Cricket 2014
New Format, Different Ending?
August 25th 2014
A few days of rest. A little blood-letting. A very desultory warm-up game at Lords. And into the pyjamas again.
The Indian press and establishment (and, to be honest, just about anyone else with an opinion) has vented its anger. Most have laid the blame squarely on Duncan Fletcher and/or MS Dhoni. The news that Ravi Shastri, who performed for India with great credit in the 1980s has arrived to oversee the ODIs and T20s has been taken as a shot over Duncan Fletcher’s bows. Given the byzantine way that Indian cricket operates at times, anything is possible. Certainly, many people thought that Duncan Fletcher’s highly determinist style would not be a great success in India and have been surprised that he has survived for so long. Fletcher’s biggest problem is to have been in charge as a side of legends became old, knowing that, in India, one does not drop legends however much it is in the long-term interests of the side. Right now, many people speculate that MS Dhoni may survive simply because he is the last legend in the side and so, will be able to pick his own moment and own terms to go.
Duncan Fletcher has re-built the Indian team. Young guns such as Ravi Ashwin, Pujara, Jadeja and Rahane have been introduced with some success and the side is now no longer overloaded with spin, offering some decent pace options to address the Achilles heel of the side outside the sub-continent. What Duncan Fletcher cannot control is the fact that young cricketers entering the game are increasingly adapting themselves to the needs of T20 cricket, with its promise of riches and no longer have the patience to play a Dravidian innings that lasts for 120 overs to save a game.
The best that can be said for the warm-up against Middlesex is that the large and very partisan crowd saw their side win comfortably, albeit against a team that has struggled in all three formats since June and who have hardly looked like winning a game against any opposition in the limited-overs formats. India played all 11 batsmen – MS Dhoni did not get a bat – and, at times, looked desperately short of confidence and any form themselves. After a shaky start, India built a decent position only to collapse horribly. However, Middlesex’s own batting form in the limited overs game is so horrible that their own collapse was worse still. Indian fans went home happy, but one wonders what, if anything, the management will have learnt from the game.
Traditionally, the side that wins the Test series loses the ODIs that follow. However, India’s ODI record in England is so poor that there is just a chance that this sequence may be broken. It leaves England the serious option of moving right up the ODI rankings to #2 or, if results fall their way, maybe even #1. Given the general impression that the England ODI team is in the doldrums – which it is – that would be a remarkable achievement.
However, with poor weather forecast and no floodlights, there is a real chance that the game will not happen. For Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, that would be it would be a real tragedy. I was a regular at the ground in the 1970s. Now, it has changed out of all recognition, with a great deal of investment put in to ensure that it is up to standard for international cricket. One of the largest outfields in the country, the boundaries come in to accommodate the temporary stands and there is more of a feel of a stadium to the ground, with it being much less open than for county matches.
The Gloucestershire staff have puts in enormous efforts to prepare the ground to welcome the players and fans. Bristol has a huge immigrant community and there is no question that with this being a public holiday, many thousands are eager to see their heroes perform.
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