Jaya and SRT - old farts rule

So whatever one's feelings about the IPL, there is something quite amazing about the idea of Jayasuriya and Tendulkar opening together in a T20 game (in any game, really). When I think of these two, I always think of the 1996 World Cup. Fourteen years on, and they're opening in a "young man's game." Respeck maan.

On another note, this is the confusion-inducing side of the IPL. It's hard to cheer for Delhi while these two are batting.

On to the Compaq Cup final

Right. So we have a one-day final tomorrow. The Compaq Cup (which features a pretty digital trophy, like totally 21st century, if you know what I mean).

India have a chance to do two things: take back the No. 1 spot, which they held for some 24 hours (at least, I think they get it back, but I'm not sure), and more to the point, they have a chance to try and get over the "finals jinx", because they have this really bad habit of losing in anything that ends with the word "Final."

Sri Lanka have the chance to just continue smacking India around the Park like they did on Saturday (can someone confirm if that was the same pitch on which India clobbered New Zealand? I'm serious).

Despite all my recent snarkiness about the one-day game, I'm genuinely interested in this game. I would like to see: Tendulkar and Dravid bat; the Indian trio of Nehra/RP Singh/Sharma fire; Dilshan/Jaya/Sanga batting; Mendis/Malinga bowling. I still like ODIs when the stakes are "high." This isn't a big deal as far as tournaments go, but there is always some national pride at stake. And importantly, Sri Lanka is playing at home, so the atmosphere should be have a crackle and pop to it. The one-day final, with a big crowd behind it, is still a marquee international cricket event. Fingers crossed, we'll get a good game.

Oh, and the times are good. The games start at 5 AM, and thanks to a pesky back injury, I haven't had any trouble waking up then!

Work gets in the way of cricket

Curses. Work kept me busy this morning (yeah, I mean, come on, working on a Monday morning?), and its prevented me from being able to watch the SRT-Jayasuriya partnership, which has apparently put on 111 runs in the first 10 overs for the Mumbai Redskins versus the Kolkata Dark Knights. With my bloody luck, this silly tactical break will now get one of them dismissed - just as I've managed to take a break. Fingers crossed.