots more

Indian Premier League is definitely the golden goose for BCCI and it is going strong in the fourth season with its golden eggs. Now, some critics might differ here saying the TRPs of IPL 4 have gone down in comparison to the earlier seasons, but somehow viewership is on a high. Strange!!!

Things changed a lot this season, new auctions, induction of two news teams, Kochi Tuskers and Pune Warriors and most importantly the absence of Lalit Modi, the face of IPL. Not many thought that IPL would be able to sustain itself without their head honcho, but somehow it is crawling its way up. Another change was that of KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) winning.

But some things just remain as they are, and no, it’s not cricket, it’s something more than that. Let’s take a look.

Controversies

IPL just cannot be IPL without the controversies. It’s like the lifeline for IPL. They both go hand in hand with cricket being the add-on factor. IPL has traditionally been the breeding ground for controversies over the years.

Be it the fake IPL blogger, the tax issues or Lalit Modi himself. This year too, the IPL got spiced up with the cheerleader Gabriella Pasqualotto’s blog ‘The Secret Diary of an IPL Cheerleader’. This edition also witnessed the ugly and serious allegation of authorities favouring a certain team and the misuse of home ground advantage. Social networking seems to be the potent weapon for these controversies and when Sanjay Dixit tweeted ‘Mumbai are sore losers’, Bal Thackeray would have taken notice.

The worst was yet to come. When Shane Warne got himself into trouble with the man of the moment Sanjay Dixit again, even Liz Hurley was nowhere to be seen.

The one, the only - Dada

Again, Sourav Ganguly, on the field or off it, he will have the spotlight for sure. Right from the auctions to his comeback as the Pune Warrior, IPL followers have been busy supporting Dada rather than watching the matches. Kolkata even boycotted KKR’s first match at Eden for Ganguly. And it’s not at all new to him. Every season has had a share of Ganguly-exclusive embroilments. Be it the tiff with SRK or being at the centre of multi-captain theory, one just can’t keep this guy out of the picture for long.

Presentation

Well, commentary is one thing that makes IPL more annoying than anything else. With due respect to the elite panel of commentators including, Robin Jackman, Harsha Bhogle and many more, mediocrity has prevailed in this department.

Brad Hogg, who wore the Australian colours during the fag end of his career, is very energetic when it comes to commenting. He would put in all the fancy adjectives like ‘sssseeeeennsational fielding’; ‘brrrrillliant work’ just when he sees a player bending down to pick up the ball.

 Danny Morrison on the other hand seems to like it short and crisp just as his career was. Danny once called a player ‘GG’ and after 2 overs or so Harsha Bhogle had to clarify that he was referring to Guatam Gambhir.

Ravi Shastri, as he is now, is always on steroids when he has the mike in his hand and the chants of “it went like a trace of bullet” can be heard when he is on.

 Citi moment of success and Carbon Kamal catch now does have every right to place their bid for the acceptance of proper cricketing terminologies.

Zimbabweans Alistair Campbell and Pommie Mbangwa are definitely doing the saving grace act for the broadcasters.

Speaking of the broadcasters, one thing that remains static is the utterly amusing phrases of Navjot Singh Sidhu, sometimes clearly out of context and the show called, “Extraaa Innings”. It all started with Mandira Bedi and carrying on the baton forward are Samir Kochhar and a few cine world outcasts like him.

As if cheerleaders were not enough to grab the eye balls, Archana Vijaya and Shibani Dandhkar can been seen on the sidelines prowling for a victim with minimalistic clothing to showcase their cricketing knowledge, which unfortunately comes to around zero. A guy named Yudi is also there along with the girls.

Shibani to Mike Young: I heard you have come all the way from USA, how was the long journey?

Mike Young: I have been here in this region and Australia for past 8 years or so, so I came a long way back.

Yudi to Dhawal Kulkarni: So Dhawal, how does it feel to be in the same side as Sachin Tendulkar?

 Dhawal Kulkarni: I have been in the same team as Sachin for the past 3 years.

So, clearly IPL has more to it than just cricket. Enjoy.

PS: There is a strong conspiracy theory going around that Archana Vijaya was very influential in selecting the Delhi Daredevils squad at the auction.

(This article was first published in Zeecric.com)
(http://cricket.zeenews.com/fullstory.aspx?nid=38561)

  

Leaving out the rest ?

The World Cup ended amidst a lot of fanfare and even before the celebrations could peak, something of an after hour party has hit the roads in the form of Indian Premier League, edition four, and as always one could hear the voices of the sceptics and the purists degrading the format. They do not want IPL, for them it is a kind of black magic, in its most mysterious of all forms, making the sport of cricket shallow from inside.

Well, that could be termed as exaggeration but still, similar sentiments have been echoed often, since T20 hit the mainstream. The old phrase of “change being a constant” governs everything in the big sphere that we live in and it applies to cricket as well. 

Thinking beyond T20 cricket, one would find changes, revolutionary changes in the way cricket was perceived, the way cricket was played. Not going really far or trying to stretch any kind of imagination, West Indies emerging as world champs was a change. Kerry Packer and his rebel league was a change. India, the underdogs winning the World Cup was a change so was Sri Lanka’s victory. John Davison could be added to this list as well. 

This World Cup also witnessed such changes, primarily being the shift of power. Now the Asian subcontinent has the bragging rights in world cricket. Ireland was a change or rather it was a forceful change envisaged by the spirit of the game, the nature of the game. 

But alas, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has taken the decision to make the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand a closed tournament, involving the nine Test playing nations plus Zimbabwe. It has left the future of cricket in associated nations hanging in balance.

Ireland is the one which is most affected, most hurt and rightly so most outraged by this decision. A country that has made considerable strides as a cricketing force in the recent past must have thought of a bright future for itself. But what greeted them for their success in the World Cup were closed doors. 

They have beaten Pakistan, Bangladesh and most recently, and famously, their “mentors” England.

The decision has been taken on the pretext of the World Cup, in its current format, being too long and complex. And to some extent, it does hold true, with major part of the round robin league matches of the 2011 World Cup being played out as dead rubber.

But the decision in itself is a big contradiction. The ICC governing body wants the game to be globalised and it was for this very purpose the format of T20 was given a go ahead. So, what purpose does shunting out teams from the primer cricketing event have then? 

And no one is crying foul for this. There are no optimists or purists coming forward to protest this decision. A lot have been debated about T20 but no one really is giving any heed to this serious issue.

The reason why cricket became very popular, as it stands now with the advent of limited over cricket, was because of the success the teams from Caribbean and the sub continent enjoyed while playing limited over format, which started out as an experiment. Similar success was what Ireland enjoyed this edition; similar success was what Kenya enjoyed in 1996 WC (when they beat West Indies), and in 2003 WC (where they reached the semifinals). Bangladesh also got a taste of this success defeating Pakistan in 1999 WC and there are many more such instances one could cite.

Irish cricket has gone from an amateur sport, with a limited playing pool and playing structure, to a country with its own elite system and central retainers. Having the opportunity to compete in the World Cup every four years has been a significant part of the development programme for minnows like Ireland.

Now, with this decision what good that kind of a development would do? Barry Richards was a prodigy, a career cut short because South Africa were thrown out of cricket fraternity due to the country’s apartheid fiasco. Steve Tikolo could have made it to any playing XI of the leading cricketing nations. So could have players like Basil D'Oliveira, John Davison and Ryan ten Doeschate. But they never did just because they were not born in a nation with cricketing legacy.

Now similar fate awaits players like Paul Stirling, George Dockrell and William Porterfield.

(This article was first published in Zeecric.com)

http://cricket.zeenews.com/blogs.aspx?blogid=122&authorid=23

IPL 4: Deccan Chargers brush aside Delhi Daredevils

New Delhi: Deccan Chargers earned full two points at Feroz Shah Kotla, brushing aside the lackluster Delhi Daredevils by 16 runs.

It was a good all round performance by the Chargers with Sunil Sohal scoring a half century and later Harmeet Singh pitching-in with 2 wickets. Delhi were never really in the hunt of chasing down 168, losing wickets at regular intervals.

Irfan Pathan (5) departed again, failing to click at the right time, trying for a big one and giving Ojha his first wicket. Irfan has been a shadow of himself all along this IPL and continued his rather dogged form both with the bat and ball.

David Warner had earlier walked to the pavilion leaving Delhi to totter. Warner had been playing sensibly ensuring one end remained intact even though wickets were falling at the other end regularly. But with the ever increasing required run rate, Warner was clearly under pressure and while trying to clear the mid wicket boundary, he failed to get the elevation.

In a bid to up the run rate, in form batsmen Venugopal Rao went for the big one, but was caught at long off by Dan Christian of Amit Mishra giving the advantage back to Deccan Chargers. Rao and David Warner were building up a crucial partnership rotating the strike regularly and blasting away the loose ones. It was the all important wicket that Deccan were after.

Delhi had slumped to 38 for 3 as the big hitting Aaron Finch was caught behind, yielding Harmeet Singh his second wicket of the match. Deccan clawed back into the game after an explosive start by the Daredevils.

Deccan had got their second wicket in the 4th over, when terribly out of form Naman Ojha was trapped LBW off Dan Christian.

In the previous over, Sehwag once again failed to deliver goods as he went back to the pavilion with a score of 12. Dan Christian took a sharp catch at point to dismiss the Delhi Skipper. Sehwag had started off in his usual fashion taking Dan Christian to the cleaners with 3 boundaries with David Warner playing a second fiddle.

In the first half, Deccan Chargers ended up with 168 against Delhi Daredevils at Feroz Shah Kotla. Cameron White who was included in the team, remained unbeaten on 31.

Earlier, Sunny Sohal had finally come good for the Deccan Chargers as he completed his half century before holding out at mid off. Throughout his innings of 62, Sohal took his chances and timed the ball well. He combined with his skipper to lay a solid foundation for the rest of Deccan batsmen to a have a late flourish.

Kumar Sangakkara had miscued one of Askok Dinda to give Delhi their second breakthrough. Sangakkara was in sublime form as he reached 49 in no time. He along with Sunny Sohal maintained a healthy run rate throughout. The Deccan captain hit some exquisite drives on both side of the wicket and was severe on the left arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, plundering 2 boundaries and a huge six over midwicket in his over.

Playing at their home ground Delhi Daredevils were off to a good start as Irfan Pathan clean bowled Shikhar Dhawan, who tried to pull a good length delivery only to play on to his own wicket in the second over of the match with the score on 14.

Dhawan was looking positive right from the onset as he cracked consecutive boundaries of Ashok Dinda, but failed to carry on.

Deccan Chargers skipper Kumar Sangakkara had won the toss and elected to bat first in their Indian Premier League match against Delhi Daredevils.

JP Duminy was left out of the Chargers line-up and Cameron White, who arrived from Dhaka during their last game, was included in the playing eleven. Delhi also made two changes, bringing in Morne Morkel and Yogesh Nagar, in place of Matthew Wade and Umesh Yadav.

(This article was first published in Zeecric.com)
http://cricket.zeenews.com/fullstory.aspx?nid=37766

IPL 4: Kochi script yet another upset against Chennai

Kochi Tuskers Kerala yet again scripted an improbable victory against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings with 7 wicket victory to register their first win at home.

Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs with 13 balls to spare as Tuskers overhauled the modest target of 131 in the rain affected match at Nehru stadium on Monday. With this win Tuskers move into the fourth position in the points table and Chennai slip down to fifth.

