Transcript of the Commentary - Zimbabwe Innings

Prem: grant flower, perhaps fittingly, on strike so he should be getting the winning run here, vaas the bowler. 1 off 24 the ask, ads the bowler, grant cover drives, and that is it, zimbabwe have downed the world cup holders with 7 wickets in hand, it's all over and with that, shutting down, back tomorrow for the idnia versus zimbabwe game, goodbye all.

Prem: 2 off 25, grant on strike to jaya, this one is the single to point, that makes for parity and now one to get to win. four overs to do it in.

Prem: 3 in 26 needed, andy on strike, jaya the bowler, outside off and hit through the off, single.

cacophonix () What has been the contribution of SRT in all successful 250+ chases for India? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arvind () Role of Dravid - Use him as a crisis man. Select him only on fast wicket when opposition has quality pace bowlers. Let him bat if a wicket falls before 10 overs and tell him stabilise the inning, rotate strike till 25 overs. He should be told to score fast after 25 overs (which means he should get out as he gets out first time he tries an ambitious shot). Don't let Dravid bat, If Tendu, Gang or Azza is playing well and India is in OK position till 25 overs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () Team for world cup Gangs,SRT,Azza,Jadu,Srinath,Agarkar,Prasad Mongia,Kumble,Bajju,Kambli (if he is fit), Robin, Dravid -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- cacophonix () Take SRT out and our success rate will improve. Check the statistics. How many times we have won when tendulkar has made less than 50, and how many times we have won when he has made more than 50. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Satish () OK, PREM, PC and the rest...gotta go.... see U all tomorrow to what shd be a very good game.... Prem: 5 more needed, jaya and andy off his hips gets one through midwicket.

Prem: over the wicket, andy pushes through midwicket and one more. 6 more needed, 191/3 the score. 84 to flower, 24 to andy flower. jaya now to grant, down the track, tries to chip, thick outer edge gets one towards point.

Satish () OK, PREM, PC and the rest...gotta go.... see U all tomorrow to what shd be a very good game.... Prem: jaya continues, bowling to andy. 7 more to win for zim with five overs in hand.

rajeevm (rajeevm@rocketmail.com) vijay>>>does Dravid owe u money or something??? man get a life!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ankur () cacaphinx ddod u wrong becuz Tendulkar is the star we can't do better without a star we can do better with him -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- thomas (mathew_t@hotmail.com) cacophonix> I would like to add "only if the other ten guys do their bit, which they never do regularly!" Prem: vaas contuinues, overpitches the yorker, andy works it throughcover, one more. end of the over, 190/3 in 45.

Prem: rioght up in the blockhole on line of off, andy pushes, no run. end of the over.

Prem: vaas on off and andy pushes back down the track. 8 off 32 still needed.

ankur () ok doos u right but he is also right for the ODI.ever heard of anchor batsmen or the support role I think not that whay people don't want him.See if the rushhour batsmen gets out then the Anchor comes and tries to take his place but sensibly PC () My MOm for Brandes or for Andy Flower, I ould prefer Brandes, but the trend seems to favour batsmen so I guess flower will get it -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) This match is as good as over, got to go..See u all tomorrow guys.Hope we'll be batting second, so we can enjoy Mr.technique's batting..(Too early for us to follow the first innings) PC () My MOm for Brandes or for Andy Flower, I ould prefer Brandes, but the trend seems to favour batsmen so I guess flower will get it -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) This match is as good as over, got to go..See u all tomorrow guys.Hope we'll be batting second, so we can enjoy Mr.technique's batting..(Too early for us to follow the first innings) Prem: 8 more needed, vaaas to andy flower, short and pulled but not hit too well, finds square leg, no run.

Prem: vaas continues, and grant flower square drives, one more to the fumble at point.

Prem: end of the over, 188/3 zimbabwe in 44 and 9 short yet of the target.

Prem: a sweep this time, but straight to short square, no run. 188/3.

Prem: dharma, and andy flower off the back foot, finds midwicket with the push, no run.

Prem: 10 needed, one run chipped off the target by yet another wide. next ball, grant pushes to point, one more, 188/3.

cacophonix (myindia@m-net.arbornet.org) I am glad that yesterdays win shuts all those pin heads who thinks that India cannot win without SRT. I bet we will do much better with out him -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arvind () Vijay >> I think Dravid should not be blamed. He has tried very hard to convince everybody that he is not fit for ODI yet. It is the selectors and management which forcing him to play in all conditions at all cost. Prem: Dharma, no ball and two for it besides, so three off the first ball and grant on drives ball number two, one more, zim now 11 short of the target with 41 balls in hand.

Ankur () yea well who scored the century against Zimbawe in the test?gee I think it was Dravid again who saved us and also during Tendulkars 19th century -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cricket_supporter () Yes, It's true Dravid is a "GOOD" batsman in the conventional sense. He has very very good techniques. He knows which ball to defend and which ball to be hit. He is an invaluable asset to the Indian cricket. But then.. That form of batting is ideally suited for the conventional form of cricket. That is for Test-matches. But ODI belongs altogether different spectrum. Here good batsman is one who can score a SIX off even the most hostile bowling, when the need is there. But whether Dravid this quality? The answer:NO! With 900 million people, India can surely find another Tendulkar to replace Dravid in ODI, if the will is there with the administrators of the Cricket in India. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () welll does this mean... there is no DEMOCRACY in the state of maharashtra -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- thomas (mathew_t@hotmail.com) Tendulkar, will have to watch out for Eddo Brandes tomorrow, he's the only bowler in the Zimbabwe team who can cause him problems esp early in the innings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- thomas (mathew_t@hotmail.com) Tendulkar, will have to watch out for Eddo Brandes tomorrow, he's the only bowler in the Zimbabwe team who can cause him problems esp early in the innings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abhay () Prem>> my Man of the match : Goodwin; Who is your choice? Prem: vaas and this tiome the chip just clears mid on, single. 182/3, three in the over and that is the end of 43.

Prem: Vaas, and this time grant flower stepping to leg, blazes a cover drive but finds the fielder, no run.

Prem: vaas now to grant, on middle, very full length, played back to the bowler.

Arvind () PC>> Kambli was dropped after scoring at an average of 35 and strike rate of 95 to bring in Laxman. He came as 12th man and broke his ankle. Even if he was fit probably he would have been out of the team. AS long as we have techincally correct (?)s like Laxman, Dravid there is no place in the team for performers. Laxman, Dravid play in a consistent manner. They try to maintain strike rate of around 50 irrespective of the required run rate. They start slowly and then play slowly till the end. Other players try to score fast according to the demand and make India make win matches sometimes. Which BCCI doesn't want. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () is the world cup named the coca cola trophy by any chance I think india has a great chance to win it then Prem: 180/3 the score, in 42.2, vaas contnues, to andy, on off and driven, finds one through cover.

Satish () Vijay>> U have made Ur point. Please don't beat the Dravid issue to death. Everytime, it seems like people want to talk only abt him...please let's change the topic -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- gans () Vijay> Don't forget Dravid's new found ability with the ball ... 6-0-52-0. Now we have the all rounder everyone was looking for -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PC () Vijay dude, u need to lkearn to how to add.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ankur () Vijay dood u wrong mr.techinuque himself will probably lead india to victory or at least save us like in the Indpendnce cup when he saved us from total humilation by scoring a century in diffucult pressure times -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TroubleMaker (rayilling@hotmail.com) Thomas - unfortunately, with Azza it's not whether India should - but rather whether HE would -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TroubleMaker (rayilling@hotmail.com) Thomas - unfortunately, with Azza it's not whether India should - but rather whether HE would -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TroubleMaker (rayilling@hotmail.com) Thomas - unfortunately, with Azza it's not whether India should - but rather whether HE would -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Satish () Prem>> OK Prem.. I know U have Ur hands full....guys, tomorrow, would like to see Laxman given a chance, played in place of Joshi probably... horses for courses.... no point in carrying players around without giving them a chance...this way we will know for sure if he is up to at this level in the one-day game, once and for all. if he is not, then KHURASIA shd be taken. These tournaments shd be used to experiment... that way, it was great to see Chopra getting a game -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- abhay () docgmatic>> prem will not talk about Bal T.. It is dangerous and probably Tabboo for him to do so. Prem: 18 off 48, and vaas to continue. nice ball, on off and middle but grant stepping to leg, gets the single straight past the bowler. 180/3.

