England v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Trent Bridge - England crush Pakistan mercilessly

The wicket at Trent Bridge was a batting paradise and England cashed on it big time. They unleashed an absolute carnage to crush the Pakistan bowling attack and posted 444 for 3 to overtake Sri Lanka's 443 for 9 against Netherlands in 2006.

Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler plundered a hapless Pakistan attack and left me staggered about their astonishing improvement since that World Cup exit last year. The last 18 months have been outstanding for England in the 50-over format and their attacking display have been somewhat a revolution and if they can maintain this form, I am sure, they will be able to break the hoodoo of the World Cups in 2019.

Pakistan need to change the ODI captain as soon as possible. Azhar Ali is not a captaincy material and I question Misbah-ul-Haq’s cricketing eye. How could he endorse the thought of Azhar as the captain in the 50-over format? At present, Sarfraz Ahmed should be the captain and in my opinion, he can change Pakistan’s fortune in the 50-over format.   

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

South Africa v New Zealand, 2nd Test, Centurion, Day 4 - Dale Steyn is back!

Test cricket was missing Dale Steyn very much while, South Africa were missing him badly. Thankfully, he is back with a boom. Steyn is the nucleus of this Proteas unit. We talk a lot about AB de Villiers, but in my book, Steyn is the real star and main-man of this Proteas unit. After Graeme Smith, Steyn had been a huge factor behind South Africa’s rise to the top. Last year, he was not available and how South Africa suffered without him, we all know.

Faf declared the innings after taking a big lead and from the word go, Steyn was in business. Backward rotation of the wrist, upright seam and cracker of away swingers bowled at 80 to 85 mph set jitters in the New Zealand batting line-up and in the end, they digested a heavy defeat.

South Africa are back on the winning track.

Steyn’s outgoing and incoming deliveries to the left and right handers nipped-back-in and moved away viciously. Especially the away swingers with the new ball were just too hot to handle. Yes, the new ball and wrist position helped a lot, but for swing bowling, laminar and turbulent air flow are also needed. I am not sure about the nature of air flow at Centurion, but perhaps, it was laminar which I guessed after watching the sharp away swingers with the kookaburra ball.  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

South Africa v New Zealand, 2nd Test, Centurion, Day 3 - The New Zealand pacers set jitters, but still, South Africa are in a strong position

New Zealnd’s first innings met a sad end. Except Kane Williamson, none of the batsmen could handle the South African bowlers well. South Africa conceded a lead of 267 runs and didn’t enforce the follow on. South Africa’s second innings was made tougher by some high profile fast and swing bowling by the New Zealand pace bowlers.

Trent Boult and Tim Southee didn’t waste the new ball and kept on delivering the fresh cherry on a fullish length in and outside off. A fullish length made let the ball move prodigiously and extra bit of pace, helped to kiss the edge quickly and fly towards the slip at a catchable height. In no time, the cream of South African top order was removed by Boult and Southee.

Their display with the new ball was a joy to watch and helped a lot to lessen the stress of last night’s CCU duty. Quinton de Kock, aided by luck and some loose bowling, switched to fourth gear from the word go and went for the counter attack, but his stay was cut short by an absolute snoter from Doug Bracewell – it bounced from a length and transformed De Kock into a bow, kissed his handle and flew towards the slip.

The adventurous stroke - play doesn’t reap a rich harvest all time in Test cricket. You need to mix caution with aggression.

Then there was Neil Wagner. I mean, it’s a pity, he doesn’t get the accolade he deserves. At present, he is one of the dangerous pace bowlers in Test cricket and one of the toughest customer to handle while he is bowling from round the wicket.

The dismissal of Stiaan van Zyl made it a productive day for the Kiwis, but South Africa are still leading by 372 runs, the best chase at Centurion is 251, whereas, the best chase in all the venues is 340.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

FC Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao, La Liga 2016-17 - A scratchy Barcelona overcome an inspiring Athletic Bilbao

If the team was not Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona would have lost a point last night. They kept the Catalans on their toes most of the times as they pressed high up the pitch and at times, went on to score. But sadly they were either denied by the Braca defenders or the lack of quality finishers. Even they were denied by the referee for a late penalty appeal after Iker Munian went down inside the box at the end of regulation time under slight contact from Rakitic. Famous football commentator Ray Hudson said, “It was a clear penalty”, but the referee was blind. Ivan Rakitic saved the day for Barcelona with a 21-minute header.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Sri Lanka v Australia, 3rd ODI, Dambulla - Australia escape the Sri Lankan spin scare

I missed an absolute cracker of a 50-over match last night. Sri Lanka almost scripted an astonishing victory had the Australians not held their nerve in the end. Dinesh Chandimal’s hundred was like grafter and was largely responsible to give the Sri Lankan score respectability. While, George Bailey was the main man behind Australia’s victory as he held the innings together with his calm and composure.

Suddenly the Sri Lankan spinners spit venom and the Australian innings lost their way from a comfortable 187 for 4. Adam Zampa’s enthusiastic display didn’t let any rut happen.

Both Chandimal and Bailey showed how important is it to pick the gaps and rotate the strike in the 50-over format. You cannot apply porn-movie-like batting display every time. Such sort of batsmanships don’t trigger orgasms, but they win matches and that’s what a team needs. 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

South Africa v New Zealand, 2nd Test, Centurion, Day 2 - South Africa are in a commendable position

When Dale Steyn is bowling in his actual rhythm, time stands still. For a year or so, he was missing from the scene, but I was glad to see him back in action yesterday. The pace was there and those fullish deliveries pitched in and around the fourth and fifth stump at pace triggered thrilled among those who loves to watch the fast bowlers. On a slow-and-low track, Steyn meant business and grabbed a wicket. Vernon Philander was the first one to jolt the New Zealand batting line up and then panic set up as Ross Taylor was run out which left the Kiwis reeling at 38 for 3.

Faf du Plessis didn’t leave the scene after just scoring a half century, but put a price tag on his wicket. He scored an unbeaten 112 runs, which was the result of spending more time at the crease rather than bloody boundary based batting. You are here to play Test cricket and not perform in a porn movie.

Trent Boult, yet again, bowled well, but went wicketless. 

While, Neil Wagner bagged a five-for with minimum support from his partners. In my opinion, Boult targeted the edge more. His incoming and outgoing deliveries found the edge and left the bat more than going to the fielders. On such tracks, if you are looking for the edge, then, deliver it at pace. Boult can deliver the ball around  145-150 km/hour, but on such a track, 135-140 won’t work until and unless the ball is hard and new. Boult didn’t fire the old ball right on the block hole, which in fact, quite natural for him.

At the other end, Wagner varied his length and deliveries more than Boult and Tim Southee, who I felt bowled in patches. Wagner’s short-pitch stuffs targeting rib cage was testing and the effort to leave the ball away from the bat from round the wicket was exciting stuff. It was a display of pure skill and temperament.  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Napoli v AC Milan, Serie A, 2016-17 - Naploli escape the Rossoneri scare

The match between Napoli and AC Milan was a fascinating encounter where I noticed a bit of improvement among the Rossoneri players. Especially, their passing was more incisive than the past season. Napoli’s new centre forward Arkadiusz Milik put Napoli ahead in the 18^th minute and when he scored the second goal, Milan looked lost.

But all of a sudden, the Rossoneri burst into life.  In a thrilling five-minute spell, Mbaye Niang first got a goal back after a fantastic run and left-footed finish and Suso then delicately curled a strike into the top left corner of Napoli’s goal. Milan even threatened to take the lead in this humdinger of a match, with another 30+ minutes of football left to play.

Napoli’s Jose Callejon put the home team ahead and still Milan looked to determined enough to stun the home crowd, but they failed to maintain their rhythm as Juraj Kucka was first sent off, getting a second yellow card for arguing with the referee and Mbaye Niang would also get a red card a few minutes later for a petulant pull on Napoli keeper Pepe Reina. 

Callejon scored his second goal at the fag end of the match and yet again, AC Milan lost the match.

But I am satisfied that they fought hard.

The  fighting spirit must not fade away in the upcoming matches. 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

Real Madrid v Celta Vigo, La Liga 2016-17 - Toni Kroos bails Real out

Celta Vigo’s Fabian Orellana’s performance was better last night. Real Madrid’s defence was not up to the mark and left acres of spaces. Toni Kroos bailed out the Los Blancos last night and yes, there were some eye-catching build-up-play in the midfield which orchestrated some wonderful chances. Luca Modric missed couple of chances while Gareth Bale was found wanting and had Alvaro Morata not picked his game up in the second half, Real would have been halted by Celta last night. 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

England v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Lord's - England take a 2-0 lead easily

Alex Hales and Jason Roy departed earlier, but it didn’t put England under pressure. They have the right players in the right place and they are lead by a captain who doesn’t shy to take risks and attack when it matters the most. After a long time, England are striking the right chord in the 50-over format. They were down and dusted last year when Bangladesh knocked them out of the World Cup, but gradually, they picked themselves up and Eoin Morgan changed his style to gel this team well and make them adapt to the modern style.

I have become a fan of the England limited-overs team.

If your captain is too predictive and pragmatic, even the best bowlers in the team can’t fetch you wickets. That’s why the value of a smart and attacking captain is very much in cricket. You have to operate like a chess player. More often, I heard people say, Clive Lloyd or Steve Waugh was blessed to have a great team, but let me tell you, if they were not the leader of men, smart and attacking enough, a Michale Holding or Glenn McGrath would have sucked big time.

      

Azhar is too boring as a captain. I don’t think his cricketing brain is sharp and I question Misbah, how could you recommend Azhar as the next captain?

Sarfraz played another gutsy knock, but it was wasted.

Pakistan should think of appointing Sarfraz as the next captain. I find this guy passionate and temperamentally stronger than Azhar. I am sure, his cricketing brain is also better than Azhar. Azhar and Asad Shafiq should concentrate on Test cricket only.   

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

South Africa v New Zealand, 2nd Test, Centurion, Day 1 - Good day for the Proteas with the bat

I loved the passage of play from the 62nd to 70th over. Hashim Amla was beautifully poised at the crease and to watch him bat was a world of joy. From back lift to foot work to timing to caressing the ball through the gaps with an absolute surgical precision, Amla was at his sublime best.

Kane Williamson engaged Neil Wagner to introduce his brute force – barrage of short pitch bowling – to dismantle Amla. Wagner banged in short in the middle and leg stump line with a leg slip and leg gully in position. Mitchell Santner was supporting him from the other end, whereas, I thought, Doug Bracewell would have been better. But Wagner continued his rib-cage-bowling.

Amla was not ready to get jolted by such, but got on top of the bounce due to his tidy foot work and bisected the offside field against Wagner, but Wagner still persisted with the short of a length rib-cage-bowling and in the second ball of 70th over, he delivered the ball of the day from round the wicket to baffle Amla with the angle. The ball held its line after pitching, went into the middle and leg and suddenly changed its trajectory towards off in the last second and outclassed Amla.

What a peach of a delivery it was! Amla was waiting for another middle and leg stump line from a short of a length towards the rib cage, but Wagner produced a Wasim Akram like skill to dismiss Amla.

The battle between Amla and Wagner was enjoyable to watch.

Trent Boult and Tim Southee brought the ball back in and swung it away without enough effect. I think, the track was slowish and lacked bounce to let the edge fly towards the slip cordon and for which many of the jaffas bowled the New Zealand pacers didn’t produce better results. I appreciate the idea of short pitch bowling when the line-and-length type stuffs, middle-and-leg stump attack, fuller length or bowling straight fails, just go for the rib cage. But, on such a track with slow and low bounce, the late inswingers do work better.

The caution taken by Quinton de Kock earlier and then JP Duminy later on, deserves praise. In Test cricket, leaving the ball is a must and the way De Kock and Duminy did it, was a lesson for the youngsters. Faf du Plessis, exhibited his patience as well. Especially, the way he dropped his wrists down against the short pitch stuffs and left some juicy half volleys outside off, hinted, South Africa are here to play Test cricket.       

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

England’s tour to Bangladesh will be a befitting answer to terrorism

 “Sport is extremely powerful. For more than a hundred years, it has done things which politics failed to do. It has the power to unite a nation and spread love all over the world. In this unrest world, it’s the perfect tool to undermine terrorism and thus, if England tour Bangladesh, it will be a befitting answer to terrorism”

July 1, 2016. All of a sudden the whole world was stunned. A horrifying night preceded the glorified Night of Power of Holy Ramadan. Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, was left in a state of stupor and in a dazed state of disbelief and heartbreak.  The whole nation came to a standstill and the vengeance of that night jolted the whole nation.

Five militants took hostages and opened fire on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, which is known as one of the most secured and posh areas of Dhaka. The assailants entered the bakery with crude bombs, machetes, pistols, and took several dozen hostages, both foreign and local. The Bangladesh Army took a drastic approach and ended the standoff via “Operation Thunderbolt”.

A few days later, during the Eid prayers at Sholakia, a group “Son of the Devils” carried out a bomb blast which added more grief to the heart and soul of the Bangladeshis who were already hurt and devastated by the Gulshan attack.

The incidents of Gulshan and Sholakia had put Bangladesh in a very bizarre state. They faced the risk of losing various foreign investments in the business sector and a major setback in tourism and sports, especially cricket.

Last year, Australia’s tour of Bangladesh was officially postponed due to concerns over security. An Italian charity worker was shot dead in Dhaka and later, Islamic State reportedly claimed the responsibility, and thus, Cricket Australia had no option but to abandon the tour.

It was a sad state of affairs for the Tigers, who were eagerly waiting for the tour to happen. They were in such a wonderful form last year that it promised to be a cracking Test series against a team who are weak against spin and were down after losing the Ashes in England.

But Australia’s decision to postpone the tour left the Tigers devoid of Test cricket for almost a year and since the World T20 ended, Bangladesh are hardly involved in any international cricket.  The likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman featured in some T20 leagues, but that was not enough to quench the thirst of Bangladeshi cricket fans.

England are supposed to tour Bangladesh this year for a bilateral Test and ODI series. But the tragic incident of July 1 has cast a shadow over the tour. England Cricket Board’s (ECB) security delegation arrived in Dhaka last week and inspected venues in Mirpur, Chittagong and Fatullah. They also inspected the hotels and had meetings with the intelligence agencies and BCB officials in Dhaka. They were also shown the security plan for the tour at the home ministry.

The ECB delegation left Dhaka, but it is still not certain whether the tour will proceed or not.

England should not postpone the tour. The whole world is affected by terrorism, but it doesn’t stop the day-to-day activities and sports at all. Moreover, the security state of Bangladesh is not in the doldrums like some of the countries where each day children have to wake up with the fear of a drone attack or bomb blast.

Mashrafe Mortaza, who has supported the tour, said, “Firstly, I would ask them to come, and I still believe they will come. We are all confident that the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the government will be able to make necessary security arrangements. As a player, I will say that the sport should continue. This kind of attack is happening all over the world. There were attacks in France and still the Euro was held there. I think it depends on ECB-BCB, what is going on between them. I think they should come.”

Again, if England’s tour to India in 2008 could proceed despite the horrifying terrorist attack in Mumbai, why not the Bangladesh tour?

The Government of Bangladesh has taken stern steps to control violence and terrorism all over the country and at the moment the state of security in Bangladesh is comfortable. The foreign investors have not stepped back, whereas many foreigners are still visiting Bangladesh as tourists and for various business purposes.

Bangladesh has stood up on her feet and moved on with enough determination and positivity.

England should realize what cricket means to the people of Bangladesh and how badly it will affect the country’s cricketing affairs if they decide not to tour Bangladesh. England should not forget, despite Australia’s sad decision, Bangladesh has successfully staged two major international events and a limited-overs series this year. The arrangement of security by the Bangladesh government was stupendous and there were no reports of any ugly incidents during those events.

Moreover, England must not miss the opportunity to enjoy Bangladesh’s eye-popping natural beauty, heartwarming hospitality, and passion for the game. No matter where they go to play, they will be greeted with a cheer, and no matter whom they meet they will never experience a moment of hostility. Bangladesh is the school of life.

Bangladesh are a rising force in world cricket and deserves to host and play against big teams like Australia and England. It’s quite sure, Bangladesh won’t wobble against them like in the past but will offer an exciting contest which will not only benefit both the teams, but cricket itself will be enriched a lot.

Sport is extremely powerful. For more than a hundred years, it has done things which politics failed to do. It has the power to unite a nation and spread love all over the world. In this unrest world, it’s the perfect tool to undermine terrorism, and thus, if England tour Bangladesh, it will be a befitting answer to terrorism.

Note: This article was published at Cricketsoccer on 25/08/2016 England’s tour to Bangladesh will be a befitting answer to terrorism 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Opinion about Cricket Australia’s decision to rest Steve Smith

Cricket Australia's decision to rest Steve Smith in the middle of an ODI series has earned a lot of criticism. Darren Lehman stated, " It was well planned and well thought".

Yes, the decision was not a satisfactory one, but at the same time, we need to think, perhaps, there were other 'reasons' behind taking such a decision which is a closed-door-type-matter of Cricket Australia's hierarchy and coaching staff.

At times, the think tanks take some unpopular and baffling-for-the-common-people like decisions which earn a lot of harsh response, but it doesn't bother the think tanks at all.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

England v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Southampton - I have fallen in love with Jason Roy's stroke-play

I have fallen in love with Jason Roy’s stroke-play. He is not a Twenty20 or limited-overs stuff, but technically he is very sound enough to feature in the Test team. His ability to time the ball perfectly and playing it through the gap either by shifting the balance on the front or back foot, increased my love more. His batting is about pristine timing rather than brute-force. He plays with a straight bat and possesses a sound defence and high back lift.

And he is graceful as well. I love such stylish batsmen. I want to see him bat in Test cricket along with Alastair Cook. England have wasted time by using Alex Hales and James Vince, whereas, they have brilliant players to make the Test team stronger.

It was good to see Mark Wood and Ben Stokes in action. Even in limited-overs format, Mark Wood doesn’t shy to use his attacking line-and-length with deceptive pace. It was a belter of a track and Wood didn’t think of bowling a mechanical-style-of-bowling, but banged in short and swung it in-and-away wat pace even when a lone slip and gully was in place and no leg slip in support.

Batting at number five is the ideal position for Ben Stokes. Rain had cut short his display, and I think, he will show his ture colours in the future games.

I was never confident with Pakistan’s ability in the 50-over format. If they think, carrying on the legacy of Misbah in limited-overs format will do better then, they will remain stuck in the past when a score of 250-plus was regraded enough. In the age of dynamic cricket, one needs to be dynamic enough to challenge the opposition and, I think, Azhar Ali is not ideal choice to lead the Pakistan’s limited-overs team. I am not writing him off at the moment, but he needs to change his style and shun pragmatism.    

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Sri Lanka v Australia, 2nd ODI, Colombo - Amila Aponso was inpressive

The last time Daniel Christian grabbed a hat-trick, Australia lost the match and today, James Faulkner’s hat-trick didn’t help Australia that much, but a left-arm orthodox bowler named Amila Aponso grabbed the limelight. His line-and-length are suited to limited-overs format and in my opinion, he is able to take the responsibilities of the Test team as soon as Rangana Herath retires. The Sri Lankan think tank must try this boy in the five-day format. 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Pakistan's moment of glory

It’s not really justified enough to lose a spot without even playing a Test match. Neither is it justified enough to be in the second or third spot despite playing very well both at home and away. The top three positions in Test cricket should have been occupied by South Africa, England and Pakistan only because of their brilliant record over the last five years both at home and in abroad. Certainly, the ICC ranking system is needed to be remodeled.

A washout at Queen’s Park Oval has given Pakistan the opportunity to become the number 1 Test team in the world and in my opinion, they should have been the table-toppers earlier. Well, it seems, this table-topping is temporary, but at the moment, the Pakistanis won’t even think or bother about that.

It’s their moment to relish and celebrate the achievement. They are plagued by political unrests, trolled and disliked by many, slapped in the face, kicked on the rib cage, unable to play in front of their home crowd, hit the headlines due to silly acts and ugly controversies and are habituated to lose the services of the major players time and again.

But still, their passion for cricket knows no bound. With a heavy heart, but a strong will power, Misbah-ul-Haq and his men took the passion forward and all those struggles, pangs and agonies have been abolished at the moment. They are distant memories and were helpful in strengthening the aim to reach for the ultimate glory.   

      

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Queen's Park Oval and Durban's disgraceful display

A Test series in West Indies during the month of July and August is very unlikely. I have grown up watching the Calypso Carnival during the March-April period. When I came to know, the international cricket season in West Indies will resume during July and August, I was surprised, but then realized, the Indian Premier League schedule should be the top most priority rather than your own international cricket season. And the outcome was not good. The rain interfered and once, they saved West Indies while on the other occasion, they had been responsible for spoiling four days of Test cricket.

In fact, it was the wet outfield and the lack of well-equipped  facilities at Queen’s Park Oval led to such a frustrating end to a Test season in West Indies. It’s really funny that on sun-kissed days, no action was able to proceed. How disgraceful such an incident had been for a ground which have an enriched history, but failed to produce active days of cricket due to poor facilities!

Dear WICB, where does all the money go? 

Wasted in Caribbean premier League?

I don’t think the whole saga even bothered the players and Board Officials. The circus show known as “Caribbean Premier League” has been staged successfully, the next entry to a corrupted show is secured and the Board doesn’t care weather Test cricket exists or not in West Indies.

But I do care and my heart is heavy since 1995 about West Indies.  

 According to Caribbean weather websites, July is the month when the hurricane season starts to make itself known, with six inches or more of rainfall for the Bahamas, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, and St. Lucia. It's a good month for Antigua, Cancun, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  While August has been termed as “Ugh” in a website for travel and tourism named “Wander Wisdom”.

Why this Test series was staged in July and August when the possibilities of inclement weathers are heavy? How long West Cricket would be slow poisoned by these Twenty20 Leagues? How long world cricket will suffer due to these Twenty20 leagues?

Had the useless responsibility of fulfilling the formalities of a joke like IPL  didn’t matter, we would not have to witness such things. 

Meanwhile, Durban’s inability to cope with the inclement weather was staggering. The drainage system was so poor that it has put South African cricket into shame, let alone the fans all over the world. 

South Africa are one of Test cricket’s elite teams.

Have they started to forget this and decided to become a Twenty20 nation like West Indies?

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Brazil v Germany, Final, Rio 2016 - Well done Rogerio Micale

The Samba Boys kept me awake till 6:00 am in the morning. They left me in tears. It was the tears of joy and they didn’t stop, but kept on rolling down the eyes. Being a Brazilian fan, it was the moment to cherish. As if, all of a sudden, the dark clouds of frustration and despair had moved away and allowed the brightness of the sun to smile upon the fans like us for whom Brazil is not just a team, but more than that.

How bad was the situation when Brazil drew with Iraq? Neymar was trolled and criticized heavily while Rogerio Micale’s abilities as a coach was questioned. But Micale didn’t lose hope. He is not a pragmatic fool, but enlightened by the culture of Brazil football, which teaches one to be passionate and enjoy the game like a flying canarinho. Such people are patient and brave and give their best shot when the circumstances are tough.

Micale united his men. Instill self-belief among them. Changed his plans and switched to a 4-2-4 format despite such a tough situation. No coach in this world would have dared to go for such a daring move when you are about to get eliminated from the first round. But Micale showed the guts to do that and all of a sudden, Brazil rediscovered their lost rhythm as they were allowed to fly like a canarinho.   

Micale’s Brazil rekindled the true spirit of Joga Bonito. A bunch of young kids flew all around the park like a bird. They were fearless, artistic, intent enough and enjoyed the game more than anyone in the men’s football event. Douglas Santos was like Junior, Zeca transformed into Carlos Alberto, Renato Augusto was like Didi and Gerson, Walace gave the impression of Zito, Gabriel Jesus was the jack in the box like Vava, Gabigol was like Garrincha on the right, Luan was more like Tostao than a number 7 while Neymar played like Pele and of course, the two centre backs – Marquinhos and Rodrigo Caio had been aboslutely rock solid at the back. I hope, Tite has plans about them in his mind.

As a matter of fact, Neymar played like a true leader. He dropped down deep like Pele and Mardaona from their traditional playing positions and gelled well with the two midfielders to marshall the forwards from behind. Neymar played in the central position of the midfield, interchanged his position on the right and left and produced sublime passes which hinted about his greatness. He was not only the scorer of the team, but also, he was the playmaker like Pele and Maradona.

How can the world media and fans be so cruel with such a gem? This guy always gives his thousand percent for the team and at the end of the day, a group of fans and football followers slice him either because he is not an Argentine or he plays for Barcelona. They are the pseudo fans with no knowledge of the game.

Micale was instrumental in using Neymar as the nucleus of the team. He gave him the freedom to play like he gave to all his men. And when you give enough freedom to the Brazilian players, they transform into a spectacle. The Selecao gifted us joy throughout the event and let us thank you Micale for that.

There were a group of fans who call themselves as Brazil supporters, but don’t agree with the ploy of free-flowing football. These guys are young and naive and should study about the footballing culture and history of Brazil football. Brazilians are joyful and freedom loving people. They can’t live in a world where pragmatism exists. Brazil are needed to be given the freedom to express themselves. Otherwise, their philosophy of existence will meet a tragic end.

Thankfully, Carlos Dunga was not the coach of this Olympic team. Otherwise, he would have gifted us the ugliest form of football, which would have injected more frustrations among the fans. Thankfully, a messiah named Micale was there to rescue Brazil football. Not only Brazil, but world football should be grateful to Micale for bringing back the Joga Bonito.

Yes, winning an Olympic gold medal is not as great as winning the FIFA World Cup, but this victory was important for Brazil football’s existence and their future which was hampered a lot by a lunatic named Carlos Dunga.   

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Rio 2016 - Brazil must win to rekindle the true spirit of Joga Bonito

Today is a big day for me and the Brazilian fans all over the world. After a scratchy start to the men’s football event, the Samba Boys have found their rhythm back. Rogerio Micale’s 4-2-4, which I believe has been the boldest ever move in this era of pragmatic football, helped Brazil to rediscover their mojo. We could enjoy the free-flowing football and a bit of ginga which made Brazil special from the rest of the teams of world football.

Rogerio Micale and his men have advanced into the finals and to rekindle the Joga Bonito and instill its true spirit in the Brazilian football culture yet again, Brazil’s victory tonight is very important.

Germany are a strong side and blessed with attackers like Brazil as well. Most of the players are from the Bundesliga and the likes of Bender twins, Sven and Lars,  Leipzig's Lukas Klostermann and Ingolstadt's Robert Bauer have been impressive enough to claim a place in the senior team. Brazil will be challenged, but this time around, I firmly believe, Micale’s men will be pressurized neither by the nightmarish memories of 2014 World Cup nor the pressure of playing in front of the home crowd in the Maracana.

Micale’s team is different. They are united and determined to prove a point to those who treated them shabbily after that dismal show against Iraq.   

Many are advising Micale to apply a pragmatic format to halt the German progression, but such things will only invite disasters. Germany are such a team, they’ll crush you when you try to hold them back. If we notice Argentina, Italy and Brazil’s success in Mexico, Espana 1982 and South Korea and Japan 2002, then we could realize, playing attacking football had been instrumental in defeating Germany. Even Cruyff’s Holland made the mistake of being a bit of defensive in the second-half of World Cup final 1974 where, surprisingly, they opted to go for the counterattack, which was un-Dutchis-type, and were never able to dent the German defence which loved this sort of tactics.

I am not all worried about the Brazilian defence. Rodrigo Caio, Marquinhos, Zeca and Douglas Santos are in brilliant touch while the presence of Wallace in that box-t-box region gives Brazil’s defence and midfield the compactness which had been absent since a joke named Dunga took over Brazil’s coaching job. Even if Germany press forward, it won’t be easy to dismantle these four men.

One thing Micale must keep in mind and that is, Germany’s attack in the air. The Germans are extremely dangerous in the air and are the masters in winning the aerial battles. The Brazilian wing and centre backs must be very alert when the ball crosses in the air and enters into the danger zone. This is the only thing which is giving me mild headaches, otherwise, I think, Brazil are the favorites to win the gold.

I trust in Rogerio Micale.    

The glory days of Joga Bonito will be back.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

   

South Africa v New Zealand, 1st Test, Durban, Day 1 - New Zealand are on top

I love Neil Wagner’s bowling. He is not the star of modern day cricket and very much underrated, but I feel, it’s an injustice to his aggression and perseverance. He runs in, delivers the ball and make the ball jump from a height which becomes quite tough to handle – majority of them are directed towards the rib cage area, oh boy, he gives me the feeling of the 80s and 90s. At the fag end of day 1, he produced some bone-chilling short-pitch stuffs and kept on pressurizing the South African batting line-up. Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock and Vernon Philander were the victims of Wagner and Kane Williamson’s jaw-dropping catch of Du Plessis was the moment of the day.

The first hour of the day was all about Trent Boult. His exhibition of “nice shape away from the batsman” was just a wow-stuff. The length hardly erred. It was full most of the times and made the ball move away late. Dean Elgar seemed like a fish out of the water while Stephen Cook was made to sweat. They were handling Boult by getting behind the line, but once Boult forced them to play forward, life was even more difficult.

I would love to watch Boult’s first eight overs of the day yet again.

Hashim Amla looked at home while handling the skillful bowling of New Zealand pace bowlers. There was a late cut through gully by pivoting on the back foot against Doug Bracewell. It was graceful – perfectly timed and well placed through the gap. Then his foot work against them was tidy which aided him to get on top of the bounce. There was a check-drive through mid off – another class shot which hinted, Amla was up to something big.

But Boult is such a brilliant customer. He came in to bowl another spell of full-and-nice-shape-back-in-type of bowling and dismissed Amla. Temba Bavuma showed guts, but he too failed to maintain the tempo like the top order batsmen. Mitchell Santner just sneaks in and bags some important wickets these days.

The New Zealand bowlers bowled brilliantly, but when I think, South Africa have batsmen like Amla, Du Plessis, Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma, I feel, such a poor total on day 1 is quite surprising. JP Duminy, in my opinion, had been the villain of the day. That was a poor shot when the partnership between him and Amla was well set.

The South African batsmen have forgotten the importance of strike rotation these days. They look for adventure rather than respecting Test cricket.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

      

The unique cricket culture of Sri Lanka

“Corruption is the part and parcel of the subcontinent and the Sri Lankan Cricket Board have been accused of such many times. But they have not taken Sri Lanka cricket to the doldrums. One should not forget, these Board Officials and the persons related to cricket are the products of this unique culture which teaches to build and not destroy”

In the first ball of the 45th over, Rangana Herath dished out a slider which hit the pad of Nathan Lyon. The Sri Lankans appealed for an lbw and the umpire raised his finger. Lyon went for the review, but the decision of the on-field umpire was upheld. Australia were all out for 160 despite being in a very comfortable position at 77 for 0 and lost the Test by 163 runs. Rangana Herath bagged his 13th wicket of the match and age is just a number for this cuddly-built Sri Lankan.

The Lankan Lions created history by beating the visitors 3-0 for the first time and before the series started, they had won just once against the former number 1 Test side of the world.

The English summer of 2016 was wet.

