Times Up for Legend Ntini?

Firstly, reaching 100 Tests is a milestone that can not be underplayed by anyone. What Ntini has achieved in his South African career is outstanding and for that he must be commended. When looking back on his remarkable career, those who remember him as a black South African cricket do him no favours. Politics has always merged with Ntini’s career, something he has never liked, but that is the world he lives in and there was no escaping that. Ntini has been a legend in South African cricket, as a South African cricketer, and not as a black cricketer. It’s important to see his achievements for what they are and not to skewer them with politics. His stats and records stand up with all the best players and that should be the defining marks of his career, not his skin colour.

Unfortunately with all our sporting hero’s there comes a time when they aren’t able to back up their stats and career moments on the field. The passage of time catches up to us all, and for sportsmen it can be most cruel. Ntini reached a milestone in the last test that few others in world cricket have. He became the 5^th South African to reach 100 caps in Test cricket. The 4 others he has joined are Gary Kirsten, Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher. That’s pretty good company. However his ability to take wickets has waned over the last season and being a strike bowler that is a problem. When Pollock, Ntini’s strike bowling partner for much of his career, and indeed the most successful parts of it, began to lose pace and wicket taking ability, he was replaced with Dale Steyn. Pollock hadn’t lost his line and control, was still able to do a containing role with the ball, was able to contribute with the bat, and hadn’t lost any drive or desire, but the selectors wanted wickets – 20 wickets win Test matches. Ntini has arrived in that exact situation. His experience has helped the new generation of fast bowlers in the Protea set up, but there comes a time when he can’t do it anymore and needs to gracefully move on. He has already lost his place in the ODI squad, and perhaps the hope was that by concentrating on Test cricket, they would be able to prolong his career. But the Ntini legs have done a lot of work during his career, and while they may still be willing to run in all day, the wicket taking ability is gone.

His performance in the last Test, his 100^th, followed that of the last season or so. He never stopped running in, he didn’t quit trying, but it wasn’t there. He took only 2 wickets, and one was a ball that didn’t bounce. He was out shown by debutant de Wet. With Steyn set to return this weekend the logical thing to do would be to replace Ntini with Steyn and go in with an attack of Steyn, de Wet, Morkel, Kallis and Harris. However politics do come into affect in South African cricket and there will be a call not to drop Ntini, more so for his skin colour then his form. Is that right? Would Ntini be happy with that? I don’t think so. Replacing him with Parnell or Tsotsobe would also be an idea, both would give the attack a left arm variety that would be more than useful, but de Wet did enough on debut to keep his place. It would be highly unlucky, and unfair to drop him. This being South Africa that could very well happen.

For those throwing the race card out, suggesting that dropping Ntini would be a racist move, especially as he would be replaced by a white player, for those people I would suggest they think carefully about what they are saying. There views would be racist and not the dropping of a player short of form for one in great form. By reducing Ntini to a skin colour, they are making him a token in a racial argument that has no value or baring on the situation. They are suggesting that he has only been in the team for the 100 tests he has played because he is black. They are hurting Ntini and South African cricket. Ntini has played 100 Tests because he has been a great player. He has achieved all he has because of superior ability, and despite the hurdles that have been placed before him by such racist views.

Ntini needs to be remembered as a legend of South African and world cricket. He is a black South African but that is not the reason he has been in the South African team. He should be remembered for all the joy he has brought cricket fans and whenever his career winds down, be it this weekend or years from now, the end should be celebrated for all that has come before it and not be allowed to turn into a racial argument.

Salute Ntini, a proud member of the 100 Test club, and Proudly South African.

Mumbai Indians Take Note

 

Many cricket watchers outside of South Africa will not be too familiar with Loots Bosman, but South Africans are all too aware of just how capable he is in limited over cricket. Loots “The Hammer” Bosman is the leading batsman in the domestic Pro 20 Series, and is currently the only player to score a Pro 20 Series 100. After being out of action with knee ligament damage he has returned to action with a bang, scoring 58 and 94 in the two T20 internationals against England.

 

Bosman is not new to the South African set up, having played 12 ODI’s and 6 T20 games, with limited success in the 50 over format. In ODI’s he has only one 50, a score of 88, and has been less destructive than he can be, perhaps an indication of not having settled in international cricket at that level. However it seems he was born to play T20 cricket. Before today’s match he had an international record of 5 games, an average of 40.75 with an impressive strike rate of 153.77, and Fridays score of 58 being his highest. He also shared the best opening partnership record for South Africa, 146 that he and Smith put on against Pakistan. Today’s innings saw him and Smith better that record, and the world record, as they put on 175 from only 88 balls. Bosman’s innings of 94 is also the highest by a South African in T20 internationals, beating Gibbs 90 not out, and he now has the highest score in both South African domestic and international T20 cricket.

