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A brilliant partnership between Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell rescued Australia from a precarious 123/5 and got them to a competitive 294/9. Marsh who has been brilliant with the bat since his return scored a brilliant 73 with the bat again. Maxwell who hasn’t been in the best of form scored a whirlwind 77 of just 59 balls to give Australia the impetus to get close to 300.
England themselves did not have a great start to the chase losing their first 4 wickets with just 57 on the board. Josh Hazlewood was brilliant giving away just 26 in his 10 overs for 3 wickets. Johnny Bairstow (84) along with the brilliant Sam Billings (118) kept the hosts in the hunt but Adam Zampa with 4/55 made sure that Australia got a comfortable 19 run win.
Sam Billings who has been brilliant all summer in the LO games once again played an amazing innings giving England hopes of overhauling Australia’s target. But his innings wasn’t enough for England as the rest of the batting except for Bairstow faltered as Billings was the last man out of the final ball of the innings.
It was a brilliant all round performance from Australia as it is not easy to defeat England in ODIs at home. This has been a good start for the visitors but they would know that England will bounce back. The series has started off brilliantly and it sets up the rest of the games brilliantly.
Australia has looked brilliant after their rusty start at the start of the tour. England will have their task cut out to pull this one back.
Let me start by saying that every one has a right to take a stand and support whoever they want. The problem is not the choice the industry has made, it is the way the they have handled the entire situation. The same people who have issues with the way Republic media has handled the case have gone on a rampage in attacking a man who is no more. A man who is loved by millions across the world and a man who cannot defend himself during this barrage.
Not a single person who is maligning Sushant know the man personally. Mr Anurag Kashyap says he had some issues with him professionally but he himself can admit that he did not know Sushant during the last year or so of his life. Taapsee Pannu says she does not know the star personally but has no problem in claiming that Sushant would have ended in jail if he was alive. I am not a Bollywood fan and despite my Delhi roots, I never liked the industry. The reason is not because of it’s content or talent but it is due to the hypocrisy which runs deeply within the industry.
The people who claim to have issues with the narrative of Republic have taken the same route themselves. Maligning someone who has lost their life and cannot speak for themselves is much worse that what you accuse the media of doing. It is fine to support anyone and raise your voice for a cause you believe in but at the same time you need to think if what you are doing is any different to what you claim to have issues with.
There is a family who lost their son, there are sisters who lost their brother, there are fans who lost their favourite star but none of you have any consideration regarding the same. Rhea still can defend herself and come out of this mess if she is not guilty but Sushant is never coming back, so the lack of sensitivity is jarring. Support or back whoever you want but stop tarnishing the legacy of a guy who had nothing but love for his fans and was respected and liked by all his co stars and technicians.
Mr Kashyap, has shared some meaningless chats to defend his choice of support. The only thing it showed was that he had problems with Sushant. Not even sure why he needs to defend himself if he feels right about the stand he has taken. Sushant isn’t here and he cannot put out counter chats to prove himself, so Mr Kashyap needs to understand this chat proved nothing and has no meaning in the overall picture. The only thing this showed is that he can hold a grudge for a long time which isn’t a great trait to be boasting about. At least Republic has taken a stand and has stuck by it and is ready to face any backlash they may be getting, Bollywood on the other hand want to take a stand but aren’t able to take the backlash that comes with it. This means they have taken the route of going on a slander campaign against the star which a certain media outlet has done as well.
Like I said earlier in this blog, I never liked Bollywood much but I still watched movies of Anurag Kashyap or Taapsee Pannu but now I have no urge to watch any Hindi film. The decision has nothing to do with the industry’s overwhelming support for Rhea, far from it. I just cannot take this hypocrisy anymore. Sushant was an actor I respected and loved and it was fitting that the last Hindi film I watched was of him.
I just hope people realise what they are doing wrong. People like Rajdeep, Anurag, Farhan, Taapsee, Sonam, please stand up for what you believe in but leave Sushant alone. Raise your voice for what you think is right but stop maligning someone who is no more when you have no clue of what was happening with him during his last days. I am not passing any judgement on who is right or wrong as the law will take it’s course. I am just saying don’t preach if you cannot follow. If you want people to take you seriously at least have some pride and believe in what you are standing up against, If not, your narrative comes out as hollow and meaningless.
