Who Won World Cup 2019?

Once in four years ICC organize a grand event called World Cup to decide who the champion team among all is.

The ten best teams of the world compete with each other for almost 2 months and then the best two

among them play a final to get their hands on the trophy. We have had seen many close

encounters, but we have never seen something that happened in Lords on Sunday, 14th July,

2019.

It was a world cup final between the two best teams of tournament who reached there, beating

the current world champions Australia and the number one team from league stage- India.

England and New Zealand were playing finals looking for their first ever world cup title.

Everyone have chosen their side for winning but no one knew that none of the side would lose

this one!

Usually when we talk about finals one team freezes under the pressure. Yesterday neither team

did that! It was a final in which both teams gave their hundred percent, as a result of which

both teams ended up scoring same total in the end, which means match was tied and super

over needs to be played to decide the winner between them. They played again, and result was

same this time as well- a tie, but England won the world cup! Wonder how? By ICC rules!!

Looking at the way these two teams played top class match, probably the best in the history of

cricket, the flaws in the ICC rules came into radar. Here are the few which will remain a matter

of discussion until an amendment is made

1. New Zealand scored 241 for 8. England were all out 241. Having lost 2 wickets less, NZ could have

been declared the winner. There was no question of having a super over.

2. Both teams scored equal runs in super over but winner was decided on the basis of who

scored more boundaries in the match. The silliness of this rule got realized when the

cost for losing the match was a world cup trophy. The most fair outcome in this situation

should be a shared trophy or a continuation of super over until we get a definite winner.

3. There should be a rule when someone especially batsman unintentionally gets his bat

on the ball while ball is travelling on the field. Because that unintentional bat on ball

actually decided the fate of the match.

4. A blunder pointed out by cricket's best umpire that there was an error of judgment in

umpiring. The 6 runs that were awarded for the over through should have been 5, since

batsmen didn't crossed at the time of throw.

People often say the rules are already agreed upon at the start, but the worst case scenario

seems to be written in hurry, and nobody cared what if it will ever happen, that too in a world cup

final!!! The rules seemed illogical looking at the gob-smacked cricket displayed by the two

teams, as a result of which, the cup is with England but the World is with New Zealand.

IPL 2019 Final Review: A Final That Exposed Weakness of MI and CSK

Finally, IPL 2019 has got its old champion who loves to keep the trophy with them every alternate year. Rather than saying MI won the title, I would say CSK have lost it. Despite doing everything wrong, MI won and as they say everything is good if the ending is good so they looked at the positives they have achieved. It was an IPL of last overs finishes and its final concluded in the same way.
Let's have a look at things which encapsulated the final-

1. Fielding- They say catches win matches. Well, Mumbai Indians didn't have the great day in the field and it can easily be concluded from the fact that they had dropped a single player Watson four times. So, they have dropped all the catches and lost it so many times in the match but somehow managed to win the title.

2. Never run for a misfield- No matter how much unorthodox you become you cannot ignore any basic rule of cricket. And one such rule is- One should never run for a misfield. Ignoring this basic rule cost Chennai Super Kings the trophy.

MS Dhoni got run out while trying to steal a second run which was actually not there. Batting has always been a matter of concern for CSK throughout the season and the one man on which they had heavily relied got out in a manner no one had imagined. He got run out after 2 years and that too at such a crucial moment!

Another turning point was when a set batsman who had already been gifted four lives and took Chennai Super Kings on the verge of victory single-handedly hesitantly decided to take a second run. Has he not taken that run CSK would have comfortably won the match.

3. Umpiring Standard- The one thing which has been in radar throughout this IPL is umpiring. One decision of wrong run out eliminated RCB and another one made CSK lose the trophy. Serious amendments need to be done to make this gentleman's game fairer. Also, the standard of umpiring needs to be improved on priority.

