Lalas addressed striker’s decision to turn down a transfer to the German club, says it could affect USMNT future
Bob Taylor made two contrasting trips to India, in 1979-80 and in 1981-82
Andrew Miller09-Mar-2006
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“My first tour to India should have been with Tony Lewis’s team in 1973, but unfortunately I’d had to have an operation and I failed a fitness test. The doctor wouldn’t allow me to go because I had an ear infection, so Roger Tolchard took my place instead. Ironically, that decision was made at the 11th hour, by which time I’d received all my kit from the Test & County Cricket Board, including my blazer, all my clothes and a Slazenger cricket bag.These items were always emblazoned with the England touring team’s initials. And remarkably my initials – RWT for Robert William Taylor – are exactly the same as those of the man who replaced me – Roger William Tolchard. He was also the same fitting as me, so I had to hand the blazer over to him as well.My first Test in India eventually came at Bombay during the Jubilee celebrations in 1979-80, and it was particularly memorable for me for two reasons. Firstly I got a record at that time of ten catches in the match, mostly off Ian Botham, and secondly I was given out only for the umpire to retract his decision.I had been given out caught behind and I went to walk, but it was Gundappa Viswanath who was the captain then, not Sunil Gavaskar, and he said to me: “Stand there Bob, I’ll talk to the umpire”. I thought I was going to get into trouble if I did, so I said: “No, I’ll go,” but he insisted. So I was in the middle of the wicket with Botham and Kapil Dev the bowler, chatting away, while Viswanath persuaded the umpire to change his mind.I went on to get 40-odd, and Ian Botham got a hundred, and together we got ourselves into a decent position from which to win the match, so it was an extraordinary gesture.
My ten catches, on the other hand, had all been pretty straightforward. Subsequently Jack Russell broke that record at Johannesburg in 1995-96, and I just happened to be there, working for a travel company, so I was proud to present Jack with a magnum of champagne on behalf of Test Match Special.My second tour of India came two years after the Bombay Test, on Keith Fletcher’s tour in 1981-82, but unfortunately the wickets were so flat that it was a nothing tour really. It lasted for a couple of months, but all I remember was that we were all told to get the over-rate going, and so were running between the wickets to speed things up, but India’s batsmen would be taking an age to get to their marks and slowing things right down again.
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We lost the first Test and that was crucial. India were able to slow the game right down, whether they were fielding or batting. We complained to the umpires, but we simply couldn’t bowl enough overs to force a result. It was so futile that even I had a bowl at one stage, at Bangalore. That was when Viswanath got 200 and the wicket was particularly flat. The game was meandering to a draw, so Graham Gooch put the pads on and I had a bowl for a couple of overs. It was the only time I did so in Test cricket.One of the memorable moments of the tour came when Geoffrey Boycott broke Garry Sobers’ world record for the most runs in Test cricket. Boycott was phenomenal – he had powers of concentration way beyond most people. He was self-motivating, and that was what he needed to become one of the top batsmen in the world.On the night he broke the record, we went to a reception held by the Indian cricket board. Gavaskar was the captain, and in front of all the England and India players, he turned to Boycott and said: “I would like to congratulate Geoff Boycott on breaking Sobers’ record – enjoy it while you can …” And sure enough, Gavaskar himself broke it not long afterwards.When I’m coaching young wicketkeepers now, I tell them it’s not the bowlers in the subcontinent that you have to brace yourself for, it’s the conditions. Whether it’s India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka, the wickets can be so flat and dead that when you’ve got world-class batsmen like Gavaskar or Tendulkar, it doesn’t matter who’s bowling.They try to score off every ball and invariably they can. In addition, you might not be feeling very well either, a touch of Delhi belly or suchlike. At times, the wicketkeeper becomes redundant because the ball never beats the bat. But, when you’ve been fielding in those conditions for five hours 55 minutes, and in the last over of the day, a player suddenly dashes down the wicket, that’s when you’ve got to be ready to take the stumping or pick up the nick. It’s so easy to doze off, when you haven’t done anything all day but that’s what wicketkeeping is all about at Test level – concentrating all day long.
