The Doctor's prescription: An interview with Ali Bacher

Ali Bacher came to Mumbai to watch the South Africans take on India. As it turned out, the visitors needed just three days to convincingly beat the Indians. It is almost certain that Bacher will be the next president of the International Cricket Council. His views on matters such as the globalisation of cricket are interesting if nothing else. Anand Vasu caught up with him in an exclusive interview for CricInfo at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai:

AV: First let me congratulate you for the big win in the first Test. Were you surprised that you won so easily?

AB: It wasn't an easy win. The conditions for batting were difficult throughout the match. Till the end it was competitive. Even someone of the calibre of Sachin Tendulkar struggled towards the end. But I think our fast bowlers did the job for us. Donald and Pollock are probably the best opening pair in world cricket today. And towards the end, it was the temperament of Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis that saw us through. Mentally, the South Africans are very tough.

AV: Do you think the pitch was a fair one?

AB: I don't want to criticise the curator here, but there was a bit of uneven bounce. That says enough. The umpires must be given credit for the way they did their job. Along with Steve Bucknor, David Shepherd and Venkat are the best umpires in the business today. We must give them credit.

AV: What would you say is an ideal pitch?

AB: The best Test pitches are the kind that help the fast bowlers in the initial stages, then ease out into good batting tracks for a majority of the game and then help the spinners towards the end. Typically the kind of pitches that you find in Australia. The Australians have perfected the art of making good pitches.

AV: Do you think players have a lot of difficulty adjusting to the conditions in the sub continent? In the Under-19 World Cup, the difference was glaring as Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India were too good for the rest.

AB: At the Under-19 level, that makes sense. But when you are playing International cricket at the senior level that should not be the case. People like Gary Kirsten have been here before. They know the conditions well.

AV: Do you think there should be more uniformity in playing conditions the world around?

AB: It's very difficult to regulate such things. What is necessary is that people look out for the best interests of the game. If conditions are fair to all participating, you will get a good game of cricket.

AV: Are you surprised by the success of Jacques Kallis?

AB: Not at all, Kallis is destined to be one of the greatest all rounders from South Africa. His technique is outstanding and he is hungry for runs. But don't ignore Pollock. He is also a complete all rounder. I would put these two in the same category as some of the greatest we've produced like Clive Rice, Mike Proctor and Trevor Goddard.

AV: In the recent past we have seen Brian Lara, Wasim Akram and Sachin Tendulkar stepping down from captaincy. Will Cronje be the next?

AB:Cronje is indispensible to the team right now. He still has a good few years cricket left in him. He's a strong leader and we wouldn't consider changing the captain right now.

AV: Do you think that the quality of the game is being diluted in a drive to globalise the game?

AB: Globalisation is definitely on the top of the ICC agenda. In the next World Cup you are going to see 14 teams participating. In 2003, Kenya and Bangladesh will get automatic selection. The other three berths will be taken by teams which will top the selection tournament which is to be held in Canada.

AV: The last World Cup saw an alarming number of one sided matches. Do you feel we are diluting the pool further?

AB: Not at all. They (Kenya and Bangladesh) are inexperienced sides. They will take time. But no, we are definitely not diluting the pool.

AV: You have recommended that Bangladesh be awarded Test status. However, when they toured New Zealand and played provincial sides there, they lost two games convincingly. Are they ready yet?

AB: Eddie Barlow as you know, has been watching them closely. He is a keen student of the game and he has personally told me that they are ready. Barlow sure knows his cricket. If he says they are ready, then they are. If they are given Test status, they will come through. And besides, it's an exciting new market that's opened up. We need such new markets. Bangladesh is a market of 130 million people.

AV: It might be a very good market, but shouldn't we wait?

AB: Why should we wait? It's inevitable that Bangladesh will get Test status.

AV: Now there is a proposal to give events like the Super Sixes and Max Cricket official recognition. What do you feel about that?

AB: Well, we need different products for different markets. Test cricket is still very strong in South Africa, India, Australia, England and the West Indies. However, other markets need other forms of cricket. Take Canada or Holland or Denmark. They would never get Test status. Though there is talent and interest in these regions, Test cricket would never be sustainable there.

AV: But though one of these countries may field a better team than Bangladesh, Bangladesh gets Test status just because the market is conducive?

AB: I've been to Bangladesh twice. I've seen the conditions there. They're perfect. You have capacity crowds at games. There is a cricket culture in Bangladesh. There is a passion associated with the game. That's what we need.

AV: There is a call for more representation from varied communities in South Africa.

AB: The future looks very good. There are black cricketers in the A team. And this is without any kind of quota system. At the national level, there is no room for a quota system. Players have to be selected on merit. In domestic cricket we have a rule that ensures that there is at least one coloured player in every team. However, we don't believe that such a policy is warranted at the national level. The difference is simple, the national team SHOULD be a team of colour, whereas a provincial team MUST be a team of colour.