Prem: grant just shutting the bat face here on a defensive push, finds one to midwicket, 18 more needed. 179/3. dharma to andy, last ball of the 42nd. an attempted chip goes to short fine off the edge, no run.

Prem: 177/3 the score, andy this time onto the back foot, drives, finds one past cover, 178/3 and 19 more needed off 50 balls.

Prem: dharma again, to andy, down the track but again finds cover on the push, no run.

Prem: 20 of 54 now, the ask, into the 42nd over. dharma takes over. andy pushhes to covver, no run.

thomas (mathew_t@hotmail.com) Amol, Amen to that. Hope it remains that way for a long long time to come!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijay () India's score tomorrow: Tendu 75Runs-60 balls-12 fours-1 six SG-50-60-7-0, Azza-10-20-0-0, Dravid-20-120-0-0, Jadeja-55-75-1-1, RSing-65-75-5-2, India (Allout)225 When Dravid entered,we were 120-2 in 15 overs, when Mr.technique left, we were 150-5 in 40 overs... That's what is going to happen tomorrow Prem: grant driving, finds the gap at cover, one more, 4 in the over and Zim 177/3 in 41.

dogmatic () >>abhay....looks like u r right.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- thomas (mathew_t@hotmail.com) Prem, what do u think India should do tomorrow if they win the toss? Should they bat first or bowl first? Prem: grant now on strike, vaas on middle, straightening it on the batsman, played down to point, no run.

Prem: 23 off 57 needed here, and a short ball is pulled away, single to andy, 175/3 the score. into the 41st over here.

Prem: vaas to andy flower, good ball, seaming in sharply from outside off, has andy flower cramped on the defensive push.

Prem: vaas now to andy flower, on off, cutting in, and played defensivley.

PC () Whew broke his ankle, poor Kambli, thats more likely the end of his career.. its a tough injury Prem: Satish:: will write about that in the match rep. meanwhile, chaminda vaas finally coming back on, but way too late to make much of a differenmce, zim 173/3 and grant on strike, gets one on middle and leg, plays to mid off, single.

Bhim (sundar@zach.wustl.edu) Prem, I have a feeling SL made a mistake firing the Aussie coach (some spin bowler, yardley?).. SL is not winning many matches now with SL coach -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bhim (sundar@zach.wustl.edu) Prem, I have a feeling SL made a mistake firing the Aussie coach (some spin bowler, yardley?).. SL is not winning many matches now with SL coach -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amol (amol@flash.net) With one exception though..Tendulkar - he has just got better after marraige. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Satish () Prem>> Eddo Brandes is without doubt one of the best bowlers in the one-day game today..... amazing that almost every outing, he manages to get 2 or 3 early wickets....what makes him so effective?? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANKUR () I think Sri Lanka don't even have a chance of winning now -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- mahesh (mnair@ti.com) Looks like the chicken farmer from Zim (Eddo Brandes) has done it again. He always bowls really well against all sides!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () IS THAT SO PREM!!!!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aravinth (aravintha@hotmail.com) I think Dravid will be useful in English conditions during the world cup,as it requires good techniquo to counter the moving ball. Prem: nice flowing off drive this time, single to end the 40th over on 173/3. sl at this point were 152/6.

Prem: nice straight line here, on off and middle adn grant defends.

Duke (moa135@cs.usask.ca) thomas> And similarly will not utter, "... and captained horribly". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TroubleMaker (rayilling@hotmail.com) Sunil - Vinod Kamli was not "dropped" he broke his ankle and is recovering very slowly - he is almost ruled out from the WC 99 Prem: Zoysa to andy, outside off, this time playing the cut finer gets him the one down to backward point, 172/3, zoysa bowling his 10th over here.

Prem: Zoysa to andy, played square on the off again but again, finds the fielder.

abhay () dogmatic>> I support having a discussion forum on Bal T... but I doubt Prem or Rediff will have the guts to pass the discussion to Bal T.. because the guy is a GOON-par-excellence and Prem probably has to live in B'bay!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arvind (A_Singh@HotMail.com) Maybe, Srilanka is not such a strong team anymore. First they lost to South Africa in South Africa, then they lost to India in Srilanka, SA in Bangladesh and now in Shrjah they are about to lose to Zim. Jayasuriya has been unable to give them the rocket start for a quite a long time now (his average this year is around 30 and strike rate of around 80). ADS has been only OK this year (Average 32). They desperately need Jayasuriya to work on his weakness or discover some new hero batsman. Prem: zoysa to andy, the cut finds point, no run, grant batting 72, andy batting 18.

Bhim:: Hypothetical, that one, but sure, he does have the knack of taking wickets aggainst non subcontinental teams in particular, but in any case he arent here, so hard lines Lanka. Grant, meanwhile, playing zoysa, first up, to point, one more. Bhim (sundar@zach.wustl.edu) Prem, suppose Murali played today.. Do you feel he would have made a difference? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TroubleMaker (rayilling@hotmail.com) Thomas, that was a brilliant analysis - marriage definitely does things to top cricketers - especially when their wives are celebs (kinda)too, we have some all-too-familiar parallels in Azza, Pataudi Jr Andre Agassi and so on... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- abhay () Prem>> do we sense a chink in Ranatunga's captaincy. You are right, why not Vaas .. is he hurt? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- gans () so, prem Do you think Dravid should pplay against Zimbabwe? whose place should he take? Tendulkar? :-) Prem: Both batsmen pacing themselves here, still needing 28 off 67 at 2.5, last ball of the 39th, sweera to grant, again down the track and again, a well placed on drive, 170/3 at the end of the over.

Amol (amol@flash.net) thomas (mathew_t@hotmail.com) Looks like it's Arjuna's turn to say, "We batted badly, bowled badly and fielded poorly" this time. Prem: sweera to grant, who gets down the track, chips on the on, gets one more. 168/3 in 38.4.

Prem: Sorry, guys, had a bit of slow down, meanwhile, 167/3 zim, sweera to grant, played to mid on, no run, 39th over in progres.

Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Gans>I agree with u 100% and the answer is Dravid should be stuck with a lifetime ban from one day matches..But, I'm afraid it's not allowed to talk about Dravid on this site, friend.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Satish () Prem>> Howdy?? U know what, yesterday when I was coming back from work, I thought that Zim had a very good chance of upsetting the Lankan applecart and that is exactly what is happening. What rapid strides this country has made!! Nice to see, ain't it?? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () oye prem.. could we all have a blast at Mr.Bal T and can you guys forward it to him Or like have a discussion forum on this issue hmmm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Prem>Everybody has been singing Ranatunga's captaincy.. Yesterday, he lost the match by the stupid tactics of not bowling Vaas in the end..Today,sending Kalu at one down failed miserably..Just goes to prove that when things work out, you are a great captain, when they don't, you are lousy, doesn't it ? Prem: grant now cover drives, gets one, into the 38th over here. zoysa now to andy, onto line of off and played defensively. rther difficult to understand what ranatunga is saving vaas for, here.

Prem: grant now cover drives, gets one, into the 38th over here. zoysa now to andy, onto line of off and played defensively. rther difficult to understand what ranatunga is saving vaas for, here.

Prem: zoysa continues, andy on strike and clipping off his pads, gets one down backward of square, 164/3 and now needing 33 off 75 at 2.64.

Karthik (karthikkk@hotmail.com) Zimbabwe are out to prove that they have arrived. By the way three cheers to Prem for doing such a wonderful job. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- sunil (sxa650@css.bham.ac.uk) prem, why is it that vinod kambli was dropped from the indian team? i believe that he is an extremely classy and talented player and if india had him in their one day team it would give india the strongest top 6 line up in world cricket. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- carlos (srini@risc.sps.mot.com) Morning, Prem ! Morning by CST standards ! Do we have an upset cooking here ? Prem: 161/3, short ball, the bouncer attempted but down leg and called wide, 162/3.

