World Cup 2011 - India meets first tough opposition

After the thumping of Bangladesh in Mirpur, India face their first tough opposition in this edition of the World Cup. Castrol Cricket rates them very closely - 171-169 but there are many other factors that will impact the match otherwise. England has always performed badly on the subcontinent, more on the Indian soil. Their fast bowlers seem to miss their edge while the slower bowlers cannot make an impact on the tailenders, forget the front-line batsmen.

The match has been shifted to Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore from the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.After the controversy of the tickets, there is a doubt whether the match itself will be free from the threat of rains. It has been raining (though irregularly) in the Garden city for the last 2-3 days. The last ODI on this ground saw Yusuf Pathan take India home with a majestic century - this ODI has been the only one played in the last two years on this ground. The warm-up matches of this tournament were played earlier this month - India and South Africa defeated Australia in the two matches with no small help from the spinners.

It will be no surprise that India will strengthen their bowling for various reasons - the help provided to the spinners in the warm-up matches being one while the perceived weakness of the English batsmen against quality spinners will be the other reason. This can boomerang on the Indians since the English have the world's best spinner in international cricket today - Greame Swann. Of course, there are other bowlers in the English team who must be raring to avoid the mistakes they made against the Netherlands at Nagpur. Broad and Anderson gave away runs by the dozen then while Bresnan and Swann were comparatively miserly. The batsmen all made starts and that must be good omen for the Andys.

India, on the other hand, have less concerns after the first match against Bangladesh. Sreesanth will be the one who will step out of the playing eleven to make way for a spinner. The batting looks strong with Sehwag and Kohli ready to repeat their success again. Sachin must be wondering whether he gets enough chances for himself to score the three hundreds to reach a century of centuries.

There are various mini-battles in this match that is exciting to anticipate:

• Yuvraj Singh and Stuart Broad. The six 6s during the T20 World Cup still remains in everyone's memory and these two will try to outsmart the other when they meet on the ground.
• Yuvraj Singh and Kevin Pietersen. The pie-chucker controversy aside, Yuvraj will fancy his chances against KP who has been vulnerable to left-arm spin recently.
• Sehwag and the opening bowlers. The English bowlers must be raring to go at the Indian opener with short-pitched balls while Viru must be waiting for his chance to stay long and score high.
• Harbhajan and Trott. Trott has not faced the Indian spinners earlier and his preference to rotate the strike will mean that the spinners can tie him up at the crease. 
• Dhoni and Strauss. Two of the best captains in the cricketing world, now that Ponting has gone down a notch. Each one has a cool presence on the field while always thinking how to outdo the opposition.        

The Indian team has the advantage over the English both in terms of rankings and the home support. If the weather does not interfere, the Indians will notch up their second win of the tournament.

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• Broad wants fearless aggression against India (espncricinfo.com)

World Cup 2011 - The Spin Gambit

It has become a regular feature to watch some of the teams start with spin during this World Cup. If one notices closely, these are countries who do not have enough firepower with the new ball. Countries like New Zealand whose best bowler is Dan Vettori or West Indies with Suleiman Benn opened their bowling in their matches against Australia and South Africa respectively. The supporting attack is not good enough for either teams to take wickets or contain the runs scored. Thus, the team management decided to slow down the pace of the ball to increase their chances of taking wickets. Even a team like Bangladesh, which has three left-arm spinners, has refused to take the bait of adding more slow bowlers in their team - maybe that is why they struggled to put it across (153 - 138 in Castrol Index).

It came as a surprise then that the South African team also followed the same manner and started the bowling with Johan Botha. In fact, the team had three spinners in their team - a first for a team that prides on pace and speed. It was probably the lack of a good third bowler that made the Proteas think on the lines of having a three-prong spin attack. The Castrol Index of South Africa was 164 against 107 of West Indies - if only the team had a bowler like Ntini (in his prime) or Shaun Pollock, the difference would have been much more - such was the domination of the team. Morkel also does not benefit by the low bounce - a disadvantage for him especially since he thrives on the bounce his height can generate.

