Here are the top ten highlights from the just concluded ICC World Twenty 20 Cup, an event that somewhat altered the manner in which T20 cricket is likely to be played in future. Bowlers felt more at home and fielders sparkled but in the end it still remains a batsman’s game.
1. Pakistani resurgence- The Pakistan side came into the World Cup totally under prepared and short of international match practice. A heavy defeat by arch-rivals India in a practice match must have dented their confidence a great deal, and renewed memories of the heart-breaking loss to India in the 2007 final. But despite some hiccups in early matches, they went from strength to strength with Shahid Afridi not only mesmerizing opposing batsmen with his accurate leg spinners but also exploding with the bat when it really mattered- in the final and the semi final. Umar Gul and the rediscovered Abdul Razzak formed a potent pace attack, and Saeed Ajmal proved to be an exciting new spinner.
2. Lankan brilliance- Sri Lanka looked the most balanced side in the tournament and played some dazzling cricket, with Tilakratne Dilshan looking simply superb at the top of the order. They lost early wickets in the final and though skipper Kumar Sangakarra kept his composure to help put up a fighting score on the board, they simply did not have enough runs on the board. Till then they had not lost a single match and and their 4 Ms- Malinga, Muralidharan, Mendis and Matthews had bowled brilliantly. Sangakarra led the side as if he had been doing it all his life and in batting he and Dilshan were well supported by Jayasuriya and Jayawardene.
3. South Africa choke again- They might deny it over and over again, but the fact remains that until they win a World Cup, they will always be known as the best team never to do so! The South Africans were on song and looked really formidable against all opposition until they were defeated by the eventual champions, Pakistan. AB Devilliers has declared that he wants to be the best in the world and he was in awesome touch just as he was in the IPL, but he fell cheaply when it really mattered- in the semis. Jacques Kallis too showed his class and seems to have blended his game beautifully to this shortest of formats. Wayne Parnell looks a good prospect for them in the pace department.
4. Windy Windies- One never could be sure whether the West Indies would blow hot or cold in the event. Their annihilation of Australia on the very first day was magnificent, and Chris Gayle’s batting was a sight to behold. They found some new hopes in Lendl Simmons and Xavier Marshall, and shocked India too, along the way, but they still lack depth in their batting and bowling to be world champions in this era. They would have to find players of caliber to replace the classy Shivnaraine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan sooner than later.
5. Chin music for India- One used to hear about Indian batsmen being a bit scared when facing up to really quick bowling, but that was in the pre-helmet days. Even at that time, Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Vishwanath and Mohinder Amarnath took on the fastest bowlers with guts and class. At Lords against England and earlier against the Windies in their crucial super league matches, India just could not find answers to deliveries that were aimed at their chins. The need to score quickly while negotiating bouncers bowled at over 90 miles and hour was too much for them to handle. Defending champions India let the Cup slip too easily from their grasp, and Dhoni’s men would look to come back with a vengeance in next year’s Cup.
6. The Australians were at their poorest- Never before had an Australian team exited a major cricketing event as quietly and quickly as this one did. The whole world knows that they are not the force they were a few years back, and that they have lost players like Gilchrist, Hayden, McGrath and Warne in the recent past, but no one expected them to capitulate as easily as they did. Skipper Ricky Ponting admitted that they haven’t got the hang of the T-20 format yet, and that other teams have adapted much better. The Aussies had better pull up their socks very soon, for T-20 is likely to be more and more prolific on the cricketing calendar in the years to come.
7. Reluctant Hosts- The event was hosted admirably by the English Cricket Board, but their team was almost reluctant to win matches. They lost to the Dutch and to the West Indians in matches that they should have won. The Dutch could not believe their luck as England wasted several chances to run their batsmen out, and were generally butter-fingered in the field. Their win against India was their finest hour, for they played in front of a crowd that was predominantly Indian, and even booed them- at Lords of all places! Ravi Bopara looked their best batsman, while their star Kevin Pieterson looked moody at best. Skipper Paul Collingwood batted too low in the order, and their bowlers were on song only against India.
8. The “Dilshan”- Everyone who has played a bit of cricket knows that it is virtually impossible to hit yorker length balls over the wicket-keeper’s head for 4 or 6 runs, but Tilakratne Dilshan did that with astonishing regularity in this tournament. He batted like a true champion at the top of the order and took the Lankans to win after win, before running out of steam in the final. Dilshan was deservedly declared the man of the series.
9. Captain Cool- The new Captain cool is Younis Khan who led his side with grit and determination, without ever looking hassled and allowed himself a smile only when it was all over- the Cup was Pskistan’s! He batted well too, and in most matches marshaled the middle order brilliantly to take his team to seemingly improbable targets.
10. Unpredictability- If any expert claims that he can predict the outcome of even half the matches played in the T-20 format, he is talking through his hat. There is very little to choose among international sides and the shortest format allows no breathing space for the side that has a bad day. Any team can lose to any other, and in this tournament fancied sides lost match after match.
Vivek Atray is a freelance cricket writer.
vivek.atray@gmail.com
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Ten reasons why Team India crashed out! by Vivek Atray
The sudden and dramatic exit of Team India from the race for the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty- 20 Cup 2009 has shocked onlookers and confounded experts. Being the joint favourites along with South Africa for winning the Cup, the defending champions displayed a lack of innovation as also the absence of sheer desperation that resulted in their amazing success in South Africa in 2007 when they lifted the trophy as rank outsiders.
The ten main reasons that led to their shocking elimination are-
Complacency- There seemed to be an air of ‘nothing-can-go-wrong’ in the team’s approach. They appeared to feel all along that the Cup was rightfully theirs and that no other team had the fire power to gun them down. That they lost to both the West Indies and England, two of the less formidable teams in the draw, indicated a sense of false superiority which did not result in runs on the board or wickets in the bag.
