Why do we have to go through this pain again and again?? Why can’t Sachin either win all the matches from soup to nuts or somehow give strength to fans like me to handle the disappointment??
We could see it coming…When Sachin kept on batting trying to reach that huge target, you could almost be sure that it is going to end the same way it has ended so many times. Sachin would get out just before the victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat and then it would be all over..It would only be the details that would change..It could be run-outs, bad shots, great fielding, panic and so on…
This is exactly why many of Sachin’s innings get written off as playing-for-himself and not achieving the ultimate target of victory. What is most amazing is that despite all these disappointments, he continues to march on and keep making thousands of runs for himself and his country..
Now the million dollar question…Would Sachin end his astronomical career without having the most coveted trophy in Cricket, The World Cup? Looking at history, it scares me even to think about what will happen in 2011…
Yep, Indian selectors should get rid of all the Kohlis and Karthiks of the world and bring back good old Dravid. He was brought back for the Sri Lankan Series and Champions Trophy and despite playing reasonably well was dropped for the home series…Not fair, I say…
Dravid is probably not a classic ODI player but may be he is the type of batsman you want to come in between (Sehwag, Sachin, Gambhir) and Yuvraj. He also brings in all the experience and is definitely an asset while chasing smallish targets, when he can control the game nicely. He may not be as explosive or aggressive as players like Kohli but he would be much more predictable and consistent…
The Champions Trophy starts today. It could not have come at a more opportune time for the ODIs. But that discussion is for another day. The Champions Trophy is at our doorstep, and we will follow it, no matter if it is a T20 format or an ODI format.
The format of the tournament is simple. The top 8 teams are divided into two groups of 4 each. Each team plays the other team in its group and the top two teams from each group compete the semi finals. With the West Indies still not at their best (no Chanderpaul, Sarwan, Taylor or Edwards), we can say that the other teams from group A (India, Pakistan and Australia) can feel that they have a minnow in their group. But usually it is the minnows that spoil the party of at least one team in a major event. So the remaining three teams in group A should be careful not to take the West Indies easy. Assuming that they win their respective matches against West Indies, the competition in group A reduces to two teams out of three. And given the strengths of each of them, one will not be surprised if the top two teams are decided on the net run rate.
Group B seems to be the more balanced one. SL, SA, Eng and NZ are all capable of making it to the semis, but one feels that SA and SL have the edge. New Zealand’s recent ODI form has not been very good, though you can give them the benefit of the doubt since they were at the end of a long tour of Sri Lanka and the sub-continent conditions (both the weather and the surface) are not to their liking. They will surely welcome the change of conditions in South Africa and will fancy their chances. On the other hand, England seem to be in total disarray after their 6-1 loss to Australia on their home soil. No matter which team you play, if you are playing at home, a score of 6-1 is totally unacceptable. England are sorely missing Pietersen and Flintoff and without both of them, I don’t expect them to provide any serious challenge to either SA or SL.
My prediction for the semi finals:
Group A - India and Australia
Group B - Sri Lanka and South Africa
Pakistan and New Zealand have enough ability to spoil this prediction. But if Pakistan makes it to the semis, don’t be surprised if they go all the way!
ICC Champions Trophy 2009 Cricket Schedule. Finally, ah and I mean finally the postponed ICC Champions Trophy has been scheduled to take place in South Africa (once again the same great venue) between September 24 and October 5 2009 as per the official meeting held in Dubai.
http://www.clbuzz.com/icc-champions-trophy-2009-cricket-schedule/
There have been widespread reports about the Indian cricket captain and the players having meetings with BCCI officials and now even a special team has been convened to make the international authorities understand that why the Indian cricketers are apprehensive about the random dope testing regimen. However, it would be fair to say that the BCCI may find itself cornered in this argument. For starters, this clause is being slowly spread across the entire globe and nearly all sporting franchises are slowly warming-up to the idea that random testing is indeed the only solution. However, I would like to say that if the international agencies don’t think of cricket as a game good enough to be included in the Olympics, then why this obsession with making our players comply with international regulatory benchmarks??
You can always bank upon Pakistan to be what no cricket fan wants them to be — hopelessly unpredictable and judgemental. The team just won the T20 World Cup and just when it looked like things were getting back to normal, the tests and ODI series loss to Sri Lanka has come to the fore. What is more disturbing is how comprehensively Pakistan was defeated in every aspect of their game. Further, the ODI loss has evoked negative reactions like match-fixing and news of supposed bookies in the Pakistan team’s hotel lobby is sure to fire-up this issue beyond control. These are self-destructive habits that have always haunted Pakistani cricket and it is about time that the PCB shed its image of being some sort of a colonial powerhouse and started acting like a sports regulatory body and took responsibility for its actions.
Sri Lanka is really having it good in the ongoing one-day series against Pakistan. They had a bit of a scare before winning the first match and now they have just wrapped up the second game, rather comfortably. What is more surprising is the ineffectiveness of Pakistan’s middle order and the fact that both Ajmal and Afridi haven’t been able to spin the ball and make their overs count for anything substantial. This combination was being looked upon as the core of Pakistan’s strategy to contain the Lankan batsmen but both the bowlers have been found guilty of pitching the ball short or make it hurry on to the batsmen, losing out on guile or any degree of appreciable spin. This has been combined with the problem of the skipper, Younis Khan, not firing and being the mainstay of Pakistan’s batting in the middle overs, it has made the team struggle even more. The decision to send-in Afridi up the order too hasn’t fired, but given his past record that cannot be surprising.
Well, it does seem so. Just take any commentary team around the globe that consists of cricket players from the earlier years and you would come across a common argument. Nearly each of them is repeating the same thing that T20 is offering just too much cash incentive to players to turn it down. Players like Flintoff and Gayle have been accused of priortizing T20 and tournaments like IPL over their national test match careers simply because a player can earn twice as much with half the effort. Even if this is true, then should only the players be blamed for it? Many cricket players realize that their career isn’t sure to be as long as some of the game’s legends and soon they would be relegated to playing for domestic sides. This is most true for those who have been fighting body injuries over an extended period. Rather than just blaming the players for falling to the greed of T20 shouldn’t the ICC be conducting some in-depth search into why so much, and I mean literally excessive, cash prizes and tournament bounties are being given away only at T20 tournaments. Why not raise the cash stakes for test match cricket too??
Some bizarre opinions have been expressed over the last few days, in the world of international cricket. It would seem that all of a sudden, ODIs are being ridiculed by many former greats. Warnie has opined that only test match cricket and T20 should be counted as the principal forms of the game. Similarly, Wasim Akram has expressed his disgust with the manner in which the ODI game has failed to re-invest itself and therefore, is liable to perish soon. It seems that the common notion among many coaches too is that the ODIs are now being looked upon as the in-between format, combining elements of test and T20 cricket and therefore, have become too taxing for the players! To a certain extent, their opinions seem justified, considering the amazing popularity that T20 has received so far. However, shunning ODIs so suddenly seems like a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that scheduling all the three formats in a packed cricketing year is becoming increasingly difficult.
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