Champions trophy thrown open now

The initial games of the Champions has brought to light many interesting cricket issues. Zimbabwe and to a lesser extent Bangladesh were under the microscope during the qualifying round. In their present form not too many, even their ardent fans, would have expected them to upset, to get through to the next round.

Whatever the form of analysis, Zimbabwe failed the test. In the batting department they were woefully inadequate in technique. The bowlers did not have the potential to be able to produce results in the future. In general the fielding was adequate, but chances were split under pressure. Due to the lack of ability they had no plans as a team.

The pitch at Mohali, for the opening game between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was a very good one day surface. Thereafter they began to vary. The bowlers did have an advantage because of the uneven bounce, seam movement early in the game, spin and slowness as the game progressed, all adding to the batsman’s woes.

Of the fancied team the West Indies suffered first. A keen tussle was expected when they met the Sri Lankans. The ball seamed around and the Windies batsmen fell prey to Farveez Maharoof who was devastating on the day. Chaminda Vaas set the ball volleying, picking up Gayle early and bowling a miserly spell. Everything that Maharoof did from thereon that day brought him success.

The opening game of round two also proved to be a tough day for batsmen. The Englishmen lost their way before the innings reached the half way stage. They simply had to post a fairly respectable score to stay in the game. As it turned out even 175 could have been a winning score.

The Indians got somewhat careless when the target got within sight. Always unwise on pitches which assist the bowlers. Their winning game never seemed to be in doubt but they should learn from the experience, not to take it easy, until the target is achieved.

The innings played by Stephen Flemming could be classed as the best of the tournament so far. Upul Tharanga was all elegance, as he went on to notch up two centuries. In Flemming’s case he played on quite a difficult track against a quality South African bowling attack. The pressure of wickets falling around was also on. He managed all that and played a captain’s innings.

New Zealand did not even get up to the two hundred mark, but they had a score with which they could bowl out the opposition. They have a crop of good medium quick bowlers who, should there be the slightest assistance off the pitch are able to capitalize.They did just that and in the end scored a comfortable win against the South Africans. Then there were the two games where the fancied teams got beaten. The Sri Lankans gave away a game where they were sitting pretty. At 181 for 3 wickets with 17 overs remaining they had it sewn up to get close to 300. The pitch had begun to slow down somewhat and playing spin was not too easy. They had to work for their runs and keep accumulating them. This the Sri Lankans did not do, as they kept loosing wickets and were all out before the allotted fifty overs were complete.

Imran Farhat’s half century set the pace for Pakistan. With the asking rate being around five runs an over the Pakistani’s were always within the asking rate. Abdul Razaak took the game away from the Lankans and simply blasted the bowling and in the end his team won with balls to spare.

The Windies who were down on the mat, sprung back to surprise the Aussies. This was a top performance from Brian Lara’s team and he led the way with the bat. Although Runako Morton outscored him, Lara’s innings was a gem. He played with assurance which must have rubbed-off on his younger partner.

In the chase the Australians were not all calm and collected as usual. They lost wickets at crucial stages and suddenly the chase got away from them. The Windies bowled accurately. None more so than Jerome Taylor who was sensetional. A hat trick and 4 wickets in all. You can’t ask for more.

The excitement has begun. There are a number of teams who look equally good on the day. The hunt for the Champion’s Trophy is on.