Skip to main content

The last leg

So my quarter-final score was Heart 2 - Head 2 :-)......SA being upset was probably the only really unexpected result but you've got to give it to NZ. They have now made more semi-finals than any team barring Australia and that is some feat. On the other hand they've never made it to the final so they would put that down as needing correction. Maybe this time round who knows.

What is guaranteed though with the semi-final lineup is two really good games (hopefully!) and a clutch of firsts whatever the outcomes - a) An Ind-SL final would be the first all Asian final plus the first between two host nations, b) An Ind-NZ final would be the first for India as a host and the first for NZ ever, c) Pak-SL would again mean the first all Asian final plus Pak's first WC victory over Ind, and d) Pak-NZ would be NZ's first final and Pak's first victory over Ind in World Cups. No predictions from me this time, I'll stick my neck out for the final.

As an aside, the India-Pak semi-final is taking on so much huge hype, the game will be hard pressed to live up to it most likely. Two articles on Cricinfo were very nice to read - Umar Gul's interview and Bosey's farcical piece on India's bowling. Bowlers (especially on the subcontinent) are the unheralded heroes of the game and in someone like Umar Gul's case, its great to see that he is honest about the fact that he would like to receive adulation but just doesn't happen to because of his lack of star charisma. As for India missing Praveen Kumar, I've already touched upon that and its probably the one thing that might cost India the tournament eventually. Lets hope not but in any event, should be one heck of a conclusion to the tournament, whether India wins or not. At least, we are guaranteed a new champion after 12 years.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Et tu?

As a single sport website, I think Cricinfo has brought about a revolution and the fact that they were bought by ESPN is testament to how highly valued they've become. Their editing and approach to articles/opinion has been refreshing to say the least and even though they seem to have had a lot of editorial staff movement they've usually maintained very high standards. Off late though, both in their headline styles as well as in actual content, there seems to be an occasional slippage of standards and an inching towards the modern media sensationalism which is a bit of a pity. This piece  by Siddharth Monga is a classic example. Granted that the last two press conferences by Dhoni and Sehwag  indicated clearly that the captain and his deputy did not agree on this aspect of selection but "discord", "dissent", "public sniping" feels rather presumptuous and heavy handed. Yes, it is a team sport but there is no reason why everyone on the team needs ...
1 comment
Read more

Of backward selections and England's future

A couple of interesting selectorial decisions recently by England and India (and actually as its turning out Australia as well!). For once I think the England selectors didn't panic and showed the right thinking by not picking either Key or Ramprakash for the Oval Test. And luckily for them, both Bell and Trott have performed well enough to vindicate the decision. India on the other hand have actually gone the other way bringing Dravid back to the one-day squad. I'm a bit ambivalent on that one. While the decision to leave out Rohit Sharma and retain Raina was certainly the right one, bringing back Dravid is questionable. It would have been a bolder decision to pick someone like Kohli or Rahane who both played really well in the Emerging Players Trophy recently, mainly because Dravid is quite unlikely to feature in the 2011 World Cup so why bring him back now? As for the Aussies, they will certainly be regretting not picking Nathan Hauritz for the Oval. A defensive decision if...
Post a Comment
Read more

The final elusive pieces

Now that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has essentially announced his decision to stay on as skipper of the side till at least the 2015 World Cup, every ODI series India plays hereon is a stage for defining the plans and alternatives for that tournament. And none of them will be more critical than the current series against New Zealand given its the closest the team will get to play in conditions resembling that in the actual World Cup. A lot gets written about India's poor record in Test cricket away from home even though its improved hugely since the turn of the millennium. Their one-day record away from home is not outstanding either with a win-loss ratio well below 1 (though only Australia and South Africa are better). What is more concerning is the fact that Australia and New Zealand are two of the three worst venues for the team thereby making the title defence even more challenging. Their recent record and especially the win in the Champions Trophy certainly gives cause for hope ...
Post a Comment
Read more