Cricket World Cup 2007

... And At last it ends.

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This year’s world cup will go down in history as the worst ever. The tournament was too long and too boring for all. In pure cricketing terms there was only one team in the competition, and when the dust settled it was not surprising to find Australia being crowned champions once again. The rest were all playing catch-up with Sri Lanka emerging as the best of the rest.

If anyone thought this year’s edition would be better than the last one, well they must be terribly disappointed now. Other than India’s shock defeat to Bangladesh and Ireland defeating Pakistan, there were only 2 other close matches in the entire tournament. Most of the matches were one sided and it seemed the teams were completely in awe of the Aussies. So complete was the Aussie domination that they not only won all their matches, but did it with huge margins.

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From the start of the Super Eight itself the semifinalists were virtually decided. It never looked like any of the other teams would be able to dislodge the four teams who eventually made it to the semi finals. Though Bangladesh and Ireland deserved to be in the Super Eight, their presence rendered most of the matches at that stage meaningless. And with England and the West Indies turning in one disgraceful performance after another, the world cup never had the tight contests expected at that stage. Adding to the tournaments woes were two utterly one sided semi-finals and the tournament never generated the required excitement even at the business end of the tournament.

India and Pakistan have only themselves to blame for the sorry performance they put up on the greatest stage of the game. But their exit took away the major public interest from the game’s showpiece event. It is vital for the game that these two countries do well because of its immense popularity back home. However they both managed to let their countries and themselves down. There was so much infighting in both the teams that it would have put a soap opera to shame. There were accusations and counter accusations leaked to the media by sources close to all involved. Both India and Pakistan were more concerned about their own egos than playing for their fans which counts to millions.

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The matters off the field were getting more coverage than the ones on it. Bob Woolmer’s murder and the subsequent investigation fueled speculation to be at a fever pitch. One was constantly bombarded with different version of the death as well as the investigation everyday. The tragedy that had befallen Woolmer’s family was forgotten and media engaged in sensationalizing the entire episode with shocking insensitivity.

But the biggest blame for the tournament descending into such a farce must go to the ICC. They got their priorities mixed up when they concentrated more on satisfying the broadcasters and the sponsors than catering to the needs of the cricket loving public. Ticket prices were too high and the ICC robbed whatever excitement the crowd could bring in by putting in restriction on everything the fans could do once inside the stadium. The restrictions ranged from bringing in products of rivals of the official sponsors to the musical instruments that can be brought in. This virtually removed the carnival atmosphere that everyone has come to associate with cricket at the Caribbean. Instead what one saw was empty stadiums which was totally devoid of excitement.

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The less said about the format the better. Inclusion of 16 teams resulted in the initial group stages being banana skin encounters for the bigger teams. A good team ran the risk of going out of the tournament if they slipped up on a single day. But even if all the big teams had gotten through it would have been difficult to sustain interest in a tournament that stretches to almost two months. Looking back one can’t even remember the time the world cup started.

The ICC needs to do a thorough rethink as far as the format of the world cup is concerned. If they are trying to copy the football world cup then they should realize that cricket will never be as popular as football. Because of its wide popularity football can include 32 teams in its premier competition and still not suffer on quality. Cricket however is played by a small group of nations and when ICC tries to include more and more teams the quality of the tournament invariably suffers. They should also remember that due to the shortness in duration of the matches football can afford to have 2 – 4 matches in a day, thereby reducing the number of days the tournament is played out. Cricket due to its length can’t have more than two matches in a day and still cater to the needs of the broadcaster and the sponsors.

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This world cup had absolutely everything in it other than good quality matches. Retirements, resignations, step downs, sackings, under performances, intrigue and conspiracy all marred the tournament. Add a horrible murder to it and you are left wondering if it’s a sporting tournament that we are talking abAout or the latest Hollywood thriller. Cricket is at its all time low at the moment. Cricket authorities all over the world would do well to wake up and smell the coffee. Otherwise the game will lose its fans forever, the very people who are the reason for the bringing the big bucks into the game.

