I've been invited by Bharat to make some contributions to this blog, which is very flattering. In the mid 1990s I made a series of posts to the newsgroup rec.sport.cricket containing my idea of the best XIs where the members' surnames began with the same letter of the alphabet. I don't have copies of all those posts now, but here's one that I do still have: the Ws. I haven't updated it in any way. Nowadays Steve Waugh would have to be put in the first XI, of course. (Note that when it was written Courtney Walsh still had fewer than 300 Test wickets.) Off-hand I can't think of any more recent players who would demand inclusion, though I'm probably overlooking someone obvious, as increasingly seems to happen as I get older. Unfortunately W is not a letter that shows Indian players to great advantage.
We finish on a high note with a very strong eleven. (X, Y and Z havealready been taken care of, in a QUXYZ eleven.) In fact there were somany strong candidates, I've drawn up both a first and a second eleven (and still had to omit some fine players).
First Eleven:
Bill Woodfull (A)
Frank Woolley (E)
Doug Walters (A)
Everton Weekes (WI)
Clyde Walcott (WI)
Frank Worrell (WI) (capt)
Wasim Akram (P)
Wasim Bari (P) (wk)
Shane Warne (A)
Waqar Younis (P)
Bob Willis (E)
Most of this eleven more or less selected itself. Frank Woolley's Test batting statistics were comparatively modest, but at his best he was one of the all-time greats, and his slow left-arm bowling and slipfielding will also come in useful. It was close for the number 11 spot between Bob Willis and Courtney Walsh, but you can't really argue with 300 Test wickets.
Second eleven:
Cyril Washbrook (E)
John Wright (NZ)
Kepler Wessels (A/SA)
Mark Waugh (A)
Bob Wyatt (E) (capt)
Steve Waugh (A)
John Waite (SA) (wk)
Max Walker (A)
Johnny Wardle (E)
J.C. "Farmer" White (E)
Courtney Walsh (WI)
This eleven could give a lot of the alphabetic first elevens a run for their money.
Other players who deserve a mention are:
Batsmen:
Cyril Walters, Pelham Warner, Barry Wood, Willie Watson, Peter Willey,T.S.Worthington, Bob Woolmer, Alan Wells, A.J.Watkins, Wilf Wooller (E); Graeme Wood (A); Ajit Wadekar (I); Wasim Raja,Wazir Mohammed (P); Syed Wettimuny (SL).
All-rounders: Rockley Wilson (E); Sammy Woods (E/A).
Spinners: Doug Wright, Don Wilson (E).
Fast bowlers: John Warr (E); Tom Wall (unlucky not to make the secondeleven) and Mark Whitney (A).
Wicketkeepers: Ken Wadsworth (NZ), Arthur Wood (E).
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
India's Test Match schedule in 2011
Another feast for Test cricket fans. Minimum 10: 2 (@WI), 4 (@Eng), 4 (@Aus), Likely 13: a potential 3 more hosting WI (not sure why we would play Tests back to back) and Improbable 16: 3 more vs. Eng.
@WI
Jun 20-24 (Mon-Fri): 1st Test v India, Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
Jun 28-Jul 2 (Tue-Sat): 2nd Test v India, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
Jul 6-10 (Wed-Sun): 3rd Test v India, Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica
@England
July 21-25 (Thu-Mon): 1st npower Test v India, Lord’s
July 29-Aug 2 (Fri-Tue): 2nd npower Test v India, Trent Bridge
Aug 10-14 (Wed-Sun): 3rd npower Test v India, Edgbaston
Aug 18-22 (Thu-Mon): 4th npower Test v India, Kia Oval
The following seems too good to be true:
October England tour of India, 3 tests, 5 ODIs
November West Indies tour of India, 3 tests, 3-5 ODIs
December India tour of Australia, 4 tests, 5 ODIs, 1 T20
There just doesn't seem to be enough time to play that much cricket. Plus the ECB website shows India as 5 ODIs, 1 T20 -- maybe that will change to 2Tests and 2 T20s:-)
Bharat
@WI
Jun 20-24 (Mon-Fri): 1st Test v India, Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
Jun 28-Jul 2 (Tue-Sat): 2nd Test v India, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
Jul 6-10 (Wed-Sun): 3rd Test v India, Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica
@England
July 21-25 (Thu-Mon): 1st npower Test v India, Lord’s
July 29-Aug 2 (Fri-Tue): 2nd npower Test v India, Trent Bridge
Aug 10-14 (Wed-Sun): 3rd npower Test v India, Edgbaston
Aug 18-22 (Thu-Mon): 4th npower Test v India, Kia Oval
The following seems too good to be true:
October England tour of India, 3 tests, 5 ODIs
November West Indies tour of India, 3 tests, 3-5 ODIs
December India tour of Australia, 4 tests, 5 ODIs, 1 T20
There just doesn't seem to be enough time to play that much cricket. Plus the ECB website shows India as 5 ODIs, 1 T20 -- maybe that will change to 2Tests and 2 T20s:-)
Bharat
IND @ South Africa Cricket: Ratings (INDIA)
D Sehwag 144r @24, 1 50
India's much hyped match-winning batsman, wasn't. Barring a 50 in a sure loss at Centurion, he didn't come remotely close to expectations. Got starts twice in Durban, but failed to capitalize. The relatively high grade is simply to leave space and differentiate from the true "F"s. Sehwag also gets an assist for the draw at Capetown, because it was (misplaced) fear of his blade that surely caused Smith to bat on until the end of D4.
A- Gambhir 242r @61, 3 50s
3 gritty fifties that all could have been centuries, showed us that India's most hard-nosed batsman was on the way back. Never showing anything close to the fluency he achieved in 2009, what Gambhir lacked in form and talent, he made up for with courage. A hand injury in Centurion didn't stop a fighting innings, and though it did put him out at Durban. At Capetown, a Tsosobe blow denied him a richly deserved century, but it didn't stop him from coming out on D5 and shepherding India to safety in the second innings. In the Gavaskar mould, in temperament and tenacity, if not in talent or technique. I remain an unabashed fan.
F Dravid 120r @20
Like the British Empire in the years leading up to World War II, the sun has set on Dravid -- he too, however, refuses to accept it, not surprisingly for a man with such spine and self-belief. Hopes that he will return to anything remotely close to his old form are fast fading. Dravid, circa 2009-11, no longer knows where his off stump is, chases balls well outside his strike zone, stabs awkardly at balls he would have met with a measured forward defense 5 years ago. The only question that remains is, will he go, or will be be pushed? His 200th catch, an absolutely brilliant take, was the only highlight in what will go down as his worst tour.
A Tendulkar 326r @82, 2 tons, 1w @66
Very good series. The ton in Centurion restored Indian pride and set the platform for the Laxman masterclass in Durban. The battle with Steyn on D3 of CapeTown was the most amazing Test cricket I have been privileged to watch. Had India at the threshold of victory with his Casabianca act, when he fell late on D3, which is what pushes this from the sublime (A+) to the merely great. Yet again, conjured up magic with the wicket of Boucher, opening the door again for India. We shall not see his like again, and will tell our children that there was once a time when giants walked the earth.
B+ Laxman 196r @39, 1 50
How to rate a man who was a match-winner in the one Test we won, but poor in all 4 other innings? Durban is an A++, almost on par with Kallis at Capetown (Kallis exceeding VVSL only because of the rib injury), but poor elsewhere. Had wretched luck twice, falling to a Mark Waugh special at Durban and a freak runout at Cape Town. In the end, I decided to grade for what he did, not what could have been; reasoning that a sub-40 average cannot warrant an "A." India's window for #1 will close the day he and Tendulkar retire.
D Pujara 31r @10
Funnily, I rate Pujara's performance a shade better than Dravid or Vijay's. He actually spent a lot of time at the crease in Durban (~100 balls), and looked somewhat the part. He had the misfortune of playing Steyn at his tyrannical best in Cape Town. Will get some chances to make a middle order spot his own in 2011, but will have to fight off Vijay and a fast rising Kohli.
B- Dhoni 179r @36, 1 50, 13 catches
Generally competent keeping, a fighting 90 at Centurion to restore India's pride, and a very useful 35 in Durban. Must get a lot of credit at convincing the team that they could win after T1. Wasn't the sharpest tactical tool on the block in CapeTown on D4, but his pace bowlers let him down badly.
B Harbhajan 15w @30, 93r @19,
Horrible at Centurion, decent at Durban, and amazing at Capetown. If there was any justice, he'd have some support at the other end, and India would be 2-1 up. Reminds me of Kumble's last-man-standing 12-fer in Sydney when the rest did nothing at the other end. Bowled with great heart, spinning it in from miles outside off, after hitting the rough (which isn't easy, and hard on the fingers). You can doubt his results, his brains, but not his heart. A fighting 40 should have helped India win T3.
B+ Zaheer 10w @25, 50r @17
Zaheer was fabulous in Durban, but like VVSL came up short in Capetown. The short gap between the two Tests didn't help, as he looked stiff and old throughout T3, and couldn't pull out the stops when we needed another wicket desperately on D4.
F Ishanth 7w @48, 25r @6
Very poor. His figures actually flatter him because at least a couple of wickets were gifts; generally leaked runs like a sieve. Needs to pull himself together, and be more consistent, rather than brief spells that hint at great talent. But then we have been saying that for a while.
C- Sreesanth 9w @42, 7r @3
A 5-fer at Capetown showed how good he could be when focused, but then like the little girl, "when (s)he was bad, (s)he was horrid." An apt description for averaging exactly one wicket in the remaining 4 innings. Just isn't good enough, when at least 2 of those 4 innings were played under perfect conditions for his seam bowling, and only Centurion was on a flat track. His lack of dependability meant we just could not consider going into Capetown with just 2 pacers and Ojha, as there was every chance he could implode. Has the most amazing seam position of anyone I've ever seen, but can't seem to realize that when conditions are in his favor, all he needs to do is get the batsman to play at least 4 or 5 of his deliveries on the front foot every over. Didn't help with his "Waah the crowd is calling me names" whine either. Having criticized him roundly, will now add that in fairness he was somewhat unlucky, and probably deserved another few wickets -- for instance, was the best of a bad lot of pacers on D4 in Capetown, but didn't have a single wicket to show for it.
F Vijay 28r @14
Played under poor conditions -- showed some tenacity, but in the end just didn't score enough. It is tough on him to keep going in and out on the team, but at this point he hasn't shown enough to displace any of the regulars, barring Dravid.
G Unadkat 0w for 101, 2r @2
From the same town as Gandhi, he took the Mahatma's principle of Ahimsa (do no harm) to heart. Why he was on the tour was doubtless a mystery to his captain and teammates, but known only to the BCCI.
G Raina 6r @3, 0w for 77
Also made one recall Gandhi -- Debang Gandhi, that is -- with his cat on a hot tin roof act. Talent alone won't cut it young man. You need to have guts, courage and heart -- something he could learn from
Gambhir.
D- Selectors
The selectors got the basics right, picking the correct starting XI. They also got the mix for the backups perfectly correct, adding two reserve batsmen, two reserve pacers, a reserve spinner and a reserve keeper. Where they failed miserably is in picking the two reserve pacers, because the only way either of Unadkat or Yadav should have been at Centurion, was with a ticket. All I can say is that if Unadkat was thought to be better than Yadav, I can only shudder at the carnage were the latter picked.
Overall comment: When I look at the statistics, I am amazed that India not only matched South Africa 1-1, they were basically one D4 post-lunch wicket away from destroying RSA 2-1 in this series.
Bharat
India's much hyped match-winning batsman, wasn't. Barring a 50 in a sure loss at Centurion, he didn't come remotely close to expectations. Got starts twice in Durban, but failed to capitalize. The relatively high grade is simply to leave space and differentiate from the true "F"s. Sehwag also gets an assist for the draw at Capetown, because it was (misplaced) fear of his blade that surely caused Smith to bat on until the end of D4.