While the Indian team savours another victory away from home here’s the occasion to celebrate the return of Test cricket as we once knew it
Sambit Bal at Trent Bridge31-Jul-2007
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There is a danger of jelly beans, that nondescript and harmless English sweet, hijacking this Test – there were more references, in some of the English papers, to England’s schoolboy antics than to Zaheer Khan’s virtuoso performance and the issue dominated Michael Vaughan’s post-match press conference. However, despite the margin, which would suggest one-sidedness, this has been a cracking match featuring some of the old-fashioned skills that so endears Test cricket to its loyal supporters.The Australians have redrawn the definition of attractiveness in Test cricket by spectacular batting based on unrelenting aggression. To this end they have been helped by the general feebleness of bowlers around the world and the fashion of flat pitches. The role of television cannot be understated: stroke-making makes good viewing and batting pitches ensure matches last the distance. The standard definition of a good pitch has come to be one that is suitable for batting.Not surprisingly, the great pace bowlers of this era have been shaped by their circumstances. Glenn McGrath and Shaun Pollock are masters of minimalism, bowlers who have relied on their command of line and length and prey on the patience and the character of batsmen rather than tempting them to indiscretion. Mohammed Asif, the next potentially great bowler, belongs to their ilk.This summer, though, in cloudy and heavy conditions, the art of swing bowling has come to the fore. Ryan Sidebottom has been England’s best bowler of the summer, including periods when Steve Harmison was available. And it’s been traditional new-ball swing and not the reverse swing Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones deployed to bring the Australians to their knees in 2005. Late into the summer, the ball hasn’t stopped swinging.It has made for fascinating cricket. It has encouraged bowlers to pitch the ball up, and it has forced batsmen to reassess their options. Driving on the up hasn’t been easy, batsmen have had to play late, adjust their strokes and be vigilant at all times. Runs have had to be earned, and so been far more valuable. More than anything else, it’s been a contest.
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It is the nature of cricket, and no one will know this better than Sachin Tendulkar, that hundreds in lost causes are not often accorded the status they may merit if skill was the only criteria |
Apart from the first two sessions at Lord’s, the Indian bowlers – barring the hot and cold Sreesanth – have been exceptional. Zaheer has used his experience and the knowledge of English conditions to perfection. In the first innings at Trent Bridge, he relied on the conditions, overhead clouds and moisture on the pitch. On the fourth day, greater skill and variety was demanded. While the pitch had eased up, however, swing was still available and he used the angles left-handers alone can manage with the canniness that has been a refreshing addition to his bowling. And when the release was right even RP Singh, playing only because Munaf Patel stayed home injured, produced some great balls.Years later, when fans look at the bowling card, they might not be able to appreciate the quality of Vaughan’s innings. But it must surely count as one of his best. He made batting look easy when the pressure was immense and the conditions were demanding. It is the nature of cricket, and no one will know this better than Sachin Tendulkar, that hundreds in lost causes are not often accorded the status they may merit if skill was the only criteria. If a comparison was to made, however, this was a superior performance to his 197 against India at the same ground five years ago. That was a more flowing innings featuring more gorgeous strokes. This one tested him far more. And the moment he was out, batting seemed a far more hazardous task for his colleagues. And while there was incredulity when Kevin Pietersen described his hundred at Lord’s as his best ever, it wasn’t just a case of Pietersen’s trying to hype up his latest performance. Batsmen know when they have been put through the grind.Seen in isolation, the fourth day’s play at Trent Bridge would count among the best days of Test cricket in recent times. The conditions were roughly even: batting was challenging, not impossible, and the bowler had to do more than just put the ball in the right spot to get wickets. Both runs and wickets had to be earned and Vaughan and Zaheer provided two masterclasses.India dominated the Test on all five days but it was never easy. That they scored 481 without a century would point to an all-round performance. Even though it was founded on an opening partnership of 147, the middle order had to scrap for every run and Tendulkar’s battle against Sidebottom on the third morning will soon be the stuff of folklore. Had Tendulkar perished then, it was conceivable that India would have collapsed.While the Indian team and their fans savour another victory away from home, which mercifully for them is much more frequent now, here’s the occasion to celebrate the return of Test cricket as we once knew it.
