Ignoring for a moment the controversy about the ICC's quite outrageous decision to exclude the minnows from the 2015 World Cup, here is a team of the tournament.
Sachin Tendulkar
An inevitable pick. Tendulkar batted as well as he did in the 1996 World Cup, when he was top scorer. He was 18 runs off being so in 2011, and his centuries against England and South Africa were both magisterial, showing how devastating orthodox batting can still be in ODIs. It’s unlikely he will play in 2015 – but not completely preposterous either.
Tillakaretne Dilshan
Though there was barely a Dilscoop in sight, Dilshan consistently got Sri Lanka off to brilliant starts, scoring two centuries and a disciplined 73 in the semi-final. No one scored more runs than his 500, and there were also eight wickets with his canny offspin, including a spectacular caught-and-bowled in the final.
Jonathan Trott
Certainly not a fashionable selection, but Trott was simply the most consistent batsman in the tournament. In six of his seven innings he managed at least 47, unobtrusively accumulating at the formidable average of 60. To those who deride him for being too slow, it’s worth pointing out that Trott’s strike rate was 80, eight more than those of Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis.
Kumar Sangakkara
Sangakkara averaged 93 with the bat; always a model of calm at the crease, his off-drive is one of the finest sights in cricket today. He also kept well and captained intelligently, utilising his spinners to suffocate England and New Zealand in the quarter and semi-finals, and would have hugely deserved to be a World Cup winner.
AB de Villiers
It was de Villiers’ run out in the quarter-final that had everyone mentioning South Africa’s history of chokes. He batted so serenely all tournament, able to change tempo at will, that all looked well with him at the crease. De Villiers hit two centuries and a 39-ball 52 in the win against India, combining finesse with six-hitting ability, as well as fielding with his trademark vivacity and athleticism.
Yuvraj Singh
It’s remarkable to think he was dropped less than a year ago, seen as unfit and unfocused. Yuvraj was deservedly named man of the tournament. With the bat, he was explosive yet possessed a calm it has often lacked, as a tournament average of 90 proved. As India’s fifth bowler, he was terrific, bowling his left-arm spin with control to claim 15 wickets.
MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper, captain)
Dhoni’s nerveless 91* was one of the greatest innings ever seen in a World Cup final. While he played big shots, these were done with selectivity and an absence of risk. Winning the man of the match award in the final was reward for leading India superbly throughout, shuffling his bowling intelligently and being more willing than most skippers to keep slips in during the middle overs.s
Shahid Afridi
No one knows quite was happened to the batting but as a pure spin-bowler Afridi was the tournament’s best. His top spinners were consistently hard to dominate, while he surprised batsman with quicker balls and occasional googlies. In total he claimed 21 wickets at fewer than 13 apiece. He also proved a good leader of Pakistan, with players seeming to genuinely enjoy playing under him.
Tim Southee
Few expected New Zealand to make the semi-finals; that they did was in large part down to Southee, who provided the wicket-taking threat his side have lacked since Shane Bond’s retirement. With good pace, late swing and a useful bouncer, Southee claimed 18 wickets. The 2015 tournament will be in New Zealand; Southee will be 26 then and should cause great damage.
Zaheer Khan
India were nothing like as formidable with the ball as with the bat, making Zaheer’s performance critical. He rose to the challenge magnificently, bowling with subtle variations – including a bare-knuckle slower ball that dismissed Mike Hussey – and great skill from both over and round the wicket. Zaheer relished bowling during powerplays, and his match-turning yorker to Andrew Strauss was a contender for ball of the tournament.
Dale Steyn
Steyn’s spell to transform the game against India – five wickets for four runs in 2.4 overs – was the product of one of the game’s most lethal Yorkers, which were lethal throughout the tournament. He is also a thinking bowler – more so than he sometimes gets credit for – and used slower balls and bouncers with selectivity to thrive on the subcontinental tracks. Steyn’s twelve wickets cost just 16 apiece, with a parsimonious economy rate (4.15) too.
Twelfth man: Ray Price
A surprising pick, but Price was outstanding for Zimbabwe, going for just 3.44 runs an over during the six games, as well as claiming nine wickets. His guile means he is well-suited to bowling his left-arm spin during the powerplays, as was illustrated with 2/21 against Pakistan. Price’s facial expressions after deliveries also never failed to provide humour.
See how it compares with our XI of the last World Cup.
Showing posts with label Zaheer Khan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zaheer Khan. Show all posts
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Monday, 4 April 2011
Tournament review: India
Concluding our tournament reviews, here is an assessment of how the winners did.
The pre-tournament favourites proved triumphant, their batting strength simply proving overwhelming, even when their two star batsmen made a combined 18 runs in the final. Sachin Tendulkar scored more runs than any other Indian by a distance, but this side does not lean on him as previous ones did. India’s bowling and fielding were considerably weaker, but the excellence of Zaheer Khan, aided by Yuvraj Singh’s surprising 15 wickets, prevented this from costing India. They were highly worthy winners.
Star man
Hard to look beyond Tendulkar, but Yuvraj’s performances were so brilliant you have to. He averaged 90 with the bat, with four half-centuries, including a match-winning one against Australia, and a century against Australia. Yuvraj’s bowling was almost as important, and his two-wicket hauls in the last three games, prevented the lack of five bowlers from hindering India.
Disappointment
Yusuf Pathan entered the tournament amid much hype, having just hit a 70-ball 105, with eight sixes, against South Africa. But his power lacked any selectivity in the World Cup. An average of less than 15 before being dropped was the miserable result.
Prospects
Gary Kirsten will be hard to replace as coach, but with MS Dhoni so formidable as a captain, expect good results for India to continue. They will need to be sagacious managing the workloads of players, something they have done superbly with Tendulkar of late.
The pre-tournament favourites proved triumphant, their batting strength simply proving overwhelming, even when their two star batsmen made a combined 18 runs in the final. Sachin Tendulkar scored more runs than any other Indian by a distance, but this side does not lean on him as previous ones did. India’s bowling and fielding were considerably weaker, but the excellence of Zaheer Khan, aided by Yuvraj Singh’s surprising 15 wickets, prevented this from costing India. They were highly worthy winners.
Star man
Hard to look beyond Tendulkar, but Yuvraj’s performances were so brilliant you have to. He averaged 90 with the bat, with four half-centuries, including a match-winning one against Australia, and a century against Australia. Yuvraj’s bowling was almost as important, and his two-wicket hauls in the last three games, prevented the lack of five bowlers from hindering India.
Disappointment
Yusuf Pathan entered the tournament amid much hype, having just hit a 70-ball 105, with eight sixes, against South Africa. But his power lacked any selectivity in the World Cup. An average of less than 15 before being dropped was the miserable result.
Prospects
Gary Kirsten will be hard to replace as coach, but with MS Dhoni so formidable as a captain, expect good results for India to continue. They will need to be sagacious managing the workloads of players, something they have done superbly with Tendulkar of late.
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Johnson leader of the lefties
Mitchell Johnson continues to carry the Australian seam attack and confound the critics who write-off the Aussies' bowling strength in the post-McGrath and Warne era.
Mitchell Johnson’s stunning spell against South Africa revealed a bowler in prime form. Johnson has spent most of the last year securing his place in the Australian team but now, 15 matches into a seemingly long and successful career, he has become the leader of the Aussie attack and Ricky Ponting’s go-to seamer.
Johnson is not the only left armer at the peak of his powers. Zaheer Khan is a key part of India’s current success and has been showcasing his mastery of conventional and reverse swing throughout his team’s run of One Day and Test wins over England. With Ryan Sidebottom and Chaminda Vaas also in the top 15 of the world Test rankings, this is perhaps the golden age of the left arm paceman.
With Sidebottom struggling for fitness and Vaas nearing the end of his illustrious career, Johnson and Khan – at the front of respective Australian and Indian batteries of lefties containing Nathan Bracken, Doug Bollinger, Irfan Pathan and RP Singh - are the pre-eminent left arm seamers and two of the bowlers most likely to knock Dale Steyn off his best fast bowler in the world perch.
Khan has been attracting comparisons with Wasim Akram – the ultimate compliment for a left armer – and the England players who have consistently struggled to cope with his pace, accuracy and array of variations would be the first to acknowledge him as the trickiest seamer to face in world cricket.
Flourishing on the subcontinent is the sign of a class pace bowler and Johnson’s promising recent displays in India suggest he deserves to be considered in the same company as Vaas and Khan.
The Queenslander’s unconventional run-up and slingy action disguise a genuine swing bowler whose nippy pace often surprises batsmen. His seven wicket haul on the first day at Perth was a mixture of swing bowler’s dismissals, facilitated by his angle of attack to right handers and wickets captured due raw pace on a WACA surface that isn’t as fast and bouncy as it once was.
