Opinions on... Shahid Khan Afridi

Shahid Afridi is a joy to watch. Like Virendra Sehwag his game is untouched by modern coaching techniques. Both offer such tremendous value to their teams that often strategies are formed around the pure skills they offer. Both have evolved their skills, keeping a strong connection to their roots and culture.

Born, a Pathan, in a tribal areas near Afghanistan, where the word of the Afridis was the law, Shahid Afridi considers gun toting 12 year olds as "part of the culture". Shooting a gun is a "normal thing" to him and he often goes to a shooting range near the Afghanistan border to fire M16s.


Not known to put any amounts of thought in his decisions and actions, he himself has no clue what he would do next. When asked about his approach to batting, he once said that he always aims to play out 3-5 overs before going for his shots. There is no evidence that he has actually ever done that. What he plans and what he executes are completely distinct things. However he is quick to admit that even if he plans to play out the initial overs, if he does see a hittable ball, first up, he naturally finds himself going after it. So much for having a plan.

Shahid Afridi

True to his character, he announced his decision to quit test cricket and then realized he had done a foolish thing. He was back in a fortnight. Its a pity he has not played many Test matches, because talents like him can truly flourish in the free formats of Test cricket. Limited overs cricket is too restrictive for men like Shahid Afridi and Virendra Sehwag.

Like Sehwag he can turn a test match with a few moments of Afridi-style madness. In a Test match in India, that was going nowhere after the sides had scored more than a thousand runs in the first innings, he scored a 26 ball 50 in the second innings and then returned the next day to claim VVS Laxman, Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, to consign India to a shock defeat. India's batting might was unable to secure a series clinching draw in the face of Afridi's onslaught.

Pakistan never really put their faith in him as a Test player but they backed him to lead them in the 2011 World Cup over his exact opposite in terms of style and temperament, Misbah-Ul-Haq. The decision that seemed ill advised at that point, proved quite the opposite.

Shahid Afridi led Pakistan admirably and honorably. En route to the World Cup semi-finals they lost only one game and as was with the semi-finals the reason was the same. Dropped catches. For Shahid Afridi and Pakistan this will be one World Cup miss that will hurt for a long time.

Right through the World Cup, Shahid Afridi was refreshing as a leader, always smiling in front of his opponents while constantly cajoling his players. His trademark X man stance on taking wickets and catches is going to be an enduring image of this World Cup. Had Pakistan won it all; and they sure came close to do that; it would have remained in public memory like Johnty's run out of Inzamam-Ul-Haq.

Even through the high tension game against India, Afridi never seemed to forget that it was after all, just a game of cricket. He was cordial with everyone on the Indian team and did his part to ensure that emotionally charged sentiments from the outside, did not spill over on the field by engaging in more than one ways with his Indian opponents.

Whether it was a pat on the back to Sachin for surviving a catch a glance and a knowing smile at Zaheer while batting, offering his greetings after an Indian win, Shahid Afridi finally made me understand why he is most beloved in his country.

See also...

1. Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar
2. Portraits: Shahid Khan Afridi
3. It's Dhoni's turn

Catches win matches

At some point you have to stop feeling sorry for Pakistan. Like South Africa who always choke whenever they are on the verge of greatness, Pakistan never give themselves a chance just when you expect something reasonably rational from them.


After India, if there is a team that I can't resist watching, its Pakistan. When the West Indies were at their peak I was incapable of appreciating the cricket they played. With Pakistan, the connection was instant. Their cricket is all heart, unfinished, un-coached in a western sense and un-apologetically individualistic. They defy all conventional wisdom and embrace homegrown insight, without getting preachy about it. Their ways to victory have always been distinct from the rest and their approach to the crafts of batting and bowling is most traditional. Steady batting and wicket taking bowlers.

For a while now they had been good enough to cover for their only weakness; fielding. Pakistan have never been a great fielding side. They never had to. Sprawling on the ground to save a few dozen runs is beneath their style of cricket. Prevention has been their preferred choice. Why put your fielders in a position to dive, when you can just get the bloody batsman out. For Pakistan, this style has worked well for decades but yesterday at Mohali, their catching cost them a place in the world cup final against a team they beat comfortably in the league phases.

The game was more one-sided than the 29 run margin suggests and the blame for that should go to the dropped catches.

To me when India lost 9/29 against South Africa, it highlighted how good a team India are to take a game to the final over in spite of the monumental collapse. Pakistan dropped 4 Sachin Tendulkar catches. It highlights how good their bowling is. Good enough to have Sachin Tendulkar 85 / 4

While batting, Misbah played the kind of an innings Javed Miandad would whole heartedly endorse. Problem was he did not have any believers in his approach. All Pakistan needed to do to make a match of the semi finals was to hold on to their catches and bat around Misbah. Instead they gave Sachin 4 lives, viewed Misbah's innings as a liability and completely lost the plot and the World Cup

Crude Oil and Gasoline

Crude oil and gasoline are both combustible, highly inflammable and can devour anything when raging into a full blown fire. But both have completely different characteristics.

Pakistan and India's cricket teams are like that. Pakistan is like crude oil, earthy, raw and needing a refinery. India, on the other hand, are refined under John Wright and Gary Kirsten, methodical and in full bloom.

But both teams on their day have the same impact. They annihilate the opposition.


This Pakistan team is perhaps the worst of the ones that India has encountered in a World Cup. This is probably the first match-up where India will not be "upsetting" Pakistan if they won. From 1992 to 2003, with Wasim, Waqar, Anwar and Inzy in their ranks, Pakistan were one of the elite teams. However, in each of these encounters, India got past them, despite being the undeserving one. Except perhaps in 2003, where Tendulkar was simply unstoppable.

2011 brings about a first where India outranks Pakistan in the star stakes. With Sehwag, Tendulkar, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Zaheer and Harbhajan, India are formidable on paper. Throw Gambhir, Kohli, Ashwin and Pathan in there and one has a frenetic line up, likely to bash the opposition into submission.

Pakistan, however, boast a very, very formidable bowling attack. The key question for them is going to be whether Hafeez has the ability to contain India. Gul and Afridi lead the bowling and Misbah is leading the batting. But that's three against Tendulkar, Gambhir, Kohli, Yuvraj and Zaheer.

A wipeout? India have a clear edge. Pakistan is putting pressure on themselves by bringing their prime minister to watch.

It's going to be India with Sehwag and Kohli leading the way.

Portraits: Shahid Khan Afridi

Should I play Shoaib Akhtar?

See Also

• Opinions On Shahid Afridi
• Portraits @ Opinions

India to concede '92 and '99 wins to Pakistan

There is no such thing as the 'Law of Averages'. I first heard this term during the 1987 World Cup, when after a streak of Indian wins, Ajit Wadekar in a television interview, suggested that India are due for a loss as indicated by his mastery over the 'Law of Averages'. 

Now, I am no mathematician but there is wikipedia.

The 'Law of Averages' is a layman term for what really is a 'Law of large numbers'. Roughly what it is, is that if you toss a coin (as an example) for a large number of times, the number of times it lands on "heads" will start going towards its probability. Which is 50%. It means that if the number of times Mahendra Singh Dhoni captains India approaches infinity, he will likely have won 50% of the tosses. Every thing 'large' in mathematics is conveniently abstracted as 'infinity'. Many Indian cricket followers don't think that's likely (Dhoni winning 50% of his tosses) and hence don't believe in the 'Law of large numbers'. 

For them, including many influential people in the BCCI, the 'Law of Averages' is easier to comprehend and thus they believe its the truth.

Needless to say, Indians's are very worried about their 4 game winning streak; 6 if you consider T20; against Pakistan in World Cup games. The BCCI has convinced themselves that as per 'the law' they so believe in, India will lose their semi-finals against Pakistan.

So, in an unprecedented move, the BCCI has approached the ICC and MCC with a radical proposal. The proposal is as follows...

India are conceding the 1992 and 1999 world cup games, that they had won against Pakistan. 

The rational is simple, the BCCI explained. Those 2 wins were inconsequential in the whole scheme of things. The 1996 win, allowed India to contest the semi-finals and the 2003 win knocked Pakistan out of the Super Sixes round. So we want to hold on to those wins

We felt that the 'Law of averages' works in our favor going in to Wednesday's semi-finals at 2 games apiece. Also given that we have lost 2 semi-finals as a host nation. we believe the 2 trends will guarantee an Indian win.

Also, the BCCI added, we as a nation, have already rejoiced the 92 and 99 wins. People can't be unhappy over an event they were once ecstatic over.

When you are the BCCI, you can believe what you want and do what you please. We are still waiting to hear from ICC, if the proposal will be accepted

Portraits: Yuvraj Singh

That India needed Yuvraj Singh to fire to come anywhere near the World Cup was the pre-tournament wisdom. That in spite of Sachin and Zaheer on top of their games; it is Yuvraj who is the most valuable player on the team; is a bit baffling.

It tells a story. Yuvraj Singh is truly an ODI great. This is the good part of the story. The bad part; is that everyone else pretty much are passengers on the train en route to get Sachin a World Cup

See Also

• Opinions on Yuvraj Singh
• Portraits @ Opinions

England Match Report #5: Sri Lanka (Ashes devalued)

In these uncertain economic times. there is bad news for cricket. The ongoing ICC Cricket world Cup may guarantee a blockbuster closing but Test cricket's marquee event "The Ashes" has lost 75% of its valuation over the last few weeks. This according to the "American Institute for Valuations of all things Sports"  (AIVS)

Valued at well over $500 Million of today's dollars just before World War II, its valuation according  to AIVS Chief Valuator, Guesty Mate, peaked to about a $750 million dollars; also in today's dollars; in the 1950s. Its valuation has declined steadily since but what we are seeing now is an unprecedented acceleration in its devaluation.

After England, Australia and South Africa were all eliminated in the quarter finals, The value of the Ashes has hit an all time low. South Africa do not play the Ashes... technically... but their fortunes, recently have been linked to the value of the Ashes.

The MCC have always kept their distance from any organization that tries to put a monetary value on cricket's traditional trophy, claiming that the Ashes series is not for sale. Taking a dig at the IPL, the MCC President had said a few weeks back, that "unlike the IPL the Ashes is not about money"

Explaining the valuation model, Mr. Maite explained that it is common knowledge that the Ashes are not for sale but the value is an estimate of the probable bid the Ashes might receive if a private investor; lets just say Larry Ellison; were interested in buying the event.

When asked to comment on the ridiculously low valuation, Mr Maite offered a range of possible reasons. The Ashes thrives on exclusivity and adequate spacing between 2 series'; he explained. Potential investors are not taking the decision to host back to back Ashes as a positive. Neither Australia nor England are the top teams in either Test or ODI cricket and the market places no premium on T20 titles because they tend to change hands on a monthly basis. Investors are also predicting a slump in demand for the Ashes in Australia.

On the significance of 3rd party revenue generated from countries outside of Australia and England; traditionally there has been only a moderate demand for the Ashes in the Indian market but that was when both England and Australia were considered benchmark teams. Investors don't believe Indians will tune in to watch either Australia; who won only a single game against strong opposition; or England; who were completely spent by the time the quarter-finals arrived.

Then in uncharacteristic fashion Mr. Maite burst out; I mean f..k, what value does the Ashes have, when the holder falls a 100 runs and 10 wickets short of making a WC quarter final a contest? I say the $7.99 valuation we came up with is too darn generous.

Fake match reports from Real and sometimes made-up celebrities

• Opinions Match Reports

Quarter final predictions - Time for introspection

We suck at predicting out comes of cricket matches. A 50% accuracy rate is not shameful but its getting kind of difficult to back our 100% guarantee.

Okay, so we got the West Indies and England losses wrong. 2 of the most boring one sided games in the World Cup. One way of looking at it would be that we were way off the mark. We weren't even in the frame.

Another way to look at it; which we prefer; is that we got the South African upset right and we correctly predicted that India will dethrone Australia as champions. So if you notice, we are big match predictors. Give us a big game and we will rise to the occasion.

Our previous predictions

• Upset predictions for the WC
• Predictions for 2011

Juicy Semi-Final Line ups

The monetary health of cricket has been assured by this World Cup. What better semi-final line up than the three power-houses of the sub-continent to line up in the semi-finals. An India Pakistan semi-final or final is the dream of TV broadcasters world wide. Move over superbowl, an Indo-Pak semi-final or final is the ultimate. Should Sri Lanka get past New Zealand, a sub-continental team is assured of winning the World Cup. This is stating the obvious and I assure didn't take any genius on my part to figure out. The reason I even say it is because the death of the ODIs is now delayed. Golandaaz and I were both not huge fans of ODIs due to their becoming stale. But this world cup has definitely re-energized the format. However, sundry bilateral series still have no worth.


Coming to the games themselves, Sri Lanka's emphatic defeat of England was definitely an upset. While SL winning itself may not have been one, the manner of victory definitely is one. England fast depletion of first choice players showed in their inability to revive their innings or inflict any early damage on the Sri Lanka batsmen. Yardy would have been useful on this wicket and was missed. England's batting resembled New Zealand's yesterday. Trott hung in there gallantly and weathered difficult conditions for English batsmen. Sri Lanka has top class spinners who became extremely hard to get away on that wicket. While one could argue that the victory was "fixed" due to the conditions heavily favoring the home team, it's clear that England would not have been competitive anywhere else either except perhaps on a pure featherbed. Losing the firepower provided by Pietersen and Broad was going to be hard to overcome. The bowling was out of sorts without Broad's passion and the batting didn't really rise up to the level of "threatening". Neither Bopara nor Morgan were able to genuine break free.

Sri Lanka have secured home advantage for their game versus New Zealand, who under coach Wright seem to have figured something out. New Zealand has always been a good team despite not having super-stars. Right through the Hadlee, Martin Crowe era, there were very strong role players in Chatfield, Coney, Andrew Jones and Wright himself. This team has the most number of useful allrounders. None of them may rise to the skill level of Chris Cairns or Shane Watson, but on their day, they can excel in one of the two departments. Combine this with the team's fielding skills and New Zealand are very dangerous. What their wins against Pakistan and South Africa have shown is that they need one of their top line batsmen to dig in. In Ryder, Taylor, Guptill and McCullum, they have the capability. Hopefully, they have seen the light given how Ryder's innings pretty much dictated the course of the match.

Sri Lanka though will find it hard to apply their formula in Mumbai. Even though, they have played a game at Mumbai and won, it's difficult to see it succeed against Pakistan or India. But that preview will have to wait.

One must ask why English cricketers are more prone than others to reaction to stress. I don't blame the victims, but I definitely believe that it's harder to be an English celebrity than in any other place, given the culture. India is a hard place to grow up and one is toughened early and often. In England (and I'm no expert), it appears that the move to the limelight is very, very tough. My sympathies for Yardy, Trescothik and others who have had this happen.

