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  - V.R.Srininvasan

What does the suspension of 15 rebel players from the Zimbabwean cricket team mean? 

This week, we were subject to the news that all 15 rebel Zimbabwe players, who incidentally are "All-White" have been stripped off their contracts with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, owing to their dispute with the ZCU. This means that the world would be subject to more one-sided games featuring the pathetic amateurs led by Tatenda Taibu in the name of the Zimbabwean cricket team. The Zimbabwean squad, which played in the 5 ODIs against Sri Lanka have only one decent player in their captain and wicketkeeper, Tatenda Taibu, who again at best is a promising player with potential to become a good wicketkeeper batsman in a few years time. They also have some jokers in the squad, such as Stuart Matsikenyeri, whose idea of defense is to put his front foot prodding forward across the line making him a sitting duck for a LBW and whose idea of attack is a close-the-eye-swing-the-bat hoick to god-knows-where. That this bloke opens the inning against good new ball bowlers and is bound to do so against the likes of Glen McGrath suggests the total degradation of cricket and its pathetic that the ICC, which is supposed to run the game, is infact trying to ruin it knowingly or unknowingly. Last week, we were subject to further parody when the ICC president actually berated the rebel players for not showing commitment by assuring to play along with the current bunch of jokers in the Zimbabwe squad. It then takes me to wonder which ICC president has been more dumb, Jagmohan Dalmiya who gave Test Status to Bangladesh on the basis of a single ODI victory over Pakistan or Ehsan Mani who has chosen to scold the innocents instead of the people who are making a mockery out of cricket. 

The talent in Zimbabwe is as much as the apparel that is worn by the Remix-artistes on Indian Television, threadbare. And to further dilute their base by choosing cricketing nincompoops to represent their country, they are reducing international cricket in these few days to an absolute farce. That the ICC has turned a blind eye to rapid degradation of World Cricket by the presence of teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh further infuriates any international cricket lover. Will sense prevail on the panjandrums who run the game in the name of administrators? The chances are as much as the current Zimbabwean team pulling out a non-weather-affected draw against the Lankans in the ongoing Test series. 

Which side of the argument sounds sounder? Murali is a hero because of his 520 or Murali is a villain who usurped the throne because his doosra is illegal and because his action is highly unorthodox?

Murali's record breaking 520th wicket was an event that signified one of the best achievements ever in the game. He broke Walsh's record with aplomb, taking his customary 5-fer and above in the first innings of the test against Zimbabwe in the process. Sri Lankan and Murali lovers have been thrilled by this achievement, but equally, his baiters and non-believers-in-the-genuineness-of-his-action have poured vitriol on his feat. Hence basically the reactions have been bordering on the extreme. Murali's action was cleared earlier by the ICC, and hence there was no need to berate him on his unorthodox action, which resulted in a bagful of wickets irrespective of the surface or situation for him. Before the doosra was bowled regularly by him, the criticism against him wasn't exactly warranted. But after his doosra was reported and preliminary reports have found out that this delivery of his was indeed outside what the ICC prescribed as limits of legality, there certainly has been a slur on his achievement. 

The lesson that we have learnt from the Murali imbroglio (and also from the multiple chucking controversies regarding Shoaib Akhtar, Shabbir Ahmed, Brett Lee etc) is that there should be no toleration at all for any kind of action that looks closer to illegality from the naked eye itself, henceforth. Excuses such as hyper extended arms, magical wrists, bent elbows and the like should not cloud the simple ways of judging whether the action is legal or not. Such unrelenting measures should be used on every newcomer in international cricket and the judgment should not be driven by prejudice that suggests that the earlier method of forwarding illegal delivery action reports to a committee of experts from the cricketing world for decision-making seems to be a sounder process rather than the roundabout and controversial current stage-wise process which seems to sweep more into the carpet rather than rectify the problem as a whole. The argument that a player's career can be made or broken by such stubbornness on playing by the rule book in a martinet fashion is flawed, because several batsmen's careers can also be made or broken because of getting out to deliveries from the malefactor bowlers. 

What does the BCCI's decision to hike the pay for domestic cricketers signify? 

It signifies that Indian domestic cricket now looks more rosier for the ones who are good enough for the grind but not good enough to enter the starry world of international cricket. A pay packet of Rs 52000 per game for every Elite Ranji player is very decent remuneration for the sweat and toil on the Indian tracks. If only the BCCI could devise a sure shot strategy to attract viewership for the Ranji games (at least the important and elite ones) by focusing on sustained and creative marketing (techniques such as hyping up games between traditional rivals, trying to use the American model of anointing team names for every Ranji Team, for eg, Tamil Nadu Sambar or Hyderabad Shahis or Nizams, Mumbai Clippers or Mumbai Box Officers etc). That should be the BCCI's next big step in bringing cricket to the levels of proficient professionalism.

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