**Official** Asia Cup 2004 Thread

[lord_of_darkness]

^ marcs right..

maybe india is looking to make use of 5 full specialist bowlers to do the job ..

 

[Adamc]

Shoaib Malik giving this 5-man bowling attack a bit of a hammering at the moment, 60* off 50 balls, 10 fours. 97/1 after 16.4, Balaji 0/43 off 5 overs.

 

[Arjun]

How on earth a mediocre slog-sweeper is getting a half-century, I have no idea. Look at the number of chances he has got. And why are there so few fielders in catching positions?

It's not the obwling, except Balaji's that is a problem, but the FIELDING is.

 

[Arjun]

So many easy singles, so few wickets.

Looks like a fielding coach is definitely needed.

 

[Jnr.]

Actually going by cricinfo, Balaji had a couple of boundaries go through the slips.

 

[ReallyCrazy]

I am not watching the match on TV......just following it on cricinfo. But what the hell is Balaji bowling? 5 overs for 43? I was supporting that guy and now he's proven me all wrong. I was hoping he would bowl like he did in pakistan in this match.

Its a good thing India team mgmt actually listened to my suggestion and picked 5 bowlers for this match! But what good is it if the bowlers are bowling pies and can't pick up wickets?

 

[Arjun]

Its a good thing India team mgmt actually listened to my suggestion and picked 5 bowlers for this match! But what good is it if the bowlers are bowling pies and can't pick up wickets?

FIELDING..... they could be a lot better if the fielding supported them. Makes Sodhi look important in the scheme of things.

 

[ReallyCrazy]

not watching the match arjun. are you watching it? So how bad is the fielding? were there any dropped chances and easy run outs missed.

 

[Arjun]

not watching the match arjun. are you watching it? So how bad is the fielding? were there any dropped chances and easy run outs missed.

Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. Sehwag dropped two slip catches and made a big blooper at long on, the normally impressive Balaji was slow and didn't throw himself at anything in the deep,. and even as I type, Dravid's latest blooper with the gloves cost them a wicket!

 

[Jnr.]

"Misfield" has been popping up pretty frequently on the Ball by ball commentary.

 

[ReallyCrazy]

thats really freakin horrible. I hope India have learnt a valuable lesson ie they are not the second best team and they are far from it. Can't afford to not field well and win the match. I don't expect them to win the match now. good riddance. Everyone thought they would make the finals.

 

[tooextracool]

well since im getting the ind-pak game on both sports channels ive got no choice but to watch the entire game. the indian fielding really has been pathetic, it seems that only yuvraj and kaif know how to field. i thought pathan bowled brilliantly, the lbw of nazir was a classic left hander's dismissal. balaji and nehra(how is he in the side ahead of agarkar?) bowled absolute rubbish......the pakistanis could have hit them around the park with a baseball bat.

 

[tooextracool]

This is pretty strange. India are going into the Pakistan clash with 5 specialist bowlers, ie only 6 specialist bats as compared to their normal 7.

India team: V Sehwag, SR Tendulkar, *SC Ganguly, +R Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, M Kaif, IK Pathan, A Kumble, L Balaji, A Nehra, Harbhajan Singh

well when you pick 5 specialist bowlers you expect them to not concede 300 runs.......

 

[Jnr.]

I reckon.

11 wides and 4 no balls isn't good enough.

 

[Adamc]

I reckon.

11 wides and 4 no balls isn't good enough.

Pakistan aren't doing much better though. 3 wides and 7 no-balls in the first 9 overs. 300 is a big total on any pitch, but Premadasa is about the flattest pitch in the world, so I wouldn't put it past India.

 

[Anil]

up-hill task for india.....79 for 2 in 13 chasing 301.....

 

[delkap]

Now with Dravid gone !! looks unlikely... 94/3 in 16 overs
time for Sachin to ....

 

[Anil]

well, yuvraj and sachin now, the tail is not in the equation just yet...but this match at least becomes close, a long tail is going to hurt india.....ideally, yuvraj has to take the job of maintaining and eventually upping the run rate and sachin must hang in there and not get out.....

 

[Anil]

india will lose....

 

[Mecnun]

If Pak can get Sachin out then bonus point here we come...