Champions League : 5 days to go

The soon to start Champions League in India is going to be a landmark event.

A) Its first cricket international fixture in India after IPL was thrown out by PC earlier this year.

B) Its just the second tournament after the Mumbai seige. Since then its just the England series that was played precisely in Chennai and Mohali.

So security could be an issue with the touring players. For now the whispers and murmurs havent become noise.

Thats the first edition of the Champions League that gets going.

If its successful and a box office hit, would there be a talk on future of ODIs again now that we have had a reasonable successful Champions Trophy?

Tests would just survive

Harbhajan wants to play 12-15 Tests a year to keep the format alive.

Sachin wants kids to get a free entry to the Tests over the weekend help the little ones develop penchant for longest n oldest form of cricket.

ICC wants 4 day Tests.

Ponting wants to return to England in 2013.

India has a realistic chance to be top team in Tests by beating the Lankans (3-0) and SA (2-1) later this year.

Who said Tests are dying ?

Not everybody is a Flintoff. A few exceptions like Afridi, Freddie and few more could go the T20 way, but the game wont be poor without them.

We do have lot of characters and entertainers in addition to purists in the longest form of the game. To add more we have flat track bullies, we have few who cherish batting on minefields and through injuries — Dravid, Smith. We have had players who have bowled with a broken jaw and we have had a few who have chickened out of Tests owing to some freak knee injury and returned to play ODIs days after Tests got over.

When we have all this kinda varied characters who would want the Tests to fizz out.

Imagine the intensity of the contest between South Africa and India. Or Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh. And to top it all India vs Pakistan.

A T20 wont provide the long lasting excitement of the above contests. Not even IPL.

Why did Younis Khan retire ?

Ijaz Butt pukes this :

“There is no need to appoint a new captain for T20 cricket, this job will also be done by Younis. I am confident I can get him around and he will lead the side in all forms of the game,”

Younis Khan reconfirms :

“I didn’t take a hasty decision I thought about it and I think I have done the right thing.”

So who is right ? Butt or Younis ?

Are we supposed to take this seriously ? Can this world cup win change some things in Pakistan cricket ? And Younis Khan isnt that old not to play T20 cricket. He says he is 34 (read in some media) and cricinfo profile suggests he is not even 32. When Murali can play in 36, then Younis is too junior than Murali to retire :).

So age is not an issue for Younis retirement and neither is his batting form. Figures suggest the same thing.

Its just his plain disinterest in the format which is keeping him away from the T20 format. His step to terminate IPL contract last year also suggests that he is more of a ODI or Test man. Welcome signs though. He is doing the other way around. At least for now. But then didnt Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Shahid Afridi,Abdul Razzaq, MoYo and others retire and returned back ?

And does Pakistan need Shoaib Akhtar anymore now ? Or for that matter Mohd Asif anymore ?

Reason why England should lose

It would be apt for England to crash out and join Australia for the Ashes preparations. Makes sense isnt it? England would certainly not like to give Australia a chance to edge ahead of them of crucial Ashes. T20 isnt anyway England’s forte. So why bother to win and lose Ashes ?

A T20 lowdown and high up

Which is the strongest team in the T20Is ? Is it India or Pakistan or Australia or South Africa ?

Or for that matter Sri Lanka or New Zealand ?

India are the defending world champions in the format which they won in 2007 comprehensively. In true Australian way circa 1999.

Having lost to NZ in the Super 8 stage, they needed to win 2 out of 2 games and didn’t they win all and 2 more. 4 in all.

Here is the win loss record for all teams (exclude BD and Zim)

Twenty20 record for each team

Team	Played	Won	Lost
Pakistan	17	13	3 (1 tie)
India	13	7	4 (1 tie + 1 NR)
SL	13	8	5
SA	18	11	7
Aus	21	11	10
WI	11	4	5(2 tie)
NZ	21	8	11(2 tie)
Eng	15	6	9

Pakistan have won 13 games of 17 it has played. Now does that make them the strongest. Well no. 7 of them are against minnows.

Canada, Bangladesh, Kenya and Scotland. Exclude those 6 of them and the record then reads

Pakistan

10

6

3 (1 tie)

Out of this 6, most impressive record is against the Aussies. 2 out of 2 (2007 WC and then in 2009 desert safari). They have favorable record against England (1 out of 1) and New Zealand (1 out of 1)

At par with Sri Lanka (2 out of 4). They are yet to beat India in this format, the biggest parameter to test their strength in any format. 1 of them has been a tie (bowl out went to India for points distribution)

And the most famous T20I match, they lost to their bitter and toughest opponents thanks to an ill timed scoop by Misbah. They are yet to beat SA in this format. They haven’t played WI in any of the games so far.

Not the strongest of the records you see.

Lets take India to the sword.

