India v West Indies my thoughts

Today I made my way to the Oval to watch a match between tournament favourites India and many peoples dark horses to win the competition the West Indies. These are two teams who I have tipped for the tournament. 

Going to the ground there were serious questions asked over the weather. The majority of the crowd seemed to be Indian, resulting in a very good atmosphere. The tone of the match was set early on by the very impressive Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He bowled a fantastic spell taking the wicket of Chris Gayle as well as giving away very few runs. What was better for India was that Kumar was being backed up from the other end by all the other bowlers. Yadav and Sharma bowled quick, Ashwin and Jadeja frustrated the batsmen. 

Apart from a few flashes from Gayle, Pollard and Sammy at the end the West Indies did not show much with the bat. India also demonstrated why many people have dubbed them the best fielding side in the competition, stifling many chances for the West Indians. Credit has to Raina who as usual seems to give it his all for the side, often sprinting from one of the pitch to the other at the end of each over.

India's batting started off very different to the West Indies, Rohit Sharma and Shikar Dhawan once again showing they are the partnership for the long term. Sharma can count himself to be given out on review and Dhawan was given a lifeline by Roach, who we all cheered on for the rest of the match. The moustached opener went on to score a century after a rain delay. 

The only issue I had with DK and Dhawan batting was that they could have gone a little quicker in the chase. They could have finished the match off before the rain delay, but they did the job so I shouldn't complain to much. 

Below I have included a few pictures which I have taken today:

Win or Lose the New Zealand series England have been rubbish!

As I write this England are currently sitting at lunch on day three of the final test match at 92-5, this is after New Zealand scored 443 in their first innings. This means they have made it hard for themselves to win the match and therefore the series. After the historic win in India and previous highs this is very much a low. 

Before the series had started I heard a former England captain confidently state this was the best England team in history and that they should wipe the floor with this poor New Zealand team. I do not totally disagree with that statement but it hasn't quite worked out as planned. This smacks of an over arrogant team who are very under prepared or just not bothered. They seemed up for the games against South Africa and India, so why have they not turned up in New Zealand?

In my opinion England have gone back to the old English mentality, this is to forget about the current series and concentrate on the next series which they believe is more important. The media do not help in this, the amount of times I have read that this is a build up for the Ashes. The bad form started before a ball had been bowled in the test series, I have to agree with Geoff Boycott that England spent to much time doing other activities such as bungee jumping instead of practising.  Did they believe that New Zealand were so poor that they could just turn up and beat them?

Rain saved England in the first test, otherwise they could have actually lost that game. They were better in the second game but are back onto the form of the first game again. What is interesting is that the players who had to prove a point have performed, and the people who were on form before this series are on poor form. Have these people just not turned up because they are sure of their place in the summer? People like Cook, Trott and Bell should be ripping into this bowling attack. The only batsman to do something of note is Compton, this is probably because he had something to prove. 

Ian Bell has done what he usually does, as in he plays well if the team play well. I have never seen the guy dig England out of a hole, he goes missing when the pressure is on. Alistair Cook has been really poor also not looking a shadow of the player he was in India. Same could be said for Jonathan Trott and even Kevin Pietersen, who has been dismissed by a left arm spinner again in the series. I can guarantee one thing, that these guys mentioned will be much better when it comes to the Ashes, I wonder why.

Another disturbing thing is that the England top order has struggled with a swinging ball today, this is very odd. Compton had the right idea with his hundred and eighteen ball, thirteen, the rest were impatient.  He and Matt Prior can stand up at the end of the series and state they have batted well, oh and I should mention Steven Finn. In terms of bowling Broad did his usual, a similar thing to Bell. He only plays well one game in ten. This is usually the game were people are questioning his place in the team. I still think England will win the Ashes, only because Australia are going through a tough period. Not too much should be read into of the poor Aussie tour of India, considering it is the first tour of India for most of the players. They will have slightly more common conditions to play in when they arrive in England.

