The Group of Death

Andre Russell was nearly destined to be the character of the match.

244 was always a challenging ask on paper when the England - South Africa humdinger is fresh memory at the same venue,Chennai.Then,a Ga(y)le roared up the English Channel and threatened vanquishment.England had to Tread( )well,it could have been well England's Swa(n)nsong.

Switch to 118-5 and 150-6,hopes for a Windies win fast diminishing.Enter Russell,who had picked up 4 wickets earlier.He also caught the eye for some weird reasons,when he,being a seamer at that,almost completely stopped in his run up just before jumping on to the popping crease 2-3 times in the English innings - umpire Steve Davis nearly ruled a 'dead' ball on the first such instance - only to proceed on finishing the delivery,catching the batsman wide unaware.Fortunately.he didn't dismiss anyone in any of those instances,otherwise it could have sparked a major controversy regarding the laws of cricket,the match being such a crucial one to the fate of these teams in the Cup.Now,he chose to try his luck with the willow.And boy,he played the unlikely co-saviour,beside the seasoned Ramnaresh Sarwan to take them 22 runs adrift of knocking the John Bulls out.

Only to lose the final 4 wickets for 3 runs.Russell,however,featured in another drama when Jonathan Trott claimed to caught him off Swann just inside the boundary,but repeating TV replays came back inconlusive,and it was something in between a benefit of doubt and a calculation of the possible,the probable and the eveident that some part of Trott's sleeve touched the line which saved the batsman.He,then,led the final procession of the Carribeans out of the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.Just when the West Indians looked they would cruise through,England say,hang on,we are in no mood to catch the morning's flight to Dubai.

Group B is still so so open.We need just another upset of South Africa by Bangladesh,who'd be so disappointed tonight,and we would have India,West Indies and England fighting for the remaining two spots for the quarters.Then,if India beat West Indies in the last Group League encounter,India and England go through,joining South Africa,who are already sitting pretty after they beat Ireland.If West Indies win,they advance,with the net run rate deciding between India and England.In case they share points,India are out of harm's way,with the net run rate factor dangling between England and West Indies.And if South Africa beat Bangladesh,the co-hosts' hope going through vanish in thin air as the huge advantage the Windies enjoy in terms of the net run rate would,barring an apocalyptic Calypso,ensure them the fourth slot from Group B.

Kick In The Ass

Still fresh cranks the second upset,to be proper,of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.Bangladesh did almost everything to make sure they lost the match last night after making progress chasing 226 against England.For the first time any team was chasing under lights in Chittagong in an ODI,and at one stage the hosts were 155-3.Thanks to some harakiri committed by Imrul Kayes and Shakib-al Hasan,and a devilish spell from Ajmal Shehzad,they slipped to 169-8.The spectators - Bangladeshi supporters - had started vacating the stands,and soon,it was half empty.Though the hosts were very much ahead of the required rate at that time,not many would have really believed that the last two wickets were gonna see them through.

And then,as a friend put it,cricket happened.Mahmudullah and the number 10 batsman,Shafiul Islam,had other ideas.The required rate was creeping up,but they showed sense not take undue risk,took their time to weather the Shehzad burst as England pressed for the kill.By the time he was finished,Bangladesh required 33 off the last 5 overs.It was an astounding experience to witness how the batsmen held their nerves and England kept on losing theirs,especially James Anderson.In the end,the unbelievable happened,something that would put the South African performance in Chennai to shame,with an over to spare and without any more casualties.

Group B is being stretched wider and wider.If there had to be a 'Group of Death' in this Cup,it always had to be this one.But only because 5 of the 7 teams in this Group are Test playing nations,where the other one has 4.But thanks to England,this pool is really turning out to be a slippery trough.

Look at the matches they have featured in.Started with the Netherlands running them long,then the tie of swinging fortunes with India which would perhaps be one of the most important factors in determining the fate of the Group.Then came Ireland,down in the gutters 111-5 chasing 327,only for the storm named Kevin O'Brien to blow the cross-border rivals off.To make matters more interesting,they chose to shock South Africa,who were expected to shoo them off,and did so for the greater part of the match,only to collapse from 124-3 to 127-7 and choke 6 runs short of the 172 run target.

