ICC World Cup 2011 - Grand Finale : India Vs Sri Lanka

Two warriors, who will emerge victorious???

   After a long journey through the world cup, the teams have arrived at the final destination where 1 team will lift the up and celebrate and other team will have just the commiserations. It is again an India - Sri Lanka encounter. Man, aren't they bored of facing each other??? They  have played exceedingly well and they thoroughly deserve their spot in the finals. Both the teams must be on a HIGH after thumping their opponents in the QF and SF. Wankhede is supposed to be a square turner and we should not be surprised if the captains fill their armory with spinners.


   SRI LANKA :
   They have cruised through the groups, quarters and semis. They made minced meat of Poms in the QF and ran through the Kiwis except for the glitch where they lost 4 wickets quickly. Their team overall has looked brilliant. Their openers have been setting up a great platform for the middle order. Both their batsmen have scored 350 + runs in this edition. Jaya'dene has not in form this tournament, but its highly likely that he would come to form against the Indians. Though Murali is not fit, its 100% sure that he would
 play the finals. The SL physios would try their best to get Murali back to his springing best. If Mathews doesn't recover in time for the finals. The Lankan lower order becomes more brittle, whether they opt for Perera for his batting services of Kulasekara for his better bowling skills will be a tough choice to make. Lankans have called in Randiv and the epic Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas as backup players. Maybe they are trying to bring back older players to remind Indians of the 1996 WC. Given a chance, they would even call DeSilva, J'suriya, Ranatunga et.al. Vaas, playing in for Mathews is a bluff if I can read it right. Dilhara Fernando available why look further?

   INDIA :
   For majority of the Indian Population, the world cup is all about India beating Pakistan. Now if you think it doesn't matter much what happens in the finals, you are wrong! MSD surprised everybody by playing Nehra over Ashwin against Pakistan, and luckily for him it paid off really well. It should have been a very tricky decision for MSD on who to drop to rope in Ashwin, thanks to Nehra for injuring himself  and  making it easier for MSD now. India Pakistan encounter was an alarm for the Indian batsmen, mainly the middle order barring Raina which crumbled to quality bowling. Once again MSD's form with the bat has been begging.  The opening on the other hand has been tremendous, Seh-whack and Sachin have gone after the bowlers irrespective of the opposition. Their bowling which was under a lot of pressure during the group stages, but they have stood up to the occasion in crunch situations. They have been very disciplined, their first wide was in the 37th over and no no-balls were offered to the Stanis.

Men Who Matter: 

SL - Dilshan, Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Malinga, Murali 
IND - Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Zaheer, Harbhajan

Key Battles :

• Murali Vs Sachin :

  World's best bowler to the World's best batsman. Both teams would go Full Monty to try and give the perfect swan song they truly deserve. Sadly, one of them will have to go back empty handed. Although, it is not evident that Sachin will retire for sure. He's God right? God's dont retire or go for holidays or need time off.

• Sehwag Vs Malinga :

  We saw how Sehwag dented  one of the Pakistan's best bowler, Umar Gul. Malinga , as usual has been at his best most of the times, not giving away anything to the batsmen. This battle would be interesting to see who gets a the last laugh.

• Dilshan Vs Zaheer :

  Dilshan is the Lankan version of Sehwag, a time bomb ready to explode. Zaheer, has been the linch pin for the Indian bowling for quite a while. Both teams will be looking to get an ideal start in the big match.

Numbers Game :
* Dilshan is the leading run getter in the world cup. Three runs more than SRT.
* SRT holds the record for most runs in world cup games - over 2000(2260).
* Sri Lanka leads India 4-2 in world cups. Last time SL bt Ind by 69 runs knocking them out of the 2007 world cup.
* Overall India leads Sri Lanka 67-50. At home India leads 28-11 over the Lankans.
* Both teams are playing in their 3rd WC finals. Winning 1 and Losing 1. Both Lost their finals to Australia in 2003 and 2007 respectively.
* Sachin averages 45.61 against the Lankans scoring close to 3000(2965) runs in 78 matches.
* Murali averages 31.25 against the Indians picking 74 wickets in 58 innings.
* Indian batsmen has notched 16 50+ scores in the tournament so far against Sri Lanka's 14 such scores.
* Sri Lankan batsmen has notched 6 100+ scores in the tournament so far against India's 5 such scores.
* Teams batting first hold the edge in Wankhede 11-6. Also, both teams lost to Australia in the WC finals chasing.

   A match that could redefine most of their lives, transform them into heroes. 100 overs to fight for anything they have dreamed for, aspired to achieve growing up. Lankans play disciplined cricket, fight hard till the last ball and have produced consistent results. Indians on the other have played crunch games and have beaten some of the top teams or gone down in the final moments. There could be no bigger stage set for the finals. Dhoni or Sangakkara both captains, both wicket keepers both have immense belief in their squads. But, the similarities must end here. As only one can emerge champion. And so is the fate of this game. Even a warrior must accept defeat with pride. Come saturday Wankhede will be a Colosseum, bull-ring, battle field all wrapped in one. Loud chants will go numb and heart beats will get loud. Whether Sri Lanka will upset a billion hearts or it is not just a mere co-incidence that the 1983 calendar and 2011 are similar?

ICC World Cup 2011 - Semi Finals 1: Sri Lanka Vs New Zealand

    Alas, the final 4. In the first of the two semi finals we have co-host Sri Lanka take on the surprise packet New Zealand. Funny story, I had a dream where Australia lose in the Quarter finals and  New Zealand play the semi finals. No Shit!! Oh wait... So, coming back to the game, Sri Lanka steam rolled passed English muffins in their quarters encounter while, Kiwis pressed the Choke button rather dint need to as Proteas have mastered it over the years. 

When every appeal matters!

Team News:
  Kiwis - Mills has been finally sent home, Andy McKay flown in as his replacement might not get to do much. Tuffey might get the slot in the playing xi depending on conditions. Otherwise, Oram's form will help Vettori go in with some slow bowlers who should be handy in Sri Lanka.

  Lanka - Murali looked highly uncomfortable in the ending stages of his spell in the quarter finals game vs England. Whether Lankans will risk him or rest him is the million dollar question. With Herath and Dilshan turning out to be more than handy options and Mendis around Lankans are most likely to play a seamer in his place.

Head-to-Head (probable 12)

Dilshan               B McCullum
Tharanga            Guptill
Sangakkara        Jesse
Jayawardene      Taylor
Samaraweera     Styris
Silva                   Williamson
Mathews            Oram
Perera                Franklin
Malinga              N McCullum      
Mendis               Vettori
Herath                Southee      
Murali*               Tuffey*

  

   Man to man Kiwis have the depth in the batting but a big score depends on the big names. Lanka clearly banking on familiar home conditions and using spin as their key weapon.

Key Encounters :

• Lankan Openers Vs N Mac

   Lankan openers have bullied most teams(minnows), they were hardly tested by the Poms. But, last time they played the Kiwis it was 19/2 and Southee was on a roll. But, Nathan McCullum has been excellent with the ball. And this battle will lighten up the game  early on. If Kiwis want to get under the skins of the home team, they need to strike early or else like other teams their fate is sealed.

• King Kumar Vs Dan the Man Vettori

   Easily the clash to look forward to. Last time these two teams met in the tournament, Sangakkara notched up a 3 figure score (first since 2008) and helped his team post a  respectable 265. But that was Kiwis sans Vettori. With Vettori back in the equation the battle will be the key to the match, perhaps!

• M-factor Vs Kiwis batting

   Kiwis batsmen will have to tackle the "M-factor" at the Premadasa, Malinga, Mendis, Mathews, Murali (if he's fit). Kiwis batting has depth, probably the most among the teams but, they need a key innings from their top order. A key three digit score can really lift the spirits of the rest and the late hitting can be left to Oram, Franklin, McCullum, Vettori.

   Last time these two sides met. It was game on till the innings break and then fizzled out without a fight. Once again, Lanka have the home advantage. Luckily, for Kiwis their league match was held at Wankhede and not the Premadasa. It doesn't matter what happened in the past. Just two wins away from taking the 'World Cup' nothing can be taken for granted.

ICC World Cup 2011 - Quarter Finals 4: Sri Lanka Vs England

   The final two teams to fight out for the semi finals spot of the ICC World Cup 2011. Sri Lanka, former world cup champions and also the runner up in the 2007 World Cup and England the bad parent which never gained respect from their child. In other words, they invented the sport for the rest of the world (although they have been in the finals) they have not once done the "full monty" so to say win the World Cup!

England Report :
  They beat South Africa, West Indies. Tied against India. That speaks volumes. But, they also lost to Ireland, Bangladesh and almost faced defeat to the Netherlands. Its been a mixed bag for the Poms throughout the tournament. They've been the most unpredictable side in the competition, even more than Pakistan. They managed to sneak in to the Quarters but, now face a very strong Lankan team playing at home. Their form is difficult to rate because they have sent home players and got replacements week in, week out. Latest being Yardy, who probably has had a sudden increase in his Estrogen level. The very capable Adil Rashid who should have made it to the world cup in the first place now replaces him. Earlier, Eoin Morgan got his 'Golden ticket' thanks to KP. Dernbach and Tremlett also came in as replacements for injured players. Now, Strauss and Andy have to pick xi players that can put up a fight against a formidable Lankan team. As it is, Sri Lanka have a very disciplined and strong outfit beating them in home conditions will be asking too much. Once again, onus will be on Strauss to lead from the front whether Prior continues to open is questionable. He has failed, I would want him to come down the order as a slogger. Trott has been very consistent with the bat, England will be hoping he fires a big one against Lankans as well. Eoin Morgan will be the guy England will be pinning their hopes for a late flurry and a big finish. Bowling wise it is clear Swann is the leader for the Poms. Broad back home, Bresnan not fully fit, Shahzad's patchy form, Tredwell's inexperience and many more. The signs are not good but, English will be hoping it works out with the new faces coming in. After all, its only about winning 3 more games, ain't it?

Sri Lanka Report :
   The Emrald Islanders have once again shown their muscle in the world cup. Playing at home they have hardly put a wrong foot forward, their only loss coming against Pakistan. Sangakkara has a very committed set of players and he's been consistent with the playing xi. Dilshan at the top, Jayawardene and himself form the core of the batting. Where as Malinga, Murali, Mendis take care of the bowling duties. With Mathews, Perera, Kulasekara, Tharanga, Herath as ad-ons, this team is just unfair to the rest of the teams in the competition. Lankans would like to treat the home crowd once again when they take on England and make sure they book their semis berth without any hiccups. English don't possess as big threats for Lanka but, they did manage to defeat the islanders at home. The absence of KP will haunt them, but having Morgan  has boosted their poor lower order. Swann will be another hurdle the Lankans will have to tackle before they can claim that semis berth. Swann has been like a man on a mission, it will require the top 4 from the Lankan batting to take him out before he causes irrepairable damages. The Lankan lower half of the batting has not been fruitful. Mathews has had a quiet world cup so far, they will hope his fortunes are going to change soon. Murali announcing his farewell from the 50 over format at the end of his world cup journey, has made this even more special. The entire team will be hoping to give the perfect swan song, that he deserves for his contribution to Sri Lankan cricket over the years.

Watch Out For :

• Malinga Vs Strauss
• Murali Vs Morgan
• Swann Vs Sangakkara

   The English will be hoping to surprise the home team, with a few new tricks. Lankans are no pushovers, and the fight has to be taken to them in every aspect of the game. In Sri Lanka the party is just about to begin... 

ICC World Cup 2011 - SWOT Analysis : SRI LANKA

Will the Lions roar again at home?

   The last team from the sub-continent to win the world cup. The last team to be in a world cup finals (and losing). The last team to beat the no.1 ODI team, Australia in Australia. The team that won the last world cup played in the sub-continent. It is easy to say, the emerald islanders know how to go about their job. They keep it simple yet, are one of the most competitive teams that has consistently done well home and away. Any team that boasts of talent in the category of Dilshan, Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Murali, Malinga cannot be made overnight. Add to that youngsters such as Tharanga, Mathews, Herath, Mendis and experienced players in Samaraweera, Fernando, Kulasekara this team has it all.
   The selectors have gone all out and as expected stars of the past such as Jayasurya, Vaas have been left out keeping the team composition in mind and providing the strongest squad to win the world cup at home as it is being played in their own back yard. Although, surely they would liked to win another world cup for their fans. Only notable absentee would be Suraj Randiv who is unlucky to miss out since, Murali is playing his last world cup and with that he will retire from the ODIs as well. With Perera in, Mirando misses out and the dangerous(for kids under 6) Isuru Udana. Maybe, a back up wicket keeper could have been included but, at who's cost?

Sri Lanka squad: Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath

Strengths:

• This team looks like  no holes barred, depth in batting, variety in bowling, experience, youth et al.
• Dilshan at his no-non-sense best will be tough to handle once he gets going.
• Slinga-Malinga will be a handful for even the most experienced and aggressive batsmen.

Weakness:

• King Kumar's captaincy has been a sinusoidal curve at best. Lots of highs and some earth shattering lows. 
• Like most modern day captains, Sangakkara goes to the defensive quickly. He has a potent bowling attack and needs to back his boys completely.

Opportunities:

• We might have called the Paki spin attack the best in cricket at present but, with Murali back in the scheme of things, check out the Lankan spin trio "Murali + Mendis + Herath" Geez! Dilshan will be happy to get a break from bowling.
• Murali will want to gift the perfect farewell present to his fans with the big one.
• Upul Tharanga will want to make a strong case for his place in the ODI team and maybe push his way into the test team as well.
• Angelo Mathews, has impressed one and all along with Thisara Perera will want to provide the depth in batting and back Murali-Malinga in the bowling and keep King Kumar happy.

Threats:

• Possibly the only threat is that they are great starters in major tournaments and have the expected off-day when the team should be at its peak. Since the '96 WC they have been consistent in reaching semis and finals but failed to win, which will haunt them.
• The bowling has enough variety in Kulasekara, Mathews, Mendis, Fernando, Perera and they need to be aware that Murali, Malinga will be their strike bowlers but, their hands need to get dirty as well. They cannot depend heavily on star power.

   Ranatunga's men were like a breath of fresh air, they changed the way limited overs cricket is played. Pinch-hitters, using the field restrictions to their advantage they had a plan to defeat different opponents in different styles. Given the Power-Plays and UDRS debut during the 2011 world cup it is obvious to say that if they remain injury free, and play to their potential we can see some top-notch cricket from the islanders and most certainly Sri Lanka can win the world cup once again in the sub-continent.

Quick Updates : India Vs Sri Lanka Test #1

Ah! thus we witnessed yet another Indo Lankan encounter , but this was a very special one for obvious reasons. Needing 8 wickets to reach a tally of 800 wickets, there can be only person who can be sure of making it, and rest is history now. It has taken him almost 7500 overs to get to this near impossible record. Well, this is not the only record, his record list goes on and on . The one thing which baffles me is how does Sri Lanka produce unorthodox bowlers, Murali, Mendis, Malinga and many more to come.

Getting back to the test, Sri Lanka elected to bat and the bad times started for India. Sri Lankan were milking the impotent(not literally!!) Indian bowling. Their bowling was so pathetic on day I that the rain Gods got angry and came down so hard on day II and the day was called off without a ball being bowled. At the start of day III, Ishant was at his very best and 3 wickets fell quickly. Enter Herath and Malinga , they made the bowling look miserable yet again. They sent the ball screaming to the boundary. Lankans declared at 520-8 at tea on day III. Paranavitana, Sangakkara notched centuries while Malinga and Herath scored their first international half century. MSD's captaincy skills were hitting an all time low. A draw was expected considering the strong Indian batting line up, but not to be. Unlike the Lankan innings, wickets kept falling at regular intervals, Sehwag yet again at his aggressive best scored another century and UV scored a fluent 52.  But, was done in by the man of the moment, Mooorali. After yet another batting collapse, Indians were bowled out for 276 and couldn't avoid the follow on and they were batting again.

Sehwag and Gauti were removed quickly. I dont remember when Gauti had actually earned a pair in a test match. Wall and Tendlya came to the crease and steadied the ship. Dravid almost had built a great wall of India but, Malinga found cracks in it. Sachin was again a treat to watch, a river flowing smoothly which was blocked by ... once again, Malinga. Both of them put on a century partnership, and broke the record for most number of century partnerships. Indians were 5 down at the end of day IV. MSD fell early on the final day. Final day's play was all about survival for the Indian team, surprisingly none of the senior batsmen nor the captain had the game for it. Laxman along with the tailenders showed heavy resistance. Although, Laxman was more keen on getting to the non-strikers end and exposing the likes of Bhajji, Ishant, Mithun to the potent Lankan attack. Murali  was made to literally plead for his 800th wicket, which was the last wicket of the Indian innings. So, with that Ojha entered the record books edging Murali to his favourite slip fielder. Indians were bolwed out for 338 and set a target of 95 . Dilshan and Paranavitana raced away to the target and won the match by 10 wickets.  A fitting end to the LEGEND's career. Malinga was the obvious choice for the man of the match for denting the Indian batting line-up with his swinging yorkers and bouncers and his cracking 64(75). So Lankans lead the Micromax series 1-0 with two more to go. We will surely miss the Lankan lion, Chennai Super King, Smiling Assasin, 'Muthiah Muralitharan'.

© AFP . This image may not be reproduced without specific consent from AFP

Match Update - Pakistan Vs Srilanka

The fight for the King of Cricket in Asia has started . The first match was between the ever predictable Sri Lanka and the never predictable Pakistan.This match marked the entry of the Rawalpindi Express for the n'th time and ofcourse Mr.Sania Mirza, oops Shoaib Malik.Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat.Murali was back into the team after getting his groin repaired ;).The SriLankan innings was yet another boring encounter.Shoaib Akthar was the star of the innings for Pakistan as he picked 3 wickets giving away 41 runs in his quota of 10.He has to definitely improve on his fitness . You could see him limping after bowling 7 odd overs. Jaya scored yet another classy half century before getting out to a bad decision. Mathews anchored the innings till the end and got a half century to his credit . Nothing else worth mentioning . Pakistan had to chase down 243, which was kinda tricky target on the snail slow Dambulla pitch. Hasan and Butt took strike for Pakistan. It seemed like they had no idea about the target . Their scoring was slower the cricket pitch. They were struggling to the bolwers away . They were in deep shit as the third wicket fell with just 32 on board after 13 overs. Enter Afridi. The match turned upside down.He started smacking the ball left right and centre.All his sixers were clean. SCREAMERS!!. He played a magical knock.It was a single man battle as the other players kept falling .

Cramps were holding him, but he kept on going . Reminded me of Fat Smith :).He deserved a century and got it in style . Finally Murali got the better of him and it ended one of the best innings of Boom Boom . It was a very mature knock.Razzaq was holding the the team after afridi's departure until Slinga Malinga came and wrapped up the innings in a jiffy. Pakistan lost by 16 runs . Malinga with his unplayable swingers and Afridi with his clean hitting were the real stars of the night :).The Man of the Match was undoubtedly Boom Boom.
Next up is the Indo-Bangla encounter.Considering the form of both the teams , I suggest the Punters to place the money on Bangladesh. Aint it Obvious! :)


P.S- 1 )Can some tell me if its Mohammed Aamer/Amir/Aamir/Ameer ?Why are the names in Pakistan so complicated ?
2) How do Umar Akmal manage to get sunscreen matching the jersey ? Is it Custom made ?:P


Trivia- Afridi successfully ran out both the brothers < Umar and Kamran Akmal>

Chennai Sup(CK)er Kings

CSK is definitely one of the best teams in IPL. Somehow its managing to screw it up big time leaving even the cricket pundits confused. It is definitely not a team which should be at the bottom of the table. Their bowling has been pathetic, but then its the same bowling attack for 3 years now. So what is the problem?

The bowling has become more pathetic with at least 2 bowlers going for 40 runs of their quota. CSK has the weakest bowling attack of all the teams. Every team has a Fast 'Sting' bowler like Steyn for RCB, Roach for DC, Malinga for MI, Lee for KXI, Nannes for DD, Bond for KKR and Tait for RR. These are bowlers who can hit the 145ks+ consistently. Speed does help in T20 and we can see it. Albie Morkel is CSK's fastest bowler who barely touches 130. CSK's pace bowlers are Morkel, Balaji, Gony, Tyagi, Joginder Sharma, Ganapathy, Ntini, Perera & Thushara.

Morkel has been lucky ,with his pace with the new ball he should be whacked all over.
Balaji gets the right treatment every match.
Gony and Tyagi play alternate matches and its even stevens, both get creamed.
Joginder Sharma, only God knows how he makes it to the playing XI
Perera bowled 5 full-toss deliveries on his debut game, 4 were to God. Got spanked, let the game shift to Mumbai Indians. Obviously not returned to the team since.
Thushara , haven't seen much of him yet and with whatever seen ,he isnt impressive either.
Ganapathy bowled just one over, not enough to rate him.

Chennai's only saving grace has been the spin department comprising of Murali, Jakati and Ashwin
Murali is Purple Cap holder with an economy of less than 7. Period.
Jakati has been impressive with his line and length.
Ashwin has been disappointing.
All over ? wait a minute..
Makhaya'Fast bowler-converted-Joker'Ntini, where the hell is he ?
why isnt he playing ? If MSD needs a fast bowler y is he still waiting for Ginger Bollinger.
Bolly can be vicious and very useful but he too has his limits and bowls under 140k's and in Indian conditions will be a big question mark. So, y hasn't MSD tried Ntini when he had so many opportunities.. remains unanswered!



ps: more on the batting and champion-like fielding later...

DLF IPL CSK-Chennai Super Krap

Well, for people who believe they witnessed one of the best matches ever, I pity them. It was one of the worst matches I have ever seen. And only teaches how teams should not screw up a chase. First of all, it was a contest between a team with a poor batting and a team with a poor bowling. CSK seemed to have an upper hand as they had the momentum with them after 2 consecutive victories. Raina won the toss and elected to field, quite a good decision considering the dew factor and also the fact that KXI were playing 2 spinners.

It was quite a surprise to see Irfy opening alongside Bopara. CSK suddenly, from no where got brains and dropped Joginder Sharma. KXI kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Yuvi and Irfy showed some resistance. CSK's bowling was pretty ordinary . KXI batting was even worse. Wonder what was going through their minds.Everyone got out with poor stroke play and lack of application. If I was Md. Kaif's father/mother/wife/child I would lock him up in the dungeon for eternity. The guy should not be allwoed to hold a cricket bat ever again! It was a terrible batting display by Punjab and they managed to score 136. Moorali getting the better of his two countrymen (Sanga & Jaya) BRILLIANT!

Then the Mongoose Man and Mini bullet took strike for CSK. They were scoring briskly at a steady pace and KXI , by the looks, were all down with drooping shoulders thinking that the match was slipping away from them. But with the fall of Haydos everything seemed to slip out of CSK's grasp. First a horror run-out of the capt. Raina and then the crumble. Vijay, Badri have hardly impressed and it seems with Srikanth their chances of wearing the national cap will also disappear. Kemp injured himself with a side-strain so, he could not come in to bat as well. With Parthiv out after making his half-ton Gony made it to the crease. With just a run-a-ball reqd. all that was needed was sensible batting, pushin the ball into the gaps and giving Morkel most of the strike. But, it was not to be. Gony wanted to become Super Gony in no time and ended losing his stumps and CSK reqd 10 off the last over. Albie hit a boundary the very 1st delivery to make it 5 from 5 and then 3 from 3. Here the final twist. Ashwin hits the ball and they run 2!!! Why would you want a bowler to face the final 2 balls of a match Albie. Even if it was 2 off 2 with Albie on strike it would be the smarter choice. Alas, Irfy bowled a dot ball and Ashwin hit the final ball straight to Kaif. Match tie = SOOOPER OVER

KXI chose the rookie Juan Rusty Theron, who bowled a superb spell earlier in the game. Not looking rusty at all. so the CSK managed 1,W,2,6,W just 9!! So 10 to win for the Zintans and they got there with a slight hiccup but, when you have the quality of Yuvi, and the two Lankans in your side you are more likely to win from these situations. Had MSD been there it would have been a sight! Well played to both teams to make an interesting match out of shitty batting performances. Lalit Modi will be very pleased!

B.B.O.T.D - Left arm class

Two south paws, one thousand three hundred and twenty four international wickets among them. Incidentally, both hailing from two small countries as well. Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas a.k.a Vaas or Vasi & Daniel Luca Vettori a.k.a Dan the man share their birthday on this very day. Apart from being left arm bowlers and coming from island nations like Sri Lanka and New Zealand, both of them have been highly instrumental in the cricket played by the respective countries.

Vaas, the older of the two, known very well for his control of line and length at which he bowls. Undoubtedly, the best seam bowler Sri Lanka have produced. With 755 international dismissals (and more if he gets to play on ODI’s) to his credit Vaas has genuinely lead the attack from the front. Often in the shadows of team mate Muttiah Muralitharan, Vaas’s credit can be delayed but not denied. Having broken so many records with the ball, Vaas has been a useful batsman lower down the order. He has scored over 3000 runs in tests and 2000+ runs in ODI’s. He also has a test century under his belt. Vaas has taken two hat tricks in ODI’s and also has the best bowling figures in ODI’s that of 8 for 19 which came against minnows Zimbabwe. He has also the rare distinction of claiming wickets of the first three balls of the game. With 400 ODI victims Vaas stands only behind the likes of Akram, Waqar and Murali. Vaas will always be known for his impeccable line and length and undying fighting spirit.

Dan the man Vettori, started at a very early age. Probably the youngest Kiwi to play test cricket. Started of as a left-arm slow orthodox bowler today is ranked as the best spinners in the world. Vettori has gone from strength to strength as a cricketer. His ability with the ball has never been questioned with over 569 international wickets to his name and counting.. But, from the time of Stephen Fleming’s departure Vettori has proved to be an able leader as well. Vettori’s skills with the bat have only improved with time. He has 5 test centuries and almost 4000 runs with a batting avg of 30 to his name. A distinction he can be proud of which includes him in the illustrious company of Sir Richard Hadlee, Chris Cairns and Chris Harris. Recently, we saw him bat at no.6 which most likely he will retain for some time.

Regardless of the numbers, Vaas & Vettori will be remembered as greats to have represented their countries in the international arena. For this and more they are the Bday bums of the day! “HAPPY BDAY!”