blackcapwash

Another unbelievable match comes to an end. Not only was it an entertaining and bloody exciting game, the contextmade the Kiwi chase one of the best. Coming from 40/4 to chase down 347 is really special.
Sure, there will be those who say this Aussie unit did not have Ponting, Gilly, Lee and Symonds and Mcgrath, but the Kiwis played without Vettori, Bond and Oram as well. Though once you set a target of 347 and have bowlers from your World Cup 15 defending it, there's no way you can use that excuse.
Whats worse- hayden seems to have broken his toe. With Symonds looking dodgy (and on his return, who can be sure of his ability to bowl and throw from the deep), Lee with an ankle injury that doesn't look good at all, and now Hayden's worry, things are looking a little anxious for Australia. The side that always had enough bench strength to cover most eventualities, suddenly isn't so sure of that.
I felt for Huseey though- what an induction as skipper- a whitewash to the neighbours. Ouch.

exhilarating

Sri Lanka pulled off an unexpected comeback yesterday, Pakistan were thrashed again in a see saw series, the Indian World Cup squad will be announced anytime now, less than 24 hours after the team snatched defeat from the backside of victory… but till then England’s astounding CB series win is top of the news for me.

I missed the whole match (one cricket channel=India-SL match), though I followed it on the net. No one will believe that England are suddenly world-beaters in ODIs, nor that Australia have lost their mojo, but to see either of those as a reality- even if temporary- is particularly thrilling.
And oh, Mr Buchanan, cocky comments have a habit of biting you in the behind. Just as well you made them so close to the end of your tenure.

state of shock

As the utter insanity unfolds at The Wanderers, the only thing crazier for me is that I am not watching a shred of it. A highlights package tomorrow, sure- but its unbelievable I am not watching the most impossibly exciting one-day match, possibly ever.

434. Shock.
It sinks in- more shock.
'Poor SA'- sympathy.
SA replies- amazement.
SA actually gets close- sheer disbelief.

update: 14 off the 45th over, and Van der Wath is on to 27 off 12. SA need 47 from the last 30 balls, and in between pinching myself to know this is really happening, I am as breathless as pure silence in front of a tv monitor can be.
update: they need 20 off 15, and someone explain to me why, with 3 overs to go, Lee is not bowlingthe 48th and 50th (when he has three over left!). Instead Lewis, who before the over had 98 taken off his 9 overs, is brought on. What??
Now it is 13 off 12!! The unthinkable is round the corner!

And they've done it. Forgive me if I need to recover. The state of shock I started this post with has been added to with a weird sort of helpless, numb, mad incomprehension at what's just happened.

6 for 23!

A scrambled end of 6 for 23, and India has ended at least 15-20 runs short of what they were heading for. Truth be told, if you don't defend 328 you dont deserve to win at all, but given the way this pitch has played and the way things went the last time india was here, you never know...

And hello- where the hell did Sreesanth get that helmet from?

supersub

Ok. i dont get this. Whats with Arshad Khan as the super sub, when Pakistan decided to win the toss and bowl? Do you see yourself using your supersub in an optimum way now? Baffling.

update: so it seems to have worked out ok (at least in terms of an option), given that Gul got hammered for a mere 35 off his 3 overs. But I still maintain thats providence, and the initial decision still makes little sense to me.

100 for the 7th wicket

From a startling 71/6, Australia have recovered to a (as yet still unimposing) 172/6.
What is head-shakingly amazing yet almost predictable in its uniqueness, is Australia's ability to not let a bad situation slide into abject despair. Bret Lee is on 44 of a mere 54 balls and with Huseey past his 50, they might actually not need to lose a bowler to accommodate Hopes the batsman, which seemed a virtual certainty when Clarke departed. Now I will be suprised if the bowlers don't make a match of it.

I have oft spoken about and discussed over work, lunch or beer what it is that drives the Australians thus. There may be temporary answers, but I rarely feel closer to actually understanding what lies behind their indomitable (and insatiable) spirit.

a gilly special underway. this is delicious. I wouldn't have minded seeing teh Aussies under some pressure, but what better than a Gilly hundred to take them out of the...
there you go- out. 86. aargh.

the tri series

It seems odd, and a trifle guilty, even, to ponder about a (meaningless) tri-series on the eve of the most anticipated test match since…well, since the last one! But I will, if only a little.

India lost a tri-series that was more of a 3 match contest between India and New Zealand. India won one of these three matches, and that was the one in which neither the unsettling Bond nor the excellent Vettori played. In doing so, the team lost yet another final. That makes it a hopeless 12 lost of 16 played since 2000. Worse, there remains just the one (one) final we have won in the same period. 5 years, 16 finals, one victory. Can you blame them when they say South Africa have been dethroned as COWs (Chokers of the World)? Sigh, you can’t.

