Australia 333 all out

As the day starts talk in the press box inevitably turns to the Decision Review System, as it will for the entire day, and probably for the series. Debate rages not only about the merits of the now ‘turned off’ system, but also on whether we should even bother debating it at all. Newspapers are on the desk, there is a stats book being passed around and all the while Umesh Yadav steams in to send down his erratic but dangerous thunderbolts.

A little later, the TV commentators rightly point out that umpires are too scared just to give anyone out now, and as such we endure the absurd situation where the crowd sits around for 5 minutes while they go through the process of verifying Zaheer Kahn’s legal delivery as…a legal delivery! As a result, Brad Haddin is on his way.

Hilfenhaus and Pattinson open their shoulders like all good tail-enders should. Sometimes it seems that it is only tail-enders that can summon up the confidence to really take on the bowling, it’s almost as if the burden of being a ‘batsman’ requires you not to play freely. It’s ridiculous really because all one has to do is look at tape of Viru Sehwag or Adam Gilchrist to know that playing confidently is just fine. That said, it must suit your game, and Ed Cowan showed yesterday that if your game is based on a sound defence, then that is the way you should play. Perhaps Ricky Ponting’s form slump is based on the fact that his talent can no longer match his style of batting. Unfortunately for him it is far too late to adjust.

Late in the Australian innings, while India attempt to take their final wicket, I pick up the newspaper and read a story about Imran Khan attracting over 100,00 to a political rally in Karachi. My colleagues from the sub-continent inform me that Khan is a controversial but popular figure (they always go hand-in-hand don’t they?). It seems Imran has attracted a younger demographic and they see him as the saviour of their poor and corrupted country. Of course, this younger generation have probably been hearing about Kahn as a saviour from their parents. This refers to his extraordinary feats on the cricketing arena, but it will certainly be interesting to see whether he can translate this into politics.

As India wraps up the Australian tail, the excitement grows as we know Sehwag is coming. Talk turns to his electric innings last time out at the MCG, a 195 in just under five hours. First though, Sehwag and Gambhir had to see out two difficult overs before lunch.

Lunch is in the basement of the Southern Stand at the MCG. There is a motley collection of mainly tv production guys. The absolute highlight of the lunch break though is the Channel 9 segway running over the spare helmet and destroying his two-wheel motorbike. Hilarity ensues.

INDIA 3/214

Sehwag is just addictive to watch. His game seems to be without any rhyme or reason, and yet his record speaks to him being a consistent performer. In the middle session, his approach seems to have infected Rahul Dravid, who is rocking back to play through cover point and is playing some lovely drives through wide mid-off. Ian Healy rightly points out that Dravid doesn’t walk down the pitch much to the spinners, but he does use his front stride exceptionally well. He seemed to be going slowly for a while, but once fifty was in his sights he went predictably crazy. A colleague mentions that after two fours in an over against Lyon, Sehwag is lucky to survive a third smash, but that’s just the way he goes.

Nathan Lyon came on to bowl in the fourteenth over. It’s an interesting move so early, but it shows his ability to think outside of the box. In the box we discuss Ricky Ponting’s lack of tactical nous using spinners when he was captain. This was reflected even in the selection of such a strange mix of spinners during the post-Warne era. This probably shows that the selectors didn’t know what kind of spinner Ponting liked, and if his treatment of Bryce McGain against South Africa showed us anything, it was that Ponting was largely uninterested in giving his spinners a sporting chance.

When Sehwag is dismissed it reminds me of a comment by my colleague David Siddall who said that when Gayle was dismissed cheaply in his first BBL game this year, the crowd both applauded but was also disappointed. Well, it’s the same with Sehwag, except that this time the fallen maestro is replaced with the little master.

The box clears as the gathered journos make their way out to join in the rapturous welcome that Tendulkar commands. He takes his usual amount of time to settle, and second ball he French cuts for a single. As he warms up, Tendulkar’s strokeplay becomes just sublime. His drives through cover are a sight to behold and he mixes them up with audacious flicks over the slips. He continues to strike the ball with precision, and he just seems so at ease in partnership with his old mate Dravid. Clarke tries just about everything, including Dave Warner’s leg spin, but nothing much worries these two.

It’s interesting to be at a match where the crowd is in some ways supporting both teams. The crowd is obviously more Australian focused, but there aren’t many in attendance who aren’t excited to see Sehwag smash it and perhaps see history in the making from the little master. Dravid is also well respected in Australia as he is always someone who seems to have personified that Australian cliché of the ‘battler’.

In the last over the crowd, the cricket authorities and the broadcasters all weep as Australia’s wood-chopper Peter Siddle is rewarded for a fantastic spell with the wicket of Tendulkar. It is a sight to see Siddle in full flight and as we sit in our now well worn seats, we watch him pepper Ishant Sharma to no avail.

It has been a fantastic day of play, enjoyed thoroughly by those of us in our slightly airless media box. Check out our Plays of the Day for all the big moments in dot point form and check back tomorrow for more from this tight contest.

More World Cricket Stories

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• Australia Searching for Identity
• Bishan Bedi – more than meets the eye
• One Hand One Bounce Weekly Cricket Podcast 73
• My Favourite Cricketer….Justin Langer
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lead image: ‘Caught Guptill Bowled Martin’ (c) news.com.au

DAVID SIDDALL appraises Australia after their first defeat to New Zealand on home soil for 26 years and asks who is safe and who is sweating on their place for the India series.

Australia seem to take one step forward, two steps back right now. The bemused look on Australian skipper Michael Clarke’s face as he was handed the Trans-Tasman trophy ( despite their first loss to New Zealand on home soil for 26 years, they retain the trophy) indicated that they have perhaps reached a new lowest point, surpassing the 47 all out in Cape Town only a month prior.

Only a few players in the Australian squad can feel safe in their spots for their upcoming series against India. Lets take a look back over the series and see who performed and who didn’t; and who is safe and who is sweating on their place. Here are Australia’s marks out of ten:

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In the Latest Episode of the Sledge….

The Sledge team previews the 2nd Test between Australia and New Zealand which kicks off in Hobart today.

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The term ‘Most Valuable Player’ or ‘MVP’ is generally a term that we associate with American sports. It can seem to give too much credence to an individual in a team sport, and as such not seem a natural fit with cricket. However, with the plethora of ICC lists of best cricketers of all time, or best cricketers in their given field of expertise, I thought it might be a good time to look at who are the five most valuable players across all three forms of international cricket right now.

#2 Sachin Tendulkar

I’m really not sure whether Sachin Tendulkar being at number two on this list will be ridiculed because he is either too high or not high enough. Such is the devotion shown to the man, I am sure there will be some that will cast doubt upon my sanity by daring to place him at anything other than number one. But there will be others who will possibly say that he is only so high because of his reputation; that he is starting to show that he has ‘passed it’. Well, in my reckoning, Sachin is still one of the most valuable players in world cricket today. Let me tell you why.

At almost 39 years of age, Tendulkar is still the most feared batsman in world cricket. As his contemporaries have either retired (Lara) or are fading (Ponting) Tendulkar has remained strong. In fact, I’d argue that the most impressive aspect of Tendulkar’s extraordinary career is that he has come back from what looked like a terminal decline in form. It’s hard to remember, but a few years ago, when he was forever sporting that tennis elbow (mind the pun), Sachin stopped scoring and for the first time in history, his technique looked to be failing him. So, what did the Little Master do? He put his head down and worked hard. Now into his 183rd test match, Sachin is back averaging over 56 and as we all know is nearing 100 international centuries. More than these numbers though is that he has regained his regal posture at the crease.

I was watching some old highlights of the Master Blaster, Viv Richards the other night. Viv is known and revered not only for his incredible batting prowess, but also for his ‘presence’ at the crease. He had that swagger and would push his chest out when even the most fearsome bowlers ran in to deliver their thunderbolts. Sachin has quite a different presence, but no less intimadating. He looks just completely at ease, and as if no bowler could shake his nerve and that peerless technique. He scratches away at the crease, does a little bop, taps his bat on the ground, and then allows the bowler to deliver him a ball. It’s just magic to watch, and in case you think it doesn’t instil fear in a bowlers mind, just ask the likes of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath who they least liked bowling to.

One surprise when looking through Tendulkar’s test figures is that he has never scored a triple century. We know that the likes of Virender Sehwag and Chris Gayle have managed a few, and of course Brian Lara was known for his epic scores. I’m actually not sure what it says about Sachin that he hasn’t, perhaps it suggests a man who never bats for himself and always keeps the team in mind.

Perhaps more than any other player, Sachin is the man who pulled India into its position as a modern cricketing power. Whilst his feats at test level have been extraordinary, it’s his dominance in the 50-over format that has taken Indian cricket to fever pitch. He has scored over 18,000 runs in 453 ODI matches at an average of 45. He is the only man to score a double century, has over 150 wickets and is now, finally, a world cup winner. Phew! Some resume!

All that said, what makes him still one of the most valuable players in world cricket right now is that he is supreme in cricket’s newest form, particularly the IPL. He has consistently been one of the top scorers in the competition, and his feats for his Mumbai Indians have shown that it the old guys can still have an impact in the smash and grab competition. What I love about him in the IPL is that he still has that amazing presence, and relies on his technique to score runs for fun. There are so many players in that competition who just pull the front foot away and try and hit the ball into the atmosphere, but Tendulkar strides forward to cover drive, ducks down to hit over the slips, and leans forward to caress through mid-wicket. Each of these strokes are as perfect as the next, and let us hope that continues as far into the future as possible.

Let me know what you think about Sachin Tendulkar and whether you think he should have been higher or lower by making a comment below, and check back next week for number one on the list.

Number 3: Shane Watson

Number 4: Dale Steyn

Number 5: Virender Sehwag