Monday, December 27, 2010

A WIN AT LAST

In the first T20 match at Eden Park,the hosts New Zealand had an easy five wicket win over Pakistan.

Pakistan started well with Afridi hitting the ball well.But once the openers departed,the visitors floundered.Tom Southee took five wickets that included a hat-trick.The umpire gave Umar Akmal out in front when there was a big inside edge.

Ross Taylor who disappointed in India, took his team home.But it was Martin Guptill who shone for the home team in the batting department.


Looks like the familiar home conditions have brought the spark back into the Kiwis. Or is the victory due the appointment of John Wright as the Coach?

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Friday, December 17, 2010

iNDIA DOWN & OUT

It is only the second day and India is already down in the dumps in the first test at Centurion. It is interesting that more than half of the first day’s play could not be possible due to the rain and wet outfield.

The home team has taken a lead of over 200 runs going into the third day with eight more batsmen still to come to crease. The openers Smith and Peterson gave a solid start and both scored half-centuries. The fast bowlers could not make any impression and it was Harbhajan Singh who got the two wickets to fall on the day.

Then it was the Kallis and Amla show all the way as they have put together more than 200 runs and still they are at the crease. Dhoni tried different bowlers including Sachin and Raina but with no success.

This match takes my memory back to the Kingsmead test many years ago when Allan Donald and company destroyed the Indian batting. The tourists were bowled out for less than 100 and the home team put up a big score.

Then came perhaps one of the greatest innings ever played by Sachin Tendulkar. In the company of Azharuddin, Sachin murdered the South Africans and there were runs all over the ground. It looked like a highlights package as Azharuddin also scored the runs at a very brisk pace. The partnership ended only when there was a run out and after that a great catch took the match to South Africa.

In many ways, this match is similar to the times when Sachin was the only Indian batsman to score runs against difficult bowling and mostly in the second innings. But in the final analysis, India lost the match. I really hope that Sachin does not get to his 50th hundred in that way.

ADVANTAGE AUSTRALIA

 

The home team seems to have turned the test match in its favour in Perth. After being dismissed for 268, the visitors seemed to be in a strong position. But Mitchell Johnson wrote a superb script for himself and his team.

In the first innings, Johnson scored a half-century and that perhaps could have boosted his confidence with the ball. The helpful wicket at Perth did the rest and there were times when the left-armer looked unplayable. The same bowler struggled to put the ball in the right place in the Brisbane test. In the English first innings, he took six wickets. Johnson was picked for this test and there was a lot of answering the selectors had to do to justify his selection.

Ponting failed once again but the win in this test match may bring runs from the Australian skipper in the rest of the series. That is something of a bad sign for the English.

Steve Waugh commented that Ricky Ponting would leave international cricket if he were to be dropped from the captaincy. Waugh was an acknowledged master at the art of ‘mental disintegration’. This might have inspired the Aussie bowlers to rise up to the occasion.

For the first time in the series, the Australian commentators had something to gloat about the superior abilities of the home team. Everyone seemed to have removed from their memories the bad showing in the first two test matches.

England can only bank on a miracle to save this match.

ON THE BACKFOOT

The worst fears have come true with the Indian batsmen unable to handle the fast bowlers at the Super Sports Park in Centurion.

Sehwag carried a lot of hopes but he played a shot that went straight into the hands of the waiting fielder.One expert called it ‘an irrational shot’.But I say it is due to the planning that South Africa had done for the batsman.

Gambhir, though an extremely capable batsman, is still untested when it comes to facing genuine fast bowling on pacy wickets.He had a harrowing time before giving the edge to the slip fielder.Dravid went past Brian Lara in the all time list of runs scored in test matches but could not last long.

Sachin looked in form before falling.Laxman was beaten by the pace and the movement.The less said is better about Suresh Raina. It is a wonder how many more opportunities should be given to the left-hander to prove himself.

Harbhajan showed his improved prowess as a batsman and that is something of a danger for in recent times, he bowls more like a part-timer.

There is of course, Dhoni still at the crease.My feeling is that he shall remain not out which would boost his average by a very small margin but has no import in the context of the match.

The weathermen have predicted some thundershowers on the fourth and the fifth days.That may give some hope for a draw if only the match goes that far.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

INTRIGUING CONTEST ON THE CARDS

It is not very often that Australia trails behind in a test series and more so in the Ashes at home.It was more than two decades ago that this happened and the Ashes went all the way to England.

The last time the English went to the land down under, they were wiped clean, losing all the five matches.But now things are different with the home lacking the firepower in both the batting and the bowling departments to crush their traditional rivals.

It is true that the home team was regarded as not too strong going into the Ashes but after two test matches, the edge lies with the English.Of course, only a fool would be courageous enough the write-off the Aussies.

In a selection policy that is best practiced in the sub-continent, Cricket Australia has been busy in picking and dropping players.Add to this is the public clamour building up for the comeback of Shane Warne.

As a neutral, I would still love to see the Ashes being taken to England

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

A LOT AT STAKE

It is the time that the Indian team stood up to the challenge of playing real fast bowlers on wickets that have pace and bounce.

South Africa has never been a delightful experience for the Indians with the exception of the T20 World Cup, the 2003 World Cup and sterling individual performances.

With the tag of No.1 the Indian cricket team has a lot to prove.The lacklustre showing against the New Zealand at home in the test series should be a cruel pointer.I do not want to sound like a pessimist or a Jaywant Lele, but something tells me that this series could be a make or break for the team and a lot of players.

The news of Zaheer Khan and Shreesanth being doubtful for the first test could not have come at a more inopportune time.The spinners, the less said the better for they could not answer the questions posed by the batsmen from New Zealand.Surely, the likes of Kallis and Co. are much more accomplished and have the entries in the record books to justify this.

In the batting department, everything comes down to the seniors led by the gentleman named Sachin Tendulkar. It would be a photographer’s delight to watch Raina face the fast bowlers.

Historically, India have not done well in the opening test of a series at home as well as on foreign soil.So a wrong foot in the first test could make things extremely complicated in the series.The sad losses in the first two test matches in the last tour of Australia could not prevent India from saving the series even with that famous win in Perth.

The captaincy of Dhoni and his famed ‘midas touch’-largely a myth will be put under tremendous pressure.