Devaluing the $

The International Cricket Council has, in recent times had a liking to ask and have criticism heaped on them.

If this is not so how can one explain the joke they made of the World Super Series one-day and Test match.

When they planned this series, they made a big hue and cry and got the maximum publicity saying that these games were going to be one, if not the best played.

But after the games, apparently shy and unable to face the criticism hurled at them, the big wigs in the ICC are now doing a rethink on whether these series should be allowed continuity.

Accepted that the ICC arranged these games in all good faith. But the cricketers, supposed to be the best in the world, other than for Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitheran and a couple of others looked like lepers.

It was apparent that they were there for money. It was mind boggling to think that the ICC was paying them something in the region of $100,000 for just taking the field. Mind you that was the amount per individual.

We certainly have no grouse for players earning such stupendous amounts. But when they are paid that way, then not only the sponsors, the organisers and the spectators, but all involved with the game, expect them to perform to ability.

But leave alone commitment to the game and others, the players did not seem committed to themselves. The players should have understood that if they fail it is their reputations that are at stake.

But the attitude they adopted was: who cares. Our pockets are bulging, so what? By acting and playing in this utterly irresponsible manner, they slapped the ICC and all the good intentions the ICC had in conducting the series.

At least in the future we hope that the ICC would think before they act and not make themselves a charitable organisation. By awarding such big money, they did certainly devalue the dollar.

When the two world teams were announced, it was apparent that the selectors headed by Sunil Gavaskar had not made the right choices. How England skipper Michael Vaughan was forgotten as captain was mysterious.

Vaughan with some excellent captaincy had led his country cleverly, so cleverly that it finally led to their winning the all-important Ashes from their arch rivals Australia. So it was automatic that he should have led.

How the two South Africans - Shaun Pollock and Graeme Smith came to be picked as captains, with no credentials to show defies explanation. Then another faux pas was the non-selection of Sangakkara to keep for Muralitheran.

Now that things have happened that does not speak well of the ICC, we hope that they would learn and think better and more positively when they next sit to do things for the game and the player.

Poor Darren Ganga

Darren Ganga who led the West Indies 'A' team to Sri Lanka has been unfortunately left out of the national team now touring Australia.

Ganga, a stylish bat who met with success here, has apparently been left out for talking out against the West Indian Cricket Board's intention to steal some of the players from the team he led here.

Ganga blasted the WICB for this and writing in these columns when the incident took place we said that this could lead to the end of Ganga's career and that is exactly how it has been. Shame on the WICB.

That all is not well with the WICB and its players were apparent when Brian Lara and Chris Gayle refused the request from the WICB to attend the ICC captains conference.

Also it is apparent that the senior players in the Australian tour party are not with captain Chanderpaul and we need not predict that the rampaging Aussies would devour them with glee.

Ganguly back in form

The controversial former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly who was cleared by his doctors to play hit back at his detractors with a vengeance by scoring a sparkling century. In this form the selectors would certainly have to consider him against Sri Lanka.

If Ganguly is not selected then it can be safely said that there would be no cricket in his home town Kolkota. There would be uprisings which would not be good for the game and the BCCI.