With her book From XL to XS, published by Random House India, being released recently, Payal talks about her tryst with yoga and fitness, how it has become a way of life and how it can change your life as well.
Tell us about your journey so far.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Striking a mind-body balance
With her book From XL to XS, published by Random House India, being released recently, Payal talks about her tryst with yoga and fitness, how it has become a way of life and how it can change your life as well.
Tell us about your journey so far.
'Leaks has provided a target list for al-Qaeda'
The U.S. today termed as “deeply disturbing” the release of secret cables by WikiLeaks and said the whistleblower website was “inviting” terrorist attacks from groups like the al-Qaeda by making public documents about some of the key infrastructures projects across the globe.
“Without discussing any particular cable, the release of this kind of information gives a group like al-Qaeda a targeting list. This is why we have condemned WikiLeaks for what it has done,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton added that the release of documents possesses potential damage to U.S. friends and partners.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A(H1N1): officials asked to visit houses
The Bench, comprising Chief Justice M. Yusuf Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, also wanted the government to provide all possible treatment to the 130 persons afflicted with swine flue and submit a report about the result of treatment.
“It is needless to say that the monitoring committee should continue to monitor the situation,” the Bench said after the State government submitted a report in the court on swine flue situation and steps taken by it to control the disease.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tendulkar short-listed for three awards
The votes have now been cast by the independent 25-person academy and one of the four players will receive the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Cricketer of the Year at a glittering ceremony in Bangalore on October 6.
Tendulkar, Sehwag and Amla are also in the running for the Test Player of the Year award, alongside South Africa paceman Dale Steyn.
Tendulkar is in contention too for the ODI Player of the Year award with the Australian duo of Shane Watson (pace bowling all-rounder) and Ryan Harris (paceman) as well as South Africa's A.B. de Villiers (batsman).
The Twenty20 International Performance of the Year sees New Zealand's Brendon McCullum short-listed alongside Australia's Michael Hussey, Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene and South Africa's Ryan McLaren.
Player short-list (in alphabetical order): Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla (SA), Virender Sehwag (Ind), Graeme Swann (Eng), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind).
Test Player of the Year: Hashim Amla (SA), Virender Sehwag (Ind), Dale Steyn (SA), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind).
ODI Player of the Year: Ryan Harris (Aus), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), A.B. de Villiers (SA), Shane Watson (Aus).
Emerging Player: Umar Akmal (Pak), Steven Finn (Eng), Angelo Mathews (SL), Tim Paine (Aus).
Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate (Ned), Trent Johnson (Ire), Kevin O'Brien (Ire), Mohammed Shahzad (Afg).
Twenty20 International Performance of the Year: Michael Hussey (Aus) for his 60 not out off 24 balls against Pakistan in the semifinal of the ICC World Twenty20 2010 in St. Lucia on May 14, Mahela Jayawardene (SL) for his 100 off 64 balls against Zimbabwe in Guyana on May 3 and his 98 not out off 56 balls against West Indies in Bridgetown on May 2010 both during the ICC World Twenty20 2010, Ryan McLaren (SA) for his five for 19 against the West Indies on May 19 in Antigua, Brendon McCullum (NZ) for his 116 not out off 56 balls against Australia in Christchurch, New Zealand on February 28.
Women's Cricketer of the Year: Katherine Brunt (Eng), Shelley Nitschke (Aus), Ellyse Perry (Aus), Stafanie Taylor (WI).
Umpire of the Year: Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Tony Hill, Simon Taufel.
Spirit of Cricket: India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Infosys will never be the same after Murthy: Thomas Friedman
Friedman said, "Mr Murthy is a truly historic figure in Indian economics and politics. He and Nandan Nilekani and the other founders did a great thing. They showed Indians of this current generation just how much they could bring their talents to the global economic playing field and play not only as equals but as leaders with any other country in the world."
Infosys' nominations committee has started the search for Murthy's successor, as the he would retire in August next year after he turns 65.
No exercise, long work hours double heart failure risk
The study examined data for 5,000 men -- aged between 40 and 59 years from 14 different companies -- which included their fitness levels over 30 years, reports the Daily Mail. The men did cycling exercise tests to assess their fitness and provided details on the average number of hours they worked every week, according to the journal Heart.
Around 70 percent of men worked between 41 and 45 hours a week, while around 20 percent worked longer hours. Over the course of the study, there were 587 deaths from heart disease caused by the narrowing and hardening of arteries.
Experts found that men who were unfit were at the greatest risk of dying from heart disease, particularly if they worked long hours.
Those who were both unfit and worked more than 45 hours a week were more than twice as likely to die from the disease than men working fewer than 40 hours.
