Cricket World Cup 2007

My Blog is on vacation ...

2006-08-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

with me :) - shall be back in action after September 10th.

BYE BYE

Till then,
Good bye !

Thyaga

The ball tampering controversy - my view Part II

2006-08-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

Ok - the controversy is just turning into a soap opera now. I had blogged a post earlier about my views on this controversy. Now the situation has turned completely different:

Inzamam's hearing has been postponed till the end of September - this gives Inzy some time to concentrate on his cricket and also for the lawyers to present the cases (of course, this also means that the axe is still hanging around Inzy's head).
ICC sensationally released the email exchanges between Hair and the ICC chiefs - i think, this is the most unprofessional of the ICC - Hair had clearly sent the email in confidence and i think ICC has betrayed that. According to the email, Hair had offered to quit if ICC were to offer him $500, 000 to compensate him for his future matches, that he would have umpired had he not retired.
Malcom Speed, ICC's chief executive then made a statement that Hair's career may be over now.
Hair then hit back at the ICC saying that his offer of the $500,000 was made at the behest of ICC.

One thing that has come up as a result of this unfolding drama is that the wonderful cricket of cricket has taken a back-seat and matters off the field have taken precedence.

I would rather worry about the "Men in Blue" rather than the "Men in White".

-- Thyaga

World Cup Final Tickets

2006-08-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

Did anyone get your tickets for the World Cup Finals? - my application was rejected and i feel a little pissed. I did manage to get 3 Group 2 tickets - these are the tickets that one needs to buy in addition to the World Cup ones - really, this is quite unfortunate.

Let me know if any of you managed to get the tickets and also let me know how u managed to pull off the trick !

-- Thyaga

Hayden back in Aussie 1-day squad

2006-08-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath will make their one-day international returns after long absences during the mini-tour of Malaysia next month. This is good news for Australia and bad news for the rest of the world. Hayden along with Gilly at the very top can destroy any bowling attack - looks like the Aussies have taken the 1st step towards retaining the World Cup. Read on ...

-- Thyaga

The ball tampering controversy - my view

2006-08-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

End of a Test or beginning of a controversy?
[Copyright: Getty Images, Source: http://www.cricket.com]

Over the past few days, the cricketing world has been rocked by a ball-tampering fiasco where umpire Darrel Hair accused the Pakistan team of tampering with the ball. This incident occurred on the 4th day of the 4th test at the Oval Cricket Ground. He awarded 5 penalty runs to England and had the ball changed. After the tea interval, the England batsmen walked out to the middle along with the umpires but the Pakistan players were nowhere to be seen. Hair soon declared that Pakistan had forfeited the game. You can go through the details here ...

My take on this whole episode is this:

(1). Darrel Hair has repeatedly courted controversies and his record with Asian countries has particularly been bad. He was the first to openly no-ball Muralitharan for chucking and that opened a can of worms regarding chucking and recently ICC had to amend its laws for chucking. ICC seriously needs to look into this "anti-Asian" attitude of Hair.

(2). When the incident happened, the person who should have taken charge of the situation was the match refree Mike Proctor - but he did none of that.

(3). Inzamam did the right thing by carrying on play till tea instead of taking a decision in haste and walking out as Ranatunga famously did in Australia. Over tea, Pakistan protested against Hair's decision and I think, they were right in protesting against the decision. There was no substantial proof of ball tampering even though there were 26 Sky TV cameras in operation !

(4). Hair's decision could have been provoked by Duncan Fletcher - he had gone to meet the match refree in the morning to voice his suspicion. The match refree could have informed Hair about it and the result was there to see.

(5). I think Hair's decision reflects more of a policeman attitude rather than of a judge, a view publicly pointed out by Rashid Latif, Imran Khan, Ranatunga etc.

(6). From the looks of it, it seems that Inzy may be banned for 4 Tests and 8 ODIs - if that is the case, then the Pakistan team should show solidarity towards their captain and simply not play the ODIs in England.

(7). Its time ICC looks into the repeated complaints from the Asian block and give them proper respect that they deserve.

-- Thyaga

India - Sri Lanka series cancelled

2006-08-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

India and Sri Lanka have cancelled their ODI series. South Africa had initially pulled out owing to security fears. Also, continuous rain made play almost impossible. I really don't understand ICC's planning - it is obvious that it will be raining now in Sri Lanka. Why do they keep doing such mistakes? - it is a blow for the cricketers and also for the fans.

Read on ...

Oh well ...
--T

The tale of 2 cricketers ...

2006-08-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

2 years ago, when India toured Pakistan, India had unearthed a star - Irfan Pathan. He wrecked the Pakistan batting line-up with relentless ease. One of the players who struggled repeatedly against him was a player known as Yousuf Youhana, one of the very few "non-Muslims" at that time to play the game. Come 2005 and Yousuf Youhana embraced Islam and become Mohammad Yousuf. Ever since that, his performances have gone up the roof.

Currently, Yousuf is touring England and has 3 Test Centuries on the trot. On the other hand, Irfan Pathan is struggling to make it to the Indian Test Team now and in fact, was dropped for most of the Caribbean Test Series. As they say, cricket is after all a confidence game. Of course, for Yousuf, it might seem that there are reasons more than confidence as well. All said and done, Yousuf is in the form of his life right now.

