Dhoni and Benn's bans too severe

True and accepted that it is the rule. But the International Cricket Council would not have been faulted had they allowed the match referees to be a bit more flexible and not slap bans on players.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni the Indian captain was made to sit out for two one-day games penalised because his side bowled a slow over-rate and West Indian Suleiman Benn was banned for two games for having an ugly exchange with Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson of Australia.

It would not be a bad idea for the ICC to change the rules and ask Match Referees to impose heavy fines on the offenders so that it could serve as a deterrent, instead of slapping bans on players.

Take the ban of Dhoni for two games. We need not tell the ICC that cricket in India is religion and some of their cricketers are gods. One such god is the Indian skipper.

Indian cricket fans who throng all venues where the team is in action expect to see all their stars in action. Even in Pakistan cricket is well patronized with spectators being jam-packed.

Then cricket fans would have been disappointed and cursing the Match Referee and the ICC for not being able to see Dhoni in action. It is rarely that cricket fans in particular towns are given the opportunity to see their stars in action.

Then when the spectators are given the opportunity, the Match Referee and the ICC play the part of spoil sports and the banning of Dhoni for two games would have been galling to the cricket mad fans.

Players are the draw cards who bring in the bags full of money and they come to watch their stars and not the match referee or the ICC slap bans on their stars. So spectators will cheer the ICC if they change the rule that bans players and instead increase the fines for offences.

From Dhoni we move on to Suleiman Benn of the West Indies. Benn is alleged to have had an ugly exchange with Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson.

While Haddin and Johnson have been slapped fines, the gangling left arm spinning Suleiman Benn has been forced to miss two one day games.

It is said that former pace ace 'big bird' Joel Garner who is the manager and Chrys Gayle captain of the touring West Indian team are fuming at the injustice meted out to Benn and are planning to make their voices heard at the correct forums.

Players in the heat of the moment tend to go over the top and act irresponsibly. They should be made to shake hands and continue with the game, because the game is the thing. Fines yes. But not bans.

Lankans falter

When Sri Lanka seemed to have sorted out the Indians and looked like pocketing the one-day series, they go and surrender to the Indians after a blistering start by Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga and consolidation by Tharanga and skipper Sangakkara, the batsmen following lose their way and gift India a victory.

When The Lankans won the toss and batted and were in an excellent position at 160 for one, collapsed for no sound reason losing nine wickets for 74 and making 239 which did not seem a challenging total, considering the strong Indian batting line up.

Only Tharanga in a 81-ball 73 with eight fours and a six, Tillakaratne Dilshan 41 with 10 fours in 18 balls and Sangakkara with 46 in 41 balls with a six and three fours impressed. The other batsmen other than for Thilina Kandamby who made 22 fell easy prey.

The wily Indian spinner Ravindra Jadeja with 4 for 32 his best bowling figures in one-day internationals was unplayable. Had the batsmen used their feet to get to the pitch of the ball they could have nullified the vicious turn of left arm spinner Jadeja and life would have been better at the wicket.

Once again when the home team took strike, Virender Sehwag deputising for Dhoni gave them a rollicking start blasting the cover off the ball in making a quick fire 44.

After the Sehwag fireworks, the irrepressible and master in all situations Sachin Tendulkar took over to bat like a champion once again and steered his side to a well deserved victory by 7 wickets and a 2-1 lead with two more games to go.

Tendulkar was an example as he always does. He is unflappable and always the master and never allows any bowler to dictate as he goes his merry and responsible way playing very correctly in making a big score and taking his team to the victory target.

Tendulkar is an example to every young batsman. He is very correct in every aspect of batting. He plays strokes from the copy book and playing across the line is not his style.Like good wine he seems to be getting better with age.

When the Indian score read 238 for 3 and one to tie and two to win, Tendulkar was on 96 and hoping that Dinesh Karthik at the batting end would tap the remaining deliveries and allow Tendulkar to get a four in the next over that would have enabled him to pocket another century.

We hope that what happened was just one of those things and not willfully done. Paceman Malinga running in directed the next ball for four wides and with it went any chance Tendulkar had of getting to three figures.

If it was unintentional it can be excused. But if Malinga directed the delivery for four byes intentionally, then it smacks of poor sportsmanship. Malinga would have been better appreciated had he made Tendulkar earn his century.

But with money being the root of all evil, sportsmanship has been thrown to the wilds and the likeable Tendulkar who would have been disappointed for missing yet another three figure score showed that he still values sportsmanship by shaking hands with the bowler and all Sri Lankan players when the game ended.

What is intriguing is that former master blaster Sanath Jaysasuriya has not been heard of after the first one-day international. Has been injured or dropped. Sri Lanka Cricket would do well to explain because everyone is asking.