Wow! Records fall as V.V.S follows up Gambhir's double century with something strangely similar

The performances by Gautam Gambhir and V.V.S Laxman, both scoring double hundreds in the first innings of the third Test against Australia in Dehli has set some outstanding records. India finished their innings on 613-7 declared with Gambhir falling this morning for 206 and Laxman finishing on 200 not out.

India's dominance from the last Test has been carried through in the early stages of this Test so far. The duo of double centuries was the first time that India have ever had two double centuries in one Test innings, it was also the first time that this has occurred against Australia. I congratulate the players on this fantastic feat, one which brought about Gambhir's highest Test score of his career and lifted the pressure greatly from the shoulders of V.V.S. Laxman. Laxman had faced great pressure of late due to his underperformance and some media suggested that he would be axed for this Test at the expense of a third spinner. However, this was not the case and Laxman has cemented his place within the side for the near future. The pressure is mounting on Rahul Dravid and he will hope to improve upon his performance in the series so far against Australia.

The continuation and the conclusion of this Test will be interesting to say the least and India are the side who look in pole position after these gargantuous efforts. Bring on Day 3!

Sachin under fire

Sachin Tendulkar has come under fire from Adam Gilchrist in the former wicketkeeper's new autobiography. Gilchrist has raked up the Sydney Test and brought it into the limelight once again, claiming that Sachin changed his evidence regarding the racism row. Harbhajan has also got involved stating that 'no one respects Gilchrist.' All of this comes in the wake of an Australian defeat at the hands of the Indians. Am I the only one who wishes that they would let the cricket on the field do the talking? I wonder what will be the next twist. Maybe something about ball tampering would be enough to conclude the series before it has finished. Who knows with these two sides at the moment?

Intikhab Alam gets Pakistan job

Intikhab Alam, the former Pakistan captain, has landed the role of coach on a temporary basis. Intikhab's Test career spanned from 1959-1977, when he averaged a useful 22.3 with the bat and 36 with the ball. However, the first ODI captain of Pakistan (despite only appearing in only four ODIs), will also be fondly remembered in Pakistan for being involved in the 1992 world cup success as Team Manager.

It has been announced by Ijaz Butt that he (Butt) would favour the offering of a two-year contract (so not as temporary an appointment as he has told the media), however, such an offer would need to be ratified first by the PCB. The appointment of Intikhab comes after calls for a local coach to coach the national side from former Pakistan players ever since Butt landed his role as chairman of the board. Ijaz Butt himself said of Lawson, 'I did not say he is useless, but he is of little use to us.' So, as was expected following the announcement of his contract not being renewed and then the sudden dismissal of the former Australian player, a Pakistani has been offered this role. The full terms of the contract, including the length of the contract, will be decided next week. The actual appointment has been shrouded in confusion, with Alam originally being appointed on the short term basis and then claiming a two year contract had been offered. As we have already heard, this is the preferred route of Ijaz Butt. Interestingly, Alam has said that his first task will be 'instilling discipline into his players.'

However, the elevation of a former captain to the highest coaching role in the land raises some rather important questions about the state of the game in Pakistan. Is this really a wise move? Alam, despite his success in the set-up of 1992, has limited coaching experience, having since then only coached Punjab for two seasons in the Ranji Trophy. This cannot be beneficial for the long term development of the game. Maybe it is viable as a short term fix, as we saw with Chandu Borde, but if Alam lands this two year contract, is Pakistan consigning itself to two years of backwards cricket. To a lack of progression? Another question that must be asked is why is the board giving in to pressure from former players and should this be allowed? Javed Miandad has had a huge role in the calls for a new coach of Pakistani origin, unsurprisingly he is not willing to take on this task for the fourth time, but is willing to see another former great ruin his repuation. The board must toughen itself up in the future and run things in a way that is beneficial to the sport, not just to the players that used to grace the field.

At least there is one positive, the excuse of 'we don't win because our foreign coach does not understand the sub-continental game' cannot be used. I am sure that we will see a new captain under this regime, but it remains to be seen how far the 'comeback king' can take this team.

India and Bangladesh on the brink!

India and Bangladesh are both on the brink of recording impressive Test match victories over their competition. India have set Australia an imposing target of 516 runs, with the Aussies reaching only 141/5 at stumps. We have seen impressive performances on both sides in both Tests so far. I plan to do a detailed analysis at the end of the series, but we have seen centuries from Ganguly, Gambhir, Ponting and Hussey and five wicket hauls from Mishra and Zaheer.

