With England's tour of India around the corner I thought of looking at England's pace attack. If one looks at the pace attack I feel that England have a bit of variety which is always good to have.
To start with England will depend a lot on Freddie who after a slow start to his career has developed into a fine bowler as he can hit the deck, he is good with the old ball, and more importantly he is consistent, yes he has had quite a few ankle injuries and a was a bit rusty against Saffers in tests but in the onedayers he looked better. England surely need the big all rounder to fire and repeat what he did in 06 when he did well as an all rounder. It is also good to see that Harmy looks in better rhythm, yes when he is fit and firing he is dangerous but all those problems of him getting homesick means that he is not reliable. Anderson is another one who can surprise a few in India as this season he bowled with consistency which shows that without giving a fair run in the side a player can't be judged and it was good to see him bowling some good spells even on flat wickets like Lords and proving his critics wrong. He with time has developed the ability to bowl well with the old ball as he can bowl off cutters and get a bit of reverse which is an important ingredient to succeed in India but it does not look like KP has much confidence in him and if he is dropped from the starting X1 I think it will be a mistake as he is the bowler who is in good form, Broad still has some way to go as he lacks variety to bowl on flat wickets but shows some promise and of course there is SIders who was unfit for most of the season but he can do a job as he can be consistent though on flat wickets of India selecting him is a big gamble.
All in all England quicks on Indian wickets will find it hard but I think the pace attack is good and may trouble the Indian batsmen a bit more than what Aussie quicks have done till now but with England's quicks fitness is always a question mark and of course with someone like Harmy it is home sickness.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Glenn McGrath
I have always been fascinated by McGrath's accuracy, his ability to adept to different conditions, the knack of getting top players out in the opposition ranks again and again with such regularity. So let us have a look at his career and what made him such a great bowler.
I first saw Mcgrath in the 94/95 Ashes series and during that time there was a lot of talk about McGrath being very good, so I was eager to watch him bowl but myself and few of my friends after seeing his disappointing performance at Brisbane thought what the heck is so great about him as he was inconsistent and bowled all over the place but how wrong were we as McGrath in the absence of McDermott in Westindies led the pace attack beautifully, yes he got very good support form the likes of Julien, Reiffel etc but it was McGrath who was the main strike bowler, especially with Warne proving to be a bit ineffective. Actually in that series one can remember his great spells at Barbodas when he destroyed Windies or for the matter on a lively pitch at Antigua where he bowled a lion hearted spell and was not even afraid of bowling bouncers at the likes of Walsh, and Ambi as he played a crucial part in what was a historic series win for Aus. He showed his class in South africa too where everyone expected Donald and co. to blow away the Aussies but it was McGrath, and DIzzy who came on top and one can remember his spell in the first test at Wanderers which had a bit of moisture in it and seeing that Glenn instead of bowling his customary back of a length pitched it up a little further and destroyed the Saffers. It was a series which further confirmed the fact that McGrath is a top drawer and he is on the way to become on of the greats of the game. He continued his success in England where he was too good for our batsmen especially Atherton who became a bunny of Glenn and here too he changed his length as he pitched it up a little further to him because Atherton was mainly a back foot player and Atherton duly obliged McGrath by repeatedly edging him to be caught behind the stumps. In 98 he showed that he could succeed in sub continent too and there was a suspicion that his type of bowling was not good enough for subcontinent but McGrath again worked hard on his game and tweaked his high arm action just a bit to get reverse swing which helped him in getting a 5 wicket haul in the second test then he followed it up with further success against England and when Aussies traveled to Westindies he had some great battles with Lara, even against Sachin too later that year he had some great battles where he would give him no room by tucking him up and just play on Tendulkar's patience. In 01 with his experience he was superb in India though he did lack support in that series but in 04 with good support form the likes of Kasper, and Dizzy he helped Aussies won a historic series in India, yes Glenn was now a touch slower but by bowling lots of off cutters, and slower balls he was able to succeed.
The one low point of his career was when Aussies lost the series in England in 05 but McGrath made amends as he bowled superbly to help Aussies whitewash England in 06/07 and take revenge for that loss in 05.
