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Showing posts with label Crownish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crownish. Show all posts
The Chennai Pitch is Unacceptable : ICC
The ICC's Global Committee for Excellence and High Standards in Pitches was unimpressed by the Chennai pitch on which the last ODI of the India- New Zealand series was played on Friday.
The clean shaven executives of the G.C.E.H.S.P noted that nine wickets fell to spinners for just 96 runs at a venue which will be hosting the ODI World Cup matches in two months time. They stressed that the both teams and pitches need to last 100 overs to match the expectations of the entertaining contests that previous editions of the World Cup have set.
Brushing aside the overcast conditions on the day, poor shot selection and umpiring mishaps, the executives said that a pitch which provides an unfair advantage to any one skill set such as spin bowling is detrimental to the health of the game. "It significantly reduces the span of a game and cheats the paying public of their money's worth of entertainment, regardless of whether the players involved manage to make a game of it or not" said one unnamed clean shaven executive.
The extent of action the committee might take on the substandard pitch is unclear, also unclear is when the next step might be taken given the paucity of time before the mega even kicks off in February.
Nevertheless, nervous officials await further communication from Dubai.
Crownish also blogs at the FCKingblog
Angelo's Alright
How could you take Angelo Mathews seriously?The scorecard says he took three wickets in an over in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup. But you and I know it was the inside edges and thigh pads that did the job then. I thought he'd get a few more games here and there before finding himself on his way out.
Sri Lanka thought they'd struck gold though and stuck with him. He turned up on Sri Lanka's tour of India. I snickered. When the commentator on AIR repeatedly called him Angela. When he ran himself out on 99 at Brabourne, as if he were Sri Lanka's answer to Shane Watson, all-rounder and nervous nineties nincompoop. I snickered when he had to return home midway through the following ODI series with an injury.
But then I went to see an IPL match this year. One SL player, Vaas, looked like he would finish the match early, lowering the vasool on my paisa. When another SL player, Mathews, however, stepped in and fought back. From guessing what over KKR would be all out by, we were now thinking KKR had it in them to go all the way this year. Mathews played and he flayed increasing my RoI and SRK's, even hitting a six in the row right in front of me.
Cold logic had me make him the trump player in my fantasy team that day but he became a favorite from then onwards.
What I'm trying to say is, I'm an Bored Cricket Crazy Indian and I approve of Angelo Mathews.
Breaking Bond
Shane Bond’s book Looking Back is out and the ex Kiwi pacer has taken his chance to explain a lot of things and better express some of his concerns (again) during his start-stop career in it.
When I read the headline on Cricinfo, I thought here he goes, whining again about being a victim of politics and probably even being scared silly by bomb-blasts in Bangalore while putting up in Kolkata but then I remembered how tough it was for him to even turn up to play the game he loved. A lot of things broke over Shane Bond’s career. It was his back most of the time, sometimes it was an ankle here, a shin bone there. But the guy kept coming back. Despite mending jobs which seemed straight out of gore film sequences, like a Frankenstein he came back to play with nuts and screws and what not in his body, keeping it all together.
Bond was one of the handful active international cricketers to join the ICL while the rest waited for developments before joining the gold rush. He clarifies that he joined the ICL after getting an ‘iron-clad assurance’ from the NZC that he could play both international cricket and ICL T20; that nothing in his contract prevented him from doing so. What else did he expect the NZC to tell him when he was such an important player for them? The fact that the board got away as long as long as he paid dearly is another thing that angered him. Moreover, how can you trust a board to defend its players and its actions when it can’t say no to a player with the availability record of Bond? He does not mention what he would have done had the board said no. That would’ve set the record straight.
The shit he found himself in after that, including accusations he did not want to play for the country pained Bond. He steered clear of taking any legal action because ‘there were talks’ that indicated NZC and his teammates would suffer. That part is quite believable I must admit and I hope the book throws a lot more light on these talks instead of just hinting at something vague. He maintains though that he does not regret playing in the ICL. It did give him more than the financial security he needed during his 18 months outside the NZ national team, which incidentally would have been akin to the period of a lengthy recovery gone bad for him.
He also says that despite being a top Black Cap, he hadn’t played enough to sustain him for long after his career ended. Well, good on you Shane, hope your book sales are great!
Crownish also blogs at the fckingblog
When 50>200
To be exact, when 73*>204*
A 73* becomes that much more valuable when the best batsman in the world cannot muster more than 38 runs. When the opposition just has to turn their arms over and the pitch will do the rest to dismiss the batsmen. Or the umpire will. When your back hurts so much that you can't stand up, sit down or do anything that won't hurt like a mofo. When all your hard work can be undone by the tiniest error of judgement on someone else's part. When no one around you cannot keep their mind straight with the tension and the excitement and anger and frustration and the hope and disappointment. When you know everything you've done in the past, no matter how great will not be remembered, all that doesn't matter as much as what you're doing now.
