Right Arm Fast

So you expected the Kiwis to roll over and die?

2010-11-11T09:28:00.012+05:30

The vibe that most of my friends, news channels, newspapers were giving off before the series took off was that the Kiwis would be steamrolled in both the tests and ODIs.

Guess what?

You're wrong.. yes you, you smug idiot who wrote on Cricinfo comments that his ticket for the 4th day at Motera would be wasted.

Anyone who has followed the matches between the 2 teams will know that the Black Caps have always been a pain in the ass for India.

They will not just fold up. If you are going by their performance against the Deshis then consider a few things

a) The Deshis did PLAY WELL to win the matches

b) They did not just turn up and expect to win

c) Yes, the Kiwis played awfully at times, but they're not gonna do that ALL the bloody time

Their batsmen have shown that they can handle the spinners alright. I am mighty impressed by Williamson's footwork and temperament. Jesse has the power of Beer. Dan WILL always hang around and irritate everyone, always. Now, if they can find a half decent opener and two of their fast bowlers last the whole five days, the Kiwis can really be a handful.

Though India did get away with a draw. There are a few questions i'd like answers to before the second test

1) How many times has Ojha outbowled Bhajji in the last year? (If you say Eden Gardens. i'll say Fluke)

2) Rahul Dravid

3) Ishant or Sreesanth?

4) Is Ravi Shastri's voice really like that or he actually sounds like Sachin.. But tries to fake a baritone

5) Why do we let the pressure off after the ball stops swinging?

6) Will Arun Lal get off Sree's case and let him be?

7) Will we crumble again in the face of some decent swing and seam bowling? (Even though I know James Franklyn is added to the squad)

8) Will Gauti miss another straight one? if he is picked, that is

9) Will RD go fishing outside the off stump again? (oh, i mentioned that already?)

10) How much has Bhajji's ego bloated after the 100?

11)Will The Smooth One have to save India's hide, again?

12)Does fire really fly out of Yuvi's ass?

13) Will MSD find any form with the bat? (do check his average for this year on CI)

So much, to know.. so little time.. guess we'll know when play starts tomorrow

Whatever it is, India must realize that they must not underestimate the Kiwis

(Admittedly, this is a bit late, but hey! Check the date on which the previous post was published)

So Far at the t20 Whatever

2010-05-03T14:50:00.000+05:30

1) Three years into the tournament and the organizers haven't yet decided if it is a cup or a trophy or just a shield or mace or whatever... It's just the world t20....

2) Last year's runners up, Sri Lanka are in a right mess with the batting, Dilshan's lost form, King Kumar ain't too flash either, Uncle Sanath seems to be playing as a spinner only and the Other Guy wont get to bat till the rest of the average middle order fall behind the rate a bit And according to latest news Murali has gone out with an injury.

3)Australia seem to have a clue what they're doing at T20. What's with the comic running at the end though?

4)Despite all the suspensions, Pakistan have come into the tournament with quite a decent side. Misbah is "almost" doing everything though.almost taking catches, almost getting run out... he never closes the bloody deal. Mohammad Aamer is just amazing.. and Mohammad Sami..well....

5)Mohammad Ashraful is fooling people into believing that he's gone all sensible now, wait till you watch his next innings. Mortaza is back to playing cricket.. dunno for how long though

6)It's still pretty difficult to tell what the West Indians will do.. yet to face a strong team.

7) What exactly is the thinking behind South Africa's thinking of wait-till-the-target-gets-out-of-reach-then-make-a-mad-dash approach, I can never understand.

8)The Kiwis are as usual the underdogs... which means no one notices until they get to the knockout stages, and wonder how the hell they got there.. and of course, there will be the usual exit in a close do or die game.

9)India, somehow still think they can get away with bowling part timers even in crucial stages. The batsmen seems to be finding their feet

10) Well played, to the Afghanistan cricket team. The rise in ranks of the team is wonderful story of self belief and determination.

More, after the group stages

What the fast bowler had been doing all this time

2010-03-01T19:16:00.002+05:30

getting away from it all at cheap resorts..

and doing this...

Last one in is yours truly.

P.S. keep the volume down you won't like the background music

Stuart stops trying to be Freddie

2009-12-30T05:27:00.001+05:30

Going by his approach in the first test and the first innings of the second test, I was wondering whether Stuart Broad was trying to emulate Flintoff.
You know bowling 'the heavy ball', 'hitting the deck', 'pounding the batsmen unrelentingly' and other such wonderful sounding jargon used by Messrs. Shastri and Co. It's actually good that Shastri is at home, or i'd be sick of hearing that Broad is tall, Friedel De Wet is bowling his heart out(gross) and Jacques Kallis is a class apart.

Alright, Coming back to Broad, it's better to see him change the length that he's been bowling. I think it's better if he sticks to being a fast bowler who moves it a bit off the seam, rather than try to bounce people out.
The fuller length does actually working for him. Plus, I'd like to see Kallis leave a few more deliveries which send the stumps cartwheeling,

Now all that's left to do is quit the annoying teenager impressions and get rid of the ridiculous hair cut and ,Voila!, we have a decent enough fast bowler. England need one.

Er... Ishant... you shouldn't really bowl there..

2009-12-25T12:12:00.000+05:30

May be you shouldn't bowl at all, for a while. No matter where you land the ball... it always seems to find the middle of the bat and correspondingly a place outside the boundary.. The edges will evade the fielders, the skiers WILL be dropped. Yes, like you said after the fifth ball of your first over yesterday(it had gone away to the fence for the 4th boundary of the over), ... B@#$%$d, kya karun yaar?
Not very poetic, i must admit, but true.

The career graph has suddenly turned south and it seems to wanna stay there. Nothing seems to work.. and it's only logical to ask the question, B@#$%D, kya karun yaar?

I got the answer to that. It's time the selectors left you alone. I meant not like we want them to leave Harbhajan Singh alone and not pick him, ever.
You're 21, still have time and all that jazz. But it would help if you weren't put in the line of fire every alternate limited overs match. Things wont fall in place all of a sudden, in one match.
If he was dropped from the ODI team, it was for a reason right?
Then why pick him knowing he's not going alright at the moment?

So, all that's necessary is to head to the MRF academy or whichever institute is likely to be of any help and grind it out.
Surely, it cant get any worse for the Indian team, they can play Tyagi/VRV/whoever... but try and sort things out for Ishant. He still is the real deal.

Hopefully the selectors see some sense, let the kid find that Ishant that gobbled up Ricky at Perth and at Mohali. I'm sure batsmen will be left saying, b@#$%d kya karun yaar.

Just Do It

2009-12-17T07:56:00.007+05:30

Vote that is.
World Cricket Watch,(i've never really heard of them before) have put together awards for cricket related websites. You know ...for, cricket blogs, cricket games, cricket news, cricket forums... the works.
AND BCC! are nominated for the best cricket blog. So you know who to vote for. Also nominated is Q's Well Pitched, which is excellent as well. But he's gone missing lately.

For the best new blog Ankit's Paddlesweep and Sid's Thoughts from the Dustbin are nominated too.
Though I think, Purna should have got a nomination too for Cricket Minded. inspite of her love for the saffas and hatred for Yuvraj Singh.
I should have got a nomination too.... for the slowest blog or summat... almost six months now and I'm struggling to reach 50 posts. I'm like the Shiv Chanderpaul of Blogging.

