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Volume 1 July 15, 2011 Issue 28

ITS UDRS FOR WEEKEND CRICKET!!!

EDITORIAL WEEKEND CRICKET MAGAZINE!

OH! MY LORDS!

DHONIS CAPTAINCY EXPOSED!

UMPIRES EYE-OPENER!

SCCA LEAGUE 2011!

OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS!

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EDITORIAL

WEEKEND CRICKET MAGAZINE!!!The Management of Weekend Cricket web magazine announces thediscontinuance of the publication, after this issue. This decision wastaken after a prolonged deliberation. The Management saw that it isnot achieving the goals that prompted them to publish this magazine.As was discussed in the last editorial, no improvement was seen in thelocal cricket and its administration. The Editor of this magazine has been playingcricket in Southern California since 1972 and over the years, has not seen any

improvement in taking the game to the local (American) kids and not even to thekids of immigrants. One can argue that the number of clubs playing cricket in andaround Southern California has increased over the years. This is not because of anyefforts the local cricket administration has ever made, but because of influx ofimmigrants from cricket-playing countries. Thanks to U.S. Immigration policy inthis regard.

The other day the Editor was walking around Woodley Park watching a game ofcricket and one of the senior members (former Vice-President of SCCA in 1972)commented that he has seen the local cricket administration deteriorating, year byyear. Being an eye witness, I agree with him more than one hundred percent.

Lets look at todays picture. Despite or in spite of having so many clubs, we do nothave a representative in USAs T-20 National Team. Surely, the presentadministration will be quick to point finger at the selection committee, thescheduling and the condition of the wickets where the matches were played to selectthe National Team. These are sour grapes. I would ask the administration as towhat they have done to move with the changing times, change in world cricket, etc.SCCA conducts the league, as usual. In fact, these league games have been reduced

to 45-over and 40-over games. ICC tournaments are 5-Day Tests, ODIs (50-overgames) and T-20 (20-over games). SCCA league does not fit in anywhere.

What has SCCA done to train and/or expose our players to fit into cricket norm?None, whatsoever. Barring So.Calif.Winter League tournament conducted byChandra Roy, there is no T-20 league or knock out tournament for players to play inthis format. But, when it comes to the National T-20, one expects our players to getselected for the National Team.

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SCCA has not even bothered to provide a decent net practice facility. Leaguematches played are the only practice players get. Not that our players lack the

talent to compete for a place in the National team but they are not providednecessary match practice in such formats. SCCA administration spends most oftheir time in internal politics and therefore do not have time to perform the job forwhich they are elected to. It is unfortunate that the President, SCCA moved out ofthe State immediately after his elections but is still holding on to the position. It ishigh time he resigns as he cannot efficiently perform his fiduciary duties asPresident from out of State. This will be a great service from him to local cricket.

Cricket will not catch on in USA, at least in Southern California, as long as they do

business, as usual. Drastic changes have to be made, such as fund-raising(sponsorship), outreach and recruitment from local schools, colleges, majoremployers major companies have their basketball, baseball teams and publicityat every level.

Additionally, to improve US National teams performance, we have to training ourplayers to play longer version of the game. As one of the former USACA coach oncesaid to me that players who are used to playing one-day cricket lack the stamina toplay matches for two or three days consecutively. When playing ICC Tournamen for affiliated countries, each team is called upon to play every day and in, somecase, every other day. To prepare our players for this type of tournaments, weshould re-structure our league.

It is recommended that SCCA should from 2012 season play Division-I league fortwo-days (Saturday and Sunday) and the decision is made on 1st innings lead. This isnot a limited over cricket with restrictions on fielding, bowling, etc. Captain wilget to use his skills. He will plan to get the other team out by bringing in bowlingchanges, appropriate field placements and should know when to declare an inningsand when to go for a draw.

All Division II games will be 50-over games. These will be fully governed by ICCsODI regulations. Top four teams of the league will meet in play-off. This play-offwill be a two-day game without any restrictions, results being decided on 1st inningslead. This way, Division II teams get exposed to longer version of the games whenthey go to Division I.

Divisions III, IV, V and VI could be 40-over games.

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Additionally, there should benot, one tournament for all D

This would make the gameslook forward to.

