The Indo-Pak Express missed a gilt-edged opportunity to win their first major at the US Open in New York on Friday. With two of the best teams the Bryan brothers and Zimonjic-Llodra, losing early, the Aisam and Rohan duo would have fancied their chances of at least reaching the finals. But, after beating the British team of Hutchins and Fleming in the quarter finals, they were trounced by the Polish pairing of Frystenberg and Matkowski.
This will come as a disappointment to the boys and their fans as the only team left in the draw to have the edge on them were the 2010 Wimbledon Champions Melzer and Pesztchner and they were in the other half of the draw. The Poles, one of whom was a US College star, are now through to the finals against Melzer and partner. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are set for a dream encounter in the semi-finals at the rain soaked Billie Jean King Tennis Center. Two days of rain have compressed the schedule where players now have to play a match every day.
The top half has Djokovic facing Federer while in the lower half, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray duly played their way into their assigned places in the semis. Nadal trounced a lackluster Andy Roddick in quick time. Once Nadal neutralized Roddick’s serve the outcome was never in doubt as he was more than a match off the ground for the former US Open winner. Murray was given a torrid time by the tall American John Isner. Standing at 6ft 9 inches, Isner was serving huge, but Murray started picking the direction of the serve, winning the first two sets.
A nervy Murray then dropped the third set but took the match in a fourth set tie break. The winner could be the player who has the easier matches going into the final. Should Federer defeat Djokovic decisively, he will be in with a very good chance. His demolition of Juan Monaco and Tsonga shows that he has peaked at the right time. Nick Bolletieri has called Djokovic the most complete player of all time. It remains to be seen whether the greatest player of all time can defeat the most complete player of all time. The champion could come from among these two.
Rafael Nadal will have his hands full against the strong but emotionally frail Andy Murray. Because of Murray’s Grand Slam failures, people have started comparing him with British perennial runner-up Bunny Austin. But Murray is playing in difficult times, against three outstanding players, among the best to have ever played. This surface is Murray’s favourite and could be his best chance of breaking his Grand Slam duck.
Successes against Zimbabwe
Pakistan’s locked up a much needed Test win against a resurgent Zimbabwe. They did not have everything their own way, with Zimbabwe knocking up 400-plus in the first innings. A hundred from Hafeez and solid batting down the order gave Pakistan a lead which proved decisive as Zimbabwe collapsed in their second outing. The Pakistan bowling had found the right areas and the pitch had dried up.
Zimbabwe competed well in the first ODI. They bowled and fielded with enthusiasm, restricting Pakistan to 250 odd and then got to within five runs of the target. Having beaten Bangladesh decisively and competing well against Pakistan, it is clear that Zimbabwe have shed the troubles of the past years and are back near their best. They do not have an Andy or a Grant Flower, but the batting order anchored by Masakadza, Taylor and Taibu among others, is showing signs of maturity. Brian Vitori is a fast bowling find and the spinners led by the veteran Price, can be economical.
India & Sri Lanka’s woes
In England, India’s woes continue, with the World Champions losing a T20 and two ODIs following the Test trouncing. The entire Indian campaign had been based on the fast bowling skills of Zaheer Khan. One of the canniest new ball operators in the business, Zaheer promptly pulled a hamstring in the first Test and things went rapidly downhill from there. There were no reserves that India could call on to replace Zaheer, the cupboard was bare The English attack on the other hand was outstanding, drawing comparisons to the vaunted West Indies attacks of the seventies.
The Indian batting crumbled under the pressure and the rout was on. It is quite astonishing how India have crumbled, from being the number one team in the game to being abject mediocre. They will have to find replacements for their batting pretty soon as Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman are not getting any younger. The rest of the batting is not near their level. Australia and Sri Lanka are locked in a Test series featuring two teams recovering from the loss of great players. Australia had lost most of the all conquering team of a decade ago, with Hayden, Langer, Gilchrist, McGrath and Warne retiring.
But they are on their way back up under Captain Michael Clarke. Sri Lanka’s losses have been more recent, primarily Muralitharan and to a lesser extent Malinga. It would be interesting to see how much Murali has influenced Sri Lanka’s successes of the past fifteen years. His 800 wickets in 133 matches add up to around six wickets per match. It is safe to say that without Murali’s unique bowling skills, Sri Lanka would have struggled.
The current Test series is an indicator of this trend, as Sri Lanka are finding themselves overmatched against a rebuilding Australia. They lost the First Test decisively and are on their way to losing the second after having collapsed on the first day. Australia have built up a huge lead at lunch on the third day and it looks an uphill task for the home side to save the match. Sri Lanka have two of the best batsmen on the circuit in Jayawardene and Sangakkara plus the dashing Dilshan and the obdurate Samaraweera. They also have a talented all-rounder in Angelo Matthews.
But without the clutch of wickets that Murali used to get with such great consistency, Test victories will be much harder to come by for Sri Lanka.