The current surfeit of left arm pacemen is not only good news for spinners who appreciate the rough generated by their colleagues follow-through, but also for cricket fans who like constructing fantasy cricket teams – a left-handed 11 would now give a right-handed line-up a really good game and provide the ICC with an alternative to the ill-fated World XI Super Series.
Written by Philip Oliver, a sports writer who blogs about cricket betting.
Mitchell Johnson’s stunning spell against South Africa revealed a bowler in prime form. Johnson has spent most of the last year securing his place in the Australian team but now, 15 matches into a seemingly long and successful career, he has become the leader of the Aussie attack and Ricky Ponting’s go-to seamer.
Johnson is not the only left armer at the peak of his powers. Zaheer Khan is a key part of India’s current success and has been showcasing his mastery of conventional and reverse swing throughout his team’s run of One Day and Test wins over England. With Ryan Sidebottom and Chaminda Vaas also in the top 15 of the world Test rankings, this is perhaps the golden age of the left arm paceman.
With Sidebottom struggling for fitness and Vaas nearing the end of his illustrious career, Johnson and Khan – at the front of respective Australian and Indian batteries of lefties containing Nathan Bracken, Doug Bollinger, Irfan Pathan and RP Singh - are the pre-eminent left arm seamers and two of the bowlers most likely to knock Dale Steyn off his best fast bowler in the world perch.
Khan has been attracting comparisons with Wasim Akram – the ultimate compliment for a left armer – and the England players who have consistently struggled to cope with his pace, accuracy and array of variations would be the first to acknowledge him as the trickiest seamer to face in world cricket.
Flourishing on the subcontinent is the sign of a class pace bowler and Johnson’s promising recent displays in India suggest he deserves to be considered in the same company as Vaas and Khan.
The Queenslander’s unconventional run-up and slingy action disguise a genuine swing bowler whose nippy pace often surprises batsmen. His seven wicket haul on the first day at Perth was a mixture of swing bowler’s dismissals, facilitated by his angle of attack to right handers and wickets captured due raw pace on a WACA surface that isn’t as fast and bouncy as it once was.
The current surfeit of left arm pacemen is not only good news for spinners who appreciate the rough generated by their colleagues follow-through, but also for cricket fans who like constructing fantasy cricket teams – a left-handed 11 would now give a right-handed line-up a really good game and provide the ICC with an alternative to the ill-fated World XI Super Series.
Written by Philip Oliver, a sports writer who blogs about cricket betting.
Monday, 21 January 2008
Kumble and Laxman challenge Australia's hegemony
How much we can all read into a solitary game of cricket. A week ago Australia were a superhuman side who, even if they had to cross the line in doing so, would simply always find a way to win. Now they are merely a brilliant side about to embark on the way down.
There are a number of areas of perceived fallibility India will look to exploit at Adelaide where, considering they won there four years ago on a pitch reasonably conducive to spin, they will rightly believe they can level the series. These include the opening pair - though this will be less vulnerable if Matt Hayden returns; Adam Gilchrist, undeniably in decline although still able to play the occasional superlative knock; and the fourth bowler, most likely to be Brad Hogg.
Whatever happens in the final Test, however, there is little doubt that India are now the second best side in the world. Following on from two impressive series victories over England and Pakistan, there have responded superbly to a thrashing at Melbourne. In Anil Kumble, they have a combative and proud skipper whose attributes have rubbed off upon his team-mates. As was the case last time in Australia, he has bowled with guile and gumption, becoming the third man to take 600 Test wickets in the process.
Their seam attack has progressed superbly of late. The rejuivinated Zaheer Khan is an admirable leader of the attack; but, indicative of the resilience of this side, his team-mates have risen to the challenge of his injury. At Perth, they exposed the Australian fallibility to top-class swing bowling. RP Singh is developing into Zhan's heir, able to curve the ball round corners, while Irfan Pathan reminded everyone why the cricketing world were so excited about his emergence four years ago. He batted with class in both innings, looking a bona fide Test number seven, and adds real batting depth when at eight. With the ball, he twice claimed both of Australia's openers; high-quality, controlled swing will always be able to test the best around. And then there was Ishant Sharma. His figures this series belies his talent: no one who witnessed the manner in which he worked out Ricky Ponting, and twice dismissed him, will doubt he is a major talent.
