English Premier League - 2

Review of Week 2:

There were some great matches this week and a lot to look forward too, as teams are keeping a squint eye on the transfer deadline that fast approaches. As I said last week, Arsenal and Tottenham are probably two teams who would feel most exposed by the transfer market and will need to replenish their lost resources. Arsenal has lost many players through injuries and suspension and Arsene Wenger had to play a reluctant Samir Nasri against Liverpool and got beat by a better and more competitive team. Kenny Daglish’s Liverpool has already done something better than last year. They had lost the opening fixture to Arsenal under Roy Hodgson with the infamous Joe Cole sending off. This time there are more positives in the dressing room as the passing mentality has augured well with the supporters. Luis Suarez is shining and the Kop has already lost interest in a certain Fernando Torres (who would have been nothing short of a legend at Anfield). Elsewhere, Chelsea started poorly against a determined West Brom but Villas-Boas’ side shook off the early apprehensions to come back from behind and win it at the end. West Brom had two extremely difficult matches to start the season against Man United and Chelsea and they will feel deprived, especially after taking the lead in both the matches and failing to hold on. Roy Hodgson’s biggest fall from grace has always been the sitting back after scoring. It can work against middle-of-the-table-teams but not against Premier League contenders. Manchester City on the other hand would be trying to prove a point every match they play this season, regardless of where they are placed in the table and against high fliers in Bolton Wanderers, they had a good start but took their foot off the pedal and allowed Bolton to catch up. They held on to a 3-2 win, but it felt more unconvincing than they would have liked. But the match of the weekend was to come on Monday when Tottenham travelled to Old Trafford for their first game of the season to play a young Man United side facing a tricky season as they cope with 3 stalwarts’ retirements and bringing the young to the fore. Tottenham were in the game for the first half, but young Red Devils showed their fans some panache as the likes of Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck pierced through the Spurs defense with ease. Ryan Giggs created a goal of such class to exhibit that he is still at his best.

Week 3 Preview:

The third round of Premier League matches and as it is the last before the transfer deadline, it has its own excitement and we have some exciting contests to back that. Aston Villa face Wolves and both the teams have enjoyed a good start to their campaign and would be looking to keep going. Chelsea have looked disappointing, but they would not get a better chance than this before the international break against Norwich to break their shackles and be the force they are thought to be. The key for Chelsea is to find a rhythm to operate. While some players still look out of sorts like Drogba, Malouda, Torres etc, their talent is too big to put them off! I expect it to be a high scoring affair. Liverpool host Bolton on the back of their win against Arsenal. Though they played well against the Gunners, they were also very lucky with the injuries, suspensions and turmoil at the Emirates. It would be interesting to see who Kenny Daglish picks in his attack as, Kuyt played a key role against Arsenal and was replaced by Suarez and Carroll scored midweek in the Carling Cup 2^nd round against Exeter. The two big games of the week come on Sunday though as Manchester City visit to White Hart Lane and Arsenal’s visit to Old Trafford. Man City and Spurs have enjoyed a rivalry of its kind for the last two seasons, vying for the last Champions League place. The stronger edge will be with the Citizens as the addition of Samir Nasri will definitely give them extra teeth. Tottenham might just be falling behind the top-four bus very early. Arsenal’s plight could be further damaged if United play the way they played against the Spurs on Monday. That display, if continued through the season, would ensure them their title no. 20.

English Premier League Week One

The Premier League began last weekend and relieved us of all the boredom and blandness that had got associated to weekends since May. The summer did bring all the transfer hoopla along with the usual suspects spending big and some unusual ones joining the bandwagon. Manchester City got another plethora of players they will mostly not use and sell back in a year or two. Manchester United on the other hand spent their usual quota making one known name transfer and other unknowns. Chelsea seemed surprisingly underplaying while they did spend on something they hadn’t had to do earlier – their manager. Liverpool somehow joined the bandwagon courtesy their new owners and their newfound faith in Kop legend Kenny Daglish. Tottenham are still reeling in whether to let their prized asset in Luka Modric go away to their London rivals and Arsenal are shell-shocked by the protracted departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