Yet there is more to feel uneasy about than the loss. There is the unease itself, that slowly permeates you as a follower of your team, filling you with dread, eroding the confidence you had waited years to build. Indeed, the confidence the team had taken years to create. There is the haplessness, at not knowing what exactly is going on, not understanding, and getting the feeling that nobody really knows what’s going on.

There was Pakistan in 2004, and then there has been this endless downward spiral. The odd spark, the odd performance, but it seems to be back to those unpredictable days of Indian cricket when the only thing you could count on was inconsistency. Losing one-day tournaments and series galore, a worrying loss to Australia at home, a tedious victory over the South Africans and a meaningless one against the Bangladeshis- then, a disheartening draw with our neighbours.

It just seems too reminiscent of years that seem now distant- when you asked “what is going on?”. Everybody has answers, and nobody has answers. Everybody has ideas, nobody knows if they are worthwhile, because nobody can really pinpoint what’s wrong. [or can we? After all, that’s what we do sitting in our proverbial armchairs). Heck I, for one, just can’t say what wrong? Everything looks so listless, so devoid of purpose and energy. At any point in the batting innings, someone could get out. Nothing we do inspires confidence because nothing we do seems to last.

But I rant. Other observations, less of the rambling variety.
- Ganguly. I can’t help but think that his time is up. What he and Wright did (and they did) is over. Let Dravid have a go with Chappell (who must surely wonder what exactly he’s got himself into)
- Harbhajan has looked woefully out of form for a while now, possibly a year or more. Frankly, he has outlived the halo of his famous series against Australia a long time ago. I don’t know if it excessive awareness of his much scrutinised action or plain lack of form, but he has looked quite harmless for some time now. The problem is, the replacements are an ageing Kumble and an unimpressive Karthik.
- selection. What’s with Balaji missing out? And no, I won’t start with Agarkar the-potential-man again.

Of course, now come the even more meaningless Tests. Nothing much to gain. Like I said before, anything short of crushing victories in both games, and everyone will be at them again. Ganguly is either a worried man, or one who doesn't care. Either way, it's unsettling.

Final- Ind v NZ

What a cracker of a first over from Shane Bond. I don't think too many people on the field (or off it for that matter) had any idea what was happening with a couple of those balls. Vicious swing, and movement off the pitch. Sehwag was cut in half and had little idea what was going on. Shahstri then sais Ganguly was looking determined and he liked his body language against Bond. Well, his body can say what it wants. He needs some runs. And India need desperately to win this one.

I won't be able to liveblog too much for this one, though. Work beckons.

Ind v Zim

Ok. so we finish with 226. Just explain to me why Agarkar came up before Pathan and JPY for the last 2 balls. I mean, I know he is the most promisign allrounder and all that, but....sheesh
226/5. End of innings.

So Dhoni has let loose a fair bit, reaching to 55 off 41 with one lost ball. If only he could have Ok.
gone nuts a little earlier, my stake in the office kitty would have a better chance. ah, well. Just thram them, that's all I ask. Next post much later. leave office. cook. guests for dinner.
217/4.49 overs.

"Its obvious Dhoni has been given a mandate" says Harsha, "to go out there and hit". And follows it up with the obvious- "which begs the question, what was the mandate given to the first four batsmen?" "they're expecrienced, Harsha" replies Sunny. Right, but its just a question of when they plan to show that. Yuvraj, for example has scored 20 off 49.
163/4. 43rd over.

Its been a lethargic afternnon in Harare. The Indian National team- playing what has varyingly unofficially been described as second string, third string, B-team, and youth team of Zimbabwe- has struggled to gather any momentum whatsoever. Dravid's stumps were cleaned up by a fastish delivery from Prosper Utseya (don;t you just love that name- Prosper? Though why Ravi Shastri keeps calling him Prosper 'professor' Utseya, I haven;t the foggiest). Then Kaif, who took a presposterous number of balls-122- to make a half decent score-65- threw it away with a soft dismissal to an albeit excellent catch. Yuvraj has looked suitably lacklustre and undependable, while Dhoni has only just opened up with two rollicking shots to the long on area. Its into the final 10 overs, and the score is disheartening.
152/4. 41overs (41!).

So I can't be doing the regular update thing for this match. But what can I say when the SCG fellow is out to a medium paced short ball from someone called Andrew Ireland? A long vociferous supporter of dada, I find myself helpless against the belief that his time is nigh. But more on that later.

