oCricket Articles

Ashes Diary - IX

suneer_chowdhary — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:44:05 +0000

Bull-headed focus or unnecessary stubbornness?

I am probably not as famous as Tony Greig. In any case, my word does not hold as much ground as the former captain’s, and I am not sure whether Messr Ricky Ponting would even bother to read this garb; as he had so glibly put a lid to the illegal bookie controversy by making it clear that he had ‘other important things to think about.’ Had I been Greig, the captain may have even cheekily questioned my wisdom, akin to that infamous Sydney test match in 2007–08, when Greig had criticised Ponting’s decision to declare quite late. In reply, at the end of the game, Ponting had nudged Adam Gilchrist in an interview to ask Greig whether the decision was correct or no!

Yet, I would like to push my neck out of my body vertical little and question his – and his crony selectors’ – decision to go ahead without a frontline tweaker in the playing eleven at Oval. The reason is quite simple; none of the following boxes allow a tick in front of them. Are the four speedsters an equivalent of the almost life-threatening West Indian quartet? Is the track so full of green that could entice Roger Federer into calling for a shift of venue for the Wimbledon? Is the pitch so rocky and tough that the head groundsman at WACA could learn a few tricks? Does the wicket possess so much moisture in it that the drought problem that has besieged most parts of India could be solved? Were the overhead conditions so windy that it could have given ‘Katrina-the Typhoon’a run for its money?

Then, one can only infer that it is about the fear of shuffling around with a combination that had earned the Aussies a win, something that hasn’t been as commonplace as during the times of the McGraths and Warnes of the world. And that strategy, to me, looks seeped in a risk which could be compared with winning the toss and electing to field first because the openers have been struggling through the series.

Trott will be under pressure: Ponting, Hussey & co. (yawn):

It began with the Bradman-turned-Chris-Martin Michael Hussey calling for Ashes being a pressure-cooker-like situation to be making his debut, and was followed by another step towards the direction of their favourite pastime called ‘mental disintegration’, when Ponting spoke about England’s desperation in getting Jonathin Trott into the side.

Dudes, the tactics worked when you possessed a rich list of line-up who could hurl and curl the cherry well enough to provide cover to your lip-service, but things have drastically turned around. It would be great if you could try something different, to try and scare someone away, even one making his debut. Oh yes, he will be under pressure, but not as much you, Mr. Captain, given that a failure for the Warwickshire lad could probably be attributed to his debut, but for you, a failure would most certainly assist the selectors in bidding your captain’s hat a goodbye.

And yes, I am still surprised you have decided to go ahead without a spinner!

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England need to stick to basics

reninwilben — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:24:09 +0000

So here we are. After a number of hits and misses, England and Australia are locked at one game each as we go into the decider at The Oval. The series began with Australia missing out on a fantastic opportunity to claim the early lead in the opener followed by a great comeback by England at Lord’s, only for them to surrender the advantage at Leeds without a fight. Up until then, they had dominated the series. But a creepy dose of overconfidence got the better of them and now they find themselves on the back foot as they look for resurrection. With virtue of having clamped England 5–0 in 2007, Australia do not need a result to reclaim the Ashes. And thus it will be the Poms who have to make all the running.

First and foremost it is most essential that England get back to doing the basics right. This is where they excelled at Cardiff under pressure but floundered at Leeds. Their batsmen kept poking and prodding and never looked settled. Of course, the quartet of Johnson, Siddle, Clark and Hilfenhaus bowled exceedingly well and caused plenty of trouble. But as the Australian batters and the England lower-order themselves, in the second innings, proved, the pitch was not unplayable. That though is history now and the Englishmen need to start all over again.

The pitch at The Oval is expected to be a sporting one and should reward hard work put in by both batsmen and bowlers, depending on what they want to get out of it. It is thus essential that England start well on both counts. Openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook as well as new-ball bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad must take up additional responsibility to ensure the same else England would find themselves in deep trouble. As it is, they are unsure about their combination. The thought process of including either Steve Harmison or Monty Panesar or both sounds like playing with fire. Neither has shown the consistency or potency required at the big stage lately and England would be better advised to stick with their performing though under-rated players like Graham Onions and Broad.