Bangladesh have really produced a special performance and there have been some stand out shows by Shakib Al-Hasan, Mehrab Jnr. and Rahim with Vettori so far offering the strongest resistance. Redmond has scored a brilliant 62 not out in this second innings. New Zealand are currently 145/2 chasing a target of 317.

Day 5 could well be the best day of cricket in a while!

Sachin Tendulkar

With Tendulkar closing in on Lara's record for most Test runs I thought of writing a article on the great man, someone who has been an icon in India for 18 years now.

My first memories of Tendulkar dates back to early 90's when as a kid I saw him make Aussie quicks like McDermott, Hughes etc look like club bowlers on what was a lightning fast Perh wicket, it was a match in which Tendulkar came into bat with India in trouble which in the days to come was a familiar story of Indian team in 90's and when it comes to that particular innings it was a treat to watch as he would repeatedly pull, and cut the Aussie quicks, guide it past the slips and he even hit McDermott over mid off which in itself was something to see. In 93 when England played India, Kambli was the one who scored the bulk of runs but Tendulkar too was consistent as it looked more and more like he is going to fulfill the promise he showed early in his career. The next time I caught a glimpse of him was in the 96 WC when he was at his peak and I still remember the way he hammered McGrath against Aussies as he would just come down the wicket and hammer him straight down the ground, or he would make room and hit him wherever he wants and one has to say he looked unstoppable that night until M.Waugh got him out stumped by bowling wide down the leg side. During India's tour of England in 96 his knock at Edgebaston was a connoisseur's delight for the correctness of his technique and the flair that was exhibited by Tendulkar especially those cover drives were superb to watch, yes India yet again collapsed around him which was sad to see as he just needed someone to support him nevertheless it does not take anything away from what was marvellous knock by the little man. Later that year in South africa he again showed his class at Capetown where he smacked Donald and co. all over the park, yet again leaving the wristy Azharuddin no one supported Sachin but he was unperturbed by it as he would hit Donald on the up or he would flick Pollock from outside the off stump he even hooked Donald who was bowling really quick at that time.

Next up were his battles with Warne in 98 and one can remember his breathtaking assault on Warne at Madras in the second innings where there was bit of turn and bounce and Warne was pitching it on the rough but somehow Tendulkar taking leg stump as a guard would make room and hit Warne over the top by coming to the pitch of the ball, now that can be done only by a genius.

In 99 with Tendulkar plagued by persistent injuries he started to become more of a accumulator or a run a gatherer rather than a stroke maker still he had his moments like in Australia during that year he was able to score a hundred at Melbourne though one has to add that McGrath did trouble him by bowling back of a length and giving him virtually no room but Tendulkar still was good enough to counter him, even in 01 though Lax. took the limelight for that breathtaking innings at Kolkota yet Tendulkar also did his bit by scoring a hundred in Madras and in England in 02 he showed his class with that 194 at Headingly. In 04 when there was speculation of Tendulkar being well past his best he still got a double hundred at Sydney and that was a series in which he had troubles with playing those cover drives as he was not coming to the pitch of the ball as a result he was getting caught in the slips so at Sydney he decided he won't play any cover drives and it was amazing to watch him compile a near flawless innings without a single cover drive as poor Aussie quicks tried again, and again to lure him to play those cover drives by bowling well outside the off stump and that innings clearly showed Tendulkar's determination to succeed. In 08 he yet again tormented Aussies by getting 493 runs.

Yes Tendulkar's performance recently in Lanka was nothing to write home about because of which there is pressure on little master to do well against Aussies but he is a true great of the game as to be consistent for 17 to 18 years is just incredible.

Thanks to greyblazer for this insight into the Little Master.

Congratulations to Ricky Ponting

In today's game, something that will be reviewed upon its completion, Ricky Ponting scored a century. This could prove vital as the game goes on, however it is not in this context that I am offering my congratulations. Ponting said "It means a lot to me to do well here. It's my time to stand up and make sure I score some runs." Ponting, until today averaged 12.28 from eight Tests and fourteen innings on Indian soil. Ok, so he was dismissed by a spinner four the fourteenth time in fifteen outings, but this is still an achievement, especially considering his statement of intent came only a day previously.

