Resurgence of bookies threatens cricket once more

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has to become more vigilant now in view of the recent ‘disclosures’ of the resurgence of the illegal bookmakers.

Sir Paul Condon, the Chairman of the ACSU, was absolutely right in having pointed out in the ICC meetings in Dubai and London during the last one year or so that the Twenty20 cricket posed the greatest corruption threat to the game since the dark days of the 1990s.

The Twenty20 tournaments, having been organized during the past couple of years, are believed to have provided the perfect opportunity to the bookmakers to renew their contacts in the cricket circles.

As we are discovering now, the bookmakers were not going to limit themselves to the Twenty20 events once they have re-established firm foothold in the cricket arena. The reports are filtering in, albeit very slowly, that attempts were being made to ‘fix’ the matches of longer duration as well.

The news has broken out the other day that the Australian team management filed a report with the ICC's ACSU after a player was approached by a man suspected of links to illegal bookmaking.

It was reported that the approach was made in the bar of the team's London hotel, the Royal Kensington Garden, following Australia's Ashes defeat at Lord's in July. The matter is reportedly under investigation.

The Australian player was believed to have informed the senior officials immediately and, following ICC protocol, team manager Steve Bernard filed a report with the ACSU.

Not very long ago there were reports that some of the Pakistan players had been approached by illegal bookmakers at their team hotel in Colombo during their recent tour of Sri Lanka. The matter was investigated by the ACSU. The ICC's Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat, declared that there was absolutely no substance to those reports.

"The ICC and its members have a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and rightly so because the integrity of our sport with its spirit is one of its greatest assets. On that basis it is entirely appropriate that any suggestions in relation to that subject are always reported to and properly investigated by the ACSU. I am pleased those investigations have indicated nothing untoward has taken place on this occasion but it is a reminder that all of us - players, officials and supporters - must maintain our vigilance to ensure we remain on top of the issue of corruption,” he was quoted as saying.

Haroon Lorgat and his team at the ICC, however, cannot be expected to sit idle because the matter is very serious indeed and it threatens the future of the game once more. If strict measures are not taken the game could suffer even more than what was witnessed in the 1990s because of the presence of so many communication tools these days.

The ICC should not be making any compromises on this issue because this concerns the future of the game.

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Dravid doesn’t have any point to prove

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Rahul Dravid is one of those rare guys having kept the interest of his team supreme at all times. He is a perfect role model for the young generation. He has performed exceptionally well over the years without ever having said or done anything close to boasting.

I don’t think anyone in the present generation has mastered the art of batting like him. He is a complete package. Because he is technically so sound he always has the freedom of changing gears.

Like any other human being he has had occasional his off days but never has one noticed any lack of application on his part. He has always given his best. The level of consistency attained by him in the highest form of the game is exemplary.

It was so typical of Dravid to have reacted modestly to his return in India’s ODI squad for next month's tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy. He didn't consider the recall as a chance to prove his detractors wrong.

"I have never played my cricket that way, wanting to prove a point. To me, it's about trying your best to be the best you can be, day after day, in whichever format you are playing and for whichever team you are playing," the former Indian captain was quoted as saying in a newspaper interview.

"It's nice to be back, I am very happy. I am looking forward to the Sri Lanka tri-series and the Champions Trophy in South Africa, to giving it my best. It will be nice to catch up with the boys once again," Dravid said.

"I will do my best for the team's cause. I have always believed in preparing well before a match or a competition and it will be no different this time," he added.

The prolific Dravid will now be making a comeback in the national one-day side after about a couple of years. He had played in the Test matches in this period but the selectors had not picked him for the limited overs games with the emphasis being on trying out the exciting crop of youngsters.

The Indian selectors obviously had an obligation to blood the youngsters at the international level after they had done wonders in the domestic competitions. Very few of them, however, managed to do justice to their talents.

There also was a feeling that the newly installed captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was not very keen to have the seniors in the line-up for the ODIs or the Twenty20 Internationals. Sachin Tendulkar, it’s believed, was also reluctantly included.

Dhoni had every right to back his boys who certainly raised the bar in the department of fielding but their batting technique was found wanting on pitched where the ball moved and darted.

Dhoni would also have realized after the recent failures of the young batsmen that it was about time to turn back to the tried and trusted campaigners for an event as important as the Champions Trophy. Dravid would be indeed be a trump card for Dhoni now.

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Welcome back Rahul Dravid

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

What a great move by the Indian cricket authorities to have recalled Rahul Dravid in the one-day arena! I think they did realize finally that life was not all about glamour and lights. The tough characters generally play the pivotal role in bringing about the results be it the entertainment industry or the field of cricket.

When we talk of mental toughness, the one man who comes to mind right away is Dravid. He was probably sidelined from the One-day Internationals in order to accommodate the enterprising youngsters who were knocking at the doors for some time.

The young guns like Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma have been provided the opportunity up the order but they have not been able to deliver consistently yet. The selectors have lost faith now in Sharma at least for the time being, after his run of poor scores of late, but the left-handed Raina has made the cut once more.

Dravid’s recall has been prompted by quite a few factors. Obviously the recent failure of Sharma and other young lads in challenging conditions must have created doubts about their abilities to cope with the pressure.

Dravid’s own performance in the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) staged in South Africa earlier this year was brilliant. He had proved the point that skills and experience were the vital elements even in the shortest version of the game.

Thirdly the upcoming Champions Trophy was going to be held in South Africa where the pitches would not be as flat as the ones in the Indian sub-continent. The selectors had to keep in mind the importance of grafters for conditions unfriendly for batting.

The selectors have done the right things by going back to Dravid instead of blooding another raw youngster and jeopardizing his future. It’s always a wise move to go back to the basics.

India would need the expertise of Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar for putting the big totals on the board. The likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh can do the business in the latter part of the innings but they would love to have wickets in hand when going for the acceleration in the death overs.

The presence of Dravid brings stability to the Indian batting that has been found wanting more often than not in conditions not ideal for batting. He can anchor the innings and more importantly his sound technique would allow him to weather the early overs when the ball does a little bit extra.

Dravid has been a class act throughout his career. He is a team man to the core who is always there to lift the morale of the side. He will indeed feel greater energy in his legs now for the selectors have reposed confidence in him for the big challenge ahead.

With the Indians having a lethal fast bowling attack these days, Dravid is more likely to remain stationed at the slips instead of doing the running around in the outfield. The stage is set for him grab the headlines once more.

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Sri Lanka present perfect Independence Day gift to Pakistan

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The love and affection the Sri Lankans have had for Pakistan over the years were evident in the one-off Twenty20 International between the two friendly nations at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on the night of August 12.

Sri Lanka, having traditionally been generous towards Pakistan, gave a perfect sendoff present to Shahid Afridi and his boys. In fact it was a huge gift for the entire nation on the eve of the Independence Day falling on August 14.

Pakistan could not have wished for a better ending to the tour. As they say all is well that ends well. Who cares now for the losses in the Test series and the ODI series? Isn’t it a big bonus winning the last three games by imposing margins after having been outplayed in all departments of the game?

Now who can classify this as a disastrous tour when you win the last couple of One-day Internationals by over one hundred runs and the Twenty20 International by a whopping margin of 52 runs?

Well done Sri Lanka for having let the Pakistan team return with plenty of smiles. They proved themselves the most gracious of hosts for Pakistan once more. The only ‘cause’ of regret for them might be the Test series win because never in the past they had dared doing it.

There was plenty of noise and buzz at the ground when the two teams, who contested the World Twenty20 final in June, were up against each other. Little did the crowd know that they won’t be getting the chance to witness a close match!

The entire concept of a Twenty20 game is killed when one of the contestants is not on it with heart and soul. Obviously it becomes a one-way traffic when only one team is playing for win and the other win is there to fill in the numbers.

It was a pity that the Sri Lankans, otherwise such a talented and balanced outfit, gave such a poor account of themselves in the format of the game they are expected to excel more often than not while playing on their own soil.

How often would you watch an international cricketer drop a sitter as Lasith Malinga did in the second over of the game that allowed Pakistan to attack the bowlers after a quiet start? It was the simplest of chances but Malinga made a mess of it. It very clearly demonstrated the lack of focus on part of the Sri Lankans.

Mahela Jayawardene, a former captain and one of the best fielders in the world, ensured that Malinga wasn’t embarrassed by dropping even an easier catch on the last ball of the Pakistan innings. He had earlier let one go between his legs while fielding in the deep.

So there was plenty of amusement in the game and the Sri Lankans never really looked in the hunt. Shahid Afridi could not have asked for any ‘softer’ opposition in his first game as captain at the international level. 

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Younis Khan condemned once more

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Younis Khan is getting away with it in the international cricket with his imperfect technique with the bat for there are very few quality bowlers on the scene of late. Had he been playing in the era when the West Indian fast bowlers used to got batsmen out by terrorizing them, I don’t think he would have attained even half of the batting average he has in Test cricket or even One-day Internationals.

Yes the quality of bowling has gone down over the years and it hasn’t put the batsmen to the kind of examination we used to witness in the 1980s and even the 1990s. With the emphasis lately on limited overs cricket and the ultra-short versions of the game like Twenty20 making their way to the top, the world is fast losing the attacking bowlers who possessed the capabilities of cutting the batsman into halves.

Younis Khan has been installed as the Pakistan captain for the wrong reasons. He wasn’t appointed the skipper for having any leadership skills or any other quality that could be termed inspirational.

He has always been handed over the reigns of captaincy because there’s no other choice. He had messed up the opportunity in the past and he is doing it again. Everyone knows he’s not the man for the job. 

Anyone having interacted with the Pakistan skipper is aware of his shortcomings and the obvious lack of will power. He has lacked consistency in giving out statements to the media. One day he would say Pakistan would be lucky if they could come close to the Australians. Just a few days later he claims Pakistan would whitewash the Aussies.

More painful than his flaws in batting and the handling of the team has been his attitude while dealing with the media. He has been a media shy fellow all along and the only time he appeared to have come out of his shell was soon after getting a triple hundred in the Karachi Test against Sri Lanka earlier this year.

There was a brief period when one thought that he had learnt his lessons and would conduct himself much more professionally. Unfortunately he has not believed in learning from mistakes, believing that he would get away with it with everything as he does in the cricket field.

Younis Khan, I am afraid, is mistaken. He is probably unaware of the damage he would cause to the game in the country by his haughty attitude. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) cannot be blamed either because they don’t have any replacement for him at the moment.

One of the journalist bodies has come very hard at Younis Khan for his follies. The Sports Journalists Association of Sindh (SJAS) has strongly condemned the continued unacceptable rude attitude of the Pakistan captain towards Pakistani media. 

“It has now become a regular feature of Younis Khan that he does not talk to media up on his arrival from abroad when the media personals spend sleepless nights to wait for him at airport. He once again opted not to talk to media at airport after coming home from Sri Lanka,” Sardar Khan, President, SJAS, said in a statement.

“One has been seeing his immaturity as captain on the field but his rude behavior is now becoming a real issue with media who have to perform their professional obligation. Younis Khan should realize that with captaincy there come hosts of responsibility he should be able to cope with them,” Sardar Khan added. 

“The Pakistan captain was quite arrogant with the media while returning home after winning T20 world cup in June. He did not talk to the media at airport and then he lashed out at media who had gone to cover him at his residence in Karachi. He seems not being able to handle the responsibilities that he should shoulder as captain of Pakistan team. The SJAS has taken strong note of this routine and hereby requests Younus Khan to amend his attitude to behave and cooperate decently with the media to avoid any bitterness,” the SJAS President advised. 

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England can still do it after debacle at Headingley

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Australians have been rewarded for their persistence and positive approach that helped to wipe out England in a matter of two and a half days in the fourth Test at Headingley and the Ashes 2009 now stands at 1-1 with just one more game to go.

England, one up in the series, had to endure quite a few unforeseen problems at the start of the game and they couldn’t overcome them even after Andrew Strauss had won the toss and elected to bat.

The decision of Strauss to bat first reflected the confidence he had in himself and his boys. He appeared to be in aggressive frame of mind with an eye of sealing the series before the fifth Test. In normal circumstances he would have been expected to go into the game with four bowlers and playing an additional batsman.

There was certainly a temptation to bowl first but the England skipper with the great form he’s in chose to put runs on the board. Having included off-spinner Graeme Swann in the playing eleven he must have set his mind on a wearing track on the fourth and final day. Little would have he known that the match would be over inside three days.

It turned out to be a disastrous first morning for England and it was nothing short of a nightmare for them to have been bowled out for 102. It’s not often that the team could stage a comeback after being knocked over so cheaply.

The Australian bowlers made the most of the lively strip by pitching the ball up and the England batsmen were found wanting in coming to terms with the movement in the air and off the wicket. Peter Siddle turned out to be the star with a quick five-wicket haul.

With Strauss perishing early and no Pietersen or Flintoff in the middle-order the Australians knew they were in with a very big chance of routing the hosts. Someone like Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff would have driven those over-pitched deliveries to the fence but the ordinary mortals like Ravi Bopara and Ian Bell neither had the technique nor the heart to counterattack.

The fourth Test was actually won and lost on the first morning when England was bowled out for 102 in their second innings.

I am not sure what prompted the England think-tank to attack the Australians with short-pitched stuff. The half trackers were dispatched merrily by the Australian batsmen who are at home in pulling and cutting.

Skipper Ricky Ponting set the tone with attacking batting and Michael Clarke followed suit. Marcus North played another gem of a knock and the brisk scoring further demoralized England.

The Australians knew the match was in their bag with a monumental first innings lead. Mitchell Johnson reproduced his bowling form that eluded him in the earlier games of the series to further compound England’s problems.

There were some heroics in the later part of England’s second innings that certainly entertained people and also proved the point that their top-order batsmen were guilty of not having applied themselves.

England, I feel, can still turn it around in the decider at the Oval because there’s not much to pick between the two sides.

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Where’s ICC Anti-Corruption Unit?

