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December 31, 2008

Change masters

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/31/2008 in Extras

	Hoepfully, Simon Katich will get the cricket ball more often in the future © Getty Images

From S. Giridhar, India

How often have we heard the expression, “Here comes ... the man with the golden arm” and even the most despondent supporter of the fielding team that has been defied for hours by the batsmen perks up with hope! What kind of legerdemain does this occasional bowler consistently serve up that over the years the change bowler has acquired an almost Robin Hood kind of charm? How many matches have they simply turned on the head because they wobbled the ball or spun the ball when the more accomplished comrade had almost thrown in the towel?

Recently, as South Africa against all odds ran down a target of 414 runs on the last two days of a Test, there were three big partnerships, each of them inexorably taking the match further and further away from Ricky Ponting and Australia. As I ran my eyes down the bowling column I saw Andrew Symonds had not bowled a ball and neither had Simon Katich. Would it have made a difference?

I don’t want to use Australia’s travails to base my story but as I cast my mind back for more instances of matches lost because the golden arm men were absent I cannot but stumble upon two significant India-Australia matches.

The first and most obvious one is the greatest comeback win ever in cricket history. Kolkata, March 2001 … India in their second innings, following on, are 200 for 4, down and out for the count. VVS Laxman is joined at the crease by Rahul Dravid. How well each one of us knows this piece of our history! I recall this only to demonstrate that Steve Waugh too had no change bowlers with golden arms at his disposal while Dravid and Laxman constructed the most monumental of partnerships. Steve had only his twin Mark and Ponting to relieve his main bowlers. By no stretch of imagination do either Mark Waugh or Ponting qualify as true change bowlers. Maybe for a change of ends, maybe when a match is petering out into a draw, but certainly not bowlers who will change the course of the game with the magic ball!

And the second example from India v Australia - this time it is Adelaide in December 2003. India in the first innings on their knees at some 180 for 4, miles behind a mammoth Aussie first-innings score. Dravid and Laxman get together and again proceed to put together such a long huge partnership that it seems they have been batting since Kolkata. What does Steve Waugh have at hand this time as change bowlers to break this pair? Mark again and Simon Katich, who with his left-arm chinaman stuff is different.

And having set the table so to speak, let us look at some of the occasional bowlers who have done enough to be spoken of as change bowlers who do not merely provide respite to the main bowlers but produce the golden ball regularly. Do I begin with the Virender Sehwag - Sachin Tendulkar - Sourav Ganguly trio? No rather let me begin with a chap who must be about 63 years today. Old timers reading this will immediately realise that I am talking of that quintessential man with the golden arm, Doug Walters. Walters, one of Australia’s best batsmen in the 60s and 70s, played over 70 Tests and was regularly called upon by all his captains – from Bob Simpson to Bill Lawry to Ian Chappell – every time they faced a road block. He would run his 10-12 paces and produce almost with predictable regularity the away-swinger or the in-dipper to break partnerships. The record books say that he took 49 wickets this way. Many changed the course of the match. If one averages out his bowling stats it shows that Walters bowled only around eight overs in a match and got a wicket for every 11 overs bowled.

If you allow me to use Walters as a bench mark, I can then set some kind of criteria and identify other men who can claim membership in this 'hall of golden arm' fame. So shall we look for the change bowler who has not bowled more than 13 overs in a match on an average and whose strike-rate is not poorer than a wicket for every 15 overs bowled? So we must consciously exclude from our list cricketers who are in the genre of batting al-rounder and restrict our search only to the genuine change bowler.

I am not going to begin this by trawling through statistics but would rather let my memory help me. I will recall the names of all those batsmen who in my view (time, memory, loyalty, emotion - all these will contribute to my selection) probably are change bowlers and not more than that. How do they measure up to the “Walters Gold Standard for Change Bowlers”? My mind reels out these names:

Mudassar Nazar from Pakistan – who can forget the furtive way in which he ran up to bowl medium pace, ball clasped in both hands looking almost stealthily at mid-off and mid-on as he began his run-up; Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan from New Zealand; Paul Collingwood from England; Chris Gayle, Viv Richards, and Larry Gomes from West Indies; Symonds, Michael Clarke and Katich from Australia; Aravinda de Silva from Sri Lanka and of course Ganguly, Sehwag and Tendulkar from India. Enough on the plate for some study! Here are the numbers against these gentlemen. Gritty to good to great to greatest batsman, all in this list!

