tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36078947179264985152024-03-13T12:03:18.552+00:00Give It Some AirA collection of thoughts on the game of cricketUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-51078772630437324972012-10-05T08:27:00.001+01:002012-10-05T08:28:44.572+01:00Some elementary Watson stats<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
After 5 games at this ICC World Twenty20, here's how Australia's stats stack up...</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Shane Watson:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
242 runs off 157 balls in 5 innings with 1 not out, average 60.5, strike rate 154</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The rest:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
365 runs off 306 balls in 19 innings with 9 not outs, average 36.5, strike rate 119</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Shane Watson:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
11 for 141 off 20.0 overs, average 12.8, economy 7.05</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The rest:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
21 for 588 off 80.0 overs, average 28.0, economy 7.35</div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Shane Watson:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
4 man-of-the-match awards</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The rest:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
0 man-of-the-match awards</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-27868968791285276172011-12-10T20:28:00.001+00:002011-12-10T21:55:08.526+00:00Happy birthday Chris Martin!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy birthday Chris Martin! My <a href="http://blogs.espncricinfo.com/inbox/archives/2009/10/chris_martin_a_rabbits_tale.php"><i>favourite rabbit</i></a> turned 37 today, and is still going strong.<br />
<br />
He started 2011 in <a href="http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/37700.html?class=1;spanmax1=31+Dec+2011;spanmin1=01+Jan+2011;spanval1=span;template=results;type=allround;view=match"><i>uncharacteristic fashion</i></a>, accumulating more runs (12) than wickets (9) in two Tests against Pakistan in January. However, the long break before his next Test clearly did him a world of good. He now seems fully refocused on keeping up his amazing wickets/runs ratio. In his three Tests since November, he's picked up 10 wickets thus far, with potentially more to come in the second innings at Hobart. In that time his scores with the bat have been 0, 1, 0 and a golden-clean-bowled 0. You gotta love him!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4_NsFh-Z4aE" width="500"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-20329331715750469912011-10-26T00:00:00.000+01:002011-10-26T00:04:57.358+01:00Viv's still the King<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If I were selecting an all-time ODI XI, I wouldn't hesitate for a second before making my first pick. While the sheer weight of Sachin Tendulkar's achievements coupled with India's obsession with ODIs will probably mean that the Little Master goes down as the most important player in the history of the format, he still wouldn't be that first pick of mine. On the basis of ability on the field of play alone, in any objective analysis of the best ODI batsmen (and let's face it - batsmen win one-dayers), the man who famously said "class is permanent" permanently comes top of the class. Mr Rajesh over at Cricinfo just produced <i><a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/537629.html">one such piece of objective analysis</a></i>, comparing the averages and strike rates of great players across eras. Combine the evidence of that article with a superb record in finals (including two of the World Cup variety) and <i><a href="http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2002/feb/15bat10.htm">a knock that's arguably still the greatest ever</a></i> and the conclusion is clear. Sir Viv is still the King of ODI Cricket.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="284" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vtOGdZtyeTA" width="500"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-5607426288165267102011-10-22T13:13:00.000+01:002011-10-22T13:33:30.059+01:00Lawro vs Murali<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eY82BTn4Ra4/TqKycrupkyI/AAAAAAAAAI4/3uuh-VeSU-Q/s1600/lawro_murali.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eY82BTn4Ra4/TqKycrupkyI/AAAAAAAAAI4/3uuh-VeSU-Q/s400/lawro_murali.png" width="500" /></a></div>
While Sri Lanka are <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan-v-sri-lanka-2011/engine/current/match/530424.html"><i>battling for a draw</i></a> against Pakistan over in Abu Dhabi today, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/football_focus/15375536.stm"><i>Murali is battling Lawro</i></a>. Come on Murali!
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Y-HnFHBTso/TqK3WUhImUI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/UNs-30M9CRM/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-10-22%2Bat%2B13.29.58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Y-HnFHBTso/TqK3WUhImUI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/UNs-30M9CRM/s400/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-10-22%2Bat%2B13.29.58.png" width="305" /></a></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-20111485986477500382011-10-09T23:19:00.009+01:002011-10-10T23:22:11.621+01:00Moneyball, cricketainment, conflicted commentators and Nass in BollywoodAfter six months of silence, it's time to get back to blogging. Before any real writing of my own, however, first a bit about some interesting cricket reading. Of articles that have caught my attention of late, the most thought-provoking is <a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/columnists/mikeatherton/article3171183.ece"><i>a column by Mike Atherton in the Times</i></a>. Athers gives a fascinating glimpse of the insight England coach Andy Flower has gained by employing a full time statistical analyst (Nathan Leamon), inspired by the methods of the famous baseball coach Billy Beane, of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moneyball"><i>Moneyball</i></a> fame. If - like me - you're interested in mathematics and financial markets, you'd be excited to learn that Flower (with Leamon's help) uses Monte Carlo simulations to aid his decision-making. Even if you're not a "numbers person," however, you'd probably be intrigued by Leamon's claim that <blockquote>"If I’ve achieved one thing, it is to make our decision-makers stop and think before automatically batting first on winning the toss... the advantage of batting first simply does not exist any more. The figures show that the advantage of bowling first can be as much as 20 per cent, and nothing else we can do as coaches can influence the game as much as that."</blockquote>I'd been meaning to read Moneyball for some time and ordered myself a copy of a few minutes after I first read Athers' article. I may even go see <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiAHlZVgXjk"><i>the movie</i></a> when it's released in the UK next month. The ideas popularised by Michael Lewis' book revolutionised baseball management. Looks like cricket coaching is up next.<br />
<br />