-- Thyaga

SGStream Alternatives

2006-08-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

The triangular series between India, Sri Lanka and South Africa has started and I am still trying to figure out some alternatives for SGStream. An anonymous post on my Blog pointed me to http://www.cricketspot.com

I would appreciate if I could get more choices so that I can make my decision.

-- T

Srinath on Pathan

2006-08-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

Pathan: Hair cut might prove lucky?
[Photo Copyright: Getty Images]

Srinath, India's ex fast bowler thinks that Pathan will come good soon and that the current loss of form is just temporary. Pathan, who had risen to become India's numero uno fast bowler, has undergone an amazing lack of form. His confidence is obviously not there and it showed in his performances in the Caribbean. As one of India's biggest hope in the World Cup, it is important that he strikes form fast and hits the ground running.

Go Pathan !

-- Thyaga

Dada in the 30 member probable's list

2006-08-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Dada: False Lifeline?

Yesterday the Indian 30 probables for the Champions Trophy was announced and well, 3 well-known figures from the past - Saurav Ganguly, Zaheer Khan, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble find themselves in the list. Though VVS and Kumble still feature in India's test teams, Dada and Zaheer have been out from both forms of the game.

This is indeed an interesting team selection but knowing the Indian selectors too well, this could be a false lifeline.

-- Thyaga

Dino calls Amla a terrorist

2006-08-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

Hashim Amla

[Photo Copyright: http://www.cricket.org]

It was one of the hottest topics of the Football World Cup in Germany in June, 2006. Now, it looks like cricket is getting a small taste of this disease. Dean Jones, in his exuberance labelled Amla as a terrorist. Needless to say, he was sacked from his ongoing commentary job. Of course, Dino has since apologised for making such a stupid statement but the fact remains that his views were heard on live TV all over the world from Sri Lanka to South Africa. That ain't good for cricket - or should be say, "That is not cricket, Dino".

- T

Indian cricket controversies

2006-08-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

We didn't start the fire!

Indian cricket is currently going through 2 major storms (Tsunami, if you may). One is the reaction of the media over Sanjay Manjrekar's comments on Sachin. The second is regarding the book that John Wright has written (John Wright's Indian Summers) about his time being the coach of the Indian cricket team and the selection biases that take place in India. I always felt that this was just a way for the media to keep printing some sensational stuff since there is no "live" cricket going on nowadays. Here is Sambit Bal, the editor of Cricinfo, on his take on this issue - it is indeed a smoke without fire!

-- T

Off field cricket action

2006-08-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that India is a huge market for cricket sponsors. The various sponsors are slowly going to unveil their promotional campaigns starting in August and going on till the World Cup Sponsors such as LG, Hutch, Pepsi, Hero Honda all have million $ budgets for the World Cup. Consumers will be peppered with commercials that will mostly have cricket as their theme. So, while there is a lot of action going on ON the field, be ready for some OFF the field as well.

-- T

President Musharraf keen to see the World Cup

2006-07-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

It looks like the President of Pakistan, General Musharraf is very keen to see the World Cup semi finals and finals at the Caribbean. Of course, i am sure this will be contingent on whether Pakistan make it or not to these stages :)

-- T

Security Plans for World Cup revealed

2006-07-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

It looks like the security plans for the World Cup are going to be as high as it was after the 9/11 attacks. Amongst the measures are plans for visitors to complete Americanstyle travel manifestos before passengers land in a country. That would take effect between mid- January and mid-May 2007. Read on ...

-- T

ICC launches World Cup logo, mascot and schedule

2006-07-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

[Copyright: http://www.cricket.org]

ICC has officially launched the World Cup logo, mascot, World Cup trophy

The ICC has officially launched the World Cup logo, mascot, World Cup trophy and also the schedule. This was done in New Delhi yesterday by officials of the ICC and the members of the Organizing committee. The fact that it was done in New Delhi goes to show how important India is as a market for the success of the World Cup. Read on ....

World Cup ticket bookings close on Monday - July 31st

2006-07-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

The first phase of ticket bookings for the World Cup will be over on Monday, July 31st. If you have not yet applied for it, then this is the best chance for you to do so. Details on how to purchase tickets can be found here.

-- T

Kensington Oval will be ready by Jan, 2007

2006-07-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

[Copyright: http://www.cricket.org]

Kensington Oval - Ready by January, 2007

Construction work at the venue for the final of the 2007 Cricket World Cup — Kensington Oval at Bridgetown, Barbados — is scheduled to finish just two months before the biggest ever one-day tournament commences, but officials are confident of things falling in place.

Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council today officially launched the 2007 cricket World Cup logo, mascot and tournament schedule in India. Read on ...

-- T

World Cup security meeting

2006-07-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

With the increasing concerns over security, the World Cup organizing committee is sending the right feelers about the security arrangements that they have undertaken. I had blogged about how they had sent their top brass to attend the security arrangements during the World Cup Football tournament in Germany. To further confirm their committment to security, the International Support and Advisory Group (ISAG) had its first meeting in Barbados to talk about the security issues.

-- T

Brian Lara Cricket game to release in 2007

2006-07-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

World Cup action will not be seen live on television in March, 2007 - you can also play it on your video console at home at the same time :). The Brian Lara Cricket game is scheduled to release in March, 2007 and no points for guessing this - the promotions have already started.

Another one that was recently released is the game with Ricky Ponting ...

-- T

Sachin & Mongia return to the Indian team

2006-07-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

Sachin and Mongia

[Copyright: Getty Images and http://www.cricket.org]

Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Mongia return to the Indian National team for the triangular tournament in Sri Lanka. While the former's selection was a mere formality, Mongia has been rewarded for some consistent performance in the County circuit. India has been desperately looking for an all-rounder to balance its 1-day team but it is yet to have someone who can do that job on a consistent basis. Mongia might be the answer that India is looking for - he bats well, has been taking wickets regularly in the County circuit and is an excellent fielder. Although he has got his chances in the past, he has not taken full advantage of those. So, this is yet another golden chance for him to cement his place in the side.

The team (from):
Rahul Dravid (capt), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Ramesh Powar, Ajit Agarkar, Munaf Patel, Rudra Pratap Singh, Dinesh Mongia

Cheers,
Thyaga

BCCI, Twenty 20 and Sidhuism

2006-07-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

Will tournaments such as these become common fixtures now?

[Copyright: Sussex Cricket ]

Recently, India agreed to participate in the Twenty 20 World Cup to be played in South Africa next year. India was not ready to join this tournament but then there is the pressure of the media, ICC and the rest and India had to succumb to it. I don't know how much change this is going to bring about in India but Sidhu, as usual, had something to say about it:

===

"If one-day cricket was pyjama cricket, then Twenty20 is underwear cricket."

"This cricket is like a burger, you can have it once a week but for a whole meal, you need to return to Test cricket. More than once a week, and it will give you a tummy ache"

===

Cheers,
Thyaga

2006-07-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

[Copyright: Getty Images]

Sachin Tendulkar will return to the International arena after his injury layoff - he was initially supposed to undergo a fitness test but this was decided not required in the current circumstances. This is indeed great news for India because during the 1-day series, it was definitely missing his services - not only with the bat but also with the ball and also his valuable tips in the field.

Hope he returns successfully !

Cheers,
Thyaga

Delhi to host 2011 World Cup Final

2006-07-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

So, the World Cup is coming to India in 2011 - Bangladesh will host the opening ceremony, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will host the 2 semi-finals and finally India will host the finals. Initially, when i got to know about this, the first reaction was that Mumbai would host the finals because of Mr. Pawar's pull and regional bias syndrome. But it looks like Delhi will get its share of World Cup action - the finals will be played in a new stadium to be built by the BCCI exclusively for the World Cup.

Cheers,
Thyaga

Micro$oft comes to Indian Umpires' rescue

2006-07-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

The lack of any Indian umpire in the Elite panel has finally brought some sense of urgency in the Indian cricket think tank - obviously, something wrong is going on somewhere - the faster that they can find that out and rectify it, the better it is for India.

Enter Micro$oft - the big daddy of software. It is going to provide software for exactly that purpose - now, whether the BCCI decides to use that effectively is another matter, of course.

-- Thyaga

Annual Colin Cowdrey lecture (2006) - Martin Crowe

2006-07-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

© Alain Lockyer/Somerset CCC

Martin Crowe, the former New Zealand batsman delivered the annual Colin Cowdrey lecture for 2006. Similar to his batting style, his lecture was classy, crisp and immaculate. He makes references to Hawk-eye, Snicko, ICC's laws on chucking (with special reference to a certain Sri Lankan) and finally on including weaker countries such as Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

It is a little long but a great read.

Enjoy!
-- Thyaga

Maninder criticizes Chappel

2006-07-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought that India's preparations are on the right track for the World Cup comes a new spin from Maninder Singh, ex-India spinner. According to him, India is far from making ideal preparations for the World Cup and he believes that Chappel is fickle-minded because he keeps shuffling Pathan's batting position. I am not sure I totally agree with Maninder's views - Chappel's main aim was to build flexibility in the batting order. I agree that it has not totally succeeded but I think it is more of a matter of time that it will. Many of the players are young and they will only learn as they mature more.

Anyway, here is his Maninder's view.

-- T

Bhajji set for World Cup

2006-07-10T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Turbanator: Raring to Go!

If Bhajji is to be believed, then he is all set for the World Cup - his recent experience in the Caribbean seems to have given him the extra confidence to bowl on the Caribbean pitches. Of course, there is an element of truth to that - it must not only have helped Bhajji but also the team in general because of the invaluable experience that they might have gained.

Bhajji has been quite a phenomenal bowler in the 1-dayers for India in the last 25 matches or so - his economy rate is around 3.3 an over and that is just excellent. What is lacking is the number of wickets that he takes and if he can improve that, then he will indeed be India's main strike weapon during the World Cup.

Cheers,
Thyaga

Volunteers being selected for the World Cup

2006-07-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

The World Cup organizing committee has started hiring volunteers for the World Cup. These recruits will then be trained with the security and other administrative tasks that will be performed during the course of the tournament. Guess who is going to foot the bill for hiring these volunteers and training them - it is not going to be the West Indies cricket board - it is the ICC !!! - now, does that give away some hidden message? :) - let me know!

-- Thyaga

Bhajji's interview

2006-07-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

Harbhajan Singh, one of India's potential stars of the next World Cup recently gave a good interview where he talks about his recent successes in 1-dayers, his changing role in the team etc. If India wants to succeed in the Caribbean, then Bhajji is one person who has to fire - not only contain the batsman and be economical but also take wickets. It is a tough ask but then he is a special bowler too.

-- T

ICC Champions Trophy itenary reeks of regional bias

2006-07-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

Ever since Mr. Sharad Pawar has taken over the reins of BCCI, the South and the East Zone have hardly got any games. Do you recall any game of importance being played at the Chepauk or the Eden Gardens of late? - hardly any. The Champions Trophy itenary had taken this to a higher level - the matches will be played in the North and West zones of India such as Delhi (the DDCA patronizes Pawar), Mumbai (Pawar's home turf), Jaipur (Lalit Modi's home turf) and Mohali (IS Bindra's home turf).

(Copyright - http://www.cricket.org)

Eden Gardens, Kolkata misses out on a game yet again!

So, for the passionate cricket fans in Chennai and Kolkata, its heartbreak time yet again!

-- Thyaga

World Cup accomodations crisis

2006-07-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

It looks like fans who are going to the Caribbeans are going to face a tough time getting hotel accomodations there. This is not good news at all because I am still awaiting the news whether or not I receive tickets or not. So, this type of news is now forcing me to gamble on getting hotel accomodations even before I know that I shall be getting the tickets.

I think, this type of organizational planning is bad for the sponsors and the game. If they had known that this was going to happen, then they should have planned for this better. I am not getting very good feelings about this.

I would be glad to hear from someone in the Caribbean - is the situation really so bad?

-- Thyaga

India win the Test Series against West Indies

2006-07-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

(Copyright AFP)
India win the Test Series against West Indies

The India - West Indies series came to an end with India winning the last test match and thereby win the series by 1-0. I think, it was a phenomenal win considering that India last won in the Caribbean in 1971. Also, India's away-win record is not great. Added to that, the Indian team was comprised mostly of youngsters who were just getting their feet wet in International cricket. Rahul Dravid lead the team from the front by performing admirably with the bat - he was the Man of the match for the last test and also the Man of the Series. In the end, it was a great team effort and so, HEART CONGRATULATIONS to the India Team.

Well Played India !

-- Thyaga

Be careful of fraudsters

2006-06-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

The World Cup cricket organizing committee has warned the people to be careful of fraudsters, who might take advantage of the passionate fans and take them for a ride. This is a good sign of positive attitude from the authorities especially after the Ashes ticket scam in which many tickets were being sold off Ebay and as such many fans couldn't get access to the tickets. Read on...

-- T

Famous injuries to cricketers

2006-06-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

Sachin's elbow has grabbed more headlines than his game in recent times

Sachin's elbow, Vaughan's knees, Bond's back etc occupy more news than Sachin, Vaughan and Bond themselves. If you thought that this was a recent phenomenon, then check this wonderful article from Cricinfo, which looks at famous injuries to different cricketers over time.

-- T

England face World Cup problems

2006-06-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

England are facing real 1-day woes - Michael Vaughan's knee continues to remain a problem, Simon Jones's ankle is facing the surgeon's knife, Ashley Giles is heading to the USA for more "hip" advice, the remaining players can't compete with the Sri Lankans in their own backyard. So, if England plans to be a real contender for the World Cup, they need to something drastic and they need to do it now. The whole nation is focussed on the Ashes series starting in November - but the World Cup is not too far away from the Ashes.

No wonder that the England coach believes that the path to the World Cup is a very tough one indeed. Read on ...

-- Thyaga

Schools to be closed for 2 weeks

2006-06-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

During the time of the World Cup, the schools in Sabina Park in the Caribbean will be closed for 2 weeks. I am sure more and more places will come up something similar - offices closed, limited timings etc. I remember, when India won the World Cup in 1983, it was declared as a national holiday - the whole nation was celebrating India's stupendous success.

Sports is such a leveller indeed.

-- T

World Cup check-in warnings

2006-06-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

The security in the World Cup in Caribbean is going to be massive - in fact, it is going to resemble an airport check-in. I had previously blogged about how the emergency services were being tested. It looks like that organizing committee does not want to leave any stones unturned and wants to put up a good show. The problem with this is that it needs to be implemented absolutely in a foolproof way so that the fans don't feel perturbed about any kinds of delays - remember, the fans are coming for the game for all parts of the world. Secondly, a security operation of this scale can only be implemented by experienced security agents - no wonder, the organizing committee members are spending time with the security agents in Germany, overlooking the Football World Cup in Germany.

-- T

Bashar named as Bangladesh's captain for the World Cup

2006-06-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

Habibul Bashar, Bangladesh's most successful captain, has been named as Bangaldesh's captain till the World Cup. I strongly feel that Bangladesh will be a dark horse in the coming World Cup and they have done the right thing by naming the captain so early. Now, they can plan their strategy and pick players according to that. I sincerely believe that they have some good match winners in Rafique, Mortaza, Nafees, Bashar, Ashraful and Kapali. They almost won a test against Australia and that says a lot about the talent that they possess. They need to get it right all together - Whatmore must be wishing he can do to Bangladesh what he did to Sri Lanka 10 years ago in the 1996 World Cup.

-- Thyaga

New Zealand start preparations for the World Cup

2006-06-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

The New Zealand cricket calendar is heavy with limited overs matches targetted solely for the World Cup preparations. They have very few tests in the next 18 months or so. Read on ...

-- T

Pakistan players get a pay hike

2006-06-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

A while ago, I had mentioned that Pakistan players were demanding a pay hike. It looks like finally their demands have been met. Yesterday, all the players were given a 25% hike in their pay and it looks like Inzi is now satisfied. Will this result in a good performance by Pakistan against England, one of the major series before the World Cup - that only time will say. For now, the Pakistani players are happy and rejoicing :).

-- T

Sachin eases back into action

2006-06-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar played hist first game today after his shoulder operation - he represented Lashings World XI versus Cambridge Universities. Oh yeah! - he scored a hundred too :).

If he keeps up this form, then India does not need to worry too much about the World Cup :).

-- Thyaga

Saurav Ganguly interview on BBC

2006-06-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

If you think that you have seen the last of Saurav 'Dada' Ganguly, then think again. In this exclusive interview with the BBC, he talks about his past, his present and his future plans. He very much intends to come back to the Indian Test and 1-day team as a player and definitely wants to be part of the World Cup in the Caribbean.

All the best Dada !

-- Thyaga

Encouraging small businesses

2006-06-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

To take advantage of the World Cup and the increase in traffic as a result of that, the Caribbean Government is asking the small business owners to come up and pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. Hmm - now, thats not a bad idea. So, what type of business can you set up - here are some suggestions:

(1). Bookstore - filled with Autobiographies of current and past cricketers - take advantage of the long tail !

(2). "Multi-Cuisine" restaurant - with people from all over the world around, this will definitely prove to be a hit.

(3). Anything to do with the sea - sell sea-gears, boats, kayaks etc. Of course, there will be dime-a-dozen of them already in the Caribbean - but then, its no harm in pinching the competition eh?

What else? - ping me with your creative ideas :)

Adios !
Thyaga

Sri Lanka confident of World Cup success

2006-06-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Fresh after their wonderful performance in the Tests against England, Sri Lanka have declared that they are confident of World Cup success. Maharoof, one the potential Sri Lankan stars has said that Sri Lanka have it in them to be a serious contender for the World Cup. Hmmm - thats interesting - just a while ago, they received a 6-1 drubbing from India, when they were favorites to win the series. I guess, they have moved past it by now ?

The test win must have given them enough confidence indeed - I always believed that Sri Lanka
are a better 1-day team than a Test team. In the test matches, they rely too heavily on Muralitharan who can bowl uninterrupted for howmuch ever you want him to bowl :). I guess, the confidence gained from the Test performance has really spurred the Lankans.

We will see what happens in the 1-dayers against the Pompoms.

-- Thyaga

If you can't earn, then "learn" ;-)

2006-06-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

The World Cup organizing committee has taken a leaf out of the World Cup soccer organization. Some members are apparently right now in Germany to take notes. This is interesting because few months ago, people were having some serious doubts about the quality and professionalism of the Caribbean organizing committee. Over the past couple of months, I think, the world has been pleasantly surprised by what the West Indies has done towards removing any kinds of doubt whatsoever!

It is indeed heartening to know - as they say in Marketing, if you can't earn, then "learn" (turn) ;-)

-- Thyaga

You can now stay in a house !

2006-06-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

The Jamaican tourism ministry is considering plans that will allow for households to host visitors during the Cricket World Cup. Now, this is an interesting move indeed. I had been thinking about this because the Caribbean islands are not very big in the first place. So, how were they possibly thinking of handling all the fans and crowd that will all land up for the World Cup. I think, this idea of households being able to host visitors will work in their benefit.

-- T

Looking for Co-Authors ...

2006-06-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hello Folks,
This is an earnest request to all you cricket fans - if you guys love to write and would like to contribute to my Blog for tracking the World Cup, 2007, please do email me or leave a comment here - it would be nice to share the load of maintaining this Blog on a daily basis :).

Cheers,
Thyaga

Emergency services ready for action

2006-06-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

Looks like the Emergency services for World Cup 2007 are ready for action. Yesterday, there was the first such drill and it seems to have gone off well. Read more ...

-- Thyaga

Brian Lara stadium on time

2006-06-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

Looks like the West Indies authorities are turning up a notch to complete the Brian Lara stadium in Trinidad. Considering that this is being constructed at a lavish budget of $275 million, it better be completed in time :).

Anyone in Trinidad - want to update me on this? - might be you have a different version of this story?

Cheers,
Thyaga

First Test ends in nail-biting draw

2006-06-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

The Ist test match between India and West Indies ended in a nail-biting draw. India had to take out 1 more wicket and the Windies last wicket pair had to play 3 overs to survive. Amazing stuff! Take a look at this picture - YES! - this is the Indian slip cordon waiting for an edge to come by!

(Copyright - AFP)

Cheers,
Thyaga

Sportingstreams site taken down

2006-06-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had reported about a new website Sportingstreams where I was watching the cricket matches between West Indies and India and then ones between England and Sri Lanka. Looks like I celebrated too early. Today, when i went to the site to watch the cricket test match between West Indies - Sri Lanka, it reported that the site was taken down due to legal considerations and of course, they were not able to provide refunds. Here is what you will see when you go to the website now:

Well - its disappointing to say the least. I was getting quite used to it, I must say :).

Anyway, we will see what lies in store in future.

Cheers,
Thyaga

World Cup Ticket Structure raises concerns ...

2006-05-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

When I had applied for the final's tickets, I was concerned that I had to buy 3 other tickets as well for round-robin matches. I am damn sure that i will not be able to make it to the other matches and so, the matches had no significance as such to me. But nevertheless, I bought the ticket and considered the other 3 tickets as sunk cost.

Today, I read a report where the locals in the Caribbean islands are concerned that they have to go through the same pricing strategy. After being through Kirthi Kalyanam's class on pricing yesterday, I now know the answer - bundling strategy. Your marginal cost for selling additional ticket is 0 - it costs you $0 to fill up an additonal seat. So, to maximize your revenue, it is better to bundle a product that i care about with something that I don't really care about. Still don't get it - then think about M'soft, which bundles Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and Frontpage. How many of you use Frontpage (in fact, how many of you have heard about it) ? - how many engineers use Excel or PowerPoint - not many, I would think. But then, a single license of Ms-Office comes with all these software and you naturally have to pay a higher price for it.

Cheers,
Thyaga

World Cup song competition

2006-05-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

ICC launched the official World Cup song competition. The RFP is open to all recording companies/artists and so, if you are out there with a great office, wonderful music sense and have a "samba" spirit, this is the best time to get into action :). You won't be an American Idol, but you will definitely become a cricketing icon !

-- T

Indian Cricket - 2 steps forward, 1 step backward

2006-05-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

India lost 4-1 to the West Indies in the 1-day tournament. I agree the score does seem like an eye sore but the series was tighter than what the final scorecard shows. Here is my complete take on the series:

The turning point of the series was the last ball dismissal of Yuvraj Singh by Bravo, when India were so close to winning. That left a psychological scar which was difficult to overcome. A similar incident which had a damning effect was the spraining of ankle of McGrath in last year's Ashes series. England won that test and after that, there was no looking back for England. Having said that, India hardly played to its full potential, though.
The problems started at the top of the order. The openers hardly got a decent partnership goin - 56, 25, 1, 13, 0. Probably, the strains of not playing with Sachin is showing now? - but India has actually done decent in the past but then experience is also a factor.
Inconsistent performances from the toporder - Dravid, Sehwag, Raina, Dhoni & Yuvraj all have got starts and then got out. Dhoni and Raina, India's stars in previous series failed utterly in this series.
India's bowling also lacked any kind of fire and/or variety. Pathan's speed or rather, the lack of it, is a worry but he has always made it up by wicket-taking ability and his batting prowess. Both deserted him in this series.
Indian spinners hardly had any kind of impact as was expected. Bhajji bowled well but did not pick up wickets. Powar picked up some wickets but went for quite a few runs as well.
All in all, it was a series, where things did not click well at all. I don't think, there is any reason to panic. They have been playing well for the past 11 months or so - as Dravid himself said "... you need to get up, dust yourself and keep going".

Go India !
-- Thyaga

Laxman very hopeful of WC 2007

2006-05-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Laxman, India's enigmatic middle order batsman, who has been left out of the 1-day format of the game, believes that he has a good chance of making it to the World Cup 2007 in the Caribbeans. He thinks that a good performance in the Test matches in West Indies will bring him back to the fold for the World Cup.

According to me Laxman has been given enough chances to prove his mettle in the 1-day format of the game, but for some reason or the other, he has invariably not done well. I think, the problem with him has always been as to how to play the 1-day game - he is one player, who is more silken touch and class. He is not a big shot player such as Dhoni - so, he needs to come in very early into the innings and build an innings. But then we already have Dravid to do that job and even Kaif is maturing into that role now. Do we really need another batsman of the same style in the 1-day team? - also, if and when Tendulkar is back into the fold, Dravid will return back to the 1-down position. So, unless something miraculous happens, it is difficult for Laxman to push himself back into the team.

But then cricket is a game of glorious uncertanties - so, lets just wait and see.

Cheers,
Thyaga

Former Windies players to get FREE tickets

2006-05-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

As part of the World Cup promotion, the West Indies Cricket board is going to offer FREE tickets to all the former Windies players. That is a good thing indeed, but i don't understand what is there to make such a big deal. In India, former players always free passes and access to all games played and more so during important matches. I guess, it boils down to the hosting capacity of the stadiums. In India, the stadiums are usually very big and so, they can afford to offer free tickets to the former players hoping that the other seats will be filled up. I don't think the Windies have that luxury.

-- Thyaga

Tendulkar to miss the Windies tour

2006-05-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

So the verdict is out - Sachin WILL NOT travel to the Windies for the Test series. That is indeed a huge blow for India. Sachin is yet to recover fully from his shoulder operation and so, he has been advised more rest and rehabilitation - lets hope he gets fit before the World Cup at least. On the other hand, it gives a perfect opportunity for the young turks such as Raina, Venu etc to stake a claim for a Test berth. Lets see how it goes.

-- T

World Cup Tickets Demand - update

2006-05-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

Looks like the World Cup tickets fever is spreading across the globe and the majority of the buyers are from UK and USA. I had also applied for it and I hope, I can get my tickets - lets just keep our fingers crossed ! - i am sure that all the games from the super series onwards will be sold out. Finals will be the toughest to get and so, I can just hope and pray :).

Cheers,
Thyaga

First World Cup venue is ready

2006-05-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

India is currently playing West Indies in a 5 match 1-day series. The 3rd match is to be played at St. Kitts and guess what ! - that is also the first stadium to be completely ready for the World Cup - that is amazing indeed. At one point of time, the world was not even sure whether the Caribbean would be ready to host the World Cup - but looks like that the fortunes are changing.

Cheers !

Regional Sponsors of the World Cup

2006-05-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

The Regional sponsors of the World Cup 2007 have been identified. SCOTIABANK has secured the right to be the regional official sponsor for next year's International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup. ICC President Eshan Mani indicated that the announcement pointed to the commitment which the company has shown to cricket in the region. Read more ...

Cheers,
T

Cricket on Sportingstreams

2006-05-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

I have used various sites to see Cricket live on the Internet - Willow, Echostar, Sgstream, Sky TV etc and I have found most of them good as far as quality is concerned. The latest discovery is Sportingstreams. They are currently offering 2 months of cricket which basically covers the West Indies - India series and the England - Sri Lanka series for $13.50.

I was initially reluctant to signup because the website is pretty creepy to say the least ! - also, I was not sure of the quality of the stream. But I did take it and well, let me tell you that the quality is absolutely great. The biggest problem is the huge setup time. But if you go through the tutorial on their website, then it becomes relatively easy.

After you are done with your setup, the link looks like this:
http://username:password@vistas.redirectme.net:7462/;stream.nsv

Happy viewing !
-- Thyaga

Inzi wants pay hike

2006-05-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

More coverage on Pakistan's preparations for the World cup ! - the latest news is that Inzi wants a pay hike for himself as well as for all other members for the team. Also, he believes that it should be a performance based incentive system. Read on ...

Inzi - what happens if you don't qualify to the Super 8 round ? :)

--T

Inzi to lead Pakistan?

2006-05-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

It looks like Inzi is the first choice to lead Pakistan during the World Cup. I actually have mixed reactions to this news.

Inzi is a good player but I have serious doubts about his captaincy potential - many times, during the India - Pakistan series, he was almost disillusioned by the proceedings and didn't want to make things happen.
He already has issues with Shoaib and he is not very comfortable with Younis Khan, who is his vice-captain. Also, there has been some issues with Shahid Afridi of late as well - of course, all these are speculations - no one can say anything for sure.
Of course, the thing that will work in his favor is that he commands a lot of respect from the young guns in the team and so, if there is someone who can unite the already volatile team as a whole, then it will most likely be Inzi.

Anyway, we will know soon. What do u guys think?

-- T

World Cup Dress Rehearsal

2006-05-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

West Indies had a World Cup Dress Rehearsal during the West Indies - Zimbabwe 1-day international and it looks like, it went on fine. That affirms what the ICC's statement that West Indies were making decent progress in putting up a good show for the World Cup. In other infrastructural changes, the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) is planning to upgrade its quality of fleets for the World Cup - that is a good development because Jamaica is hosting 11 matches.

Cheers,
Thyaga

ICC approves the World Cup venues

2006-05-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

Finally, the impending crisis has been resolved. By approving all the World Cup venues (excepting the Brian Lara stadium in Trinidad on which they have some doubts), the ICC has cleared a major headache for all the cricket fans. There was tremendous concern all over the world whether the venues would be ready for the World Cup. In fact, just over 6 months ago, the ICC was not so sure whether the Caribbeans would be able to host it in an efficient way - but now, it looks like the Windies have pulled off a remarkable victory - that should go a long way in promoting the sport indeed.

Are you going to be there? - let me know.

-- Thyaga

Time to look up

2006-05-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar has started training and that is just plain good news by itself. The very sight of the maestro stroking the ball sends shivers across the spine of bowlers and gives pleasure to the millions of fans all over the world. Look like he is back and back with a BANG I hope.

Time to Look Up?

Bhajji feels that the tour of West Indies will be useful

2006-05-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

Harbhajan Singh feels that India's tour of West Indies will be very useful (not to mention challenging) because it will help players better prepare for the World Cup there. No points for saying that Bhajji - for once, the Indian cricket board has got the venues for cricket matches absolutely on the money. With the World Cup less than a year away, it is great to have a series there - this way, we will know straight away what our strengths and weaknesses are (assuming that the pitches will remain as they are). Its a different ball game playing on pitches where the ball hardly rises above the knees and on those, where u have to duck and hop on almost every ball. Veeru - watch out :).

-- T

The rise of the average Joe - Romesh Powar

2006-05-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

When you see Romesh Powar bowling, the first question that comes to your mind is why doesn't he lose some weight. In an age, where the whole world is concerned about fitness and teams emphasizing on that at every opportunity, it comes as a surprise to see a short, dark, portly man spinning his way to reasonable success. Add to that, his proficiency with the bat must be something that will help India fill in the all-rounder's slot soon. Only time will say how well he comes with the pressures of international cricket - time is a great leveller and so, the coming series against West Indies will be a good test of his character. Whether he can pass this test or not, we will soon know. For now, I will leave you guys with a nice interview that he recently gave to Cricinfo.

I wish him luck and success for the future.

Cheers,
Thyaga

ICC's latest recommendations

2006-05-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

In the last post, I mentioned how ICC was trying to introduce experimental measure by which teams can appeal against umpiring decisions. Here is the complete list of recommendations - ICC seems to be an organization now where they seem to be wanting to do a lot of stuff with technology. No doubt, some purists like Venkatraghavan are a little miffed.

Interesting debate ... what do u think? - should ICC introduce such changes or not?

-- Thyaga

Teams may be allowed to dispute umpiring decisions

2006-05-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Teams may be allowed to appeal against umpires' decisions to the third umpire during one-day games under a proposal to be discussed by a committee of the International Cricket Council this weekend. (Read on). If this proposal is upheld, then this will be tried out at the Champions Trophy this year followed by the World Cup next year.

I am quite surprised that teams are asking for this proposal. Last year, during the Super Series, the ICC had introduced the experimental policy of umpires referring LBW decisions to the 3rd umpire. I remember how Ricky Ponting had slammed it saying that it was a waste of time and would slow down the game. How is this latest policy going to be different from what was already there before? Also, is there going to be a limit on the number of decisions that a team can contest? - does the umpire have the last say in overrulling the team's contesting decision? - as you can see, there is a lot of scope of ambiquity and chaos. If they really need to have this in place, they need to nail this down properly. Of course, it is not easy to please everyone but at least, the whole process should make sense.

As usual, if please feel free to leave ur note.

-- Thyaga

Will the World Cup Venues be ready in time?

2006-05-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of speculation about whether the stadia in West Indies would be ready in time for the World Cup. I can see some resemblance with what happened with Greece before the Olympics. With barely few months to go, almost all of Greece was working towards getting stuff ready for the Olympics.

I don't think that things will get down to that situation in the West Indies. The Windies are fun loving people who love their BBQ and the samba music. Also, the World Cup is being staged in the West Indies for the first time - so, it gives them tremendous opportunities to showcase their country, promote tourism and most importantly, it will give a trememdous boost to the fledgling popularity of the game there.

Here is a report on the current state of stadia progress.

-- Thyaga

Srinath wants Kumble in the team

2006-05-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

Srinath has made public his opinion that Anil Kumble should be in the World Cup team. I am not totally surprised by this comment, knowing Srinath's bias for his state players. I remember hearning his commentary during the India-England series and he was all praise for Kumble's efforts even when he was getting thrashed by Pieterson at the other end. No one doubts Kumble's calibre but to just praise him to the sky for no rhyme or reason is just funny!

Coming back to Srinath's comment, I am not a big fan of Kumble in the 1-day team. He is not getting any younger and mind you - he is no livewire in the field. We already have 1 specialist spinner in Bhajji - taking 2 of them to West Indies, where the pitches are more likely to favor fast bowling would probably be stupidity.

What do guys think? - leave your comment.

-- Thyaga

Warne quashes World Cup return rumours

2006-05-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, there was talk that Shane Warne will don the Aussie colors again during the World Cup, 2007 and come out his self-inflicted retirement from the 1-day format of the game. However, Shane Warne himself denies any such inclinations. He feels that he is fine just playing the test format and getting wickets - not a bad decision I must say. He can keep taking wickets in the test format and extend to a figure where no bowler can dream of achieving :). Also, the fact that he has already won a World Cup under Steve Waugh must be one more reason why he is isn't interested in tiring his old body.

-- Thyaga

Laxman hopes to make it to the Indian cricket team

2006-05-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, VVS Laxman made a statement that he wanted to get into the Indian cricket team for the World Cup. With the Indian cricket team performing well right now and with a jam-packed middle order (Dravid, Yuvraj, Kaif, Raina, Venu, Dhoni), it might be difficult get into it right now. Also, his tendency to get bowled or LBW has not gone away either. In fact, I had done an analysis on this sometime back - West Indies pitches will definitely provide pace and bounce - so, he first needs to work on his weakness more than anything else.

Actually, the forthcoming test series with West Indies in West Indies will be a great opportunity to stake his claim - only time will tell. I wish Laxman all the best in his quest - may the best player get into the team.

Cheers,
Thyaga

Cricket World 2007 tickets

2006-05-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

The Cricket World Cup of 2007 has started to go on sale now. You can buy them online at
http://www.cricketworldcup.com/

Here are some instructions on how to buy tickets online and offline.

Hope to be there !

Cheers,
Thyaga