Showing posts with label Champions Trophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Champions Trophy. Show all posts
October 05, 2009
This is wrong.
Cricket demands that two captains, a match referee and one other bloke make it to the toss. What did we see today: There was a match ref, that one other bloke, Ricky Ponting and a clown masquerading as the Kiwi captain: Brendon McCullum.
September 27, 2009
What the f*ck won Pakistan the match
They gave a f*ck to start off with, India did not. India was a whinny, cribbing, sad misfit of a team. It didn’t gel, and still they nearly pulled it off, imagine.
For me two appeals won the game for Pakistan. First, Afridi’s appeal when MSD catwalked down the crease – he was way down, but the impact was in line – this is an old tennis ball cricket ploy that MSD uses, we all use it, come down the wicket, way far down, dekhi jayegi.
It wasn’t so much Taufel’s call as Afridi’s persuasion – how could he not give it out. There was belief in a victory, the dismissal, in the Boom Boom makes the world go around kinda thing
Taufel had to, because right then he knew, yes, I can see what you see Boom Boom, it is out.
And out it was. Enough of these stellar pranks of cruising down – even if you walk down to the other end, if the ball hits you in line, you’re out. Take that MSD.
Secondly, Ajmal’s appeal, who knew he had it in him – that was not an appeal, that was a cry for justice, to make good those years he’d lost in isolation (one day Mishra will appeal so).
It doesn’t matter where it hit Raina, bat, boot, leg – it hit that Steve Davis bloke right in the heart. The appeal moved him to tears.
He felt what Ajmal did, damn, even I knew it was out, because I felt the pain of Ajmal’s first class debut 12 years back, all those years waiting – for this moment, when Raina will be his, as will be victory.
For me two appeals won the game for Pakistan. First, Afridi’s appeal when MSD catwalked down the crease – he was way down, but the impact was in line – this is an old tennis ball cricket ploy that MSD uses, we all use it, come down the wicket, way far down, dekhi jayegi.
It wasn’t so much Taufel’s call as Afridi’s persuasion – how could he not give it out. There was belief in a victory, the dismissal, in the Boom Boom makes the world go around kinda thing
Taufel had to, because right then he knew, yes, I can see what you see Boom Boom, it is out.
And out it was. Enough of these stellar pranks of cruising down – even if you walk down to the other end, if the ball hits you in line, you’re out. Take that MSD.
Secondly, Ajmal’s appeal, who knew he had it in him – that was not an appeal, that was a cry for justice, to make good those years he’d lost in isolation (one day Mishra will appeal so).
It doesn’t matter where it hit Raina, bat, boot, leg – it hit that Steve Davis bloke right in the heart. The appeal moved him to tears.
He felt what Ajmal did, damn, even I knew it was out, because I felt the pain of Ajmal’s first class debut 12 years back, all those years waiting – for this moment, when Raina will be his, as will be victory.
September 26, 2009
September 21, 2009
Triple standards in cricket
March 2008: It takes Virender Sehwag to score a double hundred to cement his spot for the next two series. And when he doesn’t score a double for a while, questions on consistency are asked, naturally.
Imagine then, what happens when Sehwag fails to score a triple century for a full four years.
September 2009. What does Sehwag do while his mates warm-up for the Champions Trophy? He plays in some local game, scores a duck. But he plays. Next he plays in the Irani Trophy on 1st October. His mates will have played the West Indies in their last league match the previous day.
On 2nd and 3rd October are the CT semis, Sehwag will be biding his time in the Irani Trophy.
The call on Sehwag’s fitness was taken way back, so back it’s tough to recall when. It was decided then, that he will be unfit for the Champions Trophy.
The decision was in reaction to the furore caused by his injury in the Twenty20 world. This time, neither the BCCI nor the team management wanted to take any chances with Sehwag’s injury. It did make everyone, including Sehwag, MSD and the Board look clueless.
Now take the case of Sachin Tendulkar, who spends good lengths of time recovering from injury. And when he recovers, he just walks into the playing eleven – there is never any proof of match fitness required, rarely, if ever, is Sachin required to play games to prove his fitness. No captain, cricket board or team management creates scenes.
And then you have Sehwag, playing the Irani and Corporate scene. Granted he wasn’t exactly smooth on the injury front, but that’s Sehwag for you – point is, nobody stood up for him. Instead they went out of the way to make him look like a clueless idiot.
