News and views

Indo-Pak cricket relations
The Agra Summit between the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of India ended rather abruptly. It seems many issues like restoration of cricket relations between the two countries, a matter to be talked over in a leisurely mood, may not have appeared on the conference table.

Apart from restoring permanent relations, it's surprising the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is still awaiting Government permission to send the team to Pakistan for the Asian Test Championship tie to be held in September 2001. As per the ACT itinerary, India is scheduled to play the opening match against Pakistan at Lahore from 12-16 September 2001.

According to a news item, Mr Kishore Rungta, Treasurer of the BCCI has expressed the view that 'there was no reason for the Ministry of Sports to restrain the national squad from participation in the championship'. Of note is the news that India has pulled out of a one-day series in Australia, mainly because the dates clashed with the Asian Test Championship.

Further, in the last meeting of the Asian Cricket Council in which the programme of the tournament was finalised, the President of the BCCI assured members that the Indian Ministry of Sports had no objection to the Indian cricket team playing in Pakistan in a 'multilateral tournament'. Strangely, a fresh approval is still required.

Shoaib dictating terms to PCB
Shoaib Akhtar, who has not paid back in terms of performance even a fraction of the amount spent by PCB on the correction of his suspect bowling action and medical treatment, has started dictating terms to the Board.

Earlier, Shoaib was sent to Australia to take guidance from Coach Daryl Foster and former pace icon Dennis Lillie to rectify the fault that made his bowling action suspect. After a few weeks of guidance, coaching and practice under the two stalwarts, his action was cleared. He joined the Pakistan team for its tour of England. In order to turn Shoaib into an effective fast bowler and boost his skill and potential for the future, the PCB even hired Daryl Foster to be at his side during the tour.

Ironically, after all the efforts to build him into one of the world's leading fast bowlers, Shoaib came out to be in a poor state of health and physical fitness. He broke down on the field, failing to bowl more than a few overs, thus causing a set back to the team as well as disappointing the spectators. When dropped for the next match, Shoaib is reported to have left the hotel to live out and signed up with some local teams to play in England.

Now that the Pakistan team is preparing for the Asian Test Championship, Shoaib was asked to join the training camp starting in the 1st week of August. In his response to the PCB's call, Shoaib has apparently made his inclusion in the team a condition for his return to the country. This seems an act unbecoming of a test player.

No player can be guaranteed a place in the team until he proves his fitness and is selected by the Board's Selection Committee. To perhaps knock-in some sense and set matters straight with Shoaib, the PCB would be well advised to ignore him from inclusion. This jolt should prove an effective medicine to improve his physical fitness as well as discipline.

A legal challenge to Hansie Cronje's ban
Reports indicate, former South African captain Hansie Cronje may be up for a dramatic return to cricket coaching, if not actually playing the game. It seems his well-prepared legal team may challenge their client's hastily applied life ban in the court. The lawyers feel that Percy Sonn, President of the United Cricket Board of South Africa insisted on slapping the life ban on Cronje without a hearing, thereby denying the former captain the legal right to have his side heard.

The cricket fraternity, however, thinks otherwise. Re-counting his crimes they maintain that by his own admission, Cronje has been guilty of accepting $30,000 from the Indian bookmaker MK Gupta for losing a Test against India at Kanpur in 1996. In the one-day series between South Africa, England and Zimbabwe in the year 2000, he accepted $10,000 from a bookmaker, again by his own admission.

Despite all this, if a remission is granted him, he may get away with every thing except the one-year ban that he has already served. In such a case, the game of cricket may have to call up some new axioms like 'play with a crooked bat' or 'cheats always beat'. With other cases also being swept under the carpet, the impression that the fight against corruption was directed mainly against Asian players is likely to gain further momentum among cricket fans.

In the light of above one feels that the cases of two former Asian captains Azharuddin and Saleem Malik may also have to be reviewed. Though the Lahore High Court has already rejected Saleem Malik's appeal, the fact remains that he was punished on the evidence of two Australian players with no chance to defend himself provided to him.