Sehwag’s unavailability- Despite a star-studded line-up, India had no other batsman who could scare the wits out of the opposition bowlers quite like Virender Sehwag does. Yuvraj Singh is India’s batting hero in this version of the game, but the task proved too much even for him, in the absence of the Sultan of Multan, whose shoulder injury cost India dear.
Wrong team selection- India bungled by playing an extra bowler in a batsman oriented format of the game. As a result, there was not enough ammunition in the late middle order to test the opposition seriously enough. Dinesh Karthik should have played instead of Ravinder Jadeja in the match against England. Yusuf Pathan and Rohit Sharma could have bowled spin along with Yuvraj Singh to fill the breach. Ishant Sharma could have been dropped in favour of Praveen Kumar whose swing bowling was suited to English conditions. RP Singh should have played all the matches, given that he was the highest wicket taker in the IPL, and the in-form bowler in the team!
Fielding lapses- In the match against the West Indies especially and also on some other occasions, misfielding hurt India badly. Two clear boundaries went through the legs of the fielders against the Windies, and could have made the difference in a close match. More over, India’s field placing was such that the slower fielders in the team found the ball coming towards them on more occasions than did the best fielders. Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan were cases in point!
Easy early matches- A factor that Team India could not do anything about, given their top-seeded billing! They had Bangladesh and Ireland for company in their group and found them to be easy meat. But the lack of serious opposition at that stage meant that they had to suddenly up the ante against better teams in the super-league, which they could not manage!
Jadeja’s dilemma- By pushing green-horn Ravinder Jadeja up the order the team management exposed him to some accurate and hostile bowling from the England pacers in the crucial tie at Lords. Jadeja is a talented player and had claimed two key wickets with his left-arm spin earlier in the match but he appeared to be overawed by the occasion and could not really handle the pressure. In a match that India lost by just 3 runs, Jadeja’s 22 off 30 balls was surely a match-losing effort.
Short-pitched challenge- The manner in which the West Indian fast bowlers, followed by their English counterparts, tested India’s top order with short-pitched bowling was revelatory. Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina just could not get going and were tied down and then forced to find ungainly ways of hitting out or getting out while facing the bouncy stuff. India’s top order has seldom looked as ruffled as it did in this tournament. Perhaps a realization that the conditions in England are such that they require pure cricketing shots in the first few overs may have done the trick.
Dhoni was out of sorts- Captain cool, MS Dhoni kept wickets reasonably well, and marshaled his forces to the best of his ability, but his batting was a let down. Even in the match against England when he and Pathan almost chased down the target, he could not really get the big shots going. His bat seemed to have lost its potency, for his shots simply lacked the explosiveness that they are known for.
Media trouble- Another factor was surely the off-the-field distraction especially the manner in which the Sehwag issue was dealt with. The media flayed the present Captain’s attitude for the first time ever and the foolhardy attempt at displaying a sense of camaraderie by presenting the whole team at a Press conference was most bizarre.
Too much cricket- The current Indian team plays all around the year and big matches obviously lose their aura for the players when so much cricket is played. This was the World Cup after all, but from the look of them, Team India could well have been playing any other international series. Gautam Gambhir, who has been the most prolific scorer in world cricket in the past one year, looked totally jaded, and exemplified the mal-effects of excessive international cricket.
Fans of the Indian team are distraught and shocked at their early exit from the ICC World Twenty 20. Let’s see if the team can re-group from here and win back our admiration in the coming months.
The ten main reasons that led to their shocking elimination are-
Complacency- There seemed to be an air of ‘nothing-can-go-wrong’ in the team’s approach. They appeared to feel all along that the Cup was rightfully theirs and that no other team had the fire power to gun them down. That they lost to both the West Indies and England, two of the less formidable teams in the draw, indicated a sense of false superiority which did not result in runs on the board or wickets in the bag.
Sehwag’s unavailability- Despite a star-studded line-up, India had no other batsman who could scare the wits out of the opposition bowlers quite like Virender Sehwag does. Yuvraj Singh is India’s batting hero in this version of the game, but the task proved too much even for him, in the absence of the Sultan of Multan, whose shoulder injury cost India dear.
Wrong team selection- India bungled by playing an extra bowler in a batsman oriented format of the game. As a result, there was not enough ammunition in the late middle order to test the opposition seriously enough. Dinesh Karthik should have played instead of Ravinder Jadeja in the match against England. Yusuf Pathan and Rohit Sharma could have bowled spin along with Yuvraj Singh to fill the breach. Ishant Sharma could have been dropped in favour of Praveen Kumar whose swing bowling was suited to English conditions. RP Singh should have played all the matches, given that he was the highest wicket taker in the IPL, and the in-form bowler in the team!
Fielding lapses- In the match against the West Indies especially and also on some other occasions, misfielding hurt India badly. Two clear boundaries went through the legs of the fielders against the Windies, and could have made the difference in a close match. More over, India’s field placing was such that the slower fielders in the team found the ball coming towards them on more occasions than did the best fielders. Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan were cases in point!
Easy early matches- A factor that Team India could not do anything about, given their top-seeded billing! They had Bangladesh and Ireland for company in their group and found them to be easy meat. But the lack of serious opposition at that stage meant that they had to suddenly up the ante against better teams in the super-league, which they could not manage!
Jadeja’s dilemma- By pushing green-horn Ravinder Jadeja up the order the team management exposed him to some accurate and hostile bowling from the England pacers in the crucial tie at Lords. Jadeja is a talented player and had claimed two key wickets with his left-arm spin earlier in the match but he appeared to be overawed by the occasion and could not really handle the pressure. In a match that India lost by just 3 runs, Jadeja’s 22 off 30 balls was surely a match-losing effort.
