The bowling was toothless, the batting uncertain but the belief was still there. But for Pakistan's ultra-weak batting succumbing to Watson and North and Pakistan's inability to finish anything off Australia might have lost the series. Australia will have to rethink their bowling options.
There will be some thoughts on Ponting and how long he can go on and North may get some rest.
The debutants did well. There is something very odd about the way Smith bats though. His bat, his body, his positioning is ... weird.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
YoYo and Other Conundrums
Barely, but finally, Pakistan pulled it off. With another influential series coming up they do have many immediate questions to ponder.
First, what of Younis and Yousuf. There certainly is at least one opening in the team. The position held in the last match by Afridi and in this match by Malik is still up for grabs. The Malik/Afridi spot should probably go to an all rounder but neither Razzaq nor Tanvir has been in form with the bat and with the newness of the lineup it may be too bold to try a new all rounder even if one is good enough. Also the thinness of the top order demands a pure batsmen and the strength of the bowling allows it. The question is can the YoYo fit "socially" with the new setup?
The debutants did well. Azhar Ali should retain his place and even Umar Amin deserves an extended run at this point.
Umar Akmal will retain his place but he should do something fast unless he wishes to be another flash in the pan. He can take a few pointers from his contemporary Aamer who has gone from strength to strength. Akmal the younger needs to use his head more and not be just a clone of Akmal the elder. That would not be good enough to retain a place in the test side.
The bowling lineup looks good. Waqar and Aaqib deserve praise for all their work. Whenever Waqar has been the coach the bowlers have done well. Akram too deserves a pat for discovering Aamer. Aamer for the first time looked like a complete bowler. There was potential before and some very good spells but this time around he was consistently very good.
Asif did par for what is expected from him. Gul too. The problem is the moody nature of Gul's bowling. It remained so.
Kaneria didn't have much of a part to play in this series. The problem with the bowling may be that of depth. If not these guys then who. Ajmal does not yet appear to be a strike bowler at test level and any niggles and injuries to the fast bowling lineup will mean the addition of another debutant in all likelihood.
The series against England could be interesting if the players have and are willing to learn. They will need to close out innings when bowling and they will need scores far exceeding the 250 mark. England will be a far more bloody minded opponent than this Australian side. It would be interesting to see which ball the English pick considering Pakistan's recent bowling successes. The weakness of Pakistan's batting probably does not make it a hard question though.
First, what of Younis and Yousuf. There certainly is at least one opening in the team. The position held in the last match by Afridi and in this match by Malik is still up for grabs. The Malik/Afridi spot should probably go to an all rounder but neither Razzaq nor Tanvir has been in form with the bat and with the newness of the lineup it may be too bold to try a new all rounder even if one is good enough. Also the thinness of the top order demands a pure batsmen and the strength of the bowling allows it. The question is can the YoYo fit "socially" with the new setup?
The debutants did well. Azhar Ali should retain his place and even Umar Amin deserves an extended run at this point.
Umar Akmal will retain his place but he should do something fast unless he wishes to be another flash in the pan. He can take a few pointers from his contemporary Aamer who has gone from strength to strength. Akmal the younger needs to use his head more and not be just a clone of Akmal the elder. That would not be good enough to retain a place in the test side.
The bowling lineup looks good. Waqar and Aaqib deserve praise for all their work. Whenever Waqar has been the coach the bowlers have done well. Akram too deserves a pat for discovering Aamer. Aamer for the first time looked like a complete bowler. There was potential before and some very good spells but this time around he was consistently very good.
Asif did par for what is expected from him. Gul too. The problem is the moody nature of Gul's bowling. It remained so.
Kaneria didn't have much of a part to play in this series. The problem with the bowling may be that of depth. If not these guys then who. Ajmal does not yet appear to be a strike bowler at test level and any niggles and injuries to the fast bowling lineup will mean the addition of another debutant in all likelihood.
The series against England could be interesting if the players have and are willing to learn. They will need to close out innings when bowling and they will need scores far exceeding the 250 mark. England will be a far more bloody minded opponent than this Australian side. It would be interesting to see which ball the English pick considering Pakistan's recent bowling successes. The weakness of Pakistan's batting probably does not make it a hard question though.