And men who worked 41 to 45 hours a week had a 59 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease compared to those working under 40 hours.
Physically fit men working longer hours were 45 percent less likely to die of heart disease and 38 percent less likely to die of other causes than those who were unfit.
The findings, by a team from the National Research Centre for the Working Environment in Denmark, held true despite factors likely to influence the results, such as work stress and living conditions.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
GREEN TECHNOLOGIES
| It's no longer a question of whether incandescent bulbs will go, but when. Compact Florescent Lights (CFLs) are the future. CFLs cost more but are vastly cheaper over their life span because it takes eight or more incandescent bulbs to match the life span of a CFL. DAYLIGHT HARVESTING |
ELECTRIC CARS
Powered by thousands of Li-Ion batteries, the electric car can do 0 to 60 mph in four seconds, outrunning practically every other production car on the planet.
PLUG-IN HYBRIDS
They complement biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, by helping limited supplies of homegrown liquid fuel go further. What's more, since they use the existing grid to power up at night, they'll require little additional infrastructure.
HIGH-TECH RECYCLING
Conveyer belts of mixed recycling materials can be swished through a series of smart sensors and sorters. Magnets pull out steel and iron, blowers tease out bags and paper, while shakers and centrifuges help separate other materials.
GREEN COMPUTING
| Computers made from recycled materials with components designed for easy recycling will dominate the IT products landscape. Energy efficiency will be the hallmark of all future devices. WIND ENERGY
| |||
The Other half: Dying of indifference
Every eight minutes a woman dies in our country due to pregnancy-related complications. Why aren't we able to devise an accessible healthcare system?
“She gave birth, died. Delhi walked by”. This was the headline of a six column news item on the top of an inside page in Hindustan Times (August 29, 2010). Illustrated with four telling photographs, the story was about a pregnant destitute woman, who lay on the footpath of Delhi's busy and well-frequented Shankar Market, which is adjacent to the iconic Connaught Place. Thousands of people must have passed her, but no one spared a glance at what appeared a bundle of rags covered in a red cloth.
On July 26, this woman gave birth, unaided by anyone. The cries of the newborn infant caught the attention of some of the shopkeepers and one of them, the owner of a garment shop, picked up the baby. The mother apparently refused help and died on that same spot where she had given birth, four days later. The police came and removed her body and took the child, who had been in the care of the Good Samaritan until then, to a foster home.
Worlds Best Cruise Missile
India today test-fired the 290-km range BrahMos cruise missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off Orissa coast as part of trials by the defence forces to fine—tune its capability.
“It was a user’s trial by the defence forces,” said a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) official soon after the missile blasted off from a mobile launcher at about 11.35 AM from ITR’s launch complex-3.
BrahMos-II can potentially be used for surgical strikes, including at terror camps, without causing collateral damage.
The missile can fly at 2.8 times the speed of sound carrying conventional warheads up to 300 kg for a range of 290 km and can effectively engage ground targets from an altitude as low as 10 metres.
Though the missile is capable of being launched from multiple platforms, focus in on the development of its air-launched and the submarine-launched versions.
BrahMos, developed jointly with Russia, is a supersonic cruise missile capable of being launched from submarines, ships, aircraft and land-based Mobile Autonomous Launchers (MAL).
A regiment of the BrahMos-I variant, consisting of 67 missiles, five mobile autonomous launchers on 12x12 Tatra vehicles and two mobile command posts, among other equipment, is already operational in the Army.
Similarly, the Navy has begun inducting the first version of BrahMos missile system in all its frontline war ships since 2005, defence sources said.
The Army, on its part, is set to induct two more regiments of the BrahMos Block-II land-attack cruise missiles (LACM), which have been designed as ‘precision strike weapons’ capable of hitting small targets in cluttered urban environments, they said.
The BrahMos Block-II variant has been developed to take out a specific small target, with a low radar cross-section, in a multi-target environment.
The BrahMos missile is a two-stage vehicle that has a solid propellant booster and a liquid propellant ram-jet system.
The first flight test of the BrahMos was conducted on June 12, 2001 at the ITR at Chandipur in Orissa coast and the last trial of the naval version of BrahMos was carried out in a vertical mode successfully on March 21, 2010 from Indian navy ship INS Ranvir off Orissa coast.
"Cricket's biggest chance to clean itself' - Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid, the India batsman, has called the ICC's move to hand out first-ever suspensions to three Pakistan cricketers for "irregular behaviour" under the Anti-Corruption Code a positive step but wanted the inquiry against the trio to be taken to its "logical conclusion". The spot fixing controversy, Dravid told ESPNcricinfo, "is cricket's biggest chance to clean itself".
"The last thing we need is for the events of this week to be swept under the carpet. No guilt must be attached until the investigations are complete, and everyone deserves a fair chance to defend themselves. But the process must be thorough and comprehensive."
Dravid said that he wanted the investigation of the anti-corruption unit to be completed before the matter moved on to, "a proper inquiry carried out by investigators with the law of the land behind them." He said the most necessary outcome of the entire episode, "which has been a horrible scar on cricket, cricketers and fans," would be "swift and strong punishment to anyone found guilty."
In the past, Dravid said, "people once judged guilty turned up after a few months just because time had passed. It was as if everyone had forgotten what days like these feel like for the majority of honest players in the game".
What makes Pakistan produce so many fast bowlers?
Mohammad Amir is the latest in the lineage of quality fast bowlers from Pakistan© Getty ImagesWatching young Mohammad Amir make Ricky Ponting dance to his tunes was both a sight and a statement. Despite the turmoil in Pakistan cricket, the crop of quality fast bowlers has rarely, or never, seen a downswing. Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar -- the lineage is potent and the character entrenched in their cricket.
Pace bowling continues to absorb Pakistan like nothing else. So what is it about Pakistan that ensures their supply line is never dry? After all, fast bowling is one of the most gruelling aspects of the game.
It ought to do something, or a lot, with their genetics. They come across as a tough race with an aggressive streak, which is an indispensable factor to bowl quick. They are born fighters and that streak ensures that they keep coming back at you. If cricket is just the expression of your true self, fast bowling exposes that vein better than anything else.
Then there’s a strong culture of playing tennis-ball cricket in Pakistan. But unlike the usual tennis ball, they tape the ball to make it slightly heavier. Now, you can either be a fast bowler or a batsman to survive in that format, for spinners would be ineffective with a tennis ball. And if you choose to bowl quick, then you must develop a quick arm action, strong shoulders and an even stronger back to generate pace with a ball as light as a tennis ball. That’s their first lesson in fast bowling but one which keeps them in good stead in the future.
The fearsome fifteen: a look at the great bowlers
Muralitharan: statistically the best bowler© AFPAs I had mentioned in my recent article on Muralitharan, this is the right time to have an in-depth look at the great bowlers of our times and before. We have just seen the retirement of one of the all-time great bowlers and the next active bowler is, in Formula-1 parlance, three laps behind.
I have selected the following fifteen bowlers for analysis. Readers might have their own favourites. However I believe that this collection contains the best ever bowlers, barring personal preferences. I have also tried hard to have as wide a selection as possible, covering all the major test playing countries. I did a Test bowlers analysis last year. However this one has removed all the warts from that and is also at the career-end stage for all the fifteen bowlers. I have a major advantage in doing this analysis. Since the analysis is limited to 15 bowlers, I do not need to worry about the wide disparity which existed between around 60 bowlers who were part of my previous analysis.
Australia: Shane Warne
Glenn McGrath
Dennis Lillee
West Indies: Malcolm Marshall
Curtley Ambrose
Joel Garner
Pakistan: Imran Khan
Wasim Akram
Waqar Younis
India Anil Kumble
Kapil Dev
Sri Lanka: Muralitharan
New Zealand: Richard Hadlee
South Africa: Allan Donald
England: Fred Trueman.
A few notes on the selections. I did not select any pre-WW2 bowlers since their figures would have distorted the numbers considerably, especially Sydney Barnes. The three Australian bowlers select themselves. For West Indies I selected their three best bowlers over the past 30 years. Holding for Garner could be an option. However Garner has a bowling average of 20.98 against Holding's 23.69. First I had selected only Imran Khan and Wasim Akram for Pakistan. Then I realized that Waqar Younis led in one key measure (strike rate) and there was no way could miss him. I did not want to drop Wasim Akram since he is the only left-hander in this group.
Kumble selects himself while Kapil Dev, although he has average overall figures deserves a place since he was the leading wicket-taker for quite some time and changed the face of Indian fast bowling. Shaun Pollock is the only one who could challenge Donald's place. I selected Fred Trueman to represent the period between 1947 and 1969. He is also the best modern English bowler. I also followed the basic principle that any bowler who was the best in a key category (wkts/strike rate/rpo) cannot be left out. One could find justifications for including Walsh, Holding, Shaun Pollock, Willis et al. However this is my selection and not a bad one at that. Let me also add that this is not necessarily the top bowlers list. I am sure Holding, Roberts, Pollock et al would be placed higher than a few in this list. However I wanted to have as wide a representation as possible and restricted one country to 3 bowlers.
Now for the measures on which the rating work is done. First let me clarify two fundamental differences to the way I have done such exercises before.
The first is that I have selected ten measures and given equal weight to all. That way I reduce the chances of subjective valuations.
The next is that for each measure, the best gets the maximum points, viz., 10.0 and the others get proportionate points. This reduces the possibility of differential weights and ensures a fair allocation of points.
The following measures are used.
1. Wickets captured.
2. Bowling strike rate (Bpw).
3. Bowling accuracy (Rpo).
(These two are components of the Bowling average, but have been considered
independently).
4. Quality of wickets captured (Average of dismissed batsmen's batting averages)
5. Away bowling average.
6. % of top order wickets captured.
7. Team load borne by bowler (balls bowled and wickets captured).
8. Ratio of bowling average to peer bowling average - all teams.
9. Ratio of bowling average to peer bowling average - other bowlers of own team.
10.Win index (Combination of two ratios)- (% of win wickets to career wickets
and % of win wickets to team win wickets).
Just to summarize, Muralitharan leads in 2 measures (Wickets and Team load factor). The other 8 measures are led by Ambrose (RpO), Garner (Away bowling average), Imran Khan (Dismissed batsman quality), Waqar Younis (Bowling strike rate), Marshall (Peer comparison to all bowlers), Hadlee (Peer comparison to own team bowlers), McGrath (Top order wickets ratio) and Warne (Win index). A very fair distribution of the top positions with nine bowlers leading in one or more measures. There is no domination by one bowler.
There is one point worth mentioning here. There have been a number of comments about the wickets captured by Muralitharan against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. I have thought long and hard and decided not to do anything about it. What is the definition of a weak team. India against Trueman in 1952 were much worse than Bangladesh against Muralitharan. England in 1984 were the rabbits against Marshall. How do we value the English wickets against Australia in 2006. It pains me to say this, what about Pakistan during the past few months. And finally where do we place Sri Lanka itself during its first 10 years. Let us not forget that Warne did not bowl against the strong Australian batsmen, nor Kumble against the great Indian line-up and so on. However the fact that the bowlers in the strong batting lineups did not bowl against their own lineups does not make them any less bowlers. Let Muralitharan not get penalized for playing in a weaker team.
If Muralitharan captured wickets against a team including the Flower brothers, Campbell and Goodwin, how can anyone downgrade these wickets. Where do we draw the line. A test wicket is a test wicket. There are enough measures built in to take care of wickets of batsmen of lower quality. If we start down-valuing performances against Bangladesh, what about Tendulkar's recent 105 out of 243, one of his best ever. For that matter, Gilchrist's 144 or Inzamam's 138 were all truly great match-winning innings. So let us put to rest this red herring, once and for all.
A final point to ponder for those doubting Thomases. Zimbabwe have won 8 of their 83 tests played. India won 8 out of their first 83 tests and New Zealand won 4 of their first 83 tests. Nice to remember that the first away test India won was past the 100th test they played (during 1968). Both Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have won away tests well before this number.
I understand that this analysis favours the fast bowlers slightly. This is primarily because fast bowlers' strike rates are lower and they have a better chance of capturing top order wickets. However we have to consider the contribution to team causes and taking top order wickets and having lower strike rates are very essential to the team cause. As far as Strike rates and Rpo are concerned there is no need to do any adjustment since these are all great bowlers. Only two of these bowlers, Kumble and Kapil Dev have strike rates exceeding 60. Muralitharan and Warne have strike rates comparable to the pace bowlers. Surprisingly the bowler with the best Rpo figure is Ambrose. This clearly shows that there is no need to do any special adjustment.
Now for the tables.
1. Career wickets captured
Bowler Value Points
Muralitharan M 800 10.00
Warne S.K 708 8.85
Kumble A 619 7.74
McGrath G.D 563 7.04
Kapil Dev N 434 5.43
Hadlee R.J 431 5.39
Wasim Akram 414 5.18
Ambrose C.E.L 405 5.06
Marshall M.D 376 4.70
Waqar Younis 373 4.66
Imran Khan 362 4.53
Lillee D.K 355 4.44
Donald A.A 330 4.12
Trueman F.S 307 3.84
Garner J 259 3.24
This table is self-explanatory.
2. Bowling strike rate (Bpw)
Bowler Value Points
Waqar Younis 43.49 10.00
Marshall M.D 46.77 9.30
Donald A.A 47.03 9.24
Trueman F.S 49.44 8.72
Hadlee R.J 50.85 8.42
Garner J 50.87 8.41
McGrath G.D 51.95 8.18
Lillee D.K 52.02 8.17
Imran Khan 53.75 7.79
Ambrose C.E.L 54.58 7.62
Wasim Akram 54.66 7.60
Muralitharan M 55.05 7.52
Warne S.K 57.49 6.99
Kapil Dev N 63.92 5.61
Kumble A 66.00 5.16
Waqar Younis is the bowler with the lowest strike rate. It is not surprising to see that the three spinners and Kapil Dev prop up the table, although Muralitharan and Warne are not too far from Wasim Akram.
