Cricket Tournaments

The World cup is only half way through but the way the teams have gone thus far tells you a lot about what is to come.

Group A has panned out as expected, the International teams have decimated the Associates. Canada, Zimbabwe and Kenya have only ratified the ICC’s decision of streaming down the number of teams for the next world cup down under. Kenya have been the most impressive of the Associate teams as far as Group A is concerned, improving considerably with every game.

Here is a look at how the top 4 teams have gone (Group A) and what lies ahead:

Australia

- The defending champions came into the tournament on the back of a drubbing that they offered the Poms after an embarrassing defeat in the Ashes. Australia have a lot of things going for them this tournament, decent batting order, potent attack and fabulous fielders.

- However, a few obvious gaping holes do lie in between. Their batting has been suspect this tournament, despite the 320 odd that they scored against the Kenyans. Both the openers have looked sublime but the middle order has not been able to keep the score board ticking. Michael Clarke was an exception today, but, Ricky Ponting and Cameron White have been in woeful touch with the bat. Ponting has still snuck through but White’s form has been real cause for concern.

- On the positive note, Michael Hussey has returned to the Australian side giving the batting much needed potency in the middle order. Hussey always seems to have a calming influence about himself that invariably rubs of on his peers.

- All the talk about the Australian bowling being the best in the tournament, the three pronged pace attack looked ordinary against Kenya and could be exposed against better oppositions in the quarter finals if they fail to hit their lengths. Having said this, I personally do believe that if the bowlers hit their straps soon, the oppositions may be in for some contest. Add to this, their bowling has the best strike rate across all teams this world cup. Australia’s bowling should improve over the next week.

Sri Lanka

- The last time the World cup was staged in the sub continent, it was the Lankan tigers who walked away with the trophy. Arjuna Ranatunga inspired the Rest of the World as he enabled Sri Lanka announce themselves on the World stage.

- 15 years later, the World cup is back in the sub continent and you would not bet against the Lankans, they are wily at home and looked determined like never before. Muttiah Muralidaran is sure to hang his boots up with the closure of this tournament and would look to bring home the cup after 15 elusive years.

- The Lankan top order looks solid, with Tillakaratne Dilshan taking them of to blazing starts on a regular basis. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene provide the perfect foil in the middle order. It is their lower order batting that is a little questionable, Angelo Mathews does not look good enough to provide the impetus at the fag end of the innings on a consistent basis. They rely on other bits and pieces cricketers in Thisara Perera and co to do the job.

- Nevertheless, you cannot discount them. Just a reminder, Sanath Jayasuriya was an unknown commodity too in 1996, so you never know with the Lankans.

- Their bowling seems very steady with Lasith Malinga and Muralidaran leading the pack. Sri Lanka should make the semi finals and stand a very good chance this tournament if they can sort out their late order batting.

Pakistan

- The only consistent thing with Pakistan is inconsistency. On paper they look a very balanced unit, one that opposition teams must really take seriously. But which Pakistan you get on the day, can never be told. It is a well documented fact, Pakistan on their day can beat the chickens out of their opponents.

- They have looked impressive this tournament barring the outing against New Zealand where they threw away their position of strength and ended up being battered like one of the minnows.

- A steady top order lead by Younis Khan and Misbah ul Haq is followed by a flamboyant middle order in Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi with Abdul Razzaq providing the finishing touch. Perhaps the most efficient lower middle order across all teams, Pakistan is sure a team to watch out for.

- The bowling complements their batting perfectly, 2 front line seamers backed by a steady Razzaq and useful spinners in Afridi and Rehman to do the job. However, Pakistan’s biggest issue for many years now, has been their fielding. The fielding fails to give teeth to the bowling and they tend to put down a couple of catches, least, every match.

- Contenders this year, if only they can shave of the slack and unprofessionalism, Pakistan may just do what they did in 1992.

New Zealand

- New Zealand, workman like, have been very industrious in the way they have gone about things. Nothing flashy in their cricket, steady and stable.

- One feels for New Zealand, with a population under 50 lacs, it must be hard to find full time professional cricketers.

- It has to be Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor who have got to do the bulk of the job with the bat, if New Zealand stand any chance this world cup. Daniel Vettori, by far is their most proficient and experienced player.

- A lot of things have to go wrong for other teams and a lot right for NZ if they have to proceed any further than the quarters this World cup.

- The lack of a game changers with both bat and ball is a huge problem for the Kiwis. They will have to make do without them or hope young guns in Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson come to the fort.
- A good side in decent form but may find it difficult to proceed ahead of the quarter finals.

Shakib Al Hasan is a left-arm spinner and a very talented left-hand batsman, who ensured his place in the Bangladesh squad for the U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka with a blistering performance in the final of the tri-nations U-19 ODI tournament in Bangladesh. Firstly, he took 3 for 39 in the Sri Lankan innings and then scored 100 to guide Bangladesh to victory.

Although primarily selected for his bowling, he has shown great potential with the bat. This gets him on par with Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain. And Shakib is the current Bangladesh captain. The comparisons don’t end just here.

Vettori made his debut at the age of 18 and Shakib did at the age of 19. Vettori was largely under-estimated by many pundits at the start of his career. So was Shakib, who took two years to establish himself as a top player for the Bangladesh team, in all three formats of the game. Vettori belongs to the elite club of those who have scored 3000 Test runs and picked 300 wickets.

This has made him book his place in the top of the ICC rankings for all-rounders. Shakib has already picked 70 wickets and scored 1168 runs in 20 Tests to be precise. And if Shakib continues at this rate, in 100 Tests, he could get atleast 300 wickets and actually get close to Vettori who has picked 325 wickets.

In fact, Shakib is at par with Vettori already by being in the top all-rounder rankings as well. However, my hunch is that Shakib al Hasan will be more of a batting all-rounder. It is because the current focus of the Bangladesh team is to improve their batting, by making their top-order efficient.

Shakib would soon or later bat at No.4 in all three formats, as his match-winning ability can’t be questioned. And being captain, adds more responsibility on him. Vettori never faced such a problem after two years of international cricket, which made him focus on improving his bowling. And thus today, as Vettori by being skipper, has improved his batting. So, he can be called a bowling all-rounder.

Both the players are very similar in their styles of batting and bowling. Batting-wise, both of them look to attack when possible, in the shorter formats and defend in Tests, so that their teams can get to respectable totals. Bowling-wise, Vettori and Shakib are extremely successful in bowling the arm-ball which is in my opinion, really difficult for a left-arm spinner to execute.

It is because if a left-hand batsman is on strike, he could easily convert it down the leg-side for a single or keep it down the ground without scoring. And a right hander can look to play it straight back to the bowler. Both the men have picked Kevin Pietersen, for example with the same delivery many a times.

Both are decent fielders as well, which sets a good example for the rest of the team to follow. Plus, both their personalities have made them skippers of their respective teams. Vettori and Shakib are fine characters on and off the field. Humble, modest, truthful, disciplined are words that are common which can be applied to both of them.

This maybe due to both having a poor economic background altogether, which has made them work hard to become what they are today.

However, Shakib has a long way to go in order to emulate Vettori. He still needs some more experience to become a better player. He needs to look to constantly improve, unlike his team-mate Mohammad Ashraful. Perhaps, if Bangladesh can keep him as a long-term captain, it could help his personal form get better.

Shakib is still young, being just 23 years old. It is easy for a young cricketer to get carried away after a good start to his international career, or joining tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL) where the lure of money is huge. Plus, the major worry for Shakib would be to keep himself fit enough.

The team also needs to have quality players, which could reduce the burden on him. Vettori is mature enough to understand his body and doing the right, to make his country benefit. This is where the Bangladeshi Cricket Board’s role is important. It needs to counsel Shakib so that he doesn’t fade.

Plus, his personal and family life also needs to be in control so that he doesn’t lose his focus. All this is not easy in the light of Shakib being another Vettori in the making. Could that be so? Not for now, but maybe in two years, it could be possible.

Cricket stadium in Lauderhill, Florida

The two-match T20 series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand held in Florida, in an effort to spread the tentacles of the game wider, wasn’t anywhere close to spectacular.

The series was tied 1-1, but that was hardly of any significance. What was of consequence was the fact that both the games were disappointingly low, slow, and one-sided affairs.

Sri Lanka were shot out for 92 in the opening game, and New Zealand crumbled to 81 in the second — hardly ideal when the initiative was to present the game to a global audience, via its most fast-paced version.

Let’s not say that the experiment was a failure though. On the contrary, the short series should be seen as a stepping stone towards building future blocks.

As evident from the contests between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, there is plenty of scope for improvement as the International Cricket Council looks to promote cricket in the nation of its most-superior elder brother, baseball! What the ICC did get right was the selection of the right format to promote the game among the Americans.

Next, they need to concentrate on providing better surfaces than the ones presently available. With the slow, low pitches, it was hardly surprising that the batting crumbed in both the matches, and that only two sixes were hit in either game.

Even the average cricket fan will not be attracted to such dull affairs, leave alone the fast-paced Americans. The ideal situation would have been for both teams to score in excess of at least 160, and the matches going into the last over. Such things, however, cannot be scripted.

Conversely, chances of that happening can be accelerated by the efforts of providing batsman-friendly pitches. And, that must be the paramount motive in the minds of the ICC for a start. They shouldn’t sit back thinking, things will improve as time goes along, and must act swiftly.

Moving on, having proper facilities is highly significant to make the players feel at home, and encourage them to perform to the best of their abilities. While there were no major complaints from either side during the recently-concluded experimental series, New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori aptly pointed out, “Most international grounds probably need those off-field facilities where you can train while the game is going on.”

The absence of such basic necessities were felt by the players even during such a short tourney, emphasizing its significance. With cricket not even being a pass time in the USA, the cricket board of the country cannot be expected to fulfil this criteria. Here again, the ICC must step in and ensure that everything is in order before the next major tournament takes place.

Even though nothing major was achieved with the two matches played, it wasn’t an exercise entirely in futility either. At least the people of USA got a glimpse of T20, albeit a slower adaptation.

However, the fact that both teams admitted to enjoying playing in Florida is a definite positive. While the objective was to pull the crowds it, it is equally important for the players to feel comfortable and relaxed.

Only when they are pleased with the surroundings will they be able to entertain the crowds. The start may have been slow and unsteady. Yet, cricket lovers must support the ICC in its globalizing endeavour. And so, let the experiments continue.

Only Pakistan could have done it. After restricting New Zealand to a well below-par 133 for 7, Pakistan managed to mess up the chase despite a sensible, unbeaten 67 from opener Salman Butt and some monstrous hitting from Abdul Razzaq towards the end.

The Pakistani opener was left stranded thanks to some inexplicable batting from the other end, as the Kiwis escaped to a one-run win. Earlier, New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori rescued his side with the bat, with a typically fighting 38 after the early loss of wickets.

Still, at the halfway stage, it seemed a far from competitive total. But, with Pakistan once again in the mood to commit hara-kiri, it proved just about enough.

Pakistan’s best chance was when Butt and Razzaq joined forces following the batting collapse and played some intelligent cricket. Razzaq batted patiently in the initial phase of his innings before exploding.

He smashed two massive sixes and a four off Vettori in one over. While he was relatively quieter against Shane Bond, he did manage to smash one that nearly cleared the stadium.

Thanks to his mighty hitting Pakistan were left needing to score at just over eight runs an over in the final three overs, an easily achievable task in T20 cricket.

However, the renowned fighters that they are, the Kiwis fought back. Nathan McCullum bounced out Razzaq to keep his side in the hunt. At the other end, Butt crossed his half-century and kept finding the boundaries in between the singles and dot balls.

11 were needed off the last over, and the responsibility of bowling it was handed over to Ian Butler, who had been miserly until then. It was a mixed bag from Butt as he swung two for boundaries and missed two from the first four balls.

The fifth ball saw a yorker length delivery that the left-hander couldn’t do much with, but steal a bye. And so, Abdur Rehman was on strike with two needed off the last ball.

Butler bowled one on a length and a swipe from Rehman only managed to travel as far as the fielder, Martin Guptill at deep square leg.

Ironically, Rehman was the one who bowled Pakistan into a good position earlier in the day. After Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder had started off aggressively, it was Rehman who put the brakes on the innings.

Rehman troubled all the Kiwi batsmen, but none more than Guptill, who looked all the sea before the misery was ended by a diving catch by Umar. Things got worse for New Zealand as McCullum, who had calmed down following the loss of wickets, top-edged a sweep shot for 33.

Soon, the loss of Ross Taylor saw the batting side slump to 58 for 4, before Vettori did some amount of damage control.

Pakistan remained favourites to win as they began their chase. However, apart from Butt and Razzaq, they never ever looked in control any sort of rhythm. When their captain Shahid Afridi fell in the 10th over, the score read a miserable 58 for 5.

The disaster began when Kamran ‘wonder why he is in the team’ Akmal failed to pick a slower ball from Kyle Mills, and inside edged one. Mohammad Hafeez then fell to a rising delivery from Shane Bond, and soon Mills sent back Umar Gul for a first ball duck.

Misbah-ul-Haq (in the same boat as Kamran) scratched around for 13th balls and gathered only 3, before being trapped in front of the stumps. With the top four falling cheaply, all eyes were on Boom Boom Shahid Afridi.

But, the skipper too fell to a superb diving blinder from Nathan McCullum and thus proved no matter how badly the opposition performs, they can always better the worse.

Mitchell Johnson

It was Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris who were Australia’s heroes with the ball at the end of the second ODI. Australia survived a late scare from the new Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori after his he displayed a wonderful array of shots all round the wicket en route his innings of 70 of just 49 balls. Vettori exposed his stumps all day as he moved across his stumps and flicked for boundaries in the square leg, long leg region. New Zealand were in tatters before Daniel Vettori walked in with the score being 131 for 6 and the black caps still needing another 135 off 114 deliveries.

Earlier in the day ponting had called right for the second time in a row and surmisably Australia decided to bat first. The Australians failed to convert another good start provided by their openers Watson (47) and Haddin (53). Both the openers failed to carry on and were dismissed in an attempt to increase the tempo. Ricky ponting and his deputy Michael Clarke both fell to dismal strokes leaving Australia in trouble at 116 for 4. It was up to Cameron white and Michael Hussey to dig them out of the hole that they had created from themselves to a substantial total.

Call him Mr. Cricket or Mr. Fixit, Michael Hussey always comes up with the goods when the Australians need him. And so he did this time around too as he put on a game changing partnership of over a 100 with Cameron white. The duo were flawless and looked set to help Australia put on a score off over 300 before Cameron white holed out in the deep to Brendon McCullum. The wicket fell just against the run off play and halted proceedings for a while as Australia once again posted a below par score off 273.

White fell before hammering two consecutive massive sixes of James Franklin who later stretched his hamstring. He (white) fell in an attempt to clear the boundary on the third instance. The strategy seemed logic less as it was the 43rd over and Australia still had their batting power play in hand. Had they taken it white would possibly have carried on.

New Zealand started their chase with Brendon McCullum attacking Doug Bollinger. Bollinger really had one of his off days, perhaps his worst of the summer. Ponting was very pro-active throughout the day. He saw that, and immediately brought in a change he brought in Mitchell Johnson to bowl in the 5th over of the New Zealand innings.

The crowd with their ‘booing’ tried to put Johnson off his game all day but only inspired him to perform better. Johnson, on the day let the ball do the talking by picking up a 4-for. Before he started his spell, Johnson at the top of his run up turned, faced the west stand and kissed his Australian coat of arms and accounted for McCullum in his first over itself. Ponting in the post match presentation said that the emotional quickie was only spurred on “if anything” by the whole saga today.

Johnson was seen accompanied by a security personnel while fielding at the boundary. Ryan Harris struck with a couple of L.B.W’s off consecutive balls putting Australia in front before the rain finally came. The match was then reduced to 45 over one with the black caps needing 266 to win (D/L method). Australia were in the driver’s seat before Styris (Australia’s undoing the last time round), Hopkins and Tuffey all played well around their skipper Daniel Vettori who gave the Australia some butterflies.

In the end it came down to 13 off 11 balls as Vettori tried another of his flicks only to see his stumps rattled by Ryan Harris. How ironic it was that the match had to end with Vettori playing his, for the day ‘flick’. The anguish was etched on Vettori’s face after he was dismissed for a classy 70. Ponting later said that this wasn’t Australia best performance by any stretch of imagination and they had a lot of work to do. Australia do need to do some “fine tuning” before they go in to Hamilton’s fixture on Tuesday.

New Zealand’s hero was set to miss the match as he decided to rest his neck but was forced to play after Ross Taylor injured his leg during practice. With Oram also missing Vettori had to play. However, Vettori showed “A wounded man can still hurt you”—just.

A clinical performance from Sri Lanka ensured that they beat New Zealand by 48 runs in a decisive Super 8 game of the Men’s T20 World Cup. The Sri Lankan lions stormed into the semifinals of the competition with a thumping win over the Kiwis. This victory sets up an interesting semi final line up, where Sri Lanka takes on the West Indies, for a place in the summit clash of the competition. With both the teams displaying good form, it remains to be seen as to who has the last say in this match.

Winning the toss, the Sri Lankan captain did not have any hesitation to bat first. However, things started to look a bit shaky when they lost Sanath Jayasuriya in the very first over. The Kiwi pacers then got the better of Chamara Silva to put Sri Lanka in a precarious position. The whole innings was resurrected by the experienced Sangakara who scored 35 runs and Dilshan who scored 48 before Vettori picked both of them. By then, the Sri Lankans were on track towards registering a challenging total for the Kiwis. The other notable contribution came from Jayawardane who took the Kiwi bowlers to the cleaners as Sri Lanka posted a score of 158 runs. The best bowler for New Zealand was Daniel Vettori, picking up two important wickets when Sri Lanka was looking to run away with the match.

Chasing a target of 159 in a do or die encounter, the Kiwis got of to a brilliant start as Aaron Redmond hit Jayasuriya for three fours and a six in the second over of the New Zealand innings. It was looking as if the Kiwis would end up having the last laugh for the day. However, the departure of Brendon McCullum and Redmond in quick succession halted the Kiwi run chase. Martin Guptill carried on with the fight and gave some hopes of victory to the Kiwi bench, before the trickery of Mendis caught the Kiwi batsman off guard.

The departure of Taylor in the ninth over of the Kiwi innings led to a mini collapse orchestrated by Mendis, as Sri Lanka took charge of the match. The Sri Lankan bowlers then ensured that there would be no let up, as Kiwi wickets fell in regular intervals. The Kiwi tail did not have the sufficient skills to wag this time round and the Lankan lions got a thumping victory in the match. With this result, the other team in the group and last years loosing finalist Pakistan, heaved a sigh of relief as they qualified for the Semi Finals as group runners up. They will take on the South African’s in an interesting Semi Final battle.