A- Gambhir 242r @61, 3 50s
3 gritty fifties that all could have been centuries, showed us that India's most hard-nosed batsman was on the way back. Never showing anything close to the fluency he achieved in 2009, what Gambhir lacked in form and talent, he made up for with courage. A hand injury in Centurion didn't stop a fighting innings, and though it did put him out at Durban. At Capetown, a Tsosobe blow denied him a richly deserved century, but it didn't stop him from coming out on D5 and shepherding India to safety in the second innings. In the Gavaskar mould, in temperament and tenacity, if not in talent or technique. I remain an unabashed fan.
F Dravid 120r @20
Like the British Empire in the years leading up to World War II, the sun has set on Dravid -- he too, however, refuses to accept it, not surprisingly for a man with such spine and self-belief. Hopes that he will return to anything remotely close to his old form are fast fading. Dravid, circa 2009-11, no longer knows where his off stump is, chases balls well outside his strike zone, stabs awkardly at balls he would have met with a measured forward defense 5 years ago. The only question that remains is, will he go, or will be be pushed? His 200th catch, an absolutely brilliant take, was the only highlight in what will go down as his worst tour.
A Tendulkar 326r @82, 2 tons, 1w @66
Very good series. The ton in Centurion restored Indian pride and set the platform for the Laxman masterclass in Durban. The battle with Steyn on D3 of CapeTown was the most amazing Test cricket I have been privileged to watch. Had India at the threshold of victory with his Casabianca act, when he fell late on D3, which is what pushes this from the sublime (A+) to the merely great. Yet again, conjured up magic with the wicket of Boucher, opening the door again for India. We shall not see his like again, and will tell our children that there was once a time when giants walked the earth.
B+ Laxman 196r @39, 1 50
How to rate a man who was a match-winner in the one Test we won, but poor in all 4 other innings? Durban is an A++, almost on par with Kallis at Capetown (Kallis exceeding VVSL only because of the rib injury), but poor elsewhere. Had wretched luck twice, falling to a Mark Waugh special at Durban and a freak runout at Cape Town. In the end, I decided to grade for what he did, not what could have been; reasoning that a sub-40 average cannot warrant an "A." India's window for #1 will close the day he and Tendulkar retire.
D Pujara 31r @10
Funnily, I rate Pujara's performance a shade better than Dravid or Vijay's. He actually spent a lot of time at the crease in Durban (~100 balls), and looked somewhat the part. He had the misfortune of playing Steyn at his tyrannical best in Cape Town. Will get some chances to make a middle order spot his own in 2011, but will have to fight off Vijay and a fast rising Kohli.
B- Dhoni 179r @36, 1 50, 13 catches
Generally competent keeping, a fighting 90 at Centurion to restore India's pride, and a very useful 35 in Durban. Must get a lot of credit at convincing the team that they could win after T1. Wasn't the sharpest tactical tool on the block in CapeTown on D4, but his pace bowlers let him down badly.
B Harbhajan 15w @30, 93r @19,
Horrible at Centurion, decent at Durban, and amazing at Capetown. If there was any justice, he'd have some support at the other end, and India would be 2-1 up. Reminds me of Kumble's last-man-standing 12-fer in Sydney when the rest did nothing at the other end. Bowled with great heart, spinning it in from miles outside off, after hitting the rough (which isn't easy, and hard on the fingers). You can doubt his results, his brains, but not his heart. A fighting 40 should have helped India win T3.
B+ Zaheer 10w @25, 50r @17
Zaheer was fabulous in Durban, but like VVSL came up short in Capetown. The short gap between the two Tests didn't help, as he looked stiff and old throughout T3, and couldn't pull out the stops when we needed another wicket desperately on D4.
F Ishanth 7w @48, 25r @6
Very poor. His figures actually flatter him because at least a couple of wickets were gifts; generally leaked runs like a sieve. Needs to pull himself together, and be more consistent, rather than brief spells that hint at great talent. But then we have been saying that for a while.
C- Sreesanth 9w @42, 7r @3
A 5-fer at Capetown showed how good he could be when focused, but then like the little girl, "when (s)he was bad, (s)he was horrid." An apt description for averaging exactly one wicket in the remaining 4 innings. Just isn't good enough, when at least 2 of those 4 innings were played under perfect conditions for his seam bowling, and only Centurion was on a flat track. His lack of dependability meant we just could not consider going into Capetown with just 2 pacers and Ojha, as there was every chance he could implode. Has the most amazing seam position of anyone I've ever seen, but can't seem to realize that when conditions are in his favor, all he needs to do is get the batsman to play at least 4 or 5 of his deliveries on the front foot every over. Didn't help with his "Waah the crowd is calling me names" whine either. Having criticized him roundly, will now add that in fairness he was somewhat unlucky, and probably deserved another few wickets -- for instance, was the best of a bad lot of pacers on D4 in Capetown, but didn't have a single wicket to show for it.
F Vijay 28r @14
Played under poor conditions -- showed some tenacity, but in the end just didn't score enough. It is tough on him to keep going in and out on the team, but at this point he hasn't shown enough to displace any of the regulars, barring Dravid.
G Unadkat 0w for 101, 2r @2
From the same town as Gandhi, he took the Mahatma's principle of Ahimsa (do no harm) to heart. Why he was on the tour was doubtless a mystery to his captain and teammates, but known only to the BCCI.
G Raina 6r @3, 0w for 77
Also made one recall Gandhi -- Debang Gandhi, that is -- with his cat on a hot tin roof act. Talent alone won't cut it young man. You need to have guts, courage and heart -- something he could learn from
Gambhir.
D- Selectors
The selectors got the basics right, picking the correct starting XI. They also got the mix for the backups perfectly correct, adding two reserve batsmen, two reserve pacers, a reserve spinner and a reserve keeper. Where they failed miserably is in picking the two reserve pacers, because the only way either of Unadkat or Yadav should have been at Centurion, was with a ticket. All I can say is that if Unadkat was thought to be better than Yadav, I can only shudder at the carnage were the latter picked.
Overall comment: When I look at the statistics, I am amazed that India not only matched South Africa 1-1, they were basically one D4 post-lunch wicket away from destroying RSA 2-1 in this series.
Bharat
CrickLinx.com Update
Following up with 2 bits of informationon cricklinx.com (cricket video streaming site in the US -- see info below)
* Cricklinx.com will close all "DAY PASSES" starting Jan 10, 2011 until after the World Cup & IPL4 -- presumably because they feel that they will get more signups just for the World Cup
* Cricklinx will provide an ultra-HD (3MB/s HD Streaming) on Sunday, 9th January 2011 for 1st Twenty20 between India & South Africa. All theday passes & HD passes will get this. This is a trial to see if their
servers can handle the load.
Again, use the code CRICKETREFLECTIONS to get 5% off.
For details:
I have been watching cricket in HD oncricklinx.com -- the quality is simply amazing. To see how to sign up, check out http://cricketreflections.blogspot.com/2011/01/discount-code-for-cricklinx.html
and get a 5% discount code and learn about the various offerings.
For a comparison between willow.tv and cricklinx.com (both of which I have subscribed to), please check out http://cricketreflections.blogspot.com/2011/01/cricklinx-manna-for-us-cricket-lovers.html
ObDisclaimer: I have no commercial interest in cricklinx.com of any sort.
ObFinePrint: This post should not be viewed as providing any guarantee, implied or otherwise, about how long Cricklinx.com would continue to exist. I am satisfied enough with their service to date to purchase the 360-day pass after using them on a per-series basis for a month (NZ@Ind). This is strictly Caveat Emptor. Given that I happily paid over $100 in the past for individual series on much poorer quality, I'm more than satisfied.
* Cricklinx.com will close all "DAY PASSES" starting Jan 10, 2011 until after the World Cup & IPL4 -- presumably because they feel that they will get more signups just for the World Cup
* Cricklinx will provide an ultra-HD (3MB/s HD Streaming) on Sunday, 9th January 2011 for 1st Twenty20 between India & South Africa. All theday passes & HD passes will get this. This is a trial to see if their
servers can handle the load.
Again, use the code CRICKETREFLECTIONS to get 5% off.
For details:
I have been watching cricket in HD oncricklinx.com -- the quality is simply amazing. To see how to sign up, check out http://cricketreflections.blogspot.com/2011/01/discount-code-for-cricklinx.html
and get a 5% discount code and learn about the various offerings.
