Cricket Celebrations

Not to be misled, this post is not about the celebratory status of the game or the cricketers. In fact, it could be quite the opposite.

Watching the intriguing fourth day play of the test match between India and England at Lords, some moments in the days play captured my attention. The way cricketers have come to celebrate mini and major milestones in the course of an innings has evolved over the years as has everything else. A batsman’s raised bat for a half century has now become a much more elaborate affair in recent times. The Australian method of the raised-arm-with-ball for a five wicket haul is setting the standards for the bowlers.

The way Kevin Pietersen celebrated his belligerent hundred, Monty Panesar’s excitement on picking up Tendulkar(is her ever calm after a wicket!) and Dinesh Karthik’s way of acknowledging his half century-these were the moments that caught my attention. A century is still a big deal in test cricket. A five for is also a worthy moment. But what about a half century? In an increasingly batsmen-oriented game, the half century moment needs to be placed with a little more perception. Any thoughts?

New Zealand triumphant against South Africa

NZ came out victorious against the South Africans in the second match of the Champions Trophy 2006. The Brabourne Stadium witnessed a stern contest between the two teams, with the balance of the match swinging between both teams until New Zealand sealed it with an impressive bowling performance.

The pitch has been the talking point all through the tournament so far. It has indeed been surprising to see non-batsmen friendly wickets in India. The pitches have all had some variable bounce, have cracked up sooner than most expected it to thereby making it difficult for the batsmen. Though the initial swing and seam movement we have seen in the games so far, have been encouraging, the slow paced nature is something that is very difficult for the batsmen to adjust to. We saw that hapen yesterday in the first innings when NZ got off to a good start and then were pegged down by the dolly spin bowlers of SA. Robin Peterson will enjoy international cricket more often if he plays on pitches like this and Graeme Smith may be tempted to call himself an all-rounder if he bowls more on thes ekind of wickets. Such was the effect that these two spinners had in the first innings.

On the other hand, Stephen Fleming may well have defined how to bat in the first innings, for all the batsmen in this tournament. A kind of blueprint as Ian Chappell says. He believes that NZ are now good enough to qualify to the semis, and why not, they only have to win one more game.

Looking ahead to todays game, Pakistan find themselves on the backfoot even before setting foot on the field, by the loss of their 2 premier fast bowlers to the Dope test. Really, this must be a great loss and sure does dent their chances of winning this tournament. Pakistan cricket’s volatile nature to the fore again. First he Inzi case and now this….Sri Lanka will be aiming to extend their purple patch and have a good game today.

Another attempt-could this be the revival?

This is yet another attempt at keeping this blog going. I have found myself incapable of getting down to writing some posts, though there has been much to say in the past month or so. This attempt at revival was triggered by an old love. Something very close to my heart and something which is being celebrated by its ardent followers right now. I am talking Cricket, friends.

The ongoing Champions Trophy seems like a time of celebration to me. The entire cricketing world has gathered in India to clash heads for the Champions Trophy. Though the timing of the event, the format, the scheduling and other ingredients have taken some flak, I must say I am very excited at the prospect of the whole tournament. The wide range of international talent, some new and some old and some others rediscovering themselves-all this promises a good 2 weeks ahead.

Why Tennis and Golf are anomolies

Why are these two the only sports where the crowds are asked to keep quiet when the game is in progress? Haven’t the other sports and their sportsmen moved on with it? Afterall, its only natural for the crowds to respond in a particular manner.

A tame draw and an exciting win

As was expected, the India-Pakistan test at Lahore ended in a boring draw, but buoy, the game’s second half was made interesting by Sehwag, in the only way he could. Blitzkrieg! 254 of just 248 balls, and yes we are talking test cricket. The Indians would have loved to have a shot at the remaining world records (lots of them were smashed yesterday) and who knows we might have a had a new world record holder for the highest individual score if a whole day’s play was possible.

I wouldnt like to think that either team won any psychological points over the other. Both are aware of their strengths and will be wary of them in the games to come. Yes, I know Akhtar was smased around and Kaneria was dismissed, but so were Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh. The teams will go to Faisalabad(Jan 21-25) pretty evenly matched.

