Misc Archives - Cric Talks

Fascinating Test cricket battles in the week ahead

cricket_ball_test

The week that lies ahead will see some fascinating Test cricket action. It is quite a unique time as all Test playing nations except Bangladesh are involved in a test series. England is touring South Africa, West Indies are touring Austrialia, Pakistan are playing in New Zealand and closer home Sri Lanka will play the final Test of the three match series tomorrow against India.

India play Srilanka at the historic Brabourne…

India takes of Sri Lanka tomorrow at the Brabourne Stadium. It is a stadium that has been known to be the bastion of culture and legacy when it comes to cricket in India. The association which runs the stadium (CCI) had a falling out with the Mumbai Cricket Association back in the early 70s. This led MCA to construct a new stadium called the Wankhede. The two associations have gotten closer now a days and with the Wankhede stadium undergoing a major re-building exercise Brabourne gets its chance to host one more Test match after 36 long years. Last time Test cricket was played at the Brabourne, Sachin Tendulkar was not even born!

India will be keen to win this Test match as it will haul it upwards to being the No 1 ranked Test team in the ICC rankings. This will be quite an achievement for the Indian team who are not particularly hailed for their ability in Test cricket.

New Zealand host Pakistan…

Not sure if New Zealand will have their confidence high after last weeks win over Pakistan. The Pakistan team came very close to an unlikely win over the Kiwis. But I still feel Pakistan have some inherent technically challenged opening batsmen along with some sparkling yet not reliable batting lineup. They have a great bowling line up too but I still feel it would not be able to match up to New Zealand’s usual dose of resoluteness and professionalism. The Test match between New Zealand and Pakistan begins on 3rd December 2009. If you are in India you should be able to catch the action on Ten Sports in early morning around 430 am.

Australia host West Indies in Adelaide…

In the first Test Match Australia declared their innings at 480/8 and bowled out West Indies twice in less than 2 days. The match was over on the 3rd day itself and was one sided more of less from the first day’s first session. This sort of a defeat does not speak very highly of West Indies’ chances in the second Test at Adelaide. This match starts on Friday morning at 5.30 in the morning. Indian viewers should be able to catch the game on Star Cricket.

India destroys Sri Lanka in Kanpur Test

Last time a Test match was played at Green Park in Kanpur, India won the test against South Africa but because the match was over in 3 days the Kanpur pitch came up for a lot of flak. This match which was being played against Sri Lanka got over in 4 days but no one can really complained about a bad pitch. Not after India amassed a massive 642 runs with their top 6 batsmen scoring 3 centuries and 2 fifties amongst them. The surprise was not really the Indian batting coming good but the changes made to the bowling. These changes did go along way to get India its 100th test victory.

Changes that work for India…

India dropped Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma and included controversy’s favourite child S. Sreesanth along with Pragyan Ojha. Ojha picked up 4 wickets in the whole match which was decent and S.Sreesanth ripped across the Sri Lankan batting line up in the first innings to pick up a five wicket haul. It was a welcome sight to see an Indian fast bowler take five wickets in India condition which is a rarity.

Sri Lanka had one too many spinners…

Kanpur might have had a spinning wicket but Srilanka lost the plot with picking 3 spinners and only one seamer. Two spinners are more than enough. You only pick three spinners at the cost of a seamer if the pitch has been recently ploughed by a tractor. India won the toss and with no real seam attack to trouble the openers it was not a surprise that India amassed 642.

Brabourne awaits Test Match cricket…

brabourne_1 The Brabourne Stadium will be hosting the final Test match in the series and Srilanka will be looking to win in India a test match for the first time ever and level the series. The Brabourne will be hosting a Test match after 36 years. The last match played there was India v England and it ended in a draw.

So who do you think will take win in Brabourne? Let me know through your comments.

Image Credits: Cricinfo

Who is killing Test cricket? T20 or the curators

With the rise of IPL and T20 cricket in general a lot of voices have showed concern that Test cricket might die out because the entertainment of T20 simply cannot be replicated by Test cricket. Some people are taking the middle path that Test cricket, ODIs and T20 all have their place. A lot of people watching cricket are younger people and hence they choose T20 over Test cricket.

test_vs_odis1

Is T20 really hurting Test Cricket?

Some might argue T20 cricket is making Test matches look boring and might even finish of the game. But I do not think Test cricket is losing it’s charm in India because of T20. I think it is because of the pitches Test matches are being played on.

Over the last 2 years India hosted 13 Test matches. 7 were drawn, 5 won by India and 1 lost. This includes 4 test series out of which India has won two and tied one. The 4th series is still continuing against Sri Lanka and guess what the first match is was drawn.

Now compare Test matches being played in Australia in the last two years. There were 9 Test matches held, 5 won by Australia while they lost 3. One match ended in a draw.