South Africa favorites for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

We bring you a preview of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in Australia. Something tells us, we are safely the first ones off the block.

We at Opinions, on behalf of our South African readership (which stands at 2)  like to let go and move on. We, in our minds moved so far ahead that we find ourselves in the Australian summer of 2015...

What must hurt South Africa's fans is that the loss to New Zealand was not even a choke. They lost before one could argue they had a firm grasp of the game. New Zealand beat  them while never really allowing South Africa get in front.

It was a typical kiwi win but a very un-Protean loss. Anyways, as we said; time to move on towards the summer of 2015


With the talk of minnows now settled, this World Cup guarantees some of the most exciting matches since 1992, featured in a World Cup. The ICC has gone back to its most popular format from 1992 where each team plays against every other, before the semi final line up is decided.

We present the real contenders for the title, starting with India; of course

Coming into this World Cup, India start as legitimate contenders. Since their last world cup, India have surrendered their Test #1 status to England but India has emerged as the #1 ODI team on the back of 1760 wins against just 7 losses. Critics argue that most of the wins have come at home against lesser opposition but a team that has such appetite for wins has to be considered as favorites.

Harbhajan Singh has said that the team wants to win the World Cup for Sachin, who will also be hoping to use the matches in the World Cup to complete 150 International centuries. He has been well rested for this tournament and has featured in only 5 ODI games since India's loss to New Zealand in 2011 World Cup finals.



Australia, are facing tremendous criticism from their press. Cameron White, their skipper, who is under pressure to relinquish his captaincy to someone younger, has been firm through the crisis. After the debacle when Michael Clarke was made captain, Australian selectors are much wiser and do not wish to engage in a change of leadership with just before the World Cup. Having decided to go for youth 41 year Michael Hussey is tipped to take over if Australia do not win the World Cup. But as 4 time champions, Australia too have to be included in any talk that centers around World Cup contenders.


After the way South Africa were ousted from the 2011 team, in spite of having the best team on paper, no one is giving them any realistic chance of winning but all experts agree that they will reach the semi finals. And any team that reaches the semi finals have to be seen as contenders. Since losing to eventual champions New Zealand in 2011, South Africa have focussed exclusively on mental conditioning. They have modified their domestic competitions to such a degree that all matches are now knock out games. They have done away with regular league games.


Being the #1 Test team in the world, England are in the contenders list too. With no obvious skills for the shorter format of the games, there is no other reason why England deserve to be in this list, other than the fact that it seems logical to include the best Test nation in the contenders list. With no minnows this time, England have less reasons to worry and should make the semi finals quite comfortably.


Struck by age related arthritis in both his knee joints, Murali has got dispensation from the ICC to bowl using a wheel chair. Backed by the BCCI, this move generated a lot of criticism world wide but Murali who has promised that he will retire after this World Cup can well lead Sri Lanka to their 2nd World Cup win in 21 years.


The British Government has requested its courts to speed up the ongoing trials involving all 15 members of the Pakistan cricket team. Brought on after the ECB accused the Pakistan cricket team of various charges related to ball tampering, spot-fixing and age misrepresentation (in the U-19 WC), the trials have been progressing slowly since the summer of 2013. Pakistan have not played a single international game since their ill fated tour of England. They have not named a captain yet.

Shahid Afridi who is the only player not involved in the legal mess was banned from playing any form of cricket after appearing as a model, in an ad campaign for a "X" rated movie.

Porn is illegal in Pakistan; and much of the subcontinent.


Reports coming from West Indies who are facing a captaincy crisis, suggest that Devendra Bishoo will lead a side of 9 fit players. West Indies are hoping to find 6 other West Indians from the local Australian immigrant community. West Indies are contenders because they are such an unknown quantity.



New Zealand being defending champions, are a contender too.

Quarter final predictions 2 - Courtesy Update

We are not the kind of people who get any thrills from saying.... "We told you so...." 

For that we'll let our work speak for it self - Quarter final predictions - New and Improved.

We certainly get a boost to hear from our customers who have come to depend on our predictions. The only ones in the industry that come with a 100% money back guarantee and did we mention accuracy and precision.

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Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar

I don't want Ricky Ponting to retire.

I think I now know what Ricky Ponting needs to do for people to start liking him. He needs to bat like he batted at Motera in the quarter-finals against India. We may all rejoice at an Indian win but now that the victory has sunk in, it feels like India teamed up to beat Ricky Ponting.

And for just a while Ricky Ponting was ahead.


Today Ricky Ponting was Australia. His century was as much a personal statement as an effort to uphold Australia's pride. Without him there would have been no contest. Without him Australia would have been humiliated. He came pretty darn close to beating India. Australians should be proud of Ricky Ponting today.

In much the same way as Indians used to be proud of Sachin Tendulkar after his century fell short of win.

From the outside these individual efforts seem selfish and self centered. They are not. Because sometimes the other 10 guys are just not good enough. That doesn't mean you walk away.

Sachin Tendulkar did not.

For many years Sachin Tendulkar was India. India's pride even when wins were hard to come by. In time, the team got better. It started winning games. Eventually Sachin Tendulkar had the privilege to be playing for a champion team.

In time Sachin Tendulkar became Ricky Ponting.

His contributions secured wins. They were purposeful to the team's cause. Like the innings he played today at at Motera in the quarter-finals against Australia.

Sachin Tendulkar is the Ricky Ponting of the old.

Ricky Ponting is the Sachin Tendulkar of the old. Australia needs him. Ricky Ponting is Australia.

From being Sachin Tendulkar to being Ricky Ponting seems like an easier, smoother a more logical transition. From being Ricky Ponting to being Sachin Tendulkar is a more cruel transition. But Ricky Ponting wants it.

Let him have it.

India combine to dump Australia

Finally, India came to the party as a team. The bowlers, fielders and batsmen all showed up and executed the script well. Munaf, Sehwag and Dhoni were compensated for with ease. Ashwin bowled like a frontline bowler. Zaheer and Harbhajan manned up and bowled the crucial overs. Yuvraj did his bowling part really well and Tendulkar and Kohli didn’t give it away.


India will be concerned about Sehwag’s absolute waste of opportunity at the top of the order. With the revival in Yuvraj and Raina’s form, India can afford the luxury of carrying Sehwag. However, it’s time for Sehwag to deliver. What better time than the game against Pakistan to take things by the scruff of neck! Taylor showed that attacking Pakistan can defeat them even without bowling a ball. Otherwise, people will realize that it doesn’t have to rain sixes to reach 300, we can get there with steady, methodical cricket too. This is the brand of cricket that Tendulkar, Gambhir and Kohli seem to have mastered.

Raina showed the cricketing world that he had conquered his demons against short bowling. His two sweetly timed pulls – one against Lee for four and another assured one against Tait – were a revelation. Even though they were not as brutal as a Ponting or Hussey pull can be, they looked assured. His success could translate into a huge revival for Dhoni in the game against Pakistan. Dhoni’s innings today was one of a confused man. His mind was waffling between attack and percentage shots. He couldn’t blend the two and the innings ended in a whimper. This happened despite Dhoni not looking in any kind of trouble at all. Most likely, he felt like most of us did - that he was the last recognized batsman.

But let’s spare a thought for Yuvraj Singh. He is probably Ponting-lite for most Indians. They hate to love him. Tendulkar and Gambhir set up the game nicely for Yuvraj and company to finish it off. But given the collapses of recent days, it was still anybody’s game. Yuvraj led and Raina followed to snuff out the Australian challenge. The pivot was over number forty. The first ball was dispatched by Raina (the aforementioned pull for four). Lee was taken for fourteen runs. The team didn’t skip a beat despite just losing Dhoni in the 38th over. Following Raina’s four, Yuvraj came into his own and took over. I had said in my preview that he had broad shoulders and a role that matched his ego. Today he showed that he loves responsibility and wants to be the man. The game’s perennial brat has delivered in style.

India will be a handful for Pakistan in the semi-finals. India seems have discovered the winning combination. Unless Sehwag decides to make the game one-sided, it could be a cracker of a contest.

Wicket keeping is overrated

Pakistan's dismantling of the West Indies and qualification to the World Cup semi-finals has proved one thing. In modern times; especially in one day cricket; wicket keeping is over rated.

If you have a good bowling attack, a decent enough batting line up, fielding skills adequate enough to allow you run towards the general vicinity of the ball, and a captain who has experience eating balls in search of reverse swing, then you can make a serious run at the World Cup trophy even with Kamran Akmal in your side.


Perhaps Pakistan's think tank know something that is, in our estimation likely to quickly become a commoditized tactic. Like the ones advocated and distributed freely by Ian Chappell and Ravi Shastri.

We had...

Never run on mis-fields.

Spinners should flight the ball - This one makes Sanjay Manjrekar horny, every time a spinner does give it some air

Partnerships are the key

Catches win matches - Less used off late due to commentators' fear of getting killed by frustrated fans

Now you can add to that... Wicket keeping is overrated.

Quarter final predictions 2 - New and Improved

Our stringent quality control process has detected a minor defect in the manufacturing of "Quarter final predictions". We have issued a worldwide recall of all "Quarter final predictions" products sold prior to today.

After working with our lawyers it was determined that with our prediction there was an implied assumption that it was for quarter final games. By definition all quarter finals are "contests". The match between Pakistan and West Indies was not a contest. This can be proved in any court of law beyond any reasonable doubt.

Thus legally we are not obligated to any warranty claims. It is entirely from the goodness of our hearts that we are issuing this recall and replacing the old predictions with our latest "Quarter final predictions 2"

Our loyal customers and casual customers who bought our product while looking for something more substantial who still feel they deserve a refund of their monies can get it by visiting this link - Product Refunds - and clicking the "refund my money" button which some may allege looks like a facebook "like" button. You can clearly see there; right next to the button; how many refunds have already been processed.

Alternatively you can get the refund without leaving the security of this site itself. Just look for the facebook "like" like button; which is really the refund button on the top left part of this site.

Now to our new and improved predictions. Enhancements have been clearly marked.

I am amazed how people know Pakistan will do well in tournaments in spite of all the turmoil; and when they do; all of us work up excitement as if its something completely unexpected. Pakistan is a team that always plays to form; but somehow give everyone the feeling that they have exceeded all expectations.

Pakistan will crush the West Indies by 10 wickets after bowling them out for a score less than 120

Australia is a team that don't look like winning this world cup. The common view is that no one does. That's not quite right. South Africa do look like winning it all followed by India and England. England only because there seems to be a greater force with them. Also our view is that the best Test teams win world cups more often than not so we will stick with these teams as long as nothing happens that forces us to review our original views.

India will crush Australia. India has the unique distinction of dealing a knockout punch to the most number of defending champions....hmmmm... 2 to be exact. But that's double of the only other team to have dethroned a reigning world cup champion; England in 1987.

South Africa has never won a knock out style world cup game. We see no reason why we should challenge history. Yes, we are contradicting ourselves but reasonable analysis and accurate predictions that come with a money back guarantee are 2 different things. We just can't compromise our quality with regards predictions by adulterating it with reasoning.

New Zealand will do nothing spectacular. Who needs that when South Africa can beat themselves.

Everyone agrees that England have provided all the excitement in the World Cup. No one though is giving England any credit. Its as if they are the jokers of the tournament. We think we are not recognizing England's strength. Which is....well.. lets leave that for some other time. A lot of research is needed for this one.

Sri Lanka will crash out of the tournament. Go England.

Our other predictions

• Upset predictions for the WC
• Predictions for 2011

Australia have the advantage

Australia should take care of business versus India based on recent form. India will have to lift their game up by several notches if they are to win. Australia can be counted upon to be disciplined in their execution. From a batting stand-point, they will likely blunt Harbhajan and Zaheer well and score against the remaining bowlers. Ashwin and Yuvraj will be the key to India's bowling fortunes because they are likely to be attacked by Australia. Ashwin is likely to be tight, but Munaf and Yuvraj could give it away.


Shane Watson, Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin will be the key to Australia’s batting fortunes at Motera. Australia is unlikely to be affected by the crowds. They have played enough in India and the Indian crowds respect the Aussies. The crowds love Mike Hussey and Brett Lee. Ponting and Clarke could be at the receiving end of crowd abuse and this can upset both, but in the overall scheme of things will not make much of an impact. In fact, the crowd could turn against the home team, if Australia make early inroads and this could work in Australia's favor.

From a bowling stand-point, Australia will prove to be formidable for India. Brett Lee has been bowling extremely well. Mitchell Johnson has blown hot and cold against India, but has lately recovered his form. There is enough pace bowling variety for Australia to knock India over. India doesn’t play fast bowlers well, except on pure featherbeds. Recent multi-lateral tournaments have proven India’s weaknesses against rib-cage bowling. Australia will dish enough out for Gambhir and Kohli to be extremely uncomfortable. Even if Tendulkar were to hold fort, he might not find enough support at the other end.

This seems to be the most likely script.

In order for India to pull off an upset, they have to chase. They have to put Australia in and count on their bowling to keep Australia down to a total below 300. This will allow India to plan their chase well and with Tendulkar in the lead off, they could win. Australia have lost a lot of experienced batsmen and might not be clear about what target to set and a few early wickets could upset their rhythm. India have lost their last four games in Ahmedabad. They are also not good chasers against Australia traditionally. But if they are to be counted as a contender, they have to master the chasing trick versus fast bowlers.

Once again, Yuvraj will be the key to finishing off the game and taking India home. He does have broad shoulders, but will the game go to script? Will India overcome their demons against short pitched high speed bowling?

My prediction is that India will come to the party and manage a win.

Quarter final predictions

Earlier, before the tournament started Vidooshak correctly predicted 50% of the upsets. It could well have been 75% had Pollard not dislocated his finger. Even our predictions for 2011 were more or less accurate...Perhaps more on the less side; but as the year processes the less will dissolve into more. 

Emboldened by our ability to forecast all things cricket, correctly, we present predictions for the quarter finals. It comes with an absolute 100% guarantee. If for any reason you are unhappy with it due to things like DRS and match fixing; which are frankly beyond reasonable levels of control; we would be happy to refund your money back

I am amazed how people know Pakistan will do well in tournaments in spite of all the turmoil; and when they do; all of us work up excitement as if its something completely unexpected. Pakistan is a team that always plays to form; but somehow give everyone the feeling that they have exceeded all expectations.

Pakistan will lose to the West Indies.

Australia is a team that don't look like winning this world cup. The common view is that no one does. That's not quite right. South Africa do look like winning it all followed by India and England. England only because there seems to be a greater force with them. Also our view is that the best Test teams win world cups more often than not so we will stick with these teams as long as nothing happens that forces us to review our original views.

India will crush Australia. India has the unique distinction of dealing a knockout punch to the most number of defending champions....hmmmm... 2 to be exact. But that's double of the only other team to have dethroned a reigning world cup champion; England in 1987.

South Africa has never won a knock out style world cup game. We see no reason why we should challenge history. Yes, we are contradicting ourselves but reasonable analysis and accurate predictions that come with a money back guarantee are 2 different things. We just can't compromise our quality with regards predictions by adulterating it with reasoning.

New Zealand will do nothing spectacular. Who needs that when South Africa can beat themselves.

Everyone agrees that England have provided all the excitement in the World Cup. No one though is giving England any credit. Its as if they are the jokers of the tournament. We think we are not recognizing England's strength. Which is....well.. lets leave that for some other time. A lot of research is needed for this one.

Sri Lanka will crash out of the tournament. Go England.

Our other predictions

• Upset predictions for the WC
• Predictions for 2011

In other news....McDonald's in Australia will now sell quarter pounders with cheese as mini pounders with crap to Tim Nielsen. We have failed to verify is those things are even on the menu in Australia.

Ponting's View

During the 1980 Golden Jubilee Test - Botham's Test is more apt however, Indian captain GR Viswanath persuaded umpire Hanumant Rao to change his decision. The umpire gave Taylor out; caught behind to the bowling of Kapil Dev.

Taylor protested the decision and Gundappa Viswanath convinced the umpire to change his decision and rule Taylor not out.

In a low scoring game, Taylor's partnership of 171 with Ian Botham; who scored a century and took 13 wickets in the Test Match; was the game changer. Taylor got his reprieve when the partnership was worth 85

We asked Australia's Ricky Ponting to caption the 2 pictures

Ricky Ponting
A man of unquestionable integrity

G.R.Vishwanath
Always undermined the
Umpires Authority

Asset Utilization

The India team is much smarter than people are giving it credit. Financial analysts believe that if Team India were were a corporate stock that they were trading, they would be bidding it up much more than other teams.


In the ideal scenario, India would have had wicket number 10 fall on the last ball of the innings while running the 5th run or securing 5 wides. What journalists and bloggerazzi routinely term as a collapse is being laughed off by financial wizards as naivette and bumpkinry.



The theory goes that asset utilization is critical to the financial health of any team. Each player is paid several million rupees to be part of the team. Therefore, in order to earn the return on every one of these assets purchased by the team, every batsman has to bat and has to run his natural life at the crease. If they perform less than their average, then I'm assuming they are considered to have underperformed, but being out negates that.


All teams that are getting all out in the 50 overs assigned to them are utlizing their assets fully and therefore are spending their money wisely. Whereas teams like South Africa and Sri Lanka that are winning comfortably with gas left in their tanks are dunderheads.


This is the wisdom that Dhoni and the "think-tank" have acquired, which us naive fans are unable to comprehend and fathom. All is well.

Related Post

• How to bat 50 overs - A finishing school for IPL batsmen

How to bat 50 overs - A Finishing School for IPL batsmen

Run by experienced professional ex-cricketers from across cricket playing nations, the ICC today unvieled plans for a "finishing school". The school will focus on providing a budding cricketer; typically from the Indian middle order; the finishing touches that will make him ready for the big leagues.

Finishing schools are a big phenomenon across the globe after a recent UN study found that traditional universities, sports academies and league structures are unable to produce skills required by the industry.

This includes cricket...


A brain child of former English cricketer Chris Tavare, the teaching faculty consists of some of the most stubborn top and middle order batsmen including the likes of Bruce Edgar, Mohinder Amarnath, Mike Atherton, Sunil Gavaskar and Kepler Wessells.

Affiliated to and fully funded by the International Cricket Council, the school courses are open to all ICC member countries. Chris Tavare, in opening the school in Dubai, said that it is his mission in life to educate young and budding cricketers on the value of putting a price (high) on their wicket. He further added that teams are finding it increasingly hard to accomplish something as simple as batting through 50 overs. The educational services his school provides will go a long way in restoring ODI durability skills.

When asked why the ICC is investing in schools that will benefit only the Indian cause, Chris Tavare refused to comment. Instead he said; "You know that when a team like India can't bat through their quota of 50 overs on subcontinental pitches; you get the feeling that the ICC is not doing enough to protect the art of batting".

Talking about price points in the Indian market, Gavaskar, who is both the member of the full time faculty and sales and marketing manager announced that there will be a 50% discount on tuition and boarding for the Indian cricket team.

The first 15 registrations from the Indian team will also receive one of the following books, absolutely free.

• The Batting Power Play for Dummies - By AB DeVilliers 
• Bowling Spin: An Introduction - By Robin Peterson (Foreword by Rajesh Chauhan)
• Just Dew It - Believable Excuses for Captains - By Greame Swann and Andrew Strauss (Includes an Open Letter to Mahendra Singh Dhoni)
• Two and a Half Men - How to win with a "no nothing" bowling attack - By Martin Crowe
• Foreplay Explained - How men who lack penetration can still bowl their maidens over in bed  - By Ewen Chatfield 
• Advanced Fast Bowling: How to bowl yorkers at will - By Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram
• Elements of Style: How to give effective post match interviews - By Ricky Ponting

Indian team for West Indies

India take on West Indies at Chennai over the weekend. They are desperately looking to gain some credibility as contenders. Australia and South Africa look like runaway favorites at this time. Pakistan and Sri Lanka have also asserted themselves at different times in the tournament. New Zealand too have won in style against Pakistan. England eked out a great win against South Africa.


India is the only team that has no wins against elite competition. If anything, they have had tough wins against Ireland and Netherlands. Their very first game was about the only one that went to script. The tournament committee too planned belters for their games against elite teams. I'm assuming the hope was that India's batting would blast the team to high enough total to spook the opposition. Strangely, it was England that burst this bubble in Bangalore and led everyone else to believe, leading to South Africa not only stiffling the middle order, but also overcoming their choking ghosts.

Dhoni reminded everyone after the Ireland game why India was playing seven batsmen. It took that many to put away Ireland. However, all of these batsmen didn't manage to put away England or South Africa. It appears that the bowling weaknesses are screaming, but are not getting a listen. Against South Africa and England, India's bowlers couldn't defend fourteen runs in the last over. It appears that batsmen, including tail enders realize that India's trundlers are easy meat. While the debate about whether Harbhajan could have stopped South Africa is a good one to have, the fact that Dhoni didn't trust him to bowl the last over shouldn't be glossed over.

So what should India do versus West Indies. I feel that they should go with five bowlers and bench either Kohli or Pathan. Given that so far acceleration in the last ten hasn't happened, I'm inclined to think that Pathan should be benched for Ashwin. However, the equation in a chase could be different. Pathan becomes a different force in a chase. However, Kohli deserves to anchor a chase as well to see if he still has it. India's batting strategy is to depend on the top three to score the bulk of the runs and let the next three provide the finishing touches. So it's time to hold Sehwag and Gambhir accountable to their roles.

Strengthening the bowling will also provide insurance against potential meltdown of part timers. While people might argue that West Indies will easily use the pace of fast bowlers, I will suggest that the ground doesn't support that theory. If the pitch plays like it did in the game between England and South Africa, India's fast bowlers will be effective. India's batsmen should be able to overcome the threat posed by Benn and Bishoo, much more effectively than Gayle and Pollard are able to handle Zaheer, Bhajji and Ashwin. Yuvraj can bowl a few if Nehra or Munaf get some stick.

Bottomline is that India needs to register a good win against West Indies to gain some momentum going into the quarters. Given the way they are playing, it looks like another semi-final loss is coming. Unless, the team suddenly rediscovers it's mojo that is. This team can scare other teams, if it comes to the party. The top order is nearly there, it's time for Yuvraj and Dhoni to really step up their game.

Will the real India please stand up?

Portraits: Shoaib Akhtar

For most Indians Shoaib Akhtar will always be the man who silenced Eden Gardens.

An entertainer first, his personality seemed pretty one dimensional to me. Then he saved Kamran Akmal's life. By not killing him. Age does funny things.

Its time to say good bye he said. No one knows if Kamran Akmal caught it.

See Also

• Opinions on: Kamran Akmal
• Portraits @ Opinions

The Partnership

They have just now ordered dessert.

That's according to the latest reports coming out of the restaurant where Rahul and Laxman are having dinner. The date was set a few weeks back. Both unaware that it corresponded with the 10th anniversary of probably the greatest day in India's Test cricket history.




But pesky reporters and know-it-all Cricinfo editors with SMS-happy friends were all over the event, the historical significance of the date of the date and the impact of "that partnership" on India eventually being crowned the Test Champions.

The restaurant has now called in their third shift of staff but Rahul and Laxman are not done yet.

Initially the restaurant were dishing their choicest of dishes. Made to the chef's precise specifications. There were tasters with knowledge of Rahul and Laxman's taste preferences and dishes were customized accordingly. Rahul and Laxman acknowledged the restaurant's efforts with a nod towards the servers. A sign of respect. We know you are dishing out your best and we know you are taking our likes into account. We appreciate it. They seemed to say

As the evening wore on, and "the partnership" evolved, the restaurant staff was growing tired. Food standards began to slip; first unconsciously due to physical fatigue and later due to mental exhaustion.

Rahul and Laxman gulped down whatever that was served to them with increasing voracity. The conversation tapered off as the evening progressed. The restaurant took it as a sign that soon the guests will leave. In truth, Rahul and Laxman were communicating in silence. The sighs, the subtle eye contact, the humming of old hindi songs, each became a vehicle for intimate communication. A conversation that excluded everyone and everything beyond just the two of them.

They were in the zone.

Then they ordered dessert. The waiter as he served the cakes and coffee saw an SMS on Rahul's phone. Declaration in an hour - Dada.

Dealing with India's imminent World cup exit

Let's face it. We all know India ain't going to make it.

Win the world cup; that is.

We may be in denial but laborious wins against the minnows and Bangladesh and non-wins against South Africa and England; do tell a story. Team India has insulated themselves from the real world and also abandoned common sense in the process.




I mean we all know that the team balance is questionable. We all know that Dhoni's justification for his decisions is more like him mocking at us.

Even Gaddafi comes across as a rational man compared to Dhoni.

We all can see it but don't want to admit it. Dhoni is losing his Midas touch and his honeymoon seems over. All good things come to an end. Its inevitable

Its okay. It happens. Clutching at straws is only natural. At some point however we need to let go and let the IPL heal the emotional wounds.

But its not easy. So to help you deal with the emotional emptiness that is just round the corner following India imminent exit from the World Cup psychiatrists @ Opinions have devised a few tips to help you move on.

Failure to cope effectively with your favorite team's failure can have big impact on your life. Procrastination, lack of self discipline, depression, anxiety are all common symptoms.

But fear not; here are 4 tips...

1. Remember that India is the number one Test team in the World. In times of distress always focus on your strengths and avoid analyzing your failures
2. Tell yourself that LOI cricket is not real cricket. Speak out about the irrelevance of the format. When you don't get what you want its best to reassess and devalue that what you had wanted
3. Go online and watch videos of India's 1983 win, India's recent Test wins, promotional ads for the IPL Franchises and a little bit of porn - no, watching videos of Sachin's 101 international centuries is not porn. When dealing with failure and disappointment, relive your happy memories. Sometimes looking back can make your future seem bright even though it might not actually be.
4. Start a blog. Vent it out. Share your frustrations with other people who are going through the same mental strain as you are. Blame the umpires, Dhoni, dew, bookies, BCCI, selectors, DRS, Sachin, earthquakes, global warming, terrorism; anything but share your frustrations with others

Its Dhoni's Turn

To get their mind off the loss to South Africa, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar indulge in a game of scrabble.

Its Dhoni's turn...

Opinions on... Taj Malik

It is mind boggling to think that today's World cup game between New Zealand and Canada could have easily been between New Zealand and Afghanistan or It could well have been Australia v Afghanistan instead of Kenya.

I am not much of a fan of too many associate nations in the World Cup, but I just finished watching a wonderful movie with the most endearing of cricket coaches and I am no longer sure that I agree with myself.



"Out of the Ashes", is about Afghanistan Cricket and Taj Malik in equal measure. Taj Malik is the first coach of the Afghanistan National Cricket team. But, I am now wondering... if there are going to be no associate nations in the 2015 World Cup what does that do to the spirit of people like Taj Malik?

Not many coaches dream about taking a nation with no cricket pitches to qualify for the World Cup. Taj Malik did. And Afghanistan almost succeeded. Afghanistan needed to finish in the top 4 in the final qualifier. Instead they finished 5th behind Ireland, Kenya, Canada and Netherlands.

Along the way they won many games and many qualifiers. In Jersey, in Tanzania and in Argentina before the final one in South Africa. They beat teams like Ireland, UAE, Scotland, Namibia, Bermuda who are or have in the past qualified for the World Cup.

Taj Malik is no longer the coach of Afghanistan's national team. In fact very early in the qualifying journey he was replaced by a professional. But without Taj Malik there would be no Afghanistan cricket. I say this with no hint of exaggeration. Its a fact.

Watch "Out of the Ashes" and see it for yourself...

India's Explosive Middle Order

Steyn steps on India's hopes

For a more authentic match report...

India Out-Choke South Africa

India Out-Choke South Africa

India conspired to deny South Africa their title of the ultimate chokers by laying claim to it themselves. In fact, they choked twice in a match and seemed to dare South Africa to out-do that. Robin Peterson decided that he couldn't do worse and robbed Nehra of 13 runs in the final over to let India be the undisputed choke champions.




Sehwag started India's rot by giving away his wicket right after the first few powerplays were done. After scoring 70 scorching runs, he could be forgiven for thinking that he'd laid the platform for others to carry on. Tendulkar and Gambhir motored on and did great until they decided to chance it with a powerplay. Soon the team teetered on the brink of doom.

Sachin holed out in a bid to move it along when there appeared to be no real need to rush any more than the rate at which they were going. He too could be forgiven for thinking that he'd done enough by scoring more than a 100. In walked Yusuf Pathan in what can only be described as a desire to get all the golden eggs from the duck at once.

Gambhir forgot his role and tried hard about 3 times to lose his wicket before he finally manufactured some madness. The rest of the story is too bizarre to recount. As I had said in an earlier post, Virat Kohli's destruction is complete. He is like that promising young soldier who is sent to the war front to protect the senior generals. Much like Abhimanyu was sent to break into the formation for the rest of the senior pandavas to follow. Crazy analogy perhaps, but this is a sad story in the making.

In order to let Sehwag, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Gambhir have the best overs, Kohli is jokered around the batting order. The poor kid is not old enough to adapt - as hard as he might try. It appears that Dhoni and others have successfully killed this goose that would have laid golden eggs for a long time. He might want to seek out Irfan Pathan in the "what-could-have-been" closet.

For a while, it appeared that Amla and Kallis were readying South Africa for another choke. They refused to move it along in spite of clear indications that it could get harder towards the end. But South Africa seems inflexible enough that they believe it's De Villiers and Duminy's job to accelerate and they simply will not do it before that.

Well De Villiers, Duminy, Du Plessis and Botha kept SA in the hunt and Dhoni gifted the game by bringing Nehra in to bowl the last over. De Villiers, especially, is in a run of form that's awesome. Duminy was motoring along fine too. It took two smart Harbhajans to get rid of them. But the Saffers have depth and it was used to good effect here, unlike India's depth which was related to sinking.

India might crash out of the quarter-finals if they don't fine tune their strategy. Unfortunately, it appears that Kohli may need to warm the benches now for Raina. Ashwin needs to come in for Nehra. Hopefully, Dhoni realizes that there is no need to send Pathan higher anymore given Yuvraj and Dhoni's ability to play in multiple gears.

All isn't lost, but India's old ghost of choking is not exorcised yet.

Porterfield is wrong

The LBW law is way too complicated. Just consider the data points to gather for anyone entrusted with making a decision.

The Line of the ball - did it pitch outside the line of the leg stump,

The Height - would it have missed the top of the stump,

The Point of impact - when the ball did hit the batsman? Did it hit he batsman in the line of the stumps,

What was the batsman doing - was the batsman offering a shot.

The Length - How far down the pitch was the batsman

Where did the ball hit? The bat, the pad, both and if so; what was the sequence




Man or machine, adulterated or not, this is bloody too complicated a law to enforce without letting a few slip through. Its also a law that has to be enforced fairly quickly. And I am fairly certain, I have missed at least a few dozen data points that need to be assessed.

Now, of all the data points,  I used to think that it is fairly easy to determine if the batsman attempted to play the shot or not. It seems fairly straight forward.

Until yesterday...

Gary Wilson playing for a fighting Ireland seemed to attempt to run a ball delivered by West Indian Darren Sammy to third man, but at the same time seemed to thrust his pad out as a first line of defense. At least that is how I saw it. So did Ashoka De Silva. When you thrust the pad out anything the batsman does behind the pad should be discounted.

As it happened the ball hit Wilson on his pads outside the line of the off stump, with the ball tracker predicting that the ball would have hit the stumps. The umpire interpreted the batsman's thrusting of the pad ahead of his intended shot as "offering no shot" and gave him out. The law says that the ball can He also stood by his original decision after reviews.

Now the Irish captain is speaking out against the decision. That's wrong.

But given how complicated the law is, I just feel the umpires need all the technology that can be made available to them and like a doctor have them order all the tests that he feels are needed, look at the results and make a decision.

How would we feel if we go to a doctor and ask him or her to prescribe a treatment, while the lab technicians look at the blood work, x-rays, MRIs and share it with the doctor only when the patient  asks for a review.

England Match Report #4: Bangladesh (England dig themselves a hole)

- By Real Dave Richardson (Former South African cricketer and current ICC General Manager)


I am pleased to announce that the ICC has reconsidered its stance on inviting the "minnows" at the next World Cup in 2015. After careful thought, deliberation and consideration we have decided to invite all ICC Associate members to the 2015 World Cup.




There is however a slight change to the format. All the teams will be divided into 2 unequal groups. Teams with Test status in one group and the other group will have all the Associate Members...

...and England.

Needless to add, there was vehement agreement across the ICC board that in terms of excitement this will rival the IPL.

The minnows somehow bring the best out of England and we have decided to exploit that very English of virtues.

Other fake England match reports by real famous people...

1. England v South Africa
2. England v Ireland
3. England v Netherlands

The Bowlers Bill of Rights

In the age of revolts, there has been a similar movement led by Real Sarfaraz Nawaaz; on behalf of all the world's bowlers in LOI formats. The game is too batsman oriented he says. The benefit of the doubt is always with the batsman. If things keep trending the way they have been; with free-hits, field restrictions and strict leg-side wides; scores of 500 will be routine, he says.

Here is the bowlers bill of rights

1. A team should be allowed to designate 2 bowlers who can bowl up to 15 overs in a 50 over game. This will tilt the balance of power to sides who have good strike bowlers. Let the Styens and the Swans flourish. Crowds will flock to see them. 
2. If a bowler bowls a maiden over, there should be an additional ball when the batsman has to hit a boundary. Failure to do that should result in a dismissal - "Maidened Out". There should be no fielding restrictions for that ball. If batsmen can have "free hits", bowlers need their own "free balls".
3. Bouncer limits should be applicable only when bowling to numbers 8 - 11 in the batting line up. Captains are free to shuffle their batting order to send Suresh Raina at number 8. When faced with a bouncer he bats like a tail-ender and should bat at at a skill-appropriate slot. 
4. If batsmen attempt to play a shot at ball narrowly missing the leg stump and does not connect, it should not be a wide.  
5. In a game tied on scores, the number of wickets taken by the bowling side must break the tie before jokers are invited to perform circus acts; also known as 'super over'. In tie breaking scenarios for group standings is multi team events net strike rates should be used over net run rates. Then lets see if Dhoni keeps selecting Harbhajan Singh.

The bill has found strong support amongst Sachin fans.

A few thoughts on the contenders

 The first spark in the world cup was undoubtedly Imran Tahir. He seemed to be that X-factor that South Africa have never had and to me for a brief time South Africa  looked like genuine contenders. Then they failed to chase 170 against England and things seemed depressingly the same for South Africa.And now Imran Tahir fractured his thumb. South Africa have seemed less and less appetizing as the tournament has progressed. Kallis is not in form and they don't have a real wicket keeper. The way Kamran Akmal has derailed Pakistan's chances, it is very likely South Africa will learn the same lesson. The wisdom of dropping Mark Boucher is lost on me. The loss to England is bound to have a bigger impact on their self confidence.




First, there was allegations of match fixing against Mahela Jayawardhane in the local media, then the failed dope test rumors against Dilshan. Sri Lanka have had a start-stop journey so far. Their game against Australia was shaping up to be a promising contest until rain cut it short. Australia, unlike Australia are lying low. Considering these two played the last final; its a pity that even after 3 weeks we haven't seen much of either team and the head-to-head game was abandoned.


England have done more than their fair share of generating excitement. They have helped the minnows in both their games to gain public sympathy and sway opinion for inclusion in the 2015 World Cup. They have managed to come back and tie a game they should have first lost and then won; both comfortably. And in their most recent game they conjured up an unlikely comeback in defending a small target. No one really knows where England is going. Its a team with batting might and more than adequate bowling skills but they look visibly tired.  Pietersen and Broad will play no further part in the tournament and it is a testament to the depth of their talent that their replacements are likely to make England more strong and more importantly inject some freshness. England can make a lot out of their win against South Africa, it could emerge as the turning point in their campaign and could go down in World Cup history as England's version of India's 17-5 game against Zimbabwe in 1983

New Zealand is a team that loves "context". Give them an Australia or a tough Test series in India and they will rise well above their perceived potential. Give them a meaningless 5 ODI series against Bangladesh and they will refuse to show up. They have always performed at major events and if you ignore their game against Australia, their campaign has been gaining serious momentum in this one too. If Ross Taylor can unleash the beast he hides in him often and Ryder and McCullum find form; New Zealand can bully their way deep into the tournament and cause a few upsets. Perhaps go all the way; if Vettori recovers. They are my pick for the "dark horse".

