“Take a Rest”

*Photos from www.cricinfo.com

A calypso by the band Tradewinds telling the WICB to “Take a Rest” has made for popular listening in the past week around the region and after the West Indies win today to secure a 2-1 series victory in the one day internationals, it is even more apt for the Board to take the advice and leave our cricket be! Ken Gordon may be resigning but nothing will change when his replacement comes into the job. The old boys network will continue as normal and life will go on.

Blunder after blunder characterised the WICB’s approach to the tour of England and ironically one of them- the row between the parasites and Gayle- served to unify and motivate the team in the one days and helped salvage some West Indian pride. Obviously nothing can take away from the inspired performances of Chanderpaul who continued to bat on a separate level from everyone else, Edwards who bowled with pace and much better control in the past, Powell who again looked like the bowler we saw in the World Cup, Rampaul who bowled with heart and commitment and the cameos of Samuels, Bravo and Morton on different occasions. While I didn’t think that Gayle should have been awarded the captaincy based on his poor performances in recent times, I admit that he did a good job in leading the team and hopefully this bit of responsibility will also translate into his batting. Once again the attitude of the team was encouraging and it warmed my heart to see the enthusiastic fielding, chatter and celebrations when English wickets fell.

Tony Cozier wrote an article earlier this week about the drastic transformation of the team when it came to the shorter form of the game while Will Luke in a cricinfo.com article says that the West Indies deserve to celebrate.

Of Storms, Flight Delays, Indian Cuisine and Calypso Cricket

My sister was due to come into NYC tonight from Ohio on her way back home to Barbados. Unfortunately, after repeated delays caused by bad weather their flight from Columbus was cancelled. Initially AA told them that the next available flight into NYC that would allow the whole family to fly together was July 4th but fortunately they have been placed on a Continental flight to Cleveland tomorrow evening where they will have to transfer to an AA flight bound for NYC. Delayed and furthermore cancelled flights are not fun and I can’t begin to imagine the hassle it must be with two little children. They left Athens around twelve today to drive to Columbus for what was supposed to be a 5pm flight. The most frustrating part for them must be that they were on the plane and about to leave when they were taxied back to the gate. On the positive side, at least they were able to get a flight out tomorrow and a friend of my bro-in-law in Columbus was able to meet them at the airport and take them to a hotel etc.

I cooked up some chicken curry for their dinner tonight and marinated some tandoori chicken for tomorrow, so they will now have to eat tonight’s dinner tomorrow night and the tandoori will have to stay marinated an extra day!

I like to cook and since being allowed to gradually put weight on my foot a few weeks ago, the kitchen has proven to be a place of solace. I’ve been cooking up a storm every few days and it has been a welcome break from the food I was forced to order since the end of January. I’ve made mostly Indian dishes and especially things my mom cooked and which my sisters now cook. My mom would be shocked if she saw me because there were not many Indian dishes I liked eating when I was growing up. It took going to London to study for me to begin eating a variety of Indian food and now Indian cuisine is my favourite.

Speaking of London, the West Indies brought some Caribbean flair to first of two Twenty20 Internationals to put some smiles on West Indian faces after a tough past few weeks. I am a purist; I love test cricket; one day internationals provide entertainment but are not a substitute for the real thing; Twenty20 is simply a slug fest and far from authentic cricket. However, I know that cricket is a billion dollar business and the powers that be will spare no effort to market the game and its entertainment value to those with no appreciation of all the intricacies and nuances of genuine cricket. I am therefore realistic and accept there is no point fighting it; I watch it just to see some big hitting; and big hitting it was from the word go. I could not believe my eyes when I saw Devon Smith hitting out as if his pants were on fire. Chanderpaul played some innovative shots and Marlon Samuels decided to turn up and bat. Despite a big hitting knock by the England captain, the West Indies total proved just enough and it was the English with all their Twenty20 experience who were made to look like novices by a team playing only its second Twenty20 at the international level.

What pleased me was the attitude of the West Indies players. I can’t remember the last time I saw a West Indies team being so enthusiastic. The laughing, smiling, shouting and encouragement of each other were a joy to watch and the young team actually looked as if they were enjoying themselves for the first time this tour. Have the events of the past week galvanised the team and has the Board unintentionally motivated the players? It would be wonderful if this sprit continues and I hope the team can go on to win tomorrow and do the same in the one-day internationals that follow.

Ongoing Madness

The idiocy continues in West Indies cricket. The first 20/20 game begins tomorrow but all the hype is on Gayle and the WICB!

The Madness Continues

The farcical drama that our cricket has been reduced to continues to play itself out in front of the world. The idiots that call themselves the WICB decided to censure Chris Gayle for critical comments he made about the Board a few days ago in his tour diary. Gayle’s refusal to apologise led to the censure. The West Indies Players Association then came to Gayle’s defence, revealing that the article was vetted by the tour manager as part of normal protocol and approved. Guess who met Gayle along with Ken Gordon to discuss the issue before Gayle was censured: the tour manager Michael Findlay. What does this make the Board and Findlay look like: bloody fools!

Chris Gayle has been a failure with the bat and doesn’t even deserve a place on the team furthermore the captaincy. He needs to do his talking on the field with the bat and with a change of attitude. However, I must admit the comments he made were totally correct: the Board has no legitimate authority to demand anything of the players when it is the reason for the mess we are in. It is rather large of the Board to speak of Gayle embarrassing it; every member of the Board should resign and apologise to the West Indian people for what they have done to the one regional institution that was a success.

Read two articles on cricinfo.com here (1 and 2) and one from the UK Telegraph here on the whole fiasco.

Cricketing Mismanagement

The thrashing of the West Indies on the field of play on the current tour of England is symptomatic of the malaise that afflicts Caribbean cricket. As if the embarrassment on the field wasn’t enough the WICB has made a series of blunders in the past two weeks that serve to highlight the way this old boys network has destroyed our cricket. I cited some articles in my post of June 14th and here are two even harsher ones, one by Tony Cozier and the other by Martin Williamson.

The ICC also demonstrated how much of an incompetent organisation it is when last week it announced the banning of the five officials who had stood in the farcical World Cup final in April from the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa in September. Now I have no problem with disciplining those idiots who presided over the ludicrous situation on the night of April 28th, but what I do have a problem with is Malcolm Speed’s pompous statement: “It would have been easy to let sleeping dogs lie and pretend nothing happened, but the reality is that the playing control team made a serious and fundamental error that caused the final of our flagship event to end in disarray and confusion.” This is the Chief Executive of a body that along with West Indian officials mismanaged the running of the World Cup and who refused to accept that the ICC bore any responsibility for the tournament’s failure! If the umpires and match referee can be disciplined for their part in the farce, then surely Speed and the rest of the inept and corrupt should also be held accountable!

Of Podiatric Progress, Vacation Days and Captaincy Quarrels

I had a doctor’s appointment along with therapy yesterday. I can now basically walk alone without the cane except for when I go up or down stairs so the doctor told me I could stop using the cane and also try to get accustomed to using the stairs without it. I am still not supposed to do any unnecessary walking. I still have tendonitis in parts of my foot and I am still feeling some pain and stiffness in different areas. Overall there has been much progress though. I hope when I see him in two weeks time I am given the all clear to go back to work on July 9th. Beyond that I also am looking forward to going back to the gym. I weighed myself on Monday night and I have put on fifteen pounds!

I also have to take at least fourteen days vacation each year or I will lose them and since I can’t take any time off from September to December because of the UN General Assembly I have to take the days sometime in July and August. There is no way I am losing my hard earned vacation so I guess the office will not be seeing me for two weeks in July or August!

Yesterday I spoke about the pathetic handling of the captaincy issue for the upcoming one-day series and this morning the news media reported that the WICB board as a whole had sided with the selection panel against the Executive Board and therefore Gayle will captain the side with Chanderpaul as his deputy. The Barbados Nation and cricinfo.com both carried stories which can be read here and here.