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that suspected bookmakers were staying on the same floor as the Pakistan players in the team hotel in Colombo.
Salim Altaf, the PCB's Chief Operating Officer (COO), was quoted as saying that the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit of the ICC had a representative in Sri Lanka who was looking into it.

"He will obviously report back to the ICC and I see this taking some time. We will wait for his report," he was reported to have said.

The PCB had approached the ICC after Pakistan lost the three-match Test series as well as the five-match ODI with a couple of one-dayers still to be played during their ongoing tour of Sri Lanka.

Back home Pakistan’s successive defeats in Sri Lanka were being viewed with shock and suspicion because the triumph in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in England was fresh in minds of the people.

The ICC didn’t waste time in acknowledging the report being received from the PCB as one of their spokesmen, Brian Murgatrord, confirmed that the body was aware of the issue at the hotel.
"We can confirm the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit is aware of the matter and will deal with it as appropriate," he was quoted as saying.

The ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit would have hardly got any time to deliberate on the issue before the last two ODIs produced the most unexpected of results and there were people believing that there’s something fishy in the turn of the events.

Sri Lanka, having won the first three ODIs so convincingly to seal the series, lost the last two games with the heaviest of margins thus taking everyone by surprise.

Not sure if the Sri Lankan cricket authorities would be interested in pursuing the matter but it’s for the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit to have a re-look at the events of the last two ODIs in particular.

It’s hard to comprehend a team, having excelled in the earlier part of the series, playing so unprofessionally or loosely to bring about massive defeats upon themselves. Obviously it’s not easy even to lose a match by a heavy margin and a lot of effort is needed for this exercise as well.

The figures do tell a story. Sri Lanka won the first ODI by 36 runs while defending a total of 232. After routing Pakistan for 168, the hosts won the second game by six wickets with 38 balls remaining. Pakistan posted a total of 288 in the third ODI but Sri Lanka romped home by six wickets with 21 balls in hand.

The most dramatic of turnarounds then began. Pakistan, helped by 29 wides, reached a score of 321 in the fourth game. It was a perfect batting strip of R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the hosts were expected to give a befitting reply. But they bundled themselves out for 175 in 36.1 overs to lose the match by a staggering margin of 146 runs.

The history of the previous game was repeated in the fifth and final ODI at the same venue with the hosts crashing to 147 all out in 34.2 overs while chasing a target of 280 to lose the match by 132 runs.

Cricket remains an unpredictable game but why it becomes so predictable at times is anybody’s guess. The ICC must ensure greater discipline and stricter laws should be enforced to counter such events that bring the game to disrepute.

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Zaheer to miss Champions Trophy due to IPL injury

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The priorities of the movers and shakers of the Indian cricket remain unclear. It’s not easy to judge what really are the objectives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)? The element of clarity of thought looks missing.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has probably done more disservice to the cause of the Indian cricket rather than bringing home glories. The massive commercialization of the game has severely hit their injury-prone cricketers and the performance of their team has declined in major competitions.

The BCCI had succeeded in holding the second edition of the IPL in South Africa earlier this year but it cost them the world Twenty20 crown. As was being speculated the IPL worked to India’s disadvantage and they failed miserably in defending the title they had annexed a couple of years ago.

Now India’s chances of reclaiming the Champions Trophy has taken a serious blow with their spearhead Zaheer Khan being ruled out due to the shoulder injury he suffered while playing for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He had fallen on his shoulder while fielding and was subsequently advised rest.

Zaheer, one of the most experienced fast bowlers in world cricket, is out of the Champions Trophy after having undergone a major shoulder surgery in South Africa a few weeks ago. It would come as little surprise if he’s also forced to miss the seven-match home ODI series against Australia in November-December.

The BCCI officials, however, maintain that Zaheer was responding well to the surgery and he was expected to return to international cricket by the end of the year and could play in the home series against Australia.

"Zaheer had an arthroscopic labral repair in his left shoulder on July 13 done by the Johannesburg-based Dr Mark Ferguson. He is undergoing rehabilitation in South Africa and is recovering very well. He is expected to return to international cricket by the end of this year," the BCCI media release revealed.

It was further announced that Zaheer would be arriving home on August 9 for about 10 days or so before returning to South Africa for further rehabilitation on his shoulder.

Zaheer aggravated the injury during the World Twenty20 and had to undergo surgery in South Africa in July, causing him to miss the four-match ODI series in West Indies.He has been advised a minimum of three months' rest. Ferguson, who carried out the surgery, has successfully treated Sachin Tendulkar and former India players Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble in the past. 

The 30-year-old left-arm quickie has had fitness problems on quite a few occasions in the past as well. It goes to his credit that he has managed to stage a comeback successfully more often than not after a layoff.

He had looked at the peak of his career last season. In tandem with Ishant Sharma he formed the most lethal new ball attack in the world, setting up quite a few victories for India. His absence will be sorely felt.

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