The semi finals match ups have been decided and though we have 3 sub continental teams which were predicted by many before the WC , few would have expected New Zealand to qualify and South Africa to get eliminated. Many would say that South Africa's chokers tag is here to stay and the misery which could not be eradicated by Cronje's intellect could not have been removed by Smith's tweets before the World Cup. SA would have thought that picking the most diverse bowling attack and hiding Tahir from the other teams would give the missing link and complete the circle . Instead they are back to the same vicious circle of mental strength to get out of tricky situations and hope that Gary Kirsten would oblige them at the end of his India assignment to break it.
The caravan moves on , we move on and what better than having a billion people supporters for the 3 subcontinent teams of the World Cup. India meeting Pakistan at the close to the border city of Mohali is as close as these countries can get to war and the hand of Samjhauta has been extended by Manmohan Singh to Geelani for only the World Cup match of course. Pakistan will realise that this is their best chance for a world cup final not looking further to the title Mohali being the best pitch favoring their strong bowling and iffy batting while chasing. The Indian team look like they are peaking and chasing a dream either for themselves or for Sachin. Both teams have extrapolated the fact that beating the World cup champions is equivalent to winning the title. Pakistan may play Shoaib Akhtar to hustle the Indian batting lineup and use spin of Hafeez, Ajmal & Afridi to stifle it from getting to a competitive total. Mohali is a pitch where many would know that the toss would be irrelevant and the dew factor could come into play. Still the Indian line up whether batting or bowling looks fragile but it would be easy for Dhoni to paper the cracks and prevent it from total breakdown for the vital two matches.
As the temperature rises in the city of Mohali going into the long summer, it doesn't require Gay Lussac's law to state the relationship to the pressure felt by the teams especially India. So knowing fully well that it is the last but one, both teams will feel that it lasts till the end .
Let the game begin , last the distance and make it enjoyable for the common man not withstanding chewed nails , heart breaks and higher TRPs.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
3 Steps to GLORY ( Part 1 )
Ladies and Gentlemen , The quarter finals are here and no better way to start this series of matches than to have Pakistan playing the West Indies. This is one of those Ravi Shastri moments before the start of the QFs and so I assume. The team that has won almost all the matches that they were supposed to win ( West Indies ) is playing the team which has won every match convincingly except one which was a convincing loss ( Pakistan ). Pakistan has been clinical in their performances which has been least expected since they are the team which were supposed to be unpredictable in every sense. The match against NZ was the only off day in a series of good bowling performances which proves the point that to go further in the World Cup , you need to make full use of your bowling resources. The bowling variety makes the captain spoilt for choice and the fact that Ajmal is still on the bench tells you a lot of the other team players and their performances. Only their middle order batting has still not been super good but has done enough to win them the matches. Asad Shafiq has compensated for the lack of form of Younis and Misbah and since they have not been threatened by huge totals , they have lasted the distance by and large.
West Indies in contrast have been poor against stronger opponents and again it is their batting which has failed time & again and not surprisingly on the mental front. The WI teams of the yore had the habit of always winning and lost it in the mid 80s. They have not got it back yet despite some off and on heroics from one BC Lara. The team was angry and hurt that they were rated below Bangladesh in the ICC ratings and that was only fair as they had lost almost everything in sight and not beaten a team ranked above them at all. Statistics lie is the often repeated quote but nothing better than disproving it with your performances . West Indies under two names who never made it big ,Otis Gibson and Darren Sammy will be desperate to do and reach what and where their illustrious predecessors like Lara and Hooper couldn’t. They would be happy to assume that they are 1 match away from a semi final and as it happens in the knock out matches , you could have a blinder from a batsman like Pollard or a dream spell from Roach which makes the impossible happen.
Lets wait and see which Pakistan and which West Indies make their appearance today. Positivity helps and no better people to set the right tone than Chris Gayle with his batting or Umar Gul with one of his magical spells. It pays to be positive and doubly rewarding if it is a World cup semi final place at stake.
West Indies in contrast have been poor against stronger opponents and again it is their batting which has failed time & again and not surprisingly on the mental front. The WI teams of the yore had the habit of always winning and lost it in the mid 80s. They have not got it back yet despite some off and on heroics from one BC Lara. The team was angry and hurt that they were rated below Bangladesh in the ICC ratings and that was only fair as they had lost almost everything in sight and not beaten a team ranked above them at all. Statistics lie is the often repeated quote but nothing better than disproving it with your performances . West Indies under two names who never made it big ,Otis Gibson and Darren Sammy will be desperate to do and reach what and where their illustrious predecessors like Lara and Hooper couldn’t. They would be happy to assume that they are 1 match away from a semi final and as it happens in the knock out matches , you could have a blinder from a batsman like Pollard or a dream spell from Roach which makes the impossible happen.
Lets wait and see which Pakistan and which West Indies make their appearance today. Positivity helps and no better people to set the right tone than Chris Gayle with his batting or Umar Gul with one of his magical spells. It pays to be positive and doubly rewarding if it is a World cup semi final place at stake.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Momentum Shift
The World Cup caravan trundles on , from Chennai to Chittagong , from Bengaluru to Delhi. The stomach bug continues to worry the Englishmen though strangely there has been no comment on the pitches as yet from any of the captains. Either they are getting used to the subcontinent conditions or loathe to comment since ICC monitors the preparation of the pitches.
The World Cup favourites are slowly gathering momentum and some teams appear in a daze and are looking at winning the last 4 to make it the " CUP that COUNTS". Not many tactical innovations have been made yet except for SA opening with a spinner or India opting to take the batting powerplay early. The momentum of the innings now hinges on the powerplays which are giving the captains headaches and the spectators value for money. The bowling powerplay has still not been employed as a strategic tool with captains wanting to get rid of it as early as possible. That leaves us with only the batting powerplay which can be used as a surprise weapon. For a TV watcher who analyzes the match in threadbare detail , the momentum shift would be more relevant since it could happen any time in the match and the team which siezes it and pushes forward triumphs ultimately. Pertinent examples in different matches played till now are easy to quote though there would be divergent views one too many on what these moments are. Earlier there used to be a TV programme on science called Turning Point on DD which was extrapolated to cricket with a sponsor added to it and strangely it is absent today in the World Cup coverage. An innings does not normally have more than one or maximum two turning points unless as Shastri says " NOW, Is there another twist in the tale ".
The momentum shift happened in India - England tied match with Andrew Strauss's dismissal or in South Africa match it was Yusuf Pathan's dismissal. When SA went into the dressing room at the innings break, they would have been justifiably buoyant that a 350+ total had been restricted to a sub 300 one. The momentum of the game had well and truly shifted till the AB de Villiers dismissal in the second half when things were brought back to an even keel. In the NZ-Pak game , things turned towards NZ in the Shoaib over where Taylor ransacked sixes and fours and Pakistan never recovered thereafter. Matches involving England have entertained the average viewer /spectator not with the typical momentum shifts between innings but with bowlers and batsmen obliging or strangling the opposition.
When coaches and captains deliberate in the change rooms and strategies are made, we believe that the minute by minute account is considered and the jottings in the notebook of the coach would contain important moments of the match where the team was found wanting. So given that there was enough justification for Shoaib to be dropped in the next match for Pakistan, is there enough now for Yusuf to be dropped now for Raina or Ashwin to be brought back because of Nehra's generosity in the last over or will it be blamed on the captaincy of MSD which was supposed to be brilliant when his changes worked and jaded when it doesn't .
There is not much time left in this World cup as Indians seek answers to the difficult questions and as the saying goes " Only time will tell "
The World Cup favourites are slowly gathering momentum and some teams appear in a daze and are looking at winning the last 4 to make it the " CUP that COUNTS". Not many tactical innovations have been made yet except for SA opening with a spinner or India opting to take the batting powerplay early. The momentum of the innings now hinges on the powerplays which are giving the captains headaches and the spectators value for money. The bowling powerplay has still not been employed as a strategic tool with captains wanting to get rid of it as early as possible. That leaves us with only the batting powerplay which can be used as a surprise weapon. For a TV watcher who analyzes the match in threadbare detail , the momentum shift would be more relevant since it could happen any time in the match and the team which siezes it and pushes forward triumphs ultimately. Pertinent examples in different matches played till now are easy to quote though there would be divergent views one too many on what these moments are. Earlier there used to be a TV programme on science called Turning Point on DD which was extrapolated to cricket with a sponsor added to it and strangely it is absent today in the World Cup coverage. An innings does not normally have more than one or maximum two turning points unless as Shastri says " NOW, Is there another twist in the tale ".
The momentum shift happened in India - England tied match with Andrew Strauss's dismissal or in South Africa match it was Yusuf Pathan's dismissal. When SA went into the dressing room at the innings break, they would have been justifiably buoyant that a 350+ total had been restricted to a sub 300 one. The momentum of the game had well and truly shifted till the AB de Villiers dismissal in the second half when things were brought back to an even keel. In the NZ-Pak game , things turned towards NZ in the Shoaib over where Taylor ransacked sixes and fours and Pakistan never recovered thereafter. Matches involving England have entertained the average viewer /spectator not with the typical momentum shifts between innings but with bowlers and batsmen obliging or strangling the opposition.
