A side note..

Niranjan Shah was quoted yesterday as saying that two Saurashtra players would be made available as XIIth men for the team at Rajkot today, given the problems with injuries besetting the Indian team.

Pray then, why was Ajit Agarkar on the field substituting for Saurav Ganguly when he is yet to recover from the flu?

Knowing that Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh were carrying injuries, why were no substitutes announced for them?

Given that both Irfan and Yuvraj are carrying injuries, and thier cricketing forms are suspect, should they be even considered for the World Cup?

Given Sehwag's time at th crease and the mode of his dismissal, should he be on the plane to the World Cup?

And Uthappa? Twice in two games, he has fallen caught in the slips to a short ball. Is he a candidate for the World Cup?
--
Cyrus Barucha's XV for the World Cup - here

Mumbai Cricket

Here and here

Such are our priorities!!!

Around a year ago, I read this article in the Sportstar

Milking the cash cow

In the above article I found this quote

"A proposal to increase the prize money to the Elite winner to Rs. 1 crore is under discussion," said Shetty. At present, the Elite runners-up get Rs. 4 lakhs, the Plate Division winner gets Rs. 3.5 lakhs and runner-up claims Rs. 2 lakhs. "First-class cricket is becoming a paying profession," said Shetty. "The Rs. 20,000 allowance a day may increase to Rs. 25,000 when Board revenues go up and when the benevolent fund deduction is scrapped."

Brilliant, thought I, this is finally a way of bringing some parity between the national players and the domestic players.

Fast forward a year later and there is this article

Rs 1 cr a blurred vision: Ranji Trophy winners to get only Rs 7 lakh

and this quote

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said that the Ranji Champions will get no increased prize money this year. “Yes, there was a proposal in the vision paper, but it has not been put into practice. We will not be able to enhance the prize money this year. It can only be done from the next season onwards,” Shah, said.

Oh well, I suppose the Board members are so swamped with work that they really haven't had the time to discuss the issue.

But wait.... Here is what the Board President was doing yesterday ..

"Pawar skipped a meeting to watch this game and he said that since it had been decided in principle to release the grants to the CAB and that since he was coming over here, he decided to bring a cheque along with him to the tune of Rs 8.02 crore,"

That explains it!!!!

The Board President is so busy acting as a courier between Mumbai and Kolkatta that he ( and his Board) do not have the time to discuss or put into practice a proposal that is pending for the better part of 2 years now.

So what about the CAB and its Board who now have a whopping 8.02 crores added to their kitty and whose President is so sensitive that

"Everyone is very unhappy with the way the game ended. A lot of hard labour has gone into the organisation of this match. We had only 10-12 days' time, and the arrangements were spotless. Everyone including the umpires were highly sympathetic," said Mukherjee

and

Although Mukherjee initially denied that the Indian team had already boarded the team bus before the final inspection was done, he later softened his stance. "Even when the umpires went out for the inspection, they said they were 98% certain that there would be no play. All these players are experienced enough to know that there was no chance of play," said Mukherjee.

what did such a caring and sensitive soul and his Board do with the additional monies?

Maybe they would try to better the existing seating arrangements for the people who spend good amounts of money to watch the cricket perhaps?

Or maybe they would get a better public service system by which the spectators do not have to spend their
time in the rain waiting while the players have themselves left the ground a while ago?

Or maybe they would refund all the people who sat through until late at night in the vain hope that they could get to see some live cricket?

No way Jose....

You see, here are the CAB's priorities

1. These include renewal of the Eden Gardens lease with the defence ministry
2. a complete review of the existing infrastructure.(For the review, experts may be called in from outside the state, or if needed, overseas.)

And here is the kicker -

Once the lease is renegotiated and an assessment made of the infrastructural improvements needed, CAB may go in for a new club house which will have a club, allowing for earnings throughout the year.

Yup -Such are our priorities!!!

Update :- Here's more on the Boards warped priorities - Girls can't play under BCCI umbrella coz of the BCCI’s excuse — 'lack of time' for not holding these events.