After last night,it's pretty hard to predict the qualifiers from this group to the knockout stage.England have played themselves into worry.As the points table stands,Bangladesh and even Ireland have a fair chance of making it to the quarters,at the expense of England.Both Bangladesh and Ireland have South Africa and the Netherlands to contend with,while England have West Indies.If Bangladesh beat Netherlands,and England lose to West Indies,as looks enormously possible,Bangladesh will have edged out England.However,Ireland will have a chance if they manage an upset over South Africa,and win it against the Netherlands,as their net run rate is healthier than that of Bangladesh.On the other hand,if England lose,Bangladesh have a upper hand over them and South Africa lose the upcoming matches including today's,the English will go through only in the event where Ireland loses to the Netherlands.So,unless they win their last match,it's too much of a pickle for England.But then again,the word 'possible' is reaching new heights this Cup,as we saw in the Group A encounter between Pakistan and New Zealand,92 runs ARE 'possible' in the last 4 overs of an innings!

To focus on today's big match,it has been billed for long as the match deciding the Group topper.South Africa started well,only to justify their ineluctable 'chokers' tag in their last match.India,on the other hand,have been the only unbeaten team of this pool,but scratchy at best.Serious worries with the bowling attack,unlike the Proteas who seem to have struck upon the right mix of variety and potency.While Imran Tahir,their newest recruit,has been pretty impressive,Piyush Chawla,his Indian counterpart in the right arm leg-break department has struggled to settle into a consistent rhythm.It's reported that he's likely to be fielded again ahead of Ashwin amidst pressure to play the latter.Yuvraj Singh did a good job in saving us the blushes in the last two matches,both in batting and bowling.Fielding is not yet upto the mark.It's interesting to note that the first two matches,India batted first and blasted the opponents.The next two,shivers ran down the spine while chasing modest totals against two of the least fancied teams.

Maybe the real problem doesn't lie with the batting or bowling prowess,or the combination,rather it may lie in the psyche,the intent or the lack of it.It was so evident in the England match,where the body language more tha anything else was more than disappointing,coupled with Dhoni's insipid captaincy.

The optimist would say there hasn't been enough motivation for the Indian team to play to potential yet.But today,it is South Africa we are up against.This is different.Perhaps this is the kick in the ass we have been missing.Let's hope it brings the Men In Blue out with all guns blazing in Nagpur.De ghuma ke!

The revenge sweet-sour

The anticipation was huge on both sides,baying for blood.India and Bangladesh do not quite fit the billing of arch-rivals in cricket,but India's infamous and unceremonious loss to Bangladesh in Port-of-Spain in their Group League encounter in the last World Cup,which virtually knocked them out of the tournament in that preliminary round itself,raked big and had set off undercurrents between the two.You could always say that the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 inaugural clash between them would rank as one of the most hyped meetings in this tournament,with India looking to settle the score and Bangladesh fantasising with the past to repeat it one more time.

Some fine batting by India after they were put into bat by Bangladesh skipper Shakib-al Hasan almost ensured the revenge.MoM Virender Sehwag scored a career best 175,and nearly saw through his pledge of batting out the full 5o overs.Virat Kohli continued his great form to hit an unbeaten ton on World Cup debut,becoming the first Indian to do so.Maybe he thought he was continuing from his U-19 World Cup triumph in 2008.Well,at the end of the day,the job was done and Port-of-Spain was avenged  in Mirpur,Dhaka.India comfortably beat Bangladesh by 87 runs.

A margin of 87 runs reads handsome against any team in the world.But then we can't forget that Bangladesh posted 283-9 in reply to our 370-4.What if we had not handed them a target that big?Let's focus on the second innings.Bangladesh maintained a run-rate sniffing around 6.Imrul Kayes provided a competitive start,and Tamim Iqbal and Shakib kept on the illusion of being in the hunt for a good while.Perhaps we won't feel very elated about this win.Perhaps we have it in our psyche that our eastern neighbours are still little more than minnows in world cricket.Perhaps we will doubt the potency of our bowling against the more fancied opponents.

