Australia win India's World Cup!

In 2019, the ICC World Cup Final delivered as close a contest as you could possibly imagine, and it was the home nation, England, which managed to come out on top. Four years on, and it was the hosts who again were hot favourites. However, the Bollywood scriptwriters were absent and, instead of the predicted coronation of Rohit Sharma’s men as champions, the 120,000-odd spectators at Ahmedabad were stunned by a determined Australia, and the outstanding performance of Travis Head. 

On paper, this tournament was the property of the ICC but in practice it felt like it was owned by Narendra Modi, the autocratic Prime Minister of India, after whom the final’s magnificent stadium is named. As India cruised through the group stages unbeaten, he must have been convinced that the trophy was in his hands, too. 

India undoubtedly looked the most complete team. From skipper Rohit Sharma’s blistering starts down to Jasprit Bumrah’s ideosyncratic pace bowling, they had all bases covered. And they had Virat Kohli. 2023 hasn’t been a vintage year for the former captain but he retains the faith of a billion cricket fans, and with good reason. He was by far the leading scorer and when he was dismissed in the final for a mere 54, the silence was deafening. The ovation for his record-breaking fiftieth career ODI century, against New Zealand in the Mumbai semi-final reverberated around the globe, as befits such an imperious batter. 

Looking back, New Zealand were quickest out of the traps. They achieved some sort of revenge for the 2019 defeat by destroying England emphatically. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra each made tons and shared what was to prove the highest partnership of the tournament, an unbeaten 273. For the losers, it created an unwanted foundation for a disastrous defence of the trophy. However, Jos Buttler tried to spin it, there were no positives whatsoever, but more on that another time. 

The Black Caps eased to four successive wins against relatively unfancied opposition, while Australia fell to both India and South Africa. However, when the Aussies withstood a late Neesham onslaught to beat their neighbours thrillingly by five runs at Dharamsala, the tables were turning. Meanwhile, South Africa were also looking ominous. In his final World Cup, Quinton de Kock was scoring centuries for fun, and their 428-5 against Sri Lanka, featuring a trio of tons, was awe-inspiring. 

However, as the weeks passed, the top four seemed to be separating themselves from the rest. Going into the final few rounds, Kane Williamson’s side started to look vulnerable to a possible late charge from Pakistan and even Afghanistan, who won a lot of friends in this competition. Had it not been for Glenn Maxwell’s phenomenal one-legged slogfest, they would have finished the group with five victories and a slender chance of breaking into the knockouts. 

It didn’t happen, of course, and the perennial bridesmaids NZ and SA almost inevitably fell victims to India and Australia, respectively. They are not – repeat NOT – chokers. It’s just that they are never quite the best in the business. History has nowt to do with it. If it did, the West Indies would still be whupping everyone’s arses at the World Cup instead of sitting on their own arses in the Caribbean. 

Fans of T20 and the horrible Hundred have criticised the 50-over format for producing too few close contests in this World Cup. Yes, there have been some one-sided affairs but that happens in all tournaments in all sports. It’s just that many people have attention spans too short to appreciate a proper game of cricket. If I have a beef with the World Cup, it is the ten-team, all-plays-all group format, leaving only two knockout fixtures plus the final. Why not have twelve teams, two groups of six and a quarter-final stage? I know the answer, of course: money. Had this been adopted in 2023, India would have played a minimum of six games, not ten (assuming they qualified from their group), with the resulting reduction in revenue. Furthermore, the uncertainty of knockout cricket has the potential of an early upset. 

For fans like me, it would have the advantage of springing surprises, disrupting the status quo, which is anathema to the bodies who effectively run world cricket. Past tourneys have been memorable for the triumphs of Kenya, Ireland and the Netherlands. I love it when the likes of Bas de Leede and Ibrahim Zadran can demonstrate their talents on the highest stage. 

I have no idea what the ICC will do next time. However, I suspect that the 2027 affair will see a new batch of stars. Will the current cabal of mid-thirty-somethings still be around? Surely, the Aussies will need a new group of quicks to replace Pat Cummins and co. David Warner was leaping around the field like a spring chicken but he will be pushing forty. So will, for heaven’s sake, Virat Kohli! Somehow, I fancy that he will postpone his retirement, as did Tendulkar, for one last hurrah and a chance to hold this still significant trophy. I hope so. 

Mike’s Team of the Tournament:  De Kock (SA, +), Sharma (Ind), Ravindra (NZ), Kohli (Ind), Mitchell (NZ), Maxwell (Aus), Jadeja (Ind), Zampa (Aus), Shami (Ind), Bumrah (Ind), Coetzee (SA).

 

Honourable mentions: Warner (Aus), Ibrahim Zadran (Afg), Iyer (ind), Madushanka (SL) 

2021 Cricket Eleven of the Year

Like many sports and other areas of life, cricket made a bold attempt to bounce back from the Covid cancellations of 2020, only to find that the deadly pandemic was far from finished. The delayed T20 World Cup was won by Australia, the suspended IPL was completed in October and the blasted Hundred competition launched in England to a mixed reaction. The franchise-based format left me cold, I couldn’t tell you who was on it but the one compensation was the enforced parity of the women’s version, with double-headers and live TV coverage on the BBC. 

India won four Test series, home and away, although officially the fifth match in England was merely deferred until next summer. Nevertheless, India lost the one that really mattered, the inaugural World Test Championship Final. Hosted by the Southampton Rose Bowl, it was New Zealand who romped home by eight wickets to claim their first global trophy. Revenge was duly taken in Mumbai where Agarwal, Ashwin et al destroyed the Kiwis by 372 runs. West Indies are a shadow of their former selves but edged a couple of very close encounters, notably a one-wicket nailbiter against Pakistan at Kingston. 

While Test cricket was less prevalent than in pre-coronavirus days, England still contrived to compete in fifteen, losing most of them. Their 2021 began with success in Sri Lanka but ended in Ashes humiliation at the MCG. The Aussies didn’t see a great deal of international action, while the likes of Ireland, Bangladesh and Pakistan had busy ODI schedules. 

2021 was also the year when AB De Villiers called time on his extraordinary professional career and South African team-mates De Kock and Du Plessis each bade farewell to red ball cricket. Mohammad Hafeez, Dwayne Bravo, Mahmudullah and Ross Taylor also announced their retirements from internationals while true greats such as Steyn and Malinga hung up their boots for good. Meanwhile in England, county stalwarts Peter Trego, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Rikki Clarke, Gareth Batty and Daryl Mitchell were amongst those quitting the treadmill, yet the venerable Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens continued to whack centuries and lead his county’s seam attack with aplomb at the age of 45! 

Now for my eleven male stars of the past twelve months. As ever, the selection is based on performances across all three formats and doesn’t represent an all-conquering side in any particular one. Thanks largely to Covid-related schedule vagaries, Asian nations are more dominant than usual and just for a change there is no room for the likes of Kohli, Starc or Smith. Amongst others missing out, I should give special mentions to Marnus Labuschagne, Ollie Robinson, Fakhar Zaman, Tim Southee, Hasan Ali and, for his incredible 10-wicket innings in a lost match, NZ spinner Ajaz Patel. 

At the top I’ve gone for Rohit Sharma and Devon Conway. There were other major contenders at the white-ball end of the spectrum (notably Ireland’s Paul Stirling) but what swung it for the New Zealander was his sensational 200 on his Test debut at Lord’s. Babar Azam has cemented his position as the most lethal limited-overs batter in the world as well as a top-class Test run-maker for Pakistan. Aussie Travis Head has also successfully transferred his stroke-making skills from white to red ball cricket, as illustrated by his devastating 152 at more than a run a ball against England to set up victory at The Gabba. 

Then there’s Joe Root. To top the Test match run aggregate by a mile and accumulate 1,999 first-class runs in the year while skippering a struggling national side is some achievement. Like Lara in the Noughties, he seemed to carry his team’s batting every game and is an obvious choice. His occasional off-spin is also a handy accompaniment and his Test bowling average for 2021 was superior to that of specialists such as Nathan Lyon. 

My wicketkeeper is Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan. Besides claiming almost eighty victims behind the stumps, nobody scored more T20 runs than his 2,036 at a decent strike rate of 132. With Ben Stokes opting out with injury and mental health issues, there was no stand-out all-rounder last year. West Indian Jason Holder just edges out Shakib for his Test match efforts. 

Rashid Khan managed only one Test match and, given the Taliban’s Afghan takeover, it may well be his last. However, he was again the most prolific T20 bowler, which propels him into my XI. He is joined by Ravichandran Ashwin, who enjoyed one of his most productive years in Indian ‘whites’ at the age of 35. His 106 against England at Chennai demonstrates his value as a late-order batsman as well as off-spinner. 

My seam attack is one I could never have envisaged twelve months ago. Giant left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi may have proved that 2020 was no fluke and I could have picked South African Anrich Nortje, but my final choice is Sri Lankan Dushmatha Chameera whose 20 ODI wickets topped the end-of-year table with his speed and bounce. 

To re-cap, here is my 2021 Team of the Year:- 

R Sharma (Ind), Conway (NZ), Babar Azam (Pak), Root (Eng), Head (Aus), Mohammad Rizwan (Pak +), Holder (WI), Ashwin (Ind), Rashid Khan (Afg), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pak), Chameera (SL). 

My ‘squad replacements’ would be Labuschagne (Aus), Fakhar Zaman (Pak), De Kock (SA +), Mustafizur Rahman (Ban), Shakib al-Hasan (Ban)

Six slide out, now it's Top Four Time!

Thank goodness the World Cup did come alive in the end, but the organisers pretty much have the semi-finalists the format was designed to deliver. I appreciate the efforts of England to keep us on tenterhooks by contriving those defeats to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia only to blaze back into the competition with comfortable victories over India and New Zealand, but on home soil they were never not going to qualify.

It will be said to bid farewell to the other nations. Like many neutrals, I was willing Afghanistan to register their first World Cup victory but they were well beaten by all except Pakistan and, improbably, India who for much of their match at Southampton looked in danger of losing. South Africa delivered too little too late and I was at Cardiff to see them make heavy weather of overcoming Rashid Khan and co despite all their star names. Imran Tahir’s joyful wicket celebrations were amusing but AB was sorely missed!

West Indies may have bounced and bludgeoned their way to beating Pakistan but the short ball was something of a one-trick pony. For all the Cottrell salutes and enormous six-hitting, they demonstrated why they needed to qualify for a place in the tournament itself. Improved fielding would be a start. Gibson and Gayle were a joke and when The Boss knelt in instalments to catch Rahmat Shah we all laughed out of surprise. Pakistan never really recovered from that early reverse at Trent Bridge but it was a pleasure to watch Babar Azam and Mohammad Amir at their best. Sri Lanka gave us a few smiles along the way and Bangladesh had the excellent Shakib al Hasan to thank for keeping them in the hunt for a top-four position with just a few matches to play.

Generally speaking most of the global superstars have fulfilled expectations. Bumrah, Sharma, Warner, Starc, Shakib, Williamson, Archer and Root have all done well while Roy, Morgan, Finch and du Plessis have produced a few big innings. However, only some of the above are still participating in the competition. Who will make it all the way to the final?

Watching the Aussies desperately chasing the challenging South African total of 325, they were clearly concerned at the prospect of facing England again, this time in the semi-final. A few weeks ago, Aaron Finch struck 100 and the strike partnership of Starc and Behrendorff blunted the substantial threat of the English engine room (Ben Stokes excepted), but Eoin Morgan’s men are unlikely to roll over as easily this week. For starters, Jason Roy will be back in the side and there surely there won’t be as many silly shots played by those further down the order.

Nevertheless, Australia possess potential matchwinners themselves in the form of Finch, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell, with Steve Smith in the Joe Root role of steady accumulator, but will this be enough? I still feel that England have greater strength all the way from one to eleven which should take them to next weekend’s showdown.

Despite winning seven of their nine, India still don’t look like world-beaters. Jasprit Bumrah may be a shoo-in for a place in any fantasy XI, Rohit Sharma has struck five centuries and, well, Kohli is Kohli, but that’s where the list of world-class performers ends.  Their semi-final opponents New Zealand probably have only one: Kane Williamson. However, their team of canny swing bowlers, seasoned batsmen and competent all-rounders always looks dangerous and took them to the final last time of asking. They just look even  more in need of runs than India at the moment and that could be their undoing at Old Trafford. So for me it has to be that dream final of England v India.

Quarter-Finals go with form, but can both hosts reach the Final?

More World Cup matches, more records, but the organiser would be more relieved that the big four progressed to the semi-finals. It wasn't all about the batsmen either, as the bowlers were in the ascendancy at Sydney and Adelaide.

The Aussies gave short shrift to Pakistan. It was Josh Hazlewood's turn to take four wickets, before Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Shane Watson applied the coup de grace with the bat. The scoreboard doesn't show the nasty sledging aimed by the Aussie fielders at Wahab Riaz, nor the magnificent fast bouncers delivered by a fired-up Riaz in response to Watson. Both were fined but nevertheless it was Watson who had the last laugh, ending not out and remaining in the competition.

New Zealand continued their serene procession, thanks mainly to Martin Guptill's second-half blitz on the West Indian quicks. The opener shattered Chris Gayle's newly-notched World Cup record score on his way to 237, and poor Andre Russell very nearly went for a century of runs against his name. Gayle started as ferociously as the situation demanded, thumping eight sixes but once Milne bowled him, the game was effectively over. Trent Boult added four more wickets to his tally and Jason Holder's men were on their way home.

Earlier, there had been a rare day in the sun for South Africa's spinners, JP Duminy and Imran Tahir in the first quart-final. After Abbott and Steyn had removed both Sri Lankan openers cheaply, even Kumar Sangakkara could not muster a run every two balls and his side slumped to 133 all out. Not even the South Africans cold throw away such a commanding position but Quinton De Kock struck twelve boundaries to make sure.

In the other match, India maintained their unbeaten run and ended Bangladesh's extended World Cup adventure by 109 runs. Rohit Sharma's excellent 137 did the early damage before Yadav led the attack superbly. Ten more wickets, all bar one down to catches, and India are still looking a great all-round outfit rather than talented batsmen and fielders hoping to win by sheer volume of runs.

But now they face the host nation, and it'll be an interesting clash between the two sets of passionate fans, too, at the SCG on Thursday. Sydney may have witnessed a Sri Lankan meltdown this week but you can't forget the huge first innings totals racked up by the Proteas and Green Baggies against West Indies and Sri Lanka in the group stages. The toss will be a good one to win, although both teams are capable of pacing a run chase.

NZ v SA will be a fascinating encounter, too. I'd love to see McCullum's team reach their first ever World Cup Final but then, of course, neither of these two have yet won the trophy. Eden Park has witnessed two exciting contests, South Africa's narrow defeat by Pakistan and the Black Caps' single-wicket spine-tingler against the Aussies, so there may not be any batting records tumbling in this one. Both teams boast a first-class attack, while AB De Villiers and Brendon McCullum can tear bowlers apart in the right conditions.

I'd like to see India v New Zealand in the final but somehow I reckon Australia v South Africa is the more likely, with Watson or Warner coming to blows with Dale Steyn, both sides banned and the trophy presented to Ireland..... Maybe not, but I can see Michael Clarke as the man accepting the trophy and delivering the victor's speech.

Rohit's Smash Hits

Records are there to be broken but I'd never have expected anyone to smash the world ODI record by such a huge margin, nor that the man to do it would be Rohit Sharma. It's not that he is a mediocre batsman; far from it. Anyone with a first-class average of almost 60, and one of the very few to have struck a double-century in a 50-over international, is a force to be reckoned with.

It wasn't always thus. Four fifties in his first 40-odd innings paints a picture of a slow burner, but after three years he finally burst into life with successive centuries in Bulawayo against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. In 2011, he enjoyed a good run of scores against West Indies before enduring a dreadful sequence of 17 runs in six innings in Sri Lanka the following summer. With Tendulkar and the old guard out of the picture, the 2013 Champions Trophy revived Sharma as a useful opener alongside Dhawan. A few months later on home territory, a series runfest included Rohit striking 141 not out and then 209 against Australia, the latter innings including an incredible sixteen sixes.

Virat Kohli's may still be the wicket that every bowler wants. However Rohit Sharma's elevation to the stratosphere by crashing 264 off Sri Lanka, beating Virender Sehwag's previous record by the huge distance of 45, must surely boost India's confidence after some dodgy results of late. Never mind that he was dropped on four; that's part and parcel of cricket. The statistic is there for all time.

