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Unexpected happenings at the Twenty20 Champions League so far

Posted in lists, tagged champions league, facebook, herchelle gibbs, ipl, kieron pollard, new south wales on October 18, 2009| 1 Comment »

No IPL sides have made the last four, possibly resulting in a serious downturn in marketing synergies and the value of cricketainment assets everywhere. It seems home advantage and the first pick of everyone else’s players wasn’t enough.

New South Wales, who had probably been the best team in the competition up to that point (and who may yet win the thing) were made to look foolish by Kieron Pollard when they should have cruised to victory. Could this be an Australian side choking?

Bomb Scares are more popular than everyone thought, at least with people who use Facebook. Herschelle Gibbs is not such a fan.

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Top 5 T20I bowling performances

Posted in lists, tagged australia, dale steyn, devon smith, ireland, kenya, mark gillespie, new zealand, pakistan, shahid afridi, south africa, t20I, twenty20, umar gul, umer gul, west indies, world twenty20, youtube on June 14, 2009| 1 Comment »

In honour of Umar Gul’s remarkable 5-6 yesterday (youtube here), here are four more of the best-ever T20I bowling performances:

Mark Gillespie’s 4-7 against Kenya in 2007, taken in less than three overs. Gillespie’s bowling, a record at the time, condemned Kenya to their worst-ever total of 73 all out (although they managed to post an even more humiliating 67 all out against Ireland in Belfast the following year).

Gul himself has the third-best figures, taking 4-8 in Pakistan’s Dubai demolition of Australia back in May (youtube here).

The fourth-best analysis is Dale Steyn’s 4-9 against the West Indies, which included an absolute ripper to see off Devon Smith. Sadly for Steyn, the Windies were chasing down a meagre 58 in a rain-shortened match, so his remarkable haul wasn’t enough to secure victory for his side.

Shahid Afridi’s 4-11 against the Netherlands

here

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Ones to watch: Wrap-up

Posted in lists, tagged adil rashid, australia, bangladesh, beau casson, england, fawad alam, india, ishant sharma, misbah-ul-haq, mitchell johnson, monty panesar, nasir jamshed, new zealand, pakistan, ricky ponting, shahid afridi, steve davies, sulieman benn, tamim iqbal, tim ambrose, tim southee, virat kohli, west indies on April 3, 2009| 2 Comments »

It’s more than a year now since I named my 11 to watch, so it’s probably time to weigh up (briefly) who’s lived up to their potential and who hasn’t:

Nasir Jamshed is still under 20, but had little chance to impress this year given Pakistan’s effective exile from international cricket; Virat Kohli made some waves, and is still well-placed for a call-up to the Indian Test side after some good ODI performances and a strong showing in domestic cricket; Tamim Iqbal has shown some promise, but Bangladesh’s continued position at the bottom of the cricketing pile has frustrated his ability to shine; Fawad Alam is probably the one that got away; Steve Davies has finally been called up to the England side, and looked good for a while when he got his chance; Adil Rashid has also won some recognition from the ECB, and will probably play Test cricket in the next year or two; Beau Casson has sunk from the international picture seemingly without trace; Sulieman Benn gave England a torrid time in the Tests and looks set to be a part of the Windies side for some time to come; Tim Southee hasn’t quite lived up to the early hype but still shows promise; Ishant Sharma continues to scare batsmen (especially Ricky Ponting) the world over; Mitchell Johnson continues to do the same to everyone that isn’t Australian.

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Roll on 2009

Posted in lists, tagged 2009, afghanistan, andrew flintoff. ajantha mendis, ashes, australia, indian premier league, ipl, kevin pietersen, pakistan, south africa on January 1, 2009| Leave a Comment »

So, that was 2008, then. Pretty exciting, by all accounts. As for 2009, there’s quite a bit to look forward to:

The possibility of a new number one team in the world, if Australia lose the Third Test in Sydney.

