Archive for the ‘English Cricket’ Category

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T20 Cricket Causing Poor Cricket Habits

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

I looked forward to the Friends Provident Life T20 Final with bated breath. The annual finals day is always a big event in the English cricket calendar and sees a packed house in attendance. Mailnga charging away on Finals Day a few years back capturing the imagination of the crowd is some thing I will always remember, more so as it was a domestic cricket game.

The cricket left me dejected and in a state sad pondering. Murali Kartik opened the bowling in the final and the ball wss gripping and turning square. You would think the batsmen would look to apply themselves but what ensued was a terrible exhibition for cricket.

The batsmen kept trying to whack it and kept missing by a fair distance. When they did connect, they didn’t connect well (the probability of connecting well given the nature of the pitch was pretty low). This lead to the ridiculous statistic of the same bowler and fielder causing the dismissal of no less than four batsmen. If you weren’t watching closely enough, you would be forgiven to think that you were watching a replay of the replay, as Nasser Hussain remarked.

Now let us analyze this for a moment. The batting team probably targeted 160 if not more which would be great given a final. They ended up short at 145.

The team batting second did not learn and kept going for the same kind of shots. If they had played sensible cricket, they would have got there more times than not given a run rate of around 7.5 is not that difficult in T20 cricket.

Wisden has an interesting stat this year which shows fours and sixes win you more T20 games than 1’s and 2’s. That can explain why players want to hit through to an extent but when the situation demands, you expect first class professionals to adopt.

The problem is, in most scenarios in T20 cricket, the hit across the line works just fine. Why would you then change your approach. Given that cricketers keep playing T20 cricket, it is only natural that it will lead to bad habits in the game. Why would they care though given that T20 cricket is what pays the wages of most clubs and helps clubs financially (substantially) as it did for Leicestershire when they won the English domestic T20 competition this year.

I would like first class cricket to be subsidized for this ever expanding menace of an issue to be curbed at what is still an initial stage. You can’t blame the cricketers, who have a very small life as sports men to want to earn as much money as they can (honorably of course). Herein lies the problem of even why India ended up making the most anticipated test series in years a damp squib. Some thing needs to be done, and urgently.

Match scorecard, report.

Posted in Cricket, Domestic Cricket, English Cricket | 4 Comments »

The Terrible English Sports Culture

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

It is a pity what has happened with Wayne Rooney over the past few months.

Rooney had a great 2009-10 English Premier League season for which he was the PFA Player of the year. He had a great start to the year as well for which he got the January FA Premier League player of the month.

I don’t think he could have foreseen the night mare which lay ahead of him. In 10 international matches in 2010, he scored only once which included the World Cup, a sharp contrast to the previous 3 years where he scored 13 goals in 21 games. He had a poor start to the 2010-11 EPL season.

Rooney did suffer a minor injury early in the year which might have affected his performances. The big issue which occured was the sex scandal turning the Rooney universe on it’s head. The focus of the tabloids, news papers and the fans was on Wayne Rooney all the while.

Now any one who has followed even a bit of the English football team over the recent past know that it is crap and wouldn’t have been surprised by their World Cup fiasco. There were a few stars but it was never really a team. How many times was the ball passed up front to Rooney, hey?

The English are a sports crazy nation. The culture building some one a star over night when he may be too young or not good enough and then expecting the world of him is dire really. Then there are the sports tabloids which are trying to outdo each other with the bigger sensational story.

What happened with Tim Henman probably epitomises a lot of the British sports culture. Now Britain hasn’t produced a tennis champion for aeons which is fine, can happen. Not till as late as 2007 did the British build start taking their tennis more seriously again. Champions aren’t produced overnight. It was great given this background that Henman happened at all.

It was Wimbledon and Britain saw a young tennis player who was good, so what do they do? Every one started hoping he won Wimbledon. Now Henman outdid himself, he even beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon and reached the later rounds of many a Wimbledon. It was phenomenal what Henman achieved at Wimbledon. He did rise to as high as No. 4 in the world once but had only 1 Masters Title and was 11-17 in his career in finals. He was a damn good tennis player, but not one of the best. Every year Wimbledon occured, there was Henmania which swept the nation. It always ended in disappointment. It was silly really to have such expectations.

Britain does it with all it’s stars and teams and it might prove rewarding once in a while like in the case of Henman, even though he never did win Wimbledon, it usually means a roller coaster ride of emotions. It is like the Indians do just before the Olympics, though things have changed now for India in sports like shooting and is changing in sports like wrestling. Before the Olympics, every one is hyped up. Apart from a few real contenders, of course, no one stands a chance. You don’t win Olympic medals by fluke. Then, when the players or teams don’t win, it is a national tragedy. Gloom sweeps the nation, a catharsis is done and then every one forgets about it. Nothing is done to improve the infrastructure and no real tough decisions are made. In the next big competition, the drama sequence is repeated in all it’s grandeur.

I mean, it was expected the English football team would not win the World Cup. No way! Real fans knew. Why was an overhaul not done after the World Cup to give the younger stars more exposure. Why are old stars who are never going to make it to the next World Cup carried on? It is a total waste. If I was England, I would sacrifice the Euro 2012 dream and focus on World Cup 2014.

Coming back to Rooney, there were even some ludicrous stories that he might retire. Rooney had to clarify he hoped to play at least 2 more World Cups. Now here’s the biggest football talent England has produced in a long time. He is just 25 and the whole career lies ahead of him. Why turn his life into a daily soap opera? They have to do it because if they don’t find some thing new, the next tabloid won’t sell. The whole culture is a disgrace. For Rooney’s sake, I hope he makes the decision to go to a big club outside England. There are usually two big strikers in the big European clubs nowadays, so the pressure will reduce enormously. Off the leash, given the fighting bull that Rooney is, he will then revel.

The British sports culture and putting a tangle hold over another English sports person right now – cricketer Graeme Swann ahead of the Ashes. Now, Swann has had a bit of a golden run in recent times. Already, he is being compared to the greatest spinners England has produced in it’s long cricketing history. Derek Underwood himself, who holds the record of maximum wickets by a spinner for England (297) and widely regarded as the greatest spinner coming out of England, has said that if Swann continues like this, he might break his record of maximum wickets. It is a tall order for Swann to break the record as he is already 31 but that is besides the issue.

What would be, or rather, should be, playing most on Swann’s and the other English players minds at the moment would be how to win the Ashes series, which would be an amazing feat, considering as it is, the Ashes are occuring down under. Not since the exodus to Packer circus has Australian cricket been at such a low and real chance for the Poms to add another glorious chapter to their recent successes as a team. Really Derek, who cares about your record right now? A large part of the pressure will be on Swann given the build up he has got and it’s just not right. Now the Australian batsmen have struggled against spin in recent times, most notably against Shahid Afridi and Pakistan, so there is a real chance Swann may have a big series. There is also a fair chance he may not have a big series given that most Australian wickets in the past decade or so have been lower, slower and don’t provide the rip off the surface which a spinner would like.

The Australians have dropped to No. 5 in tests but England are not far ahead at 4. In India, despite losing 2-0, the Australians gave India a tremendous fight at home which is not an easy thing to do. At home, the Australians have been the toughest team to beat in the past 15 years, even ahead of India. So it won’t be easy at all and the possibility of Australia winning back the Ashes is very real. If Swann doesn’t succeed, and if England doesn’t succeed, please, please, please, don’t start pointing to individuals in your own camp like they have committed national treason.

Give the guys a break, for Pete’s sake! One can hope…

Posted in Cricket, English Cricket, English Football, Football, Tennis | No Comments »

On England Not Letting the Opportunity Slip, A Few Champions and A Few Losers

Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006

A few days ago I asked the question, “Has England let the opportunity slip in the battle for No. 2 and chasing Australia?”

A win in Mumbai is now needed for England to remain in the race. Very difficult but it is the only way England can stop the opportunity from slipping. No one said the battle was ever going to be easy!

England did win in Mumbai and showed strength in the face of adversity. The persistance was evidant in the way England batted in the post tea session on Day 4 – with planning to go for the shots only once England felt safe. The persistance was also evident on Day 5. The pitch had not deteriorated. It was playing much better than most 5 day pitches play. England kept the ball in a line which made Indians play. Ball after ball this line was maintained. There was hardly any straying. The discipline and superb bowling effort was a pleasure to watch.

