Right decision at last

Sri Lankan Interim Committee headed by Arjuna Ranathunga is dissolved at last after speculation that it would be inevitable after constant disagreements between sports minister and Ranathunga.It is not only the sports minister who was unhappy with Ranathunga's dictatorship administration but a while ago even Sri Lankan national players had a dispute over Ranathunga's decision to hastily arrange a cricket tour of England knowing IPL is scheduled during that time,and it doesn't end there, even the Indian cricket board was made to be foes thanks to Ranathunga's decisions and the list goes on including Asantha De Mel the chairman of selectors who is not in good terms with Ranathunga, Hemasiri Fernando the chairman of National Olympic Committee also faced the wrath of Ranathunga as a results of a parlimentary speech made by him alleging there is mismanagement of funds at National Olympic Committee.So what we can say is that Ranathunga in his term as the head os SLC has made more foes than any other President ever in the history of Sri Lankan Cricket and we can term this as the worst administration ever and thankfully for cricket loving public in Sri Lanka it is dissolved now.We hope that there wil be fair elections held and a properly responsible and acccountable board of members will be appointed to run the SLC

What's Chris Broad Doing?

Recently there was an argument between Gautham Gambhir and Shane Watson in the 3rd Test match against the ongoing India-Australia Test Series. Gambhir was banned for one Test match whereas Shane Watson was fined 10% of his match fee.

Now, this may sound quiet normal i.e. the punishment given to the players are fair. But, if you look at the history of how Chris Broad, the Match Referee of this match, he has always favoured the Australians and other White players in some occasions. One noticeable example of this, was the punishment given to Justin Langer, who clipped down a stump as he went past the wicket, during the 3rd Test match in a Sri Lanka-Australia in 2004. He was only warned, but not punished. But, according to the ICC rules he should've actually been severely punished. Chris Broad thought otherwise.

This is undoubtedy double standards by a ICC referee. This would only bring discredit to the game's governing body, so action should be taken now or it might be too late. Chris Broad, you should change or be changed. If the latter is also not possible, then you should be thrown out of the ICC's referee's panel.

Not Good Cricket Big Brother!

Sri Lanka's Big Brother in cricket, India, is undoubtedly the economic power house of cricket. The impact it has had on the game is immense. If not for it the ICC won't be rich as it is today and also there won't be a big fanfare of the game.

Recently, Sri Lanka Cricket(SLC) was having big problems with its contract international players not willing to take part in a England tour next year which was arranged ad-hoc. Instead, they said that they are bound to their IPL franchises with whom they have contracts to play in the league's next season. Because of this, SLC had to change their mind and consider of an alternative. As they are bankrupt and in search of money in some way or the other, they decided to make a deal with the IPL committee. The deal was that the SLC would release its contract players to participate in the IPL and in return they are to be pain $40 million. The BCCI, first agreed to make the deal, but afterwards changed their mind saying that Arjuna Ranatunga should be thrown out of SLC, if any deal is to be made. The reason they have given for making such a demand is that, Arjuna Ranatunga had made too many bad remarks about the BCCI and its players.

As we know, the BCCI has played the same "game" in the past; the "money-power" game. They try to bully other cricket boards as well as the ICC to get their job done without any big hassle. So, now SLC is in a confused state. They don't know what to do from now on. Are they to have Arjuna Ranatunga as their Chairman or are they going to make the deal?

No doubt, this scenario is going to be a very decisive one in the future, for other cricket boards as well.

The Fall of Aussie Dominance

For the last decade or so, it was Australia who were ranked No.1 in Tests and ODI for the most part. They were not easy to be beaten as they had very good and even great players together who made up a formidable force. But, now as three of their great players namely, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath have retired has their indomitableness fading?

Many cricket gurus are now saying that it is indeed the time, the fading of the Aussies has begun. But, won't there be a resurgence by this once-a-great team? Only God knows.

By the way, India has come up to be a good match to the powerful Australian team. Maybe four of their great players are close to retire, but still they have plenty of talented young players as replacements. But, then, how about the Aussies? Haven't they got good players as replacements as well? Well, they have got good players, but one cannot still tell whether they can match upto the talent of the retired elite players. Only time will say.

In my opinion, it's good to see that some of the Test playing countries are catching up with the best. Then, we won't have to watch those boring predictable matches like in the past. Viva la cricket!

