82 (79) > 5/45

That is the logic for the Man of the Match in India these days. How else does one explain S.Badrinath getting the MoM ahead of Praveen Kumar?

Kumar gets a 4fer yesterday, a fifer today. And has nothing to show for it.

Just shoot me.

Baby Steps

The Indian cricket board has moved within one step of professionalising the national selection panel with the finance committee of the Board of Control for Cricket of India clearing a proposal to pay the national selectors, so far honorary, a match fee beginning from Pakistan's tour of India next month.

Under the proposal, which is expected to be ratified by the BCCI's working committee, each of the five selectors will receive a match fee of Rs 50,000 (US$ 1262) per Test in addition to a daily of Rs 15,000, taking their total earning from a Test to Rs 125,000 (US$ 3156). For one-day matches, the fee will be Rs 65,000 (US$ 1641). Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, told Cricinfo that the new system is likely to be implemented as early as next month.

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After 75 years, the Indian cricket board has finally decided to dump the system of having national selectors working on an “honorary” basis - starting this year-end. From October 1, the present team of five selectors, led by former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, will get Rs 50,000 per Test and Rs 25,000 per one-day international they attend.

However, this is a temporary arrangement, till Vengsarkar’s team completes its tenure by September 2008 - one of the five selectors, Sanjay Jagdale, finishes his term this year. After that the BCCI hopes to have in place an annual retainership package for selectors who would no longer be elected, but appointed by an experts’ panel.

Here is a comment

I posted on the Cricinfo website in response to Dileep Premachandran's article.

Brad William, Nathan Hauritz, Martin Love, Simon Katich, Scott Muller, Matthew Nicholson, Colin Miller, Adam Dale, Gavin Robertson, Shaun Young, Simon Cook.

Any of these names ring a bell?

Comparing Hayden with Devang Gandhi proves what exactly?

Iqbal Siddiqui and Samir Dighe made their debuts well after they were past 25. Nilesh Kulkarni made a come back after a 4 year hiatus against Australia in 2001.

Sachin Tendulkar made his international debut at 16. Which Australian can boast of being blooded at that young an age?

India waited 9 tests before Rahul Dravid scored a Test century.

I understand where you are coming from Mr Premachandran, but the argument has to be more nuanced than the one presented in your article.