Defensive mindset

India has been defensive in mind set in this series. In the first test they went for the shots very late. That was when the score line read 0-0. Here the score line was 1-0. So it was unlikely that they would go for runs and risk drawing the series. The plan would be to play out the first session and a half or two sessions and if wickets are in hand after that, see if going for the target during a small phase is a good option.

This is where I think India erred. Defensive play is never a good option regardless of the situation. Dravid almost got into a shell and Tendulkar survived a few close LBW shouts which would have been plumb had they been a bit closer to the wicket. Safeguarding your wicket is needed in such situations. But in the process playing the natural game as far as possible should not be forgotten. If you let the bowlers dominate, they will gain in confidence and get on you sooner rather than later.

(more…)

Posted in Cricket, English Cricket, Indian Cricket | 4 Comments »

Has England Let the Opportunity Slip in the Battle for No. 2 and Chasing Australia?

Thursday, March 16th, 2006

The English Team was at cross roads in Pakistan. I had written on the same nearly 3 months ago which can be read here. I titled it facing adveristy. In the period which has followed since then, England has enountered a lot of adversity. A menacing Shoaib Akhtar in Pakistan and a series of unfortunate events leading 4 of their first XI to withdraw from the tour of India being unquestionably the biggest external adversities. The internal weaknesses they have shown shouldn’t be forgotten.

With the collapse in Pakistan and throwing away a match England should have probably drawn in India in the second test of the series in Mohali, it has probably let slip the opportunity to challenge Australia for now. From being the unquestionable number 2 side, it has gone down a step in the close battle of the number 2.

In fact, it also finds itself at a position inferior to Pakistan. Pakistan appear to have lost Shoaib Akhtar for the immediate future. However there is some time to go for Pakistan’s tour of England. If Pakistan can manage even a draw in that series, it would mean that Pakistan has set itself above the current English side.

And what about South Africa? South Africa played superbly in Australia. It is now involved in the home series versus Australia. If South Africa can manage a victory or even a draw, it can be accepted as a strong team despite Glenn McGrath not playing in the current series and despite what Chris Fogarty has to say regarding only the Ashes mattering, test cricket is about more than just The Ashes. John Stern analyses the current situation and the mouth watering prospect which lies ahead of us much more judiciously.

India may be finding bowlers (Munaf Patel, Piyush Chawla) who might show some potency in times to come. However, with it playing just 2 test series in the run up to World Cup 2007 and having lost the series to Pakistan (despite it being like a 1 test series), India finds itself behind the pack in this chase. Did New Zealand not go behind a huge distance in one session in their home series versus Pakistan where Shoaib Akhtar wrecked them? It did India no favours that for them that the home series versus England was always going to be The Nothing Series. India in fact loosened their noose in the tussle they failed to win their last series in the West Indies. That they lost the home series versus Australia did them no favours. They have been chasing as a back runner since then and will have to keep persisting. They do not find themselves in the picture before the pyajama cricket – World Cup 2007 is done and dusted with.

Climbing up the ladder is difficult. It requires consistent brilliant performances. New Zealand is finding it out the hard way. It is doomed in mid table for the time being. Has England let it’s opportnity slip by two collapses, one in Pakistan and one in India? The importance is not in that England lost. England would be respectable losers after drawing their first test match in India. The importance was in the manner in which a match which should have been drawn was lost. A win in Mumbai is now needed for England to remain in the race. Very difficult but it is the only way England can stop the opportunity from slipping. No one said the battle was ever going to be easy!

Pakistan does have a small lead ahead of the rest of the pack – England, South Africa and India. South Africa has the best chance to contend with Pakistan. While all this is going on, Australia cannot work out who the right players are for their international side. A side which boasted of depth finds itself bringing back older warriors who were discarded after the Ashes war was lost. The batsmen are not showing consistency. There is no sign of a future Glenn McGrath or Shane Warne. Most importantly, Australia has set such high standards for themselves that they will themselves find it difficult to maintain these levels. Even if McGrath and Warne do manage to play for a few more years, it will be very difficult for Australia to not slip from it’s high intensity performances is now characterized with. Some would argue that the slipping has already started.

