Marty asks a question

In Perfect Practice Makes Perfect at his blog, Cricket = Action = Art.

Think up a good reply in the granted 25 words. :)

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Can we trust the broadcaster to be the provider of evidence?

Dhoni done in by wrong replay

MS Dhoni was wrongly dismissed off a no-ball in the first innings of the second Test between West Indies and India, as the incorrect replay was shown to the third umpire. The ICC has confirmed the error by the host broadcaster, IMG Media, which the match referee Chris Broad ruled an "honest" mistake.

Dhoni had chipped a catch to mid-on off Fidel Edwards in the 59th over. After Dhoni completed the stroke, the on-field umpire Ian Gould signalled that the bowler had overstepped and then asked the third umpire Gregory Brathwaite to verify the decision. The replays showed that Edwards had a good portion of his foot behind the crease, prompting Brathwaite to deem it a legitimate delivery, and Dhoni was ruled out.

It later emerged that Brathwaite had been shown the wrong replay and that the delivery that led to Dhoni's dismissal should have been called a no-ball

- Cricinfo

That's the gist of what happened at Barbados the other day, according to Cricinfo. That has left India in a perilous position in the ongoing Test match despite Ishant Sharma's brilliant effort to claw the advantage back India's way.

This comes in a climate when the broadcaster, along with the Third Umpire, has assumed a prominent role in the DRS debate. The broadcaster has been dictating the nature of DRS to be used and how much and how it should be applied to judge upon the game with eyes firmly fixed upon their business interests. And they have been reported to be charging large sums of money for providing this inadequate appendage.

Yet they goof up! What's scary is there is no remedy to such an error. We don't know how and when the error was discovered, but if the Indian innings had ended by then, Dhoni couldn't have been called back. If they discovered it before, they should have called him back. This is not like a wrong decision by an umpire...the umpire gave the correct decision but based on fake evidence.

Broad Sr. too has no answers and washes if off as an 'honest mistake'. Lucky it wasn't England playing the game or his home press would have skinned him and the broadcaster on their pages - blue-eyed-boy's-dad or not.

Also brings , to my mind, the the role of Third Umpire into question - could he not tell the difference between live action and clips seen?

I am also doubtful about this 'wrong clip' excuse - is it possible there was an exact replica played by Dhoni, the same bowler (Fidel Edwards) and the fielder (Chanderpaul), with Ian Gould signalling a no-ball with the only difference between the replica and the correct clip being that the bowler's transgression of the crease? I cannot seem to recall such an exact replica having transpired in Bridgetown match, where the same sequences, the same playes and the same execution of shot happened with the same result but only differing in the overstepping by the bowler.

Is it possible that the Third Umpire, Mr.G.O. Braithwaite failed to notice the differences between what happened on the field and the clips he was shown? Did the clips show Dhoni playing the ball that way to Chanderpaul off Edwards, or did they just show that portion of the clip where Fidel's foot lands.

If they show only that portion, then that is wrong. The third umpire can never know if the replay he is being shown is the one he has been aske to judge upon.

If they can show portions of action before and after the event to be judged in cases of doubtful catches, edges, runouts and even LBW's, I find it difficult to believe they did not show the same in this case. So often multiple camera angles are sen in replay...surely an umpire looking for an overstepping would have noticed Fidel overstepping in the clip from the camera behind the bowler (or at least suspected) even if the side on was a fake clip?

There's more to this than that bland explanation offered by the match referee. Even the TV umpire probably faled to notice the difference in clips shown to him. And third umpires will be crucial to DRS..think about it.

Given that the third umpire is representing/assisting ICC and its panelists on the field, I find the following statement truly curious - does the third upire not monitor anything? Even while he is playing a role in assisting ICC as a representative in the TV Umpire box?

In its release, the ICC pointed out that if this series had the Decision Review System, an ICC official would have been present to monitor the broadcast

And all this while we were thinking Third Umpires were doing a responsible job and probably trained in the nuances of it by ICC and broadcasters before every match.

Amazing!

ICC says it needs a monitor in addition to a Match Referee and a third umpire...these guys have the bloat syndrome! So many layers, so many hands, so many levels of control, and yet the DRS (not in this case though) is not infalliable! efficiency is clearly not a priority in umpiring and functioning of ICC systems and its sub-contracted systems.

Is the third umpire not representing ICC as an official during the match? How did he miss what one more person added to the box might have noticed?

And what does the match referee monitor?

Is it just convenient excuse-mongering by ICC simply because DRS isn't there in this match and it has nowhere to hide.

How did did they do this even upto four years ago? When U/DRS wasn't a priority or in existence for ICC? And when the Third Umpire ruled as the judge of fate for two decades?

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Marlon Samuels impresses

HELEGANCE, AS SAMUELS is fondly referred to by his fan club members, played an innings of worth for his team upon being selected to play in the second Test at Barbados in place of the formless vice captain, Brendan Nash. That decision had ruffled many feathers among the West indies supporters, who felt Samuels was not to be trusted to play such an inningsas he did, and was only a matter of time before Nash would regain his form. After all, they said, Nash does average in the 30s. Yes, these days the lofty standards of qualifying a batsman have reached a new elevation in West Indies. 30s and 40s are the new kings of calypso cricket. You can't blame the supporters for making requisite adjustments with time. But that's sought to be set right by the new discipline governing West Indies cricket.

They may be bandits in the eyes of their detractors and blindingly idolized by their supporters, but picking Samuels to play paid dividends promptly. Marlon also is forever in the midst of such bidirectional pulls by his own band of fans and detractors. His problems with authority in the past continue to elicit similar views in the cricket loving world of West Indies. But the past is behind him and should be for us all. Let's not remain in what's history and done. Marlon has served his time and has since come through a process of merit in the structure available to him, in which he has scored well over 800 runs in his first domestic season upon return to cricket.

Ishant Sharma socked him hard...peppered his fingers, thumped his body, and landed a vicious uppercut to his helmet that stunned him for a moment. Sharma was at his hostile best, looking to dominate the batsmen in their minds. Ramnaresh Sarwan, the free-stroking veteran West Indies batsman, has been a victim to this aggression from Ishant during this season. So much so, that even the West Indies supporters speak of him as Ishant's 'bunny' and they even predicted his discomfiture against Sharma well before the Barbados Test when the likely nature of the pitch was unders discussion. Marlon's teammates were wilting all around him under this scathing Indian fire. Praveen was foxing the batsmen by large inches with his movement, Mithun was battering them with his persistence and Ishant was positively terrorising the West Indies batsmen. But Marlon stood his ground.

Helegance played with soft hands off the backfoot lest the viciously rising ball pop into the full cordon of close in fielders. He played elegant drives just when you thought he was frozen. He freed his arms against width and lashed the straying ones to the point boundaries. True there were airborne misguided missiles whizzing too, as there were the odd beaten edge, but Samuels was not to be distracted by what was happening.

Though not quite the same, there were shades of Gavaskar's sang froid when he faced to demonical fast bowlers from all around the world so successfully as India's main batsman and opener. Many times battling hard on all fronts simultaneously for his team as they succumbed around him. Such were the shades glimpsed in Samuels's batsmanship yesterday.

Would Nash have not done the same? Or DR Smith, if given a chance? There is no dearth of rhetorical ones from the West Indies supporters even as they have a performing horse staring at them. In the land of woulda coulda shouldas, ifs and buts and maybes...anything is possible. But in the direct and real land of cricket where the leather is thudding into your skin, or whatever synthetic shells one may have created to protect a human being's delicacy, ready and available performance counts most.

It takes a special mindset to be able to stand up to and perfom against hostile bowling in an environment on the field where the opposition is only too keen to out you and succeeding with your team mates.

Will Helegance repeat the effort? After what interwal of matches, if he does? That's how the sceptics go..that's how the battered West indies supporters as timidly...fearful that if they raise their hopes, they will be dashed instantly.

There is nothing at the moment to deny that Helegance's consistency as a player - that's a case under purview of time. We can only wait and watch if he takes over from the ageing old gurad as the main batsman of this restructuring team.

Meanwhile, let's applaud an innings of character. Let us also lapse into the rhetorical and state that if it weren't for him, the West Indies total would have been halved, or almost that, given that even a score of 200 proved to be an unscalable mountain.

In the end, he remained unbeaten with 78 runs against his name. Was he batting to low in this papery batting order at no.7...well no.6, if Bishoo weren't in as nightwatchman?

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And a stout sneak indeed

ISHANT SHARMA HAS come a long way since his wanderings leading upto his unseccussful bid for a place on the World Cup team. After a bright start to his career, he sort of fell away...even though it was mainly in the LOIs that he looked out of place. Whether he was carrying the burden of niggles or if it was physical and mental exhaustion, one doesn't know, but since the extended break for him during the World Cup, he has come back a much improved bowler. We saw him in IPL bowling really imprssive spells.

Even though this West Indies team is said to be rebuilding, the only main player missing from action has been Gayle. The batsmen who have played in the previous Test and this one, would have figured in the West Indies team anyway. Ishant has bowled well to veterans such as Sarwan and Chanderpaul, Nash and Marlon in this series and to young prospects such as Barath and Bravo Jr.