The two big changes for the hosts would be the return of talisman Andrew Flintoff for his final dash at Test cricket glory and the inclusion of debutant Jonathan Trott in place of Ravi Bopara, who had a miserable four Tests and learnt a thing or two about Test cricket than he could not discover in the Caribbean. As any cricketer playing his farewell Test, Flintoff too would like to go out on a high but, like many others, he too has to make sure that the occasion does not get the better of him. In a different sense, Trott has to do the same. That said, he should not place excessive pressure on himself to do well. Easier said than done though.

While the Englishmen have a lot of musings to mull over, Australia only need to carry on from where they finished at Headingley. The one perceptible change could be the comeback of paceman Brett Lee. However, that too seems a distant possibility considering the success of the four-pronged pace attack. On the other hand, if Australia decide to test out what Nathan Hauritz has picked up from Saqlain Mushtaq, it would mean Stuart Clark will have to sit out. This again is unadvisable as Clark had been one of the prime factors of Australia’s revival in the last Test.

There aren’t too many qualms for the Aussies in the batting department. But how dearly they would love Michael Hussey to get a hundred and proper the side to another Ashes victory. Seems wishful thinking at the moment, however in cricket you just never know. Like England, the only thing that can get the better of Australia from hereon is arrogance, of which they have been guilty of in the past – assuming the Englishmen don’t come up with something sensational. The Ashes isn’t the right place to exhibit it and the players will be aware of it.

Everything’s at stake for both teams and, unless weather intervenes, we should look forward to an intriguing finale.

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The Match Fixing Saga Reaches Australia

Aekay — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:29:04 +0000

A file has been reported by the Australian management with the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit. This has developed after a player from the Australian team was loomed by a man who had “suspected” links with illegal match-fixing. According to Cricinfo, reports suggest that the approach was initiated at the team’s residing hotel, inside the bar of the London hotel, The Royal Kensington garden immediately after Australia’s historical defeat at Lords.

The player immediately complained to the officials and subsequently, the team manager – Steve Bernard filed a report to the ASCU. This matter is under investigation at the moment. There is no substantial evidence of the player for doing anything wrong, and has in fact been praised by a senior official in the ICC for his quick treatment – The ASCU educates players to do just exactly.

Sources from the Australian team as well as the ICC explained the approaching of such a bookie to international players was “concerning” and revealed that the book makers are back in the fold – to a higher exposure. According to the Chairman of the ACSU: the biggest threat for corruption within the great game of cricket lay in the twenty20 format.

The ASCU is thoroughly investigating further approaches by bookmakers with other players, or any conduits performing on behalf during the ICC World Twenty20 Tournament held in England earlier this season. According to a source, the ASCU has been well advanced in investigating such occurrences.

There is a rising concern that the illegal book makers are fluttering around team hotels and cricket venues to control matches according to their own will. After the 2000 debacle of Hansie Cronje and Mohammed Azharuddin’s sacking – the ASCU has tried to do their best in preventing any direct contact from bookmakers with the players.

“This shows that our education programme is working,” an ICC spokesman told the Telegraph. “The player who was approached reported it straight away. We have the policies in place to try to ensure that we never go back to the times we were at a decade or so ago.” The spokesman was also quoted by Times as saying that the ACSU “was content that all the World Twenty20 matches were clean”.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, an anonymous report from an ICC official claimed that cricket was once again under major threat of illegal activities being involved. It stated: “Those in charge in the ICC understand that Twenty20 cricket has the danger of going back to the bad old days.”

After such major developments in match fixing scandals, Lalit Modi finally decided to recruit the ASCU for the third edition of the IPL – paying them 1.2 Million dollars.

Pakistan were also involved in being contacted with match fixing bookies, but after thorough investigation, the ICC chief finally announced that “there was absolutely no substance of corruption within the Pakistan team”

“The ICC and its members have a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and rightly so because the integrity of our sport with its spirit is one of its greatest assets,” Lorgat said. “On that basis it is entirely appropriate that any suggestions in relation to that subject are always reported to and properly investigated by the ACSU. I am pleased those investigations have indicated nothing untoward has taken place on this occasion but it is a reminder that all of us – players, officials and supporters – must maintain our vigilance to ensure we remain on top of the issue of corruption.”

Cricket’s recent occurrences with bookmakers have divulged since February 2007 where Marlon Samuels was caught giving out disclosed team information to a bookie. In October 2008, two ICL players were suspended for match fixing. On the 9th of July 2009 the Pakistani players complained bookies trying to reach them. And now finally in August 2009 – a player has once again been approached by a bookie. This only shows that the ghosts of yesterday who destroyed the brilliance of irreplaceable players like Salim Malik, Hansie Cronjie and Mohammed Azharuddin still haunt cricket today.

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$5 million bailout for giving the tournament a miss?

suneer_chowdhary — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:49:44 +0000

In rather startling news, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has offered the owners of the two Indian franchises which had made it to the finals of the IPL, 2008, a financial package of $5 million each. That equates to around 22 crores of rupees to Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for, unbelievably, doing absolutely nothing!

So, did the owners of the Chennai Super Kings or the Rajasthan Royals file for bankruptcy? As I see it, the performance of both the franchises, India Cements and Emerging Media hasn’t been anywhere close to being offered assistance by the government, and certainly not by the BCCI! One may argue that the sum of $10 million may be small change for a cricket body which is valued at more than $3 billion by some sources. Some others may talk about it being legal, given that the BCCI has only invoked a clause mentioned in the contractual document inked between all and sundry that allows the respective boards to dish out an amount which they deem it fit in case of a cancellation.

Yet, the basic question that the critics – or even the fans – would need an answer to is probably not about why the compensation; though that too could be debated. It lies in the figure itself. The compensation has been offered as a part of the cancellation of a tournament in 2008, which had assured a guarantee money of $500,000 for all the eight teams, with the winner of the tournament being awarded $3 million. One needs to check the rule books about whether the guarantee money was said to be over and above the winners’ cheque, but even if that were to be the case, the sum that any side could have taken away from the tournament would have been $3.5 million.

Even if one were to add the prevailing simple interest rates then of around 10% per annum, my mathematics tells me that the total sum comes to not more than $4 million. And lest someone forgets, that is to not feature in the tournament, not hold the bat or the ball, and probably to handle not more than a little marketing and promotion before the tournament. The overall costs that the franchises may have had to face would not have been more than a lowly six-figure mark, at the very outside of one’s imagination.

Yet, the BCCI has agreed to pay out $5 million! One does not even have the exact details of how much of it would be pursed by the players themselves, but my sense is that most of it will be pocketed by the owners. After all, the players had not even begun practicing when the tournament had had been called off! It certainly has been rather unheard of, and baffles me to a large extent.

It may just be pertinent to note that the owner of at least one of the two sides to have been offered the money is a part of the BCCI as well as the IPL and Champions League governing committee. And only recently had he increased his holding in the company by buying out the shares belonging to a family member! It could all probably be unrelated, and yet, it is hard to believe that there isn’t a clash of interest in this particular case of the franchise owner and the board member being the same entity.

Even without alluding this particular case in question, it would rather simple for fingers to be pointed out on a regular basis against the BCCI if the financial benefits continue to be delivered as freebies for reasons which are rather beyond the fathomable.

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"The most important test of my life," - Ricky Ponting

Aekay — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:49:05 +0000

Ricky Ponting is no exaggerator – so when he claims the upcoming Ashes final at the oval as his most important test match in life, you have to take it seriously. The batsman is the highest run getter in Australian test cricket – and ranks amongst the list of the highest run getters in all time Test cricket.

Ricky Ponting declared this in a column, stating how he endured the depression and pain of losing the Ashes back in 2005 – and that he would use it as a positive motivation this time up. He also suggested reverse swing could play a vital role at the oval.

But what’s most important is the fact that Ricky Ponting is taking this Ashes series larger than life. It holds great personal significance for the veteran. Imagine the most important test match for a man, who has been batting day and day out around the globe for the past fourteen years, who’s won three world cups in a row – white washed England at home in the Ashes in the previous edition, has played over 135 test matches: He regards the upcoming Oval test match has the most important he’s ever played. And I think there’s a factor behind this. One of the many reasons is the booing of the English crowd. Ricky is a fighter – he’s called the punter and maybe that urges him to show the public he’s not the right person to be boo’d at. The second reason could be the posters all across United Kingdom, which mock Ricky Ponting and his side claiming they’ll lose the Ashes this summer. In the poster Ricky Ponting almost looks like a cartoon, with his facial features being mocked by the cartoonist.

“I have played in 135 Test matches but never played in a match as big as this one,” Ponting wrote. “There is nothing bigger than playing a deciding Test in an Ashes series, and you have to grab these moments when they present themselves because you may never experience such a match ever again.
“That kind of excitement adds a bit of zip to your training and when that starts happening it generally spills over into the week of the game. There has been a very positive feel about our training during the last couple of days. We enjoyed a few days of rest in Leeds but since arriving in Canterbury we have trained very hard and I’m happy with where we are at the moment.”
Previously, Ricky Ponting never admitted the 2005 Ashes defeat hurt him – but ever since Australia’s major turnaround’s been revealed – Punter’s talked a lot more about it. He says he still remembers Michael Vaughan holding the Ashes urn, and that is a sight he cannot forget.

“The only motivation I need this week is the memory of having to search out Michael Vaughan, congratulate him and shake hands at the end of the Ashes series of four years ago,” he wrote. “We were off the field when we lost the match due to bad light and the fact that we never had a chance to have a crack at chasing down our target left a bitter taste in the mouth.

“I also remember we made sure we stood outside and watched the ticker tape, the popping of champagne corks and the fireworks. We made sure we took it all in to make us better and stronger for the next time we played in 2006–07. But heading to The Oval this week it is clear that roles have been reversed completely since 2005.
“Then we were the team facing questions over selection. They had a settled line-up and just come off a victory in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge. Now it is us who have the momentum gained from comprehensively winning at Headingley. We are comfortable with what we have achieved in the last Test-and-a-half.”

With Brett Lee coming back in to the side – according to many cricket analysts, Ricky Ponting has kept a fifty percent probability of the world’s fastest bowler’s comeback. Nevertheless, Reverse swing may play a major role at the oval – which could eventually decide the conclusion of one of the most exciting and breath taking Ashes tournaments ever played – adding to that Brett Lee is a veteran at reverse swing, and with his pace… he could only prove to be lethal – if given the right body language and frame of mind. The paceman is working very hard to get into the side, and he bowled well at Worcester, reverse swinging the ball.

“In 2005 reverse swing dominated the series. This year it has probably been a damper summer and we have only seen conventional swing. The Oval is the one ground where that may change, especially if we have a dry, hot week.”

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Lanka favourites, but Kiwis have nothing to lose

reninwilben — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:45:22 +0000

Sri Lanka Vs New Zealand has never been a high-key affair. And nothing has changed over the years. Still, fans of both teams would hope for some excitement as the latest Test series between the two sides starts this Tuesday. Considering the vast amount of inexperience in the Kiwi squad, the home side would be expected to canter along without much trouble. However, New Zealanders are known to produce fighting cricket and don’t be surprised if they end up ruffling a few feathers in the Lankan camp even with the current set of players.

The major advantage Sri Lanka have over New Zealand apart from the fact that they will be playing at home is that they have a well-balanced and experienced line-up. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara along with former captain Mahela Jayawardene will hold the key to their batting fortunes. Both were in sublime form with the bat against Pakistan and will need to continue from where they left against their Asian rivals. While the responsibility of captaincy has slipped in perfectly into Sangakkara’s hands, Mahela has been a relieved man since relinquishing the post. Either ways, it has been Lankan cricket that has benefited the most. New Zealanders will be extremely wary of the duo as they prepare for their toughest challenge in recent times.

Another key positive for Lanka has been the re-birth of Tillakaratne Dilshan as an opener. He has made the transition from being a middle-order batsman successfully in the shorter format. And now he has to prove himself in the longer version. Considering his magical run of form in 2009, there is no reason why he shouldn’t succeed. But Lanka need the less experienced guys to fire too. Dilshan’s opening partner Tharanga Paranavitana has done well in his short stint so far and just needs to carry on. Thilan Samaraweera has made the number five position his own with his consistent, match-winning efforts over the years. His presence out in the middle is crucial for Lanka to build up a huge total. Angelo Matthews and Prasanna Jayawardene aren’t bad options either to fill in the all-rounders’ slots.

The scene is even rosier for the home side when it comes to the bowling aspect of things. Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara are possibly at their best, making the ball move at will. The left-hand, right-hand combination will only make the task doubly difficult for the batsmen. And while Muttiah Muralitharan will make his anticipated comeback, Rangana Herath’s notable returns against Pakistan means he will justifying hang on to the second spinner’s slot ahead of the floundering Ajantha Mendis. One can claim that the Lankans might have been set back by the late losses to Pakistan, but it shouldn’t be at the back of their minds as they take on the Kiwis.

Even as Sri Lanka will go in confident of ending victorious, the visitors have nothing to lose. Like always, the underdogs tag should suit them aptly. However, don’t write them off completely. In skipper Daniel Vettori, they unarguably have the best left-arm spinner in the world and, in Brendon McCullum, one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen (leave behind the IPL). Further, there are explosive talents like Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor, who would like to prove their versatility but succeeding in this part of the world. Apart from the above duo, this tour will also be a great learning curve for the likes of Tim McIntosh, Martin Guptill and Daniel Flynn.

New Zealand’s best chance of creating an upset would arrive if their bowlers manage to move the ball. At Galle, the red cherry generally tends to go off the seam. So if Chris Martin, Iain O’Brien and Daryl Tuffey (if selected) are successful in upsetting the opposition batsmen’s rhythm, the Kiwis can make an impression. Additionally, they also have Jacob Oram who, if not injured, can contribute with both ball and bat. Finally, there is also Jeetan Patel whose off-spin should come in handy and provide some much-needed support for Vettori.

Despite the positives, it will be a tough ride for New Zealand. But the result notwithstanding, New Zealand will return home as an improved cricket team.

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IPL Season III – The Specifics

baxiabhishek — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:26:59 +0000

As was announced last week, the third edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) will run from March 12 to April 25, 2010 – five days before the World Twenty20 kicks off in West Indies. Both semi-final matches will be held in Bangalore while the venue of the final hasn’t been fixed as yet. The transfer window for IPL Season 3 would open on December 15, 2009 and close on January 5, 2010.

The third edition would have four new venues introduced – Nagpur, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad, and Dharamsala – hosting some fixtures of the Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals, and Kings XI Punjab, respectively. The third edition would feature one game extra from last edition’s 59 with a third-place playoff between the losing semi-finalists.

The next edition would also see the reduction in the ‘strategic timeout’ from seven-and-a-half minutes to five. The mandatory timeout will be split into two breaks of equal length with the bowling team opting for it between overs 6–10, and the batting team allowed to choose between overs 11–16.

IPL Season 3 also looks good for the former Indian Cricket League (ICL) players who are set to participate at the IPL pending BCCI‘s formal approval. However, their payout could be considerably less than many of their franchise teammates. Domestic players from India will be plaid INR 8–20 lakh while international players will be made available through the auction.

For the third edition, the IPL will also make use of the services of the ICC‘s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). ACSU has also been drafted for the upcoming Champions League in October.

The IPL governing council has also decided to add two new franchises to the league from the fourth edition in 2011.The auction for the same would be held in January 2010, while the player auctions for fourth edition would be held in the summer of 2010. The addition of two teams would also expand the tournament from 60 games to 94. Also, for the fourth edition, the salary cap would be revised and the ‘icon player’ concept will be done away with.

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Rohit should learn from Kambli’s example

reninwilben — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:48:48 +0000

It was an extraordinary coincidence that Rohit Sharma was dropped from the Indian one-day team on a day when former India cricketer Vinod Kambli finally announced his much-delayed international retirement. While the two have never played together, there are a few parallels that can be drawn between Kambli and Sharma. Both have represented Mumbai with distinction and while Kambli was a dazzling talent during his heyday, so is Sharma currently. But the elegant right-hander would hope that comparison ends here as we all know what transpired in Kambli’s case. And thus, he would do well to learn from his recent mistakes and keep Kambli’s example in mind as he looks to reinvigorate his international career.

Considering his consistent failures it was only fair that Sharma was axed. He was given quite a lengthy run and did not do enough to merit a re-selection for the tri-series and the Champions Trophy. True, opening the innings in the absence of Virender Sehwag in the T20 World Cup was a tough ask but his performance even against a sub-standard West Indies side was pathetic. The inability to counter the rising ball despite his height was evident and utterly disappointing. He has age on his side but just to keep Sharma on his feet, Kambli last played international cricket at the age of 28, when cricketers are supposed to hit their peak.

It has been a wicked quirk of fate for Sharma, who till only a few months ago was being considered as a Test replacement for the struggling Rahul Dravid. But look who has taken his place in the one-day side now! Instead of being disappointed though Sharma should gain inspiration from Dravid’s comeback and go back to doing the hard slog. He has a lot of work to do if he wants to transform his potential talent into excellent performances at the international level.

