Good news for Ponting fans. It is likely that he will be playing the Boxing Day Test.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen a lot of die-hard Ponting fans praying for the cricketing gods to help get Ponting back to his best. During the same time a lot of people I know here in Sydney have said that Ponting should be sacked along with Michael Clarke. This Boxing Day test is going to be a war: a battle for the Ashes; battle for place in the team and above all, a battle for redemption.

After his dismal average for quite a while and at the verge of losing Ashes for the third time, Ponting must be having sleepless nights. Add to that some ordinary performances by a team full of extraordinary players unable to click at the right time. It would be like rubbing salt on Ponting’s wounds. Only Mike Hussey and Shane Watson have been consistent and have performed at their best. Brad Haddin is another player who has gained plenty of due respect from people who pointed out that he might be short of filling Gilchrist’s shoes. Already he has shown signs that he could take the mantle from Gilly as the best wick-keeper batsman ever produced by Australia – but saying that this early in Haddin’s career is a bit of a risk – a risk worth taking nevertheless.

Ponting needs to relax and needs his team members to lift their game. Vice captain Clarke should be aware that he is losing his grip on future captaincy and he has two more matches ahead of him to prove his worthiness to everyone. Ponting has a support and respect of all cricket lovers for his contribution to cricket for such a long time and I want him to play for a few more years (hopefully) and retire on a high.

In this Ashes, there is only one player who is a genuine match-winner for Australia who can turn the game around within a matter of a glimpse – Mitchell Johnson. Dropping him was a silly decision but it did some good as he came back strongly and won the Perth Match almost singlehandedly. If Australia is to win this Ashes series and get back the urn, Johnson must perform and if he does, England literally has no hope of winning the remaining two matches.  Johnson is no doubt the deadliest venom spitting bowler of this decade who has terrorized his opponents  and has been quite handy with the bat. No other bowler comes even closer and Australia’s fate in this Ashes series will depend upon him.

Mitchell Johnson

Cook and Pietersen

dominance in cricket – the sort the West Indies enjoyed in the 70′s and the one enjoyed by Australia in the last fifteen years. England look solid, determined, skilled and in sublime touch. The look like a formidable and powerful opponent who are clearly the front-runners to win this Ashes series unless Australia pulls a rabbit from under their hat.

India are the number 1 test team in the world and it has been a long time coming for the Indians – a team that consists of world-class legends of the game like the little master Sachin Tendulkar, back-to-form Rahul Dravid, match winner VVS Laxman and the turbanator – Harbhajan Singh. But their supremacy could be short-lived and is likely to end right after these greats retire. Sri Lanka seems like a great team but their ailing performances overseas and after the retirement of their greatest cricketer Muttiah Muralidharan, you can’t bet on them too. So that leaves South Africa and England who should be regarded as the real contenders in test supremacy in the next couple of years.Australia is not far behind. It would be very unwise to even dismiss Australia from regaining their lost throne. No other team in world cricket has the fighting spirit and resilience like the Australians. The “gods” have retired and hence have made Australia a country of mere mortals – but valiant mortals. They probably have one of the least experienced players (barring few) and are trying to find their feet in the test scene. There is no shortage of good players in Australia – but they are not able to rise to the occasion yet like their predecessors. Their time will come nevertheless.

World cricket looks very competitive and interesting at the moment. It could be anybody’s game in their day and it makes cricket more exciting. This is what people have longed for – an excitement, a nail-biting finish.

As a cricket lover, I wish all teams grow to their maximum potential and perform like crazy. Let each test match go all the way to the fifth day, let all matches finish with a result, let the batsmen score big runs and let the bowlers take all the wickets. It is good for the game of cricket. Let test cricket and the new generation worship test like the way it is meant to be, like the it used to be.

The Ashes

England have everything going their way at the moment. Batters are performing brilliantly while their bowling looks sharp. Based on their recent performances, they do deserve to win the series but it’s not a losing battle for Aussies though. They are still in the game and could upset the poms. It sounds like a wishful thinking but I sincerely believe that Australian players are capable of turning this series around. Some changes are required, especially the thought process. However unwarranted these suggestions seem, remember this is my viewpoint and I stand by it.

I would like to point out few key players and discuss some issues that, in my view, could turn the series in Australia’s favor.

