Bobji, Author at Cricket Critique

Shane Warne and fixing allegations

Posted on 14 January 202414 January 2024 by Bobji

Shane starts this chapter with his love for poker. Back in 1994, he went to a casino in Sri Lanka where he lost 5000 AUD. He later joined Mark Waugh who was sitting with another man called John. That fellow persuaded Warne to take 5 grand from him because he told him that he liked how Warne played the game. The words match-fixing and spot-fixing weren’t in vogue at that point. The matter ended there. He called Warne again during the home series against the West Indies and congratulated him on being back in the team. John also asked about the overcast conditions, pitch etc., and the conversation ended. Atleast, Warne thought that the matter ended there. Shane Warne and fixing allegations.

While on a tour of New Zealand, Ian McDonald took Warne aside and asked him about the bookmaker called John. Warne told him about the conversations he had with him and also the fact that he took 5 grand for having lost 5 grand at the casino. A few weeks later, on the way to West Indies, Bob Simpson and Jack Edwards again asked Warne about the Sri Lankan bookmaker. Warne was adamant that he did nothing wrong and that it was a harmless conversation but Jack told him that this was bad. John bets on cricket and that there would be repercussions.

Now, Warne began to feel somewhat nervous. Jack told Warne that the ACB would fine Mark Waugh 10K AUD and Warne 8K AUD. He also guaranteed that it would be done internally and that the fines wouldn’t be made public. At the sametime, Warne told Jack about another instance.

Salim Malik and fixing

This time, it was in Pakistan and by Salim Malik. Back in 1994, during a Test in Karachi, Salim Malik asked Warne to come to his room for a short discussion. As soon as Warne went to his room, Malik told Warne that Pakistan could not lose that game because there would be riots on the streets. He offered 200K each for Warne and Tim May and told him to bowl wide outside the offstump so that the game would be a draw. Hearing this, Warne was stunned and naturally, refused to accept.

He went to his room and informed May. Together they informed Simpson and the captain Mark Taylor. They were stunned but didn’t consider the possibility of Australia not winning the game. The next day, with all the 3 results being possible, Australia got 9 wickets with little over 50. Inzamam was given not out repeatedly and eventually, Pakistan scraped through.

The game was tense but later on, Salim Malik was banned for life for match-fixing. In 1998, Graham Halbish, the CEO of Cricket Australia called Warne and told him that the ACB would have to make public the fine that Waugh and Warne were charged in 1994 because match-fixing became increasingly an issue and that ACB did not want to hide anything. The next morning, The Herald Sun on the front page had the pictures of Warne and Waugh with the title Match-Fixers. Warne felt bad that the ACB didn’t back them enough but he admits that he made a mistake. He learned the perils of match-fixing the hardway.

Warne and his former wife

In this chapter, Shane describes about how he met his wife, Simone in 1992 in Victoria. She gave her number but Warne lost it. Then he again met her at St. Kilda Football Club. This time he persuaded her to come to the Perth Test. Later, she travelled with him to England though the expenses like flight, accommodation and everything else were borne by Warne. In England, after the Gatting ball and all the accompanying stardom, Warne took Simone to a lake and proposed to marry her. It wasn’t his intention to propose. She agreed.

Warne also bought a new house and was making some money from the game but not high enough which changed with sponsorship. His managers, Austin Robertson and John Cornell made a huge deal with Nike for 1.25Million for 5 years and a further 250K per year from Just Jeans. Suddenly, Warne’s life changed with lots of ads and frequent TV appearances. Warne became a massive celebrity. He did TV commercials for Nike and lived in Portland, Oregon and made friends with Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan. He also designed a cricketing shoe for the global cricket market. When Lara bought those, it flew off the shelves. Back to the game.

Tremendous pressure

By 1994, Warne felt exhausted from all the bowling, the focus on his marriage etc when Australia toured South Africa. In the first Test, with Cronje and Hudson building up a nice partnership, Border brought on Warne and he immediately answered that call with the wicket of Hudson. What happened after that was shocking because he abused Hudson endlessly. It was the culmination of the kind of focus he was under but that cannot be an excuse. Warne went to the SA change room and apologised to Hudson. Furthermore, dwelling deeper into his relationship with Simone, he also writes about their divorce. I do not want to get into that.

Other parts of the autobiography

https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-his-family/
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-his-childhood/
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-terry-jenner/

Shane Warne and Terry Jenner

Posted on 12 January 202412 January 2024 by Bobji

Continuing the Warne autobiography, this is about Shane Warne and Terry Jenner. On a mid-afternoon, Warne knocked on the doors of Terry Jenner and told him that he has developed a liking for the sport and that he want to learn. However, Terry was quite categorical. He told Warne directly that he was fat and lucky and that the only reason he was picked for the team was because there wasn’t anyone available. If Warne wants to work with Terry, he must throw away the beer bottles that he had bought to meet Terry and stay away from unprescribed food. Terry was strong and ruthless with Warne. On the first day, they discussed everything about cricket until the wee hours.

Terry told Warne that he had all the toys of a spinner. Legspinner, topspinner, flipper, googly but did not know how to use them. Terry made Warne understand the what, when and why. What you are bowling? When you are bowling it? Why are you bowling it? You do not bowl and googly or a flipper because you haven’t bowled one in 10 balls. He needs to think the batsman out.

