When Sanjay Manjrekar & Rahul Dravid teamed up in a musical show

August 10, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Sanjay Manjrekar was known as an effective middle-order batsman for Mumbai and India during his playing days. He continued the legacy of his father Vijay Manjrekar, a popular batsman of his era. After retirement S Manjrekar is known for his work behind the microphone as a commentator.

But in between these two roles, somewhere lies Manjrekar the singer. This might come as a surprise to people who started watching cricket after the cricketer retired but he is a pretty good singer.

I came to know about Manjrekar’s fondness and talent for music when he brought out a music album called Rest Day way back in 1996, the year I started following cricket.

Sanjay Manjrekar and Rahul Dravid [Photos courtesy: Newsbyminute.com and Asianlite.com]

The album contained favourite Hindi songs of Manjrekar’s teammates sung in his own voice.

Here’s what he sang for which cricketer:

Mohammad Azharuddin – Oh Re Taal Mile Nadi Ke Jal Mein from Anokhi Raat (1968)

Sachin Tendulkar – Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhta Chala Gaya from Hum Dono (1961)

Anil Kumble – Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna from Chalte Chalte (1976)

Javaga Srinath – Ruk Jana Nahin Tu Kabhi Haar Ke from Imtihan (1974)

Manjrekar also went onto sing ‘Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aai’ [Buddha Mil Gaya 1971], ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ [Blackmail, 1973] and ‘Barson Hue hain Dil Mein’ [ghazal].

Listen to the album above

But there was a surprise package too. Vinod Kambli, who was known for his aggressive batting, also showed the singer inside him and sang ‘Tumse Achha Kaun Hai’ [title song, 1969] and an original track ‘Hum Kasam Khayenge’ along with Manjrekar and Arvinder Singh.

As I kid, I was ecstatic to see our cricketers trying their hand [rather, throat] at singing. The trailer of this album used to appear on TV almost daily and I used to watch it with wonder and excitement.

I still remember Manjrekar had impressed me with his singing. Mind you, it was an era where auto-tuning a person’s voice was hardly or never practiced.

Manjrekar showed his singing talent again later on in the same year [I guess]. It was the cricketers’ special of Zee TV’s musical game show Antakshari. He was paired with Rahul Dravid; Sourav Ganguly with Nayan Mongia; Sunil Joshi with Salil Ankola and Eknath Solkar with Madan Lal.

Manjrekar ruled the show with his singing and overshadowed Dravid. And it seemed like Dravid didn’t have any problem with that.

And as I am writing this, I realized a good soul has uploaded the entire cricketer’s special Antakshari video on YouTube just less than a year ago. See below:

He took a hattrick and never played again…

July 22, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Taking a hattrick is one of the most jubilant days for any bowler in any format against any team at any level. It also brings the bowler instant fame. That’s what happened recently with South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj taking a hattrick against the West Indies in a test match.

But there are some very few exceptions. A case in question is that of Australia’s Anthony Stuart. He just vanished from the scene after taking a hattrick.

Born in 1970 Newcastle, New South Wales, Stuart made his ODI debut against the West Indies in the ending stages of the Carlton & United triangular series on 5 January 1997. It was a high-scoring match that Australia lost but Stuart took 2 wickets on debut, including the one of the great Brian Lara.

His third match, which was against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), turned out to be a dream-come-true. With Australia bowling first, Stuart picked up Aamer Sohail and Zahoor Elahi at the start. But the best was yet to come.

Anthony Stuart [Photo courtesy: Twitter]

In the same spell, he got Ijaz Ahmed caught behind by wicket-keeper Ian Healy for 1. On the very next ball, he got Mohammad Wasim out in the same fashion. He bowled a classic outswinger that got rid of the courageous Moin Khan caught at first slip.

Stuart took a hattrick in just a third ODI of his career. As you can see from the video below, the young man was jubilant and unable to believe what just happened.

It was just the 12^th hattrick in ODIs. Interestingly, less than 15 days prior to that, Zimbabwe’s Eddo Brandes had taken a hattrick against England. [See the list of all ODI hattricks by clicking HERE]

On a side note, although Pakistan finished at a low score of just 181 for 9, it turned out to be a close encounter with some fine bowling from Wasim Akram (4 for 25). Australia were reduced to 148 for 7 at one stage but Michael Bevan (79*), as per his old habit, got them home in the last over.

Click on ‘WATCH ON YOUTUBE’ to see the hattrick video

This was the last league match and Australia’s last in the tri series. They were already knocked out of the tournament with Pakistan and West Indies reaching the finals.

This meant that Australia played next in the test series on their tour to South Africa in March that year. However, Stuart got a blow as he wasn’t even included in the squad of 14 players.

One can understand his exclusion from the test side since he hadn’t played any tests. But he wasn’t even considered for the ODIs. On the other hand, Andy Bichel, who debuted with Stuart and played all the three matches he played, was taken in the squad.

Unfortunately for Stuart, he was never again selected even in the Australian squad, leave alone being part of the playing 11.

The hattrick match where he had glorious figures of 5 for 26 turned out to be the last match of his international career. His 12-day career saw him take a hattrick and a 5-wicket haul.

As per some articles online, Stuart went through a loss of form in the period after the triangular series. After not being called back again to play for the Aussies, he also lost a place in the domestic New South Wales team as well.

Also read:

Sachin’s 1st first-class 200 vs Australia in 1998: Forgotten moments

This number 11 ‘tail-ender’ created a batting record that is forgotten

Inside Edge season 3 to feature TEST cricket?

June 24, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

The first two seasons of Amazon Prime Video’s Inside Edge turned out to be entertaining for the lovers of cricket. Recently, the makers officially announced the third season of the show and shared its first poster.

For those not in the know, Inside Edge revolves around India’s domestic T20 championship. It focusses on the team Mumbai Mavericks, which is owned by Richa Chadha’s character, and the ups and downs they go through. The show primarily features betting and match-fixing in the tournament and shows its consequences.

Despite Inside Edge being known for showing a T20 tournament, it seems the third season will not feature the shortest version of the game.

There are a couple of reasons that indicate that Inside Edge season 3 will feature the longest version of the game – test cricket. This might sound crazy to many of you but let’s have a look at those indications.

The first poster of the third season clearly includes a red ball in the title that is unmissable. It doesn’t make sense for a show about T20 matches displaying a clear image of a red ball. For those who are not aware, a red ball is used only in test cricket and never in a limited overs match. That’s the reason why limited overs matches are called white ball cricket.

But an even bigger indication was given by the makers more than a year and half ago. Amazon Prime Video had shared a promo of their 14 new original shows in January 2020. The footage had a fleeting image of Tarun Virwani, who plays the main lead in the show, sitting in white clothes with white pads on, waiting for his turn to bat [either in the match or in the nets].

It seems impossible that a player in the show will wear white clothes and pads, irrespective of whether he is sitting for his chance in a match or the nets. Wearing white automatically means playing with a red ball. And one would neither play nor practice with a red ball for a limited overs competition.

The announcement by Amazon Prime Video about 14 new shows

Of course, we will get a confirmation only in the teaser or the trailer. These are just assumptions based on two major hints, especially the second one.

The above indications were observed by my friend Aditya Kulkarni.

Also read:

Sachin’s 1st first-class 200 vs Australia in 1998: Forgotten moments

This number 11 ‘tail-ender’ created a batting record that is forgotten

This number 11 ‘tail-ender’ created a batting record that is forgotten

June 11, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

In all these years of test cricket, there have been some enormous number of batting records set by some terrific players. But since they are batting records, it is a given that we would associate batsmen with them.

But here’s one terrific batting record achieved not by any top or even a lower-order batsman. In fact, this piece of record belongs to a player who batted right at number 11.

In the first test of the 2013 Ashes series in Nottingham, England, the left-arm spinner Ashton Agar made his test debut for Australia. But this is the story of his antics with the bat instead of the ball. Something the cricketing world seems to have forgotten over the last eight years.

England won the toss and elected to bat and were bundled out for just 215. Agar couldn’t take a single wicket, although he bowled only seven overs. In reply, Australia was struggling at one stage with 53 for 4 before Steve Smith (53) rescued the ship. But wickets kept tumbling once Smith got out and the Aussies were reduced to 117 for 9.

The late Philip Hughes was batting well at the other hand but he was quickly losing partners. After the 9^th wicket fell, in came the debutant Agar who was just 19. It seemed as if it’s just a formality to take the last wicket. But the cricketing world was about to witness a phenomenal record.

As soon as Agar played the first few balls, I realized he is no way a typical number 11 tail-ender. Be it playing a defensive shot or going after the bowling, this guy seemed like a complete batsman. As his innings progressed, it seemed more and more that he is an accomplished batsman.

He literally took on the English bowlers and started scoring more than his partner Hughes, a more accomplished batsman. Commentators Ian Botham and Michael Holding repeatedly kept saying that Agar is no way a tail-ender and questioned the logic of sending him at number 11.

Agar reached his 50 in no time. At number 11 and that too on debut. Once he reached this milestone, there was no stopping him. He kept on playing shots fearlessly, more so in the mid-on area. And there came a time when he reached 90 all of a sudden.

Meanwhile, Australia, which was almost 100 runs behind when the 9^th wicket fell, had actually got the first innings lead; something nobody would have expected.

No number 11 player in the long history of test cricket had scored a century and the people gathered in the stadium were in to witness history if that happened. Agar would have had his heart in his mouth when, on 93, he edged the ball off Graeme Swann and it went wide of the first slip.

Agar was inching closer to his century when he reached 98. He was facing Stuart Broad. Going by the flair with which he had batted all along, it seemed he will get those 2 runs easily. He played the pull shot off a short ball.

The Australian team in the pavilion got excited, like many in the stadium and those glued to the TV, only for Swann to take a diving catch at deep mid-wicket. Agar was gone for 98!

I remember giving a loud disappointing reaction to it. Going by my emotions, my family members thought an Indian player missed his century.

The 19-year-old Agar had a smile as he started walking back to the pavilion amidst a heroic reception. A 100 on debut and that too at number 11 would have been a dream moment but it wasn’t to be.

But despite that, Agar broke the record for the highest score for a batsman batting at number 11. The previous record was held by Tino Best, who scored 95 also against England in 2012 at Birmingham. Agar’s 100 would have been more special since it was his test debut.

Somehow, Agar’s innings or his record isn’t discussed or recalled in cricket discussions, although it took place just eight years ago.

There is also no official video on the highlights of Agar’s innings. There’s an unofficial one with not-so-good quality.

Also read:

1998: When 2 Indian teams were selected for 2 different series

Sachin’s 1st first-class 200 vs Australia in 1998: Forgotten moments

1998: When 2 Indian teams were selected for 2 different series

May 11, 2021 by Keyur Seta 7 Comments

The BCCI (Board of Control of Cricket in India) has decided to send India’s B team for the white ball tour of Sri Lanka in July. The reason being that the tour will clash with India’s test tour of England, which is more important.

Players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane and Jaspreet Bumrah are included in the test squad. Similarly, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Sanju Samson have been kept aside for the SL tour.

After going through numerous social media posts, it seems a lot of people feel this is the first time that an Indian team is split into two for two different tours. But that is far from true.

In 1998, the Indian team was split into two due to the circumstances that cropped up back then.

Team India was all set to play its annual Sahara Cup series against Pakistan in September. But the Commonwealth Games were also held at the same time in Kuala Lumpur and that year it also included cricket as one of the sports.

The BCCI decided to send India’s main team to compete against Pakistan. That series was official while the Commonwealth ODIs were only given a List A status. However, the then Sports Minister Suresh Kalmadi imposed a lot of pressure on the BCCI to send a strong team for the Commonwealth Games.

Tendulkar at Commonwealth games — Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin

Hence, the board divided the main players into two teams for the Sahara Cup and the Commonwealth Games. [The upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2022 will also feature Cricket for both men and women]

The decision of sending Sachin Tendulkar for the CWG made cricket fans raise their eyebrows. The star Indian cricketer was having the most incredible time of his career in that year and they hoped to see him in the series that mattered more.

Other main players that were asked to represent India at the CWG included Ajay Jadeja (captain), Anil Kumble (vice-captain), Robin Singh and Harbhajan Singh. For the Sahara Cup, the board sent regulars like Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin (captain), Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Ajit Agarkar.

The CWG had as many as 16 teams participating. It had teams like Jamaica, Antigua & Barbuda and Barbados taking part separately instead of playing under the umbrella of the West Indies. It also had Northern Ireland instead of just Ireland. Only Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Zimbabwe sent their full strength teams.

The final result of this exercise turned out to be unfavorable for both the Indian sides. India lost the Sahara Cup by 4-1 and it couldn’t reach the second round in the Commonwealth Games. Indian even struggled against Antigua before rains washed out the match. That series was eventually won by South Africa; a rare world title for them.

But there was more drama in store. After failing to qualify in the second round of the CWG, the BCCI decided to send Tendulkar for the last two ODIs in the Sahara Cup. However, there was some miscommunication and they couldn’t trace Tendulkar, who had gone to Khandala to relax with his family.

Finally, the board was able to contact Tendulkar and he was sent in to play the last ODI in Toronto, although India had already lost the series. He played well scoring 77 and India post a good total of 256 only to lose that match too.

Tendulkar’s 77 in the last ODI of the Sahara Cup along with Azharuddin’s 101

I remember Sunil Gavaskar singing his own version of the popular song ‘Aati Kya Khandala’ before that match while describing the confusion regarding Tendulkar’s presence [or absence].

But such a scenario is not at all expected this time around in 2021 for two reasons. The board is willingly sending two different sides in England and Sri Lanka. More importantly, we have a large number of good players that can easily fit into two squads of 14 or 15 players.

Also read:

Sachin’s 1st first-class 200 vs Australia in 1998: Forgotten moments

One of Wasim Akram’s biggest achievements is forgotten

Sachin’s 1st first-class 200 vs Australia in 1998: Forgotten moments

April 22, 2021 by Keyur Seta 7 Comments

1998 belonged to Sachin Tendulkar. He was unstoppable in that year, especially against Australia, be it in tests or ODIs.

His two heroic centuries in Sharjah, mountain of runs in the test series at home, 5-wicket haul in the ODI series and some quality innings in the same series, a century and 4-wicket haul in the first ICC Champions Trophy match; all came in the same year against the Aussies. Along with this, Tendulkar also scored an unbeaten 100 against Zimbabwe in the Sharjah Cup Final later that year.

But one of the major achievements of his career also happened in 1998 that people seem to have forgotten. I have never heard this being mentioned in any of the cricket discussions I have heard or read over the decades.

It came in the practice match between Mumbai and Australia at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai in February 1998. Here’s revisiting that match as the Master Blaster celebrates his 48^th birthday.

Apart from Tendulkar’s greatness on the field, another reason I can’t forget this match is because it was the first time that I set foot inside a cricket stadium.

I was in eighth standard and had started following cricket keenly a couple of years before during the 1996 World Cup. When I came to know that the practice match will be played in Mumbai in which Tendulkar will be playing for his home Ranji team, I got all excited. It didn’t take much to convince my father, which was a pleasant surprise since he wasn’t so interested in cricket.

We went on the second day of the 3-day match. Australia had declared their first innings on 305 for 8 on the previous day.

Sachin Tendulkar 200 — Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne [File photos]

As we entered the premises of the stadium, my excitement knew no bounds. I couldn’t believe I would be entering a cricket stadium for the first time ever. Same was the case with my younger brother.

It was a surreal moment when we finally reached the stands and could see the ground. I was amazed to witness the big names of Australian cricket in front of my eyes; the likes of Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, Michael Slater, Paul Reiffel, etc.

We got a display of some quality batting right at the start. Much before Tendulkar, it was Mumbai’s left-handed opener Amit Pagnis who hit Warne around the ground; even hitting against the spin over mid-off. Warne’s nightmare on that tour actually started on that day and it was Pagnis who inaugurated it.

This was the first time I came to know that the Indian crowd actually starts celebrating when the home team’s second wicket falls because that’s when Tendulkar comes out to bat. So when Pagnis got out after a well-made 50, in came the Master Blaster.

I still can’t forget the heart-pumping moment when Tendulkar came out amid loud cheers and whistles and a lot of dust in the air when he took guard. I was finally seeing him in front of my eyes after watching him numerous times on TV.

He started hitting the ball right from the word go. Like everyone else, I was keen to see him bat against Warne. When the moment came, Tendulkar, showing no respect for the bowler, just started hitting him around. He hit some quality drives and cuts. But his pull short against the spin is the one shot I remember the most. After a while, it felt Tendulkar was batting in the nets.

