Let’s clutch to straws, shall we?

Of course, we are talking theoretically, but the West Indies can still make the semi-final. How? They have two matches left: one against England and the other against Bangladesh. One would hope that they win against Bangladesh (and rather handsomely) and then beat England. This would bring them to three wins overall.

If England can beat South Africa today, they would have three wins, as would South Africa [Points Table]. And then the whole circus comes down to net run rate. The whole ‘who beat whom’ formula won’t work since England would have beaten South Africa, who beat the West Indies, who beat England. Whooppee doo! One merry go round, that!

Of course, all this hinges on the hope that England can beat SA. And WI would have to play out of their skins to get their run rate up. At least they have the chance against Bangladesh. Such straws we are now clutching on to make this tournament exciting…

As if Smith didn’t have enough problems…

He now has Herschelle Gibbs’ fitness to worry about. And the worry would be rather a big one considering he is one of the very few (perhaps only one apart from Jacques Kallis) who has looked like he belongs here. While he may not have exactly set the world afire when playing England, he does have enough experience to handle the upcoming crunch game.

But team physiotherapist Shane Jabaar said Gibbs had been in doubt for Saturday’s game against New Zealand in Grenada.
“He came through his fitness test for the West Indies game, but the day after the match at practice he did a little too much during a game of frisbee and he had a setback,” Jabaar told Reuters on Sunday.

One seriously doubts whether Smith can handle it… the 25-year-old captain may just age some five years in a day on Tuesday!

Technorati Tags: Gibbs, Smith, World Cup 2007, England, Super Eight

ICL: Look Closer

The newly announced Indian Cricket League threatens to split the Indian cricketing world into two. At least on the face of it! Despite all claims that this is for the improvement of cricket in the country, one has to question certain motives behind it. But that can be done later. For the moment, it’s interesting to note what Zee TV’s Subhash Chandra has up his sleeve.

Teams and set-up
- Six teams or clubs to play in opening year
- Ombudsman to look into grievances of players
- League to begin with Twenty20 format and move to ODI format
- League teams to compete with teams internationally
- Each team to have a mentor, media manager, psychologist, physio

Continue reading »

The return of Kerry Packer?

What in god’s name is this? Are we serious? Will there be an Indian parallel league? Wow. Who would expect such a breakaway after the World Cup fiasco? He proposes to start with a Twenty20 League (keeping in mind September’s World Cup?) and would eventually move it up to One-day cricket. Will it also aim to replace the Ranji Trophy?

Subhash Chandra, the owner of Zee’s Essel Group, has announced a break-away cricket series called Indian Cricket League (ICL). Zee’s Essel Group will invest Rs 100 crore (US$ 23 million approx) into the project, and this will run parallel to Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Interesting times ahead… considering this is the same year that Kerry Packer died. Wow. Reincarnation? How many players and fans would want this to work? Will players take it up? A lot would depend on the April 6 meeting of the BCCI and how the players are made to look. But if any player(s) is held responsible and he decides to join the ICL (Indian Cricket League, it’s called), he would only vindicate what Greg Chappell has said about senior players wanting to play for sponsorships and that they undermined him and the captain.

UPDATE (6.46 PM):

The finer points of ICL:
- 6 teams or clubs to play in opening year
- Talks on with BCCI for gaining access to stadiums
- Executive Board of the league under installation
- Pool of referees and umpires to be created
- Rules committee to form regulations for ICL
- Ombudsman to look into grievances of players
- League to begin with Twenty20 format and move to ODI format
- League to be a joint venture between Essel Group and ILFS Group
- Each team to have a mentor, media manager, psychologist, physio
- Prize money for the winner- US$ 1 million
- League teams to compete with teams internationally
- Number of teams to be increased from 6 to 16 in three years

Technorati Tags: Kerry Packer, Subhash Chandra, Zee TV, Breakaway Indian League, BCCI, Cricket

Vote for the Indian team

Not sure how powerful this solution is, but it’s a place to vent your thoughts. Head on over to Cricketvotes.com and let your opinion be known. Among other things, you can vote for players you think should remain in the team and those who should not. There are also questions about individuals like “Should Sachin Tendulkar retire from international cricket?”… the burning issue, really.

But the ones which really caught our eye are:

Does the Indian team fairly represent all regions of India?
and
Does match fixing exist in Indian cricket?

The answers unfortunately to both are not pleasing for the fan. 57 of 59 respondents think match-fixing still exists while 49 of 173 respondents think all regions of India are not fairly represented in the Indian team.

I think that the question itself is wrong since it agrees with the concept of regional quotas. I would think the right question should be: Are the best 15 from across India chosen for the Indian team. I don’t think it should matter which part of India they hail from. How does it matter if 8 of them are from the same zone? So long as they are the best we have and can win, it’s ok. Right?