(Bowler, Tests, Balls, Average overs per match, Wickets, Type, Strike Rate wickets/ overs)

Doug Walters, 74, 3295, 7.4, 49, Right-arm medium, 11.2
Michael Clarke, 41, 1294, 5.3, 18, Left-arm slow, 12.0
Virender Sehwag, 65, 2323 6.0, 29, Right-arm offspin, 13.4
Andrew Symonds, 24, 2010, 14.0, 24, Right-arm medium & offspin, 14.0
Chris Gayle, 74, 5867, 13.2, 66, Right-arm offspin, 14.8
Craig McMillan, 55, 2502, 7.6, 28, Right-arm medium, 14.9
Aravinda de Silva, 93, 2595, 4.7, 29, Right-arm offspin, 14.9
Mudassar Nazar, 76, 5967, 13.1, 66, Right-arm medium, 15.1
Paul Collingwood, 40, 1287, 5.4, 14, Right-arm medium, 15.3
Sachin Tendulkar, 155, 3880, 4.2, 42, Right-arm everything, 15.4
Sourav Ganguly, 113, 3117, 4.6, 32, Right-arm medium, 16.2
Nathan Astle, 81, 5688, 11.7, 51, Right-arm medium, 18.6
Larry Gomes, 60, 2401, 6.7, 15, Right-arm offspin, 26.7
Viv Richards, 121, 5170, 7.1, 32, Right-arm offspin, 26.9

A look at the bowling stats of these gentlemen exposes the error that I made in including Richards and Gomes in the list. Sorry, but if they are going to take a wicket for every 26 or 28 overs bowled it means that their team waited a very long time for their golden arm to show up! So out they go.

I am also tempted to drop Astle from the list because he too takes around 19 overs to produce a wicket but since he has over 50Ttest wickets I think he is doing something that my analysis is missing. So he retains his place in my pantheon of change bowlers with golden arms.

While doing all this, we must also be vigilant to ensure that bowlers who are bordering on being regular bowlers do not sneak into this exclusive club of change bowlers. Symonds at 14 overs per match I think is dangerously close to being viewed as a regular bowling option rather than as a change bowler but let us not be too strict with him and include him in this list. Do you feel good Mr. Symonds or do you feel offended that I clubbed you with the change bowlers?

Oh by the way I looked up the numbers for Simon Katich and he seems to be doing exceedingly well and may well end up on top of the heap by the time he puts his cricket kit away. His strike-rate is right at the top but he has only 13 wickets to show so far. That will surely change but for that he will need another captain, not the current one! I can see why Ian Chappell and the brigade of Aussie experts were baffled at the extremely limited use of Katich as a change bowling option during Australia's recent visit to India.

Please don’t tell me that I have missed out more obvious names because I know that already! I deliberately waded into this piece leading from memory and only validated those names against certain criteria.

For instance surely I ought to find a better representative than Collingwood for England in this list! Jog your respective memories and pull out worthier names. Like my cousin Babu, an avid follower of cricket for the past 55 years, who was peeping over my shoulder as I typed this article kept insisting that I must add Chris Harris and Greg Chappell to this list!

In fact, not disheartened by the fact that I have not added those name,s Babu is now hissing in my ear that I must explore and validate his hypothesis that good change bowlers make the best thinkers and the best vice-captains in cricket history. Now that is something I will leave to someone else.

I am only certain about one thing. Change bowlers produce the magic ball because they are batsmen, think like batsmen and when they get the ball in their hand they outwit the batsman using a batting brain. Howzat?

Comments (15)

December 29, 2008

A tale of two greats

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/29/2008 in Indian cricket

There was a time when the face of the Indian batting was always that of a 'Bombayite'. Right from Vijay Merchant to Dilip Sardesai or Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar to the much hyped Rohit Sharma, the city of Bombay has always staked a claim to the premier batsmen of any generation. The strength of the Bombay faction in the BCCI has always been paramount and has dominated the scene of Indian cricket, both on and off the field. Dravid and Ganguly were not only significant actors who were instrumental in breaking through the dominance of this clique and giving the Indian team a non-parochial face for the first time, they were themselves the most important part of it. That they replaced Vinod Kambli and Sanjay Manjrekar, two Bombay lads who were supposed to be the mainstay of our batting along with Sachin makes this all the more remarkable. Their Lord's debut was not the ideal platform for a youngster looking to ease into the team. On a fast, swinging track they came together with India in a spot of bother. They could not have been more dissimilar in style. Ganguly, later to be described by his partner at the other end as next only to God on the offside kept easing the ball through the point and cover regions. Dravid, then a predominantly leg side player relied more on playing off his pads. Ganguly, as we all know scored a century on debut and Dravid made 95.

In the next Test Ganguly scored yet another ton and Dravid missed out yet again being dismissed on 88. This was to be a reflection of things to come as they grew into two of India's premier batsmen. While Ganguly was the leading run scorer in ODIs till the turn of the century even beating Sachin for four out of five seasons, Dravid established himself as rock solid Test batsmen. It was also to be Dravid's fate for a large part of his career to be a pretty bridesmaid who gave numerous sterling performances only to be overshadowed by Ganguly or Tendulkar. The script continued into the new century when Ganguly was appointed captain and Dravid his deputy.

The Kolkata Test in 2001 was, in a sense the turning point in many ways for both, for Ganguly as a captain and for Dravid as a batsman. Hitting his way out of a slump in the most dramatic of matches must have given Dravid a lot of confidence as his star soared thereafter and he gradually came out of the shadows of his distinguished peers to become India most valuable player for the next half of a decade. He scored runs all over the world, adapted perfectly to the one-day set up, filled in as a wicket keeper when required and was a great support of his captain. For Ganguly, this was the beginning of the golden period as a captain. He had the uncanny ability as a captain to back match winning performers and get the best of them. Many believe that had Ganguly not been made the captain, he would have achieved a lot more as batsman. It is possible, for the biggest problem with Ganguly's batting was that it did not develop after a point. While Dravid and Sachin have constantly evolved as batsmen, made various adjustments to their game; Ganguly, once he has been sorted out, never managed to overcome his deficiencies.

It is universally believed that Dravid was a clearly inferior captain to Ganguly. I am not entirely sure. Ganguly introduced a lot of self-belief in his team and helped us get over out timid chokers tag and that was what we needed then. But, he was never a great tactician. He was easily rattled as a captain and many a times let the momentum slip through out of a lack of imaginative captaincy. Dravid, was a much more collected man on the field. His captaincy on the field always has more of method to it than Ganguly's who was tactically always on the whimsical side especially with respect to his handling of spinners and part-time bowlers. But what Ganguly lacked in on-field tactics, he more than made up through the way his communicated with his players and allowed them to flourish. Dravid tended more to lead by example through his own performances and commitment but despite the bulk of his runs never really had the aura of a leader.

While Ganguly left on high, scoring significant runs against the top team in the world in his farewell series, Dravid has so far doggedly stuck around in the midst of calls for his head. In the past month, many a sports journalists have made a living out of stories on the lines of 'the Wall crumbling'. His century at Mohali notwithstanding, despite being full of character and a testimony to his tenacity, I have a feeling Dravid will not have a swan song to end his career. If there is one thing that he has lacked in his otherwise illustrious career, it is the sense of timing that his longtime colleague and onetime co-debutante always had.

Comments (15)

December 27, 2008

Inbox World XI

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/27/2008 in Extras

Comments (133)

December 26, 2008

Little Kalli

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/26/2008 in West Indies Cricket

In India through that winter he did enough and more to enhance his reputation. In the first Test (where a certain pair by the name of Gordon Greenidge and IVA Richards made their debut), Kalli scored a fine 124 against the best of Indian spinners on a dust bowl in Bangalore and followed that up with fine knocks in Calcutta, Madras and Mumbai. I followed his career closely and apart from some fine hundreds, he had the dubious distinction of getting out in the 90's 7 times.

His career ended in controversy. Bitter at being ignored for the captaincy after leading West Indies during the Packer regime, he lost some form and it seemed interest. He decided to take part in the rebel tour of South Africa and ended up being suspended from all internationals. He finished his career with some excellent seasons with Warwickshire but at 4500 odd runs and 14 hundreds, the figures do not do justice for one of Windies and indeed cricket's all-time great batsmen.

Kallicharran was a complete player and had every stroke in the book. He played spin and pace with equal poise and alacrity and accumulated runs against Indian spinners and Aussie pacers alike, at their pomp. He was also a big-match player with a penchant for playing crucial knocks at critical times. Of the many gems he played, my favourite is of course the much remembered assault on Lillee in the World Cup group game in 1978. Australia scored 190 odd which the West Indies were chasing. Kallicharran got his eye in and then launched himself into the Aussie pace attack, particularly Lillee. One incredible sequence of hooking and pulling produced 30 odd runs of just 10 Lillee deliveries.

Not since Sobers splattered him all over MCG enroute to the 254 for the World XI a few summers ago had Lillee been so severely dealt with. Kalli's 78 in that game and the subsequent 71 in the semifinal against New Zealand made him the player of the series and one of my pleasant memories of childhood is recalling Tony Cozier over the radio brilliantly describing Kalli's assault that memorable afternoon so long ago.

Comments (5)

The rise of West Indies?

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/26/2008 in West Indies Cricket

Chanderpaul is the only West Indies player to have tasted anything but defeat in this period. A closer reading is even more depressing. In the 60 matches that were played across those 17 series, West Indies won just 4, drew 6 ( of which 4 were rain-affected) and lost the other 50 matches. What is most mind-numbing is to recall that West Indies were unbeaten in 27 test series in the preceding 15 years (1980-1995). They fell off a particularly steep cliff didn't they?

There have been a few false dawns in these dark days of West Indies cricket - particularly at home. They have won Test series against Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka , England and New Zealand, and shared one with Australia. Despite the Perth heroics of de Villiers & Co., they still hold the record for the highest 4th innings target chased. Lara has played several memorable innings, Chanderpaul many valiant ones, Courtney Walsh became the leading wicket taker in world cricket and even Chris Gayle has a Test triple hundred. However, with the West Indies, it has seemed every step forward was inevitably followed by three longer ones backward.

That said, there is some reason for cautious optimism in the Chris Gayle era - A first ever Test win in South Africa, a drawn Test series against a decent SL side, a Test series against Australia which was much more competitive than was anticipated, and now this drawn one in New Zealand . Of course the backdrop to this has been the Bradmanesque efforts of the under-appreciated Chanderpaul in this period, but there have been other signs of life - Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor are a handy bowling partnership, Dwayne Bravo is enthusiastic and talented, and the fielding and the general way that the West Indies seem to be going about their business has significantly improved.

There are many areas to fix though, scarcely a series goes by without wrangling between Digicel and Cable and Wireless (although the toxic West Indies Players Association and the obnoxious Dinanath Ramnarine seem to have evaporated), Allen Stanford has funded the game, but muddied the waters, and the regional infighting seems to grow in inverse proportion to the team's performance on the field. Darren Powell shouldn't see the inside of a Test ground again, and surely there must be someone other than Dinesh Ramdin and Carlton Baugh. Chris Gayle needs to find an opening batsman who will be a partner rather than a one-night stand. However this draw against a mediocre New Zealand side may just be the beginning of the era of the era of West Indies submission.

If only that maniac, John Bracewell had been around as NZ coach, the West Indies may even have won it.

Comments (8)

December 24, 2008

Despatch from Eden

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/24/2008 in Extras

For me, I cannot remember ever suffering from greater nervous anticipation than the night before the Test match. I rarely slept and waited for the clock to turn 6 am when I would get up with a spring and alacrity quite unbecoming of normal school days. No battles with breakfast that day which was consumed without complaint or delay. By 7.30 am I would have dressed and then would put on my new county cap ceremoniously in front of the mirror, imagining me leading out India as 80,000 would rise in unison to cheer. It was a routine every odd year, but what a delightful routine. There would be a party of usually 10-12 in a cavalcade of cars. Other from the locality would be leaving as well and the envious faces of those without the priceless tickets was a sight to behold. I along with another kid were the chosen two amongst the next generation by Dad and the usual suspects. (my obsession with obscure cricket statistics had obviously resulted in my passing muster in the civilisation Test). The lunch boxes would be readied by Mom with specific instructions (Rice and Chilli Chicken for lunch, oranges during drinks and cucumber sandwiches for tea). That itself was much part of the fun with the respective Moms competing to produce a more delectable lunch box than the other- the five days (if India lasted all five, that is!) were also a gastronomical delight with the smell of fresh food was billow as much across Eden as the sound of leather hitting willow.

My greatest thrill would always be as we approached the ground as you gradually wound your way amongst the teeming millions. It was as if all humanity had descended on Red Road where the cars would be parked for the couple of kilometers walked to the ground. As you walked you met familiar faces - teachers from your school who had forewarned teachers about attending class int he first day of the Test match (one famous class teacher threatened to fail anyone in English if any unfortunate earnest soul would be present of the first day of the Test against Asif Iqbal's Pakistan, fellow spectators whom you had met last during a Test Match and myriad others. The crowd was a mix from every social strata - from box wallahs in suits, and well heeled ladies in the latest chiffon, to the old clerk from writers building in their ubiquitous Dhoti - the lucky 100,000 on their annual pilgrimage to the greatest temple of cricket.

As I would walk in I would hear the sound of bat hitting wall and a shiver would go up my spine at the realisation that the Gods were on the field at the nets. Remember this was a time before live television and this was the only chance to see the heroes int he flesh. And as I walked in to the stands I would turn around sometimes mesmerised in awe as I would see RGD Willis warming up, Bishen Bedi turning his arm a bit. IVA Richards swaggering around taking catches and women gasping as Imran Khan Niazi would stand at the pavilion doorstep about to walk into toss giving the plebeians a royal aristocratic wave. Right through childhood till early adulthood, Eden Gardens was my favourite place on earth, where for 5 days the problems of homeworks and board examinations seem a distant away. And a place where learning Physics was all about Kapil Dev using the breeze from the hooghly post 4 pm to produce a devastating old ball spell after tea. And the frenzied debate of whether Gavaskar should have added an extra slip which would have snapped David Gowers slash. And then the classic counterpoint- glad he didn't, then how would we have seen Gower's elegant cover drive of Doshi. Always respect and love for a great opponent.

