[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by vibbs

In the mens game, I was actually impressed with Rohit's captaincy. He managed the bowling changes well and had his best bets bowling majority of the last 6 overs. Although SA still drew us close, I think we had the best scenario to keep any mishaps covered. What India really needs to concentrate on is the acceleration while batting.

Wow. Someone actually appreciated Rohit!

Serious now. I don't get why he is 'unable' to cope with the pitches in SA. Perhaps a bad patch? He bats pretty well when in Aus, especially in the white ball matches.

He seems to be a shrewd (or maybe experienced?) T20 captain. Has done pretty well with MI.

Yesterday's match was underwhelming. Very few folks (in my circle) get excited about a T20 series. Nothing like the test matches. One forgets a T20 match the next morning. A test match victory or defeat stays in the mind for a long time.

Having said that, T20 is a commercial product that subsidizes other products (test matches) for which there are not too many buyers right now. Might as well maintain the portfolio balancing approach :-)

[dailydriver]

The Indian Express reports that BCCI has finally agreed to uniformly reward the supporting staff of the World Cup winning India under 19 cricket team.

According to a revised list of cash awards, every member of the coaching staff, including Dravid, will receive Rs 25 lakh, it is learnt. The BCCI has also extended the list of beneficiaries by including members of the support staff who were part of the team’s almost year-long preparation leading up to the World Cup. This decision qualifies the family of team trainer Rajesh Savant, who died last year, to receive the victory incentive.

Those who will now receive cash awards of Rs 25 lakh are bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, fielding coach Abhay Sharma, physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar, trainer Anand Date, masseur Mangesh Gaikwad, and video analyst Devraj Raut. The five additions to the list are that of W V Raman, who was the coach when the under-19 team toured England, logistics managers Manuj Sharma and Sumeet Malahapurkar, trainer Amogh Pandit, and the late trainer Rajesh Savant.

[selfdrive]

Nice writeup about Jacques Kallis.
The comparo of SA with WI is almost surreal

http://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1136423

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Nice writeup about Jacques Kallis.
The comparo of SA with WI is almost surreal

http://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1136423

In a statistics-crazy sporting world, we often lose track of people beyond the numbers they put on the board.

A compelling article, and well-written too.

[nilanjanray]

Such a pleasure watching Starc bowl. There is something about him. His short run up, athleticism, biommechanics. And those balls (length, angle) that often make the pitch irrelevant.

[searacer932]

Looks like the Australians and South Africans have taken 'positive brand of cricket' to a different level

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/...rwell-incident

Warner was captured on CCTV footage being physically restrained by team-mates as he walked up the stairs towards the dressing room during the tea interval on day four, after apparently taking issue with something de Kock had said. Australia's captain Steven Smith said de Kock's words to Warner were "personal" and "crossed the line" between what is acceptable and what is not, but also stressed that he did not believe the vice-captain had said anything personal to de Kock to instigate the exchange.

However South Africa have a quite different view of events, as outlined by their team manager Mohammed Moosajee. Asked whether the Australians had used personal words towards the South African players, Moosajee replied: "Definitely, definitely. Most definitely." When subsequently asked whether the personal words had been used by Warner, Moosajee answered: "Definitely."

If an Indian had indulged in such an act then all hell might have broken lose on this thread and God forbid if that Indian had been Kohli . People would have called for his ban, resignation and what not?

But since it's the Aussies and the Proteas doing this people will call it "aggression", "hostility", "sledging", "mental disintegration" as has been already called on this article

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/...-old-hostility

[Eddy]

I read Faf's statement on this and I think he is spot on - "if this started on the field, then the umpires should have nipped it in the bud right there."

The CCTV footage really looked ugly, especially for Warner.

Anyway, what a good test match it turned out to be. I hope SA can fight back and make it 1-1.

On a separate note, who do you think will keep wickets today - Pant or DK ?

[Chetan_Rao]

Whatever was said, absolutely disgraceful behavior by supposedly grown-up men playing the gentleman's game.

Bantering is one thing, international cricketers almost coming to blows on live TV is abhorrent. The umpires should've taken charge, the resp. boards should still find out what exactly transpired and set the guys straight.

Enough of letting uncouth behavior slide in the name of aggression & mind-games, or worse, in the name of entertainment.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Whatever was said, absolutely disgraceful behavior by supposedly grown-up men playing the gentleman's game.

Bantering is one thing, international cricketers almost coming to blows on live TV is abhorrent. The umpires should've taken charge, the resp. boards should still find out what exactly transpired and set the guys straight.

Enough of letting uncouth behavior slide in the name of aggression & mind-games.

Agreed. I saw the cctv footage and it looked like a gully cricketers fight and not some professionals playing on international level. So damn ugly. Warner should be seriously reprimanded and even dekock if he had some role in it. ICC needs to set an example. But, in the past they have been quite spineless.

Didn't even know we have a match today. Should be interesting to see how new players play. I believe Pant should keep. Its time we develop a young keeper and forget DK/patel.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by searacer932

If an Indian had indulged in such an act then all hell might have broken lose on this thread and God forbid if that Indian had been Kohli . People would have called for his ban, resignation and what not?

