Wrist-Spinner Breakthroughs: Yadav and Chahal

Alagappan Muthu, coutesy of ESPNcricinfo, 19 September 2017, where the title is Kuldeep, Chahal, and cracking the India XI”

Wristspinners are becoming an indispensable part of one-day cricket. They are fun to watch – even on bad days – but on the good ones they have the ability to make the strongest batting line-ups seem like the second XI of a village team at a county fair. While Australia might not have been so terribly undone – the margin of defeat in the series opener was only 26 runs via DLS method – Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav might feel like they are at the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

On Sunday, they were playing together for the second time — having done so earlier in the fifth ODI in Sri Lanka. That was the first time a pair of specialist wristspinners bowled in an ODI for India – that’s across 43 years and 922 matches. The statistic is certainly eye-popping but there is another implication to it. That only rarely do teams need more than one of these tricksters. Clearly there’s a debate here, so let’s get into it.

Yuzvendra Chahal celebrates after dismissing Glenn Maxwell Associated Press

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Australia’s Horrid Statistics in Asian Lands –An Appraisal in 2016

 

S Rajesh 

 courtesy of ESPNcricinfo, 12 August 2016, where the title reads “Why Australia can’t catch a break in Asia”

Between 2002 and 2006, they were a superb Test side in Asia, but over the last few years they have struggled to play spin and bowl spin in the continent

Australia had an outstanding record in Asia between 2002 and 2006, but since then it has been all downhill © ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Dark Clouds loom over Sri Lankan Cricket

Sidharth Monga, courtesy of ESPNcricinfo, 27 August 2017, where the title reads “How Sri Lanka went from being a fortress to a phantom”

In the end, what stays with you the longest from cricket in Sri Lanka is the crows. The papare band can fade away, Galle Fort can seem run-of-the-mill after a while, Percy can sometimes grate, you can get away from the shouts of “Aluwa aluwa”, but the crows stay with you long after you have gone. They are looking for worms in the warm, moist grass while cricket is on, but they could easily be doing what crows do: wait to feast on carcasses; in this case, those of the opposition after the home team is done with them.

 Dusk looms over SL cricket today

The crows always seem to sneak up on you in Sri Lanka. And so does Test cricket. Tests here just start. You wake up, have your pol roti and chilli-onion sambal at the National Tea Room in the fort, or in one of the tea rooms near the station outside, and walk in to watch the highest form of cricket (so they say) for free. If you are on a motorbike, you don’t even need to remove your helmet. Just stand outside the fence and watch.

Sri Lanka’s Prospects at Dambulla in First ODI

Andrew Fidel Fernando, courtesy of ESPNcricinfo, August 19 2017 where the title reads Can ailing Sri Lanka spring a surprise?”

India were monumentally dominant in the Tests, while Sri Lanka are in turmoil and have a new full-time limited-overs captain, but if there is still a wisp of hope that the ODIs will be competitive, it is based on the outcome of the Champions Trophy match between these sides. Remember that? It seems so long ago now, and so difficult to imagine. But it’s true. Sri Lanka did defeat India on June 8, after orchestrating a record tournament chase. The way, unsurprisingly, was led by Kusal Mendis. Chasing, and a big score for Mendis, again represent Sri Lanka’s best chance of an upset in Dambulla. While they lost a home series 3-2 against Zimbabwe in July, they will at least take a little encouragement from the fact that none of those losses came when they were batting second.

 Wanidu Hasaranga takes part in a fielding drill AFP

Nine Fielders on the Boundary for Hardik Pandya…. A Record ?

As I watch Lahiru Gamage run up, I see that Chandimal has placed nine fielders in a ring äround Hardik Pandya … sort of!!  ….. they are all on the boundary lines. Pandya had just mauled left arm spinner Pushpakumara — hitting threee sixes and a four in one over. Some were not mere sixers, but HUGE SIXERS.

http://www.fakingnews.firstpost.com/buzzpoop/5-new-shots-invented-hardik-pandya-last-nights-match-19181

Pallekele still in Infancy as a Test Venue in Lanka

Aubrey Kuruppu, in Sunday Times, 13 August 2017, where the title Pallekele – Still cutting its teeth as a Test venue””

It may surprise one and all to know that Pallekele has staged a mere five Test matches in a span of nearly seven years. There were a few two test tours, during which the Kandy venue invariably lost out. Spin-friendly Galle was always a first choice as the hosts liked to get off the blocks, fire the first salvo, in a truncated series. Quaint, old fashioned Asgiriya had her charms. Accessibility was a factor in her favour. Yet the draw backs outweighed the advantages. The media box was cramped and a bit of a shambles. Modernised Pallekele has much more space, and the pavilion and the grass-banks evoke memories of South African Grounds. The Hantane and Hunnasgiriya mountain-ranges offer a beautiful backdrop to the action.

Slashing Clementine and Other Extremist Critics

 Gerald Peiris[1]

Remember the mighty Indians with ‘all time greats’ like God Tendulkar, Azar, Dravid, Viru, Ganguli et. al. losing disgracefully, first in Delhi and then in Calcutta (in 1996);[2] Sri Lanka hammering more or less the same team for 960 or so runs in Colombo;[3] and then, getting them for a paltry 54 in an ODI in Dubai (with Murali and Vaas breaking records in successive matches)? Why should SL, smaller than one-third the size of one of the smaller states in India like, say, Tamilnadu, be producing a succession of ‘all-time greats’ and ranking perpetually among the high flyers all the time?