the changing face of world cricket

india, australia or south africa?
the race to the top of world cricket is as hot as an egg in a frying pan...
before the depature of the big names in australian cricket there was a constant debate as to whether they would be able to hold on to their vice like grip on international cricket. a country which was immensely proud of its cricket structure - a domestic hotbed of talent, and a team which at one point seemed unbeatable.

it was a known fact that it was virtually impossible to find a place in the national team no matter wat your domestic credentials were. A 30 something year old mike hussey is such a case. but things have changed. the australian team and selectors are equally puzzled and confused. new faces are being pushed into the side at a never before seen pace. a reminder of the ian border times.

india on the other hand have found a way to ressurect themselves after the 2007 world cup debacle. the fresh face of captain ms dhoni and his band of fearless boys has transformed indian cricket. their undying belief in themselves as well as the fact that these boys seems to have their head on their shoulders has held them in good.

the selectors seemed to have temporarily lost their way in the appontment of kumble as captain. dont get me wrong, i have tremendous respect for the man both as an individual and as a cricketer. but how in the world can we think of appointing a man at the twilight of his career as the captain. not the way forward especially after the rahul dravid saga. things seemed to have gotten back on track with dhonis appointment as captain of the test team. a post that he should have been given with dravid's resignation in the first place.

south africa also seem to have taken off from the ashes like the mythical phoenix. their recent victory in oz proves this fact. for years they brandished the tag of the perrennial under achievers and under performers but this coat was finally peeled of with their series victory.

graeme smith in a lot of ways is like dhoni. talented, young but with his head on his shoulders. he too was given an ageing team in ruin and despair and his never die attitude has turned things around.

smith like dhoni has learnt to concentrate on cricket and ignore the extras that seem to be flying around these days (might i say primarily from australia). ricky ponting could do well to learn to learn from them. concentrate on your cricket the rest will take care of itself.

ponting on the other hand inherited a polished team. used to winning no matter how and when they played. losses for the aussies were few and far between. he now has a team that too has a certain extent has no focus and no direction. no clear cut roles as well. though if they change their focus to playing an honest game n truly being gentlemen i am sure things will begin to look up.

at the end of the day the aussies have to admit that other teams india and australia in particular are beating them at their own game. these young teams are willing to play with them at their own game both the cricket as well as other aspects i shall not mention.

times are changing india and south africa are on the way up. consistency is something they will have to learn. on the other hand australia have the talent to remain at the top they just need to figure out team roles and player roles.