Darren Sammy on being St Lucia’s first sportstar
Andrew Miller14-Jun-2007
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Darren Sammy was the cat that got the cream when he faced the press after his third-day heroics at Old Trafford, with visions of that three-wicket over still dancing in his eyes. Two days later, despite a series loss and a troublesome groin that required a precautionary scan, he was still grinning from ear to ear. And why wouldn’t he be? On the strength of a single magical bowling spell he had set himself up for life. Now all that remains is for him to live up to his instant reputation.There have been more stunning arrivals than Sammy’s 7 for 66, but few have provoked quite such a deluge of political plaudits. “I got a fax today from the British High Commission in St Lucia,” he says. “And also from the office of the prime minister back home. And one guy called to say the last time he had felt this way was when St Lucia got independence in 1979.” Who says cricket no longer matters to West Indians?The truth is, cricket possibly matters to West Indies more than ever before, particularly for an island like St Lucia that invested millions to host a World Cup semi-final in a newly-refurbished stadium – a staggering leap of faith from a country that, until Sammy came along, had never produced a single international cricketer. Until this week, the island’s administrators had been wondering how on earth they’d persuade a tenth of the nation’s 160,000 residents to come along and fill the ground (and the treasury’s coffers) at the next home match. One thing is now for sure – they’ll be bursting at the seams whenever it is that Sammy eventually makes his home debut.The man himself knows it too. “When I walk along the streets at home, you see how the young kids and school children come and shake my hand. It’s like the feeling I’d have if I met David Beckham. One young guy said: ‘Mister, are you Darren Sammy?’ Yes, I replied. He shook my hand and said: ‘You make me very proud.’ And from that day, his thoughts have always been in my mind. Every time I go out to play cricket, I have an onus on me to go out and perform, and make West Indies and the St Lucian people proud.”
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Mister, are you Darren Sammy?’ Yes, I replied. He shook my hand and said: ‘You make me very proud.’ And from that day, his thoughts have always been in my mind. Every time I go out to play cricket, I have an onus on me to go out and perform, and make West Indies and the St Lucian people proud |
And all this, it must be reiterated, came before his Test debut. It seems a terrible burden on one so young, especially someone who – by his own admission – is neither an express fast bowler nor an out-and-out batsman. But Sammy is nothing if not grounded. After all, he’s already been named as his country’s Sports Personality of the Year three years running, in which time he has also been St Lucia’s captain – “captaining a bunch of youngsters”, as he puts it. The trappings of fame are nothing new to him, albeit they will have increased exponentially by the time he next goes home.”It will be a wonderful reception. The St Lucian people will reward me nicely,” he says. “But I’m not worried about fame because I know the type of individual I am. The whole nation expects me to do well all the time, but it’s been like that since I was growing up from Under-15 to Under-19 level. If you ask anyone at home, I’m a humble type of fellow. I’ll walk the streets the same way and talk to everybody because that’s the way I was raised. Everyone recognises me but I’ve handled it well already. I see no reason to change anything.”Given Sammy’s extreme circumstances, it’s not hard to see how easy it is for the modern-day West Indian cricketers to lose focus, and yet here is a cricketer who really does seem to have his feet firmly nailed to the ground. Partly it’s his upbringing: “My father always told me, when you get that opportunity, make sure you grab it with both hands, toes, your whole body … everything.” But partly it’s his lack of extreme talent – a blessing that his idol, Brian Lara, was never afforded. Hard work is everything to Sammy, because he knows that without it, he is nothing.”All the guys [in the team] work hard at their game, but I have to do that little bit extra that somebody who’s more potentially capable won’t have to do,” he admits. “I have the term allrounder because I bowl, I bat and I field, but in reality I’m not really one thing or the other. Coming from St Lucia, where the game is not played to a very high level, I have to practice quality cricket whenever I can.”I have to work really hard on my batting, and I’m not an express fast bowler so I have to try to contain batsmen, and sometimes work them out to get wickets at the other end. I understand my role in the side and I just work hard in the nets or practice. Throughout my career, I’ve been known for long spells. I just want to be the workhorse of the team.”
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I have the term allrounder because I bowl, I bat and I field, but in reality I’m not really one thing or the other. Coming from St Lucia, where the game is not played to a very high level, I have to practice quality cricket whenever I can |
Sammy has certainly put in the hard yards in preparing himself for his Test debut. His international debut came three long years ago, when he was drafted into the West Indies squad on their last tour of England in 2004. Though his actual debut, against New Zealand at Southampton, was washed out without a ball being bowled, he was back at the Rose Bowl before the English season was out, taking 1 for 19 against Bangladesh in West Indies’ opening match of the Champions Trophy. “September 15th, 2004,” he recalls. “It was next to politics. I brought the country to life.”At the time Sammy had been working at Lord’s on the MCC groundstaff, an experience he describes as the turning point of his career. “Some guys go through their whole international career without playing at Lord’s. But here I was, turning up every single day – using the facilities, working with the coaching staff and the cameras and the video clippings. I just had to grab it. And also I was able to learn about playing in English conditions, which suit my game – playing the swinging ball and watching the ball a little longer onto the bat.”Sammy scored over 1100 runs and took more than 100 wickets in two seasons with MCC Young Cricketers, starting with a match against Surrey 2nds at High Wycombe. “At home we have five first-class games a year, maybe seven or eight if you include regional finals. And here I was, a young boy, living the cricketers’ dream.” Former West Indian pros, such as Michael Holding and Colin Croft, say that the time they spent in county cricket in the 1970s was the best education they ever got. “I’d love to play for a county,” says Sammy. “I’d gain a lot. If you are successful in England you will most likely improve on your game.”His performance at Old Trafford was full of the sort of nous that comes with playing in England. Long accurate spells of 11 or 12 overs off the reel, and a willingness to let the pitch do the work. “Runako [Morton] said the effort I put in really lifted the team. I think that’s what we needed – somebody to do something special and lift up our spirits, and from then on it was a different West Indian team. That’s what our West Indian people are asking, for us to show the fight and zeal – the desire to win. We’re getting there. Although we lost the Test match, the enthusiasm we had in the last two-and-a-half days could be a turning point.”
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Although the glory days of the Caribbean are fading fast, Sammy is not too young to recall the greats when they were in their pomp. “I grew up when West Indies was on top, and I remember staying up late watching Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Lara – I’d die for these guys. I remember sneaking home from school when Brian broke the world record, and later I remember checking his stats and thinking that if I played for West Indies by the age of 21 I could still be playing with him. And so happened in 2004, and it was unbelievable to be in the dressing-room with my childhood hero, talking and rubbing shoulders with him. He’s just a living legend.”But that legend has gone now. Instead the flame of West Indies cricket has been passed to men such as Sammy – a man who, if he is embarrassed by the adulation he receives from his St Lucian faithful, does his best to hide it. “We’re trying to follow a great legacy but the guys are aware of that and sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got,” he says. “Look at New Zealand; they’ve not got any big stars. What we have to do now is combine everybody’s efforts to get back to winning ways.”Sammy’s first imperative, however, is to cope with the tidal wave of adulation that is headed his way. If West Indies is to build on the rocky foundations left by the World Cup experience, St Lucia’s first genuine sporting star cannot afford to be its last.
After several umpiring errors in the Sydney Test, an official protest from the Indian board saw the unprecedented step of an umpire, Steve Bucknor, being sacked from the next Test. A selection of the reactions that provoked.
10-Jan-2008
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“… the ICC’s reaction in this particular instance seems to be extreme … A dangerous precedent may have been set by the ICC.”
“What is there, eight international umpires on the panel? And if a couple of teams aren’t happy with umpires then all of a sudden you have got one to choose from?”
“I feel for Steve … it’s probably the best for him to stand down and relieve the pressure a little bit.”
“… it sends the wrong signal to those countries that are awash with cash, power and influence that they can get what they want as a result of their status.”
“When I see things like this, I think, ‘Thank God I’ve retired’.”
“By standing Steve down for the third Test, we have successfully defused the situation, at least for the time being, and so what was a sporting issue has not become a political crisis.”
“You wonder what confidence this gives umpires. What happens now if Billy Bowden makes a few mistakes?”
“Through their actions or inactions, they [the ICC] are threatening the future of the game.”
“I really feel sorry for him. After all he is a human being and anyone can make mistakes. I wonder if the same [Indian] people who showered praise on him two years ago [when Bucknor was felicitated at the India-Pakistan Test in Kolkata, his 100th] are after his blood now.”
Tempers flared when New Zealand lost a wicket to a run-out after a mid-pitch collision involving Ryan Sidebottom. The papers were full of it the day after
27-Jun-2008
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“I’ve never been in that situation before. I don’t think I’ve even been on the field as a player [when a decision like that has been made]. In hindsight I wish I had called him back.
“I said to Paul, ‘Are you sure you want to uphold this appeal bearing in mind the spirit of the game?’. I tried to give him some time by going over to Steve Davis at square leg while Grant Elliott was being treated. I didn’t want to pressurise him into a decision. I’m not going to say whether he did the right thing. That’s up to him.”
“I was incensed with what happened and the whole group of players were. We couldn’t understand it, sitting up there on the balcony… But Paul has come and spoken to us, apologised and acted in a contrite way. We’ll move on from the situation and hopefully it doesn’t happen again… That match was as tense as it gets and we were apologetic for maybe the way we acted on the balcony.”
“This was the worst incident involving an England captain since Mike Gatting argued with umpire Shakoor Rana 21 years ago and Paul Collingwood’s reputation may be sullied forever.”
Daily Mail”If there has been good feeling between these two sides, it’s gone. It’s gone in that moment.
“Imagine, though, if England had won. It is difficult to imagine how Collingwood could have apologised with a straight face; difficult, too, to envisage how the New Zealanders might have felt able to accept it.
“Collingwood could have said it was an unfair call, but he was in his rights to throw it over to the umpires… It’s not like the players make the rules – they don’t give themselves out, the umpires are there to do that.”
“When a man as decent as Paul Collingwood gets drawn into temporarily seeking a win at all costs, it is just further confirmation that cricket has sacrificed any right to the moral high ground.”
“This was a match that will be remembered for England cocking a snook at the spirit of the game, something enshrined within the law.”
“I feel for both sides in terms of what has been going on, I think both have been quite manly in terms of apologising and I think in general all of us are trying to make the spirit of cricket better and I think it’s a responsibility we all have.”
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Sourav’s batting is a unique mix of touch and power. When he plays those drives on the off, it’s all touch, all elegance
VVS Laxman09-Nov-2008
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The first time I played with Sourav was in 1994, in a zonal match in Jamshedpur. I had heard a lot about his elegance, and about how strong he was on the off side, but in that particular match he didn’t get a big score. The following year, again in the zonal tournament, we met in Lucknow. And again, he didn’t get too many – but he did clean bowl me! Since then, of course, I have often had the pleasure of watching him from the non-striker’s end.If I had to sum up Sourav’s batting, I would say that it is a unique mix of touch and power. When he plays those drives on the off for instance, it’s all touch, all elegance. Timing is his gift. I think that is something one is born with. If at all there is a secret to timing, it is to play the ball early, and Sourav does that.On the other hand, he has the ability to not only clear the ropes but even the stadium. Right from the start he has had the ability to hit long.Against spin, my god, he is really a murderer! I have seen him badly dent the careers of some spinners in domestic cricket. There was this left-armer, Sukhvinder Singh, playing for Assam, who was selected for the Challengers in 2001, before the home series against Australia. Sourav just destroyed him, hitting him for more than 30 runs in one over. Nobody heard of poor Sukhvinder after that!I think playing spin comes very naturally to Sourav: you should see him in the nets. He has that wonderful bat-swing and follow-through, and, just as importantly, the belief that he can clear the boundary whenever he wishes to.I know he has faced a lot of criticism while batting against fast – especially short-pitched – bowling but honestly I think that’s unfair on him. If you can score a hundred at the Gabba, it’s not possible that you are unable to play short bowling. I think what happens is that sometimes batsmen go through a phase where they get out in similar fashion a few times, and the impression remains in the minds of people for a long time afterwards. I have seen him play the pull convincingly on many occasions. He certainly did so in Melbourne, when he returned to the crease after having taken a blow to the head.The great thing about Sourav is that he doesn’t let any criticism bother him. I think that was evident right from the time he made the century on debut at Lord’s. He is his own man, and an intensely determined one. He always speaks his mind, and doesn’t mind throwing the challenge to fast bowlers with his statements. After all, if someone can step out and hit fast bowlers for six over point or long-on, then there is no reason why he should be intimidated by them.As a captain, he always tells the batsmen to go out and play their natural game. He will never, for example, tell Sehwag to play defensively. He believes that international batsmen should stick to the formula that has got them that far. He is always encouraging the batsmen, reminding them of past successes.And he has played a