But since it's the Aussies and the Proteas doing this people will call it "aggression", "hostility", "sledging", "mental disintegration" as has been already called on this article

Greg Baum, an Australian journalist of some standing, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald has correctly called this Australian behaviour as something that is a continuing disgrace in Australian cricket.

Some people are not posting here because they don't much care about a SA v Aus match. That does not make it an example of double standards.

IMO, the stump mics should be left permanently on, so everyone can judge for themselves what is said and if it is personal. It will even add to the entertainment value of Test match viewing at home and will put an end to the hypocrisy of "what is said on the field, should stay on the field". Why should it? I cannot see one good reason for this. What is so sacrosanct about the field?

The funniest example of this was the Monkeygate nonsense. We used an abuse referenced to the other player's mother as an acceptable sledge in defence of it being perceived as a racist sledge by the holier than thou acting Australians, who are still a racist country. As India is as well, if you ask any African student, but that is a different issue.

[Sawyer]

More on the sledging from the ESPN article that does not to me seem to be praising it either:

"It was a reminder that for all the bluster, the other tradition carried from generation to generation of Australian players is the pursuit of excellence. How much that excellence has to do with "aggression", "hostility", "sledging", "mental disintegration" or any other of those buzz words is a question that will continue to be asked - especially when Australia perform as well as they have in Durban."

A lot of what the Australian team does also depends on their captains - under Mark Taylor, there was a lot less of this ugly Australian approach. But can the Australians excel only if they behave this way is a question to which there probably isn't an answer. Even so, there is significant Australian opinion that dislikes the approach.

Can the Australians be defeated without descending to their level is an easier question to which a positive answer was visibly seen in the English wins under Vaughan and Strauss, as well as those by SA. And regardless of the sledging subject, one has to give the Australians the credit for being probably the most difficult team to defeat. And this is not just in cricket.

But as I said earlier, I think turning up stump mics to broadcast all the chatter and letting the world know all that gets to be said and by whom as part of sledging is the answer to get this nonsense under control. It will also force the ICC to be consistent in its actions, if it wants to address the issue.

Unless this is all intentional, like the WWF promos, to drum up interest and TRPs.

[hemanth.anand]

Although I'm bored of INDvSL matches like everyone, Was watching the t20I yesterday intermittently (when the Nick Junior channel commercial breaks were on)
What I saw was...

• Indians' overconfidence that their second rung team would be enough to beat SL.
• All the IPL star batsmen struggling to make runs (Pant was just throwing his bat at everything)
• All the IPL star bowlers belted

Anyway, being the series that few would be interested in, it's an opportunity for the bench strength to get some match practice.

[NiXTriX2004]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

• All the IPL star bowlers belted

I thought the spinners did quite well. Washington Sundar and Chahal bowled well and picked up wickets to at least push the SL innings till the 19th over. Chahal was a bit expensive in the first couple of overs but came back well. The fast bowlers were a huge letdown.

Where is Umesh Yadav though? Why is he not in this team?

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

IMO, the stump mics should be left permanently on, so everyone can judge for themselves what is said and if it is personal. It will even add to the entertainment value of Test match viewing at home and will put an end to the hypocrisy of "what is said on the field, should stay on the field". Why should it? I cannot see one good reason for this. What is so sacrosanct about the field?

The Aussies were so cheesed off by the stump mics that they started talking about brands competing with the sponsors of the series. All of it only points to the entire group as a pack of hoodlums. The cricket matches involving them look more like a street fight in a dark alley. No wonder any spectator across countries loves seeing them lose. Especially as they cannot take back any counter sledges. Think back to the McGrath/ Sarwan incident or the Slater/ Dravid one. They would like to sledge any and everyone under the sun but then expect everyone to be a Pom and be gentlemanly with their responses.

Originally Posted by Sawyer

The funniest example of this was the Monkeygate nonsense. We used an abuse referenced to the other player's mother as an acceptable sledge in defence of it being perceived as a racist sledge by the holier than thou acting Australians, who are still a racist country. As India is as well, if you ask any African student, but that is a different issue.

How is abusing someone's family any less worse than calling them a monkey? Perhaps that is the Aussie way of prioritising what is acceptable as a sledge or not. If you think of Indians, calling someone a monkey is probably the least you can say and going up (or down as one wishes to see) the ladder of abuses towards female family members.

Originally Posted by Sawyer

A lot of what the Australian team does also depends on their captains - under Mark Taylor, there was a lot less of this ugly Australian approach. But can the Australians excel only if they behave this way is a question to which there probably isn't an answer. Even so, there is significant Australian opinion that dislikes the approach.

They have always used these as tactics; what was called as mental disintegration with Steve Waugh would probably been known as something else with earlier captains.
Think of sledging incidents with the Waugh twins, Ian Healy and go further back to Dennis Lillee with more than a few other players thrown in the mix.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

(Pant was just throwing his bat at everything)

Personally find Pant a bit overrated but let him be given 10 games on the trot to prove himself.
Coming to the selection, KL Rahul is now not even good enough to be part of India's 2nd string team! Was surprised by his omission yesterday.

Originally Posted by NiXTriX2004

Where is Umesh Yadav though? Why is he not in this team?

Umesh Yadav has hardly been a part of India's T20 scheme of things, it will be interesting to see how Rohit manages with the limited bowling resources available to him.