The Ishant Sharma Conundrum

Oddly enough Ishant Sharma has been making headlines since 2007 (eight years ago!), most famously for getting in the faces of opposition.

What justifies running your mouth in the gentlemen's game?
The answer is actually brutally simple, the Australian's do it. If there ever was a template to winning a game of cricket, "do what the Aussies do" sits right up there and it seems like the new age India has taken this on board perhaps a little too seriously. We have Kohli throwing f-bombs, Gambhir shoulder charging men twice his size, Dhawan doing mock limps in the outfield to belittle an injured batsman.

And we have Ishant. 

©AFP

Let's get one thing straight... this guy is a *terrible* bowler. 

Unlike the other aforementioned examples of cocky young Indians, this is one of the worst players operating in the game today. A reliable gauge for a good bowler is the bowling average, anywhere around 30 can be considered good while below 25 is top drawer. Ishant averages 36.5, poor by anyone's standard.

For some odd reason however, he truly believes he is in the Brett Lee and Dale Steyn school of fast bowling, and so he finds himself constantly getting fined for launching into verbal tirades which are usually completely uncalled for.  The critical difference is that yelling at a batsman when you're bowling figures are 1-100 is far less effective compared to say 1-23 (if Steyn's average is an example to go by).

So why does India persist with him?

Politics? But let's ignore favoritism for a moment because that's nothing but hearsay.

An answer is potential.  In a desperate search for quality Indian fast bowlers this young lad sprung out of nowhere and flung down deliveries both accurate and quick, using his tall frame to generate hostile bounce which had even Ricky Ponting hopping around.  It was almost old school West Indian like, it was raw and it was exciting. All the tools were there to become the next spearhead.

Unfortunately he faded away faster than a black pillow-case left in the sun, all that bustle and noise devolving into harmless Agarkar level fodder.  There are odd glimpses, such as the current hostile spells which helped India win this series in Sri Lanka (who are about to have a rough few years), but the glimpses are fleeting as illustrated by his stats.

An equivalent of the long lost Mohammad Sami.

India hasn't had an answer since Kapil Dev, with only Javagal Srinath and the underrated Zaheer Khan offering years of good service but never quite scaling the heights they were capable of.  Ishant is *capable* of plenty, but how much longer can you pick someone based on occasional rose tinted memories?

I'd sympathize more, if he'd just shut up and bowl.

The tough guy act fools nobody, sorry you're not intimidating until you have earned your stripes. 

Your spells were impressive this time, good. How about half a dozen more?

World Cup 2011 - The Playoffs Preview

The pool play has descended to a close. The business end of the world cup has begun.

In terms of the top eight, there are few surprises here, with only Ireland posing a true challenge (Bangladesh posing a fake one). South Africa and Pakistan, despite one choke each, look the most well rounded and consistent of the lot. Of the rest, only Sri Lanka look composed, the others are a complete lottery. This is quite easily the most open playoffs in any of the previous world cups. Even though the matches could well turn out one sided, predicting four winners is a very tough ask. Lets try it anyway.

Pakistan vs West Indies
The Paper Says..
Pakistan will no doubt be hungry for a semi final showdown against India, and showed against Australia that most of the cogs are operating smoothly, with batting and K.Akmal being the only real questions. The West Indies have the players to win the whole thing, but fail to win the mental battle and easily throwing away good starts.

Key Player
Umar Gul is definitely wide awake in this tournament, and has troubled just about every team he has come up against. He is the sort of guy that can rip apart a flaky middle order, and the West Indies are pretty flaky at best.


Dark Horse
Kieron Pollard. One just gets the feeling that this could be his day. He only really got going with the bat against Ireland, and a Pollard special could end up separating the two teams. Special mention also to Darren Bravo, a volcano waiting to erupt.


Predicted Winner: Pakistan


India vs Australia

The Paper Says..

This could be the match of the tournament. Both teams are potential winners, at least in their own minds. Both have glaring flaws which should prevent them from winning it all. Both are arrogant, hungry, and determined not to lose at any cost. Is your mouth watering yet? Lets just hope there is no watering from the rain gods.

Key Player
Brett Lee. He was the only one really troubling the Pakistanis, and his solid run of form should give the Indians plenty to think about. Especially given that he can extract bounce, one of the key weaknesses among the Indian batsmen. (Remember the last T20 world cup?).

Dark Horse
R. Ashwin. He looked good against the West Indies, gave Australia problems in the warm up game, and they have a history of struggling with new spinners.

Like when this guy used to actually take wickets. © AFP

Predicted Winner: Australia to lose, rather than India to win

South Africa vs New Zealand

The Paper Says..

Everyone is predicting an absolute walkover here. In theory there is no reason at all why New Zealand should challenge this outfit, which is superior from #1 to #11. That is exactly why South Africa should beware. Complacency, and dare I say choking, certainly looms here. New Zealand have nothing to lose, have a team full of pocket rockets, and could very easily pull a surprise. They could also very easily crumble into a heap. This is the hardest game to call.

Key Player

Dale Steyn. He could turn this match into a farce very quickly. New Zealand's best ploy would be to counter attack him a la Sehwag, otherwise its goodnight.

Dark Horse

Brendon McCullum. Can he do what Stephen Fleming did in 2003? He is due for a good score against a good opponent, it is just a matter of time before his mad swinging finally clicks. If it really is his day, then New Zealand could quite easily chalk up the 300.

Predicted Winner: South Africa

Sri Lanka vs England

The Paper Says..

This bunch reminds me of the English football team. Lots of hype and promise and so little deliverance. They have been a poor show in this tournament, only turning up for half a game or not at all. They simply don't deserve to beat the well rounded and disciplined Sri Lankan team. 

Key Player

Kumar Sangakkara. He is in prime form and all eyes will be on him to lead from the front. Psychologically he is the wicket that England should be targeting, if there is a chink in the armour, it is in the middle/lower batting order.

Dark Horse

Eoin Morgan. He is the annoying type of player that can suddenly turn a match and steal it from under your nose. It is a mystery why he was not selected in the first place, but now that he is back in the team and due for a big score, he could be the one to cause an upset.

Predicted Winner: Sri Lanka

The Bottom Line
I don't think I have been this excited over a cricketing contest in many many years, possibly ever. The big teams have been locked in, every match is a do or die, and everybody has a chance to win. There is only one more thing left to say really.

Let the games begin.

Images courtesy of Getty Images, AFP and Associated Press, via Cricinfo.com

World Cup 2011 - On Losers, Walkers and Pussycats

A few days ago I previewed the series of big matches that would conclude the pool play and decide the final eight. All of them to some degree ended up one sided, however they certainly were not dull, not at all. This still remains one of the most open world cup tournaments in its history. Lets look at a few highlights:

The Mongrel Returns
When under extreme pressure, the true character of a man comes out. This was evident when the Australians finally lost a world cup game after 1999 (!), obviously a very frustrating ordeal for them. Brett Lee may croon love duets with Asha Bhosle, but on the field came the true form. A leaping, screaming,  heel-tapping, red-faced menace, giving Mohammad Hafeez the finger and a dirty verbal send off (yes it did happen, watch the replays carefully). Haddin unsurprisingly got into a scuffle, Ponting was annoyed, dismissed tamely again, and the whole team just look so desperate.

Don't believe the lies.

But the most hilarious moment came from that man Ian Chappell again, this time from the com box. He had the sheer nerve to suggest that Afridi's Charlie's Angels pose is bad for the team morale and that Afridi has no right to celebrate like that because the batsman contributed to his own dismissal. Uh... come again? An Australian berating over exuberant celebrations? Thats like the lion telling the tiger that he hates cats.

He wasn't finished there either, he bemoaned that Pakistan were not attacking enough, when Australia were tumbling faster than a wall street crash, and even more unbelievably suggested that the Pakistani team huddle was 'ridiculous' and they had to 'get off the field' and worry about getting the runs. What a loser. Send him home, or to Ian Botham, and rid us of his nonsense.

A Beacon Of Light
Sachin Tendulkar may not be god, but he is the epitome of what it means to be a sportsman and a gentleman. How refreshing it was to see the man tucking his bat under the wing and calmly making his way off the ground after edging one to the keeper, despite the umpire wrongly saying not out. In a situation where the DRS system is always questioned and we have idiots unable to use the system, he has shown us all how it is done. This is a small tribute to the little man, he never argues, never throws baby tantrums, and is always free of controversy. Too bad then that, much like with Gandhi, the masses worship the man but seem to forget his ideals.

The light in the darkness of stupidity. ©AFP

Tigers Or Pussycats?
I'm sorry Bangladesh, but you have let everyone down. Playing at home and developing a reputation as the team on the rise, you had no injury worries barring Mortaza, was fresh off giving New Zealand a pasting, and looked ready to show the world that the old school team was no more, much like the Lankans of 96. I forgave the Sehwag assault, and that horrid display against the West Indies (mistakes happen right?), and was anticipating at least a strong showing against South Africa to prove to everybody that the Tigers a ready to roar.

Instead we got a tame, whimpering meow.

A false alarm that had us all fooled.©Associated Press

Lick your wounds, learn the lessons, and come back a stronger team.