Prem: 40 off 78 the ask now, zoysa continues, grant on strike, down the track and that's a real thumper -- gave zoysa the charge, hit on the up and through mid off, screaming to the fence for four.

dogmatic () Does Bal thackeray...have an email id... jeezz y does he want to mess with cricket as well abhay...what i meant was when was india touring.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amol (amol@flash.net) Hey, does this listen to commentary option work?? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- gans () vijay>the question to ask is not whether dravid would be in the team but whether dravid should be in the team -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aravinth (aravintha @hotmail.com) Teams can afford to lose one or two matches and still can make it to the finals -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Duke (moa135@cs.usask.ca) Dravid must be in on IND-SL match. That will be played on today's pitch. (Saskatoon, Canada) Prem: sweera, for the last time in the 37th, to andy, on middle and played back to the bowler, 157/3 zim in 37.

Prem: sweera to grant flower, 156/3 the score, two left in the 37th, short on leg and the on drive well placed, gets him the single, 157/3 40 more off 79.

Prem: grant this time down the track, on driving but closing the bat too much on the shot, finds mahanama at midwicket, no run. ball four, flighted, on driven, finds the fielder again.

Prem: 155/3 the score, and sweera again to andy, on middle, he pushes to point and they are off again. 156/3.

Prem: 153/3 in 36. 44 more off 84 needed. andy on strike. sweera continues. flighted on off, andy down the track, takes it on the full, plays it wide of long off and good running again, taking two, the second for dharma's throw from the deep.

Prem: last ball of the 36th, flower defends, no run. 14 overs to go and zim seem to have the game covered here, lots fo wickets in hand and now the target well within striking range.

thomas (mathew_t@hotmail.com) Talking about Jayasuria, he seems to be off color ever since he's got married. Any thought's on that one, guys? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () a tendulkar double hundred in the offing tomorrow .... Prem: zoysa again, nice easy run up for this lad, sends one through andy outsdie off as the batsman tries toc ut, huge appeal for ccaught behind, but lots of daylight between bat and ball on that one, and orchard not too impressed by the appeal. ball five, on off, and andy shuts the bat face, runs it in front of midwicket, good understan ding there on that quick single. 153/3.

crickter (jeshra@hotmail.com) India to tour NewZe -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- abhay () dogmatic: Always happy to give info of general use.. India's next tour is with NZ and then they come back a nd play PAK in India unless an IDIOT called Bal thackeray raises an unnecessary storm over the tour. Prem: cal;m, controlled knock here from grant, zoysa again, on middle and this time, as the ball rises, grant opens the bat face and runs the single down to third man.

Prem: Ranatunga could bring back Vaas around now -- no use saving his overs, since without wickets here, this game is as good as over. on off again, short and lifting, and grant playing it out to point, no run.

Prem: 46 more needed off 90 and zoysa continues, bowling to grant, on off and played to point, no run.

thomas (mathew_t@hotmail.com) Hi guys, Zimbabwe have played better than the Lankans in all aspects of the game so far They thoroughly deserve to win this one. Tomorrow's match should be very interesting. India will have to fight hard to win that one. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PC () I wonder if yesterday is telling on the Lankans, they kinda seem to eb lacking in spirit and get up n go... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () NOTTTTTTTTTTTT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- partha (psarathyr@hotmail.com) Abhay, we should not misuse the chat facility provided by Rediff.Let us restrict ourselves to the great game of cricket especially when on a day Zimb. is getting lankans to drink lot of water Prem: Saif:: he and orchard both made a mistake but lbws werent it, both turned down caught behinds that were very clear. Vijay:: no idea, really.

aravinth (aravintha@hotmail.com) Remember last time in Sharjah. India struggled initially,but won the cup. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Prem>do u think for tomorrow's match, Dravid'll be in the team ? Or is the question not allowed now ? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saif (satrosh@khi.compol.com) Thanks Prem. I am from Pak and I thought this man has done it again. BTW...Prem, the browser at the top sttill shows 129/3. Prem: 59/93 to grant, 12 to andy.

Prem: and that is drinks, taking a quick breahter here, be right back, guys.

dogmatic () Abhay... thanks for that info mate.. wass really looking forward to that... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Jayasurya has been really struggling in the one day games for the past one year..I don't even know when he scored a 50 last .. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () whatzz the next tour by india.. any ideas on where they are going and are they playing any testmatches -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aravinth (aravintha@hotmail.com) Guys, Don't write SriLanka off. Still there are matches to go. Prem: sweera again to andy flower, full length on off and uh oh, that is another lapse -- andy flower sweeps, high in the air and zoysa very lackadaisical on the line at midwicket, late coming in, then bends at the waist, not covering the ball, fluffs a sitter. single. and grant fluently on drives, one more, 151/3 in 35, sl at this point were 136/6,

Prem: Andy this time driving inside out, nd finding one wide of cover, 148/3 zim and now under 50 needed, 49 off 93 actually. grant down the track, off drives, one more. 149/3.

abhay () Another great even t in the history of space exploration .. The shuttle with John Glenn has just landed at the kennedy space center.. Just as SL's chances of winning this game are evaporating -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ssrao (s_srinivasa_rao@hotmail.com) Are Indian players watching it? Prem: sweera now to andy flower. otside leg, the batsman sweeps and misses -- huge appeal, not sure why since the ball was wide of leg.

Prem: sweera now to grant, onto the front foot driving wide of mid on, the single always on there, 147/3 in 34.1.

Prem: 51 off 96 more the ask, at 3.18, 34 overs gone and grant flower on strike.

Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) David Hougton should be India's coach..If he makes India field 50% as well as Zim, we'd be world beaters... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ashish () I think that if you work out jaysurya and get him, then it becomes very difficult for SL to make high score and if they have low score to defend they are not in a good position. good start has always been a factor in SL wins particularly when batting first becasue while chasing a low score they don't have decent bowling attack to defend. Prem: again a very good line, swinging wide of thge crease and angling into off, andy flower plays to cover, finds the fielder, no run.

Prem: bad ball that, wide of leg and called. 146/3 in 33.5.

Prem: dogmatic:: no, two pitches, and they alternate. SAIF:: no, only one by ja and all were plumb. andy on strike to zoysa, good line on off, bowler pitching a full length, bowling within himself and keeping it on the stumps and andy flower forward, pushing defensively.

saif (satrosh@khi.compol.com) I see 5 lbw decisions in the SL innings. Was it a job of Javed Akhter or they were realy out? How many were given by JA? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmaticar () are all the games being played on the same pitch.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Guys>Who's betting Zim will beat India tomorow ? Prem: ball three is middle and leg and andy forwad, flicking off his pads, one behind square leg. 144/3 in 33.3.

Prem: vijay:: all that is handled by the techies, i dont have a clue why, or even if it has changed. andy forward, pushing defensively to ball two from zoysa, on off, to the fielder at mid off.

Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Prem>Couple of days back, the frame was wider so the whole commentary fitted in the frame, widthwise...Now it's reverted back to the old one..Any reason ? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () Seriously prem.... Could you spice up the commentory as i mentioned yesterday... imitation of boycs , maninder, shastri and sunny.. would be awesome.. emotional statements like hooorah...oh noo...oh yess and be partisan...maaan....lets hit some nerve here Prem: dew was absent the first two days but today, it is back on so that will be something for teams to think about from here on, spinners using cloth to dry the ball here, and now zoysa being brought on. ball one, on off, lovely cover drive, finds the sweeper though and grant gets one more. 143/3.

Prem: Lanka's biggest problem here is the lack of runs on the board -- zimbabwe had to go at less than 4 right at the outset, which meant they were never going to come under pressure barring a horrible collapse. 55 more off 102 the ask.

Prem: Vijay:: tomorrow. dharma to andy, who steps back, hits to mid on, fielder there is close, no run, 142/3 in 33 Zimbabwe.

