Browsing Internet with Airtel 4G: Are You Ready?

Cricket and Mobile Internet: Where is the problem?

I am a cricket freak, as you all know. Caught between a full time grueling office job during the day and a busy cricket calendar, it is the internet that often comes to my rescue. That’s how I satisfy my cricket cravings in office or on the move.

Sounds perfect, right?!

Wrong. Imagine the disappointment when the same solution also doubles up my problem. Thing is my internet browsing network, which works at 2G internet data plan, is horrendously slow. This means I am left with videos that keep buffering endlessly only to stream at low resolutions, making it difficult to track the ball and the scores, when refreshed, take an eternity. Leaving my dream of matching matches LIVE just that – a dream…

Saying hello to high speed internet - Airtel 4G:

If you find your own story mirrored in mine, worry not, my friend - The power of 4G service is now here to our rescue! Get ready to jump to the next generation because gone will be the days of  ever-buffering cricket downloads & low resolution video streams. Thanks to India's leading service provider Airtel 4G, is the first telecom operator to do a nationwide roll out of high-speed 4G internet services across 296 cities in India! Isn’t that exciting news?!

It definitely is, for me! You know what this would mean -

Living all my cricket dreams with Airtel 4G data services:

This would mean now I can watch cricket matches – LIVE – yes, you got that right - LIVE that too in high resolution videos. No frustration of the low buffering speeds, so I get to watch the game as it is happening.

This would mean ball-by-ball commentary refreshed in mind-blowing accuracy and timing. As on TV, so on my mobile. Seriously, that is the only way a game like cricket can be enjoyed.

This would mean browsing at a neck-break speed! Faster than any available network out there and swifter than any we have previously known. Videos, text, graphics – everything at the touch of my fingertip, in full clarity and with no lag time whatsoever.

This would also mean more of blogging and keeping my beloved blog, CricketWise updated with all the latest in the news. No excuses any more after watching a game and getting on the job right away - bang-on with my analysis and opinions!

Am I dreaming or is this really REAL?

Such speed sounds almost unbelievable, right? All I can say is that it’s a boon and the prices that the service is being rolled out is very reasonable as well (4G available at 3G prices). You just need to grab a 4G device from the market and request for a 4G sim - Airtel will do the rest for you. For Free!

So yeah - It is REAL. And for all of you skeptics out there, there's something in store too - Airtel is offering a free demo in their stores to experice 4G first-hand. You can even challenge them and if your network is faster, they will pay your mobile bills for life!

About me, well, I am already convinced and can’t wait to upgrade my services - so here's to my cricketing passion and here's three, umm... nah - Four cheers to Airtel 4G! Hip Hip... Hurray!!!!

Important features: Quick Glance and How you can activate?

•  Airtel 4G is the first telecom operator to roll out 4G services

•  Nationwide rollout across 296 cities

•  4G available at 3G prices

•  Getting a 4G SIM is just a tweet away - #GetAirtel4G

•  Free home deliverey of 4G SIM

*Image source credit: iservice.co.in

Best ODI Bowlers of 2014

We saw who were the Best Batsmen of 2014 in the last post, let us now look at the Top 5 Bowlers from 2014.

1. Ajantha Mendis/ Mohammed Shami - I was very surprised, as must be most of you reading this, to find that these 2 bowlers took the joint highest number of wickets in 2014. Both scalped 38 wickets but both proved extremely expensive, Mendis going at  5.76 runs per over while Shami faring worse at 6.16.

3. Lasith Malinga/ Chris Jordan - Slinga takes the 3rd spot with 29 wickets to his name along with Englishman Jordan. Malinga was also expensive going at almost 6 to the over. He missed the later part of the year due to injuries but hopefully he will be fully fit for the World Cup 2015. Jordan was a rising star for England and he will be eagerly vying for a spot in the playing 11 come the World Cup.

5. Sachithra Senanayake - Senanayake played a major role in Sri Lankan victories in the Asia Cup as well as their win over England in England, a series at the end of which he was called for chucking. He returned at the fag end of the year with a clean action and still tormented the English batsmen, this time in Sri Lanka. He claimed 27 wickets while giving only 4.3 runs per over which is astonishing given the fact that he bowled in the powerplays.

	Wickets	Runs per over
Ajantha Mendis	38	5.76
Mohammed Shami	38	6.16
Lasith Malinga	29	6.00
Chris Jordan	29	5.00
Sachithra Senanayake	27	4.3

Who were your favorite bowlers from the year 2014?

This completes a wrap up of the year 2014 from CricketWise.

I wish everyone a very Happy New Year 2015, see you all next year!!

Best ODI Batsmen of 2014

With the ICC Cricket World Cup scheduled for 2015, all the teams were focussed on ODI cricket in 2014 so as to get their permutations and combinations sorted out for the mega event.

Below are the Top 5 Batsmen of 2014 who were at their very best all through the year.

1. Kumar Sangakkara - The Lankan run machine made telling contributions right through the year and was super consistent. Getting him out was nigh on impossible and he plundered 1256 runs in just 28 matches at an average of over 46 and a strike rate of nearly 90 runs per 100 balls! He capped off his stellar year with a ton at his home ground in Palekelle against England in what was his second last ODI match in Sri Lanka.

2. Angelo Mathews - The Sri Lankan captain led from the front all of 2014, he was the architect in chief of Sri Lanka's ODI success along with Sanga. Angelo was the Sri Lankan version of Superman as he scored runs, took wickets, captained his side to Asia Cup win, blanked England both home and away, beat Pakistan and Bangladesh in bilateral series! He scored 1244 runs in 32 matches at a strike rate of around 90 and an average of almost 63!

3. Virat Kohli - Virat had another superb year and he was one of the only the 3 batsmen who scored 1000 in the calender year. He scored 1054 runs in 21 matches at an average of 59 striking at nearly 100.

4. Tillakaratne Dilshan - Dilshan often appeared rusty but never seemed to be away from the runs. He always found a way to score and battled his way through most of the year. He also fielded like a 16 year old and was as alert as a panther in the point region. He fell just short of 1000 run milestone raking up 990 runs in 25 appearances at an impressive average of over 40 and a strike rate of over 85.

5. Hashim Amla - Amla had a solid 2014 and he continued to pile up the runs in the format that many said he would struggle in. He ended the year scoring 892 runs in mere 18 matches with an average of over 50 and a strike rate of over 80!

Special Mention

6. AB De Villiers - AB has to be one of the most complete cricket player in recent history and he continues to amaze spectators with his dazzling strokeplay all around the wicket. He plundered 879 runs in 2014 in just 16 matches at a staggering average of almost 75 while still maintaining a monstrous strike rate of almost 115 runs per 100 balls!

Name	Country	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike Rate
Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	28	1256	46	90
Angelo Mathews	Sri Lanka	32	1244	63	90
Virat Kohli	India	21	1054	59	100
Tillakratne Dilshan	Sri Lanka	25	990	40	85
Hashim Amla	South Africa	18	892	50	80
AB De Villiers	South Africa	16	879	75	115

Who was your favorite batsmen from 2014?

PS: We will look at the Top 5 Bowlers of 2014 in the next post!

The Man with the License to Thrill: BOOM BOOM!

I remember a skinny lad coming out with a swagger and bash the hell out of the cricket ball from the very first delivery that he faced. Getting his eye in was not what he ever required, ball one would be swung at, as hard as the young man could. No second invitation was ever required if a spinner was in operation to him, he would skip down the pitch and murder the innocent cricket ball with devilish force.

But with great risks come frequent failures, the young man could change the course of a match single handedly in a small matter of a few balls but he could also leave fans seething in anger at his sometimes seemingly mindless approach. He thrilled cricket lovers, united people from his tumultus country, people flocked to see him bat, they would chant his name even as he prepared to walk to the middle at the fall of a wicket. I am sure you all must have guessed who I am talking about! The man whom I am talking about is none other than Shahid Afridi, better known as Boom Boom or Lala!!

The ICC World Cup 2015 will be the last time that we will see Shahid Afridi play for Pakistan in ODI cricket. Right from his first innings in ODI cricket when he hit the fastest ever century in just 37 balls (the record stood for 17 years and was broken recently by New Zealands Corey Anderson who achieved it in 36 balls) there has never been a dull moment whenever he has stepped onto the cricket field.