India's, campaign has been frustratingly sluggish. They have neither chased with confidence nor defended 300+ scores with any authority. The team seems to be on a different planet than the rest of its supporters. They seem to understand a different logic. They appear detached and trying hard to not let pressure get to them. They look like a team suffering side effects of anti-depressants. Their best moment so far has been the way they clawed their way back to tie the game against England. Perhaps there isn't much to worry. Pushed to the wall they might come out of their spell and win it all. Its just a hope.

No team has infuriated me like Pakistan. My bet is that mathematicians will solve the Riemann hypothesis sooner than the cricket world figuring out why Kamran Akmal is undroppable. Pakistan played admirably to win against Sri Lanka and then went limp half way into the game with New Zealand. They are decent opening stands and some common sense away from being seriously dangerous.

India Decimate Netherlands

The title is deliberately misleading. This was the fantasy of most Indian fans who expect India to win the World Cup in style. This stems from how some of the previous winners have done it. Sri Lanka, Australia and West Indies dominated other teams and earned legitimacy as World Cup winners. India and Pakistan, the other winners, weren't as convincing but were fairy tale winners.



Both kinds of victories should be celebrated. One is a probably a win of skills and mental fortitude, while the other is a win for heart and passion. This Indian team is displaying neither. There is no passion and heart. There is ample skill on display but no mental fortitude it seems like.

For it's part the Indian team has nearly won every game it has played. The game against England was tied from a position of sure defeat. Yuvraj Singh has dug deep in two matches albeit versus associates to deliver. This appears to be the script for this Indian team. So theoretically, there should be no complaint. Then why this feeling of half-filled pleasure? Why is there this feeling that something is not right? Why this feeling that something isn't complete?

Here's my take. Virender Sehwag, for all his pre-tournament talk, has failed to deliver on his word to bat out games. He continues to be an average ODI batsman in my book because he is playing on his reputation alone. He is definitely an impact player, but he's not having much impact. India are trying to blend Australian-style efficient and Sri Lanka-style dynamite. I think Gilchrist was the only one who could do it. Sehwag isn't making the cut so far. To make the non-believers believe, Sehwag needs to come good big time against South Africa and West Indies.

Team management may be held solely responsible for having started the destruction of Virat Kohli as a solid ODI batsman. Kohli had vindicated himself as a solid #3 or #4 batsman. By denying an inform batsman his space to flourish and instead relying on Sehwag and Yuvraj to come good, Dhoni and the team management have done India a huge disservice. I'm extremely worried that Kohli will go the way of Irfan Pathan. Today's dismissal against Netherlands after coming in as a number 5 batsman signaled to me that he was beginning to lose confidence. In fact, even Gambhir may be getting screwed up.

Dhoni would have done well to take a leaf from 1987 India team, where a virtually unknown Sidhu was kept at #3 throughout and allowed to express himself. Sidhu had not played a single ODI until then and had been dumped from the test team in 1983 as a "strokeless wonder". He was backed by the seniors solely on his display in the camp prior to the World Cup. Sidhu had replaced Amarnath who was the hero of 1983.

There was no basis to think that either Sehwag or Yuvraj would do better than Gambhir and Kohli. While Yuvraj is grinding it out, Sehwag is going to have to deliver in subsequent matches. Even otherwise his place is secure purely on an unearned ODI reputation of one innings of consequence in this World Cup. I cannot understand why the team wants Sehwag to develop a new facet to his game while a winning formula with Kohli in a fulcrum position had already been in place. My preferred order would be Gambhir, Tendulkar, Kohli, Yuvraj, Raina/Sehwag, Dhoni, Pathan. Why do we need a Sehwag at the top of the order? What was wrong with Gambhir, Tendulkar?

I wouldn't blame the bowling because India don't have any. Whatever the bowlers are delivering is the best we can expect out of them. In fact, with Zaheer Khan we have a guy who can break open games. Harbhajan is tight and the other three are free to try to limit the damage. Yuvraj is reaping wickets against minnows, but until Pathan and he are able to limit the runs given away to less than 60, India cannot depend on bowlers to win games.

Opinions on... Kamran Akmal

We have seen spinners bowling with the new ball. Wicketkeepers doubling up as opening batsmen. Spinners bowling in the power play is also not new. In fact this World Cup it self has seen many of these innovations in play; including Munaf Patel holding a catch while sitting on his butt; allegedly because there was no other way to avoid getting hit by the ball.


But Pakistan have gone "out of the box" with their innovation.

Following their game against New Zealand, they have decided to play without a wicket keeper.

No this is not like India in the past and South Africa today where specialist batsmen double up as wicket keepers. Pakistan will field no one in the position of a wicketkeeper.

Instead they will play a bowler extra, something Mahendra Singh Dhoni found extremely logical. Bowling is Pakistan's strength so they should play as close to 11 bowlers as possible he said. He however offered no comments to a team downsizing on the role of a wicket keeper.

Pakistan have a unique problem. An entire generation of mothers since September 23rd 1971, have been unable to conceive, deliver and nurture an International quality wicket keeper. Not yet 40 many wonder why Moin Khan isn't making a comeback.

The PCB in a rare moment of introspection and transparency acknowledged their failure in managing this problem. A few years back a survey of front line Pakistani bowlers had revealed that as long as a wicketkeeper holds on to 50% of the catches that come their way, they should be able to bowl Pakistan to winning positions. So the PCB used fake match fixers to offer Kamran Akmal millions of dollars to drop 50% of his catches.

No one is really sure if Kamran is plan incompetent, dishonest or is wobbly with his math.

But Pakistan's decision to field no wicket keeper is likely to raise a lot of questions. There are pages and pages of rules in the ICC rule book on what the wicket keeper should and should not do, where he should and should not stand (this section has illustrations by Billy Bowden), when he can and can't wear a helmet, where the helmet can and can't be placed and how many runs can and can't be scored if a ball hits or misses the helmet that has been placed where a helmet can be legally placed when the wicketkeeper can't wear the helmet.

However there is no rule which says that fielding a wicket keeper is mandatory.

Other unsolicited opinions on unsuspecting cricketers...

1. Shahid Afridi
2. Shakib Al Hasan
3. Suresh Raina

Backlash

Bangladesh today threatened to bounce back. This had England cowering in fright. But after Andrew Strauss read the Cricinfo article carefully, he recovered his composure. After the thrashing they received at the hands of West Indies, Bangladesh decided to take the day off and their mind off cricket and practiced relay racing. Don't believe me, Cricinfo tell us this.


Apparently, this was done to relieve the team of the pressure after their performance versus the Caribbeans. The team was too uptight after the hard work and were unhappy with the crowd's performance. Sinking to new lows creates pressure on teams to live up to pre-World cup hype of upsetting one established team.

I'm assuming that they consider being beaten by the West Indies as an upset. They are worried now about being upset by England and hence have decided to relieve some pressure and relax to play their natural game of losing every match they play.

What better way to improve your chances than to play no cricket at all? It appears that the novel strategy could be to play so poorly against England that the enormous crowds in Chittagong, Mirpur and Dhaka will have no expectations from their team. This will then relieve the team completely from all pressures.

For it's part, the ICC is taking care of the elite teams by ensuring that the next World Cup will feature no upsets.