Time To Move On

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

Oh India!

 

February 9^th 2014

 

Despite the fact that the aftermath of the disastrous 2013/14 Ashes series is still ripping English cricket apart, it is time to move on. Same Blog. New title.

England too will have to move on, sooner or later. However, the news that Stuart Broad wanted KP in his T20 squad, but was overruled has ensured that the story will not die yet. After losing 3-0 to Australia and with the side going through a period of deep soul-searching, one fears that England’s World T20 campaign may be short, brutal and do little to quell debate.

Meanwhile, there has been some actual cricket elsewhere. Bangladesh v Sri Lanka and New Zealand v India. Not exactly series to set pulses racing, apart from the fact that you have the world’s two largest cricket publics involved.

Any side, apart from Zimbabwe, that plays Bangladesh expects a whitewash. Bangladesh at home though are becoming much harder to beat and have shown it, albeit on a pitch that has broken bowlers’ hearts. Things were so much in favour of Kumar Sangakkara that his massive innings of 319 was actually used to criticise him. A match that produced 59 runs per wicket and in which only seven second innings fell in almost two full days of play on Days 4 and 5 is not exactly riveting.

What was fascinating was the debate about the delayed declaration. At Tea on Day 4 Sri Lanka were 356 ahead and many fans wanted Angelo Matthews to declare there and then, arguing that the lead was already enough and that Sri Lanka were being negative in prolonging the game. Had Angelo Matthews pulled out then he would have challenged Bangladesh to score 357 in a minimum of 120 overs. Having survived 120 overs in their 1^st innings and scored well over 400, Matthews decided that, with batting seemingly getting easier and not harder, that he was not keen to offer Bangladesh a real chance to win a match against a Big Eight team and throw away the series win into the bargin.

In the end, Sri Lanka gave themselves 98 overs to knock over the opposition reasoning that if they could not do it in 98 overs, they would be unlikely to in 110.

As it turns out, events proved Matthews absolutely right. Bangladesh ended on 271-3 and would have fancied their chances of chasing down 357 with an extra 20 overs to bat.

Bangladesh can infuriate. They can be worse than dreadful, especially away from home, but the evidence that they are moving forward is undeniable.

With South Africa a consolidated leader in the ICC Test rankings, their two closest challengers over the last year, England and India are both falling away. England needed to win the series by at least two clear Tests just to maintain the distance. A 5-0 defeat has seen Australia leap over England into third in the rankings, although there has to be a feeling that the huge failings that people (including Australians) were seeing in Australian cricket a few months ago have only been papered over by this win and that the series in South Africa may produce a rude shock or two because the side suddenly thinks that it is a lot better than it is really.

India have gone south – literally – heading to New Zealand with the feeling that their renovated side really is a bit special and the opposition is only New Zealand. Barring a brain-fade on the 3^rd day when, despite a lead of over 300 and the Indian batsmen looking as out of place as a pork butcher at a Bar Mizbah, Brendon McCullum did not enforce the follow-on and saw his side rolled-over so cheaply that it brought India back into the match, New Zealand dominated the match.

India were set 407 to win and a lot of fans thought that New Zealand had thrown the match away. It beggars belief! Only three times in 2118 Tests has a target this large been chased, yet there were pundits saying seriously that T20 cricket had changed the way that these things are done and that 400 is no longer frightening.

I was speechless as, with India less than half way to their target, New Zealand fans were writing the match off totally as an embarrassing defeat. India were batting well, but you knew that it would only take a wicket to change things. At 222-2, things did look promising for India, but the new ball was coming and 222-2 was soon 270-6. India still got closer than they should have to a stunning win, but people who have been following cricket for years and know a little of its history should have known better. If a side is capable of chasing over 400 in the 4^th innings to win a Test, that is a quick stunning feat and one that happens just once every few decades.

India’s quest to put up any kind of serious opposition away from the sub-continent, continues. In the last two years India’s away record is P11 W0 D1. That is diabolically bad. Despite England’s struggles away in the last two years, they did manage to win in India and draw series in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Indian fans seem to be in denial about this and argue that the opposition cheats by serving up greentops, without realising that it is Indian’s fame of performing badly if there is the slightest life in the pitch that makes sides use this tactic. One Indian fan even argued heatedly that playing cricket on grass is not natural.