NZ v SA: More Power to the Hosts!

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

New Zealand have been the most amiable favourites to win the Twenty20 World Cup. Their performance over time has shown that they have a better sounding board on the game and the necessary artillery to deliver. One of the most prominent to show that spin by way of their skipper is not to be taken likely, they now face an uncertain future for the semi-final slot in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup. South Africa have subdued the tournament favorites and ironically, are still their only refuge if New Zealand are to make it to the semi finals!

South Africa responded in style against a sloppy England and making it against New Zealand would virtually slot them in an invincible position in the lead up to the semi finals. Justin Kemp featured predominantly in leading South Africa courageously and majestically with the bat. The fall of the wickets at the other end failed to frazzle the tall all-rounder. Shaun Pollock and Mark Boucher had modest scores to show but their partnerships with Kemp was immensely substantial for the hosts to pull one over the ever-aspiring tournament favourites.

The defeat certainly hurt Daniel Vettori, whose pride would not have let him deflect from his primary objective as captain of New Zealand. Snide remarks were made in newspapers of New Zealand’s performance but they were harsh given their performance thus far. New Zealand begun well with the bat and threatened to take South Africa to the cleaners. Pollock seemed to come to grips with the game but threatened to lose it all once more in the face of the New Zealand assault.

Perhaps it would be better to say, it was South Africa’s bowling comeback that made a greater impact that New Zealand’s waywardness in batting. Once Morne Morkel (one of the two Morkel brothers who ominously stand to represent South Africa of the future.) came onto the scene, the entire scenario changed. Where Albie Morkel stuck in out at the sticky end of the previous game against England to subject the England bowlers to blistering blows, it was the turn of the other Morkel to steal the show and rightly so. He got South Africa back into the match when it seemed New Zealand had galloped out of the reach of the hosts.

The umpires are just going to face the brunt. Billy Doctrove denied a budding young bowler to right to fame. Morne Morkel, with four wickets already in the pocket, bowled out the batsman only to have to turn back and watch the umpire declare the ball a no ball. Resigned to it, he ended his spell. But the replays made for a horrific display as Morne seemed well within the bowling crease and his foot only half way over the line. Undoubtedly Morne will have many more moments to impact the game with the ball. Comparisons are already been made of Morne being the Shaun Pollock of the impending future.

But it a game where bombastic runs make heroes of batsmen overnight, this was a glaring oversight on the part of the umpire!

As Justin Kemp stated at the end of the game that South Africa still need to get a few more areas right in order to fully impact the Twenty20 game and their progress, South Africa have coped well in the absence of a spinner and in the constant presence of consistent criticism of their bowling appeared pedestrian and boasting of a sameness about them. However, if South Africa are to truly go the distance, one gets the feeling Graeme Smith will have to fire one significant innings at this final stage. AB de Villiers and Smith were on song in the warm up match where the hosts dealt the Australia a blow. But it is the top three that have to fire on all cylinders now and while Gibbs has only come back from injury, this is not the game that allows much time between recovery and achieving heart stopping glory. Perhaps Albie Morkel and Kemp would love to have a thunderous platform from which to shoot their cannon balls in the final important games.

A lot though will ride on the match between South Africa and India. India pulled one out of the hat against England although it took more than nerves to do it. Now India will have to attempt a Houdini act to help New Zealand pack their bags. The tournament would love a game of such proportions. Indian fans may just differ in their opinion. Daniel Vettori’s pride is at stake. He looked sheepish when he told the television commentator that New Zealand would support South Africa in the final game to go further. That was certainly not what New Zealand had in mind when they started out, and certainly not part of their original strategy. Who knew Twenty20 allowed time to switch to Plan B!

Ill Timing Precedes Speculation of Ill Will!

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

It seems the big trio stayed away from the Twenty20 World Cup only to embrace the format in an unusual twist. If that does not throw dubious light on the politics of the sport in India, the skipper’s resignation and the apprehension of selection, all have once again taken the light out of the very version of the sport that has become the centre of turmoil for the money spinners of the game.