The stark comparison is there for everyone to see. When you play on sporting pitches of Australia there is a result 8 out of 9 times, where as in India there is a result 6 out of 13 times. Take for instance the Test match that just got over against Sri Lanka. 1598 runs were scored and only 21 wickets fell over 5 days. The worlds highest wicket-taker was bowling on a fifth day pitch leave alone taking wickets, he could hardly even trouble the batsmen. T20 is not the villain here, the pitch curator is the villain for making such feather beds.

Importance of Test Cricket

If you kill Test Cricket, you kill cricket. This will happen because the art of bowling is really polished and unrestricted only in Test matches. If a bowler picked up 2 wickets in 4 overs for 40 runs in a Test match, the bowler has bowled well. The scenario in T20 becomes different as 40 runs are too many. The focus is on runs rather than wickets for a bowler.

Test cricket is pure cricket. The batsman have to score runs, the bowlers have to take wickets. The simplicity of this concept brings about the skills in a cricketer out in its purest form. What do you think? Let me know with your comments.

Tendulkar the Great

sachin_tendulkar1

When Tendulkar walked out to bat in a Test match for the first time, Rajiv Gandhi was India’s Prime Minister, the Berlin wall stood and USSR still existed. The internet was nascent, mobiles phones were hardly used in US and never used in India. Most of us reading this article were probably less than 10 years old. The world has changed dramatically but Tendulkar remains the best in the world.

Tendulkar completed 20 years of international cricket on 15th November 2009. Out of the 21 men who played in his first test match he played in, all of them have retired over 5 years ago.

His technique, determination, brilliance, ability and talent all have been hailed over the years by everyone who has attempted to write about cricket. I do not want to write about it, it would be mere repeating of words. But hats off to a man who plays 20 years at the highest standard and has only let his bat do the talking.

I do not wonder at the ability to play for 20 years or the talent which scores the highest number of runs in Tests and ODIs. I wonder what goes on behind that cranium of Tendulkar. Does he feel the pressure at all? Does he feel tired of expectations and the criticisms? Does he think like we mortals do?

I reckon he is the perfect example of a person who feels comfortable with his own ability, does his best and puts on a invisible coat of something which makes him immune from all the pressure of expectations around him.

With a total of 12,773 runs in Test cricket and 17,178 runs in ODIs, Sachin Tendulkar has nothing to prove. He is already a legend and will remain so until Cricket is played. But he continues to play, as if he is not aware of his own achievements.

Some people have criticized Tendulkar at various times. Often the grouse being he doesn’t win India matches. Often people forget that Tendulkar has won India many matches but being a team sport he cannot win all matches. To all the critics of the great man and fans alike, I would like to remind that Tendulkar will someday retire and there will be a day when you wont ever get to see Tendulkar take his stance playing for India on live television or at your local city stadium. So sit back and enjoy the last few years of this great man’s career and appreciate anything that he has to offer because players like him don’t come along everyday and we are lucky to be around in the Tendulkar Era.

The African Boy in England

KP_crictalks When Pieterson made his debut in Test cricket he played against South-Africa in South-Africa. Only a few years before that trip Pieterson was South-African boy trying to make it into the local first divisions teams as an off-spinner.

In South-Africa the crowds jeered him and even called him a traitor but the debutant before the game told the media that crowd heckling him would only want him to do better.

The 5-Match ODI series started and Kevin Pieterson scored a 108 of 96 balls in the second game which was a tie. The third game he scored 75 runs and the in the fourth game he set a England record for fastest hundred with 69 ball century. The crowds had not let up until then, even booing or turning their backs on Pieterson whenever he acknowledged the crowds for his centuries.

In the final game at England was 32/3 when Pieterson walked to the crease and started to play his usually aggressive style of cricket and ended up scoring 116 runs. The series had ended with Pieterson scoring 454 runs in five innings. The crowd from being downright hostile had become respectful and gave him a standing ovation at his final game of the series.

Pieterson is surely amongst the most exciting batsmen in the world. His 4647 Runs at an Average of 49.96 in Test cricket is surely testimony to his ability to be the best. His switch hits are still one amongst the most exciting yet risky shots invented this decade.

But the man has a heart of a lion, and most Indian fans won’t forget the how when England who were mulling not returning to India after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008. Pieterson was the man who had lead the team back to India and kept the cricket tour alive.

India win Compaq Cup Tri-series.

compaq_cup The Compaq Cup must have really given India a nice look into what they should and should not do when they are in South-Africa. With Gambhir injured on the eve of the Tournament Dinesh Karthik opened the innings for India along with Sachin Tendulkar for the first two games.

Rahul Dravid making his way back into the ODI side was also a important development and his solidity at the top must have made the selectors smile. He was not fluent but in South Africa where India take part in the Champions Trophy which is going to be held on the fast and bouncy tracks of South Africa, Rahul Dravid’s solidity is a much needed asset.

The bowlers in the series came short except in the first match againt New Zealand where they bundled out the Kiwis for a mere 159. They came short allowing Sri Lanka a score of over 300 in the second game.

