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| Tuesday, 13 April 2004 |
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Mean Streak Comment by Dr. Elmo Rodrigopulle Admitted that Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak is one of the best all-rounders in world cricket. Accepted also that he has done a lot to restore their game. While appreciating all that, someone should have told Streak that to try to govern the game is not his job. His job is out in the middle directing his side's fortunes. He sadly miscalculated when he thought he could tell the Zimbabwe Cricket Union who should comprise the selection committee. The cricketers should play the game and allow the selectors to play their game which is selecting the best available against whoever the opponents. With Streak trying to unsettle the selection committee he has dragged the game in Mugabe country to a point from where it could disintegrate further. At the time of writing, news filters through that several leading Zim players have been sacked. That is not good for the game there. The ZCU seems determined in their stance. What they are trying to prove is that administration must not be allowed to be dictated by the players. Quite right. Cricketers should not be allowed a place to run the administration. To reiterate they should only play the game. Whatever the final outcome,the ZCU is determined to go ahead with the game. They have already appointed Tatenda Taibu, the 20-year-old coloured cricketer as captain insisting that there would be no change. And the ZCU will go through with the Sri Lanka tour. ICC regulations have it that on no condition would they allow postponements or cancellations. They will field whatever cricketing talent is available and go through the tour. Heath Streak, before taking to the game should have been told that there is no one or anything bigger than the game. Lankans must capitalise With Zim cricket in uncertain land, it is now up to the Lankan cricketers who tour there soon to take advantage of the situation and rub Zim cricket further into the dust. Thank god that the Lankan selectors have finally seen reason and bowled out the two captaincy policy. Allegations made that all was not well in the Lankan ranks which led to the whitewash by the Aussies. Probably the two captaincy policy would have had a hand in it. Now that Marvan Atapattu has been allowed free rein of the two teams, the one day and Test, there would be no excuse if they do not come back having convincingly thrashed the Zimbabweans in both versions of the game. Not to do so would mean that our cricket hasn't learned from the Aussie debacle, nor has it improved. Nothing short of victory would mean that our cricket would have to be overhauled. Pity the Windies Pity the sad situation that West Indies cricket is in. Their greats of the past must be non plussed watching their cricketers getting a right royal thrashing by the Englishmen. The England side is almost the same side that were no match to Sri Lanka when they toured here recently. But in the Caribbean they have been made to look larger than life, thanks to some listless and inept efforts by the Windies cricketers. It is said that England play for prestige, Australia for glory and the Windies for glamour. But that famous glamour is no more with the Caribbean cricketers caving in to Michael Vaughan's Englishmen. Watching the action unfold on Ten Sports, it is apparent that the wickets in the Caribbean are not as good as it were in the past. Even as recently when Sri Lanka and Australia toured, the wickets were batting friendly. But on this tour the wickets have been tinkered with and are not conducive to stroke play. The Windies from the time they took the game were known to hit every delivery. They succeeded because the ball was nicely coming on to the bat. The present Windies batsmen too are endeavouring to hit the cover out of every ball, but are succumbing because of the slow nature of the wickets. These Windies batsmen are throwing their bat at every delivery, which should not be the case. There is no playing each delivery on its merit. They try to bash every delivery and are paying the price, which in turn has brought ridicule to the game and their former greats must be angered with what they are seeing. The England side has been made to look formidable by the weak Windies opposition so much so that they are now singing their all too familiar cry-bring on the Aussies. They are already harbouring the idea of winning the next Ashes series. The Aussies must be laughing. At the time of writing, Brian Lara has smashed the England attack to all corners of the Antiguan Ground, where previously he made his record breaking 375 not out to go past Sir Garfield Sobers' 365 not out. Lara's 313 not out was eye catching with his magnificent footwork and elegant strokes all back again and the way he is going he is sure to take back his record from Australian Matthew Hayden, who became Test cricket's highest scorer when he bashed the Zimbabwe attack to score 380. All Windies must be hoping that Lara goes past Hadyden and makes the record all his own again. But then it is said that there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. Lara has thus put back his and his team's failures with this triple hundred. He now joins the late great Sir Don Bradman as the only two batsmen to score two triple hundreds in Test cricket. |
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