Short-pitched challenge- The manner in which the West Indian fast bowlers, followed by their English counterparts, tested India’s top order with short-pitched bowling was revelatory. Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina just could not get going and were tied down and then forced to find ungainly ways of hitting out or getting out while facing the bouncy stuff. India’s top order has seldom looked as ruffled as it did in this tournament. Perhaps a realization that the conditions in England are such that they require pure cricketing shots in the first few overs may have done the trick.
Dhoni was out of sorts- Captain cool, MS Dhoni kept wickets reasonably well, and marshaled his forces to the best of his ability, but his batting was a let down. Even in the match against England when he and Pathan almost chased down the target, he could not really get the big shots going. His bat seemed to have lost its potency, for his shots simply lacked the explosiveness that they are known for.
Media trouble- Another factor was surely the off-the-field distraction especially the manner in which the Sehwag issue was dealt with. The media flayed the present Captain’s attitude for the first time ever and the foolhardy attempt at displaying a sense of camaraderie by presenting the whole team at a Press conference was most bizarre.
Too much cricket- The current Indian team plays all around the year and big matches obviously lose their aura for the players when so much cricket is played. This was the World Cup after all, but from the look of them, Team India could well have been playing any other international series. Gautam Gambhir, who has been the most prolific scorer in world cricket in the past one year, looked totally jaded, and exemplified the mal-effects of excessive international cricket.
Fans of the Indian team are distraught and shocked at their early exit from the ICC World Twenty 20. Let’s see if the team can re-group from here and win back our admiration in the coming months.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
ICC World Twenty20-England should have gone Dutch!
Every modern day youngster knows what it means to “Go Dutch” – splitting the bill at a restaurant. England could have gone Dutch by splitting the match against the Dutchmen on the last ball of their ICC T20 World Cup match last night. A Super Over finish may have ended up in England’s favour.
Stuart Broad tried to save the single by throwing the ball at the non-strikers end while supine on the ground, missed by a mile and ended up giving away an overthrow that landed the match in Netherland’s lap.
What an upset! England could never have dreamt that they would have lost a match in which Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright gave them a flying start at the home of cricket, Lords in the opening encounter of the Cup. Wright’s 71 off just 49 balls appeared to be a match-winning knock, but the team from Holland had other ideas. Imaginative batting TN de Grooth and PW Borren took them close to their target and ten Doescahtte sealed the win off the last ball.
England looked shell shocked after the match and they ought to be! They bowled a lot of rubbish and paid the price for some glaring fielding errors as well.
Stuart Broad tried to save the single by throwing the ball at the non-strikers end while supine on the ground, missed by a mile and ended up giving away an overthrow that landed the match in Netherland’s lap.
What an upset! England could never have dreamt that they would have lost a match in which Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright gave them a flying start at the home of cricket, Lords in the opening encounter of the Cup. Wright’s 71 off just 49 balls appeared to be a match-winning knock, but the team from Holland had other ideas. Imaginative batting TN de Grooth and PW Borren took them close to their target and ten Doescahtte sealed the win off the last ball.
England looked shell shocked after the match and they ought to be! They bowled a lot of rubbish and paid the price for some glaring fielding errors as well.
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Indians need to guard against complacency. By Vivek Atray
The Indian cricket team needs to watch out for an unfamiliar enemy in the ICC T-20 World Cup- complacency. They have never before entered a World Cup as clear favourites. Not even in 1987 when they were the defending champions and ultimately lost in the Semis at Mumbai to the Englishmen. In fact the Indian team looks much stronger than in 2007 when they emerged champions, but had some modest players in their ranks.
On paper they look awesome this time, with a batting line up that reads- Sehwag, Gambhir, Raina, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Rohit, Pathan and Pathan. No other team, not even Australia or South Africa, can boast of such batting firepower in this World Cup. Each of India’s top eight batsmen has the ability to clear the field by some distance, the only question being who hits the longest sixes. In that department, Yusuf Pathan is probably the winner, closely followed by Sehwag, Raina, Dhoni and Yuvraj, in no particular order!
India’s bowling looks robust too, with RP Singh having grabbed the Purple Cap in the just concluded IPL, and also having bowled the maximum number of dot-balls in that tournament. Irfan Pathan bowled superbly in the IPL too, and picked up a bagful of wickets, though he tended to go for quite a few runs in his opening spells. Ishant Sharma bowled well in the warm-up game against the Kiwis and though India lost that match by 9 runs, they can take heart from the form of their spinners too- Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha were quite impressive. If Zaheer Khan is fit, then India’s bowling would test the very best. They also have an embarrassment of riches in the batting-allrounders department, with Yusuf Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma all proving to be capable spinners of the ball.
Their fielding looks impressive too, with only a few of the bowlers being somewhat slow in the outfield. Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina are absolute dynamite in the inner circle. During practice the Indians need to focus on getting a few direct hits for these often result in run-outs that could clinch some close matches. India’s running between the wickets has never looked as energetic as is does with this young team.
While the Indians garnered invaluable practice during the IPL, top players of teams like New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa benefitted immensely from the event too. In fact the South Africans are second-favourites given their all round skills and the form that their batsmen are in. Their fielding is still the world’s best, even though the Kiwis and the Aussies run them close in that area. The experience of Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Graeme Smith coupled with the firepower of Dale Steyn and Albie Morkel makes them a formidable line up.
The Australians are probably next in the list of likely winners. They can never be counted
out as potential champions and have the ability to raise their game in World Cups. Ricky
Ponting still has a point or two to prove in this format, while Michael Hussey and his
brother David, along with Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds lend them some real
class in the middle order. Their retired openers Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, the
two top run-getters of IPL 2009, would have been invaluable assets to them had they
been coaxed into playing this event!
Sri Lanka are next, and have in Mahela Jayawardene, skipper Kumar Sangakarra and old
war horse Sanath Jayasuriya, three of the most attacking batsmen in world cricket. The
bowling looks a little suspect though, despite the presence of the slingy Lasith Malinga
and the ever potent Muthiah Muralidharan in their ranks. They have to watch out against
giving away too many runs off their lesser bowlers.
New Zealand could well be the dark horse of ICC World T-20 2009. They have always
been under estimated by opposing teams and the media at major cricketing events. In
Ross Taylor they have one of the finest batsmen in the world today. Brendon McCullum,
Jesse Ryder and Jacob Oram add some serious hitting-power to their batting. Daniel
Vettori is not only a wily spinner but also a cool captain in the Anil Kumble mould.
Conditions in England are similar to their home conditions and they will come out with
all guns blazing, for sure.
England, Pakistan and the West Indies are still major cricketing powers. But all three
have a lot to prove in the shortest format of the game, on current form. Last time’s losing
finalists Pakistan are inhibited by lack of international exposure, of late. Their bowling
looks reasonably sharp but their stroke-players are suspect when the going gets really
tough.
England would enjoy home advantage but are missing Freddie Flintoff. Skipper Paul
Collingwood remains their best player in this format along with the mercurial Kevin
Pietersen. Their bowling is their strength, with some good seamers in the side, led by
Stuart Broad.
The Windies are looking below par too, as they go into the tournament. Despite having come off a Test and ODI series in England recently, and having an edge over other visiting teams in terms of the need to acclimatize to conditions, they would need some remarkable performances from Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo to be perceived as serious contenders for the title.
It is extremely difficult to predict anything that has to do with T-20 cricket. The very nature of the game is such that one big over can change the fortunes of teams either way.
Nevertheless, the T-20 World Cup in England would be won by the team that combines a large amount of flair with confident execution of plans, and also holds its catches.
Some nail-biting action is in store for sure. Watch this space!
On paper they look awesome this time, with a batting line up that reads- Sehwag, Gambhir, Raina, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Rohit, Pathan and Pathan. No other team, not even Australia or South Africa, can boast of such batting firepower in this World Cup. Each of India’s top eight batsmen has the ability to clear the field by some distance, the only question being who hits the longest sixes. In that department, Yusuf Pathan is probably the winner, closely followed by Sehwag, Raina, Dhoni and Yuvraj, in no particular order!
India’s bowling looks robust too, with RP Singh having grabbed the Purple Cap in the just concluded IPL, and also having bowled the maximum number of dot-balls in that tournament. Irfan Pathan bowled superbly in the IPL too, and picked up a bagful of wickets, though he tended to go for quite a few runs in his opening spells. Ishant Sharma bowled well in the warm-up game against the Kiwis and though India lost that match by 9 runs, they can take heart from the form of their spinners too- Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha were quite impressive. If Zaheer Khan is fit, then India’s bowling would test the very best. They also have an embarrassment of riches in the batting-allrounders department, with Yusuf Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma all proving to be capable spinners of the ball.
Their fielding looks impressive too, with only a few of the bowlers being somewhat slow in the outfield. Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina are absolute dynamite in the inner circle. During practice the Indians need to focus on getting a few direct hits for these often result in run-outs that could clinch some close matches. India’s running between the wickets has never looked as energetic as is does with this young team.
While the Indians garnered invaluable practice during the IPL, top players of teams like New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa benefitted immensely from the event too. In fact the South Africans are second-favourites given their all round skills and the form that their batsmen are in. Their fielding is still the world’s best, even though the Kiwis and the Aussies run them close in that area. The experience of Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Graeme Smith coupled with the firepower of Dale Steyn and Albie Morkel makes them a formidable line up.
The Australians are probably next in the list of likely winners. They can never be counted
out as potential champions and have the ability to raise their game in World Cups. Ricky
Ponting still has a point or two to prove in this format, while Michael Hussey and his
brother David, along with Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds lend them some real
class in the middle order. Their retired openers Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, the
two top run-getters of IPL 2009, would have been invaluable assets to them had they
been coaxed into playing this event!
Sri Lanka are next, and have in Mahela Jayawardene, skipper Kumar Sangakarra and old
war horse Sanath Jayasuriya, three of the most attacking batsmen in world cricket. The
bowling looks a little suspect though, despite the presence of the slingy Lasith Malinga
and the ever potent Muthiah Muralidharan in their ranks. They have to watch out against
giving away too many runs off their lesser bowlers.
New Zealand could well be the dark horse of ICC World T-20 2009. They have always
been under estimated by opposing teams and the media at major cricketing events. In
Ross Taylor they have one of the finest batsmen in the world today. Brendon McCullum,
Jesse Ryder and Jacob Oram add some serious hitting-power to their batting. Daniel
Vettori is not only a wily spinner but also a cool captain in the Anil Kumble mould.
Conditions in England are similar to their home conditions and they will come out with
all guns blazing, for sure.
England, Pakistan and the West Indies are still major cricketing powers. But all three
have a lot to prove in the shortest format of the game, on current form. Last time’s losing
finalists Pakistan are inhibited by lack of international exposure, of late. Their bowling
looks reasonably sharp but their stroke-players are suspect when the going gets really
tough.
England would enjoy home advantage but are missing Freddie Flintoff. Skipper Paul
Collingwood remains their best player in this format along with the mercurial Kevin
Pietersen. Their bowling is their strength, with some good seamers in the side, led by
Stuart Broad.
The Windies are looking below par too, as they go into the tournament. Despite having come off a Test and ODI series in England recently, and having an edge over other visiting teams in terms of the need to acclimatize to conditions, they would need some remarkable performances from Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo to be perceived as serious contenders for the title.
It is extremely difficult to predict anything that has to do with T-20 cricket. The very nature of the game is such that one big over can change the fortunes of teams either way.