For a comparison between willow.tv and cricklinx.com (both of which I have subscribed to), please check out http://cricketreflections.blogspot.com/2011/01/cricklinx-manna-for-us-cricket-lovers.html
ObDisclaimer: I have no commercial interest in cricklinx.com of any sort.
ObFinePrint: This post should not be viewed as providing any guarantee, implied or otherwise, about how long Cricklinx.com would continue to exist. I am satisfied enough with their service to date to purchase the 360-day pass after using them on a per-series basis for a month (NZ@Ind). This is strictly Caveat Emptor. Given that I happily paid over $100 in the past for individual series on much poorer quality, I'm more than satisfied.
Coming soon on this site
Sorry for the hiatus, I was unwell (though that didn't stop my watching the RSA Test). Here is a preview of what I will be posting in the coming days:
Bharat
- Update on cricklinx.com (policies will change on Jan 10 -- check back here for details)
- Report on the CapeTown Test
- Player Grades Ind vs South Africa
- Poll on preferred posting
- The best pace bowling I have ever seen (Dale Steyn on Capetown D3) and how it compares with other incredible spells
- ODI / T20 reports (if I watch -- but nothing like the Tests)
- World Cup Previews
Bharat
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Who is Man of the Series right now?
As India's inning ends, there have been 3 people who have dominated this series.
We still have a two innings of play to go and all 3 contenders will have a shot to make a difference, but right now whom would you pick? IMO, the two leading contenders are:
Steyn with 20 wickets at 16
OR Kallis with 389 runs at 130, 2 tons
Tendulkar with 312 runs at 78, 2 tons is a contender, but I think he'd have to do especially well in the second innings run chase, ideally leading India to a win, to be awarded the MoS. Basically he would have to win MoM in this game to have a shot at MoS. A century in a losing cause could also do it if Steyn flops.
I'd pick Steyn right now, but its close between him and Kallis at this time.
Amla with 248 runs @ 62 is a long shot, provided he makes a big ton.
Bharat
We still have a two innings of play to go and all 3 contenders will have a shot to make a difference, but right now whom would you pick? IMO, the two leading contenders are:
Steyn with 20 wickets at 16
OR Kallis with 389 runs at 130, 2 tons
Tendulkar with 312 runs at 78, 2 tons is a contender, but I think he'd have to do especially well in the second innings run chase, ideally leading India to a win, to be awarded the MoS. Basically he would have to win MoM in this game to have a shot at MoS. A century in a losing cause could also do it if Steyn flops.
I'd pick Steyn right now, but its close between him and Kallis at this time.
Amla with 248 runs @ 62 is a long shot, provided he makes a big ton.
Bharat
Steyn double-strike powers South Africa ahead after lunch
The second new ball is hooping around and batting is hard. Pujara got a good delivery that swung in late from outside leg to catch him plumb in front. But his technique -- playing woodenly from the crease -- was more like that of a #9 than a #6. Next over, Dhoni couldn't resist pushing at one that tailed away, after letting a couple of identical deliveries pass through to push a simple edge to gully.
If Gambhir's dismissal unlocked the door, and Laxman's freak run out pushed it half open, Steyn has burst through with some superb hostile bowling. At 247/6 India is looking at a possible 50 run deficit unless Tendulkar can ride out his Steyn-storm with Harbhajan.
In the meantime Tendulkar gets his 51st with a mis-hooked six over the keeper's head. He really needs to farm the strike against Steyn.. He is standing well outside the crease.
Steyn is in the ZONE. If there was any doubt as to who the #1 bowler in the world is, there is none now.
Bharat
If Gambhir's dismissal unlocked the door, and Laxman's freak run out pushed it half open, Steyn has burst through with some superb hostile bowling. At 247/6 India is looking at a possible 50 run deficit unless Tendulkar can ride out his Steyn-storm with Harbhajan.
In the meantime Tendulkar gets his 51st with a mis-hooked six over the keeper's head. He really needs to farm the strike against Steyn.. He is standing well outside the crease.
Steyn is in the ZONE. If there was any doubt as to who the #1 bowler in the world is, there is none now.
Bharat
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