Australia's emphatic nine-wicket win over England in the Champions Trophy semi-final completely overshadowed a milestone by Paul Collingwood, who equalled Alec Stewart’s record of 170 one-day appearances for England. He didn't get the chance to rejoice in the occasions and will have to make do with being an inspiration to younger allrounders like Luke Wright and Tim Bresnan, writes John Westerby in the Times.

Like Collingwood, they have both begun their international careers as bits-and-pieces one-day all-rounders, players for whom neither batting nor bowling on their own would win them a place in the side, but whose overall portfolio of skills makes them so useful in a one-day team. In Collingwood’s case, his brilliant fielding has always added considerably to the package. With time and experience, Collingwood became so much more than a bits-and-pieces player, graduating to become a fully fledged Test batsman. After making his one-day debut in June 2001, his first Test cap did not come until 2½ years later – by which time he had played 25 one-day internationals - but he had learned much from his early schooling in international cricket.

In the Age Brendan McArdle writes that despite the win in the semi-final, Australia are still to recover from the Ashes loss to England. And to make matters worse, one of their key failures of the series won the ICC Cricketer of the Year award.

What made his series all the more disappointing is that he is obviously one of the stars of world cricket. It's easy to like big Mitch, and there is a distinct reluctance in cricket circles to criticise him. But the truth is, he went from being Australia's trump card to its biggest liability in the space of two months. Twenty wickets at 32 apiece looks fine on paper, but it fails to tell the tale of the lack of control he gave his captain. By the time he got to the series-decider at the Oval, Johnson was a broken man. His bouncers in the second innings were pitching just metres in front of his own foot, and his inept shot in getting out to Steve Harmison near game's end encapsulated his hangdog mindset.

October 2, 2009

New Zealand's semi-final hoodoo

Posted on 10/02/2009 in Champions Trophy

And once again New Zealand meet ther old friends Pakistan a big tournament semi-final. Take your mind back to Eden Park 1992 and Old Trafford 1999. David Leggat of the New Zealand Herald does a walkthrough of past defeats.

Pakistan were behind the play until a large, and largely unknown, young man put down his cream doughnut, ambled out and belted 60 in 37 balls to rip the game from a shattered home side. The legend of Inzamam-ul-Haq, wonderful batsman, hopeless runner between the wickets and champion eater, was born.

South Africa's problem lies in technical flaws

Posted on 10/02/2009 in Champions Trophy

South Africa's exit from the ICC Champions Trophy was not a problem of choking but one of technical preparation, writes Neil Manthorp in the Mail & Guardian.

The bowling was poor, but a large part of South Africa's problem was their predictability. England's pre-game team meeting focused on four things: don't get out to Steyn, wait for the bad ball from Parnell, attack the third seamer (Morkel) and don't allow the spinners to settle into a rhythm. England believed strongly that Morkel's confidence was brittle, and that Botha and (especially) Van der Merwe, werehttp://blogs.cricinfo.com/MT/images/formatting-icons/quote.gif spikey individuals who would respond poorly to early pressure. And they were right. But as much as the competitive spirit of the spinners will see them through, Morkel's role as third seamer -- even when shared with Kallis -- may be doomed. As gloriously as his Kluseneresque hitting entertains the crowds, and even wins matches, as it did in Australia at the beginning of the year, Mike Procter and his fellow selectors will now have to address the value of Morkel's batting against the liability of his bowling.

Ishant needs to reassess his training

Posted on 10/02/2009 in Champions Trophy

India's campaign for the ICC Champions Trophy was affected by injuries to their key players, a situation that cannot always be controlled. However what can be controlled is the workload. In his column in the Hindustan Times Anil Kumble writes that Ishant Sharma needs to figure out what sort of training best suits his body and find a balance between bowling and other ways of strengthening his body.

Most of the training time is taken up by gym work, which adds strength but you have to include a lot of sprinting as well to ensure that the rhythm is right. The challenge is to get the balance of cricketing skills, strength and cardiovascular training. The skills part is, naturally, most important and it is also necessary to realize that each person is made differently. Which is why it is paramount that one understands the body quickly. Ishant is a young man but he would do well to understand what works best for him and apply that to his bowling and training. He's also a thinking bowler and with the right guidance, he should soon be firing again.

In the Indian Express, Harsha Bhogle writes that Ishant and RP Singh's decline is the most worrying trend for India. Good bowlers bowl well for ten years with the occasional bad period in between, not for two years or a season here and a season there. Could it be too much cricket? Could it too much in the mind? Could it be too little in it?

And in DNA Ayaz Memon writes that among India's one-day problems are the absence of a bowling allrounder, the listless fielding, and the lack of bench strength.

October 1, 2009

A dull Champions Trophy so far

Posted on 10/01/2009 in Champions Trophy

The Champions Trophy was a tournament that the ICC was touting as the saviour for 50-over cricket but it has been pretty dull cricket so far, writes Mike Haysman in supercricket.co.za.

How two pitches that are a mere 40 kilometres apart can be so different in nature escapes me. When batting at the Wanderers, first and foremost on the striker’s mind is survival and that is far from ideal. Cricketers want to play one day cricket on true, consistent tracks so that natural skill levels can be expressed to the maximum. What they have had during this event has stifled flair and in some cases elevated ability. So far, with the semi final stage looming, we have only had one close encounter and that was on the last day of the minor round and that is not a recipe for success.

The troublesome spirit of cricket

Posted on 10/01/2009 in Champions Trophy

Mike Atherton writes in the Times that the spirit of cricket is worthless since it can be interpreted in wildly different ways.

In Christchurch in 2006, Muralitharan was run out according to the Laws of the game and was given out. In Johannesburg 2009, Collingwood was run out according to the Laws of the game and was given not out. To end the confusion, isn’t it time the Spirit of Cricket itself, as encapsulated in the preamble to the Laws of the game, was given out?

September 30, 2009

The calculus of hype

Posted on 09/30/2009 in Champions Trophy

India's chances of making to the semis somewhat depend on Pakistan beating Australia. But do Pakistan really want India to make it further in the Champions Trophy? Prem Panicker rubbishes the Indian media's hysteria whipping about their subcontinental neighbours' motivations on his blog Smoke Signals.

Shashi Tharoor, the Twitter-minister, posted about this last evening; Partho and his mates have peppered the print media with riffs on this theme; the TV channels are getting nicely warmed up as I write this… and yet, have we done full justice to the tremendous potential [Excuse the emphatic itals in this post, please -- too much Dan Brown lately] of this story? And then there’s the conspiracy angle. Will Pakistan want India in the final? Younis Khan says so, but can we trust him, can we take his word for it and hope that Pakistan will pull out all the stops? Isn’t it more likely that Pakistan — who, as we all know, we can never really trust — will play just below par in order to do the dirty on India? Imagine what a laugh they will have in the dressing room after they’ve contrived to lose to Australia, knowing that the old enemy, still engaged in its own game against the West Indies, now has to go through the motions knowing that its last remaining hope has been scuppered!

Strauss wrong to reprieve Mathews

Posted on 09/30/2009 in Champions Trophy

The Champions Trophy has already witnessed several sporting gestures from fielding, among them Andrew Strauss recalling Angelo Mathews when the Sri Lankan was run out after colliding with the bowler while trying to complete a run. Mike Selvey writes in the Guardian that Strauss was over-generous in giving Mathews a reprieve. Selvey says the huge controversy caused by a similar incident when Collingwood was captain last year could have influenced Strauss's decision.

September 29, 2009

Two heads would work better than one

Posted on 09/29/2009 in Champions Trophy

The four-page vision document circulated among the Indian players, and the one that landed with the media, has raised pertinent questions, not just with the contents of the document, but also on how Gary Kirsten was "kept in the dark" about its contents from his close associate Paddy Upton, writes Rohit Mahajan in Outlook. He adds that the document is a praiseworthy effort no doubt, but could still be vastly improved. Perhaps it's time for Upton to consult Kirsten when preparing vision documents of this nature, for two heads would work better than one.

One can also wonder if attacking one’s neighbours is really such a wondrous thing, desirable for sporting success. Two, India does have a rich, though regrettable, martial history of wars, between different states and kingdoms before it was unified into one entity. And while it might look like a case of nit-picking, Upton doesn’t seem to be aware that the navies of the Cholas did attack the regions that are now in Indonesia and Malaysia – way back in the past, though — fundamentally altering those places forever.

Strauss the tough guy played it just right

Posted on 09/29/2009 in Champions Trophy

In his column in the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain writes that Andrew Strauss did the right thing by denying Graeme Smith a runner at Centurion, but disagress with the England captain's decision to recall Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews after a run-out appeal. He adds that it was a very different incident to the one at The Oval last year in which Ryan Sidebottom basically took out New Zealand's Grant Elliott.

I have watched the England bowlers closely over the last few months and I think they are making a deliberate attempt to try to make sure batsmen have to run around them rather than allowing them to complete their runs in a straight line.

That is fine. It is streetwise, it is within the laws and, as a captain who played with a win-at- all-costs attitude, I am not going to criticise anyone for playing the game in the same way.

In the Independent, Stephen Brenkley meets the unlikely hero in Centurion, Owais Shah, who somehow played the innings of his life to shake off a hopeless run of form.

Mr Hyde, who had been overstaying his welcome and appeared resistant to desperate blandishments to shove off, has for the time being left. Dr Jekyll is in town. Owais Shah perfectly symbolises this dichotomy. In his case choose any antonymic extreme you fancy: chalk, cheese, lager, beer, day, night, beautiful, ugly.

The equation is simple for New Zealand

Posted on 09/29/2009 in Champions Trophy

No messing about with net run-rates or winning within a certain number of overs, or losing but sneaking in because the margin of defeat was slim. No, all New Zealand need to do to make the semifinals at the Champions Trophy is to beat England tonight, writes David Leggat in the New Zealand Herald.

Winning four straight games to take their second Champions Trophy title, after Kenya 2000, might be beyond them. However this tournament, with its twists and turns, has shown that maybe the anticipated gulfs among the top eight countries - the present West Indies team excepted - aren't as substantial as had been imagined.

September 28, 2009

England in the semis, seriously?

Posted on 09/28/2009 in Champions Trophy

Two 'shocking' wins against tournament favourites and England are suddenly the anti-thesis of the one-day team we are so accustomed to seeing. Something, somewhere, is deeply wrong, which is why Mike Norrish of the Telegraph thinks its time to scrap the Champions Trophy.

Bonkers. There’s no other word for it. Dynamite in the middle overs, brilliant in the field. Sri Lanka thrashed; South Africa too. In the semis with a game to spare. Bonkers. (And, I imagine, more than a little annoying if you paid £70 to watch them against Australia; a series that became a fortnight-long party political broadcast for the Scrap ODIs Coaltion.)

September 27, 2009

'Defeat against England was very frustrating'

Posted on 09/27/2009 in Champions Trophy

Mahela Jayawardene, writing for the Sunday Times, talks about Sri Lanka's two games and what went wrong against England at the Wanderers.

With hindsight, we might have done a couple of things differently.However, the key now is focusing on winning against New Zealand. We’ve slipped up and we’ve blown a good chance to book ourselves into the semi-finals. But how you respond to such moments is the key. Good sides have the ability to dig deep and raise their game. I’m confident we’ll learn our lessons and come back strongly.

NZ know they're not good enough

Posted on 09/27/2009 in Champions Trophy

Poor shots appears to be the norm when it comes to New Zealand's batting, and what makes all parties so frustrated is between getting out there is some quality batting going on, writes Mark Richardson in the Herald on Sunday. He adds that it's time for Brendon McCullum to revert to his position down the order.

The promising start McCullum got will encourage the team to leave him in the current position. But right now games are not being won often enough by the current top-order and so maybe it is time to go back to a time when the Black Caps had the best lower-middle order in international cricket.

September 26, 2009

Familiar woes for New Zealand

Posted on 09/26/2009 in Champions Trophy

New Zealand were flogged in their opening game against South Africa because of a lack of vim in their cricket and boldness in their selection, writes David Leggat in the New Zealand Herald. Vettori should have come up the order after Oram pulled out and Jeetan Patel should have been included.

Things went wrong for New Zealand even before a ball was bowled at Centurion yesterday. The young South African woman singing the national anthems got through the trickier first half reasonably well. Then she came to the final line: "God Save New Ze-ee-land." Daniel Vettori, standing at the head of the New Zealand line, had a quiet smile. As things transpired, not even He - God, not Dan - could have helped out as New Zealand tumbled in grimly familiar fashion against the hosts.

September 25, 2009

Will the youngsters please stand up?

Posted on 09/25/2009 in Champions Trophy

With Yuvraj Singh out injured, the picture doesn't look so rosy for India. What it will do is increase the pressure on Tendulkar, Dhoni, Dravid and Gambhir to score in every game, and that’s not an ideal scenario, writes Anand Vasu in the Hindustan Times. It's time for at least one among the juniors to step up.

India have to take a serious look at their overall selection strategy, keeping in mind the busy season ahead. In this case, there were few options for specialist middle-order batsmen and that is worrying. Rohit Sharma was injured in the season opening Buchi Babu tournament, Robin Uthappa has done little apart from one brilliant ton in the final of the Corporate Trophy and S Badrinath, the other obvious candidate, does not seem to find favour. What’s especially worrisome is the fact that this paucity of middle-order options is after recalling Dravid, who wasn’t even in the one-day frame of things for two years.

September 22, 2009

Three Kiwis who can't afford to fail

Posted on 09/22/2009 in Champions Trophy

Jonathan Millmow in the Dominion Post argues that the Champions Trophy is especially important for three men - Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum and Andy Moles - who can ill afford to come home with their tails between their legs.

Moles is the coach but is in a system where the empowerment is with the captain, Daniel Vettori, and a group of people with backgrounds in other sports (Dave Currie, Don Tricker, Roger Mortimer). It is an unfortunate position but even so, progress since Moles stepped in 10 months ago has been non-existent.

Hopefully, New Zealand's tactics in South Africa reflect the lack of form of some of their former matchwinners. If McCullum continues to flounder at the top then a Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill opening partnership should not be sneezed at. McCullum might even find bringing the team home in the final 10 overs rather than starting them off is the variety his game needs.

What's the point of the Champions Trophy?

Posted on 09/22/2009 in Champions Trophy

In the Independent, Stephen Brenkley argues that the Champions Trophy has always been a pointless tournament, yet there is the chance that this year's competition will help revive the 50-over game.

Fashions in cricket come and go. Today's cool switch-hitting is tomorrow's reckless gamble. This week's doosra is next week's run-in with the beak for chucking. But one thing has remained constant: the Champions Trophy is a waste of time and effort, a meaningless tournament without context or tradition. In all its manifestations it has been a failure from its inception in Dacca in 1998 via Nairobi, Sri Lanka, England and India.

...

There is, however, the sense of genuine competition. Two groups of four with each team playing three times will be followed by two semi-finals and a final. It is almost perfect knockout cricket and that should affect the approach of the players.

In the same newspaper, Brenkley looks at 11 players who have it in them to revive the 50-over format.

Richard Hobson in the Times writes that the tournament is an anachronism and the biggest question going into the opening game is not “Who are the best?”, but “Why are they here at all?”

September 20, 2009

Champions Trophy momentum with the hosts

Posted on 09/20/2009 in Champions Trophy

The Champions Trophy provides South Africa with an opportunity to do what they haven’t done for 11 long years - to win an official ICC event, and finally silence the 'choker' chants that emanate everytime they unexpectedly exit a big competition. Lungani Zama has more in the Witness, the South African daily.

Champions Trophy or not, it is inevitable that the balance between the 50-over games and 20-over games will shift - probably resulting in a direct, proportional swap, writes Neil Manthrop in the Mail and Guardian Online.

August 25, 2009

Champions Trophy no longer serves a purpose

Posted on 08/25/2009 in Champions Trophy

Matthew Hayden had recently suggested that the Champions Trophy should be scrapped in order to make room in the packed international calendar. Suresh Menon agrees and writes in his dreamcricket.com column that while at one point it was significant, it longer serves a purpose.

When Jagmohan Dalmiya was President of the ICC, he mooted the idea of what was then known as the ‘mini-World Cup’ in 1998 for two very good reasons. The World Cup was not yet an ICC event, and the plan was to make some money for the governing body which would own the new tournament. There was too the noble idea of spreading the game beyond the Test-playing countries. Thus Dhaka and Nairobi played hosts, but by 2002, that ideal was abandoned when the tournament was held in Sri Lanka and then in England. By 1999, the World Cup became an ICC tournament, after it had previously been managed by the respective host countries. Television rights had made the pocket money the ICC earned from the Champions Trophy irrelevant. Twice in recent years, the Champions Trophy was held just five months before a World Cup. It was like going through the motions to satisfy the international calendar.

August 21, 2009

Dravid's return to ODI frame not a surprise

Posted on 08/21/2009 in Champions Trophy

Cricketers of Rahul Dravid's stature continue playing only because they believe they are good enough; pride is a big part of it all, and the fact that he had not retired from one-day cricket meant he believed he could force his way back in. Writing in the Indian Express, Harsha Bhogle reasons why Dravid was chosen ahead of Rohit Sharma, who represents the future and is 14 years younger.

There is an interesting parallel in international cricket. In 2005 after a poor Ashes series, and without setting the one-day series that followed on fire, Matthew Hayden was dropped from Australia’s one-day squad while still averaging 40. A year later he had forced his way back and as if to prove a point, he scored at 54.1 till his retirement. Again, like with Dravid, the selectors didn’t have numbers in their mind, not even age, merely an assurance that he was hitting the ball well again.

September 7, 2008

A decision must be made on Champions Trophy

Posted on 09/07/2008 in Champions Trophy

The ICC is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss where and when the Champions Trophy will be held in 2009. Kadambari Murali writes in the Hindustan Times that the international body, inexplicably praised for 'supporting' Pakistan when it chose the convenience of postponing the issue in an nth minute meeting, has to realise there is no point in sweeping something under the carpet because it looks particularly icky.

A decision has to be made: Either a place is safe enough for everyone to travel to or no one. And that decision must be implemented in action and in spirit. There is no point in humiliating a country or embarrassing a game.

In the same paper, Shahid Hashmi feels it the duty of international cricketers to support Pakistan and play for a cause, under tried and tested security arrangements.

August 29, 2008

A lie becomes the gospel

Posted on 08/29/2008 in Champions Trophy

In the Guardian, Dileep Premachandran recalls his previous visits to Pakistan, and believes the country has wrongly been stereotyped and isolated.

If you tell a lie enough times, people will believe it to be the gospel. The decision not to play in Pakistan wasn't really about security. Not one Indian player spoke of being under siege during the recent Asia Cup, and these are citizens of a country that has fought four wars with Pakistan and still squabbles over disputed territory in Kashmir. To imagine that a Ricky Ponting or a Hamish Marshall would be a more attractive target than Sachin Tendulkar for some clueless Jihadi is to reduce yourself to the intellectual level of those who envision 72 Ana Ivanovic clones waiting for them in heaven should they strap some RDX to their belts and blow themselves up with a timer.

August 28, 2008

Champions Trophy a victim of cricket player power

Posted on 08/28/2008 in Champions Trophy

	Michael Atherton: No tears need be shed for the ICC Champions Trophy, a misnomer of a tournament conceived out of pure greed © Getty Images

In the Times, Mike Atherton writes that the postponement of the Champions Trophy illustrates one immutable fact: that cricket is squarely in the era of player power.

No, the players' minds were closed. They didn't want to go to Pakistan and no amount of persuasion on behalf of the hosts - and no amount of armour-plated security - was going to change that.

That players have a strong voice and are no longer subservient to self-serving committee men is entirely a good thing. For too long, players filled vast stadiums, played for a pittance and then went and ran pubs or spent their remaining days flicking through scrapbooks. Now they are forcing the administrators' hands, not just picking and choosing their options, but agitating so that matches are arranged for their financial benefit only. Why else would the ECB hire out the national team to a Texan billionaire if not to appease players unable to share riches on offer elsewhere?

Atherton also expresses his views on the Trescothick-Murray mint affair.

Cricket may have its Laws, but things are rarely that simple, laws being open to an interpretation that will vary according to your standpoint. It is inevitable that players, administrators, umpires and spectators will view their application differently. On the field it is convention - that which is regarded as acceptable - that is as important as the law. Trescothick was doing something that may have contravened the letter of the law, but he was doing something that was part of the game he knew.

August 27, 2008

Not in the spirit of the game

Posted on 08/27/2008 in Champions Trophy

The ICC’s decision to ‘postpone’ the Champions Trophy which was scheduled to start in September in Pakistan, is a disappointing one, although it is far from surprising or unexpected, the News, in its editorial, says.

We are told ad nauseum that the fight against terror is a global fight and that it effects everyone; if it does, everyone should be showing a little more solidarity with Pakistan, especially since a huge bulk of public opinion in Pakistan already feels that this is the West’s war, not Pakistan's. This, it would seem, would have been an excellent opportunity to stand with Pakistan and reaffirm the global commitment to the war on terror by people from a range of different countries coming to Pakistan and taking part in a high profile sporting event. The shying away from Pakistan gives exactly the sort of message that should not be given — namely, the global community telling Pakistan that while it may be just us much our war as yours, you do the dying and if there is any risk involved, count us out.

Alex Parker, in the Times, a Johannesburg-based daily, writes: Pakistan needs our help and our support. Pakistanis need to understand that the rest of the world says, yes, we know you’re hurting, but we’re with you. Let’s just pray that the big guns of England, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies and South Africa can find their way to tour Pakistan again in the coming years

Nevertheless, the sport's governing body needs to come to terms with the very obvious schism that exists in which cricket's landed gentry of England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (black majority country but still white dominated in cricket) is so frequently at odds with the nouveau riche of India and its sub-continental affiliates Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, writes Fazeer Mohammad in the Trinidad Express.

