War between Equals - Ashes 2009

As the Ashes commenced this year, I was having a discussion with my Cricket buddies Tugga and PK (who by the way are an absolute authority over this game) as to who stood a chance this year to win the Ashes. A common conclusion was that this was a war between equals – not in terms of strengths but weaknesses.

In my 15 years of watching this game I haven’t seen an Aussie team this weak in terms of grit, talent, sporting spirit and strategy. Ponting is by far the worst captain I’ve seen. He is lost without the talented Gilly, Warne, McGrath, Langer & Hayden. I’ve not doubts on his credentials as a batsman, but he has serious flaws as a captain. He is not sporting enough to accept defeat, he is not brave enough to accept his side’s weakness, he fails to instill any kind of discipline in his team and he himself being such a sore loser is passing on that quality to his team. I’ve been an ardent supporter of the Aussie team since the days of Allan Border and the respect only increased when Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh ran this outfit. That is steadily vanishing with displays of Ponting’s Team, in terms of the game they play and the way they play it. His team sorely misses the stalwarts who hailed from Tugga’s school and kept the side in balance.

Apart from a Clarke and Ponting himself , I cannot see a person who can turn the match around. I’ve watched very little of the new Aussie players in action but of the little I’ve seen I do not see this class coming of age soon.

England for long has been a weak test outfit but the one under Michael Vaughan showed some signs of improvement with some overseas wins and the much watched Ashes 2005 win. Flintoff and Pietersen could pave their way into any world outfit and are match-winners in their own right; making all the difference in my opinion to the English outfit.
If the same side were to play a South African or the Indian team they would struggle. But playing a weak Aussie side gives them all the edge to play it at equal levels and give themselves a chance to regain the Ashes.

There was this interesting article that PK passed on where Michael Artherton compared the two sides man-to-man and I agreed with most.

This is probably the first time that I’ll be supporting the Poms whole-heartedly against an Aussie team. I enjoyed the 2005 series and shifted my loyalties between both teams, but that was purely for the way both teams displayed outstanding cricket; not because I did not like the Aussie team. It was delight for a cricket lover and I can recall every moment of that series.

This time around it’s different and I’m hoping England wins this one. They have sustained the edge as of now. The 1-wicket draw in the first test at Cardiff set the tone for the series where the Poms have begun to believe that they can get this one right while Aussies are being shaken time and again by whom they thought were the lesser teams.

In the last 2 years they have played a total of 23 matches: Won 11, Lost 7 and Drawn -5. That is still a decent record but of the 11 wins – 6 are against the much weaker test teams SL/WI/NZ while Eng (1-0) & Ind (3-2) lead the Aussies in terms of total wins and SA tied with them at 3 wins each. The Aussies are losing more often than before and that is definitely a good sign for other teams and test cricket as well.

I’ve not seen a ball being bowled in this match and hence the shortened version on what I thought of the match. I thought England played exceedingly well to thwart the Aussies and put them under pressure. I full support Strauss’s decision of not enforcing the follow-on, not many teams have dared after the most influential innings of the decade.

Any smart captain would opt the safer way out rather than dig his own grave at the start of the Ashes and plunge his team to further depths. I read in the cricinfo bulletin about Australia’s aspiration for a world record chase. 526 is any day an improbable target considering in the last decade only 6 times have teams won chasing 340 up , the maximum being 418.
With 5 wickets gone on day 4 for 128, not even half the target on board; expecting Australia to chase this one was expecting a wee bit too much or alleviating the Aussie batsmen to heights they are currently not capable of.

Strauss led the way in the first innings and I was quite disappointed that the Brits had only managed 425 when they were at one stage 255/2. Nevertheless the bowlers made up with Anderson starring in the first and Flintoff completing his first fiver in 2 years aided by Swann. I cannot fathom why Flintoff is quitting test cricket but will continue to play ODIs and T20. That will make up for another blog post.
I heard Swann bowled quite beautifully and will catch up the highlights later in the day. Until the next one, England enjoy this one, but not too much because there are still 3 tests to go! Aussies can and will fight back. (I hope so too, at the end I’m a true cricket lover at heart and there is nothing more one wants than a hard fought battle between equals) The battle is won but the war is not yet over lest the Poms forget that!