India lost the toss. Super sub out of the window. heck, should that even matter against this Zimbabwe side? You;d think not, right? Except the team is at 68/2 after a staggering 19 overs. Power pLays wasted. Sehwag's ill, so that's a good think- Rao gets a chance at the top. Only he gets another duck. Great ball, though (following up the corker he received from Bond the other day).
Actually, the way Kaif has been playong (and given Dravid's tendency to accumulation), the power plays ending might be a good thing- more singles, more runs. I've got a couple of notes riding on the Indian total- I said 252-, so guys, er...wake up.

72/2. 20 overs.

Ind v NZ

oh, for a little more committment from the top order. aaargh.
157/8. 35overs.

no comments. only a quiet drink and solace unfound.
67/8. 17 overs.

So I am consigned to trying to follow the second half on the Net. Pay through your nose for cricket, but one channel cannot show two matches, and The Ashes it. Can't say I fault that, can't say I am satisifed either :)
At 17/3 over my worst fears are coming true- Bond is killing us. Two of the three bowled, I see. 215 suddenly looks different, dunnit?
19/3. 5th over

Mid inning break
NZ 215 all out.
Two crucial, brave and attacking innings saw NZ reach 215. Not a great score, but (heck you know what's coming ...) competitive. Mcullum and McMillan both played positive innings in the midst of absolute batting chaos for the Kiwis. This pitch does not look like it justifies anything of this sort, but there you are. NZ batted right up to no.11-with Adams. That depth and the positive outlook of these two made sure this was not a 150-160 total.
Our very own Monu (nehra) had the best figures, and he has been consisiten for some time now. Agarkar and Bhajji were very expensive, with the former going for nearly 7 an over. And now I hear Sunny saying Agarkar does not get the field he deserves, so he is going for runs. Sigh...

The super sub strategy for both teams has worked out just fine. Nehra shall relax now and Rao will come in, and Bond will be waiting to have a crack at India, especially the captain. Irrespective, India really should not end up on the losing side here. It will be a lot of good work wasted, and self doubt revisited. Hopefully, neither of those shall fructify.
lunch

The 8 overs since I posted l;ast have seen 46 runs. The partnership between McMillan and Oram has crossed 50 sometime ago- it is now a healthy 73(88). My good friend Ajit and new acquanitance JPYadava have failed to capitalise on the wonderful start that Pahan and Nehra provided. To be fair JP Yadav was only going for under 4 an over. Harbhajan is back on now, and has been going at about 7 an over.
A run out! What a stroke of luck! The dangerous Oram is dismissed in a terrible mixup, bringing the potentially even more dangerous Cairns to the crease. And now McMillan's gone for a run-a-ball 54 that rejuvenated this innings. Agarkar induces a false stroke and its a simple catch for Pathan at mid-off. It is 7 down, and India are back in control. They must make sure that the screws are tightened.
Over in the northern hemisphere, Pietersen just stroked a spanking boundary.
Lord, what a bounty of cricket you have given us...!
134/7. 30 overs

A little time away from the tv screen, and NZ has tumbled to 5 down. I just heard Harsha say that Ajit's catch was a very good one, then the discussion on Agarkar's promise and his frustration started. I am not one to do this, but I will say this here- the only way his (very regressive) selection will stand redeemed for me is if he takes the series by storm. Nothing less.
JP Yadav and his flowing locks are into the scene now, and McMillan has sped to a run-a-ball 16 with that last smashed four off Agarkar.
18 overs 59/5

You think the last minute hurried rushing about toreach Bulawayo has done some good? because Nehra and Pathan have ensured that the Kiwis are 13/2 in the 6th over, and besides that being a good start, the bowling is looking good. New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat, but the super sub strategy seems to have been fine for both teams. NZ will bring in Bond after their batting, and India can get Rao in to strengthen the chase. And there! Nehra has just struck again. Plumb in front, and they are reduced to 13/3. Now just hope we don't let this go. I shall try and write in as often as I can (though I don't know which match I will be getting to watch- this or the Ashes). I must admit I am suitable excited about the India NZ match, more than I thought I would be.
Meanwhile, where is the Indian cricket blogging community? Can we get some live commenting happening somewhere sometime?

7overs- 15/3

India in Zim

So the Indian team is off to Zimbabwe, and will reach a grand total of 1.5 days before their first match, against the Kiwis. Don’t expect anything spectacular, for there has been little time for things to change since Sri Lanka, and even less effort.

