An effort to clean up DDCA

Virender Sehwag has threatened DDCA that he might go and play for Harayana if some of his demands are not met. DDCA suggests it is a ploy to get few of his cousins and fav players on board. Before there could have been meeting with Arun Jaitley, he was joined in by Gauti and Ishant Sharma.

Sunil Dev, the official who not so long ago was charged on match fixing (2000s when he was manager of often touring teams) has fired a salvo at Sehwag that he just wants to have his cousin in the team.

Thats what always happens in the country. Any issue when raised for good is nipped in the bud and cover firing is done to save the ass.

Sehwag has a mettle in Delhi cricket. He is default captain of Ranji team. When he doesnt play for India, he captains Delhi. He is like Sachin Tendulkar to Delhi. Jaitley has rightly appealed for calm and may be they would meet to find some solution.

For now the Delhi's Indian players have joined the coup against DDCA and it might take a while before the issue is resolved. I dont know if this was a right time to take over the issue given the season is about to start and the cricket administrators in the country mostly are ASS. So expectation of maturity would be futile on behalf of DDCA officials.

If this revolt cleans up the DDCA now famous for corruption, it would be a good jab done by Sehwag.

Right now Delhi has 4 players in the national team -- Sehwag, Mishra (he plays for Harayana but is a Delhi lad), Gambhir, Nehra and 5th one Ishant Sharma. Count in Kohli and it makes 6.

Sehwag should ensure he takes the matter to logical conclusion and doesnt give in the middle.

How to become # 2 in Tests

Bat bigger, bigger, way bigger.

Score 3 runs in 2 overs. Score hundred...

Win the series and be # 2.

Win at home, lose abroad.

Win all against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Be # 2.

A chuck, a splendid, a fastest off spinner and a blond bowler.

Lose against strong teams. Win against all others.

My son note this down, thats the key to be # 2 in the world.

Dravid and Sharma : Time levels everybody

The time is a great leveller. 2 years back Dravid was dropped on account of his age and in the euphoria of youngistan humari jaan just after the 2007 T20 victory. He had just relinquished the ODI and Test captaincy after a successful Old Blighty tour, but had come under unjust criticism from Mumbaikar DBV. He suffered on form in ODIs against home series against Australia and was dropped.

A series later Ganguly was dropped. It was marked as great era for Indian cricket, the era of youth. Likes of Raina, Rohit and Tiwary were the poster boys. CB series followed and then the euphoria of 2008 n 09 when India won everything in ODIs that came its way.

But the young guns Murugans didnt fire as expected. Sharma kept baffling, this space is world famous for being an anti-Sharma rheoteric. Raina evolved quite a bit from the evil clutches of Greg Chapell and now he stands as the only youth member in the team.

A look at the composition of the team and we find that this youth term is a bit misnomer. Barring Ishant Sharma and Yusuf Pathan, all players are the products of Ganguly - Wright era and Dravid - Chappell era including MSD himself.

Sehwag, Yuvraj, MS, Gambhir, Zaheer, Bhajji, Nehra in Ganguly era.

Raina in Dravid era.

Its just that the present combo has been doing well under the Kirsten MS combo.

But thats not without the iconic presence of Tendulkar and Dravid in Tests and Tendulkar in ODIs.

Now with Rohit Sharma out of the contention until October, its time for all the batsmen in the team to perform well. It took 10 games for Dravid to be axed and 41 games for Sharma to be axed.

Sharma could be a talented batsman and all that, but then there have been thousands of batsmen in Indian domestic cricket over the years who have been talented but never got chance to don the Indian cap. This lad got the chance and he let it go. What a waste. Now its upto him what does he do. Go to domestic cricket or go the Kambli way.

Why Ijaz Butt should go

http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/417134.html

explained too good in this article.........

Vinod Kambli retires to concentrate on his media career

Not that it matters anyway, but fed up of ignorance and cold shoulder talented Mumbai batsman Vinod Kambli has announced his retirement from international cricket. Ah really ? Did he even have to declare ? He would continue to play domestic cricket for some lesser known clubs in suburb club cricket, may be in Cotton Green or Bhandup or Dharavi. It was also learnt that few clubs from Chinchpokli and Masjid Bandar have lined up to sign him for the 10-10 gully cricket. Wadala was the last club who was mulling to sign Kambli for their pre-Ganpati festival dance and dhamaka show.

Naupada and Kulupwadi galli cricket association too have showed interest in Kambli's profile. We at Arm Ball wish VK a very good luck in upcoming Dahi Handi (oops it was banned), Ganpati processions dancing over Mithun and Prabhu Deva patti rap songs, club cricket in less known suburbs and least not the last in the reality shows of India TV, Aaj Tak and Tehelka.

ODI team

My 15 for NZ series in SL :

1) MSD
2) Sachin
3) Rahul
4) Gambhir
5) Yuvraj
6) Raina
7) Pathan Y
8) Harbhajan
9) RP Singh
10) Ishant Sharma
11) Ashish Nehra
12) Pragyan Ojha
13) Amit Mishra
14) Abhishek Nayar
15) Praveen Kumar
16) Sudeep Tyagi

No DK, MV, Dabri.

For the record :

Last 5 ODIs India has beat NZ 3 times and in last 10 ODI beat SL 7 times. And the series is in Lanka. No collapsys would be sung in Hindi as they were sung in urdu last month....

3 games to play and all to win.

Match of the season :

India vs Australia : first since 2008 CB series win and loss of Aussies supremacy in ODIs.

India vs Pakistan for obvious reasons. First since Asia cup 2008 and of course 11/26. T20 was easily won by India, later Pakies won the world cup.

A season of hopes beckons.

The Indian cricket is approaching the end of the break and other season expected out of huge achievements and success beckons. CT win, avenge SL defeat of 2008, SA series win, ODI series win against hapless and then tired Aussies, regaining T20 crown are some of the wishlists. And there is no reason why that wont happen.

The youth brigade might have derailed for a while. But then the so called youths were only Sharma and Raina. Sharma is almost at the end of the chances in the ODIs and Raina has evolved quite a bit.

On Tests front, the challenge this season wont be as huge as it was last season --- Australia, England and NZ. Albeit India has lot to prove against SL. A 3-0 win would be sweet icing on cake. It would be interesting to see how Sehwag and Gambhir go this season followed by the greats -- Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman, followed by Yuvraj and Dhoni. The choice amongst Mishra and Ojha would continue to baffle for good to the selectors as the spinning partner for Harbhajan. In his last series, Bhajji was good and would be expected to carry in the Tests this season. 1st season for him when he would be the leader of the pack and most experienced bowler in the attack.

ODIs, no team is better than India right now. 5 consecutive wins in different conditions and one more to follow against Australia at home would be a huge high. With possible return of Dravid, the batting would be strong as ever. Sehwag, Tendulkar, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Dravid, Dhoni, Raina, Pathan Y -- the batting looks formidable. Bowling could be a bit weak in absence of Zaheer, but then he would be needed in the more important battles later....

All said and done cant wait for the men in Blue to return back to fold once again. After an insipid Ashes and Sri Lanka - Pak series, all cricket needs is a India team back in colors.......

We dont go to India. World cup doesnt go on.

Our team can only play in India if our government allows it," Butt said. "And if we have a situation where our team is not able to travel to India then the World Cup could be affected or cancelled."

Ahoy Butt. My favorite Butt. Whenever he says something, its got to be gibberish. Crap and stupid. Laughable.

If Pakistan doesnt travel to India for its world cup game, simple award the game to the opposition. Why cancel the world cup ? On what premise ?

In 1996 SL won 3 games on forfeit, 2 league games against WI and Aus cos they refused to travel to SL and then the semi-final.

In 2003 Zim got through to the Super Six on account of England's forfeiture. Kenya got through to the semis cos NZ awarded them a game.

So given the history that there is no cancellation of World Cup when a country refuses to travel to other then why does Pakistan wants the world cup to be cancelled if its government who was in all terms behind 11/26 refuses its team to go to India. And its not for the security fears Pak team wont go to India..

There should be no discount to Pakistan for its blackmailing on not to go to India. If they dont go declare them the losers. Anyway they are known to take a step ahead and then take 3 steps behind. Sue ICC, fight a legal case only to withdraw it.

Ban drug addicts only to withdraw later.

Ban ICl players only to withdraw later.

Sacking, reappointing, match fixing allegations on every defeat, groupism, Miandads, Sarfarazs, Rashids and Butts. Wow man so much of soap opera in the Pakistan cricket. Who needs T20 ? Watch PCB and its headless chicken. Laughters guaranteed.

Bored Bday

BCC! turns a year tomorrow and there are grand celebrations all over.....Biggest one is in Mumbai.....Join it live.

If i was in Swine Flu hit Pune, i would have joined, but my sanity resumed and i came to Middletown in Connecticut.....

A chance gone begging to meet many of my fellow krikeet blaaggerz......

Dead Rubber Bullies :)

Pakistan to me are dead match kings. When they had lost the ODI series, suddenly they got their pride back and won the last 2 games with huge margins. And not only this they also won the t20 easily confirming their world champion status......But then question arises what happened in last 3 games which didnt happen in the 3 Tests and first 3 ODIs ?

What happened when they had chance to win and they simply collapsed innings after innings ? Groupism, match fixing ? Neither. Lack of team spirits, I would suggest. Sri Lanka never won, Pakistan always lost. SL team didnt deserve to win either but then in the game of cricket you gotta win or lose, no half way measure.

Now in T20 Boom Boomer rocked whereas he was quiet in ODIs. Captaincy effect ? I would say pure selfishism.

For SL MJ flopped. His big words are fast disappearing. Soon he shall disappear too :P

End of an agonizing series for Pakistan. They better go home relaxed, take a break, throw away the manager who claimed bookies, throw away the PCB head in dust bin and then dump the trio of Razzaq, Yusuf and Misbah.......