Cricket is in a mediocre age
England's and India's dominance over each other in home conditions proves there is no team good enough to lay a genuine claim to being world-beaters, Sanjjeev Karan Samyal writes in the Hindustan Times .
An example of what former greats think of current standards was witnessed during the Lord's Test this summer. Desmond Haynes was holding court after the third day's play, the battle having been kicked off between the top two ranked sides in the world. A group of eager fans asked him to compare the action on hand with the all-conquering West Indies team in which he played. "The wicketkeeper is collecting the ball below his waist. Even in the final session of the day, our 'keeper would be collecting balls consistently at shoulder height," the former opener summarised
Dustin Silgardo is a former sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo