There'll be bhangra dancing in Banglore tonite!

There's been some fearful thread drift here Thread 152567 so I will post this message here and perhaps any further discussion of T20 cricket can happen here, assuming there is any!

Originally posted by thaughbaer
153 off 53 with 5 overs still to go... I don't care what anyone says.. that's special.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Royal challengers Bangalore post one of the greatest scores in T20 history and you prefer baseball, could not bring yourself to check it out lest you find it entertaining...

I did check it out. My daily e-mail from espncricinfo.com had as its subject "Gayle 175* (66b), RCB win by 130" so I clicked on it and had a look at the scorecard.

Gayle did indeed score an unbeaten 175 runs off only 66 balls.

I took a look at the bowlers he faced. India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar and England's Luke Wright sent down 4 overs each costing a relatively stingy 49 runs.

Then, over 200 runs were scored off the other 12 overs. So I took a closer look at the bowling attack .

It turns out the five bowlers who conceded these 200 or more runs off a mere 72 balls have relatively little experience of top level cricket, with only 29 ODIs between them, and [for what it's worth to a fan of T20] zero Test matches. They can scarcely be described as a group of "international players" or anywhere much near that standard.

If you look at their career stats, none of them has much hope of a substantial international T20 career, assuming they ever play any international games in the format [or any format, for that matter]. Here they are:

Ishwar Pandey has not really played that much professional cricket, including only five domestic T20 games in his life; he went for 33 off 2 overs.

Ashok Dinda has played, relatively speaking, only a handful of international games; he went for 48 off 4 overs.

Australian Mitchell Marsh has conceded 8 an over in his three international T20 games thus far; he went for 56 off 3 overs.

Ali Murtaza has only played 9 games of first class cricket and only 26 T20 games in 7 years and wouldn't be considered a fully fledged cricketer in any country in the world; he went for 45 off 2 overs.

Finally, Australian Aaron Finch has taken no wickets in ODIs, no wickets in international T20s, one first class wicket, and only 4 wickets in 64 domestic T20 games in 4 years; he went for 29 off his one over. In all seriousness, did those 29 runs off a single over sent down by, for all intents and purposes, a non-bowler, constitute "pure drama"?

This is the bowling attack off which Gayle scored 17 sixes and 13 fours.

Can anyone seriously claim that these runs Gayle scored are "special"?

Originally posted by FMF
I did check it out. My daily e-mail from espncricinfo.com had as its subject "Gayle 175* (66b), RCB win by 130" so I clicked on it and had a look at the scorecard.

Gayle did indeed score an unbeaten 175 runs off only 66 balls.

I took a look at the bowlers he faced. India's [b]Bhuvneshwar Kumar and England's Luke Wright sent down 4 overs ...[text shortened]... 13 fours.

Can anyone seriously claim that these runs Gayle scored are "special"?[/b]

here is a link to some Bhangra lessons,

YouTube

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
here is a link to some Bhangra lessons

Here's another statistical perspective on the bowling attack that Gayle faced when he made 175 n.o.

The FOUR top order batsmen, including Gayle, who got past single figures, collectively have played in 636 ODIs and 287 Tests.

The SEVEN bowlers in the attack that leaked 263 runs off only 120 balls, collectively have played 75 ODIs and 4 Tests.

This gives some idea of the 'stature' of the bowling attack that this "special" and "historic" innings must be grateful for.

I wonder if Gayle will shift any endorsements or merchandise specific to this innings [like Gooch did with his 333 years ago] - stuff like special edition bats or t-shirts or signed mugs. I wonder if there'll be t-shirts with "Pandey, Dinda, Marsh, Murtaza, Finch" on them, or will they stick those five names on the back of a bat [and the "175 not out" on the front], or on a mug [the names of the five bowlers and Gayle, but with Gayle's name bigger] etc.

Originally posted by FMF

Can anyone seriously claim that these runs Gayle scored are "special"?

Michael Vaughan ? His opinion mean anything to you ?

Originally posted by thaughbaer
Michael Vaughan ? His opinion mean anything to you ?

Always interested to hear Vaughan's opinions. I don't always agree with them.

I haven't heard what he's said about this game. Was his estimation of Pandey, Dinda, Marsh, Murtaza and Finch similar to mine?

What impact do you think the extraordinary mismatch between the bowling attack and the top order batting has on how "special" this innings is - realistically speaking - in cricketing terms?

Originally posted by FMF
Always interested to hear Vaughan's opinions. I don't always agree with them.

