The Menace of the Bendy Arm Brigade

LeggieLefty (Ajesh) is a natural right hander taught to bat left handed with disastrous results in his amateur cricket career. He is an unabashed fan of the art of legspin. It is easy to see why his blog LeggieLefty has a the tagline "From Right to Left". Ajesh blogs about cricket at LeggieLefty.wordpress.com

In this post Ajesh looks at the history and the menace of chucking and the ICC's latest crackdown on the suspect actions.

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Way back in time, at the turn of the last century, Jim Phillips single handedly started the first crusade against the Bendy Arm Brigade. This group of bowlers was breaking the rules by bending their arms at the elbow when bowling. Phillips, himself a medium-pacer with 355 First Class wickets at an average of 20, definitely knew a thing or two about bowling. As a fearless umpire, though, he is credited with stamping out a rash of chuckers at the time. He called Ernie Jones in a Test Match in 1897/8, thus earning for Ernie the dubious distinction of being the first bowler to be called in a Test (Remember this the next time you’re in a cricket quiz, folks!).

Chucking, thus, has always existed in cricket. There are bowlers who have been called for throwing from almost every country. It would be interesting to study this, I thought, to work out what types of bowlers are more likely to throw and is there an area of the cricket world that is more conducive to throwing than others. 

First, what is throwing? Law 24, Clause 3 defines a fair delivery with respect to the arm:

A ball is fairly delivered in respect of the arm if, once the bowler's arm has reached the level of the shoulder in the delivery swing, the elbow joint is not straightened partially or completely from that point until the ball has left the hand. This definition shall not debar a bowler from flexing or rotating the wrist in the delivery swing. 

Further studies and extensive lab testing ended up with the result that all bowlers extend their elbows to some extent and a 15 degree limit is currently the rule. Of course, as with everything the ICC does, it is impossible for umpires on the field to check this and so life goes on as do many of the world’s chuckers. I will admit to not being one of Mutthiah Muralitharan’s fans and there is a voice inside me that insists that the 15 degree rule came about primarily to protect his record.

Recently, the ICC decided to crack down on suspect actions and a number of bowlers, some of them very crucial to their teams, are now sitting out the World Cup. Will the tournament be poorer for them? I think not. I hate watching bowlers with awkward and suspect actions. Aesthetically and from a purely cricket standpoint they are an abomination. I won’t even talk about the cheating aspect of it. 

Now what kind of bowlers are most likely to chuck? I did some research and found two basic varieties of chuckers. Fast bowlers and finger spinners. Fast bowlers are easy enough to understand. They’re trying to bowl it quick and they’re bending their body and  it is easy to figure out that the arm would snap out much more easily.

I believe that off break bowlers are the most boring type of bowlers. In the modern game they became run-rate stoppers, not wicket takers and it is no surprise then that they feature heavily amongst the chuckers. Even they want to take a wicket or two sometimes. I include left arm orthodox spinners in this category, for in essence they do exactly the same thing but with the other arm. Strangely, Jim Higgs was once called for chucking, it appears but he is the only wrist spinner in the list. Clearly something of an aberration. 

Where in the world do they come from? In a recent list of 12 to be officially sanctioned here is the breakdown by country

Pakistan: 3 ( But Shoaib Akhtar’s sanction was overturned)

Bangladesh: 2

West Indies: 2 ( Not counting Sunil Narine, and counting 2 episodes of Shillingford as 1)

England: 1

South Africa: 1

New Zealand: 1

Zimbabwe: 1

Sri Lanka: 1

Of the spinners still in the tournament, I have my doubts about the bowling of one or two of them. Suleiman Benn, for instance, seems to have a bend (and a pause) as his arm comes over and I’d like to have that measured in a lab. Marlon Samuels has been cleared, but I’d watch him closely. Senanayake, is another I’d peer at through a microscope, as indeed I would Prosper Utseya. Actually, I’m not sure how he is in the squad, for I thought he was banned.

The other aspect of this, which is tied to the bendy arms is the pause before delivery. This was invented, again, by finger spinners and perfected by Saeed Ajmal. Not cricket, I’m afraid, and the ICC needs to look at this soon.

These so called offspinners need to learn from Nathan Lyon and Graeme Swann that it is not necessary to have a doosra and a dodgy action to take wickets. 

Yes, even in today’s environment.

A Preview to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

A Special Guest Post from my friend Leo (Vinay) who writes wonderful poems, stories and haikus at his space - I Rhyme Without Reason and is also a bookworm and he writes wonderful reviews at A Bookworm's Musings ... He is also a dear friend and an ardent cricket fan just like me!! He looks ahead to the World Cup 2015 and picks out his favorites! Enjoy the poetry in prose!

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The World Cup… I remember a time, twelve or sixteen years ago, when the preparations at home would start a week or two before. Crackers would be purchased, cardboard cutouts of cricketing heroes would be made and sweets ordered in expectation of the tournament, or at the very least, the India v/s Pakistan game. I remember fighting with parents so I’d be able to watch the games on an exam night or straining to hear the commentary from a neighbor’s television set. Those were the days, the good old days. If you ask me, “Isn’t that excitement, that anticipation there even today?” the honest answer would be no. Not for me. And that’s because the World Cup isn’t once every four years now. The excitement would build previously for a title defense, knowing it won’t come again for another four years, but now, with T20 in the rise, there’s a World Cup every alternate year, and sometimes, in successive years too. 2014 had the World T20 in Bangladesh, 2015 has the World Cup 50 over game in Australia/New Zealand and 2016 will have the World T20 again in India. The pride that comes in saying “We’re World Champions” for four years has dwindled. The best example can be our own champions. Post 2011, India has been on a rut in test match series away from the subcontinent. For every match, forget the series, that India has lost, I’ve heard the response from fans in forums, “No matter. We’re still the World Champions.” The fact that India is champion is used more as an excuse for bad performances rather than as a badge of pride. I’m not saying every fan in the country is the same, but observing generally, that is what I have seen. The same answer was seen after the loss in the T20 final last year too. Sure, the format is different, but with a World Champion every other year, the eagerness isn’t as much now.

An eleven that has batting maybe even up to nine or ten is what gives South Africa a chance to break the “chokers” tag. And for me, they are, for once, favorites to lift a major title. Amla, Roussouw, du Plessis, de Villiers, Miller, de Kock, Duminy, Morkel, Steyn, Philander, Tahir. A line up that has Duminy at seven is not diminutive by any stretch of the imagination. All of them can field well. In pitches down under, the pace trio of Steyn, Morkel and Philander can be very effective, and supported by the two spinners in Duminy and Tahir. They might even choose to leave out Tahir and go four-prong pace with Parnell instead. They all field well too.

The other favorites headed into this World Cup are definitely the two host countries, Australia and New Zealand. They are so because firstly, they know and understand the conditions that they will play in. They are so because secondly, they are in amazing form and have a balanced squad. They are so because, last but not least and maybe most importantly, they are playing in front of their home crowd. The importance of the last is huge. A sub-continental final last time was possible because of the crowd factor as well.

India has been patchy at best. A mammoth score against Afghanistan does very little to put them in form. Just how hungry they are to retain the title can only be judged by the way they play at Adelaide v/s Pakistan. The only batsman to be in consistent form is Rahane. A team that makes sense is: Rahane, Rohit, Kohli, Raina, Rayudu, Dhoni, Binny, Jadeja/Ashwin, Bhuvaneshwar, Shami, Yadav… four seamers, one spinner, one part-time spinner, and the batting going down to nine. If the bowling can be consistent and the top order pulls up their socks, then a title defense seems likely.

