Cricket-Match-Special (CMS) Blog Site

I wrote this article on the CMS forum long time back but I would like to post it on the blog site as well.

So after successful regaining the Ashes England next play Saffers in SA. So, how would the pitches behave? can the bowlers succeed? would the pitches test the technique of the batsmen? are some of the questions that one can think of.

To start with SA wickets need not be as bouncy as they used to be, and the likes of Steyn, Franklin, Hoggy, Sree etc have been very successful by pitching it up, and swinging it as the wickets like at Durban can offer some movement with a bit of moisture in the pitch. It has more of a tennis ball bounce than the hard tracks one saw in the past. The best wicket probably is the one at Capetown as it has something in it for everyone. A bit of bounce, just a bit of movement, and as the match would progress one can see it helping the spinners. Actually Harris did get lots of wickets at Capetown against Aus in 09. The batsmen of course can trust the bounce unlike the double paced wicket one would likely get at Durban, or occasionally at Johannesburg.

Onions can be a bit of surprise package as the pitches have tended to suit bowlers like Siddle, Chris Martin etc, who are in some ways similar to Onions, and bowlers like Siddle just consistently did hit the seam, and the pitch, which usually has a bit of movement did the rest. If he bowls line and length, and doesn’t try to bowl short pitch stuff Broad should be ok on SA wickets, and if Anderson doesn’t get carried away, but looks to pitch it up and swing it then he too can get wickets.

One thing that can go against England would be South African management seeing the fact that England have some swing bowlers may look to have again tracks that are hard and bouncy, but looking at how the pitches have behaved in the last 3 to 4 years I am not sure one would see tracks that are really hard and bouncy.

As far as not selecting Harmison is concerned, I would say the last time around in SA Harmison got wickets at an average of about 73. Harmison was at his peak in 04/05, and everyone thought the wickets would suit him.

Add to it Harmison’s performance in India 09, NZ 09, and few other places in recent times has been poor as he has bowled more like a trundler.

As far as the batsmen are concerned it would be a stern test of their technique, and temperament. A batsman has to be in top form to counter the uneven bounce one may get in SA. It is all about playing late in SA, and any batsman, who would average even 40 in SA would be happy!

England also should look out for Steyn, as he has been deadly on SA pitches. He has constantly pitched it up and destroyed opponents, but the Aussies did take a gamble of going after him, and the plan did work, as Steyn started pitching it short, and the Aussie batsmen made merry. Among the support bowlers Morkel is inconsistent, Ntini is still good but he is not getting younger, Parnell is raw and Harris can be ok, but he is not a strike bowler. So, Steyn is the key to their success.

I won’t say the pitches won’t have bounce, as one would likely get to see a bit more bounce than the pitches in England, but the tracks aren’t that hard and bouncy, but can get uneven. It would test a batsman’s technique for sure!

Finally the former great South African bowler Shaun Pollock on Anderson.

“Anderson will get a lot of movement in the Highveld so the Jo’burg and Pretoria Tests will be where he could have the most impact.

“He’s got a great ability to swing the ball and up front he could be a handful with the new ball in South Africa”

I thought of writing an article on the battle for Frank Worrell trophy in 1995. It was a great test series as Aussies played out of their skins to defeat the Westindies to get back the prized Frank Worrell trophy after so many years.

It all started with the the Westindies thrashing the Aussies in odi’s, and Aussies had more problems as both Dermott and Fleming got injured. Australia’s woes was compounded by Warne looking ineffective, as Lara and Hooper played him very well. So, let us see how the test series unfolded.

In the first test Julien was the surprise package, as he took four wickets. Australian fielders took some great catches, which helped the team, but there was a controversial one if I remember taken by S.Waugh of Lara? when the Aussies played they got a lead, as everyone chipped in with a good score. In the absence of McDermott, the young McGrath took the mantle of being the main bowler, and he bowled superbly to take 5for to help the the Aussies to win by 10 wickets. In the second test the Aussies did well again, as Reiffel with his accurate bowling got wickets, and even Warne chipped in with few wickets. For Westindies Walsh bowled superbly.In the end Mark Waugh and Boon rescued the sinking ship to take Australia to safety, as the match ended in a draw.

