On Kumble's retirement.

Jumbo's retirement is not a surprise and was expected for a some time now. The most destructive bowler after Kapil Dev had a killer fighting spirit and he will always be remembered for that. I remember his great spell of 6/12 against West Indies in Titan Cup in Calcutta. The figures remained unbeaten for a long long time. He went on to become second bowler in the history to take 10 wickets in an innings. He is the first in modern era. That day at ferozshah kotla was the most amazing day for Indian Bowing history.

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Sachin should retire or not?

A good article by Ian Chappell has sparked the controversial discussion about sachin's retirement. But this discussion is getting one sided now with most of the people voting for the little master to retire. Its clear that Sachin, to some extent has lost his touch and if people still want to see his odd century in months, they are not doing cricket of India any good. As Chappell rightly pointed that this has to do with lots of injuries that he suffered and with the amount of cricket India play, he is going to suffer a lot more. I simply hate the idea to selectively make him play in so called "important" series and rest him for others. We have already seen in the world cup, Minnows are getting dangerous and are catching up with the game. Lets not get into Lara-Sachin comparison. Lara is a great player and will remain so. Sachin is by no means any less. Coming to Sachin's retirement, I think its time for him to say goodbye. I would say, he should leave One Day cricket and take a long rest and think about his future. If he still feels, he has energy and hunger for the game, he can continue with Test cricket for some more time. The point is, after the recent World Cup disaster for India, harsh steps are expected to be in place. There will be more emphasis for a younger and fitter team. The focus is going to be 2011 world cup in the sub-continent. We would want to build on players who are most likely to play in 2011 and not on players who are in for a short term. I don't think Sachin will play for that long so why not keep him aside from day 1. The same implies to other players also like Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Sehwag, Agarkar and Harbhajan . They are good players but are not going to solve our future problems. But the experience of these cricketers is too crucial to loose like this. I think if India has to advance in the game, these extremely talented cricketers should be involved at some level or the other. I think a new system has to evolve. I don't mind having a hard look at Australia's excellent factory of producing brilliant players!

clipped from content-usa.cricinfo.com Tendulkar should consider quitting Look into that mirror, Sachin Time to retire for Sachin Tendulkar? Ian Chappell thinks so

Hayden has done it again - 2 in 2

Back to Back Centuries against tough teams in the world cup shows the class of a batsman and if have an opener like him then not only your win is certain but the opposition's morale is battered in the beginning itself. Then chances of recovery become None. Against WI, Hayden proved that he is any team's nightmare. He scored more than 150 runs and made sure that Australia posts a big score. His game is so complete that it is really difficult to bowl at him and if he is in form, he is impossible. His raw power and great technique is second to none in this world cup. Smaller grounds are making things easy for him. Australians are playing great cricket and it was evident in their bowling. They want to crush the opposition. If they continue to play like this, it will be 3 in 3 (World Cups) for them (a record they only can break).

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History made by Malinga - 4 in 4

South Africa nearly saved an embarrassment after losing 4 wickets in 4 balls but in the end saving the match against Sri Lanka. The required runs were scored of a miscued shot by number 11 batsman. But the winner of the day was Malinga. What an amazing bowler he is. He is surely in the class of Shoab Akhtar, Bond and Brett lee who are asked by the captains to bowl fast, very fast. They all are a class apart. Malinga almost saved the day for Sri Lanka but in the end, it was proved that they were always 20-30 runs short . I think run out of Chamara Silva turned the game. Captain Jayawardene went on to speak freely to the press that they didn't deserve to win. Thats a big statement and hopefully taken by the players in the positive sense. This Lankan side is talented indeed but they have to make sure that they make some runs at the top. They should not always put pressure on middle order. It worked against poor bowling side like India but won't work against others in Super 8's. I still think they will reach the semi finals.

clipped from www.cricinfo.com South Africa survive Malinga menace

Australians are masters of the game!

What went wrong with India?? We missed Mandira Bedi's(lady) luck Looking right now at the way Aussies are batting against SA, I wonder what India lacks or has problem with? Well it is not only lack of passion or ageing team or poor captaincy or bad coach? Naaahh...Indians lack technique too. The game has changed so much and teams like Australia have adapted to it very well and now they are the pioneers. Mind you Australia was not the team to bring about the change of 100 runs in 15 overs. They didn't start this with openers like Mark greatbatch, Jayasuriya, Kallu or even Sachin tendulkar. Still they are able to adjust to that kind of game and produced openers like hayden and adam gilcrist. They did not stop there (where most others). Australia took the game to a new level where Players like Ponting coming at number 3 is even more dangerous. They had players like beven who had an average in 60's or 50's and a marvelous finisher, still had to retire to give way to youngsters. India is nowhere near the new level of the game. It needs major overhaul. On a laughing note, why not a fixed retirement age for cricketers?? 30 .. may be.

clipped from content-usa.cricinfo.com Michael Clarke launches a straight six during his bellegerent knock, Australia v South Africa, Group A, St Kitts, March 24, 2007

The group of death - Every team is in Danger.

One upset and the whole group is feeling the heat. Bangladesh has achieved something that is going to go down in history. They well be the responsible party if India or Sri Lanka crash out of the world cup. There is every chance that top three teams in this group (most probably be Ind,Ban,SL) stand with 4 points but with calculators in their hands. Can you imagine, even a .0001 in the net run-rate(NRR) can decide of the fate of a team. India upped their NRR to Positive 2.5 after Bermuda match and SL is already sitting pretty at 4.86. Its now Bangladesh who has to maintain their NRR if they want to qualify. This match against SL may ruin their run rate because of the class bowlers like Vaas and Murali. But again they have to play the last match of the group and that too with Bermuda. They will have exact numbers to put their NRR ahead of either SL or Ind. Being an Indian supporter, I want the match between SL and Ban to be a closest of ties, so their NRR will not change much.
Indians will have to win the match against SL to qualify and win it by quite a margin or if they are chasing, they need to get the runs quickly. Since the points against the other qualifier from the group get carried over to the Super Eight stage, ideally for India, Sri Lanka should be the second qualifier from group B, so that India have two points in their kitty. If Bangladesh qualify along with India, Bangladesh will have that luxury.

clipped from content-usa.cricinfo.com Jayasuriya powers through Bangladesh attack Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Group B, Trinidad 24 overs Sri Lanka 136 for 1 (Jayasuriya 83*, Jayawardene 11*) v Bangladesh Sri Lanka, after being put in to bat by Habibul Bashar, set about to work in clinical fashion, picking off the runs against Bangladesh to reach a superb platform of 136 for 1 an over before the halfway mark of the innings, when rain stopped play. Sanath Jayasuriya and MahelaJayawardene made the most of the opportunity, reeling off big scores. The Bangladesh bowlers were left to rue the missed run out chances as Sanath Jayasuriya repeatedly found the boundary

Inzi retires from One day cricket.

Its been a day of bad news from the world cup. Earlier Bob Woolmer's death had shocked the world and then came the news that Inzi is saying good bye to One day cricket.Ironically, It was the same platform (1992 world cup in Australia) where he emerged as a star for pakistani cricket, steering them to a WC win. He made his debut there. What a sad end to such an illustrious career.
I cannot forget the innings he played in the semi finals. The world watched as Pakistan from nowhere blasted their way to the finals (and eventually winning the WC). He is known for many things like being prone to run outs, Sahara cup controversy in Toronto when he jumped on to the stands with his bat to beat an Indian spectator, his slow pace on the field and many more. But he will be remembered more because of his contributions and records than any thing else.

clipped from content-usa.cricinfo.com Shattered Inzamam retires from one-day cricket Inzamam-ul-Haq has announced his retirement from one-day cricket on a sad day for the game © Getty Images in Test he has made 8813 runs in 119 Tests, with a highest score of 329 against New Zealand at Lahore Inzamam's one-day career was legendary. He played 377 matches over a 15-year career, scoring 11702 runs at 39.53 including 10 hundreds and 83 fifties. He shot to fame as a 22-year-old in Pakistan's triumphant World Cup campaign in 1992, belting his side into the final with a blistering 60 from 37 balls in the semi-final against New Zealand at Auckland. He went on to contribute a vital 42 in the final itself, at Melbourne against England

Pakistan and India - Worst day out

Bob Woolmer said today after the Pakistanis lost to Ireland -
".......with Bangladesh beating India as well. I think you can say that March 17, 2007 will be a historic day for cricket." To a great extent he is right. India and Pakistan suffered their worst defeats ever in World Cup. Pakistan's is worst as they are out of the World Cup but India is tantalisingly close to be bowed out. India played their worst cricket in many months. They are back as one of the most highly rated and the most inconsistent team in the world. I saw the match and again there was no plan and application. All the batsman played wreck less shots and even if the wickets were tumbling on both the ends, no body switched gears and built partnerships. Worst of all, the best players of spin was falling as pack of cards. No body was sticking to basics of playing straight or with the spin. Oh boy and the way Bangladesh played, amazing. Low scoring games often become close games but Bangladeshis were determined and played some excellent shots. The way they played straight and over the in field was mark of a great technique. The way they bowled they hearts out was awe inspiring. With only two seamers, Bangladesh dismissed India under 200 is hard to believe. I can understand this happening against Aussies or SA. But all marks to Bangladesh. They deserved to win. Pakistan too played a very similar game. I don't agree with Inzy's comments that Pitch played bad. They are the team that can handle these situations very well. Poor shot selection and lack of application was responsible for Pakistan's total of 132. In the end, both the totals were too low to defend against spirited sides.

clipped from content-usa.cricinfo.com Inzamam-ul-Haq overcomes his disappointment to congratulate Trent Johnston on Ireland's victory © AFP clipped from content-usa.cricinfo.com

Two Dwayne's enough for Pakistan

Good match to begin with. West Indies somewhat showed that they have home advantage. Bowling magnificantly to defend a meager total of 241. Highlight of the match was the performances from Dwayne Bravo and Dwayne Smith. Both of them shared 6 wickets and quick fire 40 odd runs to give that little edge over Pakistan.

Pakistan on the other hand played over cautiously and in the end had to chase with a huge asking rate. Parternership between Inzy and Yousouf proved a waste. I think Pakistan should play Shahid Afridi. He is a make or break batsman. But if he makes, he breaks the opposition. Well they have a lot to think about but they are certain to reach round 2 where actually things get hot. The match however proved great to the local crowd. Its always good for the tournament if the local team advances.

clipped from content-usa.cricinfo.com Dwayne Bravo celebrates his catch to remove Kamran Akmal © AFP Dwayne Smith sets off in celebration after shifting Mohammad Yousuf © AFP Dwayne Smith traps Inzamam-ul-Haq lbw © AFP Dwayne Smith spoons one over cover © AFP

Ponting furious on Gavaskar's remarks

How can Ponting launch such a brutal attack against Sunil Gavaskar, who apart from a cricket great is also a critic and writes for lots Newspapers and cricket magazines. I think this is multi pronged attack on Indian cricket, selectors and captains. Why?? Ponting knows, India is a strong contender for the WC. Aussies are known for their unorthodox tactics off the field to put pressure on oppositions. Things had worked in the past but now people are smarter. This is just another useless Aussie tactic. I love Australia as a team but I hate their behavior on the field when they are frustrated and I think they have got away with this pretty cheaply so far.

clipped from content-usa.cricinfo.com Ponting targets Gavaskar over behaviour "There is not the slightest doubt that in the last decade or so the Aussies have been awesome in batting, bowling and fielding, which has taken them to the top of the cricketing ladder," Gavaskar, who regularly highlights Australia's poor behaviour, wrote in India Today, a national weekly. "But they have also been awful in the way they have sometimes behaved on the field much to the chagrin of the traditional fans of the game." Ricky Ponting said it was "high and mighty" of Sunil Gavaskar to complain about poor on-field behaviour as Australia's captain questioned his role in India's lack of recent Test success. Gavaskar said this week Australia's recent losses to England and New Zealand had "gladdened the hearts" of the game's followers. Ricky Ponting admits he has been reported "more than anybody" since becoming captain © Getty Images "We all know the way he played his cricket, don't we?,"

Dravid's disturbed over easy wins??

Come on Rahul, I know you are real gem at heart. You wouldn't lie even in front of press. I respect your frank opinion. I know its totally different state of mind at this level of competition and I am sure that you guys are there to WIN.
If I was in your shoes and sitting on top of two wins in warm up matches, I would be thinking the following.
- We never had warm-up games before in any world cup. Good that we got to play two to get the feel of the conditions.
- Its great that we played well against Holland (the same team that troubled Indians in WC opener last time) and beat them comprehensively. But in this match also, Holland managed to slow down Indians after initial flurry (something to work on).
- We played great against West Indies. Well creamed them. This happened because your bowlers did amazing to dismiss Lara and folks, under 100. Now Indian bowlers (normally the weaker link in the side) can breath easy and exhume with confidence.
-Although, the batsmen didn't get enough chance in second one dayer, the match did expose Sehwag again and gave him enough to think about.
All these reasons are enough to cheer about Rahul. You guys are a good team in this WC and I am very hopeful that you guys will be successful this time.

clipped from content-usa.cricinfo.com Dravid admits fears over easy warm-up wins Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, is wary that two easy wins in his side's pre-World Cup campaign may backfire on them when they face tougher competition. India brushed aside the Netherlands by 182 runs and West Indies by nine wickets, and while happy with the confidence India gained, Dravid felt there were disadvantages as well. "With a performance like this, it meant that some of our batsmen did not get a chance to bat, and our spin bowlers did not get a chance to bowl," he told reporters in Montego Bay. "I think the advantages some times outweigh the disadvantages when you beat a top team like West Indies so convincingly. I think what it does to the spirit of the team can be very important as well.

NewZealand Shocked!

This is really a shocker for New Zealand. They are one of the teams in my list of title contenders. NZ can stay focused by considering this to be just a warm up match but they are early alarm bells. In a way, push like this at an early stage of the tournament is good to motivate the team. Same thing happened to India in the last world cup but they reached the finals in the end.
Mind you, bangladesh is in hands of a very gritty aussie coach, dave watmore. He led SL to a WC victory and is a great tactician. Bangladesh may well be the dark horse of WC'2007. We will wait and see. Boy this world cup is already steaming hot!!

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Bangladesh shock New Zealand by two wickets

Bangladesh have produced the first shock result of the World Cup by beating New Zealand by two wickets in their first warm-up match at the 3Ws stadium in Barbados. A fine all-round display from Mashrafe Mortaza set up the victory that stunned New Zealand a week before the tournament begins.

Final Four..My predictions

Cricinfo - Most open tournament yet held Annotated

Ian Chappel favours Australia, New Zealand, West Indies and India to scramble into the final four. If, to reach the knock out stage it's the battle he expects, then it'll be a tremendous tournament; it's just a pity it takes so long to reach the highly competitive stage.

My favorite four are :

WI, IND, AUS, SL

My prediction is WI - IND final. It can be anybody's cup from that point.
I favor India.

Injured or kicked out.

Cricinfo - Pakistan board blasts Speed's remarks  Annotated

It is such a big shame for Pakistan cricket. Time and again their fast bowlers have let the spirit of Pakistani cricket down. Be it ball tempering issues, Pub brawls, players engaged in wrong practices or the latest doping scandal.

No body of the face of this earth is going to believe PCB's explanation  about Shoaib's and Asif's exclusion.

Shoaib and Asif were finally dropped from the Pakistan squad yesterday for medical reasons. While injuries to one's knee and the other's elbow is the official reason given by the board for their withdrawal, speculation in Pakistan has centred around fears that the duo were still carrying traces of Nandrolone in their body, a fact that could have led to stringent bans had they tested positive during the World Cup in ICC-conducted tests. The PCB has rubbished such speculation.

I think Speed is right in his statements. Surely its going to raise eyebrows but its the truth. PCB, instead of reacting like this, should make sure to improve the image of pakistani cricket and their players. Ramiz Raja is right in his demand of public apology from these two players.

 

McGrath is best with new ball.

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'I want the new ball' - McGrath

"I love taking the new ball, obviously that's the way I would prefer to go. But I'll sit down and I'll have a think about the game and which is best suited to the team as well as talk to Buck [John Buchanan] and Ricky [Ponting] and the other guys."

McGrath said it was sad to be embarking on his last tour with his Australian team-mates after a 14-year international career. "But the other side of it is come the end of this tour I get to spend more time at home and get on with the rest of my life," he said. "I am really looking forward to that."

If McGrath has to retire on a winning note then he has to open the bowling attack. He has his best chances of accumulating wickets with the new ball. This will also put pressure on the opposition right from ball one. If shawn tait bowls with the new ball, he has to make sure he doesn't give too many runs. Batsman in world cup will be brutal on opening bowlers. I am sure Ponting is the best guy to lead a side like Australia. They also have master tactician, Buck. Lets see how they can overcome the absence of key players.