Jumbo juggernaut rolls on and on

ALL THESE WRITE UPS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN CRICKET TODAY MAGAZINE

Even as I write this piece on Anil Kumble, the man is still making news. For a change, it is for a non-cricketing reason. If the series victory over the Windies wasn’t reason enough for him to celebrate, the news is just out that he’s become a father. Can things get better? A six-wicket haul in a historic overseas win (be it against a mediocre side) and the joy of fatherhood, these are merry times for the mild-mannered man. And so, as Kumble basks in the glory of what can be described as one of the best phases in his life, it is an appropriate time to look back at some of the cheerful moments he has given Indian cricket supporters over the years.

The list of great matches featuring Kumble is an unending one and expectedly so as he has been the tireless warrior of Indian cricket for over a decade and a half. But this compilation features some defining moments in the man’s career. So sit back and relive the Kumble magic.

Hero of the Hero Cup (November 27 1993)

The final of the Hero Cup in 1993 is one of the most memorable matches in the history of Indian one-day cricket. And the man responsible for making it one was Anil Kumble. India took on the West Indies in the final. The Caribbeans were still a formidable side in those days and so Kumble’s blaze of glory in that match is remembered till this day.

Batting first, India managed to post 225 on the board, a challenging target back then if not a match-winning on. Vinod Kambli, now the forgotten man of Indian cricket, was the star for India with the bat scoring 68. But there wasn’t too much support from the others apart from Jadeja who made 31.

But once Kumble was given the ball, the Windies fell apart completely and the total of 225 proved to be a massive one. Kumble single-handedly bowled India to victory with mesmerising figures of 6/12 – the best by an Indian in the shorter version of the game till date. West Indies were dismissed for 123 as India emerged victorious by 102 runs.

An excited crowd of close to 100,000 watched in amazement as Kumble went about his ‘Operation Destruction.’ Kumble picked up the last 6 wickets for a mere 4 runs. Of his six victims, 4 were bowled and one was out lbw, a perfect example of Kumble’s relentless line and length that has been his greatest strength throughout his long career.

The one-may army (7th February 1999)

Ferozshah Kotla was the venue where Kumble immortalized himself. Pakistan and India had resumed cricketing ties after a prolonged hiatus of a decade. And so emotions were running were high on either sides. India had squandered a great opportunity of clinching the first Test at Chennai after the tail failed to finish off the great effort put up Sachin Tendulkar. In a match that went down to the wire India lost by 12 runs. It is a loss that still haunts India just like the Barbados collapse that rankles the Indians every time they think of a Windies tour.

In a game that kept the intrigue level of spectators up for most part, Kumble turned it into a one-sided show once he was given the ball in the second essay. Chasing 400 plus, the Pakistanis were cruising at 120 with the opening pair look in no trouble when ‘Jumbo’ struck. Before the Pakis knew what had hit them; Anil Kumble had all but wrapped up the innings for India. The greatness of the spell lay in the fact that he got the dismissal through various means – some caught behind, others held by close in fielders and the remaining in front of the wicket either bowled or lbw.

Kumble ended the game with figures of 10/74 becoming only the second Test cricketer after Jim Laker of England to achieve the very rare feat of the ‘Perfect Ten’. Ironically, he went wicketless in his next Test but the Kumble magic returned pretty soon in the games to follow. In fact, he’s only matured with age and is looking more and more deadly with each passing year.

Overseas blues? Not any more (Headingley 2002)

The perfect example of his maturity has been his overseas performances post 2002 when India toured England. It was the coming of age of Kumble as an overseas bowler. And Headingley was the venue where it all changed for Kumble.

India’s bowling hero ended with match-figures of 7 for 159 as India cruised to an imposing win by innings and 46 runs. It was Kumble to paved the way for India’s victory on the final day sending back English skipper and centurion Nasser Hussain as also Alec Stewart and in the process diminished any hopes of an English victory.

India won the toss in the game and Ganguly took a brave decision to bat first on a track expected to do plenty on day one. Many felt the Indian captain had committed a huge blunder considering their batsman had always struggled against the moving ball. But Ganguly was in charge of a new Indian side that was a prepared to take the gamble and come up trumps. And that is exactly what they did.

The tourists lost Sehwag early provoking thoughts of yet another batting collapse. But makeshift opener Sanjay Bangar and the rock solid Dravid put up an exceptionally good batting display showing great technique on the opening day to put India into a position of strength. And India never looked back after then. Dravid’s ton was followed by centuries by Tendulkar and Ganguly as India posted an imposing 628 on board.

It was now the turn of the bowlers to make their mark. And they did not disappoint. Harbhajan and Kumble picked up three wickets each and despite a defiant 78 from veteran Alec Stewart, England could not avoid the follow on.

England put up a much improved show in the second innings and at 239/4 at the end of the penultimate day’s play, there were still in with a chance to escape with a draw.

Nasser Hussain reached a fighting century on the final day with an in form Stewart giving him company. India needed to break the partnership and Ganguly was relying on who else but the old hand of Anil Kumble. And for the umpteenth time in his career, Kumble delivered for India under pressure, this time away from home. He got rid of both the overnight batsman in quick succession and after that an Indian victory was a mere formality.

The Test sparked the beginning of a glorious phase in Indian cricket. Though the Indian batsman took away most of the credit for the win, it would not have been possible without the efforts of Kumble.

Anil Kumble was no longer a home match bully. The Headingley Test proved that if only the Indian batsmen could put up bigger scores on the board when playing overseas, Kumble could be deadly away from home too.

Pakis sent packing (Kolkata 2005)

After India’s successful tour of Pakistan, the latter reciprocated by visiting India in 2005. India dominated the first Test at Mohali but had to settle for a draw thanks to remarkable batting efforts by Kamran Akmal and Abdul Razzaq on the final day.

And so both teams arrived in Kolkata with the scorecard 0-0 and India were desperate for a win having missed out on the opportunity in Mohali. This match must have been every statsman’s delight. Dravid scored a ton in each innings as India made 407 in both innings. Interestingly, even Sachin Tendulkar scored an identical 52 in each innings.

Replying to India’s impressive total of 407, Pakistan were in a commanding position at one stage with Younis Khan (no surprises!) and Yousuf Youhana toying with the Indian bowling, each ending up with impressive centuries. But once the two departed, the innings completely fell apart as Pakistan crumbled from 281/2 to 393 all out. Once again, it was Anil Kumble who got the big wicket for India sending back Younis Khan (147) after he had put together a master-class. Kumble added a couple more scalps to his kitty as the visitors frittered away a great advantage.

But it was in the second innings that Kumble came into his own. Kumble got rid of a dangerous looking Afridi late on the fourth day. The Pathan was in his elements right away rocketing to a run a ball 59 and it needed the guile of Kumble to put an end to the Afridi onslaught.
Anil continued his great work the following day removing India’s biggest tormentor Younis Khan with the first ball of the day thanks to a smart stumping by rookie ‘keeper Dinesh Karthik. Pakistan never recovered from the setback as Kumble picked up 6 more wickets on the final day to end with tremendous figures of 7 for 63 and overall match figures of 10-161. This was Pakistan’s first loss at the Eden Gardens and a moment to savour for Kumble and the Indian side as a whole. Sadly, India went on to lose the next Test played at Kumble’s home ground Bangalore. Having said that, the win at Eden will be remembered as a memorable one in the years to come.

Anil Radhakrishnan Kumble may be in the twilight of his career but as he himself admitted sometime back, it has been in the last couple of seasons that we have seen the best of him. The arrival of a baby may be a strong enough reason for Kumble to spend more time at home in the future. However, as long as he is fit willing to battle it out on the field, there will not be too much respite for the opposition batsmen when they face up to them.

Career

Tests – 110
Wickets- 533
Best Bowling (Innings)- 10/74
Best Bowling (Match)- 14/149
Average- 28.75
5 wickets in an innings- 33
10 wickets in a match- 8

ODIs- 264
Wickets-329
Best Bowling-6/12
Average-30-76
Economy Rate- 4.30
5 wickets in an innings-2

Munaf Bhai ‘fast bowler’!!!

Has it finally happened? India’s long lasting search for a tear away fast bowler may finally be over with the arrival of Munaf Patel. He may have played only two Tests but gave enough indications that he could be India’s answer to Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar.

The lanky paceman from Ikhar village in Bharuch, Gujarat had a sensational debut in Mohali claiming seven victims in the game. His ability to reverse the ball and more importantly maintain a precise line and length at the same time was a major reason for his success. The Englishmen found it impossible to keep out Patel’s toe crushing yorkers much like batsmen all round the world struggled against Waqar Younis at his peak. This is in no way to compare the two but just an indication of the impact the 23-year old had made on international cricket in his short burst.

There could have been more success for Patel at Mumbai but for some atrocious fielding by the Indians. After winning the toss and making the now infamous decision of electing to field first, Patel bowled his heart out only to see catches going down one after the other. Even during this period what stood out though was his great attitude and never say die spirit for which he was eventually rewarded with some wickets though he deserved a lot more.

In Sreesanth and Patel, India may have found a good opening bowling combination along with the left-armer Irfan Pathan for variety. Though both are still relatively inexperienced, they undoubtedly are the future of India’s fast bowling department- injury not withstanding.

Fast and Furious

What India lacked all this while is a bowler who could rattle the batsmen with his pace when the pitch is offering little or no resistance. In the absence of such a bowler, India have always struggled to bowl out the opposition in conditions that are not seamer friendly. And this is exactly what Munaf Patel offers to this Indian side. The whippy action and ability to reverse swing the ball late can come in more than handy. Add to it his competitive nature, which very clearly defines the new India – where no quarter is given or asked. The intelligent short-pitched stuff dished up to the England batsmen was a good indication of this.

Gone are the days when a certain Srinath hit Ponting on the helmet and went on to enquire about his well being only to he shooed away by the batsmen. The new, resurgent India has the likes of Patel and Sreesanth who will not take anything lying down. And then we are also blessed with a wicket-keeper batsman like Dhoni who can smile off the pain of a ferocious hit on the back of the helmet. Certainly Indian cricket’s coming of age.

Destined for success

While Munaf Patel always seemed destined to make it to the big league. The talent in Patel was evident ever since he burst onto the domestic arena. He was highly impressive in his first class debut game against the touring New Zealanders in 2003. He picked up three crucial wickets and everyone who watched him felt this is the man who could solve the issue of India being unable to pick up 20 wickets in a Test. And with every passing performance, it was being clear this is a man to watch out for. So much so that the great Sachin Tendulkar recommended he switch from his home state Gujarat to play Ranji trophy for Mumbai.

But then suddenly disaster struck. A dreaded injury, which is part and parcel of every fast bowler’s life, meant he had to disappear from the scene for a couple of seasons. And in no time, he became the forgotten man like many other prodigious talents before him. His performances after injury too did not make much of a case for his selection. Thankfully for Indian cricket, his fortunes started changing once again. Munaf Patel was back to his best. However there was yet another twist in the tale.

While Patel was away, India managed to discover VRV Singh, who currently is termed to be the fastest bowler in India ahead of Munaf himself. And it was clear whom the Indian selectors felt was a better choice for Indian cricket when VRV was the first choice for the Test series against England. But Munaf only needed one game to prove that he was all ready to don the Indian cap. And that game was the practice match between BPXI and England. Munaf’s swinging deliveries proved to be unplayable and his 10-wicket haul lead his side to a crushing victory over the visitors in the 3 day warm up tie.

Soon VRV was to be replaced by Patel for the Mohali Test, the former was dropped without being given an opportunity. But then Munaf Patel deserved his chance more than anyone else after his stupendous showing. VRV too would undoubtedly get his chances and knowing that he is waiting in the wings will always keep Patel on his toes. This healthy competition will only benefit the Indian team in the long run.

It is of utmost importance now that Munaf Patel doesn’t drop in pace along with years as has been the case with Irfan and Zaheer, owing to the rigorous amount of international cricket. This is all the more crucial because unlike Zaheer and Pathan, Munaf Patel is a genuine ‘fast bowler’ who pace is a couple of notches higher compared to the left armers. For this, he has to maintain his fitness levels and keep his cool to sustain himself at the international level.

Patel’s success can be a big fillip for the side, as his ability to bend his back and produce something special will definitely come in handy in conditions where the pitch offers nothing for pace bowlers. And he can undoubtedly be a great asset to the side on foreign pitches where the ball seams and moves around.

The Test for young Munaf Patel has only just begun and what shape his career takes from hereon might well define India’s success rate in the future games.

Makhaya Ntini: South Africa’s pace spearhead

Back in 1999, when Makhaya Ntini was accused of rape, his cricketing career seemed in shambles. But seven years down the line, he is undoubtedly South Africa’s pace spearhead – an exceptional achievement for someone who had to face such a brutal charge at such a tender age. The rape charge wasn’t the only trauma for Ntini. He also had to bear the taunts of being a consistent member of the team only because of his black origin in wake of the quota policy implemented by the South African cricket Board. But all these are things of the past. In the current scenario, Ntini - the first black cricketer to represent his country - is a certainty in a South African squad irrespective of his race. Shaun Pollock may be rated as South Africa’s best bowler even today, but the veteran himself wouldn’t have any hesitation in agreeing that the Proteas’ bowling attack would be insipid without Ntini.

The rise of Ntini to the glitterati of world cricket would make you believe that here was someone destined to play the game for his country. Ntini’s discovery was thanks to the cricket development programme of the UCB. Believe it or not, he was picked up from a cattle herd in a place in East Cape and was instantly recognised as a talent. As the story goes, Ntini was first noticed by Border cricket development officer Raymond Booi. Ntini was told to bowl by Booi and the youngster managed to impress him instantly. Soon he found himself in Dale College – considered among the better institutions for cricket in the country. And that’s how the Makhaya Ntini story began.

Ntini, who has had modelled his action on the legendary Malcolm Marshall, had a moderately successful start to his international career. The paceman got his first chance to wear the national colours when he made his one-day debut in Perth against the Kiwis in the 1997/98 season. He had a decent spell in the bowler friendly conditions and was rewarded with a Test debut against Sri Lanka. However his career was temporarily nipped in the bud in 1999 when charges of rape were leveled against him. It seemed another promising career would come to an abrupt end. But the youngster found back remarkably after being acquitted of the charges. He was expectedly out of the international squad for a short duration but once recalled he went all out to prove that his presence in the squad was more to do with his cricketing ability and less with the colour of his skin. This was evident in his performances, which were far more consistent as compared to his controversial first stint.

The turning point of his career coming in November 2000 against the Kiwis in Blomfontein. The match was supposed to be remembered for Allan Donald’s 300th Test victim but Ntini came up with a special effort to steal the limelight from Donald to some extent. His bowling performance of 6/66 was instrumental in his side’s victory. The effort was all the more praiseworthy as it was delivered on a batsman friendly track. This was also around the same time that Allan Donald’s great career was in its final stages. Though the experienced Pollock was very much around, his pace had dropped considerably and South Africa needed someone who could take over the mantle of the premier fast bowler from Donald. It was never going to be easy for anyone to fit into the boots of the great Allan Donald but Ntini has managed to do a more than commendable job. Though the ups and downs continued for Ntini in the series’ to follow, the Proteas knew they had found someone who would go on to serve the country for long.

There have been constant criticisms over Ntini’s bowling run up – the fact that he always bowls from wide of the stumps has not impressed many cricket pundits. But like all good cricketers, Ntini too has learnt about his failings and has worked on this aspect. The results are there for all to see. He may still not be bowling from very close to the crease but importantly, does enough to trouble the best of the batsmen world over. And he may not be in the super express mode ala Allan Donald or Brett Lee but his performances have been as good as the duo of late.

The ten-wicket match haul against the world champions in Johannesburg, though it came in losing cause, is something Ntini will cherish. He even spoilt Langer’s centenary Test celebrations with a severe knock on the helmet that sent him straight to the hospital. In the one-day series that preceded the Tests, he sent the Aussies packing to a humiliating defeat returning with exceptional figures of 6-22.

Ntini has to his credit the great achievement of becoming the first South African bowler to claim ten wickets in a Test at the home of cricket, Lords back in 2003. But better things were to follow. Against the ever-deteriorating Windies, he returned with sensational figures of 13 for 132 at Trinidad, the home of Brian Lara last year. The achievement is the best ever by a South African bowler. However, Ntini had only just begun. He reserved his best for the best team in the world.

Late last year when the Proteas were in Aussie land, Ntini grabbed yet another five-wicket haul in the drawn Perth Test. But injury marred his series to some extent. And so when the kangaroos came arrived in South Africa early this year, he made sure that most of them hopped to his tune. There was some amount of tension prior to the series with the racial taunts that the Africans received in Australia not going down well with them. In fact, Proteas wicket keeper Mark Boucher went public asking the crowds to give the Aussies a hard time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough as the world champions managed to stamp their superiority on the opposition once again. But even in a losing cause, the bowling of Makhaya Ntini stood out.

Bowling at great pace coupled with superior accuracy and his ever admired fighting spirit, Ntini was the main cause of concern for the Aussie batsman by a big distance. His 19 wickets in the 3 Test series included the earlier mentioned 10-wicket haul at Johannesburg – 6/100 and 4/78. Ntini did not deserve to end up on the losing side after such a brave showing but his teammates were just not good enough to match his skills which meant South Africa’s dream of beating the Aussies in the longer version continues to remain an elusive one.

But there was just reward for Ntini 20 in the series to follow against New Zealand. He earned 20 scalps and deservedly named the Man-of-the-Series – this included another 10-wicket match haul in the first Test at Centurion, which turned out to be his second consecutive one after his match figures at Johannesburg. However, the big difference here was that the Centurion effort came in a winning cause – which is what matters the most at the end of the day.

As an appreciation for his efforts, Ntini was voted as the South African Cricketer of the Year for the second year running. And it was no surprise that he walked away the Test Cricketer of the Year award too. After being honoured for his hard work, Ntini had something very encouraging to say. “I have put in a lot of effort to reach where I am now and I would like the young people coming from my background to also feel encouraged that they could reach international levels in any sport if they try hard.”

With good pace and control over line and length that’s only improving with every game, Ntini will undeniably be one of the trump cards for South Africa in the West Indies when they embark on their quest to improve their pathetic World Cup record.

R P Singh: A promising future prospect

Until the arrival of Ashish Nehra on the scene, India did not have a great history of producing left-arm pacemen. Karsan Ghavri was probably the last of the lot who played with some distinction for India. But the latter was a versatile cricketer and ended up taking quite a few of his wickets bowling spin. Throughout the 90’s, India played with Srinath and Prasad as their main strike bowlers. However, things changed drastically towards the turn of the millennium. Nehra’s arrival was soon followed by Zaheer Khan and later on Irfan Pathan, both of whom have spearheaded the Indian attack on a number of occasions. Rudra Pratap Singh, a 20-year old wiry left-armer from UP is the latest to emerge from the crop. And like Zaheer and Pathan, he too has had a very good start to his international career. Only a couple of Tests and a handful of one-day internationals old, Singh has already made a big impression.

The youngest member of India’s Test squad that toured Pakistan, R P Singh has been spoken of highly by a lot of the seniors including Ganguly, Dravid and Sehwag apart from coach Chappell. And they have every reason to believe that Singh can be a great asset to the team in the times to come. In fact, he’s already proving to be a watch-winner. A man-of-the-match winning bowling performance at Rajkot against Sri Lanka (4-35) on good batting strip was a good indicator of what this lad is capable of. In an era where swing bowling has taken the backseat what with batsmen friendly pitches (Lahore & Faisalabad) being prepared all over, the emergence of Singh and Pathan augurs well for the future of Indian cricket. Having said that, the latter has struggled in conditions when the ball refuses to move around. And hence the danger that R P too could tread a similar path is quite an imminent possibility.

But R P’s major strength that has come to the fore during his short stint on the international scene has been his consistency in line and length. He relies to a big extent on doing the basics right and letting the batsmen take all the risks. Definitely the right approach but his resolve will be tested when the batsmen start attacking him. Speed isn’t his forte and hence he has to rely on his consistency and variety in bowling. So far, things seem to be going the right way but the extent of his success will be defined by how quickly he adapts to the different challenges thrown at him by the batsmen and the varied nature of surfaces all over the world.

How it all began

R P Singh, like many of the recent entrants to international cricket, came into prominence after a stirring performance during his U-19 World Cup campaign. In fact, he was one of the main strike bowlers for the side in the tournament held in Dhaka in the February of 2004. Earlier, he also partnered Irfan Pathan in the preceding U-19 Asia Cup tournament. Pathan eventually went on to become the biggest success story of international cricket in the 2004 season.

While the seeds for RP’s success were laid during the U-19 World Cup tournament in which he picked up 8 wickets at a measly average of 25, Singh continued in good vein in the domestic season too. He was instrumental in helping UP win the league phase of the Ranji one-day tournament with 34 wickets in his kitty. Playing in only his fifth domestic game, Rudra Pratap took 5 for 58 and 5 for 33 against Assam at Kanpur. His swinging capabilities were very much on show during this period. That apart, this lad from Rae Bareilly, R P even had his chance to hone his skills at the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai and a six-week stint at Australia's renowned Centre of Excellence at Brisbane, as part of the annual Border-Gavaskar scholarship.
But it was his performances in Ranji cricket that were just too impressive to be ignored by the selectors for long and he finally got the nod for the one-day series in Zimbabwe last year. Harare was the venue for Singh’s first brush with international cricket. And it proved to be a rather fruitful one. Given the new ball, Rudra Pratap Singh took two wickets in his second over itself. But India already had a fixed bowling line-up and so he did not feature prominently in the series. But in the one chance he got, he gave enough indications that here is yet another left-armer ready to make a mark.

He got another well-deserved break in the series against Sri Lanka, in which the Indians trounced the Sri Lankans 6-1. The Rajkot performance mentioned earlier in the write-up came about in this very series.

A part of the UP-rising

R P Singh comes from a state not renowned for its cricketing prowess. But Singh along with the likes of Kaif and Raina have had a huge hand in the emergence of UP as a strong force in domestic cricket. (Piyush Chawla is another who seems destined to make it to the big league sooner rather than later.) And so it is no surprise that all three were part of India’s one-day squad in Pakistan. The last two mentioned were part of UP’s historic triumph in the Ranji trophy final this year as R P Singh impressed one and all with his exceptional performance on a bowlers’ graveyard in Faisalabad. Don’t forget it was his Test debut and on a pitch where every bowler was tearing his hear out, Singh’s figures of 4-89 were as good as it could get. A Man-of-the-Match award was a just reward. The moment was all the more special as Singh took his first stride in Test cricket on the same ground where India’s all time great fast bowler, Kapil Dev Nikhunj also launched his career.

The one-day series that followed was even more fruitful for the talented left-armer. He picked up three scalps in the Lahore ODI while considering a reasonably acceptable 51 runs. There was further improvement in the figures at Multan with yet another match-winning performance of 4-40.

The emergence of Rudra Pratap Singh will put the selectors in a big dilemma. India already have two potent left-arm pacemen in Pathan and Zaheer Khan, both with greater experience to boot. But RP’s showing at the international level during his short career so far is a bit too impressive to be ignored. What he also possesses is swing the ball both ways along with greater control owing to a nice, steady action. While Pathan too is capable of making the ball talk, his consistency in line and length has been found wanting especially when the ball doesn’t move around. This is something that might swing things in Singh’s favour in batsmen friendly conditions.

A final word of praise

As mentioned earlier, Singh comes from a state not known for its cricketing prowess at least till Kaif came onto the scene and so R P deserves all the accolades he’s getting. After all, the journey from Rai Bareilly- where you shouldn’t be hoping for any coaching facilities- to Harare must not have been a very easy one for the lad. He, in fact, had to shift to Lucknow to get access to proper training facilities.

A glance at RP and one wouldn’t get an impression of an immensely talented cricketer waiting to rock the cricket world. Being only a medium pacer, he is definitely not going to create any ripples on the international circuit. But this unassuming lad from the land of PMs has definitely done enough for him to be earmarked as a definite future prospect.

Slam bang!!!

It takes all kinds to make up this great game. The connoisseurs might root for the Rahul Dravids and Michael Vaughans who’ve kept the traditional virtues of technique and ‘correct’ cricket alive. They certainly do hold a crucial place in the sport. But in today’s day and age of fact paced cricket, imagine how boring this game would have been if there were no batsmen willing to take on the furious pace of Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar. It is indeed a treat to watch bowlers running in at 90 miles an hour. But them being hit out of the stands by the men with willow in hand is certainly a terrific sight for the cricket loving public. Yes, these are the ones unfearful of whose bowling at the other end and ready to take on any challenge by the scruff of the neck. Welcome to the age of slam bang cricket!

So who’s the most feared batsman among the current lot of willow wielders? The Wisden Cricketer magazine conducted a poll recently to find out the answer. The respondents were none other that 20 of the leading international bowlers like Harbhajan Singh, Brett Lee and Muttiah Muralitharan to name a few. Who better than these bowlers who’ve faced the wrath of those giant hitters? And there were no surprises in store. Here are the Top 10 most dreaded batsmen in the world according to the poll.

1. Adam Gilchrist, 2. Brian Lara, 3. Shahid Afridi, 4. Virender Sehwag, 5. Andrew Flintoff, 6. Sachin Tendulkar, 7. Chris Cairns, 8. Matthew Hayden, 9. Abdul Razzaq, 10. Ricky Ponting.
Now what is it that makes these top ten such a force to reckon with? Let’s start in the reverse order.

10. ‘Batting Powerhouse’ Ricky Ponting: Ever since Ricky Ponting made his debut in the mid 90’s, it wad believed he would go on to become Australia’s prolific run getter in the years to come. So it is no surprise to see the heights he has achieved today. The chief weapon in Ponting’s armoury is his pull shot. Among the best players of short bowling, Ponting’s great eye helps him to rock back and dispatch the ball over the boundary even if his initial movement is on the front foot. His lunging forward may have got him into trouble a few times, especially on the subcontinent, but then that is also one of his major strengths and something very unique. The wristy flicks by Ponting on the leg side might not look as elegant as VVS Laxman’s but it is certainly no less effective. Punter, as he is better known to teammates, had his share of troubles too when he was suspended for being involved in a pub brawl in Calcutta during Australia’s tour of India in ’98. But unlike teammate Warne, he mended his ways and today is among the best batsmen in the world, if not the best. Right now, he is at the zenith of his career and it is for precisely this reason that he finds a mention among the most lethal batsman of the modern era.

9. ‘Gentle Giant’ Abdul Razzaq: This Pakistani all-rounder can be best described as a ‘slog overs specialist’. Many a times his blitzkriegs at the end of Pakistan’s innings have been the difference between victory and defeat for his side. Looking at Razzaq’s crouched stance, one doesn’t get the impression of a good batsman. But leave aside the aesthetic part of his batting, and he is undoubtedly one of the hardest hitter of a cricket ball. Razzaq belongs to the category of stand and deliver batsman and if the bowlers fail to get it right in the final overs, they are taken to the cleaners by this Pakistani genius. The one weakness in Razzaq’s batting is his susceptibility when he is new at the crease. But once set, it’s a herculean task to stop the flow of runs from his willow. Capable of making a mockery of any attack in the world, what’s amazing about this big hitter is he stared is career at No.11- just like our own Kapil Dev. The turning point in Razzaq’s batting came when he was promoted to No.3 in the batting order during the ’99 World Cup in England. The rest, as they say, is history.

8. ‘Monster’ Matthew Hayden: How many batsmen are willing to go down the track to fast bowlers and hit them out of the ground? Well, Matthew Hayden certainly is. And that’s why he figures prominently among the batsmen opening bowlers hate to bowl to. Hayden’s monster like built gives him huge advantage as a batsman. But to his credit, he has made full use of it at least post the 2001 tour to India when he resurrected his career with some sensational knocks. Hayden’s biggest strength is that he can play almost any shot in the book. There was a time when he was miserable against spinners. But this extremely hardworking cricketer got over his woes and ‘swept’ his way to glory in the series against India four years ago. While all other batsmen struggled against Harbhajan, Hayden stood firm like a rock and had no trouble at all against the deadly spinner on India’s dust bowls. When in a murderous mood, he can destroy bowlers put prefers to remain a bit more subdued these days playing perfect foil to opening partner Adam Gilchrist

7. ‘Genetic Power’ Chris Cairns: The adage ‘Like Father Like Son’ sits perfectly on Chris Cairns. If Lance had the ability to knock the cover off the ball, Chris has only enhanced the big hitting reputation of the Cairns family. Though equally adept at playing fast bowling, watching Cairns come down the wicket and dispatch the spinners out of the ground is certainly a sight to behold. The strongly built lad has played quite a few memorable knocks, some on really big occasions. His crucial 60 in the early stages of the ’99 World Cup against Australia when he handled Shane Warne with effervescent ease was certainly one of them. So also was his century against India in the Champions Trophy final the following year. The innings was all the more special because Cairns played with an injured knee after he was declared fit just an hour before the final in Nairobi. Apart from this, he also holds the enviable record for having hit the maximum number of sixes in the longer version of the game. His career has been marred by injuries throughout. (Geoffrey Boycott once referred to him as the best ‘non-playing’ all-rounder). But despite it, Cairns has done enough to justify his place among the leading all-rounders in world cricket.

6. ‘Little Master’ Sachin Tendulkar: No matter how many comments are made about Sachin having past his best, the fact that he’s been placed in this category is proof enough that bowlers still take pride in having his wicket against their name. Once compared to Don Bradman by the man himself, Sachin has dominated world cricket for over a decade like very few have. Be it his signature straight drive down the ground or his bludgeoning cuts and pulls, this Little Master has always been a crowd puller. Though not as aggressive as in his youthful days, Sachin keeps showing glimpses of old time and again. Remember his whirlwind 98 against Pakistan in the last edition of the World Cup. The arch rivals had put up a mammoth total but Sachin made a mockery of it by his merciless counter attack on Shoaib Akhtar as India registered their fourth consecutive World Cup game against its neigbouring nation. As long as he plays, Sachin Tendulkar will always be a prize scalp for the opposition. To sum up Sachin immense contribution to the popularity of the game, one can quote Ravi Shastri who said, “Sachin Tendulkar has been sent down on earth just to play cricket and go back.”

5. ‘Brute Force’ Andrew Flintoff: A few seasons back, Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff would certainly have not featured in this list. He was talented no doubt, but his impetuosity got the better of him time and again. Comparisons were drawn with Ian Botham when he arrived on the scene and that certainly didn’t help matters for the burly all-rounder. And when despite being ample opportunities he couldn’t deliver, he had to face the axe. But that was in the past. The new, improved Andrew Flintoff of today can be a thorn in the flesh of any opposition. What has changed is his attitude towards batting. The ball still flies of his bat quite a distance, but his selection of strokes has improved vastly. Having learnt the virtues of patience and discipline, Flintoff is today rated as a world-class cricketer which given his talent is a tag he is truly worthy of. It’s no coincidence that England’s successful run in international cricket has come along with the reincarnation of Flintoff. His masculine power has endeared him to English fans in a big way, especially of late. And if he continues in the same vein, God save bowlers all over the world.

4. ‘Swashbuckler’ Virender Sehwag: Isn’t this the same guy who was termed a Tendulkar clone during his early days in international cricket? How things have changed over the years. Today there are youngsters all over the country trying to ape his style of batsmanship. In his own words, Sehwag has a simple philosophy towards batting- if the ball is there to be hit, I hit. Yes that Virender Sehwag for you, uncomplicated and unfearful. Don’t talk technique to him. He has developed a style of his own. And as long as he continues scoring heavily, who is bothered about such nitty-gritties. One amazing quality about Sehwag is his tendency to reach milestones with a great flourish. Wonder how many would have dared to go down the track and hit a spinner for six to reach 300? Well, Sehwag certainly did that at Multan. And that’s why the Nawab of Najafgarh is so special. He truly a one of a kind cricketer and would have ruined a lot of bowlers careers by the time he finished (ask Saqlain Mushtaq). In the process, there might be some rash strokes and horrendous looking dismissals. But for the immense pleasure his batting gives cricket lovers, it’s a very small price to pay.

3. ‘Reckless Destroyer’ Shahid Afridi : If ever you wanted to use the term unpredictable for anyone, there can be no better example than Shahid Afridi. Even God cannot foresee what Afridi will dish out when he comes in to bat. The strongly built Pathan seems to have been around forever but has never been able to secure his place in the team despite his immense potential. When on fire though, there is no ground too big for him and no better site in world cricket than watching him have a ball at the expense of the opposition bowlers. No matter who’s got the ball in hand, if it’s Afridi’s day out there’s no stopping him. Of late, he also seems to have become a bit more consistent playing some extraordinary knocks during Pakistan’s recent visit to India and Australia prior to that. So cricket experts might feel that the reckless boy has finally matured. But somehow one feels with Afridi the unpredictability factor will always exist. And that’s what he will be remembered for years down the line when the mention of exceptional cricketers are made. Yes, exceptional he is and world cricket would be poorer without such eccentric characters around.

2. ‘Irrepressible’ Brian Lara: Not many batsmen are at their peak at the age of 35. But the way Brian Charles Lara has been batting of late, it seems it is indeed his golden period after the one he had in ’94 when he broke the world record for highest Test and first class score. The sad part is that so many of his greats knocks have gone unrewarded. But no matter how pathetic the state of Windies cricket is, Lara has always provided the Caribbean fans with a glimmer of hope with his exceptional brilliance. His knocks are only what can be termed as Lara specials. The shuffle before the flourishing drives has always been Lara’s trademark. Many believed it could land him in the wrong foot position to play the ball. But that hardly ever has been the case. He’s played in his own inimitable style and has given headaches to most opposition bowlers. And this is something only geniuses are capable of. At times, he may have been termed an enigma and rightly so for not delivering the goods consistently. But nobody can refute the claim that Brian is undoubtedly one of the greatest to have graced the game and his batting exploits will always remain part of cricketing folklore.

And whoa the numero uno spot goes to…

1. Adam ‘Dasher’ Gilchrist: Some years back, Gilchrist tried his hand at golf and onlookers say he struggled to hit the ball even a decent distance. But replace the golf stick with the cricket bat and it is an altogether different proposition. One of the few wicket-keepers who can claim their spot in the side on the basis of batting ability alone, Gilchrist has given a new definition to the term all-rounder. Don’t forget that he had to slip into the shoes of the legendary Ian Healy. But in no time, Healy was forgotten and everyone was raving about this guy named Gilchrist. The success of this dashing left-hander can be attributed to his positive attitude towards the game. There’s never a dull moment when Gilchrist is at the crease. He scores big ones with amazing consistency considering the amount of risks he takes. Like Sehwag, he too doesn’t posses the perfect technique but is gifted with a great eye and can play a shot to almost every delivery. You bowl length and he’ll drive you, bowl short and the ball will disappear into the stands. With Gilchrist at the crease no target seems impossible. " I don't want to bowl to him, man" is what Pakistan seamer Azhar Mahmood felt about facing the dazzling strokemaker from Down Under. Need we say anything more?

The bad news for bowlers all round the world is that with Twenty20 cricket making such waves on the international circuit, it will only provide a platform for these master blasters to wield their heavy bats even more ruthlessly. Didn’t we say cricket is a batsman’s game?

Not quite… ‘The Wall’ behind the stumps

When Rahul Sharad Dravid made his Test debut at the hallowed Lords turf almost a decade ago, little did he know that years down the line his wicketkeeping skills too would be critically analyzed, highly unfair for someone nothing more than a makeshift gloveman. But then a special issue on Rahul Dravid would be incomplete without a mention of his works behind the stumps.

Dravid’s fling with keeping began very early in his junior cricket days. He used to don the gloves in those days until a sudden spurt in height deemed him incompatible for the role and he was asked to concentrate totally on his batting. It’s a fact that wicketkeepers of short stature have tasted most success in international cricket as the job demands quicksilver reflexes. Right from Ian Healy and Dave Richardson to Mark Boucher and Tatenda Taibu, keepers have traditionally been ‘ dynamites in small packages’. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule. The names of Adam Gilchrist and Andy Flower instantly spring to mind when the thought of tall glovemen come to mind. But look around and you’ll find most keeper species of the former type.

Even after making the transition to Ranji Trophy in the early 90’s, the presence of Avinash Vaidya as the specialist keeper meant that Rahul did not have to worry about keeping wickets. But, for India, Dravid’s little flirt with the bigger gloves during his early days as a cricketer came in very handy at a later stage in his career.

So where did the whole idea of Rahul Dravid’s dual role as a wicketkeeping all rounder originate from? There were speculations that since he couldn’t hold his position in the one-day side on the basis of his slow batting, he took up the additional burden. But that’s far from true. India’s genuine wicketkeeper for most of the 90’s Nayan Mongia did a great job for the team behind the wickets. But with ‘Jumbo’ (Kumble’s nickname given to him by Navjot Sidhu) getting him injured time and again, it was Dravid who had to assume the responsibility, as he was the only one with some prior experience. Incidentally Sanjay Manjrekar, very much a player in the Dravid mould, too had some decent keeping skills. But, unfortunately, his batting failures meant he was not a part of the team any longer in the late 90’s. And what began as a stopgap arrangement, soon became a full time assignment for the Bangloreian with the likes of Ajit Agarkar and Sunil Joshi unable to live up to their all-round promise.

Dravid’s stint behind the stumps cannot be described as something extraordinary. But then, it was never expected of him too. The thought process behind Dravid taking up the gloveman’s job was based on the theory that in the shorter format of the game, not too many deliveries go behind the stumps and hence India could afford to play a seventh batsman at the expense of a genuine wicketkeeper. But Ganguly’s claim that the extra batsman policy has been very fruitful for India sounds very much like a mirage.

Turn the clock backwards and recount how many matches have India won with the seventh batsman making a vital contribution? Without doubt the 2002 Natwest final, when Yuvraj and Kaif scripted one of the greatest ODI victories, comes to mind. But one swallow doesn’t make a summer. Kaif did go on to score his maiden ton (and only one till date) in one dayers later that year against Zimbabwe in the Champions Trophy after Douglas Hondo had destroyed the top order. That’s about it. To be fair to Kaif, batting at no.7 one doesn’t get too many opportunities to score big runs. However, with the Indian top order tottering for the whole of last season, he got ample of opportunities to prove his worth, only managing to fritter them away. Now with Kaif moving up the order, things seem to be improving- if only just. And the sword might be placed on Yuvraj’s throat who’s not done any better. Both Kaif and Yuvraj’s fielding might be a big plus point and they might be extremely talented with the bat too. But how long can one survive on talent? If that was the case, Vinod Kambli would never ever have been dropped.

The same applies to Dinesh Mongia who was played as the additional batsman in the 2003 World Cup ahead of Laxman for his supposedly superior fielding and bowling abilities. But what happened to the idea is no secret. After coming a cropper in all the games, Mongia has not managed to retain his spot in the team despite some excellent county outings.

While the motive behind Dravid taking up the gloves was not entirely fulfilled, he did have his moments behind the stumps. A league game in the Coca Cola Cup in Sharjah (the venue for some of One day cricket’s most unforgettable games before allegations of betting and match-fixing made the Indian government refuse permission to allow the team to play there and subsequently matches there have become non-existent in the last two years) in 99 comes to mind. Like on many other occasions, Mongia was once again felled by a Kumble delivery. Dravid took up the gloves and made a significant contribution behind the stumps. First, he stumped a well set Graeme Hick of state mate Sunil Joshi at a very crucial juncture. Then, in the dying moments of the game, he managed to hold on to an edge from Neil Fairbrother of stand in skipper Ajay Jadeja. This was the same match in which Jadeja ended up with magical figures of 1-0-3-3 as India pulled off an impressive victory with help from Dravid as makeshift keeper.

On the flipside, he has dropped a quite a few chances considered simple for a regular keeper. His hesitant stance behind the stumps won’t give much confidence to bowlers running in. Even his gathering of throws doesn’t seem very comfortable. But to his credit, Dravid has worked extremely hard as a keeper and no one can complain about his stint behind the stumps. After all it was something forced on him. And even while not being effective, one cannot recall any such instance that cost India dearly. Certainly nothing as grave as Gibbs dropping the World Cup courtesy of giving a reprieve to Steve Waugh in ‘ 99 or, looking at things from wicketkeeping point of view, Boucher letting off Stephen Fleming in the early stages of the 2003 edition. Both batsmen (skippers of their respective sides) went on to construct glorious centuries to lead their teams to victory.

Dravid’s extended spell as a keeper could be attributed to the fact that he scored four impressive tons (145 Vs SL at Taunton ’99, 109* Vs WI at Amhedabad 2002, 104 Vs UAE at Dambulla 2004, 103* Vs WI at Singapore ’99) and a 99 at Karachi as a keeper batsman. But as time passed by, the burdensome task of keeping began affecting his batting. Knowingly or unknowingly, he even started playing lofted shots without getting his eye in- something totally uncharacteristic of the man. Soon the runs too began drying up, and it was clear the time had come to relieve Dravid. He had enough of it. But not before the height of insanity was achieved when there were reports floating all over that Dravid might have to assume the role in the longer version too. Thankfully wisdom prevailed and Parthiv Patel (many felt Dravid could have done a much better job!!!) and later Dinesh Karthick assumed the responsibility. And with Mahendra Singh Dhoni making respectable strides in the one-day format, Dravid’s days as a keeper should finally be over unless some unforeseeable circumstances emerge.

Even if it did not produce the desired results, the experiment of Dravid as a keeping all-rounder was a novel one doubt. The Pakistanis were so awestruck by the idea that they decided to try out Younis Khan before Kamran Akmal’s performance overshadowed all those thoughts. As for India, with a new captain-coach combo in Dravid and Chappell, it’s time to move on from the makeshift wicketkeeper fixation as also the seven-batsman theory assuming Dhoni lives up to the early promise he has showed both with bat and gloves.

Rahul Dravid is one of the greatest batsman of the modern era and deserves to be remembered only and only that way.

India should groom Kaif as the No.3

At the time of writing this piece, India are engrossed in a battle for supremacy with the South Africans (who have come here at the back of an amazing, unbeaten 19 match streak) in a five match one-day series. And by the time the December issue of Cricket Today is out we will very know the fate of the series. Whatever the result, one thing is for sure, India’s performance in the preceding series against the Lankans will be always remembered with pride both the Indian cricketers and the fans on the whole.

A very striking aspect in the triumph over Sri Lanka was the number of experimentations undertaken, most of which did produce desired results. A constant change was seen in the No.3 position with Dhoni, Pathan, Yuvvraj, Kaif, Yadav and the captain Dravid performing the duties. However, while it is good to know the members of the team are open to adaptability, India have to be very careful not to overdo this and tinker around with the side too much, especially not with something as vital a slot as NO.3. This might sound paradoxical, as India have attained great success using this tactic so far. But even as the short-term results are good, continuation with testing different players for the one down spot could prove calamitous in the long run. After all, if flexibility is a crucial factor, equally important, or perhaps even more essential, is stability.

Dravid did mention after the Lankan series that the team requires players who are willing to enjoy every challenge thrown to them and not ones who get bogged down by it. While it’s exactly the way things should be, it’s always easier said than done. If a player is not aware as to where he is supposed to bat in the next game, there might be a case for him not being mentally prepared for the situation. This again doesn’t mean that the team should shun out all the modifications. They should be used but only sparingly as a surprise packet. As the issue of discussion here is the No.3 spot, it would be apt to say that the Dhonis and Pathans should be tried out but only in extreme situations, say when India are chasing a massive 300 plus or if the regulars are suffering from injury woes. That brings us to the big question- who should occupy the permanent No.3 spot? Rahul Dravid held possession of the vital number in the batting order for most part of his career. But post the arrival of Sehwag, Ganguly dropped himself one spot down the order and later even Laxman held fort a while. So now with both running out of favour in the shorter version of the game, should we revert back to Dravid? Well, not quite.

Since the days Dravid vacated his No.3 spot, circumstances have changed and in a big way. He’s off the burden of donning the ‘keeper’s gloves, thanks to M S Dhoni. Also Dravid is no longer a slow scorer in one dayers, a crucial factor that led to his axing in the late 90’s. Having developed the ability to play the big, airy shots and the odd cheeky strokes as well today Dravid is as dangerous as any one-day batsman- a tribute to the hard work put in by the man whom many had dubbed as Sanjay Manjrekar-II. As a result, he can be a great asset in the slog overs these days (His 50 of 22 balls against New Zealand in 2003 at Hyderabad is ample proof of his newly gained hard hitting ability). Another reason why, Dravid’s presence in the middle order is crucial is due to the lack of inexperience in lower order. While the likes of Dhoni, Pathan and Raina have been successful, an assured, guiding hand like Dravid will certainly do them no harm.

With Dravid out of the running, it leaves us with two major choices- Kaif & Yuvraj. The two great buddies seem inseparable from each other. After all, Yuvraj won the Man of the Series in the Under-19 World Cup under the captaincy of who else but Mhd. Kaif. Then, at the international level, their Lords partnership will, without an iota of doubt, be rated among the best ever. If that’s not all, both are unofficially competing for the throne of India’s best fielder. And so there should be no surprise that both are in the reckoning for the No.3 spot.

Last issue we discussed about who would be the better choice for the Test squad with Kaif getting the thumbs up. And this time too, the lad from UP has his nose in front for reasons which shouldn’t be unobvious. Kaif has been tried out at the No.3 spot before against Pakistan and had reasonably fruitful outings. Having said that, it’s not going to be easy for him by any means to step into the Dravid’s giant shoes’. There are definitely a few aspects of his game that he has to work on. His technique is reasonably sound and competent. Too often, though, he gets trapped on the backfoot by the incoming deliveries while his flirtatious tendency to poke at widish deliveries has also got him into trouble. Another highly essential weapon missing from his armoury is the ability to produce the big strokes. With scores in one-day cricket constantly touching the 320-330 mark, it has almost become a prerequisite for all batsmen to know how to clear the field. Kaif only has to look as far as his skipper to gain confidence that he too can develop his skills in this regard. Also, Kaif himself is known as one of the hardest workers in the Indian team and a highly committed one at that. He’s got all the basics to be a good No.3 batsman and all that is needed is some good fine-tuning. So it is essential for the Indian team management to groom him properly.

If Kaif indeed occupies the No.3 position, the responsibility on his shoulders will be tremendous, as he will have to play the role of an anchor. There are some other issues too which make Kaif’s slot even more crucial. With Virender Sehwag as opener, you certainly aren’t sure what is going to transpire out in the middle. Also with age and injury, Tendulkar’s consistency levels have also dipped to a certain extent. It is pretty evident that his reflexes are slowing down. (The writer overheard some stalwarts of Indian cricket discussing this at a cricket meet some time back.) This is not to take anything away from the Little Maestro though. He began his international at the age of 16 when the other superstars of this era like Gilchrist and Lara were probably still busy with their studies. Sachin has spent half his life on the cricket field and it is but obvious that the rigours of international cricket have taken its toll on his body.

And looking at the middle order, Yuvraj Singh comes into the picture once again. Apart from Dravid, he’s the only experienced middle order batsman in the squad. But his consistency levels aren’t good enough as yet for him to be considered as a dependable bat. Yuvraj’s performance ratio is highly disappointing, with a big score coming from his willow only twice or thrice in ten games, which means every time his place in the team is in doubt, he comes up with a fruitful knock. Having followed the lanky left-hander’s career over the past five years, it is pretty clear that you cannot judge him on form. He is one of those freakish cricketers who, on his day, can demolish the best of attacks and on other days struggle to score even against part-timers. Considering his tremendous ability and talent plus fielding skills, it is very difficult to leave him out. But his inconsistency amplifies the need for a stabilizing influence like Dravid in the middle overs.

India have now entered a rebuilding phase with a new skipper-coach combo at the helm of affairs. The Indian team has seen many a low in the past season which led to constant chopping and changing. But the current squad comprising a blend of youth and experience is showing good promise. And if Kaif too can deliver consistent results at the pivotal No.3 spot, it will go a long way in helping India become a force in international cricket once again, something last seen in the 2002-03 season under Sourav Ganguly. And it is no co-incidence that Kaif was the one who began the scripting of that glorious phase in Indian cricket with his match winning 87 not out in the Natwest Final. Though he faded away later, his innings did give India a renewed confidence, which saw them holding the Australians to a 1-1 draw in the Test series in their home den and a few months later demolishing the Pakistanis in Pakistan.

Time for history to repeat itself? Well, let’s wait and watch.

Kaif deserves a Test spot ahead of Yuvraj

The previous issue of Cricket Today dealt with the significance of Yuvraj and Kaif to the one –day side; how both players have managed to keep their form going even when the rest of the more experienced members of the side have struggled miserably. And they rightfully are worthy of all the laurels being showered upon them.

However when it comes to selection for the Test team, things are a bit different. With the Indian middle order being so strong (at least on paper) there isn’t enough space for both to walk into the Test squad. And hence the big issue as to which of these youngsters should make it to the playing XI whenever the opportunity arises. After his showing in the last two one-day tournaments, it was almost taken for granted that the position left vacant courtesy Sachin’s tennis elbow would be occupied by the ever-improving Mhd. Kaif.

But that did not happen. Instead, a huge furore erupted and rightly so as Yuvraj Singh was included ahead of the in-form Mhd. Kaif in the Bulawayo Test. Of course what happened later totally overshadowed the whole controversy (the Chappell-Ganguly spat). But still, Kaif’s exclusion is a serious issue. Especially after considering his current performances in the Zimbabwe triangular series (277 runs from five innings). Even before that, he had some impressive scores in the series’ in the Sri Lanka triangular (180 runs from five innings) and the home series against Pakistan. In the longer version of the game too he showed he has the mettle to succeed against the best in the world by scoring two consecutive half-centuries against the Australians when they toured here last. If this is not consistency, then what is?

On the other hand, Yuvraj also has come on in leaps and bounds during this short season so far. But the fact remains that he is a flamboyant strokemaker and is more likely to get out to rash strokes, which we have often seen him doing in the past. India already have too many too many attacking batsmen in the Test team (Sehwag, Laxman and now Gambhir) and someone in the Dravid mould is needed to steady the innings. That someone has to be none other than Mhd.Kaif.

There are a few attributes that definitely give an edge to Kaif over Yuvraj when it comes to performing in the longer version of the game. His mental toughness has come to the fore on quite a few occasions. The one instance that instantly that springs to mind is when he came into bat against the world champs despite suffering from severe cramps. Kaif had registered his half-century before that and even though he could not add too much to his score considering his physical limitations at that point of time, it unraveled the fighting the nature of the man. He was eventually run out for 64 not being able to regain his ground after realizing that he had a runner.

Also Kaif has proved to be a good finisher. This was evident as far back as the 2002 Natwest final at Lords when the young duo of Yuvraj and Kaif stunned the cricketing world with their breathtaking partnership. It is not to take anything away from Yuvraj’s knock. But, harsh as it may seem on Yuvraj, the truth remains that his innings will be remembered all the more only because Kaif managed to stay on till the end and finish the game. Even though the two set up the game for India magnificently, Yuvraj left at a stage after which the match could have gone either ways. But Kaif showed his maturity in such a tense situation. It is at times like these that you judge the true worth of a player. Even his contribution of 35 in the tensest of games in the 2003 World Cup against Pakistan was worth its weight in gold.

For most of their one-day careers, both Yuvi and Kaif have been major disappointments. The talent was there for all to see, the results however weren’t. But of late, things have changed and both have shown an amount of maturity and looked more consistent than ever before. While Kaif’s performance has improved tremendously even since his promotion to the top of the order, Yuvraj too has scored 2 ODI centuries in a short span of time, be it against weak teams like West Indies and Zimbabwe. But considering Kaif’s current form and his above mentioned attributes, there should have been no reason for him to have been left out of the Test XI against Zimbabwe.

But Sourav Ganguly doesn’t believe so. "Both Yuvraj and Kaif are playing well but Yuvraj has a better Test record than Kaif at the moment," was how Sourav defended the decision to play Yuvraj at Bulawayo. Looking at the Test record of the two, you will find that both have played almost the same number of matches with Yuvraj indeed having a slightly better record (Kaif- 7 matches, average 24.50, highest 64) & (Yuvraj- 8 matches, average 33.89, highest 112). Having said that, it is too early to get statistically inclined. In fact, though stats can’t be untrue, they can often be misleading. In Kaif’s case, he played some of his Tests at the very beginning of his international career when he was way too raw. But of late, he’s blossomed into a full-fledged cricketer and his performance merits a Test berth. As such, Kaif should be the preferred choice over Yuvraj for the Test matches for the betterment of Indian cricket. That wasn’t the case in Bulawayo raising the million-dollar question- is consistent performance the only criteria of selection for India? And the answer is plain, simple NO.

Media has often been criticized for creating non-existing rifts between players in the past. But in the current scenario there cannot be any other explanation given other than politics and favouritism. What else can explain Yuvraj’s selection above Kaif when the right-hander has been the most consistent performer this season, outdoing even the regular contender for this post- Rahul Dravid? If Kaif is not given a chance despite such wonderful performances, it will definitely leave a big question in his mind as to what more he needs to do to attain a spot in the longer version, which he must definitely feel he deserves.

It is no secret that Ganguly does favour a few players in the Indian team whom he rates highly. Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Zaheer are definitely among the lot. And to be honest, Ganguly has proved that he has the knack of spotting fine talent. But on the other hand, there were a few players who never got the full backing of the skipper because he probably did not believe they were all that good. How many of you remember Sarandeep Singh who represented India in a few Tests at the start of the millennium? He played in a handful of Tests but even against a weak team like Zimbabwe, Ganguly did not give him a fair bowl. Then even the left-armers like Murali Karthik and Sunil Joshi were often ignored by the skipper probably because he did not rate that kind of species highly as he himself was exceptional against left armers during the peak of his career. Another glaring example is that of opener Akash Chopra who had done a reasonable job for India during the Australian tour and yet Ganguly came out with the statement that Yuvraj was being considered as opener for future Tests. Everybody knew the results of that misadventure in advance. And it wasn’t too different from what was expected; Yuvraj struggled as an opener and Chopra lost him form after being publicly disowned by his skipper.

Ganguly’s experiments have always been like a double-edged sword; they either work out magnificently or backfire horrendously. He did stretch his luck too far though at times. And at least in the case of Kaif some logical thinking ought to be applied.

Speaking of Ganguly, he himself doesn’t fit into the scheme of things for India anymore, at least not in the longer version of the game where he doesn’t merit a place anymore, more so after his struggle to crawl towards a century even against arguably the easiest attack in the world. Ganguly has done some great things for Indian cricket over the years but the time has come for Indian cricket to look in the forward direction. So it shouldn’t be too difficult for the selectors to shut the door on the Prince of Kolkatta and give Kaif his hard earned Test spot. As for Yuvraj, he too should get his chances but not ahead of Kaif despite that fact that he is more talented of the two. Kaif is worthy of the spot because he has done more than enough to earn it on the basis of pure merit.

In the present scenario, the best possible Test team is incomplete without Kaif’s inclusion and Indian will only benefit from this decision will shouldn’t be too difficult. Hope the Indian team management is listening.

The mystery of Pathiv Patel’s selection

The BCCI selection committee has a long history of springing surprises time and again-the whole Sourav Ganguly fiasco is proof enough. And as if it had to live up to its tradition, out of no where, discarded wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel was brought back into the squad for the Tests against Pakistan as a standby for Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Though Ganguly’s inclusion made all the headlines, Parthiv’s selection also deserves some pondering upon. After all, he was dropped from international cricket some months back on the pretext that his keeping skills needed plenty of sharpening up before he can be considered for the international level once again.

So do the men who matter think that Parthiv has made the necessary adjustments? Well, there certainly weren’t any talks of that sort prior to the selection for the Pakistan tour. And so his surprise inclusion is bound to raise quite a few eyebrows. The commoner would definitely not be able to comprehend the logic behind the decision. Only the ones closely involved with Indian cricket will know about it.

The issue is that now that he is part of the team will be get a chance to prove whether he’s improved his keeping to the desired level. Unfortunately, his chances are very slim as Dhoni has made the slot his own. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that unless an injury occurs Dhoni will remain the first choice keeper and all Patel would be doing is cooling his heels in the dressing room. Of course there will be some net practice. But how often have we heard cricketers saying that nothing can replace match practice. So wouldn’t it have been better for Parthiv to keep honing his skills in domestic cricket? In the eventuality of an injury, a second wicket-keeper could have easily been flown in.

Knowing the bizarre ways of the Indian selectors, we could very well find Parthiv being shown the door for the next series. It has happened to many players before and we all know how negative an impact it could have on the players. As it is, one feels Parthiv’s early induction into the international did him more harm than good. After all, everybody cannot be a Sachin Tendulkar to succeed at the big the stage at a very tender age.

The youngest wicket-keeper to play Test cricket, Parthiv’s career showed ample of promise in the initial stages. But with time, his incompetence behind the stumps was there for all to see. He first announced himself on the giant stage as a batsmen with a gritty knock of 19* against England at Trent Bridge in his debut Test. More that the number of runs, it was the situation under which it was scored it that impressed one and all. That knock lasting over an hour helped India save the game and they subsequently went on to square the closely contested series 1-1. Parthiv contribution was all the more admirable as he had fallen without scoring in the first innings, his debut knock in Test cricket. Alec Stewart and Nasser Hussain cuddling the baby-faced keeper after the completion of the game will remain one of sweetest sights ever witnessed on a cricket field. Parthiv Patel had announced himself on the cricket field and soon, comparisons were being drawn with Tendulkar’s arrival on international scene against Pakistan back in 1989. But it very much turned out to be a case of counting the chickens before they hatch.

What followed in the games to come were innumerable number of missed chances, a whole lot of extras conceded via byes and leg byes and loads and loads of frustration for the bowlers especially the spinners, Kumble & co.

The dilemma for selectors was that even as he was committing what can be termed as elementary blunders behind the stumps, he batting only grew in confidence with every passing game. There was an impressive 62 at Sydney scored at a rather rapid pace against the world champions. That wasn’t all, India’s merry go round with the openers slot meant that Patel had to perform the duties in one of the games against Pakistan during their memorable tour of ’04. But the gritty wicket-keeper took up the challenge and produced a quality knock of 69 against the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and co. But despite his consistency with the will, his flaws behind the wickets were proving just too fatal to be ignored.

And so finally, the selectors had to take the extreme step of relieving Patel from his keeping miseries after the third Test against Australia during the latter’s last visit to India. It was felt the youngster was better of playing domestic cricket for a while and getting his basics right. This after he was blooded into international cricket without having played a single Ranji trophy game- an occurrence which can be described as nothing less than bizarre.

Many past wicket-keeper’s have analysed Patel’s obvious shortcomings and hopefully they would have even helped him to set things right. Although the technical aspects are better dealt with by the experts, for the naked eye, his tendency to get up far too early seemed to be one of his major shortcomings. Also for someone so young and short, his reflexes were far from quicksilver. Everyone concerned was banking on the fact that with time, he would definitely improve. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and, on the contrary, he only seemed to be going from bad to worse.

Now with Dhoni having made such a deadly impact with bat, it would be very difficult for anyone, leave aside Patel to dislodge him from the Indian squad. Poor Dinesh Karthik had done reasonably well with both bat and gloves. But Dhoni’s talent was far too exceptional to be ignored. Add to it, he had backed it up with some huge scores too. Even though Dhoni’s keeping skills too aren’t extraordinary, he’s still the one who seems to commit the least amount of mistakes behind the stumps among the current lot of keepers India have at their disposal.

Despite his chances looking bleak, it has been seen that Patel possesses immense mental strength. This was seen when he faced the best blowers with utmost confidence despite having an awful time behind the stumps. But it would be fair to say that if anyone deserved a spot as replacement keeper, it had to go to Dinesh Karthik. Though Kartik himself had not done too much wrong, the latter’s dropping did create as much uproar as it was one of the rare cases of him being replaced by someone way too talented, at least with the bat. If at all, one could sympathise for the Tamil Nadu stumper.

Even since Mongia’s exclusion, the wicket-kepeer’s slot has been a big bone of contention in Indian cricket. Numerous ones have been tried our for this crucial slot, Dahiya, Dasgupta, Ratra… the list goes on. Some couldn’t perform up to the expected levels while others fell victim to unfair selection policy. Even though Dhoni has performed exceedingly well thus far, his biggest ‘Test’ will come against the likes of Australia and South Africa when India tour abroad.

But if Dhoni continues to perform in the present vein, we could have a situation very similar to one of Warne and MacGill, with the last mentioned preferred only on occasions when the great leggie is either unfit or the pitch demands MacGill’s inclusion. If that’s the case, India will quickly have to workout who their second choice wicket-keeper will be. Australia often have Brad Haddin as their replacement to Adam Gilchrist. And it’s important that India too have a couple of bankable ‘keepers who they could rely in case Dhoni is unfit or needs to be rested. With the Indians playing cricket almost round the year, it’s a matter which definitely has to be looked into. We are all seeing how non-stop cricket has affected Gilchrist lately. And India definitely cannot afford Dhoni to hit a low patch.

Even though the timing of Parthiv’s selection is highly puzzling, now that the selectors have decided to give him another chance, (at least his selection hints so) it will be crucial that he gets an opportunity to prove how much he has refined his keeping instead of dumping him. But will that really happen? The answer will most probably be a big NO. And we really don’t know what will be the eventual fate of Dinesh Karthik.

It was not for no reason that Sunil Gavaskar had once referred to the BCCI as Board of Complete Confusion in India!

Whoever said cricket is a team game?

“A captain has to be able to motivate his team. He can’t afford to be selfish. With this captain, it is not for the love of the game anymore, it’s for him.” This is what recently retired West Indian wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs had to say about Brian Lara, the skipper he played all his international cricket under. Skirmishes between senior members of a team are not unknown. The most recent example was the tiff between Younis Khan and Inzamam-Ul-Haq. But it more so when a cricketer is at the fag end of his career as people get opportunities to take every possible dig at players they have not shared a very good relation with.

Examine this. West Indies have struggled miserably throughout the late 90’s and of course in the new millennium. Amidst all the chaos, the only saving grace has been a man named Brian Charles Lara. With the help of Courtney Walsh and Curtley Ambrose, Lara helped West Indies through to a few incredible wins in the late 90’s. But ever since the legendary bowling duo retired, Lara has been left all alone in the deep sea. With hardly any support from the other end, he has on occasions single handedly led the team to victory. His knocks during the Australia’s ’99 tour to the West Indian nation were sensational to say the least. The Caribbeans drew the series 2-2 thanks largely to Brian Lara who pulverised the great Aussie attack. On many occasions, his great knocks have gone in vain as the other players could not capitalise on it. There cannot be any better case in point that the tour of Sri Lanka at the start of the new millennium. Brian Lara made a mockery of the Sri Lankan attack, and even forced the great Muttiah Muralitharan to accept that Lara is the toughest batsman to bowl to in world cricket. When a single batsman scores 688 runs in three Tests, you would never expect the team to lose. But that’s the pitiable state of West Indies cricket. They were clean sweeped 3-0 in the series and Brian Lara had nothing to show for his efforts in the form of results. Most of his stupendous knocks in the recent home series’ against South Africa and Pakistan have also been in vain.

And today as Lara is giving the finishing touches to what has been a very flourishing yet somewhat chequered career, we have someone who played all his life under Lara coming out in harsh criticism of the former skipper. Ironically, Jacobs’ comments have come at a time when it looks like Lara is actually at the peak of his career. To score 400 at the age of 35 speaks volumes for the ability and endurance of Brian Lara. It is said that actions speak louder than words. So even if Lara might not have been a great verbal motivator as captain, weren’t his magical innings against the world’s best enough to inspire the team. It has to be agreed given the immense talent the Trinidadian possessed he should have done a lot better. But then how easy is it for an individual to motivate himself when he knows that whatever good he does will be undone by the other 10 guys in the team? At the end of the day, cricket is a team game, and however well an individual does, it will very rarely translate into a match winning performance unless the other members of the team support him. Only of late has Shivnaraine Chanderpaul began to show the consistency that was expected of him all his career. Chris Gayle and the likes are immensely talented but lack the consistency required for this level of cricket. The biggest problem West Indies cricket is facing is the lackalasdial approach of the players. Somewhere the inspiration is lacking. And if playing for the country cannot spur them on, then no captain let alone Lara can turn the fortunes of the team around. It might sound a bit harsh, but give a team like Australia even Lara can deliver almost cent percent results as a captain. The real Test of a captain comes when he has to lead an under strength side. And that’s why Lara’s job has been that much more harder as compared to his other adversaries. Even though now he is not the skipper, West Indies aren’t faring any better under Chanderpaul, a clear indication that a captain is only as good as its team. Jacobs’ outburst thus can only be put down to some personal grudges he must have had against his former skipper. It’s common knowledge that the now retired keeper was shown the door because there were question marks regarding his attitude apart from him being involved in an infamous ‘fake’ stumping incident when he knocked off the bails without the ball in his gloves.

Our own Sachin Tendulkar has also been under fire of late. And again it’s because he’s performing way below par. But while Lara’s form has been a bit wrecked in phases, it has never been the case with Sachin until the dreaded tennis elbow came his way. Before that he even suffered a severe back injury and ever since the master batsman has never been the same free flowing Sachin we saw for a big chunk of the ‘90’s. Sachin, for most part, has played in a team where he was the lone ranger. It was only after the Sourav-Wright duo came together that things began to change in Indian cricket. And along with time, he’s moved on from being a dazzling strokemaker to an accumulator of runs- a change which has not gone down well with many cricket aficionados. But as long as India was winning, nobody bothered too much about it. Now that the team is in doldrums, there are calls from different sections of the cricket fraternity that Sachin is not a match winner.

In today’s context, it may be true that the ‘Bombay Bomber’ is not the same force he once used to be in international cricket. But then why blame him majorly for India’s pathetic showing of late. No one is bigger than this great game and Sachin too knows it, but there are others too who have to be equally liable for the team’s dismal results in the last season. It seems like Sachin may never be back to his best as Greg Chappel said. If that’s the case, why not let him settle in the team as a senior player. Sachin has been a match winner all his life, and the time has come for someone else to take over the mantle. For Sachin himself, he has first to comeback after being fully fit and decide as to what role he has to play in the team. Players like Sachin and Lara are born once in a generation and the respective teams cannot afford to let them go without getting the best out of them. It’s strange but true that most great players (especially from India) played in really weak teams throughout their career. Probably this is what forces people more than anything else into making statements criticising the great player when he is not performing. But then is this the right thing to do?.

The sad part is that this mud slinging is not new in cricket. Even greats like Sunil Gavaskar and Javed Miandad were subject to such denigration. Anybody who knows anything about cricket will agree that here are two great cricketers who did yeoman service for their countries and least deserved any such kind of treatment. Everyone is aware that the legendary Kapil Dev stretched his career by a few matches to break envious record of the great Sir. Richard Hadlee. And there were talks all around that Kapil was playing only for personal milestones at that point. He’s the same man who bowled with an injured leg in a Test match in Melboune 1981 and helped India win the game by picking up five scalps. He was highly ineffective at the end of his career no doubt. But even those few extra wickets that he picked, were for ‘Team India’ apart from adding to his own crowning glory.

Very few cricketers quit when they are on the top of their game. Even the great Sir Donald Bradman had a rare failure when he was out for a second ball duck to Eric Hollies in his farewell Test. The fact that Sir Don Bradman did not achieve the magical average of 100 is a remembrance for generations to come that no one in this game can achieve perfection. The current Indian coach Greg Chappell was one of the rare exceptions who ended his career in the best possible way- with a ton in his final Test. When a player is towards the last stages of his career, it is but natural that he won’t be as consistent as in his heyday. It doesn’t mean coming out with your personal grudges against a soon to be retired cricketer. There are some cricketers who really struggle during their last few days. And if they still aren’t willing to go, the selectors have no other option but to go the unceremonious way of sacking them. But that should be the last option. For ones who have given so much for their country, players like Lara and Sachin need to be given a dignified send off. Though the latter’s retirement seems a long way off, considering his current injury graph we might well see his career curtailed to some extent.

But the bottom line remains that cricket is a team game and the Laras and Sachins of this great sport deserve to be given that much more respect for bringing so much glory to their respective nations through their marvellous individual achievements.

Two to Tango: Smith & de Villers

Cricketers, they say, hunt in pairs. Be it the deadly Waqar-Wasim combo or the smashing Gilchrist-Hayden duo, it has often been a case of ‘double trouble’ for the opposition in this unpredictable game. And after their performance againt the West Indies, chances are that the new South African openers Graeme Smith and A B de Villers can be on the list of dangerous opening pairs in the future. The recently concluded Test series against Caribbean nation saw them plundering three century partnerships in succession, which played a major role in Proteas clinching the series. Smith, who’s had an on and off time with the bat especially since taking on the burdensome job of captaincy, was consistency personified with three tons in the four match series and deservedly ended up picking the Man of the Series trophy. More importantly though, South Africa had won the series after almost going down to a depleted West Indies side in the first Test when the top Caribbean stars were unavailable for selection due to a contract dispute.

The series also saw the emergence of a young 21-year-old named Abraham de Villers who seems poised to take over the hot that was left vacant post Gary Kirsten’s retirement. The openers of any team play a big part in the team’s overall success. It is no coincidence that sides dominating world cricket for a reasonable amount of time have had a great opening pair. Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge were pivotal for their side for over a decade. Though the fast bowlers were considered the main raison d'être why West Indies did so well in 70’s and 80’s, the contribution of Haynes and Greenidge has never be underestimated. Even Australia’s prolonged run of wins in Test cricket has come in a period where first Taylor and Slater and now Hayden and Langer have scored heavily in tandem. So the emergence of Smith and de Villers as a successful opening pair is an extremely healthy sign for the future of South African cricket.

Like Smith, de Villers also scored heavily in the series and except for the first two Tests where he had a problem with deliveries short outside the off-stump, was the cynosure of all eyes in the South African dressing room. The talented youngster bludgeoned two centuries and impressed on and all with his stroke play, especially his square drive on the off-side. The West Indies bowlers also helped him providing him the width needed and bowling too many no balls- one from Reon King crashed into his stumps but he could do nothing except being frustrated.

The debate as to why Gibbs was replaced from the opening slot should now be put to rest with the arrival of de Villers. Gibbs and Smith shared three triple century partnerships during their tenure together at the top- a marvellous feat. But the fact remains that their partnership at the top of the order did not translate into too many victories. When Gibbs skipped the tour of India fearing arrest for his role in the match fixing scandal, the Proteas experimented by pushing the versatile Andrew Hall up the order. And he succeeded in a big way on that tour. But that was always going to be a stopgap arrangement as Hall was by no means a full-fledged opener. True, it can be argued that Sehwag is also the same. But players like the Nawab of Najafgarh come once in a generation and with all due respect to Hall’s batting ability, he his no where as near talented as our Delhi lad. Even India have tried opening with middle and lower order batsmen like VVS Laxman and Sanjay Bangar only to ruin their careers in the process.

Coming back to the South African opening woes, while Smith kept getting the big ones, he also had a string of low scores last year. Gibbs, on the other hand, was struggling in the one-day format and subsequently was pushed down in the order in the longer version too, which gave de Villers an opportunity to prove his mettle. Although he did not get big scores in the series against England, there were enough signs to prove that here was some one who could serve his country for long. And then came the big series against West Indies, which saw de Villers display his talent to the whole world on the big stage.

After throwing his wicket away in the first few innings, he saw the Proteas through to victory in the second Test. With confidence gained, he then teamed up with skipper Smith to hammer the not so impressive Caribbean attack in the next two Tests. Their opening stands in the last two Tests makes for more than an impressive reading. Stands of 70, 117, 191, 245, 14 are numbers any team would vouch for with especially when you have someone as inexperienced as de Villers at the top of the order. With the emergence of de Villers, it is safe to assume that the hunt for a replacement to Kirsten is finally over unless there is a drastic loss of form in de Villers’ batting or the confidence of the West Indian tour goes to his head. It has happened to many players before him who were extremely talented. So it’s of utmost importance that De Villers guards against complacency. His knocks against the West Indians were brilliant ones no doubt. But he has to keep in mind that in today’s times, West Indies are the most depleted side among the top eight excluding Zimababwe and Bangladesh. His real Test will come when he takes on the likes of McGrath and Co.

Also De Villers himself is playing in a South African side that is not the force they once used to be in world cricket when they were considered the second best only behind Australia. But there are definite signs that this team is slowly but surely improving. After the Test series reverses against England they came back pretty well to conquer the one-day tournament. But their overall performance in the new millennium has been well below par. And this can be attributed to a couple of very vital factors, which changed the face of South African cricket. First and foremost came the Hansie Cronje scandal which still haunts the cricket world. Once the most respected guys in world cricket, Cronje had brought the game and his country to shame. And South African cricket was never the same after that. Shaun Pollock, who was supposed to be the future skipper, was thrust with the captaincy overnight. And it only led to more turmoil. The grand event of the World Cup was to be held in the Proteas’ nation for the first time. And all excepted South Africa to atleast make it to the final four. But as things turned out, they were knocked out due to a grave misinterpretation of the Duckworth Lewis format. The pathetic state of South African cricket was evident from the fact that a few days later Lance Klusener, who for the second consecutive World Cup found himself unbeaten but on the wrong side (remember the ’99 World Cup semi-final?), commented that he felt like quitting the game and going on a fishing spree. Also the retirement of Rhodes and Kirsten sometime later left a big void in the South African batting order, which still looks a bit fragile at times.

Amidst all the ruins, Graeme Smith all of 22 years old and till then not a permanent fixture in the side, was asked to take over the mantle of leading the side from Shaun Pollock. Today almost two years down the line, he has partially transformed the team into a not so strong but competitive unit. The South Africans have now entered a phase in their rebuilding stage where they look like a team which can give most sides a run for their in the future as they gain more experience and confidence. And as the Proteas usher into a new era, their openers de Villers and Smith will play a pivotal role and in a big way determine the future of South African cricket.

Australian cricket: What lies in store?

As expected, Australia trounced minnows Bangladesh in the recently concluded Test and ODI series. But while they did manage a clean sweep, their performance was highly patchy in phases- a definite warning signal for the future of Australian cricket. The struggle against a mediocre batting line up on the opening day of the first Test at Fatullah raises the million dollar question once again. Who after McGrath, Warne and co?

Except for the comeback man Jason Gillespie, the Aussie bowling line up- till not long back the most feared - looked completely pedestrian. This despite the presence of Brett Lee, Shane Warne and Stuart Clark, who put in an impressive Man of the Series performance in the preceding series against the Proteas. But the absence of McGrath was clearly felt even against a weak opposition like Bangladesh.

Stuart Clark is tipped to be the next big thing in Australian cricket. But it would be unfair to except him to fit into the giant boots of McGrath. Of course, Clark proved to be a more than adequate replacement in the series against South Africa. But the fact remains that bowlers like the 'Pigeon' come once in a generation. Thankfully for Australia, Gillespie has made a successful return to international cricket - though it seems more of a consolation.

The main worry remains as to who would replace the ageing generation of Aussie superstars. And also how long the present bunch of players must carry on their national duties, considering the tight schedule of international matches these days. The question has assumed all the more importance post Australia's Ashes debacle. Even lately, though, Australia's performance continues to be consistent, there have been enough signs that their domination of world cricket isn't guaranteed any longer. At least not in the shorter version of the game.

South Africa proved this when they chased down the now famous world record score of 434 on way to their 3-2 series victory. This game could turn out to be a defining one for world cricket as it should make other major teams believe that Australia are no longer unassailable. They did come back like true champions in the Test series but the tour of subsequent tour of Bangladesh exposed their failings once again.

Player burnout can be attributed as one of the factors - more so with this team because most of the experienced cricketers in the side are past 30. Adam Gilchrist has been the biggest sufferer. Once having an incredible average of close to 60 in Test cricket, his consistency has come down drastically. It required a break from the rigours of international cricket to rejuvenate him. And it came in very handy as he's beginning to look lethal once again. In fact, it required a match-winning effort from Gilchrist to turn around Australia's fortunes in the Fatullah Test against Bangladesh.

Sadly for Australian cricket, he's not going to be around for too long. Neither are the others like Hayden, Langer and Martyn. Even as Ricky Ponting seems to be getting better with age, Michael Clarke has failed to live up to the promise he showed in India on his debut. While his one-day performances have been satisfactory, this man - who was compared to Mark Waugh in his earlier days - is yet to earn his stripes in Test cricket, if one goes by recent performances.

Not long from now, Aussie cricket will enter a phase wherein they will have to take the field minus most of their prominent stars. And it would be intriguing to watch whether the next set of cricketers are able to carry on the great legacy of Australian cricket. West Indies failed to do so once the likes of Haynes, Greenidge, Richards and the other menacing fast bowlers retired. In fact, to this day, the team is in a state of rebuilding. It can be safely assumed that Australian cricket wouldn't meet with such a fate considering the excellent standard of their domestic structure.

As of today, Aussies are still the numero uno side in world cricket. The Poms - their closest competitor- have been rather inconsistent since tasting success in the Ashes. But whether the world champions manage to maintain that halo of invincibility in the years to come remains to be seen.