So get here like a tracer bullet(trademark Ravi Shastri) and vote. for BCC!.

and yes I will be back to blogging right after I clear these 10 million files off my table.
I'll be on to it in a flash.

P.S: I'm sorry guys but i've enabled comment moderation on the site, coz i was getting a lot of spam. I hope you guys don't mind a bit more effort while posting comments.

What do you mean 2 more days left?!!

2009-11-19T01:43:00.008+05:30

Sri Lanka are already ahead by 165 runs at the end of the 3rd day's play. And, by the looks of it, will probably declare sometime during or after the 2nd session tomorrow with a 300+ lead.

Jayawardena, the former captain coasted to a double hundred, while the 'keeper Jayawardena is nearing his century. The 200 partnership between the two seems to have sqeezed out whatever enthusiasm there was in the fielders. if there was any.

what I fail to understand is how can Jayawardena bat with such great technique and still be a li'l boring to watch?

SL still scored 300 odd today, but it was more of grind-the-opponent routine, rather than a dash for victory. Fair enough. They still have a lot of time on their hands. You better not leave anyone even a window of oppurtunity on such tracks.

The Indian bowlers have been toothless over both days of play. especially today.

The field placing was mostly defensive throughout the day.

Harbhajan needs to be given a break, a dressing down, a friggin tatoo on his arm ... whatever.... to remind him it's TEST cricket. Flight the darn thing and stop firing it on middle and leg, damn it.

Mishra's looked mediocre really, may be the he's trying a bit to hard. Given the rare oppurtunities that he gets.

Zaheer, Ishant barely have made a difference. The bowling really needs to tighten up, if India want to be in with a chance in this series

The pressure will shift back to the batting now, given the lack of penetration with the ball. Sehwag and Gambhir need to put up a better start.

Somehow, i see this as a last series for VVS, just a gut feeling.

If the Lankans apply some pressure late in the evening tomorrow, i wouldn't think it's beyond India to collapse in a heap on a perfectly fine wicket.

Seeking Divine Intervention

2009-11-13T12:00:00.003+05:30

I've been supporting the boys for a long time, giving subtle hints at times, also unleashed the fast bowler's fury at BCC! to make the boys to fall in line. But all seems to have failed.

as a final measure, yours truly is gonna be off to Shirdi, tonight. To pray for the well being of the Indian Cricket team.

It has been said that, no one comes away empty handed from the court of Sai Baba. Hopefully with some divine intervention, all will be set straight.

So, with the interest of a billion people at heart, off i go.

If this doesn't work, nothing else will.

Heading towards embarassment

2009-11-08T09:25:00.003+05:30

5 for 27 after 9 overs.

The record for the lowest ODI total is in danger.

Are these really the back up bowlers we're facing here?

How come Johnson is even hitting the pitch?

Run MSD, your intelligence will be questioned for batting first. But RAF still thinks you are ace.

Lack of application on part of the batsmen can't be blamed on you.

Could our bowlers have been trusted to make use of the 'bowler friendly' conditions early on?

Fuck, i'll just go hide somewhere now.

India travel back in time

2009-11-06T07:55:00.006+05:30

Well it was more like a time warp where everyone went back to the mid and late 90's period of Indian cricket.
You know, those days of shit bowling, comic fielding and Sachin.
Do you even remember the last time Sachin was running down the track against the spinners?
That pull shot wasn't quite like Nairobi 2000 against McGrath but it got most of us going alright.
Those audacious flicks over midwicket and mid on were something most of us had thought he'd dropped for good.
That cover drive off Hilfenhaus had me spilling my tea over the keyboard.
Even though Raina threw it away, I still knew Sachin would take us home, he had to.
And then he played that scoop and the rest just folded up.
I'm normally supportive of the team through wins and losses. But yesterday's loss just left me drained.
India would have had to face embarrassment yesterday if it wasn't for Sachin's innings.
Australia are playing with a pretty much second string side. Going down to them in two straight games is still nothing to be proud of.
To start things off, the bowling just fell apart. What's with gifting Blondie so many short balls?
I've always maintained that Nehra is not the answer to India's fast bowling problems.
Neither is Munaf.
But I'd still keep Nehra in the field for the LOL moments when he is fielding.
In fact, the entire fielding effort was shoddy. Wonder whether Mohali was a fluke after all.

It's a bit difficult to blame the batting.
Sehwag had to play the way he did, given his role in the team and the stiff target.
Voges took a blinder to send Dhoni back.
Raina could have gone for a duck and did get out at the wrongest of times, but some of his hitting did help in maintaining the run rate to get this close.
Harbhajan should never be led to believe that he is an allrounder. Sending him in front of Jadeja was a bit of a blunder.
Ravindra Jadeja should get his ass tied down to the crease to stop him from running himself out every time.
A part of me says Sachin should have really finished it off, the likes of Jadeja aren't too great at handling pressure but it is also true that it was still there to be won when Sachin got out.

One major gripe I have is that one of the best ODI and Test innings of Sachin have come in a losing cause. Y'all remember the Chennai test, right?

With Aus rolling us over with a second string bowling attack, It's any one's guess what a full strength side could have done.

Scores Level

2009-10-28T22:54:00.007+05:30

Since this is a 7 match series, I've decided not to do match reviews and stuff, to keep burnout and exhaustion away. Aren't those two things the same more or less?

anyways.

Just a few observations that I'll put up after every match.

Match 2:

a)Welcome back Ishant, where have you been?

b)Just as I praise Ricky in the previous post for being a great fielder, He goes ahead and drops a regulation skier.

c)Does Harbhajan have to bowl over 90 k, even after he has a 350 run cushion?

d)Dhoni must be a happy chap. Not because of the century but because his helmet manufacturers provide him some good stuff. A bouncer at 140 Ks at the back of your head is not very pleasant. Moreover, dead or paralyzed captains, can't be of much use.

e)PK's quota of overs should be used up while the ball is swinging. He's cannon fodder, at the death if the ball isn't swinging.

f)The Delhi boys should open. or are we doing sacrifice the opener ritual like Sri Lanka?

g)Gautam Gambhir is timing the ball sweetly. A big score is around the corner. Just the thing, in support of the above case.

h)How effortless was Yuvi's six over mid off, off Hauritz? Six hitting looks rather easy when he does it.

i) Although Jadeja took 3 wickets today, Ojha is the right guy, to do the spinning duties. He is.

j)As ugly as it is, I love watching the Dhoni swipe over midwicket

k)HA HA HA @ Shane Watson.

l) Marsh at 7, you gotta be kidding me!

Aus draw first blood.

2009-10-26T03:30:00.007+05:30

Always wondered how Ravi feels while saying it on air everytime the first wicket falls.
Now
I'm writing this with a lot of pain........ or is it in a lot of pain?
Ok, whatever it is, there's pain involved. Not because India lost(I know this series is gonna be rough for the blues), but because I banged my hand against a machine while practicing my bowling action..... in office...... at 4 am in the morning.
Alright, now that the customary nonsense is done, back to cricket.

Harbhajan and PK almost took India to over the line, but that doesn't mean that the match was as close as the 4 run difference suggests.