Editor, K.C.S. Rao, takes thisGiri (Michigan), PrakashNagarajan, Technical Directpublishing Weekend Cricket

Editor: K.C.S. Rao Prakash

T-20 tournament, within each divvisions.

nteresting for the players as they

portunity to thank his Managemrishnagiri (Riyadh, Saudi Ar

or (Chennai) for their cooperationegularly.

Krishnagiri Dr. V.V. Giri

sion, if possible. If

ave something to

nt Team (Dr. V.Vbia), and Satishand assistance in

Satish Nagarajan

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OH MY LORDS!By Dr. V.V. Giri

With nine wickets in hand on the Day 5 of a Test, you expect the World No. 1 to either win it or draw it.

Spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. Perhaps it sounds biblical, but there can't be a better way to abridge

India's status during the five days at Lord's that got construed as the 2000th Test in the history of cricket, whichIndia lost. England outplayed India in all departments and became a true winner.

The fact will be that India fought not one but many adversaries in their 100th Test against the colonial cousinsAnd they came in all sizes ranging from towering England bowlers to a microscopic virus. But before those

two hit Team India, one of the most senior hamstrings decided to pull up and render India's bowling impotent.

But these are things you can't anticipate. What you can do is prepare intently for a series as important as this

one. That's where probably Team India came second in the contest at Lord's.

Indian players came to England from all directions. Barring those who played on the whole of West Indies tour,

the others returned carrying bandages in their baggage to promptly attend to in the event of their IPL-causedinjuries flared up. This meant that the England unit was better prepared in terms of coordination, which comes

with playing together consistently.

Consider this. Had the likes of Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar skipped

the IPL, they would have toured the Caribbean and hence India would have been better prepared as a team to

face a much tough English side on their own soil. England certainly looked in the swing of things and itshowed.

With every passing day, Harbhajan Singh is making it hard to not believe that he has lost his teeth after Anil

Kumble's retirement. Once Zaheer got injured within the first 50 overs of the Test, India had no one to lead theattack even with a 400-plus wicket-taker on the field. It is not clear for how long will India field Bhajji based on

reputation only, and allow a more menacing R Ashwin gather rust back home? Bhajji was the biggest culprit in

this test.

The same can also be said about Indian skipper MS Dhoni. True that he is currently irreplaceable as a captain

but Dhoni seems to be refusing to admit that playing strokes, and not blocking, is his forte. In both the inningsat Lords, Dhoni gave a bit too much respect to the overhead conditions, a fact that comes to light knowing that

he faced 103 balls for his 28 runs in the first innings.

In the second innings as well, when Suresh Raina showed that mixing caution with aggression was working,Dhoni acted like a stubborn child refusing to pay heed.

The Indian bowling was on one leg throughout the Test, owing to Zaheers hamstring. Opting to bowl inovercast conditions, Dhoni was left with no option but to hand over his gloves to Rahul Dravid and fill in for

Zaheer. That allowed Kevin Pietersen to get set and score a double century that put England in command. To

say that the World Number 1 team is depending on just one bowler - It is atrocious!

What followed was even worse. Sachin went down with a viral infection and didn't field for most part of

England's second innings, which meant he couldn't bat at his customary No. 4 position. More than that, it was a

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less than 100 per cent Tendulkar that cost India dearly. (Strangely, but sadly, no one expected Sachin to score in

the fourth innings and save India!)

Gambhir became the third victim when a Matt Prior sweep hit him flush on the elbow. Though it turned out tobe only a bruise, he couldnt open India's second innings, forcing the the one and only perfect team man -

Dravid out of his prolific No. 3 slot to accompany Abhinav Mukund. It also required VVS Laxman to bat at

No.3.

India never recovered from this mess, which was evident in their second innings that folded up for 261,

allowing England to go 1-0 up in the four-Test series.

On the fifth day, victory was highly unlikely, but it didn't mean that free-flowing batsmen like Dhoni, Gambhir

and Tendulkar had to play like Geoffrey Boycott or Chris Tavare. Tendulkar had done this time and again -

going in to his shell unnecessarily. Only he and God know the reasons. Laxman (56) and Raina (78) put up afight, staying at the crease by playing their strokes but none of the other Indian batters took a cue, and, instead,

buckled under pressure.

Yes, it's difficult to play with eight fit men but then India is not No. 1 for nothing. For your kind information,

these three players were unfit even before the tour. With nine wickets in hand on the final day of a Test, you

expect the No. 1 to either win it or draw it, but certainly not lose it.

