Calcutta cries, Bangalore gains !

The World Cup at Eden Gardens has been shifted to Bangalore, as the stadium will not be ready for the India England match.

So Calcutta loses a golden opportunity. This match will be fiercely competitive, as England, spurred by the Ashes win, says it will defeat India, who is placed second in ICC ODI Rankings. It ia a No 5 challenging a No 2.

Calcutta will host three matches but then they are considered lesser matches. SA vs Ireland, Ireland vs Holland, Kenya vs Zimbabwe. These matches cannot be crowd pullers like the India England match !

Bangaloreans get a great chance to see a glorious match, which will be keenly fought. England, though mauled by the Aussies in ODIs, won the Ashes in Australia and is trying to overcome India, who can be formidable on home pitches.

The other matches at Bangalore are England vs Ireland, India vs Ireland, Australia vs Kenya & Australia vs Canada. These matches also cannot be crowd pullers like the Indo England match.

Meanwhile, England's ace batsman, Pietersen, has blasted the WC schedule, saying that fixture of six weeks is longish and playing matches with six day intervals is simply ridiculous.

"It's far too long. How can the England team play once and then in six days' time play again, and then in six days' time play again? It's ridiculous but there's nothing we can do about the schedules"

On the other hand, these intervals are a blessing in disguise for the Indian team, whose many players are smarting under injuries. This one month interval ( after the series in SA ) and six days intervals come like manna sent from heaven !

But for England, it is adverse. England fly out for the showpiece tournament just three days after arriving back from the tour of Australia, which began from Oct last year. No rest for the Englishmen !

"Our schedule is ridiculous going into this World Cup. It has been for England teams for a very long time and that's probably why England have not done well in World Cups" said the master blaster.

"I wouldn't say we're going to be knackered because it's going to be the World Cup and we all want to win this World Cup. I know what I'll be doing (in the three-day break) - lying on my couch."

He said he loves IPL and will not quit IPL, which begins just six days after the WC Final on Apr 2. If England reaches the Final, then they would have been away from home for all but 3 days, for 5.5 months !

"I don't know about second thoughts about IPL. When you are in a good thing, you know it's a good thing and you enjoy it, I was always going to be putting my name in the hat for it. It's such a relaxed environment as much as the intensity is electric, the intensity is 100 per cent on the field," said the master batsman.

Karuturi Global becomes sponsor for Kenya

Karuturi Global became the official sponsor for the Kenya World Cup team.

The Kenya team was looking for a sponsor, when Karuturi Global became its sponsor.

For 2011, this Indian conglomerate will sponsor Kenya. A one year deal has been signed. Cricket Kenya said that the deal, the single biggest deal to have been taken by the Association, would cater to all financial requirements of the team during the 2011 World Cup.

Cricket Kenya Chairman Inamdar said " "We have had disputes on the issues of money in the past. The last thing we should be worried about going into this World Cup is money. Having negotiated our way into a formal aggrement with the players, everybody will now go into the World Cup and claim it".

Jimmy Kamande, the captain of the Kenya team, welcomed the move. "Our main concern was that we could go to the World Cup without a team sponsor. But with Karuturi having come on board, all is well." he said.

Incorporated in 1994-95, Karuturi Global Limited, is a Bangalore based company engaged in three businesses: floriculture, processing foods, gherkins, and IT. The company was initially set up as Karuturi Floritech in Doddaballapur, near Bangalore with an annual capacity to process 12 million premium cut roses at its state-of-the-art facilities. Recently Siva Ventures, looking for agri businesses, bought 2.99% of K Global. Her shares trade at INR 19 at the NSE and the BSE. Under the dynamic leadership of R Karuturi, she is going for a massive 1600 cr expansion drive.

Karuturi Global is a world leader in production of cut roses with operations spread across Ethiopia, Kenya and India. Karuturi has more than 239 hectares under Greenhouse Cultivation and annually produce 555 million stems of quality cut roses.

More and more Indian corporates are joining the bandwagon, of sponsoring and advertising. After the 1983 win, India can never be the same again !

Pak cites India as threat !

India, SA and Aussies are big threats, according to the Pak players.

Off spinner Saeed Ajmal and pacer Sohail Tanvir feel that these three teams can be big threats to all including Pak.

"I think India, Australia and South Africa can pose a big threat as they have very strong squads for the tournament" Saeed Ajmal told commentator Rameez Raja in a TV show.

Pak will have to encounter India, even she manages to go through the knock out stages.

"Matches against India are always played with extra hype and spirit and if such a match up takes place in the World Cup at any stage it would be great for the sport" he added."I want to come out of the World Cup with appreciable performances and with people saying Saeed bowled well for the team,"

Sohail Tanvir, his colleague said " "Both India and Sri Lanka have strong one-day combinations and both can pose a challenge to any team in the tournament and in the knockout stage

"I am confident our team can perform well in the tournament and I see India or Sri Lanka as our main threats in the latter stages of the event".

Sri Lanka, the dark horse of the World Cup !

While cricket pundits give maximum chances to India, SA and England, Sri Lanka may very well be the dark horse.

On spin tracks, Sri Lanka can be formidable, with their spin trio of Murali, Herath and Mendis.

In Mahela Dilshan and Sangakara, they have three explosive batsmen and a good all rounder in Angelo Mathews.

They have some new faces, but then their team is a blend of youth and experience.



Malinga Bandara
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Dilhara Fernando
Rangana Herath
Chinthaka Jayasinghe
Mahela Jayawardene
Prasanna Jayawardene
Nuwan Kulasekara
Jeevantha Kulatunga
Suranga Lakmal
Angelo Mathews
Ajantha Mendis
Jehan Mubarak
Dilshan Munaweera
Tharanga Paranavitana
Kushal Janith Perera
Thilan Samaraweera
Kumar Sangakkara
Isuru Udana
Sajeewa Weerakoon

Meanwhile, the CM of Bengal, is intervening to get the Eden Gardens match on Feb 27.

"S A Tour has nothing to do with the World Cup", says Bajji. Forget about the tour, although it gave India some fine moments !.

