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September 20, 2006
Thommo's helping hand
Posted by Dileep_Premachandran on 09/20/2006 in DLF Cup
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Could Jeff Thomson sort out Irfan Pathan's woes
© Cricinfo Ltd
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Even as his team-mates walked back to the pavilion to get changed for the game ahead, Irfan Pathan remained on the field, bowling at one stump. After more than two years of being India's first choice new-ball bowler, he now faces the arduous task of regaining the team management's confidence, after a succession of insipid displays with the ball.
Greg Chappell, who has never shied away from expressing his faith in Pathan's allround ability, stood a couple of paces back and watched, and there was another interested onlooker. Jeff Thomson bowled a fair few miles quicker than Pathan in his '70s heyday, and was one half of a duo - a certain DK Lillee was the other - that decimated even West Indies at their peak. Chappell captained that legendary side, and had little hesitation in calling on Thommo's services with his pace bowlers struggling for rhythm and accuracy.
Thomson had words with Munaf Patel and Sreesanth, but concentrated most of his efforts on Pathan, even standing halfway down the pitch to see how the ball was coming out of the hand. The position of the leading arm was analysed, as was the timing of release, and Pathan appeared to be listening intently during a session that lasted close to an hour.
Continue reading "Thommo's helping hand"
September 14, 2006
A realtor's instinct to swing it
Posted by Dileep_Premachandran on 09/14/2006 in DLF Cup
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With his height and accuracy Clark bowls right out of the McGrath manual
© Getty Images
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Down the years, the stereotypical Australian cricketer has been characterised as a hard-drinking, foul-mouthed bully. Such a perception is grossly unfair to many, and when you come across Stuart Clark, it's easy to see why such labels are half-baked and dangerously inaccurate. Clark is affable and soft-spoken, and in a suit, he would have no difficulty passing for the real-estate agent that he once was.
He also has one of the more intriguing nicknames in the game, Sarfraz, after Pakistan's reverse-swing king of the 1970s, and India will be hoping that he doesn't replicate the mustachioed wonder's performances if they face him on Saturday. In five one-day matches against India, the original had taken eight wickets at 15.50 and caused quite a ruckus with
short-pitched bowling that prompted India to concede a game at Sahiwal in 1978-79.
Continue reading "A realtor's instinct to swing it"
September 13, 2006
Not quite the home of cricket
Posted by Dileep_Premachandran on 09/13/2006 in DLF Cup
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Bowling tips from the versatile Sachin Tendulkar during the team's practice session
© AFP
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Imagine a cabbie in Melbourne not knowing how to get to the MCG, or his
counterpart in New York staring at you blankly when you ask to go to
Yankee Stadium. You can't. But in Kuala Lumpur, where cricket really isn't
part of the nation's sporting psyche, blank looks are usually what you get
when you get in and ask to be taken to the Kinrara Oval. Located in the
suburb of Puchong, it's more than a half-hour drive from the city's
commercial hub, and exact directions and a gaze or two at the road map are
necessary before you can head off in the right direction.
Along the way, you pass the National Stadium at Bukit Jalil, a magnificent
structure that seats 100,000 which hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1998.
And nearer the airport is another sporting venue that Malaysians are
immensely proud of - the Formula-One circuit at Sepang. As my cabbie tells me
earnestly, cricket doesn't really register here. The main newspapers have
opted for agency coverage of these matches, and the lack of interest was
evident as West Indies and Australia played out the opening game in front
of empty plastic seats and upholstered chairs.
Continue reading "Not quite the home of cricket"
September 12, 2006
Welcoming Kinrara
Posted by Dileep_Premachandran on 09/12/2006 in DLF Cup
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The Kinrara Academy Oval embraces the one-day razzmatazz
© Dileep Premachandran
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Flanked by a mosque on one side and the highway on the other, the
picturesque Kinrara Oval is a welcome addition to the many venues that dot
modern-day cricket's landscape. After the space-age Sheik Zayed Stadium in
Abu Dhabi and the lovely Warner Park in Basseterre, it's Kinrara's turn to
bask in the debutante's spotlight. Unlike many of its utterly soulless
concrete counterparts, its gives off an impression of space and light,
surrounded by trees and with a few mini-pagoda-like constructions that
resemble the stands named after the Chappell brothers at the Adelaide
Oval.
The Adelaide connection doesn't quite end there either. Les Burdett, the
curator in Adelaide, has been entrusted with preparation of the pitches
here, and apart from the dodgy bounce that dismissed Ricky Ponting, he has
every reason to be pleased with his efforts. With the players seated on
plastic chairs beneath picnic umbrellas, the impression of a laid-back
outing in the country is further reinforced. The only thing that isn't
idyllic is the afternoon heat, and the humidity that makes you imagine
that you're locked into a sauna.
Continue reading "Welcoming Kinrara"
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