SO one has to say that Mcgrath was great as he was able to adjust to different conditions, yes there are some who would say that he was predictable which is in my view is not right as with experience he learnt to bowl with the old ball or for the matter in the second innings he usually brought it closer to stumps to take advantage of the cracks that may have developed and one has to say that it is easier said than done. Younis another great fast bowler of that era rightly said that McGrath was a phenomenon as he was just amazed by McGrath's ability to implement the plans so effectively. All in all he he will go down as a all time great and he was one of my favourite quicks. As expected Aussies are looking vulnerable without him against India.
Paul Horton
Since the time Horton got a regular place in the Lancashire side in 2007 Paul Horton has been consistently doing well and has now become one of the mainstays of Lancashire's batting. So the question is why he can not get selected even for England's development squad and someone like Denly who averaged 30 this season gets selected, yes Denly too is talented but Horton is the man in form.
Horton is a decent opening batsman who is reasonably good against pace and it is not like there are too many players going around in County cricket who are pushing for places to get into the England team. So it is time that England's selectors recognize his consistency and give him the chance to prove his worth.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Can Anderson fulfill his potential?
Anderson since the time he burst onto the scene and impressed everyone with his swing, and pace for Lancashire, the lad from Burnley has been tipped by many as the one who will lead the bowling attack for England one day but Anderson due to a combination of injuries, and lack of faith shown in him by the selectors has meant that he still has to fulfill his undoubted potential but there is hope especially after he bowled with control, and aggression this season against both New Zealand, and Saffers.It was in 2002 when I saw Anderson playing for Lancashire against Hampshire and troubling all their batsmen with his late swing, and pace still no one expected him to play as soon as he did for England but with England team hit by injury after injury down under meant that Anderson got his break and played for England in the tri - series in Australia in 02/03, yes he was hit around a bit by Gilchrist in the first match he played but he came back strongly against Lanka as he bowled with great control, and good pace which is not expected of someone who is playing in only his second one dayer as vetarns like Ataptu, and Jayasuriya looked all at sea against Anderson and as Ataptu rightly said after the match that Anderson has a big future ahead of him, he continued to show his class in the World cup especially at Cape town where he ripped apart the Pakistani batting line up with late swing and who can forget his delivery to Yousef which swung late and cleaned him up, it was a peach of a delivery and after the WC he showed his class yet again with a 5 wicket haul against Zimbabwe and took a hat trick against Pakistan in the onedayers, yes in the test series against Saffers that season he struggled against the likes of Smith and one has to say that it is a known fact that Anderson does struggle a bit against left handers, yet he did pick up a 5 wicket haul at Trent bridge which helped England to win the match.
Setbacks for Anderson
In Lanka in 03 big things were expected from Anderson but while playing squash he twisted his ankle and missed most of the series, then in Westindies Hoggard was rightfully preferred to him for his consistency as Anderson suddenly lost his way, at that time coaches also tried to change his action, yes Anderson's action is such that his head falls away at the point of delivering the ball but with that action he had got success before and he had got used to it, so it was tough on Anderson to bowl with a changed action as he lost his rhythm and subsequently his place in the side and when he was given the chance like in South Africa at Wanderers in 04/05 as expected he struggled which was because of lack of match practice and he was low on confidence but Anderson worked hard on his game and when he got the chance against India in 06 at Bombay as a result of injury to Harmison he showed his class by troubling the likes of Tendulkar, S'wag etc with late swing and pace, in that test he also bowled useful off cutters which showed that he was a quick learner.
Anderson suffers injury
Just when it seemed that everything was falling into place for Anderson another setback was waiting to happen as he suffered a stress fracture on his lower back because of which he was out of the game for about 3 months and when he came back he played only a few games in CC and some onedayers in the Champions trophy in India but to everyone's surprise he was picked in the x1 to play against Aussies at Brisbane and I still can't believe that England's management took that decision as Anderson was not match fit and as expected he was hit all over the park by Ponting and co. at Brisbane and worse was to follow at Adelaide where on a flt deck Anderson looked well short of confidence and Aussies took advantage of it and hammered him, after this test as expected he was dropped but in the last test at Sydney with a few matches under his belt he did a good job.
Anderson makes a comeback
In 07 he was dropped when Windies toured England but was picked against India as England yet again were ravaged by injuries and he made a fine comeback against Indians at Lords when he got a 5 wicket haul and troubled the likes of Tendulkar, and Dravid, yes he came up with a disappointing performance at Nottingham but at Oval he bowled well on what was a flat wicket. In Lanka later that year he was dropped after having one bad test which again showed lack of faith on the part of selectors but Anderson showed never say die spirit by making yet another successful comeback at Wellington against Kiwis in 08 when he got a 5 wicket haul, he continued to do well by taking loads of wickets against Kiwis this time at home and who can forget his match winning spell at Trent bridge, especially the wickets of Redmond, and McCcullum was a treat to watch as he got both those wickets by getting late swing as he cleaned both of them up. When South Africa arrived in England most of them thought that as usual he will be inconsistent and he will struggle but it was good to see that he proved his critics wrong by bowling consistent spells throughout the series and one has to think about the fact that he is one of England's best fielders as well, even his batting has improved which shows that Anderson is someone who works hard on his game. I would liked to add that Anderson has been criticised over the years for his inconsistent performances but without getting a fair run in the side one can't be criticised and it is good to see that at last he is getting a decent run in the side.
Looking ahead
So as England embark on a tour to India can Anderson do well in Indian conditions where it is tough to bowl for the quicks but the good news for England's fans is that Anderson this season has looked in good form and now he also gets a bit of reverse swing which plays such a major factor on subcontinental wickets and one has to add that on the last tour of India he showed that he can do well there. So Anderson must be full of confidence and must be looking forward to bowling at the famed Indian batting line up in their own backyard. In the end one can say that it has been a roller coaster journey for this talented swing bowler from Burnley but it looks like at last he is about to fulfill his potential.
Stanford Super Series
A blog by mikesiva
The much-talked about Stanford Super Series finally gets under way on October 25, with Caribbean champions Trinidad and Tobago playing the Stanford Super Stars, which is in effect just another name for the West Indies.
The competition will continue the following day with the other two teams of the quadrangular tournament, England, who will play the county champions of that country, Middlesex. These four teams will all play each other, culminating in the highly anticipated match-up between England and the Super Stars on November 1.
LOVE IT OR HATE IT
This 20/20 competition has attracted a lot of media attention, primarily because it's being staged by a rich, brash Texan named Allen Stanford, who proudly professes to prefer this upstart version of cricket to the more revered, time-honoured traditional contest of Test cricket. Stanford, a resident of the US VIrgin Islands, who now has business interests in Antigua, has committed sacrilege by calling Test cricket 'boring'!
He has waded into world cricket, spouting his views for all who are listening - and even those who aren't! - and has set up a 20/20 contest that will feature prize money worth a staggering US$20 million. This 'flash' way of operating has upset the traditional cricket elite, and there has been quite a backlash against this 'nouveau riche' cricket magnate, especially within the corridors of English cricket.
But, love it or hate it, England have accepted Stanford's invitation to play for big bucks in Antigua for the next five years. Interestingly, the approach of cricket lovers in England differs significantly from how the contest is seen in the Caribbean.
FUN AND MONEY IN ENGLAND
England opener Alistair Cook has openly said that the primary motivating factor for taking part in this competition is money. This has generated a number of reactions, varying from plaudits for coming out and admitting the truth, to recriminations for selling the soul of cricket for thirty pieces of silver.
England manager Peter Moores has come out to contradict Cook, and say that national pride is at stake too, and that was more important. But many England fans are accusing Moores of deluding himself, and the 20/20 contest has been dismissed by large segments of the English media as nothing more than a money-spinner.
CARIBBEAN SAVIOUR?
In the Caribbean, instead of being seen as a wolf in sheep's clothing - his image in the English media - Stanford is being praised for injecting new life into a sport that was dying in the region. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has bungled from one disaster to another, and as the team slipped down the rankings, the pay packets did too.
The West Indies were clearly in the lower echelons of cricketing wealth, and could only look on as England cricketers raked it in. Potential sporting athletes in the Caribbean were looking away from cricket, to sports like football and track, because cricket no longer seemed to offer young men a chance to find a way out of the poverty that still blights the region.
Then along came Stanford, and he offered lucrative prize money for his domestic 20/20 competition, and revived interest in the sport in the region. Now, young boys were picking up their bats and balls, and dreaming of taking home the big bucks after winning the final of the domestic 20/20 competition.
CROWD SUPPORT
In England, Test cricket is still a big money-spinner. The venues are still sold out for Test matches. Sadly, that is no longer the case in the Caribbean. That version of the sport is only of interest to the older generation.
When Australia toured the Caribbean, the 20/20 match with the WIndies had a bigger crowd than any day of the Test series. The domestic 20/20 competition over the last two years has been played out in front of large audiences, and a much younger one than the old-timers who turn out for the Test matches.
So, the antipathy towards 20/20 cricket, that is so prevalent in England, is not reflected in the new, young cricket fans of the Caribbean. The WI players who are turning out for the series are taking it a lot more seriously than Alistair Cook. In fact, they've been training harder for this series, than for any WI tour in recent history!
WHO WILL WIN?
This version of the game is so unpredictable. When the WIndies toured England last year, they played two 20/20 matches, and shared them one-win apiece, in two close contests.
The WI will be without their injured, inspirational allrounder, Dwayne Bravo, but will still draw on the experience of Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in their batting line-up. They will also have the firepower of Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards and Darren Powell in their arsenal.
But there will also be a few surprises. The Antiguan 20/20 specialist Sylvester Joseph has been named as vice-captain, while the enigmatic legspinner Dave Mohammed could be a match-winner.
England will be led by a match-winner of their own, the charismatic Kevin Pietersen, while Test discard Owais Shah has been making good runs at the shorter form of the game. Allrounders Andrew Flintoff and Stuart Broad are expected to play key roles in the Super Series.
ENJOY IT FOR WHAT IT IS
What's the point of engaging in snide comments about mercenaries and the decline of cricket? Enjoy 20/20 cricket for what it is - a lot of fun, and a new form of entertainment. It's fast-food cricket, for the new generation, who don't have the time in this hurry-hurry world, to sit around and watch the world go by, as Test cricketers play out a draw over five days....
There is a place where we can talk about this exciting week of 20/20 cricket. Join us on Cricket-Match-Special, to have fun, and enjoy this exciting Stanford Super Series.
We can be found at http://www.cricket-match-special.com/
See you there!
The much-talked about Stanford Super Series finally gets under way on October 25, with Caribbean champions Trinidad and Tobago playing the Stanford Super Stars, which is in effect just another name for the West Indies.
The competition will continue the following day with the other two teams of the quadrangular tournament, England, who will play the county champions of that country, Middlesex. These four teams will all play each other, culminating in the highly anticipated match-up between England and the Super Stars on November 1.
LOVE IT OR HATE IT
This 20/20 competition has attracted a lot of media attention, primarily because it's being staged by a rich, brash Texan named Allen Stanford, who proudly professes to prefer this upstart version of cricket to the more revered, time-honoured traditional contest of Test cricket. Stanford, a resident of the US VIrgin Islands, who now has business interests in Antigua, has committed sacrilege by calling Test cricket 'boring'!
He has waded into world cricket, spouting his views for all who are listening - and even those who aren't! - and has set up a 20/20 contest that will feature prize money worth a staggering US$20 million. This 'flash' way of operating has upset the traditional cricket elite, and there has been quite a backlash against this 'nouveau riche' cricket magnate, especially within the corridors of English cricket.
But, love it or hate it, England have accepted Stanford's invitation to play for big bucks in Antigua for the next five years. Interestingly, the approach of cricket lovers in England differs significantly from how the contest is seen in the Caribbean.
FUN AND MONEY IN ENGLAND
England opener Alistair Cook has openly said that the primary motivating factor for taking part in this competition is money. This has generated a number of reactions, varying from plaudits for coming out and admitting the truth, to recriminations for selling the soul of cricket for thirty pieces of silver.
England manager Peter Moores has come out to contradict Cook, and say that national pride is at stake too, and that was more important. But many England fans are accusing Moores of deluding himself, and the 20/20 contest has been dismissed by large segments of the English media as nothing more than a money-spinner.
CARIBBEAN SAVIOUR?
In the Caribbean, instead of being seen as a wolf in sheep's clothing - his image in the English media - Stanford is being praised for injecting new life into a sport that was dying in the region. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has bungled from one disaster to another, and as the team slipped down the rankings, the pay packets did too.
