Amazing match and great finish!!! I think I’m becoming president of the Uthappa fan club.

I had nightmares the moment i noticed on cricinfo this morning that Yuvraj had given away 30 runs. I was once part of a team myself where one bowler gave away 31 runs (5 sixes and 1 single) in the penultimate over and we lost by 16 runs in the end after chasing 210 odd in 20 overs.

Santosh, I hear he played well today, but Uthappa bats the same way regardless of the situation. That alarms me.

My friend at work concluded that if India had lost the match, he could prove that Dravid had attempted to throw it by inserting Yuvraj to bowl the final over (as Ganguly, Powar and Tendulkar stood idly by)

Is it wrong, as an SL fan, to have a gigantic man-crush on Mascarenhas? He has, within the short space of 2 ODIs, shown just how short-sighted England’s selectors have been with their choice of all-rounders. I have cultured a slow-burning hatred of English cricket, but I can’t help but cheer for Dimi.

also, is there any video available of Pathirana’s onslaught? I’m getting the impression that the league he was playing in is the English two-pints-and-a-packet-of-crisps equivalent of american beer-league, recreational softball.

is there any video available of Pathirana’s onslaught?

Not yet, but we are on the look out. Will update you.

My friend at work concluded that if India had lost the match, he could prove that Dravid had attempted to throw it by inserting Yuvraj to bowl the final over

Funny, that was the same thought that crossed my mind.

Is it wrong, as an SL fan, to have a gigantic man-crush on Mascarenhas? He has, within the short space of 2 ODIs, shown just how short-sighted England’s selectors have been with their choice of all-rounders.

I agree and its time selectors looked beyond the regular batsmen and bowlers.

What are your thoughts on India doing “well” without a coach?

throw it

?????

Me thinks - BCCI has put a ton of pressure for players to win the series at all cost…if we loose this and a few of the upcoming series (against Aussies?), ICL will gain public backing….BCCI will be doomed foreva (that’s my wish too)

What are your thoughts on India doing “well” without a coach?

i think it’s promising that a national side can succeed overseas without some savior from SA/ENG/AUS/NZ taking the credit for better individual bowling/batting performances–but it shouldn’t be surprising. Coaches help with wrenching players away from bad fundamentals (poor fielding technique CAN be corrected–contrary to Tony “is this the 4th over???” grieg on cricinfo talk) but they don’t make fielder-placement decisions, nor do they whisper in the players’ ears as they play.

Dav Whatmore and Tom Moody were both very good fundamentals coaches, especially Moody, but they were not responsible for even a 10th of SL’s success in the 96 and ‘07 WC–if you track the team’s upward progress, it was partially due to the reinforcement of some fundamental skills but mostly to a visionary captain and his various side-kicks stepping up their play at exactly the right time.

I think India should continue with two of the three coaches currently on staff, as i’m not confident about Robin Singh’s contributions, and plow on.

Sidhu,

by ‘throwing it’ I mean that it would’ve been possible to make a case that Dravid had been bought off by some gambling concern as India gave up 30 FREAKING RUNS in the last over to a player, that while not widely renowned for his six hitting ability, had shown flashes of it at Bristol. Yuvraj is not exactly celebrated for his ability to restrict runs, and if you look at the clip he clearly bowls 6 straight, full, juicy deliveries to a man capable of hitting every ball to the same spot. Ganguly would’ve varied his length and pulled Dimi forward or simply prevented the booming boundaries. It was an inexcusable (as Uthappa had to rescue India finally) mistake as a captain.

I don’t think Dravid bowling Yuvraj in the last over was match fixing. I bowl little lolly-pops like Yuvraj does and it pains me to admit this but I’ve been blasted for 5 sixes in an over also

i read the terms ‘dibbly-dobbly’ and ‘trundling’ as applying to bowlers who bowl in the mid 60s (mph) and below, but has anyone here had the benefit of going before the radar gun and actually measuring how slow/fast they’re actually bowling?

we make fun of Powar for breaking the reverse speed barrier but I think the average hard-tennis ball backyard cricketer doesn’t bowl much faster than him.

perhaps I was a bit too harsh on Yuvraj and Dravid.