Cricket Thread III

03-23-2007, 10:18 AM

Woolmer story is on my yahoo front page.. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ohmy.gif' />

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070323/ap_on_...ricket_pakistan

03-23-2007, 11:04 AM

QUOTEMy whole problem with Agarkar is his total lack of discipline. An occasional wide, maybe, because of over-swing, but NO-BALLs? Come on, for someone who lives to bowl, it is hard to imagine how he cannot still have the rhythm and run-up accurate and repeatable to the millimeter.


I think Agarkar has started to play the victim. Instead of improving his accuracy, he probably feels he is being unfairly targeted. It is coach's role to make sure that bowlers understand what is expected of them. No chance of this underarmer making himself useful. Getting accuracy should not be difficult. And I think the cheapskates at the BCCI are also not interested in appointing a bowling coach.

QUOTEThey need to drop Agarkar and bring in Pathan, and drop Patel and bring in Sreesanth. And drop Oothappam and bring in Kartik. Hope they show some brains tomorrow.


I dont think that is going to happen. Dravid takes loyalty to an extreme. Sehwag should have not even be selected for the WC, but he was persisted with for long enough and he has helped himself to a hundred against Ber, now he will be not be touched for another 5 failures. No chance of Agarkar and Uthappa being droped for tomorrow.

QUOTEBTW, the Sri Lankans showed very clearly that 191 would have been eminently out of reach of BD if the bowling had been accurate. As it is, when they won against India there were only 9 balls remaining. India should have won that match, if Agarkar had not been asleep in the first few overs.


I think it was bcos of the fear factor of Malinga and murali. they were unnerved by that slinging action and murali-chuck. Whereas against india, that tamim was giving the charge to zaheer and getting away with it. When the batsman gives the charge, the current indian bowlers dont know what to do. They panick and go for pace and pitch it short. That does not help at all. We dont have someone to put the scare into the batsmen.
Not sure if u guys saw the Canada-NZ match. Bond did not play and John Davison toyed with Mason and Tuffrey. Only some intelligent slow bowling saved the day. Canada ended up with 249 chasing 364. If Davison had stayed, Canada had a chance. I think the indian bowling is like NZ without Bond. Maybe sreesanth can help, if he is accurate enough.

03-23-2007, 03:39 PM

Zee reported (some reporter from Jamaica) that (a) there was no forced entry into Woolmer's room and (b) couple weeks ago some of the notes from Woolmer's upcoming book was stolen (I didn't catch exactly were it happened - in WI? or Pakistan?).

So, it's an inside job? Could the defeat to Ireland been the last nail? Was that match rigged?

John Wright was reported to be likely replacement - it was a bit cause for concern since he knows our guys inside out. But my guess is that with the turn of events in this case, it's unlikely he'll take the job - of course I've been wrong before, greed makes people do stupid things.

narayanan · 03-23-2007, 10:11 PM

Dang! I do hope the Indian batting is not as toothless as the bowling. Zaheer's second spell is even worse than his first.

OK, Agarkar should have had Jayasurya first ball - it was a plumb LBW, and then the catch by Dhoni was a clear edge.

But in the rest of the attack, only Tendulkar is attacking. Where is Sehwag the famous spin bowler? Harbhajan is not able to either threaten the batsman or keep the runs down. This does not bode well, assuming of course that there IS a future in this World Cup.

184-4

03-23-2007, 10:55 PM

<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' /> Whatever happened to yorkers?

QUOTE49.6 Agarkar to Arnold, no run, finishes off well, bangs it in short and on the stumps, angling away from the left hander, Arnold goes on the backfoot and looks to pull it away, misses, valuable dot ball to end the innings
49.5 Agarkar to Vaas, 1 run, another full toss on the stumps, Vaas comes on the frontfoot and drives it straight down the ground, didn't quite time it
49.4 Agarkar to Vaas, FOUR!!, another full toss on the middle and leg, Vaas gets underneath it and heaves it between midwicket and long on, one bounce over the ropes, poor delivery and it got the treatment49.3 Agarkar to Vaas, no run, low full toss just outside off, Vaas comes on the frontfoot and looks to hoick it over long on, inside edges it down to the keeper
49.2 Agarkar to Arnold, 1 run, low full toss on the middle and leg, Arnold shuffles across and flicks it to backward square leg, there is protection in the deep now
49.1 Agarkar to Arnold, FOUR!!, good length delivery down the leg side, Arnold goes on the backfoot and glances it to fine leg, that is a lovely shot and you cannot bowl that line with the fine leg up
Ajit Agarkar will bowl the last over

narayanan · 03-24-2007, 01:05 AM

Thanks... I was planning to post from what I could see, but that commentary is precise and tells the story about India's Seniormost Fast Bowler.

Either he is a complete moron or he is on the take.

Look at how the Sri Lankans are bowling on the same pitch - and except for Fernando they are NOT faster than the Indian bowlers. They are just more disciplined - even Malinga.

BTW, I guess BD IS the better team, heh?

03-24-2007, 01:46 AM

India 128/6 in 33 overs. 127 needed in 17 overs. Goodbye worldcup. Goodbye $199.99. <!--emo& Sad

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /> <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' />

03-24-2007, 01:54 AM

Dhoni out for duck
Sri Lanka - 254/6 Run Rate: 5.08

India - 136/6 (34.1 overs) Run Rate: 3.98
Req. Run Rate: 7.52

03-24-2007, 01:56 AM

Woolmer murder: no arrests, DNA test for PakistanisQUOTEThere is widespread speculation that a betting mafia murdered the 58-year-old former England Test player, who was found unconscious in his room on Sunday morning. The police said one or more people could have committed the crime that has shaken the cricketing world.

"When they return to Pakistan, they have given a commitment to cooperate in any possible way that they can. Even if they left Jamaica, they would be in contact," Jamaica Deputy Police Commissioner Mark Shields had said earlier

03-24-2007, 02:14 AM

QUOTEJayasuriya to Dravid, out Caught by Muralitharan!! flighted delivery on the off, Dravid comes down the track and goes inside out and drives in the air, he tries to clear long off, holes out there to Murali, he is not one who will drop those and this is childish cricket from Dravid, he picked up 17 in the last over, was dropped the previous ball and still with cramps decided to use his feet and go over the top, absolutely unnecessary R Dravid c M Muralitharan b S Jayasuriya 60(82) 4s-6 6s-0


in cricbuzz.com. I think it is Kris Srikkanth giving commentary.

03-24-2007, 02:15 AM

<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /> <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /> <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' />

Bhajji's career is over methinks but in general Indias luck was really bad today - the first 20 overs should have gotten us 5-6 wkts. Everybody was bowling really good.

03-24-2007, 02:44 AM

Electing to bat second shows some amount of confidence in the ability of our batsmen to chase a big total, especially against a good bowling side like SL.

Batsmen let us down <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' /> Imagine Dravid and Shewag putting up 100+ out of the paltry 185!!

Srini: update on points and run-rate please. What can BD do on Sunday for *us* to scrap through?
Currently it is with two defeats each :
India NetRR: 1.44
BD NetRR: -2.00

03-24-2007, 02:53 AM

QUOTE(Viren @ Mar 23 2007, 05:14 PM)Electing to bat second shows some amount of confidence in the ability of our batsmen to chase a big total, especially against a good bowling side like SL.

Batsmen let us downÂ <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' /> Imagine Dravid and Shewag putting up 100+ out of the paltry 185!!

Srini: update on points and run-rate please. What can BD do on Sunday for *us* to scrap through?
Currently it is with two defeats each :
India NetRR: 1.44
BD NetRR: -2.00
[right][snapback]66062[/snapback][/right]


If BD loses, India, BD and Ber will be same on points. Then India will go thru on NetRR. If the sponsors really really really want india to go to super 8, they will get Ber to win.

Electing to bat second does not show confidence in indian batting... it shows lack of confidence in our bowling. If BD could not be contained under 191, what chance does this bowling have against SL for even 300 run chase?

03-24-2007, 03:18 AM

I think it was just conditions - they wanted to use the conditions and not let SL use the conditions. As I said our bowlers were all good (except bhajji) - we were just unlucky the misses werent edges etc. Nobody would have thought Tharanga would last as long as he did. Even Silva and Dilshan were extremely edgy.

narayanan · 03-24-2007, 04:42 AM

Face it: Team India were outplayed. If we went into the Super 8 with this outfit, I can't think of any team other than England that might lose to us.

Problems:
1. Agarkar. Did u see his batting? I thought I was going to have to eat crow, as he stood around and blocked for quite a while, but THEN, two bouncers, and the guy goes berserk. He should have been bowled when Malinga sent down a slower one, and he moved 2 feet outside the leg stump to swing, but the ball was wide (don't know why it was not called wide) outside the off-stump. Then he swings it straight up in the air. Come on, how smart do u have to be to figure that the need was to STAY until Dravid got out, at least? Agarkar would be a good candidate for a match-fixing investigation, except his alibi is iron-clad - stupidity.

India need a 144kmph, bouncer-bowling, accurate-swinging, reliable, bloody-minded fast bowler. SRI LANKA has 3 - Malinga, Fernando and Maharoof - why doesn't India have even ONE? If you look at what has happened to the pace of Pathan, Sreesanth and Patel, there's definitely something fishy going on - they are all being "coached" to slow down!!!!

2. We don't need stylish super-hero batsmen - we need another Gavaskar, whose strength was that he would not commit to a stroke until the very last instant, and had virtually no backwsing (no TV those days, unfortunately, so I have to go by what I read). Ponting, Hayden and Langer are ugly as batsmen to watch, but when they are in, the runs just keep coming, the shots seem machine-made, and ... THE DEFENSE IS STRAIGHT and simple. Professionals.

We on the other hand, have been spoiled into believing that Sehwag's "swish at anything outside off-stump" is a viable long-term strategy for international cricket. Bowlers tend to think and watch TV and learn, u no...

Dhoni is also finding out that life at the top gets rapidly harder unless you advance swiftly from what got you there.

3. No one should be picked as a bowler for India unless he is unplayable for some odd reason (like Chandrasekhar with the speed and the twisted polio-stricken bowling arm, or Bedi's pin-point accuracy and discipline) UNLESS they are solid, solid batsmen as well. It's a disgrace to see the Indian tail bat. It's like their attitude towards batting is that they are merely out there as a favor to us.

4. These guys BADLY need some training on running between wickets, and on WHO CALLS and who puts faith in the call. Today's runout was pathetic - and it was Yuvraj's fault that he tried to run without seeing Dravid move. HE might have made it to the batting crease, but Dravid would have been caught out, for sure. OTOH, if Dravid had set out IMMEDIATELY instead of hanging around looking for the ball, it would have been a safe single. Terrible to see such mixups at this level.

5. Given the example of Inzaman, Dravid should resign, and put the captaincy back where it belongs - on Dada. And oh! Greg, QUANTAS is ready when u r!

03-24-2007, 05:04 AM

Actually I think Viru did alright today. Thats how he has always been - the feet have never moved and I think he swished at just one ball which looked pretty ugly but other then that i loved his batting. Dhoni, I agree 100% - he didnt even know what the heck was going on. I didnt watch Agarkar bat but his bowling was pretty good. I thought Ganguly threw away his wkt unnecesarily when the spinners were just about to come. SRT just got a beauty. And Harper was totally against anything we asked for. Some of those decisions were atrocious. Oothappa is definitely not ready for prime-time. Bhajji has totally lost it.

What we need is a proper sports psychologist - the one who can psyche these guys out when they go in to play - it will help to psyche out people like Agarkar etc.. Somebody gave him a one-on-one and it registered, he was bowling with lots of gusto i thought.

To repeat the impression i got was that we just had a bad day.

-----------

And yes QANTAS is where the coach belongs.. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devilsmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='devilsmiley.gif' />

03-24-2007, 05:20 AM

Right from the WI tour last year where we lost the one day series after our dream run, one thing has been common in all defeats by the Indian team.

Getting choked in the middle overs . The opposing team tightens the screws, Chokes the team for Singles - Doesn't allow easy hits and bring the field in and our team will self destruct'.

Lara Started this tactic and everyone has been following it to the hilt including Bangladesh. Even Bermuda tried it (the infact did it in the starting but they lacked the discipline.

All the Indian Wins against WI and SL at home happened because the opposition bowlers were not disciplined enough.

03-24-2007, 06:10 AM

03-24-2007, 07:09 AM

QUOTE(rajesh_g @ Mar 23 2007, 07:34 PM)SRT just got a beauty. [right][snapback]66070[/snapback][/right]


Sachin has a huge technical flaw in his batting. did u watch the BD match? He got out pretty much the same way, gap between bat and pad. He got an inside edge off the bat that went to his pads and then was caught by wk. In this match, all that SRT was doing was playing a forward defensive. He lunged forward and left a huge gap and got bowled off an inside edge of his bat. There was nothing great about the ball he got. It jagged a bit of the seam.

SL played a very well thought out game. The way murali went around the wicket and got Sehwag with a doosra was pure class. And getting Dhoni out first ball was just amazing. Murali probably realised that it takes Dhoni sometime to get his eyes in, so the first ball was full, fast and straight and Dhoni had no answer. And add to that Dravid getting Yuvraj out.

I think india as been out-thought in this worldcup. First BD bundled india with a great game plan and choke the runs off completely. The same thing with the SL game. I think the failure is with the coach. He is the one who is supposed to strategise. The underarmer should be fired.

So after this display, which of the things will happen?

1) Dravid resigns as captain
2) Greg Chappell resigns as coach
3) SRT retires and quits all form of cricket
4) Dravid is fired
5) Greg chappell is fired

I dont think any of these things will happen. Neither Dravid or SRT have any shame at all and would not quit on their own. Same thing for Greg. Firing Dravid or Greg would mean that people will be held responsible for their actions. But that would set a bad precedent in the cricket board about accountability and responsibility. No way BCCI would do that! So basically it is going to be the same stuff again and again until the next worldcup debacle.

narayanan · 03-24-2007, 07:32 AM

Well.... IF there is a next World Cup in the next decade..

Consider that right now, India is the #4 team in South Asia.

#1: Sri Lanka
#2: BanglaDesh
#3: Pakistan (they did beat Zimbabwe.. and scored 349..)

#4: India

By the next WC, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and maybe the Maldive Islands will be competing, and India will have to play in the Qualifying rounds, with Superpowers like Bermuda etc.

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