Australia’s revenge tour of South Africa – with a depleted bowling attack and the strange taste of defeat lingering, will the Aussies bounce back, or will South Africa confirm themselves as top dogs?

The World Twenty20 in the summer – the last one was fun, with a bit of luck this one will be too.

The second season of the IPL, possibly with the added value of switch-hitting from Kevin Pietersen and primeval wicket-taking howls from Andrew Flintoff.

Afghanistan’s continuing attempt to qualify for the World Cup.

The Ashes, of course, which will still dwarf everything else, even if it is only a battle for third place.

The world will get to find out if Mendis is The Real Thing or just another mystery spinner who’ll crumble once he’s been figured out.

If they’re really, really lucky, Pakistan might even get to play some Test cricket.

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The ICC Awards

Posted in lists, tagged ajantha mendis, dale steyn, Darrell Hair, mahendra dhoni, ryan ten doeschate, shivnarine chanderpaul, simon taufel, vernon philander on September 10, 2008| Leave a Comment »

The ICC handed out their awards today, in a ceremony a bit like the Oscars, but with fewer tears and less photogenic winners:

Shivnarine Chanderpaul won Player of the Year, an accolade that nicely complements his enduring status as Lord Megachief of Gold. Dale Steyn and MS Dhoni won the Test Player of the Year and ODI Player of the Year respectively.

Ajantha Mendis won Emerging Player of the Year. Boy, did he emerge this year.

Ryan ten Doeschate won Associate Player of the Year, which was nice for him as the Impressive Name Award was not included this year (and he probably would have lost out to Vernon Philander on that front anyway).

Simon Taufel was named Umpire of the Year for the fifth time in a row; no wonder Darrell Hair went mad.

There were other awards, about which I am less motivated to write, which you can see here.

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Cult figures: Australia

Posted in australia, lists, tagged australia, cult figures, david boon, jason gillespie, merv hughes on July 20, 2008| 1 Comment »

More cult figures, this time from A Land Down Under:

David Boon, aka the ‘Keg on Legs‘, is perhaps most famous for drinking 52 cans of lager on a flight from Syndey to London (a record, in case you were wondering). He was also the Player of the Match in the 1987 World Cup Final, and is a well-loved figure of fun for Aussie fans.

Merv Hughes‘ moustache alone merits his inclusion, and the sight of him steaming in to bowl was always made more intimidating by his nose neighbour. In addition, Merv was well known for sledging and his general antipathy towards the opposition, always a prerequisite for an Aussie cult figure.

Jason Gillespie is one of the strangest looking Test cricketers that I have ever seen. Dubiously blessed with a “bouncing mullet, hook nose and Spofforth-like glare“, he was never going to be asked to pose nude for Cosmpolitan, but the fans loved him. Often injured, and once ‘king hit‘ (no, me neither), he wasn’t particularly fortunate in his career either. His incongruous double hundred against Bangladesh frustrated me immensely at the time, but I’ve made my peace with Dizzy now.

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Cult figures: Umpires

Posted in lists, tagged billy bowden, cult figures, david shepherd, dickie bird on July 19, 2008| 2 Comments »

Another batch of cult heroes, this time of the umpiring variety:

Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird is, in many people’s opinion, quite simply the finest Barbara Streisand-loving Freeman of Barnsley that ever umpired. Still outspoken on issues from Steve Bucknor to switch-hitting, Bird remains much loved within the game.

David Shepherd, perhaps best known for his superstitious and celebrated aversion to the ‘Nelson’, is, like Bird, much missed by many who grew used to “his slightly faded Panama and reassuring rustic walk”. Shepherd retired in 2005, and the many tributes from his colleagues spoke volumes about the high esteem he was held in.

Billy Bowden is also well known for his occasionally eccentric behaviour on the pitch, with his unique signals, especially the infamous crooked finger. The fact that a flamboyant character such as Bowden can still officiate at the highest level brings a smile to the face on a regular basis.

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Ones to watch: An update

Posted in lists, tagged adil rashid, australia, bangladesh, beau casson, champions trophy, england, fawad alam, india, ishant sharma, misbah-ul-haq, mitchell johnson, monty panesar, nasir jamshed, new zealand, pakistan, shahid afridi, steve davies, sulieman benn, tamim iqbal, tim ambrose, tim southee, virat kohli, west indies on July 18, 2008| 3 Comments »

It’s been four months since I plucked these eleven young cricketers from various levels of obscurity and cursed them with the tag ‘ones to watch’. How have they been getting on?

Nasir Jamshed is on Pakistan’s probables list for the Champions Trophy, and made an unbeaten fifty against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. He’s also earned the favour of Misbah-ul-haq, which should stand him in good stead for the future.

Virat Kohli has also been included in his country’s probables for the Champions Trophy, and has been awarded the Border-Gavaskar scholarship which will allow him to train at Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Brisbane for six weeks.

Tamim Iqbal is over in England at the moment with Bangladesh A, but there hasn’t been much news of him recently. Hopefully there will be more to report soon.

Fawad Alam made some runs in the Asian Cup, but his bowling hasn’t been very good of late. He’s likely to struggle for inclusion in the Pakistan side whilst Afridi is around.

Steve Davies scored 74 on Tuesday, and may still be under consideration by England’s selectors as a replacement for Tim Ambrose.

Adil Rashid‘s fine bowling in the Twenty20 Cup was ulitmately scuppered by his team-mate’s lack of registration. Not much hope of an England call-up unless Monty picks up an injury.

Beau Casson hasn’t been included in Australia’s preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy, and opinion is still a bit divided on how special or ordinary he really is.

Sulieman Benn has overcome the apparent West Indian anti-spin bias to show some promise whilst going for quite a lot of runs, but he needs to play more cricket against sides that aren’t Australia before he can be properly assessed.

Tim Southee bowled quite well against England in the One-Day Series, and is still the most exciting young bowler in New Zealand.

Ishant Sharma continues to take wickets, will soon be making an appearance in a Bollywood film, and is one of India’s most eligible bachelors.

Mitchell Johnson has shown flashes of brilliance, but had an ultimately disappointing Test series against the West Indies. Another one who needs more top-level cricket before a verdict can be reached.

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Things I’ve learned about cricket recently

Posted in lists, tagged ajantha mendis, army, blog, coloured raisins, david cameron, earl, english, german, gordon greenidge, ian botham, reggae, second lieutenant, sheffield shield, sri lanka on July 15, 2008| Leave a Comment »

According to this book, a certain Gordon Greenidge used to play in a reggae band called the Coloured Raisins.

Ajantha Mendis‘ recent heroics have earned him a promotion to Second Lieutanant in the Sri Lankan Army.

The Sheffield Shield was named after an Earl and/or Viscount (not sure if you can be both at the same time), and that his sexuality is a matter of some debate.

Ian Botham has no time for David ‘Dave’ Cameron.

Cricket blog readers are both socially maladjusted and have little time for Germans learning English. I will be composing my future posts with this in mind.

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Cult figures: Pakistan

Posted in lists, pakistan, tagged cult figures, inzamam-ul-haq, javed miandad, lists, pakistan, shahid afridi, shoaib akhtar on July 15, 2008| 1 Comment »

More cult figures, this time from Pakistan. These ones are all top-class players as well (sort of):

Inzamam-ul-Haq is a giant both in physical stature and in cricketing terms. As well as his run-making abilities and prowess against pace, Inzy will be well remembered by cricket fans of all stripes for going after a spectator who compared him to a potato, getting run out on a frequent basis and of course falling over his wicket.

Shahid Afridi is perhaps the ultimate in Pakistani cricket’s recent cult figures, even to the extent that some people name their cats after him. His, frankly, ridiculuous ODI 100 from 37 balls back in 1996 set the tone for a career which has been high on incident and massive hits and low on succesful defensive shots. Somewhat surprisingly, he hasn’t really taken to Twenty20 cricket, although that may just be because he is easily distracted.

Shoaib Akhtar is another controversial figure, to the point where it’s often difficult to remember exactly what he’s serving a ban for at any given time. His sheer pace marked him out as special from an early stage, and he obviously sees himself as unique.

There are two moments in Javed Miandad‘s career which necessitate his inclusion in this list. The first is his last-ball six in the final of the Austalasia Cup in 1986 (which can be seen here), and the second is his fight with Dennis Lillee, which I’ve written about before. Whatever else he did in his career (and he did quite a lot), he will be remembered by many for these two things.

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Cult figures: England

Posted in england, lists, tagged cult figures, devon malcolm, england, ian bell, lists, phil tufnell, rob key, ronnie irani, test match special, tms on July 13, 2008| 3 Comments »

This is the first in a very occasional series (in no way stolen from the BBC) looking at cult heroes from various cricketing nations. The criteria for selection are entirely made up and subject to change at any time.

The type of cricketer that couldn’t exist at the highest level today, Phil Tufnell is so obviously a cult figure that it’s almost cheating to include him in the list. A heavy smoker, and not just of cigarettes, the controversial Tuffers often fell foul of the authorities as a player. Since his retirement, however, he has reinvented himself as a television personality and latterly a TMS commentator.

Ronnie Irani is another player known more in some quarters for his sense of humour than his cricketing achievements. Perhaps remembered best as an England player for making 53 and taking 5-26 in the same match against India, Irani only played in three Test matches, but his transition from Lancashire lad to ‘Mr Essex‘ cemented a loyal following in the South-East (as well as, like Tufnell, a burgeoning media career).

Devon Malcolm was far less controversial than Tufnell or Irani, but holds a special place in the esteem of English cricket fans because whilst “his batting and fielding were court-jester standard” (much like another well-loved England bowler), he had the ability and pace to knock “seven shades of something” out of batsmen, such as when taking 9-57 against South Africa in 1994.

Rob Key’s ample frame means he is often ridiculed, but he might just be the most celebrated English cricketer on the internet. He’s also made a Test double hundred – put that in your pipe and smoke it, Ian Bell.

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IPL review – part one

Posted in india, lists, tagged brendon mccullum, india, indian premier league, ipl, twenty20 on May 2, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Normally, I might consider it a little impetuous to review a competition a mere two weeks in, but this is 20/20 cricket, where speed, noise and aggression are everything. I feel qualified to offer at least one of those.

So who is right about the IPL? The naysayers (and there are plenty), the cheerleaders (not those ones), or the John Davidsons? Here are some points that I’d like to make:

The reality of 50-odd games of 20-over cricket was always unlikely to live up to the hype, but Brendon McCullum and his ilk have provided plenty of excitement.

Despite all the razzmatazz, however, it’s still cricket (which we all like, don’t we?) and there is still a place for the arts of, say, captaincy and wicket-keeping.

The boundaries arms race is threatening to make bowlers little more of an attraction than the umpires. This provides a great opportunity for world-class bowlers to show their quality, but also for youngsters to innovate, as anyone going for less than eight an over will probably be hailed as some sort of genius

I have plenty more to say on the IPL, but for now I’ll just say that whatever the merits and weaknesses of the format, I’m still watching…

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SpunOut

Archive for the ‘lists’ Category

Unexpected happenings at the Twenty20 Champions League so far

Top 5 T20I bowling performances

Ones to watch: Wrap-up

Roll on 2009

The ICC Awards

Cult figures: Australia

Cult figures: Umpires

Ones to watch: An update

Things I’ve learned about cricket recently

Cult figures: Pakistan

Cult figures: England

IPL review – part one

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