Nevertheless, the T-20 World Cup in England would be won by the team that combines a large amount of flair with confident execution of plans, and also holds its catches.
Some nail-biting action is in store for sure. Watch this space!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
IPL 2009 - He laughs best, who laughs last! by Vivek Atray
After weeks of frenzied action that had most people glued to their TV sets, several nail-biting finishes, and some dashing stroke play, as also some fine bowling from the pace men and the spinners alike, IPL 2009 came to a dramatic end on Sunday night, with a pulsating final between the wooden-spooners from last year- the Deccan Chargers of Hyderabad and the Royal Challengers of Bangalore.
For much of the evening it seemed as if the Challengers had outclassed the Chargers in every department of the game. A moderate total by the Chargers, followed by some spectacular shots by Ross Taylor and Roelf van der Merwe had almost ensured a Bangalore win, but some gritty bowling from RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Andrew Symonds and the remarkable Harmeet Singh coupled with some senseless batting by the experienced Bangalore batters, produced a turnaround that left the Challengers downcast and the Chargers triumphant!
The expressions on the faces of the two wily old skippers, Anil Kumble and Adam Gilchrist, fluctuated with increasing frequency as the match went through its exciting journey. Kumble, the champion spinner, bamboozled his long time foe in the very first over of the match, but Gilchrist had the last laugh! That both men finished second in the race for the Orange cap and the Purple cap respectively is a testimony to their class and fitness even after their retirement from international cricket.
The Deccan Chargers emerged as champions of IPL 2009 due to their resilience and their never-say-die-attitude. That attitude became ugly at times in the final, with Symonds being guilty of intimidating young Manish Pandey when the latter came out to open the innings for Bangalore. But as long as such things stay within the laws of the game, and if the Umpires have no problems, the additional adrenalin may actually spur teams onto great heights, as was the case with the Chargers. All their players seemed to be fiercely determined to do-or-die when they came out to field in the final. An animated pep-talk by skipper Gilchrist no doubt had the right effect!
RP Singh had a superb tournament for the Chargers and it is no surprise that the champion teams of both editions of the IPL till now had the Purple Cap winners on their side- Singh this time, and Sohail Tanvir for Rajasthan Royals last year. Ojha was also high on the wicket-takers list in both editions. Gilchrist led from the front to be named the Man of the Tournament (his semi-final blitz being jaw-dropping stuff!) while Symonds, Rohit Sharma and Herschelle Gibbs came up with stroke-filled cameos at crucial moments for them in match after match.
The Royal Challengers had a spectacular tournament too, and Anil Kumble led them brilliantly. His bowling was controlled and on target each time. There is no doubt that Kumble would have been a consistently dangerous bowler in T-20 cricket had it been played at the time when he was younger. Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid and Ross Taylor came up with match-winning performances for their team throughout the tournament, and green-horn Manish Pandey became the first Indian to score a ton in the IPL!
The Delhi Daredevils and the Chennai Super Kings were at the top of the table for most of the event, but faltered when it really mattered. Matthew Hayden, another international retiree, was so intimidating at the crease that opposing bowlers would surely have nightmares about him for months to come! His strokes were audacious and bold in their intent as in their outcome. A cartoon in a leading newspaper depicted him holding aloft the Orange Cap in the 2012 IPL! Suresh Raina is turning out to be a world-beater too and has added some crafty off-spin to his already impressive batting and fielding abilities. MS Dhoni had his moments too, but Chennai’s bowling and fielding was below par throughout the tournament. Balaji was under-utilized, and Makhaya Ntini should have been played given his experience of local conditions, and given that Jacob Oram hardly got a chance to bat or bowl!
For Delhi, Glenn McGrath’s absence from the playing XI was the mystery of IPL-2009, especially given the fact that other senior players were doing so well, day after day! Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were nowhere near their best, but will hopefully be back to their best when it really counts- at the ICC World T-20, in June. AB De Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan, along with Dirk Nannes were Delhi’s stars.
The rest of the teams flattered to deceive. Mumbai Indians had a real chance to go all the way, with Shaun Pollock and Jonty Rhodes coaching them, and with Sachin Tendulkar himself in good form. JP Duminy and Lasith Malinga shone for them too, but the rest were patchy, and they ended up second-last! Some of their decisions relating to their batting-order were appalling!
Shane Warne led the Rajasthan Royals superbly again, and Yusuf Pathan blasted some huge sixes but the team sorely missed Shane Watson’s all round skills this time.
Kolkata Knight Riders were an absolute disaster. Off the field factors were obviously to blame, for they had a talented side. Skipper Brendon McCullum came up with a couple of sparkling 80 plus scores but Sourav Ganguly should have led the team in his place. Dada was below par, as was Ishant Sharma, their main bowler. They lost some really tight matches and looked heart-broken at most times.
The Punjab Kings XI team was the enigma of IPL 2009. They played so well at times that it seemed they would prove unbeatable. Yuvraj shone more with the ball but came up with crucial contributions. So did Kumar Sangakarra, Mahela Jayawardene and Brett Lee. Punjab youngsters Sunny Sohal and Karan Goel showed promise too. Wilkin Mota looked out of depth though, as did the mercurial Sreesanth. Their real star was Irfan Pathan, who clubbed crucial blows at critical times and picked up key wickets regularly. What let them down was the inability of their powerful batting to deliver when it really mattered.
A memorable edition of the IPL thus came to an end with the South Africans proving to be amazing hosts. Matches were evenly fought between the ball and the bat. Spinners were surprisingly potent weapons for their captains. Last over finishes including a super-over ending were thrilling to witness. Some reputations were marred and others were made.
IPL 2010 may prove to be even more thrilling than the first two editions...but for now, there is the mouth-watering prospect of the T-20 World Cup coming up!
