Ricky Ponting is fascinating viewing at the moment.

Watching him get dropped at the start of his inings playing the pull shot this morning will inevitably start another round of speculation urging him to shelve the shot.

He wants to play it and good luck to him.

The pull is not so much a stroke as a signal of intent. It sends aggressive vibes flowing through both dressing rooms.

If Ponting gave the shot away it would leave him in a difficult place because there are few graceful ways of handling balls on the body.

It is a shot based on instinct.

Our only hope for him is that he plays it with conviction. No shot is more vulnerable when played half-heartedly than the pull.

People saying he should make some concessions to advancing years are making solid points. Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh all modified their games.

But the pull shot is not simply part of Ponting’s game but the very essence of it. Read more…

Administrator Australia Blogs.CMDN.com, Brian Lara, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Ponting, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh

ALLAN Border’s contribution to Australian cricket is almost impossible to measure.

Such is his nature that Allan Border does not notice let alone complain that the true worth of his service to Australian cricket is often unrecognised, unwritten and undiscussed.

So to this end it is hardly surprising that the 25th anniversary of his first appearance as his country’s 38th captain went unnoticed this week.

This is not acceptable. Attention should always be drawn to December 7, 1984 when Border succeeded his mate Kim Hughes as skipper against the West Indies in Adelaide.

It is a date of the utmost significance for it marks the beginning of what is best termed “the age of stability” in Australian cricket.

It is much too easy following the heady successes of the past 20 years under Border, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist to ignore, even forget, the confusion, controversy and tensions which so characterised Australian cricket in 1984.

Despite some initial misgivings and an anxious and sometimes grumpy first two years in office Border prospered to become a very fine captain and led Australia on a record 93 occasions over the next nine years and three months.

Aside from his enormous contributions as one of the greatest and most courageous batsmen of any era (11,174 runs at 50.56 with 27 hundreds and 63 fifties) his legacy was the provision of certainty, unity and a collective confidence at a time of great uncertainty — a bequest from which Australian cricket in general and Ponting and his men in particular continue to benefit.

Indeed, it is remarkable that Australia has had just four captains in 25 years and there is no doubt that the many successes of this period have been a direct consequence of the impressive stability achieved and maintained at just about every level of Australian cricket. There is no Read more…

Administrator Australia Adam Gilchrist, Alec Stewart, Allan Border, Allan Lamb, Andy Flower, Aravinda De Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga, Blogs.CMDN.com, Chris Cowdrey, Clive Lloyd, Coney, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, David Gower, David Houghton, Desmond Haynes, Dilip Vengsarkar, Duleep Mendis, Geoff Howarth, Gordon Greenidge, Graham Gooch, Hansie Cronje, Ian Smith, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Jeff Crowe, John Emburey, John Wright, Kapil Dev, Ken Rutherford, Kepler Wessels, Kris Srikkanth, Mark Taylor, Martin Crowe, Mike Atherton, Mike Gatting, Mohammad Azharuddin, Ranjan Madugalle, Ravi Shastri, Richie Richardson, Ricky Ponting, Salim Malik, Steve Waugh, Sunil Gavaskar, Viv Richards, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Zaheer Abbas

India deserve to be the best team in Test cricket after reversing their fortunes since the heavy loss to Australia a decade ago

Last Sunday, Bollywood luminaries and team-mates, his childhood coach, Ramakant Achrekar, and those he grew up admiring gathered at the south Mumbai residence of Mukesh and Nita Ambani, owners of the Mumbai Indians IPL franchise, to celebrate two decades of Sachin Tendulkar in Test cricket. There was even Asha Bhosle – of Cornershop’s Brimful of Asha fame – to sing that classic from Umrao Jaan, Aankhon ki Masti (The Magic of these eyes).

Tendulkar was a John McEnroe-admiring curly-haired bully of eight when the movie was released in 1981. But as much as he would have enjoyed the evening, it wouldn’t have been a patch on what had happened earlier in the day, as victory by an innings and 24 runs over Sri Lanka at the Brabourne Stadium took India to the top of the Test rankings for the first time.