After a Long TIme

I was away for quite some time. Sigh. My bad.

I had exams and then other important work to attend to. So, didn't get much time to at least write one post. I don't take that as an excuse. But, anyway I'm starting to write here again.

The last two months were very good for cricket. Hope you too were aware of it. It's nice to see T20 gaining acceptance by the ICC as a major form of cricket. It is the way forward for cricket. A lot of the younger people prefer to watch these type of "instant noodles" stuff, as it doesn't waste their precious time. But, purists may think otherwise.

By the way, ICL hasn't got accpetance from the BCCI, yet. That's too bad in the ICL players' point of view. They will have to serve the ban of their respective cricket board. I'm personally against this ban. Players should be allowed to choose what league they prefer to play for.

Let's hope the ICC will intervene to solve this issue. For now, that's it from me. :D

Have nice cricketing day!

The Money Earning T20

Now it's T20 which is the topic of the day. It's all about how much you can earn from it, but not how good it is. Recently, the President of Sri Lanka Cricket told in a press conference that he's not satisfied of players going to play in the IPL, without considering how much money their respective Cricket Boards can make by other tours.

This is not a satisfactory thing for cricket. It's true that cricket players are humans and thus would love to earn quick money by playing T20, but the worrying factor is that more focus will be given T20 alone in the future. Then, what will be the fate of the ODIs and Tests? The ICC will have to think quite a lot on this issue and may be even compelled to put some restrictions on T20 tournaments to be held.

Still T20 is in its infancy. But, the popularity it has gained is far more than anyone would've expected. The IPL was a big success. The cricket stadiums were packed full in almost all of the matches. So, in another 4-5 years it will no wonder be the financial driving source of cricket.

Wonderful Comebacks!

India had lost the 1st Test match to Sri Lanka by an innings and a mammoth 239 runs! South Africa chasing a target of 283 had lost 4 wickets for just 93 runs! But, everything turned in their favour with time.

India which has a good batting line up didn't play well in the first Test against Sri Lanka. But, in the second Test Sehwag showed them the way with an unbeaten 201 n.o. which ultimately was the main factor behind their victory. Sri Lanka bowled well in the second Innings, but their batting led them down heavily. But, this time around the Indian spinners showed their potential by grabbing 15 wickets in the match.

On the other hand, South Africa were in a different situation. Chasing a challenging target of 283, they lost some quick wickets in the middle stage of their innings. But, the skipper Graeme Smith showing a never-give-up attitude batted with AB de Villiers to consolidate their innings. After the dismissal of de Villiers, England would have breathed for some air. But, their relief didn't last for long. It was another partnership by Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher which helped them to cruise to victory.

The never-to-give-up attitude indeed helps you a lot to win. India and South Africa have shown this to the cricket world. So, now let's hope that the other cricket teams will take this an example and start winning as they never did before.

England's Preparation for the Ashes

It's going to be in 2009 Summer. The Ashes Test series is considered as the most significant Test series in cricket. Both the teams, Australia and England, who compete in it never like to give up. Australia has had the better times in the Ashes in the last two decades, but England is now a much more improved side.

This year, England has so far fared well in Tests. In their current series against South Africa, they managed to display a wonderful performance in the first Test match. But, the second Test match was the stark opposite of it. This may have happened due to the lack of their consistency.

Australia on the other hand, have always been consistent. It was only one match they have fallen to the opposition this year, so far. But, that too by making a good fight. So, if England have to defeat them, consistency will be the key.

England's new found players like Tim Ambrose, Ryan Sidebottom and Matt Prior seem to have good talent. So, do the Aussies have new found players like Mitchell Johnson, Beau Casson and Phil Jacques. These new talented players from both the sides will be hungry of been given a chance to prove their worth in the prestigious Ashes series.

So, there we go. The Ashes Test series in the next year's Summer is most probably going to go down to the wire. Another wonderful series like the 2005 Ashes to be expected. Cricket fans, be ready to watch this wonderful battle between the game's oldest rivals.

Review system is good for the game

Although, only one game was played using this new review system, but from what everyone saw in that match, this system has more positives than negatives. Just remember Sachin and Dravid not walking after they clearly edged the ball and the umpires turned the appeals down, what would have happened if there was no review? Who knows.