Apart from working on dealing with the short ball, Sharma needs to learn to build an innings, which includes rotating the strike appropriately and not just sticking it out in the middle, waiting for boundary balls. The major flaw in his game is that though he always looks attractive, he fails to convert most of his starts. He has managed just four half-centuries in his two-year-long international career so far – an appalling stat that the selectors must have considered while giving him the axe. He also needs to tighten up on his technique as international teams are quick to spot weaknesses in the opposition these days. And that easily explains Sharma’s recent struggles.

With so much cricket being played these days, it only needs a couple of bad seasons for your name to fade away from the selectors’ memory. Remember Reetinder Sodhi, Mohammad Kaif and so many others who came through the Under 19 ranks like Sharma but failed to make the transformation successfully. It is unlikely that we would see them in Indian colours again. It is too early to say the same about Rohit Sharma. But he needs to keep a tab of the danger signals.

Extraordinary talent may sometimes end up being a burden too heavy to handle as Vinod Kambli found out. Rohit Sharma needs to believe otherwise.

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Ashes Diary - VIII

suneer_chowdhary — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:26:29 +0000

After the storm, comes the storm and then, the calm:

So, after dominating the series for most part of three test matches came the alarm bell. No, not the figurative one, but of the fire-warning type. The English team were out in the open very early before the game, before realising that it was because someone hasn’t been too enthused about them being too asleep. Then, Flintoff was announced unfit, Prior almost did that about himself and amidst all the hara-kiri, the hosts laid out a red carpet for their Aussie guests and acquiesced to go into Oval with a game apiece.

There was enough said and written about the English performance, but even that seemed like a storm in a tea-cup, as compared to the next account. If one were to be playing a ‘what-happened-next’ contest, it would have been rather difficult to predict that the media would end up using their vivid imagination and brining cricketers from the dead to feature at Oval.

Almost a week on, the calm has been restored. The focus has shifted to the T20 Cup in England, where the winning semi-finalists were to go on and feature in multi-million dollar Champions League and also after Mark Butcher slammed the potential move as any sane, cricket-following, common man on the street would. Hopefully, the selection room would not be devoid of any of that sanity and calm, and someone like Jonathon Trott will get selected. Oh, anyone but Ramprakash.

Trescothick and co. and the impossible:

Thankfully, Marcus Trescothick’s rather vivid explanation on why he would not want to make a re-entry into the playing eleven – because he dreamt that he couldn’t get his kit out of his bag – has been widely accepted as reason enough not to throw his name in the hat. Nor have the former Aussie-turned-ICL-captain-turned-English-hopeful, Stuart Law’s pleadings been taken seriously enough to select him yet.

“I couldn’t do any worse than some of them. I’m not even a year older than Ramprakash so if he is a chance I must be a chance as well”

One dossier has already been released by an ex-Australian player residing in the country, England may not want another one dissecting all the other current players in further details getting unshackled from the dressing room itself!

England proposes (probably), Surrey disposes (definitely):

So, the Oval pitch managers have stated in no unclear terms that they will not prepare the pitch to suit England’s strengths, but produce one that assists results – assuming that a draw is not the kind of result they were alluding to. My question here is, what exactly is their strength? Spin? Hard, into the track, bouncers that are difficult to endure? Or the one that assists deliveries swinging in all directions? At the start of the series, I would stuck my neck and said that it is a combination of the ones that swing and spin, but now, I am not too sure.

I am not too sure whether Flintoff needs that extra support from the track to extract the bounce. Nor do I believe that Graeme Swann has been able to bowl as well as he had been touted to in the series. Swing may still hold the key, but that is more a result of the overhead conditions than the wicket itself. And, it is something that will probably be exploited equally well by the Aussies as well. So, does England even bother about the track, except that they wouldn’t want to have one that gives the ‘Timeless Tests’ of the early 20th century a run for their money.

So, which wicket-keeper is it?

The Aussie physio had this to say about Brad Haddin’s exclusion from the warm-up game, “To maximise his recovery, he will not play the game against the English Lions at Canterbury.”

He also had this about Haddin’s back-up, Graham Manou, “As such he will not play against the Lions to maximise his recovery and have him in the best possible condition for the fifth Ashes Test.”

