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  • Another Epic! Vijayadashmi on Wankhede….

    25th of June 1983 is a day of national importance in India; a bit like 15 August or 26 January; at least for cricket fans. That is the day when Kapil’s Devils lifted the world cup against mighty West Indians at Lords. It was completely unexpected; no one including Indians themselves gave them a snowball’s chance in hell. Not only because India were the perennial strugglers of One day cricket. West Indians were undisputed champs and quite simply unbeatable….till that fateful catch that Kapil took over his shoulders, running backwards.That catch epitomizes the genius of the best all rounder India has produced and definitely one of the best ever. It was a low scoring game and bowling and fielding were highlights. Kapil lead from the front and Indian magic was rightfully credited to the big-hearted man. Today, India needs another similar performance in the field.

    Indian world cup 2011 campaign has been epic. So much so that both epics of Hiindu  संस्कृति (culture) will be replayed by the time tournament ends. Mahabharat was in semi finals. It is Ramayan times now. Neither Ramanand Sagar nor BR Chopra could have scripted this better. Will India burn the Ravana and celebrate Dusshera at Wankhede tonight? India has so far succeeded against two of its arch rivals in world cricket,Australia and Pakistan, in close but convincing manner. Sri Lanka on the other hand has been the most frequent rival for team India of late, but the emotions have never run high against them; that is the nature of Sri Lankans. Will India be able to stamp its authority on World cricket by winning this one?

    India is up against a very efficient Sri Lankan team, make no mistake. Their top 3 batsmen have fired in the comp. Their opening pair is statistically best in the comp. They have scored heavily at a fair clip. They have an extremely good captain in Sangakkara; perhaps only other who could match him in contemporary cricket is his rival for this game, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Their bowling though more spin dominated, has an incisive edge to it. And traditionally Sri Lankans always field very well. India, on the other hand have an equally dangerous opening combination. A slight edge over Sri Lankans is in the fact that Indian middle order looks far more assured. India have come through a few real tough games and to me, it looks as if they have peaked at the right time. They are increasingly looking more battle-hardy and their body language has changed from being tense to quiet confidence and efficient.  Their fielding is looking more assured and bowling seems to have developed some teeth. Wins against Australia and Pakistan in knock-out stages must have raised their confidence, which was eroded after the group games. Logically both teams look identical; 50:50.
    What you start with in a game can sometimes change dramatically in the heat of the battle. Often mind plays tricks with you and it is easy to forget the talents you possess and start feeling completely naked in the middle. This is where champions can stand up to be counted. Who wants it more? Who is able to maintain the balance and continues to harvest its talents; this will determine the ultimate winner. And that all important factor in cricket, Luck. Small things can change a game and luck can be a small thing.

    Wicket at the Wankhede is likely to be a slow, low but even; typical Indian wicket. Batsmen can make hey while the ball shines; once it goes soft, it will be a test of skill in playing late and most importantly, picking up a right ball to hit. As there is no chance of a dew in Mumbai, I think bowlers will be in the game right through; pace and spin alike. This game will be a battle of minds rather than only physical skills; a trait that makes this game perhaps the greatest challenge to succeed in. It is perhaps the best thing that we have two subcontinental teams playing under these conditions. Any other continent team, would have odds very heavily weighing against them. I believe this finals will rival 1983 for the drama and closeness. Something that the last three world cup finals have missed..
    Both the teams will come to the ground with a lot of emotional baggage. Muthia Murlidharan will play his last game for Sri Lanka ever. The greatest Sri Lankan cricketer will bid adieu tonight. The favorite son of India, Sachin Tendulkar may also call it a day for ODIs. If that happens, cricket world will be poorer. What impact this has on other individuals in both the teams is very difficult to predict. This is where the team seniors will become critical. India’s tough run in this comp should hold them in good stead; a very slight edge over their rivals, in my opinion.

    Last game of India against Sri Lanka was more in the news on the sub-continent for possible match fixing claims than anything else. India was billed as favorite by bookies and still quite a lot of punters/press said they will loose. Since team India, did not oblige them, now it is claimed that what the bookies lost they will try to recoup by fixing Indian players to loose. If the unofficial numbers are to be believed (and in India such numbers hold more water than official), there is a huge amount of money put on India. Will Indian players take money to tank a campaign that they have been working hard towards? I don’t know. Your guess is as good as mine, but I haven’t seen any evidence as yet to believe Indians will do that. If I were playing, it would be all the more reason for me to go and win…hopefully, I am not out-dated as yet!!

    Last time India won the cup, they did so on the strength of their all rounders: Kapil, Mohinder, Madan, Binny. I sense this time players like Yuvraj will be crucial. I predict Harbhajan to have a big game. He raised his game against Pakistanis. So far, Sri Lankans have played him very well. I suspect the sardar will once again raise his game. India to win a tight contest and break the 27 years old jinx…

  • The Real Mahabharat..

    India V Pakistan must be the biggest rivalry in sports history if the audience number or emotions or even hype are criteria. And when the contest is for the World cup and a knock-out likely result, it does not come any bigger than this. Often the match-up has lived up to its expectation in terms of quality of cricket. There are many articles clogging up the cyber space these days highlighting that and every one has their own favourite encounter. Being an Indian cricket fan, for me it is difficult to get away from the hype, thouh in recent times my emotions have been tested more by an India-Australia encounter. But still, India-Pakistan is India-Pakistan; the mother-of-all contests. I still remember that incredible Sharjah game, 125 plays 87 game, in 1985 that India won against all odds. And later in 1986 Pakistan returning the compliments at the same venue in another enthralling battle better known as Miandad’s game. I still remember the feelings of being shattered as Miandad sent the last ball from Chetan Sharma soaring over the mid-wicket fence for a six to seal the Austral-Asia cup.

    Along with these mercurial games I also have some horrendous memories of the tension and genuine fear when India Pakistan games were in the offing. I still remember the news of communal riots in Baroda on the day of ODI in Sahiwal when India were visiting Pakistan after a long break in 1978. The first thing I said was, it must be due to the cricket game. Bishen Bedi conceded that game (!) due to poor umpiring; he believed that India were in great command to win the game (23 runs required in ~4 overs with 8 wickets in hand) but Pakistan bowlers bowled huge bouncers, out of reach of batsmen that were not called wides by the local umpires! Sure enough, Baroda was under curfew for a few days or weeks after that!!! And there are many more such memories of stone-throwing and the fights between intensely communal groups of followers, the usual suspects, in Baroda-Ahmedabad, targeting each others and anyone else unfortunate enough to be caught in-between, presumably in the name of taking out their frustration. I don’t know if there ever was a riot or even communal tension in Pakistan when India beat Pakistan! But then, India has always taken great pride in calling itself secular; even at the cost of local peace! I am sure people of my age who lived in Gujarat in those days would remember that, not very fondly. The worst thing was, it completely took the focus off the great cricket both the teams played.

