Two incidents at the ongoing Champions Trophy bring out the true spirit of cricket.
The first was during the England vs Srilanka match when Angelo Mathews was given run out by the umpire when he collided with the bowler and couldn't complete a run. In a fine gesture of sportsmanship the English captain Andrew Strauss called him back.
The second happened last night when Paul Collinwood strolled out of crease casually after playing and missing a ball and the kiwi wicket keeper threw the ball at the stumps. The matter was referred to the third umpire who ruled paul out. But the kiwi captain Vettori talked to his players and asked Collingwood to bat on. It was a high stakes low scoring match and Paul went on to score 40 runs.
I am sure that these incidents warmed the hearts of millions of fans like me. It is great to see the sportsman spirit alive and kicking in the highly competetive world of 2009.
HE up there must be quite happy because both the teams won the respective games and are through to the finals. Both Strauss and Vettori must have experienced the JOY OF GIVING.
KEEP UP THE SPIRIT BOYS BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT LIVES ON LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Champions Trophy - Top seeds gone
We are just over the midpoint after completion of 9 of the15 matches. The news is that South Africa and India (ICC ODI ranks 1&2) are out of it. South Africa are beaten by the toss and a rejuvenated England and India by the rain gods (and it's own bowlers). Technically India is still in with a remote chance -- if Pakistan thrash Aussies by a big margin ,and , if India beats West indies too by another big margin. Big 'ifs" indeed.
South Africa fought gamely chasing a 325 and fell short by 20 odd runs. They were unlucky to loose the toss (and the match). But they have only themselves to blame having lost their opener against the lankans. As you have realized by now in this format, if you loose your first match, it is very difficult to come back. Pakistan had an easy opponent in windies in thir opener and won it and so did aussies against the same windies. Both are through to semis. India on the other hand faced the tough pakistan in their opening match, lost the toss and lost the match too.
But, if you look at it objectively, india did not deserve to win after their poor bowling against the pakis. Except for Ashish Nehra all others bowled all over the place. Bhajji gave 71 runs in his 10 overs for a lone wicket in his last over. Comparison of his pitch map with that of ajmal (his pakistani counterpart) was quite revealing and showed his lack of control. Looks like he needs a break. Ishant Sharma has lost both his line and length and is an easy meat now. RP Singh was erratic too, mor often than not. With such poor bowling backed by equally poor fielding you can't expect to win matches.
The batsman put up a much better show. Gambhir was in sublime touch and but for his suicidal runout could have taken india much closer to the target. Raina too played well and was unlucky to be given lbw, i thought. Dravid put up a good show within his limitations ( a poor strike rate and inability to rotate strike). But Sachin failed at the top to provide a good start and fell to Aamer who said earler that he would try to get Sachin (and kept his word). Dhoni too failed with the bat playing akwardly to get out lbw.
All in all India were beaten truly and squarely by Pakistan. If the pakis maintain the same hunger and spirit, we will see them in the finals for sure and from there it is just one match away from the championship.
So, which is more bitter -- india's failure to make it to semis or Pakistan making it to finals (and may be, even winning)-- take your pick.
South Africa fought gamely chasing a 325 and fell short by 20 odd runs. They were unlucky to loose the toss (and the match). But they have only themselves to blame having lost their opener against the lankans. As you have realized by now in this format, if you loose your first match, it is very difficult to come back. Pakistan had an easy opponent in windies in thir opener and won it and so did aussies against the same windies. Both are through to semis. India on the other hand faced the tough pakistan in their opening match, lost the toss and lost the match too.
But, if you look at it objectively, india did not deserve to win after their poor bowling against the pakis. Except for Ashish Nehra all others bowled all over the place. Bhajji gave 71 runs in his 10 overs for a lone wicket in his last over. Comparison of his pitch map with that of ajmal (his pakistani counterpart) was quite revealing and showed his lack of control. Looks like he needs a break. Ishant Sharma has lost both his line and length and is an easy meat now. RP Singh was erratic too, mor often than not. With such poor bowling backed by equally poor fielding you can't expect to win matches.
The batsman put up a much better show. Gambhir was in sublime touch and but for his suicidal runout could have taken india much closer to the target. Raina too played well and was unlucky to be given lbw, i thought. Dravid put up a good show within his limitations ( a poor strike rate and inability to rotate strike). But Sachin failed at the top to provide a good start and fell to Aamer who said earler that he would try to get Sachin (and kept his word). Dhoni too failed with the bat playing akwardly to get out lbw.
All in all India were beaten truly and squarely by Pakistan. If the pakis maintain the same hunger and spirit, we will see them in the finals for sure and from there it is just one match away from the championship.
So, which is more bitter -- india's failure to make it to semis or Pakistan making it to finals (and may be, even winning)-- take your pick.
Friday, September 25, 2009
India vs Pakistan - Champions Trophy 2009 - A Preview
In a few hours from now india and pakistan are going to clash at the Centurion, SA. The traditional rivals haven't met after 26/11. This is a game much hyped for over a month. But things dont look as good for india as for Pakistan.
This is india's first game at the CT while pakistan had a game against the windies and won it and have points in the kitty.
India have lost the services of Yuvi through a hand fracture while practicing fielding and the team balance is gone. Yuvi is a big hitter who can also play a longish innings when needed and can accelerate beautifully. He is also a useful slow left arm bowler and a great fielder. i can't see any one replacing him in true sense.
India's pace bowlers have their task cut out. In recent times only Ashish Nehra was consistant . Ishant has been very erratic, bowling all over the place. RP starts well but then looses his line/ length. All these three have to realize that they have to bowl a consistent line and length to contain Pakistan and take wickets.
Veterans Sachin and RD are now asked to do a lot along with Dhoni at the top. Yusuf Pathan has to come good with both bat & ball . Haven't seen his big hitting of late.Suresh Raina too must play to his potential and not throw away his wicket after getting well set with poor shot selection. Bhajji should talk less and get more wickets.
Pakistan look pretty well balanced team. Their bowling line up is very good with newcomer Aamer bowling very good pace along with Umer Gul and Rana Naved. i dont think they will risk playing asif after such a long layoff against india. they are well served in the spin department too. As far as batting goes, their opening pair is functional and both Imran nazir and Kamran Akmal are dangerous if they get going, so best to get them out soon. Younis is not fully fit and Md.Yousuf is not in good form. But their new star Umer Akmal is very talented and has great temperament. I am greatly impressed by his batting. We are going to see a lot of this boy in years to come. He is a great prospect for Pakistan.
Pakistan is hungry for a win. They haven't beaten India yet in a ICC tournament. Aamer wants to get Sachin's wicket. Umer Akmal wants to score big. This is their best chance to beat India.
Their biggest threat is their own unpredictability, you never know when they fold up like a pack of cards, on such days they were beaten by monnows. But against India-- well i can hear the war cry across the border.
My own objective assessment is 60-40 in favour of Pakistan.
Good Luck Team India, you need it.
This is india's first game at the CT while pakistan had a game against the windies and won it and have points in the kitty.
India have lost the services of Yuvi through a hand fracture while practicing fielding and the team balance is gone. Yuvi is a big hitter who can also play a longish innings when needed and can accelerate beautifully. He is also a useful slow left arm bowler and a great fielder. i can't see any one replacing him in true sense.
India's pace bowlers have their task cut out. In recent times only Ashish Nehra was consistant . Ishant has been very erratic, bowling all over the place. RP starts well but then looses his line/ length. All these three have to realize that they have to bowl a consistent line and length to contain Pakistan and take wickets.
Veterans Sachin and RD are now asked to do a lot along with Dhoni at the top. Yusuf Pathan has to come good with both bat & ball . Haven't seen his big hitting of late.Suresh Raina too must play to his potential and not throw away his wicket after getting well set with poor shot selection. Bhajji should talk less and get more wickets.
Pakistan look pretty well balanced team. Their bowling line up is very good with newcomer Aamer bowling very good pace along with Umer Gul and Rana Naved. i dont think they will risk playing asif after such a long layoff against india. they are well served in the spin department too. As far as batting goes, their opening pair is functional and both Imran nazir and Kamran Akmal are dangerous if they get going, so best to get them out soon. Younis is not fully fit and Md.Yousuf is not in good form. But their new star Umer Akmal is very talented and has great temperament. I am greatly impressed by his batting. We are going to see a lot of this boy in years to come. He is a great prospect for Pakistan.
Pakistan is hungry for a win. They haven't beaten India yet in a ICC tournament. Aamer wants to get Sachin's wicket. Umer Akmal wants to score big. This is their best chance to beat India.
Their biggest threat is their own unpredictability, you never know when they fold up like a pack of cards, on such days they were beaten by monnows. But against India-- well i can hear the war cry across the border.
My own objective assessment is 60-40 in favour of Pakistan.
Good Luck Team India, you need it.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Champions Trophy -2009 -- the begining of the end
After a lot of hype and build up, CT2009 finally got off the block on 22nd sept'09. The very first match, Srilanka vs South Africa made a mockery of the ICC rankings with the top seed getting beaten black and blue. It was clear that Srilanka was battle ready fresh from the tri-series and South Africa were rusty after a long lay off. And when you are playing Ajanta Mendis the first time it is not easy to read him. Dilshan is in such great touch these days that Jayasurya can now retire without a worry. So, the very first match is decided on D/L. For us in india, the D/N matches of CT starting at 6pm mean we can only watch one full innings without loosing too much of sleep.