Sri Lanka and England have decent players this time, but neither has shown that they can handle the conditions down under. Both are in a group where they can progress to the quarterfinals though, and after that, it’s anyone’s game. So if they can produce some form, they might become surprise packages. West Indies are in internal turmoil, with non-cricketing affairs taking center stage. But the stage is the biggest, and I think the team will buck up and try to do their best. They have every chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals with India and South Africa. Pakistan, on the other hand, has one of the weakest teams they’ve fielded in World Cups - a youthful look that has inexperience on the biggest stage written on them, and a weak bowling attack that has been deprived of the likes of Yasir Arafat, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan. They aren’t assured of their spot in the next stage, with Ireland, the strongest of the associate nations also in the same group.

I’ll cheer for India when they play, but they seem out of nick, and not headed anywhere to change that. So I’m rooting for an Australia v/s South Africa final; and Ireland in the quarterfinals at the expense of India, West Indies or Pakistan. Hopefully, the tournament lives up to expectation.

It's the World Cup All Over Again

A Special Guest Post from my friend Narsimha Sarma Veturi who writes beautiful stories at his space - Neither Here Nor There and is an ardent cricket fan. We do regularly chat about cricket on Indiblogger especially about how India are doing. In this post Narsimha turns back the clock and tells us his Favorite World Cup Moments starting from 1992.

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The first time I saw Cricket live on TV, was also the first time I saw The Cricket World Cup, which was also the first time I saw Sachin Tendulkar bat. Though, he didn’t score much on that day, he was a star already and I saw an expectation being built up steadily within my family members as Ravi Shastri blocked forever, before he came in. I don’t remember much else from that Benson and Hedges Edition, except the two enduring images of Ajay Jadeja’s magnificent catch to dismiss Allan Border in the same match, and that of the South Africans losing their semifinal in dubious circumstances. I thought that there was something illegal happening behind the scenes that let the chase remodeled from 22 off 13 balls, to 22 off 1 ball.

The Wills World Cup 1996 was when the Cricket Fever truly caught up with me, as I watched the whole tournament live on Television. Sachin Tendulkar was a great hero by then, and he lived up to all the hype being the face, and the rest of the body as well, of the Indian Campaign. The best match, however, was, as usual, was against Pakistan. There are a lot of highlights of this match that I can remember till date, right from Siddhu’s classy knock, to Jadeja’s destruction of WaqarYounis. The Venkatesh Prasad sendoff to Aamir Sohail is still a popular Youtube classic. However, nothing prepared me for the heartbreak of the Kolkata Semifinal. Azhar won the toss and put Sri Lanka in, a decision which even he thought he regretted. Having seen off India’s prime tormentors in the league game, Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana in the first over, I thought it would be a cake walk for us. Even the target of 258 was something I thought Sachin would help India achieve, until he got stumped off Jayasuriya for 65, which remains painful and haunting till date. The rest is a piece of history, I can never forget, nor I would want to particularly recall, suffice to say that I cried into the night, hugging my pillow, making it wet with my tears, before falling asleep, eventually.

1999 World Cup was a kind of mixed bag, where our chances were forever impacted by our narrow loss to Zimbabwe, which continues to haunt me whenever I think of that particular campaign in England. Owing to summer holidays, and travelling to marriages, I could not catch much of the action live. We had a couple of good wins against England and Pakistan, not to forget the demolition of Sri Lanka. The best match was against England. The tournament rules had it that the rain affected games, will be continued as they were, next day. England were in a comfortable position after some 20 odd overs chasing a modest total when the rain interrupted. The next day, when the match resumed, Srinath got Thorpe LBW, and England crumbled under pressure. Still, a largely forgettable campaign for us, as we didn’t compete well in the Super Sixes, except, against Pakistan. The most enduring image will be the end of the greatest ODI ever, which earned the chokers tag to the South Africans in their Semi Final against Australia. It can’t be scripted better.

The 2003 edition was a largely successful campaign for us, except for the final,especially after the disastrous tour to NZ days before the World Cup. Being a bit more pragmatic at that time, I could see that Australians were the clear favorites. A side story worth mentioning, was that Sourav won the toss on the day and put the Aussies in on a flat track, a regrettable decision, much like the one Azhar made against the Lankans in 1996, both of the matches ended in a defeat for us. Another side story was that Mohammad Kaif’s house was pelted with stones by angry mob after India’s defeat to Australia in the league stage, and it was heartening to see India comeback in an emphatic fashion, being undefeated against any other team they faced. Sachin Tendulkar scored a mountain of runs again, and still the hopes depended on him for the major part of the series. It didn’t help for the excitement of the campaign that India had to face Kenya in the Semis, which I felt was not worth a contest on such a big stage. The best match of the 2003 World Cup, for us, was again, against Pakistan. I don’t think any words would justify the excitement felt by the Indians after that match. Stephen Fleming’s classy, match winning knock of 134* against South Africa in a rain curtailed game, and Bevan and Bichel’s jailbreak against England were also extremely fascinating to watch.

The 2007 World Cup hosted by the West Indies, was a disaster for India and for ICC as well, as the edition turned out to be poorly managed and poorly attended. If India’s loss to Bangladesh in their opening match was painful to sit through, the collapse against Sri Lanka was every bit taxing on the Indian Fan. I saw the match against Sri Lanka on a giant screen, specially brought by our college for the match, and I vowed never to watch a WC match on a giant screen again. I haven’t followed the rest of the World Cup much, so I don’t remember much about it, except that Australia won it, and they deserved it, exactly like the previous 2 editions.

2 years ago, my friends and their families met for a re-union of sorts, and as part of a game, everyone revealed their best moments in their life. When my turn came, I said that 2nd April 2011, when India won the World Cup with Sachin Tendulkar in the playing XI, contributing throughout the tournament in India’s success, was the best moment of my life, and I still maintain it. It is a culmination of a journey that started in 1992, and a Cricketing Nirvana for me. I saw every match live, cheered for every boundary scored and wicket taken, cheered louder at South Africa’s exit in the QF, because I thought they will definitely have given us a harder time. I shudder to think of what might have happened if we didn't win 2011 World Cup.

So, the 2015 World Cup for, is like trying to fall in love with it all over again, since the 2011 edition fulfilled me beyond my expectations. The wait for it, the journey to it, my own growth as a person, all contributed in making that event a memorable one. I don’t know if the current edition would make me as excited as I was for the past ones. I’m older now and I think I spent all my energy on the final hurrah of 2011. I will watch all the matches, because the tournament still holds a lot of importance for ODI Cricket, of which I’m definitely a fan, but I don’t think I would take a loss as bad as I did in 1996. I’m expecting a Semifinal berth for India, which is a realistic expectation to begin with, but I probably won’t sulk as much if India underwhelms me.

Looking Ahead to World Cup 2015

Vishwas Ahuja is an engineering graduate who blogs at Arbitrary Notions - a Blog about anything and everything and is a big Cricket Fan just like you and me who are reading my blog. In this first guest post of the Cricket World Cup on CricketWise, Vishwas looks ahead to what tournament has in store for us. Read on!

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It is again that time in the cricketing world when every Indian irrespective of age, caste or religion transforms overnight into a cricket expert. It is time for biggest of them all, The Cricket World Cup. Whether you follow cricket or not (though the chances of you being in latter category are slim) you cannot be untouched by this fever which grips the nation every four years. Everyone, and I do mean everyone has their thoughts and opinions over the coming cricketing extravaganza and I am no different. Here is how I think the world cup will unfold over the next one and a half months and what to expect:

Round 1 - Round Robin, 14 teams divided in 2 pools A & B

I never quite understood why do they call it a pool? Wouldn’t calling it a group be better? Everyone knows this so let me just put it out there. It will be long and may (will) get boring at times (except perhaps a few matches, like the evergreen India Vs Pak). The round robin which will have 42 of the 49 matches (that’s 85% of the matches) played over one month to get the best 8 of the 14 teams as if we don’t already know which 8 will go through. And with the team distribution that’s done, if any of the associate nation does make it through this round, they should be given the permanent ODI membership with immediate effect.

