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February 28, 2007
Posted on 02/28/2007 in Australian cricket
In the Courier-Mail Robert Craddock talks to Craig McDermott, a World Cup winner in 1987, about tactics in the final overs.
"It's not an easy thing to bowl at the death ... you really have to try to bowl as full as you can at the stumps and also mix your pace up," McDermott said. "I know batsmen go harder at the ball these days, but I don't think the game has changed that much where, if you bowl full and at the stumps, batsmen are so good they can just flick a yorker for four on the leg side. There are a lot more fours and sixes hit today which suggests they are bowling the wrong length. If you bowl a length where the batsmen can get under you, you are going to go for runs."
Imran Khan is still saying Shane Warne should have come out of retirement for the World Cup.
February 27, 2007
Posted on 02/27/2007 in Australian cricket
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Australia missed Brett Lee in New Zealand
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The Australian's Peter Lalor talks to Bob Simpson and Bruce Reid, who say Australia’s current bowlers are delivering too many full balls.
"In New Zealand they were trying to bowl every ball a yorker, which basically left the batsman to get on the front foot or rock right back and turn it into a half-volley," Reid said. "If you had Brett Lee, who could come in and knock their head off, they'd have to be a good hooker to score, but without him you can use a good length ball or just get wide of the crease for the odd yorker."
Shaun Tait tells AAP Australia will be as strong as ever during the World Cup.
After Australia’s all-time greatest team was picked on Tuesday night, the Sydney Morning Herald’s blog The Tonk is looking for a deadbeat XI.
In The Age Chloe Saltau talks to John Davison, the Canada captain, about his side’s World Cup prospects.
February 26, 2007
Posted on 02/26/2007 in Australian cricket
Australia’s all-time one-day team is named in Sydney on Tuesday night and Darren Lehmann casts his votes in The Advertiser. Steve Waugh picked his outfit on Monday.
Imran Khan still believes Australia can win the World Cup. See why here.
Posted on 02/26/2007 in English cricket
While the World Cup is looming for the international teams it is almost pre-season time for the county sides around England. Many of them will be joined by a host of overseas players, arriving under various regulations involving passports, Kolpaks, great aunts and long-lost sisters. Jacques Rudolph is the latest big-name to leave behind international cricket for a county career while Saqlain Mushtaq has joined Sussex through his British wife. In The Times Christopher Martin-Jenkins says this is one of the areas the Schofield review needs to address.
Schofield’s team cannot claim that this is a matter beyond the brief they have been given by the ECB. The system that supplies England players has to be pertinent to the well-being of the national team. David Collier, the ECB chief executive, reports that no application from Yorkshire to register Rudolph has been received. He has written to the county to remind them of the conditions that must be fulfilled before a player from overseas can qualify.
Posted on 02/26/2007 in West Indies cricket
The BBC have an interesting chat with Leo Jones, 75, who came to England in the 1950s...and is going back to his homeland in the Caribbean to follow West Indies host the World Cup.
"This is the first time the World Cup has been played in the West Indies," he told BBC Berkshire's Louise Chandler. "If they do get another one, I won't be around. So I can't miss this one. You have to be there."
Leo grew up in cricket-mad Barbados with the sport all around him.
"My uncles used to take me to cricket to watch them play and when I was about 12 or 13, I used to pray for one of the men not to turn up - if they were one short I'd get a chance.
Computer graphic of Kensington Oval, Barbados
"Cricket was a talent God gave to me. We had no training or anything like that, you'd learn by watching the strokes the players made and trying to imitate them."
Posted on 02/26/2007 in World Cup 2007
The young Dutch allrounder, Alexei Kervezee, is regarded as a serious prospect by those in the know. At 17, he already has a Worcestershire contract and 10 ODIs under his belt, although with the World Cup approaching, his biggest tests are just around the corner, as The Melbourne Age found out when it spoke to his Australian-born coach, Peter Cantrell.
Asked by his coach to outline his goals for the tournament, Kervezee, who is known as Rowdy because he doesn't say much, did so by email. He began his letter by stating his primary goal, which was team-orientated: "At LEAST make it through to the second round, all we need to do is beat Scotland and either beat Australia or South Africa and we are through."
Posted on 02/26/2007 in New Zealand cricket
Three players from Taranaki were arrested yesterday following "a drunken rampage" in Napier.
Police were called just before 1.30am with reports a group of five men were causing chaos along Hastings Street and up Shakespeare Road after being refused entry to Rosie O'Grady's Irish Pub.
Senior Sergeant Mal Lochrie says officers caught up with the group in the suburb of Ahuriri after they had walked over Napier Hill. He says they threw and kicked rubbish around, ripped down signs, abused people, damaged letterboxes and shattered a parked car's windscreen with a tree branch.
Mr Lochrie says three cricketers, aged 18, 23 and 26, have been charged with disorderly behaviour. The Taranaki Mens A side was in town over the weekend, playing Hawke's Bay.
More at Auckland's Newstalk.
Posted on 02/26/2007 in Australian cricket
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Shane Watson
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Alex Brown, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, looks at the impact of Shane Watson and says it’s time for him to start showing he’s worthy of being the side’s allrounder.
Watson is one of the great paradoxes of cricket. On the one hand, he has been blessed with tremendous physical gifts; possessing the fast-twitch muscle fibres that enable him to fire down cricket balls at 145kmh, and the hand-eye coordination that led to a first-class double century. On the other, it is his body that has proved his greatest curse. Back, shoulder and hamstring problems are among the list of ailments to have sidelined him, all timed to inflict most harm to his career.
In the Courier-Mail Robert Craddock reports Australia has three of the six worst “death bowlers” in the world.
Steve Waugh picks his greatest Australia one-day side for News Ltd newspapers. The official line-up will be named in Sydney on Tuesday.
February 25, 2007
Posted on 02/25/2007 in World Cup 2007
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Another comeback attempt for Michael Vaughan
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Who's the current England captain? It could be a quiz question, but the answer is still Michael Vaughan. It has been been throughout the temporary spells of Andrew Flintoff and Andrew Strauss, but such has been Vaughan's list of injuries that he's hardly been seen on the field. He managed a handful of matches in Australia before limping home, but is now gearing up for his latest return on the biggest stage of them all - the World Cup. In an interview with Brian Viner at Lord's for The Independent on Sunday he talks about his battle for fitness, the doubts and his belief he can make his mark.
Around last August or September when the knee didn't seem to be progressing, I'd just been told that I was out of the Ashes series, and someone else told me that I might not play again, that was a real low moment. And a few weeks ago when this [latest injury to his left hamstring] happened, I admit I questioned whether it was all worth it. I thought maybe someone somewhere was trying to tell me to do something else.
In The Sunday Times, David Walsh meets another of England's senior figures, but one who has only just made his way into the team. At 36, Paul Nixon was a shock selection for the CB Series but his mixture of experience and verbals played their part in the tournament victory. But he's still pinching himself that next it's the World Cup.
England, of course, needed more from Nixon. Could he get under the skin of the Aussies: be the mosquito around their heads, always buzzing but never swatted? Once he got within talking distance of them, he was in his element. “I am not a sledger, I don’t do that. All I do is drip-feed negativity into a man’s brains. Whether you use physical stuff or technical stuff, you play with their minds.”
Posted on 02/25/2007 in English cricket
As England prepare to depart for the World Cup, back on home soil another vital part of the game's future will be taking shape in London. The review committee set up in the wake of the 5-0 Ashes whitewash has its first official meeting this week, although Ken Schofield has already spoken to various sources. Stephen Brenkley, from The Independent on Sunday, shares his thoughts on what the group need to find, and adds it's vital they do more than become a talking shop.
The root of the problems in Australia lay in the uneasy, mutually suspicious relationship between Fletcher and Graveney. It has been said before here and is worth repeating that they need their heads banging together. Otherwise they deserve firing.
February 24, 2007
Posted on 02/24/2007 in Australian cricket
Peter Roebuck meets John Duckett, the aboriginal cricketer who recovered from an alcohol problem and rebuilt his life, and comes back impressed. Click here to read the article at Sydney Morning Herald.
Duckett spent the years between 13 and 28 behind bars, or in them. Now he opens the batting for his state's Aboriginal team, earns an honest living and raises a family. It is the tale of the fall and rise of a resilient man ... He grew up around violence and trouble and booze and failure.
Posted on 02/24/2007 in New Zealand cricket
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'The quality we have just seen is superior to anything from the 1980s or my era - they are playing at a completely different level' - Adam Parore
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Adam Parore believes the rediscovered killer instinct will serve Black Caps well in the World Cup.
This is the most exciting group of talent I've seen for some time, and already among our better one-day outfits. The challenge is to move ahead, to reach a 60 to 70 per cent win ratio instead of settling for 45 per cent. The signs are good. The quality we have just seen is superior to anything from the 1980s or my era - they are playing at a completely different level. Keep it up, and they will be hard for anyone to beat.
Richard Boock is also in a optimistic mood. He presents 10 reasons to feel good about New Zealand's World Cup Campaign.
Rod Emmerson captures the upbeat mood in New Zealand with a cartoon. Check it out here.
February 23, 2007
Posted on 02/23/2007 in World Cup 2007
Harsha Bhogle, writing in the Indian Express, feels that Australia might bounce back strongly at the World Cup.
Australia have been a great side not just because they were the best but because they were also the toughest. The second of those qualities will now be tested. It will be folly to put them out of even your smallest short-list, for the opposition to assume that the wounds are too deep.
Posted on 02/23/2007 in Pakistan cricket
Neil Manthorp argues for the inclusion of the 'minnows' in the World Cup. His point? It helps in spreading the game and improves quality of cricket in these countries. How? Click here to read.
What does cricket want for itself in the future? To remain a game in which just eight teams can compete? It's not a very broadminded outlook.In order to grow the game in any country, money is required. And the easiest way to gather money in sport is to put it on television. So Ireland, Scotland, Holland and Bermuda can offer their sponsors television coverage and, consequently, command a far greater sum of cash.
... And for those who haven't noticed, the ICC has gone to a great deal of trouble and expense trying to make the minnow nations competitive and to guard against the humiliating thrashings which are so harmful to the image and reputation of the game.
Posted on 02/23/2007 in Australian cricket
Michael Horan says in the Herald Sun resting Australia’s players for Sunday’s domestic one-day final is another example of John Buchanan getting his own way.
In a move that smacks of damage control after the 3-0 whitewash in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series in New Zealand, the ban is the latest message to the cricket world that the coach and his selectors are in a state of panic.
First and foremost the players involved desperately want to play and to suggest a 50-overs-a-side match at domestic level is too great a risk to the physical and mental wellbeing of Hodge, Watson and company is, frankly, quite pathetic.
The Australian’s Peter Lalor also looks at the decision to prevent Brad Hodge, Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson from playing at the MCG.
Brendan McArdle, writing in The Age, joins the calls for Shane Warne to come back for the World Cup.
February 22, 2007
Posted on 02/22/2007 in Indian Cricket
Yuvraj Singh speaks to Times of India's Indranil Basu on his return from injury and World Cup preperations:
Even though I played a couple of club level matches, I could only test my fitness level in my first comeback game for India. Then again, in Kolkata, I had a slight niggle in my back and I went for a routine check-up. Fortunately, the scan report was okay. Now, I am completely fit.
Meanwhile Irfan Pathan, who's fitness is also in question, was confident of being completely fit before the World Cup. Read his interview with Press Trust of India here.
Posted on 02/22/2007 in New Zealand cricket
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Stephen Fleming leads the celebrations for New Zealand
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Richard Boock, like thousands of other New Zealanders can scarcely beleive the 3-0 whitewash of Australia, pinching themselves silly after a ten wicket romp and two delirious 336+ chases. Unable to take the shock, he requests that someone please tell the Kiwis to warn them in advance before pulling off such stunts.
You could imagine the bedlam outside the medical clinics yesterday morning as thousands of New Zealanders lined up to have their eyes tested.
"I think I just saw New Zealand beat Australia 3-0, doc."
"Really? Well, take two of these with a glass of water and everything should be fine in the morning."
Read the full piece in The New Zealand Herald.
February 21, 2007
Posted on 02/21/2007 in World Cup 2007
Michael Hussey believes scores of up to 400 could be needed to win the World Cup, writes Iain Payten in the Daily Telegraph.
"Maybe you look at scores of 340 on those grounds," Hussey says. "They are very small, the pitch is flat and with a fast outfield maybe 370, 380 or even 400 is a more realistic score. Probably 340 is only worth 280 on an Australian field."
Malcolm Conn says in The Australian the current crop of bowlers cannot win the World Cup.
Jonathan Millmow describes on stuff.co.nz the chaotic scenes after the second of the enormous run-chases.
Alex Brown writes in the Sydney Morning Herald Australia’s recent poor form will not damage the prospects of more lucrative series with India.
Payten also speaks to Nathan Bracken, the only bowler in all four of Australia’s highest failed defences.
Posted on 02/21/2007 in World Cup 2007
It's official ... World Cup fever has begun! At least in the eyes of the British tabloids, who have been awoken from their midwinter slumber by England's upturn in fortunes (and Australia's fall from grace). So, trust the Super Soaraway Sun to put a different spin on it with their World Cup Babes XI. Featuring Australia's Holly Valance, India's Shilpa Shetty, New Zealand's Rachel Hunter ... and, err, Keeley.
Posted on 02/21/2007 in Australian cricket
Ray Chesterton argues in the Daily Telegraph for Shane Warne to come out of retirement for the World Cup after Australia’s horrible Chappell-Hadlee Trophy campaign.
He would lift morale and sharpen the attack. He is the only option as Australia search for ways to make the team whole again. When Warne retired from representative cricket last month Australia had just regained the Ashes 5-0 and the future looked secure. Now it doesn't.
Robert Craddock comments on Australia’s shambles in the Courier-Mail.
In the New Zealand Herald Richard Boock rates Craig McMillan’s heroics.
February 19, 2007
Posted on 02/19/2007 in Australian cricket
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Another defeat, but there are no major problems for Australia
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In an interview with The Australian’s Malcolm Conn, the Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland says the team’s injuries were accidents, the match program is not too busy and some players need more games.
"For people to suggest that they're going to be overworked is just not right,” Sutherland said. “That's why coach John Buchanan is so relaxed at this stage. He knows that there is a long, long way to go. The World Cup final is ten weeks away. This is not the time for people to be concerned."
Peter Roebuck writes in the Sydney Morning Herald Australia’s chances of winning the World Cup have shrunk. “On this form Ricky Ponting's side will be lucky to reach the final.”
Iain Payten reports in the Daily Telegraph Australia’s embarrassment in New Zealand is complete after the home side rested Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori.
In the Herald Sun Peter Badel speaks to Shane Watson about the difficulties of being an allrounder.
Posted on 02/19/2007 in Australian cricket
Simon Barnes, in The Times, tries incredibly hard not to gloat about Australia's recent demise, but argues that, in the spirit of sporting upsets, he has a duty to take carried away by their losses.
Don’t expect the rest of us to be sad when the bully gets his comeuppance. Excellence always has a kind of beauty about it; authority may be admirable but it is seldom very lovable. So when the giant falls, it is necessary for the midgets to jump up and down on the body. This is a right and proper process, even if it is demeaning to the fallen champion and to the jumping gloaters
Posted on 02/19/2007 in Australian cricket
Alex Brown writes in the Sydney Morning Herald the Australians must admit to a few hard truths before the World Cup.
John Buchanan acknowledged that an extended losing streak entering the World Cup would be cause for concern. Now, then, is the time for action.
Jonathan Millmow writes on www.stuff.co.nz New Zealand have emerged as a genuine dark horse for the World Cup.
In the New Zealand Herald Richard Boock hails Ross Taylor.
Michael Hussey managed to keep a sense of humour despite the first series loss to New Zealand, according to Malcolm Conn in The Australian.
February 18, 2007
Posted on 02/18/2007 in English cricket
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Andrew Strauss: it's all about the belief
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Of all the England players returning after their CB Series victory, Andrew Strauss is the one senior figure under most pressure. The whole Australian tour brought just two half-centuries and with Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen set to return for the World Cup matches he could be fighting to keep his place. However, his first Sunday Telegraph column since arriving home doesn't dwell much on his personal performances, more on the belief shown by the England side to come back from nowhere and claim the trophy.
The feeling in the dressing room after the second final, where a combination of deadly swing bowling, and weather delays finished the Aussies off, was better than anything I have experienced in the game, barring the Ashes victory in 2005. Months of stress, turmoil, anger and frustration were washed away with those victories and the celebrations that followed. We now go on to the World Cup with our heads high and confidence flowing.
Posted on 02/18/2007 in Pakistan cricket
The World Cup is closer than round the corner and Pakistan are in disarray. Morale is down, players unfit, the doping issue still lurks, threatening to rear its head any moment; what better time than now, then, for a few words from the straightest of straight talkers, Rashid Latif, to put things in perspective? In a guest column for Dawn, Latif says that though it looks bad, all may not be lost just yet.
All this talk of World Cup ‘pressure’ is also getting to me now. What pressure are they talking about? In my opinion , all these people have fairly mixed-up notions about ‘pressure’ and ‘reality’. Pressure is what the poor people are facing for their survival, for their do-or-die efforts in trying to feed their families. There is no pressure in cricket compared to that. Yes, I know a victory in any big tournament can be tremendously difficult to pull off for any team or coach, even for those who are considered favourites. But that, in short, is their job; a reality that they know they will be facing in due course of time and they must prepare themselves well for it.
February 17, 2007
Posted on 02/17/2007 in World Cup 2007
Not six weeks after securing the first Ashes whitewash since 1921, Australia have lurched towards nothing less than a crisis of their own. They totter a single defeat away from losing their position at the top of the ICC one-day rankings and their prospects of retaining the World Cup are weaker than at any time in the past four years, writes Richard Hobson in The Times.
Posted on 02/17/2007 in Australian cricket
Stuart Clark showed some rare annoyance when he was left out of Australia's World Cup squad. In an interesting interview with Patrick Carlyon in the Sydney Morning Herald, Clark tries to convince us he is a typical, angry, wild fast bowler.
Clark goes against the type. He's not nutty, even if he claims to have a temper. His evidence is weak, buried in hazy tales of red cards on soccer fields as a teenager, or snippets of on-field abuse that fellow players cannot recall. He says he can unleash a rage that "just comes flying out", but no one seems to have witnessed it.
February 16, 2007
Posted on 02/16/2007 in Australian cricket
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Is it the team or the tournament to blame?
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It's not such a bed of roses for Australia's cricketers now. Four defeats in five matches and a succession of untimely injuries have put their World Cup preparations under the skids. But Malcolm Conn, the chief correspondent of The Australian, has no doubt where the blame lies.
The national team that turned out in cold and windy Wellington yesterday was an Australian XI, not the Australia XI, further damaging the credibility of a tournament that has obviously become surplus to requirements in a hopelessly crowded summer program
In the same newspaper, Matt Price is equally scathing of the merits of the one-day circus.
Now we're blessed with another hideously inconsequential one-day vaudeville act in New Zealand - although yesterday's result was a cracker - followed by a bunch of stunning World Cup preliminaries against giants such as Scotland and The Netherlands. The grind has become so relentless champion players are compelled to rest, either through injury or exhaustion. Some time around mid-winter there'll be a half-interesting final which most sensible people will have forgotten within a fortnight
Elsewhere, other Australian journalists have averted their gaze - not least Peter Roebuck in The Sydney Morning Herald, who preferred a trip to Alice Springs.
Posted on 02/16/2007 in English cricket
Simon Jones has almost had as many injuries as he's played Tests, but after another lengthy period on the sidelines he is targeting his latest return - for Glamorgan and England. He has been pounding the sand dunes on the Wales coastline after knee surgery by Richard Steadman in America. But he is realistic about the coming months as he tells Steve James in The Guardian.
Many feared his latest setback might spell a premature end to a career that had reached a world-class level all too briefly. "That never crossed my mind. Steadman always said that I had a great chance of playing again," says Jones, "I went back to see him in October and he went inside again and was very happy with how it was coming along. I don't even have to see him again."
Posted on 02/16/2007 in ICC
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Robin Marlar watches MCC take on United Beijing during the London club's first tour of China
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| Matthew Pryor in The Times take a look at the reality behind stories that cricket is about to take off in China:-
Thus far, many of the clichéd reports of cricket gripping the Chinese have been just that — the truth has been much more fragile. But as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and there has been genuine movement in the past two years.
