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Two wins in 16 years. Three wins in one week.

24 Friday Apr 2015

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Bangladesh finally proved themselves to be a formidable team at the ICC 2015 World Cup. They had made it through the group stages into the knockouts for the first time ever. Their performance in the World Cup did more than just entertain, it gave them some credibility as a side. Bangladesh were now a real team to play, a team to beat.

With their new credibility came new challenges. The first of which was a home series against Pakistan. Three ODIs, one T20 and two Test matches. Bangladesh’s last win in an ODI against Pakistan came sixteen years ago and since then Pakistan had not lost once. Until now.

The series was always going to be a challenge for Pakistan. Bangladesh were coming into the series off their World Cup high. They looked like one of the most stable teams throughout the World Cup and had finally found their missing puzzle piece. Fast bowlers. Pakistan on the other hand were transitioning into a new era of cricket. One without Misbah Ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi. An era of new Pakistani cricketers led by Azhar Ali. Even though Pakistan’s lack of experience made it Bangladesh’s best chance of success, the outcome of the first three ODIs was far from expected.

Bangladesh did more than break Pakistan’s streak. They demolished it. It was a clinical whitewash with Bangladesh outplaying Pakistan in all three ODIs. A whitewash was expected to be in Pakistan’s repertoire but not Bangladesh’s. Beating a side like England in a World Cup was a completely different ballgame to playing a bilateral series but they stepped up to the challenge.

The initial breakthrough was led by Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim who put on an incredible 178-run partnership. It was an incredible performance that allowed the home side to set a colossal target of 329. It was a target that would have been tough for any team let alone this new Pakistani side. The side that was being led by a man who had played is last ODI in January 2012. However Ali led from the front with a 73 ball 72. The captain was initially backed up by Haris Sohail and Mohammad Rizwan who both scored half centuries however six of Pakistan’s XI were removed for single figures and they were bowled out for 250.

The second ODI was Pakistan’s chance to bounce back but once again it was their batting that let them down. None of their top six batsmen were able to make a 50+ score. Only an unbeaten partnership of 185 between Saad Nasim and Wahab Riaz saved the visitors from a complete embarrassment. Defending 239 was not out of the question however. Not with a bowling attack like Pakistan’s. An attack that had only a month ago suffocated the South African batsmen. Once again though, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim stepped up to the plate. The hosts made it look like a walk in the park as they chased down the total with 11 overs to spare.

Bangladesh had finally recorded their first series win against Pakistan but they weren’t finished. The third ODI followed a similar suit to the second. Bangladesh chased down 250 with eight wickets in hand and 10 overs to spare.

It was an all round quality performance from Bangladesh. They had proven they weren’t just a one trick pony and that it was time they were taken seriously not just by transitioning teams.

The 2015 World Cup: Review

12 Sunday Apr 2015

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Though the 2015 World Cup has come to a close, it will be remembered for a long time. It was a tournament of hope and belief. Ireland almost reached the knock-outs, South Africa broke their World Cup jinx and India burst through their summer slump with flying colours. It was also a tournament of tumbling records and unimaginable performances, from Kumar Sangakkara’s four consecutive tonnes to Martin Guptill’s incredible 237 against the West Indies.

Had the ICC removed the associate nations this year it would have been a very different tournament. Some of the most thrilling games were between the smaller nations. Turnout might not have been what it was at India v South Africa but for true cricketing fanatics they were some of the most exhilarating matches. Ireland and the UAE fought tooth and nail until the very end and Afghanistan’s Samiullah Shenwari rallied the lower order to beat Scotland by one wicket. Not only did the associates test each other, they challenged the top nations. Afghanistan gave Sri Lanka a run for their money and only a classy century from Mahela Jayawardena helped Sri Lanka pull through. Scotland gave New Zealand a big scare as they picked off seven wickets defending 142 and Ireland chased down a massive 304 against the West Indies. It was a huge step towards breaking down barriers between the test playing nations and the associate members.

The pinnacle of the group stage matches however was between the two host nations Australia and New Zealand. It was not about the chase. It was not about the batsmen. It was the bowlers that stole the show. Something all too rare in modern one day cricket. The entire match lasted the length of one innings. 80-1 was a great start for Australia but it was a collapse from there as the next eight wickets fell for 26 runs. Australia reached a mere total of 151 with Trent Boult picking off five wickets. However an astounding bowling performance from Mitchell Starc brought the game down to the last wicket.

This World Cup will be remembered for more than just nail-biting games. It will be remembered as the year of triumph for many teams. For Bangladesh it was beating England to make it to their first quarter-final. For South Africa it was winning their first knock-out game and for New Zealand it was making it to their first World Cup final. Bangladesh.

Though England had lost to Australia New Zealand and Sri Lanka, it was never expected that they would not qualify for the knock-outs. They had been going through a rough phase in all forms of cricket but in particular, ODI cricket. Eoin Morgan was only handed the captaincy just before the start of the tournament. However unlike Jason Holder who led the West Indies from the front, Morgan was unable to marshal his troops. Nevertheless Bangladesh deserve full credit for the win. They were a young a passionate team and they showed that heart and belief can breed dreams.

The quarter-finals brought out some phenomenal cricket. It was almost clear which teams would pull through the games but that didn’t make it in any way dull. Martin Guptill scored the highest individual score as he racked up 200+ runs alone within 50 overs. Wahab Riaz put on one of the most phenomenal bowling spells in history. It was possibly the most captivating 10 minutes of the World Cup until Rahat Ali dropped that pivotal catch.

The game of the tournament was not the final. The final was in fact it was a fairly anti-climactic end to the spectacular tournament as Australia bowled out New Zealand for 183 and chased it down with seven wickets to spare. It was the first semi-final that upstaged both the other semi-final the final itself. The game between New Zealand and South Africa reminded the world exactly why it loves cricket. It was an unbelievable performance with both teams pouring their hearts into the game. It was one of the most captivating games of cricket where the game went down to the second last ball of the final over. For cricket lovers there was a small hope for a Hunger Games finish where both teams could pull through together. However it was New Zealand with the help of Grant Elliot that made it through to their first final. It was a beautiful end to the game as Elliot gave a hand to help a broken Dale Steyn up off the ground.

Australia won the 2015 World Cup to make it their fifth ever title. They initially had a choppy start as their team changed on one too many occasions. However they pulled together as a unit just at the right time to beat Pakistan, thrash India and swoop in to claim the cup.

It wasn’t ‘pink day’ magic. It’s just AB.

01 Sunday Mar 2015

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The fastest ODI 50, the fastest 100 and NOW the fastest 150. There is no stopping AB de Villiers. The fast 200 will be en route soon. Keep your eyes peeled, there may be a cricket ball flying through your window any minute now.

On the 18th of January, AB de Villiers (in his pink uniform) pulled one of the most phenomenal batting performances against the West Indies. AB smashed the fastest ODI 50 and then fastest ODI century and went on to score an incredible 149 from only 44 balls at a strike rate of almost 340.

Once again against the same opponents, AB de Villiers put on another show for the world.

The fastest ODI 150. Facing only 66 balls he plundered 162* off 66 balls. AB belted 17 fours and eight sixes in his innings and pulled South Africa up to an unbelievable 408. It wasn’t as though South Africa were struggling, they had made a strong base with Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis both hitting 60s. Rilee Rossouw played a firey innings and took the pressure off AB, he gave the captain a chance to play freely.

It started slowly for AB (19 runs off 18 balls counts as slow when in comes to this man), he gave himself a chance to get in. Between the 30th and 40th over Rossouw and AB played it safe. There were a few boundaries here and there, mostly coming from Rossouw, but they kept moving. As soon as the 40th over came, AB decided that the SCG crowd could use some fielding practice. The gears changed and from then on it was the de Villiers show. Both Rossouw and Miller got out but that didn’t stop him. He was an avalanche and one that was picking up speed at an alarming rate. All the West Indies team could do was get out of the way.

At the 47th over, South Africa were on 330-3, an already incredibly strong total. Even if AB got out then it would have been a tough chase, but he continued.  He hit six boundaries off Holder’s eight ball over. 34 runs came off the over and South Africa were at their highest World cup total. The 49th over went for only 14 runs as Farhaan Berhardien starved AB of the strike (luckily for Andre Russell). Then it was back to AB for the final over and Holder had no answers for him. Four sixes and a four came from the last over as AB smashed boundaries over sqare leg, deep midwicket and long on. Holder who had initially only given away nine runs off five overs, ended with figures of 104 off 10 overs. It was a massacre.

South Africa have finally made their mark on the World Cup. Not a small one, they took a fat black sharpie pen and wrote ‘AB DE VILLIERS’ all over it.

The holy grail of cricket matches

19 Thursday Feb 2015

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15th of February, probably the most anticipated day of the past four years for most Indians. Everyone forgot about Valentine’s Day in all the excitement for the 15th of Feb. India vs. Pakistan.

It was an incredibly hot afternoon in Adelaide and all the Indian and Pakistani fans had swarmed into the city for the day. The streets were bathed in blues and greens and the air filled with drumming and chanting. The Adelaide Oval saw over 40,000 fans gather in the stadium for the match in wigs and costimes with flags and drums, it was an incredible sight. The match was set to be the most watched game in the history of cricket. It was expected that over a billion viewers would tune in to watch India vs Pakistan.

It was MS Dhoni who won the toss and decided to bat first, the crowd noise when he won the toss was as though India had already won the game.

The match began well for Pakistan when they removed Rohit Sharma early on in the eighth over, but that was their only significant breakthrough until the 46th over. Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan put on a great partnership of 127 runs and Virat Kohli went on to once again impress the cricketing world and score an incredible century. The young star smashed through more records as he became the first Indian to score a century in a World Cup against Pakistan. He also became the first Indian to score a century in an World Cup hosted by Australia. Kohli hadn’t had the best time in the Carlton tri-series against England and Australia even though he had played beautifully in the Test matches but as always,  when it really mattered, Kohli stepped up to the challenge. It could have ended very differently for Pakistan though had they taken all of their chances. Kohli was dropped on three and 76 and once he was dismissed, India faced some real trouble with five wickets falling in the space of 24 runs. Had Pakistan dismissed him earlier they may have been chasing a much more reachable total.

Misbah Ul Haq ran out Shikhar Dhawan on 73 when India were on 163 but that only brought in Suresh Raina. A very strange decision as Ajinkya Rahane was yet to bat. Whatever Dhoni’s reasoning was to push Raina up the order, it appeared to be a good one. Raina hit three sixes and five fours in his innings and scored at better than a run a ball. He took some of the pressure of Kohli which likely helped the vice-captain reach his century. India didn’t lose another wicket until 273 runs when Kohli edged the ball to Umar Akmal in the 46th over. It looked as though they would easily reach 320+ runs considering they were only three wickets down even without Kohli, especially with Dhoni ‘the finisher’ to come. However, India stuttered. As soon as Kohli got out, Raina followed suit along with Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane who got out for three and a duck respectively. Dhoni contributed to the total but only 27 runs were scored in the final four overs and it almost looked like India would not reach 300. Sohail Khan dragged back the Indians as he went on to pick up five wickets. Understandably the Indian batsmen were going in to swing for the ball considering their total already and the fact that they had wickets in hand. Though with four overs to go and two set batsmen just being dismissed, it was not an ideal situation. India could have ended on a much higher total had Raina become slightly more careful once Kohli was dismissed.

Regardless of India’s ending, 300 runs was going to be a difficult chase for Pakistan. They lost their first wicket fairly early but slowly built back up. Haris Sohail along with Ahmed Shehzad put on a 68 run partnership for the second wicket. Once again though, India broke through the partnership as it was beginning to look good. Misbah Ul Haq, the captain, was the next man in who had rescued Pakistan on more than one occasion. Once again his team needed him to perform but they could not provide the support to back him up. The next three wickets fell in the space of two runs leaving Pakistan 103-5. Shahid Afridi came in and made a start, he hit a six but never looked completely comfortable. Had Afridi been having a good day, Pakistan might have gotten much closer to the 300 target. However he was removed by another great spell from Mohammed Shami and from there on it was clear that India had the game. Misbah went on to score 76 but Pakistan still fell 76 runs short of the total.

The Indian bowlers did not look like their usual uncompetitive selves, Dhoni coaxed fiery spells out of his fast bowlers and used them very effectively. Shami picked up five wickets and both Mohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav picked up two each. The fast bowlers were well backed up by Ravindra Jadeja who took a wicket and Ravi Ashwin who bowled three maiden overs and also picked up a wicket. It was an all-round strong opening performance by India and a positive start in their quest to retain the World Cup title.

A lifetimes worth of emotions rolled into five days

15 Monday Dec 2014

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The entire cricketing world stopped spinning on the 25th of November. It remained frozen in time as Australia and the rest of the world mourned the loss of Philip Hughes until the first test between India and Australia began at the Adelaide Oval on the 9th of December.

The opening ceremony of the test was a beautifully dedicated moment towards Hughes. 408 was painted onto the pitch, Hughes was named 13th man and the crowd applauded for 63 seconds in honour of Hughes’ final score.

Australia won the toss and elected to bat first, David Warner was clear from the start on his intent. He smashed three fours from both the second and third over and seemed to be in as great form as ever. It took until the fourth over for a bouncer to be bowled by a brave Varun Aaron and cricket finally started to feel normal again. India removed Chris Rogers and Shane Watson fairly quickly but fell behind as Warner continued to score at more than a run-a-ball. By the 25th over, he had scored 77 runs and raised his bat twice at 50 and 63 to once again commemorate his teammate .

David Warner and Michael Clarke dominated the Indian bowlers through the day. They seemed untroubled and Warner reached his century with ease. Clarke’s injuries flared up again and he retired hurt on 60 with Australia at 206-2 giving India the chance to break through with a new unsettled batsman. Steve Smith who has been in great form continued in the place of Clarke and pushed the score on. Australia went on to score an immense 517 runs with three centurions including Smith who ended on 162 not out, Warner and Clarke who came back out to play after retiring hurt.

517 seemed like a daunting total in itself but appeared almost laughably unattainable considering the very young Indian team, their performance in England, and the fact that they were playing away against the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris under the stand-in captain Virat Kohli.

India’s innings got off to a much slower start than Australia’s and Shikhar Dhawan fell early chopping one onto his stumps. Cheteshwar Pujara steadied the innings scoring 73, he seemed much more comfortable here than in England. Murali Vijay fell on 53 to bring Virat Kohli out. On the first ball, Kohli was hit on the helmet from a bouncer by Johnson  and the entire Australian team which had a reputation for being aggressive and intimidating rushed to his side. It seemed that Australia had changed.

Kohli, like Pujara, appeared much more comfortable here than in England, he went on to score an incredible century. With contributions from Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma, India ended on what was a respectable total of 444. Except for Kohli, four of India’s top batsmen appeared to settle into the innings with three scoring half centuries and yet they all got out without converting their figures into big scores.

Australia still had a 73 run lead and built up their lead on day four to 363 runs with David Warner scoring another century in the test. This was the second time Warner scored two centuries in one test this year. Only five other batsmen had ever achieved this. Tensions rose during his innings as Warner was given out to a ball and then recalled after it was deemed a no ball. Warner taunted Varun Aaron as he came back having been given a send off by the bowler and captain. Dhawan also got involved and cricket appeared to be recovering to its fiercely passionate self once again.

Day 5. Target for Australia: 10 wickets. Target for India: 364 runs.

The target for India would have been a draw had it been an older team or a different captain. In fact a draw would have been the target for most teams. Virat Kohli however, had his sights set on the win. At no point did India look like they would attempt to bat through the day to draw the game.

Dhawan and Pujara fell early, the pitch was a truly intimidating day five pitch and no team would have liked to be chasing a 300+ total on it.

Kohli came onto the pitch to join Vijay and the game changed. The first debut captain to score two centuries in an test. He appeared to be floating above the ground, he did not put a foot wrong. On a pitch that would have had any batsman second guessing himself, Kohli had reached his zone. Vijay was at one end playing on the day five pitch and scored an admirable 99 whilst Kohli was playing as though it was day 1 again and India were batting first.

Another twist in the match occurred again just as India were cruising as Vijay fell to Nathan Lyon. Rahane and Sharma couldn’t hold on either as Lyon bested them with his sharp turn and bounce. On 141, Kohli appeared to momentarily come out of his trance as he mishit one straight to Mitchell Marsh. Possibly the most gut wrenching moment for Kohli who had brought India within 60 runs of what could have been one of the most incredible wins ever.

The final three wickets fell quickly and Australia had won the first test by 48 runs with Nathan Lyon taking a seven of the wickets in the fourth innings.

The match was truly competitive game that brought in every aspect of the sport. Through its aggressiveness, passion and record breaking cricket it was the perfect way to get the cricketing world spinning again.

It’s been a long time coming.

20 Monday Oct 2014

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The story of the week, the one that required two days of recovery before this blog could be written; Virat Kohli finally scored his long awaited 20th century. He had faced more than just a slump in form during his time in England, he appeared to have lost his confidence and replaced it with a fear that kept him glued to his crease and reaching for the ball. The Kohli that played in the 4th ODI in Dharamsala was a new man, one who was calm and collected. He looked as though he had never been in a slump and appeared as though summer had never happened.

Kohli’s milestone put him at the top of the ODI rankings by percentage of centuries. He currently has the highest conversion rate of all players with 20+ centuries. 15% of Kohli’s 133 ODI innings have produced a century with a 39.2% conversion rate showing exactly how skilled he is.

What ended up being the final ODI of the series was a fantastic all round performance from India, they bowled well during the game and at the death but more importantly, their batting fell into place.

Darren Sammy was followed out to the toss by the WI team who were showing their support for the captain during the players stand-off against the WIPA. Sammy won the toss and made the right decision putting India in the bat first. Even with conditions favouring the bowlers, India started very well scoring 70 before the first wicket fell. Virat Kohli came in and even though he began slowly, he picked up singles and once he found his rhythm, there was no stopping him. He and Suresh Raina put on a 138 run partnership after a solid start from Shikhar Dhawan who scored 35 and Ajinkya Rahane who scored 68. India cruised to 330-6 with two players scoring half centuries and one scoring a hard earned century.

 

West Indies responded relatively poorly, being bowled out for 271 runs in 48.1 overs. Dwayne Smith got out for an 11 ball duck and Keiron Pollard scored a mere six runs from 31 balls. Marlon Samuels once again produced a phenomenal century, one that appeared even more brilliant considering the circumstances WI were facing but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to pull them over the line. He had very little assistance from the rest of the team except Darren Bravo and Andre Russell who both scored 40s.

It’s unfortunate that the WI series ended there just as India were finding their groove. With Rahane, Raina and now Kohli finding form, India have a real chance to defend their 2011 World Cup title.

However, it seems likely that Sri Lanka will be picking up the slack soon and India will be wanting practice against their 2011 World Cup final rivals.

England set to win next 3 ODIs?

28 Thursday Aug 2014

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The ODI series started very much the way the test series began, with India looking strong and competitive. England should still feel like they have a chance considering their performance against India in the Test series and Virat Kohli still being out of form even in the format he thrives in.

It’s a shame that India are able to get more in one 50 over match than they are able to get in two innings during a test match. In the fifth test, India could only muster 242, scoring 62 runs less than they did in the ODI. They have some very skillful players with the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar but their attitude and mindset towards Test match cricket must change if they hope to become a competitive side.

Suresh Raina, the man who was brought out at number 11 during the warm-up game came in at number five to score his first century outside Asia, and his first since Jan 2010. Raina was left out of the Asia Cup in March so he had a lot to prove, especially outside India. His place in the ICC 2015 World Cup is still not secure though, he will have to continue to prove himself over the next few series’.

However, India were expected to do well in the one day format. A real thriller was going on in the capital of Zimbabwe, Harare. South Africa and Australia were battling it out in their first head-to-head of the Tri-series.

Australia batted first and led by Aaron Finch who scored a century, posted a decent total of 327 with Phillip Hughes and Captain George Bailey also scoring half centuries. South Africa’s bowling was relatively poor and lacking in control, Wayne Parnell in particular appeared to be out of sorts ending up with an economy rating on 9.42.

However as always, AB de Villiers was the star of the show scoring 136. Alongside childhood friend Faf du Plessis, who scored his maiden ODI hundred, the two put on a partnership of 206. Once again, as he has done so often for South Africa, de Villiers displayed real strength and grit to see the match through even though he suffered severe cramp and needed on-field treatment. Benching Nathan Lyon might have been the deciding factor in the match, with figures of 2-45, South African spinner Imran Tahir was the most economical of the game.

Of the last five ODI losses Australia have faced, including yesterday’s game, four of them have been 300+ scores. It seems Australia have a lot of work to do on their bowling.