Cricket Tournaments

Cricket is one of the most beautiful games to watch as well as play and I don’t think being from India, where people consider it as a religion, anyone here will have a doubt about it.  With over more than 100 years since the first ever match was played between England and Australia, this game went on beautifying itself with the way it was played.

Playing in true spirits, I’ve always admired some players. But what hurts my sentiment for this game is the way the beautifying effect has been just torn apart by certain players lacking basic sportsman spirit, money and the politics.

Rest aside, getting politics into cricket, just doesn’t seem to be a good idea. Despite being a ‘gentlemen’s game’, cricket and controversies always go hand in hand. Cricketers and their boards are constantly getting engaged in the mind games and the politics of the game.

Spats between cricketers and their respective boards have been going on since a long while. Right from Greg Chappell-Sourav Ganguly which gave rise to the fact that cricketers are mere employees for the board and nothing more. Chappell’s spat with Ganguly not only saw the worst spat ever occurred between a coach and a player but also showed how a player of caliber like Ganguly was treated in India. BCCI, being the most powerful and financially well-off cricket boards, has its own set of rules and treats players basically like slaves. But what weakens BCCI’s power is the fan base in India. Cricket being considered as a religion, the fans would just protest against BCCI if there’s anything going against a high-profile cricketer. Though media can always turn out to be the culprit.

Nevertheless what people fail to understand, is that politics is everywhere and to think that it’s only in India is just naïve. WICB-Chris Gayle, CA-Simon Katich, PCB-Shahid Afridi and it goes on and on to prove the fact that other boards do get engaged in politics too and it’s just that it hasn’t been openly talked about.

Axing senior players like Chris Gayle, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, what kind of team were they ever going to make? Others kept aside, Chris Gayle was on a mission to prove the board officials what they were missing on. And what he does is in style! Smashing sixes all over the ground in the just-concluded IPL, he was like a tornado coming towards the other teams. And this obviously infuriated WICB officials that he chose to play for IPL, instead of waiting for WICB officials to respond. Keeping him out of the current squad against India made the matters worse with WIPA supporting Gayle too. As the war of words goes on, who would axe senior players like them without even disclosing it in front of them? Politics plays its role.

Being in India, would you ever think of removing Sachin Tendulkar or for that matter any player who’s in his prime form with just the matter of fact that age is not by his side? That’s what exactly Australian cricket board has done! Scoring with an average of around 50 after his return to international cricket, no-one had ever thought of him being axed. Being in as many as 17 century partnership at the top after his return, Australia’s opening partnership was the most stable and effective. And the reason been given, ‘We want to forge a better opening partnership for Ashes 2013’. Is this a reason to give, when Katich has better averages than anyone else in the team after his return to international cricket? Why would you want to get rid of one of your best players? Just a bit baffled!

Even Stuart Clark was treated in a very much similar way, though he didn’t protest as such. And if two players are talking about this, there has to be some problems on the other side. And i’m sure there will be more players, just going against CA will make life worse for them.

Though PCB-Shahid Afridi tussle has been two-sided, where just because of stripping him from captaincy, Shahid Afridi decided to quit international cricket. Later again he was in a war of words with PCB and coach Waqar Younis which made the matters worse. Pakistan already at a point where their cricket doesn’t look like being stable any-time soon, with his retirement it looks even more awful. Being a two-sided mistake, you cannot just comment on what is it all about.

But what surprises me is that the board officials consider their players as mere contracted players and basically slaves who are supposed to do whatever the board wants when under contract. The politics played is intense and can’t get through it. Though the entire thing isn’t out, but what matters is all this is just affecting the game.

On top of that, with match-fixers and bookies all around, it makes worse. Even the fact that players favoring club over country hurts, but then it’s their own decisions though.

Cricket is to get back to the way it was, when there were no tussles, when every-one played their heart-out to represent their country, when match-fixing was never even a word in dictionary.

Suresh Raina & Darren Sammy

India already reached West Indies a couple of days back but the hype around it isn’t the same as the expectations. Shocked, right? West Indies team has gone from being the example of dominance to being casted as the side easy to beat.

West Indies – India matches have always been one to look forward to. West Indies dominated world cricket for almost more than a decade during the late seventies and early eighties until India defeated them in the final of world cup in 1983. An unbeatable side, West Indies beaten by an underdog in the final of a world cup was an unimaginable but a sight to look at and a splendid clash anticipated in the upcoming years.

Except for Sunil Gavaskar, who played well above the expectations when it came to playing against West Indies playing splendid cover shots and hooks, the West Indian pacemen which included legends like Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Michael Holding and many others demoralized the Indian batting line-ups along with Amarnath who was an exceptional player of pace. Brain Lara’s comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar were nothing but comparisons between two players filled with talent and idiosyncrasies which drove them to practice all day long to become what they are. Sir Vivian Richard can never be count out whether whichever is the country playing against him.

Though this clash went on faltering and never could live upto its expectations as it went by, as the West Indian side kept on losing its dominance. They went from riches to rags by the time the 20^th century started. And with Lara’s retirement and West Indies not producing enough fast-paced battery that can actually inflict fear in the minds of people, the matches between hasn’t been able to create much excitement in the second half of the last decade atleast.

On top of that, West Indies Cricket Boards (WICB) hasn’t been able to work well. Their constant fights with WIPA and consistently not being to be able to take proper decisions & get in players who would be able to change the phase of cricket in country. Them being clueless about how to take the game forward in the country and trying new approaches like youngsters being the core part of the team by axing the senior players, led to the destruction of the team. Axing players like Shivnaraine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan & row of fights over club v/s country with Chris Gayle have had a major impact on the game of cricket in the country.

While West Indies was one of the major concern and a team to defeat, time hasn’t remained the same since years. Even most of the Indian senior players have decided to opt out of the squad to tour West Indies even though it’s just for the ODIs. All the senior players including Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni and India’s pace spearhead Zaheer Khan. Though I don’t blame these players for missing the tours as it has been extremely tight schedule, as they’ve had back to back tours including the South African series, WORLD CUP and IPL and even the fact that it’s good to give the youngsters international exposure atleast in front of weaker teams.

Though the West Indian side does look like a struggling side but with cricket, uncertainties are always possible. But West Indian side do show some promises with the names of Darren Bravo who certainly just look like a re-incarnation of Brain Lara. Along with him are Darren Sammy and Devendra Bishoo too looking quite promising. But with Chris Gayle’s ouster, who has been in top form in the just concluded IPL, from the 1^st two ODIs atleast, it would have been a decision tough to make.

Indians are geared up too for the series with Suresh Raina leading up front. West Indies team would be approaching this series to be played basically for pride because of the way senior international players have approached the series against them along with an opportunity for youngsters to step up and take the responsibility. However, for Indians it is basically an opportunity to test their pool of players. A clash between the depleted Indian side and a struggling West Indian side, it’s going to be a treat to watch.

Both are attacking openers and are an asset for their teams, especially in the shorter formats of the game. Chris Gayle and Virender Sehwag have so much in common that it might actually be written in a book. But the difference between both of them lies in their attitude towards the game, and this is where I dare say that Sehwag has outclassed Gayle.

Gayle has been West Indies’ lifeline especially after the retirement of Brian Lara. West Indies need to win matches, and for that Gayle has always been under the pump to fire. And he has sometimes taken the pressure in his stride or succumbed to it. He has not won enough matches for his country and the reason clearly is his reluctance to change. The fact that he is 30 now; he is the team’s senior statesman, if not captain. He is the team’s best batsman, and so he has to play the role of the ‘Mr. Dependable’, without really tinkering around with his natural game a great deal.

Gayle may have a wonderful temperament, but his callous attitude and fitness is frustrating to see. He always wants to hit the ball out of the park by the ‘stand and deliver method’. The number of times it works only can be counted on our fingers. If Gayle fails, West Indies is demoralized to a certain extent and as a result a loss lingers.

On the other hand, Sehwag is 31 but has understood the importance of his wicket at the crease with experience. Though India has a strong batting line-up, Sehwag knows that he can be win more matches for his nation if he enjoys his batting a lot more by staying at the crease for a longer period of time. And the beauty of it is that he is still considered to be a threat to any bowling attack in the world, because he is not afraid to play his natural game. He has become wiser and mature and this World Cup has given birth to a new Sehwag, which is good for Indian cricket in the long run once Sachin Tendulkar calls it a day.

