Sportscope

Duckworth-Lewis lose esteem

Elmo RODRIGOPULLE

The Indian Premier League Twenty20 organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India saw the umpires finally call `play' in Cape Town, South Africa and what cricket has been provided and lapped up by some of the mega stars of the game at the time of writing.

Before going on to further comment on the tournament, we would like to question the organisers as to why they have to revert to the Duckworth-Lewis system when rain interferes with the game? When this style of game was first introduced we labelled it a mockery.

The 50 over game has provided enough laughter and the introduction of the Twenty20 was a mockery. True this game provides entertainment to the spectators and also brings sponsors running in and have the pockets of the players bulging. But to the connoisseur of the game, it is just rib-tickling laughter.

The Duckworth-Lewis system was introduced for the 50-over game because there was ample overs to apply the system. But when it is used in the Twenty20 game, then the game itself which is a mockery heaps ridicule on the illustrious names of Duckworth and Lewis. The organisers could have asked the inventors of this system to look for another system.

While we allow the organisers and Duckworth and Lewis to ponder this question, we move onto the tournament which was first born in cricket crazy India, but now shifted to South Africa much to the chagrin of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, organisers of the tourney.

The shifting of the tourney was necessitated because the Indian Elections was to be in full swing on the dates this tournament was slated and with the Indian security system strained to the wire, and unable to guarantee security, the organisers had no other option but to take it to Protealand.

Every cricketer, cricket fan and even its detractors were waiting with bated breath to see how this tournament would go in South Africa. But to the credit of the BCCI and South Africa who are playing hosts,it must be said that at the time of writing, everything seems to be tickety boo, with only the uncertain weather at times playing spoil sport.

The hosts put on show a magnificent opening ceremony. It was there from fire crackers, to fireworks to acrobats and several other items that were dazzling and eye catching. It was one `helluva' show and those at the scene and the millions watching it on television lapped up every moment which was memorable.

The cricket too so far has been excellent and provided the sparks that cricket of this style provides with the time honoured technicalities of the game hit for six.

It has been brilliant bowling, highly entertaining batting and superb fielding.

Players who have excelled so far and left their marks are Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Chrys Gayle, Anil Kumble, V.P. Singh, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, Sachin Tendulkar and Lasith Malinga and A.B. de Villiers. De Villiers slammed the first hundred of the tournament.

The sixes that Gilchrist, Gayle and Hayden have been striking has to be seen to be believed and they are obliging the spectators with their special brand of fireworks. It was the result of good footwork, wonderful timing and clean hitting, that sees the ball landing at times even out of the ground.

Watching the former `shiek of tweak' Shane Warne in action doing his thing after a long break was amazing. He does not seem to have lost his old guile and cunning. From the first ball he bowled, he just mesmerised the batsmen. It was pure and simple spin bowling magic. He put on display his repertoire of deliveries - the top spinner, the leg break, the googly and the flipper to lure and dismiss the batsmen.

Warne still looks superbly fit with no waves showing round his waist and made everyone watching the master in action, asking why did he have to quit the game at the height of his career. Being a spinner he could have gone on teasing opposing batsmen had he continued. Obviously he was not asked.

Warne's performance would surely have been watched by Australian skipper Ricky Ponting and the selectors and would have been wondering as to what match winning material they have lost. The Aussie selectors would not be faulted if they have a chat with their former mate and coax him into coming back and sporting the baggy green cap, especially against their old foe the Englishmen in the coming Ashes series in England soon.

In a chat with my colleague Nalindra Fernando who is a die hard England supporter, we discussed the pros and cons for a Warne comeback. I told Fernando that if the Aussie selectors are successful in coaxing the great Warne to comeback it would be another white washing like the previous time. Fernando who is a connoisseur of the game blurted out: "England would breathe easy if he does not play. But having followed Warne's career I make bold to say that the great man would comeback only if he is offered the captaincy."

That was sound thinking. Let see how it goes. Sri Lanka's slinger Lasith Malinga was also a revelation. Coming back after an injury that sidelined him for a long time and thanks to President Mahinda Rajapaksa who showed him the way to recovery, Malinga had the opposing batsmen striving to save their toes from coming off with some yorkers which were thunderbolts delivered at lightning speed. Had these missiles found its mark, the feet of the batsmen would have been paralysed. Good that Malinga is back and Sri Lanka's new skipper Kumar Sangakkara will have a missile in Malinga that he could direct at batsmen when the World Cup Twenty20 times comes around in England in June.

Legal action by ICL

With the International Cricket Council turning their backs on the Indian Cricket League and dumping their reasonable request to have their Twenty20 tournament recognized, the pitch has now been laid for another match of sorts between the ICC and the ICL to be played out and decided in the Courts of Law. How it would end we as spectators would keep watching with much anticipation.

The Indian Cricket League was pretty confident that the ICC would embrace them. But it was not so and their hopes were dashed and now they will seek redress in a Court of Law.

Perera and Weerasinghe excel

The curtain on the inter-school cricket season came down with Peterites pocketing the Munchee Trophy 50 over tournament beating their traditional rivals St. Joseph's convincingly by 95 runs at the CCC ground recently. The Peterites thus put the icing on the cake with this sweet victory. For the Bambalapitiya school it was their skipper Angelo Perera who was the architect of their victory and had a highly successful season. He always led from the front and had the man of the match award coming his way with no difficulty at all because he performed beautifully as an all-rounder with a blazing 45 and three wickets in the final.

Another school cricketer who merits mention is Shameera Weerasinghe the skipper of St. Joseph's College. The champion cricketer scored over a thousand runs and grabbed over a 100 wickets.