The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Dream conditions for bowlers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 23, 2005

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Dream conditions for bowlers

Special Correspondent

ANANTAPUR : From the first floor of the Father Ferrer pavilion, the breath-taking beauty of the Rural Development Trust cricket ground, nestled on the banks of the Pandameru river, bowls one over.

Muncho Ferrer, Secretary of the Anantapur District Cricket Association, on how such a bouncy track, as-Aussie-as-can- be, came into being in remote Rayalseema, said, "The soil was procured from Kakinada." Ferrer, born to Spanish missionaries, but more Indian than most natives, said, "Its 60 per cent clay content ensures the surface hardens and then cracks," Ferrer had at one time played for Keel University in the Midlands, UK. Keen on an eco-friendly facility, no concrete gallery will do for his ground, but rather a slope, made famous by lounging spectators in New Zealand.

For this season's lung-opener, the Elite Group B match between Baroda and Andhra, the weather may be a bit of a dampener. An intermittent drizzle caresses the green baize that the arena so closely resembles.

Hard work

Veteran of India's first overseas triumph and current Andhra coach, Abid Ali is enamoured by the pitch. "The average delivery comes chest high. A little extra effort from the bowler and the batsman will have work on his hands," he says of the three-wicket square.

Stick to the basics and don't be overawed by who you are playing, Ali urges his boys. That personal contributions are a must, if the team is to perform, is a principle he strictly adheres to.

Formidable Baroda, coached by Prudential Cup winning squad member Balwinder Singh Sandhu, banks on the depth of its batting, a five-bowler attack, a side rich in experience and young talent, bristling to make a mark.

Other matches: In other Elite Group A matches Delhi takes on Mumbai at Delhi, Railways plays Karnataka at Delhi, Maharasthra plays Bengal at Pune and Tamil Nadu takes on Gujarat at Tirunelveli. In the other Group B matches Punjab plays Services at Mohali and Uttar Pradesh plays Haryana at Kanpur.

The teams (from):

Baroda: Jacob Martin (captain), Zaheer Khan (vice-captain), Connor Williams, Satyajit Parab, Kiran Powar, Rakesh Solanki, Irshad Sindhi (wicket-keeper), Yousuf Pathan, Rajesh Powar, Irfan Pathan Sr., Suneet Singh, Milap Mewada, Shekhar Joshi, Rakesh Patel, Ajit Bhoite. Coach: Balwinder Singh Sandhu.

Andhra: Y. Venugopala Rao (captain), Shabuddin (vice-captain), M.S.K. Prasad, Balaji Kishan Singh, Y. Gnaneshwar Rao, A.S.K. Varma, Kalyana Krishna, Mohd. Faiq, Kumar Swamy, Laxman Kishore, A.T. Rayudu, T. Suman, A.G. Praveen, M. Suresh. Coach: Syed Abid Ali.

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