It is pretty obvious that Ricky Ponting is not in his best form of his life and with the additional toll on him due to the inexperienced team, it’s affecting his captaincy too. But after his lifelong contribution to Australia for such a long time and having been the best batsman of the world for many years and a match winner on a number of occasions, aren’t the Aussie public being too harsh on him for asking for him to resign as a captain and even as a player? This is the time when he should get full support from his country, his fans and his supporters. He’s a class act and I am sure he still has some great performances left in him. Just look at how Strauss’s support of Cook paid him and his country in dividends. Tendulkar is another example who was in a lean form for a long time but look at him now. So just shut up and cheer for Ricky Australia.Michael Clarke has always carried that additional pressure to perform as a future captain for a number of years. Everybody knows that he is a great player who has performed in the past. Unfortunately his back injury and form are giving him problems and to make matter worse, the public goes back to the Lara Bingle story every time he fails. Pathetic! He played a fighting knock in Adelaide and he is the main person to take the reins from Ricky after his retirement. There is clearly no one else. He has always been a shadow figure behind Ricky but he will blossom into a complete player and a leader soon.

Mike Hussey: A legend

Michael Hussey.. what a legend and a great ambassador of cricket he is. If I were a selector, I would let him play cricket until he voluntarily decides to move aside on his own terms. Especially in this Ashes series, he has already been the backbone of Australian cricket and has proven, time and again, his class, his fighting spirit and his character. How beautifully he silenced his critics in this series. True champion.

Shane Watson has been the most valuable players for the last couple of seasons and he continues to score runs with ease and is playing well. I would only like to see him concentrate harder and convert those fifties into bigger scores. Although I think he would perform better as a middle order batsman rather than as an opener. His partnership with Simon Katich has been fruitful to the team for a while but since Katich is away with injury and with the talks of Hughes replacing him, it will be interesting to how they perform together.

Bring Hauritz back

Spinner. I wasn’t really convinced at Nathan Hauritz‘s ability at first but if you look around, he is still the best spinner we’ve got.

In Australia, he has the best records among all spinners today. Doherty was an experiment that didn’t work. Now with the talks of bringing a newbie Steven Smith on the squad is another risky proposition. I would say its time to go for Hauritz again. He may not be a wiz as  Warney but he has the experience of performing at the highest level and is more talented than other spinners around. He averages 25 with the bat too in tests and has already taken 63 wickets in 17 matches with an economy of 3.14. Ricky should simply trust him more and set fields in his favor. There was a mistake by Ricky in the recent India tour that got eventually Haurtiz dropped.

Regarding the bowling attack, I have always been impressed by Bollinger for quite some time. There are talks of him being dropped, but I reckon he should stay. He brings the excitement, bowls well and is very aggressive – the mark required in every quickie which seems lacking in Hilfenhaus (although I rate him highly too).

Marcus North has received plenty of opportunities. He is a good player and he deserved some chances. But now he should go. Rather bring in Mitchel Johnson – the player who is deadly when he’s in form, a genuine match winner and ICC Cricketer of the Year 2009. It can’t be over for him yet right? Johnson and Hauritz can bat a bit and would be handy  and will strengthen the lower order as well.

One thing that I would like to say to the selectors is this: Besides talent, cricket requires temperament and confidence to perform. As a selector, you should show faith in people and support the players. Changing players like the way we change our socks as soon as we reach home will only show your inability to stick with your own decision and vision. Show confidence, use your own judgement and don’t try to please the public.

Here is my list of players who could play big role for the Australian team:

1. Shane Watson
2. Phil Hughes
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Mike Hussey
5. Michael Clarke
6. Brad Haddin (wk)
7. Nathan Hauritz
8. Mitchell Johnson
9. Peter Siddle
10. Doug Bollinger
11. Ryan Harris
12. Usman Khwaja (extra batsman)
13. Ben Hilfenhaus (extra bowler)

Ricky Ponting

Australians are blessed to have a batsman of Ricky’s calibre, one of the modern greats and as a captain he has always been a strong leader, uncompromising leader. There were times until a couple of years back when he might have seemed to arrogant and douche bag, but not anymore. Ever since he lost Ashes for the second time in a row in England, he has fully matured into a better person, more balanced and poised leader. Currently, I don’t see any other Australia player leading the side better than Ricky – none more talented, experienced and stronger.

Australian cricket team is rebuilding and its pretty obvious that the team don’t possess the world-beaters it once boasted – McGrath,  Warne, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist. From the immortals,they have become mere mortals. Once Ricky is gone, one can hardly imagine the uphill task the team would face.

Ricky against India:

Matches against India have always been a mixed bag for him. In Australia he averages 79.35 in 11 matches with 5 centuries  and among them 2 double centuries and his highest career score of 257 against India. But the gods of cricket write a different script for him every time he plays in India. In 14 matches he averages just over 26 with just 1 century and a total runs of 662 compared to 1349 when he plays at home. Quite a contrast. Interestingly he is getting better as his average of 56 this season in India is quite respectable. It has always been observed that his is a class act while playing in fast tracks and brings out his best when he faces the quickies but still isn’t very convincing all the time when he plays quality spin especially in the subcontinent.

One thing that people don’t link to his failures in India possibly is the ambiance – the deafening noise of the screaming crowd. For a local player, it helps in boosting your confidence but it could get very annoying as well. Probably what he should work on is his handling of that noise and not letting it affect him. He needs to be 100% in terms of concentration and focus and if you just go off-balance, there goes your wicket. Not sure if he will be back in India again, but if I was him, I would probably find out a way to not let that screaming-shouting affect me or better still, enjoy it.

Ricky, captaincy and contenders:

Its been proven again and again that he is at his best at home.  He has always been a good leader and has won a lot of games for Australia. He has lost 2 ashes already and people should be behind him, supporting him to win it back.  Should Australia win back the Ashes, he deserves to be the winning captain. Afterall, who else is there to lead? Clarke – a vice captain/possible but not now, Hussey – not strong enough to lead, Haddin – a newbie/inexperienced, Katich – possible candidate but too old to be given captaincy. Only other person that I can think can become a captain besides Clarke is Shane Watson. He’s young, dynamic, very good player and is a fighter too.  He could be the next Graeme Smith for Australia. They can wait and wait for Ricky to put aside his bat from international cricket on his own terms.

Once again, the question is:  Should Ricky Ponting quite captaincy or even retire? Hell NOOOO…. unless he loses Ashes series in Australia

child sachin

Having been his fan ever since I knew and watched and played cricket, I have always admired with awe the poise, the compactness, timing, stroke-play, attitude and humility of Sachin. I’ve always wanted him to be the greatest batsman ever after Sir Donald Bradman, and he is no doubt right up therewith other legends of the game, just a touch higher than the rest.

There are few others feats that I would like him to achieve before he retires. These are my Sachin-Wishlist:

In TEST:

• Score a triple century in Test. If he doesn’t do that, at least I would like him to post a bigger double ton than his current highest score of 248* against Bangladesh.
• Get his average as much higher as possible – maybe 58 or even 60 for which he would require to score big scores, few not outs and avoid low scores.
• Win ICC Player of the year at least twice and win ICC Test player of the year
• Score at least 9 centuries in a year (2010 is the most possible time for him to do so – just 3 more required to equal the record)
• Get a best ever rating above 945 to be placed just below Don.

In ODI:

He’s been a phenomenon in ODI formats – clearly the greatest ever ODI batsman – maybe touch here and there with Viv Richards. He has pretty much done everything right in ODI except one thing – Win a World Cup.  My Sachin-wishlist in ODI are:

• Win a world cup and,
• Get his best ever rating above 935.

Sachin laughing Photo: Gautam Singh/AP

Karen Owen's Thesis

Karen Owen does deserve some brownies for her innovative approach and the uniqueness of this incident will ensure that she does get some mileage. I would also state the fact that she has been bold enough to take that venture – take on sex as an experiment with herself as a subject.  Was she desperate for attention or silly enough to not realise that posting something in the net is never a safe thing to do.

I wouldn’t be surprised if she is currently negotiating endorsements offers or perhaps even some tiny roles in some movies – maybe even in the forthcoming Scary Movie. If she could rake a few millions then why would she complain even if the route to her fame would always be frowned upon by most moms and dads and families? After all she has already demonstrated her classy lady-like persona with her exploits and even better- to prepare a powerpoint report for her besties.

I haven’t got a chance to get a copy of her powerpoint so I wouldn’t have a clue of what was written in it. I feel sorry for the men involved and sympathise all who have been affected with this incident.  Is it a good thing to be this open about one’s personal life or is it a way the society has been progressing? I would like to think that this is just one-off incident but one this is for sure – for someone who is going to become a father of a baby girl, I would never want my daughter to be another Karen Owen.

Everytime I check out the news or look around, I can see some really successful people around me, inspiring me to join their club – the life of the rich and famous. Sports person, Hollywood celebrities, musicians, inventors, authors, top executives : they inspire me all the time. I like to surround myself with successful people and picking up their best qualities that I like. It has worked for me to look at finer things in life and it should work for everyone else. Someone once said that what you become in the next few years depends upon the kind of books you read, the kind of people you associate with and the sort of thoughts you listen to.  I don’t have a desire to be with people without dreams or a right attitude. Not because I hate them or that aren’t good enough or I am too arrogant and proud, it’s because I want to be inspired all the time and I don’t want me small “little” dream to be shaken by negative thoughts. It’s not the people, its their thought process that cautions me.  Probably the best virtue that I love among people of all sort of background is their originality and positive attitude.

Name, Fame or Fortune

I would rather be a self sufficient back bencher who can give to the society than be a famous and stupid role model.  Not everyone can become a Gandhi but everyone has a potential to touch other’s lives in some ways. Just as the foundation should be strong to build a tall building, I need to be in a position where I don’t have to worry about money and be able to help others. Wouldn’t that count for something?

This song from Travie McCoy says it all.. enjoy…

Saddam Hussein

For all these years and even after the brutal assassination of Saddam Hussein, not a valid trace of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) has been found.Yes Saddam was a cruel dictator but the US and the British administration simply got rid of him for wrong reasons citing untruthful allegations. But simply put, no one has a right to interfere in other country’s internal affairs unless there is a major threat on a global scale. The threat on a global scale was the excuse these leaders used to get rid of Saddam. Probably Bush wanted to finish what his father president Bush Sr. started – Operation Desert Storm in 1990.

The “unnecessary” war on Iraq has not only claimed hundreds of lives, both Iraqis and the allied forces, it has also planted another seed of hatred among extremist Muslims and terrorists. This has helped fuel anger among people who were always against America’s bullying to other nations. It has added extra distance to an existing gap between cultures of different values. As an outsider I am not sure what benefit they got out of it, away from the public eyes but all I can say that the decision to attack Iraq was – Not smart at all !!

George W Bush at his best

If this WMD bull**** was managed more carefully and if a better diplomatic strategy had been utilised,  the results would probably have been different. It would have been a more positive and would have been well received by people from both sides.

Its ironic but how about calling G.W.Bush/Tony Blair team as the real Weapons of Mass Destruction??

Well enough of this, how about we spend some quality time by going through some of the most memorable and real contributions made by G.W. Bush – His quotes:

“There’s an old saying in Tennessee – I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee – that says, fool me once, shame on – shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again.” -Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

“Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?” -Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000

“Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren’t able to practice their love with women all across this country.” -Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

“I’ll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office.” – Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

“You work three jobs? … Uniquely American, isn’t it? I mean, that is fantastic that you’re doing that.” -to a divorced mother of three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005

“I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family.” -Greater Nashua, N.H., Jan. 27, 2000

“We’ve got a lot of relations with countries in our neighborhood.” – Kranj, Slovenia, June 10, 2008

“I think it was in the Rose Garden where I issued this brilliant statement: If I had a magic wand — but the president doesn’t have a magic wand. You just can’t say, ‘low gas.’” – Washington D.C., July 15, 2008

“There’s no question about it. Wall Street got drunk — that’s one of the reasons I asked you to turn off the TV cameras — it got drunk and now it’s got a hangover. The question is how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments.” – speaking at a private fundraiser, Houston, Texas, July 18, 2008

“I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.” -Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000

“Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.” -LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000

“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” -Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, first lady of France has recently been labelled as “prostitute” who deserves “death” by Iranian media has once again brought into question of the big WHY? Its pretty unfortunate in some ways that the some people never learn to move ahead with the time and instead go for cheap-shots just to underline their propaganda and their outdated values.

Who better than the French to enjoy their lives, fine dining, great wines, fashion and art? No matter how snobbish they might appear to the rest of the world, we have always appreciated the way they go on with their lives. So many times I have met people here in Sydney go ga-ga over a French accent or whose eyes lit every time they talk about their dream of travelling/living in France for a while.  Who wouldn’t enjoy it?

Carla Bruni probably epitomizes the who lot and wouldn’t the French feel proud of her – arguably the most gorgeous, fashionable, powerful woman on the planet holding a top position as a President‘s wife other than some celebs/movie stars who might seem to flex their guns at bit. Carla Bruni is to politics what Angelina Jolie is to movies.

On the other side is the extremist view of people who never seem to go along with new ideas and instead label anyone outside their narrow viewpoint as sinners who deserve to get punished – even by death !

What I’ve never understood all my life is what kind of values and teachings they receive that turns some people into mass murderers? I always respected people from all walks of life and has always been open to all religious ideas but I’ve really never believed that a religion would ask you to kill another human? That’s pretty sick isn’t it?

Recently in the news one of terrorist who is about to be executed showed no guilt or remorse for killing all those innocent people. In fact he was proud of it. This begs me to ask the question again – WHY?

The WHY’s that I can think of are below :

1. Why don’t some people have respect for other people’s values, cultures and society?

2. Why do they always target women? Why women are the only ones to take a blame or to get punished?

3. Why don’t they ever listen to the rest of the world?

4. Why do they blame the rest of the world for their own misery rather than try to improve?

5. Why do they believe that killing lives is the only way?

6. Why don’t they interpret their religion better?

7. Why are some of these people born without a brain or don’t know how to use it? (maybe someone should send them a user manual on how to use the thing called – brain)

(Pls feel free to add more to the list in your comment)

Please note: I live in a free world and I believe in the freedom of speech. I do not intend to offend anyone or any person in particular. If anyone has a problem with what I just wrote above, please consult a psychiatrist.