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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Another Exodus anomala for South Africa

World Cup Classics: South Africa v Sri Lanka, Group match, Kingsmead, Durban, 3 March 2003

South Africa continued to find odd ways to crash out of the World Cup. This time it was even more of a heartache as they were knocked out as hosts from the preliminary stage. They tied the match in a stirring fashion and settled for it only to know afterwards that they had misread the print on the D/L sheet which required them to win it instead. The happy Sri Lankan fans were gleaming under raindrops but the Proteas were left high and dry.


Sanath Jayasuriya elected to bat first on a gloomy day. A sedate Jayasuriya was run out at the total score of 37 but Marvan Atapattu and Hashan Tillakaratne took the score to 77 in the 18th over. Atapattu was in sublime touch defying the South African seamers despite the heavy cloud cover. Jayawardene went cheaply but Aravinda de Silva supported Atapattu for a magnificent 4th wicket partnership of 152 runs at a brisk rate of 6.7 runs per over. After both fell one after another, Sri Lanka lost the way a bit losing wickets in a heap in the last 5 overs and scored under 6 runs an over to finish at 268 for 9. Man of the match Atapattu played a match-winning knock of 124 off 129 balls with 18 delightful fours while de Silva scored an enterprising 73 in 78 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes. For the Proteas Jacques Kallis took 3 wickets for 43. It was a challenging total for the hosts who had to deal with the swing of Chaminda Vaas as well as the weather.

Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs started briskly and negotiated both Vaas and Pulasthi Gunaratne with authority. They put on 65 in 11.1 overs and eased the nerves in the Proteas camp. Gary Kirsten and Kallis did not last long as Sri Lankan spinners brought their team back into the match. Gibbs who was carrying his team’s chances was clean bowled by Muralitharan and Dippenaar was snared by Jayasuriya to leave the game wide open at 149 for 5 in the 30th over. One more wicket would have sunk South Africa but Mark Boucher (45 off 50 balls) came to their rescue scoring 63 runs with his captain Shaun Pollock for the 6th wicket. Pollock was run out by a millimeter or two for 25 when Murali reverse-flicked the ball onto the stumps.

Lance Klusener entered the crease with 57 required off 45 balls but he struggled against the spinners and both batsmen did not show any urgency till the rain became heavier. Murali bowled the 45th over which proved to be the last one. South Africa required to reach 230 runs without losing any more wickets at the end of the over. After being gifted 5 wides, Boucher hit the 5th ball for a massive six to reach 229 and pumped his fists in the air with joy thinking they had achieved the runs required for the over. So he softly played the last ball and did not take the run. As they walked off the pitch after umpires decided to stop the match due to rain, Shaun Pollock was seen holding his head in his hands in disbelief and disappointment. He, obviously, had misread the D/L sheet and the batsmen in the middle were given wrong information. It was a heart break for South Africa as they still needed 40 runs off 30 balls with no chance of play to resume in heavy showers. Another World Cup campaign had ended in bizarre fashion for them.

It was a good result for Sri Lanka to qualify for Super Sixes who had earlier hesitated to even play the match questioning the rule for separating teams tied on points. South Africa, conversely, did not choke this time but misinterpretation of the D/L par score left a bitter taste among their fans whose interest diminished as hosts for the remainder of the tournament.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Andy Bichel lays Poms to rest

World Cup Classics: Australia v England, group match, Port Elizabeth, March 2, 2003

Australia were on an unprecedented winning spree while England were staring at the possibility of crashing out of the World Cup. Like Andrew Symonds against Pakistan, here they found another improbable hero in Andy Bichel to tow them out of the quandary once again. As a result England’s campaign ended in gloom while Australians kept marching on with boom.

After winning the toss England started rousingly on a slow pitch. Marcus Trescothick and Nick knight had no difficulty in picking Brett Lee and McGrath for boundaries. McGrath who was frustrated after seeing his deliveries dispatched to the boundary felt incensed to the extreme when Trescothick found another four through to the third man. They raced to 66 in the 10th over. Andy Bichel came to bowl and turned the match upside down by removing Knight, Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain in his first 8 deliveries. The ball which bowled Hussain was a beauty. It squared up the English captain after pitching on the middle beating him all ends up and uprooting the off stump like a fast leg break. McGrath joined in and removed well-set Trescothick for 37 and then Paul Collingwood was sent back by a rampaging Bichel to leave England gasping at 87 for 5 in the 18th over. Bichel got the ball talking in front of a vociferous crowd and spell bound English dressing room.

Alec Stewart (46 off 92) and Andrew Flintoff (45 off 80) halted the slide by playing cautiously and added crucial 90 runs for the 6th wicket in almost 25 overs. It was again Bichel who came back to give Australia breakthrough by getting Flintoff out caught behind. He then castled Stewart’s stumps and made Ashley Giles his 7th victim to fall agonizingly short of McGrath’s World Cup record of 7/15 set against Namibia a few matches earlier. He took 7 wickets for just 20 runs. England made 204 for 8 having scored just 33 runs in the last 10 overs thanks to some brilliant death bowling by Australia. Australia were the happier of the two sides at the half-way stage.

In reply Andy Caddick destroyed Australia’s top order leaving them tottering at 48 for 4. Then the man of crises, Michael Bevan took charge of the situation adding 63 runs with Darren Lehmann. At this stage the match see-sawed again dramatically when Australia lost 4 wickets in 24 runs. At 135 for 8 Australia were staring at the defeat while England were thinking of just completing the formality. But they did not know that it was Bichel’s day. Bevan needed a partner desperately to sail his team out of troubled waters. Andy Bichel provided that support magnificently and playing his natural game he helped Australia race towards the target from a hopeless position. Bichel made 34 off 36 balls with 3 fours and a six while Bevan too was not out on 74 from 126 balls. They added 73 runs in an unbeaten 9th wicket partnership which buried a bewildered England team neck and crop. Australia won by 2 wickets setting a new record of 12 consecutive ODI wins. For England Caddick shone with 4 wickets for 35.

Andy Bichel was named man of the match for his brilliant all-round display. It was the day he outperformed the likes of Lee and McGrath by miles in bowling while out-batted Ponting, Gilchrist and Hayden to win the match for Australia against traditional rivals almost single handedly. With this performance he had written his name in the annals of World Cup history with golden words.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

England pull off a win to keep the series alive

Match Report: England v Australia - 4th ODI, Adelaide Oval, 26 January 2011

It was the last chance for England to come back into the series and Jonathan Trott helped them achieve that with shining display with both bat and ball. For England Woaks made way for James Anderson while Collingwood replaced injured Swann to lengthen their batting line-up for this do or die encounter. Australia remained unchanged.


Strauss won the toss and batted on what looked like to be a batting surface. England started well and were also helped by Lee who started with 5 wides and then gave Matt Prior a friendly leg-side half-volley to open his account after two zeroes in the previous matches. Strauss departed early caught behind off Lee in his next over but Trott and Prior coasted along fluently and put up a solid stand of 113 runs for the 3rd wicket. Prior played aggressively and after hitting Bollinger for 3 consecutive boundaries he greeted Lee on his 2nd spell with another one charging down the pitch. After surviving a horrible mix-up Prior hit a thumping six off Lee to show that England are well and truly back in business. On the other hand Trott was doing the stabilizing job. Just when the things were getting out of hand, Australia got back into the game through Steven Smith who first got Prior to cut straight to Doherty and then removed Pietersen and Ian Bell in one over. At 158 for 4 after 27 overs match was evenly poised.

Trott along with Eoin Morgan got his team to a leading position again by batting sensibly and contributing 66 runs between them. Trott completed his hundred off 117 balls with 6 fours but departed soon after playing on off Hussey’s bowling to leave a door ajar for Australia. Hussey accounted for Morgan in the next over for 24 and the match was wide open again. But Collingwood finding his form at the right time made sure his team gets a good total. He and Michael Yardy added 56 crucial runs for 7th wicket as they took the batting powerplay in the 43rd over. Although Collingwood got out after making a run a ball 27, Yardy remained not out on 39 off just 27 balls with 6 fours. England made 299 for 8 setting Australia a stiff but gettable target on a good wicket. David Hussey was the pick of the bowlers with excellent figures of 4 for 21in just 4 overs while Smith took 3 for 33.

Australia lost their first wicket at 32 when Haddin’s brisk innings of 20 in 16 balls was cut short by Tremlett with a slower ball. Anderson, on his come back, accounted for Shaun Marsh cheaply making sure Australia sweat it out from there on. Out of form Michael Clarke and Shane Watson took the score to 87 when Clarke was brilliantly clean-bowled by Collingwood. And when Watson who was playing well fell for 64 (72 balls with 6 fours and a six) in the 24th over, Australia still needed 184 runs at 7 runs per over. David Hussey and Cam White put Australia on track again by adding 60 runs for the 5th wicket. Prior missed a stumping chance to give White a life but Jonathan Trott got England vital wicket of Hussey for 28.It was his 1st ODI scalp. The asking rate had climbed to above 8 an over but, White, the man who could have achieved that was snapped by Trott caught at the boundary. Australia’s chances were slim as asking rate soon jumped to above 9. Hastings departed early but Brett Lee and Smith tried their best to crawl out of the quagmire. They needed 73 runs from the last five overs but England restricted them to 278 for 7 at the completion of the innings winning. At last, by 21 runs. Smith (46 off 47 balls) and Lee (39 off 32 balls) remained not out. Trott and Anderson took 2 wickets each. Trott was named man of the match for his all-round performance.