Brad Hodge and Ravindra Jadeja made sure that there were no more hiccups to the Tuskers chase after the dismissal of Parthiv Patel who played a handy knock of 34 of 26 deliveries before holding out at deep mid wicket.

Earlier, Brendon McCullum’s whirlwind innings of 47 which proved to be the mainstay for Kochi chase came to and as he was holed out at long off trying for another maximum. This put the match hanging in a balance assuring a thrilling end.

After bludgeoning R Aswhin for a massive six and a four, skipper Mahela Jayawardene paid the price for being over ambitious as he miscued a big heave the very next ball to be caught by Aniruddha Srikanth.

Kochi Tuskers were off to a stellar start as McCullum clubbed Morkel for a massive 87m six in the very first over. Doug Bollinger playing in his first match of this edition looked rusty. Both the openers were at ease against the new bowl attack of Albie Morkel and Bollinger.

In the first half of the match, Chennai Super Kings managed to get a defendable score of 131 courtesy a late flourish, which saw the big hitting Albie Morkel and Dhoni hit two sixes in the final over bowled by Ravindra Jadeja.

A well set Suresh Raina who scored a half century gave away his wicket as he slipped on the pitch to get run out courtesy a brilliant effort from the bowler, Thisara Perera.

Kochi had got their third breakthrough in the form of S Badrinath, trapped leg before for 19 off Ralphi Gomez. After play resumed, Tuskers were able to keep a check on the run rate. Raina and Badrinath regularly rotated the strike but struggled to clear the boundaries.

Due to the rain delay the match was reduced to 17 overs per innings

Prior to the rain delay, Thisara Perera had got the wicket of Murali Vijay with a good length delivery nipping back in to trap the right hander. Vijay was in a good form timing the ball well. He smashed 6 boundaries in his knock of 28 and was building a good partnership with Raina. Earlier Kochi were off to a good start getting the wicket of dangerous Mike Hussey.

Mike Hussey had edged a moving bowl to the keeper to give RP Singh his maiden wicket of this IPL. Hussey had hit two boundaries, both in the third man region, one a full blood cut, other a delicate nudge off RP Singh’s very first over.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala had won the toss and elected to bowl first against Chennai Superkings at Kochi. Kochi fielded a an unchanged squad that won against the formidable Mumbai Indians, whereas Doug Bollinger got his first game of this edition for Superkings.

(This article was first published in Zeecric.com)
http://cricket.zeenews.com/fullstory.aspx?nid=37749

Spare a thought for the others

BLEED BLUE, ITS THE NEW WORLD ORDER 



Sinned be those who dare missed a momentous occasion, an occasion where the great took the ultimate leap of greatness. Wankhede witnessed the baptism of immortality and 100 billion witnessed probably the best moments of their life. By now the netizens would have gone berserk in the same way as the whole of India went rabid on every street possible on 2nd of April, the blue letter day. I am not going to pour out all my emotions because I have heard that feelings especially overwhelming are very hard to express, now I know it is even harder to pen them down as well. So enjoy the moment, though I would like to take this opportunity to spare a thought for other as well, other teams and players who formed an integral part of this World Cup.

INDIA,INDIA,INDIA …

It was a war, mother of all battles, all roads leading to Mohall and what not. India-Pakistan up against each other in the crucial semi final match, it just couldn’t have got better. In the past one week I was surrounded by or rather engulfed by these extraordinary phrases. Like a myriad of missiles, India Pakistan clash was being escalated to the heights of immortality, equated to a war, with Mohali being the battlefield, Dhoni and Afridi being the head honchos. Now its Sri Lanka and even this is also a war, a righteous war (Ram against Ravana). And my reaction to all this; when is it all going to end !!!

Coming back to the semi final, it was just a game. But no one was willing to take it as a game; for them it was not cricket, it was a desire, a kind of hallucination, fired up by our own media.