For much of the evening it seemed as if the Challengers had outclassed the Chargers in every department of the game. A moderate total by the Chargers, followed by some spectacular shots by Ross Taylor and Roelf van der Merwe had almost ensured a Bangalore win, but some gritty bowling from RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Andrew Symonds and the remarkable Harmeet Singh coupled with some senseless batting by the experienced Bangalore batters, produced a turnaround that left the Challengers downcast and the Chargers triumphant!
The expressions on the faces of the two wily old skippers, Anil Kumble and Adam Gilchrist, fluctuated with increasing frequency as the match went through its exciting journey. Kumble, the champion spinner, bamboozled his long time foe in the very first over of the match, but Gilchrist had the last laugh! That both men finished second in the race for the Orange cap and the Purple cap respectively is a testimony to their class and fitness even after their retirement from international cricket.
The Deccan Chargers emerged as champions of IPL 2009 due to their resilience and their never-say-die-attitude. That attitude became ugly at times in the final, with Symonds being guilty of intimidating young Manish Pandey when the latter came out to open the innings for Bangalore. But as long as such things stay within the laws of the game, and if the Umpires have no problems, the additional adrenalin may actually spur teams onto great heights, as was the case with the Chargers. All their players seemed to be fiercely determined to do-or-die when they came out to field in the final. An animated pep-talk by skipper Gilchrist no doubt had the right effect!
RP Singh had a superb tournament for the Chargers and it is no surprise that the champion teams of both editions of the IPL till now had the Purple Cap winners on their side- Singh this time, and Sohail Tanvir for Rajasthan Royals last year. Ojha was also high on the wicket-takers list in both editions. Gilchrist led from the front to be named the Man of the Tournament (his semi-final blitz being jaw-dropping stuff!) while Symonds, Rohit Sharma and Herschelle Gibbs came up with stroke-filled cameos at crucial moments for them in match after match.
The Royal Challengers had a spectacular tournament too, and Anil Kumble led them brilliantly. His bowling was controlled and on target each time. There is no doubt that Kumble would have been a consistently dangerous bowler in T-20 cricket had it been played at the time when he was younger. Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid and Ross Taylor came up with match-winning performances for their team throughout the tournament, and green-horn Manish Pandey became the first Indian to score a ton in the IPL!
The Delhi Daredevils and the Chennai Super Kings were at the top of the table for most of the event, but faltered when it really mattered. Matthew Hayden, another international retiree, was so intimidating at the crease that opposing bowlers would surely have nightmares about him for months to come! His strokes were audacious and bold in their intent as in their outcome. A cartoon in a leading newspaper depicted him holding aloft the Orange Cap in the 2012 IPL! Suresh Raina is turning out to be a world-beater too and has added some crafty off-spin to his already impressive batting and fielding abilities. MS Dhoni had his moments too, but Chennai’s bowling and fielding was below par throughout the tournament. Balaji was under-utilized, and Makhaya Ntini should have been played given his experience of local conditions, and given that Jacob Oram hardly got a chance to bat or bowl!
For Delhi, Glenn McGrath’s absence from the playing XI was the mystery of IPL-2009, especially given the fact that other senior players were doing so well, day after day! Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were nowhere near their best, but will hopefully be back to their best when it really counts- at the ICC World T-20, in June. AB De Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan, along with Dirk Nannes were Delhi’s stars.
The rest of the teams flattered to deceive. Mumbai Indians had a real chance to go all the way, with Shaun Pollock and Jonty Rhodes coaching them, and with Sachin Tendulkar himself in good form. JP Duminy and Lasith Malinga shone for them too, but the rest were patchy, and they ended up second-last! Some of their decisions relating to their batting-order were appalling!
Shane Warne led the Rajasthan Royals superbly again, and Yusuf Pathan blasted some huge sixes but the team sorely missed Shane Watson’s all round skills this time.
Kolkata Knight Riders were an absolute disaster. Off the field factors were obviously to blame, for they had a talented side. Skipper Brendon McCullum came up with a couple of sparkling 80 plus scores but Sourav Ganguly should have led the team in his place. Dada was below par, as was Ishant Sharma, their main bowler. They lost some really tight matches and looked heart-broken at most times.
The Punjab Kings XI team was the enigma of IPL 2009. They played so well at times that it seemed they would prove unbeatable. Yuvraj shone more with the ball but came up with crucial contributions. So did Kumar Sangakarra, Mahela Jayawardene and Brett Lee. Punjab youngsters Sunny Sohal and Karan Goel showed promise too. Wilkin Mota looked out of depth though, as did the mercurial Sreesanth. Their real star was Irfan Pathan, who clubbed crucial blows at critical times and picked up key wickets regularly. What let them down was the inability of their powerful batting to deliver when it really mattered.
A memorable edition of the IPL thus came to an end with the South Africans proving to be amazing hosts. Matches were evenly fought between the ball and the bat. Spinners were surprisingly potent weapons for their captains. Last over finishes including a super-over ending were thrilling to witness. Some reputations were marred and others were made.
IPL 2010 may prove to be even more thrilling than the first two editions...but for now, there is the mouth-watering prospect of the T-20 World Cup coming up!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
IPL II - A photo finish is on the cards! by Vivek Atray
Seven of the eight teams in the fray still have a chance to make it to the semi finals after 40 matches have been played in the IPL Season II T-20 extravaganza. Of these, the Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Mumbai Indians need to win almost all their remaining matches to do so, while the top five teams have to guard against complacency and win some tough games ahead.
Sanath Jayasuriya has rightly stated in his column that this competition is even more intense (though obviously not as prestigious) than the ICC T-20 World Cup. While top teams get some easy games in the World Cup, with Bangladesh and Zimbabwe around, the IPL teams are all top drawer.
