Was anybody surprised with the result of this game? We were so sure this result was in the offing that we did not see a single delivery of this game. We don't have anything to say about this game. Can we get the other useless games done and over with and move on to the business end of the tournament? Please?
Wait, NZ plays Australia this Friday. If NZ beats Australia, we will most probably die of shock. Other than that, all the other games are crap. Wait, how could we forget? the very important game between West Indies and England is coming up. That will be an entertaining game. If we were a betting man, we would put some money on Michael Vaughan scoring some runs in this game. How many runs, you ask? Let's not talk about unimportant things like that instead let's talk about:
"...shoes, and ships, and sealing wax-
Of cabbages and Kings,
And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether pigs have wings."
As Akira Kurosawa once said (talking about his movies in general and RAN in particular): "If I wanted to deliver a message, I'd write a letter" and then he promptly spoiled this great response by saying: "What I wanted to say in the last scene was that humanity must face life without relying on God or Buddha.."
Why are we talking about Kurosawa in a cricket blog? That is a good question. We are going to watch a movie now. Our favorite movie of all time. Great movies are like that - timeless and good for the soul. Great games are also like that. Unfortunately, there haven't been that many great games in this world cup.
Showing posts with label Sri Lanka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sri Lanka. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Australia Vs Sri Lanka, Super Eights
SL did the unexpected by "resting" Murali, Vaas, and Malinga. This decision tells us that they realistically did not expect to win this match. Then, SL's game plan boiled down to how they planned on losing the match.
It is true that SL could have had a chance of winning the match if Jayasuriya played one of his patented explosive knocks followed by the top order consolidating and ending up with a HUGE total (around 300-325). That did not happen. Mainly due to Nathan Bracken's brilliant bowling. We haven't talked much about Bracken because we were hoping that he would just go away if we ignored him long enough. Now that is not going to happen, we might as well heap praise on Bracken.
Nathan Bracken is the kind of bowler all cricket sides drool over - left arm fast-medium. The last great left arm fast-medium bowler Australia had was Bruce Reid ( A brilliant bowler with injury problems). Left arm fast bowlers are prized because their natural delivery veers away from the right-handers and if the said left arm bowler has the ability to bring the ball in or to straighten the ball after it pitches, so much better.
Bracken can do all of the above and on top of it, he is very accurate and has McGrath like ability in keeping to his line and length. Bracken not being in the Australian test side is a joke. Anyway, Bracken bowled phenomenally well and had SL reeling at 29/3.
Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Silva did the rebuilding work for SL but after they were gone, the Aussies quickly rolled over the other batsmen and SL ended up with 226 runs. Jayawardene looked very good out in the middle. He batted very fluently and seems to be in really good form. Mahela's batting form must please the Lankans a lot. His short-arm pull off Tait for a 6 was the best shot he played all tournament.
SL's total was never going to trouble the Aussies and sure enough, it did not. They cantered to victory in the 43rd over losing just 3 wickets and on top of that they were able to give Symonds some quality time in the middle.
So, What did this game prove? Aussies are the best team in the world and SL don't have to feel depressed because they left out their best bowlers from the team. It is a win-win situation for both teams. But, here's the catch: SL batting line-up was their A-team and they did not cover themselves with glory today. If SL play Australia again and post a similar score, they are going to lose even if they have Vaas, Malinga, and Murali in the line-up.
A lot will depend on SL's batting if they are to win the world cup. That means, a lot will depend on how well Jayasuriya bats. Since we are talking about Sanath, what is the deal with Tharanga? He has been plodding at the other end and puts undue pressure on Jayasuriya. If SL want Jayasuriya to bat freely they need Tharanga to bat a little bit more aggressively at the other end.
The Aussie Juggernaut rolls on.
It is true that SL could have had a chance of winning the match if Jayasuriya played one of his patented explosive knocks followed by the top order consolidating and ending up with a HUGE total (around 300-325). That did not happen. Mainly due to Nathan Bracken's brilliant bowling. We haven't talked much about Bracken because we were hoping that he would just go away if we ignored him long enough. Now that is not going to happen, we might as well heap praise on Bracken.
Nathan Bracken is the kind of bowler all cricket sides drool over - left arm fast-medium. The last great left arm fast-medium bowler Australia had was Bruce Reid ( A brilliant bowler with injury problems). Left arm fast bowlers are prized because their natural delivery veers away from the right-handers and if the said left arm bowler has the ability to bring the ball in or to straighten the ball after it pitches, so much better.
Bracken can do all of the above and on top of it, he is very accurate and has McGrath like ability in keeping to his line and length. Bracken not being in the Australian test side is a joke. Anyway, Bracken bowled phenomenally well and had SL reeling at 29/3.
Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Silva did the rebuilding work for SL but after they were gone, the Aussies quickly rolled over the other batsmen and SL ended up with 226 runs. Jayawardene looked very good out in the middle. He batted very fluently and seems to be in really good form. Mahela's batting form must please the Lankans a lot. His short-arm pull off Tait for a 6 was the best shot he played all tournament.
SL's total was never going to trouble the Aussies and sure enough, it did not. They cantered to victory in the 43rd over losing just 3 wickets and on top of that they were able to give Symonds some quality time in the middle.
So, What did this game prove? Aussies are the best team in the world and SL don't have to feel depressed because they left out their best bowlers from the team. It is a win-win situation for both teams. But, here's the catch: SL batting line-up was their A-team and they did not cover themselves with glory today. If SL play Australia again and post a similar score, they are going to lose even if they have Vaas, Malinga, and Murali in the line-up.
A lot will depend on SL's batting if they are to win the world cup. That means, a lot will depend on how well Jayasuriya bats. Since we are talking about Sanath, what is the deal with Tharanga? He has been plodding at the other end and puts undue pressure on Jayasuriya. If SL want Jayasuriya to bat freely they need Tharanga to bat a little bit more aggressively at the other end.
The Aussie Juggernaut rolls on.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
New Zealand Vs Sri Lanka, Super Eights
The question is: How will SL play when their freak of nature (who has truly come of age) is not available to perform his miracles?
Answer: The other freak of nature (Muralitharan) and the old war horses (Vaas and Jayasuriya) will lift their game as needed.
Great win for SL. They deserve the semi-final spot. Next stop for SL: Australia. Go SL.
Answer: The other freak of nature (Muralitharan) and the old war horses (Vaas and Jayasuriya) will lift their game as needed.
Great win for SL. They deserve the semi-final spot. Next stop for SL: Australia. Go SL.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
England Vs Sri Lanka, Super Eights
In retrospect, this was always going to be a fantastic match. It had all the ingredients: two captains marshaling the resources they have brilliantly, two good bowling line-ups, and two great batsmen in Jayasuriya and KP. If there were any doubts, it was about which England side would show up. The English side we saw in Australia showed up and played hard. In Ravi Bopara, England have found something special - a cool customer who remains unfazed under pressure. Though England lost, they have learnt something about themselves. They were in a pressure cooker situation with SL applying the screws (just shush, we know we mixed up our metaphors. okay?) and they came out of it without disgracing themselves.
However, we have to say that if England had realized that the world cup had started some time back instead of today, they might have acquired the hard edge needed to win close matches by now. That was the major difference between the two teams. SL were like battle hardened troops who were led by an astute and respected captain who knew the side's strengths and weaknesses while the English were like gifted rookies who needed some hard earned experience under their belt before they could consistently beat the better sides.
Sri Lankan batting lives and dies with Jayasuriya. If Jayasuriya clicks, they put up a good score and when he fails, they don't. However, the Sri Lankan bowling is a different matter altogether. Despite what anyone says, the strength of both teams is their bowling. This is especially true of SL, who have in the recent times acquired the knack of defending low/medium totals. Their belief in their bowling prowess is such that they don't count themselves out of any match. Added to that, the massive improvement in their fielding means that they have mental superiority over the batting team while defending totals.
Today was a very good example of how they win their matches while defending totals: get a couple of quick wickets in the beginning, slowly start exerting pressure by not allowing boundaries, have Jayasuriya bowl at one end to get through the overs quickly and economically, cut of easy runs with their electric fielding, bring in a fast bowler (Malinga/Fernando/Maharoof) or Murali (Oh, by the way, KP cannot be considered the best ODI batsman in the world till he wins some games for his side. The tussle between KP and Murali was fantastic with Murali coming out on top today) for shock treatment and to get another wicket or two, rinse, and repeat.
The only reason England even got close to winning the match was due to a superb partnership between Paul Nixon and Ravi Bopara. They scampered their singles and kept the asking rate in control so that they could blitz at the end. They nearly carried it off too. It was a brilliant effort. We don't know anything about Ravi Bopara but based on just this match, he deserves to bat higher up. Maybe even in Flintoff's spot. Will England do it? Based on the whole Ashley Giles episode (that of not dropping him for Panesar), they won't. Too bad for them.
SL now looks set for the semi-final. They already have 6 points and a win over Ireland will see them in the semi-finals via net run rate. England still have a chance, assuming they will beat Bangladesh, they have to win 2 out of 3 more matches against WI, Australia, and South Africa. If they beat Australia this weekend, they will get into the semi-finals. Since the world cup just started for them, maybe the England side which showed up today will show up again against Australia.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
West Indies Vs Sri Lanka, Super Eights
Ah, so that's what a player with a lot of experience brings to the table. Batting sensibly when the conditions are unfavorable and then picking an opportune time to have a go at the bowlers. Sanath Jayasuriya did all this and much more in Sri Lanka's drubbing of West Indies.
Jayasuriya's knock was fantastic. Under helpful conditions, the WI bowlers did a good job of not giving him any room to play his shots. Jayasuriya had to bide his time patiently - that he did admirably and it wasn't till the 17th over that he finally started going after the bowlers. It was a great batting display which we hope the Indian cricket stars caught on TV. They could learn a thing or two.
We've said this before and will probably say it again: SL and NZ are the only teams that are capable of beating Australia. This match further confirms our belief. SL, after a very slow start, went on to make 303 in their 50 overs. For WI to stand a chance, Gayle and Lara had to fire. They didn't and the match was lost.
We never thought that the WI team had any chance of winning the world cup but we are amazed at how they are unravelling. They can't even claim that pressure is playing a part because it seems like no one in the WI really cares about how Lara and his boys fare. It is sad that all is not well with team. They didn't look all that happy out in the field. To be fair, it very well could be because Jayasuriya was kicking their collective arses.
WI and England remind us of the Indian team. They have the same uncertainty about them. In terms of drama, the match between WI and England will be a classic. This match will see-saw several times with each team trying to lose and finally the undeserving side will win. We are marking our calendar for that match: April 21. By that time, both teams will probably not stand of chance of making it to the semi-final. That should add to the drama.
As of today, our picks for the semifinal are: Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. Tomorrow, its the black caps turn to teach Bangladesh a cricket lesson. We will go out on a limb and say NZ will beat Bangladesh. Any takers?
Jayasuriya's knock was fantastic. Under helpful conditions, the WI bowlers did a good job of not giving him any room to play his shots. Jayasuriya had to bide his time patiently - that he did admirably and it wasn't till the 17th over that he finally started going after the bowlers. It was a great batting display which we hope the Indian cricket stars caught on TV. They could learn a thing or two.
We've said this before and will probably say it again: SL and NZ are the only teams that are capable of beating Australia. This match further confirms our belief. SL, after a very slow start, went on to make 303 in their 50 overs. For WI to stand a chance, Gayle and Lara had to fire. They didn't and the match was lost.
We never thought that the WI team had any chance of winning the world cup but we are amazed at how they are unravelling. They can't even claim that pressure is playing a part because it seems like no one in the WI really cares about how Lara and his boys fare. It is sad that all is not well with team. They didn't look all that happy out in the field. To be fair, it very well could be because Jayasuriya was kicking their collective arses.
WI and England remind us of the Indian team. They have the same uncertainty about them. In terms of drama, the match between WI and England will be a classic. This match will see-saw several times with each team trying to lose and finally the undeserving side will win. We are marking our calendar for that match: April 21. By that time, both teams will probably not stand of chance of making it to the semi-final. That should add to the drama.
As of today, our picks for the semifinal are: Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. Tomorrow, its the black caps turn to teach Bangladesh a cricket lesson. We will go out on a limb and say NZ will beat Bangladesh. Any takers?
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
South Africa Vs Sri Lanka, Super Eights
What a match! Unfortunately, we didn't watch a single ball and we weren't even close to a computer to follow the score. From all the reports we have read this was a cracker of a match. Malinga is a freak of nature and would have felt right at home in 19th century when round-arm bowling was all the rage and W.G. Grace was hitting round-arm bowling all over the ground. Malinga would have given the great man a stiff challenge...we think.
Anyway, if you are reading this blog you probably know more about this match then we do. To redress that situation we are watching the match now and might (or might not) have more pithy comments after our viewing.
If you were like us and do not know what you missed, Langeveldt took the first 5 for in this world cup, Malinga took 4 wickets in 4 balls and South Africa won the match by a hair's breadth. Here is the match report and here is the scoreboard.
Having grown up watching batsmen trash bowlers without regard, we love it when bowlers dominate a match. The best match of the world cup so far? we will answer that question after we watch the match.
Update:
It was an engrossing match. The last 5 overs were fantastic. Graeme Smith said that SA were on top for 95 overs of the match. We disagree. SA was on top for about 75 overs of the match.
Anyway, if you are reading this blog you probably know more about this match then we do. To redress that situation we are watching the match now and might (or might not) have more pithy comments after our viewing.
If you were like us and do not know what you missed, Langeveldt took the first 5 for in this world cup, Malinga took 4 wickets in 4 balls and South Africa won the match by a hair's breadth. Here is the match report and here is the scoreboard.
Having grown up watching batsmen trash bowlers without regard, we love it when bowlers dominate a match. The best match of the world cup so far? we will answer that question after we watch the match.
Update:
It was an engrossing match. The last 5 overs were fantastic. Graeme Smith said that SA were on top for 95 overs of the match. We disagree. SA was on top for about 75 overs of the match.
Friday, March 23, 2007
India Vs Sri Lanka, Group B
Match Summary:
India is out of the world cup. They were soundly beaten by Sri Lanka. We were not surprised that India lost. Saddened, yes; surprised, no. Sri Lanka was the better team today and they outplayed India in all departments.
