Ricky Ponting’s progress will be closely watched

Amidst the headlines captured by the common wealth games, as it draws nearer , there is some cricket being lined up as well .The Australian team is here to play two tests , followed by three One Day Internationals .Both Mohali and Bangalore , venues for the tests should be able to hopefully produce result.

The last time India played Australia at Mohali, Australia were handed a heavy defeat of 320 runs margin and that should certainly give them a lot of confidence .India enjoy a good record at the PCA stadium in Mohali, only losing to the West Indies in the first match played on this ground, while the ground has produced five draws out of nine matches played.

With Bangalore also reciting the same tale of eight draws out of seventeen tests played so far, it should be interesting to note that the declaration might just be an important factor to compel a result .While India has rewarded Cheteshwar Pujara’s form and consistency at the domestic level , his name would only be in the team sheet if there is an injury amongst the top six in the batting line up .Suresh Raina would occupy the number six slot after his fruitful tour of Sri Lanka , with Sachin Tendulkar Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman constituting a potent middle order.

The last time India played Australia in 2008, Dravid had a forgettable series aggregating 120 runs at an average of 17.14 in 7 visits to the crease. While Rahul Dravid would be aware of that statistics and keen to settle the scores with the Australians, runs in this series would pep up the confidence to do well against south Africa and New Zealand in future .The batting would determine the winner in the series as Australians would have done their homework on Virender Sehwag continues to get attention of the opposition .

The Australian spin department looks suspicious with no real match winner and one wonders what happened to Jason Kreja after his 8 wicket burst in Nagpur, during the last Australian trip in 2008.

It would be also an important series for Ricky Ponting. Ponting’s last ton came nine months back against the Pakistan and he is showing signs of decline already and this series well might ascertain if the time is ripe to hand over the captaincy reins to Michael Clarke. He averages 40 in the last ten test matches and looks a far cry from the batsman he once was, with 209 coming in a single outing to the crease, way below his career average of 54.66.

From an Indian standpoint, Harbhajan Singh, doubtful starter for the Mohali test would be wondering how to bring that strike rate down, as he appears to have lost his wicket taking ability.

Shane Watson has started of f the tour in style with back to back hundreds and should give Indians food for thought.

A series win in India will give tremendous tonic to Ricky Ponting for his next high profile assignment. He must have spent endless time mulling over the combinations to register an Ashes win on his illustrious resume.

Yuvraj Singh is down but not out!

The selectors have once again showed who is in charge by showing the door to Yuvraj Singh. Though it can be argued that he was always living on borrowed time, Yuvraj was given far too many opportunities at the test level to translate his promise as a fine one day batsman to mature number six for India, after Saurav Ganguly left the international scene.

Yuvraj Singh always had the style and flamboyance and may have won many matches for India, However he always was an uneasy batsman finding it difficult to get his bearings in the longest format of the game often confused with the pace of scoring runs .Yuvraj Singh, just 29, would believe that he might have got the wake up call at the right time, after having a sedate tour of Sri Lanka in July where he was unwell and the indifferent form did not help the cause either. However it is worth pondering if the route is some what identical to what Ajay Jadeja traversed, having played 15 tests over the 9 years as an international cricket, dazzling only at the One day format, only time will tell.

With Rahul Dravid ,VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar well in the twilight zone , Yuvraj will have to quickly scale up to the test level , as the breathing space just gets tougher , with the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara , Rohit Sharma , Virat Kohli captivating the selectors , as good investment option for the future .It is interesting to note that even if Yuvraj would been a part of the squad picked for the home series against Australia , would he be in the playing eleven , now withstanding the form of Suresh Raina.

Given the flair and the success Yuvraj enjoyed at the international level it is quite easy to forget that test cricket can be very rude surprise, but remains the sought after thing on the resume of a international cricketer.