August 22, 2008

Play it with those who turn up

Posted on 08/22/2008 in Champions Trophy

The ICC board is expected to take a decision on staging the Champions Trophy in Pakistan on Sunday and Harsha Bhogle believes there is only one solution possible at this late stage - hold the tournament in Pakistan and play it with the teams that turn up. He writes in the Indian Express:

If I was an Australian cricketer and I read that my country had just shut down its consulates in Lahore and Karachi, I would be uneasy. You could tell me all you want but if I turned to my wife, or to my mother, or to my son, and they implored me not to go, if they said “must you?” I would be torn. I would ask myself if cricket was that important. And I know what I would do.

According to Clive Williams, a visiting fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre of the Australian National University, it would be unwise for Australia to contemplate cricket tours to Pakistan as long as they have troops stationed in neighbouring Afghanistan. He also issues a warning about the security situation in Pakistan. Click here to read his article in the Canberra Times.

The presidential level of security offered does not mean much in a nation where the recent president was lucky to survive three assassination attempts, and the prospective prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated in 2007.

ICC suffering a leadership vacuum

Posted on 08/22/2008 in Champions Trophy

Malcolm Conn writes in the Australian that a “leadership vacuum” at the ICC is plunging cricket into chaos.

Instead of belated if decisive action to save next month's multi-million-dollar Champions Trophy from collapse, the International Cricket Council has called yet more meetings. With the eight-nation tournament due to start on September 12, not even a meeting of new president David Morgan, vice-president Sharad Pawar and chief executive Haroon Lorgat on Wednesday night could act decisively as the cricket world threatens to split.

August 16, 2008

The show must go on

Posted on 08/16/2008 in Champions Trophy

Peter Roebuck, in the Natal Witness, calls for players to make the trip to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, saying that “life itself is dangerous.”

If at all possible, the sporting show must go on. All things remaining equal, cricketers must put aside their fears and go to Pakistan to play in the Champion’s Trophy, due to take place between September 12 and 26. Withdrawal must be a last resort, not a first option. Anyone waiting for perfect calm to shave will grow a long beard. Always, there is some disturbance in the volatile group countries that dominate this game. It might be xenophobia, religious conflict, political turmoil, violent protests, crime waves, health worries or goodness knows what.

Cricket is no longer the game of the village green. It belongs not to blacksmiths but to businessmen, and sometimes politicians.

If every horror caused the cancellation of sporting events, then hardly any could take place.

August 1, 2008

Victim of double standards and hypocrisy

Posted on 08/01/2008 in Champions Trophy

To the outsider, Pakistan cricket has always appeared as a battlefield, with fighting on two fronts: one with the other Test sides and the other within itself, writes Mike Selvey. But the country has every right to feel aggrieved when terror strikes in the other subcontinent countries sometimes barely evokes any sense of fear, and the inconsistency is glaring. Read on in the Age.

In 2005, Australia and England played one-day internationals at Lord's and the Oval just days after the July 7 atrocities in central London. If memory serves, there was no clamour to leave. Last year, England toured Sri Lanka even as bombs were exploding in Colombo and its environs. My family and I remained in Sri Lanka after the tour to enjoy a memorable Christmas and to appreciate that sometimes the reality outweighs the perception.

July 29, 2008

Hypocrisy over security

Posted on 07/29/2008 in Champions Trophy

Mike Selvey, in the Guardian, while looking at the ICC's decision to retain Pakistan as Champions Trophy hosts, calls for consistency with regard to how players view security issues.

Meanwhile I await further evidence of what might at best be viewed as double standards by the players, and at worst hypocrisy. In 2005 Australia and England played one-day internationals at Lord's and The Oval just days after the July 7 atrocities in central London. If memory serves, there was no clamour to leave. Last winter England toured Sri Lanka even as bombs were exploding in Colombo and its environs. My family and I remained in Sri Lanka after the tour to enjoy a memorable Christmas and to appreciate that sometimes the reality outweighs the perception.

But there has to be some consistency. Many of those who express fears about touring Pakistan are the same players who have played a season in the Indian Premier League. On May 14 six bombs exploded in Jaipur causing at least 80 deaths and injuring 150. Three days later, in the Sawai Mansingh stadium, Rajasthan Royals beat Bangalore Royal Challengers, the players including Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis of South Africa and Shane Watson and Cameron White of Australia. I have not heard any concerns about the future of the IPL if such incidents continue. Would Kevin Pietersen, say, be so adamant about not touring Pakistan if he had just signed a £3m contract with Lahore Lightning in the PPL? Saturday's bombs in Ahmedabad, venue for England's first Test against India later in the year, give further cause for thought.

July 28, 2008

Lucrative India, 'dangerous' Pakistan

Posted on 07/28/2008 in Champions Trophy

Sixteen bomb blasts rocked Ahmedabad, which hosts England's first Test in India on their winter tour, but England's players - reluctant to jeopardise potential Indian Premier League contracts - may only push for a change of venue, says Derek Pringle in the Daily Telegraph.

Like insurance companies, cricket players seem to have a sliding scale when it comes to assessing risk. The more on offer, the more emboldened they become.

...

I'm with them on the ICC Champions Trophy, which although well-intentioned when it began back in 1998, serves little purpose except to clog the itinerary with more 50-over cricket.

But I'm against them on Pakistan, which is one of the more beautiful and fascinating countries to tour, providing you can escape the featureless Punjab triangle between Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore.

Has the ICC made the right decision?

Posted on 07/28/2008 in Champions Trophy

	Hosting the Asia Cup successfully demonstrated that Pakistan can organise the Champions Trophy, says Asif Iqbal © AFP

Asif Iqbal, the former Pakistan captain, hails the ICC decision to go ahead with the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. He writes in the News:

Looked at dispassionately, the arguments were in the PCB’s favour. The successful holding of the Asia Cup in June-July this year showed that Pakistan was fully equipped to do the job. All the teams that participated in that competition went away thoroughly satisfied and had no apprehensions of any sort.

The ICC security experts also had recommended in their report that the tournament should be allowed to go ahead in Pakistan. Cricket grounds have never been the target of terrorist violence in Pakistan and given the philosophy — if one can call it that — under which the militants operate, it is difficult to see why they should target a cricket match. The idea of catching the world’s attention through high profile strikes is simply not the way they operate.

In the blog Sideline Slogger on stuff.co.nz, Paul Holden lists the reasons why the Champions Trophy should not be held in Pakistan in September.

July 27, 2008

Danger is everywhere

Posted on 07/27/2008 in Champions Trophy

A day after Pakistan's newspapers said players considering boycotting the Champions trophy were applying double standards, Richard Boock, writing in the Sunday Star Times, has the same message for New Zealand's cricketers.

It was apparently fine that New Zealand arrived in England for this year's winter tour at a time when terrorist attacks were deemed by the Home Office to be "highly likely"; just as it was when Australia continued to play in London as the bombs were going off in 2005.

The same paper has an extract from Boock's biography of Daniel Vettori. Check out the New Zealand captain's views on the increasing politics of cricket, and his take on whether New Zealand should have toured Zimbabwe in 2005.

Cricket has brought Zimbabwe to the New Zealand public's attention - it created a window through which we could watch and debate the topic, and make it relevant for us. It gave us a chance to take cameras and reporters, and with that the eyes of the world, into a place that's pretty well cut off in terms of scrutiny.

Is this such a bad thing? Certainly not. Is contact worth abandoning on the very subjective grounds that to do otherwise is to support Mugabe? Again, I doubt it somehow.

In the Herald on Sunday, Dylan Cleaver says the Champions Trophy is unlikely to be anything other than a "complete wash-out".

In the Sunday Times, Rod Liddle ponders how money changes the attitudes of professional sportsmen.

We are indulgent towards our professional sportsmen, expecting them to be wholly selfish and amoral. Urged to consider the morality of taking part in sporting events in Soviet Russia, or Zimbabwe, or China, they whine that these are political matters and that, possessing no capacity for reason, they should be excused the responsibility to consider them. Show them a huge sack of moolah, however, and they have, over the years, demonstrated a remarkable sense of purpose and conviction, which allowed them to play - for example - in apartheid South Africa.

July 26, 2008

Double standards

Posted on 07/26/2008 in Champions Trophy

The Pakistani newspaper Dawn, in an editorial, praises the ICC's decision to not shift the Champions Trophy out of the country, while criticising players from South Africa and Australia over their fears over security.

As for the hue and cry raised by players’ association in Australia and South Africa, it is too flimsy to be taken seriously. Just recently, many of these players were taking part in the Indian Premier League when seven blasts left some 80 dead in Jaipur, which was the base camp, among others, of South African captain Graeme Smith as well as a couple of Australian stars. Besides, there were quite a few big names in other teams that also visited Jaipur without so much as making a noise. They all stayed back and fulfilled their commitments even though they were not on national duty and could have taken their own decisions. Certainly, IPL mega bucks were the only deciding factor. When it comes to national duty, however, their reaction is reflective of an entirely different mindset. If this does not constitute double standards, what else does.

The News also carries an editorial on the same subject, saying:
"There is no reason to believe cricket stadiums would be a target for terrorists, though, naturally, stringent precautions are required."

Priority should be player safety

Posted on 07/26/2008 in Champions Trophy

An editorial in the New Zealand Herald ponders the consequences if countries send under-strength teams to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. It also thinks the ICC's decision to not change the venue of the tournament is ill-advised.

If a string of suicide bomb attacks in the past 12 months had killed more than 1000 people in a country scheduled imminently to host soccer's World Cup or the Olympics, the event would undoubtedly be shifted to a safer venue. The international purview of such occasions would guarantee as much. So why has the International Cricket Council decided to keep its Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan?The answer lies in the financial power of its Asian members.

In the same paper, David Leggat outlines New Zealand Cricket's predicament.

November 4, 2006

Gayle comes to the party

Posted on 11/04/2006 in Champions Trophy

"Chris Gayle has been the cricketer of this tournament," says Peter Roebuck in The Sydney Morning Herald. "Normally as docile as a government backbencher, he has burst into life, driving and pulling his way to three incandescent centuries, bowling tidily in his understated way and becoming so heated on one occasion that he was called before the beaks and obliged to submit a portion of his match fee."

The 'Fiery' offspinner

Posted on 11/04/2006 in Champions Trophy

It is his combustible qualities that have propelled Dan Cullen to national selection at just 22, well before most offies are considered mature enough to have their patience and courage tried at international level, writes Trevor Marshallsea in The Sydney Morning Herald.

November 3, 2006

Dead dogs and dodgy grub no excuse

Posted on 11/03/2006 in Champions Trophy

	Graeme Smith reflects on another semi-final defeat © AFP

The South Africans were clearly beaten by the better team in Jaipur. A sub-standard pitch was blamed for their defeat against New Zealand in a low-scorer in Mumbai, and the food and facilities were apparently not 'up to scratch' in their Jaipur hotel. The sight of Graeme Smith and his team eating cold take-aways after training was peculiar, to say the least. But were they being too fussy? Neil Manthorp finds out in Supercricket.

