An Impressive Debut

So, Cricket's much anticipated referral system got underway today in the first Test of the ongoing Sri Lanka - India series.

In summary...both the batsman and the captain of the fielding side are allowed to ask for a referral (aka challenge, review). Each team gets three unsuccessful challenges per innings (there is no limit on successful challenges). The third umpire looks at a few replays to determine whether there is enough to overturn the on-field umpire's decision. Use of Hawkeye or anything like that is not allowed (which is fine).

There were three referrals done today, with the second one a perfect example of why referrals are a great idea:

45.4: Harbhajan to Warnapura. LBW appeal turned down by on-field umpire. Kumble refers to third umpire, who agrees with on-field umpire's decision. Challenge was unsuccessful.

105.3: Zaheer to Dilshan. Dilshan given out caught behind. Dilshan challenges it. Third umpire overrules on-field umpire's decision! Challenge was successful.

119.1: Harbhajan to Dilshan. LBW appeal turned down by on-field umpire. Kumble refers to third umpire, who agrees with on-field umpire's decision. Challenge was unsuccessful.

Of course, there are innumerable pros which are fairly obvious. But I'll mention a couple of potential issues I see with this system...first, there is the time delay factor - how much will this referral system impact a sport that is already so pressed for time (yes, even five days aren't enough! ;-). Second, what is the time limit to challenge a decision? You want to avoid pavilion involvement, i.e. you don't want the supporting cast to see a replay and then signal accordingly to the on-field players. As long as a player decides to challenge within 10-15 seconds, it should be ok.

Overall though, a great idea, and a much-needed relief for players, umpires, and fans. This cricket fan, for one, is extremely excited. Let's hear it for Technology! And, we all take our shots at them all the time, so let's give them a rare moment of appreciation...kudos to you, ICC, for pressing on with this system despite less than welcoming attitudes from many in the cricketing world, and a failed trial in domestic cricket.

"Cricket, Texas-Style"

Here's a link to an article that appeared in Time magazine (in the US edition at least), about cricket and Allen Stanford. Nothing new really for someone familiar with the cricketing world, but still worth a quick read.

Too Much Cricket?

I am back to writing on the blog after some absence where life/work had just gotten too hectic for me and believe it or not cricket had taken a back seat:-)

I guess you are over the shock and disbelief of my statement if you are reading on. During this absence from the blog I began to wonder if there really is too much cricket played. I also decided to ask people here in California who come from cricket playing nations.

The unanimous feedback I got from everybody was that yes there is too much cricket played in the world and that they have lost interest in the sport. Why would somebody lose interest in this beautiful sport? Would it really be because of it being over played?

My conclusion is that even though I do feel that cricket needs to have more seasons - 9 months in the year cricket should be played and the other 3 months players should be given the chance to train, work on their fitness, etc. Much like the NBA, NFL, MLB work. However, I do not think this contributes to the general perception that interest in cricket is going down.

I do think the game needs to have a better committee that looks at rule changes. Every game needs to continue to evolve and in some other professional sports we have seen excellent rule changes that have improved the game. We have not seen the same in cricket and in fact in cricket we have seen some bizarre rule changes!

Just some food for thought - we all know that all of us are not the ones in trouble of losing interest in this beautiful sport.

Political Knockout

All facebook users out there go and add this new cricket game application on facebook called Political Knockout.

The game features various Pakistani politicians and you as the user select one politician and select another politician as your opponent. Each player/politician bats for an over and at the depending on how good the batting/bowling was the total votes for each candidate is computed.

The game is developed by a talented company based in Pakistan - tintash - two of the founders are in the US.

You can add Political Knockout bygoing to http://apps.facebook.com/politicalknockout

Have fun!

The Fighting Pathan

You gotta love what the Indians are doing in the 3rd test versus Australia. The visiting side has got the home side in a spot of bother at the end of the 3rd day of a very gripping 3rd test. Will the Indians end the Aussie winning streak at 16 just like they did back in 2001? Most of the cricketing world is hoping to see the invincible Aussies lose to make some in-roads to making the playing field somewhat even.

