Cricket World Cup 2007

... And At last it ends.

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This year’s world cup will go down in history as the worst ever. The tournament was too long and too boring for all. In pure cricketing terms there was only one team in the competition, and when the dust settled it was not surprising to find Australia being crowned champions once again. The rest were all playing catch-up with Sri Lanka emerging as the best of the rest.

If anyone thought this year’s edition would be better than the last one, well they must be terribly disappointed now. Other than India’s shock defeat to Bangladesh and Ireland defeating Pakistan, there were only 2 other close matches in the entire tournament. Most of the matches were one sided and it seemed the teams were completely in awe of the Aussies. So complete was the Aussie domination that they not only won all their matches, but did it with huge margins.

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From the start of the Super Eight itself the semifinalists were virtually decided. It never looked like any of the other teams would be able to dislodge the four teams who eventually made it to the semi finals. Though Bangladesh and Ireland deserved to be in the Super Eight, their presence rendered most of the matches at that stage meaningless. And with England and the West Indies turning in one disgraceful performance after another, the world cup never had the tight contests expected at that stage. Adding to the tournaments woes were two utterly one sided semi-finals and the tournament never generated the required excitement even at the business end of the tournament.

India and Pakistan have only themselves to blame for the sorry performance they put up on the greatest stage of the game. But their exit took away the major public interest from the game’s showpiece event. It is vital for the game that these two countries do well because of its immense popularity back home. However they both managed to let their countries and themselves down. There was so much infighting in both the teams that it would have put a soap opera to shame. There were accusations and counter accusations leaked to the media by sources close to all involved. Both India and Pakistan were more concerned about their own egos than playing for their fans which counts to millions.

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The matters off the field were getting more coverage than the ones on it. Bob Woolmer’s murder and the subsequent investigation fueled speculation to be at a fever pitch. One was constantly bombarded with different version of the death as well as the investigation everyday. The tragedy that had befallen Woolmer’s family was forgotten and media engaged in sensationalizing the entire episode with shocking insensitivity.

But the biggest blame for the tournament descending into such a farce must go to the ICC. They got their priorities mixed up when they concentrated more on satisfying the broadcasters and the sponsors than catering to the needs of the cricket loving public. Ticket prices were too high and the ICC robbed whatever excitement the crowd could bring in by putting in restriction on everything the fans could do once inside the stadium. The restrictions ranged from bringing in products of rivals of the official sponsors to the musical instruments that can be brought in. This virtually removed the carnival atmosphere that everyone has come to associate with cricket at the Caribbean. Instead what one saw was empty stadiums which was totally devoid of excitement.

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The less said about the format the better. Inclusion of 16 teams resulted in the initial group stages being banana skin encounters for the bigger teams. A good team ran the risk of going out of the tournament if they slipped up on a single day. But even if all the big teams had gotten through it would have been difficult to sustain interest in a tournament that stretches to almost two months. Looking back one can’t even remember the time the world cup started.

The ICC needs to do a thorough rethink as far as the format of the world cup is concerned. If they are trying to copy the football world cup then they should realize that cricket will never be as popular as football. Because of its wide popularity football can include 32 teams in its premier competition and still not suffer on quality. Cricket however is played by a small group of nations and when ICC tries to include more and more teams the quality of the tournament invariably suffers. They should also remember that due to the shortness in duration of the matches football can afford to have 2 – 4 matches in a day, thereby reducing the number of days the tournament is played out. Cricket due to its length can’t have more than two matches in a day and still cater to the needs of the broadcaster and the sponsors.

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This world cup had absolutely everything in it other than good quality matches. Retirements, resignations, step downs, sackings, under performances, intrigue and conspiracy all marred the tournament. Add a horrible murder to it and you are left wondering if it’s a sporting tournament that we are talking abAout or the latest Hollywood thriller. Cricket is at its all time low at the moment. Cricket authorities all over the world would do well to wake up and smell the coffee. Otherwise the game will lose its fans forever, the very people who are the reason for the bringing the big bucks into the game.

Should Tendulkar Retire?

Is it time to call it quits?

