Pakistan have won the last T20 and avoided a clean sweep in NZ. They also ended the 6 match losing streak in T20s. And this time the Palak Paneer guy came good again with allround effort.
I am bit skeptical of planning PCB had for the team in the run up to the World Cup. 3 T20s and 2 tests in addition to 6 ODIs. Whats the meaning of 3 T20s? What purpose does it serve?
By the way they are the only team who have to give the 30 names for WC provisional squad. And they are hung up as Kakkumal, Shoaib Mirza and Danis Kaneria meet PCB's "integrity committee to decide over their future in cricket. Now what happens and what would happen is anybody's guess in Pak cricket.
Zim and BD are done playing their last games before the world cup and they sit idle for the next 43 days in the run up to the World Cup.
And perhaps SL and WI too.
SL are still a "formidable" side going to World Cup. I dont believe this. They are always formidable, they are always romantic side, they are fairy tale and what not. They have not played any serious cricket for over a month since that dubious and fart win over Aus in ODI series in Aus. Yet they are formidable. For a change you have not heard from Sanga in long time. So have I. And thats good.
The rest of cricketing fraternity is busy playing Tests or ODI cricket.
Australia are moaning about Ashes loss and how useless Ponting is now. England have everything revolving around Ashes and they dont seem to think beyond Ashes. Perhaps they should stop playing cricket in between Ashes series. Yet they want to be # 1. And Collingwood could be on his way out from Tests at least.
Clarke is the captain for the Sydney test and most probably for long term too. He is having a rut in the batting department and that has invited a lot of doubts over his choice of captaincy.
The Australian batting is no more formidable as it used to over 2 years before.
Katich or Hughes do not inspire confidence. Watson makes 50 but does not convert 100s. Ponting stopped making 100s since long time. Hussey is the only batsman, Clarke is metrofexual and Steven Smith as # 6 is fart.
Compare that to the likes of Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Gilchrist as good as 2007. More than the batters they are missing Shane Warne, Gillespie and of course Glenn McGraw (Bill Lawry style).
Wont be a surprise if they lose the world cup in India next year.
Possible semi finalists:
1. India.
2. England
3. South Africa
4. Australia / Pakistan if neither of this teams implode or explode.
1 more day of 2010 and I would finish off 4th year of cricket blogging starting 2007. Pretty good journey from a world cup to world cup.