Meanwhile Down under, Sri Lanka scored a convincing victory over South Africa, who had beaten Australia a couple of days back. Meaningful knocks from Sangakkara and Mubarak. This was followed up with some tidy bowling and appaling running between the wickets by the South African batsmen (2 run outs, Gibbs and Rudolph). What was pleasing to see was the way the Sri Lankans were cheered by their supporters. Very colorful and entertaining. The supporters even went one step further and booed and ‘no-balled’ the South African off spinner Johan Botha, whose action has recently been reported for review. Fair call, they’ve been at the receiving end for long enough. This win opens up the VB series and the forthcoming games should be interesting.

Two guys who have proved that age is a mere number

Just around the same time, the sporting world has experienced the stunning acts of two sportsmen who have gone well past their youth, but still have the burning desire to do well, to dominate and to be successful. Andre Agassi’s semi-final clash against fellow countryman James Blake made me sit up and say, Gee, How the hell did he do that!! I couldn’t catch that match live, but made sure I watched the highlights of the match the next day. Those who did see the match, live or otherwise, would agree with me when I say that Agassi played out of his skin, in the final set, to win the match and go through to the US open final at the age of 35! Read that again, 35 years old, when some of us would be settling into our couches at home, watching our kids toddle around, when some of us would be content with morning jogs/walks or a 45 minute workout at the gym. This guy has played a match of the highest intensity for over three hours, with the whole of America watching. Unbelievable, hats of to him.

Just a few thousand miles east, another man was weaving his magic against the age old rivals, England. As I write this, England has won the Ashes, but to see Shane Warne bowl at the English batsmen this series has been quite something. Look at the difficult circumstances under which he came into the series, questions being asked about his age and his constant inclination to his public image, more importantly, and the end of a 10-year old marriage. With all this at the background to be able to produce the goods, like he has done, I can only term his efforts super-human. The stats tell the story, 40 wickets over the 5 test matches; his batting in the lower order was responsible for the totals Australia achieved, and his catching and constant cheering up of his team mates. What a man! As I watched the presentation ceremony last night, I thought Michael Atherton said it right. The England coach Duncan Fletcher had named Shane Warne the Australian Man of the series, while Atherton addressed him as ‘The Great Shane Warne’. Yes, that’s what he should be called.

Both these guys, 35 years of age, have shown that while age may actually be a deterrent in physical capabilities on the field, the mental determination along with the hunger and love for the game can achieve much more than one can think. Usually, it’s in the 20s that stars are identified and made. Remember Tendulkar and Lara? Tendulkar was a great batsman, a master, who has played some wonderful innings for the country, while Lara, the prince who has reinvented himself during his twilight years. I would like to believe that Lara is also in the same category as Shane Warne or Andre Agassi, performing brilliantly time and again, while Tendulkar is yet to produce some late-in-the-day magic. Who knows it might just happen. But for now, let’s applaud the final acts of these wonderful sportsmen.

The latest Ganguly Scoop!

After the noodles scoop on Ganguly, which spread all over the internet like quick fire, the next one is here. And though it may not spread or be understood all over India, I think its a pretty good one. Also because it makes fun of one more subject, which I quite like. Read on…

Ambi: mr ganguly y r u shouting at the umpire, after u have been
declared out ??? athu satapadi thapu

Ganguly:dey kudumi, naa yaar theriyuma bengal tiger appidithan kathuven.

Ambi: kenya,bangaldesh kooda century adikirale australia,pakistan na 1
bathroom poralae y?

Ganguly:naan dhadha da , thevayana apo matum than aaduven.

Ambi: mr ganguly captains like ponting, inzy, smith ellarum century
adichu team jeyika vaikara ,aana neengo aadave maatiringale?

Ganguly:dey kudumi,athan sachin, dravid, sehwag ellam century
adikiraanungala apuram naan yethuku adikanum

Ambi: alatchiyama pesathingo Mr ganguly, aduthava talentla fame gain
pandrathu thapu!!

Ganguly:poda kudumi, yenake advice pandriya @#%@^#$%^@$%^$%^$%^

Anniyan:DEY BAADU……….

Ganguly:yaaruga neenga gillespi maathiri hair style vachurikinga???

Anniyan:naan avan ila da yema , yenda run adika ve maatingara,

>Ganguly: batting form appo appo vanthutu pogum, cricketla ithellam
>sagajam thanaga…..
>
>Anniyan: ippidi soli thapichidalaamnu paakiriya…..
>
>Anniyan: 5 run edutha thapa?????????
>
>Ganguly:onum thapu ilinga……
>
>Anniyan: 5 matchla 5 run edutha thapa?????????
>
>Ganguly:thapu maari thanga theriyuthu……….
>
>Anniyan: 5 varushama 5 5 matcha 5 run edutha thapa?????????/
>
>Ganguly: periya thapu thaanga………..
>
>Anniyan: kamunati athathanda oruoru matchalayum nee panikitu iruka
>
>Anniyan: unakellam ballbojanam thanda, nee than stump …
>akthar,sami,lee,mcgrath ellarum una vachuthan bowling practice
>panaporaanga!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poetry in motion and the Tie!

The previous week witnessed some wonderful moments in sport, in two events, both happening within 1000 miles of each other. Clearly the bigger news was Roger Federer’s third straight Wimbledon Championship. Such was the ease with which he played, later described by himself as the best game he’d played ever, that his game seemed like poetry in motion. Andy Roddick gave it his best shot, but sadly, the best shots offered by Roddick, Hewitt, Safin and all the others whom Federer has gone past in various tournaments, seems to be a far far behind the Swede’s game. His overall game, smart serving, amazing ground strokes and the confident volleying makes hi a treat to watch. The Swede seems to have inherited the temperament that was once associated with the legendary Borg, when he was called ‘Iceberg’. Federer is a champion of the future, if he isnt already one.

I know all those anti aussies will be elated with the final result of the Natwest Trophy, a tie! But watch out, while the English seemed to be content with the result, the Aussies seemed the ones more affected by the result. And this defeat/tie could just spur the aussies to go that one extra step, raise their game and come back firing at the Poms. The forthcoming Natwest Challenge should be an interesting affair, with both teams edging each other to gain the psychological advantage before the Ashes, and also because of the new rules being introduced. Its going to be about strategies, planning and execution. Interesting 7 days ahead.

A noisy encounter!

As I was switching channels while watching the Australia-Bangladesh match, I saw the Wimbledon womens’ semifinals being telecast. The Davenport-Mauresmo match seemed to be promising, but the live relay was shifted to the Sharapova-Venus Willaims match. Ten minutes of watching the match, and my ears were already bothered. The number and intensity of the grunts made by both the players was quite bothering. Alright, I know they play very tough tennis and these two are amongst the most powerful hitters in the womens’ game, but just that, at that moment it was such a put off.

Following Through after Australia’s victory

Its sad that its become a news item of this magnitude. Australia defeated Bangladesh by 6 wickets successfully chasing down their target of 251 with 2 overs to spare. But they had their moment of bother when they lost their top three batsmen with not too many runs on the board. A good, sensible partnership between skipper Ponting and Clarke ensured that the initial damage done by the Bangla bowlers was ineffective. Once Ponting was dismissed, the big hitting Symonds made his was and struck a good partnership with Clarke again, to ensure that Australia got home comfortably.

The Bangla Tigers can take a lot of positives from this one day series. After a the disappointing test series, the one day series was kept alive by them. Their competetive nature and their astounding win over Australia made everyone sit up and watch. The positives for them - Mohammad Ashraful’s explosive batting. Paul Coillingwood described Ashraful’s superb 91 off 54 balls as “Tendulkar-like”; Mashrafe Mortaza’s bowling, he was by far their best bowlers. Most importantly, they now have the confidence in their abilities after that win over the World Champions. This will take them some distance. As it is evident already, with ICC’s decision that their Test status is safe.

All the best Bangladesh and now its Ashes time, bring on the Poms!