The tsunami relief game played in Melbourne between the Rest of the World and the Asian All Stars was a huge success in terms of the monies raised. The Australian public and the viewers on TV contributed most generously to the cause and it will be tough for the Asian game to match this effort. Apart from the differences in the value of the currencies by the time the match is played in Calcutta, the impact of the disaster will have worn off considerably and the contributors would have already done their bit through other fund-raising efforts and so would not have much in the kitty left to give. There’s also the possibility that the Rest of the World will be without some of the top players who played in Melbourne and this is where the ICC has to step in and ensure that all players are available barring injury reasons of course. If the international schedules need to be pushed a couple of days here and there, then it should be done for if the Asian players made the effort to drop domestic matches in order to play in Melbourne, then the players from other parts of the world must also show the same attitude. It would be great if the South African and England players are also available, for then it would truly be a Rest of the World side than it was in Melbourne.
The Rest of the World won by a whopping margin of 112 runs and that brings into focus the psyche of the Asian players. Unlike in the Rest of the World, cricket is the biggest sport in the Asian sub-continent and its players are like deities worshipped by millions of their countrymen. However, while there is pride in their performance, the question that needs to be answered is whether there is pride in the region. For, if there was real pride in being in the Asian sub-continent, then the effort-level would be greater to show that they can beat the rest of the world.
Despite the ICC declaring the match as official, the Asian players’ approach was lackluster apart from the odd exception, and it was as if to show that yes, they are there for a charity match. The Rest of the World players played it far more seriously, for to them every game is a game where their professionalism is put to the test and playing against the best in Asia was taken as a special challenge. Yes, there was the inexplicable reason for promoting Glenn McGrath ahead of Fleming and Hayden, though with the latter being in miserable form, McGrath would have argued the case for him batting ahead of the left-handed opener.
Since none of the Asian players were in danger of losing their place if they failed in the game, the intensity was simply not there. Mind you, it’s not a recent phenomenon, but has been there even during my days, but one thought that with the ‘official match’ tag given to the game, there would have been a bit more competitiveness from the Asian players. The statisticians of the world are understandably up in arms against the ‘official’ status of the match.
It was good to see the Indian Test players turn up for their state sides in the Ranji games and more importantly play it with seriousness. The Indian captain Saurav Ganguly’s century at a critical time enabled Bengal to stay in the elite group and that is the sort of performance expected from the internationals when they play domestic cricket. What the BCCI needs to do is to ensure that there are no domestic fixtures during Diwali and New Year time, so that players can spend time with their families on these auspicious and important family occasions. Arranging a game on Dec. 31 is totally unfair, for the players being human would want to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Surely matches can be arranged to finish on Dec. 30 and start on Jan. 3 to give the player time to relax and welcome the New Year. Similarly for Diwali, the matches can be arranged so that players are able to spend Diwali at home and not be traveling to play a game.
The teams that have qualified for the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy seem to be upset at the gap between the league stage and the knock out stage. Along with the captains and coaches of these teams, it would be interesting to know what the captains and coaches of other teams feel about it at the annual captains meet. If everybody agrees that it makes sense to finish the Ranji Trophy and then carry on with the rest of the domestic calendar, then the BCCI should have no objection to it. The thinking now is that if the knock-out stage is played straightaway, then the majority of the country’s first-class players will be idle for about two to three weeks, and so the other tournaments are played to ensure that till March, all the first-class players are playing and thus in the frame for selection for the national team. After March-April, unless there’s a tour to England, there’s hardly any cricket and so players can take assignments in other countries. The other consideration is to see the international schedule for India and ensure that the Indian players are match-fit, and so the domestic calendar takes into account that as well. By having the Duleep Trophy just before the Pakistanis arrive for their tour, the Indian players will be playing the longer version of the game. It makes sense therefore to see that Pakistan play Tests before the One-dayers.
The BCCI should also look at the venues carefully, for as the Australian experience has shown, there are certain venues where the visitors feel more comfortable than others, and those are the ones that should not be used. The BCCI does have a rotation policy for venues and Pakistan is a team that will attract crowds anywhere, but Indian cricket’s interest have to be put ahead of commercial interests and venues that are conducive to the Indian team should be chosen.
This can be done after talking to the Indian captain and coach and asking if they have any venues they want more than the others. Maybe they will be happy to play anywhere, in which case the BCCI can apply its rotation policy without a problem, but please let there be communication between the administrators and players prior to the tour by Pakistan like there is between the first class captains and coaches.
