Test Match Cricket

Christian Ryan writes in a Cricinfo article about where the 'well-wishers' of the game were wrong, when they thought that the recent test series and matches between Aussies and India was boring. Also in general how Test match cricket is a bit for the purist, but if you are one you have lots to enjoy in the game.

It tells us nothing much. Test cricket's charms have little to do with attack-attack-attack. They never have done. To survive, Test cricket has to look like Test cricket. Well-wishers should remember that trying to change the thing you love is one sure way of wrecking it.

Link Via: Gaddeswarup

Poor Poor Chappell

Via RTDM, youtube video of Greg Chappell being forced to do bhangra after one of Indian teams victory just prior to the World Cup.

If this is what he had to go through in India, I would not at all be surprised if he was not particularly feeling for India's loss at the World Cup.

Last post on the WC'07

BBC news examines the financial implication of early exit of Indian cricket team from the WC '07 here.

The punch line at the end was a cruel joke!

Sony's Kunal Dasgupta now says the format of the tournament is flawed.

"In a 48-day tournament, if teams like India and Pakistan are out for playing bad cricket in two matches, there is something really wrong. We were against this format and even told the International Cricket Council to reconsider it," he said.

Hear Hear! I say, for the next World Cup India must get the automatic bye to the finals. Only then will cricket in its present economic avatar be sustainable.

Lessons from the WC debacle

Mukul Kesavan has written about how the exit of India and Pakistan might actually be good for Cricket. He argues that the rise of these two south asian cricketing giants is responsible for the rise of one day cricket (which he associates with match fixing and other corrupt practices).
While I do agree that this exit might be good for cricket but not for the reason. One Day cricket is no south asian invention, infact the brits have even shorter version Twenty20. These are innovations designed to make the game popular. And match fixing and corruption are no south asian preserve.
But the malaise lies in the unstable nature of international cricket. There are around a dozen international teams playing the world cup but (I guess) the audience comprise more than 70% south asians. I dont think there is much passion for the game in Britan or even Australia (who are doing so well).
If cricket in India has to be saved, then more effort must be made to popularize the domestic cricket like Ranji Trophy. It is a joke that the players representing state teams have so little perks while the players just a level above them are treated like gods.
I do hope that the cricket administrator realize that they should not kill the hen that lays the golden eggs.

Another I told u so!

Now this is an I told you so, I really dont have any fun saying. India lost against SL and, unless the formidable Bangladeshis screw up big time, it looks like the picture posted here was prescient.

Well, I guess it is time to reflect for all concerned including Sunny Gavaskar! It would take a lot of guts for the Cricket board not to have some head rolling. For who come up with that concept anyways. Unless Chappell or Dravid resign by themselves, they should be kept on and the team should be rebuilt.

I also wonder how much the murder of Bob Woolmer played on the minds of the cricketers. It does seem prima facie that Woolmer was killed because someone was really pissed off with Pakistan teams exit out of the World Cup. Such an unnatural action suggests lot of juicy conspiracy theories. The Indian team might also be playing with this thought at the back of their minds.

India Pak Cricket Unity!!!

This email forwards gives you the idea of how the worldcup'07 has been for the two south asian sports powerhouses.

Ouch!!

Continuing on the theme of the last post

Ouch!! That must have hurt!

Ricky Ponting takes on Gavaskar for saying that the aussies are dominating but highly unpopular team. Ofcourse, their is some truth on both sides so this argument is going to be another stalemate.

But Gavaskar does have a point, even if it is a bit like the kettle calling the pot black. For the aussies in the cricket field come across as an arrogant and domineering side. What with all the sledging which they indulge in. This does go again to the cocky vs confident argument. For there is a very thin line between the two. And the aussies certainly seem to lie more on the cocky side.

I guess they also use this cockiness as a psychological weapon on the field. Like their targetting the best player of the other team before any series start etc.
So the best way to other teams to show aussies their place, is to beat them like the kiwis have shown recently.
But as of now, I would rather put my money on them for the world cup!

India in World Cup

The delicious ironies of commercialization of sports. Sports, which has always been about strength of character, unpredictiveness, heroic effort, but when the money factor comes in, things do change. Money does make the world go round and increases the visibility of sports. But what is the point, if money decides the outcome beforehand.
Read the clever article on the scheduling of world cup on rediff.
Put on your seatbelts. Worldcup 07 is gonna start soon!