The final was again set up by India with a score of 319 led by Sachin Tendular scoring a imaginative 138. The game was set by a fifty by Yuvraj Singh and the bowlers even though found it hard to restrict the Sri Lankan batsmen managed to take regular wickets to allow India to win the final and the Compaq cup.

The workout must be nice and it has been a while since India had won a tri-series tournament. This must have helped the Indian team rest better until 22nd October when the Champions Trophy starts in South-Africa.

Image: tv.burrp.com

Another Brick in ‘the Wall’

rahul-dravid_cricnews.in Rahul Dravid has not been called the Wall for nothing. Considered to have near perfect technique he broke into the Test arena scoring 95 and 84 in his first two games against England. He scored them solidly while Ganguly reaped the accolades for his style and class in the same series.

Rahul Dravid took his own time to score his first century. It was in his 12th Test match at Johanesburg. India was touring South Africa and had been completely outplayed on the fast and bouncy tracks of South Africa. Rahul Dravid was showing India how to bat against a battery of pace bowlers South Africa had unleashed against India. His 148 was epic and after than someone in South Africa gave him the nickname ‘The Wall’.

The nickname stuck and Dravid lived up to the nickname with a characteristic style scoring 10823 runs at an unbelievable average of 52.32. He has scored 26 centuries the most by an Indian if you omit Tendulkar.

In 2005 Dravid took over as India’s captain and often his success has been overlooked because of the 2007 World Cup debacle. He did not resign but went to England. Captained India to a series victory in England after 20 odd years and then on his returned he resigned from his captaincy.

Rahul Dravid still plays and has a year if not two left in him. It looks like he will still stand tall amongst other with his characteristic style. In the scenery that is Cricket, Rahul Dravid will stand tall and proud like a mountain often taken for granted but impossible to miss.

ICC World Twenty20: India reaches the Semifinals!

clip_image002

Now, that is one heading I really wanted to write a post with… but Indian team’s performance in the Super8 let me down.

Nevertheless, the Indian team in Women’s T20 WC has given me this chance… 🙂

If you were busy following the men’s tournament and did not get a chance to check out what was happening in Women’s T20, here is an update.

Indian Women’s Team defeated Pakistan and Sri Lanka in their group matches to reach to the Semifinal stage. The other three teams that qualify for the Semi finals are England, New Zealand and Australia.

A Quick Re-cap

Indian Women’s Team was placed in Group B along with England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Match 1

England Women vs India Women at Taunton – Jun 11, 2009
England Women won by 10 wickets (with 26 balls remaining)
India Women 112/8 (20/20 ov); England Women 113/0 (15.4/20 ov)

Match 2

India Women vs Pakistan Women at Taunton – Jun 13, 2009
India Women won by 5 wickets (with 14 balls remaining)
Pakistan Women 75 (19.5/20 ov); India Women 78/5 (17.4/20 ov)

Match 3

India Women v Sri Lanka Women at Taunton – Jun 15, 2009
India Women won by 5 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)
Sri Lanka Women 94/6 (18/18 ov); India Women 95/5 (16.5/18 ov)

Indian Women’s Team ended up second in their group after England (who won all the matches they played). India women now plays against New Zealand women, the unbeaten from group A, in the first Semi Final match on the 18^th.

Fixtures

Day	Time	Match	Venue	Forecast
Thu Jun 18	5:30 PM IST	1st Semi-Final India Women vs New Zealand Women	Trent Bridge	Cloudy
Fri Jun 19	5:30 PM IST	2nd Semi-Final England Women vs Australia Women	Oval	Mostly Sunny

The matches will be played on the same venue for Men’s Semifinal before their matches and will be telecasted live on TV.

India’s Graphical Fantasy Cricket: Create your Dream 11 with Dream11.com

For all you cricket enthusiasts… here’s your chance to choose your favorite cricketers, create your dream 11 and earn some points!

Dream11 Gaming Pvt Ltd recently launched Dream11.com – the first graphical fantasy cricket game in India, conceptualized to provide cricket lovers with an exceptional fantasy cricket experience.

With the buzz around the T20 World Cup, you could make the most of cricket by creating your team of the cricketers you love from across the world and earn points depending on how those cricketers perform in real life matches.

Manage your virtual team with features like:

Live scores
News updates
Player profiles
Statistics
Standings

Things you could do:

You could compete with other Dream11 users for the top position on the leader board
You could challenge competitors as well as connect with friends over cricket using
- Dream11 Web Messenger
- Scraps
- Other community features, etc.
There will soon be tools available to customize and personalize content on the home page.

Harsh Jain, founder, chairman and managing director says,

“Fantasy Sports is a huge market globally and considering the packed upcoming cricket calendar, we believe that the time is just right for Indian audiences to connect with fantasy cricket. We assure our users of the best ever fantasy cricket interface and pledge our commitment to constantly innovate in this category.”

Link: dream11.com