    It was one of the most riveting cricket I have ever seen. My memories are still fresh; Imran’s bowling; the most incredible swing bowling at extreme pace in the series of 1983 in Pakistan and Sunny Gavaskar’s awesome innings of 127 not out, when he carried his bat against rampaging Pakistani pacers, all in a lost cause; or Zaheer Abbas’s silky cover drives or Javed Miandad’s antiques and and of course, “Alla Kidhar Hai, Upar Hai” umpiring from “world famous” Pakistani umpires like Khizar Hayat and Shakoor Rana (of Mike Gatting fame). I remember Mohinder Amarnath reminscing that in Pakistan, their players do not appeal “Howz that”? They ask umpire “Allah Kidhar Hai” (where is God) and in answer the umpire raises the finger showing the dressing room to the batsmen!!! Jokes apart, and umpiring or no umpiring, Pakistan cricket had upper hand over Indians at that time. But Indians somehow, turned the tables on Pakistan in the world cup games. Who would forget that terrific assault by Tendulkar on Shoaib Akhtar at the Centurion in 2003 world cup? Or the famous Aamir Sohail-Venky Prasad’s exchanges and Ajay Jadeja’s plucky innings in 1997 world cup? There are many such memories of battles within battles. To me it is like Mahabharat; compelling and riveting and emotionally draining, whatever the result…..

    Today’s Pakistan is perhaps not as domineering as it was in those days; nor is Indian team as meek as it used to be. I firmly believe that apart from Australia, only other team Indians used to loose the game mentally in the dressing room it self, was Pakistan. However, since Ganguly became a scourge of Pakistan in 1997 Sahara Friendship Cup in Toronto, the famous Inzmam-Aloo episode, Indians started showing a sign of a lot of spine. Presence of match winners like Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dravid, Kumble and Harbhajan provided not only skills but a lot of heart that changed the complexion of the encounters. Since Ganguly took over the reigns of Indian team, there was a perceptible change in the body language and results on the field. Australians will vouch for that! India and Pakistan have come to a level pegging and of late, Indians have dominated their arch rivals even in test and mutual ODI series, both at home and away. The contests, though are still on even keel every time. And so it will be tonight.

    As I see, prima-facie it is a contest between Indian batting and Pakistani bowling. The wicket, it seems will be a “patta”, a road, or even a highway. I don’t think there would be much grass left on the pitch; and will be firm and not yield much to the spinners as well. I don’t need to see the wicket. It is obvious to me that it is the only home advantage India can get against this Pakistani team as they have a well balanced bowling attack, though in my opinion, not a world beating one. Afridi, the highest wicket taker in the World Cup so far and fairly successful against all comers, has scalped minnows more than top ranked batters. His economy rate though, is excellent. Umar Gul, on the other hand has been outstanding. As against that, Zaheer Khan has turned the games with his bowling. But Indian bowling starts and stops with him. Yuvraj has been a surprise package with Bhajji a little disappointing. So Pakistan has upper hand over India in the bowling department.

    As for batting, there is no comparision. Not a single Pakistani has scored a ton as yet; highest individual total scorer is Umar Akmal with 211 runs. First five in Indian batting order have scored more than that with Kohli at 238 being the lowest. As for fielding, while Pakistan has been nothing less than diabolic, Indians have also not exactly set the grounds on fire. However, if Indians are able to match what they produced in the field in the crunch game against Aussies in the last game, they will easily outscore Pakistanis, a few slow movers in Indian side notwithstanding. I sense the fielding will be a game changer in this contest.

    If I have to give score out of 5 for all three departments, I will score Pakistan as 5+3+ 2 (Bowl+bat+field) = 10/15 to India’s 3+4.5+3 = 10.5/15. That makes India slight favorites in my books, purely from logic. However, when it is India V Pakistan, logic goes out of window and heart rules. Especially with, as genetically inconsistent a team as Pakistan, one can not predict. Indian team, has also shown inconsistency of its own, having come through two inexplicable lower order batting collapses in the tournament. However, this current Indian team, to my mind, is not likely to give up easily and revert to its pre-2000 days of landslide losses. It is made up of sterner stuff. The fact that it has also come through some extremely tough games in the competition against England, South Africa, West Indies and Australia will stand them in good stead. Pakistan on the other hand have been tested by Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia; WI just did not turn up. To their credit they won two out of three handsomely but that one colossal loss against NZ will remain at the back of their mind; triggered by diabolical fielding performance. As I sense, once the pressure is applied and things start to come off the rail, Pakistanis are less likely to put things back on track as compared to current Indian team. There in lies the clue to the outcome of this encounter.

    Let us put aside all the hype. Let us look at this as merely a game and applaud physical skill, temperament, mental attributes and ability of all players, to perform to their optimal, under severe testing environment and enjoy. May the best team win…

  • pU steS! Talking Confuciusly!

    Three quarter finals have been done and dusted. Confusion reigns!! One major upset, one sort of and one a damp squib. Such a contrasting level of cricket skills seen in all three games……. confusion rains!!

    West Indian effort against Pakistan was a total washout; a complete disgrace and unworthy of last 8 round of a premier competition. May be West Indian team decided to take their revenge on Bangla spectators for the stones they received at their hands!! Me thinks that may be West Indians took it upon them selves to confuse the (g)hosts of match-fixers that inevitably tag along Pakistan team, like a Betal on Vikram’s shoulder! May be this is a better way of taking the ghost of match-fixing out of equation?? Take that..we will shoot your odds to hell! And for free….

    I mean, for cryinoutloud, how can batsman after batsman of international class miss simple straight ones? I thought I saw an expression of utter confusion on the face of Mohammad Hafiz. Poor fellow must be trying hard to spin the ball and here he is getting wickets even when failing to do so? Wow, how come no one told me that to be a “right-arm-sidha” could be so profitable? Sack the coach!!! When confusion rains, it could be cats and dogs and wickets!!

