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India-Australia second ODI–preview

prasad — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:06:16 +0000

Even as the return of Yuvraj Singh into the Indian ranks would have a calming effect and with Australian line-up sans Mitchell Johnson, James Hopes and Brett Lee, the Men in Blue will definitely fancy their chances to equalise the series when they face each other at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur on Wednesday.

It was a one-sided battle in the first one-dayer in Baroda till Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar put together a 84-run partnership that literally threatened to snatch the game away. Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be fully aware that another loss will make the task of coming back into the seven-match series, that much more difficult and tedious.

The last couple of weeks have witnessed a lot of debate on the way former bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh been shown the door unceremoniously once again bringing to fore the infighting that exists in Indian cricket. The least that the Indian fans expect now is a comprehensive series win that will catapult them to the numero uno position in the ODI rankings.

For the Indians, their bowling towards the death in the first ODI was quite heartening as they literally came back into the game restricting Australia to a total below 300. On the other hand, MSD will not want to meddle with the opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag and it will be interesting to see if the Indian captain tries to bat up the order. Dhoni is a kind of player who plays his best when he is given overs and time frame to hit. So, it becomes imperative for him to bat no. 4 which would mean Yuvi comes at 5 and Raina could come at 6. This necessarily means Ravindra Jadeja will face the axe. The management could even look at retaining Jadeja and dropping Virat Kohli but that looks unlikely as the team will look to go with extra batsman who is in form than a player who is a half-bowler and is struggling with the bat. The lesser said about the Indian fielding, the better. An ardent task awaits the Indians.

On the other hand, Australia will know that they literally had their hearts in their mouths when Harbhajan and Praveen were pummelling their attack which looked ordinary. With Midge, Hopes and Lee out of Wednesday’s match, Australian skipper Ricky Ponting will know that the bowling attack will lack the bite but knowing the Aussie attitude, Indians will know that a under-par Australian attack cannot be taken lightly.

Men in Blue meet awesome Aussies in first ODI

prasad — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:16:16 +0000

MS Dhoni’s Men in Blue go into Sunday’s clash against Australia in Baroda, looking to arrest his team’s recent slide, especially in the horrendous Champions Trophy performance in South Africa.

The enigmatic skipper faces his toughest Test as a leader against a team which is coming back to the golden era when Australians literally muscled their way past any opposition. The world champions Australia are looking solid on paper and if there is one apparent weakness it could be the middle order’s inexperience against quality spin.

The Men in Blue would not risk Yuvraj Singh for the opening game. His value to this side is too high and in that interest it’s better he be rested. Dhoni, however, declared himself fit. He was hit on the back of the left knee by a Munaf Patel delivery during practice on Friday.
Ricky Ponting’s men might not have it that easy this time but have a definite edge. The conditions here might suit India better. The outfield looks fast and there will be full value for shots, that’s if the ball comes on well and the batsmen can play through the line.

Australia’s strength is their swiftness and their ability to find the stumps when it matters. Given their strength on the field and India’s lack in that department, Ponting and Co. start with a 30-run advantage even before the toss.
A strong individual performance at the start of the series is crucial to propel the hosts. The confidence of the side is not sky high and if Australia run away with early success, it would become extremely difficult to play catch up.
The Indian top-order has all the potential to match up and Sachin Tendulkar will have another reason to concentrate hard. The world record holder is 97 runs shy of reaching the 17, 000-run mark.

It should be a tooth and nail encounter at the Reliance Stadium and will be interesting to see who draws first blood in the lung opener.

Squads

India: M.S. Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, S. Raina, Virat Kohli, R. Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Sudeep Tyagi.
Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey (VC), Cameron White, Shane Watson, Tim Paine, Shaun Marsh, James Hopes, Adam Voges, Brett Lee, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger, Nathan Hauritz, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Jon Holland.

Oz ease past Windies by 50 runs.

prasad — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:15:42 +0000

In the end it was a simple win but Australia did suffer many anxious moments as the West Indies put up a spirited performance, chasing 276 for a win but fell short, being all out for 225. Australian skipper Ricky Ponting will not be too pleased with too many loose balls on the offer for the opposition and his side will be gearing up for the big game against India next.

