Sep 23, 2011

RCB Vs Warriors - Time To Pay Homage - CLT20 2011 First Match

First I would like to pay homage to India's most graceful, charismatic and witty cricketer ever! MAK Pataudi Sir I will miss your wit and humour the most.:(

CLT20 got off to a rapping start! I am not a big fan of rap but CLT20 being a global tournament it was only apt to start with some rap n zap.

As we move onwards to the cricket,RCB Vs Warriors didn't look like an mouth watering encounter to me at the start.For I believed the Bangalore pitch suited for the home side. They had posted huge scores at chinnaswamy stadium during IPL.

So I thought RCB would win even though I didn't expect gayle to be firing given the fact he hasn't played any form of  competitive cricket since IPL.

Warriors won the toss and asked RCB to bat. If it hadn't been said enough already its bound be dew around during day and night matches in Bangalore especially during the winter months.


The RCB put into bat started aggressively enough Gayle the umpteenth person to prove me wrong this week :) looked in great touch to my surprise.One of his trademark hoick landed in the stands he was all set to repeat his IPL 2011 opening innings until warriors captain flew like a butterfly to pull of an sensational catch at long on.It must have stung like bee for Gayle who looked good until then.

The RCB innings was like one of those community events where everyone chips in with a gig or two.Couple of 30's from Kohli and Devillers, 20's from Gayle, Tiwary, and Kaif.Community events are great only when they get some one who can guide them through.It didn't happen in RCB innings, considering the position they were they should have added at least 10 more runs to the score.

The tail enders had to face the final overs of the RCB innings, that's not right in a 20 over game and they just about managed to get 8 runs from it. Unlike RCB, the warriors seemed to have a plan, they wanted one player to play through the innings and there was only one man who is going to do it for them you can see it from a mile way really!.

Ashwell Prince is not your typical swash buckling rock n lola kinda of cricketer but yesterday he was all that and more. Come on he was going bam! bam! bam! against Gayle.For all those who think Gayle is part timer think again he almost pulled of matches with ball in his hand. He is more than decent T20 bowler. No slog, no muscle, & no fancy dancing at the crease yet A.Prince hit two straight sixes over long off first and then , when Vettori brought long on in and dropped mid off back he went over long on now!

T20 cricket at its best from the batsmen but RCB fielding left lot to be desired, they were trying their best but nothing seemed to counter their butter fingers.Even Kohli of all people dropped a catch from Ashwell Prince.

When the spinner were brought into the attack the match was evenly poised but they pulled things RCB's way with some tight bowling.The only disadvantage was that two left armers where bowling to a left hander.If i was the captain I would have given Kohli a go! Just to break the rhythm.

When the 5th wicket fell Warriors captian walked in, Harsha and Ian Chappel were going on about how Botha missed a trick by not promoting himself higher up the order. I also think it could have been a good idea.Similar things have been said about MSD as well.Sometimes you need to plan for the worst case scenario.

Botha was in no mood to play himself in,got off the mark with a boundary.He raised off to 20 in just 9 balls when its was time for the final 3 overs. Ball was given to Gayle, warriors still needing 35 runs from 18 balls.The first 3 balls of the over produced just 5 runs then botha went ballistic taking 13 runs of the next three. Suddenly the match turned upside down, one over is all it takes to change fortunes in T20.
Then it was upto the young Arvind to produce an exceptional final over to win it for RCB.With 7 runs needed from the 6 balls Arvind produced 3 dot balls in a row with the third one being the wicket of Botha. Is it the "C" word time again ? Another SA team another match that they should  have won easy going down to the wire.

Arvind bowled another great delivery letting Boje to score just one.Parnell the new batsmen was now clear he needed a boundary as the equation has gain shifted to RCB with 6 needed of 2 balls.He spanked the next ball straight past the bowler for a four! Wow! The crowd went numb, the RCB dug out looked tensed, warriors dug out looked even more so. The final ball drilled to mid off, Nicky Boje would have qualified for the Olympics had it been a track & field. He completed the couple needed before the fielder had any chance.
This CLT20 has already produced some thrilling games!! I love the fact that all the games have full entertainment value

Meanwhile In England, the English have completed a 10 wicket win over west indies (One sided match if ever was!)


Sep 19, 2011

Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Auckland Aces - Boring Pitch But A Good Match ?

All along "The Dust Bowl" and "I Dont Know How To Play Spin" brigade has been driving home the message that exciting cricket only happens on fast and bouncy green tops.Well yesterday's T20 match was as much an even contest as you will ever see.

Team Photo Auckland Aces
Its no surprise that it was an low scoring match that produced a nail biting finish.The biggest surprise for me was that the crowd seemed to be missing and that meant the entire match was played with little or no atmosphere. No advantage for the IPL team here.

KKR started off really well both Bisla and Kallis were looking comfortable.They were steadily building a good partnership and the Kallis doing the catch up to Bisla who played some outstanding back foot shots. They were 80 odd from just 9 overs.That's when the abrasiveness of the pitch and some reckless slogs started to play its part in a restricting Kolkata to just 40 runs from the next 11 overs

Both spinners and fast bowlers had assistance from the pitch.Ball started to reverse well as early as the 15 over, with former New Zealand bowler Andre Adams bowling some in-swinging toe crushers.

Auckland aces must have fancied their changes when they went into the dug out.They did lose an early wicket not because of an exceptional play from the opposition but because of their awful running between the wickets.Lou Vincent was next.He had a big grin on his face when he took strike.why? i dont know and dont care but, more of that please.people sometimes forget to enjoy the game.

Though he looked like a fish out of water against slower bowlers even with a new ball Lou Vincent did use all the loose deliveries that came his way.Infact he laid into Unadkat. Yeah the same guy who was picked for India on the SA tour :).

Once bitten twice shy, well not in this chase Lou Vincent ran himself out when hit a ball straight to Tiwary and tried to run.There was no run it.May be he knew what was coming in the next over so he was desperate to get the strike back.

Lou Vincent would have had plenty of company in the dug out.Acukland Aces's No4 and No5 went from the next 3 balls.So in the span of 4 balls Auckland Aces Lost 3 wickets :)

Its now upto the lower order and bowlers to save the match, right now I am so used to this after the Eng Vs Ind series :) then began the slow grind (or consolidation phase ) of a T20 innings, believe me even a T20 match has one.

So it was down to 21 needed for 12 balls. Kallis the captian decides its upto to him to restrict AA's.For the plan seemed to work when he clattered the stumps of Munro.Vin Diesel look alike Adams walks in and sends Kallis's length ball ten rows back. Now that's a real action hero.Some inside edges and scrambled singles latter it was 11 runs from the final over.

Lee takes over from Kallis he bowled accurately with pace hitting yorker lenght at will.I believe he must have bowled atleast three yorkers to kyle mills alone including the final ball where AA's needed 4 to win.Kyle couldn't do much other just squeeze a single to fine leg.Kolkata Knight Riders won by 2 runs

KKR 121/6 20 Overs
AA 119/6 20 overs

Good match for the neutrals but if i was KKR fan I would not be happy with how things have paned out.They have huffed and puffed their way to a win and definitely not champions league winning

Complete Score Card here


Ruhuna v Trindiad & Tobago, CLT20 qualifier, Hyderabad

There was another match on the day between Ruhunu and Trinidad & Tobago In which the oldest person in CLT20 certain S.Jayasuriya (42) was playing.But i missed the game as there was no coverage. Seems to be one sided match (T20 standard) T&T winning the game easily.Looks like its the other Ganga who has been the playing the calypso.

S Ganga scoring 39 runs from just 15 balls.Now thats some talent.I am telling you WI  cricket is slowly coming back to life.Bishoo and Pollard were a big hit in CLT20 last time.I hope we will see some more from WI's teams.


Match Stats

Ruhunu 138/10 in 20
Trinidad & Tobago 144/5 in 20

Full scorecard of the match here

BTW the broadcasting from ESPN was crap to say the least, the camera angles were awkward and the transmission even went off in at crucial part of the match





Jan 11, 2011

Best English Cricket Television Show In India !

1.NDTV (Tea Toast & Sports,Sports 24x7 and also special shows on match days). Why I rate NDTV as the number simple they talk sense! Their anchors headed by the Sonali Chander, interesting cricket experts 

Ajay Jadeja (AJ) - He is the go to guy for NDTV, he is on the show even if it meant video conferencing from his hotel during his supposed breakaway holiday.AJ is the best cricket expert on tele without a doubt,he basis his views purely on cricketing matters and nothing else which is a very rare trait especially when cricket in our country is so much more than a game,it gets emotional.

Dean Jones (Prof.Deano) - Witty analogues, in your face criticisms and his acting (though he repeats some scenarios).An Aussie point of view on scheme of things.

Sunil Gavaskar (not a regular on the show), - The mans a legend, we believe in whatever he has to say, 9/10 he predicts it right, if you are betting person! what this show, will be making a lot of money. (you can also read my blog ) :)

Navjot Singh Sidhu - Sidhuisms have taken a break for a year or so! but he was the humorous side of this show before he got into politics and went missing from the scene.

And there are more people adding flavour to the show from time to time, but a show is not all about the celebrities but the hosts play a part as well.

NDTV Anchors & Sports Desk

1.Sonali Chander - Only person who can control Mr.Sidhu when he is on song!
2.Jaydeep Bhandarkar - love his sports stories, he doesnt appear that often on cricket shows but hope he does and also does a show on Arsenal ( GUNNERS )
3.Rica Roy - May be she is the next best interviewer in the NDTV sports desk after Sonali.
4.Anjali Doshi - She is a breath of fresh air in sports anchoring, Smile Smile And Smile Some More!