Very interesting times to be a test cricket fan.

Posted in Australian Cricket, Cricket, English Cricket, Indian Cricket, Pakistan Cricket, South African Cricket | 3 Comments »

The Flipper: The English Fan Edition

Tuesday, March 14th, 2006

I have started a column at Desicritics called The Flipper.

The following is the inaugral issue of the same. Small parts of it are repeats of short posts earlier.

Corey Flintoff, son of Andrew Flintoff, was born just a few days ago. English cricket fans are already predicting the 2025 Ashes to be Corey’s Ashes (similar to Ian Botham’s Ashes in 1981.) Yeah right! Just like the 2005 Ashes were Liam Botham’s Ashes. Liam Botham, Ian Botham’s son, did play country cricket for Hampshire and took the wicket of Mike Gatting as part of his early exploits. But his true calling was rugby to the dismay of the millions of English fans.

For all we know, the sons of cricketing greats do not become greats. Cricinfo published an article on the subject. Does any one recall W.G. Grace junior, Richard Hutton, Eric Bedser, Mali Richards, Ron Headley or John Bradman? How many people for that matter will remember Rohan Gavaskar 20 years from now? Some cricketers, like Chris Cairns and Yuvraj Singh, have achieved more glory compared to their fathers. However, how many sons have even emulated a great cricketing father, let alone surpass his achievements? Mohinder Amarnath? Lala Amarnath was not a great player though he has been one of the most controversial cricketers in Indian cricket history.

It is near impossible to emulate a great father. This is why I squirm when I see photographs of junior Tendulkar or junior Inzamam in the papers. Let the kids be. It is a great injustice to the children of famous cricketers. John Bradman in fact changed his family name to Bradsen for a while when he was finding it impossible to lead his own life and create an identity for himself. Sadly, expectations and comparisons are part of the human psyche. This does not change the reality that the lives of the sons and daughters of famous people get affected adversely in more ways than we can imagine because of the unrealistic expectations of the fans and the media lapping up to this expectation. I feel extremely sorry for Corey Flintoff whenever I hear any one mention his name because of this.

One aspect of the English fans I do admire tremendously is their ability to laugh at themselves. Essex guys will make fun of Yorkshire guys, Yorkshire guys will make fun of the eccentricities of the Surrey guys and so on and so forth. The jokes never end. It is all in good spirit and creates a healthy sporting atmosphere. Individuals are hardly spared either. So Ricky Clarke and Ian Salisbury are quite popular as centre pieces in jokes because of their ordinary records.

The latest addition to this list is Ian ‘Pie Thrower’ Blackwell. With a first class average of above 38, the mysteries as to how he made the national squad mystified the fans. He was the butt of many a joke even before he delivered a ball in Test cricket. That Blackwell has played 28 one-day internationals shows more about the lack of quality spinners in English cricket over the past 15 years than about the talent Blackwell possesses. Hopefully the problems are now solved with the coming good of Monty Panesar. The jokes on Panesar will never end though despite what his achievements in the future might be. He is already a cult hero.

Speaking of cult heroes, the biggest among the spinners in the last 15 years (the competition is by no means easy considering England has seen Robert Croft, Shaun Udal, Ian Salisbury, Ashley Giles among others) is ‘Tuffers’, the great Phil Tufnell. Phil Tufnell is to English cult spinners in the past 15 years what Don Bradman is to batting. Apart from being a pie bowler, the requisite criteria for an English spinner, Phil Tufnell is also The Cat (title conferred because of his dressing room naps), was the bad boy of English cricket in the 90s, Aussie Basher, star of the the DVD Tuffers’ Duffers, winner of television show I’m a Celebrity and key spinner and no. 11 of the Awkward XI.

