CA: C'mon Australia

Now that the sordid tale of ball-tampering has led to Messrs Smith, Warner, and Bancroft being banned, it's also worth looking back at a few things.

The punishment: Apt or too harsh? Or too less?

What has really led to the quantum of punishment?

It is not the perpetrators alone but the fact that the world is pooh-poohing at Aussie claims of "playing hard but fair" with the more accurate Lehmann-guided approach to just "headbutt the line".

The whole episode has led to the Australian cricketing establishment losing all its sheen and moral high ground, if ever they could have claimed to have one.

So while the swiftness and zero-tolerance displayed by Cricket Australia in handling this fiasco is appreciated, what we are also witnessing is a damage-control exercise now.
The damage has already been done.

It would have been bettee to invest in creating a team like their neighboring Kiwis are - a true embodiment of giving their best on the field, being aggressive in their pursuit of victory, but not at the cost of gentlemanliness and sportsmanspirit.

The damage has been to the spirit and ethics of the game.
Which is why, it is no coincidence that the Aussies have always been the bad boys of cricket.
Sure, they are not the only team to cross the line and there are characters in every team but it is the consistency and encouragement and almost advocacy and patronization of such an approach from every team and their management (headbutt the line, mental disintegration, play hard but fair, it's just Australian to do so) which makes the team stand out in its brazenness consistently, in any and every era.

Pick any generation of cricketers, any team of any era, and you would find as Peter Roebuck had once described, "a pack of wild dogs" around, always.

Time to do away with such an attitude more than such players. If the cricketing establishment can, instead of encouraging, be strict and punitive in its implementation of playing the game and just the game fair and square, we woukd not have see any such players and attitudes prospering.

You think sledging, and you think of the Australian cricket team.
You think rowdyism, and you think of the Australian cricket team.

The country needs a makeover, and not just a cosmetic one, only for display purposes.

The cricketing world needs the game to rule, not brash, bullying talking heads.
Forget adopting unethical means, the world would see a team that is civilized and gentlemanly and likeable too.
Aah, to think of such a team in baggy green caps is a dream as of today.

And that is why, one hopes to see this come to life, atleast after the lessons and damages from this ball-tampering saga.

One hopes Australia can do it. We'd like to see them to do so.
After all, it is a shame to be so consistently talented as they are, but be the diametrical opposite of that talent when it comes to behavior, manners, and conduct.
Let that not happen anymore, guys...c'mon Australia, you can do it.
You must do it!!

Well done, Bangladesh!!

Finally, after many years, Bangladesh has attained a Test victory over Australia!

Yes, it was on home ground, but the fact that it was over Australia, and the fact that it was achieved in a tough contest, makes it so special and commendable.

It is time for the Bangladeshi cricketers and cricket-loving public to take pride and also use this inspiring and historic win as a springboard for future successes.

Sachin Tendulkar grew up on the heady rush we all felt on seeing Kapil Dev lift the World Cup in 1983.
Cricketers like Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli grew up watching Sachin smash bowlers all over the world and dominating every type of attack on every type of pitch and match situation.

It could be just a match and Australia can always come back.
But the moot point is that matches and victories are more than just statistics.

What a stat would not tell you is how the victory impacted the cricketers and the nation.

It cannot put a metric to what the victory achieved, by way of inspiring and propelling the country and its cricket to another level.

So here's to Bangladesh cricket and its cricket-loving audience: Hope you get better through this win and evolve further to realize your true potential...well done and good luck for future!!

63 Not Out - FOREVER

Dear Philip Hughes,

I have no words to share.
The scoreboard says you "Retired Hurt".

Well, it has been nothing short of horrible to see that you had to retire so completely.
And the hurt part has been palpable to anyone and everyone who has heard this news.
Tragic.

Sad.
Very, very heartbreaking to see such an end, for any cricket lover.

Bless you, and may your soul bat on, in peace, happily.
On behalf of all the cricket lovers (and for that matter, anyone who does not want to see an untimely, unnatural end for anyone) - you shall be missed, so so sorry, and God bless.

It's elementary, Watson!

