Steve Bucknor...

...clearly needs to retire. But he must be working on in the strenuous role as the Umpire - perhaps because he needs to earn more to build a retirement home. I suggest the Indian Government and the BCCI should do the noble thing and provide the poor man with a retirement home in a scenic location. I would suggest that the Kashmir Valley - a few metres off the LOC would be a perfect place for the same. The view would be great and even though the sound pollution would be huge - hearing has always been Bucknor's problem - so that would not affect him.

Your "Buck" "Nor" your might ...

The easiest option ofcourse is to log in a complaint against Bucknor. However one doubts what effect that will have for in 2003-04 Ganguly had given him a very negative report - both for the atrocious decisions in that Sydney Test and for mimicking Rahul Dravid - rather taunting him as a ball tamperer. Nothing came out of that. And why go that far back in time - just rewind to the World Cup in 2007 in West Indies and remember the farce that was played out by the umpires - Mr Steve "Blind and Deaf" Bucknor was the lead actor there as well. The punishment? A free vacation during the T20 World Cup. So the worst that the ICC will do is prevent him standing in 2011 World Cup - by which time hopefully his knees will have given way anyway

The other option is to protest through a walkout or a forfeit. Barely the best possible solution - this will very easily turn the "public opinion" against India all over the world. Something Pawar will definitely not risk with him slated to be the ICC Chairman in 2009. Besides it may paint us as unsporting - even if in the face of disgusting umpiring and hypocrisy from the Aussie players. Given Kumble's rep - i doubt he will be in favour of pulling out completely. Maybe Ganguly as captain might have considered it - if it was to be Gavaskar - well history speaks for itself.

If we send a B-grade team it will have to be the BCCI's call. It means that they risk future income from series - where if umpiring goes wrong - you find lesser players playing in the series. No one really wants to watch it - it sets a precedent which can be used against the BCCI in future negotiations and given that greed is a word that can loosely be attached to the BCCI - the safe money is on the fact that they will do nothing of that sort.

If the players speak out - they will be banned for matches. Their comments will be deemed racist ?

So the only way out seems for the Indians to cop it - grin - and be laughed at by the Aussie Media unless Pawar decides to take revenge for the shove by Ponting but for a politician it seems the last way out. And probably is where we will miss Dalmiya

2nd January

We seem to have made a habit of playing extremely important test matches on the 2nd January.

In 2004 - we were playing at Sydney with the chance to knock Australia and very rudely gatecrash Steve Waugh's farewell party. Unfortunately he was there himself to guard the gates along with Bucknor and Parthiv and we were foiled. Nevertheless it was a glorious series

In 2007 - we were playing South Africa - again on the brink of history - we could have won our first series there and everything about the first day's play indicated that we were on our way. But then we aint Indian Cricket for nothing

And now in 2008 - we play arguably the most important test match for International Cricket (no not just for Indian Cricket) but for International Cricket. For over the last few years - only the Indian team has threatened the Aussies ever so consistently. And this is by far the most suited batting lineup for an upset. If we win this test we continue to be alive in the series and we make cricket interesting - very interesting.

Sydney has always been our best chance of winning a test in Australia. Now if only the batsmen were to wakeup and insist on batting in their favoured positions we might have a match on our hands

And then it was history - 2007

Topsy turvy. Crazy. Full circle.

I think the year for Indian Cricket can be termed with those 3 words.

We started the year with hope - going into a 2nd January match against South Africa - the series level at 1-1. A chance to win the series at Capetown and create history. We fell short and then we wondered if it was indeed time to say a final Goodbye to that icon SRT? Meanwhile Ganguly had quietly and steadily made his entry into the team.

We went back to India - low on confidence but with the chance to bounce back against the Windies. And we did so in style - raising hopes again that all was not indeed lost for the World Cup. We took what looked like a good team but a coach who was definitely off his rocker. SRT had bounced back as had Ganguly and Dravid was now looking every inch a winnning captain.

The World Cup - the holy grail of cricket - ruined by the ICC and some insane batting against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Sachin at 4?? Whose mad idea was that anyway? A first round exit. Everyone was wondering about the quickest way to get rid of the "Old Gang" - the deadwood as they were called. There was outrage at home as always, a baying for blood, a call for heads to roll.

And then there was the tour to Bangladesh - a young team was supposedly sent there - however how a 30yr old Dinesh Mongia qualifies as young is anybody's guess. SRT and Dada were rested - an euphemism for dropped? Dravid retained as captain. Then there were the tests where the stalwarts came back and played like stalwarts.

It was onwards to England to play the tests. A weather saved test at Lords and then some purposeful batting by the oldies - the series was won and the fallen heroes were restored to some part of their glory. The ODI series might have not been won but again the oldies showed their mettle with youngsters like Uthappa shining it too and things were merry again. The captain - the Wall was well and truly shining

Onward to South Africa to play the World Cup for the shortest version of the game - a new captain was announced and a completely young team. Nothing expected from them - but they pulled off the proverbial rabbit from the hat and went on to win the whole damn thing. One WC lost miserably - another was won gloriously. And then there were new heroes - yet again there was a call to lay to rest the older ones. Who needed deadwood when you had world beating polished plywood?

Then the Kangaroos came home - the old captain had put in his papers and soon enough he was out of the team. Yet the other 2 oldies held on - teaching the others a thing or two about batsmanship. SRT was apparently back to the golden ages they said. And Dada - the most fantastic comeback there ever could be had been scripted.

Bring on the Pakis - Batter the Pakis. An old captain - the old guard firing - the young brigade knocking and Australia was beckoning.

A loss not withstanding - this year has been a topsyturvy one for India. Win lose Win lose. Its been crazy - we have seen 3 captains in the year. We have seen our best batsman dropped unceremoniously. And life has come a full circle. Its Dada and SRT opening yet again - and gloriously. We have a 37 year old spinner at the helm.

The more things have changed the more they have remained the same

Sales and a Run Chase

They say that sales gives you stories to tell people if nothing else - as does cricket but that not where the similarities end.

For one Sales and a difficult run chase are pretty much very similar. By difficult run chase i do not neccessarily mean that 434 run chase - as in not always a high figure but also tricky lower run chases on tough pitches like say this one.

In both sales and a run chase you have a target to achieve and both seem really really tough to begin with. As with sales, in run chases if the team believes that the target is unachievable then chances are that it will not be met no matter what. So the captain needs to bring the team together in the mid inning break or a meeting and convince them all that they can in fact do it

In a run chase - you will want one of your best players to play a huge knock and have the others supporting him through the innings - ideally we would want a couple of partnerships to take us along like this maybe?. In sales too - one would want schemes on the top selling packs and everyone would ensure that those key packs sell as per plan - while all the others chip in to ensure a final victorious result

Sometimes runchases are like these (we did not win this - but it was more than a win for most of us - technicalities be damned) where one member of the team fires big time and the rest cup badly - but this player has ensured that his match winning knock covers up for the shortfall created by the failure of others resulting in eventual victory. However some run chases have every player of the team firing and playing their part in the win - "Teamwork" as they call it.

Sales then cant be too different can it? Sometimes some territories fall short of their targets - but someone else over achieves to ensure that the overall team target is met and hence the celebrations can begin. On some other occassions everyone does their targets leading to a 100% plus over all achievement - the celebrations start either ways.

Often in a run chase - the team falls short of the target inspite of someone putting in an awesome performance. So he gets the man of the match award inspite of his team losing. Just like in sales where the high performers walk off with their incentive even if the team has failed.

Many a great players have been asked about great run chases - Most concur that if they wickets in hand for the final 10 overs then they can go out and blast out the runs needed to win. So they would say that we can make 90 in the last 10 - so basically by 40 overs we need to be at N-90 to be comfortable for the win. In sales too the last day sales account for a lot - a common blitzkreig at the end.

