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Sight Screen

Friday, August 26, 2005

India-NZ thread

Good morning, all...
New day, new series, new rules -- supersubs, power plays et al -- and Saurav says, quite right too, that it's time to put the Board's scheduling mess ups and related aggravations behind and focus on the cricket. (That incidentally would be what the Board counts on -- that the games will distract from the earlier brouhaha, all will be forgotten soon enough, and they can go back to dreaming up new ways to screw up).
Haven't been to bed yet, actually... let me go grab a wake up shower, make coffee, and get back before the game begins.
Will be in the comments field. Oh, and? If I get blocked again (you know how nice some folks can be), no issues. Will post fresh comments, as they occur to me, on the main page.

posted by Prem Panicker at 2:57 AM

744 Comments:

  • Welcome back Prem!

    Here's hoping for a good day's cricket!

    By Blogger Surmizer, at 03:13  

  • not planning to wake up for the game.. but its always nice to read the comment deluge later on.. :) More power to Prem!! :)

    By Blogger Rahul, at 03:20  

  • Rahul, how do you mean wake up? Game is in five minutes, pal, and you *are* up. *L*
    First crack out of the box, meanwhile, India gets to figure out its power plays -- and if a bowler gets tonked, even the supersub option. Should be interesting to see how they do on those two counts.

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:22  

  • good to have u back for this game,prem.. dont have streamin, no tv either.. will have to follow the game on cricinfo and comments here, i guess :(

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 03:23  

  • Goodmorning Prem,

    NZ won the toss and batting

    By Blogger Neelan, at 03:23  

  • Prem,

    Indian team as in Cricinfo.

    *SC Ganguly, V Sehwag, R Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, M Kaif,
    +MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, IK Pathan, A Nehra, AB Agarkar,
    Jai P Yadav.

    I guess JPY is slated to be the sub.

    By Blogger Surmizer, at 03:24  

  • Um, but that team makes for just 11 names, no?

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:25  

  • ya. realized that after posting. got to wait and watch.

    By Blogger Surmizer, at 03:25  

  • India - Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj
    Singh, Mohammad Kaif, MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan,
    Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra, JP Yadav and Venugopal Rao(Supersub).

    By Blogger Shekhar Kale, at 03:26  

  • ok.. cricinfo says V Rao as the sub.

    By Blogger Surmizer, at 03:26  

  • Shane Bond is supersub.
    So .. which batsman will go out ?
    Vincent ?

    By Blogger Shekhar Kale, at 03:28  

  • Hmmm... unusual choice. If a bowler goes for a few, do you dare bring in Rao to sub for him? When he was a full fledged member of the side, he rarely bowled... wonder what the thinking here is?

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:29  

  • Prem, I meant, I'll prolly go to sleep in an hour or so.. not planning to wake up beech mein...

    By the way, I see that Shane Bond is supersub for NZ!! how did Fleming know that he's going to bat first!!! I mean, it could've backfired if they had to bowl first... having to completely waste the supersub advantage in that case.. right now, it has become a HUGE advantage.. having shane bond coming in at the expense of a batsman will really be great for NZ.. but really, what was their plan when deciding on him?

    By Blogger Rahul, at 03:29  

  • Right, want to watch an over or three, get a feel for what the pitch is up to. See you guys in a few

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:29  

  • Team composition looks good. This super-sub rule should help teams with more *specialists* than allrounders as they can have a batsman as super sub if they're playing five bowlers (like today) or have a bowler as super-sub if they're playing six batsman.

    By Blogger Anurag, at 03:31  

  • Argh - hearing Ravi Shastri and Arun Lal 'commentate' is like having your molar pulled out and an enema administered at the same time...

    By Blogger Piyush, at 03:33  

  • I guess they never planned on sub-ing rao for a bowler. Just wanted to buffer the batting with having only 5 batsmen.

    Also, wonder how both the teams have got the sub spot on to gowith the order of innings:-)

    Will not happen in every match. They defnitely need to sort this one.

    By Blogger Surmizer, at 03:33  

  • pathan bowling beautifully... he has short crop hair for a change.

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 03:34  

  • LOL piyush

    By Blogger Neelan, at 03:34  

  • Interesting option by India. Really hope Yadav delivers.....an all rounder will boost the team strength if he performs

    By Blogger Sid, at 03:34  

  • I'd say venugopal is a good choice in this situation as India can easily drop Nehra and bring him in when batting... but again, how did India know that they are going to chase? Have they changed the rule so that supersubs can be chosen after the toss? Both Shane Bond and Venugopal Rao would make complete sense in that case.

    By Blogger Rahul, at 03:35  

  • Now that's the heck of an interesting over -- the other day, Zimbabwe inserted because apparently, the only time this pitch does something is really early on. Pathan got the ball to do things, seems in good rhythm... to perpetuate a one day cliche, these first ten overs could hold the key to the game.