Let me then draw a parallel from the history of the World Cup.As the match wore on towards the end I could not help but remember a similar occasion from the 1999 World Cup in England.It was Australia v. Zimbabwe in a Super Six clash at the Lord's.Zimbabwe back then used to be what Bangladesh is today - giant killers,and that particular edition they had a dream run in the Group League stage.And yet,they were the underdogs by far.Australia bat and put a heavy 303-5 on the board.Zimbabwe begin their chase in a promising fashion.Remember Neil Johnson?One of the finest all-rounders to have played the game since the Kapil-Imran-Botham era.When he and Murray Goodwin were together for the 2nd wicket partnership (114),the Aussies looked tense and threatened.The likes of Andy Flower (though he unfortunately scored a golden duck that match) were waiting in the hut.Goodwin was dismissed,153-2,but Johnson carried on,but bad day he didn't get able support from the other end.Zimbabwe ended up at 259-6.The Kangaroos won convincingly by 44 runs.People granted that it was a reasonable performance from Zimbabwe,and Australia needed to bowl better.Because Zimbabwe was still an underdog in our psyche.I was a Std. V kid back then and I wept when Zimbabwe had beaten India in their Group game.The same I felt sad for Johnson,who scored 132 not out off 144 and was also adjudged MoM that match against Australia,by the time he took guard in the last over.

Did the McGraths and Warnes bowl badly that day?No.Did the Men in Blue bowl badly last evening?No,with the exception of Sreesanth.You have to acknowledge that the conditions were much more conducive for batting under lights - ball came on to the bat easier due to dew around.Plus,perhaps Dhoni overrated the dew factor to field a 3-1 combination.Anil Kumble wrote in his column,and I too in my blog felt that it will be surprising if our strategy doesn't bank on 2 seamers and 2 spinners.But for Sreesanth,Ashwin was the obvious choice,Bangladesh has a number of left handed batsmen in their ranks.Look at the figures of the other bowlers.Munaf picked up 4,Zaheer was economical and Harbhajan was on the money too.The death bowling looks good.However,the likes of Zaheer Khan need to nurse their fielding woes.

A word of concern with the dew factor.The majority of games in the World Cup are Day/Night affairs,as are all matches featuring India.If last eve was any indication,the signs are bad for a tournament as crucial as these.We would not like the results of important matches to depend largely on the flip of the coin.

Anyway,a win is a win,and the team deserves thanks for ensuring that India start with a win and averting any 'accident' they met with last time round.Because Group B is the tougher pool and the going is bound to be rugged.The pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag would like to follow suit.Not everyday will they want to gift a run-out as last afternoon's to the opposition.A gap of 8 days now before they take on England,this time back in India,in Bengaluru.Till then,enjoy the other teams in action DE GHUMA KE!

The Cup That Counts

Just about two more hours for the battle for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to begin at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium,Dhaka,Bangladesh.From a high of 16 teams in the last edition,this time the number of participating teams have been reduced to a sane 14.Cricket's ultimate showpiece is being hosted in the subcontinent after 15 years and with it returns the 'Quarter Final' stage in the tournament format.Incidentally,the 'Quarter Final' as a round was introduced and included in the format for the first and only time the last time the World Cup was staged in South Asia,in 1996.

Anyways,perhaps the second most pertinent speculation in the mind of the Indian cricket enthusiast is what should be the composition of the first playing XI of the Indian team.Few grounds for animosity exists when it comes to fielding a 7-4 combination,i.e.,7 batsmen (including wicketkeeper batsman and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni) and 4 bowlers.And unless venues like Mohali tempt otherwise,4 bowlers would mean 2 seamers and 2 spinners.Now,we understand there are two dead certainties in the bowling line up - Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh,shall they keep fit.Going by the recent performances by Ashish Nehra,you can count him out.It's unfortunate Praveen Kumar has to sit out due to injury,so either Munaf Patel or Sreesanth,Praveen's replacement,will make the cut as Zaheer's partner.Munaf is in good stead with some impressive show in the ODI series in South Africa,while Sreesanth is always an exciting prospect and temptation,because the rare occasions he finds himself a consistent rhythm,he can be devastating,so you never know.

As regards the spinners,the omission of Pragyan Ojha from the squad ahve raised many an eyebrow.Instead Piyush Chawla was picked at the haste of captain Dhoni,his reason being the inclusion of a leggie will add to the variety of the spin attack and also his batting prowess will add solidarity to the lower order.Well,Chawla has not been half as consistent as Ojha in the recent past with the ball,so how much more variety does him being a leggie add than a left arm orthodox?Or perhaps Chawla has edged out Ojha because he has a fantastic googly in his armory?Questions that will never be answered conclusively.And better put at rest at this moment.We saw how Chawla turned around the warm-up match against Australia on a square turning track in Bengaluru.Whether he will be able to recreate the magic in less helpful conditions is a metaphysical ask,but it has added to the selection dilemma.Yes,Ravichandran Ashwin has convinced us with his consistency and maybe he's the more reasonable choice beside Harbhajan.But then,why have a leggie in the side,with the two other spinners being right arm off break bowlers,if you can't play him?

The fifth bowler has always an area for concern for us in the last 15 years.The shoulder niggle Virender Sehwag is carrying takes away one good option in home conditions.Fortunately,Yuvraj Singh is in brilliant form with the ball.Look at his figures on South Africa and the warm-up games.Hardly betrays that he still considers himself a part-timer.He,along with Yusuf Pathan,can be entrusted with the task of assisting the front-line spinners in the middle overs.

And this is where we are almost drawn into sighing,poor Suresh Raina!I had in my first entry in this blog (http://caesarcricket.blogspot.com/2010/12/no-vacancy-for-yuvi.html) pointed out that it's either Yuvraj or Raina who makes the final XI.Yusuf Pathan has only succeeded even more in proving my point and neither Yuvraj nor Raina has helped his cause with the bat.Yusuf's bowling is a plus,and though he isn't used as much as his antics in domestic cricket would suggest,he has been observed to be good in breaking crucial partnerships.And Yuvraj's bowling would most probably see him make the cut despite Raina's blinder against New Zealand in the warm-up in Chennai.

The batting has not gunned big in ODIs this year.While a part of it can be attributed to the absence of Sehwag,Gambhir,and also Tendulkar for the better part of the series against South Africa,the rest collectively has been a letdown.Virat Kohli is in golden touch,and Yusuf Pathan can almost single handedly win any match in the subcontinent if he continues his good run with the long handle.Will the others,especially Yuvraj and Dhoni,follow suit?

One would say our seam attack looks vulnerable.While the likes of Zaheer Khan,Munaf Patel and also Sreesanth,if you take into account the Test series in SA,thrived on the more lively decks there,and what's more heartening is our death bowling,which has been our biggest worry in the recent past and beyond,looked really good.If they would be able to replicate the effort in the brutally batting friendly conditions expected here is something to watch out for in the coming few weeks.

And finally,the billion dollar question,who will lift the Cup?Only a fool would predict for sure this time,for the first time since 1999.Australia were runaway favourites in 2003 and 2007,and rightly so as we found out.This time some people were starting to ignore their potential while they were being hammered by England in the Ashes at home!They have just succeeded to send a timely reminder to them that they are still the No. 1 ranked side in ODIs by returning a 6-1 favour to the English in the ODI series that followed.Ricky Ponting is coming back to play with a half healed finger,but looked composed in the warm-up v. India.Shane Watson is in crushing form and the likes of Cameron White can float like a butterfly and sting you like a bee.Brett Lee's thumping return is good news for Australia and the cricketing world.The news is,you can count them out at your own peril.

India are always a strong side at home and their team is definitely one of the teams to beat and displays an exciting mix of youth and experience,calm and exuberance.Sri Lanka,on the other hand,look closest to he perfectly balanced side,and the fact that they get to play most of their group games in Sri Lanka make it even harder for the other teams to handle them.Maestros like Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan will definitely love to sign off in style.In fact,I feel ot would be an upset if we don't see Sri Lanka making the Final.Beware Malinga and his toe crushers!

South Africa look very intimidating on paper,perhaps their best side to play in the Cup after 1999,but they have yet to prove their worth in the subcontinent against the subcontinent teams in ODIs.Players like Hashim Amla and Johan Botha who would be instrumental to their fate,are in sublime form over the past year or so,and they boast of the best pace attack in the world.England are the dark horses,and if Pakistan,bubbled up from their success in New Zealand,plays as a unit,the Afridis,Razzaqs,Akmals and Akhtars won't be far behind to excite up the arena.

But cometh the hour when play starts,all this analysis,predictions,opinions will be reduced to a heap of shit.Because it will be the best 8 of the 14 who make it to the knockout stage and from then,it's a matter of who plays better on the respective day.But we cricket crazy people across the globe will be connected in our pulses,will breathe,live and die together for the 43 days that follows.Let all the teams fight with all their strength and valour.Because glory does not and must not come cheap.Because this is The Cup That Counts.

The Hour of Truth

12 days to go for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to kick off.For the third time,after the Reliance World Cup 1987 and the Wills World Cup 1996,the quadrennial showpiece is being hosted in the Indian subcontinent.But make no mistake,this time it's gonna be a different ball game altogether.

This is the first World Cup,and you gotta add,of the ODI format of the sport after Twenty20 cricket has taken centrestage big time.Barely 5 months after the conclusion of the last ICC Cricket World Cup in the Carribean,the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 took place in South Africa in September 2007,and made the cricketing world sit up and acknowledge the arrival of the shortest internationally recognized version of the game on the big scene.The money makers smelled immediately the opportunity to churn out big profits by exploiting the format,and so did the International Cricket Council see its window of spreading the game to newer places on the globe.The rest,as they say,is history.We have witnessed the introduction and growth of the Indian Premier League and Champions League Twenty20,courtesy the Board of Control for Cricket in India,with all its obscene money and glitz.There have been two more World Twenty20 meets in 2009 and 2010.As a result,the professionals have taken T20 seriously,and thereby increased its popularity.And in the last four years,we have seen it pose a mortal challenge to the more traditional versions.There's no escaping the fact that the viewership of the Test and ODI matches are decreasing with the increasing indulgence in the T20s.

And it is hence that the test begins on February 19 in Dhaka,when Bangladesh take on co-hosts India.At a time when Twenty20 is being dubbed as the future of cricket,when changes are being suggested and even implemented (in the Australian domestic circuit) to the one day structure to spice up the format,when the ICC World Twenty20 is threatening to dethrone the ICC Cricket World Cup as the premier tournament of the sport,2011 is faced with a challenge.A challenge to provide a fresh lease of life to 50 over cricket.A challenge to sustain the excitement of this historical tournament.A challenge to keep alive the Cup!And we know,there could be no place better for the mega event to happen this time than this cricket-fanatic land.The Cup has returned to the home it truly belongs to.Hope it doesn't abandon it yet...

Grand Finale

The two best ranked teams in Test cricket are fighting it out,and what can you expect but the best?The Newlands,Cape Town can be in that sense said to be hosting the Grand Finale of the Test Championship.Last year when South Africa toured India for a two Test series,the scoreline was tied at 1-1.Two Tests in the return series and it's 1-1 again after Centurion and Durban,2-2 in aggregate.Though India have now been at the helm of the ranking for an unbroken period for almost a year now,critics have questioned their supremacy on grounds of absence of consistent and overwhelming successes overseas as you you would expect of a side tagged no. 1.Bitter truth,or maybe the Australian era holds the definition of dominance.And you know that the team who's close at heels have to be the chief challengers.

So,there isn't a better place to seal the issue than the den of the Proteas,if not a more suitable time.More so when South Africa has been dubbed as 'India's final frontier' - they have always had to bear the ignominy of defeat here.Hence when Ravi Shastri says that India would be happy with a no result in Cape Town,not many will contradict him.

But,even then,what about the pride?The tension and hype involved in this series reminds me of Tyler and McCarthy in 'Never Back Down'.The end has to be decisive,right?The question requires settlement at least for a while.Thus we can see there's a lot to play for at the lap of the Table Mountains.A result here grants recognition to the winner as the best Test team.A draw keeps the legitimacy in abeyance.

