'Mass Exodus' - End of an era??
The forthcoming worldcup is probably the end of an era as far as cricket is concerned. One can expect a lot of retirements by the frontline players after this worldcup. Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath(though he has opted to continue his stint in the shorter version of the game), Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Steve Harmison and Nicky Boje have made their announcements earlier. How far does this 'mass exodus' have an impact on the respective teams??
As far as the Aussies are concerned, they don't seem to worry about this too much, as they have already got a bunch of young players waiting to replace the giants. Stuart Clark has been a very valuable prospect for Australia in the Ashes and he is expected to fit in the 'McGrath' spot after his retirement. Bracken and Mitchell Johnson seem to be a perfect duo in sharing the new white ball. Ben Hilfenhaus is impressive with his ability to bowl the perect 'outswingers'. However, Brett Lee will be the spearhead of the pace department after McGrath. Warne's relinquishment has opened up the gates for other spinners like Bradd Hogg. The Aussies have clearly planned their future and have groomed players in the recent years. Players like Shane Watson, Nathan Bracken and Michael Hussey have emerged as match-winners.
Unfortunately for us, this remains a questoin mark. Greg Chappell has been in search of fast bowlers right from the day he sworn in as the coach. We aren't able to produce fast bowlers who could do the job for us in the Carribean. We've tried many speedsters in the past couple of years but only a few could manage to hang around till today. Sreesanth's natural agression as a fast bowler is very impressive and he could easily mature as a frontline bowler in near future. Asish Nehra was impeccable in the last world cup(except for the finals, obviously) but today?? He has not been included in the World Cup probables even! L.Balaji had a promising start to his career, but he has been a 'injury-prone' player. Zaheer Khan's comeback has given some hope for the team though. Robin Uthappa's immaculate hitting in the last couple of matches against the West Indies were eye-catching, but with just under ten matches under his belt, we should really wait and watch how he moulds himself as a LOI player.
A tough task ahead for the BCCI to identify the players for the future. Our domestic cricket's infra-structure has to be reviewed and quality piches that match International Standards should be made. Domestic cricket should no longer rely on the Ranji matches and Duleep trophy games sice the Twenty 20 games are gaining popularity. The board should concentrate on the extra-short version of the game and bring out good players.
As far as this World Cup is concerned, all teams have their key players, who could put up a match-winning perfomance...
According to me, players to watch out in this world cup (New Comers)
Australia - Mitchell Johnson
Sri Lanka - Chamara Silva
New Zealand - Peter Fulton and Ross Taylor
West Indies - Dwayne Bravo
England - Kevin Pieterson
Pakistan - Mohammad Asif
South Africa - AB de Villiers
India - ?
It is very difficult to point a single player as of now, coz the players who could fit in there are all struggling for form right now... Cricket is a game of uncertainities. So, don't be surprised if India goes on to win the world cup!
Cheers,
Gowri Shankar
"Proud to be an Indian"
As far as the Aussies are concerned, they don't seem to worry about this too much, as they have already got a bunch of young players waiting to replace the giants. Stuart Clark has been a very valuable prospect for Australia in the Ashes and he is expected to fit in the 'McGrath' spot after his retirement. Bracken and Mitchell Johnson seem to be a perfect duo in sharing the new white ball. Ben Hilfenhaus is impressive with his ability to bowl the perect 'outswingers'. However, Brett Lee will be the spearhead of the pace department after McGrath. Warne's relinquishment has opened up the gates for other spinners like Bradd Hogg. The Aussies have clearly planned their future and have groomed players in the recent years. Players like Shane Watson, Nathan Bracken and Michael Hussey have emerged as match-winners.
Unfortunately for us, this remains a questoin mark. Greg Chappell has been in search of fast bowlers right from the day he sworn in as the coach. We aren't able to produce fast bowlers who could do the job for us in the Carribean. We've tried many speedsters in the past couple of years but only a few could manage to hang around till today. Sreesanth's natural agression as a fast bowler is very impressive and he could easily mature as a frontline bowler in near future. Asish Nehra was impeccable in the last world cup(except for the finals, obviously) but today?? He has not been included in the World Cup probables even! L.Balaji had a promising start to his career, but he has been a 'injury-prone' player. Zaheer Khan's comeback has given some hope for the team though. Robin Uthappa's immaculate hitting in the last couple of matches against the West Indies were eye-catching, but with just under ten matches under his belt, we should really wait and watch how he moulds himself as a LOI player.
A tough task ahead for the BCCI to identify the players for the future. Our domestic cricket's infra-structure has to be reviewed and quality piches that match International Standards should be made. Domestic cricket should no longer rely on the Ranji matches and Duleep trophy games sice the Twenty 20 games are gaining popularity. The board should concentrate on the extra-short version of the game and bring out good players.
As far as this World Cup is concerned, all teams have their key players, who could put up a match-winning perfomance...
According to me, players to watch out in this world cup (New Comers)
Australia - Mitchell Johnson
Sri Lanka - Chamara Silva
New Zealand - Peter Fulton and Ross Taylor
West Indies - Dwayne Bravo
England - Kevin Pieterson
Pakistan - Mohammad Asif
South Africa - AB de Villiers
India - ?
It is very difficult to point a single player as of now, coz the players who could fit in there are all struggling for form right now... Cricket is a game of uncertainities. So, don't be surprised if India goes on to win the world cup!
Cheers,
Gowri Shankar
"Proud to be an Indian"
3 comments:
I have identified players who will have a bigger say on the proceedings and the best things that should happen if any team is goin to challenge Australia
Australia - Ponting,Gilchrist,Mcgrath & symonds
Mostly one of these will have a greater part in the victories.
India - Sachin,dhoni,dravid,the spinner(bhajji/kumble)
Sachin has never failed in the world cups along with dravid. Dhoni is developing into a dangerous player like symonds. If he gets proper support from others he will be one of the best finishers. I don’t think we will be winning matches by our bowling.
West Indies - Gayle, lara
Bravo is an option but i think these two guys will have a bigger say in the outcome.
England - Kevin Pieterson & flintoff without captaincy
Flintoff is one guy on whom england will rely more on bowling side.One of the best alrounders so cant leave him out. Dont think they will be winning matches by batting.
Pakistan - Thier opening partners & yousuf
yousuf is the one who will hold the entire batting.Opening is the one thing that will make pak more formidable. Yousuf always in a position to save the face kind rather than in a attacking position.They need to get runs @ the top.They too wont be winnig matches by bowling.
Srilanka - Murarli,Vaas,sangakara & opening partners ( jayasurya * tharanga)
They are scoring heavy runs @ the top for others to capitalize later in the order. Lower order is weak.On slower pitches Vaas & Murali will be dangerous
South Africa – Kallis and Pollock
Both will play a major role cos W.Indies is not a place to attack rather than grinding. So kallis is the best bet. Pollock as usual will provide the solid support for more aggressive nel n ntini.
New Zealand – Bond, fleming captaincy styris vettori
Fleming with his unorthodox captaincy will be one to look for. Styris when playing without injuries has been consistent with both bat n ball. In w.indies vettori will be very dangerous.
He He India is not that bad..for me Sachin again..he is gonna do it again but I guess rite now even he is in need of some shock treatment..
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