Mistakes Captains Do

I hate to watch one sided test matches especially if it is a decider. They are such waste of time. The current third test between NZ and India is one such match. This test was a must win game for NZ to level the series and to save from handing India its first series win in NZ after 41 years. The way the match is progressing, NZ doesn’t have any chances of drawing the match forget leveling the series. The only man responsible for the state at which the NZ team has landed in this match is their captain Daniel Vettori.

He won the toss and elected to field. Why did he do that? What was he thinking? The wicket was not a green top and as soon as India Captain MS Dhoni and his mates saw the wicket during their practice session before the start of the game, all they wanted to do was to bat first. MS Dhoni couldn't believe his luck to see a brown wicket and must have danced along with his players in the dressing room on Vettori’s expense when Vettori decided to field first after winning the toss.

In test cricket, if you bat first you get two chances. If you're dismissed cheaply, you still have the chance to put pressure on the opposition by bowling well and setting a defensive field. These two factors can lead to wickets falling.

Why did Vettori opt for an extra seamer when he had a world class spinner in Jeetan Patel? He didn’t have to go in for an additional seamer when he had Jesse Ryder at his disposal who has proved that he can bowl and take wickets.

A captain can’t afford to make such silly club level mistakes when his team is up against a hungry side like India with each one of its players out there to prove something and certainly not against a team with such strong batting line up especially when your back is against the wall.

The wicket proved a home away from home for the Indians. Batsmen and the tail enders piled on runs to set a decent first innings total. For Vettori, mistakes proved too costly, nothing went right in this test match with his batsmen failing miserably and his bowlers going for runs. Daniel Vettori is all set to enter into record books by becoming the first black caps captain to lose a test series against India after a little more than four decades. A record he wouldn’t have expected in his wildest dreams in such an illustrious career.

All one can say to Vettori now is Tough luck mate!

Was it G20 or T20 for Silvio Berlusconi?

The Queen became a super star when her highness put Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in place after Mr. Berlusconi behaved like a T20 spectator during the photo shoot to mark the G20 summit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSUn_J__MUk

The footage shows the Queen gesturing in mild irritation at the Italian leader as she posed with President Barack Obama and other world leaders in the traditional "family" photograph at Buckingham Palace to mark the G20 summit.

As the photoshoot ends, Mr. Berlusconi is heard shouting: "Mr. Obama, Mr. Obama," prompting the Queen to turn round, sigh and raise her arms in mock frustration, before saying: "What is it? Why does he have to shout?"

Within minutes, the Queen's burst of annoyance - which came despite an attempt by Mr. Obama to silence Mr. Berlusconi by responding in a low voice - had become a worldwide hit after being posted on Italy's YouTube site.

Below Par?

After a particularly bad round of golf, Robert decided not to go to the nineteenth hole [the clubhouse bar] and started to go straight home.

As he was walking to the golf car park to get his Range Rover, a policeman stopped him and asked', Did you tee off on the seventeenth hole about twenty minutes ago?'

'Yes', Robert answered.

'Did you happen to slice your ball so that it went over the trees and out of bounds and completely off the golf course?'

'Yes, I did. How did you know?' Robert questioned.

'Well', said the policeman gravely', your golf ball flew out onto the main road and crashed through the windscreen of a BMW. The car driver lost control and crashed into six other cars and a fire engine. The fire engine was unable to reach the fire in time and the building burned down. Now, what do you intend to do about it?'

Robert thought it over very carefully and responded, I think I'll close my stance a little bit, tighten my grip and lower my right thumb.

Monay to Friday?

Delicious typo error!

Cricket as taught to an American

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in.

Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out.

When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out.

Sometimes you get men still in and not out.

When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out.

When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.

Point to Ponder: Lil wonder why Americans hate Cricket!