India won the toss and opted to field. The first half of the first innings went India's way with Sri Lanka struggling at 96 for 3 after 25 overs. The rest of the match went Sri Lanka's way. India's much vaunted batting line-up failed yet again and it was doubly disconcerting since India sidestepped the problems of not having 5 specialist bowlers with both Ganguly and Tendulkar doing a tidy job for their 10 overs (45 runs and 2 wickets).
Dravid's captaincy left much to be desired. Instead of bringing on the specialist bowlers as soon as the 5th bowler's quota was completed, Dravid tossed the ball to Tendulkar again. Tendulkar erred in line and gave away valuable runs (2 overs and 17 runs). The runs he gave away might not seem like a big deal after looking at the margin of our defeat but they did make a difference in the amount of pressure the batsmen felt. If India could have kept SL to about 220, batting would have been much easier. To rub salt into the wounds, as soon as Munaf and Zaheer were brought in, they took wickets. Part time bowlers bowl part time for a reason - they are not very consistent.
There was a marked improvement in the fielding - for a while. Indians fielded well for the first 25 overs and then their fitness (or lack of it) affected their fielding. Where the Lankans threw themselves at the ball to create catches, we saw Indian fielders pull up short. The Captain led the way in this and misfielded a shot as he was overcome by cramps and a few deliveries later pulled up short of a skier instead of trying to catch it.
Before the world cup, Dravid had said that fielding was India's weakness but that they would make up for that by scoring 30 to 40 runs more. We now know that this strategy is flawed. Not that we didn't know it before but now we KNOW. Fielding wins matches. Everyone knows that. Indians know that too. But, we always pay lip service to it and never give it the respect it deserves. This lesson - that fielding is important - has been struck home several times in the past. However, we somehow manage to forget it or at least, pretend to forget it.
We have said before and will say it again: why does a "great" batting side which includes Ganguly, Sehwag, Tendulkar, and Dravid need 7 batsmen in the side? We will never understand this. Bowlers win close matches. Strike that. Bowlers and good fielders win close matches. Our fascination and insistence on packing a side with batsmen almost always comes a cropper in important games.
There is strength in numbers. When a good bowling side backed up with good fielding is in the field, they feed of off each other. They gang up on the 2 lonely batsmen out on the field. The pressure is almost always on the batsmen and Indian batsman do not perform well under pressure. That happended today. Except for Sehwag, no one looked good. Do not be deceived by Dravid's score. His last 5 boundaries came when everything was almost lost. It was desperation and it was never going to work.
In marked contrast, Sri Lanka looked awesome. We loved how they turned the singles to 2 runs and 2 runs to 3 runs. They had contempt for Indian fielding and almost always ran an extra run during the throw. Indian fielding is not sharp enough. If India's fielding continues to be at this level, India will never win any important matches against the good teams. Too many super stars and not enough hard working journey men - that is "Team India's" problem. When it was Sri Lanka's turn to bowl, they did not allow easy singles (not that the Indians were trying hard). The bowlers bowled to their field and Dilshan at backward point was electric.
We now believe that Jayawardene is the best captain out there. He knows his bowlers and fielders and is not afraid to back them up. His bowling changes are fantastic and he uses the wisdom of Jayasuriya and Murali really well. Rahul Dravid is not even half the captain Jayawardene is.
How badly did India lose? Here.
Danger, Will Robinson, Danger (Read at your own peril):
As we write this, Sri Lanka is at 78 runs for 2 wickets after 20 overs. India won the toss and opted to field. Powerplays are done and over with. The bowling has been tidy so far. However, the lack of 5th bowler is going to come and bite India in the rear soon.
India made just one change to the team that played against Bermuda: Anil Kumble making way for Harbhajan Singh. India have decided that they are going to play to their strength - batting. Bad idea, in our opinion. Let's see what happens from overs 20 to 40. If Sri Lanka makes around 250, they will be happy.
Update 1:
Ganguly into the attack in the 22nd over. First ball, cut for 4. Oh boy. This could get ugly. Not too bad: 6 runs of the over. SL putting together a decent partnership. Things are a little slow out there and SL will be pretty happy about it. They will be looking to focus on India's 5th bowler/s.
Holy crap!!! Ganguly picks up a wicket!!! Sangakkara tries to hit Ganguly out of the ground and holes out to long-on and miracle of miracles, Munaf Patel holds on to the catch. SL is now 92 for 3 in the 24th over.
Update 2:
If looks could kill, Sangakkara would have killed whoever he was staring at while walking back to the pavilion. Sangakkara's loss brings in the real danger man - Chamara Silva - who has been great form recently. Not only that, he is very fond of the Indian bowling attack. Got to get him out cheaply. Bhajji into his 4th over. Tidy without looking threatening. We take that back. Bhajji's 4th over was fantastic. Lots of turn and lots of bounce. This is scaring us. If Bhajji can do this, what about Murali?
Tharanga gets his 50 with a nice cut shot. Who else, Ganguly the bowler. Bowl fuller, Saurav. You don't have the pace to bounce a batsman. Not so good over from Ganguly. He did his job. He should be removed from the attack. But knowing India, that won't happen anytime soon.
Brilliant! We remove Bhajji from the attack just when he is making things happen and bring in Munaf Patel. Why? maybe Indians think that Munaf can get Silva out. We are guessing that Ganguly will be taken off from the other end and a second part-timer will come in. SL is 111 for 3 in 27 overs. 'Nelson's' says the commentators.
Update 3:
Ganguly is still on. Mis-field by Zaheer: 4 runs. Silva flashes hard and the ball took the edge and ran to the third man. Zaheer does his best and lets it go for a boundary. Dravid and Ganguly not happy. Got to get Silva out. He is dangerous. SL: 116 for 3 in 28 overs.
Munaf still on. SL is picking up singles easily. Silva is one busy batsman, always running. He should emulate Ganguly. It will improve his batting. Silva: listen to us, go for the boundaries that way you don't have to run these pesky singles. Meanwhile, Tharanga is batting on 58.
Ganguly out of the attack and Bhajji comes back in and immediately bowls at wide. Yuvraj will be up next or Sehwag or Tendulkar. One of those three, for sure. SL is 124 for 3 in 30 overs.
India needs a wicket.
Update 4:
Tendulkar into the attack. What is he going to bowl today? Seamers. Hmmm. The game is drifting along nicely for SL. India needs a wicket. Did we say that already?
WICKET!!! Tendulkar gets Tharanga. Tharanga gone for 64. Good solid innings. Nothing spectacular. John Wright says: 'Sachin not only knows how to bowl but knows how to think'. Wow. Thinking? We are very impressed. SL 137 for 4 in 33 overs.
Update 5:
Dilshan the new man in. Got to get Chamara Silva out. Bhajji is bowling a lot of doosras. Maybe we should start calling Bhajji a legspinner from now on and when he occasionally bowls a5 off-spinner, we can call it a googly. Sachin is bowling awfully well. SL is 147 for 4 after 35 overs.
Zaheer back into the attack and bowls a wide. L. Siva says: 'Sehwag still looking for wickets in the 36 over'. Brilliant. Meanwhile, Dilshan hits a nice boundary and then an inside edge to the boundary. Crap. SL is 157 for 4 after 36 overs.
Another inside edge for 4. SL's running between the wickets has been brilliant. 173 for 4 after 39 overs. Things moving along for SL. India needs a wicket desperately. Bhajji back into the attack. Indian bowling has been tidy but slowly the pendulam is swinging SL's way. Big shout for LBW. Hawkeye says out. India very unlucky with LBW appeals today. Boy, SL's running is really good. SL is 179 for 4 after 40 overs. SL well on their way to 250. A very good score.
Update 6:
India's 5th bowler combination of 10 overs cost them 45 runs for 2 wickets. Not bad. Will Dravid continue to use Tendulkar? SL is cruising along nicely. They are running well and are now opening their shoulders. A good over from Bhajji. Dravid continues to use Tendulkar. We don't know what to think of that. Tendulkar has looked pretty good so far but why not use the specialist bowlers? Silva and Dilshan are getting 6 runs an over easily. India needs a wicket.
Silva makes a very good 50. Very good batting. Bhajji bowling his 10th over. Why? Especially since Tendulkar and Ganguly combined to bowl 11 overs. SL's 200 is up. 201 for 4 after 44 overs. Bhajji finishes his 10 overs for 53 runs and no wickets. Not good.
Update 7:
Tendulkar is still bowling. Why??? Get the specialist bowlers in there. A very expensive over from Tendulkar - 2 fours so far. The over cost 11 runs. Need some wickets. India is losing its way here.
Munaf is back into the attack. Wicket!!!!! couple of balls after Dilshan hit a spanking cover drive for a 4. Dilshan takes a big swipe and gets an edge to the wicket-keeper. He walks. Good man. Good batting from Dilshan. SL now 216 for 5 after 46 overs. Good over.
Update 8:
OUT!!!!!! Zaheer gets rid of Silva. Brilliant. What the hell was Tendulkar doing bowling 2 extra overs? Chamara Silva out for 69. A very good innings. Great running between the wickets. SL now 216 for 6. Then, Vaas comes in and edges one to the boundary. What a let down. SL is 222 for 6 after 47 overs.
Bad fielding by Dravid. Lets one go to the boundary and Dravid is down - with cramps? says David Lloyd.
Update 9:
Huge 6! Vaas clobbers one over Munaf's head. Vaas on fire. 16 runs in this over. SL now 238 for 6 after 48 overs. SL must now be aiming for 260. India losing the plot a little bit here. Good over from Zaheer. SL now 244 for 6 in 49 overs. Last over coming up.
Agarkar bowling the last over. First ball strays down the legside and the batsman helps it along to the boundary. Moron. Agarkar's last over cost 10 runs. SL makes 254 for 6 in 50 overs. A good score and enough for SL to defend.
India, as usual, lost the plot in the middle overs. Some very sensible batting from Dilshan and Chamara set up a very nice platform for them. Vaas came in at the end and finished things off in style. SL ran extremely well. A very solid performance from SL. Now their bowling has enough runs on the board to defend. Are they up to the task? We will find out soon.
Update 10:
Ganguly and Uthappa are the Indian openers. Will Ganguly run singles? That is a mystery no one know except Ganguly knows the answer to that question. Vaas to Uthappa and we are off. It's a maiden over.
Uthappa looks very nervous and finally got off the mark. Ranjit fernando and Athar Ali Khan have to be the most boring commentators we've heard. Vaas has been very good so far bowling his 2 overs for 1 run.
Great shot by Uthappa. Four. Timed very well through cover. Much needed boundary. India is 10 for no loss after 4 overs. Slow start. Ganguly just tried his best to get out.
Update 11:
Uthappa very lucky to be still there. Tried to hit Vaas over midwicket and was lucky that the ball fell short of Murali. Vaas is bowling brilliantly. Great Shot. Four. Uthappa hits a cracking cover drive. Boy, this guy can hit the cricket ball. Another great shot. Straight drive for 4. India are at 18 for no wicket after 5 overs.
Uthappa is looking streaky. Tried to hit over the top and luckily for him, it was out f rech for Murali. These commentators are sucking the life out of us. Ranjit Fernando is talking like he wants to get on the field and play for SL. GONE! Robin Uthappa is out c&b Vaas. Brilliant catch. Great reflex catch. Sehwag coming onto the field. India in familiar territory after losing their first wicket. India 25 for 1 after 7 overs. Robin out for 18. Looked streaky right from the start and got a mouthful from Vaas as he left the field. He deserves that. Bugger.
Update 12:
Sri Lankan fielding has been top notch. SHOT! Sehwag drives on the up for a nice boundary. Another nice shot! hit over the bowlers head for another great four. Huge shot for LBW. Vaas finally brings the balls into Sehwag and right away Sehwag was in trouble. India 36 for 1 after 9 overs.
Fernando into the attack and bowls a wide. He is in to bring the ball into Sehwag. This will be interesting. Streaky edge for 4 for Sehwag. Thick outside edge. Settle down bud. There, deep breaths, deep breaths. Much better. Sehwag ducked nicely under a fast bouncer. India 42 for 1 after 10 overs.
Update 13:
OUT! Ganguly is gone. Tried to hit Vaas over the top and this time Murali takes a brilliant catch. India in trouble. 43 for 2 after 11 overs. India have to not lose any wickets and keep the scoreboard ticking. Can they avoid getting bogged down like they did against Bangladesh? Sachin Tendulkar walks in.
Update 14:
GONE! Sachin out for a duck. India in deep trouble. Sachin gets an inside edge and the ball crashes into his stumps. Deep deep trouble. India 44 for 3. Rahul Dravid walks in. We will state the very obvious because the commentators are not: India needs a BIG partnership.
Update 15:
Nice shot by Sehwag. Four. Sangakkara is chatting to Sehwag. Lot of chatter. 'Let him go for the big shot' says Sangakkara. Sehwag obliges. Sweetly cover driven.
Nasty shot. Sehwag is going back to his cross-batted shots. Lucky that the ball did not crash into the stumps from the inside edge. Fernando is bowling fast - around 92 mph. Nice on-drive from Dravid. 4. Can't bowl on the legs to Dravid. Even if you are bowling at 90 mph. India 56 for 3 after 14 overs.
Update 16:
SIX! Nice shot. Sehwag hits Vaas out of the ground. Brilliant shot. 9 runs of the over. India 65 for 3 after 15 overs.
ooh, Murali into the attack. It was quiet for a while and in Murali's 5th ball, Sehwag reads the doosra and cuts it handsomely for a 4. India 75 for 3 after 1 overs. WOW!! Sehwag edged a really fast ball and Sangakkara makes a brilliant effort. Would have been an easy catch for a slip. Lucky. Sehwag, buddy, deep breaths deep breaths. Calm down. Fernando pitches one on the legs for Dravid and Dravid says thank you. Nice 4. Fernando is bowling really well. India 80 for 3 after 18 overs. Malinga replaces Murali. Nice running between the wickets by Dravid and Sehwag. Power plays are done and over with and India is 89 for 3 after 20 overs.
Update 17:
Murali is bowling around the wicket. Nice bowling. Sehwag lucky not be given out LBW. 1 run from the over. Beautiful bowling. India 90 for 3 after 21 overs. Jayasuriya into the attack now.
Murali strikes! Great bowling! Sehwag OUT for 48. India is well on its way to losing this match. One more wicket and it's all over. India now 99 for 4 after 23 overs. Advantage Sri Lanka.
Update 18:
It is all over, folks! Yuvraj runout. India is 112 for 5 after 28 overs. We are going out for a walk and will be back after this is all over. Well, Dhoni is gone too. Brilliant bowling by Murali. Great match played by Sri Lanka. We are closing shop for now and will be back later to wrap things up. India 112 for 6. Done like a dinner.
India is out of the world cup. They were soundly beaten by Sri Lanka. We were not surprised that India lost. Saddened, yes; surprised, no. Sri Lanka was the better team today and they outplayed India in all departments.
India won the toss and opted to field. The first half of the first innings went India's way with Sri Lanka struggling at 96 for 3 after 25 overs. The rest of the match went Sri Lanka's way. India's much vaunted batting line-up failed yet again and it was doubly disconcerting since India sidestepped the problems of not having 5 specialist bowlers with both Ganguly and Tendulkar doing a tidy job for their 10 overs (45 runs and 2 wickets).
Dravid's captaincy left much to be desired. Instead of bringing on the specialist bowlers as soon as the 5th bowler's quota was completed, Dravid tossed the ball to Tendulkar again. Tendulkar erred in line and gave away valuable runs (2 overs and 17 runs). The runs he gave away might not seem like a big deal after looking at the margin of our defeat but they did make a difference in the amount of pressure the batsmen felt. If India could have kept SL to about 220, batting would have been much easier. To rub salt into the wounds, as soon as Munaf and Zaheer were brought in, they took wickets. Part time bowlers bowl part time for a reason - they are not very consistent.
There was a marked improvement in the fielding - for a while. Indians fielded well for the first 25 overs and then their fitness (or lack of it) affected their fielding. Where the Lankans threw themselves at the ball to create catches, we saw Indian fielders pull up short. The Captain led the way in this and misfielded a shot as he was overcome by cramps and a few deliveries later pulled up short of a skier instead of trying to catch it.
Before the world cup, Dravid had said that fielding was India's weakness but that they would make up for that by scoring 30 to 40 runs more. We now know that this strategy is flawed. Not that we didn't know it before but now we KNOW. Fielding wins matches. Everyone knows that. Indians know that too. But, we always pay lip service to it and never give it the respect it deserves. This lesson - that fielding is important - has been struck home several times in the past. However, we somehow manage to forget it or at least, pretend to forget it.
We have said before and will say it again: why does a "great" batting side which includes Ganguly, Sehwag, Tendulkar, and Dravid need 7 batsmen in the side? We will never understand this. Bowlers win close matches. Strike that. Bowlers and good fielders win close matches. Our fascination and insistence on packing a side with batsmen almost always comes a cropper in important games.
There is strength in numbers. When a good bowling side backed up with good fielding is in the field, they feed of off each other. They gang up on the 2 lonely batsmen out on the field. The pressure is almost always on the batsmen and Indian batsman do not perform well under pressure. That happended today. Except for Sehwag, no one looked good. Do not be deceived by Dravid's score. His last 5 boundaries came when everything was almost lost. It was desperation and it was never going to work.
In marked contrast, Sri Lanka looked awesome. We loved how they turned the singles to 2 runs and 2 runs to 3 runs. They had contempt for Indian fielding and almost always ran an extra run during the throw. Indian fielding is not sharp enough. If India's fielding continues to be at this level, India will never win any important matches against the good teams. Too many super stars and not enough hard working journey men - that is "Team India's" problem. When it was Sri Lanka's turn to bowl, they did not allow easy singles (not that the Indians were trying hard). The bowlers bowled to their field and Dilshan at backward point was electric.
We now believe that Jayawardene is the best captain out there. He knows his bowlers and fielders and is not afraid to back them up. His bowling changes are fantastic and he uses the wisdom of Jayasuriya and Murali really well. Rahul Dravid is not even half the captain Jayawardene is.
How badly did India lose? Here.
Danger, Will Robinson, Danger (Read at your own peril):
As we write this, Sri Lanka is at 78 runs for 2 wickets after 20 overs. India won the toss and opted to field. Powerplays are done and over with. The bowling has been tidy so far. However, the lack of 5th bowler is going to come and bite India in the rear soon.
India made just one change to the team that played against Bermuda: Anil Kumble making way for Harbhajan Singh. India have decided that they are going to play to their strength - batting. Bad idea, in our opinion. Let's see what happens from overs 20 to 40. If Sri Lanka makes around 250, they will be happy.
Update 1:
Ganguly into the attack in the 22nd over. First ball, cut for 4. Oh boy. This could get ugly. Not too bad: 6 runs of the over. SL putting together a decent partnership. Things are a little slow out there and SL will be pretty happy about it. They will be looking to focus on India's 5th bowler/s.
Holy crap!!! Ganguly picks up a wicket!!! Sangakkara tries to hit Ganguly out of the ground and holes out to long-on and miracle of miracles, Munaf Patel holds on to the catch. SL is now 92 for 3 in the 24th over.
Update 2:
If looks could kill, Sangakkara would have killed whoever he was staring at while walking back to the pavilion. Sangakkara's loss brings in the real danger man - Chamara Silva - who has been great form recently. Not only that, he is very fond of the Indian bowling attack. Got to get him out cheaply. Bhajji into his 4th over. Tidy without looking threatening. We take that back. Bhajji's 4th over was fantastic. Lots of turn and lots of bounce. This is scaring us. If Bhajji can do this, what about Murali?
Tharanga gets his 50 with a nice cut shot. Who else, Ganguly the bowler. Bowl fuller, Saurav. You don't have the pace to bounce a batsman. Not so good over from Ganguly. He did his job. He should be removed from the attack. But knowing India, that won't happen anytime soon.
Brilliant! We remove Bhajji from the attack just when he is making things happen and bring in Munaf Patel. Why? maybe Indians think that Munaf can get Silva out. We are guessing that Ganguly will be taken off from the other end and a second part-timer will come in. SL is 111 for 3 in 27 overs. 'Nelson's' says the commentators.
Update 3:
Ganguly is still on. Mis-field by Zaheer: 4 runs. Silva flashes hard and the ball took the edge and ran to the third man. Zaheer does his best and lets it go for a boundary. Dravid and Ganguly not happy. Got to get Silva out. He is dangerous. SL: 116 for 3 in 28 overs.
Munaf still on. SL is picking up singles easily. Silva is one busy batsman, always running. He should emulate Ganguly. It will improve his batting. Silva: listen to us, go for the boundaries that way you don't have to run these pesky singles. Meanwhile, Tharanga is batting on 58.
Ganguly out of the attack and Bhajji comes back in and immediately bowls at wide. Yuvraj will be up next or Sehwag or Tendulkar. One of those three, for sure. SL is 124 for 3 in 30 overs.
India needs a wicket.
Update 4:
Tendulkar into the attack. What is he going to bowl today? Seamers. Hmmm. The game is drifting along nicely for SL. India needs a wicket. Did we say that already?
WICKET!!! Tendulkar gets Tharanga. Tharanga gone for 64. Good solid innings. Nothing spectacular. John Wright says: 'Sachin not only knows how to bowl but knows how to think'. Wow. Thinking? We are very impressed. SL 137 for 4 in 33 overs.
Update 5:
Dilshan the new man in. Got to get Chamara Silva out. Bhajji is bowling a lot of doosras. Maybe we should start calling Bhajji a legspinner from now on and when he occasionally bowls a5 off-spinner, we can call it a googly. Sachin is bowling awfully well. SL is 147 for 4 after 35 overs.
Zaheer back into the attack and bowls a wide. L. Siva says: 'Sehwag still looking for wickets in the 36 over'. Brilliant. Meanwhile, Dilshan hits a nice boundary and then an inside edge to the boundary. Crap. SL is 157 for 4 after 36 overs.
Another inside edge for 4. SL's running between the wickets has been brilliant. 173 for 4 after 39 overs. Things moving along for SL. India needs a wicket desperately. Bhajji back into the attack. Indian bowling has been tidy but slowly the pendulam is swinging SL's way. Big shout for LBW. Hawkeye says out. India very unlucky with LBW appeals today. Boy, SL's running is really good. SL is 179 for 4 after 40 overs. SL well on their way to 250. A very good score.
Update 6:
India's 5th bowler combination of 10 overs cost them 45 runs for 2 wickets. Not bad. Will Dravid continue to use Tendulkar? SL is cruising along nicely. They are running well and are now opening their shoulders. A good over from Bhajji. Dravid continues to use Tendulkar. We don't know what to think of that. Tendulkar has looked pretty good so far but why not use the specialist bowlers? Silva and Dilshan are getting 6 runs an over easily. India needs a wicket.
Silva makes a very good 50. Very good batting. Bhajji bowling his 10th over. Why? Especially since Tendulkar and Ganguly combined to bowl 11 overs. SL's 200 is up. 201 for 4 after 44 overs. Bhajji finishes his 10 overs for 53 runs and no wickets. Not good.
Update 7:
Tendulkar is still bowling. Why??? Get the specialist bowlers in there. A very expensive over from Tendulkar - 2 fours so far. The over cost 11 runs. Need some wickets. India is losing its way here.
Munaf is back into the attack. Wicket!!!!! couple of balls after Dilshan hit a spanking cover drive for a 4. Dilshan takes a big swipe and gets an edge to the wicket-keeper. He walks. Good man. Good batting from Dilshan. SL now 216 for 5 after 46 overs. Good over.
Update 8:
OUT!!!!!! Zaheer gets rid of Silva. Brilliant. What the hell was Tendulkar doing bowling 2 extra overs? Chamara Silva out for 69. A very good innings. Great running between the wickets. SL now 216 for 6. Then, Vaas comes in and edges one to the boundary. What a let down. SL is 222 for 6 after 47 overs.
Bad fielding by Dravid. Lets one go to the boundary and Dravid is down - with cramps? says David Lloyd.
Update 9:
Huge 6! Vaas clobbers one over Munaf's head. Vaas on fire. 16 runs in this over. SL now 238 for 6 after 48 overs. SL must now be aiming for 260. India losing the plot a little bit here. Good over from Zaheer. SL now 244 for 6 in 49 overs. Last over coming up.
Agarkar bowling the last over. First ball strays down the legside and the batsman helps it along to the boundary. Moron. Agarkar's last over cost 10 runs. SL makes 254 for 6 in 50 overs. A good score and enough for SL to defend.
India, as usual, lost the plot in the middle overs. Some very sensible batting from Dilshan and Chamara set up a very nice platform for them. Vaas came in at the end and finished things off in style. SL ran extremely well. A very solid performance from SL. Now their bowling has enough runs on the board to defend. Are they up to the task? We will find out soon.
Update 10:
Ganguly and Uthappa are the Indian openers. Will Ganguly run singles? That is a mystery no one know except Ganguly knows the answer to that question. Vaas to Uthappa and we are off. It's a maiden over.
Uthappa looks very nervous and finally got off the mark. Ranjit fernando and Athar Ali Khan have to be the most boring commentators we've heard. Vaas has been very good so far bowling his 2 overs for 1 run.
Great shot by Uthappa. Four. Timed very well through cover. Much needed boundary. India is 10 for no loss after 4 overs. Slow start. Ganguly just tried his best to get out.
Update 11:
Uthappa very lucky to be still there. Tried to hit Vaas over midwicket and was lucky that the ball fell short of Murali. Vaas is bowling brilliantly. Great Shot. Four. Uthappa hits a cracking cover drive. Boy, this guy can hit the cricket ball. Another great shot. Straight drive for 4. India are at 18 for no wicket after 5 overs.
Uthappa is looking streaky. Tried to hit over the top and luckily for him, it was out f rech for Murali. These commentators are sucking the life out of us. Ranjit Fernando is talking like he wants to get on the field and play for SL. GONE! Robin Uthappa is out c&b Vaas. Brilliant catch. Great reflex catch. Sehwag coming onto the field. India in familiar territory after losing their first wicket. India 25 for 1 after 7 overs. Robin out for 18. Looked streaky right from the start and got a mouthful from Vaas as he left the field. He deserves that. Bugger.
Update 12:
Sri Lankan fielding has been top notch. SHOT! Sehwag drives on the up for a nice boundary. Another nice shot! hit over the bowlers head for another great four. Huge shot for LBW. Vaas finally brings the balls into Sehwag and right away Sehwag was in trouble. India 36 for 1 after 9 overs.
Fernando into the attack and bowls a wide. He is in to bring the ball into Sehwag. This will be interesting. Streaky edge for 4 for Sehwag. Thick outside edge. Settle down bud. There, deep breaths, deep breaths. Much better. Sehwag ducked nicely under a fast bouncer. India 42 for 1 after 10 overs.
Update 13:
OUT! Ganguly is gone. Tried to hit Vaas over the top and this time Murali takes a brilliant catch. India in trouble. 43 for 2 after 11 overs. India have to not lose any wickets and keep the scoreboard ticking. Can they avoid getting bogged down like they did against Bangladesh? Sachin Tendulkar walks in.
Update 14:
GONE! Sachin out for a duck. India in deep trouble. Sachin gets an inside edge and the ball crashes into his stumps. Deep deep trouble. India 44 for 3. Rahul Dravid walks in. We will state the very obvious because the commentators are not: India needs a BIG partnership.
Update 15:
Nice shot by Sehwag. Four. Sangakkara is chatting to Sehwag. Lot of chatter. 'Let him go for the big shot' says Sangakkara. Sehwag obliges. Sweetly cover driven.
Nasty shot. Sehwag is going back to his cross-batted shots. Lucky that the ball did not crash into the stumps from the inside edge. Fernando is bowling fast - around 92 mph. Nice on-drive from Dravid. 4. Can't bowl on the legs to Dravid. Even if you are bowling at 90 mph. India 56 for 3 after 14 overs.