Cricket World Cup 2007

The Great Indian Dream Over

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So that’s it then. India is out of the world cup after being defeated by Sri Lanka for 69 runs. It would be a time of reflection and introspection. The team needs to be rebuilt and Indian cricket in general has a lot of rebuilding to do. And please let’s not go and vandalize their homes and engage in petty public posturing, although it would be wise for the Indian team not to come back to the country straight away. There is a chance that India could still go through if a miracle occurs (read Bermuda beating Bangladesh), but the saddest truth of it all is that we were not good enough to deserve going to the next round.

Was this unexpected? If the Indian fans were to answer honestly they would say no. And it would seem from their body language that the Indian team did not believe in itself. Even though the team was able to cover up its inadequacies with some good performances at home, they had always struggled in the last one year. It was very clear to see that the Indians were yet to recover from their defeat against Bangladesh. There was a very palpable sense of fear in the way the Indians approached this match. Much as Sri Lanka, my favorite to win the cup, played brilliantly Indian batting was equally pathetic.

This is where the coach’s role needs to be questioned. Agreed the coach doesn’t have a direct hand to play in the events on field. But definitely it is the coach’s job to make the players believe in themselves. This was not the case. It is the coach’s job to make the fitness if not the fielding better. This was also not the case and it was never expected to. I have always believed that most of the criticisms against Chappell were unwarranted. But when a coach who took over with the sole purpose of doing well at the world cup, and whose various experiments were indulged with in the hope that it would help the team do well at the competition, only to see them dumped out of it in the first round itself… well criticism is inevitable.

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Dravid’s captaincy has been disappointing to say the least. He seemed to be following a set pattern and incapable of adapting to the situation. The much celebrated batting line up too should share bulk of the burden. Tough decisions need to be taken. Places in the side should be based on merit and not on past performances. If the great players feel that they are being given a raw deal then let them prove their worth in domestic cricket and come back. Dravid was not able to motivate the players. He has not able to galvanize the team into a single unit. And he along with the coach has to take responsibility for that.

But keep in mind the trinity of Sachin, Sourav and Dravid are not getting younger. It is for them to decide the timing of their retirement from the game. It has to happen sooner or later. And the sooner we start grooming the youngsters the better. If we don’t have enough talent out there then at least instill in them some fighting spirit. Matches are not won by talent alone. Bangladesh and the Australian team of 1987 are testament to that.

Another big concern to me right now is Sachin Tendulkar. I have always been a huge fan of Tendulkar. I have always stuck up to people asking him to be sacked. This is why it was disappointing to see him play the way he did in this world cup. He just doesn’t seem to be there mentally. He has to sit down and assess if he still has the hunger in him. If not retirement at least take a break from the game and start from scratch. There is no disgrace in taking a step backward to reassess one’s strengths. But it is belittling his own achievements and reputation if he continues to play this way.

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The BCCI too is responsible for this debacle. This is a result of the board’s lack of vision in developing the game at the grass roots. It is all fine that the board makes money, but the focus shouldn’t just be on balance sheets. The money gained from the sport should be spent in improving the infrastructure and ability of the players. The Ranji league needs to be revamped and the number of competing teams reduced thereby reducing the number of matches. Only then will we have quality players playing each other regularly. The pitches need to have more variety so that they have the technique to counter any condition. Right now our batting line up is too full of blind bashers who come up copper when playing on a pitch that offers even the slightest of assistance to the bowler.

There couldn’t have been a bigger blow to this world cup commercially than the exit of India and Pakistan. But then again for a World Cup reeling under an avalanche of controversies and scandals this would seem like just another thing that went horribly wrong.

Indian cricket is facing a crisis and it would be better if all involved gets up and smell the coffee before its too late.

Woolmer Murdered!!!

Death due to Asphyxiation caused by manual strangulation

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The shocks and scandals at this world cup just keep on coming. It has reached a crescendo with the police announcing that Bob Woolmer was indeed murdered. The Jamaican police have announced that the cause of death is due to Asphyxiation caused by manual strangulation. They reached this conclusion after autopsy reports confirmed rumors that he had injuries in and around his neck. The Jamaican police have asked for the help of the Scotland Yard and two detectives are already on their way to the Caribbean to help in the investigation.

This event will now overshadow everything that has happened and will happen at this world cup. Speculation is going to be at a fever pitch now since the Jamaican police have not given the details regarding either the motive or the suspects in the case. In fact they have asked for the general public to come forward with any sort of information that they might have.

What is known though is that the transcript of the book that Woolmer was working on is missing. This is significant because it was widely believed that Woolmer was set to bring to light many more dark secrets regarding the match fixing scandal and also the bookie-player nexus. Considering that it would have taken more than one person to strangulate a big man like Woolmer the police is saying that there is a strang possibility that more than one person might be involved in the murder. When you have more than one person involved in a murder then by definition there was a conspiracy. This also now puts a cloud of suspicion over the death of former South African captain Hansie Cronje. He it might be remembered also died in a private plane crash. Cronje was previously banned for life for his alleged involvement in the match fixing.

What is also disturbing is that the security cameras at the hotel were only pointing to the entrances to the hotel and also to the floors but it was not pointing to the doors of the rooms. Also it should also be kept in mind that one had to a use an access card to get into the hotel. So far the no one from the Pakistan team or from the cricketing fraternity is a suspect in the crime so far.

So what does this entire episode mean to cricket in general and the world cup in particular? ICC has already announced that the world cup would continue as scheduled. But it would be difficult for everyone involved to put this tragic episode out of their mind. Cricket on its part should be thankful that no one from its fraternity is involved in the murder yet. If that happens then this story would get even more explosive. Let’s hope for the game’s sake that that is not the case.

Bob Woolmer Murdered?

Cricket takes a back seat at its showpiece event

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This World Cup has been mired in more controversies than any of the previous ones. What with controversies and scandals erupting almost daily now, the world cup is more in the news for off the field events than on it. It will be some time before we forget this world cup, that’s for sure.

The controversies were kick started by Sunil Gavaskar and Ricky Ponting going at each other over the Australia’s alleged bad behavior on the field. Things took a nasty turn when Gavaskar dragged the let David Hookes’s name into the whole affair. This further fuelled the controversy and Gavaskar was forced to apologize subsequently for doing it. Boy if we thought that was the end of the controversies at this world cup then were we wrong!!!

Flintoff and a few of his teammates then decided to provide some more spice to the world cup. They were caught by a few of the Britan’s notorious tabloids as having been involved in a late night party at a local bar in the Caribbean on a match day. Flintoff exacerbated the situation by choosing to go on a boating in the rough seas at night and in a completely drunken state. He had to be fished out of the water alter on when his boat capsized. He paid the price for this recklessness by sitting out the next match and more importantly by losing his vice-captaincy of the team.

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There was further shock, thankfully on the field this time, when Ireland and Bangladesh pulled off massive upsets to beat India and Pakistan respectively. The Indians fans reaction to the defeat was as predictably over the top as when they win. Cricketers’ homes were vandalized, effigies burned and generally branded as shameful to the nation. Egged on by a manipulative media and the outrage were at a fever pitch.

Then the biggest controversy exploded which overshadowed everything that has and will happen at this world cup. Barring a calamitous event occurring right on the day of the final, Bob Woolmer’s sudden demise would be the most shocking event cricket world would see for some time. The Pakistani coach was found in a pool of his own vomit. He was also bleeding from the nose and had died. It was generally believed that the stress of the defeat had taken a toll on the South African and that he had succumbed to either a heart attack or a hemorrhage arising out of the stress he was under.

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But speculation refused to die down after his death and now 3 days after his death the Jamaican police has announced that his death was suspicious under the circumstances. Right now it is difficult to differentiate the fact from the fiction, as unconfirmed news beamed 24 hours by the ever vigilant media is fuelling several conspiracy theories. There are reports, that claim to have come from sources with the Jamaican police, that Bob Woolmer was murdered. There are reports which suggest that there are marks around his neck. Some say that his body, when found, was blue in color suggesting that he was poisoned. Some reports claim that the police have found fingerprints in his room and traces of poison too. While others say he was poisoned in his food.

The motive too has been subject to serious speculation. Some claim that he could have been murdered because of a book he was writing, where it was widely believed he would throw more light into the match fixing scandal that had erupted during his tenure as coach of the South African team. They point to the fact that Hansi Cronje, then captain of South Africa and an accused in that case, had also died suddenly in an air crash just like Woolmer had died suddenly now. People like Sarfaras Nawas have publicly said on the day he died itself that the bookmakers are involved in the Woolmer’s death. There are even others who feel that he was killed by angry Pakistani fans upset over their team’s sudden exit from the competition.

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What is known for a fact so far is that the autopsy has been inconclusive as to the cause of death. The police have announced that the reports of further tests like toxicology and histology are being awaited before any further concrete assumptions can be drawn. Till then all three possibilities are open; murder, suicide and drug overdose.

By this time tomorrow we might have a better idea on how Bob Woolmer passed away. Whatever it may be this could become the biggest thing to have shaken the cricketing world since the match fixing scandal broke out in the early part of this millennium. If Woolmer’s death turns out to be a murder it will be some time before the focus shifts back to the activities on the field.

Cricket World Cup 2007

David’s Day and Dreams Shattered

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Yesterday would be remembered in cricket history as the most momentous and unbelievable of days. It would be a day when the Davids of this world decided to stand up and make themselves accounted for in a competition overburdened by criticism for the crime of including them in the competition. The proved critics, including yours truly, eat their words and also proved to all and sundry that the competition is much the richer because of their inclusion into the event. It was a day the seemingly gate crashers of the party became the chief guests.

Bangladesh, in a clash of sub continental tigers, defeated India and proved why this group is considered the group of death. Credit should be given to the Bangladeshi players for holding their nerve and pulling off an upset of huge proportions. This would be watershed moment in Bangladeshi cricket and they would do well to build on this.

It seemed India came into the match looking for some match practice and some time in the middle for their out of for players. They took the opponent too lightly. They did not respect the conditions. They were so overconfident that I am sure the possibility of a difficult match did not enter their minds, let alone that of a defeat. And that along with some spirited performances from the Bangladeshis were their undoing.

Dravid won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch that had some moisture in it. But blame him alone for what happened from there on would be unfair. His batsmen seemed to be left their brains in their hotel and capitulated to a total which was not at all enough.

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The way some of the batsmen batted was absolutely reckless. Sehwag should consider himself extremely lucky to be in this word cup. But he did nothing to justify the faith his captain has on him and got himself out once again. How long is India willing to carry this noncontributing player in their eleven? Atleast Pathan, would give you some runs lower down the order if not too many wickets. Sehwag contributed just 2 runs to the cause.

After sehwag’s dismissal Uthappa too lost his head to a rash shot. Tendulkar was beaten by a clever delivery and suddenly the Indian were facing a crisis. That a man of Tendulkar’s ability was beaten by a young bowler spoke much about the confidence with which Bangladesh approached this game. Dravid tried to rescue the innings but he too was undone by an inappropriate shot.

Ganguly and Yuvraj then came together for the only period of time in the entire match when India raised hope of a recovery. Ganguly went on to complete his fifty albeit a bit slowly. But Yuvraj threw away his wicket by an ill timed sweep shot. And then followed a procession. The rest surrendered too meekly and too quickly. 3 batsmen were out for ducks before Zaheer and Patel put on some much needed run to take the score to at least 192.

Any hope of India salvaging the situation evaporated after the Bangaladeshi opener Tamim Iqbal started off in blitzkrieg fashion. While chasing a low total any kind of blitz brings down the total radically and eases the pressure for the later batsmen. In this aspect he did a wonderful job and he found the Indian bowlers obliging with some steady doze of width in their deliveries.

The contrast between the two teams was palpable when they took the field. While the Bangladeshis looked fired up and gave their all on the field India looked jaded and as if the occasion had overwhelmed them. Bangladesh dived around the park as they would into a swimming pool while the Indians spilled two sitters and two half chances. The match was never ever a contest and that’s the most worrying thing, for Indian fans in this match.

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If Bangladesh’s victory was huge then Ireland’s victory over Pakistan was absolutely shocking. If the shock were to have been measured on a Richter scale it would have registered a 9. Nobody expected Pakistan to leave this early from the tournament. Of course Pakistan still has a mathematical chance of qualifying but realistically the chances of that happening are fairly remote.

Pakistani’s like their sub continental brothers did not bring their brains to the ground. They just lost it completely when faced with greenish wicket and capitulated to a low score of 132. The way Kamran Akmal and Azhar Mahmood got out signified how they had let the occasion get to them. Yousuf failed to carry his test form into the one day matches while Inzamam looked like he was playing in his 2003 mode.

The bowlers did try to put up a fight with the enigmatic Sami leading the way. But some gutsy batting from the Irish batsmen ensured that they could go on to record a most memorable of victories if they could just hold on to their nerves. Hold their nerves they did and they eventually sent a big team packing from the world cup.

It’s a shame that some of the sub continent’s biggest names maybe bowing out in disgrace if India were to lose to Sri Lanka too. It would be disappointment to see Sachin, Sourav, Dravid and Kumble depart from the center in such a shameful fashion. The Indian team have their backs to the wall and will have a tough time to overcome the pressure of the backlash and call for heads that would soon start back home. Is this the end of the dream for the so called ‘Blue Billion’?

Cricket World Cup 2007

Gavaskar vs Australia and Sledging

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Off late the controversy involving Sunil Gavaskar and the Australian cricket team has been snowballing out of control. The whole thing started off with Gavaskar opening up the topic of sledging and accusing the Australians of being the primary perpetrators. He accused the Australian team of being abusive on the field of play. He went on to say that the Australians are the most unpopular champions in the history of the game.

As can be expected the Australians, especially their current captain Ricky Ponting, were none too happy about it. He responded strongly by referring to Gavaskar’s walkout of a test match when he was captain of the Indian team over alleged abuse from the Australian team. He also put his foot in his mouth when he then went on to talk of unrelated topics like India’s performance lately.

However if anyone thought that would be the last they would hear of the matter they were proved wrong as Gavaskar decided to put his foot in the mouth as well. He responded to Ricky Ponting by saying that the language the Australians use on the field could get them into trouble in a bar. He even cited the example of David Hookes, a former Australian player who got killed in a bar incident. This stirred a lot of strong reactions from Australian players including Allan Border.

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My personal take on the subject is that both Gavaskar and Ponting crossed the line by responding to comments made by each other. It was wrong on Ponting’s part to respond to such kind of comments. He would have been better served if he gave the answer on the field with their performance and conduct. As for Gavaskar, dragging in Hooke’s name into the whole thing was totally uncalled for. He should have shown a lot more respect to the memories of a deceased person.

My whole take on sledging is slightly different from that of Gavaskar. In the heat of the moment, in the middle of a crunch situation, it could and will get a bit volatile out there. But doesn’t that add more color and character to the whole proceedings?

International cricket is not about a bunch of small kids playing in the local park for them to be protected from such intensity. They are more than capable of taking it and dishing it out back to them in equal terms.

Sledging creates some funny banter from time to time. My favorites are the stories involving Merv Hughes. It is said that after being hit all over the ground in a match by Hansie Cronje, he went down the pitch to Cronje, stood near him and farted!!! He followed it up with the line “Try hitting that for a boundary”.

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Another memorable incident was when Viv Richard, upon being stared by Merv said “In my culture we don’t stare”. Merv got him out later and said “In my culture we just say F**k off”.

Merv has got it back from others too. After Robin Smith played and missed a delivery Merv snarled at him and said “You f**king can’t bat”. Robin Smith hit the next ball for a four and replied “We make quite a pair, don’t we? I f**king cant bat and you f**king can’t ball”.

But the one I like the most was from Fred Trueman. In a county game one of his team mates miss fielded the ball by letting it get through between his legs. Trueman’s reply, “No you bastard, your mother should have”.

Sledging is not always fun to bear for the players. Take for instance the McGrath – Sarwan incident. McGrath started it by asking Sarwan, “Tell me, how does Brian Lara’s d**k taste like”. Sarwan promptly replied “Ask your wife”. The bid to instigate Sarwan and make him lose his cool backfired on the Aussie and McGrath went berserk accompanied by a few of his team mates. The reason – his wife was battling cancer. Earlier McGrath wasn’t so touchy about his wife. Once he had asked the plump Eddo Brandes “Why are you so f**king fat?” Brandes replied, “That’s because every time I had sex with your wife, she gave me biscuit.” Play resumed only after 5 minutes as every on the field was rolling over with laughter.

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The principle of sledging is that if you can’t take it back then don’t give it. If you can’t take it at all then the message should be, “sorry mate, but this isn’t boys scout.” As a footnote, I haven’t see McGrath sledge after the Sarwan incident.

Cricket World Cup 2007

World’s Most Ignored Sport Fans.

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There were a couple of matches going on at the world cup yesterday. Australia, the favorites for the tournament, was playing against minnows Scotland. In another match a war of the minnows were going on between Kenya and Canada. Both matches had predictable results. Both were a cure for those suffering from even the acutest insomnia. The case is the same for the matches scheduled for today. In fact barring one match in each of the 4 groups there are no matches in the group stage of this world cup which would make even the most ardent of cricket fans to lose his sleep over.

Personally, the author of this post was not interested in following the matches after a tough day at the office. I was looking for some entertainment which would take my mind off the hectic workload I was bombarded with for the day. Usually I would have followed a cricket match on any given day, but yesterday I couldn’t watch it even for 5 minutes. Watching the Australian toying around with the Scots was as exciting as a watching a match of chess between two unknowns. There was nothing to even stimulate the slightest of interest in the match. David and Goliath is one thing, but this was Goliath and a 90 year old. As for the other match it was a bit more evenly balanced. But even that match failed to generate even the slightest excitement.

My point is who is actually watching these matches? Is there anybody out there who might be watching these matches the full distance other than the guys who get paid for it? The media and the ex-cricketers need to write and discuss about these matches. So they might endure this torture. But what about the ordinary fan. The one person everybody including the ICC, the broadcasters and the advertisers all seem to have forgotten. What about his interests?

The ICC is of the opinion that subjecting the smaller teams to such slaughter at the hands of their more established opponents would help these teams get better. Ya Right!!! Get them better at running away from a cricket field, if they ever were to lay their eyes on one again. The ICC is being delusional if they honestly believe that anyone’s confidence gets better by getting battered black and blue by a bigger opponent. And confidence is the key to success in any sport. There are other better ways of developing the sport in new territories than subjecting these teams to utter humiliation every 4 years.

The broadcasters as well as the ICC believes that pumping in more matches equates to more viewers and hence more revenue by way of advertisements. They are all forgetting the basic rule of demand and supply here. Any time a surplus occur demand obviously goes down thereby devaluing the product. Both these parties need to realize that corporate guys would clamor over one another to advertise their product only if they believe that there is a significant number of people out there would receive their message. They will plug the moment they understand that nobody cares for the sport. So the most important person everybody should be caring about is the fan.

To keep the interest of a fan (the customer) the ICC (the producer) should provide the product that he wants. And the fans want to see good competitive matches. He wants excitement; he wants to see players with skills exhibiting their prowess on the field against equally tough opponents. But this is not how the ICC feels. They feel that they will make a substandard product and have deluded themselves into believing that the audience will lap it up. In an effort to attract new audiences, they are in fact alienating existing ones. I also don’t understand how anyone who watches cricket for the first time will be taken to it when they see Australia playing Scotland.

If there is someone out there who watches these matches just out of the love of the game then the ICC should find him out and get him some important position in the organization. But before doing that they might do well to check if his sanity. On second thought maybe that’s the exact profile the existing honchos of the ICC has.

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The Big Fat Caribbean World Cup
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West Indies wins on the back of good show by young guns

2007 Cricket World Cup – WI v Pak

West Indies wins on the back of good show by young guns

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In a contest between two of the most mercurial sides in world cricket West Indies came out triumphant over an erratic Pakistan. What would be most heartening about this victory is that its chief architects were from the younger generation of its players. Players like Samuels, Smith and Bravo came to the party in a big way.

Pakistan won the toss in the morning and elected to field first, on a pitch which had something in it for the bowlers. Lara later on said that he would have done the same had he won the toss. The surprise inclusion in the Pakistani team was that of Danish Kaneria who hasn’t been a part of their ODI scheme of things for almost a year now, mainly due to his fielding prowess or lack thereof. This was a big gamble, considering that the West Indies have in the ranks some really good players of spin, not to mention the small grounds over there.

The WIndies innings started off rather shakily with Chris Gayle getting out in the third over for 2. Sarwan walked in and slashed at the first ball he faced; more nerves than anything else. The ball took the outside edge and was flying towards Younis Khan at second slip, who dropped the chance. In fact the Pakistani bowlers did not receive much support from their fielders all throughout the innings. The prime example of it all was when Danish Kaneria fielded an innocuous defensive push from Chanderpaul and then promptly hurled it over the wicket keeper’s head for four overthrows.

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After the fall of Gayle, West Indies adopted a cautious approach for a majority of their innings. It was understandable considering their penchant for collapses. However by the time Lara came in, at the fall of Sarwan’s wicket for a well made 49, the West Indies score was a paltry 3-77 in the 24th over. Lara and Samuels then went about trying to provide some much needed impetuous to the West Indian innings.

The trigger for it was when Samuels hit Iftikar Anjum for a four and a six off consecutive balls and thereby taking 14 runs off the 28th over of the innings. He followed it up by taking another 14 runs in the 31st over bowled by Kaneria which included two fours and a huge six over long on. Kaneria came in for some punishment from Lara too when the great man hit him for a four and a superb flat six over mid off in a single over.

Samuels brought up his 50 off 58 balls when he hit Shoaib Malik for a huge six over the bowlers head in the 41st over. The fourth wicket partnership was worth 91 off 103 balls before Hafeez broke it; Lara had walked after he had edged a sweep to Akmal with the West Indies score at 4-168 in the 42nd over. Samuels too departed soon after adding just 13 runs to the total. And when Ramdin was stumped by Akmal off Kaneria in the very next over we all thought that the West Indies would lose its way once again. The score then was 6-184 off 45 overs. It seemed they would struggle to put a competitive total on the board.

That was when a superlative cameo from Dwayne Smith changed the complexion of the innings. The all rounder made a quick fire 32 off 15 balls which included 3 boundaries and 2 towering sixes. Helped by some lusty hitting from the tail towards the end of the innings, the West Indies took their score to 9-241 in their 50 overs. The momentum was clearly in their favor especially after the last ball six by Collymore off Anjum.

West Indies clearly demonstrated the virtues of the old fashioned approach of keeping the wickets in hand. Pakistan on their part was rather listless on the field while Inzamam’s captaincy was too laid back for his own good. I felt he missed a trick or two when he failed to utilize the full quota of overs from his main bowlers especially Umar Gul. I also felt that he was at a loss of ideas when his bowlers were getting plundered all across the park.

Image Courtsey : au.setanta.com

The way Pakistan’s innings started off was an epitome of their inconsistency. Imran Nazir left alone the first ball. The next one he hit for a six. The next ball he was out caught behind. In walked Younis Khan and he hit a four off the very first ball he faced. It was a surprise when the last two deliveries of the over did not generate any drama at all.

However Younis Khan too did not last long and was out top edging a delivery while trying to hook a ball that got too big on him. The score was 2-17 in 4 overs when he left. And when Mohammed Hafeez left trying to up the tempo in the 11th over, Pakistan was tottering at 3-39. This brought their two most experienced batsmen together in the middle in the form of Inzamam and Yousuf. It was up to them to steady the ship and take the cause forward.

Steady the ship they did; but they ate up a lot of balls in doing so. The pair went about their task in such a snail’s pace that they added only 60 runs in 18.3 over. Their problems were further accentuated by the dismissal of Yousuf by Smith. Pakistan’s total at the time was 4-99 in 29 overs. In the 33rd over Smith also accounted for Inzamam Ul Haq with the score at 5-116. With the asking rate climbing to over 7 runs an over it was up to Akmal and Malik to salvage the situation.

However that was not to be as Akmal was out to a brilliant low catch by Bravo at gully off that man Smith once again, who was rightfully adjudged the man of the match. Whatever hopes Pakistan had of winning the match was virtually over then. Even though Malik put up some token resistance towards the end the task at hand was always too daunting for the Pakistanis. When Bravo finished off the tail he was only putting in the finishing touches to a determined performance by the WIndies.

Image Courtsey : smh.com.au

Pakistan looked very weak without Razzaq and Afridi. Their presence could have been crucial in this innings as they would given more depth to the batting line up which was sorely missing some firepower in the latter stages of the match, Malik’s exploits not withstanding. Inzamam has a lot of thinking to do if they are to put a good show in this world cup. Remember they haven’t beaten a test playing nation at the world cup since 1999. West Indies would be happy to have got the points under their belt which they are almost certain to carry forward to the Super-Eight stage. They will be a tough side to beat if they can take build on this and get some semblance of consistency into their game.