When coaches and captains deliberate in the change rooms and strategies are made, we believe that the minute by minute account is considered and the jottings in the notebook of the coach would contain important moments of the match where the team was found wanting. So given that there was enough justification for Shoaib to be dropped in the next match for Pakistan, is there enough now for Yusuf to be dropped now for Raina or Ashwin to be brought back because of Nehra's generosity in the last over or will it be blamed on the captaincy of MSD which was supposed to be brilliant when his changes worked and jaded when it doesn't .
There is not much time left in this World cup as Indians seek answers to the difficult questions and as the saying goes " Only time will tell "
Thursday, March 3, 2011
TIED to CRICKET
As we move on further in the loooooong tournament, slowly the fancied teams are getting their acts right and preparing themselves for bigger challenges in the quarters. As usual we have some one sided matches and some close ones as we would expect in the league stages.
The tied match left me devoid of any feeling for the World Cup matches till the quarter finals. Fluctuating fortunes left me emotionally drained and my facial emotions will necessitate creation of new emoticons in the new chat softwares . Especially when India is playing , the feeling of surprise and joy when they win to the cursing and disappointment when they lose is normal. In the last 5 overs of the tied match, you would have been overjoyed, disappointed, bewildered and finally relieved that India managed some points . Rarely do you get all these in one match and the match that provides all of these is a thriller. But there are some teams which come close in this respect as well , one is the mighty unpredictable West Indies and the other woeful England not to leave out the ever unpredictable Pakistan.
When my daughter asked me for the prediction of the winner of the match between England and Ireland, I didnt bat an eyelid to say England especially after Niall O Brien was out. But the difference this time was she didnt ask me why as she normally does. I wish she had and that would have woken me up to the possibilities of Kevin O Brien scoring big ( not a century in the wildest of dreams !! ) .
The match yesterday left me speechless especially when I watched the highlights . It also gave me a nice feeling that this performance can't be repeated in the next match . Despite this India has a lot to watch out for and the curator will be well advised to make a turning track & Dhoni wins the toss to neutralise whatever advantages the Irish have in terms of momentum from their last win.
After yesterday's encounter, I was disappointed that I am falling into the set of run of the mill watchers and not a seasoned die hard. The run of the mill kind rarely see a possibility of a tie or a once in a life time innings happening and life beyond cricket watching becomes more important. After this , the often repeated cricket saying of " It aint over till the last ball " rings louder. If some more World cup matches make this happen, it would definitely be the World cup which we are dying to be a part of and one dayers will get a fresh resuscitation.
Disclaimer
People with heart problems would be advised to stay away from the TV and watch highlights instead.
The tied match left me devoid of any feeling for the World Cup matches till the quarter finals. Fluctuating fortunes left me emotionally drained and my facial emotions will necessitate creation of new emoticons in the new chat softwares . Especially when India is playing , the feeling of surprise and joy when they win to the cursing and disappointment when they lose is normal. In the last 5 overs of the tied match, you would have been overjoyed, disappointed, bewildered and finally relieved that India managed some points . Rarely do you get all these in one match and the match that provides all of these is a thriller. But there are some teams which come close in this respect as well , one is the mighty unpredictable West Indies and the other woeful England not to leave out the ever unpredictable Pakistan.
When my daughter asked me for the prediction of the winner of the match between England and Ireland, I didnt bat an eyelid to say England especially after Niall O Brien was out. But the difference this time was she didnt ask me why as she normally does. I wish she had and that would have woken me up to the possibilities of Kevin O Brien scoring big ( not a century in the wildest of dreams !! ) .
The match yesterday left me speechless especially when I watched the highlights . It also gave me a nice feeling that this performance can't be repeated in the next match . Despite this India has a lot to watch out for and the curator will be well advised to make a turning track & Dhoni wins the toss to neutralise whatever advantages the Irish have in terms of momentum from their last win.
After yesterday's encounter, I was disappointed that I am falling into the set of run of the mill watchers and not a seasoned die hard. The run of the mill kind rarely see a possibility of a tie or a once in a life time innings happening and life beyond cricket watching becomes more important. After this , the often repeated cricket saying of " It aint over till the last ball " rings louder. If some more World cup matches make this happen, it would definitely be the World cup which we are dying to be a part of and one dayers will get a fresh resuscitation.
Disclaimer
People with heart problems would be advised to stay away from the TV and watch highlights instead.
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