Result comes as expected

Well as all of us had predicted a couple of days back regarding the finalists of the world cup, the result is right in front of us with Sri Lanka making their third world cup final and their second in a row. There was no room for New Zealand to sneak into victory not only for all odds being against them but also with them not being the right team to beat the sub-continent nation especially on their home turf. This is the fourth fifth time in a row that Sri Lanka have beaten New Zealand in world cups since 2003.

New Zealand should consider themselves lucky to be in the semi-finals of the tournament beating South Africa in the quarter-finals. Had New Zealand encountered any of the other teams namely India or Sri Lanka, may be they would have given a grand exit there itself. Of course, the story would have been different had they met West Indies. At any cost, new Zealand would have not made it to the finals of this world cup for, India and Pakistan would also have given them the same treatment like Sri Lanka. May be there would have been a worse result for the Kiwis had they faced India.

However, looking at the scorecard, one can guess the panic that the Sri Lankan batsmen had towards the end of the chase suggesting that had the Kiwi total been somewhere close to 250, may be Sri Lankans would have been seen cursing themselves at the end of the day for coming so near and losing the plot mid-way. At one stage the scorecard read 161/3 requiring 58 runs from 102 balls at a rate of over 3 runs an over. But, the Sri Lankan batsmen took 47 overs to get into that magical score. Though they didn't lose wickets at regular intervals, some panic was evident.

The Sri Lankan batsmen had to concentrate more and one has to no doubt give full marks to the New Zealand bowlers for coming back to the game and showing the world that they deserved to be there. Towards the end of the game, one thing that makes me wonder and tough to come to terms with is the fact that Kumara Sangakkara was awarded the man of the match when it was Tilekaratne Dilshan who did the good work in the beginning of the Sri Lankan successful run chase. I just had to convince myself saying the person who captains and keeps wickets gets the precedence.

Best of the quarter-finals

Well with all the four quarter-finals of the world cup being over, I guess it is time to bid the best of the quarter-finals which included 8 teams playing four games (obviously). The first of the quarter-finals between West Indies and Pakistan was just a walk over game for Pakistan who thrashed the West Indies like never before. First by bowling out them for just above 100 and then chasing the same with close to 30 overs left. But, that feat can be enjoyed by no one other than the Pakistanis. So, that match stands canceled in picking the best.

Next on the list comes the match involving India and Australia which India unexpectedly won with 5 wickets still in hand. This goes down as the best of all knock-out games in this tournament so far with hardly anyone having their bet on the co-hosts though they are the favorites to win the crown this time. Though Australia have lost the services of Adam Gilchrist, Mathew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Glenn McGrath and others, there are some like Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson, Brad Haddin, Brett Lee etc who are still fresh from their days of glory since the last decade.

Australia might have lost to Pakistan in their league stage encounter with the sub-continent nation but the quarter-finals of the world cup is totally a different game whatsoever. Coming to the next game between New Zealand and South Africa, that was just an elimination match where both teams don't deserve to be in the semi-finals and one of them has to make it there irrespective of whether anyone likes it or not. Both South Africa and New Zealand had just one win in their league stage and that too by a one man show and a crash by the opposition.

It was India who lost their equations against South Africa and if not for Ross Taylor, no other batsman from the Kiwi side put Pakistanis under pressure. Last but not the least we have the game between England and Sri Lanka which was (we guess) anticipated by England to be their last show in this world cup. Gone were the good work when they had a tie against India chasing 339 before losing to Bangladesh and Ireland. They were just a step better than the West Indies and nothing else. Teams gotto be lucky to have faced West Indies and England and likewise they did it in style when they didn't lose a wicket en-route to their successful chase.

What a major difference?

Well if any team cannot even chase down a small total of 221 in the quarter-finals of a world cup, then expecting something special from them would just be as stupid as it can get whatsoever. And that was what the South Africans were found doing yesterday against New Zealand at Dhaka. And, with winning being totally out of question, just look at the margin of victory the Kiwis had against the Proteas and you can realize that the Proteas have just been better than the West Indies. I can no doubt say that Bangladesh and Ireland played better cricket than the South Africans.

One has to just take a look at how many times in world cups the South Africans have been losing to the Kiwis since their entry into world cricket in the 1992 world cup. If not for the 1996 and 1999 world cups, New Zealand have been able to take home twice of what the South Africans have managed. This was the third consecutive time that New Zealand beat South Africa in world cups. I just felt pity to see Shaun Pollock go in first to the presentation area despite scoring 307 runs and Herschelle Gibbs missing out to Stephen Fleming for the MoM award.