His bowling has been hostile....Cricinfo (see screenshot below) might have termed it as sneaking away with the lead, for India isn't England or Australia, in which case it would have been a glorious something-or-the-other...but let's leave that portal to its carefully selected choice and return to Ishant Sharma. His bowling has been hostile and purposeful thus far in this series. he has threatened batsmen with his lines and even the short pitched balls. o much so that he hasn't shied away from pinging batsmen on their helmets. Marlon, the well set batsman, was the one to be worked over by Ishant today. Sharma rapped Marlon on his fingers and parts of his body and then onto his helmet. But Samuels hung on.



This was an exhibition of hostility that India has not always known in its ranks. It wanted to punch the batsmen into submission. However there were clever bits of bowling as well as wayward patches.

All in all, Ishant Sharma has stepped up wonderfully to lead India's attack in the absence of Zak and took up the challenge to throttle West Indies under India's meagre score of 200. And to think West Indies was visualizing a lead not very long ago! At least its fans were before Sharma's cold bucket of water happened.

Bimland is no longer a safe haven for West Indies. Like I said in an earlier post, teams like India are coming to West Indies now with capable pace bowlers of their own.

Well done Ishant, grow from here. A sixfer is good any time and your career strike rate is coming down. try and get it into 40s before long...that's our middle distance goal for you.

One thing I have to say, Kensignton Oval made a right fool of us...15 minutes after the long rain, the ground was ready for play! kudos to the ground staff and the construction of the stadium too.

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Bajan Hurricane Season

No, we aren't talking about a Rihanna rest and recuperation tour on the beaches of Barbados. Instead, this is about the interestingly poised Test match at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, and its fate, which, to our understanding, is now all set to being washed down into the sea like so just much city and town flotsam in a torrential downpour. It's at the commencement of the Bajan hurricane season that the respective boards have picked to play a Test match in Bridgetown. Which is sad, given that this Bimland ground produces one of the higher percentages of results in Test match cricket.

I do not think matches have been completely washed away here...I mean a 'No Result' but you can correct me if I am wrong... but matches have been affected by rain to lead to 'Draws'. The initial nature of this pitch, which has also tended to deteriorate dramatically at times, have both been responsible in being able to produce results at this ground. Throw in a few 'prongs' of pacemen ready to take up dentistry and/or body massage as alternative careers upon this likkle England pitch and you have an excellent Test match fare ready. From the spectator point of view of course for most batsmen will disagree.

The current West Indies bowlers are posing a different kind of threat to the visiting Indians. They aren't murderously terrifying as the bowlers of the past but they are doing enough with the ball to recreate that effect. And they have Bishoo who is walking spin all around the young and veteran Indians at will. On their part, the Indian bowlers in the form of Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma are paying back by the same token. Praveen Kumar is bowling bananas! Ishant is able to push the pace-bred Caribbean batsmen, even if they aren't the best available or in the best form available to them, onto the backfoot. Yet, there is a possibility that we could end this Test match here, at the overnight score or a little later, thanks to rain.

Stats do not suggest a washout; given a bit of play, results have accrued on this ground; but that was usually in the good old days when matches here were played upto March or April.

Since 2000, there has been a gradual shift in scheduling matches here to May and June, mostly when Asian teams have been touring here. Even though those matches were not washed out totally and produced results, they were affected by rain. For the current match, the prediction is gloomier that ever before. There appears to be 50% chances of rain throught the day on each of the remaining days of play. The hurricane season has arrived.

Planning clearly has been skewed in the past decade with Asian teams ending up with May-June slots at Barbados. Admittedly, things have changed drastically in the cricket world and West Indies, before its complete revival, is perhaps not as sought after destination anymore by many teams as before, and, therefore, the slots available will not the prime ones. England is the prime tourist to Barbados - for more reasons than one, I may add, and they play in the best part of the season.

My point however is that Asian teams...India particularly...should make its Test series count for something. If you have to play a Test series might as well have them all in toto, prime season and all, so that all so your players can also extract the most out of it besides the spectators and broadcasters. The local associations might benefit too. Anyway chaps aren't going to tour West Indies every year, so whenever they do, makes sense to avoid ran hassles. For the Lanka tours, rain probably isn't such a factor becauese India and Sri Lanka tour each other with the same virulence as breeding rabbits. So if you lose chunks of Test cricket to rain, it doesn't matter because you can come back and play another series in a couple of months. Not so with West Indies...and whatever one says about the current state etc. conditions and experience is different. Look at how the West Indies pacemen and Bishoo are sorring out Mukund, Vijay and Kohli beside even veterans like Dhoni!

Value each experience is all I say...especially of there are possibilities of variety...there is always something to learn from and improve. But you need all the Test match days you can have for that to happen.

Seriously, no jokes, Bishoo could well become the one-single factor to inspire a tour of West Indies. Like playing Warne in Australia was a lure. Then, West Indies ARE rebuliding....even without contributions from their old guard, they are keeping the viewer glued to the action. Think about it for future tours India...where you aren't going to tour often, make sure you get the best slots in that region when you do. But I forget, the FTP's cooked and done till 2020!

I hope his isn't the first match here (educate me if I am incorrect...thank you) to be washed off completely. However, there is little chance of play today...Barbados's sky has been pelting or dripping since 4.00 am.

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Bajan Sun Online | US weather service predicts busy hurricane season

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Consequences of new ICC rules in different worlds

ICC abolishes runners, makes tweaks to ODIs

In the world of TV replays



And in the world of fantasy





Thinking about the poor fast bowlers - ICC wants to have two white balls now everytime chaps go out to play...the fast bowlers will naturally have to step up or come forward, for ICC decrees that two white balls will help them swing swing and more swing right through 50 overs. That spinners are step children now...even though they did well in the just concluded ICC World Cup...is rather clear, captains may give up on them, but the merciless ICC also wants the pacemen to go back and run in faster than before. Or else face stiffer fines!

What might happen as a result is instead of the fast swingers ICC is dreaming of, we may return to the days of dibbly dobbly medium pacers like Reeves, Pringle, Mudassar Nazar, Jimmy Amarnath et al...

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Take a bow all concerned

For the serious student of the game in the modern era of technology and detailed visibility via television and web, there are particularly good articles available that have analyzed the inevitable use of technology thoroughly.

It's a little beyond political chit chat, but the way discussions over algorithms are presented in those articles, they can be easily comprehended by old hands at the game too.

Kartikeya Date is one such, who has persevered on the 'ellipse of uncertainty' that has dogged ball tracking technology in cricket and has got to the bottom of it all.

Further, he has analyzed various paradoxes of interpretation and application of the available system of technology, laws and rules. Many of those rules ad-hoc, without any logical basis, ad leading to different results.

BCCI stood up with logical questions about this system, having ben the first country alongwith Sri Lanka to check technology out in sceptical, hostile world.

It presented details of its experience after the trial run. Within no time they became 'objections' in the press and all mouthgates were opened to allow a flood of criticism in an attempt to sink India.

Well, that did not happen. What happened instead is this

The ICC's chief executives' committee has unanimously agreed to make a modified version of the Decision Review System (DRS) mandatory in all Tests and one-day internationals. The mandatory terms and conditions for the DRS that have now been recommended to the Executive Board for approval on Tuesday will now consist of infra-red cameras and audio-tracking devices with the "ball-tracker" having been removed from the ICC's original compulsory list of DRS technologies. - Cricnfo June 27, 2011

In response to this

"The Hawk-Eye is yet to convince us. This is a technology that deals with the projection, trajectory and angle of the ball. And from where the cameras are placed, it cannot give a foolproof solution.

"We raised these issues when the company had made a presentation in Chennai and no one was completely certain about its accuracy," he said. "This technology is basically based on assumption, which comes in the way of the judgment of the umpires, which we think is not good for the game. So, for us to approve the DRS, it has to be totally error-free." - Cricinfo June 18, 2011

Kartikeya Date has worked hard precisely on this point to get to the bottom of it all and so we could understand the finer aspects better.

One is glad that ICC has begun to see this point and have dropped this technology.

The next thing they have to do, which we have firmly believed in and espoused, is to change the methodology of applaication of this technology and its interpretation. It must become an aide for reference...a dictionary if you please...for the umpire to look up even before giving the decision. The third umpire/on-field umpire prerogative business has to end. The player appeals too.

Someday, appropriate technology will be devised, one is sure.

In all the cacophony and phoney political noises over this issue, Cricinfo did manage to come up with one sensible article finally...Siddharth Monga's article, which finally turns that portal away from articles of noise to one of thoughtful analysis.

Issues remain however - The entire LBW misuse...the silly ad-hoc 2.5m rule..the senseless on-field/off-field umpire prerogative to turn with or overturn the decision has been dismantled...That sordid ad-hoc mix of LBW law implementation and inadequate technology has been given the shove. Date has also demonstrated abilities, limitations and paradoxes that arise due to the implementation method.

What remains are line decisions and missed catches. Fair enough I say to start with, provided work is done on it application methodology and interpretation in a continuing process.

Broadcasting problems were one which we had mulled over here too. In August 2010, we had written a short opinion on this issue. i quote from there

BCCI's other concern, and perhaps its main concern, maybe the fact that UDRS concentrates power into the hands of a few broadcasting/TV raw material developing agencies, owned or controlled by one entity or maybe two or three. Neo's advent will provide a modicum of balance to the monopoly a particular business house has currently over world cricket coverage. But still, that will not be good news for BCCI. Also, this concentration of bargaining power with a particular, large, TV and News giant, maybe a trojan horse for some boards to checkmate BCCI. Worries continue to exist for BCCI therefore"

We feel competition is the key. Shah mentions so even as he discounts its use over the day...in totality further down the article.

There are two companies that presently offer competing ball-tracking technologies, Hawk-Eye and Virtual Eye. Shah said more options were needed so that the technology could become affordable before it could be universally used. "I see some vested interests working here. Unless there are 10 different technologies and they become competitive and cheaper, we cannot adopt [the system]. A $1000 a day should be fine. Not $60,000 a day. That kind of money should go into the development of the game among the Associate members."
-Cricinfo

I'll disagree with that aspect of his statement though...when made an umpires reference tool, it will not be used for every ball as he seems to presume. I completely agree that the broadcaster has to be taken out of the equation as a dictator of the fundamental flow of the game. UDRS, the way it is designed, it remains that...a broadcasters tool to manipulate the game. In no way does it ensure an overall fair game...which should be the goal of any technology used in cricket for judgement purposes.

I congratulate Kartikeya Date, BCCI and ICC for their efforts...BCCI and ICC to have worked sensibly together to find a better solution that we can apply and employ with confidence. We are finally moving forward in a sensible direction...hopefully, remaining issues will be addressed and it truly becomes an umpire's reference manula instead of some paradoxical, ad-hoc, player rebellion.

Forget the political bandwagonists henceforth who haven't made the effort to understand the system...when the breeze was from the East, they cried foul and called it tampering with the soul of the game...now the winds have shifted and blow from the West...they now call India as a bully hindering the influx of technology! This is the biggest paradox of all in cricket...the breezy expert/fan/mouthpiece/journalist!

Let them all go to Date's and find education.

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Dr.Webster intervenes

During their practice session at Barbados, Dr.Rudi Webster, Sports Psychologist - who once had helped Indians - was seen to be interacting with West Indies team members.

Perhaps to reshape the attitudes of batsmen and the team as a whole.

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NSDB: Mr.Maken on the beat

What will be interesting to see is how BCCI will shape up to this, their most immediate challenge - having to register as a National Sports Federation before long and coming under the purview of RTI Act.

If the bill is passed and BCCI fail to get themselves registered, then they may not be allowed to use the name of India for their team. No longer will BCCI's team be called Team India or representative of India.

This monsoon session of the parliament should see action on the NSDB - National Sports Development Bill - which has been submitted by Justice Mukesh Mudgal to the Sports Ministry.

In an earlier article, we did say that Mr.Maken gets the job done regardless of hurdles.

More pressing than world matters would be this compulsion to be registered within the time limit.

Meanwhile Shah makes a few lucid points over UDRS.

By the way, by becoming a NSF (required to be allowed the use of India's name for the team), automatically, there has to be full WADA compliance.

The monsoon session isn't far off! Will powerful cricket satraps from all sides pull a rabbit out of the hat?

Salient features of the bill - PIB.

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FTP draft

Cricinfo provides a sneak preview of what is said to be the draft proposal for the new Future Tours Program (FTP). The major chunk of Tests, the site reports, according to the draft, will be played by England, Australia and India with 99, 92 and 90 each respectively, in the period 2012 to 2020.

Lanka and South Africa come in next with 76 and 74. pakistan has scheduled 65 Tests and New Zealand, 66.

The five-Test Ashes encounters will continue. However, India has gained two five-Test series with England. Looks like a trade-off here...if the objections to a five-Test Ashes are withdrawn, India gets a few of the same.

Nobody appears to be keen on planning too many Test series in advance against certain teams like West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

So where does this leave the Test Championship?

Unofficially, the much desired two-tier system is now in place. That is if the said draft converts itself to fair copy.

IPL appears to have a few turbulent years ahead according to the FTP. Seeing the difficulties with West Indies tour program and a few other countries and England ignoring the league, without India appearing to make much fuss, one gets the feeling that IPL is gradually evolving towards a more domestic tournament. Further, it may be banking upon players from other countries who aren't certainties to play in their first or second XIs. I am not too upset with that...ours has been the position that India should reduce reliance upon foreign players gradually to have the tournament function.

There may be shifting of the Bangladesh ODIs that appear to be clashing with IPL dates one particular year.

One may have to give up on West Indies player participation in IPL altogether. No strife with that either given that they have been the biggest cause for IPL being maligned and barring the odd player like Gayle, everyone else from West Indies has only produced fitfully. And those unions...I'd be always wary.

England has withdrawn from IPL..fair enough. They have their own County system and leagues to run. Their industries are already functioning and they require all the workforce they can muster instead of encouraging competition...even if it is minor like IPL.

India is likely to play 166 ODIs - the most.

So India's workload is likely to be about 11 Tests per year and 21 ODIs to go along.

Not bad...balanced is all I can say.

The T20Is have been almost given up but for some token play.

What this suggests is that there are no plans to switch engines yet - ODIs will remain the cricket workhorse and T20 cricket will be given up to each nation/region to make their booty out of their domestic tournaments. I detect a heavy orthodox influence on this FTP draft.

Clearly, England and English ideas continue to matter in ICC. At least the current structure of ICC appears inclined to be receptive to the English influence...rather, an orthodox temperament appears to be prevailing.

From India's perspective, the same appears to be the case. Tests and ODIs remaining the main deal, the sectioning into two-tiers, with diminishment of T20s and probably IPL it appears, indicate a twist towards orthodoxy by the BCCI.

There appear to have been trade-offs and mutual agreements among the dominant nations too, where nobody steps on others toes.

Though we have called for two-tier system and also lesser international participation in IPL, I will confess that I'll miss the complete international flavours.

The good thing is, some struggling teams will now have better focus to get into the winning and progress mode. I expect a high brand of cricket coming from committed players of those teams that do not have enough fixtures in hand. They'll like to make most of them.

Which raises another question - if some teams do not play enough cricket, how can they contract their players satisfactorily? They will have to work harder at finding sponsors and lift their brand of cricket.

Clearly, the days of free lunches are coming to an end.

I also wonder how much influence major broadcast agencies have had in the formation of the rumored draft.

Let's wait for the final copy.

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Ignorance can cut both ways


Broad: Played only in India
Career Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 5 10
overall 37 66 1234.3 254 3879 107 6/91 6/87 36.25 3.14 69.2 3 0
v India 1 2 40.0 11 134 2 1/50 2/134 67.00 3.35 120.0 0 0



Anderson: 3 Home 3 Away
Career Span Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 5 10
overall 2003-2011 59 108 2090.2 472 6798 219 7/43 11/71 31.04 3.25 57.2 10 1
v India 2006-2008 6 12 250.3 58 791 24 5/42 7/125 32.95 3.15 62.6 1 0



Tremlett: All in England
Career Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 5 10
overall 9 18 381.4 94 1134 45 6/48 8/150 25.20 2.97 50.8 2 0
v India 3 6 143.1 36 386 13 3/12 6/92 29.69 2.69 66.0 0 0



Swann: Both in India
Career Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 5 10
overall 32 58 1341.5 276 3881 140 6/65 10/217 27.72 2.89 57.5 10 1
v India 2 4 100.3 16 316 8 3/122 4/145 39.50 3.14 75.3 0 0


That'll be the main chunk of England's bowling against India. There is hardly any information to go along with. The number of Tests played are too low except for Anderson who has six Tests against India.

Swann played both his matches in India and did worse than his overall figures.

In fact, all these bowlers have significantly worse figures against India in comparison to their career stats.

Anderson did better in India than in England.

It's the same situation in LOIs - only Anderson and Broad having played enough ODIs against India.

What this means is that the present state of these bowlers will be a mystery even to our veteran batsmen. There will be no familiarity factor. Not too great anyway.

Bowlers like Tremlett are rumored to have improved from his earlier days. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to see the England-Sri Lanka encounters to make a current judgement. But people speak highly of his present state.

So for both veterans and new kids, they will be learning about these bowlers as they go along.

On the flip side, even the bowlers will not be too sure about the particular strengths and weaknesses of a batsman. One can do all the video research but there is nothing like first-hand knowledge. It is then that a bowler understands the mindset and recognizes the subtle body language of a batsman, besides his batting skill levels.

So both batsmen and bowlers can come as a surprise to each other. One hopes it is India who can seize the first element of surprise. The second part of summer in England shouldn't be as bad as the first part. In terms of cold, kind of pitches and overcast conditions. That's if the climate has been traditional this year. The second part is said to be sunnier.

Should make for an interesting contest.

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Make it quick, Barbados !

One hopes those who have a say in these matters have prepared a really quick pitch at the Kensington Oval. West Indies could opt for a four prong plus Bishoo. Maybe they will go with the same attack. Whatever...I would like to see a really quick pitch for two reasons - 1) to make sure our youngsters have the experience early so that they can make use of it in future years and 2) prepare the team for a portion of what they might face in England.

The danger of playing all the Tests on subcontinental type pitches is that England will come as a kind of pitch-lag. Crucial initial phase of the tour may be lost to that. If West Indies can throw a peppy thing at Indians, and if Indians overcome that, then a few lads will take the confidence forwards.

The fear is, local authorities might not produce a green-top lest a greater beast awakens in Ishant and Praveen Kumar that demolishes the frail West Indies batting instantly.

I hope somebody has courage and throws a stiff challenge to the Indian team.

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Just beat them

Short and brief post, sort of message to be telepathied to every memeber of the Indian team.

