Spinners as opening bowlers?

With scores of 300+ becoming more and more common, different tactics from bowling sides are bound to evolve.

In T20 this has already become a trend with Gayle, Bhajji, Amit Mishra and Yusuf Pathan regularly bowling the 1st over. This isnt a new tactic. In the 1992 World Cup, Dipak Patel was used as an opening bowler for NZ, initially against Australia, in an attempt to counteract the tactic of hitting over the in-field during the first 15 overs. That strategy paid off, and Patel was often used in the same role in other matches.

The goal being to stop the ball coming on nicely for the stroke players and hard hitters, and making it a little tough for them to play by slowling down the pace of the ball.

This will become a trend in the next few months leading to WC 2011. Esp since the slow Indian sub continent tracks have more joy for spinners than the faster bowlers.

Lets keep track of this in the next few months and lets see who opens the bowling for India... this will set the basis for the rest esp the lankans, bangladeshis and possibly the kiwis.

Innovations of the game - 2

The mongooge bat





The Mongoose is tailor-made for the short format. Subtlety is not its strong suit. With a five centimetre thick base that boasts a sweet spot twice the size of that on a traditional bat, even the pace bowler's saving grace - a yorker - can be dispatched to the ropes.

Without changing ones technique, the bat allows one to hit the ball harder and further. Its power is phenomenal. It's a weapon of mass destruction

The MCC has already rejected dozens of submissions, including one bat with holes drilled into the blade for aerodynamic purposes, described by observers as a "Swiss cheese bat".

But they passed this one, used for the first time by former Australian batsman Stuart Law during a county Twenty20 match last year. And now Hayden at IPL 2010.

The Mongoose is poised to rewrite record books in the same way that titanium-headed drivers and graphite rackets revolutionised golf and tennis. Because it can be lighter in weight while still offering great power, the Mongoose is ideal for players of all abilities and style.

Innovations of the game - 1

1. Switch Hitting
Kevin Pietersen has never been shy about pushing conventional boundaries, but his century against the Kiwis in 2008 contained two shots of brilliance and audacity that has surely changed the perspective of the game. Facing the medium pace of Scott Styris, Pietersen twice reversed both his grip and stance as the bowler approached, effectively facing up as a left-handed batsman. The first time, he went down on one knee and clubbed the ball over cover point (to the right-hander) for six. Four overs later, he did it again, this time over a right-hander's wide long-off. Same result...

2. Dilscoop
The Dilscoop is a cricket batting stroke developed by Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan during the ICC World Twenty20 held during June 2009 in England. The basis of the stroke is to go on one knee to a good length or slightly short of length delivery off a fast or medium paced bowler and 'scoop' the ball over the head of the wicket keeper. The ball travels straight towards the boundary behind the wicket keeper.

3. Macculum's ramp shot / "McScoop"
First it was the Dil-Scoop now it’s the McScoop – the high risk shot that is played to the unprotected area behind the keepers head - superbly executed by BLACKCAPS batting star Brendon McCullum. The stroke is similar to the one played by Dilshan.
However, after McCullum’s stunning 116* Vs Oz, BLACKCAPS fans have been demanding a name change. McCullum played the shot six times, hitting the rope on four occasions and clearing it twice on his way to rare Twenty20 century.

YKP - what next!!

For Shane Warne to describe Yusuf Pathan's 37-ball ton (on day 2 of the IPL 2010 tournament) as the best innings he's ever seen means more than just another sound bite. "I've played cricket for 21 years and I have seen Sachin Tendulkar as the best batsman against whom I have played as he has murdered attacks and hit them all over the park. But today was the best innings I have ever seen."

For YKP the year has started wonderfully... the 2 tons including a superb 200 in the duleep trophy finals, then the 40 ball hundred vs maharastra in the vijay hazare trophy which helped Baroda stun Maharashtra. Again in the Deodhar Trophy final vs North Zone, Yusuf Pathan attempted to achieve the impossible on a turning track. His outrageous brand of power-hitting took the conditions totally out of the equation with his brutal 80.

His game is now on the up but more than his on form it will define the style which many of the teams in the WC 2011 will adopt. It will be the form of big hitters like Dilshan, Haddin, Warner (if he makes it to the Aussie team) that will win the cup. Over the next 10-12 months lets keep our eyes open to see new tactics emerging to improve the big hitting.

More importantly lets see how the bowlers adapt to the new game!

IPL 2010 starts today...

Friday 12th March, Mumbai:
Deccan vs Kolkata
It's the first of 60 matches. The defending champions taking on last season's bottom of league. A flashy opening ceremony. Tight security. No home advantage for either team.

This match and the rest of the tourney will see new tactics, new techniques and hopefully a lot of innovation coming into play...

I wouldnt see it just as the development of this version of the game... its also going to impact the ODI version... esp stuff people will want to master between now and the 2011 WC opener...

Its going to be fun, am sure lots of controversy will be thrown up.. but most of all the glitz, the power hitting and the bowlers finding new ways of controlling the runs.. will give new dimension to the game...

Game on guys!

Fitness first.. stars we hope are ready for WC2011

Less than 300 and sure to lose

In the 90s a score of 250 was considered to be a great one to defend. Now 300 is not safe. Take last night's ODI game between NZ and Aus in Napier (3 March 2010).
Aus batting 1st got 275 to set NZ to score at around 5.6 rpo to win - no easy task with a strong bowling attack with in form Ryan Harris, Bollinger, Mitchel Johnson, Watson and Hauritz! This is an attack which hadnt lost a single game over the Aus summer including blitzing the windies and paks.

Scott Styris and Ross Taylor (MOM) took the kiwis to victory with 4 balls to spare! Styris and Shane Bond (pretty much the last pair with Oram injured) scored 35 runs in 3 overs @ 11.66 runs per over. The pressure was on Styris towards the death and came through with a fantastic innings under pressure. The 2 fours smashed by Bond in the 49th over was spectacular. Styris sealed the win with a huge maximum over long-off from the second ball of the 50th from Bollinger and finished unbeaten on 49 from 34 deliveries. He roared as the ball sailed over the boundary. A great way to win after the 'head to head' combat with Johnson earlier.

This was another game which went to prove, irrespective of the size of the ground, any score below 300 is achievable even by teams lying much below their oppositions in ODI ratings!

2011 WC will reveal a completely new face of the 50-50 version. Watch out for batters like Gayle, Sehwag, Afridi, Dilshan etc