Well done MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher while goodbye Mickey Arthur

Yesterday, the victory of the Indian cricket team against England at Edgbaston had been a well-deserved one. The joy and jubilation of the Indian team and their fans simply brushed away all the pains and agony of the tumultuous times which this cricket crazy nation had suffered for the last two years or so. The Indian fans have witnessed their favourite men surrender meekly in abroad and, as well as, at home while the recent spot-fixing debacle had totally demoralized them and to relive their spirit this win was like fresh monsoon rain.

Like the fans, the Indian cricket team needed this win as well. They traveled to England without the renowned names and there was doubt whether this young unit would be able to fight like a champion in English conditions and maintain their mental stability amid the spot-mixing fiasco. Hardly anyone wished to put their money on the Indian team. But this young Indian unit proved everyone wrong. With a Daabang-like-mojo India lifted the trophy and taught everyone a lesson about how to travel through the ugly transition period.

During those terrible days, the voices were vociferous to remove captain MS Dhoni. And at that point of time I wrote a piece in support of MS Dhoni in cricketsoccer stating that it won’t be wise to sack your tried and tested captain but have faith in him. As in any transition period there occurs a situation where one has to play without the services of the stars whose retirements create a vacuum which is hard to fill in the twinkle of an eye. And for which you need an experienced captain to build your team. In that sense, it was wise enough to keep faith in captain MS Dhoni. BCCI kept their faith in Dhoni.

MS Dhoni has paid back the price of keeping the faith in him. He handled the tough situations with enough composure and never concentrated on the mounting conundrums but stuck to the task of building a young side into a formidable unit. Dhoni has been successful. He has delivered his nation the moment to relish.

But aren’t we forgetting another person’s immense contribution alongside MS Dhoni? That person too shared an equal amount of angry response alongside Dhoni during those terrible days. He is none but the Indian team’s coach Duncan Fletcher.

People are praising Dhoni and his men but surprisingly no one is talking about Duncan Fletcher. Why? Has not Duncan been a big support for MS Dhoni during those periods of frustration? Has not Duncan been like a father to this young Indian team? Has not Duncan Fletcher been an architect alongside Dhoni in transforming this youngistaan into world-beaters? To speak the truth, Duncan Fletcher has been instrumental in building this Indian team. And don’t dare to forget this Zimbabwean maestro but he should be equally praised. Duncan’s chemistry with team India has gelled well – the fighting attitude is back, the hunger for success has been relived and the zest to win at any cost has been reinstalled amongst these men. My instincts tell me that the wily old Zimbabwean coach has a big role in galvanizing this Indian unit.

While the chemistry between Duncan Fletcher and team India has gelled well, on the other hand, in Australia, Mickey Arthur’s chemistry with the Kangaroos didn’t go well. This morning I came to know that he has been sacked as Australia’s coach just two weeks before the start of the Ashes. Former Australia batsman Darren Lehmann, the Queensland coach who is in England with the Australia A team, will take over from Arthur.

I feel sorry for Mickey Arthur as he is a brilliant coach and was highly successful in making the Proteas as one of the best Test sides in world cricket. But with the Australian unit, his theories and work ethics weren’t working at all. Apart from horrifying defeats, the Australian team was dishing out controversies off the field which were absolutely unexpected from such a professional unit. A vicious and poisonous circle developed between the players, captain and coach which made the Australian cricket to suffer big time. Sadly, Mickey Arthur failed to be a father to his team like Duncan Fletcher during Australia’s transition period. His understanding developed neither with the captain nor with the players nor with the Australian cricket’s authority. 

But again, just two weeks before the start of such an important series this sudden decision to sack Arthur is not pleasant at all. What actually made the Australian authority to take such a drastic decision remains a moot question. Such actions indicate that the problems are deeper and require perfect solutions. The appointment of Darren Lehman should have been earlier. Or, I should say, there was no need for a South African in the Aussie camp? As only an Aussie will know what is needed for the well being of Australian cricket.

You might question me if I could invest my trust in Fletcher then why not on Arthur? My answer would be that Arthur lacks the composure of Duncan. In managing egos Duncan is a master. Duncan is friendly with the egoistic personalities while Arthur tried to be a high school headmaster with them. And with the Australians, you can’t be like that. To build an Australian unit you need to handle the egos by creating a friendly atmosphere, an atmosphere where beers will flow and smile will play. The headmaster like attitude isn’t for the Aussies. A trusted and friendly atmosphere is much needed for the Aussies and only an Aussie can provide this. Only an Australian coach can rekindle the lost Australian mojo.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 24/06/2013 Well done MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher while goodbye Mickey Arthur

 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Protest in Brazil - Don't spoil everything but calm down!

I am pretty surprised that the Brazilian people are protesting for spending so much money in staging the World Cup. They want this money to be spent on the health and education sector instead of the World Cup. Well baby, it's the World Cup and not a joke. You do need such amount of cash to stage such events.

What do you guys want? The World Cup shouldn't be staged next year? You want the World Cup to be shifted somewhere else? So, won't it hurt your pride? And don't you people even understand the pride in staging such a mega event?

Don't be a politically motivated fool and jump like a stupid!

Your violent exhibition on the streets is simply denting your country's image. Easy guys! Be cool and welcome the mega event with a warm heart. Buddy, your Govt is way better than many of the third world countries' Govts. Dilma is a shrewd and organized leader and she will act according to your demands. But you guys should be resilient enough and support Dilam and co in staging the World Cup. 

Why are you guys up to spoiling the mega event?

Such events are a matter of huge pride. The World Cup should be and will be in the Samba land.

Try to understand what an event like this in Brazil means for Brazil and for a die hard Brazilian fan.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Solve the Dhaka Premier League issue as early as possible

These days you won't find a dull moment in Bangladesh cricket. Even without any matches available in international fixtures, our cricket is making news every now and then. We have had the fair amount of hullabaloo with the spot-fixing saga and now we are making the weather heavy with the Dhaka Premier League which is a very popular league in our country.

The top cricketers of Bangladesh have threatened to pull out from this year's Dhaka Premier League as the BCB has proposed a change in the player's transfer system. According to the new system the players are divided into seven categories - A+, A, B+, B, C, D and E according to a pay structure which starts from $28,300 approximately for the A+ category.

A total of 184 players are included in these categories. A lottery would decide which club gets to pick first from the top category and after all the 12 clubs have picked players from that particular category, the next pick would go to the club who selected last in the first category. From there it would proceed sequentially in the next categories. (Source: Dhaka daily Prothom Alo and ESPNcricinfo).

In the past, the players used to decide the clubs according to their own wish but after the initiation of this new rule the players' freedom of choosing their favourite clubs have been dented. The Cricketer's Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) complained of the BCB's lack of communication regarding this issue. Keeping this issue in mind, the BCB chief Nazmul Hasan said in a press conference on June 19, 2013 that it will take time to start the Dhaka Premier League in due time because of the ICC's ACSU report on the BPL spot-fixing. Hasan admitted that there is an underlying anxiety regarding ACSU's report and there is a risk of more names getting involved.

The Dhaka Premier League was supposed to start earlier this year but it has been re-scheduled to start in July 3 while its players' transfers have been scheduled for June 23. But this schedule seems to get re-scheduled again as Hasan expects to receive the ACSU report during the ICC annual conference which is to be held in London from June 25 to 29.

What sort of a shock wave this ACSU report going to produce remains a big worry. If few more big names get trapped then Bangladesh cricket will be jolted terribly. And with this the Dhaka Premier League's future seems bleak. Even if it starts lately, it will be severely hampered by the upcoming monsoon season. So it is very important for the league to proceed during the dry season.

The commencement of the Dhaka Premier League is very important for our cricket. As a matter of fact, since the Zimbabwe tour, our cricketers are hardly playing any cricket or going to play any competitive cricket since the October series against New Zealand. If our players don't engage themselves in any sort of active cricket then this long gap might take its toll on them. And for which the Dhaka Premier League would have been very critical in keeping our cricketers busy in playing active cricket.

In Bangladesh, traditionally, nothing is solved out without creating any useless drama. Even a simple matter is made to look like a difficult mathematic problem. I am not sure how the ACSU report will hamper the start of the Dhaka Premier League. I am not sure about this complex triangular love story between the cricketers, cricketer's welfare association and the BCB; but as a Bangladeshi cricket fan I can only feel that the complex case of the Dhaka Premier League must be solved as soon as possible as our cricketers must keep themselves focused in cricket.

If our boys don't play any sort of active cricket in this long gap then the engine will cool down and it will be hard to start this engine during the series against New Zealand.

Note: This article has been published on 21/06/2013 in Cricketnext.com Solve the Dhaka Premier League issue as early as possible 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Sparkling Sri Lanka

 

"Lady Luck shouldn’t be rude with such a lovely and fighting Lankan unit. Lady Luck must smile upon these Lankan boys to make them the ultimate winners," Writes Faisal caesar 

The Sri Lankan unit is enriched with exciting talents and great legends. In any big tournaments they dish out high profile performances but in the end, remain bemused without lifting the big trophy. Since 2007, in the finals of any major ICC events, the Lankans have featured on a regular basis. But sadly, they never were able to rejoice in the end. Lady Luck never smiled at them.