Does that mean that the Aussies are as sure about who will wear those gloves as Sourav Ganguly about whether or not to blame the BCCI for his ‘early’ exit from international cricket? A potential chink in the armour that means? Hope the English are watching!

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Dravid’s return to the ODI fold a must

reninwilben — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:33:24 +0000

Following a much-deserved two-month sabbatical, the Indian cricketers will resume their on-field duties next month, starting with the tri-series in Sri Lanka also featuring New Zealand. It has to be said that the selectors wouldn’t have it all that easy as they sit to pick the squad for this tournament and the ensuing Champions Trophy. This despite the fact that the team returned victorious from West Indies, their last series before they embarked on a break. A victory against a weak Windies side isn’t the best way to judge your side’s credentials and that some of their batsmen struggled there too was a rather discouraging sign.

It all started going horribly wrong for India in the T20 World Cup. The defending champions went to England expecting to return as heroes again but instead stood thoroughly exposed. The youngsters, who only a couple of years ago, had the world at their feet had slipped miserably. Their inability to handle the rising delivery proved to be their achilles heel. The likes of Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma all disappointed big time. MS Dhoni kept trying his best but was far from effective. Amidst all this, Yuvraj Singh proved to be India’s role ranger. However, even his efforts could not turn the team’s fortunes around. In short, India missed at least one experienced player capable of thwarting the opposition’s short-pitched strategy.

Under the current circumstances it thus seems imperative that someone of the stature of Rahul Dravid is brought back into the reckoning for the forthcoming ODI tournaments, even though the legendary Sachin Tendulkar will lend solidity to the batting order. It can be argued that India would be going backwards by taking such a decision. But the fact of the matter is it is the need of the hour. While the Sharmas, Rainas and Kohlis are talented, they are undoubtedly not yet prepared to face up to the rising ball. And till such time, India must make use of the services of Dravid, who has regained him form after a torrid season last year. Apart from shielding the young guns, the veteran can also help the rookies learn the tricks to tackle the short ball, which would only help India in the long run.

If India’s batting needs a boost, the bowling also has to be perked up in the absence of spearhead Zaheer Khan. Ishant Sharma is not yet ready to take on the mantle from the left-arm pacer. In fact, if anything, he has only gone downhill in the last season. It’s a sad state of affairs but he has been found wanting even in basic areas like controlling the number of no balls. One must not forget that Ishant is still young and relatively inexperienced but in modern day competitive cricket where there is a mad rush for places, he has to be careful not to slip away too far.

Among the others, Praveen Kumar has been potent but most of the times he need favourable conditions to be deadly. And despite his tremendous success in the IPL, question marks remain over RP Singh’s consistency. With Irfan Pathan not in the running for the time being, it leaves us with comeback man Ashish Nehra, who also used the Premier League as a tool to gain his re-entry into international cricket. Here again, the fragile nature of the bowler comes into picture when we think about the amount of rigorous work a fast bowler has to put in. The advantage Nehra has over the others is that he has experience on his side and has proved to the world that he has got talent. How far he can fulfill his potential is yet to be determined though.

There will be some more issues to ponder upon for the selectors when they rack their brains and pick the final squad. Expect a few surprises.

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The Art of Swing

Aekay — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:08:34 +0000

Many times in International matches we hear commentators often use term “reverse” swing through the end of an innings. But most of the people don’t know what it is – except for all the people with common sense who grasp the fact that the bowl somehow tends to reverse in a certain way when it gets old.

Reverse swing is essentially an art. It is generally applied when the ball is old and rough with the help of extreme pace, even moderate sometimes (if executed properly) – can work lethally.

To cut down the technical complexities of one suddenly being able to think of a situation where you could make a ball rough and then throw it with pace may sound confusing at first – therefore (especially if you’re a kid or even a teenager learning the art of bowling in magical form, you must first go through the basic procedure of climbing your steps up toward the root of swing and then reversing it, generally because the factor of ‘swing’ itself is an art to practice efficiently.

What is Swing?

See, when a cricket ball is released from the wrist – The cricket ball habitually moves in the air and bounces directly proportional or sometimes vice versa towards or away from a batsman when a pace bowler is bowling.

Swing merely consists of aerodynamics – more of which I’ll tell you later in the passage.

It is a known fact that most fast bowlers strive on this particular sort of variation because it causes all sorts of problems to the batsmen. Imagine yourself driving on a lane and encounter a vehicle moving to the left – but suddenly in full speed it decides to move in your direction. The judgment and reflex then, of you as a batsmen or a natural human being rely on your instinctive reflexes and sometimes you survive the variation – other times you don’t.

Batsmen love to face mainstream swing – which is easy to judge and becomes predictable. Such kind of swing is prone to occur in the first 10 or 15 overs of a match when the ball is still hard.

However recently, with cricket’s constant innovation, new ball bowlers have invented a way of swinging the ball in the air with the older ball – especially when it’s old and scruffy. Such movement in the air makes it more difficult for the batsmen to judge.

But to attain any sort of faction, there are a number of factors to consider.

The Role of the Cricket Ball

If you see a lot of cricket, or play in clubs – you will realize that fielders continuously shine the ball with their trousers or towels. The cricket ball, as we know have two sides across the seam. When players shine they ball they deliberately leave one side rough and shine one side in to a glossy sparkle. This sort of rubbing helps one side of the ball smooth and shiny while they opposite is deliberately left to diorite through routine wear and tear.

This is where aerodynamics come in – because the dual surface enhances a change in rhythm of flight from the bowler’s wrist to the batsmen. The aerodynamics means that the shiny side is prone to travel quicker through the air while the rough side works as a break pushing the ball in its direction.

The Seam Position

The stitching you notice around the cricket ball is called a seam. The seam acts like a helm for fast bowlers. All fast bowlers grip the seam vertically, with the middle and index fingers on either side, with the ball resting in the third finger and thumb.

The idea of enhancing your swing is to hold the seam as straight as possible: The straighter the seam is at the point of delivering the ball, the greater is your chance to swing the ball – And if the ball is old with one side shiny the chances of variation will increase.

What is In and Out Swing?

Most bowlers get confused here. To move a ball in a typical fashion away from a left handed batsman – the rougher side of the ball will be facing leftwards at point of release: notice the seam should be darting toward the second slip.

And it is understandably the exact way round for an in swinging delivery: the rough side should be on right at point of release and the seam should be darting at an imaginary leg slip.

What is Reverse Swing?

Once the ball turns out to be older and more tattered, it will instigate a movement in the opposite route to where it would rather swing – disregarding the bowling the change in the bowling grip. For example, an out swinger’s grip will move towards the batsman in the air while an in swinger will move away from the bat.

Such variations usually occur very late after the ball is released therefore it is extremely difficult for batsmen to judge the deviation in split seconds. Batsmen usually pick the changes in direction while in the air to confront the issue.

It is not easy to execute revere swing – they say bowlers need to be at least 80 m/ph or above. Former Pakistan international Sarfraz Nawaz was the founder of reverse swing during the late 1970s, and he passed his knowledge on to former team-mate Imran Khan.

How it works?

There have been plenty of theories about why, but here’s the simplest explanation from former England bowling coach Troy Cooley:
Reverse swing is all to do with the deterioration of the ball and the seam position in flight.
“As the ball becomes rougher, it will take on a different characteristic as it deteriorates.
“So if you present the ball as an outswinger, the ball has deteriorated so much on the rough side that it takes on the characteristics of the shiny side.
Which means a natural out swinger will become an in swinger and conversely, an in swinger into an out swinger.”

How does it work?

Considering the fact that reverse swing occurs after 40 overs – it is tailor maid for the older ball. However with Technology innovating and sticking in tips – some of the English bowlers were able to reverse swing the ball within 20 overs; Brett Lee managed it in 30 overs at Adelaide.

But how can bowlers manage to do this so early in the innings? One theory could be the ball. In England, Test balls are manufactured by Dukes, while in Australia and the sub-continent the Kookaburra brand is usually used.
Like footballs, each manufacturer’s cricket balls are different. Some have more pronounced seams while others deteriorate slower, all of which have an influence on how the ball will move in the air.

Another theory is how some players are able to rough the ball up faster than other teams.
In England’s case last year, Harmison and Flintoff both banged the ball hard into the pitch.
While their fielders often throw the ball back to wicket-keeper Geraint Jones on the bounce from the outfield, all of which contribute to the deterioration of the ball.
However, nothing has been scientifically proved – but batsmen the world over know what to expect when the ball starts to get older.

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