The Ashes 2010 – Test 3 and 4: Contrasting Wins

I was on my way back from SF and stuck at Heathrow airport when the third Ashes test was being played at Perth. So I watched most of that test match in the lounge at Heathrow and did not get a chance to write about it. Now that I know the result of the Boxing Day test match, it seems like the Perth test was an aberration. England got into a very good position on Day 1 to have the Aussies reeling at 69/5 but then they let the advantage slip away. They let the Aussies go beyond 200 and then collapsed in their first essay, conceding a lead of over 90 runs. The Australians then went for the kill and won the test match very convincingly. Mitch Johnson was the hero and it seemed like he had found his rhythm. That result raised the hopes for an engaging battle at Melbourne.

The Aussies arrived at Melbourne with their confidence high and then on the opening day England bowled them out for a paltry 98 runs. From that point onwards, only one team could have won that test match and that team was England. They batted superbly, bowled superbly and used the conditions to their advantage. What looked like a very easy batting wicket on day 2 and 3, turned into a field of landmines when the Aussies came out for their second innings. Tremlett, Bresnan, Anderson and Swan bowled beautifully and England won the match by an innings and 157 runs.

Here is my analysis of the events so far:

• England came prepared for this series and they had plans for every situation. They in fact had plan B and C and D in most cases. Their bowlers bowled a perfect line and to a plan, their fielding was flawless and batting in full bloom. In my mind, the credit is due to Andy Flower who has worked wonders with this team
• Australians were too confident and never thought that they could be defeated in their own backyard. I would say Ricky Ponting should take a large part of the responsibility for that mind set. They were not prepared, their planning was pathetic and their bowlers had no clue when confronted with quality techinique.
• Two run outs (or possible run outs) in the Melbourne test outline the preparations. First there was a run out appeal against Trott when he was on 50 something. He dived full length and put his bat down in time to cover the ground. He was adjudged ‘not out’. He later said that he had practiced diving in the nets for exactly this type of a situation. Philip Hughes was run out in the second innings and he did not dive. He plonked his bat in and was caught short. That difference in attitude and preparation is what separated the two sides.
• Strauss as a captain also impressed me. He changed the bowlers and the field placements and every time he did that, there was a plan to make it count. It seems like he had studied his opposition very well.
• Finally, I am not a big fan of Ricky Ponting and he once again showed that under pressure he is very ugly. He is on the verge of losing his job as a captain. Australians were always very fierce competitors but the earlier captains like Border, Waugh, Taylor were graceful in accepting the defeat. I think Ponting has taken that aggressive behavior over the precipice and has inculcated a spirit of street brawls in the team. This is not good for Australia and they need to quickly amend this. 

The Ashes 2010 – Test 2: England on a song

England played a copybook test match at Adelaide and surged ahead in the Ashes series, for what according to me is a winning lead. They did nothing wrong and everything went wrong for the Aussies. I am going to keep this post very brief since this is way too late after the result, but it is a milestone event in Australian cricket history in my mind. I think the recovery from the current drop in their rating is going to be long and hard. They need a Bob Simpson or a Alan Border to drag them out of this. Ponting or Clarke cannot do that job.

In the first innings, they got Australians all out by the end of day one. During that brief period, the Australians lost 2 wickets in two balls twice. Ricky Ponting continued his dismal form with the bat and with the captaincy in this test too. Only Mike Hussey and Haddin provided some resistance, but England bowlers were up to the task and I think Strauss’s bowling changes were spot on. The English reply was a mammoth 620/5 decl. After Strauss and Cook, this was Pietersen’s turn to come to the party. He scored a magnificent double century and more importantly got the confidence and the swagger back, That only means bad news for the Aussies. Cook and Collingwood also chipped in and on the current form I don’t know how the Australian attack can claim the 20 wickets required to win a test match.

With a lead of 375 runs and one thought the Australians would show true grit that they are known for and save the game. But it was a repeat of the first innings and in the end England won very convincingly by an innings and 71 runs.

As one looks back, the Australian batting, bowling and fielding has been in atrocious. The fact that they dropped some easy catches and missed run outs, indicates their state of confidence. There has been some chopping and churning in their squad before the Perth test, but I do not expect any difference in the result. If they do well, they may just reduce the margin of their loss.

The Ashes 2010 : On the lighter side

I happened to be passing through London Heathrow when the Aussies were getting butchered at Adelaide. You got to hand it to the British press and their sense of humour. The articles they write even when the home team is not doing well are quite humorous and tongue in cheek. I read one such article in The Mail and the author took jibes at Simon Katich getting a duck. So he went on to describe the various types of ducks in cricket. According to him a batsman gets a Golden Duck when he gets out on the first ball that he faces. That is a well known term.

What Katich got was a Platinum duck according to him, because he was at the non striker’s end and was run out without facing a ball. Then the author stretched his imagination and said that the highest honour as far as the anniversaries are concerned is the Granite Anniversary, which is celebrated after 90 years. So what would be a Granite duck?

Well, here it goes. The umpire calls the start of the innings and the two openers start walking out of the dressing room. As they take the stairs to walk down, one of the batsmen drops his pants and they get entangled in his shoes. As a result of this, he starts tumbling down and injures his leg. As he reaches the bottom of the stairs, the masonry work from the roof falls on his head and he has to be rushed to the hospital for treatment. The umpires in the mean time declare him timed out. That my friends is a Granite Duck, because the player did not even come on the field. Great isn’t it?

Of all the folks who have got out under such silly circumstances, I can only think of Inzy to be a good candidate for a Granite Duck.

The Typical Australian No.5

Australia has a long tradition of some very useful players who came lower down the order and built a reputation to salvage a crumbling ship. As far as I can remember, there was Doulg Walters, who has played some magnificent innings during his time. Then there was Alan Border, again someone who always stood up when required and shepherded the tailenders to carve out a nice score. These days they have someone in the form of Michael Hussey. He brings in stability and some solidness to the batting order. He too has played some wonderful innings, the latest one being the one in the first test of the current series.

I think India’s VVS Laxman also falls in the same category. He is very Australian in that sense and probably that is the reason why he is so successful and respected by the Australians.

The Ashes 2010: England make a bold statement and Hussey finds form

At the end of Day 1 of the first test match, one got that “oh no, not again” feeling with England failing to capitalize on a good toss. Australian bowling also seemed to have found the teeth and sharpness that was lacking in the past few months with Peter Siddle claiming a hat-trick. One thought that the English team had frittered away a good opportunity get their hand up in this opening battle. They should have scored at least 350 in the first innings and I think the early loss of Strauss and that Siddle hat-trick really made the matters worse. Cook and Bell got some runs on the board but got out when they we settled and failed to get the big tons. Pietersen also got out after scoring a 40. Siddle was the surprise package and finished with 6-54.

The Australian reply was very strong and the openers got them to a good start. England came back strong and demolished their middle order cheaply but then came that superb knock of 195 from Mike Hussey. He and Haddin ensured that the Australians got a big enough lead to start thinking about a win. They finished with a lead of 221. I was very impressed with Steven Finn, who finished with a 6 wicket haul. He is tall, fast and has the ability to create some awkward angles for the batsmen with his height. I think he will cement his place in the side by the time this tour is over. Swann was also impressive but Hussey read him like a book and carted him all over the park. He needs to come back with Plan B for the next test match.

With that huge deficit on their minds, the English reply almost started disastrously with Hilfenhaus getting Strauss almost plumb in front in the very first over. Fortunately for England the appeal was overruled as the ball was going over the stumps as the replays suggested. From then on, it was just one way street. Strauss, Cook and then Trott piled on runs aplenty and England had the privilege of declaring the innings at 517-1 with a impractical ask. The only academic interest was if they could get some wickets and gain some psychological advantage. Australians lost Katich early but the pair of Ponting and Watson ensured a draw.

I think this test match has exposed the weakness in the Australian bowling attack. If you take out that one over when Siddle collected a hat-trick, there was nothing in the game for them. In the second innings they failed to pose any questions and when there were edges the fielders floored those edges. Mitchell Johnson must have realized that he is no Glen McGrath and he would do well to focus on his bowling rather than engage in sledging. He needs to get his radar repaired too. There is no spinner worth naming in Australian squad. So Ricky Ponting has a lot to think before the second test.

England on the other hand will come out stronger. They have managed to handle the pressure well, their bowlers looked to attack and they seem to have a more balanced attack too. So on technicality I would say this test is England’s on points, just by a whisker.

PS: And I must mention the one incident on the final day when Ponting claimed a catch and the umpires ruled against it. There was a big discussion among the Aussie commentators on how he is an honest fielder and a skipper. Well we Indians know very well from that infamous Sydney test incident.

The Ashes 2010: A curtain raiser

The 2010 Ashes series gets under way on the 25th and there is already a lot of discussions about the possible outcome this time. This series always generates the kind of excitement that I have not seen in any other series. So here is my take on the current version.

The Poms have done nothing wrong since they announced a near perfect squad for the tour. They have brought in a quality spinner in Monty and they have a unit that is well balanced in all the departments. They have solid opening batsmen, their middle order is good too and they have a wicket keeper who can contribute. Then they have a quality attack consisting of swing and spin bowlers. The only missing element in their squad is a true pace bowler. Most of them have scored runs and taken wickets in the prep games and seem to be in a good nick. Ever since Andy Flower has taken over as their coach, they have improved by leaps and bounds.

The Aussies on the other hand have had a wretched 6 months or so. They have lost to practically every team that matters and more importantly they have not won anything for a long time. Their batting relies mainly on Ponting and the rest of the batsmen are under the scanner for their poor run of form. The bowling department is also weak and the only threatening bowler they have is Mitchell Johnson. But you know the stories about his mental fitness and the radar problem that he has. That nervousness is also reflected in their team selection. The home team has declared a squad of 17 players for the first test.

Australia also has another problem to cope with. With the English squad so nicely balanced and in form, they have a tough task in preparing the wickets too. If they make batsmen friendly wickets, then the Poms will score heavily against a weak attack. If they go for fast, bouncy wickets then their own batting will come under the guns as the Poms have a decent pace attack. Turning tracks will also be disastrous. So what should they do? In my mind their best chance lies in either winning the first test match when the Poms would be still adjusting to the conditions or win one solitary game and then play for draws. If they select the second option, which is against their nature, the series will be a very dull affair.

So what is it going to be? My bets are on England winning it with a margin of one test, 2-1 looks like the most likely result. I am very eager to see the first test match and see what the Aussies throw at the Poms. Keep reading!!

India-Australia Second Test @ Bangalore : Indians remain No 1

After winning an important toss and putting up a score of 478, Ricky Ponting must be thinking that he could not lose this test match. On the contrary he must have been thinking a win. The start of the Indian innings was according to his script too. Sehwag got out to a stupid shot, and a batsman of his caliber and seniority should know how not to get aggravated. Dravid perished fishing outside the off with his bat too far away from the body. Unusual dismissal for a person who has such an exquisite technique and temperament. The Australians had to wait for over 6 hours before claiming the third wicket. In that period Murali Vijay and Sachin demonstrated total control over the hapless Australian attack and both scored centuries. The Maestro went on to score a double and looked good to score his first triple, until he played a loose shot. Indian bowlers came into their own in the third innings of the match and ensured that India had a chance to win the test. Ricky Ponting yet again got out in the seventies and that means Sachin is 10 centuries ahead of him, with some easy test matches coming up. The final innings required Indians to score 206 to win and they got there quite easily. Dhoni played a master stroke after Sehwag departed early. He sent in Cheteshwar Pujara at 3 ahead of Rahul Dravid. Firstly, it upset the Australians thought process because they would have been expecting Dravid to walk in. Second, Pujara must have felt very positive with the confidence shown by his captain. And it also ensured that if things did not work out, Dravid was there to stop any collapse. Superb move, and it paid off.