UPDATE June 15th

Tony Cozier has an article in the Weekend Nation on the captaincy situation which can be read here.

Back in Action, West Indian Resistance and West Indian Folly

I was out of commission for a few days as my laptop had to pay another visit to the office to get fixed. Apparently nothing was wrong with the wireless adapter because it functioned normally there. Now that I have it back, it is working but not consistently- annoying situation!

The West Indies surprised everyone with a great fight back after being thrashed for the first half of the third test even though in the final analysis they lost yet another overseas test. Chanderpaul continued to highlight his worth to the team while Darren Sammy who I did not think should have been on the tour made a remarkable start to his test career. Will he build on this performance or will he go the way of so many players of the past decade who showed promise and then regressed? Only time will tell. Even though Fidel Edwards’ final figures did not look impressive, his extra pace made a difference and at least we did not have to bear the sight of Pieterson charging down the pitch to one of our “fast” bowlers like he has been doing to the rest, especially Collymore.

Tony Cozier and Andrew Miller wrote two good articles on the last test and Chanderpaul respectively so have a read.

While on the field the team was fighting against England, off the field the West Indian administrators were fighting among themselves on the choice of captain for the one day series that follows the tests. The selectors chose Gayle but the WICB Executive Committee rejected that choice and instead headed by Ken Gordon advised the selection panel to appoint Darren Ganga (who was not even selected as part of the one-day team)and Dinesh Ramdin as captain and vice-captain respectively. The latest news seems to be that the selection panel has refused and so yet again the Caribbean fulfills the stereotype of a bunch of inefficient fools who can't manage the simplest of tasks. While I would hate to see Gayle captain the team, Ganga with his inability to make the one-day side and even struggling in the test team is not exactly a much better choice!

The absence of West Indian fans at cricket grounds during the Caribbean team’s tours has been noticeable in recent years. In addition, besides Alex Tudor a few years ago, there have been no black players on the England team unlike the 1980s and early 1990s. Two interesting articles about this can be read here- 1 and 2. Fellow blogger Colonise This! also writes about the issue here.

Feeling Loss and Further Confinement

I was out of commission for a few days- my laptop needs a new wireless adapter and so I give it to a colleague on Monday morning so that it could be fixed. Three days without internet and I felt extremely loss! No access to email, all my favourite alternative news sites, cricket news, msn, bank etc. Should I be concerned that I am so dependent on the internet?

The laptop was returned this evening, unfixed, because of unforeseen circumstances. Needless to say I will have to resend it at a later date and for now I will have to contend with an immobile laptop.

I will not comment on the record West Indian loss in the second test except to say how unfortunate it is that Sarwan has been ruled out for the remainder of the series because of injury and that Sidebottom’s performance only serves to highlight the value of playing regular competitive matches. West Indian cricketers play a few regional matches each year along with playing in their domestic competitions. The level of domestic cricket throughout the Caribbean is poor and does not serve to improve the skills of our cricketers. The short regional tournament’s standards are not much better! Sidebottom is no genius with the ball but playing regular cricket at a certain level day in and day out means that he has been able to hone his skills and professionalism. He simply translated this onto the test match arena, bowled a certain line and length and achieved success.

On another note vice-captain Ganga will likely be named captain and it should be distressing to any true West Indian fan to see a West Indian captain with a batting average of 27!

My friend Steve had a barbeque on Memorial Day so I spent most of Monday at his place in Long Island. It was refreshing to be out of my apartment even if it was just for the day! The usual highlights the past few months have been doctor/ therapist appointments and this state of affairs seems likely to continue for another few weeks.

I went to the doctor today and while there is progress- I can now wear the sneaker for most of the day and can actually walk a bit without the cane- I still have some tendonitis and cannot bear too much weight. The latest verdict is that I should keep on taking it gradually as I have been doing, slowly increasing the bearing of weight, lessening the dependence on the cane and discarding the boot- the new date for my return to work has been pushed forward by four weeks to July 9th. I don’t miss the UN or my office but I am so sick of being confined to this place that I would return to work tomorrow if I could! I had what has become the norm- cortisone shot- and the physical therapist told me that I had gotten approval for a further twelve sessions of therapy. My usual therapist is on vacation for a month and his colleague who has been working with me and who is more aggressive, succeeded in persuading the middle man company to approve more sessions. Kudos to him!

Another Day, Another Cricket Massacre

Unlike the journalists writing after the first test about a turn around, a new era etc. I did not allow myself to get carried away and my approach to the 2nd test was, as has become the norm, one of pessimism. Yes, it still hurts and frustrates to see the team performing so poorly and getting a whipping but at least I don’t have to suffer the huge disappointment that comes after such high expectations are not rewarded. It is my way of coping.

At the end of the day, the West Indian bowling attack is pathetic and at no point during the current series, or for that matter most series recently, has it looked capable of bowling out England. We can argue about the inclusion of Pedro Collins or Dave Mohammed, but I am sure the England batsmen would still run amok. The batting, with one batsman having an average over 40, and prone to collapse, is almost as weak. With that batsman injured and the captain seemingly out for the rest of the series, the batting looks worse than most county line-ups! When Sylvester Joseph, Runako Morton, Darren Ganga, Chris Gayle and Devon Smith are the crème de la crème of regional batting, one could as well quit test cricket!

Like any true West Indian fan, I will continue to follow the team, get frustrated, angry, depressed, lose the ability to speak at certain points during a game, come to the brink of tears and swear. I will hope for a win or even a fight, but I will not be so naïve to see some new dawn on the odd occasion of a reasonable performance nor will I let my hopes get so high that the disappointment after a thrashing is unbearable. I’ve had enough of that in the past decade and I learnt my lesson a long time ago.

Saving a Lord's Test and Saeed Anwar's 194

Did the rain save the West Indies from yet another defeat or did it save England from a humiliating ten wicket loss? West Indian fans would wish that the latter was true but the realists among us fans know that based on the past decade, the former is closer to the truth. Who can forget being bowled out for 54 in the second innings in the corresponding Lord’s test in 2000, a turning point as the West Indies has not beaten England in a test match since. I am just happy that the team showed some fight despite the limitations in the bowling department and the fragile batting line up and I hope they remain positive and keep battling on. The catching needs some serious work, the bowling needs to be more consistent and the top order needs to score hundreds. I would be tempted to play Fidel instead of Collymore or Taylor, both of whom looked out of sorts for most of the match. “Collyslow” produced a good spell on the fourth morning but I honestly can not see the value in playing a fast bowler who bowls slower than the part time slow and medium pace bowlers in either team, rarely gets wickets these days and is not exactly as economical as he is made out to be. It would be a better long term strategy to develop Morton’s medium pace and use him as a Collymore type bowler and play an extra pacer!

Ten years ago in Chennai against India, Saeed Anwar smashed 194 runs off of only 146 balls, breaking West Indian legend Viv Richards’ record of 189 runs made in 1984 against England at Old Trafford. Anwar’s 194 still remains the highest ever score in one day international history. On his day Anwar was as good as any bastman in the world and was a joy to watch when he got going with his graceful stroke play. Someone posted the highlights of his 194 on YouTube:

Will Rain Save the Day?

The Windies could not survive until lunch but at least the tail wagged, added some valuable runs and consumed precious time. Lacking any real bowling fire power, it was expected that they would find it difficult to restrict England to an overall lead of less than 400. England on the other hand erred by being too defensive earlier on- it would have been in their interest to start the hitting out a little while before they did, declare a bit earlier and bowl at least 10 overs to the West Indies before close of play putting the tourist’s fragile batting line up under pressure. Needless to say none of this may matter with rain being predicted tomorrow. It is probably best because I still cannot trust the West Indies to bat out 90+ overs and save the game. The coach’s statement about going out to win is just an attempt to make the West Indies appear a confident team.

An Ice Island and West Indian Woes

Torturous viewing! West Indies did not bowl badly in the morning session but they dropped catches; after lunch it was all England as the weaknesses of the bowling attack were cruelly exposed. Of course, poor umpiring did not help as Collingwood was plumb LBW to Taylor in the morning and was not given out by umpire Asad Rauf. It is amazing how many times poor umpiring decisions go against us, whether we are batting or bowling.

I was not at all surprised that Prior scored a century on debut. We have made it a habit in recent years to gift centuries on debut to batsmen and from the time the fools started bowling short at him and he kept swatting them away, a century was there for the taking. What sense does it make to bowl short at a batsman if he keeps putting you away? Nothing makes my blood boil more than to see a pathetic so-called fast bowler from the West Indies bowling sugary short balls to a batsman and then giving him chat and glares. You should be on a plane back to the Caribbean in disguise! I wish I could feel positive but it appears as if an innings defeat will be the result.

In more depressing news- almost everyday we hear negative news about the destruction of the environment and climate change- I saw a feature today on BBC about Ayles Ice Island, an iceberg that broke away from the Arctic coastline in summer 2005. The iceberg is huge- 10 miles long and three miles across- and while it separated almost two years ago, it has only now received public attention. The event is significant as it has transformed geography of the region and provides more evidence of the effects of climate change. A BBC team along with two scientists have departed for the island and will be providing daily updates.

New Day, Same Old *^%$*

I bought the package to watch the cricket just before I went to bed last night and diligently woke up early… another day, another overseas test, another bad start! Sarwan began on the right foot by winning the toss and choosing to bowl first in bowler friendly conditions. The bowlers, not exactly boasting much pedigree in the first place and woefully short of match practice/ preparation in English conditions could not capitalise on the environment. To their credit they did put in a much better performance after lunch but England had already been given a platform to build on. Sarwan did a good job in his first match as official captain, especially his 7-2 field in the afternoon which forced the bowlers into bowling a much more disciplined line. I do think however that he should have bowled Bravo much earlier.

A special paragraph of criticism must be reserved for that entity which has largely destroyed our cricket and which is doing its utmost best to ensure that the game stands no chance of returning to its glorious days- WICB. Only idiocy can explain the Board agreeing to merely one three day practice match before the tests in a country where conditions play a major role in the game and where players from all over the world struggle to adapt. As if not having the most talented or mentally strong players is not enough! Obviously, the fact that the rain falls a lot in England was also ignored- the only practice match was ruined by bad weather. The WICB in its wisdom sent a poor team into a test series without any preparations! A pat on the back for the old boys!

Sarwan’s Initiation, Honouring Lara and Not Having an Impact

The first match of the four test West Indies versus England series begins tomorrow at Lords. I have not yet decided whether to purchase the package being offered by willow.tv. I am still contemplating whether I should waste $100 to watch the West Indies get beat. I would love for the team to win but I know better than to get my hopes up high. Fazeer Mohammed has written a good preview which can be read here.


While the West Indies play England on the field, off the field the MCC Museum at Lords is holding an exhibition in honour of Brian Lara. The exhibition which charts his career and numerous achievements will feature various types of memorabilia including the bats with which he scored his 375, 400 and 501. Here is the BBC’s take.

I came across an interesting blog about a man and his family’s attempt to live in New York City for one year and not make an impact on the environment. I try my best to do whatever I can for the environment but I know it’s far from enough. This guy must be admired for going to such lengths. His fascinating story is a must read. I have also added it to the sidebar.

No Surprises in Squad for English Tour

The West Indies squad to tour England was announced today on the recently retired (forced into retirement?) Brian Lara’s 38th birthday. Given the pool of players to choose from, it comes as no surprise that there were not any major changes from the World Cup team. However, I think the selectors made some key mistakes by the inclusion/exclusion of some players. Why is there no back-up wicketkeeper? On what basis was Sylvester Joseph selected? It certainly cannot be because of his poor performance on the A’ team tour to England last year. Darren Sammy is more suited to the one-day game. He does not strike me as a genuine batsman or bowler and someone like Ryan Hinds or Narsingh Deonarine would have been better options being authentic batsmen who also bowl well. I am also not sure why Collymore was picked. He never seems like he will take a wicket and he rarely does. I think it is time to move on with respect to Collymore. On a tour to a country that favours swing bowling, Pedro Collins would have been a more appropriate selection. Samuels deserved to be omitted based on his attitude and I would have also liked to see Chris Gayle dropped!

Weight Gain, Swimming and a Cricketing Legend

The doctor give me another six weeks home when I saw him yesterday, which means I will be indoors for most of spring! Spring is the best time of the year and I have to be inside. I am not a winter person but I also don’t like the extreme heat of a New York summer, so the arrival of the mild temperatures of spring is to my liking. I am not happy about this at all. It also means six more weeks of minimal activity and more time to put on weight. The time I have spent immobile at home has resulted in a realisation of one of my worse fears- putting back on all the weight I had lost last year. I will now have to work extra hard when I get back into the gym. The therapist has strongly suggested that I do some swimming to strengthen the muscles in my foot and the doctor agrees. The resistance in the water would help the muscles but there will be no weight bearing on the foot. I checked the YMCA near me yesterday but I have to be a member to use the pool. Membership is $55 a month plus a $110 initiation fee which I am not inclined to pay as I am already paying a tidy sum for my gym membership. Oh how I long for the sea! I have never been in a pool- the idea of a small body of water filled with sweaty bodies doing God knows what does not appeal to me. I prefer the sea but I guess in the interest of healing my foot I may have to bite the bullet and take to the pool. I will probably have to try and obtain some guest passes and at least get in a few sessions.

While I hate being stuck at home, I honestly do not miss my office, the UN or my job! My job can be exciting at times, but for the most part it is stressful, frustrating and an exercise in futility. Besides all of this I have to deal with various personalities and that is one of the most difficult and exasperating things to be burdened with!

On May 1st, 1951, Gordon Greenidge, one of the greatest openers in cricket history and a member of the finest opening pair cricket has seen was born. He possessed an excellent technique and matched it with brutal strokeplay- who can forget those vicious cuts and off-drives and the hook and pull executed with one foot in the air. Exactly forty years later, he would play his last test innings against Australia in Antigua. He made 43 before he was run out. He went on the subsequent tour to England but hurt his knee in the second one-day international and would never play for the West Indies again. Since his retirement and that of his opening partner Desmond Haynes, the West Indies has not managed to find a real opener. It is a sad indictment on our cricket when Chris Gayle is touted as the premier opener of the past few years!

A Poisoned Chalice, Cortisone Shots and Overcoming Injection Phobia

The World Cup is over. It kept me occupied for the past seven weeks and also provided me with much material for my blog! I now have to readjust to a World Cup less World and also think a bit more about what to write. Speaking of cricket, the West Indies has a new captain, coach and manager. My sympathies go out to Sarwan for he has truly been handed a poisoned chalice albeit for one tour- he has only been appointed for the tour to England after which his performance will be reviewed (by the same administrators who have no knowledge of the concepts of transparency, democracy and accountability and are in dire need of removal). I don’t know much about the coach David Moore except that he was the assistant coach under Bennett King. Will he do a better job? Mike Findlay’s appointment as manager is classic WICB old boy’s network at play and a case of recycling failures. A former chief of selector is now manager; there is no attempt at introducing new blood; in dynamism; in progress.

I had a doctor’s appointment today as well as therapy. I have been going to therapy about 2-3 times a week and every other session the therapist introduces a new exercise. Since my alarm two weeks ago at having forgotten how to walk, I have progressed to a point where I can stand on the foot that is injured and with the help of crutches lift my right foot. I can also stand on my left foot and take a small step forward and back with my injured foot. The doctor thinks that I need to wean myself off of the crutches now as my foot is progressing and I need to get back to using it. I will continue wearing the boot to protect the foot though. I am therefore using one crutch and within a few days I am supposed to switch to a cane. Using one crutch takes some getting used to and I instinctively want to resist putting any weight on my right foot. My foot is also hurting with the increase of weight on it and I now realise that what I was told about therapy being very painful is true. The first part with electrical stimulation, ultrasound and massages was good and the exercises while painful at some points were generally bearable. The part with walking without support is another story!

Besides all of that I had another cortisone shot today, the fifth one so far. I still cannot look at the syringe so I just glance away while the doctor sticks my foot. For those who don’t know, I have a huge syringe phobia. I didn’t actually have it when I was smaller and I remember getting injections at the doctor without any fuss and even getting a vaccination when I was in secondary school when there was a measles scare in Barbados. However, when I was about 14 my mother became very ill. She needed to be given injections everyday and one of my sisters was the one who volunteered to do it. Needless to say, the injections would hurt very badly. When she was hospitalised, she had lots of drips and needles stuck in her and this coupled with the nurses never finding her veins and sticking her all over freaked me out and I developed a serious fear of syringes. I can take a needle and stick my skin or use it to take out a splinter but show me a syringe and I will cringe. I took a significant risk in 1999 by not getting vaccinated for my four month trip to India and I absolutely refused to get any blood tests done until my doctor finally managed to persuade me to get one in 2005 as part of a physical check up. I still close my eyes when there is an injection being administered on tv and this is the first time since my mother died almost 14 years ago that I have had one. I think the last injection I had was in December 1993 when I had some fillings put in at the dentist.

West Indian Turmoil and a Sri Lankan Demolition Job

Sri Lanka completely dismantled the New Zealanders today to reach their second World Cup final. It was an outstanding performance and they dominated from the time they won the toss and decided to bat. Any attempts by New Zealand to fight back were strongly resisted and the captain led from the front with a perfect example of how to pace a one day international innings. He followed that up with some excellent captaincy, reflected by his decision to bowl Dilshan when New Zealand was trying to wrestle control after the loss of two wickets. Besides Jayawardene’s performance, that of the umpires and in particular Rudy Koertzen stood out but for differing reasons. Two extremely poor decisions went against the Sri Lankans when they were batting and I find it hard to believe that two top umpires can make such huge mistakes. Koertzen added to his howler in Sri Lanka’s innings by denying them an extremely close LBW call and then singling out Fernando for shocking treatment. To warn a bowler twice in his first over for running onto the pitch without speaking to him before was a bit harsh and I felt that New Zealand was playing with 12 men on their side today! While Fernando had a bad day at the office, the rest of Sri Lanka's varied attack all did well. Vaas bowled his normal line and length, Malinga was fiery and Muralitharan hiw wily self; will this bowling attack be enough to stop the Aussies in the finals? I am assuming that they will beat South Africa tomorrow although I would so love to be wrong!

While the Sri Lankans celebrate, West Indies cricket continues its downward spiral. Lara’s retirement was followed by the resignation of the coach Bennett King and rumours that the WICB President, Ken Gordon, had also resigned. Ken Gordon has since stated that he has not resigned but there has been confusion over the selection of the team to tour England, with Gordon, in response to Lara’s comments in his press conference that he had met with selectors to select the team to England and had selected himself, claiming that the selectors did not meet to select a team. To add to all of this, the WICB and WIPA are locked in another battle; this time it is over the WICB seemingly going back on its agreement with WIPA on the status of the England tour in relation to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme.

Amongst all of this, Ian Bradshaw has announced his retirement. Bradshaw may not be the most naturally gifted player in the team, but he has made the most of his abilities, is a thinking cricketer and has shown total commitment to the West Indies. The West Indies waited until Ridley Jacobs was in his 30s before deciding to select him and it is obvious that they did not learn from that situation for they waited until Bradshaw was 30 before handing him a maroon cap. All manner of undisciplined, uncommitted players were given a chance but Bradshaw, a shining example of hard work, discipline and civilised behaviour was kept out. When he was finally given the chance he performed admirably. Unfortunately his form dipped in this World Cup and he only played three matches. West Indies needs many more players with his attitude.

So what does the future hold for our cricket? I am, to be honest, pessimistic. The WICB cabal/politburo has stubbornly resisted any type of meaningful reform and continues to function almost like a secret society. Unless there is a revolution in the way the game is run in the region, our cricket will fail to lift itself from the lowest ground it has now reached. Rawle Brancker was supposed to deliver the Sir Frank Worrell Lecture tonight on the topic of the WICB. I am looking forward to hearing what he said.

Have I Entertained You?

*Photos from www.cricinfo.com

Yes, bellowed the huge crowd who had turned up to say goodbye to a West Indian legend.

West Indies lost the match; appropriately many may say, as during his time playing for the regional team, it rarely won! Unlike so many times in the past though, he did not shine with the bat but it was not due to any fault of his. He was run out because of a poor piece of cricket by Marlon Samuels who symbolises much that is wrong with our cricket- lack of commitment and mental strength. Samuels will be forever remembered as the man who ran out Brian Lara in his last match. A number of fans have been saying that it was deliberate or that at the minimum selfish, as he called for the run and should have kept running and given up his wicket. Interestingly, according to press reports, when asked during his press conference if Samuels had apologised, Lara fumbled for words and then said “It would have to be a yes, or a no. So I will leave it.”

The whole affair of Lara retiring has a bitter taste to it. Only recently he had made clear his intentions to carry on playing for another couple of years until he was 40 and the manner in which he batted late last year on the tour of Pakistan demonstrated that his hunger for runs and his physical fitness have not waned. One wonders if he was, like many of our other cricketing greats, pushed out. He certainly hinted at it in his press conference. Lara has always been the consummate diplomat and once again he refused to bite at the bait the reporters threw out. However, he did say enough to let people make their own conclusions. Lara, like all of us, has his faults, but he cannot be blamed for the malaise that envelopes our cricket. For that, we must blame the administrators, their incompetence and obsession with power and money along with the way our society has moved towards a culture of mediocrity, materialism, indiscipline and instant gratification. Until we admit the deep-rooted structural problems facing us instead of finding convenient scapegoats, we will never be able to fix our beloved game. Until there is a drastic transformation instead of superficial changes to appease criticism, we will continue to languish at the bottom of the cricketing rankings. Plain and simple!

Brian Charles Lara did entertain. He entertained like no other batsman in his era. The statistics and the records are phenomenal but there was nothing like actually watching him bat. He also had the burden of playing in a team of mediocre players and of having to carry the batting for over a decade. Other great West Indian batsmen (besides George Headley) never had that burden and this makes his achievements even more admirable. We will never see that extravagant back lift, the exquisite cover drive, the deft late cut, the dismissive flick or pull; that seemingly supernatural ability to pierce fields; the utter destruction and total domination of bowling attacks all over the cricketing world. While he has left international cricket, his fans will hope that he goes on to play county cricket for a while still in England. The stage may not be as grand as that of the test arena, but it will still afford some the opportunity to see art in motion.

A transcript of Lara's interview can be seen here.

A Legitimate Sold Out Match?

The news coming out of Barbados today is that there is a mad rush for tickets for tomorrow’s match with the Barbados Defence Force and police being called out to control the crowds coming to buy tickets. It is rather ironic that the only legitimate sold out match will be because Brian Lara has announced his retirement from international cricket! Even with thousands of free tickets being given away for other matches, none have witnessed a full house.

The Aussies annihilated a team that many were saying may challenge them for the title. Well any such thoughts were laid to rest today. They just look totally unstoppable. Can the off day Australia is due come in the semis or finals?