Yet another blame game and the 'foreigner' fixation

PCB officials have accused local curators of preparing 'lifeless' pitches.

"Naghmi said that the Board's top officials are
convinced that local curators are not competent enough to prepare the bouncy
wickets.
The Board is now planning to get 'foreign help' to prepare lively
tracks for the next season."

What makes us seek 'external solutions' when the fault lies with ourselves.

No matter how good a local curator, cricket administrators undermine them.It is a well known fact that in the subcontinent the 'liveliness' of the pitch is decided by the home team and the curators merely do their bidding.

So why blame the curators?

Smith set to Captain his 50 th Test.

Meanwhile Smith to reach a landmark.

Graeme Smith will captain South Africa for the
50th time at Test match level when he leads the Proteas in the first Test
against the West Indies at St George’s from Wednesday.

Can't make myself congratulate him. He as an individual and his team as a whole are the sort of uninspiring fellows, whom, on principle I love to hate.

Australia v India - the long and short of it

Some reassuring stats:

Laxman has 715 runs from 13 visits to the
crease. His first 5 innings in Australia yielded 54 runs; his last 8 innings,
661 runs@ 94.6 with 3 100's (178, 167, 148). Dravid - 735 runs from 16 inn;
first 7 inn yield 94; last 9 inn 641 @ 106.4 1 double century; Tendulkar - 1029
runs from 22 inn; first 4 inn yield 78; last 18 inn 951 @ 63.3 with 4 100's
including 1 double; Ganguly is the weak link with 461 runs from 12 inn @ 38.4
with 1 100 & two 50's.

Some disquieting stats:

Kumble is the only bowler who has played more
than 2 Tests in Australia. He played the 1999/2000 series taking 5 wkts @ 90,
then four years later returned to be the leading bowler and captured 24 wkts @
29.6. With regard to the rest of the bowling lineup - Zaheer Khan has taken 5
wkts @ 42.6, Irfan Pathan 4wkts @ 66.5, Harbhajan Singh 1 wkt @ 169 and RP Singh
& Irpal Sharma have not played as yet.

As we all know if our batsmen fail, the game is up. Sheesh!

Shoaib Akhtar -duplicity with gall

During the just concluded tour Shoaib Akhtar, tried to shed his bad boy image and project himself both as a team man and as a commercial viable celebrity. However, being Shoaib, his actions seeped duplicity.

As a step to establish his ‘team man’ image he was all diplomacy and tact. He went as far as to come out with ‘supportive’ statements about his team mates. Unfortunately, his insistence on playing even though he was recovering from an illness left his team a bowler short and crippled its effectiveness. Underneath his professed desire to play was the calculation that since Younis was unwilling he could swing the captaincy his way. Fortunately, the team management saw through his duplicity and let him play in order to expose his ‘fitness’.

Parallel to his play for the Captaincy, he was attempting to establish his commercial viability. His calculated attempts at visiting orphanages were nothing but a crass attempt to establish himself as a ‘caring’ and a ‘humane’ celebrity. Similarly his visits to the nigh-clubs were nothing more than an exercise at cultivating an image of ‘work hard and play harder’ celebrity.

The profile of a ‘humane’ and ‘caring’ celebrity who also ‘work harder and play harder’ is a much desired profile. By projecting himself so, Shoaib thought he could land some more juicy contracts and crown his exercise in duplicity by landing a role in a Bollywood movie.

Fortunately the Indian media excepting for the obligatory sound bites gave him a wide berth. Having failed to land the much desire Bollywood film Shoaib had to return to Pakistan vowing that from now he would focus on cricket.

However the lure to make quick bucks before his career implodes, has made Shoaib turn his attention to wooing the Australians.

Here is how he is wooing them.

Pakistan pace ace Shoaib Akhtar said if the curators
produced quick wickets, India stood almost no chance.

"They are
good on slow, dusty, lifeless wickets. But if Australia makes good fast pitches
where the ball has carry they have a huge chance of winning. I hope Australia
wins," Akhtar said in the wake of Pakistan's recent 1-0 series loss to India.

Undoubtedly a fair and balanced view but check out this ‘alteration of perception’.

"We did all right against them. We just did not have enough
match-winners to beat them, but Australia have the match-winners.

