Keeping them in Reserve

(Appeared in Playing11.com)

The Indian selectors while choosing three spinners decided to not include reserve wicketkeeper for captain MS Dhoni in their World Cup squad. It was a tough decision considering the long duration of the tournament, but India seems to have learnt from the past. After all, it had a reserve keeper in the last two World Cups and he remained a mere passenger.

But then again, having Rahul Dravid in the squad meant the team had a back-up option. Looking at the other sides, it’s interesting to note that only two of sub-continent nations – India and Pakistan – who haven’t included a reserve keeper.

This is clearly because they believe they can quickly summon someone as replacement if their keepers get injured.

South Africa has a unique situation where their part-time keeper AB de villiers will have a recognised wicketkeeper – Morne van Wyk – as back-up. Both Australia and Zimbabwe also have insurance for their first choice keepers. In the case of the defending champions it’s Tim Paine who will back up Brad Haddin. While for Zimbabwe, the experienced Tatenda Taibu will have Regis Chakabva as his deputy.

The New Zealanders have not included a specialist back-up for Brendon McCullum, but Jamie How has been inducted into the squad as an emergency reserve. Though How hasn’t kept wickets in a long time. In a recent interview he even admitted to his lack of experience behind the stumps. He had said, “It's been a while since I had the gloves on… I've done a little bit through growing up and things but it has been a serious long while."

Sri Lanka have Tillakaratne Dilshan to fall back on if their captain and wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara is injured. Dilshan has kept wickets before in ODIs and is more than competent to take over the gloves from Sanga if required.

Even the Windies with Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the squad have an option if their first choice glovesman Carlton Baugh is incapacitated during the tournament. Minnows Kenya and Netherlands too will bring reserve keepers for the tournament.

But it remains to be seen if any of the reserves will be required to keep wickets or the World Cup will be injury-free for the glovemen.

Innovation's the name of the game

(Appeared in Playing11.com)

To help their teams win, cricketers need to innovate so as to be able to spring surprises on the opposition and leave them unsettled.

This World Cup will be unique because this time it’s not just the teams and players who will introduce innovations, but even the organizers, the International Cricket Council, has gotten into the act.

This will be the first World Cup to have the controversial Decision Review System (DRS). While there is some controversy over the accuracy of the video referral system, it will add another dimension to the game.

Of course there are problems with the technology, but that’s the case with even most Microsoft products. Do we stop using them while waiting for the company to come out with an improved version of the software? No.

The implementation of DRS will reduce human error and allow more matches to be decided by talent and not chance or luck.

The ICC’s decision to carry forward the ‘Super Over’ concept from the T20 format is also interesting. Given how much the 50-over format has been affected by the shorter version of the game, it was inevitable.

Though, it seems unlikely that the ‘Super Over’ will come in play, it will surely get the fans ‘Super Excited’. After all, everybody loves a heart attack. Don’t we? Because that’s what fans get when a ‘super over’ is underway. It’s fun and even the anticipation increases the thrill factor of the game.

But leaving the ICC’s innovations aside, the cricketers themselves will also have a whole new bag of tricks to be one-up on the competition.

South Africa have a ‘secret weapon’: Imran Tahir. Here’s a player who has played a whole lot of cricket, including some in conditions that will mimic the playing conditions during the World Cup. But he hasn’t played a single ODI, with the Proteas deciding to hide him from the touring Indian team as well. Proteas skipper Graeme Smith called it a “tactical decision” to not play the Pakistan-born leg-spinner. Now, let’s see if this ‘secret weapon’ destroys the opposition or implodes due to lack of international exposure.

Australian pacer Brett Lee too has a new weapon in his already powerful arsenal: a slower-ball bouncer. On the slow tracks of the Indian sub-continent bowlers have to dig really deep into the armoury to outfox the batsmen and if used accurately the slower-ball bouncer may just leave the batters swiping air.

The bowlers will have other weaponry too to give the battle of the wits against the batsmen on the flat placid tracks with the ‘Carrom Ball’ or ‘doosra’ being deployed at strategic times to leave the batters in no man’s land. And only if these innovations work will the World Cup see a fair and equal fight.

But the batsmen aren’t ones to keep quiet and they too will unleash their own set of weapons like the ‘Switch Hit’, invented by Englishman Kevin Pietersen, the ‘Reserve Sweep’, favoured by another Englishman Eoin Morgan, and the Dilscoop, invented by Tilakaratne Dilshan but now used by all and sundry. And of course, there’s the shot favoured by India’s cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar: the cut over-the-slips.

With both sets of players ready to let loose their weapons, it doesn’t matter who wins. For ultimately, it will be the viewers who will win in this battle of wits.

