cricket

Bishan Singh Bedi: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Bishan Singh Bedi Is Five Degrees Or Less

What he said (via IBNLive):

“I believe in clean action. I belong to traditional cricket. I don’t believe in 15 degrees of all such nonsense.”

Bishan Singh Bedi is still not convinced of the validity of Shoaib Akhtar’s and Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling actions.

The left-armer famously termed them “javelin throwers”.

Bedi currently manages the Jammu & Kashmir Ranji team.

What he really meant:

“Either you’re chucking or you’re not.Hyperextension—what’s that?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’d love to coach javelin throwers. They’d make great bowlers; the right bio-mechanics are already in place. And the doosra is right up their alley.”

Ishant Sharma: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Ishant Sharma Negates Team Australia’s Mind Games

What he said (via Espn Cricinfo):

“They (the Australians) are better at playing mind games than they are at playing the game.”

India pace spearhead Ishant Sharma has sensible words of advice for Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav for the upcoming tour of Australia.

Speaking to Mail Today, the lanky fast bowler expressed satisfaction with his performances this year. Sharma missed out on Team India’s ODI World Cup party.

Sharma said:

It has been a very good year for me. I am happy with my rhythm and pace. Even though I didn’t get wickets on some occasions, I am pleased with the way I have bowled this year.But the learning process never stops. Even someone like Sachin Tendulkar says he is still learning about the game after 22 years. So I am always learning to improve. For me, every day is a new day.

Sharma will lead the inexperienced Indian attack if Zaheer Khan does not fully recover from his ankle injury.

Sharma said:

Obviously, having Zaheer would be a huge bonus. But if he is not there, it would be an honour to lead the attack in Australia. It would be a great responsibility. Every fast bowler dreams of leading the attack for the country.Australia is going to be very exciting. But the key would be not to put pressure on yourself. If you keep thinking about results and wickets, it would only add to the pressure. So I would look to just enjoy myself. This time in Australia, patience will be the key.The thing is that Australian batsmen don’t like to be tied down and if you bowl patiently at them, you can pick wickets. So bowling tightly would be the best strategy.

Sharma looks forward to bowling in tandem with pace prospects, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron.

Sharma said:

Bowling with Umesh and Varun is quite exciting. They have the pace and the best thing is they are willing to learn. The more they bowl, they more will learn to exploit the conditions.

What he really meant:

“Cricket’s played more in the mind than anything else and ,boy, don’t the Aussies know it.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Sledge me if you can.”

Ross Taylor: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Ross Taylor Wishes For More Catching Practice From Philip Hughes

What he said (via ESPN Cricinfo):

“I’d love him to be in the team.”

Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor cannot hide his glee at Philip Hughes’ performance in the first Test at Brisbane.

The belligerent opener scored 10 and seven in his two outings in the middle.

The New South Wales batsman’s troubles outside the off stump continue.

Taylor said:

If Hughes plays in Tasmania then obviously Chris Martin will be bowling at him and hopefully Martin Guptill takes a third catch too.We had a lot of video footage of all the Australian players and Hughes got caught at second, third slip and gully a lot in the Ashes and in South Africa. That was definitely an area we wanted to target, and with the way Chris Martin bowls, he bowls across the left-hander.

Chris Martin bagged Hughes in both innings.

Michael Clarke put his hand up in defense of his young team-mate.

Clarke said:

I look forward to a press conference where I don’t get asked about Phillip Hughes.Once again, not concerning for me. I have confidence that Hughesy will come out in Hobart and perform. He got a hundred not that long ago, 80-odd not that long ago. I’ve seen Hughesy cut that ball for four a number of times. I’m sure he would be disappointed personally that he hasn’t made any runs in this test match, but I’m confident he can put his hand up in Hobart and get a big score for us.

Clarke believes that Hughes can deliver the goods and is a much improved batsman since his Test debut.

Clarke added:

I think his technique has improved out of sight.Every one of us has deficiencies in technique. And these days with the footage you can get on players, it’s very easy to find out what those deficiencies are. It’s no different for any batsman. I have seen a lot of improvement. I continue to see him scoring runs. Probably not as consistent as he would like, but he’s still scoring them. His record for NSW is better than any 23-year-old in this country. He’s scored three great hundreds for Australia and I’m confident he can score a lot more.

What Ross Taylor really meant:

“More slip catching practice for us.”

What Ross Taylor definitely didn’t:

“I’d love to have Hughes bat for my life.”

Ben Cutting: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Ben Cutting Cannot Find Much Luck In The Corner Stores

What he said :

“If you could buy luck in a corner store, I’d throw my life savings at it.”

Young Aussie paceman, Ben Cutting, is cut up with his side strain that effectively ended his chances of playing the second Test against New Zealand at Hobart.

What he really meant:

“Good fortune,like gold and oil,is in short supply—even more so for pace bowlers.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I wonder what the odds are on my recovery at Ladbrokes?”

Chris Cairns: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Chris Cairns Is Elephantine In His Pronouncements

What he said (via Sydney Morning Herald):

“And there’s an elephant in the room at the moment in Ricky Ponting that nobody is really addressing.”

Chris Cairns begins the mind games prior to Australia’s tour of New Zealand.

The Kiwi all-rounder believes that Ricky Ponting’s shelf life has neared its expiry date and called for his retirement.

Cairns said:

I don’t think you can have two years averaging 27 as a No.3. I think it’s his time. And when you look at the likes of Mark Taylor, [Ian] Healy, Mark Waugh – they were told it was their time. And there’s an elephant in the room at the moment in Ricky Ponting that nobody is really addressing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got the utmost respect for Ricky Ponting but there’s a time and a place. And for me, his time and place is Hobart in the second Test against New Zealand. That’s to say, ‘Thanks very much’.

Australian selectors have been kind to Ricky Ponting in comparison to his predecessors, none of whom were retained.

Cairns said:

And whilst [the Ponting saga] continues on, the media circus will go with it and the guys will just be surrounded by that talk instead of just getting on and playing cricket.

Absolutely [Cricket Australia are avoiding the tough decisions]. They’ve allowed Ricky to keep going because of his stature in the game and who he is. But why should he have to make the call? At the end of the day, for me, Australia has always been about the team and what’s best. He is behind Bradman, Australia’s greatest batsman, so they’re managing it. But I just think it’s an elephant in the room. I really do. Australia has got rebuilding to do.

What he really meant:

“Australia have one captain too many in the dressing room—a non-performing one to boot. They all know what needs to be done. The question is ‘who’s going to bell the cat?’”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Ricky Ponting has to be nursed along much like Sachin Tendulkar. Treat him with kid gloves.”

Virender Sehwag: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Virender Sehwag Advises Against Advising Tailenders

What he said (via Times Of India):

“Whatever you tell No. 10 or No. 11, they always do what they want to do.”

Virender Sehwag is one relieved skipper.

Batting minnows, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, knocked off the required 11 runs to secure victory in the first ODI against West Indies at  Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.

Prior to the ODI series, the third Test match between the two sides ended in a thrilling draw with the scores tied. Then too, it was left to the tailenders to complete the job.

Sehwag said:

I was sitting in the same place and not moving! It’s good to win another nail-biter. Whatever you tell No. 10 or No. 11, they always do what they want to do. I just told them to play till the end and whatever happens is fine. Rohit and Jadeja batted really well in that partnership and we should have won it easily from there, but still good to end up winning. We hope to learn from our batting mistakes in the coming games.

Darren Sammy was the disappointed captain—again.

Sammy said:

Everytime you lose it is quite disappointing. We just didn’t have the last spark to take us past the finish line. The opening bowlers did well to give us a start and we fought all the way to the end, but it wasn’t enough. We could have done things differently, we even bowled 23 extras, but I would like to commend the boys. They fought with never-say-die spirit and it is going to stick.

What he really meant:

“When tailenders bat, they do what they want to and don’t want to, too.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Isn’t cricket a game of glorious uncertainties? So what if I’m missing fingernails?”

Ravi Rampaul: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Ravi Rampaul Plays Villain To Sachin Tendulkar’s Devils

What he said:

“I got the feeling that I was the villain as soon as Sachin went.”

Ravi Rampaul is anointed villain of the piece when the Indian first innings story in the third Test did not go per script.

Sachin Tendulkar missed his 100th international hundred (once again) caught behind for 94 off Rampaul.

The pacer’s  moment of joy was short-lived as the Wankhede crowd made their displeasure known.

Rampaul said:

I got the feeling that I was the villain as soon as Sachin went. When I was back to the boundary I got ‘abused’ in a way but that’s how cricket goes. I know I have let a lot of Sachin fans down and heart broken. But we can’t just let him go out there and play freely. We had our jobs to do such as he had his job to do.

What he really meant:

“If my job makes me enemy to the crowd, so be it. I play for my side.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Sachin’s my hero. I’d  never plan him out.”

Gautam Gambhir: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Gautam Gambhir Off Breaks Ravichandran Ashwin

What he said:

"There’s nothing to be heartbroken about.A bowler needs to bowl on every kind of wicket. A batsman never says he is heartbroken if it is a green top. They simply play on any wicket."

Gautam Gambhir is unsympathetic to Ravichandran Ashwin’s cause. The Tamil Nadu spinner lamented that the Wankhede pitch for the third Test against the Windies was unhelpful to spinners.

Gambhir added:

There will be many occasions where he will have to bowl on wickets that are more flat than this one. So there is no need to feel cheated.
It is a great challenge and everyone should try to accept it and get the best out of it.
That’s what Test cricket is all about. You don’t get a five-wicket haul or a hundred easily. You have to work hard for it.

The Delhi batsman believes that Ashwin is one for the long haul.

"He has taken two five-wicket hauls in this series and has a great future ahead.” said Gambhir.

What he really meant:

“Good for me ,nine times out of 10, wickets in India are batsmen friendly. I’d be groaning too if every pitch was Mohali.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Ashwin, I’d like to roll my arm over if you’re tired.”

Michael Clarke: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Michael Clarke Waits Out While Teammates Complete Win

What he said:

“I was dying to go to the bathroom for an hour and a half but I was too scared to move.”

Australia skipper, Michael Clarke, controls his bladder until his team completes a stunning victory over South Africa in the second Test at Johannesburg.

What he really meant:

“And I had no liquids (beer) either for those 90 minutes.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“If we’d lost, it’d have taken the p**s out of me.”

Ian Chappell: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Ian Chappell ‘Clubs’ Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle

What he said:

“The problem is they also bowl plenty that could be hit to the boundary by a proficient club batsman.”

Ian Chappell diagnoses the ills plaguing Australia’s pace bowlers.

Chappell wrote:

Both Johnson and Siddle bowl deliveries good enough to dismiss any Test batsman.The problem is they also bowl plenty that could be hit to the boundary by a proficient club batsman. Johnson’s problem is one of confidence. Consequently, he’s often running up to bowl half expecting something to go wrong and is fighting a battle with himself as much as the batsman down the other end.

What he really meant:

“Siddle and Johnson are quite capable of bowling balls of this century—to club players.”

What he definitely didn’t: