Yup, it seems that the red light has gone on for the Umpire Decision Review System that initially received so much support from players and cricket boards alike. Despite Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager of batting his heart out to try and keep the system alive it has just not taken off and is being shot down mercilessly by boards world over. So what is the exact problem? It is not so much the cricketing reasons but the financial ones. Since broadcasters of the series involved and the home cricket board are supposed to bear the costs of the referral system, none is ready to take on the extra expenditure in these tough times.

The on going series between India and Sri Lanka is a prime example where BCCI shot down the idea of using referral system as Nimbus and the board had an issue with spending the money. With the richest cricket board in the world backing out, hope seems pretty bleak elsewhere. But Richardson is hopeful as he tries to garner support from Down Under in Australia where he feels both the ACB and the production channel will be more willing to help out.

While there is no doubt that the system is good for the game and viewers alike, it seems broadcasters are just not willing to go that extra mile on the issue. Or a game that is still largely confined to a handful of post-colonial colonies, it would be better to think long term than bother about short-term savings.

For a generation of loyal Indian cricket fans who saw India lift the world cup at Lords he was the boy who had the potential to replace Sunil Gavaskar, For the next generation he was an icon and inspiration who carried their national side on his young herculean shoulders single-handedly and for the Dhoni-Yuvraj-smitten latest lot he is the senior pro around whom the rest of the team operates. Different though he maybe for different folk, there was one common element about Tendulkar that inspired more than a billion people at home- an ability to put smiles on the faces of those who watched him; those who watched his each and every stroke.

The most captivating aspect about Tendulkar was his ‘boy next door’ persona that would just turn up at the ground against seemingly insurmountable odds, fierce fast bowlers and of course once in a while sell a razor blade or energy drink… doing all that in a shy and humble fashion that floored you with its simplicity; the same simple and uncomplicated approach that translated into his batting and his work ethic at the nets. Yet, once he took guard, the shy boy next door transformed into an all-demon slaying giant for his countrymen and those who watched from the other side of the fence were equally taken in by his batting brilliance.

Yet watching Sachin bat for us commoners was more about waiting to see the brutal destroyer inside being let loose. Batting was the one time when the master of his chosen craft seemed to allow himself some indulgence (and also in case of fast cars), but even that stemmed from countless of hours of practice in the nets- the paddle sweep fine, the scoop over the slips, the late cut and top hand-like flick that sent the ball from an yard outside off step to behind square on the leg. For all his genius, Tendulkar never seemed to enthrall his followers off the field with the eccentricities that come attached.

Watching the master of his chosen craft for two decades has been a unique and captivating privilege and those of us who have been lucky enough to jump onboard have enjoyed it immensely. Even till today as the dust settles and the side screen is set (which is ever so important for Sachin), some wait for the straight drive, some for the cut, some for the paddle sweep and some for the straight hit over the spinners head and Yours truly waits for that vintage and beefy pull into the stands… Different strokes for different folks… all still flowing off of one blade!

Indian cricket is as unpredictable off the field as it is on it and the selection of mercurial (on the borderline of crazy) Sreesanth seems to be another twist in its ever vibrant tale. Announcing the squad for the first two tests against Sri Lanka that will commence at Ahmadabad in less than a week, the selection committee has been anything but decisive in its methods. Announcing the 15-member squad for the first two tests saw the return of Sreesanth and Zaheer Kahn to the Test team while the Tamil Nadu duo of Badrinath and M Vijay made their way into the 15 as well.

What seemed startling though is the fact that the selection committee went in with 3 seamers and two spinners (Harbhajan and Ojha), leaving Dhoni with far few bowling options. So, if he does decide to go in with three pacers and lone spinner on the match day then he has to pick the out of form Ishant Sharma, the guy returning from lay off- Zaheer Khan and the completely unpredictable Sreesanth… Not the way to be stepping in to a test series. With the middle order already packed, and the openers in full fitness, a batting spot seems unlikely for either Vijay or Badrinath.

In short, the selection committee will have some explaining to do if the show flops at Ahmadabad. Even otherwise, the early signs seem to be that the men at the top have been rattled by the Aussie debacle at home and have pinned their hopes on the solid batting lineup to once again save them on home turf!

