Blame the pitch, no problem, but don't forget to talk about the poor technique and temperament of the batsmen

 

“It was never hard for the likes of Root, Stokes, or Bairstow to go back to the basics and play with a straight bat, use the feet, trust the defence and occupy the crease. But what they really did was a below-par display of batsmanship, which set a poor example for those, who look up to such stars and learn”

So, the third Test between India and England at the biggest cricket stadium in the world lasted less than two days and is now the seventh shortest completed Test match and the first since 1935.

Without a doubt, it was a bad advertisement for Test cricket and the kind of Bunsen burner the curators prepared for this Test at Ahmedabad, till, now, it has been crucified – sadly, one important subject would be overshadowed and which is the display of poor technique by the batsmen on this Test. Again, one must not forget, the same was evident in the second Test as well.

In the last one and a half days of fascinating cricket played with the pink ball, 30 wickets tumbled at the cost of just 287 runs in more than 140 overs. 387-run is the lowest match aggregate in a completed Test match in Asia. The previous lowest was the 2002 Test between Pakistan and Australia at Sharjah (422 runs). The Ahmedabad Test is also the lowest aggregated Test in the last 74 years.

Now this is freakish cricket – blame the track, fine, you are entitled to give your opinion and bash the deck, but before you exhibit your democratic rights, don’t forget to ask yourself whether the batsmen from both sides batted sensibly or not.    

Just have a look at the dismissals of the top six English batters in the first innings.

Dom Sibley was caught at the crease and poked at the ball from Ishant Sharma – was that poke necessary? It could have been avoided easily. Jonny Bairstow was undone not by the turn, rather, the straighter one from Axar Patel, which demanded solidity in defence and astute footwork – Bairstow was sloppy in both.

Joe Root and Zak Crawley were grafting a partnership and the bat started to come down straight, but then came the fuller-one from Ravichandran Ashwin, which required coming forward rather than back. The result was leg before wicket.

Now, both the deliveries from Ashwin and Patel did not receive any assistance from the deck – but it was the faulty technique of Bairstow and Root that led to their downfall.

Crawley, who looked set and also witnessed the dismissal of Bairstow against the straighter ones of Patel, committed the same mistake by trying to play for the turn against the similar delivery – the track did nothing. The focus was poor.

Ollie Pope was castled courtesy of a delivery from Ashwin which he played down the wrong line – again, nothing wrong with the deck.

Patel dished out a length ball against which the feet of Ben Stokes did not move at all – hit the pad and the finger went up.

Well, the track cannot be blamed for this.

When the Indians came out to bat, Jack Leach had the ball straightened enough, and guess what, batsmen like Virat Kohli and Ajikya Rahane played it with a horizontal bat – quite a surprising choice of shots from the batsmen, who are well known for their authority against spin bowling. Whereas, Rohit Sharma, who was playing with a straight bat went for the slog-sweep for nothing, and panic set in the Indian batting line-up, who failed to notch-up 150.

 Leach had the breakthroughs and Joe Root finished the rest by bagging five wickets in one of the most memorable spells ever bowled by an English skipper in the subcontinent. But one must not forget, the poor shot selection of the Indian lower-middle-order.

I am sorry; I can’t blame the track here as well.

England came out to bat after a manic session only to prolong the manic by dishing out the poor exhibition of technique and temperament.

Crawley slid back to another wicket-to-wicket delivery by Patel – only Crawley’s mind would be able to decipher what was he thinking while playing the first ball of the innings – did the pitch play any role?

Not at all!

Out came Bairstow, on a pair, went for a sweep shot against the first delivery he faced! Why? God, dam, why? At least, watch the ball, defend it and occupy the crease dear! Patel and his teammate’s vociferous appeal let the on-field umpire raise his finger but DRS gave Bairstow another opportunity, which he wasted it by leaving a big gap between bat and pad against another straighter one.

Blame the technique here!

Sibley attempted a massive wipe across the line against Ashwin – why did he do that for?

Edged and gone! And don’t blame the track here!

Stokes seemed reorganized himself after the meek surrender in the first innings, but on 25, another non-spinner skipped into his planted front foot - it was the 11th time Stokes had been dismissed by Ashwin, and it was a body blow for England's hopes of a 100-plus lead.

Then Root attempted to play for the turn against those which skid through – similar mistake!

England were bundled out for 81 - the second-lowest Test total by any team against India.

South Africa's total of 79 in the first innings of the 2015 Nagpur Test still remains the lowest Test total against India. England's previous lowest Test total against India was 101, way back in 1971 at The Oval.

 193 runs had been scored by England across both innings.

This is the first instance of a team being bundled out twice in a Test match in India with an aggregate of less than 200 runs. The previous lowest was 212 runs that were made by India and Afghanistan - against Australia and India respectively.

This was also just the second Test since 1904 for England where they were bowled out twice in a Test with an aggregate lower than 193 runs. England were all-out for 93 and 82 respectively against New Zealand in Christchurch, 1984.

The manner of the above-mentioned dismissals can hardly blame the pitch, which was never for 287 runs in total, rather, a team could score around 250-300 if batted sensibly enough.   

Appropriate use of the feet and playing with a straight was the order of the day as Cricviz said, “35% of the boundaries against spin in this Test have been in the V. That's the fourth highest for a Test in India over the last five years. Boundaries are coming when players get to the pitch, and hit straight.”

It was never hard for the likes of Root, Stokes, or Bairstow to go back to the basics and play with a straight bat, use the feet, trust the defence and occupy the crease. But what they really did was a below-par display of batsmanship, which set a poor example for those, who look up to such stars and learn.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 25/02/2021 Blame the pitch, no problem, but don’t forget to talk about the poor technique and temperament of the batsmen

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Casemiro gives Real Madrid the much needed victory

 

 A Jose Morales goal in the first half and a late Jorge de Frutos strike gave Levante a hard-fought 2-0 over Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. This is the third time Atleti has dropped points in their last four La Liga games and their first defeat since their loss to Real Madrid back in December. Now, the result at Metropolitano opened the opportunity for Real Madrid to close the gap with Atleti and Casmeiro ensured that the Los Blancos earn full points.

With nine absences to deal with and two winter departures, Real Madrid have managed to stay in the fight for the La Liga title and the grit and determination of Zinedine Zidane and his boys have kept the hopes alive.

Karim Benzema and right-back Dani Carvajal among the latest additions to the team's long injury list, Zidane slotted Mariano into his attacking line with Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio, while the returning Lucas Vazquez took Carvajal's place at full-back.

Almost immediatelyThibaut  Courtois had to be called on to make back-to-back saves when he managed to block efforts from Fabian Orellana and Saidy Janko, the latter being one of the best saves of the season from the big Belgian.

At the other end, Mariano produced two great finishes for Los Blancos, but the linesman's flag was raised for offside, thus negating the efforts.

Madrid's best legal chance at a score in the first half came toward the end when a free-kick on the very edge of the area was served up by Toni Kroos for Casemiro, only to see the Brazilian miss badly with a header.

A sloppy pass from Ferland Mendy into his own box should have led to the first goal of the match for Valladolid early in the second half, as Mendy’s pass floated into the middle and fell perfectly for the charging Orellana to volley home, only for Courtois to make the reaction save.

The tension was mounting higher and Real Madrid were looking to break the deadlock.

Casemiro had squandered a golden opportunity to score in the first half off a Toni Kroos free-kick, but he made good on the next one, steering a header into the net off another dead-ball delivery from the German – the Los Blancos took the all-important lead.

Hugo Duro then came on to deservedly make his Real Madrid debut - making an incredible season for Castilla in terms of first-team opportunities even better with many games to go. Arribas also came on alongside Isco and continued to impress fans with his technique and intelligence. Valladolid never really looked a threat, but Madrid managed the game well.

A victory was morale-boosting, but the overall performance lacked the spark and in the upcoming clash against Atalanta in the Champions, the Los Blancos would need to reinvigorate themselves because the Italians are a much better unit than Valladolid. 

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 21/02/2021 Casemiro gives Real Madrid the much needed victory

Thank You\

Faisal Caesar 

 

The magnificent Erling Haaland

 

Erling Haaland of Norway and Borussia Dortmund only knows how to score goals and he just makes them look so easy. He was at his pristine best yet again last night at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium against Sevilla. He scored twice and ensured a much-needed away win for Dortmund.

Haaland scored twice and began the move that ended with Mahmoud Dahoud curling in a lovely shot to give Borussia Dortmund a 3-1 first-half lead that had looked set to be unassailable.

Sevilla, seemingly shell-shocked at that stage, did though recover in the second half to make a match of it. They may even have kept the tie alive, with Luuk De Jong making it 3-2 and setting up a frantic finish that suggests they can hurt Dortmund in two weeks.

When it comes to hurt, though, there are few players like Haaland, who said he had been inspired by Mbappé’s display at Camp Nou.

Sevilla started in a commendable fashion with Suso turning inside, shaping to hit it, and sending Jadon Sancho jumping to block a shot that did not come.

Taking another step closer, when he did shoot, the ball passed Jude Bellingham, clipped the toe of Mats Hummels, and ended up in the net.

 The goal reignited Haaland.

Sancho’s footwork was fast, Dahoud slipped smoothly through the middle, and Bellingham passed and moved with confidence.

And, meanwhile, sloppiness was evident in the Sevilla team, who gave away easy balls and left spaces.

Enters Haaland - He smacked a shot that boomed and echoed round an empty arena. Bono saved that one but not the next.

The second goal came like a gigantic wave - Haaland shrugging off Jordan, running at Sevilla and seeking a one-two with Sancho, whose return pass was superb, subtly spun into the Norwegian’s path to finish.

Still, he came, the third was made by Marco Reus, who robbed Ivan Rakitic and Papu Gómez and dribbled to the edge of the area before passing to his right. Haaland guided the ball into the net then knelt, arms raised, convinced this was now over.

Erling Haaland became the first player in Champions League history to score at least 17 goals in his first 13 appearances.

After previously becoming the fastest to five and 10 goals in Champions League play, Haaland became the only player to reach at least 17 goals in his first 13 appearances in the competition.

He has scored 10 Champions League goals in just seven appearances for Borussia Dortmund, the quickest which a player has ever reached 10 goals for a single team in the competition, breaking Roy Makaay's record with Bayern Munich.

With Haaland's second accurate finish against Sevilla last night, he moved into a tie with Robert Lewandowski for most Champions League goals since the start of last season.

Haaland holds an edge over many of today's most celebrated European attackers by way of pure early-career goal-scoring.

Lewandowski and Luis Suarez hadn't yet featured in the Champions League when they were Haaland's age (20), while Cristiano Ronaldo had failed to score in 1,299 minutes of action at Manchester United.

Haaland has averaged about 1.64 goals per 90 minutes in the competition to this point, far more than Lionel Messi (0.47) and Kylian Mbappe (0.67) had through their age-20 campaigns.

Indeed, Haaland is magnificent.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 18/02/2021 The magnificent Ernlig Haaland

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

There was nothing wrong with the Chennai pitch

 

“There was nothing wrong with the pitch; rather the technique and temperament had to be positive”

The wicket for the second Test in Chennai remained the subject of interest among the cricket fans and experts even before a ball being bowled. After the heavy defeat in the first test, a rank-turner was always on the cards.

Four days ago, former Indian cricketer and now commentator predicted that we might see the second Test ending in 3 and a half or 4 days.

Chopra observed that considering how the pitches are prepared in India, the pitch for the second Test will be a rank turner, offering spin from the very onset. He also said that toss won’t play a huge factor in this match as the pitch would offer something for the bowlers from the very get-go.

He said, “Considering what’s happening right now, 5 day Test match, a 3-day turnaround, same surface, same square – this (the pitch for the 2nd Test) is going to be a turner. And toss will be taken out of the equation somewhat. In a sense that if you win the toss, of course, there’s an advantage but it’s not as significant that you can bat for 2.5 days. You just cannot, this pitch won’t be of that nature. I dare say, I believe, this will be a 3.5-4 day Test match at best. Toss will be critical but making it count will be a lot more difficult than the last match.”

After winning the first Test in style, neither the toss nor the wicket should sweat England that much. They have come to India with the mindset that there would be nothing but spin-friendly tracks. Thus, the ball keeping low and the puff of dust exploding from the track on Day 1 of the second Test should have been taken normally, but on social media, former England skipper turned commentator Michael Vaughan triggered the debate of “poor Test match pitch.”

Vaughan found his supporters regarding this matter along with harsh critics, but how could the basher of the Chennai deck forget that it was on this same deck two Indian batsmen scored centuries while the skipper – Virat Kohli played one of the best Test innings to remember for ages.

Rohit Sharma played a counterattacking knock on Day 1 and when a batsman is in that mood, it is always hard to find an answer, even though, if a team tries to dry up the runs of such batsmen, who are more dependent on rhythm, then their staying time at the wicket shortens.

When the track starts to assist a bowler, excitement is obvious in and which can make the bowler get carried away – but that does not mean; full-tosses, shorter ones, and long hops should dominate.

Moeen Ali and Jack Leach bowled well, but with the kind of assistance the deck provided, Joe Root showed how to bowl effectively on this deck on the first day. This track demanded discipline and change of pace no matter how much assistance it provided the spinners.

For the information, Ali bowled 10 in the first innings of this Test, a match tailor-made for the spinners. In total, the English spinners bowled 14 full tosses. On 20 occasions they were cut or pull.

England were undone in response to India’s first innings total and Ravichandran Ashwin was the wrecker in chief. Neither Ashwin nor Axar Patel bowled any full tosses or long hops. Rather, they kept the line and length tight and let the skill do the talk.

Guess, what, Vaughan and his supporters cannot deny how poorly England batsmen applied them on the track, which required the technique and temperament of the highest quality.

When India batted in their second innings, Virat Kohli taught us about the application on this tough wicket.

Again, England dished out the unplayable deliveries along with full tosses, half-volleys, and long hops to take the pitch out of the equation, but nevertheless, that can never undermine the batting master class of Kohli.

After getting out in the first innings while driving Ali against a brilliant delivery, which turned viciously to castle the champion, Kohli decided to cut short his driving and attacking intent and get back to the school of Sunil Gavaskar.

Kohli changed his technique.

He opened his stance a bit more and trusted his defence. Ali and Leach pitched the ball consistently on the driving length to lure Kohli, but this time, the Indian skipper was well forward and played with straight – defended more often and the percentage of false shots dropped. At one point, he scored just 8 runs off 37 balls, but those eight runs were accumulated on the basis of sheer technique – occupy the crease, covert the ones into twos and play with a straight bat and late as much as possible.

Kohli’s false shot percentage today, 11%, was 10% lower than the match average of 21%.

He scored his 25^th half-century and it was a batting of high pedigree – a lesson for the young generation.

Cricviz stated, “Coming to the crease with England getting a bit of momentum late on Day 2, he took 20 balls to get off the mark. Across his Test career, only once has he faced more balls before scoring his first run, way back in 2012 at Ahmedabad, also against England, when he took 29 balls.”

“Once he was into his stride, he maintained this caution. Across the innings, he attacked only 14% of the deliveries bowled to him, well down on the Test average of 25%, and right at the bottom of his gearbox. Only once has Kohli faced 100 deliveries in a home Test, and attacked less.”

“Kohli was mixing up his approach to the spinners. He played off the front foot 58% of the time, and the back foot 42% of the time. He was riskier off the back foot, 16% false shots compared to 9% on the front, but in the context of the game and the conditions, neither was too treacherous.”

 “He played with a positive intent and when your team has got that belief then you come into bat despite the fact that you might not have scored runs in the first innings. But look at his intent. He is either going right forward or right back. When he comes forward, he is smothering the ball, and when he's going back, he is giving himself time to see what the ball is doing,” said Gavaskar.

“When the half-volley comes on, someone like Virat Kohli is never going to miss out on opportunities. Then again, using the wrist so well, turning with the ball and closing the face of the ball to make it go along the ground. This is classy batting,” Gavaskar added.

Then, Ashwin first gave a lesson on how to bowl on a rank turner and then provided a batting master-class with a sparkling hundred on a deteriorating strip. Kohli and Ashwin showed the likes of Michael Vaughan that they have that in abundance as India batted nearly 182 overs across two innings on a track that many deemed as under-prepared after England failed to get past 200 runs.

For Ashwin, it was the third time in his Test career when he notched up a five-for and a hundred along with it. Only England legend Ian Botham stands ahead of him with five such efforts in his career.

Regarding Ashwin’s batting, Cricviz stated, “Of his previous four centuries, the highest false shot percentage he recorded in any of them was 15% – today, that figure was 22%. Yet that was a natural consequence of his intent, Ashwin playing an attacking stroke to 45% of the deliveries bowled. Of the 162 centuries we have seen in India in Tests since 2006, only five have seen a higher attacking shot percentage.”

India's batting exhibition in the second innings was a statement for all the Doubting Thomases on how to bat on a third-day track.

England were given a huge total to chase, but the wicket-factor was still playing in their minds and thus the downfall was inevitable.

Application was never impossible on this deck and whenever the English batters pivoted more on the back foot they looked in better shape.

Cricviz stated, “Root & Stokes have both looked a lot more comfortable playing off the back foot today. False Shots - Day 4: Root (Front) - 28% & Root (Back) - 10%. Stokes (Front) - 28% & Stokes (Back) - 20%.”

And most importantly, playing with an angled bat would only invite trouble.

The English batters repeated it.

There was nothing wrong with the pitch; rather the technique and temperament had to be positive.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer on 16/03/2021 There was nothing wrong with the Chennai pitch

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

 

 

West Indies: Get up, stand up and reach the top

 

Hi West Indies,

You don't know me. 

I am a fellow cricket fan from Bangladesh and thought of writing an open letter to you.

Now let's be frank - the kind of heartbreak you gave me and the whole nation during Valentine’s Day is quite hard to digest.

But you know what?

Whenever I start thinking of myself as a neutral cricket follower, I cannot but greet you on Valentine’s Day.

A true cricket fan would always relish those who fight back and give their critics a fitting reply.