Dail C For Cricket - NEO Cricket

This is a live show hosted by Manish Vallicha every weekday on NEO Cricket.The show usually has a Cricket expert and every Friday night special shows a fan would get a chance to appear on the show and take the questions himself.The Fans get to express their views and debate it with the expert.

Its raw, straight forward and superbly simple. All the attributes to make this show run forever.Manish Vallicha is easily the best man for the job I cant see anyone else at NEO Cricket coming close to his intelligence or presence.Sometimes he talks better than the cricket experts on the show.

Even the cricket experts are not high profile cricketing stars better still they are domestic and retired players. Which makes its more interesting, Sometimes when a debate gets out of hand it is laughed out not reigned in!

One advise we all know Irfan Pathan is a good cricket but will you guys please stop talking about him lol every show has some fan talking about him! Even Sachin wouldn't get such PR, Must be Irfan is spending all the IPL on PR.

Star Cricket

No nonsense show on Star Cricket, Nikhil Chopra (former India Cricketer), Gautam Bhimani, and Jatin Sapru. Though its more of a entertainment show than a cricket show they sometimes talk Cricket.

It's completely unique and different to other shows on TV, ROLE Play is a special segment on the show where Nikhil take the role of different cricketers and tries to answer to questions.Though they sometimes fail miserably with the English accent part of it :), they do a good job especially for sub continental players.

Gautam Bhimani your are anchors envy, Jim Carey would certainly be happy to have your job.If it involves Bikini, Beaches And Cricket....You are the man for a report..

CNN IBN

I unfortunately have watched CNN IBN's Cricket show, mainly because I don't have access to TV when I travel so use their live streaming which is good!They usually have very good cricket experts but their host are absolute amateurs.

Even their Sports Desk editor Gaurav does know how to handle a interview asking irrelevant questions that has no bearing on the current news, its like they have their own business interests to promote rather than cricket bringing the owner of cricketnext.com into every debate..

Everytime you turn to their show for some cricket news you get stuffed with scams,controversies and scandals.Yes we all know that there are scandals and scams in Cricket.We also know BCCI president is occupying two jobs but please can we discuss cricket the game in atleast 5% of the show.If we need anything of that sort we would have been watching Big Boss or Soap Operas we don't need that!Keep it to your entertainment shows


More On This To Follow Please Input If I HAVE missed anything!

Jan 10, 2011

Ganguly In Your Side - A No Brainer

I will tell you why ! See I know the management behind all the 10 Ipl Teams are highly qualified in fact some of them might be over qualified with countless alphabets after their name signifying the schools,colleges,honors and degree they have got but yesterday they all looked liked amateurs who have no clue about sports!

All well is when you are running a manufacturing unit or beer vending machine, when you make decisions based on numbers and numbers alone..Numbers don't tell the whole story in most scenario's.

KKR Has Made A Sin

What is the point in Winning ? Why Run A Club ? Are these clubs run to satisfy individual Egos among the Elite Owners Club! OR is it done for Countless Fans who stand in queue, buy tickets with almost their entire weekly pay (in some cases) to watch their super heroes...Dada Is A Super Hero in W.B. A winning KKR is in everyone's interest , every single fan understands that but a team needs to win only for it's fans.

A Big Marketing Fail

A winning KKR is a easier brand to sell, but Ganguly the name is a brand in itself, he brings in the crowd and not SRK as the actor would like to think.The KKR could have made the money 1.84 cr which just ticketing,merchandising and advertising using Ganguly!

Cricketing Logic Also Fails

This is last IPL's batting chart, its a Joke that rational thinking people can overlook such stats.I am totally at sea as to the rest of Sourav Ganguly fans

All I can say is like most places in our beloved country "Wrong People End Up In Right Places"

Jan 7, 2011

Value Picks In IPL 2011 Auction

These aren't the big stars who are int he bucket list but I am telling you these are players to watch out for! Actually I think one of the IPL franchises should give me a job as talent shout lol.Anyway my hands are already full or what! Instead of spending millions on one star, the strategy should be to invest on players who have potential.Any Idiot can make money investing on blue chip stocks! but your returns are low comparing to your investment.Blue Chip's aren't risk free either! An injury or Bad Schedule can ruin the party as Chennai found out with Flintoff, Instead Picking these fellows can be fruitful and make the owner laugh all the way to bank while things get done minus the bucket list.

  1. C.Pujara
  2. S.Badrinath
  3. M.Guptil
  4. D.Bravo
  5. M.Karthik
  6. E.Morgan
  7. T.Perera 
  8. S.Randiv
  9. N.Kulasekera
  10. D.Sammy
  11. M.Marsh


Need to add more players to this list, help me out as I couldn't find the entire auction list for IPL (new 350 players list)