How does the below qualify as a test cricket shot?? Mandate a specific number of First Class matches for each international test player in a year.
Showing posts with label cricket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cricket. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Meek Submission!
Lions at home; meek rats outside.
Whitewash at England; alright, could be a one-time.
Australia; our performance falling as the matches progress. Second innings, extras was the fifth highest scorer. Last four wickets fell at the same score! Meek submission. Heads need to roll; and this is not knee-jerk. Vindicates my stand, Kapil Dev's team is still the best Indian team so far. They won not in our back-yards to tailor made pitches; but when they were the underdogs. Remember those were the times when cricketers were not yet superstars endorsing brands and playing starry IPLs. But were sportsmen. Here's what I feel should be done:
Whitewash at England; alright, could be a one-time.
Australia; our performance falling as the matches progress. Second innings, extras was the fifth highest scorer. Last four wickets fell at the same score! Meek submission. Heads need to roll; and this is not knee-jerk. Vindicates my stand, Kapil Dev's team is still the best Indian team so far. They won not in our back-yards to tailor made pitches; but when they were the underdogs. Remember those were the times when cricketers were not yet superstars endorsing brands and playing starry IPLs. But were sportsmen. Here's what I feel should be done:
- Defunct the IPL; Pup Clarke focuses only on Tests, First Class and ODIs. No T-20s for him.
- Get John Wright back; or have Ganguly as the coach. Even Kirsten. Someone who can lead by example. Kirsten would himself run 9k every morning.
- Remove anyone who takes his place for granted. Sehwag between the England and Oz Series has an average of 15. Dhoni for the same series has an average of 23!
- Get back to basics. 14 wickets in the last 3 innings fell to no leg work or flashes outside off stump.
- Have a player rotation policy. Max X tests; 1.3X ODI; 0.6X T-20s, 0.5X First Class in a year.
Let the carnage continue. Will we have no heads falling?
Thursday, December 15, 2011
What? Wait!! Not Again!!
Are we going to have an encore of England?
http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-india-2011/content/current/story/545468.html
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
What Comes of Cricket?
Should I say a tight match? Well, without taking any credit from the West Indians; I would expect more out of the World Champions. But a nice thirty minutes towards the end of the match; a good unwinding for the day.
But to think of it how much more passion would an early nineties match have generated. It wasn't many years back that a good series on a Sunday; or for that matter, even on a weekday would lead to deserted streets, half-days at work, bunking classes and people just rushing home for a match; or atleast being close to an All India Radio receiver. A good match doesn't cut the ice anymore. Is it just an increase in our population or is it that cricket no longer remains a passion as it was in the days of Kapil Dev and his team; or even more recently Azhar's team.
Cynical, but an overload of cricket has cut it out. We don't need to wait weeks or months for a much awaited series. Its just back-to-back ball and bat. T20s, ODIs and Tests. If I see my, borrowing from social networking, follows, tests is what remains of enjoyable cricket. T20s are just a quickie, fine once or twice, but not always. ODIs are far too many and spending a day for a match except for on a Sunday afternoon is good. But its the tensions of test matches that keeps many a fans stuck to the game.
Having said that, lets not take anything away from our cricketers. They are probably the only sane people seen on TV these days! Long live test cricket!
But to think of it how much more passion would an early nineties match have generated. It wasn't many years back that a good series on a Sunday; or for that matter, even on a weekday would lead to deserted streets, half-days at work, bunking classes and people just rushing home for a match; or atleast being close to an All India Radio receiver. A good match doesn't cut the ice anymore. Is it just an increase in our population or is it that cricket no longer remains a passion as it was in the days of Kapil Dev and his team; or even more recently Azhar's team.
Cynical, but an overload of cricket has cut it out. We don't need to wait weeks or months for a much awaited series. Its just back-to-back ball and bat. T20s, ODIs and Tests. If I see my, borrowing from social networking, follows, tests is what remains of enjoyable cricket. T20s are just a quickie, fine once or twice, but not always. ODIs are far too many and spending a day for a match except for on a Sunday afternoon is good. But its the tensions of test matches that keeps many a fans stuck to the game.
Having said that, lets not take anything away from our cricketers. They are probably the only sane people seen on TV these days! Long live test cricket!
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