A change that many do-not desire

 

This is Cricinfo today... 

 

And this will be cricinfo in a few days time.. 

Doesn't it look like an exact replica of espnstar.com , that was re-designed ? The content layout has been good in cricinfo and easy to navigate.. This espn look isn't that great.. Many viewers have expressed similar concerns in the comment section.. 

May have to wait and see if this new look is going to be good enough to retain the viewers..

Cricket bats- a new revolution

The rules of the game limit the allowable size for a bat as not more than 38 in (965 mm) long and the blade may not be more than 4.25 in (108 mm) wide. Bats typically weigh from 2 lb 8 oz to 3 lb (1.1 to 1.4 kg) though there is no standard. The handle is usually covered with a rubber or cloth sleeve to enhance grip and the face of the bat may have a protective film.














Modern bats are usually machine made, however a few specialists still make hand-made bats, mostly for professional players. The Australian cricketer Dennis Lillee used an aluminium metal bat several times in 1979, but was forced by the Australian Captain to revert to a wooden bat after complaints by the English team that it was damaging the ball. The rules of cricket were shortly thereafter amended, stating that the blade of a bat must be made solely of wood. More recently than Dennis Lillee, Ricky Ponting used a bat (the Kookaburra Big Kahuna) with a carbon composite 'meat' (the large protruding area of wood out the back face) but the bat was altered by Kookaburra in conjunction with the ICC's demand.

Gray-Nicolls and Puma have created bats with lightweight carbon handles so that more weight can be used for the blade. The bats are the Gray-Nicolls Fusion, Matrix and Powerbow, and the Puma Stealth.





Gray-Nicolls has developed the DualT20 double-sided bat. Designer Stuart Kranzbuhler says the bat is made with a unique method of pressing the front and back of the English willow at high pressure (550lbs/squ in).

The batmaker claims this ensures a strong rebound and prevents splinting, cracks or fractures from ball impact. Gray-Nicolls says the bat conforms to the MCC's laws of cricket.

And now the latest invention has been the mongoose bats..

The Mongoose is tailor-made for the short format. Subtlety is not its strong suit. With a five centimetre thick base that boasts a sweet spot twice the size of that on a traditional bat, even the pace bowler's  yorker can be dispatched to the ropes. It is yet another invention favouring batsmen, say critics.

 The Mongoose bat is the evolutionary step that gives the batsmen an unparalleled attacking advantage in Twenty20 cricket. Its revolutionary design lets you hit faster, harder, straighter, further – giving you more fours, more sixes, more boundaries.
 
Its blade is 33 per cent shorter than a conventional bat and the handle is 43 per cent longer. This allows increased leverage that makes the bat quicker and easier to manoeuvre, allowing you to select your shot later, or change it in a split second. Scentists call it the bat’s MMi, or ‘mass and moment of inertia’. It determines the amount of effort required by the batsman not only to swing, but also control the bat during the swing. This makes the Mongoose a lighter, harder-hitting bat. And while it looks different to a conventional long-blade bat, when you pick it up its weight and handling feel pretty much the same. The splice, usually located in the blade of the bat, is incorporated into the handle, which ensures there is no dead spot in the hitting area of the bat. The Mongoose also reconfigures the shoulders by dropping them down nine inches. The weight taken from the shoulders – about 20 per cent of the blade weight – is redistributed to the back of the new, shorter blade. This allows the sweet spot to double in size, including in the previously defensive toe area, and for the profile of the bat to be increased throughout, with a redistribution of weight across a greater area of the bat.

Well, looks like in a few years we will not have bowlers at all.. Fill the side with batsmen and the same lot comes back to bowl.. Bowler's nightmare.. It doesn't encourage the younger lot in clubs and state level to take up bowling, when even a yorker can be hit for a four with the Mongoose..Takes me back to the famous dialogue that W.Grace once said- "They have come to watch me play and not watch them bowl" , when he was given out and he refused to leave.. Now, T20 cricket is the modern manifestation of W.Grace..

T20 continues

Total 12 teams India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland and Netherland will participate in 2009 twenty20 cup.

The ICC has also announced top two ranked teams in each group and given them a number 1 and 2 respectively. They will retain this number irrespective of whether they finish first or second in the group.

For example if Bangladesh top ranked Group A and India finished second in the same group; India will still remain as A1 and Bangladesh will remain as A2 in Super Eights stages. If Zimbabwe knockout Bangladesh in Group A then Zimbabwe will become A2.

