Cricket Tournaments

Two depleted teams face off in tomorrow’s marquee clash. Bangladesh takes on England in the port city of Chittagong, at the time when both of teams are in hot waters. The hosts suffered an embarrassing nine-wicket defeat in the hands of a weakened West Indies team a few days ago. While England, who seemed to have gained some momentum after the win against South Africa last Sunday have been dented with the injuries of Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad.

It remains to be seen who comes out on top; in a battle which could change the course of Group A. Bangladesh have only won 1 out of 3 matches that they have played so far in the World Cup, so this is a must-win game for Bangladesh or else they are virtually knocked out of the competition. England have also won 2 out of 4 matches so far, and a win here would assure them a quarterfinal berth. But if they lose, they have to beat West Indies in their last group match by a huge margin to qualify. So I am sure England would want to wrap it all up tomorrow itself.

If Bangladesh has to win, they have to rely on their bowlers to do major damage. England’s batting looks fragile without Pietersen and even if Morgan comes in for this game, it does not reduce the pressure on skipper Andrew Strauss to score runs at the top of the order. Their bowling might be hit severely with the exit of Broad, yet Bangladesh does not boast of a strong batting line-up and I would not be surprised to see England’s bowlers, especially Graeme Swann have a field day just as they did against the Proteas.

My hunch is that England are still the firm favourites to reach the victory post tomorrow. But, Bangladesh can never be counted out these days, so they can take advantage of England’s vulnerability as this World Cup has shown that anything is possible.

Bangladesh (probable): Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Shakib al Hasan (Captain), Raqibul Hasan, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Abdur Razzak, Naeem Islam, Shaiful Islam, Rubel Hossain.

England (probable): Andrew Strauss (Captain), Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior (WK), Eoin Morgan, Michael Yardy, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Tim Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad.

When the Australians march on to the ground, they have all to play for, as the Ashes would be out of reach if England pulled of another win against the old enemy. The English on the other hand wouldn’t want to lose the initiative and would look to continue their winning momentum. The English have already lost a match after winning a test early in the series, it happened in South Africa and in the last Ashes. However, after headingley they got out of jail due to a certain Andrew Flintoff. England must ensure that they continue in the same vain and play positive cricket right through.
There’s a lot more at stake than the Ashes, it’s perhaps Australia’s greatest ever batsman since Sir Donald Bradman, Ricky Ponting. While, the man, personally might not lose his place in the team but a loss at the WACA could sure mean a loss to his captaincy at test level. If Australia lose, Ponting would be the first ever captain to lose the Ashes thrice ever since the history of the urn began way back in 1882. Also, a loss could mean, England’s first Ashes victory on Australian soil since 1986/87. On a personal note too ponting does not have a hundred to his name in the last 8 test matches and has added a poultry 70 runs to his total in the current Ashes series. It is critical that Ponting returns to his menacing best if Australia have to have any chance of winning a test match not least regaining the Ashes.

