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Friday, March 05, 2010

Will the Pakistani players be missed at the IPL?

The much-awaited third season of the Indian Premier League T20 extravaganza is finally here! However, it is a huge disappointment that a T20 tournament of such stature will not showcase some of the stars of Pakistan’s World T20-winning side.

None of the franchises picked any Pakistani players at the auction held in January. This may have been a safety ploy, but will it turn out to be a huge mistake instead?

Pakistan in 2009

Here is a look at Pakistan’s success in T20 Internationals in the past year which saw a number of new youngsters and some of the returning players coming together to form a lethal force.



Pakistan maintained a very high success rate in 2009 with a better win-loss ratio as compared to the other top sides on the international circuit. They won nine out of 12 matches which is a very consistent record given the unpredictable nature of the shorter format.

The reason for this success has been the performance of some key players from the subcontinent nation. Here’s a sneak peek at some of their records in T20 Internationals in 2009.

Top 5 bowlers in T20Is (1st Jan – 31st Dec, 2009)

The table above is a list of the top five bowlers from last year. Notice how the top three bowlers on this list belong to the World Cup-winning Pakistan side. Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi were not only the leading wicket-takers in the list but also had a much better average and economy rate than the rest of the pack.


Top Pakistani batsmen (1st Jan 2009 – 28th February 2010)

Kamran Akmal had an excellent year with the bat scoring 350 runs in just 12 innings, but he also affected 15 dismissals - more than anyone else in the same period. Shahid Afridi already featured in the bowlers’ list but he did as much damage with the bat scoring 272 runs with an impressive strike rate. Umar Akmal is their latest find and the youngster impressed in the six matches that he played in this period averaging over 30 with a healthy strike rate.


Pakistan in IPL 1:

The first edition of the IPL remains the only one to have featured players from Pakistan. Most of them did not have the best tournament, but a few players stood out. The most commendable performer was Sohail Tanvir who was given the ‘Purple Cap’ after becoming the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

Top 5 bowlers in IPL 2008




Tanvir performed consistently in the 11 matches that he played. He picked up a total of 22 wickets in the tournament and maintained an economy of 6.46 which are excellent figures for an opening bowler in the T20 format. On more than five occasions, Tanvir picked up three wickets or more including his 6/14 against Chennai, which still stands as the record for the highest number of wickets in an innings by any bowler in the tournament.

Tanvir’s teammate and Rajasthan Royals wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal showed a few glimpses of his quality. In the six matches that he played, Akmal effected nine dismissals as the wicketkeeper. He also scored a total of 128 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 164.10. His most influential performance came in a game against Chennai, where he scored an unbeaten 53 off just 27 balls.

Umar Gul, who has had an excellent 2009, also left his mark in the first edition of the IPL. He featured in only six matches but picked up 12 wickets at an average of 15.33. His efforts helped Kolkata end the tournament on a high when they beat Kings XI Punjab. Gul picked up four wickets, conceding just 23 runs, playing a crucial role in securing the win.

An eye on Season 3


The shortlist for the IPL 2010 auction had some interesting names, including some that were previously part of the rival league, ICL. Shane Bond, Damien Martyn and Justin Kemp were three such additions who got picked over the Pakistani players even though they were all listed at the same base price.

A comparison between some of the players who will be in action at the IPL 2010 and some of Pakistan’s leading marksmen reveals some striking figures.

Shahid Afridi vs Kieron Pollard:

Bowling records in T20 Internationals:

Batting records in T20 Internationals:

Kieron Pollard was the most expensive player in the IPL 2010 auction. A comparison of the players’ international batting and bowling records clearly indicates that ShahidAfridi would have been a better bet in both departments, besides being more experienced. 
 

Mohammad Aamer vs Kemar Roach:

Bowling records in T20 Internationals

Kemar Roach was bought for Rs.3.28 crores in the auction with very little experience in the International circuit. Mohammad Aamer has been a regular fixture in the Pakistan side across all formats of the game but he did not get picked by any of the sides.

Damien Martyn will be participating in the IPL for the first time. He has not played international cricket since December 2006 but was picked over Abdul Razzaq, who is still an integral part of the Pakistan side and whose recent performances are a clear indication of his ability to swing the match in his team’s favour.

Justin Kemp is another such example of a player who has not played International cricket for over two years now but was selected by a franchise over any other player from Pakistan. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who has returned to playing international cricket for Pakistan in the last year, could make a much better contender than Kemp.

Friday, January 15, 2010

MSD - Will 2010 be a sequel to 2009?

After leading India to 5 ODI series victories in 2009 and ending the year as the number one batsman on the ICC rankings, one can ask if Mahendra Singh Dhoni will continue his good run of form into 2010 or will the pressure of excessive cricket and the law of averages finally catch up with him?

Beginning his ODI career inauspiciously with a first-ball duck, MS Dhoni’s career graph has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels since, currently having the highest batting average for any Indian batsman to have played more than 50 ODIs.



After becoming the skipper of the one-day side, Dhoni sobered down the flamboyant style of play that got him so much success, and became a bit more selective in his shot making.  He became such a consistent match winner for the men in blue that his average in a winning cause was 55% greater than his overall batting average. 2009 saw the pinnacle of such sustained success as he averaged more than 70 while scoring his third successive ODI thousand in a calendar year.

Dhoni’s performances as against other Indian batsmen:

Dhoni’s 2009 form vs Rest of the world

Compared to his contemporaries’ 2009 performances in the international arena, Dhoni’s graph towers above the rest of the field having scored at almost double the rate of the next best keeper, Brad Haddin.

Even amongst the list of captains (excluding stand-in captains), Dhoni is way ahead of the next best – Shakib-al-Hasan – as can be seen from the chart below.

What to expect in 2010

The questions to ask are: Can Dhoni continue his ascent in the new year. Or has he already peaked? And could 2010 be a blip on his career graph?

A comparison of Dhoni’s career with some former Indian captains leads to some interesting revelations. Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Mohd. Azharuddin all saw a significant drop in their performance in the years after they had hit their peak. Their averages for the years following their peak either nosedived, or took a big step down.

Graph of Batting Average for Azharuddin, Ganguly and Dravid in the years of and following their peak:

Another point to note would be that India will play an ODI series against the South Africans in February. The table below shows that Dhoni has scored runs against all teams except South Africa, against whom he averages only 24.5, a far cry from his career average of 51.12.

Dhoni’s performance against all teams in ODIs:

In 2010, the 3rd edition of the Indian Premier League will be followed up by the ICC World Twent20. The same tournaments were held back to back in 2009 as well, and the dip in Dhoni’s form is apparent.

Dhoni’s performance in the IPL 2009 and the ICC World T20, 2009.

The above table shows that after the 2009 edition of the IPL, a ragged-looking Dhoni was neither able to defend his World T20 title nor score the bucketful of runs associated with him.

Taking into account the schedule for the Indian team and MS Dhoni in 2010, and considering the well acknowledged fact that the Indian bowling attack lacks sting, while the fielding department lacks quality, the year 2010 could be the year that the law of averages finally catches up to the Indian captain, and he sees his first dip in form since debut.