Chappell wanted youth….. hang him!!!! – Hes covering his tracks now…..

This is interesting news. It will generate the usual comments about “rift”. Should Chappell have revealed this to Rajan Bala? Its the sort of information journalists invariably recieve, in good faith. Happenings in selection committee meetings are confidential – but are not secret – in so far as the fact that the revelation of these deliberations do not constitute a security threat or even a cricketing threat.

People are likely to go to town about this “shocking” evidence of “disharmony” in the ranks. Without ever having gone into any selection committee meeting, i can tell you from my experience of meetings that there has never been a meeting (except possibly in Saddam Hussein’s Revolutionary Command Council), were the participants have agreed about everything – that is the precise reason why meetings happens – to get people with different ideas together.

And if Dilip Vengsarkar was upset about the backlash, after seeing the nonsense on TV in the last week, can you blame him? Just underlines the point that i made in my comment in the discussion on this earlier post. The article was meant as a discussion about trends in ODI cricket, but turned into one about the World Cup result for India – “the problem with ODI cricket, especially in India is that it is impossible to rebuild a team because the public does not tolerate reverses.”

Chappell’s had emails he sent to the BCCI chief leaked to the press. He can be excused this small indiscretion – especially because it brings home to roost the fact that the national cricket establishment feels threatened by its own supporters.

Meanwhile – that shining example of a rehabilitated late bloomer – Matthew Hayden has just made 158 with 3 overs to play against the West Indies. Australia look like crossing 300 for the 7th consecutive game in ODI cricket.

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