ALL BASES COVERED – A massive sporting week lies in the wait as Pakistan take on the top-ranked test side in the world, and the first tennis major kicks off. Then there are a couple of colossal games in the NBA and the Serie A to look forward to. Here’s a look ahead to some clutch time action across four different continents, covering four different sporting domains.
ENGLISH CHALLENGE
The year 2011 was a lucrative one for both Pakistan and England in more ways than one. England warded off the Australian challenge in Australia to retain the Ashes and then blanked the Indians to sit at the apex of world rankings. Pakistan, on the other hand, took a timely breather from off-field antics and stabilised matters under Misbah, that has seen them sans a series defeat since they last look on England in the summer of 2010. Two opponents fancying their chances and going full throttle at each other is a scrumptious prospect for any sports fan – and the Pakistan-England series promises to be exactly that.
The English batting is an ensemble of solidity, but some of their lot might find it difficult to cope with UAE’s conditions. Andrew Strauss, for one, needs pace and bounce in the wickets to nourish his trademark square of the wicket shots; and since those two ingredients would be as rare as meat balls in a Russian salad, expect him to continue his barren spell that has seen him without a test century since the Gabba test in Australia. Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott have been the cornerstones of the English success as far as the batting is concerned, and these two are the ones that pose the most daunting threat to the Pakistani side. Kevin Pieterson – quite often the decisive factor for England – versus Saeed Ajmal is one mouthwatering prospect; and the one who comes out on top, might just script his side’s triumph. Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan complete a formidable batting lineup with consistency and free scoring prowess respectively.
Despite the English batting being exceedingly impressive on paper, it’s their bowling wherein the match-winning wherewithal lies. However, with conditions not being fast bowler friendly – definitely not James Anderson friendly – their pacers would struggle. When the ball doesn’t swing, Anderson is as effective as a Ferrari in a quagmire. Stuart Broad – the man of the series against India – might be traversing resurgence, but again he might not as effective as he is in England. The same goes for Onions, Finn and Tremlett – if the wickets are dead; then so are the English pacers. Therefore, it is the English spinner(s) who’d be vying to write the ‘Swann’ song for the Pakistani batsman – and of course it’s Graeme Swann who heads this two man queue. England have relied on the ‘three pacers one spinner’ combo recently, and hence the chances of Monty Panesar getting a game hinge on extreme pitch conditions or England going for five bowlers. The former is more likely to happen.
IS IT TSONGA TIME?
The Australian Open draw has conjured up something that didn’t happen in any of the four majors last year – Federer and Nadal in one half and Murray and Djokovic in the other. Tennis – much like any knockout competition – rests on the head-to-head between different competitors. Take for example the fact that on paper the World Number One player Djokovic’s closest rival is Nadal – the second ranked player – but you don’t need this writer to unravel the fact that the Serb would rather take on Nadal than Federer or Murray, as things stand, with him whitewashing the Spaniard 6-0 last year. Similarly had Nadal faced Federer in either of the US Open or Wimbledon finals last year, he would have had been the undisputed favourite. Of the trio behind Djokovic, Murray is the one that poses the biggest threat to Djokovic. A Murray-Djokovic semi could be an ideal opportunity for the former to beat the latter; considering that there is significantly less pressure in the semifinal as compared to the final – which Murray quite often fails to overcome.
If there ever is a time to bet on a dark horse making it deep in a major it’s at the Aussie Open. Considering the Frenchman’s form at the tail end of last year, and the start of this year – winning the Qatar Open – Jo-Wilfred Tsonga could in fact break his Grand Slam duck in Melbourne this year. Djokovic might be the overwhelming favourite, but it’s hard to see him recovering in such a short span of time after overexerting himself throughout last year – the same goes for Nadal. Federer could have a decent tilt; but he must be praying to the tennis gods that Nadal is ousted before the semis – because we all know that if there is no roof on top of the stadium (i.e not an indoor match), merely Nadal’s forehand crosscourt suffices in overpowering the Swiss. However, this column – outrageously – goes for the winner of a potential Murray-Tsonga quarterfinal to win the whole thing. Also watch out Milos Raonic and Bernard Tomic to leave their imprint on the tournament.
MILAN DERBY
One of the biggest fixtures on the European calendar takes center stage in Milan, as the two city rivals – AC and Inter – battle it out for supremacy today. Both sides are on a rich vein of form; Inter have won their last five matches to move to within eight points of the league leaders, while AC Milan are unbeaten in the last 12 games since October. The fact that the two teams are on their A game, makes the timing of the fixture perfect for a tasty match-up.
AC Milan have been in title-winning form throughout the season, scoring 32 goals and conceding eight goals – laying the foundation of their success on a miserly defence and on clinical finishing. Cladio Ranierri’s men are on a roll of their own with their five-game winning streak culminating in a five star thrashing of Parma. A win for Inter would narrow the gap between the neigbours to five points; and that coupled with bragging rights and the forms of the two sides should result in a feisty clash.
Yepes, Cassano and Flamini are long-term absentees, and have been joined by Aquillani and Gattuso on the treatment table recently; and hence Seedorf should replace the Liverpool man. The good news for Inter is that Sneijder, Forlan and Stankovic have all returned to full fitness, and should be ready to face AC Milan today. However, with Pazzini and Milito likely to form the striking duo upfront, Forlan and Stankovic might start on the bench. Ibrahimovic and Sneijder would be the key players in the game, and the one who makes more of an impact could guide his side towards victory.
DALLAS TAKE ON SACREMENTO
After a stuttering start, the Mavericks seem to have found their groove, and would be looking to continue their recent resurgence. Dallas would be going for their 15th straight home win over Sacramento today. After losing the first three games of the season, Dallas have now improved their record to (7-5) – with four wins on the bounce. Sacramento shouldn’t have enough to counter the Mavericks’ threat.
Dallas’ recent upsurge owes a lot to their recent defensive solidity; and with Kings scoring a Western conference low of 93.0 points per game and conceding 102.3 – Sacramento should have trouble on both ends of the court. With Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter et al, there should be only one winner in this one.
At the start of the season, last month, Dallas topped the forecast charts with the shortest odds of retaining their NBA title this season. However, the aforementioned indifferent start has meant that the doubting Thomas has been busy scrutinising Mavericks’ chances this year. Dallas need to capitalise on their home form, and need to overcome challenges of the likes of Sacramento and beat them resoundingly to shush the sceptics. It goes without saying that the big German will play a huge part as the NBA season unfolds, and competition heats up in the West.