You can just go through the scorecard top see that there were no big hitting by the New Zealand batsmen. All the New Zealand batsmen did was to wait for an opportunity and strike at the right time. The entire New Zealand innings consisted of just lone six from the blades of Kane Williamson. There was a 114 run 3^rd wicket partnership between Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor which was instrumental in the eventual score of 221.The South Africans couldn't even bowl the New Zealand batsmen all-out and allowed them to play all their 50 overs which laid the foundation to their defeat.

The match should not go down as another chucking by the African team for, this was anybody's game unlike in 1992-1999 world cups. The South African scorecard which at one point of time read 121/3 in the 27^th over eventually ended at 172 all out meaning only 51 runs could be scored in 16 odd overs at the rate of just over 3 runs an over losing 7 wickets. This was the second time the South Africans were found doing this. Previously, against England as well, they succumbed chasing 173. This time, had this been the score against England there would have been another tie for England.

Canada shows a class

Well it would be no prizes for guessing the result of yesterday's match between the Kiwis and Canada with New Zealand wrapping off the game in style by 97 runs. But, though the match was all over for Canada, they showed all guts when they didn't lose all their ten wickets and were able to cross the 250 run mark when they winded their innings at 261 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. This was the fourth team that New Zealand beat after Kenya, Zimbabwe and Pakistan had thrashings. But, the real test for New Zealand would be against Sri Lanka.

A total of 358 runs on the board piled up by the New Zealand batsmen would no doubt have put the Canadians running for cover but surprisingly, the Canadian batsmen showed no signs of fear because, not that they were confident of winning but was the other way round. They were sure to lose that match and that would have been just another loss for them with them already having lost to Pakistan, Australia and Zimbabwe. A loss against New Zealand would not bring up any eyebrows and neither would there be any fan expecting Canada to win the game against New Zealand.

In case they win any encounter against any team, that would be welcome but a loss will no way be cursed by anyone. Instead, they should have won the game against Pakistan when they had the opposition all out for a score less than 200. Still, that does not show the bowling caliber of Canada and instead shows that the pitch was a bowler's paradise. That was the reason for some part-time bowler Shahid Afridi to scalp 5 wickets for yet another time in this world cup. That apart, this was the last chance for the Kiwis to showcase their skills.

Next, they would be facing the Sri Lankans at Mumbai some 4 days later where their true caliber will be tested. They have lost the match to the Aussies and though they managed a win against Pakistan, it was one man show with Ross Taylor stitching it for New Zealand at the fag end of the New Zealand innings. Else, they would have been left with just four wins that was worth nothing. They were lucky not to have teamed with Bangladesh which would otherwise been a major upset (may be). Still, they enter the quarter-finals and one should wait and see what happens there.

Finally a game to watch

Well in this world cup, there have hardly been games that can be watched keeping our fingers crossed if not for a game or two. One game that I can cite here would be the game between India and England at Bangalore and the one between England and Ireland on the same venue. Despite India piling up 339 runs on the board aided with century from Sachin Tendulkar and a half century from Yuvraj Singh, the match ended in a tie with England also being unable to make it theirs. And regarding the match between Ireland and England, a score of 320+ was not sufficient to keep Ireland from winning.

This is not totally due to the games involving the non-test playing nations alone and instead, even the match between England and South Africa happened to be a viewers' nightmare with South Africa coming so close and leaving things to England to finish their task. Now, there has been some excitement from the world cup with just 4 overs of the game changing the game totally. One cannot even figure out how on earth someone could smash 92 runs from 4 overs with every ball fetching close to 4 runs. Had it not been for these four overs, even a 4 an over average would have been tough.

A tougher thing to figure out was how could Pakistan drop the catch of the same player who towards the end of the New Zealand innings be equally devastating as calm he was in the beginning? One has to recall the way Pakistan dropped the easy catch of Sachin Tendulkar in the league match against India (obviously) in the 2003 world cup. Had it not been for Sachin Tendulkar, the match would have gone the Pakistani way with Ganguly going out for a duck and with Yuvraj Singh not being as fit as he is this time with half centuries in four games.

Even in the game against Sri Lanka, Sangakkara was put down repeatedly and though Pakistan eventually won, the margin of victory was just ten runs which should have been a warning to the Pakistani fieldsmen to improve upon the same. Finally, they paid a price for their first ever defeat in this world cup when they surrendered to New Zealand. The lone fifty from the Pakistani innings came from the blades of the number 8 batsman Abdul Razzaq who scored 62 runs along with a partnership of 68 runs for the 8^th wicket. That was all the Pakistanis could manage.

As long as the minnows exist

Well in the 1st encounter, Bangladesh did everything well but at the end lost its way to India en route to a failed chase of 371 runs on the board. Since then, if not for the match between England and Ireland, no other minnow team has ever been able to stand up to the occasion and show their guts. One need not highlight their new entry or lack of cricketing standards to be the reason behind this. Every player has a first time in his life and here it is an entire team that is facing a first time in world cups.

There are teams which have been playing world cup games since more than a decade or so but unable to produce the epected results. Instead, expectations are needed to be changed regarding these teams. Kenya have been playing cricket since the 1996 world cup. One need not cite their victory against West Indies in 1996 and against Sri Lanka in 2003 for it was the other team's loss rather than a Kenyan win. They lost all their four games in 1999 world cup to India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe though nothing different was expected from them, that was obviously not the one.

This is the fourth world cup for Holland since 1996 and Holland have so far won just 2 games out of 14. They won their game against Namibia in 2003 and a game against Scotland in 2007. Of course, no one expectes them to beat teams like South Africa or India but, they can have an upperhand against say Zimbabwe or Kenya. Yesterday as well, New Zealand recorded their 10 wicket win against Zimbabwe adding to another such feat when they can not even ask for a run for their money against other strong teams. New Zealand are yet to win a crunch game in this world cup.

Zimbabwe's hunt was a well justified one when they amassed 162 runs on the board unlike some Kenya or Canada who couldn't get something past a hundred. A ten wicket win for any team brings in a lot of satisfaction but if the opposition is given a closer look at, neither will the team nor the star player be worthy of any praise when the same team or player happens to be a flop against strong nations. One thing that needs to be applauded is that New Zealand didn't go in for the kill right away and instead took time to settle down and have some practice.

Beware of Australia

Well if anybody thinks otherwise about the declining Australian side without hard hitting Gilchrist and Symonds or the Glenn McGrath who was known for his line and length, one has to think again after looking at yesterday's match between Australia and New Zealand where Australia literally thrashed their Tasmanian rivals first by bowling them all out for 206 from 45 overs and then bundling up the innings in just 34 overs with over six runs an over. Looking at Mitchell Johnson being awarded the man of the match, the pitch can be though as a batsman's paradise restricting whom is indeed praiseworthy.

Australia might not be the team what they were four years ago but, there is still some fuel left in the Aussie tank with the likes of Brad Haddin and Shane Watson who is equally destructible as some Symonds and Mitchell Johnson who can be lest compared with some Damien Fleming or Brett Lee who are decent bowlers though no belonging to the club of Glenn McGrath. This was the third time in succession that Australia beat New Zealand in world cups starting from 2003 when they defended 212 and won by 96 runs from at one stage being at 84/7.

Thanks to some splendid fast bowling from Shane Bond who rattled Australia's top and middle order and Brett Lee & Michael Beaven who did the same to New Zealand and put up a solid 100+ run partnership respectively to see Australia go undefeated yet again. And then in 2007, when the world was fresh from Australia thrashing 0-3 loss in the then recently concluded Chappel-Hadlee series when may be the Aussies were experimenting just couple of weeks before the world cup 2007. However, things were totally different in the world cup when the margin of victory for the Aussies was a whooping 215 runs.

Yesterday as well, it was as though New Zealand was of no match for Australia and seemed like Australia were facing some Bangladesh or West Indies. Scorecard suggests that the only half century in the New Zealand innings came from the number 8 batsman bowler Nathan McCullum who played 76 balls which was the only reason why New Zealand raced past 200. Or else, may be the match would have got over in just 25 overs. No Aussie bowler bowled his full quota of 10 overs and Johnson was about to bowl and unfortunately the Kiwi batsmen were not interested in playing anymore.

A game for the Kiwis

Well as expected, the New Zealand bowlers did a havoc on the Kenyan team by thrashing them by ten wickets to gain four wickets. This match would hardly go down as one of the greatest achievements in a world cup game though there are quite a few matches where a team has been able to win a match by ten wickets. South Africa in 2003 world cup is a good example to have done it twice against Kenya and Bangladesh before losing to West Indies, New Zealand and sharing points with Sri Lanka after the match was tied by D-L method.

One can hardly understand the importance of such games which can only play a spiolsport in a tournament such as a world cup where a rain can just divide points between the two teams despite possibilities going in for a strong team that has been awarded test status by the ICC. The entire game against New Zealand and Kenya lasted just above 30 overs which is less than a T20 game wherein 40 overs are found playing even in those matches featuring lesser rated teams like Kenya. To be exact, the game lasted just 31.5 overs. Of course, this was not the case in India's match against Bangladesh.

One can debate regarding the standards of Bangladesh and Kenya with the former being awarded the test status. But, as a matter of fact, Kenya beat Bangladesh in the 2003 world cup. But, though things have changed a lot since 2003, Kenya going down in standards in international cricket and Bangladesh constantly raising high in the same, the other side of the coin needs a consideration with India being a much better outfit compared to New Zealand. Still, the match was a below par one with expectations raising high for the Kenyan team since the 2003 world up and henceforth.

Kenya managed to make it to the semi-finals of the world cup in 2003 after registering wins against New Zealand (walkover), Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the league stages with a win against Zimbabwe in the super-sixes. That was more of a luck and this time it was as though New Zealand gave a double thrashing to Kenya keeping in mind what happened two world cups back. But, the match between the aforementioned teams is nothing but a mismatch with expectations being high from the Kenyan side. But, this is one of the games which New Zealand can win to reach the quarter-finals.

Sehwag: A one man army

Well if one could go through the highlights of yesterday's match between India and New Zealand, had there been no Virender Sehwag, there would not have been India in the finals no matter the devastating spells by the Indian speedsters Ishanth Sharma, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra. It was a single handed game played by Sehwag when he belted the Kiwi bowlers the way he wanted by dictating each and everyone of them. With the wickets falling at will one the other end, Sehwag's contribution is indeed noteworthy. The next second digit figure came from the blades of the captain Dhoni.

Dhoni scored 38 runs at a strike rate of just above 50 in the 75 ball innings which he played. at the end of the day, only two others, leaving Sehwag were able to cross double digit with extras contributing 22 of them to be the third highest scorer in the Indian innings. It was a good toss to win the the Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni which avoided his team from another 200 run defeat. Had New Zealand batted first, the match would have been a replica of the opening encounter where India lost by 200 runs and yes to Sehwag as well.

Second land that beat Pakistan

It was just a couple of days back that England beat Pakistan by 6 wickets after they had a successful run chase of 148. Yesterday, Pakistan had a close encounter against New Zealand which Pakistan lost by a margin of just 1 run. According to me, this match is one of the foolish way to lose a match with top batsmen in their side. New Zealand were never in the race for victory and on the other hand, Pakistan never had problems evident from the match. All that Pakistan lacked was a good game planning for which they paid the price.

There was no superb or an outstanding batting performance from the Kiwi batsmen. The highest score by a New Zealand batsman was 38 which was scored by the captain Daniel Vettori at number 5. usually, in any game, 4 bowlers bowl their quota of four overs but yesterday, four of the Pakistani bowlers were found bowling just three overs. I wish the reason for such a decision was that like Australia, New Zealand are also bad players of spin bowling and keeping that in mind, Shahid Afridi used Saeed Ajmal and himself to the maximum extent, bowling their complete quota of four overs.

But, wih the batsmen struggling, it would not have been a bad decision had Afridi gone in for fast bowlers as well. Even Mohammad Asif and others could have made much of the Kiwi batsmen. Whatever, keeping in mind the total of 133 which Pakistan could not chase, Afridi's decision might not go applauded. If not for Salman Butt, no other batsman from Pakistan showed any sort of courage. Salman Butt stayed at the crease despite 7 wickets falling from the other end. I wish Pakistan needs to be taught that cricket is a team sport unlike badminton and tennis.

Hats-off to the Kiwi bowlers who did not lose their rhythm despite showing a dismal performance with their bat. Once they came to know that they had a chance of winning the game, the Kiwi fielders and bowlers didn't leave any stone unturned. At the same time, the Pakistan team kept on losing wickets one after the other as mentioned. Ian Butler stands apart in his bowling which had an over maiden along with three batsmen to his credit. That was the over which made the difference. But, with the pitch hardly assisting the batsmen, it would not have been a bad choice had Butt been jointly awarded the man of the match.

Rain fond of Zimbabwe

For the second time in the world T20 2010, Zimbabwe have lost out with the D-L method coming in. This does not mean that Zimbabwe would have won the game in case the D-L method had not been enforced. But, this would instead help the Zimbabwe team when it can take excuse saying that the loss was a result of rains pouring in and with it the D-L method being enforced to its cricket board. With that apart, the sole loser in this case would be New Zealand for having to compromise with a victory margin of only 7 runs.

It is really unfortunate that rain pours in those games involving minnows where in case of abandonment of the game and dividing of points that follows might just turn out to be a misfortune for the stronger like it happened to the West Indies in the 2003 world cup where their league stage match against Bangladesh got washed away due to rain and points were divided. This forced Kenya to move ahead of West Indies in the points table and with it to the super sixes of that world cup. Yesterday, had the match went on smoothly, New Zealand would have won the game by more than 7 runs.

It is just ridiculous that the shortest version of the game gets reduced to one fourth of its size due to rain. In the earlier encounter between sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe were supposed to reach a certain target in only five overs foiling the Sri Lankan effort which took them to bat for nearly 20 overs. Zimbabwe, with ten wickets in hand could have easily reached the target luckily which did not happen. Yesterday, looking at the batting of the Zimbabwe team, the highest individual score happened to be a mere 21 runs from Tatenda Taibu at the top.

There were no sixes in the entire Zimbabwean innings and the last boundary came from the blades of Andy Blignaut who scored 8 runs. This was absolutely not expected from a team that has a history of playing test cricket for decades altogether. The Zimbabwean innings got over in just 15.1 overs which made New Zealand bat for 8 overs. Had the Kiwis batted first, they would have obviously played for 20 overs and the second innings would have lasted for only 3.1 overs. Whatsoever, rain has been found to play as a thirteenth player with extras being the twelfth man.

Unbelievable from New Zealand

Well it was unbelievable for New Zealand to beat Sri Lanka first of all for being the underdogs prior to going into the match and secondly for losing quick wickets with time and overs following suit and thirdly with spinners like Muralitharan and Jayasuriya haunting their team like devils. But, in the end New Zealand had a last gasp for victory when they eventually won the game by 2 wickets with one ball to spare. New Zealand have always been losing to Sri Lanka in all three formats of the game. Since 2007, New Zealand have lost to Sri Lanka in T20 world cups.

This time, it was not Jayasuriya who did the damage either with the bat or with the ball. For a change, one can see Jayasuriya taking to the crease in the 7^th position after the sixth wicket fell. May be that was the reason why Sri Lanka had to end their innings with such a small total on the board. With someone like Jayasuriya on the top, either there would be a wicket fallen or else there would be a steady rise in the scoreboard with Jayasuriya smashing every bowlers at will. Yesterday, Jayasuriya never got to face the ball with the 6^th wicket falling in the 120^th legal delivery.

Main batsmen like Sangakkara, Chandimal and Dilshan failed with the bat leaving Jayawardene with the tough task which he accomplished well. Jayawardene was at the crease with the top three wickets of top batsmen falling at a wrong time. Whatever, the batting of Sri Lankan team was a complete failure. One can see the devastating spell of Shane Bond who scalped two important wickets of Kapugedra and Mathews in back to back deliveries failing which the Sri Lankan score would have well passed 150. On the other hand, Shane Bond was the most successful bowler in terms of runs given.

Likewise, New Zealand's run chase didn't start on a high when they lost their first wicket of Brendon McCullum even before the scoreboard had something on it. Similar to Jayawardene, Jesse Ryder held his nerve in staying on the crease despite wickets falling from the other end. Ryder was the second one to go and there followed a series of wickets falling with hardly any individual scores making news. It was Nathan McCullum's quickfire 16 which sealed the game for the Kiwis. But, the man of the match should have been either Jayawardene or Jesse Ryder. McCullum's efforts can hardly be seen.

Ponting backs a 60% fine payer

It is not something unusual for an Australian to say some nonsense to the opposition player be it at home or outside. And, this time as well the situation is no exception when the Australian current spearhead Mitchell Johnson was found to have an unhealthy chat with the man of the match Scott Styris in the first one day international at Auckland. However, this has seen no condemnation from the Australian captain Ricky Ponting. For this great deed of Johnson, he was fined 60% of the match fees. But, still, Ponting looks convinced and doesn't even speak a word regarding the issue.

This may have hardly been expected from anyone for, this is not the first time that an Australian player has been involved in a spat with a player from the opposition. Likewise, this has been the trademark of Aussie cricket now a days whatsoever. The deeds of the Australian players have reached such heights that no one cares to have a word about the issue. This is not restricted to only the Australian players on the field but also by the crowd. Perhaps! had this happened in Australia, may be New Zealand would have had to rethink about whether to continue with the tour or not.

One has to pity Scott Styris who had to cope up with a fine of 15% of his match fee for hardly any fault of his. Videos suggest that Scott Styris was just being at the receiving end of Johnson's frustration. From an Australian's point of view, Styris should not have hit the two boundaries off Johnson's last two deliveries prior to the incident and neither should have seen New Zealand through that match. It was because of Scott Styris that Australia's consecutive winning streak in one dayers stood broken. It was solely because of Styris that people's tongue's started doubting about Australia's run in cricket outside.

