The Reverse Sweep

The renaissance of Yuvraj Singh

 
2010 was an unadulterated disaster for Yuvraj Singh. Injury, loss of form and gluttony led to him losing his place in the Indian Test side, a disastrous season with Kings XI Punjab and questions as to his place in the Indian World Cup squad.

Indeed 2010 wasn't just a bad year for Yuvraj; it was an annus horribilis.

Yuvraj's troubles didn't go unnoticed at The Reverse Sweep and we wrote a post accusing him of being over-rated, arrogant and with an ego the size of Jupiter.

Whilst we stand by with most of what we wrote - especially where Test cricket is concerned - let's give credit where credit is due, Yuvraj has been absolutely outstanding in this World Cup.

It's difficult to imagine a more pressurised situation than the one that confronted Yuvraj in yesterday's quarter-final with Australia. When Dhoni fell, India still required 74 runs off 75 balls with just five wickets left. With the last recognised batsman Raina joining him at the crease, the onus was on Yuvraj to lead India home. Defeat would have led to the usual recriminations and burning effigies.

But Yuvraj took it all in his stride. He cajoled Raina to produce the goods, led from the front himself and he used his arrogant demeanour to stunning effect.

As it stands, Yuvraj is arguably the player of the tournament of the World Cup thus far. He is the fourth highest run scorer with 341 runs at 113.66 with one hundred and four fifties from his six innings. And with the ball, Yuvraj has been India's outstanding bowler after Zaheer Khan with 11 wickets at 25 at an economy rate of just under five runs per over.

No one would have predicted that Yuvraj would be in the running for the player of the tournament, not even his biggest supporter - namely himself.

Where next?

Check out our Reverse Sweep XIs

Read all our 2011 World Cup posts here

The worst Test XI of 2010

Ricky Ponting's "up yours" message to Cricket Australia

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Prince Dilshan and the Pauper

This post is an appeal from someone called King Kumar. We at the Reverse Sweep are more than happy to oblige what is obviously a very important cause.

"I am appealing for help because our opening batsman Tilli Dilshan has gone missing and been replaced with an impostor who doesn't know one end of the bat from the other.

If any of you have seen the film 'The Prince and the Pauper' or read the book by Mark Twain, you'll have some idea of what our team is going through. In the film, as Henry VIII of England lies dying, his heir the nine year old Edward Tudor comes across a peasant boy who is his doppelganger. Being young boys, they decide it would be a great jape to swap places and the audience is left on tenterhooks waiting to see if the peasant boy will be crowned King as Edward VI.

The same has happened to our cricket team. Over the last year, we promoted Tilli to open the batting in all forms of the game. Prior to that he had been a useful but inconsistent middle-order batsman and electric fielder. But he was a revelation as opener. He invented new cricketing strokes, scored centuries at will in all forms of the game; and in test cricket his strike rate was unequalled by all except a certain Virender Sehwag. He even was announced as a graduate form the Sehwag School for batting.

We first thought something was wrong in the IPL. You see Tilli plays for the Delhi Daredevils and he (or as it turns out, the imposter) only scored 44 runs from six innings with two ducks and an average of seven. But I just thought that it was a case of bad form after a stellar year, and to be honest I had my own problems with my Kings side.

But now I know that the real Tilli has gone missing. We've flown to the West Indies for a little tournament and yesterday we played New Sheepland. The impostor played and managed to score 3 off 19 balls. The real Tilli would have scored 40 runs in that time. That was the irrefutable proof we needed.

So, please cricket fans around the world, please can you help us find our Tilli. And I have a reward for you if you do - I'll give you person who finds Tilli two of my Kings players Sree Rant and Fat Boy Yuv - I think you know who I mean."

IPL half-term report & semi-final tips

As those of you that read this blog will know, this is the first season that I have tuned into the IPL, in part thanks to ITV4 (and that's the only time I will utter gratitude in that direction) but mainly out of curiosity to see if the reality lives up to the hype.

Of course it doesn't live up to the hype, but considering it is promoted more than the second coming of Jesus would be, that is hardly surprising. The television coverage and commentating is awful, there are far too many adverts and the renaming of a six as a DLF maximum is a crime; and a serious one at that. The hyperbole surrounding the tournament annoys me too with Shane Warne's assessment of Yusuf Pathan's 37 ball century against Mumbai Indians as the best ever perhaps being the worst example.

 

But taking all that into account, the cricket itself has at times been undeniably exciting even if tilted a little too heavily in favour of the men wielding the willow. The best aspect of the tournament is the fact that the teams are so evenly matched; apart from two exceptions. Mumbai Indians, with Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga to the fore, are cruising towards the semi-finals having lost only one of their first eight matches. Kings XI Punjab on the other hand are the Bangladesh of the IPL with their only victory coming fortuitously in a Super Over triumph over Chennai Super Kings. Since then they have simply disintegrated with the low probably being the shambolic fielding in their last match, which saw a self-inflicted defeat against Bangalore.

