So here it goes- 2014 is going to be a make-or-break year for a number of teams, and it could all hinge on who gets to play at home the most.
Many were expecting the Aussie leg of the 2013 Ashes to be a watershed moment for the English cricket team. They had just beaten Australia at home 3-0, not to mention having beaten India IN INDIA 2-1. Somewhere along the way, they had also thrashed New Zealand 2-0 at home through some brilliant bowling on their part and insipid batting on the Kiwis'. Could they go to Australia and leave with their heads held high? Sadly, the Aussies, who looked so woefully out-of-form in India and are still struggling with getting the combination right for the three major forms of the game, gave them a sound beating, and more importantly, raised questions about the lack of resilience in the English batting display. The Aussies eked out wins where it seems the game could be tied, and marauded the English when it came to their bowling. Could this be the new dominating squad from Australia? We will have to wait till February, when Australia attempts to beat South Africa away from home. Meanwhile, the English have an away series in West Indies, and then one at home against India. No predictions about either, because both opposition teams are unpredictably inconsistent!
The South Africans should be concerned about the apparent fightback they received from India in the just concluded test series. If it wasn't for the stupid concept of two games test series (and there are a few of those this year), we would have come to know who the clear victor was. For now, Philander & Co must be salivating at the prospect of showing Clarke and his men that their lack of form away from home is here to stay. The series of this year in my opinion!
Speaking of India, we will be playing away from home throughout this year, first in New Zealand starting this 19th, and then another English summer awaits us after the World T20 championship. New Zealand is not quite the resilient force it once was, thanks to the game of musical chairs at the top of their batting order, but they have some promising fast bowlers in Boult and Southee. While Pujara and Kohli looked to be in sublime touch against the Proteas, the chilly climes of Dunedin and Christchurch will be our real test, since the ODI World Cup is a year away from now, and will be played in similar conditions. Expect Shikhar Dhawan to answer some of his critics, and Rohit Sharma to relapse to his miserable inconsistency. As far as our bowling goes, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar might have better luck in the swinging conditions of New Zealand than he did in South Africa. But Ishant Sharma deserves to go, and Mohammed Shami is clearly ready to take the reigns of our bowling attack from Zaheer Khan. As far as the tour of England goes, the scoreline would depend on how well our new batting lineup fares, but our performance in the Champions trophy 2013 should be a positive sign in the eyes of many fans.
Last but not the least, there is the T20 world cup. Now that the IPL eats into two months of international cricket every year, it is hard to take the putative T20 WC seriously. Very few casual viewers even know about the T20 WC this year, which says something about how strong of a brand the IPL has become over the years (On a personal note, I still believe that Brandon McCullum's 158 in the opening IPL game is the best century in IPL's history, because he really showed that there are no limits as to how much punishment can be meted out in this format). Anyhow, the slow pitches of Bangladesh again suggest a run fest, so whoever can hit the ball the hardest, and keep Chris Gayle in his current form, should have a better chance. I think it is time the trophy comes back to the subcontinent, and it could be Sri Lanka's turn to win it this time around. Sangakkara and Jayawardene deserve a world cup of some form to cement their legacy, and both are in the dusk of their respective international careers. After Sachin and Saurav, this is one batting partnership for the ages!
Last but not the least, a fond farewell to Jacques Kallis, the greatest all-rounder this game has every seen, with a record for the ages, and an unsung hero of the South African cricketing triumph all these years. It is an overlooked fact, but this guy has seen the Cronje era as well as the Smith era of the Proteas, and has been a vital cog in both. Who would have thought that the man with the old school batting stance and bowling action will outlive a generation of South Africans in today's flash-in-the-pan nature of the game! You will be missed Kallis, and I will no longer hold my breath when SA lose their first wicket against India.
PS: Here's the ICC 2014 calendar from Cricinfo http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/match/fixtures/calendar.html
And here's a highlight of Corey Anderson's magnificent ODI century.
Many were expecting the Aussie leg of the 2013 Ashes to be a watershed moment for the English cricket team. They had just beaten Australia at home 3-0, not to mention having beaten India IN INDIA 2-1. Somewhere along the way, they had also thrashed New Zealand 2-0 at home through some brilliant bowling on their part and insipid batting on the Kiwis'. Could they go to Australia and leave with their heads held high? Sadly, the Aussies, who looked so woefully out-of-form in India and are still struggling with getting the combination right for the three major forms of the game, gave them a sound beating, and more importantly, raised questions about the lack of resilience in the English batting display. The Aussies eked out wins where it seems the game could be tied, and marauded the English when it came to their bowling. Could this be the new dominating squad from Australia? We will have to wait till February, when Australia attempts to beat South Africa away from home. Meanwhile, the English have an away series in West Indies, and then one at home against India. No predictions about either, because both opposition teams are unpredictably inconsistent!
The South Africans should be concerned about the apparent fightback they received from India in the just concluded test series. If it wasn't for the stupid concept of two games test series (and there are a few of those this year), we would have come to know who the clear victor was. For now, Philander & Co must be salivating at the prospect of showing Clarke and his men that their lack of form away from home is here to stay. The series of this year in my opinion!
Speaking of India, we will be playing away from home throughout this year, first in New Zealand starting this 19th, and then another English summer awaits us after the World T20 championship. New Zealand is not quite the resilient force it once was, thanks to the game of musical chairs at the top of their batting order, but they have some promising fast bowlers in Boult and Southee. While Pujara and Kohli looked to be in sublime touch against the Proteas, the chilly climes of Dunedin and Christchurch will be our real test, since the ODI World Cup is a year away from now, and will be played in similar conditions. Expect Shikhar Dhawan to answer some of his critics, and Rohit Sharma to relapse to his miserable inconsistency. As far as our bowling goes, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar might have better luck in the swinging conditions of New Zealand than he did in South Africa. But Ishant Sharma deserves to go, and Mohammed Shami is clearly ready to take the reigns of our bowling attack from Zaheer Khan. As far as the tour of England goes, the scoreline would depend on how well our new batting lineup fares, but our performance in the Champions trophy 2013 should be a positive sign in the eyes of many fans.
Last but not the least, there is the T20 world cup. Now that the IPL eats into two months of international cricket every year, it is hard to take the putative T20 WC seriously. Very few casual viewers even know about the T20 WC this year, which says something about how strong of a brand the IPL has become over the years (On a personal note, I still believe that Brandon McCullum's 158 in the opening IPL game is the best century in IPL's history, because he really showed that there are no limits as to how much punishment can be meted out in this format). Anyhow, the slow pitches of Bangladesh again suggest a run fest, so whoever can hit the ball the hardest, and keep Chris Gayle in his current form, should have a better chance. I think it is time the trophy comes back to the subcontinent, and it could be Sri Lanka's turn to win it this time around. Sangakkara and Jayawardene deserve a world cup of some form to cement their legacy, and both are in the dusk of their respective international careers. After Sachin and Saurav, this is one batting partnership for the ages!
Last but not the least, a fond farewell to Jacques Kallis, the greatest all-rounder this game has every seen, with a record for the ages, and an unsung hero of the South African cricketing triumph all these years. It is an overlooked fact, but this guy has seen the Cronje era as well as the Smith era of the Proteas, and has been a vital cog in both. Who would have thought that the man with the old school batting stance and bowling action will outlive a generation of South Africans in today's flash-in-the-pan nature of the game! You will be missed Kallis, and I will no longer hold my breath when SA lose their first wicket against India.
PS: Here's the ICC 2014 calendar from Cricinfo http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/match/fixtures/calendar.html
And here's a highlight of Corey Anderson's magnificent ODI century.
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