Controversy once again dogged the Indian campaign. News of Rahul Dravid’s resignation filtered ahead of the crucial Indo-Pak contest and speculation over Dhoni’s impending succession created a media frenzy that bordered on the inane and the disgusting. No one knows how to stay in the limelight that the BCCI and unfortunately once again the limelight seems notoriously intoxicated with the antics than with any serious breakthroughs.

For once, even the limelight shadow of Rahul Dravid appeared deviously mischievous. A captain that does not consciously court controversies was in the middle of the storm and if BCCI is to be believed, it was all by his design. A decision that would perhaps have been revealed to the media the day the Indian Premier League (IPL) was announced, postponing it by a day only meant the team would wake up in South Africa not thinking of their opposition of the day, Pakistan, but rather of what was brewing back home.

The media were once made to look sheepish as they flocked like a bunch of hungry wolves as if no Indian skipper has ever resigned before. So Dravid had resigned. It had to happen. At least in the one day game. Was he considered the skipper for the next World Cup? It would seem pretty obvious that any level headed sports body would have figured out a change of in order, now or later. When so much has been written about ‘the aging trio’, why did it create such turmoil? Or does India simply thrive on controversy?

While Dravid’s resignation should not have been surprising if logic was applied, what made matters murky was the fact that it seemed sinister for Dravid to make the announcement after a mixed affair that was the tour to England. That there seemed nothing innocuous that the trio shared the podium a day before, speculation surfaced that it was perhaps lobby groups that favoured Sachin Tendulkar or Sourav Ganguly that had finally got to the harrowed skipper.

Dravid always appeared a reluctant captain. But once thrust with responsibility, Dravid was not the type to back away. Considered the second wheel in Greg Chappell’s mayhem-like handling of the Indian cricket team, Dravid took it all on the chin. Defending himself was something he never felt necessary. Angered by the cheap talk, he refused to be unfazed in his ways on the field. Given the reputation of the sport, no doubt there is more than meets the eye. But knowing Dravid, perhaps even his best selling autobiography will not unravel a can of worms, just one man’s unsuccessful attempt to meet the captaincy role, off the field that is.

But it gave the news channels frenzied newsbytes and once again BCCI stopped short of making a bold announcement. Stretching themselves to only over just ten one dayers, they have given Mahendra Singh Dhoni an immature little stint at captaincy. Dhoni does not appear the kind of person to be affected by the duration of the stint or by the result of the short tenure. But that would be unfair even for the likes of him. One just hopes the BCCI take better care to nurture its young lot, because if players can stand the length of time, there is a decade of players to watch out for.

The team selection is another matter of consternation, not in its composition as much as its timing. The selection of the team for the one day internationals back home would have created considerable personal strife for a few members in the Twenty20 squad. Perhaps it is time it dawned on the selectors to let the current team perform without the threat of the future weighing, especially in a pertinent tournament such as this and a lot of hope hinging on this players to carry the flag further. Could not have the selection have waited until the team finished its Super Eights phase of the Twenty20, just a couple of days later?

It’s all in the timing, be it a shot, the team selection, or a potentially scenario changing decision. The BCCI has not resolved the coach mayhem created by the unceremonious exit of Greg Chappell. Now the team is without a Test captain and significant series against Australia and Pakistan looming. Chappell is back, albeit as Rajasthan Cricket Academy’s advisor and perhaps if his sarcasm and wit is still intact, chuckling at the status quo of affairs within the BCCI. There is still a case for handling matters deftly and with dignity, without deflecting attention from ongoing events.

Settling Tall Scores in Hair Raising Affair!

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

England knew their fate even before the game against India got underway. The England team piled up like school boys (a few even chewing their brittle nails) as they watched Justin Kemp stealing the show and the match for South Africa against New Zealand. That also meant, South Africa’s victory left no room for comeback for the men of cricket origin.

