The buzzword in most of the backpages around the world is Technology. To be very frank, this edition of the world cup has not exactly been the best ambassador of the "Make some room in the game for the referees' error 'cos its gonna even out over the course of the game" theory.
Many newspapers have put the FIFA officials and the rules to the sword and, to be fair, FIFA deserves whats coming its way. Maybe this was kind of overdue. Lets put things into perspective vis-a-vis other sports.
- Many of us remember the numerous close call run out decisions that had changed the face of God-knows-how-many test matches for over a century. Today, its almost impossible to imagine a game without the third umpire getting involved for atleast one close decision.
- Hawk Eye has made a remarkable impact on tennis. Players now have the option of appealing against the officials' calls. There is a limit on the number of failed appeals to discourage the players from disrupting the flow of the game by continuous appeals. It is inevitable that cricket will also catch on to hawk-eye (it was experimented a few years ago in case of questionable calls such as LBWs).
- We have the hot spot and snick-o-meter to decide on faint edges for which umpires face a difficulty in deciding on whether there was an edge and, if it was off the bat / glove of the batsman. It is only a matter of time before these get accepted. We are basically removing the officials' error aspect and allowing the result of the game to be dictated by the players' performances (or the lack of it as the case maybe).
So, the question that arises is: What is FIFA risking by not embracing technology? The answer maybe more difficult than one assumes it to be. FIFA's goal has been and will probably continue to be, largely focussed on making the game popular all over the world. If this is true, then the decision to not go for technology and minimizing the officials' error aspect from influencing the game is all the more confusing since it is a counter-argument. In US, the credibility of the game has no doubt suffered this summer since the US team was involved in a couple of crucial games which had missed calls from referees. US has historically been a big challenge for FIFA to break into because of the popularity of other established sports such as American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey. However, with the population of US being increasingly diverse, this summer would have been not the worst time to help kick in a revolution of soccer. The US team too seemingly had the luck of the draw. If only FIFA had thought about keeping a level playing field.
What will be worrying for many countries is this: Every nation that is kicked out of the tournament, might focus more on the few missed calls which may (or may not) have been, in earnest, the real reason for the team's exit from the tournament. The fans let the players off their hook. This cannot be a roadblock for improved team performances. The credibility of the game is at stake here. Hopefully, the powers that be are listening..
July 02, 2010
June 08, 2010
What can the boy do? - Well he can .....
My shortest post is about a strange fact. One of the great Indian test cricketers, Rahul Dravid did not have the brightest of starts in the international scene. His selection in the national squad was definitely on the basis of a strong performance at the domestic front.
- He had scored more than 4000 runs in 5 full seasons of domestic cricket at a healthy average of a little more than 60 (first class cricket)
- India had witnessed a disastrous ending to what seemed till then like a very fruitful world cup campaign. One of the causalities of the '96 squad was Vinod Kambli and Dravid was pulled up.
Having secured that all important national call up, he did not enjoy the brightest of starts. In his first 5 ODIs, he scored all of 43 runs at a not-so-jaw-dropping average of 10.75. We all know where he has ended up after that. But with a start like the one he had, one would not have been surprised if he had been left in the wilderness.
This start was before Dravid's entry into test cricket, which makes it all the more interesting. I checked to see what exactly he was doing right in those first few days. It turns out, that he was doing something that he has made a name for himself - Catching.
He does hold the record for the most catches in test cricket. This talent must have been spotted at a very early stage.
- Dravid had 7 catches to his name in his first 5 ODIs
- This included 3 matches where he had more than 1 catch to his name :)
It is often said that Catches win matches. Maybe in this case, catches won Dravid a career we all will find very difficult to forget :)
- He had scored more than 4000 runs in 5 full seasons of domestic cricket at a healthy average of a little more than 60 (first class cricket)
- India had witnessed a disastrous ending to what seemed till then like a very fruitful world cup campaign. One of the causalities of the '96 squad was Vinod Kambli and Dravid was pulled up.
Having secured that all important national call up, he did not enjoy the brightest of starts. In his first 5 ODIs, he scored all of 43 runs at a not-so-jaw-dropping average of 10.75. We all know where he has ended up after that. But with a start like the one he had, one would not have been surprised if he had been left in the wilderness.
This start was before Dravid's entry into test cricket, which makes it all the more interesting. I checked to see what exactly he was doing right in those first few days. It turns out, that he was doing something that he has made a name for himself - Catching.
He does hold the record for the most catches in test cricket. This talent must have been spotted at a very early stage.
- Dravid had 7 catches to his name in his first 5 ODIs
- This included 3 matches where he had more than 1 catch to his name :)
It is often said that Catches win matches. Maybe in this case, catches won Dravid a career we all will find very difficult to forget :)
June 05, 2010
One streak ends at 7 - Another moves on to 4
It had to happen sometime. I had been preparing for the last couple of weeks for the one match where my winning streak would come to a screeching halt - And it did. And Mr. Y should thank me for releasing his curse by blogging :)
We played cricket today in probably the best weather in recent history. It was cloudy for most of the time we played. The playing surface on the pitch was in good condition and we were able to play 2 full matches without getting too tired. I realized after the teams were made that I was in the same team as Y - I insisted that this could not happen because of the streaks we were carrying. It would be an insult to all that hard work (or the lack of it, depending on whose streak you are looking at) if it were to come to an end by just playing a match and regardless of the result, which would have been the case if we were part of the same team. A minor reshuffle of the squads resulted. A brief summary of what followed.
Match #1: Almost the same situation as the last week. Y's team, batting first, ended up with a total of 38. With the team score at 31, I dropped an easy catch of Y. At the end of the innings, he commented - "You have dropped the cup". Big words, considering that the target was a small one. Target achieved with considerable ease (read - a few deliveries to spare and a couple of wickets in hand).
Match #2: We batted first and scored 60 runs in 10 overs.
- Turning point #1 - Only a couple of runs in the last over.
- Turning point #2 - Our captain took it upon himself to break the opening partnership with the score at 21 for no loss in 3 overs. He told me "Dont worry - I will get a wicket or 2 and will not concede a wide or a no-ball". Those words will haunt me for some time. He did break the opening partnership, but we paid a considerably heavy price for it - 11 runs were scored off that over. But it should be noted that about 6 of those runs were not earned by the batting side but resulted from unnecessary wide deliveries. When i say wide, i dont mean marginally wide deliveries - They were so far away from the wickets that most of the players in our teams who act as umpires would call them as wides. It is not the runs scored off that over that hurt us but the fact that the batsmen were able to get so many free runs. The pressure was off
Despite this, we managed to take the game to the last over with one wicket remaining and credit must go to the opposition for hanging on and getting hard-earned victory.
Thus the streak of unbeaten matches involving teams in which i played ended at 7 and Y got a victory after a month. Maybe he needs to thank me for releasing the curse :)
I realized just now that while one streak ended, another moved on.
- 4 is the number of matches were teams involving me have not lost while chasing a target. (1 match was a tie - or should i say - "The Tie" :) and the other 3 were comfortable victories). While we have so far avoided being tested with huge targets, it should be viewed as accomplishments by the bowlers in limiting the opposition to low scores than a case of missed opportunities. This streak, like other streaks, is also bound come to an end. When? - Well, time will tell.
We played cricket today in probably the best weather in recent history. It was cloudy for most of the time we played. The playing surface on the pitch was in good condition and we were able to play 2 full matches without getting too tired. I realized after the teams were made that I was in the same team as Y - I insisted that this could not happen because of the streaks we were carrying. It would be an insult to all that hard work (or the lack of it, depending on whose streak you are looking at) if it were to come to an end by just playing a match and regardless of the result, which would have been the case if we were part of the same team. A minor reshuffle of the squads resulted. A brief summary of what followed.
Match #1: Almost the same situation as the last week. Y's team, batting first, ended up with a total of 38. With the team score at 31, I dropped an easy catch of Y. At the end of the innings, he commented - "You have dropped the cup". Big words, considering that the target was a small one. Target achieved with considerable ease (read - a few deliveries to spare and a couple of wickets in hand).
Match #2: We batted first and scored 60 runs in 10 overs.
- Turning point #1 - Only a couple of runs in the last over.
- Turning point #2 - Our captain took it upon himself to break the opening partnership with the score at 21 for no loss in 3 overs. He told me "Dont worry - I will get a wicket or 2 and will not concede a wide or a no-ball". Those words will haunt me for some time. He did break the opening partnership, but we paid a considerably heavy price for it - 11 runs were scored off that over. But it should be noted that about 6 of those runs were not earned by the batting side but resulted from unnecessary wide deliveries. When i say wide, i dont mean marginally wide deliveries - They were so far away from the wickets that most of the players in our teams who act as umpires would call them as wides. It is not the runs scored off that over that hurt us but the fact that the batsmen were able to get so many free runs. The pressure was off
Despite this, we managed to take the game to the last over with one wicket remaining and credit must go to the opposition for hanging on and getting hard-earned victory.
Thus the streak of unbeaten matches involving teams in which i played ended at 7 and Y got a victory after a month. Maybe he needs to thank me for releasing the curse :)
I realized just now that while one streak ended, another moved on.
- 4 is the number of matches were teams involving me have not lost while chasing a target. (1 match was a tie - or should i say - "The Tie" :) and the other 3 were comfortable victories). While we have so far avoided being tested with huge targets, it should be viewed as accomplishments by the bowlers in limiting the opposition to low scores than a case of missed opportunities. This streak, like other streaks, is also bound come to an end. When? - Well, time will tell.
May 31, 2010
Baby steps
I had talked about my first ever cricket match, played about 16 years ago and about my exploits on the cricket pitch on saturdays with a few colleagues and friends. I want to trace my steps back to when it all began.
It started in 1984. I was staying in one of the old localities of the then "Quiet" and "Pensioners' Paradise" Bangalore, called Srirampuram. On sundays, me and my father used to go early in the morning (~ 6am) to a local school which happened to have a decent ground in front of the school building (not big enough to play a match, but of the size of maybe a volleyball pitch).
The school used to be closed, but we used to somehow get inside the compound :). Once inside, my father made me practice some running and warming up exercises before we started cricket practice (that seemingly meaningless warming up used to kill me because i could not wait to start playing).
When we finally started, the routine was mostly the same. I used to practice batting. For all his exploits on the cricket pitch during his college days in Mysore, my father's only contribution to my cricketing skills were only 2 in number
- The forward defense
- The television @ home
I can still recollect the words - "Foot to the pitch of the ball, bat and pad (in your case leg) close to each other and play the ball down to the ground". Amazingly, i did not realize the boredom in playing that shot about 50 times every sunday morning (without ever being able to play it again during the street cricket for the fear of being beaten up by fellow cricketers for wasting deliveries in a limited overs game).
After the exercise, we used to go home and eat a boiled egg (prepared by dad, using a vessel that was considered as an outcaste by mom and kept far away from the other vessels in the house) :)
This practice lasted for an hour and a half and for close to 2 years. Looking back, i guess i have no option but to recognize the importance of those practice sessions.
