'uncap' players...?
what does that means...? if this is your question... read on...
the selection of west indies tour is upon us and in lieu of most of the senior players taking rest... there will be lots of places up for grabs in our odi outfit...
last time when team india traveled for west indies/zimbabwe series... selectors rewarded many players india cap based on ipl performances... so much so that many saw it virtually as an ipl xi squad...
now i am not against players making the natural progression from a t20 to an odi... but there is small matter that as soon as a player gets selected for team india (even if he will be nothing more than a tourist there) he becomes the capped player and his ipl base price just hits the roof top in a matter of mere an announcement...
ask manish pandey... he is the running symbol of 'capping' discrimination...
the guy suffered the most in ipl 4 auction while certain saurabh tiwari, for example, while doing much less than pandey in ipl as well as domestic circuit, walked laughing all the way to the bank...
i just hope we are not brewing another 'pandey' with the upcoming selection...
will they 'uncap' some players again...?
shared by straight point on Thursday, May 05, 2011
bangladesh exposes new zealand think tank...
shared by straight point on Friday, October 15, 2010
new zealand thought, like home, apart from a sheep and a cow boy, nobody would notice, come and watch their one day series with bangladesh... so why waste energy by turning up for the series...?
but as the luck would have it... somebody not even watched but uploaded this image of deshi team taking a victory lap to celebrate a historic series win over them...
how could you do this to denial vettori deshis...?
why dhoni the maahi never says naahi...
shared by straight point on Thursday, October 14, 2010
o yess... how well i slept yesterday and woke up a fresh after watching team india doing soopda saaf of aussies... only to be stirred and shaken by the friend and fellow bored member naked cricket's candid boredwaani... is one day team selection rigged...?
this got me thinking about our one day team... many usual suspects are rested and many usual suspects walk in without doing anything... as if the door was never closed on them... like they have the pass to the team that never expires irrespective of what they do... or to be precise not do on field which matters most to other players who get dropped even before one blinks an eye...
this brings me to an usual suspect who is, unusually, not rested despite being in visible discomfort... dhoni...
dhoni, inarguably, is the most busy international player today... reportedly his back is not holding well... his hands are swollen... his right hand's middle finger is badly damaged and taped so heavily that it takes an effort to fit it in gloves... if any player who needed rest more than anyone else from this farce of an odi series... it was mahender singh dhoni... mahi... but why he never says naahi (no) to rest is THE question worth wondering... specially the same dhoni who took rest from a test series sighting fatigue...
i have always wondered... why dhoni subject himself to be treated like a machine that has to be installed on every venue... every match... every series... however inconsequential...?
i fear, that dhoni becoming the most valuable player... the face of team india in corporate world... and lastly... his latest 200 crore endorsement deal has nothing to do with it... where he is required to feature in every game irrespective of its significance... and if it is not... i don't think he likes his middle finger that much... does he...? :)
pakistan was disturbed...
shared by straight point on Thursday, September 23, 2010
"We were very absolutely outraged by ecb's demand for butt's apology" Afridi said. "We refute them completely and we were very disturbed that someone would come out and demand apology for our president's "innocent remarks" without any proof to back their innocence. When this news broke there was a lot of raw emotion around and we needed to let that subside. But we didn't have a lot of time to do that. Once the emotion did subside, we as a group of players realised that the best option available to us was to play the game."
this is what afridi said after losing yet another series against a team that was already very disturbed and lost lord's odi earlier coz of that...
england is disturbed...
shared by straight point on Tuesday, September 21, 2010
"We were very absolutely outraged by the allegations yesterday," Strauss said. "We refute them completely and we were very disturbed that someone would come out with those allegations without any proof to back them up. When the allegations first surfaced there was a lot of raw emotion around and we needed to let that subside. But we didn't have a lot of time to do that. Once the emotion did subside, we as a group of players realised that the best option available to us was to play the game."
this is what strauss said after losing consecutive odi against a team that is marred with match fixing allegations...
against a team that is not allowed to drop a catch... score a blob... can't even score low for two consecutive overs... can't even play a maiden over after a reasonable high scoring over or icc will launch another investigation... have to deal with a unique nut like ijaz butt on daily basis... when they eventually win the same nut, their own president, goes on air to accuse opposition team of losing it for money and finally against the team that can't even afford to smile in diversity for the very act will invite further suspicion... scrutiny...