A meek surrender!!

About the Author: "Dr. V.V. Giri, a Michigan based Cricket Player, Coach & Journalist, is an avid follower and servant of theGame of Cricket. He is a highly talented off-spin bowler and an opening batsman. Dr. Giri was in the state squad for Tamil Nadu

and has played Senior Division League in Chennai for a record number of years. He was the Cricket Secretary for the famous

"Madras Cricket Club" in Chennai. Prior to settling down in U.S.A., he has played cricket in U.K. and Australia. He also toured

several countries - U.S.A., Canada and many Far East countries with Teams from India to foster the game of cricket.

Dr. Giri has a Ph. D in Pharmaceutical Technology and has been involved in Research and Development of Drugs for many yearsHe is also a visiting faculty in many Universities in India. Dr. Giri is a great articulator."

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DHONIS CAPTAINCY EXPOSED!By Staff Reporter

Much talked about, World No. 1, Indian Cricket Team Captain Mahendra Singh Dhonis skills as a captain is

exposed during the recently concluded tour of West Indies and in their loss to England in their First Test match

at Lords.

No doubt, he was a lucky captain, to survive all these days. Whatever he did worked well for him till recently

He came into the Indian team as a hard-hitting batsman and a wicket-keeper. His skills as a wicket-keeperalways left a question mark in the minds of purists. His batting prowess overshadowed his deficiency in

wicket-keeping skills.

Of late, he has been failing more times than not, as a batsman. He has changed his batting style from aggressionto defense. He prefers to nudge here and there and rely mostly on singles and twos, and in the process gets ou

quickly.

Ones captaincy skills are tested when one faces the challenges and not when everything is going smooth. This

challenge he faced in the recently concluded tour of West Indies. West Indies was a depleted side without the

services of their match-winning and dangerous batsman Chris Gayle. On the other hand, India has been theWorld No. 1 team as far as Tests are concerned. West Indies challenged Team India, in the third Test by

declaring their innings.

Team India should have gone for an outright win in the third Test, if not for a draw. They actually called off the

game when Team India needed 80-plus runs in 90-plus balls with seven wickets remaining. Sure, Dhoni tried togo for a win by sending in Suresh Raina to push the score and Suresh failed. Dhoni then sent in V.V.S. Laxman

to join Rahul Dravid and played safe. Dhoni should have gone for the kill by promoting himself in the battingorder and sending in other quick-scorers and kept V.V.S. Laxman for a rearguard action. It is not clear what

Dhoni was thinking by sending in VVS Laxman at that stage. Was he thinking the World No.1 Test side canno

play the 90-plus balls and lose the game to share the series? If he did, he is unfit to be a captain of World No. 1team. In the event of India losing a few more wickets, he could have sent in experienced Laxman to save the

game or, at that stage, called off the game.

In the Lords Test, he did not have much of an option in deciding the batting order in the second innings due to

the non-availability of Gambhir and Sachin in their regular positions. The blunder Dhoni committed was no

bringing on Ishant Sharma immediately after the lunch break. Sharma bowled well prior to the break and gowickets. Another blunder he committed was not adequately trying Suresh Raina (who has always come to therescue of Dhoni with the ball, when wickets are not falling at regular intervals) on the first day, and, again, till

the end on the second day. Pieterson was allowed to have his day in the absence of the left hander Zaheer

Khan. It looks Dhoni could not overcome the shock of Zaheers absence for the rest of the game. In theabsence of a regular bowler (Zaheer) Dhoni should have discussed with senior players like, Rahul, Laxman

Tendulkar, Harbajhan and Zaheer and come up with a strategy. Since Dhonis wicket-keeping leaves much to

be desired, it would have made no difference if he had handed over the gloves to Rahul Dravid (Rahul has hadexperience in keeping wickets in ODIs and Tests for India) . Dhoni could have been a surprise bowler to

everyone in England side. Pieterson, being a settled batsman, handled him. Others would not have. It is also

not clear why Dhoni did not try Sachin as a bowler when no wickets were falling. After all, this is a Test match

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and there is no restriction in field setting. Team India did not have a leg spinner in their XI and Sachin, with leg

spinners could have no only provided the variety and the break through.

