ALL TIME WORLD XI

The Cricinfo jurors have completed their exercise of selecting the All-Time World XI squad. And it looks a good one too (as it was bound to)! Here's a look at it:

Now, 7 of my XI that I had chosen here have been selected in the First XI by the Cricinfo jury. 2 find a place in the Second XI... and 1 finds himself in the Third XI, which was not officially selected but was mentioned here.

The 1 player in my XI to miss out completely was Ken Barrington, which is a shame really. A man with a batting average of 58.67 with 20 tons during the 1950s and 60s missing out... well, one cannot help it when spoiled for riches!

I was surprised to see Wasim Akram in the First XI... not that I think he was not good enough! I was expecting Wasim Akram in the Second XI definitely though.

I was disappointed to see Virender Sehwag absent from the First XI as well as the Second XI. Ian Chappell mentions in his interview that his choice had been Sehwag for opening... and he has a very sound logic too. You select teams to win matches... and with Sehwag taking on bowlers right at the top with consistency unmatched in modern day cricket, you had a guy who can win matches on his own.

I have always believed that bowlers win you Test matches. The same can be said about very few batsmen. Virender Sehwag, in my opinion, is one of them.

Otherwise, the team looks awesome. In respect of the Readers' XI, it is obvious that the team has been voted for by readers who have not bothered to consider cricket played before 1970s. Only Sir Don Bradman from that team played exclusively before the 1970s, and Sir Garry Sobers played before and through the 1970s.

One last word... the biggest surprise, disappointment and shock was to see that Jacques Kallis is missing from the First XI, the Second XI as well as the Third XI. An all rounder of his capability... one I regard as equal to Garry Sobers amongst the best batting all rounders of all time... if he's missing from such a list, it's more than just a shame... it's a tragedy! If such an exercise of picking the All-Time XI were to be repeated in a few years' time (after Kallis' retirement), I wouldn't at all be surprised to see him even replacing Sobers in the First XI, because a guy as good as him with the bat and the ball, you just cannot ignore!

ALL TIME WORLD XI - THE MIDDLE ORDER

Oh well, this is one difficult task. Selecting the middle order of the World's All-Time Test XI. Before I start this exercise, I'll mention the team that I have already picked thus far in one previous blog.

Openers: Sir Jack Hobbs, Virender Sehwag.
Wicketkeeper: Adam Gilchrist.

Now, the middle order... there's the question of whether it should be a 3-man or a 4-man middle order... and there are some BIG names eligible. Here's a look at the Test numbers of the men selected by Cricinfo as eligible for selection into the World XI:

Seriously big names and seriously difficult decision. My first task was shortlisting some names who are good enough to make the cut for the All-Time World XI team in my opinion. Those names are highlighted yellow.

As great the others above are, I do not think that they are ones to make the cut for the All-Time World XI. It was a particularly difficult decision to leave out Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid, but I had no choice. This decision was based on the numbers listed above, their profile descriptions on Cricinfo and whatever other knowledge I possessed of their cricket.

Now, Kallis was causing a bit of a problem. He is too good a bowler to be considered as a specialist middle-order batsman. So, I have cut him out of this analysis and decided to include him in my All Rounders analysis. This then made the task slightly easier for me as I was able to decide upon the formation of my team, which will be: 2 Openers, 3 Middle Order Batsmen, 2 All Rounders, 1 Wicketkeeper and 3 Bowlers.

What remains in front of me is a list of 10 batsmen... the best you can find anywhere! And I have to select just 3 of them... a pity!

The easiest selection was the No. 3 spot... no one can hold that other than Sir Donald Bradman. I don't even have to discuss his case further. The numbers, the stories, the quotes... there's everything available to back this decision.

And for the 2 remaining spots, I choose Ken Barrington and Sachin Tendulkar. Again, it was very difficult to leave out Brian Lara, George Headley, Sir Viv Richards and Wally Hammond. But after frying my brains over it, I settled on the former two.

Sir Viv Richards lost a place in my team because for all his intimidating persona, his Test records fall short of the other mighty men included above. And to inspire fear in the bowlers, I have Sehwag opening the batting for this team. That ensured that Viv missed out.

Omitting George "The Black Bradman" Headley was even more difficult. In fact, I penned him in my team initially before scratching his name out. What counted against him was that all his runs have come against the English and Australian attacks in those two countries and his home archipelago of West Indies. He just played 1 Test at a different place - against Indian at Delhi where he made 2. So he was never really tested on slower pitches against good spin bowling. He did not even play South Africa ever. That led to his omission. Not his fault, but I really can't help it much.

Barrington and Tendulkar climbed the ladder above Lara and Hammond because they have played everywhere, scored everywhere and scored BIG everywhere... In Tendulkar, the team has a player who can bat in any gear, can adapt his game for any situation and play any bowler. Barrington got in as he could provide the ideal foil with his resolute style of batting. His natural game, according to his Cricinfo profile, was attacking... but he changed it to be a "stonewaller" and thus, he becomes a part of my team.

I know there will be many objections to this selection... I just hope the Don at least is approved by all. Please do comment about my middle order selection and let me know about your opinions.

KUMBLE BOWLS WITH A BROKEN JAW

Lionheart grits his teeth and shoulders the load

St John's, 12 May 2002

The sight of Anil Kumble emerging from the pavilion, ready to bowl, his face bandaged, in the Antigua Test of 2002, is one of cricket's most inspiring.

Kumble sent down 14 consecutive overs and became the first bowler to dismiss Brian Lara while bowling with a broken jaw. He was due to fly back to Bangalore the following day for surgery, and as he said, "At least I can now go home with the thought that I tried my best.

"It was one of the bravest things I've seen on the field of play," said Viv Richards later.

Batting at No. 7 (Ajay Ratra at No. 8 made a century), Kumble was hit by Merv Dillon. He spat out blood but batted on for another 20 minutes. The series was poised 1-1 and this was the fourth Test. India declared at 513 for 9.

Lesser acts have become legends in the game. Colin Cowdrey's coming out with a broken hand against West Indies in 1963, for example. He didn't have to face a ball, as his partner saved the Test. But it is cited for bravery even ahead of Australian Rick McCosker's batting at No. 10 with a broken jaw, which contributed to his team's victory in the Centenary Test.

Kumble's Test was drawn, West Indies declaring at 629 for 9. His reason for returning to bowl: "I didn't want to sit around" is as fine an example of the self-effacing statement as you will find in cricket.

- Suresh Menon

Link to the Original Article - Ranked at No. 36 by Cricinfo.

DISBAND THE WEST INDIES

The venue shifts to Harare as India take on the hosts Zimbabwe... seeking revenge for the humiliation meted out to them in the first game of the tri - series. In another part of the world, West Indies will seek to salvage some pride by trying to beat the South Africans in the 5th ODI to be held at Port of Spain.

The Sulieman Benn incident left me completely muddled... I mean, have you ever heard of anything like this before? I was never ordered out of a cricket game even in school... even though I was pathetic. This was a top-flight One Day International! What's wrong with the West Indies? Is this the same team that was once represented by the likes of Gary Sobers, Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd and other men who gave it their all for the team and their captain?

I pity Chris Gayle's situation. He is a man with capability of being a part of most top international teams. Sadly though, he does not have many such men at his disposal. He may get a once-in-a-while exceptional performance from the likes of Dwayne Bravo, but that's about it. The likes of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul are also not as consistent as they used to be... and the biggest problem is that when one man performs, the others fail. They just don't seem to remember how to click together as a team.

I do have a suggestion... totally mad though it may seem! DISBAND THE WEST INDIES!

Why do all the islands have to play under the banner of the West Indies Cricket Board? All the other teams play for the pride of representing their nation... what do the Carribbean cricketers play for? Pride of what? The pride of Carribbean cricket's rich past seems to have been sadly forgotten and swept deep under the carpet.

I had this idea when I saw Trinidad and Tobago perform admirably in the inaugual edition of Champions League Twenty20 last year. They played with a fervour that was possibly better than that shown by the World Champions England last month! And I guess that it was because they were playing for their country... with their countrymen. They didn't have to compete for  their spots with other nationalities and also suffer problems with a cricket board that governs cricket in several countries!

If Trinidad and Tobago or Barbados or Jamaica or even St. Lucia or St. Kitts represented themselves in international cricket instead of representing the West Indies, I believe it would do a lot of good for the game. They may not be world beaters straight away... but I feel it will encourage the growth of cricket in that region. The politics will reduce drastically and the competition will be a lot healthier.

And to top it all, it will also help if cricket is to be represented in events such as Olympics. West Indies cannot win a medal... but Barbados certainly can.

I don't know if anyone has thought of this idea before or if it is going to be implemented any time soon... but I really do think it is worth a shot! Simply because, the current situation seems completely hopeless... there is simply no light at the end of a tunnel! And when you see a glow there, it just turns out to be an oncoming train!

Something's got to be done... and something's got to be done fast!

BLESSED!

He is 36 years, 9 months and 23 days old today. He just scored his 47th Test century yesterday. His 92nd in top flight international cricket. At the age when most cricketers of his generation have had stints in the commentary box, he just seems content in giving them all an evergreen subject to comment on.

The Master and his Self - Proclaimed Follower were at it once again. Statistics will tell you that Sachin Tendulkar and Virendra Sehwag have a partnership average of more than 75. They might tell you that Sehwag's knock overshadowed Sachin's art today (Sehwag has a habit of overshadowing everything thrown at him when he is in mood).

But let that not fool you. Batting has always been an art. But I doubt any artist in history has been as pleasing as our Little Master. Some might say Sir Don Bradman was better, some might add that Sir Viv Richards was better, some might even put modern contemporaries like Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara ahead of him.

But lets get this staight - no one with a bit of knowledge and in a sound state of mind can argue when I say that no cricketer in the history of cricket has had a greater impact on the game as Sachin Tendulkar.

Sachin Tendulkar grew up wanting to emulate India's 1983's heroes. Though he has not managed to achieve that particular aim, he has managed something even bigger: he has managed to inspire a generation and more of youngsters who want to emulate him and help him to achieve this dream for him.

A man who made his debut when India was in pre-liberalisation period now wants to see India through to a period of a super power. He plays cricket for India - his dream career. And that's the reason why he still enjoys being there in the middle - doing what he can so that India can win matches.

Some might want to say that he has not won India enough matches. For those of you who think so, I'll post a different blog with all the statistics and counter arguements to satisfy you. Right now, you guys can take a backseat.

Sachin does not have a lot of time left in cricket (even though I feel he can go on till he is 50). So let us enjoy his cricket as much as he enjoys it himself. He sometimes makes me wonder whether I'll be enjoying my work as much as him when I am in the twilight of my career. I don't know about that right now.

All I can say right now is that blessed are those whose vocation is also their life's greatest passion.

22 BALLS ON 22 YARDS

Okay, so I am on my way to get the prediction made in my last blog completely wrong. I would have thought before tea that a draw should not be too difficult a result for India to achieve on a slow paced Nagpur wicket. What I had not anticipated was Steyn's immaculate spell of reverse swing bowling after tea, the spell in which his figures read 5 wickets for 3 runs in 22 balls with 2 maidens. What more can a captain really ask for from his numero uno fast bowler?

The day started badly with an in-form Gautam Gambhir falling to Morkel without adding to his overnight score. Morkel's around-the-wicket line came back to trouble him in the evening, when he misjudged one to see his off stump kissed by the cherry. Sidharth Monga's bulletin on the 3rd day's play on Cricinfo said about Gambhir: "When it's not your day, it's probably not your evening either". After equalling Sir Viv Richards' record of scoring a fifty in 11 successive Tests, Gambhir could manage only 13 runs in this Test. As a matter of fact, he managed to score just 1 run today getting out twice to Morkel. Has Morkel found a new Andrew Strauss?

The other man to get out twice during the day, Virendra Sehwag, showed maturity for 212 minutes before throwing it all away. However, more than his first innings dismissal, I think that it's his second innings cheap dismissal that will have a bigger impact on the result of the match.

Dale Steyn. The blogs are buzzing about his achievement today. He got 8 wickets today (7 in the 1st innings and Sehwag in the 2nd). Five of those were specialist batsmen (if you count Saha as one). And what's worse for India, he is likely to get more tomorrow and finish with a 10-wicket haul for the match.

Yes, there are people (including Viru) praying for a repeat of Kolkata 2001. Some are even thinking of invoking the rain Gods. But the mood that he was in today, I doubt Steyn would have any of that distracting him tomorrow.

GAMBHIR'S GALLERY OF RECORDS

It will be right to assume that Gautam Gambhir's shot at equalling the great Sir Donald Bradman's record of scoring hundreds in six consecutive Tests has been lost. Dismissed for 68 in the first innings of the Second Test against Bangladesh, he is unlikely to get a chance to bat again in this Test match. India's lead, as I write this, has crossed 300.

However, Gambhir has equalled one other record of scoring a 50+ score in 11 consecutive Test matches, earlier set by Sir Vivian Richards. This fact has been well publicised. There has been one record though, that he is currently a joint holder of, which has gone completely unnoticed. Gautam Gambhir is currently holding a record jointly with Sir Don Bradman (again!) of scoring 4 centuries in consecutive 2nd innings of Test matches.

Gambhir scored 137 and 167 against New Zealand at Napier and Wellington respectively last year, followed by 114 against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad and 116 against Bangladesh at Chittagong - all in the second innings. In between, the team did not bat in the second innings in the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka and Gambhir did not play the 3rd Test as he was attending his sister's marriage. As he is unlikely to bat again in this Test, he has a chance against South Africa in the upcoming series to cross this record. Mark Taylor (Aus) and Jacques Kallis (SA) have scored 3 centuries in consecutive 2nd innings of Test matches.

Irrespective of the fact whether he gets to these records or misses them, one has to look upon with awe at Gambhir's phenomenal success in all forms of the game over the last couple of years. Gambhir, before the start of this Test match, is 28 Test matches old and has scored 2692 runs. This is an Indian record, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar, for the most Test runs scored after 28 Test matches by a player. Considering the fact that Gavaskar had a tremendous start to his Test career against West Indies and Gambhir's start to his Test career can be described as lukewarm at best, this achievement seems even bigger.

I must confess that I did not predict great achievements from him at the start of his career. In fact, when he scored his maiden Test century against Bangladesh at Chittagong in 2004, I was of the opinion that we have a new minnow basher - a man who can be tried out every time when the team is scheduled to play Bangladesh and Zimbabwe (they weren't suspended back then). How wrong I have been proven!

I know it is too early in his career to assess his greatness or lack thereof. He is yet to play Test cricket in Australia, South Africa and England. He is yet to play a World Cup (ODI format... I know he has won one in the T20 format). So, there is still a long way to go for Gambhir, but early signals are extremely positive. Even if most of his runs are scored in the sub - continent, any player who is matching the world records of the likes of Sir Don Bradman and Sir Viv Richards must certainly be a quality material. He is now considered the Mr. Reliable in a batting line up comprising of Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman (who have a whopping 38023 Test runs amongst them including the current Test). Who would have though that a year and a half back!

P.S. (Updated after the end of 2nd Test between Bangladesh & India): Last ball of the 90th over of Bangladesh's second innings, Mushfiqur Rahim got down on one knee and dispatched Harbhajan Singh to boundary and India has to bat again. In the process, he ensured that Gambhir does not get a shot at either of Bradman's record mentioned above - centuries in last 6 tests OR centuries in last 4 second innings. The silver lining is that he atleast has Viv's records to look forward to.