Who is the greatest cricket captain?

There has always been a debate as to who is the greatest cricketer or best ever captain. So here is my opinion as to whom I believe should get the title of the greatest ever captain. This man being current Indian captain M.S Dhoni. Below is a list of the best and my opinion of them. Hansi Cronje and Mohammed Azurhudin were left out the list as they have been disgraced for match fixing. 

Every country has had at least one great captain and some having two that could argue that they are the best. Off the top of my head I would name the following captains in a list of greats:

10: Michael Vaughn: He was the England captain in the famous 2005 Ashes. Like many of the other captains on this list he had the aid of a fantastic side and in particular a fantastic player in Andrew Flintoff. It has to be said that he built on the foundations laid by the previous captain Nassir Hussain. The foundations had been good but it is clear to see that he was a good captain and will go down in history as one of the England's greatest. It was a close call between Vaughn and Strauss for the number 10 spot.

9. Arjuna Ranatunga: People may be surprised to see his name on such a list but his tenure as Sri Lanka captain changed the perception of Sri Lanka as a cricketing force and as a nation. His country were not ranked in the top tier of cricket nations when he started off as captain but he guided them to a world cup title and established them as a cricketing force.

8. Nassir Hussain: In my opinion he started off the 2005 Ashes victory. England didn't always perform on the pitch under his stewardship but what he did off has made England one of the best teams over the last ten years. Working closely with Duncan Fletcher he put down the blueprint for a new aggressive England which the side are still benefiting from. He unlike most on this list did not have the great side around him but still in my opinion is England's best captain over the last twenty/twenty five years. 

7. Stephen Fleming: Similar to Hussain he did not always have a great team to work with, but it was evident that he was a great captain  I believe New Zealand have missed Fleming since his retirement and have not fully replaced his captaincy. He is one of the youngest and longest serving captains in world cricket after being appointed at the age of 23. 

6.Clive Lloyd: The reason he may be low on the list of all time best captains is that I have never seen him play. His record as captain is really good, he oversaw West Indies dominant period in world cricket. Under his reign The West Indies went on a run 

5. Rikky Ponting: One of the best players to have graced the cricket pitch, he guided Australia to their period of dominance. Winning back to back world cups as captain and keeping the side at number one in test cricket. His record of captain has to put him up their with the best. His innings in his first world cup final as captain will be one that will last in my memory foe ever. 

4. Saurav Ganguly: There will always be a debate in India over who has done more for India out of Ganguly and Dhoni. The simple answer is that both have changed Indian cricket. He was the first real captain to go toe to toe with the Australians. The side he captained probably was the best ever India have had. If India had won the world cup final that Ganguly's side lost he may have been top of the list. He was once described by Yuvraj Singh as a leader of men. The only reason that I have placed Dhoni higher is that he exceeded the great heights of Ganguly.

3. Graeme Smith: The South African had been identified as captain from a relatively early stage of his career. Being captain from 2003 onwards he has overseen a dramatic change in South African cricket. South Africa are currently the most feared team in world cricket. The protection that Smith has provided for his players have allowed the rest of the team to flourish. 

2. Steve Waugh: Some of the things which Waugh has achieved as Australia captain are truly remarkable. A record 16 straight test wins still is the greatest achievement ever recorded in cricket. He also guided his country to a world cup victory. He did push Dhoni very close to being the greatest but the iconic match winning innings in the world cup final swings it his way.  

1. M.S Dhoni: Under his captaincy he has guided India to a world T20 trophy, world cup victory and to world number one. He has a remarkable gift of never feeling pressure. He also is a great thinker of the game, knowing every situation. The fact that he turns losses into easy wins makes him very unique. There has never been a captain to win so many games for his side. He has every accolade in the book and the worrying thing for his rivals is that he is going strong. 

India trying out all options before South Africa tour

"Change can be very tough for any sports team, its all about the way you handle it." Those were the wise words of Ravi Shashtri at the time Rahul Dravid and V.V.S Laxman retired. The last two years have seen India go through a massive change both on and off the pitch.

The selection committee has to be praised, they have realised mistakes of the past in keeping big names in the team despite poor form. Sehwag, Gambhir Yuvraj, Zaheer and Harbhajan have all felt the full force of this policy. New players have been a hit, the main two being Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikar Dhawan.

Apart from the series loss against England, India have been very dominant at home and very poor away from it. This massive change in form can only be explained by poor preparation in the run up to these tours. It seemed that India were packing in matches meaning that they could not fully concentrate on one series. For example during the period that the England team went home for Christmas, they played a ODI series against New Zealand. 

There seems to have been a change in mentality for the upcoming tours of South Africa and England. India last played in June a tri-nations series against West Indies and Sri Lanka. The next year sees a comparably light year ahead with slightly more space between big games. 

The fact that India finish the last test match against South Africa on the same day that they are scheduled to play a ODI match against New Zealand is slightly puzzling. This indicates that either India will be sending a team minus all their test players or this match is in doubt. 

The gaps in the fixtures has allowed India to prepare fully for the upcoming year, with many India A games being played. Players such as Dhawan and Pujara were sent to experience South African conditions in the India A tour in July. 

Others such as Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj and Zaheer Khan have been picked for the A team for the upcoming A team series against West Indies. The squads that have been picked for India A seem to be either giving fringe players a chance to impress as well as a second chance to those who had been culled before. 

Not only does this give team India the luxury of resting all the established stars, it allows for every person who is in and around the squad to be given a fair chance. I feel the current idea from the BCCI gives India a better chance to succeed in what will be one of the hardest years. It seems that if Dhoni succeeds in the tour of South Africa and/or England he will go down as the undoubted best captain in the history of modern cricket.  

The Champions Trophy starts next week with no clear favourite:

Considering the number of big sporting events taking place this summer it is no wonder that a competition such as the Champions Trophy gets forgotten. The other sporting events which will take prominence are England v Brazil and the U21 European Championships in football, the Lions tour in Rugby, Wimbledon, the Tour de France and the small matter of the Ashes. Even the latest transfer rumours seem to be taking precedent over this competition. This tournament also comes instantly after the New Zealand ODI series, which probably doesn’t help build the profile for the Champions Trophy.

Despite the lack of publicity and anticipation surrounding the Champions Trophy it should actually be a good competition. It is a mini version of the world cup, with only the top eight ranked teams being invited to take part. This may be a little unfair on Bangladesh who could rightly feel that they are a match for any of the top eight sides.

Unlike past international cricket tournaments there is no stand out team. An argument could be made to support any of the eight teams winning the competition. England playing at home should be able to use home advantage to their favour. They also have one of the better bowling attacks to make best use of these conditions. The best bowling side are South Africa with Dale Stein and Morne Morkel leading their attack. The batting line up is pretty good as well but like England they lack consistency outside of test cricket.

Many people have called the current Australian side one of their worst in their history. I do not buy this argument. They have the bowlers to trouble any batting line up, their young side could be a surprise package. The current world number one side in ODI cricket are India, the world cup winners will fancy their chances. They now have a genuine swing bowler (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) who can swing the ball both ways. In my opinion if he progresses then he could become another James Ander/Dale Stein. The only problem India has is that they do not do as well in English conditions. The same can be stated for Pakistan who always has good bowlers and inconsistent batsmen.

An outside shot of winning the trophy is the West Indies, the current world T20 champions are packed with talented players. They have Gayle, Pollard and Bravo in their ranks, three players on red hot form from IPL 2013. They won the Champions Trophy the last time it was held in England. They are a team that could win the tournament or go out in the group stages. When considering winners of the tournament Sri Lanka cannot be discounted, they have a habit of making international finals. If one team were slightly below the rest it could be New Zealand, but they have special players who could win a short tournament like this.

My biggest concern about the competition is the weather, we have not had many good days recently and this could put a real dampener on proceedings. If I were to predict a potential winner I would have to choose the West Indies but as stated above it will be a guessing game.

Why does cricket allow for players to play for more than one country?

There have been many players over through the history of cricket to have represented more than one International team. The latest of these players seems to be likely to be Luke Ronchi. The wicketkeeper has represented Australia in the past, although not many times. He has now been selected for the tour of England for New Zealand, the country of his birth. 

I find it very odd that players can still change from one country to another, this is something that cannot happen in football. The rule in football (as it should be) is that if you have played senior international games for one country then you cannot play for another. Does Luke Ronchi feel anything for New Zealand? He did pick Australia over them before so why now does he want to go back? The answer is that he cant get in the Australia squad any more  therefore to play international cricket he has chosen a new country. This shows no real pride in playing for his country. 

There have been a few players who have switched countries in the past, but for most of them there has been good reasons for this. There are three players who have represented India and Pakistan. These being Amir Elahi, Gul Mohammed and Abdul Hafeez Kardar. All of these played for India before independance and later went on to represent Pakistan after partition of the countries. Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi played for England and India. This was in the early 20th century and should not really be considered as India were part of the empire at the time and there were no real cricket rules on this issue. 