Still there are many who bat for India. Ex wicket keeper Kirmani thinks India has a big chance, as it is one of the most balanced sides ever. All the players from bottom to top are match winners. Any of them can singlehandedly win the match for India. Dhoni, Yuvraj, Gambhir, Sachin, Sehwag, Raina or Pathan - all of them are capable of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, as Pathan almost did it in South Africa. There are many amongst them who can bowl spin, which can be of immense use on the spin tracks of India !

"All are in form. We have an extremely well-balanced team and the best part is everyone seems to be in form".

"We have a very good chance this time as our side is a very competent one. They are equally competent, if not more, than some of the other teams. We have been hoping and praying for the last 28 years for India to lift the Cup again and it seems that this team has it in them to fulfil the wish,"

"You never know, Australia can come back any time. You can never count them out. Obviously, the experienced players, who won the Cup thrice for the country are not there anymore but Aussies are in a process of re-establishing themselves.

"The youngsters will certainly take some time to reach that level. So, as a team they definitely look a little weaker at the moment as compared to some of the stronger sides like India, South Africa, England.

"But again if you look at the ongoing ODI series between England and Australia, the latter are doing well and the English, who thought it would be a cake-walk for them after their 3-1 Ashes victory, are finding it tough.


"The New Zealanders, Pakistanis and Australians could never be underestimated. Just like Australia, Pakistan also have some talented young players who can spring up surprises.

Kirmani was a member of the victorious 1983 squad. He said " Unlike ours, which was a weaker unit and were given a tag of the underdogs, this team is very strong."

"We never thought we would lift the Cup. We were the most inexperienced team in the competition. We just aimed at qualifying for the knockout stage. That was the only thing on our minds. In fact, no body even expected us to reach the knock-out round also," reminiscenced Kirmani.

"But we gained confidence when we won our opening match against then reigning world champions West Indies by 34 runs.

After that game, we thought if we could beat the Windies in the very first encounter, why should we look back?"

Cricket Fever builds up in India !

Almost all TV channels are discussing India's chances in the World Cup. Just now I saw a tape of the 1983 Final which India won !

Indians are thinking " Will History repeat itself ? ". Will Sachin, when he quits the World Cup for ever, be able to hold aloft the Golden Cup ? People like Sreekanth thinks it is possible ! With so many spinners in the side - Aswin, Bajji, Chawla, Yuvraj, Sehwag, Pathan, Sachin & Raina - and on the Indian spin tracks, many feel that this is possible !

Anyway, it is Cricket Fiesta in India. There will be 49 matches, 29 in India. Add 74 more IPL matches, it is a great 103 world class matches in India, before one billion TV audience ! Great business for the advertisers, satellite channels, airlines, hotels and players ! Win Win !

One ten second spot TV ad is priced at 5 lakhs and it can be more in the premium matches like semifinals and finals.

The brand value of IPL is around 4.2 billion USD and will be more in the years to come.

In the 1970s, there was no money in cricket. I remember India's ace spinner, B Chandrasekhar, appealing to the public for funds for a polio operation.

As far as Indian cricket is concerned, the turnaround came in 1983, when she won the Cup against heavy odds ( 100 to 1 ). I still remember Henry Bloefeld commentating " India has created the biggest upset in world sport, she has won the Prudential World Cup". India was down in hockey and never qualified for football !

The popularity of cricket grew by leaps and bounds, after 1983. Unlike the hundreds of satellite channels available now, there was only one TV channel, Doordarshan, then which was in its infancy. Once TV penetration grew ( there are about 134 million TV households in India & 81 million Net households ), the popularity of cricket also grew. Gone were the days, when cricket was the monopoly of princes ! Boys in the streets played the game.

Another turnaround was the 1987 World Cup, which was held in India. The MNCs saw that cricket has a huge audience in India and anything advertised will be seen by millions of cricket crazy Indians ! American companies like Coke and Pepsi are not interested in Cricket. Nor the Koreans ! 300 crores was invested in the 1987 World Cup and then the mega bucks began to flow to cricket. Along with the MNCs, Indian corporates also joined the bandwagon. The 1987 Cup was known as the Reliance Cup.

Players got good emoluments, when IPL began in earnest. There are 4 two million dollar players in IPL IV. ( Gambhir, Uthappa, R Sharma & Y Pathan ).

Today 70% of world cricket is monopolised by India and Cricket India is the richest body. Well, these are the factors which has made Cricket India powerful.

Stuart Broad feels let down by the Eden Fiasco

Stuart Broad thinks England has lost a golden opportunity of playing before the 100,000 crowd at Eden Gardens.

The BCCI has asked the ICC to reconsider their decision of shifting venue for the England India match on Feb 27th, as Eden Garden under renovation may not be ready by that time.

The ICC is again inspecting on Jan 31.

Meanwhile Pathan thinks that pressure may be India's enemy in the coming WC matches. If India handles the pressure of playing before their own people, then India has a good chance !

Greame Smith, the SA captain, thinks that India has the best chance of winning the Cup. The home team will easily adapt to home conditions and are best placed team before the tournament.

"I think the home teams will be right up there when it comes to the ICC Cricket World Cup. I think in the sub-continent conditions they'll be very crafty knowing how to read conditions while other teams need to find ways to be successful there" averred he.

Even though India is hot favourites, he feels that the 2011 WC will be a closely contested encounter with many teams of more or less equal strength fighting it for supremacy.

"I think there are five or six teams that could win this World Cup which is probably going to make it a very exciting one" he said in an ICC World Radio Show.

Inspired by Sehwag : Pathan

Pathan said even though Sachin was his hero, it was Sehwag's daredevil attitude which inspired him.

He is now the talk of millions of Indians, who were spell bound by his blistering counter offensive against the mighty South Africans, and who had the South Africans on nerves till he got out.

All say that India's World Cup chances depends upon this No 7 batsman. Previously it was Yuvraj, now it is Yousuf Pathan !

In Bangalore, speaking to MID DAY, Y Pathan said that " The obvious answer to that is Sachin Tendulkar, but the daredevil approach has come from V Sehwag ".

When Pathan made his way to the wicket, India were in big trouble at 60/5. When others fell, India slipped to 119/8. Then Pathan let loose his incredible strokeplay, blasting the S A bowlers to all parts of the field, hitting eight towering sixes and eight fours. When he fell for 105 off 70 balls, it was all over for India. It was said that India lost the game, not Pathan !