Gayle’s very similar in ways to Sehwag. Both rely on hand eye coordination so why is it that Sehwag seems to be more consistent than Gayle?

The Windies dasher must introspect, indeed, a lot can be learnt from Viru’s learning’s. After all, Sehwag too was in the same phase a couple of years back when he was dropped from the team. It’s made him a much wiser man now, benefitting team India eminently.

So change works after all and it is high time for some one like Chris Gayle to learn from Virender Sehwag and become more adaptable in his batting. Maybe that is one of the reasons why he was not picked for the IPL this time around!

West Indies have been beaten 0-5 by South Africa in the 5 match ODI series at home. They were also beaten 0-2 in 2 T-20 internationals earlier. So where is the team going wrong? After the IPL 2010, West Indies cricket has faced much tougher times.
It was expected that West Indies would come in the Top 4 of the World T-20 following good performances in the IPL by the captain Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard.

However they disappointed in the World T-20, following defeats to Australia and Sri Lanka in the Super 8s round. The pressure on Gayle in particular was enormous and with a demoralized team that he had, West Indies were of ‘limited edition’ when they were ready to play South Africa in the T-20 internationals.

Matters became worse after defeats in both the matches. However West Indies didn’t seem to be interested in winning and getting things back on track as they lost the first match of the series itself by a huge margin. A bad start meant that South Africa had won half the battle. Although the hosts did put up a fight courtesy Darren Sammy’s 24-ball 58, West Indies lost the second match also by 17 runs. The usually cheerful Chris Gayle also looked helpless with the bat and as captain on the field.

He hasn’t been able to devise a winning formula for the team alongside former England bowling coach Ottis Gibson. Gayle tried to play at his aggressive best, but only got starts to then get out by playing some silly and immature shots.

As captain, Gayle was at his tactical best as South Africa was bowled out for 224 in the third ODI. However, South Africa won the battle of the mind as West Indies batted terribly to have been bowled out for 167. A 0-3 deficit drew harsh criticism from Gayle, coach Gibson and experts such as Tony Cozier who believed that the team gave up easily.

The worst statement being of the honest Gayle, ‘Losing has become a habit’. Obviously then, how will the team win when the captain doesn’t have faith in the playing XI and can’t motivate his team? As a result, going into the fourth game with West Indies having nothing to lose, West Indies batsmen batted like free birds to score a good 303 in 50 overs, batting first. However, it was a last-ball defeat for the hosts as an in-form Hashim Amla made life much more difficult for them with another hundred.

During the match, the division between the West Indies players was evident when Sulieman Benn, the reliable left-arm spinner in an embarrassing moment was sent off the field by Chris Gayle for not obeying his instructions. This also made the West Indies cricket board (WICB) chairman Julian Hunte say that there will be more embarrassment for West Indies cricket to face at least for the next three years.

South Africa seemed to enjoying their victories and the increasing criticism that the hosts were finishing in their own country and by their own media. The pressure only grew stronger for the West Indies to win at least one game as consolation for a poor series. And it looked like it was going to happen when West Indies were in a winning position with 2 overs to go in the South African innings in the 5th ODI, when they were chasing 253 runs to win in 50 overs. But again, the West Indies in excitement lost the plot as Roelof van der Merwe and L Tsotsobe hit the winning runs with 2 balls to spare.

Though in hindsight, West Indies lost many close games which they should have won, this didn’t make Gayle happy. Losing all matches doesn’t make any captain happy with his team. And rightly so, instead of appreciating his team’s fighting efforts, he just said that ‘We don’t know how to finish them off’. So it is evident that Gayle knows the problem but then why can’t the team find a solution to solve it.

Graeme Smith, his counterpart and South Africa’s skipper would agree his team gave it their 100% to win the series after a dismal World T-20. But he would beg to differ with the fact that it was West Indies who lost it rather than South Africa who won it.
West Indies are minnows not just due to the fact that the team doesn’t trust itself to win, but also because of relying on individual performances.

One day, it is Bravo who does well and the others follow him by playing a supporting role. Another day, it will be Gayle who will come up with a cracker and the others keep watching and just do what is told to them. I think the solution for West Indies’ revival would be making all the players believe in giving their best and not rely on the stars to perform on a given day.

And for that, the players’ skills need to be taken care off. Perhaps, the opening of a high-performance centre in Trinidad has come at the right time for West Indies cricket to get back on track.

As if there weren’t enough things wrong in West Indies cricket, Sulieman Benn was sent off the field by skipper Chris Gayle during the fourth ODI against South Africa. While it sounds rather bizarre than Benn couldn’t comply with his skipper’s request to bowl from over the wicket, the whole fiasco, in a sense, exemplifies all things wrong with West Indies cricket.

When a bowler is unable to execute the basics on the field, expecting them to win would be a miraculous dream. No surprises then that the Caribbeans have lost both the T20s as well as the four ODIs, and a 5-0 whitewash now seems imminent.

Innumerable articles have been written about the disaster called the West Indies cricket team, most with good intentions, since everybody loves the Calypso style of cricket. Still, nothing seems to change in West Indies cricket. Since the exit of Richie Richardson in the mid 90s, the mantle of captaincy has been passed on to every possible personnel in hope of rejuvenation.

But none among Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Carl Hooper or Chris Gayle has been able to lead Windies’ resurgence. To be fair to the skippers, as they say, a captain is only as good as his team. And as far as West Indies cricket is concerned, a lot of it boils down to the mental aptitude of the players, which clearly isn’t the best in the current team.

Under the given circumstances, it is strange that Gayle has come out and chosen to say that he is happy with the team’s effort. It is understood that South Africa is by a wide margin the better of the two sides. But, instead of going through the motions, this fact should have encouraged the underdogs to go all out and prove a point.

In the process, if they had lost the series, it wouldn’t have mattered much since they weren’t expected to win anyways. However, the lack of application and consistency on the part of both the batsmen and the bowlers has been utterly disappointing.

In the third game, they couldn’t chase down a mediocre total of 224, and in the fourth match they were unsuccessful in defending a 300 plus score, clearly demonstrated that they lack the will to win.

The one good point that Gayle mentioned after the series loss was that they he feared the team might forget the art of winning. As things stand, this is becoming quite a distinct possibility. But, thankfully the otherwise jovial skipper recognizes the danger. It was also pleasing to hear that the team has cut down on the party count, and is focusing far more seriously on the practice front.

These sacrifices would count for little though if West Indies cannot turn things around soon. Also, Gayle isn’t getting any younger, and so he needs to instill a sense of confidence in the side by the time he quits the international arena.

Going back to where we began, in an ironic sense, it was good to see Gayle treating his left-arm spinner harshly. Discipline is one aspect that has never found too much respect among West Indian cricket lately. And, if the reprimand can help Benn get a better hang of himself as a cricketer, and as a person, West Indies can only benefit.

South Africa vs West Indies

The highly anticipated ODI series between West Indies and South Africa got under way on a Saturday morning at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

The match was monumental for the stadium’s future as it had last hosted a Test match between West Indies and England in 2009, which was abandoned with only 10 balls being bowled. So, North Sound was indeed a happy place to be in, even as South Africa won both the T-20 internationals against the hosts.

And yet again, South Africa didn’t disappoint at all. A comprehensive win by 66 runs was a fitting reply to those critics who questioned Graeme Smith’s captaincy, which was said to be ruining South African cricket. The match began with Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, having won the toss and elected to field first on a damp wicket due to rain before the start of the game. South Africa lost two huge wickets of their captain and Jacques Kallis in a span of 10 overs.

However, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers had some other ideas. The pair put up a 129-run partnership for the third wicket, in the process registering identical scores of 102. West Indies bowled well in bits and pieces, picking seven wickets with Dwayne Bravo picking 3/40 in 10 overs.

But South Africa was in the driver’s seat after posting 280 runs in 48 overs of batting. During their chase, West Indies didn’t look like a team on a mission to prove that their performance in the World T-20 was a few bad days in the office. They didn’t bat with their hearts out with the team losing Andre Fletcher early.

The captain, Chris Gayle and Bravo, batting at No.3, were on course of winning the match for the hosts until Bravo fell in the 8th over itself, falling to a rash shot rather than good bowling by Ryan McLaren. And worse, Gayle’s dismissal followed in the 13th over, after playing an impatient shot of Morne Morkel.

Ramnaresh Sarwan and Narsingh Deonarine put up a 4th wicket partnership, which was slow enough to allow the rest of the batting line-up to crumble under pressure in the last over. Charismatic all-rounder Kieron Pollard hit a quick-fire 44, but the team succumbed to some good South African bowling as they were bundled out for 215 in a mere 44.1 overs, with Morne Morkel picking up 3/40 in 8 overs which included the wicket of the West Indian captain.

Hashim Amla was the man-of-the match for his fine 102 which led the foundation of a big total to post for the South Africa.

It was the same old story again in the 2nd ODI at the same venue. This time, South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first. Captain Graeme Smith was looking to finally get back into form, until he was bowled by West Indies spinner Nikita Miller.

However, that didn’t demoralize the South Africans as it was once again, the wall of South Africa, Hashim Amla who played well for his 92 at an impressive strike-rate of 96.84. South Africa had good, quick partnerships to get exactly 300 runs in 50 overs. Kallis, also with a half-century alongside AB de Villiers and David Miller took advantage of Amla’s foundation innings to put South Africa in a winning position at the innings break.

West Indies didn’t learn from their poor chase in the last match and faltered again. It was a slow start from the West Indies with Gayle getting out first in the 11th over. And it looked like it was all over at 236/7 in 44 overs, when Bravo fell for a well-deserved 74. However, Darren Sammy put up a brave fight which made even the critics of the West Indies believe that they could win from a precarious position, with just 6 overs to go!

A flurry of outstandingly-struck sixes helped Sammy score 58 runs of only 24 balls. This is the only positive that West Indies can take from this match which they narrowly lost by 17 runs, and as a result 0-2 down in a 5 match series, which means that they have to win all of the next 3 matches to win the series.

Hashim Amla was yet again the man-of-the-match, but West Indies have certainly found a third all-rounder in the team in Darren Sammy who scored the fastest fifty for the West Indies in ODI cricket, ahead of greats such as Brian Lara, Vivian Richards and his captain, Chris Gayle! No matter whether the first 2 ODIS have been bad for the hosts, yet the increasing quality of cricket played in this series makes the last three matches a lot more exciting.

West Indies fans enjoys in the stadium

Right after a successful World Twenty-20 Championship, West Indies will be hosts to the touring South Africans. To kick off the tour, South Africa plays West Indies in 2 Twenty-20 internationals.

Both teams have few things in common. Firstly, both are in the T-20 mode following the IPL and World T-20. Secondly, both the teams were knocked out unceremoniously from the World Championship in the Super 8s round. Thirdly, both have a point to prove as they look to get back to their winning ways.

North Sound in Antigua has been decided to host both the T-20 internationals. The first T-20 has had a huge hype following criticism in South Africa over the team’s recent performance, including calls for Graeme Smith to quit as captain.

The surprising exclusion of Mark Boucher, making AB de Villiers the wicketkeeper, was also not received well by many of their fans and critics. On the other hand, West Indies too were feeling the heat with their knock-out in the world championship, being the hosts of the tournament.

Some of the selections were baffling and as a result, losses must have put Chris Gayle, the captain under pressure ahead of the first T-20 international.

However, Gayle had some luck at the toss when he had a choice and decided to bowl first on a slow surface. After the early loss of opener Loots Bosman, South Africa tried to gain some momentum with a 73-run second wicket partnership between the experienced duo of the captain Smith and Jacques Kallis.

However, the team suffered after the fall of Kallis in the 16th over. None of the batsmen were able to stay at the crease, and score at a fast rate. This allowed the hosts to come back into the match in the last five overs as South Africa finished at 136/7 in 20 overs. Kemar Roach and Kieron Pollard picked two wickets each for the West Indies.

However, South Africa had an unsung hero in Ryan McLaren. McLaren, best known for playing a crucial role in helping the Mumbai Indians enter the final of the IPL this year, picked a staggering 5 wickets for just 19 runs in 3.5 overs which included the wicket of his teammate in the Mumbai team, Kieron Pollard.

Apart from the dangerous Pollard, none of the West Indies batsmen tried to attack. As a result, South Africa prevailed easily by 13 runs, which did lead to some cooling down of the temperament of the South African fans who had nearly lost hope in their team. On the other hand, West Indies had some work to do before the second T-20 international at the same ground, the next day.

The next match turned out to be a cracker! Again, West Indies won the toss and had a bowl in similar conditions the day before. South Africa batted poorly, in fact much worse than the last game, putting up a mere 120/7 in 20 overs. The score could have been lower had the debutant David Miller not fired and off-spinner Johan Botha not contributed down the order.

Jerome Taylor made a comeback for the West Indies and did a splendid job by picking 3 wickets for 16 runs in 4 overs. However, what the West Indies might have not realized is that South Africa has not just a good pace attack but also a spin attack.

And Botha had not finished. He picked 3 important wickets with the ball, those of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kieron Pollard and Ramnaresh Sarwan. West Indies, and not South Africa was choked in the end as South Africa held their nerve to win by the narrowest of margins batting first.

By a mere 1 run. South Africa played reasonably well in both the matches, considering the pressure that they were facing. On the other hand, West Indies only became more weakened and demoralized ahead of the one-day series, which could have a huge impact on the entire tour.

Twice in two games, West Indies were in with a great chance of upsetting South Africa in the T20 series being played in their own backyard. However, on both occasions, they squandered the opportunity, and were left licking their wounds.

This is nothing new to Caribbean cricket, and their unlucky fans, who have to be part of this ignominy time and again. This, indeed, has been the story of Windies cricket for the past decade and a half. And, under the current circumstances, there is very little chance of things improving in the future.

The major problem with West Indies cricket is no so much of talent as it of attitude. As skipper Chris Gayle said after the loss in the second match, the players need to look into themselves and try to redeem themselves.

This wont be easy though as the players have got used to making losing a seriously consistent habit, and mostly from a winning position. There is too much of negativity and lack of confidence around the squad.

What else can explain the inability of their batsmen to chase down 137 and 120 in a T20 game? True, the pitches weren’t exactly the best for T20 cricket. Still, both targets were achievable, more so since they are playing in home conditions.

Coming to the players there is too much dependence on Gayle, another throwback to the 90s when Brian Lara was the sole warrior for the side, and West Indies more often than not needed him to perform miraculous feats to achieve wins.

Despite his experience, Gayle is nowhere near the class of Lara, and lacks his consistency as well, which makes matters far more worse. Thus, every time he fails, the West Indies look like a bunch of players from a minnow side, and slide to embarrassing lows.

The disaster in the T20 World Cup was a glaringly reminder, and the way they have started in the ongoing serious against the Proteas gives one a strong sense of déjà vu.

The saddest part of West Indies never-ending decline is that there is dearth of talent as such in the side, but somehow they just cannot get their act together, or rather are not wholeheartedly dedicated to the cause of reviving their team’s fortunes.

Take the case of Dwayne Bravo. The genuine all-rounder, in spite of all the experienced gained over the years, hasn’t quite turned out to be the match-winner he truly can, and one West Indies desperately need, apart from Gayle. This is not to say that he hasn’t been performing consistently.

He has been among the better performers for his side in recent years. However, he is yet to take the lead to the next level. He is destined for greater things, but keeps falling short just like in the last match, where he top-scored but couldn’t secure the elusive win for his side.

Bravo is not the only one to be blamed for yet another Windies debacle though. The skipper Gayle himself needs to start look beyond batting and inspire some confidence in his rather inexperienced mates. And, for this, he will need the full backing of senior teammates like Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

All the infighting within the team and issues with the board need to be put on the back burner for a start. What West Indies need most is eleven players who are cent per cent dedicated to the cause of winning. The results might still not come. But, at least the beleaguered fans will be able to appreciate the effort that was put in.