Is MSD the greatest limited overs captain ever?

We all know pictures say a lot more than words. So, sample the following

Year 2007

Year 2009

Year 2010

Year 2011

Year 2011

Year 2013

Now, having seen the achievements by this leader, let us also see what ODI statistics say about this captain? Where does he stand among the great captains of all-time?

The table above shows the list of captains and their records. Clearly, Dhoni is not high on the pecking order but then there is another question that comes to mind. What made these captains ranked higher than Dhoni win more? Let us look at this list more closely (applying a filter of 75 matches to analyse in detail) - the ones (higher than Dhoni) in the list are the following (in the order of the countries they played for):

1. Clive Lloyd (1975-85) - One would say that all Lloyd had to do was toss the ball and whoever got it would start opening the bowling - such was the force of the Windies that every team that stood in its way got decimated.
2. Viv Richards (1980-1991) - Viv Richards was the successor and he managed to repeat much of what Lloyd did till the fag end of his career as a captain when his bowlers were not much of a force.
3. Steve Waugh (1997-2002) - Steve Waugh played a long time under Alan Border (who comes just below MSD in this list) and thus inherited an Australian team that would go on to perform great deeds
4. Ricky Ponting (2002-12) - Ponting acquired the mantle from Waugh and took Australian cricket to greater heights. This included multiple World Cup wins as well as Champions Trophy win. No doubt a great captain who led a great side.
5. Hansie Cronje (1994-2000) - Hansie Cronje was the shrewdest captain that South Africa had after their re-introduction to international cricket. Cronje made the Proteans start believing till a match-fixing scandal broke him and his team.
6. Shaun Pollock (2000-2005) - Shaun Pollock picked up the threads left by Cronje's untimely departure and nurtured the team with the help of individual geniuses like Jonty Rhodes, Alan Donald, Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis.
7. Greame Smith (2003-2011) - Smith was introduced to captaincy very early by his management. Captaincy was as natural as water to duck but he could not win any major tournament just like Pollock despite having a good team at disposal.

There is no doubt that these players have done well in their captaincy career but they also had the added advantage of a great squad at their disposal. The Windies (1980-2000) and Australians (2000-2010) were the champion sides of the decade - the other teams could only play catch-up with them. The South Africans were good but other than the first version of the Champions Trophy, they could hardly win a title at the international level.

What makes Dhoni different and better (in my humble reasoning) is that he has managed to lead Indian teams that were not so great to title wins in conditions that were adverse (T20 in South Africa as well as Champions Trophy in England). Yes, he did win the 2011 World Cup on familiar conditions with a team comprising the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and co. but that is not an one-off win in his resume. 

Let us look at the teams that he has won the international titles with:

The 2013 Champions Trophy had only three other players who had played the 2011 World Cup while there were three others who had played the 2007 T20 World Cup. A good nucleus for a side that showed how hungry they were on the field as well as demonstrated a brave front to the short and seaming stuff they faced with their bat.

With the T20 World Cup win, came the birth of IPL and Dhoni has shown that he can lead a team of international players and groom them to similar victories. Dhoni has shown that his captaincy can win matches for his team irrespective of conditions, coaches, form, teams, nationalities, personal issues. The Champions Trophy came with Dhoni contributing only 27 runs to the team's cause. Speak to any cricketer who has played under him and he has the same message - the way Dhoni supports him even when he is not in form makes wonders. Let it be Joginder Sharma, Ishant Sharma or even Albie Morkel.

Dont you think it is a valid assumption to take that MS Dhoni is the greatest captain ever in the limited overs format? Do let me know your comments.

All images are courtesy espncricinfo.com

Whats wrong with Australia?

Consider this

• Four players get suspended from a test match because they did not submit their homework. 
• An ex-player held back the news of his retirement because he was afraid that he might be dropped.
• An official speaks openly about one of the Famous Four - stating that he is not a 'team player'. The player in question responds saying that the official didnt know him well enough.

Remember Simon Katich and his bust-up with the captain?

Whatever be the reason for the open fight, it is unprecedented in the history of cricket. Other countries who are notoriously famous for their internal team rivalries will be chuckling away to glory. This is the ultimate test therefore for the players in the playing eleven at Mohali - after Day 1, it looks like some of the reinforcements (Smith and Haddin) have done well. The skipper is obviously not happy as he promoted to No.3 and got stumped the very first ball!

The previous Oz captains used to be tough on the opponents (Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and co) while enjoying great relationships internally. But, now, the aggression has swapped sides - the Aussie team members seem to have good relations with the Indian cricketers while internally, they seem to be in a mess! 

Is the new mantra of the team to be "nice"on the field? 

Is there a problem with the coach? Many questions to be answered in the middle of a test series overseas. Really tough!

The case of Rohit, JP and Umar

In the cricketing world, all of us agree that we are in the midst of some extraordinary talent - talent that may not touch the heights of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting or Inzamam-ul-Haq but will take their countries to the pinnacle in some form or the other. But, it is also disturbing to see the likes of Rohit Sharma, JP Duminy and Umar Akmal falter the way they have been in recent times.

The three of them have been given chances galore by their country but they have not risen to the occasion as well as they would have or their captains would have liked. It becomes frustrating from the perspective of their fans that such a huge talent is wasted amidst talents that do not scale to the half-way mark. 

Let us look at their numbers for a moment:

• JP Duminy - age of 28 years. 16 tests at an average of close to 38, 92 ODIs at 40. Though the numbers do not show anything wrong, they have come down a notch in recent times. It was expected that JP will be the fulcrum of the Proteas batting with AB De Viliers - but that was not to be. After a great 2010-11 season, JP has not been able to catch up with the rest of his team-mates. 
• Rohit Sharma - age of 25 years. Though he has not played any tests so far, he has been helped by a captain who thinks he has a big future. 85 ODIs at an average of 31 does not do Rohit any justice at all. His penchant to play across the line has led to many downfall. He is still in the scheme of things but time is running out and there are other talented players waiting for his spot in the team.
• Umar Akmal - age of 22 years. An average of 36 in 16 tests, 39 in 69 ODIs once again does not reflect the talent that is inherent in this youngster. If he can only put in the effort like Hafeez or Ajmal, this youngster can reach the heights of the world. He has promised so much in his innings only to falter at the wrong time. Reminds one of a certain Basit Ali from the earlier days.

Do they need a challenge to deliver their performance? Or is it something more serious - having reached the highest level, do they not have the drive to perform day in and day out? 

Whatever it is, world cricket is poorer by their absence at the headlines of the sports page!

Boxing Day test - Bowlers rule the MCG

It was a fascinating battle at the MCG where the bowlers from either side held the upper hand. Only the veteran pair of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey managed to survive the carnage to put up a well-paced and crucial partnership in the second innings for Australia.

The day started with India in a good position to use the momentum of the partnership between Sachin and Dravid to score further and possibly take a handy lead. Hilfenhaus thought otherwise. Pitching the ball up and generating just enough movement to beat the batsmen and remind them of their old weaknesses, Hilfenhaus had the Indians play to the hands of the cordon behind the stumps. Dravid was bowled by a peach of a delivery while Kohli continued his overseas test match form by nicking to the keeper. Laxman was cleaned up by Siddle's well-pitched delivery while Dhoni continued his miserable run in test matches by edging to gully. All this while, Ishant was patient enough to continue his stint as a night-watchman but not for long. Ashwin showed what the top-order batsmen could have done by adding runs to the total and thereby reducing the deficit to a better-looking 51.

Australia's recent record has not been so great in the second innings - remember 47 vs South Africa as well as the recent debacle vs Black Caps in Hobart! There was a danger of a repeat performance when four batsmen perished to the bowling of Umesh and Ishant. Zaheer was bowling well and maintaining the pressure from the other end while the batsmen were getting out to the other bowlers. It needed the experience of Ponting and Hussey to stop the rut and keep the scoreboard ticking. Ponting looked more relaxed compared to the first innings while Hussey was on a mission to show his worth to a squad that cannot afford to miss him. Zaheer came back with late strikes but Hussey's miss by Dravid might prove to be costly.

Overall, a close dashboard for the test match with the Indians having a slight edge over Australia. The only difference will be the runs on the board that India will have to chase down. If the last 2 wickets are dismissed quite early tomorrow, India will expect their famed lineup to come to the party the second time.

