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ON THE BOUNDARY - Time to take stock
published: Friday | January 18, 2008
Tony Becca
THE SECOND Test between Australia and India in Sydney was something to remember.
Three innings surpassed the 400 mark and five batsmen scored centuries.
One team was reeling at 134 for six on the first day of the match and recovered to win the match by 122 runs. The other team scored more than 500 runs in its first innings and lost the match.
Australia needed to take three wickets to win and India needed to score 123 runs to win it, and the match was heading for a draw with two overs to go before finishing in thrilling style with three wickets falling in the penultimate over.
Unfortunately, however, the match will be remembered, probably years and years from now, because of other things.
With batsmen playing the ball, standing up and ruled not out by the umpires. With a batsman ruled out leg before wicket despite playing the ball. With a batsman ruled not out despite being stumped. With a batsman ruled not out when he was out, by an umpire who did not refer it to the third umpire. With umpires failing to call no-balls when bowlers overstepped, with runs being given instead of byes, the match, one of the worst that I have ever seen, is best forgotten.
Guilty and banned
On top of that, there was an incident - followed by a row after he was tried, found guilty and banned for three Test matches - when one player was reported to have called another a 'monkey'.
The batsmen who stood their ground were Australians, the fielders who appealed for catches which were not taken were Australians, the captain who arrogantly, in my opinion, lifted his finger and signalled a batsman out, was Australian, and because of all those, the Australians, the Australian team, have been under fire and, in my opinion, deservedly so from cricket fans around the world, including their own, and including also some of Australia's great past players and some of Australia's outstanding sports personaltities.
According to them, the Australian cricketers, as great as they are, have embarrassed Australia and they need to look at themselves and correct their attitude.
Not so, however, says captain Ricky Ponting; not so, says opener Matthew Hayden; not so, says middle-order batsman Mike Hussey; and not so, says the former great Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath.
According to all four, and many more, that is how Australia play the game, how they have always played the game, and nothing is wrong with the way they play the game.
Although that attitude is surprising, what is even more surprising, and especially so in the face of strong criticisms for their own people, is the attitude of James Sutherland - the chief executive officer of Cricket Australia.
According to Sutherland, "Ponting and his men might have mouthed a word or two in the heat of the moment but they never over-stepped the line." Asserting that Australia always play the game hard but fair, according to him, "Test cricket is what is being played here, it's not tiddlywinks.
"It's a tough game out there, from time to time emotions will bubble over and perhaps some of the words that are said will not be acceptable in genteel company, but they are said and that is what happens."
According to Sutherland, "The Australian cricket team plays the game tough, tough and uncompromising. It's the way Australian teams have played the game since 1877 under all sorts of different captains. That is the way Australians have expected their teams to play."
That is not cricket
If that is the way the Australians have been playing the game since 1877; if Australians love to see their batsmen standing when they are out and then come and tell the world that they played the ball; if Australians love to see their fielders appeal for catches not taken, then somebody needs to get up now and tell them that this is the 21st century and that that is not cricket.
In fact, someone should tell them more than that: someone should tell them, and especially so their CEO, that when a batsman stands up and waits for the umpire's decision when he knows he has played the ball and that the ball has been caught, that is cheating, and that it is also cheating when someone appeals for a catch that he knows he has not taken.
Really bad
What is sad about the Australian behaviour in Sydney is tha it was really bad this time around, it was nothing new, an the Australians have a reputation for being the worst offenders, almost every other team in the world, almost every cricket team in the world, and including club teams, are guilty of such behaviour - and especially so when they are winning, when they are champions for a long time and believe they are God's gift to the game, and no one should even appeal against them, that no umpire should rule against them.
The behaviour of the Australians in Sydney was an embarrassment to the game. Hopefully, however, and regardless of what Sutherland may say, that may be the incident that will break the camel's back - the one which will force every administrator at every level around the world, every coach around the world, every captain around the world, every selector around the world and every cricketer around the world to say enough is enough.
published: Friday | January 18, 2008
Tony Becca
THE SECOND Test between Australia and India in Sydney was something to remember.
Three innings surpassed the 400 mark and five batsmen scored centuries.
One team was reeling at 134 for six on the first day of the match and recovered to win the match by 122 runs. The other team scored more than 500 runs in its first innings and lost the match.
Australia needed to take three wickets to win and India needed to score 123 runs to win it, and the match was heading for a draw with two overs to go before finishing in thrilling style with three wickets falling in the penultimate over.
Unfortunately, however, the match will be remembered, probably years and years from now, because of other things.
With batsmen playing the ball, standing up and ruled not out by the umpires. With a batsman ruled out leg before wicket despite playing the ball. With a batsman ruled not out despite being stumped. With a batsman ruled not out when he was out, by an umpire who did not refer it to the third umpire. With umpires failing to call no-balls when bowlers overstepped, with runs being given instead of byes, the match, one of the worst that I have ever seen, is best forgotten.
Guilty and banned
On top of that, there was an incident - followed by a row after he was tried, found guilty and banned for three Test matches - when one player was reported to have called another a 'monkey'.
The batsmen who stood their ground were Australians, the fielders who appealed for catches which were not taken were Australians, the captain who arrogantly, in my opinion, lifted his finger and signalled a batsman out, was Australian, and because of all those, the Australians, the Australian team, have been under fire and, in my opinion, deservedly so from cricket fans around the world, including their own, and including also some of Australia's great past players and some of Australia's outstanding sports personaltities.
According to them, the Australian cricketers, as great as they are, have embarrassed Australia and they need to look at themselves and correct their attitude.
Not so, however, says captain Ricky Ponting; not so, says opener Matthew Hayden; not so, says middle-order batsman Mike Hussey; and not so, says the former great Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath.
According to all four, and many more, that is how Australia play the game, how they have always played the game, and nothing is wrong with the way they play the game.
Although that attitude is surprising, what is even more surprising, and especially so in the face of strong criticisms for their own people, is the attitude of James Sutherland - the chief executive officer of Cricket Australia.
According to Sutherland, "Ponting and his men might have mouthed a word or two in the heat of the moment but they never over-stepped the line." Asserting that Australia always play the game hard but fair, according to him, "Test cricket is what is being played here, it's not tiddlywinks.
"It's a tough game out there, from time to time emotions will bubble over and perhaps some of the words that are said will not be acceptable in genteel company, but they are said and that is what happens."
According to Sutherland, "The Australian cricket team plays the game tough, tough and uncompromising. It's the way Australian teams have played the game since 1877 under all sorts of different captains. That is the way Australians have expected their teams to play."
That is not cricket
If that is the way the Australians have been playing the game since 1877; if Australians love to see their batsmen standing when they are out and then come and tell the world that they played the ball; if Australians love to see their fielders appeal for catches not taken, then somebody needs to get up now and tell them that this is the 21st century and that that is not cricket.
In fact, someone should tell them more than that: someone should tell them, and especially so their CEO, that when a batsman stands up and waits for the umpire's decision when he knows he has played the ball and that the ball has been caught, that is cheating, and that it is also cheating when someone appeals for a catch that he knows he has not taken.
Really bad
What is sad about the Australian behaviour in Sydney is tha it was really bad this time around, it was nothing new, an the Australians have a reputation for being the worst offenders, almost every other team in the world, almost every cricket team in the world, and including club teams, are guilty of such behaviour - and especially so when they are winning, when they are champions for a long time and believe they are God's gift to the game, and no one should even appeal against them, that no umpire should rule against them.
The behaviour of the Australians in Sydney was an embarrassment to the game. Hopefully, however, and regardless of what Sutherland may say, that may be the incident that will break the camel's back - the one which will force every administrator at every level around the world, every coach around the world, every captain around the world, every selector around the world and every cricketer around the world to say enough is enough.