Australia has no such worries - their fast bowling trio of Lee, Tait and Mitch have been gunning past their opponents after the initial hiccups in the warm-up matches. Notice the domination in their match against the Kiwis (182 to 83 in Castrol Index) - Vettori had no answers to the might of the Oz even though his team was high on determination after the earthquake back home. The return of Bollinger will be a dampener though. Vettori might have had thoughts of early breakthroughs after seeing the Australian batsmen struggle against spin in the early matches but this one was different - there was no help to the trundlers on the Nagpur pitch negating the opening gambit.

Pakistan's attack looks balanced with bowlers like Shoaib, Razzaq and Umar Gul at the beginning, followed by Afridi and Ajmal. They have followed the traditional strategies teams have followed over years and that was good enough to result in a performance against the Kenyans that was dominating, to say the least (227-83).

Starting with spin might be good against teams that are relatively weak against spin but against the home teams  it is a recipe for disaster. Hence, the team management would do well to take the horses-for-courses approach in future matches.

Related articles

• World Cup 2011 - India thump Bangladesh (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)

World Cup 2011 - India's chances

Though I had myself predicted that India have good chance of winning the World Cup, the fact is that there is no one whom one can proclaim as the overwhelming favorites to win the tournament.

Rob Steen talks about the home-advantage in the cricketing showcase and how it has been more a bane than a boon. Sachin Tendulkar and his last World Cup will have a fairy-tale finish if the Indians finish on the podium but there are a lot of hurdles before.

All of them will start from the Quarter-final match at Ahmedabad (ICC having confirmed that India will play at home) - who will be paired with the Indians is to be seen. As per ICC Rule-book, the quarter-finals will happen between A1 and B4, A2 and B3, A3 and B2, A4 and B1 (A(n) being the nth placed team in Group A and B(n) similarly from Group B).

Based on the group that India is, one can say safely that India will be either B1 or B2. This means facing A4 or A3. This can be either NewZealand or Pakistan. Will there be a repeat of the Bangalore Quarter-final in 1996 then? Interesting.

If India gets past this hurdle, it will move to Mohali where they will face most probably Sri Lanka or Australia (depending on who tops the group A).Once again, a repeat of 1996 meeting Sri Lanka in the semi-finals? Time to make amends then.

Whoever it meets, the Indian team needs to be on the top of its game to reach the finals. Once there, the crowd support in Mumbai is sure to pressurize and paralyze the opponent. 

Steen similarly talks about the winning run that Australia has been having so far. The last two teams that have defeated Australia in a World Cup are both in the same group this year. Let us hope that they dont upset the Oz in the earlier stages - the law of averages should catch up with the Australian team later in the tournament since the impact will be more in a knock-out scenario. Only then, the Indian team has a higher percentage of winning the tournament.

Yes, all this is being said from an Indian fan's perspective - Oz fans, apologies.  

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• World Cup 2011 - India thump Bangladesh (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)

World Cup 2011 - India thump Bangladesh

.The Indians extracted revenge on the Bangladesh team in Mirpur in a convincing fashion, ensuring that their loss against the same team four years ago remained a distant dream. One player who had faltered then, took upon himself to play a very large percentage of the overs. In doing so, Sehwag's score alone was the joint-fourth highest of the World Cup history. It was probably the first time he has played the Batting PowerPlay since it was introduced. Even though he was hampered during the latter phase of the innings, he understood the vagaries of the pitch very well and adjusted his shots accordingly. Viru had, in his pre-match conference, suggested it as a revenge match and that looked to be on his mind throughout the innings. He changed gears on will and willed the non-strikers to play their game confidently. The only blemish from his side was the running out of Sachin Tendulkar - the evidence of not having played together for a long time showed in their calling not just in the dismissal but even during the time spent on the field as well. No wonder his Castrol* Batting Momentum was an amazing 289.

The Indians motored along without any care in the world and also without much of its batting ammunition (Yuvraj, Dhoni and Yusuf) not used - such was the domination. Kohli, as expected, made the playing eleven ahead of Raina and has retained the position after scoring a century. Kohli has played many an innings while batting second but this was an opportunity that came to him on a platter - a mediocre bowling attack and a destroyer at the other end of the crease. With such a cushion, Kohli had to bide his time, take the singles and start playing out the big shots at the end. This was exactly how he executed his stroke-making by the side of Viru, matching the opener with a century that was conjured with less than hundred balls. Yusuf came in with just a few balls to score and could not make much of an impact - in such situations, Yuvi or MSD are better players who can tonk the ball around right from the word go.

