This 'two-toed' batsman is no less

Image source: Espncricinfo

There was a certain apprehension in the air, Narine had done well against the Kiwi batsmen in the past, boasting some unbelievable numbers. The Antigua wicket needed an anchor batsman for NZ to stand up and graft. A 25 year old opener from Auckland battled 353 minutes in the park evading the webs of Narine, to play an uncharacteristic knock of 97 from 243 balls. Three short of his hundred, he lost focus and succumbed. But he had played his part. Martin James Guptill stood up when it mattered for a relatively inexperienced Kiwi side.

Eleven years back, a forklift went over his toes and he had to get three of his toes removed. In his words- “It was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life”. And to say that he is certainly one of the best fielders in the squad is incredible. He didn’t find the freak injury as an excuse to stop being a cricketer, rather he propelled further. That horrible day never pulled him back; rather it shoved him to new heights. Guptill played some aggressive knocks in first class circuit. He rose quickly through NZ ranks, enjoying some prolific scoring seasons with Auckland. The battered New Zealand team, weakened by star retirements, needed him. He got his break in 2009 and he made most of it.

His career took impressive strides from the debut match itself. Guptill smashed 122 from 135 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes against a Fidel Edwards-led bowling attack, breaking Fleming’s record of highest score on debut for the black caps. In the very same innings, he hit a monstrous 127 m six that landed on one of the roofs at Westpac, Wellington. The way he pulls on one leg and the way he drives through offside, seems effortless. In words of Cricinfo “Few players in world cricket play the short-arm pull on one leg with elegance like Martin Guptill”. When he can find some timing on a bright sunny day in test whites, it is a sheer delight to watch. His stooped stance allows him to play some real baseball hits, some of which were on display in his 91*off 54 balls  in a T20 match versus Zimbabwe in February this year. His contrasting styles in Tests and T20 make him a complete cricketer suitable for all formats.

The star batsman had made a name already, and was waiting for the bigger stage. In the World Cup 2011, he was the second highest run-getter for New Zealand – 262 runs at an average of 43. He made a handsome 130 against Ireland in a warm-up match before the World Cup. At 24 then, he had a poise of a mature cricketer. Unlike many of his age, he has a cool head along with the aggressive game. Yet consistency has plagued his career throughout. The average, consequently, has taken a toll and dropped to a poor 31 in test matches. It is certainly not a reflection of the abilities of this young man who has years of cricket ahead of him.

The way he played the sheet-anchor in Antigua on Thursday, speaks of his potential. Like many players who show signs of greatness but fail, he might too. But the very fact that he made it this far despite that accident is a feat in itself. And if he proves to be a good batsmen for the Kiwis in the next decade, his two-toed story might inspire many budding cricketers who had to face a destiny’s cruelty.

Five lesser known fielders!

Do you still relate good fielding with these icons?

Colin Bland, Gibbs, Rhodes, Ponting, Symonds, Raina, Kaif, AB de Villiers, Collingwood and the rest.

Well, move over these household names. This post talks about five fielders who are probably as good as some of the best you have seen. They have taken some jaw-dropping stunners, they are electric in the outfield and they can affect run-outs from nowhere. These are the not-so-famousfielders who’re not as widely known or talked about!

How often we see a jaded match springing back into action by an electric run out or a stunning catch. A good fielding effort brings up the body language and more often than not, acts as the turning point. A fielder can be good in two ways – a brilliant catcher or a brilliant outfielder or amazingly both! These men I am talking about fall in this league. So, these who might not have caught your eye are:

Sybrand Engelbrecht

There is a good chance if you have watched the Under-19 World Cup 2009 Malaysia, you won’t have missed this lad. This 23 year old South African is a real fielding material – be it catching or ground fielding. He ensures that you won’t run out of adrenaline rush by his athletic presence on the field.

Manoj Tiwary

He is a liveware from Howrah. Currently warming benches with Indian squad, he is a fielding talent to watch out for. In one of the ODIs, he, along with, Raina formed an electric duo in covers. With some batting success, he can be a real asset to India.

Best catch of his:

Steven Croft

This all-rounder grabbed a few eyeballs in county cricket with his all-round ability. His fielding skills are almost superhuman at times. An ODI asset for Lanchashire, he can break into the England T20 squad anytime in near future.

Best catch:

Faf Du Plessis

A Lancashire coach once said about him, “If there’s a better fielder in county cricket I’ve not seen him this season”. Known for his off-drive, ‘Faf’ is an exceptional outfielder too. He can be the floating fielder every captain wants. Not a household name, his sensational fielding is something to watch out for.

Best Catch:

Amazing run-out:

Steve Smith

You surely might be knowing him as one of the many spinners who came to replace the Warne void, but look beyond his leg spin prowess and Eureka! You find a stunning fielder. This chocolate boy is known for plucking some brilliant catches.

