India’s chances of winning this world cup

So the announcement has come!!!

The world cup selection conundrum has been in the news for several days, and even now the confusion with respect to the No.4 slot has not ended. Though Vijay Shankar has gained a place in the team, some commentators have remarked that it should not have been at the cost of someone like Ambati Rayudu!!

On paper, it looks a well- balanced squad, with the Skipper Kohli being the mainstay in batting, who will be amply supported by Rohit, Shikhar, MSD and Jadhav. In the lower order there is Hardik too and Kuldeep too can bat a bit as well.

                             Armed with one of the best bowling attacks, arguably of all time, India is in high spirits. If Bumrah could deliver as he usually does, with the support of Shami and Bhuvi, it’d seriously help India’s chances. Kuldeep and Chahal, the spin twins, could also get their due, if they live up to the expectations.

                                 Shankar’s case is a strange one.  A gun fielder, this guy’s bowling has not been very satisfactory. Same goes with Hardik.

India vs South Africa- The clash of the Titans ( The first match of the Indians)

With Faf Duplessis at the helm, and having much depth in batting as well as bowling, the South Africans pose a significant challenge. With the inclusion of Dale Steyn, arguably one of the best bowlers of all time, things may not be easier for the Indians.  As the South Africans are having speed merchants like Anrich Nortje, Ngidi and clever one’s like Rabada in their ranks, we will need the experience and acumen of M.S. Dhoni here.

The No 4 Question

Who should be batting at Number 4? Agreeing that Shankar has the technique and he is a gifted batsman, the apt choice should have been the more matured and experienced Rayudu. As the selection process has ended, some pundits well argue that MSD should be the one batting at number four. It is a good suggestion too, given the enormous amounts of experience MSD carries.

Anyways, The Indian line up seems to be one of the best on paper. It has some depth, both in batting and bowling.

Wishing them all the very best ….

Next Tendulkar Will be from Tacna!!!!

I was reading a series of articles about the cricket being played in the Latin American countries. I have heard about the Argentine side and I know by now, they seem to be the best side in the region. The ICC has been conducting America’s tournaments here, and many counties, known for their football acumen has fielded their teams here.

In the last Americas championship, in division three, Belize won with Peru gaining a runner’s up trophy. Then again I stumbled up on the Peruvian cricket team, and started researching about their cricketing development. It is very interesting, as this country has a colorful history and they are always fond of sports too. They had participated in the 1970, 1978, 1982 football championships and has produced numerous football icons like Teofilo Cubillas,Hector Chumpitaz and Hugo Sotil. They have a vibrant soccer culture out there and have performed brilliantly in tournaments like Copa America too.

The Peruvian cricket Association website says cricket has been played there since the last 150 years. Still it seems not at all popular there. They have a domestic cricketing culture, comprising 6 teams-The kite flyers,Lima cricket and Football club,Eidgenossen and Chak De. These sides would be competing for the Chimu Adventures cricket Veloz trophy.They usually had a cricketing season at the LCFC (Which is the sanctum sanctorum of Peruvian cricket). These days Twnety20 games are played too, along with some foreign teams playing against the locals. A vibrant expatriate population, mainly the British,Indian and Pakistanis are there too.

Going through the performance of the national team in various matches, I felt they need more infrastructure and promotion. The media must take the initiative and promote the game earnestly. Talent is there, it is very obvious.The Markham College has been doing a tremendous job here.  They under-13 team won the South American under-13 champion ship and it looks like a good sign.Many of them seems like were born and brought up in the country too. Surely they are the future. Most of the matches were pretty low scoring so peru need to concentrate mainly on their batting and this will be vital.The senior team performed poorly in the South American Championship, held at Buenos aires in 2013.They lost all the games, and this tells us the importance of the basics. Most of the scores were very low and they need to practice hard for their batting. Most of the names of the Peruvian players who played here seemed anglicized (Tony Sanford,Harry Hildebrand) unlike the Under-13 team ( Lewis Paredes,Diego La punte etc).It means the upcoming generation is getting more interested in the game and taking it more seriously.

Anyway we can take everything in a positive manner. I am happy to say this country knows cricket for the last 150 years. What they need is just a helping hand. Countries like India, Pakistan,Bangladesh,England,Australia can help them. World Is getting very small. We cannot hide inside a cocoon these days. We need interaction, hopes and love and all the boundaries are shaking. If we can do this to this great country, we may be speaking about another Sachin Tendulkar who was taught cricket at the alleys of the small Peruvian town,Tacna.

Bravo champions !!

Come on, Tigers...

Bangladesh has been going through a rough patch these days. They have almost everything, talent, infrastructure, money, then why they perform poorly? They have some world-class players like Shakib-al-hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim and they have a very interesting batting order. They amassed a massive 326 runs against the brisk pace of Pakistan in the recently held Asia cup and still didn’t manage to register a win.They couldn’t even register a win in 2014 till now.

Why?

I guess their bowling must take most of the blame. They don’t have a proper pace attack, and there were some glimpses of good bowling, by Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain. Rubel,Al- Amin all  failed against the tough sides like SL or Pak.Shakib is a good bowler but he is not at all getting the good rapport. Anamul is a promising youngster,and same we can say about Mominul or Shamsur. Mominul and Anamul deserves special attention because they seems to be perfoming Consistently. Aburrazzak needs a rest these days. He performed very poorly against Pakistan. I know they are having a vibrant domestic season and they have a budding group of  promising players, like Mossadek Hossain,Litton Das and Shadaman Islam in the Junior level. Mossadek, as an all rounder looks very promising.

What the tigers need now is an efficient opening bowler. They must concentrate on that, and if they have a good pair, spinners could look confident and support them.

Otherwise the future seems very bleak. Come on Tigers !!

Fighting against the scorching heat here in Malaysia, the players from Jersey, a small British dependency, has posted a thrilling win over against Nigeria in the World Cricket League division Five match, which began here today. Batting first, the Jersians posted a challenging total of 235, with Skipper P.W.Gough top scoring with a well-made 66. Nigerians were crushed by the Jersey pace attack, spearheaded by left-armer Ben Stevens, who restricted them to a paltry 175.

In another low-scoring match, The Cayman Islands won over Guernsey by 33 runs. Batting first, the Caymanians had struggled against the Guernsians, and were restricted to 140. Mathew Ellis bowled brilliantly for Guernsey, and took scalped four.  They were paid back by the Caymanian bowlers, who ripped in the Guernsey top-order. They were destroyed by the young pace bowler, K.R.Ebanks, who took five wickets and ended the Guernsey innings for a mere 107.

In another match, the hosts, the Malaysians, secured a thumping 122 win over Tanzania. Malaysian batsmen amassed a huge total of 318 with the fall of only five wickets, helped by brilliant fifties of Nasir shafiq,Ahmed Faiz,Suhan Alagarathnam,and Shafiq Sharif. The visitors were bowled out for 196, with Hassan Mohammed, the pacer, scalping four.

Scores in Brief- :

Jersey 235/5 in 50 overs  ( P.W.Gough 66,Ben Stevens 53,A.S.J.Dewhurst 29,A.O.Oguniola three for 46) beat Nigeria  175 in 46 overs ( Olatunji 37,Olayinka 29,Ben Stevens three for 16)

The Cayman islands 140/9 in 50 overs (A.E.Hall 45,Mathew Ellis four for 12,W.Peatfield three for 22) beat Guernsey 107 all out in 37.2 overs ( L.Baker 37,L.Savident 33,k.R.Ebanks five for 19)

Malaysia 318 for 5 in 50 overs ( Nasir shafiq 68, Ahmed Faiz 78,S.Alagarathnam 70,Shafiq sharif 73 *,Benson Nyaikini two for 42) beat Tanzania 196 all out in 49 overs  ( K.Rehmatullah 51. K.Nassoro 49, A.R.Patwa 44,Hassan Mohammed four for 36,Khizar Hayat three for 23)

Bravo, champs !!!!

Afghanistan was amazing, as we have seen in the recently-held arise Asia cup!!!

Players, brought up in those refugee camps of Pakistan, witnessing war, longing for peace, and identity, had to fight.  They had to fight against all the odds. And they did it, bringing hopes for a war- ravaged country. Kabul rejoiced that night, after a long time. Sounds of firecrackers were heard in the distance and nobody thought it was some Kalashnikov. The whole country smiled, and it was made through the great game of Cricket!!

Every nationality, race or a human being longs for recognition. That is why all of us need icons in everything. It is an effective tool to forget all of our sadness, desperation and negativity. That is why diego Maradona makes people hopeful. That is why people used to cry whenever Sachin Tendulkar walks back. That is why Sports is important in cultivating a national consciousness.

Cricket is a game of patience. You need to be patient here, because it is not you playing there then. A nation will be waiting for you, listening to you and praying for you. In 1983, a wiry captain called Kapil Dev created history by beating the strongest team back then. It was the beginning of a sensation. In 1992, Imran khan marched along with his 11 warriors to eternal glory. In 1996, Arjuna Ranatunga created history by winning the world cup. You need to be creative, patient and calm here. You msut be attentive and imaginative. It is a game of hearts.

The same I felt when those brave Afghans defeated a test-playing team- Bangladesh in the Asia cup. They have suffered a lot to reach there. They didn’t want to win a trophy there, but it was a matter of identity. They just wanted to tell the whole world that their country was more than those Molotov Cocktails or Kalashnikovs.

Today cricket has been played in so many countries. Some of them like Papua New Guinea and Nepal have been really impressive too. I was happy to see a batsman like Tony Ura from the remotest part of that region. They look very promising and hard working too. I was touched by the amazing support from people for the Nepal cricket team. It is very evident from the cheerings and encouragements for

them whenever they play.

It might be preposterous to say to day, that one day all of them would become global superpowers in Cricket. It is so because cricket needs nourishment too. They need more exposure, more media promotion and encouragement. But I hope one day we will see many new countries playing amazing cricket.

I salute all heroes and upcoming heroes of this amazing game!!! Let all of them may be able to play, grow and make us smile

Or that is my dream !

In an amazing match here at Kuala lampur, in the fifth division of the World cricket League, Nigeria has defeated Guernsey in a nail-biting finish. It was almost a Javed Miandad-esque ending, with tail- ender Olajide Bejide hitting Mathew stokes for a massive six to create history.

In the low-scoring match, Guernsey had won the toss and had decided to bat, before crumbling to the brisk pace of the Nigerians. Opener Lucas Barker offered some resistance, and top scored with a well-made 45.Pace bowler Shaheed Akolade shone with the ball, scalping four Guernsey wickets and restricted them to a mere 194, with the loss of 9 wickets. In return,Nigerians found themselves reeling at 81/4 before Dotun Olatunji and Kunle Adegbola started the rescue work. Both of them shared an important 56 runs partnership, and guided their team to an important win. It was then passed to Bejide, to finish the work, in the 49^th over. This will be a great boost for the game in this African country, which is in the news mostly for wrong reasons.

In another match, the hosts, Malaysia humiliated the Cayman Islanders, by beating them by 213 runs. Malaysians were riding on the brilliant hundred of Nasir Shafiq ( 151*), which helped them to amass a massive total of 313.Caymanian bowlers struggled a lot, and Tony taylor picked three wickets by conceding 55 runs. The Caymanian batting order was ripped through by the Malaysian bowling duo- Hassan Muhammed and Khizar Hayat, sharing 7 wickets in between them and the visitors were ended up in posting 120.

In another encounter, Jersey defeated Tanzania by a margin of 102 runs.Batting first; Jersey made a total of 266, helped mostly by fifties of Nathaniel Watkins, Ben Stevens and Dean Morrison. This match also saw the 16 year old Jonty Jenner, playing his second match, scoring a stroke-filled, brisk 38, hinting about the bright future of cricket in this small Island. Tanzania struggled against the Jersians, with only Benson Nyakini fighting with a brisk 48. They were bowled out for 164 with Left-armer Cornelis Bodenstein picking up four wickets.

Jersey and Malaysia are on the top of the table, till now with two victories to their credit. It seems like Guernsey has to put up a great fight to move away from the danger zone, as they got defeated all of the two games they had to play. Caymanians and Nigerians must be careful too.

Scores in brief-:

Jersey 266/4 in 50 overs ( N.Watkins 73,Ben stevens 53, Jonty Jenner 38,Dave Morrison 51,B Nyaikini 2/41) bt Tanzania 164 all out in 41.4 overs ( B.Nyaikini 48, C.Bodenstein 4/31,A.Hawkins kay 3/25)

Guernsey 192/ 9 in 50 overs (L.Baker 45,L.Ferbrache 27,Akolade 3/29) lost to Nigeria 194/8 in 49.1 overs (Olatunji 40,Bejide 31*,Nussbaumer 3/26)

Malaysia 333 /5 in 50 overs (Nasir shafiq 151 *,Ahmed Faiz 37*,Troy Taylor 3/55) bt Cayman Islands 120 all out in 34.4 overs (R.Roach 22,Hassan Mohammad 4/10, Khizar Hayat 3/15)