In the series Pathan averaged 55.33 and a strike rate of 134.95 ! He was inspired by Sehwag. " I was always inspired by the way Viru kept backing his own game despite people talking about the so called short comings in his batting", he said.

Kochi ropes in Yashpal Sharma

Hard hitting batsman Y Sharma has been roped in by Kochi.

Also B Akhil and Chandan Madan. Keralites are delighted at VVS Laxman being granted the Padma Shri.

Kedar Yadav had been roped in earlier.

Amongst the 5 Australians, four are all rounders. Klinger is a batman and the rest - OKeefe, Smith, Hodge and Hastings - are all rounders. All rounders rule the roost in ODIs and T20s.

Deepak Chougule and wicket keeper Sushant Marathe also have been signed by Kochi. Chougule is a strong middle order batsman from Karnataka while Marathe is the third wicket keeper, after McCullum and P Patel. Tanmay Srivastava is an opening batsman and was UP's leading run getter in the 2008-09 season.

For more details about the Kochi team, visit IPL KOCHI.

Word Cup Cricket Itinery

WORLD CUP CRICKET ITINERY


This is the itinery of the 2011 World Cup, being conducted jointly by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India



1 Saturday 19 February 2011 14:00 local, 08:30 GMT Bangladesh vs India Dacca
2 Sunday 20 February 2011 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT New Zealand vs Kenya Chennai
3 Sunday 20 February 2011 14:30 local 09:00 GMT Sri Lanka vs Canada Hambantota
4 Monday 21 February 2011 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Australia vs Zimbabwe Ahmedabad
5 Tuesday 22 February 2011 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT England vs Netherlands Nagpur
6 Wednesday 23 February 2011 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Pakistan vs Kenya Hambantota
7 Thursday 24 February 2011 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT South Africa vs West Indies Delhi
8 Friday 25 February 2011 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Australia vs New Zealand Nagpur
9 Friday 25 February 2011 09:30 local, 03:30 GMT Bangladesh vs Ireland Dhaka
10 Saturday 26 February 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Colombo
11 Sunday 27 February 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT India vs England Kolkata
12 Monday 28 February 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT West Indies vs Netherlands New Delhi
13 Monday 28 February 2011 9:30 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT Zimbabwe vs Canada Nagpur
14 Tuesday 1 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Sri Lanka vs Kenya Colombo
15 Wednesday 2 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT England vs Ireland Bangalore
16 Thursday 3 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT South Africa vs Netherlands Mohali
17 Thursday 3 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Pakistan vs Canada Colombo
18 Friday 4 March 2011 9:30 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT New Zealand vs Zimbabwe Ahmedabad
19 Friday 4 March 2011 2:00 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 08:30 GMT Bangladesh vs West Indies Dacca
20 Saturday 5 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Sri Lanka vs Australia Colombo
21 Sunday 6 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT India vs Ireland Bangalore
22 Sunday 6 March 2011 9:30 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT England vs South Africa Chennai
23 Monday 7 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Kenya vs Canada Delhi
24 Tuesday 8 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Pakistan vs New Zealand Pallekelle
25 Wednesday 9 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT India vs Netherlands Delhi
26 Thursday 10 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe Pallekelle
27 Friday 11 March 2011 9:30 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT West Indies vs Ireland Mohali
28 Friday 11 March 2011 2:00 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 08:30 GMT Bangladesh vs England Chittagong
29 Saturday 12 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT India vs South Africa Nagpur
30 Sunday 13 March 2011 9:30 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT New Zealand vs Canada Mumbai
31 Sunday 13 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Australia vs Kenya Bangalore
32 Monday 14 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Pakistan vs Zimbabwe Pallekelle
33 Monday 14 March 2011 9:30 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 03:30 GMT Bangladesh vs Netherlands Chittagong
34 Tuesday 15 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT South Africa vs Ireland Kolkata
35 Wednesday 16 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Australia vs Canada Bangalore
36 Thursday 17 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT England vs West Indies Chennai
37 Friday 18 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Mumbai
38 Friday 18 March 2011 9:30 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT Ireland vs Netherlands Kolkata
39 Saturday 19 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Australia vs Pakistan Colombo
40 Saturday 19 March 2011 9:00 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 03:30 GMT Bangladesh vs South Africa Mirpur
41 Sunday 20 March 2011 9:30 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT Zimbabwe vs Kenya Kolkata
42 Sunday 20 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT India vs West Indies Chennai
43 Wednesday 23 March 2011 2:00 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 08:30 GMT First Quarterfinal Dhaka
44 Thursday 24 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Second Quarterfinal Colombo
45 Friday 25 March 2011 2:00 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 08:30 GMT Third Quarterfinal Dhaka
46 Saturday 26 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Fourth Quarterfinal Ahmedabad
47 Tuesday 29 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT First Semifinal Colombo
48 Wednesday 30 March 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Second Semifinal Mohali
49 Saturday 02 April 2011 2:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT Final Mumbai

Pathan's heroics in vain, as India loses !

SA deserved to win, thanks to a superb hundred by Hashim Amla !


There are no laments about the Indian batting performance. Except for a blistering 105 by Pathan, the Indian batsmen were all at sea against the SA bowlers.

The outcome was inevitable. An SA win.

The Indian top order failed as usual. It seems that the likes of R Sharma, M Vijay or P Patel cannot take India off to a good start, particularly against the SA quickies.

The Indian weakness is exposed on the eve of the World Cup. Let the Indians learn their mistakes and correct themselves.

Emulating the 1983 is a great aim, no doubt. But then, a lot of weaknesses has propped up in the Indian team.

On Indian spin tracks, let us hope that the outcome may be different. India is strong in the spin department, with seven spinners in the side. The return of Sachin, Sehwag and Gambhir will prop up batting.

Pathan has established as No 7. Only the No 6 spot is open. It is either Raina or Kohli. Both failed yesterday !

Duminy lofts SA to victory

A grand innings of 71 no by the dimunitive Duminy saw SA home, beating the hosts by 48 runs.

None of the Indian batsmen, barring Kohli ( who scored 87 no ), could play the SA seamers with ease.

SA finished at 265/7 and India were struggling at 142/6 Tsotsobe took 2/25.

Maybe Indian batsmen will never learn. P Patel who replaced M Vijay could not seize the chance. R Sharma perished cheaply and Yuvraj, Dhoni, Pathan and Raina fell cheap.