 

Domestically Bosman has played 34 Pro 20 Series matches, with an average of 34.66, a strike rate of 144.24, and a highest score of 104. That’s a record that would hold up with the best in the world. The freedom that he is allowed in T20 cricket is just what Bosman thrives on. While is record is impressive what he has shown in the last two games against England is that his game has gotten better. The freedom that is afforded to him, particularly with the relative newness of T20 cricket, has seen Bosman as a bit of gun slinging batsman, swinging for every ball. While this is an approach that has worked for him, his move from the Free-State Eagles, to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Dolphins, has seen Graham Ford working with him to build an innings. This was evident in both games, particularly in today’s master class, where he took a couple of overs to play himself in before launching, picking the balls to hit, rather than swinging for each one.

 

Hopefully the selectors for the Mumbai Indians have been watching these games. Bosman has been Indian for two years but is yet to play a game. The 4 non Indian players rule means that is tough to get into the side, particularly with the likes of Duminy, Malinga, Jayasuriya, Bravo and Mills in the squad. However there have been many opportunities to play Bosman but Ashraful, Napier and Ronchi have been picked ahead of him. Ronchi in particular has had many chances to prove himself but has failed to do so.

 

The talents of Bosman are obvious to all South Africans and will have been noted by others. If the Mumbai Indians continue to ignore these I’m sure other IPL teams will have no problems finding a place for the explosive hitter in their teams.

 

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Opportunity Lost?

 

It was a step in the right direction when CSA arranged two ODI games against Zimbabwe to ensure that the Protea’s didn’t start cold against England, a mistake they’d previously made against Australia and prior to the Champions Trophy. While this was a belated but positive move none the less perhaps that Protea’s could have made better use of these two games, which were both won comfortably, as expected.

 

They did manage to give run outs to fringe, returning and new players, with the likes of Tsotsobe, Langeveld, Alviro Peterson and debutant Ryan McLaren playing. While ensuring that everyone got a run out and got at least one competitive game under their belts before the big England series, perhaps the Protea’s management did miss an opportunity for a bit of experimentation.

 

While South Africa have been the most consistent team, statistically at least, over the last few years, they have been accused of being too predictable, with this being their undoing in ICC events, and knock out matches. The bowling in particular came under intense scrutiny following the team’s poor showing in the Champions Trophy. South Africa’s winning formula had been built around a rigid batting line up, with 1-11 sticking to their assigned positions, and the batting powerplay being saved for the final 10 overs with Albie Morkel’s big hitting being held back for the powerplay. The bowling generally unfolds as rigidly as the batting, with opening bowlers, Steyn and Parnell being followed by Kallis and Morkel, and then the spin twins of Botha and van der Merwe bowling the middle overs, hoping to tie down the batsman, before Steyn returns for a couple of overs at the ball change, and Parnell returning at the death. While this static formula of batting and bowling has proved successful in bi-lateral series, most notably home and away against Australia, it is easy to prepare against, as there are generally no surprises. Both Sri Lanka and England capitalised on this in the Champions Trophy, scoring over 300 batting first and managing to defend their scores. Predictability has been the bane of South African cricket.

 

So we were told that things were looked at and would change in the future, with South Africa taking the next two years to prepare for the 2011 World Cup. An ideal chance to try news things would have been these two “warm up” games against Zimbabwe. While the personal changed, and new aspects were debuted, such as Kallis moving up to open, a position he will occupy against England, there was no real spark or imagination in the tactics. McLaren debuted, Langeveld returned, Tsotsobe got a chance to open, and Peterson came in at number 5, a role he has been earmarked for, and not his natural opening position. But where was the experimentation? The batting line up and bowling was still rigid and formulaic, and aspects spoken about did not come out. We were told that Boucher was batting too high at 6, and the batting line up would thus be addressed. And so in the first game Boucher came in at 4 – and struggled. Math must not be a strong point for the selectors, a toddler could tell you that 4 is higher than 6. Boucher is a good batsman, and has a record to back that up, but he is a finisher, and his game is not made for batting at 4. Kallis did open, and de Villiers and Duminy each moved up one, and all three produced, but this was not an experiment, that is the roles that they will occupy for the England series. Morkel, who’s bowling has struggled over the season, was told he’d move up one, to 6, and play as a batsman who could bowl, and not be burdened with having to bowl 10 overs. It’s fair enough ensuring the de Villiers and Duminy get batting time, but we all know what they are capable of. Morkel should have been pushed up the order and given the responsibility of building an innings. It should have been him at 4 and not Boucher. The world knows about Morkel’s destructive hitting, but to fully utilise it he should be coming in earlier so that he can set himself, before launching. He can’t be expected to only bat for the last 6 overs and hit from ball one. The likes of India have fully exploited the big hitting of Dhoni and Afridi, using them as floaters as the situation is presented. The have been proactive and reactive and not predictable.