There are many others who have played for minor cricket nations and then switched to bigger cricket nations. The latest two would be Eoin Morgan and Ed Joyce who went the other way. Others on this list would be Kepler Wessels who was captain of Australia during South Africa's ban from sport. He later went back to his birth country when they were re-instated. In my opinion these type of moves seem to be acceptable, but to move between two established cricket nations solely because you cant get into the team is not. 

I understand that countries may take players from other countries and naturalise them, for example there are alot of South Africans in England and Australians in New Zealand. But once a player has been played for the national side there should be no switching. If this rule is not changed it could technically allow a player like Kevin Pietersen to go play for South Africa one day. If England didn't accept him back into the squad after they dropped him he could have done this if South Africa agreed. 

I have nothing against Luke Ronchi but I don't believe he really should be allowed to change his country this easily. 

International Cricketing stars of tomorrow

The retirement or close retirement of many of the worlds top stars in world cricket means that a new generation of players will have to build their way up to these levels. I have listed a few possible players who could become potential stars for their countries. 

The players on the list are all under the age of 25 and have not fully established themselves yet. So people like Virat Kholi or Steven Finn will not be on the list even though they are still young. 

1. Unmukt Chand: (India)

People in India are getting very excited about this boy. Another opener from Delhi in the mould of his idol Sehwag. Being only 19 years old he has already played IPL and first class cricket. He also has been identified as a leader with his Indian under 19 team winning the world cup. The previous guy to achieve this was non other than fellow Delhi and India star Virat Kholi. 

His next challenge is to hold down his place in Delhi Daredevils IPL team, then hopefully get a chance for the national team in T20's. He may face a problem that Sehwag and Gambhir are slowly being fazed out of the Indian team. This is a bit early for him to be drafted into the side, meaning that he will have to wait for people like Rahane and Vijay to fail. I being Indian am very excited by this payer.

2. Joe Root: (England)

The 22 year old made his test and ODI début in India in 2012. Root had been ear marked from a very young age as being an England player, this pressure did not seem to get to him, he seemed to have taken to international cricket like a duck to water. What must be more satisfying for the English cricket fraternity is that he was always seen more as a test match player, yet he showed the other side of his game in the ODI series playing shots such as the Dil Scoop.  

In my opinion it is only a matter of time until Joe Root becomes the opener in all forms of cricket, but for now he has shown he is also a finisher in fifty over cricket and stable number 6 in tests. He also is a handy spinner to have in the squad. 

3. Quinton de Kock: (South Africa)

This guy has the potential to be as good as Adam Gilchrist. An aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman, he has been recognised by South Africa already playing a few games at the age of 20. He obviously is behind AB Devilliers but could be the answer if Devilliers wants to concentrate on captaincy and batting. 

He will find it tough to break into the South Africa team soon, because the batting line up is so good, but he is the long term answer for them. 

He has been selected by Sunrisers Hyderbad in this years IPL, behind Sangakara and Parthiv Patel, so he may only feature as a batsman. Mark Boucher is coaching the young talent as he is ear marked as the next big thing.

4. Johnson Charles: (West Indies)

Technically this player is not good at all, he divides opinion but in the short formats of the game he is and will be highly effective. A powerful opener who swats away every ball, he is a little bit like Richard Levi of South Africa but better. People may not be aware but he is also a good wicket keeper. Already in his short carer he has 1 ODI century and 2 fifty plus scores in T20. His partnership with Chris Gayle is highly effective and will scare any bowling attack in world cricket. He was also part of the West Indies team to lift the T20 world cup in 2012. 

With a bit of concentration he could develop his game and maybe become a bit like David Warner by moving to test cricket. All I know that he is hugely entertaining to watch. 

5. Shami Ahmed/Bhuvneshwar Kumar: (India)

The signs are early but it seems that India finally have two bowlers after Zaheer who can swing the ball both ways and trouble top batsmen. I would also add in injury prones Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron into the mix and India now have a good group of bowlers. As long as these players are developed in the right way they should be able to help India play in countries where swing bowling is key, places like England and Australia where India have struggled.  

Both made their début at the end of 2012 and showed why the selectors had picked them. Kumar is the only player to have got Tendulkar out for a first class duck, this was also only his 11th game. 

6. Moises Henriques: (Australia)

Being 26 he is over the age for being considered young, but I still think he is a star of tomorrow. As I write he has made his test debut for Australia today in a test against India. He looked very composed batting with Clarke making 68. We have seen him in the Big Bash and Champions League where he has shown his talent for the Sidney Sixers. 

He is not just limited to batting, also being a good bowler and good fielder. One of those natural cricketers who will do well if given the chances. He has the huge burden of coming into the side in place of Mike Hussey, lets see how it goes. I for one think he will be a success for Australia. 