I think it's the next best thing happened to cricket after a long time. Ya, I agree there was some doubt about Sehwag's dismissal, but that was the only negative point. Even before the match there was some doubt about the system in case of LBWs, but I think with some improvements we will be able to get 100% correct decisions in the future.

How many people come to watch cricket matches just to see one specific batsman(like Sanath, Sachin, Gilchrist, Pieterson) and one bad decision ruin the day for them? Nobody likes it. Remember, that Ajantha Mendis should have got a hat-rick against India, but Simon Taufel turned it down. What history that would have been... That's why I think this system will even help to popularise the game further.

After the embarrassment for Sachin and Dravid, I hope batsman will start to walk after they edge the ball as they know a review is possible. This will improve the spirit of the game. How many times we've seen too much anger from players and bad relationships between teams because of bad umpiring? (Just remind INDIA v AUSTRALIA Test series). All of that will not happen as players will respect the decisions now, as they know it's the correct one. Specially, for edges we can use the hot spot technology as the Trakker may be ineffective in guessing the difference of sounds from either bat hitting ground, pad etc.

The only question mark is about LBWs. I think the 'hawk-eye' should be improved and there won't be any problem thereafter. But, 'hawk-eye' can definitely be used to know where the ball pitches and where it hits the pads.

Finally, I'm quite sure that this will improve the game of cricket and the correct decision making will make the better team win in almost every match. And in my opinion, however much you say decisions even out, I think Asian teams have had the rough end of it more than the other teams. Aussies always have their way with the umpires. So, I'm pretty sure that the other teams will be able to catch up with Australia with the help of this review system, which I hope will happen very soon. The ICC should continue with this review system for the betterment of the game.

The Two 'M' Powers

It was trouble time for India and easy time for Sri Lanka. The two 'Ms', namely Muralitharan and Mendis caused havoc to the Indian batsmen in the 1st Test match of the Idea Cup Test series.

No doubt, the spinners showed the difference in the two teams. India's experienced spin attack in Anil Kumble and Harbajan Singh didn't work well for them. The two suffered to do any big damage in what was a good spin pitch. But, the two Ms did exploit the pitch to great effect. They bagged 19 out of the 20 Indian wickets!

Mendis playing in his debut, showed a lot of courage and character while the Master of Spinning, Murali, showed his experience and viciousness yet again. It was the 21st time Murali took 10 wickets in a match.

The former Indian batsman and present commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar, recently told that Indian batsmen are 'no more good players of spin'. It seems to be true, because Sri Lanka is a place where a batsman will have to use all his skills to play spin. And, on the other hand, they were facing very good spin bowlers. Although, in the past they had fared well with very good spinners like Shane Warne and even Muralitharan, this time they failed to do so.

The four celebrated batsmen in the Indian side, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman will have to play upto their potential in the next 2 matches or else they'll be letting down their team. But, this task for them seems to be a real toughy and at the same time the best chance to prove that their ability to play spin is still in them.

Security Threats

The upcoming ICC Champions Trophy tournament is under tremendous threat due to security issues in the host nation Pakistan. Teams such as England and Australia have hinted that they might send a second string team. On the other hand, Sri Lanka has offered to be alternative hosts.

But, yesterday India has pledged support to Pakistan to host the tournament, which will definitely be a big boost for them. The cricket governing body ICC is yet to give a verdict on this issue.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how things will turn up in the next few months. Cricket fans, be on the watch out!

Sachin Tendulkar to Break Another Record

It's the Master Blaster who is going to be watched closely by cricket fans around the world, once again. It's only 172 runs required for Tendulkar to be the highest Test runs scorer ever in the history of the game. The current record is held by the West Indian star batsman, Brian Lara.

Currently, Tendulkar holds the records for the highest number of runs scored (16,361) and hundreds made (42) in ODIs and the highest number of centuries in Tests (39). His ODI records seem to be unbreakable, but the Test record he presently holds and the one he's about break, might be pursued by classy batsmen like Ricky Ponting and Jacque Kallis.

In Sri Lanka, Tendulkar has played six Tests and has made four centuries. His average is a whopping 111.66. He seems to love playing in Sri Lanka. But, his last Test in this country was back in 1999 - 9 years ago! So, now the Sri Lankan team is quite different from what it was before. The bowlers seem to be better, so do their fielding skills.