It appears Dhoni has a few favorites and he relies too much on such individuals irrespective of their currentform. One such player is Harbhajan Singh. Of late, he has been a failure. He is afraid to give air to the ball and

purchase a wicket. He tends to bowl negative to keep his economy rate. He failed miserably in West Indies

tour just prior to this series. It is a surprise that the National Selection Committee is selecting him based on thepast performances. R. Ashwin has been a successful bowler and it is shocking to see him being overlooked to

provide a place of Harbhajan Singh. It is high time Dhoni stops depending on Harbhajan Singh and starts

performing Hari Bhajan(!) (A form of worship in a group setting) He should be on the lookout for youngstersknocking on the door to cement their place in Team India.

It would have been a blessing in disguise for Team India if Dhoni was suspended for the next game for slow

over-rate. He is a lucky captain, no doubt. He got away this time because of certain factors playing a role inthis decision. Dhoni has to go back to the drawing board to polish up on his wicket-keeping skills. He is quick

in his movements to the left and right, but weak in catching the ball coming up to him. Since the Captain has a

say in the selection of the Team, he should have argued for the exclusion of Zaheer Khan from the playing XIfor the Five-Day Test unless he was more than one hundred percent fit. Injuries during the game are

unavoidable but going into the Test match without being fully fit to last the five days is a serious crime!

It is inexplicable why Team India opted to field first in both the Tests against England, despite winning the toss.

Team India which is loaded with batsmen (6 batsmen and 4 bowlers) did not opt to bat first. Was Dhoni afraid

of putting World Class batsmen of India to face the English attack first? Was his fear responsible to make Indiabat the fourth innings in both the tests?

Hope Team India and the National Selection Committee learn a lesson or two out of this!

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UMPIRES EYE-OPENER!Courtesy Thilak Wijedasa

1 A batsman attempting a sweep shot, gets a top edge, and, seeing the ball is going to fall on his stumps

knocks it away with his bat. The fielding side appeal for 'Hit the ball twice ' What is your decision?

Not out. A batsman defending his wicket can legally knock the ball away with his bat or any part of his body,

except the hand that is not holding the bat. However if, in knocking the ball away, he prevents a catch being

taken, he will be given out, on appeal, for obstruction.

2. You signal a wide, but the wicket-keeper, still able to collect the ball, stumps the batsmanwhile he is out of the crease and appeals. The batsman does not move, insisting you cannot be stumped off a

wide. What is your decision?

Give the batsman out. Law 25 states you can be stumped off a wide.

3. An injured fielder is replaced by a twelfth man who excels in fielding at cover point. When he adopts this

position in the field, both batsmen object and insist he fields further away from the bat, preferably at third man.

What is your decision?

The batting side has no power to object to where a substitute fields. But under the Laws of cricket 2000 code hecannot keep wickets.

4. A fast bowler has his shirt unbuttoned a long way down. The batsman claims his shirt collar is flapping as he

bowls and is distracting him . He demands the bowler button it up. What is your decision?

Tell the bowler to button it up.

5. A batsman appears to edge the ball. The keeper takes and appeals for a catch, then to make sure, whips the

bails off too and appeals for a stumping You refuse the appeal for catch and call it a 'over'. But a second lateryour colleague gives the batsman out stumped. Is the batsman, out ?

Yes he is out. The appeal 'Hows that'? covers all dismissals. The fact that 'over' had been called does no

prevent the out given by the colleague.

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SCCA LEAGUE 2011!Staff Reporter

WEEKEND OF JULY 9-10:

SPORTIVE GESTURE BY SOHAIL KHAN

Sohail Khan, Captain of Britamer CC, helped to rectify the inadvertent mistake made by Umpire when he gave

a LBW decision against a well settled United CC Batsman. Umpire, apparently did not notice that the batsman

had played the ball. Wicket-keeper of Britamer and the close-in fielders observed this and brought it to theattention of their skipper. Meanwhile, the batsman started walking as he was given out. Sohail Khan, Britamer

skipper rightly called the batsman back and allowed him to continue. Human errors are common and umpires

from time to time tend to make such mistakes. That is a part of the game. But, the Captain of the fielding side

calling back the batsman is a sportive gesture and should be commended. Hope other captains emulate this!

