17th September 2011. If the modern players are exhausted then it is their own fault. India’s boycott of the ICC awards ceremony more closely resembled a student protest than the conduct of mature sportsmen enriched by the game and obliged to promote its interests. It was a trivial action that contrasted sharply with the glories […]
23 July 2011. Indian cricket has come a long way. Certainly the surge of the last few summers has caused a few headaches but cricket is lucky to have India as its driving force. Amongst major playing nations, only Sri Lanka has improved half as much. However, India has reason to worry about its prospects. […]
11 August 2010. The five-day game is still compelling, but pitches need to be got right if the format is to thrive. Ajantha Mendis’ plucky stand in Colombo proved a superb advertisement for the longer version of the game. Whereas 50-over cricket is one-dimensional, Test matches can swing back and forth in the most improbable […]
28 July 2010. Australia and India face similar problems, with ageing stalwarts and unproven youngsters. The upcoming series between the two doesn’t seem as good a prospect as those in recent times. By no means can the Indians or Australians be confident about their Test prospects over the next few months. In that period Australia […]
14 July 2010. Murali hasn’t been combative like Warne or full of rage like Kumble; more unconventional than them, and tenacious to the core, he has surpassed them both. Muttiah Muralitharan has made a mesmeric contribution to the game. It was no small thing for a boy from Kandy to attract the attention of selectors […]
30 June 2010. Strauss’s boys are full of a new attitude, defined by resilience, optimism and unbreakability. Hope and hurt fell upon English sportsmen during a tumultuous week. Hurt came from another heavy defeat at the hands of the Germans, so often a nemesis on the games field if not upon the battlefield. As usual […]
16th June 2010. Things may not be as rosy as observers may have cause to hope for, but respect for those seeking to rebuild the country and its cricket must surpass anger about those hell-bent on its destruction. Zimbabwe and its cricket community have been getting soft treatment lately, as both undergo changes that optimists […]
16 July 2011. Mahendra Singh Dhoni needs to rethink his approach to the game. As captain he is responsible for the conduct and strategies pursued by his team. Cricket’s laws are clear on that point. In other games captains are merely required to maintain morale. Cricketers spend most of their time on the field so […]
2 June 2010. Our sport must embrace the environment it belongs to, engage with it, and move with the times. Cricket’s primary task over the last 30 or so years has been to move beyond its historic and geographic confines and to take its place in a broader, more difficult, less governable and much richer […]
19 May 2010. Collingwood’s side were fearless and kept pressing till victory was theirs. Here’s hoping it marks a renaissance in the country’s cricket. England deserved their triumph in the Caribbean. The two best teams met in the final and the most resourceful side prevailed. Paul Collingwood’s outfit gathered momentum as the tournament went along […]
5 May 2010. At no point in the history of one-day cricket has as much emphasis been put on taking wickets as there is now – though not too many are getting it quite right. In a recent Twenty20 match against Australia played in the land of the long white cloud, Tim Southee produced one […]
4th April 1992. On March 22, 1992, South Africa failed to book its berth in its maiden World Cup. The team was done in by the application of finicky rules, writes Peter Roebuck. In one of the most shambolic finishes of this illustrious game, South Africa was robbed of an opportunity to reach a World […]
9th July 2011. Sangakkara is made of sterner stuff Kumar Sangakkara has blown the bugle on cricket’s version of the Arab uprising. Nor can he be allowed to stand alone. It’s time for all good men to demand the highest standards from the game’s governors. And that requires due diligence, independent Board members, abolishing conflict […]
25 January 2008. Among modern batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar is the master of the single. In some respects, it is not much of a claim. It’s a bit like saying Roger Federer has the best ball toss around. Tendulkar has many other more colourful qualities, a blistering straight drive, a cart that is liable to land […]
21 April 2010. An abbreviated format may not provide enough of a canvas for greatness to be displayed, but cricket is about entertainment foremost. A lot of nonsense is talked about lengths of matches. It does not make much difference. A cricketer is a cricketer. If he is any good, he will quickly learn to […]
23 March 2003. Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly have been the captains of this competition. As men they are as different as meat pies and dhal. Ganguly is a sophisticate from Calcutta, a city of intellect from which have emerged Nobel Prize winners as well as great artists like Tagore and Satyajit Ray, the famous […]
24 March 2010. England’s spin sensation plays like a man eager for a scrap and bowls like one expecting to take wickets. Long may his tribe last. Like all countries of any age, England has endured its share of caricatures. Basil Fawlty, Captain Mainwaring, Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood, Jonathan Ross, Beau Nash, George Formby, […]
10 March 1998. Sometimes it is best simply to sit back and enjoy. Cricket doesn’t come any better than this – a warm and vast crowd, superb young batsmen of contrasting styles at the crease and spinners ripping their fingers and racking their brains in an attempt to dislodge them. Inevitably, all eyes were upon […]
21 March 2001. Astonishing it is how often a top sportsman follows a poor performance with a strong showing. Setbacks are not allowed to linger in the body lest they fester. Rather, they become a motivation as the competitor tries to re-establish his position in the rankings. Such players do not like to let the […]
16 November 2010. At first sight it will seem that the selectors have lost the plot. Certainly they have invited ridicule. Over the years Australia has considered 16 players sufficient to cover an entire tour of England. Now 17 are required for a single match to be staged just up the road. But it’s not […]
10 March 2010. Twenty20 offers fast bowlers their most convenient stage. It will be a pity if it becomes their only space for expression. Fast bowlers don’t actually like bowling. Labourers don’t like digging holes. Give them a chance to put their feet up and have a cup of chai and they’ll grab it with […]
20 February 2010. Hunting and fishing are still part of his life but the rawness and inconsistency have dropped away and Steyn has emerged as one of the best fast bowlers in the world. Dale Steyn likes fishing and hunting and bowling fast. In his time he has caught a crocodile, shot an impala, and […]
