20.12.05

Cricket: Visitors Struggle.

I wonder whats with the team touring abroad and key players being facing injury. It has been a bane for all touring team. I do not remember many intriguing cricket tours without a player being a part of injury list. Is there no health check up before the teams are about to leave their shores or is it due to stress and strains of the long demanding tours. This continues to be a mystery to me.
Another mystery is the poor umpiring done in Australia. They have not lost a home series since 1992 it is a long time. However, I think the umpiring is dubious there no matter who is the umpire. I know ICC has placed neutral umpires i.e. the umpires don’t belong to any of the countries who are contesting the test match.
I mean I know what I am writing. I would like to site a few examples as well; remember Sachin Tendulkar being “elbowed before wicket” in a series down under in 1997-98 India’s Australian tour. In the last tour, in last test held at Sydney, Australia managed a draw courtesy umpires who thought there was nothing as LBW as Agarkar continued to beat Langer and wrap him on his pads but nothing happened. Langer hit a century and Australia drew the series.
Billy Doctrove helped Australia by declaring a legitimate delivery good enough to claim Ponting’s wicket declared a no ball. The South Africans are struggling with an uphill task of saving the test match or scoring 500 hundred runs. They will do well to save the test Match. McGrath, Warne and Lee are good enough to ensure a win at the W.A.C.A. Perth. South Africans will do well to ensure a draw. It is highly improbable. It is amazing how the close calls, which might go anywhere often, go through to Aussies when they are playing at home.
Amazing.
But never the less Aussies are a superlative cricket team and worthy of their success.
The Sri Lankan’s to have their fair share of injuries. Chaminda Vaas being compelled to sit out due to injury so also Fenando. Murali is also struggling due to some sort on injury in his thigh. There is little Attapattu can do as a captain. The two Lankan players, which I noticed in this test match, are Jehan Mubark and Parvez Mahroof. I think they are very talented. Mubark is a very good fielder and Mahroof is a very miser bowler with a decent pace and a very good control over his bowling. They are good prospect for Lanka. I wasn’t impressed with Sangakara being promoted in the batting order.
I think Jaywardene has a penchant for Indian bowling and plays spin and pace well. I think he should have bought up the order and Sangakara being a good batsman with an appreciable record could provide a much-required rigidity to the middle order. I don’t like Indiatimes much because it shows up most bizarre cricket news, which any one is likely to hear. I remember couple of fortnight ago was reading an article about how Laxman and Harbhajan are likely to face an axe. Today it posted an article that they have slapped critics on their face. I agree that they have slapped the critics on their face but I am curious to know if the face belongs to Indiatimes. I am beginning to wary of experimentation going on in Indian cricket. I hope it is not making cricketers being insecure of their places in the team. I hope all is well ends well.
In the end, it is about England. They are struggling both due poor form and marred by injury worries. I hope to see a better-prepared team before they come to India in February.

No comments: