A good day for bowlers

Or rather, a bad day for batsmen. Because most of the wickets fell due to inept batting. But bowler will take whatever they are getting with glee in this age of flat batting surfaces.

The horrific batting started when West Indies were bowled out for a paltry 61 in the inconsequential(W.I already won the series by winning the first 2) 3rd ODI in Chittagong. Had Shakib not gifted some extras W.I would not have managed 58, the score that Bangladesh were castled for in the World Cup and still a sore point for their fans. Yes, the wicket was slow and low and there was some moisture but still nothing can excuse such a performance. Bangladeshi spinner accounted for 7 wickets while conceding 21 runs in a pitch totally different from the earlier flat ones. Surely, Bangladesh now know what kind of wickets to prepare for the test series.

But more unexpectedly, SriLanka were shot out for 197 by Pakistan in their first test at Abu Dhabi. The score can be put in perspective by the fact that the wicket was flattest of flat(still an understatement) and the conditions were oppressively hot, enough to send shivers down any bowler's spine. Pakistan bowlers must also be given credit. Aizaz Cheema bowled with pace and Junaid Khan picked up a fiver. But the blame for this debacle must be put on SriLanka's poor planning. Dilshan preferred to bat in the middle order and the openers Thirimanne and Paranavitana managed a measly 46 in 25 overs(scary) before T got out. When they say the English world "implode" , this is exactly what they mean. Build up pressure yourselves, and then perish as a result of it. I won't be surprised if the Lankan bowler give their batsmen a piece of their mind tonight. With Pakistan ending the day at 27/0 they face the prospect of a lo....ng, hard day tomorrow.

What Shoaib's criticism of Sachin, Dravid and Akram says about himself

Shoaib Akhtar's insolence towards the game's legends has been interpreted as a marketing ploy for his new book. I concur. But there might be more to it than borne by this simplistic reaction.


First off, people speaking of the venerable legends have to be respectful. Secondly, it is better not to compare or contrast them. Different people might look upon different players from divergent points of views and it is important to keep someone's disparaging opinions to himself/ herself. I, for one, prefer Mike Hussey over any of the greats. So, to each his own.




Coming back to Shoaib- all of his remarks actually mirror Shoaib's inner frustation for failing to realize his potential. It also portrays a person in denial. A person who will blame everybody but himself for his tribulations.


Akhtar's career has been plagued by his predilection to get into controversial situations- chucking, ball-tampering, fighting, drugs and whatnot. Instead of admitting to his personal demons, he has gone ahead and attacked 3 of the nicest people in the game. His accusations on Akram are downright slanderous. Gentlemen that these guys are, they have let it pass as ramblings of an imbecile and not involved in public slanging, which presumably is what Shoaib planned for. Consumers should think twice before lapping up a book, the only selling point of which- as the name "Controversially Yours" suggests- is controversies

Is Mohammad Aamir's 5 year ban too harsh?

I was ambivalent towards this issue, until very recently. While as a cricket-lover I could not condone Aamir's betrayal of my beloved sport, it was unfair to equate him with Salman Butt or Mohammad Asif, two mature cunning individuals fully cognizant of what they were doing and the repercussions. I thought his punishment could be mitigated, throwing him a chance at redemption.


But that was until it was recently revealed that the ICC had tried to work out a deal in which Aamir's ban would be reduced to 2 years, if he pleaded guilty to the allegations. So, the ICC did give him a second chance. Aamir clearly has only himself to blame for not acquiescing to that proposal. Fact is that some of the rapacious Pakistani players had insidiously converted the camp into a bookies' haven. Some of the culpable parties have escaped conviction due to lack of evidence(like a certain Kam... Ak...) and they will no doubt be commending Aamir for not ratting on them. But as a neutral, I wished he had so that his promising career could flourish.


Life waits for nothing and the game goes on. Cricket today lacks the type of domineering bowlers who bully the batsmen and capture the imagination of the public. In such circumstances, some mediocre player like Kam... Ak... would not be missed. But the absence of Aamir's precocious talent is felt everyday.

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi breathes his last at 70

Former Indian Captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi has passed away this evening, aged 70. He was admitted to a Delhi hospital in August with severe lung infection where his condition gradually deteriorated.


A perfect gentleman and the epitome of integrity, he is largely credited with turning the Indian cricket team from the usual pushovers into something of reckoning. I won't say too many things because his playing days were over far before I was born. But my dad, who witnessed him captain India in 40 tests holds him in the greatest esteem.


Well, everybody has to die sometime. But what disappoints me the most is his demise after India's 4-0 loss to England while contesting for the Pataudi trophy. Add to that, the British faux pas of inviting Pataudi to the podium at the presentation but instead handing Strauss the sponsor's Npower trophy, ostensibly as an oversight. Surely, the man deserved better.


R.I.P

Champions' League t20 is a charade, not a competition

So the England tour, the most disastrous in my memory comes to a close to give way to the mindless hitting of t20.And knowing how the BCCI works, once an IPL team wins this tournament- given that there are 4 IPL teams the odds are high- everything will be construed to be glorious about Indian cricket and any criticism or suggested measure of improvement will be nipped in the bud. The public also tend to fall for this misleading portrayal of the health of Indian cricket. But blogs are there to educate people through free speech, aren't they?



The first question which arises is whether this competition,which even borrows its name from the premier European club football championship, has any significance that justifies its being.The answer is a resounding no, if considered for anything other than filling the BCCI's coffers.Cricket,unlike football, is only played competitively by a handful of countries and even then the domestic t20 leagues are unequal in terms of quality and scale.Unlike the football championship which is organized by the UEFA, the big brother BCCI wields the stick in Clt20 daring anybody to fall out of line and be summarily removed from the tournament. Equal weightage is not given to all the domestic leagues. The whole thing is skewed towards an IPL team winning the competition and blaring the trumpets of the BCCI.



Football nowadays is a club-based sport where the major footballers play in different clubs of England, Spain, Germany, Italy which are as good as each other. But in cricket, most international players only participate in the IPL, thereby constituting the qualitative superiority of it and making this concept of Champions' League all the more redundant. Also, in football you can only play for one club unlike cricket where merceneries like Kieron Pollard ply their trade all over the world but ultimately favour the most lucrative one in CLt20. So you have players like Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo playing for Mumbai Indians and Channai Super Kings respectively, instead of their native Trinidad and Tobago, stripping the local flavour- which could have been the saving grace- of the competition. Things which work in football do not work in cricket and everybody should realize that the only reason this is still playing out is the money. The insatiable appetite of the Indian consumers for all things t20 should be apportioned the major responsibility as to why this farce continues. Fans of REAL cricket should atleast stop watching this, if not IPL. I have.



And hey, have you noticed the remedial properties of these t20 leagues? Players like Bhajji who had gone out with tenuous injuries are suddenly completely fit. Rather obfuscating, but I am waiting for Gambhir to declare himself fit. Who knows, even Zaheer may become match-fit for 2 weeks before slumping back to his perpetual injured status. So sad, Sehwag's team is out. It may baffle you, but you can't argue with the results.So ignore all those nay-sayers and malicious, cynical people and their fallacious arguments that these t20 leagues breed injuries.They cure them.



P.S: The last paragraph was satirical but you already knew that, right?