The West Indies are one step closer to the World Cup quarter-finals after their awesome demolition of Bangladesh, but captain Darren Sammy is not getting carried away.
"We are taking it step by step," Sammy said after his team bowled out Bangladesh for their lowest one-day total of 58 to win the crunch group B match by nine wickets in Dhaka on Friday.
With only their second win in their past 11 one-day internationals, the West Indies have four points from three matches, the same as group leaders South Africa, who have played one match fewer.
One more win in their remaining group matches against Ireland, India or England will almost certainly ensure Sammy's men a place in the knockout rounds.
But the captain stressed it was important for the West Indies to focus on their next match against Ireland in Mohali on March 11 rather than dream of the quarter-finals or the remaining group matches.
"We have got to focus on each game," said Sammy. "We are focusing only on Ireland, not the quarter-finals, not India, not England. We will gradually move forward after each performance."
Sammy, 27, who replaced Chris Gayle as captain in October last year, led from the front with three wickets as lanky spinner Sulieman Benn grabbed 4-18 and fast bowler Kemar Roach took three.
Bangladesh were dismissed in 18.5 overs and the West Indies surpassed the low target in their 13th over even before the lights could be switched on for the day-night game at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.
"We did not expect it to be so easy," said Sammy. "We expected Bangladesh to come out and play hard. That's how they play. But it shows that if all the guys execute their plans properly, anything is possible."
Sammy paid tribute to his predecessor Gayle, who hit an unbeaten 37 off 36 balls to end the match in quick time despite being ill for two days.
"It shows how committed he is to the World Cup cause and to West Indies cricket, the captain said."He wasn't feeling too well over the past few days but he opted to play.
"Before he went out, he gave us a pep talk, telling us not to underestimate Bangladesh. He is the kind of player the guys respond to. It was very good of him to step up and let the guys know that we have a job to do out there.
"Chris has been an inspiration for us, and we went out there confidently and got the job done."
Sammy said the West Indies, who won the first two editions of the World Cup in 1975 and 1979 and also ruled Test cricket for two decades, were on the right track to regain old glories.
"We are aware of the history and legacy the West Indies have," the captain said. "We have taken innovative steps to move forward. As a leader I want my team to improve. It is a process.
"People back in the Caribbean needed this performance. We look to move forward from here as a team and be as consistent as we can."
The West Indies were drubbed by seven wickets by South Africa in their opening game, before bouncing back to trounce the Netherlands by 215 runs a few days later.
Roach, who grabbed a hat-trick in his 6-27 against the Dutch, already has 10 wickets in this tournament, second behind Shahid Afridi's haul of 14.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Afridi speaks up for UDRS
The use of technology to enable teams to challenge decisions by umpires at the World Cup is proving controversial, but Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi wants reviews to be doubled. The Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) is being used for the first time at a World Cup, with some backing its use and others raising serious doubts.But one player who does not need to be convinced is Afridi.
"I think UDRS is good," said Afridi after Pakistan's win over Canada on Thursday, when Pakistan picked up three dismissals with the use of the system after umpires Daryl Harper and Nigel Llong gave batsmen not out. "I think one decision can change the whole match, so I think UDRS should be there. It should be raised to four from two, because two are proving less for us and in bigger matches this would be beneficial," said Afridi.
Two unsuccessful appeals mean you lose the right to any further challenges during an innings.
"I think UDRS is good," said Afridi after Pakistan's win over Canada on Thursday, when Pakistan picked up three dismissals with the use of the system after umpires Daryl Harper and Nigel Llong gave batsmen not out. "I think one decision can change the whole match, so I think UDRS should be there. It should be raised to four from two, because two are proving less for us and in bigger matches this would be beneficial," said Afridi.
Two unsuccessful appeals mean you lose the right to any further challenges during an innings.
Gears of Dhoni, Gambhir auctioned to raise fund for disabled
Ahead of their group B match against giant-killers Ireland on Sunday, the Indian cricket team did their bit of charity when the gears of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir were auctioned here on Friday to raise funds for the disabled.
The auction was organised by a charitable institution Mathru Foundation and was attended by Dhoni and Gambhir, along with Munaf Patel, Piyush Chawla and pacer Praveen Kumar, who was ruled out of the World Cup squad in the last minute due to an injury.
Former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad and Ashwini Nachappa were also involved with the foundation.
The auction was organised by a charitable institution Mathru Foundation and was attended by Dhoni and Gambhir, along with Munaf Patel, Piyush Chawla and pacer Praveen Kumar, who was ruled out of the World Cup squad in the last minute due to an injury.
Former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad and Ashwini Nachappa were also involved with the foundation.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
England's hopes now hanging by a thread
The result more than matched another famous cricketing World Cup victory for the Irish in the last edition in 2007 in the Caribbean when they ousted the 1992 winners Pakistan in a huge shock in Jamaica.
Within hours of that result, the Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room and pronounced dead later in a Kingston hospital, an event that cast a pall over the entire competition.
On Wednesday, Strauss, meanwhile, looked stunned with his team's World Cup hopes now hanging by a thread after a tied result against India and a close win over Netherlands.
They had made a more than respectable 327-8 with Jonathan Trott top-scoring with 92 off as many balls but that innings was long forgotten as O'Brien set to work.
'It was a great performance from Ireland'
Kevin O'Brien came in and chanced his arm and he played very, very well and hit some great shots," said Strauss.
"It was a great performance from Ireland. I'm not going to take anything away from them. They thoroughly deserved their victory. We've got to go away, lick our wounds and make sure we come back and play better."
His opposite number, meanwhile, Williams Porterfield, planned to celebrate with a "few quiet beers" a victory he described as the greatest in Irish cricket.
Most bars in Bangalore close around 2300 IST so they would not have much time to slake their thirst.
But Porterfield was probably correctly assuming that his countrymen in Dublin -- especially in the vicinity of the Railway Club in Sandymount -- would be celebrating long into a memorable sporting night for Ireland.
Source: rediff.com
Within hours of that result, the Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room and pronounced dead later in a Kingston hospital, an event that cast a pall over the entire competition.
On Wednesday, Strauss, meanwhile, looked stunned with his team's World Cup hopes now hanging by a thread after a tied result against India and a close win over Netherlands.
They had made a more than respectable 327-8 with Jonathan Trott top-scoring with 92 off as many balls but that innings was long forgotten as O'Brien set to work.
'It was a great performance from Ireland'
Kevin O'Brien came in and chanced his arm and he played very, very well and hit some great shots," said Strauss.
"It was a great performance from Ireland. I'm not going to take anything away from them. They thoroughly deserved their victory. We've got to go away, lick our wounds and make sure we come back and play better."
His opposite number, meanwhile, Williams Porterfield, planned to celebrate with a "few quiet beers" a victory he described as the greatest in Irish cricket.
Most bars in Bangalore close around 2300 IST so they would not have much time to slake their thirst.
But Porterfield was probably correctly assuming that his countrymen in Dublin -- especially in the vicinity of the Railway Club in Sandymount -- would be celebrating long into a memorable sporting night for Ireland.
Source: rediff.com
Start slogging
As he explained later, at 111-5 and still a distant 217 runs from their target with almost half their 50 overs used up, there was only one thing for it for this brawny mid-order batsman and that was to start slogging.
So he did, to all parts of the ground with none of the English bowlers, who had so recently frightened the daylights out of Australia in Ashes, spared from the onslaught.
He brought up his century with no less than six sixes including one 102-metre smite over long on and 13 fours.
He needed 16 fewer balls than the previous swiftest, Australian Matthew Hayden, to complete his century and left a string of other cricketing master blasters from the past in his wake in the record books too including Indian Kapil Dev (72) and Adam Gilchrist (72).
Afterwards, O'Brien was still trying to make sense of it after John Mooney's winning blow for four in the final over off Jimmy Anderson.
"When you are 111-5 I just said to myself, we could just potter around and get 220 off 50 overs for eight or nine and the game would have been pretty boring to watch and it wouldn't have been anything to watch on TV," a grinning O'Brien said clutching his man-of-the-match trophy.
"I just chanced my arm and said I'm going to be as positive as I can and I got a few away and didn't look back really," he added.
Source: rediff.com
So he did, to all parts of the ground with none of the English bowlers, who had so recently frightened the daylights out of Australia in Ashes, spared from the onslaught.
He brought up his century with no less than six sixes including one 102-metre smite over long on and 13 fours.
He needed 16 fewer balls than the previous swiftest, Australian Matthew Hayden, to complete his century and left a string of other cricketing master blasters from the past in his wake in the record books too including Indian Kapil Dev (72) and Adam Gilchrist (72).
Afterwards, O'Brien was still trying to make sense of it after John Mooney's winning blow for four in the final over off Jimmy Anderson.
"When you are 111-5 I just said to myself, we could just potter around and get 220 off 50 overs for eight or nine and the game would have been pretty boring to watch and it wouldn't have been anything to watch on TV," a grinning O'Brien said clutching his man-of-the-match trophy.
"I just chanced my arm and said I'm going to be as positive as I can and I got a few away and didn't look back really," he added.
Source: rediff.com
Finest One-day innings
It will be long savoured by the scattering of Irish -- and even English -- fans privileged to witness it as one of the finest one-day innings of all time, never mind the 36-year-old World Cup.
It was a rare spot of bright news for the Irish, who last week kicked out their government over its role in the country's economic decline. Many Irish have never seen a cricket match, but that did not stop them celebrating.
O'Brien, who played a year's cricket with Nottinghamshire before returning to play full-time for the Railway Union Cricket Club in Dublin, had reached the crease when his team were all but finished as a threat to an England team chasing their second win of this year's tournament.
Source: rediff.com
It was a rare spot of bright news for the Irish, who last week kicked out their government over its role in the country's economic decline. Many Irish have never seen a cricket match, but that did not stop them celebrating.
O'Brien, who played a year's cricket with Nottinghamshire before returning to play full-time for the Railway Union Cricket Club in Dublin, had reached the crease when his team were all but finished as a threat to an England team chasing their second win of this year's tournament.
Source: rediff.com
O'Brien demolished England's bowling attack
Ireland's Kevin O'Brien, who plays his cricket for the Railway Union Club, on Wednesday, stood head and shoulders above some of the sport's greatest names after guiding his country to one of the biggest World Cup shocks with victory over the old enemy England.
The 26-year-old Dubliner almost single-handedly demolished Andrew Strauss's Ashes winners with comfortably the quickest ever century in the tournament, racing to three figures in 50 balls of pure smash and plunder.
Although he was out for 113 shortly before Ireland's moment of glory, their first win over England, by then the damage had been done and his team mates passed the massive 328 target with three wickets and five balls to spare.
No team has ever scored more to win a World Cup match batting second.
Source: rediff.com
The 26-year-old Dubliner almost single-handedly demolished Andrew Strauss's Ashes winners with comfortably the quickest ever century in the tournament, racing to three figures in 50 balls of pure smash and plunder.
Although he was out for 113 shortly before Ireland's moment of glory, their first win over England, by then the damage had been done and his team mates passed the massive 328 target with three wickets and five balls to spare.
No team has ever scored more to win a World Cup match batting second.
Source: rediff.com
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Malinga bags second World Cup hat-trick
Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga became the first man to bag two hat-tricks in World Cups when he skittled out three Kenyan tail-enders in their Group A match on Tuesday.
Malinga, who missed his side's opening two matches with a sore back, fired back with 6-38, including the wickets of Tanmay Mishra (0), Peter Ongondo (0) and Shem Ngoche (0) with successive, full deliveries, the latter two clean bowled.
The Africans were dismissed for 142.
n 2007, Malinga grabbed four in a row against South Africa .
It is the second hat-trick of the 2011 World Cup after Kemar Roach took the last three Canadian wickets in West Indies' victory in Group B on Monday.
Hat-tricks in the World Cup
Chetan Sharma (India v New Zealand ), Nagpur, 1987
Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan v Zimbabwe), The Oval, 1999
Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka v Bangladesh), Pietermaritzburg, 2003
Brett Lee (Australia v Kenya), Durban, 2003
Lasith Malinga** (Sri Lanka v South Africa), Providence, 2007
Kemar Roach (West Indies v Netherlands), Delhi , 2011
Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka vs Kenya), Colombo 2011
Malinga, who missed his side's opening two matches with a sore back, fired back with 6-38, including the wickets of Tanmay Mishra (0), Peter Ongondo (0) and Shem Ngoche (0) with successive, full deliveries, the latter two clean bowled.
The Africans were dismissed for 142.
n 2007, Malinga grabbed four in a row against South Africa .
It is the second hat-trick of the 2011 World Cup after Kemar Roach took the last three Canadian wickets in West Indies' victory in Group B on Monday.
Hat-tricks in the World Cup
Chetan Sharma (India v New Zealand ), Nagpur, 1987
Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan v Zimbabwe), The Oval, 1999
Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka v Bangladesh), Pietermaritzburg, 2003
Brett Lee (Australia v Kenya), Durban, 2003
Lasith Malinga** (Sri Lanka v South Africa), Providence, 2007
Kemar Roach (West Indies v Netherlands), Delhi , 2011
Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka vs Kenya), Colombo 2011
Why India doesn't look like a Cup winner
It's rather bizarre when the captain of the national team walks into a press conference after a game and blames the conditions on the back of one of the most clueless bowling and fielding displays in recent memory.
In a way, that statement sums up the situation: India's problems lie with the bowling and fielding but there is little or nothing that the captain can do about it (he in fact admitted in that same presser that there was nothing he could do about the fielding), so the only thing left really is to blame the conditions.
The batting, mercifully, seems to be in top form with two near-perfect performances in Mirpur and Bangalore, but against that, a bowling unit that could not defend 338 runs under lights against an England team coming off a 6-1 defeat and with a dismal track record in Indian conditions does not augur well for India's prospects in this Cup.
Restrict or dismiss?
One of the most interesting things about this Indian bowling attack is that it is not designed to dismiss the opposition, but merely to restrict the runs they score. In other words, this attack's job description is damage control, whether we bowl first or last. The problem therefore is two fold: As any novice knows, the only way to really check run-scoring is by wickets and by not being able to do that, the bowling unit ensures that the pressure on it, and on the team's batting, is relentless. Secondly, to really perform even a defensive role to optimum, the bowlers need support in the field -- and India is by far the worst fielding unit in this competition. Keep in mind that this is not the IPL with very short boundaries; these games are being played on larger grounds, and that means that the slow Indian fielders have more ground to cover, and end up conceding easy twos where other teams keep things down to a single or none. And - the real bad news - Dhoni has admitted in as many words that India has slow movers in the field, and hence the fielding is not likely to improve by much.
So that is the situation - a bowling unit with a defensive mindset, and a fielding unit that is not geared to back up that game plan.
It's rather bizarre when the captain of the national team walks into a press conference after a game and blames the conditions on the back of one of the most clueless bowling and fielding displays in recent memory.
In a way, that statement sums up the situation: India's problems lie with the bowling and fielding but there is little or nothing that the captain can do about it (he in fact admitted in that same presser that there was nothing he could do about the fielding), so the only thing left really is to blame the conditions.
The batting, mercifully, seems to be in top form with two near-perfect performances in Mirpur and Bangalore, but against that, a bowling unit that could not defend 338 runs under lights against an England team coming off a 6-1 defeat and with a dismal track record in Indian conditions does not augur well for India's prospects in this Cup.
Restrict or dismiss?
One of the most interesting things about this Indian bowling attack is that it is not designed to dismiss the opposition, but merely to restrict the runs they score. In other words, this attack's job description is damage control, whether we bowl first or last. The problem therefore is two fold: As any novice knows, the only way to really check run-scoring is by wickets and by not being able to do that, the bowling unit ensures that the pressure on it, and on the team's batting, is relentless. Secondly, to really perform even a defensive role to optimum, the bowlers need support in the field -- and India is by far the worst fielding unit in this competition. Keep in mind that this is not the IPL with very short boundaries; these games are being played on larger grounds, and that means that the slow Indian fielders have more ground to cover, and end up conceding easy twos where other teams keep things down to a single or none. And - the real bad news - Dhoni has admitted in as many words that India has slow movers in the field, and hence the fielding is not likely to improve by much.
So that is the situation - a bowling unit with a defensive mindset, and a fielding unit that is not geared to back up that game plan.
Clueless bowling upfront
The bowling performance against England was a mix of heightened complacency, glaring incompetence and tactical naivete. The team seemed to think that by virtue of having put 338 runs on the board, the game was already won and all anyone had to do was roll their arms over, for England to roll over and play dead. The first few overs of the run-chase perhaps accentuates this point: the bowlers ran in with no field; the field placing was defensive in nature; and neither bowlers nor fielders showed any sign of intent, thus allowing the England openers to dominate from ball one. All of this was manifest in the amount of boundaries conceded on either side of the wicket, through a succession of short and wide half-trackers and gimme balls on the pads. Between them, Munaf and Zaheer bowled only 15 balls on full length in the entire game (and two of those deliveries got the wickets of Strauss and Pietersen).
Consider the effect, from a game plan point of view: If India's plan is to defend a high score and allow pressure to do its work, such bowling at the outset produced the reverse effect - by leaking free runs, it ensured that England was always ahead of India on the chase, and ended up reversing the pressure.
To make things worse, the captain and his bowlers appeared to be talking different languages. In the past, Dhoni has successfully used the defensive ploy, packing one side of the field and getting his bowlers to bowl with discipline on that side. Here, for instance, when he set a leg side field, the bowler responded with one short and wide of off stump; when he brought fine leg in to block the single, the bowler drifted the ball onto the pad, allowing the batsman to get the four through that region...
India now is confronted with the need for a major course correction. Its next game is against the Dutch, and India needs to put on the park a bowling side capable of taking ten wickets. The question is, who? Giving Sreesanth a go would be a good idea. Taking Harbhajan aside and asking him to forget his self-imposed role as container, and concentrate on wicket-taking, would be another. Ravichandra Ashwin, the naturally attacking off spinner, could well be given a go. One thing is for sure - if you only have four bowlers, and barring Zaheer the others are essentially defensive in nature, then when you go up against the bigger teams, it won't matter how many runs your batsmen get; the opposition will hunt the targets down with ease.
Spinners - predictable length, poor field placement
There has been much talk in the press about how the Indian bowling is heavily spin-based and why the so-called variety in the spin department gives India a good chance to go all the way. Piyush Chawla was preferred to Ravichandran Ashwin, probably because of past experience on a "warm-up" track against Australia and sadly, his performance didn’t come through. For starters, the basics were all over the place, his preferred length being short long-hops as opposed to the classic leg-spinner who earns his cents by tossing the ball up, fuller length at best. His start was predictably nervous, and as the game wore on, control became virtually non-existent. Secondly, whenever the lad decided to toss it up, he did so at a "sweeper’s length" and most of the English batsmen swept him without the need for thought. The other culprit there was in keeping with the theme of the show - field placements for well...bad bowling. As a leg-spinner, you would almost bargain for being hit against the turn or being driven, and a half-attacking field is by far the most important incentive you give a leggie, but in this case, you had the Indian skipper push people deeper as the game progressed, and somewhere that did affect Chawla. His length got shorter and shorter, even to some of the lower-order England batsmen.
Ditto for Harbhajan Singh, who by consensus is one of India’s "match-winning" bowlers. It was rather unusual to see Dhoni have a long on in place as Ian Bell walked out on the back of two quick wickets; what that did was tell the batsman that there was an easy, pressure-releasing single to be had at will. What made it worse was that such a mindset was deployed against a team that is considered weak against spin.
There is a quirk in the Dhoni style of captaincy that few talk about. When he has relatively smaller totals to defend (as for instance in the warm up against Australia) he attacks and looks for wickets. But whenever his batsmen gives him runs to work with, he reflexively tends to defend. There is a problem here: if you don't trust your bowlers to attack and get you wickets, the bowlers will over time adopt a defensive posture almost as a matter of course. Harbhajan is a case in point. And the question is, if you don't attack when you have three hundred and more on the board, then when?
Disappointingly, and similar to Kumar Sangakkara's Sri Lanka the previous day against Pakistan, India's spin attack almost runs out of ideas when there are two set batsmen on the wicket. They start bowling shorter lengths, the flight is almost non-existent, the field is often an invitation for the batsmen to keep doing what they prefer, and with a fielding unit that's not the quickest around, not enough pressure is created. The middle-overs are where the Indian fielders put up a body language that reflects utmost disinterest in proceedings, when a tight performance is what will really help bowlers at a time when the opposition is looking to consolidate.
Fear of defeat
Based on the evidence of the last two games, the mindset of the Indian bowlers and fielding unit seems to be a fear of defeat, probably because of the hype and heightened levels of expectation that India will win the Cup. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the case, prompting Dhoni to seek refuge in safe, defensive and conservative tactics.
In many ways, this campaign is a unique one for India, in the sense that they're not just the on-paper favourites (as they usually are in every World Cup, thanks to the hype machine) but one that has the conditions, the home support, and at least as far as the batting is concerned, the players to go all the way.
For that to happen, though, two things are mandatory: The team mindset needs to shift into one of relentless aggression, and the bowling unit as one has to put its hand up and shift its focus to striking hard and often, irrespective of the totals the batsmen put up.
The good bit is, the weaknesses are not out in the open - and India has two games against the associate nations to get its ducks back in a row.
Source: cricket.yahoo.com
In a way, that statement sums up the situation: India's problems lie with the bowling and fielding but there is little or nothing that the captain can do about it (he in fact admitted in that same presser that there was nothing he could do about the fielding), so the only thing left really is to blame the conditions.
The batting, mercifully, seems to be in top form with two near-perfect performances in Mirpur and Bangalore, but against that, a bowling unit that could not defend 338 runs under lights against an England team coming off a 6-1 defeat and with a dismal track record in Indian conditions does not augur well for India's prospects in this Cup.
Restrict or dismiss?
One of the most interesting things about this Indian bowling attack is that it is not designed to dismiss the opposition, but merely to restrict the runs they score. In other words, this attack's job description is damage control, whether we bowl first or last. The problem therefore is two fold: As any novice knows, the only way to really check run-scoring is by wickets and by not being able to do that, the bowling unit ensures that the pressure on it, and on the team's batting, is relentless. Secondly, to really perform even a defensive role to optimum, the bowlers need support in the field -- and India is by far the worst fielding unit in this competition. Keep in mind that this is not the IPL with very short boundaries; these games are being played on larger grounds, and that means that the slow Indian fielders have more ground to cover, and end up conceding easy twos where other teams keep things down to a single or none. And - the real bad news - Dhoni has admitted in as many words that India has slow movers in the field, and hence the fielding is not likely to improve by much.
So that is the situation - a bowling unit with a defensive mindset, and a fielding unit that is not geared to back up that game plan.
It's rather bizarre when the captain of the national team walks into a press conference after a game and blames the conditions on the back of one of the most clueless bowling and fielding displays in recent memory.
In a way, that statement sums up the situation: India's problems lie with the bowling and fielding but there is little or nothing that the captain can do about it (he in fact admitted in that same presser that there was nothing he could do about the fielding), so the only thing left really is to blame the conditions.
The batting, mercifully, seems to be in top form with two near-perfect performances in Mirpur and Bangalore, but against that, a bowling unit that could not defend 338 runs under lights against an England team coming off a 6-1 defeat and with a dismal track record in Indian conditions does not augur well for India's prospects in this Cup.
Restrict or dismiss?
One of the most interesting things about this Indian bowling attack is that it is not designed to dismiss the opposition, but merely to restrict the runs they score. In other words, this attack's job description is damage control, whether we bowl first or last. The problem therefore is two fold: As any novice knows, the only way to really check run-scoring is by wickets and by not being able to do that, the bowling unit ensures that the pressure on it, and on the team's batting, is relentless. Secondly, to really perform even a defensive role to optimum, the bowlers need support in the field -- and India is by far the worst fielding unit in this competition. Keep in mind that this is not the IPL with very short boundaries; these games are being played on larger grounds, and that means that the slow Indian fielders have more ground to cover, and end up conceding easy twos where other teams keep things down to a single or none. And - the real bad news - Dhoni has admitted in as many words that India has slow movers in the field, and hence the fielding is not likely to improve by much.
So that is the situation - a bowling unit with a defensive mindset, and a fielding unit that is not geared to back up that game plan.
Clueless bowling upfront
The bowling performance against England was a mix of heightened complacency, glaring incompetence and tactical naivete. The team seemed to think that by virtue of having put 338 runs on the board, the game was already won and all anyone had to do was roll their arms over, for England to roll over and play dead. The first few overs of the run-chase perhaps accentuates this point: the bowlers ran in with no field; the field placing was defensive in nature; and neither bowlers nor fielders showed any sign of intent, thus allowing the England openers to dominate from ball one. All of this was manifest in the amount of boundaries conceded on either side of the wicket, through a succession of short and wide half-trackers and gimme balls on the pads. Between them, Munaf and Zaheer bowled only 15 balls on full length in the entire game (and two of those deliveries got the wickets of Strauss and Pietersen).
Consider the effect, from a game plan point of view: If India's plan is to defend a high score and allow pressure to do its work, such bowling at the outset produced the reverse effect - by leaking free runs, it ensured that England was always ahead of India on the chase, and ended up reversing the pressure.
To make things worse, the captain and his bowlers appeared to be talking different languages. In the past, Dhoni has successfully used the defensive ploy, packing one side of the field and getting his bowlers to bowl with discipline on that side. Here, for instance, when he set a leg side field, the bowler responded with one short and wide of off stump; when he brought fine leg in to block the single, the bowler drifted the ball onto the pad, allowing the batsman to get the four through that region...
India now is confronted with the need for a major course correction. Its next game is against the Dutch, and India needs to put on the park a bowling side capable of taking ten wickets. The question is, who? Giving Sreesanth a go would be a good idea. Taking Harbhajan aside and asking him to forget his self-imposed role as container, and concentrate on wicket-taking, would be another. Ravichandra Ashwin, the naturally attacking off spinner, could well be given a go. One thing is for sure - if you only have four bowlers, and barring Zaheer the others are essentially defensive in nature, then when you go up against the bigger teams, it won't matter how many runs your batsmen get; the opposition will hunt the targets down with ease.
Spinners - predictable length, poor field placement
There has been much talk in the press about how the Indian bowling is heavily spin-based and why the so-called variety in the spin department gives India a good chance to go all the way. Piyush Chawla was preferred to Ravichandran Ashwin, probably because of past experience on a "warm-up" track against Australia and sadly, his performance didn’t come through. For starters, the basics were all over the place, his preferred length being short long-hops as opposed to the classic leg-spinner who earns his cents by tossing the ball up, fuller length at best. His start was predictably nervous, and as the game wore on, control became virtually non-existent. Secondly, whenever the lad decided to toss it up, he did so at a "sweeper’s length" and most of the English batsmen swept him without the need for thought. The other culprit there was in keeping with the theme of the show - field placements for well...bad bowling. As a leg-spinner, you would almost bargain for being hit against the turn or being driven, and a half-attacking field is by far the most important incentive you give a leggie, but in this case, you had the Indian skipper push people deeper as the game progressed, and somewhere that did affect Chawla. His length got shorter and shorter, even to some of the lower-order England batsmen.
Ditto for Harbhajan Singh, who by consensus is one of India’s "match-winning" bowlers. It was rather unusual to see Dhoni have a long on in place as Ian Bell walked out on the back of two quick wickets; what that did was tell the batsman that there was an easy, pressure-releasing single to be had at will. What made it worse was that such a mindset was deployed against a team that is considered weak against spin.
There is a quirk in the Dhoni style of captaincy that few talk about. When he has relatively smaller totals to defend (as for instance in the warm up against Australia) he attacks and looks for wickets. But whenever his batsmen gives him runs to work with, he reflexively tends to defend. There is a problem here: if you don't trust your bowlers to attack and get you wickets, the bowlers will over time adopt a defensive posture almost as a matter of course. Harbhajan is a case in point. And the question is, if you don't attack when you have three hundred and more on the board, then when?
Disappointingly, and similar to Kumar Sangakkara's Sri Lanka the previous day against Pakistan, India's spin attack almost runs out of ideas when there are two set batsmen on the wicket. They start bowling shorter lengths, the flight is almost non-existent, the field is often an invitation for the batsmen to keep doing what they prefer, and with a fielding unit that's not the quickest around, not enough pressure is created. The middle-overs are where the Indian fielders put up a body language that reflects utmost disinterest in proceedings, when a tight performance is what will really help bowlers at a time when the opposition is looking to consolidate.
Fear of defeat
Based on the evidence of the last two games, the mindset of the Indian bowlers and fielding unit seems to be a fear of defeat, probably because of the hype and heightened levels of expectation that India will win the Cup. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the case, prompting Dhoni to seek refuge in safe, defensive and conservative tactics.
In many ways, this campaign is a unique one for India, in the sense that they're not just the on-paper favourites (as they usually are in every World Cup, thanks to the hype machine) but one that has the conditions, the home support, and at least as far as the batting is concerned, the players to go all the way.
For that to happen, though, two things are mandatory: The team mindset needs to shift into one of relentless aggression, and the bowling unit as one has to put its hand up and shift its focus to striking hard and often, irrespective of the totals the batsmen put up.
The good bit is, the weaknesses are not out in the open - and India has two games against the associate nations to get its ducks back in a row.
Source: cricket.yahoo.com
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sehwag, Tendulkar rise in ICC ODI rankings - world cup 2011
Their brilliant performance in the first couple of World Cup matches has helped Indian batsmen Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar to rise to fifth and 10th respectively in the ICC one-day rankings issued on Monday.
Sehwag, who smashed 175 against Bangladesh, is up six places in the latest chart, while Tendulkar, riding on his 120 against England, has risen five spots.
ICC Rankings
Indians are headed northward even in the bowling rankings with Zaheer Khan in 14th (up by nine places), Harbhajan Singh in 16th (up by four places) and Munaf Patel in 22nd (up by 11 places).
England captain Andrew Strauss, who struck a 158-run knock in yesterday's thrilling tie against India, is in 13th spot in the batting list, up by eight places.
Others who have gone up the charts are Tamim Iqbal in 23rd (up by three places), Misbah-ul-Haq in 32nd (up by 12 places), Younus Khan in 44th (up by four places) and Kevin O'Brien in 52nd (up by four places).
Australia's Shane Watson, JP Duminy of South Africa, Netherlands' Ryan ten Doeschate and South Africa's Dale Steyn have all achieved personal landmarks.
Watson has climbed four places to break into the top 10 for the first time in his career.
Duminy's has risen two places to share the 15th spot with captain Graeme Smith and West Indies' Chris Gayle while Ten Doeschate has jumped 12 places to 20th.
In the bowling list, Steyn has jumped four places to fourth position.
Batsmen losing ground are Virat Kohli in third (down by one place), Kumar Sangakkara in eighth (down by one place), Gautam Gambhir in 10th (down by one place), Jacques Kallis in 14th (down by six places) and Chris Gayle in 15th (down by five places), Ricky Ponting in 19th (down by six places).
South Africa's duo of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers maintain the top two positions in batting chart.
Apart from Steyn, Mitchell Johnson of Australia has rocketed 12 places to fifth position after figures of 4-19 and 4-33 against Zimbabwe and New Zealand, respectively.
Also on the move are are Shahid Afridi in 11th position (up by 12 places), Shaun Tait in 29th (up by eight places), Tim Bresnan in 30th (up by 11 places) and Shoaib Akhtar in 37th (up by seven places).
England's James Anderson has taken a nosedive in the latest rankings dropping 12 places to 24th after figures of 0-72 and 1-91 against Netherlands and India, respectively.
Daniel Vettori of New Zealand continues to lead the field with South Africa's Morne Morkel in second place and Ray Price of Zimbabwe moving up one place to third position.
In the Rankings for all-rounders, Ten Doeschate has moved up four places to a career-best fifth as the top four remain unchanged with Bangladesh's Shakib-Al-Hasan leading the way.
Sehwag, who smashed 175 against Bangladesh, is up six places in the latest chart, while Tendulkar, riding on his 120 against England, has risen five spots.
ICC Rankings
Indians are headed northward even in the bowling rankings with Zaheer Khan in 14th (up by nine places), Harbhajan Singh in 16th (up by four places) and Munaf Patel in 22nd (up by 11 places).
England captain Andrew Strauss, who struck a 158-run knock in yesterday's thrilling tie against India, is in 13th spot in the batting list, up by eight places.
Others who have gone up the charts are Tamim Iqbal in 23rd (up by three places), Misbah-ul-Haq in 32nd (up by 12 places), Younus Khan in 44th (up by four places) and Kevin O'Brien in 52nd (up by four places).
Australia's Shane Watson, JP Duminy of South Africa, Netherlands' Ryan ten Doeschate and South Africa's Dale Steyn have all achieved personal landmarks.
Watson has climbed four places to break into the top 10 for the first time in his career.
Duminy's has risen two places to share the 15th spot with captain Graeme Smith and West Indies' Chris Gayle while Ten Doeschate has jumped 12 places to 20th.
In the bowling list, Steyn has jumped four places to fourth position.
Batsmen losing ground are Virat Kohli in third (down by one place), Kumar Sangakkara in eighth (down by one place), Gautam Gambhir in 10th (down by one place), Jacques Kallis in 14th (down by six places) and Chris Gayle in 15th (down by five places), Ricky Ponting in 19th (down by six places).
South Africa's duo of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers maintain the top two positions in batting chart.
Apart from Steyn, Mitchell Johnson of Australia has rocketed 12 places to fifth position after figures of 4-19 and 4-33 against Zimbabwe and New Zealand, respectively.
Also on the move are are Shahid Afridi in 11th position (up by 12 places), Shaun Tait in 29th (up by eight places), Tim Bresnan in 30th (up by 11 places) and Shoaib Akhtar in 37th (up by seven places).
England's James Anderson has taken a nosedive in the latest rankings dropping 12 places to 24th after figures of 0-72 and 1-91 against Netherlands and India, respectively.
Daniel Vettori of New Zealand continues to lead the field with South Africa's Morne Morkel in second place and Ray Price of Zimbabwe moving up one place to third position.
In the Rankings for all-rounders, Ten Doeschate has moved up four places to a career-best fifth as the top four remain unchanged with Bangladesh's Shakib-Al-Hasan leading the way.
Sri Lanka seek revenge of 2003 upset against Kenya - world cup 2011
Sri Lanka would look to bounce back after their morale-sapping loss in the last match and avenge their 2003 edition defeat at the hands of Kenya when they take on the African associate nation in their World Cup Group A match here on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka, tipped as one of the title contenders, lost to Pakistan by 11 runs on Saturday and they would look to lift their morale with a big win against Kenya at R Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday.
They have also got the boost ahead of Tuesday's match with fast bowler Lasith Malinga available for selection for after sitting out of Sri Lanka's last two matches due to a sore back.
Sri Lanka ill-afford to take their Tuesday's opponents lightly though Kenya had suffered heavy defeats at the hands of New Zealand and Pakistan in their last two matches and facing internal division with differences between their coach Eldine Baptiste and senior players.
Against the Kiwis, Kenya were bowled out for 69 runs, their lowest total in ODI cricket, and then Pakistan thrashed them by 205 runs at Hambantota.
But the last time Sri Lanka and Kenya met in a World Cup encounter was in 2003 and the Africans had stunned the 1996 champions on that occasion with an upset win in Nairobi.
Understandably, Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss warned his players not to be complacent
"The fact that we did not win our last game will stop any complacency. Our guys are consciously aware of playing good cricket and we certainly will not take them lightly," Bayliss said.
He said Malinga was able to bowl full steam at the nets today and he would be available for selection.
"Lasith bent over to pick up a cricket ball about two weeks ago and strained his back a little. The physio said that the first two weeks were the most important after his injury as the most likelihood of him re-injuring was that period. He bowled in the last two practice sessions. He has bowled with a full run-up today and batted and fielded. We have a selection meeting in the evening and will decide what to do then," Baylisss said.
Kenya, on the other hand, are facing trouble ahead of their all-important match with reports of differences between players and coach emerging.
Cricket Kenya chief Samir Inamdar yesterday blamed differences between the players and West Indian coach Eldine Baptiste for their lacklustre performances so far.
Kenyan captain Jimmy Kamande, however, dismissed suggestions that there was disunity within the squad and promised a better performance on Tuesday.
"I also read those reports. I have not spoken to the chairman, but I can tell you that my team is very solid. When a team loses people try to find excuses. The thing is we have not performed and we want to play well," Kamande told reporters at the pre-match press conference.
"Obviously Sri Lanka are a solid side. But we have nothing to lose. They are the ones who are under pressure to perform. Having lost to Pakistan, this makes a must win game for them and we will try and put pressure on them," Kamande added.
The Teams (From):
Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain and wicketkeeper), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath.
Kenya: Jimmy Kamande (captain), Tanmay Mishra, James Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, David Obuya (wicketkeeper), Nehemiah Odhiambo, Thomas Odoyo, Peter Ongondo, Elijah Otieno, Maurice Ouma, Rakep Patel, Steve Tikolo and Seren Waters.
Umpires: Tony Hill (New Zealand) and Shahvir Tarapore (India).
Sri Lanka, tipped as one of the title contenders, lost to Pakistan by 11 runs on Saturday and they would look to lift their morale with a big win against Kenya at R Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday.
They have also got the boost ahead of Tuesday's match with fast bowler Lasith Malinga available for selection for after sitting out of Sri Lanka's last two matches due to a sore back.
Sri Lanka ill-afford to take their Tuesday's opponents lightly though Kenya had suffered heavy defeats at the hands of New Zealand and Pakistan in their last two matches and facing internal division with differences between their coach Eldine Baptiste and senior players.
Against the Kiwis, Kenya were bowled out for 69 runs, their lowest total in ODI cricket, and then Pakistan thrashed them by 205 runs at Hambantota.
But the last time Sri Lanka and Kenya met in a World Cup encounter was in 2003 and the Africans had stunned the 1996 champions on that occasion with an upset win in Nairobi.
Understandably, Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss warned his players not to be complacent
"The fact that we did not win our last game will stop any complacency. Our guys are consciously aware of playing good cricket and we certainly will not take them lightly," Bayliss said.
He said Malinga was able to bowl full steam at the nets today and he would be available for selection.
"Lasith bent over to pick up a cricket ball about two weeks ago and strained his back a little. The physio said that the first two weeks were the most important after his injury as the most likelihood of him re-injuring was that period. He bowled in the last two practice sessions. He has bowled with a full run-up today and batted and fielded. We have a selection meeting in the evening and will decide what to do then," Baylisss said.
Kenya, on the other hand, are facing trouble ahead of their all-important match with reports of differences between players and coach emerging.
Cricket Kenya chief Samir Inamdar yesterday blamed differences between the players and West Indian coach Eldine Baptiste for their lacklustre performances so far.
Kenyan captain Jimmy Kamande, however, dismissed suggestions that there was disunity within the squad and promised a better performance on Tuesday.
"I also read those reports. I have not spoken to the chairman, but I can tell you that my team is very solid. When a team loses people try to find excuses. The thing is we have not performed and we want to play well," Kamande told reporters at the pre-match press conference.
"Obviously Sri Lanka are a solid side. But we have nothing to lose. They are the ones who are under pressure to perform. Having lost to Pakistan, this makes a must win game for them and we will try and put pressure on them," Kamande added.
The Teams (From):
Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain and wicketkeeper), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath.
Kenya: Jimmy Kamande (captain), Tanmay Mishra, James Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, David Obuya (wicketkeeper), Nehemiah Odhiambo, Thomas Odoyo, Peter Ongondo, Elijah Otieno, Maurice Ouma, Rakep Patel, Steve Tikolo and Seren Waters.
Umpires: Tony Hill (New Zealand) and Shahvir Tarapore (India).
Roach's hat-trick scripts Dutch downfall - world cup 2011
Kemar Roach lifted the spirits on a dank day of World Cup action by becoming the sixth World Cup hat-trick-taker as West Indies cruised past a disappointing Netherlands outfit in Delhi.
His whippet pace and low-trajectory overwhelmed a Netherlands who, set 331 for victory, were left to regret their captain's decision to field first. Roach finished the game in style, trapping Pieter Seelaar and Bernard Loots lbw before splattering Berend Westdijk's middle stump to seal a 215-run victory.
His whippet pace and low-trajectory overwhelmed a Netherlands who, set 331 for victory, were left to regret their captain's decision to field first. Roach finished the game in style, trapping Pieter Seelaar and Bernard Loots lbw before splattering Berend Westdijk's middle stump to seal a 215-run victory.
Dhoni 'happy with tied result - cricket
They could not secure victory even after setting England [ Images ] a mammoth 339-run target. But India [ Images ] skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni [ Images ] was happy to escape with a tie result, as he felt at one stage the English appeared clear favourites to win the match
Both teams scored 338 runs in the Group B clash, which was only the fourth tied result in the history of the World Cup.
England skipper Strauss scored a magnificent 158-run knock and along with Ian Bell [ Images ] (59) almost pulled off an incredible win for his side while chasing the huge total.
"The way it was going, it seemed England would win it. So, happy with the tied result. It (the result) may reflect as a win in the (points) table," Dhoni said after the match.
"The way Strauss and Bell were going, it looked it would be all over by the 48th over… until Zak (Zaheer Khan ) came, bowled brilliantly," Dhoni said.
Dhoni though was also disappointed that their attack could not defend such a big total.
"I think so (it was defendable). If 338 is not enough then perhaps in every match you will have to score 350-360 runs, which will be very tough to do.
"It was a different wicket and pretty flat in the second innings, but then there was more pressure on England's batsman. The lower order contributed, Swann, Bresnan and one more guy, Shehzad, all played well," he said.
Strauss, who was adjudged Man-of-the-match for his scintillating knock, though was full of mixed feelings after the match.
"In a way, yes, no...," he said, when asked if he was happy with the result.
"We were in a great position to win. Then we had a shocking powerplay (when both he and Bell got out) and India were favourites then. Some ways we are happy and some ways distraught," the left-handed batsman said.
Strauss also said the thrilling game was good advertisement for cricket.
"It was a great game (for One-day cricket). There was a lot of pressure. Some way it was disappointing and some way it was a privilege to play such a game. It was an outstanding wicket to bat on," he said.
India pacer Zhaeer Khan, who dismissed both Strauss and Bell on consecutive balls to bring India back in the match, said, "The tie result explains everything. Strauss batted well and it was electrifying till the end."
Source: Rediff.com
Both teams scored 338 runs in the Group B clash, which was only the fourth tied result in the history of the World Cup.
England skipper Strauss scored a magnificent 158-run knock and along with Ian Bell [ Images ] (59) almost pulled off an incredible win for his side while chasing the huge total.
"The way it was going, it seemed England would win it. So, happy with the tied result. It (the result) may reflect as a win in the (points) table," Dhoni said after the match.
"The way Strauss and Bell were going, it looked it would be all over by the 48th over… until Zak (Zaheer Khan ) came, bowled brilliantly," Dhoni said.
Dhoni though was also disappointed that their attack could not defend such a big total.
"I think so (it was defendable). If 338 is not enough then perhaps in every match you will have to score 350-360 runs, which will be very tough to do.
"It was a different wicket and pretty flat in the second innings, but then there was more pressure on England's batsman. The lower order contributed, Swann, Bresnan and one more guy, Shehzad, all played well," he said.
Strauss, who was adjudged Man-of-the-match for his scintillating knock, though was full of mixed feelings after the match.
"In a way, yes, no...," he said, when asked if he was happy with the result.
"We were in a great position to win. Then we had a shocking powerplay (when both he and Bell got out) and India were favourites then. Some ways we are happy and some ways distraught," the left-handed batsman said.
Strauss also said the thrilling game was good advertisement for cricket.
"It was a great game (for One-day cricket). There was a lot of pressure. Some way it was disappointing and some way it was a privilege to play such a game. It was an outstanding wicket to bat on," he said.
India pacer Zhaeer Khan, who dismissed both Strauss and Bell on consecutive balls to bring India back in the match, said, "The tie result explains everything. Strauss batted well and it was electrifying till the end."
Source: Rediff.com
Strauss edged it twice but Indians didn't appeal - cricket
The Indian team seems to have a 'hearing problem' in addition to its bowling and fielding woes which led to its failure to defend a strong score of 338 in the World Cup match against England last night.
Much has has been spoken and written about how poor bowling and fielding in addition to a late batting collapse that resulted in the fall of India's last seven wickets for 33 runs and nearly enabled England to win.
But two huge blunders committed by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan appear to have gone unnoticed in the debate and discussion over the tied match.
England skipper Andrew Strauss, who was the architect of India's agony by hitting his highest ODI score of 158, should have been out when he has scored a mere 13 if wicket-keeper Dhoni, Zaheer or close-in fielders had appealed for a caught behind at that point. Strauss clearly nicked a Zaheer delivery but there was no appeal by the Indians.
98 runs later, the England skipper had another stroke of luck when he again edged Zaheer to Dhoni with his score at 111 but none of the Indians on the field appealed.
Some of the television commentators, who heard the replays of the clear nicks, thought that the Indian players probably did not hear the edges because of the crowd noise --an unconvincing argument given the fact that Indian cricketers are used to noisy, boisterous crowds everytime they set foot on the field.
No cricket ground in the world has as vocal spectators as Kolkata's Eden Gardens where over one lakh fans turn out for big matches.
Source: Ndtv
Much has has been spoken and written about how poor bowling and fielding in addition to a late batting collapse that resulted in the fall of India's last seven wickets for 33 runs and nearly enabled England to win.
But two huge blunders committed by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan appear to have gone unnoticed in the debate and discussion over the tied match.
England skipper Andrew Strauss, who was the architect of India's agony by hitting his highest ODI score of 158, should have been out when he has scored a mere 13 if wicket-keeper Dhoni, Zaheer or close-in fielders had appealed for a caught behind at that point. Strauss clearly nicked a Zaheer delivery but there was no appeal by the Indians.
98 runs later, the England skipper had another stroke of luck when he again edged Zaheer to Dhoni with his score at 111 but none of the Indians on the field appealed.
Some of the television commentators, who heard the replays of the clear nicks, thought that the Indian players probably did not hear the edges because of the crowd noise --an unconvincing argument given the fact that Indian cricketers are used to noisy, boisterous crowds everytime they set foot on the field.
No cricket ground in the world has as vocal spectators as Kolkata's Eden Gardens where over one lakh fans turn out for big matches.
Source: Ndtv
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Batting gives the South Africans the edge - Cricket World Cup 2011
It is a contest between a team still looking for its finest World Cup moment and the other whose best in the competition can only be sighted far in the rear-view mirror.
If South Africa is waiting for its time to come, two-time winner West Indies is also looking to turn the clock back.
On Thursday, One-Day International cricket returns to the Ferozeshah Kotla after December 2009, and the untested surface adds to the excitement of the first match of this World Cup where there is no overwhelming favourite.
The pitch will come under scrutiny with the curators too keeping their fingers crossed. Despite heavy rolling and lot of grass being shaved off, concerns over possible low bounce at one end remain.
Overall, the South African batting line-up looks like it will be more than a handful for the West Indies attack. This may well prove to be the decisive factor. But, then, turning things around is well within the West Indies' scope.
Either way, the outcome of the match may not impact the teams' prospects of reaching the quarterfinals — these sides are more than capable of beating Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Ireland.
Eyeing a grand exit?
South African skipper Graeme Smith has reasons to be more anxious than his West Indies counterpart, Darren Sammy. Smith has given indications that this may be his last World Cup, and he will obviously be keen to sign off in glory.
Though the squad has 11 players making their World Cup debuts, South Africa is among the favourites. A fine mix of batsmen suited for one-dayers, a choice of all-rounders, variety in both pace and spin departments, traditionally awe-inspiring fielding — all add up to make South Africa a winning combination.
The line-up, including Smith, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Ab de Villiers and Jean-Paul Duminy, reflects the expertise and experience to worry any attack in this form of the game. With tearaway bowlers like Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe, not to forget a hungry Wayne Parnell, at its disposal, the pace battery appears compact. Add the never-before options like off-spinner Johan Botha, Robin Peterson, a left-arm spinner with all-round capabilities and Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir, and the South African attack assumes menacing proportions. No wonder, some of the ex-South African cricketers have called it their best World Cup squad.
‘Dangerous side'
About the West Indies, Smith said on Wednesday: “Consistency has always been an issue with them when it comes to playing in a series of four to five matches. But you can't take away the fact they have real match-winners in their squad. They are a dangerous side, especially in a one-off game…especially in a World Cup.”
West Indies, winless in the one-dayers against Test-playing nations since June 2009, has the potential to cause upsets. What makes the side “dangerous” is its blend of explosive power and energetic young talent. The side may not have the experience of its rival but has some names capable of turning a match on its head.
Sammy, his deputy Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, seasoned campaigner Ramnaresh Sarwan and the ever-so-steady Shivnarine Chanderpaul represent the depth in batting.
The pace-attack consisting Kemar Roach, spoken very highly of, along with Ravi Rampaul, Sammy and Dwayne Bravo is far from menacing but together with the spin options in Gayle and left-arm spinners Sulieman Benn and Nikita Miller provide the variety.
Sammy said the “quietly confident” team was keen to go “step by step” in the competition.
“We have a well-balanced side and if we play to our full potential, who knows what could happen. After all, the one-day game is about doing well on that day. And doing what it takes.”
The teams (from):
South Africa: Graeme Smith (Captain), Hashim Amla, Morne van Wyk, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Johan Botha, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Colin Ingram, Wayne Parnell and Imran Tahir.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (Captain), Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Nikita Miller, Sulieman Benn, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Kieron Pollard, Devon Smith, Kirk Edwards, Andre Russel and Devon Thomas.
Umpires: Simon Taufel and Amish Saheba, Third umpire: Asoka de Silva; Fourth umpire: Richard Kettleborough.
Match Referee: Jeff Crowe.
Match starts at 2.30 pm .
Source: Hindu
If South Africa is waiting for its time to come, two-time winner West Indies is also looking to turn the clock back.
On Thursday, One-Day International cricket returns to the Ferozeshah Kotla after December 2009, and the untested surface adds to the excitement of the first match of this World Cup where there is no overwhelming favourite.
The pitch will come under scrutiny with the curators too keeping their fingers crossed. Despite heavy rolling and lot of grass being shaved off, concerns over possible low bounce at one end remain.
Overall, the South African batting line-up looks like it will be more than a handful for the West Indies attack. This may well prove to be the decisive factor. But, then, turning things around is well within the West Indies' scope.
Either way, the outcome of the match may not impact the teams' prospects of reaching the quarterfinals — these sides are more than capable of beating Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Ireland.
Eyeing a grand exit?
South African skipper Graeme Smith has reasons to be more anxious than his West Indies counterpart, Darren Sammy. Smith has given indications that this may be his last World Cup, and he will obviously be keen to sign off in glory.
Though the squad has 11 players making their World Cup debuts, South Africa is among the favourites. A fine mix of batsmen suited for one-dayers, a choice of all-rounders, variety in both pace and spin departments, traditionally awe-inspiring fielding — all add up to make South Africa a winning combination.
The line-up, including Smith, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Ab de Villiers and Jean-Paul Duminy, reflects the expertise and experience to worry any attack in this form of the game. With tearaway bowlers like Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe, not to forget a hungry Wayne Parnell, at its disposal, the pace battery appears compact. Add the never-before options like off-spinner Johan Botha, Robin Peterson, a left-arm spinner with all-round capabilities and Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir, and the South African attack assumes menacing proportions. No wonder, some of the ex-South African cricketers have called it their best World Cup squad.
‘Dangerous side'
About the West Indies, Smith said on Wednesday: “Consistency has always been an issue with them when it comes to playing in a series of four to five matches. But you can't take away the fact they have real match-winners in their squad. They are a dangerous side, especially in a one-off game…especially in a World Cup.”
West Indies, winless in the one-dayers against Test-playing nations since June 2009, has the potential to cause upsets. What makes the side “dangerous” is its blend of explosive power and energetic young talent. The side may not have the experience of its rival but has some names capable of turning a match on its head.
Sammy, his deputy Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, seasoned campaigner Ramnaresh Sarwan and the ever-so-steady Shivnarine Chanderpaul represent the depth in batting.
The pace-attack consisting Kemar Roach, spoken very highly of, along with Ravi Rampaul, Sammy and Dwayne Bravo is far from menacing but together with the spin options in Gayle and left-arm spinners Sulieman Benn and Nikita Miller provide the variety.
Sammy said the “quietly confident” team was keen to go “step by step” in the competition.
“We have a well-balanced side and if we play to our full potential, who knows what could happen. After all, the one-day game is about doing well on that day. And doing what it takes.”
The teams (from):
South Africa: Graeme Smith (Captain), Hashim Amla, Morne van Wyk, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Johan Botha, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Colin Ingram, Wayne Parnell and Imran Tahir.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (Captain), Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Nikita Miller, Sulieman Benn, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Kieron Pollard, Devon Smith, Kirk Edwards, Andre Russel and Devon Thomas.
Umpires: Simon Taufel and Amish Saheba, Third umpire: Asoka de Silva; Fourth umpire: Richard Kettleborough.
Match Referee: Jeff Crowe.
Match starts at 2.30 pm .
Source: Hindu
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