2010!!! Just a casual write up on my cricketing thoughts.....

Warning: This is a frustrated article for I honestly believe cricket is not heading in the right direction with the current administrators!!!

Rules:

We ban a match for a poor pitch. Having seen the match and heard Ajay Jadeja, who incidentally I rate as India's most informed and sensible commentator today (even a point ahead of Sunny) I have 3 observations:

1. This is no joke but if you guys can abandon matches for a poor strip to bat on, why cant we abandon matches for an absymal pitch to bowl on... Recently, we had a t20where South Africa scored 240 odd from 20 overs against England. We had a match where 820 runs where scored in 50 overs between India and Sri Lanka. Why dont we have bowling machines instead of these poor human beings putting so much effort to bowl!!! This way the game becomes more fun for these organizers who think that the way to popularize the game is to shorten it and get sixes out every ball!!! With the bowling machine idea and mat wickets or may be even concrete wickets, we will have a predictable delivery the way each batsman wants it. Short, wide, pitched up whatever....We will not have any variations and all we need to get done is to get our batsman to eat as much as they can before a match and unwind all the energy!!!!

2. Some balls really took off from a length and it was dangerous and I am in no way supporting the curators. But, honestly I have seen worse pitches in the early 90's. The ball swings, bounces and batsman like Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar considered it manly to take it on their body and go on to score a hundred!!! That was what a 100 was worth then... With 50 matches played a year, not even a handful of good bowlers around, pitches made to order for batsman, boundaries bought in so that the batsmen can see the boundary lines with the back of their eye, who really cares to make a painful century. Just extend the series to 7 matches. You are bound to find a century there and if you cant do it within 7 matches with all the support systems there are, then you better look at other career options.

3. Batsman seem to plonk their bat down the line. Where is the good old cricket logic of come forward when the ball is pitched up and go back when its pitched short. Some of the balls did rise alarmingly. I remember one to Kandamby, one to Jaya and one to Dilshan. But, there were atleast 6 others which were short and the batsman plonked their foot forward even before the grand mother went to get milk!!!

I have been convinced and I am now guaranteed that cricket is heading one of the 2 ways: (a) T20 will take over and cricket will die like Kabbadi; or (b) The men who run the game will realise that cricket cant compete with soccer and its better off with the subtle variations and a greater competition with the bat and ball

Why should every sport look to have a global base? Does Baseball really have a global base? Does water polo have a global base? Does hockey have a global base? Does rugby have a global base? Does American football have a global base?

Very few sports can really claim to have a global base. So, what if the sport remains a commonwealth nation dominated one!!!!! In the name of taking it to a large crowd, we are killing it!!! Where is the competition between the bat and wall? Where are the test matches where a team scores 280 in the second innings and feels great on a seaming wicket thanks to the exploits of a fighting 75!!! Even in baseball, players dont score a home run every delivery!!!

We need to have a method to all this madness and I am quite convinced we need it quickly before we ruin the game that Akram, Gavaskar, Lille, Richards, Greenidge, Prasanna, Ambrose, Holding, Bothom, Kapil etc played with their heart on their sleeves!!!

Players:

I like the look of 5 youngsters in particular and am looking forward to their careers shaping up in 2009!!! Adrian Barath, Kiemar Roache and Gavin Tonge from West Indies and Umer Akmal and Mohammed Aamir from Pakistan....... Strange coincidence that these 5 come from countries where predigious talents can self destruct!!! Just hope they dont... Cricket needs some real flamboyant stars!!!

Umer seems to have some technical flaws. He seems to get pushed back easily and then hang his bat out...He also seems a bit too sloggy types... The guy has all the shots mind you!!! And, I just love his confidence!!!

Kiemar seems a special talent. He is quick and nippy. Aamir seems a bit more ready and rounded... He can be an Akram with his batting ability.....

Gavin seems the most underrated among this group... Have a sneaky feeling he could go the distance. He is tall, gets bounce and movement away like Walsh...

On a more serious note, I am worried of how they would handle these guys!!! We have had too many people fall by the way side from these 2 countries...... Their boards need to have some sort of plan and work on these special talents....

Like how we want an Akram to speak to our Indian fast bowlers all the time, I would love "God aka Sachin" give a few tips to Barath and Umer. Ultimately for a true cricket lover, it is about the game and not the political nonsense surrounding it!!!