Modi's comedy show - Inbox at Cricinfo

But what was once a brief but pleasant excursion into the world of horticulture has been turned into a five minute comedy audition. Game Fifty-Two saw Daniel Kyle Morrison, former international cricketer and taker of 160 Test wickets, standing on the New Wanderers pitch with a cheerleader on his shoulders. I have no idea why he was burdened with a professional dancer and I suspect neither did he. It is possible that no-one knows, since it is the kind of idea that presumably emerged at the end of a particularly long, drunken night out.

Still, I suppose you have to have some sympathy for the lot of the television producer. Under continual pressure to make things exciting, the pitches in this IPL haven’t really come to the party. For the most part, they just lie there. And they all look the same. Though the tournament has been played in every corner of South Africa, the strips of turf with which we have been presented have borne more than a passing resemblance to one another. Invariably they look like concrete but play like porridge.

So slow have these pitches been that batsmen have had time to write a chapter or two of their autobiographies, answer their fan mail and polish their bat before the ball finally arrives. And by the time it does get there, they have usually played at least three shots already. In contrast to last year’s festival of thwackery, this IPL has been characterised by the bunt, the lob and the unfeasible edge. For example, on Thursday, Mithun Manhas somehow managed to hook a bouncer that was proceeding slowly past his left ear in the direction of first slip, whereupon Jacques Kallis seized it in his paw, like a bear catching a salmon.

Actually, when I look back on this tournament, Kallis is one of the players who will spring to mind most readily. It isn’t particularly because of his feats with bat and ball. I just seem to have spent an awful lot of time watching him. I have enjoyed his sweaty, full-blooded bowling, his general grumpiness leavened by the occasional tombstone smile, his curmudgeonly sledging of his South African teammates and his utilisation of the sarcastic throw.

Kallis is of course, a well-established character in the cricket soap opera. Another of the many treats of this IPL has been the chance to watch young and not so young Indian players with whom many of us outside the subcontinent are entirely unfamiliar. To genuine cricket lovers, this is a pleasure. Every Kamran Khan and Ravindra Jadeja whom we get to know represents another acre of knowledge reclaimed from the sea of ignorance and extends the realm of the world of cricket, which is after all, a country of the mind.

If you’re thinking that this sounds like end of term wistfulness, you’d be right. The sun will soon be setting on the IPL and the sky is already tinged with sadness. For all their buffoonery, I have grown accustomed to the faces of Coney, Morrison and Rambo Raja and to having my afternoons divided neatly into forty-five minute portions. I’m not sure how I’m going to cope without it.

And in recognition of the imminent end of festivities, a certain autumnal chill has been evident at the evening games. The IPL doesn’t really do cold, anymore than it does rain and the response has been charmingly improvised. On Thursday night the cheerleaders had acquired red woollens and on the Bangalore bench, Mark Boucher and Roelof van der Merwe shared a blanket whilst Anil Kumble donned at least three hats.

Still no mere cold weather can stop these crowds from enjoying themselves. Indeed, the spectators have been one of the best things about the IPL. I don’t refer to the be-suited individuals sitting stony-faced in their corporate boxes, fingering their official passes and sipping chardonnay. It is the ordinary people who have made this tournament; the punters in the cheap seats and on the grass banks, with their home made banners, their flags and their quite astonishing, seemingly limitless enthusiasm.

Port Elizabeth crowds are the best. Even through the muffling of the television screen, the carnival atmosphere they create has been apparent. The ground seems to reverberate with music; a song throbbing constantly like a pulse underneath the action. Even when the commentators are wittering on as they do, you can still catch the surge and swell of brass and chorus, the mingling of gospel and Latin rhythms and the joyous percussion of a seething crowd banging their inflatable clackers, singing, cheering and shouting. They deserve a trophy of their own.

I have a soft spot for Danny Morrison actually - but as far as Coney is concerned, speak for yourself, mate. Were you watching during this exchange:

Bhogle: Dhoni did away with point. He decided there was no point to it!
Coney: That's quite a pointed comment, Harsha!

Sheesh.

But once again, lovely piece. The crowds in SA were a revelation - this tourney would've been rubbish without them. And while I agree that Modi's circus has been excessive to the point of nausea, I thought there were a couple of really nice touches. I quite like the orange/purple cap thing, i'm sure hayden and rp feel really proud to wear them on the field (despite their hideous colour).

I'm with Nicoli D tho - the t20 world cup is definitely one to look forward to, tho i think it's a bit unfair to call NZ a contrived team. i watched them play 2 t20s against india and they were pretty damn good, winning both. whether england - with their ashes obsession - will step up to the plate is another question.

After reading this article,I feel that Andrew seems to be in two minds.His mind seems to detest the so-called "buffonery" of the IPL but his heart seems to approve of it!By his own admission,the crowds in SA seem to have enjoyed the IPL there.Almost all the matches have seen decent cricket being played while some of the matches have seen a last over finish.The format of the T20 which sees a definite result within the span of 3 1/2 hours only make the spectators really seem to love it.Compare it with the recent "boring" WI-England test series,the difference is obvious.It is the spectators who seem to dictate terms and ofcourse the financial returns for the matches.And as for the buffonery,this seems to be directed more towards a television audience rather than the spectators watching the T20 matches.Of one thing I am certain-deride,one may the IPL carnival,but ignore certainly not.T20,IPL and the spectators certainly have revolutionised cricket.To like or not is left to you!!

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Whilst some readers have persisted in criticising things that I haven't written, most of the comments have been interesting and I have enjoyed reading different viewpoints.

Muhammad Moosa, I take your point. In praising the Port Elizabeth crowd, I certainly didn't intend to denigrate spectators at the other grounds - they have all been splendid.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the IPL and will miss it. That isn't to say that everything about it was perfect, but the minor irritations of poor commentary and intrusive commercialism were more than overcome by the thrilling cricket on show, by the enthusiasm of the crowds and by the opportunity for this non-Indian viewer to see players I have not seen before, as well as the established stars. If there had been no IPL, I would probably have been forced to watch county cricket or the England versus West Indies series, neither of which are particularly appealing.