Controversies galore in Cricket World Cup 2023

By Naeem-ul-Haq in USA 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Having followed closely each and every single edition of the Cricket World Cup (CWC) since its inception in 1975, I have very little doubt in mind that the recently concluded 13th edition in India was the most controversial of them all, on and off the field. The hosts could not win the trophy despite all odds being stacked in their favour. 

It was a marquee event of the International Cricket Council (ICC) but the governing body of the game came under heavy criticism as did the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the hosts. They were accused of actions and inactions which didn’t go well with the cricket followers across countries.

The insistence of the hosts to play the final on a wearing track instead of the originally chosen fresh strip backfired and loss of toss proved to be the last nail in their coffin. Despite being on top of the game for 10 matches on a trot, the Indians fumbled in the final at Ahmedabad and the robotic Australians capitalized with hints of conviction to capture the crown for a record sixth time. 

India, whose all three fast bowlers, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj, were firing on all cylinders as they also extracted extra yard of swing than their competitors, would have been much better off taking on the Aussies on a newly laid surface instead of battling it on a slower pitch which didn’t aid the spinners either. 

While the majority of close umpiring decisions seemed to have favoured the home team, it proved to be a different ball game in the final where rub of the green titled Australia’s way. The umpires call saved the visitors much to the disapproval and annoyance of the huge crowd which became silent as the match slipped out of India’s hands. 

It was really chocking not to have found the World Cup winning Indian captains of the past, Kapil Dev and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in the prize distribution ceremony from which Sourav Ganguly, who led India to the final in 2003, was also absent. Reportedly the trio seemed to have some ‘political’ difference with the hosts who probably didn’t invite them. 

The Indian authorities didn’t appear to have allowed visas to the media corps or even supporters of other participating countries, a move which was also widely criticized. The wisdom behind preventing foreign fans from attending World Cup matches could not be understood. 

Another mind-boggling move was the skipping of an inauguration ceremony before the start of the championship. The Indians have had the reputation of organizing the most colorful of ceremonies but they chose to remain silent this time and the World Cup got off to a muted start directly with the opening match between England and New Zealand. 

It’s a common knowledge that the Indians are well versed in arranging mega events and high-profile ceremonies but they didn’t deem it proper to let the CWC 2023 gain the hype it deserved. The dates of the event were altered and it were finalized at the eleventh hour. There were numerous factors which made it a forgettable outing. 

Toss was another cause of controversy as Rohit Sharma came under fire for throwing the coin upward far too wide. The ICC will now be advised to exercise control in this matter too in order to make it transparent and fair to all contestants. Technology should come in and it could be monitored with the help of a camera.

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Dhoni’s boys give a befitting birthday present to Kapil Dev

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sunil Gavaskar, while commentating in the third and final One-day International between India and Pakistan at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground in New Delhi on January 6, was lamenting the fact the Indians, more often than not, had let the World Cup winning captain, Kapil Dev, down on his birthday. 

Sunny, himself a former captain, was referring more towards the New Year Tests in which the Indians were generally found wanting while playing on the hard and bouncy surfaces in Australia and South Africa. 

Although he didn’t say it but the position in which India were in at that moment, a whitewash at the hands of Pakistan in the three-match ODI series was very much round the corner on another birthday of Kapil Dev. 

Obviously Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was out in the middle defending a very low total, would not have heard the ‘on-air’ conversation between Harsha Bhogle and Sunil Gavaskar but he seemed to have got it somehow. 

The Indians, for a change, played much better cricket than they had been doing for the past few weeks and quite unexpectedly to say the least turned it around to win the match against all odds. 

Their victory in the 3rd ODI was as much surprising as the defeat at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in the 2nd ODI just a few days ago where they had collapsed while chasing what looked a modest target in conditions nearly ideal for cricket. 

Dhoni, who had emulated Kapil Dev by leading India to World Cup triumph in 2011, ensured that the champion all-rounder’s birthday party was not spoiled this time round. 

Under fire for the losing streak, Dhoni was a doubtful starter for the third and final game with the rumours that he was being removed from the job. He was being criticized despite coming up with fighting performance in every match. 

The unlikely victory on Kapil Dev’s birthday could help Dhoni in regaining his control over the team and the boys are more likely to perform against England in the upcoming ODI series. His case has been helped by the omission of Virender Sehwag who was just not in his elements. It’s surprising that Gautum Gambhir has still been retained despite his ordinary performances in the recent past. 

More than the Indian team which has been floored frequently of late their selection panel headed by Sandeep Patil should also be held responsible for the debacle. 

The inconsistency of the selectors has been hurting the team badly. While India, after having lost the first two games of the series, struggled to register a come from behind win in the third ODI against Pakistan, India ‘A’ got the better of England in a limited-overs contest the same day. 

Didn’t it reflect poor selection? If India ‘A’ possessed the firepower to dominate England then how come quite a few members of Team India looked like passengers if not novices. Won’t India be better off fielding ‘A’ team against England in the ODIs instead of taking a chance on the tired legs and buttered fingers of those having looked jaded and demoralized? A food of thought certainly!

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Rare assembly of World Cup legends

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The countdown to the ICC World Cup 2011 has already begun and the mega event is just a couple of months away now. Four of the greatest cricketers of all time, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Arjuna Ranatunga and Viv Richards, were in attendance in a ceremony held recently in India in connection with the upcoming tournament.

It’s not often when these legends have been found under one more roof and more specifically in the company of each other. Their reunion instantly brings to memory their extraordinary performance in the past editions of the World Cup.

Viv Richards (now Sir Vivian) had not exploded in the role of a master in the inaugural World Cup in 1975 but his amazing fielding in the final when he ran out quite a few dashing Australian batsmen with brilliant throws helped the cause of the West Indies immensely in getting crowned as the champions.

Richards had enhanced his reputation by the time the next World Cup was played four years later. He lived to the billing and it was his magnificent century in the final against England that allowed his team to retain the trophy rather leisurely in the end.

He was easily the most destructive batsman in the world when the West Indies came out to England in 1983 with very high hopes of completing a hat-trick of title wins. They were on course of accomplishing this feat with Richards playing another cameo in the final, this time against underdogs India.

It took a spectacular running catch from the Indian captain, Kapil Dev, to remove Richards from the scene and the complexion of the game changed soon afterwards. It was Kapil Dev, not Clive Lloyd, who received the trophy at Lord’s on June 25, 1983.

Pakistan and India, captained by Imran Khan and Kapil Dev respectively, were the overwhelming favourites to clash in the final in 1987 but neither of them could go that far. Both of them were eliminated in the semifinals much to the disappointment of the millions of their supporters.

Imran Khan, by then a veteran all-rounder at the twilight of his illustrious career, didn’t have a particularly strong team at his disposal when Pakistan took the field in the World Cup in Australia in 1992.

Pakistan were languishing near the bottom of the table at the halfway stage of the tournament but then commenced their fairytale success and they exceeded all expectations by winning the event against the heaviest of odds. Imran was instrumental in lifting the morale of the side after the depressing defeats in the earlier games.

The Sri Lankans, however, were the favourites to win the World Cup in 1996 and they did exactly that under the shrewd leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga.

They were rewarded for playing sensational cricket and they pioneered the concept of pinch hitting from the outset. Their bold tactics worked to perfection as there was not much for the bowlers on the flat sub-continental pitches.

Ranatunga was chiefly responsible for taking the risk of attacking cricket. He himself batted very well, particularly his knock in the final against Australia at Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore, ensured there were no hiccups in the closing stages.

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Kapil Dev desires Imran Khan to run Pakistan cricket

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The spot fixing scandal having marred Pakistan’s ongoing tour of England has brought to light a few tales of the unexpected and on top of them is Kapil Dev’s statement in which he has heaped lavish praise on Imran Khan, one of his illustrious contemporaries, now heading a political party.

Alongwith Richard Hadlee of New Zealand and Ian Botham of England, both of them knighted later, Imran Khan and Kapil Dev formed the quartet of the greatest all-rounders to have ruled the world in the 1980s. All of them brought unmatched glories for their respective countries.

Kapil had led India to victory in the 1983 World Cup against the heaviest of odds while Pakistan were crowned as the world champions nine years later, under Imran, in not too dissimilar circumstances

Kapil has now called upon Imran to help Pakistan restructure itself around morals, ethics and values in light of the match fixing that has come to light.

“I appeal to Imran Khan to take charge of the current situation in Pakistan. Being the cleanest player, it’s he who can save and look after Pakistan cricket. None of us want the game in Pakistan to be finished, as this is one country that has produced some of the finest cricketers,” he stated.

Kapil appears convinced that Imran remains the ideal man to run Pakistan cricket after so many scandals have damaged it over the years.
He described Imran as the “cleanest and the strongest” person in the country to fix the downward trend of cricket in Pakistan.

“In this time of crisis, I can only think of Imran as the cleanest cricketer to look after Pakistan cricket. He can really put the nation out of this controversy and other ones because he also has a strong personality and a sharp mind,” Kapil reckoned.

Kapil has spoken quite highly of Imran. I can’t recollect of Imran having ever expressed similar sentiments for any of his contemporaries.

The former Indian all-rounder, who also held the world record for the highest number of wickets for sometime, had sympathy for the Pakistan cricketers but also reiterated that those found guilty of it should be taken to task.

“I do feel sorry for Pakistani cricketers and Pakistan cricket. But at the same time, the alleged ones should be severely punished if proved guilty,” the former Indian captain was quoted as saying.

He also implored the International Cricket Council (ICC) to uphold the image of the game and get rid of people who have interests other than cricket.

“I’m not qualified to say ICC should ban players. But I appeal to the governing body to look after the game and make sure right people investigate the current issue. It should ensure that betting scandals carried out by a handful of negative people do not taint the wonderful game,” Kapil observed.

“Don’t bet on cricket,” was Kapil’s warning to the budding youth wanting to play cricket professionally.

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