Played 13. Won 7, lost 4. Out of the 4 , they have lost 3 to one single team – Kiwis. In fact they are yet to beat the Kiwis in this format. They lost the first super 8 game in 2007 and then 2 again in the Kiwi tour in 2009. They have one game washed out against the minnows Scotland, so we are no minnow bashers.

Out of the 7 victories we have, 2 against Aussies, 2 against SA (no loss), 1 against England, 1 against SA and 1 against Pakistan. The other loss came to Australia in 2008 when they were bowled out for a paltry 74.

Strongest ? Not quite. The 3 losses to Kiwis take off the sheen from the claim to be the strongest. Point of concern is since 2007 triumph, the champs have played 5 games, won 2 and lost 3. The only comprehensive win coming against Australia in Brabourne in 2007. They almost lost it against Lanka in 2009, thanks to Pathan bros who got team home.

Sri Lanka

13 played, 8 victories and 5 losses.

Minnow bashing. Yes. 4 against minnows. 4 against good countries. 2 against Pakistan, 1 against England and New Zealand. Err no. Not strong. No no no. Mind ittttttt, they hold the world record in this format too for the highest score. Phew. 260 in World T20 against minnows Kenya. Add 6/952, 443/6 or 8 in Tests and ODIs respectively. Credible.

WI, NZ and England fizz out owing to their on and off record.

We remain with Australia and South Africa. Unfortunately they have pretty on and off record too. Esp Aussies, they started off with a bang this year with 2 of 2 victories down under, thanks to David Warner, but they lost the steam in South Africa and desert safari. Aussies have a 50% ratio here, pretty low by their standards. But we should not forget that they come back hard at a trophy they haven’t won. Go back to Champions trophy, the 2006 edition. They won it comprehensively. It’s a different matter altogether, that this year its going to be India once again as the CT goes to SA and we win almost everything in SA. Won the IPL – 2, The World T20 2007 and almost the WC 2003, the first T20 in SA in Durban. Didn’t we ?

Its more of a day factor, the team that plays well the given day wins, but its to the consistency factor which decides which team remains the strongest. Out of the facts I diagnosed here, it’s a outright result. INDIA. They haven’t won any cheap game, they haven’t lost to major teams except Australia and Kiwis. IMO they are the strongest in the format, but then again only till the next T20 is played.

India’s Kirris Gayle

In most probability, India’s Chris Gayle (shunning Tests for T20) would be Yuvraj Singh given his attitude and his Test record. If and whenever that happens, we shouldnt be surprised. At least I wont be.

And next to follow the suite could be:

1. Sreesanth
2. Irfan Pathan
3. RP Singh

And Pragyan Ojha could never debut in Tests, not that he would not be selected. Just that he might not find 5 days in the field too interesting and economically viable.

I dont say this on any facts or basis of analysis. But on the hunch and a pattern that goes into this lads way of cricket.

Rohit Sharma : Time to dispatch him to domestic cricket

This days if you happen to be young lad in Indian cricket and on top of that if you hail from Ranji Champion team Mumbai, then trust me you are going to be in the team for infinite time. Doesn’t matter, if you perform or if you don’t. To add to the toppings on the icing on the pizza cake, if your captain trusts you and ex-chief of selector publicly banks you as next Tendulkar shamelessly and if you once play a 55 in a must win T20 game in world championship and then you make 70 in the company of the BAAP of cricketing knowledge and batting down under (till then down under was big thing winning, this days anybody can do it), then you are in for the team for good.

Doesn’t matter if you average paltry 15 in the ODIs and just 4 in the T20s, you are still high hopes and billed as the next big thing in the Indian cricket. You happen to live in a chawl in Mumbai in not so good conditions and then suddenly you win the T20, be a part of world cup winning team something the greats Sachin, Rahul, Saurav, VVS and Anil couldn’t do, your life changes , you go and live in swanky Bandra apartment and you become a poster boy of media and cricket glitz. Despite all this runs never flow out of your bat and you never take the game to the next level.

Only way then left for the skipper is to drop you out of the playing XI and then for the selectors is to throw you back to the grind of domestic cricket. Yes, that’s what fate lies for you. Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai cricketer, the failure Indian batsman of SL series who neither had any bad decision going against him or neither he was suffering from any distraction. Time is ripe for him to be dropped from the NZ touring party and get another new face mostly Pujara and ask Sharma to get the temperament, attitude and moreover the self-belief right. Till then no place for him in the Indian cricket.

Why not more T20s ?

India is now going to play a 5 match ODI series in Lanka along with a T20 international.   IMHO a 5 ODI series isn’t needed. 3 ODIs and 2 T20s should suffice.  We haven’t played a T20 in a year as national team and we have to defend the title in June and July.   Ok IPL is there and 2^nd season of IPL would have been concluded by the time we go to England for defending the title, but as a team we should play a few games before the world championship. There would hardly be changes from the ODI team in the T20 team with an exception of Sachin Tendulkar.

In today  s scenario, Australia seems to have a great team in T20s at least given the precision with which they demolished SA in KFC cup. And with the rise of David Warner and Shaun Marsh, they have a rocking opening pair followed by solid middle order.  Aussies would for sure pose a great threat to us in the defense of the title.

So some match practice is essential and that won’t come by touring Lanka for 5 ODIs.  And the SL team isn’t a viable option to play with as they are below their potential and have struggled in both forms of the game. Occasionally they might go and set the record, but the consistency lacks.   

Today s loss to BD proves that even minnows don’t fear the likes of Lanka now. Mendis might be a rising star, but then he is not something who would spell the fear in batsmen mind something which great ODI bowlers do.

BCCI

Those who like to detest BCCI for every wrong happening in cricket world would be a bit shocked to see Modi offering olive branch to belaugered BCB in form of more lucrative IPL contracts to BD players, however thats a different issue whats the quality of those players and how much dollars they would be able to pull out of franchises’ kitty ?

I mean its ridiculous to blame BCCI even if CA doesnt tour Pakistan. Ok BCCI markets the game well in India by hook and crook, its got IPL which shook the base of English cricket so much so that ECB had to hook onto the devil spirit of Stanford 20/20 to save its cricketers from fleeing to I(C/P)L. Wont Stanford prize money create a rift among so called united English team if it wins a game and manages to get the price money ? Playing XI get a million each and the 4 players on bench get 25% of a million. Wow.

Now if 13 Bangla players ditch their national colors to play for ICL, how come BCCI comes to picture and how do they cause it ? Didnt we speak of end of BCCI’s monopoly in aftermath of WC 2007 when ICL was born and India lost in first round of 2007 WC ? And then didnt IPL happen and it took everybody by storm ? Television viewership went on max high, the auctions were innovative, they gave a market value to the players and tagged them with a dollar tag.

PCB cries foul over CA not touring them. Bloggers blame it on BCCI. How ? Despite being alleged to have shunned the Test cricket for T20 games, India play 11 Tests over next 5 month period home and away. Pakistan and SL play none. Only Australia play more than India with 12 Tests home and away. Have we seen any T20 international game being scheduled in India on cost of a Test ? There could be a huge temptation to play in a T20 quadrangular in Toronto in October as most of the players playing T20 for India would be free except the openers and skipper MSD who would be doing national duties against Australia.

The thing is the boards like BCB or PCB or ECB are not able to get their things right and set their house in order, so for every wrong thing happens to them, the authors, the bloggers and the media jumps the gun to blame BCCI. Take BCCI out of picture and then lets see how ICC manages finance to “globalise” the game and run the game worldwide !!

Though I am not supporter of BCCI and not pro Sharad Pawar. And yes the doping has struck WI cricket too with Xavier Marshal testing positive in the Stanford 20/20 for 20.

English Double Talk

When IPL was underway, England spoke of how 20-20 would hamper the international cricket and how bad it is for the spirit of cricket. ECB didnt allow its contracted players to sneak into IPL and as a result the English cricketers were stuck up with a loveless relationship with glamourless NZ and won the series. But were rightly deflated by South Africa later, which saw the end of Michael Vaughan as skipper and perhaps as cricketer too.

Now on a roll for time being with a test victory and 4 ODIs on trot against SA, for English authors it seems like England is the BEST team in world and they can rightly topple Australia from top of test and ODI tables. They have scant or no regard for Indian tour. They see it as a forced opportunity and they are furious about the choice of venues for ODIs and Tests.

If English calendar has its own importance, then so does Indian calendar. Nobody cannot disregard India’s calendar in international cricket. And now English media is going gaga over Stanford 20-20 Super Series in Antigua in October. Now that England is on winning ways and is involved in some serious money encashment, the talks about 20-20 overdose and Test spirits have taken a backseat and every day you would find an English author whinning how good the Stanford SS would be and how united England team is. Sad to see that English authors still see India as a country where their players would fall sick on the day of a test match or it is polluted and a dustbowl. Guys, you are not needed anymore. Your series isnt that lucrative as Australia’s. You won a test series last time against India about 12 years back. Since then you lost 2, drew 2. Remember last Indian tour — 6-1 defeat in ODIs.

why this double talk ? If India runs IPL successfully and English players aint part of the cash bonanza, IPL is a threat. But on the other hand Stanford Super Series is rewarding for England given the fact they are fancing their chances on victory bowl of 4 ODis vs SA. How come such a shift in paradigam all of a sudden ?

That is aap pahne to chaddi, hum pahne to pajama. Why ?