Indian top order has failed miserably and it is time something is done about it !

Hectic work for WC and IPL

1400 workers are working 24 hours to make the Mecca of Indian Cricket, Eden Gardens, ready.

The 80 crore renovation project has started. More comforts to spectators and players ( One commentator remarked that it may reduce revenue generation, as there will be less seats ).

The first WC match at Eden Gardens will be on Feb 27.

In Kochi, hectic work is in progress for the General Stadium at Kaloor to be ready for the IPL matches. The floodlights contract has been given to Philips. It was Philips who did the floodlights at Bangalore and Chennai.

There will be 4 towers of 100 bulbs each. On the pitch the light requirement is 3000 lux and on the boundary 2500 lux.

Geoff Lawson, the Kochi coach, spent 1.5 hours at the Kochi stadium yesterday.

Meanwhile there are media reports that Kochi may rope in Ganguly. VVS is the only Test batsman in Kochi side.

We suggest the following names for the Kochi side

Kochi Tigers
Kochi Killers
Kochi Knights
Kochi Knaves
Cochin Cobras
Kochi Tuskers
Kochi Kings
Kochi Gladiators
Kerala Tigers
Kerala Catamarans
Kerala Knights
Kerala Knaves
Kerala Cobras
Kerala Tuskers
Kerala Dolphins
Kerala Kingfishers
Kerala Catamarans
Cochin Cheetahs
Cochin Cats
Cochin Leopards
Kerala Lions
Kerala Jaguars
Kochi Jaguars

India can create history

Even though the Indian think tank is worried about top order failure, still
hope springs eternal in the human breast. M Vijay may be replaced by Parthiv
Patel, who can score runs, even though he is a wicket keeper.

Both teams are struggling, India with top order failure and S A with lack of
all rounders. The absence of world class all rounder J Kallis has affected
the team considerably. SA batting has been good, with Smith, Amla, du
Plassis, Bram de Villiers and Duminy doing fairly well with the bat. They
are enthused by Duminy's brilliant form.

Indian are enthused by Yuvraj's return to form. The lack of form of M Vijay
and R Sharma still worries India. India has taken a 2-1 lead, mainly due to
their inform pacer, M Patel and all rounders Pathan and Harbhajan.

Dhoni said he is not worried by the top order failure He says the absence of
big stars is a blessing in disguise for the younger players.

"I think both the teams are suffering from it. I am not really worried about
it, but what is important is we had two close games. If you see, in the last
one year we have missed quite a few big players, especially in the batting
department. The bowlers too had injuries and some were rested. So I think
the team has become used to it," said India's captain.

"But of course it's good for youngsters because the conditions here are
tough and if they play more matches under these conditions, they will learn
more. It's not that demanding on flat tracks, you learn to read the game
well here. You have a score of 300-325 in mind in the sub-continent and all
of a sudden you find that 190 can be defended.

"It's a different aspect over here. You get lots of experience by playing
such matches," He said that the top order has to fire in the fourth ODI at
St George's Park on Friday, if India is to create history.

On the eve of the fourth ODI, he said "Our batting department, which we
always say is our big strength, needs to click together as a unit,"

"Of course the lower order has done really well, but at the end of the day
it is the batsmen who will have to take the pressure. Hopefully, we will
perform according to our potential tomorrow," he said.

About the general mood in the team, the Indian skipper said, "Mood is the
same. When we lost the first game we felt it was very important to have a
positive state of mind. We will try to be in the same state of mind.
Mentally we cannot fluctuate too much."

"I think we always concentrate on the process. We don't really see what the
scorecard is saying or what the series analysis is. For us it's another
game," he added.

He said barring ZAK, some pacers may be rested.

"We need him. Zaheer hasn't played too many ODIs in the last one year,
so it is important for him to get back into the groove before the World Cup.
In the sub-continent it will be demanding for the fast bowlers because it is
the early part of the year.

"I think match practice will definitely help. If needed we can rest him in
the two warm-up games that we have in India," he said.

Praising Bajji's all round efforts, he said "Of course Bajji has done
really well. He is bowling as well as you have seen him throughout his
career. So that's a big plus for us. We are regularly using him in the
powerplays," said the Indian wicket keeping and batting sensation. " We
never bother about the fate of a match, but rather play our natural game ".

"We are not thinking about the result, it's the process that is important
for us. We know if you take care of the process, the results take care of
themselves. For us it is important to play good cricket," he averred.

On the other hand, Graeme Smith, the SA captain, is hopeful that his team can
win both remaining ODIs, as the SA team is freed from the pressure of WC
selection. He said that with luck, the series could have been 3-0 in favour
of SA. The margins have been small in the last two encounters and it was
nerves which lost SA both matches. SA let India off the hook in the last
two. Our powerplay was poor and we hope to improve on this aspect.

Cricket Tourism to be on the rise

As India hosts 2 meg cricket events, Cricket Tourism will be on the rise.

Indian cricket officials are working overtime to make the Wankhede Stadium and Calcutta Eden Garden ready for the World Cup matches. There is tremendous pressure on TC Mathew, the KCA President, to make the general Kochi stadium ready for IPL matches.

India gets a glorious chance to market herself during these two mega events, which will be viewed by more than one billion worldwide.

Meanwhile Sreekant said that Sreeshant is a great Test bowler. He said this when the entire Kerala is a bit chagrined at Sreeshant's omission from the Indian WC squad. He said it was a great repertoire of outswingers which made Sreeshant such a good bowler. Sreekant had asked Sreeshant to put in a match winning performance and he did oblige.

Meanwhile, Brett Lee and Tait had been included in the Aussie squad for WC. New entrants are John Hastings and Steve Smith.

Geoff Lawson, the coach of Kochi, said he is a bit disappointed at Sreeshant's omission. He belives that India stands a good chance, on the sub continental pitches, which favour spin. He favours South Africa next, with their good pace attack and fine batsmen. Australia, he feels, cannot be ignored !

Just 30 days to go for the world to go to the crease ! The World Cup begins on Feb 19th and ends on Apri 2. On Apr 8, the IPL matches begin, ending on May 28 th. So cricket extravaganza in India. Of course Pakistan and Bangladesh also gets some matches, but the bulk are in India !

The first World Cup match will be in Dacca, on the 19th of this month, when India and Bangladesh clash. Final will be in Bombay.

The $ 4.6 b IPL will develop furthur and we have ten teams competing. There will be more spectators and viewers, as the T20 format gets worldwide acclaim.

Bajji, an allrounder : Dhoni

Harbhajan, says Dhoni, is an all rounder . " But we dont pressurise him calling him one"

Dhoni was ecstatic the way Bajji guided India home. He has been a revelation with the bat. He scored two successive Test hundreds and in ODIs and T20s is a dangerous lower order bat, from the opposition's perspective.

The Indian skipper was all prise for Yousuf. Said he wanted Yousuf to play his natural game, devoid of any pressure.


"We just told the youngsters to play their natural game; we want Yusuf to play the sort of game he plays."


The captain gave the causative factors for the team's second win.

"We have been outstanding so far, ground fielding has also improved a bit. Our catching has been decently good.It was a very good effort from the lower middle order. We also did well in the death bowling and powerplays."

Yousuf should come higher up in the order, not at No 7. In the World Cup, in Indian conditions, he can be devastating. If he comes at say No 5 or No 4, he can get more overs and increase his chances.

Pathan, key to India's win: Smith

Greame Smith said the difference between the two teams was Pathan's blitzkreig.

His 59 off 50 balls proved to be a matchwinning one. It put SA under tremendous pressure. Pathan hammered the SA bowlers to all parts of the field.

"Yousuf's knock made the difference " said Smith. The pitch was very two paced and also up and down. It was not the best one day wicket I have ever played, but it made for an exciting game".

"It is terrific to see a guy like him come in. He had a good domestic season and just to carry that on here is good. He has prepared well, I have watched him in training. He will bring a lot to the squad, I think."

"It was great to see him and play that well. Especially under pressure. We were under pressure when he came in. I think he has something special, which is good," he added.

The third powerplay robbed SA of a good score and they fell short by 20 runs, he felt.

"I think 220 gave us a chance. The wicket was very difficult to bat on, had sort of plates on it, and its two-paced nature made strokes very difficult. It also had up and down bounce," he said.

"We were really hoping for 240. I think 240 would have been a really good total there. JP Duminy and debutant Faff du Plessis played well together to take us to a decent total. Our Powerplay was poor again, we lost JP and Faff within two overs, and we only got 19 overs in our last six overs.

"I really felt if we got 240 we were in with a real good chance of winning the game. We came real close, we missed two crucial chances at the back end, but I can't fault the guys' commitment tonight, their intensity and the effort they gave," he added.

"I think it's always important to keep doing the right things at training," he said.

"Keep reiterating the same point. The margins have been so small in the last two games, we could easily be 2-1 up or 3-0 up. Just got to keep training hard and keep doing the right things and hopefully the things will kick into place.

"The World Cup squad comes out tonight, that will ease a lot of minds and stress on players. Hopefully free up a lot of players, and make them play with sort of freedom in the next few games," he added.

Dhoni said that with experience Pathan will be a great match winning finishing batsman.

" I just played my natural game " said Man of the Match, Pathan.

"It's a good win for us. I was just looking to hit the balls which were in my areas," he said.

Yousuf pulls India to victory

Yousuf's glorious innings of 59 and a match winning one at that, saw India home , winning by 2 wickets against mighty SA. India lead 2-1. Bajji scored a useful 23 no.

Greame Smith scored 43 and SA were bowled out for a paltry 220. F du Plessis made a good debut by scoring 60 and the diminutive Duminy scored a brilliant 52.

RSA were 200/4, when Plessis and Duminy were going strong. Then there was a collapse and SA lost six wickets for 20 !.

Zaheer was the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking 3/43. Munaf got two wickets and Bajji got 2. Pathan got the wicket of Bram Villiers.

Yousuf's innings was characterised by 3 huge sixes and Bajji hit two sixes in his 23 no and India won a thriller.

India were 104 runs short of the target when Botha began his over. Yousuf smote him for three mighty sixes, which turned the course of the match. When Yousuf fell, 39 runs short of the target, Bajji hit Parnell and M Morkel for sixes, thus sealing the fate of the match. Brutal blows by India's low order batsmen !

Yousuf's last six flew out of the stadium and he smote Botha for 19 runs off that over. His partnership with Raina saw 75 runs being added to the Indian total. Raina played well for his 37, but threw his wicket away with a reckless shot in the 37th over.

Yousuf fell in the 40th over, caught magnificently by Morkel. SA was in control but then Bajji seized this moment and turned the game with two mighty sixes. His partnership with Z Khan saw 26 runs being added and with Nehra 15, to bring home the bacon.

Before Botha's over, it was S A, SA all the way. Thanks to M Morkel, who removed the dangerous Kohli early and then went to remove Raina in the end. But no team had absolute control, as India pulled SA back and vice versa, in a game of fluctuating fortunes ! Bajji took the powerplay in the 43rd over and blasted Parnell for a six over mid-off and then flat batted Morkel beyond long off in the 47th !

The dropping of Sreeshant not fair !

Sreeshant was the bowler who took five wickets against S A and was the spearhead of the Indian bowling. Dropping him from the World Cup Squad is not fair.

Again it is poor selection. India played a Test Match with V Saha as a batsman !

Selection of seven specialist batsmen and seven specialist bowlers plus an allrounder seems to be theoretically all right. What if three batsmen are injured ?

We do not criticise the selection of R Ashwin, Chawla or P Kumar, who are not rabbits with the bat.

The exclusion of 2 million dollar players R Sharma and Uthappa also raises eyebrows. May be there are no slots for them in the team.

On spin tracks, India can be formidable and along with 3 spinners, India has four wicket taking spinnners - Yuvraj, Sachin, Sehwag and Pathan ! Seven spinners on spinning tracks. If the Indian batting clicks, history can repeat ( At least this is the calculation of Sreekanth & Co )

Except for M Patel and Nehra, all can use the long handle !

Sreeshant and Rohit Sharma dropped !

Surprise omissions ! Sreeshant and R Sharma. May be the selectors went for seven specialist batsmen and seven bowlers plus one wicket keeper.

P Chawla and R Ashwin can use the long handle and hence their inclusion as bowlers. So also can Bajji and Zaheer. Only M Patel and Nehra are rabbits with the bat.

The lone wicket keeper is Dhoni.


Dhoni
Sehwag
Sachin
Gambhir
V Kohli
Yuvraj
S Raina
Zaheer
P Chawla
A Nehra
M Patel
Harbhajan
Y Pathan
R Ashwin

India wins as South Africa panics !

Needing 191 to win, SA at one stage were 152/4. Then Munaf produced a beauty of ball which crashed into Greame Smith's ( 77) stumps and the game was over. From 152/4, S A nosedived to 189 all out. A win for the tourists by one run.

Parnell and Morkel were removed by Patel and he finished with the match winning spell of 8-0-29-4 !

Indian batsmen again messed it all up. Depsite a 53 by Yuvraj and a sheer anchor role, slow 38 by Dhoni, none of the other Indian batsmen could impress.

Despite the batting debacle of both teams, the match was a thriller. SA panicked when they were 152/4 and then lost six wickets for just 37 runs!. Indian bowlers then came back into the game, with Munaf leading with four wickets. Zaheer picked up 2, while Bajji and Nehra got one each.

Inept batting by India

India lost to S Africa in the first ODI by 135 runs.

Inefficient batting by the hosting was responsible for the debacle. S A scored 289/9, thanks to 76 from Bram Villiers and 73 from Duminy.

Except for Kohli 54 and Raina 32, none of the Indian batsmen could shine and the result was inevitable !

At one stage, India was 43/4 and then some good batting by Kohli and Raina saw them score a not so bad 154.

Indo S African ODIs starts today at 0600 PM IST

Both teams will vie for supremcay, the No 2 ODI team in the world, India ( 121 points ) vs the No 4 team , South Africa( 114 points ).

This is a great opportunity for the selectors to select their 16 for the World Cup. Players who signed for fabulous sums in IPL IV will try to maintain their reputation.

That World Cup precedes IPL IV has raised many eyebrows and the doubts are in the minds of cricket lovers whether their heroes will deliver the goods for their nation in the WC 2011 !

Skills will be tested in this great ODI series. India are in prime form as they drew the Test series and won the lone T20 against mighty South Africa !

Players to watch

Faf du Plessis

He was recently signed up for $120,00 by the IPL and now he has to rise to the occasion.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has already risen to the occasion before. Now he has to, on the pacy pitches of South Africa.

Chennai retain 4 key players

Here are the players swallowed up by the ten teams



Bangalore

Name Price USD
Virat Kohli Retained
Tillakaratne Dilshan $ 650, 000
AB de Villiers $ 1.1 mn
Zaheer Khan $ 900,000
Daniel Vettori $ 550,000
Saurabh Tiwary $ 1.6 mn
Dirk Nannes $ 650,000
Cheteshwar Pujara $ 700,000
Charl Langeveldt $ 140,000
Luke Pomersbach $ 50,000
Abhimanyu Mithun $ 260,000
Johan van der Wath $ 50,000
Rilee Rossouw $ 20,000
Nuwan Pradeep $ 20,000
Jonathan Vandiar $ 20,000
Mohammad Kaif $ 130,000



Chennai


Name Price USD

MS Dhoni Retained
Suresh Raina
Murali Vijay
Albie Morkel
Wriddhiman Saha $ 100,000
Mike Hussey $ 425,000
Dwayne Bravo $ 200,000
Michael Hussey $ 425,000.
Doug Bollinger $ 700,000
R Ashwin $ 850,000
S Badrinath $ 800,000
Scott Styris $ 200,000
Ben Hilfenhaus $ 100,000
Joginder Sharma $ 150,000
Nuwan Kulasekara $ 100,000
Sudeep Tyagi $ 240,000
Suraj Randiv $ 80,000
George Bailey $ 50,000
Francois du Plessis $ 120,000
Travis Birt $ 20,000
Colin Ingram $ 100,000
Michael Lumb $ 80,000
Robert Frylinck $ 20,000


Hyderabad


Name Price USD

Kevin Pietersen $ 650,000
Cameron White $ 1.1 mn
Kumar Sangakkara 700,000
JP Duminy $ 300,000
Shikhar Dhawan $ 300,000
Ishant sharma $ 450,000
Pragyan Ojha $ 500,000
Amit Mishra $ 300,000
Dale Steyn $ 1.2 mn
Daniel Christian $ 900,000
Manpreet Gony $ 290,000
Chris Lynn $ 20,000
Juan Theron $ 85,000

Kolkata


Name Price USD



Gautam Gambhir $ 2.4 mn
Yusuf Pathan $ 2.1 mn
Jacques Kallis $ 1.1 mn
Brad Haddin $ 325,000
Shakib-al-Hasan $ 425,000
Brett Lee $ 400,000
Manoj Tiwary $ 475,000
Eoin Morgan $ 350,000
L Balaji $ 500,000
Jaidev Unadkat $ 250,000
Ryan ten Doeschate $ 150,000
James Pattinson $ 100,000


Punjab

Name Price USD

Adam Gilchrist $ 900,000
David Hussey $ 1.4 mn
Dinesh Karthik $ 900,000
Stuart Broad $ 400,000
Abhishek Nayar $ 800,000
Shaun Marsh $ 425,000
Praveen Kumar $ 800,000
Ryan Harris $ 325,000
Piyush Chawla $ 900,000
Dimitri Mascarenhas $ 100,000
Nathan Rimmington $ 20,000


Mumbai

Name Price USD

Sachin Tendulkar Retained
Kieron Pollard
Lasith Malinga
Harbhajan Singh
Rohit Sharma $ 2 mn
Andrew Symonds $ 850,000
Davey Jacobs $ 190,000
James Franklin $ 100,000
Munaf Patel $ 700,000
Clint McKay $ 110,000
Moises Henriques $ 50,000
Aiden Blizzard $ 20,000


Rajasthan

Name Price USD

Shane Warne Retained
Shane Watson
Ross Taylor $ 1 mn
Rahul Dravid $ 500,000
Johan Botha $ 950,000
Paul Collingwood $ 250,000
Shaun Tait $ 300,000
Pankaj Singh $ 95,000