Overall, the Australians performed very poorly in all the three departments. Their batting revolved around Watson and Ponting, no one else stepped up. Bowling was pedestrian except in small spells. At this rate, the English team must be licking their fingers at the prospect of winning the Ashes. They really do have a good chance to win. Ponting will be under tremendous pressure because he has now lost too many matches on the trot without a win. His strategy and field placing on the final day also attracted a lot of criticism. They need good fast bowlers, good spinners and batsmen who can play the reverse swing.

As far as Indians are concerned, batting is our mainstay and all of them delivered. But this series really belongs to the bowlers. They bowled well, batted well and showed character. Fielding can definitely improve; remember those dropped catches in the first innings of the series. We are not creating enough run out opportunities and thus putting the seed of a doubt in the batsman’s mind. Singles are available very easily. On the batting front, we have a good problem with too many people claiming too few spots. We now need a good bowling all rounder, someone like Kapil or even half of that. Pity that Irfan vanished from the scenes after showing so much potential. That person will also ease the burden on the main strike bowlers.

So we retain the No 1 ranking very convincingly. Well done India and look forward to the next series.

India-Australia First Test @ Mohali : What a cliffhanger

If one was looking for a classic commercial to promote test match cricket, he should have been at Mohali over the past 5 days. A great test match between two evenly balanced teams, ended with a win for India with the narrowest of the margins. I am sure a number of people stopped watching the telecast/webcast for superstitious reasons when we needed 20 odd runs. I was among those people. Such was the tension and the swing of fortunes that either team could have won. So let us take a deep breath and look back.

I thought the Indian team looked rusty in the first innings and it was shocking to see Dhoni drop two regulation catches. Sehwag too dropped an easy chance and all of these lapses proved costly. Shane Watson scored a uncharacteristic slow century and Tim Paine scored a 90. With 400+ runs on the board, Aussies looked like they could not lose this test match. But the Indian response was very good, at least the first half. Everyone at the top of the order contributed and it was a shame to see Sachin miss out on his 49th. Then I don’t know what happened but Dhoni and Raina threw their wickets away to irresponsible shots and we were caught short of the target. Ideally we should have consolidated and got at least a 50+ lead.

In the second innings, things were very quiet and the match was heading towards a draw till Ishant got into the act. He got three (well almost three) wickets in an over and that got the team charged up. Zaheer and the spinners also chipped in and we had a game on our hands. 216 to get in the fourth innings was definitely gettable.

The Australians are known for their never-say-die spirit and they came out with all guns blazing. Whatever thoughts the Indians had were blown to pieces in a matter of few overs. At 55/4 on day 4, all was lost. Then came that heroic innings from Ishant and VVS and India won by the smallest of the margins.

The reason I said the teams were balanced, is because if you look at the score sheet, there is a fifer from both teams, there is a century and a near one on either side. The fielding of the two teams was superb largely, except for some glitches.

The umpiring in this test match was poor. There were at least 5 bad decisions, but as they say everything evened out in the end. Some of those decisions were rank bad and I was surprised to see Billy Bowden making mistakes. May be the age is catching up on him.

We go into the second match with some key players nursing injuries. Ishant, Gambhir, Laxman and Bolinger are doubtful starters. But these two teams are capable of creating something out of nothing and providing excellent entertainment to all the spectators.

Mouth Watering Test Season Ahead

A fter some very dull test match series like the India-SL series or the very controversial series involving Pakistan, at last we can now look forward to the prospect of some good quality test cricket. First there is the India-Australia series in India, which should be quite an exciting series considering that the Aussies are currently rated No. 4 on the test rankings. They would spare no effort to change that ranking. But they have arrived with a very weak bowling attack, I think. Their batting is also not tested on these types of wickets. Indian selectors have done a pretty good job with the team selection by bringing in Pujara in place of Yuvraj. The kid deserved an outing. If Ishant and Zaheer can get into the rhythm, and the spinners in form, I guess we have a good shot at the series.. Since this is only a two test match series, I am predicting an India win.

Immediately after that is the Ashes series in Australia. I am a little sad that my friend Harp scuttled the plans to go and watch the Ashes live in Australia, but this series promises to be a very engaging duel since England seem to have a decent team and Australia is on the wane. The two teams are equally balanced if you ask me.

As an aside, it is sad to see so many talented fast bowlers from Pakistan wasting their careers on (alleged) betting money. Despite very tough conditions (economically, politically and quality of life in general) in their country, they manage to spot the right talent and have produced some very good bowlers in the recent past. Unfortunately, they have not been able to mould these players into good sportsmen. The result is that there are frequent scandals and stories surrounding this team. Betting, drugs, ball tampering, you have them all.

First 200 in a ODI

I know that this blog is not the place for discussing ODIs, but special occasions call for some exceptional treatment. One such special occasion was the Second ODI between India and SA at Gwalior where the little master turned the clock back and scored the first ever double century in an ODI. He was at his destructive best and we were fortunate to have witnessed this master innings of his. In my opinion, he is the rightful owner of this record and thoroughly deserves it.

There will be more people scoring double hundreds, possibly during the World Cup 2011 when a number of weaker teams will participate in the tournament. The distinction of being the first to conquer a peak is always remembered by many and that is why Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay are famous. That is why Neil Armstrong is a familiar name. Reading the papers in the morning today was that sort of feeling with everyone in the cricketing fraternity praising this genius.

Congratulations Sachin, you have made us proud!!

India v SA : Second test, Kolkata : India stays on top

T he second test match of this two match series started off quite sedately. There was speculation on whether Smith will play after injuring his finger, but that was swiftly set aside. SA were without the services of Mark Boucher and they promptly drafted in a spare batsman in Alviro Petersen with AB doing duties behind the stumps. They also won the toss and started the day pretty well. Both Amla and Petersen scored centuries and at Tea they were 200-odd for the loss of two wickets. In the next 45 minutes or so they lost 5 more wickets and finally were bowled out for 296. Indians fought back stupendously and never showed any signs of frustration when the Proteas were sailing smoothly for a mammoth first innings total.

The Indian batsmen then came to the party and Sehwag and Tendulkar dominated the proceedings on day 2. SA bowlers wasted their energies in bowling a negative leg stump line and I thought they missed a trick or two by not making the Indians play the deliveries. On top of that, they also spilt about 7-8 catches, which must be a record of sorts for them. For Sehwag, the line does not matter and he just kept thrashing them to all the corners of the park. The Little Master completed his fourth consecutive test century and I think he wants to be in the six consecutive centuries club. Post tea session on day 2 also produced a flurry of wickets but Dhoni and VVS completed the demolition job on day 3. VVS literally owns the Eden Garden wicket. Indians settled for a lead of 346 and declared.

With two days to spare, it looked like India will pocket the test match quite easily, but rains took out a good chunk of the fourth day. As is becoming the habit with this SA team, the last day went to the wire and the final wicket was claimed by the Indians with 9 deliveries left. They seem to be at the wrong end of the trick this too, because earlier England defied them in similar fashion in two test matches. Hashim Amla was simply outstanding with close to 500 runs in the series with three centuries. Smith rightly described him as the glue at number three.

So India retained the No 1 rank in test cricket. A two match series is never a good idea, and when two top ranked teams played, there was a very high probability of dull draws. But we ended up having two one sided games, with the victors winning by an innings.
Some interesting stats and comments that were observed during this game:

1. We had two frontline batsmen from SA scoring centuries, yet the team scored less than 300 runs.
2. Four Indian batsmen scored centuries and four SA bowlers conceded centuries.

Fitness remains a major concern for the Indian and for most teams these days. With so much cricket being played, injuries are bound to take toll. The bench strength also remains a worry. This was a great opportunity for a youngster to step in and grab the chance, but they failed. So lot of thinking and planning for the board and the selectors. They must keep the team fresh and hungry if we are to win the 2011 World Cup.

India v SA : First test, Nagpur : All gone wrong for India

T he first test match of this series billed as the Championship of Test cricket went awfully wrong for the Indians. We did nothing right and were punished by a disciplined SA team.