After three consecutive losses, England have now found the winning recipe and the series has become alive. Like their captain in tests, Ricky Ponting, Australia’s ODI captain Clarke too has failed to motivate them and lead from the front. This might be a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of the ODI series.

Match:
England (Trott 102, Prior 67; Hussey 4/27, Smith 3/33) beat Australia (Watson 64, Trott 2/31) by 21 runs

Series:
Australia lead by 3-1

A promised showdown turns into a docile comedown

World Cup Classics: Final - Australia v Pakistan, Lord's, London, 20 June 1999

What promised to be a summit end to the World Cup turned out to be a plummet instead. It was a disappointing finish to an otherwise closely contested and keenly watched World Cup. Pakistan was the most exciting team and one of the favorites while Australians were on a roll after a stuttering start to their campaign. Australia thrashed Pakistan in the final to win their second title in style much to the disappointment of the spectators and the broadcasters alike.


The start was delayed by half an hour due to rain. Wasim Akram batted first after winning the toss, a decision which was widely censured. Both teams went unchanged. Yousuf Youhana (now Mohammad Yousuf) had regained fitness but Ijaz Ahmed’s experience was preferred over Yousuf’s form and exuberance. It was another decision which was criticized. Saeed Anwar started well for Pakistan. Pakistan collected 14 runs from the 4th over bowled by Fleming thanks to 2 crispy fours by Anwar. McGrath accounted for Wajahatullah Wasti in the next over but the real damage was done in the following over. Saeed took time to change the grip of his bat and immediately Pakistan lost the grip on the match when Saeed dragged next delivery, the first of Fleming’s 3rd over bowled from round the stumps, on to his stumps. It was a crucial wicket as he was the in-form batsman for Pakistan. Abdul Razzaq and Ijaz Ahmed sluggishly took the score to 68 when the former departed after handing a catch to Steve Waugh off Tom Moody after making 17 off 51 balls. He was earlier dropped by McGrath but could not cash on.

Then the moment came when Warne took the charge and task of the match in his hands, a task of demolishing Pakistan. He dismissed Ijaz off a beauty then had Moin caught behind to leave Pakistan at a hopeless 91 for 5. Ijaz proved to be the top scorer with 22 off 46 balls. Inzamam who was the last hope was given out wrongly by David Shepherd when the ball had clipped his pad on the way to the keeper. Pakistan desperately tried to slog out of the trouble but folded cheaply in 39 overs for just 132 runs. Warne took 4 for 33 while McGrath (2 for 13 in 9 overs) and Moody (2 for 17) too feasted on Pakistan batsmen. It was second 4-wicket haul for the magician in as many matches. The disappointment could be sensed in the air by all as Australians happily went to the change room while Pakistan prepared for a miracle as well as a backlash from the fans. As the Pakistan players were having their lunch with heavy hearts the captain and team management might well have been putting in order a long list of excuses for the domestic consumption.

Adam Gilchrist started in hurricane fashion to nip the thought of a miracle from Pakistan in the bud. After playing two overs cautiously he first hit Wasim Akram for a few fours then hit Shoaib Akhtar for a six and a four in one over. They brought up the 50 in 7.1 overs and when Gilchrist was caught by Inzi off Saqlain in the 11th over, Australia were in a commanding position at 75 for 1. Gilchrist scored a whirlwind 54 off 49 balls including 8 fours and a six. Ponting continued the good work and by the time he was dismissed by Akram he had brought Australia within sight of the victory. Darren Lehmann hit the winning boundary off the first ball of 21st over bowled by Saqlain to start off jubilant celebrations in the Australian camp. Mark Waugh remained not out on 37 off 54 balls with 4 fours. Shane Warne was named man of the match for his magnificent bowling while Lance Klusener was given the man of the series award for his all-round brilliance. Australian won by 8 wickets with 179 balls reaming; they would never have thought of such a thumping victory in their wildest of dreams.

When Australia were on the brink of elimination, Steve Waugh had said that he would win all of the remaining 7 matches to lift the world cup and he did just that. What a player he was and what a captain he proved to be. It was the start of an unprecedented run of World Cup victories for the Australians while for the men in green this loss was just the tip of an ice berg of many defeats to come.

Lee and Hussey star as Australia go 3-0 up

Match Report: Australia v England - 3rd ODI, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Jan 23, 2011

England needed to bounce back and win the 3rd ODI before things got out of hand and desperate for them. But Australia again proved too strong winning 3rd game in a row. Loss here means they need to win all 4 remaining matches to salvage the series. After today’s performance it seems a daunting task for them.


Luke Wright replaced James Tredwell while Paul Collingwood finally got a game replacing an injured Pietersen. Tim Bresnan was out injured too handing debut to Chris Woakes. Australia made two changes as John Hastings replaced the injured Tait, and Xavier Doherty came in for Hauritz who got injured in the last game.

England opted to bat but lost Matt Prior in the first over as Lee trapped him in front. It was second successive duck for him on his return to the ODI side. Poor Davies must have been ironing out reasons of his last minute ouster from the England’s WC plans. On a sluggish wicket no England batsman barring Jonathan Trott could hang on for a significant length of time. The comical run out of Andrew Strauss who was playing fluently eventually cost England dearly as they continued to lose wickets regularly at one end. Trott batted sensibly holding one end up and remained not out on 84 runs off 119 balls with 3 fours. At no point in the innings he had the luxury to open up and play aggressively. Only Luke Wright (32 off 46) stayed with him for any length of time adding 49 runs for the 7th wicket. England innings ended prematurely in 48 overs with another hilarious run out when Chris Tremlett made a school boy error not grounding his bat. They made a below par 214 runs putting too much pressure on their bowlers to stop Australia from winning three in three. Brett Lee bowled brilliantly for his 3 for 27 while Doherty enjoyed his return with 2 for 37.

England not only needed to strike early but continue to take wickets and they did so by reducing Australia to 100 for 5 in the 19th over. Tremlett clean bowled in-form Shane Watson through the gate while Ajmal Shahzad trapped the centurion of the last game, Shaun Marsh cheaply to get the ball rolling for England. Michael Clarke’s woes with the bat continued while Cam White was trapped LBW by Collingwood of all people. Clarke was Woakes’s first ODI wicket. Brad Haddin was playing well at the other end and needed to carry on in the vein of Trott but handed Collingwood his 2nd wicket on his come back after making 54 off 59 balls with 7 fours and a six. He was earlier dropped by Tremlett on 37. Steven Smith joined David Hussey and they had a big task on their hands. They needed 115 runs from 29 overs with 5 wickets in hand. The required rate was only about 4 an over but the nature of wicket and the loss of too many wickets gave England an edge. Both put on vital 63 runs in 15 overs to put Australia back on track again. Tremlett got Smith out for 26 and gave England a hope but Hussey and Hastings made sure Australia reach the target without any further hiccup. They crossed the line in 34 overs winning comfortably in the end by 4 wickets. David Hussey remained not out for a luminous 68 off 89 balls with 6 fours and a six.

Brett Lee was named man of the match for his splendid bowling effort. Australia have won 3 in 3 now and England are in danger of losing their first ODI series since their 1-6 drubbing at the hands of Australia at home in 2009.

Match: Australia 215/6 (Hussey 68*, Haddin 54; Collingwood 2/25) beat England 214/10 (Trott 84, Wright 32; Lee 3/27, Doherty 2/37) by 4 wickets

Series: Australia lead 3-0

Friday, January 21, 2011

Brilliant Marsh helps Australia go 2-0 up

Match Report: Australia v England - 2nd ODI - Hobart, Jan 21, 2011

Australia’s slip in the form in test format has overshadowed the fact that they are still a competitive unit in ODIs. The margin and manner of defeat in the first match was too much for an Ashes winning English team to digest so they wanted an immediate riposte. But Bollinger and Marsh wiped them out once again.


Mike Hussey missed out due to injury so Shaun Marsh got a chance while Shaun Tait replaced a laid up Johnson. For England Matt Prior returns to the ODI team at the expense of Davies who was dumped from their World Cup squad and hence the current series. Doherty met the same fate for Australia as he made way for Nathan Hauritz in the series as well as World Cup. James Tredwell came in for injured Swann. Andrew Strauss won the toss and inserted Australia in to bat. The early morning rain had made the weather seamer friendly.

Ajmal Shahzad and Chris Tremlett started brilliantly as both moved the ball both ways. After bowling first over maiden Shahzad had Watson, hero of the last match, played on off a lovely ball that nipped back. In his 4th over he repeated the same dose to Haddin. After a slow and a struggling start Captain Michael Clarke got out softly to Bresnan. The disastrous start turned into a nightmare when Tremlett accounted for David Hussey leaving Australia beheaded at 33/4 in the 13th over. Cameron White and Shaun Marsh dug deep at this point and pulled Australia out of the hole with a solid 100-run association in 20.1 overs. The dismissal of White (45 off 76) by Yardy through caught and bowled triggered another collapse for Australia and they were again in tottering at 142 for 8. They had lost 4 wickets for 9 runs and were in danger of being all out well before 50 overs.

Marsh, who in the chaos had completed his 50, took the batting powerplay immediately when 8th wicket fell in the 37th over. Shahzad dropped a tough return catch but Marsh had found a reliable partner in Doug Bollinger. Both ran hard and played in the gaps well to collect 36 runs in the powerplay with only 2 fours. Marsh then opened his arms and punished Yardy with a six first then he hit 2 fours and a six in his next over again. The last six brought up his stunning hundred. It was a timely reminder to Aussie selectors that he is well and truly ready to fill Hussey’s spot in the World Cup squad in case Hussey remains unfit. It was exactly a run-a-ball knock with 7 fours and 2 sixes. Bollinger departed after a stand of 88 runs, a new Aussie record for 9th wicket. He made a vital 30 off 30 balls with 3 fours. Marsh holed out for 110 to finish Australian innings with 10 balls to spare. They never looked like crossing 170 but thanks to magnificent Marsh they ended up posting a fighting total. Tremlett was the best bowler with 3 for 22 while Shahzad took 3 for 43.

In reply England too were in trouble from the outset as Brett Lee and Bollinger reduced them t0 36 for 3 in 8 overs. Prior had a bitter come back when he went for a duck caught in slips off Lee. Pietersen too could not open his account as he played on off Bollinger after the bowler had accounted for captain Strauss the previous ball. Trott (32 off 58 balls) and Ian Bell(32 off 61 balls) trudged along to for a while before Australia struck back with the wickets of these two in quick succession. England had lost half the team at 96 and were looking second best from there on. Eoin Morgan and Michael Yardy, then, held Australia at bay for a while but just as they were looking to pull the things back for England both were dismissed one after the other. Hauritz, sadly, had gone off the ground limping amid fears that he may have injured himself out of the World Cup. Loss of Morgan was crucial as he had started to unleash his array of strokes. It was Bollinger’s day who after contributing crucial runs with the bat now was the main wrecker-in-chief for Australia. England folded in 45 overs for 184 runs losing the match for 46 runs. Bollinger took 4 for 28 while Lee returned with figures of 2 for 39. Marsh was named the Man of the Match for his brilliant and match-winning ton.

Australia are 2-0 up in the 7-match series and are enjoying some sweet moments in the ODIs after the Ashes humiliation. If they go on to win this series, it will provide a good momentum for them to defend their World Cup title in the subcontinent.

Summarized Scores

Australia: 230/10 (48.2 overs) - SE Marsh 110, CL White 45, DE Bollinger 30*; A Shahzad 3/43, CT Tremlett 3/22
England: 184/10 (45 overs) - IJL Trott 32, IR Bell 32; DE Bollinger 4/28, B Lee 2/38

Man of the Match: SE Marsh

Match - Australia won by 46 runs
Series - Aus 2 Eng 0

Pakistan’s Kiwi slaughter en route to final

World Cup Classics: 1st semi final - New Zealand v Pakistan, Old Trafford, Manchester, 16 June 1999

It was a contest between Pakistan’s formidable bowling and Kiwi’s long and dependable batting line up. Pakistan proved too good on the day and brushed aside New Zealand with so much ease that at no point New Zealand looked like competing. Saeed Anwar and tear away bowling sensation of the day, Shoaib Akhtar taught them separate lessons on batting and bowling respectively.


New Zealand chose to bat on a hot sunny day but found Wasim Akram and Shoaib too hot to handle. The Rawalpindi Express was bowling around 92-95 mph and the batsmen Matt Horne and Nathan Astle were hopping in the crease playing and missing repeatedly. Astle’s misery ended when his stumps were shattered by Shoaib in the 5th over. Akram made light work of Craig McMillan while Horne who had played a few pretty shots in between some awkward prods was clean bowled by a brilliant Abdul Razzaq yorker for 35. From 58 for 3, Stephen Fleming (41 0ff 57 balls) and Roger Twose (46 off 83 balls) took the score to 152 in the 34th over. Fleming who was playing fluently was knocked over by Shoaib who had returned for his second spell. After Fleming had hit him for two fours in the over Shoaib fired in a lightening quick in-swinging yorker which sent his leg stump cart-wheeling. In his 3rd spell he bowled a bewildered Chris Harris with a lovely slower one. Chris Cairns lifted New Zealand to 241 for 7 with a brisk but an out of character knock of 44 off 48 balls which contained only 3 fours. It was a fighting total thanks, in part, to Cairns but mainly it was the generosity of Pakistan bowlers which gave New Zealand total the respectability. Extras top scored with 47 including 17 wides and 12 no balls. Apart from Shoaib’s 3 for 55, Wasim Akram and Abdul Razzaq took 2 wickets each.

When Saeed Anwar and Wajahatullah Wasti strolled out to bat, there was an air of expectation all around. New Zealand supporters were counting the positives and signals from the first innings that conjectured a possible Kiwi victory while Pakistan was confident too though wary of a collapse. Both started confidently and faced no difficulty in posting 50 after 9 overs. Anwar was in his usual silky mode but Wasti too showed he had more than one gears as far as batting is concerned. Hundred was brought up in the 24th over. For a change, Wasti reached to his 50 first off 84 ball with 6 fours. New Zealand brought back Geoff Allot, their bowler of the tournament, for a second spell but he too could not have any impact on these two batsmen. To rub salt to the wounds, it was Wasti not Anwar who hit the first 6 of the match. Anwar gradually upped the tempo leaving Wasti behind in the scoring rate and played some delicious drives on both sides of the wicket. Wasti nearing his maiden hundred slowed considerably and got out after making 84 off 123 balls with 10 fours and a six. First wicket stand of 194 was the best in the World Cups at that time.

Ijaz Ahmed came and started using his bat like an axe in his usual style. Saeed brought up his second consecutive hundred and 17th of his illustrious career off 137 balls with 8 fours. It was a not a usual destructive sort of innings from him but a controlled one ensuring the match is won securely. At 235 for 1 the raucous crowd of mostly partisan folks clad in white and green invaded the ground and bizarrely held up the play for 9 minutes. In the 48th over Anwar sealed the match with an airy shot and Twose instead of trying to catch ran towards the pavilion in order to evade the marching fans. Ijaz was not out on 28 off 21 balls while Anwar remained not out for 113 but the Man of the Match award was given to fiery Shoaib who despite conceding runs had broken the back of Kiwi batting.

With this thumping and expected win, Pakistan marched into the final, their second in the World Cup. The manner in which they had disposed off New Zealand raised expectations back home of a repeat of 1992. What happened next was anything but worth treasuring.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Waugh’s mature epic and Gibbs’s pre-mature celebration

World Cup Classics: Super Sixes - Australia v South Africa, Headingley, Leeds, 13 June 1999

Australia reached Super Sixes without taking any points from the group stage with them as they were beaten by other qualifiers from their group. Now they had to win all three games in order to reach the semi-final. South Africa
after posting a challenging total were in control of the game in Australia’s innings when a heart-warming effort from an ice-cool legend thwarted them and carried his team marching into the semi-final.

South Africa chose to bat after winning the toss. Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten started confidently and took South Africa to 45 in the 13th over when the latter departed. Gibbs who was going strong and was timing the ball crisply shared a stand of 95 runs in almost 20 overs with Darryl Cullinan. Cullinan (50 off 62 balls) was clean bowled by his nemesis Shane Warne who then had Captain Hansie Cronje out LBW in the same over for a duck to bring Australia back on level terms. Both tried the same shot, a mow over cow corner but were deceived by the spin of the master. Gibbs who was batting fluently was yorked by McGrath at the score of 219 in the 44th over after scoring his second ton in ODIs for 101 off 134 balls with 10 fours and a six. Jonty Rhodes upped the tempo even further by scoring more than run-a-ball 39 with 2 fours and 2 sixes. They collected 18 from a Fleming over. Klusener than played a thunderous knock of 36 off just 21 balls in the closing stages, as he was doing so often in that World Cup, to lift his team’s score to a challenging 271 for 7. Thanks to these two, South Africa added 47 runs in the last 5 overs. For Australia Warne was the best bowler with 2 wickets for just 33 runs while Damien Flaming took 3 for 57.

Australia’s start was disastrous considering the importance of the game losing 3 key wickets at the score of 48. Steve Elworthy first clean-bowled Gilchrist with a beautiful in-dipper and then had Damien Martin caught at mid wicket. In between these two dismissals, Nicky Boje and Boucher combined well to run out dangerous Mark Waugh. It was a tricky situation which required something special from Australia as they could not afford to lose any more wickets. Entered Steve Waugh, the man of crises, to not only rescue the sinking ship but also prove his credentials as a captain who can lead from the front. And boy did he execute!

First he combined with Ponting to stabilize the innings by playing safely taking singles and doubles and then unleashed his powerful strokes all around the ground. Ponting who had hit two sixes was also mellowed down by him for the larger purpose and both added 126 runs in 22.4 overs for the 4th wicket. They scored at over 8 runs per over from 20th to the 30th over. There was electric atmosphere at the ground during Waugh’s onslaught and Cronje was clueless as a captain. Waugh completed his 50 first off 47 balls. Then the turning point came in the 31st over bowled by Klusener with Australia at 152. Steve Waugh flicked uppishly to Gibbs at mid wicket who grabbed the ball but dropped it forthrightly in a fit of premature celebration. It was the same Gibbs’s habit of celebrating prematurely after catching that Shane Warne had warned his team about in the team meeting before the match. He had advised them not to leave the crease immediately if they see Gibbs catching the ball but he was laughed off. Steve Waugh famously chucked at Gibbs, "I hope you realize that you've just lost the game for your team". Gibbs earlier had sneered at him, "Let's see how he takes the pressure now” when Waugh had arrived at the crease.

The dropped catch proved crucial as Waugh continued to murder the South African attack on his way to a fabulous hundred off just 91 balls with 10 fours and 2 sixes. Ponting had gone after contributing 69 off 110 balls but Michael Bevan gave Waugh good support in a quick stand of 73 runs. Waugh’s six off Elworthy on bent knees was a treat to watch. By the time Bevan departed the target was just 26 off the same number of balls. Fittingly Steve Waugh scored the winning runs with 2 balls left in the match. He remained not out on 120 off 110 balls and was named Man of the match.

With this win Australia booked their place in the semi-final against the same opposition and Waugh’s epic knock was written in the annals of World Cup Classics with golden words for the times to come. It was truly a captain’s knock which is regarded by many as the best ever in World Cup history.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Wonder boy Watson makes it 1-0 for Australia

Post Match Analysis: Australia v England, 1st ODI, Melbourne, Jan 16, 2011

This was a match to mark 40 years of One Day International (ODI) cricket. The first ODI was played here on the same venue on January 5th, 1971 which Australia won by 5 wickets. ODI cricket has changed a lot since that first match. As the first one 40 years ago Australia won this too quite easily.

Andrew Strauss beat Michael Clarke on the coin and elected to bat first. Collingwood missed out on form while Shaun Tait was out injured. After quiet 3 overs England set off to a flier having got the measure of the pitch and the bowling. Steve Davies enjoyed quite a bit of luck on his way to a quick-fire 42 off 35 balls. After being caught off a no-ball he was later dropped by Watson at short cover and then survived a stumping chance too. After 10 overs England were 70 for naught. Strauss and Davies were particularly harsh on Bollinger who gave away 26 runs in his 3 overs. Davies’ run of good luck was ended by David Hussey at the score of 90 in the 13th over. Then the wickets of Trott and Strauss (63 off 65 balls6 fours) brought the Aussies back into the game. But Kevin Pietersen put England back on track by batting sensibly and at run a ball. He shared a 53-run stand with Ian Bell but then saw wicks tumble in a heap again. Steven Smith got Bell and Morgan out cheaply while Yardy was undone by Bollinger. Pietersen and Tim Bresnan resurrected the innings again but Johnson ran out Pietersen by brilliant foot work to dent England’s chances of a big total. He made 78 off 75 balls with 2 fours and 3 big sixes all against spinners. After his departure England innings fell away and they were all out for 294 in the 50th over. UDRS was used for the first time in ODIs when Lee’s appeal against Ajmal Shehzad was turned down but umpire’s decision remained. Brad Haddin had a horror time stumps missing 3 easy stumpings. Lee, Johnson, Smith and Hussey all took 2 wickets each. Although the start of the innings promised more but nevertheless, it was a good total.

Australia’s start was even better than England’s. Shane Watson and Brad Haddin put on a magnificent 119-run partnership in just under 20 overs to give Australia a great foundation for the big chase. Watson was in great form and played his shots all around the ground. He gave a tough chance to Trott when he was on 46 but apart from that he was spotless with his timing and running between the wickets. Haddin was nipped out by Swann for 39. Michael Clark though was not timing the ball well but provided good support to Watson who completed his superb 100 off 110 balls. He hit two glorious sixes off Yardy but then Clarke and Smith went one after the other. The job for him was just not finished. With 73 required off the last 10 overs, Michael Hussey making use of the batting powerplay hit a four and a six in the 41st over bowled by Bresnan and kept the Australian ship afloat. But he perished soon after surviving second review of the match. Aussies’ hopes now rested mainly on Watson who was still going strong at the other end and. Yardy bowled a brilliant 44th over to put extra pressure on Watto had meanwhile had crossed his previous best ODI score of 136 and the new man Cameron White. Both played exceptionally well and their calculative batting did not allow England to claw back. They needed 39 runs from 5 overs and England required quick wickets. It did not happen for England as both batsmen brought the target down to just 15 from 3 overs with sensibly aggressive batting. Watson fittingly finished the match in dazzling fashion by hitting Ajmal for a massive six on the first ball of the last over. He remained not out for a magnificent 161 off 150 balls with 12 fours and 4 sixes. Australia won the match by 6 wickets to go 1-0 up in the 7-match series.

It was truly one of the best ODI innings by Watson who not only made big runs but also made sure he remains there to win the match for his team. The brilliant Queensland all-rounder gave Australia, the world champions, a rousing start in the series as well as gave his countrymen great joy amid the sufferings of devastating floods.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

The ball, the run out and they choke


World Cup Classics: Australia v South Africa - 2nd semi final, Edgbaston, Birmingham, 17 June 1999


Since gaining re-entry into world cricket, this was South Africa’s third straight exit from the knock-out stages in as many attempts. With the team as strong as theirs they fittingly deserved the title ‘Chokers’ especially after what happened at Edgbaston in the semi-final of 1999 World Cup which only a choker or a demon-possessed could lose.

Hansie Cronje asked Steve Waugh to bat first on a sporting deck after winning the toss. Australia’s batsman of the tournament Mark Waugh was undone by Shaun Pollock in the first over but Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist went along slowly but purposefully. Pollock and Elworthy bowled at nagging line and length giving nothing away. However when Elworthy tried to pitch it short Ponting pulled him for a six and a four while an unusually sedate Gilchrist also dispatched him for a maximum. Allan Donald got two wickets in his first over dismissing Ponting for 37 and Darren Lehmann for 1. Kallis dismissed Gilchrist two overs later for a 39-ball 20 leaving Australia in troubled waters at 68 for 4. Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan, Australia’s men of crises, pulled them out of trouble with a calculated stand of 90 in just over 22 overs. South Africa stopped Australia from running away with the match with two crucial strikes in one over bowled by Pollock. Waugh went after making 56 off 76 balls with 6 fours and a six but Bevan was at the crease to ensure a good total for Australia. Three quick wickets fell at the score of 207 and changed the complexion of the game yet again. The late flurry of wickets meant they fall short of posting a decent total. They were dismissed for 213 in the last over. Bevan was last man out for 65 off 101 balls. Pollock (5 for 36) and Donald (4 for 32) had given South Africa a great chance to reach the final at last.

In reply Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs provided a confident start to South Africa. McGrath, Reiffel and Fleming could not get the breakthrough prompting Steve Waugh to use his trump card. Shane Warne who was at that time contemplating retirement decided to unleash his magic tricks for one more time. On his 8th ball he mesmerized Gibbs with a drifter which pitched and curled back sharply to hit the off stump. The shell-shocked Gibbs did not believe for a moment that he was bowled but then left the crease in a state of trance. It was possibly the ODI ball of the century which brought Australia and Warne back into life. In his next over he bamboozled Kirsten with another viciously spinning ball which drifted away then turned in to hit his off stump while he was in the middle of his ungainly sweep shot. It became 3 wickets in 8 balls when 2 balls later Cronje was given out caught in the slips although he had missed the edge but the turn had swindled the umpire. At 53 for 3 after 15 overs match was delicately poised but it turned in Australia’s favor when Darryl Cullinan was run out by Bevan’s direct hit. Jacques Kallis and Jonty Rhodes added vital 84 runs in 20 overs to bring the Proteas back into reckoning. They required 70 from last 10 overs with 6 wickets remaining. Rhodes fell attempting a risky pull for 43 but Kallis went about his business undeterred. Pollock provided the much needed slog when 53 runs were needed off 36 balls by hitting Warne for a six and a four but Warne dismissed resolute Kallis in the same over to halt them again. Kallis made 53 off 92 balls.

Lance Klusener ‘Zulu’ came to the crease in a situation tailor-made for him but it was weird to see him coming after Pollock. Fleming removed Pollock while McGrath bowled a tidy 47th over to squash South Africa further. They required 18 from the last 2 overs. In the penultimate over McGrath clean-bowled Boucher and when Elworthy was run out 2 balls later South Africa was dependent solely on Zulu Power to win it for them. Zulu hit the next ball high over long on which Reiffel deflected over the ropes for a much needed 6. A single then meant Zulu would be facing in the next over.

