Uthappa and the punch down the ground.

Uthappa recounts how he developed his ‘punch down the ground’.

"The punch down the ground came about because of where I grew up. There's a
house in front of the apartment where I stay, and in front of that house was an
empty plot where we played. There were roads on either side, so if I had to
score it would have to be straight. If I hit over the house and into the gutter,
it was six. So I always tried to punch straight."

My experience is also something similar.

During my formative days, I played cricket in a ground hemmed in by houses on three sides. The big scoring shots have to as a default come from either driving straight or picking the ball of a length and lofting it either over mid-off or mid-on. Needless to add some of my better shots were the ones played with a straight bat.

Which is your best stroke and how did it develop?

Chappell on the lasting impact of ICL

It sounds pretty ominous.

Chappell said he was particularly concerned about the standard of first-class
cricket in India now that the rebel Twenty20 Indian Cricket League has ripped up
to 44 players out of the domestic competition.

"There would be some
club sides in Melbourne which would now probably be better than some of the
first-class teams in India," he said.

He fears India's success in
the Twenty20 World Cup, prompting millions to mob the returning heroes, will
ease the pressure for structural reform in the country.

Surely, his concern for the structural reform is misplaced.

Did we ever have one?