Post the toss the teams would be put up in the famous old score board (with Kolay biscuit advertising hoarding at the top). And then the Ranji block with the huge Boroline ad banner would erupt. This was the plebeian stand but very much the equivalent of the Sydney Hill. The crackers would start bursting and the conch shells would signal commencement of battle and then the good-natured barracking. Us from the members stand would be more reserved- not even a whisper during overs and necessary clapping for maiden overs and a well played forward defensive stroke! Fours through flowing drives were much appreciated. Sixes were sources of amusement but "tssk tssk...civilised batsmen (read Gavaskar and Vishwanath) did not hit balls over the ground". I once shouted sixer when Gavaskar was batting, and I was told by my Dad and any such repeat would result in banishment from cricket grounds! I kept my silence and peace thereafter.

I now shudder when I see the quality of the crowds at Eden or elsewhere. Test matches at non traditional centres are a disgrace and some real great matches off late has been played in front of empty stands (unlike in England and Australia where a great Test match brings in thousands through the turnstiles). The old faithful have all gone and opposition players are no longer applauded nor subtle nuances, like a great throw from the outfield applauded as much as a great straight drive. I still get goosebumps remembering the ovation Viv Richards received as he walked into bat in 1983. 90,000 rose to clap him fervently into the crease, a Roman salute to the greatest living gladiator in the planet. The King paused before taking guard, doffed his hat and raised his bat in acknowledgment, a brilliant cameo moment before rivalry was resumed. And the great Pakistani Asif Iqbal would remember his last test match with much joy - he mentioned later he would have taken Eden any day ahead of Lahore. He was run out in his last innings post which he was accorded a thunderous standing ovation with the members and the club house spectators all screaming in unison "three cheers Captain" as he walked up the stairs into the dressing room. This was the captain of Pakistan and in the midst of a seriously competitive series between the two traditional rivals.I have to say I had tears in my eyes that day.

I have not seen Saurav Ganguly bat amongst the Eden faithful, but I've seen Gundappa Vishwanath, Eden's favourite son throughout the 70's and till Saurav arrived, there was no one whom Eden loved more than the diminutive Bangalorean. In the famous Yuletide week of 1974 when I fell in love with cricket, Eden and Alvin Kallicharran at the same time, Little Vishy (or "Bhishee" as the Eden faithful called him) charmed Kolkata off its feet. With the Test Match poised evenly on the 4th morning, Vishy unleased in his inimitable style a counter-attack on Roberts, Holder, Julien and Gibbs. In real life he looked like a villainous side kick from a South Indian film. But armed with a cricket willow he was transformed into a Michaelangelo. His square and late cuts and glances of his leg were delectable and that 31st December morning he was in his pomp. His 139 contained 24 fours and old Eden hands still talk of that as the greatest innings they ever say. Next morning, the tactical mastery of Tiger Pataudi in conjunction with the spin wizardry of Bedi and Chandra resulted in Kalli, Richards, Greenidge and Lloyd all succumbing and India earning a famous New Years day victory. It was a magical way to begin my association with Eden and till 1989 when I left Calcutta for education and job, I hadn't missed a single ball bowled in that haloed ground. It was a privilege and pleasure that made my growing up years very special.

Comments (3)

December 22, 2008

How long a rope?

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/22/2008 in Extras

What is Sachin falls in such a patch? Dravid scored a 9 out of 10 in his "public patience account". What is Sachin's score? 10 out of 10? Actually no. I think Sachin will have more impatience to deal with than Dravid. More people will cry out for his head sooner. That is because of the public perception of his records: what more has he to achieve? And due to the expectations all of us have from him. A cricketer is measured with what is expected of him - so the yardstick is not really the same for everybody. A 5 match series where Sachin averages 30 will be seen as a disastrous series for the little master. I would keep Sachin at 7 out of 10. Laxman? 8 out of 10. Again low profile is the key. I mean level of expectation.

One common thing in all the above three is a warm feeling of gentlemanliness, polite down-to-earth perception of these pillars that we have, which they truly are. That is exactly the thing that Ganguly lacks, he is the aggressor with more enemies than the rest of the Indian team (in his time) put together. I would put Ganguly's patience account score at 3 out of 10. Whatever the patience account score is, one thing is sure: if all of these gentlemen, by some miracle is given 10 out of 10, they will come out of any bad patch, and rule the world again. So a small point to ponder is: when they are not playing well, it is we that matter, not them. They will keep on trying anyway. It is up to us really how long a run we are willing to give them. The ball lies in our court, not theirs.

Comments (7)

December 19, 2008

Welcome back Dravid

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/19/2008 in Indian cricket

Earlier he had been scratching around and looked devoid of any scrap of self-belief. His foot movement was uncertain, he did not get a proper stride forward and was unsure about whether to leave the ball or not. Also he had forgotten to rotate the strike and the shots were too weak to reach the boundary even if he did manage to pierce the field. In short, all of Dravid's strengths had become his weaknesses.

But in this innings, after lunch, I see Dravid batting like the Dravid of old. He is leaving the ball with authority and defending with a firm stride and a firm stroke. His footwork is certain and decisive. But the biggest change has come in his body language. Earlier, he was making batting look impossible, head bowed, and an uncertain manner. Now he is moving confidently and batting decisively, looking like a wall. A smile is still not forthcoming but you can see that Rahul Dravid is again confident in his abilities.

It is essential for India that Dravid continues to bat in this manner. We need him for at least two more years. I have no doubt that the only reason for India currently not being number 1 in the ICC rankings is Dravid's loss of form. Our other players are playing the cricket of their lives, the missing link is our immovable no.3. There is also no ready replacement. India do not currently have a batsman with enough quality to take over the mantle. When Saurav Ganguly retired, Yuvraj was waiting in the wings. For all his inconsistency, everybody knows the talent and timing Yuvraj possesses. Such qualities are not yet present in any of the young pretenders, be they Rohit Sharma, Badrinath or Raina.

So I would request the selectors to continue having patience with Dravid. Even if he fails in the next innings, he has now shown that he still possesses the ability to succeed at Test level. The worry would be an erosion of his physical abilities. On the evidence of this innings so far, they appear to be as good as ever. My hope is that with the regaining of his confidence, Rahul Dravid becomes 'The Wall' again.

Comments (10)

December 10, 2008

Not a time for symbolism

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/10/2008 in World cricket

We Indians love our cricket. But we can't see poor English blokes coming here against their better judgment because they are getting a chance to play Test cricket for England in the event of big names opting out. Will the visiting English fans be given round the clock security, in the unlikely event that they come here to cheer their team? How can we, after an attack as horrendous as this, assume responsibility for the safety of foreigners, when we can no longer guarantee the safety of the locals? I am a little skeptical about the response I will get if I walk into a police station and ask for security because I feel unsafe.

India is unsafe at the moment. Five major attacks have taken place around the country this year - in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Guwahati and now Mumbai. India has now become a convenient target for the terrorist groups, which can no longer immigrate militants to the western world that easily anymore. If there is a militant group, with sophisticated weaponry at its disposal, intent on finding a vulnerable point in a country as big as India, they will find it. Our establishment is not prepared for unprecedented attacks, and pretending otherwise to the outside world is only hurting us Indians in the end.

The game should be played in an atmosphere of joy and calm. Touring abroad is all about enjoying the foreign culture and playing the game with the players' minds on the game, not getting locked up in their hotels. Let us not reduce the sport to a torturous obligation for the players and their families. If a strong message has to be sent to the terror network, the authorities should once and for all stop being politically correct, extend their vocabulary beyond 'we strongly condemn the attack' and get down to business.

At this point in time, I shall refrain from speculating on the ongoing investigations and possible roots of this attack. When the Test series gets underway, the last thing anyone wants to see is empty stands. Charging the locals half their wages for a lone ticket will be a stamp on the unofficially accepted notion that the Indian cricketing authorities are woefully ignorant and illiterate as far as the understanding of the game is concerned. Let the gates be thrown open. Not literally, of course.

Comments (9)

December 6, 2008

Oh for a clean offspinner’s action

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/06/2008 in Indian cricket

The batting seemed to be of good quality and I rather suspect that one of the batsmen was of a league cricket caliber because he played a cover drive and then unfurled a square cut of some elegance. The opening bowlers were also good – they ran in smoothly and delivered decent deliveries and not a wide bowled. But a wicket had not fallen and the captain of the fielding side with some visible impatience summoned his first change.

The new bowler sets his field elaborately, in fact rather too elaborately with much gesticulation. But we are finally ready. Aha! Seems to be a spinner, only 4 steps to the bowling crease. And what does he deliver? An entire over of extremely accurate offspin, every ball was like a dart, with the third ball he took out the ‘league cricket’ caliber batsman’s middle stump and with his sixth ball he plucked out the offstump of the completely clueless No. 3 batsman. Raucous cheers, much leaping around, high fives, lots of hugs…..

I straightened up, dusted my elbows and resumed my walk to the market. But this time my head was bowed and even from the other side of the road you could see that I was not a happy man. The reason was simple. This match winning offspinner bowled with an abominable action.

Of course tennis ball cricket bowling heroes have always been bowlers like our friend here. But these days the story of the maverick offspinner does not end in the neighbourhood maidan. Our friend already 19 or 20 years old must be bowling like this for a few years and by now displaying this brand of bowling in inter college matches too. He would be wrecking teams and may soon play a higher grade of cricket. So I muttered to myself as I continued on my way.

It was not even 24 hours later that I saw some live cricket again. This time it was on television, a match between two teams called India Blue and Green or Yellow or whatever. Both teams had an offspinner each. One of them was being spoken of very highly by the commentators, as the man to watch out for, he can put the brakes, he is a tricky customer, he is the one who will………….

This young man, Mohnish Parmar, has already played first class cricket, played for India A or equivalent teams and therefore must have passed muster with umpires in India, the national committee that reviews actions. But boy, what I saw made me rub my eyes in disbelief! Here he came on a diagonal run up as though measured and marked by Muralitharan. And then he contorts himself and delivers unbelievably copying Muralitharan. And of course he beats batsmen; he gets a wicket here, a wicket there and of the 24 deliveries that he bowled at least 16 of them were the Doosra! The pernicious Doosra is difficult enough to bowl and obviously places the maximum strain on the legality of the action. And through this entire period when this young man is bowling, the commentators make only the occasional apologetic reference to his action. If it is legal who am I argue with that? But if I say it was bloody outright ugly to watch can you deny me the right to say that? Later that evening in the same match, a rather studious looking chap named Ashwin bowled a spell of offspin for the other team – neat clean action, no Doosra, the straighter one of course and he got a wicket bowling a well-set batsman through the gate. But I don’t think he will cause as much grief to batsman as the other bowler and because we worship outcomes and not the process, I think Mohnish may well break through to national colours before the other chap. And thus we will bless, encourage and actively condone such bowling actions.

Something is badly wrong somewhere. A bowler with a dubious action in neighbourhood cricket is perfectly acceptable and in fact provides the much needed sharpness to the fielding side. It is okay so long as he knows that he will play and enjoy cricket as a pastime. But it is an altogether different matter if he is allowed to graduate to higher grades of cricket. In the long run we are doing the greatest disservice to him. Take the case of this bowler with the strange action from the Challenger series match. If he were to continue playing, he would put everything else in his life on the back burner – his studies, his office career, his family. How will he cope if just a short while later, umpires finally do what should have been done when he first began to play serious cricket? Won’t it be too late to change his action? Will he be as effective? What if all his dreams and aspirations come shattering down? Most importantly who is to blame? Why is our cricket administration turning such a blind eye to what is obviously a problem of endemic proportion. I am willing to bet that nearly every Ranji team has an offspinner with a dicey action either in the team or in the fringes of the team. And simply because our system does not have the discipline or courage to stop such bowlers and tell them to correct their actions before they bowl in a match again. I type in these words and in a not too pleasant mood file this piece away and out of sight.

I open the article because I have been compelled to write the post script. November is drawing to a close. Two news items in quick succession in the past fortnight tell us that the offspinners in our country are in trouble. Mohnish Parmar’s action has been questioned by the umpire in a Ranji Trophy match. And Sunil Rao the offspinner from Karnataka has also been told that his action is not what it should be. Why did it take so long? What the umpire spotted in Mohnish Parmar’s action must have been crying out loud for a couple of seasons. How much more difficult it would be for the young man now and how much easier it could have been if our cricket system had done its duty earlier. Legspin by the very nature of the action and delivery is impossible to be bowled with an illegitimate action but an offspinner if not careful can easily end up with an action that will bring grief to the bowler and the game. The administrators of the game in India own primary responsibility.

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December 3, 2008

Another letter to Mr. Hilditch

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/03/2008 in Extras

I realise this is a difficult question to answer, but I figure that Mum and Dad will want to come and watch and they need to book flights etc. My understanding is that if I perform well in Perth and Melbourne then I will probably be dropped for Sydney. Whereas if I completely stuff up my first two Tests, I should still be a shoo-in for the third. The obvious temptation here is to try and bowl poorly in Perth thus guaranteeing me a Boxing Day Test, but if I am unfortunate enough to actually grab a couple of lucky wickets then I realise this would place my position in some jeopardy.

