Cricket Today

news EDITOR SPEAKS preview cover story interview trivia 04 Cricket Today
March 2009
EDITORIAL BOARD
The Kiwis beckon Editor-in-Chief

Sunandan Lele
Editor
Manish Verma
Managing Editor
Rakesh Pandey
a
s February ends and March only look up as a new captain takes
sets on, the Indian team has charge in Younus Khan. That they will be Sub Editor
left for the tour to New playing their first ever test series at Chetan Narula
Zealand. The Indian team has home in quite some time can also be Contributing Editors
set itself on a path to great- counted as a plus. Meanwhile, South S. Pervez Qaiser, Partab Ramchand,
ness and it seems that with the win in Sri Africa’s new born status of number one, Sreelata S Yellamrazu, Haresh Pandya
Lanka, they have completed the first in both ODIs and tests will be severely Graphic Designer
level and now need to raise themselves tested in the next couple of months, as Lalita Adhikari
to a higher next level. The tour to New Australia make a return visit to this coun- Media Relations Officer
Zealand marks the first step of this next try. While they are still the champions in Monica Bhardwaj
level. longer format, how long with that last Production Co-ordinator
Winning the series there will not be an against a rampant Proteas side remains Sunil Chaudhary
easy proposition in either the ODIs or the to be seen. The same can be said of the Photos
Tests, for almost the entire squad is ODIs where South Africa will look to A.P.
going there for the first time. Bar four prove that the series win in Australia
or five players who had visited in 2003, recently was no flash in the pan either. BUSINESS OFFICE
or before that, the whole team will be Coupled with India’s tour to New Zealand, DIAMOND MAGAZINES PVT. LTD.
faced with the challenge of acclimatizing the clash of South Africa and Australia is X-30, Okhla Ind. Area,
to the conditions, which are windy and bound to keep cricket lovers Ph-2, New Delhi-20,
seam friendly to say the least. And then fixated to the TV screens for Tel 011-40712100
there is the fear of the unknown. the next two months, as the Fax (011) 41611866
Thanks to the ICL, the New three teams will be involved in Director (Mktg.) Manish Verma,
Zealand team nowadays bears a three way fight for the hal- E-mail : manish@dpb.in
a new look and it is tough to lowed number one ranking in
identify the strengths or both forms of the game. And ADVERTISING OFFICES
weaknesses of many of to be world champions, in either Delhi Vivek Parashar, M. P. Singh, Vimal
its players. Obviously, tests or ODIs, you have Malhotra, Sudhesh, Nikhil (011)
India will be looking out to be the number one
to find even the slight- Winning the team in the world as
40712100
Mumbai Praveen Chandra, C. Garima
est chink in their series there will Graeme Smith tells us in 9820129206
armory and we take a an exclusive chat with
look at how best they
not be an easy the South African cap-
Kolkata Biswajit Dasgupta 9830092763
Bangalore MQ Networks Pvt.Ltd.
can do it. The series proposition in tain right before the all 09980543965 Kanpur Sundhaya
win in Sri Lanka was
the second for the
either the ODIs important clash with the
Aussies.
Tewari 09415291020 Jaipur Suresh
team in that country or the Tests, for We also have an interac-
Kaushik 9829103129 Indore Ramesh
C. Nagar, Kanta Nagar 9302113401
in the last six months almost the tion with former India Nagpur S.M. Khisti 9822202082
and with that win, the captain Sourav Ganguly
Indian skipper MS
entire squad is who looks back to the
Chennai Sathish C. Anand 9841023010
Hyderabad A.R. Media Solutions
Dhoni became the going there for times when he mooted 9246336642 Ahmedabad Madan
most successful cap-
tain after leading his
the first time. the idea of Rahul Dravid
keeping wickets for India
Menon 9898002522 Coimbatore D.
Rahul 9443372246 Bhopal S.B. Sharma
team in forty ODIs at in the ODIs. It is well 9425024386 Raipur V. Sridhar
a success rate of sixty known that he had a 9893309558 Patna S Prashant
seven percent. Not to forget, the Indian good chemistry with the 9835369916 Punjab Puneet Arya
team has recently completed their most then coach John Wright, and 9316969911
successful run of nine ODI wins under so this example does form the Bhubaneshwar Madhusmita Hota
him as well. So now the obvious question background for a though provoking 9937027768.
arises, if he is indeed the best captain piece on the fight that is ensuing
ever? Is it too early to crown him so or between the captain and coach of a Copyright
are we yet to see him fiddle with the team. Between them, who has more 2005 "Cricket Today" is a registered trademark of
questions that foreign tours and alien authority? We also take a look at domes- The Diamond Group. All rights reserved. No Part of
this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
conditions will pose in the near future. tic cricket with the Ranji toppers as well retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
As a cover feature, we ponder on the as Amol Mazumdar’s heroic career for any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied,
recorded or otherwise, without prior permission.
same question as well. Mumbai. And our regular columns, Printed & Published by Manish Verma and Edited by
International cricket finds quite some Willowy Words and Greats of the Game Manish Verma on behalf of Diamond Magazines Pvt.
space in our current issue. While Pakistan are back, along with the ever present Ltd. Printed at Best Photo Offset Printers, A-81,
D.D.A. Shed, Okhla Industrial area, Phase-II, New Delhi-
cricket is ever more in turmoil, things can Down Memory Lane. Happy reading! 20
news CONTENTS letter preview cover story interview trivia 06 Cricket Today
March 2009
CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS NEW JERSEY FOR MEN IN

BLUE - 18
THE BCCI AWARDS - 20
THE RANJI TOPPERS - 28
INDIA’S TOUR OF NEW

ZEALAND - 34
COACH VERSUS CAPTAIN:
14
IS IT EVEN A RAGING
BATTLE? - 38
DRAVID WAS AUTOMATIC

CHOICE IN ODI XI:
GANGULY - 44
LAST WARNING SERVED -

48
ANOTHER SUMMIT
SCALING EXPEDITION! - 60
SA: NEARING THE NO.1

POSITION - 64
SAFS STORY –
20 RESOUNDING CAMPAIGNS
END IN NO.1 DOWN
UNDER - 72
AMOL MUZUMDAR: A
STRANGE STORY OF
PROMISE UNFULFILLED - 76
TUFF TIME FOR PAKISTAN

CRICKET - 80
68 BEYOND 22YARDS - 84
GREATS OF THE
84 GAME:“JACKIE”MCGLEW-
92
2ND ALL INDIA ELITE

CELEBRATION CUP 2009 -
99
INDIA’S FIRST WIN OVER

WEST INDIES - 100
news PHOTO FEATURE content review interview trivia 08 Cricket Today
March 2009
Men in Blue : All set for Kiwi challenge
ento
anguly with a mem
CAB presented G am of pure gold The Captain getting ready for battle
made of one kilogr
Cricket Today
March 2009 09 editor speaks contents letter book review interview market mania
Cricket heroes with NSG heroes
Skipper and his deputy cracking up

news NEWS UPDATE preview cover story interview trivia 10 Cricket Today
March 2009
by Rakesh Pandey
PONTING OPTS OUT OF IPL FOR
NATIONAL DUTY
Australia skipper Ricky Ponting recently revealed
that he will skip this year’s Indian Premier League
starting April to concentrate on national commit-
ments.
“My country comes first and there was no way I
could give my all for Australia if I used the only
two-week break we have to go and play in India,”
Ponting, who is contracted with the IPL team
Kolkata Knight Riders, wrote in his column in The
Australian.
“I have been talking with my team, the Kolkata
Knight Riders for a month or two now and in the
end my only choice was to withdraw from the
2009 competition, but I will most certainly be back
for 2010 when I hope to be able to make a much
greater contribution,” he said.
Ponting, who is currently in South Africa with the
Australian squad for a Test and one-day series,
thanked Knight Riders for letting him go this time
around.
sidering retiring from Test RP, CHAWLA VISIT

cricket after national selec- MAHAKALESHWAR TEMPLE
tors ignored him for the two-
match home series against Cricketers R P Singh and Piyush Chawla recently visited
Sri Lanka, which started the famous Mahakaleshwar temple at Ujjain.
recently. Left-arm speedster R P Singh and leg-spinner Chawla
The 28-year-old Afridi said he arrived quietly in the temple town to perform religious
was disappointed over his rituals, temple sources said.
failure to impress the selec- Later in a brief interaction with the media persons,
tors ahead of the opening Singh said that he likes to come to Ujjain for visiting
Test against Sri Lanka and Mahakal.
added that he would retire The speedster had also visited Ujjain few months back
from Test cricket if Pakistan to seek the blessings of Lord Mahakal.
continued to ignore him for India’s skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni had also paid a
the longer version of the visit to the temple sometime ago, sources said.
game.
“I was looking forward to
earning a place in the Test
squad,” said Afridi, who has
not been in Pakistan’s Test
picture for almost three
years.
“But I respect the selectors’
decision,” he stressed.
Afridi played the last of his
AFRIDI CONSID- 26 Tests in the summer of
2006 against England in
ERING TEST Manchester. Since then
RETIREMENT national selectors have cur-
tailed his role to one-dayers
Pakistan’s senior all-rounder and Twenty20 internationals.
Shahid Afridi is seriously con-
Cricket Today
IPL MAY SOON HIT A

THEATRE NEAR YOU
Following a spate of requests from cin-
ema theatre owners in the country,
the Indian Premier League has decided
to float tenders to sell these rights for
the 2009 IPL season commencing on
April 10.
“We have received requests from many
chains of cinema theatres. We have
decided to issue tenders for selling
these rights for one year or so. We will
decide on continuing this after seeing
how it goes on,” said IPL chairman Lalit
Modi.
The IPL matches last for around three
hours and are ideally suited for theatre
goers.
CRICKET TO FEATURE IN
SOUTH ASIAN GAMES
Cricket will be included in next year’s
South Asian Games to be staged in
Dhaka, a regional Olympic official said.
“India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh
and Nepal have already agreed to par-
ticipate in cricket,” Kutubuddin Ahmed,
secretary-general of the Bangladesh
Olympic Association, told reporters
after a meeting in Kathmandu.
A Twenty20 competition at under-21
level would feature in the games for
the eight-nation grouping, to be
staged from January 29 to February9
next year, he added.
DHONI FACE OF KOLKATA

FASHION WEEK
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is all set to
be the brand ambassador of the first ever Kolkata
Fashion Week to be held in April.
“Ours will be an annual event. Dhoni will be the
face of the event for four years. He has already
shot several promos for the show,” Yudhajit
Dutta, managing director of Mindscape Group of
companies that is organising the event, told
reporters.
Dhoni, however, will not be present for the first
edition of the show, being held from April 2-5 as
he would be away in New Zealand with the Indian
team.
“We wanted a personality who is outside the
state, can grab media spotlight and also has great
appeal among the youth. Dhoni fits all these crite -
ria,” Dutta said.
Thirty five top Indian models and 15 designers will
participate in the fashion event, he added.
match report preview cover story breaking news interview trivia 12 Cricket Today
March 2009
AZHAR STARTS POLITICAL

CAREER WITH CONGRESS
After initial denial, former Indian captain Mohammad
Azharuddin joined the Congress recently.
Azhar officially joined the party at a packed press
conference and will probably contest from one of the
three constituencies falling in Hyderabad in the forth-
coming Lok Sabha elections.
He is likely to be projected as the Congress’ new
Muslim face, to take on the All India Majlis Ittehadul
Muslimeen.
Azharuddin last played for India in 2000 before being
handed out a life ban for match-fixing by the BCCI.
Last year cricketer-turned-politician Dodda Ganesh and
a close friend of Azhar joined the Janata Dal Secular.
It was Azharuddin who reportedly advised Ganesh to
join the JDS though he was being wooed by other
national parties as well.
One of India’s most successful cricketers, Azharuddin’s
innings came to an abrupt end after a disciplinary
committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) imposed a life ban on him in December 2000.
Azharuddin challenged the ban in a court. The case is
dragging on. Azharuddin now runs a successful event
management firm as well as a health club called Est.
TENDULKAR UNCOM-
FORTABLE WITH FANS
TOUCHING FEET
He doesn’t receive letters written in
blood any more, but Sachin Tendulkar
says that he does not feel comfort-
able when a fan touches his feet and
tells him he is God.
Tendulkar, whose achievements with
the bat have won him fans worldwide,
says the adulation never ceases to
surprise him.
“I used to receive letters written in
blood... but not any more. It feels
strange when a fan comes and touch-
es your feet and says you are God. I
don’t feel comfortable with it, but it
is the way they feel about you... that
happened again just a couple of
weeks ago actually,” he says.
In a light-hearted interview published
in celebrity magazine ‘OK!’, Tendulkar
spoke about his love for Ferrari cars,
his post-retirement plans and how he
handles criticism.
Tendulkar said retirement thoughts
were far away from his mind at the
moment but he may start a business
when he stops playing competitive
cricket.
Cricket Today
March 2009 13 editor speaks contents letter
ASIF NOW EYES COUNTY STINT AFTER IPL BAN

Pakistan’s banned pacer Mohammad Asif is trying to negotiate a contract with
an English county to keep himself in touch with the game while serving the pun -
ishment handed out to him for failing a dope test.
Asif is serving a one-year ban imposed on him by the Indian Premier League
drugs inquiry tribunal for testing positive during a dope test last year during the
IPL.
The ban period ends on September 22. The pacer has not played for Pakistan
since last year as he was also suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board since July
15 for the failed dope test.
“I just want to keep myself fit and ready for my return to international cricket
when the ban period ends,” Asif, who has played 11 Tests, said.
RBS BANKRUPT AFTER SIGNING SACHIN & CO.

A spendthrift Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) spent £200 million on sponsorship
deals with Sachin Tendulkar and other top sportsmen just weeks before being
bailed out by the British government, a newspaper reported recently.
The Sunday Times said the bank, which is now 68 per cent owned by the tax-
payer, signed the long-term contracts before being bailed by the British gov-
ernment in October.
Former RBS chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin agreed contracts of up to five
years.
Apart from Sachin, the stars signed as ‘global ambassadors’ include Zara
Phillips, the rider and granddaughter of the Queen, Jack Nicklaus, the golfer,
and Sir Jackie Stewart, the former motor racing champion.
The news comes after the bank announced that it had made a loss of £28
billion last year.
Treasury select committee member MP John Mann told the paper: “They
have been reckless yet again. This doesn’t seem to be a bank that could do
anything in moderation. It now needs to realise the golden days are over.”
March 2009
FEMALE FANS WISH DHONI ON

VALENTINE’S DAY
The proof that Indian cricket skipper Mahendra Singh
Dhoni has a large female following was visible on
Valentine’s Day as many young women gathered out-
side his residence and presented cards and roses to his
relatives, as he was not in the city.
The women, who gathered outside the Indian captain’s
house under the banner of the Dhoni Fan Club, shout-
ed slogans such as “Dhoni is our Valentine. We love you
Dhoni”.
The fans were carrying posters, cards and roses to
present to the relatives of Dhoni.
“We love Dhoni from the bottom of our heart. We
came here to express our feeling and love for Dhoni,”
said Alka Das.
Echoing her view, Supriya, another fan, said: “It is sad
that Dhoni is not in Ranchi on Valentine’s Day. We miss
him.”
RICHARDS, ROBERTS,
HOLDING IN ICC HALL
OF FAME
West Indies greats Vivian Richards,
Andy Roberts and Michael Holding
were presented the ICC Cricket Hall
of Fame caps to formally induct
them into the exalted honour list of
the world governing body.
The former cricketers were present-
ed with their Hall of Fame caps by
West Indies Cricket Board President
Dr Julian Hunte on the field of play
during the lunch interval on day two
of the third Test between the hosts
and England at the Antigua
Recreation Ground.
The trio are among 13 West Indies
legends and 55 players worldwide
who are being inducted into the ICC
Cricket Hall of Fame, which is being
run in association with Federation of
International Cricketers’ Associations
(FICA).
Previously, during South Africa’s tour
of Australia, former South Africa
batsman Barry Richards and Australia
wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh received
their caps.
The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame initiative
forms part of the ICC’s centenary
celebrations which are focused on
celebrating the unique heritage of
the game and cricket’s enduring spir-
it.
Cricket Today
WORLD CUP TO OPEN IN

BANGLADESH: ICC
International Cricket Council Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat
has said that the opening ceremony of the 2011 Cricket
World Cup will take place in Bangladesh on February 19,
2011.
“We have decided that the opening ceremony and the
opening game will take place on February 19, 2011 which is
a Saturday in Bangladesh. We had a preliminary discussions
about the number of matches to be played over 15 ven-
ues,” Lorgat said after the meeting of the 2011 World Cup
Central Organising Committee.
Lorgat said that the mega-event will be no longer than six
weeks after its scheduled start on February 19, 2011.
“We are planning to reduce the time-span, not to go
beyond the six-week period. The last two weeks of
February and March. We are looking to shorten the period
down to six weeks,” he said.
“We want a shorter and sharper tournament not beyond six
weeks and if my memory serves me right, not more than
49 games,” he said.
BENAUD TO RETIRE
FROM COMMENTARY
NEXT YEAR
Former Australian captain Richie
Benaud will retire from television com-
mentary next year. The 78-year-old
told Sydney radio he was quitting after
his current contract ends in 12
months.
“I’ll be doing Australian cricket next
year, 2010, but I don’t do any television
at all anywhere else now and when I
finish next year, then I’ll be doing other
things,” he said.
Benaud played 63 Tests for Australia
between 1952 and 1964, captaining his
country 28 times but was just as well
known for his media work as his playing
career.
He began a full-time career in cricket
commentary after his retirement, split-
ting his time between Britain and
IPL CHEERLEADERS GET THEIR BOLLYWOOD Australia.
TOUCH
Bollywood choreographer Shiamak Davar is all set to tutor Angels - the cheer-
leaders of superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata
Knight Riders.
Davar, the man behind hit dance sequences in films like Dil To Pagal Hai, Taal,
Bunty Aur Babli, Dhoom 2 and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, has been zeroed in on as
the choreographer for an upcoming television reality show Knights & Angels, a
source from the channel told reporters.
The show, which aims at selecting six cheerleaders for Shah Rukh’s team, is
being produced by the actor’s TV production house Red Chillies Idiot Box.
The programme will be hosted by veejay-turned-actor Purab Kohli and will be
telecast every Saturday starting February 28.
March 2009
SRI LANKA CRICKET GETS

LUCRATIVE SPONSORSHIP DEAL
Sri Lanka’s second largest mobile phone operator has
agreed to a three-year deal worth nearly $5 million to
sponsor the island’s cricket team, Sri Lanka Cricket said.
Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel takes over as main sponsor
of the national team from April.
The team is currently sponsored by Malaysia’s Dialog
Telekom, in a deal worth $89,000 for a three-month
period that ends in March.
Sri Lanka’s national team includes Test and one-day
cricket’s leading wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan.
Sri Lanka Cricket called for fresh bids for a long-term
sponsor in January after the national team failed to
attract backers because of the ongoing economic
slowdown in the country, Sports Minister Gamini
Lokuge said.
Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel had offered the highest bid
of $4.85 million, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.
“Current sponsors Dialog Telekom and National
Development Bank were also among the bidders,” the
statement said. The previous team sponsor, Sri Lanka’s
Dilmah Tea, paid $2 million over a three-year period.
FIT-AGAIN JONES GUNNING

FOR ASHES RETURN
Former England fast bowler Simon Jones has
revealed that he is fit again and ready to tear
through the Aussies this summer.
The Worcestershire pacer has suffered a cruel run
of knee injuries since his 18 wickets in four Tests
helped England win the 2005 Ashes, reports The
Sun.
Last season brought renewed hope of an England
return, with 42 wickets from nine first-class games,
before further surgery was required.
But with his pre-season fitness looking promising,
the proud Welshman is eyeing the first Ashes Test
at Cardiff on July 8.
KAPIL HITS OUT AT BCCI IN HIGH COURT

Former India captain Kapil Dev lashed out at BCCI in the Delhi High
Court saying that it has put pressure on public sector undertakings
(PSUs) and other organisations for taking punitive action against
players joining its rival Indian Cricket League (ICL).
The former all-rounder, however, said that the Board has never
been disrespectful to him as a cricketer before and after retire-
ment.
Kapil made the remark while appearing before Registrar of Delhi
High Court, Pawan Kumar Jain, for cross examination by the Board
on his allegations for taking punitive actions against former crick-
eters who have joined ICL.
The former cricketer in his affidavit had alleged that the Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was neglecting former cricketers
who served the nation and is taking punitive action by stopping
their pension and other post-retirement benefits.
news FRESH content preview cover story interview trivia 18 Cricket Today
March 2009
here is no doubt about the outfit. with his answers, choosing to add a “ask
t
great comaraderie among the “I think that particular team set the Dhoni” to all his replies. Asked if he was
members of the Dhoni led pattern of play for the future genera- happy batting at No. 4, Yuvraj said,
Indian side. The way the players tions of cricketers to come,” said “Very happy, but you have to ask Dhoni.
have fun in the company of Sivaramakrishnan of his 1985-team. He decides the batting order.”
each other was for all to see at Mumbai He was followed on stage by a member That humorous vein continued in
recently during the launch of their new of the 1996 Indian World Cup team and Yuvraj’s answer to whether he would
ODI kit. India’s current bowling coach, Venkatesh seek Dhoni’s permission before appeal-
The outfit, with striking dark blue Prasad. ing too, he said: “I appeal to the leg
colours, was revealed at a glittering Former batsman Vinod Kambli was his umpire.”
function organised by the official kit usual gregarious self as he walked down Up next was Zaheer Khan who said ‘he
sponsor of the Indian team, Nike.
New jersey
Indian captain MS Dhoni was the centre
of all attention as he along with team-
mates in the Indian dressing-room were
paraded on the stage.
For the skipper, the new jersey is better
for more than one reason.
for men in blue

“We have been using the last jersey for
a long time and hopefully this one
won’t get dirty; so our laundry charges
will be lesser with this one,” joked Dhoni.
Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Rohit
Sharma, Dinesh Karthik and Pragyan the ramp with the panache of a veteran enjoyed the responsibility of leading the
Ojha were among those on stage, and in the India colours of 1997, while Robin attack’.
the players showed off their ability as Singh sported the 1999 World Cup “You have to do the right things, like
ramp models too by making heads turn colours. the elder brother advising the younger
with a catwalk. Master of ceremonies Harsha Bhogle brother. You have to be spot on before
Spirits were high as a confident set of kept the audience in good humour with guiding the youngsters,” Zaheer said.
players prepare to undertake what his short Q&A sessions with MS Dhoni Even as Zaheer was speaking Yuvraj
promises to be a stern test in New and his men. prodded Bhogle to ask the pacer about
Zealand. “I am a bit scared of heights. I have not being the leader off the field too.
The unveiling of India’s new jersey was tried bungee jumping,” Said Dhoni who Zaheer, taking a leaf out of Yuvraj’s
also an occasion to walk down memory has been invited by Ministry of Tourism book, replied: ‘you must ask Dhoni’.
lane. Member of the 1985 Benson and in Auckland to try bungee jumping. A new shade of blue for the members
Hedges World Championship winning “According to the contract (the players of the Indian team who had a phenome-
team in Australia, Laxman sign contracts with the BCCI before nal run with the last jersey and with the
Sivaramakrishnan got the function off every tour), we cannot do bungee aim of being the best in the world, will
to a thunderous start by walking in kit- jumping.” the nex jersey bring them that extra bit
ted in the colours of that victorious Yuvraj Singh was at his usual witty self of luck.
match BCCI AWARDS report trivia content news interview 20 Cricket Today
March 2009
t
he annual BCCI awards ceremo-
ny was held in Mumbai before
the departure of the Indian
team for New Zealand, to com-
memorate the outstanding per-
formers of the 2007-08 season. The
Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) disbursed Rs.25 lakh at the
awards function held on 18th February
2009.
Virender Sehwag received the Polly
Umrigar Trophy and Rs. 5 lakh for out-
standing performance in international
cricket. Sehwag had made a successful
return to the Indian Test team on the
2007-08 tour of Australia after being
overlooked for away series in
Bangladesh and England, and the home
contest against Pakistan. Since then, he
has been in prolific form, scoring 1462
in 14 Tests in 2008 at an average of
56.23 and strike-rate of 85.84, including
a blistering triple-century in Chennai
against South Africa. He was also part
of India’s victorious team at the World
Twenty20 in South Africa in September
The BCCI Awards