On the other hand, India found plenty of time between matches for controversies, not necessarily slanderous, but deviating from the event nonetheless. Could Dhoni handle the heat, of the change of guard back home and the fluctuating fortunes of the team in South Africa in a do-or-die situation? Undoubtedly all eyes were on Dhoni, as India’s new captain in more than one sense. But stealing the thunder seemed order of the day for the openers and for one middle order south paw, Yuvraj Singh.

England were considered tournament favourites, no by virtue of any form, but by the fact that they had perhaps played more Twenty20 matches in the domestic scenario than any other Test playing nation. But if there is one thing about England, apart from their brief success under Michael Vaughan and the Ashes victory of 2005, they have had little cheer over the last decade. Even that was considered a flash in the pan. All the talk of finding their mark and their balance was quickly rendered redundant and their team composition continues to flummox most cricketing brains.

If an example were to be cited, in the match of little consequence for England except perhaps playing for pride (whatever that means), England chose to hold back Andrew Flintoff and Dmitri Mascarenhas in favour of Owais Shah and Luke Wright even as England were running out of overs. The difference is telling considering the fact that England were neck and neck with India’s tally until that penultimate over when Yuvraj turned it on. Dmitri should have at least been given an opportunity to silence Yuvraj’s claims of the former being the cause of his grievance.

It has been precisely matters like these that have become the watershed of England cricket and the stalemate that England are finding hard to break out of. Their fielding has been paltry, given their own modest standards but it has done little to help their bowlers salvage something back for the team. Even in the game against South Africa, crucial misses such as that of Albie Morkel, resulted in South Africa getting out of the clutches and into a league of their own.

The Indian openers started awkwardly, particularly Virender Sehwag who seemed to try very hard to get out but the balls proving too good for the best of batsmen. Eventually the self-destructive streak subsided and a more vintage Sehwag looked to break through the clouds. It spelt great start for India as Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir got into a zone of their own and left England gasping thereafter.

That Twenty20 is a game relished by all batsmen was no more proved when Yuvraj and Dhoni tossed around thoughts as to who should follow whom. Eventually Yuvraj prevailed on Dhoni and then, on England with a might of near unmatched proportions. Dhoni went in first, but Yuvraj’s feats lasted through the night. Stuart Broad had no clue what he was getting himself into when he acceded to bowl the penultimate over of the match. Yuvraj Singh did not know either than he would soon be joining the likes of Gary Sobers (and Malcolm Nash), Ravi Shastri (and Tilak Raj), and Herschelle Gibbs (and Daan van Bunge) as he strode his way into the constellation of stars.

Yuvraj claimed that hitting the first four sixes of that over did not seem out of the ordinary. It was only when he caught sight of Dmitri Mascarenhas lurking in the outfield that his stinging pain when the latter blasted him for five sixes not so long ago in the series in England came back to him. Himself scarred from the treatment meted out to him in the aftermath of that effort, Yuvraj chose to inflict a few of his own on the young English lad as Broad could only watch as Yuvraj played six out of six textbook shots to set the ball sailing over the boundary every single time.

A first for Twenty20, and England had just been hit all over the town!

While Dhoni spoke all the right notes at the post match conferences, when he roared off that his team has finally put out the all-round performance demanded of them and that the bowlers bowled professionally, there had to be a few guffaws. Admittedly, it would be unfair to judge Joginder Sharma on his first outing in the tournament. But one had only to look back on the South Africa-New Zealand match to see what ‘professional’ bowling truly entailed. India managed to keep things on par. The only consolation for England lay in the fact that despite knowing that they were out of depth to actually win the match, they managed to stretch India more than the latter would have liked, especially with back-to-back do-or-die encounters, the following night against a resurgent South African side!

Another Pietersen howler and the T20 'bowl out' farce

Trevor Chesterfield

Not only did Kevin Pietersen get a good dollop of egg on his face at Newlands last week. So too did Pakistan's new coach, Geoff Lawson.

There are far too many, as with any number of betel chewing crooked politicians with their big mouths and bullying pals, who shoot from the lip before thinking of the mess they will step into.

Pietersen, with certain arrogance of the politicians, suggested Australia could easily end up being humiliated by England at the Cape Town venue in their Group B T20 outing. Like the politicos he found that (metaphorically speaking of course) chewing an excess amount of betel maybe led his thinking astray.

And Pietersen, by allowing his tongue to runaway with him, it was the England team that was embarrassed by the end of match remarks from Ricky Ponting with his careful but well aimed jibe. Or was it that Pietersen was also high on something else while offering braggadocio style sound bytes for the television?

Pietersen added to England's downfall by failing with a totally forgettable batting performance with an innings of 21 that was barely remembered among some of the gems that have been played before and since that Newlands innings. It really doesn't pay to act too smart, which he tried to do but fell out of the pram.

At least Ponting admitted that not only had they paid scant respect to Zimbabwe and less or the T20 format, but knew they were well 'underdone' when they lost to a side who won because they fielded well and a young batsman in Brendan Taylor who was prepared to take on the Australian bowlers.

Still only 21, Taylor is the type of thinking player who could do with more exposure of this style of combustive batting that in a sense suits his gameplan. Zimbabwe were always going to be found out in the long term. But they did have a series of slogs against South Africa to help them find some semblance of form after most countries decided it was sensible to bypass Mugabe's fiefdom run by corrupt politicians.

Peter Chingoka and his overblown government henchmen Ozias Bvute and Lovemore Banda would have been surprised at the support Zimbabwe had at Newlands in their two games. It was interesting, yet pleasing to see the multicultural mix (as in all venues) at the games. A decade a go it was decidedly pale, but since 2003 the demographic mix explains how the normalisation process has taken place.

Naturally Taylor's innings was headlined in some media as his 'coming of age'. Wow. If you really think about it, that is among the top five tired clichés in the written (and spoken too if you wish) English language. It sucks. It says precisely nothing that is really intelligent. Yet browsing the newspapers on the internet is enough to make you really wonder if the subeditor writing the headline knows why he slapped it on a story that says nothing of a sort.

Anyway, whoever within the International Cricket Council's playing affairs committee dreamed up the idiot clause in the playing conditions of deciding a tied match in such a farcical manner as a 'bowl out,' should be forced the walk the plank off Durban bay with a school of hungry great white sharks waiting.

Lawson, could of course be excused into thinking Pakistan had the bowlers to hit an unguarded set of stumps. But even then they were unprepared as no one it seems read the tournament's playing conditions fine print. After all, that is one of the jobs of the team manager and coaching staff.

Anyone with commonsense would agree with India's captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni comments that he didn't want to see a game end in such fashion as they had played hard to get a result 'and it should always stay on the field'.

It was far too gimmicky and all for the sake of expediency and denies the spectator the enjoyment of having watched a tight, hard game between two hyped teams. Not all the glib and facile PR chatter is going to convince thousands otherwise. They had the net run rate to decide the final places in that group, why fuss about with a needless 'bowl out'.

In England, to get a result a match of T20 slogs they use a single stump, which would have made it tougher. But India in this case were a lot more streetwise than Pakistan, admitting they had practised for such an eventuality: in this case a matter of covering all eventualities.

It is how my dear late friend Bob Woolmer would have reacted. He was from the old fashioned school, and that meant careful study of the playing conditions and re-reading the laws, especially the new ones.

Indo-Pak Fireworks for Twenty20!!!

Pak for India: Fizzle, Sizzle, Fizz!!!

India for India: Dravid and Media Frenzy

What else? A Tie!!!

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

Is it mere coincidence that for a second time in one calendar year, two successive World Cup campaigns begin with controversies for Pakistan involving Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif? How much role Asif had to play is hard to tell before the truth is out (if it is let out). But if there one thing the crucial Twenty20 match between India and Pakistan should tell Asif he is better off staying away from Akhtar? (In the same vein, would someone tell Akhtar being the bad boy is only enticing to an extent! The image eventually wears down even on the easily enticed!) The only difference was : Pakistan and India never turned up for their scheduled clash. Barely six months later, the schedule has ensured there shall be escape this time round!

This was the second big billing match (with Sri Lanka and New Zealand postponing their encounter for a safer Saturday). Yet again, it seemed the overhype had killed it. England, the so called experienced men of Twenty20, took little time in showing they had changed little since their Ashes debacle not that many months ago. Someone should have told them, this was not Zimbabwe they were playing and even then, it was surprising they sleepwalked their way through the match. Australia though sported a different look: rugged, determined and merciless. A far cry from the jovial, innocuous faces from their drubbing at the hands of Zimbabwe. It seems too bad then that the one team that showed spunk in both matches consistently is packing bags. But Zimbabwe have done more than their fair bit to make this inaugural Twenty20 memorable, beyond the expectations of the organizers.

But it was the final match of the first Friday of the event that was made to appear larger-than-life. Mahendra Singh Dhoni exuded genial calm at the toss, suggesting the team was sufficiently relaxed. But all it takes in one emphatic blow from the opposition to take the smiles off India. Mohammad Asif bowled with an accuracy that even the feted Australian bowlers would envy. Four overs were all he was allowed and that was all he needed to break India’s bones. A wicket for every over, more ghosts exorcised between one World Cup and the next!

It cannot also be coincidence that three outstanding bowling performances have emanated from Durban. First it was Mark Gillespie’s four for seven against Kenya that sealed it for New Zealand. Shahid Africa came back with the ball with four for nineteen against lowly Scotland who tested Pakistan’s batting but collapsed when it was their turn. Now Asif has created sensation in a big game with four overs of four for eighteen! Perhaps a pointer to teams scheduled to play there in the next round!

Interestingly also, Danny Morrison was counting on an average of thirty-eight dot balls to win a bet with his fellow commentator colleagues but was shocked to inform the previous day’s match conceded eighty-eight! Will have to wait for the end of this match to count them, given India’s struggle. After Asif’s advice to play Twenty20 at Durban like a Test match, it would be worthwhile to count at the end of the match!

Robin Utthapa’s half-century was matched by Misbah ul Haq. But Pakistan had made a mess of the chase themselves with India bowling a good counterattack to build the pressure. It took Misbah’s ferocity to put Pakistan within touching distance. To have lived up the billing, it had to be close. So, Pakistan needed one off the final delivery, which they didn’t and the result was jubilation for India who escaped with a tie by the skin of their teeth.

What once seemed to have slipped away from India suddenly evened things out in the middle. The rarity of the shootout meant players and umpires had a merry time sorting out the nitty-gritty rules. It seemed more like a picnic as all the Indian players lined up for a practice hit at the stumps. The final Indian line up created much cause for concern, but it was still a matter of delivering for a more stable Pakistan line up. Some how the tenseness of the game seemed released already for the Indians who appeared to have taken the shootout more of an exercise than an integral part of the game that would decide the victor of the match.

But once it came down to it, even the smiling Sehwag delivered the first salvo. Yasir Arafat made a complete mess of his bowling and to make matters worse, Harbhajan came with glee and went back the same way! Pakistan missed a beat by not following the simple trick of bowling off their routine run up and paid a heavy price for their lack of rhythm. It seemed a mockery as Uthapa took a bow! India 3-0 up. Afridi failed miserably and India held their nerve, followed their routine and won the game.

While admittedly the nature of the shootout is unique in cricket, somehow the fact that it was played out for the first time at this level made it more of a comedy rather taken with the seriousness it should have. India got the job done and that is all that matters. For Pakistan, ironically their bowlers got the team into a winning position and the biggest let down came from their no show! India: out of jail tonight!

More on the Indian scene: Why is there such a stink being raised from within the BCCI shackles? Rahul Dravid’s decision to step down from the captaincy and the decision become news on the day when India actually begin their campaign in a virgin version of the game is despicable to say the least.

