World Cup Countdown #16: Astle left surprised by 'food vendor'

Nathan Astle smashed a sublime hundred in the 1996 WC opener against England, but there's a wonderful story behind his preparations for the match. 

The cricket aficionados even now fondly reminiscence Nathan Astle's stirring knock in the opening encounter of the 1996 World Cup against England in Ahmedabad. On an easy paced wicket, he cut and drove England's pacers like Dominic Cork, Darren Gough and Peter Martin to pepper the off-side field and compose an entertaining century.
New Zealand eventually won the game by a mere 11 runs and Astle for his sterling knock of 101, was awarded the Man of the Match. However, very few know of the fabled story of an unheralded pani-puri seller, who amazed Astle in the net practice before the game started by bowling with pace and venom.
The pani-puri seller, Bharat Shah, aged 23 at that time, got the chance to bowl at the swashbuckling opener in the nets through one of his friends. He bowled just one over at Astle, but that was enough to stun a batsman, who had amassed over 7,000 ODI runs.
The first three deliveries of his over were reportedly bowled with scorching pace and missed the off-stump by a whisker. Astle managed to somehow defend the next two deliveries, but Bharat had saved his best for the final delivery of the over as he pegged back Astle's stumps to send it for a walk in the park. Astle, who was hugely impressed by the gift-wrapped skills of Bharat, even gave the Man of the Match cheque he received for his game-changing hundred to the pacer.
Bharat was rightly thrilled to receive the chepue from an international cricketer, who was known for his fearless batting against fast bowlers. "The $1,000 cheque means more than the money," he told India Today.
Maybe the Indian selectors, who all the time yearn for a quick bowler, could have watched the youngster rattle New Zealand's premier batsman and beat him for sheer pace.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the crossroads

                                          

"My retirement (from Test cricket) has really excited you guys," Dhoni's curt reply gives no indication about his future. 

He seemed invincible just a few months ago. But things are getting tougher for 'Captain Cool' Mahendra Singh Dhoni as he paddles a rocking Indian boat through some very choppy waters in Australia. When he was captain in all formats, Dhoni had complete control over the Indian team. For a long while, he was the man with the golden touch. But as India began to lose matches, especially in overseas Test matches, Dhoni's position became shaky.
The last straw was when Virat Kohli captained India to victory in the ODI series at home against Sri Lanka in Dhoni's absence. And when the current tour began, Kohli was again at the helm as Dhoni was unfit. Despite losing the first Test in Adelaide, Kohli impressed critics by the way he led.
The emergence of Kohli as leader and a split in the Test and ODI captaincy has led to two power centres within the team.
It is quite ironic that Dhoni had total control of the team when the Indian line-up was studded with stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Sourav Ganguly, down to Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan. They had all built their name and reputation by the time Dhoni took over and never felt threatened by his growing image. They were more than willing to let him have his way.
Without doubt the blessings of Tendulkar and the backing of the BCCI top brass made Dhoni's life at the helm easier. Under him, the Indian team started delivering spectacular results. The achievements were numerous - the No 1 rank in Tests and ODIs; World Cup and Champions Trophy champions.
After the retirement of some legends and the emergence of the younger lot, one would have imagined that Dhoni would have had a greater hold on the team. But things are slipping out of his grasp, slowly but surely.
Kohli's bold and brash attitude is a contrast to Dhoni's calm image. With a young, inexperienced team under his belt, Dhoni is fast losing his magic touch. And with Kohli wearing his aggressive attitude on his sleeve, he is seen as the best guy to replace Dhoni in all formats.
The transition has already happened in Test cricket, and Dhoni's fate as ODI captain will depend on India's fate in the World Cup.
Many cricket experts have wondered why Dhoni chose to retire totally from Tests when he was still the best bet as wicketkeeper-batsman even in the longer format of the game. Was it that he was too fatigued, having to be away from home for long stretches for time and living out of a suitcase for a better part of the year? Or was he unwilling to play under a captain junior to him?
Dhoni surely had the option of quitting Test captaincy and continuing as a player. But the type of persona he has built over a period of time, he is probably not in a mental state to play cricket under a junior cricketer. Sunil Gavaskar was once famously quoted as saying that he was willing to play even under Maninder Singh, at a time when there was a similar dual power structure with Kapil Dev and he at the helm by rotation. But Dhoni is no Sunny.
Tendulkar willingly gave up captaincy and concentrated on getting runs by the ton for his team. Ganguly and Dravid played under each other without egos being bruised. But Dhoni seems different.
The journalists here keep hounding Dhoni with questions on whether the World Cup is going to be his swansong. He merely says: "My retirement (from Test cricket) has really excited you guys." His curt reply gives no indication about his future.

