The Marylebone Cricket Club, which owns Lord’s, has decided to capitalise on its instantly recognisable name and the vast international popularity of cricket. It is understood the Ashes urn, the property of the MCC, could also become a logo used on a range of merchandise.
Is the MCC selling its soul?
Consider this, we have seen IP, Lalit Modi and the slap –gate’ controversy ignite passion and take over public imagination. So much so, in the last fifteen days Harbhajan –Sreesanth disciplinary proceedings is the only occasion the BCCI has been in the limelight. Interestingly, this controversy originated in the IPL
Granted the IPL is a matter of 45 days, nevertheless, with discussions of Champions League in incubation, it has the wherewithal to become a year long jamboree.
If IPL sustains the current level of interest, it will be more alluring and powerful even for the cricket administrators. A stage will come when the BCCI officials, will be politicking and jockeying for positions in the IPL.
Ultimately, the BCCI will find its patronage and power diminish. Its future will depend on how it reconciles itself to the growing popularity of IPL.
Will it have the maturity to let it grow or will the renowned ‘crab culture’ destroy one of them?
IPL is bigger—in terms of sheer logistics activities—than the ICC World Cup, the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
Just look at the enormity of arranging the event.
To begin with, IPL has booked 12,000 hotel nights, 20,000 air tickets and will move at least 1000 people every day. Even during the last World Cup in the West Indies, the total movement over 54 days was six times and in IPL the teams and the officials will be moving 44 times.(Image Courtesy)
To cut the long story short a total 3,000 people including the cricketers will be ferried from one part of India to another.
An overwhelming affair is it not.
Inder Singh Bindra (BCCI) wants to the Indian Government to legalise cricket betting. The justification being "it will not only eliminate things like match fixing but also generate huge revenue for the government in millions. It is in the interest of the government,' What he fails to mention is that by legalizing betting BCCI can milk another revenue generation avenue dry. However, legalising betting will have an unintended fall out :it will bring more followers to the game, albeit for the wrong reasons.
It is obvious that the South Africans have not taken kindly to Kirsten coaching "I am not too surprised. That's the vibe they have given off to us. Once one or two wickets fall and things kind of go wrong they are pretty weak and the batsmen to follow didn't look they knew what they wanted to do. They didn't have a game plan or strategy. They were bowled out for 76 and, I guess, that's what happens when you don't have a game plan or strategy," . The key words here are the words 'weak' – a dig at Upton the mental strength conditioner, 'game plan', and 'strategy', which is a dig at The support staffs of a cricket team feature rarely during a post match press meet and on top of it Kirsten has been keeping a low profile. So why did Steyn take a swipe? The fact is the mere presence of Kirsten in the Indian team rankles and despite assurance they are wary that their weaknesses will be used against them.
The BBC conducted a survey to find out how India’s Twenty20 leagues, namely the IPL and the ICL, will affect the English county cricket.
County cricket chiefs were unanimous that the Twenty20 leagues will have a dramatic effect on the future of the English game.
Apart from this generalized opinion, the BBC survey also revealed a range of concerns.
Out of the three, the first two are genuine cause for concern. However, their fear of player-power is as irrational as their fear of BCCI taking over the ICC.
It is irrational because there is no reason to believe that player –power is bad for the game. It also reveals a rather egoistical attitude that they only know what is best for the game of cricket.
One thing is evident, by expressing their alarm, the county cricket chiefs have unconsciously acknowledged that their unchallenged reign is coming to an end.
Being a true sportsman,Ponting rained wholesome praise on India:
"It was an enjoyable series, a hard-fought contest over the last one month. India played some very good cricket and proved that they are the number two team in the world," Ponting said.
I feel it is a bit premature, India has to beat South Africa comprehensively to be a worthy No.2.
Do you agree?
One off field event summed up my impression of Azharruddin’s captaincy. I remember a press conference, Azharuddin when asked about the Warne threat; replied that he has four people (batsmen) who can take care of him. This led me to consider him a Captain who largely relied on his players to come through or to be more exact expected his players to pull their weight.
However, Mark Taylor lists Azharuddin as one his favourite captains because, “The fields he set for spinners would be very good. He’d been captaining for some years before I did and I found those field settings imaginative and effective.”
I would have never associated the word imaginative with Azharuddin or his captaincy. (Despite his apparent lack of imagination, his taste (Sangeeta Bijlani) was impeccable). Maybe, I should revisit my opinion on Azharuddin
Would you rate Azharuddin’s captaincy as ‘imaginative’?
In all probability, the Aussies have freezed on a 4 prong pace attack. This can be made out from the fact that the Indians have junked the idea of Dravid partnering Jaffer.
Instead it will be Sehwag.It appears that Virender Sehwag, the nowhere
man in Indian cricket till a week back, has been put on alert and he wasted
little time in rushing to the MCG indoor nets this afternoon to give himself
some serious workout against bowling machines.
I would say that it is a sound move. India is better served with Dravid at No.3.
What do you say?
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought
which they seldom use."
We have to be a bit more savvy, a bit more streetwise and find different ways of
attacking," said Moores. "In the first innings you can use swing and seam but
the second innings is a bit more sub-continent and you have got to find ways to
deliver under these conditions if you are going to win.
I have come to the conclusion after considerable thought that the whole idea
behind the emergency was to prevent the people of Pakistan from becoming fully
aware of the humiliation of our cricket team expected at the hands of the
Indians.
The new laws governing the media suggest that all activities that bring a badAn interesting hypothesis, however I am unable to come to any conclusion on the Pakistan team’s performance. Is it good, bad or pathetic?
name to Pakistan, the administration and its functionaries and are bad for the
morale and the morals of the people of Pakistan and could incite them to
violence should not be portrayed in any fashion by the media. From the time of
our fateful loss to Ireland and the demise of our coach, Pakistan cricket
fulfils all these criteria.
A STRANGE game of keepings-off is being played between a Melbourne sports fan
and Cricket Australia.
At the centre of the struggle is the ball that
Adam Gilchrist hit out of Hobart's Bellerive Oval against Sri Lanka to become
the first man to hit 100 Test sixes.
The ball should be Gilly's or, better still, be donated to the new National
Sports Museum at the MCG.
"That's why they like to play Twenty20 cricket because it reduces the game to a
slogathon.
"It helps hide their inadequacies, which are cruelly
exposed by Australia at Test level."
