Uphill Climb For Aussies

After the sound drubbing against India in the second test of the ongoing Border Gavaskar trophy, Aussies face an uphill test to even the scores in the third test to be held at Delhi. Indian skipper Anil Kumble who missed the Mohali test because of the sore shoulder is expected to be back for the third test. Delhi has always been a happy hunting ground for Kumble.

The Australian pace attack which underperformed in the previous test has its work cut out as Brett Lee still struggles to find his rhythm and Stuart Clark still has fitness worries. Mitchell Johnson has been the most impressive seamer on view for the Aussies on this tour. Peter Siddle who made his debut at Mohali is expected to sit out if Stuart Clark is declared fit. The Aussies are expected to persist with all-rounder Cameron White as the main spinner inspite of his poor performance with the bat.

The batting department has its own concerns with its talismanic opener Matthew Hayden still to fire in the series. Skipper Ricky Ponting has continued his wretched form in India apart from his inspiring century in the first test. Vice captain Michael Clarke is also yet to contribute substantially.

The series could very well be decided at Delhi. If Aussies are to come back from behind and take the series their frontline batsmen and bowlers need to contribute consistently.

A Prisoner Of Birth

Ah! Another book review. This one is by Jeffrey Archer as well. This is his most recent work to be published. And as always its a treat for ardent Jeffrey Archer fans. ( I am one of them for sure).

This book follows the life of an English West End mechanic Daniel Arthur Cartwright, after he has been accused of murdering his childhood chum Bernie Wilson. Three witnesses of high standing turn up against in the court. They are Spencer Craig- a barrister, Lawrence Davenport-a soap star, and Toby Mortimer-an aristocrat. The only person who tells Danny's side of the story is his girlfriend Elizabeth Wilson. She is the sister of the murdered victim Bernie. Unfortunately, the jury rules against Danny and he ends up being locked up in jail for 22 years.

In jail he meets up with Nicolas Moncrieff and Albert Crann with whom he shares his cell. While serving his sentence Danny learns to read and write thanks to his cell mate Nick. Coincidentally, both Nick and Danny are lookalikes. Nick is due to be released on parole in a few months. When a prisoner mistakes Nick for Danny and murders him, Danny escapes from the prison as Nick and sets out to avenge the death of his pal Bernie.

He goes off to Scotland, from where Nick hails, gets trapped in a legal battle with his uncle Hugo Moncrieff (Nick's uncle) over the family fortune, barely escapes from being sent to prison again for violating his parole conditions, and plots revenge on his enemies.

Eventually his enemies finds out about his true identity and then he is sent back to prison. How he proves his innocence and he finds justice forms the rest of the story. Like all Archer novels, this one is full of thrills, suspense and above all very well written. Makes a good read. To read the reviews of other Jeffrey Archer titles click on the author.

21!!!!

I've heard that this is one of the best movies released this year, and therefore i watched this movie a short while ago. True enough, this movie held me spell bound for 2 hours. And at the end of the movie i was as astonished as the Harvard med scholarship administrator. However here goes the crux of the movie.

Ben Campbell is a brilliant student who studies at MIT. His long cherished dream is to study at Harvard Medical School, but unfortunately could not afford to pay the high fees. Therefore he applies for Robinson Scholarship. But the scholarship administrator says that the scholarship will be awarded to only one person who "dazzles" ie the one who"jumps out"of the page. He then asks Ben to tell some true life experience. Ben then tells the administrator his story.


Ben is a intellectual fellow who works hard in MIT and is regarded highly by his professors. After he successfully solves an intellectual math problem, his professor invites him to join a gang which makes money by counting cards in Las Vegas casinos. Although initially Ben is reluctant, he soon masters the system and then goes to casinos to earn sufficient money to pay for his Harvard Med Expenses. After enjoying the high life which comes with money Ben finds it hard to stop playing even after he earned the money required for his tution fees. He then falls out with his professor who then leaves the gang. Meanwhile the Casino's security guard suspects Ben and then allows Ben after stern warning. When Ben returns to his dorm he finds that his earnings has been taken away from him and he cannot complete his MIT degree on time.

Devasted, he asks Rosa, his professor, to accompany him to casino for one last time. Rosa agrees and the team play under a disguise. After raking in money, the security guard spots them and they begin to flee in different directions. Ben hands over the bag containing the chips to Rosa who then quitely exits the casino and gets into a car. When he opens the bag, it is revealed that the bag which was supposed to contain chips contains chocolate coins.Ben switches the bag before handing it over to Rosa as a part of agreement which he has with the casino security guard. When Ben eventually exits the casino with the chips, he is intercepted by the guard who then demands that he give up the chips and return home empty handed. Ben has no option but to oblidge.

He recounts this fascinating story to the scholarship administrator and then asks him "Did i dazzle you professor??" "Did i jump out??" The professor stares at him in shock and awe.

First Test Fizzles Out Into Draw

The opening test match between India and Australia ended in a tame draw after Australia failed to take 10 wickets in just under 3 sessions. After setting India an unlikely target of 299 to win the match, the pacers did a commendable job with the new ball dismissing opener Virender Sehwag and Rahul "The Wall" Dravid before lunch. But after lunch Sachin Tendulkar and co, blunted the Australian attack until both capains decided to settle for a draw.

Sachin Tendulkar failed to surpass Brian Lara's record, falling 14 runs short. He was dismissed off debutant Craig White for a well made 49. At the end, V.V.S. Laxman was unbeaten on 42, and Sourav Ganguly unbeaten on 26. Zaheer Khan was declared as the man of the match for his match haul of 6 wickets and an unbeaten 57.

The second test of the four match test series begins on 17th October at Mohali.

Kane and Abel - Archer at his Best

Kane and Abel is one of the most well known and most appreciated novels from Jeffrey Archer. The story revolves around the life of two men born on the different sides of the world on the same day. The circumstances, life path and their upbringing of the two men are vastly different but they are destined to cross path in relentless pursuit of success.

William Lowell Kane is a son of a rich Boston banker and he gets everything a child could aspire for. He is the one born with a silver spoon. He goes to the finest schools in the US, then gets accepted at Harvard and then sets his sight on becoming the chairman of his father's bank.

Wladek Koskiewicz aka Abel Rosnovski on the other hand, is an orphan who is initially raised by a trapper in Poland. His life is full of untold hardship and suffering as he suffers in dungeons and war camps before finally setting foot in the US. After entering US, he climbs up steadily from being a waiter in a hotel to becoming the owner of one of the most successful hotel chains in the world.

Abel loses his close friend on two occasions during the course of his life, and his determination to seek revenge for one of his pal's death make him to cross path with William Kane and these two become involved in life long conflict bent on destroying each other. To make matters difficult for both, the son of William Kane and daughter of Abel Rosnovski fall in love with each other and get married.

Ulimately in their relentless quest only one of them can triumph. The major highlight of the novel is the merging of real historical events in the story. The historcal events which are featured in the novel include the invention of Henry Ford's Model T automobile, the sinking of Titanic, the first world war, the stock market crash of 1929, the second world war e.t.c.

Archer draws the attention of his readers in the very first page and sustains their attention till the very end. The novels spans three generations and is one of the best novels I've ever read. It is a must read for all Archer fans and book lovers in general. He has also written a sequel for this novel titled "The Prodigal Daughter". To read the review of the sequel "The Prodigal Daughter" click on the title. To read about other Jeffrey Archer titles click on the author.

Johnson's Spell Swings Match

India finished day 3 at 313 for the loss of 8 wickets. India trail the Aussies by 117 runs. Aussie speedster Mitchell Johnson scalped 4 wickets to destroy the Indian top order. At one stage India was staring down the barrel at 106/4 before Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly combined to ease the nerves. Dravid made a well compiled half century. After Dravid fell to Shane Watson, India lost Dhoni and Sourav in quick succession and Aussies were looking to secure a potentially match winning first innings lead. However Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan batted freely to take the score to 312, when Harbhajan was finally dismissed by Watson. At the close of play, skipper Anil Kumble joined forces with Zaheer Khan.

Earlier in the day, the first two sessions elonged to Australians and especially Mitchell Johnson. He was the wrecker in chief. The day started well for Aussies with pace ace Brett Lee removing opener Gautam Gambhir in his very first over of the day. Then it was Johnson all the way. He removed the other destructive opener Virender Sehwag, and then followed it up with the prize scalp of Sachin Tedulkar. And for a good measure he also removed V.V.S.Laxman before unch to have India reeling at 106/4 with all the top batters back in the hut.

The bowling department which was considered to be Australia's weak link held up well, even though Stuart Clark was wicketless after bowling 17 overs. All rounders Shane Watson and Craig White bowled well while Michael Clarke accounted for vice captain M S Dhoni.

With only two days remaining in the test, the Aussies will lok to polish off the Indian tail tommorow and set a challenging total for the home side to chase. The fourth day's play may well decide the fate of the test match.

Ponting's ton Props Aussies

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting led from the front and scored a brisk century which enabled the Aussies to finish the day at 254/4 in the first test match played at Bangalore. Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat first on a batting paradise. The much awaited clash began on a disastrous note for the Aussies with opener Matthew Hayden being dismissed for naught in the very first over of the day. However Opener Simon Katich and skipper Ponting joined forces to take Austraia to 166 without any furthur loss. Katich scored a gritty half century and finished with 66. Soon after Katich's dismissal Ponting completed his ton, his first one in India.

Ponting eventually fell to Harbhajan Singh after making a sparkling 123 off 243 balls. Michael Clarke was dismissed in the last over of the day by Zaheer Khan. At the close of play Michael Hussy was unbeaten on 46. For the Indians Zaheer Khan picked 2 wickets, while Ishant Sharma and H.Singh scalped 1 each.

Earlier Australians picked all-rounder Cameron While in the playing XI ahead of spinner Jason Krejza. The inclusion of hard hitting C.White has lent depth to the Aussie batting line up which already has all- rounder Shane Watson in its ranks. India went along with two pacers and two spinners.

"All Rounders" - A Rare Breed

The importance of all-rounders in one day cricket is well documented. But what role does an all rounder play in the traditional form of the game, the test cricket? To support this argument, we need to look at the contributions of the all-rounders in the international circuit.

Lets begin our analysis with the current world champions Australia. They usually have Andrew Symonds playing as an all rounder. Symonds is a complete package and hence offers variety to the line up. He can bowl medium pace, spin, and more importantly, he is a quality batsman who can single handedly turn the flow of the game. Additionally he is an excepional fielder too. Thus even if he fails in one department, he usually compensates by excelling in other fronts. And his useful bowling helps the regular bowlers to take much needed break in the course of an innings.

England usually play Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood in their ranks. Whenever Flintoff is fully fit and firing, the complexion of the England team changes and he infuses enthusiasm and confidence to the entire line up. His bowling is always sharp and accurate. His wicket taking ability eases the pressure on the opening bowlers and also increase the pressure in the opposition ranks. They cannot afford to relax even after taking the shine off the new ball. And he is more than a handy batsman who scores quickly. Thus he is an asset to the team. Paul Collingwood is a batsman who can bowl medium pace and he usually operates whenever their frontline bowlers take a break.

South Africa usually have Jacques Kallis in their line up. Heis a genuine No 3 batsman who also bowls medium pace. He is a class apart and can be relied to provide telling contributions both with bat and ball. In addition to Kallis, the South Africans usually play Albie Morkel who is also a useful contributor with both bat and the ball.

Therefore, the importance of an all rounder is not limited to ODI's or T 20's alone. They play a critical part in test cricket as well. Generally there are two kinds of all rounders. 1. Bowlers who can bat, and 2. Batsmen who can bowl. Andrew Flintoff is a typical example of the former whereas, Jacques Kallis and Andrew Symonds are good examples of the latter.

Generally its good to have bowlers who can bat in the team as it provides variety to the bowling deparment. Also if there is a quality all-rounder available, it inreases the flexibilty of the squad, as the captain can include an additional bowler or a batsman depending upon the conditions.

Sourav's Swansong

Its official. Former team India captain Sourav Ganguly has announced that this will be his last test series in Indian flannels. With that announcement, it could very well signify the end of an era for team India. This announcement also means this will be the last series where the so called "Fab Four" will play together for one last time.

Sourav Ganguly as a cricketer and a person has always polarised opinions. A maverick in his own right, he defied coventions and relied on his gut feeling. As a person, well, its really difficult to give an opinion on that. Andrew Flintoff with whom he played for Lancashire for a season or two said that "Having Ganguly in the side was like having Price Charles in the side. He turned up as if he were a royalty." If that doesnt give you any basis for forming an opinion, then sample this. Sourav made Aussie Captain Steve Waugh "wait" at the toss. As a result he got under the skin of "Iceman" as Steve was known. The result? Australian juggernaut was brought to a grinding halt. The final frontier remained unconquered and Steve's dream remained, well a dream. Nothing more.

As a captain Sourav managed to galvanise the team into a winning unit.He won the support of controversial characters like Harbhajan Singh. Of course it helped that he had a self less deputy in the form of Rahul Dravid. For those who swear by the numbers, here's a fact. He was the most successful captain India had ever produced. He often led the team fearlessly and it rubbed off on his team mates. He took the team to the door steps of glory during the 2003 world cup. His other conquests include winning the series in Pakistan and more importantly the drawn series down under. Of course the Australians were a bit emotional considering that it was Steve's final series. However Sourav led the way with a brilliant century in the first test.

As a batsman he was truly a prince. He was given the title "Lord Of The Off Side" and rightly so. His gorgeous drives on the off sides stood out and together with Sachin, they forged many memorable innings at the top. Although he was an opener in the shorther format of the game, he was at ease whenever he faced spinners. He treated them with disdain to say the least. He usually cleared the ground with minimum fuss. Of course there were mixed opinions about his ability to survive against the short ball. But inspite of these so called "chinks" in his armour he still managed to score more than 11,000 runs in the shorter format of the game. He was more than a useful bowler who had the knack of breaking partnerships. He also earned the title "The Man With The Golden Arm". He even opened the Indian bowling in a couple of test matches.

Love him or hate him, no one could could possibly deny that he was one in a generation cricketer and was the best captain India has ever produced. A graceful and elegant batsman, his end signals an end of an era in Indian cricket history. He was definetly a precious gem in the crown. Lets hope that he goes out witha bang. Farewll Sourav. Thanks for the memories. You were one of the very best.

Blues Edge Warriors

New South Wales Blues, the holders of Pura Cup, edged past the West Australian Warriors in the inaugural match of the Ford Ranger trophy at WACA. The Warriors won the toss and put the Blues in. Blues were fielding a less experienced line up this season as their established stars are on Australian duty in India. It is interesting to note that the Blues were left languishing at the bottom of the table in the last year's edition. For the Blues, Grant Lambert top scored with an unbeaten 48. The Blues scored 220 for the loss of 9 wickets in their alloted 50 overs. For the Warriors, Brett Dorey scalped 3 wickets.

Chasing 221 for victory, the star studded Warriors line up faltered at the start, losing half their side for 62. However, the Warriors skipper Marcus North stood firm on the other end and top scored with 95. B.Dorey also scored quickfire 45, which raised hopes of the Warriors victory, but when skipper North was dismissed in the last over of the innings, the issue was settled in favor of the Blues. For the Blues, Mark Cameron and Nathaan Hauritz scalped 3 wickets apiece while Nathan Bracken snared 2 wickets. The Warriors skipper North was adjudged as the Man Of The Match.

South Australia take on Victoria on 12th October in the second match of the series.