Flower crops the ICC sheiks in Dubai

Former Zimbawean Captain and now England coach Andrew Flower, brought down the International Cricket Council sheiks in Dubai from their Ivory Towers, when he hit hard at the sheiks asking them to protect Test cricket.

Flower who is now riding a crest of a wave of success with the England team taking them to the top of the ladder in cricket as a coach par excellence, was a stylish left hand bat who scored heavily for his country and led them with great distinction.

Unable to put up with the Robert Mugabe style of politics in Zimbabwe, along with medium pacer Henry Olanga, he made England his home and his quitting Zim land and coming to England was no doubt England’s gain.

Concerned

Flower quite rightly expressed his concerns and was worried that if the apathy that the ICC demonstrates continues, Test cricket which is what the game is all about would lose its appeal. Its likely that players will follow the example of Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga by quitting Test cricket and concentrating on the lucrative Indian Premier League.

Test cricket as it stands is a poor pay master. The ICC is duty bound to make Test cricket also a paying sport. Excuses however good are unacceptable. At the moment the ICC is straining every nerve and sinew to promote the one-day game, giving step motherly treatment to the established game.

If the ICC continues to ignore Test cricket, it won’t be long when countries will even attempt to forget playing Test cricket and concentrate only on the mockery that is neo cricket— the ‘cowboy’ game.

What O’Reiley said

On the subject of one-day cricket brings to mind what Australia’s famed leg spinning sensation of the Bradman era said ‘Tiger O’Reiley told me when on a tour with the Sri Lanka team to Australia in 1987.

When I asked ‘Tiger’ for his views on one-day cricket this is what a red faced and apparently annoyed O’Reiley said: ‘ I’d rather turn my chair and watch my wall’. That’s what the great O’Rieley thought of this mock game.

Had O’Reiley been alive to watch the denigration of Test cricket he certainly would have had choice words and expletives to throw.

Test Championship

Then the big talking ICC who promised to have a Test Championship in 2013, have now played the ugly reverse stroke or the ‘switch hit’, as some call it, and announced through their Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat that the championship would be possible only in 2017.

With the ICC known to go back on their word, come 2017 one wonders whether another lame excuse would be trotted out. A ‘setback for Test cricket’, was how John Stephenson MCC head of cricket described it.

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) the owner’s of Lord’s, where the Test Championship final would have been played and supporters of the Test Championship concept, said that it was disappointing to learn that the ICC has postponed the inaugural world Test Championship from 2013 until 2017. To think that the cricket playing countries were going for each others jagular wanting to play in the 2013 Test Championship. This puts ICC in poor light again!

Sri Lanka a win at last

The Sri Lankan cricketers who lost the Test series and the first one-dayer to Pakistan, came back to win the second one and at the time this column is read the third game would have been over in the desert and here’s hoping that the Lankans would have continued their winning streak. In the first game the Lankans performed well below par and it is better that we do not flog a dead horse but rather move to the second game for comment. In the second game, It was the return to form of champion batsman Mahela Jayawardena that made the difference and lifted the game and the spirits of the Lankans.

Class permanent

It is said that class is permanent and form temporary. Jayawardena showed his class by striking an inspiring half century 50 and putting on a 85-run stand for the 4th wicket with Upul Tharanga 77 that put the Lankans on victory street.

Another factor that gave the Lankans the winning edge was the inclusion of that dashing all rounder Thissara Perera. Perera is very energetic and his every move on the field is dashing and in playing this way he is also able to inspire his team mates and raise their standards. Now that the Lankans have lost the Test series, it will be some consolation if they can pocket the one-day series and come back with their heads raised slightly.

Demise of Roebuck sad

It was sad hearing of the death of prolific and respected cricket writer Peter Roebuck under unfortunate circumstances. Roebuck never misses a trip to Sri Lanka because he loved the country and its cricket and cricketers. He was last here when the Australians were here and while covering the Palekelle Test where I had the opportunity of discussing the game with him.

Cambridge educated, he played for Somerset in the company of greats Ian Botham and the two Windies cricket magicians Viv Richards and Joel Garner. That he did not make it to the England team was probably a travesty of justice. Players with lesser talent did.

In-depth knowledge

His reports were well received because he wrote with an in-depth knowledge and experience in the game. He was never afraid to call a spade a spade and not some other implement.

Incidentally former Sri Lanka Cricket President Ana Punchihewa under whose Presidency Sri Lanka won the 1995/96 World Cup was Roebuck’s batch mate at Cambridge University. Readers the cricketing world over will miss reading Roebuck. He gave a new dimension to cricket reporting. Turf will surely lie lightly on him. To think that the Test playing countries were going for each other’s jagular to qualify to play in the now postponed 2017 Test Championships. ICC in poor light again.

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