Beat the West Indies and England...spare no mercy. Not a grain of it.

Those are two short sweet and crisp targets.

Detailed explanations and write-ups later...after the deed is done.

Just beat them at their own games..fast pitch or slow pitch. Pace, movement or spin.

If they influence the umpires to support them, let them do it...let them all combined reduce the games to a farce. Win inspite of all hurdles thrown at you.

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The ICC bull method of debating an issue

Push poison-tipped rotten umpires into the body of debate and kill it instantly.

UDRS can't correct poor umpiring - Precisely the point. Can't escape that even if ICC and bandwagonists run all around the world from London and into the arms of Agra.

Dhoni's wrath finds Dickie Bird's support

The fact is, chaps are unable to understand certain key aspects of the limitations of technology, its interpretation and application, and jump onto one bandwagon from the other. First strictly anti-technology and now drinking the kool-aid without pausing to educate themselves....manu chaps from London thru Caribbeans, Southern Hemisphere, Bangladesh, Lanka, Pakistan and upto the institutional township of Agra in India.

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Nash pays for Sammy's dropped catch

Windies drop Nash

2011-06-24

West Indies have dropped their vice-captain Brendan Nash and have recalled Kirk Edwards for the second Digicel Test at Kensington Oval starting on Tuesday.

Nash has been having a torrid time with the bat and his last six Test innings with returns of: 5, 3, 6, 30, 1 and 9 tell the story.

Edwards is yet to make his test debut but has played nine ODIs for the West Indies, though he was recently dropped due to lack of form.

Meanwhile, West Indies captain Darren Sammy says he has a formula for drawing level with India

- Barbados Today

Who they select to play is their problem...as opposition team supporters, it is not our job to tell them who should and who shouldn't be in the team.

However, there is an interesting twist being given to proceedings starting with the opposition captain himself.

The West Indies team did well to play as they did and as much as they did. They needn't feel ashamed of their performance. yet they appear to feel ashamed in an unhealthy manner. Some credit must go to the visitors. However, there is an attempt to pick out elements from woulda coulda shoulda land and employ them to stretch the match performance to a totally different skew, so that that virtual end result is suggested to be different than the real one, in this real world we live in. Sammy himself brings up the matter of Dravid's dropped catch, and is repeatedly multiplied by thousands of internet fans, in an attempt to project an end match result onto our sense, far different than what it actually is.

“I don’t think there is much difference between the two sides. It’s been a case throughout the home series for us. The games have been coming down fairly close.”

“We know we are capable of getting 20 wickets. It’s just one area where we need to get clicking. Once we can put good first innings total, and I don’t drop Dravid or anybody again, we should not be under pressure to win a match.

“The way the bowlers have bowled, getting India out within 250 in both innings, we stand a good chance of levelling the series provided we bat well,” the skipper said…

WICRICNEWS

The point I am trying to make is that by selectively picking out events in the normal course of a match, the impression tried to be conveyed is that West Indies would have won but for that catch.

I ask Sammy and those who draw such illusions...What about the bad decisions given by the umpires that favoured West Indies?

They will be quick to scoot the DRS way instead of understanding that if you draw in one woulda coulda shoulda from the world of things that didn't happen, you have to also draw the other wouldas couldas and shouldas for symmetry. Otherwise it is like insisting that the Sun rises from the west and sets in the east...because we say so!

Let us walk with those who are in the grip of this virtual game to that fantasy land of ifs and buts, should haves, could haves and would haves, and draw the element of bad umpiring gifting opportunities to West Indies while robbing from India and put them alongside...then, the match might cease to have the semblance of closeness and the piousness attached to the West indies fightback that is present in the real world - the match would be even more without balance! The Windies might have been wrapped up in two days...or India might have scored many more runs...far beyond the ability of Windies tailenders to make it look even this close.

Sammy should have known that his bowlers bowled out India twice under 250 with considerable help from the umpires...and West Indies scored as many as they did thanks to the same. You cannot say, but for Dravid's dropped cat blah blah blah.., and then not also bring up the umpiring. Do both.

So, chaps should shut it and drag their heads out of that la-la land of Shel Silverstein's brief but apt description.

Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda

All the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
Layin' in the sun,
Talkin' 'bout the things
They woulda-coulda-shoulda done...
But those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
All ran away and hid
From one little did.

- Shel Silverstein

And then there is the dreaded 'formula' West Indies is supposed to possess to down India. Beware my bredderen! :)

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Heil Tremlett !

Chris Tremlett has been assigned the role of pre-series spitting organ of the "unofficial" champions of cricket, England, and has been barking strongly into mics and megaphones like a crew-cut strenuous sergeant from the Nazi wars of yore.

A look at this self-appointed Champions of Test Cricket's forward organ's form and content drawn from a Google search for the past month.

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Up Di Rhetorical Sphincter

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Cross eyed Bhajji

Aankhen chaar ho gaye

3-105 on a track spinning since the first day.

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India wins first Test at Sabina Park

In many ways, West Indies, without specific players and form of others stayed the course with the side representing Test and World Cup champions, India. They were able to rattle the Indian spectators with their tail snapping. Which makes one wonder what the situation would be like if their batting is beefed up by the return of some players and the form of others. Or if the conditions changed...say a greentop at Bimshireland?

Bridgetown, Barbados, the home of many West Indian pace bowlers, could be unforgiving to the Indian lads who exposed a fraility of temper, choice and concentration. And a few seniors too! Only Dravid held on....that to thanks to Darren Sammy.

Agreed that umpiring stole a few innings from India...both Indian and West Indian innings, and many of them, were robbed by umpires from India...and that created a semblance of competition, this situation will not change as long as India insists that DRS be perfected BEFORE application instead of getting started with it and modifying the technology AS WE GO ALONG. The issue over ball-tracking is valid of course and remains...as much as the interpretation and application methodology of the review system.

But this state of affairs is not going to change before Bimshire happens to this mixed Indian team of youngsters and veterans...and certainly not after that in this series either. So India could be tiefed of many more innings by the umpiring in West Indies, therefore, we will have to perform more than just enough to overcome this daylight robbery by ICC umpires, which will inevitably continue.

There is no doubt that greentops will benefit Indian bolers too. Praveen Kumar has displayed an impressive range within the pace at his command. Ishant has made one perk up again...for he is now beginning to bowl as if he wants to be the best bowler in the world before long. having missed the World Cup seems to have fired these two players more than others...Mishra excluded.

Indian spinnners, overall, kept the fear factor going - batsmen, knowing the ball was spinning and the pitch helpful, were cautious against them and were probably a little relaxed against the pacers to their peril. But we missed spinning action on this pitch. Harbhajan is a veteran and he should have weighed in as a bowler, as Dravid did as a batsman. That Bhajji's batsmanship, instead of his bowling, was instrumental in setting up India's win is actually another slap on the cheeks of our erring batsmen and our spin bowling reputation. Mishra bowled well, but could have done better if hadn't let the pressure off with inbeween patches of bowling.

Kensington Oval could remove this fear factor pressure exerted by the combination of Sabina's pitch and Indian spinners upon the minds of West Indies batsmen. The fastest pitches of the region are said to exist in this Bimshire outpost of the Caribbeans.

So we wil have a situation where we might have to play one spinner...and the better performing spinner might have to be dropped for the experience and batsmanship of Harbhajan. Actually both the spinners contributed with the bat too, but we would like their main craft to take precedence and be peoductive of wickets.

Barbados also squarely calls into question the tole of India's opening batsmen and their capabilities. Virat Kohli is on the verge of snuffing out his chunk of immediate chances...Dhoni's Test batsmanship must rise a few notches given that he is fancied as a main batsman in this team. otherwise, there is every possibility that the balance of pace and its effects will be in favour of West Indies at Barbados. I hope India can play abetter game han they have.

Of course there is happiness that India's transitional team was able to succeed and win the Test ultimately by a fair margin. But I'll urge them to tighten up their act and play a merciless game...batting, bowling and fielding...henceforth.

From a West Indies point of view, Rampaul, appears to be the one making best use of both bowling and batting coach available to West Indies.

Scorecard

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Windies not out of it

It is easy to say West Indies will succumb to this target of 326. One can back it up with various suppositions. But, 326, technically is not a difficult score. If 2-3 batsmen get stuck in, this pitch can cease to worry. And those batsmen are there in Barath, Sarwan, Shiv, Nash and Simmons with a dash of Baugh. The rest can kick in if the mood's right.

I think India must develop pressure upon the West Indies batsmen and keep it right through with quick and regular wickets and tidy work in the field.

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Well Done Rahul Dravid!

We knew it was coming today...you are just that sort of player who comes good when his team wants it most.

32nd Hundred.

Congratulations and well done!

And oh..Eff off 'untidy' Fazeermouth and take your voice elsewhere. Maybe somebody does pay to listen to you...not here though. You get your rass down on that pitch and I dare you to score ten runs off...ok..say Sammy in a neat and orderly manner!

Meanwhile, Mishraji doing his bit for the Team and Dravid with the bat. He's done it before though.

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"Ambitious" Commies

Commentators are important markers of memories. You might remember some particular aspect a match solely because of how you heard it, even if you were watching it live. Years ago, there wasn't TV but people took transistors to grounds and listened to commentary even as they watched the game. memories are often linked to a particular commentator and what he said, and in what manner. But this ongoing series between India and West Indies is in a disaster for me in this regard...all I can recall is the gravelly voice of a self-possessed commie and very little of the game he was describing.

