Musings on the Cricket in the Middle-East

Kunal Diwan

Maybe I am anti-patriotic to the extent of being vitriolic, but you will have to accept that cricket matches not involving 'Team India' are markedly refreshing. The kind of zeal that lanky youngsters from Sri Lanka and Pakistan bring to the game is sorely lacking in the overweight, over-hyped paper tigers from India. Anyways, there must be something in the air of these Middle Eastern countries (Sharjah, Morocco, Abu Dhabi...) that unfailingly produces dramatic, edge-of-the-seat contests.

Searching unity under a young captain after the World Cup and Woolmer debacle, Pakistan matched skills with Sri Lanka who were looking to reassert their status as Cup Finalists.

Batting first Sri Lanka stuttered, pottered and finally sprinted to 235, a total which hinged on a brisk 69 by Maharoof. Shrugging off three untimely run-outs and some accurate fast bowling by Sami and Gul, SL was helped on by a solid knock 47 by Chamara Silva.

With his team far from safety at 194-7 in the 44th over, Maharoof was seen striding down the pitch to converse with his partner Bandara. He thumped his chest as if to say – "I am in charge here, just don't do anything silly." In fact, Maharoof countered wasteful batting by both Bandara and the very irritating Lasith Malinga by some lusty hitting at the end.

Both Sami and Asif bowled fast and straight; Umar Gul picked up three wickets but was carted for 61 off his ten. Maharoof managed a smile when he was outwitted by a wily slower one
from Gul, and yet another smile when he hoisted the next delivery over long-off for a six. It was an apt representation of Kipling's lines – "If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat these impostors just the same." These are the young and fearless of modern international cricket, unblemished by nauseatingly burgeoning bank accounts and channelling their gully-cricket instincts into the international arena. Australia had better watch out. But then, the
Aussies ain't scared of anything either.

Pakistan began in trademark fashion, Imran Nazir whacking the wayward Malinga and Maharoof for boundaries in the first few overs. It is one of crickets great mysteries how a bowler with an action as ungainly and discordant as Malinga can be so successful at this level. I guess the batsmen are distracted to the extent of losing their wicket, for at the time of release, Malinga's arm, forget about being parallel to his torso, is nearly perpendicular to his body. Nevertheless, I shall keep my trap shut in light of the freak's great success in the games' premier event.

Razzaq looks like a roadside romeo in his new hair-do. Even though they're essentially of the same genetic stock, I can somehow identify a Pakistani miles away. Maybe it's their prognathic upper teeth or the general 'cheapness' that surrounds them. This is not to say that the VHP inspired miscreants in UP and Bihar are not cheap – they're even cheaper - but still the Paki brand of crassness is singularly unique. I would have to attribute my skill to endlessly watching Pak mutilate India on the cricket field in my formative years, where I painstakingly studied each and every mannerism of these brash victors for the secret of their success. "Killer Instinct" is what Henry Blofeld and co. called it in those days. Where is Mr. Blofeld these days? He's probably too old now to even admire earrings, but you never know. You can take a man out of voyeurism, but you can't take voyeurism out of a man.

Showdown - Matchday Twelve

Supporters of the Indian team may be mourning the looming exit (since Bangladesh still need to beat Bermuda) of the Indian cricket team, but today a cracker of a match is on offer. The world's top two sides - South Africa and Australia (in order of rankings)- square-off at the Warner Park Stadium, St.Kitts and Nevis.

The other match of the day features England and Kenya. Kenya will be hoping to defeat England to qualify for the next round and rid criticism that its 2003 performance was largely due to the the unwillingness of the Kiwis to travel to Nairobi.

Our predictions for today.

South Africa v/s Australia
AKG and MJV: South Africa.
Match starts at 1900 IST on SET MAX and DD-1.

England v/s Kenya
AKG: England
MJV: Kenya
Match starts at 1900 IST on SAB TV.

Hopefully, if India exits the tournament, we should at least get to watch some more action in between the ads. I guess the only team that has done worse than the Indian cricket team is the production team for this World Cup. Hope to view something better, as this team in all probability can't be knocked out till the tournament ends.

Showdown - Matchday Eleven

Today's the big one. India have to beat Sri Lanka to qualify for the next round. West Indies will take on Ireland in the other match of the day; the Irish will be hoping that an upset win this time around won't have similar repercussions as the last one. Though both the teams have qualified for the next stage, this match is important as two points to be carried forward to the next stage are up for grabs.

So, as usual, our showdown for today.

India v/s Sri Lanka
AKG and MJV: India
Match starts at 1900 IST on SET MAX (English), SAB TV (Hindi) and DD-1.

Ireland v/s West Indies
AKG and MJV: West Indies
Match starts at 2000 IST on PIX.

Showdown - Matchday Eight

Indian fans may have heaved more than a sigh of relief following the win over Bermuda yesterday. The West Indies also won their encounter against Zimbabwe, thus booking their place in the next round.

In today's matches, Scotland take on South Africa and New Zealand take on Kenya.

Scotland v/s South Africa
AKG and MJV: South Africa
Match starts at 19:00 IST on SAB TV.

Kenya v New Zealand
AKG: New Zealand.
MJV: Kenya.
Match starts at 19:00 IST on SET MAX.

Showdown - Matchday Six

The minnows will not repeat yesterday's events. Thats what both Mathew and Ashok feel. The reason is that the past days events would have made England and Australia double their efforts at annihilation.

Both of us went completely wrong yesterday. The Irish have handed the Pakistani's a rough exit on a day which bristled with the seminal Irish occasion.... St.Patrick's Day.. which we forgot to mention. The Bangladeshi's whipped India, on a day when their energy was amazing, and the Indians looked very sluggish with a Real Madrid like feel about them. Rather play for a winning team than be a member of a higher earning team....

Poll - Predict this year's Champion

Vote Now - Who will win this year's Cricket World Cup?

The Minnows Strike Back

Mathew J. Varghese

I think we have all lost count of the number of detractors who would have shot down the so-called ‘minnows’ over the last one month. I hope all those who made that statement have learnt a lesson for good after watching yesterday’s matches.

Every Indian supporter will crib over the team’s bad performance; Sehwag should be sent back home blah blah…. But anyone who watched the game without the ‘patriotic’ fervour would have easily seen the difference between the two teams. Bangladesh played like a professional side all through out. Their attitude was positive to say the least, best exemplified by Mashrafe Mortaza’s opening spell, Tamim Iqbal’s aggressive and attractive strokeplay and above all, the team’s daunting presence while on the field. Skipper Habibul Bashar’s prophetic words on the eve of the match was no empty-handed threat. Bangladesh are pretty similar to what Sri Lanka were in the 1996 World Cup, and under the guidance of the same coach. Though I would still not predict anything drastic, as this time’s World Cup is hardly similar to the one in 1996, as far as the schedules go.

Talking about schedules, many blamed the long duration of this World Cup on the fact that the ICC had to accomodate minnows. The 2006 Football World Cup with 32 teams has double the number of teams than what its far-less popular equivalent in cricket has and yet finishes within a month’s time. The group stages in both tournaments see the teams divided in groups of 4 each, with the top two making it through to the next round. However, while the Football World Cup enters a frantic knockout mode after the opening group phase, the ICC since the 1999 World Cup has had a lousy round-robin league for the second phase as well, with the top four making it to the semi-finals.

This is reflected in the schedules as well. While the first stage of this World Cup is from March 13- March 25, the ‘Super Eight’ stage (which was the Super Six in 2003 and 1999) is from March 27 to April 21, after which follows the semis and the finals. When the 'Super Six' was introduced in 1999, many felt it was a backdoor attempt to ensure the sub-continental teams India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were involved for most of the tournament, as that’s where the event will be most followed. Well, has it worked? Pakistan has crashed out in the first stages of this World Cup as well, to add to their ignominious exit in 2003. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka could also put an end to the sport’s biggest revenue-spinner - India.

The minnows have already proved their might at this World Cup. Bangladesh and Ireland have perhaps already accounted for the quota of probable upsets that were bound to occur. One needs to wait and watch if they can make it through to the next round, and if other teams such as Kenya and Zimbabwe can be in the reckoning. As far as Bangladesh pulling off an upset like Sri Lanka did in 1996, I would again say the scheduling perhaps will deny them the chance. Sri Lanka went easily through the group phases thanks to the forfeits by Australia and West Indies then and had three knockout matches that they won to clinch it. However, Bangladesh faces a far sterner test as they need to go through the Super Eight as well. Though one must note that Sri Lanka were unbeaten in that tournament, defeating India twice and Australia in the finals. This Bangladesh side has to now prove the recents wins are no one-off affairs like the one against Australia in 2005, and that they can display the ability shown yesterday with a fair amount of consistency.

The Indian team will be worried for sure, but I am waiting to see how many of the ‘big teams’ may have to pack their bags early thanks to the ‘might of the minnows.’

Showdown - Matchday five

Today's matches feature three teams from the subcontinent. Bangladesh and India square off at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad. Both the teams are the last ones to play their opening match of the World Cup, and supporters all over the world are waiting for this one with bated breaths. Pakistan however will play their second game and should have it easy against the Irish side. They better be careful, this is the same Irish side that cornered Zimbabawe to what is the third tie in World Cp history.

Our predictions for today. The score so far is 6 out of 7 for Mathew, with Ashok one point behind.

Bangladesh v India
AKG and MJV: India. The Bangla Tigers may have upseted the Kiwis, but India will not be taking any chances in this one.
Match starts at 1900 IST on SET MAX, SAB TV and DOORDARSHAN (we guessing).
Ireland v Pakistan
AKG and MJV : Pakistan. Though another loss will spell the end of the side's World Cup campaign.
Match starts at 2000 IST on PIX.

Cricket coverage ... thats not important... it's all about the money!

Hi Folks! In a few weeks viewers in India will watch the Cricket World Cup on Sony's four channels; Set Max, Sony, Sab TV and Pix. Terrestrial broadcaster Doordarshan has signed an agreement with Sony to provide all the matches to its platform. But the blatant commercialization of cricket has meant that new and innovative ways to disrupt the viewing experience have been found by creative people without a conscience. You will have the irritating music with a weird cartoon figure, all excited when the batsmen scores a fifty or the team reaches three figures. The screen will suddenly shrink when the bowler is returning to the bowling mark, give way to a toothpaste ad and then come back to its old form, mid way through the bowlers run up. The national anthem, sung by the team and its supporters, which offered such a wonderful spectacle in last year's Soccer World Cup, is too unimportant for Sony's head honchos. They choose to ignore the national anthem segment during their coverage of the 2003 World Cup. The ad-breaks keep on increasing, and we are getting to see lesser and lesser of the actual match.

IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is an innovative way to reach viewers via the Internet. But illegal softwares that broadcast TV channels are doing the rounds. I have used one such software, and I got to watch a Champions Trophy match on an Channel 9, Australia. Edgy display for lack of bandwidth notwithstanding, it was a surreal experience. I did not even notice the ads.

If only greed could be kept at bay!

WORLD CUP SCHEDULE

WORLD CUP 2007 FINAL

Australia v/s Sri Lanka

Kensington Oval, Barbados.
April 28
19:00 IST
Live on DD-1, SET MAX (English) and SAB TV (Hindi).

Source: The Official Site of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.