The Reverse Sweep

We're running out of superlatives for Virat Kohli

We've already called him the best young batsman in world cricket, the heir apparent to the great Sachin Tendulkar and along with Hashim Amla and MS Dhoni the best batsman currently playing one day international cricket.

But having produced yet another masterpiece of which Rembrandt, Picasso or perhaps more aptly the spiky Jackson Pollock would be proud, we've run out of superlatives to describe Virat Kohli's batting.

Not content with playing one of the best knocks witnessed in one day international cricket in Hobart just three short weeks ago, Kohli repeated the trick in Mirpur yesterday with a staggering 183 off just 148 balls against India's bitterest rivals in a must-win game.

Kohli has now stroked three hundreds in his last four one day innings and in two of those has helped India chase 320 in Hobart and now 330 against as decent a bowling unit as Pakistan. This takes his career average in ODI run chases to 58.40 in 48 innings with seven hundreds and 13 fifties. That makes him nearly as effective at chasing as Usain Bolt.

If we take Ryan ten Doeschate out of the equation as most of his runs have come against fellow Associate sides, Kohli is also one of only four batsmen in history to average over 50 in ODI cricket. Amla (56.49) and Dhoni (51.70) are two of these and the other is that other master of the run chase Michael Bevan (53.58). That Kohli doesn't look out of place in that company says everything.

In terms of humility, losing the crassness and growing up, Kohli has a long way to go before he can be compared to the humble Tendulkar and United Nations Secretary General in waiting Rahul Dravid.

Kohli is too spiky, too prickly and far too obnoxious to ever probably do that, but in terms of his batmanship, India have a ready made replacement for Dravid at number three in the Test XI and a new champion to try and emulate some of what Tendulkar has achieved.

But as far as superlatives go, we've run out of those.

Where next?

Virat Kohli's starter for ten

Virat Kohli points the way forward for India

Check out our Cricket XIs

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

County Championship Preview - Division 2: Essex

 
After just one season in Division 1, Essex crashed down to whence they came in 2010, and the sad truth was that they just didn’t cut the mustard when mixing it with the big boys. Can they bounce back in 2011?

Strengths

Alastair Cook morphed into the bastard child of Wally Hammond and Herbert Sutcliffe in Australia last winter, so is a good tip to fill his boots before the Sri Lanka series at the end of May. Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah (when he returns from the IPL) should also enjoy facing Division 2 bowling, and James Foster can always be relied open for runs and some sharp work with the gloves. Then there is Ryan ten Doeschate who England fans know all about after his hundred for Netherlands in the World Cup.

Weaknesses

Danish Kaneria has departed, so Essex look short in the spin department and the seam bowling stocks aren't much better. As such taking twenty wickets with any regularity could be a problem especially if the likes of David Masters or Maurice Chambers get injuries.

Main man

In his benefit season, expect James Foster to again show England what they are missing. Fans of Chris Read may disagree, but there is not a better English keeper out there than the Essex gloveman.

Look out for…

The late addition of an overseas quick – Peter Siddle had been mooted but is now no longer an option.

Prediction

4th – no return to Division 1 this time in our view

Where next?

County Championship Preview - Division 2: Derbyshire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Yorkshire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Worcestershire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Warwickshire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Sussex

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Somerset

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Nottinghamshire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Lancashire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Hampshire

County Championship Preview - Division 1: Durham

2010 County XI of the season

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

What have we learned so far from the Cricket World Cup?

 
Finally, it is over. The Hundred Years War lasted for less time than the group stages of the World Cup; or so it seemed anyway.

But what have we learned so far?

• No-one seems to want to win the tournament – there is no outstanding side and several mediocre ones
• South Africa look the best balanced team and appear to be marginal favourites – but can they win their first knockout match ever in a World Cup? Or will the ‘c’ word raise its ugly head again?
• England are the most exciting, entertaining and unpredictable side in the tournament – eat your heart out, Pakistan.
• Shahid Afridi has proved to be a much better captain and galvanising force than anyone could ever have predicted.
• Given the batting collapses against England, South Africa and West Indies, India seem to be feeling the pressure of winning on home turf.
• Love him or loathe him, but Ricky Ponting is probably only one defeat away from retirement.
• Two groups of seven was a very bad idea. Keep the minnows and have four groups of four instead.
• England are the only side left in the competition who are unbeaten against the other quarter-finalists – just don’t mention Ireland and Bangladesh.
• Being the coach driver of the victorious opposition is an extremely hazardous vocation in Bangladesh.
• Don’t bowl filth to Ross Taylor and expect to get away with it.
• Ryan ten Doeschate is the next South African on Andy Flower’s wish list.
• George Dockrell is the next Irishman on Andy Flower’s wish list.
• You wouldn’t want a wounded Kevin Pietersen next to you in the trenches.
• Matt Prior is not a good choice to open the batting.
• James Anderson is knackered.
• Bob Willis and Jonathan Trott are not on each others Christmas Card list
• Asking Graeme Swann to bowl with a wet ball is worse than telling him that his cat is stuck under the floorboards.
• Kamran Akmal really is the worst wicketkeeper in the history of cricket.
• This World Cup is very difficult to predict, but here goes. Pakistan, India, South Africa and England (it would be folly to bet against them at the moment and yes, we know we predicted Sri Lanka would win the World Cup at the outset) to make the semi-finals.

Where next?

Check out our Reverse Sweep XIs

Read all our 2011 World Cup posts here

Heroes: Bob Willis

Zeroes: Kamran Akmal

An XI of unlikely World Cup heroes and a not so heroic 12th man

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An XI of unlikely World Cup heroes and a not so heroic 12th man

 
We had a go at naming a composite Associates/Zimbabwe XIearlier in the tournament, which we posted with especially poor timing just hours before Kevin O’Brien committed GBH on the England bowlers in Bangalore.

This XI is different. It is a team of unlikely heroes (and an even more unlikely and much less heroic 12th man) who have mostly starred for the Associates during the World Cup and shown exactly why their presence in the ICC’s premier limited overs tournament should be absolutely mandatory. There are a couple of ringers in there too from full members, but neither would look out of place in an Associate side.

They came, they saw, they mostly didn’t conquer, but they added fun and colour to an otherwise tedious and elongated opening group phase.

Hiral Patel (Canada) – Faced with the heavy artillery of Tait, Lee and Johnson, 19 year old Patel came out with all guns blazing to compile an exhilarating 37 ball 50. The kind of guy who'd happily take a bullet for you.

Paul Stirling (Ireland) – Not only impressed with a 70-ball hundred against The Netherlands and his useful off-breaks, but also has the best jingle on Test Match Sofa. That alone earns him hero status.

Ashish Bagai (Canada)– Looked reasonable with the gloves, but it was his batting that really impressed with 225 runs at 45 including 84 against New Zealand and 64 not out against Kenya to earn his side their solitary win.

Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands)– The man they call “Ten inches” started the tournament with an unlikely ODI average in the high sixties and amazingly maintained it with a truly marvelous hundred against England. Also scored a ton against Ireland and finished with 307 runs at 61.40.

Collins Obuya (Kenya) – A really unlikely story. Impressed as a young leg-spinner in Kenya’s march to the semi-finals in 2003, and then reinvented himself as a top order batsman after getting the yips. Scored 242 runs at 60.50 despite playing in the worst side in the tournament and the fact that he finished on 98 not out against Australia, if anything, makes his story more heroic.

Kevin O’Brien (Ireland)– Came to the crease against England as a fat bloke with pink hair and then proceeded to morph into the bastard child of Gary Sobers and Viv Richards with his memorable never-to-be-forgotten 50 ball hundred. Surely, the IPL awaits.

Peter Borren (Netherlands)– If there is ever a remake of Robocop, Borren should be cast in the title role as he looks one mean and moody geezer. We daren’t leave him out, would you?

Darren Sammy (West Indies) – We like Sammy at The Reverse Sweep – he is definitely the coolest and most relaxed skipper at the World Cup. But let’s face it if he wasn’t captain, he wouldn’t be in the side. But Sammy doesn’t care and happily opens the bowling and promotes himself up the order. And we love that.

James Tredwell (England)– England’s erstwhile drinks waiter was pitched into battle in the do or die conflict with the West Indies and promptly proved that he could do more than mix a mean gin and tonic by snaring the rampaging Chris Gayle with his fifth ball – his first ODI wicket – and grabbing three more wickets thereafter.

Harvir Baidwan (Canada) – His 13 wickets in the tournament place him joint 3rd on the leading wicket takers list. That warrants selection alone. The fact that he got Shane Watson out in the nineties seals it.

Nehamiah Odhiambo (Kenya)– Murali is known for his winning smile, but it is easy to grin when you can tease and torment batsmen at will. Odhiambo only has a modicum of Murali’s talent, but if anything has an even bigger smile. He made us smile too when he got Shane Watson's wicket and Michael Clarke out in the nineties in the game against Australia.

12th Man – Kevin Pietersen (England)– Despite a long term of duty and several war wounds, Pietersen bravely pitched up at the World Cup and battled through England’s first four matches. Finally, with Andy Flower’s praises ringing in his ear, KP went home early for an emergency operation and some deserved convalescence. The wimp.

Where next?

England's World Cup of total and utter anarchy

Read about our cricket heroes and zeroes

Check out our Reverse Sweep XIs

Read all our 2011 World Cup posts here

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Cricket XIs: A composite Associate World Cup XI

 
With the ICC dictating that the Associate sides will not be present at the next World Cup, there has been no end of debate as to the justification or otherwise of this decision.

Indeed, as an extension of something we heard on Test Match Sofa, perhaps the identity of the 10th side in the next World Cup should be a ‘Best of the Rest’?

As the XI names below suggest, a team formed from the combined strengths of Zimbabwe (not strictly an Associate side we know but they're in scope for us), Ireland, Netherlands and Canada (sorry, Kenya but none of your lot make it) could be quite competitive:

1. Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe)

Has ODI hundreds against South Africa and Sri Lanka to his name in the last 12 months and just pips the promising Netherlands opener Alexei Kerverzee to a spot in this side.

2. Ed Joyce (Ireland)

He may have been too quickly dispensed with by England, but a first-class average of 45 proves that Joyce is a genuinely good batsman.

3. Tom Cooper (Netherlands)

The Australian born batsman with the completely non-Dutch sounding name looked good against England and West Indies and has a startling good average of 69 in ODIs.

4. Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands)

Has an Associate batsman ever played a better innings at the World Cup than ten Doeschate’s wonderful hundred against England? Like Cooper, has an ODI average in the high sixties, although unlike his team mate does have a Dutch name.

5. Tatenda Taibu – Zimbabwe

Has a claim to be the best wicket keeper on show in the tournament and is decent enough with the bat to average 30 in over 130 ODI.

6.  Rizwan Cheema - Canada

A career ODI strike rate of just under 120 means that Cheema would add impetuous to the efforts of those above him in the order. An IPL contract would surely follow.

7. Elton Chigumbura – Zimbabwe

13 fifties and 81 wickets in his ODI career makes the Zimbabwean captain an obvious pick for this XI.

8. Trent Johnston - Ireland

This team still needs a bit of animal about it and the scary looking Johnston provides that as well as naggingly accurate medium pace and useful late order runs.

9. Ray Price – Zimbabwe

The spinner with the attitude of a fearsome fast bowler is ranked the third best ODI bowler in the world and certainly tied Watson and Haddin up in knots in Zimbabwe’s opening match.

10. George Dockrell – Ireland

The 18 year old slow left armer looks a real prospect and could well follow Eoin Morgan in making the move across the Irish Sea to a place in the England side sometime in the future.

11. Boyd Rankin – Ireland

The 6 ft 8 in quick averages under 30 in all forms of the game and would be expected to be the leader of the attack in this XI.

Where next?

Netherlands 1 ICC 0

The real reason why Ricky Ponting smashed that TV

Cricket Heroes: Test Match Sofa

Check out our other Reverse Sweep XIs

Read all our World Cup posts here

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Revealed: The ICC's new plans for the 2015 Groundhog Day Cricket World Cup

 
From the leaked memo below, it seems that Ryan ten Doeschate's wonderful hundred and his Netherlands side's plucky performance against England yesterday has caused the ICC to have a re-think about the number of teams that should be involved in the 2015 World Cup. However as the memo explains, the new outcome is not what you might have expected with the repercussions for England being potentially serious…

____________________________________________________________________ 

INTERNAL ICC MEMO

TOP SECRET: EYES ONLY

SUBJECT: 2015 WORLD CUP PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES

Following our previous decision to reduce the number of participating countries in the World Cup to 10 teams in 2015, the events yesterday of the England versus Netherlands match has forced us to reconsider.

England's bowling performance was quite simply unacceptable and the less said about their shambolic fielding the better. Indeed, if James Anderson and Kevin Pietersen were Pakistani then their fielding mix-up would warrant an ICC investigation into corruption.

The ICC simply cannot tolerate this level of ineptitude in the World Cup, which lest it not be forgotten is our premier tournament.

And given the continuous desperate performances of the England team in the World Cup since 1992, the ICC has had to radically re-appraise its plans for the 2015 tournament in Australia.

We’ve already managed to rid ourselves of the annoying minnows and their increasing propensity to knock some of the big teams out early and therefore deprive the ICC of the bundles of cash we make from this gravy train tournament.

From a public perspective of course, we made this move under the auspices of enhancing quality by removing the sub-standard teams. We willnow apply the same logic for England, and also for Bangladesh and Zimbabwe too. Additionally, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies do not bring the requisite crowds, sponsorship and television cameras, so they should also be removed.

Henceforth from 2015, the World Cup will be made up of four sides – Australia, India, South Africa and Sri Lanka. The latter can take on the role of the token minnows.

The format will be as follows. First of all there will be a group stage where everyone plays each other three times. This will help decide the semi-final line-ups. The semi-finals will be played as a best of seven match series, with the winners progressing to a final series played as a best of 11 matches.

We have our fingers on the pulse here at the ICC and know exactly what the playing public want – less knockout competition and more of the top teams playing each other in a kind of Groundhog Day Cricket World Cup.

This initiative will be rubber-stamped at the next meeting of the ICC's Executive Committee.

____________________________________________________________________

Where next?

World Cup Team Previews: Part 5 - England: How far can resilience take them?

An XI of players likely to bid a fond farewell to ODI after the World Cup

Our XI to shine at the World Cup

World Cup Team Previews: Part 6 - Ireland/Canada/Kenya/Netherlands: Last chance for the minnows?

What Cricket can learn from Football in staging a World Cup

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes including amongst others Daryl Harper, Ijaz Butt, Graham Gooch, Kamran Akmal and Douglas Jardine

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

World Cup Team Previews: Ireland/Canada/Kenya/Netherlands - Last chance for the minnows?

 
There has been much gnashing of teeth - including at The Reverse Sweep - at the format of this World Cup with its elongated 42 match group phase. But this is not the fault of the four Associate countries that are present. On the contrary in fact. The organisers are so scared that one or more of the top teams could be upset like India and Pakistan were in 2007, that they have devised a format which pretty much ensures that none of the minnows can get through to the quarter-finals.

With the number of teams due to participate in the 2015 World Cup likely to be cut to 10, this could be the last hurrah for the minnows on the big stage. Once again the ICC have got it wrong. They have a duty to grow the sport around the world by getting more countries involved. 16 teams organised into four groups of four is the right format - 24 games instead of 42 and if one of the big teams gets knocked out, so be it.

Strengths

Err… the element of surprise?

Weaknesses

Where do we start? Suffice to say that it is unlikely that any of the four minnows will win the three games they will probably need to progress through the group stage.

Main men

Looking at the line-ups, there are a few gems hidden amongst the eager but limited squads. Rizwan Cheema certainly showed he can hit a cricket ball during Canada’s narrow warm-up defeat to England. Ryan ten Doeschate is the Netherlands stand out player. Ed Joyce is back with Ireland following some harsh treatment from the England selectors and Steve Tikolo may nearly be old enough to qualify for his bus pass, but he is still Kenya’s standout player.

Look out for…

All the supporters at the Netherlands matches wearing dark glasses on account of their shockingly bright orange pyjamas.

Prediction

There may be the odd shock, but all four minnows will exit at the group stage much to the relief of the organisers.

Where next?

World Cup Team previews: Part 1 - India: Glory or effigies?

World Cup Team Previews: Part 2 - South Africa: Don't mention the 'C' word...

World Cup Team Previews: Part 3 - Bangladesh: Shock & Awe

World Cup Team Previews: Part 4 - West Indies: Calypso or Collapso?

World Cup Team Previews: Part 5 - England: How far can resilience take them?

Our XI to shine at the World Cup

What Cricket can learn from Football in staging a World Cup

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes 

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep