The BCCI gets a little more marginalized in its war against the ICL

It just keeps getting better for the ICL. Immediately after making a major inroad into Bangladesh, the league has now won new friends in SriLanka. The Lankan board has agreed to allow players aligned with the rebel Indian Cricket League to compete in the country's domestic tournaments. Sri Lanka thus becomes the second country after England to do so – more will follow and the clamour for lifting the international ban will also gain a stronger voice. Additionally the ICL gains a new audience – which will create more cash flows and significantly improve the League’s financial health.

And there is more. A strong bitterness is brewing against the BCCI in New Zealand as well. Glenn Turner’s recent interview clearly echoes the sentiments of his country’s cricketing fraternity.

The key excerpts from the interview

Drifting to a different topic, how do you see the current crisis in New Zealand cricket?
Yes, with the emergence of the Indian Cricket League, we have lost some of our top players. Our provincial cricket is getting weakened and it is getting reflected in our performances in the international circuit. I think it’s time the ICL affiliated players are allowed to play international cricket.

Is the NZC putting the issue forward to the ICC?
I don’t know about that, but what I don’t like is that it’s the Indian board which is calling all the shots in the matter. If somebody’s ego and the power of the mighty dollar are put ahead of the game, cricket is bound to get a beating.

Here’s a list of ICC member countries who would be quirt relieved to see the ICL win (a victory means official recognition and an end to losing players to a rebel league) or the IPL lose (emergence of a strong rival league to seriously diminish the BCCI‘s clout in world cricket) - England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. That’s quite a list – The BCCI is either making a lot of enemies or losing a lot of friends. Either ways Subhash Chandra isn’t complaining.

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The ICL plays to its strengths and secures a significant win in its war against the BCCI

Just when everyone thought the ICL was done for and Subhash Chandra and gang were ready to pack their bags and leave, India’s first professional cricket league is back and not just literally speaking.

They have been pushed to the background by IPL but have continued to do the various small things, which ICL fans’ hope, will ensure the league’s survival for this year and beyond

They needed to expand to newer centres in the country and they have done just that by expanding to Ahmedabad. This expansion has come at the cost of a 10 crore investment towards the development of the stadium. They have quite clearly stuck to their commitment of doing their bit for the development of the game at the grassroots and reaped a few benefits in return. In addition to the expansion, they will also have a much better stadium to play in this time round.

The absence of any quotas or restrictions is the League’s major advantage. They have gone ahead and used it to their advantage by recruiting half the Bangladesh national side. The ICL is fast becoming a haven for those international cricketers who have missed out on the riches of the IPL – and this is quite a list – Mohd Yusuf is close to being the most high profile member of this club. The ICL will benefit from this disgruntled bunch to substantially improve its player quality. While it may not match the IPL, it will have just enough star power to be in business.

Consisting largely of internationally ‘banned’ cricketers, except for those playing in England, the ICL has their players at their disposal for the full year – which is huge advantage. The BCCI and other boards are already having trouble finding a window to stage the IPL on a regular basis. As a consequence of the conflict of interest - like in the case of the next IPL clashing with Sri Lanka’s proposed tour of England, the BCCI continues to invoke the wrath of other boards like the ECB, who, are none too pleased at the gaps appearing in their international calendar.

The signing of the Bangladesh players like in the case of the Pakistanis last year has two more advantages for the ICL. One it opens up a huge international market in Bangladesh – the population of that country will be quite keen to watch their home grown stars – which is almost like an alternate national side perform in the ICL. The ICL might not be able to compete with the IPL in India, but can surely give them a run for the eyeballs in Bangladesh. A case in point being ICL’s popularity in Pakistan – where matches of last edition where shown live on their biggest broadcaster Geo TV.

Additionally, it hurts the Bangladesh Cricket Board who lost some key players. They will have good reason to support the ban being lifted from the ICL players – they have nothing to gain from the IPL-BCCI-ICL fracas and only important players to lose. They will also be sore that the beneficiaries of the ban – the BCCI haven’t lost any national players to the ICL. And not that they are alone – NZL and Pakistan are also peeved. And then there is the ECB. This small bunch can soon gain enough critical mass – enough to influence the ICC. The international body is still struggling to find an answer to ICL’s petition and if pressurized enough by the victimized boards, will surely succumb.

But when is the question. It will be a huge victory for the ICL. But till then they continue to lose money and just about survive. The IPL hopes the moment will never come and even if it does comes late enough, so that the ICL is crippled by its losses and has to close before the salvation happens. At the moment it continues to be a battle of attrition between the Essel group and the BCCI. The ICL though just gained a small but significant victory.

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IPL Daily Dose - 24/05/2008 - A day when history was almost made and a candidate for Indian coach

The great Marathas could never capture the crown of Delhi in their proud history. On 24/05/08 they laid siege again under the leadership of the new Chattrapati – Sachin Tendulkar and it looked as if history was in the making. They were thwarted, however, by the troops recruited from the South (Karthik and Maharoof). Sachin and his men were glorious even in defeat; quite unlike the last big battle the Marathas fought for control of Delhi – the humiliating defeat in the third battle of Panipat.

Virender Sehwag and team have kept their semi-final hopes alive and have good reason to feel confident of making the next stage. For them to get knocked out now, the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings will have to win all their remaining games.

The Daredevils have other positives to take from this game. Their middle and lower-order finally fired and delivered in a situation where they generally tend to crumble and roll over. This win was also their first against somebody who is not a minnow (RCB and DC) in their last 9 games. The team will be in a very positive state of mind should they line up for the semis.

Mumbai lost a thriller for the second game running and have every reason to feel despondent. They also have the harder task of needing to beat both the Royals (quite a proposition) and the Royal Challengers in their two remaining games. Bu they have been playing good cricket overall and a little bit of luck or pluck could see them through. The veteran presence of Sachin, Sanath and Shaun will come in extremely handy

I wrote in the Daily Dose of 18/05/2008 that somehow Chennai manage to win all their tight games. They were either super lucky or simply super cool in pressure. Whatever it was, they are no longer the same. For the second home game running, they lost a match they were in control of till a very late stage. They have the easier task of just beating the last-placed Chargers but the Super Kings have lately developed a habit of making life difficult for

A mouth watering match-up in the making

Forget Warne against Sachin, I want to see Sohail Tanvir go against Jayasuriya and Tendulkar. Tanvir has been ‘awkwardly’ outstanding and extremely difficult to get away; at the beginning or at the end of the innings. Jayasuriya is back to his 1996 World Cup best. This contest will set the tone for this high stakes game.

Note to the BCCI

Please keep a close watch on Shane Warne. He continues to get the best out of his guys. Kamran Akmal and Pankaj Singh came in for this game and made their skipper proud. Employing him in some capacity with Indian Cricket should be priority number one. And make him the coach when Gary Kirsten gets sick of the Indian board. If anyone can make India true world beaters, it is Shane Warne. He’s managed to get even Munaf Patel motivated and kicked up.

A special word of praise for the Mumbai Indians Management

Getting Dwayne Smith and Andre Nel as late additions has been quite a coup. Compare that to the reinforcement jobs done by the CSK (Kapudegara), DC (Chamara Silva) and KKR (Brad Hodge). Getting the big guns is the easier task. Making key additions late in the season is the hallmark of well-run teams. Just check the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA – 4 time winners in the last 10 years.

Dudes of the Day – The Delhi middle-order with the exception of Dilshan. Dinesh Karthik was the man of the moment but key contributions came from Tiwary and Maharoof also. In a do-or-die game when the big three failed, these guys got the job done.

Duds of the Day - the Chennai Super Kings. They are hell-bent on giving their fans sleepless nights. Home game, player of the tournament Shane Watson sits out, 35 required off 18 with Dhoni and Morkel at the wicket and they still lose. MS Dhoni’s superstar status in Chennai could take a real beating if these guys miss out on the semis.

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We need more rules and rule abiders like Rajiv Shukla and Mani Shankar Aiyar

When the Indian Hockey team failed to qualify for Beijing, there was a clamour for the IHF chief - KPS Gill’s head. The Sports Minister, the honourable Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar felt the pain but refused to go against the Olympic Charter which calls for the non-interference of national governments in the running of sports bodies. So if all the sports bodies are going to run on their own, what is the need of a sports ministry?

For all his impotence, the minister could at least claim to be the only righteous and rule abiding man in the parliament. Well, at least till some time back. Now there is a parliamentarian who not only goes by the rule book but is also a man of action. We are talking of the one and only Rajiv Shukla.

Mr Shukla is a BCCI vice-president and he was recently asked about providing financial assistance to the poverty stricken family of former India U-15 captain Subhash Dixit. For the benefit of the uninformed, Dixit’s inability to provide two square meals for his family drove him to commit suicide recently.

Shukla responded by saying that the BCCI had no rule to provide financial assistance in such cases and as such his hands were tied. He added, however, that they do provide pension to former Ranji trophy players and help in treatment of terminal diseases. Well done, Mr Shukla. Unflinching under the media gaze and refusing to break rules the way a regular ‘human’ being would have done in this case.

And that’s not all. Mr Shukla is also ensuring that this country has more and more rules to obey. He has convinced the BCCI president, Mr Sharad Pawar to donate 1.5 crore rupees to build a gym for the rule makers of this country – Mr Shukla’s fellow parliamentarians. Most sportsmen in this country do not have a world class gym to work out but so what. The parliamentarians have a greater need for it as they have more flab to burn. The Gym will also ensure that the rule makers are always in fine fettle and can start making rules with renewed vigour and energy. Rules which will ensure that the likes of Aiyar and Shukla always have something to fall back on for their ineptitude.

Some of the possible new rules

1.No minister (read MS Gill) can sack long serving sports administrators like KPS Gill and Jyothikumaran. This will ensure that the likes of MS Gill cannot do what Mr Aiyar cannot.

2.The pension provided to Ranji players be cancelled and instead be given to old parliamentarians. Thus the media cannot complain about preferential treatment for some cricketers (Ranji players) and neglect of some( Subhash Dixit)

The BCCI will fund a lot of noble ventures with the money generated from the IPL. The 1.5 crores spent on the gym, however, would be the money best spent.

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The BCCI has banned me from watching any ‘official’ cricket

I thought I could get away with lavishing praise on the ICL and bashing the BCCI and the IPL. Sadly for me, my crimes have caught up with me. I will have to pay for watching the ICL and writing about it.

The BCCI ban on the players and officials attached to the ICL has now been extended to the fans of the so-called Rebel league. As part of this drive, ICL watchers like me have been cut off from all forms of official cricket.

I have been branded a rebel fan and following are the restrictions imposed on me by the BCCI

• I can no longer watch any official cricket on TV. In fact my cable operator was forced to choose between official cricket and the ICL, and poor man had to take the former option and black out coverage of the rebel league. He been given a discount on the new IPL coverage tariff imposed on cable operators for his loyalty.
• Iam not allowed to enter any of the BCCI-controlled stadiums. The BCCI has installed a detection technology used by the Interpol to fish out terrorists at international airports, at all the stadium entrances. They will prevent rogues like me from creating any trouble at official cricket matches.
• All the websites covering official cricket have blocked my computer from accessing their sites and the lack of my regular dose of cricket is already giving me the withdrawal symptoms. In fact, talks are on with Google to display only official cricket –related content on searches. Thus, India will become only the second country after China to impose restrictions on the search engine.
  

This ban has made my life hell and I can finally relate to the plight of the players and officials who have been banned by the BCCI. I have a greater sense of bonding with them now. And why should they suffer alone. After all, we are all guilty of disobeying the BCCI. In fact, I have heard rumours that other equally guilty parties will be facing a ban soon. These include all the various vendors who have done business with the ICL. The cricket ball supplier, the tent-house guys, the travel agents, the hotel people, the bankers and even the taxi and rickshaw wallahs. Like the cable operator, who was given a second choice, these guys have been given some time to jump off the ICL bandwagon. The BCCI - just and kind as always, doesn’t want to deprive them of their livelihood and is giving them a second chance to mend their ways. And there is money to be made from these guys also. Alas, we poor fans had no such luck. At least you can’t blame the board for favouritism this time. Everyone and anyone has been an equal sufferer.

The ban is depressing. Life as a cricket fan will never be the same again. I don’t know if I can still call myself a cricket fan. Will I have to call myself something else - an anti-cricket fan or banned cricket fan or a rebel cricket fan?

You can see that Iam already going nuts.

And this could get worse.

What if the BCCI blocks my access to the remaining ‘official cricket’ media forums – newspapers, mobile updates, radio, blogs etc? What if ‘official cricket’ fans were forced to boycott us? What if, the BCCI stopped us from buying all the books about ‘official cricket’ – which covers the entire literature there is on cricket. There is so much I plan to read after I retire. What will a retired, socially inept person like me do without ‘official cricket’? I just hope the laws of this country somehow prevent such a situation. But you never know.

BCCI ke haath bahut lambe hain!

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New isport article - The complete ICL Report Card

Last year, when the ICL was announced, I had written about the challenges the league faced to become successful. A few challenges were added later, when, the BCCI decided to run them into the ground. The League has completed two editions and its time to do a report card. I have done it on isport. Please read the complete report on http://isport.in/content/view/155/57

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Care for some cricket chit-chat-II

Sri Lanka have appointed Trevor Bayliss as their new national team coach. Australian coaches have done a world of good for them and the board looks to continue with their successful formula. The selection was done purely on the guy's coaching credentials, which are excellent, and the two year term reflects the confidence of the board in their new coach and their long term vision. Why don’t we get these guys to run our board as well?

Post the appointment of Bayliss, the Sri Lankan board secretary said that, “When we knew how good he was, we signed him up immediately because there are a lot of countries head-hunting for coaches at present." Tell you what Mr. Secretary, the other countries (India and Pakistan) are so hopelessly pathetic, that you could have appointed Bayliss three months from now, and sent him to stay with Gavaskar and Powar in the interim period and still not lost him. I think the prospective coaches in our country will have to clear a seventh round interview with the sports minister, then an eighth one with the PM and then qualify for the final round of BBC Mastermind, before their offer letters are printed. Even the hopeless English have a new coach in place.

The High powered selection committee have selected Chandu Borde to manage the Indian Team, after driving away Graham Ford with their offer of a one year contract. It seems they were sure, that they would need a replacement after a year’s time. And where did they find Borde? In a flea market? Or was he researching new coaching techniques in the Himalayas. Also special thanks to committee member, Mr. Gavaskar, who outdid the media, by airing his personal views on the candidates, before the final decision was taken.

Shivanarain Chanderpaul continues to single-handedly defy the English attack. Is he the best batsman in the world on current form? No, the answer is Sachin Tendulkar, who was much better against Bangladesh.

Bhajji and Sehwag have finally been given the boot. Thank God for making men like Dilip Vengsarkar. Expect a few incidents of violence in Najafgarh and Punjab soon. Does anyone have Navjot Singh Sidhu's comments on this?

Dhoni is now a vice-captain. Can the board please take a look at the record of one previous vice-captain - one Mr. Virender Sehwag; another guy who was thrust into the role before he was worthy and then went from hero to zero in a flash.

How many of you watched the Afro-Asia cup? Is this the best side Africa can come up with? Would this side even make the finals of the South African domestic competition? These were international games. What is the point of having this tournament if no one wants to play?

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Coach hunting for Team India

One of the most hotly debated topics in Indian sport is whether, there is a need to have foreign coaches for our national teams. Among the major sports, Cricket and Football have joined the bandwagon fulltime, while hockey has flirted with the idea once. Other sports like shooting, table tennis and boxing are also employing foreign coaches.

The call for a foreign coach is mainly based on the ineptitude of our local talent; home grown coaches who rarely have the relevant coaching experience, and are not abreast of the latest coaching techniques and training methodologies. This school of thought curries favour with most modern sports administrators, whose penchant for the foreigner, however, is borne out of the desire to get a quick fix solution and sweep their own misgivings under the carpet. Their selection criterion is pretty simple; get a coach from the country currently dominating the sport.

Ironically, the selection panel generally consists of former greats, who, strongly feel that a foreign coach is like an imported car on bumpy Indian roads – completely out of place. Most of them will take the job of coaching the national team at the drop of a hat; in spite of never having coached a school team, and are gripped by jingoistic pride every time a foreign mercenary treads upon their coaching fiefdom. Their selection procedure gives undue importance to the playing career of the candidate, undermining the entire exercise.

So, as we prepare to make another selection, what is the solution to this coaching conundrum?

Well, for starters let’s try answer, what makes a 'good' national coach?

A 'good' national coach should have proven coaching credentials at the first class level, in a competitive sporting environment. To be able to adapt to the changing nature of the modern game, he should constantly be in tune with the latest coaching methodologies. A taste of the international game is another added advantage.

His coaching resume should provide enough evidence of having made his team larger than the sum of the parts, and of having strategized as per the strengths of the players and not the other way round. His teams should have exhibited signs of being prepared for multiple situations and displayed flawless execution. He should have developed a system, which consistently delivered, without suffering from the occasional absence of key players.

Now, that we have defined 'good', let’s look at past mistakes and global best practices to throw more light on this matter.

Just don’t get any foreign coach. Get a good one - After a spate of dismal performances, the Indian Hockey Federation decided to appoint a foreign coach. The legendary German coach, Paul Lissek, was willing, but he was deemed too expensive by the IHF. So they got a cheaper German; little-known Gerhard Rach instead. The team’s cheap performances were a fait accompli all along.

Instead of buying imported cars for eternity, try setting up a world class local manufacturing facility - All the major football leagues in the world; England, Spain and Italy, make it mandatory for a coach to first acquire a coaching diploma. These programs are in turn designed and run by reputed coaches, and the syllabus is regularly updated. In comparison most of our coaches learn on the job and the few ‘certified’ ones benefit from the generosity of NIS (National Institute of Sports) Patiala; whose philanthropy compares to the way driving licenses are handed out in our country.

Joint ventures work really well – Taking an automobile analogy, an indigenous suspension can cushion the impact of Indian roads. Successful foreign coaches, have long employed local assistant coaches and scouts. This helps the foreign coach in appreciating the sports culture of the country; in understanding the domestic structure of the game; and facilitating clear communication with the players( especially, if there is a language barrier). An added advantage is that most of these assistants benefit from the tutelage and turn out pretty good themselves. (E.g. José Mourinho under Bobby Robson)

When selecting a coach, ask for his coaching resume, and not his playing one - What is common to John Bracewell of New Zealand, Tom Moody of Sri Lanka, Dave Whatmore of Bangladesh, Mickey Arthur of South Africa and Roger Harper of Kenya? Answer – They are all coaches of successful WC 2007 teams, who had moderate cricketing careers. There are countless other examples which prove the same point - Good coaches don’t have to be great players as well. And, come to think of it, one of the Indian selectors had the temerity to ask Tom Moody, how he even considered applying for the Indian post, when his career stats were far inferior to those of fellow applicant, Greg Chappell. Wonder what the selector has to say now?

Finally the silver lining - The great Indian coach is not a bridge too far. The emergence of Venkatesh Prasad, Praveen Amre and Robin Singh as competent coaches, who are making sincere efforts to fit the mould of a modern day coach, provides hope for the future. An assistant coaching stint under a good foreign coach and regular exposure to modern methodologies will go a long way in making great coaches out of them.

Bottom-line – A ‘good’ foreign coach with Indian assistants is the need of the hour. A good infrastructure, where coaches are trained and given on the job learning as well, will bring in a new tomorrow.

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The sorry state of Indian domestic cricket

The post-mortem of India’s shameful exit from the 2007 world cup continues. One argument doing the rounds is a move to revamp the domestic structure, basing it more on the lines of the Australian model. It will involve greater participation of the international stars, thereby ensuring that, the domestic fare is closer to international standards. This system has multiple benefits.

• As domestic cricket toughens up, the men will be separated from the boys at the national level. And rather than becoming one match wonders , future players will be better prepared for international cricket , both mentally and skill-wise
• No national star will be able to take their place for granted, and will be under constant pressure to perform and justify his selection, on current form.
• The coverage of domestic cricket will improve, and the Indian public will be seeing more of it. Thus, the performance of our regionally focused selectors will also come in for greater scrutiny, improving the quality of the selection process
  

A recent fixture of the Premier Cup (don’t be surprised, if you haven’t heard about it. You are part of a 90% majority of Indian cricket fans) highlights all that is wrong with domestic cricket.

The Premier Cup, by the way, is the one day equivalent of the Ranji Trophy and was televised live on Neo Sports. No sharing of feed with DD this time. They were given complete exclusivity, ostensibly because, there was no national importance attached to this game. The tournament was scheduled conveniently to clash with the World Cup, and our national heroes were spared the trouble of coming up with creative excuses to give it a slip. Bravo BCCI.

Now about the game - a mouth watering semi-final clash between Mumbai and UP. Two heavyweights of the domestic game, featuring numerous national discards ( Romesh Powar, Mohd Kaif, RP Singh , Wasim Jaffer, Piyush Chawla, Avishkar Salvi ), a future star in Rohit Sharma ,and long forgotten Amol Majumdar and Shalabh Srivastav. The last named was the highest wicket taker in the 2000 junior world cup, won by India. A notable absentee was Suresh Raina, a man whose absence in the Caribbean, was cited by Greg Chappell, as the main reason for India’s poor performance.

UP batted first and scored 224/6 in 50 overs. Mumbai lost Jaffer for a duck, but recovered though, a second wicket stand of 105, between opener Rahane and Powar, who smashed a run a-ball 61. Just when, Mumbai were running away with the match, Piyush Chawla bought UP back in the game, taking 4 for 31. The match was tantalizingly poised with Mumbai needing 10 of 18 balls, with Rohit Sharma (18* off 30 balls) and fast bowler Usman Malvi at the crease. The onus was on protecting wickets, and faced with a low asking rate, Rohit was expected to comfortably carry Mumbai home.

Off the second ball, he tried to clear the mid –on fielder for a boundary, failed, and was caught easily. Clearly, the pressure got to him. It’s not the end of the world for him, but it shows a serious lack of judgment and shortage of mental fortitude. Sadly, there were no selectors on view to notice this. They will see him score a century against Tripura (no offence meant) and put him in the national team. No wonder Mohinder Amarnath called them a bunch of jokers.

Salvi was next, and the two fast bowlers, kept Mumbai alive, scampering for 3 singles in the over .Kaif bought on RP Singh for the penultimate over. Surely, the UP captain had his best man for the job. Singh’s effort, however, was shoddy, as he bowled two no balls, leaving Kaif grimacing at mid wicket. He continued to be wayward, conceding 6 runs in the over and gifting Mumbai the match on a platter. There is no place for such undisciplined cricketers in modern cricket, but trust me; people will clamor for his inclusion in the side for Bangladesh. The same people, who haven’t seen him, bowl these no-balls.

This is the sorry state of our domestic cricket. Just having an Australian coach will not make us as good as the Aussies. We need to have an Australian system as well.

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