Playing a 7-match one-day series in this time and age seems a bit outdated, even boring perhaps and that is the general feeling going around both within the players and the spectators despite the two best teams in the world going head on. With cramped international schedule and growing demand on players’ fitness, it seems that this absurdly long and congested series between Australia and India is claiming victims and that too fast. With the hosts going 2-1 up as we head to Mohali, Brett Lee is already out, Clarke was never here and now Sehwag and Gambhir seem to be destined for the sidelines.

Team India will be stepping out at the beautiful stadium in Mohali knowing that a win here will give them the number one spot in one-day team rankings and Australia will be motivated enough as a defeat here would make their task of winning the series almost impossible.

Key Factors:

Ponting and Hussey: They have carried Australia through this series so far and they might have to do it again here. While the captain seems to be in sublime touch, Mr. Cricket is getting his touch back against a deliciously easy Indian attack.

Tendulkar and Yuvraj: While the senior partner needs to put up a big one on the board, the local boy will be looking to raise his bat after a ton in front of his adoring home-town fans. Sachin’s start will be crucial, all the more if the Delhi-duo is forced to sit out and Yuvi’s blitz will be equally vital.
Dew: If the pitch remains good for 100 overs expect the team that wins the toss to bowl first as gripping the ball will be a nightmare later on. That sail, it could seam a bit up there at the PCB stadium under lights.

Prediction: Brett Lee’s absence could be the factor that allows India to sneak in with a win at a place where they have generally done poorly and Australia have found plenty of success.

Katrina Kaif, the Bollywood actress has already won loads of accolades for her success in the Indian film industry. She turned out to be quite an entertainer in the closing ceremony of IPL series as well. Together with the R&B singer Akon, the dou managed to create an air of excitement amidst the dance and music.

Katrina danced to the Oscar winning tunes of Jai Ho, already an anthem for A.R Rahman fans. The dance represented the spirit of IPL. Dancing expert and choreographer Shiamak Davar did an excellent job as well. The infectious songs of Akon got the crowd excited. It was thoroughly enjoyed by Katrina too, when she performed with Akon.

Although, Katrina’s dance moves and spirit was well received by the audience, her team Royal Challengers lost to the Team Hyderabad. She appreciated all the players for their efforts and was impressed with the team’s performance throughout the IPL season. Looks like Katrina really has a gala time at the IPL closing ceremony. The hard work in the rehearsing sure did pay off. After all, it did capture the heart of the audience!

Via: Times of India

The fireworks at the end of the match at Newlands were real awesome to watch and the Chargers’ cheergirls were hot as usual. But it was Gilchrist’s fireworks that were the real scorchers and it was Rohit Sharma’s splendid knock that was scorching hot, so much so that the Royal Challengers and KP were smoked out of the contest in just the first 20 overs. What a start it was with 20-20 seemingly back to its blitzkrieging self as the runs flowed and the ball disappeared all around the park thanks to the start that good old Gili had in store for everyone. The Chargers captain sizzled with a 45-ball 71 to set the tone and young Sharma then proved why he is the heir apparent of VVS in the Indian middle order with a stroke-filled 52.

Once again the Bangalore bowling attack was ripped to shreds on a track that was flat and on a day where clouds kept away from paying a visit to the Newlands. The explosive lineup of the Chargers were on full steam with Styris, Gibbs and others playing decent support. The score of 184 looked a daunting task and with the Bangalore top order folding up and walking back a bit too early even a mini-blinder from in form Dravid was no where sufficient to get close to the required target.

With Edwards striking first ball to dismiss Ryder for a golden duck, RP making the ball talk and Ojha sending a KP who danced down the track on the walk back to pavilion, the boys in red never had any momentum about their innings. Sure, Virat Kohli (50) sparkled and Dravid (48) briefly raised hopes of an unlikely miracle, but it was all too much for a unit that looks more and more disjointed. Just like we said earlier in the day, the Chargers were simply a class above the opposition… In fact, several notches above!

It is the battle of the South with the Deccan Chargers taking on the Bangalore Royal Challengers in their second encounter of IPL Season 2 and while the performance of the two teams will be keenly witnessed, the twin factors of rain and pitch seem toe be the taking points of this T20 fest so far. It will be interesting to see how the Newlands track will play out, but expect the team that wins the toss almost certainly to bat first. Chasing under lights right now seems to be a bit of a bogey in South Africa that most sides wish to steer clear of.