Like the majority, I was among those, who did not welcome the kind of team you brought to Bangladesh.

Being a follower of cricket since the days of Imran Khan and Sir Vivian Richards, obviously, West Indies are one of my favourite teams. I have seen your team rule the world and let me tell you, it was never a great feeling witnessing your downfall. Like the optimists around the cricketing world, still today I expect the rise of Caribbean Cricket.

But the lack of consistency, short of commitments, off-the-field chaos, and too much interest in Twenty20 formats and not test cricket; always left me frustrated. How could a team lose their interest in the format that was branded with a dash of Caribbean flavour remains a moot question!

Back in those beautiful islands, where the black community always fought hard to establish their own identity – the likes of Learie Constantine, George Headley, Weasley Hall, and Sir Frank Worrell took the willow and ball at their hands, wore the white funnel, and gradually told the world that, the black community from the Caribbean islands are not just born to be overshadowed by others, rather, they can outshine others.

Test cricket had been the medium to take the Caribbean people to the top. The bat and ball were not just the tools for recreation at the beach – it became more than that and it was in Test cricket, where the West Indians showed their class – their talent – their passion - and their determination. Yes, passion and determination took the heroes of the past to the top and attracted millions of fans around the world to think about Test cricket differently.

Test cricket can be entertaining – batting could be full of fun as those in the islands of Antigua while the cherry can be the fireball – forget the Don or the Trueman; Worrell, Sobers, Viv, Holding, and Marshall had arrived –  “Get up, stand up (Oh yeah) stand up for your rights (Lord, Lord.”

Thus, it is hard to believe the current state of West Indian cricket – but at times when you leave each and everyone stunned – here, this fellow cricket fan from Bangladesh – starts dreaming the rise of the Caribbean Kingdom again!

When Kyle Mayers pulled the rabbit out of the hat at Chattogram; the feeling was good from a neutral point of view and after the outstanding finish at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today; what can I say?

I was broken from inside watching Bangladesh proving themselves not worthy enough for Test cricket yet again and they need to decide whether they are interested to play the 5-day format or not, but then I started to see the brighter side of the whole match – the so-called “below-par” West Indies have painted Bangladesh Maroon and the kind of determination the boys showed during the Test series, hinted, the passion for Test cricket is still alive in West Indies.    

Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jomel Warrican, and Mayers are the bright spots on this tour and the only thing West Indies would need and which are – sense and sensibility regarding managing the players.

Dear West Indies, don’t you remember what the great Bob Marley sang?

“Oh I say

Preacher man, don't tell me

Heaven is under the earth

I know you don't know

What life is really worth

It's not all that glitters is gold

'Alf the story has never been told

So now you see the light, eh”

The Test series victory in Bangladesh with an inexperienced but fighting unit should be that light, which would guide the way to revive the glory days.

As a fan of West Indies cricket, I want back the Caribbean to rule the roost again.

I firmly believe that you can.

“Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing gonna be all right.

None but ourselves can free our minds.”

- Bob Marley

Free your mind. The light can be seen. Follow that light. Everything will be fine.

Get up.

Stand up.

Regards,

A cricket fan from Bangladesh

Note: This article has been posted at Cricktsoccer on 14/02/2021 West Indies: Get up, stand up and reach the top 

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar 

 

 

Bayern Munich on top of the world

 

There was never a doubt regarding who is the best club in the world right now – who else but Bayern Munich – the most competent and fearsome side who could run any team for their money. Even under pressure, they find a way to claw back and maintain their superiority.

Back in Qatar, in the Education City Stadium, the German Giants have taken their status as the ultimate best club in the world to newer heights. Bayern Munich beat Mexican side Tigres 1-0 on Thursday to win the Club World Cup title and earn their sixth trophy in less than nine months.

Benjamin Pavard scored in the 59th minute following a VAR review and in front of around 12,000 spectators allowed into the Education City Stadium, after Tigres keeper, Nahuel Guzmán had stopped a Robert Lewandowski header.

Tigres, who were the first North American club to reach the final, were pinned back by the high-pressing Bavarians throughout and only rarely managed to venture into Bayern's half.

The Bavarians were missing several players, including Thomas Muller, Leon Goretzka, and Javi Martínez to Covid-19 infections and Jerome Boateng who returned to Germany for personal reasons.

Early efforts from Kingsley Coman and Lewandowski did not seriously threaten Guzmán, although the Tigres goalkeeper was beaten in the 18th minute by Joshua Kimmich but the German’s 20-meter strike was disallowed for offside.

Leroy Sané hit the crossbar with a powerful shot in the 34th minute. Tigres were struggling to break clear and with their French striker André-Pierre Gignac completely marked, it was only a matter of time until the Germans scored.

Sané had another chance after the break and Serge Gnabry curled his 51st-minute shot wide before Pavard found the net in the 59th minute, despite Tigres players claiming the ball had first landed on Lewandowski’s arm.

Bayern should have added another with a string of chances late in the game and Corentin Tolisso hit the post with a low shot as well.

It is Bayern’s second Club World Cup title after their 2013 triumph and means European clubs have now won the last eight consecutive finals.

Bayern Munich have cemented their place in footballing history, matching Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona to win a historic sextuple.

Former Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, now the Manchester City manager, recorded a video congratulating his old team.

“Big congratulations to the whole Bayern family for this incredible success. To be the club world champions and to win six out of six titles - I am so proud,” he said.

“I would like to say to Hansi [Bayern boss Flick] you are the second team to win six in a row. Before it was Barcelona [in 2009 under Guardiola]. Maybe I can call Messi and company and we can play for the seventh title. Tell me when and where.”

Bayern now hold all six titles available to them. That includes the Bundesliga, Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup, as well as their national domestic cup (DFB-Pokal) and super cup (DFL-Supercup).

Barcelona were the only team ever to hold all six titles at the same time before. In 2009, Guardiola’s legendary team won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the Club World Cup. That squad is now frequently talked about among the greatest ever to play football.

In fact, Bayern had almost matched them once before, between 2012 and 2013.

Jupp Heynckes’ team won the quadruple in 2012-13 before following up with the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup under Guardiola the following season, but they didn’t hold all six titles at once as they lost the 2013 DFL-Supercup to Borussia Dortmund.

Hansi Flick took over as the interim boss in November 2019 following the sacking of Niko Kovac. Bayern had just been humiliated 5-1 by Kovac’s former side, Eintracht Frankfurt, and were down to fourth in the Bundesliga.

Since then, Flick has won more trophies (6) than he has lost competitive games (5). A special moment for the trio - Benjamin Pavard, Corentin Tolisso, and Lucas Hernandez because after winning the World Cup in 2018, they are now not only sextuple winners but champions of the world at both club and international level.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 12/02/2021 Bayern Munich on top of the world

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

Roar of the English Lions at Chennai

 

I remember the Test series of 1993 very well. The Indian unit had just completed a horrible series in South Africa and the upcoming home series against England was a litmus test for the skipper Mohammad Azharuddin. In the meantime, the English were in very good shape and brought a highly experienced team in India to repeat the feat of the 1984-85 season.

Graham Gooch shaped the English team and made them world-beaters since taking over the captaincy in 1990 and against that morally depleted Indian team; they expected to shine ahead of the much-awaited Ashes clash back home. Sadly, the outcome was disastrous – England were thrashed at Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai with Azharuddin leading the way – it not only saved his job but brought back the faith of the Indians in their team.

After that bashing at Kolkata at the hands of Azhar and Indian spinners, England never really stared well in the first Test of a series against India – even during that historic series win in 2012, their start was shaky. And in 2016, it was the repeat of 1993 – thus, expectations remained not high before the commencement of the first Test in Chennai this year.

England scored 477 on this very ground the last time and still went on to lose by an innings!

 A Root masterclass

Joe Root won a very important toss and elected to bat on a deck, which would naturally get slower and slower with the progress of each day and the bounce would vary.

Root came out to bat at the background of an outstanding series in Sri Lanka.

England were in a steady position towards the end of the first session on Day 1, 63-0 and moving along pleasantly, before two quick wickets reduced them to 63 for 2.

Root put caution over fluency because it was very important to build a partnership and arrest the collapse. Most importantly, being the captain of the side, he needs to lead from the front.

India’s attack comprised of three spinners – Ravichandran Ashwin, Shabaz Nadeem, and Washington Sundar and two pacers – Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma.

Root had his bitter experience against Sharma three years ago and first of all, he had to be good enough against his nemesis. Sharma – back from an injury – was looking sharper and consistently asked questions – there were nervy moments, but Root was prepared than ever – patience, pivoting more on the back foot, had his eyes wide opened and astute feet movement allowed him to adapt.

After 50 balls he had scored only 11 runs, the fewest runs he ever made at that stage of an innings in Asia - zero boundaries, and only two attacking strokes – occupying the crease motivated him more.

Kohli set the spinners free against Root.

Over the years, Root has elevated his batting against the spinners. What makes him such a brilliant customer against the spinners is his ability to avoid the interception distance between 2-3 meters - the danger zone. No other batsmen in the world do this well than Root.

Meanwhile, his sweep-shot and reverse-sweep have become a treat.

At the start, against Ashwin and Nadeem, he did not execute the sweep at all and when Sundar came into bowl - Root started sweeping, doing so to four of the first 15 balls the Indian bowled. Gradually, the sweep-shot started to dominate his innings and reminded me of Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting batting against Ravi Shastri and Maninder Singh at Mumbai in the World Cup semifinal, 1987.

Traditional sweep, hard sweep, slog sweep, and reverse sweep – they were just executed consistently and England cemented their authority.

The seep shot of Root is more about playing along the line rather than length.

Then he started driving the pacers and it took 121 balls to execute such.

According to Cricviz, “A full-blooded yet elegant cover drive off Jasprit Bumrah was a flavour of Root-in-England, a gentle contrast to the cross-batted work which had defined the knock. From his 174th, he unleashed it again, this time off Ishant, that post-lunch lateral movement having vanished. These strokes are usually the backbone of a Root innings, particularly at home, and yet today in Chennai they were a rarity; not a single run was scored in the V off Root’s bat. This wasn’t a case of the drive being too dangerous to play, but rather because the associated risk just wasn’t needed. If Root didn’t give them that, India had nothing.”

“His acceleration was immaculate. Just 17 runs from the first 60 balls Root faced was then turned into 111 from the next 137, flying along having got up to speed. His innings had begun with the conservative refusal to sweep Indian’s premier spinner, but it ended with Root, 192 balls into his knock and as secure as he’d ever been, slog-sweeping Ashwin into the empty stands for six. In the Evening Session, he was attacking 34% of his deliveries, well above the Test average of 25%, and yet matching it with just 12% false shots. Attacking with control, the privilege earned by a well-set, elite batsman.”

Root is going back and across rather than simply back and has improved balance - but it seems the biggest change may be in temperament – he has started to belie in himself and the hunger for runs would surely make him the number 1 batsman in the world cricket very soon.

On the second day, he made his hundred on Day 1 count – converted it into a doubleton. It was his fifth double hundred in white clothes and just two shies of the great Wally Hammond.

Hammond and Gooch are the only England players other than Root, who has scored 644 runs from three-and-a-half Tests - five innings - this year - to have scored more than 600 runs in three successive Tests. Kumar Sangakkara is the only other man in Test history to score 180 (or more) in three successive Tests.

Again, was the first double-century by a visiting batsman in India since 2010 - when Brendon McCullum made 225 in Hyderabad - and the first by an England batsman since Graeme Fowler and Mike Gatting both did so in Chennai in 1985. It was also the first double-century anywhere against India since McCullum made 302 against them in Wellington in 2014.

One might claim that Root exploited the conditions better because it was a flat deck, but if one observed the nature of the deck after the first session and so on – it was not at all an easy one to bat on.

“There's been spin, bounce, and reverse. A lot of balls have spat out of the rough. We've just played really well. You've got to give us credit there,” Ben Stokes said after the end of Day 2.

“Joe makes us all feel pretty rubbish with how easy he makes batting look. He's in phenomenal form and making things look very, very easy. The way he plays spin - dominates spin - is incredible to watch. I don't think we've had an England batsman ever play spin the way he does. He's got an answer and an option for everything.”

That double ton laid the foundation for a mammoth total and England never let the opportunity slip.

India fall behind

The new-ball burst by Jofra Archer was too hot to handle on Day 3. It was a breathtaking one on such a deck. He removed both the Indian openers in a skillful new-ball burst before Dom Bess struck to dismiss Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane to leave India 73 for 4 before drinks on the third afternoon.

Rishabh Pant launched a breathless counter-attack, hitting nine fours and five sixes as he dominated Jack Leach on either side of tea, while Cheteshwar Pujara worked the ball around steadily. But both men fell to Bess in the evening session, leaving India 321 runs behind at the close and depended on the tail to wag. Sundar and Ashwin batted to swell the total but still were short of 241 runs.

In terms of discipline, Bess was impressive with the ball. It is never easy to keep the Indian batters on the back foot by operating with spinners, still, Bess, along with Leach was able to tame them.

Ashwin creates havoc

The fourth day was one of the most fascinating days of Test cricket. Root did not decide to enforce the follow-on, rather decided to give India a target to chase despite the miracles of Brisbane and Chattogram.

Ashwin unleashed his menacing best and the track aided him.

Ashwin ended the day with his 28th five-wicket haul in Tests, with figures of 6 for 61, and a total of nine wickets in a Test where he has had to bowl 72.4 overs and bat 91 balls.

England were bundled out for 178 and India needed 420 runs to win.

Red hot James Andreson

Even though the track was well-suited for Bess and Leach to strike gold, but the final day belonged to the one and only James Anderson.

7 overs. 4 maidens. 8 runs. 3 wickets.

On a dust-bowl, James Anderson set jitters in the Indian batting line up.

It was all about skill.

The ball to Shubman Gill moved late, reversed, hit the dust, and sent the offstump cart-wheeling. Change in length. A lot fuller.

Ajinkya Rahane received one which seemed to be moving away - changed its trajectory in the very last second, jagged back in, and disturbed the furniture. Rahane's head fell outside the line and the front foot was not in line too - credit to the last-second change in direction of the ball.

Pant was deceived. England Anderson had a catching man placed in the short cover region. Anderson delivered an off-cutter and tempted Pant to drive. He drove with hard hands and the loose shot flew to the man placed at that catching position.

And that spell in the morning was enough to seal the fate of the match.

The English Lions roared in Chennai and I have seen a bunch of tough lads shrug-off the opening Test match Blues in India.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 09/02/2021 Roar of the English Lions at Chennai

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

Hasan Ali is back

 

“The return of Hasan Ali should be a huge boost for Pakistan and one can expect this brilliant comeback to bore fruits for Pakistan and world cricket. The Pakistani pacers are always mercurial and world cricket needs more such bowlers”

It can be said that Pakistan are still searching for another Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar. In the mid and late 2000; Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir raised the expectations high only to dash them forever and since then a lot of pacers came and faded, but one thing never faded and which was the ability to produce one outstanding spell and turn the fate of the match outside down.

Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Mohammad Sami, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Shabbir Rahman, or Shahid Nazir – all possessed the history of game-changing spells and still today, among the current crop of Pakistani pacers, that charisma exists and Hasan Ali is no different.

Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma posed a serious threat on the final day and both of them were well poised to pull off another dramatic chase like Brisbane and Chattogram.

Markram scored his fifth Test century - his first since March 2018 as well as the first in the subcontinent – as the determined and fluent opener and composed Bavuma, who scored 61, shared a fourth-wicket stand of 106 runs.

The Pakistani pacers were making the old ball talk and exploit the conditions, but such was the authority and confidence of Markram and Bavuma – that they were able to use their defend and footwork very well. The bounce of the wicket was lowish, still, their focus did not deter.

Shaheen Shah Afridi dished out yorkers, but well negotiated by Markram while took Yasir Shah comfortably.

Pakistan took the new ball and Hasan Ali came to use the fresh cherry on a lowish deck.

Ali just dropped one on a length outside the offstump – in and around the third and fourth stump – Markram poked at it and the ball kissed his edge, flew towards the slip, and fell into the safe hands of Imran Butt. Markram was disgusted with the dismissal, but if he rethinks about that particular delivery, he would agree, it was a smart delivery that outsmarted his confidence – Ali forced him to poke and the Pakistan slip did not disappoint him.

Quinton de Kock was fed with a delivery that pitched full and outside offstump and tempted de Kock for the drive. Kock executed one with hard hands and Imran Butt hooked another fish. That dismissal meant that Bavuma and the lower-order batsmen were left with 129 runs to get. That became far too much when Bavuma played at Afridi outside off and was caught behind.

Afridi reaped rewards for his disciplined bowling in the off-stump channel and got the wickets of Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada later on, to go with the scalp of Dean Elgar on the fourth evening.

But it was Hasan Ali’s Test match, who had George Linde caught at point and unleashed his entertaining celebration at Pindi – “bomb-explosion celebration to a baby-cradle one in a nod to his impending fatherhood,” as described by ESPNcricinfo.  

 Pakistan won a Test series against South Africa after 18 years and when they achieved it way back in 2003, that was a transition phase, which never lived up to the expectations – still such victories are morale-boosting and should pave the way for a better future.

The second Test match had so many heroes and moments to relish. Faheem Ashraf heroics, Markram and Bavuma fight back, Mohammad Rizwan reminded of Saleem Yousuf and Moin Khan, Nauman Ali gave his best, George Linde showed promise and in the end, Hasan Ali overshadowed everyone with his comeback in white clothes.

Since that outstanding tournament back in 2017 in England, Ali was starting to fade and follow the path of his predecessors – who came, enjoyed a short honeymoon period, and then vanished like the early morning dew.  

Then there was that career-threatening injuries and Hasan was dropped from the PCB's list of centrally contracted players and still, he is without a central contract. It made clear the PCB did not view him as part of their plans for the future, with speculation that his career at the highest level was over.

Hasan wished to bounce back.

He took first-class cricket seriously. He realized that playing the shorter formats would not give him anything.  After a season in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy where he was the most prolific fast bowler with 43 wickets, he earned a recall to the Test side eight months.