Related articles

• Boxing Day test - Australia have noses in front of India (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)

Boxing Day test - Australia have noses in front of India

India's fortunes in the 1st test on Boxing Day was expected to be hinging on the ankle and hamstring of their opening bowlers. Michael Clarke had this thought on the back of his mind probably and opted to bat first after winning the toss. Not surprisingly, the opening bowlers from India started gingerly, opting to be careful with their bodies than anything else. Warner and Cowan had a steady start before the introduction of the third pacer introduced runs and more importantly, wickets for India.

Warner tried to hook Yadav for another six but the extra bounce took his glove en route to the wicket-keeper. Shaun Marsh came and went without troubling the scorers, thanks to a full-pitched ball from Yadav. Ricky Ponting came to the crease and was promptly pinged on the helmet by a short-pitched one. This mislead the bowlers to focus on the short ball against Ponting, thereby playing into the hands of the Tasmanian Devil. The legend was losing his balance at the crease early on but with the diet of easy pickings, calmed his nerves and adopted a much better approach at the crease.

After the highest Australian partnership this year between Ponting and Cowan, Zaheer Khan decided to make his presence felt in the test match. Bowling with the older ball, he improved with each spell that he bowled and  made the ball talk. This energized Yadav to bowl the perfect ball to Ponting. Shocking him with a short ball, Yadav followed with a full-length delivery that took the edge to slips. Once again, the century eluded the veteran but he was looking good at the end compared to the start when he resembled a cat on hot tin roof.

Zaheer castled Clarke after the short partnership between the captain and Cowan. Bowling around the wicket to bring the ball back, Clarke's cut was not enough to stop the ball from hitting the wicket. The very next ball, out-of-form Michael Hussey got what the commentators called a jaffa !! Though all technological evidence showed no clear signs, the umpire gave Hussey caught behind to loud shouts from the slip cordon. Ashwin chipped with the wicket of Cowan to reduce the Aussies to 214-6. Even-stevens in the day till then. It was then that Haddin and Siddle put their heads down to bring the score to a respectable 277 at the end of day.

It was good news for the Indians to finish the day with the scoreline, especially compared to the tea-time score of 170-3 but not good enough compared to the score when Siddle came to the crease. But, Dhoni would have felt happy that none of his front-line bowlers broke down after bowling 20 overs each (Zak bowled 23 in fact). Ashwin gave a good impression in his first stint Down Under by extracting spin and bounce on the first day of the test. Will the pitch deteriorate further to help him in the second innings is to be seen. Dhoni could have perhaps used Virat Kohli, Sehwag and Sachin for few overs in between to reduce the load on the bowlers but it was not to be.

Overall, an intriguing day but the session score-board at the end of Day 1 shows the Aussies slightly ahead at 2-1.

World Cup 2011 - India meet Australia in QF

A Grand Mini-final is what Tim Nielsen calls the 2nd quarter-final between India and Australia, adding that the pressure will be on India in front of their home crowd. Fair enough, Tim. But what about pressure on your team to maintain the Cup-winning streak? Your team has lost a World Cup match after 1999 - is it just the beginning of the end?

Play 3 spinners, says Wasim Akram.Good idea, Akram, but is it not the formula the Indian think-tank using for most of the matches (except for the first one)? Harbhajan, Chawla/Ashwin, Yuvraj/Pathan are our tweakers - more than enough for the Oz batsmen. If you want to add another specialist spinner, who will open the bowling? Sachin Tendulkar?

Ricky Ponting himself is under pressure from his country, thanks to his poor captaincy skills in the last few games. Hussey had to affirm that Punter had the backing of the team and there is no question of change as of now. I am not sure if Steve Smith shares the same confidence in his mind after he was given a mouthful by his skipper for attempting a catch! Dressing room television sets are given more protection after the last incident by Ricky - insurance agents might be in business!!

Javagal Srinath has full praise for Zaheer Khan - a very rare article when a bowler of his same ilk applauds the youngster for his consistency and control. Srinath proposes that India use an extra seamer if the pitch is flat. What will the pitch hold for the bowlers, will be known later today. Whatever it is, I feel Ashwin is a better bet than Nehra against Australia.