Years later, when our school decided to take part in competitive inter-school cricket tournaments, it started the process of forming a team. All interested boys from class 8 - 10 were asked to attend the practice sessions taking place in the ground adjacent to the school, from 4 to 5pm. It was my first tryst with the leather ball. I only ever remember playing one stroke - The forward defense. I guess the bowlers were enthusiastic about showing how fast they could bowl and would pitch the ball upto the batsman and i was lucky it was ideal for the forward defense. Any ball slightly wide of the stumps, and i would let it go because i did not have a stroke for that. I came to know later on that the coach and the captain thought that i was a very good judge of which balls to play and which to leave and had a good technique :) (another example of communication gap). I remember playing the pull shot only 2 or 3 times and on each occassion, the ball was really short and without too much pace - making it all too easy to play the pull shot). On the day when the team was announced, after about 3 weeks of practice, i did not bother going to check on it, since there were many seniors in school and i was sure that they were going to be picked ahead of me. So, it came as an unexpected (albeit welcome) shock when me and my good friend from my class got picked.
After 10 years, one would imagine the lessons learnt during those sunday morning sessions will be lost. However, i still remember that forward defense lesson as though it was taught yesterday.
The other contribution made by my dad, like i mentioned above, was the television @ home. I only have 2 noteworthy recollections from my childhood days
- 6th Feb 1987 - I came home early from school, feigning illness (the school authorities arranged for an autorickshaw to drop me off @ my grandma's house), to witness a century scored by Srikanth in Chennai against Pakistan (I was studying in kindergarten but still remember that day vividly)
- The 1992 world cup - The matches usually started off at 5 in the morning and dad had told me that i was not supposed to wake up so early just to watch cricket, although he did exactly that. I used to open the door ever so slightly and watch the matches from the room without getting caught.
It started in 1984. I was staying in one of the old localities of the then "Quiet" and "Pensioners' Paradise" Bangalore, called Srirampuram. On sundays, me and my father used to go early in the morning (~ 6am) to a local school which happened to have a decent ground in front of the school building (not big enough to play a match, but of the size of maybe a volleyball pitch).
The school used to be closed, but we used to somehow get inside the compound :). Once inside, my father made me practice some running and warming up exercises before we started cricket practice (that seemingly meaningless warming up used to kill me because i could not wait to start playing).
When we finally started, the routine was mostly the same. I used to practice batting. For all his exploits on the cricket pitch during his college days in Mysore, my father's only contribution to my cricketing skills were only 2 in number
- The forward defense
- The television @ home
I can still recollect the words - "Foot to the pitch of the ball, bat and pad (in your case leg) close to each other and play the ball down to the ground". Amazingly, i did not realize the boredom in playing that shot about 50 times every sunday morning (without ever being able to play it again during the street cricket for the fear of being beaten up by fellow cricketers for wasting deliveries in a limited overs game).
After the exercise, we used to go home and eat a boiled egg (prepared by dad, using a vessel that was considered as an outcaste by mom and kept far away from the other vessels in the house) :)
This practice lasted for an hour and a half and for close to 2 years. Looking back, i guess i have no option but to recognize the importance of those practice sessions.
Years later, when our school decided to take part in competitive inter-school cricket tournaments, it started the process of forming a team. All interested boys from class 8 - 10 were asked to attend the practice sessions taking place in the ground adjacent to the school, from 4 to 5pm. It was my first tryst with the leather ball. I only ever remember playing one stroke - The forward defense. I guess the bowlers were enthusiastic about showing how fast they could bowl and would pitch the ball upto the batsman and i was lucky it was ideal for the forward defense. Any ball slightly wide of the stumps, and i would let it go because i did not have a stroke for that. I came to know later on that the coach and the captain thought that i was a very good judge of which balls to play and which to leave and had a good technique :) (another example of communication gap). I remember playing the pull shot only 2 or 3 times and on each occassion, the ball was really short and without too much pace - making it all too easy to play the pull shot). On the day when the team was announced, after about 3 weeks of practice, i did not bother going to check on it, since there were many seniors in school and i was sure that they were going to be picked ahead of me. So, it came as an unexpected (albeit welcome) shock when me and my good friend from my class got picked.
After 10 years, one would imagine the lessons learnt during those sunday morning sessions will be lost. However, i still remember that forward defense lesson as though it was taught yesterday.
The other contribution made by my dad, like i mentioned above, was the television @ home. I only have 2 noteworthy recollections from my childhood days
- 6th Feb 1987 - I came home early from school, feigning illness (the school authorities arranged for an autorickshaw to drop me off @ my grandma's house), to witness a century scored by Srikanth in Chennai against Pakistan (I was studying in kindergarten but still remember that day vividly)
- The 1992 world cup - The matches usually started off at 5 in the morning and dad had told me that i was not supposed to wake up so early just to watch cricket, although he did exactly that. I used to open the door ever so slightly and watch the matches from the room without getting caught.
May 30, 2010
The curse of the blog
My friend had provided an interesting write up on the events that occurred on a saturday morning 4 weeks ago. I would like to dwell upon the considerable impact some of the events that took place have had on cricket since.
Mr. Y, whose infamous selection policy was much talked about, has (including that day), has endured a 6 match winless streak since. Here's a summary of the 4 matches played since that famous tied match
Match#1: Y and his bunch of bowlers went about dismantling the opposition with considerable ease and dismissed them for 35. Target - 36 in 10 overs - Result - Loss by 5 runs
Match#2: Y's team scored a competitive 47 in 10 overs - Result - Target chased in the last over (the winning run being an extra resulting from a wide delivery) . The team chasing 47 needed 21 off the last 23 deliveries with only one wicket in hand. MKB, who took the stunning catch resulting in the tied match in the above mentioned blog, dropped a catch with the equation reading 23 needed off 21 :)
Match#3: Y's team all out for 32. Opposition scored 33 with a couple of overs and plenty of wickets to spare. (Y played close to 20 deliveries and scored ~5 runs)
Match#4: Y's team was chasing 73. Going into the final over, the equation was - 6 balls, 14 runs to win with arguably the best batsmen of the team playing in the middle.
