Umpire Bird's greatest all-time cricketing flock queried

Apropos my 'COMMENT' last Tuesday headlined 'BIRD'S GREASTEST ALL-TIME CRICKETING FLOCK',I received an avalanche of telephone calls wanting to know how come that cricketing greats such as Don Bradman, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara and others had failed to find a place in the umpire's greatest Test Eleven. My first caller was former Royalist, SSC, Nomads and Sri Lanka cricketer Daya Sahabandu a very keen reader of my 'Daily News' and 'Sunday Observer' columns. 'Sahab' as he was fondly called during his prime was easily the best left arm bowler produced by the country.He showed his prowess with the ball during the pre-Test era. Like the famous West Indian Garfied Sobers, he could open bowling and revert to spin once the shine was off.

Easily the best of his kind

I have faced him, when playing for St.Benedict's and he for Royal and later when playing for Saracens against Nomads. He was easily the best of his kind, not easy to negotiate and score off. He has a mountain of wickets in all forms of the game and during his days when he devastated opposing teams he was tagged with England's Derek Underwood.Sahabandu too queried as to how come greats such as Bradman, Ponting, Lara, Hutton, Peter May, Colin Cowdrey and Jack Hobbs failed to get into that Eleven.

'Sahab' could not believe how Greg Chappell of Australia came to be included.Umpire Dickie Bird would probably have picked his Eleven from the players he watched during his umpiring days. He sported the long white coat for decades and in his opinion the players he named required recognition. Obviously with many Sri Lankans querying Bird's selection, the newspaper that interviewed him on his 80th Birthday and published his 'Greatest-ever Test Eleven, too would have received queries.

Who will end up in ASHES?

When it comes to international cricket, there is no getting away from the fact that the ASHES battles between the two great cricketing countries - England and Australia is the ultimate. Ever since the Ashes clashes began, the competition has been fierce and contested in the best of cricketing tradition and spirit, and been an example to other cricket playing countries.

It was only in 1932/33 when that run-making machine Don Bradman was on the rampage that cricketing relations between the two countries were sullied when it necessitated the use of 'bodyline' by England Captain Douglas Jardine to curb the great Don. But it is a time honoured axiom that sport is the great leveler and true to its tradition the ill-feelings of that era was interred like ashes and now the two countries are playing the game hard and in the best of spirits.

Long awaited Ashes beginning in July

Beginning in July in England will be the long awaited Ashes series. It will be a back-to-back series for the first time when after this series, England will fly to Australia to contest another Ashes series. In the previous series in Australia, England led by South African born Andrew Strauss stuffed the Australians led by Ricky Ponting 4-0.

That was one of the worst defeats suffered by Australia since the Ashes series came into being.Since, Strauss and Ponting are history now and England and Australia will be led by consistent and big scoring batsmen in Alastair Cook and Michael Clarke. While Cook will be once again looking to spoil the Australian soup, Clarke will be determined to tame the British Lions. The Australian selectors smarting under the previous defeat have named a 16-man squad and gone for experience by recalling wicket keeper batsman Brad Haddin and naming him vice captain to Clarke.

An interesting move

Now this move is interesting, considering that Haddin has played in only one Test since 2009. Haddin takes over the vice captaincy job from Shane Watson who shed the VC job to concentrate more on his batting and bowling.Left hand batsman and wicket keeper batsman Matthew Wade was the first choice wicket keeper. He accustomed himself well in that position smashing a belligerent century against Sri Lanka in the Sydney Test. According to Chairman of Selectors former Australian batsman John Inverarity, Haddin with his new position will be the first choice wicket keeper in the Ashes series. Pity on Wade who was coming along nicely. Australia who at one time dominated the game being the top dogs in all forms of the game for a long time, are confident that they could return to familiar ground under the leadership of Clarke.

Clarke happy with touring squad

Clarke seems to be happy with the squad given to him to resurrect the country's fortunes, but the Aussie media don't think so. The media has tagged the Aussie tourist as 'the bad of the worst lot', qualifying it by saying that Haddin and Chris Rodgers who are over 35s.Australia's woes have worsened with the retirements of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey. Ponting is having poor run as captain of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League which has prompted his dropping.

On the contrary Hussey is having a ball in the IPL scoring heavilywhich has prompted the commentators and he knowledgeable to say that Hussey retired from Test cricket a little too early.

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