The Indian bowling was nowhere near its bowling. Sreesanth came from outside the squad, right into the bowling eleven. This was a chance he should have grabbed with both hands - instead, he was trying to keep Bangladesh in the chase of the large target on hand. He did trouble the batsmen with few balls but that was more like a mirage rather than the norm. I would be surprised if Dhoni goes with Sreesanth or with a three-pacer strategy in remaining matches. In the conditions where the matches are played, it looks a safe bet for India to go with two specialist spinners (Harbhajan and Chawla). The part-timers (Yusuf and Yuvraj) also did a fair job with their bowling. Munaf Patel, as has been his wont recently, made a good impact with the ball (his Castrol* Bowling Efficiency was 110).

A good start for the Indians which has more or less put them through to the quarter-finals (provided they win at least the matches against the other two minnows in the group). At no stage of the match, did Bangladesh (with a Castrol Index of 120) try to catch up with the Indians (Castrol Index of 235). With the ICC further making the home teams stronger by allowing them to play their knockout matches on home-soil, the Indians will play their Quarter-final match at Ahmedabad. Who will be their opponent be? Let us hope it is the No.4 team from the other Group.

* Castrol has come up with various indices to track the performances of the players during the World Cup and that makes it interesting reading. Check this site for more details on how they are calculated.

World Cup 2011 - Trivia

Interesting stuff about the World Cup that does not get much attention in the information overload

• Not many know that there is a leg-spinner in their ranks who almost played for India! W.D. Balaji Rao was in the prospect-list much before Piyush Chawla but looks like India's loss is Canada's gain.
• Andy Bichel and Gary Gilmour. Two interesting names with respect to the World Cup. Not-so-great careers for their country but great all-round performances for their country in crunch games. Check out Bichel's performance in 2003 World Cup against England and New Zealand
• When was the last match Australia lost in a World Cup? Way back in 1999 when they lost to Pakistan and before that, to New Zealand in the same edition. They are undefeated so far. They face both teams in their Group stage this time.
• Who took the most number of wickets in 1999? New Zealand's Geoff Allott - again a performer who shone at the World stage only to fade away later.
• Indian players almost did not play in the 2003 edition because of sponsorship issues. They faced a similar situation in this Cup as well but not much is heard of again.
• Shane Warne played his last Cup in 1999 even though he was playing test cricket till 2006. Why? He was banned in 2003 for failing a drug-test.
• In 2007, India were out of the competition after the first round but they won a game by dismissing a team within 30 overs and chasing down the paltry score. Who was their opposition? West Indies. Yes, in the 2nd warm-up match, Brian Lara-led Caribbeans were all out for 85. Did this match make them complacent against Bangladesh? This time, they face much tougher oppositions - Australia and New Zealand.

Any other interesting stuff you remember? Do let me know.

World Cup 2011 - India's chances of a 83 repeat

India will go in to this World Cup as one of the overwhelming favorites to win - not something that has happened regularly in the history of the Cup. The fact that it is happening at their backyard is another boost to the team that will, I feel, relish playing with the crowd support.

More reasons why I feel India has a good chance -

1. All the team members are determined to do well for the sake of their favorite Paaji in the dressing room. Sachin Tendulkar is playing his sixth and last World Cup (there is no guarantee that this is the last but looks like the realistic option) - he has mentioned earlier that the Cup win is one that is not on his illustrious CV. 
2. With respect to the team, whatever questions MS Dhoni might have had, were answered during the South Africa tour. The team looks very settled even though it has been sometime since they played with a full-strength team.
3. The groupings for India seems to be comfortable with the match against Bangladesh key to move forward to the next stage (even if they lose all the other matches against the other test-playing conditions) - they will definitely move past their last Cup performance.
4. The experts believe that India can win - most of the ex-captains have reiterated that India has the potential to win the Cup.
5. Gary Kirsten and MS Dhoni have the potential (and history) to come up with innovations that they will unleash on the other teams during this tourney.
6. Based on the history of previous Cups held in the sub-continent, the Indian team have the best openers among all the teams, a lineup of spinners that can strangle the opposition - all pointers to potential success.
7. 3 of the 11 hard-hitting batsmen in this tournament to watch, are from the Indian team - the brute along with the brains of SRT and MSD is definitely a potential to reckon with.
8. A good strategy for the PowerPlay as well as the usage of Yusuf Pathan would be key to India's success.
9. The current Indian team has the best overall experience in ODIs compared to the other teams playing in this tournament. This will prove crucial at junctures when composure and temperament comes into play. 
10. The crowd will play as the twelfth man in all Indian matches - this will be more than enough to demoralize the opposition.

MS Dhoni needs to work on his toss however - barring that, I feel the Indians are prepared to do their best after 28 years. What do you think? 

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• Great expectations: India World Cup favourite (3news.co.nz)

World Cup 2011 - Comparing the experience of all teams

The World Cup comes once in four years and it is no wonder that all teams start planning for it years in advance. They try to ensure that by the time the event starts, they have players who have a good amount of experience and exposure in international cricket. How do the current teams stack up against each other, was one question that I had on my mind. Thanks to my friend Hari, I was able to get this data that compares teams participating in the World Cup.

If one looks at the runs scored as a percentage of the overall runs scored by test-playing teams, no surprises for guessing who turns up first. Similarly, the number of centuries and fifties scored by each of the teams as a percentage reveals the experience that the teams carry with them. The figures are bolstered by one man, Sachin Tendulkar, who has almost all the records in ODI cricket. 

Similarly, the bowling records tell their own tale. The Indians top the wickets column while the number of times bowlers have taken 5 wickets or 4 wickets in an innings is topped by Sri Lanka - no wonder when they have a certain Muttiah Muralitharan in their ranks. Pakistan is helped by Razzaq while Brett Lee brings in the experience for the Oz.



Thus, India and Sri Lanka have definitely an edge over the other teams not only with their experience of home pitches but also the amount of runs and wickets they have taken as a team. Will the results justify this? Let us wait and watch.

Related articles

• World Cup 2011 - Learnings from 87 and 96 (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
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World Cup 2011 - Sound-bites from the Indian team

The Indian team has been making their voices heard at different events across the nation. Interesting to see their mindset as well as their approach before the tournament has started:

• MS Dhoni has been seen at various events as he is the Captain Cool as well as the most expensive brand in Indian television today. He says he is ready for the UDRS, having done the homework - something that the Indian team has hated from the first time they used it in Sri Lanka.
• Viru Sehwag is back from Munich after his treatment there. As usual, he is not worried by the injuries to some players as well as the dip in form - he feels India is primed to win the World Cup.
• Sachin Tendulkar - The Maestro believes that India's rise to the No.1 ranking in tests has given him confidence of doing well in this World Cup.
• Gautam Gambhir - Disappointed after being dropped for the last World Cup, Gambhir feels that India can Win it. Simple, right?
• Yuvraj Singh - Though he had thought about quitting last year, he is ready to give anything for the World Cup and would like to win it for Sachin.
• Yusuf Pathan - Yusuf feels good that there are many people are backing the team. He is also confident of winning the Cup for Sachin.
• Suresh Raina - Proclaiming Kirsten as the best thing for India after Sachin, Raina feels that it is an absolute honor to be playing for India at the World Cup. 
• Virat Kohli - he is ready to sit out in the matches, which is expected after the players make their return to the squad.
• Harbhajan Singh - Bhajji has declared that India is ready for the challenge and asserts that the 1983 win will inspire the team.
• Piyush Chawla - Piyush feels that spinners will play a major role in this World Cup while feeling that playing at home will be advantage for the Indians
• Ashish Nehra - Nehra feels that fast bowlers will play a critical role, trying to restrict the scores to less than 300.
• Munaf Patel - the Ikhar Express is confident of doing well in the World Cup by focusing on line and length in place of speed.
• Praveen Kumar - calls his captain the 'Obama of cricket' before flying to England for his tennis elbow treatment.
• R Ashwin - Praising his captain for giving him plenty of freedom, Ashwin is very excited that the World Cup is happening in India.
• Zaheer Khan seems to be away from all action so far. Is everything alright with the bowling spearhead, on whom lot of hopes rest from the Indian team?

Lots of confidence and the determination to win the Cup for Sachin seems to be the common theme among the Indian players. Hope they continue in the same manner through the tournament also.