- 2 wide balls to start off. - 12 needed from 6
- A boundary - 8 needed from 5
- A single and a double of the next 2 deliveries - 5 needed off 3
- A triple - 2 off 2
- An uppish drive is easily caught, but the batsmen cross over before the catch is taken - 2 needed off the last ball
- The other well-set batsman swings and misses in an attempt to get 2 runs for the win instead of a quick single and a tied match. - The result - a loss
I have been fortunate enough to have been on the unbeaten team in each of the 6 matches mentioned in these 2 blogs.
@Y: The curse of the blog has lasted a month (counting the 1 weekend where we did not play). Hopefully this blog releases the curse and you can taste victory again :)
Mr. Y, whose infamous selection policy was much talked about, has (including that day), has endured a 6 match winless streak since. Here's a summary of the 4 matches played since that famous tied match
Match#1: Y and his bunch of bowlers went about dismantling the opposition with considerable ease and dismissed them for 35. Target - 36 in 10 overs - Result - Loss by 5 runs
Match#2: Y's team scored a competitive 47 in 10 overs - Result - Target chased in the last over (the winning run being an extra resulting from a wide delivery) . The team chasing 47 needed 21 off the last 23 deliveries with only one wicket in hand. MKB, who took the stunning catch resulting in the tied match in the above mentioned blog, dropped a catch with the equation reading 23 needed off 21 :)
Match#3: Y's team all out for 32. Opposition scored 33 with a couple of overs and plenty of wickets to spare. (Y played close to 20 deliveries and scored ~5 runs)
Match#4: Y's team was chasing 73. Going into the final over, the equation was - 6 balls, 14 runs to win with arguably the best batsmen of the team playing in the middle.
- 2 wide balls to start off. - 12 needed from 6
- A boundary - 8 needed from 5
- A single and a double of the next 2 deliveries - 5 needed off 3
- A triple - 2 off 2
- An uppish drive is easily caught, but the batsmen cross over before the catch is taken - 2 needed off the last ball
- The other well-set batsman swings and misses in an attempt to get 2 runs for the win instead of a quick single and a tied match. - The result - a loss
I have been fortunate enough to have been on the unbeaten team in each of the 6 matches mentioned in these 2 blogs.
@Y: The curse of the blog has lasted a month (counting the 1 weekend where we did not play). Hopefully this blog releases the curse and you can taste victory again :)
May 26, 2010
A start before you know you have OR One that you cant wait enough for??
I wondered if players remember their debut matches. I decided to take the example of 2 completely different debuts.
For cricketers, the path to international cricket (be it test match or ODI or T20) starts off from the small stage strings of memorable performances in the first class arena.
Sometimes, its also a question of necessity. The players are skilled and performing very well. However, there is no requirement in the national squad and so they have no option but to wait for their chance.
An apt example would be today's Mr. Cricket - Mike Hussey. When he was plundering all those runs at the domestic front, there was no requirement in the Aussie middle order. Hussey had 3 consecutive seasons when we scored more than 1000 runs in the English domestic season
- 2055 runs @ 79.03 in 2001
- 1442 runs @ 68.66 in 2002
- 1697 runs @ 89.31 in 2003
These might sound like a superman effort, enough to get you into any test playing side in the world. Any test playing side, except for one that is continuing to play without losing a single test series and has a middle order of
- Ponting, arguably the second greatest number 3 batsman in the world alongside Dravid (behind the Don)
- The Waugh Brothers - One of them a very gifted and attacking batsman - elegant to watch and quite consistent and the other a great finisher of innings apart from a superb captain
- Martyn - 2001 was Martyn's golden patch - He thought he had messed up his debut very badly with one rash shot in the summer of '94. He had been lucky enough to have been handed out a second chance, ala Mathew Hayden. He grabbed that chance with both hands and started the second innings of his test career very well.
But, fortunately, the international cricket lovers were not robbed of the chance to watch this totally dedicated and brilliantly skilled cricketer shine on the international scene. The Aussies did not just give a chance to their brightest young prospect (Pup, who is also widely recognized as the next captain), but also rewarded years of hard work by giving Hussey his break and how he took it :).
Hussey started his career playing out of position, at the opener's slot, in Justin Langer's absence. However, he did make 2 hundreds in his first 3 test matches. (and he got his favored middle order slot by his 3 test match at the expense of Simon Katich).
Some cricketers are skilled (and more importantly, lucky) enough to be picked early on in their career because their talents are noticed by the right people at the right moment.
Moving on, we look at another example of a start, albeit a different one. We are talking about, ofcourse Yasir Ali - who is the only cricketer in the last 100 years to have made a first class debut in a test match while playing for a team that was not near the bottom of the test rankings (unlike Bangladesh and Zimbabwe). Yasir Ali is a fast bowler whose furiously paced path to international cricket started off with performances in the state under 19 side. Next came the academy and one good tour with the academy was considered good enough for a test cap!!!
The debut against Bangladesh wasn't spectacular by any stretch of imagination. 1 wicket in each innings and 1 ball faced while batting (not out). He is now trying to get a second chance by the traditional way of playing first class cricket.
Nevertheless, they are 2 completely different examples of debuts. At the end of the day, i guess, as a cricketer, you wish that you dont get noticed too early on and make a debut when you are not physically or mentally (or both) prepared for the demands of the international game and get caught out. Second chances are hard to come by and players should wish they are prepared best when they get their break.
Moving on to a story of another debut - One that did not find its way to any newspaper or blog (so far :))
It was a bright and sunny morning in the August of 1994 and the match was being played at the railway grounds in Bangalore (behind the old railway station in the majestic area). It was the first match of the inter-school tournament. One of the schools was making its debut in the world of competitive cricket. The team making its debut fielded first and, after 3 hours, was left with the daunting task of chasing 233. One member of the opposition scored 80 odd runs, having been given a life when on 10 when a simple chance at backward point was spooned. Opening the batting were the youngest members of the squad (the only ones from class 8). They might have looked a little nervous (according to the coach) walking up to bat at around 1pm chasing a total of 233 in 40 overs. But they were a lot more nervous than they appeared to be :(. I know this so sure because i was one of them and my best friend was the other guy. I had already received a fair share of brickbats during the innings break because it was me that dropped that chance at backward point. After all the abuse, i was told - "Go there and survive the first few overs. We dont want to lose early wickets" My friend walked straight up to the non-striker's end and he was a few paces ahead of me. I had no option but to take first strike. I thank God that i was not dismissed off the first ball, one that i confidently guided to the fine leg fielder to get off the dreaded duck. That is, unfortunately, as far as i got as far as run making was concerned.
I was also blessed to have been the recipient of a nasty bouncer which evaded the helmet grill and stuck my ear (and caused a ringing sensation for the next 2 minutes). After a break of 5 minutes for a check by our coach to determine if i was doing fine, I composed myself and got down to facing the next delivery with (hopefully) the same confidence as my first delivery. The result was not what i expected. A fraction of a second after the ball was delivered, i looked back to see the furniture badly disturbed :(. Although it was not a memorable debut, i am surprised that i remember the turn of events of that day (till the point that i was dismissed) even now.
For cricketers, the path to international cricket (be it test match or ODI or T20) starts off from the small stage strings of memorable performances in the first class arena.
Sometimes, its also a question of necessity. The players are skilled and performing very well. However, there is no requirement in the national squad and so they have no option but to wait for their chance.
An apt example would be today's Mr. Cricket - Mike Hussey. When he was plundering all those runs at the domestic front, there was no requirement in the Aussie middle order. Hussey had 3 consecutive seasons when we scored more than 1000 runs in the English domestic season
- 2055 runs @ 79.03 in 2001
- 1442 runs @ 68.66 in 2002
- 1697 runs @ 89.31 in 2003
These might sound like a superman effort, enough to get you into any test playing side in the world. Any test playing side, except for one that is continuing to play without losing a single test series and has a middle order of
- Ponting, arguably the second greatest number 3 batsman in the world alongside Dravid (behind the Don)
- The Waugh Brothers - One of them a very gifted and attacking batsman - elegant to watch and quite consistent and the other a great finisher of innings apart from a superb captain
- Martyn - 2001 was Martyn's golden patch - He thought he had messed up his debut very badly with one rash shot in the summer of '94. He had been lucky enough to have been handed out a second chance, ala Mathew Hayden. He grabbed that chance with both hands and started the second innings of his test career very well.
But, fortunately, the international cricket lovers were not robbed of the chance to watch this totally dedicated and brilliantly skilled cricketer shine on the international scene. The Aussies did not just give a chance to their brightest young prospect (Pup, who is also widely recognized as the next captain), but also rewarded years of hard work by giving Hussey his break and how he took it :).
Hussey started his career playing out of position, at the opener's slot, in Justin Langer's absence. However, he did make 2 hundreds in his first 3 test matches. (and he got his favored middle order slot by his 3 test match at the expense of Simon Katich).
Some cricketers are skilled (and more importantly, lucky) enough to be picked early on in their career because their talents are noticed by the right people at the right moment.
Moving on, we look at another example of a start, albeit a different one. We are talking about, ofcourse Yasir Ali - who is the only cricketer in the last 100 years to have made a first class debut in a test match while playing for a team that was not near the bottom of the test rankings (unlike Bangladesh and Zimbabwe). Yasir Ali is a fast bowler whose furiously paced path to international cricket started off with performances in the state under 19 side. Next came the academy and one good tour with the academy was considered good enough for a test cap!!!
The debut against Bangladesh wasn't spectacular by any stretch of imagination. 1 wicket in each innings and 1 ball faced while batting (not out). He is now trying to get a second chance by the traditional way of playing first class cricket.
Nevertheless, they are 2 completely different examples of debuts. At the end of the day, i guess, as a cricketer, you wish that you dont get noticed too early on and make a debut when you are not physically or mentally (or both) prepared for the demands of the international game and get caught out. Second chances are hard to come by and players should wish they are prepared best when they get their break.
Moving on to a story of another debut - One that did not find its way to any newspaper or blog (so far :))
It was a bright and sunny morning in the August of 1994 and the match was being played at the railway grounds in Bangalore (behind the old railway station in the majestic area). It was the first match of the inter-school tournament. One of the schools was making its debut in the world of competitive cricket. The team making its debut fielded first and, after 3 hours, was left with the daunting task of chasing 233. One member of the opposition scored 80 odd runs, having been given a life when on 10 when a simple chance at backward point was spooned. Opening the batting were the youngest members of the squad (the only ones from class 8). They might have looked a little nervous (according to the coach) walking up to bat at around 1pm chasing a total of 233 in 40 overs. But they were a lot more nervous than they appeared to be :(. I know this so sure because i was one of them and my best friend was the other guy. I had already received a fair share of brickbats during the innings break because it was me that dropped that chance at backward point. After all the abuse, i was told - "Go there and survive the first few overs. We dont want to lose early wickets" My friend walked straight up to the non-striker's end and he was a few paces ahead of me. I had no option but to take first strike. I thank God that i was not dismissed off the first ball, one that i confidently guided to the fine leg fielder to get off the dreaded duck. That is, unfortunately, as far as i got as far as run making was concerned.
I was also blessed to have been the recipient of a nasty bouncer which evaded the helmet grill and stuck my ear (and caused a ringing sensation for the next 2 minutes). After a break of 5 minutes for a check by our coach to determine if i was doing fine, I composed myself and got down to facing the next delivery with (hopefully) the same confidence as my first delivery. The result was not what i expected. A fraction of a second after the ball was delivered, i looked back to see the furniture badly disturbed :(. Although it was not a memorable debut, i am surprised that i remember the turn of events of that day (till the point that i was dismissed) even now.
March 05, 2010
Getting Ready for IPL 2010 - Mumbai Indians
I have gone through the schedule of the different teams in this year's competition. Mumbai Indians (henceforth referred to as MI) have, by far, the strangest schedule. They play a whole bunch of matches at home and are "on the road" (a football term indicating travelling to play an away match) for a considerably long period of time.
- From March 20th to April 3rd, MI are involved in 6 league matches, ALL IN MUMBAI.
- One of those matches is actually a home match for Deccan but is being played in Mumbai (might be tricky considering that Deccan play well away from home :) )
- From April 6th, MI embark on (what seems to be) a ridiculous road trip.
- The venues for the last 6 league matches for MI is
* Chennai
* Chandigarh
* Jaipur
* Mumbai (I admit that this is a home match but it is one match at home sandwiched between a couple of away fixtures at places not exactly closeby)
* Bangalore
* Kolkata
If they get through that last league encounter on April 19th with a top 4 finish, guess what awaits them.. - Ofcourse another road game in 2 days' time (the semi-finals are played on 21st and 22nd in Bangalore)
In the first edition of the IPL, Mumbai won 3 out of the 7 away games. This should be viewed as 2 wins out of 6 (since every travelling team won @ Hyderabad :) ). Although the squad has changed a little, i doubt that the home support (or the lack of it during away games) has changed. So, Mumbai's best strategy might be to get maximum points during the first stretch of home games and hope to nick a game or 2 during that cruel schedule down the stretch.
- From March 20th to April 3rd, MI are involved in 6 league matches, ALL IN MUMBAI.
- One of those matches is actually a home match for Deccan but is being played in Mumbai (might be tricky considering that Deccan play well away from home :) )
- From April 6th, MI embark on (what seems to be) a ridiculous road trip.
- The venues for the last 6 league matches for MI is
* Chennai
* Chandigarh
* Jaipur
* Mumbai (I admit that this is a home match but it is one match at home sandwiched between a couple of away fixtures at places not exactly closeby)
* Bangalore
* Kolkata
If they get through that last league encounter on April 19th with a top 4 finish, guess what awaits them.. - Ofcourse another road game in 2 days' time (the semi-finals are played on 21st and 22nd in Bangalore)
In the first edition of the IPL, Mumbai won 3 out of the 7 away games. This should be viewed as 2 wins out of 6 (since every travelling team won @ Hyderabad :) ). Although the squad has changed a little, i doubt that the home support (or the lack of it during away games) has changed. So, Mumbai's best strategy might be to get maximum points during the first stretch of home games and hope to nick a game or 2 during that cruel schedule down the stretch.
January 20, 2010
Stats - Batsmen in the past decade
I thought i will compile some stats in this post. I am intrigued about 2 things in test matches.
- Those whose highs in terms of performances are in tune with the highs of the team (if they play well, the team usually wins). I consider them MVPs for the team
- Those who are adapted to pressure situations - I took the example of 4th innings when more often than not, the situation demands either batting out the innings for a draw or chasing a challenging target on a dicey pitch.
I compiled the stats in 2 ways - First for the Indians and then to compare the list with that of players worldwide.
Some miscellaneous stats
2000s
In the past decade, i checked the performance of the Indian batsmen in wins. But considering the fact that the so-called "fab-four" have been a part of the squad for pretty much most of the decade, the list is not so surprising (Classification: Innings played >= 15).
Now to check with the performance of other batsmen worldwide. (Top 20 after removing the Indians' names from the list). Surprise, Surprise - No Aussie in the top 5!!!! (probably a good thing indicating that they do not necessarily depend on a couple of individuals for wins)
Fourth Innings Heroes:
Here's the performance of the Indian batsmen in the 4th innings of test matches in the last decade
And here's how they match up to the other batsmen worldwide in the same time frame (Filter: Batting Average >= 50). While compiling this list, it occurred to me that even statisticians sitting in the dressing rooms have access to this data. However, we don't, for example, see changes to the batting line up in the 4th innings depending upon who is most likely to succeed and who is almost surely not going to score big (those who are primarily first innings players).
- Those whose highs in terms of performances are in tune with the highs of the team (if they play well, the team usually wins). I consider them MVPs for the team
- Those who are adapted to pressure situations - I took the example of 4th innings when more often than not, the situation demands either batting out the innings for a draw or chasing a challenging target on a dicey pitch.
I compiled the stats in 2 ways - First for the Indians and then to compare the list with that of players worldwide.
Some miscellaneous stats
2000s
In the past decade, i checked the performance of the Indian batsmen in wins. But considering the fact that the so-called "fab-four" have been a part of the squad for pretty much most of the decade, the list is not so surprising (Classification: Innings played >= 15).
