Cricket world heaves a sigh of relief

The cricket world heaved a sigh of relief when it was announced that England would tour India and honour its commitment to play the Two Test matches that had to be aborted when terrorists struck the commercial hub Mumbai.

With the Englishmen readying to play the sixth of the seven one-day Internationals against India, the terrorists struck which prompted them to fly back home.

When the team left for England, one feared that that would be the end of the game in India and that the willow would not be wielded for who knows when.

The attack shocked and stunned the Englishmen and they did well in requesting to leave, because their families would have been highly worried. In this instance life was more important than the game and the money.

There was also the fears that, the situation created would split the cricket world into two with the coloured.s playing between themselves and the whites doing similarly.

Had that happened it would have been a great calamity for the game that has been honoured and progressed for centuries. It would have been unimaginable had the countries got divided.

But the England and Wales Cricket Board must be congratulated for promising to send the team, allay all security fears and allow cricket luverly cricket to be played in India.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India who had been keeping their fingers crossed, must be singing once again now that the game would be resumed there.

But what is sad is that some of the England cricketers who were in the original squad that were in India for the one-dayers have said that they would not want to tour.

Among them at the time of writing are Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmission. It is likely that some of the other cricketers too would follow suit while their refusal to tour must be accepted.

But we are sure the ECB would do their utmost to allay the fears of those cricketers refusing to tour and convince them to change their minds because the BCCI has promised them watertight security.

Incidentally one must not forget the incidents that took place when the South Africans were in Sri Lanka to play a triangular with the hosts and India.

A bomb went off far away from where the Proteas were housed and even when Presidential style security was promised them, the South African sprouted wings and took off thus buckling the triangular, that still has to be played.

The Indian Board has promised the English cricketers similar security and we hope they will reciprocate and tour like true sportsmen and play the game, because the game's the thing.

Had the ECB refused to send the team, then it would have meant that India too would have refused to tour England and the game would have been on the skids to quicksand and a sad demise.

World Cup 2011 in jeopardy

With Indian and Pakistan hit by terrorist activity, the 2011 World Cup which was to be co-hosted by Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan is in jeopardy.

Unless the situation eases and everything is tickety boo, it is likely that the International Cricket Council would want to hand it over to some other country or countries to host it.

The ICC cannot be blamed if they decide to shift this mega event. When shifting the tournament, the ICC must play fair and give it to the hosts if they intend having time to get things going so that they can put up a show that could be a great honour to the tournament.

For how long the ICC could wait for things to improve in India and Pakistan for the World Cup to be put on rails would be interesting to watch.

When the sub-continent hosted this tournament of tournaments - the World Cup they put up a splendid show which was the envy of the other nations that hosted this tournament.

If the security situations do not improve in India and Pakistan, then it would be sad and it would be a thoroughly disappointed ICC that will have to make a unpalatable decision and do the shifting.

Australia and New Zealand have been sounded to run the mega event and they would only be too glad to oblige.

So let's all keep our fingers crossed until the day of destiny arrives.

Ranatunga in the news again

Arjuna Ranatunga from the time he donned pads as Chairman of the Interim Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket, has run into a barrage of criticism for the manner in which he executed his strokes where the administration was concerned.

While he is always good copy for the media who he believes is a mafia which is the contrary, he has not been spared this time round by former Australian leg-spinning great Shane Warne in his book - Shane Warne's century.

To Ranatugna's credit it must be said that he was the only cricketer to get under the skins of the arrogant Aussies and get them to bow to his tactics, which were cleverly executed which irritated the Aussies and had them fuming unable to counter his wiles.

This is what Warne says in his book about Ranatunga. Through gritted teeth I have put Ranatugna in my 100, because everybody knows I don't like Ranatugna. If there was anyway I could knock him down to 101 for the purpose of this book, I'd be delighted to do so.

The basic problem I had with Ranatunga was his attitude towards the game. He didn't play cricket in the right spirit and tried to manipulate the laws and regulations without actually breaking them, and many other things. Reading Warne Ranatunga must be laughing, because the had he Aussies bending backwards in awe.

There's more good reading in Warne's book.