Malcom Speed, never a man to miss an opportunity for massive new markets for the game has his own thoughts.
“There’s been a very good start in China …this is a ten-year project and no one should be under any illusion that results will appear overnight.”
But Robin Marlar, who as president of MCC led a club tour there last year, makes clear that the state, as with most walks of life, is in control and wants to remain that way.
“The Chinese Government want to keep the two streams apart. For them it is politically essential. They want it to become their game, not an expat game.”
And, Marlar asked, what about the lack of coaches?
“They [the Chinese officials] said, ‘Don’t worry, we will take them into camp for three months’ and when I pressed the point they said it may well be six months. That is how they launched table tennis and swimming, in which they now excel. They just did it. The potential is enormous.”
Posted on 02/16/2007 in English cricket
Charles Randall, writing in The Daily Telegraph, interviews Peter Moores, the England A coach touted by many to be the successor to Duncan Fletcher. Moores, who is with the A side in Bangladesh, said that he was concentrating on the job in hand and not speculation.
"I ignore what I read and hear in the media … I'm just really pleased that England have done well for everybody in the last bit of their Australian tour. At the moment my job is very clear - that's to support Duncan in everything we do, and that's what I'll continue to do."
Posted on 02/16/2007 in Indian Cricket
Harsha Bhogle reckons that now it is up to Sehwag to respond to the backing of his skipper by displaying his attitude.
"India’s selectors have ... allowed Dravid his instinct and his comfort level. Now it is up to Sehwag to respond by displaying his attitude. He may not always have control over his form but his attitude is his own. And he has been around long enough to know that in cricket, as in all sport and indeed in life, attitude always trounces ability.
Calling the coach at 6.30 and offering a dismissive reply for not turning up is a symptom of a much deeper illness. As I have said many, many times, a lot of our young cricketers need benevolent, but firm, elder brothers who will gently pull them away from the lure of the simple and the dangerous."
Posted on 02/16/2007 in Indian Cricket
R Mohan pitches in on the Dravid v manager issue in the Deccan Chronicle.
The fact is any skipper would have been annoyed at the kind of exposes of team matters by officials wishing to be in the spotlight. Funnily enough, the report was leaked to the media and the BCCI sought an explanation from the captain for his outburst instead of finding out how the matter came to be splashed in the media.
Considering how only three people could have had access to that report before it reached the president, it would seem a simple enough investigation could have been carried out about where the leak occurred. For, after all, who but the writer of the report, the board secretary and the executive secretary could have had a copy of the manager’s tour report?
Click here to read on.
Posted on 02/16/2007 in Australian cricket
The busy one-day international calendar comes in for criticism from Malcolm Conn, who in The Australian describes the timing of the “seemingly unwanted” Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series as folly, especially in the wake of Brett Lee’s ankle injury.
Brett Lee is shaping as an innocent victim of greed and incompetence by cricket administrators worldwide who are determined to strangle the golden goose that is one-day cricket.
In the Herald Sun, Ben Dorries speaks to former players who believe Adam Gilchrist should move down the order in limited-overs matches.
And for all those who wondered what Steve Waugh is up to these days, check out this story about his upcoming role at the Beijing Olympics.
February 15, 2007
Posted on 02/15/2007 in Ashes
Ted Corbett lets rip in Sportstar. Click here to read the tour diary.
I hear a claim that the old cry about "whinging Poms" — who are supposedly always complaining about some slight, mishap or wrong — no longer comes readily to Australian lips. Perhaps the Aussies are now the bigger whingers. They spent most of this warm summer telling us that they want to see more fight from the England side but when the Poms not only put up a fight but win a match there is a complaint that Aussie fans did not pay $50 a ticket to see their side lose, particularly when their favourite player Brett Lee is left out of the team. Now that is whinging; and in my opinion no-one whinges better than a defeated Australian.
Posted on 02/15/2007 in Indian Cricket
Navjot Singh Sidhu's role as a jester doesn't have political implications, feels Diptosh Majumdar.
He has not matured into a man married to politics and electioneering in a way an aspiring, full-time politician would have. Sidhu still stands on the peripheries, playing to the gallery, importing elements from the world of showbiz and firing up the political imagination with tidbits conceived for the Laughter Challenge show. Sidhu has retained his impulsive nature, is a shade impetuous and can, sometimes, be very unpredictable. These are not traits of an experienced, street-smart politician. ... But the BJP believes in him.
Posted on 02/15/2007 in Indian Cricket
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This was the 37th Ranji Trophy win for Mumbai
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Nandakumar Marar, in the Sportstar, charts the fall and the rise of Mumbai in Ranji Trophy this year.
Mumbai conceded first innings lead to Bengal, was forced to follow-on for the first time and returned home scarred and empty-handed from Eden Gardens. Punjab and Hyderabad proved to be tough opposition, too, leaving the title-holder staring at relegation in the Super League.
For the two new people at the helm, Praveen Amre (debut season as Ranji coach) and captain Amol Muzumdar (given charge for the first time for a full season) the turnaround after the trauma was what mattered. "People may have wondered what was wrong with Mumbai cricket at one stage, three games and no points," recollected Amre, about those nightmarish days. "This was a special team which then won five matches outright in a row. There were areas of concern, but the selectors backed the players who responded superbly."
