IPL3: Not jerking this—Daredevils do have an edge

You might say that I am blowing the same horn that has been voiced by some of the betting agencies who have placed the Delhi Daredevils as the most favored team to win the IPL3 but this isn’t so—the fact is that this is one of the most balanced sides in the third edition of the IPL. They have someone like Glenn McGrath waiting in the ranks and Rajat Bhatia hasn’t been listed for the first four matches though he is a very useful all-rounder. Further, there is an abundance of handy players in the side who can bat and bowl, including the likes of Sehewag and Dilshan who are good enough to win matches with their batting alone. Add to this mix, the likes of Gambhir, the Daredevil skipper, and DeVilliers and you have the most formidable batting line-up in the competition. The fielding standards too are at par with any other team playing in IPL3 and none of the players are scheduled to leave the side before the final match is played—a problem being faced by many sides in the competition, and none of the benched players are unfit or struggling for form. What all this means is that Daredevils are the only side that can field a full-fit and competitive side for each of their IPL3 league matches.

Pakistan does it again: cricketing idiocy at its very best

If there was a Razzie for the worst cricketing team to have ever numbed our senses, the award would have gone to the Pakistan team, every year, every time. It is difficult to even coin a name for what their Board has done now, having fined nearly half the team and banned the other half. Further, nearly every cricketing expert believes this is to be another PCB histrionic wherein the players will be reinstalled much before they pay their dues or complete their sentences. Why? Simply because this is how Pakistani cricket is run and this time too, we have no reason to believe otherwise. If an innocent Pakistani were to look at the present situation, though it is difficult to believe that there are any people who don’t realize the depths to which their team has fallen, it would seem that there is simply no player in the national team who isn’t charged of either indiscipline, camping against senior or juniors, taking sides, tampering with balls, speaking against higher authorities or even doping…phew!!

Hayden’s got a racquet instead of a bat!!

Yes, as unbelievable it may sound, Matthew Hayden of Australia has got some sort of a half-racquet, half-bat for the third edition of the IPL. Many people had suggested that the increasing amount T20 cricket being played in these days would eventually lead to further changes in the way batsmen approached their game, and this includes the gear and the equipment they use. If you look at it, Big Matty’s new bat has an extremely long handled and the actual meat of the bat is just about 80% of a conventional bat. I guess, it means that he is planning to stand on his backfoot and use his bat for swinging across the line even more now. Just one question though—wasn’t Hayden scary enough for the bowlers with his old bat that he had to bring something so ridiculous looking and so far-off from the norm?

Is Tendulkar's Epic Innings precursor to ODI 200s??

It is an unarguable fact that Sachin Tendulkar is perhaps the greatest batsmen in contemporary cricket even as the debate on his status as an all-time great among the game’s leading run-scorers will continue to seep into every cricketing conversation for many years to come. His most recent landmark—the 200+ score in an ODI may become something of a precursor, considering the amount of runs that are being scored in an average ODI game. It seems that scoring in excess of 300 runs is a mere formality when playing in the sub-continent and with Sachin’s record-breaking effort, the mental block of reaching the double-century mark in the 50-over game might have been broken. Considering the kind of batsmen that are opening the innings in the modern ODI format, from Sehewag to Gayle, and the mediocrity of the bowling oppositions, it might become a more regular feature than any of us could have imagined a couple of years back. I would say this is Sachin’s second biggest contribution in redefining the ODI game. Firstly, he single-handedly introduced the feature of an aggressive, opening bat who was relentless on the bowlers and the pattern was emulated by every international team. Now, he has reset the benchmarks for ODI openers and might have opened the floodgates for ODI doubles!!

Zimbabwe finally have something to offer!!

I am not talking about Zimbabwe's run-rate or the emergence of any notable player but for the first time, in the last decade or so, the team is playing cricket in a manner that is managing to engage some attention. For starters, Raymond Price has been opening the opening against the West Indies with spin bowlers, including himself. The last time this was done on such a consistent basis was by Martin Crowe of New Zealand during the World Cup of 1992. What is more encouraging is that now the Zims can actually bat-out fifty overs on a consistent basis and the batsmen are ready to make-up for their lack of experience or sheer talent with some on-field doggedness. It would be going too far to say that the team is about to induce some major upsets, but yes, a somewhat more tenacious and capable Zimbabwe cricket team is definitely helpful for the game. Price has been ruthless as a leader and the young Zims are following this methodology of approaching the game wherein the 33-year old throws a punch for everything that comes his way.