On the more positive side, Yuvraj, the one day batsman will probably play a more significant role in the upcoming world cup in the subcontinent .Have the selectors dropped a hint to Yuvraj to concentrate on getting amongst the runs in the one day format?

Yuvraj Singh has a lot of work to do for sure.

Will Test Cricket pass the stiff test ?


With English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff ‘s retirement from test cricket , what was just a premonition is now looking an unpleasant reality . The commercials of T-20 beast is hovering to wolf down test cricket, with favours from injuries and excessive cricket .The timing of the decision is interesting, but the rational behind is not incongruous .It came between the Ashes test series and Flintoff giving into the body’s voice to stop , that has been battered due to a spate of futile surgeries. Meanwhile, he safeguarded the future by focusing his energies on T-20 and 50 over version of the game.

Forsake test cricket and embrace one day format and T-20 is the latest trend . Few years ago, the players opted for the longest format , to prolong their career .Shane Warne , Steven Waugh , Brain Lara, Steve Harmison gave the highest honor to tests and sacrificing the limited over internationals.

But with the unprecedented success of IPL , the winds have reversed the direction .The injuries take a toll on the international cricketers , with rehabilitation period some times making them unavailable for months. And often, it becomes difficult to come back in the reckoning with full fitness and same vigor ,not to mention the unaltered mindset . Then ,avoiding the demands of test cricket comes an easy option , the staggering money associated with it swings the pendulum in the favour of T-20 and to a lesser extent 50 overs internationals. Twenty20 is where all the revenue is, where all the sponsorship is, where all the crowds are, where all the players are heading!

Donning the whites and playing test cricket, an ultimate dream for any youngster few years ago is now passé .


The spectators are declining to turn up any more, with empty stadiums and benign tracks undermining the balance between the ball and the bat . There is every chance that many of the players, too, will soon be reluctant to pitch up for Test cricket.Still young and in the late 20s and early 30’s players might secure their future by premature retirement .The world heard about Chris Gayle’s thoughts about the test cricket and Flintoff’s decision will not retard the doomsday for tests.

Countries like Australia and England are still safe but signs in India and West Indies are a matter of concern and bourgeoning schemes in the US to come up tournaments on the lines of IPL , the carrot is out for the stars who are uncertain in tests and yet have still cricket left in them .However, it will take away charismatic match winners like Flintoff , further eroding the thin base of test cricket

So, is excessive cricket also a catalyst to accelerate early retirements? The all rounders always a rare breed, is the most susceptible to the demands of the crammed international calendar, with the surge of T-20, the pressure will only increase many manifolds .The bowlers and all rounders will be at risk as well , with varying degree .While the batsman is already finding it difficult to maintain the consistency in all the three formats, eventually being probed on adaptability all-time .Then there is distinct possibility of developing technical flaws as there is no time to look at one’s game. The final outcome indifferent form and in some cases mental fatigue, with a dip in motivation .


Is the time ripe for having a relook at the test model ? Will the introduction of pink balls and the concept of test championship , revive test cricket .Only time will tell. But there is certainly a injection required to energise test cricket , else it will be anachronistic.

Where is the ray of hope amidst dark clouds ?
The first Test match of the Ashes series between England and Australia has been a resounding success .While the second test only adding to the excitement .The critics and sceptics being won over by five days of enthralling cricket on the field and the spectators delighted .Watching Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar blocking their way to the end of play to keep Australia away from the crease at Cardiff .This was followed up with Flintoff sending down 10 high octane overs to seal the deal for the Englishmen This brought back all the drama , nervousness and suspsense of the Ashes series.The icing on the cake was gross collection of £6m with a seven figure profit on that.Still, there is hope …
.A test match drawn after the opposition couldnot take the final wicket , scoring 400 plus to win a test , changing the natural game to suit the team needs , dour defence to save the test , applying the skills on a barren track to claim a five for , are memories that is test cricket’s gift to us.Thats the ultimate test of character and mental toughness of a cricketer defying all odds . In that , test cricket will always remain special.
The surge in the Twenty20 game is unstoppable as the spread of mushrooms in rainy season. The greater challenge lies in bringing back the crowds and arrest the fall in television revenues. A compelling contest with late starts and night games may be the starting point of revitalising the traditional form of cricket
The ICC has its plate full, with that an opportunity is there to change the game of test cricket !

