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This try series final was an incredible game to miss – I watched most of it with my ears. Then I walked out on it completely –and by the time I returned to soak in the not-so-damp outfield, we were done bar Shastri’s shouting.
It was only at 48.2 overs that the statistical brilliance of this game hit me – both India and Sri Lanka froze at 245 after 48.2 overs.
If it wasn’t for Freesanth, whose return we campaigned for, Lanka may have taken another 48.2 overs. But here’s the deal with Sree – he’s spot on for tests but in one-dayers he goes for a T20 lashing and in T20s a Hong Kong Super 6s bonking. Think he’s taking his role as Ishant’s replacement far too seriously.
What about Suresh Raina? He made a hundred, top scored from both sides, ended up on the losing team and naturally didn’t get the man of the match award.
But these awards are so random, had India won, or rather Lanka self destructed, you know who the man of the match...Raina, who else? Which is why I’m all for twin man of the match awards.
It’s a shame Kulasekara lacks common courtesy, and didn’t pass the buck ($1500?) to Raina. If Sachin was there, you know what he would’ve done?
Endgame.
Enter Yusuf Pathan at 60/5
Exit Yusuf Pathan at 60/6
There aren’t many who miss Yusuf today. But while he was there, he sure knew how to NOT make it count. To be fair to him, he was never out of form – as the pundits will say, he never lasted long enough to be measured.
He came, he didn’t see, and he was conquered. Why then remember him today? Is it his Happy Bored Day. Far from it. Today, India 60/5; when Yusuf’s replacement walked in – Ravendra Jadeja. He fixed the innings somewhat; that goes with the name perhaps.
As I write, Jadeja helps rewrite India’s one-day innings from 60/5 to 166/5. Looks like he had a drink too many, 166/6.
Also on Bored: The day this Jadeja will be called Jaddu
KhufiaBaaz:The reason behind the Bangladesh tri series.
Unreasonable as it sounds, there is a reason for the tri series between India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Every year, this is the peak season for the influx of Bangladeshi illegal immigrants into India. Estimates put the figure at up to three to four times more than other months. While India’s border security has been hoodwinked, time and again, it was the BCCI who took matters in their own hands and called for another meaningless one day series. Once the series is on, no Bangladeshi sports’ fanatic (they compromise over 97% of such immigrants) can afford to risk capture on the border, thereby missing their team play a one-dayer against their stronger neighbours. Saurav Ganguly, who enjoys Demigod status in these parts, claims, once the IPL is on, and his team, the Kolkata Knight Riders plays, the numbers of illegal immigrants could further drop. The illegal immigrants were not available for comment.
The try series.
It may not be a series, but it does have aspirations. Bangladesh playing against itself would have thrilled the crowds more. Instead, they dragged two teams along. But it’s a given, if you ask India over, Lanka follows – it’s one of those wicked 1+1 deals.
If test cricket is too humdrum, all three should play; first and second innings Ind v Bangla, 3rd and 4th, Lanka v Bangla. It’s a home series, Bangla must play throughout.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves: The Deshis have been very hospitable. After India lost its opening game and lost the subsequent toss to B’desh, Shakib handed India the better conditions.
Are the Deshis looking at this as a conditioning camp? Prepare in swamps for the 2011 World Cup. In fact, the pool games played in B’desh will be pool games, literally. And B’desh will already know how to lose their pool games; they won’t feel defeated when they’re beaten. This entire try series, it’s all about looking ahead. And the Deshis now know, the future sucks and so do they. If only the West Indies Cricket Board was running Indian and Lankan cricket; just imagine what they could have achieved.
Instead you’re left with a dead game, where Ravi Shastri talks of India going for a Bonus Point to challenge themselves. And the highpoint, as always a 100; SMG talks us through the countdown – 8 for a win, 6 for a 100. If only BossDK and BosST were in the box.
Kohli makes his 100, India makes it without using the batting powerplay – why can’t they be carried forward to the finals? More importantly, why is there a final – what is it that you don’t know about these two teams? Here’s to rain. It won’t be the first time India and Lanka have shared a trophy; something tells me it won’t be the last.
Passing thought, why don’t they play as one team. And in keeping with the IPL, this new Republic should field a minimum 4 Indians. That should take care of the tri series. As for the hosts, for once, they can float into the finals. And drown in it.