Mitchell Johnson targets Sehwag and says that he will try chin-music. That is a good ploy, Mitch. But, can you put two balls on good length in a row? Your radar seems to be firing all over the place? Can you control it better? Brett Lee has proven again what a leader he is for the Australian team. Shaun Tait has given him good support but Johnson has been himself - fast and accurate on some days and wayward normally. Viv Richards, in his interview, mentioned that Sehwag reminds of himself. In the new avatar of Sehwag (where he is willing to play the entire fifty overs), the Oz bowlers will find it difficult to contain him.

What about the legend himself? Talk has been going on about his walk during the match in Chennai but tell me one thing frankly. Does it surprise you? No. The man has proven himself to be above the game in many situations and this is another example in his glittering career. Motera has been a ground where many records have happened earlier - Gavaskar's 10,000 runs, Kapil Dev's 432 wickets and now, I expect, Sachin's hundredth century against his favorite opponents.

The Indian team has to look at the collapses that the batting has seen over the matches against the top teams - Dhoni will probably the player once again who will play till the 50th over while stroke players hit out around him. The team that played against West Indies will see Sehwag return in place of Raina. Ashwin will be key to take wickets and bowl in PowerPlay overs. Harbhajan should find his form, after seeing a certain Ponting in the opposition lineup. Zaheer will relish the reverse swing that the hot climate will offer.

The Oz team has a problem with spin and that is going to play on their mind. Ponting's loss of form is another worry while Hussey's return from injury will strengthen the middle-order. Cameron White or David Hussey? Hussey might come back to supplement with his off-spin. The bowlers are raring to go against Sachin/Sehwag once again. Will they take early wickets?

Castrol Index puts Australia at an advantage of 178-156. Do you agree? I feel that the Indians are slightly ahead in this match between the top two ranked teams in ODI cricket.

Ashes series - 11 reasons why Oz lost at MCG

Ugly CaptainThe Ashes is on its way to England after the hosts lost by an innings (again) and more at MCG. Hardly anything went right for the Oz team from the moment the coin was tossed. Here, we look at 11 reasons why they lost at MCG:

1. Ricky Ponting - The captain should take the responsibility of losing the test match as well as the Ashes. First with his batting which is dismal at this moment (an average of 16 runs in 4 test matches is hardly Ponting-like) and then his captaincy which seems to be lacking the imagination required to conjure results from hopeless situations. Adding to these is his brawl with umpires that saw him argue with the best umpire in the world - his desperation showing up in a visible manner.
2. Michael Clarke - The Deputy has a slightly better average than his captain (21+) and that is not saying much in his defense. The Pup needs to sort out his batting, especially against the short-pitched variety - he doesn't need to go far to do it. The new entrant into the Selection Committee - Greg Chappell - can do a great job.
3. Phil Hughes - the opener wanted to do the role of a Virender Sehwag for Australia when chosen. The joke in twitverse is that he is doing the role of Suresh Raina - enough said!!!
4. Shane Watson - Has been contributing steadily at the top of the order but guilty of throwing it away after scoring a fifty. His lack of bowling has handicapped the Oz further.
5. Steven Smith - Was he chosen for his batting or bowling? The most surprising selection after that of Cameron White, he has been missing on the wickets column while adding few runs on the board (by the way, he has a higher average than Clarke and Ponting!!!)
6. Michael Hussey - Mr.Cricket had his first set of failures in the series in this test match. The second highest run-scorer in the series, he has managed to salvage his reputation thanks to his scores in the first three test matches. Failures were bound to come but two in the same match was a bit too difficult to swallow.
7. Brad Haddin - The other lower-order contributor for Australia in this series who has been shoring up the scores. His keeping has been steady for the Oz - maybe the right guy to take over the captaincy hat also.
8. Mitchell Johnson - A six-wicket haul in Perth notwithstanding, his alter-ego appeared in MCG and continued the otherwise depressing performances in test match. One of the reasons why Australia struggles to take twenty wickets in a match.
9. Ben Hilfenhaus - Another failure who has taken four wickets in three matches this series. An English-type bowler who has failed as bad as Johnson.
10. Ryan Harris - Injured in the series and out of the 2011 ODI World Cup. Was doing a good job in supporting Siddle with his lion-hearted performances but faces an uncertain future now.
11. Peter Siddle - The bowler who has looked like taking wickets for Australia - running in fast and doing his bit for the struggling team. The only bowler who looks capable of playing for a longer period.

Related articles

• Ashes series - Even-stevens at MCG (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• England Retain The Ashes After Test Win (news.sky.com)

Ashes series - Even-stevens at MCG

After the resurgence of the Australian attack in Perth, the series is even-stevens at MCG with everything to play for both the teams. Ricky Ponting seems to have recovered and is all set to play tomorrow - news that must have made the team Management feel relieved. More so Greg Chappell who believes that Clarke is not ready to be the captain now.

The pitch will be key after there were reports that the playing deck was switched. If it supports the slower bowlers, England will enjoy the advantage while if it is a hard one, the onus will be on the batsmen to revive the innings from the opposition bowlers.

Will Hussey and Cook continue their golden run? Or will it be the resurgence of Ponting and Collingwood? Similarly, will Johnson continue his all-round performance he showed in the Perth test or will another avatar of the fast bowler appear at MCG? Will Anderson rally his team after reports of stiffness were played down by him?

All questions will be answered over the next five days when one team will blink. Which team will it be?

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There is a world outside England, Ted

I have enjoyed the writing of Ted Corbett, senior English writer, in the cricketing field for quite a while now. His humor is very evident in the articles he writes for Sportstar, almost every week when the English cricket team is playing. Maybe he took his humor a bit too much in his recent article

Kevin Pietersen is now the most intimidating cricketer in the world. There is no one else, since Brian Lara laid down his bat for the last time, who can destroy an attack, reduce the morale of a team to zero and boost his side's run rate so much that the bowlers have all the time they need to complete victory

Ted, agreed that England won the second test match against Australia very convincingly and KP played a major role in the victory. But, to hail him as the most intimidating cricketer in the world? Please. And why Brian Lara? Because he scored those record-breaking triple centuries against your team? You might have apologised to Sachin Tendulkar & Ricky Ponting (and Kumar Sangakkara) in your article but havent you heard of the exploits of a Virender Sehwag, if not Sachin or Ricky?

There is no one else, since Brian Lara laid down his bat for the last time, who can destroy an attack, reduce the morale of a team to zero and boost his side's run rate so much that the bowlers have all the time they need to complete victory.

If this statement was given as a Quiz question to any contestant, the first name that appears to everyone will be the Nawab of Najafgarh, not the English recruit from South Africa.

Related articles

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• Mitchell Johnson brands Kevin Pietersen a 'smart-arse' (independent.co.uk)

Ashes series - Australia announce squad for 3rd test

The Oz selectors have named their squad for the third test match

Shane Watson, Phillip Hughes, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Michael Beer, Ben Hilfenhaus.

Three changes - one necessitated by injury to Simon Katich while the dismal bowling forced the inclusions of Smith and Beer. Marcus North has been finally rested by the selectors after calls were loud and clear.

Though the inclusion of Beer was a surprise to the entire world, the legendary Shane Warne had suggested his name when there was a big noise to recall him back to the Oz squad. Did the Oz selectors just follow his advice to name the youngster? Warne's rival, Macgill, is not impressed however. The player himself was surprised by the call-up. Whatever it is, the spinner looks to be another shot in the dark by the team management?

Mike Gatting suggests that Ricky Ponting should step down and concentrate on his batting even though agreeing that there are not many options to replace him outside Clarke. But, given Clarke's current form, is he a good choice? No. Who else then? It has to be Ricky Ponting, by default, then. Dean Jones gives his two cents on how the Oz should hit back - hard. Will his words inspire the team in the next test?

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Ashes series - England go 1-0 up

Scene at the Adelaide Oval soon after the match ended

The Australian team lost the second test match today - the innings wrapping up in double quick time, especially after Hussey got out to an ill-advised pull. Greame Swann took this opportunity to cut through the tail-enders.

Stuart Broad and Simon Katich will no longer play in this test series - the Aussies will miss the player more than the English team.

Ricky Ponting must be feeling the heat from his supporters and frankly, all the planning he can conjure up over the next ten days is of no use if he cannot get his bowlers to take wickets. After the first innings of the first test, the bowlers have not been able to bowl to the lower order batsmen at all.

Can the selectors bring back Shaun Tait to the team for the Perth test - his extra speed will surely help give an edge to the Oz team. Or are they desperate enough to call back Brett Lee? More than the bowlers, the batsmen will have to pull up their socks and perform in the next three tests. The team-morale needs to be improved upon, for they would have taken a big beating in this match. How will the team management deal with this, will determine the fate of this series.

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Ashes series - new-look bowling pair for Oz

Chance to get his head straight

The Australian team management dropped Mitchell Johnson, who thought that this was a time to get his head straight. He struggled to make an impression in the first test and this decision will do him good. Ponting remarked that Hilfenhaus might be replaced by Bollinger, making it a new and fresh pair for the second test starting on Friday. The Australians will be expecting these changes to help them get twenty English wickets in Adelaide.

The English team must be feeling very confident after the first test batting performance - their captain making all the right sound-bites saying that they have not achieved much so far. Complacency is the one factor that might pull them down but the 2 Andrews - Strauss and Flower - will keep them motivated enough.

The pitch will be flat while rains might cause interruptions in the match. Ability to take wickets will be the key factor at play while Ricky Ponting will strive to put runs on the board. The Oz batting order will be under pressure to regain their form and score heavily. Will the English bowlers come to party once again or will it be the reincarnation of KP?

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Ashes series - Is the new Australia same as old England?

Years ago, when the Aussies were beating anyone and everyone who played them in test matches, England were a sorry lot. They picked players in the hope that they would perform. A player would be selected for a match only to be dropped the next one, without any reason. Even captains were not spared - the English team resembled the tube stations that dot all across the country - players going in and out of the team regularly.

How times have changed - Australia are resembling their ashes counterpart now. Today's announcement was something that would have done the English team proud. SEVENTEEN!!! 17 players for the first test in Brisbane. What were the selectors thinking? 

Going into details of the squad, let us see was it really required?  The players selected include - Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Xavier Doherty, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger

The players likely to play the test at this time are Katich, Watson, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz. The remaining 3 slots are open - one is the No.6 slot where North seems to be the front-runner and in all likelihood will play in the first test. The other two are the slots of the pace bowlers - Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus will be the first choices with Bollinger in the hunt in case of an injury.


Why then did the selectors choose 4-5 more players than the usual list? Of course, injury worries are there but that doesn't necessitate the selection of so many players. Are the selectors trying to confuse their opponents? Michael Hussey is too good a player who can be replaced given the current status of Aussie cricket - then, why go for players like Ferguson? Is it the presence of a person by name Greg Chappell, who is introducing these "novel" ideas? Or are the Aussies really confused? Whatever it is, they are probably the New England team now. Will their performance resemble the English also? Time will tell.

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Ashes series - starting soon

Image via WikipediaThe Ashes is definitely the most-anticipated series across the world - the amount of articles written about it are numerous. Being an Indian, I feel that the India-Australia or the India-Pakistan series are even more liked but that is probably restricted to the Indian sub-continent. 



Interviews are happening with almost every English player active in the cricketing circles. There are a number of people who believe that England has a chance to retain their urn while some more think that the Aussies will be able to repeat the performance of the last Ashes in Australia (which they won 5-0). The TV crews are all over the place in Australia while the English at home are following the action very closely.

The English team has started the warm-up matches in right earnest - the Indians must take a leaf out of their English counterparts - by starting the tour almost three weeks earlier and getting used to the ball, bounce, pitches in Australia. One can only laud the ECB for their planning. Will Andy Flower succeed where his predecessors failed?

The teams are evenly matched at this time - probably, the spin bowling department is one where Swann scores higher than Hauritz. The spectators must be hoping for the lead batsmen (Kevin Pietersen and Ricky Ponting) to return to form.

England has not done so well to call themselves the favorite for the series but try telling that to their supporters. The Aussies have slipped from the heights of their achievements but on their soil, they are still a mighty force to reckon with. They lost the test series against South Africa but this series should see them straining every sinew to bring back the urn. 

I feel that the series will be closely fought but still rate the Aussies as favorite to win the Ashes back. 

The great performance that I feel has happened even before the series has started has been (yes, on for the last 14 months) by a person who has been cycling for more than 25000 kms from Lords to Brisbane - really superb feat by this great person - HATS OFF!!!

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India series - Where did the Oz fail?

India finished the test series against Australia at home on a winning note though the difference was not big. The Oz team scored 400+ runs in the first innings of both the test matches but still lost. Where did they fail? Let us go through the team members that formed the composition of the Australian team?

1. Openers - Simon Katich and Shane Watson. The most consistent among the batsmen. Only the last innings in Bengaluru was when they failed to raise a huge stand. They managed to counter the threat of Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth with the new ball but could not manage to score a larger one. Watson did not ball as much as he could have - that might be the only complaint against him in this series.
2. Ricky Ponting - The captain himself agreed that he let the team down by not scoring centuries. He was effective in countering the threat of Harbhajan but not successful in continuing further.
3. The Two Michaels - Clarke and Hussey. While the first one was a complete failure in this series, the second one made starts but again, did not score big (one dismissal was unfortunate in the first test though). It was quite surprising to see Clarke fail since he plays spin so well.
4. Marcus North - He was always under the sword but managed to regain his spot with a century. But still, one feels that he is not convincing as a test cricketer.
5. Tim Paine - One of the successes of the tour - being a replacement of Haddin, he performed well both in front of as well as behind the stumps. Very good prospect for the Aussies.
6. Nathan Hauritz - another failure on this tour. He was not helped by the bad field placement in the last innings of Bengaluru but at no time did he manage to trouble any of the Indian batsmen. Steve Smith will fancy his chances for the Ashes series.
7. Mitchell Johnson - Was the senior-most bowler of the squad but did not behave like one. His performance was up and down in both the tests. Only when he is back in the old form he is known to have, can the Aussie team manage to win test matches with the ease of old.
8. Ben Hilfenhaus - bowled better than the other bowlers and showed that swing was not his only expertise. He could bounce out Sehwag and provide breakthroughs regularly.
9. Doug Bollinger - Injury forced him to miss the latter part of the first test but he showed glimpses of talent that can make him a permanent bowler in the squad.
10. Peter George - Another exciting prospect who learnt test match cricket the hard way. He will have to be tested on home soil once as well.

Overall, the team was talking more of the Ashes rather than the series on hand - maybe that was one of the reasons for the bad performance. There are talks of Ricky Ponting's bad captaincy but who is the next option? Michael Clarke, who had a poor series? These are troubled times for Ponting when he doesn't have the services of all the greats (Mcgrath, Warne, Gillespie, Gilchrist, Hayden) - imagine what would have happened if Clive Lloyd had the current crop of West Indian bowlers as part of his team!

Will the Aussie team bounce back? Definitely. They will show the world that they are still strong at home by beating the English team at the Ashes series.

Watch the Betfair page for betting on the Ashes series.

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Mohali Test - Honors even on third day still

After 3 days on a ground that is not supporting the bowlers much, the 2 teams are almost on equal terms (a difference of 23 runs). The sessions (out of a total of 9) won by each team are equal (4.5 days each). The Indian team was on course for a huge total but the dismissal of Tendulkar made the Oz team come back in a strong manner.


Sachin lost his chance to score a century but he must have been more disappointed to lose the control that he and Raina had on the match. Raina continued his good start to test cricket but threw away his wicket before scoring what would have been his 2nd test century. Laxman's health problem caused the team lose a batsman (just like they lost the services of Ishant).

The Aussie bowlers were also limited in their variety but they managed to get the lead at the end of the day. They repeated the tricks of the Indian team - right from the poor catching as well as the reluctance to take the new ball.

What next? The Indian bowlers should tighten the screws on the match and ensure that they restrict the Aussies to a total less than 250. That will setup the match for a good finale.

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Mohali Test - Sehwag's dismissal tilts match towards Oz

The Indian attack, handicapped by the non-availability of Ishant Sharma, were made to toil hard by Watson first and then Paine and the tailenders. The Indian bowlers bowled a tight line but with the soft ball, all the bowlers except Zaheer could hardly trouble the batsmen. The Oz batsmen also made the opportunities count and ensured that staying at the crease first made way to the strategy of making runs as well.