Update 16:
SIX! Nice shot. Sehwag hits Vaas out of the ground. Brilliant shot. 9 runs of the over. India 65 for 3 after 15 overs.
ooh, Murali into the attack. It was quiet for a while and in Murali's 5th ball, Sehwag reads the doosra and cuts it handsomely for a 4. India 75 for 3 after 1 overs. WOW!! Sehwag edged a really fast ball and Sangakkara makes a brilliant effort. Would have been an easy catch for a slip. Lucky. Sehwag, buddy, deep breaths deep breaths. Calm down. Fernando pitches one on the legs for Dravid and Dravid says thank you. Nice 4. Fernando is bowling really well. India 80 for 3 after 18 overs. Malinga replaces Murali. Nice running between the wickets by Dravid and Sehwag. Power plays are done and over with and India is 89 for 3 after 20 overs.
Update 17:
Murali is bowling around the wicket. Nice bowling. Sehwag lucky not be given out LBW. 1 run from the over. Beautiful bowling. India 90 for 3 after 21 overs. Jayasuriya into the attack now.
Murali strikes! Great bowling! Sehwag OUT for 48. India is well on its way to losing this match. One more wicket and it's all over. India now 99 for 4 after 23 overs. Advantage Sri Lanka.
Update 18:
It is all over, folks! Yuvraj runout. India is 112 for 5 after 28 overs. We are going out for a walk and will be back after this is all over. Well, Dhoni is gone too. Brilliant bowling by Murali. Great match played by Sri Lanka. We are closing shop for now and will be back later to wrap things up. India 112 for 6. Done like a dinner.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Bangladesh Vs Sri Lanka, Group B
Sri Lanka comprehensively beat Bangladesh and in doing so put up their hand as one of the tournament's premier teams. They join Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand up at the top. Sri Lanka had the benefit of watching India flounder against Bangladesh and made sure not to meet India's fate.
Sri Lanka safeguarded their wickets, ran their singles hard, converted singles to twos, and generally outplayed Bangladesh in all departments. Bangladesh were not as tidy as they were against India and missed some easy run outs. When it came time for Bangladesh to chase 318 runs, they ran into Malinga, Vaas, and Murali. And that, as they say, was that.
Sri Lanka resoundingly beating Bangladesh makes it an easy equation for India: Beating Sri Lanka will see them through to the next round. That clarity brings with it another set of problems. Beating Sri Lanka will be hard. We don't think India has it in them to beat Sri Lanka at full strength. Sri Lanka looks very balanced and seem to have players for every situation whereas India is totally dependant on their batting for doing the heavy lifting and don't have the fire power to bowl out Sri Lanka.
That line of reasoning leads us to believe that India needs to pick 5 bowlers to stand a chance. Since, Rahul Dravid is not going to weaken his strong suit (batting), the only reasonable choice is to pick an "all rounder". Who gets dropped? Robin Uthappa.
Anyway, a good win for Sri Lanka and a bad day at work for Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka safeguarded their wickets, ran their singles hard, converted singles to twos, and generally outplayed Bangladesh in all departments. Bangladesh were not as tidy as they were against India and missed some easy run outs. When it came time for Bangladesh to chase 318 runs, they ran into Malinga, Vaas, and Murali. And that, as they say, was that.
Sri Lanka resoundingly beating Bangladesh makes it an easy equation for India: Beating Sri Lanka will see them through to the next round. That clarity brings with it another set of problems. Beating Sri Lanka will be hard. We don't think India has it in them to beat Sri Lanka at full strength. Sri Lanka looks very balanced and seem to have players for every situation whereas India is totally dependant on their batting for doing the heavy lifting and don't have the fire power to bowl out Sri Lanka.
That line of reasoning leads us to believe that India needs to pick 5 bowlers to stand a chance. Since, Rahul Dravid is not going to weaken his strong suit (batting), the only reasonable choice is to pick an "all rounder". Who gets dropped? Robin Uthappa.
Anyway, a good win for Sri Lanka and a bad day at work for Bangladesh.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Bermuda Vs Sri Lanka, Group B
First things first, Sri Lanka demolished Bermuda in their group match. We did not think Bermuda could beat Sri Lanka but we were interested in seeing how Bermuda would lose. They lost pretty badly. Sri Lanka piled on 321 runs and then scuttled Bermuda for 78.
We were very interested in this match since India belongs to this group. Some observations:
1. Bermuda allowed Mahela Jayawardene to bat himself into some form. Now, when India plays Sri Lanka, we have to worry about the top 5 Lankan batsman. All of them are in good form and that sucks.
2. Dwyane Leverock got manhandled today. He dropped 2 catches, made 1 run, and generally got hammered all around the ground for 67 runs. We feel bad for him. Hope he shrugs it off and bowls well in the next match (Yes, we know Bermuda plays India in their next match)
3. Muralitharan got hammered around the ground too. Relatively speaking. Does that mean that the ground (Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad) is not helping the spinners? Or that Murali just bowled badly? Are we clutching at straws here? Yes, we are.
4. We are convinced that even if India has a bad day, they can beat Bermuda. Bangladesh should have no problem beating Bermuda.
We were very interested in this match since India belongs to this group. Some observations:
1. Bermuda allowed Mahela Jayawardene to bat himself into some form. Now, when India plays Sri Lanka, we have to worry about the top 5 Lankan batsman. All of them are in good form and that sucks.
2. Dwyane Leverock got manhandled today. He dropped 2 catches, made 1 run, and generally got hammered all around the ground for 67 runs. We feel bad for him. Hope he shrugs it off and bowls well in the next match (Yes, we know Bermuda plays India in their next match)
3. Muralitharan got hammered around the ground too. Relatively speaking. Does that mean that the ground (Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad) is not helping the spinners? Or that Murali just bowled badly? Are we clutching at straws here? Yes, we are.
4. We are convinced that even if India has a bad day, they can beat Bermuda. Bangladesh should have no problem beating Bermuda.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Other Warm-Up Matches
Australia spanked England
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka
Pakistan beat South Africa
Some Observations:
We don't think that Australia solved its bowling problems. Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson went for a lot of runs. Hogg did manage to bowl well but we don't think he is going to be this consistent in all the games. Stuart Clark bowled himself into the playing eleven and McGrath was steady. The best bowler in the side seems to be Shaun Tait. It will be interesting to see what the Australians will do with Shane Watson.
Panesar bowled exceedingly well but we don't think he is going to see much action in the world cup. Jamie Dalrymple, though a mediocre spinner, will be in the playing eleven because of his batting. England needs some help in the lower order. They have the same problem as Australia - being too top-heavy.
Though Sri Lanka lost, they shouldn't be worrying too much. Their only concern should be Mahela Jayawardene's batting form. With Malinga, Vaas, and Murali, they have a well-rounded bowling attack and can hope to do well in all conditions?
Pakistan looked very good. We are very afraid of Pakistan - especially when everyone discounts it. The way pitches have been playing, spin is going to be a major factor and Pakistan has good spin bowling options. Revamping their batting order might be the best thing they did for the world cup. Younis, Yousuf, and Inzi get the most time in the middle and they still have Shoab Malik and Afridi to shepherd the tail.
South Africa did not look good. Looks like they are struggling on slow and low pitches. Their lack of a good spinner might haunt them throughout the tournament. Their bowling attack is good enough to win against most teams but not Australia.
