50-50
Twenty 20 was interesting and surprisingly so despite Sachin not playing. Personally, i have mixed "feelings" about the future of this format. While the shorter a game, the more interesting it gets, - generally but not always - T20 or even ODI cannot hold a candle to test cricket. Discounting the fact that cricket itself is not a very "efficient" sport, test cricket is where the real fun is. However, contrary to popular belief, and what i feared, T20 need not always be a bowler's extended nightmare. If the pitches are sporting, it has been evident that it is more or less an even contest. It's just that we need to get used to ideas like '6 an over' being a good economy rate for a bowler.
P.S: Quote of the tournament:
"I want to thanks all the Indian nations" - Shahid Afridi
P.S 2: I have often supported the Pakistan cricket team - its a love-hate relationship. The '92 World Cup, the unforgettable 1999 Chennai test- i was part of the crowd which gave the Pakistan team a standing ovation in Chepauk (1999)- are cases in point. Infact, i and my brother were the only souls in our 'colony' to root for Miandad when he hit the famous last ball six off Chetan Sharma (the tension was so unbearable that all of us kids ran out of our houses in no particular direction). Yesterday, i was glad and fuckin relieved India pulled it off but even if Pakistan had won, i wouldn't have felt that bad. There's that 'something' to a quintessential Pakistani run chase :)
P.S: Quote of the tournament:
"I want to thanks all the Indian nations" - Shahid Afridi
P.S 2: I have often supported the Pakistan cricket team - its a love-hate relationship. The '92 World Cup, the unforgettable 1999 Chennai test- i was part of the crowd which gave the Pakistan team a standing ovation in Chepauk (1999)- are cases in point. Infact, i and my brother were the only souls in our 'colony' to root for Miandad when he hit the famous last ball six off Chetan Sharma (the tension was so unbearable that all of us kids ran out of our houses in no particular direction). Yesterday, i was glad and fuckin relieved India pulled it off but even if Pakistan had won, i wouldn't have felt that bad. There's that 'something' to a quintessential Pakistani run chase :)
posted by Bala (Karthik) at
7:15 AM
11 Comments:
Bala,
I think batsmen are yet to adapt to the
shorter format. Once they get more comfy about it then you could see scores of 250-300 and so on...Bowlers can get wickets, because batsmen are constantlty looking to bang the ball, but like ODI this may lead to Gavin Larsen, Chris Harris type bowlers being effective. A pathetic trend in my opinion. To see a Brett Lee,Fidel Edwards or Makhaya Ntini running in from beyond 15 yard circle just to be hit to every part of the ground, every ball is a painful sight. Allowing just five/six batsmen per team may make it more even and engrossing
By
mutRupuLLi, at Tue Sep 25, 10:43:00 AM
Bala,
When the tournament started, I was not sure on how it will fare but no doubt it's been a phenomenal hit¬ just due to India's unexpected good run.
As you rightly pointed out,it's not all about slogging,an intelligent bowler can do well&this includes Brett Lee,Fidel Edwards&Makhaya Ntini.
In this 'fast food age',T20 will be a huge hit,you can go to office,finish your work,watch a full match&head home.
But again too much of this will make it boring,the USP for the subcontinent crowds was that we had never played it before.Ippo chumma viduma 'BCCI' :)
All talk that test cricket,ODI will become dated is nonsense,those will still remain the real thing.
As Imran Khan pointed out yesterday(on NDTV),the reason why it was an Ind-Pak final¬ Aus-SA was that T20 is more about talent&less about technique&temperement.These two teams have more of the former&less of the latter.
If tmrw there is an test or an ODI between Aus&one of these two teams,99% the Aussies will win it.
The win has to be savoured,no doubt but the flaws still remain.
All those ppl talking about Sachin,Rahul retiring immediately are idiots.You still need the mental strength,technique&the patience of a Rahul&the talent mixed with the experience of a Sachin.
Ppl have also forgotten that this is what Greg-Rahul wanted to do,give more exposure,opportunities for youngsters.It's just that they failed in the ODI format.
Also it was Dravid's initiative to ensure he&the other two stay away from T20.Give him credit for that.
As to the match itself,phew!it was a roller coaster that only an Ind-Pak match can produce.And Yes,I wouldn't have got hurt if Pak had won,the animosity is gone&the game was played in the right spirit.
More importantly,it has brought back the passion for cricket in India,something which had ebbed out for the last 6 months.
Anyways,let's come bk to earth,in 4 days India play Aus,50 overs in bangalore.Hope we don't land with a huge thud :)
PS:My longest post in quite some time on the web.
By
Anonymous, at Tue Sep 25, 06:51:00 PM
Typo error:Pls read as
"Phenomenal hit not just due to India's..."
"Ind-Pak final and not Aus-SA"
By
Anonymous, at Wed Sep 26, 09:45:00 AM
Sridhar,
That's a good point you make.
However, the thing is if ODI's continue to be gang-rape of bowlers, i'd rather prefer the 20-20 format. The sodomy will be relatively short lived :p
Like you've pointed out, we'll have to wait and see how it turns out over a period of time.
Cinefan,
Very well said!
More importantly,it has brought back the passion for cricket in India,something which had ebbed out for the last 6 months
adhu dhana prachanyE!
There are people commenting "throw the big names to the dust bin", "do we need Sachin/Dravid/Ganguly anymore?" and other such bullshit!
Blaady yindians! :)
By
Bala (Karthik), at Fri Sep 28, 09:10:00 AM
"adhu dhana prachanyE"
Didn't understand
By
Anonymous, at Fri Sep 28, 10:21:00 AM
Cinefan,
Indian fans ku "passion" thirumbi vandhadhu dhaan prachanaye.
Ippo elavalu oyarathula namma players-a vekkaraangalo, vegu seekkirathil keezha adhavida mosama keezha potruvaanunga. The same vicious cycle continues...
By
Bala (Karthik), at Fri Sep 28, 11:09:00 AM
Yes,very true.
Did you watch all those scenes at the felicitation function,was that reqd with a mtch against the Aussies in 2 days.
Let's see what happens today.
By
Anonymous, at Sat Sep 29, 01:47:00 PM
//i and my brother were the only souls in our 'colony' to root for Miandad when he hit the famous last ball six off Chetan Sharma //
Adutha Gabten pada villian ready!!!!
By
Anonymous, at Mon Oct 01, 11:12:00 AM
Cinefan,
Rain to the rescue :D
Deepak,
Adutha Gabten pada villian ready!!!!
ahaa :p
enna illandreengala?? :)
By
Bala (Karthik), at Mon Oct 01, 08:50:00 PM
Bala,
"Rain to the rescue" -Not yesterday.
Same old problems-despite having 5 regular bowlers Dhoni had to resort to the 6th&7th bowler.Can't understand how Harbhajan&Powar failed to find any purchase from THIS wicket.
Bad start once again to the chase,Sachin has failed twice in a row :(
He&Yuvraj fell to wrong judgement of shots(fell into the trap with Eyes wide open)& we struggled to rotate strike.
Can't understand why we can't extrapolate our success formula of T20 to 50-50-Tight bowling backed by good fielding,sensible batting,run between the wickets well,don't throw away a good start(Uthappa)&keep the nerves calm.
Bottom line-Reality Time.
By
Anonymous, at Wed Oct 03, 09:55:00 AM
LOL.. did Afridi actually say that? :D
By
Anonymous, at Mon Oct 22, 01:58:00 PM
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