World Cricket II

[P_R]

Flau, I am following the issues you are pointing about other boards. Many of the issues don't rankle me that deeply - like bringing in people from everywhere (country itself is like that only), Flower asking for Bell decision to be reversed etc. I don't see pitch standardization as an 'evil' imposed by Eng/Aus. I think it is to a certain extent necessary. btw I am not denying that this may have something to do with my own strong bias in favour of watching matches with the kind of conditions we get to see in Aus-Eng (broad sweep) rather than big-score belters, first day dust bowls etc. But I don't think the local flavours should (or would) be significantly altered, that'd take the fun out of touring.

Yes Eng/Aus players ought to be pulled up lot more than they are being done now for on-field indiscipline. I have been observing what you are talking about, since you spoke about it last year. Till then I had largely dismissed it as paranoia. en aRivukkaNNai thirandhadhaRku nanRi. But I still maintain support Hair wrt to the Oval incident. I feel what was done to Daryl Harper was outrageous. I do find the influence of BCCI excessive, in absolute and in relative terms.


And lastly my support or lack of it, for any team has nothing whatsoever to do with politics. If I support Aus in this encounter with SL, it is because Aus is the underdog and I don't like most of the SL team members - as simple as that.

I guess this whole 'invocation of politics' at every turn was spurred by my note that Ranatunga politicized calling Murali as racist. I want to clarify, if at all it was not already abundantly clear, that that is a mere sidenote to my opinion of the Murali chucking issue. My opinion about Murali's action remains - and my opinion why the whole establishment bent (pardon the expression) remains.

[ajithfederer]

Pitch standardization is as stupid and ridiculous as Tennis courts made slower everywhere. Mundhanethu annan omega us open courts slowaa irukkunu oru gundai thooki pottar. I seriously hope the news is false or else I may have to stop watching Tennis once Roger retires.

[ajithfederer]

Ayyago sangakaaran out.

[Plum]

Pitch standardization is as stupid and ridiculous as Tennis courts made slower everywhere. Mundhanethu annan omega us open courts slowaa irukkunu oru gundai thooki pottar. I seriously hope the news is false or else I may have to stop watching Tennis once Roger retires.

Hockey-la pitch standardization paNNAnga. Hockey was once a popular game in the world, and extremely popular in India. So popular infact that it was chosen as our National Sport. I am sure the German-Australian-English powers that be that were behind this standardization are kicking themselves now - a raedily available, existing potential 1 billion plus market was lost. Cricket is reaping the benefits.

Cricketlayum paNNunga standardisation. Seamers and Fast Bowlers dhAn help peRaNum. maththavangallAm children of lesser God. And ella pitchum Birmingham mAdhiri irukkaNum. adhu dhAn cricket. paNNunga - appuRam evLO nAL Cricket is a well-funded sportA irukkunnu pArthuduvOm.
Cricket moththamA innum 10 varushaththula azhinjA kooda nAn varuththa pada mAttEn - Hockey mAdhiri AgaNum. appO dhAn ECB and ACB-ku sariyAna dhandanai.

[wizzy]

PR, Why do you want to standardize the pitches to a certain extent? isn't the whole point of test cricket is to test each capabilities of a batsman/bowler?
when was the last time India played 3 spinners? I would enjoy Swann bowling with 4 close-in fielders in Chennai in the same way Zaheer bowling at the Oval with 4 slips.
A batsman technique is in direct correlation with the nature of the wickets he gets to play..last thing we need is wristy players like VVS to become obsolete. With advent of t-20/fear of injuries we don't see the side-on fast bowlers anymore and we have an army of chest-on hit the deck bowlers. ICC can do away with pitches and start playing on matting wickets if you need standardization.

[Plum]

Me also AustraliayA ippO. Ponting is not captain, and I am ok with him scoring runs now that he has turned into a graceful, post-captaincy, drinks carrier, humble feller.
England-ai adakka kUdiya orE aNI Australia enbadhAl avangaLukku full support uNdu

[P_R]

Ok I am understanding this wrong then.

I don't think pitch standardization is about making every pitch in the world the same type. Is it? It is not even about making the every type of pitch equally represented in each playing country. It is about making all types of pitches 'available' in every country to the extent possible. This is so the players get the kind of exposure.

So I don't understand the hockey parallel one bit. Either that or I am understanding the whole thing wrong.

[P_R]

England-ai ellAm Australia adakka mudiyAdhu.
pazhaya panneerselvamA varattum-nu support paNrEn. engaLukku orE bore adikkudhu :P

[ajithfederer]

You once wrote or somebody else here posted a link on how hockey turfs were standardized by the western powers. Please point to that link.

[wizzy]

It works both ways..I would like to see Kohli/Pujara/ learning their trade on a spicy Perth/Durban in the same way Kwaja/Morgon getting to play on a square turner in Chennai.