Non-stop sports can tire you out these days. If you are one of the soccer buffs watching late night games on TV, cricket games in New Zealand are redundant. Even if you are a plain Jane (or Jack) like me and most Indians, least bothered about who plays where in Europe, England, Spain or Italy, NZ matches don’t attract you as much as they did years ago.
Partly because there’s no novelty and partly because there’s just too much of sports around the world. Records are being broken at breakneck pace; runs, especially, are cascading from everyone’s blade. It is difficult to sort 10 best innings in cricket history. Chances are that all those 10 may have been reported in the last 10 years. In future, the 10 best may just come in one year, courtesy Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
There’s also another reason why matches in New Zealand have lost that zing. The dairy nation doesn’t have a superstar that can pull me. The last one, Shane Bond, lost track due to terrible back injury and another in the making, Brendon McCullum, could never scale the heights expected of him.
So most of the reasons to watch games there are provided by opposing teams. Earlier this month, it were South Africans who gave me a few to try and wake up early. I couldn’t do so regularly but just managed to catch a glimpse of some players. Jacques Kallis may be boring but how can you ignore a player who has as many runs as Sachin Tendulkar has and more wickets than Zaheer Khan. Or Hashim Amla, who seems to have overcome the doubts and looks a pleasant stroke maker. Or of mercurial Ab de Villiers. Or the merciless Graeme Smith.
But most of all, it is their pace battery and young sensation, Vernon Philander, that I was most interested in.
Now, all those Indians who have suffered inferiority complex over the years of not having genuine pacemen and who have overhyped any trace of hope that has come their way, should take note of this.
Some experts too are guilty of this inferiority complex, including Sourav Ganguly.
But pace bowling isn’t all about pace. I am not saying this. Philander’s deeds are saying this.
The South African bowls at around 130-140 kmph and is the third fastest in terms of Tests to get to 50 wickets. In an era of batting tracks, this is phenomenal.
Most of his deliveries are in mid-130s and that, along with his record, says a lot about his skill.
I remember one particular instance which I conveyed to my younger bro, a faded paceman who has less respect for Virat Kohli than others as he’d got him twice in club/academy cricket matches in sub-junior days. Philander bowled five away deliveries and followed it up with another that jagged back in to get rid of a batsman. Our collective response was: here is a bowler. He thinks.
Philander is no doubt helped by Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn, both of who can’t just bowl at great pace but can also move the ball. But it is the skills that make him a dangerous proposition. Yeah, he also touches 140 but not regularly. It doesn’t show that any of the Protea bowlers are trying for pace. It comes naturally to them.
I have spoken to a lot of players and many rate Zaheer Khan as India’s most complete bowler ever. Zak can use the crease, the pace, the bounce, anything to get a wicket. He is wily but his fitness fails him badly. He is good despite bowling at about 130 kmph.
So while we celebrate Umesh Yadav’s rise let’s give this point a thought --- raw pace can’t always get you there.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Corporate necessity & the balance
It is unusual to see T20 cricket in whites. For a change, it is interesting. The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Trophy that wound up in the Capital on Sunday, March 4 was deprived of the colorful ambience and razzmatazz of the shortest form. But it wasn't shorn of stars.
In months of so much cricket, an event like the PSPB one is hard to fit in. This one had to be sandwiched between the league stage and the knockout stage of the Vijay Hazare inter-state one-dayers.
Lack of time was evident. The organisers couldn’t arrange for coloured clothes, apparently due to some logistical problem (time shortage perhaps), but that they managed to pull it off was an achievement in itself.
Even while the league games of national one-dayers were coming to an end, the PSPB event began with players like Pragyan Ojha, Ajinkya Rahane, Munaf Patel among others rushing in. Ojha and Rahane had to stay back in Delhi as their teams qualified for the knockout stage.
Ojha, whose team Bharat Petroleum lost in the semifinals on Saturday was there with the Hyderabadis at the Ferozeshah Kotla nets on Sunday, rolling his arm over to get ready for the knockouts.
Same was the case with Jaffer, who led Indian Oil to the PSPB Trophy on Sunday but turned out for Mumbai on Tuesday.