It'll be interesting how Tendulkar will aproach Sri Lanka's premiere bowlers, Chaminda Vaas and Mutthiah Muralitharan in their own backyard. So, will it be interesting to see him facing the new Sri Lankan star bowler Ajantha Mendis.

By the way, Tendulkar will have to score at an average of 30 in 6 innings to break the world record. But, no doubt he'll be expecting to do better than this i.e. try to guide his team to victory. In the meantime, the Monsoon rain in Sri Lanka will play a key role as to how much time Tendulkar will be afforded to bat.

India and Pakistan's Fielding Woes.

In the recently concluded Asia Cup series, fielding of the teams who played in it was not a thing to be remembered. Pakistan showed some improvement, but not enough. India too, had improved to a certain extent, but yet not upto the standards. Sri Lanka had a good time in the field; so did Bangladesh, except for a few hiccups.

Fielding was not that important about 10 years back. But, now everything has changed in the cricket world. A result of it being the improvement in fielding. Sri Lanka has been a part of that. So has Bangladesh to a certain extent, but not the other test playing nations in the region i.e. India and Pakistan. No doubt, it has cost a lot to these two rival countries, as good fielding would help the team to save 20-30 runs, whereas poor fielding could cost the same amount of runs or even more.

On the other hand, the rest of the test playing nations have caught up in fielding at a good pace. Australia, South Africa and New Zealand seem to be in the fore front without any good competition from the rest. England and West Indies have improved in the last few years. And, Zimbambwe always seem to pride themselves in their fielding skills.

So, at least now, India and Pakistan will have to sit back and do some thinking on this aspect of the game. "Where have we gone wrong? How can we improve?", might be some of the questions they'll have to ask from themselves, and find out the answers. Or, as I said before, it'll cost them not only a lot of runs, but also matches, which are for them to be won.

Mystery = Mendis = Magic?

I first saw Ajantha Mendis bowl about a year ago, in an inter provincial 50 over match. He bowled to Kumar Sangakkara, who was bamboozled by every ball he bowled and then finally edged the ball to slip and Mendis got his man rightfully. At that moment, I knew there's something special inside this man, and I'm sure Mahela Jayawardena who was the captain of that team also knew that there is a lot to come from this man.

He played his 1st first class match in November 2006 for Army in the Division 2 Lague tournament, where he went wicketless, and in fact, he actually played as a batting all rounder. He batted at number 5, but from there he developed into a lethal bowler where the abilities of division 2 batsman were not good enough to handle him. So, he took a remarkable 114 wickets at an amazing average of 14.54. He totally dominated the bowling and that caught the eye of the selectors who picked him for the Provincial tournament, where he was outstanding and was clearly not picked by any of the top ranked Sri Lankan batsman. Therefore, there was no doubt about his selection for the National side; it was just a matter of time.

Some people even wanted him to go to Australia for the CB series, but I think the selectors were right in picking him for the West Indies tour. He did brilliantly in the 1st ODI and almost won the game if not for the 6 off the last ball hit by Chanderpaul. But, after that everybody expected him to do something fantastic sooner rather than later, and sure he did.

His performance in the Asia Cup final will be a memorable one for a very long time. He made the 2nd best batting line up in the world absolutely clueless. He toyed with them, and they were like kids who batted for the 1st time in their life. In fact, it was funny to see them bat against him, unless if you are an Indian.

Although, classified as a right-arm, slow-medium bowler, Ajantha Mendis is a spinner who bowls a mixture of googlies, offbreaks, top-spinners, flippers and legbreaks. When Mahela was questioned about his varieties and how he manages them, Mahela said he has 6 types of deliveries and he's only using 4 of them... Not good news if you are a batsman.

Batsmen have been confused by the variety of deliveries he has up on his sleeves and are at a loss to figure out what his stock of deliveries are. I saw in some articles people saying that once the mystery is out and batsman finds a way to play him, he won't be successful. They say, what happened to Saqlain Mushtaq will happen to him. But, in my opinion, Mendis has the ability to stay ahead of the batsmen and will be a nightmare to many batsmen for a long time to come.

He's still a mystery. So, in the next year or two, he might bag heaps of wickets, but there will be a time when the batsmen would adopt to different techniques to counter him. There lies his challenge. It won't be easy for them to stop this man from achieving great heights in international cricket, because he is something special. And this battle between him and the batsmen over the world, would be a wonderful treat for any cricket fan to witness.

What's Happening West Indies?

West Indies was the most dominating team in the 1970s and 80s. But, since the mass exodus of their best players in the early 90s they have fallen to a sorry state. They seem to lack consistency quite a lot.

Only a few days or months have the West Indies team been able to be above their usual 8th rank, whether it be Tests or ODIs. Although, they have won an occasional tournament in the last 10 years, their status in cricket is no doubt in tatters. But, what has made them become so weak a cricket nation, though, once they were considered as the best team ever.

Many reasons can be given for this downfall. Unlike cricketers, basketball players in the USA are paid well. So, as many West Indians are agile and athletic, they suit for many of the vaccancies available in the teams which play for the NBA title. Therefore, from the young ages, many West Indians pursue a career in basketball instead of cricket. This is one main reason for their downfall.

The other is the lack of proper administration in cricket. Their island cricket teams aren't good enough when compared to the other test playing nations' club teams. Thus, very few talented players get into the national side.

If these issues aren't taken seriously by the cricket administration of West Indies, they are certainly to fall into a deep pit and a recovery would not be that easy.

South Africa - The Chokers

South Africa is back in the cricket news. It was in a valiant effort put by the South African batsmen in the 2nd innings of the 1st test match against England. Although, they are a very good side and have shown such boldness a numerous times in cricket before, they have failed miserably when it comes to the big encounters i.e the crucial matches in the World Cup.

In 1992, South Africa were hot favourites to win the World Cup. But alas! Everything went upside down, when South Africa lost in the semi-finals to England. It was a controversial end to their bid to become World Champions, as the rain interruption made their required 22 runs to get from 13 balls to be revised, to get 21 runs from just 1 ball.

Then in 1996, South Africa were once again one of the favourites to win the World Cup. But, the West Indian start batsman, Brian Charles Lara, ruined the party in the quarter finals by making a brilliant century.

And then it was the 1999 World Cup which seemed to be their tournament. But, their hopes were once again torn into pieces, when Alan Donald got run out by attempting a needless single in their semi-final match against the Australians, who went onto to become the World Champions.

Afterwards, it was 2003 where the World Cup was hosted in home soil. This was to be their best chance to get hold of that nice World Cup. But, to everyone's surprise they didn't even make it to the second round, which was called as the Super Six.

Then came 2007. It was a tournament with mixed sucess for them. They lost to minnows Bangladesh convincingly in the second round and almost lost to Sri Lanka when Lasith Maling picked 4 wickets in a row. Anyway, they somehow managed to make it to the semi-finals. But, it didn't last long-- Australia convincingly beat them in the big game.

In the same year, South Africa hosted a World Cup of a different format. It was the first ever T20 World Cup-- another chance to get hold of that big trophy. But, it never became a reality. They were once again thrown out in the 2nd round.

So, still South Africa's woes continue. One would wonder whether someone has cast a spell on them. But, whether a spell is cast on them or not, undoubtedly, all of the South African fans will only be in joy, the day their team brings that Big Trophy home.

Australia's Dominance

Three World Cup victories in a row. Wow. Aussies seem to be the current Invincibles in cricket, by far. West Indies were pathetic having lost to the Aussies in the tests and then having to face a whitewash defeat in the ODI tournament.

Although, Aussies are undoubtedly the current Invincibles in international cricket, they have lost a few good players during the last two years. Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist all of whom made big contributions to the team over the years, are no more in the Australian side. But, still they have been able to maintain their supremacy over the other test playing nations, thanks to the new players, who have played to their potential.

Their dominance in cricket was further proved in the IPL, where a lot of Player of the Match awards went to Australians. Even, the Player of the Series was an Australian, namely Shane Watson. Also, the winning team's coach and captain was none other than the famous Shane Warne, who has contributed to Australian cricket immensely.

In the meantime, the biggest question the Aussie fans always ask is that till when will their team's domination continue? It's a worrying factor for this strong team's opponents as well. Teams like South Africa, England and India seem to be catching up fast with Australia. But, still these teams lack consistency, one main area the Aussies have mastered.

Whether the Aussies will continue their domination or not, is no doubt going to be a hot topic in the months to come by and all the cricket fans over the world will be having an eye on it. Also, it would be interesting to see how the Aussies maintain the pressure to be the No.1 for some more time.

Will this be Sanath's Final Comeback?

