Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Atmanand Maharaj more newsy than South Africa win over Australia at Perth by 177 runs in the First Test. On a Perth pitch curated by an Australian, Kagiso Rabada, nickname KG, the fastie South African, takes 5 wickets in the second innings and in Australia none questions curator loyalties. They say Australia lost, fair and square. No excuses. Keith Pietersen in the commentary box thinks Rabada is the news in world Test cricket; parents professional, studied in South Africa at a school equal to Eton, says Keith. Seemingly, Michael Holding is tuning Rabada, the sweet spot of Test cricket and an able stand in for the injured and nearly retiring Dale Steyn. An easy run up and the right arm goes over in something of a classical bow to; missing is an up left arm; it gets tucked in; lots of shoulder; Mark Taylor in the box thinks he is good at reverse swing and a pace between 135 to 149 kmh; the bouncer is not one breaking into the face of the batsman as the West Indians of yore did; perhaps, Holding will tune up. No cricket playing nation has something like Rabada; me has been following him from South Africa against England to now Australia. Australia and England have not genuine pacers; frightening helmeted batsmen. From somewhere comes Keshav Maharaj, left arm off spinner with a straight arm action; South Africans have had no spinners to show for years; Imran Tahir never could be dubbed a spinner; they have one today in Keshav Maharaj, bowling well, the last day, without much flight. Mark Taylor thinks he bowled well and he should know. South Africa is missing de Villiers to set up a complete team against a rather unstable Aussie team. Sadly Perth stands were mostly empty with a few flavouring Rabada and Maharaj. Test cricket has no crowds today; maybe, England is outside the rule. The last England-Pakistan series did see crowds and me was backing Pakistan against England. 'Have you stopped watching cricket?' asked son Ganesh as me had not switched on to Perth. That remark hurt but was true. Cricket in the normal sense, Indian cricket in particular, does not enthuse me anymore; patriotic outpourings of most cricket commentators seem to be in bad taste; me belongs to the dated cricket of Bedi and Vishy; in India it is IPL not Test cricket. 'IPL mein majaa ata hai'. Do not think will watch India-England Test as they will be on Jadeja and Ashwin muddy patches; why not hold Test matches in neutral venues; say an Australia versus South Africa at Lord's; an England against India in Perth; after all Pakistan is playing most of its Test cricket in neutral venues. Neutral umpires go well with neutral grounds; TV ads talk of Virat Kohli venging the last series defeat in England under MS Dhoni; in that series, Kohli and Dhoni did not perform; Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma performed. Or it just could be me will watch as there will be DRS for the first time. Thanks Anil Kumble. Hope there are no Nagpurs.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Atmanand Maharaj more newsy than South Africa win over Australia at Perth by 177 runs in the First Test. On a Perth pitch curated by an Australian, Kagiso Rabada, nickname KG, the fastie South African, takes 5 wickets in the second innings and in Australia none questions curator loyalties. They say Australia lost, fair and square. No excuses. Keith Pietersen in the commentary box thinks Rabada is the news in world Test cricket; parents professional, studied in South Africa at a school equal to Eton, says Keith. Seemingly, Michael Holding is tuning Rabada, the sweet spot of Test cricket and an able stand in for the injured and nearly retiring Dale Steyn. An easy run up and the right arm goes over in something of a classical bow to; missing is an up left arm; it gets tucked in; lots of shoulder; Mark Taylor in the box thinks he is good at reverse swing and a pace between 135 to 149 kmh; the bouncer is not one breaking into the face of the batsman as the West Indians of yore did; perhaps, Holding will tune up. No cricket playing nation has something like Rabada; me has been following him from South Africa against England to now Australia. Australia and England have not genuine pacers; frightening helmeted batsmen. From somewhere comes Keshav Maharaj, left arm off spinner with a straight arm action; South Africans have had no spinners to show for years; Imran Tahir never could be dubbed a spinner; they have one today in Keshav Maharaj, bowling well, the last day, without much flight. Mark Taylor thinks he bowled well and he should know. South Africa is missing de Villiers to set up a complete team against a rather unstable Aussie team. Sadly Perth stands were mostly empty with a few flavouring Rabada and Maharaj. Test cricket has no crowds today; maybe, England is outside the rule. The last England-Pakistan series did see crowds and me was backing Pakistan against England. 'Have you stopped watching cricket?' asked son Ganesh as me had not switched on to Perth. That remark hurt but was true. Cricket in the normal sense, Indian cricket in particular, does not enthuse me anymore; patriotic outpourings of most cricket commentators seem to be in bad taste; me belongs to the dated cricket of Bedi and Vishy; in India it is IPL not Test cricket. 'IPL mein majaa ata hai'. Do not think will watch India-England Test as they will be on Jadeja and Ashwin muddy patches; why not hold Test matches in neutral venues; say an Australia versus South Africa at Lord's; an England against India in Perth; after all Pakistan is playing most of its Test cricket in neutral venues. Neutral umpires go well with neutral grounds; TV ads talk of Virat Kohli venging the last series defeat in England under MS Dhoni; in that series, Kohli and Dhoni did not perform; Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma performed. Or it just could be me will watch as there will be DRS for the first time. Thanks Anil Kumble. Hope there are no Nagpurs.
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