Ponting will be tested

England carried the advantage of freak escape into the second test and ended the Lords jinx with a 115 runs victory and a 1-0 lead in the Ashes. .This is hard test cricket for you .And the wrecker in chief was Andrew Flintoff who sent out 10 high quality overs unchanged, to end with a man of the match award.

Now then , England suddenly are looking a potent outfit with a good bowling attack. Graham Onions was straight and full on most occasions while Graeme Swann extracted a fair turn from the surface. Jimmy Anderson probed with a nagging length and immaculate direction with a fair support from Stuart Broad .But one man chose the occasion to leave a mark on the last test at Lords .Andrew Flintoff. Bowling consistently in excess of 150 Km/h he defied pain to script a famous win for England . One just wonders if Flintoff would have been fully fit for most part of his 77 tests and had pitched the ball up the way he did at Lords , how many more wickets he would have added to his kitty !.

The match appeared to go down to the wire after the Cardiff show. But any thoughts of that soon vaporized when Brad Haddin edged one outside off stump towards the second slip .Then onwards it was just delaying the swift conclusion.


It was the bowling that made the difference, eventually .Australia was always going to be a depleted bowling attack after Brett Lee’s loss due to injury .Mitchell Johnson went for pace and sprayed the ball around whereas Ben Hilfenhaus maintained a steady line and length just outside off stump and consistently troubled the English batsman with his swing was the only bright

Michael Clark must find a mention for the way he timed the bowl and was decisive off either foot . This was a top effort repeatedly penetrating the covers area for boundaries and he got able company in Brad Haddin who is trying his best to fill up the void of Adam Gilchrist .

Australian captain will be severely tested hence forth , not many times one finds the Australian team trailing in the series .
At 1-0 down, and after surrendering their 75-year sovereignty of Lord’s, Australia are in unfamiliar Ashes territory. In fact, the last time they trailed England so early in the series was in 1997. However they went on to win the next three Tests.
Having lost most stalwarts to retirement, he will have to make some tough decisions and the name which comes under scrutiny is Mitchell Johnson who has failed to carry the load of a strike bowler in Lee’s absence


What an advertisement for Test cricket these two matches have been. This after the T-20 fever threatens to suffocate test cricket. There is a big break before the third test and it remains to be seen how Ponting gets his combination right .Will Ponting the batsman again come to Ponting the captain’s rescue ? .At the moment the plate looks full for skipper Ponting .With Lee looking least to be risked against Northamptonshire, Stuart Clarke is the only realistic choice if Ponting takes the bold decision to leave out Mitchell Johnson .Whereas Shane Watson will be seen as a batting all rounder , which does not aid Australians to make a strong statement of intent towards taking 20 English wickets . If he decides to go with five specialist bowlers , who will be left out ?
Testing time ahead for Ricky Ponting !

By this time Yuvraj Singh should have been a regular in the Indian middle order and a certainty in the Test Team, after eight seasons of international cricket and a proven match winner. However, he still turns over in bed, plump up his pillow, with the inscrutable question; does he belong to the test level? The elegant lefthander has been left out of the Indian squad for the Emerald Isles in late July ,with selectors using the word “rested “!

Once again, he has hit a roadblock. So, is he the next Michael Bevan then? Too premature to say for sure! even if a popular website has written him off.

While the years gone by saw the stylish lefthander mature as one of the mainstays of Indian batting in limited overs version, what was left in oblivion was Yuvraj the test batsman .The test team line up is studded with some heavyweights and it is difficult to make a batting slot your own. In 2006, when Ganguly was no longer in the frame, and Yuvraj looked assured of his place in the Test side, with a successful season in ODIs. However, with Ganguly reinventing himself in South Africa and Laxman scoring runs consistently, Yuvraj loosing his spot was a foregone conclusion.
The “process” has been a interesting one for the southpaw .Having announced the arrival into the international scene with a blistering 84 and some acrobatic catching against Australia in the Nairobi Mini-World Cup in 2000-01. Since then it’s been a rollercoaster ride. He had a lean trot and was dropped immediately for the one-dayers against Australia.The primal talent quickly gained a reputation as a finisher scoring at a brisk pace, with an undefeated 98 against SriLanka in 2001. But the scene in test arena was not similar .He initially struggled to break into strongest middle order batting line up in the world .This was quickly followed by exploring opportunity as an opener only to realize later on that his natural habitat is indeed the middle order.
While ODI brought smiles on Yuvraj’s face, he has found the transition to Test cricket far tougher than expected. Getting out after doing all the hard work and playing too many shots, have been the nemesis of the Punjab lefthander .Another aspect that has been found wanting is his footwork. Early in his career, he was clearly troubled by spinners and often got caught on the crease, leading to dismissals. But the question is does spin puts Yuvraj in real spot of bother? Out of the last 7 innings that he padded up in tests, he was dismissed by spinners thrice .Yuvraj jabs at deliveries, cannot pick up the length let alone read the spinner of his hands , goes for premeditated sweep shot and brings down his own downfall.
All the three test tons have all come against Pakistan in quick time but to regain his spot he will have to take leaf out of Laxman and Ganguly , who have mastered to match potential with performance and more importantly construct the innings , with attaching high price for their wicket. The only plausible reason for his dramatic demotion lies in the cluttered mind and desperateness to prove his credentials at the Test Level
Playing against quality spin exemplary judgment of the turn and bounce and more significantly precise understanding of the whereabouts of one’s wicket in addition to playing the ball dexterously late.
Any thoughts of wearing the whites again would require a different mindset and to temporarily rein in the natural ambition to hit boundaries. As Geoff Boycott realized early in his career batting isn't about how many boundaries you hit, it's about how many runs you make.Yuvraj's record of 1050 runs at an average of 32 in 20 Tests, suggests there has been more dust than gold. But the average of 32 will improve, as he realizes his flair and learns the intricacies of test cricket

While one might argue that the selectors have shielded him against the likes of Murali and Mendis, to break his confidence completely or were wary about his performance on the slow tracks .The key is to just lie low, focus on the game and stick to ones strengths and come back strong
Few can time the ball as sweetly as Yuvraj at his best and has all the making of a great test batsman.Yuvraj has always been a creature of confidence. When his mind is unfettered, his footwork decisive, and intent positive, he scores runs. It is when he is tentative - especially outside the off stump against the fast bowler, or sweeping instinctively against the spinner - that he is in the most trouble. Confidence comes from making runs, from playing big innings but equally, it comes from feeling that you belong in a team. The answer of the question posed at the start, would be an emphatic affirmative, only if Yuvraj alters his approach.

Legacy of umpires under threat!

Change is inevitable goes the cliché .The game of cricket has certainly seen lots of these in the recent past .But the one that will have a lasting impact would be the present proposal of reviewing a decision of the on field umpires .Prima-facie , it may look promising and with all the right intentions. However in the longer run it might just clip the powers of the umpires world over, if the trialing of the Umpire decision review system is successful

It is needless to mention the scrutiny the modern umpire is subjected to, with the stakes high as never before .Interestingly the need for the change gathered momentum with the infamous decisions against the Indian side, in the tour down under .India went on to loose the series

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The system, to be tested in this year's Sri Lanka v India three-match Test series starting on July 23, will allow the fielding and batting sides three unsuccessful appeals to the umpire per innings to change a decision if it is perceived to have been incorrect. The on-field umpire will consult with the third umpire, who will review available television coverage of the incident before relaying fact-based information back to his colleague. Slow-motion replays, the wicket-to-wicket "mat", sound from stump microphones and ball-tracking technology up to the point of impact on the pad will be available for use by the television umpire.