The endless tirade on the television channels travelling the length and breadth of the country asking people’s opinions (plausibly because no one official was telling them anything more) was annoying and exhausting. Not even for a brief moment was the focus brought back to the crucial game.

It’s time the media did not give in to every self-seeking publicity the BCCI chooses to procure. These decisions happen, especially in India, this should be expected. Controversy dogs the sub continent undermining their own stature and that too what all the world’s eyes are trained on them. Dravid has resigned. It’s happened. Move on with it. When more material filters, give the game its due and air the views. Why subject the nation to a day long barrage of former cricketers who are lapping up the sound bytes while also filling their pockets for more than a measly meal? Especially when they have nothing significant to know light on, or provide insight on the situation!

Worse still, are news stories of “BCCI tell sources…” Have we not been to this circus before? Admittedly last time it was about the coaches, but look where it got us? We are now a coach-less ( or is too many cooks? Either way…) team now without a captain! The BCCI kept feeding bluff about the appointment of the coach before bluff caught up with them. No, we will wait for the first twenty-hours after the BCCI states they have appointed a new skipper to check the veracity of their statement. (That’s how long it took for the Graham Ford announcement to go bust).

( And just to add on: If “BCCI tells sources…” do turn true, it would be nothing short of tragic. Sachin Tendulkar has just returned from a decently successful tour of England. We have seen his gruesome side as skipper not once but thrice. Let him play his own game! Why spoil a good thing? )

Pakistan’s new coach Geoff Lawson said his team was aware of the fact that they had never beaten India in a big match encounter, especially the World Cup. Could they break the jinx here in South Africa?

West Indies Ignite T20; Spontaneously Come-Bust!

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

Count on the West Indies to initiate the art of swashbuckling into a terrain that would make novices of veterans. Yet it would seem they do not know their own strengths and their entire body language lacks conviction. Their demise within three days of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup is as much an upset as Australia being made to eat humble pie for dinner in their first outing!

Is it a mere coincidence that once again a World Cup lung opener in South Africa involves a duel between the West Indies and the hosts? West Indies threatened to do to South Africa what they did in 2003. But hold on. Somewhere there seemed an element of doubt, a slack in momentum but it was all that was needed for South Africa to come through the flames unscathed. In the end, it all seemed a breeze. Shouldn’t South Africa buy their counterparts a round of beers for their efforts? Not only did the West Indies undo the hard work for the first session, they went through the entire length to entirely humiliate themselves, even alienate themselves from being taken seriously, especially when they looked good for the taking.

It is always a sad affair listening to a disappointed Tony Cozier. It felt worse still for the West Indian commentators, who could do little but surmise with the rest of lot of the dismal antics of their home team. Having played and carried the pride of the nation on their shoulders, they seemed weighed heavier still to watch the present state of affairs. (A warning to Australia to never let their guard down. The fall from the perch is not only hard on the bones; it is heavier on the heart for those that carry the feelings of the nation long after they have served their duty.)

Tony Cozier could not have been more apt when he spoke of how West Indies showed the world how to play the game in the first half and how not to play in the session after the break. And that was all that there was to the West Indies on the inaugural night. Last time round, South Africa bowed out of the World Cup on the face of an onslaught from the struggling West Indies. The status for the West Indies did not change neither did the context in which they batted. But the result would not have been to any one’s liking, even neutrals watching the game.

It was not the defeat but rather the manner of defeat that was jaw dropping. Where Chris Gayle’s whirlwind innings, a record by the way for Twenty20 (what a start!), should have elevated the team, the errors in the field rose astoundingly and the bowling was a shamble. Not a few months ago, West Indies shared the two match Twenty20 series with England in England. But on this day, they played like they have never played cricket before!

Many hailed Gayle’s inspired captaincy for the turnaround of fortunes in England at the fag end of the tour. Gayle’s innings should have furthered that impetus. But with captaincy resting now with the recovered Ramnaresh Sarwan, perhaps all is not well after all. Gayle looked visibly perplexed by how the second session shaped up.