In the third test Ambrose bowled superbly, and it looked like the speed king had woken up from a deep slumber, as in the first two tests he wasn’t good. One also can remember some heated exchanges that happened between Steve Waugh and Ambrose, as the Aussies were crushed though, not before McGrath again showed why he is highly rated by taking another 5for. It was a sight to see McGrath not holding back against Ambrose, as he tested him with bouncers. So, it all came down to the final test, where the Aussie bowlers dismissed the Windies cheaply then the Waugh twins took over, and played magnificently with their trademark flicks and cuts, as S.Waugh scored a double hundred, and Mark chipped in with a fine hundred. Windies did show some resistance in the second innings, but soon it all ended with the Aussies winning.The celebrations began, and the Aussies celebrated long and hard!

To end it the Aussies played as a team and won a historic series.

In another blast from the past I would like to have a look at Corky’s heroics against the Caribbean team at Lords in 2000. Cork wasn’t consistent as a player but had some great moments in his career like that 7 for 43 on his debut at Lords, the hat-trick and of course his heroics at Lords in 2000. He also did well in NZ in 97 as a batsman.

In 2000 the Caribbean team was a side that had lost its aura as a great team and were losing lots of matches still they were expected to crush the England team as England were in a rebuilding phase. The series started with the Caribbean side under the leadership of Mike’s favourite and the most boring batsman I have seen Adams crushing England by an innings at Edgbaston. Hussain was injured in the match as he was hit on the finger for the umpteenth time probably by Walsh and was ruled out of the second test.

So it looked all doom and gloom for England going into the second test. The selectors surprisingly selected Cork for the second test. At that time Cork was in the wilderness. It did surprise many of the experts and as expected Botham said the selectors are rubbish but in the end it proved to be an inspirational choice.

So with Hussain out it was Stewart who took up the mantle of captaining the side but the situation looked grim when Campbell and Griffith came up with a century partnership. Enter the mercurial Cork who suddenly started to bowl bouncers at Campball. The commentators didn’t like but it worked as Campbell fell into the trap and got out. Cork picked three more wickets as the Caribbean team were all out for 250 odd runs.

England’s batsmen must have been confident of doing well but Walsh and Ambi so many times the nemesis of the England team ripped through England’s batting line up as wickets fell like a pack of cards. England in the end were bowled out for just 130 odd runs.

So with a lead of more then 100 runs the Caribbean team seemed well on their way to a 2-0 lead and many experts even thought a whitewash was on the cards but Caddick came up with an inspirational spell with Gough and Cork supporting him well as the unpredictable Caribbean team were bowled out for just 52!!!

So England were left with a target of 189. It didn’t look good though when Ramps for the second time got out early. The look on Ramps’s face on the Lords balcony said it all. It looked like Ramps would like to be left alone on some Sahara desert rather than be on the Lords balcony with the cameras focusing on him. Anyhow coming back to the match Atherton and Vaughan came up with a partnership of about 100 runs but with England one always expects a collapse and olah didn’t England collapse big time? So from a score of about 90 for 1 England lost 7 wickets for about 60 runs what with still 30 odd runs required for victory. It looked like England would again lose from a position of strength.

The Lords specialist Cork though had other ideas and with his pace bowling partner Gough he came up with a match winning partnership as he turned the game on its head. I still remember the way he smashed Rose for 16 runs in a over to change the course of the game. The 6 he hit of a full length delivery from Rose over the mid wicket region would be etched in my memory forever. Ambi and Walsh tried their best but it was too late as England won by just 2 wickets.

So it was the heroics of the so called show pony which helped England to a memorable victory at Lords. Cork may have been inconsistent but he had the ability to win matches.

To end it was a great test match though it wasn’t easy to watch the final moments of match

It is great to see that Vettori has got 300 test wickets, and he has already scored 3000 test runs too.

He has just carried NZ’S bowling attack on his shoulders for many years. Chris Cairns got wickets, but he was injury prone. Bond has so much talent, but again has been injury prone, and lost a few years of his cricket as he played in the ICL. So Vettori has done a great job for the Black Caps as he has been consistent as a bowler. He has scored vital runs lower down the order too.