Group A – India (A1), Bangladesh (A2) and Ireland
Group B – Pakistan (B1), England (B2) and Netherlands
Group C – Australia (C1), Sri Lanka (C2) and West Indies
Group D – New Zealand (D1), South Africa (D2) and Scotland

Super Eight Groups

Group E –A1, B2, C1 and D2
Group F – A2, B1, C2, and D1

Warm up matches

Mon 1 June (D/N) 22:00

India v New Zealand

Lord’s, London

Wed 3 June (D/N) 22:00

India v Pakistan

Kennington Oval, London

 Actual matches.. 

Sat 6 June (D/N) 22:30

Group A - India v Bangladesh

Trent Bridge

Wed 10 June (D/N) 22:00

Group A - India v Ireland

Trent Bridge

Rest If we qualify ... 

First Sachin Tendulkar interview 1989

 Very Funny the way he speaks..He said he is comfortable facing Ambrose and is not scared of the bouncers that they may hurl..

IPL 2009 Cheerleaders

IPL , commentary hitting a new low

More than IPL, IPL commentary has been really enjoyable.. Especially the induction of Ramiz Raja has proved to be very good .. Danny Morrison has always been the guy who talks foolishly and famously coined the word DLFer for a six .. Ravi Shastri too is adding on to it.. Poor Sunny is left behind, doesn't call six a DLF maximum and doesn't spot the CITI moment of successes and that is the reason we get to hear so less of him.. Refer previous post for more funny quotes..

 "The IPL has been extremely well received in the IPL."

Ramiz Raja ascends the summit of commentary, where no Benaud has ever gone before

"I know it's cold but you don't have to look like an animal."

Not quite Sydneygate, but close. Ramiz Raja gets a zing in at Danny Morrison, who is in a beanie, immediately after Ravi Shastri accused Morrison of wearing a "monkey cap"

"The crowds have come to know about the match situation."

Ramiz Raja delivers a piercing insight after the scores are level at the end of the second innings in the first semi-final

"It's the other one, just like the other one."

This time, even Ramiz Raja doesn't know what he is talking about

"Amit Mishra can spin the ball."

Ramiz Raja makes a shocking revelation

"I'm not an Incredible Hulk, like Danny Morrison. I'm a thin guy from the subcontinent."

Ramiz Raja tells the world just what he is

"If we have a Super Over then super things can happen."

Ramiz Raja captivates the five-year-old who form an important part of his audience with some cunning wordplay

"While Hodge seems pretty clear about what to do... his mind uncluttered... it's a hodge-podge from Albie Morkel"

Ramiz Raja unearths the link between two players on opposing sides

"Chase, chase and the ball wins the race... RP Singh falls on his face."

Ramiz Raja discovers a talent for doggerel and lets the world know

"How well he has managed to mitigate this innings in the last few overs."

Ramiz Raja has fun with the English language

"Jeez, that's handy... for Pandey. " (to be pronounced as Pandy)

Danny Morrison excuses himself for crimes against his listeners

Mbwanga during the semifinals: "Chennai would like to win the match"

L Sivaramakrishnan:"These are crucial times. Last 10 overs"

This one tops the list for me !! 

"This is in support of children and AIDS"

The two captains in the first sem-final were probably not thrilled to hear from Ravi Shastri that the awareness bands they wore to the toss were, in fact, in support of a deadly disease.

Finale- IPL2

Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Finale

Bangalore vs Deccan !! Who would have expected that !!

These 2 teams finished last in the inaugural edition and now they are the top 2 !!

What a comeback by RCB kudos to Anil Kumble who has brought the team together and made them into a team that could win matches and win consistently.. And now they are just a win away from getting their name enrolled in the "magnificent DLF trophy embedded with diamonds and rubies" !!

A team that was tipped as a test side and a team that could win no matches ended up at the 7th spot last year.. Mallya had decided that it would be KP who would bring Bangalore back on track and decided to hand him the captaincy.. started this year with a win.. People were happy that Bangalore may finally got back to winning but then things turned worse for them.. Consecutive losses saw them at the bottom of the table resting on the cushion created by KKR at 8 !! Team was down and out.. KP was leading them back to the ditch and he had to leave them in that state too !!