 

If South Africa is to break their major trophy drought these things must be considered. It’s all good having the best team and the best individuals, but if they are not utilised according to situations and strengths they are being wasted. Predictability has cost South Africa time and time again. Predictably the Protea’s did not experiment in their two warm up games. They’ve moved forward in recognising the need to arrange games to ensure they don’t start a big series cold, but some things haven’t changed – and maybe it’s time they did.

 

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Time for Change

The Protea’s have announced their squads for the two ODI games against Zimbabwe, the two T20 games against England, and the first three ODI games against England. While not exactly making surprise selections, they have made some brave, proactive choices after South Africa’s failures in the Champions Trophy.

South Africa have been the most consistent, and perhaps the best, ODI team over the last few years, but their record in ODI series has not been transferred to ICC events. As the team looks to rectify this problem, and build towards the next T20 World Cup next year and the ICC World Cup in 2011. With this entire in mind the selectors have dropped stalwarts Makhaya Ntini and Herchelle Gibbs, while uncapped Heino Kuhn and Ryan McLaren get call ups, and Loots Bosman, Alviro Peterson, and Charl Langeveld earn recalls. Robin Peterson also misses out from the squad that did duty in the Champions Trophy.

The exclusion of Ntini is noteworthy but hardly surprising. The fast bowler has been in most Protea’s squads in recent times, but has not been part of the full strength ODI team, losing his place to the young talent Wayne Parnell. His ODI form has been on the decline in the last 18 months, and the man who was once the spearhead of the attack, and formed a formidable opening bowling partnership with Shaun Pollock, could be seeing his ODI career take a natural death. He is still however part of the Test plans.

The dropping of Gibbs is a little different. Gibbs has lost his Test place a year ago and now finds himself out of the ODI and T20 squads too. At 35 it will be hard for him to force his way back into the team, but he is still supremely fit, still one of the best fielders around, and if he develops consistency with his batting, he could still earn a recall. That’s been the problem with Gibbs – a lack of consistency. Flashes of his old brilliance have been punctuating low scores and the selectors would prefer it the other way around. His performance in the Champions League for the Cape Cobra’s sums up his form over the last couple of years. He scored 1 run in his first three innings before smashing a superb 42 in the semi final; where he gave his wicket away instead of going on to lead his team to a winning target.

Changes to the personnel aren’t the only ones the Protea’s have unveiled for the upcoming matches. With Gibbs missing out the thought would be that Hashim Amla or Alviro Peterson would open the batting with Smith. The selectors though have decided that Kallis will open, something he has been doing in T20 matches for both South Africa and Bangalore, with AB de Villiers and JP Duminy each moving up one place to 3 and 4. Peterson, an opening batsman, will then be asked to bat at 5. The inclusion of Peterson sends all the right messages to those in domestic cricket, as he has been rewarded for his run scoring with the Lions and with South Africa A. That natural progression is one that all local players need to see rewarded. Amla could come into the team anywhere from 1 to 5 if need be and Peterson could move to his natural opening birth if the Kallis move doesn’t work out. The changes do however give more responsibility to de Villiers and Duminy, and allowing them to come in a little earlier could be just what the batting line up needs.

Another interesting change is with Albie Morkel. The all rounder is set to be used as a pure batsman, coming in at number 6 and not 7 or 8 where he has been used for much of his international career. Many South African fans feel his big hitting has been wasted so low down the order, and his top score, and only international ODI 50, a 97 against Zimbabwe, was scored batting at 3. The move has been prompted by his dip in bowling form rather than recognising his batting. The pressure to bowl 10 overs will be taken off him and he will be free to concentrate on his batting. Batting at 6 will allow him more time to play himself in, something he needs, then the lower order afforded him, but it will be good to see the selectors allow him to float higher on occasion.

The bowling, badly undercooked in the Champions Trophy, has been strengthened with the recalling of Langeveld, a death bowling expert, as well as all rounder Ryan McLaren. With Dale Steyn the only bowler assured of a starting place, Langeveld and McLaren will battle with spin twins Botha and van der Merwe, Tsotsobe and Parnell for the remaining three places. The bowling options are good and varied and all should be given a chance in the two series.

The inclusion of Kuhn, the Titans opening batsman/keeper, for the T20 games against England, where he will make his international debut, gives an inkling into the selectors plans for a post Mark Boucher era for South Africa, with AB de Villiers deciding he wants to be purely a batsman and not the next Protea’s keeper.

