Will India want to play tri-series again?
 ICC
hopeless and helpless!
Now that the cricket carnival that was the Commonwealth Bank Tri
series in Australia is over with Australia carrying away the trophy
beating Sri Lanka 2-1 in three best of three final pertinent questions
to ask are: Will India want to play in this tourney again?
Today India has been acclaimed and acknowledged as the power house in
world cricket. World cricket cannot do without India. Even the world
governing body, the International Cricket Council is known to genuflect
before the BCCI.
While all other cricket playing countries agree to play the Umpire
Decision Referral System, India says a deafening NO and the story ends
there with the ICC watching. Hopeless and helpless!
Questions
The question has been asked because of these three incidents. The
first was when off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin while running up to bowl
and before delivering knocked the bails off with Sri Lanka batsman
Lahiru Thirimanne backing up too far and appealed to umpire Paul Reiffel.
Now like I stated earlier, the first thing umpire Reiffel should have
done was to answer the question asked by Ashwin. Instead of doing that,
he consulted his partner Billy Bowden and together they summoned Indian
captain Virender Sehwag. Sachin Tendulkar butted in and the appeal was
withdrawn.
Then incident two was when batsman David Hussey stopped a ball with
his hand that was thrown to wicket keeper Dhoni while going for a run.
It was later ruled that the batsman was protecting himself.
Third incident
Then the third incident was when Sachin Tendulkar was run out,
attempting a run when his path was blocked by fast bowler Brett Lee.
Tendulkar showed the umpire that his path was blocked, but to no
avail.
Although it was not deliberately done, Lee knowing the path the
batsman was proceeding, squatted and appealed. Tendulkar was run out by
yards and showed his displeasure while making his way to the pavilion.
To the commentators and the knowledgeable, in the first two incidents
the batsmen should have been ruled out. Had the umpires made the
decision, they would not have been faulted had they ruled the batsmen
out.
Not in the spirit
To think that the appeals were not in the spirit of the game is all
tosh. Cricket is no more a gentleman's game. That belief went with the
wind once the mega dollars came flooding in to the players, to the
Cricket Boards and to the game.
The Indians appealed and they were well within the rules. As long as
you play it to the rules is what matters. If you play to the rules and
yet get over ruled, then it is time for the ICC to sit down and delete
these rules from the book.
It was obvious that the Indians were annoyed by these three
incidents. We need not reiterate the acrimony that existed between the
two teams when India toured Australia previously, which nearly led to
the Indians aborting the tour and insisting that umpire Steve Bucknor be
relieved from his duties.
Lankans lose first game
At the time of writing, the Asia Cup tournament is on in Bangladesh
and it was disappointing to watch the Lankan cricketers capitulating to
the Indians without offering any resistance.
After their great effort in Australia where they were unlucky not to
win the CB Trophy, one expected the team to build on that performance
and especially when meeting India avenge that crushing defeat in Hobart.
But while the bowling left much to be desired, other than for skipper
Mahela Jayawardene who is cementing his place as an opener, only Kumar
Sangakkara impressed when chasing the big Indian score.
Sangakkara's rash shot, first ball of the batting power play was
inexplicable and led to the batting debacle.
Number of calls
I have received a number of calls wanting to know why is it that
Chamara Kapugedera is being persisted and also as to what Lasith Malinga
is doing there when he is supposed to be injured.
Well, those two pertinent questions are best left to be answered by
the selectors. The selectors act with all good intentions and pick the
men they are confident will deliver. But when they don't perform, it is
unfair to lynch the selectors. In defence of Kapugedera it must be said
that he is highly talented. He is a batsman who could tear any attack
apart with his daring and dashing stroke play. He was rushed to
Australia, did not bat in one game but was dismissed cheaply in the
next.
Flops again
Then he is taken to Bangladesh and flops again. It will be
interesting to see for how long the selectors on tour will persist with
Kapugedera.
Then when the crucial final game in the Commonwealth Bank Tri series
was being played against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, the slow
movement of Lasith Malinga left room for questions to be asked.
On the eve of the match, the chances of Malinga playing depended on
him passing a fitness test on the morning of the match. Malinga arrived
early on the ground with his bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake and his
physio and went through a strenuous test and was passed fit to play.
Slow movements
But at the match his slow movements where he gave away vital runs,
proved that he was not fully fit and should not have played. The obvious
choice should have been Dhammika Prasad.Then when Malinga went in to
bat, he powered a boundary and with the Lanka supporters urging him to
play a match winning innings like he did at Melbourne on the previous
tour, the next ball he hit everything, but not the ball that he is
expected to hit and had his stumps knocked back.
Then another question asked is: Why is it that Dhammika Prasad being
ignored after his sterling performances in the games he played in
Australia?
If the Lankans fail to win the Asia Cup it could be disappointing,
what with England already here for a Test and one-day series.
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