The ‘Matara’ Mauler

Jayasuriya tore apart, decimated, demolished [insert cliche here] the Chennai Superkings’ attack yesterday.

A huge gathering turned out to watch Sachin play his first game of the tournament. What they got instead was a treat from the ‘Matara’ mauler.

Jayasuriya was a failure in the whole series. The last thing I would have expected him to do was to strike form against the team I support, the Superkings.

This was also the very first time in my life when i didn’t want Tendulkar to score. A different feeling it was!

The Superkings batted poorly upfront. Stephen Fleming looked out of sorts and the other batsmen could not counter the movement the pitch offered.

No doubt the Indians capitulate when there is some assistance from the pitch!

A late flourish from Badrinath and Dhoni took Superkings to a competitive total of 157.

When Jayasuriya plays like we have known him to, no target is sufficient.

A party pooper!

Shoaib Akhtar and Chucking

Shoaib Akhtar decimated the Delhi Daredevils top order yesterday.

He was literally unplayable in that spell.

He worked up speeds upto 151 Kmph consistently.

Still, he chucks.

And i don’t appreciate that.

I don’t agree when players suspected for fraudulent bowling actions rectify it in the closed confines of the tribunal.

Which means someone like Shoaib can rectify his bowling action just to pass the test and then return to International cricket and continue bowling with a suspect action.

If someone like a Darrell Hair reports it, he will be termed as a racist.

Pakistan might also boycott the match unless Darrell Hair steps down.

The ICC has to come up with stringent measures to discourage chucking in International cricket.

Its a pity to see that the same country that produced Imran, Wasim and Waqar produced a Shoaib too.

And Shoaib has to realise that it is his bowling action that is causing the recurrent injuries.

J Rod writes about another chucker here.

UPDATE: David attributes Shoaib’s problem to hyperextension and not chucking. You can read about chucking in detail here.

Misconceptions

There are two common misconceptions in T20 cricket.

1) Technically sound batsmen can adapt to any form of Cricket.

Not always true. The Bangalore Royal Challengers are the best possible example. Dravid, Kallis, Chanderpaul and Jaffer can bat to eternity to save a test match. However, none of them have been able to do well in T20.

2) A team packed with hard-hitting batsmen will be a success in T20 cricket.

Not always true. The Deccan Chargers are the best possible example. Gilchrist, Gibbs, Styris and Afridi can individually take a game away from the opposition on their day. But they have not managed it till now.

In fact, the teams with not-so-famous (but utilitarian) cricketers have been winning consistently.

Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Superkings have managed to win with all-round team performances instead of relying heavily on one ‘impact’ player.

In the news

Interesting things have happened in the last week.

1. The Nanavati Commission report has found Harbhajan guilty of slapping Sreesanth.

That’s wonderful. Now slap him with a 5 year ban in addition to the 11 match IPL ban.

2. “Harbhajan has been unmasked” says Ricky Ponting.

Mr. Punter is right. I already held him guilty and demanded his ouster. Its now time for his supporters to get to know the original face of this brat.

3. Kapil Dev laments: “I don’t think you will ever get a player like Sunil Gavaskar or Rahul Dravid now. You will get lot of these Twenty20 players, more of the (Virender) Sehwag and (MS) Dhoni variety” in The Hindu.

I agree with Kapil. He has concurs with my view. But then, we thought you were the Chairman of the Executive board of the ICL, another T20 event Mr. Kapil. Did you breed future Gavaskars and Dravids in the ICL? Your blaming IPL alone shows you are a hypocrite!

4. Flintoff picks up a side strain.

Just as we thought he is all set to get back to his very best, he gets ruled out of the first two test matches against New Zealand. His batting form since his comeback has been very ordinary with three consecutive ducks. But his bowling has been good enough that he can play solely as a bowler. Stuart Law, Flintoff’s Lancashire mate, has a similar opinion.

5. Lakshmipathy Balaji’s hattrick sends Kings XI crashing.

For someone who was the spearhead of the Indian attack two years ago, Balaji lapsed into obscurity soon after. A recurrent injury and the regional bias of the selectors did not help his comeback to domestic/international cricket. I am really happy for him. Though he has lost his pace, his subtle variations did the trick for Chennai. That Balaji is only 26, he still has some international cricket left in him. I wish him a speedy recovery.

And finally, this piece in the Business Line explains the financial levers of the IPL.

Kolkata and Unsportive behaviour

Kolkata played Bangalore at home in the IPL match yesterday. Kolkata narrowly managed to win and they owe Rahul Dravid a debt of gratitude. He batted for Kolkata and ensured that the match was way beyond the grasp of the Royal Challengers when he left the crease.

As always, the capacity crowd loudly cheered every single run scored, every wicket taken and every brilliant stop in the field effected by the Knight Riders.

As usual, none of those cheers were heard when the opposition hit a boundary or picked a wicket.

The biased shithead Arun Lal (with absolutely no cricket record to boast of) hails from Kolkata. He claims that the cricket suporters in Kolkata are knowledgeable cricket loving group.

It was the same ‘cricket loving’ Kolkata crowd that hurled glass bottles at the Sri Lankans when India went on to lose the semi-final of the 1996 world cup.

It was the same ‘cricket loving’ Kolkata crowd that went on a rampage and burnt effigies of Greg Chappell when an out-of-form Ganguly was shown the doors.

