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Cricket Is Life!

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Cricket is Life! Played, coached, and umpired.

  • Neither here nor there..

    It was not surprising that Aussies and Ricky Ponting have started their preparation for the upcoming series against Pakistan. If you are looking for details on a cricket camp you sadly underrate Aussies. Their preparation begins by hurling a few testing verbal bouncers at their opponents. Ponting decided to “compliment” the new Pakistani test captain Shahid Afridi (any one remembers how many have come and gone?). Nothing new there. Aussies believe in softening the opponent captain first. However the quantum of statements about Afridi (“He hasn’t played much Test cricket of late, has he?” OR “he’s….not necessarily one of their best Test players” etc), especially after winning the last series, tells me that he may be a tad worried about Pakistan team getting together under this new captain. Read his last sentence…”…we just have to make sure we’re focusing on our little things to be the best team we can be when we play them.” Lovely! If you read that last sentence without the benefit of full text, you may be excused for searching for the rising Sun in the west! Don’t worry, Ponting and Aussies are as consistent as the heavenly bodies!! But hey, what is this “..I think we can sort him out in Test cricket for sure” thingy?? Mate, you don’t have to worry about sorting this opponent. If the last series is any indication, they are champs at doing it themselves! Aussies just have to turn up and leave the rest to their opponents!! I wonder, just wonder, what the Pakistan Board is planning, though. If you are seriously doubting your own team for loosing games for money, I wonder how can you keep this series clean that is being played in England, where there are huge number of Pakistani ex-patriots? May be by sweeping previous decisions under the carpet!

    Is this “Match fixing” मौसम or what? Doubts are also probably raised about the Indian team’s performance in Zimbabwe! There is hardly anything worthwhile writing about the two “shocking” losses to Zombies…oops, Zimbos. What is surprising is the facile win by Indians against Sri Lankan team in the first game, probably the strongest team on paper in the comp. So are Indians being “obliging” guests? A few wins against a highly ranked team can divert the attention off the beleaguered Zimbabwe Cricket Association. Remember how Bangladesh got the nod of ICC? While not detracting from the terrific performance of the Zimbabweans, they may have benefited from the charitable gestures not only from Harbhajan Singh, but also the India selectors! How else can you explain experienced pacers like Ishant and Appam cooling their heels when a completely new look, new ball attack opens for India? Every time a team plays, it has to do so with the respect for the opponents. Sadly, Indian selectors have forgotten that. Or is it that India and Sri Lanka have decided that the hosts must play the finals; the opponents will fight it out for a spot in the finals??  It looks like Indian team management is absolutely committed to experiment in this series even at the cost of being thrashed. That can constitute match-fixing of a sort, isn’t it? Your guess is as good as mine. Seems to me that match-fixing is a disease easily traversing across the LOC!! Poor Raina is on a hiding to nothing…

    Some very very interesting things have emerged from the whole IPL mess..I would strongly suggest all  read the copy of email from ECB Chairman Giles Clarke to BCCI President Shashank Manohar. Modern soap opera. If it is made into a sit-com it can easily give a run for the money to “क्योंकि सास भी कभी बहु थी”. Apparently Clarke himself is not that much popular within England County Cricket set up that makes up the ECB. Majority counties and especially those with major stadia are looking to increase revenue and Lalit Modi’s proposed “rebel league” in England was very interesting. While Modi is being portrayed as the biggest villain to hit cricket, it seems that the men present in Delhi meeting admire him as a visionary. All charges and his “bigger-than-the-game-attitude” notwithstanding, his contributions to BCCI and Indian cricket can not be denied. I hope current BCCI stake-holders understand that sooner than later. In last couple of days it has become apparent that the typically Indian ‘Narangi” (mandarin) unity is being exposed as the skin is being peeled off slowly in this IPL mess. Seems now that Sharad Pawar and even the interim  IPL chairman Chirau Amin are as “clean” as Lalit Modi and Shashi Tharoor. Looks like Modi is on a course to take a few down with him. Does it mean that the English motto of “Divide and Rule” will succeed again? Empire Strikes Back?? Will money win over the beauty of this game? Will the real Gods of cricket like GGT (Great God Tendulkar) become merely the ushers to the virtual Gods of Cricket like Modis, Clarkes, Pawars?? Keep watching the drama…at least it is better than the insipid cricket Indian team has been dishing out of late!! Legendary Kishor Kumar is blaring out loud and clear on my stereo “पैसा यह पैसा, कोई नहीं ऐसा, यह हो मुसीबत, न हो मुसीबत…”
    Cheers Folks..

  • Pakistan embroiled in Match fixing…again!!

    Heard that ICC’s anti corruption bureau has been investigating Pakistan’s tour of Australia..goodonya ICC! A bit late but देर आये दुरुस्त आये; better late than never. Or is it a case of “oops, we missed the most obvious so better start doing something now” syndrome? It smacks more of politics than a real intention of doing something good for the game.

    Years back when Salim Malik, Mohammad Azaharrduddin and Hanse Kronje got exposed as match-fixers I could not believe any player would throw his innings (as a batsman I never wanted to get out) or his pride as a fielder to drop a catch or miss a stumping deliberately. I often spent sleepless nights for dropping a hard chance or a stumping while standing up, playing backyard cricket with a tennis ball on wet concrete floor. And I am sure I am not alone. What is it that makes a player do so? I still find it hard to believe that when for elite cricketers there is so much money to be made legally, a player would tank his game for money…isn’t pride in your success at least, as much important as money? Or am I too old fashioned? It is still difficult to digest that cricket may have changed so much where a man would not hesitate to sell his sporting achievement for a few bobs.