What has separated the men from the boys is the team-work on display as also the management skills on offer. Clearly, teams like the Rajasthan Royals have benefitted from a highly professional approach under the tutelage of the wily old fox Shane Warne, while some comical gaffes by John Buchanan, the Kolkata Knight Riders coach, have left them hopelessly at the bottom of the pit. Kolkata must be wishing that Sourav Ganguly had been given charge of the team and not ‘Mr’ Buchanan, who seems to have done inexorable damage to his erstwhile reputation as the brilliant coach of an all conquering Australian team.
The plusses and minuses of the teams look like this at the moment-
Chennai Super Kings: Brilliant batting led by Matthew Hayden who is looks to be miles ahead of everyone else in the competition. Suresh Raina has been magnificent too, and a certain Mr Dhoni is coming into his own now. Their spin bowling is looking good too- Muralidharan and Jakati make a formidable pair. The pace bowling looks shaky though, despite the presence of Albie Morkel and Jacob Oram. Their fielding is atrocious!
Delhi Daredevils: The best team on view thus far. Excellent batting by AB De Villiers and Tillakeratne Dilshan has not let the team feel the absence of Virender Sehwag and the iffy form of Gautam Gambhir. David Warner has been explosive. Tight bowling by Dirk Nannes (who’s keeping Glenn McGrath out!), Pradeep Sangwan and the resurgent Ashish Nehra has kept them on top. Amit Mishra has been so good that Daniel Vettori is on the bench!
Rajasthan Royals: They have not quite reproduced the magic of last year, and are missing Shane Watson badly. However Mr Warne has been sensational as skipper once again, and not bad with his leg spinners either! Yusuf Pathan continues to be their match winner. Graeme Smith and Naman Ojha will have to show consistency as will the all rounder Ravinder Jadeja if they are to make the last four. Munaf Patel looks a bit too ineffective this time.
Deccan Chargers: Last year’s wooden spoon finishers topped the table after the first four matches and despite some losses, are a formidable force. They could go all the way! Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma have been powerful and prolific, but need to keep going till the very end of the event. They are missing the fiery Fidel Edwards now, and should play Chaminda Vaas, who is warming the bench. Rohit Sharma has been the surprise package with his bowling, while RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha have been outstanding.
Punjab Kings XI: Yuvraj Singh is having an excellent tournament, both with bat and ball, but his team has underachieved till now. With Brett Lee back now, they have added some potency to their thin bowling resources, but the batting looks very classy, with Kumar Sangakarra and Mahela Jayewardena looking sublime when on song. Simon Katich needs to get going and Irfan Pathan needs to do more with both bat and ball. Piyush Chawla and Romesh Powar have not enjoyed the kind of success that spinners from other teams have.
Mumbai Indians: Any team with Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya in the ranks should have been near the top of the table. In one match they were outstanding together, but both stars have sparkled only intermittently overall. Captaincy seems to have bogged Tendulkar down a bit, but with JP Duminy and now Ajinkya Rahane in superb touch, they still have a chance! Harbhajan Singh seems to have rediscovered his rhythm too, but they need Lasith Malinga to keep on slinging with telling effect and they need more contribution from Dwayne Bravo and their Indian talent like Abhishek Nayar and Chaitanya Nanda.
Bangalore Royal Challengers: Vijay Mallya’s team has shone in patches but is still second last on the table, like last year! Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble have put in some fine performances for them, but Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher need to do more. Their pace bowling looks week, with Kallis and Vinay Kumar being military-medium only. Mark Boucher is batting too low down the order, as is Rahul Dravid. They need to keep playing with the same fire that they showed in the first two matches after Kumble took over as skipper.
Kolkata Knight Riders: A pitiable performance by a very talented team. They have won only one match out of ten, and should now look only to redeem their pride. Ganguly needs to be given a bigger say on the field instead of cooling his heels at sweeper-cover! Brendan McCullum has let captaincy clog his mind so much that he looks only a fraction of the batsman he actually is. Ishant Sharma has been inconsistent, as has Ajit Agarkar. Murali Kartik has looked a bit dazed at times. With Chris Gayle gone, and Brad Hodge having slowed down, they are looking even weaker now than when they started off.
All in all, the teams with consistent performances and contributions from the lesser known players are more likely to go through to the last four. At this stage, Chennai and Delhi look sure to make it while Punjab, Deccan, Rajasthan and Mumbai will battle it out for the remaining two slots. Let’s look forward to some more last-over finales and a photo finish race for the semis!
Sanath Jayasuriya has rightly stated in his column that this competition is even more intense (though obviously not as prestigious) than the ICC T-20 World Cup. While top teams get some easy games in the World Cup, with Bangladesh and Zimbabwe around, the IPL teams are all top drawer.
What has separated the men from the boys is the team-work on display as also the management skills on offer. Clearly, teams like the Rajasthan Royals have benefitted from a highly professional approach under the tutelage of the wily old fox Shane Warne, while some comical gaffes by John Buchanan, the Kolkata Knight Riders coach, have left them hopelessly at the bottom of the pit. Kolkata must be wishing that Sourav Ganguly had been given charge of the team and not ‘Mr’ Buchanan, who seems to have done inexorable damage to his erstwhile reputation as the brilliant coach of an all conquering Australian team.
The plusses and minuses of the teams look like this at the moment-
Chennai Super Kings: Brilliant batting led by Matthew Hayden who is looks to be miles ahead of everyone else in the competition. Suresh Raina has been magnificent too, and a certain Mr Dhoni is coming into his own now. Their spin bowling is looking good too- Muralidharan and Jakati make a formidable pair. The pace bowling looks shaky though, despite the presence of Albie Morkel and Jacob Oram. Their fielding is atrocious!
Delhi Daredevils: The best team on view thus far. Excellent batting by AB De Villiers and Tillakeratne Dilshan has not let the team feel the absence of Virender Sehwag and the iffy form of Gautam Gambhir. David Warner has been explosive. Tight bowling by Dirk Nannes (who’s keeping Glenn McGrath out!), Pradeep Sangwan and the resurgent Ashish Nehra has kept them on top. Amit Mishra has been so good that Daniel Vettori is on the bench!
Rajasthan Royals: They have not quite reproduced the magic of last year, and are missing Shane Watson badly. However Mr Warne has been sensational as skipper once again, and not bad with his leg spinners either! Yusuf Pathan continues to be their match winner. Graeme Smith and Naman Ojha will have to show consistency as will the all rounder Ravinder Jadeja if they are to make the last four. Munaf Patel looks a bit too ineffective this time.
Deccan Chargers: Last year’s wooden spoon finishers topped the table after the first four matches and despite some losses, are a formidable force. They could go all the way! Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma have been powerful and prolific, but need to keep going till the very end of the event. They are missing the fiery Fidel Edwards now, and should play Chaminda Vaas, who is warming the bench. Rohit Sharma has been the surprise package with his bowling, while RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha have been outstanding.
Punjab Kings XI: Yuvraj Singh is having an excellent tournament, both with bat and ball, but his team has underachieved till now. With Brett Lee back now, they have added some potency to their thin bowling resources, but the batting looks very classy, with Kumar Sangakarra and Mahela Jayewardena looking sublime when on song. Simon Katich needs to get going and Irfan Pathan needs to do more with both bat and ball. Piyush Chawla and Romesh Powar have not enjoyed the kind of success that spinners from other teams have.
Mumbai Indians: Any team with Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya in the ranks should have been near the top of the table. In one match they were outstanding together, but both stars have sparkled only intermittently overall. Captaincy seems to have bogged Tendulkar down a bit, but with JP Duminy and now Ajinkya Rahane in superb touch, they still have a chance! Harbhajan Singh seems to have rediscovered his rhythm too, but they need Lasith Malinga to keep on slinging with telling effect and they need more contribution from Dwayne Bravo and their Indian talent like Abhishek Nayar and Chaitanya Nanda.
Bangalore Royal Challengers: Vijay Mallya’s team has shone in patches but is still second last on the table, like last year! Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble have put in some fine performances for them, but Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher need to do more. Their pace bowling looks week, with Kallis and Vinay Kumar being military-medium only. Mark Boucher is batting too low down the order, as is Rahul Dravid. They need to keep playing with the same fire that they showed in the first two matches after Kumble took over as skipper.
Kolkata Knight Riders: A pitiable performance by a very talented team. They have won only one match out of ten, and should now look only to redeem their pride. Ganguly needs to be given a bigger say on the field instead of cooling his heels at sweeper-cover! Brendan McCullum has let captaincy clog his mind so much that he looks only a fraction of the batsman he actually is. Ishant Sharma has been inconsistent, as has Ajit Agarkar. Murali Kartik has looked a bit dazed at times. With Chris Gayle gone, and Brad Hodge having slowed down, they are looking even weaker now than when they started off.
All in all, the teams with consistent performances and contributions from the lesser known players are more likely to go through to the last four. At this stage, Chennai and Delhi look sure to make it while Punjab, Deccan, Rajasthan and Mumbai will battle it out for the remaining two slots. Let’s look forward to some more last-over finales and a photo finish race for the semis!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Spinning some magic… IPL2- Days 2,3 by Vivek Atray
The Royal Challengers of Bangalore scaled ecstatic heights and then plunged into the depths of despair as they first outclassed the Rajasthan Royals and then crashed to defeat against the Chennai Super Kings, as IPL’s season 2 warmed up in exciting fashion.
Kevin Pieterson’s team was totally outclassed by MS Dhoni’s men who had themselves been outsmarted by the Mumbai Indians in the first match of the season.
What has emerged from the games on show till now is that matches this year may be relatively low scoring and the bowlers may seem to be on top, but the cricket on display would certainly be just as engrossing as last year.
Destructive batsmen like Virender Sehwag, Matthew Hayden and Yuvraj Singh haven’t played record breaking innings yet, but they have shown some glimpses of their firepower. Magicians like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid have played a match-winning knock each and are looking good for more.
Wily spinners Anil Kumble, Shane Warne, Mutthiah Muralidharan and Daniel Vettori have been the flavour of the season though. They have all mesmerized batsmen with their varied talents and have proved that the magic of spin is hale and hearty in this 20-20 era!
Rain may yet play a significant part in this South African edition of the event, and well placed teams might suddenly find that the Duckworth-Lewis system puts them out of the reckoning!
Will we see the first super-over ending in this competition? My guess is that last over finishes will be likely as the tournament progresses and we could see some tied finishes. Mouth watering stuff awaits us at IPL 2!
Kevin Pieterson’s team was totally outclassed by MS Dhoni’s men who had themselves been outsmarted by the Mumbai Indians in the first match of the season.
What has emerged from the games on show till now is that matches this year may be relatively low scoring and the bowlers may seem to be on top, but the cricket on display would certainly be just as engrossing as last year.
Destructive batsmen like Virender Sehwag, Matthew Hayden and Yuvraj Singh haven’t played record breaking innings yet, but they have shown some glimpses of their firepower. Magicians like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid have played a match-winning knock each and are looking good for more.
Wily spinners Anil Kumble, Shane Warne, Mutthiah Muralidharan and Daniel Vettori have been the flavour of the season though. They have all mesmerized batsmen with their varied talents and have proved that the magic of spin is hale and hearty in this 20-20 era!
Rain may yet play a significant part in this South African edition of the event, and well placed teams might suddenly find that the Duckworth-Lewis system puts them out of the reckoning!
Will we see the first super-over ending in this competition? My guess is that last over finishes will be likely as the tournament progresses and we could see some tied finishes. Mouth watering stuff awaits us at IPL 2!
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