Speaking of revolutionary events, apparently Saturday was something of a landmark in the nascent history of "cricketainment," as London's 02 Arena played host to the "Titans of Cricket." According to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/oct/09/titans-of-cricket"><i>the Observer's Barney Ronay</i></a>, <blockquote>"This travelling spectacular with its "cricket-related tasks" and roster of basking greats (Flintoff! Afridi! Gilchrist! Vincent!) is not cricket at all but is instead cricket-related product, crickertainment, crick-bizz. It is perhaps best seen as a taster for people who find the IPL a bit too grown-up and complex. This is cricket on crack, the Ashes on acid, a moment to just sit back and let them crickertain you."</blockquote>I don't think I'll be swapping Test tickets to go see the Titans any time soon, but to be honest the event does sound like it would have been fun to watch. Perhaps it might also have cheered me up from my depression at the state of Sri Lankan cricket at the moment. Peter Roebuck is someone whom <a href="http://blogs.espncricinfo.com/inbox/archives/2009/09/of_settlers_and_sons.php"><i>I criticised pretty fiercely</i></a> a couple of years ago, but his bravely blunt and depressingly accurate description of Sri Lanka's current predicament has served as a reminder to me of why he's so highly regarded as a cricket columnist.<br />
<blockquote>"[New coach Geoff] Marsh begins his tenure with the last remaining great players near the end of their time and tether. The two best bowlers the country has produced have withdrawn, and the team has not won any of its last nine Tests (though as the new captain correctly points out, it has only been beaten twice in that period). Sri Lanka are not at the top or the bottom, but they do seem to be on the way down. Nor do they have the resources to affect a swift turnaround..."</blockquote>One issue Roebuck touches on in an aside about Tony Greig is the problem of commentators having "financial interests that may influence their opinions," as Jarrod Kimber (<a href="http://www.cricketwithballs.com/"><i>Mr Cricketwithballs</i></a>) puts it in <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/534834.html"><i>a Cricinfo piece</i></a> on the same topic. I wholeheartedly agree with Jrod's plea that we should be told of commentators' "allegiances to players, or boards, when they are discussing them." He highlights the involvement of Roshan Abeysinghe, Ian Botham, Alec Stewart and Michael Vaughan as players' agents/managers, Tony Greig's position as a tourism ambassador for Sri Lanka and Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar's BCCI contracts.<br />
<blockquote>"The problem is that if we don't know who is getting paid by whom, how can we make an educated decision on whom to trust? Did the batsman miss that brilliant unplayable ball as described by the commentator, or was it, in fact, a career-defining terrible shot? If we know the background, we can at least have a chance of seeing through the subtext, but without that we are just being treated like fools by the very people who have made their money from our subscription fees."</blockquote>And finally... it appears Nasser Hussain is another commentator with an allegiance to a player, except a player of a slightly different sort - a character in a Bollywood movie. In Patiala House, Akshay Kumar plays a British-born Sikh who goes against his father's wishes to pursue his dream of playing cricket for England. Click below to see how Akshay gets selected (apparently on the basis of one over in the nets), much to Nass' cringetastic delight:<br />
<br />
<iframe width="500" height="284" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZPpmmplGxg4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-40422028437107349682011-04-09T18:14:00.000+01:002011-04-09T18:14:24.960+01:00IPL4 vs ECC112Today's Guardian features a brilliantly hilarious - and astute - column by Barney Ronay, comparing the contrasting allures of the IPL and the County Championship.<br />
<blockquote>"There is of course a natural polarity between these two extreme interpretations of the word "cricket". The IPL is brash, expansionist and draped in a cladding of new imperial glamour. It wants to conquer the world. The ECC is old, quiet and draped in a cladding of house dust and summer‑tog cagoule. It wants a nice cup of tea...</blockquote><blockquote>"On a commercial level there was only ever going to be one winner here. Mumbai Indians are currently sponsored by Pepsi, Mastercard, Kingfisher, Wrigley's gum and Royal Stag whisky, which taken together really does sound like a particularly taxing night in. This season Yorkshire's sponsors include Bryan's Fish & Seafood Restaurant and Aunt Bessie's Yorkshire Puddings. At the time of writing there is no word of any plans inside Headingley to introduce the Aunt Bessie's Yorkshire Puddings Moment Of Success, or to designate any outbreaks of six-hitting as a Bryan's Fish & Seafood Restaurant Maximum."</blockquote>Go check out <i><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/apr/09/county-championship-ipl">the full piece on the Guardian website.</a></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-13789659884095838052011-04-08T00:51:00.000+01:002011-04-08T00:51:37.977+01:00IPL time: am I a Tusker or a Super King?It's that time of year again. Less than a week to catch one's breath after the World Cup and the IPL is already kicking off. This time around I find myself with a dilemma over whom to support. Over the past three seasons, I've become a pretty serious Chennai Super Kings fan. Despite the major reshuffles elsewhere, CSK have kept the vast majority of their squad together, so it's likely I'll be rooting for them. However, one of the few players they did lose was Murali, who is now going to be playing in a team captained by fellow Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene. I'll have to wait and see which way my heartstrings tug me when the two sides face off, but in today's opener, there's no question whom I'll be cheering on. Come on the Super Kings.<br />
<br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sux5jhHJNc4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-30363071287081255372011-04-04T23:40:00.002+01:002011-04-04T23:42:47.352+01:00An appalling, abysmal day for cricket<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The ICC's decision today to reduce the 2015 World Cup to a 10-team tournament - excluding all associate nations - is nothing short of appalling. There have been a lot of good articles and blog posts written about this by people whose opinions are identical to mine. One I'd recommend is <i><a href="http://www.cricketwithballs.com/2011/04/04/the-icc-takes-the-world-out-of-the-world-cup-fight-for-your-right-to-borren/">this post by Jarrod Kimber.</a></i> I'm certainly going to do as he suggests and email <u><i>enquiry@icc-cricket.com</i></u> to enquire "why they thought it was a good idea to take the world out of the world cup."</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-29933519941239406802011-04-03T23:45:00.009+01:002011-04-04T00:31:26.845+01:00Some thoughts on the World Cup final<i><a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/engine/match/433606.html">Yesterday's result</a></i> was pretty disappointing for me, but I still managed to enjoy watching what was probably the best World Cup final since 1992. I like a lot of the Indian players and was happy that Sachin finally got to pick up a winner's medal - and do so in front of a Mumbai crowd. India were the better team both on the day and across the tournament as a whole. Their superb batting line-up was the main reason for their success but importantly they also stepped up the discipline levels of their bowling and fielding in the knockout stages.<br />