Go England Go. I’m keen to read Ponting’s reactions now!

And to end, Dubai’s cable service is split into 2 program options– E-Pehla and Orbit Showtime. I’ve subscribed to E-Pehla Silver which is a sports packageespecially for cricket and now the Ashes are being telecast on Orbit. I cannot subscribe to both simultaneously, so you can imagine my frustration currently! I hate following the game on the internet. I cannot comment on how well or badly the teams played as I cannot see them play live. And if you cannot watch a match live, then you are pretty much banking on the opinion of others and building your analysis of the game on someone else’s view point. As a huge fan of the game and someone who loves to have an opinion on the game, it can get increasingly irritating! Either ways I’ll try to catch some glimpses on the net and put in my own views!

Hope you all are as glued in as I am!

Déjà vu…Part II

The world cup 2007 is finally coming to an end, and for me, since ’91 this has been probably the most boring one I’ve seen. Reason one but obviously India’s ouster in the first stage. Reason two: It is too long a world cup, 6 weeks is just too long. Having not watched each and every match as I have in the previous cups this one will remain least etched in my memory.

Like 2003 Aussies look unbeatable and have not been challenged so far. I thought that SA and NZ would drive them to the wall but the two most likely teams to have upset the Aussies were decimated by them in style. It speaks a word or two in the zone the Aussies are and the way they are playing cricket. The losses to England and NZ prior to the world cup was just a lapse on their part.

I love the Aussies, always have since I started watching this game. They play this game to win. They play it in their own style and are not ruffled by what others are doing. They might lose but they do not care; they stick to their nature and more often than not it has helped them come out victorious. It is such a pleasure to watch them play because they bring nothing but smiles to your face. They have established their own brand of playing cricket and the way to defeat them is not to copy their style but etch your own style and beat them. Cause you cannot better them at their own game. Tell me who will not love the Aussies.

They do not miss the Waugh brothers, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Shane Warne. Gilchrist’s out of form performance has not affected their game even 1%, Shaun Tait is ready to take over from McGrath while Michael Clarke is already being touted as captaincy material. Mike Hussey has been relatively quiet but his performances have spoken for themselves. The team is not being arrogant by not feeling the pinch of the stars but it just shows how good their bench strength is to deliver the same results in absence of these power houses. Full credit to them and sure they deserve to win.

SL on the other hand has been the quiet performer. I did not meet one person who placed them in the finals with the Aussies before this world cup began. SA, NZ, WI and even India were being named but not the Lankan Lions. What a performance! Every single person in this team has contributed in every match. The young guns have come out and done their land proud. Jayasurya can relax and retire in peace. There is Tharanga, Chamra Silva, Dilshan Tilakratne, the ever reliable Jaywardane. The bowling has been top class. Vaas I never doubted him, and he one Lankan I’ve always loved to watch, even against India. Malinga , Mahroof and Murali make the bowling look unbeatable and the Aussies have not had a look at the SL bowlers in the league match what with Vaas, Murali & Malinga all rested. Not a bad ploy was it even if it cost them the match. Their fielding matches up to the best in the world and I see no reason why this team won’t let the Aussies sleep tight before the big day.

This world cup has been full of Déjà vu, India’s loss to SL (my earlier post), SA-AUS semi final( like in 1999), though it did not match up to the thriller like the earlier one, and now the ’96 final match-up! We just have to wait and see if history repeats again!

On a personal note though, this cup has been the most disappointing one for me. I’ve rarely failed in my predictions so far, rarely lost a bet on cricket but this time around I think I’m losing my touch! I expected India to make it atleast to the semis, did not happen. I then backed my next favourite team, the Black Caps cause they were playing some real good cricket only to see them have their bad day in the semis against the Lankans. I definitely did not want SA to win cause I don’t think it was a great cup for them and besides I do not like their current team. They seem a little short on the sportsmanship and the right spirit to play the game; the biggest culprit being Andre Nell.

SL has never been a favourite with me. They are good bunch of players but they have always irked me, and I have no reason to justify it. Aussies, though I love them, I’m now tired of seeing them win day in and out. For me this final is a Catch 22 situation where I do not want to support any team but I would not mind if either one wins. Aussies cause they deserve to, they have been awesome for the last ten years. SL cause they should win against Aussies; as the Aussies have never given them their due respect.

It’s McGrath’s and Murali-Jayasurya’s last calling; I would want the latter to answer to it first!

I’ll be watching the final today, I hope you all do. And yes do let me know whom you are supporting this time around.

A Shocking Beginning…

On seeing the WC schedule I had thought to myself that I can relax the till the super eight stage cause the first round seemed a waste of time to me with unknown teams like Ireland Bermuda, Netherlands( sure they played the last cup but who remembers!),Canada, Scotland being involved in the WC.
Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties a saying so well-known it’s almost cliché to use it now! But time and again this saying is proved right and this time the little minnows were the ones who proved it right. I can bet my life not one cricket fan would’ve predicted Pakistan’s ouster in the first round, not one die-hard Indian fan would’ve expected defeat in the first match against Bangladesh and not even the Bangladeshi supporters would’ve expected their team to beat two big guns back to back. NZ in the warm up and India in the first match of the opening round!!! No one and if someone tells me he or she did they are lying through the roof!!!

Pakistan’s ouster was a shocker and I’m yet to recover from it. No WC is good without an India –Pak tie and yes I wanted to see my team keep their WC record intact of being unbeatable against Pak. It was definitely not their best side that they have fielded for the cup and Asif-Shoaib would’ve made hell of a difference. But to be not able to get past Ireland was tough to digest. As much as the batsmen should be blamed for the loss I must give it to Ireland for pulling an incredible performance in both the matches. No one thought they would win but as of now they are leading their group table! First the tie against Zim and then a victory against Pak. They sure have the made the entire cricketing world sit up and take notice of them. And honestly I was seeing the highlights I liked that guy Neil O' Brien. He single-handedly tackled the Pak attack with confidence. Good footwork and solid shots. They sure have a long way to go but this man did make mark!

Australia, SL and SA started off in pompous style much to our expectations and Gibbs’s sixes against Netherlands sure brought a smile to my face. It’s not against the best cricketing nation but a record is a record and with so many non-test playing nations involved these will come abound. But what the heck savour it! It does not come often and whether against top class or bottom class teams six 6s in six consecutive balls is no mean feat; proven by the fact that it is the first time in international cricket. Sobers and Shastri hold the record in first-class fixtures, so give the guy some due

I loved the way WI won. They were really struggling but having seen them hit 230 odd from 3 an over in the 20th over, I told my husband that it seems a good total to defend on a slow pitch and I’m glad they proved me right. Pakistan can only blame themselves for both the losses.

And coming to my dear team India, I felt like a fool when people asked about our chances and I proudly said yes I see them in the final four. I would still like to stand by it. Considering our record against SL in the recent past, I actually feel we can win. As for the match against Bangladesh, the lesser said the better. The batting is clearly a problem and as much as Sehwag has got a century as I’m writing this article I still feel he will struggle against the better attacks! The batsmen got to get their act right and yes if someone is near the team can you please pass on a message to our bowler that an offside- middle stump line exists when you bowl. They only seemed to see the leg-stump! How they miss the basics often really surprises me.
The only positive so far is Saurav Ganguly. I so wanted to write since his comeback that his batting and attitude has been refreshing. That is exactly what I wanted of him and a little late but it has come at the best time. He is old self and seems to enjoy his batting. He is relaxed, his feet are moving well and he is confident. There is no clutter in his head and things are clear. Batting like a dream, now only if he would continue throughout the innings and not give it up the way he did against Bangladesh.

While on India, ‘Inconsistency is Thy Name’, as my husband always puts it! Bowled out under 200 against minnows now they thrash Bermuda to get a WC record of highest runs in an innings! It is possible only with us in back to back matches!
The latest match has been halted by rain as I write this. Why am I not surprised? One, because rain gods have never favoured us, and second, we did bring it upon ourselves to this situation. So if this is a washout with no reserve day in place India will bid goodbye to the WC and then I’m left wondering for commercial reasons this WC will be in a soup! No Pakistan, no India it’s not a good thing for the WC organisers!
But Tendulkar entertained, and so did Yuvraj, but sending Dhoni and him ahead of Sachin. Not done, simply not done because the little master is in a good nick! Sometimes I feel we leave our brains behind in experimenting unnecessary things. Too much of anything is not good and India better realise that sooner than later!

Apart from the all of the above the most rude shock of the WC, Bob Woolmer’s Death. A fine, fine coach and I was completely aghast at the news. That it came one day after Pak’s ouster leaves me wondering if the pressure and stress got to him. The cricket world will miss him; the teams will miss him the most. He had so much to offer to the game in him. May his soul rest in peace.

The End of My Era....

Long hiatus, no explanations just that setting in to work and this city did take my time off from my writing! No promises to keep this going regularly but yes the world cup will get me writing more frequently than before!

The world cup begins today. Sadly the opening ceremony will be missed due to the unearthly timings of the telecast. My interest in the ODIs is going down day by day, thanks to the growing predictable and uneventful nature of the matches involved and the WC long format is not going to help my case either. However seeing the performance of the some of the teams in the last month I sure am not placing my bets on the winner right away. That could make up for another article!

So before I go onto preview matches and predict winners, here is the real reason for writing the article. In ’91 when I started watching cricket, taking serious interest in it, catching the old matches missed on all possible channels, I saw a whole lot of players emerge and become reckoning forces in the world of cricket. Seeing their amazing displays on the field, the thought of them ever quitting the game never struck my mind. It still does not, despite the fact being there right in front of my eyes, I just turn a blind eye to it.

They were players from my era! Having seen them play for the last fifteen years. I saw my friends have crushes on them, I remember making fun of them for not understanding their game, I remember having long debates and discussions with the guys over who is the better player and who was not playing upto his potential, discussing their awesome display of talent time and again.

They excited, they enthralled, they entertained, they charmed, they made me smile! The game will not be the same again. Yes it has been said before, new players have emerged and I’m not denying that better might emerge too, but these will always be special because they were one of the reason my cricket interest grew.

Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble, Lara, Jayasurya, Inzy, McGrath, Pollock, Gilchrist, Fleming, Ponting. Cricket will not be the same again!


It still feels like only yesterday when:

• I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to see young Sachin rock the NZ shores in ’94 blasting 84 of 49 balls when he opened first.
• I saw Inzy being run-out by Rhodes in ’92 WC and kept wondering if he would ever create a World record for the same, but realising Pakistan had been blessed with a talent.
• I saw a young man from the WI battle out with ease the Aussie attack and hit a masterpiece 277 to lead WI to victory. Lara won many a matches in the years to come single-handedly and I think he leads every great batmen of his era in this aspect!
• I saw McGrath bowl super straight relentlessly time and again leading to the destruction of every batsmen who faced him
• I was left zapped by the maddening batting display of Jayasurya in the ’96 WC who redefined opening batting in ODIs and made the cricket ball defy the laws of gravity.
• I saw Gilchrist come at the top order and thrash bowlers all around the park
• I saw Ponting take charge of Steve’s team and lead them to a dominating victory in the ’03 WC keeping the Aussie flag flying high.
• I saw Kumble take the Golden 10 against Pakistan
• I saw Ganguly dance down the wicket at Taunton and beat Kapil’s long standing record of highest ODI Score
• I saw Dravid turn into a valuable ODI player in ’99 WC with his back to back hundreds only to end up as the best man in both matches
• I saw Fleming’s shrewd captaincy lead NZ to an unforgettable victory agaisnt Aus from a no-win situation in the VB series 2001.
• I saw Pollock carry his dad and uncle’s legacy ably on his shoulders.
  
  

There are many more memories of them to write about and I could go on and on. But before I end, here’s putting these blokes in a small perspective for the joy they brought this game. The next WC will surely miss:

Sachin’s Masterplay and Lara’s Faultless Display
Inzy’s Serenity and Fleming’s Solidity
Ponting’s Brashness and McGrath’s Relentlessness
Kumble’s Perseverance and Pollock’s Consistence
Gilchrist’s Bashing and Jayasurya’s Thrashing
Gagnuly’s Off-side Divinity and Dravid’s Austerity!


The next WC is not going to be the same. As much as I’m digesting the departure of the Waugh Brothers, Justin Langer, Warne and Martyn, the departure of these players as and when it comes is most dreaded!

