Another year is coming to an end. Within a few hours we all will welcome the new year delightfully. Each year from it’s gift box gifts us with moments of sadness and charms. The saddest parts leave us with a gloomy mood but it’s not worthy to brood on and over the unhappy portion, but it’s even better to uplift the spirit with those memories which has gifted us the moments to relish.
Monday, December 31, 2012
The Rockstars of 2012
Another year is coming to an end. Within a few hours we all will welcome the new year delightfully. Each year from it’s gift box gifts us with moments of sadness and charms. The saddest parts leave us with a gloomy mood but it’s not worthy to brood on and over the unhappy portion, but it’s even better to uplift the spirit with those memories which has gifted us the moments to relish.
Tendulkar's explosive adventure at Centurion
Friday, December 21, 2012
The Indo-Pak clash should be on a regular basis
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Keep the faith in 'Captain' MS Dhoni
Monday, December 17, 2012
5 factors behind ending the 28-year wait
And what an emphatic gesture it was: beating India convincingly 2-1 in India and becoming the first England touring side since David Gower’s outfit achieved the feat by the same margin some 27 years ago in the process. But England did not simply follow the blueprint that failed them in the U.A.E, or treats the conditions as if they were from another planet. No! They played world-class cricket, they did the basics right and they applied themselves – they simply played some damn good Test cricket.
Here are the five key factors they have to thank for their success:
Alastair Cook’s freakish batting abilities
Now, England’s leading century scorer (with 23 hundreds) in Test cricket at the relatively young age of 27, Alastair Cook has something which not many other batsmen in world cricket have. He has an insatiable appetite for runs, he has inhuman powers of concentration and he has an unwavering temperament to grind the opposition down for hours on end.
The end result?
562 runs at an average of 80.28 with 3 centuries in 8 innings and a famous series victory. But Cook did not impersonate a sedate Geoffrey Boycott when accumulating these runs either. It is clear that he has added yet another string to his already well-strung bow as he unleashed a wide array of attacking shots throughout his time at the crease. Flowing drives are not semantically linked to Cook; neither are crisp sweeps for four. Dancing down the track and smacking the spinner for a straight six is Pietersen or Bell’s game. But in this series the England captain notched into his extra gear, allowing him to score off balls that would have previously gone down as dots. And the scary thing is that he still has about 7 years of Test cricket left to hone such skills.
Kevin Pietersen’s smooth reintegration into the England lineup
It seems ages ago that we were lambasting KP for his stubborn-and-big-headed comments that resulted in his exclusion from the original England squad for this tour. But, a sincere apology to all his teammates later, Pietersen looks as settled in the dressing room as ever and, while it is true that everything’s easier when you’re winning, credit has to go where credit’s due and the smooth reintegration of the batsman is a credit to everyone involved.
With the potential to explode at any minute, The Pietersen Problem, as it was so commonly dubbed, was handled beautifully by Flower, Cook, and the man himself, who crashed back into form after an ignominious first Test with possibly his best innings in Test cricket.
During his scintillating 186 from 233 balls in Mumbai, Pietersen displayed such mastery over the conditions that it looked as if he were playing on a different surface to everyone else. KP showed maturity, tenacity, and levelheadedness throughout the series and coupled it with his unquestionable talent and work ethic to score 338 runs at 48.28. England fans were also met with a pleasant surprise as well when Pietersen played a three and a half hour rearguard innings in Nagpur, when England found themselves 16-2, to score 73 from 188 balls on what he called ‘the toughest wicket to play strokes on’. This defensive side is one Pietersen keeps in reserve it seems, and it is heartening for England to know he has it in his locker to draw upon at any given time.
The undisputed genius of Matt Prior
Undoubtedly the world’s best wicket-keeper/batsman, Matt Prior showed again why no one will be taking his name from that particular mantle at any time soon with yet another reliably solid performance with both the bat and gloves. His keeping to the spinners was better than in the U.A.E (but was still not completely without blemish, however) and his batting, which seems to keep getting better and better, is reminiscent of a right-handed Gilchrist in his pomp.
With the English found wanting in finding a consistent figure at number 6, Prior’s dependably first-rate performances at number 7 gave the team a sense of security in their lower-middle order. 258 runs at 51.60 represent a stellar return for the Sussex man, and his value to the England team was displayed no more aptly than in the first Test where he scored 48 and 91 – he and Cook were the only England batsmen to pass 40 in either innings.
The emergence of the Spin Twins
Both Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar clearly out-bowled their Indian counterparts by a fair margin. Swann’s guile, his changes of pace, length, and spin earned him 20 wickets (the joint-most in the series) at 24.75 as the off-spinner continues to show us why he is considered the best in the business.
He returned to the country where he made his Test debut some 4 years ago, only this time he leaves as England’s most successful off-break bowler in Test history and with his Test tally of wickets north of the coveted 200-mark. Monty made an impressive return to Test cricket in the series picking up 17 wickets in 3 Tests at 26.82 and has, through his immeasurably more mature and rounded performances as a bowler, staked a strong claim to remain in the England team on a more permanent basis.
And while England are, in all honesty, unlikely to play two spinners regularly in Test cricket, they can have no qualms about turning to Panesar should the need arise: they can count on a wholehearted and skillful performance from him any day, and who knows, Flower does like to reward consistency and tenacity. There may be hope for Monty yet.
James Anderson
Enough said… India is notorious for offering more to spinners than fast bowlers who are forced to toil and writhe on flat, dusty unhelpful wickets where the bounce never rises above knee-height and where the swing is a luxury that few can hope for.
The fact that Jimmy Anderson had the Indian batsmen hopping about and flashing all over the place in their own backyard is an appropriate barometer of Anderson’s sheer class as a fast bowler!
He is quick: his spells regularly touch the 140kmph range and has a mastery over seam and swing (both conventional and reverse), that is frankly unmatched and possibly has been unmatched for the past decade or more in international cricket and an impeccable line and length is guaranteed from Jimmy at all times. He was spellbinding and had Tendulkar at a loss as to how to play him – do not be so quick to condemn Sachin; falling to Anderson is not shameful: he simply is, along with Steyn, one of the world’s two best speed-merchants.
Courtesy: Jack Marshall - a cricket and soccer enthusiast, who loves to express his passion through words.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Joe Root is promising
“Root made a fighting 73 and the
innings was more about the character he showed. He has a sound technique that
would get better and better in times to come if given more opportunities. And
most importantly, his authority against the turning ball can prove handy for
England in the coming days. The young boy has shown promise and can be one of
the pillars of English a batting line-up in the coming days”
He is 21 years old, but boy, he does not look like that he has crossed his 20s, rather looks like a boy who would wake up in the morning, take breakfast, manage his backpack and run for the school. Yeah, he looks like a schoolboy and the smile is so boyish that it fits very well for a Disney Cinema. But, Joe Root is neither a schoolboy nor aspires to feature in a Disney Cinema –miles away from his home town Dore, Sheffield, Yorkshire –Root is proving his worth as a cricketer for the Three Lions at Nagpur.
Root attended King Ecgbert School in Sheffield, and at the age of 15, on a cricket sports scholarship, Worksop College as a weekly boarder.
Like his father Matt Root, he joined Sheffield Collegiate CC, in Abbeydale Park. Former Yorkshire batsman and England captain Michael Vaughan also learned his trade at Collegiate and was a source of inspiration for Root, who became a protégé of his. Root won the ‘player of the tournament’ in the prestigious Bunbury festival.
In 2007, he made his debut for the Yorkshire Second Team against Derbyshire at the Abbeydale Park. He continued to represent the Academy side and was named Player of the Tournament as Yorkshire's Academy won the ProARCH trophy in Abu Dhabi.
After impressing at the Second Team, Root was given the opportunity to represent the Yorkshire Senior Team in the Final of Pro40 at Headingley against Essex. He scored 63, but it was not enough to beat Essex.
In the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, Root scripted an unbeaten 70 in a victory against Hong Kong as England progressed to the quarterfinals but were eliminated by the West Indies.
In the winter of 2010, he was sent to the Darren Lehmann Academy in Adelaide, South Australia, to polish his game further.
In 2011, he made his Championship debut against Worcestershire and it was one of the 15matches Root played that year on top of his England Lions debut against Sri Lanka A. At Scarborough in August 2011, he scored his maiden Championship hundred against Sussex.
This year, Joe Root would discover himself touring with the English team in India.
It was not an all-is-well situation for England before landing on the Indian soil. The team had been beaten by a competent South African side at home, which led to the step down of Andrew Strauss, and then there was that tussle between Kevin Pietersen and the hierarchy of English Cricket, put England in a shaky state. But the current skipper Alastair Cook shrugged off all the prophets of doom and gloom in India and instilled a certain resolve, which helped the team regroup and take the crucial lead in this series.
Root witnessed the turnaround and was hugely motivated.
But he was not expecting to feature in this series until the fourth Test at Nagpur paved the way.
The young man made his debut for England.
For many, his selection was surprising.
He did not have the story like a young David Gower or Marcus Trescothick before Test debut and his first-class was near-modest, but the English think tank spotted something which was enough for them to give him two extensive net sessions ahead of the Test before they invest faith in him.
While the decision to drop Samit Patel, whose spin has been ineffective and who has failed with the bat, was expected, Root was thought to be behind Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan too in the race to replace him.
But with Bairstow having looked unconvincing against spin in Mumbai and Morgan did little to erase the poor impression he made in the UAE - he averaged only 19.00 in the 2012 County Championship season - Root's ability to play spin won him the place.
Again, his 166 for the England Performance Programme (EPP) a couple of weeks ago came into consideration and Root also made a very good impression on the last EPP and Lions tours where his ability to play spin was identified by Graham Thorpe.
Root wanted to exploit the opportunity and the situation was not a rosy one for the young lad – Ian Bell was dismissed with the score of 119 for 5 and when Pietersen was dismissed, it was 139 for 5. What England required was someone to exhibit the resolve of Cook on a slow deck.
By the time Root was dismissed on Day 2, he batted longer - in terms of balls faced - than all but five players on their debut Test innings in England history.
According to ESPNcricinfo, “Root faced 229 balls - 151 fewer than the Nawab of Pataudi senior on his debut in the Ashes of 1932-33 - and became the sixth member of England's top seven to register a half-century or better on Test debut, once again underlining the worth of the County Championship in producing international players.”
Root said, “I have been wanting and dreaming about this opportunity for a very long time. You just try and adapt to the conditions and the situation and make the most of what you have got. I tried to be as patient as possible and keep it as simple as possible.”
“It would be wrong to say there were no nerves when you are waiting to bat in Test cricket for the first time but I had a good team around me and when I once in the middle I was very relaxed and in a good place to play.”
Root has obvious similarities with Michael Vaughan as a young batsman, who was also included in the English unit as a youngster with a relatively modest first-class record.
Regarding the Vaughan issue, he said, “Michael has given me a bit of advice but mostly he lets me get on with it. My dad used to play in the same side as him.”
Root made a fighting 73 and the innings was more about the character he showed. He has a sound technique that would get better and better in times to come if given more opportunities. And most importantly, his authority against the turning ball can prove handy for England in the coming days. The young boy has shown promise and can be one of the pillars of English a batting line-up in the coming days.
Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 14/12/2012 Joe Root is promising
Mahela Jayawardene's prolific decision is a lesson for all
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Bangladesh have done justice to their fans
After each match the fans of the Bangladesh cricket team are left depressed and sad. Time and again hopes turn into despair. Ardent Bangladeshi cricket followers are left in the wilderness thinking about the whys and hows of another defeat. Even similar thoughts were about to prevail at Mirpur on Saturday night had the Tigers not snatch a much needed win and with it the series against West Indies in the final ODI. It would have been another tragedy, another moment of utter frustration.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
Sunday, December 9, 2012
16 crore fans say "Yes!" This coach says "At last!"
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Alastair Cook: The lighthouse
The first Test at Ahmadabad had been the reflection of England’s recent turmoil in Test cricket. On the field, they lacked intensity while off the field they were engaged with unnecessary chaos. The English ship was traveling through a troubled sea and while that ship was crossing through the Indian oceans, the waves went wild, the wind blew strong – rank turners, unprepared tracks, and spin wizards were making the sea fearsome enough to devour the English ship.
But the captain of that English ship decided to challenge the angry waves and hostile wind of the Indian Ocean with a resolute and composed manner. He didn’t give any big speech to his men; he didn’t heat up the media but let his deeds do the talking to inspire his men to combat the hostility of the Indian Ocean.
In Mumbai, it had been a drastic situation for the Englishmen. A victory was much needed to lift the dying English spirit and Alastair Cook, the newly appointed English captain, dug in, summoned his inner reserves, and spilled assurance to the England batting which was down and dusted a week ago in Ahmadabad. And when the captain is in no mood to accept defeat then how can his men accept the same? The English sailors responded to Captain Cook’s leading-from-the-front-show and sunk India in the Indian Ocean – KP’s egoistic batting boomed, Panesar and Swann spun the web of spin to leave India baffled.
Cook’s intensity is the same in Kolkata. His batting remains a thorn in India’s throat as an old fashioned batting approach dented the Indian bowlers to take the honours for England on day 2. Another patient and composed ton came up and thus records continued to tumble for Cook.
He has now the most runs by an England captain on an Indian tour since Ted Dexter. He now has the most Test hundreds by an Englishman and it has also been his fifth Test hundred in his five Tests as captain. And mind you, he’s just 26.
One of the greatest qualities of Cook’s batting is his sense of adjustment to the nature of the wicket. Whether it’s a turning track or a track with uneven bounce, Cook adjusts to it very quickly to defy the odds. At the crease, he’s just like a monk – even an atom bomb can’t deter him from his goal. In an era, when adventurous batsmanship has become a tradition, Cook is more like a purist of the coaching manual – watchful, resistant, gritty; full of concentration, and occupation at the crease are the spices that make up Cook’s batting mantra.
For the English team, Cook is the lighthouse. One of Cook’s biggest contribution as a captain for England is the development of a certain resolve within the team which was much needed apart from skill. He sewed that seed of resolve in Ahmadabad which bore fruit in Mumbai and he is carrying on that legacy in Kolkata. Cook kept on pushing himself beyond the limits with an astute resolution which laid the foundations for the maverick, the Sardar, the White Swan, and the speed star to sing a song.
In modern-day cricket, Alastair Cook is becoming a phenomenon as the captain. He’s taking those bold steps which are unthinkable for the others and that’s where Cook is becoming enigmatic and unique. With the progression of time, Cook is becoming the Renaissance of modern English cricket.
Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer on 06/12/2012 Alastair Cook: The lighthouse