07.27.08
The Deadly Spin Twins Wreck Indian Line-Up
The Old Warrior Muttiah Muralidaran and the latest sensation Ajantha Mendis have left Indian in a spot of bother by running through the line up which is well known to tackle spin very well. It was a thoroughly amazing performance by the Sri Lankans and they deserved every bit of what they’ve achieved in the first test.
Murali picked 11 wickets at 10 runs a piece. That is a sensational performance. Ajantha Mendis is making the most of his carrom balls to bamboozle the opposition. He picked up eight wickets on debut that left the opposition gasping for air.
This has already ensured that the Indians not only have to handle the pressure on the field against this formidable Sri Lankan line-up, but have to face a lot from the media. I’ve already seen a couple of experts questioning about India’s ability to play quality spin which is sort of disturbing.
I still wonder how people start to conclude so many things in such a short span of time. Come on guys, you were hailing the same team when they gave the Australians a run for their money. It was the same line-up except for a couple of changes. This was the same fab-four which has performed exceedingly well against Muralidaran. Well he did pick wickets whenever he wanted. But then this doesn’t mean that we are completely out of the equation.
It is thoroughly pointless to attack the players verbally like this. Our middle order has more than 30,000 runs amongst them. Yes, i agree that they did not perform this time around. But does that mean that they are totally incapable? Don’t you think that these so called experts are being rather foolish? Haven’t any other line up faultered in similar fashion? Lots to think EXPERTS. As experts, its better that you analyse stuffs before letting the words out.
Loads to think about for both, the experts and the Indian think tank. Credit cannot be taken away from the amazing spin twins on any account. Well done.
07.25.08
Pakistan Given Green Signal
Finally, after a debate that has lasted for quite sometime now, Pakistan has been cleared to host the ICC Champions Trophy this year. They actually won 7 of the 10 votes. The three nations that opposed includes Australia, England and New Zealand. Even people had fears about the security in Sri Lanka, the supposed to be alternate venue if Pakistan failed, that caused a small mayhem.
Many of the boards which agreed that Pakistan should host then told press that they were actually trying to push their players to play and they were getting strong opposition regarding the same from their players. The worst hit were the South Africans. However ICC’c Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat, said that neither the players who are opting to pull out nor their respective boards would be penalised if they wish to.
Changing the venue would have been a big issue as the four Asian Nations will jointly host the 2011 edition of the World Cup. This gets me to think how will the players be able to concentrate and give their best when they aren’t willing to play in a hostile location? They can’t even easily give up as their Nation’s pride is at stake.
07.24.08
Sri Lankans Dominate
After a splendid batting display assisted with dismal fielding performance, Sri Lankans have the upper hand on the Indians. At the end of Day 2 at SSC, Sri Lankans ended up with a score of 422 for 4 having recovered from a shaky start of 85 for 2. Malinda Warnapura ( 115 ) brought up his second ton in his fifth test match and he displayed his like to play spinners dominating the Indian spinners with ease.
His innings finally came to an end when he was dismissed by Harbhajan Singh. It was then Mahela Jayawardene’s ( 136 ) turn to dominate the Indian attack. He was at his very best and milked the bowlers with ease. He was chasing Sir Don Bradman’s record of most number of centuries at a venue. Sir Don Bradman had scored nine centuries at MCG and Jayawardene succeeded in equalling that feat. He has also scored almost a quarter of his test runs at SSC which also turns out to be his home ground. He has scored 2,167 runs at an average of 83.34 in 20 tests which is also a record for the most number of runs at a venue.
Then it was the turn of another lad from the same place, the hard hitting Thilan Samaraweera ( 111* ), to score his ton. He paced his innings beautifully at looked very comfortable against the Indian attack. He will come out tomorrow to start of afresh. But this innings was a treat to watch. This is the first time that three batsmen have scored centuries at the Singhalese Sports Club.
The other notable points were the review system which came into play in the 46th over when umpire Mark Benson ruled down a decision. However the batsman was declared not out. There were two more such reviews, both unsuccessful from the Indian perspective. Overall, a very productive day for the Lankans who now sit merrily atop.
07.22.08
Don’t Focus Only On Mendis
Ajantha Mendis might be the newest sensation in World Cricket today. He might even have single handedly won the game for the Sri Lankans against the Indians in the Asia Cup Finals. But then, don’t just focus on him alone. Most of the wickets in that game was because of the poor shots that were engaged against him.
The other crucial factor is obviously Muttiah Muralidaran and Chaminda Vaas who have 1,000+ wickets together in their kitty. They are proven customers and hence the Indians have to pay equal attention to them too. We already know how deadly the Lankans can be at home. Moreover, we are coming up as a good Test side and for this we have to conquer the World which obviously means that we have to ensure a series win. The Indian middle-order is very strong and should be able to tackle the situation in a professional manner.
If their bowlers have 1,000+ wickets amongst them, then our middle order has 30,000+ runs amongst our middle-order batsman. It should be a very good contest provided we get good wickets to play on. I’m very eager for the action to start.
07.18.08
Interesting Debut
After the Headingley Surprise, I was very keen on finding out a few other interesting and unknown debut games of many other players. I found this interesting article which summed up quite a few debuts ranging from a not out opening batsman on debut to a player who was out for a duck after a sleepless night. I should say it was a very good article. Have a look at the following link :
Courtesy : Cricinfo
