World game close to test nation split

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**World cricket was braced for an unprecedented civil war on Friday as South Africa and India in open defiance of the International Cricket Council, went ahead with their unofficial test at Centurion. **

Shaun Pollock’s first ball to Shiv Sunder Das marked the official opening of hostilities as the teams took to the field for their third match, despite it being effectively declared null and void by the world governing body.

The crisis, sparked by India’s refusal to play under ICC-appointed match referee Mike Denness after he handed out suspended bans to six of their players in the second test, looked set to deepen further as the sport’s traditional powers, England and Australia, declared their allegiance to the ICC.

In Australia – as had occurred 24 hours earlier in India and South Africa – the politicians joined their cricket officials in taking sides, with Prime Minister John Howard declaring: ``The authority of the ICC should not be challenged in any way.

``It is imperative that administrators of all games have the tenacity, the courage and the authority to stamp out behaviour that brings any game into disrepute.‘’

Lord MacLaurin, the head of the England and Wales Cricket Board said: ``We stand full square behind the ICC…They control world cricket. We have anarchy at the moment.‘’

MacLaurin hinted action could come within days as the ICC, which could call an extraordinary meeting of its executive council, attempts to defuse a situation in danger of poisoning relations and fragmenting the sport along racial lines.

The row over Denness mushroomed rapidly this week after he found Indian cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar guilty of ball tampering in the second test while also handing out suspended bans to a string of other Indian players, including skipper Saurav Ganguly, for over-aggressive appealing.

STAKES UPPED

The head of India’s cricket board, Jagmohan Dalmiya, first demanded a right of appeal. Rebuffed by the ICC, he upped the stakes by warning South Africa they would boycott the Centurion game unless Denness was sacked.

South Africa, under pressure from their own government, duly complied and the stand-off with the ICC began as it stripped the match of its official test status.

For the ICC, the position of their neutral officials – Denness is a former England test captain – is sacrosanct.

For one billion passionate Indians, however, Tendulkar is a sporting god whose good name is to be revered as much as his talent as the world’s leading batsman.

An accusation of tampering – Tendulkar, according to Denness, was betrayed by television pictures trying to pick at the ball’s seam to make it spin and swerve for his bowlers – is akin to calling someone a cheat.

His fans responded by burning effigies of Denness in the streets.

The row is already being likened to cricket’s great crises of the past.

In 1932-33, the Bodyline affair – which saw Australians accuse the English of trying to hit their batsman with dangerous short-pitched bowling – almost caused a breach of diplomatic relations.

CALLED OFF

In 1968-69, England called off their tour to South Africa after their white-skinned hosts refused to play against the England-qualified Cape coloured Basil D’Oliveira.

The Kerry Packer breakaway ‘circus’ in 1977, meanwhile, saw the Australian broadcaster poach some of the world’s top players in an attempt to challenge traditional test cricket.

The Tendulkar-Denness furore may appear to be based on humbler beginnings – a one-match suspended ban and a small fine for an infraction which has been levelled at several great cricketers in the past – but there is a subtext.

That background was reflected in India in recent days, with several politicians and former cricketers linking Tendulkar’s censure with racism.

Traditionally, cricket and its 10 test-playing nations have been run from Lord’s but India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – who cautiously sided with the ICC on Friday while keeping their options open – can rightly claim that the heart of the game is now firmly based in Asia.

The three Asian test nations form the Asian Cricket Council, which is chaired by India’s cricket chief Jagmohan Dalmiya. The uncompromising Dalmiya, despite having his enemies on home turf, has been seen as a champion for Asian interests ever since successfully forcing the ICC to switch the 1987 World Cup from England to India and Pakistan.

He also outmanoeuvred rivals from cricket’s old powers by managing to get himself elected, against all the odds, as ICC president between 1997-2000.

**If he were intent on taking the current issue to the limit – and were able to convince Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to support him in the power struggle – the very shape of the world game – and its governing body – could be changed for ever. **

About time, the sub continent teams have been on the receiving end of the unjustified and racist treatment for too long.