    Of course, now there is enough smoke to infer that there must be fire; may be just a small amber burning somewhere. I was convinced about that after the Sydney test this new year. Pakistanis definitely tanked that game; Aussies had no business wining that one and all that brouhaha about the best win from death and all that crap was just that, crap!! Pakistanis lost, plain and simple. I have seen videos of Kamran Akmal’s keeping in that test a few times and could not believe that any wicketkeeper would go through such a horrendous spell in a day; not even a sixth grade, 130 kg, wide as a barn door and no-where-else-to-hide, reluctant with gloves and pads, back-stopper..In my opinion Akmal missed those catches, stumping and run out deliberately. What is not clear is, why? Could be for money or for proving a point?? May be the Pakistan camp was so badly divided that Akmal took it upon himself to “stamp his authority”..or may be he thought he could kill two birds with one “glove”, make his point and earn some dough? Wicket keeper is the engine-room of the fielding side and his abject failure can corrode the morals of the fielders quite easily and quickly. Akmal’s performance that day is an example of that.

    There was sufficient doubt about Akmal’s performance even within the Pakistan camp when the coach Intikhab Alam asked his keeper to fall on his own sword. That done, somehow he returned to Pakistan team for the T20 world cup. Does it mean that if Akmal fixed the game, the team selectors have an equal role to play in the drama? How else can one explain his return? Probably all thought, Akmal behind the stumps, is the only fool-proof plan to lose!! May be everyone is on the gravy train!!

    Then again, when your country is in strife like Pakistan is in today and suicide bombers are dime a dozen, it must be hard to keep focus on cricket. Pakistan as a state is falling on its own dagger; one that it has used for long against its neighbor is now aimed at its own heart. Terrorism, a product which was designed strictly for export market has now become a huge commodity for local consumption. Probably a poetic justice, but very sad! It is a chaos out there and the cricketers are only humans. What do you achieve by winning a cricket match when the value of humanity is next to zero? When there is no pride in winning, there is no pain in loosing. May be then the allure of money takes over. What a pity! I hope I am wrong since I am convinced that Indian V Australia is still a distant second to the Mahabharat of Indian V Pakistan..get your act together Pakistan. Believe it or not, you have a huge fan followers within India..even traditionalists would love to see Pakistan cricket up on its feet and playing trademark hard fought cricket…

  • Blame the Poms!

    What the heck! Since when is it that you can’t call ordinary, ordinary?? Isn’t it lot better than telling a player “Good Morning, how is your wife and my kids?” (alleged famous sledge by Rodney Marsh to Ian Botham).

    Gautam Gambhir got reprimanded for calling Rajasthan Royal batsmen ordinary. Here is what he said;
    “I think Rajasthan was never a threat. Except for Yusuf Pathan, the other guys were pretty ordinary,” Gambhir said. “We weren’t really worried about anyone else.” He was found guilty of Level 1 offense due to
    “Public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in a Match or any Player, Team Official, Match Official or Team participating in any Match, irrespective of when such criticism or inappropriate comment is made.” Poor Gambhir, with a name like that he is taken seriously every time he opens the mouth!! (Gambhir in Hindi means serious).

    That put the bee in the bonnet of IPL’s Lord Lalit Modi JEE. Why? Is it because Gauti called the players of a team he loves ordinary? Did Gambhir actually said that the PLAYERS were ordinary? Or did he say they PLAYED ordinary? Those in agreement with reprimand answer yes to the former while those opposing, to the latter. Harsha Bhogle said reprimanding a player for honest observations “could only lead to more boring, vanilla statements of the sort we now get at press conferences”.I much prefer Hokey Pokey to vanilla!

    If you ask me, I think it is all due to Bloody Poms!! If they had not brought their language to the subcontinent none of this would have happened (we don’t mind the game!). Been ages since Indians are speaking English in India. So much so that young ones start speaking in English even before they can master their mother tongue and the parents actually take pride in it! Bloody Poms! However, Indians are very adaptable; they will Indianise anything, even a language. If you live on the sub-continent long enough, you will realize that what goes in the name of English  is actually Indish, the only truly Indian language with a smattering of English; it may probably make Shakespeare’s skeleton rattle in his grave. .I sincerely believe it is a truly Gandhian way of taking a revenge for centuries of subservience! Give a few years; this new India will convert Hollywood into Mumwood!! (Cricky! even this blog is beginning to sound so..).

    Sorry, I am drifting..what has Gambhir’s reprimand got to do with English? Well, everything; mainly since I am convinced that all the problems in the world are due to Poms!! Especially after I have become an Aussie!! ha ha…

    Seriously, I believe if Gambhir had answered in Hindi, he would have said “युसूफ के सिवा सभी खिलाडी बेकार थे”. which does not necessarily criticize players but translate as “युसूफ के सिवा सभी बेकार खेले और हमे उनसे डरने की कोई जरुरत नहीं लगी”.(all played badly and we were not worried about them). Put this one against Gambhir as a lack of language skill rather than arrogance or public criticism of players. Same as Bhajji’s famous “Teri Maaki..” statement.

    About time Mody JEE stopped being more English than English! After all Cricket is an Indian game now!! Screw the Poms! We beat them even in Lagaan!!:-))

  • T20, a Doomsday Machine or..