If you were Sehwag, why would you want to captain any team? Be it team India or the Delhi Daredevils.
In the last few weeks, Sehwag is making a clear statement of intent – do not fuck with me, I am not Rohit Sharma or Suresh Raina, and you cannot treat me like them.
I may not be Sachin Temdulkar but then he is not Virender Sehwag either, our paths did cross a long time back.
In the next few months, either India or Sehwag will have another reality check. And that’s where a new standard will be set. One will have to give.
Right now, it looks like India doesn’t deserve Sehwag. For me, he could be the next mercenary cricketer, and a far more devastating one than Flintoff.
On Bored - Jatman: Don't treat me like shi*
Imagine then, what happens when Sehwag fails to score a triple century for a full four years.
September 2009. What does Sehwag do while his mates warm-up for the Champions Trophy? He plays in some local game, scores a duck. But he plays. Next he plays in the Irani Trophy on 1st October. His mates will have played the West Indies in their last league match the previous day.
On 2nd and 3rd October are the CT semis, Sehwag will be biding his time in the Irani Trophy.
The call on Sehwag’s fitness was taken way back, so back it’s tough to recall when. It was decided then, that he will be unfit for the Champions Trophy.
The decision was in reaction to the furore caused by his injury in the Twenty20 world. This time, neither the BCCI nor the team management wanted to take any chances with Sehwag’s injury. It did make everyone, including Sehwag, MSD and the Board look clueless.
Now take the case of Sachin Tendulkar, who spends good lengths of time recovering from injury. And when he recovers, he just walks into the playing eleven – there is never any proof of match fitness required, rarely, if ever, is Sachin required to play games to prove his fitness. No captain, cricket board or team management creates scenes.
And then you have Sehwag, playing the Irani and Corporate scene. Granted he wasn’t exactly smooth on the injury front, but that’s Sehwag for you – point is, nobody stood up for him. Instead they went out of the way to make him look like a clueless idiot.
If you were Sehwag, why would you want to captain any team? Be it team India or the Delhi Daredevils.
In the last few weeks, Sehwag is making a clear statement of intent – do not fuck with me, I am not Rohit Sharma or Suresh Raina, and you cannot treat me like them.
I may not be Sachin Temdulkar but then he is not Virender Sehwag either, our paths did cross a long time back.
In the next few months, either India or Sehwag will have another reality check. And that’s where a new standard will be set. One will have to give.
Right now, it looks like India doesn’t deserve Sehwag. For me, he could be the next mercenary cricketer, and a far more devastating one than Flintoff.
On Bored - Jatman: Don't treat me like shi*
August 27, 2009
Don’t leave a sinking ship, Ricky Ponting.
Leave it when it’s sunk. Your job is far from done. The day isn’t far when a minnow nation will beat you in a test match. Expect you to blame it on a few bad sessions.
Shakib looks more than likely to knock you out. He has a few handy spinners, bet you don’t even know their names. Do you know Shakib’s name – he’s the Bangladeshi captain, no it isn’t Ashraful anymore.
For the time being, stick as the one day captain, there’s a Champions Trophy in a few weeks. You are the world champions, fifty overs, that’s your scene.
Of course, Clarke beat the Pakis in the desert, you were on leave. Is the one-day break something you picked from Sachin? So you could concentrate on losing the Ashes.
Good, you’ve never been too keen on Twenty20. Though going by the roundabout explanation on split-captaincy options it was tough to tell who was saying what – or who was being made to say what?
You aren’t a very direct person. Have you started to speak in the third person?
Anyway, about the T20 tamasha, leave that to pup. And concentrate on the test record, that’s what Sachin is doing.
Shakib looks more than likely to knock you out. He has a few handy spinners, bet you don’t even know their names. Do you know Shakib’s name – he’s the Bangladeshi captain, no it isn’t Ashraful anymore.
For the time being, stick as the one day captain, there’s a Champions Trophy in a few weeks. You are the world champions, fifty overs, that’s your scene.
Of course, Clarke beat the Pakis in the desert, you were on leave. Is the one-day break something you picked from Sachin? So you could concentrate on losing the Ashes.
Good, you’ve never been too keen on Twenty20. Though going by the roundabout explanation on split-captaincy options it was tough to tell who was saying what – or who was being made to say what?
You aren’t a very direct person. Have you started to speak in the third person?
Anyway, about the T20 tamasha, leave that to pup. And concentrate on the test record, that’s what Sachin is doing.
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