few captain’s innings too. The 144 at the Gabba was such a positive knock, right from the start. We had to make a good beginning to the series, and Sourav led by example. I can tell you that it really gave the dressing room a lift, knowing that if we played our natural game we could do well in Australia.He played some really good ones on the West Indies tour of 2002 as well. The two of us had a significant partnership in the second innings in Trinidad. We had to grind out the runs. A big partnership was essential under the circumstances and the wicket was not ideal for strokeplay, with the ball not really coming on to the bat. I wish I could have stayed there longer with him, because he remained not out on 75 – but the important thing is that it was enough for us to win the Test. In the next Test, in Barbados, he batted beautifully in both innings, but unfortunately there was no support for him. I still remember that six he hit off Mervyn Dillon; it landed on the roof of the stadium.Finally, I’d like to say that Sourav is among the best one-day players I have seen. He has the big shots, and he’s worked out his game inside out. He knows when to charge, when to push the single. And he has mastered the art of making hundreds. When he plays like he did against Sri Lanka in the 1999 World Cup, or against South Africa at the ICC Knockout, he makes batting look like the easiest thing in the world. By the time he finishes, that record is going to look phenomenal.
Punjab’s first win of IPL 2009 came in their full game of the tournament – both previous games had been affected by rain
Karna S24-Apr-2009Sixty runs were required from thirty balls when Ravi Bopara hit 19 runs off a Praveen Kumar over to swing the game towards Kings XI Punjab. That was the obvious turning point in a game Punjab eventually won but the first sign came the previous over. The target was then 66 off 36 and Punjab would have been entitled to feel a bit of panic as they needed at least a couple of big overs and Anil Kumble, one of the form spinners in this tournament, had the ball. But it was his last over and, aware of this, Yuvraj Singh and Bopara played him out quietly. Kumble, not one to miss a trick, even tossed a couple in the air but Yuvraj refused to bite. It was a sign of his maturity and of the fact that he had ingested the mantra of the Indian national team, as passed down by Sachin Tendulkar.”When you are under pressure, know that you have more time than you think,” is Tendulkar’s standing advice to his teammates. Yuvraj didn’t forget that today. The last ball of that over, and of Kumble’s quota, was the killer. Kumble floated it really high and just outside leg stump, experience tempting youth. Yuvraj simply padded away the temptation. The game turned from then on. “I knew we had five overs left and we could turn it on there,” Yuvraj later said. “Bopara was well settled and so I bided my time.” Sure enough, the next over Kevin Pietersen turned to Praveen Kumar and Bopara went berserk. Game over.Punjab’s first win of IPL 2009 came in their full game of the tournament – both previous games had been affected by rain. Indeed, the first comment Yuvraj made in the post-match ceremony was, “Thank God, no rain!” Asked what they did differently from the first two, Tom Moody’s reply was succinct: “Nothing. This is the first time we had a full game. It’s not fair to judge us on the last two games.”Rain has not been Punjab’s only problem this year – they’ve lost Brett Lee, Sreesanth, Shaun Marsh and Jerome Taylor to injury for the entire tournament. And though Bopara is stepping up to replace Marsh, the bowling has been left severely depleted.Given the constraints, what Punjab need is all hands on deck and that seems to be what they are practising. On the eve of the game, Mahela Jayawardene said the team’s chief goal is to settle into a combination as soon as possible. “There’s no use thinking about the ones we lost. We just have to do with what we have; they just need to adjust to new conditions. The bowling hasn’t been great so far but they are all new faces trying to adapt to the conditions here. It’s up to us, the seniors, to guide them properly.”Punjab entered the semi-finals last year and Jayawardene said he felt the biggest learning was that in this format, more than others, individual roles needs to be clearly etched. “We just need to figure out the exact role for various individuals and how collectively they fit into the team and develop combinations. There is not much time out there to think and come back from errors. We have lots of new players now and so we are again going through the process to get the right balance.”If Bopara stepped up with the bat, Yusuf Abdulla put his hand up with the ball with four big wickets – those of Jesse Ryder, Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, and Ross Taylor. The bowling still looks a bit weak, though; they tried Ranadeb Bose today but he leaked 24 runs in two overs. VRV Singh is yet to get going and only time will tell whether Abdulla’s effort was a flash in the pan or the beginning of something special.So they still depend heavily on their batting to win games – and on Bopara and Yuvraj to play the role of big hitters. They have Irfan Pathan who can swing his bat around a bit and two steady, but vastly experienced, middle order batsmen in Sangakkara and Jayawardene. The path ahead is difficult and it will be a real accomplishment if they make it into semi-finals. But if they can keep their heads about them, as Yuvraj did on Friday, they may just make it easier for themselves.
Cricinfo looks at where the teams stand and what they need to do to qualify for the semi-finals
George Binoy15-May-2009.Royal Challengers Bangalore need to win both their remaining games to have a chance•Associated PressTeam: Delhi DaredevilsPoints/ Net run-rate: 16/ +0.362Matches remaining: 4Opponents: Punjab, Rajasthan, Bangalore, MumbaiBarring a drastic change in form for the worse, Delhi are all but in the
semi-finals. They are No. 1, four points clear of the team in fourth place, with a
match in hand over four teams and two games in hand over the others. Even if they
lose all their remaining games – an improbable event considering three are against
opponents in the bottom half of the league – Delhi will still be in the running for
a semi-final spot. Only if several permutations and combinations fall into place
will Delhi be knocked out. A victory in any of the games will seal their spot.Team: Chennai Super KingsPoints/ Net run-rate: 13/ +1.070Matches remaining: 3Opponents: Mumbai, Kolkata, PunjabChennai looked set to steam into the semi-finals, having won five games in a row,
before their winning streak ended unexpectedly against Bangalore. The close defeat
has left Chennai vulnerable but they have a game in hand over three other semi-final
contenders. Their next match is against Mumbai, who also have a chance of making the
semi-finals, and a defeat will leave Chennai needing to win their last two games in
order to make it comfortably.Team: Rajasthan RoyalsPoints/ Net run-rate: 13/ -0.329Matches remaining: 2Opponents: Delhi, KolkataTheir campaign hasn’t been as strong as that of last season, but Rajasthan are still
in the running for a berth in the semi-finals. The simplest route for them would be
to win both their remaining matches in order to avoid depending too much on results
of other games and the net run-rate, which is quite poor at the moment. However, one of
their matches is against Delhi and should they lose, they will need to beat Kolkata
convincingly and hope other results go their way.Team: Deccan ChargersPoints/ Net run-rate: 12/ +0.292Matches remaining: 3Opponents: Kolkata, Punjab, BangaloreHad Deccan not collapsed so dramatically against Delhi, their chances of making the
semi-finals would have been much stronger than they are at present. Deccan are
clinging on to one of the top four spots at the moment and need to win at least two of their last
three games. However, the fact that two of their games are against the bottom-most
teams gives them a better chance of qualifying. Besides, they have a game in hand
over Rajasthan, Bangalore and Mumbai as well.Team: Royal Challengers BangalorePoints/ Net run-rate: 12/ +0.292Matches remaining: 2Opponents: Delhi, DeccanBangalore kept their semi-final hopes alive by pulling off an upset victory against
Chennai. However, they have only two games to play and need to win both,
against Delhi and Deccan, to have a chance.Should Rajasthan lose against Delhi, they will need to beat Kolkata convincingly and hope other results go their way•Associated PressTeam: Mumbai IndiansPoints/ Net run-rate: 11/ +0.483Matches remaining: 2Opponents: Chennai, DelhiThe match against Rajasthan Royals was Mumbai’s big chance of making a strong push
for the semi-finals. They blew it, though, and are now faced with the tough task of
winning their last two games in order to qualify while keeping an eye on net
run-rate. What makes it harder is that Mumbai’s final games are against Chennai and
Delhi, the top two teams at present.Team: Kings XI PunjabPoints/ Net run-rate: 10/ -0.570Matches remaining: 3Opponents: Delhi, Deccan, ChennaiThe probability of Punjab repeating last season’s performance of making the semis is
extremely low. They are currently second from the bottom in the league and even if they win all three of their remaining games they will only be level with Delhi on points,
provided the tournament leaders lose all of their last four matches. However, the likelihood of Punjab winning all three games, which are against teams in the top four, is low. A defeat against Delhi today will virtually knock them out.Team: Kolkata Knight RidersPoints/ Net run-rate: 3/ -1.042Matches remaining: 3Opponents: Deccan, Chennai, RajasthanKolkata were the first team to drop out of contention for the semi-finals and
they’ve had a horrible season, with only one win from 11 matches. They are
definitely going home but have the opportunity to take a few teams down with them.