That the other six sides are so close in the table is a vindication of the salary cap and perhaps the auction process too. Of these, Bangalore has been the most impressive with a good balance between bat and ball. Jacques Kallis has been imperious, as have Anil Kumble and Dale Steyn, and with Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor recently arrived, plus Robin Uthappa scattering bullets, Bangalore look a good bet for the semi-finals.

Delhi Daredevils also look set for the last four and despite a three game losing streak seem to have recovered their poise. Like Bangalore, Delhi look well balanced with the batting strength of Sehwag, Warner, Gambhir, Dilshan and secret weapon Paul Collingwood complimented by Dirk Nannes and Amit Mishra. 

The battle for the final semi-final place is too close to call. Rajasthan Royals looked out of their depth at the start of the competition and likely winners of the wooden spoon, with the failed Damien Martyn experiment seemingly summing up their woes. Despite a recovery of sorts, I tend to agree with Gautam Gambhir's assessment of the Royals as ordinary and predict that they won't make the top four. Reigning champions Deccan Chargers also look off the pace with Adam Gilchrist looking every bit the retired first-class cricketer that he is.

That leaves Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. Both have improved after average starts and both have been reinforced by antipodeans; Doug Bollinger and Brendan McCullum respectively. I've a hunch that Bollinger will continue his excellent form and that consequently Chennai will pip Sourav Ganguly's team for the final semi-final spot.

So it is Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Chennai for the semi-finals for me, but given the closeness of the competition I wouldn't be surprised if I end up with egg on my face. 

Pietersen finally shows the IPL that he can bat

During Bangalore's ultimately successful run chase against Kings XI Punjab last night a surprising statistic was passed when Kevin Pietersen reached 38. Surprisingly, it beat his previous highest score in the IPL.

For someone who walks a fine line between confidence and arrogance with bat in hand that would have been a bit embarrassing. But in part thanks to an awful fielding display by Punjab, Pietersen was able to marshall the Bangalore chase with 66 not out of 44 balls. IPL fans how finally know what KP can do.

Punjab's fielding was so bad that if comprised of Pakistan players, they would probably be accused of match-fixing, heresy or harming the team. To see a team led by King Kumar lacking spirit is a sad sight, as was the disintegration of Brett Lee in the pivotal over of the match.

Although Pietersen and Virat Kohli had kept Bangalore in the hunt chasing down Punjab's 180 for 5, 48 were required off the last four overs. Step forward Robin Uthappa (how has he been left out of the Indian World T20 squad?) and another dose of blitzkrieg batting. Three massive sixes were followed by a horrible ball from Lee that went for five wides and suddenly the game had swung to Bangalore.

For Pietersen, and England for that matter, these are good signs. The old swagger has returned and England's best batsman could prove crucial in the World T20 and Ashes quests that await. KP's place in the pantheon could be there for the taking.

 

In defence of the tie

One of the many wonderful things about cricket is that the Americans (and the French, for that matter) cannot comprehend it. They don't understand how a game can last for five days and still be a draw. Draws or ties are anathema in the US and all their major sports have overtime to ensure a winner emerges in every game - even if the match is part of a league where draws could be easily accommodated.

A draw can be a wonderful thing in cricket as England's three great escapes in the last 12 months at Cardiff, Centurion and Cape Town would testify. A tied match is even better with the Brisbane test between Australia and West Indies in 1960rightly recognised as one of the greatest test matches ever. Even in ODI, a tied match is allowed and who can forget the tied semi-final between Australia and the choking South Africans in the 1999 World Cup?

But as with many things T20 does it differently. In the last few weeks we have witnessed two tied T20 matches between Australia and New Zealandand then in the IPL on Sunday between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings. But were hands shaken with honours even? No, we had to endure cricket's equivalent of a penalty shootout the Super Over.

As described on Wikipedia, the Super Over is described as thus "At the end of a tied match and before the Super Over, each team nominates a "mini team" that consists of three batsmen and a bowler who bat and bowl in their teams' Super Over, respectively. The team that scores the most runs in their Super Over is the winner of the match."

Sounds simple enough, but to me in cricket it is completely unnecessary. The honourable nature of a tie or a draw is one of the things that makes cricket special and places it above other sports. If God played any sport, it would be cricket. Of course, as part of Lalit Modi's plan of conquering America, the World and then Mars the Super Over is a crucial tactic in converting the uneducated to the virtues of man's greatest invention after beer.

Invariably even the worst inventions have at least one bright spot. The Super Over is no exception as judging by the two matches above, Australians are rubbish at it. In fact they are so bad that they could be the cricketing equivalent of England in penalty shootouts. Matt Hayden's airshot for the Chennai Super Kings was a shot in the arm for bowlers and a defeat for the Mongoose.

But please get rid of the Super Over. Neither Australia or New Zealand deserved to lose and by contrast neither Chennai or Punjab deserved to win.

 

 

 

 

He's alive! Ravi Bopara is alive!

The last time most people saw Ravi Bopara he cut a dejected figure. He had been well and truly found out by the Australians and after four tests as a walking wicket he was ejected from the England test side. Things didn't get any better in the ODIs that followed the Ashes or in the Champions Trophy either. Bopara was then dropped from all of the England winter touring parties and wasn't even included in the Lions squad as compensation.

Nothing has been heard of him since. However, instead of moping around feeling sorry for himself, Bopara spent his winter playing for Auckland and is now plying his trade in the IPL with Kings XI Punjab.

It seems the break has done him some good as in his first two outings in the IPL he is starting to look like the real deal again. He followed his 56 off 48 balls against Delhi Daredevils with a brilliant 77 off 50 balls today against the Bangalore Royal Challengers. I wonder if working at close quarters with King Kumar Sangakkara has helped Ravi become at ease with himself again. Certainly, all seemed to be in working order on the (delayed) You Tube stream.

He should at least be a certainty for the England T20 side preferably opening with Craig Kieswetter, but please England don't try and make Bopara a test match number three again.

Delhi Daredevils and Yusuf Pathan steal the headlines on day 2

I wrote yesterday that my first real taste of the IPL was a bit disappointing; rather like an overdone rib of beef. The opening ceremony was too long and the actual cricket was mundane. Yesterday was much better.

Firstly, we had Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals pitting their wits against Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians. It was a fantastic match with Mumbai prevailing by four runs after hitting a mammoth 212/4 in their 20 overs. This was harsh on Yusuf Pathan, whose 100 off 37 balls for the Royals was a quite remarkable knock with brutality and subtleness dovetailing seamlessly together.

These days, the IPL is the only chance we get to see Warne and Tendulkar on the same pitch and Pathan's knock is what T20 is supposed to be about.

The second game was just as good, if only because it saw my adopted side, the Delhi Daredevils beat the Kings XI Punjab. England's forgotten man Ravi Bopara looked in good touch and it was thanks to him that Kings were able to post 142/9. I understand that despite having the likes of Gambhir, Sehwag, Dilshan, De Villiers and Nannes in their ranks, Delhi are the serial underachievers in the IPL. Being a Liverpool fan I know just how that feels, so it seems I have picked the right side. As befits this tag, Delhi made a bit of a dogs dinner of chasing their small target and they were indebted to a captain's knock of 72 from Gambhir that saw them over the line in the final over.

So my second taste of the IPL was much better than the first. Yesterday the beef was cooked to its succulent perfection.

Who should I support in the IPL?

I didn't take much notice of the first two seasons of the IPL. Being a traditionalist, T20 cricket is not my favourite form of the game. If it was a woman it would be Cheryl Cole - good to look at, exciting even but without much substance and something you would tire of quite quickly. Whereas test cricket is more like Scarlett Johansson. Beautiful too but with depth and mysterious, unpredictable and always fascinating.

But the odd night with Cheryl is not something to be sniffed at and having enjoyed Trinidad and Tobago's progress in the inaugural Champions League, I have decided that I will tune into ITV4 for some of the third instalment of the tournament. But, T&T are obviously not one of the eight teams participating, so who should I support as a non-Indian?

Well if I was a Manchester United fan, I could go down the glory supporter route and simply pick the reigning champions, the Deccan Chargers. But as I regard United and its manager Alex Ferguson as the antichrist that's a non-starter.

Likewise, I also have to rule out the Rajasthan Royals due to the recent 'worldwide franchise' press conference replete with hideous PowerPoint presentations. This is the sort of arrogant move reminiscent of Chelsea. It's a shame in some respects as I could easily follow a side captained and coached by Shane Warne. He may be happy to punt anything nowadays including pants, but the sense of theatre he creates when he bowls is something special. But I hate PowerPoint presentations...

So, what about going down the name route? Unfortunately, most of these are pretty good with the Kolkata Knight Riders in particular standing out. However, this route does enable me to rule out the two worst names of the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians. The former sounds like a pack of cigarettes and the last lacks imagination.

Four down, four left to choose from. Having no particular affinity to any city or region in India means that the final decider will come down to the player roster at each of the remaining sides. The Bangalore Royal Challengers have Dravid, KP, Eoin Morgan and Prince Kumble but also have Boucher and Kallis. Delhi Daredevils have the God that is Sehwag plus his apprentice Dilshan, Paul Collingwood and Dirk Nannes, but also have Andrew McDonald. Kings XI Punjab are captained appropriately by King Kumar, which is nearly a reason in itself. And Kolkata Knight Riders have Chris Gayle.

Deities overcome mere mortals anytime, so for me it's a straight choice between Delhi Daredevils and Sehwag, and Kings XI Punjab and King Kumar. And Delhi shade it for me with their plethora of opening batsmen (Viru, Gambhir, Warner and Dilshan - wow!), the last gunslinger in town in Nannes and my favourite England player Colly.

So Delhi Daredevils it is for me then. I cannot see it becoming a big love like that I have for Liverpool, England and Sussex or even Scarlet Johansson, but a few nights with Cheryl could be good fun. In three days time, I'll find out.