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:35  

  • pathan - madien to begin with!!

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 03:35  

  • actually, with so many alrounders in the new zealand side, its not that bad an idea to have shane bond as it seems.. see if the current bowlers are doin any good. if so, nice and good. else, substitute one of those alrounders and get bond in.. but which one? big question.. the indians dont think will count on rao to bowl.. they have sehwag/gangs for that purpose.. maybe all they want him only to bat..

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 03:36  

  • awesome !

    By Blogger Shekhar Kale, at 03:36  

  • The problem as always will be the fifth bowler, especially against a strong batting unit. Pathan's first over was good but that really isn't where the game will be won or ( most likely) lost.

    By Blogger Piyush, at 03:37  

  • good yorker by nehra...

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 03:38  

  • or can u choose the supersub after the toss!!! by the way, nice start.. hope morning shows the day here...

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 03:39  

  • Oh good... two good, controlled overs on the trot... been a while since that happened.
    How does one type with fingers crossed? Just wondering. **L*

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:39  

  • Vincent surviving 2 LBWs... lucky man

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 03:40  

  • hello all...Prem...welcome to blogosphere :-)...and lets chat a bit about ashes also...in overs 20-35 ? ...ohh..I forgot...ICC has made them 'interesting' now

    By Blogger worma, at 03:40  

  • use a transcriber Prem! :P cross the fingers all you want then.. :)

    By Blogger Rahul, at 03:40  

  • Indian fielding looking almost Australianesque in its fumblingness - and not in the usual way :)

    And Pathan gets Vincent with a beauty.

    By Blogger Piyush, at 03:40  

  • streaky 4 by Vincent... that was an Afridi type shot.


    OUT

    Pathan Strikes next ball !!!

    WOW...

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 03:41  

  • Oh lovely. Pathan's been searching for the pads throughout his over so far... nearly had another one there.

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:42  

  • 2lbws, one top edge.. what is with this vincent guy

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 03:42  

  • Guys,

    Any place where I can get live audio commentary?

    By Blogger Surmizer, at 03:42  

  • ok.... Pathan back to his best? (fingers crossed and all..)

    by the way, all of us should keep our fingers crossed for Prem's comments remaining enabled...

    Rahul making a complete mess of the previous sentence.. hoping that the idea went through though.. :)

    By Blogger Rahul, at 03:44  

  • I wonder why Pathan is bowling so good here after bowling near trash in Sri Lanka!! What changed?

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 03:44  

  • Worma,
    picking up from where we left it yesterday,pathan will definitely become a great if he is allowed to evolve. here is a bowler who could be a star int he future as long as we define his role as a bowler and not that of an allrounder.

    By Blogger K-Slice, at 03:44  

  • rahul, dont worry about it... if it happens, cool, will simply post stuff in main...

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:44  

  • spoken too soon!!!

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 03:44  

  • ruchir,

    the pitch... morning dew.. maybe

    By Blogger Surmizer, at 03:45  

  • surmizer, you think this is less than live commentary.. there are times I have enjoyed this better than commentaries... at least here I can say things like, well, "this is better than live commentary" if nothing else.. :)

    By Blogger Rahul, at 03:45  

  • Fleming back in the pavilion, he can plan well now in the dressing room; the advt of staying in Bulawayo doesnt seem to have paid off

    By Blogger Toney, at 03:46  

  • Early days, but one interesting thing you guys want to keep an eye on... pathan is, unless i am seeing things, way more upright at delivery than he was in lanka... putting a lot more shoulder in...

    Oh my oh my... NZ I would think suffering a hangover from its party against Zimbabwe... happens, you blast the bowling around one day and reckon you can do the same the next. Good ball, nice line that from Nehra, but Fleming was fishing with a very big pole there

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:46  

  • why is this cricinfo thing so dumb slow.. by the time i comment on something, everybody here has moved on to some other topic.. grrr

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 03:46  

  • surmizer:

    Ture...

    OUT

    Nehra gets Fleming !!! awesome...

    Is this the same NZ side that blasted 397???

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 03:47  

  • lol puranjoy same fate here

    By Blogger Neelan, at 03:47  

  • rahul...

    defn wouldnt miss this. Havent missed this the last tourney either. At 1am in the night, one would want some entertainment too. (audio commentary). And atleast will know whats happening on the field.

    By Blogger Surmizer, at 03:47  

  • k-slice i agree...treat him as a bowler...work on his batting but still no allrounder 'talk'....like Wasim (who had bigger batting potential that what pathan has shown till now). Btw I also think he (and the Ind team) need to play decent proportion of their cricket outside the subcontinent, otherwise it disheartens and kills the pace talents like him

    By Blogger worma, at 03:48  

  • Isn't this blog a great example of the the typical Indian cricket hype factory ?
    Pathan has bowled 2 decent overs and already there is talk of him being en route to 'greatness'.