With such a backdrop,it would unfortunate if one doesn't witness a tooth and nail battle.And we ain't disappointed.Perfect conditions for a five day encounter at the Newlands.A green strip once again but neither lopsided in its nature as at the SuperSport Park nor like the almost unplayable batting conditions at the Kingsmead.To get value for work,the bowlers have had to manufacture wickets by able manipulation.That's why Sreesanth,with his persistent seam movement, and Dale Steyn,by his unrelenting questionnaire,have stood out.And Kallis and Tendulkar showed us that you can get runs here if you knew which balls to leave.It's the gutsy nature of their play that have left them tall among the peers.

Collectively too,the teams have so far matched each other inch for inch.Three days go by,and still none has an edge.India managed a first innings lead of a mere 2 runs,courtesy a late partnership between the Master and Harbhajan Singh,after South Africa scored what the visitors would think 50-60 runs too many after being 8 down for some 270-odd.And just when the Protean openers were looking to sign off the day on a high,the Turbanator pegged two back just before stumps last eve,leaving things pretty much even stevens all over again.

They say,the direction of a Test match is pretty much decided often by how it goes on the penultimate day.The intentions are as clear as the sky in Cape Town.The wicket is showing signs of wear and tear,puffs of dust emerging here and there.India will be conscious of the fact they will have to bat last;to contend Paul Harris,quite a bit of uneven bounce,and Dale Steyn's pace and skiddiness.They won't like the target to be steep.South Africa on the other hand would like to pile on runs quick.In short,another contest between the bat and ball awaits us.But,Virender Sehwag may well be the name of the ace up Dhoni's sleeve on Wednesday.

Battle royale at the Kingsmead

What an engrossing day of Test cricket at the Kingsmead in Durban yesterday!And I watched almost all of it.18 wickets tumbled on the day - as many as 8 before Lunch,another 6 between Lunch and Tea,and 4 after Tea.That the partnership between VVS Laxman and Cheteshwar Pujara of 46 unbeaten at Stumps is the most remarkable partnership of the day says it all about how difficult life has been at the crease.India lead by 166 runs with 6 wickets remaining in the 2nd innings.Just the second day over,we're into almost halfway the 3rd innings,but yes,we have the least idea who's gonna be King of the Kingsmead.

After Dale Steyn returned figures of 6-50 in the first innings,it didn't surprise that Zaheer Khan led India to a lethal fightback.Such is the myth that Indian batsmen cannot cope with quality seam bowling that South Africa have overdone the wicket here,and it has backfired.Australia got it at the WACA in 2008,England at the Oval in 2007.By now,we are used to the difference Zaheer brings into the Indian bowling attack,specially in Tests.He is to bowling what Sachin Tendulkar is to batting for India.And despite the fact that he didn't exactly get effective support from the other end,he proved instrumental in reducing the hosts to 74-4 at Lunch.It is as if he has made it a habit to fool Graeme Smith one way or the other,and that's one big factor negated.But it was Harbhajan Singh who turned out to be the big surprise factor.A 4-10 burst from him was last thing South Africa needed or expected.The catching in the entire match has been praiseworthy,and the visitors refused to be left out of the party this time.Rahul Dravid's 200th catch in Tests will rank as one of the very best ever caught be the slip veteran.

One was perhaps laying back in the chair satisfied that India were in the driver's seat,with a reasonably good start in the 2nd innings after having secured a substantial 1st innings lead of 74,until Sehwag nicked Tsotsobe complacently to Boucher.From 42-0,suddenly it was 56-4.Sehwag and Dravid,also scalped be Tsotsobe,would perhaps be kicking themselves for the way they threw their wickets away.Funny thing,I perfectly anticipated Dravid and Tendulkar's wickets.Just seconds before Dravid got out I was thinking that India might do the mistake of taking Tsotsobe lightly,who's certainly not in the league of Steyn and Morkel if the speed is concerned.and Dravid ended up doing just that.On the latter occasion,Dale Steyn had been brought in for his second spell and as he ran up for the first delivery,I wondered perhaps there's a wicket looming,and if somethings to happen,it would happen off that very first ball of his new spell.And lo,Tendulkar edges one to de Villiers,as if he's not really prepared for the sudden outburst of speed.

Since then,it's been Laxman and Pujara applying themselves pretty well out in the middle,one must say.Needless to say,they need to carry on the good work this morning.Another 100-150 runs and the way the match has chameleoned so far,who knows...