PC () Shucks this is not even a match any more. Whats happeneing to the Lankan run machine? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- gobulls () It is time to move Zim up in the global ODI rankings. My ranking order is SA/AUS/SL/PAK/IND/WI/ZIM/ENG/NZ. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Prem>When is India's next match ? Prem: dharma to andy, who tries a glide down the leg side, finds the fielder there, though.

Prem: 141/3 in 32.1 and grant down the track, squared up, pushing back to the bowler. ball three, dharma, bowling wicket to wicket here, grant steps to leg, places it wide of ranatunga at cover, single. 142/3 needing 55 more off 105 balls.

Prem: Chawla:: could you mail me that, please? Dharma continues, to andy flower, ball one is outside off, andy guiding it through point off the back foot, one for it.

B S Chawla (bschawla@hotmail.com) Prem, this format is great! I have been thinking since yesterday about another layout. One that attracts me is the Yahoo one on the Bridge game. The chat area can be then separate - but this may break the continuous flow along with your great commentary. The commentary can be at the same place while chat can be at the Be an expert area which can move as buttons (links) somewhere else. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- saif (satrosh@khi.compol.com) why a low scoring match? How's the pitch behaving? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Gans>thanks for the support among all the criticism, buddy.. Prem: the straight, arm ball, this time, and grant flower off the back foot, driving through cover and playing it late, one more, 139/3. one more in the 32nd, and andy flower sweeps, plsays it well, one more and zim 140/3 in 32. to put that in perspective, sri lanka after 35 were just 136/6.

Prem: 59 more to win, and now all zim has to do is keep chipping the singles around, sweera now to grant who is down the track but manages to cramp himself, trying to go too far down the leg side, ends up pushing back to the bowler.

Prem: 60 more of 113 needed, and andy flower on strike, shapes to come down the track, then changes his mind and defends to sweera's next. ball three of the 32nd, down on his knee, checking a sweep and taking the single backward of square. 138/3.

Prem: Bhim:: no, why? 60 in almost twenty overs doesnt seem panic inducing to a side with 7 wickets left to come. sweera, and grant flower nicely down the track, pushing through the gap at midwicket, finds one to the sweeper, 137/3.

Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Doug>More than Zim's improvement (and I dont deny they are getting very good),SL's has declined a lot.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bhim (sundar@zach.wustl.edu) Prem, Zim is struggling to score any run.. Are we heading for a collapse and a thriller? Prem: flights one this time, and andy pushes on the on, in the air but no fielder within reach, no run, 136/3 in 31.

Prem: dharma's nerve seems to be coming back after the mauling yesterday, very tight over this, ball five gives grant some leeway for the on drive, fetches the single, 136/3 and one ball left in the over, to andy.

abhay () Time to get Vaas in -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- gans (narayanaga@ssb.rochester.edu) oh no! please dont censor vijay...I find his prem baiting extremely hilarious .. hopefully vijay can continue his dravid line of interrogation (brotherhood included) when india is playing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Intersting thing is Zim won the toss and elected to field.. I think the lights make the ball wet and make fielding difficult.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- venky (lwbbs.net) will zimbabwe do a srilanka in the next world cup in England. The way they are playing it can happen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () so wazzz happening ppl -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ray (rayilling@hotmail.com) Regarding SL's chances in the WC - I think it'll be very bery difficult for them to do an encore - winning it once is difficult enough - some teams have never managed it so far - and now with SA, Australia, Pak, India, even West Indies not exactly any more charitable than before, they'll not have it easy. abhay () Time to get Vaas in Prem: dharma continues, bowling to grant flower, good line on off and played square on the on, no run.

Prem: Another little guide into the gap on the on, single, and that completes a fine 50 for Grant Flower, doing his usual anchor role from the head of the batting order. 135/3 in 30 zim, lanka were 120/5 at this point.

dougi (douglas_walters@hotmail.com) Hi Mates! Zim has come a long way in cricket. Today they are moving towards beating Sri Lanka.Great to the game of cricket. B S Chawla (bschawla@hotmail.com) Prem, what do u think Ranatunga should do now, get back a quickie for Andy? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Srini (srini@bellcore.com) prem: I think Arjuna should try to bring on Vaas with some attacking fields and try to take wickets by continuing the same for all his bowlers... Prem: on leg again and this time, a nice little push through midwicket, one more to the batsman.

Prem: sweera to andy flower, on leg stump, a delicate glance and two more to the batsman.

Prem: flighted on middle and leg this time and grant clips off his pads, gets one through square leg. 131/3.

Prem: That is liable to prove costly. 67 off 125 needed, and a wicket here would have helped lanka turn the screws a bit on the batting side. sweera contines, grant flower down the track, shutting the bat face this time on the on drive, finds mid on, no run.

Prem: 5 dot balls for dharma, which must come as a relief after yesterday, and there is a costly miss -- grant flower down the track, trying to on drive, the ball off theleading edge to cover and Arjuna spills it after getting both hands around it, that one was a nice little dolly. 129/3 in 29.

Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Prem>Ok,according to me,the favorites would be SA,Aus,Zim,Pak,WI,Ind,Bdesh and Eng -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John (john@hotmail.com) Hey Prem cant you just ignore Vijay's messages.....they are disturbing the flow Prem: Grant flower on strike here to dharma, first three balls are nice and tight on off and flower seems in no hurry, pushing gently back. ball four, again the three quarter length on off and played defensively.

Prem: Much better over from samaraweera this time, not drifting as much to leg as he does often. 68 more needed off 132.

Prem: andy pushes to point, wants one, grant sends him back, quite right too, they don't need any run outs now, with the game well in control.

Prem: interestingly, these two are the leading ODI run scorers for zimbabwe with campbell at number three, and this time, grant flower pushing to cover, quick single. 129/3 in 27.3 and grant onto 48, steady batting, holding one end up here.

Prem: now what caused that rethink anyway? Perhaps to bring him on with the slight breeze fromt he other end? andy flower on strike, ball one of the 28th is punched to point but finds the fielder. RAM:: can we discuss the indian players when India is actually playing, thanks. ball two, the off drive, flower fluent with his footwork here, gets one. 128/3.

Prem: Subhash:: Sure, been dong this for 4 years now, a lot of regulars become friends. Vijay:: Since I dont know what kind of team Lanka will field, I really have no comment on that one. Besides, be the expert is the link you clicked, not ask a question. 127/3 in 27, zimbabwe, and suddenly, before he bowls a single ball, ranatunga takes him off and lets samaraweera continue.

Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Prem>What do u think about SL's wcup chances ? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- subhash (sssubhash@rediffmail.com) HI Prem, I'm new to this site; But certainly not new to cricket One thing I wanted to confirm are all the people here right now "regulars". I mean youa ll seem to talk so CLOSEly. Prem: Hmm, another throw of the dice, ranatunga bringing Zoysa back.

Prem: Andy Flower and Grant Flower now together out there, the left right combo back in action, andy another fluent player against spin, chips gnetly to midwicket to end the over with a single, 123/3 Zim in 27.

Ray (rayilling@hotmail.com) I think it is not Sri Lanka that's slipping -- it is Zimbabwe which is improving very fast and making SL look shoddy - after all SL just beat England convincingly in England and Z'we beat a full strength India Prem: Oh good shot there, grant flower taking over from goodwin, goes on his knee, gets under a flat one on off from dharma, and swings him over midwicket, lots of space there with a predominantly offside field, and four for that. a gentle push to midwicket gets one off the next ball. 127/3.

Prem: Vijay:: sri lanka is playing this match, so yes, that discussion is on. simple. tell me, must you behave like a spoilt brat? 27th over here, coming up. sorry, guys, rather tired of all this stuff, getting back to the game. dharma the bowler.

Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Prem>What about the other guys talking about SL's w.cup chances and all..Not exactly related to the current match, are they ? Prem: wrk4:: going good, pal.

Prem: Bad miscalculation there, goodwin pushing to mid on, racing through for the run and atapattu connects with the direct hit, a risky single when there was no need to take one.

Prem: Vijay:: why not ask cricinfo how come goodwin hits a six and off the next ball of the same over, flower hits a four?

Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Prem>Cricinfo says the last four was by Flower.. Prem: TK: The lbws were all absolutely pucca, no problems.

Prem: goodwin down the track, pushes to midwciekt, single. 90 now off 106 balls and zimbabwe 121 in 26.

TK (tk@rediff.com) Will somone please tell me how on earth did the mighty champs SL collapse and were all those LBWs really good decisions??? Prem, if you have a minute please- Thanks. Prem: goodwin is now cutting loose and how -- a lovely dance down the track, up and over long off and a clean hit for six, next ball, jayasuriya on off, a delicate late cut and four more and that completes a lovely 50 for the zimbabwe batsman.

Prem: Vijay:: lets get this on record, shall we? I dont need to cater to your monomania, one -- like I said, this is day three on the run you have had nothing else to talk about. Two, that last question is positively juvenile. End of posting on the subject.

Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Prem>You don't have to post this, if u send me a mail that'd be fine,my address is attached.. Would Dravid happen to be your brother ? Prem: 110/2 in 25 zimbabwe, sri lanka at this point were struggling at 97/4, so things looking better and better for the chasing side.

sunil (sxa650@css.bham.ac.ik) let's face it guys, sri lanka were lucky to win the world cup in 96. they only have 2 bowlers of any note ( murli and vaas) and they have not got anybody to steady the innings when the first couple of batsmen fail, which has benn happening far too often in recent times. Peter Cawood (brickdes@iafrica.harare.com) Remember ZIM has beaten India in its last 2 games. Will be 3 tomorrow. Prem: 109/2 in 24.5.

Prem: s'weera continues, bowling to goodwin and this one is on line of leg and that is again a beauty -- down the track, narrows the angle, chips over mid on, the fielder there staying inside the circle, so goodwin taking full toll, four over his head, clearing him easily.

Prem: samaraweera to flower, down the track, the checked on drive gets him one more, 105/2 in 24.3.

Prem: uh oh, lanka going to pieces there. samaraweera bowling, flower drives towards midwicket and first the fielder there, then the one backing up, both overrun the ball. makes a tight single easy. 103/2 and next ball, goodwin onto the back foot, square drives, one to sweeper cover, into the 25th over here and zimbabwe now pulling away quite nicely.

Deepak (d_bhupalam@hotmail.com) Srin, that's what i was mentioning earlier. Just as India depends on Sachin and saurav, SL also depends quite a bit on Sj and ADS. Of late both of them are a shade out of form and the reault is showing up.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- rajeevm (rajeevm@rocketmail.com) Its time Ranatunga visited Whitefield Bangalore. ;=) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Cawood (brickdes@harare.iafrica.com) ODI H.S. Brandes 55, Streak 48 and Strang 47 not bad. Prem: brilliant shot that -- outside off, jaya trying to fire one down that side for a change, goodwin spots it a mile away, waits for it on his knee and slams it through point, hit with perfect placement and enormous power.

Prem: Ram:: each team plays the other two twice before the final. flower now trying an inside out chip, not geting hold of it. ball five, knocks it into the gap at midwicket and gets one more, 98/2 in 23.5.

Ram () Prem: Does each team paly the other only once?? So, its India-Zim final?? Prem: jayasuriya continues, into the 24th over, sorry,the scoreboard thingy seems to have frozen, will try and get it going, meanwhile, zim babae 97/2 and both these batsmen handling the spinners with elan. goodwin gets one on the sweep, brings flower on strike. nexct ball, pushed back down the track, no run.

Prem: vijay:: after my requesting everybody to stay off the india game since it is messing up the transcript, I think this question was uncalled for. further, i talked to you for six damn hours about dravid that day and i dont intend to keep harping on the only bee you apparently ahve in your bonnet, now is that clear enough? would like to concentrate on the game going on,thanks.

Vijay (usd0002c@hotmail.com) Prem>One hypothetical question.. If Mr.technique Dravid was playing today for Zim, what do u think the chances of a Zim victory to be ? I think Zim would win with Dravid but they'd need 100 overs ... (Pl.post this and your answer too...) Srini (srini@bellcore.com) Prem:Part of Ranatunga's problems are caused by inconsistent performance by ADS and SJ.If they don't fire , SriLanka always end up with less than defemdable score. --- Comments??? Prem: short and goodwin loves those -- bending again at the knee to get under the ball, then powering it over midwicket for four more.

Prem: Zim needing 106 more, from 28 overs, which is very very dooable, samaraweera again and flower sweeps, doesnt connect too well. no run. ball two, down th track, flicks, finds short square leg, no run.

Deepak (d_bhupalam@hotmail.com) hello Guys, recently I watched Sachin's innings at Dhaka. Prior to that, I also watched his centuries at sharjah and the one in colombo. Did you guys happen to see changes in his batting this year and last year.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Cawood (brickdes@harare.iafrica.com) Strang has a test century to his name Prem: oops, that one rushed in to the batsman -- ranatunga needs to figure where he is going with his field, now he has half and half, be a better ploy to pack leg, keep a short cover for the inside out push and try and force mistakes here. zim at the end of the over, 91/2 and now in a position of considerable comfort.

Prem: wide of off angling towards middle and leg, huge appeal but that was missing leg. leg bye results, now if the lankans concentrated on fielding, that bye woudlnt have been taken.

Prem: goodwin, with a very intelligent deflection, gets inside the line of that one and tickles it to fine leg, two for it.

Partha ((psarathyr@hotmail.com)) Sri Lankan batting is not coming off well.Otehrwise ther bowling is ok but for Mutiah.In fact Zoysa has added little more flair with Vaas. These 2 left handers can be dangerous in England. Prem: abhay:: sure, all are good lusty hitters, brandes can belt them as well, so they are okay there. jaya, ball one, on leg, flower flicks, races with the shoht, pressure causing the fumble again, and making the run on.

Prem: guys, dont mess up the transcript with that old dravid or no stuff, okay? he aint playing for either of these teams, as far as I know. thanks. jayasuriya now being brought on, ranatunga trying all he has but he just doesn't have enough -- either on the board, or by way of bowling options.

abhay () prem>> How deep is Zim batting? Can streak, strang, brandes bat? Prem: 53 off 74 balls these two,and batting lanka out of the game here. sweera again on leg turning away and lucky not to be callled this time. nmext ball, gentle push to mid on, they race the single, pressure causing atapattu to fumble.

Prem: goodwin again, and this time, an inside out chip off the front foot, against the turn, gets him one more.

Prem: 53 off 74 balls these two,and batting lanka out of the game here. sweera again on leg turning away and lucky not to be callled this time. nmext ball, gentle push to mid on, they race the single, pressure causing atapattu to fumble.

Prem: wide ball down leg, sweera keeps pitching leg, bad line for an offie since he is turning it further away. ball three, again, and a lovely little chip, down the track by goodwin, chips over mid on, gets two more.

Prem: sweera, and again the gooduse of the ffet by goodwin, down the track, shutting the bat face, gets one though midwicket.

Deepak (d_bhupalam@hotmail.com) Hi Prem, Looks like we are going to see an upset here. of late Srilanka seems to be having problems grouping together what do you say? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parth (psarathyr@hotmail.com) I do not think there is anything wrong with Dravid's technique.He needs the blessings of selectors which hew has now with Wadekar's committe. Prem: lanka were 81/4, so zimbabwe now restoring parity.

Prem: goodwin not looking to go into a shell against spin, which is a good sign, batting fluently here though overambitious on that hit, trying to pull but that wasn't short enough, hit it hard into the ground. no run. next ball, nice clip off the pads, through midwicket, single. 4 in the over.

parth (psarathyr@hotmail.com) Goodwin looks to be using his feet to the spinners.Looks to be a good player of spin.Is he not from the australian academy.Austarlia can spare few of its players for other teams Prem: ball two, on off and goodwin pushes to mid on, no run. ball three, that is a good shot, stepped to leg, gave himself room and hit through cover, got two for it.

parth (psarathyr@hotmail.com) Goodwin looks to be using his feet to the spinners.Looks to be a good player of spin.Is he not from the australian academy.Austarlia can spare few of its players for other teams Prem: these two doing well here, pushing the singles and not worrying too much about the big hits except when the line is obviously bad. flower now on strike to dharma. onto his toes, on driving, single off the first ball.

Prem: Bhim:: sure, is the reason for my saying zim should win, lanka doesnt have the bowling here to contain a club side. again, flower using his feet well, placing the ball wide of mid on and running with the shot, gets one, four in the over.

rajeevm (rajeevm@rocketmail.com) Peter>> move down to India...can see all the cricket that u want to!!! I miss it too here in the US but can watch it if i put some money in a DSS!!! maybe during the WC I might opt for the same!!!! was fun last time in a movie theatre watching a Ind-Pak quarterfinals with some hard-core paki fans!!! Imagine that!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bhim (sundar@zach.wustl.edu) Prem, Zim's RR reached 4.00 now :-)) Prem: sweera and goodwin down the track, on drives, superb stop by atapattu diving away at mid on, that was headed for the fence.

Prem: s'weera pitches leg and turns further, hjaved akthkar lets itt go uncalled. next ball, flower pushes past midwicekt, gets one more.

Prem: samaraweera now coming on and ball one, goodwin off drives, in the air but wide of the bowler, single.

Prem: parth:: goodwin is a good clean striker of the ball, not in the defensive mould, looks good front and back foot and doesnt get fazed by spin.

Prem: goodwin now down the track, pushes to mid on, one more. dharma like yesterday, bowls three good balls, then pitches short and today, he doesnt have runs backing him. ranatunga now having all kinids of problems with his bowling.

Prem: flowr now down the trcak, pushing through midwicket, single.

Prem: Prsahant:: mail me, premp@rediff.co.in. dharma doing the right thing, not trying too hard, just keeping it flat and fast on line of off and a very full length. having said that, makes the mistake, pithces short and flower picks it up quickly, on his knee adn sweeping, over midwicket, lots of vacnat space there, four for it.

parth (psarathyr@hotmail.com) prem , I want to know how good or bad a player goodwin is and rahul is my idol as a great solid one-dayer.I am sure India will need him when the ball starts talking in the first half in England. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- abhay () Peter>> Is cricket big in Zim or is it a colonial sport that a few elite WHITE guys play? Why is it not on TV? Do you get cable or satellite TV or Pay TV? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prashanth Sutram (svp_dallas@hotmail.com) Prem, Do you want some volunteer services to set up the Web Site for World Cup 99. I would be more than glad to help out. Prem: rajeev:: point about the post mortem was merely that it makes the commentary transcript very confusing to the reader.

Prem: flower now sweeping and getting the single, so ads now 15 off 1.5 overs and that is a ploy that backfired. goodwin cuts and almost plays on, but lucky to survive, edge onto pad negating that appeal.

rajeevm (rajeevm@rocketmail.com) Prem>>regarding the post-mortem..I guess the Indian psyche works that way!!! miss the good ole days sitting if front of the TV with friends watching some other team playin' and would be analyzing y'days match...and that too most of the time when India pulls of one of those last over wins!! So actually thats the way it works ;=)..anyways no more of Post Analysis!!! Prem: another short turning ball and swung around, one more.

Prem: brings goodwin on strike, he is the more aggressive to ads, and there he goes, ads pitching off and short, turning it in, goodwin bending at the knee, gets under it and swings it over midwicket for four more.

Prem: The problem for ranatunga here is, no Murali for starters, no chandana either. samaraweera not up there in the same class. meanwhile, resuming post drinks with ads again, and again, pitching leg, going furhter away lucky to get away as flower swung and missed. next ball, pushed to midwicket, single.

Prem: drinks ont eh field, taking a breather here, folks.

Prem: parth:: why would I want to make such a comparison?

Peter Cawood (brickdes@harare>iafrica>com) Thanks rajeevm. No TV or radio coverage in Zimbabwe. So only way to keep up with win today. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- parth (psarathyr@hotmail.com) prem , How do you compare goodwin with rahul dravid ? Prem: bhim:: bring on jayasuriya. pack the leg side field, have him spear it on the leg line, which is something the Zim batsmen are not used to, choke them down with dharma bowling flat and fast at one end, and jaya's leg line at the other, force the mistakes.

Prem: ranatunga with six inside the circle. keeping a tight rein on the singles there. 59/2 in 16

Prem: short, and goodwin swings it away for one more to backward square.

Bhim (sundar@zach.wustl.edu) Prem, what would you do now if you were Ranatunga? Prem: lanka were 70/3 in 15, so they are way behind here, zimbabwe, but against that, you have to remember that lanka then managed only 100 runs between 15-45. oops, more bad calling and running, and almost a rrun out as flower is sent back. dharma oversteps, no ball.

Prem: Bhim:: beats me, I would go with experience everytime, in situations like this, since i dont have margin for error. dharma meanwhile to continue, goodwin on strike, plays to point, bit of yes and no stuff, in the end, no run. ball two, the on drive but straight to the fielder, no run again.

abhay () Prem> OK! Ok! .. No more india stuff... but keep in my mind most of your site's target audience is Indian .. so Indian post-mortem is inevitable .. and face it .. more fun -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- rajeevm (rajeevm@rocketmail.com) prem>>>enjoyed ur piece 'bout ur relationship with ur dad and as far as ur match report goes...better than anyone else's!!! KEEP IT UP MAN AND THIS IS NO LIP SERVICE!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bhim (sundar@zach.wustl.edu) Prem, Why De Silva now ??? Prem: bad ball -- short, on off, turning nicely and slow, goodwin picked the short length, rocked back and smashed it away for four through midwicket, next ball, short again and goodwin swings it round, gets one more.

Prem: harshad:: being put together, will be launched december. meanwhile, again the batsman, this time goodwin, waiting for the turn and playing with it, gets a quick single. brings up the 50 and now flower does the same, so that is the third single in the over.

harshad (haha) prem>> you said some time back that you gonna have an EXCLUSIVE REDIFF HOME PAGE worldcup'99 Is the page launched?? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- rajeevm (rajeevm@rocketmail.com) wow!!! we actually hava a Zimbabwean here!!! Welcome Peter!! Prem: second spinner coming on now, for vaas, and it is aravinda with his off breaks coming on. did get a lot of turn yesterday, which must explain this promotion -- interesting move, this, from ranatunga. first up, pitches off, turns to leg and worked around for a single.

Prem: short ball this time, goodwin sweeps, two for it and zimbabwe in 14, 48/2.

Prem: dharma now to goodwin, on off and played defensively. this is when the zimbabwe batsmen need to start working the singles around, to chip away at the target and bring it within reach of the big hitters. nice line, on off, flat and fast and goodwin forced to play back down the track.

Prem: abhay:: rated a good bat, i said, not better than agarkar or whatever, but face it, thhus far agarkar hasn't done anything to justify any confidence that he would have gone there and done the job, so cant really fault the management on that one. dharmasena now into the attack, zoysa being held back and flowre works him, first ball, through square for a single.

Bhim (sundar@zach.wustl.edu) Prem, you were bang on Vaas.. His 7th over now is a mistake, Pressure is coming off for Zim now.. Prem: Guys, do remember all this stuff goes into the commentary which is then linked on the home page, so could we cool off the India post mortem? confuses the transcript, considering they aren't playing here.

abhay () Prem> chopra rated a better bat than Agarkar?? Agarkar has a century against PAK A and has the experience of batting under pressure.. Irrespective of Robin's mistake, I can't rate Azhar's decision as a "smart" one. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Cawood (brickdes@harare.iafrica.com) Give our players a chance. It is still early days.OUR BATTING IS NOT AS WEAK AS YOU THINK. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- rajeevm (rajeevm@rocketmail.com) abhay>>>me thinks that six of ADS which Jayasurya let go made a lot of difference and actually we didn't need that hit at that point of time. This is exactly what is different between our side and an Aussie or SA team. Plus Srinath coming in when the runs required were around 5 was also club-level strategy!!! But the bowling and field-setting for Jaya was top-class!!! Prem: vaas to flower, this one climbs but good technique there, got on his toes, got over it and angled it down to third man, one more. 45/2.

