At Least No One Can Say We Choked...

... because on the night, India was clearly the better team. The Proteas were outplayed, man for man.

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This review by the estimable Firdose Moonda really says all that there is to say about our T20 (and ODI) sides: less than the sum of the parts. I'm not sure what the problem is, but by now I would say that it's become chronic and is a much worse problem than the old "chokers" tag. At least "choking" meant only losing a couple of high-profile games. This new mediocrity results in a lot more losses.

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Sri Lanka went on to win it. It's a good send off for some of their legends. Hard times lie ahead in transition for them, but for now they are deserving T20 champions.

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As the lands here under the Southern Cross begins to slide into winter darkness there isn't much cricket in the immeadiate future. The Protea's next date is with the Lankans in July, over at their place. I have a selection of ideas to write about during the slow news days, but we'll just have to see how it goes.

Emirati Surprises

Two Tests into the three Test series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan and there are already some surprises to comment on.

One surprise is that Sri Lanka is playing Test cricket at all. Their board has been allergic to the format for the last few years. I'm not sure how they got tricked into playing this series, but here we are. It's good to see the likes of Herath, Sangakkara and Jayawardena playing the long form again.

Another surprise is to see Sri Lanka's seamers have come to the party. Not long after being the laughing stock of the Australia tour Lakmal and Eranga, along with Nuwan Pradeep in the second Test, have gone about their business effectively and efficiently. It must make a pleasant change for the long suffering Rangana Herath to have some support at the other end.

The third surprise, perhaps the largest of all, is seeing a sporting wicket in Dubai. While Abu Dhabi laid out a typically dead surface and delivered the inevitable draw, the pitch in Dubai has been unexpectedly lively. It only rains for a couple of weeks every year in the Emirates and it may not be a coincidence that this week has seen both rain and a Test that finished midway through day five.

Three unusual occurances. Here's hoping we see more of all three in the future.