Friday, July 23, 2010
The Finish Line
Pakistan's bowling was always decent. However, it too has suffered the inability, in the last few years, to finish things off. It again was confronted with that situation today and had its problems.
Its hard to say whether the first innings score is par for this lineup or it let slide a sure thing. Watson again was there in Balaji's avatar. The second outing has seen a fairly decent start but a couple of late wickets and Pakistan's weakest suit, neither bowling nor batting but the ability to finish things off, will be tested yet again.
This way or that Pakistan have come close to a victory. Closer perhaps than in any of the cases in which they have let it pass them by. The debutants and the young players have done well so far. Can they pull off what their elders failed to do time and again? This could be a seminal moment in the development or coming apart of a young team.
Its hard to say whether the first innings score is par for this lineup or it let slide a sure thing. Watson again was there in Balaji's avatar. The second outing has seen a fairly decent start but a couple of late wickets and Pakistan's weakest suit, neither bowling nor batting but the ability to finish things off, will be tested yet again.
This way or that Pakistan have come close to a victory. Closer perhaps than in any of the cases in which they have let it pass them by. The debutants and the young players have done well so far. Can they pull off what their elders failed to do time and again? This could be a seminal moment in the development or coming apart of a young team.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Muralitharan
Muralitharan brings Sri Lanka to the verge of being number one as his era ends. If Sri Lanka take this test then a 1-0 or better result in the remaining games would put Sri Lanka on top.
After all was said and done the remaining critics refrain was, "But he has not been tested in match conditions."
But neither have most of the other bowlers including greats like McGrath who were shown to have 11-12 degrees of flexion and let's face it the game would be rather bland and dead if only Sarwan clones were allowed to bowl. In match testing will have to wait for its day and what it may have to say about "regular" bowlers may keep Muralitharan's name in the discussions on actions for a long time to come. For now he can rest a bit after leaving Sri Lanka in a position of strength unknown to it before. The Indians should heap as many honour guards as they can to snuff out any wistful feelings for a return for the rest of the series.
After all was said and done the remaining critics refrain was, "But he has not been tested in match conditions."
But neither have most of the other bowlers including greats like McGrath who were shown to have 11-12 degrees of flexion and let's face it the game would be rather bland and dead if only Sarwan clones were allowed to bowl. In match testing will have to wait for its day and what it may have to say about "regular" bowlers may keep Muralitharan's name in the discussions on actions for a long time to come. For now he can rest a bit after leaving Sri Lanka in a position of strength unknown to it before. The Indians should heap as many honour guards as they can to snuff out any wistful feelings for a return for the rest of the series.
Cricinfo's Mixed-up Its Writers
Andy Zaltzman seems to be one of the more objective writers at cricinfo while the likes of Gideon Haigh and Mukul Kasavan seem to be doing comedy routines.
Then there is the "Views from Outside" which are so bland that they seem to be written by Make Hollowmanuscripts.
Then there is the "Views from Outside" which are so bland that they seem to be written by Make Hollowmanuscripts.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Springing Tiger Painfully Apparent Dragons
By Roger Ebert
This move reminds me of the movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Except Aamer is not crouching but springing and the dragons, Ponting and Broad, were not really hidden but rather apparent. So it was really Springing Tiger and Painfully Apparent Dragons. So a thumbs up for the springing tiger and two thumbs down for the dragons.
This move reminds me of the movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Except Aamer is not crouching but springing and the dragons, Ponting and Broad, were not really hidden but rather apparent. So it was really Springing Tiger and Painfully Apparent Dragons. So a thumbs up for the springing tiger and two thumbs down for the dragons.
The Kiss and Drawing a Foul
By Dr. Phil McGraw
People let me break this down for you. There has been a lot of controversy on the issue between Mr. Pon-ting, and Mr. Aaaa-mer, and Mr. Broaaad. Let me break it down. To Mr. Pon-ting this was like a kiss. Mr. Aaaa-mer leaned in 90% and Mr. Pon-ting reciprocated with the remaining 10% thus establishing contact.
On the other hand to Mr. Aaaa-mer this was like drawing a foul in basketball. He went in close with a feint evoking a contact from Mr. Pon-ting.
And Mr. Broaaad, I don't know what you were thinking. Come on now. Whether you think it is a kiss or drawing a foul your actions do not make sense. You are the referee. Yes you are. You are like the breath between the kiss; don't act like the elbow toss in the drawing of the foul. Ok.
People let me break this down for you. There has been a lot of controversy on the issue between Mr. Pon-ting, and Mr. Aaaa-mer, and Mr. Broaaad. Let me break it down. To Mr. Pon-ting this was like a kiss. Mr. Aaaa-mer leaned in 90% and Mr. Pon-ting reciprocated with the remaining 10% thus establishing contact.
On the other hand to Mr. Aaaa-mer this was like drawing a foul in basketball. He went in close with a feint evoking a contact from Mr. Pon-ting.
And Mr. Broaaad, I don't know what you were thinking. Come on now. Whether you think it is a kiss or drawing a foul your actions do not make sense. You are the referee. Yes you are. You are like the breath between the kiss; don't act like the elbow toss in the drawing of the foul. Ok.
A Hair is Born (Or the Growth of a Hair)
By Daryl Hair
I was ecstatic to see Broad's proactiveness in dealing with the diabolical Aamer. Indeed two times showing up close to the batsman can only be described as diabolical even though it is true that the second time it was actually Ponting getting in the final elbow.
I am amused that the Pakistanis made the same mistake that they made against me. They have not filed a written complaint with the ICC on Broad's unevenhandedness. This will allow Broad to continue in my ways until someone facing him is not a seventeen year old and someone who has a career already behind him and can take Broad on. But here is the fun part. ICC can then claim that no written complaints were ever made by the PCB against Broad. Which surely means everything is good.
The Ponting incidence was minor. Ponting has been doing the personal space bit for a while. The real story which everyone has missed is Broad. I can only smack my lips and be happy seeing another Hair grow in front of me. Ah the joys of being a cricket authoritarian.
I was ecstatic to see Broad's proactiveness in dealing with the diabolical Aamer. Indeed two times showing up close to the batsman can only be described as diabolical even though it is true that the second time it was actually Ponting getting in the final elbow.
I am amused that the Pakistanis made the same mistake that they made against me. They have not filed a written complaint with the ICC on Broad's unevenhandedness. This will allow Broad to continue in my ways until someone facing him is not a seventeen year old and someone who has a career already behind him and can take Broad on. But here is the fun part. ICC can then claim that no written complaints were ever made by the PCB against Broad. Which surely means everything is good.
The Ponting incidence was minor. Ponting has been doing the personal space bit for a while. The real story which everyone has missed is Broad. I can only smack my lips and be happy seeing another Hair grow in front of me. Ah the joys of being a cricket authoritarian.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Defense of Ponting Act
One rather extraordinary claim has been that Ponting putting his elbow out there was rather a defensive act.
To illustrate here is Symonds tackle of the streaker. The elbow is jutted out to make contact not as a defence mechanism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW4mSNBeMYM&NR=1
Or see any number of baseball collisions. At the home plate where there is a deliberate attempt to impede the path of the onrushing player the elbow usually makes its appearance. In cases where the attempt is to avoid collision the motion is to try to move the body out of the path of collision. If the collision is about to happen and there is no way to get out of its path then there may be some bracing. In this case, as Aamer's action showed, there was ample time to get out of the way. There is no bracing by Ponting but rather a jutting out of the elbow (Elbow toss). In fact one could argue it was an attempt to reach out and touch someone.
To illustrate here is Symonds tackle of the streaker. The elbow is jutted out to make contact not as a defence mechanism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW4mSNBeMYM&NR=1
Or see any number of baseball collisions. At the home plate where there is a deliberate attempt to impede the path of the onrushing player the elbow usually makes its appearance. In cases where the attempt is to avoid collision the motion is to try to move the body out of the path of collision. If the collision is about to happen and there is no way to get out of its path then there may be some bracing. In this case, as Aamer's action showed, there was ample time to get out of the way. There is no bracing by Ponting but rather a jutting out of the elbow (Elbow toss). In fact one could argue it was an attempt to reach out and touch someone.
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