    Yes k-slice I mean you :)

    By Blogger Piyush, at 03:48  

  • Nehra and Pathan against NZ are looking like Waqar and Akram against India!!

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 03:49  

  • except that Waqar was right handed... but I know what you mean ruchir.. :)

    By Blogger Rahul, at 03:49  

  • Wow! Whatever juice Pathan's been drinking, I want some of that.
    That was the ball that went awol through the Pak tour and for the most part in SL, the one that bends back into the right hander. Immediately ups his danger quotient a few notches, batsmen dont know whether to play for it to leave, or come back in.

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:49  

  • Indians look charged up, hope the fielding matches the start

    By Blogger Toney, at 03:50  

  • Harper eats a Wkt!!! 2 sounds as ball passed by Harper is not moved from his paralysis...

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 03:50  

  • Okay, who thinks that ball got him there? When they showed that replay from the wicket keeper's view, thought it deviated as it passed the bat. NOt an umpiring error, but the noise, plus the replay... close...

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:51  

  • piyush...in fact one good spell is enough to say whether a bowler has POTENTIAL to become great...Pathan has done way beyond that. Read carefully what k-slice and me are discussing...do you see any mention of pathan BEING great already ??

    By Blogger worma, at 03:51  

  • toney, which team do you know that doesn't look charged up afer having opposition at 10/2 under 4 overs...

    By Blogger Rahul, at 03:51  

  • this is better than cricinfo, thanks for your update guys

    By Blogger Neelan, at 03:51  

  • neelan, can i use u as a virtual shoulder to cry on.. u can use me by the way...

    talking of pathan, he is not an alrounder.period. his batting is not great at all.. maybe in the same league as brett lee.. quick 25-30 one day, duck the next.. good to have a bowler who can throw the bat around.. but not alrounder material..

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 03:51  

  • What is supersubs and power play?

    By Blogger Shyam Prasad, at 03:51  

  • Is it swinging because of the morning conditions ? Or just that Pathan and Nehra are bowling in the right areas ?

    By Blogger Shekhar Kale, at 03:52  

  • yes rahul,

    I mean "like" them...

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 03:52  

  • hey prem...this is my first post...in fact second. Love your blog. Its the second best reference to cricket nowadays after cricinfo.com.

    By Blogger Ravi Agrawal, at 03:52  

  • I think the blog is better since it provides inputs from number of sources.

    By Blogger Shekhar Kale, at 03:53  

  • Indians are bowling well at the moment. I think the bowling conditions are also conducive to swing bowling at the start.

    By Blogger Ravi Agrawal, at 03:53  

  • Here's something for you guys, guys. Is it just coincidence, or does this team have the thing of, whenever an opposition team trashes it, make it eat its words?
    Was thinking, Fleming had much to say, and he is back in the hut thinking maybe he shouldn't have.
    Remember Hayden going on about how Laxman couldn't play on Aussie tracks, and then standing in slips seeing how wrong he was?
    But when someone, say Atapattu, says India is a good team and how tough it's going to be, we gift them games! *g*

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:54  

  • ravi: thanks, mate. not yet, but hopefully from monday, can kick it back into gear. been awfully tied up for an awfully long time

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:54  

  • Prem...how come both teams got their supersubbing right (nz has a bowler and we a batsmen in reserve) ? Is it coincidence or somethings changed ?

    By Blogger worma, at 03:55  

  • Nehra is bowling beautifully. He is troubling all batsmen with bounce and swing..

    By Blogger srivatta, at 03:55  

  • hey guys watching live, how far was gangs on the last ball of 5th over.. i want to know if it was a quick single(as per cricinfo) or the usual case of slow gangs

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 03:55  

  • 3rd wicket

    By Blogger Neelan, at 03:56  

  • DID SG win the toss? It seems like Shastri and Arun Lal are discussing abt SG's different thinking?
    Astle gone after a scratchy stay

    By Blogger Toney, at 03:56  

  • actually Prem, this is something that DOES happen with this team... it surprises a lot.. when expected to do well - as after the pakistan series - they just go and play indifferent cricket... amazingly indifferent in fact... on the other hand, when everyone thinks they dont stand a chance, they come up with inspired performances...

    early days in this game and series, but I hope this is what happens here too..

    By Blogger Rahul, at 03:56  

  • Worma - I said 'en route' to greatness. read my post.

    Arguably every bowler has a potential to become great. Just as Yuvraj has the potential to be a David Gower. Zaheer was similarly proclaimed when he started. Sami is a great example from across the border of similar hype based on good initial performances.
    However, indian cricket is replete with players being overhyped before they put together consistent performances over the long run so forgive me for being cynical.

    If pathan puts together 3-4 series of great performances in a row and not just the odd spell, I will start taking his long term potential more seriously. Seen it too many times before.

    By Blogger Piyush, at 03:56  

  • Among things to be grateful for -- AGarkar bowling one change and not opening. I somehow get palpitations when he takes the new ball -- invariably, that first over (much like Zaheer in the finals) is awry, and the team never really recovers.

    Oh bloody brilliant -- was just thinking they need AStle early, he settles there could be hell to pay, and there he goes. Did that ball keep suspiciously low, though? HIt the right line, hit the right length, seamed in, all just perfect, but that height? Need a replay

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:56  

  • shyam,

    supersub- it allows the captain to substitute a player in middle of the game by a pre-selected player (player selected before the toss)
    powerplays- instead of 15 initial overs, you haev 1 block of 10 overs in start and then 2 blocks of 5 overs, which a bowling captain can have anytime in remaining 50 overs.

    does it clarify

    By Blogger Ravi Agrawal, at 03:56  

  • Astle gone

    By Blogger Shyam Prasad, at 03:57  

  • piyush,
    pathan definitely has already begun the journey to greatness. this is beyond just hype. if you bowl him on any wicket where he has atleast some scope of performing he will do so. neithere worma or me are saying that he will be a great or not. all i am saying is that if he continues the way he has since his debut he will surely be a great. remember he was blooded in australia and that too with players liek hayden in form. yet he performed. lets say that he atleast has the balls to perform.

    By Blogger K-Slice, at 03:57  

  • Great start. Now let's hope that our 'potential allrounder' doesn't blow it.

    By Blogger Jai, at 03:57  

  • Prem:

    You may have a point there.

    Another one from Nehra, by the way.

    I wonder if NZ is going to cross 100 today !!!

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 03:57  

  • toney: nope, that's coz saurav said no problem bowling first, is what he was planning on anyways

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:57  

  • in cricinfo, aste still showing the full face of the bat or something else to that effect.. here aste already in the hut .. (here goes a lot of expletives directed at cricinfo)

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 03:58  

  • Remember how India won the toss and fielded first on most occasions in the last ODI series in Zim? The move backfired in the finals, other wise the oppostition was never able to handle the Indian bowlers in the morning conditions. The toss doesnt look as important this time though...
    Styris does well against Indians, hope the tide is changed

    By Blogger Toney, at 03:58  

  • who else thinks that Agarkar will not give more than 40 runs today? (of course, he might just bowl 4 overs for 39 runs, but I mean in 10..)

    By Blogger Rahul, at 03:58  

  • One decision made easy -- the first power play can be taken straight up. And if the tight line can be held, even the second, without risk

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 03:58  

  • I suspect the ball came pretty fast onto Astle. beaten by the skidder

    By Blogger srivatta, at 03:58  

  • LMAO puranjoy

    By Blogger Neelan, at 03:59  

  • guys.. any live audio comments...

    By Blogger Surmizer, at 03:59  

  • piyush : "..Arguably every bowler has a potential to become great..." I dont think you want to argue on this one ? Every bowler ? And yes, Sami, Zaheer, Yuvraj all have shown that potential ? So whats wrong with discussing about it ? Its not because of one great over today that we are doing it, as k-slice said, its part of a ongoing discussion about the potential of this team (we started yesterday). Its the same thing worldwide dude, see whats being done with KP (and remember James Anderson, even Michal Clarke...golden-boy after just one series !!!)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:00  

  • righto, that was no mirage -- that is the ball pathan lost, and has seemingly found again, the one that angles away, hits line around off, then bends back in.

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:00  

  • sportingstreams is really goood , it is only 6.48 USD

    By Blogger Shyam Prasad, at 04:00  

  • good to hear that abt pathan prem

    By Blogger Neelan, at 04:01  

  • Yes, Agarkar can single-handedly lose it for India, when in form! :-)

    By Blogger ram, at 04:01  

  • Prem, is it because of the conditions that Pathan can bowl that one again? or do you think it really is a real change.. in his delivery...

    By Blogger Rahul, at 04:01  

  • Prem, I agree with you on Agarkar. He is not a good opening bowler but i think as a first change bowler he can be quite handful. Imagine a situation, where we have pathan and nehra bowling as well that they are doing right now , and agarkar coming up with his skiddy action. Batsmen will like to go after him and lose the wikets. In fact, I believe, Agarkar has a lot of utility as an ODI bowler. However, he is certainly not a test material.

    By Blogger Ravi Agrawal, at 04:01  

  • can u describe about powerplay ???

    By Blogger Shyam Prasad, at 04:01  

  • and i need help with the abbreviations neelan.. hell, i am goin to stop commeting and just follow the comments here...

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 04:01  

  • I feel agarkar will do well in the match.. even will do well in the tournament...well why not.. with a start like this .. it becomes easy on him... and it is zimbabwe... he does well here... the next time India plays in the sub-continent or against any other good sides... he will get tonked. get thrown off the team... then we will tour bangladesh or kenya or zimbabwe... and surprise... agarkar will in the party!

    By Blogger Surmizer, at 04:02  

  • I remember reading that Lillee helped Pathan with the fron foot angle. Asked him to make the foot straighter.

    By Blogger Shekhar Kale, at 04:02  

  • K-slice, I would have to disagree. He has only played 13 tests so far and with an average of 33 , his stats do not suggest he is in any way superior to his contemporaries around the world yet. The word 'great' has to be used with caution.
    Can he improve and drop his average to about 25 over the next 50 games - (that's my benchmark for a great bowler)? I am sure he can but it will take a lot of hard work. I prefer to wait and see.

    By Blogger Piyush, at 04:02  

  • One thing I've always liked about Agarkar -- he is quick in the field, especially boundary-riding. Races around, has a clean arm... comes I guess for his fixation with the treadmill. Used to work out in this gym, Exert, near Haji Ali in Mumbai (donno if he still does, haven't been there since I left Mumbai). And the problem with him coming in during the morning hours, when it was invariably crowded, was one treadmill was a write off... guy would climb on, and you had to pry him out with a shovel. Great to watch, actually... runs at speeds around 17, 7, 8 minutes at a stretch, half minute cool off job and back he goes up the scale again... lovely classical running action what is more.

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:03  

  • worma,
    Ain your list of possible-to-be-great players, only Clarke has been consistent.
    IMO, he's the Aussie hope in batting. Can we say the same about any Indian batsmen?

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:03  

  • shyam.. powerplay is nothing but fielding restrictions like we used to have in first 15 overs with just a little change (you dont need to have 2 players in catching positions... just 2 outside the circle)... there are two 5-over batches in which powerplay has to applied depending on thee fielding captain's descretion... good to have them before 20 if you have the opposition on the mat..

    By Blogger Rahul, at 04:03  

  • If it is this hard for NZ, it is going to be equally har going for the Indian batsmen, too.

    By Blogger ram, at 04:03  

  • guys, Prem, anyone here ?? Are supersubbing rules still same ? Can you please confirm ? Did both teams declare the subs name before the toss ???? I'm suspiscions they didnt ! And Sahi dude also wrote something to this effect in Telegraph yestday (although then i thought hes gone bonkers :-) )

    By Blogger worma, at 04:03  

  • worma
    another bowler who could be usefull in the future is nehra(he already has been) . as i said yesterday we need to utilize him well. in all seriousness lets hope that the trainer and him have figured out how to keep him playing rather than benched due to injuries.

    By Blogger K-Slice, at 04:04  

  • shyam: is just a fancy name for the field restrictions. Remember earlier we had 15 overs? Now it is ten overs mandatory first up. Then two lots of five overs, but the fielding captain can decide when those should be -- so you can if you want spread the field after 10, and if say a wicket falls in the 14th or so, bring the next tranche of five into effect immediately, and so on.

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:05  

  • worma, thats what I was suspecting too.. its too much of a coincidence if both the teams chose their supersubs correctly without knowing the outcome of the toss.. or maybe they had already known that Ganguly wants to field first and Fleming wants to bat first... :)

    By Blogger Rahul, at 04:05  

  • Pathan losing the swing last season had to be something with an inintended change in action. Hope Lillee and the rest have got it right...

    Prem, AA's trips to the gym didnt get him any muscles for sure

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:06  

  • toney...actually not even clarke has been consistent in the development standards...as you (or piyush) said that atleast 3-4 great series in a row is what matters...and even clarke had a good series here...then a decent one against nz...and then not much...if i remember correctly...i would say his devlopment curve has been exactly the same as Pathan !

    By Blogger worma, at 04:06  

  • Has anyone seen the powerplay overs being taken after 15th over ? Any team yet ?

    By Blogger Shekhar Kale, at 04:06  

  • worma: nope, same rules apply. :-) Teams exchanged at toss included playing xi plus supersub.

    Hoo boy, Nehra is even more impressive today than pathan, and that is saying something. Funny thing is, it doesnt seem to have anything to do with atmospherics, the guys are mostly moving it off the deck. and for now, both batsmen unclear which way the ball will move, in or out.

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:06  

  • toney
    yuvraj, sehwag(incidentally the highest score by an indian 309) what would you call these players if not potential great players?

    By Blogger K-Slice, at 04:07  

  • shekhar, you HAVE To take at least one of the powerplays after 15th over... there are 20 in all... as for whether anyonee has taken them after 20th over... good question.. no idea..

    By Blogger Rahul, at 04:07  

  • shyam,
    well powerplay is just similar to our earlier 15 overs fielding rule. Earlier, we could not have more than 2 fielders outside circle in first 15 overs. The same condition holds true in powerplays. However, now, the 2-fielders rule applies only for first 10 overs. After that a captain has to has 2 blocks of 5 overs each at his disposal, where he can have only 2 outside circle. So, a total of 20 overs now. Its called powerplays as players who can play more shots during those overs are likely to succeed.

    By Blogger Ravi Agrawal, at 04:07  

  • rahul...as i said...LPSahi's article in telegraph yestday mentioned that 'if we win the toss and bat first then we use xxx as sub otherwise yyy as sub etc' and i felt he was bshting or knew something insider info ?

    By Blogger worma, at 04:08  

  • Pathan put on muscles with extra gym and lost his flex could be the reason for his swing vanishing

    By Blogger Neelan, at 04:08  

  • prem, do u see the match using sportingstreams???

    By Blogger Shyam Prasad, at 04:08  

  • toney: oh sure. there was this girl there, member of the jhaveri family, brilliant when she worked out... incredibly focussed, not stupidly muscular but her workout could give you a complex.

    She'd laugh at Aggy... coz he would spend all his time on the treadmill, but came time for weights and stuff, the guy would huff and puff and almost never make the full 15 reps

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:08  

  • shyam, nope, willow

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:08  

  • Potential great players(YS) dont remain "potentially-great", yet in a slump for so long

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:08  

  • how very helpful we are, naheeen? someone asks a question and 4 different people come up with the answer!! :)

    By Blogger Rahul, at 04:09  

  • In that list of thigns to be grateful for, count this: Sachin is not playing, so Sunny cant go on about the little genius each time srt bends over to tie his shoelace or something

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:09  

  • Prem - the technical term is 'little champion' - get your gavaskarisms right :)

    By Blogger Piyush, at 04:10  

  • :) Prem, you seem to have a grouse at anyone who says anything good about Sachin nowadays.. :) I understand that must get on your nerves at times when it goes over the top.. but at least some of it is justified and well earned, isn't it?

    By Blogger Rahul, at 04:11  

  • piyush: so sorry i am sure, been a while since i heard it, my memory is slipping. *L*

    I have a grouse, wonder how many others of you do: Swing, I always thought, was what the ball does in the air BEFORE it pitches; seam is what it does AFTER pitching. Who else thinks commentators use the words indiscriminately? The ball cuts away, commentator goes, that was a very good outswinger. Sheesh!

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:12  

  • To be fair Gavaskar and Shastri take Sachin worship to a nauseating level - generally not a problem unless you are trying to be a commentator and expected to be reasonably objective and balanced.

    By Blogger Piyush, at 04:13  

  • does anyone know if SRT is coming back for sure against ZIM? saw him practice the other day at MIG. was surely looking uncomfortable. lets hope for the best

    By Blogger K-Slice, at 04:13  

  • rahul: not at all, I can sit watching the guy play, all day... when he is on song, of course. But Sunny with his little champion refrain grates... bloody hell, he repeats it more often than the priest does the name of the deity during a day's worth of aartis

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:14  

  • new term is "shapes away",

    By Blogger Neelan, at 04:14  

  • Prem, more than commentators saying it wrongly, it could be them seeing it wrongly too.. :-)

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:14  

  • prem...i thought swing could happen after pitching also...in the air...late swing ?

    By Blogger worma, at 04:14  

  • k-slice: how about posting your take on how he looked and played, for the rest of us?

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:14  

  • oh actually that had me very confused when I was a 10 year old trying to figure out this cricket thingy... everything that moved from its initial line was called "swing" unless it was bowled by a slow bowler in which case it was called "spin"...

    which reminds me, isn't what Warne does when we say "his bowl drifted towards leg before pitching and turning" same as swinging really? or is it something else entirely?

    By Blogger Rahul, at 04:15  

  • k-slice,

    I hope he does not come back for the Zim tour for his sake (he should be fully fit for superseries rather than zim) and for the team's sake (India has to learn to play w/o sach at least against zim)

    By Blogger Ravi Agrawal, at 04:15  

  • Loud Sheesh to that Prem. Swing and Seam.

    But personally I feel this setup is better than the one we got from the other networks. A tad livlier.

    By Blogger Shakeel Abedi, at 04:16  

  • Prem - one has to make allowances for the fact that it is Messrs. Arun Lal and Mike Haysman providing the technical expertise here not Benaud and Bhogle.

    I have never been as grateful for the invention of the 'mute' button on the remote.

    By Blogger Piyush, at 04:16  

  • sa: confession. unless it is the ashes, or something of the kind with a top commentary team, i turn the speakers off and play music most of the time i am watching. *g*

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:17  

  • worma,
    late swing si very late movement BEFORE the ball pitches.
    Swinging after the ball hits only affects the keeper, because it usually happens after the balls gone behond

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:18  

  • piyush: but messer arun lal opened for the country, no? *L* then again, mebbe that is why he didnt last too long.

