The Spectator

The success of World Cup 2015 has fostered the resurgence of the 50-overs format in addition to the World Cup of 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013 in the recent years. The tournament was decorated with sparkling batting knocks, dominative bowling spells, low-scoring thrillers, a tantalising semi-final and the top teams showcasing their A-game, albeit in patches. The quadrennial event often signifies different things to different players and teams, and the performances therein provide basis to project the progress of the format till the succeeding edition. Likewise, the big talking point rendered during this edition of the marquee competition is the growing clout of bat in a contest between wood and leather! Many expected the bloom of T20 cricket to drastically alter the way 50-over cricket would be played, if not make it redundant completely. While it would be an interesting analytical breakdown in understanding the contribution of shortest format of the game in recent years,...

An individual double hundred, a 7-for, a 400+ team total, associate teams rising on the big stage and passionately followed rivalries; the first fortnight of the World Cup of 2015 has probably had it all, and quite emphatically! New Zealand (expectedly) and India have maintained a clean slate, South Africa is getting into its groove gradually, Australia’s engine has had a cold start but assuring a better second half,  West Indies has been characteristically mercurial and although Sri Lanka appeared wobbly at the beginning, expect them to smoothen given their big tournament reputation. Pakistan is yet to open its account and alongwith England they are placed gingerly in respective tables owing to lower ranked teams pushing hard for a quarter-final berth. The obvious quarter-final line-ups of the WC previews don’t seem all that straightforward any longer! Cricket is supposed to be a batsmen’s game and in the limited-overs formats even more, yet we have had 12 spells claiming 4(...

The buzz around the quadrennial carnival is quietly building-up. Teams are busy figuring out respective preferred elevens, legends of the past are sharing their success mantra, analysts are forecasting possible winners and fans are engaging in all such peripheral activities. One such routine exercise is evoking memories from the past to form an all-time great World Cup XI side; and after an edition concludes, the best players are drafted into a dream team of performers from the particular world cup. How about enlisting a pre-tournament set of players who have stood out after the conclusion of the World Cup of 2011 as a crude summary of the names to watch out for over the next couple of months?

The current edition of the Border-Gavaskar trophy has associated adjectives like lively, newsy and enthralling more comfortably than its preceding one. For academic purposes the tussle has been settled before the final round and yet there is keenness in the build-up to the Sydney test. Two tests have gone down to the last session, there are physically spent bowlers with 100+ overs in 6 innings and skippers at either end have led respective batting units with vigilant, consistent knocks. Sparks have flown, tense confrontations have occupied match day reviews but on-field performances have managed to adhere onto memory chords, in the manner they should. Quietly certain players with under-performing report cards have slipped under the radar amid the noticeable concoction surrounding them. Surprisingly a certain Cheteshwar Pujara features among those who haven’t lived up to their repute. He is fidgety at the crease, slightly unsure about his off-stump, the ball is striking the bat il...

They say make hay while the sun shines. It was a sunny day dispersed with a tinge of white cloud. On a slightly clearer setting 11 years ago a homogeneous association scripted one of its many fabled narratives. The day began after a briefly promising spell of resistance at the end of the preceding one. Two previous contests were lost, the venue wasn’t conquered in 33 years and a mountain was to be confronted. History rebutted any of this materializing, the critics wouldn’t denounce individuals if it wasn’t accomplished and it was a bit cosmetic to foresee that happening. As the shadows lengthened across the carpet, the summit wasn’t scaled wholly but a subtle reference to that event of the past could be ascertained. It wasn’t as serene as the legend of Adelaide and probably not as monumental. It was imperfect, it was brittle at times, it was twitchy but it managed to compose a story for the ages, comprehensively. The craft of scoring runs wasn’t too dissimilar but the abrasive ou...

Test cricket in 2014 has been a tough ride for the Indian team, both in terms of the results and the quality of contests. Although only 1 win has been registered in the 7 matches on 2 away tours, there have been a few instances of opportunities which upon conversion could have changed the success percentage a bit. Yes it was the lack of penetrative bowling on such days, but being a batting strong side the chances themselves were created by the big totals on the board. In 14 innings the team managed to notch up 290-plus totals on 7 occasions, and when that happened in the same match, India didn’t lose. The direct correlation of under-performance with the bat to the 0-8 score-line in 2011-12 is well established and so is the one about sturdy batting efforts aiding you in drawing matches. While away success is the ultimate objective of any test side, drawing is probably the next best result for a team in the transitional phase. The 3 rd away test tour of the year is about to commen...

The buzz around the upcoming Australian leg of the Border-Gavaskar trophy is quietly building up, unlike its pompous usual self. Dhoni is absent in the initial phase, Clarke’s participation is unclear and the forthcoming 50-over World Cup is taking some sheen off this marquee test series. India is currently retaining the celebrated bilateral trophy, but barring the 2003-04 series India has not managed to hold onto its possession after a trip Down Under since the incarnation of this prize! Both teams are coming off excellent ODI form and many expect the contest on this occasion to break the uncanny pattern of whitewashes from the last 3 encounters. The recent form guide (last 5 tests) viz. India: DWLLL, Australia: WLWLL, doesn’t speak of domination in either case and margins for wins & losses have been massive for both teams. To some extent, India & Australia are within a transitional phase; Australia probably wears a more settled look, which is visible in the success perc...