editor speaks
TRANSCRIPT
news preview cover story interview triviaEDITOR SPEAKS 04 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
fter much delay and drama,
the second most imperative
tourney of the cricket world is
about to launch its pad in less
then a months time on the
horizon of African nation. Champions
Trophy is finally back to lure cricket
fanatics with its magic. Top eight nations
would go head to head to implicate their
dominance on each other, in return get-
ting their hands on the beautiful trophy
of the much awaited tournament. We
bring you all the valuable inputs required
about the notable teams keeping in mind
their weaknesses, strengths and most
importantly their chances of increasing
the cabinet of trophies. Champions
Trophy would be a stern test for the
host nations as they won't let another
chance go begging to get rid of their
chokers tag. South Africa is known for
its slip ups on the crucial stages so this
time around we expect much responsible
effort from them.
Though on one end cricket globalization
with such tournaments (Champions
Trophy& IPL) has made the game richer
with every passing day but on the
reverse end it has brought the gentle-
men's game on the verge of serious
problem. Scale of premature retirements
from Test cricket could go up in the near
future with the amount of money get-
ting in at the shorter formats. Andrew
Flintoff is the first major casualty of this
cash rich cricket; however he is adamant
that his call for retirement is because of
his injury prone career.
Indian cricket board is going through
trouble some days. BCCI is finding hard
to negotiate the doping clause of WADA,
with every one jumping upon their head
about instructing the cricket players to
sign the anti doping policy.
In this edition we also pay tribute to one
of the longest serving servant of Sri
Lankan cricket Chaminda Vaas, who has
hanged his boots from Test cricket. With
Vaas' sun setting off, few of the new
stars of cricket are rising high in Pakistani
cricket. Young lads like Umer Akmal,
Mohammad Aamer and Fawad Alam are
doing world of good for Pakistani cricket
with their noteworthy performances in
recent past. Exclusive interviews of Amit
Mishra, Rahul Dewan and Dajit Singh will
defiantly keep your interest going in the
current issue of Cricket Today.
For lovers of other sports, there is much
to read about. Special coverage on the
top three football leagues will take your
curiosity to highest level. Last but not
the least, our regular columns like Greats
of the Game and Willowy Words will keep
alive, the heroes of cricketing world
from the past.
Stage set for the Carnival of Cricket
a
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Editorial.qxd 8/26/2009 7:01 PM Page 2
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Current Australian
Skipper Ricky Ponting
would defiantly get
commanding position
if team is chosen out
of current world
players. But this
Aussie great couldn’t
make it to the play-
ing XI of all-time
Australian team.
Ricky Ponting was
deemed well enough
only for the 12th
man’s slot. Though,
Shane Warne, Adam
Gilchrist and Glenn
McGrath made it to a
leading website’s all-
time Australian
XI.Don Bradman,
Shane Warne and
Dennis Lillee was the
unanimous choice.
AAuussttrraalliiaann XXII :: Victor
Trumper, Arthur
Morris, Don Bradman,
Greg Chappell, Allan
Border, Keith Miller,
Adam Gilchrist, Shane
Warne, Bill O‘Reilly,
Dennis Lillee and
Glenn McGrath. 12th
man: Ricky Ponting.
Aussie Skippergets 12th Grade
RECK
ON
ING
FO
R G
AU
TI
Indian opening batsman
Gautam Gambhir is one of
the 15 sportspersons select-
ed to receive the prestigious
Arjuna Award for the year
2009.Gambhir, who has
enjoyed a purple patch with
the bat in all three forms of
the game since India’s World
T20 World Cup win in 2007,
has been chosen for the
honor along with badminton
sensation Saina Nehwal, dou-
ble trap shooter Ronjan
Sodhi and hockey player
Ignace Tirkey.Gambhir was
recently elevated to the No.
1 spot in the ICC Test rank-
ings, before Kumar
Sangakkara overtook him.
WhiteLightningbacks balltampering
SportsRound Up
I Thought ofGiving Up AtTime: Amit Mishra
Former South Africa
speedster Allan Donald
feels the International
Cricket Council (ICC) should
legalize ball tampering to
prevent the growing hege-
mony of batsmen in world
cricket. “The ICC would
shoot me for saying it but,
with the wickets that we
play on and the dying
breed fast bowlers are
becoming on these flatter
wickets, I would say we do
need some sort of defense
mechanism, something to
fall back on to say ‘Right,
we can do this. We can
now prepare this ball to
go’,” said Donald. However,
the 42-year-old, currently
the coach of Warwickshire
where he had served with
distinction as a player, is
aware his plea would have
very little effect.
TheContenders
WADA- ICC- BCCI: Tied inGridlock
NEWS.qxd 8/26/2009 6:32 PM Page 2
Former Pakistan Test opener Aamer
has step down as Pakistan Cricket
Board’s Director-Game Development,
creating more problems for the embat-
tled board. If reports to be believed
Aamer Sohail was not getting along
with senior Board officials including
chairman Ejaz Butt and director-human
resource Wasim Bari. In fact he was also
issued show cause notice by Bari for
failing to attend an ICC course in
London. However Sohail, 42, said that
he was getting no ‘job satisfaction’ and
so he decided to resign. The former
batsman said he will revive his career as
a television commentator. Sohail’s deci-
sion to quit comes after former chief
selector Abdul Qadir, also an ex-Pakistan
Test cricketer, resigned because of his
differences with the Board’s top brass.
West Indies batting legend
Brian Lara could make his
coaching debut at next
month’s Champions League
Twenty20.The former cap-
tain, who retired from inter-
national cricket in 2007, is in
talks with his home side
Trinidad and Tobago Cricket
Board for a role as coach of
its side in the October 8-23
event in India. Trinidad and
Tobago is the only West
Indian team to take part in
the Champions League
Twenty20 after winning the
Stanford Twenty20 compe-
tition here.” I haven’t been
approached but we have
had discussions on it,” said
Lara. Lara was associated
with the Indian Cricket
League but has reportedly
broken ties with the ‘rebel’
Twenty20 league.
Uttappa may be out of Indian team, He
might have not done any good for the
Bangalore Royal Challengers in the IPL
but still he is the hot commodity in the
state version of the cash rich league.
Robin Uthappa became the costliest play-
er in the KPL, inviting a bid of Rs 3.25
lakh from Bangalore Brigadiers in the
auction. This price tag shows that
Karnataka still hold high regards for their
discarded son from the Indian team.
Apart from Robin as many as 48
Karnataka players went under the ham-
mer as the eight franchisees of the
September 9-23 event participated in
the bidding process. Karnataka State
Cricket Association had kept an upper
limit of seven lakh for six chosen players
by each franchisee. Stuart Binny was
picked by Gulbarga team (Bijapur Bulls)
for Rs 3.2 lakh, B Akhil was taken on
board by Bangalore Rural for Rs three
lakh, while veteran Sunil Joshi pocketed
Rs 2.05 lakh thanks to Hubli-Dharwad
team (Shamanur Davangere
Diamonds).The Karnataka Premier League
has lost some of its sheen after the
Board of Control for Cricket in India
denied participation of out of state play-
ers in KPL, making it only a state affair.
Lara set tocoach his
home side?
AAMER OPTSOUT OF PCB
BEST PAY FOR UTTAPPA
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62
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Foremost Stepis to set up aSalaryStructure forthe Curators:Daljit Singh
The unluckiestteam in the World
Make Flintoff’sRetirement anException, Notthe Trend My Heart
goes forHaryana:RahulDewan
NEWS.qxd 8/26/2009 6:32 PM Page 4
match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia 10 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
McCullum chooses countryover money
Two cricketers from Gujarat,Yusuf Pathan and RavindraJadeja recently joined theReliance Industries Limited(RIL) as executives (Sports andCulture) at a ceremony organ-ized by the company. BothYusuf and Jadeja were induct-ed into the company by itsgroup president. “We all see agreat cricketing potential andfuture in Pathan and Jadeja.
They are colleagues atRajasthan Royals in the IndianPremier League (IPL) and nowthey become colleagues atReliance. They become ourexecutives (Sports andCulture) and join the roll withParthiv Patel,” he said. Wicket-keeper Patel was the firstcricketer to join RIL rolls onJune 25, 2004.
Indian cricketers joinCorporate World
IPL bids goodbye to
‘icon’ playersThe ‘icon status’ of India’s most cherishedcricketers will soon come to an end. From2010 onwards, Sachin Tendulkar, VirenderSehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly andYuvraj Singh, who enjoyed this special sta-tus in the inaugural two seasons, will belike any other player in the Indian PremierLeague (IPL).”In the original plan itself, ‘iconstatus’ was only for two years. That timeIPL was a new concept and we wanted tobuild a strong base for teams. But it is notmandatory to keep these players after thenext season,” said IPL commissioner LalitModi .”They can be traded or other teamscan bid for them in the fresh auctionsafter the 2010 season. They will not beicon players anymore,” he added.Abolishing the ‘icons’ tag would mean thatthese players no more stand to earn 15%more than the highest-earning player fromhis franchise. The fees will be at the dis-cretion of the franchise.
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NEWS.qxd 8/26/2009 6:33 PM Page 6
match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia 12 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
Herschelle Gibbs will represent his
home team Cape Cobras, instead
of his IPL franchise Deccan
Chargers, in this year’s CL T20.
Convenor of selectors for the
Cape Cobras Omar Henry
announced recently that the initial
20-member squad, led by South
Africa captain Graeme Smith,
which include Gibbs for the tourna-
ment due to be held in India from
October 8 to 23.Gibbs’ inclusion
came as a surprise since he was
expected to play for Deccan
Chargers.Cape Cobras CEO Andre
Odendaal said the side pencilled in
Gibbs after the Chargers had
released him.”The Chargers con-
firmed over the weekend that
Herschelle would not be in their
squad and we are thrilled that a
player of his pedigree will now be
in the team,” Odendaal said.
SSqquuaadd:: Graeme Smith (Captain),
Derek Brand, Ryan Canning, Henry
Davids, Jean-Paul Duminy, Sybrand
Engelbrecht, Herschelle Gibbs,
Claude Henderson, Rory Kleinveldt,
Charl Langeveldt, Richard Levi, Carl
Nieuwoudt, Justin Ontong, Vernon
Philander, Francois Plaatjies,
Andrew Puttick, Gurshwin Rabie,
Leonard van Wyk, Stiaan van Zyl
and Monde Zondeki.
Aussies T20 star
in a Soup
Gibbs boosterfor Cobras
Luke Pomersbach problems seem to
be getting in worst shape. He has
been banned by Australian cricket
authorities from playing until at least
January after he pleaded guilty to
multiple charges including assaulting a
police officer. The Middle order bats-
man, who is the squad of Kings XI
Punjab in the Indian Premier League,
apologized in court for a drunken
rampage that led to him being arrest-
ed by police in Perth in recent time.
Pomersbach pleaded guilty to a total
of six charges that also included
pushing a policeman into a window at
his Perth home, breaking the glass
and causing minor injuries, as he
resisted arrest over a hit-and-run
road incident. Following the court rul-
ing, the Western Australian Cricket
Association (WACA) imposed further
penalties on Pomersbach.
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match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia 14 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
Saqlain Mushtaq, the former
Pakistan and Surrey off spinner, has
been appointed as spin consultant
by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for
the next 12 months. Saqlain’s first
assignment will be New Zealand’s
six-week tour of Sri Lanka. New
Zealand Cricket has an agreement
with Saqlain Mushtaq who will work
with the Blackcaps over the next 12
months, Stephen Hill, the NZC
spokesperson said. “His experience
as a spin bowler is considered to be
of significant assistance.” Saqlain’s
foremost advice to New Zealand
bowlers before the Sri Lanka tour is
that bowling in the subcontinent is a
“mental battle”. To be on top of the
opponent, Saqlain said the bowlers
would need to “understand” and
“control” their skills. He said the
main reason he was brought on
board was to help New Zealand
neuter the danger posed by Murali
and Mendis.
Cricketer’s passion,Hummers gain
Indian cricket stars have found their new love. It has nothing to do with
some beautiful lady instead it is about their passion on roads. Cricketers are
more often known for their love when it comes to speed and cars.
Commanding to this love Bhajji and Dhoni has bought Hummer, the American
SUV. famous for there passion for vehicles, India captain Mahendra Singh
Dhoni and spinner maestro Bhajji has added a brand new ’Hummer’ worth
around one crore to their already rich collections of cars. While Dhoni’s
Hummer is of silver colour, Harbhajan has opted for a “Black Beauty”. Mahi’s
H2 2009 Hummer will definitely get the pride of place among Dhoni’s Toyota
Corolla, Scorpio, Mitsubishi Pajero, Harley Davidson, Yamaha 650cc sports
bike, Kawasaki Ninja and other two wheelers.
Kiwi colors forSaqlain
Two Champscomes togetherIPL franchisee Deccan
Chargers is venturing in
sports personality manage-
ment and has signed ace
shuttler Saina Nehwal.
Signing Saina has mark the
beginning of the IPL fran-
chisee’s first foray in sports
other than cricket, sources
said. Deccan Chronicle, the
newspaper owned by the
Deccan Chargers manage-
ment has announced Saina
as their brand ambassador
recently. The Chargers, led
by Adam Gilchrist, has won
the second edition of IPL
Twenty20 tournament in
South Africa earlier this year.
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match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia 16 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
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Steyn cleared on dope violation
Boycott’s superiority,
Dickie’s denial
Former cricketers were seen at the music
release party of the upcoming film Ruslaan.
Kapil Dev, Azharuddin and Madanlaal ensured
there presence at the mega event which was
also attended by many famous stars of enter-
tainment field. Music launch was held at the
official residence of Chief Minister Sheila Dixit.
Ruslaan is based on the real story of bombs
explosion in the local trains of Mumbai.
Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott
believes he was technically superior to Sunil
Gavaskar. However, his Yorkshire teammate Dicky
Bird feels otherwise. The England opener with a
reputation for straight talking said he and
Gavaskar were similar in many respects but he
had the better technique. “As our records show,
Sunil played more matches, scored more runs
and centuries than me, but in terms of tech-
nique, I consider myself superior to Sunil even if
by just half a percentage point,” he added.
Incidentally, Boycott’s argument could not con-
vince former umpire and his Yorkshire teammate
Dicky Bird who had no doubt that Gavaskar was
the better batsman. “What a great sight it was
to watch Gavaskar bat. Pace bowlers could never
really dominate him. That’s why I rate him as the
best opener of my era”.
Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib
Akhtar has apologized to the
PCB for appearing on a televi-
sion show without PCB’s per-
mission.A senior official
of the board told that
the fast bowler,
who was served a
show cause by the PCB,
has replied back on last
month ( July) apologiz-
ing for his
actions.The offi-
cial said Akhtar
himself is now
keen to mend
fences with
the authori-
ties and
wants to
get back in
the national
side as he has realized that he
didn’t have too many years of
cricket left in him.”That is one
reason why the PCB is also
not playing up this issue
and handling it quiet-
ly. In all likelihood
they want to end
this matter and drop
any disciplinary action
against him,” another
source in the
board
said.Pakistan
captain Younus
Khan has said
he has no
problems hav-
ing Akhtar in
the team as
long as he
performs.
Cricketers comes together
for music release
Rawalpindi expressexpresses regret
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match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia 18 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
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2288tthh SSeepptteemmbbeerr-- SSttuuaarrtt CCllaarrkk ((AAuussttrraalliiaa))
Indian sideConquers
snowFormer Indian cricket stars didn’t let
their country down in the match
that was played on Swiss snow.
Indian side beat an All-Star team
from England by four runs.
Sharmila Tagore was the one who
tossed the coin while her husband
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and his fel-
low Farokh Engineer were the
umpires. Kapil called right and
decieded to bat. His side made 108
in their five overs thanks to
Sandeep Patil (25), Ajay Jadeja (26),
Kapil Dev (26), Roger Binny (12) and
Syed Kirmani (12). The All-Stars
needed to score at 20 an over.
Radford made 25, ICC match refer-
ee Chris Broad made 26 and Collis
King made 26. It was left to the pair
of skipper Alvin Kallicharran and
John Emburey to get 38 off the last
over.Ajay Jadeja obliged the rivals by
bowling a no-ball and the asking rate
came down to five per ball and six
off the last. Kallicharran aimed for
the straight field but was beaten by
the bounce and mishit behind the
‘keeper for just a single. Skipper
Kapil said, “The event was supposed
to be a fun thing, but once you
wear your cricket gear, you only
want to win and we were happy to
do it on our I-Day in front of Indian
tourists.”
Ex-Pakistan cricketer Qasim Umar has
claimed that former West Indies captain
Vivian Richards used to take performance
enhancement drugs.In a startling revela-
tion, Qasim said the batting legend
indulged in doping before the new anti-
doping regulations were enforced by the
ICC.Appearing on television talk show,
Umar, a controversial figure in Pakistan
cricket, said Richards had himself con-
fessed to him that he used to take drugs
to release tension and improve his stamina
and endurance levels. He had also accused
former Pakistan captain Imran Khan and
other players of using their kit bags to
transport drugs to the United Kingdom
and was subsequently banned for life by
the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Dope allegations on Viv Richards
Kambli finally calls it a dayIndian batsman Vinod Kambli recently announced his retirement from
international cricket but said he was still available to play domestic crick-
et. He made the announcement at the inauguration of his sports acade-
my - Khel Bharati. Indian opener Virender Sehwag inaugurated the acade-
my. Ramakant Acharekar, who coached Kambli as well as his school-mate
Sachin Tendulkar, was also present. Kambli, who played his first One-Day
International against Pakistan in 1991, said his childhood friend and bat-
ting legend Tendulkar could not come because of his previous engage-
ments, but has offered to help the academy. Kambli, who played 17 Tests
and 104 ODIs, played his last match for India in October 2000 at Sharjah,
against Sri Lanka. He made 1084 runs in Tests, which includes four cen-
turies while in one-day format he made 2477 runs.
NEWS.qxd 8/26/2009 6:34 PM Page 14
20 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
ENGLISH PREMIERLEAGUE (15TH AUG - 9THMAY)
It is the most watch out league in
the world. EPL is known for its sheer
pace and it is a home to many super
stars of the football world. If
reports to be believe, Premier
League is also the richest football
showdown on the planet. EPL have
been a dominant force in European
football also. Since last three to four
seasons, Champions League (Top
European Honor) has witness the
much more English teams in the
Semi-Finals and Finals. Current
(2009-2010) campaign of Premier
League would take the intensity to a
new level with Twenty teams fight-
ing for the top honor.
PREDICTIONSManchester United will be the force
to reckon with. Current champions
might have lost the charisma of
Ronaldo but they have enough
power in their belly to be the
champs once again. Chelsea with the
new manager (Carlo Ancelotti) and
Liverpool with their star players
could tumble the title race. Last
years fourth finisher Arsenal might
go down further in the league with
the departure of Adebayor and
Toure. Manchester City relishing
under new owner and players could
be the surprise package of the cur-
rent season. Rest of the positions
would see up and down of many
teams.
PROBABLE TOP FOURFINISHERS1. Manchester United
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Manchester City, Aston Villa or
Arsenal
PLAYERS TO WATCHOUT FORFFoorrwwaarrddss:: Rooney ( Man U), Drogba (
Chelsea), Torres (Liverpool),
Vanpersie ( Arsenal), Robinho ( Man
City), Owen( Man U), Adebayor ( Man
City), Tvez ( Man City).
MMiidd--FFiieellddeerrss:: Lampard ( Chelsea),
Gerrad ( Liverpool), Fabregas (
Arsenal), Nani( Man U), Mascherano
(Liverpool), Benayoun(Liverpool),
Barry( Man City), Arshavin( Arsenal).
DDeeffeennddeerrss:: Terry (Chelsea), Toure(
Man City), Ferdinand( Man U),
Carragher( Liverpool), Agger(
Liverpool), Dunne( Man City), Bridge(
Man City), Silvestre ( Arsenal).
GGooaallkkeeeeppeerrss:: Cech( Chelsea), Reina(
Liverpool), Howard( Everton), Van
Der Sar( Man U), Robinson(Blackburn
Rovers), Almunia( Arsenal), Given(
Man City).
Real Time Real Business Top Football flights will be on their way in the month of August. World is anx-iously waiting for the ultimate attack, defense, tackle and skills on the footballfield. We bring you the predictions, teams and players to watch out for in thetop three leagues of the World.
news preview cover story interview triviaSPORTS ROUND UPby Mohd. Asim
Sports round up.qxd 8/26/2009 5:04 PM Page 6
editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 21Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
SPANISH LA LIGA (29TH AUG-16TH MAY)La Liga is one of the most popular professional sports
leagues in the world. Attacking football and beautiful skills
are the main touch downs of this competition. It is also
known for its tough fight on the ground. Shakeups of the
team’s positions are frequently seen. Football Pundits finds
it virtually impossible to predict the top finishers as the
contest is so evenly poised that you never know who will hit
out on the given day. Football fans have seen the magic of
most gifted footballers of many generations in the La Liga.
Likes of Maradona, Romario, Zidane and Ronaldinho were
the few jewels of Spanish top fight.
PREDICTIONS Real Madrid has gain all the attention for the upcoming sea-
son with their record signing of Ronaldo, Kaka, Alonso and
Karim. It is their attempt to finish the dominance of Catalan
giants (Barcelona). Barca on the other hand has kept their
last season squad intact which won three titles in the last
year campaign moreover they have brought in Ibramahovic,
the top scorer of Italian Serie A in place of Eto, who has
joined the ranks of Italian Champions. Spanish La Liga had
often notice that money can’t buy everything so Barca hold
the advantage over their rivals Real Madrid. Title chase
seems to be blowing up even before it begins with other
teams like Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and Sevilla
gearing up to knock-out the giants (Barca&Real) from the
top position.
TOP FOUR FINISHERS1. Barcelona
2. Real Madrid
3. Atletico Madrid
4. Valencia, Sevilla or Villarreal
PLAYERS TO WATCHOUT FORFFoorrwwaarrddss:: Raul( Real Madrid), Ronaldo(
Real Madrid), David Villa( Valencia),
Messi( Real Madrid), Forlan( Atletico
Madrid), Henry( Barcelona),
Kanoute(Sevilla), Ibramahovic(
Barcelona).
MMiiddffiieellddeerrss:: Kaka( Real Madrid), Alonso( Real Madrid), Iniesta(
Barcelona), Guti(Real Madrid) , Robben( Real Madrid), Silva(
Valencia), Garcia (Atletico Madrid), Aguero( Atletico Madrid).
DDeeffeennddeerrss:: Lopez( Atletico Madrid), Alves( Barcelona), Puyol(
Barcelona), Abidal( Barcelona), Pepe(Real Madrid), Ramos(
Real Madrid), Marchena( Valencia).
GGooaallkkeeeeppeerrss:: Sanchez( Valencia), Casillas( Real Madrid),
Valdes( Barcelona), Asenjo( Atletico Madrid), Palop( Sevilla)
ITALIAN SERIE A (23RD AUG- 16TH MAY)It is regarded as one of the elite leagues of the foot-
balling world. Historically, Serie A has produced the high-
est number of European Cup finalists. As of 2008, Serie
A is ranked third among European leagues by UEFA.It is
best known for its defense display. Italian clubs play with
the mindset-Defense is the best ploy to counter attack-
ing football. Serie A over the years has given the world
real jam of footballers. Italian top competition was the
best football saga in the world but with the passage of
time it has lost the charm with match fixing scandals at
its corner every now and than.
PREDICTIONSSerie A new season will not be different from what is
happening since many years. Inter Milan will surely be in
the best reckoning to top the league with Juventus and
AC Milan playing the catching game. Other teams will
step up to fill the fourth spot. Bottom of the table
might see the entrance of new teams with some
stronger outfits of last season going down the ladder.
Transfer Window has not seen the major singings in
Italian top flight. Teams like Inter, AC and Juventus has
bought some players.
TOP FOUR FINISHERS1. Inter Milan
2. Juventus
3. AC Milan
4. Roma, Fiorentina
PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FORFFoorrwwaarrddss:: Totti ( Roma), Eto(Inter Milan), Filippo Inzaghi(
AC Milan), Ronaldinho(AC Milan), Del Piero( Juventus),
Mutu( Fiorentina).
MMiiddffiieellddeerrss:: Seedorf( AC Milan), Pirlo( AC Milan),
Stankovic( Inter Milan), Baptista( AS Roma).
DDeeffeennddeerrss:: Nesta( AC Milan), Zambrotta( AC Milan),
Zanetti( Inter Milan), lucio( Inter Milan, Cannavaro(
Juventus), Motta( Inter Milan), Dainelli( Fiorentina).
GGooaallkkeeeeppeerrss:: Dida( AC Milan), Toldo( Inter Milan), Milito,
Buffon( Juventus), Doni( AS Roma), Frey( Fiorentina)
Sports round up.qxd 8/26/2009 5:04 PM Page 7
match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia 22 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
SANIA ‘SDROUGHT ENDSSSaanniiaa’’ss eennggaaggeemmeenntt sseeeemmss ttoo bbrriinngg hheerr lluucckk wwhhiicchh sshhee nneeeeddeeddttoo eenndd tthhee sslluummpp ooff ttiittlleess oonn tthhee ccoouurrtt.. IInnddiiaa’’ss aaccee sseeeeddeedd sseecc--oonndd aatt IITTFF LLeexxiinnggttoonn CChhaalllleennggeerr ccoonnttiinnuueedd hheerr ggoooodd sshhooww aasssshhee uuppsseett ttoopp--sseeeedd FFrreenncchhwwoommaann JJuulliiee CCooiinn 77--66 ((77//55)),, 66--44 ttoocclliinncchh tthhee ttiittllee ..SSaanniiaa kkeepptt hheerr ccooooll iinn tthhee sscciinnttiillllaattiinngg ffiinnaall iinnffrroonntt ooff ssiizzeeaabbllee IInnddiiaann ccoommmmuunniittyy ttoo sseeaalleedd tthhee ffiirrsstt sseett vviiaa ttiiee--bbrreeaakkeerr aafftteerr ssqquuaannddeerriinngg aa 55--22 lleeaadd aanndd ffaacciinngg 55--aallll.. SSaanniiaa bbrrookkeetthhee CCooiinn sseerrvvee iinn aa mmaarraatthhoonn tteenntthh ggaammee ooff tthhee sseeccoonndd sseett ttoorreeggiisstteerr aann iimmpprreessssiivvee wwiinn.. IInntteerreessttiinnggllyy,, tthhiiss wwaass oonnllyy tthhee sseecc--oonndd IITTFF $$5500,,000000 eevveenntt tthhaatt SSaanniiaa hhaadd ppaarrttiicciippaatteedd iinn,, tthhee ffiirrssttbbeeiinngg wwaayy bbaacckk iinn 22000033 wwhheenn sshhee wwaass ssttiillll mmaakkiinngg aa nnaammee ffoorrhheerrsseellff oonn tthhee pprroo ttoouurr..
DEFEAT CHECKS PHELPS MARCH
World record holder of many swimming titlesMichael Phelps has suffered his first defeatat the hands of German swimmer. PaulBiedermann shed Phelps, handing the swim-ming icon his first loss in about four years inan individual event at a major internationalmeet in the 200metres freestyle. The 14-time Olympic champion last failed to get goldwhen he was edged out by fellow AmericanIan Crocker in the 100m butterfly at theworlds in Montreal. Phelps had not been beat-en in the 200m free since the AthensOlympics in 2004 but Biedermann producedan astonishing swim to triumph by a bodylength and also set a new world record ofone minute 42.00 seconds in the process.
World costliest player has the costliest legs in theWorld. Real Madrid has insured CristianoRonaldo’s legs for £90million after thePortuguese winger picked up a knock in pre-sea-son.Ronaldo suffered a minor knee injury afterbeing tackled in the Peace Cup semi-final againstJuventus in Seville lately. The 24-year-old hasbeen given the all-clear by doctors but Real isnervous that he might pick up a long-term injuryin the future. Real paid an £80m world-recordfee for Ronaldo in June (2009) and have nowtaken steps to protect their investment by tak-ing out an insurance policy. Ronaldo has alreadybeen fouled 34 times in three pre-season games.
COSTLIEST LEGS
GGaaggaannjjeeeett BBhhuullllaarr ffiinnaallllyy bbrrookkee tthhrroouugghh oonn tthheeAAssiiaann TToouurr bbyy lliiffttiinngg hhiiss mmaaiiddeenn ttiittllee aatt tthhee
IInnddoonneessiiaann PPrreessiiddeenntt IInnvviittaattiioonnaall.. LLoonngg bbiilllleeddaass oonnee ooff tthhee bbrriigghhtteesstt yyoouunngg ttaalleenntt oonn tthhee
AAssiiaann TToouurr,, tthhee 2200--yyeeaarr--oolldd IInnddiiaann jjuussttiiffiieeddtthhaatt ttaagg wwiitthh aann eemmpphhaattiicc ttwwoo--ssttrrookkee vviicc--ttoorryy oovveerr AAuussttrraalliiaa’’ss AAddaamm BBllyytthh aatt tthheeDDaammaaii IInnddaahh GGoollff -- BBuummii SSeerrppoonngg DDaammaaiiccoouurrssee..”” II’’vvee bbeeeenn wwaaiittiinngg ffoorr tthhiiss ffoorr tthhee
ppaasstt ttwwoo yyeeaarrss.. II ppllaayyeedd rreeaallllyy wweellll ttooddaayyaanndd II hhaadd aa vveerryy ggoooodd ffiinniisshh wwiitthh aa ggoooodd
ssccoorree ttooddaayy,,”” ssaaiidd BBhhuullllaarr.. VViiccttoorryy wwaass wwoorrtthhUUSS$$6633,,440000 aanndd mmoovveedd tthhee yyoouunngg IInnddiiaann uupp ttoo
1100tthh ppllaaccee oonn tthhee AAssiiaann OOrrddeerr ooff MMeerriitt aanndd hheejjuummppeedd ffrroomm 441177 ttoo 225555 iinn tthhee ooffffiicciiaall WWoorrllddGGoollff RRaannkkiinnggss..
BHULLAR MAKESINDIA PROUD
Sports round up.qxd 8/26/2009 5:04 PM Page 2
editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 23Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
Michael Schumacher won’t be back toroar again on the F1 track. Germanhas abandoned the comeback afterfailing to shrug off a neck injury suf-fered in a motorbike accident fewmonths back. Earlier seven-time F1world champion had agreed to helpout former team Ferrari and step infor Felipe Massa on a temporary basisafter the Brazilian suffered headinjuries at the Hungarian Grand Prixrecently. Ferrari have reacted quicklyto the news that Michael Schumacherwill not returning by naming LucaBadoer as his replacement.Schumacher told his official website:“I had to inform Ferrari PresidentLuca di Montezemolo and TeamPrincipal Stefano Domenicali thatunfortunately I’m not able to step infor Felipe.”I really tried everything tomake that temporary comeback pos-sible, however, much to my regret itdidn’t work out.”
World Champion ViswanathanAnand, an 11-time winner in Mainz,bowed out before the finals at a
venue which has become synony-mous with his name.Anand lost twoof his first three games and endedthird in the four-man event.Anandhad won the title every year inMainz since Kasparov last won it in1999.The 11-time winner here,Anand scored 2.5 points while thetop place went to Levon Aronian ofArmenia and Ian Nepomniachtchi ofRussia finished second.
DEFEAT AFTER 11 YEARS
DREAMREMAINS A
DREAM
Olympic champion Lin Dan becamethe first shuttler to clinch three suc-cessive World Championship titles.He beat second seed compatriot JinChen in the summit clash.Dan, seed-ed fifth in the event, defeated hishigher-ranked countryman 21-18,21-16 a 46-minute contest. But hisgirlfriend Xie Xingfang faltered atthe final hurdle and lost 23-21, 21-12to Lu Lan at the BWF WorldChampionships on Sunday.Incidentally, Lin Dan is the first shut-tler to clinch three world titles. Inanother all-China final, eighth-seededwomen’s doubles pair of ZhangYawen and Zhao Tingting defeatedsecond seeds Cheng Shu and ZhaoYunlei 17-21, 21-17, 21-16. AllEngland champions Cai Yun and HuHaifeng of China won a thrillingmen’s doubles final over Jung JaeSung and Lee Yong Dae of Korea 21-18, 16-21, 28-26. In all China wonfour out of the five golds on offer.
CHINESE ROAR IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
TTiiggeerr wwooooddss wwoouulldd bbee aabboovvee aallll tthhee cchhaalllleennggeess iinn tthheewwoorrlldd,, HHee mmiigghhtt bbee rriiddiinngg oonn tthhee ssuucccceessss ooff ttwwoobbaacckk ttoo bbaacckk ttiittlleess bbuutt tthhiiss ccoouulldd nnoott pprreevveenntt YYEEYYaanngg ffrroomm ttaammiinngg TTiiggeerr oonn tthhee ggoollff ccoouurrssee.. HHeeoovveerrttuurrnneedd TTiiggeerr WWooooddss 5544--hhoollee lleeaadd ttoo ccllaaiimm tthheeUUSS PPGGAA CChhaammppiioonnsshhiipp aatt HHaazzeellttiinnee NNaattiioonnaall.. YYaanngg,,3377,, bbeeccoommeess tthhee ffiirrsstt AAssiiaann--bboorrnn ppllaayyeerr ttoo wwiinn aammaajjoorr aanndd hhee ddeenniieedd tthhee wwoorrlldd nnuummbbeerr oonnee aa 1155tthhssuucchh vviiccttoorryy,, tthhee AAmmeerriiccaann hhaavviinngg pprreevviioouussllyyeennjjooyyeedd aa ppeerrffeecctt rreeccoorrdd iinn ttuurrnniinngg 1144 tthhiirrdd--rroouunnddmmaajjoorr lleeaaddss iinnttoo wwiinnss.. HHiiss vviiccttoorryy oovveerr TTiiggeerr WWooooddssiinn tthhee UUSS PPGGAA CChhaammppiioonnsshhiipp ttaakkeess hhiimm ffrroomm 111100tthhiinn tthhee wwoorrlldd ttoo 3344tthh..
YANGTAMES
THE TIGER
Sports round up.qxd 8/26/2009 5:04 PM Page 3
match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia 24 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
Manchester United striker Michael Owen hasmissed out on an England recall by ThreeLions boss Fabio Capello.Although Owenhas not featured for his country since thefriendly defeat in France nearly 18 months
ago, it was thought his surprise summerswitch to Manchester United might prompt areturn to international duty. However, afterwatching England’s fourth highest goal scorer inaction at Old Trafford where he drew a blank inUnited’s 2-0 win over Valencia, Capello has leftOwen out of his squad to face Holland inAmsterdam recently. Instead, Owen’s Red Devilsteam-mate Wayne Rooney is joined by EmileHeskey, Jermain Defoe and Carlton Cole toform a four-man English strikeforce.
Roger Federer claimed his thirdCincinnati Masters title with a 6-1 7-5victory over Novak Djokovic in thefinal.Federer, who beat defendingchampion Andy Murray 6-2 7-6 (10/8)in the semi-finals, con-firmed his statusas heavyfavorite forthe US Openwith an out-standingperform-ance. It washis 16thMastersSeries title -his first as afather - andapart fromDjokovic's fight backearly in the second set hewas never troubled. Theworld number one and defend-ing Wimbledon, French and US
Open champion took histotal career prize
money to USdollars 50mil-
lion with thistriumph.
FEDERER SUPREMACYCONTINUESBOLT
ROCKSWORLD
Usain Bolt created yet another piece of athletics history whenJamaica won the men’s 4x100 metres relay title. It was his third goldat the World Championship. He also set up a sensational win in the200 metres at the World event in Berlin. After winning the 100mwith a new world record of 9.58 seconds in recent times, Bolt com-pleted another landmark by smashing his own world record in the200m for good measure. Bolt stormed to victory in the OlympicStadium in 19.19 seconds, slashing 0.11secs off the time set in Beijinglast year, with Panama’s Alonso Edward claiming silver in 19.81 andAmerican Wallace Spearmon the bronze in 19.85.Bolt 23, becomesthe first man to hold the 100 and 200m world and Olympic titles atthe same time following his triumph in last year’s Olympics.
CHAMPIONSHIP
SHOCKER FORESPANYOL
Spanish football club Espanyol was left in mourning afterit was confirmed that their captain Daniel Jarque hasdied at the age of 26. The midfielder passed away whenhis heart stopped following a training session inCoverciano, Italy where the squad is on a pre-seasoncamp. Jarque died from a cardiac arrest. Espanyol hascancelled their pre-season tour and returned to spain.Jarque joined Espanyol at the age of 12, making hisdebut in 2002, and was handed the captaincy this sum-mer. His death comes two years after that of Sevilla andSpain defender Antonio Puerta, who suffered multipleorgan failure in hospital, three days after a cardiacarrest during a league match against Getafe.
SHOCKER FORESPANYOL
OWEN’S EXILE CONTINUES
Sports round up.qxd 8/26/2009 5:04 PM Page 4
editor speaks interview market letterCT 200925Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
DDaattee TTiimmee MMaattcchh VVeennuuee
Tue Sep 22 18:00 Group B - South Africa v Sri Lanka SuperSport Park, Centurion
Wed Sep 23 18:00 Group A - Pakistan v West Indies New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Thu Sep 24 13:00 Group B - South Africa v New Zealand SuperSport Park, Centurion
Fri Sep 25 18:00 Group B - England v Sri Lanka New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sat Sep 26 13:00 Group A - Australia v West Indies New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sat Sep 26 18:00 Group A - India v Pakistan SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sun Sep 27 13:00 Group B - New Zealand v Sri Lanka New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sun Sep 27 18:00 Group B - South Africa v England SuperSport Park, Centurion
Mon Sep 28 18:00 Group A - Australia v India SuperSport Park, Centurion
Tue Sep 29 18:00 Group B - England v New Zealand New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Wed Sep 30 13:00 Group A - Australia v Pakistan SuperSport Park, Centurion
Wed Sep 30 18:00 Group A - India v West Indies New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Fri Oct 2 18:00 1st Semi-Final - TBC v TBC (A1 v B2) SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sat Oct 3 18:00 2nd Semi-Final - TBC v TBC (B1 v A2) New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Mon Oct 5 18:00 Final - TBC v TBC SuperSport Park, Centurion
2009 ITINERARY
ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY1998 2000
2004
20062009
2002
CT.qxd 8/26/2009 5:19 PM Page 2
26 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewTHE CONTENDERS
eeccoorrdd:: India have never actually
won the Champions Trophy sin-
gle handedly. Their one win
came in Sri Lanka but that was
when they shared the spoils
with hosts Sri Lanka. The attempt
before that one in Nairobi is seen to be
their best shot at this event but some-
how Chris Cairns on only one leg
thwarted them in the final, after a
dream run in the tournament saw them
beat Australia and South Africa. In the
first edition in Bangladesh, they ran into
South Africa, the eventual champions
and later in England, they were simply
not upto the mark. The story was
repeated at home in the last edition
where Rahul Dravid’s men disappointed
a billion fans.
CAPTAIN: MS DHONIMS Dhoni’s honeymoon got over only
recently. The T20 World Cup in England
was a balloon of expectations but was
burst when India failed to make even
the semis. The fact that the team left
for the West Indies trip, and won there,
possibly saved them from facing a
backlash at home. But the hard truth is
that now when the season begins for
Dhoni and his men, they will no longer
be the team who will be young and
inexperienced. That cycle is over and
done with, for this is the team that is
expected to win the World Cup in two
years’ time in India and Dhoni is expect-
ed to be the man to lead them to that
triumph. It begins now and any devia-
tion from the expected path will not be
tolerated with ease.
COACH: GARY KIRSTENGary Kirsten is a former South African
cricketer, and current coach of the
Indian cricket team. He played 101 Test
matches and 185 One-day internationals
for South Africa between 1993 and
2004, mainly as an opening batsman.
Kirsten made his Test debut against
Australia in Melbourne in 1993. He
retired from international cricket in
2004 after crafting a match-winning 76
in his final innings, against New Zealand.
Kirsten held the South African records
for most runs and centuries in a Test
career, before both were surpassed by
Jacques Kallis. He was the first Test
batsman to make hundreds against
each of the other 9 Test nations. He
made a score of 275 against England in
1999, which was another South African
record until Graeme Smith made 277
against England in 2003. He still holds
the record for highest innings by a
South African in a one-day international;
188 not-out made against the United
Arab Emirates during the 1996 World
Cup, which is the fourth highest innings
of all time in One-Day International
cricket.
STRENGTHS &WEAKNESSES:In the recent months, too much has
been said and written about the Indian
batsmen’s ability to play short bowling,
in the negative sense of course. And
hence the selectors felt it necessary to
provide some cover in the form of
Rahul Dravid. Talking of him, South
Africa has been good for him in particu-
lar, ever since his days when he first
started batting at number three for
India to the second season of the IPL.
Now that he has nothing left to prove,
he will play without much pressure on
r
India
INDIA.qxd 8/26/2009 5:07 PM Page 2
Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 27
his shoulders. That doesn’t mean he will
not be in solid elements.
The absence of Virender Sehwag meant
that Dravid had to be selected other-
wise the team would again fall short of
experience in the middle order. Sachin
Tendulkar does return from his thumb
injury but he will bat at the top of the
order, and that is rightly so, for the
best batsman in the team should play
the maximum overs. Suresh Raina and
MS Dhoni will once again shuffle the
duties of number three with Dravid now
to back them up as and when needed.
And lest we forget there is the incom-
parable Yuvraj Singh who will be the ful-
crum of the batting order at number
four. Without doubt, the Indian batting
looks pretty strong once again.
The bowling however might be a cause
for concern as spearhead Zaheer Khan
is missing. Ishant Sharma wasn’t really
spectacular last season and India did
suffer from the lack of a second spin-
ner and a seasoned fifth bowler in the
T20 World Cup. And so the inclusion of
Amit Mishra isn’t all that surprising. The
only point of thought is that Pragyan
Ojha didn’t do much wrong in playing
second fiddle to Harbhajan Singh, what-
ever opportunities he got.
Overall, India should atleast make it to
the semi finals, if they can get the bet-
ter of arch rivals Pakistan.
PLAYER TO WATCH OUTFOR: YUVRAJ SINGHEvery time a new season begins, it is
said that Yuvraj Singh will be the center
around which the Indian batting will
evolve from here on. The good part is
that he has the talent to make good on
the promise. The bad part is that time
and patience is running out for him to
actually come good on that. Towards
the end of the last season, especially in
England and the West Indies, he was
proving to take the center stage at will
and do his own thing. Clearly in both
Sehwag and Tendulkar’s absence, he
was the best batsman in the side.
If he can deliver a bit more consistently,
that would go a long way in increasing
the percentage of matches that India
wins. And with the run up to the T20
World Cup in May next year up until the
2011 World Cup in India, Yuvraj’s time
to deliver the goods begins now. �
SQUADMahendra Singh Dhoni (cap-
tain), Yuvraj Singh, SachinTendulkar, Gautam Gambhir,Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina,
Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan,Harbhajan Singh, Abhishek
Nayar, RP Singh, IshantSharma, Ashish Nehra,
Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra
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28 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewTHE CONTENDERS
eeccoorrdd:: Australia pride them-
selves at winning major tourna-
ments, especially at the highest
level, and so this will be another
tournament that they would
want to win. Add to it, they are the
defending champions for the last time
the tournament was staged in India, it
was added to the collection of Cricket
Australia. Prior to that, they were quite
unsuccessful in the previous four
attempts; twice they lost out to India in
the first round itself in Bangladesh and
Kenya. Then twice they lost out in the
semi finals in Sri Lanka and England, so
the last edition was a much wanted
relief for the side.
CAPTAIN: RICKYPONTINGRicky Ponting is having one hell of a
time leading the current Australian side.
In his first half as skipper, he didn’t real-
ly have to do much with some of the all
time greats of the game in his side. But
now, the current players are making
him work extra hard in lieu of those
times, it seems. His own form, as a
result, has been patchy to say the least
and now that the Ashes have been lost,
this is going to be an important run in
to the Australian summer. If he survives
this period, he might still lead his
national side for a couple more years.
Otherwise the next six months will be
the last we will see of Ricky Ponting,
captain of Australia.
COACH: TIM NIELSENTim Nielsen was a talented wicketkeep-
er-batsman for South Australia who
quickly made his mark in the coaching
arena. After playing in 101 first-class
matches and overtaking Barry Jarman’s
state wicketkeeping record with 316 dis-
missals, Nielsen retired in 1999 to
become an assistant coach at the
Redbacks. He spent three years helping
John Buchanan in the national set-up
before becoming the head coach of the
Centre of Excellence in Brisbane in
2005. Buchanan walked away from the
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post after his second World Cup win
and handed the reins to Nielsen.
STRENGTHS &WEAKNESSESWithout doubt, the main strength of
this squad is its batting. Earlier this year,
against South Africa they tried a new
opening combination with Brad Haddin
and Michael Clarke at the top. In the
name of continuity, they made that
combination work again when playing
the Pakistanis in the Gulf. Again it
worked well for them but the main dif-
ference in the two series was that the
middle order was not able to handle
spin that well against Pakistan.
The Aussies will have no reason to
worry about spin in South Africa atleast
not against the West Indies, but they do
have India and Pakistan in their group to
contend with. And that again might just
turn out to be their undoing. Even so,
the middle order will be bolstered by
the return of Ricky Ponting who missed
the series against Pakistan and further
back up has been incorporated in the
name of middle order batsman Adam
Voges.
Some more steel will be added to the
side by Shane Watson. Ever since the
first IPL season, the all rounder has
proven to be a better international
player. If he can check his injury worries
somehow, he will surely be an asset for
the side. He might even open the
innings and that would mean Clarke can
come down the order and help
them spin more easily.
The Australians don’t really
care about spin bowling
anymore so expect them to
play all pace attacks in the
tournament, which will be
somewhat aided by the tracks
in South Africa. But even then
a single dimensional attack
would mean that the
opposition
would have more than a handsome
chance to come out on top, should one
plan not work out for the Aussies.
Everything taken into account, it will be
tough for Australia to retain their
crown.
PLAYER TO WATCH OUTFOR: SHANE WATSON
The Australian team that had
Andrew Symonds in its middle
order was a fearsome one.
Instead now, they have a much
softer looking player in his
stead, a fine all rounder no
doubt but doesn’t appear as
menacing. But that is as far
as the looks are concerned.
For the first season of the
Indian Premier League
proved his many utilities
in a cricket eleven.
He can open the
innings, come in at
number three to pro-
vide impetus and if
need be can come
down the order to
guide a chase or
make an impact in
the dying overs. His
more than military
medium pace means
that he adds another
option to the bowling
attack and like all Aussies,
is a brilliant fielder. If only he
can retain his
fitness for a
whole crick-
eting season,
we would get
to see the
real Shane
Watson in
action. �
SQUADRicky Ponting (captain),
Michael Clarke (vice-captain),Nathan Bracken, CallumFerguson, Brad Haddin,
Nathan Hauritz, BenHilfenhaus, James Hopes,Michael Hussey, MitchellJohnson, Brett Lee, Peter
Siddle, Adam Voges, ShaneWatson, Cameron White
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30 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewTHE CONTENDERS
eeccoorrdd:: South Africa were the
first winners of the Champions
Trophy, then known as the
Knock Out Trophy first played in
Bangladesh. A Jacques Kallis
special lit up the tournament for them
as they beat the competition to pulp.
Since then, they have struggled to
make an impact in this tournament.
India have proven to be their bane in
Kenya and Sri Lanka in the subsequent
editions. After that, the team under-
went quite some changes and was
never the world beaters that they have
now groomed into. England and India as
host nations didn’t bring any changes in
their fortune, so the home conditions
might just play out in their favor this
time.
CAPTAIN: GRAEMESMITHIt will be hard to find a more inspira-
tional captain in international cricket at
the moment. Quite simply, Graeme
Smith is top of the lot and that was
confirmed earlier this year when he led
his side to a victory Down Under, some-
thing not many people have been able
to achieve. Given that he is an able bod-
ied opening batsman to boot, you
would understand why he is aggressive,
confident and understands the game
quite well. The last couple of years have
seen him transform his side at a contin-
uous pace, something that has worked
only because he had the patience and
experience that comes in form of learn-
ing on the job. If there is one point that
is out of place, then that has to be the
luck factor that South Africa carry
along with themselves, always managing
to shoot themselves in the foot.
Removing that choker tag is Smith’s
biggest challenge at the moment.
COACH: MICKEYARTHURMickey Arthur scored 6557 runs playing
for Free State, Griqualand West and
South Africa A before hanging up his
boots in 2001. He coached Griquas in
the domestic competition before taking
over the Eastern Cape side in 2003, and
guiding them to the finals of the
Standard Bank Pro20 series in the last
two seasons. He was a slightly surprising
choice to take over as the national
coach in May 2005, succeeding Ray
Jennings.
His first two Test series as coach hap-
pened to be against a rampant Australia
and South Africa were easily brushed
aside. In between they did clinch a tense
one-day series win over Australia at
home, which culminated in a record
breaking chase at Johannesburg. A
home win over New Zealand was fol-
lowed up by a disastrous tour of Sri
Lanka in the summer of 2006 and fail-
ure to make the final of the ICC
Champions Trophy. From there on
though, South Africa were led quietly,
calmly and successfully by Arthur and
Graeme Smith and did not lose a Test
series until early 2009. Back-to-back
Test and one-day series victories
against India and Pakistan at home were
followed by semi-finals of the 2007
World Cup. Under Arthur they snapped
a 43-year dry run with their first series
win in England and then a series win in
Australia earlier this year.
STRENGTHS &WEAKNESSES:It is indeed tough finding faults with a
line up that has been so steady over
the past couple of years that they have
made it to the top of the charts in
Tests as well as ODIs. Of course then
they are surely doing something right
and have not much to worry about. A
batting line up that reads Smith, Kallis,
Gibbs, Amla, de Villiers, Duminy and
Boucher has done plenty over the last
two seasons to show what sort of
touch these players are in. If it was
Smith in England, then Amla came to
the show in the sub continent. Later it
was the de Villiers and Duminy show in
Australia as the rest chipped in around
them. Out of all of them it was Jacques
Kallis who grabbed the headlines in the
IPL at home and then in the T20 World
Cup after that.
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Even their bowling has made all the
right noises. The pace bowling is ever
reliable in the hands of Steyn and
Morkel but with the addition of
Tsotsobe, they have unearthed a new
talent to add legs to the attack. But the
best part about the whole situation is
that probably for the first time in their
cricketing history, South Africa have a
spin angle to their bowling. As we saw in
England, they are not just your old part
time spinners but can really make the
ball talk. If the IPL is anything to go by,
then spin is going to be a major factor
in this particular tournament which is
more than just slam-bang stuff.
If there is indeed a weakness, then that
obviously is their chokers tag. In the
beginning it was probably seen as some
roll of bad luck. With time it became a
tag and now with some more time, it
has become a tag that has become
stuck on their sleeves. Rarely a tourna-
ment goes by when South Africa aren’t
expected to do well, but along with it,
they are never expected to win the
prize. For it taken for granted that at
some stage or another, they will come
unstuck. It is high time they reversed
their luck and home is the best place to
start doing that.
PLAYER TO WATCH OUTFOR: JACQUES KALLISOh, what a year he has been having. To
say that wine gets better with age
would be such a cliché, but come to
think of it, there is nothing else that
could describe this cricketer better at
the moment. There were some ques-
tion marks being asked when Amla was
doing all the scoring at number three,
but in response, came the series against
Australia and then the IPL. In fact, it is
the latter that has given him a fresh
lease of life. For when Kallis replaces
Gibbs at the opening slot in a T20 line
up, there must be something that he
must be doing terribly right. It seems
the game has taken a couple of steps
forward that this aged all rounder is
finding it more suited to his game, at an
age when many said he would hang up
his boots. �
SQUADGraeme Smith, Johan Botha,Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher,
AB de Villiers, JP Duminy,Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques
Kallis, Albie Morkel, MakhayaNtini, Wayne Parnell, Robin
Peterson, Dale Steyn,Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof
van der Merwe
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32 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewTHE CONTENDERS
eeccoorrdd:: Crowned champions
along with India, Sri Lanka are
the only team to have hosted
and won this competition, if you
call two rain marred finals that.
On other occasions, they have not been
blowing so hot, stopped in their tracks
on both sides of that singular win. At
present, they are one of the most com-
petitive sides in world cricket at the
moment; therefore greater things are
expected of them this time around. It
can be considered a given that they will
do similarly well as they did in India the
last time around.
CAPTAIN: KUMARSANGAKKARAThe thing about Sri Lankan captains is
that even though they inherit much of
the team built by their predecessors,
each of them skippers tend to leave
their own imprint on the side. And so is
the case with Sangakkara. He got much
of the side molded into shape by Mahela
Jayawardene but over the last twelve
months has shown enough vision and
ability to take his side to be considered
one of the best in business. Not that his
talent was in much doubt anyways, but
at the same time he has kept up anoth-
er tradition of the Sri Lankan cricket
captains. They do not allow the leader-
ship job to weigh down on their batting
skills and yes, he has excelled in the
same department as well. They made it
to the finals of the T20 World Cup after
they reached the finals of the 2007
World Cup. That’s two ICC finals in a row
and it wouldn’t be a surprise if
Sangakkara leads them to three in a row.
COACH: TREVORBAYLISSTrevor Bayliss is the current coach of
the Sri Lanka national cricket team.
Bayliss is a former cricketer for New
South Wales and a former coach. He was
selected in June 2007 for a two year
term as coach of Sri Lanka from August
1, 2007. Bayliss made his debut for New
South Wales in the 1985/86 season. He
was a right-handed middle order bats-
man, an occasional off spin bowler and
good cover fielder. His best season for
the Blues was 1989-90 when he scored
992 runs at 55.11 which earned him his
side’s ‘Players’ Player of the Year’ award.
His final season in first class cricket was
in 1992-93.
Trevor Bayliss succeeded Tom Moody as
the coach of the Sri Lankan national
team in August 2007. He was selected
ahead of Queensland Bulls coach Terry
Oliver by a selection committee compris-
ing of former Sri Lanka Cricket officials
and captains including Aravinda de Silva,
Ranjan Madugalle, Michael Tissera, Sidath
Wettimuny and Bandula Warnapura.
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STRENGTHS &WEAKNESSES:If recent results are to go by, then the
leadership of Kumar Sangakkara has
taken them to the next step of the
process that was started by Mahela
Jayawardene, his predecessor. It has
been a constant building process for
them, as it is with other teams, but with
them it just seems to click simply
because all the players tend to be on
the same page.
At the same time, they have also broken
out of the shackles that previous cap-
tains probably had forced onto the
team. Like defining batting positions and
roles for their batsmen! It could only be
a Jayasuriya who could lambaste the
bowlers or only Aravinda or
Jayawardene would do the anchoring
role. The present day Sri Lankan team
has broken through all these typecasts
and now they have any batsman ready
to perform any role in the batting order.
You can call it the effect of using two
Australian coaches in a row, Tom Moody
before Bayliss, but the bottom line is
that this approach is working for them
and the results are coming in.
Bowling continues to be their strength
as ever with the ever dependable
Muralitharan now having Mendis and
Malinga keeping him company. The loss
of Chaminda Vaas will hurt a bit but
then it was known for some time now
that he would be leaving soon. So in
effect the search for replacements
began early and they have a good cou-
ple of players coming through to fill
those big shoes.
All in all, the Sri Lanka team is probably
the favourites, trumped up probably
only by South Africa thanks to their
home advantage.
PLAYER TO WATCH OUTFOR: TILAKRATNEDILSHANWhenever they will talk about the term
purple patch, Dilshan will get more than
just a mention. At the turn of the year,
he went out to bat against Bangladesh
in the Test series and it seems he has
been batting in the same vein since. And
it has been eight months since that hap-
pened. That series, then against India,
the IPL, the T20 World Cup and now
against Pakistan, he simply hasn’t
stopped scoring runs and on the way
picked up wickets and led the team to
victory a couple of times as well.
If there is a possible explanation to his
superb run, then probably he has hit the
maturing age that every batsman
encounters after having spent some
time in international cricket. Quite sim-
ply, he is making the most of while the
run lasts be it any opposition or any
match conditions, home or away. And
not for nothing do they say that such
traits are the hallmarks of a true cham-
pion. There is no reason to believe that
this run is going to stop sometime soon
and thus no one is betting against him
being the stand out batsman in the
Champions Trophy as well.
Maybe he will innovate a new shot for
ODI cricket too. �
SQUADKumar Sangakkara (capt),
Sanath Jayasuriya,Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul
Tharanga, MahelaJayawardene, Thilan
Samaraweera, ChamaraKapugedera, Angelo
Mathews, MuttiahMuralitharan, Ajantha
Mendis, Thilan Thushara,Nuwan Kulasekara, Dammika
Prasad, Lasith Malinga,Thilina Kandamby
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34 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewTHE CONTENDERS
eeccoorrdd:: This is one trophy that
Pakistan are yet to lay their
hands on and thus you can
expect them to go ahead full
steam this time round. Looking
back though, they have been eliminated
in the first round the first two times.
With the advent of the group stages in
the tournament, their luck didn’t
change much in either Sri Lanka or in
India, but in between in England, they
did manage to reach the semi finals
where they lost to the West Indies. That
one time remains their highest achieve-
ment in the tournament’s record books.
CAPTAIN: YOUNUSKHANThere has never been a Pakistan captain
who hasn’t been dramatic and Younus
Khan is no less. Quitting after the T20
World Cup might not have been the
best of ideas, but as far as the team is
concerned, it won’t matter much. For
currently, Pakistan need to do well in
the longer versions of the game, espe-
cially with a host of youngsters coming
into the side. And thus they need Khan
to be the experienced man in charge.
He is himself an able number three or
four batsman which means the solidity
he provides to the batting order can’t
be replaced easily either. Pakistan need
Khan to keep going and one hopes he
doesn’t quit the ODI captaincy should
they win the Champions Trophy.
COACH: INTIKHABALAM Intikhab Alam is a retired Pakistani crick-
eter who played in 47 Tests and 4 ODIs
from 1959 to 1977. He also played in
English county cricket for Surrey
between 1969 and 1981. Intikhab was
Pakistan’s first One Day International
cricket captain. He played 3 matches as
captain, winning two and losing one. He
was the coach and manager of 1992
Cricket World Cup winning Pakistani
team. In 2004, he was appointed as the
first foreigner to coach a domestic
Indian cricket team, coaching Punjab, in
the Ranji Trophy.
On 25th October 2008 he was named
as a national coach of Pakistan cricket
team by PCB, a day after Australian
Geoff Lawson was sacked as a national
coach. Intikhab was also the coach of
the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup winning
Pakistan team.
STRENGTHS &WEAKNESSES:Without a shadow of doubt, the huge
talent that resides in the Pakistan team
is both their strength and weakness.
Strength in the simple fact that on
their day this team can prove to be
unbeatable! The very same players who
would seem to be indifferent to cricket
one day will put in the performance of
their lives the very next day. And in
doing so, they will surprise and shock
even the best of teams, as well as pun-
dits and fans alike.
Why this is also a weakness for tem-
perament and talent go hand in hand in
sport. If only talent is brought to the
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table without the required ability to
handle the same, the end results are
somewhat like Shoaib Akhtar or the
prodigious Mohammad Asif. And these
are only two names from a long list of
such players who didn’t have what it
takes to handle the big stage and all
that comes along with it.
Asif returns after a one year ban and all
eyes will be on him. Will he kick start his
career again or will he fade away like
Akhtar has, courting one controversy
after another? Along with Umar Gul,
they will form a very potent bowling
attack complimented again by Naved ul
Hasan and Iftikhar Anjum.
In that sense, Pakistan is a team rejuve-
nated. They lost out big time with
retirements and players going for
money in the ICL, but with the likes of
Mohd. Yousuf, Imran Nazir and Naved
returning means that this team can
again look forward to being a threat in
world cricket. Forget what happened in
Sri Lanka, for that is always a tough
proposition, the real comeback of
Pakistan cricket begins now in South
Africa. Other teams will do well to
watch out.
PLAYER TO WATCH OUTFOR: SHAHID AFRIDI
Who else but the Pathan is the man to
watch out for? He was simply superb in
the latter stages of the T20 World Cup
and seems to have finally found his call-
ing in the shortest format of the game.
But at the same time, ODI cricket is not
too distant from what he used to thrive
at, in the recent past and thus needs to
find a cohesion with his form in T20
and 50-over cricket.
Afridi of course has further captaincy
designs for Pakistan which means that
he needs to get into pole position in
terms of performance by the time the
current skipper decides to call it a day.
To do that he needs to start pulling in
the reigns of his game just a bit and he
can be a much more effective player as
many teams have found out to their
chagring in the shortest format. But
then making Afridi understand some-
thing like that might just be banging
your head on the wall. �
SQUADYounus Khan (captain), ImranNazir, Misbah-ul-Haq, UmerAkmal, Shoaib Malik, ShahidAfridi, Rana Naved-ul Hasan,
Fawad Alam, MohammadYousuf, Kamran Akmal,Umar Gul, Mohammad
Aamer, Mohammad Asif,Rao Iftikhar, Saeed Ajmal
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36 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewTHE CONTENDERS
eeccoorrdd:: Victory in Nairobi in 2001
is their one and only major in
international cricket. And it isn’t
as if that was on cue. It was
more of a one off when Chris
Cairns on one leg upset the applecart
and India didn’t have any answers for
once. Apart from that they have strug-
gled to make an impact in any of the
preceding or subsequent editions of the
tournament, be it in England, Sri Lanka
or India. And the trend might just as well
continue this time around.
CAPTAIN: DANIELVETTORIAt the time of writing came the news
that Vettori had been given voting
rights as a selector of the national team.
Probably that makes him the most pow-
erful cricket captain now, if not ever. For
is that not what all skippers want? The
power to say who is in and who is not!
This could actually revolutionize how
many cricket boards work especially if it
actually comes good for New Zealand
cricket as a whole. At the same time, it
could be a double edged sword for
Vettori who has been spotless as captain
so far. Maybe this could be his chance to
really mess up just fine but knowing him
and reading his record so far in charge
of affairs, the possibility of that hap-
pening is less than remote.
COACH: ANDY MOLESAndrew James Moles is a former English
first-class cricketer for Warwickshire and
Griqualand West. After his playing career
he became a coach and currently coach-
es the New Zealand national cricket
team. Moles was a gritty and deter-
mined, right-handed opening batsman.
He played from 1986 until his retire-
ment in 1997 for Warwickshire, where
he scored 13,316 runs at an average of
38.59. During the late 1980s he also
played domestic cricket in South Africa
for Griqualand West and in three sea-
sons managed 1,989 runs at 64.16.
After retiring as a player, he started his
coaching career at Griqualand West,
staying there for five years. In 2003 he
was appointed as the national coach of
Kenya, but he had a turbulent time due
to infighting between the Kenyan
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Cricket Board and players which led him
to quit the job at the end of 2004. He
took over as the coach of Scotland in
January 2005 but quit the job after less
than a year as a result of disagreements
with some of the senior players. He was
appointed coach of Northern Districts in
New Zealand domestic cricket for the
2006-07 season, and in his first season
helped guide the team to the State
Championship. On November 25, 2008
New Zealand Cricket announced that
Andy Moles had been appointed to suc-
ceed John Bracewell as the New Zealand
Coach.
STRENGTHS &WEAKNESSES:The major strength of any New Zealand
line up is their numerous bits and pieces
players. Quite clearly all of them possess
the firepower to win matches without
batting an eyelid. In Guptill, Elliott, Taylor,
Ryder and McCullum, they have a bat-
ting order than can frighten any bowling
attack. Each of these batsmen can play
attacking cricket as well as build when
the opportunity arises. They are not
really susceptible to spin and handle
pace equally well.
The bowling has always been a good
part about their cricket with almost all
players capable of chipping in, ably guid-
ed by the clever Vettori. But this time
around they get their major strengths in
pace back. Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey
make a return from their ICL sojourn
which means that they have added
teeth first up on their bowling front.
The weakness of this team like South
Africa and Pakistan probably is more
about mentality than talent. They know
what to do but it is just that it doesn’t
come on too regularly for them on the
cricket field. And unlike the other two
teams they probably suffer from stage
fright as they become unstuck on the
biggest of stages. That explains why
they have only one major cricketing tro-
phy in their cabinet.
PLAYER TO WATCH OUTFOR: BRENDONMCCULLUMAfter a superb 2008, he has had a torrid
time this year. First up it is never easy
mixing wicket keeping and opening the
batting. But to add to it, he had to lead
the side against India as well and his
inexperience showed. If that wasn’t cue
enough, he was made to lead the
Kolkata team in the IPL as well, which
further accentuated his confidence
problems and led to a loss of batting
form.
Quite clearly, if he knocks about the ball
well enough, then everything is good
enough for this cricketer and that is
where he derives his confidence. With
Vettori coming back into the fray, it is
now easy to see why he will have a
much more defined role where he can
go back to being what he was. Reckless
yet somewhat responsible in both the
roles that he performs and that is when
he is at his most potent and devastating
best. �
SQUADDaniel Vettori (captain),
Shane Bond, Neil Broom, IanButler, Brendon Diamanti,Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill,Gareth Hopkins, Brendon
McCullum, Kyle Mills, JacobOram, Jeetan Patel, JesseRyder, Ross Taylor, Daryl
Tuffey
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38 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewTHE CONTENDERS
eeccoorrdd:: They are no better than
Pakistan in terms of history in
this tournament. In fact atleast
Pakistan have won world titles
atleast at some point in their
cricket timeline, something that isn’t
the case with England. They are yet to
win a major cricket tournament and as
long as their priority is to win the Ashes
once every two decades, then that will
continue to be the case. The tourna-
ment when held in England remains the
only instance where they did well
enough to reach the final, even though
they did end up losing to a weak West
Indies side that time. On other occa-
sions, they have just about only turned
up for the event.
CAPTAIN: ANDREWSTRAUSSAndrew Strauss is leading a resurgence
of English cricket at the moment. He
was thrust into the limelight for a sec-
ond time when no one wanted to be
captain it seems. Since then he has ably
done the one job that is considered too
hot to handle especially when the Ashes
are to be played. But winning against
the West Indies both home and away
set his team on their requisite path and
at the time of writing, they were just
about to beat Australia as well. Strauss
has been at the top of his game not
only while leading but also the batting
part. Only thing is will he go the way of
his predecessors and stop the buck at
winning the Ashes? Or will be show a
different direction to his country’s
cricket and take the next step?
COACH: ANDY FLOWERAndrew Flower is a former international
cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently
the England team director and will now
be involved in team selection. Flower
played 63 Test matches for Zimbabwe,
scoring 4,794 runs at an average of
51.54 and taking 151 catches and 9
stumpings, and 213 one-day interna-
tionals, scoring 6,786 runs at an aver-
age of 35.34 and taking 141 catches
and 32 stumpings. He holds the
Zimbabwean records for the most Test
career runs, the highest Test batting
average, and most ODI career runs.
On 7 May 2007, Flower was appointed
Assistant Coach of the England team,
replacing Matthew Maynard. On 15 April
2009 following England’s Caribbean
tour, for which he was installed as inter-
im team director following the depar-
ture of Peter Moores, he was appointed
full-time team director. In the summer
of 2009, during his tenure as team
director, England regained The Ashes,
beating Australia by two test matches
to one.
STRENGTHS &WEAKNESSES:Under a coach who was more than a
good batsman in his heydays, the
England team has probably taken a cou-
ple of forward leaps in a bid to step up
their ante towards the Ashes this year.
r
England
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Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 39
That should inadvertently set them
up for better things later on as well,
as hard work on and off the field
never goes unpaid. They boast of
some solid looking batsmen at the
top with a whole host of all
rounders thrown in to get the mix
right. Now these all rounders can
both build an innings as well as
blast their way out of the park
which lends the right balance to
their presence in the side.
Under Strauss, the team has
grown a fair amount in just
about six months’ time, some-
thing last witnessed probably
under Nasser Hussain. In his second stint
as captain, with Flower guiding him ably,
the English captain seems surer of his
methods and backs his players to the
hilt, a necessity to exceed at this level.
Probably England have been able to
solve the captaincy issue for a fair bit
of time to come as his batting is also
‘flowering’ at the moment, another
point which a fair share of his predeces-
sors weren’t able to do.
The apparent weakness of this
squad is that they do not their
own limits. For long any England
team is built for one purpose and
one purpose alone. That is to win
the Ashes after getting drubbed
around by all other teams.
However that mentality has to
change for this is a squad that boasts
of talent capable of giving every side in
the world a run for their money. The
only point is in asking can they actually
do it and stop all the questions that are
posed of them.
And one other thing, they will miss
Kevin Pietersen for whatever said and
done, he is a class act and can bat to
change the situation of the game in a
flash. A long term injury to him can only
mean disappointment for the Poms.
PLAYER TO WATCH OUTFOR: RAVI BOPARAOver the last twelve months, Ravi
Bopara has found himself thrust in the
limelight. Call it a lack of a definitive
impact player in the continued absence
of Andrew Flintoff if you will, but that
being the case, Bopara has been asked
to step up. Not the most pleasing tech-
niques but sometimes works out to be
the most effective one, he eased up
into the team on the basis of some
strong performances against the West
Indies.
Facing Australia though proved to be a
different prospect as he struggled
throughout the Test series. Having said
that though, this was hardly a parame-
ter on which his future selections will or
will not merit themselves. Now in the
side as an impact player given the
absence of Flintoff, he can finally let go
off the blanket that he surrounds him-
self in and unleash his full worth, some-
thing we have heard so much of, but
yet to witness it. �
SQUADAndrew Strauss (captain),
James Anderson, RaviBopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart
Broad, Paul Collingwood, JoeDenly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin
Morgan, Matt Prior, AdilRashid, Owais Shah, Ryan
Sidebottom, Graeme Swann,Luke Wright
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40 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewTHE CONTENDERS
eeccoorrdd:: They were champions of
the England edition in 2004 and
then in 2006 almost defended
their crown but for the Aussies
to stop them in the final. They
could have won the first edition of the
tournament in Bangladesh as well, but
then they were stopped by the mighty
South Africans, again in the final. It
could be said then, looking at their
record, that they enjoy this tourna-
ment and would fancy their chances,
but if we look at the squad, that seems
to be out of the question for West
Indies cricket has a habit of pulling itself
down just when it seems they might be
getting out of their deep pits.
CAPTAIN: FLOYD REIFERAfter a very successful Red Stripe Cup
scoring 756 runs, Reifer was given a
chance with his first one-day and Test
matches against the Sri Lankans on
their tour of the West Indies in 1997.
However, he did not manage to produce
the necessary performances and,
despite being given another chance on
the West Indies A tour to make his way
back into the senior squad, played only
two more Tests and one more one-day
international. Three years later, follow-
ing some decent domestic matches, he
claimed that he was again ready to be
chosen for West Indies. And he was, in
the most unexpected of circumstances,
in 2009, when the original squad to
face Bangladesh in Kingstown decided
to boycott the Test a day before its
start. The board scrambled to organize
a replacement side and Reifer found
himself leading the second-string squad
ten years after he had played his last
Test. However, he couldn’t script a win
in either the Test or the ODI series.
COACH: DAVIDWILLIAMSDavid Williams was a competent wicket
keeper but his weakness with the bat
(he made seven ducks in 18 completed
Test innings) meant he only played 11
Tests. But he did have his moment in
the sun when he hit 65, and added a
match winning 129 with Carl Hooper,
against England in Trinidad in 1997-98.
r
West Indies
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Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 41
This was a rare high point for Williams,
though, who was dropped after the
fourth Test of that series. As a coach,
Williams has been involved with the
Trinidad & Tobago team from 2003, and
the team enjoyed a purple patch which
included two one-day titles and three
four-day titles in four years. He was
appointed assistant coach to the West
Indies team for the Twenty20 World
Championship in South Africa and after
coach John Dyson was sacked following
the series loss to Bangladesh in 2009,
he was handed the reigns for the ICC
Champions Trophy, also to be played in
South Africa.
STRENGTHS &WEAKNESSES:It is tough to find strength in a team
that has lost comprehensively at home
to even Bangladesh. It is a pity that the
cut off for the ODI rankings was April 1
2009 for qualification for the tourna-
ment in South Africa. That is because it
will be but a travesty if this West Indies
team gets to participate and shame the
names of their glittering ancestors.
They face Australia, India and Pakistan,
so let there be no doubt that they will
be mauled.
If there is a chance for them to surprise
people, maybe just maybe, that will
come only if the teams up against them
become more than just complacent.
For the West Indies seem so fragile that
even just being complacent might not
be enough for them to cause an upset.
It would have made far more sense to
have Bangladesh participate than allow
the West Indies Cricket Board to make
this tournament such a farce.
PLAYER TO WATCH OUTFOR: DARREN SAMMYEven though the team might disappoint
as a whole in the absence of their stal-
warts, it might just be the right oppor-
tunity for some one with real class to
make a name for themselves. And the
money to do just that would be on
Darren Julius Garvey Sammy. He is the
first international cricketer to emerge
from St Lucia, an island rediscovering its
cricket culture as the new Beausejour
Stadium has captured imaginations.
Sammy, who spent some time at Lord’s
with the MCC cricket staff, also showed
off his skills as a batsman and right-arm
medium-pacer as part of the University
of the West Indies Vice-Chancellor’s XI.
He won a one-day cap in England in
2004 and was called up late to the
Champions Trophy squad in September
2004 after Jermaine Lawson pulled out
with a stress-fractured back. In July
2006, he was named as St Lucia’s cap-
tain for West Indies’ first-ever
Twenty20 tournament and was recalled
for the tour of England in 2007. After
missing the first two Tests, Sammy was
drafted into the side for his debut at
Old Trafford, and celebrated with 7 for
66 in the second innings. He is still try-
ing to cement his place in the Test and
limited-overs sides as an allrounder.
Playing for a weakened team against
Bangladesh in 2009, he ended the two
match Test series with 12 wickets. �
SQUADFloyd Reifer (captain), DarrenSammy (vice-captain), DavidBernard, Tino Best, Royston
Crandon, Travis Dowlin,Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller,Daren Powell, Kieran Powell,Dale Richards, Kemar Roach,
Devon Smith, Gavin Tonge,Chadwick Walton
WEST INDIES.qxd 8/27/2009 10:03 AM Page 3
42 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match book review match content news interview RECORDS
THE FINALISTS:YYeeaarr VVeennuuee CChhaammppiioonnss RRuunnnneerrss--uupp MMaarrggiinn
1998 Dhaka South Africa West Indies Four wickets
2000 Nairobi New Zealand India Four wickets
2002 Colombo Sri Lanka-India - Abandoned
2004 The Oval West Indies England Two wickets
2006 Mumbai Australia West Indies Eight wickets (D/L)
SUMMARY OF RESULTS:TTeeaamm MMaattcchheess WWoonn LLoosstt NN//RR SSuucccceessss %%
West Indies 18 12 6 - 66.66
Sri Lanka 17 10 5 2 64.70
India 16 9 5 2 62.50
South Africa 14 9 5 - 64.28
New Zealand 13 8 5 - 61.53
Australia 13 8 5 - 61.53
England 12 6 6 - 50.00
Pakistan 11 5 6 - 45.45
Bangladesh 8 1 7 - 12.50
Holland 2 - 2 - 00.00
United Sates 2 - 2 - 00.00
Kenya 5 - 5 - 00.00
Zimbabwe 9 - 9 - 00.00
HIGHEST INNINGS TOTALS:TToottaall TTeeaammss VVeennuuee DDaattee
347-4 in 50 overs New Zealand v USA The Oval 10-09-2004
316-5 in 50 overs South Africa v Kenya Colombo 20-09-2002
307-8 in 50 overs India v Australia Dhaka 28-10-1998
302-8 in 50 overs Sri Lanka v Bangladesh Mohali 07-10-2006
299-7 in 50 overs England v Zimbabwe Birmingham 10-09-2004
298-8 in 50 overs England v Zimbabwe Colombo 18-09-2002
296-7 in 50 overs Australia v New Zealand Colombo 15-09-2002
295-6 in 50 overs India v South Africa Nairobi 13-10-2000
292-6 in 50 overs Sri Lanka v Holland Colombo 16-09-2002
290-4 in 50 overs India v Kenya Southampton 11-09-2004
LOWEST INNINGS TOTALS FOR EACH TEAM:TToottaall TTeeaammss VVeennuuee DDaattee
65 in 24 overs United States v Australia Southampton 13-09-2004
77 in 19.3 overs Bangladesh v New Zealand Colombo 23-09-2002
80 in 30.4 overs West Indies v Sri Lanka Mumbai 14-10-2006
85 in 30.1 overs Zimbabwe v West Indies Ahmedabad 08-10-2006
86 in 29.3 overs Holland v Sri Lanka Colombo 16-09-2002
89 in 25 overs Pakistan v South Africa Mohali 27-10-2006
93 in 31.3 overs Bangladesh v South Africa Birmingham 12-09-2004
94 in 32 overs Kenya v Pakistan Birmingham 15-09-2004
108 in 34.1 overs South Africa v New Zealand Mumbai 16-10-2006
125 in 37 overs England v India Jaipur 15-10-2006
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Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 43
HIGHEST MARGINS OF VICTORY:MMaarrggiinn TTeeaammss VVeennuuee DDaattee
210 runs New Zealand beat United States TheOval 10-09-2004
206 runs Sri Lanka beat Holland Colombo 16-09-2002
176 runs South Africa beat Kenya Colombo 20-09-2002
167 runs N.Zealand beat Bangladesh Colombo 23-09-2002
164 runs Australia beat New Zealand Colombo 15-09-2002
152 runs England beat Zimbabwe Birmingham 11-09-2004
10 wickets West Indies beat Bangladesh Jaipur 11-10-2006
9 wickets Pakistan beat Sri Lanka Nairobi 08-10-2000
9 wickets Australia beat Bangladesh Colombo 19-09-2002
9 wickets Pakistan beat Holland Colombo 21-09-2002
9 wickets Australia beat United States Southampton 13-09-2004
9 wickets S. Africa beat Bangladesh Birmingham 12-09-2004
9 wickets West Indies beat Zimbabwe Ahmedabad 08-10-2006
9 wickets Sri Lanka beat West Indies Mumbai 14-10-2006
LOWEST MARGINS OF VICTORY:MMaarrggiinn TTeeaammss VVeennuuee DDaattee
10 runs India beat South Africa Colombo 25-09-2002
10 runs West Indies beat Australia Mumbai 18-10-2006
14 runs India beat Zimbabwe Colombo 14-09-2002
20 runs India beat Australia Nairobi 07-10-2000
29 runs West Indies beat Kenya Colombo 17-09-2002
2 wickets South Africa beat West Indies Colombo 13-09-2002
2 wickets West Indies beat England The Oval 25-09-2004
3 wickets Pakistan beat India Birmingham 19-09-2004
3 wickets West Indies beat India Ahmedabad 26-10-2006
3 wickets England beat West Indies Ahmedabad 28-10-2006
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORE:RRuunnss BBaattssmmaann AAggaaiinnsstt VVeennuuee DDaattee
145* Nathan Astle (New Zealand) United States The Oval 10-09-2004
145 Andy Flower (Zimbabwe) India Colombo 14-09-2002
141 Sachin Tendulkar (India) Australia Dhaka 28-10-1998
141* Sourav Ganguly (India) South Africa Nairobi 13-10-2000
133* Chris Gayle (West Indies) South Africa Jaipur 02-11-2006
132 Avishka Gunawardene (SL) W.Indies Nairobi 04-10-2000
126 Virender Sehwag (India) England Colombo 22-09-2002
123* Shahriar Nafees (Bangladesh) Zimbabwe Jaipur 13-10-2006
119 Marcus Trescothick (England) Zimbabwe Colombo 18-09-2002
117* Sourav Ganguly (India) England Colombo 22-09-2002
117 Sourav Ganguly (India) New Zealand Nairobi 15-10-2000
116* Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa) India Colombo 25-09-2002
116 Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa) Kenya Colombo 20-09-2002
113* Jacques Kallis (South Africa) Sri Lanka Dhaka 30-10-1998
112* Dwayne Bravo (West Indies) England Ahmedabad 28-10-2006
111* Mohammed Kaif (India) Zimbabwe Colombo 14-09-2002
111 Brian Lara (West Indies) Kenya Colombo 17-09-2002
110 Upul Tharanga (Sri Lanka) Zimbabwe Ahmedabad 10-10-2006
105* Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) Sri Lanka Nairobi 08-10-2000
105 Upul Tharanga (Sri Lanka) Bangladesh Mohali 07-10-2006
104 Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) New Zealand Nairobi 11-10-2000
104* Chris Gayle (West Indies) Bangladesh Jaipur 11-10-2006
104 Andrew Flintoff (England) Sri Lanka Southampton 18-09-2004
104 Marcus Trescothick (England) West Indies The Oval 25-09-2004
103 Philo Wallace (West Indies) South Africa Dhaka 01-11-1998
102* Chris Cairns (New Zealand) India Nairobi 15-10-2000
102* Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) Pakistan Colombo 12-09-2002
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44 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia
HIGHEST RUNS GETTERS:BBaattssmmaann MM II NN..OO RRuunnss AAVVGG HH..SS 110000 5500 00
Chris Gayle (West Indies) 14 14 2 695 57.91 133* 3 1 1
Sourav Ganguly (India) 13 11 2 665 73.88 141* 3 3 1
S.Chanderpaul (West Indies) 16 16 5 587 53.36 74 - 5 -
Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 14 14 3 564 51.27 113* 1 3 -
Rahul Dravid (India) 16 13 2 547 49.72 71 - 5 -
Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) 17 17 2 502 33.46 102* 1 1 2
Damien Martyn (Australia) 12 11 3 492 61.50 78 - 5 -
Brian Lara (West Indies) 18 17 3 465 33.21 111 1 2 -
Stephen Fleming (N.Zealand) 13 13 - 441 33.92 96 - 3 1
Herschelle Gibbs (S.Africa) 9 9 1 438 54.75 116* 3 1 2
Sachin Tendulkar (India) 14 13 2 433 39.36 141 1 1 -
Marcus Trescothick (England) 8 8 - 421 52.62 119 2 2 1
Mahela Jayawardene(S.Lanka) 15 14 2 411 34.25 77 - 2 -
BEST BOWLING PERFORMANCE:WWkkttss BBoowwlleerr AAggaaiinnsstt VVeennuuee DDaattee
6-14 Farveez Maharoof (Sri Lanka) West Indies Mumbai 14-10-2006
5-11 Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) Kenya Birmingham 15-09-2004
5-21 Makhaya Ntini (South Africa) Pakistan Mohali 27-10-2006
5-29 Mervyn Dillon (W. Indies) Bangladesh Southampton 15-09-2004
5-30 Jacques Kallis (South Africa) West Indies Dhaka 01-11-1998
5-36 Jacob Oram (New Zealand) United States The Oval 10-09-2004
5-37 Glenn McGrath (Australia) New Zealand Colombo 15-09-2002
5-46 Shayne O’Connor (New Zealand) Pakistan Nairobi 11-10-2000
4-14 Michael Kasprowicz (Aus) United States Southampton 13-09-2004
4-15 Jason Gillespie (Australia) United States Southampton 13-09-2004
4-15 Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) Holland Colombo 16-09-2002
4-21 Shane Bond (New Zealand) Bangladesh Colombo 23-09-2002
4-23 Muttiah Muralitharan (S.Lanka) New Zealand Mumbai 20-10-2006
4-25 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (Pakistan) India Birmingham 19-09-2004
4-31 Keith Arthurton (West Indies) Pakistan Dhaka 29-10-1998
HIGHEST WICKETS TAKERS:BBoowwlleerr MM OOvveerrss RRuunnss WWkkttss AAVVGG 44WWII RR//00 BBeesstt
Muttiah Muralitharan (S.Lanka) 15 116.1 378 23 16.43 2 3.25 4-15
Glenn McGrath (Australia) 12 102 412 21 19.61 1 4.03 5-37
Mervyn Dillon (West Indies) 7 68 317 19 16.68 2 4.66 5-29
Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 14 88.3 444 19 23.36 1 5.01 5-30
Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka) 16 125.4 494 18 27.44 - 3.93 2-6
Chris Gayle (West Indies) 14 83.4 369 17 21.70 - 4.41 3-3
Farveez Maharoof (Sri Lanka) 8 55 247 16 15.43 1 4.49 6-14
Makhaya Ntini (South Africa) 8 57 248 16 15.50 1 4.35 5-21
Shaun Pollock (South Africa) 11 88.1 321 16 20.06 - 3.64 3-27
Jacob Oram (New Zealand) 8 64.4 270 15 18.00 1 4.17 5-36
Zaheer Khan (India) 9 80 368 15 24.53 1 4.60 4-45
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editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 45Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
MOST DISMISSALS IN AN INNINGS:DDiissmmiissssaallss KKeeeeppeerr AAggaaiinnsstt VVeennuuee DDaattee
5 (4 ct + 1 st) Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) Holland Colombo 16-09-2002
5 (all catches) Adam Gilchrist (Australia) England Jaipur 21-10-2006
4 (1 ct + 3 st) David Obuya (Kenya) South Africa Colombo 20-09-2002
4 (3 ct + 1st) Courtney Browne (West Indies) Pakistan Southampton 22-09-2004
4 (all catches) Moin Khan (Pakistan) India Birmingham 19-09-2004
4 (3 ct + 1 st) Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) Bangladesh Mohali 07-10-2006
4 (3 ct + 1 st) Adam Gilchrist (Australia) New Zealand Mohali 01-11-2006
3 (all catches) Rumesh Kaluwitharana (Sri Lanka) W.Indies Nairobi 04-10-2000
3 (all catches) Moin Khan (Pakistan) Sri Lanka Nairobi 08-10-2000
3 (2 ct+ 1st) Vijay Dahiya (India) South Africa Nairobi 13-10-2000
3 (2ct+ 1 st) Adam Gilchrist (Australia) New Zealand Colombo 15-09-2002
3 (2ct+ 1 st) Khaled Mashud (Bangladesh) New Zealand Colombo 23-09-2002
3 (all catches) Rahul Dravid (India) Pakistan Birmingham 19-09-2004
3 (all catches) Geraint Jones (England) West Indies The Oval 25-09-2004
3 (all catches) Geraint Jones (England) Sri Lanka Southampton 18-09-2004
3 (all catches) Geraint Jones (England) Zimbabwe Birmingham 11-09-2004
3 (all catches) Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) Zimbabwe The Oval 14-09-2004
3 (all catches) Dinesh Karthik (India) Kenya Southampton 11-09-2004
3 (2 ct + 1 st) Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) South Africa Ahmedabad 24-10-2006
3 (all catches) Kamran Akmal (Pakistan) South Africa Mohali 27-10-2006
MOST CATCHES IN AN INNINGS:CCaattcchheess PPllaayyeerr AAggaaiinnsstt VVeennuuee DDaattee
3 Marvan Atapattu (Sri Lanka) South Africa Dhaka 30-10-1998
3 Jonty Rhodes (South Africa) West Indies Dhaka 01-11-1998
3 Alistair Campbell (Zimbabwe) India Colombo 14-09-2002
3 Yuvraj Singh (India) South Africa Colombo 25-09-2002
3 Brian Lara (West Indies) England The Oval 25-09-2004
3 Marcus Trescothick (England) Australia Birmingham 21-09-2004
3 Darren Sammy (West Indies) Bangladesh Southampton 15-09-2004
RECORDS.qxd 8/26/2009 5:21 PM Page 5
46 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewSTRAIGHT TALK
I THOUGHT OF GIVINGUP AT TIMES
AMIT MISHRAAmit Mishra is a truefighter with supreme tal-ent. He fought back hisplace into the one-daysquad of the Indian teamfor the Champions Trophy.He spoke exclusively toCricket Today before hisselection.
HOW WAS THE EXPERI-ENCE OF PLAYING INTHE EMERGING TOUR-
NAMENT?It was good to play in Australia. I
have already been to down underbut this time it was far better thanbefore because new kind of balls
(orange and green) were used in thetournament. Bowling with orangeand green balls was all-together a
new experience. Pitches were favor-able to fast bowling so for a spinner
like me it was very challenging tobowl out there. Moreover tourney
had four teams which required a lotof hard work to adjust according to
the conditions.
WHICH FORMAT OF CRICKET SUITS YOU THEMOST?
FFiirrsstt ooff aallll II wwaanntt ttoo ggeett rriidd ooff tthhiiss TTeesstt bboowwlleerr ttaagg.. II kknnooww ttoo ppllaayy TTeessttccrriicckkeett iiss lliikkee aa ddrreeaamm ccoommee ttrruuee ffoorr aannyy ppllaayyeerr aass iitt cchheecckkss oonneess ttaalleennttaallll tthhee wwaayy.. TTeesstt ccrriicckkeett ggiivveess cchhaannccee ooff aa ccoommeebbaacckk aafftteerr oonnee bbaadd ssppeellll
bbuutt iinn oonnee--ddaayy aanndd TT2200 ccrriicckkeett aa ssiinnggllee bbaadd oovveerr ccaann rruuiinn yyoouurr wwhhoolleeeeffffoorrtt.. NNeevveerrtthheelleessss II aallssoo lloovvee OODDII aanndd TT2200 aanndd ccoonnssiiddeerr mmyysseellff ffiitt ffoorr
aallll tthhee tthhrreeee ccoolloorrss ooff tthhee ggaammee..
HOW FAR ARE YOU SATIS-FIED WITH YOUR PERFORM-ANCE?I am not fully satisfied; my aim was to
be the highest wicket-taker of the
tournament but could only reach up
to 16 wickets (second highest) which
was less than Sudeep Tyagi (highest
wicket taker). Though we won the
tournament but still I am not happy at
personal end.
AMIT MISHRA INTERVIEW.qxd 8/26/2009 5:22 PM Page 2
Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 47
HAVE YOU MADE ANY SPECIAL PLANS TOGET BACK INTO THE ODI SQUAD?
TThhee wwaayy II hhaavvee ppeerrffoorrmmeedd iinn tthhee rreecceenntt ppaasstt ggiivveess mmee ccoonnffiiddeennccee ooffssuurreellyy mmaakkiinngg aa ccoommeebbaacckk.. AAss ffaarr aass ppllaann iiss ccoonncceerrnn,, II aamm ttrryyiinngg ttoo aaddddmmoorree vvaarriiaattiioonnss ttoo mmyy bboowwlliinngg aarrsseennaall.. GGiivviinngg ssppeecciiaall aatttteennttiioonn ttoo tthhee
bbaattttiinngg ddeeppaarrttmmeenntt iiss aallssoo oonn mmyy aaggeennddaa ssoo tthhaatt II ccaann bbee aann aallll--rroouunndd--eerr.. SSeelleeccttoorrss hhaavvee ggiivveenn tthhuummbbss uupp ttoo mmyy eeffffoorrttss bbyy ppuuttttiinngg mmyy
nnaammee iinn tthhee pprroobbaabblleess ooff tthhee CChhaammppiioonnss TTrroopphhyy..
WHAT IS YOUROPINION ONWADA ISSUE?
Doping test is not theissue with any of the
players. Actuallyproblem comes withthe hard line of the
clause. Players are onthe playing streak for
10-11 months in ayear, rest of the time
they want to spendwith the families and
close ones. WADAclause will act like an
intruder in ones secu-rity and privacy.
Leaving one or twocricketers, no one has
the proper securityto counter problemswhich could come up
if WADA clause issigned.
IPL SEASON FOUR WOULD BEHAVING 94 CONTESTS, YOUR
SAY ON THIS?It is good for the youngsters to get a
chance of involving themselves in moreencounters of cricket. Even if some
team loses two or three matches theywould still have the chance for a come-
back and same goes for the players.
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF TEAM INDIA IN THE UPCOM-ING CHAMPIONS TROPHY?I have full faith in my team and take my words we are going to win mini World
Cup this time. Our team has got best batsmen and bowlers in the world. If we
keep apart the dismissal performance of T20 World Cup, team India’s out going
so far has been more than satisfactory.
YOUR TEAM DELHI DAREDEVILS SEEMS TO BEFALTERING AT THE CRUCIAL LEVELS. WHATARE THE REASONS?This time round (second phase) we performed really well, unfortunately Gilly
took the match away from us with his blistering knock in the semis. Daredevils
had the best bowling attack but we can’t take credit away from Gilchrist for his
superb effort.
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48 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia
CORPORATE LEAGUE IS AN OVER DOSE OF CRICKET.WHICH WAY YOUR PENDULUM SWINGS?I don’t think corporate league is an over dose. If we look at the brighter
prospect, it could help us to find more talent out in the country. Team India
beneficiary could go to the highest level with the corporate league.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM DANIEL VETTORI?Daniel is a very good bowler and has taught me how to read wickets. He
also praised me for the daring attitude of bowling. Daniel thinks bowlers
should always go for wickets rather getting defensive at times.
WHO IS THE BEST SPINNER IN THE WORLD?My list has the names of Anil Kumble and Shane Warne. They both are my
inspiration. Even we can’t ignore Muralitharan and Vettori for the fact that
they are still ruling the spin department.
YOU HAVE BEEN SEEN AS THE ONE TAKING UP THESLOT OF ANIL KUMBLE. DOSE THIS ADD UP TO MORERESPONSIBILITY?Yes, now I have to work much harder. Best would be expected from me
when ever I go out on the field. To see myself in jumbo’s shoes is a proud
feeling. Though, I have not achieved much in my life but still I am putting in
my best efforts to be a champ like Kumble. Every cricket onlooker would
want me to perform like kumble.
DOES INDIAN TEAM REQUIRE A FITNESS TRAINER?Definitely, playing at highest level requires fitness of top level. Fitness train-
er could be of great help as he/she will guide us to set up our body accord-
ing to the needs of batting, bowling and fielding department.
INDIAN TEAM HAS GOT THE SERVICES OFFAST BOWLING COACH. DOES THE TEAMALSO REQUIRES A SPIN BOWLING COACH?RReeqquuiirreemmeenntt iiss tthheerree bbuutt eexxppeerriieennccee ccaammppaaiiggnneerrss lliikkee KKuummbbllee aanndd HHiirrwwaannii aarree
aallwwaayyss tthheerree ttoo aassssiisstt tthhee ssppiinnnneerrss.. BBeessiiddee tthheemm SSaacchhiinn aanndd BBhhaajjjjii ttoooo hhaavvee
uusseeffuull ttiippss aabboouutt ssppiinn bboowwlliinngg.. TThhoouugghh VVeennkkaatteesshh PPrraassaadd iiss tthhee ffaasstt bboowwlliinngg
ccooaacchh,, ssttiillll hhee hhaass mmuucchh ttoo ooffffeerr ffoorr tthhee ssppiinnnneerrss.. LLaasstt bbuutt nnoott tthhee lleeaasstt wwee
hhaavvee NNaattiioonnaall CCrriicckkeett AAccaaddeemmyy wwhheerree wwee ccaann cclleeaarr aallll oouurr ddoouubbttss wwhheenn
rreeqquuiirreedd..
WHO PLAYPRANKSMOST OFTHE TIME INTEAMINDIA?Bhajji is the one who never
misses out on any opportu-
nity when it comes to play-
ing pranks. Viru is also a fun
loving guy. Nevertheless
everyone in the team loves
fun and are blessed with
good nature.
WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITEDESTINATION IN TERMS OFPLAYING CRICKET?India is the best country to playcricket in. Type of reception weget and the facilities whichcomes in for us are mouthwatering. Same can’t be saidabout other countries as therewe have to run for small-smallthings also.
HOW WILL YOU DEFINE MSDHONI?Dhoni has unique style of inspir-ing someone. He knows how toget best out of a player. Knownfor his patience and cool head,Mahi always have tips for theyounger lot of the team. He hasbeen like a guide to me but themost important element of hispersona is the trust which hehas on his brigade. It brings outbest from every one on thebattle field.
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editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 49Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
PRAGYAN OHJA IS YOURCOMPETITOR. HOWHEALTHY IS THIS COMPETI-TION?Competition makes me strong and by
each passing day I keep on improving
my game. Getting tough fight from
some one always keeps you on the
toes and concentration level on the
game increases. To be honest contest
constantly brings out finest perform-
ance from you.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN ASOUP BECAUSE OF AFEMALE FAN FOLLOWING?No, I have not been through such
experience but now the fan base is
climbing up which has lots of female
fans.
WHICH INDIAN PLAYER ISTHE MOST FAMOUS ONE ONTHE FEMALE FANS RADAR?Yuvraj and Zaheer are the toppers of
female fans list. Sachin’s popularity is
known to every one.
IF YOU EVER GET ACHANCE TO ACT IN ABOLLYWOOD FLICK,WHICH TYPE (ROMANTIC,ACTION, AND HORROR)OF ROLE WOULD YOULIKE TO FIT YOUR SELF IN?I have never thought on this but
given a chance I would go for any
kind of role.
AFTER HARD STRUGGLEAND TOUGH COMPETI-TION YOU MADE ACOMEBACK TO THEINDIAN TEAM. WHO WASTHE ONE TO HELP YOU INTHIS DIFFICULT PHASE?All the credit goes to former BCCI
president Ranbir Singh Mahendra
and my family. They are the one
who stood by me in difficult times.
After two years of sheer hard
work, when I started getting back
into rhythm an injury came as a
shocker which kept me out of
action for six to seven months.
Moreover I was always anticipated
to perform well from others to
prove my credential in the domes-
tic competition.
IN YOUR STRUGGLINGDAYS, HAVE YOU EVERTHOUGHT OF GIVINGUP?Yes, I thought of giving up at times.
My good performance was not
considered which made me sad.
Though, Ranbir Singh Mahendra,
Gauti and family always motivated
me to get back into the side.
WHICH PLAYER SUITS ALLTHE THREE FORMAT S OFTHE GAME?Sachin and Gambhir have the ability
to rule all the formats of cricket.
Sacin has nothing left to prove
while Gauti is making his mark in all
the forms of cricket.
TELL US THE SECRET OFVIRU AND GAUTI’STREMENDOUS SUCCESSAS AN OPENING PAIR?AAccccoorrddiinngg ttoo mmee bbootthh ooff tthheemm ppllaayy
tteennssiioonn ffrreeee ccrriicckkeett aanndd kkeeeeppss oonn
mmoottiivvaattiinngg eeaacchh ootthheerr.. TThheeyy hhaavvee
ppeerrffeecctt eeyyee ttoo eeyyee ccoooorrddiinnaattiioonn
wwhheenn iitt ccoommeess ttoo rruunnnniinngg bbeettwweeeenn
tthhee wwiicckkeettss.. CCoommbbiinnaattiioonn ooff bbootthh
ccaann ddiissmmaannttllee aannyy ppaaccee aattttaacckk..
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50 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewCONTROVERSY
t took eleven Indian cricketers to
bring to light what was dealt
with as a matter of formality by
tens of thousands of sportsper-
sons around the world. While
there is no doubt that there has to be a
more stringent measure to curb the
use of illicit drugs in sport, and cricket
can be no exception, the BCCI is now in
a headlong battle with WADA over what
it deems are impracticable conditions
on its cricketers.
FICA JUMPS, ICC SET-BACKThe conundrum turned into a fiasco
when the eleven Indian cricketers (nine
male and two female cricketers) failed
to turn in their signed agreements by
the ICC set deadline of August 31st.
The ICC had suffered a setback en
route to ensuring a drug free cricket
policy. It led to a strong petition from
the FICA (Federation of International
Cricketers Association) to appeal to the
ICC to take action against the Indian
cricketers, who are also incidentally not
members of FICA.
Faced with an awkward situation that
the ICC could not evade, they put the
onus back on the BCCI to ensure that
the papers were turned in. An emer-
gency Sunday meeting later with the
likes of the Indian captain, Mahendra
Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan
Singh, the BCCI sent a message to the
ICC that it was firmly backing its players
against the WADA code and that it was
up to the ICC to seek resolution without
compromising on the concerns of the
Indian cricketers.
WHY WADA?The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA)
is universally accepted by over 20,000
athletes over sixty international sports
federations. It has the world’s top ath-
letes on its roll and while tennis champi-
ons such as Rafael Nadal and Serena
Williams have expressed anguish at the
whereabouts clause, Roger Federer per-
haps has put it succinctly that it was a
small inconvenience to pay to ensure
the sport was rid of doping.
Even India’s leading badminton champi-
on, Saina Nehwal, sees only the positive
side of complying with WADA and has
even furthered the cause by stating
that it would not be too hard to state
the whereabouts because players would
have some form of training or workout
even during off season, a matter that
India’s Olympic gold medallist at the
2008 Beijing Games, Abhinav Bindra,
totally agrees with.
Blood doping as also the use of anabolic
steroids, diuretics, narcotics have
played a huge role in other athletic
events. While cricketers are generally
believed have a significantly lesser need
to depend on performance enhancing
drugs, that they are experimenting with
it cannot be denied. Furthermore mask-
ing agents do a good job in covering up
for doping players as hormones pro-
duced within the body in excess then
tend to skew the results.
Tour de France champion, Floyd Landis,
was stripped of his medal in 2004 after
his drug test showed an unusual
amount of testosterone in his body
implicating him in the use of synthetic
drugs. USA’s top athlete Marion Jones
though escaped getting caught and it
was only upon her own decision to con-
fess that the dreadful deed came to
light and she was subsequently taken to
tasks amidst tears that garnered no
sympathy. Shane Warne was found by
WADA- ICC-BCCI: Tiedin Gridlockby Sreelata S. Yellamrazu
i
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Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 59
an independent drug testing within
Australia of having used diuretics
before the 2003 World Cup in a coun-
try where drug awareness is at a peak
and is generally intolerant of drug
usage in any sport. Nandrolone was
found in the bloodstream of Shoaib
Akhtar and Mohammad Asif before the
ICC Champions Trophy in 2006 again by
the Pakistan Cricket Board. As impossi-
ble as it sounds, there could be more
deceitful attempts to cheat in sport
than those that have come to light only
to be dismissed by way of feigning
ignorance.
RELEVANCE OF DRUGTESTING South Africa’s Dale Steyn’s sample
turned positive apparently during the
IPL 2 season for morphine, an effect of
painkillers containing codeine turning
into morphine at slightly higher than
the acceptable levels. However, since
the officials were briefed of Steyn’s
condition and subsequent drugs at the
time of testing, he was exonerated of
all charges. The same though cannot be
said of Mohammad Asif and Shoaib
Akhtar whose blood work found traces
of banned substances.
The WADA has signed on sportspersons
around the world and they have accept-
ed, even in disagreement, the encum-
brance posed by the necessity of the
whereabouts clause. WADA realizes that
there is high pressure on sportspersons
to deliver with overemphasis on per-
formance with big money at stake and
six figure endorsements to ensure a life
of no work and all play. For some it is
about keeping their place on the team,
for others, families to upkeep, egos and
ambitions to be nursed. In some cases,
illicit drug testing has also inadvertently
boosted the bottom line of certain
pharmaceutical companies has come to
light since doping became a major con-
cern in the U.S. which has revealed cer-
tain past winners such as Ben Johnson
and Carl Lewis to have cheated.
On a more dangerous level, drug testing
has had the ulterior motive on the bor-
der lines of creating rifts on the politi-
cal roadmap. When Carola Nitschke
returned her swimming medal in 1988,
the first athlete to do so, she essential-
ly brought to light the sinister motive
where in several of the East German
athletes were given drug supplements,
without their explicit knowledge, to put
down their West German counterparts
with a clear political angle to the
motive.
With cricket being far from an amateur
sport and certainly earning professional
sport endorsements and with the ICC
now aiming a greater role for cricket in
world sports meets, it is only natural
that the sport must then fall in line
with the accepted norm which includes
WADA as the premier anti doping
agency that is respected by both,
sportspersons and sports bodies.
CAUSE FOR CONSTER-NATION - WHERE-ABOUTSAccording to the WADA President, John
Fahey, there is a greater need at pres-
ent to introduce the surprise element
of off season testing to deter the pos-
sibility of doping in sport. But the Indian
cricketers have a major concern over
the whereabouts clause that states
that they must state for an hour each
day about where they will be for the
projected period of three months. Not
only are the Indian cricketers extremely
weary of stating their location for fear
of compromising on their security fol-
lowing terror threats to some of the
top cricketers in the country, they are
also extremely protective of their priva-
cy, although that is sometimes compro-
mised upon for the odd intrusion of
endorsements.
NEGLIGENCE TO BLAMEFOR THIS STALEMATE? The BCCI may be pleading ignorance
over issues and seeking the legal opin-
ion of the likes of Goolam Vahanvati,
India’s Attorney General, and A.S.
Anand, the former Chief Justice, and on
prime facie evidence, they are likely to
support BCCI’s stand on quoting Article
21 of the Constitution that grants liber-
ty to all citizens of the country.
But there is apparently a rather tricky
situation that the BCCI finds itself in.
The BCCI committed a glaring error and
Indian cricketershave a majorconcern over thewhereaboutsclause thatstates that theymust state for anhour each dayabout wherethey will be forthe projectedperiod of threemonths.
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60 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia
thereby, missed a golden
opportunity to state their
point at a valid time. The
NADA (National Anti Doping
Agency), an independent
agency instituted by the Indian
sports ministry, issued notifica-
tion to the effect that unless
there was opposition from the vari-
ous sports bodies regarding compliance
with the WADA norms, their silence
would be assumed as in agreement of
the rules. BCCI remained silent and has
now woken up rather late to the press-
ing issue. Additionally, the Copenhagen
declaration of 2003 against doping of
which the government of India is a
party to makes it hard for the BCCI to
weasel out of the drug testing per se
or fight a universally accepted system
on the protest of eleven cricketers.
The BCCI has also stated the example of
FIFA over non compliance with the
whereabouts clause. But contrary to
that opinion, FIFA has managed a sys-
tem wherein the International
Registered Testing Pool (IRTP) consists
of a fluctuating number and names of
players depending on their injuries and
past history with drug related issues,
while maintaining their own anti-doping
norms for all players under the FIFA
banner. The BCCI could certainly sug-
gest to the ICC a similar course of
action where only repeat offenders and
those cricketers undergoing treatment
for injuries need to come into WADA’s
bracket.
STAND OFFIMPLICATIONSThe ICC has a reason why it cannot be
the reed that usually weathers the
storm that originates from the BCCI.
The ICC now has a bigger agenda. Apart
from the fact that the ICC has also
signed on to be a part of WADA in 2006
and officially accepted the WADA dic-
tum in January this year, there is an
agenda behind this.
The ICC has aspired to be a part of a
larger global sports event, namely, the
Olympics. Recently the popularity of the
Twenty20 game also had some crick-
eters getting behind the idea of having
cricket represented at such worldwide
sports meets in its latest version.
However, for the ICC to involve cricket
WADA has theworld’s top athleteson its roll and whiletennis championssuch as RafaelNadal and SerenaWilliams haveexpressed anguishat the whereaboutsclause, RogerFederer perhaps hasput it succinctly thatit was a small incon-venience to pay toensure the sportwas rid of doping.
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editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 61Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
in any Olympic or sports event, it must
first have all its member nations and
cricketers adhere to universally accept-
ed, common norm and customs that
contribute to a drug free sports world.
Without the Indian cricketers jumping
on the bandwagon, the ICC cannot
carry out its plans forward.
The ICC has already received a slot in
the 2010 Asiad games in China with
Twenty20 and some would be inclined
to believe that India could be deliberate-
ly or otherwise creating a spoke in the
wheel. Nevertheless it will be hard for
them to prevent this, even as a wild
conspiracy theory, or the WADA from
coming into the picture as the ICC is
determined to help the Indian cricketers
and indeed the BCCI to see the right of
way. The ICC has instead appointed a
five man committee, consisting of
Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive,
N. Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, ICC
Principal Advsor, IS Bindra, Anil Kumble,
member of WADA’s athletic committee,
and Tim Kerr, chairman of ICC anti-dop-
ing panel, to formulate a plan to con-
vince the Indian cricketers to accept the
WADA code when they meet in
September.
WHY INDIAN CRICK-ETERS CAN PROTESTThe BCCI has just granted the All India
Football Federation (AIFF) a grant of
Rs25 crore over two years for the
preparations for the Asian Games. Such
is the BCCI’s clout that it is not obligat-
ed to tow the Sports Ministry to pro-
cure its funds. Not mandatory to com-
ply with the norms of the Indian
Olympic Association (IOC) either, the
BCCI has been an autonomous institu-
tion unto itself and it has passed on, in
essence, the same sufficient arrogance,
to its cricketers. To now conform with
other sportspersons is then the seem-
ingly unacceptable scenario.
While it is difficult for individual athletes
to protest universal laws, it is unthink-
able when the sports discipline is
dependent on government funding.
Cricket in India, however, has always
functioned as an independent entity
unto itself which is why while the South
African and Australian cricketers have
complied with their national obligations
to drug testing without being able to
voice their protest against the WADA
clause, eleven cricketers are hoping to
turn the dictation around.
THE IMMEDIATE SOLU-TIONOne look at the ADAMS (The Anti
Doping Administration and Management
System ) website, and it will be clear as
to how easy it is to fill the calendar dur-
ing the off season. Players can simply
log on to the website from wherever
they are located, state one hour of
every day that they are available and
draft it on the calendar page which will
then be put in a bank safe like vaults
within the database. Sportspersons who
have complied with it talk about the
facile procedure as also of changing
time and place where need be. For
cricketers, it should only become easier
since they are always complaining of a
hectic international calendar which
means more of their days are already
chalked out for them without them
having to state explicitly.
The whereabouts clause is considered
as a necessary evil amongst sportsper-
sons throughout the world because of
the benefit of having fair play on the
field. It will be hard for eleven cricketers
to beat the system and they risk the
ICC’s larger plans for globalization and
expansion of cricket in doing so. A more
pragmatic course would be to fall in line
but with an explicit grievance ear-
marked for the WADA review which
comes up in 2010. �
At the emergencymeeting withDhoni, Yuvraj andHarbhajan theBCCI sent a mes-sage to the ICCthat it was firmlybacking its playersagainst the WADAcode and that itwas up to the ICCto seek resolutionwithout compro-mising on the con-cerns of the Indiancricketers.
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62 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match book reviews content news interviewONE -TO-ONE
FOREMOST STEPIS TO SET UP A
SALARY STRUCTUREFOR THE CURATORS
DALJIT SINGH
DDaalljjiitt SSiinngghh iiss tthhee mmaann bbeehhiinndd tthhee wweeaarr aanndd tteeaarr ooff mmoossttIInnddiiaann ppiittcchheess.. HHee hhaass bbeeeenn tthhee aarrcchhiitteecctt ooff mmaannyyffaammoouuss IInnddiiaann wwiinnss.. PPrreesseennttllyy wwoorrkkiinngg aass aa CChhaaiirrmmaann ooffppiittcchh ccoommmmiitttteeee,, hhee iiss kkeeeeppiinngg aallll hhiiss ffooccuuss oonn tthhee nneewwllaaiidd ppiittcchh aatt DDDDCCAA.. DDaalljjiitt ssppeeaakkss oouutt oonn tthhee vvaasstt eexxppeerrii--eennccee hhee hhaass aaccccuummuullaatteedd oovveerr tthhee yyeeaarrss aabboouutt tthhee aarrtt ooffpprreeppaarriinngg ppiittcchh aanndd ccrriicckkeett oonn tthhee wwhhoollee..
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Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 63
Any specific reason behindthe new laid pitch at DDCA?Actually when IPL was shifted to South
Africa for the second season, DDCA
quickly decided to rope in a new pitch
at the stadium for which they definitely
deserve applauses. DDCA motto was to
give its junior cricketers a chance to
play on a pitch which has equal bounce
and pace. Even we are trying our level
best to give DDCA what they expect
from us so that they can nourish
upcoming talent in the near future.
Has new techniques taken itscourse in pitch making or stillit is the same old story?Presently BBCI is making all its associa-
tion aware of new techniques involved
in pitch making. Even we are keeping all
these measures in effect while laying
new pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla. Now a
day’s pitch making doesn’t rely on old
methods.
Is this attempt has somethingto do with the BCCI idea ofmaking bouncy pitches inIndia? Yes BCCI wants domestic cricket to be
played on good pitches. BCCI main spot-
light is on Under-16 and Under-22 play-
ers. Moreover bouncy pitches is the
requirement of today’s cricket world
that’s why our cricket board is giving all
required importance on this area. It has
change cricket all the way in our coun-
try, now we have strong pace attack
which has been the main factor in our
wins overseas.
Does Test, ODI and T20 cricketinvolve different techniqueswhile preparing wicket?Preparing wicket for Test cricket is a
tough nut to crack. Even after sheer
hard work it is very difficult to say that
how pitch is going to behave in the
course of the match. It would be cor-
rect to say that making a good Test
pitch is an art. ODI and T20 cricket
demands batsman friendly wickets
which are good for stroke play.
Especially in T20 cricket pitch is pre-
pared keeping 40 overs in mind.
Attempt is to give both the teams equal
chance of grueling contest.
You have been associatedwith Mohali cricket ground for15 years now. How has beenthe experience on this longjourney?To keep everyone happy is virtually
impossible but I always try to give my
best. Though, on many occasions I have
faced the heat from the local teams for
not preparing the wicket of their kind.
Beside this Mohali wicket has got praises
on the international circuit which gives
me a lot of pleasure.
What made you to take this(curator) profession as acareer option?I have given nineteen long years to
cricket as a player. I played for Services,
Delhi, Railways and Bihar in my cricket-
ing days. But while working for Tata
group in Jharia (Jharkhand) we prepared
a wicket to play cricket on that. At that
time I learnt a lot about pitch and
decided to work on preparing wickets
from there onwards.
You have been part of manyfamous matches. Among thenever ending list of matcheswhich one is your most mem-orable contest?
WhenIPL was shifted
to South Africa for thesecond season, DDCA
quickly decided to rope ina new pitch at the stadium.DDCA motto was to give itsjunior cricketers a chanceto play on a pitch which
has equal bounceand pace.
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64 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia
Deciding on one match would be a
tough task for me but I was very
pleased with the way in which second
Test match (Mohali) in Border-Gavaskar
ended on the fifth day. India was even-
tually winner by more than 300 runs
which was a sign of relief for me.
Moreover, Man of the Match
award was bagged up by Amit
Mishra. Seeing a spinner per-
forming so well in front of
the fast bowlers like Brett
Lee, Mitchell Johnson,
Zaheer Khan and Ishant
Sharma was remark-
able.
One more match is
very close to my
heart. It was Duleep
trophy contest
between North Zone
and West Zone in which
six to seven centuries
were scored and forty odd
wickets fell in the whole
match with result coming out on
the last day of the encounter.
Is there any committee infunction to take care of thepitches?Yes, cricket board has formed a com-
mittee in domestic cricket for pitch
evaluation which will take care of all the
wickets in our country. Good pitches will
get good marks with applauds from
BCCI while the bad wickets could lead to
some strict actions against their associ-
ations.
What should BCCI dofor the curators?
First and foremost step is to set
up a salary structure for the curators
so that their standards could be revolu-
tionized. Cricket board is paying to
umpires and coaches then why
not to curators? The way
board is taking up semi-
nars and certificate
courses for the
coaching and umpir-
ing, same way has to
be followed for the
curators. There is
professionalism in
every aspect of the
game, then why one
of the most important
integrant (Curator) of
cricket is been ignored. During
the flow of matches each comment on
the ball has to do something with the
curator, where chances of getting con-
demn is more than of receiving a clap
for the hard work. So board has to start
certification courses in this stream also
which in turn will see more qualified
people coming in for a curator job.
Apart from modern equipments there
is no major change which has taken
place to perk up curator in recent time
which is totally wrong. When we can
pay lakhs of bucks to cricketers, it is our
board’s responsibility to think seriously
for all those who are involved in prepar-
ing pitches.
How far taking up a curatorjob as profession is a goodcareer option?There is a lot of difference between
the reality and dreams. If former crick-
eters or pass out graduates from agro-
culture courses comes in for curators
job, it would be very beneficial.
Students from agro-culture courses
have the in depth knowledge about soil
and grass, so qualified people would
find it easy to get into pitch making. In
coming time demand of the curators
would boost up in foreign countries
which could stand up as a golden
chance for the youngsters.
How difficult is curators job
Cricket board has formed a
committee in domesticcricket for pitch evaluation.Good pitches will get goodmarks with applauds fromBCCI while the bad wickets
could lead to some strictactions against their
associations.
FACTORS INVOLVEDIN PITCH PREPARA-TION AT DDCA:� Area of the pitch is 90x90
square feet. Nine wickets have
been prepared. In the process of
preparing wickets Daljit dug 14
inches into the surface to find a
thick foundation of bricks over
which he has created a new base.
Above that a four inch layer of fil-
ter sand has been put in place to
absorb water. Then another layer
of fertile soil was laid in for the
grass to grow into the surface. Five
inch layer of black soil was also
included in the process which has
been brought especially from
Rajasthan. One inch has been used
for the fitting of Bermuda
(American) grass.
� For the proper and smooth
drainage of water PVC pipes have
been used on the four corners of
the pitch. In case of heavy rainfall
also there will not be any standing
water on the pitch
� Apart from main pitch, four
practice and three synthetic pitch-
es have been prepared so that
there is no complaint from any of
the team playing at DDCA.
� At Feroz Shah Kotla old grass is
being replaced by Bermuda
(American) grass to give much
comfort to the players.
Daljit Singh with Assistant Curator Vijay Bahadur.
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editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 65Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
and which all qualities shouldhe posses?There is no glamour in this profession.
As far as rights are concern, it is limited
to preparing wicket, we don’t enjoy
that much rights which are given to the
officials of various cricket associations.
If you do some extraordinary work,
there will not be any reward but any
wrong doing at your part would lead to
abusive behavior.
For a curator, patience and stamina is
must. If you are emotional, it is a very
negative thing to be in. Challenges
keeps tumbling in your way every now
and then.
According to you which crick-et ground stands as favoriteand worst in your list?If I go effort wise, Dharamshala is the
best up coming stadium in the country
but I am really disappointed with the
Chinnaswamy stadium of Bangalore
with its handling of cricket getting filthy
day by day.
What do you have to say onIndian Premier League?If IPL is handled properly it could be a
boom for the cricketing world but if it
goes in the wrong direction then young
cricketers could become lazy seeing the
amount of money cash rich league gen-
erates.
What’s your say on mountingrise of glamour and money incricket?
We can’t run away from the amount of
money cricket is having these days as it
is a necessary commodity for every
cricketer to live a good livelihood. Entry
of glamour world is good for cricket but
cricketers first and last love should be
cricket only.
What steps should be taken tokeep Test cricket alive?First of all every Test match should be
result oriented. Number of overs must
be looked upon. Giving special attention
to pitches could be of great help.
Moreover organizing day and night Test
matches is another way to keep the
interest for this longer version of crick-
et intact among the masses. World
championship of Test cricket should be
organized as every country would like
to be the Test champion of the world.
You have been appointed asthe chairman of pitch commit-tee by BCCI, How much it sat-isfies you? I am very happy and satisfied also. I
don’t have greediness for the post but I
am always there to help. Let me tell you
one most important thing, I am working
for the board without taking any salary
from them.
Have you been allotted somespecial work for the upcomingWorld Cup in 2011?For the big tournaments like World Cup
ICC has its own pitch committee to look
after all the wickets but if any work is
assigned to me I will definitely go for it.
Any hardship with BCCI? Cricket is a passion in our country but
we have limitations also. It is the moral
duty of the board to expand its wings
so that our bench strength can shape
up to a stronger outfit. If we start look-
ing for the talent in the remote areas
of the country it could do a lot of good
in the future and no body in the entire
cricket fraternity would find it easy to
compete against us on the cricketing
field. India has bunch of talents which
just require nourishment to shine on
the horizon of cricket.
Who are your favorite crick-eters in three formats of crick-et? Sunil Gavaskar (Test), Sachin Tendulkar
(ODI), Yusuf Pathan (T20) and Garry
Sobers (All-Rounder). �
DALJIT’S FAVOURITE:
BOLLYWOOD FILM- GUIDE AND DEVDAS (DILIP KUMAR)ACTOR (MALE) – DILIP KUMARACTOR (FEMALE) – MADHUBALA SONG- ALL THE SONGS OF HEMANT KUMARBESIDE CRICKET WHICH OTHER SPORTS YOU LIKE TOPLAY – GOLF AND FOOTBALLBESIDE CRICKET WHICH OTHER SPORTS YOU LIKE TOWATCH- FOOTBALL AND TENNISCRICKET GROUND- EDEN GARDEN AND CCI (MUMABI)DRESS CODE- CASUAL WEARSFOOD- PLAIN AND SIMPLE FOOD WITHOUT ANY SPICYSTUFF.HANGOUT PLACE- SEA SIDE
DALJEET SINGH INTERVIEW.qxd 8/26/2009 5:35 PM Page 5
66 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewSPARKLING STARS
hen a side ends up van-
quished with a consum-
mate ease in both the
original formats of the
game, it is hard to pick up
the positives from the series. Pakistan’s
story in Sri Lanka was in total contrast
to their World T20 campaign, as they
crashed from one defeat to another,
and were left sprawling on the floor,
bruised, battered and waiting to be
counted on the grounds of a technical
knock-out. Yet, there were a few
encouraging signs, unfortunately, which
the captain Younus Khan failed to pick
up early enough to have any kind of an
impact on the score-line.
It is an old Pakistani cricketing trait to,
as they call it, to catch them young.
Rarely would a Michael Hussey-like
example rear up its head, and then a
few of these adolescent-looking inter-
national stars would go on to assume
the mantle of seniors in the side to
continue the cycle. Three of the four
cricketers that I profile today fall in the
former category. The fourth, Saeed
Ajmal, is case in a contrasting point,
with a debut at ripe old age of thirty
and a look of a bowler who has had the
experience of greasing those fingers
with the leather in the first class cricket
for days without end.
These were the four who managed to
salvage some pride for the visitors on
the tour, who fought without the inhibi-
tions that usually engulf those who
understand how a collective set of fail-
ures could impact their futures and
their careers; which in more ways than
one assisted them in playing with a
mindset very fresh.
FAWAD ALAM:For a reason not known to a lot, includ-
ing yours truly, the Pakistani squad for
the test series in Sri Lanka, consisted of
only two frontline openers, one of
whom had exhibited enough signs in the
ICC World T20 – that had immediately
preceded the test matches – of not
only being out of form, but rather low
on confidence. The skipper, on his part,
had been criticised in the media – and
not too wrongly at that – for having
not picked Fawad Alam for the first
test, after he had displayed his attitude,
and form, in the tour game immediately
preceding the fixture.
So when Alam was hand-picked for the
second game, it hadn’t come as a sur-
prise, but what definitely had been the
fact that he was made to open the
innings. Alam is a middle-order batting
w
Can the futureof Pakistan benurtured inthe rightdirection?by Suneer Chowdhary
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all-rounder, and his usual number in the
order would have been a five or a six.
When one alludes to the top spot in the
longer format of the game, it does
necessitate a player to possess some
basic skills which are usually built by bat-
ting at that position over the times, and
Alam certainly hadn’t done that.
Yet, his knock in the second essay was
one that defied this common afore-
mentioned belief, one that had all the
characteristics of a player who looked
to have been around since the times of
W.G. Grace, and possessed all the neces-
sary ingredients to prove that he was a
batsman to watch out for in the future.
For all one knows, Alam may not be as
successful in the opening slot as his 168
on debut – the second-highest score by
a Pakistani on debut – showed him to
be, but the one glaring aspect of his
character that came out from that
knock was his ability to adapt to the
conditions in a position and a venue
that was as unfamiliar to him as batting
was to Courtney Walsh!
Alam’s bowling in the shorter version of
the game is a clear asset, especially in
this day and age of the spinners return-
ing back to capturing the eyeballs and
becoming the cynosure of everyone’s
eyes again. To me, Alam gives an
impression of being one of those, who
could easily turn into a Shahid Afridi of
the future. Careful handling is a must
though!
MOHAMMAD AAMER:When you are a left-handed quick
bowler, and rather young and raw, and
playing for the Pakistani team, compar-
isons with the great Wasim Akram are
as commonplace as the dime-a-dozen
quick bowlers that have come out from
their stable. But, unlike some of the
others that have been produced by
Pakistan, Aamer is not all about pace
only. The speed gun may have touched
the 145km/hr mark on the odd occa-
sion or two, but that, to the onlookers
hasn’t been as surprising as the fact
that his control has been almost impec-
cable.
The lines and the lengths have been to
a plan; every batsman has been worked
over as well as Aamer has been able to
The true test ofAamer came in theODI series againstSri Lanka. He cameout at the top of thewicket-taking chartswith nine wickets atan average of 20was good enough,what added thecherry to the cakewas his economy of4.23 – the best byany bowler in theseries!
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68 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia
and the lack of first class experience –
remember, he is only 17 and had not
played more than ten games before
making his debut – has been more than
made up by his willingness to learn.
Aamer had been reasonably impressive
in the World T20, and one of the rea-
sons for Pakistan success was that
some of the opposition batsmen had
underestimated, and almost overlooked
the man from Rawalpindi during their
preparations. The true test of Aamer
came in the ODI series against Sri Lanka,
that followed immediately after the
tournament and the bowler came out
at the top of the wicket-taking charts.
Nine wickets at an average of 20 was
good enough, what added the cherry
to the cake was his economy of 4.23 –
the best by any bowler in the series!
This is not to say that Aamer does not
have too much more learning to be
done, as was exhibited in the longer
format of the game. With not much
meat on his physique, it was only natu-
ral that surviving through the rigours
of test cricket would be baptism by fire
for a young man, and the performanc-
es were not up to the marks set by the
ones in the other formats. There is still
some way to go before Aamer can
probably do his bit in the five-day ver-
sion as well, but for now, Pakistan
Cricket needs to ensure that the histo-
ry, in the form of the his-namesake Asif
and Shoaib Akhtar does not repeat
itself.
SAEED AJMAL:Spinners, they say, do mature with age,
but a test debut at the age of almost
32 is stretching the limit a little. Saeed
Ajmal burst onto the Pakistani scenes
with a spell of 1/47 in his ten overs in
an ODI against India, where the rest of
the bowlers conceded runs aplenty, and
continued with his stingy and wicket-
taking foray into international cricket
with an economy of less than four runs
per over in the 15 ODIs he has featured
in since. T20 seem almost tailor-made
for Ajmal, as scoring off the off-spin-
ner has almost been an exercise in futili-
ty, and because of the nature of the
game, wickets have been rather easier
to come by.
Ajmal had ended the ICC World T20 as
not only as one of the top wicket-tak-
ers, but again, with an economy that
had the bowlers around the world
drooling. This after, only days before
the start of the tournament, the
Pakistani selectors had mulled over
dropping the off-spinner after he had
been reported for possessing an action
that contravened the ICC laws.
Ajmal may not be a long-term solution
to Pakistan’s spinning problems – Danish
Kaneria is almost the only one on hori-
T20 seemalmost tailor-made for Ajmal,as scoring offthe off-spinnerhas almost beenan exercise infutility, andbecause of thenature of thegame, wicketshave beenrather easier tocome by.
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editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 69Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
zon, and he has begun to leak more
than he bags – but for now, he does
look like he could herald the next gener-
ation of spinners into the side in a cou-
ple of years. He has provided the
Pakistani academies some breathing
space to unearth that next talent, a
Saqlain Mushtaq or Mushtaq Ahmed,
that looked so missing from their line-
up till Ajmal came in.
Or probably they have just unearthed it
in the form of Ajmal!
UMAR AKMAL:One needs to take a closer look if one
were to note differences in the two
brothers, Kamran and Umar Akmal.
Their cricket isn’t too different either.
While Kamran bats right-handed,
younger brother Umar is a southpaw,
but there is where the difference ends;
there is an almost inevitability about
how similar the batting styles of both
the brothers is, their swagger-like man-
nerisms at the crease and ability to take
advantage of the fielding restrictions.
Akmal was selected for the Sri Lankan
ODIs after having impressed the selec-
tors in the domestic games with a
more-than-acceptable average of
almost 45, and a crunching strike-rate
of more than 90 to his name. This
earned him a call-up to the ODI squad,
and a ravishing century in the tour
game when all seemed to be lost and an
embarrassing first ODI loss later, he was
strutting out to play his first interna-
tional in his career.
The second game saw him get to a half-
century – a 65-ball 66 – and in the very
next match, he went one step better
with a match-winning century off only
72 balls!
While it is easy to understand that far
too often has a young batsman cap-
tured the imagination of world cricket
and only flattered to deceive, most of
the times, it has been the inability of
the team-management, the cricket
board and even the media and the fans
to handle the young prodigies. To me,
Akmal definitely looks promising enough
to be termed as a prodigy, how the
people around him handle that is a fact
that could shape his future.
For now though, he has attributed his
ability to handle the pressure to the
presence of his brother Kamran, on his
side. And that may be the one differ-
ence – a sibling who has been there,
and done and endured that – that
would be of a huge assistance to the
young man. �
Umar Akmal defi-nitely looks promis-ing enough to betermed as a prodi-gy, how the peoplearound him handlethat is a fact thatcould shape hisfuture. For nowthough, he hasattributed his abili-ty to handle thepressure to thepresence of hisbrother Kamran, onhis side.
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70 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009news preview cover story interview trivia contestTHE ASHES
he prognosis ahead of the third
Test of the Ashes: only rain and
England could stand in the way
of the Australians retaining the
Ashes. The rain did its part but
England were another matter altogeth-
er. The series is now tantalizingly poised
at 1-1 going into the fifth and final Test
at the Brit Oval. But there were no
doubts about which team had had the
more ignominious stumble going into
the final encounter.
When the Ashes chapter last halted,
England were on an indisputable high
after winning the second Test at Lord’s.
It was a great finish after pulling off
the Houdini in the first Test at Sophia
Gardens, Cardiff. But fast forward four
Tests later, it would not be surprising if
one found it incredible that this was the
same England team. Edgbaston was
ruined with an entire day washed out
due to rain, but the only thing that was
available after the outcome of the
fourth Test was time.
GLORY BEFORE THEINGLORIOUS When the final wicket pair of James
Anderson and Monty Panesar batted
earnestly on the fifth day in Cardiff to
keep Australia from that dangerous one
nil lead, it appeared England’s confi-
dence had derived the necessary
momentum. Four Australian centuries
could not get Australia ahead. Then the
astonishing (even though it was expect-
ed) victory riding on the back of the
England openers and in particular, the
England captain, Andrew Strauss, gave
England the upper hand in the series
that appeared to have wound up the
Australians.
The aggression of Andrew Flintoff was
the driving force on the final day of the
second Test and in that were fashioned
memories of Ashes 2005 when England
beat the odds and history to steal the
urn from under the nose of the hap-
less, not to mention gaping, Australians.
Michael Clarke scored a fine century but
it could not come in the way of an
England victory that brought the crowd
alive, too much for Ricky Ponting’s
taste.
But it did not stop the rap for Kevin
Pietersen with Sir Geoffrey Boycott
labeling him a “spoilt child”. Be that as it
may, Pietersen was also battling an
acute Achilles heel problem that neces-
sitated surgery on a priority basis which
meant that Pietersen was in a hospital
by the end of the second Test and
would play no further part in the Ashes
which, at that point in time, appeared
England’s for the taking. It did not mat-
ter; Flintoff was sleeping with a
machine that alternatively compressed
his knee and he had taken enough corti-
sone to push him through.
NO SHADES OF GREY England were even in a generous mood
(some would say, they were looking out
for themselves). Brad Haddin, the
Australian wicket keeper, injured himself
just minutes after the toss in the
course of the warm up before the
match. With team sheets having already
by Sreelata S. Yellamrazu
t
England BuryThemselvesin Ashes,Airlift to theOval
Johnson led Australia’s celebrations in the fourth Test.
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been exchanged, Ricky Ponting found
an ally in Strauss who allowed Australia
to make an eleventh hour substitution.
(Ponting would return the favour in the
fourth by delaying the toss by a half
hour to help Matt Prior recover from
back spasms.)
Australia struggled once again to put
up a strong first innings total after
makeshift opener, Shane Watson (Phillip
Hughes was dropped), brightened up a
gloomy first day with authoritative bat-
ting. James Anderson, with five wickets,
and Graham Onions, with four, sliced
into the visitors. England then had the
inspiration of Andrew Flintoff for sev-
enty-four runs and England captain,
Andrew Strauss, in good nick for sixty-
nine runs before him as England took a
113 run lead, this despite the efforts of
Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle. But it
was an innings completed after an
entire third day’s play was washed out,
reducing the competitive possibility of
anything other than a draw.
In the near four sessions left there-
after, Australia put forth a strong
batting performance, to the extent
that England held back Flintoff with a
view to preserve his weakening
strengths. Shane Watson’s half century
was only complemented by a rare Mike
Hussey half century. But it was Marcus
North who was busy climbing the
impressive rungs that Test cricketers do
with ninety-six glorious runs even as
Michael Clarke was making a strong
statement of his ability to withstand
pressure and take on responsibility with
another century. Australia made a defi-
nite grinding even as England would
have gone into the fifth day
with an outside chance of
making it 2-0.
Highlight of the match:
Ponting surpassing
Allan Border’s
record for the
most number of Test runs (11,174).
PICKING BETWEEN GRIMAND DEJECTION Suddenly the boos were the sounds
Ponting was relishing. No longer were
the hostile receptions a nasty surprise.
Instead they were assurance for
Ponting and his men that they were
doing something right. They were get-
ting to the crowds, rather the crowds
had got to them, had revived their
gamesmanship, the challenge of being
the ugly champions, at all costs.
One would think it was by deliberate-
ness rather than by chance that the
aggression in the body language was
back, sledge words came as did the
snorters. Australia had changed gears
between the rain and the Test at
Edgbaston. England did not prepare for
impact. And they paid rather heavily, by
conceding the lead they had so inspira-
tionally earned at Lord’s. Even the talk
amongst the Australian apparently got
to the England think tank who decided
to leave Flintoff out of the match,
against the all rounder’s assertion that
he was no worse than from the first
Test There is a cliché in Test cricket
that the first session of a Test sets
the tone for the match. In the fourth
Test of the Ashes at Headingley, the
first session not only set the direc-
tion of the match but also, decided
the fate of the England team.
There were calls from sections of
the Australian media, as also from
Allan Border, demanding that Mitchell
Johnson be dropped. Johnson himself
feared the worst. Yet the Australian
think tank continued to persist with
Johnson after seeing glimpses of
aggression in his body language at
Edgbaston. The only change, a devious
one as England would find out, was the
substitution of spinner Nathan Hauritz
There is a cliché inTest cricket that thefirst session of aTest sets the tonefor the match. Inthe fourth Test ofthe Ashes atHeadingley, thefirst session notonly set the direc-tion of the matchbut also, decidedthe fate of theEngland team.
Clarke was the show stopper withhis magnificent knocks of 103 and93 in the third and the fourth Test.
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72 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia
for a man all of the Australia and the
rest of the cricket world had been beg-
ging to be recalled, Stuart Clark.
When one considers that England lasted
the duration of a day’s play for the
entire Test that comprises two innings,
it is not hard to see why England were
dejected. When the writing is pretty
much on the wall by lunch on the first
day of a Test, those are danger signs
for a team. For England, it was too late.
What makes the Headingley Test such a
nightmarish experience for England is
that fact that there was nothing partic-
ularly devilish about the pitch or the
weather and while Australia were per-
haps closer to executing their plans
than they have been all of the Ashes
summer, the England batsmen lacked
the temperament on the day to raise
their game. Injudicious shot selections,
ill-preparedness at the crease, perhaps
even taking the opposition’s bowling
attack for granted, England had no
time to recover from the spiral they set
themselves for.
A concerted effort by the Australian
bowlers though was pivotal for Australia
to stage a comeback in the Test series.
Ben Hilfenhaus performed outstanding-
ly but it was Peter Siddle who struck
gold after Clark made his mark. The
tameness and trepidation in the
England batting was only contrasted by
the deadly accuracy of Australia’s
bowlers and Clark’s precision was per-
haps the quality the Australians lacked
most on this tour. The vulnerability in
the England backbone was exposed by
the combination of bowlers and Peter
Siddle, with a five-fer, was like a tiger
who was not about to let a weakened
prey out of his grasp.
Being bowled out for 102 in just 33.5
overs, the ashes spread all over
England’s debacle very early into day
one. The England scorecard had nothing
to write home about. Thereafter,
Australia capitalized on a strangely lack-
adaisical England bowling, indicative of
the depressed mood by the efforts of
the morning. It came with an arrogance
and finesse thereafter as Shane Watson
and Ricky Ponting steered Australia past
England’s paltry score into the realm of
possibilities and then cherished the
glory of Michael Clarke in the morning
and Marcus North in the sunny after-
noon of day two as they brought
Australia to their near invincible aura
(Andrew Strauss would be hoping that
aura stuck around only for that match).
Clarke missed what would have been his
third Test century of the summer by
seven runs, but it did not stop North
from getting the third in his short
career.
Stuart Broad’s six wicket effort was
completely overshadowed by 445 colos-
sal runs that Australia chalked up, a
deficit of 343 that England would buck-
le under. England’s collective collapse
was only further strengthened by
James Anderson’s uncharacteristically
wayward bowling. Hilfenhaus though
enjoyed the responsibility, another four
wicket haul testimony of it. But there
was another to overshadow this hero.
Mitchell Johnson came to England as
the Australian spearhead over the last
six months with Brett Lee slipping in
and out of domestic turmoil as well as
injuries. Lee stirred controversy when
he stated he was ready for the fourth
England battingwas only con-trasted by thedeadly accuracyof Australia’sbowlers andPeter Siddle, witha five-fer, waslike a tiger whowas not about tolet a weakenedprey out of hisgrasp.
Peter Siddle celebrates in joy after taking five wickets in the first innings of the fourth Test Match.
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editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 73Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
Test but took on Shane Watson for dis-
cussing Lee’s lack of match fitness,
something the selectors appeared to
agree with. However, Johnson slipped
from Australia’s favourite son (no refer-
ence to the relationship with his mother
here, although many have attributed it
as a factor on this tour) to Australia’s
most hated. But he came up with a
more belligerent game plan, one that
reaped enormous dividends in terms of
a five wicket haul that gave Australia
their series leveling win by an innings
and eighty runs in less than three days.
Johnson is not about to change that
aggressive tone and intent, Cricket
Australia’s warning about sledging
notwithstanding.
OFF THE CUFF REAC-TIONSThe England team were evacuated
from their hotel rooms in the wee
hours of the morning of the first day’s
play due to an alleged prank on the part
of the Australian fan group, the
Fanatics, setting off the fire alarms. It is
hard to blame this disturbance for
England’s shambolic performance but it
cannot be ruled out as one of the fac-
tors. And if indeed it was a prank, irre-
spective of whether it impacted the
performance of the opposition, fans
have only disgracefully shown how low
they can stoop and for a country with
such rich cricket history, they have
reduced the intensity of the sport by a
nefarious activity unbecoming of custo-
dians whose job it is to keep the flag
flying high.
There was panic in England as specula-
tion went into overdrive. Flintoff was
promptly drafted in two days after the
fourth Test ended on the third day.
Marcus Trescothick was supposedly con-
fronting nightmares following word of a
possible recall while Mark Ramprakash
was certainly the talk of the town
despite Jeff Thompson’s take that
Ramprakash’s contributions could only
come in the form of a couple of “ball
dance moves”. England though chose to
repose faith in Jonathan Trott in lieu of
Ravi Bopara who appears to be a victim
of sledging, from the commentary box
and most palatably from Shane Warne.
Justin Langer’s secret dossier on the
England cricketers was not even neces-
sary as far as Australia were concerned.
But there are rumblings within the
Australian team too. Andrew Hilditch
stated that Clark will certainly be on the
back end of the list of Australia’s pre-
ferred fast bowlers and there is no
word about Brett Lee and where his
future is headed in the midst of such
fierce competition. Ponting is counting
on the unstable environment in the
England dressing room but he better be
sure to check in on his own.
If England were an ordinary team to
begin with, their win at Lord’s makes
their performance even more extraor-
dinary. If this was an overnight lapse,
they cannot go from being a competi-
tive team to a rather hopeless one all in
the span of one Test. Aficionados of
the game will be hoping it is the latter,
that Pietersen’s call for heroes to rise
will be heard, and that what awaits
them at the Oval will be one nail biting,
tempestuous finish. �Anderson was the pick of England bowlers with 5/80 in the first innings of the third Test Match.
Flintoff chip in with classy 74 in the third Test Match.
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74 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match trivia contest reviews content news interviewBOUNCER
hirty-one seems the wrong age
to be saying “I’m retiring” and
yet that is exactly what England
all rounder, Andrew Flintoff, was
saying as he bid adieu to Test
cricket at the end of the Ashes. As
injury prone as his career has been, it
still came as a shock. Not only was his
age a reason for concern but also, that
it could be the start of a pandemic was
not lost on the cricket fraternity.
A GAME OF NUMBERSONLY? On the outset, there appears nothing
out of the ordinary or even spectacu-
larly incredible about Andrew Flintoff.
But if it is consistency of big hearted
efforts one is looking for, look no fur-
ther. Five wicket hauls and magnani-
mous centuries may have not always
stood out on Flintoff’s career graph.
But what the graph cannot plausibly
show is the vivaciousness and determi-
nation he brings to the field, the
aggressive intent that he inspires
amongst his team and his ability to
charismatically draw the crowds into
the game to add to the intensity of the
situation.
If cricket were a game of numbers only,
then Flintoff is still infantile by age and
thirty-one is no age to be turning his
nose against the game. Yet here he is
telling the world that nothing means
more to an England cricketer than play-
ing in the Ashes but also, that this will
be his swansong. Is he leaving the crick-
et for greener pastures? Yes and no.
RETIREMENT WITH ATWISTEven five years ago, a retirement like
this would not have gone down well
with the selectors as cricketers were
not considered eligible to make deci-
sions about selective retirement on
their own. Worse still, retirement would
have implied unavailability and the
option of picking one version over the
other, not the prerogative of the crick-
eter. Circa the age of Twenty20 and
suddenly seemingly snap retirements
and reignited careers do not seem to
suffer the wear and tear of the time
machine.
Although Flintoff announced his retire-
ment from Test cricket, England will still
have his services as a one day interna-
tional player and Twenty20 cricketer,
which incidentally also makes him eligi-
ble to participate in the Indian Premier
League for the Chennai Super Kings
since it is also a Twenty20 event.
In a telling case of the rigours of the
game, Flintoff is trading the version of
the game he claims to love the most
for one that will provide him the com-
fortable livelihood for him and his fami-
ly despite his prevalent injuries. In a way,
Flintoff endorses the fears that
emerged when Twenty20 took off in
the millions of dollars, namely that the
Indian Premier League (IPL) will encour-
age premature retirements.
With loads of money to be made with
less than half the effort required in a
one day international, it was an irre-
sistible lure for any cricketer, especially
one with a young family. With that per-
centage being a huge population in
cricket, it was not long before the old-
est amongst them and the youngest
were queuing up to be picked by the
franchisees in a version that had even
less of a workout for a king size pay
packet. It would not perhaps then be an
unfair question to ask: would Flintoff
still continue to play for England in the
Test matches had he not had the IPL
contract inked?
This is not to say that Flintoff is looking
at a better life and therefore, releasing
himself from the commitment from
arguably the most rigourous ‘test’ in
cricket history. The fact that he has
announced his retirement has not
meant that Flintoff would rest on his
past laurels. If anything, he has
appeared more determined in the
Ashes, even withstanding debilitating
pain at times, than he has in recent
months. His outstanding performance
by Sreelata S. Yellamrazu
t
Make Flintoff’s RetirementAn Exception,Not the Trend
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at Lord’s to give
England the winning
edge was merely
an example of it.
But where suste-
nance over a
five day game is
all about
endurance,
Flintoff had put
in too many
days of absence
and his lack of
attendance had
become a perma-
nent contingency
plan with the England
team. With the one day
internationals affording rest
between playing days and the
Twenty20 games taking less out of a
player, Flintoff has chosen to have his
cake and eat it too. While he continues
to play cricket, Flintoff is ensuring he can
do it in the way he feels possible for him
to hold his fragile body up.
CAN FLINTOFF BECOME APRECEDENT?Former England opener and now commen-
tator, Sir Geoffrey Boycott, hit the nail on
the head back in February earlier this year
when he stated he did not think Flintoff
had it in him to go beyond the Ashes and
that he would likely take the course of
announcing his retirement from Test crick-
et and focus entirely on the IPL where he
bagged the highest paid cricketer tag for
1.55 million dollars.
Andrew Flintoff did not take Boycott’s advice
on retirement and it is quite possible retire-
ment was not Flintoff’s mind, not until the
Ashes anyway. Flintoff kept assuring the
Chennai Super Kings of his presence in the IPL 2
season in South Africa even though he was
returning home from England’s tour of the
West Indies with a hip injury. Then the knee
injury broke his will power and the eventual
rehabilitation ushered in a rather premature
retirement.
Injury/illness can have a strenuous effect on
the mind. Flintoff, at the time of announcing
his retirement, touched upon the fact that
since that the Ashes of 2005, he had spent
two of the four years in rehabilitation over a
number of injuries, a fact hit upon when notic-
ing that Flintoff had played in only twenty-
three of the forty-six Tests that England
played since that success until the series
against the West Indies.
In that sense, it should not have come as a
shock in a strategic sense for England who, by
now, should have found an alternative.
However, players such as Flintoff are hard to
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76 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia
come by and even harder to replace.
Their immeasurable qualities make them
not only unique but also, virtually indis-
pensable, especially when the team is
not doing well and needs that additional
effort from the heart.
But players such as Flintoff also have to
weigh – at what cost. When injury has
played such an important part in a
sportsman’s life, there has to be the lin-
gering question – is it all worth it?
Apart from ’job’ satisfaction, he
would be considered practically
foolish to pass up the opportuni-
ty to be earning a living from
the game but with much less
the stress on his body and
subsequently, on his mind.
In a more determining
and with rather detri-
mental effect, there
could be young players
who would look at
Flintoff and at the first
hint of serious injury,
think to themselves – is
it necessary to get to this
level of deterioration,
especially when there is an
easier option available?
PREVENTING AFLINTOFF FOLLOWING These are incredible days for a cricketer
- money in the game like there never
was before, opportunities galore other
than playing for one’s country and
fame of unprecedented proportions for
short blitz of glory.
There were concerns that Kevin
Pietersen would have been thinking
along those lines after his Achilles heel
injury, allegedly worsened during the IPL
2, became such a hindrance during the
first two Tests of the Ashes that he
was stretchered right into surgery in
that the last lingering image was of him
hobbling while trying to take a run and
the next image was of him on crutches.
As it turned out, complications
in the form of infection in
the scar tissue after surgery
had him going back to the hospi-
tal, further setting back his plans of
a comeback.
While Pietersen insisted that he had no
plans for a premature retire-
ment in lieu of a career
that was exclusively
IPL’s, these are realis-
tic contingency
thoughts going
through any mod-
ern day cricketer
(as well as adminis-
trators) and it
would be hard to
blame them, even
for being excessively
materialistic.
In a way, this lure also came
through official channels. The ICC had
an inkling of the commercial fall outs of
blessing an initiative such as the IPL,
although the extent may have escaped
even the more discretionary mind. For
the ICC to talk about unregulated cash
flow in the game is then its rather late,
helpless response to the growing con-
cerns over players’ loyalties in the game.
Gary Kirsten, the Indian coach, pin
pointed the IPL 2 as a factor in India’s
debacle of the ICC World Twenty20 in
England. However, it is hard to argue on
the lines of fatigue when most players
around the world were also featuring in
the IPL 2. Having said that, Kirsten was
hinting at the commercial aspects of
the game that were dividing the play-
er’s time between his commitments on
the field and those off it and affecting
his judgement about resting and recu-
perating ahead of an important national
duty, resulting in lengthy injury lay off
thereafter.
The ICC has its own solution in the issue
it has raised. By placing ceiling on the
payments accruing through authorized
cricket such as the IPL and checking
them through unplanned growth and
expansion (case in point, ninety-four
proposed matches in the 2011 edition)
when the end and means are only
financial and not all of it going into the
development of the game, the ICC
FormerEngland opener
Sir Geoffrey Boycott, hitthe nail on the head back
in February earlier this yearwhen he stated he did not think
Flintoff had it in him to gobeyond the Ashes and he couldfocus entirely on the IPL where
he bagged the highest paidcricketer tag for 1.55
million dollars.
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would do itself and the game of cricket
a great service.
By ensuring to raise the players’ securi-
ty and compensation in the matter of
injuries as well as a reasonable pension
beyond retirement would go a long way
in attracting the player to stick with
national commitments over club com-
mitments.
Be it Test cricket or club cricket, players
fear losing their spot, play day in and
day out without letting the team in on
their injuries and with no time for recu-
peration, are susceptible to frequent
breakdowns that only in a vicious circle
type scenario, add to their insecurity of
a longer stint with their national team.
More inclusive contracts, incentives
based on performance appraisals, bet-
ter scheduling of the international cal-
endar, more planned breaks for family
time, would go a great way to keep
the player happy and secure
without having to stretch
himself.
Domestic dispute was
stated to be the start-
ing point of Brett
Lee’s downslide of his
marriage and his
career. Cricket
Australia did not
lose the opportuni-
ty and instead held
a day for family
counseling before
their cricketers head-
ed to England for the
Ashes. Ricky Ponting
recently spoke about his
gratitude and appreciation
for the Cricket Australia’s style of tak-
ing care of their players to make sure
they were fresh, fit and raring to go.
Ponting was given rest following
the end of the fifth Ashes
Test and the mini break
was intended to keep him
fresh for a long interna-
tional list of commit-
ments as captain even
though Michael Clarke
is hot on his heels.
Flintoff may not have
been making a great
case for too much cricket
given the number of Test
cricket matches he has missed.
However, it is a concern and perhaps a
more humane schedule will see players
perceive playing for their national team
just as financially rewarding and physi-
cally less demanding.
Some would say that the reason so
many cricketers whose chose to associ-
ate themselves with the Indian Cricket
League (ICL) only to break away now
was because the IPL money had
stunned them into thinking they had
done the wrong thing. But for most
cricketers with a candid confession,
they have spoken about just how much
they missed being a part of their
national line ups, of wanting something
deeper as a cricketer than the mere
thrill of Twenty20, and of being able to
play Test cricket in all its intensity.
Another way to raise the profile of the
game in the eyes of the cricketer would
be by not diluting Test cricket, the high-
est format of the game, to suit the
Twenty20 viewer but rather encourag-
ing the growth of the game and raising
the attraction for donning one’s nation-
al colours. Redefining the profile of the
domestic structure to enhance lucrative
incentives while the cricketers hone
their skills for the preparation of the
larger tests would be another.
Cricket would do itself a great favour
by ensuring that future Flintoffs have a
better chance at performance, rest,
rehabilitation and raising a comfortable
lifestyle (most cricketers’ pay cheques
already afford the latter) so that they
would not find themselves at the cross-
roads where cricket must become a
pitchfork affair. �
Ricky Pontingrecently spoke about
his gratitude and appre-ciation for the Cricket
Australia’s style of takingcare of their players tomake sure they were
fresh, fit and rar-ing to go.
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78 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewDISTINGUISHED CAREER
urtains fell on a very distin-
guished Test match career
of Chaminda Vaas after he
announced that the series
against the Pakistanis would
be the last one he would be a part of;
of course, with a caveat that he will be
still available for selection in the other
formats of the game. And to my mind,
with this closure, we are one step away
from the end of cricket seeing these
decade and half test careers in the
future, what with the magi-noodle for-
mat of the games allowing for crick-
eters to feature in the five-day games
for some years before calling it quits
for the lucrative alternatives.
Not for nothing did Vaas survive and
blossom for more than 15 years in
international cricket. If he had begun his
international innings as a nippy and
quick swing bowler, then like many of
his predecessors, he quickly learnt the
art of surprising the batsmen with the
vagaries of his
bowling. Like Dennis Lillee, Imran Khan or
Javagal Srinath, he learnt the motley of
change of pace, cut across the seam,
and the ball that straightened instead
of coming in with the swing to the
right handed batsman. All of this
ensured that 110 test matches
after having made his debut,
he ended his sojourn at the
test match level with 355
wickets at a more than
acceptable average of
less than 30 runs per
wicket.
The oft-repeated phrase
about Vaas being one of
the servants of Sri Lankan cricket rings
is absolutely true. But, more than the
figures associated with his bowling, it is
a batting milestone that corroborates
this fact; a century in test matches
after having none in the first 96 games
that he played in! As if toiling manfully
on unresponsive tracks, inhuman weath-
er conditions and under captains who
would wait for as long as the first cou-
ple of them went to the fence before
turning to Muralitharan was not
enough, Vaas had taken upon himself to
metamorphose himself from a dour
blocker to a useful accumulator, to
finally an all-rounder who could more
by Suneer Chowdhary
c
Man Friday of Sri Lankancricket walks
into the dawn
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than hold his
own with the bat.
This is not to say that
the bowling deteriorat-
ed with time. It is often
said that Murali is the wily
old fox, with a bag full of
tricks. However, Murali’s
biggest asset that provides
the perfect backbone to the
rest of his armoury, was his
ability to turn the ball a
mile. Vaas did not possess
a lot of pace, with the
swing with the new ball
being his only forte. The
pace may have decelerat-
ed, but not the guile and
the wiliness, and with age,
Vaas managed to ward off
any challengers to his posi-
tion in the team with some
excellent ability to roll the
fingers over the seam,
either ways.
And lest one forget, he did
relish conditions that support-
ed even an iota of swing, such
was his control and mastery of
the incoming ball to the right-handers.
In one such ODI against the hapless
Zimbabweans, he ran through the top,
middle and the lower order to send
eight batsmen – including a hat-trick –
back to the pavilion, and finish off the
opposition for a measly 38 runs! As if to
prove that this effort with the ball was
no flash in the pan, he cleaned up the
mighty Indian batting with a 5/14 haul,
on a track where his own countrymen
had piled up a near 300. Another oppo-
sition to suffer at the hands of Vaas
was Bangladesh, as the 2003 World Cup
saw the first ever instance of a bowler
picking up three wickets off the first
three deliveries of the game, and he
added another one off fifth delivery to
send the opposing batting into an early
tizzy. Incidentally, he finished the tour-
nament atop of the bowling list, with
23 wickets.
To give an analogy of his swing, it was a
Siamese twin to Irfan Pathan’s when
the Indian was at the peak of his
prowess – or the other way around –
but unlike Pathan, whatever he lost by
the way of pace in the early part of his
career, and the bite in the later portion,
was made up in more ways than one by
his mental strength and pin-point lines
and lengths.
Vaas’ legacy will always be remem-
bered for being a successful fast-
medium bowler from that part
of the world where the tracks
have traditionally been difficult
to bowl on for his brand of art.
And where does his retire-
ment leave the Lankan pace
bowling cupboard? The
answer to that question
can possibly be found
mirrored in two impor-
tant and interesting
facets.
One is the fact that
Sri Lankan medium-
pace bowler, Nuwan
Kulasekera, current-
ly holds the top
spot for bowlers in
ICC’s official rank-
ings; a position
that he has held for more than six
months now. Secondly, if one were to
look at the Sri Lankan bowling records
of the recent times, it would becomes
easier to conclude that the Vaas has
done enough to inspire the younger
breed of quick bowlers into not only
taking up this trait, but also matching
the likes of Muralitharan and Mendis,
wicket for wicket.
The first game of the ongoing test
match has already had Thilan Thushara
do more than his bit with the ball,
whereas the test series preceding this –
against Pakistan – had had Nuwan
Kulasekera topping the bowling charts
with 17 wickets. Even there, Thushara
had scalped 12, which was after the
nine he bagged in the ODIs. With Angelo
Mathews coming into the fold too, the
Lankan quick-bowling cupboard seems
to have more than just the one prover-
bial leaf off the Chaminda Vaas book.
To cap it, Sri Lanka also possesses the
likes of Farveez Maharoof and Lasith
Malinga, both of whom have been more
out than in the side because of a vari-
ety of reasons – injury and form being
the two major ones at that. Malinga has
already proved his worth as an almost-
unplayable bowler in the death overs
with his ability to bowl the ones under
the batsmen’s bat at will. On the other
hand, Maharoof had a decent start to
his career, but lack of wickets seems to
have taken the sting out him, and
Mathews has taken over the number
seven position of a bowler who could
bat in the ODI setup. So much so, that
Mathews has earned the test match
cap as well, and while his bowling
remains as ‘work-in-progress’ for now,
what certainly does not is his attitude.
What will be definitely missed, if not for
his incisiveness was his perseverance at
bowling longish spells. Known to some-
time finish up eight or nine overs off
the ten a bowler is permitted to, in a
single first spell, he could also take up
the role of a stock bowler, which per-
mitted the Lankan captains to unleash
Muralitharan from the other end and
pick up many a wicket.
In all probabilities, it will be a difficult
road back into the ODI side as well for
Vaas, but somewhere in there, there
would be a burning desire for their
last hurrah, that final moment of
glory, and a healthy contribution
in the home World Cup of
2011, just like he had in the
1996 version. It remains to be
seen whether he gets that
opportunity! �
Vaas’ legacywill always beremembered forbeing a suc-cessful fast-medium bowlerfrom that part ofthe world wherethe tracks havetraditionallybeen difficult tobowl on for hisbrand of art.
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news preview cover story interview triviaYORKED!!! 80 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
eing a fan of the South
African cricket team is
without doubt the most
frustrating job in the
world. After all, you
always take pride in your team being
one of the most professional one to
play the sport and start almost
every tournament as one of the
favourites. Even then the South
African Cricket Board’s cupboard
lays thread bare with nothing of
note to show for.
It is nearly eighteen years up since
the Proteas won back the right to
play cricket, host international
teams and travel on tours abroad.
Apartheid had kept them away for
quite a bit of time but the way they
started, it almost seemed as they
would make up for it without pass-
ing too much time.
It happened first in the 1992 World
Cup. Under Kepler Wessels, South
Africa were largely an unknown and
unpredictable commodity at that
time. But they were not disappoint-
ing in the preliminary round when all
teams had to play against each
other. They ended third in the
league with five victories from eight
games, although before the tourna-
ment they had won only one of
their three introductory limited-
overs matches in India, some three
months before.
Here, under coach Mike Procter, one
of the world’s greatest cricketers at
the time of South Africa’s expulsion,
and spearheaded by the speedy
Allan Donald, they coolly beat
Australia by nine wickets at Sydney.
They lost to New Zealand and Sri
Lanka but beat the West Indies at
Christchurch followed by a win over
Pakistan and another over India in a
rain curtailed match which guaran-
teed their passage to the semi
finals.
In between all this, the players
shone with some brilliant perform-
ances. Peter Kirsten, who was left
out of the original tour squad, aver-
aged 68.33 in the preliminary
matches. Jonty Rhodes attracted
notice by his electrifying fielding,
immortalized himself with an air-
borne demolition of the stumps to
run out Inzamam-ul-Haq. All of them
were gathering steam at the right
time and in the knock out stages,
you never know which team might
outperform the other. In the end,
their campaign was cruelly ended by
the sudden heavy shower which fell
on the SCG, transforming a require-
ment of 22 off 13 balls to a mock-
ing 21 off one. It was such a ridicu-
lous rule that the moment in ques-
tion is still a butt of many cricketing
jokes round the world.
After the 1992 tournament, the
South African team grew from
strength to strength. Hansie Cronje
was the captain, had the likes of
b
by Chetan Narula
The unluckiestteam in the world
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Gary Kirsten, Darryl Cullinan and
Jonty Rhodes in the middle with
Allan Donald leading the bowling
attack. Four years hence they
arrived in the Indian sub-continent
perched again as one of the pre-
tournament favourites.
Placed in group B, they won all their
matches handsomely, with none of
the teams coming even remotely
close to troubling them. But they
ran into the West Indies in the quar-
terfinals and in fact it was one man
Brian Lara who was their downfall,
not the remaining ten. His century
cost them a place in the semis, as
they faced a relatively early flight
home.
1999 saw them gain even more
strength. There was Herschelle Gibbs
at the top of the order now, Mark
Boucher in the middle and Lance
Klusener after that, all in the same
explosive mould making the team an
even bigger threat. What’s more,
their biggest rivals Australia were
rebuilding as Steve Waugh was newly
appointed captain and had endured
a tough series in the Caribbean.
The group stage again went as per
the script for they topped the
charts with four wins out of five.
More than that, they lost to a mav-
erick Zimbabwe side – punching
much above its weight through out
the tournament – and so many
thought that the worst was now
behind them, as they had had their
share of bad luck in this one world
cup. It seemed so too for in the
Super Six stage, they won their first
two matches and were in complete
control going into the last game
against Australia. Beating them
would mean an easier semi final, plus
their biggest rivals the Aussies going
out as well.
As it turned out, that match
became famous for two things.
Steve Waugh’s brilliant fight back
and Herschelle Gibbs dropping the
world cup, oops no, a catch! It is
probably the most famous dropped
chance in the history of the sport as
Australia were able to fight back and
advance to the semis, setting up a
clash with the Proteas again.
Waugh had been calling on his team
to show their wares and become
champions after the disappointment
in 1996. And their determination
showed as did the nerves of the
South Africans. Lance Klusener who
had been flawless throughout the
length of the 1999 World Cup now
botched up a run and the match
was a tie. Australia progressed on
the basis of their win in the Super
Six. Televisions beamed the image of
Cronje standing muted in the dress-
Lance Klusenerwho had beenflawlessthroughout thelength of the1999 World Cupnow botched upa run and thematch was a tie.Australia pro-gressed on thebasis of their winin the Super Six.
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ing room at Edgbaston. Some say
you can still see his ghost at that
ground!
The following couple of years were
not that great for cricket in South
Africa as the year 2001 brought out
a lot of ghosts from their closet,
most notably the ban on Hansie
Cronje for allegations of match fix-
ing. Nicky Boje and Gibbs were
affected too and while these names
were spent off the field, Donald and
Jonty Rhodes bid adieu as the 2003
World Cup approached. This time to
be held in South Africa, it was no
different in the sense that they
were once again billed as pre-tour-
nament favourites.
It was no different in that sense as
well that their luck refused to
change even when faced with home
support. They lost to West Indies
and New Zealand but it was the tied
match against Sri Lanka that hurt
them the most. Rain intervened in
the match bringing in mess-making
Duckworth-Lewis into play. South
Africa were level on runs required
and Mark Boucher decided to play
the last ball of the game for a dot.
Nobody in the middle or in the
dressing room had bothered to
check what the par score was.
Shaun Pollock bore the brunt of this
foolishness and was soon expended
with, as this time it wasn’t as much
with the luck but with being pre-
pared. South Africa had fallen short
in the first round itself and their
world cup curse was no firmly in
place.
Under new skipper Graeme Smith,
the Proteas took a long time to
rebuild. 2004 was an especially poor
year for them as they could only
beat the West Indies in ODI cricket
and being honest, they are not the
toughest teams to beat. However,
they are too good a team to keep
down for long and in 2006, they
chased down 434 in an ODI against
Australia in Johannesburg to signal
to the world that they were once
again on the upswing.
Prior to the 2007 World Cup, they
regularly challenged the Aussies for
the world number one ranking and
even overthrew them on a couple
of occasions. It seemed the stage
was set for a royal battle and this
time there would be a different
result to the South African chal-
lenge. But they managed to mess
up this one time as well. Losing to
Australia in the group stages, they
lost to New Zealand in the Super
Eights and then went down to
Bangladesh as well. What this meant
was that they would once again
face Australia in the semi finals who
were gunning for their third consec-
utive crown. And in the last ODI
World Cup South Africa were
bowled out for just 149 in the semi
finals to complete their poor run,
In 2007 WorldCup SouthAfrica againfaced Australiain the semifinals but theywere bowledout for just 149in the knockout stage tocomplete theirpoor run, yetagain.
SOUTH AFRICA.qxd 8/26/2009 5:51 PM Page 5
match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia 84 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
yet again.
And this world cup hoodoo has
extended to the T20 World Cup as
well. That very same year in 2007, in
the inaugural tournament, they
were well placed to make it to the
semi-finals on the back of some
strong form. In fact they were the
unbeaten team of the tournament
till the time they met a rampant
Indian team. Chasing 154, they need-
ed 130 odd runs to qualify for the
semi finals on terms of run rate as
the Indians turned on the heat. But
put South Africa under pressure in
any world cup and they will crumble
came true once again as they man-
aged to not only lose but failed to
get to the threshold of qualifying
for the next round.
It was no different for them in the
2009 T20 World Cup in England.
They were clearly the best team,
winning every game in the group
stages and then the Super Eights as
well, only to go down to Pakistan in
the semi finals. Or should one say
Shahid Afridi! Whatever be the ver-
dict, it is but a fact that South
Africa are the best cricket team
ever not to win a world cup.
Their story is much the same in the
Champions Trophy as well. In 2002,
they went down to India in the semi
finals when chasing 260-odd, they
were well guided by a century from
Gibbs. But Gibbs retired with dehy-
dration and then the Indian spinners
turned on the screws. In 2004, their
match against West Indies was hit by
rain and when play continued the
next day, the Windies chased down
250 with ease. In 2006, Windies
again played their nemesis in India
this time, as they stopped their run
once again in the semis, this time
chasing 262 with ease.
The only success on the world stage
to come South Africa’s way has
been the Knock-Out Trophy in 1998,
where they were superb winners in
Bangladesh. Two years later they
reached the semi finals again, so this
was a much consistent performance
on the better side for the Proteas.
And lest we forget they also have
the only ever CommonWealth Games
cricket gold medal to their name,
which came in 1998.
The underlying point is this: should
their fans over the world be satis-
fied with just one major win and a
sorry excuse for a gold medal in
almost two decades of their return
to cricket? When are some of the
best cricketers in the world going to
stand up, make themselves be
counted and make sure that poor
excuses such as bad luck, careless-
ness and one-off wins for lowly
placed teams do not get in their way
of much-deserved glory?
When is South Africa going to break
their hoodoo at a World Cup? �
In 2002ChampionsTrophy they wentdown to India inthe semi finalswhen chasing260-odd, theywere well guid-ed by a centuryfrom Gibbs. ButGibbs retiredand then theIndian spinnersturned on thescrews.
SOUTH AFRICA.qxd 8/26/2009 5:51 PM Page 6
86 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewIN CONVERSATION
RAH
UL
DEW
AN Rahul Dewan might be a
new kid on the block buthe has started roaringfor what looks like the
beginning of a promis-ing career. Having
received the award forbest under-22 player
from BCCI, Rahul is leav-ing no stepping stonebehind to achieve his
ultimate goal. He speaksexclusively with CricketToday about his cricket-
ing world.
WHAT LED YOUR INCLINA-TION TOWARDS CRICKET?I come from a sports background fami-
ly. My father and brother were crick-
eters in their times so by seeing and
talking to them I developed interest in
cricket.
WHEN DID IT HAPPEN?I started playing cricket when I was in
the sixth standard. By the time when
my ongoing reached satisfaction level I
thought of taking this sport seriously.
Family support was always there to
stand up by me.
YOU PLAYED JUNIORCRICKET FOR DELHI BUTTHEN WENT ON TO PARTICI-PATE FOR HARYANA INRANJI TROPHY. IS THEREANY SPECIFIC REASON FORTHIS?I have been there in the Delhi side for
under-19 and under-22 slot and even
led the brigade. Performance wise I was
up to the mark especially in under-22,
but all my efforts went in vain when I
couldn’t crack a place in Delhi’s Ranji
team. I knew Delhi team had got open-
ers like Sehwag, Gautam and Aakash, so
my chances of getting in the team
were very dim. In order to play Ranji
early in my career, this idea of moving
to haryana struck in my mind and I
moved on with that. My
hear
t goe
s fo
r Har
yana
My
hear
t goe
s fo
r Har
yana
RAHUL DIWAN INTERVIEW.qxd 8/26/2009 5:58 PM Page 2
Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 87
HARYANA COMES IN THE PLATEDIVISION OF RANJI FORMATBECAUSE IT GETS LESS FOCUS FROMMEDIA AND INDIAN CRICKETBOARD. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TOSAY ON THIS?Last season was my first season with Haryana and I am very sat-
isfied with the performance. Moreover our one-day matches are
played according to zone wise format. We also got chance to
chip in for Duleep and Deodhar Trophy. I know that my team is a
part of plate division because of which it finds less mileage as
compare to Elite division but we would be giving our best in the
coming season so that we can take our team to the main divi-
sion. Good performance can not be backed out on the basis of
divisions in domestic competition.
WERE YOU CONTACTED BYANY OF THE FRANCHISES INTHE SECOND SEASON OFTHE INDIAN PREMIERLEAGUE?I went to Bangalore Royal Challenger’s campthis time round but unfortunately couldn’tget my place in. They selected onemiddle order batsman and onebowler from the trial camp so Iwas not looked upon as therewas no requirement for theopening slot. I didn’t con-tact any other franchis-es because each oneof them has gotlots of players intheir realm.
YOU ARE A GOOD BATSMAN BUT STILL YOU ARE NOT APART OF ANY IPL TEAM?
I was in the Delhi Daredevils team on the scholarship basis in the first season
but couldn’t get chance to play. I was only contracted for one year.
IF YOU GET A CHANCE TO PLAY IN THE THIRD SEASONOF IPL, WHICH TEAM WOULD GET YOUR THUMBS UP?
I am ready to play for any of the IPL team because every time round position
of teams goes up and down. IPL is a very good platform for the youngsters,
where hard work in short span of time can bring you in limelight, which is like
a dream come true for any of the young lad.
GIVEN A CHANCE WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAYFOR DELHI AGAIN?Haryana gave me a chance when I was looking for an oppurtu-
nity to play early in my career. Now it is my responsibility to
stuck with them. Playing for Delhi is the talk of future but
presently my heart goes for Haryana. I will put my sheer hard
work in to take my team to the elite group and if it happens, I
am going to be the most proud person.
RAHUL DIWAN INTERVIEW.qxd 8/26/2009 5:58 PM Page 3
88 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia
YOUR MEMORABLEINNING SO FAR?I have played many good innings in the Under-
22 cricket where scores of 160, 300 and an
unbeaten 254 are intact in my memory, but
the knock of 81 runs in the Duleep trophy is
my best and memorable inning so far because
it got me words of praise from Rahul Dravid.
He spoke to me for five minutes after this
inning.
YOU ARE VERYCLOSE TOAAKASH CHOPRA,HOW MUCH HELPHAS HE OFFEREDTO YOU?Aakash bhai has always given me
guidance. Apart from technique
he has taught me how to
improve my batting abilities and
patience too. To be honest
Aakash bhai has a major role in
my success.
BOLLYWOOD HAS TAKENITS ENTRY IN CRICKET. HOWDO YOU SEE THAT?It is a nice step from which both the parties
would get benefit. Players will get the chance to
meet their favorite on-screen stars. Furthermore
people have started getting more attached to
cricket because their much loved bollywood
celebrities are joining cricketing ranks.
WHICH FORMAT OF CRICKET YOULIKE THE MOST?I like all the three formats of cricket. Test cricket
checks batting technique, patience and the talent
posses by its disciple. With my strong perform-
ance I will try to put myself in contention for all
the three formats of the game. However Test
cricket is the real form of this game.
HAVE YOU EVER MET VIRENDER SEHWAG? Yes I have met Viru on one or two occasions. He is very humble and even
after getting so much fame he speaks so cordially and politely with everyone.
Viru is incredible and just by seeing him you get the sense of self control.
HOW DID YOU FEEL AFTER RECEIVING THE AWARD FORBEST UNDER-22 CRICKETER FROM BCCI? I was really happy at this facilitation. It is the result of my hard work and is
going to act as an inspirational factor in the near future. Now my efforts
would be to perform well in the Ranji Trophy so that I could get the best
player award in this competition some day.
RAHUL DIWAN INTERVIEW.qxd 8/26/2009 5:58 PM Page 4
editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 89Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
MYFAVOURITES:BOLLYWOOD FILM
ANDAAZ APNA APNA
ACTOR (MALE)AKSHAY KUMAR(COMEDY) AND
AAMIR KHAN
ACTOR (FEMALE)PRIYANKA CHOPRA
CRICKETERSACHIN TENDULKAR
OTHER SPORTBESIDE CRICKET
I LIKE ALL THE SPORTS
CRICKET GROUNDWHERE EVER I SCORE
RUNS.
DRESS CODEIT DEPENDS ON THE
OCCASION.
FOODNON-VEG & ITALIAN.
MOBILE HANDSETNOT ON THE LIST. I
JUST REQUIRE PHONETO MAKE CALLS AND
SEND MESSAGES.
WHAT ARE YOUR ACTIVITIES IN THE LEISURETIME? Apart from regular net practice I devote my spare time to enjoywith my family and friends.
RAHUL DIWAN INTERVIEW.qxd 8/26/2009 5:58 PM Page 5
90 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewWILLOWY WORDS
or me, the spirit of cricket
and all the values it stands
for is more important than
the players, runs, wickets,
winning and losing. For me,
cricket as I loved died long
back. I wish cricket had remained an
amateur game. England, where profes-
sionalism under the curb of amateurs
always existed, is an exception, though.”
Vasant Naishadh Raiji, former Mumbai
player, eminent cricket writer and histo-
rian, and sincere, dedicated patron of
the game, has echoed feelings of many
old-timers like him. His whole approach
to cricket and his ideas about the game
may imply that he is a traditionalist. But
he is not completely averse to mod-
ernism in cricket. He insists, however, to
call himself a person who has played the
game, who loves it. “As it was once
played,” he hastens to add.
There are certain things that irritate
Raiji about present-day cricket. “There is
too much commercialism. Players talk of
money and money all the time. This has
led to bad sportsmanship, challenging
umpires’ decisions, maligning your col-
leagues and opponents, raising unnece-
sary controversies and so many
unpleasant things. Cricket crowds also
show much indiscipline, booing players
who fail,” he laments.
Born on January 26, 1920, Raiji is more
famous as a critic and historian than as
a highly competitive cricketer he once
was. He had represented what were
then Bombay and Baroda in India’s
national championship.
Raiji started playing cricket while at
school. He was an opening batsman
almost throughout his cricket career. At
the school, college and club level he also
bowled off-spin, but did not get much
of a chance to show his bowling skills in
first-class cricket.
He captained his school team in the
Harris Shield in 1935. He also led his col-
lege side and won the batting prize for
three successive years. His highest
score in the Rahimtoola Shield Inter-
Collegiate Tournament was 118 against
St. Xavier’s College in 1939. Raiji was
likewise captain of his beloved club, the
Jolly Cricketers, in the Kanga League.
Did he ever dream of representing India
in Test cricket? “On the basis of my per-
formances in first-class cricket I wasn’t
good enough to play for India. It’s possi-
ble that I had the potential but it wasn’t
realised. I can’t say that any injustice
was done to me. I had never set my
eyes on the India cap. I loved the game
and played it for fun and enjoyment. I
consider myself lucky that I had good
fortune to represent Bombay and
Baroda in the Ranji Trophy,” he says
with the touching modesty, an endear-
ing feature of his personality.
He was a reserve for the Hindus in the
Pentagulars in 1941. Incidentally, the
Hindus won the championship. And so
did Mumbai, in 1941, though Raiji’s own
showing made “no contribution” to its
triumph. Raiji also played for the presti-
gious Cricket Club of India (CCI) against
the Commomwealth Team that toured
this country after World War II. It was a
three-day game with a first-class status.
He was in London in 1946 and 1947,
playing club cricket at the Indian
Gymkhana. He scored four centuries in
England. Interestingly, he played for the
Indian Gymkhana against the touring
Indian team in England in 1946, though
it was not a first-class game. Learie
Constantine also played for the Indian
Gymkhana in the match.
Raiji played a solitary club match at
Lord’s. He shone with bat as well as ball,
scoring 41 not out and taking 5 wickets.
After returning to India he played for
Baroda against what was then Madras in
a Ranji Trophy semifinal in February
1950. He made 42 and remained unde-
feated. Raiji continued playing club
cricket until 1960. He was about 40, and
with no “motiovation” left, he decided
to stop playing for good. Raiji is the old-
est living Mumbai cricketer today.
Right from his early childhood Raiji was
a great admirer of L.P. Jai and C.K.
Nayudu; he also held Mohammad Nissar
“f
by Haresh Pandya
Vasant Raiji, a respectedIndian cricket historian
Willowy Words.qxd 8/26/2009 6:03 PM Page 2
and Amarsinh Nakum in high regard. So
much so, he dedicated his nicely edited
book L.P. Jai: Memories of a Great
Batsman to Nayudu, Nissar and Nakum.
But he could not help admitting, “Of
course, Don Bradman was every
schoolboy’s hero in the 1930s.”
However, it is Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji
who remains Raiji’s all-time favourite
cricketer. “Though I watched him just
once in 1928, when I was only 8 years
of age, I’ve vivid memories of his
strokeplay. But more than a player he
was one of the finest gentlemen I ever
met. He was so modest, so considerate.
I had tears in my eyes when I learnt of
his death,” he says about his idol.
In fact, Raiji has always been keen to
discuss this princely personality with
anyone who is interested in the game
and its glorious past. Raiji had edited, in
collaboration with Vijay Merchant,
Anandji Dossa and Vithalbhai Jhaveri, a
very interesting and nostalgic com-
memoration volume, Duleep: the Man
and His Game, in 1963 following his
death in 1959.
Frank Worrell was another favourite of
Raiji. “What a beautiful batsman! His
every movement on the cricket field
was graceful. The same can be said of
C.K. Nayudu,” he remarks about the
former West Indies captain.
After giving up cricket as an active
player, Raiji wanted to continue his
association with the game. “I loved the
game so much. So I wanted to be a
part of it,” he emphasises. He ruled out
scoring and umpiring and administra-
tive duties. Instead he tried his hand at
cricket writing when the Pakistani team
toured India in 1961.
All the articles he wrote about the
Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 91
Raiji is morefamous as a criticand historian thanas a highly com-petitive cricketerhe once was. Hehad representedwhat were thenBombay andBaroda in India’snational champi-onship.
Willowy Words.qxd 8/27/2009 10:13 AM Page 3
Pakistani side and its players were pub-
lished in The Times of India. “K.N. Prabhu
was its sports editor at that time. It was
actually he who gave me the break in
the field of cricket writing,” reveals Raiji,
expressing his sense of gratitude
towards one of India’s greatest sports-
writers.
Raiji continued writing informative,
interesting critical pieces on cricket,
never compromising with his fixed ideas
about the game and its practitioners.
Since there was not a single book on
the incomparable Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji
by an Indian cricket writer until then,
Raiji decided to write one.
The result was Ranji: the Legend and
the Man, a book warmly received by the
serious students of the willow game in
India and abroad, which also hit the
stands in 1963.
“Charmingly produced. It is excellent.
Every essential is in it. The author
writes about the great magical player
with understanding and imagination,”
remarked Neville Cardus, no less, in his
inimitable style while reviewing the book
in Wisden. Cardus had earlier written a
personal letter to Raiji and compliment-
ed him on his nice book on Ranji.
John Arlott, too, wrote two excellent
reviews of the unputdownable book. “A
charming study of one of cricket’s most
exciting personalities… A fascinating and
consice record of a player who pos-
sessed genius,” said the renowned
broadcaster and cricket writer.
The success of Ranji: the Legend and
the Man and its favourable, rave
reviews by distinguished cricket writers
gave Raiji the much-needed impetus to
write more books. Victor Trumper: The
Beau Ideal of a Cricketer, a fine and con-
scise biography (edited) of the leg-
endary Australian, followed in July 1964.
Strangely, he did not pen a single book
for nearly two decades after that,
except one, Ranji: A Centenary Album,
in 1972. Of course, he kept contributing
articles to various newspapers and mag-
azines and also authored two books on
his profession, including Professional
Goodwill: Its Tax Implications and
Valuation.
“Being a Charterd Accountant, and
always in much demand by my large
number of clients, I had neither time
nor inclination to write cricket books
during that particular phase of my pro-
fessional career. But I enjoyed writing
articles on a wide range of cricketing
subjects during the same period,” he
explains.
But Raiji bounced back after twenty
years and contributed handsomely to
the already rich cricket literature in the
1980s with some of the most intensely-
researched books. The first of them
was The Romance of Ranji Trophy – 50
Golden Years. The book was published in
1984 to mark the golden jubilee of
India’s national cricket championship.
In 1986 came Raiji’s much-acclaimed
India’s Hambledon Men to mark the cen-
tenary of the first Parsee (“or call it
Indian”, as the author suggested in his
preface) team’s visit to England. The
book was meant to be a triubte to the
Parsee cricketers’ vision, spirit of adven-
ture and enthusiasm.
In 1987, the golden jubilee year of
Brabourne Stadium, Raiji and his friend
Anandji Dossa, the renowned cricket
statistician, wrote a brilliant history of
the famous ground in a concise form.
The book was aptly titled CCI & The
Brabourne Stadium: 1937-1987.
The two knew each other since their
school days in 1930. Raiji and Dossa
watched Lord Tennyson’s team play the
inaugural match at the Brabourne
Stadium in December 1937. Since then
they have seen most of the games
played at this historic ground in
Mumbai.
Two years later, in 1989, Raiji came up
with C.K. Nayudu, the Shahenshah of
Indian Cricket, one of the more admired
books on the man who led the country
in her maiden Test at Lord’s in 1932.
Raiji, who on one occasion had played
with Nayudu, paid a rich tribute to the
legend, who was much more than a
mere cricketer.
Raiji did not write a single book in the
whole of 1990s, but penned two in the
present decade. Duleep: A Centenary
Tribute was published in 2005 and From
Presidency to Pentangular (in collabora-
tion with the star statistician Mohandas
Menon) in 2006.
Though all of Ranji’s books are very
special in themselves, Ranji: the Legend
and the Man remains his masterpiece.
However, their author is very humble
and modest and says that he has only
tried to return something to the game
which has given him so much.
“I won’t like to single out any particular
book of mine and say it’s my best. It’s
for you to decide. You won’t believe but
it’s a fact that I’ve never thought of
any one of them being my best or mas-
terpiece. I’ve enjoyed writing all my
books. And they’re all a labour of love
for me,” he remarks.
“Every cricket writer is a historian
except one who writes cricket fiction. A
report on a cricket match or a contem-
porary player later becomes a part of
cricket history. I enjoy both, writing arti-
cles as well as books, though I can’t
write books that often,” he adds.
“I think my plus point as a cricket writer
is that I’ve played the game at a firly
high level. So I know the technical
aspect of the game. I’ve also read a lot
on the subject: history of the game,
biographies and autobiographies of
92 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia
Raiji started playingcricket while atschool. He was anopening batsmanalmost throughouthis cricket career. Atthe school, collegeand club level healso bowled off-spin,but did not get muchof a chance to showhis bowling skills infirst-class cricket.
Willowy Words.qxd 8/27/2009 10:13 AM Page 4
editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 93Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
cricketers, etc.”
What is the place of the cricket writer
in sports circles? “A good and objective
cricket writer may have some following.
At least he would be welcome and not
regarded as an intruder. I think cricket
readership is very limited in our coun-
try. It’s diferent in England,” he replies.