7. James Faulkner: (Australia)

Another Australian allrounder that makes the list. At 22 he still has a long way to go in the game but the signs are looking very promising. He is just one of many young Australian bowlers that have come through the system in the last year. He very much is similar to a young Shane Watson, who also started as a middle order batsmen.

Recently Australia have tried alot of new players, so any player who doesnt perform when given the chance could be discarded, Faulkner has to take his chances. Watson has gone through a tough period recently having many injuries and a loss of form, which saw him dropped as opener down the order. If this form continues I believe that Faulkner or another all-rounder will have a good shout to make the starting team. I hugely doubt any decision over Watson will be made before the Ashes though. 

8. Kane Williamson: (New Zealand)

In what has been a disappointing period for New Zealand cricket Kane Williamson has been highlighted as the future. He is nailed on to be the star of the team after Ross Taylor and Brendan McCullum retire. In my opinion he will also one day become the skipper of his country, having previous captaincy experience with New Zealand under 19's. 

A classy batsmen who already has three ODI and three test centuries to his name. It has been said that for a young guy he has a calm head, a similar quality to that of former captain Stephen Fleming. New Zealand need to produce more players of his ability to compete to their former standard. Only time will tell if he can be any where as good as Fleming.  

9. Chris Morris (South Africa)

This 25 year old bowler is relatively unknown, having only played only one T20 for South Africa. In that match he gave away 19 runs and took two wickets. He probably would have got another chance since there but has injury problems. Morris is a bowling allrounder similar to Lance Klusner. 

His greatest achievments came in the 2012 Champions league, one which earned him his international call up. He is a very promising bowler who attracted a bidding war between IPL giants Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. It will be interesting to see how well he does in the IPL, the last unkown player to go for big money Sunil Narine was one of the players of the tournament last year. Could Morris be this years Narine? 

10. Dinesh Chandimal: (Sri Lanka)

This player has seems to have been around for quite a while now, having played 50 ODI he now needs to permanently establish himself in the test team. He has  five test appearances to his name scoring four half centuries in this time. This shows his talent maybe questions his ability to concentrate and reach the three figures. to his name  A very stylish and classy player, he has all the ability to become a Sri Lankan great. He has been described as the player of his generation, but this generation does not seem as good as the last. He soon will not have the support of Jayawardene and Sangakara to fall back on. 

Chandimal's versatility is similar to Dilshan as he also wicket keeps and fields anywhere. I think he could fill a void left by some of the greats but he needs to start showing this sooner rather than later. 

11. Jos Butler/Johnny Bairstow: (England)

These two represent everything good about English cricket right now. Multi-talented batsmen who are both excellent fielders who can also keep wicket. The similarities between the two are uncanny even both haring the same initials. 

Right now they are both competing for the same spot as ODI keeper, but there will be a time in the near future where both will appear in the same England side. Bairstow had his test debut first but recently Butler has taken a step ahead in ODI keeper role. Both good prospects for England. 

2012 - Cricket Review

The year 2012 has been one of mixed fortunes for international cricket teams. On the whole it has provided many memories, some good and some bad. The year started with Australia finishing off India to take the test series, this was a signal of what was to come from India. 

The year has had many ups and downs for England, starting the year as world number one but failing to deliver in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. They then took on South Africa who de-throned them from the summit. This series provided the best of test cricket with all the big players stepping up, especially Hashim Amla and Jaques Kalllis. The fallout from this series was the Kevin Pietersen saga, this also saw captain Strauss step down. 

Australia had a good year, kicking on from the win against India. The year was good for them in particular to steady their sinking ship of the past few years. A new captain and a new crop of players who look encouraging. India on the other hand have had a terrible year, narrowly beating New Zealand and then being thrashed by England. For Pakistan it has been a good year, the win over England showed signs of improvement. In particular Ajmal has lead the fight.

There have been many good ODI performances this year, one particular game I remember was from January where Dhoni had a repeat of his world cup final heroics to hit the winning runs in a CB series game against Australia. Virat Kohli smashing around Pakistan scoring 183 in the Asia cup. The performance of Bangladesh to get to the final of the Asia cup only narrowly loosing. The rain effected England v South Africa series was also very fascinating as there were many young players on show from both teams. In particular I enjoyed watching Jos Buttler play a magnificent cameo in one the games to win a match. 

As for T20 cricket, this year was all about the World T20. This competition started off slowly with many games effected by rain, but the West Indies lit up the tournament. Winning their first international trophy since there heyday in the 1970's. Samuels and Narine playing a key part of this win. 