<br />
As for exactly where the game was won, the thing that really stood out for me was the contrast between the way Gautam Gambhir batted after the fall of Sehwag and Sachin's wickets and Sri Lanka's approach in the first 15-20 overs of their own innings. On the biggest cricketing stage of all, Gambhir had the guts to keep attacking despite the early setbacks. He didn't blaze away wildly but did take take calculated risks, advancing down the wicket and hitting over the infield frequently enough to keep India up with the required run rate. That Gambhir had the confidence to do this was partly down to the fact that he knew his side had plenty of batting to come. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, seemed all too aware that in Angelo Mathews' absence, their tail was rather long and had to be shielded. While there was clearly a need for caution, I can't help thinking that Tharanga and Dilshan could have been more positive in their approach at the start.<br />
<br />
There's been a lot of criticism of Sri Lanka's team selection by Sky and BBC pundits, which I think is largely unfounded. It seems likely to me that most of these pundits are (understandably) unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the 33 ODIs Sri Lanka had played against India between January 2008 and yesterday's final. While I might still have preferred to see Ajantha Mendis in the side, including Suraj Randiv was a perfectly rational move, given both his recent record against India and the difference between the playing conditions in Colombo and Mumbai. The slowish pitch and massive boundaries at the Premadasa Stadium were tailor-made for Mendis and Herath to choke opposition sides, while the truer batting surface and smaller ground at Wankhede would have rendered them less effective. Randiv, a taller spinner who generates more bounce, was a reasonable bet.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>As for Murali's lack of penetration, a lot of credit must go to Dhoni, both for the way he played and for his decision to bat ahead of Yuvraj. I vividly remember <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88YvAgJN26s">the moment Murali dismissed Dhoni</a></i> in the 2007 World Cup (in a Sri Lankan victory that knocked India out at the first hurdle), trapping him so plumb LBW that Dhoni almost seemed to walk before the umpire raised his finger. Four years and many games as Chennai Super Kings teammates later, it was clear that Murali had lost some of his zip and Dhoni had no trouble reading his variations.<br />
<br />
I feel sad for Murali that he wasn't able to finish his career on a high but I guess he's already had his fair share of fairytale endings, both in his last international game on Sri Lankan soil and in his last Test appearance, surely <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G83mwesFkj8">the most remarkable farewell Test cricket has ever seen.</a></i> I perhaps feel more sad for Mahela Jayawardene, whose innings would probably have gone down as one of the greatest in World Cup history had his side won the game.<br />
<br />
Overall, my feeling is that Sri Lanka produced a decent, controlled performance with both bat and ball - one that didn't do enough to kill off the game but meant that India really had to go out and win it. Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, the Indian batsmen had both the talent and crucially the nerve to get over the line, none more so that Dhoni. Captain Cool has now led India to the treble of a World Twenty20 title, an ODI World Cup title and number one spot in the Test rankings. He's also led the Chennai Super Kings to an IPL and Champion's League double. The highest paid cricketer in the world is certainly doing his best to justify his wages.<br />
<br />
<u>An apology in order?</u><br />
It seems Michael Vaughan and the BBC Test Match Special team may owe Kumar Sangakkara an apology regarding <i><a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/509133.html">the controversy at the toss.</a></i> The host broadcaster ESPN Star Sports has confirmed that Sangakkara correctly called "heads" the first time around. Dhoni misheard him, and Jeff Crowe declared that he had heard nothing at all. How Vaughan could have heard any of it is unclear to me, but <i><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/9444273.stm">he suggested that Sangakkara called incorrectly</a></i>, realised Crowe hadn't heard him and therefore hoodwinked the hapless match referee into allowing him a second go. Disappointingly, Aggers, Geoff Boycott and other members of the TMS team repeated the accusation a number of times, apparently without having sought any corroborating evidence.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><u>The Little Master and the minnows</u></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">As the dust settles on this World Cup, two questions are foremost in my mind. Firstly, when will Sachin retire from ODI cricket? I would have thought that it makes sense for him to do so now in order to prolong his Test career, but then again he may feel that 20,000 ODI runs is a realistic target. Secondly, how many associate nations will there be at the next World Cup? We'll find out the answer in the next 24 hours and I sincerely hope that it is plenty, as I love seeing<i> </i><a href="http://www.cricketwithballs.com/2011/03/15/keep-the-minnows/"><i>some of the stars of lesser cricketing nations</i></a><i> </i>get the chance to shine on a big stage. There are plenty of ways that scheduling can be improved to reduce the length of the tournament without cutting the number of teams involved.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-81221981028313056082011-03-27T00:20:00.009+00:002011-04-03T16:09:25.898+01:00Adil Rashid gets a phone call from Geoff Miller and Andy FlowerHello Adil - Geoff Miller and Andy Flower here. How are you...?<br />
<br />
What's that? You just <i><a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/widomestic-2010/engine/current/match/497828.html">bowled the Lions to a win?</a></i> That's lovely. Forgot that's why you're over in the Caribbean. Have you had a nice winter...?<br />
<br />
Played a bit of T20 for South Australia in the Big Bash, did you? Very nice. Get on okay...?<br />
<br />
Won the tournament? Smashing. Suppose you picked up a few wickets here and there...?<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/feb/05/adil-rashid-australia-t20">Lots?</a></i> That's good to hear....<br />
<br />
No, we didn't realise you'd started bowling an off-break as another variation to go with your googly and your slider...<br />
<br />
No, we didn't know you'd gotten comfortable with taking the new ball...<br />
<br />
No, to be honest we were just pretty busy winning the Ashes. Sorry about that.<br />
<br />
So here's a proposition for you, Adil. How would you like to fly 9000 miles to join us in Sri Lanka...?<br />
<br />
No, not to play in the quarter-final exactly. We were thinking more that you could sit in the dressing room like you did on all your previous tours. You remember, don't you? If we make it to the semi then maybe we'd ask you to carry some drinks, but even if we don't you'd be able to join the team for the flight back to England, which will be a laugh.<br />
<br />
What do you say, Adil...?<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="311" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JX-eknqRhh8?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" width="500"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-55155306066714624662011-03-23T04:17:00.011+00:002011-03-23T04:43:32.489+00:00Quarter final team previews<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><u>West Indies</u></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Roach, Sammy, Benn, Russell, Rampaul and Bishoo have produced a number of good bowling performances. A Gayle or Pollard onslaught is just the sort of thing that could cause the wheels could come off for Pakistan in the field, but my guess is that Afridi, Gul and co will stop that happening.</div><div><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><u>Pakistan</u><br />
<u></u>Anyone else noticed that Shahid Afridi often stands with his arms crossed when being interviewed at post-match ceremonies? Is this in a vain attempt to look serious? That said, while his batting is crazy, his bowling really is pretty serious, and Pakistan are pretty serious contenders. They've cruised quietly to the top of their group and now have a very winnable quarter ahead of them. I don't know why people didn't take more note of them earlier. Be Afridi. Be very Afridi.<br />
<br />
<u>India</u><br />
Batting-wise, the top order's in top nick, but the middle order men can't middle it. Here's what Zaheer Khan had to say yesterday about the bowling: "As a bowling unit, I think I am doing well." You have to say that's a pretty entertaining Freudian slap in the face for Harbhajan, Sreesanth and co.</div><br />
<u>Australia</u><br />
Likely to be presented with a juicy greentop in Ahmedabad, tailor-made for their speedsters. Not. Crumbled against Indian spinners in a warm-up game in Bangalore. If Harbhajan remembers how to take wickets, I'd expect a repeat. But beware Mike Hussey. I repeat: beware Mike Hussey.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><u>New Zealand</u><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Bat deep, bowl deep, and are deeply unexciting, unless you feed Ross Taylor with balls to muscle over square leg for six or ply Jesse Ryder with drink. I don't expect South Africa to indulge either man.</div><div><br />
</div></div><u>South Africa</u><br />
Two silky-smooth stroke makers (one a born-again Christian and the other a born-again Muslim), two ferocious quicks (one a splice-jangler and the other skiddy and superb), spinners of all sorts (including a bleached-blond leggie with a smashing googly) and Jacques Kallis with a brand new head of hair. This is South Africa like we've never seen them before. A semi with Sri Lanka would be a match-up of the tournament's two most exciting teams.<br />
<br />
<u>England</u><br />
No more KP but England are still nuts. They're the tournament's crowd-pleasing basket cases, a bit like the Pakistan of the 2000s, except with rather less glamorous heroes. Yardy's straightbreaks, Collingwood and Bopara's trundlers and Pietersen's pies have all "done a job." Secret weapon Pingu Tredwell had to be unleashed earlier than planned in a must-win final group game, and so now an even more secret weapon has been called up for the quarters. Jade who?<br />
<br />
<u>Sri Lanka</u><br />
I don't think Sri Lanka's middle order is quite as weak as some make out, but two of the top four probably do need to fire for the side to build a big score. Bowling-wise, Murali's been in great form and Malinga's put in one devastating performance, but perhaps it's time for the third mystery M to make a bigger impact. Subcontinental opponents may have got used to Mendis' variations but England's batsmen have never faced him before, while South Africa's have faced him only once in a match when he took 3 for 30. Come on Sri Lanka - do it for Murali!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-8479427092174341682011-03-20T18:27:00.000+00:002011-03-20T18:27:19.021+00:00My wishful thinking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pMfWcx2qg6w/TYZGl54LGYI/AAAAAAAAAIk/MGVPe0drC84/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-20+at+18.23.40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pMfWcx2qg6w/TYZGl54LGYI/AAAAAAAAAIk/MGVPe0drC84/s640/Screen+shot+2011-03-20+at+18.23.40.png" width="465" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-33860352314916256382011-03-13T22:13:00.014+00:002011-03-13T22:48:56.089+00:00Sachin, Sri Lanka, Sambit, painkillers and the choke'o'meterThe World Cup is in full swing and I have to say I'm loving it. Arguments about the format and the involvement of associate nations will rage on and on, but for me, this is still the most important tournament in the cricketing calendar and the current edition has already produced plenty of drama and excitement.<br />
<br />
In addition to the on-field action, I've also enjoyed the accompanying feast of cricket writing. Here are some snippets of my favourite pieces from the last week or so, along with links to the full articles.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.mikemarqusee.com/?p=1147">Mike Marqusee - The "symbolical" cricketer: Sachin Tendulkar</a></b><br />
<br />
99 down, one to go. It seems only a matter of time before Sachin Tendulkar becomes the first man to score a ton of international tons, and it would be fitting if he reached the milestone in a World Cup match on home soil. The tribute pieces will come flooding in, but few will be as thought-provoking as Mike Marqusee's recent take on Sachin's unique status as a "symbolical" cricketer.<br />
<blockquote>"Tendulkar’s personal achievements were represented as a triumph for India as a whole, a sign of the country advancing on the world stage – like Indian corporations opening plants in Europe or the USA. Unwittingly and unwillingly, he found himself at the epicentre of a popular culture shaped by the intertwined growth of a consumerist middle class and an assertive, sometimes aggressive form of national identity. National aspirations and national frustrations were poured into his every performance, and this during a period in which the nation passed through some very dark moments (Kashmir since 1989, Ayodhya in 1992, Mumbai in 1993, Gujarat in 2002, Mumbai in 2009). How he’s not been crushed by it all remains at least in part a mystery."</blockquote><a name='more'></a><br />
<b><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/13/how-cricket-saved-sri-lanka">Shehan Karunatilaka - How cricket saved Sri Lanka</a></b><br />
<br />
From what Sachin's success has meant to the Brave New India, we move to what Sri Lankan cricketers' successes have meant to their chaotic and war ravaged nation. Shehan Karunatilaka's recently released novel Chinaman was already at the top of my reading list for the Easter break. Reading his piece in today's Observer - a whirlwind social history of Sri Lankan cricket - has made me look forward to it all the more.<br />
<blockquote>"1996's lasting legacy was something more precious than cash or column inches – 1996 gave us heroes. In our 48th year of independence, who else did we have to look up to? The soldiers pawned in the war? The overfed politicians? The martyrs of failed revolutions? For a nation short on heroes or causes for celebration, the sight of our boys in blue outwitting the world, at least for a moment, was one to behold."</blockquote><br />
<b><a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/current/story/505991.html">Sambit Bal - The World Cup's new best friend</a></b><br />
<br />
Both India and England have lost matches through spectacular batting disempowerplays in this World Cup, while other teams have put the extra five overs of fielding restrictions to much better use. Cricinfo's Editor Sambit Bal thinks the batting powerplay has been one of the stars of the tournament so far, and I'm inclined to agree with him.<br />
<blockquote>"More than runs and wickets, it has brought strategy back to a period of the one-day game that had tended to drift along predictably, with fielders hanging back and batsmen churning out mechanical singles. More than anything else, it has imposed attacking cricket on both teams."</blockquote><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/columnists/mikeatherton/article2940273.ece"><b>Mike Atherton - Pills, pain and the problem with Kevin Pietersen</b></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This one's only accessible to those with a digital subscription to the Times. I think Mike Atherton is a consistently brilliant columnist, and he's a large part of the reason why I pay to peep over the Murdoch paywall. His look at the widespread use - or rather abuse - of painkillers by international cricketers was something of an eye-opener for me.</div><blockquote><blockquote>"When I was 22 I had an inflammatory condition diagnosed that manifested itself, in layman’s terms, as a bad back. The choice for me was simple: find something else to do or be prepared to take painkillers to enable me to have a cricket career. It was a simple choice: for the next 11 years or so I took between 100mg and 200mg of Voltarol a day, every day. I did not get hangovers and, more important, the pain was masked to the extent that I was able to play."</blockquote></blockquote>One of the benefits of the paywall is that comments pages are free of anonymous insults and ramblings, and consequently writers are more likely to engage in debate with their readers. The many thoughtful comments on this piece (which have included the opinions of two marathon runners and a psychiatrist) have so far prompted no fewer than five responses by Athers himself. Good on him.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cricketwithballs.com/2011/03/13/cricket%E2%80%99s-choke%E2%80%99o%E2%80%99meter/"><b>Jarrod Kimber - Cricket’s Choke’O’meter</b></a><br />
<br />
And finally... how do you decide whether a loss is just a bad day at the office or a full-blown choke? The cricketwithballs Choke'O'Meter is one way to do it. Answer six simple questions and tot up the score for a definitive answer. Here are two of the considerations.<br />
<blockquote><blockquote>"Were there mitigating factors? </blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote>1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Shit was going on like crazy, like in Nam. </blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote>2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It was like a party at Chris Lewis’s house.</blockquote><blockquote>3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>There were factors, but they were hardly mitigating.</blockquote><blockquote>4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It was calmer than a BBQ at Michael Hussey’s house. </blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote>What level was the collapse?</blockquote><blockquote>1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>More like a trip than a fall.</blockquote><blockquote>2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A sudden drop that would require oxygen masks.</blockquote><blockquote>3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The part in the monster film when the monster falls down.</blockquote><blockquote>4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Yao Ming falling off the empire state building."</blockquote></blockquote><br />
(Click on the links in the titles above to read the rest of these articles.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-13821502966936027092011-02-11T00:37:00.000+00:002011-02-11T00:37:07.434+00:00How to get Switzerland to the World Cup and also watch Out of the AshesI've not had much time to blog of late. However, on the bus home from work the other day, I did have time to come up with <a href="http://www.kingcricket.co.uk/out-of-the-ashes-dvd-winners-1-5/2011/02/10/">a plan to get Switzerland to the 2015 World Cup</a>. This plan won me a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0047E73QO/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0330400177&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=12JKGJKKM6Y23V5FAVSW">Out of the Ashes on DVD</a>, courtesy of <a href="http://www.kingcricket.co.uk/">King Cricket</a>. Thanks King.<br />
<br />
I've <a href="http://give-it-some-air.blogspot.com/2010/12/out-of-ashes.html">blogged about Out of the Ashes</a> plenty already, but it really is a very good film. A friend pointed out to me that it's available to UK web-users <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ydj1r/Storyville_20102011_Afghan_Cricket_Club_Out_of_the_Ashes/">on BBC iPlayer</a> until the end of the month. What are you waiting for? Go watch it now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-5981773399496222282011-01-06T22:45:00.004+00:002011-01-09T14:04:46.388+00:00Is Steyn as deadly as Lillee?The final day of the <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2010/engine/current/match/463148.html">heavyweight tussle in Cape Town</a> may have ended in stalemate, but the previous four produced some great Test cricket. In between two epic knocks by Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and Sachin Tendulkar produced <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2010/content/story/495388.html">a battle for the ages</a>. Steyn's sizzling spells on the third day showed just why he's ranked the number one bowler in the world right now. Cricinfo just published <a href="http://blogs.espncricinfo.com/inbox/archives/2011/01/is_steyn_as_deadly_as_lillee.php">a piece I wrote</a> on the South African quick, comparing him to Dennis Lillee.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>It's already generated a little bit of feedback from readers. Some seem to agree with my point of view ("Steyn's without question the best bowler in the game at the moment... much like Dennis Lillee he only ever tries to get you out"), while others clearly don't ("No ... definitely he will be hammered by Viru today"). A few of the comments are entertainingly random ("Jacques Kallis could beat Chuck Norris" and "Sreesanth the best bowler of all time") but I have to admit the one I like most was by an anonymous poster who declared that Steyn "is ONE of the best if not the BEST fast bowler in the morden world." The morden world? Surely we can be a bit bolder than that - the best fast bowler on the Northern Line, at the very least.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-4440849219005642412010-12-14T00:49:00.004+00:002010-12-14T01:08:33.527+00:00Liz Hurley? Oh behave, Shane!I was entertained by what Alex Bowden, aka King Cricket, <a href="http://www.kingcricket.co.uk/shane-warne-and-liz-hurley-in-the-news-of-the-world/2010/12/12/">had to say</a> on Sunday about the rumours surrounding Shane Warne and Liz Hurley. (Hover your mouse over the picture on <a href="http://www.kingcricket.co.uk/shane-warne-and-liz-hurley-in-the-news-of-the-world/2010/12/12/">his post</a> to read a rather dubious caption). It appears the Times then decided that there was sufficient evidence for and interest in the story to jump into the gutter and basically <a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/celebrity/article2841982.ece">reprint</a> the contents of the original News of the World article. As both of the aforementioned Murdoch publications are tucked away behind paywalls, you have to turn to <a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/3273468/Liz-Hurley-and-Shane-Warne-are-photographed-kissing-in-London.html">a third</a> if you want to get at the full story for free online.<br />
<br />
As one punter who commented on the Times' article put it:<br />
<blockquote>"No! Please! Don't do this to me! Brain overheating...synapses melting...too...many...jokes..."</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-62802200286951833142010-12-05T23:45:00.008+00:002010-12-06T01:03:56.580+00:00Out of the Ashes: The Rise of the Afghan Cricket TeamThis weekend, while Cook, Pietersen and company were piling on the runs in Adelaide... while a depleted Indian ODI side was <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-new-zealand-2010/content/story/490331.html">cruising</a> to an unassailable 3-0 lead against New Zealand... and while torrential rain was <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-west-indies-2010/content/current/story/490518.html">frustrating</a> both the West Indian tourists and their Sri Lankan hosts... over in Dubai, Afghanistan's cricketers were collecting yet another piece of silverware. This time it was the <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icccont2010/content/current/story/490403.html">ICC Intercontinental Cup</a>, the first-class tournament between the world's leading non-Test nations. The Afghans drew their opening game back in August - their first taste of four-day cricket - before winning six on the trot to finish as unbeaten champions. Given that they also beat Ireland to win the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier earlier this year, are they now at the top of the waiting list for (though admittedly still a long way off) Test status? Certainly they've continued to improve rapidly since narrowly missing out on World Cup qualification in April 2009.<br />
<br />
Back in February, <a href="http://give-it-some-air.blogspot.com/2010/02/beausejour-beckons.html">I blogged</a> about the fact that I was waiting for the release of "Out of the Ashes," a documentary following the Afghan team's remarkable rise "from refugees to the world stage." Since then, the film has gained Sam Mendes as an Executive Producer, been named "Best of the Fest" at the Edinburgh Film Festival and won an international <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-11908973">peace and sport prize</a>. Last month, I finally got to see it, thanks to an eagle-eyed <a href="http://pluggednickel.tumblr.com/">friend</a> who spotted that it was out on (very) limited release in London.<br />
<br />
<iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jHiEfG2Ir74?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>For me, "Out of the Ashes" lives up to the hype. The team's on-field successes are documented without any hint of Hollywood schmaltz and the film's broader message - a plea to the world to remember that there is more to Afghanistan than the Taleban and the car bombs in Kabul - is all the more poignant for the fact that it comes straight from the mouths of the protagonists rather than any narrator or commentator. Perhaps my only gripe is that seamer Hamid Hassan, arguably the team's best and most charismatic player, is never interviewed in the film. Hassan's blog posts for Cricinfo have earned him and his team plenty of fans, so it's puzzling that he doesn't feature more prominently. This is, however, a pretty minor gripe. Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend the film. Go see it if you're <a href="http://www.ica.org.uk/25933/Film/Out-of-the-Ashes.html">in London in January</a>, or buy <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-of-The-Ashes-DVD/dp/B0047E73QO/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1291586573&sr=1-1">the DVD</a> when it comes out in February. Any cricket fan with a heart can't help but be touched by this story.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-14357852023342344592010-11-28T13:28:00.019+00:002010-12-04T08:56:48.823+00:00Hussain skewers GowerWhile the current England captain and his likely successor were piling on the runs this morning, up in the Sky commentary box, one former England captain was crippling another, while a third chuckled away in amusement.<br />
<br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Pht2ApNG53U?rel=0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br />
<br />
"Lord Gower hobbles away..."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-76345527227341227782010-11-22T22:28:00.016+00:002010-11-28T23:17:20.658+00:00Graeme Swann and the sprinklerYesterday I wrote 100 words on the Times website on why a digital description is worthwhile. Why? Well, partly because I wanted the chance to win a free iPad, but partly because I really think it is. This morning, Uncle Murdoch sent me a karmic reward, in the form of a great <a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/cricket/article2815860.ece">column by Athers</a> revealing the answer to my question - England's response to <a href="http://give-it-some-air.blogspot.com/2010/11/gladiators-versus-rat-pack.html">Douggie B's moves</a>? The sprinkler...<br />
<br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1EIwhljK2PA?rel=0&fs=1&start=450" frameborder="0"></iframe><br />
<br />
Skip back to the start of the video to watch more of Swanny's capers. Team England look pretty relaxed, it has to be said. Fingers crossed they get the chance to crack out their victory dance at the Gabbattoir later this week.<br />
<span class="fullpost"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-73298265137565043952010-11-22T00:41:00.010+00:002010-12-04T01:30:59.938+00:00Gladiators versus the Rat PackI have to say I've not had much time to keep abreast of all the Ashes hype, so I thought I'd check out YouTube to see whether I could find any ads like the <a href="http://give-it-some-air.blogspot.com/2010/01/invite-to-ipl-2010.html">IPL3 ones</a> to get me in the mood. Based on what I found, I'm inclined to believe the series will be a bit of a mis-match.<br />
<br />
England, exhorted by Centurion Botham and led by a roaring Wing Commander Strauss, are preparing for gladiatorial combat. Watch the ad closely and you will notice a cameo by Simon Hughes as an ogre who sharpens Strauss' bat.<br />
<br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DWaOI2WTuGY?rel=0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br />
<br />