Enough has been said on the quality of attack that the West Indies possess (or the lack of it) in the ongoing Champions Trophy in South Africa. On a bright Saturday morning, all of that changed and for good against the mighty Australians as the Kangaroos scored 275 for 8 in their 50 overs.

The damage began right from the first ball when Kemar Roach cleaned up Australian opener Shane Watson in the very first ball of the day. Paine and skipper Ricky Ponting put together a valuable 85-run stand before Paine took the long walk back to the pavilion, caught by Walton off Bernard for 33. Mike Hussey continued his horrid run in one-dayers and was soon back at the dugout, dismissed for 6. Ponting in the company Callum Ferguson did try to revive the Australian innings with a stand of 28 but that was not enough as the Windians bagged the prized wicket of Ponting for 79. At 171 for 7, the Oz were in danger of being bowled out cheaply.

But that was not to be.
Towards the end, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson did bring in some fireworks. They skyrocketed their team’s total with some lusty blows in a partnership of 70 runs in mere 8.4 overs. When Lee got out the score was already 241 for 8 in 48 overs. Lee made 25.
The main shots came off the bat of Mitchell Johnson who was relentless in his approach to big hitting and single-handedly took the Australian total to 269 for 8 in 50 overs. His innings of 73 had eight fours and 3 sixes.

Overall, it was a mediocre effort from the world champions.
The pitch was a talking point of the morning commentary and the cricket pundits did mention that the juicy wicket will have something for it on for the pacers and the Australians will be hoping to make a match out of it with reasonable total on board against the Windies.

Australia lord over England!!

prasad — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:23:24 +0000

So it was written and so it shall be done—goes a famous saying. That is exactly what happened when Australia cruised past against England in a match that saw fortunes fluctuate from one team to another but the world champions held their nerve to return home with a resounding win.

Australia took a 2-0 lead in their one-day international series against England with a 39-run win at Lord’s on Sunday. England had been progressing well in response to Australia’s 249/8 but Shane Watson’s introduction into the attack heralded a spell of four wickets in 33 deliveries that derailed the chase.
Skipper Paul Collingwood ran out of support after scoring 56 as the hosts were bowled out for 210. The teams head to Southampton for the third of the seven match series on Wednesday. Earlier, Mitchell Johnson’s rapid unbeaten 43 helped lift Australia to a total of 249/8.
Johnson faced just 23 balls, hitting five fours and, together with Nathan Hauritz, shared an unbroken stand of 41 in 28 balls after the world champions were in danger of being bowled out inside their allotted 50 overs at 201/8 in the 46th.
Callum Ferguson top-scored with 55, his second successive fifty after his man-of-the-match winning 71 not out in Australia’s four-run win in Friday’s first of a seven-match series at the Oval.
Changes of pace once more proved tough for Australia’s top-order to handle and, as Johnson showed when he teed off in the closing stages, runs were easier to come by against the frontline quicks.

Australia made a steady start after England captain Andrew Strauss again won the toss. But from 62 without loss, Australia lost two wickets for two runs in eight balls to be 64/2.
Pace bowler Tim Bresnan, one of two changes after coming replacing Yorkshire team-mate and leg-spinner Adil Rashid, broke the opening stand.
But it needed a fine catch by a leaping Luke Wright at short extra-cover to dismiss Shane Watson for 34, featuring five fours, off a hard-hit drive. Tim Paine fell soon afterwards. Wright then captured the prize wicket of star batsman Michael Clarke for four.

It now fell to Cameron White, who also made a fifty on Friday, and Ferguson to repair the damage. They did so with a stand of 69 before occasional medium-pacer Ravi Bopara, struck first ball when White, on 42, trying to run him down to third man, got an edge which was well held by Prior, standing up to the stumps.

The change in world cricket order?

prasad — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:11:45 +0000

One of the hallmarks of Sri Lanka’s victory over New Zealand in the recently concluded Test series is the precision with which the Island nation has gone about their business on the field and with a precision that is matched by the best in the world. This precision has seen their Test ranking skyrocket to give them the number two spot in the ICC rankings.
However, before Sangakkara and his boys bask on their glory, they ought to remember that a world-class team not only wins on their home turf but also ensures that the victory march is continued on all parts of the world.
One has to clearly mention that Sri Lankan attack has always been found wanting in each of its tours Down Under, a place where teams such as India and South Africa have put up commendable performances in the last 5-6 years.