At the moment, nothing seems to be going right for the hosts and each player must put in their best stride forward so as to lift the team. The Australian selectors have sprung up some surprises. The series is only 10 days old and both teams have been troubled by injuries. Stuart Broad, is already out of the Ashes with an abdominal strain while Australian opener Simon Katich misses out due to an achilees problem something that Kevin Pietersen suffered from. Chris Tremlett is the most likely replacement to Stuart Broad as his tall frame could help extract some extra bounce from a green WACA wicket. Australia on the other hand have called back young Philip Hughes into the squad who is set to replace Katich come Thursday. Xavier Doherty and Doug Bollinger are the others who have been axed for the third test due to poor performances in the Adelaide test. Johnson has been brought back while uncapped Michael Beer has been brought into the squad as replacement. Beer was a huge surprise selection as he has only played a handful of six first class matches. Another major exclusion has been that of Marcus North who has finally been dropped. Steven Smith should dawn the number 7 slot with Haddin moving up to take North’s position. Johnson’s return will bolster the batting a tad while Beer’s batting credentials don’t seem to stop the world.
However, the main concern with Australia is the toothless attack that they possess. Although Ryan Harris looks to be good but his knee would hold him back from bowling at full tilt and would they love a full firing Mitchell Johnson back. One good thing the seamer has going for him is his record at the ground. Johnson has taken 21 wickets in the three test matches he’s played here previously including the devastating spell of 8 for 61 couple of years back when he ripped through the backbone of the South African batting line up. Australia would want to go in with a specialist spinner which could mean beer could play with Siddle given the axe. However, what is to hear is that the wicket is a result oriented one and strauss could barely discriminate between the wicket and the outfield.
England’s top order has been the biggest worry for the Australian team. Australia have failed to get rid of the English top 4. Cook and Trott have been instrumental in denting the Australian bowlers. Cook who was considered to be the only weak link in the English batting line up has come out to be the biggest shining star. Kevin Pietersen on the other hand, seems to have regained his lost form.
When compared man to man, the English seem to be the better line up on paper. With the exception of Michael Hussey at 5 in comparison to Collingwood the English look far more supreme.
Australia really need to turn everything around and the stakes are huge this time round. What one can be sure of like every India- Pakistan battle, this one sure is to be an enthralling on to say the least.

Andrew Strauss

England’s victory in the second ODI against Pakistan lifted them to the No.2 spot in the one-day international ranking. Whether they stay up for there for long is another matter altogether, but for a team considered as perennial underachievers, this is quite a high. Having said that their steady climb shouldn’t surprise any cricket loyalist since this team had left behind the baggage of the 90s — when they were publicly mortified time and again for underperforming — and renewed itself in recent times. With West Indies showing no signs of improvement and Bangladesh and Zimbabwe still languishing at the bottom of the pool, England’s resurgence should see a rise in the number of competitive games.

The most significant change for the English side has come at the top of the pecking order. With two wise men as captain and coach in the form of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower, the team is in safe hands for a start. And so the turbulent phase that preceded it during the Pietersen-Moores era must be viewed as a blessing in disguise. Both Andrew and Andy are no-nonsense men, a quality evident in their approach to the game, which is slowly but surely gripping the other members of the side as well.

Things haven’t come easy for either Strauss or Flower, which is all the more reason why they are so resolute to their cause. Till a couple of seasons back the England skipper was unsure of his place in the squad. But, he has risen like a Phoenix from the Ashes and now commands the respect of most. Until very recently, the left-hander’s slot in the ODI side too was under question. There were doubts as to whether he would indeed be a part of the World Cup squad. However, Strauss has more than answered his critics, with two match-winning hundreds in three games. His play may not be ideally suited to the shorter format, but the improvements he has made in his game have been proficient.

On the other hand, Flower would have been desperate for something competitive following his county stint, which wouldn’t have presented him with much of a challenge as compared to his international experience. As so, ever since taking over the reigns of England coach, he has looked every inch the proper man for the task. What further binds Strauss and Flower is the fact that they have similar approaches, both to the game and as individuals – that of keeping it basic and simple. And this work ethic has been rewarded by some memorable victories in recent times.

Also unlike Pietersen, Strauss isn’t a charismatic figure and so the others also get their fair share of limelight. This is not to say that the former was a bad captain. However, things can work both ways. In England’s, they needed a steady hand to guide them and, other than Paul Collingwood, he was the best man for the job. Pietersen could lead from the front, but his flamboyance was fraught with risks, which has culminated in him being left out of the side.

Even as the Strauss-Flower partnership has had a major hand in the resurgence of England, there have been a number of others who have played their part too – be it Eoin Morgan as the finisher in the middle, James Anderson as the strike bowler or Jonathan Trott as the calming influence at the top. On current form, this bunch of united men led by Strauss-Flower seems destined for great things. Of course, their biggest test is yet to come – The Ashes. Until then, let them enjoy the winning feeling.

A superlative 75 not out by Paul Collingwood, amidst the fall of regular wickets, and some extremely tight bowling and fielding later on saw Delhi Daredevils overcome a strong Royal Challengers Bangalore outfit at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Thanks to Collingwood’s effort, Delhi managed to post a handy 184 for 5. And, on a typical Kotla pitch, that was getting slower by the over, Bangalore never quite got going.

They fell well behind the run rate even before the first strategic break was taken. And, when they tried to open up, they only kept losing wickets to eventually succumb to a 37-run loss.

The first half of the game was essentially the tale of Collingwood vs the Bangalore bowlers, with the former triumphing hands on. He arrived at the crease after Virender Sehwag (35) had been dismissed after a brisk start and Gautam Gambhir was run out for only one soon after.

David Warner was still going great guns and seemed like he would be the man to pull Delhi out of trouble. But, he perished on 33, well-caught in the deep by Virat Kohli off Anil Kumble. At 83 for 3 in the 10th over, it was anybody’s game. Collingwood went on to lose, Dinesh Karthik to a brilliant diving catch by Cameron White. But, that only inspired him onto better things.

Collingwood lofted the ball with effortless ease and on occasions when he threw his bodyweight behind the ball, it delivered massive results. For a man renowned for being a street-smart cricketer, this was an extraordinary show of power hitting. He clearly demonstrated that there was more to his game than just the cheekiness.

The result was he ended up hitting as many as seven sixes. After Kumble bowled three dot balls to him in one over, he stepped out and responded with a mighty swing that went the distance. Other bowlers were treated with even more disdain as sixes flowed from Collingwood’s bat. Length balls from Vinay Kumar, Kallis and Mithun disappeared, perhaps also a result of Bangalore underestimating his firepower. Thanks to Collingwood, Delhi went on to register what turned out to be a match-winning total.

To compete, Bangalore needed a brisk start. In their endeavour, they opened with White, but it did not pay off. He perished for four while trying to fulfil his task. The Delhi bowlers then stifled the batsmen completely. Even those of the pedigree of Kallis and Kevin Pietersen struggled to find the gaps.

At one stage, nine runs came in three overs. Bangalore had no option but to break free after that dry spell and the result wasn’t what they were looking for. Pietersen was castled by Pradeep Sangwan for a hard-earned 16. And, from thereon began a procession that never ended. Amit Mishra and Sangwan both helped themselves to 3 wickets each, even as the rest were happy to keep things under control with some accurate bowling.

Kallis did register yet another half-century while Ross Taylor shone briefly, slamming three sixes in his 10-ball stay of 22. Both the contributions were rather futile though in the context of the game. Bangalore did have their moments of ascendancy earlier in the game, when Delhi lost four big wickets. However, they couldn’t get the man who eventually made the difference.

David Warner scored a glorious 107 not out and was well supported by Paul Collingwood (53) to raise Delhi Daredevils to 177/4 at the Feroz Shah Kotla against Kolkata Knight Riders, a good enough score to pin Kolkata down.

This was after they lost three big wickets in the first three overs of the game post winning the toss and electing to bat on a pitch that had little for the pacers, but sharp turn for the spinners. In reply, the Delhi bowlers kept the pressure on the Knight Riders right from the start and eased to a 40-run win.

The match though belonged to Warner. The comparatively tough batting conditions meant his knock was all the more special. There was plenty of pressure on the left-handed bat after Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik all fell cheaply. But, Warner responded by taking on the bowlers and muscled them all over the park.

Taking a cue from Shane Warne and Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly had opened the bowling with the spin of Chris Gayle. And, while Sehwag slammed him to the fence on a couple of occasions, the West Indian was smart enough to drag him out of the crease a third time and have him stumped.

At the other end, Charl Langeveldt trapped Gambhir in front — a marginal decision, but certainly one that had Delhi on the backfoot very soon. Karthik was well deceived by a slower ball from a struggling Ishant Sharma and fell for a first-ball duck. At 38 for 3 in the third over, Delhi were in great strife, the only positive being that they were scoring at a phenomenal pace thanks to Warner.

What Delhi needed was for someone to support Warner. And, as luck would have it, they had Collingwood, a perfect fit for the situation. While Warner took on all the bowlers with ease, Collingwood made sure he gave the Australian a majority of the strike, manoeuvring the ball in the gaps.

Even while going after most of the bowlers, Warner batted with common sense and treated the spinners with respect, on a pitch that demanded it. The beauty of the Warner-Collingwood partnership was that they never allowed the run-rate of plummet. When Warner was approaching his century, Collingwood took over the mantle of boundary-hitting and raced to his half-century – chipping down the pith and dragging the ball to the on side boundary proved to be his most effective stroke.

It eventually needed a spectacular catch by David Hussey, nudging the ball over the ropes, but managing to keep it in the field of play and eventually pulling off the unthinkable.

Kolkata’s batting effort was not half as good. They lost Ganguly early, the left-hander exposing his stumps and being cleaned up by Dirk Nannes. The inexperienced Mandeep Singh felt the pressure and succumbed, going for an almighty swing against Amit Mishra, only to find the ball turning the other way.

The wicket then played its part in Kolkata’s downfall. Last match hero Manoj Tiwary’s stumps were castled by a straight delivery from Andrew McDonald. The problem was that the ball did not rise above knee-high.

Gayle was the only man looking comfortable, playing in his typical brawny style. And, he was lucky too as a mistimed sweep was dropped by Sehwag when he was on 24. Despite the respite, the loss of three cheap wickets meant that Kolkata needed Gayle and Hussey to replicate the efforts of Warner and Collingwood respectively.

On a slow wicket though, the medium pace of Rajat Bhatia was enough see him drag one into the outfield for 30 and Umesh Yadav took care of Hussey for an uncharacteristic 29. Clearly, Kolkata were outplayed.

It would be totally unfair to compare Pakistan’s miraculous loss at Sydney to South Africa’s heartbreak (their second in three Tests) at Cape Town. But the feeling of dejection in the two camps wouldn’t be a lot different. Both sides will be left wondering with the feeling of ‘what if’. And while, South Africa’s bowlers will have to take part of the blame for their failure to clinch the Newlands Test, one has to hand it over to the Englishmen for the manner in which he battled it out on the final day. Pakistan-like collapses and not gutsy efforts are what we have come to expect from English sides over the years. However, following their third great escape since the beginning of the Ashes, that definitely has changed.

The one common factor in all the three close shaves that England managed to survive has been Paul ‘rock solid’ Collingwood. There have been plenty of times in Collingwood’s career when he has been on the brink of elimination. But, each time he has come back with greater vengeance. And his efforts in recent times stand testimony to his never-say-die spirit and complete commitment to raise the level of England cricket.

The nerve-wracking battle against Dale Steyn on the afternoon of the final day at Cape Town would have undoubtedly been amongst Collingwood’s toughest in his entire career. With each and every moving delivering posing uncomfortable questions in front of him, Collingwood could have nicked any and been back in the pavilion. But, he stayed put, leaving alone the deliveries he could. And there was a divine soul up above who realized that here was man who needed his blessings to survive. Not that Steyn didn’t deserve it, but it was just that Collingwood’s efforts were way too indomitable to be ignored.

It wasn’t just Collingwood whose effort stood out though. Another under fire England batsman stood up to the cause. Ian Bell hasn’t done justice to his potential till date. Hopefully, this series might prove to be the making of Bell. Having already registered a century earlier, Bell had a tougher task on hand after Collingwood’s departure, to see the team through to safety. And boy, did he put up a brave front. If Collingwood had weathered the storm, Bell ensured that the danger bells did not ring in England dressing room, holding his own against Morne Morkel – the first innings hero for the Proteas – and the less effective Jacques Kallis as well as left-arm spinner Paul Harris. Both bowlers tried their level best, but while Kallis’ lack of pace hurt him, Harris’ limitations also came to the fore. He is a trier no doubt, but one can’t see him running through oppositions too often.

In the end, a frustrated Graeme Smith had to turn to JP Duminy. And the magically talented cricketer provided yet another twist in the tale. Following his breakthrough, there was another familiar England lower-order collapse. However, Graham Onions once again stood in the way of victory and South Africa. It was his second fairy tale effort, but it was undoubtedly the Paul and Bell show that saved England’s skin.

England manage to draw the first test against Australia in Ashes Series 2009

One can simply say that it was an amazing test match that just concluded between England and Australia at Cardiff. There could not have been a more perfect beginning to the Ashes series as Australia pushed hard for victory in the first test match and England managed to hold on to salvage a draw in spite of some very ordinary bowling performance in the test match by its bowlers. The Englishmen were totally outplayed in all the departments whether it be bowling, batting, or fielding. England narrowly managed to get a draw out of this test match due to some determined and courageous batting by Paul Collingwood, James Anderson, and the English spinning wizard Monty Panesar. With this result England managed to head for the second test of the Ashes series with everything to play for in the upcoming matches.

If one looks at the closing stages of the test match then it was a huge task for both Monty Panesar and James Anderson to save the game for England. However, both these English knights showed enough courage and determination to hold fort in the final overs of the day and help England escape with a draw. Both these players played solid cricket to stop the Aussie bowlers from getting the last wicket, thereby denying Australia victory in the first test match. Panesar saw off 35 balls and Anderson saw off 53 balls in the closing stages of the match to make sure that England could snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat staring right into their face. In this course of time England tried out various tactics by calling the 12th man and Physio on several occasions to make sure that the game slowed down. However, it was grit and determination of the last pair that saw England sail through to salvage this draw.

England started the first innings of the match by handing over the advantage to the Australian bowlers as they were reduced to 97 for 3 at lunch on the first day. However, some solid batting performances from thereon by Kevin Pietersen (52 runs) and Paul Collingwood (50 runs) ensured that England were going smoothly till the final session of the day. Australia struck back in the final session of day one to reduce England to 336 for 7 with just the tail left in the England first innings. The second day started off well as Graham Swann and James Anderson played with a positive frame of mind to ensure that the English tail wagged a little longer so that England could put a decent first innings score of 435 runs on board.

However, the best part of the match had ended for the Englishmen as the Australians took control. The match from Day 2 afternoon session onwards till Day 5 afternoon session belonged to the Aussies as they outplayed the Englishmen in all departments of the game. The Australian batsman butchered the English bowler as they hit them to all parts of the ground. There was arrogance in the way the Aussies played and scored runs freely as the English bowlers toiled hard to get them out. Without any major contributions from the spinning duo of Panesar and Swann, the English pace attack looked toothless on an excellent batting strip laid out in Cardiff.

The Australian batsman dictated terms to the English bowlers and showed their batsman the way to get big scores in test matches as they pilled up a huge total. The major contributions came from Katich, Pointing, North, Clarke, and Haddin as the Aussie run machine feasted on the lackluster English bowling attack.  The Aussie captain was simply outstanding in the match as he scored 150 runs to ensure that the Australians did not need to bat again. Notable contributions from Katich (122 runs), Clarke (83 runs), North (125 runs) and Haddin (121 runs) ensured that the Australians put up a mammoth 674 runs in the first innings before declaring on Day 4 with an overall lead of 239 runs. The Australian bowlers were warmed up to hit form in the second innings as the English batsman faltered on Day 5 of the test match. Had it not been for Collingwood, Panesar and Anderson, it would have been a sure shot victory for the Australians. However, the end result is that both the teams are tied at 0-0 for the series and would hope to turn the tables in the next test match.

Paul Collingwood’s magnificent 74 gave England a hard hard fought draw. 20/2 going into the final day, England needed to bat out the day. With one session to go, England only had three wickets left, and when Collingwood fell with 11.3 overs remaining, it was left to James Anderson and Monty Panesar to save the game. Australia – gutted with the draw in a game that they dominated from start to finish.

England started the day needing to attack. Captain Andrew Strauss dropping a quick single into the covers showing their intent.

Kevin Pietersen was nearly caught out by Ben Hilfenhaus delivery, choosing to leave alone a fairly straight delivery that nipped back in. Fortunately enough for England the ball wasn’t going on to hit the stumps.

He wasn’t out of the action for long, Hilfenhaus again, driving a ball in the air through the covers. But the following delivery knocked Pietersen’s off stump out of the ground, it was merely a straight ball – Pietersen squared up, falling for 8.

Spinner Nathan Hauritz found sizeable turn on the 5th day pitch. A short wide ball got the treatment from Andrew Strauss, but the following ball – a ball that bounced a fraction higher than the previous delivery – Strauss getting a thin snick to keeper Brad Haddin – Australia were rapturous – England in ever-deepening trouble at 46/4.

Hauritz was causing England all sorts of problems. Paul Collingwood had an inside edge onto his pad, the ball popped up – but fell just short of Simon Katich in at short leg. The following delivery Collingwood edged one down, after clipping his pads the ball rolled towards the stumps, the batsman got his foot on top of the ball just before it hit.

Prior and Collingwood stood together for a while, but the stand was unlikely to last – and it didn’t. Prior miss cutting Hauritz – the ball looping up – Michael Clarke taking the catch in the slips. England starring defeat in the face at 70/5.

Ricky Ponting chose to open up after lunch with two seamers. Ben Hilfenhaus was getting the ball two swing just a fraction, Flintoff was flashing, and a edge flew past 2nd slip for 4. Flintoff and Collingwood’s 50 partnership came up off 111 balls, still a long way to go.

And a long way to go it was, Flintoff edging Mitchell Johnson to Ricky Ponting, who took the ball into his hands just before it hit the ground.

Johnson had Broad in trouble straight away, a full-ish ball hit Broad in front of leg stump – the umpire gave it not out – Hawkeye suggested the ball would have hit the outside half of leg stump.

Australia reverted to spin, Hauritz and Marcus North as England battened down the hatches. Broad’s obduracy didn’t last for long, Hauritz angling the ball back in, Broad went back – the ball skidded on and struck him on the knee roll in front of middle stump England were 159/7. Broad showing the mistake of going back to a spinner on this surface.

Collingwood bought up his half century in 167 balls. Peter Siddle got into the new batsman striking him three times on the fingers and arms in a fantastic exhibition of short pitch bowling.

The short stuff from Siddle to Swann continued after the tea interval, the Australian hitting the England spinner on the helmet – the ball running away for two leg byes.

England ground the Australians down, Swann and Collingwood passing their 50 partnership. With 20 overs left in the match – England were 24 runs behind.

With 19 overs to go, Swann went to put a ball that didn’t bounce as much as he was anticipating, pinned in front by Hilfenhaus, for a well fought 31 from 63.

Hauritz then had a shout for LBW/Caught. Ricky Ponting to a superb catch in a short leg, but agonisingly for Australia – the LBW was outside the line – and the ball didn’t hit the bat.

In the following over, Anderson got one that reared on him, there was hesitation, Collingwood got a third of the way down the pitch, Anderson – rightly – sent him back, Collingwood would have been gone with a direct hit.

Siddle finally removed Collingwood – cut the ball at Michael Hussey in the gully, juggling the ball – Hussey took it at the second attempt – 74 runs from 245 deliveries – England 6 runs behind, 1 wicket left with 11.3 overs remaining.

It was left to Anderson and Monty Panesar. And in a nail-biting finish for everyone, the two ball-by-ball batted out the time. Got ahead of the Australia score, and when the time was up Ricky Ponting shook hands with Jimmy Anderson and the game was drawn. The fans rejoiced, England had save the game.