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka
Pakistan beat South Africa
Some Observations:
We don't think that Australia solved its bowling problems. Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson went for a lot of runs. Hogg did manage to bowl well but we don't think he is going to be this consistent in all the games. Stuart Clark bowled himself into the playing eleven and McGrath was steady. The best bowler in the side seems to be Shaun Tait. It will be interesting to see what the Australians will do with Shane Watson.
Panesar bowled exceedingly well but we don't think he is going to see much action in the world cup. Jamie Dalrymple, though a mediocre spinner, will be in the playing eleven because of his batting. England needs some help in the lower order. They have the same problem as Australia - being too top-heavy.
Though Sri Lanka lost, they shouldn't be worrying too much. Their only concern should be Mahela Jayawardene's batting form. With Malinga, Vaas, and Murali, they have a well-rounded bowling attack and can hope to do well in all conditions?
Pakistan looked very good. We are very afraid of Pakistan - especially when everyone discounts it. The way pitches have been playing, spin is going to be a major factor and Pakistan has good spin bowling options. Revamping their batting order might be the best thing they did for the world cup. Younis, Yousuf, and Inzi get the most time in the middle and they still have Shoab Malik and Afridi to shepherd the tail.
South Africa did not look good. Looks like they are struggling on slow and low pitches. Their lack of a good spinner might haunt them throughout the tournament. Their bowling attack is good enough to win against most teams but not Australia.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
India Vs. Sri Lanka, 4th ODI, Visakhapatnam
Yes, It's an ageless story. Sehwag wants to dance with Dravid, but Dravid wants to dance with someone elseAccording to Cricinfo, the ground at Visakhapatnam was:
"Set amid the scenic hills 11 kilometres away from the main city, sporting a revamped look that can put any Indian Test venue in the shade, with a name straight out of Nordic myth, the ACA-VDCA Stadium [Andhra Cricket Association - Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association] is a sight to savour. The grass isn't just lush, it's sparkling; the stands have a sprinkling of freshness about them and the facilities, for players, fans and the media, are in place. In the middle of a forest area, with panthers lurking in the neighboring jungles..."PANTHERS lurking nearby? Are you kidding me? Am I only one who finds this hilarious?
That should show the critics who say our Cricketers are coddled. These guys are warriors, they play the game while Panthers are lurking nearby.
Unsurprisingly, the grass is sparkling for a reason - Lot's of dew. Dew on the ground delayed the start and the game was shortened to 47 overs. India won the toss and sent in SL to bat. Once again, Zaheer and Agarkar did a great job in their opening spell. Soon, SL was reeling (56/4 at the end of 13 overs). Harbhajan took time to find the right line and was expensive initially. Ganguly and Sehwag did a pretty good job bowling their overs.
As an aside, Ganguly bowled his 6 overs for 29 runs and took one wicket, while Sehwag bowled his 4 overs for 27 runs and 1 wicket. Now, since the game was for 47 overs, 2 bowlers could bowl 10 overs each and the other three would have to bowl 9 overs each. When Sehwag bowled his 3rd over, he had figures of 1 wicket for 12 runs. Great bowling. We thought that our makeshift bowling pair did a great job by bowling 9 overs for 41 runs and taking 2 wickets. Our main bowlers could come on and bowl the last 7 overs. What happened was that Dravid got greedy. Instead of giving the ball to Sreesanth (who is in the team for his bowling), he let Sehwag bowl his 4th over and the team's 41st over. Sehwag gave up 15 runs and SL ended up scoring 76 runs in the last 7 overs. We don't know if what Dravid did was wrong, but considering that there were just 7 overs left, maybe Dravid should have backed his main bowlers.
Based on Dravid's confidence (or lack there of) in Sreesanth, we don't think Sreesanth is going to see any action in the World Cup unless one of the other bowlers gets injured.
Chamara Silva played a great innings and will play for SL for a long time. He reminds us of Aravinda De Silva, maybe because of his batting stance. Though the top order failed yet again, Chamara Silva shepherded the tail well and saw SL to a good total.
The Indian innings started of with Ganguly cramping up and retiring hurt. This brought Robin Uthappa and Virender Sehwag together. Watching them bat together brought on an odd sense of deja vu. It wasn't many years ago that Sehwag joined Sachin Tendulkar at the batting crease and soon after that, Sachin started taking the back seat to Sehwag's mauling of bowlers. The same thing is happening now with Sehwag and Uthappa, Uthappa started mauling the bowlers and Sehwag seemed very content taking the back seat. How times change.
The trademark of Uthappa's batting is the utter contempt he has for bowlers. The epitome of this was a shot where he stood tall at the crease, and with no hint of footwork pulled a short ball bowled by Malinga (who was bowling at the speed of about 146 kph) to the fence. There was another attempted bouncer from Malinga (about 144 kph) which was hooked into the stands for a huge six.
Soon after reaching his fifty, Uthappa got out trying to break the ball into a million pieces. He ballooned a simple catch to Jayasuriya. Uthappa seems to suffer from a very common disease aggressive batsmen have: rushofblooditis. There are no known cures for this disease. Only possible cure to this is if Uthappa somehow manages to make a century and the euphoria of hitting a hundred reminds him of the rewards of being a little patient when he has bowlers at his mercy. Here's hoping that this happens sooner than later.
We are very happy to note that Sehwag has found his touch. A sweet cover drive and a thumping straight drive heralded his form. World Cup bowlers please take note. The way he got out was bizarre. After looking in great touch and scoring 46 runs, Sehwag slashed at a ball, which went to the third man one bounce. Sehwag ambled to the other end for a run. The third man threw the ball to Sangakkara who promptly hit the wickets at the end Sehwag was walking to. Sehwag was found just short of crease and he trudged his way back to the dressing room. This was not good cricket from Sehwag and hopefully, this teaches him a lesson he will never forget.
Having said that, there is no need to get huffy over this. People are pointing to this dismissal as another indication of the attitude problems Sehwag has. People, relax. Ambling for a single after playing a shot to the third man is a time honored institution. This happens many times in many matches. It was unfortunate that while Sehwag was crawling to the other end, the wily Sangakkara saw an opportunity and took it. No need to make a mountain of a mole hill.
At Sehwag's dismissal, it was Yuvraj Singh's turn to find his batting touch. One can safely say that Yuvraj found his form in the very first ball he faced, which was flicked over square leg for a six. But the shot of the match was a classical cover drive which was hit into the stands for a six.
In the end, it was an easy win for India. Yuvraj and Ganguly (who continued his fine batting form) saw India home.
A word about the commentators: For every Richie Benaud there are about 10 Arun Lal's. Richie Benaud being a good commentator and Arun Lal being very very very bad. The whole world knows Ganguly's penchant for using his feet to the spinners. After having used his feet to hit a few boundaries off Bandara's bowling, Jayasuriya comes on to bowl. The commentator says that Ganguly would have great difficulty in using his feet to Jayasuriya because Jayasuriya is a vastly experienced player and is also omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. can you guess what happens next, my gentle reader? Yes, Ganguly sashays down the pitch and hits Jayasuriya out of the ground for a six.
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