In the ongoing Champions Trophy in England, the Lankans kicked off in a thrilling fashion. Despite having a star-studded batting line up, getting all-out for just 138 still remains a mystery but the manner in which such a total was defended on a batting-friendly track at Cardiff was astonishing. The Kiwis were left at bay by Malinga’s thunderbolts while the other Lankan bowlers attacked in such an aggressive fashion that 138 seemed an impossible target. The Kiwis had the last laugh but the Sri Lankan Lions gained enormous self-belief to strike gold in their next encounter against England at the Oval.

Ravi Bopara took the Lankan attack to the cleaners by smashing 28 runs in the last over and helped England to post a mammoth total of 293 – a target which was surely an improbable one against the most potent attack in this tournament and with this Lankan batting which proved fragile on a sun-kissed flat in Cardiff – very little was expected from them. But somewhere in the deepest corners of the heart there was that self-belief earned from Cardiff, motivated this Sri Lankan unit to dent the English hopes.

England started according to their plan, removed the talented Kusal Perera early. Time progressed, and under the lights, the flashing blade of Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, and Mahela Jayawardene blazed in a graceful manner. Dilshan was just like his gung-ho character – cut, pulled and drove as if he was playing maidan cricket with his friends. We were just witnessing the flying of a bird who loves to enjoy his flying without much hassle. Amid Dilshan’s berserk batting there was some eloquent exhibition of exquisite drives from Sangakkara - the amalgamation of nature’s beauty and brutality was at its very best.

Dilshan walked back to the pavilion and entered Mahela Jayawardene, another modern cricket’s finest charm, to join Sangakkara. The bells in the temple of heaven started to make a sacred sound, the flowers started to shower from the heaven and the stars in the sky shone even brighter as it was the time to worship beauty.

An out of form Jayawardene found his lost rhythm and in came those sweetly timed drives and classic flicks. The majestic Sangakkara was getting more and more like poet Kazi Nazrul Islam – uncharacteristic in approach but still rhythmic. Sangakkara scored at a manic rate, uncharacteristic at times but still, those 4s and 6s were never dished out from the T20-textbook – they were classic Sangkkara stuffs.

At the crease, it was a delicacy to relish. The romantic heart just yearns for such a sight whole day and night. The class of Mahlea and the stubborn artistry of Sanga had been a sight to watch! Man, I could deny a date with the most beautiful lady in Dhaka for the sake of Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene’s splendid batting display.

Jayawardene walked back to the pavilion after a solid stand with Sanga and surprisingly we discovered a night-watchman pinch-hitting package – Kulasekara was promoted up the order in place of Lahiru Thirimane. Ladies love surprises and they get even more impressed when the surprises are a romantic bombshell. Perhaps, Angelo Mathews wanted to surprise the Lady Luck and win her heart. Angie’s move did win her heart.

Sangakkara reached his hundred but his heroics were overshadowed by some mind-blowing hitting from Kulasekara. A clever and risky move proved to be a masterstroke by some clever pinch-hitting from Kulasekara. The class and marshaling qualities of Sangakkara, the grace of Mahela, the cunning move of Angelo Mathews and the wildness of Dilshan made the lady luck to blush, impressed her immensely. But the ultimate jackpot was hit by Kulasekara. Breezy Kulasekara made her smile and she didn’t dishearten the Lankan unit at all.

Lady Luck shouldn’t be rude with such a lovely and fighting Lankan unit. Lady Luck must smile upon these Lankan boys to make them the ultimate winners. A team boosting with the likes of Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Dilshan, and co still have not been able to lift any major ICC trophies. It will be an injustice if these legends leave the game without winning any major ICC tournaments.

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 14/06/2013 Sparkling Sri Lanka

Thank You
Faisal Caesar

The crestfallen Pakistan fans

 

"I felt immensely sad after watching those crestfallen Pakistani fans who gathered in the stadium with high hopes but their hopes and aspirations were murdered brutally by the Pakistani team," Writes Faisal Caesar 

Wow!

What a match it was at the Oval!

After a long time, we were left biting our nails in a low-scoring thriller.

The pathetic Pakistani batting was well backed by their exquisite bowling attack and almost bagged the match against the West Indies.

But the West Indies prevailed in a nerve-wracking finish and maintained their unbeaten record against Pakistan at the Oval.

Then the Sri Lankans dished out another eye-popping low-scoring affair in Cardiff where it seemed that the lady luck did a great injustice by not gifting the match to Sri Lanka. The way the Lankans made chasing 138 an impossible task simply deserved a standing ovation. Sadly, the Kiwis had the last laugh but the winners of the hearts were the Lankans.

The Oval and Cardiff thrillers conveyed a message that the contest always gets spicy when the ball is dominating the game. Cricket is always dull and one dimensional when the battle is between willow vs willow.

More than Pakistan’s excellent bowling display at the Oval, more than Wahab Riaz’s lively spell at the Oval and more than Misbah’s one-man-show at the Oval; the passionate and vociferous Pakistani fans at the Oval caught my attention. As if we were watching a match at either Karachi or Lahore. Their eyes were full of dreams and each time they shouted for their team it expressed their enormous confidence with their men who dominate their heart and brain more than the Drone attack and Nawaz Sharif’s policies in changing Pakistan.