South Africa A teams have also been named to play against England in 50 over and T20 warm up games. The A teams see squad players like Amla and Tsotsobe from the ODI squad, and Bosman and Abdulla from the T20 squad, chosen along with the new caps McLaren and Kuhn, players who have been part of the Protea’s squads and looking to play themselves back in, such as Morne Morkel, Ontong, Robin Peterson, and Thandi Tshabalala, and a good mix of young and form players knocking on the door of selection, such as Eagles players CJ de Villiers and Rilee Russouw. The A teams seem to be the players just outside the Protea’s squad, and that’s the way it should be, as a bridge to the full squad.

The full squads are: South Africa ODI squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveld, Ryan McLaren, Albie Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der Merwe

Twenty20 squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Yusuf Abdulla, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Jacques Kallis, Heino Kuhn (wk), Charl Langeveld, Ryan McLaren, Albie Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn, Roelof van der Merwe

South Africa A 50-overs squad: Hashim Amla (capt), Henry Davids, CJ de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn (wk), Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Robin Peterson, Rilee Rossouw, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Vaughn van Jaarsveld

South Africa A 20-overs squad: Justin Ontong (capt), Yusuf Abdulla, Loots Bosman, Henry Davids, CJ de Villiers, Rory Kleinveldt, Heino Kuhn (wk), Morne Morkel, Rilee Rossouw, Rusty Theron, Thandi Tshabalala, Vaughn van Jaarsveld

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Finely!

The South African cricket management seem to finely be learning from repeated past mistakes and have arranged to play two ODI games against Zimbabwe on the eve of their T20/ODI/Test series against England. Better late than never.

The Protea’s have in the past, time and again, failed to arrange adequate preparations for past tough series and major championships. Recently, after beating Australia in Australia they went into the home series cold, buoyed by confidence at beating the Aussies for the first time in a Test series since readmission, they decided against match time to ready themselves for the home series. They promptly lost the first two Tests before winning the final dead rubber by an innings. That was the first time South Africa had gone into a Test series against Australia as favourites. Some think the favourites tag was their undoing, but a lack of match preparedness is more likely. Just before the T20 World Cup in England the Protea’s players had come off a successful limited over series against the Aussies and then the majority of the squad took part in the IPL. They arrived at the T20 World Cup in great shape and until they lost to Pakistan in the semi final, their only loss of the tournament, had looked like the best team on show by miles. They then had a break for a few months with no cricket at all, domestic or club, before the Champions Trophy, on home soil. South Africa’s limited over performances over the last couple of years had seen them rightly ranked as the world’s top ODI team, and they entered the Champions Trophy as favourites. While every other team had played some cricket in the weeks preceding the competition the Protea’s did not. They should have found some way of ensuring some competitive cricket was played to fine tune and fully condition the players. Training matches and fitness camps are great, but nothing beats competitive game time. Zimbabwe or Kenya would have served far better than nothing at all. Lessens from the Aussie home series weren’t learned. The Protea’s lost two of their three group games and were knocked out early. Their bowlers in particular looked undercooked, conceding over 300 in two of the three matches.

So finely some lessens have been heeded and a Zimbabwe team that is more competitive then the one that last played the Protea’s, in 2007, will serve as a warm up to Test the readiness of the Protea’s before them embark on a long series against England. Let’s hope that this is the way forward for the team and that past mistakes will never be repeated.

The Protea’s will play Zimbabwe on November 8 in Willomore Park, Benoni, and on the 10th in Pretoria.

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Lessons Not Learned

South Africa has once again entered a major ICC tournament as favourites, and once again crashed out. The alarming regularity of this occurrence has home fans cringing and exhausted with excuses. Just what is going wrong?

The Protea’s have over the last 15 years or so been in the top two in both ODI and Test rankings at the end of almost every year. When stats are compiled after each season South Africa regularly tops the consistency charts yet their record in big games has had them labelled chokers for some time. Is their something symptomatic in the South African set up or mind that has led to this alarmingly predictable and painful demise that they put themselves through and their fans through at each big tournament? The period that these events lay between is so far apart that the faces involved have changed many times, yet the results have not. Can they handle pressure?

On paper, and results wise, this last week not withstanding, this is the best South African team produced since readmission. On paper this is the best balanced team in world cricket. There performance and consistency at the T20 World Cup in England was evident of that, until they come unstuck against Pakistan in the semi finals. Their home and away ODI series wins against Australia do so too. The Test team managed to do what no other South African team has done since readmission, and no other world team had done in almost two decades, win a series in Australia. And they did it the hard way, under intense pressure where their character and will was tested as much as their skill. Once again this tournament, the ICC Champions Trophy, was seen as their opportunity to put right the many wrongs that have befallen them in major tournaments before. This time they would put things right. This time they’d win. Yet again, just as it happened time and time before, they failed. Just as it had happened when they hosted other ICC events, the World Cup in 2003 and the T20 World Cup in 2007, they failed to get through to the semi finals.

It does seem that while there is a palpable will by the Protea’s to end their draught, and put the unwanted tags behind them, a feeling that getting that one win under their belts will lead to a domination of the Australia type in cricket, they just aren’t learning lessons from each failure. Looking at the way they have been ousted from all major tournaments since readmission, losing to England in the semi final of the WC in ’92, to the West Indies in the quarter finals in ’96, to Australia in the semi’s in ’99, to Sri Lanka in the last group game in ’03, to India in the T20 World Cup in ’07, to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup semi final this year, and against England on Sunday, South Africa have always failed batting second in pressure games. Being knocked out by Australia in the 2007 World Cup in the semi’s and by West Indies in the last Champions Trophy are the exceptions. South Africa has a problem chasing in big matches. This is a major problem for a team that likes to chase. The Protea’s have always prided themselves on having a deep batting line up, and so feel comfortable chasing targets. But the pressure is more intense on the side batting second in a do or die match, with the team taking first strike having runs on the board, and more freedom with no run rates to compete with. When batting first the run rate will take on a natural progression of setting a pace in the bowling powerplays, consolidating during the middle period, and launching an attack during the last 10, which tend to include the batting power play. When batting second that progression is over powered by trying to keep up with the required run rate, adding more pressure onto each in coming batsman. Something South Africa have found hard to cope with. Clearly they need a rethink on their chase chase chase philosophy. During a bilateral or tri-nations series that rigid formula may work because you always have the next game to come. You just need to win more than you lose. In a knock out match the pressures are different, there is no next match if you lose. South Africa need to think about batting first, getting runs on the board, giving their bowlers something to aim for, and letting their brilliant fielders create pressure. Win the toss and bat, bat, bat.

Another problem South Africa has when it comes to knock out cricket is inflexibility. Whether plan A comes from the coach or the captain there seems to be a stricked, no budging, approach with no plan b in sight. They bat from 1 to 11 with no alterations depending on the situation. As before this approach is fine in an ODI series but in a knock out match you need to be flexible. In the match against England on Sunday there were two chances for flexibility to be used in the South African batting innings. The first option concerned the batting powerplay. South Africa tends to always take their batting powerplay from around the 42^nd -45^th overs. They say they want to make full use of Albie Morkels big hitting towards the end of an innings. What could have been done was for South Africa to take their powerplay when Smith and de Villiers were going well. Before the advent of the batting powerplay teams were comfortable going at 10 an over for the last 10 overs. This has been more evident with the increased importance of T20 cricket. So why take the powerplay then if that’s what you’d be aiming for anyway? Taking it in the middle of the innings, with two set batsmen would allow you to get ahead of the rate, lessening the pressure for following batsman to come in and be expected to keep up with the rate from ball one, and more importantly, would force the bowling team to alter their tactics. Had South Africa done so on Sunday then England would have been forced to bring Anderson on at this time and this would have meant that he wouldn’t have overs to bowl at the end, giving those chasing in the last 10 a much better chance.

Flexibility with the batting order is something else South Africa needs to consider. At the moment Albie Morkel is not offering as much as he can or would like to the team. His bowling has been suffering for a while now, but his batting is not being utilised. He has only one 50 in 43 matches, a 97 he made against Zimbabwe batting at number 3. But he’s stuck at 7 in a rigid order that has him coming in and not being allowed to get set, with expectations of him clearing the boundary from ball one. The same was seen with Lance Klusner at the latter part of his career. Klusner scored 100’s at the top of the order, so why not allow Morkel to come in earlier in some games? Give him the chance to get set and score a big innings as apposed to the 20’s we are seeing from him now. Should the gamble fail you’ve still got the likes of Duminy and Boucher to recover for you, and should it pay off you’ll get devastating results. Morkel would be the best to use in this way, but Roloef van der Merwe would be another who could do a job. South Africa needs to make better use of the talent available to them and not be so stuck in a certain way. Pakistan should be an example of this, with their use of the likes of Afridi in all batting positions. Pakistan has a World Cup and T20 World Cup to their names, as well as appearing in other finals of both. South Africa needs to be more flexible.