All-rounders in a spin

(Appeared in Playing11.com)

A leading knee surgeon, Dr Derek Bickerstaff, had a couple of years back warned that more and more fast bowling all-rounders would go into premature retirement unless the punishing international schedule was reduced.

And his prediction is coming true. The squads selected for the 2011 World Cup exposes a lack of fast bowling all-rounder option with most teams. An Angelo Mathews, Jacques Kallis, Dwayne Bravo or Shane Watson is more an exception to that rule than the norm.

And even among these pace all-rounders, many, like Kallis, are down with injuries leading up to the main event and may not be on the top of their games during the showpiece event.

And so there’s a new breed of all-rounders on the rise: the spinning all-rounder. Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Steve Smith, Robin Peterson, David Hussey, Michael Yardy, Shakib Al Hasan, Daniel Vettori, the list seems endless. And these are the cricketers whom their nations are looking to to take them to the summit at the World Cup.

World-class tweakers will be the key for a team to perform well on the turning tracks of the sub-continent. And if a country’s frontline spinner has additional support, and quality spin support at that, in the middle overs then that team definitely has an advantage in the competition.

Even teams that have traditionally brought a strong pace brigade to the sub-continent have incorporated spinning all-rounders in their squads. South Africa is the prime example of this. They have inducted Faf du Plessis and Robin Peterson in their World Cup squad at the expense of Albie Morkel and Ryan McLaren, two cricketers who have experience of having played in India and being top-class fast bowling all-rounders. If both Du Plessis and Peterson are included in the playing XI, as was the case during the just concluded ODI series against India, then the Proteas will go into a game with four spinners, with JP Duminy and Johan Botha also there in the team.

This clearly shows how the quality of the sub-continent pitches is playing games with the teams’ minds. At this time, it’s important to remember Allan Border, who won the 1987 World Cup in the Indian sub-continent with the likes of all-rounders Steve Waugh and Tom Moody. And ultimately it won’t be the team with the most spinning options that wins the trophy, but the one that utilizes its resources the best by rising to the occasion.

Pacers to watch out for during the WC

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Many experts are saying that this will be a World Cup where the spinners will make all the difference. The media attention is on the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Daniel Vettori and ‘surprise package’ Imran Tahir.

Well, there are some who would like to disagree. And they are the fast bowlers. They are the ones who take charge of their team’s attack. They would argue that they are the ones fighting on the frontlines. They would also suggest that it’s their bouncers and yorkers that leave the batsmen ripe for the picking for the spinners.

Here are some of the lethal brigade who on-song could make a whole world of difference to their teams and the viewing experience.

Dale Steyn (South Africa): He’s fast and that along with his ability to swing the ball makes him one of the most respected and feared pacers in the business right now. He is familiar with Indian conditions and has excelled in them despite the tracks. His accuracy also makes him difficult to dispatch during the death overs. This 27-year-old is sure to put the fear of God among his opponents.

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka): ‘Slinger’ Malinga may add to the already long injury list of cricketers with his lethal toe-crushing yorker. There are other contenders to the throne abdicated by Waqar Younis for being the best proponent of the toe-crushing yorker. But Malinga will surely get my vote for being the best out there. His unusual bowling action also makes it hard for the batsman to pick up deliveries early.  He is also one of the finest death over bowlers of this era.

Umar Gul (Pakistan): To be one of the most consistent performers in an inconsistent outfit makes him special. He can bowl Yorkers at will and can choke the batsmen to the point of suicide. His ability to bowl bouncers on the flat sub-continent tracks also makes him stand-out from the crop of fast bowlers and makes him one to watchout for.

Zaheer Khan (India): Zaheer is the fulcrum of the Indian attack. Having taken over the mantle from Javagal Srinath and Kapil Dev, this left-armer knows his role and enacts it to perfection. His precision and disciplined bowling in the first fifteen overs is worth going miles to see. He has been in fine form and leading the Indians in attack will surely get a lot of early breakthroughs.

James Anderson (England): He has become England’s Zaheer Khan. When fit and on-song, there are few bowlers who can emulate Anderson’s immaculate line and length. His ability to swing the ball may prove decisive in the day-nighters under the lights. Having become the leader of the English pack, he understands his responsibility and this seems to have only made him a better bowler.

Brett Lee (Australia): Lee may not have the pace of his youth, but he has substituted that with the guile of age. His performance in the just concluded ODI series against England proves that he’s back and getting back to his peak form. A brilliant tactician, he understands the game better than most cricketers. To counter the placid sub-continent tracks, he is working on adding more weapons to his armoury. He’s a man on a mission to prove his detractors wrong and so is can be more dangerous than the others.

