Well, that was easy for the Knight Riders. With so many runs on the board, Ganguly and his bowlers were able to attack, and it worked for them. A win by 140 runs is a very nice start to the season.
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Wow. We are half way through the first game and already we have seen some amazing cricket.
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It is still Thursday in California, but it is Friday in India and that means opening day for the first ever season of the Indian Premier League. That’s six weeks of Twenty20 cricket played by all-star teams from around the world. In terms of talent it is very like North America’s National Hockey League in that it features a sport that is popular in many countries but all the best players play in one league in the world’s biggest market. Kevin and I have our Internet coverage lined up, so we’ll be able to follow the games. At $59 for the entire 59-game series Willow TV are offering a very good deal. Some of the games will be in the middle of the night, but the majority start around 7:30am California time, which is very convenient for us. The season kicks off tomorrow morning (our time) with Rahul Dravid’s Bangalore side visiting Sourav Ganguly and the Kolkata Knight Riders. I’m looking forward to it.

Of course I do need to pick a side to support, and the decision wasn’t hard. Jaipur’s Rajasthan Royals are led by the inimitable Shane Warne, and the side also includes Dimi Mascarenhas, the only Brit in the tournament, and Justin Langer, who has done such a fine job for Somerset over the past year. They’ve also got Graeme Smith, Younis Khan and Shane Watson. Sadly they don’t have much in the way of star Indian players, but so it goes. Anyone else out there following the tournament?

Well, that didn’t last long. Sehwag was out fairly early on for 319. It is still a magnificent score, but Lara’s record is safe for a while. People in Trinidad have now gone to bed.

Virender Sehwag is one of those frustrating batsmen whose performances vary wildly between sheer brilliance and abject failure. He has been out of favor with the Indian selectors for some time, particularly for test cricket, but he’s been given a chance again for India’s home test series against South Africa, and my how he has taken it.

The first test is taking place in Chennai. South Africa won the toss and elected to bat, and that looked like a wise choice because they did very well, registering 540 all out. Several of their top batsmen got big scores, including 159 from Hashim Amla. India are now batting, and they have got to 468, for the loss of just one wicket. Of those 468 runs, Sehwag has 309, and he has made those runs off just 292 balls.
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Well, it has been amazing day for sport. We’ve had Wales win the Triple Crown, Scotland actually win a rugby match, Manchester United and Chelsea knocked out of the FA Cup (Karen Traviss will be over the moon, Brian, at the success of her beloved Pompey), and starting it all off an amazing comeback by England’s cricketers. After producing three and a half days of the dullest test cricket I have seen in a long time, they suddenly brought the game to life and people are talking about an England win. I think it is unlikely. Here’s why.
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Still on the “cricket is boring” theme, I’m starting to get quite excited by the up-coming Indian Premier League. For those of you not familiar with it, Twenty20 is a new form of cricket that takes about the same time to play as a baseball game, but has an average of around 350 runs scored (compared to an average of 9 in baseball). It is an all-action game, and it has been drawing in crowds all around the world.
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Yep, terrible sport, cricket. You can fall asleep watching it. 340 runs scored by each side, and the game ends in a tie. I mean, how much more boring can you get?

As most of you know, the Australian cricket team has achieved a level of dominance on the world stage that few can challenge, let alone hope to overcome. England briefly gave the Aussies cause for concern by wresting The Ashes from them in 2005. That, of course, was in England. When the English side visited Australia for the next series they were soundly beaten. So much for the men.

2005 also saw England’s women cricketers with their battle against Australia. They have only just completed their return visit. A series of one-day internationals was tied, 2-2. Only one test match was played, but England won it comfortably.

Just sayin’, Justine…

Sometimes you see something on a sports field that you just can’t believe. Adam Gilchrist dropping a simple catch off VVX Laxman during the recent test match at Adelaide was one such moment. It isn’t that Gillie doesn’t drop catches – everyone does. But he never drops easy ones. That drop illustrated just why the Australian team are so good, in two very different ways.

