Sachin Tendulkar notched up a 37th Test hundred against Bangladesh at Dhaka but it wasn't the Tendulkar the world knows, write Sidharth Monga and S Rajesh

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

Sachin Tendulkar's recent failures to dominate average attacks are often exaggerated by the weight of his reputation: a slow, passive century from Tendulkar would still be a solid knock by someone else, it is said. There must be truth to it but the manner in which he crawled to a century today has left even that argument open to doubt. Today's was a solid, honest Test century - for a debutant, not for someone playing his 137th Test.

Coming in at 281 for 0, Tendulkar never looked like he was batting in a side pushing for a declaration on a flat wicket where their bowlers would need the maximum time to get 20 wickets. He ended up with an unbeaten 122 off 226 balls, his strike-rate faster than only Sourav Ganguly among Indian batsmen.

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When is a boycott not a boycott?

Brydon Coverdale asks why governments and cricket administrators can't seem to reach a definitive conclusion on touring Zimbabwe

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

Brydon Coverdale

The Australian government's ban on Australia touring Zimbabwe has continued a worrying trend of inconsistency from governments and cricket administrators, who can't seem to reach a definitive conclusion on the country. While the decision not to tour for a three-match series in September was the right one - a popular one with senior players; one that has upset Dean Jones; and one that has reasonable public support - the matches may be held in a neutral venue after South Africa offered to step in as host.

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A farce, a fiasco, a debacle or a shambles?

Tim de Lisle looks back the World Cup and concludes that as an event, it committed the crime that sports administrators are apt to accuse players of: it brought the game into disrepute

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

Tim de Lisle

For us fans, cricket is such a consuming passion that the end of a major series or tournament usually brings a feeling of emptiness. Not this time. The end of the World Cup has come as a relief. As an event, it committed the crime that sports administrators are apt to accuse players of: it brought the game into disrepute.

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Awesome Australia but awful organising

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

Sambit Bal

It was entirely appropriate that a sorry tournament should have a sorry end, though it must be said that the embarrassment in the final moments far exceeded anything that preceded it. That the magnificent Australians were reduced to pleading for some positive coverage for themselves was a reflection of the pathetic depths this tournament had slumped to. But even they knew it was futile: even their towering, majestic and wholesome performance could not rise above the shambles.

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Pure ignorance of the rule-book

Andrew Miller despairs the increasing corporatisation of the game robbing it of spontaneity at every level, so much so that even the weather is no longer capable of making an appearance without tying the administrators in knots

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

Andrew Miller

How many ICC officials does it take to change a lightbulb? At least a committee of five, none of whom will have read the instruction manual, but each of whom will have a louder and more forthright opinion than the other about how best to do it. If that reads like the start of a bad joke, then it is nothing compared to its ending. Somehow a team of four of the most experienced officials in the game, plus a former Test captain in Jeff Crowe, managed to grab hold of the most luminous event in the world cricket calendar, and fumble so hopelessly that they ended up fusing the entire building.

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Sarwan the gambler

The new West Indies captain has breezed through his career so far based on his obvious talent

Nishi Narayanan

25-Feb-2013

Vaneisa Baksh

The unsurprising news that Ramnaresh Sarwan will captain West Indies and lead the team to England has come out of a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) meeting. If all goes as the WICB stated, Sarwan's first task will be to join the selectors on Tuesday to pick the team. It may be his easiest duty as the once coveted role has become so embroiled in intrigue and muck that its holder is now seen as a suicide cricketer.

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