Perhaps the biggest mistake South Africa made this time was in their preparation for the Champions Trophy. When South Africa beat Australia in Australia in the Test and ODI Series it was expected to be the turning of the corner for this team. They were expected to dominate world cricket from them, beginning with easily beating the Aussies in the return series at home. They promptly lost the first two tests, and with it the test series, before winning the final test and the ODI series. The slow start was put down to a lack of match practice before the first test. While Australia arrived and played warm up games the Protea’s thought they were ready enough with out game time. They were caught cold. It seems lessons weren’t learned from then. South Africa had not played any cricket since the T20 World Cup 3 months ago, and no ODI cricket since Australia left in April. Every other team arrived with some cricket behind them. Yet South Africa was content with a conditioning camp and a single warm up game, against a sub par West Indies team. They weren’t tested and more importantly weren’t ready. South Africa’s batting line up, with Smith, Gibbs, Kallis, de Villiers, Duminy, Boucher and Morkel is one of the best in world cricket. But their bowling attack is well balanced and formidable in its own right, led by Dale Steyn and the promising Wayne Parnell, and brilliantly supported by the spin twins of Botha and van der Merwe. South Africa’s once predictable and one dimensional attack is now the most balanced around. But a lack of match bowling left them under cooked and ill prepared, and conceding 300 in two of their three games is all the proof that is needed of this fact.

These aren’t new problems and mistakes that the team is facing. There is little excuse as to why they have been repeated. If this team is to enjoy the success and reputations that they deserve they must face them and most importantly learn from them. Something that they clearly have failed to do so. This Protea’s team has the potential to go on to be one of the best teams ever in cricket history, but until they win a major ICC event, that’s all they will be, a potentially great team. There is a feeling that one win will lead to many more, but the one must come first. The T20 World Cup next year and the ICC World Cup the following year gives this team two more chances to show the world what they know – they are the best. Lessons learned will help.

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The Death of the Allrounder

England allrounder Andrew Flintoff has announced that he will retire from Test cricket after the current Ashes series. In a trend that may become more familiar in years to come he has made himself available to still play in ODI and T20 cricket. It seems modern cricket may be no place for allrounders.

Flintoff has struggled with various injuries throughout his career, and while the timing of his announcement may be a shock, the decision perhaps is not. Since the defining moment of his career, the Ashes triumph of 2005, Freddy has missed 25 of Englands last 48 Test matches and has spent the better part of 2 of the last 4 years in rehabilitation for various injuries. His body just wasn’t up to it. While many may feel that Flintoff has been a great player during his international career the stats don’t do that theory much justice. Since 2005 Flintoff has averaged 28, without a 100, with the bat and 34 with the ball, with no five wicket hauls – hardly the stuff of legend. There is no denying the talent and ability of the player, but the work load he has been forced to handle has proved to big a burden, and his body has had enough.

A few years ago players were moaning about too much cricket. Then the T20 was born, and with it the likes of the IPL and its millions, the T20 World Cup, and domestic T20 competitions. There is now more cricket than ever. Yet the money on offer for the shortest form of the game means that players will still make themselves available for T20 and Test cricket will feel the pinch. The amount of cricket played, the stress, strain, and work load means that true Test allrounders are a dying breed, and some, like New Zealands Jacob Oram, have predicted that it will become impossible to be a Test allrounder in the very near future.

A look at Test teams around the world seems to suggest that Oram may be correct. With Flintoff now retiring how many true allrounders are there? Australia’s Shane Watson and New Zealands Jacob Oram have been spending as much time as Flintoff out injured. South Africa’s Albie Morkel has only just made his debut in their last Test played. Shakib Al-Hasan of Bangladesh and Shahid Afridi of Pakistan are both allrounders, but spinners have less mileage on them then fast bowlers. Perhaps this is the future of Test allrounders – all spin and no pace.

Mitchell Johnson of Australia has shown enough ability with the bat to suggest that he could develop into an all rounder but the more likely scenario is that Australia would like to keep him as a bowling all rounder, batting at number 8, just as South African managed the dual talents of Shaun Pollock. The South African’s may look to use the emerging potential of Wayne Parnell in the same manner.

The South African Test team of the mid to late 90’s and early 2000’s possessed the all round abilities of Pollock, Kallis and Klusner, and at times Boje. Those were times without T20 cricket and perhaps we may never see the likes of that team again. Kallis is the only one left of that bunch and like any true legend, and all rounder, has modified his game to bring success to T20 cricket, but how long he is able to play all three formats is up for debate.

It seems that the modern game will see more and more players retiring from the longer format earlier than usual, and becoming ODI and T20 specialists. Will the all rounder survive?

Pakistan Victory is a Victory for World Cricket

pic from Associated Press

Pakistan’s victory in the T20 World Cup in England was a win for world cricket. The problems that the country is facing has meant that they have had the hosting of the next ICC World Cup taken away from them, no country will tour Pakistan,because of the volatile climate there but specifically because of the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team, the last team to tour Pakistan. Pakistan are in cricketing limbo, without a home and without a clear future. They needed this, and so did cricket.