Bored of Selectors

'With the Test series starting, a question remains etched into the minds of the Board of Selectors, how long will they be able to keep playing the 'fab four' and get away with it? Ganguly has announced that he will soon be going, but I myself have become bored of the 'will they, won't they' questions that keep arising.

Will the board drop the cricketing untouchables (untouchable in a good way of course) if they are performing poorly? Will they give youth a chance? Or are they allowing these players to make the choice as to when they go? I know how I would have it, but then again I am not a superpower within the Indian cricketing world. If a player is performing badly, then of course, their position should be considered, however, if this would involve taking a gamble on a totally unproven player then perhaps this risk is too much to bare. In this instance, I actually feel that the selection of Ganguly for this series and in the line-up is justified. The only other alternative in the squad was Badrinath, an inexperienced player at this level.'

I wrote this before the series began thinking that I would leave it and see how the 'fab four' performed as the series went on. And I have not been disappointed. Ganguly has thus far proven a very worthy member of the squad and I am glad that he will be able to go on his terms with a century to be remembered by. Dravid has not found the best form of his career but he put in that gutsy fifty in the first Test. Sachin is now the holder of more records than I can count and scored some vital runs in the first innings of this second Test. V.V.S has been the most disappointing, and it was V.V.S who I thought would outshine the rest! Shows the difference that ten days can make.

Bangladesh - New Zealand, 1st ODI

This series kicked off with a surprising and an historic start in Dhaka, with Bangladesh recording their first ever victory over the New Zealand side. It is a victory that can only serve to bring hope to the fractured and confused Bangladeshi cricketing scene.

New Zealand found batting troublesome, with Jesse Ryder being the only one of the established batsmen making many runs (34). However Mashrafe Mortaza and Abdur Razzak did not make it easy for them, taking 4-44 and 3-32 respectively. When Jacob Oram took to the crease, the score was a mere 65-5, somewhat disastrous. However, things did not stop here and the turbulence continues with Daniel Flynn remover, the score stood at 79-6. Oram's innings however was mature and masterful given the position that New Zealand found themselves in. He scored 57 off 85 balls and was ably supported by Daniel Vettori, whose captain's knock of 30 would prove invaluable. The Black Caps finished at 201-9 in 50 overs, something that was fairly respectable given the earlier troubles that they had been in.

Bangladesh's response however began in a familiar tone, with the loss of the first wicket occuring at only 18. However, Junaid Siddique steadied the ship with a personal best of 85 being lent support from Mushfiqur Rahim (30). The swashbuckling performance of Mohammad Ashraful,, with a quickfire 60 from 56 balls took the Bangladesh side over the line for only their sixth ODI victory against one of the major eight cricketing nations.

New Zealand will no doubt look for some scapegoats for their poor performance in this game and I would not be surprised if they make a host of changes for the second game starting on Saturday. However, if they do not, players will need to make a much greater impression if they expect to continue in their positions. Well done Bangladesh, and lets hope the series continues in this record breaking way!

India vs Australia: First Test

By mikesiva

The anticipation over the series between India and Australia is building every day, as the first day of the first Test match draws near.

Bangalore is the venue for the first Test, and it starts on October 9. And - dare we say it? - the hype over this series threatens to overshadow the traditional confrontation between Australia and their auld enemy, England, in the Ashes.

Australia have ruled the roost since taking over the mantle from Richie Richardson's West Indies 12 years ago. Since then, pretenders have come and gone. The latest team to threaten the Aussies are India, but they have their own problems.

PLAYING SPIN

Their claim to be the second best side in the world was seriously dented by a 2-1 loss in Sri Lanka. The much-heralded middle order of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman struggled to come to grips with the spin twins Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis.

They must be thankful that the tourists have not been able to come up with a replacement for the legspinning wizard, Shane Warne! Beau Casson, who toured the Caribbean, was left at home, and two untried spinners were sent to India - Bryce McGain and Jason Krejza. But the seasoned campaigner in first-class cricket, McGain, developed a shoulder injury, and was sent home, and Krejza was on the receiving end of a pasting in the four-day game against an Indian Board XI. Even Yuvraj Singh, who normally struggles against spin, played Krejza with ease....

INDIA'S BATTING

What will the Indian team look like? The aging stars looked like they had gone before their best-before date by the time the Sri Lanka tour came around. Surely, some hard decisions wee going to be made, and some of the oldsters would be pensioned off? Even 37-year old legspinning captain Anil Kumble looked innocuous in comparison to Murali and Mendis.