Yet, I shall always recall Fazeer Mohammed from this bunch of commies for his "ambitious" criticism of Dravid almost right through his innings, but more so when Dravid entered the nineties. He should sit in the stands or be on a MB/social network forum instead of giving commentary the way he went.

Back then, even the best commies didn't put themselves before the game and its players...today it is a little different...Commies tend to push themselves ahead of the game and its players as if they were mere posters or bloggers like us.

Most irritating commentary experience this...and that too when there are the better likes of Dujon, Bish and Cozier in the box. The wrong sorts appear to dominate and they think they are being very good to the viewer!

A wonderful innings, most significant innings of thid match, by Dravid, and the fighting run up to his personal hundred, is being reduced to utter nonsense by this man's gibberish. Not to talk about the deprecatory blanket he puts on what teams are playing and doing. Well done Ten Cricket!

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Happy for Harper

Somebody just told me that Harper has decided to retire soon. If that news is true...first time hearing such a thing...then I am so happy for this guy who has given us viewers so much good humour on the field as he has given to players too.

Wish him all the best in future endeavors and lots of comfort in life ahead.

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Arrite, whey di town decriers?

After the brief and predictable drama following Shahid Afridi deciding to play T20 cricket for English county, Hampshire, when his national team, Pakistan, was touring those parts, and the withdrawal of his NOC after exchange of words, news comes that he is back with the NOC again and is waiting to deliver eagerly for Hampshire.

In the first place, the drama appeared like a charade just so he could opt out of that leg of the tour and play for Hampshire..and now some money has changed hands via 'fines', and all is well again.

My point is, where are the band of 'club before country' and 'Monster IPL' denigrators who inhabit this cricketing world and slink out whenever IPL or India happens and take ovah as official Town Decriers? Do they not have any breast beating and wailing to do now? Around the globe from Agra to London. Or are English clubs exempt and treated differently from other clubs and so the players who opt to play for them?

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Virat Kohli: Let the ball smell your armpit

The ability to, upon seeing the ball snaking up to it, abort the intended glance and lift your bat high straight up instead, so that the cherry can smell your on-side armpit and hurry on on its harmless way to the keeper, this the on-side version of Shouldering Arms, simply has to be...requires to be developed into an instinct. If you are not hooking or pulling and the ball is higher than a safe glance, then this incorporated, learnt instinct has to prevail. Young Kohli will do well to learn some of these things quickly lest he be typecast and boxed into this error-prone corner repeatedly. If the man wants a cricketing future...no problems with his overall future given that he is a successful man already...he'll have to show better application. Be always aware that there are any number of gum-bumping people to nyam you down on your first mistake. Now you have shown two mistakes this Test match and the opinion makers are already sending the message out with their tom-tomming and smoke signals.

We are nobody to advise on this matter, but in our humble opinion, batting appears to be a lot about being an astute manager of one's instincts and experience. The best batsmen manage these the most appropriately to direct their special skills and craft of playing good cricket.

Sachin is a very good one at this...have seen him giving plenty of deodorant to such balls that suddenly dart up to his on-side armpit, higher than glanceable height.

Issue in question:-


44.3 136.4 kph, Soft dismissal! Short ball, aimed into the ribs, but headed down the leg side, Kohli flirts with it, and West Indies' appeal for a catch down the leg side is spontaneous. Harper agrees, and a disappointed Kohli goes back. Did he show dissent? Were there any grounds for dissent? We know not yet... Can't tell at all from these replays. As an aside, these are the incidents where DRS becomes ineffective if there is no Hot Spot. Makes no sense to have DRS without proper technology 100/4

- Cricinfo's text commentary of the match.


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Off to Day Three - The Rahul Dravid Day at Sabina!

Without doubt the man will have to bat from start to finish...The Wall must shelter and manage remaining batsmen around him now that Laxman is gone. He'll have to manage the kiss-blowing Kohli first...help him re-discover his patience and appetite for the long innings. The kind he played for Delhi in Ranji matches that led to his becoming a travelling star. The veteran will surely pass on serious tips to the potential no.4 in their time out in the middle. Up to Virat to grow a few inches today from all that nursing. In the same vein, the well-rested mahi, MS Dhoni, needs to come up with a good Test knock if called in today. Yes we'll need one from him if it comes to that. The first session will be crucial.

The pitch has been called into question...appears to be willing to every bowler's call and desire...and so they blame it as one without proper foundations. Which is peculiar actually...how often do we get a pitch that's friendly to both pace and spin?

They say chaps have played into vistors' hands with this pitch, but methinks it was a calculated balance the home gurus drew to defend their team while arming Bishoo and the likes of capable Sammy and Rampaul and Castro on this wicket. The batsmen do play a lot of spin in the West Indies regionals...check bowling stats for gone season's domestic play. Spin has dominated.

And, if you have noticed, these kind of pitches have been the rule in West Indies past few years in every series. If they want to harden them up...no jokes...they can consider a bit of cow dung (buffalo dung will do fine too) and ash mix into the clay slurry while making pitches. You'll get rock hard pitches with pace and bounce like a pogo stick manic's.

That West Indies players cannot play spin is because of the gender identity they attach to various aspects of cricket. Bowling pace is 'Maaaccho', swatting pace with a bat is a more manlier 'Vivo'! Spin is being straight-haired wimps. Playing spin with a bat must mean you are wussier no good maan.

It's a perception they like to project of course to international cricket world irrespective of what they actually do behind the closed doors of their domestic cricket. The fact is West Indies, with or without Gayle, cannot play anymore on fast pitches when the opposition teams, bar the odd one, are able to match them with quality pace bowling of their own.

Look, they couldn't even survive the pace of Praveen Kumar and Ishant on this spinners pitch! Gayle wouldn't have mattered beyond a few tonks when there was so much activity off the pitch. By the ball of course.

Given this situation, the best they can do is hopefully win the toss and bat first on a pitch they have designed to crumble beneath the oppositon. Pakistan fell to this trick last series...looks like India hasn't. At least thus far.

If there is indeed an issue with the quality of pitches in West Indies, and an insistence upon it, then ICC should be called in to have a closer look at what they are doing and proper action should be taken. Talk, otherwise, is merely of convenience, and dirt cheap.

The game isn't over by any stretch of imagination - West Indies have plenty of spin-comfortable batsmen in Barath, Sarwan, Shivnarine and Baugh. Only Lil Bravo looks fishy in those swirling waters. Simmons has handled spin well this season too! And when you look at the stats, 60% of West Indies wickets fell to pace rather than spin! So play hard India, bat well and bat long.

An aside...CSKRani (trademarked by a friend on Twitter..not my own original) cannot seem to control being expressive on field...the expressions given after latching on to Praveen Kumar from the back..CSKRani is an expert jumper into arms and onto people's back and needs little invite...after Kumar took Barath's wicket were...well expressive.

Coming back to our Day One preview, we are indeed going to see a Rahul Dravid bonanza.

Make it a double old fella!


Overnight Situation Briefly:

India 246 & 91/3 (41.0 ov) Dravid 45* Kohli 14* (Batsmen in hand - Raina, Dhoni, Bhajji and Mishra)

West Indies 173

India lead by 164 runs with 7 wickets remaining

Scorecard

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Day Three Cautionary

The pitch is misbehaving. True. Staying low at times too. Once again, correck is right. The punter in us might sneak in a suggestion that 100 runs would be one too many in the fourth innings for the faded fireballs of cricket. But listen to your conscience instead India! West Indies have returned on this ground spectacularly before and never underestimate a trailing and angry opposition.

You ask, 'Why angry?'...Well, it's a little complicated, but to put it simply, West Indies need a "Massa Figure" to rail and rally against...they can't do without this seminal ember....and India is currently enjoying that privilige.

It isn't done till it is..too often have we heard the zealous exclamation of 'Dis done!' fill the air only to see it fall heavily silenced like a deflated hot air balloon.

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Indian Fiyaah in BahBinalon

On a pitch that spun like a snake in heat, it were still the fast men who picked the wickets. Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar stripped West Indies of all preconceived notions. Yes, there was fancy talk going around about forum and social media networks about West Indies showing the 'undeserving' best team in the universe of world cricket, its place.

Ishant is no longer a headless chicken running in to bowl like a fool - he has found his head again and bowling with intelligence and enthusiasm. But Praveen Kumar it was who came back with a most damaging spell after having been incognito yesterday.

The spinners accounted for four wickets on a pitch tht should have earned them more. Bhajji was tiring his fingers bowling off spin like Murali instead of his subtle ones and doosies that keep batsmen guessing. Mishra is a class bowler but couldn't make best use of this gift.

While these Indian men were lighting fires in the backyard of West Indies, Adrian Barath again came up with a classy knock. As long as he was there, West Indies were in the game.



This game is not over by a long stretch - Mukund looks like he'll make the cut before long. Vijay, however, isn't impressing anyone. Just hope it is a bad patch for him but looks ike he's been sorted out.

Dravid and the rest must set up a big score for India. West Indies have always come back at 'Bina.

Scorecard

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Crocs can't do it better

ICC cannot let the BCCI dictate any longer: Modi

I don't want to react at all to Lalit Modi: Shashank Manohar

Well done! Keep it up!