But then again "well begun is half done". Here similar but differences crop up. While in Cricket you need an assault at the top in the first 15 - in Sales you just need to ensure that you dont have to play a huge catchup at the end - here its more about keeping the wickets in hand rather than pinch hitting. Ofcourse if you happen to indulge in some clean hitting - it is always welcomed :)

And as in cricket in sales - Success breeds Success.

So there - finally i have linked my job and my passion together !


Credits: Thanks to Sid (aka 123 Kid) for searching the links of matches i asked for

Time

Time tommorrow for a lot of people to prove a lot of points...

1. Dravid to slap those bloodsucking fools aka fans with a big ton

2. Jaffer to prove that he can play against any opposition

3. Sachin to play that elusive 4th inning match winning knock

4. Laxman to prove that the bouncer from Lee that got his wicket was a one off and that he can murder short pitched balls

5. Ganguly to prove that Brisbane 2003 was not a flash in the pan and that he can reel off innings like those in Melbourne as well

6. Yuvraj to prove that he indeed deserves to be in the team at the cost of Dravid sacrificing as an opener

7. Dhoni to prove that he can handle pressure enough to be the natural test capn as well

8. Kumble to prove that the batsmen can win matches and he can just sit back and relax and not come out to bat as the team scores 500 :)

In 2003 we came quietly but determined to upset the Aussies - hell we had pulled a grand escape against them at home. But no one then expected India to put up an even fight.
This time things are different - its a unit that has won outside India consistently and they are expected to put up a fight.

Last time - we drew Brisbane thanks largely to Dada's fighting knock and that set the tone for the series. Here if we save Melbourne (read win - there is no way for a draw unless weather intervenes) we will already have begun the fight - this time only more brutally.

Aye Aye Cap'n

They had just lost their match against Bangladesh - traumatic experience that - it threatened their very existence in the World Cup. The captain had a frown on his face - an expression of worry. Their coach - never known to smile - was probably ready with a dose of abuse. The captain wore the burden of loss. Bermuda won, Lanka not - we were out.

Would the captain survive? Would the core of the team survive? Would the coach survive?
The coach went - the seniors were under the scanner - the marginals were sacrificed but the captain survived. Bangladesh without two of the seniors in ODIs and with them in tests - revenge was taken without waiting for it to go cold.

The captain took them to a long tour of England and Redemption. He won against the Africans. He won the Test series (the seniors shone too) and did very well in the ODI series only to lose it marginally. The captain was on a high and looked like he would take us to Australia to complete what was left undone the last time they went there but unexpectedly he quit. Just like that - out of the blue, Rahul Dravid the Wall had turned his back on the captaincy to focus on his main art - his bread and butter - his batting.

Meanwhile a young team under MSD was playing in South Africa and winning a World Cup against all odds. Heroes were born and welcomed such. Dhoni also ascended the ODI captaincy. As usual the public and the selectors had taken stands. The contrasts of the performances in the ODI and T20 World Cups had brought forth a wave of support for 'youngsters' - the seniors were looked upon as unwanted baggage. Why dont they go now was the call! Ingrates who asked such questions - but these questions were to become large ones.

The series against Aussies followed and Rahul "failed" in all of 5 innings. And that was it - the axe was out for the ex-captain. We dont need you was the message! Our youngsters will perform - and drat those two Saurav and Sachin for performing and making it impossible to sack them as well. Never mind - they will fail in an inning or two and we will perform that cut too eh?


It was unjustified as hell. For the man had played well one tour back in England. For the man had been India's saving grace for uncountable series and matches before that. It was one series that one of India's most prolific scorer failed and he got the worst possible punishment. People had escaped with murder and here he was arrested and prosecuted for breaking the traffic lights.

And then they pick another guy who too is out of form with the reasoning that "He is a proven matchwinner and his record against Pak is really good". One assumes that Dravid is a proven matchloser ? But then rationality was never Indian Cricket's strong point eh?

With that we lost the one player who could see off a 20/3 situation or come in at 170/2 and launch a finishing move. Or for that matter come in a guide a run chase to its logical conclusion. A man for any situation - someone you could trust to take on any situation - no questions asked.

The one player who would do any role for the team and not complain. But rationality - no thats not our forte for sure!

And the drama - that never ends. Sachin refuses the Test captaincy - the selectors stumped again. (a wise decision by Sachin no doubt and i might write about it later)

But finally Kumble picked as the captain - a decision that i couldnt agree with whole heartedly. Kumble deserves the honour no doubt for his long contribution but currently one wonders if he would automatically be the first choice spinner for the team. There have now been more than 2 occassions tailormade for Kumble to spin his magic and take us to victory but on both occassions he was off key and the win didnt come our way.

Nevertheless lets hope his grit wins the day for us.

TOI says

http://cricket.indiatimes.com/Wholl_fill_Inzamams_big_shoes/articleshow/2506533.cms

Note this:

There are talented youngsters like Misbah-ul-Haq, who have the skills, but going by the evidence of what happened in World Twenty20, they crack under pressure. Who can forget Inzamam's glorious 122 off 105 balls that went in vain in the famous Karachi ODI?

and this

This tour offers the perfect opportunity for Misbah-ul-Haq to seal his case as the future batting star of Pakistan cricket.

What! Youngster at 33? Future Star at 33 ??

I guess Obelix says it best here - just replace the Indians with the Times of Indians and you have a perfect quote.

Future Watch

This series is an attempt to capture the likely future of Indian Cricket. Hence time / information permitting one will attempt to run a Domestic Cricket roundup to identify consistent performers in Indian Domestic Cricket


The Domestic season started off today in Rajkot with the Ranji Champs Mumbai taking on a fairly strong Rest of India in the Irani Trophy. The Mumbai team had a very interesting look to it - with a mix of established "stars" like Agarkar, Jaffer, Powar and the contender to the throne of the unluckiest Indian Cricket - Amol Muzumdar featuring in it. Some guys who made their name last season with good performances like Kukreja and Nayar and then the absolute newbies like Rahane, Naik, Abdulla and WK Gurav.

And they were to take on an RoI side that looked suspiciously like a 2nd XI for India - Kaif, Parthiv, Raina, Munaf and Chopra amongst those who have played for India, Bose and Ishant the two who have some experience bringing out the drinks for Indian players and then the challengers in Badri, Tewary and spinners Ojha and Mishra.

A tough and interesting encounter always looks likely.

On the basis of the play on Day 1 - Nayyar has confirmed that he is indeed a player to watch out for. His performances last season were pivotal to Mumbai winning the Ranji and today with a superb attacking century he has surely done his reputation no harm whatsover - if he can shine again with the ball - we might have someone on our hands here.

Munaf has proven time and again that with his fitness - he should never even be knocking on the India doors and todays performance was no different - perhaps he deserves a long toil again on the Ranji circuit. That might knock some sense into his head.

Bose - the star bowler of last season - is a bit of a mystery. With a lack of real pace - he depends much on his accuracy and his ability to move the ball. All well in bowling friendly conditions. But his real test will be against International opposition on a belter but he seems good enough to get an opportunity. And at the rate at which our pacers get injured and given the likelihood of Sreesanth getting banned for 5 matches after every 2 matches - his chance will come sooner rather than later.

Over all a good day for Mumbai and one hopes they start off the season with a victory and some more silverware in their already over flowing cupboard.

Cricket & More ??

Its increasingly becoming difficult to justify the title of this blog what with the "More" posts being completely non-existent and the cricket posts flowing unabashed.

So the hunt is on for a new title. Regular readers encouraged to contribute new titles - will be treated to free publicity on this very blog.

*Wishful thinking on two counts that! Firstly imagining regular readers and then imagining that publicity on this blog is actually a treat*

But then hope is a good thing aint it ? So lets see some new names here!