cricket

India Cricket: Vinod Kambli’s allegations make him a pariah

Reactions to Vinod Kambli’s match-fixing allegations keep pouring in from all quarters.

Vaibhav Purandare, in a hard-hitting article for the Hindustan Times, points out that Mohammad Azharuddin’s comments deriding Kambli “are in poor taste.”

(The article is not available online—yet).

Though I am not in agreement with Purandare’s professed opinion on other topics (more about that later), I am in sync on this.

Kambli comes from a backward caste; he was unconventional, even Calypsonian, in his approach to the game.

He was once termed the only West Indian in the Indian side.

India Cricket: Vinod Kambli breaks down on national TV shattering fans’ illusions—again

Is Messr Vinod Kambli a liar?

Sachin Tendulkar’s schoolmate did a Kapil Dev on national television venting his angst at the perceived injustices done him by Indian selectors and pointing the finger of suspicion against his teammates for the 1996 World Cup semifinal debacle.

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Dale Steyn: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Dale Steyn Has Wickets, Not Names, On His Mind

What he said:

“Listen, I got your name wrong, but you didn’t have to drop the catch.”

Dale Steyn is disbelieving that Under-19 substitute fielder, Dale Deeb, could put down a sitter denying Steyn a fifer in the second Test of the ongoing home series against Australia.

Deeb dropped Nathan Lyon, Australia’s No.11 batsman, in the covers.

What he really meant:

“Listen, hold catches. You’ll be gratefully remembered.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m superstitious. Catches have names too. “

James Milner: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

James Milner Dare Not Be Yorked

What he said:

“I’d love to still play — but you can’t risk a yorker on the toe!”

Manchester City’s James Milner would love to play cricket again but dare not risk a broken toe.

The electric midfielder was a useful bat for Horsforth in the Airedale and Wharfedale League in Leeds.

Milner said:

I got a couple of hundreds for Horsforth, I’ve got a lot of friends there and I’d love to still play — but you can’t risk a yorker on the toe!

The most important thing for me now in summer is rest but I hope I’ll be able to go back to cricket again once I’ve finished playing football.

What he really meant:

“I’m a footballer—I put foot to ball.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“What’s a shattered toe or two? I could always be keeper.”

Mohammad Azharuddin: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Mohammad Azharuddin Questions Vinod Kambli’s Class

What he said:

"What Vinod is saying is absolutely rubbish! He must have been sleeping in the team meeting."

Former India skipper, Mohammad Azharuddin, rubbishes teammate Vinod Kambli’s allegations that the 1996 World Cup semifinal against Sri Lanka was fixed.

The match was forfeited by the home side due to crowd violence; the Indians were on the verge of a humiliating defeat.

Speaking to Star News, Kambli said:

I’ll never forget the match because my career ended after it. I was stunned by the decision to field.I was standing on one side and on the other end my fellow batsman was telling me that we would chase the target. However, soon after they quickly got out one by one. I don’t know what transpired.

Something was definitely amiss. However, I was not given a chance to speak and was dropped soon after. Our team manager at that time, Wadekar, was aware of everything.

Ajit Wadekar, the then team manager, contested Kambli’s version of transpired events, saying:

I did not even think there was anything suspicious in that loss. It was purely because we misread the wicket and were slightly overconfident after beating Pakistan in the quarterfinal.
Why did he wake up suddenly after 15 years? During my four-and-half year stint (with the national team), I used to frequently have dinner with Vinod. Had he told me about his suspicions then, I would have requested the board to probe the matter.

Wadekar added:

“During the team meeting, only (Navjot Singh) Sidhu and I felt the wicket would deteriorate and that we should bat first. However, a majority of the bunch felt a wicket couldn’t deteriorate much.”

Mohammad Azharuddin, speaking to CNN-IBN, defended his decision to bowl first:

We decided to field. It was discussed and a team decision. It was a collective decision. I don’t have any regrets, no reason to shy away from this. What Vinod is saying is absolutely rubbish! He must have been sleeping in the team meeting.

We wanted to field first and chase against Sri Lanka, wanted to do something different in the match. Very sad that people are questioning the decision. For Kambli to talk like this, it shows his class (pedigree).

Vinod Kambli on so many occasions has said that I was the best captain he has played under. It’s very annoying the way the statement was made.

The former India skipper’s fight against the life-ban handed out by the BCCI  in 2000 continues in the Hyderabad high court. Azhar’s cricketing career was cut short at 99 Test matches.

Azhar said:

"The match-fixing case is going on in the High Court. When my name is cleared, everybody will come to know the truth. I am not affected by the allegations. Kambli has made a fool of himself.”

What Azharuddin really meant:

“By way of explanation, we enjoyed a cosy dressing room atmosphere.”

What Azharuddin definitely didn’t:

“What kind of query is that? Sleepwalking through our innings?”

MS Dhoni: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

MS Dhoni Is A ‘Package’

What he said:

“I am more of a package than a specialist. I’m neither an extraordinary batsman nor a specialist keeper.”

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is abashed at being described as an “excellent package” by West Indian cricketing great, Jeffrey Dujon.

Dhoni said:

It’s a big compliment for me. I am more of a package than a specialist. I’m neither an extraordinary batsman nor a specialist keeper. It’s all about doing things right. It does not matter how you catch the ball, take the edges and affect stumpings. It’s important to score at that point of time when it’s really good for the side. I hope I will be a specialist one day.

What he really meant:

“Modesty’s my forename.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Fedex, same-day delivery?”

Lord Paul Condon: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Lord Paul Condon Has ‘Separate’ Plans For T20

What he said:

"You can either say T20 is such a crazy form of the game, you quarantine it.”

Lord Paul Condon, former head of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit, believes that the T20 format has engendered the growth of corruption in the sport.

Speaking to The Cricketer magazine, Condon said:

Probably the greatest trigger point (in the rise of corruption) was the explosion of T20.

The ‘anything goes’ party atmosphere allowed some really bad people back into the game. Some of the notorious fixers from early years started to re-emerge on the circuit in India, Pakistan, South Africa, Australia and the UK.

It almost legitimised the bad guys being back around cricket again, and fixers were even seen in promoters’ boxes and at matches. What up to then had been pretty tight and regulated, suddenly became a free-for-all.

Condon believes that players  felt that as long as they were not throwing a game, it was alright to spot-fix.

Condon said:

"I think the temptation was to do a little fix here and a little fix there and still win the match – and they were not seeing it as criminal."

In another interview to the London Evening Standard, the former Metropolitan police commissioner said:

I remember saying (at an ICC board meeting in 2008) you’ve got two choices.

You can either say T20 is such a crazy form of the game, you quarantine it. If current Test players go into that, they can’t come back to Test. But that would never work.

You’ve got to have a fit and proper regime, as you would with gambling, and a proper anti-corruption endeavour to monitor tournaments.

However, there was a lot of anger from the Indian representatives who said I had no right to suggest that. They felt I was challenging the legitimacy of the Indian Premier League.

Lord Condon urged present-day cricketers to aid the fight against corruption.

Condon said:

"In recent years, there’s been very little whistle-blowing from current players."

What Lord Condon really meant:

“I’m all for segregation—cricket-wise.”

What Lord Condon definitely didn’t:

“Would we need the ACU if not for T20?”

Rudi Koertzen: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Rudi Koertzen Questions Adam Gilchrist’s Walking Ability

What he said:

"Would he do that if it was a World Cup final and he was batting with a No. 11 and Australia needed one to win?"

Former Test umpire, Rudi Koertzen, advocates the use of Decision Review System (DRS), simultaneously commending “walkers”.

Koertzen said:

It will stop batsmen from blatant cheating and encourage them to walk. If he has edged it and the umpire misses it and the hot spot and TV replays suggest the batsman has nicked it, he will be caught out. I really respect players like Kumar Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar who walk the moment they think they have edged the ball.

Koertzen , though, would not endorse Adam Gilchrist, a known walker, preferring to sally back the aforesaid query.

What he really meant:

“I know I wouldn’t.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’d want to be the third umpire—in this scenario.”

Hugh Morris: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Hugh Morris Would Rather Players Not Monkey Around On Twitter

What he said:

“It is like giving a machine gun to a monkey. It can be fantastic or it can be an absolute disaster too.”

English cricket team’s managing director, Hugh Morris, believes that Twitter is for twats.

Morris was speaking at UK Sport’s world-class performance conference in London.

Morris said:

I kind of get Twitter… it’s a great medium for pushing out good messages when it is done really well.

When it’s done poorly it is a complete and utter nightmare for those of us trying to manage and lead teams.

The ECB boss’ comments will further spur debate as to whether sportspersons are best equipped to deal directly with fans and the media.

The immediacy of Twitter can be both a boon and a curse.

What he really meant:

“Twitteratti, Monkeyrazzi, it’s all the same to me.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Let’s take this debate online—tweet me @HughMorris.”

Morne Morkel: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Morne Morkel Highlights The Blur

What he said:

“The whole second innings thing is a blur. Luckily, there are highlights, so you can see it every ten minutes on television.”

Morne Morkel enjoys catching the highlights of Australia’s dramatic second innings collapse in the first Test at Newlands.

Australia were shot out for 47.

What he really meant:

“It all seemed like an action movie—fast forward.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’d have enjoyed watching the highlights more—had the Aussies won.”