Pune

Name Price USD

Yuvraj Singh $ 1.8 mn
Robin Uthappa $ 2.1 mn
Tim Paine $ 270,000
Angelo Mathews $ 950,000
Ashish Nehra $ 850,000
Callum Ferguson $ 300,000
Nathan McCullum $ 100,000
Graeme Smith $ 500,000
Wayne Parnell $ 160,000
Mitchell Marsh $ 290,000
Jerome Taylor $ 100,000
Alfonso Thomas $ 100,000
Jesse Ryder $ 150,000
Murali Kartik $ 400,000


Kochi

Name Price USD

Mahela Jayawardene $ 1.5 mn
VVS Laxman $ 400,000
Brendon McCullum $ 475,000
S Sreesanth $ 900,000
Parthiv Patel $ 290,000
Ravindra Jadeja $ 950,000
Steven Smith $ 200,000
Muttiah Muralitharan $ 1.1 mn
Ramesh Powar $ 180,000
Brad Hodge $ 425,000
RP Singh $ 500,000
Thissara Perera $ 80,000
R Vinay Kumar $ 475,000
Stephen O'Keefe $ 20,000
Owais Shah $ 200,000
Michael Klinger $ 75,000
John Hastings $ 20,000

45 Indian players signed

The bidders gave top priority to Indians, Australians and South Africans.

45 Indians were signed along with 36 Australians, 18 South Africans, 9 Lankans, 7 Englishmen, 7 NZers, 3 West Indians, 1 Bangladeshi and 1 Dutch !

It seems the influence of six Aussie coaches had their say in the IPL IV Auction. Since Indians were performing well in T20s, ODIs and Tests and India is numero uno in Test and second in ODIs, it was understandable that the majority were Indian players.

Pakistanis were not considered as the Govt of Pakistan had denied visas to Paki players. England' s international fixtures clashes with IPL VI, which starts from Apr 8 and stretches upto May 28.

Now the attention moves to the uncapped players segment. BCCI has given the nod for signing the uncapped players to the fanchisees. The teams will use the $ 9 million cap to buy these players.

The uncapped players can play a pivotal role in the tournament. Kochi has bright stars like Prashant Parameswaran, Vincent and Raphy in their ranks. They may peak at the right time. So are the uncapped players from other states. Many new names will rise.

The BCCI release said " According to IPL regulations, the uncapped players can be taken on fixed fees". As per the pay structure for the uncapped, players who have not played Ranji Trophy, List A or First Class can get 10 lakhs per annum. A player who played in Ranji Trophy, List A or First Class will get 20 lakhs per annum. Those players who played in Ranji, List A or First Class before 2006, will get 30 lakhs per annum.

So big money is flowing into cricket, which is an inspirer, and no wonder India is rising !

38 Australians signed !

No doubt Australian cricket is still of high standard. The Sheffield Shield pacers bowl at 145 kph normally. As many as 38 Aussies were signed in IPL Auction IV. Some say this is due to the influence of the six Australian coaches - Darren Lehman, Dave Whatmore, Michael Bevan, Geoff Lawson, Geoff Marsh, Shane Warne - but then it was talent that was signed. 20 South Africans were also signed and it is said the the Southern Hemisphere got its due at last !


Each team is allowed 40 cr to buy players and Kochi has already bought for 35 cr INR. So the ten teams have almost spent 350 cr totally for signing 112 ace players. The Pathan brothers pocketed more than 20 cr, but then this is a great compensation for their service to cricket. Both are class allrounders.

Rohit Sharma proved that he is worthy of crores as he blasted 53 against SA.

The unknown Aussie, Daniel Christian, was swallowed by DC for $ 900,000.

Since the format is T20, all long handles were welcomed and there was reserve about sheet anchor role batsmen. Indian pacers shone, with Dinda ( $ 375,000 ), U Yadav ( $ 750,000 ), M Patel ( $ 700,000 ), L Balaji ( $ 500,000 ), V Kumar ( $ 475,000 ) and Gony ( $ 290,000 ). Also Ajit Agarkar, A Mithun, J Unadkat & S Tyagi.

Chennai was smart enough to fill 18 slots, while Rajastan Royals could only sign 8 players and are now left with only $ 800,000. They have to hire still 18 more players ! They will now have to get their players from the Indian domestic pool, known as the " uncapped players".

The concept of icons was replaced by the concept of young star performers. Youngsters who create a fan base and huge spectator interest. Icons like Ganguly and S Jayasurya were ignored for fresh young available talent. So also the retired Brian Lara. Also H Gibbs, Chanderpaul and J Oram !

The Auction was telecast on all national channels and all commentators were vociferous about " Youth, the Twenty Twenty Format and the team's plan for the future ", which is more or less the correct approach. The retired cricketers, or the about to retire cricketers did not have much demand from the corporates.

Match winners, who win the game singlehandedly, like Y Pathan, Gambhir, B Lee, Kallis etc were given prominence. Also bits and pieces men or all rounders who can perform multi tasks.

Less Englishmen can be explained by the fact that England's top performers find it difficult to grapple between IPL and the domestic season and international fixtures.

Doeschate from Holland was a surprise inclusion and smaller teams can find solace in that inclusion.

Those bid for second thoughts included Jesse Ryder of NZ, Theron of SA, Adam Vogues and Henriques from Australia, and D Mascarenhas and M Lumb of England. Ganguly and Jayasurya were not fancied because of their age and Chris Gayle beacuse of his availability problems.

The Indian corporate have much to celebrate. They will control some of the best cricketing talent available for six weeks this summer season !

Kochi team well balanced !

The Kochi IPL team appears to be well balanced.

Good batsmen in McCullum, Jayawerdene, Laxan, Owais Shah and good bowlers in Sreeshant, RP Singh, Powar, Muralitharan and V Kumar. Parthiv Patel and McCullum are wicket keeper batsmen and both can be utilised as batsmen. Brad Hodge is an established all rounder. So is Ravindra Jadeja.

The spin bowling department is dominated by two offies - Muralitharan and Pawar. Pawar is no rabbit with the bat.

VVS Laxman will play the anchor role. T20 is not all about lusty hitting and some sheet anchor players are needed. Jayawerdene can also don the garb of the sheet anchor role batsman.

The pace bowling is in the hands of Sreeshant, R P Singh and V Kumar, who all can swing the ball well. Sreeshant proved that in South Africa. His outswingers are really lethal. David Lloyd called him "eccentric, but outstanding". R P Singh is also a good mover of the ball. Vinay Kumar is also a good swing bowler. V Prasad had coached all Indian bowlers well, about the art of swing bowling !

