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What is it that makes a One-Hit Wonder in the cricketing world? In the music industry it means quite literally, just that. A band or pop star comes out of nowhere and makes one absolute hit, and then disappears from existence. I don’t know, maybe think Vanilla Ice?? But in cricket, it’s slightly different. I think that a One-Hit Wonder in world cricket terms is a player that is known for one absolutely standout performance.

They may well have had a career before and after, but everything pales into insignificance to their one big moment in the sun. Maybe it is cruel to highlight a few such players. Perhaps they are sick of hearing about THAT moment, but if the moment is particularly standout, then it’s worth remembering and worth discussing, even if the player never got close to that moment ever again.

The idea for this article was born out of a recent trip to the MCG. I was there watching a recent South Africa defeat of Australia in the first ODI of the recent Commonwealth Bank Series. In the midst of a jovial cricket discussion I found myself remembering back to fond memories I have had at the ground.

Dean Headley

Perhaps one of the finest came in the 1998/1999 Ashes series when I saw a young tearaway named Dean Headley completely destroy a then-dominant Australian batting card.

Now, Dean Headley was a fairly successful bowler in his short time in the England squad. He played his first test against Australia in Manchester in 1997, but by the Manchester test against New Zealand in 1999, his test career was over. Headley took 60 wickets in 15 tests at 27.85, a damn fine start to any career, but injury, and a laughable English selection policy at the time, meant that Headley would really only be remembered for one standout performance.

The 4th Ashes test at the MCG saw Alec Stewart and Steve Waugh both make first innings centuries for their respective sides as Australia led by 70 runs after their first innings. England then managed only 244, with Graeme Hick top scoring with 60. This left the Aussies, then with the likes of Michael Slater, the Waugh twins, Mark Taylor and Justin Langer, to score 175 to win. It was at this stage that I was witness to one of the most outstanding bowling efforts I have seen.

Headley’s figures:

17 Overs 5 Maidens 6wkts for 60runs

It was astonishing from a man in his second season of cricket. Dismissing the likes of Slater, Waugh and Lehmann, as well as skittling the bowlers, Headley was unplayable. England won the game by 12 runs, got beaten in the series, but Headley’s performance was something to remember from an otherwise disappointing English touring squad.

Anthony Stuart

Perhaps an even better example of a One-Hit Wonder is Australia’s Anthony Stuart. Stuart played a meagre 3 ODI’s for Australia, but astonishingly this included a hat-trick against Pakistan at the MCG in 1996-7. The hat-trick included Pakistani legends Ijaz Ahmed and Moin Kahn, as well as Mohammad Wasim.

Stuart ended up with the figures:

10 Overs 1 Maiden 5wkts for 26runs

What makes this the perfect One-Hit Wonder moment is the fact that Stuart never again played for Australia, and in fact was dropped from his state side within 12 months.

Matthew Sinclair

Our final example today is a man who will always be burdened by his extraordinary start to test cricket. New Zealand’s Mathew Sinclair scored two double-century’s in his first 12 test matches. The first, on his debut, against the West Indies in 1999, who still had Courtney Walsh in their side. The second was against Pakistan the following summer. Sinclair has gone on to play 32 tests over 10 years, a true sign that he has not been able to secure a spot in the side. I guess Sinclair is really a Two-Hit Wonder, but he is perhaps the best example of a player who was burdened by his outstanding early performances.

David Siddall is a cricket and sports writer who is planning the demise of the Australian Test team in the upcoming Ashes Series. For more cricket articles and compelling content go to World Cricket Watch

http://www.worldcricketwatch.com

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Cricket, the ‘wonder sport’, is one of the fastest evolving games in the world today. It’s custodians, namely the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), set the laws for this ever evolving sport which has the support of close to 3 billion fans all over the world. Today, it is played in various formats ranging from Test Cricket, One Day Cricket (ODI), Twenty20 (T20), Inter Cricket, Indoor Cricket, and the Kwik Cricket.

Of these, Test cricket is the longest form of the game played between Test playing teams. The ICC has conferred the ‘Test Status’ upon a cricket playing country or a group of cricket playing countries. The teams not conferred with the test status are allowed to play only a shortened version of cricket.

Today, there are 10 Test playing teams of which a majority is individual nation. The 10 Test playing teams eligible to play test cricket are:

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As in any sport, Test cricket has players who seem almost indispensable to their team. In addition, some players are able to eschew poor form and injuries to represent their country in consecutive Tests. Players from India and Australia dominate the list. Those two countries had some of the best players in the modern era.

With 153 consecutive Tests (out of 156 he played), Australia’s Allan Border tops the list for consecutive Tests. This is not too surprising as he was a redoubtable batsman and long-standing captain for the Aussies. The former Australia captain tops the list for most Test matches played. Between 1979 and 1994, Border played 153 Tests. The brief hiatus he had in Test cricket was before he embarked on his amazing run in the Test side. He played three Tests in 1979, the three Tests that leave him short of playing all of his matches consecutively.

Of the two Waugh brothers, one would expect Steve Waugh to be high on this list. However, his twin, Mark Waugh, come a distant second behind Border with 107 consecutive matches. From June 1993, up until his retirement in October 2002, Mark cemented his place in an Aussie side that was fast becoming world-beaters. His elegant batting was responsible for Australia having such a solid batting order and the Waugh brothers were synonymous with the Aussie team of the 90s and early 2000s.

Indian maestro Sunil Gavaskar is the third on this esteemed list. The technically sound and aggressive opener played 106 consecutive matches (out of 125) between January 1975 and February 1987. He faced the most hostile fast bowling of Lillee, Thompson, Holding, Marshall, Garner et al. during this period. Gavaskar made his Test debut in 1971, but started his amazing run in the side in 1975 and only ended it when he retired in 1987. He held the record for most consecutive matches before Border and Waugh passed his tally.

Adam Gilchrist is the third Australian in the top five of this list. Gilchrist made his debut at age 27. The presence of Ian Healy in the wicket-keeping position prevented Gilchrist from making his Test debut much earlier. However, when he got his chance, the Australian wicketkeeper took it with both gloves. The 96 consecutive Tests Gilchrist played represented his entire Test career between November 1999 and January 2008.

Rahul Dravid has the fifth highest number of consecutive matches in Test history. He played 93 of his 139 Tests consecutively, between June 1996 and December 2005. It is interesting, but not unexpected, that most of the players who played the highest number of consecutive games were batsmen and not bowlers – particularly fast bowlers.

And now you can read brief profiles of some of the best spinners and fast bowlers that the game of cricket has ever seen: The best spin bowlers in cricket history: http://www.helium.com/items/1516046-best-spin-bowlers-in-cricket. The top 5 fast bowlers in cricket history: http://www.helium.com/items/1518569-top-fast-bowlers-in-cricket-history.

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The day is fast approaching when cricket decides to follow the example of other sports such as tennis and rugby in allowing the use of technology to assist umpires and referees to officiate. This will hopefully reduce the number of errors and incorrect decisions that are made.

In the same way that tennis players have three opportunities to challenge a decision cricket wants to introduce the same kind of referrals. Not everyone thinks the use of technology in sport is a good idea and one of the criticisms levelled against it is that it erodes the integrity and authority of the referees and umpires.  

Another argument against using technology in cricket is that it will slow the game down too much. This point does not carry much weight as some decisions are unclear to the umpires on the field. When this happens the decision is sometimes referred to the third umpire who then uses slow motion technology to arrive at the correct decision. Players being able to challenge decisions will just be an extension of this.  

Quite often over the course of a test match there will be one or two incorrect decisions made and the body language of players on the wrong end of these decisions clearly demonstrates they believe an injustice has taken place. Television footage also subsequently exposes incorrect umpiring decisions.  

The referral system in cricket is designed to reduce only the major errors so with only three challenges per side it will be used sparingly and only when a captain and his players genuinely believe they have a chance of overturning incorrect decisions.  

The use of technology in sport has been a success in tennis and rugby and has not had an adverse effect on the authority of match officials so a player referral system in cricket will only lead to better decision making and reduce controversy from umpiring errors.  

To read more articles relating to this popular sport please visit English Cricket Blog for the latest news and comment on the England cricket scene.

The author is a vastly experienced writer and sports journalist with a keen interest in cricket, football, sports betting, financial trading and investments you can see some more of his work by visiting Betfair Cricket Trading a collection of successful cricket trading techniques for use on the betting exchanges.

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History they say moves around in cycles and a vicious one at that. During the 1950′s and 60′s when the English crowd were happy at being entertained by 6 days of slow , classic test cricket little would they have predicted that the game would end in a matter of hours. By 1970 the Gods had had enough . Choosing the 1971 match between England and Australia as a potential target, the heavens opened up and ODI’s were born. It was Cricket Australia that came out as convincing winners and after almost 40 years of ODI cricket(10 years of domination at that) , they want to change their meal , add a bit more spice to it ,aka the  split inning one day cricket. Citing predictability in the middle overs as a reason , the ACB is in a hurry to test the new format.

There have also been voices declaring the demise of Test cricket due to the advent of its more glamorous version, the Twenty-20. The radical change is imminent and it would take a fool, not to take notice of it. The last Ashes series between England and Australia seemed to suggest that audience were willing to lap up a good game of cricket, be it in any form, contrary to the opinions of the popular skeptics. India vs. Pakistan games is always touted to be big and they hardly disappoint. With burgeoning rivalries such as Pakistan vs. New Zealand and the ever present South Africa vs Australia, cricket seems to have few reasons to worry. A major misconception. With every successful and marketable game, there are bland ones that crop up .The over dosage of cricket is not helping the cause either with games being scheduled every alternate week. The ICC really needs to come up with a less taxing schedule if it wants to increase the longevity of the game. Increasing the number of test matches seem a good option, which is being advocated by many, but the adrenaline addicts as always seem to have a negative opinion about it. Test cricket is a real test of character, grit and determination and has long been used as a yard stick in the measure of competence. Chucking that out should never be an option.

Cricket has witnessed its second major upheaval with the rise of T20 which has led to the commercial beast, the IPL among others. ODI’s being played in the USA bears testimony to the fact that cricket is willing to stretch its boundaries and  even reach out to people who labeled the sport as one played by ‘fools ‘ . The game is going through a slow transition and it is important that the sport doesn’t suffer from an overkill of ideas. Change is welcome, but not at the expense of game forms that have defined the sport in itself.

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The West Indies is an interesting anomaly in the cricket world. It is not a country or federation, but an assembly of tiny English-speaking Caribbean nations that are united primarily by cricket. The regional team entered Test cricket in 1928, at a time when all of the islands were under the colonial rule of Great Britain.

Up to the early 90′s, cricket was a medium through which the specks on the world map could consider themselves a true force. Cricket was even part of the culture of the Caribbean people. A few social commentators have even opined that the mood of a West Indian is indexed to the fortunes of the cricket team.

While cricket in the West Indies has been in the doldrums since 1995, the legacy is remembered by many older regional citizens. After all, many West Indian heroes were forged from this sport. Names like Headley, Ramadhin, Sobers, Richards, Walsh and Lara are widely known and referenced in the cricketing world.

Even the cricket grounds in the Caribbean have a rich history and legacy. The Queen’s Park Oval, Kensington Oval and Sabina Park have all hosted matches since the entry of the “Windies” into test cricket.

Before West Indians grew weary of the trite state of the regional game, cricket was undoubtedly the number one sport in the Caribbean. The prominence of other sports (namely football and basketball) and the post-independence reality led to a new generation of West Indian cricketers emerging.

This breed of cricketers lack awareness of the West Indian cricket history and disrespect the legacy through their indifference and apathy. This translates into indifference that is one of several factors in the on-field misfortunes of the team.

The support for Test cricket in the Caribbean is also rapidly declining. Normally, when the West Indies plays England or Australia, the oval or park would only have standing room. Now, spectators can select their seats at will and have space for coolers, umbrellas and teddy bears. Only when the shorter versions of the game are played is the hidden support is revealed.

The perception of the West Indies cricket team is that it is the Brazil of cricket. The West Indian style is stereotyped as debonair and carefree. Crowds, not only in the Caribbean, enjoyed watching the cavalier style of West Indies batsmen. The West Indies was popular among fans of the traditional powerhouses – England and Australia. Of course, when the W.I. dominated world cricket from 1976 to 1995, they had a few detractors. However, more people appreciated the West Indies cricket team than not.

West Indies cricket was seen as a way for otherwise obscure West Indians to assert themselves, their pride and culture on a world stage. Being primarily black cricketers, the Caribbean team’s success since 1928 was truly appreciated by the West Indian fan from more than a cricketing aspect. Seeing their team outplay the sometimes condescending English and Australian cricketers really entertained these fans and helped underscore the value of West Indian unity.

With the West Indies team firmly in decline and the colonial ties being a more distant memory, Test cricket is becoming less entrenched in the psyche of the average West Indian. Test cricket itself is coming under threat with the new form of the game (Twenty20) that has taken even the W.I. by storm through the Stanford T20 regional competition.

The Windies were the fourth nation to enter the sphere of test cricket. However, even this cannot guarantee the status of Test cricket as the pinnacle of the sport in the Caribbean. It is possible that success in Test cricket could reignite the unity and pride of the region. With the ICC’s changes to cricket placing the West Indies’ governing body in a parlous state, this is even less likely.

And now you can read brief profiles of some of the best spinners and fast bowlers that the game of cricket has ever seen:

The best spin bowlers in cricket history: http://www.helium.com/items/1516046-best-spin-bowlers-in-cricket

The top 5 fast bowlers in cricket history: http://www.helium.com/items/1518569-top-fast-bowlers-in-cricket-history

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The Ashes series in 2009 has been widely anticipated ever since Australia regained the urn in 2007 with a 5-0 demolition job on England. Such an emphatic margin of defeat will be a painful memory for England’s senior players who will be keen to extract some form of revenge this time around.

After an indifferent period, the England team now seems to be heading in the right direction once again under the leadership of Kevin Pietersen who has quickly settled into the role of skipper. The Ashes 2009 series will be the ultimate test of his captaincy skills and his cricket brain.

Senior players like Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison will have a major role to play if England is to triumph. Flintoff is a key player and seems to have overcome his long term ankle injury problems. He will be keen to reproduce the kind of performances he delivered in The Ashes series in 2005 where he was arguably the difference between the two teams.

For many years England lacked a genuine frontline spinner who was capable of taking wickets. But after relying on pace and swing for so long England now has a world class spin bowler in Monty Panesar to compliment the fast bowlers and provide a more balanced attack.

England has chosen several wicketkeepers in recent years and it is unclear who will fill this position. Several keepers have had opportunities while nobody has yet managed to cement their place in the team. There is debate on whether England should pick the wicketkeeper based on his abilities behind the stumps or his prowess with the bat.

The Australian cricket team is now something of an unknown quantity and is likely to include several players who will be relatively unknown to the majority of England cricket fans. There is no doubt that Australia will miss former bowlers such as Shane Warne and Glen McGrath as well as the destructive batting of wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting will again lead by example with the bat and along with Mike Hussey the Australian batting line up looks to be as strong as ever. The only uncertainty is in the bowling department. And it will be interesting to see if the Aussies can overcome the loss of the star players who have retired.

The five test match series gets underway with the 1st test at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The Oval will host the 5th and final test. Cricket fans will be hoping for an epic battle similar to the Ashes series in 2005 when the sheer drama of Ashes cricket captured the country’s imagination like never before.

To see more cricket related articles please visit Cricket Blog for the latest news and comment on the test, one day and twenty20 cricket scene.

The author is a vastly experienced writer and sports journalist with a keen interest in cricket, football, financial trading and sports investments you can see some more of his work by visiting Cricket Trading System where you will find some comprehensive cricket trading techniques for use on betfair.

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Test cricket is an institution in England. Cricket was born in England, even though the exact date is undetermined. It was once said that England would prefer to lose a naval vessel instead of a Test match. That was in the days when an England defeat was rare. How times have changed!

When Test cricket started, it was just two countries; England and her rogue offspring Australia. The fact that these two countries played the first Test match in 1877 and the creation of the ‘Ashes’ made Australia a premier opponent in the eyes of the English fan. To this day, the ‘Ashes’ Test series against Australia is the most anticipated bilateral series on the English calendar.

At the turn of the 21st century, England seemed to be becoming a force in world cricket after many years in the cricket doldrums. Cricket is a past-time in England- truly a national sport. A weak English team truly devalues Test cricket. When only four teams played Test cricket (South Africa, Australia, West Indies and England) England had a tight grip on the game, even beyond the boundary.

The English devised and maintained the laws of the game through the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club). When the West Indies were comprised of English colonies, the governing body was known as the Imperial Cricket Council- emphasizing the English identity of the sport. English dominance on the cricket field was sometimes not so much about the game as it was a display of superiority and power over former colonies.

English fans remain interested in Test cricket- although the support could not be compared to that of cricket fans in India. England even has a band of supporters who drift around the world; drinking beers and chanting in true English tradition. Affectionately known as the ‘Barmy Army’, these jolly supporters ensure that the overseas venues seem more like home for the ‘Poms’.

To English players, Test cricket remains the ultimate form of cricket- even while the shorter versions of the game seem to take root. Perhaps as a result of this thinking, England has often performed woefully in the shorter forms of the game. At the turn of the 21st century, England is striving to be nearer the top of the ICC Test rankings. At one point, they were considered the second-best team in world cricket.

Even though England is not the world-beater that it once was, it has a younger and more talented Test team with a group of young, quality fast bowlers and even some wicket-taking spinners! Slowly but surely, Test cricket in England is making some changes to keep abreast of the times.

And now you can read brief profiles of some of the best spinners and fast bowlers that the game of cricket has ever seen:

The best spin bowlers in cricket history: http://www.helium.com/items/1516046-best-spin-bowlers-in-cricket

The top 5 fast bowlers in cricket history: http://www.helium.com/items/1518569-top-fast-bowlers-in-cricket-history

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South Africa fought tooth and nail to save the second cricket test match at Kolkata, India. Team India finally won it with just 9 balls to spare. A test match that was more of a contest for the No. 1 position than for the glory of test cricket.

Test cricket is spread over five days with four innings-two a side. For the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) the marketing strategy was definitely not inspired by test matches. There had been lots of brain storming sessions on the deemed loss of popularity of test cricket in terms of less crowds and less money. Shorter forms came to the fore. The T20 Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament became such a revelation that cricket was likened to movies-both giving instant gratifying entertainment in about the same time. If one can entertain the most and earn the maximum revenues in the quickest possible time then why go for prolonged varieties. Marketing priorities were very clear and loud.

The dilemma came when India made it to the top position in International Cricket Council (ICC) test rankings. Suddenly that was a viable marketing proposition. The two-match test cricket series between India and South Africa got instantly hyped with media and cricket lovers getting glued over it, because that series was to decide if India could retain the No. 1 spot or lose it to South Africa.

When Team India caved in to South African onslaught in the first test at Nagpur, India, in a quite predictably obliging manner the BCCI came under scathing criticism. Like tiring Team India with too much of money spinning cricket; not preparing young players for the long classic variety and thus failing to maintain a potent reserve; having a flawed selection strategy; carrying on with a step motherly treatment to test cricket; and, so on.

Immediately, few scapegoats were identified in Team India and dropped peremptorily. To the confused dismay of BCCI, the second test at Kolkata became the focal point of keenest interest and overwhelming media attention. A key tussle to decide the top team of the world.

That Team India batted superbly, managed to win finally and successfully retained the top position came as the most sought after rescue for the cricket Board. The nail biting finish was the silver lining. More significantly, the point of ‘marketability’ was not lost entirely on them.

What do all these lead to? Well, as long as good cricket is being played nobody bothers if this is the longest or shorter or shortest variety of the game. Coming to India, as long as Team India keeps on doing well the forms hardly matter. Of course, one cannot expect jam-packed stadiums in test cricket like you do not get hysterical revelers for classical forms of music or art performances. But one does continue to earn huge television advertising revenues.

The BCCI should get this point right. Do not go after the time or days it takes. Go after the quality or intensity of the game. Anyway, as long as Team India continues to be hot in the race for the top spot test cricket does not seem to be a lost cause!

Chinmay Chakravarty is a professional specialized in the creative field with over two decades of experience in journalistic writing, media co-ordination, film script writing, film dubbing, film & video making, management of international film festivals and editing of books & journals. Proficient in providing professional services in these related fields. Presently working in Mumbai Doordarshan as a News Editor.

http://ours-funarena.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/createnwrite

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