    To me, more than minnows bashing this spineless batting performance is a reason enough to dredge up the  discussion to revamp this premier competition. Reduce this to only 8 teams AND performance in last tournament should count towards your entry to the next!!! If you loose by over a certain margin (e.g. over 100 runs or more than 8 wickets), whatever you do in proceeding four years, you shall remain barred till next edition! Sorry, that is a bit harsh but there has to be some bloody accountability towards performance. If the players do not take pride in their performance, may be they do not deserve to get the center stage! Perhaps ICC should penalise the board for such a pathetic performance. May be their one year royalty or whatever that ICC distributes to the member boards should be withdrawn! May be if the board members find it hard to live an exalted status for a year or two, it may knock some sense in those fat cats? In case of Windies, that would certainly be helpful. If they had settled the players contract issue in time the team could have performed better….or would they? Confusion reigns…

    Was it New Zealand beating South Africa or South Africa loosing to NZ or SAF beating it self? I am confused….I guess, so must be Daniel Vettori and his team. While the South Africans are perhaps chokfused!! How can you explain this phenomenon of choking? People have choked on fish bone; even on drinks. Choke  Africans, oops South Africans  do so regularly in cricket. Graeme Smith has been known to answer “choking” questions from scribes by dismissive and aggressive responses; sadly he and his team has refused to answer that in the best possible manner; on the turf! Strange how many times a team can repeat its follies? On the other hand, you can say that in case of South African cricket, the saying “practice makes you perfect” can’t be truer! It is unconfirmed news that ICC is going to open a “Hall of Choke” which will exclusively include South Africans. The inductees will be called “Choke-a-bloke”. I have this from an unquestionable source that Google will request Smith to write the new Chokopedia. Also it is grapevine on the international cricket circuit that South Africans are not sledged….just “c” word followed by a grin will do! I was surprised when I heard that South African team management had given strict instructions to caterers that their dressing room shall be chocolate-proof…..now I know why. For heaven’s sake, scribes are rummaging the statistics to dig out all “choking” stats of South Africans. The pity is they don’t need to search too hard!! I am told that some one from SAF team actually accused Indian Hindi reporters of sledging when they mentioned phrase “choka chhakka”!  I mean, for chrissake, Kiwis won this fair and square. Isn’t it a “choking” shame that we talk only about South Africa?? That’s why I am confused with this up set!!

    To be honest, the Kiwis were still celebrating Australian team’s loss to India more than their miraculous win. They now have the antipodean bragging rights for the next four years; for the first time in the history of World cups, Kiwis have gone a step beyond their elder neighbors. (if it is incorrect, then I blame it on confusion!). I heard a loud cheer last night from across the ditch. I was told it was New Zealand cheering their team’s win. Then there was even louder cheer. It seems some one mentioned Australia!! India’s beating Australia can be called a “sort-of upset”. In some ways India were expected to win in their home conditions. But India’s performance till date was confusing. Perhaps the players were confused that they were still playing overseas… However, it seems that the Aussie sledging reminded them of the “home-truth”. Australian media is now accusing Ricky Ponting of poor captainship. It was reported in one daily that “It was disapPonting to note that we did not let the sleeping dogs lie”.

    Hopefully, it is expected that this state of confusion will not continue for long. Tonight, Sri Lankans will resolve any confusion Andrew Strauss has about the out come of last quarter finals. Seems like Strauss is confident of “adjusting”. I have a feeling that by the end of the game Poms willl know that adjusting is not enough in cricket; you have to win it!! But then again, Poms have been the most Jekyll and Hyde team of this World cup. So much so that Afridi is totally confused. So much so that the Pakistani team has registered a protest with ICC and threatened England for a compensation for “breaching of our paternal rights”. Now ICC is confused and trying to interpret cricket laws as per Sharia Laws!! Confusion reigns supreme….

  • Redemption! Jekyll and Hyde style..

     Welcome to the real curtain raiser to the world Cup. What has gone before this, minnows bashing or champions breaking TVs, its all an entré to the main course. If Ponting or Dhoni was asked before the start of this World Cup, which captain they would love to avoid most till finals, they would have mentioned each other. The fact that they face up to each other today to decide who misses out on a berth in the semi finals, is an indication of how much under-par they have performed. Australia, though got drubbed by the Poms in test series, showed their opponents their rightful place in ODI series winning handsomely, and maintained their supremacy in the ODI ranking. India, who on the other hand came into this competition from a difficult tour to South Africa where in spite of their main players not participating, did quite well in the ODI series and certainly surprised their fans and opponents equally. While Aussies were coming from a high, Indians were coming home. And with their linchpins like Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir returning and their spinners likely to find more bite from the tracks, Indians were certainly fancied to prevail in all the games they played. However, typical Jekyll and Hyde Indian show has had most of the their supporters, including die-hard fans like me, hesitant to consider them as firm favorites. It is difficult to predict the outcome of the game, at least for some one like me who has a soft corner for both the teams and would have loved to see them play the finals. That way I would have been the winner!! Not to be…

    Let us analyse this sans emotions.Take strengths of both teams first:

    1. India have perhaps the most robust batting line up of all. There are proven match winners and three out of top five have scored tons in this comp. Sehwag, Tendulkar are at the top of the leader board of individual runs. With 5 centuries between them in this comp, Indian batting looks settled.
    2. Indians will be playing at home; home crowds and home wickets. Things can’t get any better.
    3. As for bowling, their spinners will be a little more difficult to get away than on normal roads.
    4. For Aussies, their pace battery is formidable due to their air speed which can negate slowness of the wicket to some extent.
    5. Aussie batsmen, though not looking in great form at present, are proven champs.
    6. Typical Australian never-say-die spirit has always given its opponents something more to worry about apart from their skills.
    7. Australian fielding has always been top class, even when they carry some players in their 30s.. 

    And now for the negatives:

    1. Indian batting has had two collapses that defies logic. Their opponents will try to exploit that.
    2. Indian bowling has, except for Zak and Bhajji to some extent, looked insipid and at times, lacking ideas. 
    3. And of course, Indian fielding is made up of some slow movers and some who would not be selected in an international side, if fielding was a criteria. 
    4. Last but not the least for India, it is also a home-pressure and incredible hype of winning at home and giving their favored son a deserving farewell. 
    5. Australian batting, on the other hand has so far looked superior on paper more than on the turf. So far no a single batsman has scored a ton.
    6. While pace bowling looks formidable, back up spin department looks innocuous. So potentially 20 overs of loose bowling if Indian batsmen can time their assault properly.
    7. Most importantly, Australia looks a disjointed unit at present with the skipper being under-fire more from his own side than any opponent. This has to be the most unhappy looking Australian unit I have seen with its skipper at his grumpiest!! Ponting’s “love-affair” with India is not making it easy for him to feel at home, which I believe, is affecting his performance.

    All in all, it seems like both the teams are competing with each other in accumulating negatives more than positives. Don’t forget that these are no. 1 and 2 ranked teams in the world, even at present. So the competition is going to be fierce. The way I feel is, small things will make big difference tonight. Like those small edges eluding stumps or hands or falling short; those lofted shots falling in no-man’s land or slashes flying over keeper’s head for a four or six, or a stinging straight drive touching a bowler’s finger-nail and running out a well set non-striker, or a miraculous direct hit!! Cricket’s uncertainties are about to unravel tonight and will make this game a most memorable one….That most important commodity which has never been given its due in this great game, will perhaps play a signature tune tonight…that commodity called luck!! Mind may say something different but my heart says luck will be with India tonight! Even if Sehwag may not be found fit to play!!!

    Perhaps for the first time, I feel Indian and Australian fans both are in the same camp; camp of uncertainty!! For a team that has held an ownership of this Cup for as long as Aussies have, it is definately a new territory.On the other hand, for India, a team playing at home, in their favourable conditions and coming off a reasonably tough but successful campaign, it is equally unexpected to be in the same position. Rarely India and Australia have been so level in ODIs. Hopefully the Jeckyl and Hyde nature of the Indian team will work its magic tonight in their favour!!! India will never get a better chance at redemption for the World Cup final defeat of 2003!!!

    May the best on the day, win!!

  • De Ghuma Ke World Cup…

    The world Cup 2011 is simmering and started living up to the lyrics of its anthem, “De Ghuma Ke”. It seems to have inspired quite a few players including a totally unknown teenager called Hiral Patel, of Canada!! The caning he gave to the world cup champions in a lost cause, especially the six over covers off the fastest bowler in the tournament Shaun Tait, will linger in the memory long long after the dust has settled in Mumbai. There has been a lot of talk about the minnows bashing; for a change it was nice to see Champion bashing! That’s the beauty of sport; king for a day is far better than a pauper for life. Love it!!

     One swallow does not make a summer, agreed; but it can make a painfully bad memory for life for some! Ask Zubin Surkari, who copped the brunt of Tait’s thunder and came away with three balls! The Great Australian selector Andrew Hilditch must have been moved sufficiently to say “Tait needs to improve“!! What? for missing the goolies?? For heaven’s sake, Taity looked like the best bowler even in that game with searing reverse swings! Ah, but then what else do you expect from an Aussie chairman of selectors, the only one to have lost three Ashes?

    The tournament has by far, looked the best in all editions…………er, except 1983! Writing this just before the 39th game between South Africa and Bangladesh begins, a couple of upsets, an associate member scalping a test side, a high scoring tie, smash-bang batting, 19 tons, 6 fifers and two hat-tricks! Bowlers in general have been at the receiving end though with the advent of subcontinent spring (which is more than summer in some participating countries) slowly but steadily, they are beginning to dictate. The wickets like highways earlier, have started changing their nature to more brown coloured and slow low challenging 22 yards that normally batsmen, that spoiled species of this sport,  lament; some indeed start calling it names like “rolled mud“! Thank god for the summer, or the killing fields of the subcontinent would make every young boy and girl throw the ball away for a bat. I don’t mind wickets yielding a bit of spin or slowing down a bit. This is sub-continent and you expect that. Gives bowlers something to work with and generates a bit of doubt in the minds of the batsman and prevents him from clearing the front foot and give it a heave-ho! Thank god for the summer for bringing cricket back to its original form rather than converting it into that cross-batted Yankee contraption, better known as Baseball…..

    That’s why I am very happy to note two wonderful new comers, two bowlers, two leg spinners, who have announced themselves in this world cup. South Africa’s import from Pakistan, Imran Tahir has had a great start. At the time of writing this, in 3 games Tahir has highest wickets of any in SA camp. 11 wickets at 8.9 ea and a great economy rate of 3.84.
    And bowling against Bangla later today,  he will have every opportunity to improve upon that. Admittedly, while he has is yet to play against major teams playing spin well, like India and Sri Lanka, his start is looking very promising.

    Tahir though is not a young man as this next fellow, Devendra Bishoo. What a gem this kid is. I reckon we will hear more about him in future, if Windies management treat him properly. At the young age of 25, his control over leggies was quite remarkable, even while playing against experienced English batters. He is also a very good fielder. I am not sure if he will play against India in the last group game or not; I would love to see more of him and against top batters. He has a good slider but I did not see a good googly. Enough time for the young man to learn a few tricks of the trade, which in my opinion, is the hardest skill to master in cricket.

    Talk of surprises..It is very hard to expect surprises from Ricky Ponting. Like it was no surprise to see a glum and grumpy Punter hurling the ball on the ground in disgust after catching a Canadian batsman; annoyed at his younger colleague Steve Smith for rushing in for the same catch. Now, neither the batsman nor his team were likely to derail Aussie world cup campaign. Perhaps, Ponting’s grumpiness reveals the stress he and his team may be feeling in this world cup campaign? May be all is not that well within the team?? However, the surprise was when Ponting offered an apology in an interview for his behavior, after the game! I did look for the morning Sun in the west!! While Aussies have been the only team to win all of their games so far, they do not look that dominant as in previous editions of the world cup. They were lucky to escape spin-test against SL due to rain. They will be tested tonight against Pakistan. Aussie batsmen have struggled to put up runs which is clear from the fact that not a single batsman, on these batting friendly wickets, has been able to post a three-figure mark so far. Countries like Netherlands and Ireland have batsmen who have got tons, but no Australian!! Now that IS a surprise.

    Really this world cup is the most open we have seen for a long long time. Hard to predict who will be able to wrap their hands around this trophy on 2nd April. And that is good to see. Any one from South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia or even England could be holding the trophy ….could feel like an April Fool joke, a day late!!

  • Is this World Cup about minnows bashing?

    Long awaited ICC World Cup has begun and results have been going as per seedings…so far. Meaning all the minnows so far have been bashed. And in some case, have been reminded about their status in no uncertain terms, as well. Perhaps Veeru’s emotions boiled over after his terrific innings against Bangladeshis; even though Indian win by no means was a washout. At 182/2 off ~30 overs only, Bangladeshis were in the scrap. To think of a cricket game as a revenge is a bit too much, but for those who suffered 4 years back at Port of Spain, the kind of back lash from the fans and everyone else, that you see only in India, it must have felt like redemption. If that defeat in the Caribbean was a motivation to play well, Indians succeeded. However, World Cups are more about proving you are a champion side rather than an ego trip. Having said that, Veeru is one of the very few players on the international circuit whose uttering on cricket and especially his opponents, have any thing  to do with ego. He talks as he bats….you see’em, you hit’em!! I would love to see Veeru continue with what he has begun. The way in which he was batting, he seemed to be in the zone to go past the double hundred mark. He will have plenty of opportunities in next 6 weeks to do so. Perhaps, this world cup is one for him. For too long, this mercurial player has remained in the shadows, in the ODIs. Time for him to stamp his authority in this format as well…

    Three other games involving lower ranked teams produced disastrous results for the minnows. Only Zimbabwe gave a good account of themselves in the field; though they could not come even close to a modest Australian total. That is the problem with minnows. they will get caught out in either bowling or batting. And with the subcontinent wickets largely being batsman friendly, if their batting fails, they have no chance to remain competitive. The results have started the on-again off-again debate on whether to include associate member teams in the premier event like 50 over World Cup. Indeed, some feel even some of the regular test playing nations are not worthy of this honour!! Much as it has generated the brouhaha from ICC membership, there is a lot of truth in what Ricki Ponting has said. Premier tournaments are more about finding who is best rather than providing an opportunity for minnows to show how far they have progressed. There are other ways to do so. I would not use the arguments like: it is disheartening for lower ranked teams to loose massively or they hardly learn anything from such games etc. I think these arguments are patronising. Minnows need opportunity, not sympathy. One learns more about one’s capabilities from defeats.

    In fact, I agree with Punter that it is best to restrict the number of participants to 8 rather than full membership of 10 nations (Zimbabwe is still a full member). If ICC goes with only 8 teams it won’t be anything new. Not every country playing Soccer gets a shot at the title and same is true for field hockey. Accordingly, out of 10 full members any two from last 4 ranked will miss out. To decide this, last 4 full member teams (ranked 7,8,9 and 10) will participate in a 10 team qualifying tournament, made up of 6 best Associate teams. Here is the opportunity for the minnows to play against weaker of the full member sides and knock them out of the main draw.

    The way I see, the World Cup program can be divided in three stages:

    First, a league phase where all 8 teams to play each other. At the end of league phase last two teams (no. 7 & 8) will be eliminated.

    Second, teams 1 to 6 will then play in play-offs to determine semi final berths. This can be based upon old McIntyre 6 system used in AFL (Australian Rules Football League). Basically there will be three games: 

    Game A 4 V 5  
    Game B 3 V 6
    Game C 1 V 2

    From Game C (1 or 2) winner will get an opportunity to play against lowest ranked winner of Games A and B, while looser will play the highest ranked winner from games A & B. This allows both top ranked teams a certainty of a place in semi-finals while still giving 2 extra teams (no. 5 & 6) an additional chance to go to knock-out stage.

    Finally, a knock out stage will determine the eventual winner.

    This will provide each participating team sufficient opportunity to pick up form in the seven league games they will play. The beauty of this is, top ranked teams may play each other three times (once in league phase, once in play-offs and possibly in the finals) during the tournament. I see this scheme better than best of three finals between finalists. Total number of games in the comp will be 21 games for league phase, 3 play offs, 2 semis and one final = 27 games. This should be finished in 5 weeks with majority of games producing competitive cricket that should make the spectators, players and sponsors equally happy.

    Sure, minnows have a role to play in the globalisation of the game, but through performance rather than quota system. The fact of life is, if you get an undeserved opportunity and get thrashing, it will neither translate into improved performance nor generate interest in the sport within that country. One-off upsets have not propelled the protagonists to higher level. India V Bangladesh’s game in this world cup is a proof of that.

  • Year 2010 was Very Very Special!

    2010 was perhaps the best year for Indian cricket in a long time. Perhaps only one that can match it was 1971, when India won two overseas series for the first time against powerful cricket nations, WI and England; not counting 1983 when India became world champions in One day cricket against the run of the play. In spite of Tendulkar, the Ram, being so dominant in Indian cricket, to me 2010 was the year of (VVS) Laxman. Five superlative innings that not only saved India but converted defeats into victories and changed the fate of every series. Review the following games and you will find VVS as the common denominator; the pillar of strength.

      1. SA vs India in India
      2. India vs Sri Lanka in SL
      3. Australia vs India in India
      4. New Zealand vs India in India
      5. India vs SA in SA

    And the last one against South Africa will be remembered for a very very long time. Indeed a water-shed moment in Indian cricket as it helped India to level the series for the first time in South Africa. Laxman was all grace and attack; standing up to the ferocity of Steyn and Morkel while scoring the only 50 of the match as if he was batting on a completely different track to any one else in that game. Didn’t surprise may of us though, did it? The man has done it before; quite a few times. Indeed India now EXPECTS him to do so when every one else fails. What a psychological edge to have for the Indian team when the push comes to shove.

    Lot has been written about this one of the finest batsman in the history of cricket. Very Very Special, Silky Steel and what not. And no one has missed a chance to wax lyrical about him; Bhogle to blogger and all in between. VVS Laxman is one of the few batsman who can unite all in consensus about his art, regardless of national boundaries. And when it comes to one country, he just turns from great to a colossus. No prizes for guessing that Australia’s love-hate relationship with Laxman is one of the most enduring and endearing one. Many in Australia do not know whether to love him or hate him. Many love to hate him when he bats but hate to see him get out. The identity of a true champion is that even your enemy wants to embrace you….after loosing. I would like to think that out of all recent players the three who got the most respect from Aussie crowd were Tendulkar, Lara and Laxman. We know his name VVS Laxman stands for Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman. It could very well be Vengipurappu Venkata Sachin Laxman, because when it comes to Australia, he can be double the Sachin. And I am sure, Tendulkar will take no offense at that.

