The Reverse Sweep

KP's Ashes Diary: 12th January - I love the IPL even with the 50% pay cut

KPWe may have won the Ashes and the World Cup may be coming up, but let’s face it the main gig for me this year is the IPL because it pays the most. All that lovely wonga for hardly any work and then there are those glitzy celebrity filled IPL nights too, which are right up my street.

However, as much as I am looking forward to the IPL, I was flabbergasted that I’ve had to take a huge pay cut this year. I only fetched $650,000 at the auction last weekend, which is more than a 50% pay cut. Don’t they remember that I was the Man of the Tournament in the World T20 last season? I’ll have to cancel that order for a diamond encrusted Lamborghini now.

But do you know what the best thing about the IPL is? It’s that I get to change franchises. Sod loyalty. Now after playing for Notts, Hampshire and Surrey, I can now experience the pleasure of playing for Deccan Chargers after my time with Bangalore. Although as Deccan isn’t that close to Chelsea, I’m not sure if it works geographically.

Finally, I couldn’t help noticing that Cooky didn’t get an IPL contract. See I told you all that I should have been Man of the Series in the Ashes instead of him.

Where next?

Read all the excerpts from KP's 2010 Ashes Diary

Delve into our comprehensive Ashes 2010/11 coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes including David Gower, Shane Watson, Justin Langer and Hedley Verity

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Could KP inspire a shock England World T20 triumph?

I've been whispering it for a few weeks now, but I think England has a real chance of winning the World T20 in the Caribbean next month.

The nature of T20 means that on any given day every team could beat another - just look at the IPL table for evidence of that. But, even taking that into account England seem to be assembling a decent T20 side thanks in part to some brave decisions by the selectors, which sees Michael Lumb, Ravi Bopara, Michael Yardy and Craig Kieswetter in the England XV.

However, if England are to shock the world then they will need its talisman and best batsman Kevin Pietersen to fire. And he is certainly firing in the IPL at the moment. As I've said before Pietersen walks a fine line between confidence and arrogance when he is at the crease (some wouldn't just restrict it to the crease, either). Well at the moment he is at his cock strutting best and his form is red hot.

His 62 off only 29 balls against Rajasthan yesterday was nonchalance personified as he swatted Shane Warne's side like it was an irritating fly. He now averages 83.5 in this year's tournament with a strike rate of over 157.

If he carries this form into the World T20, if England's powerful batting fires alongside him and if James Anderson and Graeme Swann are at their best then England have a real chance.

You read it here first (well, probably!).

Collingwood powers Delhi towards semi-finals

Throughout the IPL, I have written how my adopted team Delhi Daredevils possess a similar trait to my beloved Liverpool football club. That of flattering to deceive.

Earlier in the competition Delhi deserved this tag plus the other one I had been warned about when I declared my allegiance to Gautam Gambhir and his side. Despite containing players of the quality of Sehwag, Gambhir, De Villiers and Nannes, Delhi, or so I was warned, were the perennial underachievers of the IPL.

So it was hardly surprising when after winning their first two matches, the next three were lost. A disappointing season looked likely just as it did for Liverpool despite predictions at its start that this was the year that they were going to win their first title for 20 years. Delhi too had been heavily backed.

But since then the comparisons are less deserving. Liverpool have carried on stumbling from match to match and yesterday's draw with Birmingham now means that they now need a miracle to even qualify for next season's Champions League.

Delhi on the other hand have taken off. First, they stopped the rot by beating Bangalorewho up to that point had been the standout team in the competition. Then Paul Collingwood arrived from Bangladesh and unlike last season was not just going to be carrying the drinks. Replacing De Villiers in the side, Collingwood immediately made an impact scoring a fifty against Kolkata whilst David Warner massacred bowlers at the other end. Rajasthan were then beaten, which led up to yesterday's return match with Bangalore.

As so often is the case for Collingwood, he had to first retrieve a delicate situation when he came to the crease. He moved his way to 15 from 16 balls and then tucked into Cameron White in the 12th over taking 18 to accelerate his innings. After that he upstaged the rest of the glittering batsmen on show by reaching 75 not out off only 46 balls with seven sixes - including 31 off the last nine balls he faced.

In Bangalore's reply, Delhi's bowling was tight with Pradeep Sangwan and Amit Mishra the standouts with three wickets apiece, and despite another fifty from Jacques Kallis and a blazing cameo from the newly arrived Ross Taylor, the hosts eased to a 37 run victory.

England's World T20 hopes and Delhi's IPL hopes are both looking better and better. Shame I can't say the same about Liverpool.

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.

 

Delhi stun the favourites in Bangalore

Before the match I wasn't confident. My adopted IPL side Delhi Daredevils had lost three on the bounce after a decent start.

They were playing the Bangalore Royal Challengers (or should that be Royal Challengers Bangalore?) who had been the standout side in the IPL so far.

And they were playing in Bangalore where the hosts had not lost. To make matters worse, Delhi lost the toss and were asked to bat; both their victories to date had come when Delhi had chased.

But the real Delhi turned up yesterday. David Warner batted like a daredevil at the top of the order to give his team a good start before AB De Villiers consolidated in the middle and Kedar Jadhav exploded at the end.