2007.
Other honours awarded at the BCCI
08 season as the leading run-getter in
the Ranji Trophy Super League, with
lakh with the honour.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and
awards ceremony for 2007-08 included 807 runs at 73.36. Uttar Pradesh medi- star off-spinner Harbhajan Singh also
Cheteshwar Pujara and Sudeep Tyagi, um-pacer Tyagi took 41 wickets at 21.63 got special honours during the annual
who won prizes for the best batsman apiece. awards ceremony. Dhoni, who received
and bowler in domestic cricket. Pujara Former India captain Gundappa the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and
and Tyagi won Rs 1 lakh each and the Viswanath was chosen for the CK Padma Shri, was given a special award
Madhavrao Scindia Award. Pujara, who Nayudu lifetime achievement award. He for leading Indian cricket to new heights
plays for Saurashtra, finished the 2007- also received a cash amount of Rs.15 during the past year. Similarly,
Cricket Today
Harbhajan too was felicitated for taking awards to the Maharashtra Cricket M A Chidambaram Trophy (Under-19):
300 Test wickets in his career, a feat he Association (best overall performance in Bhuvneshwar Kumar (UP)
achieved last year in the series against the season). M A Chidambaram Trophy (Under-22):
England, and receiving the Padma Shri Rahul Dewan (Delhi)
earlier this year. LIST OF AWARDEES: M A Chidambaram Trophy (Best Woman
Maharashtra’s Ankit Bawane, Punjab’s CK Nayudu Award: G R Viswanath (Rs. 15 Cricketer): Mithali Raj
Mandeep Singh, UP’s Bhuvneshwar lakhs) M A Chidambaram Trophy (Best Junior
Kumar and Delhi’s Rahul Dewan were Polly Umrigar Award: Virender Sehwag Woman Cricketer): M D Thirushkamini.
awarded the MA Chidambaram Trophy (Rs 5 lakh)
for the best Under-15, Under-17, Under- Madhavrao Scindia Award (Batsman): SPECIAL AWARDS:
19 and Under-22 cricketer respectively. Cheteshwar Pujara Maharashtra: Best Overall Performance
Former India captain Mithali Raj and Madhavrao Scindia Award (Bowler): in the 2007-08 season.
legspinner Thirush Kamini were named Sudeep Tyagi Mahendra Singh Dhoni: For receiving the
the best woman cricketers. Each of M A Chidambaram Trophy (Under-15): Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award & Padma
these winners received a cash prize of Ankit Bawane (Maharashtra) Shri.
Rs.50000. M A Chidambaram Trophy (Under-17): Harbhajan Singh: For taking 300 Test
The BCCI also handed out special Mandeep Singh (Punjab) wickets and receiving the Padma Shri.
match DHONI EFFECT report content news market magic 22 Cricket Today
March 2009
c
ut back to the 2nd ODI
between India and Sri Lanka
in the recently concluded
five match series in the
Emerald Isles. India had set a
not too stiff target in front of the
hosts and they were having some
trouble defending it. Sri Lanka too
were showing the stomach for a fight
after the abject capitulation in the
first match and they knew they had a
chance as Indian spearhead Zaheer
Khan was showing signs of fatigue for
the first time in twelve months. A
fielding error by Pragyan Ojha had skip-
per, and keeper, MS Dhoni questioning
his commitment with raised arms and
arched brows. Clearly, captain cool was
irritated.
Ishant Sharma, the second half of the
most vaunted fast bowling pair in
world cricket today, scalped three
by Chetan Narula
Captain
Courageous
Cricket Today
wickets in the dying overs to finish off

the chase and win India the match. India
won, took a 2-0 lead and should have
cooled off a bit in the next few days,
but some one was not too pleased. And
that was the skipper who let it be
known that his bowlers hadn’t bowled
well inspite of defending a target of
about 250 runs. Subsequently a quote
by the skipper in a leading national daily,
Times of India, caught one’s eye, for
this was a statement much unlike Dhoni.
He acknowledged that he always
allowed the bowlers to bowl to a plan
and that he would be a part of their
field settings, only occasionally butting
in to plug the holes. He loves democra-
cy it seems, but pertaining to the
match in question, he clearly vented
his ire at the bowlers not per-
forming upto the mark and
called himself an autocrat in
the particular situation
whence his bowlers would
have to bowl as per his field To call it just the
setting demands. Dhoni effect
This ‘avatar’ of Dhoni is would be a tad
quite unknown to all cricket unfair on the rest
aficionados and the only of the manage-
reason that it failed to ment who have
catch the common eye is done a spic-n-
because India won the
match. Read between the
span job behind
lines and the Indian skip- the scenes, but
per’s motive becomes all the skipper’s con-
too visible. He is here to tribution can
win, at all costs and is ready never be
to be domineering on his neglected.
team if the need arises.
The other major aspect of it all is that
his camaraderie with his fellow players
shouldn’t be seen as a sign of weakness
in him. Yes he is a friend to them all and
more or less, is in the same age group
as well. But make no mistake, he is `the’
leader of the group when it comes to
that and that is a fact that all of them
will have to respect. Democracy, again,
is all very good but sometimes a kick on
the backside gets the donkey running
too.
Thank heavens, the ‘donkeys’ in the
Indian team haven’t really needed a kick
in the last fifteen months or so. Cricket
in this country is at an all time high, on
the field and off it. The team is scaling
new peaks, never scaled before and the
last time one checked, they are on their
way to another one, the one that mat-
ters the most of all, the world number
one spot. To call it just the Dhoni effect
would be a tad unfair on the rest of the
management who have done a spic-n-
span job behind the scenes, but the
March 2009
part of the bigger plan, to preserve his

attacking instinct at the top of the
order and at the same time, making him
an important part of the team. The
result; over two thousand runs in one
calendar year, look how well that
turned out!
And it is just not with these two players
primarily that Dhoni has had success
with. Ever since Zaheer Khan made his
comeback, he has been a transformed
man. Yes, we have said that every time
he has made a return to the team,
expecting that this would be the time
that he would fulfill what he has prom -
ised for so long but only to see the
hopes end up in a pulled hamstring or
twisted ankle. But no more, he is here
and he is doing what he always prom -
ised to do, leading the hungry pack of
bowlers like a veteran.
Talking of veterans, there was doubt if
Dhoni would be unnerved by the
presence of seniors in the side.
Seems not at all, for he realized the
importance of having them in the
test side but at the same time
wasn’t afraid to moot the
idea that there was a need
skipper’s contribution can never of fresh legs in the shorter
be neglected in the game of formats of the game. While he
cricket. has treated Ganguly, Dravid
It has all but reflected in and Kumble very well in the
the confidence, and the test side, he has made sure
game, of his players that Sachin Tendulkar stays an
that is the positive integral part of his plans for
effect that Dhoni’s the world cup in 2011.
leadership is having on The Zaheer Khan example is
them. Have we ever the best proof that it is not
seen Virender Sehwag just Dhoni who is driving this
so happy to be a part Indian juggernaut. The staff he
of the team before? Under has behind him is equally to be
Ganguly, sure, he was complimented. If people think
happy but there was that Sourav Ganguly and John
always that youngster tag Wright were a match made in
attached to his name. heaven, then let them see the
Under Dravid, the lesser results of the Dhoni-Gary Kirsten
said about his failures the combine and then exult. Add
better. But a rejuvenated Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh
Sehwag has probably laid to this partnership and we under-
the foundation of the suc - stand why the team is blossoming
cess of the team. He is now the way it is.
not only confident of his The Suresh Rainas, Rohit
ability to play the way only Sharmas, Robin Uthappas,
he does, but the fact that Yusuf Pathans, RP Singhs,
he has been given a free Ishant Sharmas, Praveen
hand at going after the bowl- Kumars and Munaf Patels
ing with a sense of responsi- could only have benefited
bility, can only be useful. with such a strong hand
And then there is Gautam behind them. Together
Gambhir. The masses cried with the Punjabi flavour
hoarse when he was first tried brought in by Yuvraj
at number three, that he Singh and Harbhajan
couldn’t do it. But it was all Singh, the wheels
Cricket Today
have been put on what is an Indian has the best win-loss ratio than any over forty tests? As it stands, Dhoni
youth brigade, moving quickly towards captain in world cricket presently. So has led the team in five tests and the
the prime spot in world cricket. considering that all those wins have results have been quite overwhelming
Dhoni’s charisma and bravado is what been collected against some decent with wins in four of those, a supporting
oozed out of their every move on the opposition – Australia, England, Pakistan point for those who advocate his
field, a feeling that an assured hand is and Sri Lanka – are we looking at the ascendancy in the best captains’ hierar-
guiding them every step of the way. It most successful Indian captain already? chy.
seems as if they are always biding their As always there is need for caution But, yes as always, having said
time to launch a hit and run move, a when we approach this particular that there is a need for a prag-
guerilla warfare tactic on the field of debate. Indians have that unique matic approach here, a want to
cricket, and more often than not, such ability to jump the gun, draw tread carefully. Indeed the
antics usually get on the nerves of conclusions and more often Indians have done well but to be
opposition captains, especially the ones than not, afterwards watch really honest, bar the CB series, all
as grumpy as Ricky Ponting. that sinking feeling come those wins have come in
What is even more heartening from a true and later, pick up the sub-continental conditions
fans’ point of view, who are always pieces with a heavy heart.
What is even which go hand in hand
watching, are the cries of joyous har- Sure, he is proven to be more hearten- with the strengths of the
mony in the team, and that is another
factor in this good run that the Indian
the best after forty odd
games, but really is that a
ing from a team. Beating Sri Lanka in
their own den, twice in six
team is enjoying. After the T20 world parameter on which the fans’ point of months, is by no means an
cup triumph in South Africa, MS Dhoni best captains in cricket view, who are easy task but again the
has notched up an almost sixty seven judged upon?
percent success rate in the forty odd Can he really be com -
always watch- cmouncdhitwiohnastatrheepyrewtotyuld
ODI matches that he has led in. For that pared to some one like ing, are the find at home, tracks laid
number of games, he is, in fact ahead
of Sourav Ganguly and not only that,
Ganguly, or even Azhar,
each of whom led India in
cries of joyous out for only one purpose:
belt the bowlers out of
harmony in the
team.
March 2009
the park. tention.

In truth, they are yet to be tested If there ever was a bone though, it
abroad and that will prove to be a chal- came at a time when MS Dhoni was
lenge. When bidding adieu to cricket, preparing to take over the reigns of
former captain Sourav Ganguly had cat- captaincy from Rahul Dravid in the win -
egorically stated that, though Dhoni is ter of 2007. Former England captain
indeed the man to lead team India into Nasser Hussain was amongst the first
the future, he needs to tide over the ones to wonder if Dhoni would really be
challenges that foreign tours will throw able to handle the pressures of fitness,
at him. batting, wicket-keeping and captaincy
India ought to win consistently away all at the same time. The answer, it
from home if they indeed need to be seems, has come out in the positive.
hailed as true heirs to the throne vacat- Keeping wickets has in fact come out
ed by Australia. And excitingly enough, to be Dhoni’s secret weapon. For what
2009 will give them this opportunity. is the best position from which to view
Before the home winter begins with an the gaps in the field than from the bat-
ODI series against Australia, they will ting end? An attacking batsman’s eye
have played in New Zealand, Zimbabwe gives him the added benefit of fore -
and West Indies. And, make no mistake sight and he is able to stay one step
the results achieved there would be the ahead of the game, always seeming to
true marker to India’s status in world have the whole cricket field under the
cricket. span of his gloved arms. He is indeed
At the time of writing, the Indian team here to win!
is preparing to leave for New Zealand
and though this is not the ideal time
for a debate, as is the wont in Indian
cricket, former India keeper Syed
Kirmani has stirred up one about the
Indian skipper’s wicket keeping skills.
True, he is not the best when it comes
to donning the gloves but as has been
witnessed and remarked vividly, he
has improved a lot since he first came
into the squad. Add to it, his soaring
batting average and the balance it pro-
vides to the team and one is surprised
that Kirmani even found a bone of con -
match RANJI ROUND-UP report trivia content interview 28 Cricket Today
March 2009
books. He is only the second batsman to

have scored two triple centuries in Ranji
history (other batsman is VVS Laxman)
and the only one to have scored both
of them against the same team
(Saurashtra). Stats suggest his consis-
tent run through out the tournament
which proved vital for Mumbai to claim
the title. Wasim may now look forward
to getting back on the list of selectors.
However, it is highly improbable for him
to get back the opening slot in the
Indian team in near future with the kind
of performances Gambhir and Sehwag
are putting together.
AM Rahane (1089 Runs), Mumbai
Ajinkya Rahane mostly batted at No. 3
for Mumbai in the
Ranji Trophy
2008-09.
o
ver the years Australia and module of cricket for the 38th times Strategically,
England has done this, now from a total of 75 times, the high- No 3 is the posi-
its turn of India to follow est by any team. tion where the most
the same path. The reason A look at some of the top per- reliable batsman of
behind Australia’s suprema- formers of this season: the team is pre-
cy in cricket lies in their domestic crick- ferred. 20 year old
et structure. Though of late, India real- BATSMEN: Rahane stood up to
ized this fact and has swung in to Wasim Jaffer (1260 Runs), Mumbai the expectations of
action. During the last couple of years Captain of the Champion Mumbai his team. He was one
domestic cricket has become more team led his team by example. of the only two
competitive. Even senior cricketers have Elegance and experience combined batsmen to have
started participating in the domestic to deliver performances that might scored 1000
cricket whenever they are free from be easily categorized in to exempla-
The Ranji
Toppers
international assignments. This has
by Rohit Sharma
ry. Wasim’s four centuries included
runs this
Ranji season. In
the history of
Ranji Trophy, only
11 players have
Wasim Jaffer
resulted in a strong bench strength and a double hundred (256) against scored 1000 runs in a
more and more options for the national Hyderabad and a triple hundred single ranji season. His
team. The just concluded domestic sea- (301) in the semifinal match best effort for this
son has yielded a few new faces apart against Saurashtra in Chennai. season was his double
from reaffirming strong candidature of The triple hundred in the semi- century (201) against
a few probables. Mumbai was successful final not only stirred his team Orissa. Value of the effort
in clinching the Ranji Trophy, the to the final but also earned increases manifold keeping
biggest tournament of Indian domestic him a place in the record in context that in the first
Cricket Today
Ajinkya Rahane Cheteshwar Pujara 312 more runs to chase. Pujara rose to
the occasion and scored an unbeaten
hundred; he may count as one of his
best.
A Mukund(856 Runs), Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund got
a dream start in the Ranji trophy 2008-
09 scoring an unbeaten triple hundred
in the opening match against
Maharashtra. Though he was not so
consistent throughout the tournament,
he scored big when the got starts.
Abhinav added four more centuries to
his tally in this Ranji Trophy. His hundred
against UP in the semifinal match
couldn’t see his team through to
the final. Abhinav is just 19. He
has got talent and can prove to
be a good prospect.
RG Sharma (747 Runs), Mumbai
Elegance personified. Rohit Sharma
is being seen as the best future
prospect for test cricket in India
after Sachin and Dravid call it a day.
He has utilized the chances given and
has proved his worth, especially at
critical times. Rohit’s
176 (off 173 balls) against Mumbai. performance in
Unfortunately, the dream run the Ranji trophy
ended for the young man and he showed that he
failed to score even a half century belonged to big-
in next 6 innings. In the Quarter- ger league. The
final match, it seemed that it’s all started his cam-
over for Saurashtra with 3 three paign with a half cen-
wickets down for 13 runs and tury in the first
innings followed by a
The just concluded domestic season has century in the next.
Rohit missed the
yielded a few new faces apart from reaffirming next three matches
strong candidature of a few probables. as he was called for
the national duty.
He impressed with
innings Mumbai team was wrapped up his performance
for a mere 180. He scored four cen- for the most part
turies and five half centuries in the of the tourna-
tournament. His nice run in the Ranji ment but the
trophy silenced raising questions about twin centuries in
his abilities to score big. the final match
CA Pujara (906 Runs), Saurashtra against Uttar
Cheteshwar Pujara is the most talked Pradesh pressed
about domestic player of India. 21 year his claim for
Rohit Sharma
old Pujara created ripples in the domes- the test spot.
tic circuit with two back to back triple In the first
centuries for Saurashtra within a week innings
in CK Nayudu Under-22 tournament fol- against UP (in
lowed by his maiden first class triple ton final) Mumbai
against Orissa in Ranji trophy 2008-09. was once tot-
The ranji season did not start well for tering at
Pujara as he managed just 8 runs from 55/4. Jaffer,
two innings against Gujarat, but was Rahane and
followed by three consecutive big cen- Tendulkar were
turies that included a triple hundred back in the
against Orissa, a swift 189 (off 182 pavilion. Rohit
balls) against Punjab and a dominating Abhinav Mukund scored 141 to
March 2009
Dhawal Kulkarni started the Ranji season with five-for L Balaji

figure and concluded with one more, in
between he routed oppositions line ups
making it easy for Mumbai. In all, on
four occasions he took 5 wickets or
more in an innings with best figures of
7/50.
RA Jadeja (42 wickets), Saurashtra
Ravindra Jadeja has been the best find
this season. The left arm orthodox spin-
ner was the highest wicket-taker in
Ranji Trophy 2008-09 along with Dhawal
Kulkarni. Jadeja walked away with 42
scalps from 9 matches that included 4
five-for and a ten wicket haul. Though
Jadeja was consistent all through the
tournament but the performance in
the match against Hyderabad was easily
his best ever. In a low scoring match,
Hyderabad was put to chase 177 in
the last innings. Jadeja nailed 7
batsmen in the innings bundling
out Hyderabad for mere 71. In
the quarter-final match
against Karnataka, Ravindra
came out with another He proved his form
match winning perform- and fitness with
ance taking 9 wickets in consistency in the
the match. 4 wickets in performances that
the second innings included three five-
ensured that tar- for figures. In the
get was within semifinal match
reach. His batting against Uttar
was an added form of call up for the
bonus. He
Pradesh, he national squad.
reaped the bowled his heart MB Parmar (41 Wickets),
in the innings to take reward for his out but couldn’t see Gujarat
Mumbai beyond phenomenal his team With reserve strengths in
400. Another cen- performance in through. spin department not too
tury in 2nd many, Indian selectors
innings ensured have something to worry
that Mumbai about. 20 year old Mohnish
easily claimed Parmar oozes hope with his potential
the title a 38th Ravindra Jadeja and first class records. He did well this
time. ranji season to keep the hopes alive
with 41 wickets from the tournament,
BOWLERS: 3rd highest in the tournament. The
DS Kulkarni (42 right arm off-break bowler took 12
Wickets), Mumbai wickets in the match against Orissa at
The days are gone the cost of 104 runs, his career best
when Indian pacers’ figures (first class) in a match. One
role was limited just to good season or two down the line, he
soften the ball in initial will be knocking the doors of national
overs. The era is now team.
when Sreesanth, Irfan , L Balaji (36 Wickets), Tamil Nadu
Munaf and other are Balaji is popularly known as the smiling
reserve strengths for assassin in the cricket fraternity. The
the pace department. One more assassin smiled all way through in the
addition to the list is Mumbai tournament and played a crucial role in
pacer Dhawal Kulkarni. In Tamil Nadu’s journey this Ranji season.
absence of Zaheer Khan, he He proved his form and fitness with
carried the attack efficiently consistency in the performances that
and was a key factor in included three five-for figures. In the
Mohnish Parmar
Mumbai’s victory. Dhawal semifinal match against Uttar Pradesh,
Cricket Today
he bowled his heart out but couldn’t

see his team through. Though his
swinging deliveries didn’t get Tamil Nadu
the title, it earned him a call for the
national duty in Sri Lanka series.
SK Trivedi (34 Wickets), Gujarat
Siddharth Trivedi is an experienced cam-
paigner in Indian domestic cricket with
almost 200 first class wickets. Siddharth
was one of the most consistent bowlers
in the tournament. The medium pacer’s
best in the tournament came against
Punjab when his match figures of 9/96
helped Gujarat win the match easily by
10 wickets.
ALL ROUNDERS:
RA Jadeja (739 runs and 42 wickets),
Saurashtra
After having been singled out by Shane
Warne, his performance in the Ranji
season 2008-09 made waves in the
cricketing circles. Ravindra Jadeja
almost overshadowed all other per-
formers in the tournament. He
came out as the highest wick-
et taker in the tournament
and sixth on the run get-
ter’s list. Most importantly,
he scored and took wick- Ravindra Jadeja
ets when his team need- almost overshad-
ed him. He scored a maid- Ravindra Jadeja
owed all other
Siddharth Trivedi performers in the en century of against
tournament. He Orissa and went on to
score a double century.
came out as the Though his best effort
highest wicket with bat in the tournament
taker in the tour- was unbeaten 232 (Vs
Orissa), the most remark-
nament and sixth able innings was his 143
on the run against Delhi. The contribu-
getter’s list. tion becomes significant
with the fact that the next
highest score in the innings
was 26.
Bhuwaneshwar Kumar (407 runs
and 31 wickets), Uttar Pradesh
Sachin Tendulkar scored his first first-
class duck in Indian domestic cricket and
the bowler to nab him was 18 year old
medium pacer from Uttar Pradesh,
Bhuvneshwar Kumar. His rise is one big
gain to UP as they are going to miss the
services of Praveen Kumar more often
(due to his international cricket commit-
ments). Like Praveen, he too hasn’t got
much pace but can swing the ball both
ways. He ended up with 31 wickets
including three five wicket hauls.
Bhuvneshwar is a good bet even in bat-
ting. Batting in lower middle order,
Bhuvneshwar added some crucial runs
for UP in the tournament. His 80 runs in
March 2009
Parthiv Patel
Bhuwaneshwar Kumar
catches and 3 stumpings), the highest ly for the national team

for this Ranji season. Not ahead of others.
only behind the stumps However, selection is
but also in front of it, highly improbable
he proved his utility with MSD in the
chipping in with ranks; he is defi-
valuable contribu- nitely the next
tions for his team. choice. His vital
He can bat any- contribution in
where in the order front of the
and this season he wicket and
also opened for behind the
Mumbai in the wicket as well
absence of a second helped his
opener in the team. team reach the semifinal.
The champion sledger He scored his career best
that he is, proved his (213) against Uttar
worth as an Pradesh in the group
opener and match and followed
scored a crucial it up with two more
hundred (113) in centuries in the
the second innings tournament.
of the final Parthiv Patel (526
match. runs and 23 dis-
D Karthick missals)
(634 runs and Parthiv Patel, once
Karthick’s vital 29 dismissals), Dinesh Karthick
first choice keeper
Vinayak Samant
contribution in Tamil Nadu for India and current-
Indian Team ly Captain of Gujrat is
front of the discard and improving slowly and
the final was his career best wicket and Captain of steadily. This Ranji sea-
score in first class. Tamil Nadu son was an average
Vinayak Samant (471 runs and behind the Dinesh Karthick, affair for him both
40 dismissals), Mumbai wicket as well with his splendid with bat and gloves,
Along with others Vinayak performance except his career best
Samant played an important helped his in the Ranji effort of 206 runs
role in Mumbai’s claim. Behind team reach the trophy this sea- against Orissa. He also
the wicket Vinayak effected a son, has put his scored three half cen-
total of 40 dismissals (37 semifinal. candidature strong- turies in the tournament.
match KIWI CHALLENGE report trivia content news 34 Cricket Today
March 2009
t
he year 2008 had seen Team
India lead the winds of change
in world cricket, something that
had begun with the conquering
of the WACA fortress and had
culminated into the comfortable regain-
ing of the Border-Gavaskar trophy – in
turn toppling the Aussies from their
pedestal – and a 5-0 whitewash of the
English ODI team. As March approaches,
the Indians would need to endure the
winds of the literal being, as they gear
up to take on the Kiwis in their own
backyard, a proposition not too many
have relished over the years.
It has been a lot worse for the Indians.
If India’s previous record is anything to
go by, then this series against the Kiwis
could be of utmost vitality for them.
Six series match-ups in New Zealand
have led to the Indians been victors
only once, not any time later than
1967-68, making it the most difficult
country to tour for India after Australia.
However, under the captaincy of M.S.
Dhoni, Team India has continued with
the trend that was first seen when
Rahul Dravid led them to series victories
in West Indies and England, and a test
match win in South Africa; something
Cricket Today
that had previously happened as spas-

modically as Shoaib Akhtar’s appear-
India’s
ances in test matches. This, coupled
with some other attributes makes one
sense that the upcoming three-test
match series in New Zealand could be
India’s best chance of putting one
across the Black Caps. However, despite
not the favourites, the hosts being
tour of
would prove to be a hard nut – or nuts
– to crack in conditions that are usually
as favourable to them as the sub-conti-
nental ones to the Indians. This should
set up an exciting, mouth-watering con-
test that has the potential to delight
New
the cockles of a cricket fan’s heart.
Here’s analyzing this series in greater
depth…
TOUGHER THAN GUER-

RILLA WARFARE:
As if the aforesaid record that India
Zealand
has, isn’t bad enough, what has been
worse is that Team India had come to
this country on their last tour in 2002-
03 and were pulverised – by both, their
opponents and the pitches – into sub-
mission under the able leadership of
Sourav Ganguly. The two test matches
were almost donated away meekly in
three days each, and the ODI series was
by Suneer Chowdhary squandered 5-2 – the only two matches
India won were thanks to an explosion
called Virender Sehwag by squeaking
through by a couple of wickets and a
solitary wicket respectively – and by the
time the 2003 World Cup had begun,
the self-confidence had been dramati-
cally shattered for the Indians.
This, despite possessing a reasonable
batting line-up and strong enough fire-
power with the ball. Clearly, New
Zealand is not a country for the mere
mortals or for the weak-hearted.
…AND THEN THERE IS

DHONI:
The way the Indian skipper has led the
Team India had Indian side these days, there isn’t much
come to this that seems impossible for the man
country on their from Jharkhand. With a record as
last tour in 2002- abysmal as India’s, it would be a feather
03 and were pul- of multiple hues in the captain’s cap, if
verised – by both, he did get this one straight. And going
their opponents by his track record, one can be rest
assured that Team India would do well
and the pitches – under his becalming guidance
into submission
under the able WEAKENED PACE
leadership of ARSENAL:
Sourav A look at the Kiwi pace attack of 2002
Ganguly. and one gets a fair enough idea about
some of the reasons behind the Indian
whitewash. The extreme pace of Shane
March 2009
Bond, the bounce and swing of Daryl

Tuffey, the dependable line and length
of Jacob Oram and the inconsistent,
but surprisingly quick bowling of
Andre Adams all came togeth-
er to expose the major
chinks in the Indian batting
armour. It obviously did
not help too much that
in both the tests India
had had to bat first, Without mean-
but whether it would
have made too much
ing to demean
of a difference is the likes of Kyle
something one Mills and Tim
wouldn’t bet on. Southee, the
Not too much bat-
tery remains of that bowling is sim-
almost-Caribbean-like ply not as
pace bowling attack – potent as it
for India at least –
remains and that is
was in that
where the Indian bat- previous
ting would profit. tour.
Three of the afore-
said four have made their way out of
the Kiwi national team to join the
unsanctioned ICL, while Oram is already
having more than the usual second
thought about continuing
with test cricket.
And without mean-
ing to demean the
likes of Kyle Mills
and Tim Southee,
the bowling is sim- shorter formats of the game and by the time the match would be
ply not as potent first-up. By the time M.S. Dhoni around, one hopes that Team India
as it was in that would have walked out for the would have had the full cognizance of
previous tour. toss in the first test match at the conditions in New Zealand.
Even with a fit- Hamilton, the Indians would have
ter, left arm been in the Kiwi-land for almost a
GRASS IS FOR THE
James Franklin month; enough to acclimatize COWS…AND THE
adding variety to themselves to the bounce, seam INDIAN PACE ATTACK!
the flagging Kiwi and swing on the unfamiliar pitch- While the Kiwi pitch curator may be
attack, it would be es and the rather nasty weather tempted to test the Indian batting by
difficult to expect conditions. leaving a tad more grass than he nor-
them to run through Wellington mally would, he would be well aware of
the Indian line-up like a is better the fact that such a strategy could
hot knife through butter. known as boomerang back hard at the Kiwi bats-
one of the men. With the Indian fast bowling
WHOA, WHAT windiest standing as tall as it ever did in their 75
AN ITINERARY: cities in the year old history, it wouldn’t take a rock-
Talk of favourable sched- world, and et scientist to decipher that the likes of
ules, and this much defi- although Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf
nitely rank as one of India does play Patel and even a greenhorn in Dhawal
them. Even without a a T20 and an Kulkarni would relish the conditions as
tour game – which was ODI, the pitch much as a kid devouring his first ever
scrapped to fit in an would get to its candy.
extra international feistiest worst To add to the hosts’ woes, their batting
or two – the during the longest hinges a lot on a Brendon McCullum and
Indians would be format of the Ross Taylor, but beyond that it would be
a glad bunch game. Wellington the greenhorns in the form of Grant
of cricketers hosts the third and Elliot, Neil Broom, Aaron Redmond and
to have the the final test match Daniel Flynn.
Cricket Today
KIWIS IN KIWI-LAND:
In the last couple of years or so, the
Black Caps have not exactly managed to
paint the town red with their perform-
ances at home. That could have been
partially due to the fact that the pitch-
es have no longer remained as menac-
ing as they had been notorious for
some years back. This would have been
probably dictated by the TV broadcast-
ers who would have lost out on a for-
tune to three-day test matches; hence
brining in the need to play out the
entire duration of five days. What this
has resulted in is the curators over-
compensating and erring on the side of
caution by making much slower and
drier pitches; helping the batsmen in
turn. All this has ensured is that the
home advantage that the Kiwis enjoyed
has been blunted and is one of the
biggest reasons why one gets the sense
that Dhoni may not have it as difficult
as some of his predecessors.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
OUT FOR:
It is difficult to pick players from the
Indian side, so richly talent- there are a couple of really obvious

ed it seems at this point choices in Brendon McCullum and skip-
of time. Yet, for starters, per – and all-rounder –
one would have hoped The home advan- Daniel Vettori, but the one
that Praveen Kumar had tage that the Kiwis man that the Indian bowlers
made it to the test enjoyed has been may want to be wary of, and
squad, for his brand of make according plans is
bowling is as suited to blunted and is Jesse Ryder. Indians have
those conditions as Don one of the biggest usually found the going
Bradman was to cricket. reasons why one rather stiff against unknown
Rahul Dravid has had a gets the sense quantities and by the time
good run-up to this that Dhoni may they have found a way out
tour too, picking up of it, the series has had an
hundreds in the Duleep not have it as diffi- unpleasant end. Martin
trophy as easily as the cult as some of his Guptill’s attacking batting
Dravid of old. Yet, even predeces- could make him an ideal
a batsman with his sors. choice to get into the squad
technique would find for the tests as well. Kyle
the going in New Zealand a rather Mills has had a good last
tough nut to crack as he would need to twelve months or so, and his
come to grips with conditions as differ- height would be to his utmost advan-
ent a chalk is from cheese! tage against batsmen who haven’t tra-
Virender Sehwag could be the play- ditionally handled excessive bounce too
maker in a couple of innings, but it well.
would be a good test of Gautam Yet, as this stage, one would have to
Gambhir’s technique after the kind of label India with the favourites tag in all
form he has exhibited for the best por- the three forms of the game. Not with-
tion of the last 18 months or so. out a serious test of their technique
From the home team’s perspective, and clarity in thinking though!
match CLASH OF TITANS report trivia content news 38 Cricket Today
March 2009
Coach versus
t is hard to imagine that a man
i
hailed as a hero was dismissed
from his post less than a month
later. It was not planned that
way though and that was cer-
tainly not the way teams would plan
three weeks prior to an important tour
Is It Even a
overseas. Is ego between a coach and
captain really so consuming that it
stops a team dead in its tracks? It cer-
tainly did for England and for Kevin
Pietersen and it has certainly left scope
by Sreelata S. Yellamrazu
for endless debate on where the team could spend time with their
and who gets to draw the families back home. However, one family
line. was on the verge of a split with the
relationship breaking down to beyond
A ‘SERIES’ OF repair. But as with most divorces, there
UNFORTUNATE are many angles to the situation and
EVENTS many relationships that suffer a shake
When the England team up as a result of it.
decided to come back to That differences were going to crop up
India after much harangu- was obvious even before Pietersen
ing in the aftermath of the assumed the leadership position within
terror seizing Mumbai the England dressing room. It was the
episode, Kevin Pietersen was precise reason why Pietersen and coach
hailed for his role in convinc- Peter Moores had a sit down before the
ing the players, especially former officially took on the mantle of
those in senior most positions the captain of England. However, as the
who appeared reluctant for the saga unfolded, it became clear that not
tour, namely, Andrew Flintoff all matters were trashed out, and they
and Steve Harmison (though they continued to operate in a chalk and
may have a different story to tell cheese method that never allowed the
now), to rethink their decision. England team with a single minded,
England did end up losing the Test cohesive agenda to take forward in the
series but it was after they gave short period of the five month associa-
themselves the best chance tion.
for victory in Chennai, only
to have India chase down
WAS PIETERSEN’S DIS-
a historic total for a dra- MISSAL ONLY A DISCI-
matic win that would PLINARY ACT?
eventually seal the series If one were fighting the case on a tech-
in the favour of the nicality, the real reason behind
hosts. Pietersen’s resignation (which was
But what happened there- effectively akin to dismissal) would have
after threatened to obliterate to be questioned. In a case of conven-
all the respect that the ient interpretation, the ECB chose to
England team had earned for view Pietersen’s statement that he
their decision and their per- could not continue under present cir-
formance as well as the cumstances not as a demand that the
applause accorded to team management in the dressing
Pietersen himself. room be necessarily tinkered with but
Christmas and rather that he would relinquish his role
new year holi- and make the job of the higher authori-
days were the ty at the ECB easier.
reason why The word on the street was that
the England Pietersen was facing the axe for put-
team was ting his matters with Moores in the
keen to public, though technically he did not
arrange the and expressed as much in the state-
itinerary ment that carried his resignation from
such that the captaincy. Why then was it decided
Cricket Today
Captain
allowed Pietersen back into the game. Pietersen’s demand for Michael
Vaughan on the tour to the West Indies
WAS MOORES REALLY when meeting with the selectors.
TO BLAME? Pietersen deemed this as a case of
Dissensions began in the immediate betrayal and sent forth a letter stating
aftermath of the Chennai Test which in clear terms, that he could not work
while Moores continued on as England’s
coach.
Raging Battle?
that Pietersen must go? Was Pietersen England should have won after setting
Moores were also apparently not too
keen for the England team to return to
India because in his opinion, after the
one day trashing and what
happened in
Mumbai,
forced to resign because he leaked the such a mammoth, history seeking tar- England would
information to the public (which techni- get. It was believed that Pietersen was not be men-
cally he did not) or because he was, in frustrated at the lack of technical input tally up
the ECB’s opinion in hindsight, too big a from the coach as England failed to
player with an ego to match to become check Virender Sehwag early and
a captain capable of running the show allowed India to get to the target.
while maintaining a cohesive dressing What really blew the discord into the
room and a harmonious one with the public glare was the fact that upon
management? returning to
It even brought out some cold assump- England, Peter
tions like that of former England cap- Moores had
tain Mike Atherton stating that apparently vetoed
Pietersen would always find it tough
finding yes men simply because he was
a ‘foreigner’. As shocking as it may
sound, that there are still prejudices
that govern decisions is something that
is being witnessed the world over, even
in this day and age and alarmingly so.
But whether it applied in this case, is
still a matter that has not even been
looked at. What has also come into the
open is the opinion of many in England
and in South Africa amongst cricketing
circles that believe that Pietersen fails
to operate when the stature of the
coach does not match up on the inter-
national scale, with some even going to
the extent of alleging that he has a
problem with any one who is non
South African, as hard as that is to
believe. But were they the
grounds for encouraging him to
quit?
It would be a safer bet to
assume that it was perhaps
Pietersen’s aggressive It is hard for an
assault on authority and outsider to decide
demands for sweeping
changes that would suit his
whether Moores
agenda for England while was overworking
still settling into his new the boys in train-
role are what did him in. ing and not pro-
Trashing out grievances viding enough
behind close doors would
have perhaps salvaged one
back up input to
or both men’s jobs rather make up for
than issuing an ultimatum Pietersen’s inexpe-
and then disappearing into rience.
the wilderness, which never
March 2009
dressing room and therefore, had

become dispensable. So, could it be said
that in this case, the coach came out
stronger though he was dismissed and
was the captain who resigned more dis-
graced by the episode?
WHERE DOES THE

COACH STAND?
In football, the manager takes the final
call. The captain’s badge will change
from one arm onto another if the man-
ager so decides. The coach’s job in
cricket, on the other hand, is vastly dif-
ferent. Though tactically he will still
assist the skipper, technically it is the
captain that calls the final shots on the
field. The coach is also required to be
adept at man management skills which
basically translates into identifying the
strong and weak areas not only of the
team but also of individuals, working
with them through correcting those
errors and generally being the captain’s
right hand man when resources are
needed in decision making.
That coaching is not for every man is
now obvious. There cannot be too many
egos in the same dressing room, espe-
cially those between a skipper and
coach. It would also explain why Greg
Chappell could never resign himself to
take the role in a background position
while Sourav Ganguly himself thrived on
being the cynosure of all eyes. Recently
Chappell blamed his exit from all mat-
ters Indian because of ‘unkind’ com-
ments made by Virender Sehwag that
stated Gary Kirsten had a more player
centric attitude as opposed to being
media centric, in direct reference to
Chappell. While Chappell may
for it. There were also insinuations that Whether Moores was good for England have had other even more per-
Pietersen had done himself a huge can be debated only upon knowing tinent reasons that called for
favour keeping the IPL’s second season the reasons for which the ECB disassociating himself with
in mind, although it is hard to imagine decided to appoint him coach in India, inadvertently he has
that deciding against would have the first place. That he was proven those who deride him
affected Pietersen’s market price in any given a two year contract right by once again choosing to
way. just days before he was dis- use the media to express
It is hard for an outsider to decide missed, knowing fully well obviously unfinished emo-
whether Moores was overworking the that a storm was brewing Was Pietersen tions.
boys in training and not providing between the captain and forced to resign There have been coaches
enough back up input to make up for coach was perhaps a clear- because he leaked like John Buchanan whose
Pietersen’s inexperience. But the er indication that the ECB the information to meticulousness and fas-
excuse, as valid as it may be, sounds was more interested in the public or tidiousness did not go
hollow coming from the captain who what Moores had to offer because he was too down well with experi-
has been dynamic enough to have the than what Pietersen was big a player with an enced pros like Shane
switch hit associated with him like a complaining about. But as ego to match to Warne who used words
patented shot. Tactics apart, critics of the representatives of the become a captain like “verbal diarhhoea” to
Pietersen’s move are also of the opinion ECB themselves stated, capable of running describe Buchanan’s
that Pietersen’s grouse should have after the public fall out, the show while coaching methods. Then
been with the selectors who made the there was no way the man maintaining a cohe- there were coaches like
final decision to leave Vaughan out and could have held his sive dressing the late Bob Woolmer
not Moores. respect in the England room. who synergized well with
Cricket Today
the late Hansie Cronje who was not shy

in showing that he relied heavily on his
coach’s laptop data in masterminding
South Africa’s hey days.
Currently two coaching jobs are work-
ing well – the one between Mahendra
Singh Dhoni and Gary Kirsten and on a
lengthier basis, between Graeme Smith
and Mickey Arthur. In both cases, there
is always only one strong voice talking
and more often than not, it is that of
the skipper, even though there is collu-
sion they are forming back door in
strategizing who takes over the voice as
well. It is not like the no-nonsense Gary
Kirsten would fall for every move from
the more impulsive, thinking-on-his-feet
Dhoni. And Arthur would have his own
designs for the team which would clash
with Smith who likes to run a tight unit
hands-on. However, the reasons these
partnerships appear to be working well
is because each is aware of his own
powers and the limitations of authority
that the roles pose.
ARE CAPTAINS RIGHT IN The discussion then throws up the next reportedly threatened to resign when
TAKING THEIR question- if captains are right in taking the selectors decided to drop R.P. Singh
DEMANDS TOO too much into their hands. Clearly not, for Irfan Pathan during the one day
if Pietersen’s dismissal in effect is series against England, even for a for-
FAR? anything to go by. Captains, when ward thinking captain who had his heart
hung up on the idea that the coach and his head in the right place, it was
is a backstage person by personali- still not the way to go because one
ty, can often delude themselves would only have to look at Pietersen’s
into thinking they are the reincar- case to understand the dis-
nated messiahs and everything they astrous effect it would have
say will be tabled down in gold. had on the team and plan-
But there is a reason why ning.
cricket has resisted Pietersen also made the car-
any matter of dinal mistake of assuming
change for too soon that his team would
over more back his every word.
than a cen- Greg Chappell Even in the most har-
tury long monious of dressing
history. could never rooms, the captain may
Captains resign himself to see eye-to-eye on most
may well
be right in take the role in a matters and yet have a
contentious issue or
thinking background posi- two that does not go
the way tion while Sourav down well with all play-
they do on ers. Pietersen assumed
certain Ganguly himself the team that stood
decisions thrived on being behind him in the inter-
and cer- est of England’s goals
tainly no the cynosure of which would also sup-
one can all eyes. port his move for an
denounce overhaul that involved
them with- getting rid of the
out evidence. But the entire coaching staff. The
manner in making a captain must command suf-
point can perhaps say ficient respect and trust of his team
a lot about the style of mates before he embarks on such a
captaincy as it does about the deep impacting decision, and
person himself. When Dhoni Pietersen’s fault may have been to have
March 2009
miscalculated in gauging how much his

team was convinced about his own role
in the first place. The division lines were
drawn; seeds about motives were sown;
and the recipe for disaster set to timer
to cook.
HOW FAR SHOULD

THEIR DEMANDS GO?
Another perpendicular question to this
paradigm that if the captain is the ulti-
mate authority on the field, should the
captain then have a say in choosing the
coach of the team as well?
While some people are of the opinion
that it was better to nip the relation-
ship in the bud before it became
increasingly acrimonious, one wonders
if every disagreement can be avoided
by such splits or because a captain
automatically becomes a part of the
What really blew the decision making
discord into the pub- process to appoint a
lic glare was the fact coach. It must be
that upon returning to remembered that in
England, Peter the natural scheme
Moores had appar- of things, the cap-
ently vetoed tain is selected from
among the final
Pietersen’s demand eleven. But that
for Michael Vaughan norm is often bro-
on the tour to the ken when appointing
West Indies when a captain in a player
meeting with willing to lead the
the selectors. team that becomes
more essential than
his past qualifications,
as has been in the case
of Johan Botha who led a
successful South African one day unit in
Australia, but not without the initial hic-
cups. And it still does not guarantee
him a place in the team when Smith
assumes the premier leadership posi-
tion.
For a team to be successful, either the
captain must earn and enjoy the sup-
port of the think tank in backing his
decisions on the field or enjoy the sup-
port of his team mates who rely upon
his instinct and believe in him. Very few
captains have tasted success of both.
Former captains like Sourav Ganguly
were heavily criticized for trusting their
instincts and backing vociferously for
the men in their team. In the moment
of crisis as Greg Chappell built forth a
plan to show why Ganguly was no
longer good for Indian cricket, his Indian
team mates continued to back him one
hundred per cent.
In such situations, most boards would
see the captain choosing who should
coach the team as putting more power
Cricket Today
work with. There is a burning desire

within him that has been left without
reaching realization. And there are men
he thought he could trust with his life
only to feel let down in a critical
moment.
A captain must swallow his pride when
his tactics have not worked on the
field. It will perhaps be harder now for
a former captain to do so in a dressing
room that will be more wary of him.
Dangerously now it has perhaps inad-
vertently positioned a precedent for
making a case for captain’s empower-
ment in the future when it comes to
choosing coaches or in the short run, a
reason for sidelining a man who wants
to change the world to change his
team’s fortunes.
into his hands only for the team to run they are in check and being held
amok. Perhaps the appointments of accountable.
coach and skipper are better made tak- Captains are always walking a tightrope
ing into consideration the qualifications on the decisions they take in a moment
as well as the personalities that are like- of instinct when throwing the ball to a
ly to gel despite disagreements and particular bowler and they are standing
those that are likely to combust at the on thin ice when they make the
first hint of trouble. That delicate demands on the scale on which
maneuvering of designations with per- Pietersen demanded. Now there are
sonnel should not possibly be left to many in the dressing room to whom he
either man to ensure the best interests will be a vulnerable, transparent individ-
of the team and let them both know ual whose thoughts are too clear to
match LOOKING BACK report trivia content interview 44 Cricket Today
March 2009
Dravid was an
automatic
choice
-Ganguly
in ODI XI
by Qaiser Mohammad Ali
Cricket Today
o
ne of the most debated
and scrutinised decisions
of Sourav Ganguly’s tenure
as India captain was to
make Rahul Dravid keep
wickets in One-Day Internationals. As
Ganguly took over the reins in 2000,
specialist wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia
quickly found out that he was not in
the scheme of things of the new skip-
per, and Dravid replaced him soon
after the 1999 World Cup.
Instead of picking a specialist replace-
ment for Mongia, who Ganguly says
“wasn’t contributing”, the selectors-
Ganguly decided to throw the big
gloves to Dravid. Connoisseurs raised
their eyebrows: How can you risk the
side’s premier batsman by forcing him
to keep wickets? What if he injures his
fingers and thus fails to contribute
with the bat? The gamble was huge,
but Ganguly went ahead with it as he
tried to rebuild the team after the
match-fixing scandal of 2000.
Four years after Dravid played his last
ODI as a wicket-keeper, against Pakistan
in Ganguly’s home town Kolkata in
November 2004, the former captain
says the Bangalorean’s place in the ODI
XI was never in doubt. “Dravid was an
automatic choice. We wanted him to
keep wickets because we didn’t have an
all-rounder then. We didn’t have a
bowler who could bat and the wicket-
keeper wasn’t contributing. So, if we
could make Rahul do that job, we could
play an extra batsman that extended
the depth of our batting line-up,”
Ganguly told Cricket Today in an exclu-
sive interview.
“We were not getting a good wicket-
keeper-batsman at the point. So, asking
Rahul to keep was to strengthen the
side. It’s not that his place was in jeop-
ardy,” asserted the man who captained
India in 147 ODIs.
At the time, however, the popular
belief was that had Dravid declined to
keep wickets it would have been diffi-
cult for him find a place in the XI
because of his perceived inability to
adapt to ODI batting requirements.
Dravid ended up keeping wickets in 73
ODIs and did pretty well with the bat as
well. He took 71 catches as wicket-
keeper and effected 13 stumpings
besides aggregating 2,300 runs at
44.23 -- better than his career average
of 39.49. Four of his 12 centuries came
while playing as a designated stumper
– an indicator that his batting
March 2009
Narendra Hiwarni, who tried to stage a

comeback in 2001 under his captaincy.
Hiwarni told me in an interview in 2006
that after he had bowled
“extremely well” at Indian
team’s nets in Mumbai,
Ganguly “promised” him
to play in all three Tests
against Steve Waugh’s
Australia. Hirwani never
played for India
I bowled a lot of again.
10-over spells in “Hirwani was picked
in the XIV, just like
one-day cricket any other player or
in my career. contender to play
the Test matches.
That did not We [instead] went
mean that my with a left-arm spin-
ner, Rahul Sanghvi,
career was in and Harbhajan [in
doubt. I had to first Test, Mumbai].
play as a bowler Just like any other
contender, Hirwani
as well. was part of the Test
team. It’s just that
we went with Sanghvi
on the morning of the
Test,” he explained. Hirwani,
the previous season’s highest wicket
improved while keeping wickets. bowl to add taker in domestic cricket, was in fine
Some experts, including the then selec- strength as a form. “Yeah. His form was good that’s
tor Kishen Rungta, publicly questioned team. But I was why he was in the XIV,” Ganguly admit-
Dravid’s ability to “rotate the strike”. playing as a premier ted.
Ganguly, however, says: “But that does- batsman and I was So, did Ganguly always get the team
n’t mean that his place was in jeopardy. an automatic choice that he wanted? “Yes. At times,
We looked at him in a completely differ- in the team as a bats- you have to listen to the selec-
ent way. He was asked to keep [the man. And the same tors because they see a lot
wickets] to strengthen the side. We of domestic cricket, which
were trying to find an all-rounder. If he you don’t get to see as
could keep wickets, we would have you are always travel-
found an all-rounder.” ling and playing with
Ganguly gave the the team,” he rea-
examples of soned.
stumpers who Unlike Dravid, Ganguly
excelled behind and was the case with never read books on
in front of the Rahul.” captaincy – “I was never
stumps. “Every one-day team in the When asked if a big reader” – but
world had wicket-keepers who could Dravid was the went by instinct.
bat, whether it was Adam Gilchrist, Mark most sincere and “Yeah, but there used
Boucher or Kumar Sangakkara. So, it committed player to be a lot of planning
was just that we wanted Rahul to keep that he had seen, off the field. But it
because we wanted an all-rounder and Ganguly said. “At changes on the field
not because his place was in jeopardy.” that level, all of because many a
So, were the selectors and Ganguly on them are sincere, times it doesn’t
same wavelength? “I don’t know what honest and committed. go as per the
they thought. But Rahul was an auto- Some have slightly more planning and you
matic choice in the one-day team,” he ability than the rest, but I have to take a call
asserted. have not seen one player on the field,” he
Ganguly went on to give his own exam- who plays for India and is not said.
ple: “I bowled a lot of 10-over spells in committed.” As captain, Ganguly
one-day cricket in my career. That did Ganguly also dwelled on backed and encour-
not mean that my career was in doubt. I the curious case of for- aged the likes of
had to play as a bowler as well; I could mer Test leg-spinner Virender Sehwag,
Cricket Today
No.3, Sachin was at No.4 so I had to play

at No.5. We had to pick a batting order
for the team and I fitted at the No.5
spot. No qualms,” he averred.
Ganguly’s military medium pace was
useful in both Tests (32 wickets) and
ODIs (100 wickets). Asked if responsibili-
ties as a captain prevented him from
bowling as much as he liked, he said:
“No. The type of bowler I was I couldn’t
bowl much on Indian wickets because
they used to turn and Sehwag and
Sachin used to do the job of the fifth
bowler. When we used to go overseas I
used to do the job of the fifth bowler.
From that point of view, I think I bowled
enough according to my ability. I wish it
was more but I played as a batsman
who could bowl. I had no targets.”
Ganguly retired after the home series
against Australia last year and immedi-
ately there was talk of him venturing
into politics. “I don’t think so. It looks
Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and

