Cricket World Cup 2007

David’s Day and Dreams Shattered

Image courtesy: tribuneindia.com

Yesterday would be remembered in cricket history as the most momentous and unbelievable of days. It would be a day when the Davids of this world decided to stand up and make themselves accounted for in a competition overburdened by criticism for the crime of including them in the competition. The proved critics, including yours truly, eat their words and also proved to all and sundry that the competition is much the richer because of their inclusion into the event. It was a day the seemingly gate crashers of the party became the chief guests.

Bangladesh, in a clash of sub continental tigers, defeated India and proved why this group is considered the group of death. Credit should be given to the Bangladeshi players for holding their nerve and pulling off an upset of huge proportions. This would be watershed moment in Bangladeshi cricket and they would do well to build on this.

It seemed India came into the match looking for some match practice and some time in the middle for their out of for players. They took the opponent too lightly. They did not respect the conditions. They were so overconfident that I am sure the possibility of a difficult match did not enter their minds, let alone that of a defeat. And that along with some spirited performances from the Bangladeshis were their undoing.

Dravid won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch that had some moisture in it. But blame him alone for what happened from there on would be unfair. His batsmen seemed to be left their brains in their hotel and capitulated to a total which was not at all enough.

Image courtesy: cricinfo.com

The way some of the batsmen batted was absolutely reckless. Sehwag should consider himself extremely lucky to be in this word cup. But he did nothing to justify the faith his captain has on him and got himself out once again. How long is India willing to carry this noncontributing player in their eleven? Atleast Pathan, would give you some runs lower down the order if not too many wickets. Sehwag contributed just 2 runs to the cause.

After sehwag’s dismissal Uthappa too lost his head to a rash shot. Tendulkar was beaten by a clever delivery and suddenly the Indian were facing a crisis. That a man of Tendulkar’s ability was beaten by a young bowler spoke much about the confidence with which Bangladesh approached this game. Dravid tried to rescue the innings but he too was undone by an inappropriate shot.

Ganguly and Yuvraj then came together for the only period of time in the entire match when India raised hope of a recovery. Ganguly went on to complete his fifty albeit a bit slowly. But Yuvraj threw away his wicket by an ill timed sweep shot. And then followed a procession. The rest surrendered too meekly and too quickly. 3 batsmen were out for ducks before Zaheer and Patel put on some much needed run to take the score to at least 192.

Any hope of India salvaging the situation evaporated after the Bangaladeshi opener Tamim Iqbal started off in blitzkrieg fashion. While chasing a low total any kind of blitz brings down the total radically and eases the pressure for the later batsmen. In this aspect he did a wonderful job and he found the Indian bowlers obliging with some steady doze of width in their deliveries.

The contrast between the two teams was palpable when they took the field. While the Bangladeshis looked fired up and gave their all on the field India looked jaded and as if the occasion had overwhelmed them. Bangladesh dived around the park as they would into a swimming pool while the Indians spilled two sitters and two half chances. The match was never ever a contest and that’s the most worrying thing, for Indian fans in this match.

Image courtesy: smh.com.au

If Bangladesh’s victory was huge then Ireland’s victory over Pakistan was absolutely shocking. If the shock were to have been measured on a Richter scale it would have registered a 9. Nobody expected Pakistan to leave this early from the tournament. Of course Pakistan still has a mathematical chance of qualifying but realistically the chances of that happening are fairly remote.

Pakistani’s like their sub continental brothers did not bring their brains to the ground. They just lost it completely when faced with greenish wicket and capitulated to a low score of 132. The way Kamran Akmal and Azhar Mahmood got out signified how they had let the occasion get to them. Yousuf failed to carry his test form into the one day matches while Inzamam looked like he was playing in his 2003 mode.

The bowlers did try to put up a fight with the enigmatic Sami leading the way. But some gutsy batting from the Irish batsmen ensured that they could go on to record a most memorable of victories if they could just hold on to their nerves. Hold their nerves they did and they eventually sent a big team packing from the world cup.

It’s a shame that some of the sub continent’s biggest names maybe bowing out in disgrace if India were to lose to Sri Lanka too. It would be disappointment to see Sachin, Sourav, Dravid and Kumble depart from the center in such a shameful fashion. The Indian team have their backs to the wall and will have a tough time to overcome the pressure of the backlash and call for heads that would soon start back home. Is this the end of the dream for the so called ‘Blue Billion’?

2007 Cricket World Cup – WI v Pak

West Indies wins on the back of good show by young guns

Image Courtsey : Wikipedia.org

In a contest between two of the most mercurial sides in world cricket West Indies came out triumphant over an erratic Pakistan. What would be most heartening about this victory is that its chief architects were from the younger generation of its players. Players like Samuels, Smith and Bravo came to the party in a big way.

Pakistan won the toss in the morning and elected to field first, on a pitch which had something in it for the bowlers. Lara later on said that he would have done the same had he won the toss. The surprise inclusion in the Pakistani team was that of Danish Kaneria who hasn’t been a part of their ODI scheme of things for almost a year now, mainly due to his fielding prowess or lack thereof. This was a big gamble, considering that the West Indies have in the ranks some really good players of spin, not to mention the small grounds over there.

The WIndies innings started off rather shakily with Chris Gayle getting out in the third over for 2. Sarwan walked in and slashed at the first ball he faced; more nerves than anything else. The ball took the outside edge and was flying towards Younis Khan at second slip, who dropped the chance. In fact the Pakistani bowlers did not receive much support from their fielders all throughout the innings. The prime example of it all was when Danish Kaneria fielded an innocuous defensive push from Chanderpaul and then promptly hurled it over the wicket keeper’s head for four overthrows.

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After the fall of Gayle, West Indies adopted a cautious approach for a majority of their innings. It was understandable considering their penchant for collapses. However by the time Lara came in, at the fall of Sarwan’s wicket for a well made 49, the West Indies score was a paltry 3-77 in the 24th over. Lara and Samuels then went about trying to provide some much needed impetuous to the West Indian innings.

The trigger for it was when Samuels hit Iftikar Anjum for a four and a six off consecutive balls and thereby taking 14 runs off the 28th over of the innings. He followed it up by taking another 14 runs in the 31st over bowled by Kaneria which included two fours and a huge six over long on. Kaneria came in for some punishment from Lara too when the great man hit him for a four and a superb flat six over mid off in a single over.

Samuels brought up his 50 off 58 balls when he hit Shoaib Malik for a huge six over the bowlers head in the 41st over. The fourth wicket partnership was worth 91 off 103 balls before Hafeez broke it; Lara had walked after he had edged a sweep to Akmal with the West Indies score at 4-168 in the 42nd over. Samuels too departed soon after adding just 13 runs to the total. And when Ramdin was stumped by Akmal off Kaneria in the very next over we all thought that the West Indies would lose its way once again. The score then was 6-184 off 45 overs. It seemed they would struggle to put a competitive total on the board.

That was when a superlative cameo from Dwayne Smith changed the complexion of the innings. The all rounder made a quick fire 32 off 15 balls which included 3 boundaries and 2 towering sixes. Helped by some lusty hitting from the tail towards the end of the innings, the West Indies took their score to 9-241 in their 50 overs. The momentum was clearly in their favor especially after the last ball six by Collymore off Anjum.

West Indies clearly demonstrated the virtues of the old fashioned approach of keeping the wickets in hand. Pakistan on their part was rather listless on the field while Inzamam’s captaincy was too laid back for his own good. I felt he missed a trick or two when he failed to utilize the full quota of overs from his main bowlers especially Umar Gul. I also felt that he was at a loss of ideas when his bowlers were getting plundered all across the park.

Image Courtsey : au.setanta.com

The way Pakistan’s innings started off was an epitome of their inconsistency. Imran Nazir left alone the first ball. The next one he hit for a six. The next ball he was out caught behind. In walked Younis Khan and he hit a four off the very first ball he faced. It was a surprise when the last two deliveries of the over did not generate any drama at all.

However Younis Khan too did not last long and was out top edging a delivery while trying to hook a ball that got too big on him. The score was 2-17 in 4 overs when he left. And when Mohammed Hafeez left trying to up the tempo in the 11th over, Pakistan was tottering at 3-39. This brought their two most experienced batsmen together in the middle in the form of Inzamam and Yousuf. It was up to them to steady the ship and take the cause forward.

Steady the ship they did; but they ate up a lot of balls in doing so. The pair went about their task in such a snail’s pace that they added only 60 runs in 18.3 over. Their problems were further accentuated by the dismissal of Yousuf by Smith. Pakistan’s total at the time was 4-99 in 29 overs. In the 33rd over Smith also accounted for Inzamam Ul Haq with the score at 5-116. With the asking rate climbing to over 7 runs an over it was up to Akmal and Malik to salvage the situation.

However that was not to be as Akmal was out to a brilliant low catch by Bravo at gully off that man Smith once again, who was rightfully adjudged the man of the match. Whatever hopes Pakistan had of winning the match was virtually over then. Even though Malik put up some token resistance towards the end the task at hand was always too daunting for the Pakistanis. When Bravo finished off the tail he was only putting in the finishing touches to a determined performance by the WIndies.