Kemar Roach (West Indies): He brings back memories of the West Indian pacers of yesteryears with his hostility and pace. Add to the mix accuracy and it makes for a lethal concoction sure to leave the opposition in tatters. He may be comparatively new to the international arena, but has shown within that limited period that he is the spearhead of the Windies attack.

Hamish Bennett (New Zealand): He is raw and inexperienced, but that may work in his favour at the World Cup. Bennett is the latest fast bowling prospect to emerge out of New Zealand and the Kiwis need him to click for them to have a successful campaign. With South African legendary pacer Allan Donald coaching the Black Caps, Bennett may just be the ‘unknown’ who becomes a star at cricket’s greatest tournament.

Doug Bollinger (Australia): He may not be the quickest, but can beat the best in accuracy. It’s difficult to shine in a line-up of stars like Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee and Shaun Tait, but the fact that Bollinger has managed to emerge from their shadows speaks volumes for his ability. If his dodgy knee stands up to the vigour of the World Cup pressures, then he will definitely prove to be one of the more effective pacers. Being a left-armer, his angle and swing make his difficult to face. His ability to pitch the ball in the right lengths also makes him a tough opponent, even on sub-continent tracks.

Morne Morkel (South Africa): He along with Steyn are South Africa’s ‘deadly duo’. Like the great West Indian pacers they hunt as a pair. His 6 feet 5 inch frame makes him difficult to handle on any pitch. His talent of being able to pitch the ball on the right areas makes it virtually impossible to launch into his deliveries. This ability to frustrate ultimately gets him a lot of wickets. It’s this ability of being able to bowl consistently in the ‘corridor of uncertainty’ that yields him so many wickets and should continue to do so for him in the World Cup.

So there they are my pick of the ten pacers most capable of destroying the opposition. Now it remains to be seen if they live up the expectations or flop like a bad soufflé at the World Cup.

Brothers-in-arms seek fairytale ending

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But while nine sets of brothers set out to fulfill that dream, in the end only six remained.

The journey proved too strenuous for one, another lost his special powers along the way and the third was just plain unlucky.

While Darren and Dwayne Bravo will be at the World Cup representing West Indies, Ireland will have Kevin and Niall O’Brien. The Kiwis will be rooting for Nathan and Brendon McCullum, whereas Pakistan’s dynamic duo of Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal will campaign together. Kenya will have two sets of brothers fighting for them: Collins and David Obuya, and the lucky trio of Nehemiah Odhiambo, James Ngoche and Shem Ngoche.

But this is not just the story of those who have made it. It’s also about the brothers who have failed to make it together. They could only watch as their dream to emulate Steve and Mark Waugh was dismantled.

These tragic duos were the Husseys of Australia (David and Michael), the Pathans of India (Yusuf and Irfan) and the Protea pair of Albie and Morne Morkel. While Michael was left out of the 2011 World Cup mix due to injury, it was lack of form and injuries that saw Irfan miss the train and Albie just didn’t fit into the plans for the South African squad.

The story of two brothers playing together has always tugged at the cricket lovers’ heart strings, and so the explosion of ‘brothers-in-arms’ this year is overwhelming.

Therefore, it’s difficult to sit in judgement over which of the set of brothers will emerge triumphant.

My bet is a toss between the talented Kiwi duo and the brothers from Pakistan. But the Bravos with their all-round abilities should be forces to reckon with too.

Here comes the difficult, and the most exciting part— waiting to see which set of brothers will work as a team to script a fairytale for their side.

Batsmen who send the Opposition into a tizzy

(Appeared in Playing11.com)

One-day cricket is a batsman’s game they say. The poor bowler therefore doesn’t have any chance of avoiding being massacred. And add to the mix: the placid tracks of the Indian sub-continent, which have been the death-bed of many a talented bowler, and it truly feels like a one-sided affair.

But there are some batsmen who can slaughter any bowling attack, irrespective of the pitch they are playing on. Here are ten of the very best who will look to bring the opposition to their knees.

Sachin Tendulkar: How can any list of dangerous batsmen start with the world’s best batsman. Tendulkar is playing in his sixth World Cup and would look to end his run by winning the trophy for India. There are very few things more dangerous than a determined Tendulkar.

Kevin Pietersen: He of the ‘Switch Hit’ fame, the Englishman would have to at his best to help the Poms claim their first World Cup title. But having been moved up the order to open with captain Andrew Strauss could prove to be a handicap. Or it could be the most inspired shift, like Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharna opening for Sri Lanka. If the gamble pays off then watch out for pyrotechnics from Pietersen’s bat.

Chris Gayle: Will Gayle force sweep this World Cup? Cricket fans would be hoping for that the southpaw opener can come into his own at the World Cup and restore West Indian pride. No longer weighed down by the rigours of captaincy, the tall Jamaican, will be expected to set his World Cup record – 434 runs in 15 matches at an average of 28—straight.

Virat Kohli: All of India is hoping Kohli continues his amazing run of 2010 into the World Cup. He was the most prolific Indian batsman in ODIs in 2010 but finished the year as the second-highest run-scorer in the format behind South Africa's Hashim Amla. Kohli missed the 1000-mark for the year by five runs. Indian skipper MS Dhoni has already hinted that he has an edge over Suresh Raina in making the playing XI and he will look to justify the faith reposed in him.

Tamim Iqbal: He has made tall claims before the World Cup starts that he would be the highest run-getter in each of the matches he plays. He is one of the lynchpins of the Bangladesh team. Tamim is one of the only two Bangladesh players, along with skipper Shakib Al  Hasan, can walk into almost any team, and he has to on top of his game for his team to progress to the knockout stages.

Tillakaratne Dilshan: He’s an innovator who can also play a sheet-anchor role. Having invented the ‘Dilscoop’, this aggressive opener will have home support to cheer him in his efforts. Dilshan has grown in stature in the last couple of years and is currently regarded as one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world.

Hashim Amla: Here’s an example of how being technically proficient is not a drawback in the one-day format. Amla has been in brilliant form lately, having been the highest run-scorer in ODIs in 2010. This opener is the perfect foil for his aggressive opening partner Graeme Smith. The opposition focuses on Smith, while Amla quietly keeps the scoreboard ticking.

Misbah-ul-Haq: Pakistan's vice-captain is the fulcrum of this unpredictable team. It has been his responsibility of-late to hold the innings together. He would be looking to continue his good form from the recent tour of New Zealand.

Ross Taylor: New Zealand's vice-captain is an immensely talented batsman, but has never truly fulfilled his potential. He will look to silence his critics by batting out of his skin and helping the Kiwis overcome their bad run in ODIs.

Michael Clarke: He may have been at the receiving end of fan and media disapproval recently, but the Australian vice-captain has silenced them with half-centuries in the last two ODIs against England. His form in the warm-ups is also heartening and his expertise in handling spin will stand him in good stead on sub-continent pitches.

Of course, there are many exceptional batsmen I haven't put in this list who could on their day reverse all predictions and win the match against all-odds for their team. Some of these players include West Indies' Darren Bravo, England's Jonathan Trott, Australian Cameron White, Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara and Proteas captain Graeme Smith.

DRS: ICC needs to review this decision

(Appeared in Playing11.com)

One of the most painful and lingering images of the World Cup is ‘Big Mac’ Brian McMillan and Protea wicketkeeper Dave Richardson walking back dejected in the semis after being set an improbable 22 runs to win off one ball against England during the 1992 edition.

Well, that was all thanks to Messieurs Duckworth and Lewis. The pair, I guess, wanted to at one time be stand-up comedians, but failed to make it. So they decided to do the next best thing: become statisticians.

Mr Frank Duckworth and Mr Tony Lewis though aren’t entirely to blame for ruining the 1992 World Cup (for me at least). After all, it was the ICC’s decision to implement the system that led to one of the best teams being eliminated from the tournament.

It’s 2011 now and the ICC in all its wisdom has once again introduced a new technology for the World Cup: Decision Review System. Not all players support the video referral system, especially after it implementation actually led to some contentious decisions in the Australia-England ODIs.

The system has been in the testing phase for less than a year and a half and all the kinks are not out, but did that stop the ICC? No. Having been stonewalled by the Indian board on the issue time and again, the ICC has found the perfect opportunity to show-up the BCCI. But will this ego-trip hurt the game?

Frankly, it may not hurt the game as much as leave a sour taste in our mouths. Remember December 2010, when Australian captain Ricky Ponting was involved in an altercation with umpire Aleem Dar after an appeal for caught. Despite numerous replays and ‘Hotspot’ images failing to show an inside edge from Kevin Pietersen, Ponting remained convinced there had been a mistake.

He was fined (would have been banned if he were an Indian) and expressed his doubts about the accuracy of the system. "I do get a little bit annoyed with it because I think it's a blight on the game, trusting in technology that's not good enough to show them," a fuming Ponting had said.

The leading light of the game, Sachin Tendulkar, too is opposed to the technology being used in its current version.

Add to the mix, the most effective element of the system – Hot Spot – an infra-red imaging system that transmits a negative image to authenticate an umpiring decision for any snick or bat pad, will not be used.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat also doesn’t believe that the technology is foolproof. "We can only use what is available currently," he said.Isn’t it ironic? The head of the organisation implementing the technology himself harbours doubts about it. Let’s hope that in a game where a single decision can cost a match, this ICC decision doesn’t rain on the quadrennial celebration of cricket.