The West Indies were clearly in the lower echelons of cricketing wealth, and could only look on as England cricketers raked it in. Potential sporting athletes in the Caribbean were looking away from cricket, to sports like football and track, because cricket no longer seemed to offer young men a chance to find a way out of the poverty that still blights the region.
Then along came Stanford, and he offered lucrative prize money for his domestic 20/20 competition, and revived interest in the sport in the region. Now, young boys were picking up their bats and balls, and dreaming of taking home the big bucks after winning the final of the domestic 20/20 competition.
CROWD SUPPORT
In England, Test cricket is still a big money-spinner. The venues are still sold out for Test matches. Sadly, that is no longer the case in the Caribbean. That version of the sport is only of interest to the older generation.
When Australia toured the Caribbean, the 20/20 match with the WIndies had a bigger crowd than any day of the Test series. The domestic 20/20 competition over the last two years has been played out in front of large audiences, and a much younger one than the old-timers who turn out for the Test matches.
So, the antipathy towards 20/20 cricket, that is so prevalent in England, is not reflected in the new, young cricket fans of the Caribbean. The WI players who are turning out for the series are taking it a lot more seriously than Alistair Cook. In fact, they've been training harder for this series, than for any WI tour in recent history!
WHO WILL WIN?
This version of the game is so unpredictable. When the WIndies toured England last year, they played two 20/20 matches, and shared them one-win apiece, in two close contests.
The WI will be without their injured, inspirational allrounder, Dwayne Bravo, but will still draw on the experience of Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in their batting line-up. They will also have the firepower of Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards and Darren Powell in their arsenal.
But there will also be a few surprises. The Antiguan 20/20 specialist Sylvester Joseph has been named as vice-captain, while the enigmatic legspinner Dave Mohammed could be a match-winner.
England will be led by a match-winner of their own, the charismatic Kevin Pietersen, while Test discard Owais Shah has been making good runs at the shorter form of the game. Allrounders Andrew Flintoff and Stuart Broad are expected to play key roles in the Super Series.
ENJOY IT FOR WHAT IT IS
What's the point of engaging in snide comments about mercenaries and the decline of cricket? Enjoy 20/20 cricket for what it is - a lot of fun, and a new form of entertainment. It's fast-food cricket, for the new generation, who don't have the time in this hurry-hurry world, to sit around and watch the world go by, as Test cricketers play out a draw over five days....
There is a place where we can talk about this exciting week of 20/20 cricket. Join us on Cricket-Match-Special, to have fun, and enjoy this exciting Stanford Super Series.
We can be found at http://www.cricket-match-special.com/
See you there!
Well done Tendulkar
To start with it is great to see that Tendulkar has now become the highest run getter in tests after surpassing Lara's previous record of 11953 runs. Tendulkar is no doubt one of the legends of the game, someone who has been consistent for over 18 years which in itself is a amazing feat. SO let us have a look at all those glorious moments of Tendulkar's long, and distinguished career.
Tendulkar made his debut against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of just 16 and he was up against the likes of Younis, Akram, Imran, and Qadir, a daunting task for any player let alone a 16 year old, yet for his age Sachin did a creditable job with one or two gutsy half centuries and in a exhibition game in that series he showed that here was someone who in the years to come can become a great player as he smashed Qadir for four sixes in a over which was simply amazing as he was taking on one of the best spinners of that time. He continued to show his class in New Zealand in early 90's when he scored 88 at Christchurch and finally got his first hundred at Old Trafford at the tender age of 17 , it was an innings which helped India to save the test as Tendulkar along with Prabhakar took India to safety and he showed a level of maturity which was beyond his age. In 91/92 in Australia he further showed why so many of them rate him so highly by scoring hundreds at Sydney, and Perth, especially his knock at Perth was special and I was lucky enough to watch it and one has to say that I was spellbound by his ability to pick the length so early as he repeatedly pulled, and hooked experienced quicks like McDermott, Hughes, Whitney all over the park, he even had the courage to guide short pitched deliveries over the slips and hit McDermott over mid off which for a player of his age was incredible.
In 93 against England along with his friend Kambli he destroyed England at home and at that time there were some critics who used to say that Tendulkar throws away his wicket too easily in the one day format and Tendulkar's response to that was to open the batting and score century after century in the shorter format of the game as he became an icon in India for his ability to dominate the opposition attacks at will. In the 96 WC he was in sublime form, especially his knock of 90 against Aussies was superb to watch as he smashed McGrath all over the park and for once McGrath looked like he did not know where to bowl as Sachin would come down the wicket and hit him straight down the ground or he would make room and play cut shots. Actually it was after seeing this particular innings did Bradman say that Tendulkar seemed to play like him which just shows how well he had played. After the 96 WC India toured England and Tendulkar was now at his peak of prowess,and one has to say that during that time India depended a lot on Tendulkar but to his credit Tendulkar took up the responsibility and was in amazing form in England, especially his knock at Edgebaston was a connoisseur's delight for the correctness of his technique and his eye catching stroke play. In 96/97 again he showed his greatness with a superb knock at Cape town, it was a series in which South Africa had really dominated but at Cape town Tendulkar along with Azhar decided enough is enough and took up the challenge of facing up to the fearsome Donald and the ever consistent Pollock as they came up with a breathtaking partnership what with Tendulkar pulling and at times even hooking as well as driving on the up and Azhar was as usual playing all those wristy flicks and for sometime it looked like Cronje the then South African captain had no clue as to what to do next but those were the days when the Indian team depended too much on Tendulkar which eventually meant that India lost the test but it does not take anything away from what was a magical knock. In 98 he was up against the leg spinning genius Warne who was at the peak of his prowess but Tendulkar was up for the challenge which can be seen by the fact that he even asked Sivaramkrishnan the leg spinner who had played for India to bowl constantly in the rough as Tendulkar practiced a lot in the nets against such type of tactics which Warne was going to employ in the tests to come and the results were there for everyone to see as he made mincemeat of Warne and who can forget his knock at Madras in that series where he was too good to be true as to come down the wicket and hit warne over the top though he was bowling in the rough and that too in the second innings was no doubt an incredible feat.
Yes as the time went by he became more of an accumulator or a run gatherer yet he was in great form in 03 WC where he dominated most of the attacks and in 04 in Australia though he was not in the greatest of form yet he scored a double hundred at Sydney where he totally cut off cover drives as he had problems with that particular shot. It again shows his determination to succeed as to not play a single cover drive in the entire innings which has been a bread and butter shot for Tendulkar and yet play a flawless knock is something only a great player like him can do, even at the age of 35 he showed his class in Australia as he again tormented Aussies by scoring 493 runs this year.
I would say that he has been a great ambassador for the game, someone who is expected to deliver the goods everytime he bats by billion fans in India yet he has been able to maintain a high level of consistency. To end it in my view great is a word which is used too often these days but with Sachin there is no doubt that he is a great player who has brought joy to millions of cricket fans.
Tendulkar made his debut against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of just 16 and he was up against the likes of Younis, Akram, Imran, and Qadir, a daunting task for any player let alone a 16 year old, yet for his age Sachin did a creditable job with one or two gutsy half centuries and in a exhibition game in that series he showed that here was someone who in the years to come can become a great player as he smashed Qadir for four sixes in a over which was simply amazing as he was taking on one of the best spinners of that time. He continued to show his class in New Zealand in early 90's when he scored 88 at Christchurch and finally got his first hundred at Old Trafford at the tender age of 17 , it was an innings which helped India to save the test as Tendulkar along with Prabhakar took India to safety and he showed a level of maturity which was beyond his age. In 91/92 in Australia he further showed why so many of them rate him so highly by scoring hundreds at Sydney, and Perth, especially his knock at Perth was special and I was lucky enough to watch it and one has to say that I was spellbound by his ability to pick the length so early as he repeatedly pulled, and hooked experienced quicks like McDermott, Hughes, Whitney all over the park, he even had the courage to guide short pitched deliveries over the slips and hit McDermott over mid off which for a player of his age was incredible.
In 93 against England along with his friend Kambli he destroyed England at home and at that time there were some critics who used to say that Tendulkar throws away his wicket too easily in the one day format and Tendulkar's response to that was to open the batting and score century after century in the shorter format of the game as he became an icon in India for his ability to dominate the opposition attacks at will. In the 96 WC he was in sublime form, especially his knock of 90 against Aussies was superb to watch as he smashed McGrath all over the park and for once McGrath looked like he did not know where to bowl as Sachin would come down the wicket and hit him straight down the ground or he would make room and play cut shots. Actually it was after seeing this particular innings did Bradman say that Tendulkar seemed to play like him which just shows how well he had played. After the 96 WC India toured England and Tendulkar was now at his peak of prowess,and one has to say that during that time India depended a lot on Tendulkar but to his credit Tendulkar took up the responsibility and was in amazing form in England, especially his knock at Edgebaston was a connoisseur's delight for the correctness of his technique and his eye catching stroke play. In 96/97 again he showed his greatness with a superb knock at Cape town, it was a series in which South Africa had really dominated but at Cape town Tendulkar along with Azhar decided enough is enough and took up the challenge of facing up to the fearsome Donald and the ever consistent Pollock as they came up with a breathtaking partnership what with Tendulkar pulling and at times even hooking as well as driving on the up and Azhar was as usual playing all those wristy flicks and for sometime it looked like Cronje the then South African captain had no clue as to what to do next but those were the days when the Indian team depended too much on Tendulkar which eventually meant that India lost the test but it does not take anything away from what was a magical knock. In 98 he was up against the leg spinning genius Warne who was at the peak of his prowess but Tendulkar was up for the challenge which can be seen by the fact that he even asked Sivaramkrishnan the leg spinner who had played for India to bowl constantly in the rough as Tendulkar practiced a lot in the nets against such type of tactics which Warne was going to employ in the tests to come and the results were there for everyone to see as he made mincemeat of Warne and who can forget his knock at Madras in that series where he was too good to be true as to come down the wicket and hit warne over the top though he was bowling in the rough and that too in the second innings was no doubt an incredible feat.
Yes as the time went by he became more of an accumulator or a run gatherer yet he was in great form in 03 WC where he dominated most of the attacks and in 04 in Australia though he was not in the greatest of form yet he scored a double hundred at Sydney where he totally cut off cover drives as he had problems with that particular shot. It again shows his determination to succeed as to not play a single cover drive in the entire innings which has been a bread and butter shot for Tendulkar and yet play a flawless knock is something only a great player like him can do, even at the age of 35 he showed his class in Australia as he again tormented Aussies by scoring 493 runs this year.
I would say that he has been a great ambassador for the game, someone who is expected to deliver the goods everytime he bats by billion fans in India yet he has been able to maintain a high level of consistency. To end it in my view great is a word which is used too often these days but with Sachin there is no doubt that he is a great player who has brought joy to millions of cricket fans.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Can Bangladesh put up a fight?
How do you think Bangladesh will fare against Kiwis in the test series? can they give Kiwis a run for their money or will it be as usual an abysmal performance by Bangladesh? A we know Bangladesh's test record is poor as they have won only one test since their entry into test cricket in 2000 and that too against a depleted Zimbabwe team.
Bangladesh in recent times have lost few of their players to ICL like Basher, Nafees, Ahmed etc, yes players like Ahmed, Basher were out of form still both had made some useful contributions to Bangla cricket over the years, so it is a big loss for them. In their absence Bangladesh will depend a lot on the mercurial Ashraful in batting, someone who can play a blinder of an innings but more often than not flatters to deceive,players like Iqbal too has not done justice to his talent and he has to take up more responsibility , Sakib ul Hasan on occasions has shown that he can play well as has the keeper Rahim but all of them need to take the next step as it is not like they have come recently but all of them have at least 2 to 3 years of experience what with Ashraful having 7 years of experience. it will also be interesting to see how will J.Siddique play, yes he scored a 90 odd in the first onedayer but test cricket is a lot harder to succeed and he will be tested. Bangladesh also have to be patient against bowlers like Mills, Oram, O.Brien etc as all of them tend to bowl just wide of off stump and look to test a batsman's patience and I have seen on numerous occasions Bangla batsmen getting impatient and throwing their wickets away against such type of bowling, especially someone like Mills or O'Brien can be dangerous for Bangladesh, of course they have to watch out for Vettori, and Patel as well both of whom on those wickets can be a handful.
In bowling Bangladesh have Murtaza who is an hardworking seam bowler, Shahdat Hossain can bowl at good pace though he is inconsistent, Rasel the left arm medium pacer too looks promising but against Kiwis Bangla will depend a lot on Razzaq who with his left arm spin can be a handful on those tracks and he can take advantage of Kiwis being not that well versed in playing spin though one good thing for Kiwis is that they already have played onedayers which should help them as they will be more used to the conditions. I would also add that someone like Enamul Haq the left arm spinner should have been included in the squad as he flights it more than Razzack and gets a bit of turn. As far as New Zealand's batsmen are concerned Taylor looks the best bet as he is a good player of spin, of course Oram has been in tremendous form in onedayers and he will be confident of doing well. Bangladesh also have to field better as they have been lacking in that area.
All in all everyone expects Bangla to get thrashed in test cricket but I hope they can at least put up a fight in the upcoming test series and it is not like they do not have any talent but they need more focus.
Bangladesh in recent times have lost few of their players to ICL like Basher, Nafees, Ahmed etc, yes players like Ahmed, Basher were out of form still both had made some useful contributions to Bangla cricket over the years, so it is a big loss for them. In their absence Bangladesh will depend a lot on the mercurial Ashraful in batting, someone who can play a blinder of an innings but more often than not flatters to deceive,players like Iqbal too has not done justice to his talent and he has to take up more responsibility , Sakib ul Hasan on occasions has shown that he can play well as has the keeper Rahim but all of them need to take the next step as it is not like they have come recently but all of them have at least 2 to 3 years of experience what with Ashraful having 7 years of experience. it will also be interesting to see how will J.Siddique play, yes he scored a 90 odd in the first onedayer but test cricket is a lot harder to succeed and he will be tested. Bangladesh also have to be patient against bowlers like Mills, Oram, O.Brien etc as all of them tend to bowl just wide of off stump and look to test a batsman's patience and I have seen on numerous occasions Bangla batsmen getting impatient and throwing their wickets away against such type of bowling, especially someone like Mills or O'Brien can be dangerous for Bangladesh, of course they have to watch out for Vettori, and Patel as well both of whom on those wickets can be a handful.
In bowling Bangladesh have Murtaza who is an hardworking seam bowler, Shahdat Hossain can bowl at good pace though he is inconsistent, Rasel the left arm medium pacer too looks promising but against Kiwis Bangla will depend a lot on Razzaq who with his left arm spin can be a handful on those tracks and he can take advantage of Kiwis being not that well versed in playing spin though one good thing for Kiwis is that they already have played onedayers which should help them as they will be more used to the conditions. I would also add that someone like Enamul Haq the left arm spinner should have been included in the squad as he flights it more than Razzack and gets a bit of turn. As far as New Zealand's batsmen are concerned Taylor looks the best bet as he is a good player of spin, of course Oram has been in tremendous form in onedayers and he will be confident of doing well. Bangladesh also have to field better as they have been lacking in that area.
All in all everyone expects Bangla to get thrashed in test cricket but I hope they can at least put up a fight in the upcoming test series and it is not like they do not have any talent but they need more focus.
New Zealand's future
With Kiwis touring Bangladesh it would be interesting to see how some of their younger players like Ryder, Southee, How will perform, yes Bangladesh is a weak side and Kiwis should win comfortably but Kiwis are in a transition period what with the retirements of Fleming, Astle, Macmillan, Richardson etc during the last two years or so, they have also lost their premier strike bowler Bond as he has joined ICL, even players like Vincent have joined ICL and one has to say players like Martin, Styris are not getting younger.So it is an interesting phase where Vettori has been given the responsibility to rebuild the side.
Yes Kiwis have some promising players like Guptil, Hay, Boult, Broom, Nathan Mccullum as well as Fulton all of whom have done reasonably well playing for the A team which is at present touring India and add to that list players like Flynn, Bennett etc who are also said to be ok.
So how do you look at the future of Newzealand's cricket? With players like Brendon McCullum, Vettori, Oram etc still around and a bunch of younger players who look like are promising New Zealand's future seems to be in safe hands.
Yes Kiwis have some promising players like Guptil, Hay, Boult, Broom, Nathan Mccullum as well as Fulton all of whom have done reasonably well playing for the A team which is at present touring India and add to that list players like Flynn, Bennett etc who are also said to be ok.
So how do you look at the future of Newzealand's cricket? With players like Brendon McCullum, Vettori, Oram etc still around and a bunch of younger players who look like are promising New Zealand's future seems to be in safe hands.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
