Off Stump

Not at the half-way stage but there's been enough going on at the second edition of the IPL to warrant a post. The quality of cricket has been better than the last time around so far, mainly because bowlers have had more of a chance to show their skills. The success of the spinners especially is a pleasant surprise though they will probably find conditions less responsive in England come the World T20. So far, Deccan, Delhi and Mumbai look the best bets to carry on and lift the trophy but its early days yet and things can change rapidly. In fact, that is the main appeal of T20 for me, the fact that momentum can shift so suddenly and how players deal with it is the key to winning matches. The other very interesting phenomenon has been how the 30+ batsmen seem hell-bent on proving that its not just a young man's game. A quick look at the top batting/bowling stats so far tells an interesting story. None of the top five scorers are below 34 and only three of the top 10 are below 30

Well, officially the season hasn't quite ended since the last one-dayer between Australia and South Africa still remains to be played but given that its a dead rubber, the season is as good as over. And what a season its been. Probably as much action off-field as on it, but its been riveting throughout and the quality of Test cricket overall (apart from the WI-Eng series) has been top-notch and a welcome reminder of why I like the 5 day format the most. The two Aus-SA series have in particular been fascinating to watch though a lot of it has been driven by Australia waiting too long to make much needed changes. South Africa though has truly come on in leaps and bounds and though they will be losing Kallis and Ntini sooner rather than later, their decreasing reliance on them over the last year or so has meant that they won't be missed much. Their one-day game has come along strongly too and they should have a genuine shot at the World Cup this time. Australia on the other hand h