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.

England on Top

Not only did they win the test series against New Zealand, one from England also displaced me from the top position in Sportsfreak's tipping competition.

King Cricket is now at number 1 on the leaderboard and I have to take off my orange cap that I had been proudly wearing for the last 2 weeks.

I have a chance to get it back when Sportsfreak adds on the series tips, but I think my tipping form has slipped.

Typical Pakistani - start with a bang, end with a whimper! Though I'm holding on to the 2nd position currently, I could drop lower. (Need for some bonus points Sportsfreak).

Well I guess since they have been in the Wisden and all and England have won the test series, its only apt that King Cricket sits on top of the leaderboard.

At number 3, there is another Englishman - The Suave one from Republique Cricket. England have reclaimed the number 3 spot in the test rankings and Suave has done the same jumping up from number 5, where he stood after the 2nd test.

Sportsfreak, who is running the competition and at the same time has claimed to "blatant and careful rigging" is at number 4, dropping a spot from the previous tips.

The first Australian, in the form of Miss Field, makes an appearance at number 5 on the leaderboard. Its strange seeing anything Australian so far down a cricket leaderboard, particularly more so when those above are from England, New Zealand, and Pakistan.

The Silly Point, who was sitting pretty at number 2 at the end of the 1st test has dropped to number 6 at the end of the series. He is followed by Moses from Beer and Sport at number 7 and Martyd from Cricket Action and Art at number 8.

The bottom 4 on the board are equal on points with Cricket with Balls, Sports Review, and Ben & Mike from Mike on Cricket completing the leaderboard.

The fact that Cricket with Balls ended last on the leaderboard goes to show that there is no correlation between tipping and cricket blogging.

Sportsfreak promises more excitement with tipping competitions for the upcoming 20-20 game as well as the following ODIs.

Hopefully the Kiwis will do better in the ODIs and the 20-20 game.

Actually, definitely they will do better.

Q's Lucky Days !!!

Its not usual for me to be leading in a competition. Any kind of competition.

I haven't won any of the super selector games run by ESPN.

I have never won any of the fantasy cricket games on Cricinfo or Cricketweb or Dreamcricket.

I have never won the lottery.

I have never won any kind of quiz contest.

I have never won the 1st prize for doing a crossword right because the winners are picked by draws.

And I surely haven't won any prizes in any of the thousands of draws that these shopping malls around Dubai have.

Which is why when I saw this, I kind of jumped out of my seat.

Global Competitions

Position	Total Points	Competition Name	Team Name	Modifications Left
1/977	638	Northern Hemisphere Tests Start	Don Q's Northern Sub Unit	4

This is cricketweb's fantasy competition for the tests between England and New Zealand and Australia and the West Indies.

And I am in 1st position currently out of 977 fantasy cricket players.

How fun!

Its a job half done since another 3 tests are left. But I will enjoy the moment of glory.

And that too after leading in Sportsfreak's tipping competition for bloggers.

Lucky Days definitely!

England 1, Australia 1, & the Orange Cap

England successfully chased 294 against Kiwis.

Australia successfully defended 286 against the Windies.

I was wrong.

But I was right about this - The 2009 Ashes are going to be very competitive!

And I was also right about England, Ross Taylor, Tim Ambrose, and Monty Panesar in Sportsfreak's tipping competition for bloggers.

As a result of which the Orange Cap remains with me for this week as well.

Thank you again Sportsfreak.

Thank you Daniel.

Thank you Andrew.

Thank you Ross.

Thank you Monty.

& Thank you fellow bloggers.

Strauss took the game away from the Kiwis, while the Windies blew their only chance of beating Australia at home.

I really doubt the Aussies will give the hosts another sniff.

It has been quite a come back for Andrew Strauss. His last few tests innings over 2 tests, all against the Kiwis at home and away, have produced 50+ scores. That includes 2 match winning centuries.

Vettori, for some odd reason, couldn't repeat his 1st innings heroics and allowed England to reach the score for the loss of only 4 wickets.

Sportsfreak tells me that Vettori isn't as effective in the 4th innings of matches. Thats quite surprising for a spinner.

The Windies batting line up folded in front of Stuart Clark and Co.

Those Glenn McGrath video tapes that Clark has been studying have proved to be quite helpful. A 5-for in the 2nd innings and 8 in the match for a man of the match performance.

He looks like a duck running up to bowl - I have no idea how he picks up all these wickets.

The Aussies will run away to a 3-0 victory now. They usually give the opposition a chance once in an entire series. If you miss that you can be sure of a handful mauling.

With Hayden and Clarke returning, its going to be tough for the Windies.

For the sake of my Orange Cap, I hope the Kiwis can turn the tables as I have predicted a 1-1 result for the series in the overall tipping competition.

Till then, I will march around cricket blogs wearing my Orange Cap.

Wearer of the Orange Cap

Last week I mentioned that one of the reasons to follow the 1st test between England and New Zealand was the tipping competition for bloggers that was being run by Sportsfreak, the New Zealand based Sports website.

Sportsfreak asked us 10 questions regarding the Lord's test on things like the result, who would win the toss, the highest run scorers, the man of the match, and so on.

The test ended in a rain hit draw, but Sportsfreak's tipping competiton didn't.

After Round 1, Well Pitched is proud to be on top of the Leader Board and the wearer of the Orange Cap.

We managed to predict correctly the first 2 questions - the result of the match and the session in which the match will end. And we also got a point for predicting McCullum's strike rate within 10 runs.

On top Sportsfreak was kind enough to give us a bonus point for active participation on his forum, which allowed Well Pitched to lead Silly Point and King Cricket by a single point.

Thank you Sportsfreak.

Thank you Bloggers.

Thank you New Zealand and England.

Thank you Rain Gods.

Thank you McCullum.

There wasn't much happening in the test apart from McCullum's run a ball 97 in the 1st innings and Oram's 101 in the 2nd.

Vaughan got a century too but he was very scratchy just like the rest of the English.

I was disappointed that Tim Southee didn't get any wickets, but hopefully that will change in the next few tests.

Till then, I shall proudly wear my Orange Cap.