The well known fact was Pakistan just escaped being ‘white-washed’ in the series. Let us leave it at that for now and look at his attempt to pander to the Aussie media.

"What people are overlooking is the age of this Indian side.
Most of their batsmen are in their mid-30s. This age is not good to be playing
pace.

This undoubtedly is the ‘clincher’.

"Guys like Tendulkar, (V.V.S.) Laxman, Dravid, their
reflexes are not what they used to be."

When you contrast his statements in India with his current observations, it is clear that Shoaib has astounding gall which goes with his duplicity. Mercifully the Aussies are a pragmatic lot and can be trusted to give him the boot.

Moral ascendancy over Sri Lanka

As expected, England facilitated Sri Lanka's elevation to the third place in the ICC Test Championship rankings.

However, I take solace in the fact that “the teams placed second to fifth, with South Africa, Sri Lanka and fourth-placed India all on 109, only separated by fractions of a ratings point”.

I comfort myself by considering this as a 'moral ascendancy' over Sri Lanka.After all their lead is only 'fractional'.

How to save face?

Use innuendo and allege foul play.

"A day after the humiliating defeat to Punjab
in Mohali, the Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) Friday urged the BCCI to
minutely verify the video recording of the final day of the Ranji Trophy match.
OCA secretary Asribad Behera said he was surprised over the manner in which five
of the players were given out lbw. He too expressed surprise over V.R.V. Singh’s
haul of wickets, including a hattrick. Singh had failed to take one wicket in
the first innings of the match, he pointed out."

Obviously, introspection and taking remedial action are too laborious.

Dravid may not open

In all probability, the Aussies have freezed on a 4 prong pace attack. This can be made out from the fact that the Indians have junked the idea of Dravid partnering Jaffer.
Instead it will be Sehwag.

It appears that Virender Sehwag, the nowhere
man in Indian cricket till a week back, has been put on alert and he wasted
little time in rushing to the MCG indoor nets this afternoon to give himself
some serious workout against bowling machines.

I would say that it is a sound move. India is better served with Dravid at No.3.

What do you say?

Exhausted by Sri Lanka itinerary? Check out mine

To me the best part of a blog are the readers comments, I find them most edifying to say the least.

Typically a British blog is great place to get entertained. The bloggers come up with the most entertaining excuses for their teams failure and the readers leave equally entertaining comments.

Here is one by tigertwin :

"I'm astounded that we're talking about
punishing schedules. This has been a very short tour, as these days they tend to
be. Whilst there's an issue of finding form, surely they can't be overly tired.
I'm just back in blightly after watching the first 2 Tests with in between
scurrying madly around the country by train to see as much as we could. And I
can't believe that Michael Vaughan's men were required to drink in the Bar
Royale, Kandy, until 5am as we were.
All that, an 11 hour flight home, a
four hour drive back up north, a wedding and appropriate celebrations and I've
managed to go back to work and do everything required of me. I can't see why
England haven't done the same."

Good one tigertwin- keep them coming.

Indians are ready - Gilchrist

From the cacophany of voices coming out from Australia, I always considered Gilly as a voice of reason.

"And he has warned Australia's fast bowlers not to
assume bowling short will bring about the downfall of one of the world's best
batting line-ups."

Glad to hear it Gilly- was getting worried over the mixed messages coming out of Australia.Be assured, you have one Indian as your fan.

Australia is disintegrating

That's the impression this 'war of words' creates.

 

"FORMER leg-spin bowling great Shane Warne has launched a withering attack on Australian cricket administrators, saying an Arrogant mindset'' could see the game's current No.1 team headed for a fall."

 

There is a palpable fear in Australia that they are at the verge of  disintegrating and one solitary defeat can send it tottering over the precipice.

 

If it is to happen, then India has to take the lead in providing the momentum.

 

Even if India manages to cut open one wound in this series, it will embolden other teams to bring Australia to its knees. 

 

 

 

 

 

18th lowest score in Test Match history

Update: David Barry of Pappus' plane has made it his life mission to keep an eagle eye on all cricketing facts has pointed out an error. He says :

It's the 18th lowest score by
England in Test history. It's the 89th lowest overall.- David Barry

David, thanks for taking the time out and folks I stand corrected.

England are dismissed for 81 in 30.5 overs - their lowest-ever score against Sri Lanka and if I am not mistaken it is the 18 th lowest score in Test Match history.

Now let us hear the reasons- nay- excuses.

Tour games - Blame the players

The current itinerary with the lack of tour or should we call them 'practice matches' has been a matter of heated debate. Since the BCCI is the favourite whipping boy, everyone has vented their spleen on them for reducing them to nothing.

 

However when you take a look at these statistics; they start right from our 1947-48 tour to the 2003-04 tour, you are left wondering whether the BCCI should be blamed.

 

                              Played  Won  Lost  Drawn

 

Total:                       31         8       11      12

 

It is obvious that our cricketers have reduced these games to an extended net practice and have consistently failed to use these matches to establish an early dominance over their opponents.

 

Recognizing the fact that our players consider these matches to be a chore the BCCI has fallen in step with their wish and reduced the number of these 'charades'.

 

So why blame the BCCI when the fault lies with our players?

 

 

 

2007: the year that was

It is that time of the year folks to sit back and ruminate.As far as I am concerned nothing can top the exhilaration of winning the Twenty20 World Cup. It is natural then that all my savoured moments come from the event.

Here are my picks for the moment(s) of the year.

1. Misbah scooping the ball to Sreesanth (T20 WC Final)
2. Yuvi's 6 sixes of the hapless Stuart Broad
3. Sreesanth pounding the pitch with his hands after Hayden's dismissal ( T20 WC SF)
4. 'Bowl-out' against Pakistan
5. Dhoni holding aloft the T20 World Cup

What are your favourite moments?

Play spin well and prove your mettle

I like this man Partha Rajagopal. He dares the Aussies (and the S.Africans) to

Play spin well and show your mettle. Then it will
become apparent that teams are world champions only when the conditions suit
them.

I find myself in full agreement with him. This is a more practical suggestion than the 'handicap' formula. Let Australia prepare spinning tracks and prove themselves World Champions.

I can see detractors sharpening their knives and ready to spew out statements about Australia's last tour to India- wait - remember they won a Test match on a seaming and pacy pitch at Mohali.

Seriously, this is a suggestion worth examining and at the very least it can make matches between Australia and other teams more interesting.

And now fatigue

Trust England to come up with excuses.

Want to know why they dropped catches - they played three Test matches in as many weeks.

Damn tiring work.

Tait - 'he doth protest too much'

Tait calims he saw chucking claim coming.

"It didn't really worry me at all,' Tait said.
'It was going to be one of those things that was going to come at some point in
my career and then disappear, just looking at Brett Lee and Shoaib
Akhtar."

Unfortunately, Tait has identified himself with the wrong company.There are enough detractors including Lillee who had called for Lee's action to be monitored.

About Shoaib Akthar, the less said the better. He gets most of his wicket taking 'spells' by chucking.

If Taits intention was to clear himself of these allegations, then this is a wrong ploy.

I say, monitor Tait, me thinks 'he protests too much'.

Hogg - will he wash?

The heat is on. Yesterday, Kumble took on the Australian bowling and poked imaginary holes.
Bhajji joined the party and had a go at Hogg.

Obviously, Ponting is not the sort to take it lying down. So here he is giving it as good as he got.

Unfortunately, Ponting seems to have lost sight of the fact that ODI's and Test cricket are as different as 'dosa' and 'idlly'.

We have seen players finding it difficult to make the transition from ODI's to Test match cricket. Michael Bevan is a prime example.

Hogg's ODI success is a good indicator, but will he make a effective Test match bowler?

Are we worthy opponents?

At times I have wondered whether I have hyped up the upcoming series.

 

Australia's has an invincible look about them and more than their aura their record overwhelms my optimism. In my somewhat lucid moments J I have often considered toning down the hyperbole.

 

However my doubts have been set to rest by Golandaaz.

 

Golandaaz in an excellently reasoned post Underdogs Down Under contends "Reality is India is a vastly worthy competitor to Australia than what the Australians would like to admit."

 

Undoubtedly it is music to my ears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A common ground

Immigrants from Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa and the West Indies battle it out on any given weekend in Tom Bass Regional Park, flexing their national pride.

But then why do they play?

"The point is, there is a common culture among all these players and that is
cricket," said Itty Abraham, professor of government and Asian studies at the
University of Texas at Austin. "It doesn't matter where you come from."

Unfortunately, the game is still being played by the first generation immigrants and the more recent ones. Their children take no interest and very few of them play cricket.

"All these 300 men are probably first generation and it's not going to be taken
up by the next generation, it's not going to be adopted by the children," said
Sharmila Rudrappa, a University of Texas sociology professor who specializes in
South Asian immigration. "This cricket popularity is going to be quite dependent
on new arrivals coming here all the time."

A common ground in danger?

More Google users interested in cricket

Cricket has upstaged Paris Hilton and the iphone.

 

"If the world's interests can truly be encapsulated by the end-of-year Google Zeitgeist rankings, then perhaps it's time for the media to re-evaluate its priorities as British sports appear to outrank some American celebrities."

 

Can we say that cricket is gaining popularity?

 

 

 

 

 

Four pronged pace attack!

The inclusion of Tait signals that Australia is considering the 'four pronged pace attack' strategy seriously.

 

Here is the team:

 

Ricky Ponting (c), Adam Gilchrist (vc), Phil Jaques, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, Brad Hogg, Michael Clarke. 

 

Either Hogg or Tait could be the 12 th man, but my assumption is, it is going to be Tait in the team.

 

Are we ready for some chin music?

 

 

 

 

 

I want England to win

I was looking forward to Sri Lanka wiping the series clean. For, if there is one team I hate to see winning, it is England.

Eventhough England managed to avoid a defeat in the second Test, the third test starts with Sri Lanka heavily favored to close the series 2-0.

However, the fact that if Sri Lanka wins the series, they become No.2 in Test rankings, has me rooting for England.

The very thought of Sri Lanka as No.2 in Test cricket rankings is simply indigestible.

What do you say?

Do you believe India can win the series?

The way the series is structured, we haven’t given ourselves a fair chance.

India will have just the one full day to acclimatise before beginning their lone
warm-up clash from Thursday - a three-day affair against Victoria at the
Junction Oval - ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

Traditionally, it has been our batsmen who have taken time to adjust and more often than not we have lost the series on account of their sheepish batting. However this time, my hope rests on our batting. Our middle – order is a phalanx of experienced players who have a point to prove. The likes of Yuvraj snapping at their heels will provide them sufficient motivation to be at their best from day one.

However our bowling is a different story. Our main man is coming back from injury without any match practice. The rest of the supporting casts are raw and most probably naive. They could be easily seduced by the relatively fast Australian pitches and spray the ball around.

Our only functioning weapon is Kumble. His elevation as a Captain and his grit should see him perform well. Bhajji unfortunately has lost the ability to bamboozle the batsmen and take wickets in a heap. His occasional ‘wickets’ is in no way helping India’s cause.

Adding to my self-doubts has been our past performances in Australia.

India have never clinched a Test series in Australia since their maiden visit
there in 1947-48. They have won just four of their 32 Tests Down Under.

Now that you know why I am pessimistic, what is your take; does India have a fair chance?

I am Off

I am off to Kerala , God's own country, for a wedding:

I just could'nt pass this opportunity to see the lush paddy fields and the promise of an excellent 'sadhya' was as good a reason as any to take a break.

Be back with you all on Tuesday.

Tait’s action is tainted!

Tait is a ‘chucker’ moans the Kiwis.

THE powder keg of throwing allegations has been lit under Friday's
Chappell-Hadlee Trophy opener after revelations the New Zealand cricket team has
privately questioned the legitimacy of Australian fast man Shaun Tait's
action.

No wonder the Kiwis are flightless.

Will the schedule help India?

It will says Steve Waugh:

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh feels a favourable schedule can work to
India's advantage when they tour Down Under for a four Test series starting
later this month. Waugh said India had a “pretty good” programme with two of the
Tests taking place at spin friendly venues in Adelaide and Sydney.

“They have got a pretty good draw really,” Waugh said. “I think
there is some hope (of an Indian victory) because they are playing at two
spinner friendly venues, Adelaide and Sydney. They will have three good spinners
in their squad and that will give them the chance to take 20 wickets”.

I think more than the bowlers this schedule will help our batsmen acclimatize to the Australian pitches.

What do you feel, will this schedule help our batsmen or bowlers?

Will India become No 2?

There is a real chance that India can leapfrog to No.2 in the ICC Test rankings.

Take a look :

1. Australia - 143 points.

2. England - 111 points.

3. South Africa – 109 points

4. India – 107 points

In all probability England is heading to a series loss in Sri Lanka.

Can someone tell me the effect of a series win over Pakistan?

Olympics -Cricket gets provisional recognition

Cricket has taken the first step on the long road to inclusion in the Olympic programme by winning provisional recognition status and we could see cricket as a regular event as early as the 2020 Olympics.

If it were to happen, then the Olympics will replace the World Cup as the most prestigious event and the problem of plenty comes into play.

As the other events will also have to be played,the focus will then turn on how to keep the players fresh and in peak condition for the Olympics and much thought has to be given on how to reduce the amount of cricket.

Another issue -which version of cricket will be ideal- will require further examination.

Though at the moment the details are sketchy, I assume that Test match cricket would be the one to be showcased. However, I ruefully admit that I would prefer watching the 50 over game at the Olympics.

Which one would you like to see at the Olympics, Test match cricket, the ODI’s or the T20’s ?

Sehwag- is he a gamble worth taking?

Sehwag’s savagery and Jaffer’s finesse would have been enough to drive the Aussies up a wall and if the two were to tango together, the other Indian batsmen could swim in their slipstream. Any day they would have been my first choice as openers.

Unfortunately, Sehwag’s current form has been patchy and the fact that he has not been given an opportunity to re-establish himself in Test cricket has added to my confusion. However, with the Aussie tour escalating into a defining moment for India, I think it is a gamble.

The question is, is it a gamble worth taking?

‘common sense’ and ‘revision’- An English Drama

The outrage sparked by Pietersen’s dismissal and calls for “a revision of the way technology is used in international cricket” and Vaughan’s supercilious “the umpires should have used common sense” should be considered as nothing more than a drama

It is typical of the English to behave as if the sky had fallen and by simulating outrage they have managed to shield Pietersen from censure.

SIX AND OUT- Dinnie's brew

Around the (cricket) world in 10 seconds – Where she brews a heady mix of the latest cricketing action from around the world.

Paradise Lost?

Jayanta Basu mourns the loss of his cricketing paradise and starts his Ode thus:

 

When he saw a packed Eden Gardens for the first time in 1972, English cricket writer E.W. Swanson was reminded of something a young army officer said about the war from which he had just returned: "The noise and the people!"

 

He goes on to list its fall from grace.

 

To me the Eden Garden was externally beautiful but internally flawed. It exhibited all that is ugly in a petulant child.

 

What is your feeling about the Eden Gardens?

 

 

 

 

A more relaxed 'stiff upper lip' at MCC.

The MCC is contemplating relaxing its dress code.

 

Mr Brearley, a former England captain, believes that it is no longer necessary for members to wear a jacket and tie in the Pavilion.

 

My question, will it change the fortunes of the English cricket team?

 

 

Peter Moores snobbery…. sorry insights

Soren Kiergaard:

"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought
which they seldom use."

England coach Peter Moores:

We have to be a bit more savvy, a bit more streetwise and find different ways of
attacking," said Moores. "In the first innings you can use swing and seam but
the second innings is a bit more sub-continent and you have got to find ways to
deliver under these conditions if you are going to win.

Guess Soren Kiergaard got it right the first time.

Any idea how much Peter Moores is paid for these insights?

Check out these two words, savvy and streetwise. They are used in the sense that to play in the Sri Lanka or for the matter in the Indian subcontinent you need oriental cunning, which is of course beneath an Englishman.

Wish Sri Lanka whips these snotty English b…s 3-0!

BANGALORE TEST- DAY I-MORNING SESSION

For the latest more erudite and insightful updates go to SOULBERRY:


BACK OF THE ENVELOPE OBSERVATION ON THE INDIA-PAKISTAN TEST SERIES


This match will end in 4 days.

The pitch is playing low and any ball which is bowled in line is bound to take a wicket.

Batsman have to play on the front foot. The incoming ball is going to sound the death knell for batsmen.

LBW's and Bowled is going to be the order of the day.

If India wins it is going to be on the back of Kumble bowling.

By winning the toss Kumble has ensured that Pakistan have to bat really well in the fourth innings to win.

Bound to be an absorbing contest.

Unconvinced by Dravid's aggressive batting. Something is missing. Looks like his mind is elsewhere.

Prior spouts nonsense… sorry… gyan

Prior batted two-and-a-half hours in England's second innings and faced 64 balls from Muralitharan and as a result, he has become the resident expert on Muthiah Muralitharan.

"You have to be so watchful against Murali," said Prior. "I tried to have a
lot of energy in my footwork. If you go forward, be positive and if you go back,
be positive. Where you get stuck is if indecision creeps in and you don't really
go back or forward, hang your bat out and bring the close fielders into play.
Although you're looking to keep out the good balls, the other important thing is
that if you do get a bad ball you must put it away. You don't want to get into a
position of blocking half-volleys."

What rot! If only it was this simple. If these dumb asses still persist in reading him off the pitch, they are always in danger.

Wish someone would shut him up.

Symonds-Sreesanth title fight postponed.

An injured Sreesanth has deflated the anticipation of a good skirmish down under.

Former Australian firebrand Rodney Hogg spoke
for most when he described theloss of Sreesanth as a major blow for India - and
Australian spectators.

Hogg, one of the game's more colourful
characters, joked the spatbetween Symonds and Sreesanth could have been
cricket's equivalent of a titlefight.

Personally, the anticipation of watching Laxman and Sachin take the Australian bowling apart and Sreesanth’s theatrics had me salivating and now the thrill is there but the edge is missing.

Has Sreesanth’s injury spoiled your appetite?

Is it the end of Indian sorcery?

Bob Simpson writes:

The tragedy for world cricket would be for all the countries to adopt
Australia’s coaching methods and philosophy. Sure, there is much good in
Australian coaching, but I don’t want to see other teams in the world as clones
of Australian cricket.

The beauty of world cricket has always been
the contrasting styles and flavours of the various cricketing nations. Right
now, unfortunately, much of those traditional charm and character is fast
disappearing from the stage of world cricket. The West Indies are a classic
example as they are only a pale shadow of a great cricketing nation they once
were.

Aren’t we following the Australian path? Does it mean the demise of our ‘wrist play’ and ‘spinning fingers’?

Channel Nine takes viewers closer to the cricketers

Another innovation from Channel 9:

In a world first for cricket coverage, several Australian players will wear
Global Positioning System vests during next week's Twenty20 international
against New Zealand at the WACA Ground. By doing so, Nine will be able to
telecast data, including players' heart rates, and the distances they cover and
speeds they reach during a match.

The move will advance the link
between Twenty20 cricket and television innovation. Nine has used past Twenty20
internationals to test new technology and ideas, including boundary interviews
with players, which have since been incorporated into Test and one-day
coverage.

I ask, why the sexual discrimination? Include the busty cheers leaders,dammit.

Australians overawed by India’s aggression.

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

The Australians are finally accepting, at least to themselves, that the Indian aggression is getting to them.

Otherwise, why would they take lessons?

Having sampled India's new-found aggression during the recent one-day cricket
series, Australians are taking lessons from a leadership guru, who would help
the new faces not be overawed during the upcoming Test series.

Whohoo! This is something the Aussies will find hard to live down.

Kirsten- will he deliver?

Kirsten, the coach designate, is making all the right noises.
"The players are more important than the coach or the administrators and if they aren't happy with the working conditions or the staff then there's no point carrying on," he said.

However, having seen one who was all sound and fury and capped his tenure by running away, I am have become sceptical of people who deliver the mumbo-jumbo with ease.

All things considered,I have a sneaking admiration for Kirsten for the methodical manner he went about arriving at his decision. Even his hesitancy,because of rumours that the 'seniors' were unhappy, shows a man who wants to be clear and also make his position clear.

Nevertheless, the question persists, will he deliver?

A triangular love story

Whatmore will be more effective as a coach, writes Makarand Waingankar:

The irony is that Whatmore has hardly any experience of running an academy which
Kirsten as a High Performance Manager does. Kirsten’s background would have
benefited the NCA more than the Indian team.

Whatmore suits the role of India’s coach to a tee and Kirsten suits the NCA job; however, the seniors want Rajput to continue

Indeed, a triangular love story straight out of Bollywood.

Sidhu makes sense- barely

Sidhu on Vengsarkar’s resignation drama:

Sidhu said selectors should be appointed in the same way as the Supreme Court
judges.

"There should be no place of regionalism during the
process as the selectors represent the nation and not the regions," he said.

It has been a constant refrain from many forward thinking cricketers that the selectors should be chosen not for their regional allegiance, but for their ability to assess and select players to represent the country.

Needless to add this has been trotted out innumerable times to no avail.

Will someone bell the cat?

Murali will have arthritis in his old age

Watch this video clip in full. It is unintentionally hilarious.




Hat Tip: Mark Goodacre

Ban cricket!!!

Syed Mansoor Hussain writes tongue firmly in cheek:

I have come to the conclusion after considerable thought that the whole idea
behind the emergency was to prevent the people of Pakistan from becoming fully
aware of the humiliation of our cricket team expected at the hands of the
Indians.

He also calls for cricket being banned (televised) because:

The new laws governing the media suggest that all activities that bring a bad
name to Pakistan, the administration and its functionaries and are bad for the
morale and the morals of the people of Pakistan and could incite them to
violence should not be portrayed in any fashion by the media. From the time of
our fateful loss to Ireland and the demise of our coach, Pakistan cricket
fulfils all these criteria.

An interesting hypothesis, however I am unable to come to any conclusion on the Pakistan team’s performance. Is it good, bad or pathetic?

Vengsarkar offers to quit- I say good riddance.

In another display of petulance, Vengsarkar offers to resign only to be convinced to continue by Pawar.

His continued intransigence is proving tiresome and reflects badly on the BCCI’s decision making capacity.

It is high time Vengsarkar realizes that he is dispensable and Indian cricket is better served without a vacillating personality as the Chairman of Selectors.

If the man wants to leave, let him go, why should he be convinced to stay?

What do you say?

Murali – more dominating than Bradman

RICHARD BOOCK - Sunday Star Times:

If Murali manages to realise the 1000-wicket dream or even get close to it,
surely he'll then deserve to be remembered as the game's greatest player; more
dominating than The Don or W.G., more influential than Sobers or the three Ws,
and a much bigger match-winner than any of the 80s all-rounders Ian Botham,
Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee or Kapil Dev.

He also asks us to enjoy him as he is

above all else, he is the once-in-a-100-year flood, the biggest phenomenon to
hit the game since Bradman wandered in from the sticks in 1928, and maybe the
biggest ever.

Readers, I leave the floor to you with my assurance that expletives will not be expunged.

It is a disgrace.

The way in which we treat Azhar is a disgrace.

Yesterday, Azhar, accompanied by chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar and some top
CAB officials, had casually walked over to the Indian team's dressing room
overlooking the ground, exchanging a round of pleasantries with Murali Kartik
and a few others.

That was when the ICC's Anti-Corruption and
Security Unit officer at the match, former CBI stalwart NS Virk, politely asked
Azhar to step aside and stay away from interacting with the players at the
ground when the match was on.

Granted he is accused of being a part of ‘match fixing’ and from all accounts seemed to have facilitated quiet a few, however, this is in no way to treat him.

The CAB should have ensured that Azhar has been made aware of his limits or the ICC should have been less ham handed in handling the breach.

If you consider him a person-non-grata, then why invite him at all?

A Golden era for the Proteas ?

Mike Wills writes:

South African cricket is experiencing a
Dickensian moment, simultaneously the best of times and the worst of times and
adds that a potentially golden era for the Proteas is in the
offing.

It is amazing how virtually all teams are suffused with optimism at the start of a season. Unerringly the season ends in shambles for most of them, with Australia being the exception as always.

The Strange case of Gilly’s ball.

An editorial in the Herald Sun says

A STRANGE game of keepings-off is being played between a Melbourne sports fan
and Cricket Australia.

At the centre of the struggle is the ball that
Adam Gilchrist hit out of Hobart's Bellerive Oval against Sri Lanka to become
the first man to hit 100 Test sixes.

It goes on to conclude that

The ball should be Gilly's or, better still, be donated to the new National
Sports Museum at the MCG.

This does not make sense. The spectator has as much right as a player to keep the ball.

We have often been a witness to the crassness of players who grab the stumps as memorabilia. Whenever I see that, the first thought which comes to my mind is that they are gathering them to sell it off later.

In the context of the editorial and the recurring sight of players making off with the stumps, balls and what not,I ask, if players can get away with it, why not a spectator?