An insight into Bangladesh cricket series V Sri Lanka - (Guest written)

There is a fascinating series starting on Friday, between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. I wanted to know a little bit about Bangladesh's chances. As I do not consider my self to be very knowledgeable on Bangladesh cricket, I have got a little piece written by a good friend of mine Tahsin Hussain. Here is what he had to say about the series and some of the key players for Bangladesh. 

So come Friday Bangladesh play their first of two test matches against Sri Lanka in Galle. The big question  is of how Bangladesh will cope without their allrounder and key player Shakib Al Hasan? First and for most they have to deal the pressures of test cricket, which they have yet to fully master. Years have gone by in which Bangladesh have been less than impressive in the longest format of the game.

So how do they approach the upcoming test matches without their influential spinner? 

Firstly, in test matches they have to play each session, then they have to repeat this the next session and so on. In the last test series against West Indies they did really well, but could not finish games off in both tests. The young players are coming good and if they put their hands up and perform they should be able to make the series competitive. 

So without Shakib which players could step up?

I have picked out five players who could have a big say if Bangladesh are to do anything in the series. They are opener Tamim Iqbal, the young emerging batsman Anamul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim the skipper, the vice captain Mahmudullah Riyad and emerging spinner Shohag Gazi.

What does Tamim Offer?

He has the ability to explode at the top of the batting order and has the pedigree to dig in and play a long innings. We have seen this talent in the past, namely in 2010 where he scored back to back centuries against England, averaged over 50 in test cricket and was also named Wisden's Test Player of the Year, ahead of Graeme Swann and Virender Sehwag. He is only the second Bangladeshi to win any such wisden award, the other player being Shakib in 2009. 

What does Anamul Offer?

he is just 20 years of age and has already shown leadership qualities captaining Bangladesh in the last Under 19 world cup in Australia. He came out the tournament as the leading run scorer, making two hundreads and also winning a few player of the match awards on the way. he made his ODI debut against West Indies in Bangladesh's first game of the Sahara Cup 2012. The very next match he was making his first senior test century scoring a match winning 120. In domestic cricket he averages 44 and already has 7 centuries to his name. I like many other fans think very highly of this player, he not only could be the best batsman in the future but likely to be considered as a future captain if he continues to progress.  

What does Mushfiqur Rahim offer?

Being the captain of the national side there is added pressure on him to perform. Test matches are nothing new to him as he made his debut at the age of 16. Now 24 he has valid experience to lead by example, he is great at assisting the younger players into the squad and helping them develop for test cricket. It is funny that you consider a player of 24 to be a senior player, but he defiantly is, playing alot of international cricket, he is just one of a number of young players who have been around for a while in the squad. His test average is hardly anything to shout about being just under 30, but we have seen in the recent BPL tournament that he is on form. He ended the competition as the leading run scorer. His leadership will be crucial in determining how Bangladesh perform in the series. 

What does Mahmudullah offer?

He is one of the most underrated Bangladeshi players at the moment. In the last year and a half he has been the stand out performer. Not only does he offer a great spin option, he is a batsman who can bat long innings. His test century against New Zealand proved that he is a calm batsman, exactly what the team need from a lower order batsman. He will also have to step up a little bit more as the other all-rounder Shakib is missing. 

What does Gazi offer?

He was called upon last year for his international debut against the West Indies. In the ODI series he was very influential and ended up being the leading wicket taker. He backed this up by being the leading wicket taker in the BPL. His lower order batting is another asset, he has a first class century to his name. Another allrounder which could shows alot of promise for Bangladesh. 

For Bangladesh to have any chance of winning the test series against Sri Lanka the above named five players must perform to their potential and the other young players will also have to chip in. The series will be very hard as Sri Lanka have a fully fit team with the exception of their former captain Mahela Jayawardene. This in a way means that both teams will be without their best players. In my opinion Bangladesh will have to perform at 100 percent to win the test series, possibly the better chance of winning would come in the ODI's and T20 game to follow. The series consists of two test matches, three ODI's and one T20. 

Once again I would like to thank my friend Tahsin for this great article, it has been pretty informative. I will now be looking out for these players especially Gazi as he is the player that I have never heard of. 

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. 

World T20 - Bangladesh

The emerging force in Asian cricket, I believe they are a dangerous team who now believe they have a chance of beating any team. About 6/7 years ago Bangladesh lacked belief, they would have been beaten when the group had been drawn. The core of the team have been together for a while now, since the 2007 world cup. 

The captain is Mushfiqur Rahim, he is only 23 but has developed into a good leader. It is clear that he has always been an exceptional wicket keeper but his batting has come along over the last few years. He started out as a solid batsman but now has developed into playing a few shots. 

It is nice to see Mortaza back into the team, he has been very unlucky with injuries in the past few years. A quality bowler who used to trouble top batsmen, lets hope he comes back to his best. Ashraful is an enigma, he has the game to be a really good player, but recently he has disappointed a lot. Shakib Al Hasan is an exceptional player, up amongst the top all rounders in world cricket. 

Young players to watch: 

• Nasir Hossain: Another allrounder that can develop into a good player. His spin bowling can be a handful for opposition. 
• Shafiul Islam: Has been playing for a while, he is a good fast bowler. With Mortaza back he finally has a bowling partner up to his level. 

My Prediction:

It will probably come down to the game v New Zealand. This is a very big game for Bangladesh, as it would mean that they have once again qualified over a more established nation. They have good spinners in the team which could cause teams trouble, I think that New Zealand may pull it out the bag and qualify at their expense. GROUP STAGE

World T20 - New Zealand

Every time I watch New Zealand play I want them to do well. I am not sure why but New Zealand are always the team I support when India cant. They have a good team but not one I would call great. I would say they have some players who could get into most teams: Taylor, Franklin, McCullum, Southee and Vettori but others who quite frankly are not up to that standard yet. There are many young players in the squad, who could surprise, if that were to happen it would be some story. 

Ross Taylor is the captain of this side, a player who I really enjoy watching, he also plays for Delhi my favourite IPL team. Taylor is feeling his way into his role as captain, this will be a real test of his captaincy. There is alot resting on Taylor's shoulders, and he may feel the pressure. 

As with any New Zealand team the fielding will be excellent, the main concerns are over the batting depth. They will be batting on pitches which may be similar to the one which they collapsed in the first test v India. Jacob Oram in his day was a great allrounder, but a few injuries have seen him change as a player, this could be a good last swan song for him. If Vettori is fully fit he will do well as he is a quality player. 

Young players to watch:

• Kane Williamson: A good middle order batsmen, I know he is considered by many to be a future captain. 

My Predictions:

New Zealand are a tough team to call. It will be between them and Bangladesh to see who comes out of this group. I think New Zealand could just edge out Bangladesh. SUPER EIGHTS

World T20 - Pakistan

This is a very talented team, this is when the board are not sacking players, changing the captains or players are not being accused of match fixing. Pakistan are the most successful team in this competition winning the second tournament and losing in the final in the inaugural competition. There are many players who have played in both these finals still around in the squad. 

The captain is Mohammed Hafeez, a good allrounder who leads by example. He has the hard task of unifying a team with so many former captains, each with reason to believe that they should not have been sacked. One of those former captains is Shahid Afridi. 

Afridi is the star name, he is the best batsman, best fielder and a very good bowler, on his day he can be a good watch. He is helped out in the spinning department by Saeed Ajmal, a bowler who England could not pick at all last winter. Pakistan's strongest suit is their bowling Umar Gul is a brilliant bowler who is deadly bowling at the depth. The team needs to step up the batting and fielding. They have players such as Razzak who is not known for being lightning around the field. 

Young players to watch:

• Umar Akmal: He has been playing for quite a while. he like his older brother likes to attack bowlers. He is really fun to watch as he is likely to go after every ball, the downside of this is that he could get out every ball. 

My Predictions:

Pakistan are in the group of death with New Zealand and Bangladesh. if they were to start slowly they could be in trouble, as every game is a hard match. I do not think they will struggle and predict that they will make the SEMI-FINALS.

World T20 - South Africa

This team is vastly experienced in all forms of the game, they are currently number1 in test cricket and are close to number 1 in ODI cricket. They could cap off an awesome year by winning some silverware. 

South Africa have a always had the tag of Chokers, in knock out tournaments, this is something which they would want to change. 

The new guy in-charge is A.B de Villiers, he has carried on the role that Smith had done over the past few years. Gary Kirsten should also be considered here, he has past experience of winning this competition, and it seems he has a teams that can also win this competition. 

In Hashim Amla they have a player who is on top form, a player which will surely cash in with many runs in Sri Lanka. They have a good middle order who  are all capable of scoring big, the captain is a player who is inventive a plays creative shots. They have a long batting line up, with Albie Morkel and Wayne Parnell capable of hitting the ball long and hard. 

Young Players to watch:

• Richard Levi: Although his technique is in serious question, he is a player that can hit the ball out of the park. He scores quick and holds the record for the quickest century, 117 not out off only 45 balls. He uses brute force, powering his way to big scores. 

My predictions:

In my opinion South Africa have the best allround team. In Kallis they have a player who can do anything, he plays a big role in the team. Dale Stein and Morkel is one of the best bowling partnerships in world cricket, aided by Botha and Peterson the spinners who do a good job. I think they will be FINALISTS.

World T20 - Sri Lanka

Loosing in the manor they did in the World Cup final has definitely hurt Sri Lanka. Since the last world cup all 3 of their heralded players have been captain. This could be there time to right a few wrongs. This is also includes the other final they lost, when Pakistan took the title of this competition. Playing at home they can be more confident, as they are the experts on these pitches. 

The current skipper is Jayawardene, his second time in charge. He is one of the modern greats of the game, very adapt to this form of the game. 

He has a record for the highest tally of runs in this competition, I am under no doubt that he will add to this total. Sri Lanka have picked a side mixed with youth and experience. In Malinga they have a unique bowler who does not concede many runs and takes wickets. It seems that Malinga has also been quite by his standards over the past few months, they will need him to be back to his best. The legend of Murali needs to be replaced and in Mendis they have a decent bowler, obviously not to the standards of Murali. 

Younger players to watch:

• Dinesh Chandimal: A player who has been around for some time now, he is still only 22 years of age. He is a good technical batsman who can pace an innings well. He has some IPL experience which is pretty valuable in this competition. 

My Predictions:

Although Sri Lanka have the players to win this competition, they may fall short of expectations. I think that they are over reliant on certain players to perform, and if they don't they may struggle. I think they will get to the SUPER EIGHTS. 

  

World T20 - West Indies

Where to start with the West Indies, this is a team which could do absolutely anything. In the same group as Ireland the big fish slayers, there is a potential upset there. Alternatively West Indies have a squad very capable of winning this competition. 

Captained by Darren Sammy a man who is a capable leader, a somewhat smart cricketer who makes the most of his ability. Sammy had to take charge of the team in hard times, this was all in the absence of  Chris Gayle. He steadied a sinking ship, and now must have ambition to bring West Indies back up.

He has Gayle back to aid there quest, this is Gayle's best form of the game. One which he does not need to break sweat and still look world class. It is evident that Gayle has added intellegence to his game now, through playing the IPL, he now sometimes lets the other opener smash his way ahead so he can build his runs up before smashing the ball everywhere. Chris Gayle is just one of 4 allrounders, the others are no mugs either: Pollard, Dwaine Bravo, Russell. These 3 players are also very very good fielders, often saving many runs and taking catches which looked impossible. 

Sunil Narine in my eyes is currently the best spinner in world cricket T20 cricket. He wasn't as well known before the last IPL but he ended it as the best bowler taking his team on to win. 

Young players to watch out for:

• Johnson Charles: a young opener who has a similar game to Chris Gayle. he is relatively untested at international level, but has a good record in domestic T20 cricket. If him and Gayle are paired together there could be fireworks.  

My prediction:

I am going for the good West Indies to turn up. I have a good feeling that Narine and Gayle will fire sometime. I think they can get to the SEMI-FINALS.