Sangakkara: Abandon this match
Not quite the Kotla but the Shere Bangla National stadium has been equally bad for Sangakkara. Both games Thiranga knocked over for nothing; 0-1, where do you go from there – the second wicket, Dilshan again. When it was 42/2, Sanga saw that Kotla score flash before his eyes.
60/3, 61/4 – similar scores again, heck, where am I? Is this the Kotla again? Sanga wanted to call his men off, but there was one minor glitch – he was batting. He had to get out to call them off; or could he take a toilet break and call his partner, it seemed absurd.
66/5 – where had he seen that score, the Kotla again. Has to be that son of a pitch again! Sanga after the Kotla experience had taken to vulgar substitutions, with grammar too.
Damn, and that 5th wicket, a run out again. Creepy, he said to himself. Then he walked up to the umpires, they didn’t seem familiar – where are Erasmus and Tarapore? And where is my good man, Alan Hurst. But the inept match referee was nowhere to be seen.
Sanga flashed that sly joker smile; aaah this is not the Kotla.
The match went on and on, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 went down. Sanga thought he was playing in Mirpur, how delusional can you be?
The Difference.
Bangladesh struggled and stuttered and sputtered to reach 249 on this pitch. A day ago, Mighty Mahmudullah swung his bat and spanked the highly ranked Indian consortium of bowlers and dart throwers and pie chuckers.
With India's bowling being the way it is and Shakib having learnt the lesson that he must not bat first here, our hopes lie perhaps too much on the toss.
Here is what I hope turns out to be the sequence of events:
We lose the toss and are made to bowl second in both our remaining matches. Dilshan will bat like an Anti Buddhist and earn his desired locker in the DD dressing room ahead of Ashish Nehra, Thushara will make Dhoni blush. Maybe we manage to win the next one, it would be a close match then because remember, we've lost the toss and are bowling second. Or we could lose both but go through to the finals, eliminating Bangladesh on the basis of NRR. The heroics of Mushfiqur will not be in vain though, Dileep Premachandran will write a glowing feel good article about Bangladesh's performance which will leave people questioning their understanding of cricket and its intricacies, their knowledge of its history, the socio-politico-cultural-psychological factors and their vocabulary.
But on the day of the final, the unplanned for happens and India win the toss. Sri Lanka will politely be asked to bat first. But as a proud and young unit building a core team for the 2011 in this very sub continent, Sri Lanka will refuse to lose the toss and lose to the toss.
Dilshan will shine and the Tharanga will fly high as Sri Lanka will post a mammoth freaking target of 415. That's nearly 10 times the average Raina score!
But we are not the third best team in ODIs for nothing. Each batsman will make a fist of it and proceed to show Sri Lanka exactly how to chase a score of say..415.
Sangakkara will issue a heartfelt apology in Sinhalese, even the confused Dhaka crowd will clap for a speech well made, Dhoni will let out a solitary, secret, internal sigh of relief and the bowlers will let out a collective sigh of relief.
In the end, the difference between the two teams will be Sri Lanka's lucky streak with the toss. The difference will be their inexperience bowling second on this goddamn pitch.
by Crownish
blogs at FCKING BLOG (Fantasy Cricket Kings Blog)
Shameful, an Ad cut short for the cricket.
Clearly, there’s too much cricket going on. Today, when MSD came on to bat, he was playing two games; one against Bangladesh, the other in his mind. Shakib too, was playing two games; one against India, the other, you guessed it, in his mind – why else would he win the toss and field second? The dew be damned, I wanna play cricket mind games, Dhoni da!
Damn, another ad cut short – for the first ball of the over; came in half way through the spinner’s run-up, and even saw him deliver. The sceptics will say it was the Bangladeshi captain, Shakib bowling to his Indian counterpart, and the damn ad will run fully if it’s say, Mahmudullah bowling to Kohli. I have my doubts.
This is a trend; forcing us to consume more cricket, and miss out on some of those new Tata car ads. I could tell you what the ad’s about, but like the telecast, I’ll have to cut you short for a cricket update.
Here’s Rubel. Would you believe it, there’s a break for ball change, but still no ads. They’re showing the dismissals again. As if it’s not bad enough getting out once.
