SubscribeSo far so good… Not so for the fringe!
Posted on Apr 21, 2008 under Cricket views |The next set of IPl matches went on with some mixed results on the quality of the cricket played. Riders wrapped their second win while Laxman felt he was robbed. The Bangalore sloshers actually won a game but then it still required the brilliance of a T20 natural in Mark Boucher to wrap things up… so there is still food for thought on this team that chooses to have Jaffer and the unforgivable Sunil Joshi in it.
The logic behind having a 37 plus year old who retired some time back, playing in this league would have made Newton redefine the laws of gravity. Couldn’t some upcoming player benefit instead of Sunil Joshi? So basically the message is whoever ass licks Dravid gets to play, even if he is crippled.
On the horrendous Kolkatta match, the home of Indian cricket which the organizers once again put up a terrible show of pure incompetence. Is there any other place in the world where well over a lakh people turn up for a cricket game? Those dudes are the most passionate, often self-centric but the keenest cricket fans you can ever find in this world and time and again, the incompetence of the officials ruins the image of Indian cricket.
What was annoying was the curator happily going to the media before the match and proclaiming that he had made 4 pitches ready for the match and it was up to Ganguly to come and choose which one. Does this curator define this as a pitch? He ought to be tied up in a room and waxed from top to bottom. Also, let’s not forget Ganguly, after all he selected this pitch. Needless to say when I saw him get hit on the chest, I was sadistically pleased considering he did not have the courage to open the batting when the conditions were difficult and also where he was partly responsible for providing these conditions.
So what are we telling the world? We cannot provide a decent pitch that can last five days. We cannot provide a decent pitch that can last for a day. Hell! We cannot provide a pitch that can last for 4 hours!! This is a new low.
When the lights went out, it was even more amusing… no spare bulbs, nothing I thought. But thankfully even though they goofed up, play resumed and that was all that matters. On the conditions, it was not suited for a T20 match but honestly the players should have just gone on like what David Hussey did. That was brilliant and it was a good match.
The biggest disappointment so far as been the Indian fringe players whose performances have been poor especially on their totally atrocious fielding skills. They have not joined the party so far. In contrast, the Indian ICL players… the unknowns, the players who were not good enough for anything significant on a national/international level, all played as well as they could and contributed! I have not heard of a Satish before but this guy lead a team that beat a world x1 side of current retirees. This is significant. I only wish that during the course of this tournament, the Indian IPL fringe players gear up and perform else, the purpose of this tournament in helping them get better will all wither away. Currently, they are in awe and in total shock in what the standards of international cricket are.
On the tournament in general, it has been a roaring success so far. This is almost bigger than the world cup. Cut back to the recent World cup in the islands, there is a startling difference. This is here to stay without any doubts. What is encouraging is that slowly people are getting behind their home teams feverishly. Whenever that happens, this tournament will be defined successful to me as it would rub on to make people try and get behind their home teams in the domestic matches, which as of now, only the cricketers girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, wives, hordes of relatives, 15% percent pimps (agents) watch these matches.
What is really heartening is that none of the players are considering this as a slap and a giggle or other equivalent gay statements. It is good to see the players desperate to win and hopefully this level of interest will sustain through the tournament.
by straight point, on April 21 2008 @ 12:40 pm
our fringe player as you rightly pointed out are not doing good for the team and self interest…may be they are still overawed by international star presence? as the tournament will progress…they will come to terms and be good…
also i dont think gagly coming down the order had anything to do with fear…it was smart move as he knew that it was the middle overs that could turn the game and he backed himself to do the same and he almost succeeded…his partnership with david calmed the nerves in dressing room and untill that DC looked like getting wicket each ball…
by Robin, on April 21 2008 @ 6:05 pm
David also made a similiar point to straight point in his post match conference yesterday.. He said that the domestic players have never played before such a huge crowd and this is having an impact on them.. But was confident they will come to their own terms in the near future..
But some fringe players are doing good too.. e.g. Badrinath of CSK.. May be Ganguly feared that with the batting strength of Deccan chargers, KKR would be defeated in pitches that aid batting… If that is the case, smart play by Ganguly.. I dont think there is anything wrong in home team captain/coach dictating to the curator…
by scorpicity, on April 21 2008 @ 7:25 pm
Pan… Ganguly batted pretty well and David took it to another level… but I don’t appreciate pitches that are dangerous to the players and he had a hand in it as it was his call.
by scorpicity, on April 21 2008 @ 7:28 pm
Robin… yup I suppose once their nerves calms down and they get used to it, hopefully we can see them in action. I believe Badrinath does not deserve to be a fringe player… he is worth more than that… have been rooting for him to be given a chance for ages now…. One look at him playing and you can tell there is some substance in there… I can’t understand how he is being overlooked everytime.
by Naked Cricket, on April 22 2008 @ 3:02 pm
hussey was brilliant, symonds fell just short - the difference between setting and chasing a total? Reckon the pitch was a tactical move -to neutralise Gilli, but he played fine thanks to those 2 legside 6s off AA. can always count on AA for that. and then come back and bowl a perfectly sane 2nd spell. Key is he cannot bowl 2 good spells.
by scorpicity, on April 22 2008 @ 5:09 pm
Huss was quite cool… let’s see how things go.. so far the Aussies have been a mixed bag. Symonds actually played intelligently, tried to keep his wicket. On the pitch, my take was it was dangerous for the players and hence unfit… if it was not dangerous, then there is no harm in the providing a pitch of this nature… while this was a low scoring game it was exciting.
by Ottayan, on April 22 2008 @ 6:27 pm
I am sure the Indian fringe players will make their presence felt.
by scorpicity, on April 22 2008 @ 6:44 pm
Me too hoping so… right now they certainly are getting carried away in the batting trying to slam everything… slowly there has been some performances. Maybe after a week of this action, they will settle down.
by vmminerva, on April 23 2008 @ 10:42 pm
Another awesome write-up! As for the fringe players, you make some good points about the ICL’s boys. Yes, they did do well, and engaged the spectators to several good matches. As for IPL’s fringe folk, 2 of the Bangalore team’s youth did well against Mumbai. Lets see if they can sustain and if more will join the party.
by Soulberry, on April 26 2008 @ 12:22 am
The wheat has been separated from the chaff…in no uncertain terms.
by scorpicity, on April 26 2008 @ 10:06 am
VM… there has been a couple of decent performances from some of the young colts but then the names are the usual suspects. Most of them are throwing it away in an effort to hit big every time every single ball… there is complete lack of application to read the situation, while some of the international players read the conditions and play according to it.
by scorpicity, on April 26 2008 @ 10:07 am
Yup Soulberry… it’s a long tournament and it all now depends on how much they get out of it and perform. I am appalled at the fielding effort… goodness, simply atrocious.