But these stars are almost untouchable. At one stage, it seemed as if Ganguly would've been the one to take the fall, but even he has now been recalled to the Test squad. The only new face in the squad is Subramaniam Badrinath, but he seems unlikely to play ahead of the Fab Four, especially after his poor performances in the Irani Trophy and in the Board four-day game.

India's strength, for once, seems to be in the opening partnership of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Ghambir. Sehwag seems to have been reborn, after losing excess weight, and recovering his form. In his shadow, Ghambir has earned a recall, and continues to build solid starts.

Dravid will come in one down, but The Wall appears to be crumbling. This could be his last series, if he doesn't get some decent scores. Tendulkar just needs 77 runs to overtake Brian Lara as the world's leading run-getter in Test cricket. But it is questionable how much longer he can go on for.

GANGULY AND THE LOWER ORDER

Ganguly has struggled for runs in recent times, averaging a mediocre 30 in his last three series. He's living on borrowed time, and a poor series against Australia will surely mean the end of his career. In contrast, Laxman outperformed his more illustrious colleagues in Sri Lanka, and will have a stay of execution, until next year, at least. He may just keep his place in the side, because he can bowl some medium pacers, allowing the selectors to continue the risky policy of selecting just two pacers.

Wicketkeeper MS Dhoni continues to be the captain-in-waiting, as Kumble looked decidedly average against Sri Lanka. Kumble even seems to be taking up a space that will be better served by Piyush Chawla, who took wickets at will against the Aussies in the Board game. And if the seasoned veterans fail to notch up the runs, the clamour for those who did make runs for the Board XI - Rohit Sharma, Virut Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, and even Wasim Jaffer - will grow louder.

Harbhajan Singh continues to be India's main spin weapon, and a lot will depend on him this series. For once, there is a lot of pace-bowling talent to choose from, but the selectors will probably turn to Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma for the first Test.

THE AUSTRALIAN BATTING

There have been quite a few changes to the Australian team in recent times as well. Matthew Hayden is approaching the end of the his career, and with the way he scratched around in the Board match, his retirement might not be that far away. Simon Katich appears to have edged Phil Jaques out for the right to open with the former world record holder.

The rest of the top order has a familiar ring to it - Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, and Michael Hussey. But Ponting has historically struggled for runs in India, Clarke hasn't always produced the goods, and Hussey's honeymoon seems to be coming to an end. That said, Hussey was the only Aussie batsman to get to three figures in the Board match.

WATSON AND THE BOWLERS

Australia will miss the enigmatic Andy Symonds at six, and Shane Watson will be a poor substitute. It remains to be seen if he can live up to expectations, in much the same way that Brad Haddin will be hard-pressed to fill the boots of legendary wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist.

The sole spinner's position seems to be a toss-up between Krejza and the recently-called-up Cameron White, a leg-spinning allrounder. But the main wicket-takers will be Australia's new pace force of Stuart Clark, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson.

It promises to be an exciting series, and we can discuss it all on Cricket-Match-Special. Do join us here:

http://www.cricket-match-special.com/index.php

We look forward to talking to you about it!

Kolpaks

As many of you will know, Kolpaks have sprung up amongst the ranks of English cricket in recent years. A Kolpak player is a player who has origins in a nation that has a trade agreement with the E.U. that entitles its workers to be treated as equals of E.U. employees. Many counties have used the idea of these 'extra' overseas players to their advantage. However, some counties have exploited this concept and have imported a huge amount of players to bolster their ranks (and in some cases change the local language). One county who has exploited the situation is Northants.

This season gone, Northants had five players registered as Kolpaks: Johan Van Der Wath, Riki Wessels, Nicky Boje, Andrew Hall and Lance Klusener. All of these players have considerable reputations in their own right. However, are their presences detrimental to the state of the English game? To understand this question, we must explore their accomplishments on the county circuit as well as, quite importantly, their attitudes towards our domestic setup.

At Northants, we have a number of English players waiting in the wings. Graeme White was named the county young player of the year. Graeme White did not make an appearance in the County Championship. He has won the NBC Denis Compton Award on three occasions as cricinfo informs me. Is that not a sad state of affairs for English cricket?