He was not impressive in Karachi but came back in style in Rawalpindi.

Ali began by kissing the outside edge of Dean Elgar just before tea on the second afternoon; Rassie van der Dussen had no chance against an inswinger that castled him, and on Day 3, Hasan first cleaned up George Linde with a slower delivery, Keshav Maharaj was undone by the reverse swing, Anrich Nortje decided to shoulder arms to a ball that began on a fifth stump line before it clattered to the stumps and Ali achieved the five-wicket haul.

He broke through in the second innings of South Africa - Rassie van der Dussen applied himself well on the penultimate day of the match and was on 48 overnight but fell to the third ball of the final day. Hasan beat his inside edge with a late swing to end a 94-run second-wicket stand with Markram.

Two overs later, Hasan had du Plessis trapped lbw with an incoming delivery that stayed low - Du Plessis reviewed but ball-tracking showed middle and leg stump would have been hit by any means and then came the game-changing spell after the lunch break.

“One thing is very clear - I like Test cricket a lot,” said Hasan Ali.

“I always dreamed of playing Test cricket, and now I'm a Test cricketer. This is the format I would pick over all the others, and you want to keep your motivation and work ethic up if you want to play Test cricket. I told the management I was ready for all three formats and prepared myself such that even if I got a go in Test cricket, I'd be raring to go.”

“Staying away from cricket for 16-17 months after being a part of all three formats was difficult. But I've worked day and night to get back to where I was, demonstrated both my form and fitness in domestic cricket and thankfully that has translated to international cricket.”

“When players return, it's true that a lot of players can't get the same pace back. But if you work hard enough, those things come back to you. I still remember that I used to do rehab several times a day and then the Covid pandemic struck and I was stuck at home. That is frustrating of course, but I never let my work ethic drop. I got lots of injuries but if you work hard, nothing is difficult anymore.”

“It was a very tough time for me, but you'll always have good and bad days. I try to keep a smile on my face and relax. Life goes up and down but if you don't enjoy it, then what's the point? You only live once, so smile through it. I used social media to show my fans that I'm motivated through the tough times, and I'm sure they appreciated it.”

“The special thing [about his haul of 10/114] was that I was injured. And the other thing was the hard work that I put in. I was making a comeback and making a comeback doesn't mean just coming into the side, playing the match, and going back. My aim was to perform for my country.”

The return of Hasan Ali should be a huge boost for Pakistan and one can expect this brilliant comeback to bore fruits for Pakistan and world cricket. The Pakistani pacers are always mercurial and world cricket needs more such bowlers.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 09/02/2021 Hasan Ali is back

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Intensity of highest quality

 

“Their intensity brought a lot of significance to the partnership while they gave grit a good name when the world is more obsessed with the flair of Caribbean cricket. Steely resolve like Shivnarine Chanderpaul could be the answer to climb the Everest rather than the mad-hitting of Chris Gayle. Let’s earn the stability first – the muscles can be flexed later on.”

 

No regrets.

Never satisfied.

Never say die.

Never lose temper.  

Almost 40 years ago, if someone tried to read the mind of Clive Lloyd and his men, they might have discovered a staggering similarity with that of another great Ian Chappell, who took the Australian team to the peak of the powers in the early 70s. During his tour as the skipper of the West Indian unit, Lloyd learned through the hard ways, and perhaps since that tour, he learned the abovementioned words and practiced them to create a kingdom, which ruled the roost for almost 20 years in the world cricket.

Such kind of mantra is not seen among the West Indian players these days. They are more about whims, party, fun, and featuring in the Twenty20 Leagues - the wish for another West Indies turnaround remains a dream for their followers.

But in between the abysmal displays and chaos, that determination to win matches under adversity did show.

Cricket is like a religion in the Caribbean and cricket was the tool, which united the Caribbean Islands for a long time. Cricket gave them joy during their days of despair – it gave them the platform to reach above the rest and forced the world to follow them and become their fans.

Still, today when there is no hope, there comes a bunch of talented boys to give hope.

It’s not that the West Indies lack the bowlers and batsmen to revive their glorious past, but what they actually lack is the never-say-die attitude.

After 4 days of toil at Chattogram, on Day 5, an unknown bloke named Kyle Mayers popped-up to take the world by storm – the weak West Indies unit overshadowed the abysmal show in the ODI series by scripting an outstanding victory – surely, one of the best in the history of Test cricket.

During the ODI series, the purpose of the West Indies tour to Bangladesh came under scrutiny. Their lackluster attitude was painful to watch and at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram, for the first Test, without a doubt, another disgrace was waiting for them.

Well, the shades of that epic run chase in Brisbane were evident on Day 5 and Mayers was the man, who led from the front.

With the sun setting the west, shadows turning taller and acute tension on the faces of Bangladesh and West Indies players and officials, Mayers scored a magnificent 210 not out on his debut Test as West Indies pulled off the fifth-highest successful chase in Test cricket, and highest in Asia, nailing down 395 leaving the Bangladeshis stunned.

An unexpected result for both sides – Bangladesh did not expect to lose whereas West Indies did not expect such a monumental finish.

John Campbell, Kraigg Brathwaite, and Shayne Moseley departed as if they finished their formalities and it was time to go back and relax in the dressing room, but the next two batsmen – Mayers and Nkumrah Bonner thought differently.

At 59for 3, it was a mess, which required the qualities of an Iceman, who would occupy the crease and graft a partnership to stabilize the innings.

Bonner dropped down the anchor – roots grew beneath his feet. His intention was to hold one end firmly and provide Mayers the assurance to flex his arms and keep the scoreboard ticking. The two young West Indians realized the importance of strike rotation rather than switch to a T20 mode –this is Test cricket and it should be respected.

Intensity and grit were required to travel through the choppy waters on Day 5.

For two sessions the way Bonner and Mayers batted as if they had tamed the adversities, the chaos, the criticisms and trapped themselves in that zone, where they were only watching the ball, judging the length, and playing it according to the merit. Runs were coming from all corners of the ground – the noises of the fielders crowding the bat did not stimulate their brains, but it was all about listening to the sweet sound of the ball meeting the bat.

Both the youngsters were writing an epic story.

Their intensity brought a lot of significance to the partnership while they gave grit a good name when the world is more obsessed with the flair of Caribbean cricket. Steely resolve like Shivnarine Chanderpaul could be the answer to climb the Everest rather than the mad-hitting of Chris Gayle.

Let’s earn the stability first – the muscles can be flexed later on.

The duo added 216 for the fourth wicket and the journey from 59 for 3 to 275 for 3 was all about grit.

It was only the second time that two debutants have added more than 200 runs in this history of Test cricket. The only pair to have added more runs were Khalid Ibadulla and Abdul Kadir when they added 249 against Australia in Karachi in 1964. The 216 runs added is also the second-highest for any pair in the fourth innings in Asia.

That left West Indies needing 129 in a minimum of 33 overs in the final session. Bonner, who had survived a stumping chance against Nayeem Hasan before tea, hit Taijul Islam for a six in the first over after the interval but was lbw on the very next ball. Jermaine Blackwood too fell soon after. After slog-sweeping Taijul over long-on for six, he went for another big hit against Hasan, only to be bowled for 9.

292 for 5 and all of a sudden, it seemed, the finishing of the epic story might not be possible after all.

Mominul Haque decided to crowd fielders around the bat rather than maneuvering it according to the demand of the situation. With the match well poised and Mayers looking ominous, what required most was smartness. Sadly, Mominul is not Shakib Al Hasan, whose presence would have helped. Again, Bangladesh were deprived of his services due to an injury and the rest of the bowlers could hardly exploit the Day 5 track, which offered a lot.

But that should not take the credits away from Mayers and Bonner.

They trusted the defence and it paid off.

Anyhow, the filed-set of Mominul opened the gaps in the outfield, and Mayers and Joshua Da Silva took advantage of that, hitting a four each in one Hasan over. A few minutes later, when Mayers pulled Hasan over deep midwicket for a six to bring the target down to 76 – Mominul spread the field, in turn, it allowed taking singles freely.

In the last hour, the tension reached its peak and Mayers decided to ride on boundaries against an attack and captain, who lacked the cutting edge and temperament to pull the match out of the rut.

Mayers took Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, and Taijul Islam to the cleaners by smashing 5 sixes and one boundary scoring 49 off 40 balls - In a 100-run stand with Da Silva for the sixth wicket, Mayers contributed 80 runs.

Da Silva was providing the perfect foil to the fluency of Mayers and when he was bowled for 20, the West India ship was just nearing the shores, but the dismissal of Kemar Roach raised the tension again because this is West Indies and they can lose from this position as well.

Ultimately, no damage was done.

Mayers completed writing the epic story which is now a part of West Indies cricket’s folklore.

Mayers joins an elite list of cricketers who scored a double ton in the fourth innings.

George Headley's 223 in 1930 against England still remains the highest score in the fourth innings of a Test but Mayers joins Gordon Greenidge as the only other player to score a double in a winning cause. Greenidge smashed 214 against England at Lord’s in 1984. Both players were unbeaten. The unbeaten 210 by Mayers is also the highest fourth-innings score in Asia going past the unbeaten 171 by Younis Khan against Sri Lanka in Pallekelle in 2015.

Bangladesh would rue the chances they missed and the reviews they didn't take, but that cannot overshadow the exemplary temperament shown by Mayers, Bonner, and Da Silva.

Chattogram turned Maroon today.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 07/02/2021 Intensity of highest quality

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

 

Let's do it Vinicius Junior

 

After the daylight, the darkness comes, but it depends on the think tank and the individual player of a team to decide how long this darkness would prevail. It did not take the Indian team enough time to shorten the darkness Downunder just a couple of months back. They shrugged off the disgrace at Adelaide and came back home victorious.

The team showed character and above all their think tank instilled confidence and technical adjustment among the players who were shaken at Adelaide.

At the moment, Brazil and Real Madrid’s youngster Vinicius Junior is experiencing such darkness – neither is he wanted by the fans nor by the critics in the Real Madrid XI.  Rather, there are rumours that Real Madrid might sell him to Prais Saint-Germain in the upcoming summer transfer and mobilize the move for Kylian Mbappe.

Morally Vinicius is down and tactically, the Real Madrid think tank has not been able to use him properly because of the pressure of playing Eden Hazard, who, until now, has given the Royal Whites nothing. But still, because of the huge amount of money involved, Real Madrid had to use Hazard.   

Guess what, Eden Hazard is injured once again. The muscle fatigue that was detected on Tuesday has turned into a much more serious problem, an injury that could keep him out for between four and six weeks.

The Hazard injury, together with the absences of Rodrygo and Lucas Vazquez, might pave the way for Vinicius to return to the side after six La Liga games as a substitute.

If the Cup games are included then it makes just one start in the last eight for Vinicius, something which has affected his confidence, and isn't looking his usual cheery self at training.

As a matter of fact, Vinicius should have always started at first hand.

He’s the most dynamic player on Real Madrid when it comes to getting into the penalty box and creating goal-scoring chances for himself and his teammates.

The leaders in the points table - Atletico Madrid and Real Valladolid experienced what Vinicius is capable of doing when given enough playing time. Vinicius can take-on defenders, which actually helps to build his confidence as a passer and shooter in and around the penalty box.

He is an impact player which is more often overshadowed by the topic of his poor finishing. Of course, if you are playing upfront, you need to score goals in Real Madrid, and because of such a higher demand; you need to give that extra effort as well.

Vinicius is not the most prolific when it comes to using his left foot and meanwhile, his shooting abilities are needed to improve as well. He is more dependent on his right foot and tries to finish with that foot even when the angle demands the use of the left foot. Then comes the point about last-minute chickiness in front of goal, for which the Brazilians are very famous. Due to the shortness of confidence and the doubts over the future – the composure seems to be failing to build up.

It is up to Real Madrid think tank and Vinicius to have another go in the white shirt.

Perhaps, fate has given him and Real Madrid another opportunity to get the pieces together and bring the best out of the dynamic Brazilian.

Let’s do it Vinicius!

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 06/02/2021 Let's do it Vinicius Junior 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar