IPL Daily Dose - 12/05/2008 - The BCCI has a genius of their own and a new excuse for Mallya

Kings XI Punjab have walloped the Royal Challengers from Bangalore. Don’t know what Dr Mallya is going to say now? "That I was sloshed after having 10 bottles of Royal Challenge, when I decided to bid for the franchise."

Rahul Dravid was gracious in defeat. He accepted his team’s shortcomings and was full of praise for Shaun Marsh and gang. That’s the Dravid we have all come to love and admire. Thank God he’s back.

There’s not much a bowling captain can do when the game is over with almost five overs to go. But I cannot understand why both Praveen Kumar and R Vinay Kumar were not given their quota of 4 overs. Their figures of (2.4/0/15/0) and (2/0/11/1) respectively were outstanding in the context of the game and the format. But no more criticism of Dravid. He’s been through enough already.

Now for some praise of Tom Moody. He continues to excel wherever he goes. And he’s got an eye for talent as well. The likes of Shaun Marsh and Luke Pomersbach might be relative unknowns in the cricketing world but Moody saw enough of them during his time at Western Australia to select them for Mohali. And he must’ve had a say in getting Sangakkara and Mahela as well. It’s a blessing to have a well-travelled coach for an international league. Guys like Moody also end up doing the de-facto job of chief scout. His experience in England will come in handy when the English players join in.

And come to think of it that when Moody came to interview for the India job, some Einstein in the BCCI questioned his credentials on the basis of his mediocre record as a player. Will the great man be kind enough to show his own resume?


Dude of the Day – Unquestionably it has to be Shaun Marsh. Not many guys would have smashed Steyn the way he did; in any form of the game.

Dud of the Day – Dale Steyn. The biggest bowling star in the RCB ended up with the poorest figures in the match by some distance.

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Sri Lanka lose the battle but the war is still on

The fans and the experts have been nonplussed by Sri Lanka’s decision to ‘rest’ their top bowlers for their Super 8 clash against Australia. The so called 'dress rehearsal' for the final turned out to be a damp squib in the end. The ambiguous explanations offered by the Lankan team have done little to solve the mystery behind this strange move. With a little historical perspective though, their strategy becomes crystal clear.

In the 1954 Football World Cup, the mighty Hungarians were the overwhelming favorites, having been unbeaten in all competitions for over four years, and boasting a line-up including great players like Puskas, Kocsis and Hidekguti. The Hungarian juggernaut continued to roll in the World Cup, crushing teams by an average of five goals. There was no way they could be stopped.

The West German manager, Sepp Herberger had other ideas. He knew his side had a good chance to make the finals; where their only chance lay in ambushing the Hungarians. In their second round clash with Hungary, he put out his B side and promptly lost 8-3. Thus, he also managed to keep his players fresh for the other games, which were vital to their qualification for the next stage. Things went as per plan, and the Germans made the final, where they scripted a historic 3-2 victory.

The Sri Lankan coach, Tom Moody, being an Australian himself, is aware of the batting strength of the Aussies. They can be deceived once, but will be extremely well prepared the next time round. His first task is to make the semis and avoid the Australians in the round of four; rather than exposing his bowling aces in an effort to gain a Pyrrhic victory in the Super 8’s. The extra rest for Murli and co will stand them in good stead for the coming games as well. The Sri Lankan bowling with its unorthodox variety can conquer the Aussies on its day. Moody wants to make sure that day is the final.

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