Arjun
Cricketer Of The Year
This is what Boycott said: Makes the Dhoni-worship here look pale
When I got home to watch the highlights or listen to comments on the Jaipur ODI, I heard some rather hilarious comments by Geoffrey Boycott, the in-house expert, on Dhoni's explosive innings of 183 not out. This is what Boycott said, and it makes the Dhoni-worship here look pale.
After all, the ODI table shows something- where are 'World Champions' England and where are Sri Lanka? The 'weak' Lankans are the second-best ODI side, while England are somewhere in the middle of the table, and avoid hitting rock-bottom because of a weak West Indian side and a dreadfully out-of-form Indian team.
And how many ODI series have England won in the recent past? You can count them on the fingers of one hand, if you take into account what they have won since Vaughan took over, even if you include the wins against minnows. In comparison, the 'dethroned' Aussies have won nearly every ODI series they have played, while the 'weak' Lankans have a rather good ODI record, especially at home.
As a team, it's obvious, the Lankans are a lot better. The English may have some fantastic batsmen (Trescothick and Pietersen), bowlers (Harmison and Jones) and a phenomenal all-rounder (Flintoff), but as a combination, they have often found wanting. Support bowlers get plundered for runs, the fielding leaks and save three batsmen in the lineup, the rest of it looks weak. The Lankans may have a cheap look to them, but they stick to the basics and get it right, and it helps. They save runs. They pinch singles. They build partnerships. If the Lankans play seven matches against the English, even if the top batting and bowling honours are taken by England's stars, the Lankans can win the series.
p.s. No more bombshells
When I got home to watch the highlights or listen to comments on the Jaipur ODI, I heard some rather hilarious comments by Geoffrey Boycott, the in-house expert, on Dhoni's explosive innings of 183 not out. This is what Boycott said, and it makes the Dhoni-worship here look pale.
I can understand Boycott often enjoys a joke, but this one's going way over the top.
After all, the ODI table shows something- where are 'World Champions' England and where are Sri Lanka? The 'weak' Lankans are the second-best ODI side, while England are somewhere in the middle of the table, and avoid hitting rock-bottom because of a weak West Indian side and a dreadfully out-of-form Indian team.
And how many ODI series have England won in the recent past? You can count them on the fingers of one hand, if you take into account what they have won since Vaughan took over, even if you include the wins against minnows. In comparison, the 'dethroned' Aussies have won nearly every ODI series they have played, while the 'weak' Lankans have a rather good ODI record, especially at home.
As a team, it's obvious, the Lankans are a lot better. The English may have some fantastic batsmen (Trescothick and Pietersen), bowlers (Harmison and Jones) and a phenomenal all-rounder (Flintoff), but as a combination, they have often found wanting. Support bowlers get plundered for runs, the fielding leaks and save three batsmen in the lineup, the rest of it looks weak. The Lankans may have a cheap look to them, but they stick to the basics and get it right, and it helps. They save runs. They pinch singles. They build partnerships. If the Lankans play seven matches against the English, even if the top batting and bowling honours are taken by England's stars, the Lankans can win the series.
p.s. No more bombshells
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