Sehwag started the Indian response in his usual manner and Ricky Ponting was very soon worried. But a ball that bounced more than he expected, made Sehwag play a false shot and top-edged the ball off Johnson. Gambhir's dismissal also meant that 2 of the 6 specialist batsmen were back in the hut. Now, it is upto the legends - Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman - and dashers - Raina and Dhoni - to take them closer to the Oz total.

The session-dashboard is at 3.5 - 2.5 in favor of the Aussies because of Sehwag's dismissal. Tomorrow's first session is key to the Indian response.

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Mohali Test - Honors even on first day

3 catches (2 dropped by MS Dhoni and one by Sehwag) would have impacted the first test match between India and Australia even more than the current score that shows the even status of the match after the first day. Compounding India's problems was the fact that first Ishant bowled badly and then hobbled out of the ground. It is quite a serious problem for India since the new ball is due and without Ishant there is no partner for Zaheer Khan in the morning tomorrow. Will Harbhajan be the other new-ball bowler? Probably.

Watson capitalized on the dropped catches and scored a century. Other than him, Ponting (also let off by an Ishant no-ball when MSD actually caught it!) scored a fifty and brought respectability to the Oz total. The only bowler who supported Zaheer Khan's heroics was Pragyan Ojha - he had bowled miserly even in the tour match. He bowled well without any wickets to show but on this pitch, he will be a handful on the latter days of the test match. Harbhajan got Clarke but that was more because of the batsman rather than the guile of the bowler.

The pitch is slow and the slower bowlers will enjoy it - not so much the Oz quicks. Hauritz should come to the party but he is also coming back from injury. Will the Indian batsmen capitalize? But firstly, they have to take the remaining 5 wickets.

1.5 sessions to both teams at the end of the first day - tomorrow's first session will be definitely interesting to watch.

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Galle Test - India let Sri Lanka get away further

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India, thanks to the exploits of their pace bowlers, made a comeback in the first session of the 3rd days play. Ishant Sharma, in fact, gave Jayawardane the same treatment that he had given Ricky Ponting in Perth before taking his wicket. Mithun gave him good support at the other end, not only restricting the run scoring but also taking wickets.

In fact, they were the only ones who looked like taking wickets from the Indian attack. They started the bowling in the morning, took a brief rest and then come back to take the second new ball, restricting to around 340 for 6.

Herath and Malinga then took the attack by its scruff, scoring their highest first-class scores. Prasanna Jayawardene was the one who started attacking the bowlers and strengthening India's position. This is where the Indian bowlers gave away the match - now, only a draw could be the favorable result for the Indians.

The Indians started their innings after the declaration at tea. Gambhir was dismissed cheaply by Malinga - his batting has been going downhill, even though slightly, for few matches now. Probably, his rich vein has gone the other direction now - whatever reason it may be, he needs to re-align his radar back to his high-scoring ways. Sehwag had no such problems - he was away, putting away the bad balls while controlling the ones that threatened his body and head.

Rahul Dravid - he must have now gone ahead of Inzamam-ul-Haq in the number of run-outs - lost his wicket after settling down. Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by the magician, trying to attempt a sweep. Sehwag continued to prosper and it is very likely that he will add to his tally of centuries tomorrow. Laxman has been promising so far - hope he can go on to score a big one.

3 days gone and India still is not in dire straits. They can still make a match out of it, at least think they can. 320 is the first target that the Indian team has to scale (interesting rule for follow-on here). The Indian team needs to show their batting strength and combat the Lankans on the last 2 days. Will the rain-gods help India also?

Session Dashboard - The Lankans still lead the Indians by 4.5 - 1.5. The first session was all India's while the Lankans came back in the second. The third session was dominated by the Indians though the Lankans took 3 vital wickets. With 6 more sessions remaining, Sri Lanka needs to win more than 3 sessions in the next 2 days to win the match. What will India's response be?

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Management Lessons from the Australia cricket team

A very interesting case-study of how the Australian team overcame all their problems to win a series in India.

Overcoming Challenges