As for whether he can do it for India in the World Cup Down Under, the jury remains out. He averages only 26 on the bouncier pitches of Australia, and a mere 12 in South Africa, although his fellow 27 year-old Suresh Raina isn't much better.

So what about today's match-winning effort? Will it ever be beaten? Of course it will. Someone will probably thump a triple against Zimbabwe in he not too distant future. But is it the greatest ODI innings of all time? The most runs, yes, but on today's featherbeds and short boundaries, I'd place Kapil Dev's 1983 World Cup knock of 175 after coming in at 9 for 4 much higher. Shane Watson's blistering 185 three years ago in Dhaka was a superb show of power hitting. Then of course there's Viv Richards' then world best of 189 not out.

In a 55-over game at Old Trafford thirty years ago, the Master Blaster blasted Botham, Willis et al for an unbeaten 189 out of an innings of 272-9. Only Eldine Baptiste (batting eight) and Michael Holding (at ten) also made double figures! Just as Sharma beat Sri Lanka's total on his own, so did Viv outscore England that day. I know I'm biased but for all Sharma's additional runs, it'll take a lot to beat the King's magnificent performance of 31st May 1984.

Time to redress the ODI bat v ball balance?

Indian cricket must have been a bit bewildered today. They managed to bowl out the opposition twice for under 400. Yes, that's 20 wickets in 132 overs. Although the hapless West Indies may beg to differ, welcome back to REAL cricket!

The recent ODI series against Australia reached new heights in terms of consistent run-scoring but new depths when it comes to allowing bowlers a chance to demonstrate their art on a level playing field. Scrub that. One of the problems was that the playing field was too level. The pitch, anyway. The rest of the playing field could have resembled the Himalaya foothills for all it came into play in some of the matches. Nearly 3,600 runs in 11 innings makes for an average of around 330, incorporating an IPL-like 107 sixes.

However, for 330 to become the new 250 so quickly must go beyond specially prepared strips and bringing in the boundary rope. The men who excelled in the series were not surprising. Virat Kohli and George Bailey were magnificent, while Shikhar Dhawan, Glenn Maxwell and MS Dhoni also showed their class on more than one occasion. Then, of course there was Rohit Sharma's Bangalore masterclass and one-off century cameos from Shane Watson and James Faulkner. These are players who have sharpened their batting skills in the T20 era and, of these, only Dhoni has a lasting reputation in the Test format. Mind you, Sharma and Dhawan each have three-figure averages from their three matches between them!

Who remembers the bowlers from the ODI series? The only names that springs to mind are Mitch Johnson (for one good spell at Mohali) and Ishant Sharma (for his shocker in the same game). Nobody took ten wickets across the entire series; Ravi Ashwin's nine topped the table, albeit at 37 apiece while leaking a run a ball. Only this week's debut hero, Mohammed Shami, averaged under 30 of the main bowlers. Bhuvi Kumar and Xavier Doherty took a mere two wickets apiece and in terms of economy, Watson, Vinay Kumar and Faulkner each suffered a long-lasting pasting.

Following any other series, their places would be under serious threat. However, all you can do in the wake of such a run-fest is shrug your shoulders and hope that the next series will offer a fairer contest between bat and ball. I fear the worst, particularly in India. After all, when you have a limited-over batting order like that, the selectors and Dhoni can pretty much rely on hunting down every target set them and, if they lose the toss, put the game beyond most opponents.

Also, the series made fifty-over cricket major news around the world. Big scores make big headlines and these days big money, too. South Africa's victory over Pakistan today went way below the radar as the two sides could muster just seven sixes between them. Never mind the 43 fours which probably took more skill to achieve. The India-Aussie competition was certainly exciting, helped by circumstances leaving the final match as a winner-takes-all decider. Australia were no pushovers and will be genuine contenders come the next World Cup but I look forward more to ODIs in the MCG than Mohali and Newlands rather than Nagpur.

Should or could cricket's law-makers rewrite the books? All the tinkering with field restrictions and Powerplays have helped make mid-innings periods more lively but do they really help when the dice is loaded so much in the batsman's favour? Why not abolish such regulations altogether? Bowl to a 9-0 leg field? Then Kohli can just step inside and aim for the covers. If he misses, that's his problem! Place everyone on the boundary? Then nudge the ones and twos and score ten and over that way instead, with little chance of being caught!

It won't happen, of course. Modern innovations shouldn't be dispensed with on the evidence of five games in a single country. However, if ODIs continue to evolve into Fifty50 slugfests, then I will finally be convinced that the format has no future. And that really will be a shame.

India Cruise through

And so it came to pass: England will face England at Edgbaston for the ICC Champions Trophy. Each enjoyed an easy ride through the semis as first South Africa then Sri Lanka batted slowly and feebly, leaving their opponents straightforward run chases.

At a warm, sunny Oval, Jonathan Trott steered the ship home to port with an impressive 82 not out, but it was the bowling of James Tredwell and the ever-dependable Jimmy Anderson who strangled then carved open the South African batting. When Ingram, Amla, De Villiers and Duminy scrape together a mere four runs between them, the Proteas have no chance, and so it proved. They have missed Smith and Kallis although the absence in most games through injury of Steyn and Morne Morkel was probably the more harmful.

I was at Cardiff yesterday for the much-anticipated clash between neighbours and frequent rivals India and Sri Lanka. Fearing the worst, I turned up with brolly, book and newspaper but somehow the dull blanket of cloud never produced any rain once the overnight soaking had cleared this part of South Wales. The game started half an hour late to enable groundstaff to mop up the outfield but, with the floodlights providing welcome brightness and warmth, the weather failed to dampen the occasion.

As at the tournament opener at the same stadium, Indian fans thronged the stands, their cheerful but always polite exuberance creating a memorable atmosphere. It didn't quite match the colour and spectacle of that high-scoring win over South Africa. However, once it became obvious that the Indian seamers had complete mastery over the competition, the crowd settled down to cheer their young team to victory. In the main stand I took pleasure in watching Dharwan, the adored Kohli and new hero Ravi Jadeja respond to the crowd, milking then leading the applause. They felt at home, and their bowler were to respond, too.

To the neutral, it was a mediocre contest. Somehow I expected more of a side boasting Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Kulasekera and Malinga, each of whom had illuminated the competition with superb performances in the previous week or so. OK, so the retirement with a torn calf muscle of Dilshan soon after crashing two consecutive boundaries was a blow. Nevertheless, Sanga was clearly frustrated with his inability to make his strokes against 'Bhuvy' Kumar, Yadav and Ishant Sharma, each of whom frequently beat the bat, caught an edge or made the batsman duck sharply. Even Mahela wasn't his usual twinkle-toed self. The pitch seemed so conducive to seam that MS Dhoni even bowled four overs himself and had appeared to take a wicket with only his second ball, only for the decsion to be overturned on review. Is there anything that man cannot do?! Suresh Raina, meanwhile, helped himself to three successive catches at second slip.

After 20 overs, Sri Lanka were only 47-3 and, while skipper Angelo Mathews finally struck a defiant six on his way to 51, the total of 181 was hardly a strong one. Unless the high-scoring duo of Shikhar Dharwan and Rohit Sharma cold finally slip up, that is. They didn't. Where the Indian seamers had prospered in the heavy conditions, the Sri Lankans failed to dent the confidence of the prolific pair until Rohit charged at Mathews and missed in the 17th over. At that stage they had twice the runs as SL had at the same point in their innings. Dharwan rode his luck at times, with a few dropped catches, but he expressed annoyance with himself for being stumped by centimetres off Mendis for 68. However, there wasn't enough time to secure a third hundred of the tournament. Kohli and Raina stepped up the attack and suddenly it was all over with ninety balls to spare.

The Cardiff/Glamorgan organisers did themselves proud this fortnight. The volunteers, including stewards who earned their keep coping with two pitch invasions in the semi, were magnificent, entering into the spirit while retaining an air of professionalism. And the venue played host to a real mix of matches. All that is left is a final between the two most powerful sides in the competition. India have looked excellent right through the side, but then, apart from that reverse to Sri Lanka, the same could be said of England. Perhaps India have the edge with the bat although in Anderson, the hosts have the best bowler in these oonditions. My prediction: England to take their first 50-over title.