How to get rid of Tendulkar and the other oldies

The issue which occupies any thinking Indian, an issue more important than the nuclear deal or much more worrying than rampant poverty is how to get rid of the seniors from the cricket team.

The fab-four, regardless to broad hints, refuse to make a graceful exist.Compounding their refusal is the reluctance of the grateful BCCI to wield the axe.

This leaves the onerous task of flushing the seniors out of the team to the fans. Fortunately for the Indian cricket fans, corporate India provides them a solution.

Corporate India, for the matter the corporate world has devised a sensitive way of getting rid of redundant employees. For instance, an indebted organisation creates a fresh Vice-President post and appoints these men to the post. By doing so, they achieve two objectives, one, getting rid of the employee and two, freeing the position for influx of fresh blood.

The Indian cricket fans should force the BCCI to adopt similar measures.

For example as recent as yesterday, Kohli a new inductee into the Indian team was voluble on the subject of sharing the dressing room with Tendulkar. This suggests a way to farm Tendulkar.

Make Tendulkar the coach of the Under-19 team. This will give the youngsters an opportunity to share the dressing room and gain from his experience.

BTW, we welcome similar suggestions for Laxman, Ganguly and Dravid.

This is exactly how we felt about umpiring

View this video in the context of the Sydney Test match and Clarke’s bump catch appeal.

Does Bucknor’s deserve our sympathy?

If you were to go by what he has to say in his defense, then it is assuredly a big whooping NO!

Here is what Bucknor says in his defense:

"To err is human, to forgive divine, as the old saying goes. However, I consider
it a sad day to see umpires sidelined after making only two wrong decisions out
of a record of 35 appeals."

He would have certainly gone up in my estimation if he had expressed remorse on making two erroneous decisions which changed the course of a Test match.

Furthermore, his capacity for self-delusion is astonishing. He is talking about 2 bad decisions, whereas by my count there were 4 bad decisions.

Undoubtedly, removing an umpire for making bad decisions is a bad precedent, but by portraying himself as man more sinned against than sinned; Bucknor reveals an unabashed aptitude for self-pity and a longing for sympathy.

Surely he does n’t deserve our sympathy?

BUCKNOR SHOULD HAVE RETIRED

"Former Test umpire Dickie Bird believes controversial official
Steve Bucknor has now 'gone on too long' and should retire."

He also added that "When you get to that age... I have said to
Steve, 'Don't go on too long, get out while you are still respected'. I think he
has gone on too long."

If only he had listened, he would had his reputation and respect he had earned intact.

David Shepherd on Technology and umpiring

David Shepherd contends technology is the only answer:

"'Technology has got to be used more,' Shepherd said. 'We are judged by technology and people have started thinking that the technology is better than the umpires. That's not true: on an lbw appeal, an umpire is better placed to judge whether the ball will hit the stumps. But perhaps the TV could help check whether there was an inside edge."

This is an opinion held by a large number of cricketers, fans and even administrators.

However it is incomprehensible why umpires still loath to use technology.

Cricket : R.I.P.

- 06/01/08