World Cup Heroes: Klusener blows opposition away in 1999

Zulu as he is fondly called, Lance Klusener was an allrounder par excellence during the 1999 World Cup. An explosive batsman in the middle order and a useful seam bowler, the Natal-born cricketer saved his best for the seventh edition of the multi-team event. Klusener, who was South Africa's highest run-scorer and highest wicket-taker in the event, finished with 281 runs at an amazing average of 140.50 and a strike rate of 122.17. He was also the fourth highest wicket-taker overall, with 17 scalps at an average of 20.58.
Klusener's all-round exploits helped South Africa recover from dicey positions several times in the tournament and he bagged four Man-of-the-Match awards, three in succession, to finish the 1999 World Cup as the most valuable player.
A taste of things to come:
In South Africa's opening encounter against India, Klusener might have gone for some runs, but he delivered important strikes, picking up the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Azharuddin to restrict India to a total of 253/5. He finished with figures of 3/66 and also scored 12 crucial runs off 4 deliveries to help South Africa reach the target.
Three MoMs in a row:
South Africa were reduced to 122/8 by Sri Lanka and they were reeling at 168/7 against England - both times it was Klusener who came to the team's rescue. With a valuable unbeaten 52, he helped South Africa post 199/9 before coming back to pick up 3/21 to skittle Sri Lanka out for 110 and bag his first Man of the Match award. Against England, his 48 not-out helped Proteas to a competitive 225/7, while he also picked up a wicket and complemented Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Kallis and Steve Elworthy to bowl England out for 103. In South Africa's next game against Kenya, he picked up 5/21 to bowl out the opposition for 152. South Africa secured a comfortable 7-wicket win and Klusener won his third MoM in a row.

Disappointment and delight:
An economical spell of 1/36 helped South Africa restrict a quality Zimbabwe batting line-up to a total of 233/6. However, Proteas top-order failed miserably and were reduced to 106/7 when Klusener came to the crease. He added 43 runs with Pollock before South Africa lost two more wickets to be 150/9. Despite that, Klusener did not lose heart as he scored a fighting half-century and put on a valiant stand with Donald. However, he was stranded on 52 when Donald fell to Olanga as South Africa were bowled out for 185 and suffered a shocking loss. South Africa faced a similar situation when they were 176/7 against Pakistan in the Super Sixes match, chasing 221. This time, Klusener, with an unbeaten 46, saw the Proteas past the line to bag his fourth MoM award.
Heartbreak in the semi-final:
He did not do much with the ball in the semi-final against Australia even as Pollock and Donald combined to bowl out the mighty opposition for a total of 213. It should have been a regulation chase, but South Africa made things difficult for themselves as they wilted under the pressure exerted by Shane Warne (4/29) to slip to 175/6. Even as Pollock, Boucher and Elworthy fell in quick succession, Klusener was like a thorn in Australia's flesh as he took South Africa closer, with Donald giving him company.
Nine required of six deliveries came down to one off four when Klusener blasted back-to-back boundaries off Damien Fleming. Things had gone Klusener's way more times than not in this World Cup and it appeared as though he would turn out to be a hero in this game as well. The third delivery was a dot ball, and Australia missed a run-out chance. Klusener still had three more deliveries to hit the winning run and take South Africa to the final. Striking the fourth ball to mid-off, Klusener took off for a single, only to see that Donald was ball-watching instead of responding to his call. Donald was run out and the match ended in a tie with Australia progressing to the final as they finished higher in the Super Sixes.
Extreme disappointment was seen on Klusener's face after South Africa lost their place in the final and earned themselves the chokers' tag. However, it was still a hugely successful outing for Klusener in the 1999 World Cup and he went on to top the ICC ODI batting chart while he was also voted as Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2000.

Steven Smith bags Allan Border Medal

Smith, 25, became the second youngest player to bag the medal. 

Australia's stand-in Test captain Steven Smith was, on Tuesday, awarded the Allan Border Medal for the rich vein of form he has been in 2014-15. Smith, 25, became the second youngest player to bag the medal after Michael Clarke, who received the honour as a 23-year-old in 2005. Smith was also named Australia's ODI and Test player of the year.
The Allan Border Medal is decided by cumulative votes cast by fellow players, umpires and media representatives. Smith received 243 votes to win by a big margin. David Warner (175), previous medallist Mitchell Johnson (126), Aaron Finch (111) and Glenn Maxwell (96) were the other contenders for the prestigious medal.
During the voting period (January 24, 2014 to January 10, 2015), Smith amassed 1212 runs in 9 Tests at an average of 86.57. He also scored five hundreds and five fifties. Four of his hundreds came in the Test series against India, in which he aggregated 729 runs to surpass the record of Sir Donald Bradman for most runs in a series against India by an Australian. In the 12 ODIs that Smith played in 2014, he scored 541 runs at an average of 49.18. He managed two centuries and three fifties.
Delighted after receiving the medal, Smith said: "I've just really enjoyed the last 12 to 18 months. And seeing some of those highlights, particularly the South Africa win and to beat the number one Test team in the world in their own backyard was amazing."
Smith attributed his success to staying calm under pressure and not trying anything different. "I think the main thing would probably have to be my patience that I've shown throughout the summer. I think I've been able to withstand pressure and know that things get easier and I think, when they've got easier, I've cashed in."
Shane Watson, who won the award in 2010 and 2011, said the way Smith was batting reminded him of Ricky Ponting at his best. "It really has been a privilege to be able to see the way he's been batting and playing, and also holding himself. I've been very lucky in my career to be able to play with some of the great players that have played for Australia. To see Steve Smith and what he's doing in this point in time is very much along the lines of what Ricky Ponting was doing when he was dominating."
Glenn Maxwell (T20I Player of the Year), Sean Abbott (Young Cricketer of the Year), Meg Lanning (Belinda Clark Medal) and Jason Behrendorff (State Player of the Year) were the other award winners. Former wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist and former allrounder & administrator, Jack Ryder were inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.

Sunil Narine withdraws from World Cup

Sunil Narine has withdrawn from the World Cup after failing to sufficiently remodel his suspect action. 

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Tuesday announced that offspinner Sunil Narine has withdrawn from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 after failing to sufficiently remodel his bowling action that was reported during the Champions League T20 tournament.
Narine, 26, was included in the 15-man squad for the World Cup by the Clive Lloyd-led selection committee despite sitting out of West Indies' tours of India and South Africa. The spinner was reported and suspended for a suspect action during the Champions League T20 in September 2014 while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders. The suspension, however, was limited only to BCCI organised events.
Since the suspension, Narine has undergone intense remedial work on his action with preliminary reports finding all his deliveries to be under the 15-degree flexion restriction. However, Narine opined that he needed more time to be able to bowl confidently with his new action for a sustained period of time.

"Playing for Red Force and winning the NAGICO Super50 has been a big boost, but going in to the World Cup is a little too much too soon and, after consulting the WICB, for both West Indies and my sake we have decided to delay my return to international cricket until I am 100% confident in all that I do,"Narine was quoted as saying by a WICB press release.

"Whilst I am very happy with the progress made to date with my action, and I express my thanks to the coaches working with me in Trinidad and Dr Daryl Foster in Perth, Australia, I am withdrawing from the World Cup," the offspinner said.
Respecting Narine's decision, a WICB spokesperson said that a replacement for the offspinner will be announced soon. "The WICB supports Narine's decision to withdraw from the CWC squad as to risk his exposure to the intensity of the Cricket World Cup would be both unfair to him and the West Indies squad. Narine has taken a positive approach to his remedial work, remains in an optimistic frame of mind and looks forward to returning to international cricket at the earliest opportunity."
Narine's withdrawal follows that of Saeed Ajmal who also cited a similar reasoning after facing an official suspension. The tournament in Australia-New Zealand will now miss both the top two bowlers in the ODI format, Ajmal and Narine.

Injured Rohit unlikely to be available before WC warm-ups

                                                      

                                    Chances of Rohit Sharma's availability for the England game are next to nil. 

The Indian team management has decided not to risk injured opener Rohit Sharma for their crucial match against England of the tri-series on January 30 and also for the final in case they qualifies for it.
Rohit suffered a hamstring injury during the opening encounter where he scored a splendid 138 against Australia. "Chances of Rohit playing in the tri-series even if India reaches final is next to nil. He is recovering but the Indian team management does not want to risk a key player with the World Cup starting in less than three weeks," a source close to the team management told PTI on Tuesday.
"The physio said after having a look at the MRI reports that Rohit needed a week's rest and after that could start training. With Shikhar Dhawan completely out of form, they do not want to risk Rohit in this tournament as they have a World Cup to play. The February 8 and 10 warm-up games against Australia and Afghanistan will serve as Rohit's match-fitness test," the source informed.

WC countdown #17 - A Crowe special denies Houghton

The World Cup is always distilled with those great moments when a minnow upsets the apple-cart and overcomes a favourite. In the 1987 World Cup match between Zimbabwe and New Zealand, Dave Houghton's heart-stirring innings of 142 almost took his country to a surreal win, before Martin Crowe changed the game on its head by taking a brilliant catch to help the Kiwis emerge triumphant in a humdinger.
In '87, New Zealand without Richard Hadlee weren't exactly brimming with confidence, but were expected to beat Zimbabwe comfortably. On a slightly damp pitch in Hyderabad, Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field. The two Martins Snedden and Crowe struck half centuries and took New Zealand to a competitive total of 242 for 7.
Zimbabwe struggled to get going in the chase and at 104 for 7, were hurtling towards a heavy defeat. That was when Dave Houghton, Zimbabwe's key batsman and wicket-keeper, was joined by Iain Butchart. Houghton struck some lusty bowls to take Zimbabwe to the brink of a famous win.
With Zimbabwe requiring just 22 runs off 21 balls, Snedden ran into bowl his medium pacers. New Zealand's captain Jeff Crowe decided to go for the last throw of the dice. He brought the long on up to lure Houghton to play the big shot.
Houghton, who was getting tired in the sweltering heat, took the bait. With one mighty swing of the willow, he thwacked it high in the air. Crowe, the fielder at mid on, took athletic strides and had great concentration as he ran at full tilt while looking skywards.
For a moment one felt that Crowe, stretching every sinew to run about 30 yards, would have done so for a lost cause. But he never gave up and finally dived full stretch to take the catch that mattered.
Despite Butchart putting up a brave fight Zimbabwe eventually lost the game by a mere three runs. With that spellbinding catch, Crowe, had saved some blushes for his country and ensured that New Zealand came up trumps in a thriller.