With all dues respect to all legends and great players on that Mumbai Indians team, they have "behaved" erratically at times over the last 7 years of the #IPL.
They have had some really rough moments on the field over the years and consistently been at bottom of the "Fair Play Award" table.
There have been so many episodes including:
1. The infamous Sreesanth slapping incident by Harbhajan
2. The umpire crowding incident where they circled the umpire like vultures after a bad decision
3. The Pollard - Starc incident (although both were guilty probably)
and many more...
Ironical when you consider Sachin Tendulkar has been at their helm for a number of years and considered Mr. Conduct of Cricket!
Hope they come good on that front..
They are a fantastic team of very good players and can win matches on their talent alone.
Rohit, Pollard, Finch, Anderson, Rayudu on the batting front while Malinga, Harbhajan, Hazlewood, Vinay Kumar the bowlers.
They have lost both their IPL8 games so far and havent seen any untoward incident so far in their games. Hope they keep winning but without those "ouch" moments. Perhaps they could take lead from #CSK? who are always high on both the match point and fair play point tables? Look up to Dhoni for some inspiration!
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The first weekend double header seems to be intriguing and exciting both.
Both games pit superstars from the same country teams against each other which makes it a really mouthwatering proposition.
#CSK vs #Sunrisers
Trent Boult will be in action against his NZ captain Brendon McCullum in this one.
Shikhar Dhawan will face off with Ravi Ashwin and Mohit Sharma while Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma would try to trouble MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina..
All in all a fascinating duel between team mates!
CSK definitely looking the stronger side
Who will come out on top
McCullum/Dwayne Smith or Dhawan/Warner
Boult/Sharma or Mohit/Ashwin
Or will it be the fielders that decide the game?
CSK have a plethora of athletes - Raina, Faf, McCullum, Jadeja could turn the match on their fielding prowess alone!
The second game of the day is interesting too
#KKR vs #RCB
All eyes, no doubt, will be on #ViratKohli especially after his outburst against media and everyone who condemned #AnushkaSharma for his poor form and exit from the #CWC15. The aggressively expressive cricketer will be out there to prove a point. Will Anushka be there too? Remains to be seen...
Both captains are over the top players, losing their cool at the drop of a hat and thats where other senior players and umpires need to keep watch and control over proceedings in this game. Remember their famous on field spat a couple of seasons ago? Hope it doesn't repeat here
RCB are batting heavy with Virat-ABD-Gayle trio. They can decimate any attack on their day single handedly. Bowling seems to be their biggest concerns especially with not a lot of superstar power in those ranks except the exceptional Mtichell Starc and lively Adam Milne.
KKR seem more balanced on the bowling side with good combination of speed, swing and spin.
Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav will lead the speed guns while Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan and KC Cariappa (suprise pick for 2.4 crores!) will handle the spin dept. Batting is steady but not destructive - Gambhir will look to control innings at the top while Utthappa, Surya Yadav and Yusuf Pathan will tee off as needed.
All in all, very intriguing and exciting games these....
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#RichieBenaud
1930 - 2015
#RIP Richie Benaud.
The talismanic Australian cricketer, captain, spinner and commentator par excellence left for the heavenly abode early today. He was 84.
A fierce competitor on the field leading Australia to famous wins and that tied test vs West Indies, he transformed the world of cricket commentary in his own inimitable style. Simply awesome. A great student of the game, an astute observer, wonderful language and an ascent (imitated by players, would be commentators and everyone around the world), he made people watch matches to listen to his commentary.
Fighting skin cancer, Richie continued commentary until the fag end of his life.
With looks more like an army colonel than a cricketer, he led Australian cricket in the 60s through great discipline and courage needed to tackle the English and West Indies sides'.
As he lies to rest in Sydney, the voice behind the mike is lost, gone forever.
Richie we love you ... always!
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#CSK vs #DD
#IPL8
9th Apr 2015
An #AlbieMorkel stunner couldn't put DD over the line against CSK in a sensational thriller at Chennai. Chasing 151 to win, DD made a hash of it losing wickets upfront to Ashish Nehra and then again in the middle innings to make it real tough but Morkel was the last man standing. He came in at 3 and was there until the end but just couldnt hit the last ball of the match a couple of yards further to earn the sixer needed to win! It was that close... CSK and Dhoni will have heaved a big sigh of relief as they got out of jail here...
Needing 20 to win in the last over by Dwayne Bravo, Morkel edged one behind to thirdman for a boundary, much needed start. Two singles of the next two balls meant DD needed 14 in 3 balls with Morkel on strike. He smote the next delivery over long on for a massive six to bring the equation to 8 in 2 and within striking range.
The next delivery was cut fiercely towards deep point, where Suresh Raina dived full length to stop a certain boundary and restrict Morkel to two.
6 needed from 1 ball.