Watch out for these low profile men. They might take a match-turning stunner that’ll get etched forever in your mind.

Ten modern Test left-handers

The left-handed batsmen of cricket have always been related with elegance. But, there is certainly something more than that makes a legend. This list is of TEN best modern left-handers to played in the test arena.t. The Australians dominate the list naturally.Amazingly some of these modern batters are even all -time greats of cricket.

10) Gautam Gambhir and Simon Katich
Both of them  have been lean determined grafters with an aggression button they can switch anytime. Gambhir has however cemented his place in Indian side whereas Katich always struggled to be a regular part of the great batting line-up. I couldn't have kept one of them out of this list. They share the tenth spot.

Average (both)-45
100s- 10, 9 respectively

9) Michael Hussey
Mr. Cricket had an average of 86 after his debut season, but soon dropped form and lost place. He made several comebacks even as opener. He however never reached the potential he had. A natural grafter, Hussey has been a dependable old horse for the Aussies.

Average- 50
100s- 16


8) Andrew Strauss and Graeme Smith
Captains of the best test teams currently, both have been effective openers. Good on all sides of the park. Both have had left arm pacers as their nemesis. Only thing that separates is that Dmith ahs had 2 double centuries and a better statistical record. I rate them equal on caliber at number eighth.

Average-41, 49 resp.
100s-   21, 24 resp.

7) Alastair  Cook
The run-machine, Cook has been ominous with the bat with 12 tons coming in last three years. Although a bit stiff in his stance, he made up for that by prolific run scoring in Ashes and certainly, he is the man to watch out for, if you have a interest in records.

Average-48
100s-20

6)Adam Gilchrist
Even if you have got Australian 5 wickets, there comes out a man who can score double centuries at no. 7. Such was the strength of Oz line-up, that a batsman of Gilly's  skillset came out at seven. Ideally, someone  coming at this postition, has to score quick runs and has no time to built averages. Gilchrist amazingly defied this logic.

Average-47
100s-16

5) Justin Langer
Low profile opener excelled in a time when all around him were stylish legends. A grafter who made huge opening stands with Hayden, he had his own big moments in a long career. I rate him in the top five left-handed modern test batsmen.

Average-45
100s-23

4) Matthew Hayden
A legend for Australia with a top score of 380, he was a huge wall at the top for the mighty Oz. Demolishing the best of the oppositions, hayden knew how to anchor the ship too. He didn't play the upper slogs, he had a masculine elegance about him.

Average-50
100s-30

3) Shivanarine Chanderpaul
 Wickets fell around him, as he went on to 'carry his bat'. Chanderpaul has been a quiet performer for the battered Windies for years. A unique way of marking the guard.Elegance is not associated with him, people say he has an awkward stance but the poise and temperament makes this scrawny hard-working man the third in this coveted list.

Average-50
100s-25

2)Brian Lara
A legend. Some call him better than Tendulkar. A unique backlift and a typical Caribbean class. Lara loved record-breaking. He holds the only 400 in the history of test cricket. His innings were not mere runs but crowd-pulling poems. He, for me, is there in the top two best lefties.

Average-52
Hundreds-34

1)Kumar Sangakkara

The anchor of Sri Lankan Batting for years, this left-hander has been different from typical Sri-Lankan greats in his batting style. By far, the most consistent batsmen of the world, Sanga is the most elegant left-handed batter I have seen. His innings are dazzled by cuts and pulls, besides the graceful drives. With still some good years ahead of him, Kumar will retire as a legend and leave a huge void. I rate him the best in this list, ahead of Lara.


Average-56
100s-30


Who missed out:  Ganguly, Gayle, Warner, Anwar, Trescothick, Fleming and Jayasuriya. Plus, Mark Taylor is considered good left-handed batter but I haven't seen much of him. The best left-hander to have ever played is Sir Gary Sobers, as per the legends.

Who has ruled since 2010?

Since 2010, many men have caught eyeballs in Test arena, but only a few have played consistently good cricket. In a decade when many legends have already retired, these three years have had some new bright lights and have even seen some old horses speak.

The statistics:

Name	Runs	Average	100s
A.Cook	2821	58.77	10
J. Kallis	2082	80.07	11
K.Sangakkara	2323	62.78	9
H. Amla	2188	72.93	8
S.Tendulkar	2500	59.72	8

Inarguably, these five are the best overall Test batsmen since 2010. But their numbers have been so amazingly good that picking one among these five is in itself a dilemma.  Let us filter down the numero uno!

Studying deep: Highlights of their big innings.

Alastair Cook

2010: He scored heavily in Ashes with a double ton and two big hundreds.  One ton against Bangla.
2011: An ashes ton. A 294 against India. Another ton against SL at Cardiff.
2012: Ton versus SA, Pak.

Jacques Kallis

2010: Prolific run-scoring against India at home. Score a ton against Pak.
2011:  a century against Ind at home.
2012:  Centuries  against NZ, Eng, SL.

Sachin Tendulkar

2010: A double against Aus at home. A double in SL. A ton versus Bangla.
2011: The memorable Capetown century.
2012: Drought!!

Sangakkara

2010: A double against India, a ton against windies –both at home.
2011: A double and a ton against Pak. A ton in England.
2012:  Scores of 199, 192 versus Pak

Hashim Amla

2010: a double against India at home, a ton against Ind in India.
2011:  A couple of tons, not big ones.
2012: 311*, the first SA to do so.

Building up to Verdict

Three parameters are important

Consistency, Diversity in run-making (venues), quality of oppositions.

If we talk of consistency, Sachin and Amla get eliminated. Sachin hasn’t done well in 2012. Amla had a relatively quiet season in 2011. Three left.

If we talk of diversity in run-making, Kallis , Sangakkara, Cook –all three have done it. They have scored against various oppositions at different venues.

If we talk about quality of oppositions, Alastair Cook having scored against Australia in Ashes, Steyn-led SA attack and Malinga led SL attack, emerges as comprehensive winner. Each of his centuries have been big ones with many 150+ scores.

Final Verdict: Alistair Cook is the best batsmen since 2010.

'On a good Length' feels Cook has been consistently making runs for years.

The Number one test side-Does it even matter?

In broad daylight at the Oval, two test teams were fighting out for the crown of the numero uno ICC test spot. The media buzz is natural. But any series result can turn up interestingly,  depending upon a number of factors. So is ICC number 1 rank that important a parameter?

Let me throw some  light on it.

Neither , England or South Africa, is a comprehensive number one team regardless of their ranking. Either of the sides can beat the other on its day. We have an Australian squad at number 2 sandwiched in between, that has lost some sheen but can beat any given team on their day. Not many months back, India was at the peak of test rankings. Currently they are at five!

This ICC rankings’ system considers only past two years of record. And so it is not foolish to say that rankings are more on a shorter ‘form’ rather than a longer run of events. Some draws have a side dominant over the other but it goes down as an equal point distribution in rankings. Is that justifiable?

According to ICC rankings predictor, if south Africa loses this series 3-0 (can’t happen as they are 1-0 up now) and India wins over NZ 2-0  in August, South Africa will move below England, Australia, India and Pakistan. On form and capability, I doubt this is true. And the predictor says New Zealand will go just 4 points short of Sri lanka, if they beat West Indies 2-0. Can a two match series create so much of a difference? If a team plays less test matches, it loses two spots that year. Is that justifiable? All in all, ICC rankings hardly reflect the true story.

This ranking system can only be trusted if there is a huge points gap, like when Australia used to have in their golden years after 1999. But these days, a three match series goes awry and you lose four spots. It is not of much of a relevance to consider the rankings as a parameter in today’s time. So, the media needs to sit back and watch the Steyn and Anderson spells, the Amla Cook run-pile ups, and the mind games.

The numbers don’t matter every time, the quality of cricket does.  Let the game talk for itself and not the rankings.
'On a good Length' believes rankings should not be the only parameter.

Openers who were bowler's nightmare

This post tries to RANK  top Eight openers who the bowlers preferred to keep at non-strikers'end. These, Sir, are players who can change the game on their day. I am not talking of the textbook openers like Gavaskar, I am dealing with the men who avenged with thunder. Here is my countdown to the most threatening openers the game has seen. Sit back


8) Brendon McCullum

image source: Google images

Electrifying, exciting  and brutal opener who dispatches the ball for boundaries all over the park. His IPL knock for Kolkata (153) stands still undefeated till date. Only drawback of his  has been inconsistency. He makes the list edging out Saurav Ganguly and Kaluwitharana, and holds number 8 spot.

Strike Rate: 89
Average: 30

7) Tilakratne Dilshan
  The chips and the scoops are not something you relate with an opener. But, Dilshan, an attacking opening      choice for Sri-Lanka is 'cheeky' and always love to manufacture shots.. The 57-ball 96 in T20 world cup 2009 was an example of what damage he can do, if let loose. He is at number seven in the ranking.

Strike Rate: 86
Average: 35

6) Herschelle Gibbs
There are some players who have oodles of talent but are not consistent. The most destructive batsman on his day, Gibbs was a batsman who could take the game away at any moment. His 175 against australia will remain etched in cricket lovers' memory forever. Morover, his fielding prowess was top-class, matching Rhodes. Had he been consistent, he would have been leading these rankings. Period.

Strike Rate:  83
Average: 36

Souce: Google Image

5) Virender Sehwag

The Jaat from Delhi can run away with the match before you know. The cuts, the drives race to the fence in seconds. Only thing being,  he has been a better Test opener in consistency.

Strike Rate:  104
Average:  35

4) Sachin Tendulkar
There are two Sachin that may  turn up. One loves been the anchor and stays around. He is not our concern here. We are dealing with the Sachin who bludgeons the attacks with his text book shots. The name needs no justification. He is right up in top four as the most feared openers.

Strike Rate: 86
Average: 44

3) Chris Gayle
Casually aggressive, the towering sixes could force a fielding captain to tear his hair out. The tall robust man is no less than any man here on his day. The only thing that he lacked was consistency: which he acquired later in the career. He makes it to the top three in this list.

Str rate: 84
Average: 39


2) Matthew Hayden
He has comeback twice in the great Oz line-up and turned only more destructive. He is one batsman who had no way of getting out.   He stood out of his crease and let the power do the rest. Personally, I felt this was the most difficult wicket Indians had to take. He simply didn't give in

Strike Rate: 78
Average: 43

Image source: Google Images

1)Adam Gilchrist
If there was any player who ran away with the game,  with pulls and hooks that shattered the opposition- it was Gilly. He had this ability to hit big ones early in the match. With Hayden, he easily formed most destructive opening pair ever in ODIs. As a young cricket fan, I remember the fear on the face of bowlers when Gilly took strike. Unmatched till date.I rate him the best in this coveted list.
*RESPECT*


Strike Rate: 96
Avg: 35


Who missed out :  Saurav Ganguly, Alastair Cook, Saaed Anwar, Gary Kirsten, Graeme Smith, Fleming, Mark Waugh, Kaluwitharana and Strauss. ( These have been classy openers but not destructive)

PS: I haven't seen cricketers of pre-90s era. So, Can't evaluate them.


COMING UP NEXT WEEK :  Best Test Left-Handers
( post 1990s)

The Indian-All rounder-Extinct Species?

Image source:  topnews.in

There are some facts that people have always believed but dreaded to write or speak in public. One was the choker tag associated with South Africa. You can avoid the ‘C’ word, but it finds the news every time an ICC tournament knockout concludes!

A similar sense prevails for India. It would be not irrational to say that Indian cricketers have always been bad at multitasking. For quite a while, Indian domestic system has produced only specialist cricketers-who can bat very well and turn an arm almost, or who can bowl tremendously and hang for a while with the bat if the situations demand. The lack of quality all-rounders has restricted choices for Indian captains in team selections for decades now. There have always been matches where the lack of fifth bowler has proved expensive.  The part-timers even have bowled full quotas in case of instant injuries of premier bowler. It is a limitation of the Indian cricketing system, a large pool of cricketers and coaches, to not have generated even one such international level all-rounder of the likes of Kallis, Flintoff, Vettori and Watson.

The potential in Agarkar, Pathan and many others has remained untapped. Despite many oppurtunities, their career graphs have went awry. Several others in the fold-Jadeja have beem liabilities more than assets to the team. Why is the next Indian cricketer not looking for this golden vacant spot?

What surprisingly ails the Indian setup?

A)     The Structure: The Indian domestic cricket structure and schedule is grinding for a cricketer. Precisely, for an all-rounder -It takes a lot to be there in the field batting sessions and then bowling long spells. It further worsens for an Indian all-rounder as he is supposed to playing all round the clock expected to excel in both the departments. The fitness and stamina takes a toll for those who don’t hit the gyms often. Consequently, some players drop a department to focus on other as a part of long-term career planning. The coaches too have a say in this. Uthappa. Kohli dropped gloves to focus on batting. Many others become specialists at junior levels. 

B)      The travelled path: As a youngster, one has no Indian all-rounder whom he can look upon. Most of the budding cricketers aspire to walk on the same success path as all the Indian crickets have-the path more travelled of being a specialist cricketer! 

C)      No encouragement: The national selection panel has never been fair to bowling all-rounders. With a vision to give them a long run, results might come. Shane Watson took years to prove his true worth. In his initial years, he was an easy picking for batters. Today, he is easily the best ODI all-rounder just because his potential was trusted. Vettori proved his batting prowess and even went to don the captain's hat. On the contrary, Irfan Pathan has been picked up irregularly in past two years-irrespective of the form.

D)     Pitches: The Indian pitches are batsman and spinner’s paradise. And considering ‘The survival of the fittest theory’, the Indian ( fast) bowling all-rounder is on the verge of extinction. No wonder, the all-rounders ' species being generated is that of ' Batter who can turn an arm like offie'.

It is time the wealthiest cricket board of world pulls its sleeves to prevent this downslide. It is an irony that such a big cricketing nation fails to make use of its resources.  Long-term vision has always eluded the Indian selection panel. The end result? Lack of genuine all-rounders. What is your young kid’s idol by the way? I bet not Kapil Dev!!