The 204* becomes insignificant when it comes from the blade of a captain who refused to enforce the follow on and promoted himself to number 3, having failed in the first innings. When it comes on the back of a 394 run first innings lead. When it comes from someone who thinks the job is done by having made it international cricket, someone who can't understand why people don't remember that neat knock he played that time.
Yuvraj's knock is what should be the stuff of legends, a classic response to doubters but it just doesn't feel right, despite the win. Laxman's knock in a match where either team could have a dozen things to fault for their loss was the reaffirmation of a faith. A fifty that's a hundred times more valuable, more memorable, more significant than a double century.
For more of Crownish's play, visit the fckingblog
Main dekhega
"It's wonderful that we have been able to play so much Test cricket. In the last few years we have played a reasonable amount of Test cricket. At one stage, in the early nineties, I hardly got any Test matches. Couple of Test occasions there were just two or three Tests in a year. It was disappointing. That is not the case now." - Sachin Tendulkar, after overtaking Steve Waugh as the player with most test appearances.
After an indirect thank you from Sachin himself, the match fixers at the BCCI, uhm.. I mean the match schedulers at the BCCI have done one better. I like the schedule for the current series against Australia, it's ensured that all the weekends over the next month will see cricket. They've taken a step to make sure that if the game's happening at an empty stadium, at least people elsewhere get to watch it on TV.
The first test began today, which works out fine because I don't have to watch India on the first day of a series, normally the worst show we put on. I get to watch them turn up over the next two days and mount a legendary fight-back, bowling Australia out in a dramatic session, then Sachin & Dravid consolidate over day 3 after Viru & Gambhir get us to a quick 100 before falling in quick succession. Worst case scenario Australia declare after punishing us for a day and two sessions before bowling us out for a huge first innings lead in two sessions.
The second and unfortunately last test does one better by starting on a Saturday. Imagine Dhoni's CSK luck with the toss, puts the batsmen in against the Aussie quicks on Bangalore's pacy, bouncy pitch. Probably the worst case scenario again. I think we'd be better off bowling first. No, wait. Never mind.
And finally, a gentle easing out with the three ODI series beginning and ending on Sundays, the middle one, a day/night match rescuing a Wednesday.
So yeah, dear BCCI match fixers, thank you for scheduling matches on weekends, which I thought you had a policy against after looking at the SA tour schedule from earlier this year. Good on you!
PS: I''ve already missed Zak mouthing off Pricky. I hope they ration out the excitement over the next few days with focus on the weekend.
by Crownish
blogs at FCKING BLOG (Fantasy Cricket Kings Blog)
The Sandwich Maker
They first sandwiched a test series between two ODI series. Then they sandwiched a poor pitch between two good ones.
First the base: the Asia Cup: Plenty of context. You'd think it's at the bottom and no one cares about it but it matters. Your appetite can always use ingredients from all over the subcontinent adding their own flavours. The Boom Boom especially was entertaining. There were a few complaints that it was good for brunch but not exactly great for evenings under lights.
The stuffing. Three layers of it. Some important Indian ingredients were missing so it was always gonna be a little imbalanced.
Galle was a Sri Lankan delicacy, it takes getting used to to. Some can have it for 4 out of 5 courses, some can barely keep it in. Watching the non regulars struggle with it can be entertaining.
SSC was stale meat. Just a lot of chewing. Just when you'd feel like you were about to extract some juice, there came more chewing. Tasted like road. Left with no choice when some of their old stuff became spoilt, India toyed with a new ingredient which surprisingly tasted good with the fine old wine. it was the highlight, I feel.
The P Sara. A good mix of greens and meat. The very, very special garnishing left you with a good taste if you didn't enjoy the Galle and the SSC.
Overall I'd say they got it right, but the stuffing within the stuffing can improve. That's the road I refer to.
by Crownish
blogs at FCKING BLOG (Fantasy Cricket Kings Blog)
Bulls on Parade.
I was thinking about the circus that accompanies the Indian team's premature exit from a tournament. But then I realized that the mess even applies to the administrative mud slinging matches which happen from time to time. Including the embarrassingly hilarious one playing out right now.
It begins with either of the following: A political rift, a selectorial gaffe or a genuinely shit performance.
Camps form, statements are made and sides are taken. There is attacking and barracking. The F**k You's and the Thank You's. Accusations, lawsuits, and 15000 page replies to them.
Some drop bombs, others rally around the family, with a pocketful of shells.
Meanwhile, the all important, cable subscribing fan is the one left without a face, in the darkness of greed. Victims of an in house drive by, they say jump, we say how high.
The voice of the voiceless, guerrilla radio of blogs crackle on but no one listens.
All that's left for them to do is to continue. To continue to rage against the machine.
by Crownish
blogs at FCKING BLOG (Fantasy Cricket Kings Blog)
The Difference.
Sri Lanka are chasing Bangladesh's puny sub 250 score with ease. Jayawardene is playing as if the last month never happened. Tharanga likes to score on pitches in places where Bengali is spoken.
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)
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)
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