According to the grand design.

Miriam is Wonderwoman. Read her DLF scintillating over-by-over coverage of the final at Cricket With Balls.

Did MSD finally meet a captain even cooler than him in a final potboiling-pulfiction-blockbuster-cauldron?
Did MSD look wistfully at Joginder in the dugout? In all fairness though, Joginder had a shit day prior to that final over.
Chennai filded badly. Will Dhoni whine as much about fielding, even though bar-Murali, he only had young legs at his disposal?
What will Shane Warne do till the next seaon?
Will Watson have a upswing in fortunes at international cricket?

To Leader, With Admiration

Pollock is the man. The tournament, despite its format lending itslef to youth, has seen the oldies rule the roost. We have seen Mcgrath give his latest impression of Ice-Man, Warne that of Dumbledore and yesterday Pollock showed that he could be Mandela.

The comaprision may be stupid. But, Pollock showed that leaders can pull an entire side with them. He hit 33 runs in quick time. Then took crucial wickets. Brought on Dominic Thornley to pick Sehwag ( a rank long hop full toss admittedly) and clung on to the important catches.
But, the biggest contribution was to make people try their level best. Ashish Nehra diving across at long on to save a Dinesh Karthick shot. Somwhow, Pollock congratulating Nehra soon after the effort made it more special. A big cheer for Pollock and here is a wish that Mr Tendulkar finally plays a game.

Another reason to like the IPL

Yesterday's match featured two legspinners. One, the undisputed master of the art. Another, a babyface with promise - an obvious worshipper of the former. The first split the game open with his guile. The other got a pasting he is unlikely to forget.
Men and women much wiser than myself keep repeating that it is in the most of trying of circumstances that the improvement of the self happens. Some call it the transition from boy to man. Steve Waugh made reference to being 'out of the comfort zone', and there are innumerable phrases that will convey the same meaning. Yesterday, Piyush Chawla had the opportunity to analyze the chasm that lies between himself and Warne. And if he is honest, he can only be the better for it.

The Return

It was a return worth waiting for as The Sheikh of Tweak spun his team to victory. For four overs, it was as if a time machine had dropped us in the 1990s, as Shane Warne mesmerized Ms Priety Zinta's team.
The IPL has seen some outstanding cricket - none better than my man McCullum's outstanding effort. But, for sheer class Pollock, Mcgrath and Warne have held sway over the rest. So, will the oldies still be the ones to beat or will youngsters finally assert themselves in "The Youngster's Game".

Legacy in a royal mess

Without Smith, Yousuf and Kamran, the Royals will rely on the combined might of Warne, Lehman, Kaif and Yusuf Pathan to win matches. Pitted against the megawatt stardom in all other teams, they look like domestic goat that wandered into the forest. At night. After a bath in chicken blood, wearing neon signs that say "Red Meat".

But one man, known as the Best Captain Australia Never Had, can change all that. On his day, and there are several of them, all he needs is four overs, to reduce grown men to tears. And that has nothing to do with their wives, or daughters. Or mothers. It will help if Warne came into bowl with a few wickets down. Where's Morne Morkel? Sohail Tanvir should be here soon as well.

And Dmitri? The Royals don't need others to gain what might turn out to be an unassailable lead.

Battle Within The War

Recently, there was an excellent article in Cricinfo by Soumya Bhattacharya regarding the individual rivalries existing in international cricket. (The article can be read here). The article described that special joy which one feels when two champions go at each other. Reading the article, I was forced to think about what constitutes such a rivalry. What are the ingredients which elevate a seemingly insignificant contest to great heights? Here is my take on it.

To me, the primary criterion for an enduring rivalry is the skill of the individuals concerned. You want two men who are at acknowledged maestros of their respective crafts going at each other to bring the crowd to their feat. With all respect to their abilities, a Sunil Joshi having a rivalry with Andrew Hudson would probably enthral a grand total of zero. But, put Allan Donald and Sachin Tendulkar at opposite ends of the field and all of a sudden sport resembles war.
The next criterion ought to be the span of the test series. I feel that a minimum of three tests is essential for the antagonists to fight simply because it gives them ample opportunities to overcome any downturns in form. It also gives a feeling akin to having a great dinner after a good appetizer.
The last and crucial criterion is the playing conditions. Nobody wants to see a pitch which unduly
favours one of the contestants. A fair pitch which offers enough opportunities to all would add sparkle to the contest.

But, looking at world cricket it is sad that there are few genuine rivalries left- Lee v/s Tendulkar, Murali v/s Pieterson, a fit Flntoff v/s Ponting. But, another rivalry fit to stand with these three is sad to find. We are forced to look for the venom spouting variety of Harbhajan v/s Symonds and Sreesanth v/s Nel. A far cry from the 90's and early 2000's when Warne v/s Tendulkar, Lara v/s Murali, Mcgrath v/s Tendulkar/Lara, Inzamam v/s Kumble, Donald v/s Atherton, Waughs v/s Ambrose/Walsh thrilled the senses.

So, as South Africa and India take to the field, there is a genuine wish that we get some more rivalries - Steyn v/s Sehwag and Kumble v/s Kallis anyone ????