Before the T20 World Cup began the favourites were seen as the defending champions India, and the always strong Australia and South Africa. After the first week the clear favourites were South Africa and Sri Lanka. India made it past the first phase but were on the whole disappointing. They failed to win any of their Super 8 games and were sent packing. The blame was put on IPL fatigue. Yet only Wayne Parnel from the South African starting 11 didn’t play in the IPL, and they seemed not to feel the effects. Australia didn’t get past the first phase, losing to Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Only South Africa coped with, and lived up to, the favourites tag. Pakistan weren’t talked about.

They did what was needed to get through the first two phases and onto the Semi Finals. And then they came alive like only Pakistan can. The best team doesn’t always win the tournament, the best team on the day does. South Africa were the best team in the competition. The team was well balanced, had defined roles for each player, and was consistent and ran like a well oiled machine. Pakistan were the spanner in the machine. The flair and talent available to Pakistan is amazing – the consistency is not. But when an individual comes off Pakistan will beat anyone. It is perhaps unfair to say that Afridi single handedly beat South Africa, but that’s what it would have felt like. His batting had been terrible in the first 10 days of the World Cup, but pushed up the order in a gamble that paid off spectacularly, he got Pakistan to a total that was just enough to send South Africa out of yet another semi final. This was no South African choking. They fought and battled to the very end, but on the day they were beaten by Afridi with the bat and ball, and Umar Gul’s death bowling. No other team would have gotten to within 7 runs of Pakistans total batting second on that pitch.

In the final against the other then unbeaten team, Sri Lanka, Pakistan bowled and fielded as a team. On the rare occasions that they manage to do so they are very affective. Again it was Afridi with the bat, having found his form and confidence, that took Pakistan a step further than they managed two years ago in South Africa.

While it may seem that Pakistan stuttered into the semi’s before awakening in time to march towards the title, a look at the stats shows that they were in fact the best bowling team in the World Cup, and ended with the best economy rate as well as the leading wicket taker. They didn’t start spectacularly but they the were effective and did the job in the end.

Pakistan cricket has been in the news for all the wrong reasons for the past year or so, let them revel in the limelight of a job well done – and deserved.

Ireland Do It Again!

pic from Associated Press

 

Ireland beat Bangladesh to progress through to the Super 8 round of the T20 World Cup, and send their Test playing opponents home. This is the second time Ireland have beaten Bangladesh, having also beaten them in the ICC World Cup in 2007, where they also beat Pakistan and tied with Zimbabwe. The plucky Irish, still an associate member of the ICC are punching above their weight on the big stage and are fast become everyones second team.

While Holland beat England in the opening match and Scotland gave New Zealand a bit of a scare on Saturday, before being crushed by South Africa, it’s Ireland who look the best of the so called minnows. The team is well made up, and well coached by West Indian Phil Simmons. They show enthusiasm in the field, and go about their batting and bowling as best as they can. Where they have out performed their other smaller teams, and backed up their surprise results in the 2007 World Cup, has been their approach to their cricket. They play as a team. While the Scots tend to have a couple of good performers per match, not backed up by the full 11, the Irish have all pitched in.

The O’Brian brothers stole the show with their batting today, Niall, who was also excellent behind the stumps, took the Bangladesh attack on, scoring a boundary laden 40 from 25 balls, including three 6’s, and brother Kevin came in and finished the match for the Irish with an unbeaten 39 from 17 balls, taking his team home, and through to the next round.

While the minnows in these tournaments tend to look like amateur cricketers, enjoying the chance to play on the big stage against many of their heroes, and enjoying the holiday from work, the Irish look like real cricketers. They came with every intention of causing an upset and getting through the first round, and not merely making up the numbers and relishing the occasion. They way they paced their innings and talked about it suggested professionalism that bodes will for the men in green.

Ireland take on the champions, India, on Wednesday before they begin the Super 8 phase. While they will no doubt enjoy themselves tonight and have made their point in the tournament, don’t bet against another upset from the Irish in the coming matches. No doubt they will be taken seriously by all – and rightly so.

T20 World Cup 2009 – Preview

 

The final of the IPL was a week ago today – andin 5 days time the opening match of the T20 World Cup, between hosts England and the Netherlands, takes place. It really is a crowded international schedule these days.

The previous, and inaugural, T20 World Cup was hosted by South Africa and won by India two years ago. The hype and excitement of that tournament added energy and freshness to the cricket world, yet this years edition has been more understated. That probably has a lot to do with the circus that is the IPL, yet one has to feel that those marketing the World Cup in England could perhaps do a better job. World Cup’s shouldn’t sneak up on you. The IPL should have been the appetizer to the main course, which starts next week. Lets hope the cricket does a better job and all the right noises are made after.

