THE BEST OF BAZ

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo. 

Venue- Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington [February 20, 2015].

Hosts New Zealand were facing England in the Group Stage of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. The Kiwis won their first two games comfortably, whereas the English were battered by the Aussies in MCG. All eyes were now set for this classic group stage encounter in the national capital Wellington. 

On a batting friendly wicket, English Captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bat first. However, this did not turn out to be the best of decisions as the English were bowled out for mere 123 runs in 33.2 overs. Kiwi speedster Tim Southee made a mess of the English Batting Line-Up as he picked up 7 wickets for just 33 runs.

The Hosts needed just 124 runs to win the game. It was never going to be a tough task and the innings of Captain Baz ensured that the Kiwis win this game in quickest of time. McCullum literally blew away the English bowling attack. He was batting with pure class and arrogance. It appeared that men were playing against boys. Baz scored a solid 77 of just 25 deliveries. His innings comprised of 8 4s and 7 6s. Be it Anderson, Broad or Finn, nobody was spared. He hit them all in every part of the ground. 

In an hour the game was completely sealed as the Kiwis chased down 125 in 12.2 overs with 8 wickets remaining. The game would have ended a couple of overs earlier, provided Woakes had not dismissed McCullum. Today its more than 8 years since that inning was played in Wellington, but no cricket fan can ever forget those 39 minutes of BazBall.

To watch the New Zealand innings, Click Here. 

THE GREAT ESCAPE

 

Image Credit- The Guardian.

Venue- Sophia Gardens, Cardiff [July 2009].

In July-August 2009, Australian Cricket Team toured England to play Ashes. The last edition of the Ashes Series which took place in Australia ended in a 5-0 win for the hosts. As a result, the Aussies were determined to win in England and keep the prestigious urn with them, whereas the English wanted to regain the Urn just like they did in 2005. 

On a batting friendly wicket, English Captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bat first. However soon the hosts found themselves in trouble as they were reduced to 90/3. But a partnership of 138 runs between Pietersen and Collingwood brought England back into the game. Collingwood and Pietersen were eventually dismissed for 64 and 69 respectively as the English Scorecard read 241/5. From this stage onwards, Flintoff and Prior joined the party. Matt Prior scored a quickfire 56, whereas Flintoff scored a gritty 37. At last Swann too scored a valuable 47 as the English were ultimately bowled out for 435 runs in their first innings. 

In response the Aussies amassed a massive 674 in their first innings. Ricky Ponting played a captain's knock as he scored a brilliant 150 of 224 deliveries. His innings consisted of 14 boundaries and 1 six. Apart from Ponting, Katich, North and Haddin too scored a brilliant 100. Michael Clarke was unlucky as he was dismissed at the score of 83. The English Bowling attack was put to sword by the Aussies at Wales. 

Ricky Ponting called England to bat with nearly 4 sessions remaining to play. The Hosts got the worst possible start as they were reduced to 17/2 at the end of 6 overs.  However, play concluded for the day as rain began to fall, leaving England 219 runs behind the Aussie total.

After starting the game on 20/2, England lost three quick wickets in the first 90 minutes of the fifth day and at the end of first session their score read 102/5.  However, that day Paul Collingwood batted for 5 hours and 43 minutes and endured 245 balls before being caught at gully by Michael Hussey for 74. It was one of his finest performances, but the game was still hanging in between. 

Eventually it was James Anderson and Monty Panesar's last wicket partnership which successfully batted England into a lead. The Hosts were successful in drawing the game as they batted till 6:40 in the evening. It is interesting to note that that there was a roar from the crowd after the English played every single dot ball. 

The Aussies came so close to winning a test but failed to do so. The Ashes Drama at its very Best. 

To watch the highlights of that test match, Click Here.

To watch the highlights of the partnership between Panesar and Anderson, Click Here.  

THE BEST OF LITTLE MASTER

 

Image Credit- India Today 

Venue- Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney [March 2, 2008].

India was facing hosts Australia in the final of the Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series. After playing 8 league games Aussies and Indians made into the final. Sachin Tendulkar had a wonderful time in the test series wherein he managed to score nearly 500 runs but was struggling in the white ball format. Eventually in the final league game he put his woes behind and scored a quick 63 of 54 deliveries to take India home. It was a must win game for the Indians and the Little Master rose up to the occasion against the Lankans in Hobart. 

The action now shifted to SCG, a ground where Sachin Tendulkar has a wonderful record. On a batting friendly wicket, Australian Captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat first. The Aussies did not have the best of starts as they were reduced to 24/3 at the end of 5.5 overs. Michael Clarke was unlucky as he was given out caught behind despite the ball having struck his pads rather than his bat. However, post this Hayden and Symonds had a partnership of 100 runs before being dismissed by Harbhajan Singh. In the middle overs, Mike Hussey along with Brett Lee and Brad Hogg batted sensibly and took Aussies to a fighting total of 239/8 at the end of 50 overs. 

This was not a very big total, but the Aussie bowling line-up along with their lethal fielding made it a mountain of a score. Furthermore, in one of the league games earlier India failed to chase 204 runs against the same Aussie bowling line-up. So, a run chase of 240 was never going to be easy. 

The Indians started slowly and steadily. The opening duo of Tendulkar and Uthappa added 50 runs in 11 overs before Uthappa was caught by Mike Hussey. It was an ordinary delivery of James Hopes which deserved a boundary, but the marvelous dive of Hussey changed the fortune of that delivery. After Uthappa was dismissed, Gambhir and Yuvraj followed soon as Indians were reduced to 87/3 at the end of 18.5 overs. This is when a 20-year-old Rohit Sharma joined Sachin Tendulkar on the crease. The situation was indeed a precarious one. The game could have gone anywhere.

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo. 

In a thrilling floodlit match at the SCG, Tendulkar, who overcame a groin ailment late in his innings, found a capable partner in young Rohit Sharma (66). Together, the pair contributed 123 runs for the fourth wicket to rescue India at 87 for three and put them on track for a miraculous victory.

Tendulkar batted for 106 balls and smashed eight boundaries before hitting to third man to complete his first one-day century in Australia. His final score of 117 from 120 balls included 10 4s. With a potent blend of youth and experience, the Indians put on a breathtaking performance of talent and poise to take control of the game. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain, scored the winning runs as the Indian crowd at SCG went wild.

For his remarkable hundred, Sachin Tendulkar was awarded the man of the match award. 

[Postscript- Sachin Tendulkar continued his merry form in the second final as well wherein he scored a solid 91. The Indians won the second final at the Gabba and went on to win the Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series]   

To watch the innings of Sachin Tendulkar, Click Here. 

NERVES OF STEEL

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue- Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur [December 2022].

In December 2022, Indian Cricket Team toured Bangladesh to play 3 ODIs and 2 Tests. The Hosts won the ODI series 2-1, whereas the visitors were leading the test series 1-0 after the end of first test. The second test was thus a do or die test for the hosts. On a spinner friendly wicket, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first. 

The Indian bowlers weaved such a web around the hosts that except Mominul Haque no other Bangladeshi batsman was able to get past even 50 runs mark. Mominul scored an impressive 84 from 157 deliveries as the Bangladeshis were bowled out for 227 runs in their first innings. For India, Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Aswin were the leading wicket takers as both of then picked up 4 wickets each. 

In response Indians were bowled out for 314 runs in their first innings. Rishabh Pant scored an explosive 93 of 104 deliveries, whereas Shreyas Iyer managed to score a brilliant 87 of 105 balls. Apart from these two guys every other Indian batsman struggled to score runs. For the hosts, Captain Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam picked up 4 wickets each. 

The Bangladeshis were 87 runs behind the Indian total. This lead could be considered as a very big lead when we see the nature of the pitch. Riding upon Litton Das's 73 and Zakir Hasan's 51, the Hosts posted a fighting total of 231 in their second innings.  The Indians needed 145 runs to win the match and the series whereas the Bangladeshis needed 10 wickets to level the series 1-1.

The chase was never going to be easy as the pitch was turning like anything. The Bangladeshis reduced Indians to 74/7 and this is when Ashwin came into bat. The visitors were still 71 runs behind the target and the hosts needed just 3 wickets to wrap up the game. 

However, both Iyer and Ashwin kept their nerves and did not let pressure of the chase take over them. The duo batted slowly and sensibly and took the Indians closer to the target. Eventually in the 47th over Ashwin hit a six and a couple of boundaries to take India home. The visitors chased the total with 3 wickets remaining and won the series 2-0. 

For his all-round performance, Ashwin was awarded the man of the match award. 

To watch the highlights of final day, Click Here. 

 

BEST OF CAPTAIN COOK

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo. 

Venue- Eden Gardens, Kolkata [December 2012].

In the previous post we discussed about the first two tests of the 2012 India- England Test Series. In this blog post we will be talking about the third test. The action of this high-profile test series now shifted to the eastern part of the country- Kolkata. Indian Captain MS Dhoni won the third toss of the series and after doing so he elected to bat first. 

It was not that difficult a pitch to bat upon as it was there in Mumbai. Furthermore, most of the Indian batsmen got a good start, but none of them managed to score a ton. The Indians were bowled out for 316 runs in their first innings. Sachin Tendulkar was the leading run scorer for the Indians as he managed to score a classy 76 in front of lethal English bowling line-up. Apart from him Gambhir and Dhoni managed to score half-centuries. For English Monty Panesar and James Anderson picked up 4 and 3 wickets respectively. 

In response the English posted a massive 523 runs in their first innings. Captain Cook led from the front as he scored a solid 190 from 377 deliveries. His innings consisted of 23 boundaries and 2 sixes. On that particular day in Kolkata, his placement and timing were simply superb. It was just pure class from Sir Cook. It appeared that he would get one more double hundred before he was run out by Kohli in the most bizarre of manner. Apart from Cook, Compton, Trott and Pietersen too managed to score half-centuries. For Indians, Pragyan Ojha was the leading wicket taker as he picked up 4 wickets in the first innings. 

The Indians were 207 runs behind the English total. To make a comeback in this test match it was necessary that the top order fires hard upon the English bowlers. But the opposite happened. It was the English who hammered the Indian batting line-up. If Ashwin would have not scored an unbeaten 91, then we would have lost this test match by an innings. 

The Indians were eventually bowled out for 247 runs in their second innings. The English needed 41 runs to win the test and take 2-1 lead in the series. The Visitors started off badly in the second innings as they were 8/3 at one stage. But a target of 41 was never going to be a tough task. The English chased it with 7 wickets remaining and took a 2-1 lead in the 4-match series. Captain Cook for his magnificent 190 was awarded the man of the match award. 

[Postscript- The 4th test at Nagpur ended in a draw. With this draw the English were successful in winning a test series in India after 2 decades. However, post this series India never lost a test series in home till today].  

To watch the knock of Captain Cook, Click Here. 

MAGNIFICENT KP

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo. 

Venue- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai [November 2012].

In November 2012, English Cricket Team toured India to play 4 test matches. The previous encounter between them took place a year ago in England wherein the Hosts whitewashed Visitors 4-0. The Indians back then were the number 1 test side so this was literally the scorecard which no one predicted off. Furthermore, by the series win the English not only won the trophy back, but also became the number 1 test side. So, there was a lot of buzz around when the English toured India.  The local press was screaming for revenge and so was the crowd. 

The first test took place in Ahmedabad wherein the hosts simply outclassed the visitors. Indians won the match by 9 wickets and took a 1-0 lead in the 4-match series. Though England showed some fightback in the second innings of the test match, but they were no match to Indians. 

The action now shifted to the iconic Wankhede Stadium wherein the second test of the series was scheduled. On the instructions of the host, a spin web was weaved in the city of Mumbai. On a spinner friendly wicket, Indian Captain MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first. Riding upon Cheteshwar Pujara's gritty 135, Indians posted a competitive total of 327 in their first innings. For the English Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann picked up 5 and 4 wickets respectively. 

In response the English were 68/2 when Kevin Pietersen stepped into bat. One more wicket and the game could have completely turned towards Indians. But this is when we witnessed one of the greatest knocks from one of the greatest cricketers. Pietersen scored a massive 186 from 233 deliveries and took his team to a respectable total. His innings consisted of 20 boundaries and 4 sixes. It is pertinent to note that this innings of his was not just power hitting but was also about timing and finding gaps.

Furthermore, Pietersen made batting look easy upon a pitch which was turning like anything. On a spin web he played a knock which would be remembered for ages. It is interesting to note that in the previous test at Ahmedabad he managed to get only 19 runs in 2 innings. As a result, there was huge pressure when he came out to bat in Mumbai. But this is when Great Players show their class.

 The English in their first innings were eventually bowled out for 413 runs. Apart from Pietersen, Alastair Cook managed to score a solid 122 on that spinning track. If we remove the scores of KP and Cook, the entire English team managed to score just 105 runs. It was that difficult to bat on that track. For Indians Ojha was the leading wicket taker as he picked up 5 wickets in the first innings.

The batting became even more difficult in the second innings and the duo of Monty and Swann just blew India away. The Hosts were bowled out for 142 in their second innings. Monty picked up 6 whereas Swann was able to dismiss 4 Indians batsmen. For India, Gambhir scored a gritty 65, but apart from him only Ashwin was able to get a double-digit score which was 11 runs. Except these two guys no Indian batsman even managed to score in double digits. 

The visitors needed 57 runs to win the match which they chased comfortably without losing any wicket. The series was now 1-1. For his magnificent 186, Kevin Pietersen was awarded the man of the match award. 

To watch the knock of KP, Click Here.