Now, Warne was intrigued. He asked a lot more questions. Let us start with What. Terry said, are you bowling wide of the crease or tight to the stumps? How are you setting the batsman? How does he grip that bat? Where is he most likely to attack you? Warne admitted that he did not know the answers to any of those questions. During his stint with Terry, he taught him how to bowl close to the stumps and wide of the crease, how to bowl wide outside off and how to bowl to the stump. How and when to bowl the googly. Terry insisted on having a plan for every batsman. The stint with Terry Jenner rubbed Warne on the right side and he started to get much fitter. He lost weight and gave up on alcohol.

His turnaround series

Later, Warne was picked for the Sri Lankan tour in 1992. Warne was excited to be in Sri Lanka and bowled a lot of deliveries in the nets. He practiced extremely hard. Picked in the first Test, he returned figures of 0/107 bowling rubbish as he admit, in the first innings. Border came to his aid and told him that he bowled bloody well and asked him to keep believing. Fortune smiled at Warne during the 2^nd innings. When the target was down to 34, Border called on Warne to bowl. Wickremasinghe was accounted for followed by Anurasiri. 16 required with the last wicket in. Madurasinghe just swung and held out. Australia won and Warne ended up with 3/11.

Australia won the series and went back to face West Indies. They lost the first Test at Brisbane where Warne was dropped but he was picked for the next game. He played a match winning hand of 7/52. The entire Australian squad were so happy that Greg Matthews ran upto bring Warne’s dad to drink with the team. Ultimately, they lost the series but Warne had arrived. He felt thankful to some players who influenced him. Terry, Ian Chappell, whom he believes is among the 3 greatest captains the game has seen and Rod Marsh.

In the eyes of everybody

The game that catapulted Warne into the rock star that he was to become. Now, his every move and every word was being watched and followed. Wherever he went, people thronged to just get a glimpse of him or better, his autograph. He felt suffocated and the pressure constantly mounted. Onto the series. Warne boarded the flight to England with Merv Hughes sitting beside him. Australia played a warmup game just before the first Test against Worcestershire. Graeme Hick was playing for that county when Border came up to Warne and asked him to bowl only leg-spinners and nothing else.

He wanted Warne to shelve every other delivery to keep the element of surprise because England had not seen Warne yet. Sure enough, Hick blasted him throughout the ground. Come the first Test, Australia was bowled out for 289 and England got off to a good start when Hughes got rid of Atherton. Now, in came Gatting when Border threw the ball to Warne who was pretty nervous.

The delivery that catapulted Warne to superstardom

First Ashes. Old Trafford, 1993. Gatting was on strike and Gooch at the other end, kept staring at Warne to offset him but Warne concentrated hard enough. Warne was at the top of the delivery stride and he came bumbling along. He looped the ball and felt perfectly fine, the ball dipped and spun.

Spun a long way, Gatting played down the line of the leg-stump, the ball went past his bat and hit the top of off-stump. Everyone watching was stunned. The Australians were thrilled. After the end of the day’s play, BBC replayed that delivery from every possible angle. It was an unbelievable delivery. Warne reckons that he never bowled a similar delivery but perhaps the one to Andrew Strauss 10 years later was even better because by then, every player knew what Warne was capable of.

The fact that Strauss was a left-hander, probably did not command the same awe

Warne mesmerised England so much that England was unable to play him either of the front foot or on the backfoot. The Gatting ball must have played on their minds throughout. England never recovered to bat well against Warne until the end of his career. During the middle of the series, Hick and Gatting were dropped. Gooch lost his captaincy. Warne also writes that Bobby Simpson played a significant role in his development. As success came, Warne felt much more satisfied and confirmed his place in the squad which helped in improving his fitness. Simpson made him bowl, bat and field a lot more than he was used to until that point. Simpson impressed upon him to need to bowl around the wickets so that it would give him one more angle to target the batsmen. He credits Simpson for improving the slip-catching of the Australians.

Autobiography

https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-his-family/
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-his-childhood/

Michael Vaughan about England

Posted on 12 January 202412 January 2024 by Bobji

England is scheduled to tour India for a complete series. There will be 5 Tests played against India. 5 Test series have become so rare that hardly one is played in a couple of years. Gone are the days when 5 Tests will be played over 4 months. Now, the same number of games is condensed in about 6 weeks. The visiting teams hardly get an opportunity to play practice games before the first Test and to get used to the conditions. Nowadays, so many games are played that the players and the board are pressed for time. These long series are only played among the big-3 of Australia, England and India. England has selected their best team but Michael Vaughan thinks otherwise. Michael Vaughan about England.

The main advantage of a 5 Test series is that it gives both sides lots of opportunities to come back into the series. The recently concluded Ashes is an example of that. Australia led 2-0 after the first and second Tests whereas the series ended 2-2. England were clearly outplayed in the first couple of games and came into their self only from the 3^rd game. In a shortened series, Australia would have already won the Ashes.

The current lot

England certainly believes that they have a good side that satisfies various needs in India. They have a couple of young spinners in Bashir and Ahmed ably supported by Jack Leach. For express pace, they have Mark Wood and for guile, they have Anderson. Among the batsmen, all of them are stroke makers. Ever since Ben Stokes and Brendan McCullum took over the England side, they have played the game at a level that is a dream for the rest of the teams. Notable performances include the 3-0 rout of Pakistan in Pakistan. Under Stokes, England has won 13 out of the 18 Tests with just 4 losses. These are extraordinary statistics.

They are unlikely to change their tactics in India if the pitches do not turn extravagantly. If that is the case, they can come unstuck but if they win the toss and bat first, which any team will invariably do, they can post totals that will be difficult for India to achieve. With the pitch turning from the 3^rd onwards, England could hope.

Michael Vaughan does not think so

However, England’s former captain, one who achieved the extraordinary result of winning a series against Australia back in 2005, does not think so.

“Will it be good enough to win in India, that’s the big question. I very much doubt it because India don’t lose at home often particularly when it’s turning square. Would expect India to win the series but the big Indian crowds will be back because they’ll want to watch them ( England),” Vaughan said.

“Can England get 20 wickets without a world-class spinner? It’ll be the ultimate challenge but they’ll play their Bazball style and try to put India under pressure,” the 48-year-old further said.

Vaughan is certain that India will win the series. He does not think that Bazball will be that effective on the Indian pitches. He is probably correct but it is just a question of applying pressure effectively. The last time England were in India, every wicket turned square from day one. They won the first Test in Chennai while batting first because the pitch on day one was flat and made the most of the turning conditions on days 3, 4 & 5. Anderson destroyed India with his reverse swing.

Vaughan is probably correct because England when under pressure, has found itself in a spot of both even in the new era. Against Australia, until Nathan Lyon was in the picture, they didn’t know how to go about Bazball. Not only Lyon kept the runrate down but he also picked up crucial wickets. In India, this choke will increase manifold. How England, particularly Ben Stokes is able to ride the pressure will be key.

The ability of the batsmen

Ben Stokes will return after a major knee surgery. Whether he will be match fit remains to be seen. It is not easy to return to action and that too in a high profile series so soon after a major surgery. His batting, his captaincy and his bowling will all be crucial to England’s prospects. England can bet on Joe Root to bat as he always does but there will be question marks over Crawley and Duckett. Last time around, Duckett was a sitting duck to Ashwin. He may have gained confidence after the runs in The Ashes but will that be enough in India?

The whole Bazball approach depends on the freewheeling ability of Johny Bairstow. With the additional responsibility of keeping wickets, he will be all the freer to go after the bowling knowing fully well that his position is secure.

Wrapping up Michael Vaughan about England

Vaughan is perhaps correct in his assessment but England would like to prove him wrong. The young spinners may not be that much of a threat which leaves a lot of onus on the batsmen to score a sufficient volume of runs for them to matter.

Having said that, I would want India to prepare pitches that do not turn square. Slow and low pitches will be good to watch. For the last 2 WTC finals, India qualified on the back of winning a lot of games at home and was humbled first by New Zealand and then by Australia. This time, I want us to qualify by playing excellent cricket and not assisted by the pitches.

Other blogs about England

Shane Warne and his childhood

Posted on 12 January 202412 January 2024 by Bobji

Following on with the Shane Warne autobiography, this blog is about Shane Warne and his childhood. In 1989, Warne was dropped from the St. Kilda Football Club. The background is, he was among the reserves for the senior division. He was called by the senior division coach Gary Colling to play in the senior reserves match but Warne was ill. He still went to the game and played poorly. As a result, he was sent back to the U19s. He cleared Year 12 but did not have a job to fall back on and hence he tried various sorts of menial jobs including pizza delivery but he couldn’t shake off the disappointment of being dropped from the football team. In the summer of 1989, he got into the first XI at St. Kilda Cricket Club and soon into the Victorian state squad. It was at that point he began to ponder about the game.

Alongwith his friend, Warne went to England to play league cricket where he played throughout the week and also, gained enormous weight. Warne was completely driven to learn and to succeed. In a period of 6 months, he played around 80 games which would have taken 4-5 years in Australia. It sort of fast tracked his progress. A couple of years later, he played in the Lancashire League where the stipend was paid 1500-2000 GBP + accommodation and airfare. He played for Accrington to which Neil Hawke introduced him. Terry Jenner introduced Warne to Hawke. Jenner will go onto become Warne’s coach. The games were attended by a decent crowd and they were all passionate about the game.

Warne still uninterested

He played as a batsman who can bowl. He was runout in the first game and was warned by the club that the professional does not get runout, instead run the other batsman out. Warne protested but to no avail. Warne was liked by the club. He spent the late evenings with the team at the bar. Sitting in England, he watched Australia wallop England in the 1989 series. At this point, Warne started to analyse how would he bowl to a Gooch or a Gower or a Lamb.

Between the 2 England stints, he played for his club St. Kilda which had a decent side with Dean Jones, Stephen Fleming and others who would go onto play for Australia. He bowled well and was spinning the ball a mile. The club could see that he had the ability but Warne himself wasn’t that keen on the game. He hasn’t decided yet whether cricket was the way forward.

Cut to Centre of Excellence

Warne believes that if you struggle at the start of one’s career, the success that follows will be much appreciated. When Warne played for the Victorian state team, it was virtually between the Australian bowlers and the Australian batsmen. Warne then writes about his experience at the Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Adelaide. Back in his day, it was a 12 month programme but now it has been condensed which he felt was not correct. Warne was picked for the academy among a whole host of future international stars like Langer, Martyn and Blewett. Two coaches, Jack Potter and Peter Spence. Warne did not get along well with Spence. Both the coaches did not get along well with each other.

Warne is all praise for Justin Langer who he says was an extremely hard worker. Men who had more talent than him weren’t able to make it but Langer did because of his work ethic. His best friend was Damien Martyn, the elegant Australian batsman. Martyn was just 19 when he joined the big league of international cricket. He was also the youngest to captain Western Australia. Warne was sent home from the academy for indiscipline because he had spent the night at a pub drinking with some ladies but Warne will not admit it because in his mind, he felt that he left the academy and not the otherway around.

Briefly about his coach

Now, Warne mentions briefly about Terry Jenner. Warne is vehement that without Terry, he would not have achieved what he did. Terry understood Warne which helped him immensely. He gave him belief and direction for which Warne was always grateful. More on that later. Back to Australian Sheffield Shield. He made his first class debut for Victoria against Western Australia and it was Tom Moody who became his first victim. Dennis Lillee was part of the Western Australian side but Warne did not get to meet him. He also toured the West Indies with the Australian Young Cricketers and Zimbabwe and picked up a 7-fer, his first significant performance at the international level. His confidence grew and Warne began to like Cricket on par with Football.

Now, things began to materialise. Warne watched the Boxing Day Test from the stands between India and Australia when the Australian team manager Ian McDonald told him that he might be playing in Sydney. Warne went onto make make his Test debut at Sydney. However, it wasn’t a memorable outing. Ravi Shastri and Tendulkar smashed him all over the ground. He returned 1/150 but his spirits remained kindled. He was longing for an ideal coach and this was where Terry Jenner came in.

Autobiography

Shane Warne and his family

https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-the-greatest-spinner/
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-the-bad-boy-image/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-genius-and-the-legend-who-will-be-missed/

Shane Warne and his family

Posted on 12 January 202412 January 2024 by Bobji

This and a series of blogs will be about Shane Warne’s autobiography. This blog is about Shane Warne and his family.

Shane Warne announced his retirement from the game on 21 December 2006 after a 5-0 drubbing of his favourite punching bag team, England. Warne felt that it was the right time to leave the game on a high. When Warne announced his retirement, he was on 699 Test wickets. Just before the start of the Melbourne Test, he as the host for the Shane Warne Foundation which supported underprivileged children throughout the world, organised a dinner event the night before the start of his penultimate Test. He was quite nervous before the Test knowing that it would be the last Test at the mighty G, as the MCG is known. He arrived at the ground before the rest when one by one entered the dressing room.

Ponting lost the toss and Australia were to bowl. Every Australian wished all the best to Warne. England were 82/2 when Ponting invited Warne to have a crack with Strauss on 48. Strauss and Collingwood played a few shots when Warne suggested to Ponting to block the area behind square. He played with the mind of Strauss while doing so because none of this was quiet. Warne and Ponting were shouting during the change of the field. He encouraged Strauss to drive by bowling slower through the air. Strauss was frustrated that his scoring areas were blocked. Hence, Warne delivered a loopy ball which Strauss wanted to drive but missed the line. The ball hit the top of the middle stump. Wicket Number. 700.

Warne’s childhood

Warne about his mother. He says she can somehow deduce the other person with an uncanny ability and it has more often than not worked. His mother is of Polish descent. His mother’s parents and husband left Poland and wanted to travel to America. They went to Naples to get on a ship. They found one but it was the wrong one. It landed in Australia. Warne’s grandfather worked in a lime factory in Geelong and didn’t see the family for 6 months because they were taken to Bonegilla upon arrival in Australia. He somehow found them and alongwith another family, started to work at the Ford factory.

His mother at the age of 13, was dragged out of school and was made to work on the farmland that her father bought from an unknown. His parents and grandparents worked really hard to be able to make a living. The grandparents passed away in their 50s. Warne also shares about his traumatic childhood when he had a major head injury after which he was plastered from neck to knee.

Warne’s father

Warne’s father did not have any professional qualifications. Hence, he did all kinds of jobs, cane cutting, house reblocking and sales jobs until he landed a good one at Prudential Insurance. His mother wasn’t different either. Cleaning and washing other homes. Warne also spent a lot of time with his father. Cleaning the car and going on long trips with him. His good friend was David Beck who once saved Warne’s life when he fell and knocked his head over one of the edges. Beck saw him and pulled him up to save him.

His early school and his interests

Warne went to Sandringham Primary School. He played football and cricket at the school. He was also paid 10 cents per week which can also be supplemented with household work. His choice of sport was Tennis at that time. Cricket captured his imagination after the introduction of the Kerry Packer World Series. However, he still preferred football and would rather be at the beach than spend 6 hours on the field. It was not until he turned 11, that he developed an interest in the game. His father took him and his brother to cricket games and stayed behind to watch. After the game, the boys will spend sometime with their father. Warne’s football skills improved so much that he was picked for a representative side. However, he was also good at Tennis, so stopped playing football for about a year.

The following summer, he performed well with the ball against the school named Mentone. At the sametime, he also did pretty well in football. However, he was offered a scholarship by the Mentone school and that stopped football.

For the school, he played as a batsman who can bowl. As days went by, he performed in most of the games and ended up as the captain. He was quite naughty in the class. The principal, Jones, has whacked him multiple times on his bottom and told him to mend his ways. Strict punishment was the norm in those days. Getting a beating with the ruler and other kinds of punishments. However, the children of now are having a rather easier time. Warne feels that somewhere in the middle of the two extremes lies true discipline. Warne concludes the childhood by writing about his brother Jason who was also good in sports but frequent injuries laid him low.

Other Warne blogs

https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-the-greatest-spinner/
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-the-bad-boy-image/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-genius-and-the-legend-who-will-be-missed/

Brian Lara about Gill

Posted on 12 January 202412 January 2024 by Bobji

Brian Lara, the great Windies batsman of the 1990s, the man who holds multiple records including the highest individual score by a batsman, the only batsman ever to have scored 400 in Test cricket, the only batsman to have scored 500 in first-class cricket has opined that of all the batsmen, Shubman Gill is likely to be the only batsman among the current lot, who is likely to break both of his records. When I read that, I was stunned. Coming from one of the great batsman this game has ever seen was if not outrageous, rather, something hard to digest. Gill, has hardly scored in challenging conditions against excellent bowlers. For Lara to narrow down to him to defeat his records, I could not believe my eyes. Let me also touch upon the wider ramifications if Gill pursues these targets in Brian Lara about Gill.

“Shubman Gill can break both my records,” Lara told Anandabazar Patrika. The former West Indies captain referred Gill as the most talented batter of the current lot. “Gill is the most talented batter in this new generation. He will rule cricket in the coming years. I believe he will go on to break many big records,” he added.

My two cents

Gill is talented, there is no doubt about that. His several innings in Australia where he made his international debut was the stuff of folklore. Especially, the 2^nd innings at The Gabba. Pant took all the accolades and rightly so but Gill played a fabulous hand in that series win. If not for his 91, Pant would not have won the game and the series for the nation. However, the point is that, Gill lost his way after that fabulous initiation into Test cricket. Much was expected from his bat but he repeatedly fell short. Yes, he has scored 100s in all the formats but that does not mean he is that good a batsman. Atleast on the current form.

In the recently concluded World Cup, not only he failed to register a single hundred but he wasn’t that consistent either. He was struck down by dengue initially but the effects of the fever would have gone down during the later stages of the tournament. If not, he must not have been part of the playing eleven itself. Did he mislead the team management? This was the 3^rd World tournament in which he didn’t make his mark. A couple of WTC Finals and now the ODI 2023 World Cup. In England, he came a complete cropper on swinging conditions.

Lara about Gill’s IPL runs

“Gill didn’t score a century (in the World Cup) but look a the knocks he has already played. He has centuries in all formats, has smashed a double hundred in ODIs and has also played many match-winnings in the IPL. I’m sure he will many ICC tournaments in the future,” he added.

The sad part of Lara’s interview is that he seems to have been influenced by Gill’s knocks in the IPL. First of all, the standard of IPL is much lower than the international standard. Second, a closer look at the runs and where he scored them will reveal that all those runs were scored on beautiful batting tracks and when it came to some tough pitches, Gill could not really get going. It shows that his game is not exactly suited to wickets that are slow or when the ball can swing. It is sad but that is the fact. His displays so far outside of plain batting pitches have left much to be desired. It really is a shame that a former cricketer like Lara is influenced by the batting display in a local tournament like the IPL.

Records are not that important

I do not want Gill to break any record. Records have been the bane of Indian cricketers ever since Gavaskar broke Sobers record for the most Test 100s, Indians are obsessed with records. Kapil Dev’s world record of 434 wickets accelerated that. With the advent of Tendulkar, records took the centrestage for every Indian. It has now become so bad that as long as someone scores a 100, it does not really matter even if the team loses. This is a sad state of affairs. Everyone remembers Tendulkar’s 100^th 100. It was a painstaking effort on an easy pitch against an ordinary Bangladesh team. The entire country rejoiced at the landmark but no one batted an eyelid that India actually lost that game. The fact that Tendulkar reached the much coveted landmark seemed to have filled everyone with joy rather than the sadness of losing the game.

The record bug seems to have bitten Kohli as well. The couple of innings in the ODI World Cup where he was focussed on his 100 did not go down well with those who wanted to see the team win rather than any individual performances.

Wrapping up Brian Lara about Gill

I don’t think Gill can break Lara’s records but I would rather want him to bat according to the situation. The infatuation of the Indians towards records must be broken at some point in the future. If reports are to be believed, Gill is also among those who prefer his hundreds. I value a Sehwag or a Dhoni any day to a Tendulkar.

Other blogs about Gill

https://icricketcritique.com/shubnam-gill-must-restrain-himself/
https://icricketcritique.com/is-shubnam-gill-only-good-for-odi/
https://icricketcritique.com/shubnam-gill-continues-to-disappoint/
https://icricketcritique.com/shubman-gill-reveals-his-class/
https://icricketcritique.com/shubman-gill-must-play/

The irrelevance of the T20 series

Posted on 1 December 20231 December 2023 by Bobji

As I type this one, India and Australia are engaged in a T20 series. Oh! by the way, did you know that India won the first and second T20? Yeah, so? Did you know India may win the series in the next game? Yeah, so? Did you know that with the kind of firepower that India possesses, India may well win all the 5 games? Yeah, but who the bloody hell is bothered about such a nondescript series anyway? That is what it is. I really do not see any reason for this meaningless and disorganised T20 series just 4 days after a humiliating defeat in the World Cup final. The irrelevance of the T20 series cannot be more profound.

BCCI in their desire to fill their coffers with lots of money, never misses an opportunity to host any cricket, be it against Australia or Sri Lanka or anyone who is willing to travel to India. This is not new by the BCCI’s standards. They have always done this. I remember India played a few game after the ODI World Cup in 2019. This is more or less a ploy by the BCCI. They want the people to forget the loss in the previous World Cup, be it T20 or ODI and concentrate on the next set of games. Actually, the board is afraid what if fingers are pointed at them for India not winning a World title for a longtime? They need some kind of diversion and what is best to achieve that other than a lot more games?

The final loss

That is exactly what is happening. India lost the World Cup final to Australia on the 19^th of November. They were back in the park 3 days after that loss. It does not really matter that except for Surya Kumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, the rest did not take any part in the World Cup and they are all fresh. The whole nation was dejected and disappointed after that loss. India afterall, had performed exceptionally well upto that point with comprehensive wins against all the sides. They were horror-struck on the night of the final. It was clear from the way Kohli, Rahul and Jadeja batted. They were rendered strokeless. It was painful to watch but that is what it was.

The final went against expectations. India was the only team that remained unbeaten till the final and every expert was of the opinion that India would win the World Cup. However, what transpired on the 19^th night was unbelievable. The best method to divert the attention and criticism from the Indian team and by extension the board, the board went ahead and organised these games. Ofcourse, these games were planned well before the final but the idea behind the series is to make the supporters forget the loss in the World Cup.

Fans do not matter

What matters is the fact that it is the Indian team that is in the park. We the supporters will support any team that has the name India written on their jersey. We also need to detox from watching the game after 6 gruelling weeks. The BCCI will have none of it. They do not care about the supporters. Just visit any of their stadium. One will feel that he made a huge blunder by watching the game from the stadium. Every stadium is ugly, horrible, miserable and poorly maintained. Lack of options when it comes to food. Even if someone does not have any disease, the moment he or she steps into the toilets, they are bound to be infected with some disease.

Supporters to be blamed

The board knows that Indians cannot resist themselves from watching games and hence they schedule lots and lots of games. However, I will not lay all the blame on the board. We the supporters are to blamed as well. All of us criticise our team after every loss and we want our team to win every game of cricket and every trophy that is available. We know that it is humanly impossible but we still demand that of our cricketers. That is because we sought to rule the world through our cricketers.

Do we desist ourselves from watching these meaningless games? Absolutely not. The stadium in the two grounds so far, was jam-packed. The locals had thronged the stadium to watch the Indian team. They seem to have forgotten the loss just a few days ago. So long as the people fill the stadium, Indian cricket will never improve. The board will not care about the supporters or the cricketers as long as we watch and follow every game. The day we raise and announce enough is enough, that is the day the BCCI will start to RESPECT the fans.

Indian B team

I cannot resist but chuckle when I read an article in Sydney Morning Herald by Daniel Brettig that Australia will be sending reinforcements to prop the team in India. He has also mentioned that Australia were defeated by what is essentially an Indian B team. I would like to ask Daniel how does it even matter? Why he is even worried about these inconsequential games? Australia, afterall won their 6^th World Cup just a few days ago. What is more important? The Australian players deserve some rest and recuperation. Ideally, Cricket Australia must not have agreed to these games at all in the first place. They must have ensured that the Australian team is back in the country immediately after the World Cup. Perhaps, the power of the BCCI influenced the Australian board and they agreed to these games.

I am sure most of the Australian players are playing these games uninterested. They already have their minds in travelling back to Australia. Hence, their performance is bound to suffer. Cummins has hit the nail on the head. “They’re humans, they’re not robots. Putting everything into a World Cup and then playing a couple of days later”

Wrapping up the irrelevance of the T20 series

Until we, the Indian supporters wake up and resolve that we will not watch every stupid and meaningless game, Indian cricket and the fans will suffer.

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South Africa and ICC tournaments

Posted on 25 November 202325 November 2023 by Bobji

It is really sad to see South Africa falter in the penultimate round of every ICC tournament since their readmission. Over the years, they have had some fabulous cricketers who represented South Africa with distinction. The likes of Kallis, Smith, Amla, de Villiers, Steyn, Donald and a host of other distinguished cricketers paraded the talent the country possesses. Jacques Kallis alone can be counted among the greatest cricketers ever to have roamed the planet. His mastery with the ball, with the bat and on the field was astonishing. Not for nothing is de Villiers known as Mr. 360. He could send the ball to all parts of the ground. Yet, South Africa and ICC tournaments have been the antithesis of each other.

Despite the presence of such a glittery of stars, they are yet to win an ICC tournament except for probably one Champions Trophy and I am not even sure about that. Nevertheless, they have not won a single ODI World Cup or T20 World Cup. For every South African, the 1999 World Cup will remain a wound that will never ever heal. The defeats at the hands of Australia despite dominating the game for a large part will forever remain in their memory. A lot of exceptional South African cricketers, have never tasted the sweet success of a World Cup triumph despite multiple attempts.

There are far too many heartbreaks for South Africa. The 1999 loss was tough to take and so was the loss at Auckland in 2015 when they lost of the last delivery with one of the greatest bowler bowling it. Dale Steyn. 22 runs required of 1 ball in 1991, down from 22 required of 17 just before the rain. It is far too many to count.

South Africa’s recent record and Miller the sole warrior

The just concluded ODI World Cup was different in many ways though. For starters, South Africa was never considered among the favourites to reach the semi-final. Leave alone winning the trophy. Their recent past record in the subcontinent suggested a team that was not only short of confidence but a team that was unlikely to pose any threat to the tougher sides. On that aspect, they need not be disheartened.

However, after playing a brand of cricket that they are not known for, they suddenly transformed into a side that everyone else feared. It all started with Rohit Sharma’s assault on Jansen and the whole dynamics changed for South Africa. He seems to have lost his confidence from then on.

South Africa ran into their traditional nemesis in the semi-final, Australia. What happened once they were up against Australia is now known.

David Miller played an important innings but it wasn’t enough in the end.

“It’s a bit hollow,” he said afterwards, forcing a smile. “Like Quinny [Quinton de Kock] mentioned, with his four hundreds, he wouldn’t mind if he didn’t score any runs and we won the trophy. It’s the same kind of thing. We wanted to get to the final and have a crack at the trophy, but it wasn’t to be.”

After finding themselves on the mat at 24/4, South Africa needed someone to steer them to some sort of respectable total. Miller answered their prayers with his best innings of the tournament.

“It was enjoyable anchoring the innings,” he said. “I felt like I wanted to hit fours and sixes the whole way through. But I soaked up a lot of pressure. It was more about the partnership at that stage. Every run counts in a semi-final, so we tried to salvage some sort of total.”