Zaheer Khan. “They were very talented
players. You could have picked them,
but they had to score themselves. It
was because of their ability that they
are getting runs even now,” he said.
“The most talented was Sehwag. Yuvraj
was also talented, but the most talent-
ed batsman in the young lot was
Sehwag; he is a great player, a fantastic
player. His confidence is his biggest
virtue; he has also got the ability. He
batted well in the ODIs in South Africa
in 2000 and you could see clearly that
in terms of talent as a batsman he was
far, far ahead of the rest.”
Despite leading the team from the
front, Ganguly managed only win two
ODI titles – the NatWest Trophy and the
Champions Trophy, both in 2002 –
though he ended up as India’s
most successful skipper in
Tests. “There was always the
scope of doing better. We
lost quite a few finals dur-
ing that period. Overall, I
think, we did well as a At times, you
team. Our performance have to listen to
in Test matches was out-
standing [success the selectors
42.85%],” he said. because they see
Although Ganguly a lot of domestic
scored more runs in cricket, which you
ODIs (11,363), it was in don’t get to see
Test cricket that he
made instant impression as you are No.5. Does he feel he would harder than it actually is and I don’t
with a century on debut always travelling have been more successful think I will be joining politics,” he cleared
against England at and playing with had he batted up the the air. At the moment, he is enjoying
Lord’s – and became a the team. order? “No. It’s a team the company of wife Dona and daugh-
permanent fixture at sport. Rahul was playing at ter Sana in Kolkata.
match CODE OF CONDUCT report trivia content news 48 Cricket Today
March 2009
Dhoni in vest dress code is high on their priority list.

Who can forget Sourav Ganguly and
Rahul Dravid taking the field with plas-
tered tee-shirts in order to hide spon-
sors’ logos? And remember Mahendra
Singh Dhoni holding the Twenty20
World Cup in his vest?
The ICC has now decided to crack the
whip. We have heard of fines for slow
over-rates or for showing dissent at the
umpire. Now a hefty penalty will be
slapped on any offending team that
fails to wear the right equipment.
Faded pads or taped/plastered tee-
shirts will be deemed as breach of code.
The ICC has reminded of Clause Q which
authorises the Chief Executive to
impose a fine up to US $ 25,000 for
such mistakes.
In a letter dated 28th January 2008,
ICC’s Cricket Operations Manager, Clive
Hitchcock, has issued a notice to all the
member nations and the top six associ-
ates to follow a strict clothing code laid
down by the ICC regulations. Any viola-
tion would lead to dire consequences.
Hitchcock further goes on to add:
“In recent months we have noticed that
the standards have dropped in respect
by Artsmith.Sports
Last
Warning
c Served
ricket’s governing body the
International Cricket Council
(ICC) has had a long, laundry
list of concerns. Pakistan,
once a showstopper, has
faded from the cricketing map. It’s
been a long winter of discontent for for two years now. So much so that to the appearance of the players in
Zimbabwe. The standard of umpiring world cricket stood on the verge of a international matches. We have encoun-
continues to be dismal. Captains contin- great divide. tered serious problems with team cloth-
ue to be wilfully ignorant about slow And despite indications of a possible ing issued by the Boards to its players
over rates. reconciliation between the two boards, and also personal kit provided and used
A major conflict in India, now the it is the ICL cricketers who face an by the players themselves, in particular.”
game’s emerging super power, is yet to uncertain future. But of late the ICC There are situations cited in the letter
be resolved. The Board of Control for has been fretting over something that that points to faded pads worn by a
Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian you would least expect them to address batsman, different coloured helmets,
Cricket League (ICL) have been feuding at this point of time. It seems that logos being covered with tape and/or
Cricket Today
Faded crest on Jayasuriya’s helmet

take would lead to severe penalty for
violating the Equipment & Clothing
Code of Conduct.
PLASTER/ TAPED T-
SHIRTS
There are several instances when
players have worn fellow players’ t-
shirt during a match. In the summers
of 2008, when India was touring Sri
Lanka, and the first one-day was being
played in Dambula’s Rangiri
International Cricket Stadium, Raina,
not carrying his own half sleeve
shirts, decided to wear a fellow
cricketer Harbhajan Singh’s jersey.
Raina had chopped the length of
the sleeves to suite his require-
ment. He also put a plaster behind,
hiding number five from the digit
“35” which is Harbhajan’s playing
number and made it look like a shirt
having “No 3” written on it, which is
actually Suresh Raina’s playing number.
Suresh Raina, who in haste had chopped
the sleeves and worn the t-shirt, had
threads dangling from the sleeves and
that didn’t go unnoticed by the Match
Referee, Chris Broad. Broad cautioned
him and let him go. Last time though he
got away with a mere warning, and now
he needs to watch out for the ICC
watchdogs. This time around with strin-
gent clothing regulations, getting away
will not be easy.
PRESIDENTIAL FIASCO
Dressing fiasco is not a new thing in the
Indian dressing room. Both on field and
There are situations cited in the letter that points

to faded pads worn by a batsman, different coloured helmets,
logos being covered with tape and/or plasters
and a team taking the field in an ODI with non-uniform shirts
and too many manufacturer’s logos appearing on the kit.
plasters and a team taking the field in off the field, there are instances of
an ODI with non-uniform shirts and too such faux pa. One such incident was in
many manufacturer’s logos appearing the 1996-1997 tour of South Africa and
on the kit while the match is in Zimbabwe under the captaincy of
Sachin using
progress. There by, making the sport Sachin Tendulkar. The Indian players did- faded pads
look really messy and unprofessional. n’t have the right formal attires with
them. There were different sets of
FADED PADS official blazers, various ranges of
Until recently, in the second one day trousers and some players didn’t even
match played between India and Sri have the official blazers. The then man-
Lanka in the last week of January 2009, ager with the team, Sunil Dev, wrote in
Dhoni was playing with faded pads. The his report later, “The Indian team with
pads had not been re-sprayed in a long different colour blazers and trousers
time. The master blaster, Sachin and two members without the
Tendulkar, too has been guilty of wear- official blazers left the shores
ing faded pads in matches quite a few of India on 18th December,
times before. But next time such a mis- 1997.”
March 2009
Taped t-shirts on India’s

tour to New Zealand 2003
Miandad and his

trademark helmet
Dev further mentions, ing the batting helmet

“When we were to meet Now a hefty which was without the Sri
President Nelson Mandela Lankan logo on it. Javed
on the ground at Cape penalty will be Miandad had played the
Town in front of thou- slapped on any finals of the 1992 World
sands of people, one of offending team Cup, wearing a white hel-
our cricketers had to that fails to wear met instead of the colored
wear a blazer given to the right equip- one.
him by me, which was
obviously without the ment. Faded pads Legitimate concerns, you
would think. The uniform is
Indian crest.” or taped/plas- sacrosanct and cricketers,
This series also highlight- tered tee-shirts after all, are the ambassa-
ed the quality of the kit will be deemed dors of their country. But
supplied by the sponsors as breach it’s just a case of bad tim-
because the t-shirts pro- ing. The tone that runs
vided were of such poor of code. down the letter and use of
quality that the logo phrases like “watchdogs”
itself faded after two washes and the and “stringent clothing regula-
dress started looking shabby. tions” also makes you wonder: If
It is not only Indian cricketers who are only they had been as firm on issues
culprits of such actions. A case in point that deserve immediate attention,
is that of Lankan master blaster, Sanath cricket would have been that much bet-
Jayasuriya, who continues to play wear- ter served.
match ROUND TWO report trivia content news interview 60 Cricket Today
March 2009
s
anta Claus certainly heard the
plea of the true aficionados
of the game late last year.
They were delivered a deliri-
ous feast of Test cricket at
the turn of the year that even gave
Twenty20 cricket a run for its money.
But the stocking was filled deeper for
the goodies to last longer than original-
ly imagined as March sees battles
resume, as the top spot is once again
up for grabs and Australia are holding
onto it with rather slippery fingers.
WHEN TEST CRICKET
KILLED THE TWENTY20
STAR
How often has this been said in the last
year and a half – ‘it is now official;
Twenty20 has taken the cricket world
by storm’? With the IPL and the lure of
wealth now translating into realistic
expectations even in the midst of a
financial meltdown, purists moaned
that Test cricket needed a revival. The
truth however was that the Test for-
mat did not need as much tweaking as
it needed to be revisited. And how!
It is to good credit for the England
team to brave the mood when they
decided to come back to India and com-
plete their original series that also
involved the two Test matches. The
results may not have gone in their
favour. But they were certainly instru- by Sreelata S. Yellamrazu
Another Summit
Scaling Expedition!
mental in providing the entertainment
factor in the series that saw India chase
the champion side exposed with such
finesse and alacrity, it made the world
even talking of the second World
Twenty20! What they are looking for-
a monumental, not to mention histori- sit up. ward to is the return leg of the battle,
cal, target. That it ripped apart an All in all, the Test matches received the Australian tour to South Africa, and
already fragile relationship with the unprecedented attention over the span to only a slightly lesser extent, the
England coach and skipper was another of five months to constitute one of the Indian tour to New Zealand. That has to
matter. most glorious Test cricketing years over be attributed to the power of Test
But over the Australian summer, the the last two decades. More importantly, cricket.
Test series captivated the cricket loving what it has done is whet the appetite
public the world over as South Africa for more. Suddenly the focus has shift- INDIA, SOUTH AFRICA –
put up the most extraordinarily belliger- ed on the IPL only for a blink of an eye TRADING SPACES
ent battle, from seemingly feeble posi- for the auctions and the second season What precipitated the ranking chaos
tions, to wrest the series from Australia of the IPL is not the most anticipated was India beating Australia in India. That
and hand them their first home defeat event of the year, at least not on the set forth frenzied imagination. All of a
since 1992-’93. This was the downfall of immediate agenda. Hardly anyone is sudden India were doing it again – pos-
Cricket Today
longer South Africa’s problem. They had rest as they leave the competition far
set their eyes skywards. behind on the same tally. That alone
should have qualified them to be
CAN LOGIC PREVAIL? declared the outstanding winners, and
The ICC Test ranking is something like not dynamic runners up to a poor look-
the all time greats list released also by ing number one.
the ICC - baffling! South Africa
already technically have the num-
CHANGE IN
bers to prove they have been INDIAN PALATE -
the better team in competition KIWI FOR DINNER?
with the best. And yet their his- In almost a repeat level of
toric victory in Australia could challenges, India should have
not secure them the crown. an easier ride than South
ing a challenge at the very top by push- And they must now once again Africa do on the climb up.
ing Australia again and taking the sec- fight the foes, this time at But one would only have to
ond best spot from South Africa when home, to ensure that rewind back to see that
beating England. It was a small matter the trophy comes India had a disas-
that South Africa were beating home. trous time in
Bangladesh to maintain that same sec- Now it will not New Zealand in
ond spot, next only to Australia. But a be a series an earlier
much bigger challenge awaited South whitewash episode only to
Africa than it did India. that will be bounce back in
All South Africa had to do to seal the required. It the World Cup
top spot was beat Australia 3-0 in the will be a victo- of the past. So,
three Tests down under, this after they ry in any for- not all lingering
failed to beat Australia in a series down mat that will memories will
under since their readmission in 1991 topple be the fondest.
and were essentially going in with a Australia from Virender Sehwag
young team that has not really experi- the perch. That is himself admitted
enced playing Australia in a Test match, because South that though
especially in Australia before.(By that Africa have closed India would be
same measurement, a similar excuse by the gap on Australia expected to
Australia on the tour to India then goes and their consistent put up a bet-
out of the window.) But South Africa performances in ter front,
proved to be warriors on the field and the Test matches even a white-
pushed the champions who believed have seen them win wash against
they could not be disposed and there- eleven out of fifteen New Zealand,
fore, failed to prepare sufficiently for Test matches with two in three Tests
an onslaught. Suddenly two Tests draws and two losses, now that the tour
fought courageously were netted in which is more than a to Pakistan has
South Africa’s pockets and India was no shade better than the been cancelled, is
March 2009
in the Commonwealth Bank series in

Australia in what will officially be his
first series abroad as captain of the
Indian Test team, New Zealand may not
have it all going their way notwithstand-
ing weather and pitch conditions. A win
here though will greatly redeem India’s
issues in series overseas as they edge
even closer to make the battle for the
top a three way, instead of ending up
as a distant second runner up in the
drama.
FLAVOUR OF THE
MONTH – KANGAROO
(MEAT)?
Will the road for South Africa get any
easier to beat Australia now that they
have beaten Australia in Australia?
Absolutely not. And this is precisely why
this series, instead of being something
that would cause viewer fatigue watch-
ing same teams battle each other time
and time again, is actually the most
anticipated in less than a month’s time
of the completion of the first leg of
the battle.
South Africa had unfinished business in
Australia, where they did earn the
respect of the paying public that even a
handsome draw in Sydney would not
perhaps have fetched, for a world rank-
ing sealing victory. What it basically now
means is that South Africa are only five
points short of Australia’s 126 and India
are trailing by three more than South
unlikely to see an immediate three way tually helpless circumstances

battle for the top. when New Zealand lost a huge
India will be going in without key per- cluster of players such as
sonnel with Sourav Ganguly and Shane Bond and Craig
Anil Kumble retiring. But where MacMillan to the ICL and seen
old hands have hung their the retirement of Nathan Astle
gloves, the younger ones are and Fleming himself. New Zealand
showing a great deal of bear names that are
resilience, hunger and sub- largely unfamiliar to the
servience to the no-holds-
A win here rest of the cricket world
barred skipper Mahendra though will and have already tasted
Singh Dhoni. What will per-
haps make their task easi-
greatly redeem trouble first hand with
Jesse Ryder a la Andrew
er, not to mention inching India’s issues in Symonds.
further towards that num- series overseas Facing a red hot team
ber one ranking points, is India is not likely to be a
the fact that New Zealand
as they edge fun walk in the park even
have not exactly been even closer to with the hosts playing in
bouncing with the same
panache as some of their
make the bat- home conditions that
once had the Indian team
other opponents. Daniel tle for the top a looking hopelessly feeble,
Vettori did not inherit the three way. and virtually toothless. If
team Stephen Fleming put Dhoni can prepare his
in place. If fact, Vettori’s team to take on a com-
most trying days in international cricket paratively fragile opponent
have perhaps come as a skipper in vir- on a series overseas like he did
Cricket Today
after Jason Krejza showed ability in the

fourth Test in India. Andrew Symonds
has been deported even before he
embarked! If that were possible!
Symonds once again did himself no
favours when he passed unkind remarks
about Brendon McCullum after his stint
in Australia’s domestic cricket. More
than his words perhaps it was the lack
of perceptible change in his behaviour
and attitude towards the game and its
exponents that has caused Cricket
Australia to revise their opinion on
whether Symonds has successfully com-
pleted his stint in rehab. In Symonds,
Australia have lost hugely on an aggres-
sive player with the knack to not only
turn a match on its head but also, to
get disconcertingly under the skin of
the player.
Now Ponting is the one who is feeling
heat under the collar while Dhoni is in
Africa.
South Africa will still essentially have the
same strengths and weaknesses which
basically means that their top five who
were tipping the scales at the top last
year will still be available for South
Africa while Graeme Smith will be get-
ting fighting fit, despite postponing
surgery. Their bowling make up is unlike-
ly to undergo a make over, which means
Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne
Morkel will form the crux of their
attack, with perhaps another fast
bowler thrown in good measure
depending on the pitch and conditions.
Boucher’s fitness and Smith’s ability to
fight his pain once more after postpon-
ing surgery will be the key areas of
focus for South Africa.
Australia though have a battle on their
hands. Matthew Hayden retired in the
aftermath of a disastrous tour to India
that was exacerbated as South Africa
exploited his mental weaknesses and
brought them into the open. What
this has basically left Australia
with is an aggrieved batsman-
cum-captain Ricky Ponting, a
man itching to fill Ponting’s What it basically Mitchell Johnson has ravage mood. Smith needs to set the
shoes – Michael Clarke close on now means is perhaps wisely turned record straight to prove their victory
the skipper’s heels, a street
smart wicket keeper in Brad
that South Africa down the IPL offer
given his lengthy
down under was no fluke while Daniel
Vettori’s men must prove they are as
Haddin and a less consistent are only five assignments as the deserving of the applause as some of
Mr. Cricket – Mike Hussey. points short of spearhead in the their predecessors in a reality television
The bowling department has absence of more like remake of the movie “The
been considerably weakened Australia’s 126 experienced pros. Replacements.” With so much drama
since Stuart Clark has been and India are But Ponting’s con- that is bound to cause a few sleepless
declared unfit to embark on
the tour to South Africa, Brett
trailing by three cerns are not restrict-
ed to the spinner’s
nights (literally and pun intended given
that the timing schedules of the two
Lee has had injury added to an more than South job as Nathan Hauritz series are likely to leave cricket lovers
indifferent cricket year and a Africa. hardly seemed the with little sleep), and so much at stake,
turbulent year personally, and ideal replacement this is no time to be caught napping!
match CHAMPIONS-IN-WAITING trivia content news 64 Cricket Today
March 2009
t
hey are no longer chokers or
bridesmaids. They have won
the right to be the No 1 team
in ODIs on sheer merit and
results. And they could well be
the No 1 team in Tests too very soon.
The transformation in the South
African team is complete and the meta-
morphosis has been stunning. They
have verily been the team of the past
year not having lost a series, winning
one in England after 43 years and then
sealing a famous triumph in Australia.
If there is one factor that underscores
South Africa’s
SA: Nearing
the No.1
Position by Partab Ramchand
Cricket Today
impressive progress to the No 1 spot it

is their recent triumph over Australia.
Over the years while they had a fair
record against all opponents they
always came a cropper against the
Aussies. In eight contests in the two
countries since 1993-94 (leading up to
the recently concluded Test series in
Australia) the South Africans did not
even win one. In Australia the teams
played 12 Tests and the visitors won
just one, lost seven and drew four. This
time however they finally scaled the
Aussie wall - and in style. The remark-
able victory in the first Test at Perth
where they chased down the second
highest total of 414 in Test history was
final confirmation that the South
Africans were no more chokers. For
good measure they won the next
match by an emphatic margin of nine
wickets to clinch a Test series in
Australia for the first time. And to
think that they had played their first
series ‘Down Under’ as far back as
1910-11!
Indeed the South Africans have given
enough evidence that they are now
ready to bully the big bullies, to turn
the tables and pound them into sub-
mission. The glorious 4-1 triumph in
the ODI series confirmed the corona-
tion of South Africa as the new No 1
side and one would not be surprised if
they go over to the top in the Test
rankings too – perhaps even at the end
of the return series against the Aussies
in South Africa.
South Africa’s traditional strength has
been their bowling and fielding and
while this has been maintained the bat-
ting has touched new heights. Just last In the middle
year Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie order AB de
broke the famous first wicket record
partnership of Vinoo Mankad and
Villiers, Ashwell
Pankaj Roy by being associated in a Prince and the
415-run stand against Bangladesh. newly discov-
Smith and Herschelle Gibbs are the only
pair in Test history to share three 300- ered JP Duminy
plus first wicket partnerships. And provide style,
while Smith remains a formidable bats-
man at the top of the order with his
solidity and
power-packed shots and a career aver- sub-
age of fifty, those following him in the stance.
batting order are no less awesome for
any bowling line-up. Hashim Amla has
transformed himself from a strangely
tentative batsman to a tower of
strength at the pivotal No 3 position.
Little need be said about Jacques Kallis
a batting all rounder par excellence. His
record in both forms of the game is
quite mind-boggling. And in the middle
order AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince and
March 2009
South Africa’s
traditional
strength has
been their bowl-
ing and fielding
and while this
has been main-
tained the bat-
ting has touched
new
heights.
the newly discovered JP Duminy provide

style, solidity and substance. South
Africa’s batting strength is right now at
an all time high since their return to
international cricket in 1991.
If anything the bowling could well
match the batting. In Dale Steyn they
possess the outstanding fast bowler in
world cricket today. At over five wickets
a Test and at a niggardly average of 23
he couldn’t have competition from any-
one else. Makhaya Ntini lends experi-
ence and hostility to the attack and in
the two Morkels they have more than
adequate support. It is true that the
spin attack is rather weak though Paul
Harris in Tests and Johan Botha in ODIs
have acquitted themselves creditably.
But with an outstanding pace attack
the lack of a world class spin bowler is
hardly felt. As for Mark Boucher he
remains the outstanding wicket keeper
batsman in the game.
It would be difficult to pinpoint the
period when South Africa shed their
chokers image and became world beat-
ers. But that unforgettable ODI at
Johannesburg three years ago might be
a good starting point. When a team
concedes a heart breaking total of 434
Cricket Today
chance against the Caribbeans losing by

19 runs after having the game in their
grasp. Three years later all
the last pair of Lance
Klusener and Allan Donald
needed was a single from
three balls to book a berth
in the final and on form
seal a sure World Cup triumph.
Inexplicably Donald
was run out and it
They have verily was Australia who
held aloft the covet-
been the team ed trophy. Four years
of the past year later an inexplicable
not having lost a miscalculation in their
series, winning last preliminary
one in England league match against
Sri Lanka led to South
after 43 years Africa’s
and then sealing exit at the first round
a famous tri- itself when it was pre-
umph in dicted that a semifi-
nal place for starters
Australia. was a cert for the
hosts. The choker tag
in Tests was placed firm-
ly on them right from the
first match they played on their return
to international cricket against West
Indies in 1992. Requiring 201 for a
famous win South Africa were 123 for
two but then crumbled to 148 all out.
Certainly Smith can take the king size’s
share of the credit for ever since he
took over the captaincy at the age of
22 in 2003 following the World Cup
debacle he has led with imagination and
purpose. And leading from the front
comes naturally to a gifted batsman like
the pugnacious left-handed opening
batsman. He has had faithful deputies
whether it has been Boucher or Kallis or
anyone else and the team members
have responded to his positive captain-
cy admirably. These are glorious times
for South African cricket and the signs
are that the upbeat mood will not be
over soon.
runs and then has the guts, skill and the past they had faltered at the
verve to chase it down with one wicket doorstep of victory, had somehow con-
and one ball to spare that is the stuff trived to lose matches from winning
dreams are made of. From that positions. Three World Cup matches in
moment on South Africa gained a new 1996, 1999 and 2003 sufficed to show
respect in the cricketing world. Under that they lacked gumption. In the first
the dynamic leadership of Smith they instance they were the favourites going
became a team high on confidence and into the quarterfinal against the West
self belief. Indies having won all their group match-
These were important qualities for es. They were playing like champions
South Africa to possess for so often in but somehow squandered away the
match CAPTAIN SPEAKS report trivia content interview 68 Cricket Today
March 2009
“This
is just
the
beginning”
- Graeme Smith
by Artsmith.Sports
In an exclusive chat with

Artsmith.Sports, the captain
of the World No 1 team in
the ICC ODI rankings,
Graeme Smith shares his
feelings about becoming No
1 and the sudden rise of the
Proteas Team. Graeme
believes, the real test is the
World Cup, 2011. He shares
his feeling about beating
Australia in Australia and
becoming the only team to
win both the test and one
day series in 17 long years.
Smith, who had injured him-
self, has just resumed play.
He will be playing in the
semi finals of the domestic
T20 match for his home
state, Nashua Cape Cobras.
The excerpts from the inter-
view.
Cricket Today
AS: ITS BEEN MORE THAN TWO AND IT WAS SAID THE SOUTH tesy to Gary as coach of India, it would
WEEKS NOW AND SOUTH AFRICA IS A TEAM OF CHOK- have been wrong to ask for his advice.
AFRICA IS THE NUMBER ONE ERS. CRITICS WERE OF THE Gary and I have been good friends for a
ODI TEAM IN THE WORLD, HOW OPINION THAT IT WAS TOO long time and we have left it there.
DOES IT FEEL TO REIGN THE EARLY TO GIVE YOU THE
WORLD? RESPONSIBILITY, WHAT WOULD
BE YOU TELL THEM NOW? AS: IF IT WAS GREAT CAPTAIN-
GS: It is very rewarding. It has come CY FROM YOU THEN IT WAS AN
sooner than I expected bearing in mind GS: (smiling) It was a challenge to prove OUTSTANDING EFFORT FROM
that we have a fairly inexperienced side. my critics wrong. YOUR TEAM-ELABORATE
We have always followed a philosophy GS: As you said, it was a team
AS: WHEN YOU HAD SET FOR effort and here, I include all
AUSTRALIA, EVERY BODY 15 players in the squad
THOUGHT IT as well as our manage -
of going WAS ment team. A charac -
game by game and teristic of the team
leaving the rankings to look after
themselves.
AS: DID YOU EVER IMAG-

INE OF ACHIEVING THIS
FEAT? NOT
POSSIBLE TO BEAT
GS: Our goal is to have a AUSTRALIA IN
team that can win the
World Cup in two years’
A characteristic AUSTRALIA BUT YOU
time and obviously we of the team GUYS MADE IT POS-
have two other important was that there SIBLE, WAS IT A
RESULT OF GREAT
ICC events this year in the
T20 and the Champions
was always PLANNING AND
WELL RESEARCHED
Trophy and you probably somebody EFFORT?
need to become world No
1 to achieve that. This is
putting their GS: There was a lot
just the beginning… hand up, win- of planning involved
but the key factor
ning the big was that the play-
AS: WHEN YOU
STARTED OFF, YOU
points for ers believed they
WERE THE us. could beat

Australia and
YOUNGEST CAPTAIN they proved it.
AS: YOUR PART-

NERSHIP WITH
COACH, MICKY AURTHUR
IS BRILLIANT. WHAT SORT
OF CHEMISTRY WORKS
BETWEEN THE TWO OF
YOU?
GS: (laughs)…Mickey and I have
defined our relationship. He takes
charge of the preparation and I
take charge at the final team
meeting and then on to the field of
play. It is important that we speak
with one voice at all times and our
relationship is built around that.
AS:. THERE WERE REPORTS

ABOUT THE PROTEAS
TAKING TIPS FROM
INDIAN COACH, GARY
KIERSTEN, WHO PLAYED A
CRUCIAL ROLE IN DEFEATING
THE AUSSIES WHEN THEY
TOURED INDIA?
GS: As a matter of professional cour-
March 2009
was that there was always GS: Both had an out- AS: DO YOU THINK, JP
DUMINY WAS THE FIND OF THE
somebody putting their hand
up, winning the big points for
Our goal is to standing year, scoring
more than thousand TOURNAMENT?
us. Our lower order batting at have a team Test runs. As a result GS: JP certainly had an outstanding
Melbourne was a case in point. that can win we now have a very series. We knew all along he had it in
Each one of them were bril- solid and dependable him to perform the way he did and the
liant…(laughs) can’t single out the World Cup top three in our bat- pleasing factor for us has been the
any one. in two years’ ting department greater batting and bowling depth we
AS: MAKHAYA NTINI

time and obvi- have unearthed in our squad.
AS:
CAME UP WITH GREAT ously need to OUTSTANDING AS: IN YOUR ABSENCE, WAS IT
SUPPORT IN THE LAST become world PERFORMANCE A SURPRISE TO SEE THE BOYS
TEST MATCH, COULD HE BY YOUR WINNING THE ODI SERIES 4-1?
BELIEVE HIS OWN PER- No 1 to achieve BOWLERS? GS: I was really thrilled by the way the
FORMANCE? that. GS: The bowlers man - team pulled through with virtually all
GS: Makhaya was fantastic. I aged to take 20 wick - the players standing up to assume
even joked with him that he ets in each of the first responsibility at different times.
was the senior partner! He stuck it out and second tests and
for 90 minutes and, in fact, wasn’t dis- believe me as a Captain that AS: HOW IS YOUR TENNIS
missed in the series. (and laughs…) is all I could have asked of them and ELBOW, HAVE YOU OPERATED?
they did everything to win the match. HOW SOON CAN WE SEE YOU
AS: PLAYERS LIKE HASHIM What has pleased me has been the way BACK ON THE GROUND?
AMLA AND NEIL MACKENZIE they have operated as a collective unit GS: I am playing my first match in the
PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN and supported one another, backed domestic T20 semi-final which is really
THE WIN. each other. encouraging.
match THUMPING WIN report trivia content interview 72 Cricket Today
March 2009
South Africa pulling off the Test But the one day series were another
i
series, although incredible, still matter altogether. Mickey Arthur made
appeared in the realm of the amply clear what lay ahead for South
achievable. But to completely Africa when they won the Test series in
overshadow Australia in the one England handsomely but fared rather
day series in the manner in which they poorly in the one day matches that fol-
did with the resources that were con- lowed. It gave Pietersen a great impetus
sidered feeble at best, is perhaps some- in his early days as the captain of the
thing even they would consider exceed- England team, but it
ing expectations. chalked out clearly
how hard the
LIMITED OVERS, A DIF- climb in another
FERENT BALL GAME format was
It was not easy for the South Africans going to be for
to win the Test series. Those were hard the South
fought contests where South Africa Africans. But that
hung on bravely in difficult sessions to did not mean that
grab the pivotal moments of the South Africa chose
match. But South Africa believed they to sit on their lau-
had the wherewithal to brave the rels.
assault of the Australians and to dish The injury upon injury
some of their own, even though much for skipper Graeme
of the rest of the world, including Smith left South Africa
Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen, dismissed with a huge hole.
it as another case of big talk that came After all, Smith had
cheap. manufactured most
There were still areas unconquered, like of South Africa’s wins
the top spot in the ICC Test rankings, in the Test series over
but it mattered little compared to their the last six months and
Safs Story –
Resounding
Campaigns
End in No.1
Down Under
by Sreelata S. Yellamrazu
achievements of the summer. They had his absence was a crucial disadvantage
just beaten Australia at home, an expe- as it was in England when the flared
rience no Australian team or fan has elbow first reared its ugly head in inter-
withstood since 1993. Perhaps had national assignments for South Africa
Graeme Smith not returned home with after making its brief presence during
a fractured hand and tennis, more peo- the inaugural IPL.
ple would have given the team a chance The South African one day squad had
in the one day series. been put in jeopardy through a series
Cricket Today
tle more of the same, South Africa

adjusting, Australia perfecting. It must
be little wonder that the most names
for the next IPL auction are from
Australia. JP Duminy once again stuck
out in an otherwise sullen score card
for his sixty-nine off forty-one balls.
But Ponting and Cameron White rallied
around Michael Hussey to ensure
Australia would escape to a six wicket
victory, with South Africa still looking
dicey for the upcoming one day series
ahead.
PERFECTING THE FOR-

MULA
Johan Botha took his time, but found
his feet. Not only did he grow more
authoritative in captaincy during the
one day internationals but also, in his
own role as a spinner of which he did a
sterling job, strangling Australia’s middle
order on more than one occasion while
picking up the key wicket that tended
to prove to be the thorn in the flesh
for his team. The decisions became
more precise, the pieces of the puzzle
fell into place and the rest of it was
purely clockwork.
Australia did their best to cooperate
with South Africa’s agenda inadvertent-
ly. While Australia have a good
nucleus of batsmen, getting
their act together has proved
to be a tangle, that exacerbat-
ed when they somehow took
of unfortunate events even before Ricky Ponting who claimed on the onus on themselves into
Smith’s injuries. Mickey Arthur Botha was not the man in playing a more Twenty20 like
expressed that he was not a bit sur- control on the field as cameo instead of stringing
prised that South Africa struggled as advice was flying in all partnerships together.
badly as they did in England in the one directions by all South No one was even Matthew Hayden’s omis-
day internationals. South Africa under- African men in plausible looking at the sion and his subsequent
went a change of personnel in the one authority by rank, age or ICC’s ODI team retirement left a hole in
day internationals when they lost Charl reputation during the rankings before the opening slot and even
Langeveld to a Kolpak agreement after Twenty20 matches in the
his fiasco indirectly with Andre Nel for a build up to the five one
the series began; though Warner started
well, it was simply not pos-
place in the squad for the series in India day internationals. that is how low sible to put up a match
over the quota system and lost key all South Africa were blown the expectations winning performance at
rounders such as Andrew Hall, Justin away in the first were when it every opportunity.
Kemp and Johan van der Wath to the Twenty20 match by came to South Another area that
ICL. With Shaun Pollock’s retirement, uncapped David Warner
the gaps had become rather wide, whose eighty-nine from
Africa in the one Australia failed miserably
was in the matter of the
especially in the one day context and forty-three balls was not day interna- batting power play. South
South Africa had harder work to make a only astounding but also, tionals. Africa were putting their
team to reckon with, in two years’ time effectively had South plans in place, from rein-
for the World Cup. Africa throw in the towel, unless one of ing in Australia when the
their own could match this unknown hosts were threatening to run
SIDE STEPPING THE kid’s sudden famous feats. South away with their batting innings to using
(T)20’S Africa’s wonder kid on this tour, Jean their own batting power play to near
South Africa were either doing a good Paul Duminy, gave his best. But even his perfection. Ricky Ponting found himself
job throwing Australia off their scent or seventy-nine from forty-three would resigned to seeking advice from the
really still coming to terms with the not be enough as South Africa crashed younger men in the dressing room who
change of form, captain and personnel. to a fifty-two run defeat. had experienced the use of the rule in
Johan Botha came under fire from The second Twenty20 match was a lit- the domestic circuit. But Australia lost
March 2009
given South Africa a clean record. the late dash from James Hopes and
Cameron White to get them to a rather
REFINING PERFORM- modest 222.
ANCES, HUMBLED But if Australia really needed to know
HOSTS how ordinary their efforts were, they
There were other heart warming per- had to simply doff their hats in the
formances from JP Duminy and Neil manner in which South Africa went
McKenzie in the first match, Kallis and about the chase. Herschelle Gibbs
AB in the second and Gibbs and Kallis in attempted a blitzkrieg while
the third. But South Africa not only Hashim Amla stood rock solid.
clinched the series at the Adelaide When Gibbs departed, Amla’s
Oval but also, did it so emphati- stand only solidified, this time
cally that Australia had to with AB de Villiers for company.
accept that they had been In a near flawless performance,
once again outplayed the duo put up a 143 run partner-
smartly and tenaciously in ship in good time that
the fourth and more In all of the first South Africa’s annihilation
comprehensively than in three matches, of Australia was complete
all three past matches Morkel was in under thirty-nine overs
that went down to the
wire. South Africa sealed involved in fetch- to give South Africa a com-
prehensive series victory,
Australia’s fate in the ing runs in the prompting even Ponting to
series. Despite the half tricky final overs admit this would have to
century from Ponting when South perhaps be the worst per-
and the partnership with Africa also chose formance of Australia in
the Hussey brothers the summer.
more wickets during their batting after the early double to employ the
power play than scoring runs with a dismissal of Marsh and batting power NOT WITHOUT THE
restricted set of fielders out of the Warner, Australia needed play to NO.1!
thirty yard line. They could certainly good effect.
have taken a leaf out of South Africa’s
books.
ALBIE ‘KLUSENER”
MORKEL, MARK “NEVER
SAY DIE” BOUCHER
If there was one decisive ploy that
could be the most prominent differ-
ence between the two teams, it was
South Africa’s trump card, held long
enough up their sleeve on every occa-
sion. In the past Justin Kemp often lived
with the expectation of being South
Africa’s next Lance Klusener. But it is
Albie reliving Zulu’s magic in Kemp’s
absence. In all of the first three match-
es, Morkel was involved in fetching runs
in the tricky final overs when South
Africa also chose to employ the batting
power play to good effect. Two innings
of forty off eighteen balls in the first
match and off twenty-two balls in the
third were reminiscent of a Twenty20
match encased within the fifty over
game. The only reason Albie could not
complete his cameo in the second
match was because South Africa’s top
order slowed down the rate too long in
the middle overs, leaving South Africa
with too much to do in the end, not
allowing the now set partners and
established finishers of the game, Mark
Boucher and Albie, to complete the job,
missing it by five runs which would have
Cricket Today
one day internationals even though

they occupied the second spot. But the
cohesive efforts of the team ensured
that the final match would present an
additional incentive – the opportunity
to upstage Australia for the number
one position at least in the one day
international rankings.
Perth was the venue and South Africa
had every intention to go with a bang
and a title. South Africa had a slightly
different challenge though. They were
batting first, something they did not
have the opportunity to do in the series
thus far. This was not going to be about
chasing a target anymore. This time it
was Amla’s responding once more to
the challenge of the one day interna-
tionals with a salient knock of ninety-
seven only to be followed up by the
twin sixty run innings from AB de
Villiers and JP
Duminy.
Australia, chasing 289 for
pride, found the middle
order trying to recover from
another despicable position
of five down for 122. David
Hussey’s innings of thirty-two
was sandwiched between Brad
Haddin’s sixty-three and brother
Michael’s seventy-eight. But South
Africa romped home to the num-
ber one crown as Australia once
again lost their way, as they have
for much of the present season.
Mickey Arthur did not want his
team standing on the pedestal
South Africa stumbled on to two because in his opinion, his team is
opportunities to go number one in the not in full readiness to take the
world. One opportunity presented expectations that come
itself as South Africa won the first with the position. He
two of three Tests and had to may well advise cau-
then win the third in Sydney to tion as South Africa
become the number one team in With Shaun performed beyond
the ICC Test rankings. Though Pollock’s retirement, their means in many
they ended up losing the game, the gaps had ways. That they
they won enormously more become rather even managed to do
than what perhaps even the wide, especially in it in the final match without the likes
number one would have given of Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and
them. But it still meant that
the one day context Jacques Kallis speaks enormously of
technically one goal remained and South Africa their success. But Arthur knows the
unfulfilled. had harder work to challenges that lay ahead in gaining con-
No one was even looking at the make a team to sistency in the run up to the world cup.
ICC’s ODI team rankings before reckon with, in two While South Africa enjoy the number
the series began; that is how years’ time for the one for as long as it lasts in the
low the expectations were when World Cup. close points race, they are firmly
it came to South Africa in the rooted to the ground.
match UNSUNG HERO report trivia content interview 76 Cricket Today
March 2009
ow many cricketers can you
h
recall who have established
a world record on their
debut but never played for
India? It’s probably difficult
to answer. On the other hand, a spin-
ner starts his career in a normal man-
ner and goes on to establish one of
the most difficult world records?
The records set by Amol Muzumdar,
the batsman, and Anil Kumble, the leg-
spinner, will be difficult to better. And
one common link between the two
world marks is umpire A.V. Jayaprakash,
who from 22 yards watched 19-year-
old Muzumdar score a brilliant 260 on
his first-class debut in 1993-94 to
erase the 73-year-old world record of
South African Waldemar Frederick Eric
Marx highest knock on debut. Five
years later, Jayaprakash gave all
Pakistani batsmen out as Kumble mes-
merised them in the Delhi Test in 1999.
While Marx went on to play three
Tests, Muzumdar was never picked for
India and is now on the last legs of his
first-class career spanning 16 years.
Things have come to such a pass for
Muzumdar that in the 2008-09 Ranji
Trophy final against Uttar Pradesh in
Hyderabad, he was not even included in
the Mumbai XI, despite being in the
squad. This is a clear signal from the
Mumbai selectors and the team man-
agement that the right-handed batting
prodigy is not wanted anymore even as
youngsters are being blooded. “I was
not specially told anything. They proba-
bly wanted to play an additional spin-
ner,” says a disappointed Muzumdar,
now 34.
Kumble, the other world record holder
along with Jim Laker of England, also
had quite a rousing start to his cricket
by Qaiser Mohammad Ali
Amol Muzumdar
A strange story of
promise unfulfilled
Cricket Today
India against Delhi at Ferozeshah Kotla, wicket haul on Test debut in 1988, was
which would eventually become his still a major threat to the bespectacled
favourite ground, he was probably giv- Bangalore boy.
ing cricket one last chance to succeed. Muzumdar, on the other hand, had stiff
He snared 13 wickets and was on the competition from some of the well
plane to South Africa and never looked established names as he fought for a
back. He ended his career, aptly, at the middle order berth in the Indian team.
Kotla, in November last year with 619 He was lucky that he got the opportuni-
Test and 337 ODI wickets, both Indian ty to play first-class cricket so early,
records. though in the absence of Sachin
Unlike Muzumdar, Kumble did not have Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. But full
much competition from a leg-spinner. credit goes to the immensely talented
Only Narendra Hirwani, Shardashram School and Mithibai
who was already College student who showed exemplary
slipping away temperament and patience while
after his 16- announcing his arrival with a grand dou-
ble century.
Umpire Narendra Menon, who was
Jayaprakash’s colleague in Muzumdar’s
debut match at the Nahar Singh
Muzumdar, on the
other hand, had stiff
competition from
some of the well
established names
as he fought for a
middle order berth in
the Indian team. He
was lucky that he got
the opportunity to
play first-class cricket
so early, though in
the absence of
Sachin
Tendulkar and
Vinod Kambli.
career before he lost way as quickly as

he had begun. Five months after mak-
ing his debut for Karnataka, he was
playing a One-Day International for India
in Sharjah. In November 1989, he made
his Ranji Trophy debut against
Hyderabad and in April 1990 he made
his ODI debut. In August 1990, he played
his first Test. After he was quickly omit-
ted from the Test squad, Kumble briefly
contemplated leaving cricket for an aca-
demic career after completing mechani-
cal engineering in 1992.
When he turned out for the Rest of
March 2009
bowlers and lose half the battle there. I many runs in my first four first-class
noticed that Amol never did that,” he seasons. But when I was not picked in
averred. “The way he batted on his the national team by then, people start-
debut it looked like he would definitely ed saying that I was too old to play for
go on to play for India. During the lunch India, though I was only in my early 20s
interval, I had a chat about him with and scoring as heavily as anyone else,”
Ravi Shastri, who was the Mumbai cap- he explained.
tain and was with him when he com- Muzumdar scored 494 runs in three
pleted his century. While batting matches in his debut season in 1993-94,
together, Ravi kept encouraging him with two centuries and two half-cen-
during that knock.” turies. In the next four seasons his
Asked if he noticed any chink in amazing streak read: 1,068 runs in 15
Muzumdar’s batting, Menon said none. matches, 788 in 10, 942 in 12, including
“The only bad habit with him was that four centuries and two half-centuries,
he was never satisfied with an umpire’s and 788 in 13. And after an indifferent
decision when given out,” he said, with 1998-99 (242 runs in four matches), he
a chuckle. On a serious note the 63- hammered 814 in 13 matches in 1999-
year-old former first-class cricketer 00. But, by that time, many middle
from Indore pointed order batsmen had emerged and had
out: “In those days the supposedly overtaken this low-profile
Indian team’s middle and quiet boy.
order was choc-a-bloc So, were the selectors at the time did
with star players. The not back him sufficiently? “Probably
negative thing was that the selectors had a different approach
Amol did not bowl often. my story would have been different,” is
Had he bowled a all Muzumdar says now.
The best aspect lot in those days Muzumdar, however, is not mulling to
of his knock was he would have had
a chance of break-
end his first-class career as yet, despite
the 34-year-old not being included in
the patience ing into the nation- the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy final against
that he showed. al team.” Uttar Pradesh. One reason is that he is
As I saw in him During the 1999-
2000 Ranji Trophy
tantalisingly close to the all-time Ranji
Trophy career aggregate record of
later on, he was between Mumbai Amarjit Kaypee. The wiry Mumbai bats-
never afraid of and Hyderabad, man is just 31 runs short of stocky for-
any kind of Menon asked mer Haryana captain’s tally of 7,623.
Muzumdar to start The wiry Mumbaikar, whose aggregate
bowling, much bowling in order to at the end of the 2008-09 Ranji season
like make another try reads 7,593, did not hide the fact that
Tendulkar. to break into the he is yearning for the record. “I am not
Indian team. “He thinking of retirement now. I feel till the
told me it was ‘too time I am also mentally fit, besides
late to do so’. But he being physically fit, I will continue to
did realise that he should play. Whether I am selected is a differ-
have been bowling more to qualify as ent thing. After all, I have the right to
an all-rounder,” he recalled. decide when to retire,” he stressed.
Muzumdar is, naturally, disappointed Whenever Muzumdar decides to retire,
that he was unable to translate his without realising his dream of repre-
potential into a national berth. “I don’t senting India, he would take solace from
want to talk about it, because there is the careers of Rajinder Goel and
no specific answer to why I did not play Padmakar Shivalkar, the top class left-
for India. You don’t reach any conclu- arm spinners of 1970s and 1980s who
sion with answers. There can be several also never played for India. They exhibit-
answers to that question,” he said. ed their wares in the same era in which
Stadium from February 12-15, 1994, Muzumdar mostly batted at No. 4 posi- Bishan Singh Bedi weaved his left-arm
remembers the magnificent knock tion for Mumbai, West Zone and other magic.
vividly. “The best aspect of his knock teams and competition was intense at Goel, the low-profile spinner from
was the patience that he showed. As I everywhere. For Mumbai, he had to Haryana, bagged 750 wickets in 157
saw in him later on, he was never afraid drop down the order when Tendulkar first-class matches for Patiala, Southern
of any kind of bowling, much like and Kambli used to play. “I was compet- Punjab, Delhi and Haryana in a career
Tendulkar,” Menon told Cricket Today. ing for a national berth with the likes stretching from 1958-59 to 1984-85.
“Another good quality in Amol was that Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Vikran Mumbai’s Shivalkar captured 589 wick-
he never used to see the face of the Rathore, who were all well established ets in 124 first-class matches from
bowler. Usually, batsmen see the face of when I arrived on to the scene. I scored 1961-62 to 1987-88.
match UNENDING DRAMA report trivia content news 80 Cricket Today
March 2009
n more ways than just one,
i
Shoaib Akhtar epitomises
Pakistani cricket of the more
recent times. In Akhtar’s career,
as is the case with the upper
echelons of cricket in Pakistan, there is
a regular sprinkling of a doping scandal,
the odd – and more – dressing room
squabble, the usual disciplinary issues,
the corresponding hearing and ensuing
bans, perpetual court cases, and result-
ant overturns, all of this interspersed
with a spasmodic show of talent.
Clearly, Pakistan cricket today is a far
cry from those times of a leader called
Imran Khan and the era of an odds-
defying, hackle-raising, straight-out-of-
the-fairy-tale book win of the 1992
World Cup.
The only fairy-tale associated with their
cricket currently is of the proportions
of crashing out of the 2007 World Cup,
brought about by a team as powerful
as Ireland and thus making it a stuff of
legends for the minnow cricketing
nation.
Tough time for

known that it was going to be his last.
Sadly for him, he had to bow out of this
world on a low; he had after all just wit-
nessed his team play the cricket one
Pakistan Cricket Since those times of Imran, the

Pakistani team has shown visible signs
of disintegration, degenerating slowly
by Suneer Chowdhary
and steadily like the furniture which has can only have nightmares of, but never
been attacked by termites. However, really think of playing, in a crucial match
even by those standards, the fall from that they should have won 99.99% of
the perch has been rather strangely the times.
exponential ever since the team did Where the plot got murkier was when
make a mockery of themselves in the his death was attributed to a host of
World Cup in the Caribbean. If the hell reasons, none worse than murder –
had partially broken loose with their because he was supposed to have hit
defeat to Ireland – and the subsequent upon evidence that some of the
knocking out – then it reached the pin- Pakistanis had conspired to lose the
nacle with the shocking of one Bob Ireland match. Nothing was proved in
Woolmer’s death, the coach of Pakistan. the end, and his death has remained a
mystery till date, yet, Pakistani cricket
THE COMPUTER- had been indelibly blotted then.
COACH LOGS OUT, SO Geoff Lawson took over, but his was
DOES LAWSON: also a totally feisty reign at the top.
It was for South Africa that Woolmer There were more media altercations
had gained reputation for being the with him around than the sum total of
coach that he was, but Pakistan would all the previous coaches, and by the
have undoubtedly been his most chal- time the new PCB chief came in,
lenging assignment. Little would he have Lawson had no option but to depart
Cricket Today
had committed fifteen disciplinary verge of been banned by the

offences. Yes, fifteen, that includ- IPL for testing positive – he
ed everything from illegal bowl- has been suspended for a
ing action, breach of players’ year since – Asif was caught by
code of conduct throwing the Dubai officials for
bottles into the crowd, ball possessing illegal drugs
tampering obscene language The tug-of-war- and has not played a sin-
and taunts towards oppo- like battle gle international match
nents, doping and even hit- between the ever since.
ting his own team-mates for
no plausible rhyme or rea- Pakistani cricket AND AFRIDI
son! board and LETS HIS
MOHAMMAD Akhtar makes MOUTH,
ASIF JOINS IN for legendary HANDS AND
THE PARTY: stuff and would BAT DO THE
He was touted to be the require a dossier TALKING…LIT-
Glen McGrath of Pakistan.
Instead, he currently runs
to get ERALLY:
the risk of being remem- going on. Trust Shahid Afridi to
bered not-too-fondly as a keep the flag of the
druggie, who ran into troubles for his Akhtar school of contro-
continuous run-ins with the versies fluttering.
dope. Already on the Brandishing the bat in the face of a
South African spectator, slapping
another Pakistani one, being that third
catalyst in the Akhtar-Asif fiasco, and
from the scene. calling his IPL skipper names that made
VVS Laxman question his team ethics
AKHTAR CHECKS were only some of the chapters from
IN…AGAIN: his rather eventful book. It didn’t
If ever there was a detention cen- help his cause that his batting in
tre for cricket-related ‘crimes’, the last eighteen months has
there would have been one seemed nothing better than a
Pakistani cricketer who would mishap and that has almost
have probably made it his meant that he has had to repre-
haven; Shoaib Akhtar. The sent Pakistan as a frontline
tug-of-war-like battle bowler whose bat can do a little
between the Pakistani bit of talking!
cricket board and Akhtar
makes for legendary CAPTAINCY
stuff and would ISSUES:
require a dossier to Whether one terms it the
get going on. Yet, tool of the hindsight, or
what stands out anything else, and
from everything whichever way one
was his not-so- looked at otherwise,
ultra-critical comments – a nation- Shoaib Malik’s appoint-
al pastime amongst cricketers past ment as a captain raised
or present – about the Pakistani quite a few eyebrows in the internation-
board (PCB) that landed him a mess al cricketing circle. Either this had been
that even he wouldn’t have imag- one of the most daft decision since the
ined. Taking strong exception to this appointment of George Bush as the
criticism – especially since he was ‘out President of his country, or even
on parole’ for his earlier sins – the worse! By the time he was on his way
PCB chief banned this mercurial pace out, more than 18 months later, one
bowler for five years, effectively ter- had still not fathomed the ration-
minating his career. ale behind his appointment.
The PCB head, while giving the rea- There had been no charisma,
sons for this extreme punishment, no body language, no results
cited a figure that would have left – except a T20 World Cup
even the most ardent of Akhtar final – and no unity in the
fans awe-stuck; in the four years team, and most of the
leading up to this ban, Akhtar defeats were blamed on his
March 2009
inability to motivate a team that has the situation looks quite grim for sions, he was appointed as the Director-
always had the reputation of been frag- Pakistani cricket in their own country. General – huh? – of Pakistan cricket
mented. To add to his woes, his relation about a couple of months back.
with the media had always been on the BUTT VERSUS MIANDAD Apparently, no contract was offered
tenterhooks, so much so that he went VERSUS THE SENATORS: then, and when it finally was, Miandad
up to extent of using a tape recorder in That Javed Miandad has been one of was in for a surprise. The PCB chairman,
his media interactions to avoid been the best – and cheekiest – Pakistani Ejaz Butt, had had offered the former-
misquoted by them! cricketers is beyond doubt. That skipper a chance to improve the domes-
Mohammad Yousuf had expected the Miandad is also one of the most – that tic cricket in Pakistan, instead of deliver-
top position to fall into his lap and word again – controversial is a no-brain- ing what had been apparently promised;
Malik’s appointment had clearly been a er too! After giving up on being the working with the Pakistani national
bitter pill to swallow for Pakistan’s best coach of the team on countless occa- team. Miffed – I wouldn’t use the word
hurt for Miandad – he had no hesitation
in tendering his resignation to the
board, in a rather unlikely, but polite
tone. He said, “I have no hard feelings
towards anyone but a cricketer of my
stature cannot be happy with the
responsibilities they are giving me.”
That was not all. In this day and age, the
politicians have to have their share of
pie, and the senators of Pakistan had a
gala time raking up this Miandad resig-
nation and grilling the PCB chief for a
period of six hours! The conclusion
was anything but flattering, and
the chief was asked to tender
his resignation in return. Mere
mortals would have collapsed
here, but not so a chief of the
PCB, who in turn questioned the
credibility of those very senators
in questioning his integrity! I
don’t know whether you
batsman. On the other hand, there was guys – the readers – are
a Younis Khan who had flip-flopped on still with me on this, but
this issue many more times than a nau- the last one has heard
seous roller-coaster ride, and in the end, on this is that Butt has
refused to take it up. refused to resign, and
he claims to have the
SECURITY SCARES: full support of the
If there was one country that still President of the
backed Pakistan after the rest of the country!
world had decidedly ended any
hopes of touring the country, it PAKISTAN
was India. The terror attacks on There were more ICL XI VS
Mumbai ended that rather strong media alterca- PAKISTAN
support system for Pakistan. tions with him XI?
Australia, New Zealand, South around than the
Africa and England have always sum total of all Even after Imran
been the first to back-out of a Khan had called it
situation as sensitive as it is in
the previous quits from inter-
Pakistan currently, but when India coaches, and by national cricket,
refuses to tour them for security the time the new the problem faced
reasons, then one can be rest PCB chief came by the national
assured that the PCB is in some in, Lawson had team was never
trouble. no option but to that of a lack
Even before that, it had been the depart from of talent. It
postponing and later cancelling of the scene. was more to
the Champions Trophy that had do with the
put paid to the PCB’s chances earning in-fighting
anything out of the tournament. that the
Although the neutral venue concept Pakistani crick-
would bring in something for the board, eters were so famous for, some-
Cricket Today
thing that gave that fragmented look ed further into darkness.

to the outsider. It was said that if only
did the national team get rid of that THE SUNDRIES:
disjoint, they could have gone that If Darrel Hair had applied the Law
extra mile. whichever-it-was for forfeiture of a
At this stage, one is not too sure what match a trifle too early, then Inzamam-
one can actually say this about the ul-Haq had given him ample reason to
team; especially after a substantial do so. The Oval test match was then
number has joined the board-disap- reversed into a draw, but the last one
proved, Indian Cricket League. And what heard in this see-sawing battle between
a gamut of them it was; the swashbuck- the two cricket boards had the English
ling Imran Nazir who could knock the team been declared winners. This hasn’t
stuffing out of the opposition with his gone too well with most cricket experts
explosive batting, the ever-so-consis- in Pakistan and the PCB has been under
tent, the graceful and the best ever in fire ever since!
the Pakistani team, Mohammad Yousuf, The on-field performances have only
budding and aggressive opener in Imran dwindled over a period of time, what
Farhat, along with the pace bowlers of with a couple of dopers for fast
the quality of Rana Naved and bowlers, an all-boast-no-roast leg-spin-
Mohammad Sami and an irresistible all- ner, and a wicket-keeper who seems to
rounder in the ice-cool Abdul Razzaq. All be wearing the veil of one anyways!
of them lost to Pakistan and to the rest The simmering political tensions with
of the world because the PCB applied India not only ensured that the Indians
life-bans at the behest of the BCCI. called off their tour to Pakistan, but
The rage amongst the Pakistani fans also that none of the Pakistani crick-
was very evident and there had been eters would be representing any of the
talks amongst them of the ICL team franchisees in the second edition of the
challenging the national one for a IPL. That by itself would have been the
match-up, with the winning team hav- biggest tragedy of them all for the
ing the right to represent Pakistan. For players!
obvious reasons that did not materi- To mildly conclude it, Younis Khan has a
alise, and the Pakistani cricket plummet- rather tough job on his hand.
match POLITICAL NEXUS report trivia news interview 84 Cricket Today
March 2009
The history of cricket in South Africa is

essentially political in nature, and the
close connection between politics and
cricket goes back to the emergence of
South Africa as a Test playing country
in the late 19th century. Cape Prime
Minister Cecil John Rhodes included
cricket in his drive to impose a segrega-
tionist structure in the African sub-
continent, and together with his
acolytes in the Western Province cricket
establishment successfully blocked the
inclusion of the coloured fast bowler,
Krom Hendricks in the South African
teams of 1894 and 1895. Situation is no
better in India either but in a subtle
way. Hence as a part of this system,
players got an opportunity to experi-
ence politics from close quarters.
Cricketers, since the inception of the
game are attracted towards politics and
this incident is more prevalent in
today’s world where politics has got a
different dimension.
India’s youngest cricket captain Mansoor
Ali khan Pataudi Jr. was a right-hand
batsman and a right-arm medium pace
bowler. Pataudi Jr. better known as
Mansoor in the cricketing world, was
elevated to the captaincy of the Indian
cricket team at a relatively young age
of 21 in March 1962. He played in 46
Test matches for India between 1961
and 1975, where as he captained Indian
Beyond
emptation of wielding power or
t
being close to power is some-
thing very few can resist.
Particularly this is difficult for
those who have once been cen-
tre of attention and interest for mil-
lions of people. Cricketers are a brilliant
example of this theory.
Cricket evolved as a game, played on a
22yards
22 yard long strip in the 19th century.
Time changed and with time changed
the dynamics of this game. With every
fall of wicket and each run scored, the
face of the game has changed outside
the stadium too. The echo of success
on the 22yard long strip goes beyond
the boundaries of the stadium and
influences millions of lives. The rever-
berating sound of success has translat- by Rohit Sharma
ed in to many forms including donning
the role of a politician. Sports and poli-
tics are closely related to each other. this game and this trend continued cricket team in 40 matches, only 9 of
Currently, at least in India almost every even after freedom of the British which resulted in victory for his team.
sports body is headed by political lead- colonies. This system had direct influ- He was however captain when the
ers and cricket is no exception. ence on team selection and players as Indian team recorded its first ever over-
Britishers used cricket as a tool to well. In countries like South Africa, Sri seas Test victory, against New Zealand
increase its clout in their colonial parts Lanka, Pakistan, Zimbabwe etc in 1967.
around the globe. Kings and head of Government and politicians have direct To protest the abolition of Privy Purse
states were the initial administrators of interference in the game even today. in India, Mansoor Pataudi Jr. contested
Cricket Today
in 1971 elections to the Lok Sabha. He

contested from Gurgaon as a candi-
date of the Vishal Haryana Party.
Patudi Jr. was not the only name during
that period, even before him, another
cricketer- Palwankar Baloo created a
sort of furore. Palwankar Baloo ‘s name
stands out in history, and not just in
cricket as he, though being an unfair
victim of the caste system, managed to
challenge this very system with his
immense cricketing talents. Palwankar
Baloo was an employee of the Poona
cricket ground. He had the opportunity
to bowl in the nets to the English who
would come to the ground to practice
and play cricket. His talent was immedi-
ately recognized. But owing to the
prevalent caste system, and given the
fact that he belonged to a
lower caste, the Brahmins
and other higher caste
people refused to include
him in the teams. But
with the insistence of a
few players and some
Britishers, Baloo got
the opportunity
to represent the
Hindus.
Nevertheless, he
never got the
opportunity to General Election
bat and was 2009 are round
confined just the corner.
to bowling. mass puller Hence, the news not very long, neither
Batting was during elections. of Dilip too short.
always reserved With the glam- Vengsarkar, Anil General Election 2009
for the higher castes. our quotient Kumble, Md are round the corner.
Palwankar Baloo took involved in Hence, the news of Dilip
179 wickets in 33 cricket and the
Azharuddin, Vengsarkar, Anil Kumble,
matches before quit- much hyped Vinod Kambli and Md Azharuddin, Vinod
ting cricket and join- attention others joining pol- Kambli and others join-
ing politics. He which crick- itics is not a sur- ing politics is not a sur-
became a close aid of eters draw prising ele- prising element. Though
BR Ambedkar and during their playing ment. this trend is not new,
fought for the rights of days, force even but the increasing num-
the lower castes. the politicians to drag crick- ber of cricketers joining
In India, where politics is eters in their fold in order to politics during recent time
synonymous of power, it is encash the cricketer’s populari- has created some interest in this
a great hunting ground for ty in their favour. In such a situ- episode. Apart from the trio mentioned
the ambitious souls. Cricket ation it is not easy to distance above, Chetan Sharma is also in the fray
is like a vast religion in cricket from politics. Though the to become cricketer turn politician as
Indian sub-continent with- glamour and mass turning up to BSP candidate from Ballabhgarh
out any barrier of cast, have a glimpse of these stars (Haryana). In past too, Indian parliament
creed or geographical doesn’t convert in the ballot box has witnessed cricketing heroes like
boundaries and cricketers every time, politicians doesn’t Navjot Singh Siddhu, Kirti Azad, Chetan
as demigod. Today when seem to learn a lesson from their Chauhan, etc representing people in the
every astute politician past experiences. Now even the house.
wants to mix religion with cricketers have started showing Former India captain and spin legend
politics, no other option is interest in the politics but not merely Anil Kumble might join politics following
better than cricket. Cricket the for a role of being a crowd an offer from the Karnataka BJP to
seems to be last refuge for puller. They have their own ambi- give him a ticket to contest in the
the politicians looking for tions. The list of such cricketers is forthcoming elections. Another cricket-
March 2009
ing stalwart to have Indian team against arch rivals tics. This former Indian opener took up
been offered a similar Pakistan for the Sahara Cup at television commentary, political career
deal is Dilip Vengsarkar. After retirement Toronto led by Mohammad and films post retirement. Sidhu was
The former chief Azharuddin in 1998. He came elected to the Lok Sabha as a member
selector of the BCCI
from cricket into limelight when he was from Amritsar in 2004 on a Bharatiya
and an established Imran spent adjudged the Castrol best jun- Janata Party ticket.
cricketer of his times, some time in ior cricketer. Last year, crick- India is not the only country where
Vengsarkar is report- social service eter-turned-politician Dodda international cricketers are joining poli-
ed to be aligning with then he joined Ganesh and a close friend of tics. In other countries too there are
Shiv Sena to contest Azhar too joined the Janata many players who have joined politics
elections from any
full time active Dal-Secular (JD-S). and serving their country. The most fit-
seat in Mumbai. Name politics and In past, though cricketers’ ting example is World Cup cricket win-
of former Indian cap- floated his own contribution in politics has not ning team captain of Pakistan, Imran
tain Md Azharuddin is party- Tehreek- been quite significant, rather Khan. After retirement from cricket he
also doing the rounds. e-Insaf. they have left politics after spent some time in social service then
In all probability he will one or two terms. Famous he joined full time active politics and
contest election for opening partner of Sunil floated his own party- Tehreek-e-Insaf.
the lower House from Hyderabad on a Gavaskar in the late 1970s, In April 1996, Khan founded and
Congress party ticket. Former Indian Chetan Chauhan who played 40 became the chairman of Pakistan
cricketer Vinod Kambli too made his Test matches for India is another Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice).
intentions to join active politics clear by example of cricketer turn politician. This Besides political activism, Khan is also a
joining a Mumbai based local outfit Lok Arjuna awardee of 1981 was twice a charity worker and cricket commenta-
Bharati as its national vice-president. Member of Parliament, elected to the tor. Arjun Ranatunga, another World
Former UP captain and cricketer Jyoti Lok Sabha from Amroha in Uttar Cup cricket winning team captain,
Yadav is also making foray into the hith- Pradesh (now in Uttarakhand). Chauhan entered into politics by joining the
erto unexplored territory of politics. was a member of the lower house of People’s Alliance (Sri Lanka) led by
Jyoti, son of veteran politician and for- the parliament from Amroha in 1991 Chandrika Kumaratunga. Later, he was
mer MLA from Allahabad City West con- and 1998 as a member of the the Deputy Minister of Tourism for Sri
stituency Gopal Das Yadav, has fuelled Bharatiya Janata Party. Kirti Azad, a Lanka.
fresh speculations that he is all set to right hand middle order batsman and a In cricket where 50 overs or 5 days are
don political colours by sharing dais with member of Cricket World Cup wining where you can make or break it and rise
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam team of 1983 too contested election to fame, politics asks for enduring
Singh Yadav at a function organised by on BJP ticket from Darbhanga, Bihar devotion to succeed and moreover here
the Allahabad High Court Bar and got elected for the lower house in there is no time for you, your whole
Association recently. This stylish left- the parliament. Navjot Singh Sidhu is time is for others. Bridge the gap and
handed batsman was a member of the another cricketer who turned to poli- make it your heaven!..
match WILLOWY WORDS report trivia content news 88 Cricket Today
March 2009
t is generally believed by many ‘ghosted’,” he added.
i
readers that all those newspa- Peebles, who penned some highly-
per columns carrying bylines of acclaimed cricket books – ranging from
cricketers are written by them. autobiography, tour accounts, biogra-
But it is not true. Very few phy, history, and an analysis of the issue
cricketers are capable of writing well and problems of bowlers throwing – in
and actually write their own columns, his smooth, uncomplicated and trans-
match reports, books and even autobi- parent style, was very sensitive on this
ographies. The rest, who cannot write particular issue. A man of convictions,
and yet indulge in this lucrative busi- Peebles always stated his original and
ness, depend on ghost writers. But Ian independent views, howsoever strong
Peebles, the former England leg-spinner or bitter, as clearly as he could. He
who later became a journalist and never minced words and seldom cared
established himself as one of the finest for the reputation of the person he
cricket writers ever, strongly objected had been attacking or exposing. Such
to “ghosting” and expressed his feelings honest, courageous cricketers-turned-
in no uncertain terms. critics are as rare as the proverbial
“If some old players have their opinions phoenix in a game completely engulfed
transcribed by a ‘ghost’ it ought to be by the crass commercialism.
clearly stated in the interests of all con- “As I have a taste for period cricket
cerned. If a man has something to say reading this is a prejudice I frequently
there is no disgrace in a professional have to swallow, for in years gone by it
writer recording and clarifying his was an accepted practice. One of the
views; but to purport that he has actu- great cricket classics is The Jubilee Book
ally written the script in his own words of Cricket, which is officially ascribed to
is a deception,” he said. Peebles Ranji, but is generally attributed to
watched to his utter dismay the tribe Charles Fry and, indeed, is very much in
of celebrity cricketers getting their his style. Whatever its origin it is, to this
columns and books ghost-written with- day, grand reading and contains sound
out giving credit to the hacks increase technical advice. Under Charles Fry’s
by the day. It has flourished beyond own name is a masterly work entitled
imagination today. Batsmanship, a complete analysis of the
“Any work which is the genuine product art which, it is said, he wrote in a long
of its author I am prepared to try, and week-end under heavy pressure from
that extends to cricketers who have the publishers,” he wrote in his autobi-
told their stories to professional writ- ography, Spinner’s Yarn, which won the
ers, provided the point is made clear. prestigious Cricket Society’s equally
The book which appears under one prestigious Book of the Year award.
man’s name from another’s hand “Recently I was given a copy of W.G.
strikes me as a deception which taints Cricketing Reminiscences and Personal
the whole work thereafter. This applies Recollections published in 1899. The
to all books on all subjects, one or two Doctor has never been notable as a
of which have appeared under very dis- man of letters, and the book was in
tinguished names in spheres other than fact written by one Arthur Porritt, who
cricket but, to common knowledge, are received just £100 for his services –
but not a signed copy from W.G. In this
Ian Peebles,
case it seems churlish to question the
authenticity as the book is 524 pages,
with over a hundred extremely good
full page illustrations and beautifully
the Scot who enriched

