Monday, August 28, 2006

Open Thread: August 26/27

An open thread to discuss games played weekend of August 26/27

156 comments:

cricketer411 said...

I agree with Faisbal dark horse would be muslim. There captian finally stood the ground, Muslim not only has the most sixes they are the only team to cross 2500 plus runs. There offense is not only powerfull but patient!!! with power of Imran and Kamran they can rip thru any bowling line up. Kamran is in top 5 of all stats batting bowling feilding, truly a great asset for his team. Go bears you guys showed gr8 team work. Wildcat are on mercy of bears, flames and muslim.

time_pass said...

Guys,
Whats up with the animosity?

Respect is given and taken fellas - if you give some, you get some.

You curse someone, you are gonna get cursed. What goes around comes around.

I personally dont support MWCC management's decision in restricting people from playing elsewhere. This is not a professional league, nobody gets paid to play. On the contrary, people pay to go out and have fun, not to be treated like school kids.

But then, we elected the management, so we have to live with it until the next election.
The protest should be done through the right channels like "cricketter" said.

I think we should be grateful to people like Adnan and Faisal, who stand up to express their opinion.

Without them, there would be no check on the management. Imagine if there was no opposition, then we would be treated like cattle, but then again, we are kind of treated like cattle, aren't we?

But, this is no place for politics, so we should just keep this for cricket and other positive stuff.

Adnan and Faisal, you guys are doing good by imposing strong opposition. But, maybe you want to cut down the politics in this blog, at least for the time being, as it does not make much of an effect other than creating an hostile environment.

And also other bloggers like darth and theone, lets just stop the mudslinging..

There is so much good stuff to be talked about..

Like Capitol getting bundled out for 69. How about that? I like Samrath's comment on the report too.
Anybody about that game?
Satha?

Jaggi said...

Guys.. am back from my self-imposed exile(it was the weekend of my take-home-finals). It was actually very nice to not have internet, cell phone etc and just concentrate on school.
I am yet to catch up on all the emails, the blog entries and the voice mails. I know there is a lot of confusion and speculation about the weekend game.. will make sure that we try to answer them. Please be patient till then.
Also have to write about our amazing victory against the Royals.

Raheel said...

Well one was hoping that after this weekend the playoff picture will be clearer, but the situation stands - all the under-fire teams Wildcats, Muslim, Bears won their matches and hence bottom 4 are still undecided!

time_pass said...

Yeah!

I think the key matchup for playoff positioning would be Wildcats Vs. Flames. If bears win their last, then whoever wins this game is through...

Jaggi said...

Asela scored 24 and was caught in the covers of a mis-hit. More details in my match report !!

Raheel said...

I'm watching the Eng-Pak 20-20 and just saw this:

5.5 Broad to Shahid Afridi, SIX, yikes! He's got hold of this one! Afridi swings this miles into the stand for six - in fact, out of the ground and clattering into the buildings on the street

Massive massive hit - cleared the ground at midwicket - ofcourse he was out shortly after scoring 28 off 10!

Ashwin said...

Sadiq,

Challengers and Purdue have very similar records thus far (12/8-4, NRR: 0.6). So how come they are certain of making the playoffs and we are not?? Understand, they have an easier road than us, but mathematically they arent certain either!!

Ashwin

hari said...

Hi everyone,

I just reformatted the blog to show only 5 posts at a time on the home page. You may have noticed that the blog was slowing down lately because of the huge number of posts and traffic. If you refresh and/or restart the browser you should hopefully notice that the site is much faster now. The older posts are all there and can be reached via the Archives link on the right side. --Hari

Raheel said...

tango? I think 'tangle' might be a better word in this situation ;)

time_pass said...

Jaggi,
Is it possible to have a GM (General meeting) of all the teams to discuss the issue on hand - Players playing in charity games, or even in other leagues ?

I think most of the teams want to talk about this and also I agree with a lot of them when it comes to policing our cricket options..

Thanks

Sundries said...

Rup,
I think the problem taking this after the playoffs is that some these players maybe suspended for remainder of the season and some teams with playoff chances might be in trouble.

So I think the management needs to call an emergency meeting of the captains and resolve this. As vague as the law/rule is means that even playing tenning ball cricket is banned. It might sound absurd but thats what I gather. There are numerous leages/tournaments played around Chicagoland area some being played for a cause while some for entertainment. Will the management ban all of these players?

--Narasimha

cric_fan said...

Wow.. this blog thing is awesome.... It has opened up a can of worms about our management..... DO you think that they will try to get rid of this blog..... After all the truth is coming out...

Jaggi said...

Tigers Vs Royals

Most of us were pumped up for this do-or-die game. Asela was a last minute inclusion(got confirmed on Sun morn). We won the toss and chose to bat. The royals bowlers (Manish and Rupesh)kept a very tight line and got our opener early. Enter Asela and the very first ball was cover driven powerfully for a boundary and the second(if I remember right) was dispatched to the square leg fence. Manish on the other end kept it nice and tight for a couple of overs. In Manish's fourth over, Asela hit some breath taking shots. Manish keeps a consistent length around off stump...Asela walked towards the off, used the pace and scooped it over fine leg. A total visual treat. The amazing thing I have noticed is the balance and the bat speed.
Spinners were now operated on both ends and the Royals got the breakthrough in the very first over. Asela danced down to hit leg-spinner-Narpreet(who bowled very well 7-4-3-1) and was caught in short cover of a leading edge. We lost wickets in a hurry after that and were all-out for 84.
At the break, we decided to play hard and keep it simple. This is where the importance of Anand's keeping helped us and thats why he is part-MVP of the game. He definitely is the best wicket keeper I have seen in this or any league. He effected a brilliant stumping of Asela's bowling, who by the way is very quick. Anand has no issues standing up to the fast bowlers. He brought up a very interesting point. A lot of batsmen like to stand outside the crease and now because he was standing up, have to get used to the length of the pitch. Unfortunately for us Anand has not fired in his batting, but his keeping and field placing have been invaluable. Prasad, I thought was the stand out bowler for us. He didnt get much swing, butt bowled straight and fast and cleverly disguised his speed. The slower one to get rid of Hetul was brilliantly executed. Asela got 3, Deepak had three, we had two good run outs and Krishna polised off the last wicket. It was an incredible victory and for the second week in a row, we had won by the thin margin of 5 runs.
Fielding: Charlie took an amazing reflex catch(it was deflected by the guy in the slips(donno who that was) and when it briefly popped up, he dove full length and held on to it in one hand. Again, a visual treat. The batsmen to suffer was Anand.

PS: I have to bring up the amazing spirit with which the Royals play. They play hard, but are very sporting and a great bunch of guys. They gave a bunch of run-outs which were very close. Pritesh got stumped by Anand and his back leg was in the air very briefly. It was amazing glove work, but it was also amazing to see the leg-umpire give the right decision and also complement the keeper.

A note about Asela: An extremely down to earth guy, it was amazing to see him to get so involved and be part of a team. The guy is immensely talented and almost made it to the SriLankan team. His advice when Royals were losing wickets, the high-fives and the hugs.... pretty amazing. For a guy that has played a lot of international cricket, he is one level-headed guy.

Jaggi said...

Narasimha.. your question has been answered previoulsy. Update yourself before you post your questions.

Jaggi said...

Adnan, you maintained that you played this as it was a USACA event. I have heard that this was not a USACA event. Yes, Mr Masood was involved, but the word is that he represented himself more than the organization.

hari said...

tonald drump,

Your suggestion is exellent. Actually, I had set up a wiki page a few weeks ago to try and generate new ideas that the management can review. Originally I was hoping that the blog will help flesh out new ideas for the league - but in reality what has happened is that due to the overwhelming number of posts any good ideas that are posted were getting submerged under all the comments. So, this wiki page ( a page where any one can edit a web based document) can hopefully act as a central point for collecting all the wish list items from the MWCC Players. Lok at this as an experiment to see if we can harness the collective brainpower of all of us on this blog and to help generate a positive change - it may or may not work...but, lets see what happens..

Lets try and provide new ideas to the management and help grow the league. Just like this idea from t.drump there may be more out there that can help us grow the league. I will post the details on how to log in and share your ideas soon. -- Hari

Jaggi said...

Jaggi, I hope your response will cover this aspect. Either USACA is all messed up or we are or the organizers of the game are.
My second question is why didnt any of the organizers contact MCC. If this guy who plays in our league(one of the organizers) can contact ACC and get a ground, why didnt he contact our management? So much for looking out for the league you play for.

cric_fan said...

Jaggi,Hari we should probably have two threads set up in this blog. One for discussing the games that were played in the past week and the second for tackling management issues, concerns....

Vipul Patel said...

Jaggi,

Thanks a lot for the Post and some great positive notes for ROYALS!!
I wanted to meet you guys but was out due to my back injury!

Sadiqbhai

Thanks for the positive update on Charlie, Yes I do feel he is the BEST in the league as far as fielding is concerns.

Cheers
Vipul

Raheel said...

Seriously guys, this ACC v MCC, players v management is getting boring, please talk about it on the ideas thread started by Hari. Let's keep this one to discuss our league matches and playoff prospects etc please. Sadiq bhai, last year I think you wrote in the newsletter of the playoff contesting teams, their seasons so far, strengths and weaknesses etc. Is there going to be something similar this year too? ;)

Jaggi said...

Vipul.. I heard about your back issues. Just to let you know, I was out for a season with severe back pain-Sciatica. I was very close to being operated, but then read this one book about how to deal with pain, a bit philosophical and also some great exercises/techniques to strengthen the back. Email me if you want to know more about it.
Take care !!

time_pass said...

Guys,
Food for thought...

Why dont we work together to find an indoor facility, so that we can play some cricket during the off season?

We could try to contact the people in Detroit (Gaurav help us out here..or anybody).

What can be done?

Lets talk about something constructive..

time_pass said...

681ou1,
Thats a lot of "The Man" for the season, why dont you cut that out.

I'm sure Adnan knows how to represent himself, but its about time you stopped his "chamchagiri" and did something for yourself.

Try talking something good for the league.

You are probably hurting Adnan's image more than what you think by doing this cheap shot...

time_pass said...

681ou1,

I dont care about Tariq. And I agree that Adnan is a stand up guy, but you are screwing up his stand by making silly remarks like "The Man" etc.

You can support him, but I think its the wrong place and the wrong time.

A few of us spend our day talking about cricket and other fun stuff, so we want to keep this blog clean.

If you want to suuport Adnan, please do it at election time, maybe I'll join you to.

time_pass said...

muscricketeer,

I think most of the folks in here dont want to talk politics, as it gets extremely boring.

This blog was primarily created to talk about cricket and the current DIV I and DIV II playoff situations and things like that.

I would rather talk about cricket than politics.

About competition for the Management, there is a time and place to express that. People are not going to receive the inputs in the correct manner.

So my 2 cents would be just to keep the political talk out of this blog, at least till the end of the season.

hari said...

Desi_babu said...

Guys,
Food for thought...

Why dont we work together to find an indoor facility, so that we can play some cricket during the off season?
------------------------
This is a great idea. In fact myself and one of my team mates had approached a sports club ( Fitness club/Indoor Baseball/Tennis)in downtown that seems to have all the facilities that we need to start a major indoor cricket program ( Nets for sure). It is very close to 90/94. If anyone ( even a team of guys) of us is willing to act as the Project Manager for this, please let me know. I will pass the details that I have. I had spoken to Tariq about this and he said that we may be able to use the league properties ( mat, nets etc). Certainly, something to explore. Lets make this winter more exciting!

time_pass said...

Awesome Hari!

I'll volunteer for this effort.

Yay !! More cricket..

Jaggi said...

I think all of us do have the right to question the management. As somebody had suggested earlier, it is very important to go through proper channels, keeping in mind that cricket is above all of us. I know the management personally. There is definite quality here. I have seen people talk bad things about Tariq and his team. I have never seen Tariq throw mud to the team that lost and that I respect a lot. Even during the banquet, there was not a single thing mentioned against the losing team. Adnan's team also has quality people, who are all for cricket. If we can combine the two teams, imagine the possibilities.

time_pass said...

Cut it out guys...

No one is benefitting from this mudslinging.

Its just getting uglier..

Jaggi said...

Guys.. one sincere request. Do not use the blog for personal grudges.

The blog was started to promote good discussions about cricket and how we can become a better league. I ask you all to not respond to some of these strong/hateful comments. The best way is to ignore and continue what we are doing.

Lets focus on the games last week and the exciting playoff race in all the divisions. In the last 5 years, I have not seen it get so close. Hari's idea of brain storming is an excellent one and there are already some very good ideas out there. In the limited time we have, lets focus on being creative and enjoy the game and the discussions.

Ehsan Bhai, thank you for that piece of information.

Jaggi said...

I have not seen Todd Pennington and I would definitely like to see him keep. I wanted to see Imran keep when we played AAA, but he had an injured finger and didnt keep.
That stumping of Asela's bowling will stay with me for a long time. Upon impact, Anand's body actually went back slightly, but his hands move fwd and removed the bails. Brilliant stuff!!

I want to start recording some of the games. I have done some basic editing with Pinnacle and other softwares. Anybody in this line of work?

time_pass said...

I think Ali from the Giants hang around in here a lot, he could help us out.

Vipul Patel said...

Jaggi,

Thanks for the feedback, for temp. I am okay with my back issue. If you be kind enough please e-mail me your contact info. vipupat@cdw.com so that I can check more details on the book you mentioned.
thx
Vipul

Jaggi said...

