Alternate Reality tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/alternatereality//144 2008-12-06T07:51:22Z Diaries from the ICL Movable Type 3.34 A sad and abrupt end tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2008:/alternatereality//144.8263 2008-12-06T07:01:24Z 2008-12-06T07:51:22Z The ICL World Series seems a faraway thought now, with what happened in Mumbai. I wonder if we can feel safe anywhere in India. I love my country, and cannot accept this happening to us time and time again. Someone has to be accountable for all of this Hemang Badani



'I do believe that it..s time we as Indians gave serious thought to whether it is ..India Shining. or ..India Burning.' © AFP
Back home sooner than expected, I am writing this from Chennai, and with sadness. My heart goes out to all the families who lost their loved ones in the attacks on Mumbai, and I also stand up and proudly salute our brave armed forces who brought the mayhem to an end. The beginning of the ICL World Series seems so far away now. I was very happy to be a part of the ICL India team, as I..ve always relished the challenge of going up against quality players from all over the world. We began with the ever-thrilling fixture against our neighbours, ICL Pakistan. We started well with R Jesuraj getting rid of their dangerous opening pair in quick time. Rana Naved looked good, but we introduced Ali Murtaza to take the pace off the ball, and it worked. After Naved fell, they never got going and we were happy to restrict them to 165. During our chase, we lost G Vignesh early, but Ibrahim Khaleel and Ambati Rayudu put on a good partnership. Suddenly, three wickets in four overs brought the Pakistanis right back into it. However, at this stage I was confident I was the right man for the job, as the situation called for a calmer and more mature head. I was able to play steadily and guide Rayudu, and also took a few chances when needed. We did lose several more wickets, but I was glad I could remain till the end and see us home with just one wicket left. It was a good, tight finish, and I was pleased with my effort.]]> Playing back to back is always hard, more so when you have had a tough last game. When ICL Bangladesh put us in to bat, we lost wickets regularly right from the start. The wicket was on the slower side, and all of us struggled: I couldn..t get the ball off the square, and only R Satish..s quickfire 44 got us anywhere near a respectable total. And though we took a wicket first up, we were never in control of the game, with Shahriar Nafees playing the anchor role and Alok Kapali looking in a class of his own. He treated our bowlers with disdain, and smashed them to all corners of the park. Still, with 11 to get of the last over, we felt we might have a chance, but a four off a misfiled and a six off the next ball finished the game in no tiPme. After a tough fielding session the next afternoon, we started to hear about Mumbai, and stayed up till late in absolute shock. The next day was just as bad, as the war continued. It was terrifying to see what was happening. The tension grew as the day went on, and no one was sure what would happen to the rest of the tournament as the killing spree went on. We got the news at around five in the evening that the tournament was called off. Disappointing for sure, but it was certainly the right thing to do: how could we play cricket at a time when such things were happening? I do believe that it..s time we as Indians gave serious thought to whether it is ..India Shining. or ..India Burning.. I wonder if we can feel safe anywhere in India. I love my country, and cannot accept this happening to us time and time again. Someone has to be accountable for all of this. We now have a long break before the start of the next tournament, but stay tuned to the Diary, as I will keep you posted on the life of an ICL cricketer. The ICL is here to stay tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2008:/alternatereality//144.8135 2008-11-27T06:37:28Z 2008-12-06T07:06:16Z It was good to hear legends of the game like Javed Miandad and Clive Lloyd come out in support of the ICL, and stating that different T20 leagues should co-exist for the good of the game. This sentiment was certainly backed up by the capacity crowds in Ahmedabad Hemang Badani



It is a shame that the likes of Imran Nazir are not playing for their country © ICL
