Bobji, Author at Cricket Critique

Warne and Wisden and the diuretic

Posted on 15 January 202415 January 2024 by Bobji

Wisden picked the 5 cricketers who had made a difference in the game in the 20th century. It was Sir Jack Hobbs, Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Viv Richards and Shane Warne. Wisden asked 100 former players and experts, writers, commentators from all over the world to vote. This was how the 5 were arrived at. This led Warne to think as to who would make it in his top 5. He thought and arrived at Bradman, Sobers, Lillee, Richards and Akram. The Wisden criteria was the match-winning ability and broad appeal. One columnist wrote that Warne brought leg-spin back after it seemed to have died and someone else wrote Warne brought new audiences to the game not just because of his bowling but also because of his general appeal.

Then, Warne goes onto write some good lines about the other 4 in the Wisden list. There is not much to make a note of because everything is already known. Tendulkar and Lara according to Warne were his greatest nemesis but he also mentions Akram. Special praise is reserved for Jacques Kallis who was a brilliant cricketer. Excellent batsman, an effective bowler and an incredible fielder. He was on par with Garry Sobers. It really is a shame that Kallis did not get a single vote despite the presence of several South Africans on the panel.

Difficulties that he faced

The turn of the 21st century, proved to be difficult for Warne. He was sacked from vice captaincy as a result of his off-field shenanigans, first the text messages with some ladies in the UK, then he fought with a few youngsters in New Zealand who caught him smoking. At that time, Warne had a contract with a sponsor about not smoking. When Adam Gilchrist, took over from the Warne he had played just for a year at that point. Warne’s equation with Gilchrist wasn’t that conducive.

Firstly, when Gilchrist asked Warne to come over to his room and approach him for any advise and the next time, when Gilchrist named Warne’s mother for having given him a tablet that wasn’t prescribed in the anti-doping drugs before the 2003 WC. Next, the finger was damaged during the Sheffield Shield game. The recovery was quick, within 6 weeks.

The scene now shifts to the infamous 2001 series. He praises Ganguly for his abrasive nature during the series. Ganguly did give the impression that Australia were in for a fight. At Kolkatta, having bossed the game, Warne feels that Waugh was cocky and impatient. The run of 16 consecutive wins seems to have made him complacent. Warne was of the view that they must bat again having gained a lead of 274. The rest as the saying goes, is history. John Buchanan blamed Warne and told the press that he was unfit for international cricket. It made Warne furious and he walked upto the captain and told him that Buchanan must never speak to him. Warne returned in 2004 to set a record straight which he almost managed to do with 14 wickets in 3 Tests.

Dislocated shoulder and the diuretic

Warne injured his shoulder during play while trying to stop Craig White’s drive. Having wrapped up the Ashes inside 11 days, Warne was looking forward to the 2003 World Cup when this happened. Errol Alcott and his doctor Grey Hoy were however optimistic that he would play. Post the surgery, he was in rehabilitation. It was 24/7 work with the aim to create mobility and strength in the shoulder. Warne had doubts whether he would still be the same bowler. After 19 days, he started to bowl and was also on the plane to South Africa for the World Cup. In the nets, his flipper suffered and the wrong-un too. He took some tablets to ease the pain a little bit and perhaps that was where he made a big blunder. The pill that had Warne banned.

He got a call from ASADA who told him that he had tested positive for a banned drug. If the sample B also tested positive, he will have to face an enquiry. The physio, Hooter searched Warne’s room based on ASADA’s direction for any banned substance but could not find any. Apparently, Warne’s mother had given him a tablet which would help in releasing excess water. Unfortunately for Warne, it was among the banned substances. Sample B too came out positive and Warne was sent home from South Africa facing a disciplinary hearing which was chaired by Justice Glenn Williams.

ASADA’s lawyer grilled Warne’s mother relentlessly. She was overwrought. It seems the intention was to make an example out of an high-profile player. Warne’s historical medical records showed that he never took any drug which came to his defence. It was later found that the diuretic called Moduretic does not help in improving performance and since then, it has been taken off the banned list. Back in the day, he was banned for 12 months. During the ban period, he wasn’t allowed to train anywhere because the Australian government would cut off the funds for Cricket Australia. Hence, he chose to become extremely fit.

https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-his-family/
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-his-childhood/
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-terry-jenner/
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-fixing-allegations/
https://icricketcritique.com/warne-and-the-art-of-spin/
https://icricketcritique.com/warne-surgery-and-pay-dispute/

T20 Rohit and Kohli

Posted on 15 January 202415 January 2024 by Bobji

Ever since the debacle of 2 T20 World Cups, it was understood that the main reason behind those losses was the slow batting at the top of the order. There were 3 batsmen Rohit, Rahul and Kohli who are similar types of players in the sense that they need time to unleash their strokes. By the time they are set, more than half the overs a bowled and hence, dynamic batting at the top of the order is of necessity. Both of them were unofficially dropped following the 2022 World T20. The selectors and most of the fans felt a need for urgency at the top of the order. Hardik Pandya was made the captain and a team full of dynamic batsmen was picked. Now, the wheel seems to have come a complete circle. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are back in the T20 mix. It seems that T20 Rohit and Kohli have been given one more chance to win that elusive title.