In times when the money in mainstream cricket is pretty good, turning out for companies would ideally be avoided. There are issues of exhaustion and as Ajinkya Rahane’s finger injury in the final proved, it is also fraught with risks.
But then Pragyan Ojha gave the explanation. “They gave me a job at a crucial period. They provided me with an early option to earn a (regular) living,” he said almost gratefully. Ojha, with a place in India Test side and an IPL contract should be least bothered about it. But that he is bothered is something commendable.
Jaffer too pointed out the importance. “We have to turn out for our employers. We can’t miss these games!” he said weighing the question with incredulity.
Do jobs matter?
At the prize distribution ceremony, Chetan Chauhan, the former India opener, urged companies to come up with jobs. “Although there are a lot of options to make money these days, I would still ask more companies to give jobs to players.”
Within the statement there may have been a concern that’s been pointed out by other players.
“What if the IPL goes bust one day? Or what if a player's career is cut short by injuries?”
Services batsman Yashpal Singh has no IPL contract and, apart from first class match fees, is reliant on what the Navy pays him.
Only some players’ bank accounts get swelled by the money. For the rest, it is still a grind. Among the PSPB companies, just three --- Indian Oil, ONGC and BPCL are providing jobs and Chauhan’s worries were about that.
Winner: Indian Oil
Runners up: ONGC
2nd Runner up: BPCL
Man of the tournament: Suhail Sharma of ONGC
In months of so much cricket, an event like the PSPB one is hard to fit in. This one had to be sandwiched between the league stage and the knockout stage of the Vijay Hazare inter-state one-dayers.
Lack of time was evident. The organisers couldn’t arrange for coloured clothes, apparently due to some logistical problem (time shortage perhaps), but that they managed to pull it off was an achievement in itself.
Even while the league games of national one-dayers were coming to an end, the PSPB event began with players like Pragyan Ojha, Ajinkya Rahane, Munaf Patel among others rushing in. Ojha and Rahane had to stay back in Delhi as their teams qualified for the knockout stage.
Ojha, whose team Bharat Petroleum lost in the semifinals on Saturday was there with the Hyderabadis at the Ferozeshah Kotla nets on Sunday, rolling his arm over to get ready for the knockouts.
Same was the case with Jaffer, who led Indian Oil to the PSPB Trophy on Sunday but turned out for Mumbai on Tuesday.
In times when the money in mainstream cricket is pretty good, turning out for companies would ideally be avoided. There are issues of exhaustion and as Ajinkya Rahane’s finger injury in the final proved, it is also fraught with risks.
But then Pragyan Ojha gave the explanation. “They gave me a job at a crucial period. They provided me with an early option to earn a (regular) living,” he said almost gratefully. Ojha, with a place in India Test side and an IPL contract should be least bothered about it. But that he is bothered is something commendable.
Jaffer too pointed out the importance. “We have to turn out for our employers. We can’t miss these games!” he said weighing the question with incredulity.
Do jobs matter?
At the prize distribution ceremony, Chetan Chauhan, the former India opener, urged companies to come up with jobs. “Although there are a lot of options to make money these days, I would still ask more companies to give jobs to players.”
Within the statement there may have been a concern that’s been pointed out by other players.
“What if the IPL goes bust one day? Or what if a player's career is cut short by injuries?”
Services batsman Yashpal Singh has no IPL contract and, apart from first class match fees, is reliant on what the Navy pays him.
Only some players’ bank accounts get swelled by the money. For the rest, it is still a grind. Among the PSPB companies, just three --- Indian Oil, ONGC and BPCL are providing jobs and Chauhan’s worries were about that.
Winner: Indian Oil
Runners up: ONGC
2nd Runner up: BPCL
Man of the tournament: Suhail Sharma of ONGC
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Better to move Ranji games to smaller cities
When Rajasthan took on Haryana at Lahli village, a 20-minute drive from Rohtak, it was a rare occasion when a high-profile game, like the Ranji Trophy Elite division semifinal, took place at a small venue. But knowing the crowd response in bigger cities, picking small towns could be a way out for the BCCI and state associations.