I first saw a bespectacled Vettori against England in 97. It was a series in which he showed great control for a 18 year old, and troubled all England’s batsmen. He has never been a big spinner of the ball, but clever changes off pace, a bit of flight, the arm ball and more importantly his control has helped him to become a very good bowler.

Early in his career he showed his class by taking crucial wickets in places like Srilanka. If I am right he even helped the Black caps to defeat Lanka in a test match in 98 as he teamed up with the off spinner Wiseman to take NZ to victory.

In England in 99 Dion Nash and Cairns bowled superbly, but Vettori did chip in with crucial wickets. It was also the time when he started to improve his batting. I remember him playing a gutsy innings at Oval as Chris Cairns played a magical innings in the end to turn the match on its head at Oval and NZ won that series. At that time he used to score a lot of his runs through the third man and the square leg. He still does it, but nowadays he has a better range of shots and a better defence too.

One also has to remember he had to battle with back problems, and it looked like it may threaten his career! He had to even change his action slightly, but he has made a fine come back from it.

As the years went by Bond came into the attack, and bowlers like Tuffey started to do well, but Bond being injury prone, and after he left for ICL it was Vettori, who became the main bowler. He took up the mantle of captaining the side as well as Fleming retired from international cricket. He continued to bowl well, and even played some fine knocks like that hundred against India recently. He almost took NZ to a fine victory against England at Old Trafford in 08 with a fine spell of bowling only to see his inexperienced batsmen throwing their wickets away to Monty, and England winning the match. He also played an important part in a fine victory against England in NZ at Hamilton in 2008. The Black caps had to depend on him even against Bangladesh in 08 as he took wickets, and scored runs to help them to avoid embarrassment.

As a captain too he is doing an admirable job especially when one considers the limited resources he has at his disposal.

So one can think of him as a very good bowler, as a batsman he has improved, a good captain and nowadays he is also a selector! A very good cricketer indeed.

Everyone knew that cricket in the Caribbean was going through tough times, but it is sad to see the situation getting worse as it is not just the battle between WIPA, and the board, but the coach of the team Dyson has been made a scapegoat for the defeat against Bangladesh and sacked, though one can surely say the side that lost to Bangladesh was a second string side.

The cricket in Caribbean has been on a slow decline for more than 15 years now, but the sad fact is it is getting worse,  and probably it has reached its nadir.

I do remember senior players like Marshall, Dujon etc at the time of their retirement in 91/92 saying everything isn’t rosy as far as cricket in the Caribbean is concerned.

In 1995 Richie Richardson had problems with the star batsman Lara, and Lara didn’t even tour Australia in 95/96. Finally Richardson retired after the 96 world cup as Walsh became the captain. I have also heard about disunity at that time itself.

Lara was finally given the chance to captain the side in 98, but again even in 98 there were problems between the board, and the players association before a tour to SA, though it was resolved just in time, but it did affect the performance of the side as they lost 5-0 in SA.

For a brief period Lara got disillusioned with cricket, and took a break as Adams took over the captaincy, but the Caribbean team lost most of their matches as Adams finally resigned from the job of captaining the side.

Hooper, who had retired from the game came back to take up the mantle of captaincy as he, and the coach Logie did a decent job, but the stop gap arrangement didn’t last long, and finally it ended after a disappointing world cup campaign in 03.

Players strike came back to haunt the side in 04 during the tour of Lanka when Chanders took up the mantle of captaining a second string side, and he continued to be the captain in spite of senior players coming back into the side only to see the team lose match after match as he finally resigned as Lara again became the captain.

King the coach of the side at that time wasn’t said to be good, and was criticised for his methods as he eventually resigned after the a disappointing 2007 world cup. It was also the last time we saw of Lara. Yes, he was a great batsman, but was involved in lots of controversies.

Temporary coaches like Moore came and went as finally Dyson took over, and it looked like Gayle and Dyson were doing a decent job as the team defeated England at home in a test series, which was a  decent achievement, but again the controversies came back to haunt cricket in the Caribbean as the board, and the association fought on the issue of contracts. The board fielded a second string side against Bangladesh, and that side promptly lost to Bangladesh. The board had to find some scape goat, and it was of course the coach Dyson, who was sacked! On the other hand the association lead by Ramnaraine and the board are still at each other’s throat, and the board has selected again a second string side for the champions trophy!