Image Courtsey : smh.com.au

Pakistan looked very weak without Razzaq and Afridi. Their presence could have been crucial in this innings as they would given more depth to the batting line up which was sorely missing some firepower in the latter stages of the match, Malik’s exploits not withstanding. Inzamam has a lot of thinking to do if they are to put a good show in this world cup. Remember they haven’t beaten a test playing nation at the world cup since 1999. West Indies would be happy to have got the points under their belt which they are almost certain to carry forward to the Super-Eight stage. They will be a tough side to beat if they can take build on this and get some semblance of consistency into their game.

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Countdown To ICC Cricket World Cup 2007

West Indies

The West Indies are hosting the World Cup for the first time. Expect them to come at their opponents with renewed vigor and pride. Not to mention the advantage of playing at home. They have good young side revolving around the experienced players. They have proved that on their day they can be as good any in the game by reaching the final of the last champions trophy and winning the edition previous to that.

Their strength is undoubtedly their batting. Led by the indomitable Brian Lara they have enough experience with Chanderpaul, Sarwan and Gayle in the ranks. Add to that the talented Samuels and Bravo and the West Indies have a potent mix of youth and experience.

Their short coming though is undoubtedly their bowling. There is no one in the West Indies side whom you can rely on as a match winner. They are all capable enough bowlers but they will find it tough to stem the tide when it goes against them. They lack quality experience in this department even though Bradshaw, Taylor and Edwards have been around for some time.

Their major advantage would be that they are playing at home and this should motivate the side more than anything. They are an altogether different side when playing at home as illustrated by the drubbing they dished out to India last year. However they may not have the consistency that is required in tournaments like this for them to get into the semifinal stages of the competition. West Indies were so pathetic at one time that now inconsistency seems sort of an improvement. I seriously doubt them getting past the Super Eight stage.

Pakistan

All the subcontinent teams have a good chance this time of doing well in the competition. The pitch being the major factor for this. The pitches in West Indies do not have the bounce and speed to terrorize the batsmen from the subcontinent.

In the case of Pakistan it all depends on the mood that they are in on any given day. One day they can beat Australia and the next day they can lose to Bangladesh. Whichever side turns up on the field, you will never get bored with seeing their antics on and off the field. It will be a wonder if Pakistan goes through a 2 month tournament without running into some sort of controversy or the other. If they can keep their focus they will be a tough team to beat, which unfortunately for them never happens.

There has never been a dearth of talent in the Pakistan team. If they have ever lacked anything it always was discipline and focus. However this time under the calm Inzamam and the calculating Woolmer they might just change this. The team contains a set of explosive talented players with none other than Shoaib Akthar being most explosive of them all. Pakistan has a good bowling attack with a potent pace battery of Akhtar and Asif, supported by the wily leg spin of Danish Kaneria. After Australia theirs is the best bowling attack and can cause trouble to the rest provided they maintaint their form and fitness.

Their batting too has a nice blend of experience and youth with Inzamam himself leading the way. The gentle giant would do well to keep an eye on his running between the wickets as his opponent for sure will try their best to exploit chink in his armor. Yousuf is in the form of his life. Both he and Younis Khan will have a major role to play Pakistan are to do well in the competition. But the man who could influence Pakistan’s fate more than anybody else would be Shahid Afridi. If he gets going the opposition might as well start packing.

The major concern for Pakistan would be their fielding. If they can plug this gap in their game they could well be the champions of this World Cup. They are the team to watch out for as they should be reaching the Semi-Finals and is one of the favorites in my book to go all the way.

Sri Lanka

The best fielding side from the subcontinent however has more to their game than just fielding. They have some of the most exciting player in world cricket at the moment led by the youthful and exuberant Jayawardene.

Their batting line-up is one of the best. They have abundance of experience in Jayasurya and Attapattu. Adding to it is the solidity of Jaywardene and flair of Sangakkara. Without a doubt batting is their strong point and if Jayasuriya is in his elements then it will be tough for any team against them.

Bowling is the weak link in their line up. This is not withstanding the fact that they have a magician in their ranks called Muralitharan. But unlike in test matches, in One Dayers a bowler gets to bowl only 10 overs in an innings. This enables the opposition to play him out by adopting a low risk approach. He is given excellent support by Vaas. The veteran medium pace bowler is miserly when it comes to giving runs and it is tough to get runs off him without taking a lot of risks. The support bowling is the concern. They are not as world class as these two. But if Mahroof, Fernando and Malinga can give these guys some support it would help Sri Lanka in reaching the finals.

The main advantage for Sri Lanka though would be the pitches in West Indies. It would be so similar to the ones in Sri Lanka that they would be forgiven for thinking that are playing at home. I believe Sri Lanka will have to play really bad to not win the cup. This is their best chance to win the cup away from home.


To be continued...