A Few More Men

Although Cricket is a team sport and no individual is greater than the team, there are a few who can make a difference - a few who can largely single-handedly take games away from their opponents. World Cup Cricket, too, has had its share of such memorable performances. Clive Lloyd scored an elegant 102 in the final of the first world cup to beat Australia; Sir Vivian Richards smashed the English bowlers all over the place in the final of the smallest world cup - in 1979 - in his blistering knock of 138; Kapil Dev scored a career-best 175 against Zimbabwe to see India through to the next round in a world cup that they eventually won, and covered a distance of about 22-yards to take Viv Richard's catch in the final; Sachin Tendulkar crushed a star-studded Pakistani attack at Centurion in Cape Town in 2003 to retain India's record of beating Pakistan every time the two teams faced each other in the World Cup; Wasim Akram had swept through the British tail in the final of The Benson & Hedges Cup in '92; Lance Klusener, almost, pulled off a fascinating African win in the semi final in '99 which would have changed the history of world cup cricket; Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist scored a hundred respectively to decide the result of two consecutive world cup finals in the first fifty overs itself. These, and many others, have been performances that have left strong impressions on the history of the game.

When the cup is a few days away, let me bring you to who I think would be the men to watch out for in this tournament. I have already written a separate article on Sachin Tendulkar since nobody else can ever belong to the same league as him. Apart from the master, Virender Sehwag, Hashim Amla, Jack Kalis, Kevin Peterson, Kumar Sangakara, Gautam Gambhir, Chris Gayle and Ricky Ponting would be worth a watch with the bat. Among the bowlers, Daniel Vettori, Harbhajan Singh, Mutthiah Muralitharan, Zaheer Khan, Dayle Steyn, Andy Morkel, James Anderson could be lethal.

Alistar Cook, Virat Kohli and Michael Clark might come out to be the unsung heroes. Watch Ajantha Mendis too.

We shall analyse some players in greater detail as this blog grows a few days older. There are also a few new polls that you may want to vote on. Keep an eye or two wide open. The distant image of the world cup is getting brighter by the day.

Quote, Unqoute and The Second English Renaissance

The World Cup is often preceded by boastful speeches, erratic quotes, and many heated exchanges among players and ex-players. Such was a scathing comment by the ex-English fast bowler, Darren Gough, that one could easily believe he has led an austere life after being let go of (Indians are known to be polite) by the English national team. Being let go of by a team like England, in the times Gough played, is one of the greatest cricketing insults I could think of.

However, Darren Gough has been dancing a bit of late and has found something worthwhile to do off the pitch. He is also widely quoted and the most recent of his ludicrous quotes is one of the driving forces behind this article.

"For me, we're the best team in the world at this moment. I've watched the South Africa-India series and I see nothing to worry about. India is fantastic in their own country and have some great individuals, but I'd fancy this England side to beat them every day of the week." - Darren Gough

Well, all being said, and without taking the incredibly absurd element away from this quote, for all you know, England may have a significant role to play this time. They have undergone a transformation since Andy Flintoff pulled off that historic Ashes win in 2005. Although they were humiliated in Australia by Australia - who saw all-time greats like McGrath and Warne, and an elegant Justin Langer playing their last Test Series for the country - in the very next Ashes, the English team has since then been learning. They have been working hard, and for one, they have stopped resorting on those Adam Holiokish, good for nothing, half-hearted all-rounders. They have realised that to be the best in the world you need real batsmen and real bowlers, the ones who can perform not only against the counties in the British isles, but also across the Atlantic. England have found discipline in their game after decades of being deprived of it, they have a few individuals in Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood who can work hard to produce good results for the team, and in Kevin Peterson and James Anderson who would boast about being two of the very few world class players England have produced in the last twenty years.

All in all, English cricket has undergone a renaissance, but would this help England establish a superiority in the world - in a different sense, of course - as the one that lasted a span of three centuries did? England are in with a chance here, certainly their best chance since 1992. Yet, I would not count them as the top favourites. The conditions in the Indian subcontinent are far from the comfort of their country. Let alone, India, I'd tend to think that if England happen to meet a devastated Pakistan in the quarter-finals, which is a possibility, then Pakistan would be in with a greater chance to reach the semis, and at worst, playing at home, even Bangladesh might upset England in the group stages. I say this purely because how much ever batting-friendly do the pitches get, spin will remain an unavoidable factor in the subcontinent.

When England meet India, against a crowd of 90,000 frenzied devotees growling at them at the Eden Gardens, on the 27th of February, it would be interesting for Darren Gough to note which day of the week it is.

The Man to Watch, The Man to Worship

I was 8, back in 1996, when I saw a rather lean, short boy battling with an authority that was unprecedented to me, in any aspect of life. He went on to become the highest run scorer of the world cup in 1996. Fifteen years have gone by, and Cricket has become an integral part of my life over time.

I have seen, understood, and lived the game. I have seen the game changing its skin. I have seen the wickets all over the world betraying the bowlers in the recent years. I have seen 250 dropping from a formidable target to one of the easiest ones to chase. I have witnessed drastic changes in the average economy rate of a bowler. I have seen an evanescence of genuine fast bowlers from the world of Cricket. However, what, most remarkably, have I not seen is any weakening of the authority that the short - but no more lean and no more a boy - man exercises while batting.

The man I am talking about is, of course, none other than Sachin Tendulkar - the finest Cricket has ever seen. Today, he is 37 and will soon turn 38. He is no more a young man, no more someone who would dance down the track to someone of Shane Warne's calibre and feature in some of his worst nightmares. Rarely does he take the aerial route anymore, even rarely does he hook the ball as he once did to play what was perhaps the shot of the decade to Andrew Caddick. The third man doesn't worry anymore about a rocket that travels straight above his head for a six. Sachin doesn't pull too many deliveries either, nor does he play his back foot drives - the ones that used to be as skillfully crafted as Victoria Terminus in the early days of the master. He has had to cut down on many lethal weapons in his grand armour as time grew against him.

Yet, he has the straight drive - impeccable and heavenly. He also has the paddle sweep - a shot that he invented in a middle of a match. I hope the cover drive is still alive; even half of what it used to be would qualify as the best today. And, of course, he has the unique ability to flick almost any delivery that is pitched up or on length.

The master has defeated time to produce another subliminal cricketing year in 2010. He has batted with unmatchable class all over the world against the best of the bowlers. Talking only of the world cups, he has been the highest run scorer in two out of the five world cups he has played. He also holds the records of scoring the most number of runs in a single world cup and scoring the highest number of runs in the history of world cup cricket at a staggering average of 57.94. He owns every possible record worth owning in the history of the game. But the World Cup is one trophy that every cricketer dreams of, and so does Sachin Tendulkar. This may be his last chance to achieve this elusive glory and I'm sure he is geared up, being the superhuman he is.

Sachin Tendulkar, as always, tops my list of the men to watch.

The Endless Countdown

Sports bring the competitive best out of an individual - more so when on the highest level - and World Cup Cricket is no exception.

This is the 10th time when we shall see the giants of Cricket fighting for the highest crowning glory. A group of 11 individuals shall become a team. Skill and determination, and wisdom and raw aggression will struggle for superiority. Millions of people will pray for their team and worship the game, a form of the game that is more than a game - World Cup Cricket.

Through this blog we - you and I - will analyse the matches, the players, the results, and the tournament itself as it progresses, and also discuss and predict anything and everything about Cricket World Cup 2011. This blog will be written over, drawn on, and crowded by Cricket.

If you are a Cricket fan, this site is as much yours as mine. Let's celebrate a special part of life that begins on the 19th of February, 2011.