PINAK PATELS CENTURY

HELPS UNITED BEAT BRITAMER

Batting first United scored 270 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. Thanks to a fine century

(105) by Pinak Patel who is in good form this season. Others who scored for United were

Praveen Chava 49, Pranav Parekh 47 and Shanker Sukumar 36. Sohail Khan was the onlysuccessful bowler for Britamer with his 2 for 52. In reply, Britamer was all out for 222

runs. Saifullah Solangi 20, Noman Ghazali 36, Ahmed Razi 47 and Sohail Khan 23

scored for Britamer. Shanker Sukumar was the most successful bowler for United CC. He

was ably assisted by Pranav Parekh 2 for 38 and Babar Hashim 2 for 53.

FOR OTHER SCORES OF MATCHES DURING THIS WEEKEND, PLEASE SEE THE LINK

WWW.SCCACRICKET.ORG

WEEKEND OF JULY 16-17:

ALI MUKADAMS CENTURY

AND HASAN IMAMS DEADLY BOWLING

HELP

COSMOS SET NEW SCCA RECORDS!

Batting first, Cosmos CC scored 409 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 45 overs. This

is a new record for SCCA in Division I. Hitherto, SCCA used to play 50-over

PINAK PATEL

ALI MUKADAM

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league games. Since switching over to 45-over league games, this is the highest total

scored by a Division I team. Thanks to a fine century by Ali Mukadam. Others who

contributed to this record were Abhimanyu Rajp 27, Randeep Singh 63, FazalShahnawaz 57 and 58 not out by Abhisek Pawar. Eddie Malhar 2 for 66, Arjun Singh2 for 90 and Pranav Mulani 2 for 83 were the successful bowlers for Pasadena-1.

When it came Pasadena-1 turn to bat, they failed miserably. Deadly bowling byHasan Imam, who bowled 5 overs, conceded 6 runs and captured 6 wickets. He was ably supported in this

effort by Jafar Naqvi 2 for 8 and M.U. Shani Rehman 2 for 6. Pasadena-1 was skittled out for a 23 runs, of

which 12 were extras. This is the lowest total scored by a Division I team in the league. Yet, another newrecord!

FOR RESULTS AND SCORES OF OTHER GAMES PLAYED DURING THIS WEEKEND AND THE

WEEKEND THAT FOLLOWED, PLEASE LOG ON TO THE LINK WWW.SCCACRICKET.ORG

Hasan Imam

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OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS!

NAMES OF CENTURIANS AND BOWLERS WHO HAD TAKEN 5 OR MORE WICKETS IN A GAMEDURING THE PAST THREE WEEKENDS AND SOME FINE ALL-ROUNDERS. DETAILS OF THE

SCORES ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.SCCACRICKET.ORG

BATSMEN:1. Nazim Shirazi, Pegasus CC2. Ali Mukadam, Cosmos CC3. Mark Punshon, Corinthian CC4. Pinak Patel, United CC5. Kenneth Bennett, Cougars CC (114*)6.

Kenneth Bennett, Cougars CC (141)

BOWLERS:1. Hasan Imam, Cosmos CC (6 for 6)2. Mohabir Mohammad, Friends CC3. Nikesh Ahir, Kabir CC4. Ravi Singh, CSUF (6 for 27)5. Neville Brown, Caribbean CC (6 for 43)6. Elmore Hutchinson, Pegasus CC7. David Pieters, Corinthian CC8. Salman Ahmed, Youth9. Tyrone Peter, BnB CC (6 for 23)

ALL-ROUNDERS:1. Sujesh Pulikkal, Hollywood CC-12. Marcus Stewart, Caribbean CC3. Shanker Sukumar, United CC4. Gopinath Warriar, Casuals CC5. Randeep Singh6. Timil Patel, Vijayta CC

Note: Editor regrets he could not publish the pictures of all the outstanding performers as he does not have these on file. This iswhere the clubs failed to acknowledge the achievement of their players and send the picture(s) to weekend cricket for publication.

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OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS!Batsmen, Bowlers and All-Rounders

Nazim Shiraji, Pegasus CC-1 Mark Punshon, Corinthian CC Pramukh Subramanian, Corinthian CC

David Pieters, Corianthian CC Salman Ahmed, Youth Sujesh Pulikkal, HCC-1

Marcus Stewart, Caribbean CCGopinath Warriar Timil Patel, Vijayta CC