Last year around the same time my friend B (who btw celebrates his birthday today Happy Birthday mate) picked his IPL team of the year. To be honest he beat me to the idea but his team pretty much reflected my take on the team of the year. A year and Lalit Modi a few millions richer later I thought I will try a team of the year of my own. Plus I realized anything you write about the IPL will get you more hits on the internet than Ms Susan Boyle. So here goes my eleven:
Matt the Bat (Chennai Super Kings)
He has not played cricket for a year yet he comes out and bats as if he is playing with his kids in the back yard. Ultra consistent and showed amazing intelligence when he played the anchor role and carried his bat through against Mumbai Indians showing the world T20 is not all about wham bham thank you maam.
Gilly (Deccan Chargers)
I can’t get my head around as to why he chose to retire from International cricket. He is still one of the cleanest hitters of a cricket ball and the closest thing to Viv Richards. Led his side very intelligently so much so that most people didn’t even realize VVS was dropped as the skipper. He would be leading my side, it was a close call between him and Kumble but I have always believed wicket keepers make better skippers as they are constantly involved in the game and have a better understanding of the field placements.
Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings)
Mr. Gavaskar reckons Greg Chappell was the worst thing to happen to Indian cricket completely ignoring the irony that our man was instrumental in hiring Greg. I think the whole world has seen what Greg saw in Raina. He is a very intelligent batsman, more than capable to hold his own with the cork, electric in the field and every captains dream team mate. One of the very few Indian batsmen who adapted quite well to bouncy tracks in South Africa (along with Rohit Sharma)
Dilshan (Delhi Dare Devils)
I was very impressed with his capability to read the length early, a very Srilankan trait. Some of his strokes brought back memories of Aravinda Desilva in his hey days and I cannot pay him a better compliment than that.
ABD (Delhi Dare Devils)
Nobody turned on the screws in the last six over’s better than ABD. Made a stunning hundred against the CSK and formed an amazing partnership with Dilshan. Paul Collingwood is one of the best batsman in the shorter form of the game, but ABD’s form ensured that he did as much work as clerk in a government office in India.
Rohit Sharma (Deccan Chargers)
See above Suresh Raina part II
Ojha (Deccan Chargers)
Any left arm spinner who can keep Daniel Vettori out of the side has to be special (well from myPl XI atleast). Another fantastic season has earned him a place in the T20 world cup squad and we can only hope that he doesn’t follow Murali Kartik and drift away after showing great early promise. Left arm spinners like leg spinners have this charm and are wonderful to watch when on song.
Anil Kumble (Royal Challengers Banglore)
It may seem like another “Ryan Giggs for player of the year award saga” but Anil has been fantastic. Taking over the shambles from KP and instilling self belief in a rather poor Bangalore side is nothing short of fantastic. A special mention for having the courage to take on the challenge of bowling to Gilly - another example of him leading from the front. I haven’t had the privilege of watching Chandra/Bedi or Venkat but to me he is India’s greatest spinner by a country mile. He may not have the guile of Murali or the variety of Shane but he makes up for all of it with Heart.
Munaf Patel (Rajasthan Royal)
A real shame that he missed out in T20 world cup squad but the only consolation is that he is replaced by RP who has been an absolute revelation. If any one has any doubts of Shane Warne’s mentoring skills we need to look no further than Munaf. He bowled a fantastic last over against Mumbai Indians and was good enough to pick 16 wickets at average of just over 15 and an economy rate of tad under seven
RP Singh (Deccan Chargers)
A fantastic come back by a bowler who showed so much early promise, hopefully he can stay away from injuries and keep Zaheer Khan on his toes. There is so much to look fwd to if you are an Indian supporter over the next 5 years. A bowling squad of Zaheer/Munaf/Ishant/RP has to be every coach’s dream
Ashish Nehra (Delhi Daredevils)
Clearly the surprise package of IPL2. I didn’t realize he had picked up so many wickets. I also owe him an apology as I of the opinion he was hindering the progress of another young fast bowler. Another thing that he can be very proud of is he was indirectly responsible for keeping the legend that Glenn Mcgrath is out of the side. His wicket taking ability allowed Sehwag to pick Nannes ahead of GM as a gamble and one that actually paid of
Special mention to Fidel Edwards/Andrew Symonds/JP Duminy/Lasith Malinga/ Muralitharan/Jakati who were quite impressive
Let me know if you agree or disagree with my side.