A long discussion between Dhoni and co to set fields, and Bravo served a wide half volley that Morkel smashed between long off and deep extra cover. The ball sailed for a long time and everyone felt it would go the distance but it just fell short by a couple of metres inside the rope. Boundary! Oh no... DD fall 1 run short of a tie and CSK win...
Earlier in the day, put into bat, CSK didnt look comfortable upfront against Coulter-Nile and struggled to keep the momentum going but Faf Du Plessis and Dwayne Smith steadied the ship before a typical Dhoni end-over show took them to a respectable 150 for 7 in 20 overs.
A superb game DD should have won though ... Albie you beauty!
Superb!
Brief Scores:
CSK: 150 for 7 (20 overs)
DD: 149 for 9 (20 overs)
Man of the Match: Ashish Nehra for his three wickets to dent DD's start in their run-chase.
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#MI vs #KKR
#EdenGardens
8th Apr 2015
After a glittering opening ceremony of #IPL8 yesterday, the business began with a big game between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and 2013 champs Mumbai Indians.
Both teams packed with heavy weights, some of them super heroes from the recently included #CWC15, made it an even contest. MI boasted of Rohit Sharma, Corey Anderson, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Aaron Finch while KKR were powered by Gautam Gambhir, Morne Morkel, Sunil Narine and surprise pick KC Cariappa from the domestic league (for a whopping 2.5 crore!)
Put into bat, Mumbai Indians were put under enormous pressure by Morne Morkel with his bounce and perfect line and length bowling. Rohit and Co. were unable to get a fluent start and runs weren't flowing enough. That pressure resulted in three quick wickets for KKR to be right on top in this match. Morkel accounted for Finch and Rayudu while Shakib sent Tare back to reduce MI to 37 for 3 in 6 overs.
Corey Anderson joined Rohit and started steadying the ship. Slowly and steadily they built the innings to an ideal launch pad scenario and took off around the 14th over. Some breath taking display of batting from both batsmen, especially Rohit, ensured they reached a healthy 169 for 3 in 20 overs. Rohit with a handsome 98 and Anderson with a beefy 55 remained unbeaten.
KKR's chase started in a wobbly manner.
Gautam was dropped behind by Tare off Vinay Kumat very early
Robin Uthappa was dropped by Anderson off his own bowling in the very next over and eventually edged one to slip where Harbhajan took a straight chance!
Manish Pandey, the new man in brought urgency and fluency to the KKR innings. That seemed to have rubbed on Gambhir and he opened up too. Soon both were dealing in boundaries and keeping abreast with the run rate. Pandey fell to Harbahajan for a solid 40. 98 for 2 in 12 overs.
That brought in young Suryakumar Yadav who was timing the ball beautifully from ball one.
Gautam continued well and completed his 50 before holing one into the deep off Bumrah to make it interesting at 121 for 3.
New man Yusuf struggled for a while but Suryakumar at the other end smashed Malinga all over the park to complete a facile win for KKR. Their unbeaten streak of wins continuing from previous IPL.
Brief Scores:
MI: 168 for 3 (20 overs)
KKR: 170 for 3 (18.3 overs)
Man of the Match: Morne Morkel, for that miserly spell upfront to put brakes on MI innings.
All in all, great start to the IPL and looking forward to some cool action over the next two months!
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This one comes from another cliff hanger at the Eden Park, Auckland.
The #CWC15 final clearly belonged to Australia and #MitchellStarc.
This game also belonged to them ... well almost!
Game started on a normal note, with Australia winning the toss and electing to bat. After a stormy start, Finch was bowled by Southee. Warner and Smith continued in similar vein before Kiwi skipper Brendon McCullum brought in the old Dan "the man" Vettori in to bowl.
His magic spell not just slowed down the run rate, but captured two crucial wickets of Warner (caught in the deep) and Smith (caught behind) to pull things back significantly for New Zealand.
Then began the "Lightining" Boult show.
He just came, saw and conquered the Aussies in an exhibition of awesome swing bowling claiming 5 wickets for almost nothing. For 78 for 1, Australia crumbled to 108 for 8.
Some late inning heroics by Brad Haddin ensured Australia closed their innings at 150 all out. Paltry score considering their batting lineup and start they received.
Cake walk, you'd think for New Zealand?
McCullum starts in own belligerent style but Australia strike exactly like the Kiwis and put them under a lot of pressure. At 135 for 7 and 146 for 8 and 9 (Mitchell Starc's extra ordinary death bowling spell) Australia look all set to upset the Kiwis.
Trent Boult survives a hattrick ball and its all come down to #KaneWilliamson to see how he can farm strike and chase the remaining 6 runs.
Pat Cummins the bowler, Williamson on strike, in-out field to save twos and boundaries. Williamson goes for it ... and bang ... six over long on does it.
Extraordinary scenes at Eden Park, Kiwis rejoice, Australia stunned but hold their head high. They made 150 look like Mt. Everest and almost pulled it off until Kane hit that winning shot.
Glorius moments from Eden!
Cricket, winner all the way...
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From the giants dominating key encounters and moments in cricket matches throughout #CWC15, the minnows weren't going to just fill up the numbers. They were here to compete and showcase their talent and how well they did! Afghanistan's stunning win over Scotland, Ireland's daredevil run in the Pool stages to defeat West Indies and run the other biggies close while Zimbabwe's wonderfully spirited display all throughout got everyone's attention.
However, it was Bangladesh that won every heart when they beat England to knock them out of the cup and enter the knockout stages for the first time in a World Cup ever! They really looked like a team on a mission to achieve the unthinkable that day.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, #Mahmudullah produced a fine century to lay a good foundation and eventually a strong score of 275 for the Banglas.
The score, although good, didn't seem to be big enough to threaten England and their batting depth. England started steadily with Bell scoring well to put England on course. Bangladesh kept of chipping wickets to stay in the hunt.
It was all advantage England when Shakib threw the ball to #RubelHossain in the mid stages.
Rubel obliged by claiming Root and England skipper Morgan in the same over, Even-Steven.
Although Jos Buttler took the attack to Bangladesh, they sensed something special as England kept losing wickets at key moments. Starting with Butler, followed by Taylor and Jordan.
Needing 15 runs to win in the last over, Shakib again handed over responsibility to Robel. With 8 wickets down, England needed to gamble well. Stuart Broad, who had just come in, was facing while Chris Woakes, well set o 42, was at the non striker'e end. They needed him on strike.
What happens next? CRAAAASH ... Broad's off stick is disturbed by a lovely delivery that held its line. England 9 down. Last man Jame Anderson walks in, pressure writ all over his face! He needs to give strike to Woakes desparately. But Robel had other ideas as he bowls a perfect yorker that squeezes past his bat onto base of middle stump! CRAAASHHHH again! All over
England fall short by 15 runs. Woakes stranded.
Robel and Bangladesh celebrate in frenzy, the Adelaide Oval erupts in joy and a knock-out entry has been achieved!
Robel, the man of the moment, take a bow!
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This one is from the epic semi final at Auckland between South Africa and New Zealand. Both teams vying for their first final appearance at the world cup and both had disappointing histories in previous world cup key games
South Africa, has a freaky World Cup experience - 1992 (Rain rule elimination in semifinal at Sydney), 1996 (pitted to win to win trophy easily - ran into Lara and knocked out), 1999 (another epic at Birmingham - a tie vs Australia but lost place in final due to super six defeat at Australia's hands), 2003 (miscalculated the D/L system and did not take extra single that would take them into the super sixes), 2011 (again strong contenders to win - run out of AB and Kiwis ran over them in the quarters).
Not to be left behind, Kiwis appeared in six semifinals at the World Cup and lost all of them!!
With that kind of history and high stakes, it was going to be some moments of individual brilliance and failure that would determine the outcome of the game for sure.. and indeed it happened that way!
The match see-sawed all the way through.
SA skipper ABDevilliers kept reiterating his team would win the world cup but his moods were brilliantly captured in the game that oscillated brilliantly right until the very end.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, SA were brilliantly placed at 216 for 3 in 38 overs. AB himself looking ominous on 61 in 38 balls and looking to launch in the end overs. OH NO ... rain once again!
After resumption, match curtailed to 43 overs a side.
That allowed SA to bat for another 5 overs only but Miller dynamics allowed them to score 281 for 5. Score readjusted to 298 for NZ to win under D/L rule.
AB seemingly happy to get that many on board and confident his bowlers would defend that score!
Then the McCullum assault on SA bowlers left him wondering what hit him!
Puzzled, confused and shaken at times, he hoped for Mc's wicket and got it eventually but a fine start put NZ ahead in the game.
Quick wickets in the middle meant SA pulled things back brilliantly. AB looking composed.
Then Anderson-Elliott partnership flourished and AB was looking for options, confused. To add to that, he missed a simple run out opportunity to dismiss Anderson something he will rue for a long time.
In the 47th over, a top edge off Elliott and Duminy-Behardien collision means catch dropped, Agony.
Last over, 12 runs to win. Steyn with ball in hand. Seems secure.
Vettori sludges one past third man for four and sneaks a single from somewhere to hand over strike to Elliott.
5 off 2.
Steyn steams in, and Elliott slams one over long on/midwicket fence for a six.
What a shot under pressure. AB resigns, distraught and inconsolable. Tears flowing down his cheek and ditto with his team mates. Kiwis rejoice, Elliott picks Steyn up and consoles him.
AB's reactions in that match, moments to remember from #CWC15.
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