The spring in the Indian team really can be attributed to the inclusion of the talented all-rounder Irfan Pathan. It is mind boggling why he was not included in the first two tests. In my opinion he is one of the best all-rounders in the game today and he has proved it again in this test match.

Pathan's bowling has been spot on in this match - bowling aggressive and with a lot of variety. He was among the wickets in the first innings and has removed both the Australian openers in the 2nd innings to put India in a commanding position. But perhaps what really has put India in a commanding position at the end of day 3 is Pathan's gritty and fighting innings of 46 with all the batsmen around him falling. This really gave India the impetus to put up a sizeable lead and Laxman built on that and ensured that the visiting team put enough runs on the board to give their bowlers the marked advantage.

Pathan brings a lot of the intagibles that I was referring to in my last post. To add to that he is a really good bowler and a decent bat. Pathan should be an automatic selection in the Indian team in any form of the game!

Intangibles

I am back after a long absence - and it is good to be back. My life has just been extremely busy with work and nursing a back injury and then over the past month or so have just been more involved with other happenings in the world. I will stick to cricket on this blog as this is a cricket blog and besides it is good to be back and writing on cricket because cricket is important.
I am also an avid Basketball and NFL fan. I have been following the NFL playoffs over the last few weeks and that got me thinking on how in American sports the commentators, experts and analysts know and understand the game so much better than their cricket counterparts.
I am really tired of the cricket commentators stating the obvious; making comments that any of my casual female family cricket fans can make. I am tired of phrases like "the last thing they wanted at this stage was to lose a wicket" Can somebody please tell me when it is a good stage to lose a wicket? When will we stop hearing the experts say that the batting team should aim to get maximum runs without losing wickets and the bowling team should try and get wickets giving away a minimum amount of runs. Oh really? How many years of international cricket does one have to play to come to that realization?
We need experts, analysts and commentators who can point out how Inzimam used to keep maximum strike against Muralitharan, point out Steve Waugh's grit and determination in adverse situations where his 30/40 proved to be the difference in making his team win, etc. Some times it could just be something as subtle as a bowler setting up a wicket for his mate on the other by bowling a tight line. I would like to see a commentator praise the bowler bowling the line and length rather than giving all the credit always to the bowler taking the wicket. Similarly, sometimes it is a couple of shots that a batsman plays (not necessarily boundaries) that completely upsets an on form's bowler line and length. Now it would be something if we got the commentators and experts talking about that rather than how well a batsman scoring a century played, which honestly even my grandmother could tell all of us.

Writer's Block

My last write-up was about a very personal and memorable experience, one that I cherish. What to write next? The search for the topic of my follow-up post hasn't taken me anywhere. Problem being that I find it difficult to write about events that I don't feel passionate about.

There is a lot going on back in my country to be passionate about. The politics of the country are in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. We have a self-appointed ditator who continues to insult the intelligence of everybody. We have an indecisve (read opportunisitc) opposition leader who recently returned to the country from a self-imposed exile, and can't seem to decide one way or the other about the position that she wants to take. We have a hand-cuffed judiciary that is not only propagating it's bias, but also shamelessly disregarding the very code that it's supposed to protect. We have a resistence movement - primarily championed by lawyers, activists and students - fighting for the core social and political freedom that we as a nation must have. So there is a lot that I want to write about as far as politics and society are concerned.

I was told that I can't use this platform to discuss my politics.

With the current hot-topic taken out of the equation, I was left scratching my head again. Did I mention I am a film enthusiast? I recently spent 2 weeks of doing nothing but watching good old cinema at London Film Festival. Some of the movies that I watched were pretty amazing, some that I didn't really get, and some that I ddn't like. I saw Amitabh Bachchan in flesh and blood. I sat through the talks by Sean Penn, Wes Anderson and David Lynch. I marked out when Naomi Watts, Halle Berry, and Sienna Miller walked the red carpet. "No Country for Old Men" is one film that I'll remember for some time. The whole experience was very heart-warming. More recently, I was pleasantly caught up in the frenzy generated by Om Shanti Om and Saawariya. Shahrukh premiered his film in London, I couldn't go but did manage to watch the movie. It was a trip - no story to speak about, but thoroughly entertaining. So I could speak about my love for cinema. But that too was shot down.

"It's a cricketing blog!" - Q/Obiad frustrated.

Of course there is a test series going on between the neighbourly rivals - it can't get any bigger than India v. Pakistan! Australia just dominated another team. New Zealand appears to be spiralling down and trying very hard to catch up with West Indies in the race to the wrong end. England are in Sri Lanka. T20. ICL v. IPL. There is enough cricketing material to sink my teeth in, and come up with a readable article. Yet I can't feel strongly about anything related to the game.

"Blasphemous!" - Cricket-lovers screamed.

The writers on this blog are covering the on-going cricket matches much better than I can ever do. The debate is both healthy and intersting on various topics. Q will soon replace statsguru search on cricinfo. Obaid is thinking out of the box to take the game forward. Nazhar brings the balanced view. Jeff is supposed to generate controversy. A new blogger is supposed to start who is known for his passion. What am I doing here?

"Traitor!" - WP's bloggers united.

This got me thinking. What is it that I love about the sport?

Is it the nationalism that makes a fascinating watch? May be - sometimes I enjoy a county match better than another Aussie domination.
Is it our collective fascination with the under-dog? May be - Pakistan's 92 triumph is a prime example. So is Windies win written by Ian Bradshaw.
Is it the competitiveness of the game? May be - the Ashes in 2005.
Or a combination of all of the above? Probably - the T20 World Cup final combined nationalistic compettiveness for 2 underdogs, that culminated in one cracking game.

"Bullsh*t!" - Somebody mumbled in my head.
"Back to drawing board" - I reasoned.

My philosophy about football and cricket are poles apart. I support Arsenal. There are no superstars in the team. But they play the most beautiful football in the country. Yet, Aussies domination is becoming a never-ending yawn for me. They have the stars. They have the method. They play the best cricket. Yet, I do not enjoy them as a team. It's too monotonous for me.

Realisation dawned. I love the moments.

Wasim's unplayables in 92 final. Inzy's greatest "century that was not" in South Africa. Afridi's century off 37 balls. Lara's 400. Ponting's decimation of Indian attack in 2003 final. Warne's 700th. Dravid's class. Sachin's brilliance. Waqar's toe-crushers. Akhtar's spread-eagled celebrations. Yuvraj's 36 off the over. Yousuf's grand run with the bat last year. KP's arrogance. Steve Waugh's never-say-die attitude. Miandad's 6 of Chetan Sharma. I love them all, and more. Nationalism, competitiveness, glory to the under-dog - everything else is a bonus.

A Sachin or a Lara or a Warne can hook me to TV for 5 days irrespective of their nationality. I'd be delayed from work if Akhtar is on song even if against Zimbabwe. I'd wake up in the night in anticipation of Murali overtaking Warne's record. I'd look forward to Jayawardane & Sangakarra's class in England series. I'd look forward to Yousuf batting in Ind-Pak matches. I'd look forward to Dravid's redemption in the series. I'd look forward to Tendulkar giving a masterclass about how to enjoy batting. I'd look forward to Dhoni's exuberance. Heck, I'd even look forward to Sreesanth's ridiculous madness.

Yes - I cherish the moments. I love the game. Not for the team, but in anticipation of a spark of individual brilliance. Sometimes ...

"It's a team sport DAMMIT!"

Google for Cricket?

I received this in a forwarded email by a friend. I have no idea what it implies. The email mentioned nothing and just included this picture as an attachment. What do you think it is? Just a random logo or a customized search for cricket news and stats by Google? It will be quite something if its the latter. Some competition for Cricingo statsguru and HowSTAT.

Google may need to change the red ball to pink though, if the pink trials are successful.

Speaking of pink balls, another freind of mine, who is looking forward to pink balls being introduced, drew some graffiti on facebook for me. Although it will be the white that will be replaced, if at all, she thinks the red will go away as well.

Cricket - Play Your Best Team

Pakistan cricket has long been a victim of different agendas being in the forefront of our selection, preparation and in the end our performance in various series and tours. The latest and really one that has hampered our progress in the cricketing world since the disasterous '99 World Cup final is 'preparing for the next World Cup'.

After every World Cup we begin planning and preparing for the next World Cup and the PCB is completely obsessed with this planning and preparation (not sure what exactly they do as far as preparing and planning because really they have no results to fall back on). Usually what this planning and preparing for cricket's biggest event entails is enthrusting 'young blood' in our team and historically calling for an end to some of the greatest cricketers - most recent example being that of Inzi.

What this does result is in lack of consistency in our team, no rhythm and no chance of any team synergy or spirit to develop. Players are brought in for one or two matches and then dropped and other players, always the youngsters, are given a chance and then dropped after a few failings. This miserable cycle is repeated until the World Cup when we suddenly realize that all these youngsters we had been trying for 4 years really do not stand up to the task and then we enthrust our senior players and try to field the best players in our line up. We saw this with Saeed Anwar in the 2003 WC and most recently with Azhar Mahmood in the 2007 WC.

This strategy, I hate to use this word but for lack of finding any suitable alternative will resign myself to using it, always fails. This strategy is so flawed and is really the sole and primary reason for our poor outtings in the last two WCs.

Winning is a habit and a good one to have generally in most things in life, but definitely a must to have in the sporting world. The best and most guaranteed way of winning is to play your best side in every match; and I mean every match! We can take a leaf from Australia's page on this one and really learn that lesson. If we play our best available players in every match, we will automatically be ready for the next WC. If nothing else I hope our new Australian coach can instill that in our board and team; why does my gut tell me the board will not listen!

Pakistan 3-2 tomorrow?

A pity for the Karachi fans with the ODI being shifted to Lahore but a fitting finale to the ODI series. Pakistan have never won an ODI series against South Africa losing 4-1 in SA in 2002, 3-2 in Pakistan in 2003, and 3-1 in SA earlier this year. However, they have the best opportunity to turn the tables over tomorrow.

With Shoaib Akhtar making an expected return to the ODI side after over a year, Pakistan's bowling will have a much stronger look to it. Asif and Gul have done exceptionally well in his absence but I have always maintained that Shoaib's pace has the ability to topple over the best of batting line ups in a matter of overs. Only if he can stay disciplined and not feel above the game. Hopefully a 2-year probationary period will do him and Pakistan some good as I believe he can still do a lot for Pakistan for the next 2-3 years provided he stays fit and mentally stable.

Cricinfo is reporting that Pakistan are set to move back to Imran Nazir and Kamran Akmal as openers with Yasir Hameed facing the axe. Why these musical chairs? Yasir Hameed fails in 2 games and they move back to Imran Nazir who has been constantly failing forever. In my previous post (below) I mentioned that people will scream for his neck if Hameed doesn't do well in the next 2 games and thats exactly what has happened. He deserves a decent run at the top of the order. He has performed before and can be a better opener than any that Pakistan have at their disposal these days.

Nevertheless, the match tomorrow has the potential to be a cracker. Both teams have shown their brilliance throughout this series and its only fitting that the 5th game is a decider rather than a dead game. My money's on Pakistan, and its not an emotional wager - I have been predicting a 3-2 victory since before the series began and I feel the team will be charged up tomorrow to wrap up the series and move on to India on a high.