The fact that the hotel was an hours drive out of town, in Indian traffic containing camels, dogs, pigs and elephants as well as the usual hoard of tuk-tuks, bicycles and oblivious pedestrians deserves genuine sympathy. A journey of 15 minutes in such conditions, with the constant braking, swerving and hooting, can be as physically and mentally draining as a journey ten times as long on a South African highway

November 1, 2006

Real leadership is not just battle cries and aggression

Posted on 11/01/2006 in Champions Trophy

Stephen Fleming and Michael Vaughan have much in common, writes Peter Roebuck in The Age. Apart from being lanky and looking like James Bond, both convey an inner peace balanced by a fierce competitive streak.

It has been illuminating to watch these tacticians hatch their plans. A keen understanding of their opponents lay behind their strategies. Both appreciated the need to turn Australian aggression back on itself, so that it became a self-destructive force. Both realised that the Aussies would not, could not, hold back. In strife, they'd double the stakes.

October 29, 2006

Pietersen rips up form book

Posted on 10/29/2006 in English cricket

	Out of form? Out of sight. © Getty Images

Following Kevin Pietersen’s match-winning 90 yesterday, which handed England a consolation win over the West Indies, Simon Wilde in the Sunday Times says form matters not-a-jot for him:

When he has got his eye in, and there is a match to win on a good batting pitch, the form book gets shredded along with the bowling. Tell-tale averages, hard-won reputations, both are scattered to the winds. He knows that once the ground work is done, he can score at around two runs per ball against the seamers.

In the same paper Wilde interviews Ian Bell; as Iain Duncan-Smith, the former Conservative leader once said, “never underestimate the determination of a quiet man”. Pleasingly for England, Bell is rather more popular and a far greater success than Duncan-Smith.”He has left the chrysalis and started to spread the most handsome butterfly wings”:

Bell still barely looks old enough to cross a road unsupervised, let alone the boundary rope of an international arena, but he has, at 24, assumed a stature worthy of the predictions made for him by many good judges while he was still in his teens. Don’t bet against him being England’s leading run scorer in the Ashes this winter.

	Harmison insists he will be ready for the Ashes © Getty Images

Over at the Daily Mail, Steve Harmison says the management didn’t reveal their reasons for dropping him in England’s final Champions Trophy match yesterday against the West Indies. He does, however, insist he will be ready to roll come the Ashes:

I know things haven’t quite worked out as I planned here in India at the ICC Trophy. I don’t quite know why I was dropped yesterday because the management didn’t tell me, but I can only assume it was because I didn’t bowl particularly well in the first two games. I feel a little hard done by because on both occasions we were defending a low score, but it’s not the end of the world.

What I do know is that everything’s going well in the nets, my fitness is good and Kevin Shine, the bowling coach, is very happy with my progress. I know how I am best of all, both physically and mentally, and I can categorically state that my confidence is good and I expect fully to be ready, fast and taking wickets in the Ashes series.

October 27, 2006

You earn respect. They did.

Posted on 10/27/2006 in Champions Trophy

	Captain Marvellous: Fleming's demand for more international respect might have gained at least a foothold now © Getty Images

New Zealand's progression to the semi-final stage of the ICC Champions Trophy may have surprised some sections of the public and media, but for Stephen Fleming the success has been hard-earned. Aggrieved at the lack of recognition his team received for their efforts on the international scene, Fleming's role with the bat has spoken louder than his words, feels Richard Boock.

Writing in The New Zealand Herald, Boock lauds New Zealand's effort - in particular, Fleming's captaincy and influence - and chalks up just where each member of the squad stands in the tournament.

"The win means New Zealand are now guaranteed of qualifying for next week's semifinals, and pressing for a repeat of their epic mini World Cup triumph at Nairobi six years previous.

Fleming yesterday hailed a grand team effort; the win coming on the back of some excellent batting from himself, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram and Brendon McCullum, and some demanding bowling from Kyle Mills, Oram, Vettori and - eventually - fast-bowler Shane Bond."

Click here to read more.

October 24, 2006

How do you solve a problem like Harmison?

Posted on 10/24/2006 in Champions Trophy

No single moment has summed up England's ineptitude in the Champions Trophy more excruciatingly than Steve Harmison's opening delivery to India's Virender Sehwag, writes Lawrence Booth in The Guardian. It was so far outside leg-stump that a statuesque Chris Read merely watched it go for five wides, since when Harmison's tournament has gone from embarrassing to look-away-now. That first over went for 20, and on Saturday against Australia he returned figures of 4.5-0-45-1

"Losing here [to Australia in Jaipur] has no bearing on the Ashes," Kevin Pietersen tells Stephen Brenkley in a freewheeling interview in The Independent. "Conditions are completely different, it's a different format, the hype, the crowd at Brisbane will be much bigger... Everything now, is totally focused on the Ashes."

Hanging out in the hallways

Posted on 10/24/2006 in Champions Trophy

Chris Gayle has been finding it difficult to sleep in Ahmedabad. There isn't much to do in proximity of the West Indies' team hotel so find out how Gayle spends his time by reading his tour diary in The Trinidad Express.

October 23, 2006

We have failed on all counts

Posted on 10/23/2006 in English cricket

	Andrew Strauss on his way to 56 against Australia © Getty Images

Andrew Strauss, in his column for The Daily Telegraph, admitted that England’s defeat by Australia was disappointing but insisted they were in good spirits ahead of the Ashes.

