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.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Australia's Dominance
Friday, July 11, 2008
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!
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.
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.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
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!
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!
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