Needing 9 runs from the last over Zulu hit two crushing fours on the first two balls in the covers and South Africans were ecstatic as the match was tied with four balls to go. Fleming’s attempt to bowl on the off stump because of Klusener’s strong leg side game was negated masterfully. Australia needed to dismiss the last wicket as the tie would ensure they progress to the final on the basis of net run-rate. Next ball Lehmann missed a direct hit when he tried to run out Donald who was backing up too far. Perhaps fearful of being run out Donald remained glued to his crease when Klusener called him for a run after hitting the next ball to mid off. As Klusener was yelling Donald first stuttered then dropped his bat while Klusener had almost reached his end. He then ran towards striker’s end but Mark Waugh had passed the ball to Fleming who under-armed it to keeper Gilchrist who removed the bails with Donald well short of the crease. It was an embarrassing end for the Proteas and a mind boggling sort of running from both the batsmen specially Donald. South Africa again crashed out of the World Cup in an unfortunate and sensational way while Australia who at one point were about to be eliminated had reached their 4th World Cup final. Shane Warne was named the Man of the match for his astounding leg spin bowling taking 4 for just 29.

This tied match is still considered by many as the best ever ODI match. It was a nerve-wrecking match throughout which ended in a wrist-slitting climax. The wounds inflicted by that run out will continue to haunt the South African fans along with many other that preceded or followed their World Cup campaigns till the day when they actually lift a World Cup.

Klusener carnage in an all Green contest

World Cup Classics: Pakistan v South Africa - Super Sixes, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 5 June 1999

Leaders of their respective groups met in a high intensity super six match and produced a thriller which at one point was comfortably in Pakistan’s bag. It boiled down to a tussle between the two fastest men, one with the ball versus the one with the willow in hand.

Wasim Akram chose to bat and his team starting in slow motion lost Saeed Anwar in the 14th over at the score of 41. Abdul Razzaq who was given the role of controlling the game at number 3 in that world cup played cautiously blocking one end. Just when Wajahatullah Wasti’s painstaking inning of 17 off 56 balls was ended by Donald, Pakistan got some impetus into the innings through Ijaz Ahmed and crossed 100 in the 30th over. In an effort to increase the tempo of the game Pakistan lost wickets in a heap including two run outs and were reduced to 150 for 6 with little over 6 overs remaining. At this moment Moin Khan lifted Pakistan by playing in his customary eccentric style with quick running and brutal hitting. He scored 63 off 56 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes before becoming the third run-out victim of the innings. He looted 15 from a Donald over which included a stunning straight six. Pakistan finished with 220 for 7 and were all but out of the game considering their incredibly strong bowling attack. For the Proteas Steve Elworthy took 2 for 23.

Pakistan fast bowlers ran through the South African top order and after 20 overs half of their side had gone to pavilion for just 58 on the board. Wasim Akram and Azhar Mahmood used the swing and seam brilliantly while Shoaib Akhtar bowled with ferocious pace touching 95 mph to skittle the cream of their batting and leaving South Africa staring at a crushing defeat except for a miracle. Jacques Kallis halted the slide adding crucial 77 runs with Shaun Pollock for the 6th wicket. Klusener joined Kallis after Pollock’s fall and though he struggled against the pace of Shoaib he kept picking the singles and the South African hopes alive. When Kallis departed after making a vital 54 off 98 balls, South Africa still needed 45 runs off 34 balls.

The tables turned during the 46th over bowled by Shoaib. They required 41 runs off 27 balls when Shoaib decided to bowl body-line short deliveries. Klusener swung at a rising leg side bouncer and top edged for a four. Next ball Shoaib tried to kill a bruised Klusener with a similar delivery but Klusener had the guts and courage to make room and loft him forcefully 20 rows back into the crowd over the deep square leg boundary. A visibly shell-shocked Shoaib then tried to bowl the delivery which he should have bowled earlier but his toe-crushing yorker went for four leg byes to round off a match-turning over. Now the target was only 27 runs in the last four overs which they got an over earlier through continued battering by Klusener whose prized scalp Pakistan’s bowlers could not get despite all efforts.

Man of the match Klusener remained not out for a whirlwind yet a calculated 46 off 41 balls with 3 fours and as many sixes. For Pakistan Azhar was the pick of bowlers with 3 for just 24 while Shoaib despite getting two crucial wickets and troubling all batsmen with his pace and guile went for 51 in his 9 overs in the end thanks to the hero of the day, Lance Klusener.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Lions light up Lahore

World Cup Classics: Final - Australia v Sri Lanka, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 17 March 1996


Sri Lanka became the first host nation to win a World Cup when Benazir Bhutto presented the trophy to Arjuna Ranatunga under cool breeze and a light drizzle in Lahore’s jam packed Gaddafi Stadium. Australians who had earlier refused to play a group match in Sri Lanka citing security risk were vindictively out classed in all departments of the game.

Ranatunga won the toss and playing to his strength opted to field first. Although Mark Waugh departed early but Mark Taylor and Ricky Ponting played the seamers uninhibited and put on 101 runs in 19 overs. Both were dismissed by de Silva who got vicious turn and got wickets apart from keeping the run scoring in check. Taylor made a rapid 74 off 83 balls with 8 fours and a six. At half way stage Australians were looking to post a score well in access of 250. But none of their batsmen could negotiate Sri Lankan spinners effectively. Australians continued to lose wickets regularly after their set batsman Ricky Ponting was flummoxed by de Silva for 45. For about 25 overs they could not hit a single boundary barring Stuart Law’s six off Dharmasena. They were reduced to 205 for 7 in the 45th over but Michael Bevan propelled Australia to a respectable score of 241 for 7 by scoring 36 runs batting at number 7. For Sri Lanka de Silva was the most successful of the spin quartet taking 3 for 42 in his 9 overs. Ranatunga was happier of the two captains at the half stage. Crowd too was raucous and cheering for the Sri Lankan Lions.

Sri Lankan innings started in a dire fashion when their most dangerous batsman of the tournament Jayasuriya was run out as adjudged by the third umpire. It was a touch and go decision but the other opener Kaluwitharana too did not last long. Asanka Gurusinha and Aravinda de Silva put on 125 runs for the 4th wicket to demoralize the Australians who already had played two nerve wrecking matches prior top this. Australia’s catching was woeful and ground fielding too was shambolic. The slipperiness of the ball and ground due to the dew was partly responsible for this. Australian spinners Mark Waugh and Shane Warne were picked easily by these two. Aravinda was in his supreme best. He pulled, flicked and drove against the seamers and spinners with authority and velvetiness. Gurusinha too was particularly harsh on spinners. He carved Warne for a handsome six on back foot over long off to bring 100 for his team in the 21st over. Gurusinha was castled by Reiffel for 65 in the 31st over but at this point Sri Lanka needed less than 100 runs in about 20 overs. This wicket nevertheless opened a window of opportunity for Australia but Arjuna Ranatunga closed that promptly by his astute batting display.

Sri Lanka required 40 runs in the last 8 overs with two of their best batsmen still on the crease and well set. Australians needed a moment of indiscretion from one of these two but both were experienced enough to let the opportunity go by so easily when the glory was just in sight. In the 44th over Ranatunga hit one ferociously straight to Warne but it crashed through his hands and the next was a full toss on the leg side which was pummeled for a six to frustrate the leg spinner even further. De Silva flicked Damian Fleming down the leg side for a four to bring up his stunning hundred. It was third century in a world Cup final and a knock worth remembering for not only its magnificence but the way it was sketched out by a wonderful player. Ranatunga (47 off just 37 balls) scored the winning boundary towards third man on the second ball of the 47th over to win the World Cup final for a team which had won just 4 matches in the previous five Cups.

Aravinda de Silva was named man of the match for his 107 runs not out with 13 fours off 124 balls (most runs in the match), 3 wickets (most wickets in the match), and 2 catches (equal most catches in the match). Ranatunga proudly lifted the cup to get going wild celebrations throughout Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Lions had reached the top of the world after just 14 years experience of international cricket. It was indeed an incredible achievement for a nation of 18 million.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Pakistan rout New Zealand

Post Match Analysis: 1st Test, New Zealand v Pakistan, Seddon Park, Hamilton 7,8,9 January 2011

Misbah ul Haq has succeeded in uniting Pakistan team and getting maximum out of his inexperienced boys quit astonishingly. After drawing in UAE against the strong South African side he and his boys crushed New Zealand inside three days to start the new year for Pakistan on a high note. On the other hand Vettori has been left wondering how to get his team back to at least where they were about a year ago.

Misbah ul Haq won the toss and put New Zealand in on one of the best batting tracks in New Zealand considering overcast conditions and a tinge of grass on the strip. It was in effect a defensive decision as Pakistan bowlers neither could extract swing nor had any seam movement. 31 years old Reece Young made his debut while Pakistan left out Umar Akmal.

Day 1

Tanvir Ahmed as he does so often picked up a wicket in his first over, second of the innings, when Tim McIntosh gave a regulation catch to Younis Khan at second slip. McCullum, relieved off his duties as a keeper, relished his chance as an opener by playing with freedom and looked dangerous from the word go. He and Martin Guptill who was more sedate on the crease took the score to 78/1 at lunch. McCullum was lucky to get a reprieve when on 34 he had gloved a Wahab Riaz delivery to the keeper down the leg side but was not given out as he mischievously showed his shirt to the umpire. After lunch McCullum cracked Umar Gul for two sixes in two overs but Gul immediately took revenge when McCullum fell into the trap giving a catch to deep backward point while attempting another big shot. He made 56 off 77 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes. Taylor survived a run out chance when Wahab making an elementary fumble could not hit the stumps from a couple of yards. But he did not last long and became Abdur Rehman’s first victim by getting out caught behind. Jesse Ryder looked comfortable playing his shots freely including a six off Abdur Rehman but was run out by Wahab in the most unfortunate fashion. A straight push by Guptill kissed Wahab’s hand and crashed onto the stumps with Ryder stranded outside. Guptill handed Misbah a catch on a harmless full toss after making 50. His ultra defensive approach cost him dearly. They ended tea at 160/5. After the break debutant Young and captain Vettori did not last long but Williamson and Tim Southee made sure New Zealand end the day on a high. Williamson was dropped by Younis at slips of Abdur Rehman but there was no other drama in the last session. Southee hit Gul for 3 successive fours in one over. New ball was negotiated safely and they ended the day at 260 for 7. Their unbroken stand of 83 may prove vital for them on this flat wicket.

Day 2

Second day started with New Zealand looking to push towards and beyond 300but Tanvir and Gul polished off the tail with some aggressive short pitched bowling. Southee went for 56 while Williamson made an exact 50. New Zealand folded for a below par 275. Tanvir Ahmed continued to impress with figures of 4 for 63 while Gul and Abdur Rehman finished with 2 and 3 wickets respectively. Pakistan was now in a position to bat New Zealand out of the game on such a benign pitch but lost Hafeez caught in slips in the very first over bowled by Chris Martin for a duck. Azhar Ali and Taufeeq Umar played freely making full use of the pitch and undisciplined New Zealand bowling. Both hit delightful boundaries on both sides of the wicket. Taufeeq hit Martin for three successive fours in his next over. Both took Pakistan safely to lunch at 67/1.

After lunch New Zealand tightened their line and length and stopped the flow of boundaries. Azhar got out in his customary style caught behind off a back of length delivery from Martin. Younis Khan started fluently and hit Martin for three fours in one over. Taufeeq having brought up his fifty had gone into a shell and got out tamely flicking to mid wicket off Brent Arnel. He made 54 with 11 fours. Younis followed him to the pavilion soon after giving a return catch to the same bowler in his next over when he closed the angle of his bat too early. Asad Shafiq joined Misbah ul Haq at the score of 107 for 4. It was a precarious situation and one more wicket would have exposed the tail. Asad looked assured at the crease against pace and spin alike while Misbah was extra cautions feeling the brunt of responsibility. Slowly and gradually they brought Pakistan back to the commanding position when the play ended. Asad brought up his second fifty in his second test innings and was not out at 74 with 12 fours. Misbah suddenly had switched to T20 mode when after hitting a six off Williamson he reverse-paddled the same bowler for two fours in his next over to bring up his fifty. At stumps Pakistan had made 235 for 4. This was certainly Pakistan’s day again. They will surely love to take at least a 100 run lead tomorrow. New Zealand on the other hand, will have the option of new ball straight away in the morning and will have a chance to limit Pakistan.

Day 3

New Zealand took the new ball straight away and after a cautious start Pakistan batsmen started getting some fours away. Just when Asad Shafiq was looking all set for his maiden hundred he was given LBW off Southee which could have easily been turned down. He made a polished 83 and Pakistan had surely found a classy middle order bat in him. Next ball Arnel trapped Misbah LBW for 62 within 19 runs of Black Cap’s total. It was a delicate situation and any body’s game but Pakistan’s lower order resisted quite significantly for a change. First Adnan Akmal showed glimpses of his brother Kamran and then Abdur Rehman showed how he can hit after blocking almost every thing for 30 balls without scoring. Pakistan went to lunch at 314 for 6 with a lead of 39 runs. After lunch Akmal went after making vital 44 runs with 8 fours while Abdur Rehman got important 28 runs with two sixes off Vettori. Tanvir and Gul too contributed before falling and Pakistan got all out for 367 taking a lead of 92. Arnel took 4 for 95, his best figures, while Southee grabbed 3 wickets.

It was significant nut not a big lead on a flat track like this but New Zealand batsmen did not have the temperament to stay at the wicket against the nagging line and length of Pakistan bowlers. McCullum was unlucky to be given caught behind for 35. From 60 for 2 they collapsed like a pile of cards and lost 4 wickets for the addition of just one run. Misbah’s direct hit ran out Taylor while rest were blown out by a fiery Wahab Riaz spell. New Zealand at one stage looked like to be losing by an innings but Southee and Young took the score past 92 and New Zealand folded for a shambolic 110. They had lost all their wickets in just over half a session in a dramatic and frantic display of batting. Wahab, Gul and Abdur Rehman shared 3 wickets each. Pakistan required just 19 to win which they made easily winning the match by 10 wickets.

Abdur Rehman was the Man of the Match with his 6 wickets in the match. Misbah attributed this stunning victory to his bowlers’ efforts while Vettori rued the lack of discipline and spine displayed by his batsmen. The embarrassing thing was the fact that on a flattest of tracks against a second string Pakistan attack they lost the match in three days comprehensively. Even their fielding was poorer than Pakistan dropping 3 or 4 catches in the day. Pakistan will go in the next match for a white-wash while Vettori and Coach John Wright have many things to settle in a very short time.

Hurrah India, hooray Ntini

Post Match Analysis: Only T20I - South Africa v India at Durban, Jan 9, 2011

This was a match played after a hard-fought test series in a stunning new stadium and more so for Makhaya Ntini’s farewell than for any honors for both teams. No one could read the pitch precisely as it was thought to be a 130-run pitch because of low and unpredictable bounce. It had low bounce but batting did not prove to be as difficult as predicted. India overcame South Africa easily contrary to the forecast.

Dhoni opted to bat first after winning the coin. Murali Vijay after hitting three boundaries went early but Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma took the score to 67 in 8th over. Kohli was dealing in fours and looking set for a big score but was bowled by Botha for 28. Sharma continued to play aggressively as Yuvraj Singh was looking to come to terms with the pitch. India got to hundred in 12 overs and a big total was on cards. Sharma hit five fours and two crispy sixes in his 53 off 34 balls before holing out on the long on boundary and giving one last international catch to Ntini off Duminy. Yuvraj and Pathan both got out quickly but Suresh Raina provided the necessary impetus at the end of the innings by playing his natural game and before he got out on the last ball of the innings he had taken his team to a challenging total of 168 for 6. He made 41 off just 23 balls with 2 fours and 3 sixes. Parnell was the pick of the bowlers with 1 for 25 in 4 overs while Ntini went for 46 and Theron took 2 for 39.

In reply South Africa stuttered at the start but 3rd wicket partnership between van Wyk and de Villiers took them to 88 after 9 overs. Van Wyk who replaced injured Graeme Smith at the last minute grabbed the opportunity with both hands and stroked the ball extravagantly all around the ground. At this point they lost 4 wickets for 20 runs relinquishing the position of strength dramatically. Van Wyk who had brought up his first T20I fifty off just 24 balls, fastest by a South African, in a moment of indiscretion handed a catch straight to Nehra on the deep square leg boundary. Despite his extraordinary high backlift he played the seamers and spinners efficiently and made 67 off 39 balls with 5 fours and 5 sixes. With him went South African resistance and despite Botha’s effort of 25 runs they could make 147/9 in 20 overs losing by 21 runs. Nehra and Yusuf Pathan were the pick of bowlers taking 2 for 22 each. Rohit Sharma was named Man of the Match.

This was 4th win for India over South Africa in this format in 5 matches. Certainly IPL has a lot to contribute to this. Ntini lead his team off the field amid loud applause from the crowd and has bid adieu the international scene leaving behind a legacy and a hole which will be difficult to fill in near future.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

A farewell, a skirmish

Appetizer: Only T20I - South Africa v India at Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, Jan 9, 2011

The memories of a memorable test series between these two top teams will not be erased any time soon. The only T2oI, however provides a good opportunity for both teams to actually relax and enjoy a bit to wear off the mental weariness and physical exhaustion inflicted by the closely fought test series. On top of that it will be the farewell match for a South African icon, Makhaya Ntini.

Ntini retired in December 2010 after playing in his 101st test match and is busy in setting up a cricket academy especially for his black African community. Unlike his test and ODI records his accomplishments in T20Is are not so good. In 9 matches he has taken 6 wickets at 42 with an economy of 9 but there is no doubt he has been one of the greats for the Proteas. The Cricket South Africa has done a great job in allowing Ntini to bid adieu in front of his home crowd. It will surely be a proud and emotional moment for all those present in Durban including Ntini.

Both teams have met four times in T20Is and India has had a clear upper hand winning three of them. South Africa’s only win came in World T20 in England two years ago. It will be a good chance for both teams to change the mode and the mood before the ODIs. South Africa has a good T20I record having won 25 of the total 37 matched they played. While India has won 14 and lost 11 out of their 27 matches. India has another edge that they have prevailed over South Africa on their home soil in both matches they played while it was here when they had won the inaugural World T20 in 2007.

Double loss of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir ahead of limited overs series has left India with only two potential openers in Sachin Tendulkar and Murali Vijay. Tendulkar might be rested ahead of ODIs. Rohit sharma is another option for them. India will welcome limited overs specialists Virat kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina in their line-up. Yousuf Pathan will provide the fire-power down the order along with skipper MS Dhoni. Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar will synergize with Zaheer Khan, if he is not rested, in fast bowling department. Munaf Patel and Sreesanth will probably sit out. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod among Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin as spinner as Yuvraj, Raina and Yousuf can contribute significantly in this regard. All in all India will be tough to beat under Dhoni’s captaincy.

Hashim Amla is making a return to T20 squad as he has shown he can adjust in all forms of the game. Johan Botha has captained his side admirably so far but he will miss the fire-power of Graeme Smith at the top of the order who has injured his hand and is ruled out. Morne van Wyk has been brought in. AB de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller and Colin Ingram are the other batsmen to choose from. Boucher continues to sit out in this format so de Villiers will keep wickets again. Bowling looks weak without Date Steyn and Morne Morkel who are given a well-deserved rest. Rusty Theron, Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe will have a lot of responsibility to restrict Indian batsmen. Makhaya Ntini surely will try to make his last international match for South Africa a memorable one by giving his best. Robin Peterson may not be required as they will go with just one spinner in Botha himself in all likelihood.

Both teams will try to win this one-off T20I to go in the 5-match ODI series with advantage. Whoever wins, one thing is sure it will not be a one-sided match between these two highly competitive teams. It will be the first match in Moses Mabhida Stadium which is expected to be full to its capacity of 50 thousand for the spectacle.

Likely Teams:

India:- Vijay, Tendulkar/Kohli, Rohit, Yuvraj, Raina, Dhoni, Pathan, Harbhajan/Ashwin, Kumar, Nehra, sreesanth

South Africa:- van Wyk, Amla, de Villiers,Ingram, Duminy, Miller, Botha , Rusty Theron, Wayne Parnell, Makhaya Ntini, Tsotsobe

Friday, January 7, 2011

Ignominy by default

World Cup Classics: India v Sri Lanka - 1st Semi-final, Eden Gardens, Calcutta, 13 March 1996

This was the first time in history that a cricket match was awarded to a team by default. And it was a travesty because it happened in a World Cup, shame that a semi-final was forfeited by a host nation and a disparaging administrative failure that the crowd did not allow the match to go on.

The majority of the blame lies with India as they hyped their team to the extreme that no one in India was expecting them to be anything but the world champions. Even Aamir Sohail, the stand-in Pakistan captain had said, ‘I wish India good luck in the final in Lahore’ while speaking to the press after the quarter-final in Bangalore. It just shows the Indians’ frame of mind during that world cup.

India won the toss and chose to field. The most feared openers of the world cup were back in the pavilion in the first over bowled by Javagal Srinath. After Kaluwitharana was caught in the deep third man off the very first ball, Sanath Jayasuriya followed in the same fashion on the fourth ball. Indians were celebrating while crowd was over the moon on seeing the back of these two specially Jayasuriya who had murdered them in the previous match. Gurusinha too fell cheaply but Aravinda de Silva was in his silky best. He played as if on a mission undeterred by the fall of wickets, exhibiting well-timed, well-placed exhilarating strokes to all corners of the ground. He hit 11 fours in his 50 which came in just 32 balls and when he fell at the score of 85 in the 15th over he had played a match-winning hand of 66 off 47 balls with 14 fours. It was not just an attractive innings to watch but a clever one too as he took full advantage of the new ball on a pitch that was to offer plenty to the spinners later on. Rest of the innings was built around Roshan Mahanama who batted patiently as wickets fell regularly on a slowing pitch. He went retired hurt due to cramps after making 58 off 101 balls. Arjuna Ranatunga and Hashan Tillakaratne contributed solidly before falling but Chaminda Vaas provided a late blitz to end the innings at 251 for 8 after 50 overs. Srinath and Tendulkar took 3 and 2 wickets apiece for just 34 runs each. It was a good total considering the nature of the pitch but Indians were confident to chase it down and the crowd was in a mood as if they were watching a thriller whose end they already knew.

Although Vaas removed Navjot Sidhu early through an athletic catch at point by Jayasuriya but Sachin Tendulkar and Sanjay Manjrekar took the score to 98 in 22.3 overs. At this point the match was in India’s grasp and spectators were dancing in the isles. But the events that followed immediately were as if taken right out of a horror movie for India. Jayasuriya had Tendulkar stumped brilliantly by Kalu for 65 (off 85 balls with 9 fours) and after Kumar Dharmasena had accounted for skipper Azharuddin, he clean-bowled Manjrekar to leave India wobbling at 101 for 4. Srinath was promoted to hit the spinners out of the attack but was run out for just 6 runs. Next three batsmen also fell cheaply in no time and India had lost the game well before it had ended. They were reduced to an embarrassing 120 for 8 after 34 overs. In a frantic display of batting India had lost 7 wickets for just 22 runs in just under 12 overs.

There was complete silence in the stadium when Tendulkar was given out by 3rd umpire. The crowd trouble started with the fall of Indian captain but it turned to nastiness when they felt India had slumped too deep to come out and win. It was too much for an expectant and over zealous crowd to digest. They started throwing bottles, cans and other things on to the ground. Soon unrest got out of control and some of them set the stands on fire. The Sri Lankan players were cordoned off the ground by the security staff. Match referee Clive Lloyd after much deliberation and seeing that the ground authorities were unable to get the match resumed awarded the game to Sri Lanka. Vinod Kambli at last left the field with heavy heart and tears pouring out of his eyes. It was impossible for India to win from that position but embarrassment due to crowd behavior, dramatic Indian collapse and helplessness had affected his nerves immensely and he could not restrain himself. Azharuddin who was already being blamed for fielding first despite Sri Lanka’s penchant for chasing was ridiculed further and had to be provided guards at home for protection.

Apart from taking two catches, Jayasuriya also took 3 wickets for just 12 runs in 7 overs. But the Man of the Match was Aravinda de Silva for his majestic knock. Sri Lanka won the match by default and entered a World Cup final for the first time. For India it was a day to forget and for the mob crowd it was a downright ignominy by default.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

When a Captain Lost His Temper and the Match

World Cup Classics: 2nd quarter final - India v Pakistan, Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, 9 March 1996

Amid news of scandalous withdrawal of Wasim Akram just before the toss and possibility of a riot and ensuing danger to Pakistan players in case India lost, this match was played in intense heat of emotions and looked like more than just a cricket match.

It was a poorly envisioned tournament which started with a number of meaningless games played over three weeks and then suddenly took off like a space rocket eliminating team after team within about a week to culminate in a rather memorable finale. Number 3 from group A, India played number 2 from group B Pakistan, in a historical Quarter-final which was publicized as the most important game of the World Cup.

Wasim Akram’s last minute retreat meant Amir Sohail was to captain a Pakistan team comprising seniors such as Ijaz Ahmed, Saleem Malik and Javed Miandad and without having much time to gather his thoughts. On top of that Pakistan went into the match with defensive frame of mind having lost their regular captain and premier bowler. Mohammad Azharuddin won the toss and wasted no time in opting to bat. Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sachin Tendulkar put on 90 runs in 21.1 overs for the first wicket but it was not a usual Tendulkar innings. Pakistan attack lead by Waqar Younis kept the scoring rate under check. Sidhu was undone 7 short of hundred by a lovely Mushtaq flipper with India on 168 in the 37th over. Pakistan did not put enough pressure on the batsmen as a result Azhar and Vinod Kambli increased the run rate by taking quick singles and a few boundaries. When Rashid took a stunning one-handed catch diving low to his right off Waqar’s bowling to dismiss dangerous looking Azhar, India needed a cameo from one of their remaining batsmen to put a tough total on the board. India was 202 for 4 after 42 overs and the projected total was expected to be around 260.

In came Ajay Jadeja who was to write a new chapter in India-Pakistan Classics let alone in the World cup history. India were 236 after 47 overs when Jadeja surprised Pakistan as well as himself by hitting Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed to all corners of the ground. Waqar was plundered for 22 runs in the 48th over by Jadeja and Anil Kumble who used his aggressive length to their advantage magnificently. The last over also cost Waqar 18 runs. Despite changing length he could not stop Jadeja who was running riot. The six he hit over Waqar’s head while playing on back-foot was as stunning a shot as it could be. He made 45 off 25 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes. Waqar and Aaqib gave away 67 runs taking 2 and 1 wicket respectively. India ended on 287 for 8 and confident to topple Pakistan who were bewildered and demoralized by the onslaught.