Cheers
S
Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Of Quality Spinners, Sledging and Andrew Symonds
There has been a lot of talk about how the Aussies have lost their invincibility and more importantly the reasons attributed to the same-ranging from – Retirement of Shane Warne/Glenn Mcgrath/Adam Gilchrist, the lack of form of Brett Lee and Ponting losing his marbles and how he has suddenly become a bad captain (Dhoni being the new genius!). I have always believed Ponting was never a great captain and will never be one- I am sure the likes of Mark Taylor / Hansie Cronje and Stephen fleming are being seriously offended by these claims by the media- Great player, he is but definitely not a great captain. Another of such myths is that the difference between the 2 sides has always been Gilly- Let me be the one to break this one- Gilly averages 27.89 against us as compared to a career average of close to 48. Whilst I fully understand that he offered them the luxury of playing another all rounder- Brad Haddin offers the same and hence his effect has been nullified.
Before I start giving my reasons for their failings, I have to admit that I haven’t watched the series ball by ball and have only watched 1.5 sessions per day owing to the odd timings at which the game starts. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. Let me also put my neck on the line and say that Aussies are not on a decline and will come back quite strongly and not surprisingly it would the England in the ashes who will face the brunt!
The biggest reason for their failings in India is the lack of a quality spinner- No shit Sherlock!! But hear me out- They don’t need a spinner who will run through the Indian top order like a hot knife through butter (or Cristiano Ronaldo through a premier league defense –Hehe!) They need a steady spinner who will keep an end tight and allow the likes of Lee Johnson and Clarke to go about their business. The opposition that has done well in India had players like Nicky Boje /Pat Symcox/Paul Harris/Ashley Giles - Not world beaters but people who are willing to do the dirty job for you. It’s a shame that Brad Hogg has retired as he would have offered this and a little more! How the aussies would kill for a spinner like Greg Mathews now? Also can someone please explain the wisdom of playing Cameron white- The man has the control of a drunk lunatic in a skating ring? If he is offering extra batting depth then what the hell is Watson doing? Play a proper spinner for f*ck sake
What in god’s name was Andrew Symonds thinking when he went fishing instead of attending the team meeting? If I was him and I was the one racially abused as he and the rest of the Australian team have been claiming I will be waiting for my chance to come to India and put Harbhajan in his place – Show him who the better player is. As wonderful as an alternative that Shane Watson provides he does not intimidate the Indians as much as Simmo does. That’s the reason everyone goes after him. The aussie middle order is not attacking the Indian spinners as much as they should- Come on after all India are playing a spinner who is still wet behind his ears. Attack them on the field and then start throwing the words. That has been Ian Chappell and Steve Waugh’s mantra all through the years and as much as we all hate it none of us can claim it has not worked. Further, he would have provided an excellent defensive spin bowling option.
Over the years, I am the Aussies have learned that they should not be sledging a few people – Brian Lara/Viv Richards/Chris Gayle to name a few. I remember Lara scoring a rather measured 213 against Australia and thanking Ponting for giving him the challenge he needed after Lara had a shocker of 30 minutes against Lee and Mcgrath and Ricky had some choice words for him. Most of the current Indian crop falls into this category – Dhoni/Harbhajan/Ishant seem to perform better if someone is having a go at them- Let your cricket do the talking and after all they are the best side in the world and have enough ammunition in the armory to beat India or at least pick your targets right
Having said all this I am thoroughly impressed with the way Indians have played thus far in the series and special mention to Sourav for not making his farewell series a media circus. Indian cricket is definitely on the ascendency and there is no denying it. At the moment there is nothing better the world cricket can offer than a closely fought India vs Australia series and this series has been a let down from neutrals perspective because the Real Oz haven’t turned up. I for one am hoping for better contest in the 3rd and 4th Test
Cheers
S
Before I start giving my reasons for their failings, I have to admit that I haven’t watched the series ball by ball and have only watched 1.5 sessions per day owing to the odd timings at which the game starts. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. Let me also put my neck on the line and say that Aussies are not on a decline and will come back quite strongly and not surprisingly it would the England in the ashes who will face the brunt!
The biggest reason for their failings in India is the lack of a quality spinner- No shit Sherlock!! But hear me out- They don’t need a spinner who will run through the Indian top order like a hot knife through butter (or Cristiano Ronaldo through a premier league defense –Hehe!) They need a steady spinner who will keep an end tight and allow the likes of Lee Johnson and Clarke to go about their business. The opposition that has done well in India had players like Nicky Boje /Pat Symcox/Paul Harris/Ashley Giles - Not world beaters but people who are willing to do the dirty job for you. It’s a shame that Brad Hogg has retired as he would have offered this and a little more! How the aussies would kill for a spinner like Greg Mathews now? Also can someone please explain the wisdom of playing Cameron white- The man has the control of a drunk lunatic in a skating ring? If he is offering extra batting depth then what the hell is Watson doing? Play a proper spinner for f*ck sake
What in god’s name was Andrew Symonds thinking when he went fishing instead of attending the team meeting? If I was him and I was the one racially abused as he and the rest of the Australian team have been claiming I will be waiting for my chance to come to India and put Harbhajan in his place – Show him who the better player is. As wonderful as an alternative that Shane Watson provides he does not intimidate the Indians as much as Simmo does. That’s the reason everyone goes after him. The aussie middle order is not attacking the Indian spinners as much as they should- Come on after all India are playing a spinner who is still wet behind his ears. Attack them on the field and then start throwing the words. That has been Ian Chappell and Steve Waugh’s mantra all through the years and as much as we all hate it none of us can claim it has not worked. Further, he would have provided an excellent defensive spin bowling option.
Over the years, I am the Aussies have learned that they should not be sledging a few people – Brian Lara/Viv Richards/Chris Gayle to name a few. I remember Lara scoring a rather measured 213 against Australia and thanking Ponting for giving him the challenge he needed after Lara had a shocker of 30 minutes against Lee and Mcgrath and Ricky had some choice words for him. Most of the current Indian crop falls into this category – Dhoni/Harbhajan/Ishant seem to perform better if someone is having a go at them- Let your cricket do the talking and after all they are the best side in the world and have enough ammunition in the armory to beat India or at least pick your targets right
Having said all this I am thoroughly impressed with the way Indians have played thus far in the series and special mention to Sourav for not making his farewell series a media circus. Indian cricket is definitely on the ascendency and there is no denying it. At the moment there is nothing better the world cricket can offer than a closely fought India vs Australia series and this series has been a let down from neutrals perspective because the Real Oz haven’t turned up. I for one am hoping for better contest in the 3rd and 4th Test
Cheers
S
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Cricket’s nearly men
A friend of mine recently wrote a blog about his favorite but unheralded cricketers (http://vatsap.blogspot.com/2008/06/back-to-cricket.html) and I have shamelessly decided to pinch his idea and come up with my own list of cricket’s nearly men. These are cricketers who are immensely talented but somehow did not make the impact commensurate with their talent. I have obviously not included the likes of V V Kumar, Bob Taylor, Sylvester Clarke for I haven’t watched them in action. So here goes my list in no particular order
1) Ian Bishop (West Indies)
Tall, well built and unbelievably quick- this Trinidadian could have delayed the inevitable decline of cricket in the caribbean. I love him even more for the fact that I don’t remember anyone troubling sachin tendulkar more than him. Any write up about Bish would be incomplete without a mention about his 6-40 at the WACA. Thanks to back injuries the world of cricket was deprived of a world class fast bowler.
2) Graeme Hick (England)
I have watched enough county cricket to be certain that he should have been in the same bracket as Lara’s and Tendulkar’s. The man has to be the archetype of unfulfilled talent. I don’t agree with the claims about him being “England’s answer to Bradman” only because I haven’t watched the Don enough. His innings of 405* against Somerset and his famous 309 in under seven hours against the Irish have been raved by everyone who has watched the game I have always thought Hick can be as good as he wants to be- and he turned out to be as good as he wanted. He never wanted it enough! His aversion to the limelight didn’t help his cause. A combination of Ambrose’s short pitched deliveries, Ray Illingworth being an idiot and Atherton’s infamous declaration wrecked a career that could have been so different.