India meekly succumbed with the bat in the opening Test. But their batting has been transformed since, with Rahul Dravid rediscovering his obduracy, Sachin Tendulkar resplendent, and Virender Sehwag showing the merit of an aggressive opener. Yet again, however, VVS Laxman has risen to the Australian challenge, whether playing at three or six. His wristiness and ease playing off the back foot mark him out as one of the most dazzling players around; watching him in full flow is to watch batsmanship at its best. Frankly, he has underachieved in only averaging 44. But, at 33, there are signs that he has a new-found steeliness, and is no longer as prone to ending spectacular cameos with a loose shot. Over the next two years or so, Laxman has the chance to emerge as India's best batsman and cement the reputation his brilliant talents deserve.
Another majestic century at Adelaide would be as good a way as any to start. Australia are rattled and looking a little vulnerable. Under Kumble, India are imbued with a fighting spirit and resilience they have not always been associated with. Whatever happens in the final Test, India have the players to defeat Australia when they meet in India later this year. 'Too much cricket' is a common refrain, but no one will be complaining if Australia-India contests match the intensity and quality of the last two games.
There are a number of areas of perceived fallibility India will look to exploit at Adelaide where, considering they won there four years ago on a pitch reasonably conducive to spin, they will rightly believe they can level the series. These include the opening pair - though this will be less vulnerable if Matt Hayden returns; Adam Gilchrist, undeniably in decline although still able to play the occasional superlative knock; and the fourth bowler, most likely to be Brad Hogg.
Whatever happens in the final Test, however, there is little doubt that India are now the second best side in the world. Following on from two impressive series victories over England and Pakistan, there have responded superbly to a thrashing at Melbourne. In Anil Kumble, they have a combative and proud skipper whose attributes have rubbed off upon his team-mates. As was the case last time in Australia, he has bowled with guile and gumption, becoming the third man to take 600 Test wickets in the process.
Their seam attack has progressed superbly of late. The rejuivinated Zaheer Khan is an admirable leader of the attack; but, indicative of the resilience of this side, his team-mates have risen to the challenge of his injury. At Perth, they exposed the Australian fallibility to top-class swing bowling. RP Singh is developing into Zhan's heir, able to curve the ball round corners, while Irfan Pathan reminded everyone why the cricketing world were so excited about his emergence four years ago. He batted with class in both innings, looking a bona fide Test number seven, and adds real batting depth when at eight. With the ball, he twice claimed both of Australia's openers; high-quality, controlled swing will always be able to test the best around. And then there was Ishant Sharma. His figures this series belies his talent: no one who witnessed the manner in which he worked out Ricky Ponting, and twice dismissed him, will doubt he is a major talent.
India meekly succumbed with the bat in the opening Test. But their batting has been transformed since, with Rahul Dravid rediscovering his obduracy, Sachin Tendulkar resplendent, and Virender Sehwag showing the merit of an aggressive opener. Yet again, however, VVS Laxman has risen to the Australian challenge, whether playing at three or six. His wristiness and ease playing off the back foot mark him out as one of the most dazzling players around; watching him in full flow is to watch batsmanship at its best. Frankly, he has underachieved in only averaging 44. But, at 33, there are signs that he has a new-found steeliness, and is no longer as prone to ending spectacular cameos with a loose shot. Over the next two years or so, Laxman has the chance to emerge as India's best batsman and cement the reputation his brilliant talents deserve.
Another majestic century at Adelaide would be as good a way as any to start. Australia are rattled and looking a little vulnerable. Under Kumble, India are imbued with a fighting spirit and resilience they have not always been associated with. Whatever happens in the final Test, India have the players to defeat Australia when they meet in India later this year. 'Too much cricket' is a common refrain, but no one will be complaining if Australia-India contests match the intensity and quality of the last two games.
Friday, 23 March 2007
Where did it all go wrong for India?
So India – barring a near-impossible Bermudan victory over Bangladesh – are out of the 2007 World Cup just three games into a possible 11. The group stages were supposed to be a procession for the elite eight; yet, the Super Eight game expected to feature India against Pakistan now pits Bangladesh against Ireland.
India’s performances against the two other Test-playing nations in their group have been woeful – especially from their much-feted batsmen. All the batsmen have been guilty of severe lapses of concentration; they fundamentally seemed incapable of playing a more patient game on less facile batting tracks. The honourable exception against Sri Lanka, until desperation overtook him, was skipper Rahul Dravid, who displayed the adaptability and nous to amass a fine 60.
Headlines, inevitably, will fall on Sachin Tendulkar. As he came out to bat, with his side teetering at 43/2, Cricinfo asked: “Is this going to be the defining moment?” Three balls later, we knew the answer: he was bowled by the impressive Dilhara Fernando for nought. Whatever Tendulkar does in the remainder of his extraordinary career, he is destined to be remembered as a player who too seldom produced his majestic batting when his country most needed it.
The contrast between the two sides in the field was unavoidable. Sri Lanka were vibrant and hungry; India cumbersome, and their bowlers guilty of conceding 16 wides and no balls. The fielding should have been no surprise, though, given this has long been a source of concern for an ageing Indian side. In ODIs, they cannot continue to play all three of Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly; they are 33, 34 and 34 and it is unlikely even one will feature in the next World Cup.
If batting was expected to be India’s chief strength, spin bowling was not far behind. As it transpired, Harbhajan Singh was ineffectual, as he has been in one-day cricket for some time now, and offered very little wicket-taking threat in the middle of the innings. It was hard to understand why the wily Anil Kumble had been left out, especially given Singh’s poor showing against Bangladesh.
India’s seam bowling was better than some had feared, although no one emerged with their figures unscathed from the latter stages of the innings. In the rehabilitated Zaheer Zhan, India have a solid left-arm seamer; if both Munaf Patel and Sri Sreesanth can confirm their initial promise, pace bowling will emerge as an unlikely strength.
Most frustrating of all for Indian fans is the knowledge that they succeeded in repeating all their mistakes in getting thrashed 4-1 in the West Indies less than a year ago. In ODI cricket at least, India will soon have to let go of their golden generation – Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Kumble. As they look to the future, they must focus on reinvigorating Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh, as they appear to have done successfully with Khan. These men, along with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvrag Singh, Patel and Sreesanth, ought to form the core of the 2011 World Cup side. But that is little solace to Indian fans now.
India’s performances against the two other Test-playing nations in their group have been woeful – especially from their much-feted batsmen. All the batsmen have been guilty of severe lapses of concentration; they fundamentally seemed incapable of playing a more patient game on less facile batting tracks. The honourable exception against Sri Lanka, until desperation overtook him, was skipper Rahul Dravid, who displayed the adaptability and nous to amass a fine 60.
Headlines, inevitably, will fall on Sachin Tendulkar. As he came out to bat, with his side teetering at 43/2, Cricinfo asked: “Is this going to be the defining moment?” Three balls later, we knew the answer: he was bowled by the impressive Dilhara Fernando for nought. Whatever Tendulkar does in the remainder of his extraordinary career, he is destined to be remembered as a player who too seldom produced his majestic batting when his country most needed it.
The contrast between the two sides in the field was unavoidable. Sri Lanka were vibrant and hungry; India cumbersome, and their bowlers guilty of conceding 16 wides and no balls. The fielding should have been no surprise, though, given this has long been a source of concern for an ageing Indian side. In ODIs, they cannot continue to play all three of Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly; they are 33, 34 and 34 and it is unlikely even one will feature in the next World Cup.
If batting was expected to be India’s chief strength, spin bowling was not far behind. As it transpired, Harbhajan Singh was ineffectual, as he has been in one-day cricket for some time now, and offered very little wicket-taking threat in the middle of the innings. It was hard to understand why the wily Anil Kumble had been left out, especially given Singh’s poor showing against Bangladesh.
India’s seam bowling was better than some had feared, although no one emerged with their figures unscathed from the latter stages of the innings. In the rehabilitated Zaheer Zhan, India have a solid left-arm seamer; if both Munaf Patel and Sri Sreesanth can confirm their initial promise, pace bowling will emerge as an unlikely strength.
Most frustrating of all for Indian fans is the knowledge that they succeeded in repeating all their mistakes in getting thrashed 4-1 in the West Indies less than a year ago. In ODI cricket at least, India will soon have to let go of their golden generation – Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Kumble. As they look to the future, they must focus on reinvigorating Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh, as they appear to have done successfully with Khan. These men, along with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvrag Singh, Patel and Sreesanth, ought to form the core of the 2011 World Cup side. But that is little solace to Indian fans now.
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