The only reason no one raised a whisper about match fixing is because (and this is a sad observation) that the West Indian ability to self-destruct is something the world is getting accustomed to. Having said that, it still seemed hard to fathom how any team could go so low as to actually concede a match after setting a terrific target to chase. The slipping bit is difficult to comprehend; however, that once the slide starts, the road can get awfully slippery as the West Indian found out to their disdain.

What hurt the West Indies can be capped off in three points: they lost the momentum after Gayle was dismissed; they dropped key catches; and they bowled with far too much indiscipline that cricket (and a punishing game like Twenty20) can tolerate.

While Gayle was in full throttle, no one could stop the force that seemed to be thriving on South Africa’s seemingly one paced attack. But with his dismissal, West Indies could not sustain a third of their momentum up to that point. They lost their way on the road to making history in Twenty20 in setting a mind boggling target. While the eventual target was still telling, they had lost the momentum and the drive and simply failed to finish on a high.

The point is: more matches have been won by teams that have finished on a flourish than those that have painstakingly gained momentum only to fizzle along the way. Initiative one handed back to the hosts! More importantly, a fair bit of fragrance of hope was sent along with the parcel.

There are times when even the most fanatical fan will empathize with the drop of a difficult catch. However, West Indies dropped sitters, well, sitters at this level any way. It was shocking to say it mildly that teams come to this level and yet players, even good players with established reputations, succumb at the first sign of pressure. How costly did these lapses prove? Herschelle Gibbs and Justin Kemp took South Africa home, against a daunting challenge. That was conceding what the West Indies could ill afford!

Twenty-seven wides may seem negligible. But besides those twenty-seven runs (a decent innings had it been scored by a batsman in a Twenty20 match), it was the down pour of rains that followed in consequence of West Indies having to bowl twenty-seven additional deliveries that sealed their fate. Scathing as it may seem to dissect a team for its obvious defects, innumerable are the times when teams have lost not because of another team’s flamboyance but for want of doing the simple things right, things they train repeatedly for and one that memory should make second nature to the player’s repertoire of skills.

And don’t forget the other factor. South Africa were in trouble straight away. West Indies must have had a cold because they did not smell blood. Guts were all that skipper Graeme Smith was willing to reveal. Grimacing with pain, he played with intuition and he played a strategic game. No drives, a slog at the slighted hint. Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards should have been fired up and enticed to inflict a few more blows. Instead the team turned blind, to add to their misery and to the opportunities that literally fell in their lap. Gibbs hobbled, Smith groaned. Yet South Africa rode home on a high! If it were a mathematical equation, that should never have happened!

It was not surprising to watch the West Indies go down to Bangladesh. Nothing surprising there. If an outstanding innings by one of their team members (correct that: not just one of their team members but a recent leader who led them to a famous and inspirational victory) fail to inspire the West Indies to lift their game and their convictions, nothing will!

Zimbabwe Topple Australia; Rattle England!!!

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

This was more than the tournament organizers bargained for! Did they get their money’s worth? Who knows, judging by the many empty seats? Perhaps Ricky Ponting’s statement, “We should respect the game more,” should have applied to the local fans that missed out on an enterprising feast. It was a night where Australia’s nightmares began even before they went to bed. For the rest of the world, it was a day neither Zimbabwe nor the rest of the cricketing world would forget in a long time to come!

What a night! This is the kind of game the World Cup in the Caribbean would have needed to set it on fire. It certainly is burning hot, just check under Ponting’s collar. For the world champions to be trounced completely by the supposedly meekest Test cricket playing nation in the world would not have gone down well with any self-respecting Australian.

Only about three days, Australia made headlines, having lost the warm up to hosts South Africa. Apparently it did not concern them, not enough to think they could be upstaged by the long standing team who has not been able to shake off the minnows tag. If the first defeat did not wake them up, this will only push them into a realm, potentially dangerous for their forthcoming opponents.