This year has seen the retirement of cricket greats, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S Laxman and Mark Boucher. The later having to retire after being hit in the eye with a bail in a practice game. It could also be a year where Sachin Tendulkar plays his last test match. He has had a poor year by his standards. It has seen the rise of a new group of captains. These being Michael Clarke, Alistair Cook and the part time captaincy of AB Devilliers. These three will have many battles to come in the next few years. It has also been a good year for Yuvraj Singh who had made a successful comeback to international cricket after suffering a life threatening illness. 

In domestic matters Warwickshire won the county championship, but lost to Hampshire in the CB40 who also won the FLT20. KKR won the IPL, despite my team Delhi Daredevils being the best team through out the competition. (Actually it seems if they threw away the semi final, by leaving out the leading wicket taker Morkel.) The champions league was rather dull, it was finally won by Sydney Sixers, who were by far the best team in the competition. 

Some records have gone this year as well, despite having a bad year Tendulkar scored his 100th international century this year. This coming in a ODI match versus Bangladesh in March. The fastest test century and T20 century were hit by Dave Warner and Richard Levi. Graham Smith also became the captain with the most test wins. Michael Clarke scored four double centuries this year which is a record for a calendar year. England's new captain Alistair Cook became the English player with the most centuries as well the youngest player to 7,000 runs. A record for the Indian captain is that he is the first captain to be run out on 99 in a test match, not one that he really wants. 

Match fixing also reared its ugly head this time in County Cricket. Mervin Westfield was jailed for his involvement and a life ban was given to Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria. 

All in all the year has been good for cricket, although with big matches coming up in 2013 it can get even better. 

Could anyone beat Sachin Tendulkar's century record?

He is treated like a God in India, he has pretty much broken all batting records, including having scored the most amount of runs, the most test centuries and most ODI centuries. The question is if Sachin Tendulkar will retire soon, if he does there are some players who could possibly break either his test match century record or ODI century record. Personally I think it will be hard to break his combined ODI and Test century number (100 centuries).

If I were to have said this about 5 years ago, many would have said that these records would last quite a while, this was because Sachin at the time was out playing his closest rivals Ponting and Kallis and did not look to be anywhere near retirement. But now things have changed as Sachin's rate of centuries has slowed down, Kallis has regained form and retirement is on the cards this could go. Sachin could still add to his tally before he retires.

Lets look at some of the possible candidates:

Jacques Kallis: This is the most likely guy to challenge Sachin's test centuries. Currently he needs six centuries to equal Tendulkar, that's if Sachin does not add to any. He has been on fire recently with his latest century in the first test. He is now 37 and still in good shape, he could get pretty close to the record if he plays another two years. 

Ricky Ponting: He like Kallis was pretty close to Tendulkar's test record a few years back, but has seriously tailed off now. He needs 10 more test centuries to break the test record. This would take some turn around in recent form, I can see him getting another one or two but not more than five. 

Kumar Sangakara: He like Ponting has 30 test centuries, at the age of 35 he has around 3/4 years left in the game. If he were to score four centuries every year for four years he still would have only 46 test centuries. So it is a hard task for him, I don't think he can.

Virat Kohli: At only 24 I am in no doubt that if he continues his ODI form of the last two years he will smash the 49 ODI centuries that Tendulkar has. He already has 13 centuries to his name and if he stays fit and away from injuries I think he will play around another 12 years. Even if he only scores 4 centuries every year for these twelve years he will pass Sachin's record.

A.B Devilliars: He like Kohli has 13 ODI centuries to his name, although he is four years older than his RCB colleague. I think he will struggle to get near 49 ODI centuries but could be around the 40 mark. He has a lot of pressure on him, being the captain, wicket-keeper and best batsmen. 

For me the only player who could challenge the test record is Kallis, there may be a younger player who can challenge the test century record. Some names to throw into the hat are: Amla, Cook, Clarke. 

As for the ODI record I can see Kohli eventually breaking this, although it will take some time. There could be some other players coming through who in the future but Tendulkar is so far ahead that it will take a young guy to beat this record. 

Australia Surprise South Africa as Clarke breaks more records

Let me first say that I didn't think Australia would be a match for South Africa in this series, I guess I have been proved wrong. I did however write an article last month where I predicted Australia would rise again, but I never thought it would have been so soon. 

The score 482 on day one is only 12 runs short of the all time highest score on day 1 of any test. This is largely down to Warner at the top of the innings setting the tone, with a strike rate over 100. 

In the first test the Aussies proved that their batsmen were a match for South Africa if not outplaying them. The plaudits will go to the inform skipper, he has been on the form of his life since taking over and has subsequently put to rest all doubts about his captaincy. 

In making his fourth double century of the year Michael Clarke now has over taken fellow Australian legends Ponting and Bradman for making the most double centuries in one calender year. If he gets one more double century any time in his career as captain then he will equal Brian Lara as the player with most double centuries as captain.

It seems that Clarke now has a team to slowly work their way back to the summit of test cricket, he is just pushing them on a little quicker. Having a few strong sides in test cricket is important, and right now Aus, SA, Eng and India have pretty strong teams, which makes for great matches. 

I think that some people thrive on the pressure of captaincy, this can defiantly be said of Clarke and I believe Alistair Cook as well. I still hold that the next Ashes will go to England as they are playing at home, but Australia will no doubt put up a good show. All of that is after this great series against South Africa, who are by no means out of the match and series yet.  

Do you agree with Day/Night tests?

It seems to me that cricket is a sport which is very adaptable to new ideas. We have seen many changes in cricket over the years, the main being the rise of the two other formats of the game. It is a sport which embraces technology, and seems way advanced of sports such as football which allow controversy to take place despite calls for help.

The ICC added rules such as power play, free hit for no balls and even toyed with the super sub rule over the last ten years. This all shows that they embrace change. This is one area where the ICC should be credited for keeping the sport fresh. The sport in general seems to promote innovation, and the players have also shown this ability. Over the last few years we have seen changes to batting play (switch hit, dil scoop) and new innovative ways of fielding and bowling have also been implemented. 

Despite all these changes the ICC have never really changed much about test cricket. They have in a way provided the purists to keep their form of the game whilst changing the other formats keeping people who embrace change rather happy also. It is unknown if many of these purists will dislike the idea of day/night test cricket, only time will tell on this. This could be as simple as people not liking change. Things such as lunch probably would be scrapped in this new type of test cricket, this is something that not everyone will like. 

I for one agree with the new idea in principle for day/night test cricket, but believe it has to be done rightly. Is the pink ball the right ball to play with? According to Samit Patel who has played in the trial of day/night test cricket it isn't the right ball. He states that the pink ball does nothing in the day, but as soon as the lights came on the ball did too much. If this is true this could give a team an unfair advantage. 

Another disadvantage of this is the due factor, especially in Asia. The team bowling under lights may struggle to field properly and the ball could slip from their hands. In particular if you watch Dhoni, when playing a day/night ODI in Asia he will always bowl first if he wins the toss. This could mean that a team bats terribly in the evening and improve because of due in the night, only because of the due factor.  

The advantage of having day/night tests could mean more great test cricket. Can you imagine the first test at Sofia Gardens where Monty Panesar and James Anderson blocked out the match versus Australia under lights? The atmosphere was already very good, it would have been even better. Another advantage of having this is that a whole new audience will watch test cricket. The kids who may not be into test cricket may actually sit and watch because their dad is home from work and watching. 

I am pretty sure that advertisers and players would prefer the new timings as well, giving them more tv time. In my opinion it could work, and the benefits definitely out way the negatives of this, but they ICC should work on finding the right ball and a proper solution to the due factor. Why not try having the red ball during the day part of the game and use the white ball in the night? This probably would mess up a teams bowling plan as many teams believe that certain players bowl better with the white ball and not the red. 

I wonder if anyone is really in favour of day/night tests or really against, I would love to know in the comments section. 

Will the USA be good for Cricket?

This morning I woke up and my dad was asking me about my opinions on cricket moving to the USA. This was because of a piece done on Bloomberg about the idea of a new T20 league in the US. I decided to read this article to find out what it all was about (click here). 

To my surprise the idea was alot more than a pipe dream, it has been planned to launch in summer 2013. The league has been planned to be similar to the IPL. This means lots of money, star names and Hollywood actors as owners. 

T20 seems to be a perfect fit for America, as it only lasts 3 hours, quite easy to follow has cheer leaders and big shots into the crowd. The only problem is that there are many sports that Americans love, this means cricket will struggle to make a big impact. For example it has taken a long time for football (soccer) to be considered as a sport that is not just for kids and woman. 

Generally it has been hard to establish other sports into the USA. This is probably due to the fact that the existing sports have established a large following which has been passed down the generations. It could also be down to a lack of knowledge of the new sports or thinking that the other sports are kinda pointless. 

The biggest challenge to cricket will be from baseball, a sport many people consider similar. In my eyes T20 cricket beats baseball hands down in terms of excitement, this obviously would be disputed by baseball fans. For me there are way to many baseball games on, devaluing the sport. Another reason being that T20 cricket is actually heralded around the world, where as baseball is only popular in USA and Japan. Ice Hockey in the US is really being challenged by football (the Beckham affect), but all the other sports are are pretty settled. Football has finally made an impact and in a recent ESPN poll it was voted the second most popular sport for people aged between 12-24 in the US. So if football can have such a big impact so can cricket, one day. 

The idea of getting celebrates involved in this new league is good as it will get people talking about cricket. The only thing which worries me is that non immigrant Americans will not understand the sport and therefore not watch. Another issue will be that if it does take off in the USA, there will be more pressure put onto test cricket. This being that more top players will forget about the longer formats of the game and join another money spinning league. It seems to me that eventually there could be two different sports as there are so many T20 leagues some players may solely play T20 whilst others might only play test cricket. 

A question has to be asked if to suit the local audience they may change some of the laws. This is something that happened in the early stages of the MLS, this is something which would worry me. Another factor to consider is if the league will actually help young American cricketers. In my opinion to get the best viewing figures they may actually resort to having whole teams made up of world stars, meaning that it does nothing for American cricket. The fact that league is to launch through the Ashes series is another worry. This means that England now have to contest a loosing battle to the IPL for the first series and now the second series of a summer could be hit by this tournament. Another dilema for Pietersen, who would definitely be offered a contract here.  Only time will tell if the UST20 will be a success for cricket or not. 

How each teams flaws were exposed in the World T20

So the World T20 has finished and I have now decided to take a look back over a tournament which started very slowly but burst into life in the later stages. 

Whilst thinking back over the competition it struck me that each team lived up to their pre tournament flaws or in West Indies case the pre tournament hype. Many people see T20 cricket as a form of cricket where one or two good players could win the team a competition. This competition showed that a complete team was needed. It also showed that the teams who lacked something were found out. 

The winners West Indies proved that having a balanced team is the best formula in the shortest form of the game. Players such as Gayle, Samuels, Bravo, Pollard and even Sammy are genuine T20 all rounders. Add Narine (my pre tournament prediction as being the best bowler) and the vastly improving Rampaul to the West Indies and they have a great team. I am not sure how I looked past them when trying to predict the competition. 

The other teams were all flawed in certain areas, these were areas which had been highlighted by many before the competition had started. Sri Lanka may have lost the final because of a late blitz by Samuels but in my opinion it was down to their soft batting line up after the top three. India lacked options in the fast bowling department and England sorely missed the opening presence of Peitersen. Pakistan and New Zealand showed spells of brilliance followed by their usual inconsistencies. Australia were found to lack experience of playing international cricket, a reason why Watson stood out over his team mates. 

Australia are in my opinion the favourites to take the next tournament, yes a big statement to make but their team is still pretty young and showed glimpses of what is to come. 

The tournament started off very very slow, almost to the state of boredom. Many people questioned the timing of the competition, being in the Sri Lankan rainy season. Their were questions raised over the format of the tournament and the poor standard of cheerleaders. I still cant get over the fact that India as poor as they were, only lost one match that's one less than the winners.  The competition was brought to life by the players, especially the West Indians who danced and celebrated everything. 

Taufel's retirement leaves a dearth of umpiring talent

Come the end of the World T20, a great career will also end. This being Simon Taufel's career as an umpire. He now moves into a new role for the ICC titled 'Umpire Performance and Training Manager'. 

It is hard to believe he is only 41 years of age, as he has been umpiring for many years already. He is way ahead of umpires his own age. In fact the man who replaces him in the elite umpire panel (Bruce Oxenford) is 11 years his senior. 

Simon Taufel started out as a bowler playing with the likes of Adam Gilchrist and Michael Slater. But injury ended his playing days, this resulted in him changing from playing to umpiring. If he looks back he may actually believe that he has done a lot better than he would have playing. 

As an umpire he has been immense, I cant remember any notable mistakes from him. This being rather unlike Daryl Harper and Darrell Hair before him, who had their careers tarnished by costly mistakes and accusations. He has also not ruined his legacy by continuing until his eyes had gone, like Steve Bucknor. 

Having umpired in a boxing day test, before the neutral umpires rule had been implemented and one world cup final he has pretty much done it all. He would have had more than one final, had Australia not been so dominating by constantly qualifying for the final. 

Without Taufel there is definitely a dearth in talent. I believe Billy Bowden to be a really good umpire and in my opinion the next best after Taufel. He also brings his own style to the job. Aleem Dar and Asad Rauf are also very experienced, but the rest have not been around for as long. It is now Taufel's job to develop these umpires and make them to his own standard. 

Let me know who has been the best umpires over the years in the comments section much appreciated.

World T20 - How has the ICC got this wrong?

So the tournament is well under way and there has been nothing to really write about. There are many people who dislike this version of the game anyway. I am normally a defender of T20 cricket, saying it should treated separately to any other format, but this time it has left me a little bored. 

I do not blame everything on the ICC but their record of organising tournaments is not good at all. The world cup in West Indies a few years back was the worst tournament ever organised. This time around may be a little bit more disappointing to the ICC, as the WT20 is usually the competition they organise the best. Lets look at the reasons why this has been poor tournament so far:

1. No incentive to win the group: leading to dead rubbers:

The super eight groups were pre-decided, so as long as all the expected teams qualified, they knew who they will be facing in the next stage.  This could work, but then in my mind it has to be done by the so called minnow team in each group NOT playing the first two games in each group. I believe the only reason to have this seeding system is to make sure India play Pakistan once in the tournament, and the ICC make as much money as they can. This happened to both Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, both teams played the opening two games of the group and were subsequently knocked out. This is before Pakistan or the West Indies even bowled a ball. 

All this mean that the games: Sri Lanka v South Africa and England v India were dead rubbers (pointless games). Although both games were entertaining they didn't matter one bit. England being demolished by India and South Africa thrashing Sri Lanka by 32 runs in a 7 over a side game. This game in particular seemed to me the most pointless of them all, both teams through the next stage, no incentive to come top. I do not really think a 7 over game should be counted in the stats. It particularly messes up bowling stats, as we saw with Malinga going for 27 runs in his two overs.  

2. Why is the competition being played in the monsoon season?

To me this is the most awful scheduling, the ICC obviously do not know how the weather works in Asia. If they would like help on this I am more than willing to travel to Sri Lanka and explain to the person deciding on the scheduling that it is still the monsoon season, and that games will be rain affected. Why not play in another season when it is less likely to rain?

3. Minnows have not performed:

This is not actually the ICC's fault, but a definite reason why the competition has been a bit of a bore so far. Zimbabwe were the worst side, making club sides look good. Afghanistan bowled well against India but were atrocious in the field and lacked any quality with the bat. Ireland seemed to be slow out of the blocks against Australia and the match against West Indies was abandoned half way, but in all truth they probably would have lost.

So I have a good moan, lets hope the tournament improves now, which I am sure it will, weather permitting.  

I will leave you with a picture of the tournament so far: 

General cricket news - 26 AUG 2012

1. India win the U19 World cup:

This has been a fascinating turn of events, seeing India win the under 19 tournament. A team who limped to wins against Pakistan and New Zealand in the previous rounds, beat the favourites and home side Australia to take the title. The young Indians emulated their senior counterparts by taking the world crown. Australian captain William Bosito once again led his team from the front, top scoring and remaining not out as he has done all competition. Incredibly he has only been out once, out of six games, earning him man of the series. The Aussie skipper has shown he is a reliable middle order batsman a useful skill he could use in all forms of the game.

His Indian counterpart on the other hand Unmukt Chand has had a poor tournament, scoring less than 40 runs on four occasions out of six matches, this included a duck vs Pakistan. Chand raised his game for the occasion, scoring a majestic 111 not out. The Indian skipper has long been touted as a potential star of the future, already earning a few games for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL and breaking into his state team (Delhi). 

I believe that the tournament is about giving young players international experience. This has been a valuable experience for all the teams, especially the batsmen who have had to successfully/unsuccessfully adapt to tough batting conditions. For an Indian team of any level to triumph in Australia is a massive achievement, as this is a place where many before them have struggled. India have also show cased battling qualities which are inbred in the new generation of Indian cricketer. Both players named above have shown they have the game to make  fine senior international cricketers, but alot of hard work is needed and for media to managed expectations if they are to make it. 

2. India Beat New Zealand:

A massive victory for India here, an innings and 115 run win. There is not much more of a spanking which any team could get in a test match. This result reaffirms my belief that India are the best team in the world in the sub continent and that New Zealand test cricket is on the slow decline. The later is a big shame because there are good players in the squad but not enough good players compared to other big teams. They were also playing against a well drilled unit who are un-relentlessness when it comes to beating a weak opposition on home turf. 

3. Hampshire win English T20:

Firstly I would like to congratulate Hampshire on winning this trophy, a trophy which in my eyes needs a big change for years to come. (but this is a story for another day) Beating Somerset (my favourite English team) in the semi final and then disposing of Yorkshire ensured them the title. Hampshire lead by Mascarenhas have a very talented squad including Michael Carberry and James Vince players who I believe could play for England in the future.

Yorkshire have a squad which includes England players Bresnan and Bairstow, they  are not a squad which has performed with any greatly in past years, but put an end to that this season. 

Both Hampshire and Yorkshire now go into the Champions League in October, a great chance for some of the players to work them selves into the minds of rich IPL owners.