Will the miracles of modern technology
such as television eventually replace
print media forever as far as cricket
journalism is concerned? The ever opti-
mistic Raiji does not think so: “I doubt if
this would ever happen. They can never
replace good cricket literature. Both,
the print as well as electronic media,
have their own place and importance
and will stand side by side.”
Even today, Raiji reads gluttonously on
cricket, particularly the books on the
game. He also loves history, economics,
short biographies, humour, “light phio-
losophy” and poetry. He admits he has
not read much fiction.
The future cricket author and historian
started buying books in the early 1930s
when he was a schoolboy. As he grew,
his personal cricket library also became
larger in size and stock. As cricket
books were hardly available in India in
those years, he used to order them
from London. One English bookseller
used to send him a catalogue of cricket
books from time to time.
Always meticulous and methodical in
whatever he does, Raiji surprises you
when he reveals that he has kept no
account of the amount he has spent
on cricket books. “It must be a stagger-
ing one,” he adds.
Like most lovers of sports literature,
Raiji feels prices of cricket books from
abroad have rocketed in the last twen-
ty years or so. They were not so
expensive earlier. Until recently, Raiji
had an enviably rich personal cricket
library, featuring rare classics, including
immortal works of Cardus, Jack
Fingleton, R.C. Robertson-Glasgow,
Ronald Mason, E.V. Lucas and a host of
other celebrated cricket writers.
But Raiji sold off almost 90 per cent of
books from his library to an avid cricket
enthusiast in Mumbai a couple of years
ago, keeping only a select few he just
could not part with. “I’m fast approach-
ing 90. To keep and maintain such a
large number of books was a problem
for me and my wife. So I thought of
passing them on to a deserving person.
Though I got money in return, it wasn’t
for the lucre that I disposed them of.
I’m sure he’ll take good care of them as
he is a genuine lover of cricket litera-
ture just like you and me,” he says.
Cardus tops the list of Raiji’s most
favourite cricket authors. “Cardus was
unique and stands head and shoulders
above every other cricket writer. I don’t
think any cricket writer will ever
approach him,” he eulogises the maes-
tro.
“I don’t think there is any great cricket
writer today. It isn’t fair to compare
Indian cricket writers with their old-
time English and Australian counter-
parts. The game of cricket has changed
over the years, especially the spirit in
which it’s played, and so has cricket
writing. My preference is for the old-
time game and old-time cricket writers.
In 1989, Raiji came upwith C.K. Nayudu, theShahenshah of IndianCricket, one of themore admired bookson the man who ledthe country in hermaiden Test at Lord’sin 1932. Raiji, who onone occasion hadplayed with Nayudu,paid a rich tribute tothe legend, who wasmuch more than amere cricketer.
Willowy Words.qxd 8/27/2009 10:13 AM Page 5
match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia 94 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
But then I myself am an old-timer.”
Raiji has never been a professional crick-
et writer and he never “plans” about
writing books on the sport dear to his
heart. He says he sometimes gets an
idea. If he developes it, and finds it
interesting, it culminates into a book.
“A cricket writer must know the game
well. He ought to be aware of its by-
laws and rules, its etiquette and its his-
tory. He should read the best books on
the game and shouldn’t neglect the sta-
tistical aspect of the game,” feels Raiji.
“He should discuss cricket with others
who are more knowledgeable. He should
watch cricket as much as he can. He
should try to improve his command of
the language he writes in. You can
acquire sound technical knowledge of
the game by playing, watching, reading
and discussing it with others.”
He further adds: “A good background
of the game’s history and its literature
helps. Also necessary are enthusiasm
and hard work. He should have practice
of writing through the opportunities
offered. Above all, a bit of luck also
plays its part.”
The Gujarati-speaking Raiji’s father,
Naishadh, was also a well-known
Chartered Accoutant of Mumbai. He
was a keen follower of the game and
always encouraged his two sons, Vasant
and Madan, to pursue their passion –
cricket. Madan, who was also a first-
class cricketer, represented Mumbai in
the Ranji Trophy from 1941 to 1948.
Raiji has two sisters and he is the eldest
of the four siblings. His mother,
Jayshree, was B.A. in Philosophy. She
was also a social worker. Importantly,
she was a member of the first Lok
Sabha, getting elected from Mumbai on
a Congress ticket.
Raiji’s intellectual better half, Panna, is a
Ph.D. from Mumbai University. She was a
script and commentary writer with the
Films Division of India. She retired in
1961 to look after their two young
daughters, Brinda and Renuka, and did
occasional freelance writing. Her book,
The Indian Film, is perhaps the first seri-
ous study of all aspects of the Indian
film industry.
Brinda and Renuka post-graduated from
the American universities and are happi-
ly married. Brinda is married to Dr.
Sudhir Nanavati and lives with him in
Ahmedabad. Renuka is married to Brian
Fernandes and has settled down in
Perth in Australia.
Despite being affluent, Raiji strongly
believes that marriage ceremonies
should be “dignified and simple, without
any pomp”; large expenditure on mar-
riage is “unnecessary and wasteful”.
He gives his own example: “I didn’t
spend more than Rs. 1,000 on the mar-
riage of each of my two daughters. One
of them is married to a Christian – we
had no second thought about it.”
Besides cricket, Raiji follows tennis
closely. He watches, albeit on television,
all sports except wrestling and boxing,
which he does not like. He had played
table tennis at the school, college and
club level. He had won his school’s table
tennis championship in 1931 when he
was just 11. When he was in England, he
had played table tennis at club level
during the winter.
When asked, Raiji agrees that even the
most distinguished sportswriters are
not encouraged, let alone recognised, in
this country, where political commenta-
tors and cartoonists are given all sorts
of awards and five-star treatment and
by the people in power. “It’s a sad state
of affairs. But what can one do about
it?” he regrets.
“The situation isn’t so bad in England
and Australia. Neville Cardus, John
Arlott, Jim Kilburn. A.A. Thomson and
many others did get recognition for
their contribution to cricket journalism
and literature. Cardus, as everybody
knows, was even knighted. Jack
Fingleton will perhaps be remembered
more as a cricket writer than as a crick-
eter. One can only hope that in due
course of time things will change for
better in this country.” �
Raiji has never beena professional crick-et writer and henever “plans” aboutwriting books on thesport dear to hisheart. He says hesometimes gets anidea. If he developesit, and finds it inter-esting, it culminatesinto a book.
Willowy Words.qxd 8/27/2009 10:13 AM Page 6
ADS.qxd 7/25/2009 10:21 AM Page 2
96 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match content news interviewGREATS OF THE GAME
will go anywhere, to any
part of the world, to watch
Hanumant Singh bat.” –
Richie Benaud
When the former Australian
captain made the aforemen-
tioned statement, he was probably
echoing the feelings of many
cognoscenti of classic batsmanship. For
the Indians he was one of the most
gifted and attractive batsmen of his
generation regardless of the fact that
he played only fourteen Tests thanks to
petty politics.
The Prince of Banswara, the erstwhile
Indian state with 15-gun salute, always
played his cricket like one. There was an
unmistakable royal touch to his pres-
ence on the field. He was undoubtedly
one of the most delightful, magnificent
and scintillating batsmen imaginable.
Hanumant Singh was born in Banswara
in Rajasthan on March 29, 1939. Cricket
was already in his royal blood. His uncle,
Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji (who incidental-
ly happened to be the peerless Kumar
Shri Ranjitsinhji’s nephew), represented
“i
by Haresh Pandya
Hanumant Singh,the prince who playedwith a royal touch
Greats of the Game.qxd 8/27/2009 10:14 AM Page 2
England in 12 Tests. His cousin, Kumar
Shri Indrajitsinhji, played four Tests for
India as a wicketkeeper-batsman.
Unlike most Indian cricket royals, who
studied as well as honed their cricket
skills abroad, Hanumant was much more
home-grown. An alumnus of Daley
College in Indore, he was a star player
of the Vikram University cricket team.
Like many Asian batsmen before and
after him, he was not very tall; and
hence was affectionately called
“Chhotu” (short) by all. But he was an
immensely gifted right-handed bats-
man.
Good judgement and sweet timing
enabled him to play all the shots with
effortless brilliance. A very confident
batsman, he would pull the ball with
gusto and hook without inhibition.
Artistic and elegant at the crease in his
own limited way, Hanumant was truly a
connoisseur’s delight when on song.
A busy man at the wicket, he kept the
scoreboard ticking and hardly allowed
the bowlers, spinners and speedsters
alike, to tie him down. Though he played
fast bowlers with élan, he was simply a
scourge of spinners.
“He was a sight to behold against spin-
ners on a difficult pitch. He was techni-
cally very sound and it was always a
challenge for the best of spinners to
get him out. I still remember his flawless
83 for Rajasthan against Karnataka in
the 1973-74 Ranji Trophy final on a
spiteful turner at Jaipur. It was sheer
poetry,” said former India off-spinner
Erapalli Prasanna.
Though chiefly a specialist batsman,
Hanumant was also a useful leg-spinner
and a spectacular fielder in the deep.
He made his first-class debut for
Madhya Pradesh in1955-56 before
beginning his long stint with Rajasthan.
He essayed many memorable, prolific
innings for Rajasthan. When the other
Rajasthan batsmen were cheaply and
quickly returning to the pavilion against
Uttar Pradesh in a crucial Ranji Trophy
tie in 1961-62, he tried to stem the rot
with a masterly 200 not out.
He launched his international career
with a majestic105 in 222 minutes,
including 15 fours, in the first innings
against Mike Smith’s England team at
Delhi in 1963-64, becoming only the
third Indian after Lala Amarnath and
Deepak Shodhan to score a century on
Test debut.
It was adjudged the best innings of the
match. Only a few months later, he
came close to making a century in his
first Test against Bob Simpson’s
Australian side, too, but off-spinner
Tom Veivers had him caught by Norman
O’Neill when he had scored 94 (in a total
of 193) in Chennai.
An undefeated 149 at Bangalore and 98
at Hyderabad in the “unofficial Tests”
against Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) rounded
off a very fruitful year for Hanumant
and India seemed to have finally
unearthed a reliable middle-order bats-
man it badly needed.
When the experienced Vijay Manjrekar
called it a day after scoring 102 at
Chennai against New Zealand in March
1964-65, Hanumant quickly demon-
strated, with resolute knocks of 75 not
out at Mumbai and 82 at Delhi, that he
was ready to take on the mantle.
He capped yet another successful sea-
son with a scintillating 213 for Central
Zone against the star-studded South
Zone in Duleep Trophy.
Hanumant was at his best against
Garfield Sobers’ mighty West Indies
team that toured India in 1966-67, scor-
ing 102, 52 and 85 in first-class match-
es; and 37 and 50 in two Tests.
He continued his good run in the Ranji
Trophy, too, making 166 and 132 versus
Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh respec-
tively; and 109 and 213 not out against
Mumbai in the final. He ended the sea-
son with 838 runs in 9 innings at
139.66.
With such performances to back him,
Hanumant was an automatic choice for
the 1967 tour of England. Though he
scored a breezy 73 in the second
innings of the first Test at Leeds and
added 134 runs for the fifth wicket
with his captain “Tiger” Pataudi (148),
India could not avoid defeat.
It was the only time Hanumant was his
usual self at the wicket on what turned
out to be his only overseas jaunt with
the Indian team. A groin injury kept him
out of the second Test at Lord’s. In the
third and last, he made only 15 and 6.
England won the series 3-0.
The entire team had fared badly in
England, but when the time for select-
ing the Indian side for the difficult tour
of Australia in 1967-68 came, the axe
fell on Hanumant first of all.
Given his ability to handle hot pace on
lively pitches and his track record, he
deserved to be one of the first choices.
His omission from the Australia-bound
team still remains one of the mysteries
of Indian cricket.
“I was deeply shocked, and greatly dis-
appointed, when I was dropped from
the team for the Australian tour. I still
find it very hard to fathom. I had
proved my ability against different
bowlers on different pitches and my
record wasn’t that bad either,” he told
this writer a few years ago.
“I was young and had still a lot to offer
to Indian cricket. I was determined to
stage a comeback but the selectors
appeared to have made up their minds
to ruin my Test career.”
Hanumant did make a comeback – in
the first Test against New Zealand at
Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania 97
For the IndiansHanumant Singhwas one of themost gifted andattractive bats-men of his gen-eration regard-less of the factthat he playedonly fourteenTests thanks topetty politics.
Greats of the Game.qxd 8/27/2009 10:14 AM Page 3
Mumbai in 1969-70. He was under
tremendous pressure to prove his
worth all over again. And it reflected in
his two uncharacteristic knocks of 1
and 13. He never played for India again.
“This wasn’t the way to treat a class
and committed cricketer like him. He
was truly a great batsman. It’s a pity
Indian cricket didn’t make the most of
his genius and ignored him consistent-
ly,” lamented the dashing allrounder
Salim Durrani, who played with
Hanumant for many years for
Rajasthan.
In 24 innings (twice not out) of his 14
Tests, he scored 686 runs at 31.18 with
the help of 1 century and 5 fifties.
These statistics, though not unimpres-
sive, hardly reveal the kind of batsman
Hanumant actually was.
The suave, unassuming Hanumant, who
was an executive with State Bank of
India, did not allow his frustration to get
the better of him and continued to play
first-class cricket with his old enthusi-
asm and passion. As late as in1976-77,
he captained Central Zone against Tony
Greig’s England side.
He retired from first-class cricket in
1978-79 after scoring 12,338 runs at
43.93, including 29 centuries. His 6,170
runs in the Ranji Trophy were within a
striking distance of Vijay Hazare’s
record tally of 6,312 at the time.
A quiet, thinking cricketer, Hanumant
was an astute captain, too. He led
Central Zone to their maiden Duleep
Trophy title in 1971-72.
A teetotaler and non-smoker, Hanumant
was a thorough gentleman. Despite
being a prince and a cricketing celebrity,
he never put on airs. In fact, he would
feel embarrassed talking about his own
cricket or royal lineage.
He never remained idle in retirement
and served cricket in various capacities
– as national selector, as manager of
the Indian team and as director of
National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.
As an ICC match referee, he officiated
in 9 Tests and 54 One-Day Internationals
and earned respect of players, authori-
ties and the media.
He was coach of the Kenyan team that
created a major upset in the 1996
World Cup on the subcontinent by
defeating the then powerful West
Indies team at Pune.
“This triumph means a lot for me. It’s as
important for me as it’s for the Kenyan
players. It’s sweeter than even my
debut Test hundred,” he told this corre-
spondent inside the Kenyan dressing
room amid wild celebrations.
The humble, unassuming Hanumant
breathed his last on November 29,
2006, in Mumbai. �
98 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia
Hanumant Singhnever remained idlein retirement andserved cricket invarious capacities –as national selector,as manager of theIndian team and asdirector of NationalCricket Academy inBangalore. As anICC match referee,he earned respectof players, authori-ties and the media.
Greats of the Game.qxd 8/27/2009 10:14 AM Page 4
Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match trivia contest reviews content interview THE LEGEND
hen cricket was a gentle-
men’s game, not as profes-
sionalized as today, in the
year 1958, a gentleman
from Pune reached the
international stage making his city and
state proud.
A living legend with a flawless career,
who shared his 75th birthday with
Maharashtra Cricket Association formed
in the year 1934, is none other than
India’s former captain Chandu Borde.
MCA felicitated the legend in a grand
ceremony and the dais sparkled with
celebrities like Ajit Wadekar, Nana
Patekar, and Master Blaster Sachin
Tendulkar!
An ideal personality in the cricketing
fraternity, Chandu Borde has never
talked about his achievements and had
a cricketing style of his own. A talented
leg-spinner, who has sent back star per-
formers of the opposition to pavilion,
was also known as ‘panther’ due to his
electrifying fielding skills. A great crick-
eter, he is also adored by his colleagues
for been a great human. A down-to-
earth personality who kept his feet
grounded all the time, Borde is known
for his authority of the game. He is a
personification of right batting tech-
nique, footwork, placing, and running
between the wickets.
His contribution in seven big Indian vic-
tories is amazing! The first one was
against Australia in Kanpur in 1959,
when India won the game by 119 runs.
Borde got the wicket of Australia’s
Norman Onil which was the turning
point of the match. The second victory
against England was in 1961 at Eden
Gardens which India won by 197 runs. It
was due to Borde’s all-round spectacu-
lar performance in which he scored 2
half-centuries in both the innings and
took 4 English wickets. India won anoth-
er Test match in Madras by an inning
and 128 runs where Borde scored valu-
able runs and took 5 wickets. A scintil-
lating victory against Australia at
Breborne stadium, Mumbai was
achieved when Borde steered India to
victory, reaching the target of 256 runs
in partnership with Indrajeet Singh. The
other 4 victories, were against New
Zealand. The one in Delhi at Ferozeshah
Kotla Stadium which India won by 7
wickets with Borde scoring 87 runs in
the first innings and Venkat taking 12
wickets!
The next three consecutive wins were
in New Zealand. The test at Dunedin,
when India won by 5 wickets; test at
Wellington, which was won by 8 wickets,
and the last test at Auckland, where
Borde scored 41 and not out 65 runs,
and led India to victory by 272 runs.
With such a huge contribution to India’s
success, one can only say. “Hats off to
you, Sir!”
Borde was the president of the selec-
tion committee during the 1983 world
cup, when India wrote a history. Along
with a great all-rounder and captain,
Chandu Borde is also a very good coach.
He had an easy way of training budding
cricketers and never complicated the
cricket technique.
“I am a firm believer in God and he has
helped me not only throughout the
career but for entire life.”, said the vet-
eran cricketer in the grand function.
The beauty of the event was the vari-
ety of speeches of the guest who had
gathered to honour Mr. Borde. Some
speeches were very heart-touching,
while others were spicy. “Ups and downs
in the career have helped me to handle
tough situations in life”, said Borde. “My
career started because of an article in
Pune Sakaal, which narrated my
achievements and thus my parents
allowed me to take cricket as my pro-
fession. I appreciate this felicitation
especially because it is in my home
town. My life is smooth because of my
wife Vijaya as she handled the home
front very efficiently. Her inning in my
life is very important and her contribu-
tion is incredible.” Talking about the
shorter version of the game, Borde
said, “50 and 20 overs game is comple-
mentary to Test cricket. Improvisation
of the shots is going to be useful in
Test cricket. Globalisation gives a good
opportunity for players to improve.”
Narrating a heart-touching incidence
about Sachin, he said, “When he played
for India for the first time in 1989 we
were on the tour of Pakistan. I was the
manager of the Indian team. Resting in
my room in Sialkot late in the night, I
heard a consistent thud against the
wall. I woke up and went to the room
right above my own where Sachin was
w
NOT OUT 75!by Radhika Karve
100
CHANDU MORDE.qxd 8/27/2009 1:06 PM Page 2
Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks letter101
staying. This little boy was play-
ing different shots at this late
hour in front of the mirror!
When asked the reason, he
said, ‘Sir, I am only used to
going to bed with my family
and couldn’t fall asleep. So, I
was practising!’ Since next day
was his first day of represent-
ing the country, I patted him
and put him to sleep. This lad,
who was then afraid of being
alone in the room, now intimi-
dates his every opponent on
the ground!”
Addressing Mr. Borde, Master
Blaster Sachin said, “I congratu-
late him on behalf of the
nation. I was very lucky to have
him as a manager during my
first tour. Guidance is very
important for a 16 year old
child. He helped me when
exactly needed, guiding me
about improving my batting
and avoiding mistakes. He never
changed my natural batting
instinct, talent and never over-
moulded me. He did this out of
great passion, and no expecta-
tion. In the year 2007, Indian
team was in a turbulent phase
and a calming factor was utter-
ly essential. Borde Sir played a
very important role and we
won the series in England,
though he didn’t get the
deserved credit as a manager
of the team. Looking at his
enthusiasm today, he doesn’t
look like he is 75. And with
God’s blessings, he must score
a century, as said in batting
terms!”
Former Indian captain Ajit
Wadekar said, “There is a huge
difference between mine and
Borde’s age. But we are very
close to each other. He has
always encouraged all his col-
leagues to perform well and
was the best captain I have
played under. He is my idol.”
The spice of the event was
added by actor Nana Patekar.
Saluting all those sitting on the
dais, he said, “I am awed by Mr.
Borde’s zeal and looking at him,
it is obvious why retired artists
and retired cricketers look dif-
ferent. I am representing the
crowds here. Otherwise, I don’t
deserve to be seated along
with people with such creden-
tials. We the crowds will always
expect you cricketers to win.
And when you do so, we gar-
land you. But if you lose we are
bound to blaze your effigy. We
will never change. All trophies
are always named after a crick-
eter, posthumously. Hence sit-
ting next to Mr. Ajay Shirke,
president of Maharashtra
Cricket Association, I was asking
him to name a trophy by
Chandu Borde’s name as Mr.
Borde is surely going to com-
plete the century of his life.” �
Borde isknown for hisauthority ofthe game. Heis a personifi-cation of rightbatting tech-nique, foot-work, placing,and runningbetween thewickets.
CHANDU MORDE.qxd 8/27/2009 1:06 PM Page 3
news preview cover story interview MARKET MANIA 102 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009
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104 Cricket TodaySeptember 2009match trivia contest reviews content newsOPINION
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Virender Sehwag’s allegations of unfair
selection procedures of the DDCA offi-
cials has evoked counter allegations of
favouritism against the ‘Kohinoor’ of
Delhi by the Sports secretary, Sunil Dev
and its convenor Vinod Tihara. The
‘famous’ secretary has gone to the
extent to accuse Sehwag of raising
such issues only to get Pradeep
Sangwan and Tehlan into the playing
squad.
But Is Sehwag not justified in promot-
ing the young talent instead of consid-
ering someone who does not know
anything about the sport?
Did Sourav Ganguly not support Young
Sehwag, Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Kaif and
today are we not proud of their contri-
bution to Indian Cricket?
The apparently embarrassed aggres-
sion shown by these people to justify
their blatantly violating norms in selec-
tion clearly shows their frustration.
Both of them, unmindful of the gravity
of the problem, made an abortive
attempt to snub this indictment by
putting forth some unacceptable
explanation. With a hope to swathe this
controversy, one of the three vice-
presidents of DDCA and also a former
test cricketer, tried to mollify the tor-
mented feelings of Delhi cricketers by
assuring them transparency for the
future.
s
SEHWAGSELFLESS GENIUS
by Shyam SharmaPresident Dada Army
DDCA.qxd 8/27/2009 2:02 PM Page 2
Cricket TodaySeptember 2009 editor speaks contents letter review interview market mania 105
It is clear that statement of Sehwag has
highlighted the irregularities in the
selection process, which in any case has
to be sublime. Favouritism in selection
of a team has to be kept at a distance.
DDCA is already under close watch for
not working with transparency on other
matters, be it on the Proxy issue during
its Elections or for whimsical distribu-
tion of passes to VVIP’s for internation-
al cricket matches held in Delhi. DDCA,
for sure, cannot afford to get tangled
into more controversies.
Under the leadership of Mr. Arun Jaitley,
DDCA has made all of us proud with the
infrastructure and basic amenities for
the players. But all these amenities
alongwith the most imaginative stadium
would be a waste in the drought of
fresh young talent into our team.
How long can we afford to sacrifice
them for the sons of powerful mem-
bers of sports committees or the other
VIP’s of Delhi? It might be very easy for
the sport’s secretary of DDCA to say
that he is ready to give NOC to Virender
Sehwag to play for another state but
those who are involved in a struggle to
bring the original Kohinoor back from
U.K. can only visualize the importance
of this “Kohinoor”.
We pray that the president, Shri Arun
Jaitely with his intelligence and wisdom
will prevail upon Sehwag to continue
playing for Delhi and will look into the
serious deficiencies in the selection
process personally.
We hope that in future the selection
committee would consist of former
players who would act without any
pressure from people who do not event
know the ten ways of getting a crick-
eter out.
A small introspection of few minutes
reminded me of the actual problem of
interference of the sports committee.
The problem honestly seems to be the
election process through proxies. These
vested interests work perseveringly
round the year to collect more and
more proxies. The chances of selection
of any player of their choice into a
team are directly proportionate to their
capacity to grab more proxies.
It would be apt to say that all problems
in DDCA have a direct connection with
the proxies. The solution is, thus, to
cleanse the election process. Those who
have usurped the office for decades
must do some introspection and try to
find out if it is not high time for them
to involve more learned people and
allow few genuine cricketers and cricket
lovers to take charge of the affairs of
the DDCA.
Kudos to Gautam Gambhir, Ashish
Nehra, Ishant Sharma and other senior
cricketers for taking a stand for the
cause. �
We pray that thepresident, ShriArun Jaitely withhis intelligenceand wisdom willprevail uponSehwag to con-tinue playing forDelhi and willlook into theserious deficien-cies in the selec-tion process per-sonally.
The rain of cricket books continues unabated as if to atone for the absence of the largely absent mon-
soon. The latest in the list is by perhaps India's best known cricket commentator to have never played
Test cricket, Harsha Bhogle. Titled Out of the Box, the book contains selection of Harsha Bhogle's works
for the Indian Express in the last 5 years. The book, whose introduction is penned by Sachin Tendulkar,
consists of 90 columns written by Bhogle between 2004 and 2009. The writings touch upon every
aspect of cricket - the invasion of Twenty20; thrills of Test cricket and risks faced by the longer version
of the game; ODIs; cricketing greats; rules, regulations and infrastructure. The sections discuss T20
leagues and cricket embracing its economic reality, how Dhoni has become a smarter player, what it
means to bat like Sehwag, judging Tendulkar by today's standards and the Indian cricket Board losing its
objective in the lure of money. Book also gives tributes to the likes of Lara and the "incomparable"
Tendulkar.
VVeerrddiicctt:: Though it has Harsha's articles from Indian Express, Still Out of the Box touches ones heart. All
cricket lovers should grab a copy of this book to understand the chaotic ways of how cricket is run in
India, how and why Indian players and spectators have a love for centuries and statistics, and how with
so many hundreds of thousands playing the game it is still not the best cricket team in the world.
* POOR ** AVERAGE *** GOOD **** VERY GOOD ***** OUTSTANDING
BBooookk:: OOUUTT OOFF TTHHEE BBOOXX,, AAuutthhoorr:: HHaarrsshhaa BBhhooggllee,, PPrriiccee:: RRss 445500,, PPaaggeess:: 227755,, PPuubblliisshheerr:: PPeenngguuiinn BBooookkss,, RRaattiinngg:: ******
BOOK
REV
IEW
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