Sports : life magnified

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.

With the dismissals of Dravid and Tendulkar the inevitable occured. A game which was always going to be near impossible for India to win (no team has ever chased 300 in the 4th inning in India in more than 70 years of test cricket) would not be a battle of survival. But did India have a man for the job? An injured Sehwag, flashy Yuvraj and ultra flashy Dhoni do not enthuse confidence.

Lack of responsibility

Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh decided there was no chance India would win this match. Dhoni skied one but Monty Panesar was unsighted. Dhoni skiwed another one with the same shot. Panesar made no mistake this time. Harbhajan Singh played agressively and played a suicidal shot to get out while a specialist batsman in Yuvraj Singh remained at the other end. It didn’t matter what shots Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh had played to get out. The arrogance of the shot plays were infuriating enough.

It is never easy to lose a test match. That India did not compete against a battling England caused much more pain. There is no shame in fighting bravely and losing. But to not fight at all smacks of irresponsibility which has to be shunned. I do feel sorry for Anil Kumble here. He personifies consistent persistance. If only others had similar attitudes.

Chasing Australia

The race for number 2 continues to be enthralling despite India falling further. England, despite it’s throwing matches away from comfortable positions (Multan and Mohali) have managed regain lost ground. South Africa fought but lost the first test versus Australia. They have to do better in the remaining two tests. A fourth team in South Africa competing for the sport would make things much more interesting.

As things stand right now, England and Pakistan are neck and neck. It is nicely setup for Pakistan’s tour of England. I hope Shoaib Akhtar is fit and both teams are able to play their First XIs. England would want to come back strongly after their recent series loss in Pakistan. Pakistan would want to show that they are a team to be taken seriously and not a bunch of inconsistent performers. Pakistan has already started walking on this road with their recent performances. It is a matter of whether they have it in them to take the next step in England.

Applauding Freddie

All said and done, the England in India series will be remembered most for the performances of Andrew Flintoff. He sacrificed the joy of seeing his son being born. He stood up to the challenge of captaining his side. He bowled. He even batted. In all this he kept battling on and inspiring his team mates to do the same. Flintoff won the Man of the Match for his performances in the third test and the Man of the Series. In between all this, he has also gained much more respect from cricket fans from around the world.

A superman in every sense of the word.

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.

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.

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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]

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.

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.

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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. (more…)

Caption?

The England under-19 team got thrashed by India under-19 in the semi-finals of the under-19 world cup. Abu Nechim Ahmed was the wrecker-in-chief. At one stage England were 17/5. England ended up with 58 in all and a massive 234 run defeat.

I said how England should consider going in with an all pace attack in Pakistan earlier:

Can England do it despite having a pace centric attack rather than a spin centric attack? Australia did it in India only when they relied on their strength and opted not to change too many things. South Africa, which was the first team to break the jinx of away teams losing in India did it with a rather weak spin attack. The Windies team won every where with their pace battery. So the key is to focus on the strengths rather than change too many things.

I maintain that they should adopt the same verus India. For one India are better players of spin specially at home. For two, England do not have their best spinner Ashley Giles. (We do not know how good Monty Panesar but can we, practically, expect him to create wonders in his first international tour?)

Play a four pronged pace attack. Have Bell and Collingwood play the role of the stock bowler.

Trescothick
Strauss
Vaughan
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Jones
Hoggard
Jones
Harmison

Well his hair looks like that of a skunk. Bewildering 2262 comments and still going strong on Will’s CoU then.

The English cricket team is at crossroads right now. There is no question that the team is number two in the world. Series win versus the Kiwis, South Africans, the Windies and Australia recently have shown England to be the unquestionable number two.

The thing is a few teams have claimed that spot over the past decade. South Africa was the unquestionable number 2. But they could not match up to Australia and went into decline post 2003.

India was the team to watch a year and a half back. At that point of time they had a home series victory versus the Australians, had drawn the series down under and had just beaten Pakistan in Pakistan. But then the party was over. A home series loss to Australia and again like South Africa failing to raise that level meant they did not reach much higher.

Kiwi fans had the firm belief that they had the rightful place at number 2. A session of havoc caused by Shoaib Akhtar meant they lost a series to Pakistan at home. Then they had the injury prone tour of England where England were the convincing winners. And with that the talk of Kiwis posing a challenge disappeared into thin air.

England is at the same stage right now. When the going gets tough, the champion teams get going. England have lost the first test to Pakistan by a close margin. They are also in a crisis of sorts with not having their full strength team. However when we look back at the current series and the one to be played in India in the future, those aspects will not be looked at.

The team England is challenging right now for the top spot has an superb record in the subcontinent. This is in sharp contrast to Australia the world champions in the late 90s. If England was to challenge for the number 1 spot maybe 5 years earlier, they could have been hailed as world champions just by beating Australia in Australia in a little more than 12 months.

The current situation, however, requires England to at least draw one of the two series and win the other. Can England do it despite having a pace centric attack rather than a spin centric attack? Australia did it in India only when they relied on their strength and opted not to change too many things. South Africa, which was the first team to break the jinx of away teams losing in India did it with a rather weak spin attack. The Windies team won every where with their pace battery. So the key is to focus on the strengths rather than change too many things.

England faces a challenge as would any team eyeing for a top spot. The team has shown that they will not give up without a fight. One thing is for sure, cricket fans and not just the English supporters will be tracking England’s progress.

The laws are quite clear on this. The umpires have the final say on the pitch. Also if the conditions or the pitch, ground etc are not dangerous it is playable.