A long-running debate, that, but it needs resolution. Of late, there is enough talk of selectors being made paid and responsible, but the abolishment of quotas is necessary. Perhaps the BCCI could take a leaf out of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the quota recommendations, eh?

Malinga to the fore!

Interesting piece on the BBC website about ‘slinger’ Lasith Malinga who has become the flavour of the tournament. So if you are duly impressed by the Lanka (which we suspect more are) after his incredible burst of four wickets in four balls against South Africa, there is a secret being shared:

“He’s come through playing tennis ball cricket, hence his exaggerated low arm action,” said coach Tom Moody in response to a particularly vague question from a BBC reporter on Saturday.

And for those of you who think he’s a flash in the pan, thing again. Tom Moody (Sri Lanka coach) is here to ensure that’s not the case!

“So far – touch wood – he has been strong. We’ve rested him when we’ve felt that it’s not time to overload him but I think he’s going to be around for a while.”

Go on… sling away!

Photo: BBC

Technorati Tags: Cricket, Cricket World Cup, Lasith Malinga, South Africa, Sri Lanka

The microanalysis continues!

The analyses continue as News channels go into overdrive. And why not? There is perhaps great competition between the Quota issue and the cricket and a winner will be tough to find. But the most recent group of experts to comment on the issue included the eminent failure Rohan Gavaskar, the strictly domestic Milind Rege and Nari Contractor. And here is the outcome of one of the polls they did:

What was the cause of India’s defeat in the World Cup?
And the verdict was a fractured one with 41 per cent saying that the Indians were tentative and nervous while 23 per cent said that we were good enough. While 33 per cent blamed the Indians for being over confident, three per cent said that opposition was better.

1. 41% said India was tentative and nervous
2. 23% said they were good enough
3. 33% said they over overconfident
4. 3% said the opposition was better

I, for the life of me, cannot understand what the people in point 2 are alluding to. Was India good enough to win or what? In which case, it is the same as what point 4 implies, no? If India was good enough to win and still lost, the opposition was better. Strange these surveys are!

Oh and they (the public) does want Sachin to go.

Technorati Tags: Cricket, Cricket World Cup, Gavaskar, India, Survey

Jumbo rides away into the sunset…

Anil “Jumbo” Kumble has finally decided to hang his boots. Some may argue it’s about time, some may feel that it’s come too late. But you have to allow someone as good as him a chance to go out on a high. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.

Speaking at his retirement, he said, “I wanted to retire after 2003, but senior people in Indian cricket told me that I still have some more time.” Despite recent events, Kumble remains one of India’s greatest spinners of all time and is India’s highest wicket-taker in ODIs. (Kumble’s ODI Record)

Some say the ‘emergence’ of Harbhajan led to his decline over the years, but he had his moments even with Harbhajan. The void that Kumble now leaves behind is going to be a big one to fill.

Among some of his best bowling efforts is the 6/12 against the West Indies in 1993. Kumble debuted at a time when Narendra Hirwani was still considered at his peak and Indian spin bowling was spearheaded by Hirwani and Maninder Singh. But just three years after his debut, he made his mark against England (in a Test series) with Rajesh Chouhan and Venkatapathy Raju.

His ODI career was always a little up and down especially after some considered his bowling to be more ‘medium pace’ than spin. Apparently this reduced his effectiveness but the numbers don’t show that. Of late, he was seen more behind a telephoto lens in the dressing room as opposed to on the field. A useful batsman, his best innings of 26 against Australia in a losing cause in Adelaide in 1999-2000.

Speaking about the World Cup debacle, he said, “We are not running away. But we also have to take care of families and we know how knives are turning on us. If you [the media] want to sit and discuss amicably, we are ready to explain.”

Goodbye Jumbo. Hope we find at least a glider to replace you!

Technorati Tags: Anil Kumble, retirement

Alas and alak!

Glenn McGrath may just be right when he says that “nobody will beat us”. The only question that now remains is “Who is nobody?”. Is it the frail South Africans? No, they have already lost. Is it the unsure English? Perhaps. But what happened in February is more an aberration than the rule. Is it the perky Sri Lankans? Maybe. But they don’t seem to have the stomach. The upstart Kiwis? They do seem the most likely… The stuttering Windies? No chance!

One therefore has to look to the Irish and Bangladeshis for hope. These are two most underrated teams and are yet in the second round with the big boys. And Australia won’t take them lightly but in the big world of the Super Eight, they are true nobodys. Hence, the theory suggests it will indeed be Bangladesh and/or Ireland who can beat Australia.

Unless of course he meant that “nobody” can beat us. In which case, it makes more sense. This is all a result of India’s loss. I have lost the ability to think straight. I still think he meant “The nobodys can beat us”. And he seconds his thoughts:

“I don’t say anything I don’t believe,” he said.

Oh, this uncertainty!

Satire and Cricket…

Wait… isn’t that better known as Indian Cricket? Excellent observations here from Sriram. Must read.

Technorati Tags: Cricket, Satire, World Cup