However, this may be excusable if this was the only example in the country never mind the county. Mark Nelson, the NBC Denis Compton Award winner and another England U-19 player, was given a chance this year. However, he did not feature as regularly as you would expect. While I joke about this award, recipients have included Sales, Afzaal, Trescothick, Solanki, Giles, Shah, Flintoff, Read, Harmison, Hoggard and many other names that are recognisable figures in the cricketing world. Another young player at Northants is Alex Wakely, an England U-19 Captain. Yes, you have guessed it, he faced limited opportunities in the first team.

Why is it that these players have faced such limited opportunities? Could it be that Boje is a spinner similar to White; Klusener, Hall, Van Der Wath and Louw (yes, another South African who played as an overseas player) are middle order all-rounders in the mould of Nelson and that the packed middle order meant that there was no space for Wakely towards the top of this congested mercenary outfit? Ironically, there was one young player who flourished this year when given the opportunity, his name being Riki Wessels.

While this article may seem to go down the typical route of Kolpaks preventing English youth from flourishing, although it may be an old-fashioned argument, it is relevant. I can understand that at a club like mine, where it is hard to attract top quality English players (and arguably the top quality English players that we have had in recent times have not got the international recognition they deserved, Usman Afzaal for example. Some have had to leave to try and fulfil this desire, namely Afzaal and Shafayat.) that the acquisition of Kolpaks is both an inexpensive and attractive idea and alternative.

I do believe that Kolpaks can be beneficial to an extent, surely the next best English talent will only learn from the Kluseners and Bojes in this world, but there should be a limit on this influx. Klusener added 1000 runs, however, not all were as productive as him. And he is the one that has been released, the mind boggles on occasion. Van Der Wath may have been our top bowler, but surely for the money paid, you expect him to perform like a top overseas player. This was not the case. Boje was a failure after the first month or two, Hall has never been such an all-rounder and Louw barely featured.

So, what did Northants do this year? They invested heavily in foreign 'talent,' what did this achieve? The progression of the English youth has been held back for a further year, while the 'fat cat bankers' of cricket have collected their cheques whilst destroying team morale. This statement comes from news that Hall and Van Der Wath chain-smoked outside the dressing room at every possible opportunity, according to local press, and that harsh words were spoken in Afrikaans of their try-hard English counterparts. Northants, with a bowling line-up which I am sure will have featured in an ODI for South Africa at some point, with money spent on building a team for these lucrative limited overs tournaments, failed in this quarter.

In the Pro 40, we struggled to get a point, and the whether had to do it for us with two NRs. In the FP Trophy, weather meant we could not reach the quarters, finishing third in a group of six, a group which contained Ireland. Twenty20? Oh, just the normal, they outperformed all sides in their group, reached the quarters and capitulated against an Essex side who was not that much their superior. And if this meant that we achieved in the longer form, then no, this is not the case. The foreign contingent, who amassed 113 test appearances between them finished fourth in Division 2. Obviously not their fault, you need a supporting cast as well. However, two Englishmen scored 1000 runs, and English opener and an Irish WK/opener both scored over 900 runs, with an English bowler finishing as the second best bowler, the supporting cast seemed to do its job.

Again, I emphasise the point that a few seasoned internationals can help a team and particularly its youngsters develop, but in this quantity, is it acceptable, when no serious benefit appears to have been gained? Northants, if they had blooded the youngsters in the County Championship, may have finished lower, but considering they were two points of sixth position, how much lower could they have gone? This year could have been used to give experience to some raw talent that could really feature in cricket's future, especially English cricket's future, by sacrificing the position of a few warhorses. However, can a poor county like Northants be blamed? If there are no regulations in place to stop them, then why should they stop? The ECB must take this issue to task and come up with a satisfactory resolution, maybe limiting counties to one Kolpak and one overseas player a year. Unless they, the powers that be, take a firm stance on this, English cricket and thus worldwide cricket will suffer perhaps irreversibly.

Welcome all

I have started this blog having not found the answers to the cricketing questions of the day. I am a 606er and more recently on c-m-s. I will hope to explore the pressing issues that our sport facess, issues that may not be explored elsewhere or may be but not as in depth as could be possible. In domestic cricket we have the Kolpak issue, I will look to explore some teams' performances with them and how much they actually contribute, and whether they are replaceable. On the international scene, there are consisitently issues with selection, and I can only hope to iron these out. I am open to criticism as all views will be my opinion and not necessarily the truth! At some point I hope to have mystery or guest bloggers from the cricketing forums I frequent.

I am a Northants fan and follow international cricket loosely, mostly India and England. I hope that I can be of some service to fans who are in my position!