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Day Two at Sabina

Our man wends his way to Bina, head fullo people's thoughts, to watch West Indies bat in this first test. Clearly, he thinks West Indies hold the advantage and Mishra and Ishant must deliver India. If Bhajji joins in, well and good.

Somebody wipe Castro's face today with red leather tissues please...the man asks for it when bowling! :)

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India tour of West Indies 2011: Day One, First Test, Sabina Park, Kingston, Jumieka

West Indies did well to bowl out India on the first day after India won the toss and opted to bat on a decent pitch. Rampaul undid the Superkings. Mukund's temperament looked good but the combo of Sammy and Rampaul's pace variation induced a false judgement of speed to a Rampaul delivery and inside edged his stumps all over the ground. Rampaul was simply brilliant. However, there was a Sourav Ganguly moment for debutant Mukund that will inspire barbecue enthusiasts to check out his ribs a little more. I have time for this guy.

The fellow I do not have time for is the fake Sehwag..rather fake Gayle..Murali Vijay has begun to irritate me. He hasn't managed to tighten up his game in these three-four years when he needs it all with the style of play he has. Sehwag and Gayle have unnoticed minutae to their supposedly crease bound play. Chaps miss it and think it is all about appropriate angles of crouching in appropriate directions and all arms. Time to check out someone else..on injury duty. Why not ask Rahane to open?

Raina got going and threw it away..Bhajji played a fighting knock, the kind he now has a reputation for.

India were bundled out for a meagre score under 250 and that's not good.

Dtavid got a 40 alright but clearly, rust shows. Ditto with Laxman.

However, the player who must be kicked on his backsides is Virat Kohli. He should be able to do better than flirting outside the off early in his innings. And just before lunch too.

Rampaul continues to have a grand season. Laxman falling like a sucker to Bishoo's first ball before lunch by opening the face and running a harmless ball to Sammy at first slip sealed ythe mood for India at Lunch. Kohli just made it worse.

Good show by Windies thus far even if Ishant broke through for India via Lendl Simmons's, caught at forward short leg off bat-pad by Vijay.

Meanwhile Barath's looking pretty even if he hasn't mastered his tendency to play aerial. Keep the points and gullies in for him.

Scorecard

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Cricket Watcher tunes into Kingston, Jumieka, to watch Rahul Dravid

Congratulations Rahul Dravid for 150 Tests!

This cartoon is dedicated by us to Rahul Dravid on this occasion. Be sure not to miss the thin element of humour though...we love him and appreciate his services to India.

Tests 150, 12063 Runs, HS 270 @52.44 avg, 31 Hundreds, 59 Fifties, Catches 200 and 0 Stumpings


Here's wishing he keeps going on and on and on..

Time to settle into my seat and watch the action now.

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Among wins this too happened

On the concluded first leg of the tour of West Indies 2011 including one T20 and five ODIs.

Some guys didn't make the leap.

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The Buggy World Of Cricket

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have always been plentifully laden nectared blossoms for mischievous pricks and bytes of zillions of drones and droning wasps among the tipped-pen and can-type-my-opinion wielding swarms that rule this world of cricket we live in. It is imaginable that, we can say with a degree of certainty, if this combine - India, BCCI and IPL - Nature's generously endowed garden of cricket-opining sustenance, were to suffer the effects of global warming too, and turn into another mystifyingly, hauntingly beautiful solitudinous landscape such as the Great Sahara Desert, these bugs, these very wasps and bees that poke their siphoning straws, as a matter of divine right and form, to drink, benefit and engorge themselves, to their complete individual satisfaction, even decadent gluttony and overdrunk nonsensity, from this, Nature's bounteous pitchers of cricketing endowment, should be parched themselves and shrivel, like so much drivel shed from branches and boughs to the scythe of a scorching summer sun. These bugs cannot do without constant quenching, for their beings are made up, nay genetically constructed, by a large percentage of siphoned fluids. It therefore surprises that these bug species toil, unlike bees in the real world we live in that benefit their nurturing gardens and wish them very well from their tiny but warmly beating hearts, for the destruction of this, their ecosystem. Pehaps this is the warped life theme of virtual worlds, where you can switch backgrounds, scenes, with a mere clicks. Perhaps these bugs have other gardens lined up to locust upon if this goes down. Perhaps these locusts too, like those we see outside this virtual world of cricket, have swarmed upon this garden borne by winds from the western direction. Perhaps they are cricket world's Pyrilla perpusillas.

Yet again, virtual hives on the web that house these swarms are being filled to drippy oozingness with dronal regurgitations. BCCI's studied response to the contracts offered to its cabal of players enthusiastic of participation in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) has served only as 'fresh meat' for the 'mash up' by these sharply tipped tribespersons of various swarms. Quickly the hives were abuzz with epithets and mob-ity and they swarmed all over India, BCCI and IPL in their respective haunts. The issue of the players being contracted to a third party instead of Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLCB) and/or SLPL, it's ramifications and dangers, were studiously ignored by these focused swarms of drones. Busy bugs don't have time for such distractions.

"In the IPL the players are contracted by the BCCI, but the SLPL is offering contracts with the event management company," a BCCI official, who attended the tours and fixtures committee meeting on Saturday at which the decision was taken, said. "So, if there is any goof-up, Sri Lanka Cricket cannot be held accountable. As a result, the board [BCCI] would not like to take any chances."

Beneath the provocatively innocent headline of its article, Cricinfo's inclusion of the above quote in it, for the swarms, is proving to be a mere insipid glass of clear spring water to be yuckingly ignored for the headier wiles of fermented regurgitations. The Beast Strikes is both the chorus and chanting that rings out of webby hives...Water, this clear spring water, the extent of their addiction goes on to make them say, is an impediment to the free conduct of the labour; "busy bugs of the webby hives unite!' goes out the call, to preserve the heights of fermentia. When all BCCI is doing is showing these peddlars of alternative truths the correct way to conduct this business of league cricket contracts.

This world of cricket has floated up many untruths from its innards as well as within them. There is serious flatulence that affects this world.

Let me take you back to the primordial era of 2007, when various species of bugs united in swarms to attack BCCI and IPL over its league and contracts. Ignorance was the main knowledge that drove the frenzy of those swarms if you recall. Union masters pitched in their bit to whip up the ferment.

Them they said BCCI was 'stealing' their players and would enslave them to IPL instead of to their respective boards. It is quite another matter that the contracts clearly stated on the first page...yes, the first page of a voluminous tome of 100+ pages no less...under the section given the heading "conditions", in the first condition, IPL franchises are directed to "enable the Player to play for the Team without being in breach of any obligation to such national cricket board". It is another matter altogether what the generations of bugs since said and continue to say on this matter. BCCI clearly states this first off.

As a sub-section to the same condition, the first condition there went another condition - "a player must obtain a No Objection Certificate", described as certification "from the Player's national cricket board [...] which states that such national cricket board or other relevant person has no objection to the participation of the Player in the League or the Champions Tournament".

Denizens of this world of cricket would recall what the bugs floated up back then - quite the opposite of what was printed on the first page of the contract.

There was more in that seminal contract - National boards were provided with more safeguards in the IPL contract. Under the Player's Obligations section, cricketers were excused from their IPL commitments if they were observing "proper compliance with any International Duty or with the terms of any Existing Agreement". Furthermore, an IPL franchise was bound to "release the Player as required for the purposes of fulfilling any International Duty," as observed in the Franchisee's Obligations section.

To this day, all that the ssswarms buzz is exactly the opposite of the above about IPL, it's contracts and BCCI. Untruths and lies have been constantly floated up and held aloft by dedicated swarms of drones in every hive of activity in this world of cricket.

IPL insisted that players comply with these conditions if they wished to participate, thus giving each board, their respective boards, complete power to decide who should play as per their own plans and prior engagements. But the untruths touted just the opposite.

IPL and BCCI steadfastly refused to deal with 'agents' and third parties, and made sure to deal directly with respective boards so that boards didn't lose control over their own players and players too would be better protected if disputes arose with third parties. This insistence even had a cricket trade unionist tell blatant lies about his own government, abuse India and Indians and BCCI and IPL in the bargain, just because he and his agency or association couldn't function as surrogate boards and agents of players in place of the official boards.

What the swarming mobs chanted back then was completely the opposite of BCCI and IPL's firm stance.

We have many articles here documenting the nonsense of that era.

Then the call went up about 'royalty fees'. The mobs complained that IPL and BCCI were 'using' the talent cultured diligently by respective boards and therefore, in the manner of a label, must pay royalty to the concerned boards.

We ourselves felt it was the correct thing to do and wrote in its favour quite a few times here. We called for fund sharing basis be established for IPL so that boards would be compensated for the due diligence they would have to apply before issuing NOCs to players, the employ of their players and for the development of cricket in their regions. We felt NOCs would then be given thoughtfully by the boards and they would have greater power over errant players. We felt, after due diligence was carried out by respective boards, the player too would play in a peaceful atmosphere knowing fully well that his interestes were protected at all levels.

The bugs berated BCCI and IPL and said this 'monster' would never do anything like this. But they were wrong.

Yes, they were always merely presumptuous. So deeply were they into motive, hate and jealousy, that they never observed IPL with a balanced eye. BCCI and IPL took up these views seriously and incorporated these features two years ago! So BCCI and IPL wasn't such a beast after all! But hush...the swarms aren't going to admit...they aren't going to say IPL and BCCI did many right things and many things right for their nectar of sustenance...their poison would have to evaporate. And their life hinges around being steeped in poison.

BCCI and IPL introduced laudatory changes, much against the grain of created perception that BCCI, IPL and India were beastly behemoths out to consume the world of cricket...and outside it too.

They were wrong then, they are wrong today too over the SLCB-SLPL issue. They lied then, they lie today too. They were ignorant then, they are ignorant today too. They misrepresented facts then they are misrepresenting facts today too.

The players participating in the IPL were protected because IPL and BCCI affixed authority with their respective boards to allow participation of their players and, importantly, took upon itself the sole responsibility of protecting boards and players by offering contracts in ITS OWN NAME. It was IPL that invited players and held the signing up process. Thereby, BCCI and IPL, assumed responsibility if disputes arose with franchises. The players would be protected if disputes arose with franchises. We saw in the recent past that IPL and BCCI can also enforce these conditions and penalties on franchises. They are answerable to BCCI-IPL.

Just like back then and since, the swarms of bugs are going about chanting the same regurgitates, completely missing this aspect.

The Sri Lankan board, or it's concern, SLPL, is NOT offering such a contract. It is NOT assuming any such responsibility. It is instead, offering a contract with a third party directly!

In a sense, it is now open-house for agents as well as crooks to wade into cricket legally! Given that Tilakaratne has recently said something about the dominance of fixers in SL cricket recently in the press, one should be even more concerned. And surprise of surprises...nobody censures Sri Lankan board for this but have a go at BCCI!

Why cannot the Sri Lankan board enter into its own contract with the event management company and offer contracts in its own name? Why does it shirk from assuming this responsibility for player protection? Where are those blasted cricket trade unionists who spoke mostly nonsense about Indian people, BCCI and IPL for so many years? Do they not have anything to say now? How can they when here is a chance to slime into as agents? Or is it also because Sri Lanka boasts of a few cricket trade unionists itself?

If tomorrow there is a dispute with this event management company and player, and they fly...by night of course...who is responsible and whom can one affix responsibility to?

Now, I am sure some of you reading this will wonder at us - like we were wondered at when we blogged during the era of such changes - but I'll just reming them all that this has happened before.

Recall ALLEN STANFORD. And Stanford brand of cricket.

Name ring any bell?

That was an unsupervised third party with all powers conceded to it, and floated up by the WICB first. WICB brought him into cricket and propped him up in the ICC. England's own cricket board, ECB, took him on and lifted him further. A hype was created and he was held up against IPL.

What happened?

What happened to the millions earned by players that were 'promised' to be paid by Stanford banks over a period of years? Where are those banks and that money now? How many instalments were paid to those who opted to keep money with Stanford and in his banks thinking he was an eternal fountain of nectar?

And the bugs sang many different tunes then. They even defended Stanford when he was exposed and sing his praises. Just like people sing St.Cronje's even today while cursing Mohammed Aamir freely.

The West Indies hives also sang/sing opposite tunes when it came to Stanford and IPL. Did the WICB take responsibility for player protection when Stanford collapsed? When it was alleged that the promised funds and employed funds were probably ill-gotten? Has WICB stepped forward to protect its players if they are roped in as accessories who recieved stolen money in the courts?

The point is, third parties have no establishment...no roots...no fundamental attachment with the game. BCCI and IPL have ensured that franchises are sub-contractors as far as players are concerned and the league is concerned. This where the Sri Lankan board is erring.

Bugs should understand this issue and swallow back their frenzied fermented regurgitation. Perhaps they should redirect this energy at Sri Lankan board to ensure that they follow proper procedure and have a more detailed, well thought out structure in place than a tacky arrangement where responsibility is beng evaded.

IPL and BCCI has never evaded responsibility towards boards and players and have strived to keep both protected for their participation in IPL. The Lankan board's apparently isn't doing the same, according to what is available in the news.

I think Sri Lankan board and others should take these suggestions positively and improve their structure and opinions, just as BCCI and IPL accomodated constructive suggestions for change like the royalty/fund sharing issue for instance.

In this buggy world, one should be discerning and should be able to differentiate what is bull, hype and what is constructive debate.

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Blog Contest at Sportskeeda

All of us know about the excellent independent online sports magazine, Sportskeeda, that has articles on a wide range of sports of great depth.

Not only do they have their own articles on all sports, they also invite authors - bloggers like you and me - to write guest articles that are featured on their portal. Besides, they offer many substantive encouragements to those willing to develop their blogging/sports-writing skills seriously. Take for instance their latest encouragement, a contest, that is currently underway.

Do check out the Sports blogging competition at Sportskeeda .. a great format and iPhone 4 up for grabs cheers

- Sportskeeda

So why wait? Do drop in your entry.

Good luck!

The contest submission form is available here

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Date's DRS Primer: The best blog on DRS available on the web

Without doubt, Kartikeya Date's compilation of analysis of all aspects of DRS is the best tome of knowledge available on DRS.

He has collected some of his well-researched articles and created a primer that examines all aspects and limitation of the available technology and its application out of those, for those who are still confused about DRS and are hung up on the propagated motive that does little than call BCCI, India and Indians all sorts of adjectives.

It is not a brief for BCCI but is and article that has arrived at the conclusions presented through diligent unbiased research.

If you all who ask why India has objections and succumb to hurling expletives or write uninformed articles to simply tear down India, Indians and BCCI simply because it does not agree with you, or because you have deeper motives, I urge you to read this primer Date has put up at his blog, A Cricketing View , titled A DRS Primer.

Please go with an open mind so you can both understand as well as argue the points he makes. Let me inform you in advance that there will be lot of reading involved via relevant links in the comprehensively researched article.

I truly believe cricket loving people should read his study so that they can better understand DRS, its advantages and lacunae. All that there is to be discussed is there in that primer.

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A significant unexpected pause

Just prior to the commencement of the Fourth ODI, about ten minutes ago, Tony Greig was in the studio of Ten Sports as expert in the pre-match show along with Charu Sharma and Saba Karim. Conversation was still at a stage when it was mulling over India's probable selection policy for this match. Saba and Charu were opining a popular view that certain players would be rested and the four players on the bench till now - Ashwin, Ishant, Manoj Tiwary and Saha would be given their lungs for the first time on this tour. Well, Ashwin did play the T20 but was sitting out in ODIs.

At this point, Tony Grieg, visibly, with no requirement for guile in this very benign television panel selection, steered the discussion ponderously towards an orthodox tack when he stated that he didn't quite understand this rotation policy and that 'only the best should play'.

For a few significant live television seconds the conversational ability of the very benign panel collapsed and Saba Karim was stuck, blinking behind his glasses facing Tony Greig to his left and Charu too staring open mouthed at Tony from Saba's right. It was a perfect moment of nonplussed disconnect on live television.

The studio silence was broken by a Charu who suddenly woke up to the whirring camera and stumbled over his words as he re-started the engines of the pre-match show whose engines had been shut off by Tony. Maybe the studio crew had whispered urgently into Charu's earpiece. Charu exited that topic by saying something lame as, he didn't want to go into all that, or words to that effect.

What stunned these two gentlemen panelists?

It was the surprise of hearing and seeing Tony Greig, a man whose commentating career, for the greater part, spanned an age when the concepts of developement of bench strength and rotation of players took wings in Australia. It was no novelty to him but his espousing today view against it stunned the presumptuous panelists who must have least expected Tony Greig to come up with such an orthodox view.

The policy of developing quality benchstregth and rotation is now sufficiently old to be safely called Old Skool Australian Cricketana. Even Saffer.

The Indian panelists in their presumptuous state were probably seeing Ashwin as comparable quality to Harbhajan, Ishant fair replacement for either Praveen or Munaf, and so on and so forth, and here was Tony suggesting, perhaps not.

On the face of it, there can be no criticism of what Tony Greig said - the best team must play. There is no need to change a winning team for the sake of it.

What brought on the element of incongruity and prompted that silence in studio and our own blog on it was that this gentleman had commentated decades through this same philosophy from the boxes of Australian cricket grounds and other spaces he has spoken into the microphone. One doesn't recall him ever criticizing this philosophy in at least two decades it has been in development and play and available to his commentary. Perhaps comparable bench strength and rotation are OK in different ambiences.

Just found it surprising that Tony has executed yet another twist during his long commentary stint.

There was some attempt to drag the conversation from there to millions paid to cricketers by Greig but that was snuffed out by the moderator who was by now sufficiently alert to further surprises.

No doubt the best should play - that's the main and only rule of team selection. But the fundaa now is that there should be a serious attempt by governing organizations to actively participate in the development process to increase the number of 'bests' working for them. So in cricket...and it is called 'bench strength' in its jargon. India has been diligently working towards this end over the past decade, and perhaps now, is harvesting the first real crop of its efforts.

To his credit, Tony Greig did another twist back, later in the conversation, to suggest that India perhaps now had the capability to field three international teams at the same time. Yes, it probably does have now and I am sure he has sen it all before when the Australian Seniors, Australian A team and Academy team participated in the same international tournament Down Under alongside international teams.

My own view is also that the best should play but recognize that rotation is a necessity these days and there must be enough replacements of comparable quality and fitment into the team without damaging the overall ability of the team. If you have worked to develop such a pool, then go ahead and pick your best selections and have a roster for rotation if required.

A few players will always be a cut above all the rest...but there must be a pool too to work with.