4. Pressure Game- Honestly speaking throughout the match Mumbai Indians felt the pressure of final no matter how much they deny. That wicket keeping blunder by de-cock, those simple dropped catches by their fielder and that second last penultimate over by Krunal Pandya is the proof of that. Chennai Super Kings was much more composed looking at the kind of experience they had in their team but CSK batting got exposed after Dhoni's dismissal. And last over was simply the contest between an experienced player and an inexperienced one. Lasith Malinga stuck to the basics and his strength and used his 12 years of IPL experience and bowled toe-crushing yorker in the last over which restricted CSK to even equal the title.

All in all, it was not the final anyone would have expected. While Chennai Super Kings fans are still in disbelief, the Mumbai Indians fans are happy about the fact that they have clinched the trophy.

A Battle Between Tactics of India's Most Successful Captains

The Qualifier 2 is actually the final that we all would have wanted in IPL 2019, but unfortunately only one of the two teams would proceed to the finals from here on. The situation is more like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal battling in the semi-finals itself. The reason why I am saying so is that it is the contest between India's two most successful captains. While the coach of one team is the pied piper of the Indian cricket team and the captain of the other one is the man with Midas touch.

The situation is more like the India and Australia world cup 2003 final. Where India (Delhi Capitals) had qualified for the final for the first time while Australia (Chennai Super Kings) on the other hand is usually the confirmed finalist of the tournament. Looking at the fact that Delhi Capitals have reached this stage for the very first time, the match seems to be much in favor of Chennai Super Kings. Not to forget their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni performs best under pressure.

The intensity of this match will be altogether different. While Delhi would surely try to do some fancy since they are the first timer, the Chennai Super Kings would simply take advantage of this and would wait for them to make mistakes. The previous performance of these two teams does not really matter at this stage, since in T20 what matter is how well you perform on that particular day.

The Chennai does seem to be heavily dependent on Mahendra Singh Dhoni, therefore, his wicket might make difference in the result but I think it's the bowling which is going to be the key factor in this match. The one who bowls well is going to win this one and Chennai Super Kings seems to have an advantage here and for me are the winners of this match.

Chennai Super Kings Vs Mumbai Indians: A Clash For IPL 2019 Title

Chennai Super Kings Vs Mumbai Indians, the final which all would have wanted for IPL 2019. The two most successful teams of IPL history with three titles each would be battling to add a fourth title and show their superiority.

Chennai Super Kings
Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK which has been to seven IPL finals earlier have already won three IPL titles. The yellow army is the Australia of IPL, and it is hard to beat them. CSK has been to playoffs in all the 10 seasons of IPL in which they have participated. In IPL 2019 CSK has performed as per expectations but the only team which had bothered them in this season is Mumbai Indians. Batting has been a matter of concern throughout the season for this team, but the way their batsmen have performed in the Qualifier 2 might be a sign of relief for the team.

Mumbai Indians 
Mumbai Indian which had always looked good on paper, had a usual IPL outing this season as well, they started off with losing streak and ended up on top. Mumbai Indians have been to playoffs in 8 times in their 12 IPL outings. They have 100% record against Chennai Super Kings this season, and with their all in-form players, they have been able to execute their plans and have exploited the weakness of Chennai Super Kings really well.

Both teams have faced each other in finals thrice earlier, out of which Mumbai Indians have clinched the title twice. Both MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are big match players and with CSK batting line up clicking up at the right time and already having all in-form spinners, it would be a contest to watch out for on slow pitch of Hyderabad. Since it's a final and your previous performance hardly matters but your experience does, so it looks like Chennai Super Kings is having an advantage here and would be able to increase the title counter by 1.

The Change Is Being Called

23rd July 2017, World Cup Final

It was a packed house at the Mecca of Cricket and an entire cricket crazy nation was glued to their TV sets. A world cup final between India and England, two nations for whom cricket is everything, were fighting to win the coveted trophy. Obviously no one wants to miss such an exciting clash which was expected to go down to the wire for sure.

But there was something more historic which was happening for the first time. It was a women's world cup final and the cricket crazy nation-India, who has been entirely gender biased while following cricket since so many years was willing to watch the match with the same enthusiasm. Yes, for the very first time an entire women's world cup is been telecast-ed on television and got the same response as the men's cricket gets.

I always believe media has the power to bring any change and the change this world cup coverage has bought should turn out to be a stepping stone in changing the fortune of women's cricket in India. People had not only followed the entire tournament but also got to that just like men's cricket the highest run scorer in the history of ODI in Women's cricket also belongs to India. In fact Women cricket is a step ahead and we also have highest wicket takers as well in the world.

Although it would have been great if India would have won the world cup but their spectacular campaign in world cup has won the attraction of entire nation and received accolades from everywhere.

'Swag' is a most-abused word in English. It is often misunderstood as bold, brash overconfidence when it actually means an assured self-confidence that reflects in actions and words. By that yardstick, Mithali Raj owns the term. What a calm and composed player she is both on and off the field.

Moreover his is the change I have been waiting for, this is the change about which I had mentioned about in my book 'Being A Female Cricket Fan' as well and is finally happy to see that it actually happened.  

Being A Female Cricket Fan- A Rare Book On Cricket

Yes!! I had now written a book ‘Being A Female Cricket Fan’ for the love of game, which was always on cards ever since i started writing blog on Cricket. And it was my book which has helped me getting noticed by eminent players of the game. I am really overwhelmed by the response i got from so personality related to cricket like- Kumar Sangakkara, Virender Sehwag, Dwayne Bravo, Herschelle Gibbs, Jason Gillespie, Aakash Chopra, Murali Kartik, Darren Sammy, VVS Laxman, Yogesh Golwalkar, Mohandas Menon and Surrey Women Cricket. Sounds unreal right!! It should be to a normal cricket fan like us because we do follow cricket but even if actually meet anyone in real we surly will not believe it for some time and even if we do, others won’t.

It is after writing the book ‘Being A Female Cricket Fan’ i realized what it means to be a female cricket fan more. The response and interest which i had received from people related to the game and the interest people have shown in reading it, boosted my confidence.

To top the list is the name which could make you totally go awe, because the king khan of bollywood Shah Rukh Khan shared my books link and said ‘All the Best. Will try and read it too’. Many couldn’t believe that couldn’t believe that this had happened. The point here is that no matter how much successful you become your success always seems achievable to people around you.

The book is presently available in e-book format which can be read using Kindle device or simply by downloading kindle app on your phone. If you like reading in printed form then soon book will be available in paperback form.

At the end I would really like to thank all the people who have read, shared and provided great review for my book.

You can find the book at- https://www.amazon.in/Being-Female-Cricket-Fan-Vinita-ebook/dp/B018CKGPJE

How Difficult It Is To Score A Century

If you want to know what exactly it means when one say  he is having lots of potential but his achievements don’t tell the true story, then i am having a perfect example for you all .

It took 33 years for him to prove his potential, an age when most of the players plan to retire from cricket, he established himself in that age. A player who has potential to fit and excel in any format of the game , an unflappable middle-order mainstay, who has accumulated 5,122 runs — the most runs by any player in ODIs without a ton, well this record don’t have any competition, we can call it an achievement of his .He is the most non-pakistani captain of Pakistan who recently took retirement from ODI’s- Misbah-ul-haq.One of Pakistan's most stable captain and a player of his own class, who has saved Pakistan cricket team from many difficult situations. A reliable player on which team always look for in difficult situation,who can stick around and can play until the end, an attacking player who can torment any bowling attack at his will and a nightmare for bowlers who find it difficult to bowl a delivery that can get him out. Yes ,he is a versatile player, be it T20 , ODI or Test he fits everywhere. 

We all know almost every player who is a genuine batsmen and  holds a key position in teams batting line up have at least a century against their name, but he is an exception.He played till end n numbers of time but it seems like was never interested in getting a three figure mark but was chasing a unique record ,so now at least he would be alone holding this record and would always be remembered in history for that. We all admire Sachin Tendulkar's awe inspiring record of 100 hundreds, but with this it is clear that it actually is not easy to score a century especially in  ODI's and we should respect the effort's of ones who have at least a single ton against their name irrespective of their batting order, because there do exist legends like Misbah who had to retire scoring none.         

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