Also, Sri Lanka has not perfected the art of winning consistently in places such as Australia and South Africa — two nations that pose the maximum to the techniques of any batsmen
The presence of Samaraweera, Dilshan, Mahela in the middle-order lends a lot of solidity to the team but their techniques will be questioned on pitches that offer bounce and lateral movement, especially in Australia and in South Africa.
Despite the presence of Ajantha Mendis for the last two seasons, one can sense the tension in the opposition team’s face when they see Muttiah Muralitharan’s name in the team list. Murali still spins the ball big and manages to get a four or five wickets purchase in every Test.
But the biggest change in this Sri Lankan team has been their performance as a team, a lesson which Australia seems to have forgotten and hence lost the urn to the Englishmen in the recently concluded Ashes.
Sri Lanka and England are two sides to watch out for in the next couple of years as they have performed exceedingly well as a team and that quality has seen them notch wins.

One of the big reasons for Australia’s loss is the juniors not showcasing enough maturity when it was required. Even as Jonathan Trott from England notched up a debut hundred at Brit Oval, Australia’s Phil Hughes was seen unable to cope up with the pressure and is now wanting to meet Sachin Tendulkar to rectify the error.
While Mitchell Johnson, Marcus North, Nathan Hauritz performed well in patches, Stuart Broad, Graham Onions and not to mention Trott made themselves counted and that has led to Ponting becoming just the second Australian captain to have lost the Ashes two times in a row in England — a record which will haunt till his grave.
Both Sri Lanka and England have a tough job to do to keep the momentum going because to reach the top of the table — winning needs to be a habit and there definitely cannot be a choice in this matter.

Freddie ends final hurrah

prasad — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:12:25 +0000

And then it finally happened… England’s charismatic all-rounder Andrew Flintoff scored 22 and ended his final knock in Test cricket and was cheered throughout his knock. The final innings was short, occasionally spectacular and over far too soon for all his admiring fans who had come in full attendance at the Oval for Saturday’s third day of the Ashes decider.

The star of England’s 2005 Ashes series win again walked out to a standing ovation from a capacity 23,500 crowd having managed just seven in the first innings before being caught behind off left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson. He came to the crease with England well-placed on 168 for five in their second innings, a lead of 240 in a match where victory would give them the Ashes 2-1. Flintoff was greeted with a handshake by Australia captain Ricky Ponting, a sign of appreciation that probably meant more to the Lancashire star than many of the tributes paid to him this week.

Unlike his first innings, Flintoff got off the mark in resounding fashion when, second ball, he struck part-time spinner Marcus North through mid-wicket for four, getting rid of a close fielder in the process. There were three further boundaries to delight the crowd but just when fans thought Flintoff was about to hit his stride the 31-year-old, going for a typically big hit, skied a drive off North to long-on where Peter Siddle made no mistake with the catch. Spectators were on their feet again, normally a strange reaction to an innings of 22 that lasted 26 minutes and spanned 18 balls, as Flintoff, with a rueful swish of the bat, walked back into the pavilion.

There was no theatrical exit, just a quick glance over his shoulder and a slight raise of his bat to acknowledge the applause, with England captain Andrew Strauss among those clapping in the home dressing room. Flintoff has proved popular with fans ever since making his debut as a 20-year-old against South Africa back in 1998.

Bowling fast and hitting the ball a long way as Flintoff can, has always had a primal appeal to spectators. His popularity with fans and team-mates alike may be out of proportion to his place in cricket history – Flintoff’s average of around the 32 mark with both bat and ball is some way short of greatness. And he has ‘won’ far fewer Tests than England predecessor Ian Botham nor been as influential as Pakistan great Imran Khan, the outstanding all-rounder of the last 25 years.

Well done Freddie, you will always remain one of the most talented stars to have come out of England. Cheers!

Australia level Ashes 2009, win over England by an innings and 80 runs

prasad — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:57:37 +0000

Super-happy skipper of Australia Ricky Ponting said his side was “unbelievable” throughout the fourth Ashes Test which his side won by an innings and 80 runs against the hapless England attack.
The victory achieved within three days at Leeds saw Australia retain their Ashes 2009 hopes and sets up a winner takes-all-clash at the Oval, where the fifth and final Test starts on August 20.
What makes this Test a memorable one was that Australia were on top throughout, bowling England out for a meagre 102 on the first day, with recalled quick Stuart Clark taking three wickets for 18 runs and Peter Siddle taking a Test-best five for 21.
And in reply piled up a huge 445, with Marcus North’s 110 the centrepiece before bowling England out for 263 shortly after lunch on Sunday, with pacer Mitchell Johnson, taking a series best five wickets for 69 runs.
The major aspects for England will be that Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood, numbers three, four and five respectively, managed a meagre 16 runs between them in a side that is deprived of services from missing the injured Kevin Pietersen (Achilles), and Andrew Flintoff (knee problem).
“I said right through the series if we could get early wickets and get the middle-order in there against the new ball we could do some damage and we did it twice,” Ponting said, shortly after winning the fourth Test.
“You can’t ask for anything more. We couldn’t have done anything much better. We had an unbelievable game.”
Ponting hailed the first day display of Clark, which inspired the rest of the bowling attack. “Stuart Clark has a real calm experienced head on his shoulders. We all know Stuart is capable and it gave us the opportunity for Siddle and Johnson to operate in short bursts. This is the chance I’ve been waiting for the whole tour. I said from start how much it would mean to me to win this one,” Ponting said.
On the other hand, nothing went right for the hosts with an early morning fire alarm at their hotel waking up the players before 5 am local time on Friday.
Then, after taking the difficult decision to drop Flintoff and replace him with a fast bowler in Stephen Harmison, England suffered fresh disruption during the warm-up when wicket-keeper Matt Prior had a back spasm.
That led to a toss delay but England captain and opener Andrew Strauss, who opted to bat first, said: “If we use that as an excuse we are barking up the wrong tree. The first session was an awful session and from there it was hard to get back in the game. We need to learn lessons and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again. As a team, we’ve always come back well after performing badly.”
However, Strauss insisted: “It’s a time to be calm and not to panic — if we win at the Oval we win the series.”
He added: “We didn’t really turn up but we have to take it on the chin. We’ve been scratching our head as to why.”
On Flintoff’s Oval prospects, Strauss said: “If he’s going to play, he’s got to be fit to play his role as an all-rounder, not 28 overs a day but fit to bowl more than one spell.”
Ponting, asked if England could win at the Oval without Flintoff, said: “They can without him but they will find it more difficult. It will be difficult for England to bounce back. Some of our guys who have been struggling for touch are now in the best form of their career. Everything is heading in the right direction for us at the best moment of the tour.”
The Australians have bounced in a truly emphatic fashion and the final Ashes Test will be a mouth-watering prospect

fourth Ashes Test

Ashes third Test, second day highlights

prasad — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:32:21 +0000

England swing pair of James Anderson and Graham Onions took nine wickets amongst them on the second day on Friday as Australia were skittled out for 263 in the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Overcast conditions offered just enough late movement for the pair, who happily exploited the chinks in the Australian batsmen’s armoury. Australia, who had been 126 for one overnight, collapsed in spectacular style with both Anderson who took five wickets for 80 runs and Onions who scalped four for 58 in 16.4 taking their Ashes Test-best figures. England captain Andrew Strauss, whose 161 helped propel the hosts to a 115-run second Test win at Lord’s, consolidated the seamers’ work with another fine innings of 64 not out before bad light forced an early close. At stumps, England, 1-0 ahead in the series, were 116 for two, a deficit of 147, with Ian Bell, returning to Test cricket on his Warwickshire home ground after Kevin Pietersen was ruled out with an Achilles injury, unbeaten on 26.

But Bell was fortunate not to fall lbw to Mitchell Johnson on 18. It looked as if the struggling left-arm quick, whose eight series wickets before this match had cost an expensive 41 runs apiece, had bowled the perfect inswinger.

But South Africa umpire Rudi Koertzen, who gave some key decisions against Australia at Lord’s, ruled in favour of the batsman with replays suggesting the sound of Bell’s bat clipping the pad may have misled the veteran official, standing in his 101st Test.

England were 60 for two when Bell came in after Essex duo Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara had gone cheaply. Australia will have a tough day out tomorrow with England looking to take lead as quickly as possible and post a competitive total in front of the struggling Aussies…watch out this space for more!!

Latest Ashes update– Mitchell Johnson’s place in the team in doubt?

prasad — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:29:22 +0000

Well, the media and the fans are busy writing an obituary for Australian left-arm medium pacer Mitchell Johnson even as the Aussie lad is busy preparing for the third Test at Edgbaston.

Johnson has been struggling with just 8 wickets for 331 runs in the opening two Tests in the ongoing Ashes, and it got no better with match figures of 1-107 off 18.1 overs in the tour match against Northamptonshire.

Pundits and cricket followers chorused that it was time to find someone else to share the new ball with the Australians already 1-0 down in the best-of-five Test series.

The Australian said Johnson “was by far the worst” of Australia’s bowlers in the three-day match at Northampton, which the tourists won by 135 runs. Fellow paceman Stuart Clark impressed to boost his chances of a recall. If this was not enough, Sydney Morning Herald’s cricket writer Peter Roebuck had something more nasty to pen down. “It’s hard to justify Johnson’s inclusion in a four-pronged attack. Australia cannot afford to carry a pace bowler on a wing and a prayer. Johnson has had a bad tour. He’s been in England for months. His action has gone to pot and his confidence is in his boots. Perhaps too much was expected,” Roebuck wrote.

Most of the Australian newspapers wanted Stuart Clark to replace Johnson for the third Test. “When batsmen are out of form they get dropped. So should bowlers. Being 1-0 down we need five fit and in-form bowlers to win a Test,” a die-hard Aussie fan crooned.

On his part Stuart Clark had stated that he was surprised at not getting the nod at either Cardiff or at Lord’s. On the reason why he needs to be in the side, Clarke said, ” I’m older and I get the ball to bounce a little bit more (than the other Australia bowlers), being a little bit taller. “That’s probably my biggest weapon on these wickets. It can make you a handful.”

There had been speculation that Clark might have been included in the drawn Ashes opener at Cardiff, where Johnson’s poor spell with the new ball late on the final day helped England cling on for a draw with one wicket standing.

“I was disappointed and I suppose surprised,” Clark said of being omitted at in Cardiff. Will Ricky Ponting pick Clarke in place of Johnson? Well, we will have to wait till July 30 for the answer to be in place.

But one thing is certain, the Australian team will surely be losing sleep over this issue. Watch out this space for more!

England escape Oz onslaught

prasad — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:34:15 +0000

England’s last pair of James Anderson and Monty Panesar batted for 40 minutes to deny a victory for the Australians in the first Test at Cardiff on late Sunday. The left-handers’ stand of 19 spanned 69 balls after England had been in desperate trouble when all-rounder Paul Collingwood, the last of their recognised batsman, was out for 74 after a gutsy innings lasting nearly five-and-three-quarter hours. Collingwood’s exit left England on 233 for nine but the 10th-wicket duo held firm as England ended the match on 252 for nine.

What did they say?

After the match, James Anderson said, “It is huge for us.”The Cardiff crowd went berserk with every run (read mishits) and it looked as if their team was winning and not desperately fighting to SAVE the Test. England skipper praised his team while Aussie skipper took heart from the fact that his team was one top throughout the Test and would keep their heads highs when they go to Lord’s where the Australians haven’t lost a Test since 1934.

A record that Ricky Ponting would want to keep intact.

Put-off moments in the Test!

1. One of the moments was in the dying moments of the match when England team sent their physio Steve McCraig and their 12th man Shafayat in what was clearing a waste of precious time and I am sure Ponting did not take it too lightly.

2. The England crowd is considered sensible but they displayed none of it when they shamelessly cheered for their team who not surprisingly doing the catch-up act throughout the match. I sincerely hope that some common sense prevails the next time and the team which is performing better gets some cheer too. So what if it is the opposition!

3. Aussie pacer Mitchell Johnson gave an earful to compatriot Kevin Pietersen when the latter hit a shot and the ball went dangerously close to where Johnson was practising before the start of the day’s play….

Not necessary Midge, you dont need to open your mouth always….Just show the anger on the field and not off it!!

But they demonstrated a defensive technique worthy of top-order batsmen although England angered Australia by sending on physiotherapist Steve McCaig and 12th man Bilal Shafayat in what appeared to be a blatant attempt at time-wasting.

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