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[list=1]
[li] Yes, I think the decision of the match referee is unreasonable and unduly harsh.[/li][li] Yes, I think the Indians are justified in saying that this is a racist decision.[/li][li] I think it is stupid that ICC has put in place the match referee system without any discourse of appeal or review. This is judicial incompetence of staggering proportions. All ICC members share the blame for enacting such unreasonable laws.[/li][li] Having said that, I feel, unjust as it may be, Indians should have gone ahead with the game, Denness or no Denness. They should not have arm-twisted their hosts through their government.[/li][li] The proper course of action would have been to immediately call an emergency session of ICC, and put forward the case that the decision is unjust and Denness should be removed from the match referree panel.[/li][li] They should not have arbitrarily dismissed the match referee, just because they don't like his decision, knowing full well, that he draws his power from ICC, and both India and RSA are members of ICC.[/li][li] ICC should have reviewed the whole system of match referee, making his rulings subject to review/appeal. Put down specific guidelines on where match referees can give decisions on their own without consulting the umpires on the ground.[/li][li] All this can be done with a clear head, without emotions clouding the issue and government and public in an uproar.[/li][li] It was wrong for Denness to give such decisions. It was even wrong for Indian board and govt to escalate the issue and for RSA board and govt to acede to such irregular demands of India. [/li][/list=a]

There should be atleast one party to this whole conflict who should look for the long-term interest of the game. Drawing battle lines will only bring the game to even more disrepute. No law-abiding person can support the actions of India and RSA. There are proper ways to deal with unjust situations and issuing ultimatums and kicking out the referree is certainly not one of them.

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"It is the just man who disobeys the unjust laws" 

                   -Plato

that is what the indian's are doing, takes a lot of courage, lets see what happens in the coming days.

"There as many ideas in the minds of men and women as there are stars in the sky, it is your job to hold on to one and make it come true"
Anonymous

4

I think that both India and South Africa should be severly reprimanded. Their points in the internation rankings should be deducted and/or be banned from playing an international fixture or two.
The way they're going about it is all wrong, they were fine w/ him till the 3rd match?! Both countries approved him before the series started...
anywayz...whatever the situation maybe, this will allow countries in the future to screw around like this...and besides...WHAT THE HELL WAS TENDULKAR DOING W/ THE BALL IN THE FIRST PLACE??!!!!! just goes to show that the indian team lacks good bowlers.

"There as many ideas in the minds of men and women as there are stars in the sky, it is your job to hold on to one and make it come true"
Anonymous

5

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has given the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a Friday deadline to make a final decision on batsman Virender Sehwag.

ICC president Malcolm Speed on Tuesday wrote a letter to BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, giving him until 06:30GMT on Friday to resolve the issue and end the row between the game's world governing body and the Indian board.

``I have...noted a number of troubling media comments attributed to you (Dalmiya) in recent days and it is important that the ICC's position is made very clear to you,'' Speed wrote in a detailed letter published on the ICC's official website.

``You will appreciate that BCCI and ICC are on a collision course and that the consequences for world cricket are of great significance

Pakistan's former captain Javed Miandad has come out in support of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and embattled match referee Mike Denness.

Miandad, who played 124 tests, told Reuters on Monday that Indian and South African cricket officials had a duty towards the game as mature members of the world cricket fraternity, but their failure had led to an unnecessary crisis.

``I fear for the future of the game. No one is bigger than the game nor is anyone above the law. What happens if a smaller country challenges the authority of the ICC or the match referee tomorrow,'' he said.

``India could have played the match under protest. They would have still made their point without harming the game and making a mockery of the current (unofficial) test and the role of a referee,'' Miandad stated.

``I have full sympathy for Denness. He was only using his powers and enforcing laws, both of which have been given to him by the ICC and its member nations, including India and South Africa,'' Miandad said.

``You don't treat a former (England) test captain this way. The UCBSA had a responsibility for his wellbeing, but they put other considerations before everything,'' Miandad added.

Miandad, who is also a former Pakistan coach, said match officials made mistakes but the ICC had several forums where India could have discussed its grievances.

``They can make their point in other ways. Because the ICC still derives its powers from full members. They have to ensure the sanctity of the game,'' he said.

``Waqar Younis was penalised last year for ball-tampering by John Reid on the basis of television replays. The umpires did not report him. Is he not a big player? The ICC refused to accept Pakistan's request to change Reid as match referee in a recent test, did Pakistan challenge the ICC authority?,'' he said.

``India might be a major money market for international cricket, but it does not mean they take the law into their own hands,'' said Miandad, who also sympathised with Tendulkar for being dragged into an unnecessary crisis.

``Tendulkar is a gentleman and sportsman. There is great regard for him in international cricket. I doubt if he would have liked to see this situation,'' he said.

[This message has been edited by ehsan (edited November 27, 2001).]

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Indian cricket chief Jagmohan Dalmiya pushed the world game closer to civil war on Wednesday by refusing to accept an International Cricket Council (ICC) deadline over the selection of a suspended player.

Dalmiya told a news conference in Calcutta that ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed had no right to ask the Indian cricket board (BCCI) to decide by 0630GMT on Friday whether or not Virender Sehwag would play in next week's first test against England.

The chief executive officer is asking for details of the team. I can't tell him that,'' Dalmiya told a news conference on Wednesday.I do not know where this deadline has come from.

``Who can dictate a deadline to anyone? The team will only be named on the morning of the match.''

The crisis, which could lead to England aborting their three-test tour of India and split the ICC, began in South Africa when match referee Mike Denness handed Sehwag a one-game ban for dissent during the second test.

Sehwag, who had scored a century in the first test, did not play in the third match and Indian authorities said they considered he had served his ban. The 23-year-old batsman was named on Wednesday in a 14-strong Indian squad for the first test against England starting on Monday.

The ICC, maintaining that Sehwag was still suspended, set a Friday deadline for security reasons, citing concerns about the safety of the players and the public if the match was called off shortly before the start.

There is no security problem in India,'' Dalmiya said on Wednesday.The question of security has been unnecessarily raised.''

Dalmiya also released a letter he has sent to Speed, pointing out that under the Code of Conduct final teams would not be announced until the morning of the match.

``You will appreciate that as a result of such prediction, both you and I could be subject to inquiries by the Anti-Corruption Unit, including whether there are financial implications to it,'' the letter said.

``I am sorry that I cannot take a chance in the matter and it's impossible for me or my board to comment whether Sehwag would be in the playing XI or not before the morning of the match.''

England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Ian MacLaurin said on Wednesday that England would not agree to play an unofficial test.

We will not play a friendly test match,'' he told BBC Radio.We are here to play real cricket.''

An ICC spokesman said the council considered Friday to be the key date.

``Hopefully, by Friday lunchtime the situation will have changed,'' he said.

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Things are heating up! Dalmiya is going too far, I think!

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[quote]
Originally posted by sambrialian:
Things are heating up! Dalmiya is going too far, I think!
[/quote]

What about ICC, why are they making it an ISSUE, First blame ST for Ball Tempering then say he was not banned for tempering but for cleaning the ball without seeking Umpire's permission. Even that Menace is telling the same thing ICC saying. Aren't they going too far ?? They penalized half the team for no reasons , wasn't that going too far ?? has that 'MENACE' explained why he did that to 6 players ?

[This message has been edited by Asif_k (edited November 28, 2001).]

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I sincerely hope, India do not name Sahwag in the playing 11 for the first test and get this issue over with. They have made a mountain out of a molehill.

For there to be any respect for laws (however bad they might be), one should respect the organization (ICC). If India has problems with the decision, they should raise it in the appropriate forum in ICC's committees, instead of making a public mockery of the situation. What has Anti-Corruption investigation got to do with all this. Dalmiya has really gone over the top on this one.

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On the contrary, I feel that the Indian board is displaying rare balls by going on collision course with the ICC.
Its not often that BCCI comes out in support of the players and has shown little spine in the past.
Besides, this confrontation was long overdue considering the no. of times the players from South Asia have been subjected to prejudice by ICC officials while the Australians/Englishmen go scott free almost always.

11

well iam completely in favor of icc in this whole issue
this is not the first time sachin was accused of ball tampering he was accused once by abdul razzak too
and today pakistan is shoulder to shoulder with india where was india when england accused pakistanis of ball tampering?
the fact is that india does not have any balls appart from sachin tendulkar all the other players are not worth playing for the country and india gets good spanking whenever it plays abroad .and india showers accolades on its players when the win either at home or against insignificant teams such as kenya and zimnbabwe .indian team is a highly overrated team and all this controversy is masking its thrashing at the hands of south africans

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[quote]
Originally posted by kabir:
*this is not the first time sachin was accused of ball tampering he was accused once by abdul razzak too. *
[/quote]

And what was the outcome ?? Razzaq was simply p***** at him because he was getting some stick from him, so he showed his immaturity and accused him. I have great regard for Razzaq and his game but I am not ashamed of saying that on that day he was wrong.
btw, have you checked the recent statements of some of your present players like (Wasim & Waqar) and past players (Zaheer Abbas & Asif Iqbal), unfortunately, they think sachin is not guilty.