February 14, 2007
Posted on 02/14/2007 in World Cup 2007
The Age carries a report from the Los Angeles Times saying the World Cup preparations are behind schedule.
Jamaica is not ready for its close-up. As host of the cup's opening ceremony in Trelawny on March 11 and semi-finals in late April, Jamaica is probably the most laggard of the Caribbean venues. None is said to be fully ready for the most logistically challenging and costly cricket tournament ever staged: 67 matches spread over 54 days at 12 venues.
In the Sydney Morning Herald Alex Brown reports Stuart Clark could link up with Shane Warne at Hampshire.
“The chance to play with Warney again would be fantastic," Clark said. "I have really enjoyed the few opportunities I have had to bowl with him in the past, and to get the chance to do that again would be great.”
Andrew Ramsey reports on Clark’s World Cup omission in The Australian.
February 13, 2007
Posted on 02/13/2007 in Australian cricket
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Ricky Ponting: Glenn McGrath still has plenty to offer
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Ricky Ponting writes in his column in The Australian Glenn McGrath is vital to the World Cup campaign.
It's particularly unfair to single out McGrath just because he happens to be the oldest member of the team and is retiring after the World Cup. His know-how, ability and experience are all very important factors we will be relying on heavily during the World Cup.
McGrath has been a great player for a long time and was an integral part of our World Cup triumphs in 1999 and 2003. I think he will play every game during the two-month tournament if his body stands up, and I'm pretty sure it will.
McGrath told Sydney radio he let thoughts of his upcoming retirement affect him during the first final.
In The Australian Malcolm Conn writes the selectors should be congratulated for picking Shaun Tait ahead of Stuart Clark.
Robert Craddock says in the Herald Sun the squad is “about the best they could do”.
Posted on 02/13/2007 in English cricket
Last week, David Graveney, England's chairman of selectors, suggested that the British media owed Duncan Fletcher an apology for the nasty things that had been said about him during the tour of Australia. The Times chief sports writer, Simon Barnes, takes a deep breath and tries very, very hard to be sincere.
I admit that I felt that England losing the Ashes series 5-0 was a poor result. But now, thanks to Mr Graveney, I realise that I attached too much importance to the competition. The fact that the Ashes lit up the entire country in the glorious summer of 2005 had gone to my head; likewise, the fact that the Ashes 2006-07 was the most eagerly awaited Test series in history
Posted on 02/13/2007 in Indian Cricket
Reactions have come in from cricketers and media on the Indian squad for the World Cup. We sample a few here.
Ravi Shastri reckons it is a good pick and warns India to be ready for changing tracks. However, he believes Ramesh Powar has been extremely unlucky.
It is easy to get riled by his weight or his supposed indifference to fitness drills, but his ability to take wickets is beyond doubt. He is the kind of bowler who can get you the wickets in the middle overs. His variety and loop entice batsmen who, anyway, are uncomfortable playing him defensively. He brings them out of their comfort zone, which is the essence of a good bowler.
Bobilli Vijay Kumar, of Times of India, believes fielding is the Achilles heel of India.
The outfield will be manned by heavy legs and weak arms. Tendulkar, Agarkar, Pathan and, to an extent, Harbhajan Singh are effective without really being sensational. But almost all the others will have to be hidden in dark corners or used as scarecrows. At least the catching has improved, thanks to hours and months of hard work.
Kunal Pradhan, of Mumbai Mirror, ponders on the methodology of selection.
The reason why these 15 have been picked is simple: We left things till too late because we kept tom-tomming ridiculous policies, and now the selectors were trapped into picking the side that played the last ODI, even if the team lost rather insipidly in Rajkot on Sunday ... But if India actually manage to do well in the World Cup, it will be because of some stunning individual performances. It will not be a victory of the system, the so-called process has already been dismantled — now we’re making the ‘best of our limited resources’.
No surprises, no options either, says S Ram Mahesh, of the Hindu.
K Shrinivas Rao, of the Indian Express, reflects on the curious case of 2 stars - VVS Laxman and Ajit Agarkar. He spoke to the two on their contribution over the years.
February 12, 2007
Posted on 02/12/2007 in Australian cricket
Australia’s CB Series loss was, in some ways, understandable given the hectic schedule they had endured, according to Peter Roebuck in The Age.
Against all expectations, the host ended the one-day series confused about the make-up of its best side. Suddenly, the squad looked unbalanced and flat. David Hussey, Shaun Tait, Brad Haddin and Ben Hilfenhaus could have spruced up things up, but it was too late for that.
Steve Waugh, in his column for News Ltd newspapers, said there were a number of reasons England fought back.
There is no greater way to ignite the opposition than to belittle them in the press and Australian coach John Buchanan bemoaned the fact his team wasn't getting a decent game and hence jeopardising its preparation for the World Cup.
Posted on 02/12/2007 in Indian Cricket
In a candid chat with the Hindustan Times' Varun Gupta, Gautam Gambhir admits that he was insecure about his place in the Indian side.
In the same paper, Rachana Shetty catches up with Indian cricket's bright young star, Cheteshwar Pujara and quizzes him about his targets.
Posted on 02/12/2007 in Australian cricket
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Should Andrew Flintoff remain captain?
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Christopher Martin-Jenkins writes in The Times that England need to maintain their perspective after their surprising CB Series win against Australia.
For England to have their best chance of maintaining their recent momentum when they start their campaign in the Caribbean, Michael Vaughan has to be restored as captain.
That is not a view shared by Mike Selvey in his blog for The Guardian.
To select Vaughan would go against all the benchmarks for proving form and fitness that have been set over the years. Were the selectors a little more pragmatic, they would save Vaughan for the summer.
According to Andrew Ramsey in The Australian, Liam Plunkett was the man who revived England’s flagging tour.
When England hands out MBEs for its stunning tri-series turnaround, the person who alerted the team hierarchy that Liam Plunkett was in the touring party should be at the head of the queue.
Alex Brown, in the Sydney Morning Herald, argues there is one player who has made all the difference – through his absence.
Australia's losses to England have coincided with the long-term biceps injury to Andrew Symonds. Without his power and versatility, the Australian line-up suddenly appears unbalanced, unsettled and unsure of itself.
And also in The Sydney Morning Herald, Peter Roebuck ponders the astonishing transformation of England's fortunes, on a tour "that started in a tunnel of wretchedness has ended in a sudden blaze of glory."
At times, it is almost impossible to pinpoint the precise moment the turnaround began. Certainly, the teams have not undergone any radical rethink. England fielded much the same outfit that for several months has been battered and beaten, though not, as it has turned out, into submission
Perhaps the last word, however, should go to The Sun, who declared in a banner headline on the back page of their sports section: "Our trophy's bigger than yours!"
Forget that piddly little Ashes urn — England landed the big one yesterday with their third straight win over Australia.Okay, so England lost the historic little Ashes urn, but at least they have the mighty new Commonwealth Bank Series lump of silver
February 11, 2007
Posted on 02/11/2007 in English cricket
England have managed to win the CB Series without their main batsman, Kevin Pietersen, but he will be back for the World Cup. Since leaving the tour with a broken rib he's been back in London and spotted a number of celeb hot-spots with Jessica Taylor, his fiancé. There were rumours that he may have flown back out to Australia for the finals, but remained back in London. Paul Kimmage, from the Sunday Times, caught up with him and in the interview Pietersen reveals what it was like being beaten 5-0 in the Ashes...among other things.
You drive to the ground and you’ve all these Aussies swearing, ‘Five-nil’ at you. You get to the one-dayers and the first sign you see at the Twenty20 game is ‘Six-nil’. Mentally it just kills you, it really finishes you off. Somebody just has to tip at you, and if you’ve had a bad day, well . . . and to be fair, we didn’t have many good days, so it was hard, really hard
Posted on 02/11/2007 in Miscellaneous
Next month's World Cup in the West Indies will be the most thoroughly policed cricket tournament ever staged, writes Scyld Berry in the Sunday Telegraph.
Posted on 02/11/2007 in World Cup 2007
Regardless of the injury concerns that surround him, Michael Vaughan has to be England's captain for the World Cup, writes Michael Atherton in The Sunday Telegraph, because he brings a calmness to the team that has been absent all winter.
The first thing [Vaughan] said publicly was "sorry", a message repeated by Duncan Fletcher in the aftermath of England's lowest point of the tour, the defeat in Adelaide on Australia Day. No matter that the coach had to be cajoled to do the interview in the first place, and be advised to apologise: it was good advice, well taken. It suggested that England had begun to confront their problems and that they were taking a more honest look at themselves - the first stage in any recovery, as any addict will tell you.
In the same paper, Scyld Berry writes that England's late-blooming one-day side should be selected en masse for the World Cup, when the squad is announced on Wednesday.
Whereas only a handful of players were guaranteed a place a fortnight ago, all the players involved in England's winning streak will be selected. Bouncing back after the drubbing they received in the Test series, and the first half of the one-day series, has been a commendable achievement which reflects most creditably on their team-spirit, work ethic and, not least, their coach Duncan Fletcher
Posted on 02/11/2007 in Australian cricket
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Australia's chances slip through Glenn McGrath's fingers
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When Glenn McGrath dropped Ian Bell at Melbourne on Friday he probably cost Australia the match, a fact he admits in his column in the Sunday Telegraph.
I can't explain what happened, even after looking at the replay a few times. I was in position, I had a great view of the ball and watched it all the way. I've probably taken more than 1000 catches at training and plenty in games that have been no harder than that catch was the other night.
That spill was enough for the critics to pounce. Robert Craddock writes in the same paper that McGrath will go to the World Cup but will have to fight for his place in the starting 11.
Ricky Ponting wants all players to be shining in at least two of the three skills - batting, bowling and fielding - and McGrath, at 37, will struggle to tick two boxes because he is not the fieldsman he was.
In the Sun-Herald, Will Swanton speaks to Michael Slater about McGrath’s chances of World Cup glory.
"I just don't think you can fit Stuey [Clark] and Glenn in the same squad," Slater said. "I might be tempted to go for Stuey. Shaun Tait has to be in there - he's lethal and can rip through the tailenders. I'd have Stuey and Shaun in there together and, if that happens, you can't fit in Glenn."
February 10, 2007
Posted on 02/10/2007 in New Zealand cricket
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Stephen Fleming: under the scanner after New Zealand's poor display in the CB Series
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| With New Zealand having lost seven of their last nine one-day internationals, calls are on in the media to try out a new captain. Adam Parore, the former wicketkeeper, says in The New Zealand Herald that it's time for a change.
Never has he [Fleming] looked more comfortable with losing than after the match against England. He admitted that he had no idea why the Black Caps kept losing, only that he thought they were playing quite good cricket. Even more alarming was the admission that he had no clue as to how he could get his team to win again.
However, Fleming still has his supporters. Richard Boock, writing in the same paper, suggests it's nonsensical to call for Fleming's head.
If you studied Fleming's leadership effort during the tri-series, you could make a case that he's never been quite so daring or spontaneous; starting with his field placements for key opposition batsmen, his bowling combinations and his manipulation of the power-plays.
Posted on 02/10/2007 in Australian cricket
A common theme in Australia’s Saturday papers was the disappointing MCG crowd of just over 38,000 for the first CB Series final, and what that means for the tri-series concept. Andrew Ramsey writes in The Australian the series has had its time.
The simple truth is that the torturous tri-series drags on for at least two weeks too long, and by the time cricket promoters try to manufacture a climax the game's supporters are tuning out because in their minds the cricket season is over.
Greg Baum, in The Age, discusses the causes of the gradual decline in crowds.
Some of the reasons are self-evident. Shane Warne has retired. Since the reformatting of the Australian season, the triangular finals have fallen outside the school holidays. Last night, many young enthusiasts, back in their schooldays routine, were playing cricket instead of watching it (which can be no bad thing).
In his preview to Friday’s game, Ron Reed in the Herald Sun predicted the disappointing supporter base.
Can this really still be the same tour that was being described for months in advance as the most keenly anticipated in memory? It's been going just over three months and is starting to feel like an eternity.
Posted on 02/10/2007 in Australian cricket
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Tim Nielsen hopes to develop Australia's younger players
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“Tim who?” was a common response when Australia announced their new coach on Monday. Anyone wanting to find out more about Tim Nielsen would do well to read Trevor Marshallsea’s interview with the new coach in the Sydney Morning Herald, where Nielsen admits, among other things, he’d prefer to take over a dominant side rather than having to build up a struggling team.
"Some players prefer it if you say: 'Look, you're playing like a busted arse - sort it out.' Others might dig their heels in, so you've got to go away and think of a softer approach, like writing them a note or dropping them some video. The people management side of it is something I enjoy."
In the same paper, Alex Brown speaks to Glenn McGrath’s first state coach, Steve Rixon, in the lead-up to McGrath’s last ODI at his home ground at Sydney on Sunday.
Rixon fondly remembers McGrath's first season with the Blues, beginning with five wickets on debut against a Tasmanian side that boasted a teenager called Ricky Ponting. Adam Gilchrist also made his first-class debut in that match, which featured Australia's current bowling coach, Troy Cooley, as 12th man for the Tigers and national selector Jamie Cox batting first drop.
February 9, 2007
Posted on 02/09/2007 in New Zealand cricket
"Surprisingly there are many encouraging aspects to emerge from the debris of New Zealand's tri-series campaign, an effort that started with a meek loss to Australia and ended with a meek loss to England, up until that point the laughing stock of the cricketing world," writes Richard Boock in The New Zealand Herald.
For starters, there was the excellent impression made by new paceman Mark Gillespie, then there was batsman Lou Vincent, who was injected into the side like a dose of adrenalin and who could forget Jacob Oram's feats at Adelaide and Perth, when he awoke a previously near catatonic Australian public with a hitting blitz that had respected commentators comparing him with Ian Botham and Viv Richards.
February 8, 2007
Posted on 02/08/2007 in Bangladesh cricket
Bangladesh's Daily Star carries a report of a remarkable match in which players were chased by spectators and beaten up, the stumps were stolen and the riot police were summoned to restore order. Even then the umpires had to search to find the hiding fielders, one eventually being hauled out from under the covers.
Perhaps the most worrying thing was the casual note by the paper:-
In the last decade, such happenings are not rare as it is quite 'honourable' for clubs to threaten or physically beat up their opponents, own players or the umpires if the match did not go according to their wish.
The Bangladesh board has launched an investigation.
Posted on 02/08/2007 in Indian Cricket
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Manoj Tiwary's in the news - both on and off the field
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February 2007 is a good time to be Manoj Tiwary, Bengal's bright-young-thing this season. Things got even better when he was called up to join the Indian squad as cover for the first ODI at Kolkata thanks to a spate of injuries. The news of his selection wasn't short of drama and utter confusion.
He was asked to report at the team hotel, but on arrival was told that there was no room earmarked in his name. As Manoj waited anxiously in the lobby, the excitement in his eyes was not to be missed. The 21-year-old then spoke to Mukherjee who asked him to come to the Eden. He was told that he would stay at home and report straight to the ground.
Read the amusing story in The Telegraph.
Posted on 02/08/2007 in Australian cricket
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