With Bangalore dishing out and the taking a drubbing in its two games, at this point it seems pretty hard to understand how good this team really is. Their last performance against Chennai was a lot like the ‘Test team stuck playing IPL’ situation we saw in the inaugural tournament and if your two main batting stars in a 20-20 contest are Kallis and Dravid, you are sure neck deep in trouble. At this point Bangalore look like stuck in the first gear. The Chargers on the other hand looked electrifying against a mediocre Kolkata and with their rejuvenated approach and Gibbs in scorching hot form; they will be hard to beat.

Unless this is another real sticky wicket like the one Bangalore trounced Rajasthan on and until the Chargers play some poor shots, it is hard to see at this point how any other prospect except a Deccan triumph. Watch out once again for RP Singh who seems to become RP Swing every time he lands in South Africa!

Prediction: Chargers should outclass Challengers here.

At this point it seems frustratingly ironic that the major reason why South Africa was picked over England for its ‘sunnier’ weather and yet we have been forced to see more highlights packages waiting for skies to clear and covers to come off rather than LIVE action. Not just for television viewers who were hotly anticipating another mini tussle between the titans, but also the patient Kingsmead crowd that left home disappointed. Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals captains never even came out for the toss as they left to their hotel rooms each picking up a single point.

Neither of the teams will be too happy though with the charged up Indians wanting to double their tally while the Royals wanted to show that their last defeat was just a freak. At this point we would like to really know who was actually advising Lalit Modi on the weather in late April in South Africa. While organizers are saying these are ‘freak showers’, the freakishness seems to becoming an all too common addition to the tournament at this point. It takes 5 overs a side to squeeze in a 20-20 contest and at this point we are even unable to squeeze in that!!

Brendon McCullum’s boys did a fine job of initially restricting the King XI Punjab for a par total of 158 and then Chris Gayle brought out his big golf swing to put matters to rest at Kingsmead. With both the teams not having a winning start this crucial encounter was not just a battle on the field but a Bollywood face-off in the stands as both Shah Rukh Khan and Priety Zinta cheered their boys to the hilt. But at the end of the day it was King Khan who went home smiling as a rain curtailed match saw the blitz of Gayle end at 79/1 after 9.2 overs with the West Indian captain unbeaten on 44 off just 26 balls.

The initial attack of the Punjab dudes looked potent and decisive with Irfan Pathan getting a promotion to number 3 and opening his shoulders up for a quick fire 32in just 17 balls. But it was the prince of Kolkata who stuck back with twin blows in a single over to dismiss both Irfan and Ravi Bopara and bring cheer to an off-late sulking Bengal. With Yuvraj’s brilliance curtailed to a flash and the others failing to step on the gas, what looked at one point to be a total heading for the 180-mark fell 20-odd runs short.

That still looked like a very competent total before Chris Gayle decided to make a mockery out of the short boundaries and Punjab’s weak bowling attack as he dished out some brutal strokes. You would normally say that he sent the fielders on leather hunt, but this was more a sky-watching camp with the ball sailing way back into the stands. Before the rain gods stepped in to stop the massacre, the match seemed to be done and trashed thanks to the Caribbean captain. Kolkata just sprung back to life!

Lalit Modi and BCCI are already minting big bucks with the IPL and it seems that the change of host nation seems to have just got them a bit more worrying about losing the stake in all those rolls of green. That is exactly why the headless thinkers on top of the tournament’s decision making team decided to put in a seven and a half minute break after every 10 overs in each innings.

The latest effort though seems to have already received plenty of slack and with a lot more to follow, maybe the stubborn heads on the top will soon be forced to scrap out the useless ‘Strategic Time-outs’. With players like Tendulkar and Harbhajan already stating that the breaks are doing more harm than good to teams by breaking up the rhythm of the players, it seems that all those ad-revenues are finally cutting deep into quality of cricket.

While bowling teams that are getting mauled seem to be all too happy with such a break, it seems that the seven and a half minutes is all too long if it really is just to make strategic plans! For this version the time-out is probably here to stay, but hopefully IPL 3 back in India will see the break melt away in hot summer sub-continent heat.