Why is England going crazy over Steven Finn?

If I can recall correctly nearly every player that England have looked upon to deliver them from their poor record against Australia over the last decade has disappointed to a large extent. Yes, there have been some exception like Pietersen and Flintoff who flourished briefly before becoming vulnerable to personal and fitness-related issues. I still remember how gung-ho the English media was about players like Ronnie Irani, Ealham and Mark Alleyne, hoping that these players will be able to perform since their county records were supposedly great. Now, with the Ashes coming close, the English cricket media seems obsessed with Steven Finn and believe that he is another McGrath in the making. Whether this is due to over-optimism or simply because Finn releases the ball in a matter akin to the great Aussie bowler or due to a combination of both these factors, is beyond me. However, what still surprises me is that how the media in England starts hailing any new find as a potential Ashes winner. If you remember, Matthew Hoggard was placed on a same pedestal and was suppose to swing-out the Aussie batsmen but nothing of the sort happened, at least over a sustained period. There isn't a single English player in the last decade who has an Ashes record as consistent and significant as that of some Aussie players like Hayden, McGrath and Shane Warne. At best, some cricketers from the UK have surfaced from time to time and delivered brilliantly in small patches that simply cannot be equaled to records of these Aussie greats.....but then, reality isn't everyone's cup of tea, is it?

How ‘global’ really is IPL3?

The third edition of the IPL is upon us and if you look at the configuration of the tournament in terms of international players participating, an immediate question comes to the mind—how ‘international’ is the International Premier League? I am not talking about the widespread disregard for T20 and the utter dismay of some former players, frowning upon how IPL is spoiling international cricketers by paying them excessively. I am concerned about its status as a globally competitive event. For starters, most of the current Australian cricketers have opted out,
stating that they would rather take rest and prolong their careers for their national teams rather than wallow in the riches of IPLIII. Secondly, you really cannot expect lots of Pakistani players to be playing, considering the current unrest in the relations of India-Pakistan. Further, England players too have refrained from participating in the aftermath of the two of their biggest stars, Flintoff and Pieterson failing miserably in the first edition—you may already know that Flintoff is away with a serious injury and Kevin Pieterson is badly out of form. Considering that nearly every current Indian player is playing and the number of international players that can be fielded isn’t a major proportion by any means, is this actually a global-scale cricketing event? I would rather look upon it as a India’s premier T20 championship that allows some international cricket players to participate. But I guess, when so much money is involved, the reality really doesn’t matter, does it Mr. Modi?