Journalism is the ability to meet the challenge of filling space; it was an observation by a famous journalist Rebecca West and just think of it, how true is it now. In the name of a cricket match and cricket coverage we are being dished out crap and we are taking it. And it is just not this game; the entire atmosphere of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 has been this.

India taking on Bangladesh, everyone wants a bloody revenge of 2007.

India taking on England, everyone wants the former dictators to be quashed.

India taking on the Irish, everyone wants the minnows to get annihilated.

India taking on South Africa everyone wants the proteas to be taught a lesson.

India taking on West Indies everyone wants the historic repeat of 1983.

India taking on Australia; oh my God that was a “Mini final” in itself.

And then, India Pakistan, it was a bitter battle, everyone wanted bloodshed.

But for me all this is disturbing, this is animosity being fuelled up for no reason at all, the spirit of the game is being ignored, is being hampered. The World Cup is not only about India. This edition of the quadrennial event has by far been a huge success, no doubt about that. But have the so called cricket crazy people of India appreciated the World Cup in the right way? I doubt it.

I always had a feeling that this “cricket crazy nation” is actually quite ignorant about the sport. It’s not a cricket crazy nation. It is more of an Indian cricket crazy nation. But fair enough, your team is doing well, you are always behind your team, supporting them throughout, the patriotism comes in, all of this is understandable. But what about the spirit, it is just not there.

Enough of this blabbering about India, India, India; as per my header, let’s just spare a thought for others as well. This edition had 12 teams participating, but for the people it was India and others participating. Well anyway whatever it may be.

GUTSY ISLANDERS

Sparing a thought, first up Sri Lanka. Into the finals, in the most no nonsensical of all fashion, they have earned a place in the Grand Finale. I was reading one article right after India knocked out Australia, its heading had a mention of India being the next superpower in terms of cricket, and I was forced to think about Sri Lanka. This is their second straight World cup final. Indian team is at the wrong side of 30 as per age and the Islanders are already out of the transition phase of the Jayasuryas and the Muralidharans. An amazing bunch of young talented brigade Sri Lanka for me is most definitely the team which would replace Australia at the top of the tree in the coming years.

DICEY PAKISTAN

Pakistan came into the tournament in total disarray, and just look at the way they have performed. Unpredictable has long become a cliché with them, but it’s the character shown by them, which stands out. No one gave them the chance without their first choice pacers and look at the way the second string bowling of Wahab Riaz and Abdur Razzak have performed under the seniors Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi.

KIWI JOINING IN THE PARTY

New Zealand, the other semifinalists, who eventually were outclassed by the Lankans, have had a fairytale tournament. Tim Southee, finished as the third best wicket taking bowler of the tournament. This is a team were you just cannot pick a star, but collectively they are a force to reckon with. 5 semi-final appearances in 10 World Cups clearly portrays the class and temperament the cricketers from New Zealand always possessed.

AN IRISH DELIGHT

Ireland have had humongous success as they carried forward their good form, from last World Cup to make an impact here. Their performance was clearly a shot in the arm of the ICC setup who have decided to drop the minnows from next year’s World Cup.

ODI: A PANDORA’S BOX

So clearly, this World Cup has definitely been a Pandora’s box, for all the right reasons that is. More importantly this World Cup has proved that ODI Crcicket would sustain itself as opposed to various suggestions for phasing out this format. This edition especially in the subcontinent was looked at as the last nail in the coffin of ODIs. It was hailed as the deathbed for the ever diminishing art of spin. But just look at the way Shahid Afridi has lead the pack of spinners. Imran Tahir, Robin Peterson were a revelation proving to be the trump card for the proteas. Gramme Swann lived up to the expectations of being the No.1 spinner in this format and clearly was the best bowler for England in the tournament. It was said batting would reach new heights and bowlers would be there to stack up numbers only. Everything was proven wrong, the bowlers proved to be the difference in the end.