I have Shashi's no and will contact him. Will also contact Faisal. I think we can post it on video.google.com or utube and post a link. I need help in video recording and editing.

Can we have multiple guys sign up for this? We can all pool in our videos and send it to an editing team.

Jaggi said...

If anybody has mobile internet from Sprint etc, then u can. Take the laptop to the ground and provide updates on the blog... that would be cool.

Jaggi said...

Any guesses on the MVP for August? I will run the nos and post it in a couple of days.

time_pass said...

MVP

Div II

Got to be Rup.

Div I

Simran Sodhi - Purdue

time_pass said...

I think the night tourney games should be rescheduled, as its unfair to the teams and the players.

Also, I'm assuming that the league can reschedule the game with the park authority as well, since we pay so much money for the night games...

Jaggi said...

The night games are awlays rescheduled. No game can get rained out. If it starts raining in the middle of the game, the game will be continued another day.

Raheel said...

Here's a clip (2 overs) from 20-20 Eng v Pak, when Afridi went breserk and 41 came off 2 overs.

http://www.pakistancricketzone.com/showthread.php?p=13878

Ramsundar Lakshminarayanan said...

Ali,

The loss against your team is haunting us (Eagles)! The way your team picked up steam late this season is something to take note of. I thought you guys made a statement in the admirable run chase, under lights, against us in a last over thriller. You guys kept your cool till the match was won. Good luck in the playoffs.

You guys can certainly cause some upsets.

Ramsundar Lakshminarayanan said...

Raheel

Not many have hit Glenn Mcgrath for 5 fours in an over. But Razzaq did it in Australia. Is there a clip on the web? If yes, please post the URL.

hari said...

Here is the Razzaq clip

http://tinyurl.com/nprt3

Raheel said...

Yeah, I saw that one live, lost cause but good Inns.

Ramsundar Lakshminarayanan said...

Alpesh - We played 3 games in Naperville and in the first game we had short boundaries so as to keep the concrete structure (for future lighting) outside the playing area. For the next two matches we moved the boundaries further out. So, it depends on how boundaries are marked.

Yes, its a fast outfield.

cric_fan said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Raheel said...

A hilarious development in Lancashire, where a water bomb hurled from outside the stadium landed on the pitch and stopped a county match.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/258223.html

SimonDispatch said...

As long as ICC boasts about its lineup, things will never change. So, save the moment, relax and prepare for playoffs. Play well, win and then remain modest about your accomplishments. Nobody needs a list of your strengths/statistics.

BTW, chokers have similar statistics. Only missing link will be the ever elusive trophy.

time_pass said...

Here is a snack read for you guys...very interesting article on swing bowling !

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/258251.html

time_pass said...

I think Wasim Akram is probably the the best Fast bowler to have ever played cricket Period !

Both Waqar and Akram deserves respect regardless of any controversies or tampering convictions.

We should just give the respect where its due, so lets not taint them or drag them around for no reason.

My bad, I put up that link, thinking people will get a kick out of swing bowling.

time_pass said...

Pud_Thai and Jack,
Good, better, best - These are all categorization of personal perception.
Somebody could be good in my eyes, necessarily is not good for you guys.
I respect that, but tainting someone without much knowledge (just pud_thai. I dont believe and I think you are making up about PCB) is not very nice.

Akram is the top wicket taker in one days by miles (502). His strike rate is incomparable. To me, the only bowler that comes close to Akram is McGrath.

Jack, I'm hoping you are not claiming to be better than Akram. :-) Pun intended..

time_pass said...

oh well, lets ditch the argument..

time_pass said...

Arbab, right on the money man..!
I have nothing more to say..

time_pass said...

pud_thai,
Regardless of whatever you have against Akram, please respect him for being a proven winner.
We all know who is guilty and who is not, but irrespective of whatever said and done, Akram is a winner.
So if you can't give him enough respect, at least stop tainting him, for the love of the game man..

time_pass said...

St. loisian,

Who defined this law? And who decided it was fair or unfair.
hmmm, lemme think, it was defintely the English or the Aussies.
Fairness is conveniently defined to accomodate "their " bowlers.

I dont want to get into racial discussions in cricket, but it kills me when people make statements like its fair to do this and its not fair to do this.
Look at the bigger picture....

Think outside the box..

Raheel said...

Waqar Younis was as good as Wasim Akram and Imran Khan even as a pure bowler was better than both - so IMO Wasim is not even the greatest ever Pakistan bowler. He was the most naturally gifted yes, but he did not work hard enough.

Imran Khan was the first genuine fast bowler from Pakistan - even sub-continent I'd say, who started off as a batsman and in the first test that he bowled (Edgbaston 1971), he did not know that bowlers have a measured run up and simply used to walk back a few steps randomly and run in (by his own admission). From being that he became one the leading fast bowlers in the world by 1982 (no mean feat in the company of Lillee, Thomson, Garner, Croft, Holding, Roberts, Marshall). He played the last 3 tests of 1982-83 series vs India with a stress fracture which put him out of the game for 2 years when he was at his absolute peak (40 wickets in that series!). He also performed against the best team at the time (WI) something which Botham could never do despite being more naturally talented that Imran. His bowling average of 22.81 is comparable to the best in the game and when you take into account that he had to bowl on the pancake flat pitches of Pakistan most of the time, that statistic stands out even more.

I know the present generation has seen a lot more of Wasim Akram than Imran, but believe me Imran was a better new ball bowler than Akram and Younis and on par with them with the old ball.

Richie Benaud (the man who has watched the most tests) says Lillee was the best complete fast bowler he has ever seen. He also puts Frank Tyson as the fastest ever and Michael Holding as the 2nd fastest.

time_pass said...

Raheel,
I'm not taking anything away from Imran Khan or making any statement here.
But to me Akram bowled a lot more than Imran and also to more contemporary batting geniuses like Sachin, or Lara and have intimidated and won against these powerhouses.

Thats my logic to claim Akram as one of the top most, but of course I'm too young to even talk about Imran, let alone Lillie or Tyson.

SimonDispatch said...

Jack

Self-confidence is internal and if put on paper (or HTML!) it becomes boasting. ICC is a talented team, no doubt about it.

Look at Pak Gymkhana, IIT, AAA and other top teams in the league. Don't they have self-confidence? Are they boasting?

One bad game in the playoffs and your comments will fall flat on your face.

time_pass said...

hey, fellas...lets not attack anyone personally here. Regardless of what anyone has said, lets respect each other and move on.

its just a request from another blogger..

Raheel said...

d_b, are you suggesting that people like Boycott, Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, G Greenidge, Sunil Gavaskar, G Chappell etc. were easier to bowl at than Lara and Sachin? ;) - Sir Viv is still the best blaster of cricket ball I've seen and I don't think anyone could match Gavaskar for technique in the modern game (not even Dravid). As for bowling longer - Wasim played from 1984-2003, Imran 1971-1992 - the only place Wasim was better than Imran was in the one dayers because when Imran started playing there were no ODI's.

time_pass said...

Well, I'm not arguing at all about Sir Viv ( he is my fav. batsman) or any of the other people you mentioned.

You do have your stats right and looks like you did the homework better than me, BUT, a big one :-)
I think (I could be wrong, since I didnt do my research) more cricket was played during Akram's days than Imran's.

There were of course less number of one days and tests ..
The nineties witnessed an awful more number of games than anybody anticipated..
Thats just a cover up for Akram :-)
C'mon help me out here man..

Raheel said...

Well if you wanna go by that argument - quantity then you should pick McGrath over Akram since he has 500+ test wickets (at a lower average) and plays more ;).

Here is another brain teaser - the best bowlers in tests are those who take wickets quicker (strike rate) as the objective is to take 20 wickets - thats what test cricket is about - no team can win unless they take 20 opposition wickets. If you consider bowlers with 150+ test wickets then Waqar Younis is top of the pile (a wkt every 43 balls), Shoaib AKhtar is next (44), next are Malcolm Marshall and Allan Donald (45). McGrath, Lillee, Akram, Imran, Holding etc are around 52.

time_pass said...

Ok, this will be my last bit of hurrah for Akram.. :-)

Stats-

Wasim Akram
Tests 104 22627 9779 414 7/119 11/110 23.62 2.59 54.65 20 25 5

ODIs 356 18186 11812 502 5/15 5/15 23.52 3.89 36.22 17 6 0

Glenn McGrath

Tests 119 27993 11684 542 8/24 10/27 21.55 2.50 51.64 28 28 3

ODIs 221 11563 7425 331 7/15 7/15 22.43 3.85 34.93 9 7 0

Imran Khan

Tests 88 19458 8258 362 8/58 14/116 22.81 2.54 53.75 17 23 6

ODIs 175 7461 4844 182 6/14 6/14 26.61 3.89 40.99 3 1 0

But of course, key thing to remember is that Akram and Khan bowled more in the sub continent on "pancake" flat pitches (I really liked that Raheel).

So, I'd still give Akram the benefit of "whatever".. :-)

time_pass said...