One of the better examples of an inspiring and rousing speech in a Hindi movie is the one where Abhishek Bachchan (as Gurubhai) exhorts the audience at his company's Annual General Meeting with a now-famous 'Banna chahte ho duniya ki sabse badi company?!!' speech.

It is hard to resist a chuckle imagining Mickey Arthur exhibiting the same expressions, tone and tenor while issuing directives to the Aussie squad. However, what happened to the delinquent members of that meeting, has shown that Messrs Arthur and Clarke certainly meant business.
They might not have had the same intonation as a movie star, but the intent (and intensity) was pretty much the same.
While Watson (and any of the others) might or might not have found the Axe Effect to his liking, what is worth admiring is the seriousness and no-nonsense approach taken by the touring team.

It's a divided house when it comes to public perception about the decision, but full marks to the touring party for not brooking any high-handedness from the star cricketers. It's a lesson for us forever star-struck, star-worshipping people.

While it's a good time to celebrate our dominance over the Aussies (at least on home ground), it would also be nice if we can pick a thing or two in terms of taking a fair, dispassionate stand when required, even if it comes at the cost of having to be ruthless or unpopular.

And if we need to learn about accepting one's mistake gracefully and positively, sample this from James Pattinson:
"People talk about it as a harsh punishment but looking deeply into it you realise probably it's not. If you want to be part of the Australian cricket team you have to do everything right. It's not acceptable. I believe it's the right punishment."


A real lesson on not being diffident or reluctant when confronted with a mistake - as with any other mistake, the first step towards correcting it lies in first acknowledging it.

I know there will be enough conspiracy theorists reading too much into this axing.
However, I'd still like to believe that there is only sincerity and professionalism behind this.

So credit where due - well done, Aussie team management - for your professional attitude in creating an example where most would have shied away from it. As well as to players like James Pattinson, for understanding their mistake and taking it so positively and constructively.

It's a good stepping stone and an already-exhibited show of intent, for sure, for Mickey Arthur and Michael Clarke to now start their next team meeting with 'Banna chahte ho duniya ki best .team?!'

Now, THAT'S What I Call - A Performance!!

Oh yeah, I know the IPL is alive and kicking in its fifth edition, and the slam-bang version has expectedly been hogging pretty much all the headlines as far as cricketing news is concerned.

But, somewhere far away, a yesteryear cricketing giant and a recently-usurped Goliath locked horns on the former's home soil, in that ultimate test of cricket - Test Cricket.

What has made me write about this match in particular, is the way it transformed, thanks to a very aggressive, and an extremely positive approach adopted by the eventually winning Aussie skipper, Michael Clarke.

One look at the scorecard, and you can see how the tables were turned for West Indies, who dominated for the better part of three days in the match.
Apart from reasserting the reason why Test cricket is regarded as the true test of both perseverance and performance, it also showcased the captaincy of Michael Clarke at its best.
This really deserves to be applauded in today's world of T20-dominated cricket and reactive/insipid captaincy seen on most occasions.

Consider this:
Responding to WI's First Innings total of 449, the Australians were in all sorts of bother at 285/8. That was at end of Day 3.
After staging a remarkable fightback, the team managed to cross 400 and were 406/9 just before Tea on Day 4. 101 out of 100 captains would carry on batting and ensure that the till-now dominant West Indies (who were still not trailing, as per the scoreboard), did not go on to win the match.
Most captains would prefer to bat out till that last wicket, and hope to come as close as possible to (if not in excess of) 449.

Which is where, Clarke showed a lot of gumption and despite trailing by 43 runs, still declared the innings at 406/9, with about 5 overs to go before Tea on Day 4.
Such positive captaincy infused life in the match and a hitherto missing cricketing mojo in the Aussie bowlers, who managed to prise out the Caribbean batsmen very cheaply in their second essay.
Bundling out West Indies for 148, and led by the pugnacious Watson and the ever-reliable Michael Hussey, the Aussies won a very memorable match indeed.
 
Thanks to the antics and belligerent attitude, coupled with the sledge-fest they naturally display in every outing, I don't say this very often for an Australian: but since they rightly deserve to be lauded for this one, credit must go where it is due: Well done Australia, well done Michael Clarke - that, is indeed what I call, a performance!