183 was a good score, but Bangalore had chased down over 200 only a week before. But Dirk and Umesh Yadav kept it tight at the start, Jacques Kallis was finally proved to be mortal and then Amit Mishra showed his class. Even Andrew McDonald stepped in with two wickets.

So yesterday was a good day to be a Delhi Daredevils supporter and as I have compared before, the synergies with my beloved Liverpool FC are becoming incredible. Perennial underachievers, inconsistent but able to beat the best team in the league on their day.

It's going to be a bumpy ride for the next few weeks.

Jacques Kallis is cricket's Thomas More - 'a man for all seasons'

Sir Thomas More, briefly Chancellor of England under Henry VIII, was known as 'a man for all seasons'; in part for his steadfastness in remaining true to himself and his beliefs under all circumstances and at all times, despite external pressure or influence.

Whilst it is hoped that Jacques Kallis will not meet More's grisly fate on Tower Hill, one could argue that Kallis has displayed similar steadfastness throughout his career refusing to change his dogmatic style to please the purists and refuting suggestions that he bats for himself first, and the team second.

Whatever the critics say, no-one can argue that his batting is not effective. In a test career spanning 15 years, Kallis has been a model of consistency, averaging just under 55 in 137 tests with 34 hundreds. His ODI stats are just as impressive, averaging just under 46 in nearly 300 matches with 17 centuries and a mind boggling 75 fifties. The fact that he has also taken 261 test and 251 ODI wickets at the same time is a phenomenal example of longevity, consistency and all-round excellence.

However, when it comes to T20, one would have thought that Kallis' star would not shine so bright. Whilst most observers would have predicted that the other greats of the modern era like Tendulkar, Ponting, Lara and especially Sehwag could easily adjust to the new format, many would have thought that Kallis and the similarly obdurate Dravid may struggle. How wrong they would have been.

Reinventing himself as an opener for the 20 over game, Kallis now ranks as one of the premier batsmen in the format and perhaps its most consistent. In 47 career T20 innings, Kallis has scored 12 fifties and averages 36.5. Combining solidity and unexpected pugnacity, Kallis invariably lays the basis for the Bangalore Royal Challengers and along with his fellow Protea Dale Steyn is probably the main reason that RCB are the likely winners of this year's IPL.

 

So far this season, Kallis has proved impregnable with 264 unbeaten runs from RCB's four matches including the magnificent 89 not out (off 55 balls) that saw his side chase down 204 against Kings XI Punjab to record that all important first victory of the tournament.

Thus, Kallis has proved himself to be a man for all seasons and all formats and whilst he is unlikely to be canonised by the Pope like More, Kallis has remained true to himself, and even if he has made adjustments to succeed in T20, the style is indistinguishably Kallis.    

 

The world-beating Angelo Mathews

The first time I saw Angelo Mathews I was surprised that someone with a name that wouldn’t sound out of place in an Australian soap opera was playing for Sri Lanka.

 

My next thought was that he was not quite good enough with either bat or ball to justify his all-rounder tag, but I could see that he was a wholehearted trier. I couldn’t help think that when Mathews was run out for 99 against India in the 3^rd test before Christmas (see picture) that he had possibly missed his best and only opportunity of a test ton.

 

But it seems that when it comes to T20 cricket he is a world beater; well certainly on the evidence of the last few days anyway.

 

First, he hit an unbeaten 65 off 46 balls for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match against the reigning champions Deccan Chargers. Given that Kolkata were 31/4 when he came to the crease, his partnership with Owais Shah was a matchwinning one. He also took 1/27 with his medium pace, which helped reign back Deccan’s reply after the flying start provided by Adam Gilchrist and VVS Laxman.

 

Then yesterday his 4/19 destroyed the innings of the Bangalore Royal Challengers to set up a second victory for his side.

 

Average test and one day all-rounder, but a world beating T20 player. Maybe there is hope for Luke Wright and Tim Bresnan yet.

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.

  

Should Eoin Morgan be in the England test team?

Eoin Morgan is turning into a pretty special T20I and ODI batsman. His innings yesterday was magnificent and even overshadowed a timely return to form for Kevin Pietersen.

When the two of them got together England were in real trouble and the side's T20I woes looked set to continue despite limiting a despondent Pakistan side to 129/8. If England had lost, the Australians would have particularly enjoyed rubbing it in following their dismantling of the Pakistan team recently.

But Morgan was fantastic. The way he finished the game 4,4,6 was nonchalent, and his shotmaking is a joy to watch. He could become a real star in the upcoming IPL when he will play for the Bangalore Royal Challengers.

And it isn't some flash in a pan - just ask South Africa. Indeed if he was an Aussie, he would probably already being talked of as a 'once in a generation player', although they are probably talking about Shane Watson in that category at the moment such is the overuse of the phrase Down Under.

But how would Morgan fare in test cricket? Unfortunately, we won't find out in a hurry as he isn't in the test squad for Bangladesh. Surely, it can be only a matter of time before he forces his way in, and when he does it will be fascinating.

Morgan and Craig Kieswetter are the coming men for the England test side.