Related articles

• World Cup 2011 - Yusuf and India's trick (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• World Cup 2011 - How will teams innovate? (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• World Cup 2011 - Sachin Tendulkar's sixth sojourn (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• World Cup 2011 - Dhoni has questions answered after SAF ODIs (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• World Cup 2011 - Big-hitters to watch (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)

World Cup 2011 - Yusuf and India's trick

Harsha Bhogle observed (nothing unusual) the pinch-hitter theory adopted by Mitchell Johnson in the recent ODI between the Ashes rivals - as mentioned, it was being used by many teams years ago but of late, the occurrence has reduced. Harsha gives a good example of how the PowerPlay will be utilized:

The thinking is quite simple: throw in one of your lesser-valued batsmen, and therefore a lesser wicket, to take on the fourth, fifth and sixth bowlers of the opposition. If the attack comes off, you force the better bowlers to return and weaken the bowling in the third Powerplay. If it doesn't come off, you've lost only a bit. It is the good old pinch-hitter theory, but in the middle overs. Would it be possible, I wonder, to see a Harbhajan walk in during the 30th over?

This brought me to another similar thought. Yusuf Pathan, as we all know, has shown the world what impact he can have in the slog overs. But, he has a weakness against the short ball - though he has managed to negate it in his own style of taking it on the body. If the Indian team, after having a good start from Sehwag and Sachin, pick up the batting PowerPlay sometime in the overs 30-40 (when typically the likes of Dhoni and Raina will be at the crease), it will force the opposing captain to bring his faster (and better) bowlers to operate then.

What this means is that their quota will be reduced by the time the junior Pathan strides to the crease. It will give him lesser number of overs to face from the best bowlers in the opposition (thereby not having a problem with the short ball). If you remember the ODI in South Africa where Pathan and later Harbhajan took India past the winning post, this was exactly what happened. Ashish Nehra had the relatively simple task of facing Johan Botha in the final over while Steyn and Morkel had finished their quotas!!

Will the Indian Management use this technique in the World Cup?        

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World Cup 2011 - Big-hitters to watch

Let me stick my neck out to start some posts on predictions in the 2011 World Cup. This one is going to be about Eleven players who I feel will be the big-hitters to shine in the tournament. Maybe they will not be consistent throughout the tourney but they will make their mark by their big shots - when they do, remember this post :)

1. Yusuf Pathan - the latest flavor in town. Has scored two centuries in the last 5 innings he has played, both with his team in dire streets and one that got India the victory.
2. Viru Sehwag - Will be rejuvenated after his 'injury' break - look out for his batting against test-playing nations. Maybe a good chance to score a 200
3. Yuvraj Singh - has not been in great form of late but will like the medium pace bowling on Indian pitches. Will feast on all bowlers other than those who can turn the ball
4. Jesse Ryder - The same fella who has fallen into trouble again (this time while tweeting) - will be eager to show the world his shots
5. Brendon McCullum - A guy whose stroke-making is ideal for the shorter formats. On his day, can tear any bowling apart but alas, the day does not come regularly.
6. Kamran Akmal - Provided he plays the Cup with his head straight, the diminutive keeper is capable of very big shots on his day.
7. Shahid Afridi - The "teenager" of the tournament (well, mentally still he is) can blast the ball into his territory only if he can manage his head well.
8. Luke Wright - Another surprise here. Will not be a first-choice player in the eleven but if he gets a chance, can tonk the ball heavily.
9. Chris Gayle - Relieved of his captaincy, Gayle recently scored a triple ton versus Sri Lanka in similar conditions he will face in the Cup. If Sammy can keep him motivated, sky is the limit
10. Kieron Pollard - He made his reputation during the Champions League and IPL - will India be his lucky mascot once again?
11. Charles Coventry - Held the record for highest score in an ODI before Sachin scored the double century. Has struggled from the expectations after the knock but gets a chance with the minnows.  

Let me know if you agree with me or not. Who do you think will shine?

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World Cup 2011 - Learnings from 87 and 96

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The 2011 World Cup will be the third time the competition is being conducted in the Indian sub-continent. Is there anything the teams can learn from the first two editions - 1987 and 1996 - and apply as part of their strategies? Australia reached the finals of both the versions winning in 87 (against England) and losing to Sri Lanka in 96.

