News & Articles - Season 2000


Articles   News Letters
Japan Cricket on Cricinfo (Dec. 17, 2000)
Beyond The Test World article
The ICC double speak
Japan Cricket on Cricinfo (Nov. 9, 2000)
Beyond The Test World article
Japan Cricket on Cricinfo (June 28, 2000)
Beyond The Test World article
Indian Summer Stunner
Holiday in Kolkota
  Sky Times

The ICC double speak

By Biju Paul

November, 2000
Sports and Politics

When the Indian government denied BCCI, the permission to send the Indian cricket team to Pakistan recently, there was a lot of hue and cry. Understandable. Understandable from the point of view of Pakistan Board. Understandable from the point of view of Indian Board. Both of them stand to lose millions of dollars in revenue. Understandable from the point of view of general public of both the countries as they are denied a wonderful and most exciting duel between any two Test playing countries. While ignoring the rights and wrongs of the decision of the Indian government, let's look at some statements made by certain people.

The ICC president has threatened that India will be financially penalised and even the Test status be suspended for refusing to go to Pakistan. Now consider this. During the 1996 World Cup, Australia had refused to go to Colombo to play Sri Lanka citing security reasons. The same Malcolm Gray was a member of the Australian Cricket Board who took the decision that affected a World Cup. Now I leave it to your judgement to decide which is more important. A World Cup fixture which millions of people around the globe are watching or a bilateral series?

Malcolm Gray is also on record saying sports should not be mixed with politics.

Where was ICC when the English Test and County Cricket Board (now ECB) called off a tour of South Africa in 1968-69, a period during which SA was actively practicing apartheid, because SA refused entry to a coloured player in England side? The ICC banned SA for 22 years for practicing apartheid. That is not mixing politics with sports.

The UN asked its members to sever sporting ties with South Africa and they were not allowed to participate in Olympics until early 90's. That is not mixing politics with sports.

The other person who advocate for separation of sports from politics is the Pakistan great Imaran Khan.

Imran Khan is one of my role models. During the Kapil Dev-Imran Khan era, I used to admire Khan more than Dev because of his sheer cricketting ingenuity. I admire him even today for his plain speaking. So with all respect he deserves, consider this. In the late 1980s, the Indian government was forced to take a decision to never again allow its team to play in Sharjah after Pakistani supporters had carried Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) flags into the stadium and held placards with insulting remarks. Imran Khan, then Pakistan captain, made a public statement at that time lending his support to the "liberation of Kashmir". That is not mixing politics with sports. (By the way, these things prompted the Indian government to withdraw the Indian team from the series for the next few years.)

Now let's examine another aspect of this twist.

The ICC president, Malcolm Gray, is also for imposing financial penalties on India and also for suspending India's Test membership for canceling its proposed tour of Pakistan. Now look at it from a different angle.

What did ICC do when the then TCCB(now ECB) cancelled its tour of South Africa? What did ICC do when ACB refused to go to Sri Lanka to play its World Cup fixture? What did ICC do when the West Indies cancelled the Indian tour of that country in 1979-80?

I'm trying hard to suppress my laughter when Malcolm Gray talks about suspension. How can they suspend a country where the life of the very game they are running lies? It is a known fact that the ICC gets a majority of its revenue from Asia. And that too only because of its popularity in the subcontinent. After the World Cup 2000 in England, even ECB wanted to conduct India-Pakistan matches in England, in the lines of the Toronto series. Why? Because they realised that any India-Pakistan match is a money spinner and that is the only series that they can be assured of a huge profit. Can any one point out any other series than an India-Pakistan encounter that brings so much of money? They should realise that cricket is a dead sport today without India and Pakistan. And they are talking of suspending India...

Yet another double speak

The PCB was forced to publish the findings of its enquiry into the match fixing allegations. In fact, they were also threatened with suspension. Now consider this. The ACB and ECB also had conducted such enquiries about their own players. Chris Lewis, a former English Test player, had made specific allegations against certain English players. Those reports are kept safely under wraps. No one forced them to reveal it.

It seems to me that some people can get away with anything while others can't. But to put things in perspective, the blame lies with the Indian Cricket board for running for cover rather than standing upto the threat. Spineless administrators.

INDIAN SUMMER STUNNER

Indian Engineers v Shizuoka (Friendly)
Sunday 17th October 1999, ACO

Mid-October and the Indian Summer rolls on. A few days ago the temperature was still hovering around 30oC, but thank goodness it had dropped to a breezy 22oC for the second visit of the Indian Engineers, and what a stunner of a game it was too.

The odds were all stacked against the Kytes. For starters there were only nine members who made it; on top of that were the injuries: Skippa (back), Slog (back), keeper (finger), v-c (finger), and Toddy (something akin to gout). The pre-match catching and throwing practice was nothing short of abysmal and, although the normal banter was in evidence, a general apathy seemed to pervade the air. Ready we were not.

The grass had been cut, conditions were good and, under cumulo nimbo cirro stratus skies, Paul Biju and his team must surely have relished batting against this excuse for a cricket team. Fifteen deliveries and two wickets later there was a whole new slant on the situation.

A superb run out from Takashi, hitting R-G M's gloves in the perfect spot for him to break the stumps, removed dangerman Sriram, sparking off an incredible session of cricket from the Men in Whites. Bruce clean bowled the equally dangerous Rajkumar, and the Kytes were buzzing.

Sunil and Prasad tried to calm things for the Engineers but by this time the Kytes' f-c was calling the shots. Field changes were made every few deliveries but, such was their speed and efficiency, the flow of the game was not affected. Robert A captured the third and fourth wickets with two c&b's and, after 7 overs, the Engineers were struggling on 30/4.

Takashi pouched a catch to give Bruce his second wicket, and with Anton's fluid field changes the Engineers were not allowed to settle, the Kytes looking far from a team who were fielding with two short. Takashi also gave little away from his bowling but it was Neil, making a welcome return, who took the bowling honours.

The batsmen were under pressure already, and Neil's teasing deliveries made matters worse. Slog caught one, Skippa too, one was clean bowled, and an lbw left his figures on an amazing 4/2. Meanwhile Todd, gout or not, had made a surprisingly agile stop followed by one of his signature rifle-like throws to complete a second run out.

The result of all this was the earliest curry ever; in little more than an hour the Indian Engineers were all out for 48, sadly for them the lowest score ever recorded by Kytes' opposition (except when overtaking some of our own hopeless totals). The fielding was expertly marshalled by Anton; it had gone like clockwork. Takashi made some good plays, Malcolm turned 2's and 3's into singles and 2's, Neil stopped everything, and there was not a dropped catch in sight; superb execution.

With only 49 needed some of the Shizuokans got stuck into the lunch-time curry; Malcolm, Slog, Takashi and Robert were all seen tucking into seconds, obviously anticipating no further involvement. And when Bruce had smashed a 6 and a 4 from the first two deliveries, hacking 20% from the requirement, a 10 wicket victory was on the cards but, let's not forget, this is the Kytes we're talking about.

Todd made precisely zero, and was forced to cough up the only 100 yen fine of the day, but this only brought the v-c to the crease. Skippa continued on his merry way and, when he fell for 27 with the score on 32, the game was within the Kytes' grasp.

Anton and Takashi kept the score ticking along even though poor Taka could be seen doubled up in great pain after every single, courtesy of that second helping of curry. Anton holed out with only five more needed, giving Neil the chance to walk out to the centre to get a nice close view of Takashi tonking the next two deliveries for 2 and 4, and the Men in White claimed victory by 7 wickets (though they really only had 5 in hand). Scorers: Hiroko H, Namy, MVP-Neil

It had been a stunning win for the depleted and injured Kytes and, since the match ended at the unprecedented time of 1.45pm, a second game of 20 overs was swiftly organised, with the teams mixed.

The teams were designated as Hiroko's IX and Namy's IX, and it was the former that batted first. In fact nearly twice as many runs were scored as in the proper game.

Hiroko's team scored 98, underpinned by a flashing 48 from Sriram, showing his true form this time. Namy's team made 80-odd in reply with Robert A just inches away from a hat-trick. It was a thoroughly enjoyable game which helped to cement the growing friendship between the two sides.

Well the Kytes are now on a winning streak.....of two. Form has been surprisingly good recently but a worrying trend is the failure to field a complete team in each of the last three games.

Source: Sky Times Issue 9

Holiday in Kolkata

Ed and Sheerluck surveyed the row of curry houses in downtown Calcutta, or Kolkata, as the Marxist West Bengal government have renamed the city. The Great Curry Hunt was on. Which one to choose today, in the quest for the perfect curry?

Yesterday they sampled the taste sensation of mutton biriani at Ma Terry's for lunch, and the heat sensation of a vindaloo at The Black Hole for dinner. So today they decided to go upmarket and plumped for the Golden Poppadom, where they immediately ordered a couple of Tiger beers and perused the extensive menu.

Not one minute had passed when Sheerluck felt something of a different nature passing through his lower bowels. He bolted straight for the kazi. Yesterday's vindaloo was wanting out. Sheerluck slammed the door and leapt over the hole. Severe ring-sting accompanied intense relief. Suddenly a pained voice came from the next cubicle.