Match 2 was pathetic. A lot of things have gone wrong with the windies cricket, of late, and, their biggest problem has been the ego of their cricket board. So they sent a club team that got beaten by Bangladesh in the recent series. These minnows faced Pakisthan in the match 2. The result was a foregone conclusion, but for the record, the windies were blasted away by the Paki pacers and, the paki batsman made a heavy weather of the target 139, loosing 5 wickets before winning the match.
The list of champions missing from CT is growing all the time, Zaheer khan, Veerendra Sehwag , Flintoff, Peterson due to injuries and Gayle, Chanderpaul due to other reasons. Now comes the real shocker-- YUVI IS OUT TOO WITH A FRACTURE. We may see a few more before the end of CT2009.
When you look at it dispassionately, you see that too much of cricket is taking it's toll on the players. The ICC and BCCI and their bosses think that playing cricket should be like going to office/ work everyday. Given the facts that the T20 format is giving everyone concerned more than double the revenue per ball ( or over) it is not surprising that more and more players (and fans )will give the ODIs a miss.
In spite of the best efforts of all concerned, CT2009 is likely to be the last Champions Trophy (ODI) and the World Cup 2011 may even be called off . If not called off, it will be a big flop. Sachin's suggestion that ODIs can be split into two innings of 25 overs each, though has some merits, may not work out. Fans (and players) would prefer two T20 matches in place of one ODI.
So, i think, this is the beginning of the end for the ODIs.
Match 2 was pathetic. A lot of things have gone wrong with the windies cricket, of late, and, their biggest problem has been the ego of their cricket board. So they sent a club team that got beaten by Bangladesh in the recent series. These minnows faced Pakisthan in the match 2. The result was a foregone conclusion, but for the record, the windies were blasted away by the Paki pacers and, the paki batsman made a heavy weather of the target 139, loosing 5 wickets before winning the match.
The list of champions missing from CT is growing all the time, Zaheer khan, Veerendra Sehwag , Flintoff, Peterson due to injuries and Gayle, Chanderpaul due to other reasons. Now comes the real shocker-- YUVI IS OUT TOO WITH A FRACTURE. We may see a few more before the end of CT2009.
When you look at it dispassionately, you see that too much of cricket is taking it's toll on the players. The ICC and BCCI and their bosses think that playing cricket should be like going to office/ work everyday. Given the facts that the T20 format is giving everyone concerned more than double the revenue per ball ( or over) it is not surprising that more and more players (and fans )will give the ODIs a miss.
In spite of the best efforts of all concerned, CT2009 is likely to be the last Champions Trophy (ODI) and the World Cup 2011 may even be called off . If not called off, it will be a big flop. Sachin's suggestion that ODIs can be split into two innings of 25 overs each, though has some merits, may not work out. Fans (and players) would prefer two T20 matches in place of one ODI.
So, i think, this is the beginning of the end for the ODIs.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
MY TRIBUTE TO YSR
I am no fan of YSR. On the contrary, i have been his staunch critic on several issues, over the years. But , this is not about those issues.
This is about the tragic, sudden, untimely death of a very popular, young,dynamic, very fit Chief Minister of my state of Andhra Pradesh.
I first caught the news of missing helicopter around 12-30pm yesterday. Since then i was glued to the TV like millions others. My heart told me , as hours passed by, that the worst has probably happened. But, there was always that very slim chance, a miracle. Alas--- that was not to be.
As i look back, i first became aware of YSR in the early 80s. As an young MLA he started making his mark. He was a stormy petrel, an 'young turk' in the congress party. They used to make him a deputy minister to keep him quiet. But he became more vociferous and critical. Some congressmen used to call him (jokingly) as 'leader of opposition'. Over the years he matured and became a shrewed politician.
He was PCC president on a couple of occasions and was also the leader of opposition for some time. There are a few things that certainly stand out in his political career.
The first thing that comes to my mind is his 'PADAYATRA' in 2003, wherin he walked 1400kms all over the state covering a lot of rural areas and REACHING OUT to people. That he did it in hot summer at the age of 54 goes to show how fit he was. People all over the state sat up and took notice of his padayatra. Though Chandrababu was very popular with the urban and the educated with his 'HITECH' immage, YSR marketed himself well as the champion of the rural folks who are mostly dependent on agriculture. He came to power defeating Babu entirely on his own hard work and efforts.
The next thing that comes to my mind is the pre-2009 election period. This was the time when there was a tremendous pressure on YSR , both with in and out side his party, to give in on the Telangana demand. There was a role reversal. The champion of 'swarna Andhra Pradesh' all along, Chandrababu did a volte face and supported seperate Telangana. Babu joined hands with , of all the people, KCR of TRS. The communists, always against a seperate Telangana, also jumped on the band waggon. Thus the entire Opposition ganged up into a grand alliance pitted against YSR. It is to YSR's credit that he stood firm like a rock , convinced his high command that he can deliver the votes (and seats) and took on the might of the opposition, single handed and head on. Babu's unholy alliance with TRS cost him dearly and YSR was the more credible option. The rest is history and YSR triumphed. I salute him for his steadfast support of a united A.P.
He had many popular schemes going, often, at great cost to the state. Many of these schemes were also money spinners for the corrupt. But, there is one scheme for which i salute him. It is the ' AROGYA SRI' scheme. The concept of this scheme is that the poor should have access to the best of medical aid, free of cost, when required. I know of a number of genuine benificieries of this scheme who had major surgeries under this scheme and are living their normal lives today. But for this scheme they would have probably died. This is a scheme that is really working for the poor. It may not be perfect but it is working. And it is YSR's brain child.
It is a real tragedy that a dynamic, young leader like YSR met with an untimely and violent death. He was on his way to a few villages near chittor to interact with the villagers in his 'Rachabanda' programme when his copter crashed. The people of AP, particularly those who have benifited by his schemes, will greatly miss him. But it is even a bigger loss to the congress party which doesn't have anyone nearly half as good to replace him.
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE
This is about the tragic, sudden, untimely death of a very popular, young,dynamic, very fit Chief Minister of my state of Andhra Pradesh.
I first caught the news of missing helicopter around 12-30pm yesterday. Since then i was glued to the TV like millions others. My heart told me , as hours passed by, that the worst has probably happened. But, there was always that very slim chance, a miracle. Alas--- that was not to be.
As i look back, i first became aware of YSR in the early 80s. As an young MLA he started making his mark. He was a stormy petrel, an 'young turk' in the congress party. They used to make him a deputy minister to keep him quiet. But he became more vociferous and critical. Some congressmen used to call him (jokingly) as 'leader of opposition'. Over the years he matured and became a shrewed politician.
He was PCC president on a couple of occasions and was also the leader of opposition for some time. There are a few things that certainly stand out in his political career.
The first thing that comes to my mind is his 'PADAYATRA' in 2003, wherin he walked 1400kms all over the state covering a lot of rural areas and REACHING OUT to people. That he did it in hot summer at the age of 54 goes to show how fit he was. People all over the state sat up and took notice of his padayatra. Though Chandrababu was very popular with the urban and the educated with his 'HITECH' immage, YSR marketed himself well as the champion of the rural folks who are mostly dependent on agriculture. He came to power defeating Babu entirely on his own hard work and efforts.
The next thing that comes to my mind is the pre-2009 election period. This was the time when there was a tremendous pressure on YSR , both with in and out side his party, to give in on the Telangana demand. There was a role reversal. The champion of 'swarna Andhra Pradesh' all along, Chandrababu did a volte face and supported seperate Telangana. Babu joined hands with , of all the people, KCR of TRS. The communists, always against a seperate Telangana, also jumped on the band waggon. Thus the entire Opposition ganged up into a grand alliance pitted against YSR. It is to YSR's credit that he stood firm like a rock , convinced his high command that he can deliver the votes (and seats) and took on the might of the opposition, single handed and head on. Babu's unholy alliance with TRS cost him dearly and YSR was the more credible option. The rest is history and YSR triumphed. I salute him for his steadfast support of a united A.P.
He had many popular schemes going, often, at great cost to the state. Many of these schemes were also money spinners for the corrupt. But, there is one scheme for which i salute him. It is the ' AROGYA SRI' scheme. The concept of this scheme is that the poor should have access to the best of medical aid, free of cost, when required. I know of a number of genuine benificieries of this scheme who had major surgeries under this scheme and are living their normal lives today. But for this scheme they would have probably died. This is a scheme that is really working for the poor. It may not be perfect but it is working. And it is YSR's brain child.
It is a real tragedy that a dynamic, young leader like YSR met with an untimely and violent death. He was on his way to a few villages near chittor to interact with the villagers in his 'Rachabanda' programme when his copter crashed. The people of AP, particularly those who have benifited by his schemes, will greatly miss him. But it is even a bigger loss to the congress party which doesn't have anyone nearly half as good to replace him.
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE
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