Eid Mubarak
Well Pitched wishes all its readers Eid Mubarak!
Normal coverage will resume after the Eid holidays.
Have a Feast!
Normal coverage will resume after the Eid holidays.
Have a Feast!
Oye Malik!
If news reports are to be believed, Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik is to star in a Bollywood movie.
I've heard about Shoaib Akhtar before, and even Shahid Afridi has been offered movies. But Shoaib Malik?
Seriously?
Why?
There were a number of rumours about Shoaib Akhtar leaving cricket and joining Bollywood but that hasn't happened yet. Afridi has always declined any such offers.
So I really don't think the day will come when Malik will be seen in Indian cinema. Not anytime soon though.
The report mentions that Malik is to star opposite real life girl friend Sayali Bhagat. Sayali is a former Miss India and has been known to be attracted to cricketers.
I remember watching her on TV a few years ago where she openly proposed to a married Rahul Dravid.
She did the same with Irfan Pathan recently.
And now I hear she is dating Shoaib Malik - where are the Yuvrajs and Rainas and Sharmas gone?
I did some research to find out when Sayali and Malik started dating and all I got was this.
And as it always happens, Malik has denied the affair.
We all know what happened the last time Malik was with an Indian girl. Wonder where this one will go.
Hopefully not Bollywood.
I've heard about Shoaib Akhtar before, and even Shahid Afridi has been offered movies. But Shoaib Malik?
Seriously?
Why?
There were a number of rumours about Shoaib Akhtar leaving cricket and joining Bollywood but that hasn't happened yet. Afridi has always declined any such offers.
So I really don't think the day will come when Malik will be seen in Indian cinema. Not anytime soon though.
The report mentions that Malik is to star opposite real life girl friend Sayali Bhagat. Sayali is a former Miss India and has been known to be attracted to cricketers.I remember watching her on TV a few years ago where she openly proposed to a married Rahul Dravid.
She did the same with Irfan Pathan recently.
And now I hear she is dating Shoaib Malik - where are the Yuvrajs and Rainas and Sharmas gone?
I did some research to find out when Sayali and Malik started dating and all I got was this.
And as it always happens, Malik has denied the affair.
We all know what happened the last time Malik was with an Indian girl. Wonder where this one will go.
Hopefully not Bollywood.
Show Me The Money
The India Premier League that took place earlier this year shook the face of the cricketing world. A new era of cricket had dawned upon us and everyone was intrigued at how this would unfold.
Teams were sold to private owners who became franchisees of the BCCI.
Players were sold in an open auction as the free market price rule was applied to cricketers for the first time ever.
Unprecendeted levels of money was spent on some cricketers.
Team owners generously spent money on team launches, advertisements, music videos, and bollywood ambassadors for the teams among a number of other things.
While all this money was being spent on teams and players, there was one question in everyone's mind - how will the team owners make money?
Gate money was one of the most common answers.
Share of sponsorship fee and TV rights was another.
Others suggested a number of other revenue streams such as selling team memorabilia and opening restaurants themed on the teams.
Those who thought that the likes of Mukesh Ambani, Vijay Mallya, and Shahrukh Khan had money to throw away and didn't care about the profits or losses from a cricket team were soon to realise that these men were serious about making money from cricket.
These guys were dead serious about making money that the investment bankers had shown they could.
When the IPL's 1st season ended, no one really knew where the franchises stood.
Had they made money? Had they made huge losses? Will they sell some players to make up for the losses? Will they sell their teams? Will new partners be brought on? These along with numerous other questions were being asked.
The IPL was a success no doubt. For the BCCI and the players, it was a huge success.
But was it for the franchises? Was it for India Cements and Emerging Media? For Ambani and Mallya? for Preity and Shahrukh?
According to BCCI's recently held Annual General Meeting, it definitely was!
At the AGM, the BCCI announced that each franchise owner has recovered 80% of its first year cost through television and sponsorship revenues.
This doesn't mean that any of them are profitable yet but it is still more money than even they thought they would make in the 1st year.
Their 10-year returns have just gone higher than they expected.
Sure they're still a long way away from breaking even, but this wouldn't stop Priety Zinta or Vijay Mallya from smiling their way to the bank.
Teams were sold to private owners who became franchisees of the BCCI.
Players were sold in an open auction as the free market price rule was applied to cricketers for the first time ever.
Unprecendeted levels of money was spent on some cricketers.
Team owners generously spent money on team launches, advertisements, music videos, and bollywood ambassadors for the teams among a number of other things.
While all this money was being spent on teams and players, there was one question in everyone's mind - how will the team owners make money?
Gate money was one of the most common answers.
Share of sponsorship fee and TV rights was another.
Others suggested a number of other revenue streams such as selling team memorabilia and opening restaurants themed on the teams.
Those who thought that the likes of Mukesh Ambani, Vijay Mallya, and Shahrukh Khan had money to throw away and didn't care about the profits or losses from a cricket team were soon to realise that these men were serious about making money from cricket.
These guys were dead serious about making money that the investment bankers had shown they could.When the IPL's 1st season ended, no one really knew where the franchises stood.
Had they made money? Had they made huge losses? Will they sell some players to make up for the losses? Will they sell their teams? Will new partners be brought on? These along with numerous other questions were being asked.
The IPL was a success no doubt. For the BCCI and the players, it was a huge success.
But was it for the franchises? Was it for India Cements and Emerging Media? For Ambani and Mallya? for Preity and Shahrukh?
According to BCCI's recently held Annual General Meeting, it definitely was!
At the AGM, the BCCI announced that each franchise owner has recovered 80% of its first year cost through television and sponsorship revenues.
This doesn't mean that any of them are profitable yet but it is still more money than even they thought they would make in the 1st year.
Their 10-year returns have just gone higher than they expected.
Sure they're still a long way away from breaking even, but this wouldn't stop Priety Zinta or Vijay Mallya from smiling their way to the bank.
The Media and Pakistan
It is heartening to read a piece like this from someone in the West.
http://www.sportsfreak.co.nz/show-column.asp?ID=589
Sportsfreak, the sports blogger from New Zealand discusses how the media there has projected the recent Marriott bombing in Pakistan.
Meda projections have hurt Pakistan more than any security report and this is yet another example.
Sportsfreak - thank you for your views.
http://www.sportsfreak.co.nz/show-column.asp?ID=589
Sportsfreak, the sports blogger from New Zealand discusses how the media there has projected the recent Marriott bombing in Pakistan.
Meda projections have hurt Pakistan more than any security report and this is yet another example.
Sportsfreak - thank you for your views.
Pakistan Annexes Dubai!
Well, in cricketing terms only! ;) As was suggested and predicted by many, Pakistan has agreed to move some of its international "home" matches to Dubai:
This is an excellent move. It's sad for Pakistanis, but the reality is that Pakistan is not getting much home cricket. I think the matches will be better attended, more closely followed, and higher earning than those played in Pakistan.
It remains to be seen whether Pakistan will move Test matches as well. I can't imagine why not. No "white" (excuse the political incorrectness) team is touring Pakistan anytime soon.
Q - I have to say I'm a little jealous! Lucky you!
The Pakistan Cricket Board has signed a three-year agreement to play its home one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches at the new Dubai Sports City.
The Emirate will also host three ODIs against the Windies in November.
The new 25,000 stadium in Dubai will initially host a series involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh next April and a series of Twenty20 matches against various teams. [LINK]
This is an excellent move. It's sad for Pakistanis, but the reality is that Pakistan is not getting much home cricket. I think the matches will be better attended, more closely followed, and higher earning than those played in Pakistan.
It remains to be seen whether Pakistan will move Test matches as well. I can't imagine why not. No "white" (excuse the political incorrectness) team is touring Pakistan anytime soon.
Q - I have to say I'm a little jealous! Lucky you!
RBS takes over Cricket in Pakistan!
The PCB recently launched the Royal Bank of Scotland 20-20 Cup that will kick off on 4th October in Lahore.
Finally some cricket!
Who would have thought that the global financial crisis would affect cricket in Pakistan.
ABN Amro has sponsored domestic cricket in Pakisan for the last 3 years, however with its take over by RBS, all cricket in Pakistan will now be sponsored by them.
Royal Bank of Scotland sponsoring cricket in Pakistan. That sounds strange doesn't it?
The PCB definitely needs some new sponsors!
This is the 4th edition of the domestic 20-20 tournament in Pakistan and the winners of this event will be given a ticket to participate in the 20-20 Champions League in December where they will be pitted against the Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Victoria Bushrangers, Western Australia Warriors, Nashua Dolphins, Nashua Titans, and Middlesex.
The Sialkot Stallions, led by Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik, are the defending champions and will in fact be looking for a hatrick of titles in this years 20-20 tournament.
The Stallions, however, are significantly depleted this time around without the services of Mohammad Asif (doped out), Imran Nazir (ICL), and Rana Naveed (ICL).
Mansoor Amjad, Abdur Rehman, Kamran Younis, Sarfraz Ahmed (left arm quick), and Qaiser Abbas will provide good support to Malik, but without the top 3 players and no Shehzad Malik, the Stallions do not look like the same team that won the last two 20-20 cups.
Karachi Dolphins look like the strongest side in the competition. Led by Shahid Afridi the team includes Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif, Fawad Alam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Sohail Khan, Naumanullah, and Anwar Ali.
That is quite a formidable combination and Afridi would be looking to add another domestic title to his cap after the Pentangular Trophy earlier this year.
Karachi Zebras, led by Faisal Iqbal, are not as strong as the other Karachi side, with the only players with some international experience being Asim Kamal and Shadab Kabir.
The Zebras have also been hurt by the bans on ICL players with Hasan Raza and Mohammad Sami missing in action.
Faisalabad Wolves, captained by Misbah Ul Haq, under whom they won the first edition of the tournament and were the runners up of the 2nd have also been hit by the ICL bans.
They lose out on one of their most reliable batsmen in Naveed Latif and their attack bowler Shahid Nazir.
Despite that they still remain a relatively strong side with Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, and Samiullah Khan in the ranks along with one of the best 20-20 players in the world - their skipper Misbah.
Mohammad Yousuf, who has a point to prove despite saying he doesn't, will be captaining the Lahore Lions, which is another strong outfit with Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad, Wahab Riaz, and Junaid Zia in the line up.
They will be missing Abdul Razzak due to the ICL ban, but remain a strong team despite that.
The Lahore Eagles, on the other hand, have been hurt quite badly due to the ICL bans. Openers Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar along with keeper Humayun Farhat will be missing from action.
The Eagles don't have any international experience on their side and will be reliant on Azhar Ali, who was one of the leading scorers of the last domestic season.
Multan Tigers will be captained by Abdur Rauf, the pacer who has played a few ODIs. The only other international is Kamran Hussain, the allrounder who played a few ODIs against Zimbabwe earlier this year.
The Rawal Pindi Rams will be led by experienced domestic campaigner Naved Ashraf.
The Rams look stronger than they have in previous years particularly on the bowling front with their line up including the IPL Bowler of the tournament, Sohail Tanvir, along with Yasir Arafat, and the U19 left armer Mohammad Aamer who has been praised highly by Wasim Akram.
Islamabad Leopards have been boosted with the inclusion of Shoaib Akhtar after the usual PCB confusion over selection matters, however how many matches he will play is anybodys guess.
The Leopards' side also includes U19 skipper Imad Wasim and promising U19 stars Raheel Majeed and Afaq Rahim. Bazid Khan, who was one of the leading run scorers in the last domestic season adds to the Leaopards' strength.
The Peshawar Panthers have always been a strong side with a number of international players in their ranks, however they have never lived up to their expectations on the domestic circuit.
Umar Gul was announced to captain them, however with the indecisive Younis Khan confirming his availability the captaincy might land in his laps.
Along with these 2 the Panthers side also includes Yasir Hameed, Fazl-e-Akbar, Wajahatullah Wasti and leading domestic players Rafatullah Mohmand and Jannisar Khan.
The Abbottabad Rhinos, Quetta Bears, and Hyderabad Hawks are the relatively weaker sides in the competition with no international experience to boast of.
The 13 teams have been placed in 4 pools:
Group A: Wolves, Rhinos, Eagles, Dolphins ---> the fish will devour up the wild ones.
Group B: Zebras, Stallions, Hawks ---> what are the birds doing between the horses?
Group C: Leapards, Panthers, Tigers ---> all the cats in one!
Group D: Lions, Bears, Rams ---> poor rams left to be eaten.
The group games will be played between October 4th and 6th, with the winners of each group making it to the semi finals, to be played on the 7th. The final will be on 8th October.
The bans placed on the ICL players have depleted a number of teams in this tournament.
I think the absence of players like Razak, Imran Nazir, Taufeed Umar, Naveed Latif, Imran Farhat, Humayun Farhat, Riaz Afridi, Shahid Nazir, Mohammad Sami, Hasan Raza will take the shine off the tournament to some extent.
All these players are big names on the domestic circuit and have done exceptionally well at the 20-20 level in the past.
Without them the annual 20-20 tournament doesn't remain the star studded affair that it used to be.
On the bright side though, it does bring some cricket back to Pakistan.
The fans have always thronged to the stadiums during these 20-20 tournaments and I would expect the same this time round, particularly with all the internationals confirming their availability.
On top, the stakes are higher this time - the champions get to play the best 20-20 teams from the world in the inaugral 20-20 Champions League in December.
The action starts on the 4th - We'll keep you updated.
Finally some cricket!
Who would have thought that the global financial crisis would affect cricket in Pakistan.
ABN Amro has sponsored domestic cricket in Pakisan for the last 3 years, however with its take over by RBS, all cricket in Pakistan will now be sponsored by them.
Royal Bank of Scotland sponsoring cricket in Pakistan. That sounds strange doesn't it?
The PCB definitely needs some new sponsors!
This is the 4th edition of the domestic 20-20 tournament in Pakistan and the winners of this event will be given a ticket to participate in the 20-20 Champions League in December where they will be pitted against the Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Victoria Bushrangers, Western Australia Warriors, Nashua Dolphins, Nashua Titans, and Middlesex.
The Sialkot Stallions, led by Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik, are the defending champions and will in fact be looking for a hatrick of titles in this years 20-20 tournament.
The Stallions, however, are significantly depleted this time around without the services of Mohammad Asif (doped out), Imran Nazir (ICL), and Rana Naveed (ICL).
Mansoor Amjad, Abdur Rehman, Kamran Younis, Sarfraz Ahmed (left arm quick), and Qaiser Abbas will provide good support to Malik, but without the top 3 players and no Shehzad Malik, the Stallions do not look like the same team that won the last two 20-20 cups.
Karachi Dolphins look like the strongest side in the competition. Led by Shahid Afridi the team includes Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif, Fawad Alam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Sohail Khan, Naumanullah, and Anwar Ali.
That is quite a formidable combination and Afridi would be looking to add another domestic title to his cap after the Pentangular Trophy earlier this year.
Karachi Zebras, led by Faisal Iqbal, are not as strong as the other Karachi side, with the only players with some international experience being Asim Kamal and Shadab Kabir.
The Zebras have also been hurt by the bans on ICL players with Hasan Raza and Mohammad Sami missing in action.
Faisalabad Wolves, captained by Misbah Ul Haq, under whom they won the first edition of the tournament and were the runners up of the 2nd have also been hit by the ICL bans.
They lose out on one of their most reliable batsmen in Naveed Latif and their attack bowler Shahid Nazir.
Despite that they still remain a relatively strong side with Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, and Samiullah Khan in the ranks along with one of the best 20-20 players in the world - their skipper Misbah.
Mohammad Yousuf, who has a point to prove despite saying he doesn't, will be captaining the Lahore Lions, which is another strong outfit with Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad, Wahab Riaz, and Junaid Zia in the line up.
They will be missing Abdul Razzak due to the ICL ban, but remain a strong team despite that.
The Lahore Eagles, on the other hand, have been hurt quite badly due to the ICL bans. Openers Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar along with keeper Humayun Farhat will be missing from action.
The Eagles don't have any international experience on their side and will be reliant on Azhar Ali, who was one of the leading scorers of the last domestic season.
Multan Tigers will be captained by Abdur Rauf, the pacer who has played a few ODIs. The only other international is Kamran Hussain, the allrounder who played a few ODIs against Zimbabwe earlier this year.
The Rawal Pindi Rams will be led by experienced domestic campaigner Naved Ashraf.
The Rams look stronger than they have in previous years particularly on the bowling front with their line up including the IPL Bowler of the tournament, Sohail Tanvir, along with Yasir Arafat, and the U19 left armer Mohammad Aamer who has been praised highly by Wasim Akram.
Islamabad Leopards have been boosted with the inclusion of Shoaib Akhtar after the usual PCB confusion over selection matters, however how many matches he will play is anybodys guess.
The Leopards' side also includes U19 skipper Imad Wasim and promising U19 stars Raheel Majeed and Afaq Rahim. Bazid Khan, who was one of the leading run scorers in the last domestic season adds to the Leaopards' strength.
The Peshawar Panthers have always been a strong side with a number of international players in their ranks, however they have never lived up to their expectations on the domestic circuit.
Umar Gul was announced to captain them, however with the indecisive Younis Khan confirming his availability the captaincy might land in his laps.
Along with these 2 the Panthers side also includes Yasir Hameed, Fazl-e-Akbar, Wajahatullah Wasti and leading domestic players Rafatullah Mohmand and Jannisar Khan.
The Abbottabad Rhinos, Quetta Bears, and Hyderabad Hawks are the relatively weaker sides in the competition with no international experience to boast of.
The 13 teams have been placed in 4 pools:
Group A: Wolves, Rhinos, Eagles, Dolphins ---> the fish will devour up the wild ones.
Group B: Zebras, Stallions, Hawks ---> what are the birds doing between the horses?
Group C: Leapards, Panthers, Tigers ---> all the cats in one!
Group D: Lions, Bears, Rams ---> poor rams left to be eaten.
The group games will be played between October 4th and 6th, with the winners of each group making it to the semi finals, to be played on the 7th. The final will be on 8th October.
The bans placed on the ICL players have depleted a number of teams in this tournament.
I think the absence of players like Razak, Imran Nazir, Taufeed Umar, Naveed Latif, Imran Farhat, Humayun Farhat, Riaz Afridi, Shahid Nazir, Mohammad Sami, Hasan Raza will take the shine off the tournament to some extent.
All these players are big names on the domestic circuit and have done exceptionally well at the 20-20 level in the past.
Without them the annual 20-20 tournament doesn't remain the star studded affair that it used to be.
On the bright side though, it does bring some cricket back to Pakistan.
The fans have always thronged to the stadiums during these 20-20 tournaments and I would expect the same this time round, particularly with all the internationals confirming their availability.
On top, the stakes are higher this time - the champions get to play the best 20-20 teams from the world in the inaugral 20-20 Champions League in December.
The action starts on the 4th - We'll keep you updated.
Why Not Pakistan?
So despite a series of bombings in Delhi, the Aussies have decided that India is a safe place to travel to and they are going ahead with the tour.
Great news for India, great news for cricket, but bad news for Australia.
Why?
Because Pakistan is going to sue your behind!
The lack of international cricket involving Pakistan has frustrated me no end.
It frustrates me further that a reason that has stopped Australia from coming to Pakistan for over a decade now holds no significance when it comes to touring India.
Why? Is it the entertainment that India's night life provides that is lacking in Pakistan? Or is it the astronomical sums of money attached with cricket in India?
With Micheal Clarke apparently rooting for a ban on drinking in the team, I believe it is definitely the latter.
Thats double standards right in our face and Australia is the culprit!
Worse part is, I or you or no one else can or will do anything about it.
Don't get me wrong. I am as excited about an Australia vs India test series as any of you and I never wanted the series to be cancelled or postponed because of bombings.
But its frustrating to see the Australians treat Pakistan this way.
A few days back Virender Sehwag said "Delhi is not like Pakistan. For us it is back to normal routine today. There is no place in the world that is completely safe, not even the US. I think the Aussies should tour India”
Well Veeru you know what? 20 million souls in Karachi wake up every morning and go about their daily routine without thinking about the bomb that went of the night before!
How does that make it any different from Delhi?
Offices, colleges, schools, markets, homes, every institution continues to operate the way it did the day before despite a bombing, even the kind that kills a political leader!
So how does this make Delhi any safer than Karachi?
If Veeru's logic of no place in the world being safe is being applied to India, then why not Pakistan?
Tell me Australia, why not Pakistan?
Great news for India, great news for cricket, but bad news for Australia.
Why?
Because Pakistan is going to sue your behind!
The lack of international cricket involving Pakistan has frustrated me no end.
It frustrates me further that a reason that has stopped Australia from coming to Pakistan for over a decade now holds no significance when it comes to touring India.
Why? Is it the entertainment that India's night life provides that is lacking in Pakistan? Or is it the astronomical sums of money attached with cricket in India?
With Micheal Clarke apparently rooting for a ban on drinking in the team, I believe it is definitely the latter.
Thats double standards right in our face and Australia is the culprit!
Worse part is, I or you or no one else can or will do anything about it.
Don't get me wrong. I am as excited about an Australia vs India test series as any of you and I never wanted the series to be cancelled or postponed because of bombings.
But its frustrating to see the Australians treat Pakistan this way.
A few days back Virender Sehwag said "Delhi is not like Pakistan. For us it is back to normal routine today. There is no place in the world that is completely safe, not even the US. I think the Aussies should tour India”
Well Veeru you know what? 20 million souls in Karachi wake up every morning and go about their daily routine without thinking about the bomb that went of the night before!
How does that make it any different from Delhi?
Offices, colleges, schools, markets, homes, every institution continues to operate the way it did the day before despite a bombing, even the kind that kills a political leader!
So how does this make Delhi any safer than Karachi?
If Veeru's logic of no place in the world being safe is being applied to India, then why not Pakistan?
Tell me Australia, why not Pakistan?
Exodus to ICL
Oh boy, this makes things really interesting:
I really don't blame them. They see so many players making a lot of money and enjoying themselves while playing in the IPL. So why should they be left out? Next best thing: the ICL.
Until the ICC gets its act together and recognizes the ICL as a legitimate league, there are going to be more defections. These defections will hurt the ICC a lot since they have invested so much into Bangladesh as a model developing country. As for the Bangladesh supporters, I think they may enjoy seeing a more competitive Dhaka Warriors team rather than watching their national team get consistently outclassed.
The ICC really needs to figure things out. National commitment is in danger of being completely sidelined in favor of league cricket. If that's what the market demands, then that's what's going to happen. But the ICC's stupidity is a huge contributor to the decreasing interest in national cricket as well.
I have stated before that it's a good time to set up a competing official cricket board. And I hope it happens. ICL should actually start holding ODIs and Tests as well.
Competition is good; someone should challenge the ICC's stranglehold.
Six leading Bangladesh players - Habibul Bashar, Aftab Ahmed, Shahriar Nafees, Farhad Reza, Dhiman Ghosh and Mosharraf Hossain - have informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board they intend to retire from international and domestic cricket. The news, announced by the BCB, follows a report in the Bangladesh daily Prothom Alo which said 14 players, including the six mentioned above, were set to join the Indian Cricket League. [LINK]
I really don't blame them. They see so many players making a lot of money and enjoying themselves while playing in the IPL. So why should they be left out? Next best thing: the ICL.
Until the ICC gets its act together and recognizes the ICL as a legitimate league, there are going to be more defections. These defections will hurt the ICC a lot since they have invested so much into Bangladesh as a model developing country. As for the Bangladesh supporters, I think they may enjoy seeing a more competitive Dhaka Warriors team rather than watching their national team get consistently outclassed.
The ICC really needs to figure things out. National commitment is in danger of being completely sidelined in favor of league cricket. If that's what the market demands, then that's what's going to happen. But the ICC's stupidity is a huge contributor to the decreasing interest in national cricket as well.
I have stated before that it's a good time to set up a competing official cricket board. And I hope it happens. ICL should actually start holding ODIs and Tests as well.
Competition is good; someone should challenge the ICC's stranglehold.
One More to the JRod!
His petition landed David Hussey a position in Australia's ODI team.
This morning his favourite Victorian, Bryce McGain, was announced in Australia's 15 man squad for India.
Uncle J Rod of Cricket with Balls has been going on about Bryce McGain for a year now, which is as long as Cricket with Balls has been up on air.
And finally a year later Cricket Australia selectors have bowed down to his demands.
I'm sure Uncle J is over the moon over McGain's selection and we at Well Pitched are happy for him and for McGain and also at the prospect of seeing yet another leg spinner from Victoria.
If McGain is even half as exciting as the last Victorian leg spinner to play test cricket, it'll make the Australia v India test series even more interesting than it already is.
Its a shame that Symonds isn't going as it would have been quite a watch to see the Indian public take a dig at him.
Nonethless it should be one entertaining test series. Can't wait for some cricket to start.
This morning his favourite Victorian, Bryce McGain, was announced in Australia's 15 man squad for India.
Uncle J Rod of Cricket with Balls has been going on about Bryce McGain for a year now, which is as long as Cricket with Balls has been up on air.
And finally a year later Cricket Australia selectors have bowed down to his demands.
I'm sure Uncle J is over the moon over McGain's selection and we at Well Pitched are happy for him and for McGain and also at the prospect of seeing yet another leg spinner from Victoria.
If McGain is even half as exciting as the last Victorian leg spinner to play test cricket, it'll make the Australia v India test series even more interesting than it already is.
Its a shame that Symonds isn't going as it would have been quite a watch to see the Indian public take a dig at him.
Nonethless it should be one entertaining test series. Can't wait for some cricket to start.
ICC's Not Biased, Just Plain Stupid!
The first cricket related news I heard as soon as I got back was that the ICC awards were being held in Dubai and I was asked if I was attending them.
I read somewhere that Misbah Ul Haq should have atleast been nominated in the Twenty20 award category and that the ICC has been biased and unjust for not even considerng him for a nomination.
The awards happened last night and I still don't know where they were held, who was invited, and whether there were tickets available for it or not.
So nope I did not attend them nor did I know how to.
But the awards took place and the ICC gave away a few honours to some deserving men.
When I was going through the nominations a couple of days back I read a category that said "Twenty20 International Performance of the Year".
I wondered why the awards were being given to a "Cricketer of the Year", a "Test Player of the Year", an "ODI Player of the Year" but not to a "Twenty20 Player of the Year".
Hell they even gave awards to an Associate Player and a Women's Player but there wasn't one for a Twenty20 Player.
Why?
Does it make sense to give a cricketing award for one single performance and that too for a performance in a match that spans for 20 overs a side. And moreover, for a performance that was achieved in a mere 6 deliveries?
Definitely Yuvraj Singh deserves accolades for those 6 sixes but an ICC Award? Really? Wasn't he Ferrari he got from some BCCI official enough?
It would have definitely made more sense to have given an award to a "Twenty20 Player of the Year".
I read somewhere that Misbah Ul Haq should have atleast been nominated in the Twenty20 award category and that the ICC has been biased and unjust for not even considerng him for a nomination.I've heard the same arguement from a number of colleagues and friends over the last 2 days as well.
I don't think the ICC were biased since the award was not for a "Twenty20 Player of the Year" but for a single performance in a Twenty20 match.
Misbah has had an outstanding year as a Twenty20 player since making his debut in last year's Twenty20 World Cup. He is currently the 3rd highest run scorer in Twenty20 cricket, he has the highest average in that form of cricket, he was definitely the best batsman in the World Cup last year, and he has actually shown the world how Twenty20 should be played.