The problem is the captain

Temba Bavuma, one cannot understand why is he in the squad. He is not at all an attacking batsman and at the top of the order, he ends up gobbling a lot of deliveries which places undue pressure on Quinton to score quickly. The only reason he is in the squad and a captain at that is because of his colour and the South African quota system. I do not see any other reason. In over 10 years, Bavuma hasn’t done anything exceptional or even decent to be taken note of. Opponents will be cheerful the moment they see Bavuma walk in. Ofcourse, now it is too late to cry over spilt milk. South Africa chose to go in with the wrong choice as captain and they paid the price for it.

Bavuma went with history and opted to bat after winning the toss. 13 out of the 20 games played at the Eden Gardens were won by the team batting first. However, Bavuma failed to see over his head at the sky. Under cloudy conditions, he could have chosen to bowl. Ofcourse there was that familiar South African flailing of floundering during chasing. Nevertheless, overhead conditions could have helped his fast bowlers.

Astoundingly, he didn’t seem to trust Markaram with the ball. It was Marakaram who provided the initial breakthrough. Looking at the way Maharaj and Shamsi were tying Australian batsmen in knots, a saner captain would have preferred for one more spinner if he had. Bavuma had that in Markram and surprisingly, he did not utilise his service properly.

Wrapping up South Africa and ICC tournaments

Despite that South Africa fought hard, tooth and nail as Rabadda himself said. They had to because they did not have a choice. This wasn’t a league game but a knockout. South Africa. There is no easy solution for South Africa’s fallibility during crucial games. It is probably in their mind. They must perhaps believe that they have the capacity to not only reach the final but to actually win it.

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The game itself and Rahul Dravid’s position

Posted on 25 November 202325 November 2023 by Bobji

I wrote about how India exceeded expectations and achieved the remarkable feat of reaching the final 4 without any hiccup in the middle as the team is known for. I have also analysed the positives for India throughout the World Cup. It has been a heartbreak for us the Indians but it was something that was very much expected. Please read one more heartbreak for us if you have the time. Now, I will proceed with the game itself and Rahul Dravid’s position.

Though the Indian team have given us some really soothing moments throughout the tournament, does it mean that what happened in the finals can be dismissed as an aberration? Yes, it was a bad day but if it is dismissed, how can the team learn from their mistake? Analysis of the entire game, from the batting standpoint of view and the bowling point of view, is very much needed. Infact, it is essential. If the BCCI fails to conduct such an analysis, come 4 years, the same story will be repeated.

First, the batting

Rohit continued his high risk approach even in the finals. There was nothing wrong with that. He wanted to establish authority over the bowlers right at the outset and he didn’t budge whatever happens. In the league games, South Africa was the biggest threat and their primary weapon was Marco Jansen. The way Rohit dealt with Jansen was brutal. Jansen never recovered from that assault. It showed in his spell in the semifinals against Australia. Likewise, Rohit wasn’t afraid of playing his shots against any bowler. Could he have controlled himself a little bit having already scored a 6 and a boundary?

In hindsight, he could have but to allow Maxwell to get away with just a few runs would have been wrong. Hence, there was nothing wrong with Rohit trying to hit him out of the attack. It showed in the end when Maxwell, after Rohit was out, bowled his overs cheaply.

However, the same cannot be said of his partner, Shubman Gill. A lot was expected of him after his stellar exploits in the IPL and against lesser teams. Dengue laid him low for the first few games and he could be excused because of the effects of dengue for a further couple of games but beyond that, if not for Rohit at the other end, Gill’s lack of performance would have been exposed threadbare. He looks lazy and laid back on the field. He looks like someone who does not want to work hard to improve and would rather sit back and relax and hope for things to fall in place. That is the impression that one gets. The finals weren’t much different. He has been given a lot of chances and the time has come to demand accountability from him against important opponents and key games.

Kohli and Rahul were strokeless

India actually lost the game in the middle overs. Kohli and Rahul remained strokeless. Suddenly, out of nowhere, in the finals, they forgot to rotate the strike. India got off to a good start, courtesy of Rohit Sharma but it was completely squandered by mindless batting by these two. What were they thinking is beyond everyone who watched the game. They were wrapped up by the fear of the finals.

“We haven’t played any fearful cricket in this final. In the middle overs, they bowled really well and we had lost three wickets. So a period of consolidation was needed, and every time we thought we could get on the attack, we would lose a wicket,” he said. “If you lose wickets, you have to rebuild. We didn’t set out to play defensively.”

Rahul Dravid can say all that he wants but it was clear for the viewing public that both Kohli and Rahul, despite their years of experience were fearful in those middle overs. The pitch can be blamed for not supporting strokeplay and it improved late in the afternoon. That was all the more reason for them to attempt to score runs. On such a pitch, you cannot hope that the later order batsmen will up the ante and will be able to make up for lost time. It just does not work like that.

When Kohli was out, we weren’t in a good position despite him playing the waiting game. It became worse when Rahul got out. India did not progress at all despite not losing a further wicket. All of that was fear and nothing else. Rahul Dravid can deny all he wants but that is the truth.

Jadeja & Surya complicated the situation

When Jadeja came in, he remained rooted to the crease. Neither was he able to rotate nor was he able to hit. Perhaps, he had tarmac on his feet that did not allow him to move. Agreed, he didn’t get to bat in too many games and was slightly lost for touch but for that to surface in the final, it was wrong timing. Surya is another who is a waste of space. I sincerely hope that his ODI career has ended. Ishan Kishan would have been a better choice than Surya.