It is all but given that both of them will feature in that World Cup squad that will travel to the West Indies in June. Otherwise, there is no point in bringing them back. Agreed, the regular captain, Pandya is injured and his replacement as T20 captain, Surya Yadav is also injured. From that perspective, the selectors may have run out of options to appoint another captain. With Pant not available and Jadeja not really desiring captaincy, they were left with no choice but to hand it over to Rohit.

Hoping for aggressive Rohit and Kohli

If Rohit is back as the captain, Kohli must also be back. It will take a few brave selectors to not select Kohli but only Rohit. Surely, the selectors saw something in Rohit following his aggressive batting during the just concluded ODI World Cup. It is within Rohit’s talent to again strike at well over 140 in T20 as well. Now that his captaincy tenure for his IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians is finished, he will be free from the mind block, if he had any, that restricted his strokeplay. He may even reinvent himself during the next edition of the IPL and that can only be good news for the nation.

As for Kohli, his struggle against spin remains. He may not get out to spin but he is unable to play freely either. During the last IPL. his strike rate was just over 100 which is not at all good at the T20 World Cup. England, Australia and New Zealand have hitters who can score well in excess of 140. As I have written above, it takes not just one but multiple brave selectors to drop someone like Kohli and bring back Rohit alone.

The problem with these two coming back is that it may not leave any room for Rinku Singh, the standout player against Australia. He could turn games within a few deliveries. He is also left-handed, a rarity in Indian cricket.

Wrapping up T20 Rohit and Kohli

The first challenge in Afghanistan and later, the entire season of IPL awaits for both of them to scpre at a rate that they are not accustomed to.

Test cricket is on the way out

Posted on 15 January 202415 January 2024 by Bobji

It would be blasphemous to say that Test cricket is on the way out. The pundits and the purists will scorn such a thought. Come what may, Test cricket must survive against all the odds, they would say. However, they are blinded by their passion for Test cricket. A format that has survived for more than 100 years is suddenly facing an existential crisis. I for one would want to see Test cricket not only survive but thrive in the long run. Well into the 21^st century but the signs are not that great any longer. Just look at the crowds in most of the Test playing nations for you to realise that it is hard to sustain Test cricket. It is a dead giveaway that the fans no longer want to watch Test cricket.

Worse still is the South African squad for the 2 Test series in New Zealand. They know fully well that these 2 Tests are part of the WTC schedule and them qualifying depends largely on these games. Yet, the South African board did not care about selecting a sub-standard team for the two Tests. The board preferred SA20 over the WTC every top South African cricketer expected to be part of the SA20 rather than the New Zealand bound squad.

Australian newspaper calls it a joke

One Australian newspaper, is not happy that South Africa’s C team will be travelling to New Zealand. As a matter of fact, it is South Africa’s C team. The captain, Neil Brand has not played international cricket. It is an irony that he will be captaining the team in New Zealand who themselves have a history of appointing a greenhorn in Lee Germon as the captain all those years ago.

Nevertheless, the coach, Conrad is adamant that the players will be competitive enough.

“The players selected for this tour have every chance of challenging New Zealand,” said Conrad, who pointed out that most of the players had shown their ability while playing for South Africa A in recent series against West Indies A and India A.

It would be wrong to blame the South African board either because they are a cash-strapped board in need of a fresh infusion of money. SA20 attracts a good crowd which will help the board in paying bills but it has come at the cost of Test cricket. Throughout the current WTC cycle, South Africa will only play 2 Test series which clearly shows where their loyalty lies at the moment. Again, nothing to find fault with the board which has the responsibility of not only honouring their commitment to their players but also to the franchises who have pumped money into the SA20 league. Well, all of them are IPL franchises anyway.

Failure of the administrators

Cricket statistician Mazher Arshad is right. “any country, outside of the Big Three, who is not prioritising T20 cricket is shooting itself in the foot”. Test cricket lost its lustre outside of the Big Three a longtime ago. It is the failure on the part of the administrators to not realise this. Ever since the introduction of T20 cricket, it was just a question of time when Test cricket would lose its priority. Only the top boards will be able to afford Tests. England and Australia have their lucrative TV deals and gate receipts, not to mention the more than a century old rivalry to run the show and India has an enormous fan base that ensures that Test cricket is atleast followed on various internet portals.

Cricket is the most time-consuming sport of all. Test cricket is the pinnacle of that. In the changing pattern, it simply is not going to survive. People are interested in instant thrill and entertainment which T20 provides. Every board now gives priority to T20 cricket through their various leagues. Infact, ICC themselves have given the IPL a 3-month window where no international cricket is played. The ICC itself is guilty of devaluing Test Cricket.

The time to shorten is here

Test cricket is desperate for reduced time. 5 days has become too lengthy. The time has come for it to be reduced to 4 days and even that is stretching it a bit. It is time the administrators realise that the format is in the ICU. They will have to stop spreading the game to multiple frontiers because again that will make people lose interest. You do not want to see India against Bahamas or Australia against Papua New Guinea. If in the distant future, these nations are given Test status, just imagine how competitive will it be. It has been close to 30 days and yet, Bangladesh is not Test standard. If the administrators do not listen, it must be done by design.

Wrapping up Test cricket is on the way out

There is no denying the fact that Test cricket is on the way out. The administrators have created a Frankenstein in T20 that will ensure that it will not only gobble up Test cricket but also ODI cricket. Preparing pitches that suit the bowlers, shortening the duration by a minimum of 1 day will help in delaying the demise of Test cricket but it will not prevent it. I can see that 25 years down the line, Test cricket will be played only between India, England and Australia. That will be a tragedy. Other boards simply do not have the means to sustain the loss making format.

Should Newlands be sentenced?

Posted on 15 January 202415 January 2024 by Bobji

The thrill for any cricketing team worth its salt is the thrill of winning anywhere and everywhere. In conditions that are completely alien to them and in conditions that are favourable to them. The great Australian sides under Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ponting prided themselves on winning irrespective of the nature of the pitch. So much so that the host nation was never clear on what sort of pitch would they lay out because Australia had the bases covered. Warne can take advantage of a spinning track whereas McGrath, Gillespie, Flaming, Brett Lee & a whole host of fast bowlers can take care of swinging and bouncing conditions. Their batsmen could score on all grounds. The great West Indian sides under Lloyd and Richards were similar. Their giant fast bowlers never needed any help from the pitch. It leads us to the Newlands pitch and winning on such pitches.

For sometime now, it is the South African pitches and the Indian pitches that are proving to be a bowler’s paradise. In Test cricket specifically. South Africa wants to give their quicks an abundance of assistance to enable them to prevail over their opponents whereas India does the same for their spinners. It shows in the skewed averages of Rabadda, Ashwin and Jadeja. What exactly is a bad pitch for that matter? Is it the one that favours the batsmen that one is bored to death or is it the one that assists bowlers bounce or turn? Conventional wisdom states that an ideal pitch is the one that has assistance for the fast bowlers on day 1 with day 2 and day 3 being good for batting and the final 2 days for the spinners.

Ideal pitch but only in fairytale

Perhaps, it is the ideal scenario but we are not living in such times. Test cricket is losing its value and its appeal. Actually, Test cricket outside of Australia, England and in some grounds in India, is struggling to attract audiences to the ground. The TV pictures from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies or even New Zealand will be depressing. It is hard to find even 1000 spectators watching the game. In this day and age, people just do not have the temperament to sit through 7 hours a day and for 5 days watching Test cricket. It has become a fast world in which T20 reigns supreme with so many leagues. This is the scenario in which the pitch at Newlands must be looked at.

It is not wrong to prepare such pitches provided they are not dangerous to the batsmen. The hard leather ball coming at the batsmen at 150KMPH could become lethal. A hit to the head can become fatal. Good length balls must not climb upto the head and such pitches must be discouraged but the one at Newlands wasn’t like that. Sure it had more bounce but it wasn’t the lethal sort of bounce. Yes, 1.5 days finish for a Test match is something not appreciated. Perhaps, the pitch could have been a little bit less bouncy and the game lasted for 3 to 3.5 days which is ideal.

The time to shorten is here

Rohit has hit the nail on the head

For his part, Rohit Sharma said that he does not mind playing on such surfaces. For sometime now, Indians do not complain about pitches that behaves in the extreme.

“I mean, we saw what happened in this match, how the pitch played and stuff like that,” Rohit said. “I honestly don’t mind playing on pitches like this. As long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and don’t talk too much about Indian pitches, honestly.

“Because you come here [in Test cricket] to challenge yourself. Yes, it is dangerous. It is challenging. So, and when people come to India, it is again pretty challenging as well. Look, when you are here to play Test cricket, we talk about Test cricket, the ultimate prize, Test cricket being the pinnacle and stuff like that. I think it’s important that we also stand by it.

Every time India tours South Africa or for that matter England, Australia or New Zealand, the pitches will be spiced up to such an extent that it favours the home side completely. Yes, neither the Indian captain nor the team or for that matter, the fans, have complained about the pitch. Infact, the fans have gone to the other extreme and have often said that Indians must learn to play on such pitches to be acknowledged as the best side in the world.

Wrapping up should Newlands be sentenced?

On the contrary, such pitches, so long as they are not a danger to the batsmen, must be encouraged. So must the pitches in India. Any team that wins on such conditions, can feel proud of themselves because it is that tough.

The shortest Test match

https://icricketcritique.com/the-shortest-test-match/

The shortest Test match

Posted on 15 January 202415 January 2024 by Bobji

All it took was 1 day and 3 hours, 642 balls to be precise for India to win at Cape Town against South Africa. This was also the first Test win for India on that ground. The entire Test went like in the words of Ravi Shastri “tracer bullet”. Every delivery something was to happen. Literally, every delivery had a wicket written on the ball. The pitch did not support the batsmen a wee-bit. It was loaded completely in favour of the bowlers. Fast bowlers precisely. Bowlers from both the sides utilised the conditions to the tee and some have even enhanced their career average and strike rate. This is my two cents about the shortest Test match.

Siraj will probably not get to bowl on such a pitch again until he goes back to South Africa. He was rightly adjudged the player of the match though Markaram scored a wonderful 100. Siraj’s first day burst literally put the game beyond South Africa.

“To be honest, it’s my best figures in my Test career. I didn’t think too much and just wanted to hit the right areas. Got the learnings from last game that I didn’t hit the right lengths and I wanted to be relentless with my length here. When we play together with Bumrah, we analyse the wicket quicker and understand the plans. Keep supporting, keep loving.”

I think that it is alright to play on such pitches frequently because why must batsmen have all the fun? Australian pitches have become batsmen-friendly. England leaves a lot of grass only for teams from Asia. Otherwise, they are also good for batting. Pakistan, it need not be said. A couple of years ago, they prepared poor pitches that bowlers were rendered surplus for the requirement.

Pacy pitch

The South Africans themselves were caught unawares by the pace and bounce on offer. It was so bad that both the captain Dean Elgar and the batting consultant, Ashwell Prince, stopped just short of criticising the pitch itself.

“It (The pitch) generally plays a little bit slower and as a batter you can adjust to that. This one just seemed to get quicker as the session went on,” Elgar told Star Sports in his post-match interview.

“I’ve never seen the pitch that quick on day one,” Prince said at the post-match press conference. “I don’t think as batters you mind the pace in the wicket but then you need the bounce to be consistent. The bounce was a little bit inconsistent with some keeping low and some bouncing quite steeply. There’s also the seam movement, which you don’t mind on day one but if you have the seam movement with consistent bounce, then it’s a different situation.”

South Africa could not resist criticising the pitch

Well, the captain and the coach didn’t want to criticise the pitch on the first day but the coach did not hold himself after the game ended.

“All the ethics and values of Test cricket go out the window. This was just a slug-fest, a slogathon and [about] whoever was luckier.”

For his part, Rohit Sharma wasn’t that critical of the pitch at all but he said in no uncertain terms that when teams visit India, they must stop cribbing and learn to play on the rank turners that Indian pitches produce. He has a point. I have never read Indians complaining about pitches whenever they travel to England, Australia, South Africa or New Zealand. They have tried to adapt to the surface that was provided for the game. Most of the time, the batsmen have failed but we the supporters, blamed the inability of the players to alter their technique to survive and thrive on such pitches.

Perhaps, the cricketing world was not thrilled to see such a pitch at Cape Town with so much bounce but that is how the game must be played. Test cricket for a reason is known as Test. It is the test of a batsman’s ability to adapt to different surfaces and the bowler’s tenacity to pick up wickets when there is absolutely nothing in it for them.

Mohammed Siraj’s incisive spell

Siraj was the main architect of this triumph. He was brilliant in that first innings. Ofcourse, the pitch helped him a great deal but to be able to take advantage of that is what good bowlers are made of. Wickets fell at regular intervals which ensured that he bowled 9 overs on the trot. Siraj has shown that he is capable of being the vital 1^st change bowler for sometime now. He still needs to improve on the economy rate. If only he could tighten that part of his bowling and pick up wickets regularly, he could go onto become one of the best to have played for India.

Wrapping up the shortest Test match

Having won the series, I don’t think India must be satisfied with this result. Afterall, they are yet to win a series in South Africa despite playing in that country for more than 20 years. They have come close on a couple of previous occasions but fell short. This was again a great opportunity, probably the greatest opportunity but it was squandered again. Prasidh Krishna, who was lucky to make his debut on two pitches that favoured his type of bowling, was not only found wanting but was treated with disdain. Even a club-level bowler would have gained some respect but PK was atrocious.

Yes, this was his first series but on such pitches, even if he wasn’t able to run through the opposition, would have been less expensive with a few wickets. He did neither. I am afraid he is not an international class bowler. It also means that outside of Bumrah, Siraj and Shami, the bowling stocks are threadbare. No one knows what happened to Umran Malik or Kuldeep Sen, two bowlers capable of bowling at 150KMPH. The sooner India can find replacements for the trio, the better they can compete outside of India. It is not advisable to depend on the trio alone for all the games.

Other blogs about South Africa

Review of Australia in 2023

Posted on 15 January 202415 January 2024 by Bobji

Australia and especially their captain, Patrick Cummins has had a spectacular year. They will be thrilled with what they have achieved and they were all outside of home. Australia at home are almost unbeatable but they are slowly starting to become the force they once were outside of home. Cummins is building a team that has the capability of excelling in all conditions and against all opponents. He is also building a team with steely resolve. With the passing of every game and every series, Cummins has only grown stronger. In a few years down the road, he may even become the best Australian captain not in terms of wins though because I do not see him captaining that many games as a Ponting or Steve Waugh. Age is not on his side to be playing for that many years but a captain who was respected and appreciated by everyone.

There were several highs during the season and some lows but overall highs far outweighed the insignificant lows. There were multiple standout performers throughout the year with someone coming to the fore to deliver the knockout blow to the opponent.

Captain Cummins

Here is a bowler who had missed 5 years of his prime as a bowler because of a back injury. Cricket Australia treated him because they knew that they had with them a precious diamond and that it needed to be tended to and polished properly. His debut against South Africa all those years ago was spectacular with 6 wickets on debut but he left the scene with everyone not knowing whether he will be back a much better bowler. Not only did he come back fitter, stronger and a meaner bowler, he also became the captain of the Australian side that was struggling for a direction following the Steve Smith sandpapergate and Tim Paine’s texting fiasco. It wasn’t completely unexpected because Cummins was thought to be someone who has the potential to become a successful captain.

He led a successful side to Pakistan and led the team from the front in the 4-0 annihilation of England. However, all of that pales in comparison to what he achieved in 2023. Recently, in the 2^nd Test against Pakistan, he became only the 2^nd Australian captain after Allan Border to take 10 wickets in a match. His bowling average is just above 22. Only the great Glenn McGrath averages above him among the Australians.

“That was pretty special company being up there,” Cummins said.

That is an incredible achievement for someone whose career started a little later than normal. Just like Warne all those years ago, the moment Cummins picks up the ball, there is an air of expectation that a wicket is about to fall.

Most of the captains around the world, will be lucky to win one but Cummins achieved 3 in the space of 6 months. The WTC triumph, Ashes retained and the ODI World Cup.

Silencing the crowd

Prior to the start of the ODI World Cup final, Cummins spoke about silencing the more than 1L crowd at the Ahmedabad stadium. He was quite cocky when he said that during the press meet but what actually transpired during the game was exactly what he had promised.

The crowd’s obviously going to be very one-sided but, in sport there’s nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent and that’s the aim for us tomorrow.”

High of the season

There were multiple. The WTC trophy, the ODI World Cup, the series win against Pakistan towards the end of the year but for me, the definite high of the season for Australia was the drawn Ashes series. For every Aussie and every English, winning an Ashes series carries more significance than any other game. The tradition is more than 100 years old. With England’s resurgence through Bazball, England were thought to be the favourites to win the Ashes. However, what unravelled during the months of July and August was that a determined and confident Australian team, under an astute captain, wanted to continue their domination of England and were desperate to win the Ashes since 2005. Infact, if only Lyon had continued after the 2^nd Test, Australia would have won the series itself because of the impact Lyon created in the first couple of Tests.

Just like McGrath’s absence in 2005 impacted the series result, Lyon’s absence impacted in 2023. It was a question of one Test to win the Ashes outright but it wasn’t to be. Nevertheless, it takes a lot of effort nowadays with draw a series in England after the successful combination of Stokes and McCullum.

Lows of the season

The series loss in India. Australia were caught on pitches that they not favour their strokeplay and were found short. They regrouped after the 2^nd Test but it was too little too late. Who knows, if not for a manic morning during the 2^nd Test, Australia may have even walked away with the honours. If only Australia had won that series, it would have been their best achievement of the year notwithstanding an Ashes series win or any other white-ball supremacy.

Standout player

Travis Head with Cummins, Lyon and Starc coming close. Head because of his twin hundreds in the vital games. One during the WTC finals which firmly put the game beyond India’s purview and the other during the ODI World Cup final that ensured that Australia did not panic following the wicket of Steve Smith and were slightly tottering at 41/3.

Outrageous innings

Easily, it was Glenn Maxwell’s belligerence against Afghanistan. If Australia had lost that game, they would probably not have made it to the final 4. The assault was extraordinary. The Afghan bowlers ran out of ideas as to where to bowl. Maxwell was injured during the innings that perhaps had an effect on his batting.

Individual milestone

A special mention of Nathan Lyon who completed 500 Test wickets this year. He is an excellent bowler who hasn’t always been given credit. The fact that he has taken those wickets at more than 4 per Test despite bowling on spin least friendly pitches makes his achievement even more significant.

Wrapping up review of Australia in 2023

It is hard to see any other team attaining the same levels of performance in the coming years.

South Africa swats India away

Posted on 15 January 202415 January 2024 by Bobji

It was embarrassing to watch the Indian team succumb to an innings defeat inside 3 days in the first Test at Centurion. Infact, the batting display was shocking to say the least. With the exception of Rahul in the first innings and Kohli in the second innings, none of the other Indian batsmen showed technique, skill or the will to survive on a challenging wicket. It will not be wrong to state that South Africa swatted India away like swatting an annoying insect. This is not even that good a South African side. Dean Elgar is the most experienced with Temba Bavuma and Rabadda being the seniors. Ofcourse, they have a good bowling attack though inexperienced. Be that as it may, the display of the Indian batsmen was atrocious to say the least. Let me analyse in South Africa swats India away.

Yes, it was the players who lost on the field but what about the real culprit? The Board of Control for Cricket in India. They are the primary reason for such repeated debacles on foreign soil. None of the experts or commentators have the guts to point the finger at the board because of fear. I have written about the impotent board multiple times and hence, I do not want to repeat it. Instead, I would like to focus on the senior cricketers who remain silent all the time despite knowing the hardship involved in winning a series outside of India.

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Bumrah

All of them are quite experienced. They have travelled and played in South Africa multiple times. They must be aware of the difficulties involved in winning there. The fact that it is not easy to adjust to the pace and bounce of the South African pitches immediately is another point to consider. White-ball cricket is completely different from red-ball cricket. The moment it is Tests, the pitches will be tailor-made for the South African fast bowlers. Adjusting to that without any sort of preparation is tough. Where were all these players before the tour? They were on holiday. Ofcourse, it is their prerogative but just before an important series, that too after the loss in the ODI World Cup, the onus was on the senior cricketers to put their foot down to the board and tell them in no uncertain terms that proper preparation is compulsory before the series.

The result of such a faulty preparation was there for all to see. Kohli scored a fighting 70 but by that time, the match was done and dusted. With this, India has lost one more opportunity to win a series in South Africa. This is the 3^rd time. Before every South African series, the Indian senior players seem to think that all they have to do is to turn up in South Africa and they can win the series. Every time they have been proved wrong and these guys do not seem to have learnt any lesson. India must have the desire to be the best team in the world in all the formats for a very very longtime. Going by the looks of it, it seems that the players do not care about that and it is only the supporters who care about that.

Rohit Sharma does not believe in practice games

“We have been playing practice matches for the last five-six years,” he said. “We have even tried first-class matches, but we don’t get these kind of wickets in practice matches. It’s better we prepare on our own, make the pitch we want. When we last went to Australia, when we came to South Africa in 2018, the ball didn’t bounce above the knee on those pitches. In the Test, it flies above the head. Keeping these things in mind, we decided we would prepare in our own way.”

This is a load of rubbish on the part of Rohit. You are anyway batting against the bowlers in the nets. You are allowed to prepare the pitch according to the needs but it is completely different when it comes to practice games. The host may not prepare bouncy pitches but atleast, you will get to bat in the middle against a proper team. It will be a real match situation rather than some practice game within the team where the bowlers will not want to bowl at their best in fear of injuring someone.

Rohit also states that Prasidh Krishna, hasn’t played that many games because of injury. It is all the more reason to play a few practice games. Rohit knew quite well that Prasidh would be in the eleven in the absence of Shami.

It is not a question of whether the opposition played well but you were absolutely rubbish. With the bat and with the ball.

Winning in England and Australia

Rohit goes onto give the examples of England and Australia. In Australia, Indians did play a couple of practice games and in England, they reached the country 6 weeks in advance because of the Chinese virus. They were soundly thrashed by New Zealand before the WTC finals because of a lack of preparation. The long wait time before the 1^st Test against England, allowed them to perform well. It really is a shame that Rohit Sharma doesn’t appreciate the necessity of good preparation. Either he is too arrogant or stupid. Let us also remember that Rohit himself has a horrendous record in that country. An average of just above 10. He wasn’t even part of the team that toured in 2021. It has been awhile since he played in South Africa. It essentially calls for thorough preparation but the board and senior cricketers did not think was necessary.

Wrapping up South Africa swats India away

Whoever becomes the President of the BCCI, things will not change. None of them cares about the image of the team or that of the country. The senior cricketers are happy so long as they did just that little bit. It is only we the poor supporters who want the team to be respected by everyone and who want the country to be respected is left with whining all the time. We the Indian cricket supporters are destined to be satisfied with the odd performance here and there.

Other blogs about South Africa

Warne surgery and pay dispute

Posted on 14 January 202414 January 2024 by Bobji

Warne needed surgery to solve his shoulder problem that plagued him in 1998. By then, he had delivered lots of deliveries, during matches and also during practice. Leg spin requires a lot of effort to get the revolutions to drift, dip and spin the ball. In 1996, Warne returned from surgery on the finger and wondered whether he would be the same bowler again because it felt different. The fear was overcome with a wicked delivery to Chanderpaul that spun a long way from well outside of Chanderpaul’s off-stump to hit the middle. His second injury, the shoulder, flared up just before the India series in 1998. The spearhead of the Australian attack for that series was Warne because McGrath, Gillespie and Reiffel were injured. Warne surgery and pay dispute

After the series, he visited Greg Hoy who also operated on his finger. The doctor advised him to have the surgery immediately because the shoulder was on the blink. For 6 weeks, his shoulder was strapped tight. 4 screws were inserted on the shoulder to keep it steady. It was time for rehabilitation, twice a day, with therabands. It was increased to 5 times a day alongwith physio by Lyn Watson. No cricket for 6 months. As a side story, Russell Crowe damaged his shoulder and sought Warne’s help to mend it. Grey Hoy was again referred. Since then, Crowe and Warne became good friends. The surgery took sometime to heal completely.

The pay dispute

Warne now goes into the money that the Australian players were earning at time. The fee for the 1996 World Cup was 60K with a further 40K if they won. Pepsi asked Warne to do a commercial for them for 150K AUD but ACB refused permission because they were sponsored by Coca Cola. Hence, to take care of the interests of the players, including international and regional, Warne alongwith with Steve Waugh, Greg Matthews, Tim May & Dodemaide formed the players union. Tim May got in touch with James Erskine. James felt that 25% of the earning of the ACB must go to the players as against 13%. The 5 players mentioned above met James Canterbury to plan for a collective bargaining agreement to the board that will be signed by 120 players.

All of them visited the states to convince the players that this was for the benefit of all of them and not just the elite. The ACB Chairman, Denis Rogers, met Taylor and offered a deal which was rejected by all. The public thought that the players were greedy. Things worked out and the players and the ACB came to an understanding of 20% revenue share which will be increased to 25% in 4 years.

Captaincy & Steve Waugh controversy

It must be said that Australia lost the captainship services of Warne. He would have been the best over the last 40 years without a doubt. Such was his capability and abilityto think on the feet. Warne became the captain of the ODI side in 1999 because Mark Taylor retired and Steve Waugh was injured. This short captaincy tenure has not been written about. The story now jumps to 1999 in the West Indies, the scene of Warne being dropped from the eleven.

With Australia trailing 1-2, Steve Waugh opened the selection meeting between him, Warne being the vice-captain and the coach Geoff Marsh. Steve immediately says to Warne that he should not play the final Test because he wasn’t picking up wickets. Warne didn’t agree and was adamant that he is getting his bowling back and under pressure, he has always performed. Geoff Marsh too agrees to Warne playing but Steve was determined to drop Warne. They asked for Allan Border’s opinion who too said that Warne must play but Steve anyway decided to drop him. Waugh said that he is the captain and he decided to drop Warne. It was announced in the team meeting. Warne felt let down by a good friend. Throughout the game, he didn’t conduct himself well and remained grumpy.

The Herschelle Gibbs drop

The story now jumps to the 1999 ODI World Cup. Steve Waugh’s captaincy was on the line having lost to New Zealand and Pakistan. Against South Africa, something happened the night before which stands as a testimony to Warne’s brilliant cricketing acumen. In his own words, “One thing. If Herschelle Gibbs catches you, stand your ground, because he never holds the ball long enough before he throws it in the air in celebration”. As we all know, that was exactly what happened when Gibbs caught Steve Waugh or rather dropped Waugh. The semi-final against South Africa is now stuff of folklore. Warne was the MOM in both the semi-final and final. He was back at his best.

It does not matter that everyone with whom you play must be your friend but the moment the boundary line is crossed, you play for the rest. It is team and country that gets paramount. Shane had the same philosophy despite his differences with Steve Waugh.

Other parts of the autobiography

Warne and the art of spin

Posted on 14 January 202414 January 2024 by Bobji

Warne talks about spin bowling. The first thing he looks for in a spinner is whether he is able to spin the ball. Next, does he search for wickets, the format does not matter, because ultimately, the game comes down to wickets and runs. How does he go about setting the field? Then the bowling action, the position and the angle of release. If the ball does not spin, then the action must be changed. Warne also feels that the grip must be loose and comfortable. It must not be too tight as other coaches usually advise. A decent batsman will be able to pick up any spinner from the hand quite easily and hence, the spinner must distract and unsettle the batsman. This is about Warne and the art of spin

Basics for a spinner

The spinner must play on the mind of the batsman by constantly moving the field, basically giving the impression that he is incharge. Warne was a master at this. He could read how a batsman is in a matter of few overs. Whether he could bat slow or quickly. How he grips the bat or takes guard and whether he can pick Warne from the hand. Warne also gives an example of thinking a batsman out. This time, it was Gooch. He positioned a fielder at 45 degrees behind square as both an attacking catcher and a pressure builder and also left most of the leg-side open. He began round the wicket and bowled straight for awhile and finally, a big wide one. It spun and Gooch was bowled around his legs.

Warne is adamant that wind is not the reason for dip and drift. It is all about angles and revolution. The batsman will be able to predict the wind but will not be able to predict revolutions. If a leg-spinner is able to put in lots of revolutions on the ball, the ball will dip and for an off-spinner, it will drift away. It can happen even against the wind. The less the revolution, the lesser the chance of troubling the batsman. The position from where the ball is delivered creates the angle that challenges the batsman.

The bowler must call the shots

Warne advocates that the bowler must dictate terms about what shot must the batsman play. Ofcourse, whatever he says, it is all from his perspective of being a bowler. If the pitch is slow, the bowler must bowl full and if it is quick, shorter is alright but with more over spin. It will give the batsman less time to adjust. He preferred bowling against the wind because the ball would hold and with the Sun behind him because it would be difficult for the batsman to read from the hand.

Young spinners needs patience above all else. Warne took one wicket every 10 overs. So patience is the key. Again, Warne is all praise for his coach Terry Jenner. Wherever he went, he would call Terry regularly just to let off some steam. Before the 2005 Ashes, Warne spent an enormous amount of time with Terry because he felt that something with his bowling was not correct. Warne’s passion for leg spin is quite well-known. Leg spin is a tough art. It requires courage and also the support of the captain. Off-spin is easy to bowl and easy to hit but to be a good offspinner, it takes patience and practice. Bowling around the wicket is quite tough because it needs lots of practice to get it perfect.

How to bowl?

A strong action is necessary and the bowler will have to complete his action. Warne is appreciative of Tendulkar and Lara. Tendulkar he says was quick on his feet and went down the pitch easily. So the margin for error was low. Lara was able to pierce the gaps with great accuracy. The chapter closes with the mention of some of the favourite grounds of Warne with Melbourne taking the cake. Leg spin is back in fashion and it will be an understatement to state that Warne played a part in its revival. He was the reason leg spin has been revived. People thronged stadiums in the expectation that something, anything will happen as and when Warne is handed the ball.

The craze that he has created for the type of bowling is unbelievable. Sure, Kumble and Mushtaq were still playing at that time but they did not have the same impact as Warne. Kumble did not turn the ball that much and Mushtaq was inconsistent. It would not be wrong to say that Warne did the bulk of the work to revive the art.

The BCCI blundered again

Posted on 14 January 202414 January 2024 by Bobji

One more series in South Africa and one more time the BCCI blundered again. This has been repeating for so many years that the board just refuses to learn any lesson from the previous debacle. The board have once again tied the hands and sent the players into the bullring. South Africa is not an easy country to tour for Asian nations though Sri Lanka can lay claim to the only series win by an Asian nation in South Africa. They were brutalised in the very next series must also be pointed out. India among all the Asian nations has the best possible team to win multiple series in that country but we have a board that is determined not to support the team with what is necessary.

The disappointment of another white-ball World Cup still lingers upon every Indian. This could somewhat assuaged by a series win in South Africa but the BCCI will have none of it. All they care about is money and multiple truckloads of them. Barely 4 days after the final loss, the board scheduled 5 meaningless and stupid T20 games against Australia. Within a week of that series, some players travelled to South Africa for another set of white-ball games. What nonsense scheduling is this?

Board presidents are useless

Whoever becomes the President of that board, it does not really matter. Whether it is former cricketers like Roger Binny, Saurav Ganguly or pure administrators like Bindra, Jagmohan Dalmiya, nothing changes in the board.

Administrators atleast are understandable because they have absolutely zero knowledge of the game and are influenced by the money in it. However, what about the former cricketers? Especially, someone like Ganguly who has played the game in this millennium and who knows a thing or two about winning series outside the country? His tenure as the President of the BCCI wasn’t that productive either. A lot of changes were expected under him but he took care of himself properly and did not move anything for the betterment of the game and the cricketers.

South Africa is a tough place to play Test cricket. It needs the skill, determination and spirit of a team like Australia to win there consistently. England too have won a couple of series but Australia for more than 25 years since South Africa’s readmission, remained undefeated in a series in South Africa. That takes a lot of brilliance. It helped that Australia had several world-class cricketers to be able to do that. What about India? We do not have that many great players in the team. Even the ones that we have, are rather inconsistent in that country. Which leads to the question of proper preparation.

Lack of proper preparation

Where was that? Did the Indians expect to land in South Africa and start to score runs straightaway? Don’t they have sufficient experience by now to realise that that is never possible? On multiple tours, the team got off to a bad start because they weren’t exposed to the conditions properly. Why didn’t the board send the players 2-3 weeks in advance? What was the need for 5 pointless games against Australia? In the first choice eleven, except for Rahul, no one else, has played any game in South Africa during the current tour. For that matter, Rahul himself, played only white-ball games. Shreyas Iyer, who is known to be a sitting duck against the short-ball and who is expected to receive loads of them, shouldn’t he be in South Africa well in advance and prepared for the Tests?

If only the board had a vision of helping the team to win in South Africa, first, they would not have scheduled the games against Australia. Second, they would have ensured that the players got sufficient practice games before the first Test. Third, absolutely no one would have been allowed to skip any part of the tour. These are some of the basic necessities. Before you tour any of the SENA countries, this is mandatory.

By now, I must stop expecting BCCI to care for the game and the image of the team having known that they worry only about money and will go onto schedule more and more games. They know that in this country, people will watch any cricket game even if it is between a donkey and a dog. One only needs to witness the crowd watching a bunch of over-the-hill and impotent veterans engaged in a league. That is the level of madness this country displays.

FIFA’s involvement in India

I am waiting for the day Indian football wakes up and starts to qualify for the football World Cup consistently and one day, win the World Cup. Football being a much more popular sport than cricket can ever become, a substantial number of sponsors may start to drift towards that sport. It will result in cricket and the BCCI losing crores which will make them more invested in the image of the cricket team. This will force the board to place results of paramount importance which will lead to bigger profits. BCCI must learn the hardway.

FIFA, the football governing body, has now started to increasingly see India as a viable option to develop the game. They seem to bet heavily on India and Arsene Wenger, the world renowned coach was sent multiple times to survey the passion for the game and the potential on display. Indian Football too is looking to recruit some of the Indian descent players playing in various leagues around the world to play for India. Plans are afoot but for the sake of an Indian cricket supporter, it cannot come sooner.

Wrapping up the BCCI blundered again

BCCI needs a severe jolt for them to take the wellness of the game and of the players and the spectators and the image of the national team be given top priority. Until that happens, things will remain the same because The Board Of Control for Cricket in India, that is a mega name for a cricket board, does not care about any of that.

Other blogs about BCCI

https://icricketcritique.com/roger-binny-the-new-bcci-president/
https://icricketcritique.com/one-more-warning-for-the-administrators/
https://icricketcritique.com/removal-of-the-entire-indian-selection-panel/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-role-of-a-cricket-captain/
https://icricketcritique.com/rohit-dravid-the-team-and-the-board/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-curious-case-of-sarfaraz-khan/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-importance-of-the-ranji-trophy/