if for anything... strauss should be disturbed coz he can't even win against a beleaguered team...
how do you feel about upcoming oz series...?
shared by straight point on Thursday, August 26, 2010
the pattern of this tournament is very consistent... no team has reached any level of consistency... every team's campaign has been 'blow hot blow cold' type with win or loss coming with equal massive margins... which shows that the matches have been more or less like lotteries where rather than team efforts the wins have come from the individual brilliances from player like sehwag in india's case...
although team india's youngsters performances have been disappointing with no one coming close to make an effort to stay at wicket and make his innings count... hence not a single score of even 50... in fact at times they could not even muster 50 runs collectively...
the allrounder in jadeja neither could help team india finish 50 overs after coming to crease when there were more that 10 overs left in the match (which could have proved crucial) nor he was deemed fit to bowl even at no.10, 11 batsmen...
so jadeja is neither a grafter... certainly not a hard hitter... can't be trusted to even bowl at tailenders... basically he fails in every department of what is expected from no.7 player...
but our presumed weakest link... bowling has shown that given the helpful conditions we are as good as any other bowling attack if not the best...
so what if someone from our young crop goes on to play a blinder of innings in finals and we win yet another final even with the some unresolved problems at hand...?
i would have certainly liked them to be tested against oz at home before making a final decision... but thanks to test cricket saving brigade... and bcci generosity of providing ponting some lifeline... we would be playing only three ODIs instead of at least five (though it was originally a seven match LOI series)...
although dravid or vvs would not agree with me... but two test series in the midst of world cup season is nothing but a distraction...
i would have loved to see the full LOI series with world cup being just a few months away and some question marks looming large on our young crop... the oz series could have given us strong pointers...
the three odi series is too brief that would be over before anyone could notice it... what will happen is... there will be so much pressure to win every game in that brief series and given the pressure exerted by media (and fans too) we can safely say good bye to seeing any experiment in that series in terms of combination or strategy...
apart from a scoreline... what we will gain from that series...?
this is why one wonders... what the 'save test cricket romantics' smoke..?
but what about no.1 ranking in ODIs...?
shared by straight point on Wednesday, May 05, 2010
bcci has shown willingness to re-schedule the upcoming seven odi series in october in india... to two tests and three one day series in order to appease their newly found 'test loving' stance... purists are already celebrating the news as if heaven has opened the gate for us... but sorry for spoiling your party... i would like to differ...
bcci in its zest must not forget that they are what they are coz of one day internationals... much before t20 and more precisely ipl happened in india... it was ODIs that kept bcci laughing all the way to its banks... and now that the health of ODIs is in danger... how can they leave it high and dry to die unattended...?
but more importantly what about no.1 ranking in ODIs...?
we are currently happily placed at no.1 in tests already and as homer argues here at bored nothing is going to change even if we sweep the two test series... but if we win the 7 odi series it will not only avenge last series loss but it will also help us inch towards being numero uno in ODIs too...
besides... the seven match odi series will also help our young guns to get into groove... to get some tough match practice just before the 2011 world cup due to be hosted in february in subcontinent... and team india think tank will get close to identify the combination of players to make squad for the world cup...
so, as homer said at bored... JUST SAY NO!!!
as clean as a whistle...
shared by straight point on Wednesday, March 03, 2010
sorry to those who noticed... i was busy and could not update blog... and this will continue for a while...
but i could not held myself back on what happened today in first odi between australia vs new zealand...
i happen to catch last few overs live on set max and saw mithchell johnson almost stepped on scott styris when later stuck him for two consecutive boundaries... before that johnson was cleary seen pointing a finger on his head as an indicator to styris what he was upto... it was only a timely intervention from haddin, who literally pulled johnson away from the scene, which prevented the circumstances from getting worse...
i immediately checked at cricinfo's commentary... but the holy cows at cricinfo, almost dutifully, not only ignored the incident... but acted as if the match was played in the most humble conditions...
here is the account of that over...
45.1
Johnson to Styris, 1 run, full from Johnson and Styris heaves it through the leg side for a single to deep square leg
45.2
Johnson to Southee, no run, 146 kph, this one is short and quick and takes Southee on the right bicep and falls into the off side. Well done from the young man as he shows no pain
45.3
Johnson to Southee, 1 run, good length and Southee plays forward and edges to third man
45.4
Johnson to Styris, no run, short ball and Styris tries to pull but gets it off the edge into his front pad
45.5
Johnson to Styris, FOUR, 147 kph, bumper from Johnson with mid on and mif off up inside the circle and Styris pulls through wide mid on for four, good stroke
45.6
Johnson to Styris, FOUR, 147 kph, Styris sits back and pulls/heaves over mid wicket for four as Harris can't run it down from mid on
see... nothing happened... as if that was a routine over...
now see this video... of mitchell johnson and scott styris clash...
and also this pic... though not from the same match... but from the same tour...
the similarities are...
both times australia were under pressure...
both times batsman had the better of bowler in picture...
both times the match referee was ranjan madugalle...
but can you spot the difference...?
ok let me help you out...
if only the bowler's name was shanthakumaran sreesanth...
i bet... neither the match referee nor the holy cows at cricinfo would have missed the incident...
sachin tendulkar makes 200...
shared by straight point on Wednesday, February 24, 2010
now i know why they say a picture is better than thousand words!
the story of pakistan-srilanka odi series...
shared by straight point on Monday, August 10, 2009
the series was played in two parts...
in first half of the series...pakistan didn't bother to show on field...
in later half...it was the turn of srilanka to do the same...
pakistan did it for one match too many...so srilanka won the odi series...
yuvraj moves one step closer...
shared by straight point on Wednesday, February 04, 2009
this is what i said before the start of india-srilanka series...
i, though, rather than the series result...will be focusing more on how yuvraj plays mendis and even murli…keeping in mind that he is now going to be certainty in tests and I would like to see how much progress he has made as batsman to be qualified for towards this very fact…
and must say that he has grown more confident with each outing in this series...and when it was time to close the series he came with superlative performance...'ton'king M&M with ease that we have not witnessed thus far...
gk and upton are surely working with him and the brief given to him, as far as playing spin goes, seems like forget the last ball that beat you...if next ball lands in your arch turst your strengths to give it the treatment it deserve...
i think the 'chemistry' yuvi shares with dhoni...and that dhoni is now a permanent test match captain too...he finds himself lot more comfortable playing under him...coz we all know how dhoni backed him when he was going through lean patch in ODIs...
this series is happening just at the right time for yuvi when he is looking to find stability in his test career and the confidence he will take from this series will go a long way in making him complete test bat...
i can only imagine the plight of bowlers who will have to face yuvi and dhoni after aggressive start from sehwag and gambhir...and some solid work in middle by our seniors...
in tests that is...
update: here's a brilliant comment of gaurav of naked cricket on yuvi...here @ SP...
this guy is a form player, and if and when he can cope with drops in form, bide his time, he'll become even more dangerous. Cages will be called for. And signs that say, do not bowl to the animal.
the focus now shifts to...
shared by straight point on Tuesday, January 27, 2009
image courtesy...cricinfoin a day’s time india will be locking horns with sri lanka in a hurriedly organised series…
sri lanka is obviously brimming with confidence from his recent series win against over confident and lackluster pakistan…while pakistan played mendis relatively well…i think all their preparations were so much focused on spin or rather mendis that they apparently lacked the same while playing seamers…
this in a way is also the fruit of having a bowler like mendis in the ranks coz opposition team look to attack their seamers more in anticipation of some quiet overs from M&M if not wicket taking overs…
mendis has become the latest benchmark of playing spin so much so that playing murli seems almost as an afterthought for consideration…let alone playing their pacers…and therein lays the catch which pak discovered to their utter dismay…
india on other hand though looks confident unit…but is a slow starter after the break which has been the old nemesis they have not been able to shed off despite all the success they have enjoyed in recent past…and that’s where, i think, lies the best chance for sri lanka…if they can put pressure on india from the word go they will give themselves very good chance of avenging the series defeat which india inflicted on them in their home last time…
i, though, rather than the series result...will be focusing more on how yuvraj plays mendis and even murli…keeping in mind that he is now going to be certainty in tests and I would like to see how much progress he has made as batsman to be qualified for towards this very fact…while raina’s and rohit’s too will be looking forward to using this series as platform to stake their claim for the selection in tests too for nz tour…
in short it’s going to be the series where both teams will be looking at their new as well as some tried and tested players with keen eye on their performances…
final score line...?
i am predicting a closely fought series which can go either way...
two defining moments...
shared by straight point on Sunday, January 25, 2009
(with both captains and top performers in frame)why this sudden enlightenment...?
shared by straight point on Saturday, November 22, 2008
it could get dark by 3:30 pm in guwahati...
why this sudden realisation KP...?
when the itinerary of the ODI series was being finalised between BCCI and ECB...what were your officials doing then...counting the dollars of stanford's to save 'west indies cricket'...?
now don't blame BCCI for it...they never pretend being professional...
(कृपया हिन्दी अनुवाद के लिए नीचे दिए हुए लिंक 'ट्रांसलेट' पर दबायें...)
गुवाहाटी में दिन के साढ़े तीन बजे ही अँधेरा हो सकता है...
यह दिव्य ज्ञान आपको अचानक कहाँ से प्राप्त हुआ केपी...
जब इस एक दिनी मैच की श्रंखला के दौरे का कार्यक्रम बी.सी.सी.ई व ई.सी.बी के बीच निर्धारित किया जा रहा था...तब आप के अधिकारीगण क्या स्टैनफोरड़ के द्वारा 'वेस्ट इन्डीस क्रिकेट' को बचाने के लिए दिए हुए डालर गिन रहे थे?
अब कृपया बी.सी.सी.ई को तो दोष नही दीजियेगा...वो कभी भी पेशेवर होने का दावा नही करते...
Reflections...
shared by straight point on Wednesday, March 05, 2008
So mission oz is done and dusted with...
if there was any more motivation needed by our team to win finals straight this tour provided every bit of it...
while previewing CB series i said that this series is going to be first step towards long journey... that it will be very important series for team india coz our selector showed lots of courage by selecting youngsters for this tough series...
i also wished that if not for anybody this team should succeed for sake of selectors...they gambled big time against tide...and needed assurance in the form or favorable results...but we not only succeeded but went far ahead of everybody's imagination and won in straight sets!!
i am not good at in depth analysis so here are some facts which caught my imagination...
- dhoni has made this team the reflection of his self...care free yet not lost...focused without taking undue pressure...cool but composed...
he not only takes risks but owns them...thats why he made hero out of first joginder (though with some luck) and secondly with praveen kumar...how many would have thrown the new ball to him to bowl at guys like hayden, gilchrist, ponting...in pressure cooker finals...
for me he is the man of the series coz not only he scored at crucial time for india...he handled and guided his team to win which his more pedigreed predecessors failed to do so...
- teams spirit is at all time high and one instance at second final displayed it so aptly when harbhajan took the wicket of symonds...everybody flocked harbhajan and covered his face for his expressions then could have created another crap headlines in oz media...
- Our bowling has taken huge leap...with ishant undoubtedly being the find of the tour...i bet opposition team will think twice before giving us green tops...
if only we can look after bowlers well...we will win more matches overseas as well as home and onus is also on BCCI to not let this momentum go waist and prepare sporting pitches for SA tour without even iota of doubt...no more dead tracks for me...
- some one (most preferably kirsten with team management) please sit with sehwag and most importantly yuvraj and tell them in no uncertain terms what is expected from them coz sachin is not going to be around forever and they must put their hands up and behave responsibly as senior guys to take our team to next level...
thats why this time i had not sympathy for sehwag when he was left out coz he invited his exclusion by blowing away his good form...
they have let team down on so many occasions...refusing to heed to put team cause first for the flair of their 'natural play'...if the batsman of stature of sachin can do it...no reason why they cant do it...
- by blunting binga in consecutive finals india has exposed a significant weakness for other team to cash on that if you don't loose wickets specially to lee their bowling lacks penetration and almost looks pedestrian...
if i were CA i will be deeply disturbed by this...coz they keep on harping about lack of quality spinners but do they have good pace bowling too??? its an urgent question before them the answer of which they need very quickly...
take well deserved rest, but be focussed guys...coz we tend to loose all momentum during breaks...
.