[quote]
and today pakistan is shoulder to shoulder with india where was india when england accused pakistanis of ball tampering?
[/quote]

Right there, where it is now. Your board (Pakistan Cricket Board) didn't have balls to support its Own players, then why should India go and support it. Now that BCCI has shown some guts, even your players and board is more than willing to shoot the gun from Indian Shoulder and true to its nature playing a double game. If India gets banned, they have nothing to loose, if India wins and ICC relents, they win too.

[quote]
*the fact is that india does not have any balls appart from sachin tendulkar *
[/quote]

And that darn man is enough to kick ***es of other teams single handedly, so only way to beat India is ban him, accuse him, abuse him and if that is not enough bring 2 umpires of your own and give a HBW (Head Before Wicket) in stead of a LBW (remember Australian tour of India - 3 out of 6 times he was Not out).

[quote]
all the other players are not worth playing for the country and india gets good spanking whenever it plays abroad .
[/quote]

At least we get the spanking abroads, ever checked your team who were spanked by England (2000), Srilanka( twice 1995-96,1999-2000), Australia (1998-99), South Africa (1997) right there in your own hood.
I dont not like pointing fingers because I like Pakistani cricketers (especially Sr. palyers like Waqar, Saeed, Akram, Saqlain,Yohana & Inzy) but couldn't help this time.

[quote]
..india showers accolades on its players when the win either at home or against insignificant teams such as kenya and zimnbabwe.
[/quote]

Do you have a problem with that ?? Does the ICC grant less point against winning a weak team or more against winning a strong team ? If you cant respect your players and your team and suspect every loss of your team as fixed and stone their house, does't mean that Indians should also do that.

[quote]
.indian team is a highly overrated team and all this controversy is masking its thrashing at the hands of south africans
[/quote]

Yes, Indian team is a very highly overrated team, they are a bunch of losers , we know that very well. Depending on their pathetic record abroad, we didn't expect much this time as well, so there is nothing to mask. South Africans are better than us anywhere (remember they beat us in India when Hansie was caught), There is no shame in accepting that we are no match for them.

[This message has been edited by ehsan (edited November 29, 2001).]

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Brave new world or winter of discontent?

Indian cricket boss Jagmohan Dalmiya has told the ICC where to get off over the Mike Denness furore, and a schism looms large on the horizon. Cricket365's Tom Eaton looks at a post-split future for the game.
Jagmohan Dalmiya's critics have branded him manipulative and scheming, a man familiar with the shady side of business with an insatiable appetite for power; his admirers see him as a unifying statesman, the saviour of the sport through his burning desire to unify current organisations and expand their influence into new arenas, exploiting every resource available to cricket.

Whatever the case, Dalmiya has made his contempt for the ICC patently clear in his kamikaze attitude to the Mike Denness affair. As a former head of the body, he would have had as intimate a view as any into the limits of the ICC's resolve, and perhaps gambled on his former organisation being as limp-wristed as it was during his tenure. Malcolm Speed called his bluff, but Dalmiya came out the winner, rather gaining the respect of a nation longing for their senior cricket administrator to stand by its team.

It is that jubilation that should make the ICC sit up and take notice with not a little foreboding. England may have the institutions and pomp, Australia the resources and showbiz, but the cold fact is that the MCC and MCG cannot hold a candle next to the passion and devotion of one sixth of the world's population, most of whom want to watch cricket on the telly and who will not tolerate their idols tarnished by what they perceive as a hostile foreign body with a discriminatory agenda. With a middle-class of cricket-mad consumers larger than the population of the United States, India holds all the aces financially, and as such has the muscle to call the shots, brought home so bluntly before the fiasco at Centurion.

Already the Asian Test Council has tested the waters of secession, forming a body for Asia run by Asians and instituting the Asian Test Championship, an exclusive series not eligible for ICC Championship rankings. The ATC has been a relative success, giving the fans fairy-tale results and heroes: Anil Kumble's 10-wicket haul, carefully engineered by his captain who encouraged his other bowlers to ease off, came in the inaugural Championship. India's stunning series win over Australia could not have come at a better time, inspiring Indian fans into believing that the pinnacle had been reached: India did not have to take a back seat to anybody.

