Blasphemous

This article, highlighted below, in today's The Australian..

Warning shot no answer to hand grenade

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Patrick Smith | February 29, 2008

MATTHEW HAYDEN made a glib response to the finding of the Cricket Australia's code of conduct hearing. He said by calling Harbhajan Singh "an obnoxious little weed" he did not denigrate anybody.

He did, of course. Himself and Harbhajan for starters. And Australian cricket. That the code of conduct commissioner Ron Beazley only handed the opening batsman a reprimand is astonishing. Cricket has utterly lost its way.

This has been a summer of bullying, compromise and timid management. It began with the decision not to find Yuvraj Singh guilty of dissent when he stood his ground after being dismissed in the first Test.

Match referee Mike Procter inexplicably accepted Yuvraj's defence that the batsman was merely shocked with the decision. Procter also cited "cultural differences". Dissent is dissent in Melbourne or Timbuktu.

Then there was the diluted reaction to Andrew Symonds' claim that he was racially vilified by Harbhajan when he called him "a monkey". Initially banned for three Tests, the racial vilification charge was downgraded on appeal to one of using abusive language. Harbhajan was fined and talk of the tour being abandoned put on hold.

Since then the crossfire between the Indian and Australian cricketers has been regular and spiteful. But it has mostly been kept to the field with one side accusing the other of inappropriate behaviour. It seems both sides are prepared to chip away but resent it when the retaliation comes flying back.

Australia has ruled the word both mentally and physically for decades. It stands atop the Test and one-day tables because it plays tough but inventive cricket. Part of its strategy is to intimidate the opposition. The players sledge even though they say they adhere to their spirit of cricket code.

Australians prickle when somebody does not put up with their insults. There are slurs and allegations but nothing is heard clearly. Did he say mad boy or bad boy? Did he say monkey or some other word? Each side has a different story and version, making adjudication almost impossible. One sledger's word against another.

The Australians are angry because they believe Cricket Australia has been meek when it should have been strong. Symonds and Ricky Ponting are still seething that Harbhajan's charge was downgraded. They fancy CA cut a deal. Symonds' frustration bubbles over with Ishant Sharma and the India fast bowler sends him on his way.

If Harbhajan has a reputation then so does Hayden. It is just that Hayden has decided to go on record. His interview on Brisbane radio was mean-spirited and ill-timed. India has every right to feel perplexed. Just as the tour crawls to its end, Hayden throws a hand grenade.

The solution to Hayden's problem should have been clear cut for there were finally no allegations, no "he said this" and "he said that". Not one man's word against another. Hayden went public. Went on the record.

"It's been a bit of a long road with Harbhajan, the first time I met him he was the same obnoxious little weed that he is now," he told Brisbane radio.

There was no need for any second guessing by commissioner Beazley. There was a spiteful comment about an opposition player. It was on radio and in print. Hayden's penalty should have been swift and harsh. He had to be suspended for one match.

Cricket will soon become unplayable if players are free to sledge their opponents so rudely and so vigorously in public.

Harbhajan has already responded, saying: "I don't want it to be a slanging match but you only need to speak to international cricketers and international teams to know in what opinion they hold Hayden."

This is hardly about free speech or being playful in an interview - it is provocative and bad-mannered. Hayden cannot be punished for what we don't hear on the field, but he should have been suspended for what we heard him say off it.

India is playing with a new aggression and confidence. It knows that its board controls world cricket. That new and powerful status is reflected in the way the players no longer take a backward step.

Australia has long been the bully boy of world cricket. Just because opponents are no longer in awe of the Australians does not mean opposition players don't respect them. They just won't lick their boots like they used to. Now that some of Ricky Ponting's men have been challenged they have failed to respond with any dignity at all.

As always, Australia likes to bowl bouncers and is offended when the opposition doesn't bowl half-volleys in return.

Only God can now save us from the wrath of the Conn .. And what will Peter Lalor do??

Hell hath no fury...

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Garry

Here, here, here and here

The obnoxious little "Cricinfo staff"

Matthew Hayden has stirred already troubled waters by calling Harbhajan Singh an "obnoxious weed", a comment that will only serve to further deepen the animosity between the two sides which has surfaced during India's current tour.