Earlier this year, Karnataka had experimented with a game against UP at Shimoga, 275 km from Bangalore. “The crowd response was great. We had about 15,000 people coming to watch the Ranji match there,” said K Muralidhar, media manager, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
While people flocked to Shimoga, the closely fought Ranji quarterfinal at Bangalore was played to empty stands. No wonder, the KSCA is taking even the Karnataka Premier League to smaller places as the crowd response in Bangalore and Mysore was disappointing.
Gujarat, another state to experiment with smaller cities, has also found the move positive. Vijay Patel, the Gujarat head coach, said, “During the game against Tamil Nadu at Ahmedabad, there was no one, barring players’ acquaintances. But in places like Valsad and Surat, we had between 2000-5000 people.”
Saurashtra is developing a turf-wicket ground at Surendranagar, 100km from Rajkot. Says Madhukar Worah, the Saurashtra Cricket Association joint secretary, “We’re hoping to hold games there to attract people.”
Local talent
But crowd response isn’t the only gain. Holding games at smaller venues can also attract local talent. Anirudh Chaudhry, the Haryana Cricket Association secretary, said, “A lot of kids turned up for trials during camps at Lahli.”
The village kids flocked to see Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Ashish Nehra and Amit Mishra during the recent North Zone T20s.
KSCA secretary Javagal Srinath told HT about plans to move cricket to smaller centres. “Along with matches, we are setting up district academies to take cricket to grassroots,” he said.
Riaz Bagwan, the Maharashtra Cricket Association tournament manager, said, “We have been holding games in Nasik and Ratnagiri for 4-5 years. Apart from the crowd, the idea is to generate interest and unearth talent.” The MCA has been holding age-group games in Satara.
Logistics
But there are logistical problems. The supply of electricity at Lahli is irregular. Also, while Haryana players stay in a hostel within the complex, visiting teams have to stay in Rohtak hotels.
“Electricity is a problem everywhere. But there are plans for an airport about 25-30 km from here. Who knows, there can be an international game here,” said Chaudhry.
Published in The Hindustan Times on January 10, 2012
Earlier this year, Karnataka had experimented with a game against UP at Shimoga, 275 km from Bangalore. “The crowd response was great. We had about 15,000 people coming to watch the Ranji match there,” said K Muralidhar, media manager, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
While people flocked to Shimoga, the closely fought Ranji quarterfinal at Bangalore was played to empty stands. No wonder, the KSCA is taking even the Karnataka Premier League to smaller places as the crowd response in Bangalore and Mysore was disappointing.
Gujarat, another state to experiment with smaller cities, has also found the move positive. Vijay Patel, the Gujarat head coach, said, “During the game against Tamil Nadu at Ahmedabad, there was no one, barring players’ acquaintances. But in places like Valsad and Surat, we had between 2000-5000 people.”
Saurashtra is developing a turf-wicket ground at Surendranagar, 100km from Rajkot. Says Madhukar Worah, the Saurashtra Cricket Association joint secretary, “We’re hoping to hold games there to attract people.”
Local talent
But crowd response isn’t the only gain. Holding games at smaller venues can also attract local talent. Anirudh Chaudhry, the Haryana Cricket Association secretary, said, “A lot of kids turned up for trials during camps at Lahli.”
The village kids flocked to see Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Ashish Nehra and Amit Mishra during the recent North Zone T20s.
KSCA secretary Javagal Srinath told HT about plans to move cricket to smaller centres. “Along with matches, we are setting up district academies to take cricket to grassroots,” he said.
Riaz Bagwan, the Maharashtra Cricket Association tournament manager, said, “We have been holding games in Nasik and Ratnagiri for 4-5 years. Apart from the crowd, the idea is to generate interest and unearth talent.” The MCA has been holding age-group games in Satara.
Logistics
But there are logistical problems. The supply of electricity at Lahli is irregular. Also, while Haryana players stay in a hostel within the complex, visiting teams have to stay in Rohtak hotels.
“Electricity is a problem everywhere. But there are plans for an airport about 25-30 km from here. Who knows, there can be an international game here,” said Chaudhry.
Published in The Hindustan Times on January 10, 2012
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