50-Overs Cricket and Tournaments

TIME TO GET THE TEAM RIGHT

       After the IPL extravaganza it was timk for the T20 world championship. The cricketing world will now start getting back from the most abridged version to a slightly lengthy one, which till the other day was considered to be the most exceting format.

           With the world cup round the corner, i strongly feel that teams the world over will certainly start re-focusing on the fifty-over version.

         India has quite a number of important fifty-over series and tournaments ahead of them and I am certain that the endeavor would be to zero in on the core squad at the earliest. As soon as, that is over the team management, can utilize as any games as possible, in trying out various combination in various situations and achieve the right balance much ahead of the world cup.

         There is a feeling, that with the advent of the fifty-over version, test matches have started becoming more result oriented. Players' mentality has been affected and they are now more aggressive than before and every body is wanting to go for the kill!

        Now with the twenty-over format in place the feeling might be that fifty-over version will become more action-packer! This is a very general way of looking at things. All the formats have their own exclusive charm. It is more about the players' ability and how they like to carry it forward. A Virender Sehwag will love to play his strokes right from the word go, be it a Test match, a fifty-over game or the T20. Michael Hussey will always be trying to tear into the opposition bowling,be it the 18th over of a fifty-fifty version.

        Sachin Tendulkar is sure to have a certain plan in place when he is opening in the fifty-over game and a completely different mindset when he walks out at number four in a Test match. Each format of cricket evolves according to the capability and mentality of the cricketers.

        The fifty-over version has its own methodology: first, there is the 15-overs target to be fulfilled, then there are the middle-overs for consolidation. With the advent of fresh ball after the 35th over plants are bound to be affected. Added to that is the power-play factors, the captain, coach and the cricketers have to mentally adapt to these various situations at the drop of a hat. That challenge is bound to be different from the one in T20. With the season now moving on to the fifty-over version and world cup being the next major challenge,there will be lot of experimentation in all the teams.

         As the sub-continent is the host for 2011 world cup, every team will try and find out the best possible combination for the low & slow wickets available in this part of the world.

        But it will be different in Zimbabwe and one will definitely see an even contest between the bat ans the ball.