Cricket Nut V - Catharsis

Cricket Nut IV - Bid for Berry

 

Blackberry icon from iconfinder.net.

Cricket Nut III - Cruel Intentions

Wonder if Steyn will get into IPL's bad books?

Excerpt from Dale Steyn column in The Times of India:

On a sad note, however, I was pretty upset watching a programme on TV the other day about just how threatened the forests and wildlife of India is. Less than 20 % of the forests remain and less than 1500 tigers in the wild! I am passionate about preserving the natural world and I’m happier being in the ‘bush’ than anywhere else in the world. What a pity that some of the enormous wealth that went into the IPL - and is being generated by it - couldn’t be channelled towards something as important as the preservation of the Indian tiger.

Remember Steyn's famous words after the first season:

The IPL was only four overs a game and it was like a paid holiday; you only had to work hard if you felt like it, which is probably why we finished second-last.

He did call himself an idiot soon after, though.

Cricket Nut - II

A new IPL comic strip - Cricket Nut

Thanks to Sahil Rizwan for the inspiration.  This one is just awesome.

As for the experience bit, check out the pro in action in the video below. (That is an official sponsor video btw. Not some paparazzi.)


More treats for the eyes.

Haha haha haha

Hope the stick conjures up some magic for the World Twenty20.

Miami based Motion Pixel Corporation (MPC) and Cornerstone Entertainment of India finalised the signing of Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh to star in a new animated movie titled Captain India.

The story entails Yuvraj Singh growing up in Mumbai and encountering a magical cricket stick which he realises has special powers and uses it to help fight crime and also becoming an Indian Cricket Star to help India win the cricket World Cup.

Also, what's with the flood of Whirlpool ads featuring Kings XI Punjab players lately? To bring home the point that it's the quality of paranthas and lassis that's letting the team down? But wouldn't it have been better to bloat the opposition players instead. Watch them below:

Headline of the day

Lumb leaves Kings XI numb

From The National

Cheerleaders are new face of ads

Perhaps it would have been better to use cheer girls. Don't see too many men being paid to cheer.

“We would not have used cheerleaders in season one because the idea hadn't caught on and they generated controversy,” said Rajiv Rao, national creative director of Ogilvy and Mather Pvt. Ltd, the advertising agency behind the ZooZoo ads.

“But now cheerleaders have managed to make their way into Indian sports and the general acceptance is a clear reflection of India’s evolving mindset and culture,” Rao said.

More on livemint.com

The worst thing about the IPL ...

is simply this: the cricket is quite good.

Well said, Dave Tickner.

Not a dumb buy, this Lumb

Sixteen fours and two sixes in a knock of 80. Phantasmagoric. (Sorry, Danny M is contagious.)



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Who's faster than a tracer bullet?

Think. Think fast.

Watch this.


Didn't get it yet.

It's L Sivaramakrishnan and Danny Morrison.

Take the wicket of Kedar Jadhav today. Barely did we notice that Ganguly had snapped it, that Siva screams out, "Ganguly takes it." (Or was it "Hit straight to Ganguly.") "A Karbonn Kamaal catch." Tracer bullet indeed.

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Mumbai must find their Plan Bs and Cs

We all know that Twenty20 is all about momentum and Sachin Tendulkar messed up big time on that count yesterday against Chennai Super Kings. It was only the sixth over of the chase when Tendulkar's body language suggested he was in trouble. He sat down to take a breather after stepping out to hit R Ashwin over the top for a four. That sight would have been okay in say over 35 of an ODI but in over 6 of a Twenty20 it was a clear indication that the heat had taken its toll. Tendulkar ideally should have retired ill at that point. Forty-six for no loss off 5.4 overs was a good start for a chase of 165.

Instead he chose to stay on. Shikhar Dhawan fell first ball of the seventh over, and perhaps that's why Tendulkar must have thought that he should stay longer. Also, till that time, Tendulkar had scored 28 off 19 while Dhawan managed just 16 off 18. Maybe Tendulkar felt the others would find it tough to get going on the slow track. With Tendulkar not in top gear, the scoring rate dipped and by the end of nine overs (at the time of the time-out), the required run-rate had crept up to 9.45.

Tendulkar finally went off the field during the time-out. From there on, a combination of rash strokes and some excellent work by Chennai sealed the game. But perhaps it was the momentum lost in the three overs that Tendulkar overstayed and his exit with the team at the precarious position after nine overs (compared to the situation after the six Powerplay overs) that made it Chennai's day. With the fielding side in the ascendancy and the required run-rate a touch on the higher side, Rayudu, Bravo, Tiwary and Pollard fell attempting big shots. Obviously, this analysis would have been redundant had these batsmen stood up to the pressure and not crumbled like nine pins.

So why harp on overs 7-9 when the rest weren't up to the task. Well, in Twenty20, you expect a settled batsman to score at the rate required or more. Instead, a tiring Tendulkar was forced to nudge it around against the spinners and made just 11 off 11 since that boundary he got against Ashwin in the sixth over. With Tiwary finding it tough to score, Chennai were gaining control of the game. Say, instead of Tendulkar, a new batsman could have pretty much scored at a run-a-ball while getting his eye in. Or maybe not. But at least the batsmen would have had a chance to settle down before the run-rate started soaring.