POOL A

This pool has  ‘cricket’s first nation’ England, ‘favored hosts’ Australia, ‘dark horses’ New Zealand, ‘forever finalist’ Sri Lanka, ‘eternal minnows’ Bangladesh with Afghanistan and Scotland completing the seven teams. Apart from maybe a few spirited performances from Bangladesh or Afghanistan, which might make matches watchable, this group will have the standard result, i.e., Australia will cruise at home, England will entertain with their performance, Sri Lanka will go about with their business as usual (group matches don’t matter, they need a game plan for the finals) and NZ will look to make the most of the home advantage.

POOL B

This will be the pool where you might get some entertainment (Yes, I am biased because of India’s presence in this pool). This group has ‘losing-in-crunch-moments’ South Africa, defending champions India, ‘force-to-reckon-on-their-day’ Pakistan, ‘super entertaining’ West Indies with Zimbabwe, Ireland and UAE. Matches like India-Pak, India-SA, and all the matches involving Chris Gayle will be the entertainment provider in this round. South Africa will do well just like they always do, India will go through riding on their batsmen, Pakistan riding on their bowlers. The three associates don’t really look threatening (but then, they are associates). We can expect the ‘giant-killers’ Ireland to spring a few surprises.

Knock Outs - QF, SF and Final

The business end of the tournament surely will be very intense.  It will all come down to who plays whom and how well they play on the day to finally give us the champions of the world this time around.

Australia is the favorite playing at home and recent series goes on to prove it. SA just has to hold their head in those crunch moments and they might just make it. With 6 Semi finals under their belt, NZ might just make it one better, especially playing at home. SL will take inspiration from the 2014 WorldT20 final and try to forget their last two ODI WC finals. The Indian in me wants to see India defend the cup and #Don’tGiveItBack, but the current bowling unit has looked toothless down under (the batsmen too haven’t really fired). I really hope some miracle happens and they come good when it matters the most. The neutral cricket fan in me really wants to see either SA or NZ to lift the cup this time.

So here is to an entertaining month and a half of fair, intense, well fought and entertaining cricket. Sit back, relax and enjoy. May the best team win!!

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!!

My Childhood Memories of Cricket

This Guest Post comes from the wonderfully talented writer who prefers to be known as 'The Fool'. He writes at - Lucifer House Inc. In the following post he shares his trysts with cricket during his formative years.

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Bernard Shaw is known for his saying “Cricket is a game played by eleven fools and watched by eleven thousand fools”. When I call myself “The Fool”, obviously I would be one of the eleven fools or eleven thousand fools. Wouldn’t I? If you were to see me hold the bat, you can be sure I wouldn’t be one of the eleven fools even in my wildest dreams. So one of the eleven thousand at least I had to be, right? I started off about where it all began right at the beginning like Oliver Twist – the cricket cards and stuff. If you are collecting cards having pictures of cricket players on the front and their statistics on the back, isn’t it conceivable that you will take interest in the actual players themselves and their statistics? That is exactly how it happened with me.

Having managed to collect most of the cards, my interest began to fade. I found it a better idea to make the cards myself rather than depend on the limited cards that come free with bubble gums. So I began to take interest in collecting pictures of cricket players and the statistics. Obviously how can you not see the matches where the players whose pictures you are collecting are creating the statistics live? The first series I really watched with interest was 1992 World Cup. Some of the memories of the things I distinctly remember are Martin Crowe’s captaincy, Inzamam’s batting and the altercation between Kiran More and Javed Miandad. It was also a series where I saw the fading of the only star I had idolized during my hitherto days of indifference to cricket: Krishnamachari Srikanth.

For the next 4 years there was not a single match I missed. I tried playing cricket too. But it was too late an age to begin. Already many of my peers were batting prodigies while I was a batting comedy. So obviously I would be sent last down and hardly ever get a chance to improve my batting. Bowling or wicket keeping obviously no one wanted to give to a neophyte. They sent me to field at the boundaries. Standing alone at the boundary where nothing happens can be really boring and you tend to get contemplative. And when you are contemplating on finer things in life, can you be blamed for missing the rare catch that comes your way? But the boys thought differently. The net result was I decided playing cricket was not my cup of tea and gladly renounced the game.

So my interest in the game remained confined to hero worship and compilation of statistics. Due to my lack of success in playing the game, I never really got on to the technical aspects of the game. I was happy as long as my favorite players got the half centuries, centuries and the 5 wicket hauls and the scoreboards kept ticking. So following the matches on radio or newspaper worked as well as seeing the matches on television. I followed almost the entire South African tour of India on our ancient family radio that was a year older than me. It was a disappointment in terms of India’s performance. But I found a new hero to worship: Pravin Amre. And there were no cards of him available too. Then there was the England’s tour of India which revived India’s fortunes. Vinod Kambli’s double century delighted the statistician in me.

Very soon I moved from cards to a diary which was more convenient to maintain the photos and statistics. I had a page for every player and religiously maintained the statistics. In fact it was cricket that inculcated the habit of reading the newspaper in me. In those days there was no internet. Nor was there cable television. The newspaper was the only way of following international matches. I used to religiously cut the scorecard of every international match that was played and compile them series wise. For the pictures, I had to depend on sport star as I preferred color photos to black and white photos from the newspapers. But when I did not get color photos of a player I would make do with the black and white photos as well. We were financially not too well off as such. So I could not afford new Sport Stars. So one of the most exciting activities for me during those days was going to the waste paper man with my father and buying old second hand Sports Stars. As soon as I come home I would finish reading all the cricket articles and then get to work with my scissors. I did not limit myself to recent statistics. I also bought and read a few books on cricket history. Hindu used to publish an annual edition of cricket year book. That was a favorite with me.

Every activity has an initial start up phase, then a peak period and then a decline. So it was with my interest in cricket as well. The four years were my peak period from 1992-1996. From then on the decline started. I became busy with academics as I had my board exams and IIT JEE preparations.  Also in 1996, we got cable TV in our house for the first time. That brought a new range of entertainment at my disposal. My new school had a library with a good fiction collection and I began to return to my old love – reading books. So my new love – the cricket diary and cards were neglected. One fine day I gave away the cards to a boy in the neighborhood and my diary to my cousin. I still continued to watch matches. But the old passion was no longer there.

There were still a few highs for me in the years to follow. I went to watch a Ranji trophy match and watched Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath in live action in flesh and blood. I watched India chase down an impossible 300+ target against Pakistan  in a crowded college hostel common room. I watched the emergence of Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman. I discovered a cricket card collection from my father’s childhood days in my grandparents’ home. But there were also the bad moments. The conviction of Azharuddin and Hansie Cronje was one of them. Decline of the English and West Indies teams was another. With the details of the match fixing emerging, all the statistics I had been collecting began to look meaningless. So slowly I began to drift away from cricket. The old passion gave way to new ones: reading, trekking, martial arts. Soon it came to pass that at one stage I totally stopped watching cricket. From following all 5 days of a test match on an old transistor, I have still not seen a complete 20-20 match to date. Then that’s how infatuation is, right? You never know when it comes. You never know when it goes.

World T20 2012 - Loking Forward to the Super 8's

A Special Guest Post from my friend Leo (Vinay) who writes wonderful poems, stories and haikus at his space - I Rhyme Without Reason and is an ardent cricket fan...

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Halfway through the tournament now, and the headlines around the week have been mostly watery, literally. It’s been either the rain or some cricketers catching a stomach bug due to drinking water (or so the papers say anyways.)

Coming to the cricket, it hasn’t really been extraordinary, but there has been entertainment. I feel in general, the expectation has been met. The so-called “strong teams” have advanced to the super eights, and the “minnows” have bowed out. There has been a decent crowd in the ground to support the teams, but I think it should improve for the super eights. Non Sri Lanka matches haven’t been sold out yet, but with some big matches on the cards, I believe that would change.

I do wish the Sri Lanka and South Africa match wasn’t rain curtailed. I think it’d have been a much closer affair hadn’t the rain taken a toll, and made it a 7 over hit-out. That apart, the cricket has been good. Warner and de Villiers have shown that they can clobber the cricket ball, as has Imran Nazir. Watson’s all round skills have got him two man-of-the-match awards so far, and at the head, Australia also seems to be in form. With Australia set to clash with India, South Africa and Pakistan in what seems to be an ominous group, India’s inability to finish strongly might come back to bite them.

Yes, there was a superb performance against England, but the fact that Afghanistan pushed them to the end means there is still things to sort out in the Indian camp, where Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and the returning Harbhajan and Yuvraj have been standout performers so far. The form of the Indian openers, both in batting and bowling are a worry. Sehwag, Gambhir and Zaheer have all struggled, and the Dinda experiment seems to have backfired, even in the one game. Going forward, I wonder if that means India are going for an all spin attack, with Ashwin, Chawla and Harbhajan, and Irfan being the lone pacer. A line-up as Sehwag, Gambhir, Kohli, Raina/Sharma, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Irfan, Ashwin, Harbhajan, Chawla and Zaheer/Balaji seems the most likely in the current scenario.

I think most people would agree that I mention Ireland. They’ve bowed out, but a fair bit of luck has gone against them. The Colombo weather got the match v/s the West Indies canceled, which they might have won if Duckworth Lewis got a chance. Even if they had managed to hold off the Aussies for another 4 balls, they’d have got through on NRR. With their ability, I think it’s about time ICC gave them full membership. Or at the least, ICC should organize tournaments where the affiliates play against the bigger teams. Only that experience would help develop these nations quicker, not once in 4 years playing v/s the bigger teams. For that, ICC should look past the monetary outcome of the match I guess.

Players to watch out for in the Super 8s

Virat Kohli: in-form and the strong point of the Indian top-order. He can change the game, and I’m sure MSD and Duncan Fletcher would be looking for that form to continue.

Harbhajan: back with a bang, and sure to play against Australia. Bhajji loves the Aussies, so he’ll either put them out, or be put out of the team again by the Aussies. A battle to look forward to.

Shane Watson: all round abilities, opening the batting and bowling as well, means there’s more man-of-the-match opportunities should he continue to be the rock at the helm.

Hafeez/Nazir: a solid partnership at the top. They showed v/s Bangla what a solid partnership can do to change an innings. More such partnerships can steer Pakistan to the semis for sure.

Saeed Ajmal: took a bit of stick v/s Bangla, but the world’s #1 T20 bowler rattled the Kiwis and can do so to other opposition too.

Richard Levi: big hitting ability can turn a match, even if Duckworth Lewis comes to play.

AB de Villiers: same like Levi, but sound captaincy has helped South Africa come forward.

Dale Steyn: super stingy, and deadly accurate, a bowler that batsmen look to play out, rather than hit out.

Brendan McCullum: has already exploded onto the scene. But remains to be seen if there’s any fire left.

Ross Taylor: New Zealand have not reached a final of a big tournament. RT can guide them there.

Chris Gayle: with Windies at the Pallekelle batting paradise, this man is a threat.

Sunil Narine: a spinner with tact and control. A game-changer.

Alex Hales: youthful, energetic, solid at the top. His partnership with Kieswetter and Wright would be tantamount to England’s title-defense.

Thissara Perera: it was expected to be his World Cup, with him being a form player for the side. Can he step up his game in the next round?

Six days of quality, top of the world action starts tomorrow. 

Team India's Schedule of Super Matches at the World T20 2012, Sri Lanka

India v/s Australia on Friday, 28th September

India v/s Pakistan on Sunday, 30th September

India v/s South Africa on Tuesday, 2nd October

If India and Pakistan can see out Australia and South Africa at this stage, a repeat of the  mouth watering 2007 T20 WC final seems on the cards.

Here’s to some wonderful matches, and a prayer that rain, rain go away!

The Biggest T20 World Cup Yet?