But what he didn't have was a single exceptional performance like Chris Gayle's 100 or Yuvraj's 6 sixes that would have got him a nomination in the pointless category of "Twenty20 International Performance of the Year".
So no I don't think the ICC were biased, nor were they unjust, they were just plain stupid like they always have been.
The Return...
Bloggers, readers, commenters, everyone I am back. Actually I've been back for 5 days now but settling down and getting my bearings back after over a month in the USA has been tougher than I thought.
I loved every bit of the USA but the only thing that was missing was cricket! There wasn't enough of it.
Well actually even if there was I wasn't really following it. I kept getting some news here and there about South African winning a test series in England finally, Mendis and the Lankans whooping India's behind, Sachin not getting to the world record, England's captains resigning one after the other, Shoaib Akhtar in the Champions Trophy squad (the tournament that never happened), disappearance of Asif from the scene, Pietersen being compared to a few of the King Henrys, and Micheal Clarke trying to take control of cricket's super power!
Plenty happened while I was away and I'm sure its been all well covered by the cricket blogosphere, which I still have to catch up on.
Will be doing that soon.
Its good to be back!
I loved every bit of the USA but the only thing that was missing was cricket! There wasn't enough of it.
Well actually even if there was I wasn't really following it. I kept getting some news here and there about South African winning a test series in England finally, Mendis and the Lankans whooping India's behind, Sachin not getting to the world record, England's captains resigning one after the other, Shoaib Akhtar in the Champions Trophy squad (the tournament that never happened), disappearance of Asif from the scene, Pietersen being compared to a few of the King Henrys, and Micheal Clarke trying to take control of cricket's super power!
Plenty happened while I was away and I'm sure its been all well covered by the cricket blogosphere, which I still have to catch up on.
Will be doing that soon.
Its good to be back!
More Nails in the Coffin
Here's the schedule for next year's Champions League:
I think this significant for two reasons. First, ICC had postponed the Champions Trophy to Oct 2009, still to be held in Pakistan. The scheduling of the Champions League basically shows that there is very little faith in Pakistan hosting the tournament. Unless ICC comes back with a strong statement criticizing the schedule, assume that the 2008 Champions Trophy is canceled. You can also assume that Pakistan won't be hosting any non-Asian teams anytime soon.
Second, it's also an indication of the worthlessness of the Champions Trophy as a tournament. In the wake of a Twenty20 world, it seems to be the ugly duckling of events.
My suggestion: cancel the 2008/09 version, and stick with the 2010 version in the Caribbean - if only to redeem themselves for a sub-par World Cup (btw, I assign very little blame to the Windies for the failure of the WC - the ICC was the biggest culprit). After 2010, let the tournament fade into obscurity. No one will care.
I'm not sure why countries can't organize more meaningful tri or quad series, rather than large tournaments which almost always don't live up to expectations.
BTW, interesting fact, Pakistan will end up not playing a single Test in 2008! Incredible!
The second Champions Twenty20 League will take place next year between September 25 and October 11, and will feature 12 teams, four more than the first edition to be held between December 3-10, 2008.
I think this significant for two reasons. First, ICC had postponed the Champions Trophy to Oct 2009, still to be held in Pakistan. The scheduling of the Champions League basically shows that there is very little faith in Pakistan hosting the tournament. Unless ICC comes back with a strong statement criticizing the schedule, assume that the 2008 Champions Trophy is canceled. You can also assume that Pakistan won't be hosting any non-Asian teams anytime soon.
Second, it's also an indication of the worthlessness of the Champions Trophy as a tournament. In the wake of a Twenty20 world, it seems to be the ugly duckling of events.
My suggestion: cancel the 2008/09 version, and stick with the 2010 version in the Caribbean - if only to redeem themselves for a sub-par World Cup (btw, I assign very little blame to the Windies for the failure of the WC - the ICC was the biggest culprit). After 2010, let the tournament fade into obscurity. No one will care.
I'm not sure why countries can't organize more meaningful tri or quad series, rather than large tournaments which almost always don't live up to expectations.
BTW, interesting fact, Pakistan will end up not playing a single Test in 2008! Incredible!
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