Well…and I thought three days between two Test Matches was too little a time to get some flashy statements going. Any case, some of the posts last days have made for an interesting reading with a cup of hot tea.
The changing times in cricket:- In this article, Harsha Bhogle analyzes the inflammatory situation created by the so called “deal” between IPL & the Sri Lanka cricket board about players’ financial status as well as England’s angst on being the world cricket’s “Emperor of the Past”. Some well written issues here. Read it, and have your share of say by posting comments.
Ricky Ponting’s so called comments about Zaheer Khan have been particularly amusing, considering that Zaheer’s comments have particularly been justified by stats as well. Let’s say, the first thing starts about Ponting’s comments about the “draw” thingy. Here is what Ponting said in a previous press-conference:” We were the only ones in the game trying to take the game forward. We played aggressive cricket. I am not surprised by the way they played, the Indian team does play a lot of drawn games."
The last two comments have been downright rubbish. Australia had first use of a wicket which only got worse as the days wore on. As far as Indians were concerned, they were behind once they bowled first…their record at Bangalore also tells you about their vulnerability at the venue. Yet Australia crawled at less than 3-an over. The pitch wasn’t flat, but on far more testing pitches in the past, Aussies have blasted their opponents away. What was more amusing was their approach in the second innings when they could have scored a lot quicker…as Haddin & Watson showed late in the day. They could also have declared overnight, which they didn’t. And I suspect that even that 5-over declaration on the final morning was prompted more by the grey clouds than his faith in his bowlers’ ability on a 5th day pitch. As for the draw thingy, let’s get the stats right. For the record, Ponting may well realize that in 2008 so far, Australia have played 7-tests and drawn 3 of them-a draw percentage of 42.86 % (which includes 3-tests against West Indies). India, on the other hand, have played 10, and drawn 3-a draw percentage of 30.00%. Ricky, can you clarify PLZ?
For more of the cleaning stuff, read this excellent post on Cricket 24x7. Some excerpts: -
Verbal warfare begins!: - “For the record Ricky, in 2008 so far, 3 out of Australia's 7 tests have ended in draws while 3 out of India's 10 tests have ended in draws. I know my arithmetic, and it’s easy to see who has the higher ratio of draws!
Playing for a draw isn't necessarily a negative mindset, especially if you're trying to squeeze out the best possible result from the match situation. I guess India could point fingers at the way Australia played at Adelaide and say that Australia were focused on getting a draw and a 2-1 result. Maybe we should focus on your team scoring at 2.8 runs an over in the first innings at Bangalore and not taking 10 wickets while having 83 overs to bowl on a deteriorating pitch in less than ideal light conditions for batting. Australia had an opportunity to bat when the pitch was at its best for batting and bowl last when it was at its worst for batting. The first innings run rate was despite having 6 wickets in hand at the end of the first day and the failure to get India all out will be exaggerated by the fact that India were 24/2, having lost the two batsmen who really mattered in that situation, and nearly 5 more hours to play out!
This isn't about who the better side is. The obvious answer, at this point in time, is Australia. Australia have been the gold standard for over a decade now. India aren't quite there yet. The side needs another quick bowler, a good backup spin option, and capable replacements for the middle order. It is work in progress. Part of the learning curve is to fight it out for a draw. They failed to do it at Sydney earlier this year, and on several other occasions in the past. A draw is a far more acceptable start to the series. Once Australia got 430 on the board, it was always unlikely that Australia would be in the backseat.
While Zaheer was tempting fate when he spoke about Australia being unable to take 20 wickets and the defensive cricket, he is obviously right about your spin options. It has been Australia's fault that no young spinner has broken through for such a long time. There have been many opportunities for Australia's selectors to provide more chances for Cullen, Hauritz and White to bowl alongside Warne. Yet they kept recalling MacGill, picking Hogg, and then McGain, leaving Casson to wonder what he did wrong.”
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