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:18  

  • Agarkar takes a beauty..he has some value as an odi fielder...

    By Blogger Ravi Agrawal, at 04:19  

  • Brilliant catch by AA

    late swing is preferablebecause batsmen dont get time to adjust unlike when banana-swing occurs

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:19  

  • toney...i thought late swing was after the ball pitching..sure most of the time it only affects the keepers collection chances :-)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:20  

  • Styris gone

    By Blogger Shyam Prasad, at 04:20  

  • worma: nope, that is merely the wobble, or the ball after hitting the seam moving away. That's the thing, the definition was always, if it moves before pitching that is swing, if it does after pitching, that is off the seam.

    There you go... nice easy run back, no problems... Agarkar in the field is worth his money.

    More to the point, I think NZ are playing like Oz here. Predetermined that India sucks, and hell bent on hitting everything out of sight -- what was that ugly thing Styris tried just now?

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:20  

  • srt played a total of 65 balls. seemed to be doing fine except when he played his patent cover drives or straight drives. when he played those he was definitely grimmacing. but had no problems playing pull shots or leg side shots where he uses more bottom hand.

    By Blogger K-Slice, at 04:20  

  • what happened ? Who took the wkt ? cricinfo still stuck

    By Blogger worma, at 04:21  

  • worma: 'late swing' happens. dont you see the ball sometimes, especially when it is reversing, start off on a straight line and, esp when it is on full length, then swing in almost as it is about to pitch? Calling that late swing is right... but to use that phrase for a ball that pitched length, passed the batsman, then moved in the air is a bit much, surely? Sorry for flogging this, but always used to get on my nerves this...

    By Blogger Prem Panicker, at 04:22  

  • Late swing starts when ball has travelled almost 3/4 of the way. So the movement is not as much as a regular swing, but since it is late, it is difficult to pick up.

    By Blogger Shekhar Kale, at 04:22  

  • Pathan
    Agarkar tooka a very good catch

    By Blogger srivatta, at 04:22  

  • Have just joined you all from Melbourne. For live audio go to: http://www.chennaionline.com/cricket/Features/index.asp#

    By Blogger Samir, at 04:22  

  • ok, thx prem and others for the clarification on swing seam. Generally similar to what i thought, except sometimes when i saw the ball take a nice banana bend en-route to keeper i thought it was v late swing.

    By Blogger worma, at 04:23  

  • and sure the reverse swing does show best example of late swing before pitching...in fact good reverse swing is always late swing...yeah

    By Blogger worma, at 04:24  

  • How long do you guys think SG should persist with the openers? I think AA should start his spell now

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:24  


  • Prem !!

    Styris Gone !! Reminds me of the World Cup 2003 when Fleming played those "mind games" and we all know the result. Maybe early days for India but none the less a good start.

    And I am not the same Ravi who has posted earlier:)

    By Blogger Ravi1010, at 04:25  

  • 36/5

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:25  

  • The audio is great....thanks for the link Samir

    By Blogger Sid, at 04:25  

  • Prem, I think Nz has a bit of panic in the ranks, knowing from their own exp that the pitch is docile and that indian is a heavy batting lineup...so trying to match the mental target...playing to the plan not to the game as you once put it :-)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:26  

  • Any movement after the ball has actually passed the stumps is basically only relevant for the keeper and therefore not really worthy of classification as a legitimate class of delivery.

    Would you call a ball that misses a wicketkeeper and spins off the outfield behind him a 'late leg break' ?

    By Blogger Piyush, at 04:26  

  • And I was suggesting SG should bowl AA now

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:26  

  • Superb bowling by Nehra so far. Keeping his end tight, allowing Pathan to experiment a little.

    By Blogger ram, at 04:26  

  • good swing from Pathan. Nice to see him ducking the ball in after a long time. excellent delivery

    By Blogger srivatta, at 04:27  

  • everything goin hunky dory here.. just that i have a feeling the pressure will be off once pathan/nehra are taken off.. agarkar/jp not in the same league. and with ganguly's fixation with spreading the field once the restrictions are over, and a couple of big hits, might make the task easy for the new zealanders.. and they do bat deep, very deep.. good thing this 20 over restrictions.. he will be forced to keep the pressure on at least till the 20th over...

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 04:27  

  • Since NZ bat till number 11, I guess they are still OK with 5 good wickets in hand :-)

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:27  

  • Hi prem..NZ now 37/4..what do u think r the reasons for India's improvement in today's match?? I feel it is because of Dada effect.. bengal tiger is roaring as captain!!

    By Blogger BoldTaurean, at 04:28  

  • Was that a "late" in swing as cricinfo claims ?

    By Blogger Shekhar Kale, at 04:28  

  • toney:

    If the remining 5 bat like the top 5 did, I think things would be OK for India rather than NZ!!!

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 04:29  

  • You are welcome Siddhartha

    By Blogger Samir, at 04:29  

  • a wounded ganguly and an indian team-tough luck flemming! india on FIRE.

    By Blogger Dennis, at 04:30  

  • Nehra 6 overs for 6 runs

    Pathan: 6ov for 27 runs, a bit of a diff 9though Pathan's figures are perfectly acceptable).

    McMillan had a close call in the last over

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:30  

  • now attributing that this patch of sunshine to "dada" is a bit too much.. has he done anything extraordinary with field placing(guys watching on tv plz elucidate..) or bowling changes yet(wait lest my appreshensions come true..)... what ho!!1

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 04:31  

  • shekhar...it was 'late swing' in cricinfo :-)

    By Blogger worma, at 04:31  

  • Hope AA swings it late too :)

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:31  

  • They are holding Cairns up, always a thorn for the Indians

    By Blogger Neelan, at 04:32  

  • There's definitely late swing when AA bowls. Batsman swung his bat late and got it fine of point

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:32  

  • neelan they are also holding their key batsman..vettori...look at the scorecard..he's slated to bat at 10 !

    By Blogger worma, at 04:33  

  • Reason's for India's good performance so far are simple - 2 bowlers bowling very well and making full use of conditions.

    it's premature to start praising Ganguly's leadership etc. he hasn't had to make any decisions yet.

    By Blogger Piyush, at 04:33  

  • agarkar has started giving runs

    By Blogger srivatta, at 04:33  

  • I feel nehra should not have been replaced. He can bowl well on trot for 10 overs. Agarkar comes and bowls a poor delivery.

    By Blogger Ravi Agrawal, at 04:33  

  • and mccullum, and vettori.. dont forget the mini world cup final guys.. one legged cairns and we lose...

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 04:33  

  • Agarkar back to his best bowling... Short and wide outside off...

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 04:34  

  • worma .. yes, I want to know from the guys watching live if it was indeed a "late" inswinger. Or just that Marshall guessed it wrong ? My suspiscion is that Marshall played down the wrong line altogether.

    By Blogger Shekhar Kale, at 04:35  

  • we have been done in by one legged people several times.
    With runner
    SAnwar
    Jayasurya (several times)
    Ranatunga (once)
    Cairns

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:35  

  • how come NZ always have batsmen who can bowl 7-8 tight overs any given day.. right from gavin larsen(not much of a bat though), chris harris, and now astle, oram, styris... goes on and on and on..

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 04:37  

  • Prem:
    It looks like Ganguly will bowl Pathan thru his 10 over on the trot... Is that a good idea?

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 04:37  

  • Agarakar is such a gent, without fail he gives his quota per over

    By Blogger Neelan, at 04:38  

  • I have to say I am hearing Bhogle commentate after a long time and he is grating with the best of them. This motor mouth school of commentary where they are presumably paid on a word per minute basis is really irritating.

    I've probably been spoilt by Benaud's brand of pithy common sense.

    By Blogger Piyush, at 04:38  

  • I think Harsha Bhogle makes a good point in his column. New Zealand has always managed to make optimal use of its resources. Their bowlers don't get carried away and know their limitations.

    By Blogger Samir, at 04:40  

  • ruchir, though u asked prem but my 2 cents... nehra was ok even in the srilanka series.. pathan was off color some days.. so ganguly figures he is safe with nehra in the death than with pathan.. plus, nehra is anyways goin to be substituted.. pathan can go off the field once his quota is over, get a regular sub in.. pathan gets rest.. can come in as a regular pinch hitter (not in this game.. other games might be an idea worth considering..)

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 04:40  

  • Neelan,
    That is AA's tactic. He will keep the batsman guessing as to when he gives the long hop :)
    (Ruchir, forgive me for being critical of a player)

    SG taking power play no 2, as expected

    By Blogger Toney, at 04:40  

  • good... Gangu going for 3rd powerplay too...

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 04:40  

  • Wondering why Balaji was dropped. Was he doing worse than Agarkar? don't think so. dropping Zaheer was ok, but why Balaji?

    By Blogger Jai, at 04:40  

  • jai, no particular reason.. they had to bring agarkar in, so they had to leave somebody out..

    By Blogger puranjoy, at 04:42  

  • puranjoy:
    That sounds logical...

    toney:
    I have always maintained that we SHOULD critisize player when they mess up. When AA gives a long hop, that too in his 1st over, he should be critisized.. :)

    By Blogger Ruchir Joshi, at 04:43  

  • ruchir
    now you know the reason why AA never put on muscles

    By Blogger Neelan, at 04:44  

  • But why bring AA in? After all, his wife is expecting and he;d be thinking abt her all the time. That way he will perform 'less' to his potential na?

    By Blogger Jai, at 04:44  

  • lol jai:)

    By Blogger Neelan, at 04:45  

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