Continuing with the recent tradition of World Cup Cricket controversies, the fun begins this time too before the proverbial ball is bowled. In 2003, it was the doping scandal which effectively removed the specter of Shane Warne decimating batsmen from around the world and the controversy over certain teams not daring enough to ply their trade in the strife torn Zimbabwe.
This time around, their is a not so exciting buzz around the conditions of the pitches on offer in the Caribbean and to add a bit of a soap opera touch to the events, Sunny Gavaskar and Ricky 'Punter' Ponting got in to the ring without putting on their boxing gloves.
On the matter of the pitches, what an irony it is that teams are actually charting their victory plans around bowlers of the class of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Gayle, Malik, Clarke and the spinning wizard..Graeme Smith. And if you thought that this was ironic enough, all this is happening in the haloed land of tearaway fast bowlers paradise of yesteryears, I can almost see Marshall, Garner and Ambrose gritting their teeth in mass agony. Another fast bowling great, Andy Roberts is actually the in-charge of the pitch committee for the tournament and he is still quite emphatic that the pitches will not play low and slow, except maybe in the very early part of the tournament.
Coming to think of it, the pitches in West Indies have been slowing down over the years and the pitches to be used for the World Cup are all newly laid. Unless Roberts and his group imported some soil from Down Under, I do not see how his prophecy will come true. The reality of slow pitches may actually suit the West Indies team as well, their most potent bowlers are expected to be Bradshaw and Collymore, both friendly medium pace and both rely excessively on line and length. Gayle and Samuels will be expected to bowl more then ten overs in each game and they will like to have it slow and low too. So, makes perfect sense to lay down such pitches..doesn't it?
Now on to my personal favourite, the boxing match between Gavaskar and Ponting. Neither of them above the 'law' and yet both with in their perfect rights to talk the way they did. I only wonder how Ponting would have reacted had Gavaskar been praising him, would he then have remembered Gavaskar's dark past?
Now, the fact that the Australians are no angles when it comes to sportsmanship is a well documented affair, this is how they play all their games and not just cricket. Over the years they have realized that their brand of in your face, street smart cricket is quite effective. It either succeeds in pummeling the opposition in to submission or leads them in to suicidal tendencies borne by anger.
Gavaskar lived through this himself in Melbourne when he was sledged incessantly through the series and eventually took the step he still regrets, of asking Chetan Chauhan to walk off the pitch. He may still be nursing a bruised ego or he just wanted to earn some viewer ship for ESPN Star, he surely succeeded in hitting Ponting below the belt, who in turn hit back too and thus ESPN Star and the media had a field day.
Regardless of the righteousness of them both, Ponting's snide remarks about Indian cricket, though true are very disrespectful and I, as a proud Indian sincerely hope the men in blue beat the Ozzies black and blue when they square off in the Super Eights..heres one for the dreamy thought!!
This time around, their is a not so exciting buzz around the conditions of the pitches on offer in the Caribbean and to add a bit of a soap opera touch to the events, Sunny Gavaskar and Ricky 'Punter' Ponting got in to the ring without putting on their boxing gloves.
On the matter of the pitches, what an irony it is that teams are actually charting their victory plans around bowlers of the class of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Gayle, Malik, Clarke and the spinning wizard..Graeme Smith. And if you thought that this was ironic enough, all this is happening in the haloed land of tearaway fast bowlers paradise of yesteryears, I can almost see Marshall, Garner and Ambrose gritting their teeth in mass agony. Another fast bowling great, Andy Roberts is actually the in-charge of the pitch committee for the tournament and he is still quite emphatic that the pitches will not play low and slow, except maybe in the very early part of the tournament.
Coming to think of it, the pitches in West Indies have been slowing down over the years and the pitches to be used for the World Cup are all newly laid. Unless Roberts and his group imported some soil from Down Under, I do not see how his prophecy will come true. The reality of slow pitches may actually suit the West Indies team as well, their most potent bowlers are expected to be Bradshaw and Collymore, both friendly medium pace and both rely excessively on line and length. Gayle and Samuels will be expected to bowl more then ten overs in each game and they will like to have it slow and low too. So, makes perfect sense to lay down such pitches..doesn't it?
Now on to my personal favourite, the boxing match between Gavaskar and Ponting. Neither of them above the 'law' and yet both with in their perfect rights to talk the way they did. I only wonder how Ponting would have reacted had Gavaskar been praising him, would he then have remembered Gavaskar's dark past?
Now, the fact that the Australians are no angles when it comes to sportsmanship is a well documented affair, this is how they play all their games and not just cricket. Over the years they have realized that their brand of in your face, street smart cricket is quite effective. It either succeeds in pummeling the opposition in to submission or leads them in to suicidal tendencies borne by anger.
Gavaskar lived through this himself in Melbourne when he was sledged incessantly through the series and eventually took the step he still regrets, of asking Chetan Chauhan to walk off the pitch. He may still be nursing a bruised ego or he just wanted to earn some viewer ship for ESPN Star, he surely succeeded in hitting Ponting below the belt, who in turn hit back too and thus ESPN Star and the media had a field day.
Regardless of the righteousness of them both, Ponting's snide remarks about Indian cricket, though true are very disrespectful and I, as a proud Indian sincerely hope the men in blue beat the Ozzies black and blue when they square off in the Super Eights..heres one for the dreamy thought!!
2 comments:
very good. keep it up
i realy appreciate the inner soul of commentrator. Keep going...by the days..
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