A Special Guest Post from my friend Leo (Vinay) who writes wonderful poems, stories and haikus at his space - I Rhyme Without Reason and is an ardent cricket fan...

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We’re just one day away from what the broadcasters claim will be the biggest World Cup T20 yet. I wonder if it will be so. In my mind, my heart, the first World T20 in South Africa, in 2007 was the best edition, and it would remain so. Not because India won, but because what transpired. Neither the second edition that took place in England, nor the third one that took place in the Caribbean have had that much excitement to be frank. India and Pakistan were in one group, there was a bowl-out needed to separate the two Asian Goliaths in a match, for the first time in T20 a bowler was smashed out of the park for six times in a single over, the previously proclaimed dominance of the Australian team was challenged and conquered, and the single most fierce rivalry in World cricket as we know it was played out in the finals as well. Hell, the stadium at Kingsmead was almost like a second Eden Gardens to the national team. We did it all, and it was the biggest spectacle possible. How, I ask, can India and the world top that in Sri Lanka over the next three weeks?

ARE THERE FAVORITES THIS TIME?

No. That’s the right answer any unbiased mind can tell. None of the teams are in any particularly excellent T20 form. Even in the warm-up games. India wins a game against Sri Lanka, and then goes on and loses to Pakistan. Zimbabwe, though a full member nation of the ICC lost their game against Ireland and also against Bangladesh; likewise New Zealand have also lost both warm-up matches. Agreed, the format is such that luck also plays a very big part in the result, but still, no team can be called favorites for the title. England will miss the explosive KP in their title-defense, and he is a vital cog, having been the best player when they won the title in the Caribbean. In my eyes, the only team in a good consistent form is Ireland. I hope they do well in the games, and get that Test Cricket status that they deserve.

INDIA – STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

The biggest strength of the Men in Blue I feel are the opening 10 overs, be it while bowling or while batting. They are the most explosive in that period, and not many teams can match that. It was on display today, when they played Pakistan. Having watched the match from the start, I think they do lack that bite in the death overs. They play themselves to get a bigger target on board to defend, and lose the focus in the last three or four overs, and end up getting 10 or 20 runs less. In saying so, it’d be an injustice if I fail to mention the partnership between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli that actually got India to that decent total of 185. Without that camaraderie, I doubt the Men in Blue would have got to 150. Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal were especially brilliant for Pakistan in that death overs, and it’s that excellence that I feel India can take a leaf out of. All bowlers except for the impressive Ravichandran Ashwin were taken to the cleaners, and if fingers are to be pointed, I am sure the first person they’d go at would be Balaji. He bowled his first two overs for just 9 runs, and then lost the plot, gave away 32 runs in his last two, which proved to be India’s undoing. If India were to get past England and Afghanistan, both of whom cannot be taken lightly in this format, they need to sort out their death bowling options.

THE OPPOSITION

Not looking very far ahead, India’s opposition in the group games are England and Afghanistan. In a usual scenario, India might be given the favorites tag, but even without KP, England have an assortment of power hitters and all rounders who can change the game. Players like Kieswetter, Hales, Wright and Morgan, and a batting depth that goes till Stuart Broad at #8, and if included, Samit Patel at #9. That’s firepower India cannot afford to take lightly. Afghanistan are the dark horses. They have talent, and more importantly, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. They’re not after T20 rankings, or world reputations, so they will play their hearts out. If Ireland can win against England, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the like in 50 overs format, then the Afghans can defeat any team if they put their minds to it. If people are looking for a scenario in the future rounds where India can face Pakistan only in the finals, then first step would be to hope both India and Pakistan are top ranked in their group fixtures so they avoid each other in the Super 8s.
I still have my doubts as to this being the biggest T20 yet. I’ve never seen many empty seats during an India Pakistan game, even during a warm-up encounter. Today, there were many. Is the rivalry dwindling? No idea. But one thing was proven today. Warm-up, or not, Pakistan can beat India on the World’s biggest stage for cricket.