Whatever, this was not the way Ricky Ponting was found to react when India's Harbhajan Singh was accused of showering unwanted words on Andrew Symonds in the Sydney test a couple of years back. The moment Hayden saw Harbhajan Singh moving his lips, he made no further delay in coming and blowing up the issue. Forget about condemning the incident, instead Ricky Ponting comes out saying it was he was having fun with the crowd when Johnson had to be escorted by the two security guards to the dressing room off the field. C'mon..why should one seek special security for having fun with someone?

For the 2nd time NZ score 258/5 in a day

Well Bangladesh enjoyed each and every moment in the first and the only test match that they played against New Zealand here in Hamilton. First, some sort of underestimation from the New Zealand side sees them making fools out of themselves after they lose 5 quick wickets for a score of just 158 on the board. And then, some late firing from Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill sees New Zealand piling up a total in excess of 500 in their first innings. And then, Bangladesh also follows suit when they hammer 400+ and in the process avoid follow on and with it the innings defeat.

Now, on the 4th day's play, New Zealand take no chances and do what they are supposed to. They go in for a quickfire scoring when they end their second innings after declaring with the scoreboard reading 258/5. This is the same total that the New Zealand batsmen were found putting up in their first innings of the match on day 1. However, their batting was not that bad like they had in the first innings. Though New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals, their body language very well showed that they had full control of the match and going wrong by any chance was completely ruled out.

Out of the 5 New Zealand wickets that fell in the second innings, three of them were run outs and moreover were set up by the Kiwi batsmen themselves. It was their hurry to keep the scoreboard ticking which saw them lose the battle with the stumps. The Bangladeshi bowlers could not stop McIntosh from striking 3 huge ones out of the ground. It was a bonus for Bangladesh to have had 5 Kiwi batsmen back in the pavilion. This once again shows that Bangladesh can cash out only from the mistakes that the opponent does and not by its own effort tame the same.

And later on, the New Zealand bowlers also followed suit which saw them bag 5 wickets with the scoreboard reading 88 runs. With an innings win out of question for the kiwis in the match, atleast a huge margin in terms of runs would be satisfactory for them I suppose. With still 317 runs needed for Bangladesh for an unlikely victory, New Zealand would have hoped for another test match in the tournament so that they undo the mistake they were found doing in the first and the lone test match at Hamilton. And, Bangladesh should stop hoping for the opposition to fare badly which they can cash out.

Bangladesh avoid innings defeat

Well, this is one area where Bangladesh has found itself doing in the recent past. Bangladesh despite long the test series with a whitewash, irrespective of whether it is played at home or outside, they are found to give their opposition a tough fight. This was evident from the fact that they despite losing both the test matches against India last month never had an innings defeat whatsoever. This was more so after their series whitewash over West Indies which saw Bangladesh notching their first test series win. That was also the 1^st time Bangladesh had a test win against a team other than Zimbabwe.

However, every time Bangladesh go out to play test cricket, they are aided by the opposition who at most of the times take Bangladesh for granted and end up paying the price which is the difference between an innings win and a just win. This is also the difference between a comfortable win and a gasping win. And, this time as well the situation was no different when New Zealand, after being put into bat by Bangladesh ended their first day's play with just over 250 on the board. Luckily, as it always happens McCullum and Guptill fought back before it would have been all over for NZ.

However, if the 3^rd day's play is considered, once again New Zealand will have to curse themselves for being at such a bad situation when Bangladeshi batsmen scored runs at will and not only put up a total in excess of 400 but also maintained a run rate in excess of 4 an over, which is a pretty decent one as far the standard of test cricket is considered. There was also a Bangladeshi batsmen in Mahmudullah who scored 115 runs. Bangladesh had put up a score greater than what the Kiwi batsmen could with the loss of 5 wickets. By the time the 5th wicket for Bangladesh was down, the scoreboard read 179 which is greater than 158 that NZ could manage.

This would not have been what the New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori would have been looking for after his team put up 553 runs on the board. All Vettori would have wanted is to bowl out Bangladesh for a score less than 200 and impose a follow-on and get them out soon once again so that the match can be finished with a day to spare. Can anyone of you believe it- it was a number 8 batsmen in Mahmudullah who put up a century and took his team to a commanding total as far as the standards of test cricket in Bangladesh is considered.

New Zealand get back into the game

By the end of the 1^st day's play at Hamilton, New Zealand were 5 down with a not so decent total on the board. New Zealand ended the first day's play with 258 runs on the board, which at one stage saw them reeling at 158/5. Following this, New Zealand was left with just 2 batsmen who could rewrite their fortunes in Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill. And, this could have well been anticipated to be done by a team that is facing Bangladesh on its home ground. This does not make a difference where the match is played, for even at Bangladesh the result would have been no different.

The batsmen who could promise were Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum who did exactly what they were entitled to and expected to do. Both the batsmen put up a 339 run partnership for the 6^th wicket which can now guarantee a win for New Zealand. And, in case fortunes swing for New Zealand, they can even expect an innings win. The duo's score accounted for almost 68 percent of the total score of 553 put up on the board by New Zealand. All that the Bangladeshi fielders could do was to see the ball hovering over the ropes continuously as a mute spectator.

Finally, New Zealand didn't take any chances and declared after both Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum left the crease, realizing the fact that further delay can only add more to the number of wickets that have fallen and may be with a handful of runs that can in no better way be of any difference to the match. Darryl Tuffey and Jeetan Patel batted as though they were ending a limited overs game in its slog overs. Tuffey and Patel ended up scoring 31 and 24 respectively, with strike rates of 81 and 100 respectively. However, I wish New Zealand should have betted for a few more overs that could have seen Tuffey going past 50 runs.

And, after the Bangladeshi innings started, may be that the Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori might have kicked himself for declaring the innings which was a batsmen's paradise. The Bangladeshi innings was also no less when it came to some good scoring and free hitting. Bangladesh ended their day by putting up 87 runs on the board for the loss of just 1 wicket with Tamim Iqbal remaining not out on 56. All has to be blamed on the first day's play where New Zealand were found underestimating the Bangladeshi bowlers and took them seriously only after half the side was washed out.

Bangladesh better than West Indies

Well as the series between New Zealand and Bangladesh is found to progress, Bangladesh looks like putting a step forward towards a better performance which is actually not the case. For the first time in the series, Bangladesh posted a total in excess of 200 when they score 241 runs in the 3^rd and final one dayer against New Zealand. This was also the 2^nd time that they played their complete quota of 50 overs that they were scheduled to play. Previously, Bangladesh came back from nowhere in the 2^nd one dayer and went on to play 50 overs at Dunedin.

Bangladesh were at one stage 46 runs for the loss of 6 wickets and went on to put up 183 runs on the board which would have raised a lot of eye brows when no one would have expected them to bat till the 300^th legal delivery was bowled and more than 175 runs scored. Of course, there were extras also that contributed to Bangladesh's success. The Kiwi captain- Daniel Vettori bought in 7 of his bowlers to set things right which would no doubt be just to give his bowlers some bowling practice with the match result right in front of him.

Surprisingly, there was a Bangladeshi batsman in Imrul Kayes who notched up a century which is a celebration as far as cricket in Bangladesh is considered. For, if the entire history of Bangladesh cricket is considered, they have just a handful of players who have centuries against their names in international cricket. On the other hand, there was also a Bangladeshi bowler in Shakib Al Hasan who could pick up 4 New Zealand batsman returning with figures of 4/33 from the ten overs that were allotted to him. However the remaining Bangladeshi bowlers could not scalp more than one New Zealand batsman which is a different issue.

Though New Zealand eventually eventually won the match and with it the series as well, Bangladesh need not have had to consider themselves to be dejected whatsoever. New Zealand lost 7 wickets en-route to their successful chase of 242 which should have been 4 wickets at the most if at all critics is anywhere to go by. If the performance of the Bangladesh team is considered, they have fared better than the West Indies team who are in tour of Australia and have failed to get past the 200 run mark or even play their complete quota of 50 overs with three games being passed by.

Kiwi coach insults New Zealand players

Well, this would be one last thing that be it Bangladesh or any other team would like to happen. And, it is really difficult to decide whether the Kiwi coach's statements were an insult to New Zealand cricket or a praise for himself? Mark Greatbatch feels proud after his New Zealand team beat Bangladesh in the first one dayer at Napier yesterday by 146 runs. Is the present New Zealand team so bad that they have to count their wins against minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe also as greatest upsets in world cricket? Or are Bangladesh that strong for New Zealand to beat and rejoice over the same?

That was Greatbatch's first assignment after he took over as the coach of the same. Nevermind that New Zealand were at one point of time during their batting innings, 19/2 which further slipped to 135/5 at the end of the 27^th over. But, when they are facing a team like Bangladesh, this should be no worry for any team barring Zimbabwe and other non test playing nations. Moreover, New Zealand were chasing a target of just 190 on the board set up by Bangladesh and that was at home as well. Should it be difficult for any team to do that in today's cricket?

In one way, the Kiwi coach's words have a little bit of meaning. For, hardly can anyone recall the Kiwi batsmen regaining control over a one day match that they would have lost in the meanwhile? The only instance that I can recall is the way New Zealand chased down 336 runs against Australia in the Chappel-Hadlee series just before the world cup 2007, after at one stage being at 160/5. New Zealand's victories have always been either a slow and steady affair or a one sided affair wherein they either put up a big score for the opposition to chase down or bowl the opposition for a target that can be chased down by the Kiwi batsmen.