    If you were frozen in early 70s and thawed today, you won’t be blamed for being surprised at not recognizing the game of cricket. Night cricket, coloured clothing, bright lights, skimpily dressed cheers leaders, loud music and an almost universal par run rate of 6-8 runs per over, would certainly confuse you as to the identity of this vaguely familiar beast. And if you were unfortunate enough to see or follow “Player Auction” you would have required medical attention! Historians and anthropologists tell us that evolution is an extremely slow process. Hence I consider cricket fans of my generation, extremely lucky. We can claim to have seen evolution of a game that hardly changed for over a century, from its “Lagaan” days.

    No one, including the protagonists knew that Kerry Packer’s fight with the Australian cricket board to get Australian TV broadcast rights would turn out to be lot more than merely a clash of egos. When the push came to the shove, Packer’s so-called circus ended up being the evolutionary impetus that the game needed. What World Series cricket started was reluctantly accepted by the so-called bastions of the game almost like a bitter pill, simply because the audience could not be denied the super mix of serious cricket with entertainment. History repeated itself when T20, once again with its roots in English domestic cricket was picked up by BCCI almost reluctantly and converted into a global product. If some one had told me a decade back that a yet unproven test bowler like Kemar Roach will earn close to a million US in a country where many of its finest cricketers earned just enough to keep their heads above water, I would have politely guided him to the bus no. 111. (Destination Mental Hospital in Ahmedabad). Trust English to invent something and let others to actually show its true worth!! Traditionalists rarely benefit from serendipity…

    Being a lover of traditional cricket, I must confess I was almost a non-believer in this hit and giggle. Having played in a few 20-over-a-side flood lit tennis ball cricket tournaments in India, even though as a summer past-time, I did understand the power of this format to attract a large section of audience who otherwise found traditional cricket far too slow and even boring. However I did not anticipate my excitement and sleepless nights due to IPL 3; not that I am complaining! It is a spectacle not to be missed for those who love the game of cricket. I love Test cricket over anything, but my cricket-fix can be satiated to some extent with a T20 within a short span; especially as there are not many test matches being played. As we say in Gujarati, “Na mama karta kano mamo saro” (verbal translation; better one-eyed uncle than none!!). I may have started my attraction to this format with a bit of scepticism, but as old Shammi Kapoor song goes, “Aap yoon hi agar hamse milte rahe, dekhiye ek din pyar ho jayega!” (Keep meeting like this and one day you will fall for me), I have met T20 sufficient number of times.

    Its immense popularity in India though purely accidental, also represents a successful marriage between business and entertainment. At one point, BCCI refused to acknowledge its presence and even refused to put up a team for inaugural world cup, by not starting a domestic comp; the only cricket board in the world to do so. They did not expect Indian team’s out-of-no-where win in the inaugural event. That was enough to ignite the cricket-mad India, mainly since it included two special wins over arch rivals Pakistan. Kapil’s Devils did exactly the same in 1983 for the 50 overs format. Who will forget that bizarre bowl out in the first T20 world cup fixture between India and Pakistan? After the game ended in a tie, the hilarious and now redundant bowl-out tie-breaker rule was applied, when no Pakistani bowler could hit the defenceless stumps, where as Indian net-bowlers did so with aplomb. That must rank as one of the funniest thing I have ever seen on the cricket field….it was as if even the stumps were mocking Pakistan bowlers who balked and could not deliver a straight one. Why take long run-up and deliver a leg spinner or a leg cutter when the purpose is to hit the stumps with no batsman in front? I am sure Afridi and Umar Gul will have nightmares of that event long after they retire. Is there any surprise why Indians are more successful in all facets of life than their erstwhile brothers? The final was another cracker that will go down in the annals on Indian history as a golden page. Pakistan played brilliant cricket but Indians were just that bit better and a tad lucky!! You have to be, especially when you need hands of someone like Appam to bring the curtain down on the last act!

    T20 is very much like watching a movie where the whole life of a character is condensed. It showcases all the elements of cricket within a short period, matching short attention span of many viewers. Normally oldies like me like to reserve that opinion for younger generation, but really, lack of patience has nothing to do with the age. Honestly I can’t understand why older folks would not enjoy shorter version more; after all the time left for them on this earth, will fit in lot more T20s than test cricket! But then you know that often those who complain, are the ones who “voyeur” it most. Cricket and miniskirts have something in common…

    Fear that this format may kill what is traditionally held very close to cricket lovers’ hearts has some validity. All the mastery required to stay at the crease or to “think” out a batsman who has come to the crease with a liberal dose of “Favicol” or “Liquid Nails”, in a game of unlimited overs, is not required in the shorter version. Believe it or not, but God does not give THAT mastery even to the so-called gifted. It has to be learned hard way through the toils of innumerable hot days on the paddocks. Uneven, unmade or batsmen-friendly wickets; amateur, unresponsive and often one-eyed umpires; butter fingered team mates; no-clue captains are some elements that teach a wannabe cricketer to get his or her runs or wickets in the most obvious ways. Most importantly, longer version teaches a player, the most important aspect of cricket, or indeed life; that you must learn to control your mind. A player has to go through so many filters before making it to the top that often these obstacles become insurmountable for many. That is why test cricket is the ultimate test of the full range of a player’s ability; not just God given talent but those illusive ingredients called temperament and attitude. Without that many talented players failed to reach the zenith they could have.

    Comparatively, to succeed in T20 format, you need to be able to biff more than pat; clear rather than pierce the field, be lucky rather than skillful. It is more physical. A lucky mishit or a French-cut can be the difference between a champ and a chump. Often a morsel of luck could do what a wagon full of skills couldn’t. You may say that T20 is more a gamble than a competition. Having said that, even though the psychological component of the longer version of the game manifests differently in T20, the result is the same. Sometimes a player may travel a life time in a space of 20 overs.. .any doubts just ask Misbah-Ul-Haq!! From a cricketer’s point of view, in T20 you are on a hiding to nothing. A bowler may have to bowl only 4 overs in the whole game, but the emotional roller-coaster could demand the energy of a 20 over marathon. Every one will forget your earlier 23 balls if the last one goes awry. Similarly for a batsman, a complete change of mindset will demand a huge mental effort. T20 challenges a player as much psychologically as the longer version; it requires a player to respond in a far shorter time frame. Look at who are the top players in the IPL 3 so far; classical test match players like Kallis, Tendulkar, Kumble and Murli are ahead of T20 specialists. Class and experience can adjust to anything indicating that T20 is not all slam-bang.

    So is T20 really a dooms day machine for the game of cricket as many are lamenting? Many doubting Thomases had similarly predicted death of test cricket when T20’s predecessor, the 50 over ODI format became popular. Test cricket is thriving, and if you ask me, the reason is mainly one day cricket. ODI’s popularity has been responsible for evolution of players who have made run scoring as their only goal even in test cricket. A run rate close to 4 runs per over in test cricket is almost expected today; if that happened in seventies, I am sure it would have resulted in a few coronaries. It is almost as if the batsmen have thrown off their mental shackles. That is the most important reason for more results in the test matches even in days of batting friendly conditions and laws. Due to ODIs, the most significant improvement has been in fielding. From seventies fielding sides, where many fielders used to “escort” the ball to the fence, to the nineties sides with many fielders who would routinely dive or slide to stop even a single, is a quantum leap mainly as a result of the exposure of the players at very young age to the ODIs. Using same corollary, I believe T20 will bring some unseen, unexpected bonuses to the traditional cricket. Equipment is one area that looks very fertile for improvement. A few cricket boards are already trialling coloured cricket balls to promote night test cricket; Mongoose long-handle bat has already made its debut in IPL 3. I am sure we will see new strategies invented to counter the ever changing scenario on the cricket field. Since the days of Kerry Packer, everything that has been thrown in the path of this great game has actually empowered rather than stymie it. Cricket is a dynamic entity; almost like the sub-continent culture which has absorbed everything that has attacked it in last 5000 years but has continuously evolved to progress. Perhaps that is why it is so popular on the sub-continent; perhaps sub-continent culture needs cricket as much as cricket needs it.

  • Bring Back The Biff!

    Ok, so you don’t know me. I am Mr. Hyde… who “unhydes” when the good old Dr. Jekyll goes to sleep. I can tell you he doesn’t like me, but ..z..z..z..z….better not waste time.

    I say bring back the Biff in cricket! What’s wrong with the cricket world? NZ and Aussies are having a terrific series sharing an ugly love, of the game as well as of the opposition. Instead of celebrating that, all are whining! If you believe sledging was bad, you better get your head examined. I believe cricket is a sissy game, or how can you explain a bloke with a bat in his hand complaining to the umpire, match referee, journalists, prime minister, his wife and even Mr. Spock, when the bowler doubts his lineage in no uncertain terms? Why not use it on his head!!

    Cum’on, cricket is such a slow, boring simmer, it needs an ignition, a fire, an explosion like the good old contact sports. Whack, crash, tackle, bang and you get your money’s worth. All this nonsense about “threading the ball through the gap”…blah..blah..blah…if you want to thread, why not go to the sissy tailoring class?? What is wrong with a bit of a bang on the crash helmet? Have you ever heard a Rugby or an American Football players complain? Don’t you know some heads are like hard hats anyways!! Can you imagine the GGT “Great God Tendulkar” (henceforth SRT is renamed so) attracting cricket HATERS to the game?? Tell you what; Mitch Johnson can..and so could Merve Hughes;.the same Merve the Mo, who actually used his spit as a weapon on the Kiwi batsman, Mark Greatbach!! A bit of a spit on the sheep steak on a barbie, that’s what adds to the taste, maaate! Why complain about it? Even the Kiwi liked it. I mean, cum’on why else would Merve the Mo be a selector; often he doesn’t even know domestic players that he is supposed to select from! Duh!

    Tell you what, there is a lot of debate going on about how cricket could survive in today’s times. This load of crap about the Spirit of the law and all that sissy stuff of no cursing/ sledging/ pushing is what is actually killing the game; not the bloody T20; that is da real think. But hey, for all Bollywood sentimentals and tear-wipers if test cricket is what it takes, hell, why not add a bit of fun to it? Here is how to do that..and again ugly aussies are the inventors (anything new to happen to cricket has come from Australia..remember the two-balls cricket?). Why not mix just a bit of Rugby rules into cricket?

    Picture this; a batsman hits the ball, or as you call “threading”, a fielder is running after it to stop from crossing the boundary; and suddenly a player from the batting side (let us call him a forward) runs on to the field and crash tackles the fielder..Bang! and the spectators forget all about the ball and the batsman. Watching the fielders get crash-tackled is the real fun, man! Also from what I hear, spectators like to see the fours and sixes. Of course, the forwards will not be allowed on the field till the ball is bowled. And also other fielders can assist their mate from being tackled. I mean, the rules must be fair, for chris’ sake.

    Another interesting innovation that will be a great success is that a fielder can also tackle the batsman while he is trying to take a run. And it is only fair that a batsman is free to use his bat to reach the crease. I mean, let’s make it a bit more “competitive”. The stupid rule of “Obstruction” should be the first one to be scratched off the MCC Book of Cricket Laws.

    Picture another scenario; the bowler gets hit for a six and obviously does not believe it is fair (just as Mitch was completely justified in believing when he head-butted that Styrofoam inside the helmet!), what does he do? GLARE?? What a rot; again as per the democratic norm, he should be allowed to get even, by having one crack at the batsman….by chucking a fast one at his head or body…see what you can do with THAT champ? Didn’t some one say, don’t get angry, get even?? Since no runs can be scored of that delivery, all the fielders must come in, close to the pitch and can shout profanities at the batsman while the bowler is taking a swing. That is what I would call as a real Free-hit, not this other ridiculous thing in the vogue in limited overs cricket. This would also take care of multitude of complaints about how cricket has become batsman friendly…bring back a bit of balance to the game, eh?

    Cricket is so sissy…half the time the players are sitting, talking, watching TV, playing Nintendo, sleeping, playing cards(!!), talking on the mobile phone (bookies or fans) and still call themselves playing cricket?? Imagine if you do that at work; what would your boss say? Ask any true Aussie who has chucked a sickie to watch the game and got caught on the camera! Poor fellow paid with his pay for the day apart from his gate money! Better make these over-paid and under-worked cricketers provide entertainment instead of sitting on their back sides. Let us say, those who are not designated “forwards” as described above, can “perform”. There should be at least four stages set up out side the boundary rope and players can jump up on the stage to do the “Darde Disko” when their mate hits a four or a six. Imagine the GGT boogying when Appam hits a four!! This will also give the substitutes to “get involved” in the game! And all the batsmen will have to shake in an inverse proportion to the runs they score…meaning less they score more they dance. After all, they must earn the handsome amounts they are paid!

    Tell you what, no one will ever complain about dwindling crowds in cricket…..and finally women’s cricket will get its due in the world cricket; actually it may even surpass men’s game in crowd numbers!!! If you know what I mean..;-)

  • Little Johnny to become Top Dog in Cricket

    Australia and New Zealand have nominated ex-Australian Prime Minister John Howard as their candidate for the post of ICC president. It is amazing how New Zealand will always remain a small brother. Long term and proven cricket administrator from New Zealand Sir John Anderson was hoping to be nominated but was left holding the wooden base while the trophy was “stolen” by self-proclaimed cricket tragic, John Howard. I reckon poor Anderson has been hit for a “sux” (“six” for those uninitiated in Kiwi accent). There are even accusations of bullying  tactics by Aussies. Read this interesting bleat from NZ Herald. I believe the kiwis need not try anything in future, just give in to the elder brother..after all, sheep-power, doesn’t account for much, does it?
    John Howard was a Prime Minister of Australia for almost 12 years and his reign coincided with good economic reforms and sound fiscal condition. I am not sure though, how much was his contribution to that. He was a smart politician though. Please ask his deputy who was kept waiting for ages after having been promised the top position, just because little Johhny changed his mind. But all that is a part of politics; I have seen worse in India. My beef is, that is if I have one at all, how come John Howard suddenly came into the picture for Cricket Australia? What prompted CA to nominate a political heavy weight, who has neither played much club cricket nor administered ANY cricket club let alone represented a state organisation? In fact, he can hardly be called even a sportsman, at least in my book. All in Rubgy playing countries would remember his sour-puss face while handing out winner’s medals to English team who beat Aussies in the Rugby World Cup final of 2003 in Sydney..classic sour grapes stuff that. But the behavior from the Chief Guest at a prestigious event and that too from the reigning Prime Minister of the host country, my dear Sir, can hardly be called cricket! Anyways, we can all forget that. No one likes loosing; whether playing or following, especially a one-eyed Aussie. If anything, it confirmed little Johnny’s immense love for the game of winning. I can live with that, especially as the recipients of his sourness were Poms; better known as the Kings of the Whines. But Howard’s foray into cricket administration is a completely different kettle of “Bombay duck”. I will come to that soon.
    What, apart from his self-proclaimed love for cricket and a great understanding of wheeling and dealing as a politician, can Howard bring to the table that can help the game of cricket? Honestly, very little. ICC is by and large a toothless tiger and its Presidency a mere ceremonial position. What can he do that will impact upon the game? When an organisation depends upon its component members for its existence, it can hardly command respect. To be brutally frank, ICC is hardly in charge of the game. It is run by individual boards. Even after having every game now conducted by independent officials appointed by the ICC, it is still dependent upon its members for the revenue. This is the legacy of the Lords of English and Australian cricket who ran their fiefdom for ages by disregarding the power of masses (they can go and play football!!), concentrating on more important things like their gin and tonic, tea and scones. To that effect, BCCI is perhaps, the new Zamindaar. It was perhaps lucky that Indians and other subcontinent population took to the game of the Gora Sahibs like duck to the water. However BCCI has to be credited for a significant effort in taking the game to the masses rather than keeping it as an exclusive past time for the royals, as was the case before India’s independence. It is this power of masses that has changed the game for ever and given the subcontinent a force to loosen the stranglehold that England and Australia had over the game, in spite of doing precious little for the advancement of the game. I can not see any change to ICC’s ability in future to exercise similar clout without the contributions from the subcontinent.  Let us face it, for any game to prosper or indeed survive, participation is the key. English and Australian administrators were culprits in my opinion, of making the game exclusive for their elites. Probably Australian cricket administrators, definitely at local levels, can still be blamed for continuing that attitude. Much as Australian cricket team is thriving, one look at the junior rosters will indicate that the number of participants is hardly increasing. Compared to that, the scenario is completely different on the subcontinent. It is played, followed, seen and beamed live in subcontinent, more than any where else. With over 50% of world population as potential followers of the game (I am sure Chinese are coming!), and currently generating over 70% of revenue, how can ICC hope to equate its clout with the subcontinent boards, is frankly beyond me. One can be excused then, for thinking that ICC shall remain toothless and its Presidency a mere ceremonial position for a significant period of time.