Raheel said
"Here is another brain teaser - the best bowlers in tests are those who take wickets quicker (strike rate) as the objective is to take 20 wickets - thats what test cricket is about - no team can win unless they take 20 opposition wickets. If you consider bowlers with 150+ test wickets then Waqar Younis is top of the pile (a wkt every 43 balls), Shoaib AKhtar is next (44), next are Malcolm Marshall and Allan Donald (45). McGrath, Lillee, Akram, Imran, Holding etc are around 52"

Thats very interesting..

They (the ones with higher strike rate) are all FAST bowlers, I mean RAW pace fast..

Raheel said...

Note the 10 wickets in a match column right at the end (which usually results in your team winning). McGrath 3 in 119 tests, Akram 5/104, Imran 6/88 ;) and he played some tests just as a batsman / captain towards the end of his career (1991-92).

On basis of those stats they're almost unsperable, all 3, similar averages 21-23, strike rates 51-54, econ: 2.50-2.59 - I'm talking about tests here, if you take ODI's into account there's no match for Akram hands down.

Raheel said...

Well guys fun discussion I have to get going now - we'll continue this later ;).

time_pass said...

I think we are comparing apples to oranges, I mean they are all bowlers from different generation.

time_pass said...

later..

time_pass said...

Asif the Magician !!!

Thats damn brutal...

time_pass said...

FIVE CRICKETERS YOU LIKE TO MEET BEFORE YOU DIE

1. Sir Viv. Richards
2. Sachin Tendulkar
3. Wasim Akram (c'mon y'all knew that was coming..)
4. Don Bradman
5. Kapil Dev Nikhanj (I know he really does not fit with the other 4, but I'm a huge fan)

time_pass said...

c'mon y'all..
it can't be the 2 of us...
Participate..

time_pass said...

lol @ anonymous @ 1:19 pm..

time_pass said...

Satha,
you there man?

Whats your list?

Hey, you gotta come out here and play more often, leave those corn fields for others too.

:-)

time_pass said...

Rup,
So are you guys (Flames) in the playoffs now?

Who scored for you guys?

hari said...

Imran Khan
Sachin Tendulkar
Sir Viv Richards
Don Bradman
Kerry Packer ( not a player..but I admire what he did for cricket)

time_pass said...

I cheated...

Sydney Barnes

Mihir is that right?

time_pass said...

In case you guys are interested..

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/8996.html

Nice one Mihir!

time_pass said...

To me style is the synonym to Viv Richards. :-)

1. Sir Viv.
2. Gavaskar
3. Gower

time_pass said...

How about the rest of the crew Rup?
Have you seen all the of the "deadly" gang-
Roberts, Holding, Garner etc?

Vipul Patel said...

Satha..

Don't you think the list should include the great Dilip Vengsarkar..
Just my take!
Vipul

time_pass said...

Now you are cracking me up Vipul..I think I'm ready for the afternoon shot of java..
:-)

Vipul Patel said...

Why would you say that!!! D_B..
I think he was one of the Stylist Bat in India XI at time!!

Jaggi said...

WRT style, I would add Laxman and Aravinda De Silva to the list. Laxman's cover drives and Aravinda's pull were fantastic. In the present, I think Dravid can pull the best.

time_pass said...

Vipul,
No disrespect!
I dont think I'd classify him as a great bat.
But again thats my opinion.
He is probably one of your favs, sorry didnt mean to offend ya..

He was a good Batsman!

time_pass said...

Lara definitely has some style.

I think one of the best contemporary batsmen I have seen playing the pull shot is Ricky Ponting, boy he is a treat to watch.
But then again his best is his shots on the rise...

Keeper - I'd say the most stylish is Farookh Engineer, he was very effective too.

Vipul Patel said...

D_B

Non was taken at all.. everyone has right to express
Cheers!
Vipul

time_pass said...

Mihir,
what was the answer to that trivia question?
Cargo..
Did I miss it..?

time_pass said...

Sorry Vipul, My bad..

Vipul Patel said...

No Prob D_B

time_pass said...

How about the fielders guys.Apart from Jonty, Ponting and our good old Charlie...

I think Azhar definitely is in the top.
Mahanama was an excellent fielder..

time_pass said...

you guys are too much..
lol

cric_fan said...

robin singh was a good fielder in his times

time_pass said...

Gus Logie was an amazing fielder ...

time_pass said...

Rup, did you ever see Robin Singh play, since he grew up in the WI?

time_pass said...

But then Satha, the ODI game changed from the days of Greenidge and Haynes.

Now, the openers play with the advantage of fielding restrictions and other rules. They have more reason to be aggressive.
Also, there is less respect for bowlers these days, as cricket is being more batsman oriented.

Greenidge and Haynes definitely one of the best..

cric_fan said...

Is there a way that the league can get hold of good packages for cricket worldcup next year. I bet many people are willing to go at a good bargain price... We could probably get group tickets....

cric_fan said...

Pakyaa_dada I mean actually going to the worldcup......

time_pass said...

I think what cric_fan suggested is a great idea..

As one of the prominent leagues, maybe we can push for some tickets.

Someone has to volunteer to be the PM for this effort.

Get the names and emails and organize the trip.
It would be a blast..

time_pass said...

I thought we agreed on Charlie on the best fielder..

There maybe other fielders outside of Chi town that we dont know of..

time_pass said...

This is getting ugly..

Aiite I'm out..

Hasta manana..Amigos..

SimonDispatch said...

What teams in Div1 and Div2 have good reputation in the league...interms of on-field and off-field behavior, courtesy for the umpire and respect for their opponents?

time_pass said...

Mornin Fellas..

Since we discussed fast bowlers yesterday, cricinfo decided to put an interesting article.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/columns/content/story/258298.html

Jaggi said...

Vijay.. u r right on about Anand. There was quite a bit of that against the Royals. He is very good friends with Manish from Royals and there was some very entertaining talk in the middle when Manish missed :-)

The man has played a good amount of cricket for Madras(South India). He is also a brilliant batsman, who hasnt done justice to his talent this year. On two occasions(as far as I remember) he got out to brilliant catches- One from Superman Charlie and the second was Sunil Kulkarni from United.
Last year, he played 2 games for us. The one innings against Wildcats was amazing. We have one more game against Challengers and am hoping for a big century from him.

time_pass said...

My pick:

Mateen Syed
Kiran
Satha (haven't met him, but seems nice :-) )
Shahid
Vikram C

time_pass said...

Team:

Wildcats
Tigers
ICC (thought I'll make Rup's day)

time_pass said...

I'd put Vikram up with those 4.
They are definitely good bats..

time_pass said...

5 Bowlers:

Asif Mehmood
Shahid
Mehul
Rup
Satish

time_pass said...

I agree Sohail is one of the best.

Adnan and Vikram are also up there among the classy ones. They both have trademark elegant strokes.

time_pass said...

I think he is staying outta trouble, not making any comments.

We no namers can say whatever we want.. :-)

Do you see any genuine ones making any statements ? lol

time_pass said...

I agree. Afroze is not a genuine bat, he can throw his bat around and get some runs.
He is probably efficient, as his stats are pretty good.

He definitely is a good allrounder..

time_pass said...

nice try long_john.. lol

I dont mind being Sadiq's anon..he is a nice man..

time_pass said...

I think Jaggi is busy with his homework...lets cut him some slack.. :-)

time_pass said...

About keepers..

I dont know if he is one of the best, but I have Shashi Buluswar take some breathtaking catches and make some ridiculous dives..

time_pass said...

gorillaunit,
you are right...Sachinfan does seem like Sameer.. lol

time_pass said...

this is getting out of hand..

time_pass said...

hey, now you guys are talking my langg... :-)

Sound Bar was fun, it always is..

There is also the NET-IP event in Chicago this weekend, I might be going for that, as I'm a member.

That will be a good Desi hang out.
I think its at the Marriot downtown.

time_pass said...

hmm...maybe we should check out some "leg room" :-)

Thanks long_john, will keep that in mind.

Jaggi said...

Guys, finished running the nos. Will format the data and post it in a couple of hrs. Sorry about the delay.
No homework now, am off from school till the 20th :-)

time_pass said...

guess what?

Bally Sagoo is playing at Sound Bar this weekend...didnt know about that.
Good one Goodone! :-)

Thanks for the tip about abcdchicago.com

time_pass said...

Thanks Jaggi! for all the hard work..
I dont think people understand that you guys are volunteerily doing all this and a bunch of bloggers like us just come in here and type all kinds of crap.. :-)

lol

SimonDispatch said...

Rumors are floating that Joe Greene has volunteered to quit the MCC's elite umpiring panel for quarter pounder, fries and a medium drink.

I'd say, give him a sumptuous buffet and send him off...He is very biased towards certain teams...

time_pass said...

simondispatch,
you seem more like a McDonald's marketing guy. lol.
I would not be surprised if they hired one of us to do that in here..

time_pass said...

Thats the scary part of wildcats, Ajit, Balaji, Nikhil and Vikram are getting in the groove. They just need Satish to fire on all cylinders, Pak Gym - better watch out !

time_pass said...

yep, you are right about balaji.
We all know that a big knock is around the corner for Satish, he made just 96 in 12 innings this season. Aint that amazing..

time_pass said...

hmm....I dont know about these mildcats...they aint that mild...definitely getting wild.

But, you have a point, if someone can tame them, that ought to be Pak.

time_pass said...

Here is a trivia question to end the week...an easy one :-)

Who will be the first MCC cricketer (of course, after the new Database was in place) to take 200 wickets?

time_pass said...

Should be..he just needs 2 more.
Rup is right behind him..
at 191.

time_pass said...

matter of fact, Rup would be the only cricketer with 2000 runs and 200 wickets...aint that incredible

time_pass said...

I think Rup is out today, haven't heard from him all day, unless 2K6 really pissed him off yesterday, that he decided to quit.. :-)

time_pass said...

I agree, most of his wickets and runs are in div 2.

Jaggi said...

MVP results are out guys. Congratulations to all the winners.

time_pass said...

no disrespect to Satha, but Div II MVP has to be Rup.
He has scored 600 odds runs and has taken 37 wickets, so not even close..

time_pass said...

I was talking about the whole season..not the month..

time_pass said...

or Asif Mahmood...dont forget the magician...

time_pass said...

see thats what I call an unfair decision.

The man has taken 33 wickets in Div I, which I think is an incredible achievement.

I think he should be considered.

Cricket is a team sport, so one man is not going to carry a team all the way.

time_pass said...

MVP has to be the most valuable player as it stands for, with respect to that, I think Asif has a fair chance.

Once again, one man cannot make a difference in a team sport, but again our Rambo has defied all the laws hasn't he..

He has and has been carrying Capitol single handedly for the last 4 seasons - beat that !

time_pass said...

Well I think he should be considered because he worked hard all season. He can't help it if his team didnt make it to the playoffs.
Shahid has help, So does bhavneet and Imran. And thats the reason I root for Asif as he doesn't have any help.

Jaggi said...

At the end of the season, we will run the MVP process one more time using the entire season's data. Whoever leads the table will be awarded the MVP.

time_pass said...

cool Jaggi !
We were just having fun, you know its friday afternoon, a big weekend around the corner....getting ready to chill !

Thanks for the info..

time_pass said...

I agree with gorillaunit for once.. :-)

People should be given spots based on this season's performance..

Jaggi said...

sure d_b. I would like at some point to join you guys for a drink.

For next season, what do you all think about having your own fantasy cricket team. Pick your top 11 players from the league and accumulate the MVP points as the season goes on. End of the season(may be even the banquet) we will award the guy who has maximum no of points.

time_pass said...

Sure Jaggi, we got to get out to the real world and have a drink.

By next season, I think I'll release a book - "Life inside a Blog". I think it will be a cracker..

Yeah, the fantasy cricket idea sounds good. I like it.

Jaggi said...

We can ask guys to register their own teams. If some of you help me out with updating points for all the various teams, I can feed the points to you from the MVP system.

d_b, the book sounds like a good idea. Look fwd to it.

time_pass said...

I can help you with that.
I'll send you my email id, so that you can contact me.

Jaggi said...

As a test run, we can even do it for this year's playoffs. Lets see if there is enuff interest.

time_pass said...

thanks gorillaunit :-)

time_pass said...

interesting..
You have gorillaunit and me....any more interested?

Jaggi said...

Guys,

Ajit(Wildcats)'s friend's kid has been diagnosed with a rare case of Acute Lymphoblast Leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant to be treated.

Please help in anyway possible. Also please forward this info to your friends. A website has been setup for Nirali with moreinformation.
http://savenirali.com/nirali/

cric_fan said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
hari said...

only one game this weekend. I guess we don't need a new thread - right? Jaggi?

Ramsundar Lakshminarayanan said...

Jaggi - How about putting up some info in desidoms such as places of worship, restaurants etc regarding the bone marrow drive?

Jaggi said...

Yeah... dont think we need a new thread Hari.

Ram, thats a great idea. Can probably print something from the website and put it up in stores, places of worship etc.

Have a safe and good weekend guys !!

straight_drive said...

So Purdue beat Flames (by quite a big margin too), so it all comes down to the last weekend and probably a shoot-out between Wildcats and Flames on Sat!

straight_drive said...

There could be many scenarios now, Wildcats if they win could actually be ranked higher than Bears and Muslim if they both lose.

hari said...

Rup,

I was thinking about that too....this is getting too big. I will open a new one.

Hari