It was the same ‘cricket loving’ Kolkata crowd that supported the South African team in an ODI against an Indian team that played without Ganguly.

It is the same Kolkata that contains some cricket fanatics that put their regional interests above the interests of the nation.

Birthday Post

I decided to mine for information on cricketers who share my birthday. This is what i managed to unearth:

May 8, 1970: Michael Bevan, Australian, Left hand batsman and Left arm Chinaman bowler. He was the mainstay of the Australian middle order for a long time. He was widely regarded as one of the finest ODI batsman in the world for his ability to see out a match, and his phenomenal average. He played 232 ODI matches for Australia, and was a part of the 1999 and 2003 teams that won the World Cup.

May 8, 1961: Riaz Poonawalla, UAE, Right Hand batsman and Right arm off break bowler. Poonawala started his first-class cricket career playing for his native Maharashtra for whom he played 28 games between 1982-83 and 1987-88. He later emigrated to the United Arab Emirates for whom he played in the 1994 ICC Trophy. Poonawala also competed in two One Day Internationals in the 1994 Pepsi Austral-Asia Cup.

May 8, 1942: Robin Hobbs, England, Leg-spinner, Played in 7 Tests from 1967 to 1971. He still bowls for local club Hutton CC. He was the last English leg spin bowler to take 1000 first class wickets. His century in 44 minutes for Essex against Australians in 1975 is one of the fastest first-class centuries ever scored.

May 8, 1938: Javed Burki, Pakistan, Right hand bat and Right arm medium bowler, Played in 25 Tests from 1960-69. Javed Burki is the cousin of Imran Khan and also Majid Khan. He is the son of Wajid Ali Burki (Retired Army General) who was a minister in the Pakistan government in 1960s, same time his son was made captain of Pakistan Cricket team.

May 8, 1902: Milford Laurenson “Curly” Page, New Zealand, Right hand batsman and Right arm slow bowler, Played in the early 1930’s for New Zealand and Canterbury. He was New Zealand’s second Test captain, and captained 7 of the Tests in which he played. Page also played half-back for the All Blacks in the third Test against New South Wales in 1928 at Christchurch.

May 8, 1873: Henry Leveson-Gower, England, Captained them from 1909-10, Later became an official.

It was also on May 8, 1896 when Yorkshire amassed 887 runs against Warwickshire in a county match.

Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers

It is hard to back a side when your favourite cricketers represent different franchises.

Since i hail from Chennai, i have to support the Super Kings (though there are very few from Chennai playing in it).

Now that they have lost two matches in quick succession, this match turns out to be extremely crucial for them.

The chargers have got Gilly. And isn’t that sufficient enough to support them?

Moreover, they are languishing at the No:8 spot in the rankings. They desperately need to win to keep their hopes alive.

The dilemma continues…

Pick me or I retire

“Pick me or I retire” says Steven Harmison to the England selectors.

This is shit.

He has been given enough chances to prove himself. He has miserably failed on each occassion.

Now that he hasn’t had a good run in the recent past to stake a claim in the side, he has resorted to blackmail.

He can’t let his bowling do the talking anymore. This is the last (and the only) option left with him to get back into the International side.

England has good bowlers in Sidey, Anderson and Hoggy. There is no need for the selectors to consider Harmy.

Should he miss out, J’ rod has a few job suggestions for Harmy here.

Eating my hat

Gautam Gambhir made me eat my words.

While i was advocating that his technique is only good enough to score twenties and thirties, he has made three back-to-back fifties in the IPL. He’s going strong to claim the prestigious ‘Orange’ cap.

Sehwag said in a recent interview that he liked playing test cricket more than LOI cricket. While i was thinking that the statement was to paper his dismal ODI performance in Australia, he surprises me with his consistent run in the IPL.

One thing is for sure. I am no good as a Punter.

But then, I would be happy if Sehwag and Gambhir could do consistently well in International cricket as well.

History of ODI Cricket - Factbox

Factbox on one-day cricket since the 65 overs-a-side Gillette Cup was introduced in England in 1963

1963
Sussex, under England captain Ted Dexter, win the first Gillette Cup. They retain the trophy, now reduced to 60 overs, in 1964.

1969
The Sunday league is introduced in England comprising 40 overs a side with restricted bowlers’ runups.

1971
Australia and England stage the first one-day international after the opening three days of the Melbourne test are rained off. Australia win by five wickets in a 40 eight-ball overs match.

1975
England stage the first World Cup with two qualifying groups of four played over 60 overs. West Indies beat Australia by 92 runs in the final.

1977-8
Under Kerry Packer’s rebel world series from 1977-79, day-night cricket, a white ball, coloured clothing and fielding restrictions are introduced. The innovations are used in the annual Tri-nations series staged in Australia from 1980.

1987
The now standard 50-overs format is employed at the World Cup in India and Pakistan because of shorter daylight hours outside England. Neutral umpires are used for the first time.

1992
Coloured clothing, white balls, floodlights and a refined fielding restrictions rule, allowing only two men outside the 30-metre circle in the first 15 overs, are introduced at the 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

2005
Super-sub rule introduced under which the 12th man can bat or bowl in place of one of the original 11. It is withdrawn in the following year.

Power plays are introduced before the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, obliging the fielding captain to nominate two five-over spells after the first 10 when fielding restrictions will be applied. The teams must compulsorily have two catching positions in the first 10 overs. Three fielders are allowed outside the 15-yard circle for Powerplays 2 and 3.