A few things that I've observed.
a) India's fielding is well, er... hard to put in words. The diving over the ball is getting increasingly difficult to laugh at.

b) While we still have belief in Dhoni's captaincy, what gets past us is the logic behind Kohli's promotion in front of Dhoni.

c) Ravindra Jadeja is alright, but not the amazing talent that Laxman Sivaramkrishnan thinks he is.

d) Why is everyone sucking up to Ashish Nehra so much? I'm gonna throw up soon.

e) The Delhi boys should open.

f) What does Praveen Kumar have to do to get someone to catch an edge off his bowling?

g) Ishant seems to have understood that short and wide is not the way to go during the slog overs.

h) Is Tim Paine really the third choice wicketkeeper batsman after Haddin and Manou?

i)Regardless of how unhygienic he is with all that spitting on the hands and being a pain in general and the fact that he is almost 35, Ricky is still a sharp fielder in the ring or elsewhere. Do I have to say that he is right up there in the all time best batsmen list?

j) Watson should really stop looking so surprised/aghast/disappointed after bowling shit full tosses.

k) Wasn't Hussey supposed to be leaving straight ones and looking like he couldn't even hit a beach ball?

A day for celebrations

2009-10-20T18:00:00.002+05:30

Yep, its' all happening at BCC! today.

We're celebrating Jatman's and Allan 'White Lightning' Donald's birthday today.
some great posts to take you back through the careers of the two gentlemen

Go check it out.

Bring your drinks and chips, though. As always.

Also, Straight Points from SP completes 2 years today.

Moreover, BCC! also put up an entire post for yours truly since its my birthday today.
Much appreciated gesture that.

So go on over and join in the fun

Over and Out

2009-10-17T07:25:00.005+05:30

Well that title doesn't make sense, but neither will the post. Pretty much the usual stuff here.
actually, It's been a tad difficult to manage even a post per week since i've changed jobs a couple of months back.
I've decided to take a bit of a break, not from work(although that was the intitial thought), but from blogging.
Its just that, I'm too burnt out after work to write something that makes sense
Though i do squeeze in some time to watch cricket in bits and parts, posting is just plain impossible.
I don't know if i will be back to posting next month, next year or not at all.
Just don't know how things are gonna happen over the next few months, to take a call.
I don't want to delete the blog, like the previous one. That would make it two blogs in less than a year.

Anyways, here's wishing you all a happy diwali. Have Fun and keep the decibels down.
Don't send rockets flying into the neighbourhood building or light a 'bomb' in your hand and chuck it in the air, the neighbourhood girls will not think you are cool. Also don't Tie a 'ladi' to the uncle who keeps lecturing you. oh well, just go ahead. burn his ass

hope to stay in touch with y'all at prafspatne@gmail.com

Right Arm Fast....... over and out

Super Dan

2009-10-04T09:16:00.000+05:30

Now, I'm not into praising spinners too much, but Dan is a not JUST a spinner.

The man has carried a bunch of club level cricketers into the semifinals of a tournament containing the best ODI teams in the world, and also England and West Indies.
Going by their recent performances, one would be forgiven for thinking that the Kiwis would just curl up and die after Taylor went out yesterday.
But Super Dan was yet to come.
Elliot did make more runs, but it was Vettori who kept the pressure from building too much by ticking off singles, with the odd boundary. Elliot eventually made use of the powerplay and some uncharacteristically loose bowling from Gul and Rana Naved to make the final sprint.

Now, Vettori isn't exactly the prettiest to watch.( i like the table tennis backhand type cover drive though), but the never say die attitude is what i admire. A quality that was present in the team lead by Fleming.
The Kiwis had somehow lost that doggedness over the past few seasons. It was really frustrating to watch them go down so badly even with quite a few match winners in the ranks.

Looks like Vettori has got it back somehow. This is what is called leading by example.

The Kiwis are up against an in form Aussie team in the finals. But if the rest have learned anything from the skipper, I'd ask Ricky not to get too smug

India are ACE!

2009-09-16T08:21:00.008+05:30

We've been away for a few days, but that doesn't mean we'll miss out on the gloating.
We've never really doubted our potential. No, really, we haven't! What Bat of Doom are you talking about?
We absolutely smashed, more like trampled all over Sri Lanka in the Final.
Old man Dravid and Sachin gave us a solid start. Sachin scored his 44th ODI hundred, so what if he needs a runner to reach most of his hundreds these days? We can even get an electronic wheelchair if we have to, but Sachin will score centuries at the top.
Yuvi didn't really look like he was going to get out early, he was all solid. Like a rock, you know.
The youngsters are coming along fine.
It was just a 4 match series at the beginning of the season, they will get better, esp Yusuf.

The bowling was Fantastic. We didn't even need our frontline spinner Yuvi to get the wickets. Harbhajan did well with his medium pace off cutters. Somehow Ishant, RP Singh and Nehra didn't get help from the wicket, like Harbhajan. Ishant doesn't need a break, as soon as his hair grows back, he'll be the world beating fast bowler that we know he is. really, like Samson.
On a more serious note, the Champions Trophy is a disaster waiting to happen, if the bowlers bowl such excellent lines and lengths.

We fielded like tigers. Nehra looked really settled under Jayasuriya's skier. All composure. We knew he was gonna catch it, all the time. What dropped catch by Kohli? We must have gone out for a cuppa.
We're Champions, CHAMPIONS of the shit looking Compaq cup. Gentlemen, rejoice!
Speaking of chamions, we're off to the Champions Trophy next. We'll be Champs there too.
Number one beckons, again
coz we're ace, ACE.
ya hear me?

P.S: ODIs are fine. Not dead, not dying. Its just the English and the Kiwis that take the fun out of it

A little thank you

2009-09-14T01:32:00.007+05:30

In case you haven't noticed, we've tweaked up the blog a bit. Not much, a few columns and sorting out the widgets.
A big thank you, to SP of Straight Points and NC of Naked Cricket for being so helpful.
Also NC, being genius that he is for pointing out
P Right Arm Fast S,
see, the blog's name has been a part of my name, all along
Cool or what?

Right Arm Fast is pissed off

2009-09-12T23:18:00.011+05:30

We're mighty upset with the lame ass performance of Team India today.
Time to take out the Tailender's Bat of Doom and unleash it at the boys.
The fast bowler wants to spank the rust out of MSD's boys with the Bat of Doom.
Quite a few tailenderly ugly swipes are comin' at your behinds, boys.

What a performance after getting to the number one spot
Being rusty is one thing but being on the field without a plan is what is utter wank.
It looked like Uncle Sanath's Benefit game with the bowlers dishing out friendly short pitched stuff.
Slept through the 30 extra middle overs, only to wake up and see headless Sharma and Nehra bowl more friendly stuff at Kandamby.
It's alright if you haven't gotten into the groove. But no one even tried to hit the block hole.
This was a problem in the bilateral series in SL, in NZ and also in the WI tour.
No one seems to have adressed the obvious weakness at the death.

The fielding made me laugh. Who doesn't like classics like balls going through legs, the howrah bridge dives over the ball. The best one was Nehra cursing someone at long leg for lack of effort, then dropping a sitter and making faces in the next over. Wonder what the bowler had to say to him?

The less said about the batting, the better,
Yuvraj gets the Tailender's Bat of Doom and not in a good way, for fishing so much outside the off stump.
And yes no one will even mention Sachin's SOFT, almost jelly-like dismissal. Still, Dravid has to be the centre of the discussion, no?
When was the last time Yusuf made a decent contribution?

Angelo Matthews is alright, but giving him 6 wickets is a tad too much for my liking. It's not like he's bowling at 90 miles an hour and moving the ball both ways.

Many will say, this is a useless one day series n all that jazz.
But if you're representing a nation of people who are fanatics of the game, you better show some application
The final is around in a couple of days,
The men in blue better get their act right or the Bat of Doom is waiting

Nehra,Yuvraj knock NZ out- cricinfo says so

2009-09-11T22:55:00.007+05:30

yeah didn't you see our frontline spinner Yuvraj singh pick up 3 wickets to knock the stuffings out the Kiwi middle order.
Too bad the wicket wasn't seaming, Harbhajan might have picked up a few then.
I guess, NC was right about the one-dayers being 30 overs too many for the Kiwis.
They seem to be struggling to get past 200 this series.
156 wasn't gonna be much of a bother.
But the chase was a bit of a crawl
Even though Karthik fell early, Sachin looked fairly comfortable. But the problem was Dravid, found it difficult to either score but get off the strike. Somehow, i believe, that ploy of Dravid providing stability might just backfire while chasing a larger total

India did get over the line, but 40 overs to chase down 156 was a little excruciating to watch.

Well, now that the incompetent side is out, let's hope the big boys put up a better show.
So long Dan, thanks for coming.

Why England are shit at ODIs

2009-09-10T01:50:00.009+05:30

Yes utter shit.
They just can't finish things off, even when they're in a winning position. Don't know if they're at the ground without a plan, whether they don't just have the talent or just lack testicular fortitude. No one apart from KP and Freddie can really take the game by the scruff of the neck.

Just a couple of deliveries from the 3rd ODI can sum it up.

Aus had quietly slipped behind the asking rate, while chasing 226.
Not a large target, but its difficult to score runs.
Over 39, Anderson to Clarke
Clarke dabs to mid wicket and sets off for a quick single but sends White back after he's charged halfway down the track. Midwicket has enough time, but chucks a silly backhand throw at the bowler's end to Anderson. Anderson misses the stumps by a yard, from 2 feet away.
Next over,
White deposits Sidebottom over the midwicket fence.
Its not that White's wicket would've triggered a collapse, but why give a chance to someone.
especially when you've worked your way to the top.
and yes Anderson had previously missed a runout from all 4 yards away. White was the beneficiary.
Maybe Anderson's the reason for the shittiness, get rid of him

Edit: White dropped by Bresnan with 46 reqd of 44.
God bless the Poms!

Cricket, then and now

2009-09-10T00:19:00.001+05:30

Finally got a couple of days off from work. But having an off day on Monday AND Tuesday means its just you, loafing around all day and catching reruns or uninteresting matches.

Caught a few minutes of an old ashes series. don't recall which year. Lillee steaming in to bowl was some sight. Spare a thought for the batsmen.
These guys must have had balls of steel to face the likes of Lillee with no helmets, no chest guards, no high tech gloves either. I mean, the entire generation of cricketers who faced the fast bowlers without the fancy equipment used today . Nothing, but the long side locks to protect the jaw and a box to keep the jewels safe. the lineage has to go on right?

One bespectacled T Smith, who actually looked like my accounts professor, has completely won over Right Arm Fast, for taking on the short stuff with elan.

Another thing that struck me was how quick the umpires were with their decisions. No fancy slow death or crooked fingers. Its hits you on the leg and the finger is up by the time you look up.
No dissent, disappointment, no muttering or swearing under your breath from the batsmen either. if the ump says you are out, you just smile on your way back.

good ol' days

Good Bye, Amy

2009-09-06T11:22:00.003+05:30

Amy S. of Amy S Talks cricket passed away in july in a car accident.
It came to light to light when one of her friends put up a post early today on her blog,describing what happened.

her funny take on cricket was a great read anytime. Reading her posts was always fun.

this photograph was put up by her friend kate on her blog.

thanks Amy, your brilliance shall be missed greatly.

Rest in Peace.

All Messed Up

2009-08-29T08:59:00.000+05:30

I've been cricket crazy for as long as i can remember. Watched every single match, be it tests, ODIs, T20, county cricket, ranji matches, aussie domestic matches, u-19s, women's matches with the same amount of enthusiasm. Loved playing cricket, talking about it. Putting up this blog was just one more way of talking about cricket.
But things seemed to have become all messed up lately.
what is supposed be wrong when King Kumar is batting like a King and you still change the channel?
When Jesse, the cult hero of us beer drinking, non exercising types is batting and you just switch the TV off?
When you dont feel like watching that old re-run of sachin's innings that you've always loved watching?
When the cricket in the carribbean doesn't interest you?
When you stop watching sportcenter for getting your daily update?
When you just don't stop by at cricinfo to check the scores in the english county division 2 matches?

is it because the Windies are cheating us all with a third grade team?
or because the ashes weren't worth all the hype created?
or the Sri Lankans are just steam rolling a below par, uninterested Kiwi team?
may be its just the fact that India aren't playing yet?

Whatever it is, its just difficult to understand.

FUCK, just FUCK!!

Kiwis trampled on. heck, what's new?

2009-08-23T03:57:00.006+05:30

Apart from the 2nd Ind-NZ test in NZ, It's difficult to recall a test match in which the Kiwis have put up a fight.

It's a shame for a team which can be quite a handful in the limited overs matches.
Their batting which, normally is their strong point, just seems to fall apart in tests. May be its the limited overs type approach to batting that needs to be looked at.
Martin Guptil is quite a find, but Mcintosh, Flynn really worry me. The supposed test specialists aren't being all that special.
Then the bowling, just looks like it can click on 'friendly' wickets. Dan hasn't been amongst the wickets, since so long back i just can't recall.

On top of that, they always seem to catch some sort of a bug when they visit the subcontinent. Which means it is difficult for them to keep their guts on the inside till the tour ends.
I don't really understand how difficult it is to take the necessary precautions. The heat we can understand, can take a toll. But these bugs... may be i should just read up a bit more on this
Or you could write in to us and let us know

Stuart Broad = new Flintoff?

2009-08-22T08:46:00.010+05:30

A lot of questions have been thrown around by various sections of media after Broad's 5 wicket haul.
Like,
Has Stuart Broad come of age? (well at least mentally. He still looks like he can't grow facial hair) Is he ready to take over the all rounder's baton from Freddie? (Wait a minute. Freddie? Allrounder? ok... whatever)
Has the faith of the selectors in him paid off? (either that or could be the law of averages... you know, with so many chances, he was bound to have one good outing)

The answer to all these questions is, I DON'T KNOW.

But, what i do know is, Broad put together a very good test match spell in that session. He basically tied the batsmen down, with good lines and lengths. Also, looks like he's done some homework with the outswinger.
The Aussies were silly enough to throw their wickets away on a pitch with no demons in it.
Ponting looked jittery, Hussey is a walking wicket these days.
But to get wickets, you have to keep it in the right areas, and that's just what Broad did.

If he keeps going this way, England will have a good young fast bowler at their disposal.
In addition, I'd stick my neck out and say, his batting is better than Freddie's. He might not bludgeon it, but is more likely to score crucial runs.
But first he needs to get rid of that silly mop, may be grow a mustache, even a silly beard like Siddle will do.
but, for Christ's sake, look like a fast bowler.
Also i don't like my niece asking me whether he's Draco Malfoy.

Zaheer's out, so who we got?

2009-08-15T23:32:00.001+05:30

Zaheer did his shoulder badly while fielding in the IPL, had to undergo a shoulder surgery and is now out for a quite a long time. What the genius plan behind sending him to England for the T20 thingy was, i don't know and don't wanna discuss.

But who do we have as cover?

Nehra has had an awful time with injuries. Isn't really upto his best. Might have done well in the IPL, but was way too short on the WI tour. Esp, to Chris Gayle. Got away with a few lame ass deliveries in the death overs.

PK is unplayable at times when the new ball is swinging, when it stops he's a bit of a sitting duck.

Ishant hasn't really found his lengths in the shorter formats. Tests, he is fine. But needs to work on the limited overs stuff.

RP was ace until a few months ago, again lost his lines in the Caribbean. got spanked a bit there. But i'm backing him to to do well in the tri series and in the champions trophy.

Munaf can play the run stopper well, but only if he feels like it. Had a shocker in NZ. don't quite remember if he was there in WI. But him and Nehra in the field means Dhoni only has 8 fielders at his disposal.

Wonder when or whether the likes of Gony, Tyagi, Dinda, Ranadeb Bose will get any chances soon.

Has Irfan been to a good psychologist?

The bored day party

2009-08-13T07:49:00.002+05:30

yep. yours truly is on bored. OFFICIALLY!!
And no, they are not throwing a party to welcome me on bored.
stingy buggers.

anyways, today is the anniversary of BCCI. All hell is gonna break loose, with all the bored members converging at

http://www.coveritlive.com/index.php?option=com_altcaster&task=siteviewaltcast&altcast_code=bd1c5ead5e&height=550&width=470
so get your arse over there, its free.
get your own drinks and chips, cheapskates.

Right Arm Fast goes down memory lane

2009-08-08T08:31:00.002+05:30

well, actually we've gotten a bit lazy and detached here at Right Arm Fast. So what better to bring back the love than an unforgettable old memory. Its actually a comment that i had written on one of the posts over at BCCI. Then figured it could as well go as a post on the blog. Also promises made to the readers have to be fulfilled. See, how much Right Arm Fast loves you all. Of course, you dont have to comment or write to us to show your love, even cash will do. We're not too big on cheques you see, taxes and all come into play.
We dont like giving money to the government to make collapsible metro projects and Bandra-Worli sealinks with potholes. Anyways, enough of the blabbering here's the post:

this one is from 2000,was about 14 back then. Me and a few others guys were at the local ground waiting for the older guys to finish their match. when I got a call to fill in. Apparently because one of the bowlers' girlfriend was sick of waiting at the theater and showed up at the ground. had to scuttle, the poor fella.
Anyways, the opposition started well, in the 8 over game. 40 odd after 5, with a big lefty hitting everything over the short leg side boundary. I was told to bowl the 5th. bowled the first one wide, the lefty decided to sledge,"dar gaya kya bacche". Not very bright, but i was 14, so it got to me.
The next one was fuller, at the stumps. He smashed it thru midwicket on one bounce.
abbe kacche limbu 25 nikalunga over mein, came from the batsman's end.
I was fuming.
His head was gonna come off next ball. The fast bowler wanted blood. The bouncer came out next, he tried to clear his front leg,but it was quicker than he expected, hit him flush on the throat.
abe l****, ab bol kaun kaccha limbu hai.
I had already planned the next one was gonna be a slower ball, he expected another bouncer and played an ugly heave, only to spoon it to cover.
i told him to fuck off.
chal katle. c****, g*** maar di na kacche limbu ne, followed with a few more expeletives of the lowest low.
at which point he ran at me with bat in hand, i swear i almost jizzed in my pants.
thankfully the skipper intervened and all was settled.
nothing pleases a fast bowler more than tellin a batsman to fuck right off AND not getting hit on the head by some big lefty asshole with a bat in his hand.

ahhh, good times...

The Fast Bowler is finally employed

2009-07-23T22:52:00.002+05:30

Yessir, the fast bowler is back in the rat race.
It took a lot of effort on the part of the fast bowler, ranging from making cute puppy dog faces in front of the HR, to sacrificing a part of the peanuts that he was earning as salary.
Even night shifts are a part of the life again.

But, a man's got to earn something for his beer, internet, television, junk food and movies. Also, there's other stuff to look after like family, girlfriends, household expenses and stuff. But, that's all secondary.

What being employed also means, is that, there might be prolonged absences from the blogosphere.
But Right Arm Fast will try n keep all 3 of its readers happy by posting maybe once or twice a week.
See y'all around then!

Now, this is interesting!

2009-07-20T21:21:00.004+05:30

When the Ashes got underway, the Australians looked the stronger team. The first test was proof enough with England managing to hang on for a draw.
How things have changed within a week,with England going 1-0 up after the end of the second test.
Freddie finished off things superbly today, ending with five for the innings.
Today's spell by Freddie was a crucial one, because Haddin and Clarke had been fairly comfortable till yesterday evening.
This is the very reason why, Freddie quitting Tests makes me sad.
One of the very few quick men who can change the face of the game in one spell only.
too bad his body cant take the stress.

Haddin going early meant England were into the tail early, it was fairly easy from there on. except for some rearguard action by Johnson.

Australia's batting in the first innings was a major reason for their defeat. Too many players falling to obvious traps , too many loose shots. Coming back from a deficit of 260 odd is not easy.
even on a batting friendly wicket.
The English bowlers must be given credit for sticking to their plans.

Mitchell Johnson needs to find form with the ball. A lot depends on how he performs for the rest of the series.
Nathan Hauritz must step on a ball before the next test.

1-0 ahead with 3 to play, England must be feeling good alright.
Quite a few series between the two nations have been rather one-sided of late(barring 2005, of course), with Aus being better than England on a majority of occasions.

England being in front has made this rather interesting.

But i still think Aus are good enough to come from behind to win this one.
At least I think they will.

Good bye Freddie

2009-07-15T16:58:00.002+05:30

Freddie Flintoff is gonna retire from test cricket after the ashes.
The big guy had been reduced to a walking piece of chalk after all these injuries over the years.
It was always around the corner i guess

I don't know if Freddie crumbled under the workload or whether he was just plain fragile.
Its gonna be a major loss for England. Though, England might have gotten used to playing without him considering he wasn't available for 20 odd out of England's last 48 tests

He'll be available for ODI's and T20 but Flintoff steaming with a red ball over after over is something we'll all miss.
I sure will.

Here's to you freddie. It didn't last long but it was fun till it did.

Don't rip the Pakistanis apart

2009-07-14T21:37:00.003+05:30

Alright, Pakistan collapsed thrice in two test matches. But that does not mean we should all tear into the team and shred it to pieces.
First of all, just how many test matches has Pakistan played over the last few years?
Not many, right?
Let me tell you, The red ball and white ball are two different beasts altogether
Playing a t20 tournament is a different thing.
The white ball stops swinging after the first few overs and the batsmen can cash in.
i would not say the t2o championship is a fluke. It takes a lot of effort, talent and balls to win a tournament.
Pak deserve all the credit for the victory.

The transition has been rather difficult from the shorter format to the longer one.
The red cherry is a nasty little thing, it swings initially, then it stops for a while and then it reverses. Pakistani bowlers might be good exponents of reverse swing but batting against it is always a task.
Though seasoned pros like Younis, Yousuf and Misbah should have done better.
it was unexpected of the Pakistanis to be bamboozled by left arm orthodox of Herath.
Its just difficult to understand what went wrong there.

The bowling has been fairly good. Gul looks to have finally arrived from England.
The youngsters have put in good efforts, splendid even, in case of Aamer.
Yes, i'm a fast bowler myself and the joy i get from watching young fast bowlers come onto the scene has no bounds.
Rauf is alright. Ajmal can get be steady as well

It was the batting that imploded.
But we all know that there's not much wrong with the lineup.
okay may be Fawad should go back to the middle and Mallik should do something better with the bat.
The rest are fairly steady. A few more matches and they should be back alright.

Although calls have been made for heads to be chopped off, n stuff like that but let's not forget that there's a very talented core group out there.
And the yougsters haven't really disappointed.

Fawad Alam and Aamer can hold their heads high. So can Abdul Rauf.

SO cut the guys some slack ... A few more test matches and we'll know.

Freddie!! you cupcake!!

2009-07-13T21:41:00.003+05:30

no i don't have any man love for freddie... but his brittle li'l knee has given up again.
Jeez, the guy can't get through a full series, can he?
Big box of loose nuts and bolts.

And guess who could be back in the squad?

Steve ' Sweaty Palms' Harmison.

one spell against a county always get's ya in the good books, don't it?

England hang on, Deshis grow some balls and Pak- SL put on a show

2009-07-13T12:51:00.003+05:30

Yesterday's last hour at Cardiff is what makes test matches special. The fact that even if Monty and Anderson make it through the day, there won't still be a result. Still, the crowd kept cheering every dot ball. The roof went off once Anderson squeezed one to the third man fence and Australia would have had to bat again to win.

Collingwood did what he does best. Nudge, Nerdle, look uncomfortable and frustrate the shit out of the bowlers.Good support fom Swann,Monty and Anderson. Swann deserves a lot of credit for hanging on despite being battered by Siddle for as long as he was there. Reminded me of Lee's innings from the '05 ashes.

Ponting seemed to dislike Wing Commander Strauss' time wasting tactics. But first, lemme tell ya Ricky.... Stop spitting on your hands, you unhygienic hairy armed moron. Fuck, I'm sending an advisory to all cricketers to stop shaking hands with Ricky on the field or even off it.

Well, Strauss came up with some weird explanation of his own. kinda crap really. But not bowling North and a tired Hauritz might have helped Ponting's cause. That's just my opinion anyway.

Let's hope the series lives up to the standards set in the first test. The aussies are ahead at the moment.

Over in the Windies,

The deshis finally realised they had an opportunity to eke out a rare test win.

Someone seems to have spanked some sense into them. But that Ashraful doesn't learn, does he?

The Deshis are in a strong position with 240 odd in front. The pitch is spinning, just what they carry 10 spinners in the team for. Too bad, Mortaza is out. But it's the spinners show now.

Let's see if the tigers can hold their nerves against a second string team.

Cut to Sri Lanka,

The Pakistanis and Sri Lankans are making a strong case for 4 day tests.

Pakistan are playing limbo, going lower and lower with their scores. Sri Lanka are not being good sports and have decided not to go lower. Spoilsports!

On a more serious note it's quite an exciting test match with good bowling from both teams. Which is always a treat considering yours truly is a fast bowler himself.

Aamer and Tushara have made quite an impression over the past week and a half. Rauf is steady bugger. Gul is absent mentally. But that guy Kulasekara is a sneaky li'l fella. Bowls only about at military medium. but good lines and lengths and the results will come on bowler friendly pitches. But i'd like to see him bowl on feather beds.

This one could well be over in 4 days, unless the Pakistani batsmen rediscover their spine.

So there you have it, test cricket- draws, matches that could end within 4 days and two less than average teams battling it out and its still fun to watch.

Beat that 20-20!

Rain, Runs and an embarassment in the name of a test playing nation

2009-07-10T23:07:00.003+05:30

Rain may have shortened the 3rd day of the ashes, but its pretty much clear who is in the driver's seat. Australia are ahead by 44 runs with 5 wickets still in hand.
The nature of the pitch might make it look like we have a draw on our hands, but no one can discount the Poms from collapsing in the second innings.
The onus is on England, to end the Aus innings before the lead gets massive.
Anderson's yorker to Katich was a major relief. Another hour of him looking ugly and scoring runs would have squeezed out whatever self belief the English bowlers had
The spinners have been a major letdown for England. Monty was just lucky to get Ponting's wicket of a crappy lame ass delivery.
Hussey went out cheaply. Clarke and North then got together and steadied the innings.
I'm backing the English to lose this one.

Over in the Caribbean,
The Deshis were busy making themselves look silly in front of a second string WI attack.
It was a very good time to play well and make it look like they deserve the Test status.
Mind you they still have three days.
But the approach towards the batting was just unacceptable.
Credit must be given to Roach, Best and the rest for bowling well.
But the deshis should have applied themselves better at the crease.
Ashraful and a few other's dismissals were just suicide. You gotta give respect to decent bowling
Test matches can be played in such attacking fashion only by Sehwag and maybe Gilly.
Mortaza might be thanking God for the rain. coz it really saved some embarrasment. But, that wont always save them over the next few weeks.
For a nation whose people are such fanatics of the game, the Deshis must grow some balls and bat like men.
Let's see how these matches turn out over the next few days.
Somehow, i still see Bangladesh losing amidst all that rain. I wish they don't coz that'd be something they can't really have an excuse for.

Foot in the mouth for the blogger

2009-07-07T16:20:00.004+05:30

Yesterday, yours truly had said that Rangana Herath was not a problem for the Pakistanis and that Dilshan keeping wickets could mean opportunities lost.

But guess what, Herath read my blog and decided," fuck you Prafs- i'll show you and them pakistanis.. don't you make fun of chubby left arm spinners."
then he went and took carrer best figures of 4-15, dismissing Moyo early in the morning with an arm ball. then striking at regular intervals
Thilan Tushara was just amazing. Dr. Death Vaas might not be all that chuffed though.
Dilshan, i must admit was incredible for a part time keeper.

Pakistan's batting was comical at times, especially Butt's brain freeze under pressure. Misbah and Moyo may actually be playing some sorta competition involving running themselves out at wrongest of times possible.
So there you have it, a defeat for Pakistan, which is beyond teams with lesser talent.
Sri Lanka though, deserve credit for bowling great lines and lengths.
alright then!
Test matches are here and i'm lovin it.

5 back to back odi series wins. not bad, right?

2009-07-06T13:43:00.004+05:30

I dont know what world our broadcast media lives in.
But the reactions after the loss in the 2nd ODI and the win in the 3rd ODI were just dumbfounding.
I mean these guys must have footage, stats n stuff from the past few years.
they could just look it up n find out that the team has been doing well over the past couple of years.

I felt like slapping the friggin anchor who said India's win in the 3rd ODI was a fluke.
Just one question, mate.
Do the batsmen who got the team close to the target not deserve some credit?
ok, even if one accepts that dhoni's six was a fluke.
the previous batsmen did play well to get the team within striking distance.
Tearing the team apart in losses is one thing, But finding faults even in a victory is just uncalled for.
haven't all of us seen 12, 15 or 17 runs scored of the final over in an ODI?

The bowling though has been below par. But fatigue could be a major factor. So the guys finally get some rest. The spin department must be overhauled. Harbhajan may be doing alright, but Mishra, Chawla, Ojha must be given chances. Ojha and Mishra in particular. Chawla might be picking up some valuable experience in the county circuit.

Elsewhere in the emerald isles,
The Lankans and Pakistanis are playing a test match series.
Both the teams are fielding quite a few debutants.
The young lefty Aamer is nippy and swings it both ways, but don't really think he's 17. but he's a talent nonetheless
Moyo is back and doing what he does best, scoring 100's and running himself out.

Angelo Matthews looks like he's good enough with both bat and ball.
Mendis being unable to pick wickets could mean major problems for the Lankans, but he could be a different prospect altogether in the 4th innings.
Murali's replacement isn't quite a worry for the batsmen.
Dilshan keeping wickets in a test is a risk too big for my liking.

its turning out to be quite a good contest which is heading towards a close ending, unlike the run fests in Pakistan.

Also the much awaited Ashes gonna kick off soon,
England and Australia are fielding completely different teams from the last ashes.
Let's see if the series lives upto all the hype.

And yeah, Roger Federer has won his 15th Grand Slam by beating Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon Final. The Guy is PURE CLASS. The backhand is just what we call Maskaa...

WI bowlers get their act right

2009-06-29T10:07:00.003+05:30

On a pitch that was doing a bit early on, the WI bowlers got their lines and length bang on.The Indian batsman helped them a lot with pokes and flashes at away going deliveries.
It isn't rocket science, as Geoff Boycott said on television after India's innings, that once the ball is doing a bit, a batsman has to stop poking outside the off stump and give himself some time.
The batsmen didn’t learn from the previous guys mistake and most of them kept going the same way.
Just how many wickets fell yesterday due to lack of application on the part of the batsmen?Many were just rooted to the crease while playing at seaming or swinging deliveries outside the off stump.
Dinesh Karthik - caught keeper
Gautam Gambhir - caught keeper
Rohit Sharma - edged it to first slip
Ravindra Jadeja- giving catching practice to the keeper
Yuvraj Singh - yup, caught behind
Yusuf Pathan- caught first slip( got a good bouncer though)
Harbhajan Singh - caught keeper

It's embarrassing how people just tear the team apart when they are ' found out' on seaming or bouncy wickets.
there will be a lot of blogs, articles saying that the batsmen lack footwork, can't play the short ball.
what hurts is you cant really back the batsmen unless they start doing well on such seaming or bouncy surfaces.
It's high time our batsmen shed the image of being flat track bullies.
Its not only this match, but i believe the last one dayer in NZ was also the same case.

as for the bowlers,
RP bowled well, without much support though.
Nehra should stop bowling so short to Gayle. Two beatings in two matches should have been enough to know that.

Bowl at the bloody stumps!!

2009-06-27T11:49:00.004+05:30

My coach used to say that when i was getting hit in the death overs. Well, that's saying it in a subtle sort of a way.
I felt like yelling the same words in not so mild terms into the ears of every single Indian bowler after every single ball during the latter part of the WI innings.
13 wides, 2 no balls.
not very accurate stuff is it?

Sarwan and Lord Megachief of Gold did play well. But after they got out, WI shouldn't have gotten that close. The bowling effort in the last 10 overs was appalling to say the least.

When the tailenders are having a slog, the best strategy is to keep it full and fast.
get it as full as you can or if you're bowling a bouncer, bounce like you meant it. no pansy half hearted, middle of the pitch, long hops.
I dunno if Venkatesh Prasad is trying some new Buchanan types technique of bowling wides at the tailenders to bore them out or something.

I also fail to understand why Dhoni has so much faith in Yusuf. He might be a handy bowler, but asking him to bowl in a batting powerplay is a bit too much.

The Indian bowlers should get their act right in the coming matches. They wont have 340 to protect for all the matches.

So the t20 thingy is over

2009-06-22T18:40:00.006+05:30

Well, the unpredictables took out the favourites.
That's Pakistan being Pakistan for you.
Sri Lanka lost too many wickets at the beginning, and ended up with a below par score.
It wasn't actually a surprise, since Pakistan has been bowling really well of late.
It was only a matter of Dilshan getting out early.
I quite like the attack minus Shoaib. He and his warts should stay out of cricket
Gul has shown good control with and without reverse swing.
Amer can constantly push the 90 k mark. PCB should nurture this find.
Razzaq may have lost pace, but is steady. Ajmal is turning into a fine bowler.
But Afridi is only becoming more and more awesome. he's been quite a handful for the batsmen since the past couple of years.
Pakistan got over the line at a canter.
But what surprised me was the Afridi innings in the Pakistan chase.
I still can't get my head around the fact that Afridi was actually nudging singles to begin with.
I don't like this Afridi, i want the old one back.
So there you have it, the Pakistani Unpredictables are the T20 champions of the world, till april '10. That's not even 12 months. But that's the ICC being ICC....... a bunch of Idiots. (notice the capital I)
So congratulations to the neighbours for the win.
There's quite a few things i like about the T20.
a)The Dilscoop, (Can also be referred to as the dentist). Come to think of it, two years ago the reverse sweep was considered ugly, rash and risky. Bet the dentists in SL are having a good time fixing the fronth teeth of 10 year olds these days.
b) The tournament got over in 2 weeks, it actually didn't get on my nerves like the IPL.
c) Afridi seems to have found some sense( but how is that a good thing?)
d) Those who didn't respect the game, got egg on their faces. Aussies take note.
e) It's not only about the batsmen. Bowl in good areas and them sloggers will lose their stumps.
Refer to Gul and Malinga videos on youtube for further clarifications
f) England losing to Netherlands. Wasn't that the funniest thing ever.

Also a few things kinda put me off,
a) The male cheerleaders. Need i say more?
b) India losing 3 on the trot in the super eights. including once to England.
c) Afridi seems to have found some sense
d) India dont look all that great minus Sehwag
e) Ishant is not worth all the hype, yet.
f) The best t20 batsmen of quite a few teams were wasted. The likes of Misbah, Yuvi, Yusuf Pathan, Albie Morkel weren't handled all that well.

So a few more days of lying around, reading old stories on cricinfo and a few rounds of beer seems to be the case till the Windies tour gets underway

SA do the usual stuff

2009-06-19T13:53:00.003+05:30

Well it was actually good all round cricket from Pakistan (excluding 2 dropped catches, and a few misfields and Kamran Akmal trying to keep wickets with shades on, but that's just the Pakistani's being themselves), that sent the Saffers packing.Pak batting first looked all set to score around 170 riding on Afridi's 51 off 34 balls. one concern for me is that Kamran has started off well but hasn't provided an innings of substance. Also Misbah should really bat higher. Pakistan's best t20 batsman is being wasted big time.
Parnell and Steyn bowled well at the end and restricted Pakistan to 150. but it was more of the incompetence of Mallik and Younis to hit boundaries. Just the case for Misbah to bat higher up the order.
In a way the Saffers were responsible for getting into a tangle with the run chase. Their two best hitters Morkel and Boucher got to bat a little too late. Kallis scoring 60 odd is alright but he didn't put the foot down when required, so did Duminy. Although a loss by 7 runs may look like a close game. But SA were always behind the 8 ball.
Pakistan do deserve credit for their bowling. Gul and Afridi put a choke on the SA run scoring. Gul was exceptional towards the end. Although, the plan to bowl Fawad might have just backfired. But all's well that ends well. Pak make it to T20 finals in consecutive tournaments.
Can they go one better this time?

Alright so tonight WI face Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka look the better team , but Gayle and Bravo might have something else on their minds.
But i'm backing the Lankans.
A subcontinental final beckons

When a blogger has nothing to do

2009-06-18T14:21:00.006+05:30

I was sitting idle wondering what to do with myself on a day with no cricket and no work
So started reading through the blogroll and noticed that us bloggers love to give some strange nicknames to the cricketers we either love or hate or dont really care about

Here's a few i quite like
Dirty Dirk, Eyelids Pattinson, Princess McCullum, Adam's Apple : The Jrod
Die AB, ROFL : Amy S
Splendid Mendis : Damith of Fly Slip
Jatman, Che, VD : BCC!
Lord Megachief of Gold : King Cricket

kinda short,that list.
Guys, feel free to suggest any additions.

The ladies march into the semis

2009-06-17T16:29:00.004+05:30

You didn't notice, did you?
well, the Indian women's team is going to face New Zealand in the semifinals of the ICC Womens World T20.
Too bad the channels aren't showing any of the matches. BASTARDS!! ALL OF THEM!!
Gosh, it's a treat to watch the likes of Mithali Raj and Anjum Chopra.
FYI,The prize money for winning womens team is less than 10% of what the men are gonna get.
Now does that suck or what?
Coming back to cricket, The NZ team has been in good form this year. They were the runners up of the women's world cup. Even if they go past NZ, India will have to face either England or Australia.
It's gonna be a big test for the ladies.
Here's wishing the ladies in blue, lots of luck.

Don't read too much into the defeat

2009-06-17T12:25:00.009+05:30

So, the ICC world T20 is over for the Indians.
It was a major disappointment to watch India lose all 3 matches in the super eights.
Given India's proficiency in the format over the past year and a half, at least a semi final spot should have been on.
But, things didn't quite fall into place, players looked jaded, even uninterested(esp yuvi), and we all know the result.
It hurts to watch India lose three on the trot.
I wouldn't say T20 is just fun and frolic. After all the players are representing their nations on an international level. So, if someone disrespects any form of international cricket, i'd say fuck off man, you dont deserve to play cricket.

I would not dwell too much on this defeat though. It's been a good year for India so far. Wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand should not be forgotten. To rip into the team for one bad tournament is uncalled for.
What I dont understand is the Indian media tearing the team apart. Suddenly, Dhoni is the villain, The IPL is blamed and what not. Wasn't it the IPL that helped unearth a few talented players for India? Was it not the ideal practice for the t20 tournament?

I think it would be good if we stop pointing fingers at the team and put this tournament behind us. Of course, losing in a tournament hurts, especially the way we lost. But let's not let one loss spoil what has been a fairly good year for the team so far.

So, to the Windies now. Here's hoping the lads get their act together.

GO BLUES!!

Is this Dhoni's fault only?

2009-06-15T15:21:00.005+05:30

Dhoni DOES deserve some blame, some of his decisions were shocking.
especially yesterday's jadeja blooper.
how smart was it to experiment in a crunch game?
Why was the kid thrown into such a difficult situation?
Surely, Yuvi has played enough cricket to be able to cope with the pressure.
also, Dhoni batted at three in the easier fixtures and sold his mates down the river in the crunch games.
But it's not his fault that someone like Raina, who has been touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, can't play the short ball.
Even Gambhir was clueless in the bouncer barrage.
BTW, Did any one notice Gambhir crawling through each of his innings in the tournament?
Yesterday, the Poms exposed a major flaw in the Indians technique.
Dhoni can't help it if the bowlers available to him are inept in the death overs.
Ishant kept bowling short throughout the tournament.
Even Ireland and Bangladesh were able to score heavily in the death overs.

so, I think it's not ALL Dhoni's fault that India is out of the tournament already.
But it's a team effort and everyone deserves the brickbats, equally.

P.S. get ready for some more bouncers when the Saffers are playing.

Fast Bowler Buddy : Fidel Edwards

2009-06-12T12:10:00.004+05:30

Every now and then yours truly will add one member to the Fast Bowler Buddy Group.
The criteria for qualification is very simple.
a) the person in question should be a fast bowler.
b) if he's slightly insane, all the better.

Today's inductee is the West Indian pace spearhead Fidel Edwards.

why you may ask,
I'd say 'why not?'
Fidel may not be the typical tall West Indian bowler, but he's fast alright.
Bowls mainly out swing to batsmen and bouncers to people named Jimmy Anderson.
The slingy action is something the coaches would advice youngsters to stay away from.
but it works for him. so no issues there.
There's a reason i put up that particular snap up.
that's the expression he usually has. The butter fingered fielders that the WI team carries being the main reason.

He might not have a great average or strike rate to prove that he's a darn good fast bowler.
but that's not the criteria for being on the list
what makes Fidel a part of the Fast Bowler Friends group is his never say die attitude.
He knows the edges wont be caught, he knows the skiers will be grassed but the li'l fella just keeps on running in and pounding the pitch.
The fact that he has been bowling on dead pitches in the Caribbean doesn't make it any easier for him
Maybe he should try and hit the stumps more often. but he likes to test helmets.
Also, the guys got a temper and likes to have a word or two with the batsman.
what more should i ask for?

So go Castro!

Anil bhai does the commentary

2009-06-11T12:07:00.003+05:30

Well, it's the usual diplomatic Anil Kumble.
A tad reticent to speak... might have even been the fact that it's his first commentary stint.
The man has great insight into the game, no doubt..... but he should just speak a little louder, i could barely hear him talk when he was on air.
one thing i have picked up is, what might be Anil's favourite line,
guess karo yaar!!
...
...
well, he tends to say ' that's the beauty of ....
so far heard him saying:
that's the beauty of t20, you know....
that's the beauty of spin bowling,....
that's the beauty of his(rohit's) batting....
that's the beauty of playing in england.....(really anil??)
that's the beauty of ...... oh whatever......

Random Ramblings of a Fast Bowler

2009-06-06T13:29:00.002+05:30

' Going down the leg side?? that was hiting midle halfway up, ump!'
'WHAT!! that was inside the wide marking!!!'
"bastard batsman, how dare he hit that half volley for 4"
"fuckwit, i could have caught that with my eyes closed"
"sorry skip, the sun made it impossible to judge the catch"
"sorrry skip, lost it in the flood lights"
"hmm, tailender.... bouncer it is... then!"
"LBW?! for fuck's sake, ump... i nicked it onto the pad..."

Hi All!

2009-06-06T12:13:00.000+05:30

well, most of the stuff about me is mentioned in the 'about me' part of the blog.
Now, about the blog.
It's gonna be mostly about cricket.
and me being the fast bowler that i am, may tend to fly off the handle at times.
though i must point out that i am not Sreesanth types mad, but more Andre Nel type mad.
Sreesanth has been banished by the fast bowling community, in case you haven't noticed yet.
Bugger got slapped by a spinner AND cried. OUT YOU GO MATE, you are NOT a fast bowler.

So that's it then.

And one more thing, all your rants and raves about the blog can be directed at prafspatne@gmail.com.
Cheers