Dear readers The diary is back after a bit of a break. I thank you for your company, and I will definitely try to be more regular from now on. It..s been an action-packed period, and I..ll try and keep all of you up to speed. The end of Chennai Superstars.. campaign was disappointing, particularly given the fantastic start we had had, but we lost momentum after we had qualified for the semis: we lost to the Royal Bengal Tigers, and to the Lahore Badshahs twice in a row. We just didn..t get enough on the board, and we weren..t clinical or perhaps hungry enough in the end. Having said that, though, I must also add that Lahore were by a long distance the best side in the tournament, and fully deserved their win. It completely amazes me that players of the quality of Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf, Rana Naved, Azhar Mahmood and Mohammad Sami are not playing for their country. It..s a shame, and made worse by the fact that it..s all down to some trivial politics. ]]> In that regard, it was good to hear legends of the game like Javed Miandad and Clive Lloyd come out in support of the ICL, and stating that different T20 leagues should co-exist for the good of the game. This sentiment was certainly backed up by the crowds in Ahmedabad. We had capacity crowds of around 50,000 for all the games here, and it created a fantastic buzz all around the ground. I happen to have family here in Ahmedabad, and though I managed to get them about 30 tickets for each game, they wanted even more. Even my six-year-old son, though very disappointed that we lost in the semis, was caught up in it all. He is totally hooked on to the league, and knows all the players and which teams they play for. His favourite is my team-mate Ian Harvey, and when we play at home he always calls himself Ian Harvey .. that..s the kind of impact the tournament is having. I do believe the ICL is here to stay. On a personal note, I was happy with my form during the tournament, having missed the first three games. Getting close to 200 runs in six games with a couple of fifties was satisfying, and I was able to enjoy my time off after the championship. I managed to make it home to Chennai to spend my birthday with my family, and to celebrate my wedding anniversary as well. The next assignment is the ICL World series, and I..m really looking forward to it, and to challenging myself against the best players from across the league. It should be a cracking tournament with loads of good players, so stay tuned. Until next time, keep watching the ICL. A satisfying return to form tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2008:/alternatereality//144.7814 2008-10-30T18:19:49Z 2008-12-06T07:06:19Z I was really pleased to get the Man-of-the-Match award in just my second game after the injury. Given my lack of form in the domestic tournament and the lack of practice thereafter, it was very satisfying. Hemang Badani



Hemang Badani picked up the Man-of-the-Match award for his 45-ball 51 against Delhi Giants © ICL
Hi everyone. I hope you all had a very happy and safe Diwali, and I wish all of you a very happy and prosperous year ahead. I was fortunate enough to have some time off, as our next match is only on November 2, so I took the opportunity to return to Chennai and spend Diwali with my family. I..m now back in Delhi and looking forward to the next game in Chandigarh. The last match in Delhi, against the home team was a game where I was looking to make some improvements, as I wasn..t very happy with the way I batted against the Hyderabad Heroes. You just can..t get out after getting set with 20-odd and five overs remaining. So even though we had a sleepy and tired flight out of Ahmedabad immediately after our match, we made sure we got a lot of practice before this one. Delhi was also much cooler than Ahmedabad, and we got a good look at the wicket, which looked low and slow. There were tons of insects flying around as well, and I couldn..t avoid swallowing a couple myself! On match day, we got in early, keeping in mind that we had to drive from Delhi to Gurgaon. There was an excellent turnout at the ground, creating the sort of noise and buzz that..s always encouraging. We won the toss and chose to bat, but suffered blows early, losing Ian Harvey and Russel Arnold quickly. Both these guys have been in terrific form and when we slipped to 24 for 3, it was far from the best start we..ve had. ]]> I was in by now, and started a bit tentatively, edging a couple of balls and not coming to terms with the low bounce. But Abid Nabi came in to the attack and woke me up, bowling one into my stomach .. that over went for sixteen runs with a six and two fours. Seeing Rajagopal Satish stroking the ball well, I decided to step off the gas and started rotating the strike. It was good to see our skipper Stuart Law back in form with his quick 28 off 17 balls, and he looked good for plenty more before he was out lbw. This time I made sure that I finished the job, and was happy to end up with 51 not out off 45 balls, and thought we had quite a good score on the board. While defending, the conditions got a bit tough with the ball becoming really wet and feeling like a bar of soap, but Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad bowled beautifully and so did Nantie Hayward and Shabbir Ahmed, and we defended our score quite easily. I was really pleased to get the Man-of-the-Match award in just my second game after the injury. Given my lack of form in the domestic tournament and the lack of practice thereafter, it was very satisfying. Off the