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Ian Chappell has recently written an article asking Sachin Tendulkar to take a good look at the mirror and decide if the time has come for him to quit the game. Ian Chappell has publicly said what many in India has been murmuring for the last 1 year. It is an issue that every Indian will have an opinion on. Chappell’s comments will be a bitter pill to swallow for Sachin Tendulkar as indeed many of his fans.

As someone who has been a fan of Tendulkar from the time I watched him cart Abdul Qadir all over the ground in his first series, it is with a sense of sadness and disappointment that I read Chappel’s article. Disappointment because of the way he is being ridiculed and criticized when others in his team haven’t performed any greater than he has. Sadness because I do not feel that Chappel’s remarks is not entirely off the mark either.

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Chappell is spot on when he says that Tendulkar hasn’t worn off as well as Lara. There was a time when both of them would match stroke for stroke with each other. Tendulkar with his consistency and Lara with his huge scores were engaged in a healthy sporting rivalry. But about 3 years ago Tendulkar started having the first of his many career threatening injuries. His body was finally creaking under the burden he had carried for the past 16 odd years when he was the sole hope of an entire nation. These injuries definitely have had an impact on his playing form as he was constantly in an out of the team and never really got the opportunity to practice regularly let alone settle down.

Another thing that Chappell has got spot on is the style in which Tendulkar has been playing for the last few years. He seems to have lost his dominance at the world stage. Where earlier he reigned over the batting crease like an emperor now he seems more like a hard working employee. Where earlier bowlers would start their run up thinking how they can not get hit, now they start their run up with the confidence that it’s only a matter of time before they get him.

Lara to his credit has never changed his style of batting no matter what the situation was. He never lost his flamboyance. Tendulkar however has got into this strange mindset that he should curb his natural instincts and play the role of a grafter from now. He feels there are other younger players now to take on the role of a dasher. I am not sure what Tendulkar’s line of reasoning behind this is, but it definitely not doing Indian cricket any good. India needs Tendulkar for the simple aura he brings to the field. India does not need Tendulkar to graft and probe around like a player of average ability. The sight of Tendulkar doing that inspires the oppositions and disheartens his countrymen.

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If he is doing this on the advice of the team, then the management is really short sighted. It may make Sachin a better team man, maybe help him boost his statistics, but it will never help India win matches. If he has adopted this style because of injuries then he should think of adapting new shots or innovating new methods to score runs. It the reason is that he simply cannot play with freedom anymore or if he is not enjoying cricket or if does not have that ability anymore then the sad truth is that the time has now come for him to hang up his boots. Whatever be the case Tendulkar is at a crossroads in his career now and he has to take a decision about it. Because it hurts to see him drudging along when nobody wants him.

Sachin could take the time available between now and the next tour to decide on how he would want his career to end. He should have a clear idea on how he would want the world to remember him. If he is not able to take a decision then take a step backwards. Take a long break from international cricket. But the next time he steps out for an international match I would love to see him play with an uncluttered mind. He could go back to playing domestic cricket for a season and see if he still has that love for the game as he used to. If he is honest with himself he will get the answer. If the answer is bitter then he should retire as soon as possible.

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I want to see one of the greatest players this country has ever produced to ride off into the sunset with pride and dignity rather than being thrown out like a trouble maker from a bar. I would like to see him bow out with a last hurrah, a slap in the face of this ungrateful country who takes a sadistic pleasure in ripping the very heroes they have taken to their hearts. The same people who forget the times when they used to turn off the TV when he got out. But I realize that the bitter reality is that it is more of a fantasy than hope.

Ineffective BCCI

Pointing Fingers Indian Cricket Style

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Indian cricket is at it again!!! They are back to doing what they do best when faced with a crisis; pass the buck to someone else. And there has been a lot of that in the past few days and fingers have been pointed at all and sundry. In the midst of all this nonsense there is a former captain’s meeting with the board due next week. Hopefully at least these former greats will be able to knock some sense into some brainless cricket authorities.

The BCCI has always been a divided body, what with politics and power mongering always taking more importance than the welfare of the game itself. The new regime however brought with them a lot of hope and there was a genuine feeling that things would be different. One gets the feeling that the new regime is more interested in the balance sheet than the well being of the game in the country.