Between all that, first Premier League weekend was marred by the riots in the UK and Tottenham’s opener against Everton was called off. Other matches concluded smoothly enough and we did get a glimpse of the season ahead. Sunderland travelled to Liverpool with a completely new squad and looked a side that can compete against the top teams. Liverpool on the other hand showed in the first half what they can do this season, but inexplicably fell asleep in the second while keeping their door ajar for the Black Cats to run in. They have been repeating that for the past many seasons and the hope of things changing with the new arrivals died down a bit. Manchester United’s trip to West Bromwich proved another cliché of United snatching a last gasp victory with some luck as new signing Ashley Young drove in a deflected shot at the wee end of the match, as the Baggies started to believe they deserved something out of the match. Chelsea’s subdued play and lack of penetration was evident against a typically dogged and physical Stoke City. Arsenal’s lack of finesse and inability to run the defenders was at display along with their slick passing against the Magpies at Tyneside. Manchester City on the other hand drove their point in by a click game plan and their star man, Sergio Aguero got the dream debut he would have wished for against new boys Swansea City. City looked a side to reckon and Roberto Mancini’s side looked all set to begin their campaign to prove over their neighbors and be the title chasers they so dearly want to be.

So, Man City, Man United and Liverpool make some impression (in that order) on the opening weekend while Chelsea still haven’t found their feet. Tottenham to play yet and Arsenal look to themselves for inspiration. That’s the top six from last season. The mid table teams from last season are out to prove their point yet again. With the exception of Everton; Fulham, Sunderland, Aston Villa, West Brom, Newcastle, Bolton and Stoke finished within 3 points of each other and 7 points off the relegated Birmingham City. The competition is definitely too close to call.

The coming weekend starts with the Toons travelling to the Stadium of Light for the Tyne-Wear derby and Sunderland looks set for their honors. Liverpool travel to the Emirates Stadium to put the Gunners into further misery and that match could tell the Kopites what to expect from their team. Chelsea will try and shake off their shackles when they come across another stubborn team in West Brom who come off a decent display against Man United last weekend. United meanwhile, ready themselves to welcome the Spurs keeping in mind how dismal a record the Spurs have at Old Trafford. Man City plays Bolton, both teams having won with a 4 goal margin against Premier League new boys last weekend. A good weekend to look forward to so bring it on!

World Cup 2011 Diary: The ecstasy of Gold!

Exhilaration beyond Imagination. Euphoria above words. Absolute and pure joy that every Indian felt after MS Dhoni hit that six high over long-on has been a part of everybody’s dream, every prayer and every wish. It’s hard to give this a cricketing perspective when emotions are so intrinsically involved.

I was 4 years old when Kapil Dev lifted the coveted cup over his head on Lord’s balcony and was yet to be 6 when Gavaskar lifted the World Series trophy in Melbourne and Ravi Shastri famously drove his Audi A4 after being crowned ‘Champion of Champions’. But these memories are more hearsay, or read about and seen in videos over the years for I was too small to remember the actual times. The Reliance World Cup in 1987 has some of my earliest ‘live’ cricketing memories. We had gone to watch the India v New Zealand match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur and I have certain vivid memories of that really noteworthy match for Chetan Sharma took a hat-trick (first of those in World Cups) and Sunil Gavaskar scored a century (his only in One day Internationals). One other thing probably happened that day. I was hooked on to the thrill of sports! In the context of the World Cup, I remember Graham Gooch sweeping Maninder Singh and thus India’s hopes out of the tournament, but I think the word ‘disappointment’ was not yet coined in my mind.

Putting things to time perspective, Miandad’s last ball six had happened in 1986, our first video cassette player/recorder arrived home in 1987-88 and thus re-runs and highlights of some memorable matches started to appear in VHS. Also in that perspective, in 1989, a certain Sachin Tendulkar of all but 16 years age was readying himself to face the impetuous fast bowling of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. It was Waqar’s first match as well and that he was the coach of the Pakistan team at this 2011 World Cup talks about how time has gone by.

1992 World Cup thus was like the first imprint on a freshly prepared cement yet to dry. It had revolutionized everything about cricket to a certain degree. It was the first one with colored clothing, first with a white ball, two for the matter as there were two balls used per innings then. Like every kid on the block, me and my brother were rather vehement and were busy keeping photos of our heroes and sticking posters and cut-outs to the walls of the rooms or wardrobe doors, refrigerator and even the TV unit. If I had Kapil Dev and Ian Botham, he had Imran Khan and Mark Waugh. If I had David Gower, he had Mohammed Azharuddin. The tournament logo was drawn and redrawn on our wooden bats, painted in white with utmost diligence and matched up with our friends as to whose was better.

The matches are remembered like yesterday and Tendulkar’s fifty against Pakistan at Sydney Cricket Ground feels no farther than his double hundred against South Africa. Kiran More’s altercation with Miandad or Srinath ruffling the latter’s stumps and the elation on the win is still ready to be replayed like a hologram. Also the fact that India won only one match other than against Pakistan, that too against Zimbabwe, lost to Australians by one run, deprived of a win against England for the rain are still crystal clear. The pain too is still fresh.

This pain-ecstasy relationship with cricket lived on and has formed an eternal part of the journey of this fan. I can recollect countless such experiences from the Hero Cup to the Titan Cup, Sahara Cup to Sharjah and revel in the glory or look at it in gloom depending on the circumstances. Every win was received with screams, shouts, jump bringing the roof down and every loss with gloom and silence. And every time a World Cup came by, it was glittered with hope and was washed away with tears. If 1996 was bittersweet with Tendulkar’s performances juxtaposed with the way it ended at the Eden Gardens, the 1999 was left with a certain embarrassment that the Indian team was just not good enough. The most exciting memory till date is therefore the 2003 World Cup. It all started in dark with a forgettable tour of New Zealand and the tournament began with a demeaning loss to Australia, but as the tournament progressed and reached its hallmark when India played Pakistan at the Centurion. It revived hope and belief but the anticipation was halted in its tracks by Zaheer Khan’s first over in the final against Australia and wiped clean by Ponting’s hundred as the game advanced.

In the West Indies in 2007 the excitement did not build enough to be pained and the nightmare lasted barely a fortnight. Greg Chappell’s cursed shadow was lifted (and as we saw in 2011 it engulfed his home team Australia when he became their national selector!). As Gary Kirsten was made India’s third consecutive foreign coach, the captaincy too was split with Dhoni leading the limited overs team and Kumble the unlimited one. This foundation polished the fortunes of Indian cricket as test matches were won on foreign soils; India started to win matches without Tendulkar’s over dependence and expectations sore. Dhoni took over the test captaincy and never lost a series, India won matches from seemingly downbeat positions and as the World Cup arrived, the hope reached its peak.

The battle bruised me started to wonder and prepare for the disappointment to follow but the hope within did not want to die. As India tied a match with England and then lost to South Africa, but still qualified for a quarter final with Australia, it became clear…if India could upstage the Australians there, the confidence will carry them over the line. The belief and the involvement has been epic, the memories to cherish. The belief ran to such high levels that when Tendulkar got out in the final, an occasion usually treated with dropping of shoulder and closed eyes to accept the reality, the same eyes glaringly open looked for the next man in. If India had made a place on their batting strength here is the test. The word came out and I said: positive. So when Tendulkar was lifted up by his team mates and rallied around, the starry eyed fan looked in awe as a dream was fulfilled. No more screams, no more jumping over the roofs…a calm cool smile. We did it. 

Thank you Team India for a bucket of happiness.

World Cup 2011 Diary: The semi-finals.

We have had four quarterfinals where three teams from the sub-continent won their respective matches. Two of the quarters were absolutely one-sided with Pakistan beating the hell out of the West Indies by 10 wickets and Sri Lanka beating England with the same margin. The India-Australia game lived up to the expectation and was an absolute humdinger. On the other hand New Zealand upset the favorites South Africa to setup the semis.

1^st S/F: An all-round New Zealand stand in the way of the favorites Sri Lanka.

Nobody would really fancy the Kiwis beating the Lankans at home. Sri Lanka at this World Cup has held the flag of ‘favorites’ with high esteem. Their openers have been extremely consistent and Sangakkara and Jayawardene have shown their strengths when they got in. That strength though might be a key to their downfall. Because of the top order doing well, their out-of-form middle order hasn’t got an opportunity which was exposed in the only match they lost against Pakistan. Make no mistake, but under pressure of a semi-final at home, if the Kiwis manage to bump the Sri Lankan top order, their lower middle order will be tested. Sri Lanka on the other hand has an extremely strong bowling attack. Their spinners are ably supported by the slinging Malinga and a very talented Angelo Matthews. They gave England a hard day and will be expected to do the same against New Zealand.

Kiwis on the other hand were not much fancied against the South Africans in the quarter-final and will be even less fancied against the Lankans. South Africa tried to go against their own strengths by fielding too many spinners instead of their good all-rounders. A brilliant and fighting Jacob Oram showed them the door. New Zealand does have a lack of talent and they over depend on a handful of players to win. But those key players have the ability to turn the match on.

If Sri Lanka bat first, a score about 230 would be very difficult for the Kiwis to chase. On the other hand if the Kiwis score more than 260 batting first, Sri Lanka could be on the mat. I feel the game would not be as one-sided as it is expected to be.

2^nd S/F: The India-Pakistan semifinal at its biggest stage.

India and Pakistan have never played each other at such a stage ever before. A group phase matchup in 1992, World Cup QF in 1996, a super six encounter in 1999 and a League match in 2003. So a semifinal brings with the aura of the occasion to add to the already tense game.

Pakistan’s strength undoubtedly is their bowling. Only New Zealand was able to trump their bowling courtesy some horrendous catching and fielding which is their folly. Pakistan’s batting woes are highlighted by the fact that they don’t have anybody in the top 20 scores of this world cup. But on the other hand, they are still there, which means someone is due to score big. Umar Akmal and the openers are the key for them. Misbah and Younis are there to steady them in the middle overs. And with Umar Gul, Afridi can contribute to defend a decent total.

India has over depended on their batting. As I have said before, one day their bowling could come to haunt them. Zaheer cannot afford to have a bad day and Harbhajan and Yuvraj need to support him well. But it’s the batting that has saved them, and will be at the task yet again. Opening partnership is as crucial as ever and Gambhir’s emotional involvement for an Indo-Pak game could be vital for his performance that needs a raise urgently. A great match in prospect which has been unnecessarily hyped up beyond proportion.

If India bats first, they must ensure that they score above 280 to win whereas Pak needs to stop them below 250. If Pak bats first it’s tougher for them because realistically even 280 is achievable for the strong Indian batting.

Can’t wait for the games to begin.

End of the group phase and the real tournament starts…

That has been the most common expression since Sunday. As the knockouts beckon, the real excitement begins and brings with it nervousness and of course, heart break or exhilaration! As is the cliché: Three good games and the trophy is in the shelf!

So, what are the gains from the group phase? Most teams would have learnt something about themselves, some weaknesses of their competitors and most importantly gained the much needed match practice to test best combinations. Refreshingly, the month long try-outs and practically pointless process hasn’t really been too tiring to the eye! A World Cup with 14 teams and only half of them contenders for the crown would be expected to drag on; the excitement presented has managed to keep everyone onboard. A success story for sure.

Here are a few things to note about the teams involved and knocked out:

Kenya and Canada: Embarrassed, never belonged and shouldn’t have been there at all.

Zimbabwe and Netherlands: A few notable good players, but not enough in the teams to deserve a place. Should play qualifying.

Ireland and Bangladesh: Also-rans and thereabouts. Impressed with some very good performances, but were sheepish in others. Have the talent to make themselves counted and raised their hands to get noticed. Cannot take their place for granted.

On the teams that have qualified and their chances:

West Indies: Thrashed the minnows, threatened against the big teams, but surrendered meekly. They have a sense of mystery about them, and were deeply hampered by the loss of Dwayne Bravo to injury. On their day, they can definitely upstage anyone with the talents on show in Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Kemar Roach. 

Important question: Can they have three big days?

Play Pakistan in the quarters and only Pakistan’s unpredictable nature gives them a glimmer of hope.

New Zealand: Had a win against a top side: against Pakistan which many would probably call Pakistan’s loss than a Kiwi win. A bit unfair, but not by far. A bit like the West Indies and they over-rely on the likes of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor with some support from their bowlers. Lack of true talent and injury to their talismanic captain dented them. Vettori could be back now and can boost their morale. 

Important question: Can they top their talents?

Play South Africa in the quarters and that is a tough draw. Their weak batting will be tested thoroughly by the Africans complete bowling attack.

England: The jokers in the pack. The entertainers in the three ring circus! They maintained the ‘entertainers’ tag throughout and did not have a dull moment. Their story has two sides: unconvincing or fighters. Choose your pick! Strauss and Trott have been amongst runs and Eoin Morgan’s addition will be a plus, but their bowling has been a worry and could hurt them badly. They have lost many key players to injury and form but their trains thrilling journey has been the story of the tournament. Something to definitely watch out for. 

Important question: Have they come as far as they could?

Play one of the absolute favorites, Sri Lanka, in the quarters and would be tough to beat in their backyard.

Australia: Patchy, rusty, ugly and have not played to their potential. That’s something that hasn’t been associated to them for a long time. Their batting has been a big worry sans Shane Watson. But on paper they have much talent and many a match winners to bank on in crucial matches. Ponting’s captaincy has been as flat as has been his lack of runs. 

Important question: Can they lift themselves to the task?

Play home favorites India in the quarters and India’s bowling frailties can give the Aussie batsmen the much needed opportunity to find form. Their bowling though has the ability to defend any total on board as they nearly showed against Pakistan.

South Africa: The most complete team on paper. A batting line-up that is in form, a fielding unit par excellence and a bowling department that faces a problem of plenty. This is their tournament to blow. Amla’s and de Villiers’ batting, plenty of all rounders: they have it all in their arsenal. They did something rare against India: held their nerve which will surely give them the confidence.

Important question: Can they hold their nerve in critical conditions? 

Play New Zealand in the quarters. Steyn and Morkel’s bowling, Peterson’s left arm spin, Tahir’s leg breaks and Botha’s off spin could be too tough for the Kiwis to handle. Only a typical “Proteas moment” can break them down.

Pakistan: The most fascinating team to watch. They have been as mercurial as ever. Beat Sri Lanka with not so fuss, shot themselves against the Kiwis and uncharacteristically held their nerve against the Aussies. The tournament has been true to their reputation. But is there a lull after the storm after beating the Australians? 

Important question: Have they peaked too soon?

Play a tricky West Indies in the quarters and is very difficult to predict. Let us see which Pakistan turn up!

Sri Lanka: One of the home favorites. A super top order and brilliant bowling are their strengths. Dilshan, Sangakkara and Jayawardene form the skeleton but their weakness is the lack of flesh to cover it up. As Pakistan exposed, their middle order is absent which makes their opponents’ task simpler. Take those three wickets! On the other hand, the three M’s in their bowling: Malinga, Muralitharan and Mendis can be lethal. Important question: Can they capitalize on home conditions?

Playing England on slow and low Colombo pitch is a huge factor in their favor and then they play their potential semi final on the same venue which increases their chances to go all the way!

India: The hype, the euphoria and a super batting line-up which is in sparkling form except for their powerplay woes give them a huge factor. They have scored almost 300 every time and chased down targets without much ado. Easy task? If only cricket was one-dimensional. Their fielding is abysmal and the bowling department resembles the State’s treasury: full of liabilities. Zaheer has been the silver lining. Harbhajan and Yuvraj Singh have been average. That is 10 good overs between them and 20 ordinary ones. What about the other 20? If Ashwin’s promise can bear fruit and if he is given the opportunity, it could twist their chances. 

Important question: Can they ride on their batting to score one more run than their opponents every time?

They run into the three-time defending champions at the quarter final stage. If they can rise to the occasion, that win will give them enough confidence to catapult their chances of glory!

