Dhoni the canny (sorry, I meant Dravid)

This is how reputations get made. We have Nasser talking up Dhoni as a captain on Sky, talking about how well Dhoni has used the bowling powerplay in the past, because "there was one match, I think Goa, when England were going well, and Dhoni just held the powerplay back, and it was so hot, and their batsmen got tired, and then when the bowling powerplay was finally taken, they were too exhausted to take advantage."

Yeah. The tactics sound very canny. Except that the captain of India in the game Nasser was talking was Rahul Dravid (it was in Kochi, not Goa, but that is a minor error). In the match in question, the fourth one-day international of the 2006 ODI series, England seemed to have got off to a flyer, but then slowed, and finally lost their way, especially when the bowling powerplay claimed the wickets of Flintoff and Pietersen.

MSD, thou art blessed.

Edgbaston, 2nd morning

Good thing I had a rough morning and woke up early to catch the Ashes action. Plenty of wickets; dodgy Koertzen LBWs (though I feel no sympathy whatsoever for Johnson, who shouldered arms to a straight ball), a good wicketkeeper catch, and a captain's self-destruction (could Ponting have played a worse shot than that awful hook?)

Flintoff's non-reaction to the Prior catch was very interesting. Its almost as if after the dropped catch, he realized that he is having an awful morning and is not being adored any more. And it rankles.

Very good drama all around. Crowds are crackling, and wickets are falling; truly, there is nothing like test cricket.

Flintoff and greatness

A new post on whether Flintoff deserves to be called a "great" player is up at Different Strokes.

Freddie and the death of test cricket

Freddie Flintoff is gone. Thats a drag, because Flintoff was a good one to watch in test cricket. Enough has been written about his decline, his lack of performances since the 2005 Ashes, and the possibility that England will, in fact, do better without him in the Ashes. I want to just concentrate on the fact that Flintoff has retired from test cricket alone, and in fact, seems himself as becoming a top one-day or T20 cricketer in the next spell of his career. Significantly, he does not see himself playing county cricket either. The obvious worry, as noted by many other folks, is that this sort of retirement bears an uncanny resemblance to other decisions made by international cricketers who feel their bodies cannot keep up with a grinding international season that includes test cricket. These days, really, its hard to read any cricket news without coming away with the sinking feeling that it has serious consequences for test cricket.

What, if anything, could be done about this? Will less international cricket be scheduled? Fat chance. Will cricketers opt for the glory of the record books as opposed to the money of T20 (and the shorter playing hours)? Fat chance. Will a new generation of cricket fans vote with their feet and pay attention to test cricket? Fat chance. Will the power players in cricket set up a schedule that pays equal respect to test cricket, ODIs, T20s? Fat chance. Will the ICC pay attention to test pitches worldwide? You know the answer by now. Things aren't looking good, are they?

I suspect test cricket will end the way it started: with England and Australia playing a one-off test, either at Lords or Melbourne. Then we will have a little ceremony, where the "Ashes of Cricket" will be consigned to the Thames or the Yarra, and everyone can then turn around, walk back home, switch on the television and watch the night's T20 game. The poor attendance at the funeral will confirm what everyone knows even know, but is reluctant to admit: test cricket is dead.

Test cricket will have had a nice life of more than a 100 years. It'll have inspired a lot of literature, great cricket, intense fandom, and some of the most bemused expressions of astonishment by non-fans. But it couldn't get people to keep loving it enough to keep it alive. And in this world, its not enough to be lovable (just ask those lovely gazelles that keep getting chewed up by hungry lionesses on the savannah). You've got to have a Don Corleone looking out for you. No one has test cricket's back, and so, in this wilderness, its going to get brought down pretty hard.

IPL Balance Sheet

Thus far:

What I like: the little matchups like Flintoff v. Tendulkar; the improbable scorecard lines like Dravid c Warne b Patel.

What I dislike: images of Lalit Modi; images of Lalit Modi; images of Lalit Modi.

Why like Freddie?

Over at the Guardian, Lawrence Booth has an interesting piece on Andrew Flintoff in an attempt to establish a “The Emperor Has No Clothes” thesis (to wit, he hasn’t been in great form since 2005, and in fact, England have a better win-loss record when he doesn’t play).

Just a few days ago, I had noted that Flintoff was the first English cricketer since Botham and Gower to lay claim to my loyalty and affection. And Tifosi Guy had shown up to make claims similar to those of Lawrence.

So I think I’m compelled at this point to say something more about why I said what I did. Well, its not really that complicated. We all like cricketers whose numbers indicate they aren’t very talented or that they are not doing justice to whatever talent they do have. Carl Hooper might fall into the latter category for instance. And perhaps Kim Hughes falls into the first (for some Aussie fans who absolutely despise him, though for me he falls into the latter). Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference – is “talent” after all, part of being able to make use of your skills? And so on.

But I think it can be made even simpler. We just like watching some cricketers – and it doesn’t matter for how long they are in the middle, or how well they do out there, whether numerically or otherwise. Quite simply, by the way they play or try to play, they bring us pleasure. Sometimes it’s because they play one shot which we replay again and again in our heads. Or perhaps it’s because they, to use a cliché, try their hearts out. Or sometimes it’s because they represent something else that we’ve been hankering for; like, for instance, a fan tired of the silly sledging wars between India and Australia, might take a shine to a honest journeyman who does his bit, keeps a low profile, and doesn’t get caught up in all the nastiness.

I think this is how my “affection” for Flintoff might be best understood. I enjoy watching him bowl; he tries hard, he is hostile most of the time; he often represents a wicket-taking threat even if he doesn’t always get one; because he is a talisman for the Barmy Army, his presence fires up the crowds as well; and when he gets stuck into the opposition, he doesn’t descend into nastiness, but manages to walk a fine line between aggression and humor. What’s not to like? The fact that his numbers are mediocre is simply irrelevant for me.

I watch cricket matches for a lot of reasons. One of them is to be transported, to get the feeling that I’m watching something out of the ordinary. And if some player shows up and promises that, I’m willing to forgive his failures, or at least, make more allowances for him. It might be that Flintoff’s best days are over. It’s entirely possible. His ankle injury, the failed captaincy stint, the tensions with KP, all of these might have just added up to too much. But right now, even as he plays, he threatens, and no one takes him lightly. And sometimes the presence of the threat can be enough to make his presence on the field enjoyable for the fan like me. I used the word “affection” advisedly; it’s not an entirely rational emotion. (And as for "loyalty" I like to see him get out as soon as possible when he plays India)

A good advert for test cricket

Good, tough test cricket happening over at Sabina Park. The West Indies start the day with a slight advantage; two settled batsmen get tons; but then both fall, and so do two other wickets cheaply. And now, a 50 run partnership has just started to gel, as the Windies draw closer to the English first innings total. Every run from the time the Windies draw level will be extremely useful. And because Freddie Flintoff is bowling, the atmosphere is crackling (how the hell does he do it every single time?). At some stage, I have write a piece on how Flintoff has managed to be the first English cricketer since Botham and Gower to have a claim on my loyalty and affection.