Right now everyone from the players to the selectors to the coach is being blamed for the debacle. The board president indulges in grand posturing and says that changes would be made to the team. But will that solve the problems afflicting Indian Cricket? The answer is a resounding no!!!

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Indian cricket’s problems are much deeper than what changing the team or even the captain and the coach could solve. The system itself is rotting. The number of teams in the domestic league is a joke. You can’t have tough competition and a true test of a player’s ability if you have 30 teams in a league. First class players score tons of runs and pick up buckets of wickets in domestic circuit but come up cropper when pitted against tough international opponents.

One can argue that the two tire system has brought about a change but it is only marginal. And the fact of the matter remains that the international players rarely come back and play in the domestic circuit. You can’t blame them too considering the amount of workload they are under in the international circuit.

The saddest part in all this is that even though we have 30 teams in the circuit the BCCI is not represented by the whole nation. There are no cricket associations in some of the states in the east like Sikkim. While a state like Maharashtra has 4 associations. This proves that even after becoming the richest sporting body in the world the BCCI has fallen woefully short in spreading the game to every nook and corner of this nation. Unless they do that we will miss out on talent and the opportunity to tap the country’s full potential.

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The selection policy is also flawed. When you pick selectors based on their zones there is bound to be parochialism, and the quota system will always be a hindrance to selecting the best possible team for the country. Why can’t we pick 5 bale selectors, irrespective of their place of origin, and assign each zone to them. The zones allotted to each should be rotated at regular intervals of time so as to avoid any one selector getting too attached to the zone assigned to him.

The pitches in this country do not provide anything to the bowlers. If at all they do provide some assistance it is to the spin bowlers. But they are made ineffective because the boundary of grounds across the nation is becoming shorter and shorter everyday. The logic behind this is that people love to see runs being scored. So in an effort to avoid being pulverized by the batsmen on flat batting tracks the spinner bowls flat and quick which quickly makes them ineffective as potent wicket taking bowlers. Add to that the short boundaries and the spinner has no other option but to bowl flat and quick. And we lament that India is not producing young spinners anymore.

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Young talent in this country is not properly groomed. Opening up a plethora of cricket academies alone is not the solution to this. They should be given enough opportunities to hone their skills. They should be playing against tougher opponents to gain the necessary temperament needed to survive at the big stage. Above all they should have an exposure to as many different kinds of conditions as they possibly can. Right now they are reared on flat tracks which serve no one. Bowlers get disheartened. The batsmen are found wanting if there is even the slightest of movement or pace in the pitch. If India is to improve on their away record then they have to learn to play on fast bouncy pitches that are found around the world.

What the BCCI, before making all round changes to the team, has to do is to take a look at itself in the mirror and be honest about what they see. If they are to shake up anything then it is the system itself that should be shaken up first. I am not saying that the players, coach and the selectors are not to be blamed. But they will only be as good as the system allows them to be. So if the BCCI genuinely has an interest in the welfare of the game then they should start the drastic changes from within themselves. Otherwise cricket might go the hockey way and then they wont have anything left even in the balance sheet to talk about.

World Cup Cricket 2007

A glimmer of hope

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What a strange thing hope is. It is at the same time man’s greatest strength and his biggest downfall. It springs eternal from the human breast according to the poet Ernest Lawrence Thayer. And now a billion Indian cricket fans are left with nothing else to cling on to other than this very thing. For their overrated bunch of heroes have made things extremely difficult for themselves by losing to Bangladesh at the world cup. It would take some brilliant performances aided by a fair degree of luck for these guys to go through to the next round.

The Indian cricket team must be one of the most fickle of teams in sporting history. After having demolished West Indies in a warm up game they have promptly gone on to lose to a lesser established team like Bangladesh. Nothing clicked for India on that fateful day against Bangladesh. Their batting wilted, seemingly from the fear of losing. The bowling was as penetrative as a blunt knife. And the fielding was all butter fingers. Indians were outplayed and embarrassed at each aspect of the game, even at the post game press conference. The Indians were forced to come out of the match with their tails between their legs and deservedly so.

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So it must have been relief to everyone involved with Indian cricket when they saw that the next scheduled match was between an even smaller team – Bermuda. The Indian went about thrashing them thereby boosting their bloated egos. The whole country is waiting though. Everybody knows that this is just the calm before the storm. Their real test would be between their crucial encounter against Sri Lanka. And even if India wins that game whether or not they would go through to the Super Eight would still depend on somebody up there liking them. India needs luck to be on their side to get a favorable net run rate equation to go through.

Sri Lanka would be a much tougher cookie to crack than Bermuda. For one thing their bowling is far more potent than India’s. For another their batting can be as destructive as India’s. Add a much better fielding ability to the mix and the scale tends to shift in Sri Lanka’s favor. But as was illustrated in the match against Bangladesh cricket is nothing but a game of glorious uncertainties. And that’s where Indian cricket fans are clinging their hopes on.

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For India to beat Sri Lanka, our batting needs to come good. I am sure that if we can get to the 30th over without losing too many wickets then the big guns coming in later can blast off. This is why I want Dravid to come up early in the innings, maybe as high as 3. He should drop the sheath anchor with the later explosive batsmen playing around him. I would also bring in Pathan into the eleven. He solidifies the batting line up especially the tail which looks very long at the moment. If he goes at around 4 runs an over then we should consider him as having done his job instead of expecting him to do the great things he used to do in the past.

Finally this is the last chance for the golden generation of players who have managed to consistently underachieve at the big stage. But this time they will have only themselves to blame and the general public may not be as forgiving as before. Like one banner said at the Trinidad the other day “This is your last chance India. Win this or else stay in Trinidad forever”.

Cricket World Cup 2007

David’s Day and Dreams Shattered

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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.

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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.

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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’?

Cricket World Cup 2007

Gavaskar vs Australia and Sledging

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Off late the controversy involving Sunil Gavaskar and the Australian cricket team has been snowballing out of control. The whole thing started off with Gavaskar opening up the topic of sledging and accusing the Australians of being the primary perpetrators. He accused the Australian team of being abusive on the field of play. He went on to say that the Australians are the most unpopular champions in the history of the game.

As can be expected the Australians, especially their current captain Ricky Ponting, were none too happy about it. He responded strongly by referring to Gavaskar’s walkout of a test match when he was captain of the Indian team over alleged abuse from the Australian team. He also put his foot in his mouth when he then went on to talk of unrelated topics like India’s performance lately.

However if anyone thought that would be the last they would hear of the matter they were proved wrong as Gavaskar decided to put his foot in the mouth as well. He responded to Ricky Ponting by saying that the language the Australians use on the field could get them into trouble in a bar. He even cited the example of David Hookes, a former Australian player who got killed in a bar incident. This stirred a lot of strong reactions from Australian players including Allan Border.

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My personal take on the subject is that both Gavaskar and Ponting crossed the line by responding to comments made by each other. It was wrong on Ponting’s part to respond to such kind of comments. He would have been better served if he gave the answer on the field with their performance and conduct. As for Gavaskar, dragging in Hooke’s name into the whole thing was totally uncalled for. He should have shown a lot more respect to the memories of a deceased person.

My whole take on sledging is slightly different from that of Gavaskar. In the heat of the moment, in the middle of a crunch situation, it could and will get a bit volatile out there. But doesn’t that add more color and character to the whole proceedings?

International cricket is not about a bunch of small kids playing in the local park for them to be protected from such intensity. They are more than capable of taking it and dishing it out back to them in equal terms.

Sledging creates some funny banter from time to time. My favorites are the stories involving Merv Hughes. It is said that after being hit all over the ground in a match by Hansie Cronje, he went down the pitch to Cronje, stood near him and farted!!! He followed it up with the line “Try hitting that for a boundary”.

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Another memorable incident was when Viv Richard, upon being stared by Merv said “In my culture we don’t stare”. Merv got him out later and said “In my culture we just say F**k off”.

Merv has got it back from others too. After Robin Smith played and missed a delivery Merv snarled at him and said “You f**king can’t bat”. Robin Smith hit the next ball for a four and replied “We make quite a pair, don’t we? I f**king cant bat and you f**king can’t ball”.

But the one I like the most was from Fred Trueman. In a county game one of his team mates miss fielded the ball by letting it get through between his legs. Trueman’s reply, “No you bastard, your mother should have”.

Sledging is not always fun to bear for the players. Take for instance the McGrath – Sarwan incident. McGrath started it by asking Sarwan, “Tell me, how does Brian Lara’s d**k taste like”. Sarwan promptly replied “Ask your wife”. The bid to instigate Sarwan and make him lose his cool backfired on the Aussie and McGrath went berserk accompanied by a few of his team mates. The reason – his wife was battling cancer. Earlier McGrath wasn’t so touchy about his wife. Once he had asked the plump Eddo Brandes “Why are you so f**king fat?” Brandes replied, “That’s because every time I had sex with your wife, she gave me biscuit.” Play resumed only after 5 minutes as every on the field was rolling over with laughter.

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The principle of sledging is that if you can’t take it back then don’t give it. If you can’t take it at all then the message should be, “sorry mate, but this isn’t boys scout.” As a footnote, I haven’t see McGrath sledge after the Sarwan incident.

Cricket World Cup 2007

World’s Most Ignored Sport Fans.

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There were a couple of matches going on at the world cup yesterday. Australia, the favorites for the tournament, was playing against minnows Scotland. In another match a war of the minnows were going on between Kenya and Canada. Both matches had predictable results. Both were a cure for those suffering from even the acutest insomnia. The case is the same for the matches scheduled for today. In fact barring one match in each of the 4 groups there are no matches in the group stage of this world cup which would make even the most ardent of cricket fans to lose his sleep over.

Personally, the author of this post was not interested in following the matches after a tough day at the office. I was looking for some entertainment which would take my mind off the hectic workload I was bombarded with for the day. Usually I would have followed a cricket match on any given day, but yesterday I couldn’t watch it even for 5 minutes. Watching the Australian toying around with the Scots was as exciting as a watching a match of chess between two unknowns. There was nothing to even stimulate the slightest of interest in the match. David and Goliath is one thing, but this was Goliath and a 90 year old. As for the other match it was a bit more evenly balanced. But even that match failed to generate even the slightest excitement.

My point is who is actually watching these matches? Is there anybody out there who might be watching these matches the full distance other than the guys who get paid for it? The media and the ex-cricketers need to write and discuss about these matches. So they might endure this torture. But what about the ordinary fan. The one person everybody including the ICC, the broadcasters and the advertisers all seem to have forgotten. What about his interests?

The ICC is of the opinion that subjecting the smaller teams to such slaughter at the hands of their more established opponents would help these teams get better. Ya Right!!! Get them better at running away from a cricket field, if they ever were to lay their eyes on one again. The ICC is being delusional if they honestly believe that anyone’s confidence gets better by getting battered black and blue by a bigger opponent. And confidence is the key to success in any sport. There are other better ways of developing the sport in new territories than subjecting these teams to utter humiliation every 4 years.

The broadcasters as well as the ICC believes that pumping in more matches equates to more viewers and hence more revenue by way of advertisements. They are all forgetting the basic rule of demand and supply here. Any time a surplus occur demand obviously goes down thereby devaluing the product. Both these parties need to realize that corporate guys would clamor over one another to advertise their product only if they believe that there is a significant number of people out there would receive their message. They will plug the moment they understand that nobody cares for the sport. So the most important person everybody should be caring about is the fan.

To keep the interest of a fan (the customer) the ICC (the producer) should provide the product that he wants. And the fans want to see good competitive matches. He wants excitement; he wants to see players with skills exhibiting their prowess on the field against equally tough opponents. But this is not how the ICC feels. They feel that they will make a substandard product and have deluded themselves into believing that the audience will lap it up. In an effort to attract new audiences, they are in fact alienating existing ones. I also don’t understand how anyone who watches cricket for the first time will be taken to it when they see Australia playing Scotland.

If there is someone out there who watches these matches just out of the love of the game then the ICC should find him out and get him some important position in the organization. But before doing that they might do well to check if his sanity. On second thought maybe that’s the exact profile the existing honchos of the ICC has.

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

2007 Cricket World Cup – WI v Pak

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

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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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Can India bring the world cup home?
The Big Fat Caribbean World Cup
Dropped, Doped or Duped? – The drug scandal in cricket
World Cup Unforgettables – Australia v South Africa, 1999
World Cup Unforgettables – India v Pakistan 1996
The Caribbean Carnival Begins

Cricket World Cup 2007

The Caribbean Carnival Begins

Image Courtsey : Wikipedia.org

Here we are! Cricket’s biggest carnival has finally arrived. It was fitting that the greatest cricketer of all time, Sir Garfield Sobers, declared the world cup open. The organizers departed from the usual formality of the head of state of the host nation declaring the world cup open, and instead asked one of its erstwhile greats to do the honors. Probably this was influenced by the fact that the West Indies is an entity which consists of many nations, and maybe to avoid any dispute which may arise subsequently they selected their greatest ever cricketer to start off their greatest ever sporting event.

This is one of the most open of all world cups in recent memory and also the least hyped one. One can vividly remember the hype that surrounded the world cup last time in 2003. Compared to that this year the hype has relatively low key. It is not until 2 days before the world cup that it has started showing signs of picking up momentum. This could be attributed to the fact that almost 50% of the competing teams in this world do not stand a chance of winning a single match other than among themselves. This has inundated the group stage with a lot of meaningless matches and with the results being a foregone conclusion in almost half its matches. Hopefully the tournament would really start off when the super-eight stage begins on the 27th March.

Image Courtsey: smh.com

There have already been some fireworks on and off the field for this world cup. If the opening ceremony showcased some spectacular fireworks display, off the field it has been the showdown between Ponting and Gavaskar that has been in the news lately. Ponting’s harsh reply to Gavaskar’s equally harsh criticism of their behavior on the field and his subsequent return to Ponting’s taunts have all added spice to an already simmering rivalry between India and Australia. The Indians are still haunted by the massacre they received at the hands of the Australians during last world cup’s final. Indian captain has already stated that he would love to play Australia in the final, above even traditional rivals Pakistan!!! If that doesn’t tell you how much intensity Indians have to a clash with the Aussies nothing else will.

Another confrontation that has just been heated up is that of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistani coach, taking on former greats Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. Woolmer has been subject to their criticism for quite some time now. He has finally hit back taking on both these legends and claiming that he will prove them. Boy!!! As if the pressure of the world cup was not enough, he has gone on and added some more pressure upon himself and his team. Nevertheless there is no denying the fact that this has added much needed excitement to the initial stages of the tournament.

Image Courtsey: cricket-worldcup.net

The opinion that this world cup is the most open in recent time has almost become passé now. Australia’s dominance has been severely dented by their recent losses to England and New Zealand. Their bowling does not seem to posses the same potency it used to posses. With the exit of Shane Warne and the ageing on Glenn Magrath they seem to have lost some of their lethality which had made them such a dominant force for such a long time. Their decline is welcomed by the whole cricketing fraternity as this opens up the door to glory for every other major team in the competition. But still, only a fool would take the Aussies lightly and to their own detriment.

The pitches would be the most crucial factor in this world cup. If it behaves as it has in the past few years then we would not be seeing the run feasts that we have grown accustomed to, and according to me that’s a good thing. The pitches could make it an equal contest between the bowlers and the batsmen, with only the ones with the necessary skills and with the ability to adapt prevailing in the end. Low scores could be the order of the day and this would force the captains to think on their feet and change their strategies as per the demands of the situation.

Image Courtsey: cricket-online.com

I believe that if the wicket plays out as it is expected to, the teams from the subcontinent could come to the party in a big way. These guys are champions anytime the ball doesn’t bounce above their hips. Every Indian must therefore be hoping that their team goes one better in this edition than what they achieved last time around. Nothing would give them more pleasure than dishing it out to the Aussies. If history is anything to go by, then the last time a team was poised to win a hat-trick of world cups they were thwarted by a team of no-hopers from this great country. I genuinely wish that history would repeat itself.

Related Reads:

Can India bring the world cup home?
The Big Fat Caribbean World Cup
Dropped, Doped or Duped? – The drug scandal in cricket
World Cup Unforgettables – Australia v South Africa, 1999
World Cup Unforgettables – India v Pakistan 1996
World Cup Unforgettables – India v Australia 1992
Rahul Dravid – The Great Wall of India
Saurav Ganguly – The Return of the Prince
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - Hero, Villain or Victim?