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| R Dravid | 39 | 3810 | 74.7 | 11 | 17 |
| SR Tendulkar | 35 | 3163 | 67.29 | 12 | 10 |
| V Sehwag | 27 | 2382 | 59.55 | 5 | 10 |
| VVS Laxman | 35 | 2364 | 50.29 | 4 | 16 |
| G Gambhir | 14 | 1094 | 49.72 | 3 | 6 |
| SC Ganguly | 31 | 1944 | 46.28 | 4 | 11 |
| MS Dhoni | 16 | 857 | 45.1 | 1 | 8 |
| Yuvraj Singh | 13 | 585 | 39 | 0 | 5 |
Now to check with the performance of other batsmen worldwide. (Top 20 after removing the Indians' names from the list). Surprise, Surprise - No Aussie in the top 5!!!! (probably a good thing indicating that they do not necessarily depend on a couple of individuals for wins)
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pak) | 26 | 2684 | 83.87 | 11 | 9 |
| KC Sangakkara (SL) | 41 | 4179 | 75.98 | 14 | 15 |
| GP Thorpe (Eng) | 26 | 2053 | 70.79 | 7 | 10 |
| JH Kallis (SA) | 50 | 4257 | 68.66 | 15 | 20 |
| BC Lara (WI) | 9 | 952 | 68 | 3 | 6 |
| Younis Khan (Pak) | 22 | 2241 | 67.9 | 7 | 10 |
| Mohammad Yousuf (Pak) | 28 | 2477 | 66.94 | 8 | 11 |
| RT Ponting (Aus) | 75 | 7012 | 66.15 | 25 | 30 |
| GC Smith (SA) | 41 | 3887 | 65.88 | 15 | 12 |
| MEK Hussey (Aus) | 32 | 2821 | 65.6 | 9 | 13 |
| DPMD Jayawardene (SL) | 43 | 3797 | 65.46 | 13 | 13 |
| TT Samaraweera (SL) | 30 | 2222 | 65.35 | 8 | 11 |
| RR Sarwan (WI) | 13 | 1210 | 60.5 | 5 | 6 |
| G Kirsten (SA) | 23 | 1907 | 59.59 | 6 | 10 |
| SR Waugh (Aus) | 33 | 2028 | 57.94 | 9 | 6 |
| S Chanderpaul (WI) | 17 | 1261 | 57.31 | 5 | 6 |
| AG Prince (SA) | 29 | 1738 | 56.06 | 7 | 3 |
| MS Atapattu (SL) | 24 | 1681 | 56.03 | 6 | 6 |
| ML Hayden (Aus) | 68 | 5975 | 55.84 | 22 | 19 |
| DS Lehmann (Aus) | 19 | 1447 | 55.65 | 5 | 7 |
Fourth Innings Heroes:
Here's the performance of the Indian batsmen in the 4th innings of test matches in the last decade
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| R Dravid | 37 | 993 | 52.26 | 0 | 8 |
| SR Tendulkar | 31 | 723 | 42.52 | 1 | 2 |
| SC Ganguly | 29 | 537 | 41.3 | 0 | 3 |
| VVS Laxman | 32 | 549 | 36.6 | 0 | 3 |
| V Sehwag | 25 | 539 | 31.7 | 0 | 4 |
And here's how they match up to the other batsmen worldwide in the same time frame (Filter: Batting Average >= 50). While compiling this list, it occurred to me that even statisticians sitting in the dressing rooms have access to this data. However, we don't, for example, see changes to the batting line up in the 4th innings depending upon who is most likely to succeed and who is almost surely not going to score big (those who are primarily first innings players).
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| RT Ponting (Aus) | 40 | 1266 | 60.28 | 4 | 4 |
| GP Thorpe (Eng) | 22 | 457 | 57.12 | 1 | 2 |
| MA Butcher (Eng) | 18 | 562 | 56.2 | 1 | 3 |
| GC Smith (ICC/SA) | 30 | 1275 | 55.43 | 3 | 8 |
| ML Hayden (Aus) | 37 | 1268 | 52.83 | 1 | 9 |
| Younis Khan (Pak) | 19 | 675 | 51.92 | 3 | 3 |
| S Chanderpaul (WI) | 33 | 1136 | 51.63 | 2 | 9 |
| DPMD Jayawardene (SL) | 28 | 757 | 50.46 | 2 | 3 |
January 08, 2010
The curious case of Ajay Sharma
I was checking out the stats for Ajay Sharma. He has the 5th highest batting average in first class cricket among all batsmen who have played atleast 50 innings. He played all of 1 test match and 31 ODIs.
-> In the second ODI, Ajay Sharma came into bat at number 9 (thats right!!!!) and made 2 not out. Again, India had won the toss and chose to bat. This is very interesting indeed since one would imagine that a young middle order batsman making his debut can only be judged if he gets some time in the middle.
-> India played 11 more ODIs from then till 31st October when Ajay Sharma next got a look in. Meanwhile, it might be worthy to point out that during this time, Ajay Sharma was not exactly setting the national scene alight with his performances in the first class level.
-> Having had a decent time in the middle for the next few ODIs, his form gradually went on the decline and after a stop and start career, his career as a player for the national side ended. He had played in 31 ODIs.
- Only 1 inning in the number 4 position (59 not out :) )
- Never batted higher up than number 6 in the lineup in any of the matches
Call it plain tough luck or selectors' choice. Ajay Sharma got his chance maybe a little too early in his career to make an impact. And only 1 test match appearance for a guy with a career batting average of 67.46 does sound a touch too harsh. (By far, the fewest test appearances for any player who played atleast 100 first class matches and has an average of 50 or more :( ). I remembered that Michael Hussey made his test debut at age 30. Sometimes, the game can be a gift to some and cruel to others.
This perhaps best illustrates the curious case of Ajay Sharma.
- His only test match appearance was in Jan 1988. He made 30 and 23 batting in number 6
- He played 2 ODIs in Jan 1988. He did not bat in the first match and made 2 (not out).