I also have a small request for people who are standing for standing up for Rhea as well. Please continue to do so but keep in mind, to support someone you need not malign someone else. No one knew Sushant personally, we are all going by the narratives and counter narratives provided by the media channels. The only truth is that the man is no more, if we had an ounce of sensitivity we would refrain from calling names and hurling abuse.
You are saying #Stopthewitchhunt ,we fans are saying #StopslanderingSushant.
Back again after a break
Posted on: September 4, 2020
- In: COVID19 | Cricket | Cricket and Sports | General | General Lunch Time talk | IPL
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I haven’t written in a while and when I sit down to write this I feel a bit rusty. I last wrote a piece during the 2019 World Cup and it has been more than a year since I even logged into my blog. A India trip happened at the end of last year and when we came back we never thought the chaos this year would turn out to be. When we first heard of COVID-19 late last year we did not realise it would bring the entire world to a halt.
I feel lucky that I was able to get back to India in over 10 years finally before everything went down. The entire 2020 has been really hard for everyone around the world and I am sure everyone wants this to end soon. For now though the only thing we can do is stay safe and follow the safety precautions as prescribed by the Government of the country we live. In Australia though we have been lucky especially in South Australia as the local Government has been brilliant in arresting the spread with good proactive management.
But again for me though this has also made me realise that we should never stop things we love to do. Life isn’t predictable and you never want that regret. I am back to writing again. Even though it might be difficult for me to write as often, I will be publishing as often as I can. The cricket has already started which is great and I do have few things to share regarding the same.
The IPL starts this month and India would be resuming their International cricket with a tour to Australia later this year. Even though watching cricket isn’t going to be the same for a while, it is great that we are getting to see some good games coming our way.
Till next time stay safe and stay indoors.
- In: Cricket | Cricket and Sports | India | South Africa | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests
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Faf du Plessis returns as South Africa take on a very difficult assignment against a team who are chasing 11 consecutive home series win. South Africa’s last visit to India did not go well and their 3-0 loss was one of their worst performances in subcontinent conditions and possibly left many of their young players pretty scarred. The chief destroyers from the series Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be back in action for the Indian team and the pitches this time as well will be aiding spinners.
The South African team though will rely a lot on the batting of captain Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock. The rest of the batting though except for Aiden Markham are inexperienced in these conditions and will be hoping for lots of help from the experienced heads. The bowling attack will have the talented Keshav Maharaj and the fantastic Kagiso Rabada leading the attack. Vernon Philander is back to take the new ball giving South Africa a pretty well rounded bowling attack for the conditions.
For India though the opening combination is still an issue. Rohit Sharma will be taking up that mantle this time along with Mayank Agarwal. The middle order though has a settled look with Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. Hanuma Vihari who had a great West Indian tour will take the number 6 slot in the batting order. Rishabh Pant has been dropped owing to his poor performances in Tests recently which means Wriddhiman Saha makes a comeback to the Test side. Jasprit Bumrah’s stress fracture means that Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami will be the two lone Pacers in the XI. Jadeja and Ashwin as the spin bowling all rounders will complete the Indian bowling attack for the first Test.
Key Players:
Cheteshwar Pujara (India): Pujara was instrumental in India achieving the historic series win in Australia earlier this year. Even though he had a poor series in West Indies, his credentials as a very good player of spin makes him very important in home conditions. He averages 62 at home with more than 3000 runs and he once again will be crucial for India in this series.
Ravichandran Ashwin (India): Closing in on 350 Test wickets Ashwin will be back to being the lead spinner in home conditions. His record at home is exceptional with 234 wickets at 22.68 and he will once again be key for India on pitches which will for sure be helping spin.
Faf du Plessis (South Africa): In an inexperienced batting line up Faf will hold the key for South Africa’s chances. He has been on multiple tours to India and has most experience playing in these conditions and him having a good series will be crucial for his side on this tough tour.
Keshav Maharaj (South Africa): Maharaj was brilliant in Sri Lanka and bowled his heart out on yet another subcontinent loss for his side. He would want to bring all that experience onto this series to help his side against a very strong home batting line up. It will not be easy but Maharaj is extremely talented and will be leading the South African spin attack this series.