First, the selectors did not pay attention to the composition of the team and selected players based on, I believe, zonal biases. Despite the long list of injured batsmen, we loaded our team with four fast bowlers and not enough batsmen. Dravid and Yuvraj not playing was known beforehand and Laxman dropped out too. So in a rush, the selectors asked Rohit Sharma to stay back after the 2 day practice game. He too twisted his ankle on the morning of the first day and we had a situation where the spare wicket-keeper was drafted in the playing eleven as a specialist batsman.

The only session that went India’s way was the first session on Day-1 when Zaheer bowled a superb spell and managed to get two wickets very early. Ashwell Prince was unlucky to get out on a armguard catch. After those two quick wickets, it was SA all the way with Kallis and Amla grinding the Indian bowling attack and demoralizing the fielders. I thought the Indian bowling changes were also predictable but then the Proteas had done their home work pretty well. Harbhajan needs to sit out on the current form. His bowling form, attitude and fielding is a huge worry. The last time he took a fifer was in March 2009 against New Zealand. (And July 2008 vs SL prior to that). It is about time we brought in another spinner, possibly Ojha.

Indian batting, after the flurry from Sehwag was cut to pieces in the first essay. What a magnificent spell Dale Steyn bowled in the afternoon. Sheer pace and accuracy. He brought a seemingly dead track to life with the changed cricket ball and produced sheer magic. Though we were on the receiving end of the spell I think it was probably the best bowling display by a visiting fast bowler that I have seen since Malcolm Marshall. The difference was that Marshall was threatening while Steyn was pin-point accuracy. His figures of 7/51 were truly deserved. That helped the Proteas to enforce the follow on and quickly take two second innings wickets on Day 3. Only one team could win the test match from then on and the only question was whether it will get over in 4 days or 5 days. They settled it in 4 days with Sachin fighting a lone battle to score yet another ton, his third successive so far. A thoroughly deserved win for the South Africans and that means India is on the back foot now. It would be interesting to see the team selection for the Second test.

I am a big fan of Jacques Kallis. He is a player who embodies the qualities of a good test player. Great batsman, excellent fielder and a good bowler too. Even at this late stage in his career he bowled at 144 K at the end of day 4 in India. His record is truly impressive with tons of runs, bucketful of wickets and handful of catches. He is physically very fit and I doubt if he has missed a lot of matches due to injuries. It is a pity that he played in the era of Hansie Cronje and therefore could not captain the Proteas on a regular basis.

India v SA : The battle for No. 1 Spot

F inally there is some good test match cricket on offer when India locks horns with the South Africans for a two test series. I did not write my usual updates during the England-SA series but that was one hell of a series where England hung on by the skin of their teeth. SA deserved a far better final score line but that has been their problem area; they always choke on some key points.

Coming back to the India-SA series, I am really excited to watch this. Both teams start off with some great handicaps but want to do their best. India has the challenge of a raw middle order with Yuvraj, Dravid and possibly Laxman pulling out due to injuries. I am concerned about Yuvraj’s injuries because he has made a habit of sitting out and the his recovery is very slow. Harbhajan has also had a patchy form and is also under a lot of pressure to deliver. So the think tank of M/s Srikanth and co. decided to catapult an opener into No. 3 slot and blood Badrinath finally into test cricket. I think for Badri this opportunity is too late. He did not get an opportunity when he was at his peak and now the pressure will get to him. Murali Vijay may do well at No. 3. Tendulkar and Sehwag therefore become very critical to the success of this team.

SA on the other hand, have had a cracking 6-8 months. Their bowlers are unidirectional but in form and their batsmen have all scored well. But SA cricket administration resembles a ship wreck these days with the stand-in coach and sacked selection committee. Smith will be confused because he would not know the direction the scheme of things will take back home. He has a solid batting unit in Kallis, deVilliers, Duminy and Amla and Steyn, Morkel and Harris with the ball. It is going to be battle of wits and both teams are going to put up a strong challenge. I am excited with the prospect of some high quality test cricket. Keep reading my updates here.