3. Bowling accuracy (Rpo)
Bowler Value Points
Ambrose C.E.L 2.31 10.00
Garner J 2.47 9.12
Muralitharan M 2.48 9.10
McGrath G.D 2.50 8.98
Imran Khan 2.55 8.74
Wasim Akram 2.59 8.49
Trueman F.S 2.62 8.35
Hadlee R.J 2.63 8.29
Warne S.K 2.65 8.18
Marshall M.D 2.69 7.99
Kumble A 2.70 7.95
Lillee D.K 2.76 7.61
Kapil Dev N 2.78 7.49
Donald A.A 2.84 7.19
Waqar Younis 3.25 5.02
One would have expected a spinner like Murali to head this table. It is a surprise that the often-underrated Ambrose is on top with a Rpo value of 2.31. Waqar Younis has topped the previous table and is propping up this table.
4. Average quality of wickets captured
Bowler Value Points
Imran Khan 25.76 10.00
Lillee D.K 24.58 9.54
Kapil Dev N 23.83 9.25
Hadlee R.J 23.64 9.18
Marshall M.D 22.97 8.92
Garner J 22.18 8.61
Kumble A 20.51 7.96
Waqar Younis 20.34 7.89
Muralitharan M 20.27 7.87
Donald A.A 20.06 7.79
Ambrose C.E.L 20.01 7.77
Wasim Akram 19.56 7.59
McGrath G.D 19.22 7.46
Warne S.K 18.48 7.17
Trueman F.S 17.80 6.91
Imran Khan's wickets were of high quality as proved by his high placing here. Warne's and McGrath's low placing is the result of many late order wickets and the fact that they played for a very strong batting lineup. Muralitharan is also pulled down by the number of wickets against the weaker teams. However his figures are still higher than those of Warne.
5. Away wicket bowling average
Bowler Value Points
Garner J 20.33 10.00
Ambrose C.E.L 20.39 9.98
McGrath G.D 21.23 9.70
Marshall M.D 22.25 9.35
Hadlee R.J 22.37 9.31
Donald A.A 23.51 8.93
Wasim Akram 23.97 8.77
Lillee D.K 24.18 8.70
Warne S.K 25.27 8.33
Trueman F.S 26.16 8.04
Imran Khan 26.29 7.99
Waqar Younis 26.29 7.99
Muralitharan M 27.02 7.74
Kapil Dev N 32.69 5.83
Kumble A 37.36 4.26
Garner has captured his away wickets at an incredible average of 20.33, closely followed by Ambrose with an away average of 20.39. In fact Garner, Ambrose, McGrath and Warne have an away bowling average which is better than their home bowling average. Kumble's away bowling average was abysmal. Look at the huge daylight which exists between Murali and Kapil/Kumble.
6. % of top order wickets captured
Bowler Value Points
McGrath G.D 0.501 10.00
Donald A.A 0.497 9.92
Kapil Dev N 0.494 9.84
Ambrose C.E.L 0.475 9.46
Lillee D.K 0.468 9.33
Imran Khan 0.462 9.21
Trueman F.S 0.453 9.04
Marshall M.D 0.445 8.87
Hadlee R.J 0.439 8.75
Waqar Younis 0.437 8.72
Garner J 0.406 8.09
Wasim Akram 0.394 7.86
Kumble A 0.383 7.64
Muralitharan M 0.350 6.99
Warne S.K 0.318 6.35
Just over half of the wickets captured by McGrath are top order wickets. The three spinners prop up the table, with figures around a third of the total wickets. This is to be expected.
7. % of team load borne
Bowler Value Points
Muralitharan M 0.361 10.00
Hadlee R.J 0.298 8.26
Kumble A 0.296 8.21
Warne S.K 0.281 7.77
Lillee D.K 0.275 7.62
Imran Khan 0.267 7.40
Donald A.A 0.253 7.01
Wasim Akram 0.250 6.92
Marshall M.D 0.249 6.89
McGrath G.D 0.247 6.85
Ambrose C.E.L 0.244 6.76
Garner J 0.243 6.74
Trueman F.S 0.242 6.71
Waqar Younis 0.239 6.63
Kapil Dev N 0.222 6.14
This is a composite value taking into account the work load in terms of balls bowled and the resultant wicket captures. Muralitharan is way out on top having shared captured 39% of his team wickets and bowling 33% of his team balls. 6 of the pace bowlers fall below 25%.
8. Peer comparison of average to all peer bowlers
Bowler Value Points
Marshall M.D 1.550 10.00
McGrath G.D 1.527 9.84
Ambrose C.E.L 1.514 9.76
Garner J 1.509 9.73
Muralitharan M 1.478 9.53
Hadlee R.J 1.447 9.33
Trueman F.S 1.435 9.25
Donald A.A 1.433 9.24
Imran Khan 1.410 9.09
Waqar Younis 1.363 8.79
Wasim Akram 1.361 8.77
Lillee D.K 1.332 8.59
Warne S.K 1.295 8.35
Kumble A 1.107 7.14
Kapil Dev N 1.085 7.00
This is a comparison of the bowler's bowling average with that of his peers, exactly measured from his first test to last test. Marshall, McGrath and Ambrose stand at over 150%. Kumble and Kapil Dev just about stay either side of 110%.
9. Peer comparison of average to own team peer bowlers
Bowler Value Points
Hadlee R.J 1.534 10.00
Muralitharan M 1.418 9.25
Imran Khan 1.377 8.98
Ambrose C.E.L 1.233 8.04
Donald A.A 1.197 7.80
Lillee D.K 1.188 7.74
Kapil Dev N 1.181 7.70
Marshall M.D 1.170 7.63
Trueman F.S 1.169 7.62
Garner J 1.156 7.54
Wasim Akram 1.151 7.51
McGrath G.D 1.149 7.49
Kumble A 1.125 7.33
Waqar Younis 1.123 7.32
Warne S.K 1.017 6.63
This is a comparison of the bowler's bowling average with that of his peers, from his own team, exactly measured from his first test to last test. As expected, the two so called weak-team bowlers, Hadlee and Murali are on top, Hadlee exceeding 150%. Warne just about goes past 100%, which is understandable. A surprise is Kumble's somewhat low figure. This is a reflection of Kumble's somewhat high bowling average nearing 30. This is not too different from his contemporary bowlers.
10. Performance in won matches
Bowler Value Points
Warne S.K 0.500 10.00
McGrath G.D 0.492 9.84
Marshall M.D 0.486 9.73
Muralitharan M 0.477 9.54
Lillee D.K 0.451 9.01
Waqar Younis 0.440 8.81
Donald A.A 0.426 8.51
Trueman F.S 0.419 8.38
Ambrose C.E.L 0.414 8.27
Kumble A 0.401 8.01
Hadlee R.J 0.398 7.96
Garner J 0.393 7.86
Wasim Akram 0.384 7.68
Imran Khan 0.364 7.27
Kapil Dev N 0.198 3.96
This is done by doing a composite calculation involving two ratios. The first is the ratio of the bowler wickets in won matches with his own career wickets. The other is the ratio of the bowler wickets in won matches against the team wickets in won matches. This rewards success and as expected, Warne and McGrath lead the pack. Not so surprisingly Kapil Dev is last, indicating that the Indian wins were probably crafted by the spinners during Kapil's era. The presence of Hadlee, Akram, Imran and Kapil in the last five also indicates that their contributions to their team wins was also with the bat. These four are the best batsmen in this elite group of bowlers.
Now for the summary table.
Total Wkts BowSR RpO WkQty AwAvg TORto TmLd Peer1 Peer2 WinId Muralitharan M 87.54 10.00 7.52 9.10 7.87 7.74 6.99 10.00 9.53 9.25 9.54 McGrath G.D 85.38 7.04 8.18 8.98 7.46 9.70 10.00 6.85 9.84 7.49 9.84 Hadlee R.J 84.89 5.39 8.42 8.29 9.18 9.31 8.75 8.26 9.33 10.00 7.96 Marshall M.D 83.36 4.70 9.30 7.99 8.92 9.35 8.87 6.89 10.00 7.63 9.73 Ambrose C.E.L 82.72 5.06 7.62 10.00 7.77 9.98 9.46 6.76 9.76 8.04 8.27 Imran Khan 81.00 4.53 7.79 8.74 10.00 7.99 9.21 7.40 9.09 8.98 7.27 Lillee D.K 80.76 4.44 8.17 7.61 9.54 8.70 9.33 7.62 8.59 7.74 9.01 Donald A.A 79.75 4.12 9.24 7.19 7.79 8.93 9.92 7.01 9.24 7.80 8.51 Garner J 79.34 3.24 8.41 9.12 8.61 10.00 8.09 6.74 9.73 7.54 7.86 Warne S.K 78.63 8.85 6.99 8.18 7.17 8.33 6.35 7.77 8.35 6.63 10.00 Trueman F.S 76.86 3.84 8.72 8.35 6.91 8.04 9.04 6.71 9.25 7.62 8.38 Wasim Akram 76.37 5.18 7.60 8.49 7.59 8.77 7.86 6.92 8.77 7.51 7.68 Waqar Younis 75.84 4.66 10.00 5.02 7.89 7.99 8.72 6.63 8.79 7.32 8.81 Kumble A 71.40 7.74 5.16 7.95 7.96 4.26 7.64 8.21 7.14 7.33 8.01 Kapil Dev N 68.24 5.43 5.61 7.49 9.25 5.83 9.84 6.14 7.00 7.70 3.96
It does not matter which route is taken, be it the high road or low road, be it the country road or the highway, be it the scenic route or the road through the concrete jungle, there is only one destination. The one which proclaims Muralitharan as the best amongst the equals. Let no one forget the X-factor here, the impact Muralitharan has had on Sri Lankan cricket. Glenn McGrath comes in next, a well-deserved place for this outstanding metronome. Richard Hadlee, the legendary fast bowler from down under clocks in the third position. Malcolm Marshall, that fearsome Bajan fast bowling "giant" is in fourth position, closely followed by the other Caribbean giant, this time physically also, Curtley Ambrose.
