A SERIES OF PRESS-UPS AND REDEMPTION

Another English summer arrived. Well, it had already arrived with Sri Lanka braving the chilly beginnings at the British Isles in the early May. Though, that was not the centre of attraction of the supposed elitist of cricket fans, folks, who prefer silence and serenity over fickle yelps and vibrancy. In spite of their victorious campaign couple of years ago, they were expected to roll over by an insurgent and flamboyant England in the most English of conditions. Another Lord’s draw was salvaged, a venue more in love with visiting sides in the recent past. Apart from that, they played their role as expected – the curtain raisers for the show of the summer. A show involving the most capricious cricket team.

The show promised to be stirring, even for the most insipid of English fan. And why not? It’d been six long years since their last visit- an abysmal one for the cricketing world. Six years of undulating phases for both team. Two disastrous tours of UAE along with the Ashes hiding down under ensured that England won’t stay at the top of the Test rankings even after a rare series win in India. On the other hand, the horrid run of limited over cricket of a team devoid of playing in front of its home crowd didn’t hamper its strong string of Test performances away from home on their way to be among the top half of the ranking tables constantly. Even though, the slow, low pitches of UAE played its part, yet the psychological advantage of a sprightly home crowd was missing, a significant challenge for them.

They arrived at the shores amidst huge anticipation of a thrilling dose of Test cricket. Though that was far from being the only reason of eagerness towards this series. A man was on a comeback trail of reintegration, about to make amends for the crimes committed as a boy, eager to earn the trust of the very nation, in which he had lost his integrity. His strong performances after the comeback in World T20 and domestic cricket earned him the support of his nation. 6 years passed by, the swing hadn’t faded. High hopes were inevitable. Rankings suggested them to be place one place higher than the hosts, yet they were the underdogs, such is the huge roles of home advantages in current periods. Perhaps the rankings are too farcical, almost ignorant of the playing conditions and winning margins.

Anyways, the series got underway. Pakistan couldn’t have asked for a better place to start - The Lord’s, the current paradise of touring teams, particularly Asian. India had won a test on a green-top two years back, Sri Lanka earned gutsy draw and it was the perfect opportunity for Pakistan to land the opening punch. They had the added initiative of brushing away the blemishes of that 2010 series, the scene of disgrace at the Mecca of cricket. They seemed to be well prepared by their military training. Their bowlers were always expected to deliver the killer blows. It was their batting, the perennial fragile cog of their team, which was invariably under the scanner.

The top order collapse duly arrived and with it come an unexpected sight. The lynchpin of their willow wielders was caught hoping like a rabbit in a headlight, demonstrating exaggerated skills of leaving a ball wide outside off stump with the back leg in air, prodding forward his hands while both his legs are off the ground – a sight so unusual even for a player who puts his dancing shoes on every time he has a willow in his hands. Perhaps, the challenge of keeping up with his aging reflexes against the moving ball resulted in a horror show of comedy, when everyone had expected their batting to hinge upon his experience.

Out came the skipper, with the young Asad Shafiq – probably the owner of the best technique in their line-up. A man having 42 summers of his life behind him, playing his first innings in the seaming and swinging English environs, produced the mental grit to grind England onto the back-foot. Their batting, for now, didn’t collapse the predicted way. The stage was set for Mohammed Amir to earn his redemption. He steamed in and bowled a swinging half tracker to the opposition skipper, who gleefully left it. If it was the sign of things to come, he was pretty relieved to see a subdued Amir, as he definitely had tasted the bitter medicine of Amir’s swing in that fateful series. Amir wasn’t subdued though, he thundered in ball after ball and gave his all. He accounted Cook as his first reward of persistence.

Though, contrary to expectation, he wasn’t the star of their bowling. Another wily performer and tainted player was. Yasir Shah send the memories of his doping ban to oblivion with a 10 wicket match haul on a surface providing little help to him with his accurate and minimal leg spinners. England seemed to be unable to exorcise the tweaking ghosts of UAE in their backyard too. The victory promptly achieved, the higher ranked team stamped its authority and the win was somewhat unexpectedly expected. Not a better start could’ve been envisioned to the series.

Next one arrived at Old Trafford. The novel England, or for that matter any England of any era couldn’t have been expected to accept the loss and spiral in towards mediocrity in a home series. They had displayed their meticulous comeback skills time and again under these grey skies, the series against India, a prominent example of how they gradually shift the momentum form nowhere and with some luck from the tosses, go on to strangle the opponents into complete submission. Manchester’s somewhat un-English wickets were supposed to be the shot in the arm for a raging Yasir storm to propel Pakistan towards a famous series victory overseas.

Instead, the lucky toss win for Cook doused all hopes of their fans as England negotiated an unthreatening Yasir on a Day 1 road and the erratic Pakistan pacers, especially Wahab Riaz, ensured England’s march towards a gigantic total. Amir was miserly, providing the occasional threat with his swing, though his wide lines hampered his venom. Joe Root displayed again his credentials as the one of the best in the current scenario. Pakistan’s batting duly capitulated, twice, to gift the match to England as Chris Woakes kept establishing his credentials with hauls of 6, 5, 4 and 3 wickets in the 4 innings of the series. He allayed his relentless scrutiny and posed a problem of plenty for England after Stokes and Anderson were deemed fit. All joined the party and Pakistan was left wondering whether England can lend one of their all-rounders to them. Cook’s high strike rates were telling a story of the timid show put up by their fickle opposition.

The caravan reached the Edgbaston. The paciest and bounciest of surfaces in England and Pakistan bowlers made merry as England collapsed, even though Gary Ballance and Moeen Ali ensured England to a competitive total. Their tormentor, the recalled Sohail Khan, showcasing a spell of big hearted swing and seam bowling to skittle out a 5 wicket haul. Pakistan’s top order displayed its tenacity for the first time as another rookie Sami Aslam, replacing a limited and miserable Shan Masood, found his feet in international cricket and displayed his immaculate defensive skills and judgement to a welcome half century and in the process inspired the vice-captain Azhar Ali to his first overseas century after an indifferent display in the first two matches. There was a notable adjustment in Azhar’s technique that displayed his commitment and hard work towards improvement. A Misbah half century and another sprightly innings from Sarfraz ensured a 100 plus lead. Pakistan might have entertained the thoughts of it being enough for Yasir and co.

Though the pitch was had flattened out enough and the English opening pair comprising of an out of form Alex Hales wiped out the deficit on its own as both struck half centuries. Amir and co. forced their way back to set up a perfectly gettable 200 odd chase, only to be thwarted by the prolific Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali – the spinner he promised to become was yet to be fulfilled, even though his initial batting promise has come to the fore after a journey around the batting order. A stiffer target of 343 was to be achieved in less than a day, a prospect seemed brighter to the Pakistani batsmen than it actually was, as they kept on pressing the pedal. Aslam and Azhar combined again to keep ticking the scoreboard amidst the caution. Azhar’s dismissal by Moeen’s subtle drift though exposed their middle order to a hair raising, out of the blue spell of reverse swing from the English pace quartet demolished all hopes of a win and even though Pakistan might have assumed the draw as a last resort, with 28 overs left for their last pair to negotiate, it was too much of an ask from the worst tail of current teams. They resisted gamely until eventually they gave up, inevitably.

Sami Aslam’s twin half centuries augured well for the future, his temperament, more so. Younis showed signs of stability though he was looking a pale shadow of the Pakistani legend. At his age, he was considered finished. It was familiarly frustrating for Pakistan though.

England had done this time and again in recent past to every touring team. Winning matches from being nowhere close. Against a Pakistani team, it was not that outrageous.

They reached the comfortable confines of the Oval, hopes of a series win had evaporated. A draw was there for taking though, an important one, considering their initial status as underdogs and the high quality of cricket on offer. Barring Old Trafford, they were far from being steamrolled, giving hooks in reply to the jabs of the hosts. They hit the right chords straight up, as Cook took a bold decision of batting first on an unusually green Oval pitch. Misbah indicated that he would’ve done the same. The reason seemed the supposed batting paradise underneath the moisture of the first hour.

Pakistan seamers, led by Sohail and a rejuvenated Wahab Riaz, wasted no time in drying up the runs and started picking wickets. Another Bairstow counterattack ensured the fragility of their middle order and failures of Cook and Root could be withstood. Moeen Ali not only complemented him, he went one better. Another test century against a high quality rampaging attack has established enough credentials for him to play as a number 7 batsman, even if his bowling doesn’t seem to have the bite.

Another Edgbaston like score ensued as the fairly brisk pace of their innings has left lots of time in the test. Pakistan grabbed their opportunity again and Azhar Ali combined with Asad Shafiq and night-watchman Yasir Shah propelled Pakistan towards another restore of parity, much similar to last test. With Azhar’s fall, anxiety returned among their supporters at the sight of the jumping jack of the series. He turned out to be transformed into a calm and composed anchor in a matter of couple of days. The ghosts of Edgbaston heartbreak were laid to rest. A magnificent double century from a man who has a more than 50 percent century conversion rate was hardly surprising. Though it came on the face of adversity, challenge and a past luggage of unfinished business for both his and his team makes it a truly special innings. Yasir Shah rediscovered his mojo to curtail England’s resistance to turn the tables again. A 10 wicket victory achieved, series levelled, a fitting end to a riveting series.

Pakistan was in its usual unpredictable elements, but the difference was their undying spirit and the belief they had in their individual’s talent. It was a series where they played with a spirit never seen before, the aim to win hearts, trusts and the lack of internal conflicts. It was a happy dressing room for which Misbah and new coach Mickey Arthur should be commended. Arthur had send a clear message to players like Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shahzad to sort out their attitude, he showed how a series between England and Pakistan could be focussed on cricket. As Cook stated in his post-match presentation speech, the focus was on cricket for 99 percent of time, the past blemishes are truly a thing of past now.

England continued there great form in international cricket and showed tenacity to overcome a spirited Pakistan challenge to lead the series. There fragility and gaping holes in top 5 came back to haunt them time and again and eventually cost them a series win. Though signs are promising for them and like the whole series, both teams won’t be too disappointed with the kind of cricket they played. Catching was a big question mark for both teams, surprisingly for England, they need to work on it for the long Asian winter ahead. The new found Pakistani discipline might have stemmed out of the military training they receive before the series.

It was a series of spectacular press-ups and a treat for the neutral viewers. Hoping for such series to happen more frequently. 

DEFYING THE GOOD (?) OLD TRADITION

 “13^th March 2015”; a date, which perhaps, seems quite unremarkable to any of us. It might be some random day when some random incident might have occurred for most of us. Yet it’s the day which might be hidden somewhere in the back of the mind of every English fan, as it was the day of gloom for them as well as for the representatives of the Union Jack in this lazy little game. It marked the lowest ebb in their limited over legacy and consigned them to a bunch of personnel in complete tatters, eerily similar to their previous southern summer Ashes Tour down-under.

Although 13^th was that dreaded, wretched day, it didn’t fashioned the unlucky havoc by the virtue of it being 13. Rather, the nail on the coffin of England’s maiden ODI World Cup ambition was nailed 4 days before. On 9^th March, the perennial underdogs as well as underachievers of world cricket, Bangladesh, did its job in an impeccable fashion against an utterly hapless and clueless English outfit, who squandered their relative mid innings advantage in an insipid display of batting.

Batting, an art which is pioneered by these very gentlemen from the British isles – in fact this whole ball game of cricket – was so drab and uninspiring that they appeared to be emerge out of a whole different era. An era when 6 series test matches used to be end in nil-nil draws, when Sunil Gavaskar used to score 34 runs in a whole innings of 60 overs. It was not about only this world cup, every ODI involving England, after the dawn of a new dynamic era in 2000s, appeared to flow completely against its new stream of accelerated run scoring and a liberal approach than a “laboured” or “conservative” one. Perhaps the political structure of the isles had a say.

England was down and out, battered and bruised. Not because they lost to a “minnow” Bangladesh. They’ve lost to them in a more humiliating fashion in the previous World Cup. Also not due to the fact that they’d faced another early World Cup exit. They were never reckoned as a force, not at all during the present times. It’d more to do with the future. The future of the English limited overs prospect looked utterly bleak. They tried everything from putting an experienced team under a seasoned skipper to fielding a young side under the watch of a young leadership, in order to gather some momentum. They tried every combination over the last three or four World Cups, but to no avail. They were exhausted, perhaps sick of coloured jersey cricket. And then for every Englishman gossiping about weather, limited overs ain’t their cup of tea, and they’d keep singing the praises of good old test cricket.

Still that doesn’t alter the truth, the truth that limited overs cricket has become an integral part, perhaps, arguably the dominating slice of cricket. The T20 WC win in 2010 should’ve ushered this nostalgic nation into embracing the new era of this game. Yet it did nothing remarkable. English priorities stayed with tests, which isn’t the wrong thing. Yet overlooking of shorter formats, especially during the lead up doesn’t auger well for any World Cup ambitions. Also, sacking your skipper and the most experienced member just before the tournament on the basis of a series which was played in entirely different conditions in Sri Lanka is not the hallmark of a serious team.

Now, fast forward to 2^nd July 2016. Joe Root, the pivotal mainstay of English batting order in any format now, issues a statement that any of the top 6 of England ODI batting order can score a double century on a given day. An outrageously audacious statement considering the shambolic state presented earlier. Though, if you’ve followed English cricket recently, you know he isn’t completely irrational in his assessment. England, at this moment is, certainly the limited overs team to watch. Since world cup, their batsmen have smashed most number of centuries. And they’ve literally smashed their old nemesis, the white ball all around the park.

Starting with the series against New Zealand, England breached the 400 mark for the first time, no one expected them to do so, especially in the first match after that WC debacle. Jos Butler rightly was the poster boy of that match, he had already shown glimpses of his extraordinary match winning abilities, bringing in a fresh air of attacking variety after his debut in an increasingly suffocating English setup. But what followed next was so un-English, their close observers hardly found that believable. New Zealand wasn’t a team to give up after a 210 runs defeat, they retaliated like a venomous Cobra and posted an almost 400 score. That would’ve been enough for any team, leave Kiwis, to win the rest of the series against the old England in their usual self. This was an England, never seen before. This energetic bunch, hungry for learning the tricks and trades of taming this beast of English Cricket, probably took a leaf out of the Kiwis’ book and scored 355, chasing a revised target of 370 odd giving them a mighty scare. Not only that, they chased another 300 plus target and most importantly held their nerve to thrash the Kiwis in the final ODI. It was so unlikely, yet it happened.

Similarly against the World Champions Kangaroos, who’d humiliated them the whole year before. After showing those typical English performances scoring 240 odds while chasing 300 plus scores, they seemed to be clueless against their nemesis. In another unlikely turn of events though, they humiliated Australia in the next two and not for a collapse in the final ODI, would’ve won another series 3-2. That New Zealand series wasn’t certainly a fluke now. Then came one of the most significant proving ground for the Three Lions. The series against Pakistan in UAE defied all expectations. After expectedly losing to Pakistan in the first match, they came from behind and trounced their opposition and decimated their plans of stifling the archetypal ineptitude of the English batsmen with spin and impressive pace. They turned the tables as their batters and bowlers fired in unison to give Pakistan an absolute hiding. It was a big boost in overcoming the Asian mental barrier as well as turning around the tide in their favour after having their back against the wall.

The South African series, which followed, gave the poms another chance to witness a near 400 score, 399 to be precise, as they ran amok in the Proteas camp in the first two matches. Complacency crept in and they squandered winning positions in the last three to lose the series but at no point were they overwhelmed. The recent series against Sri Lanka proved that this is an entirely different team we’re witnessing. The hiding in the 2^nd and 4^th match when Jason Roy (both times) and Alex Hales (2^nd match) stamped their authority all over the Lankan bowlers. The old England would still have huffed and puffed their way in a 246 chase and would’ve never dreamt of chasing 300 plus in 41 overs.

And to cap off all that, the 1^st match provided another stark factor in this phenomenal rise, as against all hopes and expectation, Liam Plunkett struck that final ball six and along with Chris Woakes, snatched a stunning tie from the jaws of defeat. That displayed the depth of this team, a batting order that continues right till the 11^th man, interspersed with genuine all-rounders and have their bases covered in all departments. They showcased this in the World T20 as they’d all but won it, had it not been for those Marlon Samuels and Carlos Brathwaite specials. The way Ben Stokes was consoled, it revealed a side of English cricket seen never before.

And as for Root’s claim, this batting order is special. The Mightily daring game of Jason Roy, his explosive exploits with his attacking partner Alex Hales, who’d suitably tempered his initial natural flair with admirable maturity, at the top of the order. The serene stability of Joey Root at one drop, the calming, and at the times of requirement, fiery presence of skipper Eoin Morgan followed by the prolific Jonny Bairstow, pivotal Butler and Ben Stokes makes it arguably the most power packed line-up at present. And if you’ve the likes of Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, David Willey and Liam Plunkett to follow, with many more on the fringes, then you’ve a real chance at any stage of the game to force your way back or blow away the opposition. As Paul Farbrace, the coach, rightly mentioned that there are at least 20 players right away ready to represent England, gone are the days of English submission.

Andrew Strauss has played a major role in this change of mind set after he assumed the ECB post, as he stressed on the importance of one day cricket and set their priorities right. And even though Eoin is nowhere comparable to one of the limited over masters of captaincy, he had at least one factor similar to MSD in his maiden voyage of WT20 2007 had – a young and eager team for whom, he is a decision maker, who has the freedom to guide, and not had to deal with the aura of a star player. He has just let his team to express themselves and let their self-belief take over. This approach would pay rich dividends for them in the near future and for their CT2017 and WC2019 ambitions, in which they’d have the home advantage. They just need to stick with it.

And for the Brexit, England cricket team have to keep their faith on this new found liberal approach so that such exaggerated English myth doesn’t prove a roadblock to their success! 

That Fascinating NEW-FANGLED Battle

IPL is over. The two month’s carnival is over. For the starters, it might appear as the conclusion of long cricketing calendar, so they might think that players enjoy their time here. For those who closely follow it, know that players give more than their 100 percent here, no matter whether he is the captain of the Australia, who has to lead his team in an important tour just after or the veteran, who had played the full season and is constantly pushing his body over the line. And no wonder that it happens. Money involved is just too much. And what about the end of the season? Well it never ends now-a-days! Now back to real cricket.

If this IPL had produced any major takeaways, as far as Indian viewpoint is considered, the bowling of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and the superlative batting of Virat Kohli are the ones. And as used to as we are now, seeing Kohli play those unbelievable knocks at almost will now, it’s time to ponder over one of the most fascinating question in the world of batting today.

Once, there was a time when we used to wonder who the best was among Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara? That question never got answered in an absolute sense as all of them were statistically better in different segments of batting. As famous as Tendulkar is for scoring the most runs and centuries, Ponting had a superior average and Lara is well renowned for his humongous scores in individual innings. And all the three had a very distinct kind of cricketing flair. So it can be gauged from these facts that how imprudent it is to compare them. Though comparisons are inevitable.

So now we are experiencing the new era of comparisons, major among them is an exciting rivalry for supremacy. The battle of bats between Virat, Steven Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root is one to really savour and is surely one, which ensures endless raging debates. With those comes the implausible inaccuracies and extensive exaggeration. Who doesn’t want a taste of this mouth-watering contest? So here is a personal take on this debate.

Seeing all of them is a joy to watch, a scene to behold for every cricket fan across the world. No matter whether they are playing against the team you support, their craftiness would definitely touch the artistic side of your mind which momentarily overpowers your competitive instinct. And what they really bring to the table for their respective teams? The calm assuredness, the serene stability and the butterflies in the opposition’s stomach.

All of them are consistently proving their mettle time and again, outsmarting themselves as much as each other. Players are generally measured by their statistics for getting a factual point of view. So analysing the stats for Test format showcase that Steve Smith is the torch bearer of this exciting crop as his extended purple patch has earned him an enviable average of 60.18 compared to second placed Joe Root’s 54.46 after 41 tests. Virat, who too had played the same number of tests, has the worse average among them, 44.02, quite unflattering for all his exploits. His underwhelming start and the nightmare he faced in England contributed in that as opposed to the consistency shown by Smith and Root. Kane though boasts and average of 49.23, which is quite good, though pales in front of the top two. One of the major argument in his favour is the factor that his home pitches still provide considerable support to bowlers as opposed to the flatter tracks provided in India, Australia and England, recently.

One major thing that separates Root and Kane from rest is their ability to score runs everywhere, which is a critical judging parameter. Root’s exploits in the dust bowls are as good as on bouncy tracks or seaming conditions. Williamson, barring in the African soil, has proved his acumen against all the challenging conditions. Smith on the other hand is still untested in every condition as England didn’t provide the typical English surfaces last Ashes and when one came, Smith was unable to halt the Stuart Broad storm. He had given glimpses of handling spin well in the otherwise disastrous tour of India, but he has lot to prove there. Virat on the other hand is yet to get the seaming monkey off his back as he has provided evidence of a more robust technique outside off stump, though his real test would be there only. Having said that, he is in the form of his life and if he can churn out scores like that in T20s with astonishing regularity, he is most likely to iron out his flaws. May be the right time to assess their test averages is after three four years.

As far as shorter formats are considered, Virat is certainly in an altogether different league. Not that other three are lesser capable, they are playing exceptional shorter formats cricket and being the pivots and match winners for their teams, Virat is doing something never seen before. He is a certified match winner, if his team is chasing and the consistency and the ability to conjure up the spirit that every new innings starts on zero and previous innings’ century doesn’t count makes him a limited over great. He boasts an average of 51.51 and has scored 25 centuries in just 121 ODIs. Williamson’s average of 47 makes him best of rest as he had really scored the match winning runs for Kiwis and anchored their attacking line-up. Though he has not played in every bilateral series and that shows where his team wants his priorities to be. Root’s ODI career is taking off nicely in past year and an average of 44.34 indicates that. Perhaps, not giving him the captaincy also helped him not to lose sight of his batting. He is soon becoming the symbol of maturity in the English batting order.

Smith has been the big match player as he showcased in the World Cup semis against India, though he seems to be out of groove generally in the shorter formats as he averages 40.03.Maybe the captaincy would coax him to raise his level.

Enough of stats now. What excites a real cricket fan is the cricketing virtues like aesthetics, consistency, leading from the front, handling the pressure of condition and opposition and then coming out triumphant time and again. All the four has showcased their mettle.

Virat’s wristy cover drives and flicks are a treat to watch and the way he increased his array to possibly play every cricketing shot to perfection makes him the man for whom you would easily pay to watch him playing that fearless brand of cricket. Is the team is in deep shit? No problem Virat is there to do the impossible. On top of that, his extreme fitness is one of the assets for him. For a bottom handed player, playing cricket in that orthodox and consistent way is a thing to marvel. Those wrists would definitely fetch insurmountable amount in a hypothetical auction.

If you see that lanky guy with those languid flow of bat, which sometimes cut the ball in a swift knife like action and pulls and hook it at will. In addition if you’re seeing all that action from him standing on his back-foot and decimating opposition with his baby faced smile and a picture perfect back-foot straight drive. You’re seeing the genius from Yorkshire casting his magic spells with his wand in his hand and hypnotizing the opposition with his smile. Joey is the future of England’s leadership and is now among the bests of this generation.

The man, who win battles with his defiance and those beautiful back-foot punches and glides is the perfect Test batsman, for which any team would die for. He has no secrets, just pure technique right out of the textbook. The perfect absorber of any ball, his soft hands are his primary weapons against misbehaving deliveries. To add salt to the wounds of the bowlers, he would play those impeccable drives and flicks and makes batting look incredibly simple. He is the magician from the Kiwi-land.

Now comes the one, who doesn’t appear magical in his batting. Who seems to unnecessarily fidget and shuffles around like a small kid. Yet those bizarre movements are his main weapon as bowlers seldom have any idea where to bowl at. Those fast whippy hands come into picture and in one swift motion the ball flews away. He is not the most pretty while watching but his record affirms the effectiveness his technique is. The responsibility of leading a young team has spurred him more as he is leading right from front and has posted 14 centuries in just 41 tests, showcasing his prolific form with a technique which appears to have a major chink. But actually that chink is his strongest suit as I mentioned earlier.

As we saw earlier with Sachin, Lara and Ponting, comparing these 4 batting styles, which are world apart right from the stances, strong zones, stronger hand, back-lift and the methodology would not make any sense. If there is a comparison exist apart from the statistical data, it would be that how they transform their potential into match winning batting. Though they have on numerous occasion has defied the following adage by winning/saving matches single-handedly, a batsman is as good as his team, still applies in long term.

The 3 captains have the added responsibility compared to Root, who has a mentor and skipper in Cook with him, who is young enough and expected to continue for some time. Though all 3 relish the challenge in their own way and their team now heavily dependent on the future course, as far as attitude and brand of cricket is considered.

In the clamorous glamour of this competition, one man is plying his trade in an exorbitantly and exuberantly quiet fashion. That southpaw from Down Under, the man who carried a whole batting line-up on his broad shoulders and with the help of his outstanding bowlers to IPL glory, a landmark in this increasingly batting heavy game. Davey still needs to prove in India, but his excellence in Dubai, his exorcising of past ghost of England in the previous Ashes and his impeccability in bouncy southern hemisphere reckons him as another Australian giant run machine in making.

A new era is on the horizon, about to rise, waiting for its rays to penetrate through the increasingly dense atmosphere of this wonderful game called ‘Cricket’.

T20I WORLD CUP: AN AMALGAMATION OF PARALLEL JOURNEYS OF ACHIEVEMENTS AND UNDER-ACHIEVEMENTS

The cup is over. Over to pass itself into a new pair of hands. A deserving pair of hands. Yet to someone who already have had its taste. All this after some of the most exhilarating exhibition of this old ball game in a modern format, whose invention was based on the same principle as of today’s most vital norm – importance of time is paramount. Yet it managed to produce some of the most poignant cricketing moments in recent memory amidst the hara-kiri nature of the format. Not to mention its success, which was somewhat guaranteed beforehand due to India being its venue and the progress of India into knock-outs and some gritty cricket on challenging surfaces ensured it absolutely.

The vibrant palette of the vivid emotions, which were on display, were the shadows or reflections of what each of their followers and well-wishers were experiencing, as they treaded the tipsy-curvy path of this format. It’s utterly unpredictable nature took them on a voyage of bated breaths, serrated heart beats, the voice boxes producing a plethora of sounds ranging from quiet self-whispers to vociferous analysis of what went wrong and a trembling, vulnerable soul of a cricket fan inside every person, however unconcerned they may be from outside, rooting for his nation for being on the right side of the narrow line of uncertainty, which makes cricket a religion of at least a billion.

And it’s not just the metaphors. It is quite close to a broader perception of what religion is to the mere mortals. Religions are long being identified with the staggering number of miracles, each of them imbibes in it. And miracles born out of the uncertainty of what is going to happen and how far will they deviate from our expectations. And when they deviate so significantly that the unexpected happens, we call them miracles. And cricket has plenty of scope for such miracles to happen.

The Oranje was in disarray, neither being able to streamline their emotional desperation, nor being able to ascertain the cause of it. Their leader was in tears, reminiscent of a poor child, whose each and everything was plundered by the bandits(weather) after luring him in with a chunk of cake and that too after he lost his way in the wood after being put on the trail naively without properly equipping him to absorb the shock of initial sights of peril. Like that child, they were left with regrets and a sense of gross injustice with no chances of a shot at redemption.

When these ‘rank outsiders’ of the world of cricket called for a more empathetic approach by ICC towards them, they appeared as whining baby to the great guardians of the cricket who blame their incompetence on other factors and find it hard to digest the logic behind more opportunities for them when they are simply not good enough. But they yearned like an orphan who has been gradually bereaved by their parent body and reduce them to those opening fireworks in an Indian marriage, which only has a momentary shot at a glowing flame before it fades into mere ashes crushed by the participants. And as a new round of fireworks is needed, another of the batch is called upon. And for all the enthusiasm they show towards such an unrewarding task of burning out, a single failure to burn and glow leads to a “not good enough” tag.

As the Irish and the co. of associate world hoped that their emotions packed pleas will melt the rock solid hearts of their authorities and the welcome support of some of the stalwarts of the cricket will be a huge boost to bargain their chances of getting enough opportunity and support in an extremely bleak future, another of their associate mate went on to put their stance in an entirely different way. Those spirited warriors from Afghanistan brushed aside the challenge of a full member (Zimbabwe) in such an emphatic manner, it created a sense of bewilderment that who was the actual full member in that match after all. The step up of the Super 10s didn’t bring any sense of awe in them, an extremely surprising sign for a team which didn’t exist few years back. They gave an almighty scare to each of Sri Lanka, England and Proteas before pulling off the biggest upset of the tournament, as the eventual champions surrendered to the spirits of a 17 year old spinner, a shrewd off spinning all-rounder, an enterprising leg spinning all-rounder, a marauding yet humbling character in their wicket-keeper as well as a skipper, who has full faith on his team.

The pre-favourites, who were playing on the home turf, were given a taste of their own medicine by the flying Kiwis as the ploy of providing slow turners in even a T20 backfired. Whereas the Kiwi continued to fly through, suffocating their oppositions with hefty doses of stifling spin and some brilliant instinctive captaincy from arguably the classiest batsmen in business, India lifted their game and the timely wake-up call erased every complacency. Their intelligent skipper understood that wins are going to be come through scrapping and smart cricket and their ever reliable number 3 took the mantle single-handedly to propel his team towards the semi-finals. Though the road to the semis was full of hurdles, India breathed air to their campaign with a win over the arch rival ever increasing customary fashion. Though that led to the clash of the tournament as their eastern neighbour almost did a repeat of their 2007 ODI WC exploits. Almost. Because an inexplicably horror melt down on the verge denied them yet another famous win and it was like rebirth for India after all hopes of survival were lost.

They inhaled as much of air as they could as they recovered from that almighty scare to earn a meticulous victory over the Kangaroos. The chief architects of these victories, Messer’s Virat Kohli and skipper MSD were the constant bright spots of an overall underachieving campaign. The astute tactician and cool nerves in him are still impact and as potent as it has been for the large part of his careers and he really put a zip on the mouth of his detractors. On the other hand Kohli just really justified his Man of the Tournament Award by some distance. The bowling department also shone through barring those final 10 overs at Wankhede against Windies. But apart from that, others didn’t put their hands up.

Kangaroos could neither settle on a batting order nor on a winning note. Barring, Usman Khawaja – who demonstrated what a technically correct long format player can achieve in this mad cap format, none of them put up a sustained show. Life was incredibly difficult for Pakistan under a ‘clueless’ captain as they invariably spiralled towards crucial batting collapses and internal rifts in management and lack of coherence, not to mention the most pathetic display of fielding by a team in this tournament as Afghanistan was way better than them in spite of having lesser facilities and opportunities. Bangla Tigers cleared the first round with ease, albeit a Tamim Iqbal blinder was needed to secure a victory against the spirited Dutch. But things went downhill there on for them and they finished as the only winless team in Super 10s.

Group 2 started with a Chris Gayle cracker and ended with a selfie of appreciation by him with their conquerors as the final match of the group was as inconsequential as one you’ve ever seen, so much to the point that the Lankans and Proteas players were never in the ground mentally for the whole match. And that was the only one. And that speaks volume of the thrill which this event was able to produce. The edge of the seat contests of all Afghanistan matches as well as the epic run fest at Wankhede between the Poms and the Proteas were the right USP for the tourney and the underwhelming performances by South Africa and Sri Lanka propelled the unfancied England and the entertainer Windies to the Semis.

While the First Semi-final was an anticlimactic affair with the neutral favourites Kiwis getting an unexpected yet perfectly conceivable hiding from the Poms in general and Jason Roy in particular, the other one was a bizarre clash. A clash of cricketing ideologies. The gauging of the pitch, consolidation, perfect cricketing strokes, conversion of half runs into full ones by lightening quick running and use of soft hands led India to post a challenging total in the most cricketing-ly sensible way as possible. But the marauders from the Caribbean just overpowered this score by their ‘hit out of the park’ ideology, even after Gayle and Samuels went for nothing. The power hitter just kept coming and before India could reign in their tempo, everything was over for them.

And that too before even Carlos Brathwaite (REMEMBER THE NAME) came into crease, as he showed in the final that he is the next hot property in the Windies Cricket. The gritty innings of the man of the finals (only), Marlon Samuels and that last over carnage of Carlos off a poor Ben Stokes, who had bowled the final over whole tournament with great conviction gave Windies its second T20I WC. They were also the first ODI WC second time. It’s no secret everything went downhill for them from there on and they must be optimistic about no such happening in a format they are virtually reigning. Well played England though.

It was enthralling, if not majestic. It was enticing, if not the classiest. And it showed that for all its criticism, T20 is here to stay. What it needs is a different viewpoint and end of comparisons with the longest format. Cricket is thrilling, if played with perfect vigour and skills are expressed uninhibitedly. And those poor orphans need the support of the Big Brothers if we want this great game to expand and flourish and become truly global. Those two winners were majestic. West Indies and Afghanistan- the conquerors and conquerors of conquerors. And what an unprecedented ‘celebration’ that was, which must’ve put soccer players to shame!!

Cheers!

    MAN OF THE MOMENT- QUITE LITERALLY

“Cricket is so insignificant in the grand scheme of life. But yet you still want to try so hard. So it’s about understanding or capturing that element.”

Remember that stroke over third man? That stroke which gave birth to a form of cricket which was completely unheralded. A stroke which turned into a trailer for the brand of cricket this man plays – or in a matter of days, played. Zaheer Khan sprinted in from around the wicket and pounded it on a three quarters length. And the man barely played it, cramping for room as he opened his stance and tried to lift it over bowler’s head. And those were not the days when bats were as thick as the Kaboom of David Warner – nevertheless thicker than a decade ago. But such was the power of the little man and the ferocity of the blade swing that it went miles over third man- the last place he intended to send that into. That effort culminated into an exhibition, which any tournament will be proud of for propelling it into the conscious of the audience it aims to target.

If that undefeated 158 was the coming of age of an enormously talented young man, subsequent trail of his career attested that Cricket is not all about the Tendulkars, Pontings, Laras , Dravids, Kallises and the extremely talented crop of technically blessed young fellows. There is always a special place for the bashers, however ugly they sometimes might look whacking the leather off the balls. Viv Richards was gifted with both technique and this attitude. Virender Sehwag used this to carve a special niche for himself. But this man did all this like a stage performer hell bent upon entertaining his audience and at the same time living on the edge of the knife for the joy of thrill it gives to such daring persons.

Not that he was underwhelming before. The 2005 Christchurch game showcased his power hitting abilities and tenacious attitude as he combined with Daniel Vettori to haul a target of 332 set by Australia after being on the ropes at 250 for 8. The 96 at Lords in his debut series in 2004 introduced him to the big stage and though his inconsistency was evident, he remained an integral member of the test squad as he impressed with his keeping. He played a similar role, albeit with lesser success, as Adam Gilchrist, his role model played for the Kangaroos. After his stunning IPL inaugural performance, he flied to England and in starkly different condition and format, he continued in the same vein, stroking his way to 97, yet again missed on etching his name at the Honour’s Board.

The vivacity with which he played was on display as he scooped two 155KPH deliveries from Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes on his way to be the second player after Chris Gayle to record a T20I century. He has two of them in his kitty now. The way he handled the crisis in New Zealand cricket after the unceremonious sacking of former skipper Ross Taylor was exemplary, especially as his tenure started with the ignominy of 45 all out in South Africa. He along with Coach Mike Hesson created a team environment which gave birth to a new brand of the sport – gentlemen’s aggression. Often praised for the way he and his team played the game in its absolute spirit, he encouraged his team to enjoy the game and play with a care free attitude which has been synonymous with his batting style.

He led his team on a path of famous overseas wins and remarkable come from behind performances. The unbeaten 13 test streak at home vindicated his approach. The perfect riposte for the people who branded him as a happy go lucky slogger came in the Wellington test against India. Not that he was ever humbled by the Indians – 3 out of 4 of his double tons has come against them. But he just proved what a dogged character he has developed into, when he reached the first triple century by a Kiwi and saving the test by batting two days, when defeat was imminent. First the graft and then the brutal capitalization celebrated one of the greatest moment in Kiwi Cricket history as Indian bowling capitulated.

And then came a campaign which put smiles on every cricket lover’s face, irrespective of the country he/she belongs. The whirlwind campaign started with a stunning down the pitch extra cover loft off a pacer and culminated in a first final for the Kiwis as they displayed the aggression of their brand and the gentle-manliness of their spirit in tandem, providing cherished moments to this man.

And if that wasn’t enough, the fascinating 195 against Sri Lanka at Christchurch, coincidentally the place of the swansong of this extraordinary career, proved two glorious facet about this man. First the inherent aggression he displayed by a breath taking display of power hitting and second, the unbelievable contentment which glared on his face as he walked off agonizingly short off the fastest double ton ever in tests by playing an unwarranted shot. As far as cricket goes, he lived by his words. Not many can be so nonchalantly passionate.

This career deserved a better conclusion than the series defeat in Australia and another possible defeat at home against their old nemesis. And his own indifferent form was vindicating his surprising decision to retire. But then he came swinging out against the hooping cherry and not only pulled his team out from a precarious position but ominously hurtled the bowlers off their length in some really difficult conditions for batting. Not that he did anything special, he just came into his own. He braved the storm and rode his luck but at the end of his effort, he has the World Records of fastest Test Century and Most Sixes to his name. The reason he was able to pull them off in his last test when normally players get caught in the glare of the occasion that he regarded it as just another game and situation his team need to conquer.

And the fans of this great man would be hoping a perfect finale and send off to this champion bloke, who redefined the game and has been the epitome of fearlessness. A man who deserve this victory. A man who never shied away from responsibilities. A man who won’t be sad if they lose, because at the end of the day, it’s just a game. A game of glorious uncertainties like those lofted drive off ferocious pacers – stepping out.

“It's the only record I care about, and the only one Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor aren't going to break.”

Brendon McCullum after equalling the world record for Test sixes.

A TOUR OF RAINING RUNS

Team India is back. Back to the comfy confinements of sub-continental cricket, after a bizarre tour Down Under concluded. A tour, which tossed some predictable as well as few unpredictable results. Which vindicated some pre-series assumptions, yet defied quite a few. A team carrying an exuberant mix of established yet priming stars and hopeful young talents - confident of carrying forward their domestic form into international arena – against a team helmed by the new Oz sensation, who is in the infancy of his job and quite a few personnel playing to cement their position in the team for the tougher and more significant future assignments. Given the competitive spirit with which Aussie approach their game, they were seldom likely to take India lightly, even if they were playing on their own backyard. And the competition for the places and their determination to continue their dominant run resulted in a relentless approach- a trademark of their brand of cricket.

PART ONE:

It was a series full of runs -3000 odd scored in the ODIs at the loss of just 60 odd wickets across 5 matches. Even the T20Is produced 4 scores of 180 plus. It is so uncharacteristic of Australian venues, which are famous for their helpful wickets and long boundaries. But as is the case throughout the Australian summer, the pitches were belter and the size and quality of modern bats, which these players are wielding, made the long boundaries obsolete. It is perplexing that why CA is hell bent upon producing such pitches, which neutralizes their home advantage and reduce the matches to such run fests. But evidently they are trying to increase the entertainment value and generating bountiful revenues from such matches, especially when it is involving the economic powerhouse of cricket- India.

And that paved the way for the batsmen from both sides, to score big and prolific. Indian batsmen were in for a pleasant surprise, as they casted their glance on the belters of WACA and Gabba – the two most fearsome strips of cricketing history and folklore. And they didn’t throw away those golden chances of enhancing their overseas performances. The flame of the torch bearers of the Indian batting was on an outrageous rage, as their top 3 fired in bewildering unison for 8 matches straight. It was a rare feat of consistency, which even the famed and great batting line-ups of India has not been able to replicate. Every big score releases enormous pressure and provides the comfort zone to the players. But that also affects the personal motivational level and law of the averages invariably catches up with you. But Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan batted with an appetite for runs, never seen before.

It’s not that Australian batters were overshadowed. They absolutely belted the Indian attack and probably, were way superior in their approach and seizing the initiative at crucial junctures. But there was a stark contrast in the way they batted and the visitors batted. It was all about one Australian batsman playing the anchor role and their whole line up fired – albeit in different matches. Whereas Indian batting was all about the Top 3 playing the chunk of the overs and scoring the bulk of the runs – at least 2 out of the 3 scored a minimum of half century in each ODI and even in T20Is.

 The Indian innings just squandered the chance to convert those gigantic starts into insurmountable totals, and in Canberra, to cross the finish line being at an extremely comfortable position. And when the afterburners of the Indian line-up either rediscovered (say MSD, Raina and Yuvi) or invented (as in the case of Manish Pandey) their mojo – they give the drowning faiths of the nation of billions a much needed breather and were somewhat able to quell the settling rhythm of pessimism.

Rohit continued his astonishing consistency in the shorter formats and proved that he is handful even outside the sub-continent – he had performed in every overseas tour including Champions Trophy 2K13 in England. Virat Kohli was all-together at a different level, barely settling in before unfurling those beautiful wrists and powerful fore-arms. The runs flowed from his blade in a manner which would’ve made even the great Sir Don Bradman proud- 2 centuries and 5 fifties in 8 matches testifying his prolific returns. He buried the ghosts of ODI performances against Australia on previous tours and took a leaf out of his last test series down under.

Shikhar Dhawan was rusty but soon delivered the goods, even though his performance failed to impact the team’s cause, as he stalled the innings in MCG and got dismissed at a crucial juncture in Canberra after hitting a century. MSD may not be the same finisher, he was. Yet often came to bat, when there was no time to settle in and sans that costly blip in Canberra, he played his part in the further ODIs and T20Is. Gurkeerat was a disappointing failure and nowhere looked comfortable and Ajinkya Rahane was not able to continue his good run due to the unfortunate injury. Manish Pandey proved to be an invaluable asset in the 5^th ODI as he executed the record breaking chase with immaculate maturity and seemed a fine prospect for his cricketing sense and temperament.

And as the likes of David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Aaron Finch, George Bailey and Steven Smith notched substantial scores - their four victories in the ODIs are testament to that- they made sure that failures of one don’t affect the others and each one of them stood in one of the matches. Especially George Bailey with that awkward closed stance – he has developed a special liking for the Indian attack. And when every one of them failed, out came Glenn Maxwell with a calm hat on his head, as he defied his pyro-techniques to play a gem of a knock. With supporting acts from a deep Australian batting line-up, the Kangaroos repeatedly breached the Indian fortress of runs and created havoc with the bat.

Suresh Raina contributed well in the T20Is and was pivotal in the last one, as India chased 198 and executed a clean sweep in Australia - an extremely rare feat.  Yuvraj quelled the ghost of his previous international match – the 2K14 T20I WC final and finished the match in which he got to bat. Shane Watson too provided a glimpse of his unfulfilled potential with an extra-ordinary innings in the final T20I. Australia were able to replicate their relentless performances in T20Is as the divided loyalties towards New Zealand tour and a poor T20Is record played their parts.

PART TWO:

The biggest disappointment for India was their bowling. Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma were patchy and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has seemingly lost his panache for swing and wickets. Barinder Sran started well but one bad performance was enough for his exit – a touch harsh on the youngster. He needs the backing of the team. R Ashwin failed to inspire the confidence to play him on such docile surfaces after the hiding he got in the first two ODIs. He made a strong comeback in the T20Is though. Ravindra Jadeja played his part with the ball and was an asset on the field, even though his venom is negotiated by the benign surface.

Not lot was expected from Rishi Dhawan, as people pigeonholed him as yet another trundler and a domestic giant against weaker teams in the helpful environs of Dharmasala. But he showed in MCG and SCG that he has got a control over his line and length and his variations and knew his limitations. He stalled the free runs in the middle overs and provided MSD – the much needed control. The only bad spell was the spell during death over in Canberra, but it wasn’t as if any one performed better then. He squandered the only chance of batting as pressure got better of him after a great stroke. Jasprit Bumrah – a late inclusion- was rightly called as the find of the tour by the Indian skipper and that orthodox action and yorkers here to stay. He was an integral factor in every victory in this tour.

Hardik Pandya didn’t justify the promise, even though he breached the 140Kph mark, but proved too erratic. As he didn’t get to showcase his batting potential, he is likely to get further chances. Still India may have missed a trick of determining their seaming all-rounder by not playing Rishi and Hardik in the same XI as that would’ve inspired both of them to give their best and would’ve provided a clearer picture.

It was evident that Aussie were playing with their second rate bowling attack in the absence of injured Mitchell Starc and Nathan Coulter Nile, and rested Josh Hazlewood. Even though it came as a handy tool for the Australian supporters and media for launching barbs and a getaway reason for their poor performance, it was conveniently forgotten that their bowling cupboard is looking bare, the crisis intensified after Mitchell Johnson’s retirement. One can argue that they missed James Pattinson and Patrick Cummins in addition to above three. But if their team has to bank on those fragile option, then the signs are worrying.

 Pattinson and Cummins never look likely to shoulder a heavy burden, which automatically come these days as a by-product of heavy cricket. Starc is to be keenly observed as comeback after a surgery is never easy for express pacers like him. Coulter Nile has yet to prove much in the international stage and Hazlewood has progressed well, but appears as the only permanent bowler, who is susceptible to injuries too. But his steady pace provides him the cushion and in the ODIs he played in this series, he was able to stagnate the run flow. Still, he is unlikely to be the strike bowler for an Australian squad and that leaves the bowlers used in these couple of series as much more than just mere experiments or replacements in the lack of better option.

John Hastings was impressive in the ODIs, but got the stick in the T20Is. Kane Richardson didn’t look special, sans that lucky spell in Canberra, which was more a result of the pressure created by Hastings and an inexplicable implosion. Boland and Paris never looked like belonging to this stage and Andrew Tye in the T20Is seemed equally unimpressive. James Faulkner played a decent role in stagnating the marauding Indian batsmen, particularly at death, still looked far from his best after being on a comeback trail from a long hiatus. And if names like Jackson Bird and Peter Siddle are flashing, they are more of a long format bowlers.

It was a series of flaunting batting muscles and the team which wilted first in the munching of runs from their machines, lost the matches and in the 8 matches across formats, both team posted 4 victories. Australia has lot to answer regarding their pitches and bowlers, while India has a team of exceptional batters and mediocre bowlers, even though they aren’t as mediocre as they seem. A hint of help from the surface and it won’t take the Indian attack to find its screws. What seems like an open secret is the fact that give Indian bowlers the benign surface and they will lose their discipline. Quite a few teams has exploited this fact in recent times and Indian bowlers need to show the grit. Not to forget that spinners, Ashish Nehra and Bumrah formed a potent combination in T20Is and as the T20 WC is in sight with lots of T20 cricket to play, it is not an immediate crisis at least.

And why it will be when they are the number 1 in T20Is and Tests and 2^nd ranked in ODIs.

-GEET