I'm sure you appreciate the conundrum I find myself in so confirmation of your selection policy would make things easier for me to organise this end. As I am led to believe this selection policy is likely to scar me emotionally, would it also be possible for you to recommend a good psychiatrist in advance? I have been advised that I am likely to suffer some deep-seated personal issues about the way I am to be treated in the coming months and I need to know if my health insurance will cover this. My mate tells that me you are a solicitor and therefore apparently an intelligent man and he thinks that you would have sneaked a clause into our contracts preventing us from taking legal action for chronic depression in years to come. So if I am to play with you guys I would first have to secure my mental well-being for the future.

This mate's friend's second cousin knows this guy who has a brother who has been through it all before, I think his name was Kim Yallop or something like that. Fortunately I'm told, he appears to be recovering quite well now. Should I be forced to carry the drinks for a game and am only needed in a support role, I too can offer my services to players that need counselling and as always, this is a skill I'm prepared to share with the rest of the team. Over the years I have counselled many of my mates when they have had relationship issues and I have consoled some of their wives and girlfriends too. But I can assure you that I wouldn't engage in any improper conduct with any player's partners unless it was consensual. Incidentally like your good self, this mate of mine is an opening batsman who is thinking of applying for Mr. Hayden's position, I told him to stop dreaming. He gets caught at fine leg on the hook way too often for an opener, but he seems to think that as long as you are the Chairman of Selectors that this wouldn't matter as that was your signature shot during your Test career. Anyway, he might apply in the New Year if his wife lets him. She gave him the ultimatum last week of cricket or fishing which caused a fair bit of angst as you could imagine but fortunately I was there to console her.

Mr. Hilditch as you never left a message last week, I can only assume that you called and couldn't get through. So I trust I am not being too presumptuous in giving you a gentle reminder about my availability over the Christmas holidays and as ever I look forward to catching up soon. Kind Regards Nick.

Comments (2)

India must tour Pakistan

Posted by Cricinfo - on 12/03/2008 in Indian cricket

India is burning over the fact that terrorists had Pakistani connections and some have gone as far as saying an open war on Pakistan is the only option. Safe to say, India will not nuke Pakistan as America nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki in response to the Pearl Harbor bombings. However, the common consensus is that India should have nothing to do with Pakistan and should cut off all cricketing ties with immediate effect. How such a move will bring accountability to those who committed such atrocities or bring closure to Indians and Pakistani's, barring religious, cultural and ethnicity differences, caught up in the Mumbai bombings is anyone's guess, with your guess as good as mine.

If India do cut off cricketing ties with Pakistan and cancel the upcoming tour to cricket deprived Pakistan as a strong indication of their intentions, it will leave Pakistan, like Zaheer Abbas said, as "orphans in the international cricketing community", conveniently overlooked and forgotten.

It is a well known fact that the BCCI are the power brokers of International Cricket who use their financial muscle to pull off stunning power play moves that smaller and comparably weaker boards can only dream off - Not bad for a nation that was considered a minnow, financially, for the past 50 years or so. In regards to the "postponed", more or less a synonym for the "cancelled" Champions Trophy, make no mistake, India's stubborn backing of Pakistan in their futile attempt to stage the Champions Trophy on schedule is what gave Pakistan the opportunity to hold the tournament same time next year. If India and Pakistan give each other the silent treatment, as the media would have us believe, what happens to the Champions Trophy? Will it go ahead? What about the 2011 World Cup? Will countries continue to boycott the matches held in Pakistan but not India, for the next 2 - 3 years leading up to and including the 2011 WC even if Pakistan fork out a fortune on unprecedented level of Commando - type security that India are willing to provide to the English Cricket Team?

Pakistani fans have long argued that Pakistan is as safe as India, but are irked over what they claim as "hypocrisy and double standards" when foreign countries tour India but alienate Pakistan, in the same way an individual feels alienated, lost and helpless when bullied by fellow peers. Assuming for the moment that India is as safe as Pakistan, touring teams find India the more attractive proposition simply because of the wealth it generates - a simple risk - reward proposition, really. Even at this moment, teams will turn a blind eye to touring Pakistan but will think hard before refusing to tour India.

Besides political tensions and the fact that the two countries are arch rivals who continue to squabble over the disputed region of Kashmir, India have stood by Pakistan. If India abandon Pakistan, then, in effect they have left Pakistan cricket to suffer a slow, painful death with no hope of respite. Commentators have sympathized with India's current predicament and have suggested that Cricket will suffer. I respectfully disagree. The only country that will suffer more than anyone else will be Pakistan, who, after these attacks have lost their biggest backer in the BCCI. Players will opt out of coming to India, but that is no more than a short term knee jerk reaction. As an ardent Indian cricket fan, I am happy to report that Indian cricket will resume business as normal as soon as Reg Dickason okay's the tour

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