Prem: flower on strike, to vaas, must have realised the quick is tiring, comes down the track, giving himself room outside leg, hits inside out over cover, gets the four, and ranatunga's gamble for now not paying off.

Prem: nilesh:: what pressure, the target is under 200, so little enough of that. goodwin this time angles the bat, runs it behind third man and gets one more.

Prem: vaas, and the first ball is pushed forward by flower, gets the single.

nilesh (n_apte@hotmail.com) so what's the situtation like .. zimbabwe struggling .. is the pressure buliding up. i guess yesterday's game was a nail biting contest .. i missed it. Prem: bit of a problem now for ranatunga, both his seamers have bowled 6 apiece, so who does he bring on now? for now, he decides to keep vaas on for one more over -- good idea if he gets the wicket, if he doesn't, then his best bowler has only three left. on balance, i would take vaas off now and save four.

Prem: ooops, short ball and climbing and -- heck, i am having problems telling these two characters apart under their helmets, now i get to see the face, that is goodwin -- he has a huge swing at it, trying to cross bat it over midwicket, misses completely. last ball, zoysa to goodwin, on off and played to coverpoint, no run.

Prem: abhay:: Well, he always hits pretty clean and yesterday, dharma gave him just the right line for it. as to the other, chopra is rated a pretty decent bat, his getting out was robin's fault. goodwin meanwhile the batsman, not flower -- works this off his hips to fine leg, gets one more.

Prem: zoysa contnues, bowling now to flower, played off the hips but finds square leg, no run.

abhay () Prem> yesterday.. was Agrakar's hitting disciplined or was it Kirti Azad like "just swing and see if it yeilds any results"..Alos, again sign of little strategic thinking by Azhar - sending chopra before agarkar.. Explain this one to me!! Prem: Bhim:: would have agreed about six, eight months back but lately, they are looking increasingly better and not quite as brittle.

Prem: dogmnatic:: memoirs of a geisha by william golden. RAJEEV:: they seem to be doing just that, no sigh of brreeze though. Vaas with a lovely maiden, bang on target right through to keep goodwin ssquared up in defence.

Bhim (sundar@zach.wustl.edu) Prem, I feel SL are the favorites to win this match.. Zim batting is weak and they choke big time.. They may be 150-160 allout! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- rajeevm (rajeevm@rocketmail.com) Prem>> Doesn't this wicket aid a li'l of swing in the air in the second session with the wind from one end. If so it's a good idea to see off the quickies! What say? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () hey prem.. whens the next book u reviewing and what's the book Prem: vaas, bang on middle this time and played defennsively, batsmen reluctant to essay shots because you can never tell whether this guy is bringing one in, or seaming it away. vaas, on leg this time and cutting in, hurries goodwin on the push.

Prem: 4.01 the ask from here on, needing another 160 and vaas pitches one yorker length, has goodwin scrambling to dig it out from line of off. ball two, again the lovely line, on off coming in, goodwin squares up and defends.

Prem: good ball, climbing on line of off and zim 37/2 in 10, sl at this point being 48/3.

Prem: full length, middle and leg, grant flower into a drive on the on, finds midwicket, shutting the bat face too much on that one.

Prem: outside off that time from zoysa and goodwin runs it down to third man, single.

abhay () Classic Zimbabwe cricket .. choke time! Prem: Again a very full line and length on middle and off, and played defensively. the zim batsmen dont need to be in too much of a hurry, makes more sense to ride out this spell by the two quicks and work the singles against the spinners.

Prem: good line and length here from zoya, pitches middle and a full length, has goodwin defending.

Prem: zoysa to goodwin, two right handers on strike here, pushes to cover, wants a short single and you could hear grant flower's no all over sharjah.

rajeevm (rajeevm@rocketmail.com) Prem>>regarding y'day's win, i am still not convinced that India showed the required professionalism in chasing that modest target. The difference between our team and say, Aus or SA is they do not need desperate hitting in the end like Agarkar did in the end to win a match. I could afford to see that kind of cricket at club level but not with a national team. I think this is what exactly leads to the inconsistency in our performance. Anybody who disagrees with this? Prem: vaas to flower, outside off, he angles the bat and runs it through point, one more to finish the over.

Prem: oh, that is a beauty -- on off, full length, and goodwin into a flowing off drive, beats the fielder, long chase and three more to the batsman.

Prem: vaas now to goodwin, who plays to cover, nice and easy push that, finds the fielder though, no run.

Prem: Johnson the man out, there, going for a needless third run. and zimbabwe go two down -- though to think of it, johnson's dismissal always looked on in this innings, he was never quite at home against vaas, ironic that he got out one of the few times he middled a strike at the left arm quick.

Prem: vaas to johnson, on middle this ttime and johnson flicks, gets it right in the middle, through midwicket, long chase, they take two, go for a dicey third, good throw in to the bowler's end, thhird umpire called in and yes, that is the wicket.

Prem: on off this time and a gentle push to mid off, flower running with the shot and making his ground.

Prem: Bhim:: actually, I think they can -- murray goodwin is a fluent player, andy flower is another and then they have a lot of guys who can give it a thump -- and the target only needs each guy getting around 18 or so. vaas to johnson, brings one in, hits the batsman on the thigh pad, vaas appeals but that strike was too high, and they take a leg bye while the lankans are busy appealing.

Prem: abhay:: mainly from zoysa, and he is all of 20, the inexperience showing there. down leg this time, flower flicks and misses, no run.

Bhim (sundar@zach.wustl.edu) Prem, Zim batting is weak in these kind of wickets.. You feel they can chase the SL total??? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- abhay () Prem> 6 nb/wides and 4 overthows in a total of 20.. What's on with SL discipline? Are they trying hard ot get wickets or is the strategy very INDIANESQUE like trying to defend the 195 total by restricting the runs? Prem: zoysa and another no ball, this is really indisciplined stuff, zoysa trying too hard for pace and when he does, he loses control and either wides, or oversteps. needs to bowl within himself and keep it tight here, they cant afford all these extras. full length on middle and a flowing on drive, two for it, before mid on can chase it down.

Prem: now a slip and a wide gully the close catchers, zoysa on middle and flower forward, defending with everyything in line, looking better now and more in tune with his footwork. outside off, left alone, flower covering up to let that go.

Prem: sri lanka at this point were 32/3 and that is what will hurt them in the end, that cascade of wickets. zoysa continues, to flower who pushes to point, no run.

dogmatic () ok heres the clipping from www.cricket98.co.uk Clutching the letters from Mandela, Bacher strolled across the no man's land between the two hotels knowing that he was playing a trump card. He said: "Mr Mandela is due to attend some of the Test matches and will be honoured to meet the team. I spoke with his office just before I left. We all view Mr Mandela as one of the greatest statesmen in the world and I know the West Indies team have respect for him. They look at him with awe and dignity and I'm convinced that it will have an enormous impact." It appeared to have little impact on Walsh, however. He kept Bacher waiting for just over an hour, despite repeated attempts by hotel staff to raise him, before he casually strolled into the hotel lobby to collect the letters. Prem: vaas again to johnson, on off, guided to point, no run.

Prem: way he is batting, i would say johnson is seeing the ball rather later than he should. nothing wrong with his sight this time, though, as vaas bowls wide of off and johnson slams it through cover, that was a blatant half volley and four for it.

Prem: Saif:: The pitch is okay, skdding through a bit but even bounce and no alarming stuff, either by way of pace or spin. no ball meanwhile, another extra to zimbabwe, 20/1 here and a lot of them have been giveaways, wides and nos.

Prem: vaas to johnson and again, the batsman hops back, tries to flick, beaten for pace and the ball flashed an inch over off.

Prem: nice ball, bang on off, and played defensively.

Prem: outside off, came back in off the seam, johnson cuts, that ball came in, went under the shot and just missed off -- the ball coming in beat that shot, johnson playing for the one going straight through.

Prem: hrsd:: very tall, around 6'5, high arm action, easy run up, quite pacy through the air, gets good bounce because of his height, can make it kick off a length. rather erratic, but then he is more inexperienced than vaas. also, not too good at bringing the ball back, like vaas does. vaas the bowler now, bowling to johnson.

hrsd (hrsd@usa.net) prem>>>> havent seen this Zoysa bowling?? How is his action and pace?? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () Courtney Walsh is the coolest guy... I was reading in a paper yesterday... bacher it seems was there waiting in the hotel lobby with a letter from mandela and courtnely keeps him waiting for an hour and then leisurely comes downnnnn Prem: Ooops, on off, johnson flashes, gets the inner edge, down to fine leg past the keeper, one to end the over.

Prem: zoysa to johnson, this one was flat out, very quick, johnson beaten for pace on the forward push, very uncertain stroke there.

Prem: zoysa to johnson, now, on off and a slower ball, guided to mid off, no run.

Prem: zoysa this time slightly shorter in length around off and flower from the crease guiding it for one through point.

Prem: ball two, zoysa to flower again a good line on off, and just short, flower pushes square and finds point, no run.

Prem: 3.4 the run rate now, two slips in place, flower pushing forward to a quicker ball on off, no run.

Prem: after five, lanka were 14/2, zimbabwe 17/1, and zoysa continues, bowling now to flower.

Prem: dogmatic:: not in favour, really. players should get money, but this business of just not turning up for a tour, at the last minute, smacks too much of blackmail for my taste. vaas to flower, on off again and played to cover, no run. last ball, shorter in length, flower edges a drive, gets one behind point to end the over.

dogmatic () Wazz your view on Lara 'n hoopers decision on calling a bandobast... Prem: vaas now to johnson, on off, gently played square on the on and a single to the batsman.

Prem: vaas continues, flower on strike and he's had a rather rough time trying to read the fast bowler's variations. first ball, full length on off and flower forward, pushing to cover. flower looks good to balls of full length, it is the thhree quarter length balls that are giving him trouble. ball two is full again and again the drive, they take the single, Sameraweera fires in a throw at the stumps, the batsman wasn't in the frame, but bad backing up by jayasuriya, ball goes through for four overthrows.

Prem: zoysa, outside off and another wide, the fourth of the over, each time he tries for some extra pace he ends up widing, and that is giving runs away that lanka cant afford. also easing the pressure on the batsmen. last ball of the over, on off, driven square, dharma dives and fields, no run.

Prem: on off this time, played to point, no run. soyza, to johnson, no ball again -- good ball though, pitching just outside off and banging one in, surprising the batsman with lift and speed off the crease. three wides so far in the over, not good at all. zoysa to johnson, on off,d riven, finds the fielder, no run.

Prem: PC:: all the lbws were absolutely genuine. the umpires erred on caught behinds, failed to give one apiece. zoysa to johnson, on off again and forces the defesive push.

Prem: good ball on off, and johnson defends.

Prem: Neil Johnson coming out in the pinch hitting role, a standard ploy for zi since he joined the side, and zoysa goes wide again, that is bad bowling.

Prem: dogmatic:: straight as a string all those, no problem, and orchard gave four of those. campbell meanwhile pulls at a ball not short enough, and climbing on him, gets cramped, hit on the splice and the ball goes straight up and down ranatunga's throat, coming in from point.

Prem: zoysa starts with a wide outside off, not sure what he was trying there.

Prem: Hi, guys, sorry, lost touch of the left frame for a bit there, meanwhile, vaas again has flower beaten outside off, nice variation here, making one go away, bringing the next one back in, and ends a maiden.

dogmatic () is this not working -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () just checking the scorecard in Cricinfo...too many lb's were all of them plumb or was Javed in a bad mood -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- dogmatic () hey prem sssssssssssssup -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- abhay (ajajoo@zsassociates.com) Prem> no expert comments today!! Tired of comments or is it getting out of hand? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- abhay () Prem > good morning..from USA. Wow! what happened to the Lankan batting powerhouse.. Is this the beginning of their decline? They have been on top for a while.. so all good things must come to an end!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sandeep Singh (sandy@aol.com) What happened Prem? You're alone today!! Prem, don't you think you are getting too much Indian and less international :-) That's why you are sitting alone. Should we talk about Indian Cricket? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- vivek (vivekr@hotmail.com) hi Prem: vivek here..looks like not many people on today.., i read in papers today that harbajan is joining the team for tom. match - TRUE?? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- vivek (vivekr@hotmail.com) Prem: Hi! vivek here..how r u? looks like not many people following today... anyway, i was logged in yest.also and couldn't help noticing the no. of people critisizing azza - the last time he won a match for us in 93', etc,etc.. looks like he answered them all.. and read today in deccan herald that harbajhan is joining india for tom. match ??? true?? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DeV;> (dev@myself.com) Just got saved.... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Cawood (brickdes@harare.iafrica.com) Prem: Not bad for Zim .Hope no signs of rain like in Harare. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ananth subramanian (ananth@ipca.co.in) The zims have definetly become a force to reckon with. With the victory over india in the earlier matches, they have definelty gained a lot of confidence. They have done very well to restrict the Sri lankans. I'm sure they will make full use of this opportunity to win the game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GK (oltsp@aol.com) Prem, I bet SL is going to win this match. SL are good fielders. Prem: fifth ball of the 3rd over, vaas to flower, outside off and another cut and miss.

Prem: vaas again, on off, straight ball this time and played defensively.

Prem: vaas to flowr, on middle and off, flower pushed forward, pad onto bat, huge appeal but that one was coming back, liable to miss leg, no problem.

Prem: vaas again, to flower, outside off, that one skidded through and kept on the low-ish side, flower cuts at it and misses.

Prem: that sets up a nice contest, vaas to the right handed flower, over number three of the zimbabwe chase.a slip now anda wide gully catching close, point cover mid off in support, on off first up and the drive finds the fielder at mid off, no run. more the anchor type of player, grant flower, letting the heavy hitters bat around him. ball two, no ball called, on middle climbing and flower defends.

Prem: zoysa predictably not able to hold a consistent length and line, outside off this time, campbell cuts and misses.

Prem: zoysa again, outside off and left alone. two slips the close catchers, a point, cover, mid off as well on the off, and this oone is outside off, the batsman onto the front foot, smashes it to mid off but straight to dsilva, no run.

Prem: zoysa, over number 2, outside off and lifting, campbell has a bit of a go at it, the extra bounce beats him, zoysa is tall, 6.4 or so, and bowls high arm so tends to make it climb when he hits the deck. ball three, short again outside off, too much width and campbell blazes it past point, atapattu dives but doesn't have a prayer, that ball streaked tothe point fence, four.

Prem: outside off and going through straight with the arm, from zoysa, three quarter length, campbell covers up and lets it through.

Prem: zoysa will need to forego his usual quest for pace, and be accurate here, bowling now to campbell.

Prem: ooo, lovely ball to the right hander, outside off seaming in, drawing the batsman forward and beating him with movement. ends the over.

Prem: ball five of the first, to campbell, shhort outside off, a slashing cut and atapattu has a problem riding the bounce, single.

Prem: seam straight up for vaas when he bowls, gets lots of movement thanks to that and to the full length he bowls. campbell again guiding from just outside off, finding point, no run.

Prem: on off, angled in from wide of the crease and campbell defends.

Prem: 115 wickets in 93 matches and an economy rate of 4.04 for the 24 year old, that is really good going, and here he pitches outside off, seams it further away, campbell shapes to drive then lets it go as he sees it seam away.

Prem: Vaas with two slips to campbell, ball one, on off and played square, finds point.

Prem: Campbell opening for Zim, a very hard hitting, fluent left hander, on strike to Chaminda Vaas.

Prem: Barry Richards: "196 is one of those tricky chases, plays tricks with your mind, Zimbabwe would have been expecting to chase 250-odd, so I think they should go out and play that way, like they are chasing 250." Interesting suggestion and we are all set to see just what the Zimbabwe openers do.

Continued