Yesterday, I went to watch the cricket World Cup match here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium -- New Zealand vs Pakistan.
On many counts, I was looking forward to the match.
One, it was after a long time I was going for a day match. All the matches I had been to in the recent past were either the ODIs or the IPLs that are played under lights.
Two, it was the first time I was going to a match in which India wasn't playing.
MATCH FEATURING PAKISTAN
Three, one of the teams in yesterday's match was Pakistan. I never got an opportunity to watch a match in which Pakistan was playing.
The last time the two teams played a Test series was way back in November 2007, and a One-Day International and T20 series was in December 2012.
The bilateral tournaments remain suspended, and I don't think the sporting ties will be resumed any time soon.
But the two teams have been playing against each other in multinational tournaments, like the World Cup and Asia Cup.
In the ongoing World Cup, India played against Pakistan on October 14 in Ahmedabad. I wanted to go for it, but I couldn't. India won by seven wickets.
RUN FEAST
In yesterday's match, New Zealand started off aggressively. They piled up 401/6 runs in their 50 overs. The bulk of the scoring was by Rachin Ravindra (108) and Kane Williamson (95). (The video above is of Rachin scoring his century.)
In reply, Pakistan, undaunted by the high score that they had to chase, was off the mark from the word go. Opener Fakhar Zaman belted the NZ bowlers all over the place. His captain, Babar Azam, gave him good support.
Around 5 pm, the rain started. The play was interrupted twice. Finally, at 7 p.m., Pakistan was declared the winner by 21 runs based on the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method.
Even if there wasn't rain, Pakistan would have easily chased the target successfully. In 25.3 overs that were possible, they amassed 200 for loss of just one wicket.
CHEERS FOR CRICKET
Even though India wasn't playing, there was a near-capacity crowd. It was great cricket on display. Not much was lost due to rain, only a quarter of the playing time.
There were loud cheers for both teams -- when there was a good shot, or a good bowling, or a good catch, or a good piece of fielding.
New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra and Pakistan's Fakhar Zaman scored centuries. On both occasions, the entire stadium was on its feet, giving the batter a standing ovation.
When it was announced on the public address system that Pakistan had been declared the winner, the cheers were no less!
Cheering for a team other than India is okay. But when it's Pakistan, it's not the same, because of obvious reasons. That is the notion a lot of people have.
It was proved wrong yesterday, and the experience was extremely heartening. It was also a sort of revelation that common people are very discerning.
They came to watch cricket. Nationalities didn't matter.
That's the way it should be.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteCricket the winner no matter the result, then! hoorah for that. How wonderul to have been able to experience this 'live'... YAM xx
Hi Yamini - Yes, absolutely. Enjoyed every bit of the time I spent at the stadium. :-)
DeleteVery thrilling, I think. But something I don’t understand. I am poor in math. I did not go to Harvard. I do not have a Ph.D. in Math from Cal Tech. New Zealand scored 400 runs in 50 overs. Pakistan scored 200 runs in 25.3 overs. If you extrapolate the Pakistan score to 50 overs it comes to 392 runs only. How did the Pakistan declared as a winner? A friend of mine told me it is because of DLS method. I researched the DLS method. It is so confusing I had to take double scotch on the rock to clear myself.
ReplyDeleteYes, DLS is totally confusing. Only professional statisticians will be able to make sense of it. Apparently, the DLS formula is fair because it takes into consideration almost all variables while it simulates the new rain-affected condition, in order to generate a result.
DeleteYou wrote: Even if there wasn't rain, Pakistan would have easily chased the target successfully. In 25.3 overs that were possible, they amassed 200 for loss of just one wicket.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot be so sure. Have you watched India vs Pakistan match on October 14. At one stage Pakistan was 155 for 2. But they crumbled to 191 – losing their last 8 wickets to just 36 runs.
Yes, I agree. It's the uncertainties, in spite of the known brilliance of the players, that make sports and games so interesting to watch.
ReplyDeleteOften, after a rain interruption, the course of the match changes. One, the rhythm of the players is disturbed; and two, the pitch and atmospheric conditions could change, impacting the way the ball travels in the air and bounces off the pitch.
However, here, the two Pakistani batters were carrying on in their fiery style as there was no rain interruption. That's why I thought they would have anyway managed to chase down the target.
I like the way immigrants from the sub continent support Australian cricketers, except when Australia plays against the country emigrated from.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is nice :-)
DeleteHi Pradeep - so pleased you were able to go and just watch and enjoy the match ... I used to go to The Wanderers in Johannesburg occasionally for a match, while here - the odd pub cricket game!! While now - I switch allegiance ... not so sure about England now - we had an appalling time ... embarrassing - but c'est la vis ... and yes the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system ... completely incomprehensible to most of us!! It can stay that way!! Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI don't follow sports and barely understand anything about cricket, but it's nice that it can bring people together.
ReplyDeleteI am the same about sports and agree with this sentiment.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the match.
ReplyDelete