To understand what it meant to Tendulkar, you perhaps need to go back a decade, to a Test tour of Australia when he was captain. A magnificent 116 at the MCG turned out to be a mere footnote as Steve Waugh’s side annihilated India 3-0, the margin that had been predicted by Jaywant Lele, the BCCI secretary of the time.

Those were the worst of times. The morning after the Mumbai victory, Rahul Dravid, who aggregated 93 runs in those three Tests a decade ago, spoke of how things had changed. “Back then, people were happy if we won one game,” he said. “No one expected much more on overseas tours. These days, when you play for India, you’re expected to win wherever you go.”

He and Tendulkar have played as big a part as anyone – Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble, both now retired, were the others at the forefront – in scripting the turnaround over the past 10 years. In the post-match interviews, several of the players and coaching staff spoke of the last 18 months, in which India have beaten Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, but to get to the heart of the revival, you have to go back to Eden Gardens in March 2001.

When folk refer to Edgbaston 2005 as The Greatest Test, a lot of Indians are Read more…

Administrator Indian Cricket Anil Kumble, Australia, BCCI, Blogs.CMDN.com, Brabourne Stadium, Chennai, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Eden Gardens, England, Gillespie, Glenn McGrath, India, IPL, Kasprowicz, Kolkata, Mumbai Indians, New Zealand, Rahul Dravid, Ramakant Achrekar, Rankings, Ricky Ponting, Sourav Ganguly, Sri Lanka, Steve Waugh, Tendulkar, Test Cricket, VVS Laxman

20 long years and still going strong. Well, Sachin Tendulkar is a phenomenon beyond comprehension. It’s indeed a privilege for all of us to be a witness to his exploits on the cricket field.

And away from the spotlight, the ‘Little Master-Blaster’ is humble, considerate and down-to-earth. Sachin has been a real jewel in India’s crown with his spotless conduct both on and off the field. It’s not for nothing that Aussie great Steve Waugh remarked, ‘We sure would have loved him on our side’!

As a batsman, the opponents love, respect and fear him in equal measure. Nobody from the cricketing world, not even the Aussie ever dared to taunt or engage him; fearing that it would only steeled his nerves for the battle ahead.

Ever since the ‘Little Master-Blaster’ arrived, he has made the country proud. In 1989 when he made his debut, Sachin gave India the much needed confidence which was urgently required to take-on the world. India which was all set to embrace globalisation and liberalisation got a shot in the arm, thanks to Sachin Tendulkar.

Sachin’s contribution in the promotion of Brand India is unparalleled and the great ‘Little Man’ has the toughest job in the world. And this is like stating the obvious.

After all, carrying the expectations of more than a billion Indians, that too for 20 long years requires superhuman effort. It’s not for the ordinary mortals, mark my words.

And the mother of all irony is that the man whose talent, greatness and records are unmatched has faced more criticism that anybody else. And for this, Sachin’s greatness is only to be blamed.

Let’s be honest about it. We have been spoilt by Sachin’s exploits who has set such standards for himself which even he can’t fulfill at times. The more he has succeeded, the more Read more…

Administrator Views Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Little Master, Master-Blaster, Sachin, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh

Cricket abounds with theories, some valid, several spurious. A common one in the latter category states that captains have little role to play in limited overs cricket. This edition of the Champions Trophy has shown why such belief is balderdash.

It could be argued that since neither Ricky Ponting nor Daniel Vettori had a tangible role to play in the final, the importance of a captain has been exaggerated. But that is mistaking a one-off performance for leadership, which is what captaincy in cricket is all about.

Ponting had got only a single before an unplayable delivery from Kyle Mills hit his pads right in front of the stumps, while Vettori, sadly, did not even take the field. But who would deny that but for their presence and captaincy over the past couple of weeks, neither Australia nor New Zealand would have reached this far.

The cricketing ethos of Australia and New Zealand are a study in contrast, and how the captains of these two sides shaped the progress of their respective sides in this tournament (and I dare say, right through the past year) makes for one of the more fascinating stories in the contemporary cricket.

Vettori, who took over from the phlegmatic Stephen Fleming, has been able to infuse an ambition that was hitherto unimaginable in New Zealand cricketers. Richard Hadlee, the unrelenting wicket-taker of the 80s, remains an oddity. Hadlee was brilliant, but also a loner, and once he was gone, New Zealand cricket floundered.

For the better part of the last two decades, the Kiwis have been the “jolly good blokes” of international cricket. They have played well, especially at home, but have never Read more…

Administrator Champions Trophy artin Crowe, Australia, Blogs.CMDN.com, Champions Trophy, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Daniel Vettori, Gilchrist, Hayden, Jesse Ryder, Kyle Mills, Langer, Mark Taylor, Martyn, McGrath, New Zealand, Richard Hadlee, Ricky Ponting, Ross Taylor, Shane Bond, Stephen Fleming, Steve Waugh, Warne

A QUIET night, 10 years ago. Some forgettable restaurant in the Caribbean. When you’re an Australian cricketer being herded like a sheep from one faceless hotel to the next, with three-course meals piled on top of umpteen others, even Caribbean restaurants can occasionally become forgettable. Shane Warne was 29 back then, a few days away from the dirty 30s.

He parked himself at the far end of the dining table. Brian Lara was in tow, hanging off Warne like he’d become best mates with the coolest kid at school. Warne spent the next few hours regaling all present with one anecdote after another, a charm offensive to do Bill Clinton proud. He was funny, revealing, open, honest, self-deprecating. Jokes were delivered at his own expense. What a jolly good fellow, and so said all of us.

Warne will be front and centre again tonight in Melbourne. He’s 39 now, a few days away from the naughty 40s. An appropriate round of celebrations will be held at a suitably flash cocktail lounge on Chapel Street where an army of his mates, an ample supply of his preferred poison, vodka, enough Cuban cigars to clog the cleanest lungs and $1500 bottles of French champagne will be on offer.

The venue has been described as ”fit to play host to a Russian billionaire”. Or on an even grander scale, Warne.

Former teammate Matthew Hayden once summed up Warne’s superstar status thus: ”I was rooming with him in Durban in 1994. He had that Aussie surfer kind of image. Everyone thought he surfed. Remember he had that board he help up in England in 1993, with XXXX all over Read more…

Administrator Australia Adam Gilchrist, Allan Border, Bill Clinton, Blogs.CMDN.com, Brian Lara, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Durban, Ian Chappell, Matthew Hayden, Melbourne, Michael Holding, Mike Atherton, Shane Warne, Shaun Tomson, Steve Waugh

The stage is all set for Andrew Flintoff to bow out of Test cricket as an Ashes hero in the fifth and final test

There are no fairytales in sport,” Steve Waugh said. He is probably right. But this week Andrew Flintoff will be doing all he can to prove him wrong.

We are in Tom Tully territory. Tully was the most prolific writer of Roy of the Rovers and all the tools of his trade are to hand. The old country is in disarray in pursuit of those coveted Ashes. Their hero is injured but he is going to play anyway. The team are falling apart and our man has just one last game against the dastardly Australians, who have finally found their form. Limping from the physio’s couch comes our beloved gentle giant from Preston, the one who likes nothing more than to “share a few pints with me mates”. You know the rest: a century, five wickets, Ashes won, hobbling hero carried from Oval outfield by his team-mates. Tears all round. Beers all round. Knighthood.

Flintoff has the stage, but he may not have the right script, if we are to believe Waugh. He was the craggiest of cricketers, yet he indulged in the most schmaltzy of farewells in the series against India in 2003-04. He wanted to end with a match-winning century at the SCG, his home ground. He finished at Sydney with an 80, a mistimed slog-sweep against Anil Kumble and a draw. Not bad, but not quite a fairytale.

Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer went out gracefully, declining to Read more…

Administrator Ashes, England Andrew Flintoff, Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer, SCG, Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Sydney, The Oval, Tom Tully, Waqar Younis

Australia has spent years looking for a proper allrounder. The “next Keith Miller” tag faded away in the 70s, but Australia has never stopped searching for allrounders. Their searches have mostly been pitiful and time wasting.

They have tried bowling allrounders: Max Walker, Simon O’Donnell, Greg Matthews, Tony Dodemaide, Simon Davis and Paul Reiffel. And batting allrounders: Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Michael Bevan, Marcus North, Cameron White and Shane Watson have all had a go.

None of them have hit the spot. Then Mitchell Johnson came along.

A left-arm opening bowler who can bowl at 95 mph, make run-a-ball hundreds, break the hands of opening batsmen, break the hearts of finger spinners, and take wickets on the flattest of the flat pitches.

It was magical while it lasted. One whole series.

Australia get a world-class allrounder, and he lasts for one series. What the hell Read more…

Administrator Australia Andrew McDonald, Australia, Blogs.CMDN.com, Cameron White, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Greg Matthews, Keith Miller, Marcus North, Mark Waugh, Max Walker, Michael Bevan, Mitchell Johnson, Paul Reiffel, Shane Watson, Simon Davis, Simon O’Donnell, Steve Harmison, Steve Waugh, Tony Dodemaide

The MCC has recently warned us about the potential death of Test Cricket and have called for the introduction of a World Test Championship (WTC). As was reported on Crininfo this view has been supported by many distinguished former and current players like Steve Waugh, Martin Crowe and Rahul Dravid. I have been wondering for some time what form will this WTC take and how a system will be devised to implement this. I have come up with a format which could be implemented. However it may also seem controversial as the concept of tours as we know it now will have to end.

Historically teams toured for long durations and played long series because of the distances involved and the time taken to cover these distances. All this has changed now and travel is obviously much faster but the cricket calendar is still stuck in the early part of the last century. The WTC should consist of 12 teams divided into 2 divisions of 6. Currently there are only 9 Test playing countries since Zimbabwe is suspended, however the top ranked associates can be promoted to Test status to get the full complement of 12. After every season, the bottom 2 teams will get relegated and the top 2 teams from the second division will get promoted to division 1. The initial divisions can be made on the current ICC rankings. The associate nations can also compete to get into division 2 but more on that later.

Each team in the division needs to play every other team twice in the course of a season. This means every team plays 10 test matches in a season and the total number of test matches in a season are 30. Every team gets to play 3 matches at home and 7 matches on neutral or away grounds. Every country needs to host five test matches i.e. 3 involving the home team and 2 test matches involving neutral teams. Every touring country can play a maximum of 2 games and a minimum of 1 game in any other country. Read more…

Administrator Test Cricket Australia, Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket Blogs, England, India, Martin Crowe, Pakistan, Rahul Dravid, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Steve Waugh, Test Cricket, World Test Championship, WTC

Cricketing DVDs tend to lurch from the “comical” - Tuffers’ Duffers, Goughy’s Gaffes or Monty’s Cricket Madness to the Greatest Series/Test/Team Ever (insert as necessary). If you want something more cerebral to watch that tunes in nicely with the here and now, then Legends of Cricket: The Ashes Special Edition should do the job, especially as the main event is warming up nicely.

In its original format, the Legends of Cricket was a list of 50 great cricketers that became a successful TV series. The list was put together by an eminent panel of former Test cricketers, commentators and figures, including Richie Benaud (who, thankfully we hear a lot of here), Sunil Gavaskar, Mike Procter, Wasim Akram, Dickie Bird and Michael Holding to name but six.

This is truly authoritative stuff, concentrating not only on the well-documented deeds of the protagonists, but giving us a more rounded picture of their formative years, and an overview of their place in history. Former Wisden editors including David Frith also have their say, while a host of Test players comment on their colleagues.

The “black and white” reels are particularly revealing. In the days of uncovered pitches, correct techniques and understanding the art of batsmanship were more essential, and so Read more…

Administrator Ashes Allan Border, Blogs.CMDN.com, Chappell, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Gaffes, Greg Chappell, Len Hutton, Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Walter Hammond