The Indian Premier League – An English reaction

Browsing the web I was intrigued to find that an Indian domestic Twenty 20 competition should dominate headlines in England – but then this isn’t just another Twenty20 competition.
With headlines like ‘ECB must stop Twenty20 becoming road to India’ and 'Cricket in turmoil as IPL puts future of Tests in doubt', the doomsayers are plenty for a country already renowned for their ability to whinge and complain.

Quotes such as:
Money has done a lot of talking. Couldn't be better? Don't believe it. The game is hurtling towards a crossroads and not only might it struggle to know which way to turn, it might also have little choice in the matter. One country, India, is setting the pace and plotting the direction.
India is dictating where world cricket should go. This has been a fear of English cricket for a long time and for years before the IPL. A group of countries should never dictate terms and this is what the subcontinent will do. Heaven forbid that a core group of countries (India and the subcontinent) dictate to other countries (England and Australia) what should happen in World cricket.

This train of thought continues:
Vibrant though the game might be in three countries – England, Australia and India – there are profound concerns that most of the power, influence and, crucially, money will all belong to India.

Cricket is a democratic game and no single country or group should every wield power over the others. This will be akin to a key group of countries dictating and determining the direction of the world game. Not in a game like cricket.
Of course this was never a worry in the 80s when England and Australia dominated World cricket. When Lords was the seat of all cricketing power and the head of the ICC was ruled by the colonial rules of the game. When the subcontinental ‘colonies’ towed the line and were but mere pawns in the game.

There is even thought so far to thing that the IPL will foresee the end of test cricket:
Test cricket, the blue riband version of the game, is under impending threat. In six of the 10 countries where it is played, it is virtually unwatched most of the time by live audiences, while in a seventh, Zimbabwe, it has not been played for almost three years and may never be again.
Obviously this is the fault of the IPL and Indian cricket. Let’s evaluate the health of cricket in the test playing countries.

• Zimbabwe – even in the healthiest of conditions Zimbabwe cricket is the least of the worries for the former Rhodesia. I doubt any damage the IPL could do could surpass that already done.
• West Indies – leave Test cricket, any cricket is struggling to stay afloat in the former powerhouse of world cricket mainly due to their own undoing. If anything, the IPL may revive some interest in the game. Of course, the money involved could never be compared with but if nothing else young West Indians may revert back to cricket in a hope to get to the IPL and in turn produce some stars for West Indies cricket.
• Bangladesh – I would venture to guess that when they could most Bangladeshis would watch their team – be it Test match or One Day international. The game may not be thriving but then cricket is in its infancy in Bangladesh. With no Bangladeshi players involved in the IPL, the impact on cricket in Bangladesh may be as great as a couple of Bangladeshi players lifting their game to be picked for the IPL – surely that couldn’t hurt their test chances.
• New Zealand – In this rugby mad country, cricket is merely an interruption to proceedings. Except for a group of cricketing tragics, cricket does not form the core sporting appetite and will never have the following that it garners in other parts of the world. While there have been several defections to the rebel ICL league, the IPL mainly has retired cricket stars and with the seriousness afforded to Test cricket in New Zealand as it is, the IPL’s impact may be a major as making a few of the players a bit heavier in their bank balance.
• Sri Lanka – Any form of cricket is followed with a passion in Sri Lanka and with their recent test win in the Carribean things can only look brighter for the longer form of the game. As with most subcontinental countries, the passion for cricket in Sri Lanka is such that the IPL will never eclipse thje love for the national game.
• Pakistan – Heading down the Zimbabwe route, the fact that cricket even rates a mention is a surprise and the only escape from the harsh realities of the country. With the recent ban of Shoaib Akhtar the road for the revival of Pakistan cricket seems rather long. Any damage the IPL does will be far outweighed by the damage already done to the national game from a combination of the Pakistan Cricket Board and current and former players.
• Australia – Cricket will always be strong in Australia and the pride in the national team can never be overshadowed by anything as trivial as the IPL.
• India – Any cricket be it trivial will be swallowed by the Indian cricket fan and the appetite for cricket knows no satiety in that one form of cricket will never overshadow another in India. While the IPL may be hugely popular, the intensity of an India-Australia Test series can never be outmatched by an IPL game.
• England – English cricket is a game run by those from a bygone era with gentleman donning their whites and sipping their tea with a crumpet or two. The launch of Twenty20 cricket was in fact in England where it was treated as a circus predating the real proceedings. The traditions and roots of colonial times are never to be questioned. With all due respect to English cricket, crowds are not drawn to local games due to the quality and formats used. A revamp may be required in English cricket, but the IPL is not even remotely the instigator for this change. At least with the IPL, English players may get a chance to play cricket rather than sit in the rooms while the rain pours down…

The fear of the unknown and something new (especially from the former colonies and the east) has gripped English cricket. Kerry Packer’s World Cricket was viewed differently as it wasn’t stemmed from the East.

The basis for the fear is ‘a local competition that draws international players from Test playing countries for sums of money’. Inconceivable? I can think of one such competition that has been running for years with no impact to the global game – County Cricket… but then that’s English.

Cricket Wrap-Up - India vs South Africa Test 1, New Zealand vs England

A very good friend of mine had been kind enough to share his views on the recently concluded New Zealand - England cricket series and the ongoing India-South Africa cricket series. I'd like to thank him for sharing some of his views and insights into the series.

India vs South Africa
India versus South Africa - great test match. Good on Sehwag with 319, and a pity he didn't get closer to Brian Lara's record. That must be some battingwicket, because everybody is scoring good runs. However, I think SouthAfrican bowling attack came back well on 4th day, and it headed to a draw. Could'nt see a result. There is very little in both teams - both on top of game. I think South Africa will get better as Test series goes on, so India will need to be at their best. I am picking South Africa win this test series. They have the all round package, unless Kumble and Harbhajan Singh can tweak some magic.

New Zealand vs England
The ultimate difference between the New Zealand cricket test team andEngland cricket test team is that their batsmen went on to make 100's. There is a mental block in New Zealand batsman to go and get a bigscore, and over 100. Only Taylor may 120 in Hamilton, and I think he has a lot of class. Fleming always looks the goods but never goes on wtih it, Jamie How is a good prospect - plays like a test bastman, and sadly Matthew Sinclair and Matthew Bell are all at sea in their games at the moment. Vettori, in the last three years, after Mark Richardson has been our best batsman and he bats at number 7.
Never really fan of Geoffrey Boycott as a batsman, but in a test match,like Dravid you dig in, work at your game, and try to score a 100. I thought Monty Panesar bowled a really teasing line and New Zealanders and they did not know how to play him too well. Played across the line, and got out, and didn't read him too well. Now, we are off to England, and that is going to be a great test series, but you've got to say England looks the favourites.

Team India 2.0

India have won the Commonwealth Bank series by comprehensively outplaying Australia in both games of the finals series – beating the top ranked team in the world in their own backyard. What is more they have completed their victories in a thoroughly professional manner putting to rest all the demons and controversy off the field.

Actions speak louder than words and in the end it was this young Indian side led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni that let their bats and the ball do all the talking – in fact the ball really talked in the hands of Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma.

A fairytale ending to the series for a young Indian side missing it’s superstars – barring Tendulkar, written off before the series even began and coming back to stun the World Champions and not only win but do so with style. Less than six months ago, this young Indian team was lifting aloft the World Twenty-20 final – which spurred amongst other things the Indian Premier League but more importantly a new era in Indian cricket.

Kudos to the players and coaching staff – but also to the selectors for retaining their faith in youth and moving forward with the transition to a core team for the next world cup. Indian cricket looks to be in good hands with no shortage of players having also just won the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.

But with Indian cricket, one never knows – for there are countless players who burst onto the world cricket stage only to disappear out of even state cricket into retirement and beyond…never to return.
Let’s hope this isn’t the beginning of the end.

It's Just Not Cricket

The last decade has been a turbulent one for World Cricket – with the dizzying highs of England’s Ashes triumph to the shocking lows of the match fixing saga…

But that was all behind us… Twenty 20 cricket had smashed its way on to the world stage with a World Cup tournament second to none. And after the fiasco that was the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, it was a welcome change to have a global tournament where supporters would be praying for their team to win and not to ensure there wasn’t an electricity cut! – As an aside kudos to South Africa cricket for organising such a fantastic world cup. They did it with the 2003 world cup and have followed suit with the Twenty 20. This would support a very strong case for the next football (soccer for any Americans out there…) world cup to be staged in Africa.

Just as normal service seemed to have resumed in the cricket world today, a new interruption occurs – a Racism row in an India-Australia series. The immediate reaction to a statement like this has always been ‘What have the Aussies done now?’ (Unfortunately, there have been several incidents where they have lacked indiscretion and insensitivity when it comes to other cultures – a la Dean Jones and Darren Lehmann). But they seemed to have learnt from the past or maybe it was all that time Brett Lee spent singing with Asha Bhosle!

This time around, the Aussies are on the receiving end – to be more precise; one Aussie – Andrew Symonds. The claims are that he was subjected to monkey noises and taunts as he came out to bat by the crowd – most recently in Mumbai. There have been some culprits identified but no real action taken - herein lies the issue. Not that there was some childish, ignorant idiot in the crowd doing what he thought was a lot of fun, but that this issue has not been nipped in the bud (of course it doesn’t help that there are players in the team that instigate and promote such reckless behaviour). What is most appalling is that the BCCI proudly states that they have not complied with the ICC ruling to appoint a racism commissioner to stamp out this behaviour in the game. The reason; India is too big. Surely a board that is supposed to manage all aspects of cricket in India can find a way. Further, Mr Niranjan Shah, Secretary of the BCCI, argues for Symonds to prove that he was subjected to abuse. Surely, Mr Shah, that is what the board should do!

Here’s something for Mr Niranjan Shah and the BCCI to ponder:

Have every cricket board appoint a racism commissioner for their state – this should not just combat racial abuse at visiting international teams but at state teams as well. World articles talk about the caste issue in India but that is not as prevalent as something more dangerous – the state bias; South versus North; State vs State.

Have an overall chief commissioner present at every international series akin to the match umpire.

Impose strict bans and fines on improper crowd behaviour – it may mean that security actually have to work for a living rather than watch the game but then…

Of course this will cost money (that the BCCI has in bucketfuls – gold bucketfuls) and it will take a lot of process and paperwork (which the BCCI also already has). But before any of this, the BCCI has to take the matter seriously. This is NOT something that can be brushed aside and must be dealt with swiftly!

This is one occasion where the issue of racism must be stamped out immediately without partiality – it has no place today – either in the game or our day to day lives. Most importantly, it puts a damper on what is still perceived to be a gentleman’s game - it's just not cricket!

The ICC wise men - Part 1

Recently, the International Cricket Council formed a cricket committee to look at all matters cricket. At their recently concluded two day meeting in Dubai, numerous recommendations were unleashed on to the unsuspecting public. All designed to rekindle interest and better cricket all the world round.

Firstly, the issue of ball tampering reared it’s ugly head. The list of unfair or unpermitted actions included:

• Deliberately throwing the ball into the ground to rough it up.
• Applying any non-artificial substance for the purpose other than to polish the ball.

How the umpires are meant to discern that the actions are deliberately to change the condition of the ball is beyond me. What if a fielder drops the ball on the ground, is that now deliberate or uncoordination? Fielders in the outfield often throw bump balls to ensure the ball gets to the stumps or fielders. Do fielders with weak arms now get penalised?

It is understandable and quite commendable that ball tampering is on the forefront of the committee and the eradication of such on their minds. However, the line between deliberate tampering and accidental is so thin that even if one were pulled up for the offence, the evidence presented may not stand up at all.

Regardless of all the rules and regulations enforced, tampering will always lurk in some corner of the cricketing outfield waiting to rear it’s ugly head. The only thing one can expect from the officials is consistency across both teams.

It reminds me of an anecdote by Chris Pringle, former New Zealand fast bowler and his escapades in Pakistan. While reverse-swing was still in its infancy, New Zealand toured Pakistan at a time when neutral umpires were unheard of. By consistently scuffing up the ball, Imran Khan and his band of merry cricketers were able to devastate through the New Zealand batting lineup. After numerous complaints to the umpire that went unheeded, Chris Pringle decided that he would fight fire with fire. Using a bottle top on the outfield, he scuffed the cricket ball to return his best ever figures in international cricket. When the Pakistan team complained to the umpire, his response was Now it is the same for both teams

More to follow.

It's only a game

The cricket world cup is upon us. 16 nations take on each other in the idyllic paradise that is the West Indies to see who will be triumphant and crowned world champions come 28^th April 2007. It has been a week of dizzying highs and plummeting lows from shock wins by Bangladesh against India and Ireland knocking out former world champions Pakistan. But there won’t be any celebrations today… today, the whole cricketing world is in mourning. Bob Woolmer, Pakistani coach, has passed away after being found unconscious in his hotel room.

Yesterday, when Bangladesh and Ireland triumphed at the world cup, there would have been millions of Indians and Pakistanis in disbelief. But it’s only a game, India and Pakistan will play another day and World Cups will keep coming around. On a day like this, there is no carnival atmosphere or celebrations. A day like today puts everything in perspective. Win or lose, as the cliché goes, It’s only a game. For there are far more important things in life.

Today the entire cricketing world unites for a greater reason, a more important purpose – to pay their respects to Bob Woolmer, an ambassador of the game, a fantastic player, a tremendous coach but most importantly a friend and compatriot of the cricketing fraternity.

John Wright’s Indian Summers - Prologue to a review

Firstly to avoid any confusion this is a book review and not that of someone’s holidays in India. Though to some that’s exactly what John Wright had.

The setting is India - a concoction of colour and culture. Over 1 billion people and every single one of them cricket crazy. India was reeling from the implications and allegations of the match fixing saga (aka Hansiegate). The team being it's usual mercurial self which such great achievements as losses to Kenya.

Enter John Wright. The former New Zealand opener and captain. Mooted as a candidate for the Indian coaching job. Certainly not the frontrunner – after all he was a foreigner. India had never had a foreign coach and there certainly wasn’t a shortage of former Indian players rushing for the job. As fate would have, this former Canterbury lad from one of the smallest countries in the world (where the sheep far outweigh the people) was to coach the most populous cricketing nation in the world through several heady and giddy years.

Indian Summers is John Wright’s personal account and thoughts on his journey and time with the Indian cricket team. John Wright has written this book in much the same way he played and coached (I realise after reading the book) – sharp and straight to the point. Nice and simple. It feels like reading his diary and joining him on the tumultuous rollercoaster ride when he was Indian coach – enduring the dizzying highs and the cavernous lows. Not to say it is dry, quite the contrary in fact. John has lent his rather quirky and witty sense of humour through the book while not missing the point.

What it is not and never claims to be is a gossipy, trashy, tell-all, scandal-ridden behind the scenes recount of a team filled with such talented players who miraculously seem to find a little time in their busy ad-filled, restaurant-running, endorsement-packed lives to play a bit of cricket. There are no great revelations of factions within the team or scandalous dressing room altercations between players and coach. And I for one have to say it is a nice refreshing change….

Spinning to conclusion

My first blog post after a long time and it’s something completely different…
The end of an era Shane Keith Warne, the greatest spin bowler of all time, has retired from all forms of international cricket. The last act of this great showman was to almost single handedly complete a 5-0 whitewash of the English cricket team to return the Ashes to Australia.

His life and career have had as many twists and turns as the cricket ball in his hands. From a young blonde spin bowler taken apart by the Indians against an Alan Border led team to the greatest spin bowler and showman of all time. A man larger than life who breathed a new life into cricket, the man who made spin sexy at a time when fast bowling was prime. A legend both on and off the field who made headlines with not only his talent but his off field antics from being fined for match fixing to being banned for diuretics (even though it was on his Mom’s advice), lewd text messages and baked beans!

Admittedly, he has had the privelage of being in a star studded team which has held the top mantle for years and he has been fortunate enough to have been led by some of the most astute cricketing minds; Alan Border, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh to Ricky Ponting. Rather than use this an excuse, it only uncovers more of his magic – for lack of a better word, that he even dominated in an Australian team so full of world beaters.

As he himself said ‘ He has achieved everything he wanted and Cricket Australia has every single trophy in the cricketing world in it’s cabinet’ … in no small part to Shane Warne. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit sad that this master conjurer, the ‘sultan of spin’ will no longer be walking in to bowl making all around wonder what magic will emanate from his fingers.

Shane Keith Warne - Fair Dinkum Aussie Bloke and Champion Cricketer, You will be missed by teammates, opposition and fans alike. Cricket is that much poorer to no longer have you in it’s ranks but that much more richer for the part you played in its history!