I haven't heard what he's said about this game. Was his estimation of Pandey, Dinda, Marsh, Murtaza and Finch similar to mine?

What impact do you think the extraordinary mismatch between the bowling attack and the top order batting has on how "special" this innings is - realistically speaking - in cricketing terms?

Realistically ? A lot. PWI are second bottom in the table. He went after the weaker bowlers but that's not a surprising tactic. It's part of the IPLs remit to blood young Indian talent. But I don't think that takes away from the fact it was an extraordinary spectacle. Just as previously I thought AB de Villiers taking on Dale Steyn was an extraordinary spectacle. I'll stand by my assessment of "special" even with the sarcasm. Dilshan agrees and he was closest ( yes I realise he's biased ).

Originally posted by thaughbaer
I'll stand by my assessment of "special" even with the sarcasm.

I don't think its special at all in the broader cricket context. I feel a bit sad that there is a segment of cricket fans that think a batsman with 242 ODIs and 97 tests, smashing 12 overs sent down by five cricketing nobodies, some with severely limited experience of professional cricket, to all parts of the ground [you call it "blood[ing] young Indian talent"?], is something significant or meaningful, statistically or as a genuine sporting contest.

I put the word "special" in quotation marks because you used it, not to be sarcastic, but because i don't want to be seen to be using it myself to describe a mismatch like this. 😀

Originally posted by FMF
I don't think its special at all in the broader cricket context. I feel a bit sad that there is a segment of cricket fans that think a batsman with 242 ODIs and 97 tests, smashing 12 overs sent down by five cricketing nobodies, some with severely limited experience of professional cricket, to all parts of the ground [you call it "blood[ing] young Indian talent"? ...[text shortened]... because i don't want to be seen to be using it myself to describe a mismatch like this. 😀

One of the rules is:

A minimum of 6 players from the BCCI under-22 pool in each squad.

How many times do we hear about the influx of established foreign players in the soccer EPL and the effect that has on the development of home-grown young players. I am sure the BCCI haven't enforced that rule to create imbalanced contests for my enjoyment but on occasion it happens.

"This gives some idea of the 'stature' of the bowling attack that this "special" and "historic" innings must be grateful for."

Not sarcastic ? It's not an accusation of something illegal. You can admit it.

Don't worry about the grinch here.
Sure, this wasn't against the 2 best bowling attacks of all time: The Windies of the 80's or the current South African Test squad, but hitting the ball that far, that many times IS special.

T20 cricket is fun. Gayle supplied a great exhibition. That is all.

Originally posted by Crowley
Don't worry about the grinch here.
Sure, this wasn't against the 2 best bowling attacks of all time: The Windies of the 80's or the current South African Test squad, but hitting the ball that far, that many times IS special.

T20 cricket is fun. Gayle supplied a great exhibition. That is all.

yes we had another awesome game, last over finish Mumbai Indians needing ten from the last over, what a game, Narine was awesome for KKR he bowled a sublime ball to Tendulkar and took 3 for 13, and yet we are told that playing in only his second test last year, he picked up five wickets, one wonders how many he might have got had he played more so called first class cricket, either that or FMF's theory is pure bunkum and rather than T20 having a negative effect on a players ability, its the opposite, playing test cricket makes them wussies.

Originally posted by FMF
I don't think its special at all in the broader cricket context. I feel a bit sad that there is a segment of cricket fans that think a batsman with 242 ODIs and 97 tests, smashing 12 overs sent down by five cricketing nobodies, some with severely limited experience of professional cricket, to all parts of the ground [you call it "blood[ing] young Indian talent"? ...[text shortened]... because i don't want to be seen to be using it myself to describe a mismatch like this. 😀

Virat Kohli thought it was special,

"I'm privileged that I watched it here live," said Virat Kohli, captain of Gayle's Royal Challengers Bangalore side. "All the people who came to the stadium today should feel honoured that they got to see one of the best innings ever."

BBC

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Virat Kohli thought it was special,

"I'm privileged that I watched it here live," said Virat Kohli, captain of Gayle's Royal Challengers Bangalore side. "All the people who came to the stadium today should feel honoured that they got to see one of the best innings ever."

BBC

Team mates patting each other on the back? Whatever next? 😀

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
...rather than T20 having a negative effect on a players ability, its the opposite, playing test cricket makes them wussies.

Is this another bit of analysis from Virat Kohli about Chris Gayle and his 97 tests? Or is it your own? 😀