3) Carl Hooper (West Indies)
As an avid supporter of the West Indian cricket and cricket in general there is nothing in modern cricket more frustrating than to see Hoopsy throw his wicket away. Till date the best players of spin bowling (that I have watched) have to be Lara and him. It is an absolute joy to watch him toy with the likes of Kumble and Warne. Cricket is the biggest loser as “Poor man’s Richards” hasn’t fulfilled his true potential.
4) Stuart Macgill (Australia)
Anybody who has picked up over 200 wickets in 44 test matches cannot be branded as unfulfilled potential. But, that explains what the world cricket has missed out on. It is an absolute shame that Stuey was born in the same era as the indomitable Warney. He would have been heralded as a modern great if he was playing for some other country. His inconsistency is unbelievable annoying but we have to bear in mind the fact that leg spin is the most difficult art to master in the world of cricket.
5) Vinod Kambli (India)
It is not out of contempt (towards Sachin) that I keep repeating that Kambli should have been a better batsman than tendulkar. He was prodigiously talented and the cricketing gods have wasted so much time in creating a player who was deemed not good enough for the Indian team Till date this has to be the biggest mistake the Indian cricket authorities have made- Not taking care of Kambli when he needed us most. His double centuries against England and Zimbabwe were the stuff of men against boys at the time when he was not old enough to grow a tasche’. Imagine if he had got the same support that Kaif and Yuvraj had from Ganguly and Dalmiya – he would have plundered attacks, given that he loves batting with Sachin.
6) Laxman Siva Ramakrishnan (India)
What makes the Kambli episode even more frustrating is the fact that we had a similar experience with Siva. Any bowler who can leave Javed Miandad stranded in the middle of the pitch with nonchalant ease has to be an outstanding spinner. The amount of wickets he purchased with full tosses and half volleys explains the dip that he’s got and is something Warne would have loved in his armory. The fact that Sachin wanted him to be his net bowler when he was planning the famous assault against Warne at time when Siva was coming back from his drug addiction is probably the biggest compliment someone can pay to him.
7) Basit Ali (Pakistan)
Basit Ali is the closest someone will ever get to the great Javed Miandad. If he had Javed’s temperament we would have been talking about a modern great and not of a nearly man. His unorthodox style and fearless batting made him one of the most difficult batsmen to bowl at. His 67 ball hundred against the Windies (second fastest then) was one of the best exhibitions of batting against fast bowlers in ODIs. Players like Basit and Kambli reiterate the need of professional set-up in cricket- What could have been?
8) Simon Jones (England)
I can hear you guys saying” One swallow doesn’t make a summer” but I really think this guys was the real deal. Freddie takes a lot of credit for the poms winning the ashes in 2005 but in my opinion it was Simon who made the difference. He was the unfashionable 4th seamer but he always did his job. I remember Boycott mentioning in an interview that he was watching jones bowl from behind the square he could hear the ball thudding into Geriant Jones’s gloves. He was deceptively quick and in my opinion the best exponent of reverse swing after Waqar Younis.
9) Darren Lehmann
Boof has to be one of the most intelligent one day cricketers of the modern era. Apart from his odd moment of brilliance and being one of the best team players his potential was largely unfulfilled. He has scored more than 10,000 runs in Aussie domestic league (which is one of the most competitive leagues and is not like England where every tom dick and harry can amass 10K runs if he plays 100 games) before making his test debut. Warne rates him as a better one day batsman than most of his contemporaries.
10) Shoaib Akthar
Cricket’s most popular bad boy had to make the list. If his will to succeed were as big as his ego or his desire to be in the limelight he would be entered the cricketing history books as one of the best fast bowlers in the modern era. Graham Gooch famously retorted to Ian Botham “Who writes your scripts?”- It would have been even more apt for Akthar- His every comeback is even more dramatic than his downfall. There is always a feeling that Akthar plays cricket for the Camera’s- Perfect for the IPL as my friend keeps reminding me.
Thank you gentle men – You guys have made the sport what it is today- What is sport without these nearly stories. Every time I watch the game I have silently prayed and hoped that this would be the game you will shed you nearly men image and prove to the world your real worth.
Cheers
S
1) Ian Bishop (West Indies)
Tall, well built and unbelievably quick- this Trinidadian could have delayed the inevitable decline of cricket in the caribbean. I love him even more for the fact that I don’t remember anyone troubling sachin tendulkar more than him. Any write up about Bish would be incomplete without a mention about his 6-40 at the WACA. Thanks to back injuries the world of cricket was deprived of a world class fast bowler.
2) Graeme Hick (England)
I have watched enough county cricket to be certain that he should have been in the same bracket as Lara’s and Tendulkar’s. The man has to be the archetype of unfulfilled talent. I don’t agree with the claims about him being “England’s answer to Bradman” only because I haven’t watched the Don enough. His innings of 405* against Somerset and his famous 309 in under seven hours against the Irish have been raved by everyone who has watched the game I have always thought Hick can be as good as he wants to be- and he turned out to be as good as he wanted. He never wanted it enough! His aversion to the limelight didn’t help his cause. A combination of Ambrose’s short pitched deliveries, Ray Illingworth being an idiot and Atherton’s infamous declaration wrecked a career that could have been so different.
3) Carl Hooper (West Indies)
As an avid supporter of the West Indian cricket and cricket in general there is nothing in modern cricket more frustrating than to see Hoopsy throw his wicket away. Till date the best players of spin bowling (that I have watched) have to be Lara and him. It is an absolute joy to watch him toy with the likes of Kumble and Warne. Cricket is the biggest loser as “Poor man’s Richards” hasn’t fulfilled his true potential.
4) Stuart Macgill (Australia)
Anybody who has picked up over 200 wickets in 44 test matches cannot be branded as unfulfilled potential. But, that explains what the world cricket has missed out on. It is an absolute shame that Stuey was born in the same era as the indomitable Warney. He would have been heralded as a modern great if he was playing for some other country. His inconsistency is unbelievable annoying but we have to bear in mind the fact that leg spin is the most difficult art to master in the world of cricket.
5) Vinod Kambli (India)
It is not out of contempt (towards Sachin) that I keep repeating that Kambli should have been a better batsman than tendulkar. He was prodigiously talented and the cricketing gods have wasted so much time in creating a player who was deemed not good enough for the Indian team Till date this has to be the biggest mistake the Indian cricket authorities have made- Not taking care of Kambli when he needed us most. His double centuries against England and Zimbabwe were the stuff of men against boys at the time when he was not old enough to grow a tasche’. Imagine if he had got the same support that Kaif and Yuvraj had from Ganguly and Dalmiya – he would have plundered attacks, given that he loves batting with Sachin.
6) Laxman Siva Ramakrishnan (India)
What makes the Kambli episode even more frustrating is the fact that we had a similar experience with Siva. Any bowler who can leave Javed Miandad stranded in the middle of the pitch with nonchalant ease has to be an outstanding spinner. The amount of wickets he purchased with full tosses and half volleys explains the dip that he’s got and is something Warne would have loved in his armory. The fact that Sachin wanted him to be his net bowler when he was planning the famous assault against Warne at time when Siva was coming back from his drug addiction is probably the biggest compliment someone can pay to him.
7) Basit Ali (Pakistan)
Basit Ali is the closest someone will ever get to the great Javed Miandad. If he had Javed’s temperament we would have been talking about a modern great and not of a nearly man. His unorthodox style and fearless batting made him one of the most difficult batsmen to bowl at. His 67 ball hundred against the Windies (second fastest then) was one of the best exhibitions of batting against fast bowlers in ODIs. Players like Basit and Kambli reiterate the need of professional set-up in cricket- What could have been?
