Sehwag the Unbelievable

Over the week end, Virender Sehwag joined a very elite club: Those batsmen that have made not one, but two Test triple centuries. Now let’s see… Already in the club are Bradman, Lara and I reckon that’s about it.

Sehwag bettered his previous best by 10 runs but he did it in style. The 300 came off just 278 balls – that’s the fastest 300 ever. Well, measured by balls faced at any rate. We have that funny situation where they didn’t accurately record balls faced in the good old days (the over rates were so good, the poor old scorers could not keep up) so there are records measured by balls faced and minutes elapsed.

This match between South Africa (540 & 2/216) and India (627) may be a high scoring affair but don’t let that cool your enthusiasm. Sehwag’s effort was extraordinary. When he departed, India’s score was 2/481 – he had scored 66% of the runs. By the end of India’s innings, he could still take the credit for 51% of the total. Tendulkar managed a duck. Dravid tried to kill the South Africans with boredom. He needed 291 balls for his 111. That means that with his 13 extra balls (he faced 13 more than Dravid), Sehwag knocked up 208 runs. What a strike rate!! I know it’s a bit silly but you get the point.

The question is, why was he left on the shelf by the Indian selectors for so long? He doesn’t go by the nick name of “Slats” for nothing. Consulting Sehwag’s listing on the trusty HowzStat site (http://www.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/cgi-bin/hsumm?-a+02478), I see that Sehwag was left out for just over a year. That is before he was recalled half way through the Australian series – too late as it turned out. He looked the goods immediately and saved the Indians’ hides in Adelaide with 63 and a sensational 151. And now, just one test later he has notched up another classic. What a star.

Briefly, in other business, Stephen Fleming has finished his Test career on the wrong end of the stick. New Zealand lost the last two Tests to drop the series 1-2. That’s right, England have won a series. Fleming made 59 & 66 in typical rear guard actions in the final Test. Fleming played 111 Tests, 80 of those being as captain. He scored over 7000 runs and twice topped 250. More importantly, he consistently brought the best out of his team and is a main contender for the best captain of the modern era. He also made some pretty funny Rexona ads.

It’s still cricket season

Hold the phone. It’s still cricket season. Those burly boofheads may be rubbing in the liniment but there is still some cricket to be played yet in Australia this summer. And that is the Pura Cup final. It starts this Saturday at the SCG and is between the Blues and the Vics, who finished level on top of the table. Those two teams were runaways from early on and could not have been much more even. In fact, the pivotal match was a few weeks ago when both teams met at the SCG. The result was a draw with a first innings tie! The final will be at the SCG as the Blues had the better net run rate. They also remained undefeated (outright) but lost two matches on first innings.

Stuart MacGill returned to first class cricket last week and immediately took a five wicket bag. With Pakistan cancelled, I’m not sure how much it helps him but it’s a good effort. I thought a successful comeback was beyond him.

Looking further afield, NZ is set to take on England, in the second Test in Wellington. The Black Caps trounced the Poms at Hamilton, despite a second innings hat trick from England’s Ryan Sidebottom. Well done, him.

South Africa are currently dismantling Bangladesh in a One Day series but the two Test series, won 2-0 by South Africa, was not without interest. In the first Test, Bangladesh were dismissed for 192. No surprises there. There was a surprise when South Africa trailed by 22 on the first innings. They recovered to win fairly comfortably.

Next Test saw things return to normal. South Africa posted an opening stand of 415. Yes, Smith (232) and McKenzie (226) set a new Test world record for the 1st wicket. The innings was closed at 7/583 but it turns out that the first wicket surpassed Bangladesh (259 & 119) all on its own.

IPL bubbles along with the second auction held yesterday. Catfish (James Hopes) was the biggest winner scoring himself a $300k contract. IPL simmers along for the Aussies. I still see trouble. CA has been quick to point out that Pakistan may be cancelled but the West Indies tour starts on 16 May, less than a month after IPL starts. James Sutherland says that they are “now considering what the appropriate lead-in is going to be for the team” prior to the tour. Tim Nielsen says that playing cricket on the sub-continent is hardly ideal lead-up to cricket in the Caribbean. Oh please. Perhaps they will be required to attend boot camp with John Buchanan.