The Malaysian TriSeries, the upcoming ball tampering hearing…. and the champions trophy

At the end of March this year, when it seemed as though all India had to do to win a One Day International was to participate in it, i wrote about Indias success and the peculiarity of it. It was in hindsight, a serendipitous combination of similar conditions, long series and top performances across the board from the Indians. Since then, they travelled to the West Indies, and since Dwayne Bravo delivered that fateful slower ball to beat an advancing Yuvraj Singh to give West Indies victory by 1 run in the second ODI of that series, Indias successful sequence has snapped. We still see glimpses of that successful run – traces shine through as they did during that wonderful innings in the field which ensured that India defended 162 against a West Indies side with 8 specialist batsmen, a wicketkeeper, an allrounder and the sole specialist bowler.

But in the end, it seems apparent that there is one peak which India have not yet been able to scale. Australia has become an Indian bogie – they havent beaten Australia batting second since that famous day at Sharjah, when Sachin Tendulkar was the 25 year old King of the Cricketing world, and India chased the 273 set by Australia in the final. Since that day – April 24th 1998 (it was Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday as well), they have not beaten Australia batting second. Even with the current reputation of being successful run chasers, India have not been able to chase down runs against Australia.

This obviously begs the question – one which cricketers must hate more than anything else – Does India have a mental block when it comes to Australia? I will not attempt to answer this. All i will say is that the question will persist until India beat Australia chasing runs.

Inzamam Ul Haq’s hearing is scheduled for the 27th and 28th of September. Im glad that Darrell Hair is more than likely to stand in the Champions Trophy. The ICC would be absolutely right to field him, because
1. He is not on trial with regard to the Oval Test
2. He hasnt done anything wrong.

The view in Pakistan seems muddled about this. Everything they have been saying through out this month seems to suggest, that in their view, it is Darrell Hair who is the accused in that hearing!

Lets hope sanity prevails there – and the damage to cricket is corrected as far as possible. Waqar Younis made the following comment about the Oval Test:

“It was bad for cricket, but if you ask me, it was good for our country and our reputation,”

Thats a bizarre viewpoint if there ever was one. How can a country’s reputation be forged by Test Cricket? And how can something thats bad for Cricket, be good for its participants? Theres a contradiction there. And it pretty much summarizes the whole Pakistani attitude and position on this whole issue in my view –

ignorant, confused, angry, insecure, really eager to lash out at somebody.

How else do you explain the Pakistani obsession with singling out Darrell Hair as the villain of the piece, when anyone who was actually interested in clearing their name and proving their innocence would actually take the help of written law, maintain that the Umpires (meaning both umpires) acted in error and prove their innocence. Doesn’t the obsession with Hair weaken Pakistans case? Wouldn’t someone who is genuinely interested in clearing his or her name, press for a hearing at the earliest possible date? It appears that this delayed hearing is the result of Pakistani insistence on Madugalle!

Their motives and their desired outcome in this whole issue is not clear to me.

So its on to the Champions Trophy – we don’t know yet how that will pan out, given the uncertainty over Pakistan’s participation, should the ICC hearing find Inzamam guilty on one or both counts.

All in all it makes for a tedious mix of big money, big egos, tradition, rules – basically everything you find coming into play in disagreements and committees.

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