It all boils down to

one game at Rajkot.

One game in which Team India will need to find answers to the following questions

1. Yuvraj Singh's batting form
2. Irfan Pathan's bowling form
3. Munaf Patel's match fitness
4. Virender Sehwag's form
5. Sreesanth's bowling waywardness
6. Robin Uthappa's place at the top of the order.

and then its off to the West Indies, - on a wing and a prayer.

Err.. Rahul

"Firstly, I've not seen that report and to be honest, there's no problem within the team. The authenticity of the report is a little doubtful. I've been asked to comment on the report given by someone whose name didn't feature very prominently when I last looked at the history of Indian cricket. So when I'm asked my view on people, I'd expect you to ask me questions about people who've at least played the game, have some standing and who have been involved in the game to some capacity," Dravid said.

"Almost anyone is entitled to give his opinion and write reports but I'll comment on it if it is worthy of my comment. When I looked at the history of Indian cricket, I didn't see his name featured very prominently. May be I'll look again and I'll tell you,"

At the same time, Dravid neither denied nor concurred with the contents of the said report. The news story alleged that Desai's report, while speaking in broad terms on Sehwag's indiscipline, also referred to Dravid backing Sehwag's inclusion - in the face of near-unanimous opposition - in the side for the second Test .

First, You dont read the report. Then you doubt the authenticity of the report.Then you neither concur nor deny the contents of the report. But you deem yourself worthy to vilify the writer of the report... Great going skip!!!

WTF?

India - forthcoming Test and one-day series

---

Year	Month/s	Teams/Tournament	Tests	ODIs
2006/07	Jan	HOME v West Indies	-	4
2006/07	Feb	HOME v Sri Lanka	-	4
2006/07	Mar-Apr	AWAY: World Cup (Aus, Eng, Ind, Sth Africa, New Z'lnd, Pak, Sri Lanka, W Indies, Zim, B'desh, Kenya, Ireland, Bermuda, Canada, Scotland, Netherlands) in West Indies
2007	May	AWAY v Bangladesh	*tbc	*tbc
2007	Jun	AWAY: Afro Asia Cup (B'desh. Ind, Sth Africa, Pak, Sri Lanka, Zim, Kenya) in
2007	Jun-Sep	AWAY v England	3	7
2007	Aug	AWAY v Scotland	-	1
2007/08	Sep	AWAY: Twenty20 Championship (Aus, Eng, Ind, Sth Africa, New Z'lnd, Pak, Sri Lanka, W Indies, Zim, B'desh) in South Africa
2007/08	Nov-Dec	HOME v Australia	-	*tbc
2007/08	Dec-Jan	AWAY v Pakistan	*tbc	*tbc
2007/08	Dec-Feb	AWAY v Australia	*tbc	*tbc
2007/08	Jan-Feb	AWAY: ODI series (Aus, Ind, Sri Lanka) in Australia
2007/08	Feb-Mar	AWAY: ODI series (B'desh, Ind, Sth Africa) in Bangladesh
2007/08	Mar	AWAY v Bangladesh	*tbc	*tbc
2007/08	Mar	HOME v South Africa	*tbc	*tbc
2008	Apr	AWAY v South Africa	*tbc	*tbc
2008	Apr	AWAY: Asia Cup (B'desh. Ind, Pak, Sri Lanka) in Pakistan
2008	May	AWAY v Zimbabwe	*tbc	*tbc
2008	Jun	AWAY: Afro Asia Cup (B'desh. Ind, Sth Africa, Pak, Sri Lanka, Zim, Kenya) in Malaysia
2008	Jul-Aug	AWAY v Sri Lanka	*tbc	*tbc
2008/09	Sep-Oct	AWAY: ICC Champions Trophy (Aus, Eng, Ind, Sth Africa, New Z'lnd, Pak, Sri Lanka, W Indies, Zim, B'desh) in Pakistan
2008/09	Nov-Dec	HOME v England	*tbc	*tbc
2008/09	Dec	AWAY v Pakistan	*tbc	*tbc
2008/09	Jan	AWAY v South Africa	*tbc	*tbc
2008/09	Apr	AWAY v New Zealand	*tbc	*tbc

* why r we playing test cricket in the southern winter?

Does this schedule strike you as ridiculous? India is jetting from one corner of the globe to the other, non stop, from now until January 2009. Not one break for 2 full years!!!

Forget all the talk of developing talent and building bench strengths, forget all the talk of the international stars playing in domestic cricket, focus instead on how the Board of Control for Cricket in India is running our cricketing talent to the ground...

If the Australians think that the BCCI arm twisted them to alter their summer season, they are welcome to look at this schedule and find one tiny little spot where they could squeeze in a 4 test 20 odd ODI itinerary.

PS : - The above offer is NOT open for Lalit Modi and his cohorts. You can bet you bottom dollar that they will find a 3 day gap somewhere when the team is not playing and fit in a 2 ODI set right there.

PPS:- Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are due to retire in the next 2-3 years ( 4 if stretched). Will the above schedule precipitate their retirements? And if they are forced into an early retirement because of this grueling schedule, how will we remember them? As players who could not perform in their final laps because they never had adequate time to prepare and get used to conditions or for the champions they are for having soldiered on in spite of this schedule?

PPPS:- How many of our current young pace bowlers will survive this itinerary? Will we be forced to field our U-15 side because there wont be any players available ( because of injuries, fatigue, burnout and other cricketing causes) by Jan 2009?

PPPPS : - Should the BCCI seriously look at recruiting an entire hospital staff, given the fallout of this itinerary on the players health and well being?

Update :- India to play Oz in Ireland in June.. When will it end?

Coz Cricket matters!!

You bowl well, Tendulkar told jopdi no 47’s deaf and dumb boy

Young Jaiswal shoulders responsibility

Meanwhile, in Delhi

No question of clash of egos with seniors, says Dhawan

Read and Weep Part Deux

Mega bucks making way to Ranji trophy

Ranji Trophy winners to get only Rs 7 lakh

Ensure stars for domestic ties: Sunny


The BCCI is incapable of providing its customers proper facilities during cricket matches. The BCCI is incapable of providing adequate remuneration to its employees.

For a Billion Dollar institution, all the BCCI is capable of is putting its collective foot in the mouth.

Interesting schedule

this..

From what I have read, the India Pak series had to be pushed back because the ICC mandated the 20/20 World Cup in September and the announcement for the same happened pretty late, thus putting the overall schedule in disarray.

What this means for India is that they will have to play a 4 test 7 ODI series in England, then rush over to South Africa for the 20/20 WC, come back to India to play Australia in the 7 ODI set, then play Pak in a 3 test 5 ODI (?) series at home, then go down under and play a 4 test gazillion ODI series.

And this is if the BCCI does not go crazy and organize ODIS in Toronto or New York or wherever that may catch their fancy.

Watch this space for player burn out reports, injury reports and retirement calls.

Wazzup with Tendulkar?

Jan 31, 2007

" I have always played the way I wanted to play according to the situation. I have been playing for a long while now, so people should appreciate that."

Feb 07, 2007

“It’s you guys, who criticised them more, knowing the fact that it’s a team of youngsters. And look at them now. Mumbai have won the championship with these youngsters only,”

Brilliant!!!

Kumar Sangakarra

As a side, we take pride in having built a culture of enjoyment, commitment and belief in which to grow. We expect nothing short of maintaining our own high standards. For us as a team these four games are not about the WC, they are not about the atmosphere of the grounds in India, they are not about the Indian team or its devoted legions of fans. For us, these four games are about ourselves. It is about our preparation, our own individual abilities and our firm belief that we are building towards a side capable of being the best it can be.

Wow!!!

Just how good is Manoj Tiwary...

Check this out... Can the lad bat!!

A tale of two cities

Mumbai and Delhi

Read and weep

Why would anyone want to come to Wankhede?

PS:- Conditions are no different for International matches.. Trying sitting in the North stand with a million other people crammed like sardines. Its a never to forget experience!!!!