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!

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!

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?!

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!

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!

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!

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!

England Flattered to Deceive!

If you leave out his indiscretions off the field, Flintoff makes an ideal one-day captain for England. But then, indiscretions are part of mainstream activities now that the players travel most of the time and are away from their families. It is high time England had either Flintoff or Pietersen as one-day captain instead of Michael Vaughan.

Coming to the innings of Pietersen the other day against Australia, that was a superb effort. He is really in the mould of Ricky Ponting. Controlled aggression is the name of the game. The only difference was Pietersen had to slow down a bit, as his side's innings was built around him. He is young and should ultimately take over the mantle, even if Flintoff is made the skipper in the interim.

England appear to be virtually out of contention, with that loss to Australia. I am sure South Africa will do the same to West Indies today unless the hosts come up with an extraordinary effort to stay afloat. Even without Gibbs, who is injured, South Africa should be handful for the West Indies, out to prove themselves after that shock they received at the hands of Bangladesh. But my own hunch is South Africa will not go past the last four. With Australia a sure shot, it is going to be either New Zealand or Sri Lanka in the final.

As for today's match, it is Graeme Smith's turn to stand up and be counted. He has not fired for quite some time now. Today is the ideal platform for him. And for West Indies, it is going to be the pair of Chris Gayle and Chanderpaul who are going to rock today. And, where is Sarwan hiding his immense talent? It is now or never for many in the West Indies team. Oh boy, it is going to be a lip-smacking fair today! I am really looking forward to it.

What a match it was!

It is unbelievable but true! But then, who gave Team India any chance of winning the 1983 World Cup? It is a celebration, yet again, of glorious uncertainties that are an integral part of the game of cricket! I am willing to eat my words but then, I had also said in my earlier post that South Africa is not likely to make it to the final. Some saving grace, that! This Bangladesh team is going places. But, I still do not seriously think South Africa will be out of the last four.

The Bangla win gives me one more reason to believe Dav Whatmore is the best choice as coach for India, if he agrees and especially because Ravi Shastri may not be able carry on for long, given his media commitments. Whatmore has really made his boys believe in themselves. That is what exactly a coach has to do. Nothing more, nothing less. Team India does not lack in talent, what it lacks is self-belief. Let us hope for the best!

It should be a cakewalk for South Africa

Bangladesh plays South Africa today. I am sure South Africa will dish out a clinical performance to sweep Bangladesh aside. No doubt, Bangladesh is a much improved side but not enough to take on the biggies. Team India is not a small fry but the team was a little too over confident on the day, after decimating West Indies in a practice match a couple of days earlier. Beating Bangladesh was taken as a given by Team India, because they were looking far into the tournament: Super Eight and beyond. We required one inspired performance like that of Kapil Dev against Zimbabwe in the 1983 edition. That was not to be. Period.

No prizes for predicting the semi-final line up! It is likely to be Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka, most probably in that order. I fancy Sri Lanka's chances of reaching the final and they can upset the Australians if they do. Who knows, they may just get to meet the defending champions in the semi-final and knock them out! My choice for Player of the Tournament is Sanath Jayasuriya, if Sri Lanka reaches the final and Scott Styris, if New Zealand does. It could be a toss-up between the two, if both Sri Lanka and New Zealand match up in the final! Jacques Kallis has a very good chance but I don't expect South Africa to reach the final of this World Cup. And the Australian winning machine combines so well that it is difficult to single out any one player. It is a tribute to their ultimate team effort.

Great News: Dravid without the Conductor can drive better!

One good decision BCCI has taken in a long time! Ravi Shastri is friendly with all three big names in Indian cricket team: Tendulkar, Ganguly, and Dravid. As Cricket Manager for the Bangladesh tour, Shastri should be able to provide the glue to bind the team. As I wrote earlier, Ganguly and Tendulkar are better off without the burden of captaincy. And with Greg Chappell out of the scene, they also need not be extra cautious to prove themselves to stay in the team! Having induced a strong sense of insecurity among the senior players, Greg Chappell now, in his interview with TOI, wonders why senior cricketers like Tendulkar, Laxman, and Ganguly are not allowing themselves to be guided by their natural instincts! And he blames it on the journalists! What, on this earth, can be more cruel a joke than this!

The news that Dravid is likely to be the Captain again, at least for the Bangladesh tour is just great. Dravid without Greg Chappell is an exciting prospect on any day. One only hopes Greg, with the role of Consultant at National Cricket Academy on offer, does not continue to meddle with India team selection and strategy. His should only be an advisory role and that too for long-term planning so that short and medium term tweaking can iron out all kinks that creep into long-term vision. In short, Dravid can drive better without the famous conductor on board!

Greg Chappell Must Be Allowed To Go!

We didn't have a coach when we won the World Cup in 1983. An unassuming John Wright took us to the Cup finals in 2003. A coach has to be a collaborator, much in the mould of John Wright, and not a conductor! For a coach, let us have someone who will be an older brother, not a Big Brother!

Come, Visit Krish Srikkanth's Blog!

Here is the link to Krish Srikkanth's Cricket blog:

http://www.worldcupwithkrish.blogspot.com/

Dravid Must Continue as Captain!

image courtesy cricinfo.com

I guess the fear psychosis of Greg Chappell that Ganguly might again get a vice like grip on Indian cricket rubbed off on Dravid. Now that Chappell is out of the scene and given the kind of demonstrable cooperation both Tendulkar and Ganguly gave during the recent tournaments including the World Cup, Dravid should feel assured that it will be a happy dressing room again with no apparent insecurity for anyone. Recall the way Ganguly gushed that Dravid was trying a few things on his own and the idea was to not confuse him with more, when Ravi Shastri asked Ganguly during the recent South Africa tour whether he gave any inputs to Dravid on the field. Unobtrusive he wanted to be, and same is the case with Tendulkar. I am sure they are enjoying their current stint with the Indian team without the burden of captaincy and from all indications, it is clear they would like it to be that way!

So, with any one as the coach, Dravid should agree to continue as Captain. In case Gavaskar and Amarnath are not available for any reason, Dav Whatmore will be the best choice as coach.

Genial Mr Wright Got It All Wrong!

John Wright is genial, soft spoken, a benign older brother. As India's cricket coach, he was focused on his brief. He was committed to the goal of India achieving cricketing glory and he delivered on his commitment by taking India to the final of the last World Cup. John, as Ganguly would often fondly refer to him when talking to media persons, appeared to love every bit of the aggressive tactics of Ganguly on the field. He allowed Ganguly to take most of the credit for whatever the team achieved, though in his part of the world, football and rugby are the most popular sports and you know what a coach in these sports are like.(Witness the unceremonious ouster of the superstar David Beckham!) It was a great honeymoon and together, they took Indian cricket to dizzying heights. But, John was very upset about the uncertainty over his own continuance as India's coach and he faced embarrassing moments when the question was discussed in the international media during the last World Cup. It looked like Ganguly held the key to his future as India's coach and that seemed to hurt him. The honeymoon soured. John proposed, though feebly, that Dravid would make a better captain. And his batting prowess was on his side. (It is another matter that Tendulkar, the greatest cricketer we have ever produced, didn't make a great captain.) But, Ganguly would stick to his job even after John Wright exited as coach.

John Wright knew Ganguly's mind and how he kept his boys together. He knew who Ganguly's favourites were. So, John gave a briefing to Greg Chappell when he took over as coach. Greg Chappell's agenda was clear. Ganguly had to be thrown out and his buddies kept at a distance. Zaheer and Mongia were ignored for a longtime and Nehra is still languishing in wilderness. Sehwag and Yuvraj, accomplished opening and one-down bats respectively, were pushed down the order where they didn't have many overs to play and one can be sure that it is not Greg's case even, that it would boost their confidence. Harbhajan has been and will always be a suspect, with Greg at the helm.

Ganguly ruffled too many feathers when he was the captain. He had the guts to dish out verbal volleys to the Australians as good as he got, the last time he toured with the team. Even when the media tried to bother him with a question on Harbhajan's bowling action, he retorted anyone can say anything and what had they to say if he found McGrath's action faulty? Ganguly settled at the first opportunity what is otherwise a customary exercise for the senior citizens like McGrath and Warne, and of course, the Australian media -- to bat the touring side out of it all even before they entered the playing ground. Ganguly's boys imbibed it from him and put up a great show with bat, ball, and the verbal volleys. Why are we discussing all this now when we should be bothering ourselves about the apparent cause of our recent string of poor performances including at World Cup? The bottom line is Greg's focus has not been on winning matches but on keeping Ganguly and his cronies out of bounds. He has now added Tendulkar to the list! He is very fond of experimenting but with no success. Zaheers and Mongias come back at him regularly.

Fortunately for Greg, he had everyone in Indian cricket eating out of his hands. Ganguly himself started it all by rooting for Greg (melted by the multiple calls he got from Greg in an hour on the morning of the selection committee meeting that interviewed Chappell) against whatever sane advice Gavaskar gave him or didn't give him. Ganguly's own form didn't do him any good turn. The stage was set and Ganguly quickly dug his own grave.The rest, as the cliche goes, is history. But it will take an accomplished psychoanalyst to fathom Greg's mind. Is he arrogant and over-confident as he generally comes across or is he plain paranoid about Ganguly coming back into the team and challenging his authority? But, as bystanders, you and I can definitely say that Mr Wright got it all wrong and has undone all the good that he did to Indian cricket during his tenure as coach. Amen.