Cricket the game to play

With cricket being the top money earner, parents would not be faulted if they push their sons into playing cricket and not any other sport.

While this is bound to happen and is happening, the off shoot of it would be that other sport would suffer in the circumstances.

If one looks at the money to be earned and won in the fifty over game and then the Twenty20 mockery, it is mind boggling. So no parents would be faulted if they force their sons into playing cricket.

When that happens most other sports would definitely suffer and there is nothing that the other sport bodies could do to make their sport more attractive.

Other sports don’t have the pull or the money and so they will have to remain a very far second best. Sad when one things of the poor future for the other sports.

Winning a World Cup or a Twenty20 final helps the participants to pocket the mega bucks. Brilliant individuals who can attract a crowd are also offered attractive remuneration as the recent Twenty20 fling proved.

Although it is in an altogether different context a little anecdote would be interesting to know. It went like this as related to me by that former cricketing great the late Gerry Gooneratne. Gooneratne was coach of the Saracens and one evening after practice and in a long chat with me he said that a parent was so keen to play his son in a prestigious big match that he offered him a fully furnished flat and a car.

Gooneratne told me that the offer was tempting, but that he could not oblige that parent because the son was mediocre.

That is how frightfully keen parents were to play their sons in big matches because of the prestige attached to it. How the other sports would overcome the big money syndrome that cricket attracts would be interesting to watch.

Winning is what matters

Today with big money to be won in cricket, the other day how England won a limited over game at the Oval against New Zealand was sad and sickening to say the least. To recap the action that unfolded on the TV went like this.

Grant Elliot the Kiwi batsman while going for a run collided with bowler Ryan Sidebottom. The fielder picked up the ball and threw the ball and the fielder at the non-striker’s end broke the wicket.

All expected to see England captain Paul Collingwood calling back the batsman. But that did not materialise. Elliot left unable to believe what happened.

It is the British that gave the wonderful game of cricket to the world. But it is sad that they are not playing it the way it should be played, which goes to prove that it is winning at all costs is what the game is all about.

The time honoured axiom that it is not the winning or the losing that matters but how one played the game, has long gone with the wind. Sad.

Fun and mockery

Fifty over cricket is a fun game while Twenty20 is a mockery on that time honoured game that the British gave birth to cricket.

True both games provide excitement, nail biting and heart stopping finishes. Beyond that there is absolutely nothing done to improve technique and produce batsmen of character, technique and elegance.

When one makes a close study of Test cricket, one-dayers and Twenty20, it would be noticed that the odds are stacked heavily against the bowler, while the batsmen are given a free run. If this is not so can one explain this: The batsmen are allowed to play the switch shot, or the reverse sweep, while the bowlers are not allowed to bowl either over or round without informing the umpire and the umpire informing the batsman.

Also the bowler if he bowls a no ball, not only is he penalised but the batsman is allowed a free hit, which means that he can hit the ball anywhere he likes and he cannot be ruled out.

Now isn’t this ridiculous.

If the batsman is allowed to use the switch shot or the reverse sweep, then the bowler should also be allowed to bowl any side he likes without informing the umpire.

What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

The International Cricket Council recently gave the batsmen licence to play the ungainly switch shot or the reverse sweep. Then they must be kind to the bowler and allow him to bowl anyway he wants.

The ICC must not act like one-eyed jacks.

Umpires robots soon

With the International Cricket Council trialing referrals to the third umpire during the forthcoming Test series between Sri Lanka and India next month, it won’t be long when the umpires would look mere robots.

True it is a trial. But we would like it to remain that way and not made law. We say this because if what is suggested happens, then it will take away importance and the respect of the umpires and they would look figureheads. To the credit of the umpires it must be said that they don’t make willfull mistakes.

They are also human and so mistakes are bound to happen. Umpires would not want to cheat because if they do so, they stand to loose their standing as elite umpires which also mean that they sacrifice earning the big money.

One might ask why don’t the umpires band together and lodge their protests, maintain their status quo and ask the ICC to stop their nonsense and give them the trust and respect they deserve. Surprisingly the umpires never raised a murmur when their colleagues Darrel Hair and Steve Bucknor were sent to the sin bin, for having the courage to stand by their convictions.