When Pakistan started their innings, Amir Sohail and Saeed Anwar went hard at the seamers from the outset and wrested the advantage back in no time. Saeed was at his usual silky best using his wrists to create gaps as well as timing the ball crisply for fours and sixes. Amir used the crease beautifully to hit flurry of fours square of the wicket on both sides and also engaged the bowlers with his gesticulations. Early introduction of Kumble made no difference as Saeed launched him handsomely over long on into the crowd. Pakistan raced to 84 in 10 overs and pressure of the occasion shifted from Pakistan to India as the match hung in balance.

Saeed departed after making a quick-fire 48 off 32 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes. Amir continued to play aggressively but his aggression turned into unintelligent blitheness when he started needless verbalism with Venkatesh Prasad. Obviously instigated by something muttered by the bowler he made way and smacked a short of length delivery to the extra cover boundary with contempt. Prasad bowled the next one a lot fuller albeit on the same line but Amir having lost his temper and hence acumen tried to repeat the dose only to see the off stump cart wheeling behind him. Naturally Prasad was delirious but having won the mental battle he hurled some foul remarks towards Amir . This necessitated intervention from the umpire David Shepherd to control the flowing emotions on the field. Amir having provided a dream start left Pakistan at a crucial stage when he could have played a captain’s knock and ensured they reach as close to the target as possible.

The batsmen who followed were quite capable of controlling the game from there on but failed to deliver. Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamam-ul-Haq departed early leaving Pakistan at a wobbly 134 for 4. Javed Miandad who was earlier fielded deep into the boundary by Amir to ensure his authority remain uncontested, was surprisingly slotted at number six. He along with Saleem Malik stopped the slide but the asking rate was mounting constantly. The asking rate was 7.2 when Malik got out at 184 in the 36th over. Some one had to replicate Jadeja’s innings but Rashid Latif’s cameo did not last long enough for Pakistan. He hit a few lusty blows but was stumped off Venkatapathy Raju at a stage when the crowd had been silenced by Pakistan’s fight-back. The noise of the crowd became louder and deafening when Miandad was run out for 38. The resistance had died down with the departure of Latif and Pakistan ended at 248 for 9 falling short by 39 runs. It was tough match for India for the major part but a comprehensive and memorable win in the end. Prasad and Kumble shared 3 wickets. Sidhu was declared the Man of the Match.

The real heroes for India were Jadeja and Prasad who performed brilliantly at the crucial stages of the match. Pakistan, on the other hand were left ruing the crucial absence of their regular captain Wasim Akram and a moment of brain-explosion by the stand-in captain Amir Sohail. Even though India were to be knocked out in the semi-final but this victory was to provide them solace and satisfaction for the times to come.

A Jayasuriya Special

World Cup Classics: 1st quarter final, England v Sri Lanka, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, 9 March 1996

The 15-over field restrictions were already being applied in the ODIs but Jayasuriya along with Romesh Kaluwitharana was among the best to exploit this rule. In this first Quarter-final, Jayasuriya left England awestruck and out of the Cup with a blistering knock which gave new meaning to the term ‘pinch-hitting’.

Mike Atherton won the toss and opted to bat first. He was the first man to go at 31 in the 8th over. England continued to lose wickets regularly including Robin Smith who was contentiously given run-out by the 3rd umpire. Phil DeFreitas was promoted at number 5 to increase the run rate with a view to posting a total big enough for Sri Lankans to surmount. He scored more than run a ball and put on a decent 5th wicket stand with Alec Stewart to put the innings back on track. But he too was erroneously given out LBW off Jayasuriya on a ball going down the leg side. He made 67 off 64 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes. At 173 for 7 in the 41st over, England were in danger of folding over before 50 overs but Dermot Reeve (35 off 34 ) and Darren Gough (26 with 5 fours) provided late sparkle to end the innings at 235 for 8. It was not a big total but one the England bowlers could fight to defend.

Richard Illingworth was given the new ball to surprise the dangerous Sri Lankan opening pair. He had an immediate success when he bowled Kalu around his legs after being hit for two successive fours. Jayasuriya then went berserk and toyed with English bowling. He hit Illingworth for 4 consecutive fours before taking 22 off a DeFreitas over. It was such mayhem for England that before they could realize he had taken the game away from them. Sri Lanka were 113 in 13 overs when he was stumped by Jack Russel off Reeve. He made a thunderous 82 off just 44 balls with 13 fours and 3 sixes. The asking rate for Sri Lanka was just 3.32 with 8 wickets in hand. Rest of the batsmen made sure Sri Lanka win comprehensively in the 41st over and reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time. On the other hand this was the first occasion when England failed to make it to the top four in a World Cup.

Sanath Jayasuriya was named Man of the Match for his two wickets and whirlwind innings of 82. His batting had also sent warning signals to other teams for the rest of the tournament as well as established him the most fearsome opening batsman in the ODIs.

Monday, January 3, 2011

A Low Key Contest But A Lot At Stake

Preview: Pakistan in New Zealand Test Series, 2010/11

Both teams belong to the lower tier of the ICC Test Rankings. A test series win will end New Zealand’s losing streak while Pakistan can hope to begin the New Year with a long awaited victory to put back the horrors of 2010.

Pakistan has not won a test series since 2006 when they defeated West Indies at home. They particularly have a poor away record winning only 5 matches out of 29 in the last 5 years. The drawn series in the UAE against South Africa under new captain Misbah ul Haq has given the team self-belief and renewed confidence. Surprisingly their test unit looks more settled now as compared to their limited overs squads. Despite the absence of the tainted trio of Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Amir and Salman Butt, the replacements have not been too disappointing.

Since their 2-0 win over West Indies at home in March 2006 New Zealand have not won a test series apart from the wins against Bangladesh. Retirement of Shane Bond has created a big hole in their bowling department which has not been plugged so far. Reports of an injury to Jesse Ryder will weaken the batting too. Their main weapon will be their pace bowling which will be more adept in exploiting the seaming wickets at home.

Pakistan surely will miss experience of Mohammad Yousuf and Salman Butt in the already struggling batting line-up. Younis Khan and Misbah ul Haq would have to score runs consistently to enable the likes of Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq combat the conditions. Umar will relish another opportunity on New Zealand soil to restore his form. About a year ago after scoring his stunning debut ton here he has failed to live up to his promise. Although he had a less spectacular start but Azhar Ali’s progress has been heartening for Pakistan. He looks more solid and dependable than his flamboyant compatriot Umar Akmal. Opening pair looks okay as Mohammad Hafeez is performing at last and Taufeeq Umar has a technique to flourish in tough conditions. Asad Shafiq and Khurram Manzoor in all likelihood will sit out at least in the first test but both are street smart cricketers and will be keen to take any opportunity which comes their way.

New Zealand’s batting will depend heavily on Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor. McCullum has flexed his muscles nicely by scoring s thunderous double hundred in the ongoing side-match against visiting Pakistanis. Martin Guptill and Tim McIntosh are also in form but how Kane Williamson performs will be of special interest. He scored a debut hundred against India in India and is being tipped as a great batting prospect for New Zealand. Reece Young is the new wicket-keeper batsman as McCullum will play as a batsman. Captain Daniel Vettori is one of the leading test all-rounders and scores crucial and at time substantial runs down the order. He may well be the key with both bat and ball.

Tanvir Ahmed had a magnificent test debut in UAE and will spearhead the attack with Wahab Riaz. The third pace bowling option is wide open for Pakistan. Umar Gul is not in form but still will be preferred over Sohail Tanvir who is coming back after a long lay-off. Abdul Razzaq would surely have been handy here. As far as spin is concerned, Abdur Rehman’s control may win over Saeed Ajmal’s variation. It will be very interesting to see whether Pakistan goes in with a specialist wicket-keeper in Adnan Akmal or Umar Akmal continues to wear gloves as he did in the T20 series. The latter option will surely strengthen the batting.

New Zealand has not picked Adam Milne who is promising pace bowler while Kyle Mills has also been ignored. Chris Martin will lead the attack supported by Tim Southee and Andy McKay. Brent Arnel has been given a chance after a good domestic season. James Franklin and Jesse Ryder provide more medium pace options to Vettori if need arises. Vettori is the lone spinner and will be a real threat to Pakistan batsmen who of late have looked suspect against left arm spin.

Misbah ul Haq can prolong his test career if he wins the series in New Zealand and on paper Pakistan definitely looks stronger. While Pakistan is at number 6 in ICC test rankings with 88 rating points, New Zealand are languishing at 8 with 80 rating points. A series win for Pakistan even by 2-0 will not change their ranking but it will reduce the gap towards the 5th spot. On the other hand a 1-0 series victory for the Black Caps will put them in the 7th position pushing Pakistan to 8th behind West Indies.