The great Tuffers has added one more chapter to his legacy. Tuffers will captain the English Celebrity XI to tour India to raise money for charity. Reports Cricinfo:

A celebrity cricket team – comprising such luminaries as Phil Tufnell, Jack Russell and Harry Judd, the drummer from the pop group, McFly – has set off for India to take on the stars of Bollywood and raise money for Sport Relief…. In 2004, Sport Relief raised £16.5m, and the team members will be able to witness at first hand how the money is being spent. This year’s event will take place on July 15.

When we mention cult heroes, how can we forget Kevin Pietersen? The guy is hated and despised in South Africa and is referred to as ‘The Skunk’ because of his hairstyle. There is a multitude of people who loathe the mention of Kevin Pietersen (KP). He has an even larger cult following. Girls go absolutely wild whenever they see or hear of KP. They absolutely loved his ’skunk’ hair style. KP recently shaved his head for the hot tour of India, sending shock waves all around the globe where the KP Cult exists. It would not deter the legion of KP fans from idolizing him or his past hairstyle. Schools have started a secret movement to tackle this growing concern. They are even willing to violate human rights in the process.

Rain during a match does not mean the action stops as far as English Cricket is concerned. There is a lot happening apart from the adventures of the Barmy Army.

I hope you enjoyed the first edition of The Flipper.

Posted in Cricket, English Cricket | 65 Comments »

Movement Against KP Cult

Saturday, March 11th, 2006

Kevin Pieterson has shaved his head for the hot Indian tour. But he continues to influence a generation of sports fans. Human rights are being violated to supress Kevin Pieterson fans. Read all about it here. [Hat tip: Rick Eyre]

Posted in Cricket, English Cricket | 2 Comments »

Phil Tufnell : What a legend!

Friday, March 10th, 2006

English pie bowler, legend, bad boy of English cricket in the 90s, Aussie Basher, star of the the DVD Tuffers’ Duffers, winner of television show I’m a celebrity, key spinner and no. 11 of the Awkward XI, widely know as The Cat for his dressing room naps (I will not use the word ’sleeping’ here to avoid tarnishing the name of the legend) has added one more chapter to his legacy.

Tuffers will captain the English Celebrity XI to tour India to raise money for charity. Reports cricinfo:

A celebrity cricket team – comprising such luminaries as Phil Tufnell, Jack Russell and Harry Judd, the drummer from the pop group, McFly – has set off for India to take on the stars of Bollywood and raise money for Sport Relief… In 2004, Sport Relief raised £16.5m, and the team members will be able to witness at first hand how the money is being spent. This year’s event will take place on July 15.

Posted in Cricket, English Cricket | 3 Comments »

Cricket ramble

Thursday, March 2nd, 2006

One word which charecterises this English team and separates it from teams of the past is fight. Whatever the match situation, whatever the crisis situation, the team will give it their best shot. A sharp contrast to the frequent collapses we saw from English teams of the past. You will say that they did collapse in Pakistan but that was a one off rather than a norm.

I doubt if any one expected England to fight back the way they did after being down 246/7 at the end of day 1. No one certainly expected them to end up with 393. Bravo Paul Collingwood. He showed a few English batsmen who let a situation of advantage (winning the toss and thus having India to bat last on a crumbling pitch) slip the worth of staying at the wicket and limiting stroke play for the larger team cause. The support from the tail was admirable. It highlighted that word again – fight.

Of course the highlight of the match so far has been the youngsters coming to the party. If it was Alastair Cook showing common sense yesterday and Sreesanth showing that he has loads of talent, swinging ability (not related to his break dance ability) and yes, common sense. Its funny how in test cricket loads of talent means nothing if you do not have common sense. You don’t need to be flashy, you don’t need to be a Sachin Tendulkar or a Brian Lara. You can be a Paul Collingwood, a Sreesanth or a Alastair Cook and still do a good job. The saying – test cricket is as much played in the head as in the field – is very true.

Coming back to today – I have a strong feeling we are seeing the future of both these teams in this match. If Suresh Raina and Piyush Chawla get a run later on in the series, it might well be looked back as the series where certain people showed their mettle for the first time. Like India in Pakistan(1989) is looked back upon for instance.

Two more stars shined today. While Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff could not do a good enough job to help Monty Panesar strangle the batsmen at the other end, Panesar showed enough talent in his short spell. He is patient. He has variation. And he can keep coming back at you. The English fans will be delighted. Ashley Giles might be a tad concerned. Blackwell wasn’t expected and could not put any pressure.