pitch, I was very disappointed with Adam Gilchrist..s remarks about Sachin Tendulkar as I admire both these great players, but looking back I did realize that this is something most cricketers do when they are coming out with a book, just to create a stir and sell a few more copies. It..s nothing more than a marketing strategy or publicity stunt, but I thought it as a very cheap option which left a bad taste in the mouth. I really don..t think our game needs such unnecessary controversy. Back in business tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2008:/alternatereality//144.7725 2008-10-23T14:44:40Z 2008-12-06T07:06:21Z It..s been a roller-coaster ride for me these past couple of weeks, and unfortunately luck didn..t smile on me at the start of the tournament and I was out with a bad back Hemang Badani



Ian Harvey ensured Chennai Superstars were off to a flying start against Hyderabad Heroes © ICL
Once again, I start off a post with an apology to you, dear readers, but I hope I can make up for it as the season progresses. It..s been a roller-coaster ride for me these past couple of weeks, and unfortunately luck didn..t smile on me at the start of the tournament and I was out with a bad back just as things were kicking off. It continued, and during our first full practice session after all the international players arrived, Stuart Law was struck on the toe by a Rajamani Jesuraj yorker, giving him a hairline fracture that kept him out for a couple of weeks as well. But our squad has the depth to overcome these challenges, as the start of the tournament proved - we won our first couple of games convincingly, and it..s always good to get some momentum going early. Game 3 against the Chandigarh Lions was a bit disappointing though, as we came close to winning and I thought we had gotten a bit complacent and did not do the small things well - we didn..t bowl the right lengths, dropped catches and didn..t rotate the strike while batting either. From a personal point of view, it was frustrating - it..s never a good feeling to be sitting on the sidelines. Some of the disappointment of being injured was reduced by having my family with me at the beginning of the tournament. Having been away from them for over a month, it was great to have them here and be able to spend some quality time with them. They loved the awesome opening ceremony, which was a blast, with lots of performances from the Shiamak Davar Academy, a great fireworks show, and a spectacular acrobatics performance with an acrobat suspended from an air balloon! On the whole, it was a great show and lots of fun. ]]> must-win game, since the Hyderabad Heroes are one of the teams who are likely to make it to the top four. We also wanted to prove a point as we hadn..t beaten them in any of the ICL international tournaments so far. We won the toss, and Harvs [Ian Harvey] and Bunk [G.Vignesh] got us off to a flying start, getting 70 off the first five overs. Harvs was especially severe on Stuart Binny and took him to the cleaners by smashing him for 29 in an over, the most expensive in ICL history so far. But we lost the plot a bit after they got out and lost too many wickets without building any partnerships. We should have got 180 or more, but ended up getting bowled out for 160 with four balls to spare. I felt our middle order wasn..t up to it and we didn..t have a clear plan: no one took up the responsibility of carrying us to the end. It was still a competitive score, but we knew it wasn..t going to be easy on that wicket with strikers like Abdul Razzaq, Justin Kemp and Nicky Boje on their side. Fortunately we got off to a great start with Jesuraj getting rid of Razzaq. He..s been a real find for us this year and has bowled beautifully throughout. Harris and Boje put up a worrying partnership, but Harvs bailed us out by bowling good stump-to-stump stuff. It was real ..You-miss-I-hit.. type of bowling, and that..s exactly what happened to Harris, after which we were able to polish them off for a good win. It was good to be back on the field, and the win capped off a great day. Of course, a lot of the attention of cricket fans in the country is also focused on the Test series between India and Australia, and I..m no different. After the tight drawn first Test, I thought Mohali was a good toss to win and it was heartening to see the positive start from our openers followed by the fantastic sight of our old warriors getting back into the groove. I take my hat off to Sachin Tendulkar. He has been a great servant of our country, and I am proud and honoured to have played with him. Keeping him company was the always gutsy Sourav Ganguly, who has taken the lead in announcing his retirement and thus giving Indian cricket its first look into the future. He..s always been a leader, and still is. He..s still playing like a champion too, and it will be very difficult to fill his shoes. We will certainly miss him. The bowling looked great. I was very happy for Amit Mishra. He..s someone who has toiled hard for years in the domestic circuit without any recognition. A five-for on debut is the perfect reward and I wish him all the luck in his career. Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma were brilliant and looked very hungry and I must say it was very pleasing to see them looking better than Brett Lee and Co. Having said that, I must add that Australia would definitely have missed Stuart Clark, a bowler who is at you all the time, bowling steadily and consistently stump to stump. And finally, it..s great to see Mahendra Singh Dhoni lead from the front and I think it..s time the selectors thought of him as the future of Indian cricket. On the whole, it..s superb to see India dominate a Test from day one and play such good cricket. I just want to say all the best, guys, but please don..t get complacent because you are playing the toughest side in the world mentally. Though this may not be the best Australian side on paper, rest assured that they will come back, and come back hard. I..m looking forward to it, and to our next game against Delhi Giants as well. Will be back with more then.]]> Looking back, looking ahead tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2008:/alternatereality//144.7567 2008-10-08T16:17:44Z 2008-12-06T07:06:24Z All in all, a good start to the season for our team. It..s always disappointing to lose a final and there are a few things to iron out both on a personal note and on the team front, but we are clearly one of the stronger teams so far Hemang Badani



Chennai Superstars managed a five-match winning streak on the back of some blistering innings from G Vignesh © ICL
Dear readers, please accept my apologies for not updating the diary for so long. That hectic schedule I was talking about in the last post certainly caught up with me. It..s good to be back at the Lahiri Resorts in Hyderabad, with its excellent facilities. Not just for cricket, mind you, though the ground, gym, pool and bowling machine facilities are all top notch. We also have access to the golf course, boating, water slides and even paintball. Given that we are about an hour and a half away from the city, it..s great that there is so much to do. I have also had time to look back on the rest of the domestic 20-20 tournament. We continued where I left of on my last post with wins in games 3, 4 and 5 .. a five-match winning streak - on the back of some excellent bowling throughout by R Jesuraj and some smashing knocks by our allrounder ..Bunk. .. better known as G Vignesh. Game 3 was against the Delhi Giants, where Hemanth Kumar and Vignesh took us to a score of 167 for 7 and we restricted them to 143, with Jesuraj getting 3 for 10 off his four overs. In game 4 we put the Ahmedabad Rockets in and restricted them to a paltry 116. We did however try our best to make the game exciting by almost messing up the chase, and got there with just three balls to spare. We were back to our best in the next match, against the Royal Bengal Tigers, a tough game on a very up and down wicket. We got to 146 thanks to a blazing innings of 72 off 45 balls from Vignesh, which was an amazing effort on that wicket. Jesuraj again worked up real pace with great consistency, and supported by Satish, restricted them to 128. ]]> Game 6 against the Hyderabad Heroes, we decided to mix it up a little. Having already qualified for the finals, we decided to shuffle the batting order to give everyone a go with a view to match practice before the finals and the international tournament coming up. The result was that we were 9 for 4 and then 19 for 5 before our openers, Vignesh and Hemanth, batting way down the order, took us to the relative respectability of 123, with DT Kumaran smashing two sixes in the last two overs. This just confirmed what we suspected: the middle order, which includes me, has a lot of thinking (and work) to do. Our bowlers gave it a fair go, and if not for some very ordinary fielding, dropped catches and missed run-outs, we might have actually pulled it off. As it was, they scraped home with three balls to spare, and ruined our perfect record. Although this was our seventh day of playing or traveling on the trot, we were clear this was no excuse and that the fielding standards needed to be lifted. However, we were certainly glad of the two-day break which followed, getting some much needed rest and some time of in the lovely city of Hyderabad, soaking it in with a bit of shopping and eating out added to the mix. On the day of the final, we won the toss and elected to bat against Chandigarh. We had a superb start, reaching 68 for 2 off eight overs. Vignesh played some awesome shots in getting 48 of 32 balls, including 25 off one Amit Uniyal over. However, in spite of me finally finding some form and some runs with 51 off 42 balls, we only managed 136 in the end. It was a disappointing score, considering the start we got, but I thought it was defendable and our bowlers started off as if they were proving me right, reducing them to 21 for 3 in six overs. But Dinesh Mongia..s partnership with Gaurav Gupta - 84 in 10 overs - took the match away from us, with a little help from our fielding. They lost only four wickets in winning the title. All in all, a good start to the season for our team. It..s always disappointing to lose a final and there are a few things to iron out both on a personal note and on the team front, but we are clearly one of the stronger teams so far, and in contention for bigger things. Even better news is that Nantie Hayward from South Africa will be joining us, which will provide us with some genuine pace that always helps in looking for those early wickets. Nantie is just one of the many international stars who are going to be on show and I hope you..re all eagerly looking forward to the ICL international 20-20s beginning in just a few days. I know I can..t wait for it to start and the excitement is rapidly building up here among all the teams. Enjoy the cricket, and remember that I..ll always be here to give you guys the inside scoop. ]]> Flying high, diving deep, rocking on tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2008:/alternatereality//144.7461 2008-09-29T09:21:30Z 2008-12-06T07:06:27Z Two back-to-back games in Bangalore, a two-hour trip to the airport for a flight to Hyderabad, a hour-and-a-half hour bus ride, and then four games back-to-back - that..s life as a professional cricketer these days Hemang Badani



Chennai had a five-match winning streak from the start of the domestic tournament © Getty Images
Two back-to-back games in Bangalore, a two-hour trip to the airport for a flight to Hyderabad, a hour-and-a-half hour bus ride, and then four games back-to-back - that..s life as a professional cricketer these days, especially when playing the shorter formats. And before you think I..m complaining about it, let me assure you that I love every minute of it. This is what we live for as cricketers and there..s nothing better than being back in the thick of the action. Our coach Michael Bevan is already here and working with us to develop our routines and strategies for the international tournament coming up, and the benefits of our preparation are starting to show. We..ve gotten off to a great start this season in the domestic 20-20 tournament, and are currently maintaining a perfect record. We started against the Mumbai Champs, where we recovered from a poor start to get 143, with yours truly getting 30 and R Satish getting 58, winning comfortably in the end. The second game against the Chandigarh Lions was a tighter affair. We have been bowling and fielding superbly throughout, and kept them down to 125, but nearly made a mess of the chase after a superb start. I..m particularly irritated at having gotten myself run out after scoring 16 off a single over. It got tense in the end as we needed 15 off the last two, but we got home with a ball to spare. It..s what the 20-20 format is all about, though, and a win is a win, we..re happy to take it. We hope to keep the wining streak going, and I..ll be keeping you updated in my next posts. Wish us luck. ]]> Rock On, which I absolutely loved. It took me right back to my days at college, hanging out and dreaming big, and trying to live one..s dreams. A shout out to my pals Bhavin, Sachin, Anand, Chirag, Suresh and Alpesh .. and to all of you who want to live your dreams. Rock on, guys. ]]> Good news, bad news tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2008:/alternatereality//144.7384 2008-09-22T14:11:03Z 2008-12-06T07:06:30Z As ICL's new season gains momentum, there is good news: the inclusion of Dhaka Warriors and the end of the domestic ban on Sri Lankan ICL players. But the 10-year ban on the Bangladesh players is disappointing Hemang Badani



Players like Shahriar Nafees and Alok Kapali are welcome additons to the ICL fold © AFP
Things are certainly starting to happen - on the field, off the field and online. I..m overwhelmed by the response to my first post, and would like to thank all of you who read it, and hope you..ll keep participating with your thoughts and reactions. I appreciate the encouragement, and for those with the slightly opposite point of view, I..d just like to say that all we..re trying to do is make our careers playing cricket, the great game that we..ve dedicated our lives to. My excitement at welcoming our latest team, the Dhaka Warriors, is tinged with the disappointment of hearing about the 10-year ban slapped on these players. More teams and more competition will only continue to improve the league, and provide a better experience to the viewing public. The combination of the experience of players like Habibul Bashar and Mohammad Rafique and the exciting young talents of Aftab Ahmed and Shahriar Nafees will definitely provide a fresh challenge for all the teams. As a cricketer, I think that the more avenues for people to make careers in cricket, the better it is for the game. It will only encourage more and more people to take up the game seriously. Which is why I welcomed the news that Sri Lanka Cricket had decided to reverse their ban, and allow the Sri Lankan ICL players and umpires to return to their domestic set-up. Going forward, I sincerely hope that more and more boards follow this example, and continue to allow players and officials access to opportunities to fulfill their dreams. ]]> Coming to the cricket, it..s been great to hit a few in the middle again, and to get out on to the field. The camp is in full swing, and we..re really being put through our paces and working out the kinks. We even had our first practice game yesterday, and the thrill of returning to a match environment was fantastic. The action is getting closer, and the momentum is building up. All of us are striving to get into top gear at the right time. All the challenges we face, like not enough access to grounds and practice facilities - most of them are controlled by the BCCI and hence unavailable to us - only make us more determined and make us work harder, and I..m sure the results will be there for all to see when the tournament gets underway. For starters, we have the 20-over tournament for the domestic players beginning tomorrow in Bangalore and Hyderabad. It..s a great opportunity for the younger players to impress and stake a claim for places in the first team before the internationals arrive. I..m certain it..ll keep us experienced players on our toes as well. I..ll be keeping you updated with all the action from the field, and my thoughts on all that..s happening off the field too, so I hope you..ll be with me all the way. Raring to go tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2008:/alternatereality//144.7322 2008-09-15T09:54:52Z 2008-12-06T07:06:33Z The last ICL tournament really raised the bar in terms of fielding standards and player fitness, so all the players will be keen to raise the level even higher this year. The competition is expected to be intense Hemang Badani



Saman Jayantha in the outfield: superior training methods and back-up staff has led to many such efforts © ICL
The second season of the ICL is about to get underway, and as far I'm concerned it's not a moment too soon. One of the best things about being with the ICL is that it allows me to have a great career playing competitive cricket while still affording me enough time to pursue other interests and spend time with my family - a luxury most modern professional cricketers don't have. With all the talk of burnout, mental stress and the like doing the rounds in the international circuit these days, I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to rest, recharge and get myself fit. Having said that, I've been itching to pick up a bat for a little while now. I'm really looking forward to the new season that begins with a camp in Bangalore for the India-based players. ]]> The Chennai Superstars have a lot to live up to this year. So far we have been the most successful among the city teams: we won the first 20-over and 50-over competitions, and finished third in the Edelweiss challenge last year. I'm confident we have the side to keep the momentum going this year, and I'm keen to make my contribution. Returning from a back injury last year and being completely new to the 20-over format, I had a slow start to the season, but finished up with a hundred in the 50-over format and a couple of fifties each in both formats. The excellent ICL fitness coaches and trainers have given me a superb training regime, which is probably the best I've ever experienced, also including my days with the Indian national team. Consequently I'm raring to go this year, and looking forward to helping my side regain the 20s title. The preparatory camp is our chance to get into the competitive groove again, and will continue with the ICL practice of giving all the players access to the best of training and expertise. The last tournament really raised the bar in terms of fielding standards and player fitness, so all the players will be keen to raise the level even higher this year, and I expect the competition to be intense. The camp will conclude with a domestic 20s tournament before all the internationals arrive. I'll be keeping my diary up to date with all the excitement of the second ICL season, and look forward to your company on this exciting and pioneering journey that all of us have undertaken. PS: I watched with interest the MS Dhoni-led bunch of young talent achieve what no other Indian team ever has, an ODI series win in Sri Lanka, which I've always believed to be one of the toughest assignments in world cricket. It was superb to watch, and it reminded me that it..s precisely this kind of young talent that the ICL is giving opportunities to, giving them access the best of support staff and the wealth of experience that the internationals bring. I..m confident that they too will get the opportunities to have long and fulfilling careers in the game.