PlayBack 2013 – Part Four – Happenings and Quotes

Part Three Here

Cricket in a Fix

IPL spot-fixing scandal

IPL always had its share of drama, and it continued last year too. Three Rajasthan Royals players – Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, were arrested by Delhi police for spot fixing and alleged plotting with bookies to bowl badly in three games. RR terminated the trio’s contracts immediately. The investigation still continues with the CSK owner, the enthusiast Gurunath Meiyappan, being linked and arrested. RR co-owner Raj Kundra confessed to betting but only fixing is illegal and not betting. Even umpire Asad Rauf was suspected. Rauf was axed from Champions Trophy and he retired in the later part of 2013.

Following the news on spot fixing, an Aussie journalist wrote a cricket piece with Warner’s picture along with it which incensed Warner. Then began David Warner’s twitter madness. Being part of DD, the vice-captain blasted senior Australian cricket writers Robert Craddock and Malcolm Conn. Some tweets include “no wonder people don’t buy your shirt”, “it’s called sick of being woken up by crap tweets and articles. Get a life mate”, “Shock me talking shit about ipl jealous prick. Get a real job. All you do is bag people”.

Bangladesh’s youngest centurion admitted to match fixing. He was earlier suspended by the BCB following allegation of fixing and Ashraful admitted it. “I should have not done this injustice to the nation. I feel guilty. Please all forgive me, my conduct was improper” said Ashraful.

The stand-off between Sahara and BCCI worsened as the year progressed. Though the two had a bitter past with the sponsorship of Team India, they continued their collaboration for the game. But as the owner of Pune Warriors, Sahara had to face a new rift with the BCCI over allotment of matches and the franchise fee. Solution was arrived at but at the expense of a franchise being knocked out of the IPL and a new sponsor for Team India.

BCCI’s hatred for Haroon Lorgat took the form of a beast which threatened India’s tour to South Africa. SA’s appointment of Lorgat as CEO of CSA created an outburst. After more meetings to arrive at a solution and after considering Sachin’s farewell series, BCCI finally settled for a 3-ODI and 2-Test short series. Sometimes this makes one think what the ICC is for. They prepare a future tour’s programme which is never followed diligently.

During the champions trophy, former England captain Bob Willis accused England for scratching the ball. England denied the charges though. The incident took place during England’s seven wicket defeat to Sri Lanka when umpire Aleem Dar and Billy Bowden ordered one of the balls in use to be changed during Lanka’s batting. “Have you ever heard about the batting side or the umpires complaining about the shape of the ball?” said Willis.

Cook responded as “The ball was changed because it was out of shape. The umpires make these decisions and you have to accept them.” Willis added that “How naïve does Cook think we are? It is okay for the ball to scuff through natural wear and tear, but against cricket’s laws to use fingernails or other means to alter its condition.” There was no action taken by the ICC as the umpires haven’t reported anything.

How to deal with the matter of Faf du Plessis for rubbing the ball too close to a zip on his trousers? Though it wasn’t intentional, Pakistan’s claim that du Plessis be banned is not wrong either. Will this go down soft had what du Plessis did was done by a Pak player. It’s all in the eye of the beholder. The match referee just fined 50 percent match fee for ball tampering.

ICC Rules

Steven Finn

Steve Finn has a history in knocking the bails and in the ODI between India and England at Mohali, Umpire Steve Davis called back Suresh Raina who was caught in the slips by Cook. He said Finn was a “serial offender” when Cook argued that Finn should be warned rather than being penalized.

Umpire Steve Davis chose to apply Law 23.4(b)(vi) which states that either umpire should call and signal dead ball when “the striker is distracted by any noise or movement or in any other way while he is preparing to receive, or receiving a delivery. This shall apply whether the source of distraction is within the game or outside it. The ball shall not count as one of the over.”

In April, ICC announced that if a bowler disturbs the stumps at the non-striker’s end during a delivery, umpires will call it a no-ball in all international cricket.

After the fifth Ashes test at The Oval ended in a draw due to bad light, there were calls for rule change on the ‘light rule’. Now-a-days with teams accepting to use floodlights, there should be a change brought in before ruling ‘bad light stopped play’. Sometimes we do see spinners bowling in tandem to finish off overs with the limited light available as in the fourth day of the test between South Africa and India at Wanderers.

The two new balls rule in ODIs and 4 fielders outside the 15 yard circle in ODI – These two rules were brought in to attract crowd and make ODI more lively but it turned out to be batsmen-friendly and par scores being 300. These rules can better be scrapped.

Quotes/Tweets

At the moment, we are not even using one, where will we bowl two? – MS Dhoni, on two-bouncers-an-over rule in ODIs

Close the back cover of the book, move on and find something else to do – Ponting on his retirement

What is going on with Aussie cricket?? Didn’t realize you had to do an essay to get a selection these days ..!!!!! Bowl better,bat better,catch better,communicate better… just bloody play better…. I am now available for selection if Australia..!!!!! – Michael Vaughan, tweet after 4 Aus players were sacked from India tour for not obeying their coach

Amazing 4 Aussie players banned for not doing homework, I though letting them play in the next test would be punishment enough – Flintoff, on sacking of 4 Aus players from the test team.

I’m jealous of my parents. I’ll never have a kid as cool as theirs – Gayle on his own reputation of being the coolest man in cricket

Too busy counting the money I made for them – Lalit Modi, on being asked if the BCCI still cares for him

I had warned the ICC 10 years back in a letter that after the hue and cry raised over fixing of matches, the bookmakers will now resort to fancy fixing and they would target the players – Rashid Latif, former Pak captain, after news on spot fixing in IPL broke

Cricket lasts five days. We break every now and then for food. And we spend a lot of time rubbing our balls on our trousers – Flintoff explaining cricket to American singer Jennifer Lopez.

I’d lose more sleep as captain knowing Lara was coming to bat next day than I would with Sachin – Ponting on Lara and Sachin

I’ve never seen silicone tape at all, not even heard of it before. I don’t even know what it looks like – Steve Smith on Aus media claiming that ICC is probing on the use of silicone tapes on bat to cheat Hot-spot

MS Dhoni was the most unflappable player I have ever encountered. This may come across as arrogance to people who don’t know him, and when I got together with the Australian boys, who were keen to ask what Dhoni was like, they wouldn’t believe me when I told them what a joy he was to play with – Michael Hussey on Dhoni in his book ‘Underneath the Southern Cross’.

I wonder if the West Indies will think they are the guests looking on at someone else’s wedding – Harsha Bhogle on Tendulkar’s final test matches