After Sehwag drove too early, fooled by the slower ball from Hoggard, into the hands of Pieterson, the Indians were standing on thin ice. Another wicket would mean staring at trouble. Chasing any thing above 250 batting last is going to be tough on this pitch. With Panesar bowling some testing stuff, it was a crucial period to last. Luckily for India, they had exactly the men for the task.

I have been a fan of Wasim Jaffer from before he was first selected for India. So it was a delight to see him make an unbeaten 73. He batted with assurance, patience and authority – all at the same time. Jaffer and Dravid left several balls; played only when they felt the delivery could be scored off or a defensive shot was necessary. Dean Jones rightly said during commentary that it is important to leave balls as much as to play them to make big scores in cricket. It is no surprise then than Wasim Jaffer has made big scores domestically and Dravid has done the same internationally.

The match is rivettingly poised with India at 136/1. India would want a lead of at least around 75-100 to feel safe. England will be looking to restrict India, realistically, to a lead of not more than 50.

On a slightly different note, Chappell has spoken up on Ganguly and Ganguly has reported it to the BCCI. Why should Chappell speak on this? He wasn’t required to. Chappell and Ganguly have always been controversial individuals. So once they get entangled in a controversy, it will continue. If one of them stops stirring, the other man will start off.

Posted in Cricket, English Cricket, Indian Cricket | No Comments »

The nothing series

Tuesday, February 28th, 2006

England’s tour to India was always going to be a big series. England, coming off a series loss in Pakistan, had it all to prove in India. A Test team has to show that it can compete in all conditions and circumstances – then, and only then can it be recognized as one of the better teams of an era. India, having just lost the series in Pakistan, needed to set things straight – mouth watering prospect for a cricket fan.

Then Ashley Giles, England’s number one spinner, gets injured. Marcus Trescothick withdraws for personal reasons, Michael Vaughan, England’s inspirational captain, gets injured and finally Simon Jones, vital in the scheme of things in the subcontinent, decides to join the injury brigade.

So England’s pace attack is left with Steve Harmison (who hasn’t been as effective off late) and Matthew Hoggard (who relies on movement and wasn’t going to be the most important player in the subcontinent anyway). James Anderson, Liam Plunkett, Shaun Udal, Monty Panesar and Ian Blackwell aren’t exactly expected to set the world on fire in India. How will England then get 20 Indian wickets? It is certainly an uphill task.

A win looks improbable then. How about a draw? The English openers are likely to be Andrew Strauss (in poor form) and Alastair Cook (making his Test debut and again, not expected to set the world on fire). Kevin Pietersen still has a lot to prove. Owais Shah or Paul Collingwood (whoever is selected) do not compare to the Indian batsmen. England would have to rely on Ian Bell and some heroics from Andrew Flintoff. The more you look at the English squad, the more you realize how weak it is.

England’s only hope would be that the young bowlers India has chosen do not fire. Two of R.P.Singh, Piyush Chawla, V.R.V.Singh and Sreesanth would be selected if India decided to go in with five bowlers. If those two do not do a satisfactory job, it will be tougher for India to take 20 wickets despite Kumble and Harbhajan being there.

The English supporters are dismayed and are expecting a 3-0 whitewash. The Indian supporters aren’t pleased either. All the pressure is on India and England has nothing at stake, as Nasser Hussain so aptly puts it:

I’m quite happy for England to have these injuries because it puts the pressure back on India. They should beat England come Wednesday, so England have absolutely nothing to lose. They just need to keep their control, and keep the pressure on the opposition for as long as they can.

Even if India win the series 3-0, little credit will come there way. After all, it was only a vastly understrength English side. If England manages even a draw, it will be a great achievement for them in the face of adversity. So, Team India have nothing to gain and find themselves in a thankless situation. The supporters from both camps are exasperated at the prospect of this nothing series.

Posted in Cricket, English Cricket, Indian Cricket | 3 Comments »

Hmm..

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006

Caption?

Posted in Cricket, English Cricket | 2 Comments »

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