In a way, it was not a conscious decision of mine to watch every single ball of England's World Cup match against India on Sunday.
As I rose at 8:30am and trundled downstairs for some breakfast in anticipation of the game, I had in the back of my mind the intention to do some work at some point during the day. Throughout the World Cup so far I have tended to watch the first 10 overs of a game and then get on with more pressing matters, keeping an eye on proceedings thanks to BBC Sport's live text. This time though, it did not work out that way.
Instead, I sat in front of the telly for eight hours and watched one of the greatest one-day games.
The game's to-and-fro nature was just mesmerising. From that first over when Jimmy Anderson could have dismissed Virender Sehwag twice but instead went for eight runs, the little cricketing devil (complete with horns that stick out through his white cricket sunhat and holding a bat and ball) that lives inside my brain whispered sweet nothings to me, and that resulted in me barely moving for the rest of the day.
By the end I was extremely grateful that devil is there. I witnessed two sublime hundreds from Sachin Tendulkar and then Andrew Strauss, a masterful spell of bowling from Tim Bresnan, a total of 676 runs (the highest aggregate score in World Cup history by the way) and a victory pendulum that just kept on swaying.
The game also had something else that is a significant rarity - another batsman outshining Tendulkar even though the 'Little Master' scored a ton. Tendulkar's knock was typically composed, thoughtful and simply brilliant. Despite starting slowly, he still managed to score 120 magnificent runs at more than a run a ball. His innings was perfectly paced, chanceless and involved no risk whatsoever - but we have come to expect that, and if we got anything less from the great man we would be surprised.
Yet Strauss' innings chasing a mammoth total, albeit on a supremely flat deck, was even better. He played in a Tendulkar-esque manner - with nous and skill in abundance. Despite the pressure of chasing down India's 338, the England skipper remained unflustered and simply played to his strengths. He cut and pulled well, as ever, and knew he only needed to hit one boundary an over along with nudging and nurdling the necessary ones and twos.
I must admit, what did surprise me was how well he swept the spinners. I did not have him down as a particularly strong sweeper, but he used the shot expertly, and when he did sweep they were hard and along the ground from the moment the ball left the bat. The shot gave him an important outlet when Harbhajan and Chawla were trying, unsuccessfully, to tie him down and make him do something silly.
However, in spite of the two outstanding hundreds by Tendulkar and Strauss and all the runs that were scored in the match, or perhaps due to them, my favourite moment of the match was the maiden Tim Bresnan bowled to Tendulkar - the 14th over of the game. Bresnan was superb with the ball and deserved to get the five-wicket-haul he did. After Tendulkar could only prod the sixth delivery into the offside for the sixth occasion in a row, he wore a look not of disappointment or disgust at himself, but just of genuine respect for an outstanding over of immaculate control. It was a human touch that said a lot about a man who simply lives and loves cricket and has a desire to play the game at the highest level, seemingly, forever.
A tie was a fair result in the end. In fact, it would have been a travesty if someone had lost.
It was a great game of cricket that, as Strauss pointed out in his post-match interview, championed the 50-over game excellently and truly brought this World Cup to life. I am so glad my little cricketing devil forced me to sit on the sofa to experience it fully.
Monday 28 February 2011
Saturday 26 February 2011
Cricket: Windies will miss Dwayne
The news that Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup due to the thoroughly painful-looking knee injury he picked up against South Africa is a dagger in the heart of the West Indies.
The Windies have a number of all-rounders in their side, but only Bravo has the ability to bowl consistently accurately to dry up runs and frustrate batsmen with his nagging line and length, as well as being penetrative with his deceptively quick yorkers and well-practised slower balls.
His ability to score run-a-ball 50s, 60s or 70s in the middle order and give his side some impetus towards the end of an innings is also a precious commodity for the Caribbean outfit. He will never be a regular ton scorer due to his general lack of application and patience (much like most of the West Indies' batting line-up), and his position in the order, but when he comes to the wicket the opposition know he can take the game away from them unless he is dismissed pretty swiftly.
Bravo is a genuine entertainer with bat and ball. That's what I like about him the most, and it is why the West Indies, as well as the tournament as a whole, will feel like its heart has been punctured a little.
I remember watching an ODI match on the television in May 2006 as India toured the Windies. It was played at Sabina Park, Jamaica, and the home side had only managed to muster 198. However, the Indians also struggled, confirming it was not an easy pitch to bat on. Yuvraj Singh was steering India home expertly and, nine down, India needed 10 to win from the last five deliveries. Bravo had been entrusted with the final over, but Yuvraj smeared him for two fours to take the Indians within touching distance of victory.
Then something exraordinary happened. Bravo, then just 22 years of age, had the audacity, the confidence and the downright cheek to bowl an incredibly well-controlled slower-yorker that completely flummoxed Yuvraj and bowled him. Cue wild calypso-crazed scenes as West Indies won by one run.
Bravo had earlier got a duck and had bowled only three overs before he was thrown the ball for the final one of the game, yet he still showed remarkable self-belief and a fearlessness that only top cricketers possess.
As a result of their never-ending immaturity and erratic nature in every discipline of the game, the West Indies would probably have struggled in this World Cup even with Bravo. Now he is injured, their chances of success are considerably slimmer.
The Windies have a number of all-rounders in their side, but only Bravo has the ability to bowl consistently accurately to dry up runs and frustrate batsmen with his nagging line and length, as well as being penetrative with his deceptively quick yorkers and well-practised slower balls.
His ability to score run-a-ball 50s, 60s or 70s in the middle order and give his side some impetus towards the end of an innings is also a precious commodity for the Caribbean outfit. He will never be a regular ton scorer due to his general lack of application and patience (much like most of the West Indies' batting line-up), and his position in the order, but when he comes to the wicket the opposition know he can take the game away from them unless he is dismissed pretty swiftly.
Bravo is a genuine entertainer with bat and ball. That's what I like about him the most, and it is why the West Indies, as well as the tournament as a whole, will feel like its heart has been punctured a little.
I remember watching an ODI match on the television in May 2006 as India toured the Windies. It was played at Sabina Park, Jamaica, and the home side had only managed to muster 198. However, the Indians also struggled, confirming it was not an easy pitch to bat on. Yuvraj Singh was steering India home expertly and, nine down, India needed 10 to win from the last five deliveries. Bravo had been entrusted with the final over, but Yuvraj smeared him for two fours to take the Indians within touching distance of victory.
Then something exraordinary happened. Bravo, then just 22 years of age, had the audacity, the confidence and the downright cheek to bowl an incredibly well-controlled slower-yorker that completely flummoxed Yuvraj and bowled him. Cue wild calypso-crazed scenes as West Indies won by one run.
Bravo had earlier got a duck and had bowled only three overs before he was thrown the ball for the final one of the game, yet he still showed remarkable self-belief and a fearlessness that only top cricketers possess.
As a result of their never-ending immaturity and erratic nature in every discipline of the game, the West Indies would probably have struggled in this World Cup even with Bravo. Now he is injured, their chances of success are considerably slimmer.
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