While England are getting psyched up, the Aussies are making Facebook friends and singing songs for some guy called Damo from Perth.<br />
<br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/E-8F4EM_edk?rel=0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br />
<br />
What is Douggie Bollinger up to? The man is just inspired. How are on earth are England going to deal with moves like that?<br />
<span class="fullpost"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-41742380016865526972010-11-21T23:32:00.002+00:002010-11-21T23:49:16.952+00:00A real treatFirst the IPL and now a nightly <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/nov/17/itv-ashes-cricket-highlights">Ashes highlights programme</a>. I'm becoming a fan of ITV4.<br />
<br />
The show is going to be fronted by cricket's undisputed Hyperbolizer-in-Chief. I'm willing to lay odds of 1000-1 for anyone who wants to bet that Mark Nicholas won't use the words "tremendous," "fabulous" and "magnificent" during the first show on Thursday. Any takers...?<br />
<br />
I thought not. As the H-in-C would I'm sure agree, we're in for a real treat.<br />
<span class="fullpost"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-11346288408882608492010-09-09T00:03:00.050+01:002010-11-29T03:17:09.623+00:00Sachin sees no evil, Sri Lankans sense a storm<a href="http://www.ndtv.com/article/cricket/icc-should-take-appropriate-action-against-guilty-sachin-49287">Speaking to NDTV</a> the other day, Sachin Tendulkar said the following:<br />
<blockquote>"In my 21 years of international cricket, I have never heard of any Indian player being approached by bookies."</blockquote>Really? I guess Sachin can't have played more than a handful of matches with <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/33943.html">Ajay Sharma</a>, so perhaps the latter's easy to forget. However, Sachin played 131 international matches with <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/32323.html">Manoj Prabhakar</a>, 191 with Ajay Jadeja and a whopping 292 with <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/26329.html">Mohammad Azharuddin</a>. He amassed more caps, runs, centuries, catches and wickets under Azhar than he has under any other captain before or since, and it's not as if Azhar's admission of guilt and subsequent life ban happened behind close doors.<br />
<br />
"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil," the saying goes. Sachin may do no evil, on account of which he gets plenty of richly deserved praise, but his recent statement does make me wonder about the whole see no monkey, hear no monkey, speak no monkey <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/tendulkar-evidence-helped-harbhajan/2008/01/30/1201369221220.html?page=fullpage">episode</a>...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>On the topic of match-fixing, over in Sri Lanka, rumours that have been circulating for some months are now being reported publicly. One newspaper has even <a href="http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=6057">claimed</a> that the Guardian's David Hopps and Cricinfo's Charlie Austin are implicated in trying to expose one player in order to protect another, as the latter is managed by Austin. I must stress that I'm pretty uninformed as to whether there is any evidence against the journalists, or indeed against either of the two players supposedly involved. I'm a big fan of all four men, so hope this proves to be unfounded gossip.<br />
<br />
It bugs me that one of Sri Lankan's best papers went to great pains to avoid printing the names of the Sri Lankans under suspicion but had no qualms about mentioning Englishmen Hopps and Austin. The descriptions in the article leave little doubt that Tillakaratne Dilshan and Angelo Mathews are the players they believe to be under the scanner.<br />
<br />
If, like me, you're a Sri Lankan fan who finds this all quite depressing, then this might cheer you up a bit...<br />
<br />
<iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OCbA-jWrOzE?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-30173131109456026502010-09-04T00:47:00.014+01:002010-11-29T00:53:38.205+00:00Hang on a minute there, Shane...Mr I-never-knew-he-was-a-bookmaker-and-my-mum-gave-me-the-drugs somehow had the nerve to <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/ban-the-fixers-says-warnie/story-e6frf9if-1225913255951">say this</a> yesterday:<br />
<blockquote>"They should be thrown out, simple as that. I don't think there is any other way to do it. If they have been involved in throwing games, they should be banned for life ... anybody who is involved should be thrown out."</blockquote>Personally, I would have thought that anybody who has accepted money from a bookmaker in exchange for information and only been fined in secret for it (before lying repeatedly on prime-time TV* in claiming that he had stopped speaking to said bookmaker upon becoming aware of his profession)... or who has tested positive for a masking agent for anabolic steroids immediately after making a rapid recovery from a shoulder injury (in time to play in a World Cup which he had announced would be his last ODI tournament) and only been sentenced to half the "mandatory" two-year ban for taking such a diuretic (before being allowed to play charity matches and do television commentary during said ban, much to WADA chief Dick Pound's dismay**)... should not rush to pass judgement.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>*Warne's famous 90-minute Michael Parkinson <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58pKSBxS_Ic">interview</a>, a show whose executive producers were Warne, Parkinson and Warne's manager, is right up there as a <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/warne-at-odds-over-john-the-bookie/2007/01/22/1169330773175.html?page=3">masterpiece of spin</a>.<br />
<br />
**Dick Pound has a way with words. "Poisoned by his mother? It's good, very good," said Pound of Warne's excuse, which he compared to lines such as "I got it from the toilet seat".<br />
<br />
On the subject of Pound, I'm reminded of another story which is most definitely "not cricket," cyclist Floyd Landis' testosterone test in the 2006 Tour de France. Dick Pound's reaction?<br />
<blockquote>"I mean, it [Landis' testosterone-to-epitestosterone level] was 11 to 1! You’d think he’d be violating every virgin within 100 miles. How does he even get on his bicycle?"</blockquote>Quite.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-7904121769259666112010-08-30T23:55:00.008+01:002010-11-29T00:48:19.791+00:00What now for Mohammad Amir?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/pakistan-mohammad-amir/image/9625237?term=amir" target="_blank"><img alt="Pakistan's Mohammad Amir (R) receives his man of the series award from Giles Clarke, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, in the Long Room after the fourth cricket test match at Lord's cricket ground in London August 29, 2010. REUTERS/Philip Brown (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT CRICKET IMAGES OF THE DAY)" border="0" height="308" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view2.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9625237/pakistan-mohammad-amir/pakistan-mohammad-amir.jpg?size=380&imageId=9625237" title="Pakistan's Mohammad Amir receives his man of the series award from Giles Clarke, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, after the fourth cricket test match at Lord's cricket ground in London" width="380" /></a></div><script src="http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<blockquote>For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds;<br />
Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds.</blockquote><div style="text-align: right;">William Shakespeare, Sonnet 94.</div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><br />
Since the turn of the millenium, no young cricketer has excited me more than Mohammad Amir. As a Sri Lankan supporter, I found Ajantha Mendis' emergence pretty thrilling but there was always the nagging worry that he would not be as effective once the mystery wore off, as has indeed proved to be the case. I've had no such worry about Amir, however, as his success has been due not to mystery but rather a precocious mastery of the fast bowler's art.<br />
<br />
His <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGY-Brx29R4">6-for last Friday</a> made him - at age 18 - the youngest cricketer to earn an entry on the Honours Boards at Lord's. A week earlier <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/england-v-pakistan-2010/engine/current/match/426415.html">at the Oval</a>, he had become the youngest person to take a Test 5-for in England. In fact, he was also the youngest fast bowler to take a Test 5-for anywhere in the world when he ripped through the Aussie middle order last December <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/406199.html">in Melbourne</a>.<br />
<br />
Cricinfo published a <a href="http://give-it-some-air.blogspot.com/2010/01/smells-like-teen-spirit.html">blog post</a> of mine about Amir in January. In it I tried to describe how uplifting I'd found it to watch him in action in both that MCG spell and the World T20 Final in 2009. As such, the most heartbreaking aspect of the spot-fixing scandal that has just hit the news is the fact that Amir is implicated in it. Kamran Akmal has already gained a reputation as a bit of an agitator in the Pakistan dressing room and Mr "A Class" Asif has hardly steered clear of controversy. Salman Butt's reputation as a leader has been growing until now but it is Amir who has undoubtedly been the star of what appeared to be a promising young Pakistan team.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Amir's displays on the field have combined youthful exuberance with a remarkable maturity. Whether he was bouncing out Tillakaratne Dilshan at Lord's, working over Michael Clarke with the old ball in Melbourne or torturing Andrew Strauss with the new one this summer, he has shown great skill, nerve and clarity of thought. Sadly it appears he has also shown these qualities in the execution of far less noble game plans, at least if the News of the World's allegations turn out to be true. It must be said that as things stand, the paper's evidence looks pretty damning. <br />
<br />
What now for Mohammad Amir? My understanding is that under the ICC's <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/england-v-pakistan-2010/content/current/story/475104.html">anti-corruption code</a>, the minimum punishment for any "fixing" offence is a five year ban from international cricket, while the maximum is of course a life ban. Pakistani players found guilty of spot-fixing would certainly be deserving of such punishments. Spot-fixing is not the same as match-fixing but it must be made clear that any involvement with betting cartels or bookmakers, no matter how irrelevant to the result of a match, cannot be tolerated. The shameful precedent set by the Australian Cricket Board in covering up Shane Warne and Mark Waugh's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_bookmaker_controversy">misdemeanours</a> (accepting money in exchange for providing information to "John the bookmaker" in 1994) must not be followed.<br />
<br />
However, my own sense is that a life ban would be unduly harsh on Amir. I feel this way not because it would be a tragic waste of an amazing talent - no talent should be above the law - but because he is, after all, still a teenager, and one who has been raised in a cricketing culture in which youngsters are expected to show total deference to their seniors. If he was a foot soldier rather than a ringleader then he deserves a second chance. Indeed, we do not yet know the extent to which he or any of the other players named may have been coerced into their actions. As Dileep Premachandran <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/aug/30/pakistan-cricket-scandal-gambling-scams">points out</a> in the Guardian, betting rings have even been known to kidnap family members of players who have refused to cooperate with them.<br />
<br />
Just like Warne, Amir may yet bounce back immediately from any enforced absence from the game. Regaining the wholehearted trust of his fans, on the other hand, may take him a good deal longer.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607894717926498515.post-60361660707865957992010-08-21T23:55:00.008+01:002010-11-29T00:58:55.999+00:00Anderson’s ducks and Pakistan’s ProBatter<i>Jimmy’s acquired a taste for poultry</i><br />
<br />
Jimmy Anderson’s first 54 innings in Test cricket were totally duck-free. The Lancastrian had looked on course to challenge AB de Villiers’ <a href="http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/284082.html">record</a> of 78 Test innings without a duck when Ben Hilfenhaus brought his streak to an end in last summer’s Ashes-decider. However, it appears Anderson has since acquired something of a taste for poultry.<br />
<br />
15 innings on, his duck-count has already risen to five. He’s bagged one in each of the first three Tests of England's series against Pakistan.<br />
<br />
Incidentally, I wonder whether anyone pointed out to Anderson that coming into the recently concluded Oval Test, Yasir Hameed had managed 45 innings without a duck. Jim fixed that, dismissing Hameed for a first-baller on the last morning.<br />
<br />
<i>A better ProBatter</i><br />
<br />
A few weeks ago, Simon Hughes wrote an interesting piece on England’s training methods, entitled "<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/7927143/Simon-Hughes-Ten-reasons-why-England-will-be-world-No-1.html">Ten reasons why England will be world No 1</a>." Reason number one was <a href="http://www.probatter.com/">ProBatter</a>, a gizmo which is essentially a combination of a bowling machine and a projector screen. It “looks very futuristic and very funky,” according to Wing Commander Strauss. Apparently it has been used in baseball for over a decade but Andy Flower’s coaching team is the first to use it in cricket.<br />
<br />
<iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nG6GBSChnWs?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
It’s early days yet, but it must be said that three Tests on, England’s top seven <a href="http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/averages/batting_bowling_by_team.html?id=5506;team=1;type=series">don’t look much better</a> for having used ProBatter.<br />
<br />
Pakistan belatedly decided to bring in their own pro batter for the third Test. It looked like <a href="http://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/120900/120954.jpg">this</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0