Firstly there were no recriminations. Brett Lee didn’t throw a strop and not getting the wicket his bowling deserved (as Andre Nell might have done). Ricky Ponting didn’t put his head in his hands as if to say, “why am I in charge of these incompetents?” (as England captains do much of the time). There was a brief exchange of nods between players to acknowledge what had happened, and then they got on with the game. They are a team, and they support each other, even when they get things wrong.

As for Gillie, he went back and looked at the film. He saw what he had done, realized that his own very high standards were slipping, and announced his retirement. There was no question of hanging on to set records, or because he was too proud to give up the gloves. In his own view, he was no longer good enough to wear that famous baggy green cap, so he made the selectors’ decision for them. That’s class.

The Aussie team has come in for a fair amount of criticism recently, and rightly so. But they are not the best in the world for nothing. It helps to remember that. Other teams please take note.

Well, the Australian winning streak has come to an end at last. I’ve not been able to see much of the match because it is timed for when I’m asleep, but I gather that the heat played a major role. Whether this was the 40 C heat of the Perth summer, or the heat of the public opprobrium that descending on Ricky Ponting and his team after their antics in Sydney is not clear. Regardless, it is great to see the Australians being stretched again. India are a great side, and we need great sides to challenge the Aussies. Here’s hoping for another great match in Adelaide next week.

According to the BBC, the Indian Cricket Board has dropped its threat to abandon the test series unless Harbhajan Singh is cleared of the charge or racial abuse. Now at least we can get on with some cricket again. Hopefully this time it will be played in a somewhat better spirit. And if it isn’t, Mr. Pointing please note, let’s try not to make a media circus of it, because in those circumstances no one wins except the tabloids.

I gather that the Indian Cricket Board now says that they will continue with the tour provided that Harbhajan Singh is found not guilty of racist abuse. That, I think, would drive a coach and horses through the entire disciplinary process. We might as well abandon having such hearings if they are going to be subject to this sort of interference.

Also in the “not helpful” category is this post from someone who ought to know better. Aggers is living in fantasy land if he thinks that players can be expected to be honest at all time, especially with so much at stake. Indeed, I found Symonds’ honesty in saying that he would not walk, even if he knew he was out, very refreshing. Relying on the players to say whether they are out or not only succeeds in creating an impression of dishonesty when calls are tight. It also opens the door to game playing. Players are not stupid. If umpires take the players’ word on decisions then the right tactic is to establish a general reputation for honesty when calls are obvious and to lie when they are close.

Finally, for those of you in the Americas who don’t know anything about the game, you might find my article, Cricket for Baseball Fans, helpful.

The recently complete test match between Australia and India has been remarkable for many reasons. Symonds and Hogg rescued Australia from utter humiliation on Day 1. Laxman and Tendulkar replied with magnificent centuries for India. Hayden and Hussey then followed suit to put the Aussies in a commanding position. Kumble and Dhoni all but rescued the game for India. And then a miracle over from Michael Clarke took the last 3 Indian wickets in 5 balls to seal victory (and retain the winning streak) with just 7 balls left in the match. I’d also like to commend Ricky Ponting’s leadership in coming out to act as a substitute runner for the injured Hayden when he’d been out for 0 and had every right, as captain, to sulk in the dressing room and send Phil Jacques out to run instead.

But if you weren’t lucky enough to be following the game, as Kevin and I were, you may only have heard the bad stuff. Justine has been stuck in New York with no coverage and is not happy. I’m not surprised, because things are fast descending into farce.
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Oh, Michael Clarke, you beauty!

Sachin Tendulkar just missed out on getting a farewell hundred on his last tour of England over the summer, much to the disappointment of British cricket fans. His has, however, managed to say goodbye to Sydney in fine style. I am delighted for him. My American and Finnish readers will doubtless be puzzled as to who this man is and why the world of cricket loves him. I can’t come up with a good ice hockey analogy right now, but Americans might consider this: imagine someone who was so good at baseball that he was playing in the major leagues at age 14, was a starter in the All Star Game at 16, and has been one of the finest players in the world for over 20 years.

How do they do it? At 134-6 Australia were totally on the ropes. From that position, England would have failed to make 200 (possibly failed to make 150). And what do the Australians do? Symonds and Hogg put on a partnership of 173 for the 7th wicket. Roy is still there smashing the ball all over the place. The level of confidence and determination in that team is just amazing.