Tuesday, February 8, 2011

WI Look to Revive Cricket back Home


Team which has seen the highs of 70s look to resurrect the sport back home
With Chris Gayle and a solid middle order with inclusion of Sarwan in the lineup, West Indies may still spring a surprise in the subcontinent, ala 1996.
With the cricket world cup just days away, in the days leading up to the opener at Dhaka, I’ll be analyzing chances of eight top test playing nations for the coveted crown. Today I look at the West Indies.

After a long deliberation and contractual issues surrounding the top brass of the side, the squad from the Caribbean has been announced with the inclusion of all the four members which, either were not part of the contracts or had voluntarily skipped it.

There’s a lot going on with the West Indies at the moment and most of it has been away from the playing field. With IPL contracts coming in way of a few players obliging for national duties and players not being payed there past due match fees, the WICB has faced turbulence like never before. However as the world cup approach and as we look at the squad, all do not seem lost. In fact the side looks a strong one barring a tear away fast bowler, like a Fiedel Edwards. Having seen the exploits of Chris Gayle in India in 2002 and the stunning 50+ average of Ramnaresh Sarwan in Indian conditions were the side plays five of their six group games, I am pretty certain that the team is going to give every top side a run for their money.

Yes off course, they are not one of the hot favorites to be in Mumbai on April 2nd, but I would not be surprised if they come very close of doing so. With the likes of Chris Gayle and Sarwan at the top of the order and a destroyer in Kerein Pollard lower down the order, it will be interesting to look at how the competitors in its group look at West Indies which I believe will carry a surprise package in the tournament. This squad has played the least number of ODIs in the last year or so and that could work firmly in the two time world champions favor, as not many sides would have experienced the torment of Pollard who I feel is even dangerous than even Afridi. He took his Caribbean franchise T&T to a stunning win couple of seasons back in the champions league T20. Same can be said of Darren Sammy the captain and Adrian Barath who, I believe will partner Gayle.

When the premiere event was held in the subcontinent last time around some fourteen years back, no one gave Richie Richardson’s men a hope, things got worse when Kenya produced a most famous upset of the world cup in Pune. But the team fought back and toppled Australia in the league phase before Brian Lara produced a magnificent knock at Faisalabad to rip apart a strong South Africa line up and take his side to the semi finals. They lost by just five runs at Mohali, collapsing from 170 odd for three to be bowled out for 202. Hence, to say that West Indies have got no chance whatsoever this time around, would be a naivety, however it does not by any mean make them the hot favorites.

Weaknesses lie in their spin attack, with pitches in India responsive to finger spinners; I can’t see the likes of Sulaimann Benn or Nikita Miller bringing nightmares to opposing batsmen on the eve of the matches. Similarly the fragility in the lower middle order means that Sarwan, Chandrapaul and Gayle have to fire in order to post high totals which will be required under those conditions. The ideal scenario would certainly be if Gayle can fire on the cylinders in the first fifteen and then likes of Bravo, Chandrapaul and Sarwan carry the side to the last dozen before the team unleashes Pollard and Sammy in the batting power play. But as with everything in this world, nothing goes to script, because if it did then there is no fun in doing anything. And that is where the biggest hurdle of the West Indies lies. I do not see any other players taking responsibility in times of crisis. If Gayle fails to deliver and the middle order folds in a couple of games, the team does not have a Yusuf Pathan, or a Misbah ul Haq to take them out of the mires. Similarly if two of the regular bowlers get cartered all over the park (which is perhaps a strong certainty on Indian tracks), the team do not seem to have aYuvraj or Sehwaag, who can come in and bowl a few overs on dustbowls. Yes they have in Pollard, Sammy and Bravo, three genuine all rounders, however they all are medium pacers and its that monotonous attack that could sink the side.

Taking all these aspects into consideration I believe it will be tough for the West Indies to even reach the knock out stage, but if they manage to do so, then I will not count them out to go all the way as they have the firepower in the batting to topple any side. On a final note as a cricket lover, I would love to see this team does well as the sport needs it. People back home are diverting away from cricket to various American sports, a successful world cup campaign would go a long way in resurrecting cricket in the Caribbean

Kiwis Look To Bounce Back from the Mires


After having faced humiliating whitewashes at the hands of lowly Bangladesh and a grade C India line up, New Zealand will be aiming to turn the tables come 19th Feb.
The most amazing part of playing in the subcontinent in the months of Feb, March and April is that the pitches would be conducive to hit through the line and even batsmen with mediocre technique would look like a million dollar. Hence, players who would struggle in seaming and bouncy conditions say in Newzealand, England or South Africa would end up making loads of runs when they come down to places like India and Bangladesh. This is the reason why I believe Newzealand may still have a slim hope of producing outstanding results in the coming world cup, because otherwise, the side looks devoid of firepower in bowling as well as batting.

Having said that, kiwis have always had a team with no big players in it, barring Richard Headlee, so anyone counting them out can do at his/her peril. But a lack of genuine all-rounder, someone like a Chris Cairns or Chris Harris (remember that 131 against Aus in 1996 WC), could mean that there long tail be exposed against the spin and guile of Murali, Mendis and Harbhajan.

Off course they have in Jacob Oram, a hard hitting all rounder down the order, but over the years injuries and form have taken a toal on this lanky 2metre giant. I was going through his performances in the last couple of editions of the premiere event, and that conspicuously tells me that a lot would depend on him if New Zealand have to go deep into the championships. He took 14 wickets at an average of 21.07 in the ICC CWC 2003 and then scored 165 runs at an average of 33.00 and took 10 wickets at an average of 25.20 at the ICC CWC 2007. Apart from him, the team will be more dependent on the likes of McCullum brothers, Taylor, Ryder and Vettori. Also I am impressed by the pace and aggression of Hamesh Bannett who resembles Shane Bond in more than one ways.

So where does New Zealand look weak if the side has decent batting and bowling. Well the weakness lies in the application, or lack of it shown by both, the batsmen and bowlers while playing in the sub continent. They start decently against pace on flat decks, but go in their shells even against part time spinners which puts immense pressure on the lower order to up the ante come the final straight of the innings. As is termed in athletics, the race is won and lost from the final bend onwards to the finish line and that is where kiwis are faltering. If they do not apply themselves and keep playing as if this is a T20 big bash, then the results would continue to be dismal.

Fifty overs today is a long time, a span in which you can lose early wickets and still rebuild to a sizeable total, or a period in which you can get hit for 90 in the first ten and still bowl out the opposition for a meager target. Hence John Wright, along with Vettori and company need to strategize in a manner through which, the team can play at a nice pace and yet preserve wickets for the batting power play and the final assault. I always believe when sides play in subcontinent, it is the batting which makes the difference.

Another aspect of their game which I am sure any kiwi supporter would be frustrated with, is the continuous shuffling at the top of the order. India toured down under in 2009 and the way Ryder played then, showed that he is born to open and smash from bowl one, more so on the featherbeds in the heat of Mumbai and Bangalore, than anywhere else. Yet, the team management is trying out different players at the opening slot. If Brandon McCullum is not keeping and you have Ryder in the eleven, will have no doubts in my mind to open with both of them in the world cup. Also I do not see a place for Jamie How in the side, as apart from one blistering knock against England in 2008, have not seen him either, score briskly or stay at the wicket like a Kallis or a sedate Dhoni, major part of the innings. The selectors could have looked at other batsmen for the middle order as opening would require the players to score quickly in world cup conditions.

Looking at their group, I see that they will face tough opposition with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Kenya to content with, apart from Australia. The first three sides have got top notch to decent quality spinners in their ranks and hence it would be interesting to watch the kiwis tackle all these teams. As for the match against Australia, it sounds strange but I believe Newzealand have their best chance in this one with Hauritz getting injured and no Hussey in the ausie lineup, kiwis might just topple the kangaroos.

After taking all these considerations, I believe the team is devoid of a genuine bowling all rounder and has a slightly longer tail than others. If the top 3, that is McCullum, Ryder and Taylor do not fire, I see them struggling against quality spin. Hence for me, they will do well to reach quarters, similar to the West Indies.