So, who is to be blamed for the mess???

The board lead by Hunte seems to be as incompetent as it gets, but I believe players, who have played for the last few years or so also have to take some blame for the cricket in Caribbean reaching such a bad state.

The Caribbean team haven’t utilised whatever talent has been there as well as most of the players, who  looked like had some talent either were dropped too soon, or have stagnated.

So what is the future for players like Darren Bravo, Barath, Roach etc? Can they make a living out of a sport which is in such a mess?

I have also heard about Trinidad and Tobago even thinking of competing as a different entity!

On this issue Tony Cozier has got it bang on right as in his column he rightly points out if the the Caribbean team gets fragmented into smaller teams, and end up playing in the proposed second division with Zimb, Bangladesh etc no sponsors would be interested. So, with no money around cricket would ultimately suffer.

So, one can think of players disunity, strikes, bad selection, board being incompetent etc. The situation for a team which produced some of the greatest cricketers like Ambrose, Walsh, Lara, Marshall, Hall, Richards, Lloyd, 3 W’S, Headley, Holding etc can’t get worse, and there doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel!

Since England’s debacle at Headingely there has been a huge debate regarding whether Ramps should be recalled or not? did he fail in tests due to lack of ability, or was it because he didn’t had test match temperament?

To start with I am not a fan of Ramps, and if I look at his average of 27.32 I would say he isn’t good enough, but if one looks deeper into it I may say the selectors didn’t handle him well.

His critics will always say he played in 52 tests, and was given ample opportunities, but they don’t see the number of times he has been dropped after every 2 or 3 games.

Ramps made his debut in 1991 against Ambrose Walsh, Bishop and co. and as expected he didn’t do well against an superb bowling attack.  Next up he had to play 2 tests against Akram and Younis and was dropped after that series.

It is not right to pick a player against such type of quality bowlers, and then to drop him so soon.

Anyhow coming back to Ramps the pattern continued as in 93 he came back against Aus, and did well only to be dropped after another series against Ambi and co.

He was again picked against Ambi and co in 95,but again dropped after 1 bad series against SA.

In 98 he started to play better, and these are his averages in that period.

66.5 against Ambi and Walsh.

31.12 against Donald and co.

47.37 in Aus. against Warne and McGrath.

47.5 against Murali and co.

25.4 against NZ.

Again one bad series and he was dropped!!

He came back in 2000 only to be dropped again after a few games.

In 2001 he again came back, and made a splendid hundred against Aus only to be dropped very soon in 2002.  He has not played test cricket after he was dropped in 2002.

The selectors never gave him a decent run in the side, and when he looked good in 98 he was dropped after one bad series against NZ though he had succeeded against his nemesis Ambi and Walsh, McGrath, Murali etc.

Anyhow coming back to the test at Oval I would say there aren’t many candidates for the middle order slot.

Ramps is still in great form in CC.

I don’t see too many question marks regarding his ability as he plays late, and has more time on his hands than the average County batsman.

He is 39 years of age which can go against him.

His mental toughness would be a question mark as he hasn’t succeeded in test cricket,  but he does average 42 against Australia!

I was against England picking Ramps, but on second thoughts if I look at the candidates available for selection I would say Ramps need not be the worst pick.

I have seen many experts, statisticians, cricket fans debating who is the best batsman of all time but what about the best batswoman of all time? So I thought of analyzing about who can be the best batswoman of all time.

Heyhoe Fint

It is always said that Hey Hoe Fint was the one who brought respectability to women’s cricket . As a player she was said to be very good in defence also SHE could play attacking shots and was rightfully inducted into MCC in 04. She also captained the England side.

Janette Brittin

I was fortunate enough to see this player from Surrey who also played for England. Her greatest strength was that once she got settled at the crease she had the ability to get big scores as she had a good defence. Brittin played for nearly 20 years for England and still holds the record for the most number of runs in test cricket.

Karen Rolton

She was another fine player from Australia. Her greatest strength is that she is powerful and generates great amount of bat speed. She is easily the most powerful batswoman I have seen . She is also the captain of the present Australian side. Finally when one remembers Rolton everyone remembers her great innings against South Africa in the 2001 world Cup and in that innings it rained sixes from her bat. It even made Murdoch sit up and take notice and the media mogul even took the gamble of televising that tournament. It just shows the kind of impact she made in that tournament.

Mithali Raj

Now how can I leave the Indian lass Mithali Raj who holds the record for highest individual score in test cricket. She is a very sweet timer of the ball and once she gets set has the ability to get big scores. A very fine player indeed. She is a connoisseur’s delight.

Anjum Chopra

Another fine Indian player who too has served India well over the years. Chopra the lefthander is another sweet timer of the ball who can be good to watch.

Charlotte Edwards

The present captain of England may not have had the best of world cup still she too is a fine player. Edwards is very strong off her legs and can get big scores.

Hockley

Probably she was the best batswoman of NZ. Her greatest strength was her ability to be innovative. A very seasoned campaigner indeed.

Belinda Clark

For me the best batswoman of all time has to be Belinda Clark. I did not see the legendary Hey hoe Fint but whatever I have seen of Belinda Clark makes me think that she was the most complete batswoman of all time. She had all the shots in the book and played some great innings like that double hundred against Pakistan in the 97 world Cup. Yes the bowling attack was weak still it was a fine performance from her and who can forget her valiant 90 odd in the 2001 world cup final and one has to say that her stroke play in that knock as exemplary especially her footwork against spinners.

Upcoming players like Claire Taylor and the new sensation Sarah Taylor who is also an competent keeper too are really good and one count Stahlekar of Australia as well.

I just thought of looking at Tresco’s career and his achievements.

It was in 2000 when Tresco played for England. He was very much an unknown quantity then and was a surprise inclusion in the England one day side. Fletcher had seen him score a breathtaking triple hundred for the second team so he insisted on him being included.

Anyhow what struck me most in his first onedayer was his confidence. He just came down the wicket and smacked the second ball of Streak’s over for a boundary and Streak was not some club standard bowler. He had a very successful one day series and there was a clamour for his inclusion in the test side. As expected there were many skeptics of his technique like some said that he had concrete feet but all those whingers had not seen the fact that Tresco’s balance at the time of playing the ball was so good and he played with such a still head. Of course he had such good hands, and hand eye co ordination. Anyhow in spite of all that rubbish which was said about him he was selected and he immediately made an impact by doing well against the likes of Walsh and Ambi and played a huge part in helping England to win back the Wisden trophy.

His bigger test came in that winter when England went to Pakistan, and Lanka where the slow and low wickets would test the technique and temperament of many a batsman but Tresco stood up to it especially in Lanka when he played a masterful hundred at Galle against Murali and co. on what was an turning wicket. He showed excellent technique and patience in that innings. What struck me most in that innings was he had such good hands because of which he was able to manoeuvre the strike and he RARELY USED his pad against the spinners.

Back home he did well against Pakistan at Old Trafford when he scored 117 though at the other end wickets fell like nine pins and England lost. Again he showed that when the team is in trouble he is the one who will come good. In the Ashes that followed though he did ok he was not outstanding and again the so called experts started questioning his lack of footwork but thankfully it did not get into Tresco’s head as in India he yet again did well and most of the times the team were under pressure yet Treso stood to the task.

His biggest test though came later in that year in Australia when he started to get low scores and were not the pundits waiting for it as they all jumped into the bandwagon and started questioning about his technique and one has to say that there was immense pressure on the guy when he walked to bat against SA at Oval in 2003 as he had not scored a century for over a year but how well he responded by playing a magnificent knock and getting a double hundred. Infact England were behind in that match as they were chasing a good score of 485 made by SA yet Tresco anchored the innings beautifully and helped England to win. His shots against Paul Adams in that knock were great to watch. After that series he scored a fine hundred against Bangladesh at Dhaka. I am discussing this knock just because even against Bangladesh England were in trouble and without Tresco’s hundred England may have lost.

He had his troubles in the Caribbean and as expected the cricket pundits were beginning to question his technique but Tresco silenced them atleast for sometime as he did well at home still there were whispers about him failing on the bouncier tracks of SA but in his usual style of standing upright and getting a good stride in Tresco was able to do well in SA. His knock at Durban where he and Strauss put on a double hundred first wicket stand helped England not only to make sure that they will not lose but got them back in the match as suddenly England from losing had a good chance of winning! At Wanderes he helped England to win the match by scoring a blistering 169 which helped England to declare early as England won the series in SA. Few of the shots which I still remember from the knock were that nonchalant flick of Kallis, and coming down the wicket and hitting Boje straight down the ground against the spin.

The next big series was against Australia and the cricket experts were back on track as they started pointing towards Tresco’s rather modest record against Aussies especially Ian Chappell was very critical of him as he said that both Kasper, and Dizzy will get him for single digit scores but did not he prove them wrong and who can forget his 90 at Edgbaston which brought some new life to England’s camp or all those consistent scores throughout the series. In total he scored 430 runs and for once all his critics shut their mouth. He showed his class in Pakistan with a fine 189 at Multan though his team let him down by collapsing as England lost.

I don’t want to get into the details of all that happened after that tour as Tresco finally retired in 07 but there is no doubt in my mind that he was an underrated opener. He was someone who stood upto the challenge whenever England were in trouble.

With India and England playing out a great match I thought of writing a article on a match which I found very exciting.

Australia v South Africa at Port Elizabith 97

It was surely one of the most exciting matches I have ever seen. It was built up as a series between the top two sides in test cricket and the winner being crowned the unofficial test champions but the series began with Aussies crushing South Africa in the first test at Wanderers on what was a flat pitch, so the South African team management pressurised the groundsmen to spice up the wicket at Port Elizabith by leaving grass on the pitch so that it will help Donald, and Pollock. Usually the pitch at Port Elizabith is slow and low.

So the match started with Australia winning the toss and as expected they elected to field first on a pitch with a bit of moisture around and of course there was grass on the pitch. Infact it looked like cattle can be left on that pitch to feed on the grass! Anyhow as expected McGrath, and Gillespie ran through the south African top order as they lost 7 wickets for the score of just 95. McGrath was superb as he probed SA’S batsmen by bowling just on and around off stump and asked lots of questions with Dizzy bowling at good pace, and accuracy but those were the days when South Africa had a excellent lower order made up of players like Macmillan, Pollock, and Richardson and this time around it was Macmillan, and Richardson who made sure that South Africa would reach atleast 200 but the South African bowlers lead by the fiery Donald as well as some good support by Pollock, Macmillan and even Cronje who too was effective with so much movement around responded back by bowling out Aussies for just 108 and it looked like suddenly South Africa had the upper hand especially after Kirsten, and Adam Bacher played tenaciously on that very difficult pitch to take the score to 80 odd for no loss but Gillespie with his incisiveness and both the Australian spinners Warne, and Bevan got Aussies back in the second innings as they dismissed South Africa for just 168. It was surprising to see South Africa fold up to the Australian spinners on a seamers paradise which probably again showed no matter what pitch they play on South Africa are vulnerable against wrist spin.

Now Australia had to chase 271 which considering the nature of the pitch was a difficult task and it looked even more difficult when Australia lost their out of form captain Taylor as well as Hayden but Elliot and the classy Mark Waugh came up with a fine partnership and afterwards Bevan gave good support to Mark but the day belonged without doubt to M.Waugh who played one of the best innings I have seen. Actually I have never seen Mark Waugh play with so much determination, he just defended as though his life depended on it which usually one saw with his elder twin and on the other side Donald with his tail up was bowling very quick and tested the younger twin with well directed short pitched deliveries and it has to be said that there was always a perception that M.Waugh was vulnerable against short pitched deliveries but M.Waugh negotiated it calmly but when Donald would occasionally pitch it up he would play the elegant cover drive and when their lone spinner Adams would come onto bowl M.Waugh would just hit him over the top, yes he finally got out with Australia still 20 runs short of winning the match and though Kallis got few of Australia’s lower order batsmen out still Aussies won.

It was a fascinating game where both teams had their chances but M.Waugh again showed that with his classy batting he was someone who may not have a great average but he will win you matches which is more important! as he carved out a magnificent century and in my view it was one of the better innings    played atleast in the last decade or so on what was a very difficult pitch. It was his innings which kept their spearhead Donald at bay as he went wicketless in the second innings and helped Australia complete a memorable victory as well as win the series!