Friday, August 05, 2011

Start of a comprehensive tour for Oz in Lanka

Australia travel to Sri Lanka for their first international cricket since the short 3-ODI series against Bangladesh. The tour kicks off with two T20Is against the Lankans, both of which are to be held at the Pallekelle stadium. It will be the first time this ground has hosted a T20I and the organisers want to deliver a treat for the fans.

This will also be Australia’s first T20I in Sri Lanka against whom they have played on four occasions - winning and losing two games each.

Unlike the Lankans, who will be led by Tillakaratne Dilshan throughout, the Aussies will be led by Cameron White for the shortest format of the game and then by Michael Clarke for the five ODIs and three Tests. Neither Australian captain will have to play under the other, however, as White is not part of the ODI or Test squads and Clarke has retired from T20 cricket.

This will be Dilshan’s second series as full-time captain, and he is sure to want to last the distance, after injury forced him out during the Test series against England. His form after that was noticeably dismal, as he made just 17 runs in five ODI innings.

Angelo Mathews is likely to have a huge role to play. The young vice-captain did very well in England and might also be expected to bowl with the new ball against Australia as Lasith Malinga has been forced to sit out because of an injury.

The hosts’ squad for the two T20I games is heavily spin-centred. Six of them are capable spinners, which could be a surprise as the pitch in Kandy might be less spin-friendly as the others on the island nation.

With both teams in a period of transition, and missing out on some prominent names, there may be little to lose for either team, although the Lankans will be disappointed with anything less than victory on their home soil. It is also a chance for those selected to get their eye in - especially for the Aussies who have not toured here since 2004, although they did play a couple of World Cup matches here earlier in the year.

It’s a long tour ahead for the Australians and they will want to start it off with a creditable performance.

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Test matches return to Zimbabwe with entertaining clash

After an enforced six year absence from Test cricket, Zimbabwe are making a comeback and hopefully they will do themselves justice on their return.

The African side is scheduled to play a one-off Test against bottom-rated Bangladesh at Harare.

In the recent past, the Bangladeshi side have shown a lot of improvement and are considered a serious opposition by all other countries. But that betterment is mainly in the shorter version of the game. However, against a side which more or less has players with same kind of skills and ability, it will be safe to expect a fair contest between bat and ball.

On paper, Bangladesh definitely are the better side under the captaincy of Shakib Al Hasan and would be firm favourites to win the Test. They possess a very solid batting line-up and the presence of power-hitter Tamim Iqbal will certainly bolster that department. The skipper himself is the linchpin as his all-round abilities provide a lovely variety to them.

The bowling department has normally struggled for them in this format but they will hope for some good performance from the likes of Shafiul and Robiul Islam. They have a genuine spinner in Abdur Razzak and his spin prowess along with Shakib would be enough to keep the opposition on the back foot.

For Zimbabwe, it’s time to rebuild. Brendan Taylor, the most prolific run-scorer for them in the recent years, has got the charge of the side and the team management would wish that he emerges as an inspiring leader. He has a pretty young but talented unit at his disposal and it will be interesting to watch how he marshals his resources. Ray Price, Tatenda Taibu and Hamilton Masakadza are the most experienced players in the squad and the younger lot will look for their guidance.

The visitors had a poor first outing in Zimbabwe as they lost their practice match with a sorry display. The batting requires some brush-up.The bowling was good in the first innings but struggled on a day when the track became flat.

The African minnows, on the other hand, have every reason to feel confident while heading into this encounter. There is an understandable air of anxiety hanging over this Test match and their coach Alan Butcher has quoted “We have made very considerable progress in the last six months and I am convinced we will do well. We are good and ready.”

It has been more than a year since Bangladesh has donned the white cloth and in a way this is a return for them as well. As far as the records are concerned, Zimbabwe hold a 4-1 lead in the 8 Test matches played while three ended in a draw. At Harare, the hosts have won five out of the 26 Tests held, which features a win by 183 runs over Bangladesh in 2004.

Altogether, anticipate a close contest and the visitors might edge out the hosts due to a more balanced and settled unit.