Their last three matches are of immense importance to their opponents who are all in
the running for the semi-finals.
Smith’s woeful form, which began at home last year in South Africa during the second IPL, has only increased Shane Warne’s burdens
Cricinfo staff15-Mar-2010It is easy to forget that patience remains the key to batting well even in Twenty20 cricket. The fact is often lost on many, perhaps because the game appears to move at a much quicker pace in this format, where things rarely follow a pattern. Even quality batsmen like Graeme Smith falter when confronted with a sense of urgency, but forget that just like in an ODI, a batsman can plan out his innings in Twenty20.Put into bat, it was essential that Rajasthan Royals raised a big target to challenge Delhi Daredevils’ formidable batting line-up. Two days ago, Rajasthan fell short of Mumbai’s 212, by four runs. It was easy, then, to assume they had the firepower to put up a sizable score. But that challenge in Mumbai was taken on solely by Yusuf Pathan, who took advantage of the short boundaries at the Brabourne Stadium against the opposition’s second line of attack. Also, it was only the pair of Yusuf and Paras Dogra that showed no signs of panic, pacing the innings smartly to keep their team’s hopes alive till the last over.Against Mumbai Indians, just as today, Smith had reached double-figures with relative ease. But for no visible reason he slowed down, and failed to take charge and inspire his partners, allowing Mumbai to gain the upper-hand.That pattern was repeated against Delhi, as Smith, who started by hitting two fluent boundaries off Farveez Maharoof, got stuck at one end to lose the momentum he had helped attain. It didn’t help that he lost Swapnil Asnodkar and Naman Ojha, two batsmen who were supposed to build their innings with Smith as the pivot. The two youngsters, and the rest of the batting order including Smith, fell to poor shot-selection, leaving the lower order with the task of leading the repair work.In the absence of Shane Watson and Ravindra Jadeja, Rajasthan’s most valuable players in the first two seasons, Smith carried the responsibility of guiding the inexperienced Indian batsmen. Therefore, his staying till the end was essential. But Smith’s woeful form, which began at home last year in South Africa during the second IPL, has only increased Shane Warne’s burdens.In 2008, Smith had fulfilled that role, switched modes from attack to careful consolidation and back with ease, and was Rajasthan’s second-highest run-getter. But in the second season he failed to impose himself, and floundered on home soil largely due to his indecisiveness.Jeremy Snape, Rajasthan’s performance coach, said one reason Yusuf has been in excellent form is because he stops to think once he enters the ground. “The best part of batting is to see the ball and hit the ball, not see the ball, think and hit the ball.” That positive mindset was missing in Smith’s batting, as he failed to make use of the experience to fight rising doubts.Eventually, the frustration set in and he was left in two minds, whether to attempt a shot or leave the ball alone. His demise came in one such moment, when he charged Pradeep Sangwan but was surprised by the short-pitched delivery and ended up offering a simple catch.However, Warne felt singling out Smith for blame was too harsh. Instead, he was sympathetic in his assessment. “Graeme Smith started off really well, but when you are losing two or three wickets in a row then it is really hard for him to play his role,” Warne said. He added that the only way his team could have bounced back after losing quick wickets before the Powerplay was by building a partnership. “If you take three wickets in the first six overs then it is really hard to claw your way back. You have to get a partnership so you are going to take up overs to build the partnership. And suddenly you fall behind (in the scoring-rate) then you have to take the risks again.”Smith has been seen practising hard in the nets and has been a keen supporter of Warne and Snape’s strategies. A dogged fighter, the South African captain has proved in the past that he is at his best when the situation is demanding. Rajasthan, as their captain declared, are an arm’s length away from pushing the “red panic button”. Smith needs to get his act together to prevent that from happening.