But few in the rest of the world would have any empathy for the self-proclaimed connoisseurs of the game. Ruling the roost always attracts enemies and the sadist in every person bares his fangs at the prospect of the most glittering team in the world cowering into submission. But given Australian high handed cockiness, they derive even lesser sympathy than any other team around the world. Even the proud Ian Chappell had to make a scathing remark (this time not against a non-Australian team) that the team in red (Zimbabwe) looked and played like champions and the team in red (Australia) looked like minnows to an outsider. Well said.

This should be called a shock defeat. Instead the only people truly shocked (and defeated) are the Australians. The whole world is rejoicing Zimbabwe’s success. It is true, “Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and the other guy has an even better sob story.” Zimbabwe’s political turmoil sullied their sport, and the dirt on the hands have been hard to scrub off. Plunged into darkness, their Test status in limbo, and a team looking ever more vulnerable than at any other time in history, Zimbabwe were the last team to make a fist of the battles thrown their way.

Playing a tough draw at the very beginning of the tournament is not easy, even for the so called pros. But Zimbabwe approached it in a manner than is inspirational to all and sundry. Zimbabwe held an aura of fearlessness that saw them through even when they briefly appeared to lose their way. Standing tall took on a whole new meaning.

People fear Brett Lee not because of his speed, but because of the precedence in being known as a speed demon with the ball in hand. But the way Zimbabwe took on the challenge, Lee’s blade seemed blunt and the likes of Nathan Bracken and Mitchell Johnson, mere swords of paper and glue!

Zimbabwe did not come without a game plan. In fact theirs seemed a structured approach, ironically so when Twenty20 is being hailed as a game with no time to think. Vusimusi Sibanda went fro carnage while Brendan Taylor stayed put, determined not to leave the field until he had sealed the deal for his team. It took some rain, some drama, a potential miss by three runs if Messrs. Duckworth and Lewis had anything to do with it.

But it was Zimbabwe’s night. It had begun that way and even they needed half a dozen in the final over, they chose to remain undeterred. On the day fortune did favour the brave. But it also favoured men of steel, and also, hard working, indigenous men who refused to be intimidated by the reputation of their opponent.

Losing can become a mental trap, and one can easily forget that a door is all it takes to step out of it. Had Zimbabwe lost this game, no one would have held them responsible. To put it in a better way, had Zimbabwe fallen placidly, no one would stir, or even shed a tear. Being trampled upon had become a romp, at the sound of sounding highly euphemistic. Zimbabwe rose over their own obstacles, and it certainly took a lot out of them.

Like Kepler Wessels, former South African captain, said, it would be hard to repeat their triumph twice in successive days simply because the victory would have taken a lot from them, the realization of it even. To earn recognition as world beaters from becoming virtual nobodies was no small feat. If anything, it should spur them on not only in future victories but in future defeats as well. The comeback road is usually uphill. But the hike becomes a little easier recalling what led them this far in the first place.

Zimbabwe could not quiet relieve the magic from the previous match in the game against England. But they are on the road of redemption. There was plenty of gust and gumption, even as they went down to England. Make no mistake. Zimbabwe was not an easy opponent to negotiate for England in their first match in the tournament. Zimbabwe still have slim doors open for them to go through, but their have done more than stamp their attendance. They have made this journey counts and for the sake of cricket, one hopes their journey is less obstacle ridden and bears more their exuberance and fearless determination (courage in one word) on their road to recovery.

Australia are a different kettle of fish. Australia do not take kindly to defeat, any defeat. The fact that they went down so insipidly must have been a difficult night to sleep on but a more difficult morning to wake up to. But if there is anything we have learnt of the Australia is that they do not take defeat lying down. That only means England will need to play with more authority than they did against Australia if they are to shut the door on their Ashes nemesis. England would do well to play out of their skins, not just for themselves, for the survival for a feisty Zimbabwean team. Come what may, Zimbabwe celebrated like they had won the World Cup! The rest of the world joined them as if they had, if only for a day!