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Two Youngsters and Mishra

RUSSELL AND ROHIT are two youngsters from the two sides who appear to be participating in this series with a purpose. Russell, it is reputed, was earmarked by Viv Richards himself as player of explosive potential. But Jamaicans have been reluctant to push him ahead just yet - their astute cricketing vision espying certain unfinished crudeness in his game.

Permanent lower-order LOI all-rounder for West Indies

Russell's inability to bowl the outswinger is one such limitation, knowing West Indian fans from Jamaica point out, and urge the youngster to develop that quickly if he wishes to survive in this merciless world of cricket. But they never doubted his ability to bat.

He caught our eye in the World Cup 2011 where he was the man instrumental in delaying a runaway Indian victory over West Indies. But he doesn't appear yet to be able to command the lower-order all-rounder spot in the West Indies team as his own. Keiron Pollard looms large, Darren Bravo a little larger and Darren Sammy the largest, as rivals to his rightful spot.

Admittedly, the eye-catching part of the heavy toll Andre Russell extracted yesterday was off the bowling of Suresh Raina. Raina is India's man with the golden arm and nothing more, but one cannot ignore his manhandling of Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel too. Or Yusuf Pathan.

Agreed, he'll have to repeat his glorious acts against better bowlers than these to be counted in as a true all rounder, besides of course developing that out-swinger, but there is substantial material there to work with. Plus, he is ambitious - he wants to be a "legend" and is willing to walk the talk towards that goal.

It's none of our business but one hopes, at least for LOIs, West Indies's think tank employs his services regularly and assists him in developing further as a player. The presence of Ottis Gibson in the dressing room should help Russell expand his bowling repertoire to supplement his good pace. The fact that he appears to be possessed of purpose makes us imagine that he'll apply thought, or will be willing to apply thought, to his bowling abilities too.

Maybe next season, his name will be among those IPL's badmouthers will be spitting at us all from their precarious hypocritical mercenary perches as 'examples' when a contract is offered to him! But I am clearly running ahead of time here.

His innings, when his team was on the mat and his captain in no clapping mood, brought such a buzz to the ground that there was a distinct belief that West indies might just win this game and stay alive in the series. It even percolated through the insensitive metal and glass that forms the fundamentals of our television reception. We felt the missing buzz in this series for the first time. The West Indies captain was finally clapping away hard once again, sitting there in the dressing room. Andre Russell produced such a magic yesterday.

And expectedly, West Indies came out looking to win something and almost did before Sammy, the West Indies captain, twice dropped Harbhajan Singh, India's warrior sardar, between 158 and 172. Once off his own bowling and once off Russell's.

Russell himself got Bhajji out eventually, but with assistance from his comrade-in-arms for the day, Carlton Baugh, instead. However, Bhajji had dented West Indies's resurgence by then.

Andre showed good spirit in coming back after that drop which went for four, and a six two balls later, to beat Bhajji with a cutter first before finally nailing him next ball. This lad will be an investment for West indies and if Gibson can at least improve his bowling armory, it will be a service for the team he coaches.

Rohit's reformative behaviour

Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Mamba as we had christened him in 2007 in our exuberance over his initial talent, is a player who had left us cold and disappointed in the intervening period. He began to appear as a player who took his opportunities lightly, perhaps because that's the way his opportunities were handed to him. His laid back demeanor wasn't the reason for him to have acquired the label of Nohit Sharma; far from it; for there have been right-handed batsmen with lazy elegance before him too - Azza and Lax to name a couple of them offhand - it was his persistently careless selection of poor shots to play and his easily wilting concentration that earned him his recent moniker. And he appeared not to care with his repetitiveness.

But post-World Cup, he, like Ishant Sharma, appear to have been stung into action. Yuvraj Singh's reformative ideas, actions and words which brought him unimaginable success and appreciation, coupled with Virat Kohli's similar change in application appear to have served as a wake-up call for Rohit Sharma who was drifting along on clouds of mediocre thought process too.

Rohit has made it known that he was disappointed being left out of the world cup squad. But he cannot blame anyone but himself for that...he was given the most opportunities to secure his place in comparison to those who he was competing with for a berth on the team. Perhaps this has shaken him up. Perhaps India going on to win, and the realization that it might take another decade or two for India to win again, must have spurred him on to greater seriousness towards his career.

Perhaps the fact that a World Cup win ensures a certain degree of preference in selection to aspiring players stirred up Rohit, lest he be left behind!

Whatever the reasons are, we, through IPL4 and the current series, are looking at a Rohit Sharma willing himself to play according to the team's requirement instead of his mercurial blood rushes.

This is not to stay that all nohittism has been eradicated from his system. That he is as cured of this sudden unexpected liquefaction of his game as the driest slice of mango India ma's and grandma's select for pickling to gustatory fame from those raw ones they had put out in the harsh Indian sun days ago.

We saw him lose it in typical fashion in the lone T20 match that kicked off this tour....let's sample the moment again via Cricinfo's text commentary

17.4 126.4 kph, six and out. Barnwell bowls a very similar ball, tempting Rohit to have another go. Rohit obliges, looks to go straighter this time, but just misses a straight ball and the furniture is rearranged. 127/5
.
The ball before it went this way

17.3 Barnwell to Sharma, SIX, clubbed. Clouted. Clobbered. Take your pick. Length ball angling into Rohit, who gets under it and whacks the leather off it, before the ball lands in the greens behind long-on.


The point is not that it cannot happen...when a player is attacking, these kind of things happen in such situations; the point however is that these sort of things happen to Rohit Sharma predictably. The keyword being 'predictably'. The man loses the ability to explore other scoring options once he's cowlashing over mid-on/mid-wicket. Cowlashing appears to pump a rush of blood that barriers his brain from smart thinking...better thinking. And cowlashing is an integral component of his game - he employs it when in trouble, or on the backfoot, or when in good stroking form or just because he feels like it. He scores with it and perishes more often with that shot. And it isn't just that one shot....he has this limitation where one can safely bait him after a six or a four has been hit by him. Like a rat attracted to a deliciously smelly slice of fungating cheese, he can be drawn into false plays soon after boundary hitting.

But there have been discernible improvements to his overall game on this tour. The point to note about Rohit Sharma is that he is striving since that opener to commit himself to a role and finish games for India. This is a visible change for the better and must be appreciated.

Again, it isn't the greatest of bowling attacks Rohit is facing, but the West Indies bowlers are darn good at all times at home...current problems notwithstanding. Is it not they who say Indians are ALWAYS hamstrung by pace bowling? No other cricket nation says this anymore...certainly not after Dhoni asked for and got a fast pitch in South Africa and humbled South Africa on it Saffer More-kills and Steyn-removers and all notwithstanding; but the Caribbean cricket following remains stuck in some old distant bygone era. And Roach was bowling yesterday. Rampaul was fairly steaming in in the earlier two ODIs. Indian were supposed to roll over and die. At least according to large sections of internet West Indies's fan following and compulsive pimps of 'legends' and 'history' who are totally out of touch with the recent two-three decades of cricket life.

While some of the current inexperienced Indians on the team did succumb quickly yesterday at North Sound, it wasn't to sheer pace or anything. It was because Shikhar Dhawan, another unappreciative block of stone, tried to do something to Sammy that he could have executed better with more application or chosen something else, and Virat Kohli was lethargic in responding to a ball that came in. Badri ran himself out and Raina cowlashed when fresh into his innings only to hole out like a dunce. The young Indians played a large chunk of yesterday's game with their heads stuck in unmentionable orifices on their respective bodies.

Rohit Sharma took charge here, in this almost drunken nonsense India were dishing out at Antigua, as he did at Port of Spain's Queens Park Oval in the first ODI, and steered India home to a series win.

Till he performed these acts on this series, it would have been difficult to believe Nohit Sharma capable of such responsibility. Such was the deep hole Mumbai Mamba had disappeared into. Make no mistake, despite people calling now for Jerome "JT" Taylor or Fidel "Castro" Edwards etc etc...this is the best attack West Indies has on its collective islands. That has been admitted before the series by many West Indies cricket fans who follow the game very closely. That Rohit Sharma can be seen to be consciously applying himself against his innate compulsions when his team is in tricky situations, and is able to bring India out of imminent danger's clutching grasp to the security of a clean series win, is a tribute to the man's reawakening and reformation.

If he can make commonsense in his play a personal habit, and control his brain blocking boluses of blood rushes with whatever system of illuminated mindbending he chooses to apply on himself, the Mumbai Mamba can rise again to be a formidable strikeforce alongside Virat Kohli and Pujara.

The laudatory changes in this player are still tremulous and tender. While one reserves further comment on this till there is more exhibition of the same, it is important for us and Rohit himself to nurture this germ of improvement in his temperament. His concentration has to be less fickle for his own and India's good.

I'll be following Russell and Rohit Sharma's progress over the year.

And now to Amit Mishra

This humble baldie has some very good ideas about leg spin bowling under his thinning hair crop. Problem is Dhoni played him on-off in the past, and he himself shelved guile for safety on heartless pitches. This West Indies isn't a great spin-playing team....Mishra can easily run ten circles around these batsmen before they can even bat an eyelid...and therefore, to draw any deeper long-reaching conclusions from his tour performance isn't quite on yet. But there is hope that maybe he can get his rhythm and confidence going again.

Of course, needless to say, it hinges on MS Dhoni feeling good about Amit Mishra.

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