For Ganguly, this really is a no-win tour. Apparently he has been having as long as three hour net sessions in Kolkata to prepare for the tour. The thing is, what can he prove? Sure, if we win the tri-series there will be much assuaging of feelings, but that’s a big if. New Zealanad have been in Zimbabwe for a while, are always a challenging ODI side (to say the least), and India are continuing a seriously long and seriously lacklustre phase of form. Beating Zimbabwe is really not going to count for much (confidence-wise, form-wise or perception-wise).

In the Tests, its even worse. Nothing but the most comprehensive of wins in both Test matches can be viewed as acceptable. Who would possibly accept this Zimbabwe side taking a test to the 4th, or worse, 5th day? Win the series, and it’s no big deal- it is only 'this Zimbabwe side'. Win it by anything but huge margins, and you still 'don’t have the edge'. On a personal not, Ganguly could pile up whatever he wants in terms of runs in these two tests- it cannot make an iota of difference to the questions being asked about him holding a position in the Test squad. And God forbid he doesn’t rack em’ up- do we really see him continuing then? We are all going to still end up watching a fair bit of it, but I know which channel I will tune into when Flintoff steams in to Gilchrist and Taibu readies to face Pathan.

Sunday

What was a scintillating Saturday should make for an overwhelming weekend as England are poised for a famou win. Spearheaded by the talented, spirited, passionate and thoroughly enjoyable Andrew Flintoff, England are on the brink of an Ashes victory that actually matters, squaring up a series that is justifying all the hype that preceded it. This the second match truly was a crucial one- a win for Australia would pretty much ensure which way the Ashes were blowing- the same theu have been for 17 years. In the face of that, England have come up with a spirited performance in a seesawing match- in the process entertaining us no end. While this is hardly conventional Test cricket, no one can argue that this is afr too entertaining to condemn. One day hangover or carelessness, who cares?

Meanwhile theother cricket for the Sunday has turned out to be a semi final with the West Indies oulling off a surprise win over Sri Lanka yesterday. And, this was a Lankan side that included Murali, Zoysa and Jayasuriya. Today, though, they will be without the consistent though irritating Chanderpaul, leaving them a terribly inexperienced side (um, they have been one all tour, actually). Kumble and Yuvraj come in from the previous match, but I have still seen pretty much nothing of the series, and it promises to stay that way.

The Ashes, on the other hand, are coming out of my ears- and I would not have it any other way. Who cares who to support, when there is such fantastic cricket to see, and cricket with such an edge.

Dambulla

been off the radar for a while, and am afraid it might contnue to be a little like that. India have just won the toss and opted to bat in the 4th ODI, and I have seen nothing of the series till now. Not a look at Raina and Rao, nor at this West Indies team, which seem to have plummeted after a surprisingly refreshing start in the test series. Jayasuriya is lucky, after his brave but risky effort in the first ODI. I just heard Murali and Jayasuriya are not playing, so thats good for India, I suppose.

Meanwhile, Ganguly is back in today's match and is probably the most curious facet to the match. He also seems alternatively peeved and furious with the selection for the Afro Asian ODIs, where he has been ignored. I don't think he needs to be taken just because he has scored nearly 10,000 runs, and instinctively I would think he may not make an Asian XI. Yet, to see people like Shoaib- who is exciting but could not have possibly been picked on 'form'- is an indicator that the selection has gone more for exciting or popular players rather than only those who have performed.

Yuvraj is not playing. hmmm. Well here they go. Ashwin has had some good liveblogging going for these matches...

Final ODI

So there you go- the toss is done, and the Aussies have put England in on what seems a pretty good track to bat on. Botham and Lehmann were talking of 260-70, even 290 as being par for the course.
Again, the team winning the toss is the only one can that can hope to exploit the advantage that the Super Sub rule offers. Till a couple of weeks ago, Australia would surely have batted first on this track, but with Hayden in and Katich as an extra batsman, they would back themselves to chase even a biggish total.
England, on the other hand, will not only miss out on exploiting the new rule, but in this case hope they don't have to use it- Solanki can only come in here if England find themselves ina tight spot. Skewed rule, this.

and ol' Shep goes " Right gentlemen, play!". It is underway.

Sub-super thoughts

Ok, so I thought the Super Sub rules meant something else. Up until the first one-day, I thought I was clear on the experiment, and believed it meant that a team announces a squad of twelve and then announces its playing eleven once the toss is done.
Of course, this is not the case. A team announces a playing XI, and a Super Sub. The captain then proceeds to the toss and hopes his selection works.

