2007 Cricket World Cup Magazine

Cricket

Vol. 1 No 1. March 1, 2007

USA Star Steve MasPasigeah 38

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Will It Be The

For batting Geniuses Sachin Tendulkar And Brian Lara In World Cups? Pages 22 & 28

JOHN AARON’S ONE ON ONE WITH CLIVE LLOYD

PHOTO BY WILLIAM WEST AFP/GETTY IMAGES INSET PHOTO BY JOHN AARON

FINAL HURRAH

PAGE 32

March 2007

CONTENT

11

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF BALL TAMPERING

25

14

WALSH BATS FOR WEST INDIES

ER THE OTH OF SIDE CHRIS G DEHRIN

52

NO REGRETS ROWE ON SOUTH AFRICA SOJOURN

31

PROFILE IN COMMITMENT...

ED AHMAD

18

CANADIAN HOPES RAISED FOR WORLD CUP

8

2007 WORLD CUP SCHEDULE

44 CRICKET WORLD CUP RECORDS

WHY IS USA ASIAN 61 36 THE CRICKET CHALLENGE AT THE CARIBBEAN

IN SUCH A MESS?

EDITORIAL

6 Cricket International Magazine

A Sign Of The Times Cricket came to America way back in the 1700’s, yet it has taken more than 200 years for hints of real development to emerge.

Four years ago the handling of the sport here hardly differed to the days when the XI of London crossed the Atlantic to play the XI of New York in a game the latter team won in 1751 Long afterwards cricket was still being treated like the social activity of yore. Representative United States team comprised aging former first class players from the West Indies India and Pakistan no longer worth their salt in their respective homelands.

Young players were non existent in national teams and except for two grounds in Los Angeles and Miramar Florida, all the games were played on medieval times matting covered pitches.

Lots of cricket is still played on matting these days, but almost every other aspect of the sport is changing.

Junior development programs abound in almost every cricket city in the country, ever since the Cricket International/ New York Region Junior Youth Development kick started a trend in 2003.

A 40-000 seater world class stadium will soon be completed in Broward County Florida while upgraded turf pitch grounds are springing up in other areas of the Sunshine State and New York City.

Two years ago the first ever United States junior cricket championship was staged and in the blink of an eye, a national U.S. team was off to the ICC Under-19 World Cup for its debut participation.

These days, young players in club, regional and national senior teams is the rule rather than the exception.

The fact that a junior side made it to the World Cup before the senior team says a lot about the strides made since serious reform gripped United States cricket.

Yet it should not be long before the seniors follow suite, if one takes into consideration the first performance of a new look U.S. squad By upstaging World Cup bound Bermuda and Canada at last year’s Americas Cup competition, the young side hinted at great promise for the future.

As a result the strides made these last four years paved the way for the birth of Cricket International Magazine.

We feel the time is appropriate to create a credible journal to record the progress United States cricket is poised to embark on.

There is no better way to encourage the development drive and fuel the sport’s growing interest than by tracking the happenings here and around the world with literature for our growing cricket population to enjoy on a regular basis.

The Cricket International brand has been in existence for 12 years, beginning with our weekly newspaper that was subsequently complemented by our weekly television show and website.

All of that experience is being utilized to make Cricket International Magazine the best it can be.

Our ultimate goal is for monthly publishing, but for a start we intend to appear quarterly.

Nevertheless, the sky remains our limit.

Cricket

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Vish Lekhram

INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE

EDITOR Orin Davidson

Volume 1, Number 1, March 2007 Cricket International Magazine is published quarterly by Cricket International Enterprises Inc.

ART\PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Shiek Mohamed

WRITERS John Aaron Rabindra Mehta Kamal Kailash Deb K. Das Edward Norfolk

ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHERS Nandram Bhagwandin John Aaron Kevin Mohabir Orin Davidson Cordell Baird Shiek Mohamed Edward Norfolk Renton Ramsamooj WEBMASTER: Martin Persaud

221-10 Jamaica Avenue, Suite 203 Queens Village, Queens New York, 11428 USA Tel: 718-736-1400 • Fax: 718-736-1401 • Email: Cricmagazine@aol.com Contents copyrighted 2007 and all rights reserved by Cricket International Enterprises Inc.

World Cup Schedule

Date 05 Mar 2007 05 Mar 2007 05 Mar 2007 05 Mar 2007 06 Mar 2007 06 Mar 2007 06 Mar 2007 06 Mar 2007 08 Mar 2007 08 Mar 2007 08 Mar 2007 08 Mar 2007 09 Mar 2007 09 Mar 2007 09 Mar 2007 09 Mar 2007

Team West Indies England South Africa Sri Lanka New Zealand Pakistan Australia India Scotland Ireland Zimbabwe Kenya New Zealand India Australia Pakistan

Team Kenya Bermuda Ireland Scotland Bangladesh Canada Zimbabwe Holland Bangladesh Canada Bermuda Holland Sri Lanka West Indies England South Africa

Venue Result The Trelawney Stadium Arnos Vale Ground Sir Frank Worrell Ground Three Ws Oval Three Ws Oval Sir Frank Worrell Ground Arnos Vale Ground The Trelawney Stadium Three Ws Oval Sir Frank Worrell Ground Arnos Vale Ground The Trelawney Stadium Three Ws Oval The Trelawney Stadium Arnos Vale Ground Sir Frank Worrell Ground

Date 13 Mar 2007 14 Mar 2007 14 Mar 2007 15 Mar 2007 15 Mar 2007 16 Mar 2007 16 Mar 2007 17 Mar 2007 17 Mar 2007 18 Mar 2007 18 Mar 2007 19 Mar 2007 19 Mar 2007 20 Mar 2007 20 Mar 2007 21 Mar 2007 21 Mar 2007 22 Mar 2007 22 Mar 2007 23 Mar 2007 23 Mar 2007 24 Mar 2007 24 Mar 2007 25 Mar 2007

Team West Indies Australia Kenya Zimbabwe Sri Lanka South Africa England Pakistan India Australia England India West Indies South Africa New Zealand Sri Lanka Zimbabwe Scotland New Zealand West Indies India Australia England Bermuda

Team Pakistan Scotland Canada Ireland Bermuda Holland New Zealand Ireland Bangladesh Holland Canada Bermuda Zimbabwe Scotland Kenya Bangladesh Pakistan Holland Canada Ireland Sri Lanka South Africa Kenya Bangladesh

Venue Sabina Park Warner Park Beausejour Stadium Sabina Park The Queen’s Park Oval Warner Park Beausejour Stadium Sabina Park The Queen’s Park Oval Warner Park Beausejour Stadium The Queen’s Park Oval Sabina Park Warner Park Beausejour Stadium The Queen’s Park Oval Sabina Park Warner Park Beausejour Stadium Sabina Park The Queen’s Park Oval Warner Park Beausejour Stadium The Queen’s Park Oval

Result

Team D2 A2 D2 D1 A1 D2 B2 D1 C2 B2 A1 D1 D2 C2 B1 A1 A2 B2 A1 A2 D1 D2 A1 D2

Team A1 B1 C1 C2 B2 B1 C1 A2 B1 A2 C2 C1 A2 B2 C1 D1 C1 D1 B1 C2 B1 B2 C1 C2

Venue The Viv Richards Stadium Providence Stadium The Viv Richards Stadium Providence Stadium The Viv Richards Stadium Providence Stadium The Viv Richards Stadium Providence Stadium The Viv Richards Stadium Providence Stadium The Viv Richards Stadium Providence Stadium Queen’s Park Stadium Kensington Oval Queen’s Park Stadium Kensington Oval Queen’s Park Stadium Kensington Oval Queen’s Park Stadium Kensington Oval Queen’s Park Stadium Kensington Oval Queen’s Park Stadium Kensington Oval

Date 24 Apr 2007 25 Apr 2007

Team Team 2 Team 1

Team Team 3 Team 4

Date 28 Apr 2007

Team

Team

Venue Sabina Park Beausejour Stadium

Venue Kensington Oval

Result

Result

Result

World Cup Schedule

Date 27 Mar 2007 28 Mar 2007 29 Mar 2007 30 Mar 2007 31 Mar 2007 01 Apr 2007 02 Apr 2007 03 Apr 2007 04 Apr 2007 07 Apr 2007 08 Apr 2007 09 Apr 2007 10 Apr 2007 11 Apr 2007 12 Apr 2007 13 Apr 2007 14 Apr 2007 15 Apr 2007 16 Apr 2007 17 Apr 2007 18 Apr 2007 19 Apr 2007 20 Apr 2007 21 Apr 2007

march 1, 2007 11

NASA Scientist Rabindra Mehta takes a look at

The Art And Science Of Ball Tampering

Rabindra examining the seams on a cricket ball.

What are the beneďŹ ts of ball tampering and can it be controlled?

Nowadays, whenever ball tampering is mentioned, cricket fans immediately relate it to illegal roughening of the ball’s surface. The recent ball tampering controversies have just reiterated this ongoing problem which first surfaced in the early 1990’s. Of course, ball tampering is not restricted to this roughening activity. In prior years, bowlers have also been accused of using foreign substances to help shine the ball and of picking and raising the primary seam.

So why do bowlers tamper with the ball? Does it really help, and if so, in what way? Are there any scientific facts that support the observations? What do the current cricket laws state, and are they enforceable? All these questions are addressed here together with some suggestions on what changes the cricketing authorities may want to consider.

12 Cricket International Magazine

A “floater” bowled by a spinner with the rough side facing down.

Ball orientation and flow field for reverse swing.

Law 42 (Fair and unfair play) Let us start by first examining what the current cricket laws on ball tampering actually state. Here is the section of law 42.3 that relates to polishing, cleaning and roughening the cricket ball.

42.3 The match ball - changing its condition (a) Any fielder may (i) polish the ball provided that no artificial substance is used and that such polishing wastes no time. (ii) remove mud from the ball under the supervision of the umpire. (iii) dry a wet ball on a towel. (b) It is unfair for anyone to rub the ball on the ground for any reason, interfere with any of the seams or the surface of the ball, use any implement, or take any other action whatsoever which is likely to alter the condition of the ball, except as permitted in (a) above.

History and the art It was the summer of 1994, right after the infamous Atherton “dirt in the pocket” incident, when I was summoned to Lord’s to meet with the TCCB’s Chief Executive and Chairman of the Cricket Committee. Obviously, the main topics of discussion were reverse swing and the role of ball tampering in this relatively new phenomenon. They first showed me several balls that had been confiscated after the umpires suspected the fielding side of ball tampering. From what I observed, the most popular forms of tampering consisted

of gouging the surface using foreign objects such as bottle tops and opening up the quarter seam using fingernails. I explained to them why bowlers resorted to such tactics and how that affected the aerodynamics of the ball, especially with regards to reverse swing. We also discussed how the cricket laws may be changed so that ball tampering may be prevented. One of the sensible procedures introduced right away was to instruct the umpires to inspect the ball very closely at the end of each over. The actual changes to the laws did not occur until 2000 when Law 42.3 was introduced. Although the paltry five run penalty and letting the batsmen choose the replacement ball intrigued many, including myself, at least the issue was now formally addressed. However, it must be said that with the results of the recent hearings at the Oval, I cannot see any umpire enforcing this law, thus rendering it totally useless.

Ball tampering is not a recent innovation by any means. Ever since I recall watching cricket, bowlers could be seen cleaning and lifting the primary seam. A prominent primary seam helps movement off the ground and it is also critical for conventional and reverse swing. The practice is now prohibited under Law 42.3, but as some players argue, if polishing of the ball’s surface to retain the original shine (smoothness) is allowed then why not allow maintenance of the seam; they do have a point. It is interesting that even the legal practice of polishing of the ball has not escaped controversy. In the 1970’s bowlers were accused of using Brylcreem or Vaseline to help the polishing process. More recently,

we heard about special mints that supposedly make the saliva a better polishing agent.

