http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/ en Copyright 2007 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:58:18 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss

Of Steve Waugh's 32 Test centuries, 25 led to victories, yet Shane Warne called him a match-saver, not a match-winner © Getty Images

Tim de Lisle
Cricket generates a lot of lists. So do the modern media. There are now so many lists coming at you that even a list-lover may be left feeling a little listless. But Shane Warne's list of the top 50 cricketers of his time, published last week in The Times, bucked the trend. It was everything a list ought to be: provocative, surprising, talked-about, and, in places, plain wrong. Most players who have columns are about as good at writing as journalists are at batting and bowling, but Warne is one of the exceptions. He always has opinions and where others might soften them to spare their fellow pros' feelings, he is more than happy to give offence. He takes the same approach with his top 50. He throws himself into it, grasping that, just like any other game, it wouldn't be fun if you didn't take it seriously. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/09/flawed_yet_fascinating.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/09/flawed_yet_fascinating.php Australian cricket Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:58:18 +0000

More one-day matches should be linked to a prestigious tournament involving the stronger nations © Getty Images

Ian Chappell I'll bet the administrators wish they possessed a reliable crystal ball that would provide a glimpse of cricket's future. Especially when it comes to Twenty20, the shortest but suddenly most desirable form of the game. The fans can't get enough of Twenty20, the players are starting to embrace it, and private promoters are spending millions in the hope of cashing in on the popularity of the sport's latest entertainment craze. The question the administrators would love to have answered by that crystal ball is: "Does it have a long and viable future?" If they knew the answer to that question, they would know what approach to take in regard to the 50-over game. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/09/a_matter_of_formats.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/09/a_matter_of_formats.php Analysis Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:45:52 +0000 Osman Samiuddin

Mohammad Yousuf's potential loss will be a big blow to the PCB © AFP

Rare is the issue in Pakistan cloaked in black, white and little else. The deeper you delve, the more complex it gets; contradiction, hypocrisy, incompetence, lies, and sometimes facts, happily swim together in this cesspool, where nothing is really right or wrong. So it is with the decision of four active internationals to sign up with the Indian Cricket League, and maybe sign away what remains of their Pakistan careers. What you also find is bristling diversity of opinion here. So for every person who says the PCB is incompetent, uncaring, and has driven its players away, another will chip in about the mercenary nature of the modern cricketer. The media, newly loud and proud, captures it best; one article in The News vented fury at the greed of the players, while the cartoonist down at The Post did likewise at the board. Both views are forceful, neither is wrong; but they should not be mutually exclusive either. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/muddy_waters_run_deep.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/muddy_waters_run_deep.php Pakistan cricket Thu, 23 Aug 2007 05:16:45 +0000

Us against the establishment: So much for a new era in which the players are supposedly considered shareholders in South African cricket © Getty Images

Ken Borland South Africa's cricketers were probably contemplating their increased earning potential and a healthy relationship with Cricket South Africa (CSA) when their groundbreaking memorandum of understanding was unveiled a month ago. But the last week has been a traumatic one, with the players feeling that the board has turned on them. It all came to a head with Jacques Kallis's exclusion from the squad for the Twenty20 World Championship, which South Africa's premier cricketer has taken as a slight on his ability - not forgetting the wad of money (about R280,000, or £19,000) he will lose out on by not playing in the tournament. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/no_room_for_backbone.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/no_room_for_backbone.php South African cricket Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:49:47 +0000 Jayaditya Gupta

