Damp Squibs of 2009

Sudeshna Guha Roy

Where on one hand, the year 2009 saw many stars rising and shining in the galaxy of international cricket, on the other hand, it also saw many others fading away into black holes. Here is a quick look at some of those names. Ishant Sharma A lot was expected from Ishant Sharma in 2009, especially after his above par performances the previous year; the three-match Test tour of Sri Lanka in August 2008, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the 5-match ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this year. It started positively for Ishant, when he claimed his best statistics for the year in Test cricket, that is, in the three-match series against New Zealand where he clinched bowling figures of 73/4. However, a decline in the tall and lanky right-arm pacer’s career graph came from India’s tour to West Indies for a 4-match ODI series, where he managed to pick just 2 wickets after giving away 90 runs. During the World Cup Twenty20, the fastest Indian bowler, Ishant, managed to claim just a diminutive tally of wickets, proving to be extremely expensive as he gave out over 125 runs.Muttiah Muralitharan Age is catching up with Muttiah Muralitharan, and this is something which the Sri Lankan ace off-spinner himself admits. Muralitharan’s form had been a matter of concern in the past, and the fact that his performance in the recently concluded three-match away Test series against India was nothing but pitiable, has further put question marks on his career. Having already announced his Test retirement after the home series against West Indies next year, Murali also out hinted that he might bid farewell to ODIs before the 2011 World Cup. Just 8 wickets away from completing 800 wickets in Test cricket, Murali’s show in the India series hasn’t been that impressive; the only exception to the statement being the third Test where he picked up 4 wickets in his 50 overs, giving away a total of 195 runs. His career stats (considering all the three formats) reveal that in the year 2008, he had picked up a total of 78 wickets with his best being 26/6 in which he scored against India in the home Test in July. This year, however, his performance chopped down to just 57 wickets with his best being 73/4 during the Test against New Zealand in Galle in August. His bowling average has also increased from 23.39 to 35.63 over the year.Misbah-ul-Haq The ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 saw the rise of Pakistani batman Misbah-ul-Haq. His aura continued in 2008 too… But then came 2009 and the sensation started fizzling. By the time the Champions Trophy came in October, Misbah was clearly struggling for form; as a result, he was axed from all the forms of the game for the New Zealand tour. However, Younus Khan’s withdrawal from the tour left the Pakistani Team sans a captain and strong middle-order batsman. Call it a boon in disguise, Misbah was then recalled for the tour. But the second opportunity too went in vain for the 35-year old. His bat once again failed to answer his critics as his highest score in the series was a mere 33 runs, gained in a long span of 110 deliveries. His batting average has reduced to 23.72 in 2009, from a whopping 78.71 that he had in 2007-08. His statistics in ODI too aren’t anything to show for. Though his average in 2009 has been better at 33.33, his strike-rate, which was as high as 95.32 in 2007 and 2008, has slipped down to 65.50. Out of the 12 innings he has played till now, seven times he returned back to the pavilion for a score of 12 or less. The only two innings that were imposing during this period were an unbeaten 76 against Australia in Abu Dhabi and an unbeaten 73 against Sri Lanka in Colombo.Brett Lee Injuries… and more injuries… that define the year 2009 for Australian pacer Brett Lee! First, it had been a side strain and an ankle injury that forced him out of the prestigious Ashes series. And then, an injury on his right-elbow which forced him to leave the seven-match ODI tour of India mid-way. An operation for the same will force him to sit out of international cricket for another six weeks. He had also missed the tour to South Africa. Though Binga was devoid of Test cricket in 2009, ODIs have been more liberal towards him. The seven-match Natwest Series against England was his best performance of the year, when he became the leading wicket-taker of the series with 12 in his kitty. The last match he played was on 25th October in Vadodara during the India tour, where he could bowl only 6 of his stipulated 10 overs and managed to claim the prized wicket of Virender Sehwag.Herschelle Gibbs ‘Gibbs to call it quits?’ That is what the newspapers and news portals read on December 10 as the controversial South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs reportedly claimed to have bid farewell to international cricket after having been left-out from the ODI squad against England. He was, however, later called in to replace injured Jacques Kallis. Though sources close to Gibbs claims that the retirement has got nothing to do with omission, it is understood that the slump in the batsman’s performance may have led to such an announcement. Gibbs poor show in September’s Champion’s Trophy for South Africa and October’s Champions League for Cape Cobras in India forced Cricket South Africa’s selectors to drop the 36-year-old from the national team for the series against Zimbabwe and England. Gibbs recently returned to something resembling his best form in the domestic MTN 40-over competition, scoring 163 in four innings.Michael Hussey Even former Australian spin legend Shane Warne is of the view that the future Australian Test team holds no place for Michael Hussey and that ‘he’s on his last legs’. Hussey’s performance in the first two Tests against West Indies has been scratchy where he scored 66, 41 and 29 runs. His current batting average is 37.72, much lower than his average in 2007, i.e., 74.80. The year started on a doomed note for Hussey, owing to his miserable form during South Africa’s tour to Australia for a three-match Test series, which the visitors won 2-1. It was just the third Test where his scored reached the double-digit, i.e., 30 and 45*. Apart from that, in the first two Tests, highest score reached a meager 8, and twice he got out for a duck. The form improved just by a margin when Australia paid a visit to South Africa later in February and March, where he managed to claim a half century in Durban. The Ashes too didn’t witness much of an improvement in Hussey, except in the final match at the Lord’s where he scored 121 in the second innings.