How many times Sanath Jayasuriya faced the wrath of Sri Lankan cricket officials and selectors? But, it is impossible to keep this great man out for long, as he believes in his ability, and that's what matters.

One may recall the knock Sanath played at Sydney, in the triangular series in 2006. He just came to Sydney one day earlier, after being originally dropped from the squad, because of fitness and injury concerns after the miserable Indian tour. In came Sanath to the creae and started smashing the Aussies all around the park to prove that he's still the most dangerous Sri Lankan batsman, by far.

Then, it was the selection committee headed by Mr.Lalith Kaluperuma, that Sanath was forced to retire from test cricket and if that selection committee continued, Sanath would have been forced to retire from ODIs as well. But, luckily for Sri Lanka cricket, a new selection committee headed by Mr.Asantha De Mel, pushed Sanath to retire from test cricket and return to the side again, halfway through the England tour. He was still dropped for the 2nd test but was picked for the 3rd test after Sri Lanka lost the 2nd Test. Although, he didn't do much with the bat in the 3rd test, he did a job with the ball as Sri Lankans won a historic test match in England.

Then, again Sanath had to go through the same fate as he was dropped after a disastrous Australian tour. Everybody thought this man's career was over, and again the miracle happened, this time it was in the IPL, which gave an opportunity for Sanath to show his brilliance, and didn't show it. Some amazing knocks were made, where even the great Sachin Tendulkar looked like a mere passenger at the crease.

It was the Sports Minister, who included Sanath at the expense of Tharanga in the squad for the Asia Cup this year. So, again Sanath was saved by the wrath. Yet again, he showed what he's made of, by playing some great knocks including one of the greatest centuries in the history of ODIs in the final of Asia Cup. He may have had bits and pieces of luck , everytime he makes a comeback into the Sri Lankan team after being removed. But, one thing is for certain-- he can still play.

He's still the most dangerous batsman in the Sri Lankan team. There's no one yet, who can replace him and that arguably proves that he's the greatest ODI player by far in the history of Sri Lankan cricket. After seeing all his heroics, nobody can rule him out and seeing all the miracles happen with this great man, we can even say he may be there to play for Sri Lanka, in the 2011 World Cup as well. And also, who knows whether he may help Sri Lanka to win the World Cup again and be the Man of the Tournament at the age of 42....

Well Done, Sanath! All the Best!

Cricket - A Religion in India

"Cricket is my religion - Sachin is my God".

A banner held by one of the cricket fans in a recent match. There's also a group named like this in Facebook. So much is the passion the Indians have for their favourite sport.

From the day India got the Test status, they have been a force to reckon with in International Cricket. Although, India was not a very strong team before the 1950/60s, they now seem to be not just a powerful team, but also a powerful financial source for International Cricket.

On the other hand, Indians account for the majority of cricket lovers around the world. It is not something to be surprised, as India has a population of over one billion. Thus, contributing a lot for cricket's popularity.

Anyway, cricket is a passion for some Indians. And, now it has become a religion for some others. These Indians treat their players, especially the senior and most popular, as deitites.

But, is it really like any other religion which adheres to certain rules and principles?

This is one interesting yahoo answers page I came across recently:
--http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070809101459AAXyXT5--

Here, some Indians give their different views on what they think about cricket being a religion in their country. What many of them say is, that cricket deserves to be a religion in India, as there are so many people who follow it very closely and also take it as one of their passions.

But, I presume these suggestions were mostly made by Indians of the middle or upper class. For many of the lower class/caste Indians cricket seems to be a religion, indeed.

Will T20 take over?

T20 seems to be currently, the most popular version of cricket. When Kerry Packer introduced the ODI World Series in the 1970s it became immensely popular as the version of the game (then it was 60 over ODIs) was short and ended in one day. Since then a lot of ODIs have been played around the world, and until recently it was the most popular version of Cricket.

T20 was first introduced by the English in 2003. It was, to add some flavour to big hitting in Cricket. Although, it was not adopted by many Test playing nations at first, it has now gained a lot of popularity. The recently concluded IPL T20 League and the initial T20 World Cup last year proves this fact. Big crowds, big hitting, big scores and also carnival-like atmosphere has made this version, a so-much-to-talk-about thing among cricket fans.

As this T20 has gained so much popularity, will it replace the 50 over version i.e. ODIs? It may be possible to do so, but some cricket pundits don't seem to be liking this new version. What most of them say, is that T20 is too short to measure the talent and commitment a team puts into the game. And some others tell that a 30 over game would be better off. But, even if such a 30 over game is introduced, who knows whether there would be another set of pundits to oppose it as well.

Anyway, what we cricket fans will all have to do, is to sit and cheer our favourite team to victory.
Let ICC do all the rulings and changes to the game. But, it won't be that bad for us to have something in the back of our minds: popularity will be the key for the existence of any of these versions of Cricket.

Does the Indian team have a SL-phobia?

This seems to be very interesting. India has lost 18 finals out of 22 it has played, since 1999. And if I'm not mistaken they haven't won at least one final against Sri Lanka since that year. The only time they didn't lose to Sri Lanka in a final was in the 2002 Mini-World Cup, in which both the teams were adjudged as joint Champions. This happened due to rain, but if there was no rain India might've got the chance to break the shackles.

Anyway, India is yet to win against Sri Lanka in a final. What's the reason? One might think that the question-like-title of this post should be answered as 'yes'. But, it's upto you, the reader, to decide.

When India last won against Sri Lanka in a final, was in 1998 in the Sri Lanka Independence Trophy. That too, Sri Lanka lost only by 8 runs. And to be frank, Sri Lanka gifted that match to India. Then, in 2000 the two teams once again met in a final in the Sharjah Trophy which was also called as the Coca-Cola Trophy. It's was a humiliating defeat for India in the hands of their opposition. India just made a paltry 54 runs in reply to Sri Lanka's 299. It was a match which had a lot of records, all in Sri Lanka's favour. The first one was that Sanath Jayasuriya made 189, which was the then 3rd highest score by an individual in ODIs. The second, was that India were dismissed for 3rd lowest ODI total at that time. And the other, was that Sri Lanka recorded the biggest win (won by 245 runs).

Then, in 2001 in a Tri-series in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka won again. Sri Lanka batted first posting 290+ runs. India made only 170+ runs in reply.

The next match was in 2002 in the Mini-World Cup, which I have already discussed about.

Then the two teams again met in the 2004 Asia Cup final. Sri Lanka won this match comfortably, though India gave a good fight in the middle overs, when chasing. The pitch was not good for batting, but Sri Lanka somehow managed to post a total of 220+. It was a good total in a turning pitch. India started well, but lost some quick wickets. But, India regained momentum when Sachin Tendulkar scored a good half-century. After the dismissal of Tendulkar India almost gave up, despite the wagging of the tail enders.

Afterwards the two teams met in a triangular series in Sri Lanka. This time it was a close match till the last 5 to 10 overs. A good partnership between Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh seemed to be taking India to a good victory. But alas! The partnership was broken when Rahul Dravid got out by trying for an unwanted single. And then, Yuvraj Singh followed him in another few overs. Thus, the hopes of India winning, fading off.

And the most recent match between the two teams was played only this Sunday. Sri Lanka won comfortably thanks to Ajantha Mendis' magic bowling and Sanath Jayasuriya's good knock of 125. But, India seem to be cruising along in the beginning of their chase. All of a sudden in came Mendis and bowled a magic spell that ripped the Indian middle order. From there onwards it seemed to be a tough task for India to recover. Sri Lanka, eventually won the match by 100 runs.

So, India's phobia of Sri Lanka continues. Although, India has got the better of Sri Lanka in the recent past, they seem to be not still good enough to win against Sri Lanka in a final, let alone losing a lot of finals since 1999. India's situation looks similar to that of the All Blacks who haven't won crucial matches despite being the world no.1 in Rugby for years. India may not be the no.1 in Cricket, but they are a force to reckon without any doubt.

First Post

I was wondering all day long what to write. And in the end I decided that it's better to write something that comes into my mind.

As this is my very first post, I would like to say somethings that made me start writing a blog.

Nowadays, people are so high-tech that they always think of connecting with others by some easy way. I too thought about this, and an idea struck to my mind. It was to start writing a blog. So, here I am, writing my very first blog post.

And now let me tell you why I chose to write about cricket:
I'm a sort of a cricket crazy fan, who likes to know more and more about cricket.
And cricket is one of my passions.

By the way, I invite everyone who read my posts to give comments. You are free to tell what you think about my views and ideas.

For today, I think it's enough. I'm planning to write something related to cricket tomorrow.

Have a nice day!