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Tag: Michael Kasprowicz

  • Hope to see India and Australia in the finals but New Zealand could be the dark horse: Michael Kasprowicz

    Hope to see India and Australia in the finals but New Zealand could be the dark horse: Michael Kasprowicz

    As a right arm fast bowler, effective outfielder and a lower order batsman, Michael Scott Kasprowicz has had quite a successful career as a cricketer. His strong performances for Queensland earned him a Test debut against the West Indies in November 1996. He later on went to become a specialist of the reverse swing. Currently, Kasprowicz is a director at the Board of Cricket Australia. Ahead of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, the pacer talks about India and Australia’s team form and also picks his two teams for this year’s biggest sporting event.

     

    Excerpts…

     

    With a disappointing performance from the Indian pace attack at the test series, what is the key to adapt to the Australian condition?

     

    The length is the most important thing. When you’ve got extra bounce, length’s not important. And we have always told Australian bowlers that we want the ball to hit the top of the stump, which is the ideal length. On some grounds it’s going to be a bit fuller, while on others it’s going to be shorter.

     

    What are your thoughts on the role of spinners and wrist spinners in particular on Australian grounds?

     

    Definitely their role helps. It slows the game up as well.  So with the ball coming in nicely in proper conditions, you will find that the spins have a huge impact in limited overs cricket. So that’s going to be very interesting I think. Certainly with the teams from different parts of the world who are going to be there, only one of them is going to win in the end. I don’t think it’s going to be about spinners necessarily but it’s going to be about the best batsman and the most number of runs taken. 

     

    A lot of the teams don’t have wrist spinners. Do you think they have missed the bus?

    It’s interesting, isn’t it?  In a group of 15 people you have to fit a lot of players in a particular team. We are very happy with the Australian side. There were plenty of players that were missed out. I suppose with leg spin it would be interesting but you know the wickets don’t turn certainly; not like a sub cotton wicket but you get bounce. I know since Shane Warne used to always love the particular bowling called the gabba, which is one of the bounciest wickets in Australia. 

     

    Looking purely at India’s batting strength, how do you see India’s chances at the World Cup?  Do you see them repeating the performance of 2011?

     

    I think with some players who are in the squad , coming out of a fantastic test series in form is crucial. And I think being the current World Champions the confidence level is there anyway.  20-20 cricket formats introduced that confidence and changed the way batsman play today. Nothing is impossible now. Chasing those big hurdles is an easy task for India’s team.

     

    You have played with Sachin Tendulkar. Do you see Virat Kohli too coming up?
    Yes he is very talented. It was great to see him play at the series in Australia and really to watch the way he did it. He is such an amazing talent.  Most of all, I love watching him adapt his skills to suit the Australian conditions. But with a little bit extra bounce, it took him a little bit of time to get used to it. 

     

    But was it wise of him to take on the Australian bowlers off the field as with the verbal duel with Mitchell Johnson?

     

    I will point something out. You often compete the hardest against the people you know. With T20, IPL and other international formats, the players know each other well now. Towards the end of the series a good bit of laughter ensured, which was great to watch.

     

    Steven Smith performed well as a test captain. There are talks of him taking over maybe at the World Cup. So in case Michael Clarke does not get back on track with his fitness, do you wish to see Smith taking over?

     

    I think Australia has taken a very good form and a good balance at this WC. I can probably imagine they will stay with what they’ve got. George Bailey, for example, has been a fantastic player and certainly given a role, he will turn it around. I know he is a good leader, which Smith showed at the Test as well. But I feel it’s great to have two strong potential leaders in a team.

     

    But who would be your choice?

     

    I am quite sure the Australian cricket selectors will choose the right person.

     

    Do you think there is too much pressure by players on the fitness of Michael Clarke at this stage?

     

    I think you have to give him a chance. He is a great player. I think it is very important to give him every opportunity and I think at the World Cup, experience is necessary, which is what Clarke brings with him.

     

    In the test series we saw both the teams scoring approximately more than four runs per over. What do you foresee the score range at the WC?

     

    I think with Twenty20 cricket, batsmen are not afraid of chasing anything down. We’ve seen something like 300 or 400 runs even chased down. I think those 100’s during the last ten over is pretty easy now. So over 300 runs is where I see it now maybe.

     

    What are your guesses on who will who be the finalists?

     

    It’s going to be very hard to predict the big two. I am hoping its Australia and India of course. But World Cups are always interesting as there is always a dark horse. There is always a side that will come out of nowhere and I think that’s going to be New Zealand.

  • “ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will attract TV audience of 1 billion”: Andrew Robb

    “ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will attract TV audience of 1 billion”: Andrew Robb

    MUMBAI: The countdown to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 has already begun with fans gearing up to watch the matches either on television or at the stadiums. Buoyant about the event, Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb is of the opinion that it will engage one fifth of the world’s population. Robb said, “India and Australia are both blessed with the love for cricket. The upcoming World Cup will attract a TV audience of one billion!”

     

    Robb was speaking at the ‘Match Australia’ programme, which is part of the ongoing Australia Business Week being held in India. He had great admiration for the ‘God’ of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, who sadly will be missed at this year’s World Cup. “Tendulkar is not the God of Cricket just in India but also Australia,” he added.

     

    Post his revelations, a panel discussion brainstormed and analysed on the current form of the Indian and Australian cricket teams slated to participate for the World Cup. Joining the panel were cricket expert and commentator Harsha Bhogle, former cricketer and current Cricket Australia board member Michael Kasprowicz and former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar. The session was moderated by sports columnist Ayaz Memon.

     

    Posing a question to Kasprowicz, Memon said, “Michael Clarke, who is recovering from a series of hamstring injuries, will be leading the Australian squad. From a fitness point of view, is it a wise decision?” In his reply, Kasprowicz said, “While that could be a concern, one needs to look at it at an overall point of view. It is a great, experienced and in my opinion a very balanced squad.” Manjrekar interjected saying that he found the overall game scenario in Australia changing, from a team that was earlier precise in decision making to today not being able to take a concrete call as in Clarke’s case. Kasprowicz didn’t differ with him as he agreed that the current scenario in Australian cricket was changing but only a bit, not more.

     

    Memon with his insights of the game took to another parallel of the game by asking, “With Dhoni announcing his retirement from test cricket, is the state of mind of the current squad going to be crucial? Will the decision and the World Cup redefine the role for MS Dhoni ahead?” Manjrekar was all praise for ‘captain cool’ by speaking about his prowess for the game. He found Dhoni to possess a unique character wherein he, with his decision-making and on-field abilities, was able to make up for half of the overall team. “Dhoni is not someone who is concerned about the history of the game. In fact he will not be able to name even five captains of the Indian cricket teams from the past, if questioned.” Not stopping there, he went on to mouth his own version of the famous ‘Mere Paas Ma Hai’ dialogue from Bollywood movie ‘Deewaar’ by looking at Kasprowicz teasingly and saying, “If you guys have Steve Smith and Mitchell Johnson, we have Mahendra Singh Dhoni.” While the audience cackled, Kasprowicz, not surprisingly, was unable to comprehend the humour.

     

    Memon then quizzed Bhogle about his biggest concern with regards to India’s squad for the upcoming event. The expert lamented, “India’s bowling skills are weakening a bit. If the bowling skills improve, we will have a great game. You don’t need to take many wickets but just bowl well.”

     

    The panel then moved to discussing whether India’s celebrity cricketer Virat Kohli could become the biggest pivot at the World Cup this year? Manjrekar said it was a treat to watch both Kohli and Steven Smith bat at the last India versus Australia test series. “Kohli will be a great contributor at the World Cup after Dhoni,” he expressed.

     

    The statement led to Memon asking the panel if India’s squad had the right balance of experienced as well as young players? Bhogle was the first to reply, saying, “With Tendulkar and most of the well known bowlers from the previous squad now gone, it looks very much younger but I know from the talent that was available to us, the best were picked.” Manjrekar added that one important feature of the World Cup was holding up one’s nerves even during the most testing times. He therefore was of the opinion that India’s squad had a balanced mix of young players as well as those who were not only experienced but also temperamentally strong.

     

    While the panel picked up their home teams as favourites to win for the World Cup, Kasprowicz concluded by saying, “I wish to see the finals being played between India and Australia at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) stadium with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Tony Abbot in attendance.”

     

    Prior to the discussion Bhogle was honored with the ‘Friends of Australia’ award for his contribution to the game and helping foster better relations between the two countries. As part of the ‘Match Australia Programme,’ the gentlemen’s game will be used as an opportunity for investors to visit Australia, enjoy the game and also help boost commerce with a three day weekend programme. As part of the initiative, businessmen can attend investment roundtables on Fridays, followed by sight-seeing tours on Saturdays and by watching cricket matches at the stadium on Sundays.