Though the match at the Oval was lost, the fans were extremely hopeful that their men will gift them sweet memories to relish because on the big occasions, the men in green always are habituated to hit the jackpot at the right moment, and in England, they are always a different kettle of fish. But sadly, the dreams of millions of Pakistanis were shattered and they are left bemused.

In the second encounter against the South Africans at Edgbaston, the atmosphere was absolutely electrifying. It was just another Lahore and Karachi. The fans were noisy, shouting, ‘Pakistan jite ga,’ ‘Pakistan Zindabad,’ ‘Dil, Dil Pakistan’, or ‘Pakistan Zindabad!’ To get spirited and go for the ultimate kill what does a team need more! Even away from home, you are feeling almost in home courtesy of these passionate cricket fans. To upset these fans was nothing but a crime.

As usual, the Pakistani bowlers came back strongly to dent the South African batting line up with inspirational bowling spells backed by a brilliant fielding display from the ace Misbah-ul-Haq. The Pakistanis were needed to chase down just 235 in 50 overs but what the world witnessed was the dullest exhibition of batsmanship in recent times.

Against an attack that lacked the firepower of Dale Steyn and Morkel, it was never an unachievable total by any means. Even, in my opinion, it had not been that much of a brilliant bowling display by the South African bowlers, but the Pakistani batsmen batted as if they were trying their best to make that second string South African attack as invincible. Not from any of the batsmen the ultimate dash was scripted. Rather, they capitulated meekly. Again, Misbah fought alone, again the rest of the batsmen choked big time.

The passionate fans present at Edgbaston were shell-shocked. They were not ready to accept such a pathetic display from their beloved men. They were left bemused in knowing that their team was out of the tournament. There were gloomy faces in the stadium; there were dispirited feelings amongst the Pakistani fans.

I felt immensely sad after watching those crestfallen Pakistani fans who gathered in the stadium with high hopes but their hopes and aspirations were murdered brutally by the Pakistani team.

If one factor has to be blamed for this dismal show by Pakistan then it should be the mind-boggling selection. The selection of a well established failed package named Imran Farhat still makes no sense. Time and again this Bradman from planet Neptune is being picked only to script an added pressure in the batting line up as he is always the surest thing to get out as early as possible. Farhat's failures will be written in letters of gold in the history of Pakistan cricket.

The omission of Asad Shafiq and picking Umar Amin instead of him had been another idiotic approach. There is no doubt about Asad Shafiq’s talent and his abilities have been proven time and again. Asad can switchgear according to the need of the situation – an ability which Umar Amin lacks.

Why Shoaib Malik was picked in the squad still remains a moot question. Malik had been the name of a big flop for the last couple of years. Neither with the bat nor with the ball has Malik shone. His overall appearance on the field gives everyone the feeling of a person who is always being suppressed by this world for an unknown reason. You need confident players in the team and not depressed characters.

Players like Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan get omitted on the basis of poor performances but what Bradmanesque performance did Malik and Frahat exhibit? Or they don’t require any judgments to get selected?

With the asking run-rate being escalated what Pakistan needed most was the service of a pinch hitter but who will give them the late surge? 

There was no Afridi. 

There was no Razzaq. In the middle-order, other than Misbah’s stability there were no other batsmen to ensure security.

The experience of Younis Khan was immensely missed.

You can do millions of discussions with the past greats, you can arrange millions of conditioning camps in Abottabad but if you pick the wrong players in your team then these initiatives will never fetch great results.

The Pakistani selection committee must have a vision while the top officials must bear in mind that only boasting of having lots of talented bowlers will not bring the desired results. A cricket team needs both batsmen and bowlers. Without the adequate support of the batsmen, the bowlers’ good work will always meet a sad end. Pakistan will never fall short of fast bowlers but they will lack quality batsmen if correct approaches aren’t taken.

I don’t believe that Pakistan doesn’t have talents in batting. A land that is fertile for giving birth to exciting and talented cricketers can’t be a desert in terms of producing sizzling batsmen. What Pakistan lack is the eye and management skill in finding these talents! Rather than a pace hunting program, I guess a batsman hunting program will benefit Pakistan more. Many Pakistani officials and fans think too much about their bowling attack but shouldn’t be batting be taken with greater importance? The current side is badly in need of a batting coach.

Lastly, to build a Pakistan team, appoint a Pakistani coach.

History suggests that Pakistan’s greatest moments have always come under Pakistani coaches and not the foreign ones.

Note: This article has been published on Cricketsoccer on 13/06/2013 The crestfallen Pakistan fans

Thank You

Faisal Caesar