When T20 cricket launched itself onto the world stage it was viewed as pure entertainment, a hit and miss form of the game, and not taken too seriously by those on the field. There was almost a feel that it was more about luck than skill and not much could be done to curtail the individual. It wasn’t cricket – it was glitz. Barely two years since and how things have changed. T20 is very much a skill based, tactical battle, that seems to sharpen skills, rather than deplete them. The cream always rises, and T20 has seen it mastered by the great players, the players who have excelled in Test and ODI cricket, and not the close your eyes and swing variety. T20 is real business and will be fought out by the best players  over the next few weeks.

The favourites for the crown will be the same for any cricketing competition held at this team, no matter what the format. Defending champions India have perhaps benefited the most from the IPL as their pool of players playing at a higher level has increased to one meaning a squad of 50+ players could easily be assembled. Their opening combination of Sehwag and Gambhir didn’t really fire during the IPL andwill be looking for form in England. The early swinging ball may not be to their liking, but both will be looking to get the team out of the boxes fast and not just solidly. There after the hitting power in the Indian squad is phenomenal. Anyone of Dhoni, Yusuf Pathan, Raina, Yuvraj and Rohit Sharma will be able to single handedly build a total. If the batting comes off India will be hard to beat. The bowlers have a less solid look to them. Sharma, Pathan, RP Singh and Kumar will be complemented by the spin of Harbhajan and Ojha, but the key may be the form of Zaheer Khan. Zaheermissed the later part of the IPL with a shoulder njury. India’s success may depend on how quickly he recovers his form back.

Australia go into this World Cup without the favourites tag that has accompanied them for much of the last 15 years. Their squad is solid if not spectacular, but would have benefited from the rest they forced on much of their IPL contingent. The Aussies will be looking to get their hands on the only ICC competition that isn’t there’s right now. They will also be using the World Cup to get them off to a good start to their Ashes series. The dark horse tag, rather than favourite tag, may help the Aussies this time, although they have never been burdened by being favourites.

South Africa crashed out of the last edition with a loss to India in their last 2nd phase group game. It was their only loss in the competition and heir only poor performance. Smith’s men felt hard done by, given that 3 of the 4 semi final teams had lost more than them. They will be looking to get things right this time around, and maybe without the expectation of being hosts or favourites, may have more freedom to carry them forward. The balance of the squad is perhaps the best since South Africa returned to international cricket in 1992. Half the squad didn’t feature much in the IPL and should be well rested. Albie Morkel and Smith had poor showings with the bat last month and will be looking to fare better for their country then they did for their IPL teams. Yusuf Abdulla was the revelation of the first hald of the IPL, leading the wicket table at that stage, before being left out for the returning Brett Lee. He will look to carry on with that form, while at the same time showing the Kings 11 that they should have stuck with him. Abdulla, Albie Morkel, Kallis, Steyn and Parnell all offer swing, while Morne Morkel, with bounce and pace, and the spin twins of Botha and van der Merwe, make the attack a potent and balanced one. JP Duminy and AB de Villiers stared with the bat in the IPL and will be looking to carry that form. The squad boasts some of the best fielders in the world, and carries no real weakness. Solid batting, big hitting, depth, pace, swing, bounce, and spin. South Africa are looking good.

With England looking to make the most of home conditions, and momentum, following an easy convincing series win over the West Indies, and New Zealand always handy on the big stage, there are a fair amount of dark horses to watch out for. Pakistan have had very little cricket and havemuch to prove. The best outside bet however may be Sri Lanka. The seeding for the World Cup is based on the previous edition. This means that if all the top teams get through the opening phase, and they should have little trouble here, the big three favourites, India, Australia and South Africa willfind themselves in the same group, playing for 2 semi final places. Sri Lanka will be in the other group and should have an easy march trough to the semi’s. The batting lineup is a strong one, with Jayasuriya, Sangakkara, Dilshan and Jayawardene all able to adept to the needed situation, and in Murli and Malinga, they have two bowlers who won’t make any total look safe.

Sri Lanka will be hoping that the big three all batter and bruise each other, weakening themselves for a possible semi andfinal show down, while the big three will be hoping that a harder run in, and an easier one for Sri Lanka, will leave them better prepared.

The winners should come from those four. However little will be taken for granted, and with a World Cup crown up for grabs, all will be giving there all to get their hands on the crown. The shorter format leads to greater chances of upsets, so the slightest complacency will be punished. If the weather plays its part we should be treated to some great cricket, hopefully cricket worthy of being the main course to the IPL appetizer.

 

pic from cricinfo.com