Zimbabwe's coach, Alan Butcher, thinks it's unlikely his team will beat the defending champions on Monday. The captain of Australia, Ricky Ponting, is not expecting a surprise loss. The bookmakers have Australia as almost unbackable favourites. But somewhere in the back of the minds of this Zimbabwe group is a sliver of hope, the knowledge that upsets can happen. And that if their three spinners can make use of an Ahmedabad pitch that could provide assistance, it might be just enough to bring Australia back down to a more even footing. Of course, everything must go right for Zimbabwe, who have not beaten Australia in an ODI since their shock win at the 1983 World Cup. Everything would also need to go wrong for Australia, who have not lost a World Cup match since 1999, back in the era of Steve Waugh and Alistair Campbell. "The longer a winning run goes, the closer it must be to coming to an end," Butcher said on Sunday. "It may not be us that ends it but someone has got to. All we've done is tried to prepare as well as we can, on the basis that if we play as well as we can in six matches during this World Cup, we can't do any more than that. If on the way one or two of the big sides have a bad day and slip up, hopefully we will take advantage of that. "If we play confidently, play our best cricket and Australia don't, then we may have a chance. Let's be honest, if both sides play their best cricket, it's very likely that we'll lose." Butcher is nothing if not a realist. But the Zimbabweans have kept an eye on Australia's performance during the warm-up matches, when they struggled against top-quality spin. Ray Price, Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer are not quite the same as Harbhajan Singh, but spin is the strength of Zimbabwe and Australia will need to force the pace for much of their innings. It's nearly seven years since the teams have met in a one-day international, although the Australians will remember with frustration being upset by Zimbabwe at the 2007 World Twenty20. In the past year, Zimbabwe have had ODI wins against India, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh, so they know how to beat good teams, but Ponting is confident his side will have their measure. "We had a good team meeting last night and talked about all their players, individually, and went through batters and bowlers," Ponting said. "They've got a lot of spin options, even a couple of part-time spinners and a quality left-arm offspinner and a legspinner as well, that I wouldn't be surprised if they play. "We've had a good look at them. We know what their strengths and weaknesses are. We've also seen their record, and their record is not that strong either, and that's against some of the smaller nations. We'd expect to play well tomorrow and hopefully get the tournament off on the right note." And after powerful performances from India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka against weaker sides in the opening matches of the tournament, it seems likely Australia will continue the trend. Zimbabwe's most ardent fans might say that it means a surprise is due.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Canada's gun prepares to fire
By deed, if not by sight, the exploits of Rizwan Cheema of Canada have travelled well. There is the start: 89 0ff 69 balls and 61 off 45 against the West Indies in 2008, nine sixes off men such as Jerome Taylor, Darren Powell and Kemar Roach. There is the 2008 Shoaib Akhtar encounter, where our hero lofted him for six over long on off the third ball of their introduction, having told his family as he left the house that morning that he would do so. There is the strike rate: 121.38 in T20s and 119.4 in ODIs. There are the ten sixes in a T20I tournament in Canada, more than anyone including Shahid Afridi and Sanath Jayasuriya. For this tournament he warmed up with a 70-ball 93 against England and though it wasn't recorded, he likely scared the bejeebers out of them. At practice in the magnificent but isolated Mahinda Rajapakse stadium in Hambantota on Friday evening, the most relentless drive to hit balls, every single ball, as high, hard and handsome as possible was Cheema's. Not all connected but the ones that did were pure, clean hits, of the kind that bring movement around to a halt. Canada's foremost cricket analyst Faraz Sarwat notes that a Cheema hand is essentially a "primal" joy. It is based essentially, as for so many subcontinent players, on hand-eye coordination. The range of shots is not expansive and not technically attuned, but if the ball falls in an area he likes, lord help the bowler. Asked to describe himself as a batsman after practice, Cheema smiled and said, "Hard-hitting....I like to hit the ball." A pause, another smile. "Out of the park." It says something for pure talent that he has managed the deeds that he has. Climatically, Canada is not given to cricket. "The set-up isn't great there because only four months out of the year do we have a chance to play outdoors and rest of year it snows," he says. "Right now it's minus 30 there. So we're totally opposite to cricket weather-wise but still we try indoor practices and since we qualified, we've played outside Canada in the winter. There are indoor facilities but that's only matting, not turf." Some players have at least been given central contracts so that there are seven full-time professionals in the side. The chances of a plumber running through a team have receded, though for the sake of a tale, it is a little loss. And as any self-respecting big team has done or still does, there were serious grumbles about the squad for the tournament, in particular the omission of Ian Bilcliff and Geoff Barnett. A young squad has thus arrived, including five players from the Under-19 side. There has been quarter-final talk but Cheema, understandably for a 32-year-old perhaps, is more realistic. "We've been working hard for almost a year now preparing for this. We'll try to win three games that is the goal. Realistically we're not going to win the World Cup but we're trying to make sure we go out and take lots of positives from here, maybe reaching the second round." Soon he will come across his former countrymen. Shoaib might be around as well, hoping to reacquaint. Cheema is, of course, from Gujranwala and only moved to Canada in 2000, having played club level stuff in Pakistan and idolised Imran Khan. He initially wanted to play only recreationally in Toronto but ended up in the Toronto and District Association League and, from 2005 onwards, began to do the kind of things he is now known by: 161 off 61 balls (eight fours, 15 sixes), a 145 with 15 fours and nine sixes. He only qualified for Canada selection in 2008. "I played against them in Canada in 2008. It's always a good feeling playing against players you grow up following and the team you want to be in from your heart, but fortunately I'm playing for Canada now. I want to make a hundred that is my main goal, maybe against Pakistan. The 93 against England has given me lots of confidence." It is not something he lacks particularly but it is on the hope that such players might do something, no matter how brief or how lost the cause - even one shot - that you remember forever after, it is on such hope that a World Cup also runs. Given his age, there might not be another chance for Cheema. Given the ICC, there might not be another for Canada either. Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: Osman Samiuddin © ESPN EMEA Ltd.
Feeds: Osman Samiuddin © ESPN EMEA Ltd.Thursday, March 10, 2011
Sangakkara happy in unfamiliar home
Laxman, Steyn, Tendulkar win ESPNcricinfo awards The India-South Africa rivalry was the key contest of the year, one that the ESPNcricinfo Awards reflect Passionate Bangladesh provides perfect opening For a sport that has a bad history with opening ceremonies, nothing could have been more welcome than the sheer enthusiasm and passion with which Bangladesh had put together its show World Cup 2011: The opening ceremony Follow ESPNcricinfo's live coverage of the World Cup opening ceremony World Cup searches for certainty The World Cup's 10th edition has greater significance even before it begins: it is the one that will decide what course the 50-over game will take over the next few years The five favourites for the World Cup England, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia are looking good
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
'Our quicks will do well on slow tracks' - Lee
Laxman, Steyn, Tendulkar win ESPNcricinfo awards The India-South Africa rivalry was the key contest of the year, one that the ESPNcricinfo Awards reflect Passionate Bangladesh provides perfect opening For a sport that has a bad history with opening ceremonies, nothing could have been more welcome than the sheer enthusiasm and passion with which Bangladesh had put together its show World Cup 2011: The opening ceremony Follow ESPNcricinfo's live coverage of the World Cup opening ceremony World Cup searches for certainty The World Cup's 10th edition has greater significance even before it begins: it is the one that will decide what course the 50-over game will take over the next few years The five favourites for the World Cup England, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia are looking good
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Watson looking forward to challenge of opening
When he wasn't hobbling around with a nagging calf strain, Shane Watson spent much of the 2007 World Cup padded up, waiting, and watching Matthew Hayden crush opponents with help from his opening partner Adam Gilchrist. Hayden dominated that tournament more than any other batsman, with three centuries against top teams, and it's a role Watson wants to play this time around. So dominant were Hayden, Gilchrist and the rest of the top order that Watson, who was batting at No. 7 during that period, had to face only 85 balls through the entire seven-week event. Fast forward four years and Watson is an established, in-form opener, and Australia will be desperate for him to have a massive series, with less depth and experience in the middle order than in years gone by. "It's a different challenge compared to batting at No. 7 in the team that we had," Watson said. "It's a much bigger responsibility opening the batting and trying to lay a great platform for the team like Matt Hayden and Adam Gilchrist did so beautifully throughout their careers. I know it's a big responsibility and I'm really looking forward to it. "It's a great challenge over here and I've been lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time here over the past two years to get used to the conditions. They're big shoes to fill because [Hayden and Gilchrist] have performed unbelievably well throughout their careers, especially in World Cups." Watson enters the 2011 tournament with some formidable figures behind him. He's scored 832 one-day runs in the past year, comfortably Australia's best, and earlier this month he won his second consecutive Allan Border Medal. He didn't just win it, he annihilated all his colleagues by earning 295 votes, a full hundred in front of the second-placed Michael Hussey. It's a form-line that will leave opponents scratching their heads as to how to control him. The first team that has to find the solution is Zimbabwe, whose batting coach Grant Flower has been searching for some inside tips from his brother Andy, who as coach of England recently saw Watson plunder 161 at the MCG, after he was one of the few Australians who also had a solid Ashes series. "He has been playing brilliantly," Grant Flower said in the lead-up to Monday's game. "I spoke to my brother last night and asked him the same thing, and he didn't have many answers. But there are a lot of class players and there are no obvious weaknesses, otherwise they wouldn't be playing at international level. But our main strength is spin, so hopefully we can get it in the right areas and he might succumb to the same pressures that everyone else is under." One thing in Zimbabwe's favour is that it was spin that troubled Australia during their two warm-up losses, against India and South Africa over the past week, although Watson fell to pace both times in making 33 and 0. Australia know they must improve from those two opening encounters, although Watson was confident that the defeats were not an indication of how the rest of their campaign would unfold. "We played some good cricket throughout the summer in Australia but we also knew that there was a little bit of improvement to go in just about all aspects of our one-day cricket," Watson said. "The past couple of days have been excellent for getting used to the Indian conditions and getting our game-plans and our roles in the team exactly where they should be." Australia enter Monday's match Against Zimbabwe, in Ahmedabad, hoping to keep their unbeaten run in World Cups going - they have not lost a World Cup game since 1999 - but knowing they should not compare themselves to the teams headed by Ricky Ponting at the past two tournaments. "I don't really see the pressure to defend the World Cup because we are a very different team to what the team was in 2007," Watson said. "In the end there's pressure on every team to win the World Cup, no matter what."
Old guard leaves Zimbabwe's revival
Laxman, Steyn, Tendulkar win ESPNcricinfo awards The India-South Africa rivalry was the key contest of the year, one that the ESPNcricinfo Awards reflect Passionate Bangladesh provides perfect opening For a sport that has a bad history with opening ceremonies, nothing could have been more welcome than the sheer enthusiasm and passion with which Bangladesh had put together its show World Cup 2011: The opening ceremony Follow ESPNcricinfo's live coverage of the World Cup opening ceremony World Cup searches for certainty The World Cup's 10th edition has greater significance even before it begins: it is the one that will decide what course the 50-over game will take over the next few years The five favourites for the World Cup England, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia are looking good
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