While these practices make interesting and controversial story lines, I am not sure that there is much to it in terms of the science.

Saliva and sweat make perfect lubricants and once the outer lacquer applied to the ball wears off, constant polishing releases the natural oils from the leather which help the polishing process. In recent years, ball tampering invariably refers to the act of deliberately roughening up a balls’ surface. With all the scrutiny from cricket officials and television cameras, the original form of blatant tampering has been all but eradicated. Nowadays, the players resort to smarter tactics such as making a scratch obtained “naturally” deeper and wider using a finger nail. This form of tampering is obviously much harder to identify, even with constant inspection of the ball. Another tactic is to rub the ball against the boundary boards or the hard surface beyond the grass as it is picked up after being hit for four or six. In this case it is not always easy to prove that the act was committed in a deliberate attempt to roughen the ball. I am definitely not advocating that players resort to illegal forms of ball tampering, but can the ball be roughened legally?

Legal roughening of the ball One way is to let the batsman hit the boundary boards regularly, but I am not sure if the team captain will appreciate that very much. A more acceptable way for the fast

march 1, 2007 13

bowlers is to grip the ball with the seam running across the fingers (similar grip to that of a spinner) and then bowl with a regular action. In this case the ball will fly through the air with the seam scrambled (spinning backwards). If the ball lands on the seam, especially the edge, the ball will tend to takeoff steeply, a lethal delivery that worked wonders for me on many occasions. Of course, with the seam occupying a relatively small area of the ball surface, it is more likely that the ball will land on the leather part thus helping to roughen it up. The down side to this technique is that there is no control over which side (the one that is being polished or the one you want to rough up) hits the ground. A more controlled delivery for roughening the ball surface is one where the ball is held with the fingers on the seam and released with a wide arm action such that the ball spins along the seam with it angled at about 45 degrees to the ground. The ball is obviously released with the side you are trying to rough up facing the ground. Yet another option is to put on a spinner and make him bowl “floaters” with the seam in the horizontal plane and the rough side facing the ground (see figure 1). So why go to such great lengths to create a rough surface and is there any science to support all this?

The science behind it all Perhaps the biggest misconception about reverse swing is that it can only be generated with an old ball, and so to obtain it early in the innings, one must tamper with the ball. The fact is that reverse swing can be obtained even with a brand new ball. The slight problem is that one would have to bowl at around 90mph or higher in order to get the new ball to reverse swing. Not a problem for the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee, but what about all the other mere mortals who cannot achieve those bowling speeds?

Well, that is where the rough surface comes in. As shown in Figure 2, for reverse swing the ball is released in the same manner as for conventional swing, but it swings in a direction that is opposed to that of the seam.

The main point to note is that as the surface roughness on the side facing the batsman is increased, the speed at which reverse swing is obtained is decreased. Additionally, the amount of reverse swing obtained at bowling speeds above this critical value is also increased. Another advantage of creating a rough surface and maintaining the other side smooth is that contrast swing (The Wisden Cricketer, Vol. 3, No. 7, pp. 50-53, April 2006) can now be added to the bowler’s arsenal.

Solutions?

So can anything be done about the ball tampering problem? Well, if the cricketing authorities (ICC and MCC) really feel that this whole tampering issue is totally out of

“Happy Swinger” ball with one side smooth and the other ‘dimpled.’

Ball tampering is not a recent innovation by any means.

Ever since I recall watching cricket, bowlers could be seen cleaning and lifting the primary seam. A prominent primary seam helps movement off the ground and it is also critical for conventional and reverse swing.

hand, and moreover, they are really at a loss as to what can be done to control it, I have a couple of possible solutions. If they feel that reverse and contrast swing need to be curtailed, then give the fielding side a new ball after every 10 overs. However, if the consensus is that conventional, reverse and contrast swing ought to play a bigger role in modern day cricket, then give them what I

call the “Happy Swinger,” which has one side smooth and the other rough (‘dimpled’ with small holes punched through the leather, as shown in Figure 3) --- a real dream come true for all fast bowlers!

Rabindra Mehta, Sports Aerodynamic Consultant and NASA scientist based in Mountain View, California (rabi44@aol.com).

14 Cricket International Magazine

CHRIS

Photographs by Shiek Mohamed

DEHRING ORIN DAVIDSON WRITES

Sometime back in early 1980’s a young Leeward Islands batsman tore into a strong Jamaica attack en-route to a spectacular innings.

The knock which highlighted a crucial clash between two Regional powerhouses in the West Indies Under-19 championship changed Chris Dehring’s perspective of the game permanently.

“Like everybody else I dreamt of playing for the West Indies,” Dehring explained. “Batting number three for Jamaica, you feel pretty sure that you’re going to achieve something in the world of cricket,” he explained. “But then the number three for the Leeward Islands came out to bat and started hammering Courtney Walsh and Patrick Patterson around the Park as if they were bowling spin. And when I looked at this number three I said I can’t do that, so I decided to take up a football scholarship to the (United) States. So I owe Richie Richardson (ex West Indies captain) my academic career,”

march 1, 2007 15

Many cricket fans who now rely religiously on Dehring’s words for World Cup assurances, never knew he was an aspiring Test player back in the day.

But after the youngster observed first “It is a massive Caribbean undertaking, hand the standard required to reach the top, you feel you really are not just doing a job. he ditched his goal of earning the maroon It is a contribution, something special to be cap. a part of and I wanted to be a part of it and The decision led to a career in the board to work alongside all these great Caribbean room instead. people,” Today he stands at the pinnacle of the ReThe responsibilities required more than gion’s cricket administrative ladder, saddled merely giving back to cricket, it necessitated with the unenviable responsibility of making commitment few would be prepared to give.

World Cup 2007 a success.

“I’ll never forget my first marriage, the As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CEO remembers. “I got married on a SaturCricket World Cup 2007 committee, Dehring is defying great odds in a quest to create history in the English speaking Caribbean – of successfully staging the third largest Global sports event after the Olympics and World Cup football (soccer).

But not many cricket followers know of Dehring - the sportsman.

He was capable enough to win selection on his country’s Under-19 team and was multitalented too, as he also wore the Jamaica Under-19 football team colors at the same time.

“I think I was pretty good,” he said. “But I also had an academic calling which I felt I wanted to pursue so I went to college and the rest is history”. Chris Dehring with his team at the launching of CWC The scholarship earned him New York City. a degree in marketing/finance at an institution in Virginia and he resisted day and on the Monday I was presenting the the temptation to live in America, which led West Indies bid to host the Cricket World to him enjoying as fulfilling a life as any of Cup at Lords’. the players from his competitive days who Since that day, the World Cup 2007 re-

decided to hold this event collectively. This is what I have chosen to do and will see it to the end.”

The positives gained in the process means much to him, nevertheless.

“I feel at home as much in Guyana as I feel at home in Kingston. I have friends in Guyana, in Trinidad in Barbados etc. I have become a Caribbean person. As you know about most Jamaicans, we are very much into North America, we never really looked to the Caribbean as our brothers and sisters so to speak, so for me it has been an eye opening experience”.

One of Dehring’s major challenges requires his organization making the event a Caribbean specialty.

“England in ’99 (1999) was a cricket tournament, the World Cup in South Africa in 2003 became a mega sporting event -- with the volunteer program, the whole global television audience… the spectacle. It looked much closer to an Olympic Games or football World Cup and so it has grown exponentially. We are putting in place things that were not in South Africa. We have to raise the bar and continue to raise that bar not just on the world but on our selves. Simply because we are the Caribbean we are expected to fail in so many areas.

We don’t just have to meet expectations, we have to surpass them. The standards of how we are judged are going to be promotion in harder than anywhere else in the world,” declared the CEO. Work ethic has taken on new meaning for Dehring as a result.

“It (workday) starts at about 2 o’clock in the morning, because I deal with sponsors who are in India, the lawyers who are any-

“I’ll never forget my first marriage, the CEO remembers”.

“I got married on a Saturday and on the Monday I was presenting the West Indies bid to host the Cricket World Cup at Lords”. fulfilled professional cricket careers.

Along with the administrative accomplishments, Dehring is also a major player in the finance industry in his native Jamaica, being an owner of the Dehring Bunting & Golding financial company there.

With s much on his plate, it begs the question of his wisdom in taking on the toughest challenge in West Indies cricket administration.

quirements have grown 10-fold and would’ve made even him think twice about accepting the challenge, was he aware at the time.

“I don’t know I am not sure, it’s been an incredible ride, it’s been a very, very difficult job, very challenging, very exciting at times, it has consumed 10 years of my life, so I am not sure I would’ve made the same decision,” Dehring mused. “But at the end of the day the Caribbean people will be happy that they

where from Singapore to the United Kingdom, all the way around the clock. It is a lot of physical work, because you also have to travel a lot”.

But experience is worth all the time and energy for the man in charge.

“I think we will do a great job as a people, as governments, as institutions. As West Indians we bring a spirit to these types of things that nobody else in the world can match.

16 Cricket International Magazine

THE OTHER SIDE OF DEHRING

When you join a line in the Caribbean for Cricket World Cup it’s going to be the best line you’ve ever been a part of. It’s the spirit of the Caribbean, you’re in the most beautiful part of the world, you become infused by the Caribbean spirit. A little bit of rum punch changes people’s perspectives on life. That’s what its all about”.

The Caribbean uniqueness extends beyond the way type of cricket exhibited in the Region, he added.

“People are often amazed at the ability of our people to jump and wave without any thought to in at all, all in unison, “ Dehring said “It cannot be explained but helped us decide that the mascot will not be any bird or animal, but a representation of the flair of the Caribbean man”.

When the World Cup is finally completed the Kingston-born Dehring is optimistic, the Region will benefit in more ways than one, apart from new facilities and global exposure.

“The event in itself will earn tens of millions of dollars (for the Region), but that will be shared between the West Indies Cricket Board, the territorial cricket boards and of

course the Governments – the LOC (Local Organizing Committees). The WICB will hopefully come out of this with enough to start over, to wipe out the deficit”.

The Board’s money woes literally snowballed in the period since Dehring was seconded to the CWC 2007 after serving as its Marketing Director.

“The structure of international schedule has changed, the parameters have changed.

West Indies never had to play the Zimbabwes , the Bangladeshies of this world as often as they do now under the 10-year program.

What the WICB has to do now is reinvent itself to be able to continue participating.

“Those tours lose a lot of money, so a lot of the gains we made commercially back then got eroded simply because the world of cricket changed.

When I was involved in West Indies cricket you picked and chose your tours. We had England every couple of years, you had India every couple of years,” he said referring to the lucrative contests of the day.

Despite several years removed from his playing days, Dehring still maintains a some-

what boyish look. Yet he brushes off comparisons to the stereotypical seasoned administrator normally associated with running mega world sports events.

“I don’t think age has anything to do with it. I was the person at the time the Board felt most comfortable with. The Governments were comfortable with me at the time,” he said and jokingly added. “I am not as young as I look, rather a good advertisement for the preserving qualities of Caribbean rum, Caribbean life.

Nevertheless he yearns for the day when the World Cup finally ends.

“Hopefully on April 28 (last day) about at 7:30 (pm), my e-mail address changes, my mobile phone changes and I’ll fade off into the sunset and just return to a normal life. I’m really looking forward to that. It’s been a difficult 10 years of trying to pull this thing off.

Hopefully it will be rewarding and I will be able to look back and say I was a part of that (which) I helped to make happen, exhale and take a few months vacation and then think what I do with the rest of my life.”

