Following his viceral attack on the CNN host where he was interviewed, amongst the other talk show hosts he has left reeling his wake, we got in touch with Dr. Nonis , an avid cricket fan, to discuss a few matters related to cricket.
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England’s hopes of securing the Ashes series before the fourth Test are under threat after Kevin Pietersen withdrew from the squad with injury this week. The batsman, who hasn’t exactly impressed in his first four innings, suffered a calf strain at Lord’s and subsequently won’t play any part at Old Trafford.
What Alastair Cook and the selectors should do is chop the top order around, to give England’s forgotten man a chance to prove himself. For Nick Compton was left out of proceedings a week before the first Test, England instead opting for Joe Root to partner Cook. Root saved his own place with that 180 at Lord’s and had it not been for that tally would definitely be watching play from the Old Trafford stands.
With a space now freed in the middle thanks to Pietersen’s loss, it’s time Root dropped back to five or six and let Compton take the reins up top. Fans who read the online cricket news argue the move would greatly enhance England’s middle order, which has had a delicate time of late and relied on the experience of Ian Bell to push through innings, all the while, Compton’s arrival adding a more considered approach in the opening partnership.
Root’s place as second man was meant to counterbalance Cook’s slow play but they haven’t forged a partnership of note as yet. Compare this to Cook and Compton, who made a 165-partnership in Kolkata, India and forged a 231-stand in Dunedin, New Zealand and you begin to wonder why he was ever dropped.
Make no mistake, England’s cricket betting odds have slipped with the loss of Pietersen. He is a great batsman and can pull out an innings from nowhere. Yet fans should see the impending squad change as an opportunity for Compton to fight for his place. There are still three Tests to play for and plenty more chances to impress before the series Down Under.
Australia will find it tough to defend their ICC Champions Trophy crown in England and Wales this month as they face a gruelling group stage alongside their hosts and Ashes rivals – with the cricket betting odds favouring England.
Michael Clarke’s men is much changed from the Test outfit that suffered a series whitewash to India earlier this year and the big news is George Bailey has been handed the vice-captaincy role behind Australia’s star batsman.
Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has earned a place in the one-day international squad despite being omitted from Australia’s Ashes set-up, as has top-order batsman Phillip Hughes.
Compare this team to the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy victors and there is cause for alarm: no Lee, Siddle, Ponting, White or Hussey. The champions have been replaced by average players that aren’t up for winning this tournament.
The Australia team certainly isn’t as strong or as capable of winning this trophy as previous generations but many fans of Australian cricket betting believe they stand a chance of escaping Group A and making the semis.
Form is on their side after Clarke’s men beat West Indies 5-0 in an ODI series in February and they fared reasonably well against Group A opponents Sri Lanka over the New Year.
They face old rivals England in the first match on 8 June at Edgbaston, a clash that is bound to be spicy and could serve as the first blow ahead of the Ashes later in the year.
Next up is New Zealand, who matched both England and South Africa recently, before that Sri Lanka clash on 17 June.
If Australia are to make the semis – where they are likely to lose to either West Indies or South Africa – they must beat England in the first game before scalping Sri Lanka. New Zealand are a good outside price to top Group A and Australia would do well to come second – although betting fans should refrain from backing them any further than that.
Paranavithana
For – Left handed so he will complement Dilshan
Against – These days this isn’t really that bigger a deal. Bowlers adjust better and quicker. Australia open with two lefties.
For – Could be his breakout series
Against – Could be his last
For – Adds solidity to Dilshans flamboyance
Against – Hardly sticks around long enough to display any sort of solidity
For – Deserves to be persisted with to give him a fair run
Against – Since the England tour in 2011 he has scored 4 half centuries in 5 tours. Not good enough
For – The openers position is a tough place to bat
Against – Sure, if you don’t have the right skill set. And Alistair Cook would say otherwise. Really, how different are these two as players ? Both have similar technique. Both do not score quickly. Both have a similar style and approach to batting. The main differences right now, apart from Cooks form, are that Cook can rotate the strike better and knows exactly where his off stump is. Paranavithana as probably also become complacent given that Sri Lanka have given him a free ride for sometime now. His confidence has whittled away on the back of his poor stretch of runs and walks out with as much assured as poorly made jelly
For – Has some experience which will be useful in Australia
Against – Maybe a fresh mind with no scars is a better option
Karunarathne
For – Paranavithana isn’t any good
Against – Not enough of a reason to be first pick
For – Has been in form with runs in SA for the A team and a goodish 60 on test debut
Against – You can’t really argue against form but that 60 was in a small chase when there was no pressure at all on him
For – He is young and has potential
Against – He is young and a tour of Australia isn’t exactly a place to put someone in the deep end
For – More aggressive than Paranavithana
Against – While this is handy, he is still unproven when it comes to pressure situations being able to build an innings at international level, which will be far more valuable given that Dilshan has enough aggro for two players combined.
For – Has risen to scoring runs against top opposition in his short career
Against – This is a great feature to have. Australia in Australia, when they are hurting after the SA loss could be a different proposition
So there it is. You weren’t seriously expecting us to make a decision for you, were you?
Imagine a strange world around the 18th or 19th of December in the small city of Hobart, where Sri Lanka have battled hard to stay within touching distance of Australia. It then boils down to need a last throw of the body and mind to either win or save the game.
We’ve all been there in some form or the other. You come home spent from a day of dealing with a pile of dung at work and you see your dishes from last night are still in the sink. And if you are anal about a clean kitchen like us then you will find that extra gear to power through a wash up. Sometimes you are not even doing it because you want to. It’s because you absolutely have to. You give in to the greater need and take yourself to the breaking limit or you remember you have a dishwasher.
Peter Siddle and Faf Duplesis exhibited just this quality today. Siddle had to be carried off in the end. He is a workhorse at the best of times but today he just kept going, looking like he would break down, a sip of water, and going again. It was a remarble show of endurance and probably a touch insanity over matter in the end.
Duplesis may have been on his test debut but has been around long enough to know how handle a situation like this. But even he woudlnt have counted on having to bat for seemed like an absolute eternity. Duplesis was wavering at the end but something drove him on.
It occured to us that if Sri Lanka ever end up in a situation like this during the Australian summer, there is no one that we would feel comfortable casting in these roles.
Kulesekara, Eranga, Welegedara and Pradeep are all bowlers who’ve never put in an effort like Siddle did today. These are bowlers who bowl within themselves and are happy to get through the day as a matter of fact. Watching them bowl to the Kiwi tail with the field spread was diabolically uninspiring.
Then the Sri Lankan top order got swept away by some decent test bowling. Hardly anything that would warrant 15-3. It was callous, unthoughtful batting in a situation where Sri Lanka needed to grind and build a platform for the next day.
It’s easy to characterise this as something that seperates a good test side from a half decent one. But at the end of the day a test side needs players who are willing to go above and beyond their average when it’s required. And if a day like this does roll around later in the Summer Sri Lanka need have a long way to go if they are to inspire a performance worthy of Siddle and Faf today.
Signed by Mahela Jayawardene and Rangana Herath
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