Saturday, April 21, 2007

Some pride for England!

England is a team like Indian cricket team. A bunch of extremely talented individuals not coming together as a fighting unit. Look at the way Pietersen has been playing! Collingwood, Flintoff, Strauss, Anderson, Vaughan himself, there is no dearth of talent. The glue is missing. Maybe, a change of skipper will do a world of good to this team. Thinking of this issue, my mind zeroes in on Pietersen, as the England selectors may not give Flintoff another look-in, having disciplined him only recently. Pietersen is the eminent option but then, in such an event happening, one only hopes the additional responsibility doesn't affect his own performance as a player like it did with some players like Ian Botham and Sachin Tendulkar.
Talking about the match on Saturday, where was Gayle hiding so far! If only he had fired in the earlier matches, the story could have been different for the team. What they lacked so far was a solid start. The Windies played great cricket in the last two matches. Was it because they had nothing to lose? One major problem with West Indian team, as it is with India's, could be that it has far too many former skippers and balancing between the seniors and the juniors must really be a nightmare for the captain!

Monday, April 16, 2007

There could be a method in the madness!

It appeared to be sheer madness on the part of Sri Lankan tour management to have left Vaas and Murali out of the team that played Australia on Monday. But, there could just be a method in the madness! It could have been to rest the two key players or to keep them hungry for the final. Or was it just to keep the Aussies guessing? After all, Tom Moody, being an Australian, knows the game as well as the Australians!
Nathan Bracken is miserly and takes wickets, too. It is a rare combination and Aussies have found a worthy successor to McGrath. Tait appeared wayward and plain unimpressive against Lankans but then, was it a plan to make him look that on Monday so that he is unleashed as a surprise package in the final? You never know! Aussies are good at mind games!! And it is only fair and part of the overall scheme, and why not?
South Africans must be summoning all their skills and luck today against England. Not that England is a tough side to beat but the South Africans must be wary of their own inconsistent display throughout this World Cup. Add to that the pressure of today's match being a virtual quarter-final for them. You will get the bang for the buck, maan, today!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

It is Quarter-Final for South Africa!

If South Africa beat England tomorrow, they go to the semi-final without any doubt. And if they are beaten by England, South Africa, their run rate cannot obviously improve and so, even with being level on points with England (and possibly West Indies also), they will be out of the tournament. England would have a great chance to reach the semis, unless West Indies beat Bangladesh and England by huge margins in their upcoming matches.
It is interesting that it took Ireland to put Bangladesh out of contention for the semis! Given that Bangladesh is capable of beating West Indies, if they had beaten Ireland and improved on their run rate, anything could have been possible. This edition of World Cup has so far been unpredictable and Bangladesh could have well and truly found their glory reaching the last four. Look at what has happened to the World No 1 South Africa until recently. They are now reduced to holding on to their hopes by the skin of their teeth!
Today's match could just be the dress rehearsal of the final! You can bet on the big two to come up with their best! Get back from work early and catch up with some sleep and get ready to glue yourself to your seat!! Those of you in places like the US may want to take a day off and watch the action?!

Friday, April 13, 2007

Robin Singh will be a successful Fielding Coach

The appointment of Robin Singh as the Fielding Coach for the Indian team's tour to Bangladesh was great news. A highly rated fielder in his playing days, Robin Singh can also give more than useful tips to the boys on running between the wickets. He kept the score board ticking whenever he was in the middle. And what about controlled hitting to boost the scoring rate? He can teach a few lessons in this area also. His enthusiasm always rubbed off on other players while fielding and on his partners in running between the wickets. That way, he can be a great motivator for Team India as a member of the coaching team. Venkatesh Prasad is genial and modest. He was a devastating bowler on his day. His contribution to Indian cricket during the playing days was immense. He should be able to command the respect of Team India, easily. All three, including Ravi Shastri, are amiable and they should make a great coaching team!

Thursday, April 12, 2007

It was a clinical job!

Sri Lanka showed why they are expected to give Australia a run for their money! A perfect job it was. In my book, Sri Lanka is going to be the Champions in this edition and Sanath Jayasuriya, the man of the series. I am willing to stick my neck out on that! Tom Moody has done wonders for this Sri Lankan side and our loss is Sri Lanka's gain. Tom Moody was not a great player in the class of Ian Chappell, Greg Chappell, Steve Waugh, or Ricky Ponting but he was a very useful contributor to his side in the ODI fixtures. He knew very clearly what his team expected of him and I am sure he didn't need his skipper or the coach to tell him that. I think such players make great coaches. They are unassuming but know their job perfectly well. Like they could visualize their own role in the team, they can help the members of the team they are handling, to define their roles within the overall fabric of the team. That is what a coach has to do and not dictate roles. It is more like guiding your child to choose a career path in as unobtrusive a manner as possible instead of forcing your will against the aptitude and the individual capabilities of the child. It is all about letting the individual flower within the broad scheme of things for the team as a whole. If you weigh against this yardstick the profiles of former Indian players, Mohinder Amarnath stands out as the suitable boy!

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

It Was a Damp Squib!

It was a damp squib, wasn't it? Bangladesh gave in almost tamely. If they had put on 230-plus on the board, it would have been a real match. England had their hiccups but never appeared to be in danger of losing even from 110 for six. I don't given England any realistic chances of winning the two matches coming up on the 17th against South Africa and on the 21st against West Indies. South Africa will look to shut England out of the semi-finals and seal their own place, while West Indies will, almost, be playing for pride. One positive that England can take from this World Cup is they have found their next skipper: Kevin Pietersen. He has a mature head on his shoulders. I feel Flintoff, in the mould of Ian Botham, will be better off without the captaincy. A pure batter or a pure bowler is probably a better captain than all rounders. Garry Sobers was an exception but then he has been the most accomplished of all cricketers, leaving aside Don Bradman, who you can't compare with ordinary mortals!
As for today's match, New Zealand would want to carry on with their winning streak and stay at the top of the table but for Sri Lanka, it is opportunity to pump themselves up to seal their semi-final berth that will be theirs, with the match against Ireland coming up on the 18th, even if they lose to Australia on the 16th. Stakes are high for Sri Lanka and I expect Upul Tharanga and Chamara Silva to fire today. It is their turn today before Jayasuriya and Jayawardene pick up from where they left off, in the next match against Australia!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

South Africa Back on Track!

I am too tired in the morning after watching the match between South Africa and West Indies last night but at the end of it, it is worth it. After de Villiers and Kallis laid a solid foundation, Gibbs and Boucher took the game away from West Indies even before they started batting. Chanderpaul again failed and Gayle, after a good start, failed to capitalize. I am very happy, at least Sarwan has regained his form but it is too late to help the cause of West Indies who are all but out of this World Cup semi-finals. With experienced bowlers in the line-up of South Africa, the writing was on the wall for the West Indies after Smith's boys rattled up 350-plus score. Some consolation it was for Lara and company that they did not fold up for less than 100 or 200!
Looking at today's match between England and Bangladesh will be interesting to watch. While the law of averages might at last catch up with Pietersen, it is Flintoff and Strauss who are overdue to shine with the bat. And Collingwood must also come good today, if England fancies its chances to beat the buoyant Bangladeshis. England and Bangladesh virtually have no chances of storming into the semi final line-up, though theoretically, anything is possible even now. This should make the tie today a even contest. Bangladesh has nothing to lose and England has a reputation to defend. After all, they beat Australia in the recent triangular tournament in Australia in the best-of-three finals, with one match to spare! I must catch up with sleep now so that I can keep myself awake in the night today to watch the match!