The coach then dropped a bombshell, said the team had not fixed who the captain would be after KP's exit.. Walks in Kumble, to fill in KP's shoes ! And boy did he change side from losers to winners !
What was important to note here was that the team gelled together as a unit and started to believe that they could win , there was intensity in every match they played and an eagerness to win shone in their eyes.. The transformation had happened, the transformation for which a foreigner was sought, a transformation for which an English was sought , a transformation for which $1.55million was spent !! RCB have won 7 of the 9 games under Anil.. He has been instrumental in bringing this change and if RCB go on to win it would be one of the best moments in Anil's cricketing life !

Kumble handed over India's Test captaincy to Dhoni, but today he had outfoxed his opposite number. MSD was crest fallen and shoulders dropped even at the toss ..

To give away only 3 boundaries in the last 7 overs against such a batting line-up is brilliant.--Anil Kumble.

Go RCB go !! Just one win away from the trophy ...

IPL semifinals-2

Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Head-to-head record

Chennai outclassed Bangalore when the two sides met first this season in Port Elizabeth, thumping them by 92 runs, the largest margin of victory in the tournament so far. But then came a thriller in Durban, where Bangalore beat Chennai with two balls and two wickets to spare to keep alive their semi-final hopes in a match that lurched both ways. The teams split their two contests last year: Bangalore caving in spectacularly at the Chinnaswamy Stadium to lose by 13 runs, Chennai returning the favor at Chepauk to go down by 14 runs.

Batsmen-

Chennai's strong fort, Hayden will definitely be back and Hussey's return could boost the already strong batting..
RCB on the other hand do not have strong batsmen whom they can depend on, Kallis , Boucher and Ross Taylor have performed well on more than one occassion and Rahul is kind of back to form that augers well for the side..
The Indians in the side are far better in CSK than in RCB..


All rounders
Albie for CSK may just hold the key with the ball and some lusty blows at the end.. Raina too can cosider himself an all rounder..

Kallis is the lone all rounder here in RCB. He has been instrumental in many ways for the RCB resurgence..  

Bowlers

This is Chennai's weak link.. Apart from Murali the other bowlers have not performed upto the mark which has made MSD lose his temper in the league matches.. On many a match it was Raina who brought them into the game and not any full time bowler..


RCB have a good bowling attack... Kumble has spearheaded the bowling and has been very economical too.. Kallis has also bowled well.. PK needs to do better..


Overall :

Chennai's super batting against RCB's good bowling is one part of the story !!
Mr.Not so cool MSD vs the old fox Kumble forms the other part..
This match may be too close to call.. RCB may fight towards a win or Chennai may cruise to a win !!

IPL semifinals-1

Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils.. 

Head-to-head record

Delhi have the clear advantage, having beaten Deccan on both occasions in this tournament. In their first clash, they easily chased down 149 with six wickets and eight balls to spare. In their next encounter, Deccan made a hash of their run-chase, falling 12 runs short. The first game between them was at Centurion, the venue of the semi-final. Since Delhi won both times in 2008 as well, it means Deccan have never beaten their semi-final opponents in four tries.

Expect a good game of cricket..
After a long tournament where there has been more individual brilliance from both the sides than a team performance, these two face each other in the semi-finals of IPL2..

Batsmen-

Deccan rely heavily on Gilly and Gibbs..
Delhi rely on AB and Dilshan..

Rohit Sharma has single handedly won a few matches for the Deccan., probably the only Indian to shine with the bat for them this season..
Delhi's "Indians" haven't had a good tournament thus far.. Gambhir and Viru have failed time and again, only to show glimpses of form in a dead rubber against MI..

The pure batsmen have to do more to put their team to safety in terms of runs scored.. Evenly matched !!

All rounders
Deccan have Symonds on their side who is a threat on any day, but Delhi's Rajat Bhatia is wily and has performed for Delhi back home in the Ranji Trophy too.. Rajat is a utility player while Symmo comes with Intl player tag. 

Bowlers
RP from the Deccan has made sure that his good show earns him a national call.. The purple cap holder has much to prove against Delhi, nothing to show for till now..
Nehra, similar to RP, wanted to prove a point and has done it successfully.. But,hey, not against Delhi though !!

Pragyan Ojha has been decent with his performances.
Dirk Nannes has performed so well that Glenn McGrath hasn't got a game yet..

Delhi bowling attack is far more potent than Deccan Chargers..

Overall picture:
Viru,Gauti,AB,Dilshan,Karthik make up the batting.. Nannes,Mishra,Nehra and Sangwan the bowling.. Rajath Bhatia the all rounder.. Bringing Vettori back will be a wise move...

Gilly,Gibbs,Rohit to bat, Symmo the all rounder, Ojha,RP the bowlers !! High dependence on 6 players..
Bring back Styris !

Delhi with current form and good bowling attack should win the game.. But the names Gilly,Gibbs,Symmo is huge and if all of them or atleast one fire today God save DD !!

FIP reveals his identity, ?!?!

FIP-RIP !! He has cleverly made his shadow do the talking and we cannot identify the person exactly..
You can watch the video here..

"This is me the fake IPL player or FIP as you sometimes call me. It’s been four weeks, 43 posts and about 70,000 comments till now. Behind all the grease paint, I am just another faceless guy.Yes I am an insider. I am the fly on the wall, the ghost in the darkness." 

Deep voice, good English and sensible thoughts characterize the video, rather the audio part of it.. He has created a huge fan following for himself if the "Google Friend connect" are anything to go by. The number keeps increasing by the clock.. Throughout his posts he has coined a funny pseudo-name for every player that he wishes to talk about.. It really requires the person to have a good sense of humour, all posts being hilarious is a testimony to that.. But his posts towards the end have not been as funny or as revealing as they used to be. He has stopped writing about the nocturnal activities of the cricketers. He explains the lack of gossip by mentioning that other teams and commentators are more wary of where they go now so that they are not pried on by the Fake IPL Player.

The KKR camp was serious about finding out who FIP was. They even claimed that they would reveal who FIP is within 24 hours and send him packing to India. But then, we stopped hearing about the Fake IPL Player from the KKR camp.. No one mentioned why he wasn't caught.. No one mentioned what happened to the 24 hour deadline to catch him. Everyone just stayed mum.. May be he was caught and the identity was not revealed in the best interest of everybody ! Posting from Buchanan's laptop or from the dressing room or posting from a VIP box with Dada looking at him are just too hard to believe..

"It will probably take me a book or two to spill it all in. But if I actually write a book, I will be history even if my book is not. Still, it is a story that has to be told.Perhaps my anonymity now, will be exchanged for some hard limelight later... or perhaps not"

KKR with a couple of wins are in a happy mood and its time for the poor jokes to roll out ! The reactions could pip FIP blog in its humor !

"Ah. Now we know - it has been a shadow all along. Anyway, this ends now. We are currently installing diffused lighting in all corners of our dressing room so that no shadows will be cast. Ha ha ha, he has nowhere to hide!" said a smug-looking John Buchanan. "As Sun Tzu pointed out, a man must not even trust his own shadow," he added.

"Shadows, on the other hand, being merely negative projections that are created due to a light source being blocked by an opaque object, have no such qualms," -SRK

"I suppose this is the first time that a shadow has thrown light on something. Heh heh," said smiling KKR skipper Brendon McCullum.

Road to semis-2

Rajasthan Royals are out ...

Competition among DC, RCB and KXIP !!

Simpler equations now..

• KXIP win- DD, KXIP , winners of RCB vs DC and CSK are through !! 

• KXIP lose- Game comes down to NRR.. 
  

As the NRR of KXIP is below that of RCB and hoping that DC vs RCB match doesn't produce a whole lot of difference in NRR, KXIP will walk out..

RCB and DC both will go through irrespective of who wins..

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	N/R	Pts	Net RR
Delhi Daredevils	13	9	4	0	18	+0.251          IN
Chennai	13	7	5	1	15	+0.932          IN
Deccan Chargers	13	7	6	0	14	+0.265
Bangalore	13	7	6	0	14	-0.253
Kings XI Punjab	13	7	6	0	14	-0.423
Rajasthan Royals	14	6	7	1	13	-0.352         OUT
Mumbai Indians	13	5	7	1	11	+0.401        OUT
Kolkata	14	3	10	1	7	-0.789         OUT

Road to the semis-1

4 Teams battling for 2 positions.. MI and KKR are out.. DD in.. CSK in..

Lets look at the road to the semis for each team

Rajasthan Royals: Points : 13 Match against KKR

• A win - Goes to 15 points and has to wait for the other teams.. 
• A loss- Bye bye !!

What does the win do ?

• If KXIP wins against CSK; DD,KXIP,Winners of DC vs RCB and CSK are through ,RR are out of the competition.
• If CSK wins, RR are through ! 

Verdict: Must win to stay afloat !

Chennai Super Kings: Points : 15 Match against: KXIP

• Win- Qualify as 2nd team with 17 points..
• Loss- Qualify as 4th team with 15 points.. Better NRR even if RR end up on 15 points..

Verdict : Through


Kings 11 Punjab : Points : 14 Match against :CSK

• Win-  Qualify as 2nd team with 16 points..
  
• Loss- They remain at 14 points and may just be ready with packed bags..
  

What does the loss do ?

• DD, CSK, winners of RCB vs DC are through.
• A RR win would be curtains down for KXIP,
• RR loses then they may once again lose out on NRR, very close..

Verdict : Do or Die vs CSK..


Deccan Chargers: Points:14 Match against :RCB

• Win- Through to the semis with 16 points..
  
• Loss- Complexity begins and their healthy NRR may bail them out in case there is a tie at 14 points..

 What does the loss do ?

•  Remaining on 14 is dangerous.. 
• IF CSK were to lose, DC are out ! KXIP and RCB with 16points each qualify for the semis.. DD CSK already through..
  
• If CSK wins, RR has to lose for DC to go in.. 

Verdict: No nonsense, win against RCB.


Royal Chalengers Bangalore: Points: 14 Match against: DC

• Win- Through to the semis with 16 points..
•  Loss- Complexity begins and their healthier NRR may bail them out in case there is a tie at 14 points..

What does the loss do ?

•  Remaining on 14 is dangerous.. 
• IF CSK were to lose, RCB are out ! KXIP and DC with 16points each qualify for the semis..DD CSK already through..
• If CSK wins, RR has to lose for RCB to go in..

Verdict: No nonsense, win against RCB.

Simple isn't it ?? Doesn't need Buchanan's laptop to solve these !!!

How about having rain affected matches now and a match or two ,atleast one match being completely washed off !!

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	N/R	Pts	Net RR
Delhi Daredevils	13	9	4	0	18	+0.251
Chennai Super kings	13	7	5	1	15	+0.932
Deccan Chargers	13	7	6	0	14	+0.265
Royal challengers Bangalore	13	7	6	0	14	-0.253
Kings XI Punjab	13	7	6	0	14	-0.423
Rajasthan Royals	13	6	6	1	13	-0.360
Mumbai Indians	13	5	7	1	11	+0.401
Kolkata Knight Riders	13	2	10	1	5	-0.891

Eng vs WI series round up.

First things first- England have won the series 2-0 in a convincing manner and West Indies looked hapless.. The fire and the want to win attitude that they showed in the home series against the same side not so long ago was missing.. Result they lost the series. There was no fight from WI and in a long time this is one series where England have dominated the series outrightly..

For England,
Anderson was brilliant with the ball.. He had a poor 1st test largely due to Onions taking all the wickets, 2nd test was different though.. He finished the match with 9 wickets.. It was his contribution that led England to an innings win in the 2nd test..
Stuart Broad has been consistent with both bat and ball.. Figures may not be in his side but from what I have seen in the 2nd test match he looked like taking wickets everytime he came in to bowl.
Ravi Bopara had to be another architect in ENG win.. A scintillating form in the IPL in SA was followed up with 2 back to back centuries-instrumental in ENG dominance and not just win.. This lad who has his ancestral roots from Punjab area of the sub-continent has come of age and has rather cemented no.3 spot. (Will Vaughan then ever come back?)..
Swann has become a good bowler after the Indian tour, and a useful bat too..
The captain did not do anything splendid and even made a call for the IPL by bringing on Swann,off-spinner, for the 2nd over itself.. Can somebody tell him that bowling a spinner up front doesn't earn anyone a IPL call !!!

Coming to West Indies,

Fiedel Edwards has a tally of 7 wickets in the series and 6 of it coming in one innings.. The next highest wicket taker is Benn,a tall left arm self proclaimed spinner, with 4 wickets.. Clearly, WI had nobody to take wickets and given the seaming conditions in ENG one would expect more wickets from the quickies..
Dinesh Ramdin was good, Sarwan's performance was a contrast to the one he showed in the recently concluded home series against ENG..

Gayle continued his poor form from the IPL, may be he still thinks he is a part of KKR and they have to lose to maintain consistency.. Shiv Chanderpaul for the first time has fallen below our expectations and fallen in the ICC rankings also as a result.. The others are not worth mentioning too, way below par..

Looking forward to the ODI series with a hope of seeing better and evenly contested games..

IPL Toons

Aila, what is going on

DD, CSK, RR were looking good to book semi final berth with the fourth team being DC or RCB... But I had earlier pointed out that strange things have happened in cricket and mathematically even KXIP can get into the semis..

Its happening.. Call it match fixing or pure luck or anything else the matches these days are getting closer and closer.. A No ball that won the match for DC and lost it for the ever dismal KKR..

Today, KXIP took on DC in a must win match and RR took on DD in a similar must win situation..
KXIP vs DC 
There were several impressive moments - Ramesh Powar's magic ball to Adam Gilchrist that pitched outside leg and turned way outside off stump-Gilly stumped;  Rohit Sharma's sensational hitting towards the end- quite a repeat of what happened yesterday; Irfan Pathan's composure at the death which was lacking in KKR yesterday... KXIP were restricted to a paltry 134 and the onus was on DC to win it.. Deccan were off to a flier only to be stopped by a slow slow off spin from Powar.. Gilly and Suman out in 2 balls !! 4-0-13-3 from Yuvi who seems to be doing more with the ball than with the bat came with another hattrick.. Rohit almost created a repeat of the match against KKR with similar style of hitting and the sixes going long long way.. Match was back in balance but when Irfan removed Rohit in the 3rd ball of the last over, the match was more than over.. KXIP ended up winning by 1 run..

>Why did some one like Wilkin Mota bowl the crucial 18th over when Sreesanth and Ramesh Powar had overs left ? An answer would never be sought..
>Why did Ryan Harris not even attempt the 3rd run of the last ball ? The non-striker had come half way down the wicket only to find Harris halfway towards the dug out...

DD vs RR 

In a pressure game they needed to win, Rajasthan let the early momentum slip with two drops and a missed run-out chance, lost three early wickets during a stiff chase and will rue allowing Delhi score heavily at the end of their innings.They now need to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders soundly in their final league game. A poor 19th over from Munaf giving away 25 runs was the highlight of DD innings which was slow and watchful and the respectable score reached thanks largely to the Mr.Consistent AB and and Karthik who seems to be on song.. After losing 3 early wickets you need some one to score at constant rate and not get out.. It did not happen.. Yusuf Pathan failed and so did RR..

> DD through to the semi finals..

> KXIP scripting great comeback, a team that needed 3 consecutive wins for a semi final spot is just one win away from it.. This is so much like the aussie of '99 cricket world cup that I can't help comparing... Aussie needed 3 consecutive wins in super 6, a win in semi and needless to say a win in the finals to lift the world cup.. (remember they were not the favorites to even qualify for semis when Steve Waugh had said they just need 5 wins to win the cup, and win they did).. 

>RR almost out. Only consolation is that the next game is against a team that doesn't know to win-the KKR..

>Will the choking, poor run chases and dubious decisions by the captains ever gonna stop ?? 

CSK- KKR and KXIP - a win against either seals a semi final berth.. Even if they lose both its alright.. A win tomorro against KKR will be ideal, wont it ? Lets see if that can happen.. (??!!??!!)

RR- KKR - a win takes them much closer to semi finals; no guarantee, a loss and you can bid good-bye..

RCB- DD, DC - a win against DD keeps them in spot light or once again things get too close to call with NRR coming into play and the performance of the other teams......

KXIP- must win against CSK..*

DC- Throw the dice, RCB vs DC may well turn out to be a virtual semi final if RCB gets the better of DD !! 

Food for thought: 

*If CSK win the remaining 2 matches and RCB wins against DC and loses to DD, then we will have KXIP, RCB, DC at 14 points..

  -- If RR lose to KKR, DC and RCB go through on NRR.

  -- If RR wins against KKR, DC goes through.

*If CSK lose both, they remain on 15. KXIP -16, if RCB wins 2 - 16points and they are through.. If RR and CSK happen to tie at 15 points also, CSK has better NRR and they are through..

(unless the wins and losses are by too big a margin to alter the NRR in a big way)..

So truly its MI who are completely out of it.. KKR- picture abhi bhi baaki hai dost !! (kingmaker)

Thanks to whomsoever it may concern that the semifinal spot will be decided by the match on 21st at 8pm between RCB and DC !! 

The No-Ball that lost the match

Its KKR vs DC today.. A must win for DC.. Probably the easiest match they can get under these pressure situations.. SO they are out to win and win comfortably to go up the ladder..

The match began with the usual and useless 1hour chat from a group of hopeless people called commentators.. DC won the toss and elected to bowl..

Umpires RE Koertzen and S Ravi (India)


For much of the innings, Kolkata Knight Riders showed why they have been so far behind the rest of the teams this season. After 14 overs they were plodding along at an inadequate 5.5 runs an over, but the late intervention of David Hussey transformed their innings. On a track on which Sourav Ganguly and Brad Hodge had pottered around for 10 overs without threatening Deccan Chargers, Hussey blasted a 17-ball 43 to revive Kolkata.. Ganguly had one of the most bizarre matches, for the first time in my entire life of watching all forms of cricket, all teams, all matches that had I seen the Lordie mis-time the ball so much.. Sourav who is known for timing the ball so much simply did not get going.. Hodge too was pathetic., two fours at the end makes it look as though he had batted well...

RP Singh, who had been very impressive till then in the tornament and in this match, was no-balled twice ( waist high ) in the 19th over, and was forced off the attack after only one legitimate delivery. When the replacement Harmeet Singh was brought on, Hussey went berserk. He smashed Harmeet for 4,2,2,6, and 6, mainly striking it straight. Twenty-eight came off the over, the most expensive of the tournament, and Kolkata's score had moved towards the 'defendable' zone. One six that was flat batted over the bowler's head onto the stands next to the sight screen was remeniscent of a six in Eden Gardens by the same player Hussey.. A respectable 160 reached..

Gilly smashed the KKRs so much that I thought KKR is done and the match will be over quickly.. But Kartik held it back 4-0-12-1 is an impressive bowling spell even in 50 over game.. Game in balance..

A no ball from Mortaza,superb yorker, Symonds attempts a single after digging it out , Mortaza runs upto the ball picks it up and throws it on to the stumps.. Bingo !! Symmo out... Match changed on its head !! My friend had then sent a message asking me to title the blog as "The no ball that won the match" !!

A day when there were so much happening in kolkata.. First big set back for the Left there in the Indian general elections... And could a improbable win for KKR here be the icing on the cake.. Something to cheer for in Kolkata i thought..

27 of 12 balls.. Agarkar bowls the 19th over.. He has this tendency of throwing it away in the end. Can he avoid that now? He has.. Sealed a win for KKR.. Just 6 runs...

21 of the last and Bangla Tiger gets the ball... Comes running in, the Square leg umpire is sigalling something.. The bowler bowls and Rohit hits it for a four.. A NO BALL signal from the 43 year old S Ravi from square leg !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only 3 fielders inside the circle !!!!!!!!!!!! OMG !!

Can there be any other way KKR can lose ? And then the last over was messed up..
4NB 1LB 1 6 1Wd 2 4 6

Worst figures for any bowler in IPL 4-0-58-0 .......... And KKR lose yet again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So , hence, therefore, the title of the post is "The no-ball that lost the match" :P

Latest ICC and player news

Johan Botha's 'doosra' delivery found to be illegal

     The ICC confirmed that an independent test has found the ‘doosra’ delivery of South Africa bowler Johan Botha to be illegal and the player has been warned against bowling that particular delivery in international cricket. A comprehensive analysis revealed that his action for the ‘doosra’ exceeded the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under regulations. But the same assessment found that Botha’s off-break and arm-ball deliveries were bowled within the tolerance level and so the 27-year-old can continue to bowl those types of deliveries at international level.

Concept of day/night test matches

     ICC-cricket committee agreed the concept of day/night Test cricket should be explored with the possibility of a trial match in 2010 providing key factors were established beforehand. These factors included successful tests of an appropriate colour ball, research on what the spectators and broadcasters would want and successful trials at first-class level. The red ball currently used for Tests would not be of use at night and there remains an issue concerning the lasting qualities of the white ball.

Stricter punishment for slow over rates

   The committee also agreed to recommend stricter penalties for players and captains guilty of failing to maintain an acceptable over-rate. Host boards, umpires and match referees should also take responsibility for ensuring that everything within their control was done to ensure over-rates remained as high as possible. Doubling of fines for a failure to maintain the required over-rates. It also recommended that if a captain led a team that received three over-rate fines in the same format of the game in any 12-month period then he should automatically face a suspension.

UDRS has positives

   It has been agreed that the URDS Umpire Decision Review system has positives and the number of bad decisions have come down in the series where it was tried.. Suggestions for improval have been looked into and the umpires have been asked to train to use it effectively and develop consistency ..

( which was lacking, IND vs SL )

Six teams begin journey towards qualification for ICC CWC 2015

    Six ICC Members will take its first step on the road to qualification for the ICC Cricket World  cup 2015 when it takes part in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division 7 tournament gets underway in the Channel Island of Guernsey( home team ). The other competing teams taking part in this competition are Bahrain, Gibraltar, Japan, Nigeria and Suriname.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said “ICC Board has removed Pakistan as host location, not the PCB as joint host for the event”..

Flintoff may miss ICC World Twenty20

  The all-rounder injured his right knee while playing for his franchise, Chennai Super Kings, in the Indian Premier League. He subsequently underwent keyhole surgery on April 28. However, the all-rounder is yet to start running and regain complete fitness.. Well, another reason for the English to balme the IPL for their ever miserable performances in ICC events..

Australia hopeful of Watson recovery

  Watson returned home from the recent trip to the UAE with a groin strain and was forced to miss the opportunity to play in the IPL, but Cricket Australia officials believe that he is recovering well.

Chanderpaul loses his place at the top of batting rankings (finally!!!)

  West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul has lost his number-one position in the latest Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen after his side’s 10-wicket defeat to England at Lord’s. The Guyanese left-hander made just four runs in the match and, as a result, has fallen back to second position, level with Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka. 

Clarke and Afridi fly up the Reliance Mobile ICC

  After great performances in the recently concluded AUS vs PAK series in Dubai, Clarke and Afridi have jumped places in the ICC ODI rankings.. MSD still heads the list..

IPL-2 a week to go

 IPL has been marvellous and amazing.. Of late the matches are rather decided by who chokes at the end rather than who holds the nerve.. Many teams have choked towards the end leading many (including ICC) to think if match fixing is on.. Well, its more pressure and nothing else.. Since the
teams are so close on points every team is so eager to win the match and get through to the semi finals that they more often than not choke towards the end..



DD: continuing their wonderful run of form and are almost through to the semis.. 4 more matches to go.. KXIP, RR, RCB, MI are the opponents.. A single win would seal their entry into semis, as we say anything can happen in cricket 4 consecutive losses could make them wait for NRR to be punlished at the end of the last match..

CSK: Too much dependance on Haydos, bowling not clicking so well.. In contention for semis .. Have to win 2 atleast to be safe and to be guarenteed of a place in the top 4 !!

RR: Have a match against DD, with the current trends DD may be tipped to win.. vs KKR may be a trump match for them..

RCB: simple equation, win both the matches.. But one is vs DD and the other DC.. Fingers crossed as this team is similar to India of the past.. (can win against the best and lose to the worst side).

MI: Almost out of the tournament.. Formalities remain... If the game comes down to the wire and NRR plays a role then MI may feel they have a chance.. But thats only in mathematics, not cricket..
next match against CSK will decide if they can play a part with NRR, a loss there and the team can pack their bags..


DC: Chokers of the series so far.. Should have been into the semis by now.. Two back to back games agaisnt KR and KXIP is the key.. Getting to 16 points will push them to safer limits or else DC vs RCB could well be a virtual semi finals..

KXIP: Logically in, but mostly out.. 3 wins and that too against DD, DC ,CSK?? nah, not quite happening I guess..


KKR: The kingmakers now !! DC, CSK, RR have a match against KR, if KR can win one or even 2 (am I exaggerating it too much? High hopes huh), then they could end the party for any team.. All 3 are hanging on the edge of the rope and are looking to demolish KR to boost NRR..

Matches to be played- 11.

Team   Matches left and against whom
DD          4  -  KXIP,RR,RCB,MI           
CSK        3  -  MI,KKR,KXIP  
RR          2  -  DD,KKR   
DC          3  -  KKR,KXIP,RCB  
RCB        2  -  DD,DC(last match, last day)   
MI           2  -  CSK , DD(last day)
KXIP      3  -  DD,DC,CSK
KKR       3  -  DC,CSK,RR

Bold: Do or Die match..
Bold + Italics- Decider, potential to throw open the table till the final game..

Nothing can be said... My guess : DD, CSK, RR through.. DC and RCB fight out for the last spot..

Strange things have happened in cricket.. KXIP, DD, RCB and MI can also go through, mathematically...

Points Table

Teams	MP	W	L	NRR	Points
Delhi Daredevils	10	8	2	+0.362	16
Chennai Super Kings	11	6	4	+1.070	13
Rajasthan Royals	12	6	5	-0.329	13
Deccan Chargers	11	6	5	+0.292	12
Bangalore Royal Challengers	12	6	6	-0.309	12
Mumbai Indians	12	5	6	+0.483	11
Kings XI Punjab	11	5	6	-0.570	10
Kolkata Knight Riders	11	1	8	-1.042	3