A sorry state of affairs

If those that govern the game are serious about freeing it from corruption, the time has come to act. For too long administrators have shied away from making difficult decisions. The easy way out is no longer an option. Life bans have to be given out to anybody proven to be involved in the latest fixing scandal that has once again rocked cricket. It does not matter if someone like Aamir has an entire career in front of him. It is undoubtedly unfortunate but needs to be done for the sake of the game. Nobody is bigger than the game.

Cricket had a chance to get things right when match fixing reared its ugly head in the late 90's. Enough was not done then. It has to be done now. We cannot afford for an event like this to happen again. Nasser Hussain has pointed out that this could be only the 'tip of the iceberg'. I'm inclined to agree with him. A thorough investigation is the need of the hour. Every shred of evidence needs to be examined and any match thought to be anything less that 100% clean needs to be revisited. There may not be any further chances.

Innocent until proven guilty - yes, but the evidence at this stage looks pretty convincing. The thought that cricketers are so easily accessible to such nefarious characters as Majeed is indeed scary. If the PCB had (as they say) warned the cricketers to stay away from the 2 implicated brothers, how then were they able to get in touch with the players so easily? The ODI series cannot possible go on in the light of what has transpired. We cannot afford to stage matches in which every victory / defeat will have viewers doubting the fairness of the result. Financial implications for once will need to take a backseat.

Back in 2000, many felt that not all the wrongdoers were punished. Malik was nearing the end of his career and Rehman was mostly out than in the Pakistan side. They were the easy targets. That they deserved what they got is in no doubt. Were the the only ones who deserved the penalty is another question altogether. Many people felt then that legends like Akram & Younis were let off without having to face the music. This time that cannot happen. Anybody implicated must face the consequences. Youngsters must know that this will not be tolerated. Only a life ban will send out the message that cricket is willing to do everything in it's power to fight this scourge.

What is most depressing, however, is that this has happened just when things were looking up. Aamir has been a breath of fresh air and is one of the few genuinely good fast bowlers around. On a tour where even the most passionate of Pakistani supporters expected little or nothing, Pakistan have performed beyond expectation. With the West Indies becoming a bit of a joke around the international circuit, cricket can ill afford to lose another of its traditional powers. Nothing, though, is more important than the integrity of the game. We cannot sit back as that very integrity is being dragged through the mud. The time to act has arrived. It's now or never!

England & Pakistan

And so Pakistan continue to confound. Rubbish on one day, world beaters on the next. No team swings from good to rubbish as much as Pakistan do. I'm glad they managed to come back - it's been a riveting series so far, despite the fairly one sided nature of the first 2 tests. It would have been disappointing if the fourth test had nothing to play for. As it stands, the series is poised superbly with both teams having a chance to get something out of the series at the conclusion of the last test.

England's fantastic summer has not managed to conceal a few weaknesses that they will need to address prior to the ashes. Whatever happens to the Aussies in India, there's no doubt that they will be a much tougher opponent than either Bangladesh or Pakistan once the Ashes come around. Australia are a difficult team to break down at home and England will need to fire on all cylinders if they hope to win their first Ashes tour down under in over 2 decades.

Strauss, Trott & Collingwood have all got starts without carrying on. They cannot afford to waste starts against Australia. Australia are certainly not going to be as generous as Pakistan were on the field. In good batting conditions, Australia are also likely to put up much bigger scores than the ones Pakistan have managed in this series. Cook's 100 will give him some breathing space, but only just. The fact is that's he's looked completely out of touch right through this series. KP is a couple of bad games away from being dropped. Who could have possibly imagined that even six months ago? The bouncier conditions in Australia, though, may suit his style of play. Bell should slot in place of Morgan.

The bowling's test will be whether they can replicate the success achieved at home, away. I've believed for a while now that Anderson given the right conditions is right up there with the best in the world. His problem has been the inability to bowl half as well once he's out of his comfort zone. The ball's not going to swing anywhere near as much in Australia, so it will be interesting to see how Anderson copes.

In theory, Broad & Finn should find the conditions in Australia to their liking. Both of them are tall and 'hit the pitch' kind of bowlers. They don't rely on swing as much as Anderson does. Both of them are still pretty young and will be playing in Australia for the first time. Australia will definitely target them and how they respond may decide the destination of the urn.

Pakistan have for me made giant strides on this tour. Whatever happens in the fourth test, Pakistan have showed that their cricket is still in relatively good health. Their batting & catching must improve a great deal if they are going to win more consistently. Nevertheless, the raw materials are in place and if managed properly, this young bunch will go far.

If Pakistan bring back Younis, the middle order reads Butt (assuming he continues batting at 3), Younis, Yousuf & Umar Akmal. Akmal needs to work on his temperament, the talent is certainly there. This is not a bad middle order by any stretch of the imagination. Azhar Ali has gone from strength to strength as the series has gone on and may be asked to open. Given his lack of experience it may be a bit of a risk. However, Ali has shown the temperament required at test level and may be the best candidate for the job. Haider's arrival will mean Kamran Akmal will constantly be under pressure to deliver. This may actually help him in improving his glove work which is shoddy to say the least.

Pakistan's bowling line up is far more settled. I've tried to think of a better bowling line up in world cricket at the moment and must confess that it's difficult to look past Pakistan. Aamir has got that x-factor that so many great cricketers possess. We will be hearing a lot about him in the future. Asif is one of the cleverest bowlers going around at the moment. My only reservation against Asif is whether he will be able to be as effective on flatter tracks. Asif was never quick, but he seems to have lost a couple of yards of pace. He makes up for it with intelligent changes of pace and uses the angles that he creates very effectively. But again, whether this will work on the shirtfronts of the subcontinent or even in Australia / South Africa where there is more bounce than swing will need to be seen. It's too early to comment on Riaz, but between him and Gul, Pakistan have got good competition for the third seamer's role.

The battle between Swann and Ajmal in the last test made for some fascinating viewing. Swann's the best spinner in the world now by a fair distance. He turns the ball big and is one of the few old school off spinners around. Ajmal by contrast is like most modern day subcontinental spinners. Yes, he's got a good off break, but his real strength is the doosra. He disguises the doosra very well and apparently even Pakistani batsman have a problem in picking it. As long as he refrains from over-bowling the doosra, something that may other subcontinental bowlers have been guilty of in the past, he should be an asset to the side.

England are amongst the top 2-3 sides in world cricket today. Pakistan are rebuilding and look to be heading in the right direction. Watching how these to teams progress from here, over the next year or so is going to be very interesting.

Broad's Disciplinary Issues

Samir Chopra over on Cricinfo brings up a topic that has been doing the rounds for a while now - Stuart Broad and his disciplinary issues. That Broad's got a problem in controlling his emotions has been a well documented fact. The issue has raised a bit of a storm in the past due to the Asian bloc in particular accusing the powers that be of letting him off the hook a little too easily. The fact that his dad Chris is an ICC match referee complicates matters even further. I've always believed that the Asian bloc does play the racism card a little too often and I for one certainly don't believe that every time a decision goes against the Asians there is a deep rooted conspiracy behind it.

Having said that, I do find it a little strange that Broad has gotten away with all his indiscretions without having to face the music. The blame has to rest squarely on the shoulders of the ICC. It's about time the ICC standardize the penalties that need to be given out without letting it rest on the shoulders of the match referee. Too often we are seeing situations where 2 people who have committed the same offence are penalized differently. This system is bound to give rise to acrimony amongst players and indeed fans the world over.

It's also about time Broad grows up. Hearing his and the England captain / coaching staff's excuses after each transgression is becoming tiresome.

http://blogs.cricinfo.com/diffstrokes/archives/2010/08/aggression_or_just_plain_petul.php

Here we go again!