The Sharad Pawar-led BCCI has some tough decisions ahead of it © AFP

After more than four months of acting coy, the Indian Cricket League (ICL) has made as bold a statement as possible, parading the 48 Indian cricketers and naming the six overseas players who will form the backbone of its inaugural season. It is as much a statement of intent as a challenge to the Indian board, with which it has been shadow-boxing since the gauntlet was first thrown in April. The matter is now out in the open; the ICL is an entity the BCCI - nor, indeed, the ICC, which is yet to take a clear stand - cannot wish away. It is faced with a situation it must deal with, and swiftly. It must size up the pros and cons of its current hard line with one eye on the longer term, something it is not always adept at doing. Conventional wisdom says it will not shift from that stand yet this may be the time for some unconventional thinking. At stake is not just the future of 48 Indian cricketers, though that is weighty enough; an entire domestic season could be held hostage to the simmering feud. Four top Ranji sides - Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Hyderabad - have each lost at least half a dozen players, some of whom have the potential to go beyond domestic cricket. More will join the new league, because it still needs another 40-odd players to make up the numbers. If all these players are subsequently unable to play domestic cricket in India, the effect could be crippling. And that will be the BCCI's greatest challenge: Playing out its role as the custodian of all Indian cricket and ignoring its more natural instinct to protect a smaller piece of turf, precisely the attitude that has given the ICL enough fertile ground to sow the seeds of secession. If you want one reason why the ICL exists today, here it is: The BCCI is a monopolistic institution that has not modernised and has, till very recently, focused its attentions on international cricket. The public was obsessed with the identity of stars who would or wouldn't, had or hadn't signed up with the league. However, not a thought was spared for those who keep the wheels of Indian cricket moving - the journeymen first-class players, the umpires, the scorers, the faceless people who perform thankless tasks so that, every season, a Karthik or a Sreesanth or a Chawla comes along. There is no evidence at hand that the ICL will address the problems of these people. It is, after all, a stated commercial venture. But it has entered a vacuum created by the board's inability - unwillingness, even - to see cricket in terms of a sport to be nurtured and see it instead as a cash cow to be milked. This fight, stripped of all ideological posturing, may be about TV ratings and the advertising revenue they bring in but the ICL is likely to tap into the feelings of insecurity and neglect among those who live in the shadows, feelings that prompted the likes of Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, 24, one of the architects of Bengal's road to the Ranji final last season, to sign up and sign away his India cap. All this invests in the ICL a greater responsibility to safeguard the future of those who have, as Kapil Dev emotionally put it, had the courage to take their own decisions. If the BCCI remains truculent and slaps the ban it has threatened, the ICL must ensure that the players - not exactly the cream of India but honest practitioners of the game - are not left in limbo. In other words, the Zee group, the ICL's parent company, must not pull the rug from under its feet if the whole venture stops making business sense. Much of that, in turn, will depend on the quality of cricket the ICL will offer, and the jury is out on that. Suffice to say that few of the players named today are Twenty20 experts; most have made their name in longer versions of the game and some, like Inzamam-ul Haq, are patently unsuited to the whirlwind pace of cricket's newest avatar. The problem can be partially offset, though, by smart packaging, for which the presence on board of Tony Greig and Dean Jones will come in handy. Yet if the ICL has to establish its credibility - and at the moment the meter reading is set to zero - it can only do so with credible cricket. In many ways the easy bit is over. It is one thing to sign up players, quite another to motivate them when they joined for the money. What will they play for: Pride? Nationality? Regional affiliation? Today was a day when Indian cricket could have celebrated the emergence, in keeping with trends in other spheres, of a money-spinning league promising more opportunities for its players. Instead there is concern over how it will impact the game in India. The problem is largely of the BCCI's own making; so, too, can be the solution.]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/this_game_has_just_started.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/this_game_has_just_started.php Indian Cricket Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:02:57 +0000 Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

Dravid has used the experience of team-mates like Ganguly well, but there's no denying he needs someone to share the burden of leadership on a more consistent basis © AFP

"Undefeated after Chappell," bellowed a hack shortly after India's historic series win at The Oval. Following Greg Chappell's exit after the World Cup debacle, India have won two Test series - one of them admittedly against Bangladesh - and six one-dayers. A solitary defeat against South Africa in the first match of the Future Cup remains the only blemish. Victory no doubt brings its own aura, but this India side looks like a team. The "divisive" senior players are nowhere in sight. What instead has been on view is camaraderie and a unity of purpose. It is early still to pass judgment on the coaching abilities of Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh, but it can be said that they have been matey, almost soothing figures compared to Chappell who was strong and dominating. There is a relaxed and open air to the dressing room now. Both Prasad and Robin were part of the team until a few years ago. Both played under Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Gangly and have immediately caught the pulse of the team. Both, players feel, know the extent to which they can push each cricketer and understand the pressures of playing for India. The bowlers' workloads were carefully handled in the series so far - India, remember, had only three frontline seamers and couldn't afford injuries to any. Greg King, the trainer, has gelled well with Prasad and Robin, while the venerable Chandu Borde, the manager, has chipped in with the odd piece of advice. When he was standing at mid-off to the fast bowlers, Rahul Dravid had sounding boards in different parts of the field. Ganguly has been relied upon to assess pitches. Tendulkar, the vice-captain; Ganguly, the former captain; and VVS Laxman, the man who might have made a good captain, have chirped away in the slips. Anil Kumble, who has been strangely forgotten in the captaincy debates, has voiced his thoughts from gully. Dravid hasn't wasted the wealth of experience around him; he has solicited advice and weighed up options.

What happens in a couple of years' time, when India may have to do without five of their big guns? Don't they need someone who can get the next generation up to speed?

Insiders admit it has been a while since they saw the older players so chipper. Throughout the last year the seniors in the side were divided over Chappell, but his exit has had a healing effect. Youngsters have been carried along. Not only have the senior players weighed in with their performances, they have also taken up mentoring roles. Dinesh Karthik has spent evenings with Tendulkar, the "greatest cricketer" he has seen; Sreesanth, overawed on the first morning at Lord's, has been "inspired" by Ganguly. Inevitably this has prompted the question: do India really need a coach? Does any international team? The longer India's winning sequence lasts - and they start favourites for the seven-match one-day series against England - the louder will be the calls to stay without one. There is a view that the current set-up could deliver consistent success, and that an outsider coming in would mess up plans - which is a different tune from the one the players seemed to be unanimously singing a couple of months ago. Current success will back up the argument, but the immediate present should not be allowed to obscure the big picture. While it will be tempting to maintain the status quo, the recent run of success won't have changed a few ground realities. The Indian administration and the team will do well to ask themselves a few questions. Are India completely aware of the requirements of the modern game? Do they possess the creativity and vision needed to build a team for the future? Does the captain need someone to share his burden with? Do the current coaches need someone to guide them along?

Having been part of the team, Venkatesh Prasad knows the pressures of playing for India. He also knows how much he can push each of his bowlers © Getty Images

It's one thing to bask in the present but one needs to keep an eye on the future. A relaxed atmosphere is important but is there a risk of it getting too relaxed? Also, what happens in a couple of years' time, when India may have to do without five of their big guns? Don't they need someone who can get the next generation up to speed? Where does one look for leadership then? Dravid himself, as ever, takes the measured view. "We've had some good success on this tour, but it will be too simplistic to say it's because we haven't had [a coach]," he said. "There are other factors that have gone into us playing well. You can't just focus on the coach. "Sometimes you're in the team and looking at it from one perspective. People from outside can look at a team and see the direction it's going in. They must provide some intelligence and input as well." India likely don't need another Chappell, who thought rocking the boat was the best way to steady it. But they perhaps need another John Wright. A quiet back-room worker, in tune with the requirements of modern game, strongly wedded to work ethic, who can be both friend and guide. Cricket will remain a game where the captain is the central figure, but the pressures of the modern game require him to have a sounding board, and someone to share the responsibilities and the attention. Particularly when things are not going well. The captain knows what he expects of his bowlers, the bowling coach knows what they're capable of. RP Singh shouldn't need to go to Leicestershire to find out what his technical faults are; the problem should be diagnosed back home. A technically sound head coach to liaise between the two would serve the purpose. The position must be filled by a professional who prefers not to be seen but is a trusted man-manager. He needs to understand the players, yet crack the whip. It's hard to say if there is anyone who meets all these requirements, but if he does exist, India need to grab him. The earlier the better.]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/room_at_the_top.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/room_at_the_top.php Indian Cricket Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:26:47 +0000 Ian Chappell

The bowler-friendly wickets were among the things the series had going in its favour © Getty Images

The entertaining and competitive Test series between India and England provided much good cricket and plenty of food for thought. In addition to two evenly matched teams, good pitches and the swinging ball played their part in providing entertaining cricket. There has been a tendency to produce flat pitches in limited-overs cricket and this may well have spilled over into the Test arena. However, the three English groundsmen for this series provided ample proof that a good cricket wicket, which allows the bowlers to compete on even terms, is the best ingredient for an entertaining match.]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/good_teams_good_pitches_good_c.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/good_teams_good_pitches_good_c.php India in England, 2007 Sun, 19 Aug 2007 04:49:13 +0000 Vaneisa Baksh

Sarwan's claims are true about King's manner being rough, but there is evidence that the players have not been inclined to regard coaching instructions © AFP

Recent comments by West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan while he was in Toronto for therapy for his shoulder injury have raised eyebrows and set tongues wagging. Sarwan was reported to have called former coach Bennett King the "worst coach" he had ever had, and to have said King's manner was aggressive and intimidated younger players. Much speculation has been raised over the timing of Sarwan's remarks, especially as King had returned to Australia a couple of months ago. Had Sarwan been waiting for the new administration to be assembled before airing his gripe? It seems more likely that Sarwan was simply responding to a pointed question and his remarks were neither premeditated nor part of some unfolding strategy. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/lessons_from_a_salvo.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/lessons_from_a_salvo.php West Indies cricket Fri, 17 Aug 2007 05:06:56 +0000 Aakash Chopra

A major reason for Prior's falling apart could be a lack of belief in his skills and an inability to handle being exposed under pressure © Getty Images

The man who scored a ton on his debut at Lord's earlier this summer wouldn't have dreamed that people would be baying for his blood by the end of that same summer. Every move Matt Prior makes now is closely monitored or, in this case, every move he doesn't make. He has dropped a few crucial catches, conceded a few byes too many (some of them were ridiculously wide and out of reach) and, unfortunately, things haven't been too rosy even in front of the stumps. He has also been advised to keep his trap shut and concentrate on the job, something that probably wouldn't have been said if he hadn't messed up. Apparently, while keeping, Prior does a little shimmy of sorts before making his final movement towards the ball, and experts think that that could be the reason for his poor footwork. I'm no expert on keeping and perhaps whatever everyone has said or written about Prior's skills or the lack of them is correct, but I know one thing for sure - what Prior must be feeling at the moment. Though I'm thrilled about India's rare and special feat, one can't, sitting here in England and reading and watching the English media, but feel a bit for Prior.]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/sympathy_for_the_devil.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/sympathy_for_the_devil.php India in England, 2007 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 06:36:56 +0000 Sambit Bal

England v India was Test cricket as it ought to be: tough, hard-fought, and full of spark © Getty Images

In the end the margin of 1-0, it could be argued, was a fair way for the series to end. England were the superior side at Lord's and India dominated the last two Tests. Speculation is futile, but if it hadn't been a draw at Lord's, the Oval Test would possibly have yielded a result, most likely in India's favour. But draws aren't necessarily dull, and this was an enthralling series. More importantly it was Test cricket as it ought to be: tough, challenging, skilful, full of crackle and contest, and bends and surprises. In many ways this was a most un-Indian victory. It wasn't achieved through a burst of brilliance or glittering individual performances, and there was nothing freakish about it. It was built painstakingly and collectively by a team united in their desire to secure their place in history. The best innings of the series came from Englishmen - Kevin Pietersen's punchy, counterattacking hundred at Lord's and Michael Vaughan's poetic, utterly enchanting century at Trent Bridge - but eventually the sum of India's parts turned out to be greater. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/away_advantage.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/away_advantage.php India in England, 2007 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 05:16:23 +0000 Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

Rahul Dravid's knock was reminiscent of his one-day innings in the late nineties, when batting became an almighty struggle © Getty Images

Watching Rahul Dravid during his 96-ball 12 was to see a captain ponder with the bat. The tedious innings, drawn out over two hours and twenty minutes, encapsulated his decision not to enforce the follow-on: defensive but perfectly understandable. When England were bowled out, with the sun still out, India led by 319; when he walked out to bat, with the cloud cover on, they were effectively 329 for 1, few minutes later it was 330 for 3. The big picture remained rosy, the microscopic view slightly more blurred. India sitting on a 1-0 lead, England hadn't totalled more than 355 in the whole series and no team had successfully chased more than 263 at The Oval. Only on five occasions had a team overhauled 350-plus targets in Test history. The real-time situation was bleak. The scoreboard read 11 for 3, England's fast bowlers were pumped up. India, it appeared, had provided a small opening. Here was a Test to boss over, instead India needed to scrap. Here was a golden chance to crush the opposition; instead India had loosened the vice-like grip. England, for the first time since the Matt Prior - Sachin Tendulkar moment, glimpsed an escape route. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/negative_means_to_a_positive_e.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/negative_means_to_a_positive_e.php India in England, 2007 Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:02:01 +0000 Sambit Bal

Wide of the mark: Ian Howell had a dreadful time at Trent Bridge, and has made plenty of mistakes at The Oval as well © Getty Images

It is a pity that matters outside bat and ball should continue to spoil what has so far been wonderful advertisement for Test cricket. The first Test was decided by the weather, and the second, which was won by a skilful and determined performance by the Indians, was overshadowed by jelly beans, player behaviour and inconsistent umpiring. And it will be a tragedy if umpiring becomes a decisive factor in this Test. Umpires deserve plenty of sympathy. Theirs is a thankless vocation and they are noticed only for their mistakes. Their actions are judged and damned by experts, journalists, and millions of viewers who now have the benefit of hugely sophisticated cameras and technologies such as Snickometer and Hotspot. But still, it's not that difficult to tell when an umpire is not up to it. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/howells_howlers.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/howells_howlers.php India in England, 2007 Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:16:31 +0000

Sport and politics will never be separated © Getty Images

Gary Lemke It was almost 20 years ago that I first met Sam Ramsamy. I went to interview him in a flat near Marble Arch in London and what followed was an hour-long lecture from the grand fighter of the anti-apartheid movement. The message was consistent, and powerful. "No normal sport in an abnormal society," he would say at regular intervals. He had another line. "Sport and politics will never be separated." The Ramsamy dream turned from matters black and white into a kaleidoscope of colour when South Africa competed under a unified flag at the Olympics in 1992 following a 32-year absence. He called me over on that Boeing to Barcelona 15 years ago. "This is what I was talking about. Now it's normal sport in a normal society." Today 14 elite South African cricketers are in Harare for a two-match tour of Zimbabwe. Yet the silence is deafening from the game's administrators, among them newly elected Cricket South Africa president Norman Arendse, who himself was familiar with the same anti-apartheid rallying cry of yesteryear. No normal sport in an abnormal society. Can Zimbabwe society be classed as normal?]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/no_normal_sport_in_an_abnormal.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/no_normal_sport_in_an_abnormal.php Fri, 10 Aug 2007 05:02:20 +0000

Mohammad Yousuf's exclusion is bathed in innuendo, with reporters winking, nudging and whispering, as no doubt will many followers © AFP

Osman Samiuddin Nothing illustrates more lucidly the mysterious, whimsical workings of Pakistan selection committees than the decision not to select Mohammad Yousuf in the 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa. They tried, bless 'em, to justify the decision to drop him but they came up empty. Yousuf was, in the words today of Salahuddin Ahmed, the chief selector, "a world-class player, no two ways about it." He is also currently Pakistan's best batsman and, as Ricky Ponting proves every day, a good batsman is a good batsman is a good batsman, be it over five days, 50 overs or 20. Yet, Yousuf did not make it into a 15-man squad with only two specialist middle-order batsmen. First the selectors claimed they wanted to give him a rest, disregarding that he, unlike a number of senior players globally, wanted no such thing. They then admitted they wanted - no, needed - "one batsman who can stay at the wicket, because, whether it is a Test, an ODI or a 20-over game, you have to have one who can stick around and build." ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/logic_has_gone_for_a_six.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/logic_has_gone_for_a_six.php Pakistan cricket Thu, 09 Aug 2007 07:12:40 +0000 Ian Chappell

Gift of the gab: Prior can talk the talk, but he hasn't quite walked the walk © Getty Images

I'm no Sherlock Holmes but I think I've cracked the great jelly bean mystery. However, in keeping with the conventions of thrillers, you'll have to read to the end to find the guilty party. Judging by the evidence so far, England now believe international wicketkeepers are there to be heard and not seen. This adds another misleading myth to the many that abound about wicketkeepers, including the most erroneous one of all about batting being the first consideration when choosing a keeper. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/put_a_sock_in_it.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/cricinfoselect/archives/2007/08/put_a_sock_in_it.php India in England, 2007 Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:07:40 +0000