What happened in the 1987 World Cup? Australia and England reached the finals by defeating the co-hosts (Pakistan and India respectively). The batting was bolstered mainly by the opening batsmen on both sides. David Boon and Geoff Marsh were the top run-getters in the tournament scoring more than 400 runs at an average of 55+ every match. There were good contributions by Dean Jones and Allan Border down the order while Mike Veletta and Steve Waugh were good in rotating the strike in the final overs as well as hitting the ball out of the park. This phase marked the initial stages of the Australian resurgence in World cricket after the slump post retirements of Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell, Rodney Marsh. Under Bob Simpson, the team was beginning to discover themselves at the World stage and there was no major hopes on the team before the World Cup.

Craig McDermott was one of the bowling stalwarts picking 18 wickets during the tournament, troubling batsmen with his pace and control. He was ably supported by bowlers who would pioneer the use of slower ball in ODI matches - Steve Waugh and Simon O'Donnell. During most of the matches, Waugh would be the one who would operate the slog overs of the match - with his variety, he could control the scoring of the opposing batsmen very well. Border with his part-time spin would chip in few overs, taking up critical wickets at a decent run-rate.

England similarly had Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting in their lineup who contributed more than 350 runs in the tournament while Lamb and Athey gave good support down the order. In fact, the final was going the way of England when Gatting tried a reverse-sweep against Alan Border to get out. Gatting and Lamb were equally adept in rotating the strike to keep the scorecard ticking. Gooch was instrumental in negating the spinners on the sub-continental pitches during this World Cup - his century against the Indians in the semi-final was a masterpiece on how to attack spin and turn tables on the more famed Indian spinners. Eddie Hemmings and Phil DeFreitas were the strike bowlers from the English team who provided the crucial breakthroughs.

The current Oz team is placed in a similar situation as this 87 Cup-winning team was, if one considers the Ashes performance (though they have achieved good strides in the ODI arena) - will they win it a fourth consecutive time? Similarly, the current English team has Greame Swann and Jimmy Anderson as the spearheads - will they don the role of Hemmings and Defreitas? Swann has been injured after the Ashes series - it remains to be seen how quickly he can return to mainstream cricket. Anderson looks jaded in the ongoing ODI series against Australia (last evening, he gave away 91 runs in his 10 overs - a century!!!)

What happened in the 1996 World Cup? Sri Lanka and Australia reached the finals by defeating co-hosts India and West Indies respectively. It was the turn of Mark Waugh to score heavily (even though Sachin raked up more runs than him). Waugh opened the innings in all the matches with captain Mark Taylor and ensured that Australia had a good start always. There were few contributions down the order from Ponting, Steve Waugh, Stuart Law but not all as consistent as Junior Waugh. No wonder, they fell at the final Lankan hurdle. Damian Fleming and Shane Warne took the maximum number of wickets by contrasting ways. Fleming used to swing the ball, especially under lights while Warne found the subcontinental grounds to his liking. Mcgrath was at his miserly best but could not add much in the wickets tally.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, also got off to quick starts through their crack combination of Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana - they formed a potent partnership at the top of the order scoring runs at rate of 8-10 in the first 6-7 overs. The opposition bowling would get rattled and lose their composure. This would be then captialised on, by the likes of Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga and Asanka Gurusinha. Their batting used to run deep with Mahanama coming at No.7 while their bowling revolved around spin. The wickets taken by the SriLankan spinners hardly goes more than seven wickets (in 6 matches) but their run-choking efforts had to be seen to be believed. Murali, Vaas conceded less than 4 runs an over in the tournament while Jayasuriya, Dharmasena and Aravinda de Silva together conceded less than 4.5 runs on an overage. On Lankan grounds, this team knew how exactly to rattle the opposition and keep them quiet. Their strategy was very well devised and execution was perfect. Will they repeat the strategy this team also?

Toss will play a very vital role in the matches played in Sri Lanka with teams batting first more often than not, winning the matches after posting a decent score. Murali is bowing out of international cricket after the World Cup - will it be his swanswong? He has Mendis, Herath & Dilshan to support him in the slow bowling options while Matthews is known to be a wily customer with the ball. The magic of Mendis has worn off slightly but to teams that havent played him, he is still a mystery. At home, it has been only the Indians who have put up good displays in the Emerald Isle. One match in the Quarter-final and one semi-final will be played in Colombo - can Sri Lanka qualify for these matches and continue the home advantage? 

I feel that it is important to have quality opening batsmen in every team for them to have a chance to win the title. India have Sehwag and Sachin, Bangladesh has Tamim Iqbal, Sri Lanka have Dilshan, West Indies' Chris Gayle, South Africa's Amla and Smith, Australia's Watson, England's Strauss. Definitely India and South Africa seem to have the edge over the others in this aspect. 

What do you think? Can some of the lessons from these editions be adapted to the 2011 version? If so, which ones?

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World Cup 2011 - How will teams innovate?

The last few World Cups have seen many innovations introduced by teams that has helped their winning strategy:

• Pinch-hitter. This was a fad that started way back in the 1987 World Cup when Craig Mcdermott was sent up the order by Allan Border to hit some quick runs. Soon, other countries followed by having their non-regular batsman come at a time they were least expected. Chetan Sharma was one example who did so well that he won the match for India by scoring a century. This was not seen for the last few versions  as all teams have stroke-makers all the way down the order. It has made a comeback this very day in Sydney where Mitchell Johnson came earlier in the batting order during the World Record chase of 334 against England.
• Opening the bowling with a spinner. This was first introduced by Martin Crowe during the 1992 World Cup in Australia/New Zealand. He opened the bowling with Dipak Patel, thereby reducing the pace of the ball. Batsmen who had made up their mind to face the quicks were shocked by the lack of pace. This option was successful in getting the star-less Kiwis to the Semi-finals of the World Cup, where the individual brilliance of Inzamam-ul-Haq brought them down. This might come back this Cup, especially under the lights on sub-continental pitches offering turn.
• Opening with a dibbly-dobbly bowler. This was tried out by West Indies in the 1992 World Cup - more because of lack of options - when Phil Simmons used to open the bowling along side Curtley Ambrose. The difference in pace at both ends would unsettle the batsmen to an extent that run-making would go down drastically. Though this trick was not very successful, the career of Simmons was extended because of this utility.
• Having a bunch of part-time spinners. Sri Lanka followed this strategy to the maximum extent during the 1996 World Cup - at one time, having four spinners (Muralitharan, Dharmasena, Aravinda De Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya) in their playing eleven. The current Indian team has this option available to them - will they repeat history?
• Making a batsman keep wickets. This option was well tried out by the Indian team during the 2003 World Cup, before the MS Dhoni era. Rahul Dravid, who had kept wickets in early days of his career, was asked to keep wickets so that the team could play the extra spinner. This was one of the ideas that came out of the collective thinking of Sourav Ganguly and John Wright. The Indian team reached the World Cup finals with this strategy, so successful it was. 
• PowerPlays. This was the first World Cup after PowerPlays was introduced to the ODI format. None of the teams have still managed to get an hold of this concept after 4 years. Will they get it right this time?

What do you think will be the innovation this time in 2011? Any predictions?

World Cup 2011 - Dhoni needs a warm-up

         Captain Cool
Kapil Dev in one of his interview mentioned that the toss could hurt the Indian team - there is so much truth in his statements given in the interview below:

Our strength is batting and I feel we should depend on that and have faith. Luck also plays a part...winning the toss in every match. It will be marginally difficult if we lose the toss and the rival team posts a huge total for us to chase a target of 300 or so. If we get to bat first and make 300 and odd runs, our bowlers could do the rest for us to win each match.

While Dhoni's overall record of win-loss is 78-48 (in all tests, ODIs, T20s), his toss record in the same set of matches is 68-74. Does he have a bad record with the toss? Overall, it does look so.

From the Science site, there is a reference to the toss of a coin and what impacts the result of a toss.

In the physics of coin tossing, the most important parameters are the coin's upward velocity and its rate of spin. When the spin rate is low, the coin acts like a thrown pizza. It's unlikely to turn over, even if it travels a long distance.

What this means that MS Dhoni needs some practice with not just the bat and gloves but also with the toss. This will definitely impact the matches that India play on surfaces that will act funny under lights. Since India are the hosts of the World Cup, he will be spinning the coins most often. Only in the first match against Bangladesh, he might be calling Sakib's toss. Hence, it is imperative that he practices the most in this area - for there is no backup here.

Another option is to ensure that Sehwag (designated vice-captain) is in good form with the toss and send him in place of himself.

Related articles

• World Cup 2011 - Dhoni has questions answered after SAF ODIs (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)