Fanatics

SPIRIT OF CRICKET

Dear readers I am going to take you through a period of scintillating cricket moving you from the past through the present in to the future. So scatty fans who tighten your seat belts I advice you not to go forward reading this article as it might be of great harm to your craze and be like an expectorant. It might make such crazy fans to drat this gentleman’s game. This is how cricket in 2010 is gonna be. The game loosing its spirit and most of the techniques being Americanized, this jaunty game is going to turn out to become a jaywalker.

In the forth-coming 2010 world cup let there be an encounter b’ween the awesome Aussies and the ever-raising Indians. The so-called greatest venue (Melbourne) in this games history might have only a few people in its stands to rejoice the games spirit. The Indians putting on a mammoth total of 414 to chase might take the field with ease. If you are an Indian, there might be smiles already in your face thinking of an already decided one-sided game. Then in comes the guttural openers swinging their bats, relaxing their arms and shoulders to gybe of this very confident Indian team. India playing with none of the specialist bowlers in view of complete dependence over its batsmen, the new ball gets into to the hands of a new player who takes his run up stride and gets ready to take over the challenge. The ball gets smashed all over the fence only to just add a little bit of worry in the face of the captian who begins to think slowly. The games spirit has been ruined by the politics involved in its board members and committee, which has made great players to just be muted spectators. The game will loose its crowd, which will just make this game as one of those ancient greats or run into the books of history.

Several changes need to be incorporated to make this game retain its pride as one of the gentleman’s if it needs to continue on its reputation. To the dismay of these crazy fans, it might turn out to be just a fading light if such huge politics gets involved into it. As the game progresses, these brutal players tend to bash the Indian tigers who might scratch their heads all around to think for ideas but end up finding none.

For the aussie, greats such as the all time batting maestro late Sir Don, Billy, the Chappells, Lillee, Waugh twins and so on get involved in the development of their disciples, encouraging them to continue the spirit but in the case of our game its just the committee and its members which develops and not any development does the game make in any form. These slow bowlers in a flat bouncy and juicy pitch might prove to be completely incapable of making any mark and it might turn out to be a practice sessions for these heavily talented, old but strong and willing players. This old traditional approach might make the fans to snivel (those who spend time to watch the game even after such a progress). The boards of members are concerned not only in making themselves comfortable with the schedule, but just introducing new faces in every tour and players ending their session with a strenuous effort but unable to yield anything, end up being removed even from the 22 member squad by the same selector. With this approach to the fancy game, a score of even above 800 is a cakewalk.

The changes in this form of game can be like taking players into the game based on their record of accomplishment over a period and not just by creed by which the game is gonna go down. Changes like two wicket matches where only two batsmen play per team and these things can really fantasize viewers and help teams to analyze players individually. Changes like no batsman is gonna be declared out and they continue to play for a specified number of overs and each time they get out runs have to be deducted based on the players. Highly reputed players in international ranking being dismissed might cause team to loose more runs than the lower ranked ones. Training must be given to tail enders to save matches or to survive a spell of fatal and deadly spirited bowling. They should allow players to stick on to their specialized positions and not vary them unless necessary, the top six batsmen being able to bat anywhere in the order. Such things might help this fantasy of the game to last a decade more and the Americanization of the game must immediately barred. The games spirit might get worse and in 2020, it might be only on the small and large computer screens and gaming zones unless serous action is taken to improve its spirit. Teams must be exposed to all kind of tracks, not like slow and weary pitches in subcontinent and fiercy and deadly bouncing tracks where our tigers turnout to become cats or rats and tumble to create new records for themselves. Even the mighty Aussies turn out to look for reasons to escape the dead subcontinent pitches where it favors none other than its own children. Therefore, unless serious action is taken this resplendent perky game is going to fall short of its fans and everlasting spirit in the world of sports: this need resurrection from the deciding members and its committee.

S.Arun Krishnan