In slow and steady affairs that is cited above, they maintain a decent run rate by not losing quick wickets and eventually end up winning. But, incase New Zealand lose quick wickets for a partly score, their chances of survival in that match have so far been freak. When a number 8 batsman in Jacob Oram can belt the Bangladeshi bowling, one can decide the strength of that opposition, which is needless to be said. A real challenge for the Kiwi coach would be to take his team through in the upcoming Chappel-Hadlee trophy where they will be facing the Aussies afresh from all sorts of victories.

New Zealand Start their assult on Bangladesh

This was one such apple pie for the Kiwis which they would have welcomed with both hands. For, this is one such series in which even lesser known players can come out with a big knock or an innings of their life. Bangladesh is one such team regarding whom a whitewash can be expected. This is one way by which Bangladesh can help other teams. India recently played a two match test series against Bangladesh which they won 2-0 (obviously) and this in turn helped India maintain their recently acquired number one status in test cricket. And now, it is New Zealand's turn to rejoice.

Irrespective of whoever wins the toss, there can at most times be only one loser in Bangladesh. This time, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first, meaning which a mammoth total was in store for Bangladesh to chase which Bangladesh would obviously not be able to. As expected New Zealand did put up a mammoth total of 336 for Bangladesh to chase down. It is not possible to sideline any one New Zealand player especially when they were playing Bangladesh and that too in their home ground. But, the highlight of the match was the number 8 batsman Jacob Oram who blasted a 40 ball 83.

In addition, there were other batsmen in Peter Ingram who was playing his 3^rd one day international and yet was able to score 69 runs facing the new ball. But still, how does it matter when the opposition is under par compared to the batsman who is facing. So was the case with Neil Broom who scored 71 runs from73 balls, playing his 19^th one day international at the age of 26. As wickets kept on falling at irregular intervals, the fresh batsmen gave in more strength than the earlier ones. But, Jacob Oram has done it in the past as well when he belted the Aussie bowling en-route to his 101 runs from 83 balls.

The only highlight for Bangladesh being that there was a bowler in Shafiul Islam who returned with figures of 4/68 from the four overs that were allotted to him. But, the Bangladeshi batsmen showed a little bit of maturity when the openers viz Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes started the run chase in a decent manner when they out up a 71 run partnership for the 1^st wicket. It was after that wicket that the forth coming batsmen started flattering when four other batsmen went for single digit scores. Bangladesh were left with only to fight a losing battle which they did rather hesitatingly. At the end they fell short by 146 runs to win and 7 over to complete their quota of 50 overs.

Whom does Ian Chappel rate as No 1?

Well cricinfo news say that Ian Chappel doesn't rate India as a long term number 1 keeping in t=his mind the fact that India at present doesn't have the necessary resources to retain the claimed status for long. Agreed that India have to rely upon someone like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag for most of the matches especially against strong nations. And, the fact the Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman are not among top run scorers in today's test cricket like they were some four years ago. Added to that is the fact that there is no leading bowler after the exit of Anil Kumble.

No one on earth, (let alone Ian Chappel and Sanjay Manjarekar) rates India in par with either Australia under Steve Waugh or the West Indies team of the 70s and 80s. But, the million dollar question is who has the zest in them to boast of being a long term number 1 team. It was Australia yet again after winning the lost glory when they regained the test series against the Proteas on the return tour early last year when they beat South Africa 2-1. Since then, Australia have been the number one team in test cricket until India took over after their 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka.

Despite being on the top spot, Australia lost the Ashes 2-1 in July-August last year. Despite coming close to winning on two occasions, Ponting's men lost out on that opportunity. However, that never ceased their top spot in test cricket. But, after they lost their top spot to India, even 2 series wins against West Indies and Pakistan could not see them topping the rankings. And, to win the Sydney test from the position they were in at one stage, really needs a tough competition and it could not have been any other team but Australia to have achieved that.

The third team that would hit the list would be South Africa but still who lack consistency which showed in the three tests they played against England. Teams like the West Indies and Bangladesh have to be kept out of discussion. And there is little scope for Pakistan who could not win even a single series since 2009 after spending 2008 without playing a single test. They must consider themselves lucky for the position they hold in today's test cricket. And the only team that is left is NZ which can win only at home and against weak oppositions. Still, they could not beat India in the 3 match test series earlier last year and had to share the honors with Pakistan 1-1.