Iain O'Brien's Cricket Blog

Of Heartbreakers and Pulsating Hearts

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

First it was Test cricket that was said to be under threat. Now it is the ODIs that must defend themselves but they may have suffered a football injury!

WICB At Loggerheads with ODI survival

The football injury has nothing to do a la England’s Joe Denly whose knee kept him out of the first ODI. In fact this is more like foot in the mouth disease. Every time a resolution is said to be around the corner the West Indies cricket comes right back on the table.

The ICC is backing the ICC Champions Trophy and hoping that the much criticized tournament actually proves to the vehicle that will deliver the ODIs a fresh lease of life. However, for that to happen, it would have to involve only the top teams. West Indies would have been one, with the team led by Chris Gayle.

One conundrum after another is threatening to topple the train of West Indies cricket that has already derailed as seen by the performance of the team over the last decade. Can they who cannot save themselves save the ODIs? That is the worrying dilemma. An intervention is in order.

Ashes? Far from it.

The Test series may be over but cricket in England is very much alive, despite the fact that England got drowsy chasing Australia’s target in the first innings only to topple backwards.

England did not want Australia to win any series. They managed that with the pulsating match at the Oval in the final Test of the Ashes. But there were no roofless buses offering gallons of booze because England, thanks to the ECB, had a date to keep with Ireland.

And rain and controversy over the soggy bowler’s run ups ensured the Twenty20 matches were a no go.

Time for the ODI's England did well to restrict a scratchy, circumspect Australian batting but could not stop Callum Ferguson in the end. Blame him then as England went from caution to unconscious as they allowed themselves to drift. Perhaps they were stuck in the Test mode. Left with a gigantic proportion, credit must go to Luke Wright and Adil Rashid for making the most of their opportunity and waking up Australia this time who thought their job was done.

Their heroics brought a great finish but sadly for England, their drowsiness cost them the match that they should have won simply because of the way they bowled and fielded and kept the Australians in check. If they could have come within touching distance of three runs, perhaps it is time for reflection for some of the top order batsmen before Australia run on momentum.

NZ Do it Best!

But the best has been saved for last.

Everything about New Zealand was different – their talk, their body language, their attitude, perhaps even their fighting spirit. Smarting from the grueling Test series in a tough terrain as Sri Lanka, New Zealand had perhaps used the slip stream of captain Daniel Vettori’s century in the second Test in trying circumstances as inspiration to fight back.

The Twenty20 matches have brought life back into the fighting New Zealand cricketers and the cricket world reveled in it. Jacob Oram appears to be a confidence oriented player. It was then perhaps his innings with Vettori in the same Test that also showed in his bowling in the first Twenty20 match and in the celebration of New Zealand fighting tooth and nail, his hat trick nearly slipped under the radar! Apparently his dad’s congratulations email made people aware of his son’s feat. Good on you, dad. But then what are proud dads for?

Jesse Ryder needs special mention too. He  has shown a rather side to his cricket career that began with controversies. But he appears to be settling into a role that is rather reminiscent of that performed by Craig MacMillan, aka Russel Crowe of the New Zealand team. Ryder’s cool, calculated presence has been very refreshing and his talent has not gone unnoticed even when India toured New Zealand earlier in the year. The road ahead appears rather interesting and Ryder, the man to watch.

It also brings another thought to mind – it is true that New Zealand may have perhaps suffered from inexperience. But the other side of the coin is – if the team is persisted with and the members themselves are persevering, there could be a New Zealand team on the podium of topmost teams in a few years’ time