England lining-up some good all-rounded players

England might still be reeling under the absence of their foremost all-rounder, Andrew Flintoff, but as things present themselves for the moment, they do have a good bunch who can make-up for Freddie's absence. In Stuart Broad and Bresnan (big dude in the pic here), England have found two useful players who can bat and bowl and are pretty agile in the field. Bresnan, in particular has been impressing a lot during the last few months, scoring some very decent knocks during the latter part of the innings. Add to this, Collingwood, who is a handy, if not a complete bowler, and England pretty much size-up to most sides in terms of all-rounder strength. However, what is lacking is one or two batsmen who can give them blistering starts when batting. You really cannot expect Strauss of Ian Bell to do that. I still believe that Pietersen finds himself lost since his captaincy was taken away. For some strange reason, his sudden removal from the profile has caused his confidence to slip far too much for an international player.

Sreesanth, Latest Entrant in India’s Hall of Bowlers Gone Slow!!

I thought that it was some sort of off-season injury or some other weird reason that Sreesanth was bowling so slowly during the first of the one-dayers against the South Africans. As it turns out, that wasn’t just a one-time thing. Like many other of his young Indian counterparts, he has actually slowed-up remarkably although there is no injury and neither has he been used excessively. This is some sort of a virus that seems to affect every speedster coming from India who has some promise to offer. Further, it seems that his bowling action too has changed a bit. Sreesanth never really did have remarkable line or length to boast of—it was swing bowling at some good speeds that got him all the wickets and made him a tough customer if the pitch had anything to offer. He even showed signs of being able to use the old ball. Now, he can hardly cross the 130 km/hr barrier and his swing is lacking due the change in the manner in which his is delivering the ball. Yes, the seam is still very upright—one of young Sreesanth’s typical bowling traits, but now the shrug-like movement that he had at the time of releasing the ball has gone and has been replaced by a more controlled sort of stride that may be prettier from a technical aspect but sure as hell doesn’t make him a better or a more lethal bowler.

Bits & Pieces is the way for India at the moment

You can call it the result of playing on docile wickets and the fact that Indian batsmen are chasing 300+ scores in nearly every one-dayer that they play or the ineffectiveness of the Indian bowling attack but the fact remains that the Indian selectors have understood that this team just cannot afford to have too many specialist bowlers. As a result, from Yousuf Pathan to Jadeja and now even, Abhishek Nayyar, all players who have a record of contributing with the bat and the ball have been inducted into the team. 2011 World Cup is not very far away and the selectors and the team management most probably understand that there is not much difference between someone who can give-away six or seven runs per over, and hence, if the compromise in bowling attack means having nearly 8 batsmen, then why not take the advantage. It should be understood that a similar approach has been taken by various international teams with widely varied results. In 1996, the Sri Lankans used their part-time spinners to put together a world cup-winning effort whereas the West Indies have tried it many times and are still trying it with a host of players who can bowl medium pace or a bit slower but have found no success whatsoever. It is not a sure-win formula by any stretch of imagination but when the domestic scene is so completely devoid of quality bowlers with any real spin or pace to talk about, are there any good alternatives?

IPL3: Timing gone horribly wrong??

Some folks might not be asking this question but I am surely not one of those guys. I honestly feel that the present scheduling of IPL3 is highly questionable considering that the T20 World Cup 2010 in Caribbean is so near. This will lead to another T20 glut that is not going to do any favors to the viewership for the club games. Let us get thing very clear, and that is in the cricket perspective: we are not in the mold of the English Premier League wherein the same bunch of guys can form great, talked-about friendships during their club stints and still go totally ‘Mexican’ when it comes to the competitions wherein national teams participate. This is still a more conservative form of a not-so-global sport and we want to see some real bad blood, I am trying to say ‘extreme competitiveness’ here, between the players and the presence of IPL3 so close to the World Cup is bound to hamper this. Further, after seeing IPL matches round the clock, doesn’t the very status of a World Cup get slightly eradicated, particularly considering that T20 matches are still assuming the serious proportions that they have promised.

Things are not going to improve overnight, so why the fuss?

This is regarding the continuing fuss about playing in IPL3 by many overseas players. It should be understood that the present situation is nothing new and things cannot be expected to change drastically. For starters, things haven’t improved in any was since the attacks in Mumbai that caused the shifting of IPL2 to SA. If there are any apprehensions, they should be directed to the organizers of IPL who are going ahead with their plans, paying no attention to the possibility of a terrorist attack or the damage that can be incurred to a nation’s international status, if something violent does happen and any international player is injured or for that matter, harmed beyond on-field injuries. This rising conundrum of opinions wherein the sub-continent is being ridiculed just makes no sense—there is nothing that has changed in the last few weeks or for that matter, the last decade that makes the entire sub-continent safer or hazardous for foreign travelers—the threat of terrorism is a real and thriving for every citizen of India and its neighboring nation and for overseas players to expect that things would improve or should be different just because they plan to come here for a few weeks is simply unwarranted.