*Spare me! Where's the paper?" It could only be one person.

*Robert?"

*Chuck some over, quick." Sheerluck lobbed the remains of his roll. R-G M dropped most of it down the hole but just managed to grab enough for his needs.

*Robert, what on earth are YOU doing HERE?" inquired an astonished SS.

*Same as you, I think. By the way have you eaten yet?

*No, Ed and I have just ordered."

*Well, don't eat here," commanded the Kytes' chef d'equipe, *You may as well miss out the middle-man and drop it straight into this cesspool, believe me. Come across the road to the Oberoi Grand Hotel; there's an International Cricket Convention. You might find it interesting. They also do a delicious and digestable Madras."

Among all the putrescent odours in that tiny cubicle Sheerluck Schwarzenegger could smell a story. So he decided to abandon the curry hunt for a while, and trooped off with R-G M, leaving Ed to pick the bones out of a particularly vicious-looking Bangalore Phall.

Instead of pouring a steamy concoction through his guts SS found himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of Ian Chappell, Tony Grieg and Barry Richards as they listened thoughtfully to the latest plan for a World Championship of Test Cricket from no less than the ICC President himself, Jagmohan Dalmiya. Our investigative reporter is now able to reveal the full details of the man with a plan.

Basically the championships would be completed in two consecutive phases. Phase One would start with the top 10 international teams, split into two groups. They would play round-robin, 4 tests at home and 4 away. The top 4 teams qualify for Phase Two, the semi-finals and final. The whole tournament would take place over a 3/4 month period sometime between September and March.

Like all good reporters Sheerluck had a question: how could England (should she qualify for Phase One) play any home games during this period? Well, the man with a plan has an answer for everything: England would play every game away.

SS probed a little further wondering whether this might not unfairly disadvantage the Poms.

*Who cares?" was Chappell's unhesitating reaction, but Dalmiya had a sweetener up his sleeve: every fifth tournament would be held in England, during her summer months.

Before anyone could ask where this might leave other northern hemisphere countries, like Scotland, Holland or Ireland, R-G M had entered the fray.

*What about Japan?" Dalmiya looked blankly out of the window. He had no answer this time, but he did see someone stagger from the Golden Poppadom before collapsing in the roadside gutter in an ever-increasing pool of sloppy detritus.

*We could hold it every sixth year in Japan, between June and September," continued the unperturbed Frenchman, *I can arrange all the hotels."

It was Dalmiya's turn to ask a question, *Can adequate playing facilities be provided?"

R-G M was able to satisfy all those present that he would personally mow every ground, every mat would have a complete set of flanges, and a super-big bowl of chickpea curry would be prepared for every game. He did request team captains' understanding on a few minor points: for example whether the likes of Brian Lara wouldn't mind doing a spot of umpiring, or that Steve Waugh might help out with some pitch-marking, and whether Hansie Cronje could roll the pitch.

As these small requests met with general approval Dalmiya moved to the expected weather conditions. At this point the Frenchman calmed all remaining fears by convincing all that, despite the occasional typhoons, the threat of earthquakes, and the stifling heat, Japanese summers are really rather pleasant, and that he envisaged the whole tournament being completed in time for the next one.

Sheerluck was not finished though, and he managed to prise some additional information from Dalmiya. Apparently a kind of bonus system was being considered to help separate teams during Phase One. R-G M was about to propose the old Kanto Cup bonus point system, but rememebered that it had all been a complete failure and was for one-day games only. So the matter of bonus points was left unresolved. The matter of a drawn final was not even discussed ,since no-one had even the vaguest suggestion for this eventuality.

All in all SS can only conclude that the whole plan is fraught with problems, and that Dalmiya's final notion of an inaugural championship from Nov 99 to Feb 00 seems less likely than the Kytes' keeper ever scoring the winning run.

The conference ended and the mild Madras that followed went down very nicely. SS got the recipe from an extremely helpful waiter, Mahatma Coate, in exchange for Slog's e-mail address. Apparently Mahatma plays for the Calcutta Snake-Charmers who fancy their chances against the Stonehenge Druids sometime.

Outside Ed was still wallowing when SS finally left the hotel. What a stench. There was enough methane in the air to fill the MCG.

*What was that one like?" asked Sheerluck.

*Oh that was the best yet," replied Ed, *It was through in 3 mins 40 secs."

*I don't know if that's so quick you know," pondered SS, *There's a Moroccan who can run a mile in less than that."

*Well, now I know what he eats beforehand!"

Source: Sky Times Issue 8