Let the fun begin!

World Cup Diary: The Poms grab the "Entertaining" tag

Exactly half-way through the group phase of this tenth edition of the Cricket World Cup, you can’t help but think, ‘This World Cup is so open!’ I must say that this thought in itself is a win for this format of cricket that doesn’t appeal the purists as much and the neither does it excite the adrenaline seeking fans. I have to admit that I am not too keen an admirer of One-day cricket. I will pay extra to watch a test match and enjoy a T20 for its time and excitement benefits, but I will more often than not sleep through an ODI. Of course, the World Cup has its own legacy and brings with it an opportunity to crown the champions of the World and so it brings its own importance with it. And since there is a 40 year old history attached, it is prestigious. The memories and the legacy will never allow this format to die.

But if there is one word that describes why this tournament has caught interest, it’s “England”. Whatever happens here on, the English team can definitely stake a claim to at least a part of the advertising costs from the organizers. All four games they have played have kept people in the game to the very end. The betting sites in particular must have loved it! They were professional with the bat against the Dutch, while being poor with the ball. They maintain the latter with India but produced a stunning batting effort to almost overhaul a mountain and then again lost out to an innings of a lifetime from an Irishman that the Brits will never forget in a decade and Irish for a century! Just when you thought what they could do now, they pulled a Houdini against the Proteas defending a meager 171. Only 5 matches of the 22 played till Sunday have been exciting enough and 4 of them have featured England. Anyway, only 12 of the 42 at this stage did not involve the associates or Bangladesh, so the expectation had itself been low.

So who are the favorites at the half mark? Tough to say, but the favorites to reach the last 8 remain seated. I don’t think Ireland’s heroics can catapult them into the Quarters as all it could do is to make the other teams weary of their threat as India saw on Sunday. The Irish have to beat either the West Indies or the South Africans to put their name in the hat. Neither have Bangladesh given a sense that they belong to the elite group.

Only 3 teams remain unbeaten at this stage (Pakistan, Australia and India) out of which Pakistan has played only one top team and beaten them only just, Aussies have had a washout in a potential top game and India barely survived in keeping their record. So, definitely, this World Cup has been very open. The Quarter-Semi-Final format is in itself a bit of a lottery and so is much more exciting than the Super Six/Eight format as it puts the eight contenders in the same light: Have three good days and take home the coveted cup. I hope Poms stay the course to keep us guessing!!

Who says test cricket is dying?

After enjoying the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2010, and watching the reactions of the crowd towards test cricket, I started to wonder: When was the last time I was bored of watching or following (depending on the time zone) a test match? Following a test match for me is not being aware of the final result or the scores, but actually living the drama that is built up over the course of 5 days, each hour, each session working like acts in a play.

As I pondered, I realised that the question I was really putting to myself was the concept of a boring test match? If a survey is done asking people what is a boring test match, 90% would say a ‘drawn test’. Well, according to me they are partially right. I say partially mainly because of two reasons. First; because if you consider a series involving one of top teams against the likes of Bangladesh or Zimbabwe; they are more often than not – boring. Also, matches played on the placid subcontinent pitches esp. Sri Lanka where both teams rake up huge first innings score and that is all that is possible in the 5 days are a bane to cricket. Two; because some drawn test matches are more exciting than the publicly revered Twenty20 matches! I can remember two matches in the South Africa vs. England test series at the turn of this year. The first test at the Centurion resulting in a tense draw left no nails on my fingers even as a neutral fan. And to top it, we had a déjà vu! The third test at Cape Town had all the drama of the first, as if to say, who does not enjoy replays!

A series like this goes a long way to advertise test match cricket to the world. The recently concluded India Australia test series where in each match, as the last day dawned, all three results were a distinct possibility is a spectators delight proven by the fact that it was mostly full house for all 5 days in Bangalore.

Statistically too, in the current year, 29 test matches have been played to date with a staggering 26 giving a positive result! Only 3 matches drawn out of which one is the aforementioned South Africa-England Cape Town test! Who says test cricket is dying? For aficionados like me, it never was.