Sure, the game is being taken to new level, with the aid of technology with certain sects advocating if the technology is there then why not use it. Does it mean premature death of the umpire as the discretionary authority on the field?

As they say, the umpiring decisions gone in favour or against evens out in the longer run. The stoppages resulting from the referral will slow down the game .The next question is whether technology is always foolproof?Notably, the LBW decisions which are corroborated by Hawk eye technology do not take into account the playing conditions , bounce .At best ,it is a guesstimate of the trajectory of the ball hitting the pad .If this is not enough , it does not factor the swing of the ball .Then ,there are cases in which doubt still lingers on the legitimacy of a catch , because of the optical illusion, even the slow motions are inconclusive .The game would be bereaved of moments , when a plumb LBW appeal would be turned down , a non existent nick being adjudged out on a crucial juncture of the game .The umpires who are the protagonists to the drama surrounding all these will be cornered .

Time will tell, with all the intent with which ICC has brought the use of technology will take the game to a next level or reduce the status of the umpires.

Steyn is the new gain !

Dale Willem Steyn gives an impression of a tiger that has just tasted blood, and become a man-eater. Aggressive, fiery, with the celebrations he involves in after every scalp he claims, he is the new face of the South African pace attack .Fast bowlers come in a variety of flavours. South Africa had Shaun Pollock who was relentless and untiring all through out his career, Allan Donald had the stare to sweat the batman along with the impressive in dipper and beautiful bowling action while Makhaya offered stamina and longevity with an unusual angle to discomfort the batsman . Nel has on field antics and sporty nature .But Steyn unlike all these is uncommon is like a fresh breeze, which energies you with a normal height and build , unlike most fast men, has an ability to take someone’s head off with a shiny red cherry.

Perhaps the most captivating trait is he can swing the ball away from the right-handers in excess of 90 miles an hour consistently and possesses a near unplayable yorker .He bowls pretty straight and delivering the ball from very close to the stumps, which explains the number of clean bowled dismissals. The ascension has been an accelerated one for Dale who seemed unripe on his test debut in 2004 .Steyn announced himself to Test cricket with a fast in-swinging delivery that left Marcus Trescothick ‘s stumps rearranged .However ,he faded from view after three matches against England in which he took eight wickets and conceded more than 400 runs. He had another go early in 2006 and, since then, he has become a nemesis to the batsman world over

To top it up, Dale Steyn signed off a dream season in Test cricket by sweeping all the major honours at the South Africa Cricket Awards on Tuesday night. Steyn won all the four awards he was nominated for which included SA Cricketer of the Year, Test Player of the Year, SA Players' Player of the Year and the SuperSport Fans' Cricketer of the Year.

The progress has been steep .However,Steyn needs to add one more arrow in his quiver and that is a genuine in swinger, which will fetch him a fortune .With now a new responsibility of the spearheading the attack, he has his task cut out .But his rise would be closely monitored, with real litmus test will come in England.

Steyn’s potential to join the very best who have marked out a run-up would be dependent on how quickly he develops a slower delivery and off cutter , which will eliminate the predictability ,the control to bowl the three quarter length , most importantly remain injury free .Plus, the real test of character will come when he will have a fewer wickets to show in good batting conditions .

So far its been a fairytale Picking up 78 wickets at 16.24 a piece in 12 tests ,and playing a dominant force behind South Africa's home series wins against New Zealand and West Indies with an unbelievable strike rate

He has stated that "he loves the buzz from bowling fast" and that he wants to be the quickest in the world

While Brett Lee is the most improved bowler and arguably the best fast bowler in the world ,Steyn has been a transformed bowler and looks the only bet to dethrone him .