English cricket literature by Haresh Pandya
Cricket Today
bound, all for six bob. The price is not with a beautifully easy run-up and a cess.
marked, but my estimate is based on high action, which gave him a particu- In 1928, he played his first few county
the enormous attached list of other larly awkward flight, he bowled leg- matches for Middlesex. Playing regular-
works available from James Bowden, breaks and googlies, and in an age of ly for Middlesex in 1929 he dominated
the publisher. A striking if irrelevant fine leg-spinners he was, for a while, the season with 120 wickets at just
feature of this list is the number of the equal of any,” wrote Wisden of under 20 runs each. He played for
non-conformist Victorian clergymen Peebles, who was educated at Glasgow Oxford in 1930 and took 70 wickets,
who were given to writing ‘powerful’ University. including 13 against Cambridge. He
novels. It is unlikely that W.G., thumbing At 15, he had been rubbing shoulders staged a comeback into the England
through this appendix to his own book, with the professional Leicestershire side, in the fourth Test against
was prompted to read them.” Australia at Old Trafford in July 1930,
The charm of Peebles’ critical articles after claiming 6 for 105 (including Jack
was that he brought his vast experi- Hobbs, Herbert Sutcliffe and Maurice
ence as a cricketer into his writing. His Leyland) for Gentlemen versus Players.
match reports, analytical pieces and The Fleet Street had fostered the idea
personality profiles were always very of a personal duel between Peebles and
insightful and delightful to read. It was Bradman, who had been striding like a
only to be expected of a man of Colossus on the playing fields during
Peebles’ eminence and stature. that particular English summer. On the
However, it is his books that put him in eve of the Test the two teams were
a class of his own despite being a con- entertained at the home of the Duke
temporary of a quite a few giants of Norfolk, where Arthur
among cricket writers. Mailey, the former Australian
Besides Spinner’s Yarn, some of his leggie who had been covering
other fascinating books include Batter’s the tour as a journalist, was
castle: A Ramble Round the Realm of seen huddled in a corner with
Cricket, Bowler’s Turn: A Further Peebles. After the meal Mailey
Ramble Round the Realm of Cricket, requested for a cricket ball.
Straight from the Shoulder: Throwing – Armed with the ball, he told
Its History and Cure, Talking of Cricket, Peebles to follow him into
On Top with United, Woolley – The A man of convic- the garden. Using an old
Pride of Kent, Patsy’ Hendren: The cricketers, who were on a tions, Peebles oak tree as a wicket, he
Cricketer and His Times, Denis northern tour. At 17, he always stated his taught the tyro several
Compton: The Generous Cricketer, The headed for London for a original and inde- tricks of the trade,
Fight for the Ashes 1958-1959: The holiday, hoping to get a notably how to more
English Tour in Australia and New chance in the world. He pendent views, effectively disguise his
Zealand, The Ashes 1954-1955, Celtic visited the newly-opened howsoever strong wrong-un. Later, when
Triumphant, The Watney Book of Test Aubrey Faulkner School of or bitter, as clearly the Australian team man-
Match Grounds and Growing with Glory. Cricket. So impressed were as he could. He ager accosted Mailey and
Ian Alexander Ross Peebles was born on Faulkner and Sir Pelham never minced expressed his apprehen-
January 20, 1908, at Aberdeen in Warner by young Peebles’ sion that the youngster
Scotland. His father was a “very good” rich talents for a difficult words and seldom might employ against the
club cricketer and it was only natural art that they predicted a cared for the Aussies what he had
that Peebles also became one, albeit a great future for him. reputation. taught him, he said: “Spin
better and renowned one. Peebles had Faulkner even made him bowling is an art. And art
never seen a cricket match until he was secretary at his cricket school. On his is universal.”
10 because of World War I. There was part, Peebles always acknowledged a When Peebles came on the
little cricket to be seen in Scotland at great debt to Faulkner’s coaching in his firing line, Bill Woodfull was well set. But
the time. Besides, organised cricket was real development as a fine practitioner he started struggling against Peebles
hardly seen at Wick, the wartime home of leg-spin. and once left a ball which just went
of the Peebles family 18 miles south of After about a couple of years of club over his middle stump. Peebles greeted
John o’Groats. Shortly before the end cricket in London, he was selected to Bradman with a perfect googly, which
of the actual hostilities, they moved to play for Gentlemen versus Players at all but took his middle stump. When on
Uddingston, which was then a village The Oval in 1927. He bowled Andrew 10, Bradman snicked a leg-break to the
near Glasgow. Sandham for his only wicket in the slip but Wally Hammond floored a sim-
“The following year the local cricket match. Though he failed to impress ple enough catch. But Peebles contin-
club re-opened, and with it a new world even later in the season at the ued to torture the Aussie and eventual-
for me,” revealed Peebles. And what a Folkestone and Scarborough festivals, ly consumed him in his next over.
world it opened for Peebles, the world- he was included in the MCC side for the “When he had made 14, he again came
class leg-spinner! There was a time winter tour to South Africa. He was down the wicket and played the same
when he was one of the most formida- ostensibly sent as secretary to the off-drive, only to snick the ball to sec-
ble bowlers in international cricket, one English captain but he bowled well ond-slip, where Duleep made no mis-
who could flummox even Don Bradman enough to figure in the first four Tests, take. A roar went up from the crowd
and make him look fallible. “A tall man although he did not achieve much suc- that must have lasted a full minute
March 2009
heavy bowling duties in Aubrey Faulkner

School of Cricket also began to affect
his form. His leg-break had been fast
losing its sting and he had been forced
to increasingly depend on his googly. It
seemed as if his best years were sud-
denly behind him.
Peebles had lost all hopes of ever repre-
senting England again when, playing in a
country house match at the stately
Kinnaird Castle in Angus, he received a
wire from the chairman of selectors
asking him to play in the deciding fifth
Test against Australia at The Oval in
1933-34. Peebles thought it was a hoax
and simply ignored the telegram. Until
he read the newspaper billboards,
Peebles was not prepared to believe
that he was indeed selected. But the
Press was more critical rather than
complimentary. In fact, a national news-
paper screamed: “WHY PEEBLES?”
As ill luck would have it, Peebles injured
his finger at Kinnaird Castle while catch-
ing a ball thrown by someone from the
crowd. Still, he did report to London
with a banana finger. He ended up
watching the Test from the pavilion as
Australia, riding on Bradman’s 244,
amassed 701 runs and regained the
Ashes in style.
After several seasons of intermittent
appearances, Peebles returned to regu-
lar County cricket in 1939 to captain
Middlesex and helped it retain its posi-
tion as the runner-up to Yorkshire. But
he was only a shadow of his brilliant self
and was reduced to a change bowler.
and, for the moment, I had fulfilled my received from Peebles produced three The onset of World War II brought the
purpose,” recalled Peebles. “A well- confident appeals, for LBW, but they curtain almost down on his playing days.
known artist named Nevinson wrote were turned down. Considering the way Although he played occasionally until
later, in a book entitled The Savage he had bowled, figures of 3 for 150 did 1948, the loss of an eye in a wartime air
Islands, that he had returned to these not do any justice to Peebles in the raid had, to all intents and purposes,
shores in the midst of a bank crisis, and drawn Test. Australia piled up 695 in the marked the end of his serious cricket
various other disasters, to find, much final Test at The Oval and Peebles fin- career.
to his disgust, that all the evening ished with 6 for 204 in 71 overs. “Memories of Compton, Edrich and
newspaper headlines said simply PEE- Peebles’ performance against Australia Hutton rapidly faded and he would find
BLES DOES IT.” was certainly not outstanding, save the in his everyday vocabulary such porten-
Why, Bradman himself paid a glowing way he tormented Bradman at Old tous words as Home Guard, Blitz,
tribute to Peebles a few months later:’ Trafford, but Wisden did nominate him Dunkirk, and the Channel Ports. On a
“When I got to the crease, I found as one of its Five Cricketers of the Year night of incessant bombardment on the
Peebles bowling extraordinarily well… I for 1930 on th4e strength of his overall capital in May 1941, he became a victim
may as well admit that for the first showing in the season. of one attack, losing the sight of his
time in my life I was unable to detect a The winter jaunt to South Africa left eye and also suffering deafness
bowler’s leg break from his ‘bosey’ [goo- fetched Peebles 18 Test wickets. He and leg injuries. The bad luck that
gly]. I watched Peebles as closely as I added 13 more against the Kiwis in the caused him to be so close to the death
knew how, but there was no use. following season. Sadly, his Test cricket that fell from the sky was matched by
Neither by watching his hand nor the proved to be as transient as it was daz- the good luck in receiving immediate
ball could I detect it, and definitely this zling to begin with. The amount of medical treatment which saved him
day his bowling was too good for me. I bowling he had to do for Middlesex and from being killed outright,” wrote
had a most unhappy time,” admitted England, followed by countless hours in Fraser Simm.
Bradman. the nets in winter, began to tell upon Asked if any bowler had severely tested
The story did not end just there. The him. As if that were not enough, a him in his most memorable year, 1930,
first three balls that Alan Kippax shoulder injury dating back from his Bradman said: “Only one bowler had
Cricket Today
really troubled me. And he was a Scot – description and who are indifferent to so there was plenty to write about, cul-
Ian Peebles. At all times there was a the great contest going on at the wick- minating in the deciding fifth Test
serene gentleness, a lurking sense of ets, but a true writer. He has an affec- Match at the Oval,” he recalled.
humour and a soft expression, which tion for the game, a respect for those “In the course of the years with The
were appealing. Of all my English who play it, and a scholar’s command Sunday Times I covered a match almost
friends, there was nobody for whom I of English, for which he also has affec- every Saturday, and saw a series played
had a greater admiration or affection.” tion and respect.” by every nation of Test match status. It
In 13 Tests and 20 innings, Peebles took Since his “original excursion” into jour- was an eventful period in the cricket
45 wickets at 30.91, including three nalism with Evening Standard, he had world, with considerable changes and
five-wicket hauls, the best being 6 for written at intervals on a freelance occasional controversy, besides which I
63. He bagged 923 wickets at 21.38 in basis. The paper did not renew its con- twice visited Australia, and also made
251 first-class matches – 5 wickets in tract. But as it turned out, the loss was one tour of the West Indies.”
an innings 62 times and 10 in a match Evening Standard’s, not Peebles’. He In his late 60s, Peebles began to con-
on 15 occasions. His best ever figures wrote periodically for The Sunday tribute an occasional series of quite
were 8 for 24. Times and, “largely by the courtesy of scintillating and scholarly essays to The
An acknowledge bon viveur and mes- Max Aitken, for The Sunday Express. Guardian and added yet another feath-
merising raconteur, Peebles began his Meanwhile, he also wrote a book, “ambi- er in his already inundated cap.
second and longer and more distin- tiously entitled” How to Bowl, for Whether you read his reports, articles
guished innings as a journalist. He was Chapman and Hall, the “most kindly” or books, you are bound to notice
also employed in the wine trade for a and “long-suffering” of publishers. Peebles’ “generous love of life” and
while after his retirement as a player. “I After the World War II, Peebles found a “genial modesty”. While maintaining
was always purring with delight at his steady outlet for his writings in a week- that it was a plus point to have played
soft-told tales of wine, wickets, and ly called Everybody’s that boasted a cir- the game, Peebles was always quick to
song. He was pretty good on women, culation of around a million. It was a add that the cricket writer would be
too! He taught me (without the slight- soberly-produced and well-written fam- read only when he was intelligent and
est pretension) a little more each time ily-owned publication, principally a re- had flair for writing.
about wine,” said Frank Keating. hash of old stories, pieces of history “It is an advantage for a writer to have
Robert Menzies, the former Australian and articles on every subject. After a name as an international performer,
prime minister and universally- Everybody’s folded up altogether, because people will listen to what he
acclaimed cricket connoisseur, Peebles began writing for Men Only says, knowing it has been founded on
described Peebles the leg-spinner and short sketches of various scenes and the most exacting personal and practi-
Peebles the journalist in the best possi- characters that had caught his fancy. cal experience. But the value of what
ble manner. “Peebles was a fine slow Men only was a mildly risqué publication he says is dependent on many other
bowler, one of a class of men trained in in the 1950s, full of good stories on qualities, of intelligence, memory,
art and patience, the fly fishermen of every subject of predominantly male integrity and power of expression.
cricket,” wrote Menzies. interest. As these seemed to be popu- What is important to the writer who
“His playing time passed, and he lar, he looked for wider field, which he commands these qualities is that he
became a writer. Not, thank heaven, found with Sunday Graphic, a Kemsley should have served some practical
one of those snappers-up of unconsid- paper. His first assignment was to com- apprenticeship in order to have an
ered trifles who prefer gossip to ment on the Kiwis versus Yorkshire understanding of the technical difficul-
game at Bradford. “If I was nervous ties of the job and, importantly,
about my reception amongst the full- enjoyed or suffered the mental joys or
time professionals, I was soon reas- anguish,” he emphasised.
sured… Everyone was both kind and “If he has dropped a dolly, or made a
helpful. When a leaky pen had covered decision which has lost the needle
me in ink Charles Bray, of Essex and the match for the village, he is less likely to
Daily Herald, observed that now I sit in lofty judgement of someone else
looked quite like a real newspaperman,” who has done likewise in a Test Match.
he stated. Many correspondents like [E.W.]
In 1953, Peebles joined The Sunday Swanton, [Jim] Kilburn, and [John]
Times, replacing Billy Griffith, who went Woodcock have been extremely capa-
to Lord’s as assistant secretary. It was ble cricketers. John Thicknesse was for
obviously a much greater platform three years in the Harrow side while
than Sunday Graphic could ever be for many others who have not sported an
a man of Peebles’ genius. It was in the England or Australian cap have figured
fitness of things that he later became in school, league or club cricket.”
its cricket correspondent. “The Sunday Any aspiring cricket writer would be
Times was a rewarding newspaper for better off remembering these pearls
which to work, with Harry Hodson and of wisdom. Ian Peebles passed away on
Pat Murphy in the lead, and Ken February 28, 1980, at Speen in
Compton an undemonstrative but thor- Buckinghamshire. The game has seen
oughly competent sports editor. only a few better writers, especially
England won a series against Australia with regard to cricket books, than
in 1953 for the first time since 1938, Peebles before and after him.
match GREATS OF THE GAME content news interview 92 Cricket Today
March 2009
a
ny discussion about the truly
great South African crick-
eters without a special men-
tion of “Jackie” McGlew is no
discussion at all. For he was
one of the stalwarts of South African
cricket a decade before the rainbow
nation was banned from the interna-
tional arena for encouraging the abhor-
rent apartheid and treating the non-
whites inhumanly.
A brilliant batsman with an impressive
array of strokes, Derrick John McGlew,
to give him his full name, was one of
those unfortunate willow-wielders who
had to curb his natural game because
of the force of circumstances.
Like our own Aunshuman Gaekwad, who
still keeps saying he was “slow by com-
mand”, McGlew was often told, by the
powers that be, to keep his basic
instincts in check when armed with the
bat, even when he was captain.
Like an obedient soldier, he played to
the letter most of the time, always giv-
ing greater importance to his team
than his individual performances or per-
sonal achievements. That he would still
show flashes of his brilliance at times
was a different story altogether. It was
a tribute to his genius, anyway.
Great batsmen are known to adjust
their play to any situation. Having decid-
ed to control his shots, McGlew devel-
oped tremendous concentration and
powers of endurance, qualities
Geoffrey Boycott was to perfect later
on.
McGlew put such a heavy price on his
by Haresh Pandya
“JACKIE” MCGLEW,
A STALWART OF
SOUTH AFRICA
IN 1950S
Cricket Today
much quicker time. was at the helm for all the wrong rea-
At Durban, he shared a 231-run part- sons.
nership with John Waite for the third Actually the mantle of captaincy fell on
wicket, while at Johannesburg he and McGlew thanks to an elbow injury to the
Trevor Godard put on 176 for the open- original skipper Jack Cheetham on the
ing wicket. tour of England in 1955. But he silenced
McGlew’s best Test series was probably his detractors by scoring centuries in
against England in 1955. He finished the the next two Tests.
rubber with 476 runs at 52.88 with a If anything, South Africa levelled the
century each at Old Trafford and series after being down by two Tests.
Headingley. Never before had a South African side
He toured England three times – as a been so successful in the Old Country.
player in 1951 and 1955 and as a cap- As a captain, McGlew never believed in
tain in 1960. He exceeded 1,000 runs on commanding respect of his team-
each of his England jaunts: 1,002 runs mates. Rather he always believed in
at 38.53 in 1951, 1,871 runs at 58.46 in “earning” it. And very few captains of
1955 and 1,327 runs at 42.80 in 1960. South Africa were as respected as
On the 1952-53 tour of New Zealand, McGlew by the players, the Press and
too, he made 1,138 runs at 47.41. It the public.
enabled him to establish himself firmly Sadly, he got to lead South Africa in
in the South African team. The highlight only 14 Tests. Yet, he won 6 and lost
of his heavy scoring in New Zealand was just 4. Of course, at times he found
his career-best 255 not out in the first himself in controversies, directly or indi-
Test at Wellington. rectly, when leading the national side.
Until Graeme Pollock essayed an eye- For instance, in the second Test against
catching innings of 274 against the England at Lord’s in 1960, his fast
powerful Australians at Durban in 1969- bowler Geoff Griffin had triggered a lot
70, it was South Africa’s highest individ- of controversy by his suspect action,
ual Test score. McGlew carried his bat creating problems for McGlew.
through the South African innings of Griffin had done well initially in this par-
524 for 8 declared. ticular Test, achieving the first ever hat-
He also shared a seventh wicket stand trick by a South African in the heavy-
of 246 runs with Anton Murray. Another weight division of cricket. Importantly, it
feature of this particular Test was that was also the first ever hattrick by any-
McGlew was on the field throughout one at the Mecca of cricket.
the match. The two officiating umpires
It was in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, that were Syd Buller and Frank Lee.
this dour and determined batsman And it was Lee’s “distinctly
with not too big a height was unpleasant” duty to have to
born on March 11, 1929. Like no-ball Griffin no fewer than 11
most South Africans, he was times for “throwing” during the
also a topnotch fielder with England innings.
a sharp eye. As a captain, It was not the first time
wicket that it was not easy even for the His ability to judge the ball, that Griffin was no-balled
McGlew never
best of bowlers to dismiss him quickly. both as a batsman and as a on the tour. He had been
He would not score prolifically but he fielder, was quite remark- believed in com- penalised in earlier match-
would most certainly grind the bowlers able. He had strong arms manding respect of es as well – against MCC
to dust with his defensive methods. and subtle reflexes. He his team-mates. (at Lord’s),
It was an effective way of frustrating was a sight to behold in Rather he always Nottinghamshire (at Trent
bowlers. Most bowlers do not like such the covers. believed in “earning” Bridge) and Hampshire (at
batsmen; they prefer to bowl to those Like Colin Bland and Jonty it. And very few cap- Southampton) for the
who take a chance or two and give Rhodes, he had terrorised tains of South Africa same “offence”.
them hope to dismiss them. many a batsman, though were as respected as As the Lord’s Test ended
In the Durban Test against Australia in he was not exactly in their McGlew by the play- a quarter of an hour
1957-58 McGlew had displayed the class as a fielder. But there after lunch on the fourth
ers, the Press
patience which was as amazing as it was was no doubt about day, the agreement to
unbearable. With South Africa losing McGlew’s magnificence as and the public. play an exhibition one-
two early wickets, he had the right plat- a fielder in the off, partic- innings each contest
form to parade his stoicism. ularly in the covers. came into force. In this
He simply dug in, making only 105 in McGlew, who had led Natal for many game, Griffin bowled only
575 minutes – one of the slowest of years in South Africa’s domestic cricket, one over.
Test centuries. It was sort of an anti-cli- was an intelligent, imaginative, astute But what an eventful over it turned out
max, for in the first Test at and adventurous captain. When he first to be! It consisted of as many as 11
Johannesburg he had scored 108 in captained South Africa, many felt he deliveries! Buller “called” him for “throw-
March 2009
penalise the Protea for “throwing’, most

of the “unpleasant publicity” fell upon
him.
“Why a man should be pilloried for con-
scientiously fulfilling his duty?” he
argued. And Lee had a valid point there.
McGlew and company declined to Buller
umpiring in any of the remaining Tests.
To their credit, the English authorities
paid Buller his fees he would have oth-
erwise received; and also restored him
to his rightful place the following sea-
son.
But it was difficult to understand the
hostility shown towards Buller in so
many ways in so many quarters after-
wards. He was perfectly justified in his
action and did as any right-minded
umpire should have done.
When asked for his version of the mat-
ter, Lee was naturally able to state pre-
cisely what had taken place on the field.
He categorically disclosed the argu-
ments between McGlew and Buller and
also the language and the manner in
which all that was done. Lee added his
opinion that he failed to see how any-
one could have taken offence with
Buller who had correctly performed his
“unsavoury” task.
“I personally felt that the whole busi-
ness was unbelievable – and especially
when I considered the ethics
of umpiring, as I believed
them to be, that an umpire
should carry out his job in as
quiet a manner as circum-
stances permitted,” said Lee.
In 34 Tests, McGlew scored
2,440 runs at 42.06. He
hit 7 hundreds and held
He would not 18 catches. If anything,
score prolifically these are far better sta-
but he would tistics than those of
most certainly many former South
grind the bowlers African, Indian and
to dust with his Pakistani players glori-
defensive meth- fied by generations of
ods. It was an cricket writers.
effective way of In a glittering first-class
ing” four times in his first five balls. ing and exasperating, frustrating career spanning 1947 to
Of course, Buller did not take such a although many spectators bowlers. Most 1967, McGlew made
severe stand without a careful study of gave the impression of bowlers do not 12,170 runs at 45.92,
Griffin’s action. The legendary umpire enjoying every bit of it. like such including 27 centuries.
looked at the bowler first from square- A vast amount of discussion batsmen. He also took 103 catch-
leg and then from point before he and bother followed from es and claimed 35 wick-
raised a hand. all this, both among people directly con- ets at 26.62.
Irritated, even embarrassed, McGlew nected with the running of cricket and McGlew died of leukemia at
told Griffin to complete the over with in the Press. Craighill Park, Johannesburg, Transvaal,
under-arm deliveries. But only to be no- But the inexplicable thing for Lee was on June 1998. Only cricketing ignora-
balled immediately by Lee because that despite the part he played during muses, who cannot see beyond cold
Griffin omitted to notify the batsman the actual Test, in which Buller, being at statistics, will not give McGlew a pride
of his intention to change his action! the bowler’s end on each occasion that of place in the history of the willow
It was funny and frustrating, entertain- Griffin bowled, had no opportunity to game.
match STRIGHT TALK report trivia content interview 96 Cricket Today
March 2009
WHAT IS ELITE SPORTS

MANAGEMENT ALL
ABOUT AND HOW DID
YOU BEGIN WITH THIS My aim is to
VENTURE?
Elite Sports Management is a venture
that is passionate about cricket and
cricket is a top priority for this compa- encourage
talent
ny. We are involved in four streams as
of now, including, player management,
sports marketing, organizing cricket
tournaments and giving opportunities
to raw and prodigious talent. Cricket is
the number one sport in our country
and its high popularity encouraged us
to support the vast talent available
across the nation. Nishant Dayal, Director, Elite Sports Management
As the Director of Elite
Sports Management,
Nishant Dayal has known
a lot of hard work before
he has known success. He
is now a known quantity
across the country for the
hard work he has put into
promoting the talent,
especially in Bihar and
Jharkhand, regions which
haven’t known much
sports backing. Cricket is
his passion and one love
and his one aim is to pro-
mote the game into the
future.
WHY ARE YOU JUST
INVOLVED WITH CRICK-
ET? OTHER SPORTS IN
INDIA ARE IN NEED OF
SUPPORT AS WELL.
Any venture of this kind is always driv-
en by passion. That is the key require-
ment for sports management and
cricket is my passion. Therefore, with
due respect to all sports, we decided to
begin with cricket. It is not that we will
never proceed with other sports for we
are a sports management firm and not
a cricket management one. But even
variance in cricket is high and so we
thought it best to begin with something
Cricket Today
T20 World Cup and India’s CB Series win

in Australia under MS Dhoni and
Saurabh Tiwary’s contribution to the
Under-19 World Cup win and we are
happy that this tournament now has a
well known status.
WHY DID YOU SELECT