There were few hiccups for Mumbai when Sanjay Manjrekar was runout after Tendulkar flicked Warne at square leg. It was Manjrekar’s last first-class appearance as he had announced his retirement. It was sad to see him get out in this fashion after reaching 39 in his last match for Mumbai.

This was followed by Vinod Kambli’s dismissal for 10 with Mumbai being 161 for 4. But Amol Muzumdar (42) and Rajesh Sutar (45) had useful partnerships with Tendulkar.

Tendulkar’s 155 vs Australia in the 1st test at Chennai in 1998 right after the practice match for Mumbai against the same opposition

In between that phase, I got to experience the moment when Tendulkar reached his 100. It was magical to be able to witness it in my first match in a stadium. I don’t remember cheering and clapping to this extent ever before. The same was the case when Tendulkar reached 150 and 200.

The double century was an important milestone as it was the first time Tendulkar reached that number in first-class cricket. His previous best was 179 against West Indies in 1994 at Nagpur. Mumbai declared its innings at 410 for 6.

While returning back, I had the most satisfactory feeling. I knew I would be able to recall this day throughout my life. I felt it can’t get better than this in a Mumbai vs Australia match.

But it did. The next day, which was the third and final day, I switched on the radio to follow the match. Much to my extreme surprise, Australian wickets were falling like a pack of cards. They got all out for a paltry 135! This meant Mumbai needed to score just 31 runs to win, which they did in 5.3 overs with all wickets intact at around 1:30 pm.

I couldn’t imagine Mumbai defeating Australia in two and a half days. 1998 deserves to be remembered for this match too…

Note: There is no recording of this match available as it wasn’t telecast. See the full scorecard HERE.

Also read:

Only time Tendulkar was NOT selected in team India, neither injured nor rested

One of Wasim Akram’s biggest achievements is forgotten

When Livingstone’s team won a ONE-DAY match by 500 runs!

March 30, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

We all have seen teams winning one-day matches by huge margins, especially while playing against minnows. But the info I came across about Liam Livingstone during India’s third and final ODI against England on Sunday 28 March shocked me.

One of the commentators shared this interesting trivia when England’s Livingstone came into bat.

In 2015, when Livingstone was just 21-year old, he played a 45-over one-day match for his club Nantwich CC against Caldy in Cheshire in the Royal London Club Championship.

Liam Livingstone after the match — Liam Livingstone with Ben Johnston after the match [Photo credits: Nantwich CC Twitter page]

Livingstone went onto score as many as, hold your breath, a mammoth 350 runs in just 138 balls. He hit 34 fours and 27 sixes! His team scored an unbelievable total of 579 runs in the allotted 45 overs!

He also had a partnership of as many as 290 runs with fellow batsman Ben Johnston, which is considered a record.

Speaking about his innings, Livingstone had told in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, “It was just one of those days when everything I did came off. Every shot I tried to play, most came out of the middle [of the bat]. All the edges went past fielders. Balls landed in the gap. I think it was just my day and luckily I cashed in on it.”

Interestingly, there were still 9 overs to go when Livingstone got out. “I was out with 9 overs to go. I was quite disappointed that I didn’t get more [laughs]. It’s just one of those things,” he added.

At that time, it was believed 350 is the highest score in any form of limited overs matches in the world. However, it was later learnt that in 2013, an Australian batsman Ashley Gray had smashed 358 not out in a 40-over match for Royal Household Cricket Club against Tambler Valley Ramblers. His team went onto score 454 for 1 in 40 overs.

Livingstone 350 runs scorecard — Scorecard of the match [Photo credits: Nantwich CC Twitter page]

But it is believed that the margin of victory for Livingstone’s club team is the highest ever in limited overs cricket around the world.

In reply to his team’s 579, the opposing team Caldy was all out for just 79! Hence, Livingstone’s club team won the match by a whopping 500 runs!

In case somebody is aware of any instance where a team won a limited overs match by more than 500 runs, do mention it in the comments.

Also read:

He played 1 test but has ZERO tests to his name

When Indian crowd was in no MOOD to see India win

When Jayasuriya-Afridi opened batting together for a noble cause

March 19, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi were two of the most destructive batsmen in the mid to late 1990s era. Both were at the peak of their form at the same time.

Jayasuriya broke the record for fastest 100 in ODIs [one-day internationals] in 48 balls against Pakistan in 1996 in Singapore. Afridi, on the other hand, broke that record against the Sri Lanka in the same year when he scored 100 off just 37 balls in Nairobi.

I remember having discussions in school at that time on what would happen if Jayasuriya and Afridi were in the same team and they opened the batting together. I would regularly note down my World XI team and would include both the players in it.

The dream of watching Jayasuriya and Afridi in the same team came true all of a sudden when a match between India and Rest of the World [ROW] was planned.

The match was organized on 30 December 1997 by Sathya Sai Baba at his model village in Puttaparthi. A stadium was specially created for this match in a short time. It’s perhaps the only cricket stadium that has big statues of various Gods like Hanuman, Shankar, Jesus and Buddha on the boundaries.

The purpose behind the match was to promote unity among the various nations of the world through spirituality. The stadium offered a perfect setting to achieve the goal. More so with school students taking out a rally with the flags of every country in the world.

The dignitaries who attended the match included the then Indian Prime Minister IK Gujral, former Indian cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and EAS Prasanna, former Pakistani cricketers Zaheer Abbas and Hanif Mohammad and former West Indian players Clive Lloyd and Alvin Kallicharran. Syed Kirmani, another former Indian cricketer, was the commentator.

The dignitaries seated (Photo source: Radiosai.org)

India was captained by Sachin Tendulkar and World XI by Arjuna Ranatunga. The latter consisted mostly of Sri Lankan and Pakistani players. The Indians came up with a full strength side despite it being an unofficial match. Apart from Tendulkar, they had the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Ajay Jadeja, Venkatesh Prasad, Sunil Joshi etc.

India won the toss and opted to bat in the 45-over contest and made a big score of 289 for 4. Tendulkar was the star of the innings as he scored 88 not out, followed by Jadeja (77) and Dravid (62). I have a slight memory of few aggressive shots by Tendulkar and Dravid.

Then came the moment I was waiting for as Jayasuriya and Afridi came out to open. They started off decently but their opening partnership didn’t yield much as Afridi was dismissed soon. But Jayasuriya scored a quick 45, followed by Arjuna Ranatunga’s 67.

However, no other batsman showed any form as the World XI was bowled out for just 165 in just 26.2 overs. Prasad, Joshi and Sairaj Bahutule had bowling figures of 4-37, 3-24 and 3-16 respectively. India comfortably won by a heavy margin of 124 runs.

For complete details of the match, click HERE.

After defeating Jayasuriya and company — Indian team with the Unity Cup (Photo source: Radiosai.org)

Unfortunately, no video footage of this match is available anywhere on the internet. In fact, even a proper scorecard of the match isn’t available anywhere except a part of it here HERE.

Hopefully, someone might remember this match and try to find out any video after going through the article. The match was telecast by Doordarshan. They surely would have it in the archives.

Although it wasn’t a close contest by any means, at least the view of the beautiful stadium should be worth revisiting this match.

Also read:

Forgotten Cricket Moments: The real Lagaan match at Brabourne Stadium

He played 1 test but has ZERO tests to his name

After 51 for 7, Pakistan fought back in this unofficial semi-final: Flashback

February 18, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Sharjah was known for producing some interesting and unpredictable cricket matches in the 1980s and 1990s. The Pakistan v/s Zimbabwe match in the league stage of the 1997 Singer-Akai Cup turned out to be one such saga with unexpected twists.

It was the last league match of the series and was more like a semi-final. Sri Lanka had reached the final and it was left to this match to decide whether Pakistan would join them or Zimbabwe.

Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat. They had a very strong team and this made them the favorites. But the Zimbabwean team of the 1990s had the ability to scare anyone on their day.

This is exactly what the African nation did with the ball. Pakistan kept losing wickets right from the start. We soon realized that this isn’t just another bad start from which teams generally recover.

In less than 20 overs, Pakistan was reduced to 51 for 7! The trio of Eddo Brandes, Heath Streak and Everton Matambanadzo was all over Pakistan and it looked as if they would be bundled out before reaching 100, considering all their frontline batsmen were out.

I clearly remember being shocked and amused as a school boy watching the match on TV.

Pakistan keeper Moin Khan — Moin Khan [Photo source: Indian Express]

Although the big names had collapsed, Pakistan still had Moin Khan out there. The gutsy wicketkeeper-batsmen had bailed out his team from trouble on numerous occasions in the past. He did it again for his team, despite the disadvantage of having only the tail for company.

Their star off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq put his hand up and gave a solid support to Khan. The scorecard might indicate that he played a test innings by scoring 20 off 81 balls but in the context of the match, the innings was priceless.

Khan succeeded in rescuing his team with a brilliant 61 off 97 balls. The fact that he could hit just one four and one six was proof of how hard he had to work for his runs. The pair of Khan and Saqlain added 77 runs for the eight wicket and Pakistan had something to bowl to by finishing at 151 for 9.

But despite the fightback, the score was very low and there were no demons in the wicket. Zimbabweans still had the upper hand.

However, there were more unexpected events in store. Pakistan’s strong bowling attack lead by Waqar Younis kept striking regularly at the start. His team mate and leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed rose to the occasion and picked up 4 wickets. Apart from playing a gutsy innings, Saqlain picked up a couple of wickets too.

In the end, Zimbabwe was all out for a paltry 119 in 40.1 overs.

At the halfway stage, it looked like Zimbabwe would create another upset after their win against Sri Lanka earlier in the series. But that wasn’t to be courtesy one of the biggest fightbacks in ODI history.

In the end, the match became like a replay of the earlier league game between both the teams. Pakistan were all out for 187 and Zimbabwe were bundled out for 95 after being 39 for no loss at one stage.

This match also brought back memories of India being 17 for 5 against the same team in the 1983 World Cup match and then going onto win due to skipper Kapil Dev’s incredible innings of 175 not out.

Unfortunately, there is no video available of this encounter on YouTube.

India’s emphatic win achieved another LARGER good

January 19, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

It is said that cricket is like life. And life can be strange. Very strange, at times. And funny too. What better example than the stories of the two 19s? On 19 December 2020, exactly a month ago, Indian fans felt their lowest when their team was bundled out for just 36 in the first test at Adelaide against Australia.

This was India’s lowest score ever in the history of the game. One would, naturally, write a team off from here on and expect them to lose 4-0. I too felt in case India even draws one of the remaining three matches, it will be like an achievement.

But exactly a month later today, on 19 January 2021, we are celebrating India’s 2-1 series victory after the emphatic win in the fourth test at the Gabba, Brisbane.

Like life, cricket is indeed funny.

It would have been a remarkable victory for India even if they had played their full-strength side in the next three matches. But instead in the last two matches they had to go with an India A or a second string team and still triumphed against the mighty Aussies on their home turf and that too after the disastrous 36 all out.

For example, Mohammed Siraj made his debut in the 2nd test of the series and he was the leading pacer in the fourth one!

Winning with such an inexperienced side makes this one of India’s best test series victories ever if not the best. It has been said that this is an even greater achievement than the 2001 home series against Australia; famous for VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid’s heroics.

Team India taking a flag march at the Gabba — Photo source: Sachin Tendulkar’s Facebook page

But apart from clinching an almost impossible victory, this win has achieved another greater good for the game of cricket.

Many of us would have heard countless number of people say that test matches are boring. It’s a five-day game with no over restrictions and players play slow. Hence, people, especially the younger generation, prefer limited overs cricket, especially T20s; more so after the arrival of the IPL (Indian Premier League).

Limited overs cricket is considered more interesting since the match can swing any ways. There are nail-biting moments with the many close finishes. Throughout the match something or the other keeps happening in the middle to keep the entertainment factor alive.

But this test series has proven that the aforementioned factors can also occur in test cricket. This can be seen from the number of times our heartbeats were increased during the course of the series. In limited overs cricket, fours and sixes are cheered. But the third and fourth test showed that even dot balls can produce excitement.

You would lose counts of the number of dot balls that were cheered in the third test when Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari were batting to save the match for India.

People, who generally avoid test cricket, must have also understood that it takes a lot more skill for both batsmen and bowlers to excel in this format.

It is called ‘test cricket’ for a reason. It is a test of your skills.

This series has endorsed the five-day version of the game not just in India and Australia but also world over like never before. Let’s hope enough people noticed this around the world.

Cricket administrators have been thinking since the last few years about reducing test matches to four-day games. I guess such ideas will be put on the backburner now.

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