Thus it would not come as a great surprise if, within a month or two at the most, news comes of a massive and potentially catastrophic split. India already has Pakistan at its side, a team tired of being seen as match-fixers and ball-tamperers by the vocal Western press. The spineless toadying of the UCB - backed by top government dog-waggers who seem to know less about cricket than they do about diplomacy - proved that South Africa has already joined the Asian camp. UCB head honcho Gerald Majola let slip perhaps the most telling statement in the entire affair, quoted by South African news agency SAPA on Sunday last. "If the ICC could have said to us we'll give you the 40 million Rand ($4 million) or whatever we lost, I would have said thank you, (and to India) sorry, we can't (play)." Clearly where the UCB is concerned, money and not the treaties and agreements around which the ICC is built, holds sway.

So what now? If the ICC decides to send a gunboat to and slings India out into the cold, a new world order will be hours away. England, Australia, the West Indies, and New Zealand pitted against India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa and Zimbabwe. A plethora of one-day cricket lapped up by a squillion fans in the east, Pakistan and South Africa hammering everyone in their group with regular monotony. And on the other side of the Bosphorus, Australia setting records at will, eight-hour Tests, Gillespie and McGrath taking turns to bag ten wickets an innings. Grim, to be sure. Australian and South Africans clamouring for a showdown between the world's best will be left frustrated: they simply will not have the financial clout to warrant a thawing of the diplomatic cold war that could arise.

Dalmiya has pulled off a magnificent coup, and apparently nothing stands in his way of moving control of the game east, perhaps with a magnanimous offer of allowing the ICC to set up its headquarters in New Delhi as an ice-breaker. If rejected, he will go for his chequebook. The statisticians, the Big Stick waved by the ICC at Centurion, will obey soon enough: India's cricket connoisseurs take as much pride in the heritage of the game as their Western counterparts, and they will not be able to tolerate their stars left stranded in the run lists as Australians and Englishmen march past them. And once an Asian body controls the statistical history of the game, it controls its practical future.

No, Dalmiya has made the first moves in forging a brave new world for cricket in Asia and the world, an empire of money and sport that in theory will last as long as cricket is played in Asia.

Or has he? To be sure, a split is coming, and relations in world cricket could plumb the depths of childish backbiting for the next five years, even a decade. But an empire needs conservative leadership backed by an administration willing to persuade, coerce, shmooze and scam for the good of the cause. And in this respect Dalmiya and his cohorts come very short. History is full of generals who lost wars by being too aggressive. Hammering his shoe on the tables of cricket's United Nations will get Dalmiya nowhere.

To be sure he and India stand to make piles of money in the mean time, but in the end the game will prevail because the game of cricket is not a business, as much as it is bullied and shunted by corporate interests. It is a pastime, nothing more, nothing less, played for enjoyment, not a raw product that can only exist through packaging and marketing. The hundreds of people who packed the grass banks at Centurion cheered Shaun Pollock because he was batting beautifully. End of story.

Dalmiya, the ICC and all the hangers-on would do well to remember the words of Eliza Doolittle: "Without your pushing it the tide rolls in, without your turning it the earth still spins." International cricket is likely to change dramatically, but no amount of name-calling and tantrum-throwing will change it for long.

14

The latest on this unfolding drama:

The International Cricket Council (ICC) have given India one last chance to salvage the crisis surrounding the selection of suspended batsman Virender Sehwag by extending their Friday deadline by 24 hours.

ICC president Malcolm Gray and chief executive Malcolm Speed are now set to meet Indian cricket chief Jagmohan Dalmiya on Saturday in a bid to save the Mohali test match between India and England, which is scheduled to start on Monday.

This means the initial ICC deadline of 0630GMT Friday for India to make a final decision on Sehwag has been put back a day.

``Intense discussions have been taking place over the past 24 hours between the ICC and BCCI,'' the ICC said in a statement on Thursday.

``The ICC has made three written offers to the BCCI to reach a sensible resolution to the matter and there have been lengthy telephone conversations between Malcolm Speed and Jagmohan Dalmiya.''

Dalmiya has refused to accept the Friday deadline, which could force the ICC to declare the Mohali test match unofficial and abort England's tour. England have made it clear they will not play an unofficial test.

India refused to accept the ICC's ruling, adding fuel to the fire by saying that Sehwag, who did not play in the third match, had now served his ban.

Dalmiya, in Calcutta, refused to comment about the extension of the deadline, though he confirmed he was willing to meet with Speed.

Speed said he remained hopeful that the impasse would be resolved, though he conceded there was still a long way to go.

Pakistan have called on all member boards of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to help resolve the crisis surrounding the selection of suspended Indian batsman Virender Sehwag.

``We are viewing the whole situation with grave concern,'' Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official Brigadier Munawwar Rana told Reuters from Lahore.

``We would call on all the heads of the cricket boards to intervene and help resolve this situation, because it is doing serious damage to the game.''

Rana said the ICC was keeping the PCB reasonably informed of the developing situation. But refused to confirm or deny if the world ruling body, or India, had asked Pakistan for official support in case of a showdown in the ICC executive board with India and South Africa.

``To my knowledge (Board of Control for Cricket in India president) Jagmohan Dalmiya has also not called us up again seeking our support or advice on the issue after he initially spoke to our chairman on the telephone,'' said Rana.

Pakistan is seen as a key player in the whole issue if India decides to play Sehwag in the test against England and there is a complete breakdown of communications with the ICC.

Rana dismissed reports that Pakistan was being viewed as an alternate tour location for England if the tour of India was called off.

``No such discussion has taken place with us and we do not want to be dragged into such a situation. We would very much like for the BCCI and ECB to resolve this issue and play their matches according to schedule,'' he said.

15

[quote]
Originally posted by sambrialian:
...Anil Kumble's 10-wicket haul, carefully engineered by his captain who encouraged his other bowlers to ease off..
[/quote]

Looks like someone is hurt because a brown skinned equalled the record of Jim Laker. Too bad..lets ban them. Looks like he is still holding the grudge against Kumble for beating up the English Men in 1993-94 about whom Ted Dexter said before that tour 'can't spin a ball from leg to off'.

[quote]
*And on the other side of the Bosphorus, Australia setting records at will, eight-hour Tests, Gillespie and McGrath taking turns to bag ten wickets an innings. Grim, to be sure. Australian and South Africans clamouring for a showdown between the world's best will be left frustrated: they simply will not have the financial clout to warrant a thawing of the diplomatic cold war that could arise. *
[/quote]

Now, this is hillarious, does the author suggest that McGraths & Gillespie can finish tests in 8 hours against West Indies/NZ/ZW/ENg if ICC splits but they cant do so if the ICC doesn't ? Also he didn't forget to mention teh 10 wickets haul here also, which shows how frustrated he is.

16

Firstly, South Africa will never join India against the ICC. Their interest was to make sure they didnt have to refund any money to the fans and see India off - since then - notice how the South Africans have suddenly disappeared from radar!

If there is a split - the Asian nations will have the bargaining tools at their disposal - that is - if Pak,Ind,Sl,Bang, stick together in the first place

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/smile.gif

But if they do, then the ICC will be in a fix since most of the money from the game is made by our teams and our part of the world.

If it does come down to us against them - then I think the Asian nations should go for broke and ask for an Asian member to be the head of the ICC and the head quarters of the game to be moved out of Lords.

That would make it interesting

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/smile.gif

'Course I still feel this issue will be resolved - and the test series will go ahead - the ICC will claim it has prevailed - Dalmiya will sing his own tunes claiming he never compromised - blah blah blah - and we will carry on with the same game, the same rules, the same referee, and the same bias against players from the sub continent.

17

Just heard that India had agreed to drop Sehwag from the first test against England. So much for the stand by India. What was the point of raising the stakes so high if they did not have the courage to see it through. I think unless some more news comes out on what happened and whether ICC has given any ground it has resulted in damaging India's stand in the cricketing world. What a meek surrender.

18

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=54766500

Colours of Cricket

GEORGE MARTIS

HE Indian Navy had deputed me for clearance diving training in the UK during 1964. I was the lone Indian officer in the course with 16 trainees. The rest were whites from the UK, South Africa, Portugal and Norway.

On the first day, much to my dismay I was asked to stay back for extra classes, by virtue of my colour. I refused. There was even talk about sending me back to India, as being ‘‘unsuitable’’. However, at the end of the training, the course officer admitted his surprise when I stood first.

During my training I made friends with my classmates. One of them, who was a member of the Jokers Club, took us to the club. While others were allowed in I was refused entry solely because I was not white. Only when my batchmates decided to walk out did the club relent.

After leaving the Navy, I joined the New Mangalore Port as a sea pilot. During the 1980s, I had a very unusual experience when I was piloting a British ship into the port.

When I handed over the pilot papers to the master to be filled up, he lost his cool and began to curse India saying that there is too much paper work, that India is poor with illiterate, dirty and sick people.

Before he could go any further, I handed him a 10-rupee note and asked him to calm down and count the number of languages appearing on the note. He counted 15 by which time he became composed.

I patiently explained to the captain that India has seven races, seven religions, 15 major languages and umpteen number of other languages, and yet we somehow manage to function as a democracy. I then asked him how many races, religions and languages the UK has? He said just one each. I asked him then how come they have problems.

I told him that India is poor because his ancestors who ruled us for about 200 years took away all our wealth which has affected our quality of life, and as regards the paper work, it was introduced by the British, before which Indians dealt mainly by word of mouth.

The captain was truly stumped (pun intended) and to my pleasant surprise he offered me a can of cold beer, a rare gesture indeed.

When I came home, I narrated the incident to my family who thought I handled it rather well and wondered why I did not behave in the same manner at home. My youngest daughter Madhu asked me if I remembered to take back the 10-rupee note. When I said no, she said not to worry, there is no such thing as a free beer.

So Sachin, don’t be unduly perturbed, the entire country has suffered this humiliation at sometime or the other.

19

[quote]
Originally posted by ehsan:
Just heard that India had agreed to drop Sehwag from the first test against England. So much for the stand by India. What was the point of raising the stakes so high if they did not have the courage to see it through. I think unless some more news comes out on what happened and whether ICC has given any ground it has resulted in damaging India's stand in the cricketing world. What a meek surrender.
[/quote]

Yar, at least they will be more considerate when handing out such penalties in future (hopefully). And the point about racism has also been raised eloquently.

20

India reacted with mixed feelings on Saturday after a major spat between its cricket board and the International Cricket Council (ICC) which threatened England's three-test tour of India was resolved.

National dailies led with stories of the Indian board's decision on Friday to drop banned batsman Virender Sehwag for the first Mohali test and the ICC accepting India's demand for a review of match referee Mike Denness's decisions during the second South Africa test that sparked the controversy.

Sehwag dropped in Mohali bargain, but Indian board gets its pound of flesh,'' blared the Hindustan Times, while The Tribune headlined its reportSehwag out of Mohali Test, compensation promised.''

A crisis that raged for 10 days and threatened a civil war in the game ended when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Jagmohan Dalmiya announced that a solution had been reached with the ICC.

The ICC had ruled that Sehwag, given a one-match ban for dissent during the second South Africa test, was ineligible to play in Mohali but a defiant Indian board selected him.

India and South Africa went ahead with their third game after Denness was dropped as referee, but the ICC stripped the test of its official status.

The BCCI had argued the batsman was eligible to play the first test against England because he sat out the third test in South Africa.

Some newspapers said Sehwag has been sacrificed by the BCCI to solve the crisis.

Sehwag sold in test bazaar,'' The Asian Age declared while the Statesman titled its storySehwag taken in by BCCI.''

Former Indian test stars were happy the crisis was resolved, but felt work needed to be done to prevent such controversies in the future and ensure match referees ruled uniformly.

``A very sensible move. One can't put the series (against England) in jeopardy,'' former test off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna told Reuters by phone from Bangalore.

Prasanna did not see the solution reached between the BCCI and the ICC as a triumph for the Indian board.

``It's a sort of yes and no. Both sides feel they have won. But cricket is the priority. So what happened is good,'' he said.

Test cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad, who had raised the issue in the country's parliament last week, said the solution has averted any split among cricket-playing countries.

Azad, who had accused the world body of double-standards, said: ``Nobody ever challenges a decision by the umpire or match referee. But there is no consistency. There should be a mechanism to straightaway go in for appeal on decisions by match referees,'' he told Reuters.

He said the BCCI's decision to pay Sehwag his match fees was no compensation for sitting out the Mohali game, but praised the BCCI for making the ICC agree to review Denness's decisions.

Prasanna said the crisis would force match referees exercise greater caution in making their decisions in future.

``It is a wake-up call to match referees, in exercising their powers. I hope the ICC gives referees a pep-talk, so that such incidents are not repeated,'' he added.