Probable XIs:
India XI: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami
South Africa XI: Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Theunis de Bruyn, Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wk), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
What they said?
“I think the most amount of credit has to go to the team, because we, we lay down a vision in 2015, that, you know, we’re going to be flexible [with our combination]. We were going to choose sides according to the conditions that we’re playing in. Because we want results, we want to be successful as a team, and we want to be at the top of the world. So if the team hadn’t bought into it, then it becomes a little difficult for guys who started don’t start to, you know, play with the kind of intent that you played with.” Said captain Virat Kohli about the success of his team over the last few years
“If you look at our squad, there’s a hell lot of new faces from the last time. It could work in our favour in terms of the brand of cricket and positivity. Yes it may not go our way but we are here to compete. We are not going to lie down and back down with the sort of old woes from the last tour. And who knows, it could be our time, in the next three Test matches, to shock some people.” Said Keshav Maharaj ahead of the first Test
This will be South Africa’s start of the Test championship and they will be hoping to make a good start to their campaign. India who have already been to a flying start with 120 points would want to build on it and start of the home season with a bang. Even though the visitors are expected to give a better account of themselves this time around, the hosts are overwhelming favourites to win this series and it will be hard to bet against that result.
Afghanistan’s fairytale continues as Bangladesh succumb to an embarrassing home defeat
Posted on: September 11, 2019
- In: Afghanistan | Cricket and Sports | India | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests
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Afghanistan are the newbies of Test cricket. They were given Test status along with Ireland just over a year ago but the strides they have made so far has been amazing. They had a horror start against India who are the best side in the world but the team under Rashid Khan have showed that they are quick learners. They beat Ireland in their only second game and now they have taken a giant leap by beating Bangladesh away from home.
This is a huge achievement considering how difficult Bangladesh has been for touring sides over the years. Captain Rashid Khan led from the front with an amazing display of bowling taking 11 wickets in the game. The batting was held together by Asghar Afghan who scored fifties in both innings. The batters showed lots of application contrary to their display against India where they looked lost. The batting had purpose and on a wicket aiding spin they showed great skill and temperament.
The same cannot be said of the host batters. Bangladesh showed no application or patience on a wicket which required a loads of them. The Bangladesh batters seemed in a hurry against an attack which was tailor made for the condition on offer. The pitch was probably godsend for Afghanistan as they have world class spinners in their ranks. The visitors made full use of thr conditions and bowled Bangladesh out in the both the innings to seal a comfortable 224 run victory in the end.
The result looked little difficult to achieve, not because of the Bangladesh batters but because of the weather which almost threatened to wash out the final day but thankfully for Afghanistan they got enough overs to achieve another historic win. They have now 2 wins in 3 Tests which is a great achievement for a budding Test nation. They will for sure face tougher challenges in the future but again they have shown an ability to adapt and learn. This win also was a great send off for the iconic Mohammad Nabi who decided to hang his boots in this format.
For Bangladesh though this is a huge step down. They had a good hold on the home Tests for the last few years and by this defeat their vulnerability in familiar conditions showed as well. The strategy of going for a spin track with all spinners in their XI, fully knowing that the opposition has world class spinners was a poor one. Their batters who have lots of experience in this format once again showed lack of discipline and will to fight it out when things got tough. The Bangladesh camp will want to take a hard look at themselves as this is not the first time their batters have thrown it away when things aren’t going their way.
For Afghanistan though this is a huge boost and something which will help other teams take notice. They deserve to get many more chances and this team under Rashid Khan looks like they will learn and improve fast.
Scores:
Afghanistan 342 (Rahmat Shah 102, Taijul 4/116) & 260 (Ibrahim Zadran 87, Shakib 3/58) beat Bangladesh 205 (Mominul 52, Rashid Khan 5/55) & 173 (Shakib 44, Rashid Khan 6/49) by 224 runs
- In: Bowling | Cricket | Cricket and Sports | cricket world cup | ODI | ODI | Pakistan | World cup 2019
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Pakistan and West Indies are actually two peas in one pod. Both the teams can be highly entertaining and unbeatable on their day but can be highly frustrating otherwise to watch for their respective fans. West Indies have had mixed results coming into the World Cup, they lost the tri-series finals to Bangladesh recently but again they were missing lots of their first choice players. Pakistan on the other hand have had a horror run over the last 6 months losing 10 games in a row coming into the tournament and also losing their only warm-up game to Afghanistan last week.
Pakistan would like to shrug off their bad form and get back to winning ways when they take of West Indies in their opening game.
The biggest positive for Pakistan has been their batting. Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam have been in great form and as a batting unit they crossed 300+ in 3 of their 4 games against England earlier this month. Their bowling though is a different story. Pakistan have announced their 12 for the game against West Indies already and when we look at their line-up, the bowling does not inspire any confidence. Mohammad Amir who was initially dropped from the provisional squad and re inducted into the World Cup squad has been struggling for wickets over the last 18 months. He averages 92.6 in 15 games with just 5 wickets to his name. Hasan Ali who was Pakistan’s star in their Champions Trophy 2017 campaign has taken 24 wickets at an average of 42.49. Wahab Riaz who was Pakistan’s stand out performer in their only warm up against Afghanistan hasn’t played any ODI since the first Champions Trophy game for Pakistan in 2017.
Shadab Khan their lone specialist spinner is their best bet against West Indies as he has a decent record over that time and averages 29.28 with 28 wickets. Pakistan’s bowling has been struggling over the last 18 months and their best bowler over that time Shaheen Shah Afridi is sitting out this game. West Indies on the other had are flying high with confidence after their amazing win against New Zealand in the practice game early this week. Their batting seems extremely dangerous and with Chris Gayle back at the top, they look a formidable unit. The addition of Andre Russell in the middle order also gives them the edge as he can really hit the long ball and also bowl really quick when needed.
West Indies will want to build on their impressive win against New Zealand when they take on Pakistan at Trent Bridge.
Shai Hope has been in brilliant form with the bat and with Darren Bravo at number 4, they have a very good top 4. The bowling attack can blow hot or cold similar to their batting but with Oshane Thomas providing the X-Factor, they can really test the Pakistan batting if they get it right. The major weakness for West Indies will be their spin option. Even though Ashley Nurse is a decent spinner, he isn’t someone who the opposition will be worried too much about.
Head to Head:
In terms of head to head in the World Cups, West Indies are way ahead of Pakistan. They are 7-3 in all time World Cup encounters. They also lead Pakistan 70-60 in the overall record. As we know we cannot make too much out of this stats as West Indies dominated world cricket in 70’s and 80’s and most of the stats reflects that domination.
Key Players:
Shadab Khan (Pakistan) – He has been Pakistan’s best bowler over the last 18 months. Even though he hasn’t done much with the bat, his bowling where he has picked up 28 wickets will be crucial for Pakistan in this world cup. Despite having the left-arm spin of Imad Wasim, Shadab is possibly their only specialist spinner in the 12. Considering West Indies’s struggles against good spin bowling, he will form the most important part of their strategy.
Babar Azam (Pakistan) – Even though Pakistan has 2 players at the top averaging 50, Babar Azam is their best bat in this format. With 9 hundreds in 64 games, he is their main stay in batting. The other Pakistan batters would need to bat around him and the onus will be on Mohammad Hafeez and Sarfaraz Ahmed to guide this young team through this tournament.
Shai Hope (West Indies) – Hope is probably the best West Indies batter in the ODI format in a long time. He averages over 50 in this format and has done incredibly well over the last 18 months. He is the calm in otherwise explosive batting line up. He along with Darren Bravo will be crucial for West Indies campaign in this tournament.
Jason Holder (West Indies) – The West Indies captain is the talisman around which the team has recently had a resurgence. He bats well and bowls well but his leadership skills is what which will be important managing a mercurial bunch of cricketers. He has been brilliant doing that over the last couple of years and he would like to continue the same in this tournament.
What they said?
“One thing I like coming into this tournament is that every player is in a good frame of mind,” Holder said. “Everybody is playing with a smile on their face, and that’s how we play our best cricket. We’re fearless, we enjoy what we’re doing and we enjoy one another’s company. I can safely say within the group we’ve got that. We’ve got the energy going into this tournament that we would want to have
“It’s good to be unpredictable. All teams are scared of Pakistan because on our day we are dangerous. It’s good that we’re unpredictable before the World Cup” Safaraz Ahmed said in a presser ahead of their opening encounter against West Indies
Probable XI (Pakistan) – Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK & C), Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali
Probable XI (West Indies) – Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope (Wkt), Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder (C), Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas, Ashley Nurse.
I wouldn’t want to be a betting man tonight for this game against this two sides. This game probably is one of the most difficult one to predict. Probably couple years ago the obvious choice would have been Pakistan but things have changed a lot. Both teams will start on an even keel and the team who bowls well and fields well will emerge victories. Knowing how unpredictable these two teams are, it is hard to say who that will be.
- In: Cricket | Cricket and Sports | cricket world cup | England | IPL 2019 | ODI | ODI | South Africa | World cup 2019
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Faf and Morgan will be aware that a good start to the campaign is crucial in a tournament like the World Cup.
Cricket World Cup 2019 begins today with a cracker of a game between hosts England and South Africa at The Oval later today. Both the teams haven’t won a World Cup yet and England coming into the tournament as the best team in the world have their best chance of creating history this time around. For South Africa though this is a chance to shed their “Chokers” tag and go that one step further which they haven’t been able to do since their return to world cricket in 1991.
England though have a very strong squad this time and with an explosive batting line up, they are the team to beat in this World Cup. The opening combination of Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow has been in explosive form followed by the calmness of Joe Root and Eoin Morgan. Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes complete arguably the best top 6 in world cricket right now. England bowling attack also received a boost with the addition of Jofra Archer to the squad. Chris Woakes who showed great form in the series against Pakistan will be a key member of the bowling attack as well.
Adil Rashid as the lone specialist spinner has done incredibly well for England over the last few years and he in combination with Moeen Ali has been crucial for England’s limited overs success. When we look at the England squad it is hard to find a weakness but again they haven’t had it all rosy in recent times. The series against West Indies showed that if the wicket has something in it for the pacers, they can struggle a bit.
South Africa though also come into this tournament with a good frame of mind. They defeated Pakistan at home recently and also had a series win in Australia towards to end of 2018. Hashim Amla who was completely out of form over the last couple of years looked to be getting back into some sort of touch in the warm up games. Captain Faf Du Plessis who will be crucial for South Africa in the middle order will be hoping that the experienced Quinton De Kock, David Miller and Jean-Paul Duminy will step up to the counted. South African bowling attack received a massive set back when Dale Steyn was ruled out from the opening encounter. Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi will be crucial with the new ball for the Proteas. Imran Tahir in all probability will be their lone spinner and his form in the recently concluded IPL was brilliant for CSK.
Head to Head:
Both teams have been pretty much even through the history in ODIs. South Africa have a slight edge in the overall head to head with 29-26 in 59 games but in terms of the World Cup they are a even 3-3.
Key Players:
Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) – South Africa have had a rotten luck with their bowlers coming into the world cup. Anrich Nortje was ruled out just a few weeks before the main event and Dale Steyn was ruled out from the opening encounter against England just few days before. Rabada who is arguably the best fast bowler in the world will be crucial with the new ball. Dismissing the English openers soon will be crucial and he along with Lungi Ngidi will be key components of South African strategy against the hosts.
Faf du Plessis (South Africa) – The South African captain is their best batter and in a batting line-up which has struggled for consistency over the last year or so he is a vital cog in their limited overs team. He averaged 60.36 in ODIs since the last World Cup and will once again be a crucial member of the batting side along with De Kock and Amla.
Jofra Archer (England) – We have seen the hype and now it is time for some action from the talented pacer from the Caribbean. England have gone out of their limbs to draft him into their ODI side for the world cup and all eyes will be on him to perform. He is extremely pacy and accurate and even though he has played only 2 ODIs before this one for England, he will be a crucial member of the English pace attack.
Joe Root (England) – In a star studded batting line up like the one England have, he is the calm they need to neutralise all the madness. Root is England’s best overall player and his record in ODIs hasn’t been that shabby either. He has scored 3498 runs since the last World Cup at an average of 58.3. He will be the anchor the England team needs to bat around all the power hitters they have.
What they said?
“In my head, there is still a lot more to do because we will get beaten by teams. We will get knocked down and have to come back. And if we’re showing blind belief and not reacting to what is in front of us then that is no good.” – Eoin Morgan
“We have a tremendous attack which is one of the best in the world,” du Plessis said. “We can bowl teams out for anything. Look at Pakistan [at the 2017 Champions Trophy]. On paper they had maybe the worst batting line-up but their bowlers kept winning them games. We’ll be employing a similar strategy and have confidence that we’ll be setting scores we can defend and chasing totals within our reach.”
Even though England have been brilliant over the last 4 years in the limited overs format, the South African bowling attack means that they cannot be written off completely. This will be an evenly contested game with England having a slight edge.
South Africa probable XI: Hashim Amla, Aiden Markham, Faf du Plessis (c), Quinton de Kock (WK) Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi
England Probable XI: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer.
As we approach the start of the 2019 World Cup in England, let’s look at some interesting happenings around squad announcements. England and Pakistan were the last ones to announce their 15 while New Zealand announced theirs about two months ago now.
The squad announcements had lots of drama. The player snubs and injuries did not help the matters either. The limit of a 15 member unit was a tough one as it meant that teams had to take some really harsh decisions. New Zealand announced theirs first and their 15 possibly was the most low profile one. The players who were expected were there with possibly the selection of Tom Blundell being the only contentious one. Afghanistan & Bangladesh squads also went through without much drama as well.
Rayudu’s tweet about ordering 3D glasses in response to MSK Prasad’s comment went viral.
The Indian squad announcement was the first one to generate lots of news. The selection of Vijay Shankar over Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik over Rishabh Pant is being talked about even till now. While Rishabh Pant took the snub pretty well, Rayudu on the other hand wasn’t quite impressed with MSK Prasad’s “Three Dimensional” player comment. He did come out with a witty tweet as a response to that after the squad was announced. Rayudu’s frustration obviously was due to the fact that he isn’t getting any younger and this might be his last chance to play a world tournament.
The Pakistan and England selectors though looked the most confused. They just couldn’t make up their mind with their 15. They decided to release a so called “Provisional Squad” and a squad for their series with each other in England. This confused a lot of the fans but again for England it was some sort of an elaborate plan to get Jofra Archer into the 15. For Pakistan though, well, they were actually confused. Why else would you select a rookie just because he scored a hundred and then drop him from the 15 after giving him just one chance on the tour?
While England were probably trying to counter the unrest among their bowlers who were feeling hard done by the selection of Archer, Pakistan were probably doing the same because they had no clue. It was quite funny the way England approached this though. They did say that Archer’s performances in the Pakistan series will determine his inclusion in the 15 but again he just played 2 games out of 5 and did not do anything exceptional in them. The English selectors lost everyone in the end when they picked Liam Dawson, who did not play in the series and had last played the format in October of 2018. That was some selection when you think that David Willey who was part of the squad was the one who had to face the cut. Willey on his part though was generous and did say that he will continue to support his team in the world cup.
Junaid posted this picture on his twitter account with a quote “Truth is bitter”.
The Pakistan drama completely trumped whatever we we saw with England selection. Their confusion on whether to select the “Wicket less” Mohammad Amir or not was the biggest talking point of their squad announcement. He was indeed dropped from the “Provisional” squad though initially and came back without doing anything extraordinary. While he did not make a mark in the ODI series against England, he was indeed selected much to the dismay of Junaid Khan who wasn’t impressed and decided to post a picture of himself with a plaster on his mouth (He did take that down though). The other left field selection was of Wahab Riaz who was plucked out of wilderness. Riaz who hadn’t played a single ODI for Pakistan since his drubbing against India on June 4, 2017 was surprised himself with the call up. He did dream about it though few days before the squad announcement, that probably makes it a little okay.
Wahab speaking about his “Dream”:
Wahab Riaz “Dreamt” about his call up a few days before the World Cup Squad was announced.
“Inzi Bhai came in my dream a few days ago, calling me up and saying that Wahab this is your last chance, you’re going to play the World Cup.”
While there wasn’t a huge outrage over the Sri Lankan squad, the absence of Dinesh Chandimal and Akila Dananjaya was a shocker. Even though Chandimal hasn’t been scoring too many runs, Sri Lanka could use whatever experience they have in a brittle line up. Danajaya’s drop might have something to do with his action being reported in 2018 December though.
While Australia’s squad was almost spot on, the absence of Peter Handscomb and Josh Hazlewood were the only sore point. While Hazlewood had been injured and did not play much ODIs, Handscomb who had a brilliant 2019 would have felt little hard done by the omission. Australia also suffered a injury loss ahead of the competition where they lost Jhye Richardson and had to draft in Kane Richardson as his replacement and not Hazlewood. So Hazlewood said what all England-Australia players do after such a snub, something about the Ashes.
He Said “It’ll obviously mean I have a few more four-day games with the Dukes ball in England, so that’s going to be fantastic for me,” he said.
“And probably put me a step ahead of a few other guys who are only going to get the one red-ball game before the Ashes.”
South Africa as well had to do a swap as they had to replace Anrich Nortje with Chirs Morris as the former suffered a shoulder injury. They also had to wait on the fitness of Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada but again they seem to be okay now.
The Indian camp also went through an injury scare with Kedar Jadhav but he recovered on time to board the plane with the rest of the squad.
While all the teams are now ready to take the challenge of the world cup head on, the months leading to the marquee tournament wasn’t without it’s drama. If the world cup is half as good as the squad announcements, we are in for a treat.
- In: Cricket and Sports | England | India | IPL | IPL 2019 | ODI | Pakistan | World Cup 2015 | World cup 2019 | World T20
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Here is the part two of the continued review of India’s world cup opponents and how India have fared against them since the last World Cup. The first part saw the reviews of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Let’s dive into the next 3.
Considering the recent track record India does hold the edge over Pakistan when they take them on at the Old Trafford on the 16th.
June 16, 2019 – India vs Pakistan, Old Trafford, Manchester
This is a biggie and the most anticipated clash in this World Cup. The fact that India & Pakistan do not play that often makes these encounters more special. Both teams have had a poor run into the tournament. Even though India are the number 2 side in the world, they did enter the tournament with 3 straight losses. They also lost the game against New Zealand in the warm up encounter as well. Pakistan have had it worse over the past year or so and are currently in 11 match losing streak. Even though past stats and form does not factor into India-Pakistan games, the fact is that India does hold a slight edge over their arch rivals. To top that India have never lost to Pakistan in a World Cup encounter in their history. In the last 4 years, despite that crushing loss in the Champions Trophy finals, India have a 3-1 advantage over Pakistan.
Verdict: Even though form and past results don’t matter in this historic match up, India does have a slight edge over their arch rivals and are expected to win this encounter.
June 22 – India vs Afghanistan, The Rose Bown, Southampton
Technically when you look at this match up you should back India to comfortably put it past Afghanistan but reality is far from it. Afghanistan have just beaten Pakistan in their warm up game leading up to the tournament and the only game they have played against India over the last 4 years or so has resulted in a tie in Sharjah. Afghanistan are a much improved team and they are not a push over by any imagination. The Rose Bowl will provide great help for their spin attack and their batters will allow the pitch at Southampton. For India though this might end up being a crucial game and all said and done they are still expected to beat Afghanistan in this encounter.
Verdict: This will not be an easy game and Afghanistan is more than capable of toppling their senior Asian gurus. India though with the experience and skill in major tournament like the World Cup should be able to get it past the newbies though while it might be a banana peel game as well.
June 27 – West Indies vs India, Old Trafford, Manchester
This is yet another game which can be tricky for team India. Even though India have a 6-2 win-loss record against the Island nation, the latter have always been a tough opponent for India in the past. The West Indies team have been able to beat India in crucial games especially in T20Is recently. West Indies have their stars return to their side, Chris Gayle is back and looks in tremendous form. Andre Russell who had an amazing IPL is back in the XI as well for them. Their bowling attack with has some good pacers is something which can trouble Indian batters if the conditions are right. This will be an amazing game against an experienced team like India and a team who can be unpredictable in the way they play on a given day.
Verdict: Once again when you look at the strengths of the team you would expect India to easily go past West Indies, this will be yet another tough game for India. India in all probability should be able to put it past West Indies but again it is not going to be easy.
That ends part two of this series and with just 3 games to go, past 3 will cover the rest of the opponents. As we have seen this format of the tournament is thankless and there are no easy games. The team which sticks to their guns and does not give into the pressure will be the ones who will triumph and reach the final four.
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