Second, the bowling

Now, I cannot find any fault with our bowlers because they were brilliant throughout the tournament and if only the batsmen had scored 300, the bowlers would have won the game. However, I will say this much that Jasprit Bumrah, hasn’t really performed in crucial, high profile games. Be it Test Cricket, ODI or T20. Period.

Third, Dravid’s position

I firmly believe that Dravid’s position has become untenable. In 2 years, he does not really have any achievement worth shouting about. On the contrary, there are multiple failures under him. Except for that one series win against Australia, on some questionable pitches, his CV will not make for a good reading. I expected him to resign as soon as the final was lost but to date, he hasn’t. I hope that the BCCI is not thinking of extending his contract and neither do they appoint Laxman. Both Dravid and Laxman are similar in their methods, With Laxman at the helm, there will not be any value addition. It is time to look at foreign shores. Perhaps, a Ponting or even Nasser with full powers.

Wrapping up the game itself and Rahul Dravid’s position

Dravid and the Indian team can believe that it was not fear but the fact will remain that it was fearful batting that cost us the World Cup.

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One more heartbreak for us

Posted on 25 November 202325 November 2023 by Bobji

That the Indians are by now used to watching our team lose in a knockout game is a given. This has been going on for several decades with a small window between 2007 and 2013, when India won not one, not two but three ICC trophies. It was unprecedented but ever since, the heartbreaks have been quite frequent, mainly because of the increased number of ICC tournaments with the Champions Trophy chipping inbetween T20 and ODI World Cups. However, what transpired on the 19^th of November at Ahmedabad, was something if not expected, atleast, unfathomable. It transpired into one more heartbreak for us.

Despair was written all over the face of every Indian player. The defeat would have hurt and severely at that. Tears were shed, both on the field and inside the dressing room. This is the cruel nature of the game. The runs and wickets during the early part of the tournament will feel hollow.

Having said that, this Indian team must also be commended for an unprecedented run of 10 consecutive wins. Quite rarely has any Indian team reached the final rounds without much drama. An overwhelming majority of those times, we always used to depend on someone beating someone else and someone winning against someone else with a lower margin and all that. This time, it was different and it was pleasant. India not only reached the semifinals at the first opportunity but went one better than 2015 and 2019 by qualifying for the final. However, this one more heartbreak for us will linger on in the memory. The 2003 loss in the final against a much better Australian side has still refused to get sober. This one will be the same.

The end of the road for Rohit and Kohli

Nevertheless, the comprehensive wins throughout the tournament, including our nemesis, New Zealand, twice, have given the supporters plenty to be satisfied. Rohit Sharma’s refreshing approach at the top was a welcome move. He persisted with such an approach even in the finals showing how confident was he of pulling off a match-defining innings. If not for a stunning Head catch, he may even have succeeded. It takes a lot of guts to play such a brand of cricket directly in the World Cup when leading upto the tournament, he was more comfortable playing the 1990s game.

Kohli’s extraordinary run throughout the tournament, he ended up as the highest run scorer, was another which gave the Indians a lot of reasons to smile. That he equalled and overtook Tendulkar in terms of the highest number of 100s in ODIs, gave added reason to reminiscence about. How he would have wished for a 150 of that had come in the finals? It would have put India in an impregnable position. Alas, it was not to be. Probably, it is destined for Kohli not to win another World Cup.

This will be Rohit’s and Kohli’s final World Cup. They are unlikely to be recalled into the T20 squad and the next ODI World Cup is 4 years away. I do not expect them to be part of the team in 4 years. Both will be nearing 40 and their reflex will have faded. Both had a good World Cup that they can remember for their batting.

The emergence of Shreyas Iyer and Rahul

The middle order looks quite good at the moment. Shreyas Iyer for all his faults against the short-ball has atleast in India found a way around it. All he needs to do is look at Travis Head who has a similar weakness but has now played a couple of stellar roles in World Cup finals. If he could somehow find a way around his weakness even outside of India, he could continue to serve the team for another couple of World Cups. As for Rahul, I have always advocated for him to come down the order and number 5 is the ideal position for him. He showed what he could do when he came in after a nice platform was built. He could be even more devastating if he could play a few more shots.

The bowling

Shami’s extraordinary run from the moment Pandya was injured was the stuff of legends. 3 5-fer is not an easy feat to achieve. He put India in the final after Daryl Mitchell threatened to hunt down the close to 400 runs target all by himself. He was a man in a hurry. As for Bumrah, he bowled well but in patches. He was threatening but not among the wickets all the time. Kuldeep and Jadeja did their part admirably.

The negatives

Was it all great? Most of it was but all of it, definitely not. Shubman Gill and Surya Yadav made a complete mess of their chances. Gill in particular. Prior to the tournament, a lot was expected of Gill but not only he failed to live upto the expectations but towards the end, he became more of a liability. In the semi-finals and the final, I would have played Ishan Kishan ahead of either Gill or Surya. Far too many chances were given to Gill and yet, he doesn’t seem to appreciate the fact that there maybe other deserving candidates and that he must make the chances count. His body language is so lethargic and languid. He may possess all the shots but if it doesn’t materialise into runs, what is the point of him playing?

Surya’s time must have definitely run out. He just does not seem to be a proper ODI cricketer. From here on, he must be strictly counted as a T20 specialist and nothing more. There is no point in continuing with a batsman who is just not international material. Age is also not on his side and he is not going to be around by the time of the next World Cup. It is better to invest in a youngster.

Wrapping up one more heartbreak for us

Now that we have lost another ICC tournament, things are back to normal. No one knows when India will ever win an ICC tournament. At the other end of the spectrum, you have another country with limited resources when compared to BCCI, who keep on winning World titles for fun.

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