Somehow, I have believed that my misunderstanding of the rule is probably a better way of implementing this innovation. The team announces a squad of twelve and then pulls one guy out after they know if they are batting or bowling. It more or less ensures that a team will use the super sub, thus encouraging whatever spectator interest and ‘increased quality’ that was envisaged to begin with. It effectively means that the team will pick (usually) an additional specialist, depending on their strengths and weaknesses, and so have a stronger overall side.

Sure, it means there is less of a gamble. For those of us who believed that this rule eliminated the charm of the risk that team selection was (with XI players only), I suppose this gamble that a team is required to take works. My instinctive reaction, however, is that the purpose of the Subs, one would think, is to not only increase strategy and excitement, but increase the quality of cricket being played. Allowing the XI to be named after the toss increases the chances of this enhanced quality.

I have to admit I am a little torn here.
My problem with the current implementation is that it is too much of a gamble, and one that is not really necessary. If we are corrupting the old way of committing to eleven players, then we should corrupt it enough. This will probably encourage the bits and pieces players who can come in either way (or, of course, genuine all-rounders who are rare in the game already; if the allrounder is truly world class he will probably be in the eleven anyway) The good thing is that there is at least some lottery element retained, though the success of (of a specialist as substitute) is more dependent on chance than strategic selection.

My only problem with the other way is that there is no gambling at all. It will, however, let us see more specialists at work, and the good thing is that we are likely to see a team with a better chance of defending a total, or chasing it. In all, it will allow for a more rounded team performance- exploiting conditions, and resources, to the fullest.

Weekend, & one-dayers

What a weekend.
Schumacher manages a podium though Alonso still wins and Raikonnen comes in second after starting the 13th position on the grid. But I could hardly be concerned with F1, the number of other things that were happening. The Championships in its final three days, with classic matches in the women’s half as Venus won. Federer is walking on another plane these days. Beating top seeds in the semis and finals, that too in straight sets. The man seems absolutely unmatchable. To crown the tournament (for Indians), Mahesh Bhupathi and Mary Pierce won the mixed doubles late last night. If that was not enough, Saturday was consumed by the Live8 concert, a marvel of conceptualisation and execution.

That it coincided with one of the most amazing matches in recent cricket history, is quite another story, which has been well documented in many places. Suffice it to say that these are the times when doubts are spectacularly dispelled for the disbelievers in cricket’s ability to excite, unnerve and overwhelm in equal measure; and for those who are unsure about following cricket not involving their own nation. This was a game for anyone, anywhere who knows what cricket is. Simply brilliant.

There is some irony in all of this though. In the weeks immediately preceding the introduction of ICC’s new experiments in ODI cricket, the cricket world has gotten to see some exceptional cricket matches like this and this, even more so this and this. And this, of course, crowned a happily unpredictable tournament. But, in all their wisdom, the people in the know have brought in new rules. While I have been sitting with my backside comfortably parked across the ample surface area of this hotly debated fence, I doubt if anyone can debate that these new rules will, at the very least, be interesting. With every surge of resistance that I feel regarding the spirit of the game being violated, I cannot help but think about how the cricket world must have reacted to the advent of the shorter game, the use of a white(!) cricket ball, coloured clothing… I think it might be worth remembering that our first reaction is mostly always to resist change.
Let’s give this a chance- if we let ourselves, we might just enjoy this.

aaargh

It is a tie. i CANNOT believe this.
The finals have ended in a tie. This is insane. I cannot believe I am not watching this.
(Shame, shame.)

I do not know if the Final of any tournament has been tied. INSANE.

the Final

>48 reqd off 42. I cannot believe I am not watching this. damn.

> 24/4. The great hope, KP, has departed. The only hero of the last Ashes, Vaughan, has departed. The openers have gone. All without a whimper. If the summer was due to really start today, England might just be wishing it had not. Sub 200 was not the Australia we know. But this is.

> 183 for 9. England better not lose it from here. Either way, Australia are in some trouble.

> This is unbelievable stuff. Left work at 50 off for 1, came back to 5 down. Proceeded to see the better part of 28 dot balls that included a wicket. 28. That is the most un-Australian thing I have seen in a long time. (besides that match a couple of saturdays ago).

> There you go. England have won the toss and invited Australia to bat first. Overhead conditions, the pitch being covered...everything indicates that Australia could have a tought time if it batting.

If England needed a chance to win this final, they just got it.
(and I think I might be missing chunks of the mtach...ouch)

July 30/ 31. please.

So you have two teams eager to embrace the new rules (bring them on!), get into wat could be an exciting phase sooner rather than later, and you have these people nitpicking on the start date of their tournament.
(irrespective of what any of us think about the 'innovations', surely it is better to dive right in that look for ways to not?)