Also, Tendulkar's late exit denied Bravo or Pollard the chance to don more responsibilities while chasing. Their all-round roles means Mumbai are unlikely to drop them, and with a semi-final slot pretty much assured, Tendulkar could have entrusted one of them with seeing the team through instead of challenging his own body. It would have helped eased the worry that Mumbai's batting is a one-man show just like India of the 90s. Although Dhawan, Tiwary and Rayudu have done well, it's obvious that having Tendulkar at the other end or a good start from the captain is really a confidence boost for the rest. And Bravo and Pollard are yet to play a substantial innings with the bat.

That brings us to the point that perhaps the successful run Mumbai have notched up so far might hurt them in the end. Because that's the nature of Twenty20. The team can get a bit complacent. But more worrying is that their wins have mostly been easy, with not much disruptions to their set plans before the game. The bowlers are in good form, and Tendulkar had managed to rotate them well. But what if a Malinga has a off day. Or if Tendulkar gets out early? Will Mumbai be able to recover and still win a game despite those hiccups. Last year, Delhi were huge favourites going into the semi-finals but were blown away by a Gilchrist blitzkrieg. Also, they ended up at two down for 0 after the first over of the game.

Will Mumbai suffer the same fate like Delhi did last time? Perhaps Tendulkar deserves a short break and let his team-mates slog it out during the coming set of mostly away games. He needs to let others take charge of the side.

It's not that planning doesn't help. This year it is clear that Kings XI Punjab didn't plan well enough before the tournament. Waiting for Shaun Marsh and Brett Lee to deliver results after returning from injuries showed the management's lack of faith in the rest, or maybe the inability to find the right guys to perform in their absence. Yes, it's easy criticising them sitting on the sidelines but isn't that why you have a team management? So is it surprising that the team's that struggling had their head coach joining them only after the first game?

But only when those plans are put into practice can you assess and rectify them or in some cases, find new ones. Shane Warne's 'surprise the opposition camp' tactics worked really well during the first season. But the same may not be as effective now since teams are used to it. However, losing and struggling does give teams the opportunity to relook their strategies. If the reworked plans work, then they at least have the experience of knowing the situations where one needs to be flexible in changing set plans. Also, a few close games in the league stage, especially winning them, also ends up helping the team. Mumbai's wins haven't really been humdingers, apart from the Yusuf one. Which brings me to the point, did Mumbai have a plan B then?

Warnie leaves the media gasping for words

Case 1:
Cricinfo's headline for an article on Monday's game: When there's a Warne, there's a way. Though I wonder if they meant Where there's a Warne ...

Case 2:
Cricbuzz's Gokul Gopal gets all lyrical. The article starts off

"Misty Morning, Clouds in the sky, Without Warning a wizard walks by..

..Casting his shadow, weaving his spell, Funny clothes, tinkling bell..

..Never talking, just keeps walking, spreading his magic"

These are my favourite lines from the song 'Wizard' by Black Sabbath, released in February 1970 - 4 months after the birth of a cricketing Wizard by the name of Shane Keith Warne. Sabbath had composed the 'Wizard' inspired by the character Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings. But this song can definitely epitomize the conjuror from Australia, who dazzled the cricketing world with his magical fingers

.

and this is how it ends

As for Rajasthan and the likes of Shetty sisters, they would be singing..

"Sun is Shining, Clouds have gone by, All the people give a happy sigh..

.. He has passed by, giving his sign, Left all the people feeling so fine..

..Never talking, just keeps walking, spreading his magic"

Case 3:
The Ahmedabad Mirror's Tapan Joshi gets technically correct with those good ol' idioms.

In his native Victoria, they say, “Wait till the Fat Lady spins.” Well, that’s what they now say in Rajasthan as well, as Shane Warne once again turned the match and tables on their heads — absolutely no pun intended — here on Monday night against Deccan Chargers

We just can't wait for Rajasthan to win it again this year.

SRK on Chris Gayle

The Telegraph makes note of a few SRKisms:

When Chris Gayle was born, it must have taken very long for him to be delivered. Doctor must have said: Aadha aa gaya, aadha baki hai! Chris Gayle brings spirituality to the team. I saw him meditating on a manicure-pedicure chair with seven women around him, chanting Om…

Also, KKR's guys had a chat with Vikram Sathaye.

Wasim Akram
On whether he noticed Shoaib Malik’s love for tennis back then...
“No, but I did notice his love for shaadis!”
Brad Hodge
On how he copes with Indian food…
“I have made more runs in the toilet than on the cricket field!”

Wish we could watch this instead of those wonderful people imitating a drunk man who fails to walk a straight line, pleads for divine intervention with outstretched hands and miraculously gets a ball from nowhere.

IPL's Alphonso fans

Sanjay Manjrekar makes an interesting observation on Cricinfo:

I have just discovered there is this new group of Twenty20 cricket fans who are just IPL cricket fans. These are fans who do not really care too much for Twenty20 cricket: given a choice between an India-South Africa Twenty20 game or a Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders, these are guys who will go for the IPL game. These are people who perhaps have little knowledge of what has happened in the last international cricket series in India but have great knowledge of the IPL teams. They suddenly sprout up around March-April just like the famous Alphonso mangoes of Western India that come into season around the same time.

What should the Kochi franchise be named?

Shashi Tharoor suggested Kerala Tuskers. Since after all it is the land of coconuts and elephants, how about Coco Jumbos? No hassles of coming up with a theme song too.



On second thoughts, better not use that as the theme song. You could fit in Chris Gayle and Sreesanth in that video, but it's a bit too laidback for a sports team, even for one from Kerala. If you are wondering where Gayle came into the picture, read this.




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Did the Mongoose cost ...

Hayden his wicket? The short blade doesn't seem too conducive for sliding the bat in.

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Uthappa smashes it

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Chennai's super catches

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