Speaking on a Brisbane radio station, Hayden said: "It's been a bit of a long battle with Harbhajan, the first time I ever met him he was the same little obnoxious weed that he is now. His record speaks for itself in cricket.

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MATTHEW Hayden labelled Harbhajan Singh an "obnoxious little weed" yesterday and India were told to shut up and stop whingeing as cricket's hostile summer erupted again.

Hayden unleashed his stinging verbal attack on Harbhajan on the same day that former Test firebrand Rodney Hogg demanded that India stop moaning about trivial on-field clashes.

The "Cricinfo staff" strike - again!

Munaf

Watching Munaf Patel bowl in his first Test match at Mohali was a bit like reading the first page of a novel that hinted at greatness. It wasn't that India hadn't produced fast bowlers before him, but here was a young man taking his first steps on the big stage as though he belonged there.
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“I’m very happy that I’m playing international cricket again. There was never an issue about my bowling, it was my fitness, and now that I am fit everything else is sorted out. I’m happy with the way I am going and hitting the seam and have been hitting consistently in the late 130kmphs,” Munaf said.

His utmost priority is to a go through an injury-free season and for that, he said, he's bowling well within himself.
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In a chat with The Indian Express after practice at the SCG nets, the lanky Maharashtra seamer said he was feeling better than ever with his international comeback and said his bowling gave him greater confidence to once again get into reckoning with the speed gun. “I’ve just made a comeback into the team after battling from injuries previously and I am steadily getting there. For me to bowl fast again is not a problem, I can again crack the 140s easily. Woh to mera natural cheez hai, who kaise chhutega? Tez toh mein waapas dalunga. I don’t want to rush into the speed race straightaway,” he says.
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So what is the truth then ?

Are we dealing with a man who, after battling injuries, fitness issues and lost telephone numbers, is finding his feet back into International cricket and is bowling well within himself or a bowler who Mr Premachandran describes as

Watch him bowl less than two years on, and you find it hard to believe you're not watching an impostor. The pace is gone, the yorkers are nowhere to be seen, and the only movement on view is the swing of the batsman's bat before the ball disappears. Apart from one over where he had Kumar Sangakkara edging over slip and then inside-edging just short of the 'keeper, Munaf's spell was an exercise in listlessness.

Where is the consistency?

de Villiers, who was batting on 46, began his walk back to the pavilion after having a word with the umpires.

Erm, whatever happened to the umpire's decision being final? And whatever happened to players accepting the umpires word without murmur?

Does dissent mean different things to different people ? In different contexts?

And if not, what is the ICC going to do about this?

Updates:-

International Cricket Council match referee Jeff Crowe visited the Indian dressing room minutes before the game against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

He wasn’t there to get autographs but to discuss couple of issues with team’s assistant coach Lalchand Rajput.

“Crowe isn’t happy with the time Indian batsmen were taking to get on the field after a wicket fell so he has asked us to make sure that the batsmen crossed each other on the field.” The Australians, it’s believed, had protested with the match referee and he was taking up the issue with the Indians.

Rajput politely reminded Crowe that the Australians too were taking their time and it would be in interest of both teams if they too showed some urgency.

Meanwhile, the Indians want the on field umpires to do away with their white hats when they’re facing Lasith Malinga.

Rajput requested Crowe during the same discussion but the match referee wasn’t willing to listen.

“The batsmen can’t pick the ball coming out from Lasith Malinga’s hand as it comes over the umpire’s hat. We requested him to ask the umpires to wear something of different colour but he says he’s not in a position to do it. Which is a bit strange considering he’s the match referee,” said Rajput.

Malinga, the games only slinger, has befuddled many batsmen with his odd bowling action.
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Jeff Crowe’s seems to have got into a habit of visiting the Indian team’s dressing room. The International Cricket Council’s match referee dropped in during the Australian innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground and asked coach-in-charge Lalchand Rajput to send another pair of wicketkeeping gloves for M S Dhoni.

Dhoni had pulled off a stunning one-handed catch from an Adam Gilchrist inside edge diving to his right and that is when the Australians and the match referee sighted the curved webbings between the thumb and the index finger of Dhoni’s gloves which the match referee perceived is contrary to what Law 40.2 of the game states.

Once Crowe threw the book on the Indians, substitute Praveen Kumar walked out with another pair of gloves with flatter webbing.
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then the equally hot-headed Andrew Symonds was at the centre of a petty outburst.

The batsman, who was criticised by Justice John Hansen for his attitude to the game in the Harbhajan racial abuse hearing, looked to give Ishant Sharma a verbal spray after he was bowled.

The teenager responded verbally and then pointed to the dressing room, which is a breach of the ICC code of conduct.

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Ishant Sharma has been summoned by Match Referee Jeff Crowe for a disciplinary hearing on Monday morning after a face-off with Australian allrounder Andrew Symonds.

Ishant had a heated exchange with Symonds and pointed fingers towards the pavilion after dismissing the Australian allrounder in their tri-series match on Sunday.

Ishant has been charged under Clause 1.6 of the ICC Code of Conduct and if found guilty could be reprimanded or fined up to 50 per cent of his match fee, an ICC spokesman said.

The hearing will be held at the team hotel.

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And now, there are reports on TV that Ishant Sharma has been fined 15% of his match fees.
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Heh!

And do the Australians have to pay tax to the Indian authorities. As Indian cricketers had to recently? All foreign cricketers would be taxed at a flat rate of 10% a surcharge of 3% (10.3%) on their income. They are governed under section 115BBA of the IT Act. Therefore Andrew Symonds, for instance, would take home an amount of $1.21m.
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The Indian Premier League has been putting a lot of traditionalists' noses out of joint. Money is being slung around at a rate unseen since Kerry Packer paid the original World Series cricketers a small fortune to wear those ill-fitting pyjamas. But as the first top-grade cricket competition to remove the increasingly thorny issues of nationality and race from the occasion, the IPL should be welcomed. As with WSC, an avaricious hunt for television dollars may end up benefiting the game immeasurably.

Cricket likes to view itself as being above such tawdry, déclassé concerns as money, of course. Its heritage, supposedly, is of a game played by gentlemen whose only material concern is whether their cups of Earl Grey tea are accompanied by cucumber sandwiches. But we saw in the aftermath of the Sydney Test where the Indian team put enormous pressure on the game's judicial processes to ransom by threatening to return home, those days are finished.

Cricket is the only team sport I can think of where the top players primarily compete at international level. In the likes of football, basketball and baseball, club teams are the day-to-day focus, with occasional breaks for World Cups and other representative contests. But if you're lucky enough to make a Test XI, you'll play pretty much all of your cricket for your country, taking breaks to play for your old club or state team only once in a blue moon. So the contests that matter most are between nations, and given the genuine ethnic diversity of cricket, and the mixed blessings of British colonial heritage, that's a recipe for tensions. Darrell Hair's story shows how easily perceptions of racism can explode in cricket nowadays - it's often forgotten that in the infamous abandoned England-Pakistan Test, the other umpire was West Indian.

And the problem was all too evident in the furious reaction by India to Australia's allegations of racism. The level of anger surely had its antecedents in the days of the Raj, which left Indians with the entirely correct perception that when it comes to racism, they were more sinned against than sinning. And it was not a huge surprise that Australia's holier-than-thou attitude caused so much irritation when it is the major exponent of sledging - sorry, "mental disintegration" in the world game.

But if all goes well, the IPL will deliver, for the first time, cricket that is mercifully free of the lingering resentments created by colonialism. Instead, superstars from different countries will play alongside each other - and harmoniously so, we can only hope. The closest analogy is the European Champions League, a hugely wealthy competition featuring most of the world's best clubs and players. All major European football teams now field teams whose players come from all over the world, and the London club Arsenal regularly fields teams with no English players whatsoever. This leads to criticism from some quarters, but the resulting quality on the field cannot be argued with. If cricket became more of a club-based competition, genuine fans of the game might finally be able to enjoy high-level contests free from the uncomfortable taint of racism and nationalism, and free from the suspicion and resentment that seems to so easily come to head in the modern game.

We've occasionally seen this at club level already, when overseas stars have come to play in first class teams. Warney's exploits in Hampshire are legend, both on and off the field, and Imran Khan played for NSW in 1984/5. But imagine if this was commonplace, and the NSW Blues were full of international stars, and regularly played teams from other countries, each with their own assortment of players from around the world. Australian fans would get a chance to have brilliant players like Sachin Tendulkar playing for their team, rather than always against them. You'd occasionally regroup as nations to play World Cups and Tests, sure, but most cricket would be genuinely free from the baggage of nationality and race. Since Test cricket audiences are dying in much of the world, the longer form of the game could use the excitement of club competition between stars, and this would also solve the huge imbalance of skill between countries like Australia and Zimbabwe. Plus, if cricket became primarily club-based, we'd see a lot less of the Barmy Army, and this alone would make it worth it.

The IPL hasn't even started, and already we've seen the best repudiation of the Andrew Symonds race saga you could hope for. We will probably never know whether Harbhajan actually called him a monkey, or some other unsavoury term in Punjabi. But we do know that the Indian cricket community think he's worth $1.4 million, showing him the respect that ought to be commanded by such an exciting player.

The sheer scale of demographics and an economic boom all point to one thing: the future of cricket lies primarily in India. And the IPL is just an early stage in this. There's potential for conflict with the existing international setup, and scheduling will be an ongoing challenge. But if the BCCI can help to heal cricket by making customary adversaries into teammates, and produce a competition free of the lingering racial tensions that have so harmed the game recently, we should all be thankful.

Did Jaipur know?

Due to my county commitments at Somerset I am unavailable to play in this first year, but I, like everyone else, will be fascinated to see just how big an impact this tournament has.

And, if they did, how many more such "announcements" should we expect from players on the lower end of the IPL food chain?
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David Hussey, the Victoria batsman, may have been purchased for US$625,000 by the Kolkata franchise in the Indian Premier League's auction, but his county side Nottinghamshire have insisted that he is contracted to play for them this season.
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Hello????

Whats with this

The IPL

and why I could care less for the Mumbai franchise.

The Mumbai Ranji Trophy team, culled from players in the Mumbai-Navi Mumbai region, are the true representatives of my fair city.

They are home bred and they have paid their dues in the various age group/city wide competitions before they were eligible for the Mumbai cap.

Unlike other Ranji teams, we dont "import" established Ranji players. Instead, we have done enough and more in sending our finest ( as players and coaches) and enhancing the quality of the other teams in the Ranji Trophy.

Mumbai players understand the city's cricketing culture and they are aware of the city's cricketing history and our varied contributions to Indian cricket.

It is a proud team and a prouder tradition.

What does the IPL have?

Homeboys like Wasim Jaffer and Zaheer Khan will be playing for Bangalore.Rohit Sharma plays for Hyderabad.Ramesh Powar will show up for Mohali while Agarkar will fly Kolkata's flag.(Mercifully, no Mumbaikar is playing for the Delhi team - the sacrilege!)

And in the meanwhile, as a proud Mumbaikar, I am expected to root for Loots Bosman and Harbhajan Singh and Dilhara Fernando!

Even the ICL, with the limited vision of a TV conglomerate, has not been this arrogant.

So, good luck IPL Mumbai (or whatever else they call you).

Good luck trying to shove that team of yours down my throat when you don't represent me or my city. And good luck trying to hawk your merchandise and your TV time to me - I ain't buying!

PS:- Expanding on the thought further
1. There is no concept of free agency in the IPL ( atleast there is no mention of it in the literature I have read thus far)
2. The players cannot make the call on taking a lower salary for staying with the team of their choice. The auction was about the player going to the highest bidder. As regards selections for the rest of the spots, what are the terms of selection for players outside of the catchment areas?
3. Is there a League minimum that is guaranteed to every player, irrespective of team?
4. Trades can be initiated only by the franchise owners after a period of 2 years. What about player initiated trades?
5. Is there going to be a farm system in place to supplement the IPL resource pool? If not, how much money will be diverted by the franchise to the teams in the city/catchment areas for player development?

Go the Huss!

Hello Good Friend

I’m sure you are concerned about all the worlds ills, and you probably wish there was at least one thing you could do.

Well now there is visit cricketwithballs.com and Sign the David Hussey for Australia Petition and you’ll be contributing to world peace.

Vote David Hussey, he will represent you the people.

Interesting

With both Gregory King and John Gloster putting in their papers, the entire Indian support staff will undergo a revamp once new coach Gary Kirsten takes over. According to sources, like his predecessor Greg Chappell, the South African is also looking to set up his his own array of support staff to help him in his task, putting a big question mark over the future of other incumbents.

The resignation of Gloster and King has eased tensions of the board to a great extent, but its major headaches will be with its present assistant coach. Lalchand Rajput is believed to be under severe pressure to extend his contract despite his successful tenure with the Indian team since Twenty20 World Cup. According to sources, Kirsten isn’t in favour of Rajput in his new team and is believed to have formed his opinion after spending a few days with the team during the last two Test matches. Kirsten, however, has indicated that he’s fine with Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh.

Though the board has handed out a one-year contract to Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh till the end of April this year, it remains to be seen how the board will proceed thereafter. Prasad has hit the headlines for helping a young Indian bowling side to some spectacular victories in the last eight months, while Robin Singh has been a quiet achiever in his domain . It’s believed that while finalising of his contract, Kirsten had only spoken about brining in a mind doctor to help the team.

There indications to Surrey’s Neeraj Patel, who worked with the Indian team during the England Test series, is tipped to take over as the next Indian team physio while South Africa’s Shyamal Vallabjee is among the favourites to join as the team trainer. Vallabjee, who has worked with Mahesh Bhupathi in Bangalore was also here when Kirsten came over and since then there has been speculations about him joing Kirsten’s team after BCCI didn’t renew contracts of King and Gloster that expired last December.

So, what of this?

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has set March 12, 2008 as the qualification deadline for the top eight teams for the Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan in September this year, an ICC official told Daily Times here on Thursday.

and this

CRICKET Australia would face a player revolt if it agreed to tour Pakistan next month.

While the tour remains extremely doubtful because of increasing security concerns, most of Australia's senior players have made it privately clear they would pull out of any visit to the strife-torn country should it proceed.

The last Test Australia played in Pakistan was this one. In 1998/99.

Given their reluctance to tour Pakistan this time around, I wonder what stance the ICC will take if CA expresses a similar reluctance when the Champions Trophy comes around?

PS:- On a tangential note, for all the carping around of the Indians undermining the authority of the ICC, here is something to consider -

Australia did not tour Zimbabwe despite being required to do so under the FTP.
AUSTRALIA has postponed a two-Test series against Bangladesh because it clashes with the Beijing Olympics.
The current Australia tour to Pakistan is in jeopardy.

So, Australia has canceled, is canceling or is postponing scheduled tours with 3 of the remaining 9 Test playing nations despite being required to do so under the FTP.

And then there was the "request" to reduce the number of tests with India this October by 1. And the proposal to play a 6 test Ashes series with England.

So, I ask you, who is showing the ICC the finger now?

The crisis

So, cricket now has an umpiring crisis. With Simon Taufel set to consider "options" after his contract expires with the ICC and Darrell Hair, Rudi Koetzen and Steve Bucknor in the doghouse for various reasons, cricket finds itself with a dearth of "quality" umpires.

And I say, whats the big deal?

For the longest time now, cricket has had to live with very ordinary standards of umpiring.

People blame technology, but what about the over crowded cricket calenders, the minuscule pool of "Elite" umpires and the stress and fatigue of travel and officiating high pressure games, day in and day out?

The IPL has exacerbated this issue because, for the first time in a long time, the umpires, like the players, have options.

Options to make more money over a shorter duration of time. And while the stress levels may be the same or elevated, it will be over a very short span of time unlike in current circumstances.

I, for one, am glad that we have this crisis. For two reasons

1. Given the tugs and pulls of corporate driven tournaments, there will be a demand for high quality of officiating - if I have sunk in 40 million dollars in a bloody franchise and I get short changed because some duffer in a white/black coat muffs up, there will be hell to pay. Which means that there will be more accountability, transparency, technology and much higher standards when it comes to officiating.

2. The ICC has, in the past years, looked up to individual boards to supply umpires to constitute the Elite panel. There has been no push, and no investment, whatsoever to expand the panel and/or force individual Boards to provide a fixed number of umpires of a certain standard.

Hopefully, this crisis will force the ICC to introspect and hopefully, the IPL, because of what is at stake, will do everything possible to ensure that the standard of umpiring is right up there.

I expect to see a lot more gizmos and a lot more experiments to come in to aids umpires in the coming days. And I also expect greater number of people to take up umpiring because of the remuneration involved. And, if the ICC can be pro active about it, an expanded Elite umpires pool with a greater percentage of correct decisions per umpire rather than the standard "95% right across the board" bandied out by Dave Richardson.