RANCHI AS THE VENUE
FOR THIS PARTICULAR
TOURNAMENT?
There are many reasons behind select-
ing Ranchi. Players here are very strong
mentally and the biggest example of
that today is Indian captain Mahendra
Singh Dhoni who hails from here. Inspite
of this being a small city, it is quite
rich in talent and all they need is the
right backing to showcase their talent
but due to lack of opportunities are
not able to make their mark on the
horizon. My one aim is to give them
that platform so that more and more
players of the Dhoni and
Cricket is the Saurabh Tiwary mould come up
and make us all proud.
number one
we are passionate about. we also want quality sport in our HOW MUCH SUP-
players to come to
country and its PORT HAVE YOU
WHAT ALL PLAYERS DO the fore, who can BEEN ABLE TO GAR-
YOU CURRENTLY HAVE show they have the high popularity NER, ESPECIALLY
ON YOUR MANAGE- mettle to perform encouraged us FROM THE CORPO-
at the top level.
MENT ROSTER? They have to dis- to support the RATES?
Our management system’s synergies play that they are vast talent avail- We are in talks with all major
work well with younger players so we in it for the long corporates who indulge in sports
have primarily targeted the under-19 run and that is the
able across sponsorship and we are hopeful
players. We like to find them young and bottom line, the nation. that we will be able to get what
mark them for the future. We would whether they come we want. Mention worthy is the
love to have senior players in the basket from metropolitans or the rural areas. fact that Cricket Today is support-
as well but competition in the field of There are 30,00,000 cricketers in the ing us as the print partner and Big
sports management is quite intense. country but the top players are only FM is the radio partner. Meanwhile we
Currently we have Saurabh Tiwary, about a hundred in number. are also confident that we will get oth-
Ashok Dinda, Wridhiman Saha, R Ashwin, ers on board with us.
Debabrata Das, Siddharth Kaul and WHAT IS THE ELITE
Ajitesh Argal to look after and rest CELEBRATION CUP ALL THE FIRST EDITION OF
assured this is an ever growing list. ABOUT AND WHEN WAS THE TOURNAMENT LAST
ARE SMALL TOWNS IT INCEPTED? YEAR WAS QUITE SUC-
AND REGIONS YOUR This tournament was started last year
CESSFUL, SO WHAT IS
CATCHMENT AREA OR only and the main aim was to give crick- NEW AND DIFFERENT
DO YOU ALSO GO ON
et players from relatively backward THIS TIME?
regions of the country a chance to Last year, Elite Cup garnered fabulous
A STAKE OUT IN THE showcase their talent and come to the response from the fans. All spectators
BIGGER CRICKETING fore. This is mainly because in Bihar and were mighty impressed by the per-
Jharkhand there is not much financial formance of the players on the field
CENTERS? aid for sports. In the first edition, the and the quality of cricket. This time we
We haven’t restricted ourselves to the tournament was limited to Jharkhand are planning to take the level of enter-
smaller regions for cities like Delhi and and Bengal but this time we have gone tainment one step higher. We are also
Mumbai are quite abundant in talent. across the nation. It was always my planning to appeal to the BCCI to make
But here the availability of players is a dream that I do something for the this an official league on a national level
big problem as there are umpteen clubs sporting talent available in Jharkhand so that this tournament can also get
and teams to look at. At the same time and Bihar. We got an egg on with the the adulation which tournaments such
March 2009
as Buchi Babu are able to gather. it will indeed be a good thing for cricket Singh, Piyush Chawla, Parvinder Singh,
in Jharkhand. Tanmay Srivastava, Manoj Tiwary, Ashok
AS YOU SAID, INDIAN Dinda, Ranadeb Bose, Wridhiman Saha,
CAPTAIN MS DHONI HOW WAS THE EXPERI- Amit Bhandari, Ashish Nehra, Gagan
HAILS FROM THIS TOWN. ENCE OF THE PLAYERS Khoda, Vikram Malik, Ishank Jaggi,
WHO PLAYED IN LAST Sourabh Tiwary et al are much talked
IS HE AWARE OF THE about players on the Indian team’s hori-
INITIATIVE THAT YOU YEAR’S TOURNAMENT zons. Getting so many fringe players to
HAVE TAKEN AND IF GIVEN THAT THE VENUE participate is a success for our venture.
YES, WHAT IS HIS OPIN- IS NOT AN INTERNA- WILL THE TOURNAMENT
ION? TIONAL ONE? PROGRESS ON THE EVE
We have worked quite closely with MS They felt very nice especially since we OF FESTIVAL OF
Dhoni over the past few years and he is had a large fan following and each
very well aware what Elite Celebration match had sufficient spectator COLOURS, HOLI?
Cup is all about and yes, he has been response. And this was considering The festival will be celebrated on
very supportive of the initiative that we that the tournament was hosted 11th March and as such we have
have taken. in a small town but it all went not scheduled any match that day.
through very well. The For the evening, we have organized
WHAT IS THE FUTURE Makon Grounds here are a small get together for the play-
FOR JHARKHAND very well kept and the ers, press and the well known people
CRICKET? players were satisfied of the town to get them to
At present, Jharkhand cricket is a bit with the preparations. We have worked interact on a common plat-
weak but I am confident that the quite closely with form. There is also a special
future is bright. Cricket is a team game WHO ARE THE MS Dhoni over cultural event that has been
and when any team has four-five play- BIG NAMES the past few prepared for the occasion.
ers who are performing at the top PARTICIPAT- years and he is
level, they invariably do well and go on APART FROM THE
ING IN THIS very well aware ELITE CUP, WHAT
to achieve more. There is no lack of tal- what Elite
ent here but the need is to groom YEAR’S ELITE Celebration Cup OTHER PLAT-
them. If the team is able to get the CUP? is all about and FORMS HAVE
direction they want to progress in, then Mohammad Kaif, RP yes, he has been
very supportive of YOU PROVIDED
the initiative that FOR PLAYERS?
we have As I said, the Elite Cup is now
taken. in its second year running.
Apart from this we also had
the Elite Summer League,
which is held in the months of
May-June and is played between
teams from the second level of cricket.
These are teams with a mix of profes-
sional players and corporate cricketers.
This year’s edition will also be the sec-
ond time we will be hosting this tourna-
ment. Apart from this, we have also
incepted the Elite Corporate tourna-
ment which we are planning to host
somewhere in September this year.
Participation is open to corporate crick-
eting teams.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE,
SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU
BEEN INVOLVED WITH
THE GAME AND HAVE
YOU YOURSELF PLAYED
THE GAME?
I have been in love with cricket since I
was a kid. I played cricket in school and
though I couldn’t but a lot of my co-
players have gone on to play profes-
sional cricket.
Cricket Today
March 2009 99 editor speaks interview T20 TOURNAMENT letter
2nd All
sponsored by CRICKET TODAY.
Cricket Today is the magazine Sponsor
for the Tournament. Sapphire
International School is the Official
Carrier of the Team’s local travelling
India Elite
along with Vasundhra Homes.
PROBABLE TEAMS
* Jharkhand State Cricket Association
* Air India
Celebration
* Cricket Association of Bengal
* ONGC
STAND BYES:
* Orissa Cricket Association
Cup 2009
* MRF Pace Foundation
* Delhi District Cricket Association
* Bihar Cricket Association
* Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association
Elite Sports will also be sponsoring 10
players (5 Batsman and 5 Bowlers) with
e
lite Sports Management is
actively into Player
Management. Elite is also
into Sports Marketing having
wings in PR, Media and
Marketing Management. Organising
Cricket Tournaments, especially Twenty-
20 and taking youth Cricket tours to
England has also been on the Activities.
After the Grand Success of Elite
Celebration Cup and Elite Summer
League, at the MECON Stadium in
Ranchi, where in the final, a crowd
turnout of around 2000 spectators wit-
nessing the best ever Cricket in Ranchi,
Elite Sports is again planning to organise
another Cricket Tournament in
Jharkhand. The Matches will be
again played in Coloured Dress
and with White balls.
Elite Sports is proud to
announce 2nd All India Elite
Celebration Cup 2009 at
MECON Stadium from 8th Elite Sports is
March, 2009 to 13th
March, 2009. proud to
The Schedule start day announce 2nd
of the Tournament is All India Elite
8th March, 2009 until
13th March, 2009 with a Celebration Cup
Minimum of 6 Teams 2009 at MECON
Participating. There are
going to be 2 Pools and Stadium from
Each Pool will have three 8th March, 2009
teams, playing each to 13th March,
other once followed by – Up would get MATTRRIX Cricket Kit (from Mattrrix
the Grand Finale. Elite 2009. Rs.1,00,000/- and Dr S Dayal Ventures Inc) under Dr S Dayal
would take out the draw Runners – Up Award. The Sponsored Players on the 13th March,
on February 25th, 2009. Man of the Series would get 2009 (FINAL)
The Winning Team would be awarded a TVS Motor Bike. Each Man of Mr Rajeev Ranjan Verma and Mr Gautam
with a Cash Prize of Rs.2,00,000/- and the Match would get a Rs 20,000 Upadhayay are the Local Organised and
Dr S Dayal Winners Award, the Runners worth Gift Voucher of Club Mahindra Co ordinator for the 6 Day Event.
match DOWN MEMORY LANE report trivia content 100 Cricket Today
March 2009
y early 1983 India had still a
b
long way to go to achieve
any sort of credentials in
one day cricket. Despite play-
ing almost 40 ODIs in nearly
a decade in India, England, New Zealand,
Australia, West Indies and Pakistan,
Indian teams had struggled to come to
terms with the intricacies of the short-
er version of the game then still in its
infancy. Test cricket was still the in
thing as far as Indian cricketers, Indian
spectators and Indian fans were con-
cerned.
Given their woeful record India were
given little chance in the three ODIs to
be played on the tour of the West
Indies from February to May 1983. By
the time of the second ODI at Berbice
on March 29 they were one down in the
Test series and one down in the ODI
contests as well having lost the first
match at Port of Spain by 52 runs. The
West Indies were then the undisputed
No 1 team in the world. Having won the
by Partab Ramchand
India s
first
win World Cup in 1975 and 1979 they had
steamrolled their opponents in ODIs.
Their team was held in awe and why
not? With batsmen of the striking cali-
bre of Gordon Greenidge, Desmond
quartet of fast bowlers. But Holding
and Roberts were harshly dealt with by
Sunil Gavaskar. The Indian opening bats-
man had built his game over the past
dozen years on his superb technique,
over
Haynes, Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, utmost dedication and monk-like con-
Faoud Bacchus, Gus Logie, Larry Gomes centration. He displayed his anathema
and Jeff Dujon they had a line-up that for limited overs cricket in no uncertain
could give any bowling line up bad terms and yet here he was hitting out
dreams. And there were bad dreams for at the fastest of bowlers and playing
West
opposing batsmen too with the fear- unorthodox strokes that were anything
some pace quintet of Andy Roberts, but straight from the textbook. He
Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Joel dominated the first wicket partnership
Garner and Winston Davis to confront. of 93 runs with Ravi Shastri (30) reach-
It was taken for granted that the West ing his half century off 52 deliveries.
Indies would wrap up the series in There were many Indians among the
Indies
Berbice and then go on to make it a spectators and they had plenty to
clean sweep in the final match at cheer. And the entertainment was just
Grenada. This feeling was strengthened beginning. Joined by the in-form
when a supremely confident Lloyd won Mohinder Amarnath Gavaskar outscored
the toss and invited the Indians to bat his opponent during a second wicket
on a pitch that could be exploited by his stand of 59 and by the time he was run
Cricket Today
March 2009 101 editor speaks contents letter book review market mania trivia
out at 152 he had scored 90 off 117 undeterred slamming his way to 72 off back the batsmen for as I said the West
balls with eight hits to the ropes. It was just 38 balls with seven fours and three Indian line-up was quite awesome.
a rather extraordinary performance sixes. By the time he was fourth out at However the pressures of chasing such
given Gavaskar’s unimpressive record in 246 India were on their way to a fight- a seemingly insurmountable target soon
ODIs including his most infamous knock ing total. Yashpal Sharma (23 off 26 started to tell. Haynes was leg before to
– 36 not out off 174 balls in the World balls) and Dilip Vengsarkar (18 from 19) Balwinder Sandhu for two and
Cup against England in 1975. maintained the momentum in the slog Greeniedge gave Kapil a return catch
Kapil Dev did the right thing in promot- overs and India were able to post 282 when 16.
ing himself. He and Amarnath gave the for five off 47 overs. It was their high- Twenty two for two was hardly the
scoring rate a further impetus by est score in ODIs and the highest by any start the home team needed particular-
adding 72 runs for the third wicket in team against West Indies and that in ly in the face of a daunting ask. But
quick time. Amarnath scored 30 off 34 itself was reason to Richards settled down without any dif-
deliveries with two boundary hits but rejoice. ficulty and with Lloyd added 40 runs
he was put completely in the shade by Soon there was further rea- before the captain was caught by
the 24-year-old Indian captain. By this son to rejoice. Even for Amarnath off Madanlal for eight.
time the spinners were on and Kapil the world champions a Richards however seemed hell bent on
took a heavy toll off Gomes and target of six an over trying to achieve the impossible and as
Richards. Sixteen overs from the two could well be tough long as he was at the crease the Indians
saw them concede 108 runs even going. The bowlers knew they could not take any-
though Richards chipped in with the and fielders howev- The quartet of thing for granted. However after
wicket of Amarnath. But Kapil continued er would have to Kapil, Sandhu, he hit 64 off 51 balls with eleven
Madanlal and fours and a six he was bowled by
Shastri backed up Madanlal. West Indies were now
the batsmen 98 for four and India were well
admirably and the on course towards a famous vic-
result against all tory.
expectations was a Bacchus and Gomes however
famous 27-run kept the West Indies in the hunt
victory. It was with a fifth wicket partnership of
India’s first win over 56 runs. But the dismissal of
West Indies and a Gomes for 26 meant that West
breakthrough Indies at 154 for five were up
victory. against it. Jeff Dujon ever the
fighter commenced a brilliant
counter attack but when Bacchus
was out for 52 off 65 balls it was
obvious there could be only one result.
West Indies were now 181 for six and
Dujon had only the four fast bowlers
for company. Refusing to accept the
inevitable the plucky wicket keeper con-
tinued to play daring strokes but he
could do little to prevent wickets falling
at the other end. Marshall, Roberts and
Holding all fell after token resistance
and the last cheer for the West Indian
camp was Dujon’s half century. He fin-
ished with 53 not out off 64 balls with
three fours and a six but after 47 overs
the West Indian score was 255 for nine.
The quartet of Kapil, Sandhu, Madanlal
and Shastri backed up the batsmen
admirably and the result against all
expectations was a famous 27-run vic-
tory. It was India’s first win over West
Indies and a breakthrough victory. The
adjectives notable and significant were
also strewn about freely in describing
the result. Even today 26 years later
the unforgettable events at Berbice
occupy a hallowed place in Indian cricket
history especially against the backdrop
of the World Cup triumph just three
months later.
news MARKET MANIA preview cover story interview 102 Cricket Today
March 2009
By Rakesh Pandey
SONY CYBER-SHOT
W300
The titanium-coated compact is
disarmingly attractive, and boasts
of impressive artificial intelligence,
with Face Detection, Intelligent
Scene Recognition, Smile Shutter
and blur-banishing anti-shake all
helping to make its 13.6-megapixel
shots as pristine as possible.
Price: Rs. 19,990/-
TAG Heuer CARRERA

Calibre 16 HP 2133 MINI-
NOTE
The Carrera Calibre 16 Day-Date chrono- This is one business gadget to rule
graph gives a new interpretation to the them all. The stylish and charming Mini-
classical codes of the distinguished Note is HP’s attempt at creating a kick-
Carrera line. Furnished with a tachymeter er UMPC. It’s loaded with features save
scale on its fixed bezel for calculating for the underpowered Via processor
speed, it pays homage to the great and its show stealing-ness is a force to
motor racing legends and “gentleman be reckoned with.
drivers.” Its large crown and push-but- Price: Rs. 39,990/-
tons reminding the stop-watches are
inspired by the mythic universe of race-
cars driving in the 1950s, while the hand-
applied numerals reveal the connection
with the iconic design of Carrera Calibre
360. Sophisticated and refined in its
every detail, this new model in the
Carrera collection perpetuates its historic
heritage and the passion that fuels it.
More elegant than ever, the Carrera
Calibre 16 Day-Date chronograph is, like
all Carrera chronographs, an object of
desire and audacity, timeless and indis-
pensable.
Price: Rs. 1,75000/-
JABRA’S BT 4010
This one is a catch surely for the likes of Lieutenant Chris Burnett of
Behind Enemy Lies. The first of it’s kind with a ‘smart display’, Jabra’s BT
4010 allows you to check battery, connection and call status at a glance.
Has upto 6 hours of talk time and can be up and running within seconds!
Price: Rs. 3,390/-
TATA SKY +
Welcome to India’s first mainstream PVR solution!
Utilising a special set top box with dual tuners and a 160-
gig hard drive, it enables you to pause, rewind, and
record TV broadcast. You can record two programs
simultaneously and even record an entire series automat-
ically.
Price: Rs. 8,999/-
Cricket Today
March 2009 103 editor speaks contents letter review interview match report
YAMAHA RX-V863
Triple tuning fork strikes the right note with
this new AV receiver, the RX-V863. Living up to
its repute, this HD-ready receiver delivers
intense cinema experience, with its 17 DSP-
surround modes and dual subwoofer output
for that thumping bass.
Price: Rs. 68,200/-
PHILIPS SOUNDBAR
HTS8140
This all-in-one system inte- RAZER MAKO
grates an upscalling DVD play-
er, and the single speaker THX-certified, and
component houses all the five boasting of bomb-proof
speakers required in an HP build, this 2.1 speaker
setup. Employing a Faroudja system delivers convinc-
chip, it supports a range of ingly on the quality
formats and comes with an front. Bass is tight and
iPod dock and AM/FM receiv- the highs never get too
er. shrill. It’s omni-direction-
Price: Rs. 59,990/- al audio emanates
sound in all directions
uniformly.
Price: Rs. 22,355/-
LOTUS HERBALS-
SUN BLOCK FOR
MEN
Lotus Herbals ,, has entered
the Men’s skin care segment
with “Safe Sun Men Advanced
Daily UV Shield, PA+++, SPF30,
especially formulated for
male skin. This daily UV Shield
also doubles up as a soothing
post shave moisturizer . This
breakthrough Sunblock for
men is oil-free and provides
skin moisturization in a non-
sticky manner.
Price: 60 gram Rs 195/-
March 2009
COWON Q5W
This has a feature list so long that it makes Eiffel tower
look like a toothpick. It supports an insane number of
video formats and manages to play every kind of audio
file available under the sun. A lovely 5inch screen, WiFi
and Bluetooth are also on offer.
Price: Rs. 35,000/-
DRIVING FORCE GT
The new Driving Force GT racing wheel from Logitech is a neat
gadget to go racing, full throttle. The wheel turns 2.5 times
around lock-to-lock for taking sharp turns with greater accura-
cy. The true to life pedals allow precise throttle and brake
response. Racing have never been such kickass!
Price: Rs. 10,295/-
SONY ERICSSON XPERIA X1

Opening up as an arc-slider to reveal a full QWERTY,
this WinMo phone from Sony Ericsson is crammed
with features such as a mammoth 3inch screen, 3G,
WiFi, assisted GPS and a 3.2-meg snapper. The high
spot is a customisable panel interface on the home
screen.
Price: Rs. 44,500/-
SONY’S BRAVIA Z450A

Sony has introduced the high performance
BRAVIA Z450A, the world’s first LCD TV with
Motionflow™ 200Hz technology in India.
The advantages of this new technology are
positively noticeable in action scenes or
sports broadcasts as it reduces jerkiness by
creating an additional, transitional picture
that is inserted into fast-moving sequences.
By increasing the number of images, the
BRAVIA Z450A can display even the fastest
sports scene smoothly without a blur. The
transitional images are created by examining
the pictures that immediately precede and
follow the next image in the sequence.
Available in 52”, 46”, 40” sizes, the new
BRAVIA Z450A will be available at the Sony
owned store, select Sony authorized dealers,
as well as national retail partners across the
country for Rs. 359,900/-, Rs. 243,900/-
and Rs. 183,900/- respectively.
Cricket Today
March 2009 105 editor speaks interview market trivia content EVENTS letter
JOHN ABRAHAM
FLAGS OFF THE
CASTROL POWER1
PASSION HUNT
Castrol Brand Ambassador -
Actor John Abraham, recently
flagged off the Castrol Power1
Passion Hunt, in Mumbai, in
search of India’s ‘Most
Passionate Biker’. The Castrol
Power1 Passion Hunt will
enable biking enthusiasts
across the country to come
together to showcase and
share their passion for biking and also vie for the title of the “Castrol
Power1’s Most Passionate Biker”.
The contest preliminaries will be conducted in 8 cities (Pune, Mumbai,
Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore) and the
grand final will be held in Delhi in April. The winner of the All India title of
“Castrol Power1’s Most Passionate Biker” will win a Yamaha R1 Superbike
which will be handed over by John Abraham.
Castrol Brand Ambassador - John Abraham, who is a passionate biker
himself, said, “I am proud to be associated with such a high perform-
ance, top-of-the-line brand like Castrol Power1. The Castrol Power1
Passion Hunt will be a really exciting event and I would have definitely
participated in it were it not my own Brand event! This event is the
place for bikers to demonstrate their passion and biking skills rather
than on the roads where you can endanger your lives and the lives of
other people. At Castrol, Road Safety is the number one priority and
therefore this event has been designed to ensure maximum safety
while making it enjoyable and exciting”.
REEBOK PROMOTES SPORTS AMONG KIDS

WITH HARBHAJAN SINGH
In an ongoing effort to promote sports among kids, Reebok, the leading
sports brand got ace cricketer Harbhajan Singh to Guru Harkrishan
Public School in Delhi to interact with them and talk about the impor-
tance of sports in life. Harbhajan Singh addressed the students during a
special assembly where he spoke about the significance of sports in the
life of everyone and
very fondly remem-
bered his school days.
He also gave tips &
guidance to the young
kids pursuing cricket
on various aspects of
playing the game.
Harbhajan Singh said,
“Sports is an integral
part of every child’s
life. Reebok has always
been a leader in pro-
moting young talent.
Such opportunities to
interact with sports
persons will surely give the children a good insight into the world of
sports and it will help the children work towards achieving their goals. ”
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sajid Shamim, Executive Director
Marketing and Product, Reebok India Company said, “We at Reebok
believe in nurturing young talent who will in the future become the face
of Indian sports. This is an initiative we have undertaken in an ongoing
effort to promote sports among kids. Such events give students a plat-
form to interact & learn from their heroes .”
match CONTEST report editorial content interview 106 Cricket Today
March 2009
Postal Registration No. DL(S)-18/3009/2009-11
RNI. No. 67924/98

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news EDITOR SPEAKS preview cover story interview trivia 04 Cricket Today

The Kiwis beckon Editor-in-Chief

CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS NEW JERSEY FOR MEN IN

THE BCCI AWARDS - 20

THE RANJI TOPPERS - 28

INDIA’S TOUR OF NEW

COACH VERSUS CAPTAIN:

DRAVID WAS AUTOMATIC

LAST WARNING SERVED -

SA: NEARING THE NO.1

TUFF TIME FOR PAKISTAN

2ND ALL INDIA ELITE

INDIA’S FIRST WIN OVER

Men in Blue : All set for Kiwi challenge

Cricket heroes with NSG heroes

Skipper and his deputy cracking up

sidering retiring from Test RP, CHAWLA VISIT

IPL MAY SOON HIT A

DHONI FACE OF KOLKATA

AZHAR STARTS POLITICAL

ASIF NOW EYES COUNTY STINT AFTER IPL BAN

RBS BANKRUPT AFTER SIGNING SACHIN & CO.

FEMALE FANS WISH DHONI ON

WORLD CUP TO OPEN IN

SRI LANKA CRICKET GETS

FIT-AGAIN JONES GUNNING

KAPIL HITS OUT AT BCCI IN HIGH COURT

for men in blue

The BCCI Awards

wickets in the dying overs to finish off

part of the bigger plan, to preserve his

the park. tention.

books. He is only the second batsman to

Dhawal Kulkarni started the Ranji season with five-for L Balaji

he bowled his heart out but couldn’t

catches and 3 stumpings), the highest ly for the national team

that had previously happened as spas-

TOUGHER THAN GUER-

…AND THEN THERE IS

Bond, the bounce and swing of Daryl

Indian side, so richly talent- there are a couple of really obvious

dressing room and therefore, had

WHERE DOES THE

the late Hansie Cronje who was not shy

miscalculated in gauging how much his

HOW FAR SHOULD

work with. There is a burning desire

Narendra Hiwarni, who tried to stage a

No.3, Sachin was at No.4 so I had to play

Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and

Dhoni in vest dress code is high on their priority list.

Faded crest on Jayasuriya’s helmet

There are situations cited in the letter that points

Taped t-shirts on India’s

Miandad and his

Dev further mentions, ing the batting helmet

in the Commonwealth Bank series in

unlikely to see an immediate three way tually helpless circumstances

after Jason Krejza showed ability in the

impressive progress to the No 1 spot it

the newly discovered JP Duminy provide

chance against the Caribbeans losing by

In an exclusive chat with