The Surfer
ICC decision 'an embarrassment to Gordon Brown'
As expected, the Zimbabwe media have seized on the ICC’s decision not to take any action against Zimbabwe Cricket to attack critics of the regime, most notably the British government.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
As expected, the Zimbabwe media have seized on the ICC’s decision not to take any action against Zimbabwe Cricket to attack critics of the regime, most notably the British government.
The Zimbabwe Guardian , which claimed that the independent forensic audit by KPMG had found only “minor improprieties” said that the outcome would be “an embarrassment to British PM Gordon Brown and those politicians in Westminster who expected a different result”
It also quoted an unnamed member of the national side as saying:
“They did not expect to get this result. They wanted Zimbabwe to be found guilty of irregularities. This disappoints the British government who were considering banning Zimbabweans from sporting activities in the UK. Chingoka had always maintained his innocence. This news will not be good news to people like Gordon Brown and Henry Olonga who have strongly criticised Zimbabwe Cricket.”
Hair and his effigies
For all that Darrell Hair is a fine umpire, his reinstatement will exacerbate racial divides within cricket's governing bodies, writes Barney Ronay in the Guardian :
Nishi Narayanan
25-Feb-2013
For all that Darrell Hair is a fine umpire, his reinstatement will exacerbate racial divides within cricket's governing bodies, writes Barney Ronay in the Guardian:
... it seems that the ICC has taken this decision for pragmatic reasons. And possibly because it has little choice in the matter. Hair's ICC contract runs out this month. Without a robust legal reason for failing to renew it - and Hair was ranked the second best umpire in the world at the time of his last Test - it leaves itself open to a potentially disastrous unfair dismissal action. Hair's own racial discrimination claim was quietly dropped last year, a case presumably bolstered by the fact that his fellow umpire at the Oval, Billy Doctrove, received no censure.
The final point in all this is that Hair is a very good umpire. Currently there's a general perception of a talent vacuum at the very top and, at 55, Hair has a good few years left in him. All in all this might be an ideal moment to move into the portly Australian umpire flammable effigy business.
Full postNo. 1 courtsey Bangladesh
On paper, South African cricket is at the top of the world
Nishi Narayanan
25-Feb-2013
On paper, South African cricket is at the top of the world. But Alex Parker of the Johannesburg daily the Times, feels ICC rankings are rendered dodgy by Bangladesh.
I do fear that being catapulted into the position of “world’s best”, courtesy of Bangladesh’s ineptitude, is more of a cross to bear than a trophy to brandish.
Certainly, the Indians will have much to say on the matter — both with their bats and with their new- found gobbiness. Aussie opener Matthew Hayden recently got into trouble for calling Indian offspinner Harbhajan Singh an “obnoxious little weed”. This was the best description of Harbhajan I’ve ever heard — I find his epithets are better than his offbreaks — and I wonder who his South African target will be: “the best batsman in the world, captain of the best team in the world”, perhaps?
Full postWhere are the Pura Cup final crowds?
Christian Nicolussi, writing in the Daily Telegraph , looks at the relevance of the domestic game after small crowds have watched a star-studded New South Wales dominate the Pura Cup final against Victoria.
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Christian Nicolussi, writing in the Daily Telegraph, looks at the relevance of the domestic game after small crowds have watched a star-studded New South Wales dominate the Pura Cup final against Victoria.
On Tuesday just 1893 fans - including several school groups - turned up at the SCG as the Blues closed in on victory ... Domestic cricket has failed to capture interest, with just 11,893 fans making their way to the historic SCG the past four days. Not even cheap $10 tickets, glorious autumn sunshine and the chance to watch Australia superstars Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark and Michael Clarke could boost numbers.
In the Age Lyall Johnson hears the jokes about whether sport’s “mercy rule” needs a name change to the “Victorian rule” after their treatment at the SCG.
The Adelaide Oval’s A$90 million re-development, which was to be ready for the 2010-11 Ashes, has been delayed due to concerns over costs, the Australian reports.
Full postThe worst IPL team name
Paul Holden asks if the Mumbai Indians is the worst IPL team name, whether John Bracewell is on drugs, whether India are taking over the world game and more in his blog Sideline Slogger :
Nishi Narayanan
25-Feb-2013
Paul Holden asks if the Mumbai Indians is the worst IPL team name, whether John Bracewell is on drugs, whether India are taking over the world game and more in his blog Sideline Slogger:
Sri Lanka this week adopted Canada from a cricket development perspective - perhaps NZC could send the Indian board our CV and get us in consideration to become their foster child.
ICC - Indian Cricket Club
Inderjit Singh Bindra may have lost out to Imtiaz Patel in the race for the post of chief executive of the ICC, but his new position as the principle advisor doesn't make his position any less powerful
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
Inderjit Singh Bindra may have lost out to Imtiaz Patel in the race for the post of chief executive of the ICC, but his new position as the principle advisor doesn't make his position any less powerful. Bindra, who will report directly to the president, will be principally in charge of handling the various major properties of the ICC, overseeing the smooth conduct of major events, only increasing India's clout within the ICC. Anand Vasu of the Hindustan Times has more.
It used to be called the Imperial Cricket Conference, it’s now called the International Cricket Council but soon people will be referring to it as the Indian Cricket Club. This is not because Imtiaz Patel, a South African of Indian origin has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer, but because Inderjit Singh Bindra has been made principal advisor to the ICC, an all-powerful post that gives him the widest range of powers of anyone in the ICC barring the president, a post that Sharad Pawar will next fill. Pawar will succeed David Morgan in June 2010.
In The Daily Telegraph Simon Briggs writes:
Yesterday's meeting of the ICC in Dubai was another bizarre day in the history of a bizarre organisation, adding further fuel to the theory that the ICC are struggling to cope with a rapidly changing game. As usual, the ICC have failed to reconcile the widely differing viewpoints among their 10 full members, and come up with a clumsy fudge.
Sharing one last drink with Bill Brown
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
Robert Craddock writes in the Courier-Mail that he visited Bill Brown the day before he died, as severe pain coursed through his body.
He could barely talk but though breathing heavily I heard him mouth a word which sounded like "whisky". When I asked whether he wanted a drink he nodded, so I dashed to the local bottle shop and got a bottle of Johnnie Walker and two glasses, putting a nip in each.
A legal battle looks inevitable
By banning the ICL cricketers from participating in tournaments and stopping the pensions of former cricketers, the BCCI could face a legal confrontation to match the same between the English board and World Series Cricket in 1978, writes Makarand
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
By banning the ICL cricketers from participating in tournaments and stopping the pensions of former cricketers, the BCCI could face a legal confrontation to match the same between the English board and World Series Cricket in 1978, writes Makarand Waingankar in the Hindu.
The ICL-IPL tussle has sidelined the issue concerning the cricketers’ livelihood. During the Insole-Greig case hearing, one of the main questions that Justice Slade asked was how could the cricket boards deprive the professional cricketers from earning their livelihood.
In his judgment he agreed that though respective boards had acted in the best interests of the game, he felt, legally a professional cricketer is entitled to make as much living as any professional in other fields.
Full postHats off to the selectors
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
It's not often that the selectors get it right, but in ruthlessly dropping Harmison and Hoggard, they played a masterstroke, writes Vic Marks in the Guardian.
After the Hamilton debacle it was generally agreed that someone would have to go - and that someone would be Steve Harmison. But the simultaneous dropping of Matthew Hoggard took most by surprise.
Woolmer's hotel room a tourist draw
Proof that there are some fairly sick people in the world comes from US magazine Sports Illustrated which reports that the hotel room in which Bob Woolmer died has become a tourist attraction.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Proof that there are some fairly sick people in the world comes from US magazine Sports Illustrated which reports that the hotel room in which Bob Woolmer died has become a tourist attraction.
"Foreigners are still intrigued by his death," said Lloyd Bremner, the hotel's general manager. "It's pretty amazing," he said. "Some people request to be in it; some want to be on the same floor."