-> In the second ODI, Ajay Sharma came into bat at number 9 (thats right!!!!) and made 2 not out. Again, India had won the toss and chose to bat. This is very interesting indeed since one would imagine that a young middle order batsman making his debut can only be judged if he gets some time in the middle.
-> India played 11 more ODIs from then till 31st October when Ajay Sharma next got a look in. Meanwhile, it might be worthy to point out that during this time, Ajay Sharma was not exactly setting the national scene alight with his performances in the first class level.
-> Having had a decent time in the middle for the next few ODIs, his form gradually went on the decline and after a stop and start career, his career as a player for the national side ended. He had played in 31 ODIs.
- Only 1 inning in the number 4 position (59 not out :) )
- Never batted higher up than number 6 in the lineup in any of the matches
- In the 1992/93 Ranji season he scored 784 runs with 5 scores of 50 or more in 9 innings (3 centuries)
- In the 1993/94 he made 403 runs in 6 innings with 4 scores of 50 or more
- 1995/96 - 864 runs in 12 innings with 4 hundreds
- 1996/97 - 1033 runs in 10 innings with 5 hundreds
Call it plain tough luck or selectors' choice. Ajay Sharma got his chance maybe a little too early in his career to make an impact. And only 1 test match appearance for a guy with a career batting average of 67.46 does sound a touch too harsh. (By far, the fewest test appearances for any player who played atleast 100 first class matches and has an average of 50 or more :( ). I remembered that Michael Hussey made his test debut at age 30. Sometimes, the game can be a gift to some and cruel to others.
This perhaps best illustrates the curious case of Ajay Sharma.
December 28, 2009
The Eden Garden saga
The Feroz Shah Kotla episode has rubbed more salt into the Sri Lankan wounds. If the more than impressive total of 313 had been defended a few days ago at the Eden Gardens, then Sri Lanka might have gone back after drawing the series 2-2 (which would be a very good return from the tour). The match @ Kolkata must have been painful to watch for a Sri Lankan supporter. Sri Lanka did all the hard work for the best part of 54 overs and then threw it all away.
I was speaking to a friend during the Indian run chase and when the big 2 had been dismissed, I told him that this was almost déjà-vu (the 1996 world cup semi-final). The only missing pieces were a complete collapse and crowd trouble. Some time later, I told him that if Gambhir and Kohli did pull off the chase, then I would write a blog about it (my next post). Right now, I want to only write about how a team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Considering the following
- Sri Lanka were trailing 1-2 in the series with another game to go
- They had to win both matches
- If Sri Lanka gambled and went for the victory at Kolkata, had they pulled it off, then India would have had to go to Delhi on the back of a loss and in a must-win situation. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you see it) for them, they have not had to play a bilateral series where the final match was the series decider, for some time and so, it would have been very interesting had the series drawn level.
Kumar Sangakkara has been blamed by many for his un-imaginative captaincy. I do not know if it is lack of imagination or unwillingness to sometimes go for the kill while taking the risk of losing a match. I believe that Sangakkara is the best player in the squad. He is very committed towards the team’s cause and is one of the most technically gifted batsmen in the line-up, apart from being an excellent wicket-keeper. However, it is his leadership skills that I am not yet convinced about.
He was aware that on a good batting track @ Cuttack, it was his wicket that led to a dramatic collapse and gifted India a series lead. So, when Dilshan’s wicket fell @ Kolkata, he decided to curb his attacking instincts in the hope that in case he stayed at the wicket till the 30-40 over mark, the team could then go all in and get a big total. This part was executed well and 313, which was the highest score at the venue, must have made the Lankans smile thinking that half the job was done.
India, on their part, also did the Sri Lankans a favor. This was the first time in 5 years that they were playing an ODI without either Dhoni or Yuvraj, the cornerstones of their middle order, in the squad. Add to it the fact that the top 3 in the lineup were their most experienced and in-form batsmen meant that the job was simple – Get into the middle order which lacks big match experience / performances and put pressure on them and they will crumble.
With Sachin and Sehwag dismissed within 5 overs, victory was almost in sight. Then the mistakes came (but unexpectedly, from the Sri Lankans).
- At the end of over #10, Sangakkara failed to inform the umpire about the bowling power play which the fielding side usually takes at the end of powerplay #1 so that they can get it over with. He realized this in the middle of over 11 and so, the powerplay was taken at over 12.
- India had a similar situation (run chase) a few months ago at Vadodra. The target at that time was 293 and Sachin and Sehwag were dismissed in 8 overs. That time, the partnership between Gambhir and Kohli was starting to blossom when the Aussies pulled the plug. It took all of 3 quiet overs to get Kohli impatient and drew the error from the batsman.
- Sangakkara need not have known this fact. Kohli was playing in his 14th ODI and hadn’t made a big knock yet. His only noteworthy effort in a runchase was the 79 against an under-strength West Indies side, when the target was 129.
- At the end of over 16, India had scored only 24 runs in the bowling powerplay. It was clear that the pressure was working and more of it was required to keep the batsmen bogged down and induce errors.
- The pair scored 120 runs in the next 20 overs when the field was spread out. Sangakkara was playing the waiting game hoping for mistakes to come from the batsmen.
- We now know about the 100-odd singles in the partnership. Its hard to imagine that none of Jayawardane, Jayasuriya and Sangakkara, at any point, saw this as a problem area and looked to address it. Malinga was expected to be a potent weapon but he was anything but… Too many boundary balls were bowled by him. But this cannot be the excuse.
- The conditions with the dew in the pitch made it very hard to bowl. But letting 100 singles being scored does not help the cause (each time a single was scored, the ball invariably reached the outfield which was already dew-laden. All the more reason to prevent singles. The target was in excess of 300. A few boundaries was more than just a calculated risk the captain could have exchanged for possibly precious wickets.
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