It was gloomy, bone-chilling, and nightmarish.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad just love such bowling-friendly conditions to torment the opposition batsmen with their sharp pace and swing. The Sri Lankans were sliced into pieces by the deadly bowling display of the English and when the one-day series ended, the England tour was nothing but a story of despair for Angelo Mathews’ men.

There had been some spark from some of the Lankan players, but none of them could inspire a victory or two. Surely, the post-Mahela-and-Sangakkara-era was turning out to be a case of an ugly transition period and a turnaround from such a rut seemed to be an uphill task.

Such a sort of transition is nothing new for Sri Lanka.

After the likes of Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga left, under Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu, Sri Lanka recovered very well. They were highly benefited by the services of Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene, and Kumar Sangakkara. Mahela and Sangakkara elevated themselves as leaders of men during that period and at the start of this decade, when Vaas and Murali left the scene, both of them acted as the guardian angel of the team to lift the Sri Lankans from another poor transition period.

Now, it was time for Mahela and Sangakkara to leave the scene. The responsibility was now on Angelo Mathews to carry on the legacy of the past masters. The task was not an easy one for him. He didn’t have the likes of Murali or Vaas in the bowling attack nor was he blessed with a young Mahela or Sanga. The old warhorse, Rangana Herath, whose gray hair and enlarged belly hinted of possible retirement, was his only trusted weapon. Yes, there was a Dinesh Chandimal and a Lahiru Thirimanna, but a Sri Lankan would not invest his faith in him.

Mathews’ going was tough. The defeats were hard to digest and tough to accept. The hope of conquering the transition period seemed to have diminished. Dark clouds of self-doubts overshadowed optimism.

In August 2016, the story is different. Mathews has conquered adversity to put Sri Lanka on the right track again.

By the virtue of Facebook, I have been privileged to meet and know the Sri Lankans well. One of the most striking things about them is, they don’t suffer from a superiority complex and whenever they face tough circumstances, they don’t get confused. They try to discover the solution to the problem rather than creating a pseudo-hype about the issue and build a wall of excuses. They work hard silently by maintaining their composure and thus, get out of the trouble without enough hassles.

They debate but don’t argue.

They are positive thinkers and not a bunch of pessimists.

The qualities of my Sri Lankan friends made me think that the Sri Lankan society and their cricket culture is built upon a unique work ethic which is, “keep quiet and work hard” and for which, their transition periods don’t exist long enough. The people out there take things sportingly and plan for the future rather than wasting time arguing about the bad results. They don’t chop and change but keep faith in their players.

Thankfully, the head coach of Bangladesh is a Sri Lankan.

Corruption is the part and parcel of the subcontinent and the Sri Lankan Cricket Board have been accused of such many times. But they have not taken Sri Lanka cricket to the doldrums. One should not forget, these Board Officials and the persons related to cricket are the products of this unique culture which teaches to build and not destroy.

Kusal Mendis, Kaushal Silva, Sandakan, Dilruwan Perea, Dhananjaya de Silva, Suranga Lakmal, and Kusal Perera are the future and the likes of Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Rangana Herath have marshaled these young guns in a competent fashion so that they can carry on the legacy of Sri Lanka’s unique cricket culture.

It is expected, this young Sri Lankan team will reach the top once again within a short period of time.

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 17/08/2016 The unique cricket culture of Sri Lanka 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Brazil v Honduras, Semifinal, Rio 2016 - Brazil set the Maracona on fire

I expected Brazil to crush Honduras and they did it ruthlessly. Neymar set the tone and the rest of the Samba Boys set Maracana on fire with a dazzling display of free-flowing football. Joga Bonito was at its very best. But, Rogerio Micale should be careful about the defence. Two moves by the Honduras forwards in the second half were challenging where the defence stood still. If Germany advance into the finals, then, such a lackluster attitude might cost dearly.

Brazil are back in rhythm after a dull start. But I am still not happy. The memories of Seoul 1988 and London 2012 still hurts. Especially, the defeat at Seoul hurt me alot. Being an eight-year old, I wanted Romario and Bebeto to beat the Soviet Unions and win the gold medal, but they failed to do that. Brazil have got yet another opportunity to fulfill their wish of winning the much cherished gold medal.

I shall be happy when I shall see Rogerio Micale and Neymar celebrate with the gold medal.  

I am confident, they will win.   

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Sri Lanka v Australia, 3rd Test, SSC, Day 5 - Australia surrender as Sri Lanka celebrate a memorable series win

Great day in the history of Sri Lankan cricket, delightful day for the fans and my Sri Lankan friends. First of all, let me congratulate my friends. Nothing can be sweeter than the victory of your own team and when they whitewash the number 1 (?) Test side in the world, the joy knows no bound. I am sure they will party hard tonight. Angelo Mathews and his men have achieved a feat which not even the Mahela and Siangakkaras could achieve.

Being an Australian fan, I am quite stunned. Great characters like Allan Border, Steve Waugh, David Boon, Dean Jones and Craig McDermott made me a fan of Australia during the 1988-89 World Series Cricket. I have seen them lose matches, but I have hardly seen those big boys to digest defeats in such a shambolic fashion.

Australia’s improved batting display in the first innings made me optimistic. I thought, they will be able to pull off a win and avoid the whitewash. But at the end of the day, it was yet another spineless batting display from the Australians.

There were no snakes in the pitch. It was a decent one and a bit of application and playing the ball according to the merit would have worked well. But the Australian batting line-up imploded as soon as David Warner departed. There were neither any signs of resistance from Steve Smith nor Shaun Marsh nor Adam Voges. It was a display of poor temperament.  

The Australian batting line-up succumbed to Rangana Herath.

Age is just a number for this guy.   

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

একজন লোককে কিভাবে নেগেটিভ ভাবে উপস্থাপন করা যায় সেটা একটি গোষ্ঠী এবং তাদের মুরিদরা খুব ভালোভাবেই জানে

মোহাম্মাদ আশরাফুল বিসিএলে খেলবেন নাকি খেলবেন না এটা নিয়ে হেড কোচ হাথুরুসিংহের দিকে আঙ্গুল তোলা হচ্ছে। প্রথম আলোর মতে, “নিয়ম অনুযায়ী বিসিএলে নেওয়া হয় জাতীয় লিগের সেরা পারফরমারদের, যাঁদের সামনে টেস্ট খেলার সুযোগ আছে। এই দুই বিবেচনার কোনোটিতেই ২০১২-১৩ মৌসুমে সর্বশেষ জাতীয় লিগে খেলা আশরাফুলের এবারের বিসিএল খেলতে পারার কথা নয়।

মজার ব্যাপার হলো সর্বশেষ জাতীয় লিগের পর একটি বিসিএল হয়ে গেছে এ বছরের শুরুতেই। সেই বিসিএল আর আগামী ২০ সেপ্টেম্বর থেকে শুরু বিসিএলের মাঝখানে আর কোনো জাতীয় লিগ হয়নি, যেটির পারফরম্যান্সকে ভিত্তি ধরে নতুন করে খেলোয়াড় বাছাই হবে। ২০১৮ সালের আগে আন্তর্জাতিক ক্রিকেটে খেলতে পারবেন না বলে আশরাফুলের বিসিএলে খেলার সম্ভাবনা কমে যাচ্ছে আরও।

বিসিবির একটি সূত্র জানিয়েছে, আশরাফুলের বিসিএল খেলার প্রশ্নে হাথুরুসিংহে সর্বোচ্চ গুরুত্ব দিচ্ছেন এই বিষয়টাকেই। অদূর ভবিষ্যতে যার জাতীয় দলে খেলার সম্ভাবনা নেই, তাঁকে দেশের সবচেয়ে মর্যাদাসম্পন্ন টুর্নামেন্টে খেলতে দেওয়ার কোনো যুক্তি দেখেন না কোচ। এতে অন্য একজন যোগ্য এবং সম্ভাবনাময় খেলোয়াড়কে বঞ্চিত করা হবে বলেই মনে করেন তিনি”।

এখন একটু প্রধান নির্বাচকদের বক্তব্য পড়ে দেখুন।

ক্রিকেট পরিচালনা-প্রধান আকরাম খান বলেন, ‘জাতীয় লিগের সেরা খেলোয়াড়দেরই সব সময় বিসিএলে খেলার সুযোগ দেওয়া হয়। কিন্তু আশরাফুল সর্বশেষ জাতীয় লিগে খেলেনি । ওর বিসিএলে খেলা তাই নির্ভর করছে ফ্র্যাঞ্চাইজি ও নির্বাচকদের ওপর”।

প্রধান নির্বাচক মিনহাজুল আবেদীনের মতে, “জাতীয় লিগের পারফরম্যান্সের সঙ্গে যাদের টেস্ট খেলার সম্ভাবনা আছে, বিসিএলের জন্য আমরা তাদেরই বিবেচনা করি”।

এখন এই প্যারাটা একটু দেখিঃ “নির্বাচকেরাও খেলোয়াড় বাছাইয়ের নিয়ম ভেঙে আশরাফুলকে বিসিএলে সুযোগ দিতে নারাজ বলে জানা গেছে। তবে যোগাযোগ করা হলে এ বিষয়ে কোচ-নির্বাচকদের কেউই সরাসরি কিছু বলতে রাজি হননি। আশরাফুলের বিসিএলে খেলার ব্যাপারে চূড়ান্ত সিদ্ধান্ত হওয়ার কথা ১৭ বা ১৮ আগস্ট হাথুরুসিংহের সঙ্গে নির্বাচক কমিটির সভায়”।

কিন্তু হাইলাইটেড ঐ হাথুরুসিংহেই।

‘জানা গেছে’, ‘সূত্র মতে’ ইত্যাদি শব্দ গুলো গল্প ফাঁদতে খুব কাজে দেয় এবং কেন জানি এসব শব্দ গুলোর ওপর আমার কোন বিশ্বাস নেই। যে ব্যাপারে এখনও চুরান্ত সিদ্ধান্ত হয়নি সেটা নিয়ে এত ক্ষোভ প্রকাশ করা এবং হেড কোচের পিছে উঠে পড়ে লাগার কোন কারন দেখি না। আগে চূড়ান্ত সিদ্ধান্ত হোক তারপর না হয় কিছু একটা মন্তব্য করা যাবে।

নিয়ম ভেঙ্গে তো আর কোন কিছু করা সম্ভব নয়।

একজন লোককে কিভাবে নেগেটিভ ভাবে উপস্থাপন করা যায় সেটা একটি গোষ্ঠী এবং তাদের মুরিদরা খুব ভালোভাবেই জানে।

লিঙ্কঃ আশরাফুলকে বিসিএলে চান না হাথুরু

ধন্যবাদ 

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