    For long, Laxman has been indisputably the best Indian batsman for 2nd innings as well as the fourth of the test match. What a gem of an innings he played on Tuesday, 4th of October against Aussies. While Ishant Sharma was a very ably ally in the rescue act that turned triumphant, Laxman’s presence at the other end must have been like a balm on a burn. The confidence with which Laxman let Ishant face more deliveries in a partnership than he did, must have encouraged the young man to repay the faith. Bit of Steve Waugh in that Laxman. He read the situation very well and scored off every possible opportunity. Now that is not very hard for an immensely gifted artist like him but often many celebrated players have been known to opt for caution over aggression and give the impetus back to the opponent. To his credit, Laxman did not allow any Australian bowler to settle, let alone dictate.  50 of 48 balls and eventual 73 n.o. of 79 balls. He had to waste more than 6 balls in farming the strike after Ishant was given out, meaning he played at a rate of well over run a ball! There in lies the genius of the man. On 7 August 2010, he played yet another master class; he is almost making a habit of doing that now. On a turning track rampaging Sri Lankan spinners discovered what Australians know for over a decade that this man turns into a superman when his team is thrown a gauntlet. From that point he is quite un-Indian batsman. Australians love him perhaps because of this typical “खडूस” (khadoos) Australianness.. But he is not just an axeman like a Hayden or a bloody minded never-say-die Steve Waugh. He combines the steel of a Waugh, stroke-play of a Ponting and dominating verve of a Hayden. And all without looking violent. His blade is like a Ninja’s katana. The victim does not know when the cut was made till it is all too late and indeed, dies admiring. Laxman has played many symphonies for his team, the best being the great 281 on Eaden Gardens against his arch rivals, the Aussies. But this last one will be remembered equally fondly since it was a very similar fight from the death-bed; lost hope turned to triumph; रुदन से रम्बा……Probably the new age axiom in cricket is that the game is never over till Lax(st)man is out!! Aussies and South Africans will agree most emphatically.

    Laxman saves his best for the worst situation. In that he is similar to another immensely gifted Aussie, Mark “Junior” Waugh. Both displayed the same characteristics; their levels of concentration, artistry and dominance were directly proportional to the skill, challenge and degree of difficulty their opponents presented. That is why, both these  batsmen are remarkably similar in stats. Junior scored over 8000 runs with 20 tons at an average slightly over 41. Mere look at the  cold statistics reveal as much as they hide. It appears as if both these artists under-performed. With the gift of supple wrists and a hawk-eye for picking up the length quickly, they could have scored lot more international runs than they have. Since they are immensely talented, scoring runs against any attack in any condition comes easily to them. But artists get bored very quickly; and easy task may soon become uninspiring resulting in loss in concentration and wicket. A workman like player, a technical perfectionist (and who could be better than G. Boycott ?) will strive to score runs every time he goes out to bat. For a pro like Sunny Gavaskar it does not matter who the opponent is; since he has no eye, time or mind for the bowler; he sees only the ball. However an artist thrives on inspiration, responds to a challenge; like a cry from his team mates to wake him up from the slumber and do what is expected. And usually it is done so easily as if saying, “silly, what did you wake me up for?”. Result is not the only bonus when they bat; every run scored is dipped in delight. When you analyse their performance in critical moments of a game, they attain a colossus status. That describes the magic of both VVS and Junior. That is what their stats hide. These two guys are special, “पैसा वसूल” (Paisa vasool) players.

    I believe that Laxman as d’Artagnan compliments the three musketeers of modern Indian cricket: Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly. They along with Kumble, Harbhajan, Zaheer Khan and Dhoni have been responsible for taking India to the pinnacle of test cricket. Recently Laxman was given a Padma Shri Award by Indian government. He is certainly a “Padma” (lotus) of Indian cricket. I believe even a “Bharat Ratna” award would be most fitting recognition for this humble student of the game. As the name of the award suggests, he is truly an “Indian Gem”. It is the exploits of such gems like VVS and Tendulkar that gives meaning to the much-loved slogan “India Shining!”

    Listed below are some of the finest innings played by VVS; gems in the history of Indian cricket. If you get a chance to watch them, don’t miss. Guaranteed to make anyone forget the national boundaries and nationalistic fervor.

    • In his debut test against SA in Ahmedabad, he made a crucial 51 in second innings out of 191; top score  that helped India win the low scoring test. He showed this ability to bat with the lower order that early in his career. Since then, he has been the best Indian batsman to play with lower order batsmen and score runs in the fourth innings.
    • His first test hundred came in  Sydney test of the new millennium in Jan 2000. It was one of the finest innings in a hopelessly lost cause; a scintillating second innings 167 out of a team total of 261; a whopping 64% of the total. Even though, Aussies had given Indians a drubbing, at the end of that test they appeared dazed by the brilliance of Laxman’s fightback; an innings scored  at a strike rate of 83, while wickets were tumbling all around him. Certainly Aussies got a glimpse of things to come. Laxman has lived up to that image of Aussie Tormentor ever since. I was indeed lucky to watch that innings on SCG.
    • Classified as one of the best ever in the history of test cricket by Cricinfo, his colossus 281 against Aussies at Eden Gardens in March 2001, completely changed not only the course of the game but series. India became a force to reckon with after this series and haven’t looked back since.
    • India V Australia, 4th test of 2004 series at Wankhede stadium produced another amazing contest between these arch rivals. On a raging turner, the game didn’t last even 3 full days. With wicket at its treacherous best, who else but Laxman scored the most emphatic innings of 69 in the third innings of the test match. Batting at no. 3, he was the main batsman in two match wining partnerships; 91 with Tendulkar and 48 with Dravid. The value of his innings can be judged from the fact that later on the same day, whole Australian side got dismissed for 93 chasing 103 for a win!
    • On 2006 tour of SA, Indians drew blood in the first test wining their first ever test on SA soil. While Sreesanth was undoubtedly the hero of this test, Laxman came to the rescue, as usual, in the second innings. With India tottering at 4/61 with Tendulkar, Dravid and Sehwag all in the hut, Laxman resurrected Indian innings with a superb 73, to put the lead beyond SA batsmen. In this innings he again showed his ability to bat with the tail.
    • March 2009, another superlative second innings unbeaten 124 against Kiwis at Napier. India after wining the first test, were made to follow on and in dire straits at 3/260 still the deficit not wiped out. He played in two crucial partnerships with Gambhir and Yuvraj, nursing both junior players and took India to safety and series win in NZ after a long time.

    Add 2010’s five superlative innings to the above and you get a resume that is hard to equal for the best of the best; 143 not out against SA at Eden Gardens, 103 not out against Sri Lanka, 73 not out against Australia, 91 against NZ and finally, 96 against SA. He has given immense joy to the cricket fans regardless of the nationalities, since his runs have mostly come when his team needed them most; often he was the last man standing.

    Salaam to the most humble servant of Indian cricket!

  • Fly On The Wall Catches…………………Achhoo!

    Sorry, have been flying around, so no contact. Heard this when I was a fly on the wall somewhere..

    Small Boss (b): Sir, this is brewing into a big problem.
    Big Boss (B): (snaps out of his snooze with a Homer Simpson drawl) Brew, ahhaaaa….I love my brew. How can brewing be a problem?
    b: Sir, I mean the cricket scandal; this spot-fixing by cricketers may fix us.
    B: (suddenly sits up) How?
    b: Well Sir, obviously everyone will think if cricketers are so corrupt what about the cricket board?
    B: How can people connect cricketers to the Board? We said and did nothing when IPL kicked out cricketers, did we?
    b: Errrr..well, (coughs), sir, we sort of managed it…newspapers did report Sports minister’s complain to his counterpart about being snubbed and a national insult and all the patriotic emotional…..
    B: (cuts him off) Well, that is just standard political rhetoric. Does not prove our connection to the players. If anything, it will prove to the world that the government is also operating as per international standards like that…what do you call it? (snaps his fingers) aaha, the ISO!! But anyway, I do accept that we have to be seen to be doing something. After all, that IS our job. What do you think?
    b: Well, sir,we can put the blame on an external influence…(winks)
    B: Aha! Got you now. We better stay out of this whole thing, or we will have to answer the fans and government or even intelligence agency…(shiver runs through him) now, that could get messy. So the best outcome will be blaming BCCI and/or Indian government. The gullible fans will just lap it up. We can probably motivate some government official to blame Indians somehow?
    b: That would be most wise, Sir. Batting, bookies and Indians are synonymous anyway. Remember John the bookie? I think if we dig hard enough, we can discover a Moolchand somewhere??
    B: Moolchand?
    b: Moolchand or Mazhar, what’s in a name, Sir. If he is a bookie, he out to be Indian!
    B: Good, call the High Commissioner to London; time for him to start paying back for all the bloody free tickets he has been enjoying. It is best that government handle this or we can offend cricket’s Big Brother…and as you know, without Him, all our high-flying lifestyle will come down crashing!! Also tell the coach this time to keep his mouth shut unlike the previous one, who spilled the bloody beans on the Sydney test!
    b: Sir, with all the due respect, we may still need plan B. You know what, Sir, its a pity that we were not playing at home..
    B: Why do you say that?
    b: Because then our intelligent agency would have “explained” that video footage evidence suitably. Unfortunately we are dealing with Scotland Yard..
    B: (with a large grin showing paan-chewed, gold-capped teeth): You gave me an idea Chhotu. Isn’t it correct that even though we are playing in England, we are the host nation? So we can claim we are still the host board for this series. We should have home advantage and hence we can summon our police to do the investigation instead of the Scotland Yard! Problem solved!!
    b: Umm, Sir, but the home series was against the Australians. Against England, we are visitors.
    B: Oh well, ok. May be I should keep my eyes open in the meetings! Bloody meetings, why do we keep them after Lunch? Anyway, that will be our plan B.
    b: What exactly are you saying, Sir?
    B: Well, I tell you what. If the players have not left the country after completing the home series, they are, technically speaking, still at home!!
    Chhotu looks stunned!! And seems like that is not a first.. Big B continues.. 
    B: Plan B; let us blame the ECB for bringing in foreign police to do the investigation. Frankly, my dear chap, it is racism!! And to be perfectly honest, our intelligence agency would do a lot better job than Scotland yard. They have received plenty of recommendations from foreign governments like India and USA!!
    b: Well, Sir, ECB has actually been very kind to us in hosting Australian series. That may not go down well..
    B: Well, Poms need Pounds too. Don’t worry, I will explain it all to that fellow, what’s his name…ah well, whoever, when we meet at the Champions League T20 retreat in South Africa… He understands sub-continent politics quite well…
    b: Brilliant, Sir, as usual…aap ka jawab nahi..Just for my curiosity, do you seriously believe there is Indian hand in everything wrong happening here?
    B: Absolutely..no doubts.
    b: Even in natural disasters like the floods, tropical cyclones, earthquakes etc?
    B: Of course. I am amazed you can’t see that, Chhotu. May be that is why you are small. India gave us the wrong side of the land. But more importantly, if they had not separated, it would have been India suffering now! I tell you, they are rogues..
    b: (opens his mouth to say something but words do not emerge)….
    B: I must confess though, that I do not see Indian hand in everything.
    b: So are you really saying there was some calamity in which there was no Indian hand? Which one Sir?
    B: Well, the tropical cyclone Phet, which hit us hard and completely missed India!
    b: So you are saying that India was not responsible for the cyclone Phet, correct?
    B: I didn’t say that Chhotu. I said, there was no Indian HAND in that. There were plenty of Indian mouths!!
    b: (almost falling off his chair) What?
    B: Well, I tell you; mark my words my dear chap. It was those billions of Indian mouths that were blowing hard at the cyclone and diverted it from their western sea coast to Karachi!
    b: (suddenly tumbles out of his chair and touches the feet of Big B): Tusi badi top ho Sir! Now I know why no one except you deserves to sit on this chair..

    Been sneezing since…Now I know how even a fly on the wall catches cold!! 

  • Not Happy John!

    So John Howard, ex-PM of Australia has failed another “election”. In some ways you can say that he lost a winnable one this time unlike the one he lost to Kevin Rudd in Nov 2007. I honestly thought he would have got used to loosing by now! Apparently, you can neither take out the politics from the politician nor a politician from politics!! Most Pollies in all countries have a very sharp sense of smell; they will smell-out power even from a chook-raffle! Top level sports administration, obviously represents a pot of honey to a bear; especially to those who are missing their power-fix. And when a sport interests lots of people and spins a few bobs, it is certainly like a full syringe to a junkie.

    But you can fool some people sometimes. Little Johhny is now facing the barbs from the thorns he nurtured during his tenure. While he did some excellent work to turn Australian economy around, his ultra-conservative beliefs could not adept to the fast changing canvas of this small but increasingly multi-cultural society. For whatever reason, even at the peak of his powers, he was viewed by many (and not necessarily coloured population only) as a torch-bearer of long defunct white-Australia policy. His utter refusal to apologise to the aborigines for whatever reason, did not help his cause. For all I know, he may be merely simplistic; convinced that anything different from his belief does not merit any attention from him. Fair enough, for an individual. Unfortunately that is not a trait of a leader. Great leaders never divide; they have a gift to unite the most diverse. Looking at the diverse nature of ICC, where 10 full member countries represent a myriad of colours and cultures, I was surprised that Cricket Australia manipulated Howard above what would have been a very welcome candidate like the kiwi Sir John Anderson, especially when Australia already had their turn in Malcolm Grey. All those detractors crying foul and complaining today about subcontinent’s so-called power “abuse”, very conveniently forget that CA did exactly the same by bullying New Zealand cricket. CA did that simply because they could. Those who live in glass houses don’t throw stones at others.

    While Australia and New Zealand had an option to choose their representative to head ICC, their representative was eventually going to represent all member countries. With an incredibly complex cultural mix of ICC, what you need is a candidate acceptable to all. If CA had applied that criteria, Howard would have failed in CA’s board room itself. I am sure CA board members are not naive. So the obvious inference is that they wanted to bring in Howard as their Axe-man; someone who would not hesitate to seek and chuck out the “rotten eggs”. After all, those backward third world and corrupt countries can only produce corrupt leaders who are now corrupting the beautiful English game. Why is that so hard to understand? What all the “chest-beaters” in Australia (I can actually hear a giggle from across the Tasman sea!) conveniently forget is that CA (probably with support from England) tried a political stunt which back fired. It happens; get on with it.

    In politics, there is a critical process called face-saving formula. What now, is the face-saving formula for CA? Re-nominating Howard would be provocative and more importantly, likely to get  snubbed again! I am not sure if CA is actually that masochistic! Sir John Anderson is hardly going to accept the used-towel nomination, especially when his claim to the nomination merited first-choice. In fact I can see NZ completely washing their hands off this affair. CA can dig in their heels and refuse to nominate any one. That will certainly look churlish. Like it or not, political and economic reality is that CA has to participate in this process as a part of ICC board and nominate someone who can take the attention away from this affair and still become a respected board member and a fantastic representative of all cricket playing countries. Some one like Gideon Haigh (who seems to have a one-point agenda of BCCI bashing) claims there was no better nominee for CA than John Howard. Get real Haighy; Mark Taylor will be well respected and will contribute towards bringing closer, all cricket boards. And that is lot more worthy cause than mending the ruffled ego of little Johny…

  • ODI to become HDI (Half Day International)

    Cricket Australia has taken a bold step in revamping Ford Ranger cup (Domestic limited overs cricket tournament) by deciding to make them as split-innings one dayers. I like it. I hope they still maintain 50 overs per innings, rather than making it 2 games of T20 each. Obviously there are arguments for and against this. Those against it are worried that batsmen will struggle to restart their innings after fielding for 25 overs; spectators may shun first “innings” (20 or 25 overs from each side) and watch only the second “innings”, etc. Ricky Ponting is reportedly not totally impressed with CA’s announcement before any kind of consultation with the Australian players. In today’s Sydney Morning Herald, Channel Nine is quoted to be seeking all ten wickets in the second part of the split innings, making effectively a separate game altogether. The article also quotes English second division’s trial in split innings games. Apparently it has not received plus marks because “Coaches in that competition have expressed frustration over matches essentially decided in the first innings when a batting line-up folds”. Channel Nine’s Brad McNamara claims the patent on ODIs saying “…We would really like the batting order to start again, if you take that away then we’ve got a few concerns about how that might pan out.” Basically Commercial TV networks are merely aiming at the entertainment value of the game, in the name of improvement. While Channel Nine’s claim to the inventions of ODIs are undisputed, the quote “‘Not everyone is going to get a bat, but it’s about getting the best batters to bat twice. Last summer we saw Chris Gayle dismissed in the first over and the game was over”; is a joke! If CA follow that advise, even when the team will comprise of 11 players, some may be just spectators on the ground! In the greed for the cash, commercial channels seem to be forgetting that the game’s developmental aspect comes first and for that, opportunity to budding cricketers rather than marquee players must dictate the path to improvement.
    I am sure we all have experienced the thrill of emergence of a new star when the established stars have failed to deliver. While the huge amount of money in the game is definitely due to television rights, they need to remember that ultimately it is the spectators who will determine the fate of the game and the value of their TV rights. And at present spectators are not greatly enamored by what they see in 50 overs cricket, in spite of what Ricky Ponting may feel. The game does need a bit of revamping and I am convinced at least trialling split innings is a way to go.

    I am also not convinced about some objections to this innovation, especially those about the players needing to refocus on their innings after fielding for 25 overs. As the game has grown, there has been a constant demand on the skill level of players. A run rate of 4 per over that counted as fast in 70s has become almost normal  today. In transition from test cricket to limited overs ODI to T20, the demand has always been upon the batsman to start scoring runs straight away. The luxury of getting “your eye in” is a thing of the past. Majority of the players coming through the system anywhere in the world with competitive domestic cricket set up, are now used to the demand to maintain  a run rate of more than 4 runs per over. Factors like covered wickets, consistent wicket preparation standards and better equipment have helped but the major change has been to the mind-set of the players. Thus current international player is already adjusted to the requirement of readjusting their focus. Playing competitive cricket at night was unthinkable in my time, but today’s players are able to tune their biological rhythm to give their best even at the time when our bodies struggle to stay in peak performance mode.

    While the changes may have been forced upon due to 50 overs inning becoming very predictable and sudden huge popularity of T20, I believe the real reason for improving should be the empowerment of bowlers. What has happened with the advent of slam-bang cricket is an almost annihilation of bowlers due to feather-bed wickets, shorter boundaries, better equipment and some stupid, batsmen friendly rules (like one bouncer and leg side wide). I believe we need to restore the balance in the game by giving something back to the bowlers.

    In huge number of ODIs, often side winning the toss ends up gaining significant advantage; sometimes so much that the second side is always playing catch up. This is especially true in day-night games where external factors like dew play havoc with the bowlers. Split-innings will reduce the impact of this to some extent. If on the other hand the wicket does a bit, the side batting first will have some opportunity to exploit that as well.

    Even though a side batting first does so only for maximum 3.5 hours in the current format of the ODI, often the nature of the wicket changes significantly for the side batting second to have the same condition while chasing. Splitting the innings will provide side batting second some foothold.

    This innovation will also demand some new tactics from captains and coaches on how to utilize their resources, over the full game. May be some more work for the dynamic duo of Messrs Duckworth and Lewis, MBE  to come up with split formula (congratulations to the duo on their achievement); gives them an opportunity to earn a full Knighthood!!