In short, Kochi appears to be a balanced side.

Kochi has time till Apr 8 to name the side. I suggest the name Kochi Cobras. Or Kochi Knights. But then the word Knight has already gone to KKR. Or Kochi Whirlwinds. Or Kochi Demons. Or Kochi Stallions.

Vidya Balan or Swetha Menon can become the Kochi Brand Ambassadors. Or Meera Jasmine !

Geoff Lawson is a good coach and his coaching will do wonders for Kochi.

India outplay South Africa !

Needing 169 to win, S A fell short by 21 runs in one and only T20 match.

R Sharma blasted 53, Raina 41 and V Kohli 28 in India's 168/6. SA could only score 147/9.

In reply Van Vyk blasted 67 off 39 balls but then when he fell c Nehru b Kumar, the match was more or less over.

The Indian bowlers bowled well. Nehru took 2, Pathan 2 and the others 1.

Kochi picks up Owais Shah, Vinay Kumar

Kochi picked up Owais Shah for $200,000

Steven O Keefe for $20,000

Michael Klinger for $ 75000

Thissara Pereira for $ 80,000

Romesh Pawar for $ 180,000

Brad Hodge for $ 225,000

Vinay Kumar for $ 475,000

Parthiv Patel ( $290,000)



With Brett Lee, Y Pathan, Gambhir, Kallis, Morgan, Haddin et Kolkotta Knight Riders looks formidable.

Pune snapped up Uthappa ( $ 2.1 m ), Yuvraj ( $ 1.8 m ), Angelo Mathews ( $ 950,000), Graeme Smith ( $ 500,000), Callum Ferguson ( $ 300,000 ),
Tim Paine ( $ 270,000), Jerome Taylor ( $100,000) & Nathan McCullum ( $100,000),

Jayawerdene to lead Kochi

Ex Minister Shashi Taroor said that Mahela is well experienced to lead the Kochi side and that Sreeshant represents the face of resurgent Kerala.

15 millionaires were created yesterday by the ten franchisees of IPL. G Gambhir led with a contract of $ 2.4 m. The franchisees spent about $ 52.8 m for 72 players sold yesterday. The top seven of the 15 millionaires created were Indians. Y Pathan and Uthappa got contracts of over $ 2 m.

As the cicket's richest and the biggest domestic even unfolded yesterday at Bangalore, records were broken and banks also on the first day of the auction weekend.

Mahela became the highest earning overseas player, bought by Kochi for a whopping $ 1.5 m.

There were no takers for the old Ganguly, Lara or Gayle. After all Ganguly and Lara had retired from cricket. The demand was for the younger, high impact men and genuine multitasking all rounders.

Irfan Patha's buy was a surprise - he was bought for $1.9 m, despite being injured for most of the domestic season and being out of the World Cup probables.

Yuvraj was snapped up by Pune Warriors for $ 1.8 m. He may become the captain of the Pune side.

Kochi swallows VVS, McCullum, RP, Sreesanth and Mahela

The new Kochi team gobbled up VVS Laxman, McCullum, RP Sing, Mahela and Sreeshant.

There were no takers for Lara or Ganguly, may be they are too old !

353 players went under the hammer and total budget for the ten franchises is a whopping $ 90 million.

The number of bidders was ten, as Kochi and Pune emerged as the new franchisees. The battle royal was fought by Nita Ambani (MI), Vijay Mallya ( RC ), Subrato Roy ( Pune ) and GMR ( Delhi ).

Gambhir went for a whopping $ 2. 1 m. Bought by KKR.

Dilshan went for $ 650,000 . RC

Zaheer was bought for $ 900,000 by RC.

Y Pathan - 2.1 m - KKR.

R Taylor of NZ - RR - $ 1 m

K Pietersen of England - RR - $ 650,000

M Jayawerdene - 1.5 m - Kochi

Yuvraj - Pune - 1.8 m

Bram Villiers - RC - $1.1 m

When Sourav Ganguly was brought onto the auction table, jaws dropped and so far no takers for a reserve price of $ 400,000.

Cameroon White - DC - $ 1.1 m

R Sharma - $ 2 m - MI

Harbhajan and Symonds - $ 850,000

Sangakara - DC - $ 700, 000

Gilchrist - Punjab - $ 900,000

Dravid - $ 500,000 - RR

Laxman - $400, 000 - Kochi

Whither Australia ?

What happened to Australia? England crushed them with a series win. That too the Fifth Test margin was more than an innings.

There are many comments by Aussie experts about the Kangaroo defeat. Veteran analyst Peter Roebuck wrote on the front page of The Sydney Morning Herald, “Despair has descended upon Australian cricket. Embarrassment has become an acquaintance.”

“Humiliation has introduced itself. Calamity has piled upon calamity.”

This comment was highlighted on the back page- “After 135 years, 730 matches and 417 players Australia have finally fielded Our Worst XI.”

The Melbourne—based The Age cloumnist Greg Baum, said Australia’s defeats have been “as feeble and as abject as can be imagined. The cricket community has a right to be angry. Heads must roll.”

Stuart Clark was of the opinion that the Australian attack needed more variety, and called for a tall paceman to be fast—tracked at the top level. While Neil Harvey said Australia had to bite the bullet, Boycoot blamed selectors for chopping and changing the team.

We exhort all to become philosophical. There is a day to win and a day to lose. No team can be at the top all the time. It is cyclical and the socalled experts are simply trying to find scapegoats when a team loses.

Look at India. A few years back, India was one of the worst Test sides in the world. I remember, in the 1970s, India was nowhere. India had no seamers then and wicket keeper Kundaram used to open the new ball for India ! Now look at India. The No 1 Test side in the world under the iron willed Dhoni ! It is not that the old India of 1970 did not have the talent. They simply didnt have the will power of the present Indian team !

In the other Test, India had to make a near impossible 340 runs to win and the dogged Indian batsmen just stood like the Rock of Gibralter and drew the series ! The Indian bowlers let a great opportunity go and so did the South African seamers !

In the First Test at Hamilton, NZ are 260/7, with McCullum scoring 56, Southee 56 no and Guptill 50.