I still maintain, however, that this trip has been very beneficial. The training and fitness work we have done will set us up for the Ashes and World Cup, and the feeling of togetherness which a bit of hardship brings will stand us in good stead later this winter.

Although he was not blaming the conditions for England’s problems, he did say that they had caught a number of sides on the hop:

One thing which hasn't helped us is that the pitches haven't been anything like the ones we played on earlier this year, so touring here in March and April might not have been an advantage. A late monsoon apparently hasn't given the groundstaff the chance to prepare the hard tracks we were expecting, and I don't think we are the only side in the tournament to have been duped into thinking this would be a high-scoring event. No batsman has so far scored a hundred in this Champions Trophy. In fact it wouldn't be going too far to say that every run to date has been worth two.

October 22, 2006

Bond motor could go a really good tune-up

Posted on 10/22/2006 in Champions Trophy

	Shane Bond: Like a good sports car, he needs more time on the track © Getty Images

Writing in The New Zealand Herald, Mark Richardson, the former New Zealand opener, reckons that Shane Bond needs to be played as much as possible. The long he sits on the sidelines mulling over his fitness, the greater the chances that he may even become obsolete.

Writes Richardson:

"He is like that prized sports car you keep locked in the garage. Man it can hum and itturns heads, but the factory warranty has expired and you can't really afford the insurance.

So it sits there, looking all shiny and sparkly. Occasionally you climb into a seat,
start it up put it in neutral and pretend you're charging down country roads at
break-neck speeds, slamming it into second and taking corners like you just
shouldn't, then back up through the gears laughing at those you overtake"

Click here to read more.

October 16, 2006

Sad scenes for Shoaib the showman

Posted on 10/16/2006 in Champions Trophy

Robert Craddock writes in The Courier-Mail about Shoaib Akhtar following his positive drugs test.

Shoaib Akhtar was asked just last week did he have a great cricketing dream. "Yes," he replied. "To play one day of my life without pain."

Cricket's indomitable showman turned his back on a legion of experts who told him to cut down his outrageously long 34m run-up for the good of his body and longevity in the game. As a consequence he broke down more often than an Indian phone line.

In the Sydney Morning Herald Alex Brown compares Darren Lehmann’s philanthropic activities with those of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

Morris Iemma, the New South Wales premier, is under fire from England’s non-violent Barmy Army after he wrote to Tony Blair asking for a list of the country's sports hooligans.

Predictable failings prove costly

Posted on 10/16/2006 in Champions Trophy

	Andrew Flintoff: a bad day at the office © Getty Images

In The Daily Telegraph Simon Hughes underlines how poor England are at the one-day game but also flags that for all its money and mouth, the Indian board has issues it needs to address.

Events in Jaipur emphasised the perversity of Indian cricket and the predictability of England's. Having secured over £500 million in sponsorship and TV rights, the Indian cricket board is the richest in the world, but yesterday's one- day international was played on a diabolical pitch which would have disgraced the poorest village.

Sending out their lavishly remunerated superstars to play on that was like racing a £2.5 million Formula 1 car round the North Circular. With bald tyres. This folly was compounded by the premature launch of a massive fireworks display just as the meticulous, ever-reliable Rahul Dravid took guard. Utterly distracted by the commotion, his innings lasted three balls.

October 11, 2006

Falling out of love with one-day cricket

Posted on 10/11/2006 in Champions Trophy

The common thought is that the Champions Trophy is being held in a country that can't get enough of one-day cricket. However, Rohit Brijnath says he is losing interest in the shorter form of the game as more and more matches become forgettable events. After the recent matches between West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in the early rounds of the Champions Trophy it is easy to understand why. Read his thoughts here on the BBC.

The point, of course, is larger than the Champions Trophy. Quite simply, like an affair that has tired in time, one-day cricket has no fascination for me any more. Once I leapt onto my sofa as the final five overs unfurled, but no longer. Though this could be because the springs of an old sofa and older knees complain as much as the wife.

October 8, 2006

Refreshed Strauss ready for the winter

Posted on 10/08/2006 in Champions Trophy

Andrew Strauss missed out on the England captaincy but is now ready for the winter ahead after a break to refresh himself after a long summer. In his Sunday Telegraph column he talks about how important it is for England to build on their two late wins over Pakistan before heading Down Under.

The Ashes has always been the pinnacle of Test cricket as far as England's cricketers and supporters are concerned, and by the end of this winter we want one-day cricket to be viewed as equally important. As players we therefore have the responsibility to improve and perform in the Champions Trophy, the one-day series in Australia and the World Cup. And after plenty of difficulties in one-day cricket last summer I believe we have a much clearer vision of what we need to do, of our roles and the right frame of mind.

October 6, 2006

Indian idyll sets us up for hot summer

Posted on 10/06/2006 in Champions Trophy

Ricky Ponting talks about Australia's preparations during the off-season and about the importance of the Champions Trophy. Read his column in the Australian here

October 1, 2006

Open wide

Posted on 10/01/2006 in Champions Trophy

The Champions Trophy is less than a week away but no team has a steady opening pair. Read The Times of India for more.

Only three pairs have opened in more than 10 One-dayers in the past one year: Australia's Gilchrist and Katich, Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga for Sri Lanka, and South Africa's Graeme Smith and Boeta Dippenaar.

Even in the not-so-recent past, most teams could boast of a recognised opening pair. That has now whittled down to only one steady option for most teams, and most managements are playing Russian roulette in an attempt to pin down a steady partner for that opener, who is, in most cases, a tried and tested veteran.