Imran Khan follows next, a well-deserved position for this wonderful bowler, batsman and born leader of men, despite playing in quite a few tests as a batsman. Dennis Lillee, one of the all-time greats, follows next. He is the highest placed bowler who does not lead in any category. Alan Donald is in seventh position, closely followed by the other West Indian giant, Joel Garner. Now comes Shane Warne, a well-deserved top-10 position for this magician.
The third section of the table is led by the fiery Englishman, Trueman. Now we have arguably the best fast bowling pair ever, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, paired together here also. The two Indian bowlers come in next. First, Anil Kumble, whose contributions to Indian cricket can be matched by only one player, the little master. One could say the same of Kapil Dev. The fact that these two Indian stalwarts come in at the end indicates that India has traditionally relied on its batting. However these two are definitely India's best bowlers ever.
Postscript:
In response to the readers' requests I have added Holding, Botham, Underwood and Shaun Pollock (my choice) and presented the revised table below. Surprisingly, it is Shaun pollock who comes into the table in the 11th position, followed by Holding in 12th position. Underwood comes in the 16th position and is followed by Botham.
I have since added Gibbs and Walsh in response to a few readers' requests. They have not exactly moved the world. Walsh splits the Pakistani pair while Gibbs has taken over the last place from Kapil dev. I have steadfastly not included SF Barnes since he changes the whole dynamics since he leads in couple of meaasures. This rounds off such requests.
Total Wkts BowSR RpO WkQty AwAvg TORto TmLd Peer1 Peer2 WinId
Muralitharan M 87.54 10.00 7.52 9.10 7.87 7.74 6.99 10.00 9.53 9.25 9.54
McGrath G.D 85.38 7.04 8.18 8.98 7.46 9.70 10.00 6.85 9.84 7.49 9.84
Hadlee R.J 84.89 5.39 8.42 8.29 9.18 9.31 8.75 8.26 9.33 10.00 7.96
Marshall M.D 83.36 4.70 9.30 7.99 8.92 9.35 8.87 6.89 10.00 7.63 9.73
Ambrose C.E.L 82.72 5.06 7.62 10.00 7.77 9.98 9.46 6.76 9.76 8.04 8.27
Imran Khan 81.00 4.53 7.79 8.74 10.00 7.99 9.21 7.40 9.09 8.98 7.27
Lillee D.K 80.76 4.44 8.17 7.61 9.54 8.70 9.33 7.62 8.59 7.74 9.01
Donald A.A 79.75 4.12 9.24 7.19 7.79 8.93 9.92 7.01 9.24 7.80 8.51
Garner J 79.34 3.24 8.41 9.12 8.61 10.00 8.09 6.74 9.73 7.54 7.86
Warne S.K 78.63 8.85 6.99 8.18 7.17 8.33 6.35 7.77 8.35 6.63 10.00
Pollock S.M 78.05 5.26 6.91 9.52 7.86 8.21 8.82 6.42 9.28 8.18 7.58
Holding M.A 77.60 3.11 8.40 7.45 9.81 9.19 9.14 6.37 8.59 6.95 8.58
Trueman F.S 76.86 3.84 8.72 8.35 6.91 8.04 9.04 6.71 9.25 7.62 8.38
Wasim Akram 76.37 5.18 7.60 8.49 7.59 8.77 7.86 6.92 8.77 7.51 7.68
Walsh C.A 76.07 6.49 6.91 8.80 8.02 8.20 8.77 6.59 8.42 6.94 6.92
Waqar Younis 75.84 4.66 10.00 5.02 7.89 7.99 8.72 6.63 8.79 7.32 8.81
Underwood D.L 71.74 3.71 3.52 11.06 8.97 7.62 8.34 6.59 7.78 7.71 6.43
Kumble A 71.40 7.74 5.16 7.95 7.96 4.26 7.64 8.21 7.14 7.33 8.01
Botham I.T 70.06 4.79 7.10 6.38 8.76 7.08 8.08 6.67 7.24 6.84 7.11
Kapil Dev N 68.24 5.43 5.61 7.49 9.25 5.83 9.84 6.14 7.00 7.70 3.96
Gibbs L.R 65.08 3.86 0.48 11.68 7.79 6.30 6.33 7.00 7.12 6.94 7.57
The baker's dozen again: Bowler performances in fourth innings
Bob Willis: remarkable spell at Headingley© Getty ImagesAs a follow-up to the epochal fourth innings batting performances, this analysis covers the great bowling performances. Again let me emphasize that this is a predominantly objective selection, based loosely on the Wisden-100 tables, but also incorporating my own perceptions. Let me also emphasize that this covers only individual bowling performances, not team bowling performances. That is for a later article.
The fourth innings bowling performances are quite different to the batting performances. The alternatives in front of the batting teams in the fourth innings are two-fold. Whether the target is 100 runs or 500 runs, the objective is to win if one can or go for a draw. It allows batsmen to play pre-dominantly defensive innings, help their team to draw the matches and be recognized. The bowlers have very few choices. Whether they are defending 100 runs or 500 runs, they have to go for a win. It is not possible to bowl for a draw other than the rare instances of, say, 100 runs in 15 overs or so. Bowlers win matches and this dictum is all the more true in the fourth innings. Truly great teams have invariably had great bowling attacks. Whether the attack is dominated by one great bowler or 3/4 equally great bowlers, this is true.
This also makes the search for non-winning great performances in fourth innings quite difficult. After searching far and wide, I have been able to locate two such performances. Consequently 11 of these 13 performances have been winning ones. Only one has been in a dead rubber situation. There is a fair distribution over the years. One pre-WW1, two are bowling performances in between wars and the rest after WW2 including one during the current decade. The countries are well-represented.
The richest Test teams ever
ICC World XI: top team based on runs scored© AFAh! I fooled you, didn't I. You must have thought that I have sent an article meant for Fortune or Forbes magazine by mistake to Cricinfo. First let us put that matter to rest. The richest team must be the Indian team which collectively must be earning more than the rest of the teams together. Not that I care two cents about what the players earn. By "richest team" I mean, cricketing riches, in other words, the sum total of matches, runs and wickets which the team members take on to the field. It is also a lighter piece, coming in the wake of some serious and heavy analysis which have been done by me recently.
When a match is being telecast, the broadcasters talk about the experience behind a team in terms of matches played. However the real measures in this aspect are the number of runs scored and wickets captured by the concerned players.
I had done a sub-set of this article for another blog. I used the career figures. As I finished the article I realized that the career-to-date figures are the more appropriate figures to be used. So I applied the career-to-date figures, expanded the scope to matches also and have come out with a more comprehensive article here.
Since it usually happens that these analyses develop further based on user comments, I have done a simple accumulation of career-to-date figures of all 11 players. It certainly will give us some insight into the richness of teams in terms of the aggregates. I could look at the following options in later articles. I would also like the readers to come in with their own takes on these numbers and how these could be interpreted.
- Adding only the runs of the first 7 batsmen
- Add only for career-to-date runs greater than a certain value
- Add the wickets for the best 5 bowlers
- Do a comparison of the two team aggregates and analyse the most matched or ill-matched pairings.
- Add only for career-to-date runs greater than a certain value
- Add the wickets for the best 5 bowlers
- Do a comparison of the two team aggregates and analyse the most matched or ill-matched pairings.
Innovations overshadow cricket( USING PINK COLOR BALLS)
The traditional curtain-raiser to the English domestic season begins on Monday as county champions Durham play MCC. But while the fixture conjures up genteel images of flannelled gentlemen opening the season under heavy April skies at HQ, the details of the match represent a significant break from convention. The game is to be played well over 3,000 miles away from Lord's, at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, under floodlights, and with a pink ball.
The conditions will be a far cry from those Durham will encounter in their opening Championship game against Essex on April 15, and despite captain Will Smith's recent assertion that his team are heading for a "golden age" as they chase a hat-trick of Championship titles, the buzz ahead of the game is all due to the innovations being trialled. Never before in the history of English first-class cricket has a game been played at night with a pink ball, although the novelty has been tested in limited-overs games, and in a first-class match in the West Indies.
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