Here we go again. Yet another series between two teams that cannot seem to get enough of each other. Fans are not bothered and who can blame them? Rivalries are exciting when teams play each other occasionally. This creates a sense of excitement that keeps building until the series eventually starts. During the recently played Asia cup, a friend remarked that his interest in the tournament was restricted to watching India play Pakistan. India may have played SL in the final - but that was just another India SL game. Who cares?

Team building for the WC is possibly the only consolation of what is becoming a tiresome exercise. India are testing the bench strength and I think it makes sense. Kohli & Sharma will know that they have been in the side for long enough now. They cant hide behind the excuse of inexperience for any longer. Yuvraj will pile the pressure on himself if he has another bad tournament. Karthik was the man of the match in the Asia cup final and will be keen to continue impressing. Yesterday's debacle in the first game against NZ will mean that India will have to keep winning from here on to make the finals. It should turn out to be a good test for some of the youngsters irrespective of whether they succeed or fail. It should also give us the spectators & the selectors a better idea of how the squad will look like come March next year.

I would also like to hear Dhoni / the team management define the word allrounder. What has Jadeja done that seems to have transfixed the selectors and the team management? At his best he can be economical with the ball - but there's hardly been a single performance to suggest that he should be a permanent fixture in the side. An allrounder's importance is well documented. It's about time time we admitted that we don't have one. The point in playing anybody and everybody and hope they turn into world class allrounders is crass stupidity. Our world beating allrounders in the recent past have ranged from Agarkar to Powar from Pathan to Jadeja. Shastri even mentioned during India's disastrous T-20 campaign in the Caribbean that Chawla is in the side because he's an allrounder. When are we going to learn?

It was good to see the Kiwis play well yesterday. Taylor has to be one of the most devastating hitters in the world game at the moment. It will also be good to see how they go on as the series progresses. Tougher tests will definitely come their way and it will be interesting to see how they progress from here.

And finally, SLC have to do something to ensure that matches played in SL don't depend very heavily on the toss. NZ played very well yesterday and deserved to win. However, the importance of winning the toss in these conditions is extremely high. Equal chances for both sides, generally, makes for far better cricket.

Where to now RD?

India's unexpected victory in the third test was crafted by a sublime innings from VVS. VVS is the kind of player you pay money to watch and when in form it is difficult to think of a more attractive batsman in world cricket. Amidst all the jubilation of this rather unexpected win, it is important not to lose sight of the bigger picture. There are still a number of questions that hover over this side, and India still remain some way away from being a world beater.

One of those questions is the form of Rahul Dravid. Dravid over the years has undoubtedly set in stone his place as one of India's all time greats. Many of India's greatest triumphs (Headingly, Adelaide, Rawalpindi, Jamaica) were due to fantastic knocks by India's Mr. Dependable. Even in Perth, where India pulled of a stunning win after being two down in a controversial series, it was Dravid who top scored despite looking a shade uncomfortable. His value to the side has never been in question - until now that is.

Judging someone of Dravid's caliber after one or two failures is ludicrous. The fact is though that over the last 2-3 years, Dravid has looked increasingly uncomfortable. Consistency has always been Dravid's calling card - that very consistency seems to have deserted him. There has still been the odd good knock - but they are becoming fewer and further in between.

The form of the other members of the middle order has increased the pressure on Dravid. Tendulkar has scored 5 hundreds in 7 tests since the start of this year and Laxman averages nearly 90 in 2010. The selectors will certainly want to give Dravid as many opportunities as possible for him to find form. However, how much is too much?

India play Australia next - an opponent against whom Dravid played arguably his greatest ever innings. The last time Australia came to India, 2 years ago, Dravid had a torrid time. Another poor series, and time may well and truly be out. The whole of India will be hoping that Dravid manages to recover from the current slump ASAP. A tour to South Africa awaits at the end of the year - and the prospect of somebody else striding out at no:3 certainly makes me jittery.