So here is what I’m going to do, sit back and enjoy them as long as they last and hope this WC brings out the best in all of them!

Chappell In..

So the news is finally out and the suspense finally over! Greg Chappell takes on the mantle of John Wright. His only serious contender for the 'coveted' job was Tom Moody.

Tom Moody

Tom Moody may have a good track record as a coach. Imagine this though, if Moody was appointed coach, what would he tell Sachin Tendulkar?

Sharjah 1998: The Coco Cola Cup: Sachin's finest moment as a batsman. He thrashed every Aussie bowler around the park, Tom Moody was one of them.

Just picture the dressing room with Tom Moody giving Sachin coaching tips...I can't!

Desmond Haynes

A last minute choice, no previous work ex as a coach, just didn't fit. His argument,'I am most suitable, as the next world cup is in Windies', was as lame as it could get and exposed his thought process too.

Going by his logic we should be changing coaches as per the tours and then what would the Aussies do? Their best coaches Marsh, Buchanan, Simpson have all been from the soil. Poor Aussies they are struggling badly aren't they? A decade of dominance, two world cups, ya they sure are struggling!

Mohinder Amarnath.

Hilarious wasn't he? I don't know what the big deal is about laptops and computers in coaching. We don't either, ask Buchanan and Wright who used technology to the fullest to study other teams and exploit their weaknesses and strengthen their own teams as well. In today's world where everything is being technology driven, when cricketers have acknowledged the immense help it has offered to them, Mr. Amarnath doesn't understand the big deal about it.

He is not into coaching but is of the firm belief that only an Indian coach can do a better job with the Indian team as he alone would understand their mindset.

Ashok Malhotra even asked, What did Mr. Wright do? He was insulted, cause he and Madan Lal were not considered as suitable candidates, even though they have been coaching regular A-level sides. Madan Lal, may I remind you was a national coach and am not too sure the current senior players would have been too keen to have him.

What did Mr. Wright do? Nothing much actually!

• He stayed on as Coach of India for 5 years without a break.
• He brought the team together and built team spirit where they played for each other and not self. No wonder we had so many miraculous comebacks and victories. Had it not been for our old inconsistent selves he would've ended his tenure with a better percentage of victories 40% in tests and 52% in ODIs.
• He got India to her first World Cup final since Kapil's Devils made it in 1983 after a gap of 20 years!!
• India started testing success on foreign soil, every series after a gap of 15 years
• No Indian team had won a test, let alone a series in Pakistan. Wright's India accomplished that and also the ODI victory.
• And last, but not the least, he did what no other team managed in the last decade; provide Australia its serious competitor in the test arena. In the three series played during Wright's Tenure, we won 1, lost 1 and drew the other. Never letting Australia dominate us the way it did others. It added a new rivalry to the world of cricket surpassing the India-Pak and Eng-Aus.

Seriously Mr, Amarnath the previous Indian coaches understood the mindset of Indian team much better than Wright did. Yes Mr. Malhotra what did Wright really do?

I happened to read a column by Gavaskar on the coaching job. What happens in the dressing room is none of our business. Our business is to see if they are performing or not. The point mentioned by him that the players abused Wright face on and would never do that to an 'inefficient' Indian coach is downright ridiculous. He adds to it by saying Wright might have not accepted the job due to these abuses.

Kiddish I must say, it's funny and hard to digest. I'm still trying to understand what point is Gavaskar trying to make and was he not a part of the committee that once again chose a foreign coach? And are we still gonna be debating over the nationality of the coach, Indian or non-indian would be better? Person matters not his religion, not his nationality!

As for the common man, we shouldn't expect miracles out of Greg Chappell, he is dealing with the same inconsistent Indian team. They'll be sparks in between and lull otherwise, they'll just be hmmmm....... Themselves.

Give him the same amount of time and patience as we did to the Wright- Ganguly combo. They did work wonders, they taught us to believe in this team.

Most importantly, let's not compare him and Wright. Even Wright wouldn't want that. The only thing I know for sure is there will be no lethargy creeping into this team and discipline will be at the highest. How they utilize Chappell's experience to the fullest is upto them. How this Indian team shapes up is Chappell's responsibility but more than his, it's the team's responsibility.

Let's see how we take that till the 2007 World Cup!