(Image source: abc.net.au)

He was a thorough showman - remember him holding his arms out, calling out his team-mates to engulf him in his moment of triumph (I am sure we will see a lot of it in the upcoming World Cup) whenever he outfoxed a batsman with his googly!  He has hit more sixes then anybody else in ODI cricket, he boasts of a staggering strike rate of around 115 even after playing for around 18 years and has taken almost 400 ODI wickets. He still plays like that skinny lad used to play all those years ago, he still thrills us with all his big hitting, he still baffles us with his stupid choice of shots when all that was required to win the match was a calm head, he still charms us with his charismatic smile. Here is hoping that he can sign off in his signature style!!

Phil Hughes - Forever 63*

I am not in the right frame of mind to write a long post but the death of Phil Hughes, aged only 25, after being hit by a cricket ball makes me contemplate this whole business called life. How fickle the human life is, how unsure we are of what might happen to us the very next moment, how very vulnerable we all actually are in the face of the ultimate truth staring at all of us, always lurking behind the shadows - death.

Phil was an exceptionally talented batsman, one whose technique was unique to him and I always considered him to be one of the brightest stars that shone on the Australian horizon right now.

picture credit - stuff.co.nz

You will be loved by all regardless of nationality, color or caste,

that smile will be etched in our hearts forever, 

the unfulfilled aspirations in your eyes will always give fuel to our sagging energies!!

RIP Phil Hughes - Forever 63*

My Incredible Cricket Story

The Following guest post is by Ratika Chauhan who is a Doctor by profession, a Writer by passion and a Cricket Lover by obsession! You can read more of her beautiful writings at her blog - Asteria's Canvass

Read the following account of her coming face to face with an external examiner during her Medical Vivas who was, like her, a die hard cricket fan too!!

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Most of you would be wondering, "What the hell is a girl doing on a cricket dominated blog?" Well let me clear the air and burst the mythical bubble that cricket is for guys, girls (and I have seen many) equally crazy after this so called gentleman's game. To be honest I think majority of them are just crazy after cricketers which makes them sit patiently to watch them unleash the primal fury, even if its hitting the ball.

Well my love for cricket originates from World Cup 1996 (I know my timing to fall in love with the game was just impeccable.) when my Mom finally relented and got  a cable connection. I have been a fan since then, I howl, I whistle, I abuse, I cry and like every other Indian forget my woes during those 50 overs (20 now a days) and live the game. There have been many instances when my love for cricket landed me in hot soup (hooting and whistling for my batch's team in ragging time and getting thoroughly ragged , organizing an unauthorized rain dance party in hostel after India won first ever T-20 World Cup and other 1000 such instances.) but those stories are for some other day. As I always say truth is stranger than fiction similarly cricket saved me in my final year viva. Yes you heard me right cricket, the game responsible for many students failing actually saved me in my viva.

But first let me burst another golden bubble that medical vivas are exciting and adrenaline based, they are so not, they are as scary and as mundane as any other field. Our final year exam was no different than yours, after a grueling session of theory exams we were ready to be thrown in the lions' cage (errr, I hope none of my professors is reading!!) We were royally exhausted, thoroughly starved and disgustingly scared just short of crapping our pants. My A batch or the sub-batch was the first to face our medicine practical, and adding to the already scary scenario was the fact that our external examiner was known as "The Terminator" owing to his previous record of deliberately failing 49 out of 100 students.. well the shit had already hit the fan and we were just waiting for the poop to fall.

Did I mention that in my whole freaking batch I was supposed to be the first girl to face the terminator??? Well the wait finally ended and I saw the terminator, he was a 6 feet tall turban clad Sikh, with a heavy moustache and an equally heavy built..."God save me" was my first prayer as I entered the room.

The cases or the patients were decided by a chit system and there was one case we all were praying not to get, it was the mother of all neurology cases we had ever seen, with the most unusual complications. But as God was busy somewhere else, I was the inglorious student who landed that case. That was the moment I apologized mentally to my Mom and Dad for failing in advance.

I know that all my batch-mates were praying for me rather than their ownself as they knew I had the monster of all cases. When my turn for bed side viva (the viva is taken in the ward itself in front of everyone ) both the professors , my internal HOD and the terminator sat in front of me and stood behind them all my senior interns ready to prompt me the answer if I faltered. God bless the seniors.

As my viva was proceeding smoothly, I realized they haven't left any possible question on the case, but I guess the support of my seniors, my HOD's faith and my batch-mates prayers all joined together and I was able to flow through the viva without drowning. The moment my professor Dr.Gopal Shreshtha got up with a smile on his face I knew I will not flunk at least but my momentary joy was about to crash and burn because we were still to face the terminator alone for short cases.

I don't need to describe the scenario for short viva, the hallway is strewn with nervous students, the person ahead of us becomes a God as he tells us what was asked to him, our brain attains some super power and we remember every word we lay our eyes on in those few minutes, we become extra polite to the guard sitting outside for he is the one who rings that dreadful bell...

As I went inside the cabin, I suddenly developed never-existing claustrophobia as the walls seemed to close in on me.

"Yes Dr. Ratika, how are we doing today?" boomed his gruff voice. I wanted to say you might be enjoying the torture but I am about to faint with fear.

"Sir, I am doing well, thanks for asking." I managed to croak.

"Well, what was your long case, Dr. Ratika.?"

"Sir, the neurology one with aphasia."

"Of course, of course how could I forget?? Even I have not seen such a twisted case"

And that moment my empty stomach decided to play games with my already ill-fated viva, and it rumbled, not those inaudible light ones, but a deep one loud enough to reach the terminators razor sharp ears.

"Have you not had your breakfast?"

" No sir, I did not have the time to go to the canteen."

"Never mind, here share my biscuits, they are hide and seek, the best biscuits, your college did not want to upset me in any way." and he laughed heartily.

If there ever was a moment of disbelief it was that moment where that hulk of a professor, having a reputation of terminator was offering me biscuits...his own biscuits. I definitely had tears. That defining moment allayed my fears just a touch and I felt a bit more comfortable about the whole situation.

But little did I know I was about to tumble in that pretentious whirlpool.

"So Dr. Ratika , since you have already given your long viva very well, I will not ask more questions. So tell me what is your favorite sport??"

"Cricket." I chirped, without even thinking about the scary consequences of such a question, the slight eyebrow raise indicating I have hit the proverbial axe.

"Its my favorite too...well along with most of fellow Indians. And who is your favorite cricketer?"

Now my glucose deprived brain decides to play smart-aleck and I start over thinking, why was he asking me this? Whats his agenda? Will he fail me if I say Yuvraj Singh because he is good looking.

"Sachin Tendulkar." I finally replied

"Playing safe? Are we? Ok I'll give you a gamble, if you can tell me 7 different ways how a batsman can get himself out I'll give you the highest marks in practical, If you don't ...well we will come to that later."

I did not like the sound of 'well we will come to that later' and as such Dr. Bedi was making no sense whatsoever, I mean I was there for a medicine viva and not a cricket viva.

But I had already put my big foot in my mouth so I started straining my mind.

"Caught, Leg before wicket, run out, hit wicket, stumped, bowled...."

"Yes, you are doing well just 2 more..."

I had mentally cursed him in every possible language, despite him sharing his hide and seek biscuits with me. I was scanning every nook and corner of my brain for those last 2 ways.

Suddenly out of nowhere, God himself made a grand entry in my on-the-verge-of-getting-a-stroke brain and I remembered a newspaper headline "Michael Vaughan - controversial dismissal."

"Sir, handling the ball.....and time out."

"Well done Dr. Ratika, you have gained those marks and you will see I will abide by my promise."

I was half expecting one of my batch-mate to wake me up from the dream and shove me in the viva room, but all I saw was Dr. Bedi smiling ear to ear and making some joke about himself, I was either too dazed to be happy or shocked as my mugging up those mnemonics just went to a waste. But somehow I mumbled a tiny "Thank you." and came out, as expected the other students who still had to face the terminator jumped on me like a pack of hyenas, but I knew they would not believe that I was not asked any study based questions, so I cooked up some tough random questions. Later after our results were announced, when I told them the incident, still they did not and said my extra creative brain is imagining things. What can I say truth is stranger than fiction.

That is the story when cricket gained me marks and that is the story from where I started believing in miracles!!

India go from Bad to Worse...

England tour of India, 3rd Test: India v England at Kolkata, Dec 5-9' 2012

DAY 3

Day 2 ends with England still 100 adrift India's total of 316. England have 9 wickets in hand but if India can snaffle a couple of wickets early then anything can happen. A collapse is always lurking around on these Indian pitches. With these thoughts I sleep yesterday, possibly even dreaming of a come-from-behind Indian victory.

What a fool I was!! The morning session came and went, India remained wicketless. The misery piled on for the fans. Cook reached yet another 150, Trott got to his 50, the 100 stand was raised which soon reached 150!!! The fielding was ragged, bowling mediocre and the captain looked like he would better be on a vacation then on the field. Trott got out sweeping. Cook fell as he tried to evade a throw from Kohli, a lucky break for the Indian team. It was a splendid innings from Captain Cook as he entered the record books as the English batsman with most centuries. Its astounding that he already has 23 tons at an age of just 27!!!

Yuvraj came on as KP strode out to the crease but all he did was chuck a few pie's at the batsman which were gobbled with much delight and relished with joy!! Meanwhile Ashwin who had proclaimed before the series that he had a magic delivery to unleash on the English completed his very own 150!! The delivery has magically stayed away and he has only a couple of wickets in his last 250 odd overs!!! Zaheer might have lost the pace and venom in his bowling but he effectively retains the irritating habit of opening his mouth to have a chat with the batsman whenever he bowls a good ball once in every 20 overs. I still remember him sledging Gilchrist and Hayden in the opening over of the 2003 WC and being taken to the cleaners. He is yet to learn his lesson. My all time favorite fast bowler, Curtly Ambrose, never sledged. When the team came back after tea and was in a huddle, MSD probably cracked a joke because I saw everyone having a nice little chuckle. When your team is struggling to effect even one breakthrough, this sort of a thing looks extremely bad.

The day ended with England almost 200 ahead and still have the last 4 wickets in hand. I yesterday talked of a miracle saving India. The miracle men, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, sadly no longer play for the Indian team. The inspirational captain, Sourav Dada Ganguly, has also retired and is now seen in the commentary box. Perhaps the seasons for miracles is long over.

English Skipper Cooks up his 3rd Comp(ertable)ton on a Trott!!

England tour of India, 3rd Test: India v England at Kolkata, Dec 5-9' 2012

DAY 1

Dhoni won yet another important toss on day 1 of the third test at the Eden Gardens and as expected had no hesitation in deciding to bat first. The ball was moving a bit but the first wicket was gifted to England on a platter when Virender Sehwag was left stranded as he steamed down for a comfortable 3rd run. Gambhir was the culprit as it was an easy three. This, while he himself has not scored a century for India in tests for almost 3 years now!! Yes, 3 long years!! How and why the Indian selectors are still persisting with him is beyond me. And when they replace either Sehwag/ Gambhir (due to injury) they pick the useless M Vijay. When will guys like Rahane and Mukund get a chance??

Pujara had a rare failure as Sachin strode out amidst huge pressure. He was keen on defense and looked resolute to turn the corner. Gambhir fell after a scratchy fifty (hope it does not guarantee him a place as the opening batsmen for another 10 tests!!) and Kohli failed yet again in the series. Sachin opened up a bit after tea and eventually fell for 76, his first fifty in the last 10 months!!!

Yuvraj, after surviving a lbw shout that would have uprooted the middle stump while he was still on duck and another when he had a solitary run made 32. Dhoni, playing as ungainly as he does against the spinners, barely survived until stumps were called for with India at 273/7.

DAY 2

India were all out for 316 even as MSD eked out a painful fifty.

England openers Cook and Compton began extremely cautiously as England made just 20 odd runs off the first 11 overs. That was only the calm before the storm that was to follow. After lunch both Compton and Cook began to look out for runs, and runs they got!!

The Indian spinners looked as far away from picking up a wicket as a tourist is far away from water in the arid Sahara!! The fielding looked school boyish and the captaincy bereft of any new ideas. Cook reached yet another fifty, the hundred stand was raised, Compton got his fifty too, the one fifty stand soon ensued before Cook completed the annihilation his customary hundred!!! Compton finally departed with the English score reading 165.

Cook and Trott then rubbed it in further and were involved in an unbeaten 50 run stand of their own when stumps were finally called, much to India's relief!! England ended the day on 216/1, just 100 behind India.

India needs a miracle at the Eden in the next couple of days or else the scoreline will be 2-1 to England after 3 tests.

Hits and Misses - ICC World T20 2012, Team Australia

Australia

Hits

1. Who else but the Man of the Tournament Shane Watson. He did it all for the Aussie's in this World Twenty20... opened the batting, opened the bowling, took wickets when required, hit sixes at will and fielded brilliantly. He topped every conceivable list for a large part of the World Twenty20. 4 Man of the Match awards meant that there was precious little that he left for other team mates to do or achieve!! He eventually failed in the Semi Final against West Indies and Australia duly folded up without much of a fight.

2. Australia finally found a left arm pace bowler named Mitchell who could bowl with pace and more importantly control. Mitchell Starc bowled incisively at the start of the innings as he swung the ball at pace. He got early wickets and was one of the brightest stars in this ICC World Twenty20.

3. Mike Hussey was brilliant as always and he did the job required of him nonchalantly. His 54* which took Australia into the Semi Final was one of the innings of this World Twenty20. The next best score in that innings was a mere 15 as the whole Aussie line up capitulated against high quality Pakistan spin bowling on a slow and low, turning pitch.

Misses

1. The oldest player of this World T20, Brad Hogg, took just 2 wickets while playing all the games. It deprived Australia wickets in the middle of the innings. One of those wickets was against Ireland which made matters worse in the final analysis.

2. The Aussie middle order was always talked about as their weaker suit but they never got a proper hit in the middle until their final Super Eights match against Pakistan and against the West Indies in the Semi Final when Australia lost Watson and Warner early. They combusted spectacularly on both occasions going down completely without a fight. They were 5-65 and 6-43 against Pakistan and West Indies respectively and the matches were easily lost.

See the previous post's in Hits and Misses,

Team South Africa
Team New Zealand
Team England
Team India

Hits and Misses - ICC World T20 2012, Team India

India

Hits

1. Virat Kohli once again showed why he is called one of the best batsman currently going around. His innings of 78* in the high pressure chase against arch rivals Pakistan was one of the fondest memories of the World Twenty20 for the average Indian fan.

2. The part time, almost innocuous, left arm spin of Yuvraj Singh troubled every opposition that India played against. Yuvraj bagged 8 wickets in the tournament.

3. Balaji made full use of the limited opportunities that he got and picked up 9 wickets to end up as the joint 4th highest wicket taker in this ICC World Twenty20 held in Sri Lanka.

Misses

1. India started their campaign with a scratchy win against a spirited Afghan side. The Afghan team dropped about 5 catches and gave away numerous extras but still lost the game by just 20 odd runs. Showed what might have been if all the catches had been held and exposed India's frailties.

2. The Indian openers, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, struggled right through the tournament and Sehwag was also dropped for a couple of games. When Sehwag was dropped, the effectiveness of the decision was offset by making Irfan Pathan to open the innings. He scratched around in both the games that he opened and India lost early momentum which they could have had if they had opened with Virat Kohli.

3. Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan were largely ineffective and leaked runs far too easily while they were also not able to pick early wickets.

4. India won 4 of the 5 games that they played at the World Twenty20 but one of this was against Afghanistan, another an inconsequential game against England in the group stage and one against South Africa which was won after the place in the semi final was lost!!!

5. India needed to restrict South Africa to under 122 in the last Super Eight game to make it to the Semi Final stage. The field placing was so conservative that India did not look like they were ever looking to defend 122. Fielders were placed on the boundary and singles were gifted on a platter. Ashwin's overs were kept in the bank for reasons best known to MS Dhoni. It was a brilliant showcase in 'How Not to Captain A Cricket Team'.


See the previous post's in Hits and Misses,

Team South Africa
Team New Zealand
Team England

Hits and Misses - ICC World T20 2012, Team England

England

Hits

1. The English started off with a bang as they dominated a spirited Afghan team who had run India close in their earlier encounter. It was a near perfect game for them.

2. Their number three, Luke Wright made a bright comeback to the English T20 team. He was their most spunky batsman with a couple of match winning 50's including a 99*.

3. Samit Patel came in against Sri Lanka and played spin bowling with such ease that it was difficult to imagine what would have been had he played all their games. England struggled against spin bowling right through the ICC World T20.

4. Steve Finn bowled with pace and fire upfront and was impossible to get away. He got early wickets in nearly all the games and troubled all batsmen with his disconcerting bounce and pace.

5. Eoin Morgan always came in after the fall of a couple of wickets and always when the pressure was on England, but he displayed deft touches and played some exquisite innings. His blistering 71* off just 36 balls, one of the highlights of the ICC World T20 2012, was not enough though to take England over the line against West Indies.

Misses

1. The opening pair of Craig Kieswetter and Alex Hales seemed to be participating in a mini competition of their own about who returns first to the dug out. England lost a wicket in the first over with one of the openers departing for a duck in each of their first 3 games. Things only just got better for them in the 4th game when they lost the first wicket in the 4th over. When Kieswetter was finally dropped for the final game, it was too little too late for England as they once again had a wretched start losing their in form batsman and make shift opener Luke Wright in the 3rd over.

2. The young and dynamic middle order consisting of Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow never looked settled and were found groping and prodding most of the time. They could never provide the English innings with the final thrust in the last 5-7 overs. Bairstow's painful innings of 18 off 29 must rank as one of the most disastrous innings of this World T20 as the English lost the game against the West Indies by just 15 runs.

3. The old problem of playing the spinners badly once again surfaced for the English as they played Harbhajan and Chawla in their group match against India like they were facing Murlitharan and Warne at their peak. The complete capitulation against the Indian spinners showed the world that their problems against the spinners were still not sorted out. Interestingly when they did manage to play the spinners better, they surrendered completely against pace. They lost 2 wickets in the first over of Ravi Rampaul against West Indies and then Malinga grabbed a 5fer against them a couple of games later. In both these matches they managed to play spin bowling well.

4. Jade Dernbach who is supposed to have a bag full of deliveries and variations to confound the batsmen was consistently costly. His economy rates tell a sorry tale... 6.86, 11.25, 9.5, 10.50


See the previous post's in Hits and Misses

Team South Africa
Team New Zealand

Hits and Misses - ICC World T20 2012, Team New Zealand

New Zealand

Hits

1. New Zealand started the tournament with self doubts about playing Bangladeshi spinners in their opening game but Brendan Mc Cullum waltzed his way to a sublime 123 and New Zealand were up and running in an ICC tournament once again!!

2. New Zealand were placed in the group of death with Pakistan and Bangladesh but they easily made it through to the Super Eights.

3. They once again punched well above their weight in a big tournament and dragged both the eventual finalists, Sri Lanka and West Indies, into a super over during their super eight clashes. Unfortunately they lost both of them.

4. The bowling of Tim Southee and the batting of their captain Ross Taylor were among the few plus points for the Kiwis.

Misses

1. They fluffed a chance to beat Pakistan in the group match as Ross Taylor came in so late to bat that the game had probably slipped away from their grasp by that time.

2. They did drag Sri Lanka and West Indies to the Super over during their Super eight clashes but failed to win either of them. While they found Malinga too hot to handle against the Lankans, Tim Southee completely lost the plot against Gayle and Samuels.

3. Managed to win just a single game during the World T20 and that was against Bangladesh.

4. Daniel Vettori came out of retirement to play the World Cup and help New Zealand but he was largely ineffective and looked a pale shadow of the best left arm spinner that he once was. He was ruled out with an Achilles Tendon injury in their last game.


See the previous post in Hits and Misses, Team South Africa