8) Simon Jones (England)
I can hear you guys saying” One swallow doesn’t make a summer” but I really think this guys was the real deal. Freddie takes a lot of credit for the poms winning the ashes in 2005 but in my opinion it was Simon who made the difference. He was the unfashionable 4th seamer but he always did his job. I remember Boycott mentioning in an interview that he was watching jones bowl from behind the square he could hear the ball thudding into Geriant Jones’s gloves. He was deceptively quick and in my opinion the best exponent of reverse swing after Waqar Younis.
9) Darren Lehmann
Boof has to be one of the most intelligent one day cricketers of the modern era. Apart from his odd moment of brilliance and being one of the best team players his potential was largely unfulfilled. He has scored more than 10,000 runs in Aussie domestic league (which is one of the most competitive leagues and is not like England where every tom dick and harry can amass 10K runs if he plays 100 games) before making his test debut. Warne rates him as a better one day batsman than most of his contemporaries.
10) Shoaib Akthar
Cricket’s most popular bad boy had to make the list. If his will to succeed were as big as his ego or his desire to be in the limelight he would be entered the cricketing history books as one of the best fast bowlers in the modern era. Graham Gooch famously retorted to Ian Botham “Who writes your scripts?”- It would have been even more apt for Akthar- His every comeback is even more dramatic than his downfall. There is always a feeling that Akthar plays cricket for the Camera’s- Perfect for the IPL as my friend keeps reminding me.
Thank you gentle men – You guys have made the sport what it is today- What is sport without these nearly stories. Every time I watch the game I have silently prayed and hoped that this would be the game you will shed you nearly men image and prove to the world your real worth.
Cheers
S
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
My favorite cricketing Eleven
For the past year or so I have been having this seemingly ludicrous feeling that my interest in the sport that I have lived and breathed for 24 years of my rather profligate life has been dwindling. I am not able to put my finger as to why that it- It could be because of any of the below:
a) Retirement of Brian Lara- I grew up watching this genius. The man is an absolute sorcerer with the bat. He can do things that lesser mortals like Sehwag can only dream of. (Ok that’s a cheap shot- but he came mighty close to stealing god’s record). It cant be the reason for I have always believed that the game is larger than the sum total of all it players
b) Me living in Bermuda –No longer do I sit on the parapet wall in Pattamal Street arguing with my mates (with the veins popping out of my forehead) about the technique /competence of who’s who of world Cricket- Cant be the case as I still have controversial opinions about the sport and have a good argument with M and K in bermuda
c) Football- It’s hard to be so passionate about 2 sports given that my passion involves sulking for 2 days if Manchester United loses a derby game. That is just too much effort!
d) The advent of 20-20- As much as I love watching a game of 20-20, I am too old fashioned and have developed an inherent dislike for the game since the 20-20 has started taking over the way the game is played.
So I have decided to re-ignite my love for the game and have entrusted myself with the rather unenviable task of picking an all time eleven. I know it’s impossible to do such a thing so I have drawn up some constraints to make the job relatively easier:
a) I should have watched the guy play
b) I am going to pick a Test XI
c) I do not give a rat’s a** about statistics
So here goes:
Sunil Gavaskar -. Was the rock of the Indian batting line up when we were forced to live with the mediocrity of Ashok Malhota and Sandip Patil. (Absolute shame that man is such a cricketing genius yet spouts so much rubbish as a columnist)
Gordon Greenidge- I was a huge fan of Australian cricket and I used to begrudgingly watch him plunder runs against England and Australia. Chalk and Cheese with Sunny Gavaskar
Brian Charles Lara- Nothing has given more joy than watch God bat. I have to admit that I was up until 4 am in the morning when he made the brilliant 153* against Australia and had my economics board exam at half nine that morning- Enough Said
Sachin Tendulkar- The fact that I was a Lara fan had me blinkered so much that I have questioned his big game temperament. Thanks Brian for retiring atleast a couple of years before Sachin so that I can appreciate yet another cricketing genius
Viv Richards- There is only one Viv Richards
Javed Miandad- The man embodies the passion with which the sport should be played. He is not in the same league as Jacques Kallis/Rahul Dravid when it comes to technique but supersedes all of them with the will to win.
Adam Gilchrist- Has single handedly redefined the definition of a wicket keeper
Richard Hadlee- Has to be the sultan of swing bowling.
Shane Warne- Despite all his failing as a human being he is the wizard of the Oz.
Curtly Amborse- If the bowler is to earn a wicket every time he beats the batsman outside the offstump the man would have atleast 15,000 test wickets. Some batsmen were just too ordinary to even get a nick.
Glenn Mcgrath- Unerring accuracy. The fact that he dismissed Brian so many times has probably has swung the tide in his favor over the likes of Wasim Akram and Courtney Walsh
I owe a huge apology to the likes of Kapil Dev/Wasim Akram/Imran Khan/Muttiah Muralitharan/Allan Donald/Allan Border et all for I could not fit them into my favorite eleven
I am not saying that my eleven would be good enough to beat anytime team put against them. But I think I would be willing to pay a fortune to go and watch these guys play a game together.
Looking forward to hearing from you folks about your favorite eleven.
Cheers
S
a) Retirement of Brian Lara- I grew up watching this genius. The man is an absolute sorcerer with the bat. He can do things that lesser mortals like Sehwag can only dream of. (Ok that’s a cheap shot- but he came mighty close to stealing god’s record). It cant be the reason for I have always believed that the game is larger than the sum total of all it players
b) Me living in Bermuda –No longer do I sit on the parapet wall in Pattamal Street arguing with my mates (with the veins popping out of my forehead) about the technique /competence of who’s who of world Cricket- Cant be the case as I still have controversial opinions about the sport and have a good argument with M and K in bermuda
c) Football- It’s hard to be so passionate about 2 sports given that my passion involves sulking for 2 days if Manchester United loses a derby game. That is just too much effort!
d) The advent of 20-20- As much as I love watching a game of 20-20, I am too old fashioned and have developed an inherent dislike for the game since the 20-20 has started taking over the way the game is played.
So I have decided to re-ignite my love for the game and have entrusted myself with the rather unenviable task of picking an all time eleven. I know it’s impossible to do such a thing so I have drawn up some constraints to make the job relatively easier:
a) I should have watched the guy play
b) I am going to pick a Test XI
c) I do not give a rat’s a** about statistics
So here goes:
Sunil Gavaskar -. Was the rock of the Indian batting line up when we were forced to live with the mediocrity of Ashok Malhota and Sandip Patil. (Absolute shame that man is such a cricketing genius yet spouts so much rubbish as a columnist)
Gordon Greenidge- I was a huge fan of Australian cricket and I used to begrudgingly watch him plunder runs against England and Australia. Chalk and Cheese with Sunny Gavaskar
Brian Charles Lara- Nothing has given more joy than watch God bat. I have to admit that I was up until 4 am in the morning when he made the brilliant 153* against Australia and had my economics board exam at half nine that morning- Enough Said
Sachin Tendulkar- The fact that I was a Lara fan had me blinkered so much that I have questioned his big game temperament. Thanks Brian for retiring atleast a couple of years before Sachin so that I can appreciate yet another cricketing genius
Viv Richards- There is only one Viv Richards
Javed Miandad- The man embodies the passion with which the sport should be played. He is not in the same league as Jacques Kallis/Rahul Dravid when it comes to technique but supersedes all of them with the will to win.
Adam Gilchrist- Has single handedly redefined the definition of a wicket keeper
Richard Hadlee- Has to be the sultan of swing bowling.
Shane Warne- Despite all his failing as a human being he is the wizard of the Oz.
Curtly Amborse- If the bowler is to earn a wicket every time he beats the batsman outside the offstump the man would have atleast 15,000 test wickets. Some batsmen were just too ordinary to even get a nick.
Glenn Mcgrath- Unerring accuracy. The fact that he dismissed Brian so many times has probably has swung the tide in his favor over the likes of Wasim Akram and Courtney Walsh
I owe a huge apology to the likes of Kapil Dev/Wasim Akram/Imran Khan/Muttiah Muralitharan/Allan Donald/Allan Border et all for I could not fit them into my favorite eleven
I am not saying that my eleven would be good enough to beat anytime team put against them. But I think I would be willing to pay a fortune to go and watch these guys play a game together.
Looking forward to hearing from you folks about your favorite eleven.
Cheers
S
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