Like last season,cricket must remain the major attraction

To me the one factor that will occupy people’s minds more than any other is the definition of a good score. At IPL 1,170 was gettable and there were at least two unsuccessful 200+ chases. There were times when it seemed no score was big enough. But on end-of-season South African pitches,the situation might be a bit different. Already it seems 150 is a very defendable score. South Africa scored 156 against Australia in the 2nd T20 international and defended it easily. On an early season pitch at the Wanderers in September 2007,India defended 157 against Pakistan in the final. I suspect early in the tournament captains will be putting the opposition in,if not for anything else,to gauge what a good score is! In any case 65% of matches are won by the team batting second so the toss might just become a little more important.

I have a sneaking suspicion that spin will become even more important than it was at IPL 1 in India. In that same Australia-South Africa T20 game,the home side bowled 10 of their 20 overs with spin; in fact of the 40 overs they bowled in all 18 were bowled by the spinners. But this was a different kind of spin (if that sounds political blame it on the way language evolves!). Peterson,Botha and van der Merwe were pinging the ball in at some pace on a middle and leg stump line. Speeds upwards of 95 kmph were routine and I swear I saw Botha bowl one at 104! So guile and flight replaced by flat,quick off-breaks,almost like the old-fashioned bowlers who bowled off and leg cutters? Maybe. It is something to watch out for.

Will the batsmen go hell for leather at the top of the order,I wonder? On the flat,batsman-friendly pitches in India that wouldn’t even be a question worth pondering over. But here? Dale Steyn’s first ball in a T20 game at the Wanderers against Australia was collected by Boucher almost in front of his face. I suspect it might be wait and see from the openers; or at any rate,from one of the openers and maybe,just maybe,the wicket keeper will have some company alongside him early on.

While much of the attention has been focussed on the overseas players,often that has been used as a parameter to judge teams,the inescapable fact is that the team with the strongest Indian brigade is still most likely to be the last one standing. Experience will count here—already Shane Warne has written of how his youngsters are finding it difficult to get used to thing—-and so keep an eye out for teams with the best balance of Indian and overseas players. Chennai,Delhi and Mumbai spring to mind.

I am also looking forward to some key contests. There are many,in fact there will probably be a couple in every game,but the three that I am most excited about are Steyn to Smith,Ishant to Tendulkar and,my vote for the most engaging,Ajantha Mendis to Sanath Jayasuriya.

Finally,away from the IPL,but not far away in South Africa,the most romantic story in the game is being written. Less than a year ago,a group of young Afghans were battling; not in their rugged terrain against each other and against foes of many nationalities and intents,but in group 5 of the ICC qualifiers. Now they have a bit of a chance of qualifying for cricket’s World Cup! It puts things in perspective. Suddenly anger and deprivation seem trivial and it tells me that sport can be a balm; the greatest and least divisive of social forces. Now if life were a Hindi film it would all end with Obama and bin Laden playing a cricket match in…South Africa!