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Can India bring the world cup home?
The Big Fat Caribbean World Cup
Dropped, Doped or Duped? – The drug scandal in cricket
World Cup Unforgettables – Australia v South Africa, 1999
World Cup Unforgettables – India v Pakistan 1996
The Caribbean Carnival Begins

Cricket World Cup 2007

The Caribbean Carnival Begins

Image Courtsey : Wikipedia.org

Here we are! Cricket’s biggest carnival has finally arrived. It was fitting that the greatest cricketer of all time, Sir Garfield Sobers, declared the world cup open. The organizers departed from the usual formality of the head of state of the host nation declaring the world cup open, and instead asked one of its erstwhile greats to do the honors. Probably this was influenced by the fact that the West Indies is an entity which consists of many nations, and maybe to avoid any dispute which may arise subsequently they selected their greatest ever cricketer to start off their greatest ever sporting event.

This is one of the most open of all world cups in recent memory and also the least hyped one. One can vividly remember the hype that surrounded the world cup last time in 2003. Compared to that this year the hype has relatively low key. It is not until 2 days before the world cup that it has started showing signs of picking up momentum. This could be attributed to the fact that almost 50% of the competing teams in this world do not stand a chance of winning a single match other than among themselves. This has inundated the group stage with a lot of meaningless matches and with the results being a foregone conclusion in almost half its matches. Hopefully the tournament would really start off when the super-eight stage begins on the 27th March.

Image Courtsey: smh.com

There have already been some fireworks on and off the field for this world cup. If the opening ceremony showcased some spectacular fireworks display, off the field it has been the showdown between Ponting and Gavaskar that has been in the news lately. Ponting’s harsh reply to Gavaskar’s equally harsh criticism of their behavior on the field and his subsequent return to Ponting’s taunts have all added spice to an already simmering rivalry between India and Australia. The Indians are still haunted by the massacre they received at the hands of the Australians during last world cup’s final. Indian captain has already stated that he would love to play Australia in the final, above even traditional rivals Pakistan!!! If that doesn’t tell you how much intensity Indians have to a clash with the Aussies nothing else will.

Another confrontation that has just been heated up is that of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistani coach, taking on former greats Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. Woolmer has been subject to their criticism for quite some time now. He has finally hit back taking on both these legends and claiming that he will prove them. Boy!!! As if the pressure of the world cup was not enough, he has gone on and added some more pressure upon himself and his team. Nevertheless there is no denying the fact that this has added much needed excitement to the initial stages of the tournament.

Image Courtsey: cricket-worldcup.net

The opinion that this world cup is the most open in recent time has almost become passé now. Australia’s dominance has been severely dented by their recent losses to England and New Zealand. Their bowling does not seem to posses the same potency it used to posses. With the exit of Shane Warne and the ageing on Glenn Magrath they seem to have lost some of their lethality which had made them such a dominant force for such a long time. Their decline is welcomed by the whole cricketing fraternity as this opens up the door to glory for every other major team in the competition. But still, only a fool would take the Aussies lightly and to their own detriment.

The pitches would be the most crucial factor in this world cup. If it behaves as it has in the past few years then we would not be seeing the run feasts that we have grown accustomed to, and according to me that’s a good thing. The pitches could make it an equal contest between the bowlers and the batsmen, with only the ones with the necessary skills and with the ability to adapt prevailing in the end. Low scores could be the order of the day and this would force the captains to think on their feet and change their strategies as per the demands of the situation.

Image Courtsey: cricket-online.com

I believe that if the wicket plays out as it is expected to, the teams from the subcontinent could come to the party in a big way. These guys are champions anytime the ball doesn’t bounce above their hips. Every Indian must therefore be hoping that their team goes one better in this edition than what they achieved last time around. Nothing would give them more pleasure than dishing it out to the Aussies. If history is anything to go by, then the last time a team was poised to win a hat-trick of world cups they were thwarted by a team of no-hopers from this great country. I genuinely wish that history would repeat itself.

Related Reads:

Can India bring the world cup home?
The Big Fat Caribbean World Cup
Dropped, Doped or Duped? – The drug scandal in cricket
World Cup Unforgettables – Australia v South Africa, 1999
World Cup Unforgettables – India v Pakistan 1996
World Cup Unforgettables – India v Australia 1992
Rahul Dravid – The Great Wall of India
Saurav Ganguly – The Return of the Prince
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - Hero, Villain or Victim?