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| Tuesday, 28 December 2004 |
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Comment Match referees by Elmo Rodrigopulle Accepted that the International Cricket Council is doing everything in their endeavour to introduce the game to many countries and also help in its progress and development. While all that is well and good, the ICC must get their act together and see that when it comes to their match referees and the decisions they make that they are made without discrimination. The other day match referees Ranjan Madugalle who is also the chief of referees and Clive Lloyd made decisions that to say the least was not balanced and acceptable. Madugalle who is doing his thing in Australia slapped a fine on Pakistani speed merchant Shoaib Akhtar for showing Australian opener Matthew Hayden the way to the dressing room after he was dismissed. Then in South Africa Lloyd only reprimanded Andrew Hall for doing something similar, but which was described has more aggressive than the act performed by Akhtar. Now what could not be understood and which smacked of discrimination was that one was fined and the other allowed with a reprimand. The ICC has a responsibility in this aspect and must be watchful and see that their match referees work in unison and not leave room for critics to take them to task. And the match referees when they make decisions, must not be severe when dealing with matters such as these, and see that the players are allowed to enjoy their dismissals, by showing off a bit as long as they do not get out of hand. What Akhtar and Hall were doing was just celebrating their success. They should have been spoken to and told not to indulge in this type of petty behaviour. After all it would do the match referees a lot of good if they at least now believe that cricket is not meant for sissies. Former West Indian captain Lloyd could be excused for not slapping a fine or a ban on Andrew Hall. When sitting in judgement Lloyd would have been a bit apprehensive and would not have wanted his fingers burnt again, after what happened to him after the Sourav Ganguly affair. We hope that next time round match the referees would understand players and deal with them that way. With Test cricket, which is what the game is all about quietly beginning to lose its appeal, what with the one-day game threatening to deal death to it, crowd pullers, especially bowlers such as Akhtar must be allowed, because the game requires them. The ICC and the match referees must endeavour not to kill the game and the players who bring joy and happiness to their supporters and thousands of others who revel in watching them perform. True they must be stern and not undertakers. Sad indictment It was sad watching the Indians led by Sourav Ganguly thrashing the day lights out of the hapless Bangladeshis in the Two Test series. From the looks of it, it is obvious that the Bangladeshis would always have to be second best when fronting up to any other cricket playing nation. To lose gracefully is not a shame. But the manner in which the Bangladesh cricketers are capitulating is a disgrace. Sunil Gavaskar the former Indian batting champion and now one of the best TV commentators said it all and summed up the disaster that is Bangladesh cricket when he said that some of their players are lacking the basics. Now isn't that a sad indictment on coach Dav Whatmore? The blame for promoting the Bangladeshis to the big league, before making a close study of their game and their infrastructure falls on the International Cricket Council. Back on holiday Two former Benedictine sports stalwarts are back in town on holiday. One is from the US and the other from Dubai. They are Cosmas Mahagama Perera and Fritzroy Ponniah. Cosmas was a household name in basketball in the sixties and seventies. He was easily the best all court player produced by the country. After a promising school career where he had the distinction of captaining the green, white and green school, he had the honour of leading the country later on. That was the era when the game was at its best and when his team-mate Percy Perera had the distinction of being adjudged the Best shooter in Asia after the Asian Games in Bangkok. Cosmas who is in business in the US, has another team-mate of his Edward Sumanasekera working for him. Ponniah who played for the school in '57, '58 and '59 was an allrounder. But was better know for his dogged batting, where he would stay at the crease for hours without scoring. Two games that he helped the school stave off defeat was against Royal and St. Peter's. He would 'thattu' and frustrate the opposing bowlers and at the end would walk off the field with his head held high, having saved his school from imminent defeat. His brother the late Neville was an outstanding leg spin googly bowler produced by the Kotahena school who had the distinction of performing the hat trick and later turning out for the Tamil Union and representing the country in the Gopalan Trophy against Madras where he captured five wickets. Fritzroy is in town after a break of 40 years. |
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