In a test match in India vs England play was stopped and the match abandoned because the ball was bouncing so awkwardly that it could cause serious damage to the English batsmen. Hussain was right to protest and the umpires were right to stop play.

But if the pitch is not dangerous, and its within the laws So what is the issue why so many English fans are disgruntled with the pitches provided to them.

A great team wins even in the most adverse of conditions.

It is concerning an issue of this was not made earlier. Whoever’s fault it is for not making it an issue - the ICC, the ECB or BCCI’s or all of them. Players are humans and they should feel secured while playing.

That said, Indian crowds are not hooligans which such incidents potray them to be. Among thousands of spectators these are just few people who give every one a bad name.

I am surprised and disappointed Flintoff has to mention such an incident now, if even in his book. I do not have a problem with players saying the truth or what they feel of incidents honestly in their books. But such opinions and books revealing stuff should be written after retirement.

An issue was not made then. With it being talked about now, the case is of one person’s word against another. Chauhan and people not accepting it to be true. Creates unnecessary controversy before an England tour of India looked forward by every one.

The big question is who should England play if Simon Jones does not recover for the 5th test. Does England include Chris Tremlett, inexperienced yet promising? He is the logical next in succession in the squad. But a debut in the moest crucial test for England is years will be a huge gamble.

Collingwood? I dont think so as bowlers win test matches and going for him is not an option from any angle.

What about bringing back some old war horses? Caddick is injured. He is not an option either.

So I ask the question. Not why Darren Gough but why not Darren Gough. Yes he has retired from test cricket but I dont think he will refuse a request for a come back for the crucial test.

Gough has been England’s best strike bowler since Bob Willis and Ian Botham writes cricinfo. And its not that Gough is now old and thus cannot match up to international standard. He is still active as a one day international and despite recent ordinary performances in the tri series involving Australia and Bangladesh and the Natwest Challenge, has shown he still has it in him.

Certainly a better option than raw Tremlett. Gough’s performance in the one day series in South Africa is a point in case:

England in South Africa, 2004/05 [Series]
SA 6 58.1 241 11 3/52 2/14 21.90 4.14 31.7 0 0

One day and test cricket are different ball games but that certainly indicates Gough has not lost it all yet.

First things first. Congrats to England on the victory. Well played and they have showed without a shadow of a doubt what a quality side they are.

Second thing.

The series is not over. Whether England claim back the Ashes or not, no one will deny what a quality side they are. However, to gain appreciation as the best side in the world, a distinct possibility England face, the road is still a long one.

Firstly they have to win back the Ashes. A draw series will mean they would have to wait till the next Ashes in Australia to hope to get the title of the best side in the world. If they do get back the Ashes, they then have to have draws/victories in India and Pakistan. After that there is a fair possibility they will be called the best side in the world.

Exciting times ahead for world cricket.

When he have the facility to conclusively state out or not out, we should use it.

Hawk eye and other inconclusive technologies should not be used but if the fans and people sitting in the media boxes and dressing rooms can see a decision being made is clearly wrong on tv (like inside edge given out lbw), it brings the game to unnecessary disrepute.

The day saw some brilliant cricket. But we remember the error decisions most. It would not have happened 40 years ago to this extent as the cameras would not have been that conclusive and the media was not as strong and communication not as fast.

First McGrath is injured. He feels there are some voodoo charms behind the most imperfect of timings for his injuries. Then England bat like champions on a flat pitch after being 5 down courtesy of superb batting by Flintoff and Jones and captaincy lacking in innovation by Ponting - giving the English easy runs.

The pitch is flat. So you would expect the Aussies to target a score of atleast 400 if not go for a 600. They are 5 down at the end of the day. The batting form is woeful and the English bowling is unrelenting.

Maybe the English tabloids should apologise to the fans for their over reaction on their home team after the first test. Maybe the Aussie tabloids should learn from this and not create their own over reactions. Bleak chances of either of those happening.

The weather forecast says bleak chances of rain. Meanwhile in another cricket match, India and New Zealand play one of the strangest matches in one day cricket history. First the kiwis collapse but manage a total of around 220. Then India collapse, stage a recovery with 8 wicket down, only to lose the 9th and 10th before some thing dramatic could happen.

Cricket is a funny game.

With McGrath out of the 4th test, Australia decided to go with 4 regular bowlers which meant Ponting had to share the burden of the attack. That England have not amassed a huge total and lost 4 wickets is the good luck of Australia, helped by the rain no doubt.

I do not see England losing this match without doing some really stupid stuff.

Its a tough few days in the office for Australia.

The hype surrounding the Ashes has been proven to be real. With 3 tests gone and the score tied at 1-1, the 4th test is one of the most awaited test matches. I certainly cannot remember a match for which I have had more anticipation in my 14 years of cricket watching.

Champion teams have had their eras in test history. When Australia beat the West Indies in West Indies in 1995, they started their era as test champions ending a 20 year reign of the West Indies. I still do not fathom the current English team will be able to win the Ashes. But the possibility is very real. It is this possibility which elevates the 4th test of the current Ashes series to another level.

Can England win the 4th test? Or will Australia bounce back stronger than before? I am of the belief the second possibility will occur. But cricket is an unpredictable game.

England will not be proclaimed world champions isntantly. But if they beat Australia in England and then go on to show mettle in their winter tours of Pakistan and India, there will be many who will believe England is the best team in the world.

If England cannot manage to win or draw the Ashes, such thoughts of England replacing Aussies as world champs will be put to the trash can. This is why the match is eagerly anticipated. It has much more at stake than the outcome of a single match.