My Favourite players:

1.Rahul Dravid: Indian Batsman & A True Cricketer
Imagine a match going on between India and say Pakistan.Indians are chasing a target around 270-280 and struggling at 50 for 3 in 10.0 overs.(Dravid still at crease)
What a normal Indian supporter will do?
1.Switch off the TV
2.Surf other channels on TV
3.Try to forget everything about the match.
What will I do?
I will stick myself in the sofa and watch Dravid's batting till the end.(The End is generally sweet).

Rahul Dravid's greatness is that he is capable of staying at the crease irrespective of the behaviour of pitch,the kind of bowling and the pressure on the team.

What is technique in batting? You will get the answer when you will watch Dravid's batting.He plays fluent cricket.Keeps the scoreboard moving without making the situation chaotic.
I'm fan of TEST CRICKET.So I enjoy to watch a batsman taking easy singles,twos.
Rahul Dravid is master in Test matches.He has the stamina to stay at the pitch for a full day.

Rahul Dravid is my God.

2.Glenn McGrath: Australian Fast(!) Bowler
Do you remember a man exchanging a few(!) words with Sachin Tendulkar in every match when they face each other on ground?
He is Glenn McGrath,a true Australian player.
He will be involved in the sledging in almost every match he plays. He tries to keep a batsman under pressure (although he does'nt need it).
The pitch map of McGrath will show you the quality of his bowling.He bowls consistently with same line,changing the pace and lengh of ball.Only patience of batsman can send McGrath wicketless (which never happens).
This cricketer always brings a freshness in game with his smiling face.
Unfortunately,we will not be able to see the contest between batsmen and McGrath,because the later has retired from ODIs and is thinking of retiring from Test cricket too.

Hats off to this great cricketer!

20-20 Cricket:

This new version of game of cricket has become quite popular now.Many people enjoy the thrill in this game.There's the rain of 4s and 6s which keeps the viewers stuck to their TV sets.But is this heading towards the loss of essence of cricket?

Advantages:
1.Increase in the number of viewers and cricket lovers.
2.Takes less time to comlete.
3.Exciting game throughout.

Disadvantages:
1.Decrease in the technique of batsmen.
2.Game only for batsmen.
3.Too much popularity might reduce the number of ODIs and TESTs.

How does a ball swing?

The key to making a cricket ball swing is to cause a pressure difference between the two sides of the ball. The air pressure depends on the flow of air over each side of the ball. Swing is generated when bowlers, by accident or design, disrupt the flow of air over one side of the ball.
Normal swing is achieved by keeping one side of the ball polished smooth and shiny, and delivering the ball with the polished side forward, and the seam angled in the direction of desired swing. The outswinging delivery moves away from the right-handed batsman, while the inswinger moves in towards him. Normal swing is achieved by maintaining laminar boundary layer air-flow on the shiny side whilst creating turbulent flow on the seam side. These deliveries, particularly the outswinger, are the bread and butter of opening bowlers who get to use the ball while it is still new.
Reverse swing is very different from conventional swing. Although the seam is oriented in the same way as for an outswinger and the action is the same, the rough side of the ball is to the fore, and the ball moves in to the batsman like an inswinger. Reverse swing is achieved when the ball is bowled very fast. In this case the air flow will become turbulent on both sides before it reaches the seam.

The Ashes:

This is the story behind "The Ashes"-
Australia beat England in England for the first time in a nail biting finish. When the Hon Ivo Bligh (later Lord Darnley) took an English touring team to Australia in 1882-3, this was said to be to recover the mythical "Ashes". At some point during the tour, an urn containing some ashes was presented to Bligh. The traditional story was that the contents of the urn were the ashes of a bail used in the Third Test, and that the urn was presented by a group of Melbourne women when England won two of the three Tests originally arranged (a fourth match was subsequently arranged, which Australia won). In 1982 evidence was brought forward suggesting that the Ashes were those of a ball and were presented to Bligh by Sir William Clarke in a ceremony BEFORE the Test series. After Lord Darnley`s death in 1927 the urn was given to MCC by his widow. It can be viewed in the museum at Lord`s (where it remains permanently, regardless of whether England or Australia holds The Ashes), together with the scorecard of the 1882 match.

World Cup finals:

1975:
Lord's, London
West Indies291 for 8 (60 overs)
WI won by 17 runs
Australia274 all out (58.4 overs)

1979:
Lord's, London
West Indies286 for 9 (60 overs)
WI won by 92 runs
England194 all out (51 overs)

1983:
Lord's, London
India183 all out (54.4 overs)
Ind won by 43 runs
West Indies140 all out (52 overs)

1987:
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Australia253 for 5 (50 overs)
Aus won by 7 runs
England246 for 8 (50 overs)

1992:
MCG, Melbourne
Pakistan249 for 6 (50 overs)
Pak won by 22 runs
England227 all out (49.2 overs)

1996:
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Sri Lanka245 for 3 (46.2 overs)
SL won by 7 wickets
Australia241 for 7 (50 overs)

1999:
Lord's, London
Australia133 for 2 (20.1 overs)
Aus won by 8 wickets
Pakistan132 all out (39 overs)

2003:
Wanderers, Johannesburg
Australia359 for 2 (50 overs)
Aus won by 125 runs
India234 all out (39.2 overs)

2007:
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
Australia281 for 4 (38 overs)
Aus won by 53 runs on D/L Method
Sri Lanka215 for 8 (36 overs