    My suspicion is that CA’s sudden love for John Howard emanates from the stand BCCI has taken by promoting Sharad Pawar to the position. Another politician of immense and one of the longest surviving “Ya va chandra Diwakar” (till moon and sun shine) clout in India whose name is synonymous with “Power”. Pawar like Howard has very little to offer to International cricket; in fact his only contribution to Indian cricket, if it can be called that, is to displace Jaggu (Jagmohan Dalmiya). That is of course as far as I know, and I stand corrected.
    For those who may be unaware of the Machiavellian nature of International cricket administration, may not know how this typically English game suddenly became the Goddess of the subcontinent. It was BCCI run by Jaggu who wrested this prized possession from the grasp of blissfully unaware and sleeping Lords; blissfully unaware of the potential explosion, if it could be taken to the commoners. Much-maligned Jaggu the Marwari, who can squeeze a dollar out of every cent in anyone’s pocket, sometimes even before it is earned,  is to be credited for supreme financial position BCCI has reached as one of THE richest sporting bodies in the world.  And by default ICC and ALL other cricket boards in the world are enjoying the fruits. ICC has been living a life of default for ages..that is the nature of the beast. Due to Jaggu crashing the Lord’s party in the Long Room, ICC had no choice but to set up a rotation policy where cricket board of EVERY full member country playing the game, would nominate President for a period of 2 years. Before this, every decision was taken at the behest of the England and Australian boards, who even had the veto power. Jaggu was the first “democratically elected” ICC President. For those interested in reading further, please read Graham Halbish’s biography “Run Out”, where he mentions about “Project Snow” to counter the alleged threat in 1997, from BCCI and other subcontinent boards to split the game on the basis of colour, if Dalmiya, who had more votes than Malcolm Gray of Australia, was not elected to the Presidency of ICC. Due to that rotation policy, better known in my book as “agree or loose our chaddis” democracy from the Lords, Sharad Pawar will be the ICC President from 2010 to 2012 and now, little Johnny will do the honour from 2012 to 2014. Sorry for the detour folks.
    There is though, one corollary to the above presumption that ICC will remain toothless for a long time. It can change, if BCCI itself decides to make ICC stronger! It will be effectively same as before with India being possibly a bigger partner at the table shared by England, Australia and perhaps SA. It will be interesting to see what Sharad Pawar does when he takes over. That can change the complexion of ICC and then Howard’s appointment can become meaningful. To my mind, that seems to be the only way forward for the English and Australian boards. Even if that happens, I can not see BCCI loosing its stranglehold on the money purse and power reins within the ICC; unless of course new members like China and USA tilt the balance away from BCCI. A distant possibility.
    That brings me to the Bombay duck and curry pies. Any one who takes up the top job of running cricket (heck, that is not correct, ICC ruins more than runs, but I will let that go to the keeper), will need to become extremely aware of the sensitivities of the subcontinent. No doubt little Johnny has the wherewithal to wheel and deal; it has been his life. But it will be an interesting challenge for him to adjust to the colour of cricket these days. Based on his performance as the Australian PM, one may be excused to doubt his ability to sit through a Bollywood show without cringing. Having said that, I have a feeling that he can adept to it because that was his only positive point. The only point of interest is, whether he will be a meek ICC President or try to impose as is his nature. As a part of previous British Commonwealth, sub-continent countries especially India, have developed a very sensitive skin to perceived racism. Earlier the population accepted that as norm and moved on. The current generation, having exorcised their demons have become very expressive and often, rightly or wrongly, tilt to the other extreme. In this climate, an obstinate personality like John Howard will face some very stiff challenges to convince the significant half of the ICC that he represents every one. I fully agree with Murlidharan, who once decided not to tour Australia after copping sledging from the then PM, John Howard, about his bowling action! People have long memories. Little Johnny may fancy himself as a bit of a spinner, but he may find himself eating a humble curry pie. I am not sure if he would like that..
    May be John Howard can bring something to the table; may be he can achieve as ICC chief what he could not do as a PM. A possibility, but can he, a staunch monarchist with strong conservative mindset (why is he called liberal?) rise above his prejudices? You know what, politics HAS bred stranger bed fellows than Pawar and Howard…

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  • Welcome

    Welcome to my Blog. And a big thank you in advance for giving your time to “listen” to my views on anything under the sun, but mainly the game of cricket. Till now I have bored my friends with my emails; till now I have benefited from their tolerance. So folks, here am I with my Blog..I can not promise to be unpretentious or tolerant at all times. However being aware of my frailties, I promise to try my best. Good thing is, I can accept both these vices from others, including an occasional abuse of English language. What is there in a language any ways? Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Australian all are welcome here as long as I can understand. So go on, join in a robust conversation..

  • There is God….and then there is Sachin!!

    My cup is full…no, no, it is running over! I have been lucky to see one of the finest symphonies ever to have been played on the cricket field. Tendulkar’s unbeaten double ton last night was not merely an incredible achievement being first ever in 39 years and 2961 ODIs played so far, but a real master class. The control with which he coaxed the ball in to the gaps was really seen to be believed. No words can describe the beauty of it. More than the milestone, I was awe-struck by sheer control, incredible placement and almost no violence in scoring at a break-neck speed. There are players who can bludgeon the ball (as Dhoni last night), or dominate the scene completely (a la Viv Richards’ unbeaten 189 at Old Trafford in 1984), or manufacture shots to befuddle the bowlers like Sehwag usually does, but only Tendulkar in the mood he was in yesterday, could have made bowlers and fielders feel totally helpless and still enjoy the spectacle. Even agreeing that the conditions were perfect for batting, the opponent was far from toothless. A look at his batting chart will reveal that he played strokes all round. What it will not reveal is how he evaded fielders specifically placed to stop his shots. The performance was so commanding that it was like a maestro playing a club side; just that the bowling attack he shred to pieces is one of the best in the business today.

    It was obvious that the bowlers could do little to stop him. Indeed the only lip any bowler could have given him was for running on the pitch like Dayle Steyn probably tried to; basically every thing the poor fellow tried had failed to disturb Tendulkar’s concentration and incandescent stroke play. When 145 km fast swinging yorkers outside the off stump are perfectly placed into midwicket gap to find the fence, and that too without violence, the bowler can only sigh. All pace bowlers, champions or otherwise, go through various steps of emotional expressions when they are bowling; a taunting smile, in-your-face frightening stare, a snarl, a tantrum, an ugly remark, kicking the invisible grass, pulling own hairs, shouting nasties at his own fielders, luck and even umpires. What I saw yesterday on the faces of Steyn and all SA bowlers was sheer tranquillity with a sense of inevitability after being dispatched to the fence. It was as if they were saying “Oh well, let us try again and hope that he gets tired or bored and gives his wicket away”. It was not helplessness; it was almost as if they were in a trance, having reached a state of Nirvana; an acceptance beyond pain. It was as if after midway through his innings, every ball bowled to Tendulkar was a “Prasad”, an offering to the God with sincere prayer that he will accept and make you a part of Himself…the innings was simply beyond all adjectives; in fact a new adjective “Tendulkar 200” would be an epitome of adjectives describing sheer beauty of batting..to me at least.

    Now to the record part. There are quite a few batsmen I can think of, who deserved the record of scoring first ever double ton in an ODI, but Tendulkar gave it a credibility it deserves. Just as Robin Jackman commented on air before Tendulkar crossed 194, that he had nothing against Charles Coventry of Zimbabwe being at the top of the tree in individual score list in ODI (did you know that??), but somehow Tendulkar’s name at the top makes more sense. Usually awards make recipients more creditable; however there are some people who make an award more creditable. e.g. a Nobel Peace Prize is poorer for not having Mahatma Gandhi on its roster. Batting record for highest ODI individual score was the same without Sachin’s name on it. As the legendary cricket record breaker of all times, Sunny Gavaskar (in late 80s, an Indian author actually published a small book on Gavaskar’s records!), used to say that all cricket records are meant to be broken. And this one shall be broken too…in due course. Hard to say when though, since this one took some time. But that will never diminish the lustre of this innings. After having been written off a few times in his career, the maestro showed to every one what he has evolved into. To bat through 50 overs after playing international cricket for 20 years at an “old” age of 36 (in cricketing sense) he was answering not only his detractors but also setting a bar for his much younger colleagues. I don’t envy the young wannabe Sachins, nor his detractors who do not have a place to hide today..

    The man is a genius, no one doubts that. What majority of fans miss is what goes on in that brain. He still possess that almost boyish love for the game. His passion still reminds me of that same baby-faced 14 year old I saw for the first time on Motibaug ground, Baroda (in 1987?) when he came with the Bombay team. We knew he was not going to make his debut; so we all went previous evening to see him bat in the nets. I remembered the same Sachin yesterday; same passion and love for the game, same hunger for runs. Age may have mellowed his swashbuckling style (ask Abdul Kadir who was carted for 3 sixes in an over even before Sachin had played any international game or Shane Warne of the 1997 “nightmares of Sachin coming at me”); but that is precisely where his his mastery lies..in not continuing a mono-dimensional approach to his game. His greatness is in his ability to adept his game to his advancing age. Here is a man who exactly knows how to maximise his talents under any adversity. I have seen many batsmen loosing their ability either due to age or psychological scars (like Krishnamachari Srikanth). What Tendulkar has displayed that needs to be understood and revered by every cricket fan, is his vice-like mind control. He has evolved a batting style that marries his body’s increasing limitations, his soul’s need (hunger for runs) and his team’s success. That is the work of a master!

    Another thing. I have a feeling that this symphony that we call Sachin is reaching a crescendo. His last 10 international centuries have come in 33 innings in last 12 months. It is almost as if he has picked up furious pace as he is approaching final destination; may be that will come at World Cup 2011 on the sub-continent. He seems to be focussed upon making the most of the available period before calling it quits. Mark my words folks, we are in for a treat! I still feel he will continue in Test cricket beyond 2011, till he sees new crop of Indian batsmen adjust internationally to help India maintain the top rank achieved after so much effort. I really believe he is that type of a player; a total team man for whom the team’s success means more than his own. My suggestion is don’t miss to watch the maestro every time you have an opportunity..or else “धुन्ध्ते रह जाओगे”  (for those who do not know Hindi: “you will keep searching for him”). Go Sachin, you little beauty!!

  • Is test cricket at night more sexy?

    Had India failed to win today’s test, there could have been numerous Indian journos asking why BCCI refuses to play test cricket under flood-lights. Well, there is some merit in that argument; Indians lost close to 55 overs yesterday due to bad light/rain and if flood lights were permitted, they could have put in some overs out of that. They came close to loosing an opportunity to square the series and stay on top of the ICC ranking. For now, at least, calls for BCCI to join in an attempt to search for flood-light solution to test cricket may not rise. Of all boards, BCCI has been talked about as an autocratic board which does not hesitate to milk Indian cricketers as cash-cows. But they some how are not falling in with other cricket boards on this issue. Call BCCI traditionalist or just bullish for not joining other cricket boards, especially two powerful lobbies in world cricket namely Cricket Australia and ECB who are very keen to play test cricket under flood-lights as early as within next two years. I don’t know why; but I don’t mind that decision. I am not arguing this only on emotion that test cricket should remain traditional. Do we really need test cricket to be played at night, is my question.

    Apparently it is argued that revenue from audience attendance for test cricket is diminishing and something needs to be done to attract the crowds back. Many administrators of the game seem to think that making test cricket a day-night affair will achieve that. They are convinced that this is the only way test cricket will survive. I am not sure about that. I believe economics of the game of cricket is based upon TV revenue more than audience attendance in stadium. It is a fact that any test series will make money if it is sufficiently attractive for subcontinent fans. More than 70% revenue from TV rights for any test series is generated by Indian corporates. Crowd attendance is hardly important. Now with ICC getting its fair share of cut from every TV deal and then sharing that revenue with ALL member associations, Indian corporates have become cash-cows for all cricket boards in the world. If there is sufficient interest on the sub-continent in a test series between any two nations, it will become a profitable proposition regardless of the number of spectators. I do not like that situation, but that is reality. And looking at some closely contested test series in recent times (Ashes in England, SA-Eng in SA, India-Australia, India-England and even India-NZ in NZ), audience have returned to test cricket, at least TV audience if not as much, at the venues. I believe that any series involving India, Australia, SA, England and Pakistan will make money regardless of number of spectators at the venue. Test cricket is alive and kicking; there could not have been a better example of that than today..

    However, the powers that be, are convinced that night cricket is the only way forward for test cricket to survive. As you know, white, red, pink, fluoro lime are a few colours  that have been trialled unsuccessfully. This season Cricket Australia trialled a pink ball in some representative games (Inter-state second eleven games). The results were hardly encouraging. The ball lost visibility after ~50 overs due to loss of colour. White ball which is used for ODIs have the same problem. Hence they introduced new rule recently to change the ball from 35th over every game. In test cricket ball is changed only after 80 overs unless it looses shape or is artificially damaged, a la Shahid Afridi. Which means, at some stage if someone comes up with a  night-friendly and long lasting coloured ball, we may see advent of test cricket under flood lights. I am not comfortable with that argument; one reason being, as mentioned above, there is no economic reason to do so.

    While I am not necessarily a traditionalist, I would still like to see test cricket being maintained as it is now. I love every new innovation introduced in cricket, like coloured balls and clothing and night ODIs and T20s. But test cricket is a pinnacle of skill and temperament of a player. It separates men from boys. It needs to be kept in its pure form.

    There is also another reason in my opinion, to maintain test cricket as such. Every human being has a biological clock within. You normally perform best at a certain time of the day and start loosing physical and mental power as night approaches. I think it would be very difficult to play test cricket under conditions when adrenalin starts to wane and body starts to loose its optimum power, concentration starts flagging. Granted that all international players are now used to maintain optimal level of concentration while playing day-night cricket, I am not convinced that they will be able to maintain peak performance for FIVE DAYS continuously in a test match.

    Additionally, drastic variation in playing temperatures from day (35°C) to night (20°C) can cause serious muscle/tendon injuries e.g. If a pace bowler has to start bowling at 9 pm after his batting is done, he may struggle to warm up the body sufficiently to be able to bowl at 150k without damaging muscles/tendons. It may be done after sufficient training regimes are devised, but I suspect the risk of injuries will be lot higher than at temperatures that do not vary significantly, especially when one has to exert for five consecutive days.

    One critical aspect of any competition is that the condition should remain relatively similar for both sides. I know conditions change from session to session in test cricket and champion sides learn to conquer that. However, if gripping the ball becomes an issue, I believe that is a significant and unfair change to the playing condition, that actually makes one side less competitive than the other. I am referring to a critical factor that will be encountered in night cricket; dew. Recently we have seen that the dew made ball very wet at night resulting in sides choosing to bowl first under day light even after winning the toss on a flat track.

    Test cricket is the ultimate test of a player and a team’s capabilities, skills and attitude; physical and mental. Conditions must be perfect for such an encounter. I believe night cricket will change that significantly so that environmental conditions will become more important than skill. As the late Vijay Merchant would say, that my dear sir, is not cricket.

    Care to share your Late Cuts?