Orinbeauty@yahoo.com

Photographs by Eddie Norfolk

Hopes Raised For

Eddie Norfolk Writes Canada is participating in its third World Cup this year - a record number for the current ICC Associate Member countries.

Canada appeared in the 1979 World Cup in England when only eight sides were involved but did not return until the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. In 1979 Canada qualified alongside Sri Lanka who have gone on to become a solid ICC Full Member with a good record in Test and ODI matches.

Canada qualified for South Africa from the 2001 ICC Trophy that was staged in the Greater Toronto Area. The Netherlands won the event thanks to a mis-field on the final ball of their 50 overs that brought 3 runs instead of 1 and a win over Namibia. Canada then beat Scotland in the play-off for third place and took the final World Cup qualifying spot. The coach who helped bring success in 2001 was removed before the 2003

World Cup and the turnover in the coaching ranks has subsequently continued.

Rupert Gomes was coach in Ireland for the 2005 ICC Trophy where Canada again came third and as a result are seeded to play in the St Lucia World Cup group. Canada opens against Kenya, a fellow leading Associate country, then meet England and close the group against New Zealand. Andy Pick arrived from England on Easter Sunday 2006 to fill the vacant National Coaching role.

In an attempt to expand the game internationally, the leading six Associate Countries were granted official ODI status from the start of 2006. This was first raised in public during the 2005 tournament in Ireland.

The aim is patently for the leading Associates to gain more experience at an international level, which is commendable, but there are challenges for these countries as the play-

march 1, 2007 19

Pictured on opposite page, back row: Dan Kiesel (Physio), Mike Henry (Manager), Ashif Mulla (ON), Kevin Sandher (BC), Umar Bhatti (ON), Henry Osinde (ON), Sandeep Jyoti (ON), Don Maxwell (ON), Abdool Samad (ON), Sunil Dhaniram (ON), Andy Pick (Coach). Front row: Sanjay Thuraisingham (ON), Ashish Bagai (ON), George Codrington (Captain, ON), Qaiser Ali (Vice-captain, PQ), Desmond Chumney (ON). ers are predominantly amateur and need to take time off work to play their international cricket. Indeed, there is an almost parallel attempt to have these countries develop their first class cricket abilities via the first-class ICC Intercontinental Cup (originally 3-day games, now 4-days).

ICC Intercontinental Cup The Intercontinental Cup was introduced in 2004 with 3 day matches in regional groups, then semi-finals and a final. Starting with the 2007-2008 season, the eight leading Associate countries will play each other and the top two will play a final. Canada lost in the first final in 2004 and has qualified for the 2006 final - a match expected to be staged in May 2007 - where Scotland or Ireland will be the opponents. Ireland meet the United Arab Emirates in February in the last match of their group. The Irish need an outright win to move ahead of Scotland in the Group A standings.

Canada had thrilling wins in two home Intercontinental Cup matches last summer.

First came a win by 25 runs over Kenya and then a 9 wicket win over Bermuda. Canada bowled out these opponents twice, left-arm seamer Umar Bhatti taking 10 wickets in each match, and the games were only decided in the last hour.

Problems with ODIs in 2006 However, the two ODI series against the same opponents in August were both lost 20. The 200 mark was broken in the second game against Bermuda but Canada went down by 11 runs.

This came on top of ODI defeats against Zimbabwe, a Full Member country, and Bermuda in a Tri-Series tournament in Trinidad in May. A major problem in the first 5 ODIs of the season was putting runs on the board.

Canada were twice dismissed for less than 100 runs and struggled to reach 150 runs.

Lack of funds had been cited as a key reason why the team went to Trinidad without playing a warm-up game. Zimbabwe might not be the greatest team around but they had just been involved in a 7 match ODI series with the West Indies.

Canada bowled quite well against Zimbabwe after a few shaky overs and dismissed them for a score in the range that West Indies had achieved. The Canadian batting soon showed how some of the players had not played together on top of the lack of recent practice for most of the squad. The match was effectively over within 4-5 overs.

Two run-outs were included in a score of 4-4 and the side was all-out for 74.

Away from the field There had been calls at the 2005 Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Cricket Association (CCA) for improvements to the selection processes. The Dutch coach is able to decide who to select. In Bermuda, I believe Gus Logie has a voice on the selection committee but there are local selectors who . In Canada I was ‘put straight’ at one point last August on the amount of time certain selectors had discussed their selections with the new coach, as was the correspondent from the Toronto Star.

Oddly enough, the particular selector did not include the correspondent from the Caribbean-orientated ‘Share’ magazine in his complaints. All three of us had basically quoted concerns from the captain and the coach on the selection process.

I had two months of attempting to help the CCA last summer before parting company. As far as I am concerned there are a number of ‘big fish in a small pond’ who don’t

see eye to eye with each other, and lost in the power struggles are common sense objectives like making the small pond of cricket bigger in a sensible, planned way (not just rhetoric and pipedreams) and working out effective roles and responsibilities that meet the incumbents’ skills.

The situation is exacerbated by the lack of public disclosure on various aspects of what is going on. Part of my reason for joining the CCA was to try and help from that perspective. Enhanced visibility of the game would, hopefully, lead to more players, media interest and spectators that could help attract more commercial sponsors.

The $1 million (Canadian) grant by the Ontario Provincial Government to the Ontario Cricket Association (OCA) is most welcome, but, in a way, it adds to the political minefield of Canadian cricket between the national body and the leading cricketing province. Clearer heads is needed for the overall good of the game.

Hopefully, the CCA will soon get a green light from the Federal Government but, for all the work behind the scenes, five reasons why the CCA’s bid was turned down in 2005 were cited at that year’s AGM. Some of those issues seemed relatively easy to address, but progress, as far as I am concerned, was slow.

The time for reacting like a tortoise or an ostrich needs to end. If something does not work out then why not say so. And learn from the experience.

Tide turning in ODIs The tide has begun to turn during the Canadian winter on the ODI front. Canada beat Bermuda twice in South Africa and came close to beating the Netherlands in two matches.

Interestingly, Canada was without their overseas-based players such as John Davison, Ian Billcliff and Geoff Barnett in these matches.

None of the squad had scored an individual 50 in an ODI at the start of the tour.

Three broke the fifty-mark, one other came close twice. Nine of the 13 players posted their highest ODI scores. The team was beginning to apply some of the basics that the

coach had been preaching from day 1. must know they could beat Kenya. EngIn the opening game, the Netherlands land and New Zealand would be toughscored 271-8. Adding the top scores of er. There is a need to gain more experithe Canadian side came out to 214 runs, ence against the Full Member nations. but on the day the game was lost by 17 The squad for the World Cup is likely runs. A spate of wides, a couple of key to include several players who may not dropped catches in the last ten overs have many more years to go on the interand a couple more days of acclimatinational stage. It would not be surpriszation to the heat and altitude of the ing, given the commitments now needed High Veldt were manageable factors for to compete at this level, if some of the future success against the Dutch. players retire from international cricket January has seen the side play in after the World Cup, or possibly after a Tri-Series event in Mombasa, Kenya, the Intercontinental Cup final. that serves as a warm-up to the inauguThe Mombasa win over Kenya is a ral ICC World Cricket League Division positive. It may, really it should, become One. The top six Associates meet in this a landmark for planning and moving forevent and the top two will qualify for Ashish Bagai receiving the Man-of-the-Match award for ward Canadian cricket. the first ICC Twenty/20 World Cham- his 122 runs in the win against Ireland in the recently The challenge of playing the big pionships in South Africa in September concluded ICC Cricket World League. He was also teams shows through some of the con2007. The qualifiers will each receive a adjudicated as player of the tournament. trasts from Canada’s 2003 World Cup $250,000 US participation fee from the appearance. Individually, John Davison ICC. hit the fastest century in World Cup Canada ought to have beaten Scotland (98-2), caught at mid-wicket off Kevin Sand- history, against the West Indies, and Ishwar twice in Mombasa but lost both matches by her (slow left arm). Shah was caught and Maraj made the slowest 50, against South two wickets. In the first match there was bowled by off-spinner George Codrington for Africa. There was the joy of beating a full just one ball to spare for Scotland. The first 48. Promising youngster Tanmay Mishra was member country, Bangladesh, but the disapmatch with Kenya was not played due to a caught at the wicket off Sandher. He got 8 pointment of being all out for 36 against Sri virus that cut down 5 of the Canadian squad. off his first two balls, but that was it. The Lanka, a World Cup record that eclipsed the Scotland had been well beaten by Kenya in panic set in with a wild run out; 117-6.

45 by Canada against England in 1979.

A brief rally ensued but it was soon broken the opening match of the tournament but The way preparations are going and the should have won the return match, losing when Nehemiah Odhiambo went for broke commitment of the players and support staff by 6 runs. That match gave a hint that the and was caught sweeping at deep square leg. should result in a reasonable showing in St Kenyans were beatable and Canada went and 136-7. Canadian coach Pick had spoke the Lucia. A win over Kenya is a distinct possibilupset the party to win by 69 runs in the final night before about his side needing “an end ity. The players now have that winning expematch. Canada’s 213-9 was 10-30 runs short game to finish off opponents.” He was des- rience over the Kenyans. A win over England of ideal. John Davison and Abdool Samad perate for a win. Lamack Dnyango holed out or New Zealand? A bonus, or might it bring had begun in fine style before Davison fell to Andy Cummins at mid-off. At last an lbw up the issue of player availability for the Sufor 39 in the 14th over (73-1). Samad had to decision went Canada’s way and it was 144-9. per 8 phase? retire for a while but came back to complete Davison bowled, the ball hit Peter Ongondo We shall see. his first ODI 50. The middle order got runs. on the pads. Wicketkeeper Bagai and Davi- Edward Norfolk hails from South-on-Sea in Essex, The wicket was taking spin and Canada had son lead the appeal. Canada had beaten the England, he moved to Canada in the late 1980’s much fancied Kenyans. four spinners in their attack. but has followed cricket since a young child.

And Canada can strengthen their squad Eddie’s writing career started on ice (hockey) but The drama unfolded with an early Kenyan after seeing the 2001 ICC Trophy in run out (quick work by Davison) and a catch for the World Cup. Indeed, Umar Bhatti did capitulated Toronto, Canada. He is now part of the Marketing at the wicket (13-2). Veteran batsmen Ravi not play in the Tri-Series but will be active and Communications group within the Canadian Shah and Steve Tikolo, rated two of the best in the World Cricket League. His batting has Cricket Association since 2006. Eddie continues to outside Test-playing nations, began to make much improved in the last 8 months to add travel the globe following and writing articles on cricket for several mainstream media through-out the Canadian total look very reachable. But to his bowling prowess.

North America, including North America’s only So heading into the World Cup, Canada weekly cricket newspaper, Cricket International. the bowlers were changed, Tikolo went for 33

Photo: Getty Image

Not one to rest on his laurels, Sachin Tendulkar breaks from a routine training day.

Tendulkar

Resurgence Primed For

By Orin Davidson It’s been five years since he won a major championship with the Indian team, six years since they claimed that epic series triumph over Australia and 24 years after the Sub Continent giants won the World Cup. It means Sachin Tendulkar has plenty to prove this time around in the 2007 edition.

No one has more runs in limited overs competition, neither has anyone recorded more centuries in the shorter form of the game or in Tests, than the dazzling Indian mega star.

W

hen you add his ODI and Test aggregates of 14,783 and 10,668 runs respectively, one understands why Tendulkar is unquestionably the best Indian batsman ever and one of the greatest of his era.

Yet he is without a gold medal in the world’s biggest competition that would crown his awe-inspiring individual accomplishments.

And given his recent returns, Tendulkar has a golden opportunity to regain the form that made him immortal, from March 13-April 28 in the West Indies, in what could well be his fifth and final World Cup. At 33 years the Indian great will be 37 when his country hosts World Cup 2011 and to put his body through four more years of Tests and limited overs games, might well be too much.

Which is why the world can anticipate another blast from the Bombay-born genius in his quest to give India only its second title in eight World Cups.

As Tendulkar has proven in the past he has all the qualities to outshine every contemporary batting great on show before two billion television viewers and capacity stadiums in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana, Antigua and possibly St Lucia or Jamaica.

His runs are in the books, but did not get there through laboriously means. Tendulkar bats with unmatched flair and style that made him famous though sheer attractiveness, rather than mere statistics.

He would never die from a stroke, as the old joke goes, because he has all the shots in the book, most notably his cover drive that is symptomatic of his mastery of the sport’s finest art.

It probably explains why the late legendary Sir Donald Bradman who has seen Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and all the other batting greats of this era, tout Tendulkar the modern equivalent of himself.

Some of the best scorers have biases for specific bowling types, conditions and venues, not Tendulkar though.

He has all the required qualities – the metal toughness, shot repertoire and courage that make a player truly great.

Whether it is pace or spin friendly pitches or the necessity for electric fast scoring or grafting, Tendulkar has conquered and done it all.

There was that 1992 gem against a rampaging Australian attack at Sydney that yielded 148 of the best runs wicketkeeper Ian Healy said he ever saw from behind the stumps. Then the peerless 114 on lightening fast Perth that followed two matches later, rank among two of his very best knocks. In totally different conditions Tendulkar’s 122 on a raging seamer at Edgbaston is regarded among his best by some pundits, not to mention his superb 169 at Cape town in 1996.

Yet perhaps his best attribute has been his ability to remain focused and humble amid the adulation of millions of worshiping cricket crazy Indian fans, not being spoilt by the millions of dollars he earns every year and constantly being lauded by proven geniuses of the past from Bradman to Hanif Mohammad, to present day ones like Lara, Shane Warne and Glen McGrath.

Lara has buckled under his stardom more than once and even went as far stating that cricket was ruining his life.

Tendulkar though, has never once uttered a controversial statement nor ensued the wrath of anyone on and off the field.

The manner he makes batting easy, misleadingly gives the impression, the righthander was born with the special gift only the anointed are blessed with.

Undoubtedly, he was bestowed with natural ability, but his intense work ethic is primarily responsible for Tendulkar’s success.

No one works harder at their craft than him, beginning from the tender age of 12 when he practiced eight hours daily.

Current United States batsman India-born Sushil Nadkarnie stated his amazement at seeing Tendulkar practicing for hours before the start of a mere club match in one of the former’s few competitive encounters with the great man before migrating to America.

If his commitment is second to none, Tendulkar’s courage is exceptionally great. His debut was made at 16 years when his peers were merely coming to grips with junior level competition. Tendulkar not only endured intimidating Pakistan crowds in his first Test, but the manner he recovered from a hit in the face from the fearsome Wasim Akram, who formed a deadly pace combination with Waqar Younis at the time, revealed the youngster’s destiny from the very beginning.

That strength of character will face the sternest of tests in this new phase of Tendulkar’s career as he goes about repairing his longest slump after troubling times.

It is said that injury and age make a tell-

ing combination for sportsmen after years of wear and tear. When elbow and shoulder problems forced him to miss close to a year of competition between 2005 and 2006, disgruntled Indian fans, spoiled by Tendulkar’s exploits turned against the mega star after a sequence of low scores.

The Maestro experienced the unimaginable when he was booed by his hometown crowd in Mumbia after one such failure against England.

Newspaper headlines hinted at a fast approaching career end. He was rechristened “Endulkar” as the vicious Indian media battled to sensationalize his slump.

India lost both the Test and One Day series heavily against Pakistan when he returned from a second absence after the shoulder injury. They were embarrassed in the Invitational limited overs series the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) hosted for Australia and West Indies in Malaysia and despite Tendulkar hinted at a resurgence with an exceptional 141 to the rule against West Indies, it was just not enough. Another first round elimination in the Champions Trophy at home in India, placed greater pressure on the former world number two ranked team, in which their mega batsman’s scoring malaise deepened. And when they toured South Africa afterwards Sachin’s two half centuries were all he mustered in three Tests and four One Day Internationals that culminated in a crushing defeat and a heart wrenching 2-1 Test loss.

At the time 37-year-old Lara continued to make the headlines with centuries against Pakistan that landed him one ton away from the Indian’s Test record.

Tendulkar also had to hear bowling greats Shane Warne and Glen McGrath rate triple world record holder Lara, their most difficult batting opponent, long after off-spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan made an identical pronouncement. Then former Test stars Ian Chappell, Tony Greig, Ravi Shastri, John Wright and Sanjay Manjrekar, comprising a special Cricinfo panel , judged Lara the best contemporary batsman based on his consistency through a 16-year international career.

Although Tendulkar has never shown any interest in the bragging rights game between himself, Lara and Australia captain Ricky Ponting, all the said putdowns had to be tough to digest.

Whether all of it, or some of it ignites the competitive fires within the Mumbai Maestro, the world will soon know.

World Cup 2007 could well bring out the best yet in the Mumbai Maestro.

march 1, 2007 25

Walsh Bats For West Indies

BY ORIN DAVIDSON Photographs by Martin Persaud

For an ex-world record holder, Courtney Walsh is employing a modest life style after retirement.

He prefers staying out of the limelight, content to oversee his business interests and undertake minor coaching stints around the world.

Yet if he had his way Walsh would spend lots of that time grooming young West Indies fast bowlers.

Strange enough the West Indies Cricket Board has not yet seen it fit to engage the services of its lone player in the illustrious 500-Test wicket club. “No offer was made, but I have said to them whatever is required I will try to help out in whatever way I can, if they have a camp and they call on me I would be available,� Walsh offered.

Since the late Malcolm Marshall left the team in 1998 West Indies have not benefited from a recognized bowling coach and the poor performances have been reflected, thus.

Apart from Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, no pacemen emerged with the consistency of performance to fill the void they eventually left.

26 Cricket International Magazine

T

alent was never an issue, rather the problem revolved around character, as far as Walsh was concerned.

“Hard training and good stock,” are some of the qualities Walsh finds missing among contemporary West Indies pacemen. “Curtly and me often joke about them not being of the same stock. But seriously speaking there is a lot of cricket these days and one has to be physically fit and mentally fit as well. When you have a lot more cricket, you have to look after the body, give it adequate rest, prepare it a lot better, and I don’t know if these guys train as hard as they should,” said the ex speedster.

Hardly ever beset by injury, Walsh fast bowlers now have to do the right things.

“Stretch properly, get adequate rest, make sure you do the right thing to the body, to stand up to the hard work.”

Walsh’s career finally ended at a mature 39 years with 519 Test wickets to his name after being described as the fastest old bowler of his time.

Yet he required no magic training program or diet.

Walsh simply did it the old time way -through hard backbreaking work.

“I got up early in the morning, go do my jogging, go and do my swimming to set the tone for the rest of the day. That to me was very very important to maintain

Walsh Bats a level of fitness and stamina. I did lift weights -- light weights, nothing bulky, to maintain flexibility,” he explained.

The activities were typical of a normal off season day for the giant Jamaican.

“Swimming is the only form of exercise that exercises every part of the entire body without any stress. It is amazing how good it is for you.”

The daily routine allowed Walsh to deliver thousands of overs for Jamaica and English county Gloucestershire in addition to West Indies duty.

He ended with 1807 first class wickets, but would happily trade some for a World Cup gold medal or a Lord’s County final appearance.

Not triumphing in a World Cup final with West Indies and missing out on a limited overs county final at Lord’s -- the headquarters of world cricket in England, are his two biggest regrets.

“Winning the World Cup gold medal would ice the cake on my career. I would have been one of the happiest cricketers around,” he said had West Indies triumphed when he played in 1987, 1996 and 1999. “I am hoping this present team can do it”, he added referring to the 2007 event.

It was also an elusive goal of Ambrose and epitomized a unique commonality between the two giant fast bowlers.

They teamed up for 12 years totaled 924 Test scalps and fully complimented the other despite similar bowling styles.

In the 1992/93 tour of Australia the pair combined to produce the most thrilling win recorded for West Indies over their arch rivals.

It was the fourth Test at Adelaide, Ambrose had already bagged 10 wickets in the match and Walsh was coming on strong after a modest first innings, in the second innings.

With three wickets to his name, Walsh was handed the ball with Australia close to victory and West Indies needing one to stop them. “ I spoke to Desmond Haynes a couple of balls before and said if we don’t win this test match in this over we would lose it, because my partner (Ambrose) was very tired. Curtly was bowling the whole day and you could tell just watching him walk back. Curtly could not manage another over. It gave me inner strength, I gave it everything I had and went very, very deep in my tank,” he remembers.

The rest is history. Walsh dismissed Craig McDermott with the last ball of his over to give West Indies the narrowest victory in Test cricket by one run.

“It was very special to do something for the team”, said a modest Walsh on his exploits. “It was a victory I was told afterwards woke up the entire Caribbean, people were rejoicing in the streets”.

Yet even Walsh admits there was greater celebration when he broke the Test bowling record.

“Making your Test debut, I don’t think many things beat that. Being the first to get to 500 Test wickets, would rank among them (best achievements), but from a personal point of view, breaking the record was special for me.”

There were also the low points in a stellar career over 17 years and which covered almost every highlight, intrigue and controversy to hit West Indies cricket in the 80s and 90s.

During the 1987 World Cup the Jamaican paceman felt he was unfairly criticized for not running out Pakistan’s Salim Jaffer for backing up too far in a crucial preliminary game.

With West Indies needing only one wicket to wrap up victory and a place in the semi-finals, Walsh used humility instead of the rules by choosing not to run out the batsman but warn him instead.

For West Indies

march 1, 2007 27

Pakistan went on to win and Walsh could not live down the pasting he got from the media and fans.

“I could not run him out without giving him a warning, it’s not the way I play cricket. I got some stick for it, but in the long term people realized it’s a gentleman’s game and that we are here to work and try to enhance the game and do the best we can”.

Walsh played true to character type in preferring fair play.

“Yeah it would’ve been great for West Indies to win. We could have gone through to the other stage and I still think we could’ve won the game. I don’t think I could’ve lived with it. Even though he was unfair, I couldn’t run him out, it would have been unfair as well”.

Having played in every major Test playing country many times over, Walsh never got himself carried away with the ball tampering malaise that affected many fast bowlers.

“I heard about it, but I have no proof it was around and rampant. I heard it’s been done, (but) without no proof there is no point in making that call.

Although he played in suspected countries and against such players, his entire career Walsh employed a straight bat to every tampering controversy during his time.

“You hear a lot of stuff and at some point in time the truth will unfold.

“

Winning the World Cup gold medal would ice the cake on my career. I would have been one of the happiest cricketers around

”

From a personal point of view you hear some people try and lift the seam, I have not seen it first hand”.

Much was made before and after Walsh’s brief stint as West Indies captain and on his relationship with mega batting star Brian Lara who replaced him at the helm.

Contrary to outside impressions though, Walsh has nothing less than pleasant memories.

“I enjoyed my short stint, I have no complaints, my only one regret is that we did not win a lot more series. I enjoyed how the team gelled around me, we always went out and gave 110 percent, we won some we lost some.”

Success was never a problem at the time, as the wickets continued to flow despite his additional burden of team responsibility.

“I think I became a better person by being captain. It can be a burden depending on how you do it. If you relax and get good support from the teammates you can enjoy it.”

Walsh’s commitment to his team was greater than any ego, thus it was never a difficult transition for him from captain to ordinary team member.

“I play cricket for West Indies. I give everything I have for West Indies cricket.

I play under any captain, there is no problem.”

He has difficulties though, stomaching the current West Indies team’s failures.

“I don’t follow it day by day, I watch a bit on telly, but when I watch it I get just as pent up as the fans. It is a lot easier because I don’t watch as much. As a player you can’t do well everyday and I can be sympathetic with the guys”.

Yet he feels West Indies could make good of the home advantage and win its third World Cup this time around.

“They have a good chance, they know the conditions and can adapt. If they play good consistent cricket they have a chance, if you get that momentum anything can happen because its one-day cricket”.

For Lara winning the gold medal might be just another milestone on his celebrated list of achievements, but for Walsh it will write the final chapter on a fabulous career, six years after retirement.

Orinbeauty@yahoo.com

LARA’S final HURRAH He entered the international arena as a boy prodigy 17 years ago.

Now, three world records and 11,953 Test runs later, Brian Lara is still searching for the ultimate accomplishment.

BY

ORIN

D AV I D S ON

Photographs by Shiek Mohamed

Regardless of his stated preference for Test competition, winning the World Cup will be the raison d’etre in the career of a man whose individual accomplishments are nothing less than magical.

His small shoulders match his diminutive stature but they have proven strong enough to take impossible burdens in the past. Yet his path to a World Cup 2007 triumph would require greater resilience.

No one will face greater pressure nor raise bigger expectations than Lara.

This is his World Cup to win for the West Indies not because they are hosts. It happens to be his last and also the expected finale in the shorter form of the game that has so far yielded 10,136-career runs.

And who wouldn’t want him to end it in a blaze of glory?

march 1, 2007 29

This will be Lara’s fifth World Cup and having created many individual firsts, Lara’s personal aspirations will demand him maintaining that pioneering trend. Therefore to conclude he is aiming to become the first host team captain to lift the Cup is a no-brainer.

Then there is the pressure of comparisons with genius batsmen present and past, and also the debates about his much publicized on and off-field transgressions over the years.

Lara will enter the World Cup knowing that he stands a better chance of winning popularity contests in India ahead of his native West Indies.

As much as he is loved in some quarters, he is also disliked on the opposite side of the divide that separates 14 territories made up of no more than seven million inhabitants.

But he is not easily turned off, the master batsman still loves his nation dearly and winning for the team means everything to him.

It is evident in his expression after every match loss and every series defeat, his distraught is so profound it is inexplicable to understand the many charges of selfishness that have been arrowed at him throughout those 17 years.

Rather, it makes it easier to appreci-

Yet many of the haters cannot appreciate that geniuses are not flawless in everything they do. And Lara is no exception.

He is reminiscent of the legendary Sir Garry Sobers who set batting, bowling and catching standards no one player has matched for close to 50 years.

Their life off the field is just as notorious as their performances on it.

Both became West Indies captains and both chalked up win-loss records that favored the latter.

It is why many of Lara’s tactics on the field have elicited criticism ranging from risky to the bizarre.

Australians are notoriously proud and who can fault them, but as great as Bradman was in the 1930s and 40s, it would’ve been ideal for him to have encountered more varied opposition and in countries other than at home or in England.

In his 52 Tests, the “Don” opposed West Indies, South Africa and India in five Tests each, the remainder against England.

He scored heavily against the three minority teams of the day and the odds would’ve been in his favor to do just as well in Asia, the Caribbean or in Africa.

But sometimes the odds can be deceiving especially when vital factors like conditions and opposition are taken into account.

In Bradman’s case he beat the hell out of opposition on the fast bouncy pitches in Australia and the seaming green tops in England But was he given the opportunity to perform on the spinning dustbowls or sluggish mud tops in an overwhelmingly unfriendly environment in Asia those days, any argument about his status would be moot.

Fortunately for Lara, he has toured every Test nation and his success explains why Mutthia Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Glen McGrath ---- the three most accomplished contemporary

This is his World Cup to win for the West Indies not because they are hosts. It happens to be his last and also the expected finale in the shorter form of the game that has so far yielded 10,136-career runs. ate his reported preference of giving up his world records in return for the team’s ascension to the top of the world charts.

It says a lot for an individual who is unmatched in appetite for big scores that saw him erasing the Test batting record twice, scoring more Test runs than anyone else while still holding his 501 innings first class mark. And for argument’s sake, one could fearlessly pronounce him claiming the Test century record next, being only one behind current leader Sachin Tendulkar, who he also beat in the race to the fastest 10,000 Test runs tally.

Despite his batting histrionics, the first lapse on Trinidadian’s part this time around will unsheathe the knives in a flash.

The world would’ve been reminded of his flare up with officialdom and the Sabina Park head groundsman amidst a haunting Test series loss to India one year ago.

Or his perceived undermining of the captains that preceded him at the helm, or his supposed disrespect of the great Sir Vivian Richards during the 2003/04 South Africa tour.

They would say it is the same Viv Richards who stoutly defended the player when it was felt his girlfriend’s presence was a distraction during one of his many tours of Australia.

The master batsman reportedly admitted he is not the conventional type strategist. It explains why he has opened the bowling with part-timers like Wavell Hinds and Ryan Hinds ahead of the specialists, to wring success as he explained, from an unproductive lineup.

Or why he juggles the batting order to suit situations most observers cannot fathom.

None though, were as tragic as Sobers’ decision to declare at 92-2, setting England 215 to win at Queens Park Oval in 1968.

Yet there is little to separate the two in batsman ship.

Sobers may have produced more valuable innings with his uncanny ability to play explosively or dogged to suit the situation, but Lara has more mega innings due to his voracious appetite.

Richards was the most dominant of the three, who destroyed the opposing bowlers’ psyche better than anyone before or after his time, with his brutality.

In West Indians’ eyes either of the three deserves the title as world’s greatest batsman ever.

Not in Australia though – home of the legendary Sir Donald Bradman whose Test average of 99.94 is never likely to be surpassed or matched.

bowlers rate him, not merely one of the best, but the best batsmen they encountered.

Says Steve Waugh “Lara is a good player against average bowling sides and a great one against formidable attacks, but when harassed into a corner by his own brinksmanship or if he’s targeted, he elevates himself into a genius.”

Yet despite such glowing platitudes from four of the best, the argument about his status with Tendulkar – Bradman’s contemporary favorite, will be the rage of World Cup 2007.

No one in his time is more consistent than the Indian juggernaut in either form of the game. Yet his appetite for mega scores pales alongside the triple world record holder.

Even as he marches on towards 40 years of age, Lara’s torrent of runs is showing no signs of weakening.

At 37 he is four years Tendulkar’s senior and although the Indian sensation blasted two majestic limited overs centuries off West Indies this season, the latter’s struggles after two lengthy layoffs from injury have not gone unnoticed.

He has a challenge to match Lara’s scoring feats four years in the future.

So is Ricky Ponting.

Orinbeauty@yahoo.com

march 1, 2007 31

A Profile In Commitment…

Ahmad ED

In today’s society our heroes are measured largely in terms of their efforts aimed at saving lives and advancing patriotism; spawning many a column examining - profiles in courage. However, many a hero is quietly born out of the goodness of heart and purse towards a concept, a project or a passion.

BY JOHN L. AARON

T

O SAY EDUL AHMAD, familiarly know as Ed Ahmad, is not passionate about cricket would be similar to someone not being passionate about breathing fresh air. The New York real estate tycoon has lent his name and finances to the advancement of the game of cricket in the New York region, with nothing financial expected in return. Such is the commitment of the always dapper –looking Ed Ahmad.

A major sponsor of cricket events both on and off the field of play, the name Ed Ahmad has become a household name in the New York area and synonymous with cricket, as the financial landscape for both player and event changes.

New York with the largest concentration of expatriate firstclass players in the United States is a breeding ground for competitive cricket tournaments and the attraction of players plying their talents in return for some “green.” Not unlike the 70’s when Kerry Packer turned the cricket world upside down by offering players across the world, the opportunity to play for large sums of money. Ed Ahmad, on a smaller scale acknowledging that some of the expatriate players can make a difference in the level of the game played in the United States; if in return they received some financing, has subsidized several players and teams, along the way.

However, the former Guyanese policeman is best known for his major contributions to the Ed Ahmad New York Caribbean Cricket Cup. The premier New York tournament has attracted representative teams from Barbados, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Pakistan, Trinidad & Tobago and the Windward Islands, as well as a United

States Development Team.

Following the withdrawal, some five years ago of Guinness Red Stripe as the corporate sponsor of a similar tournament in New York, Ed Ahmad stepped in at the request of some local cricket administrators who were disheartened by the sudden lack of funding, which left New York first-class cricket in the doldrums. The Ed Ahmad Group of Companies took over the baton and has been financially supporting the tournament ever since.

The Ahmad Group of Companies is led

by Ed Ahmad, CEO and includes Century 21 Ahmad Realty, Inc., Chateau Royale, Citywide Holdings, Co., and Ace Mortgage, Inc. An avid cricket player himself, Ed Ahmad is a fierce competitor and resultsoriented executive who demands success, both in his business and sports endeavors.

Such an attitude has garnered him much success on both fronts.

Where others “talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk.” As the saying goes, Ed Ahmad puts his money where his mouth is – into the game he loves so much and sincerely wants to see develop and grow in the United States.

This publication recognizes Edul Ahmad through this “Profile in Commitment!”

ONE

on

NE

with

Clive Lloyd Hubert

B y John L. Aaron Recently this publication’s John Aaron had the distinct pleasure of speaking with the legendary West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, from the latter’s home in Manchester, England, and on the eve of Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies.

What follows is an excerpt from that conversation between Clive Hubert Lloyd (CHL) and John L. Aaron (JLA).

To speak with one of the most perspicacious players and successful captains of international cricket, is to become a student of the game of cricket beyond the boundary. Lloyd’s candid responses in my conversation with him are indicative of his love of the game and the continuous burning desire he has, to see the game of cricket blossom at all levels, especially in the West Indies.

Following are some of the questions I asked the former Guyana and West Indies captain, who responded without hesitation, much like a politician who knows his constituency inside out, or a math Professor who knows any mathematical formula, like the back of his hand.

JLA: Clive, CWC 2007 comes to the Caribbean in just under three months. What role will you be playing in this Cricket World Cup? CHL: As Chairman of the Cricket Committee of the West Indies Cricket Board, I will be primarily with the West Indies team as a supporter and in an advisory capacity.

JLA: You have captained the West Indies to two successful Cricket World Cup championships – 1975 and again in 1979. What do you remember most from your participation as a player in Cricket World Cup tournaments, especially those two momentous occasions for West Indies cricket?

Legendary West Indies captain Clive Lloyd with kids CHL: First of all winning the two Junior/Youth Development cricket program. championships stands out in my memory. The West Indies won the first two If so, in what way does it benefit the team Cricket World Cup championships, and there expected to be selected?

CHL: The longer version of the game is can never be another first in that regard. For me personally, it is a unique situation, win- always better, because if you lose a few wickning the very first two Cricket World Cups ets, you still have the luxury of time and ten and participating in the first three finals, los- overs to get your team back into the game.

However, from the perspective of today’s ing only one.

We lost a total of two games in the first player it should not make a tremendous difthree Cricket World Cup tournaments, and ference, because of their exposure and adaptironically to India on both occasions, in the ability to the shorter version of the game. third Cricket World Cup 1983, in the first The significant increase in the number of round and then the final at Lord’s, where In- teams and matches will no doubt test the stamina of today’s players, but I believe they dia won by 43 runs.

We should have won the first three World are up to the challenge.

The reduction in the number of overs per Cups easily, except we got somewhat complacent in the third one in 1983 and India quite match is a direct result of television contracts not being able to support and sustain the adrightly took advantage of that situation.

JLA: As captain of those two success- ditional overs in the longer version of the ful Cricket World Cup teams, how do you earlier Cricket World Cup tournaments. Fifty compare the teams of 1975 and 1979 with overs also encourage teams to get on with the possible team expected to represent the the game as they attempt to seek a definitive West Indies in this year’s Cricket World result. It makes for more exciting cricket - a plus for the average cricket fan.

Cup? JLA: What in your opinion are the CHL: The 1975 and 1979 teams had the valued experience of having played county chances of the West Indies winning the cricket in England – the venue of the first Cricket World Cup on their home turf?

CHL: It depends on how well the pitches three Cricket World Cups.

The 2007 West Indies team will be a more play. There are several new stadia being built experienced squad, particularly in One Day and we will have to wait and see how well International cricket. Although there may be those pitches play. However, being at home some new faces, the core group of players does have its advantages and the West Indies possibly one through eight, have participat- have always done well at home in the shorter ed in One Day cricket at the international version of the game. Beyond that, I think it level and on a more frequent basis. Their pro- is incumbent upon the West Indies team to longed exposure to the shorter version of the do well, as it would help restore West Indies cricket to the level of respectability enjoyed game will help tremendously.

JLA: The successful 1975 and 1979 by previous West Indies teams.

JLA: You recently wrote the foreword West Indies Cricket World Cup teams participated under a different format from this for Wisden’s History of the Cricket World year’s tournament, particularly in a smaller Cup, which covers all of the previous eight number of teams and 60 overs then, com- Cricket World Cups and beautifully edited pared to significantly more teams now, and by the Caribbean’s own Tony Cozier and 50 overs per side, per match. Does the now available on newsstands. What did you 2007 format benefit the West Indies team? reflect on most when asked to write that

foreword, for such a timely publication?

CHL: Obviously, I reflected first and foremost on the first two Cricket World Cups and what it meant to West Indies cricket. More over, what this year’s Cricket World Cup means to West Indies cricket and the economy of the region.

I feel that this event is a significant opportunity for the governments of the Caribbean and the International Cricket Council (ICC) to see the importance of of New York cricket to the region. I am cautiously optimistic that the hospitality of the Caribbean people will be what visitors take away from the Caribbean and not any unfortunate incidents of robberies or flight connection delays and baggage loss.

JLA: West Indies cricket has in the past been criticized for being politically and geographically insular and the reason for some of its poor performances. You are no stranger to the intrusion of politics into the cricket arena. So, it is not unusual for national governments to politically insert themselves into the milieu of the game.

Recently, the Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf urged his nation’s players to capture the 2007 Cricket World Cup for their (Pakistan) nation, albeit through physical fitness, discipline and team spirit.

With the 2007 Cricket World Cup being hosted by nine Caribbean nations, does such cooperation augur a new era of cohesiveness for West Indies cricket from a political perspective?

CHL: Yes! I hope so, because when that occurs, everybody wins. I hope the guys play as a team and become the first team ever to win the Cricket World Cup at home. That would be a tremendous boost to the cricket morale of the Caribbean people, given the current standings of the West Indies team in the international arena.

It would be another significant first for West Indies cricket, having won the first two Cricket World Cups, and now to be the first team ever to win a Cricket World Cup at home.

JLA: Politics aside, what in your opinion is the future of West Indies cricket?

CHL: I am very optimistic about our cricket future. However, we must get things in place to ensure a successful future. It is important that we create a cricket environment that sustains winning. We can only do so by encouraging the development of cricket through our schools, a cricket academy, uni-

34 Cricket International Magazine

versities and revamping our domestic cricket agenda. With such efforts in place, we would be better poised to return to the previous success we enjoyed.

JLA: You recently were a part of a very unique cricket opportunity in the West Indies – the Allen Stanford Twenty20 multimillion dollar regional cricket tournament.

Is that a vehicle upon which West Indies cricket can grow, and if so, how?

CHL: Yes, it can be the catalyst! It was a very exciting tournament with a lot to offer the players. However, to be successful, such tournaments must work in conjunction with the agenda of the regional body – the West Indies Cricket Board.

JLA: You and Michael Holding have contributed immensely to West Indies cricket, but recently were caught up in a controversy surrounding the administration of some aspects of West Indies cricket, albeit mostly in the media. Has that situation been resolved and do you see yourself and Michael working together for the future development of West Indies cricket?

CHL: I have no problems with Michael.

It was an issue between Michael and the Chairman of the West Indies Cricket Board, and I should not have been involved. It was and never is my intention to have a spat with people such as Michael Holding, because the contribution of such individuals to the game

of cricket, particularly West Indies cricket is immeasurable. I look forward very much to working with Michael and other such individuals toward the development of West Indies cricket.

JLA: You are highly respected throughout the world as a player and an international match referee, and more recently a West Indies cricket administrator. Does the future see you participating more fully in the administration and development of cricket in the Caribbean?

CHL: Right now, I am chairman of the cricket committee of the West Indies Cricket Board. I don’t know how long I will serve in that capacity; however, I hope that during that time, West Indies cricket returns to the level of respectability it once enjoyed.

There is no doubt in my mind that I do want to play a part in the future development of cricket in the West Indies, and I hope I continue to have an opportunity to do so.

JLA: The United States of America has been making a concerted effort to raise its level of performance in the international cricket arena. How, in your opinion can such an effort be fully realized?

CHL: There are some firm plans that will be announced shortly, possibly later this year, involving the West Indies Cricket Board and the promotion of cricket in the United States. It would involve international teams,

playing in the USA. Such efforts would serve cricket well in the USA. It would raise a greater awareness of the game in the United States, and makes absolute sense, after all the West Indies is such a short hop from the United States.

I believe that with such exposure, the United States of American can develop an established cricket base to compete with greater success in the international arena.

JLA: You are highly regarded within the expatriate cricket community of the United States. If asked, would you be willing to be a part of the future development of cricket in the USA through the auspices of the International Cricket Council?

CHL: I am a cricketer! Therefore, I am willing to help in any way possible with the development of cricket anywhere in the world, if the opportunity presents itself and I am available. The United States of America is no exception.

Footnote: Clive Hubert Lloyd has led the West Indies to two Cricket World Cup victories (1975 and 1979) and captained the West Indies team 74 times in his 110 Test appearances. The most successful West Indies captain, Lloyd is currently an International Cricket Council (ICC) Match Referee and Chairman of the cricket committee of the West Indies Cricket Board.

John L. Aaron, an education administrator, is also a freelance writer and photo journalist who resides in New York and contributes regularly to Cricket International – North America’s Only Cricket Newspaper.

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Asian

36 Cricket International Magazine

the

challenge

AT THE

BY KAMAL KAILASH March 13th is when the Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean kicks off. As always, the euphoria surrounding it would be at an all time high, as the attention of Cricket aficionado from the world over would converge at the Caribbean archipelago.

Many things would have changed since the last edition of World Cup in South Africa- the venues, the attires, the players, the teams et al, but two things would have not. Firstly, Australia will remain the favourite to lift the World cup for a record third consecutive time and secondly, it will have to cross the Asian challenge to win the World Cup. Australia has been the finalist in the World Cup continuously since 1996, when it lost to Sri Lanka in the Finals. In 1999, it defeated Pakistan to lift the WC and in 2003 it was India’s turn to be the runner-up to the formidable Aussies.

This time around again, the Asian challenge is going to be very much conspicuous. It would be hence fruitful to analyse the contours of the Asian challenge at the West Indies.

PAKISTAN After winning the WC under the stewardship of the dashing Imran Khan in 1992, Pakistan came close to winning it again in 1999 when it reached the finals. However the final match was the most subdued finals in the WC history as Pakistan was all out batting first against the Aussies, who reached home quite comprehensively.

The 2003 WC was a subdued one for the Paki team as it couldn’t reach even the super six stage. However,

Photo: Getty Image

Caribbean

Much is expected from Pakistan’s prolific scorer Mohammad Yousuf at World Cup 2007.

the Pakistan is touted to be the most unpredictable side in world cricket.

It’s certainly the most talented of the Asian sides. The problem with Pakistan has been lack of consistency. The team is known to produce the best and worst of performances in hardly any time difference.

In 2006, Pakistan’s performance in ODI cricket has been satisfactory. It won 11 out of 23 matches played. Pakistan’s hope would mainly hinge upon performances of skipper Inzmam-ul-

Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan. The Pakistan skipper has a penchant for the big stage- who can forget his swashbuckling display in the 1992 world cup. The aging warlord would like to exit the game with the game’s most prestigious trophy.

The bedrock of Pakistani middle order is going to be the ever dependable Mohammad Yousuf. The nation would be hoping that the stylish righthander carries his un-beatable form of Test cricket to the shorter version of the game.

Pakistan chances will be further bolstered by the presence of allroundersRazzaq, Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi. All three are hard hitters of the cricket ball and can single handedly alter the course of a match.

The major concern going forward for Pakistan is the opening conundrum. Perhaps Pakistan has tried more opening combinations than any other cricketing nation. Presence of too many alternatives seems to be the problem here. Pakistan has Salman Butt, Yasir Hamid, Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat and Afridi to choose from. The team is still undecided over the final combination.

Anything can be expected from Pakistan and the team would look forward to a bright 2007, especially after the controversy fortified 2006.

INDIA

Every time the WC approaches, the devotees at the Mecca of cricket rise to inspire Team India to achieve the ultimate. This time it’s going to be no different.

While optimism may prevail upon people to expect anything, it’s pragmatism which produces better results.

A little bit of soul searching will render that India’s chances in this year’s world cup are slimmer than they have been in its last five editions.

The year 2006 was egregious for Indian ODI cricket as it could win only 13 out of 30 matches played in the year, its worst performance since 2003. . Most of the big names have been out of form

march 1, 2007 37

for longer than we can remember. India still doesn’t have a team- a well integrated unit in place. Given the current form of Tendulkar and Sehwag, there is a big question mark over the performance of opening combination.

The middle order has been inconspicuous by its very non-existence.

Batting woes apart, the real nagging problem for India is the absence of genuine allrounder in the Team.

Infact, it is the single largest factor which goes against India in its endeavour to win the World Cup. India perhaps will be the only major Team to go in the world cup without a genuine allrounder. Australia has Andrew Symonds, England- Paul Collingwood and Flintoff, South Africa - Kallis, Kemp and Pollock, Sri Lanka-Jayasuriya, Pakistan-Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Malik, New Zealand- Styris and Vettori and West Indies have Bravo.

The closest India come to have an

Sri lanka

He was also the leading run getter in year bygone.

Interestingly, of the top five run getters in 2006 four are Sri Lankans.

While Chris Gayle is second in the list, Jayawardane, Jayasuriya and Tharanga follow at the third, fourth and fifth place respectively.

Sri Lanka seems to be a well integrated unit. In the bowling department Muralitharan and Vaas would carry the baton.

The islanders seem to be in an impeccable nick. At the moment they are the No.2 team after Australia. Naturally then, they are the second favourites to win the World Cup.

Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara will be one of the better wicketkeeper/ batsmen on show at the World Cup. Photo: Getty Image

The island nation created ripples when it won the trophy in 2006, beating the Aussies comprehensively in the finals. The rise of Sri Lanka then was simply amazing. Spectacular performance by Aravinda De Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya ensured Sri Lanka’s dominance over world cricket.

Fast forward to 2007 and two thing seem to have synchronized. Sanath Jayauriya has returned to form and so has Sri Lanka. It has won nineteen out of 36 ODI matches played in 2006, a success rate of 52.78 % ( India – 43.33% & Pakistan- 47.83%).

The balding master Jayasuriya was the player of the tournament in the 1996 WC. The Sri Lankans would rally around him to produce the old magic.

Jayasuriya has scored five ODI centuries in 2006 and he looks to be in an ominous form. Infact he is going to be one of the players to watch out for in the Caribbean.

The other important players for Sri Lanka are Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakara and Mahela Jayawardane.

Tharanga and Jayasuriya are the leading century scorer in 2006 at five centuries each. Kumar Sangakara, though managed only one century, scored the highest number of fifties (12) in 2006.

allrounder is Irfan Pathan. However the Baroda paceman has been out of confidence, out of form and hence out of the Team. India would be hoping that he returns to form in time for the World cup, because he will certainly have an important role to play.

The key player for India is going to be Yuvraj Singh. The south paw has been a genuine match winner for India. His instrumentality in the Team can be gauged by seeing the teams’ performance post his injury.

India will also pin its hope on the little master- Sachin Tendulkar and Comeback Icon- Saurabh Ganguly.

There is talk of the old opening pair being reinstated.

This is certainly going to be the last WC for the classic batting trio of Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly. It will have to seen whether these batting greats get to end their careers on a high.

CONCLUSION In the final analysis, as always, there is going to be a strong Asian challenge at Cricket’s biggest carnival. However, which of the three (Bangladesh has little hope at the WC, hence reference to three and not four Asian teams) will reach the finals remains the pertinent question (an all Asian finals seems to be the most unlikely- but the most rel-

ishing prospect).

It can be expected that two Asian teams reach the semi-finals stage, in which case Sri Lanka and Pakistan are the most likely candidates. India will have to work really hard to produce wanders at the Caribbean, but nevertheless they cannot be completely written off.

America’s prized Possession

Orin Davidson writes Photos by John Aaron

To the non-cricket fan Steve Massiah hardly fits the player profile on a normal day.

Most of the time he is decked out in jacket and tie and appears more like a 24/7 Queens, New York businessman.

For eight months of the year he is outfitted that way.

But take a walk to any Queens or Brooklyn Park the remainder of the year and the authentic Massiah shows up.

He happens to be not just any player, but actually America’s most successful batsman.

The right-hander is also America’s new captain and had his appointment been made one year earlier, the country would’ve been preparing for its first World Cup, instead of enduring another dormant winter.

Yet, were his circumstances different Massiah could well have been wearing West Indies colors.

As a leading West Indies Under-19 player he migrated to the United States from Guyana at 18 years of age. At the time he was poised to make the transition from the junior ranks to the seniors after an outstanding beginning.

But when he had to choose between his family and West Indies cricket, Massiah opted for the former.

Ten years later he is still playing competitively but not at the level most observers predicted.

Many feel the career of West Indies vice captain Ramnaresh Sarwan would be an ideal yardstick to predict Massiah’s fortunes had he not left Guyana.

As teenagers their careers were almost identical. Both were outstanding batsmen, both loved the game deeply and both yearned to be West Indies players.

They even lived in the same Georgetown street.

A decade later saw Sarwan progressing through the junior ranks from Guyana Under-19 captain, to youngest West Indies first class player, to Demerara captain to West Indies vice captain and finally Guyana captain.

With 4,268 Test runs and 3,724 at ODI level, Sarwan made himself indispensable in the West Indies middle order.

And who knows, Massiah could well have

march 1, 2007 41

trodden a similar path.

From early on he exhibited rare batting talent, displaying an appetite for big scores before even before his teens.

At 13 years he chalked up his first century in an Under-16 limited overs game over 40 overs, and went on to make it a permanent habit.

“I always fancied playing big innings from the time I started, I don’t know why, it was just something I felt naturally,” the batsman explained.

It became an obsession in the performance-oriented atmosphere at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) which he eventually joined. His decision to seek his fortunes there was crucial to his development. Sarwan, one year his junior went in a different direction to arch rivals GCC (Georgetown Cricket Club).

“I don’t think I would fit in there (GCC), so I went to DCC instead,” the right hander said.

A senior DCC player lived in his street and encouraged the youngster to enlist there after he outgrew Gandhi Youth Organization (GYO) club.

“I was the only Indian at DCC but it did not make a difference, I never regretted the decision”.

Mentored by former Guyana batsmen Mark Harper and his brother Roger -- the ex West Indies vice captain and coach, Massiah said he grew from strength to strength.

“They stressed fundamentals there, always play straight, always play the ball in the V,” he said, referring to the practice of playing in the arch between mid-off and mid-on.

At 17 years Massiah notched his maiden senior club century against GDF and after following up with another two weeks later, he broke into the Guyana Under-19 team in the 1996 Nortel series where he campaigned for three years.

Ironically his best individual performance was with the ball. In Massiah’s first year he bagged eight wickets for 25 runs with medium pace against the Leeward and with his consistent batting, helped Guyana win two of its six straight titles during the time.

In 1997, he and his family left Guyana, but the youngster flew back home to represent the country the next year and gained selection to the West Indies Under-19 All Star team ahead of Sarwan.

Despite scoring heavily in senior Guyana trials, Massiah was not selected and made the decision to continue his life in America.

An official’s warped views on his commitment made the decision easier.

“There was one selector who said I lived in America and would not have interest in Guyana’s cricket,” explained the player. “He did not even take into consideration I had traveled back to Guyana to play in the trials and for the Under-19 (Regional) competition.”

As his parent’s lone offspring, Massiah felt pressured to leave instead of pursuing a career in an environment of declining support.

He decided to walk away from Guyana’s cricket there and then.

Living in the “Land of Opportunity” was also a pull factor.

Furthering his education was on Massiah’s mind and cricket was placed on the backburner.

Little did he know 10 years later, he would still be playing competitively with a burning ambition to lead the United States to its first World Cup. Within that time the U.S. stakeholders started taking cricket seriously which resulted in the team contesting three World Cup qualifying competitions.

Massiah was part of one such campaign after meeting the qualification status in time for the 2005 series.

Unofficially he started his U.S. career in 2002 and recorded a century in all but one of the tours he was a part off, including two in a Malaysia Tri-nation competition that year.

In between the right hander helped America win its first international title in the Six-Nations Cup in Dubai in 2004.

It earned the team a place in the Champions Trophy competition later that year in England. Although America was dispatched summarily by heavyweights Australia and New Zealand, Massiah said the tour afforded him the opportunity to record his most memorable innings.

It was against Zimbabwe in a warm-up game when Massiah flayed the bowling for an epic unbeaten 142 that gave the U.S. a brilliant comeback victory.

“That was my best innings ever because it was against a Test team at a time when we were struggling (innings).

One of his biggest disappointments occurred the very next year though, when the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2007 World Cup. It was supposed to be a stroll in the park for the defending Six Nations champions after topping all of the top Associate member teams one year prior and recording their first three-day outright victory, over Bermuda in the Inter Continental Cup, helped by yet another Massiah ton.

But despite the star batsman’s excellence in the Ireland staged 2007 World Cup qualifying series, they crashed to five defeats and a solitary win that failed to net a top five qualifying place.

Massiah notched his obligatory century and topped the U.S. aggregate with 232 runs, but he gained little joy from the experience.

“I think we did too many things wrong and paid the penalty as a result,” he lamented.

Widespread team selection reform followed with Massiah assuming the team captaincy in the U.S’ next engagement one year later in Canada. They went on to surprise World Cup bound Bermuda and Canada in the Americas Cup by placing second.

An almost certain victory over eventual title winners Bermuda, was denied by rain and the no-result robbed America of the title.

In contrast to the previous year, Massiah took much satisfaction from the performance, not because he again topped his team’s batting with 283 runs, with an astounding 141 average, rather due to the fact that an almost new look team was impressive in a big tournament.

“This was a team nobody expected to do well, but the guys stepped up to the plate and gave us much hope for the future.”

At 27, Massiah feels he has two more World Cup qualifying series left before calling it a day to realize his goal of seeing his adopted country to the promised land.

And he has no intention of playing overseas either despite constant pressure.

“I get many offers for contracts in England and other places all the time.”

Rather, he prefers staying in Queens, probably because he is doing well in the Real Estate industry.

It explains his business type look most of the year.

Whether its runs or buildings Massiah knows to score all through the year.

Orinbeauty@yahoo.com

Does a

White

cricket ball swing more than a

By Rabindra Mehta

It is widely believed that the white cricket ball possesses swing properties that are very different compared to those of a conventional red ball.

So is there any truth to this, and can it be supported by scientific facts? What are the manufacturing differences between the white and red balls and can that account for the observed differences?

And what about reported differences between balls made by different manufacturers?

In particular, what are the differences, if any, between the red Dukes ball used in Test Matches in England, the red Kookaburra ball used in Australia and the red SG Test ball used in India? All these questions are addressed in this article together with a discussion of what properties of the ball the bowlers should really concentrate on in order to maximize the swing performance.

one?

This is a topic on the minds of all players and coaches and one of the questions that I am asked frequently. This whole debate started in 1999 during the build up to the World Cup when Dukes introduced the white ball that was going to be used in the tournament.

Many players claimed that this white ball possessed swing properties that were different compared to those of a conventional red one.

In particular, it was claimed that a new white ball swung noticeably more than a red one.

At first there was some debate over the accuracy of this claim and it was attributed to perhaps just a visual perception. However, in some testing performed by the BBC in New Zealand using a bowling machine it was demonstrated that the white ball swung measurably more than the red one at around 70 mph. So what caused this difference in the swing properties?

Well, it turns out that the Dukes white ball manufacturing process is not quite the same as that for the conventional red ball.

With the conventional red ball, the leather is dyed red, greased and polished with a shellac topcoat. This final polish disappears very quickly during play and it is the grease in the leather that produces the shine when polished by the bowler. The finish applied to the white ball is slightly different. The leather is

sprayed with a polyurethane white paint-like fluid and then heat-treated so that it bonds to the leather like a hard skin. As a final treatment, one coat of clear polyurethanebased topcoat is applied to further protect the white surface so that it does not get dirty easily. This extra coating ends up affecting the ball aerodynamics by making the surface smoother.

On inspecting the Dukes white ball it is quite apparent that the surfaces over the quarter seams are much smoother compared to those on a Dukes red ball, where the ridges created by the internal stitching can be clearly seen and felt. As a consequence, a new Dukes white ball behaves like a twopiece ball and it will swing more, especially at the higher bowling speeds. A smooth surface on the side of the ball facing the batsman helps in achieving conventional swing. The smoother surface also means that reverse swing is harder to obtain with a new white ball, even at very high bowling speeds. With the additional outer coating, one may also expect reverse swing to occur later in the innings. The Dukes red ball was used in the memorable 2005 Ashes series and a lot of England’s success was attributed to their bowlers’ ability to produce reverse swing.

Well, it turns out that it was a combination of reverse and contrast swing, but the point is that for both swing types, a rough surface on one side is the key. And, starting off with a relatively rough quarter-seam helps in achieving this condition sooner.

So what about the Kookaburra red and white balls? Well, Kookaburra maintains vehemently that their red and white balls are manufactured using exactly the same process, except, of course, for the color. On inspecting the red and white Kookaburra balls, I must admit that the geometric specifications look identical and I would therefore not expect any difference in their aerodynamic performance. I am not sure if all the players and coaches are convinced of this and I have also heard that they feel it is easier to polish a red Kookaburra ball than a white one. I would venture that this may perhaps be more due to visual appearance and perception than the quality of the achieved smoothness.

The other interesting point about the Kookaburra balls is that both their white and red balls also exhibit a relatively smooth quarter-seam region. Although, a thin line can be seen along the quarter seam, it does not feel as rough as the ridges on a traditional red ball. Therefore, the red and white Kookaburra balls will also behave more like two-piece balls and they will swing more than a conventional red ball, especially when new and at the higher bowling speeds. Of course, once the surface becomes roughened, reverse

Rabindra studying the flow patterns around a cricket ball in a water channel. and contrast swing will readily come into play as was recently witnessed in the Champions Trophy in India which utilized the white Kookaburra ball. The red Kookaburra ball is currently being used in the Ashes series in Australia and it will be interesting to see how long it takes before the bowlers start blaming the red ball for their woes!

It turns out that the red SG Test ball used in India is very similar to the Dukes red ball.

The ridges along the quarter seam are very apparent and this will make it easier to produce reverse swing with this ball. Again, the increased roughness along the quarter seam means that reverse swing can be obtained at lower bowling speeds and the amount of reverse swing at the higher bowling speeds is increased.

What about the role of the six rows of stitching that make up the primary seam?

They are certainly not identical on balls made by different manufacturers. In fact, they often vary between different brands made by the same manufacturer. For the balls discussed here, the primary seams on the red Dukes and SG Test balls are certainly higher and more prominent than the tightly wound seams on the Dukes white ball and both (red and white) Kookaburra balls. So what effect does this have on the swing properties? Well, our wind tunnel testing showed that the primary seams on almost all new balls are high enough and rough enough to cause the flow asymmetry which is necessary to produce swing. However, starting off with a relatively high seam means that the

chances of it remaining prominent in the latter part of the innings are improved. This is relevant because a prominent primary seam is critical for both conventional and reverse swing. The condition of the primary seam has less effect on contrast swing. In fact, the primary seam can be completely bashed in and the ball (with one side smooth and the other rough) can still be contrast swung. In addition to the ball aerodynamics, the condition of the seam will also affect movement off the pitch. A prominent, wedge-shaped seam will generally result in more deviation than a low, flat seam.

So rather than getting excited about the color of the cricket ball, the bowlers would be better advised to spend time examining the condition of the primary seam and the surface roughness, especially in the quarter-seam regions. I have also noted that the embossments that are stamped on the balls sometimes provide an additional roughness, which is not always the same on both sides of the ball. This is a feature that I would cherish as a bowler since it helps in producing reverse and contrast swing from the get go.

If there is enough roughness added to one side through the embossment stamping process, then perhaps the temptation to tamper with the ball’s surface will be reduced. I hope the ball manufacturers and the cricketing authorities are paying attention!

Rabindra Mehta, Sports Aerodynamics Consultant and NASA Scientist based in California. (rabi44@aol.com)

44 Cricket International Magazine

World Cup

HIGHEST Player SR Tendulkar SC Ganguly RT Ponting AC Gilchrist HH Gibbs MS Atapattu A Flower ML Hayden A Symonds DR Martyn ST Jayasuriya SP Fleming R Dravid V Sehwag CB Wishart SB Styris PA de Silva RD Shah BC Lara Yuvraj Singh JM Davison DS Lehmann CL Cairns Saeed Anwar NJ Astle MO Odumbe RR Sarwan CH Gayle SO Tikolo AJ Burger S Chanderpaul G Kirsten M Kaif KO Otieno HP Tillakaratne GW Flower KC Sangakkara Yousuf Youhana HH Streak JF Kloppenburg TM Odoyo A Flintoff KJJ Noortwijk MG Bevan IS Billcliff MP Vaughan PD Collingwood AJ Stewart DLS van Bunge D Keulder MV Boucher CD McMillan

run-scorers

Team Ind Ind Aus Aus SA SL Zim Aus Aus Aus SL NZ Ind Ind Zim NZ SL Ken WI Ind Can Aus NZ Pak NZ Ken WI WI Ken Nam WI SA Ind Ken SL Zim SL Pak Zim NL Ken Eng NL Aus Can Eng Eng Eng NL Nam SA NZ

Mat 11 11 11 10 6 10 8 11 9 10 10 8 11 11 8 8 10 9 6 11 6 10 8 5 7 8 5 6 9 6 6 6 11 9 9 7 10 6 8 5 7 5 4 9 6 5 5 5 6 6 6 6

Runs 673 465 415 408 384 382 332 328 326 323 321 321 318 299 293 268 267 265 248 240 226 224 223 218 213 211 209 206 206 199 196 186 182 182 178 177 176 170 166 158 156 156 154 148 147 139 137 136 135 132 125 125

HS 152 112* 140* 99 143 124 71 88 143* 88* 120 134* 62 82 172* 141 92 61 116 58* 111 56* 54 101 102* 52* 75 119 56 85 66 69 68* 79 81* 78* 39* 58 72* 121 43* 64 134* 74* 71 52 66* 60 62 52 49 75

100 1 3 2 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Ave 61.18 58.12 51.87 40.79 96.00 54.57 47.42 32.79 163.00 64.59 40.12 45.85 63.60 27.18 48.83 53.60 33.37 29.44 41.33 34.28 37.66 44.79 37.16 54.50 42.60 42.20 104.50 34.33 22.88 33.16 39.20 62.00 20.22 20.22 35.60 35.39 25.14 28.33 41.50 31.60 31.19 31.19 51.33 49.33 24.50 27.80 45.66 34.00 27.00 22.00 41.66 20.83

SR 89.25 82.30 87.92 105.42 100.78 84.51 72.33 80.00 90.55 81.77 76.42 85.82 64.11 86.66 85.42 101.90 89.29 60.50 81.04 85.40 118.94 82.35 81.68 71.94 80.07 103.43 95.87 69.83 57.22 100.50 69.50 85.71 57.59 49.18 58.36 78.66 73.64 76.92 98.22 65.02 60.70 71.88 96.25 56.06 58.10 76.79 74.45 66.66 55.10 60.00 83.89 79.11

AM Blignaut Rashid Latif GC Smith D Mongia T Taibu AJ Bichel CZ Harris ME Trescothick RL Powell HH Dippenaar WW Hinds NV Knight WPUJC Vaas Saleem Elahi HS Modi

Zim Pak SA Ind Zim Aus NZ Eng WI SA WI Eng SL Pak Ken

World Cup

Runs 172* 152 143* 143 141 140* 134* 134* 124 121 120 119 116 114 112* 111* 111 107* 103* 102* 101 99 98 97 92 91* 88* 88 87* 85 83 82 81* 81 80

7 6 3 11 8 8 6 5 6 6 6 5 10 4 9

123 122 121 120 117 117 116 116 113 108 108 103 102 102 101

58 36 63 42 53 64 38* 58 50 80 64 51 28* 63 39*

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

20.50 30.50 40.33 20.00 29.25 117.00 38.66 23.19 28.25 36.00 18.00 20.60 20.39 25.50 16. 83

138.20 114.01 85.81 57.41 58.50 83.57 68.23 77.33 156.94 68.35 80.59 76.86 63.35 68.00 37.96

HIGHEST

individual scores

Player CB Wishart SR Tendulkar A Symonds HH Gibbs SB Styris RT Ponting SP Fleming KJJ Noortwijk MS Atapattu JF Kloppenburg ST Jayasuriya CH Gayle BC Lara RT Ponting SC Ganguly SC Ganguly JM Davison SC Ganguly MS Atapattu NJ Astle Saeed Anwar AC Gilchrist SR Tendulkar SR Tendulkar PA de Silva A Symonds DR Martyn ML Hayden HH Gibbs AJ Burger SR Tendulkar V Sehwag HP Tillakaratne SR Tendulkar HH Dippenaar

Match Zimbabwe v Namibia at Harare India v Namibia at Pietermaritzburg Australia v Pakistan at Johannesburg South Africa v New Zealand at Johannesburg New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Bloemfontein Australia v India at Johannesburg New Zealand v South Africa at Johannesburg Netherlands v Namibia at Bloemfontein Sri Lanka v South Africa at Durban Netherlands v Namibia at Bloemfontein Sri Lanka v New Zealand at Bloemfontein West Indies v Kenya at Kimberley West Indies v South Africa at Cape Town Australia v Sri Lanka at Centurion India v Namibia at Pietermaritzburg India v Kenya at Durban Canada v West Indies at Centurion India v Kenya at Cape Town Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at East London New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Bloemfontein Pakistan v India at Centurion Australia v Sri Lanka at Centurion India v Pakistan at Centurion India v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg Sri Lanka v Australia at Centurion Australia v Sri Lanka at Port Elizabeth Australia v India at Johannesburg Australia v Namibia at Potchefstroom South Africa v Kenya at Potchefstroom Namibia v England at Port Elizabeth India v Kenya at Durban India v Australia at Johannesburg Sri Lanka v New Zealand at Bloemfontein India v Zimbabwe at Harare South Africa v Canada at East London

Statistics Courtesy of International Cricket Council Website

46 Cricket International Magazine

World Cup

World Cup

LOWEST

HIGHEST

team totals

Score 36 (18.4 ov) 45 (14.0 ov) 84 (17.4 ov) 104 (35.5 ov) 108 (35.1 ov) 109 (23.0 ov) 112 (30.1 ov) 120 (28.0 ov) 122 (30.2 ov) 124 (31.1 ov) 125 (41.4 ov) 130 (42.3 ov) 133 (44.1 ov) 134 (31.0 ov) 136-5 (50.0 ov) 136 (48.1 ov) 140 (38.0 ov) 142-9 (50.0 ov) 146 (45.1 ov) 156 (39.3 ov) 157 (45.0 ov) 168 (45.3 ov) 172 (44.4 ov) 174-8 (50.0 ov) 179 (46.2 ov) 180 (49.1 ov) 182 (41.5 ov) 185 (47.2 ov) 196 (47.0 ov) 197 (49.0 ov) 198-7 (50.0 ov)

Match Canada v Sri Lanka at Paarl Namibia v Australia at Potchefstroom Namibia v Pakistan at Kimberley Kenya v West Indies at Kimberley Bangladesh v South Africa at Bloemfontein Sri Lanka v India at Johannesburg New Zealand v Australia at Port Elizabeth Bangladesh v Canada at Durban Netherlands v Australia at Potchefstroom Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Pietermaritzburg India v Australia at Centurion Namibia v India at Pietermaritzburg Zimbabwe v Kenya at Bloemfontein Pakistan v England at Cape Town Canada v South Africa at East London Netherlands v India at Paarl Kenya v South Africa at Potchefstroom Netherlands v England at East London New Zealand v India at Centurion Netherlands v Pakistan at Paarl Sri Lanka v Kenya at Nairobi (Gym) England v India at Durban Zimbabwe v India at Harare Kenya v Australia at Durban Kenya v India at Durban Canada v Bangladesh at Durban Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka at East London Bangladesh v Kenya at Johannesburg Canada v New Zealand at Benoni Canada v Kenya at Cape Town Bangladesh v New Zealand at Kimberley

Score 359-2 (50.0 ov) 340-2 (50.0 ov) 319-5 (50.0 ov) 314-4 (50.0 ov) 311-2 (50.0 ov) 310-8 (50.0 ov) 306-6 (50.0 ov) 301-6 (50.0 ov) 301-8 (50.0 ov) 292-6 (50.0 ov) 278-5 (50.0 ov) 276-4 (45.4 ov) 275-9 (49.0 ov) 273-7 (50.0 ov) 272 (50.0 ov) 272-7 (50.0 ov) 270-4 (50.0 ov) 268-9 (50.0 ov) 256-5 (50.0 ov) 255-7 (50.0 ov) 255-9 (50.0 ov) 254-8 (50.0 ov) 253-4 (47.2 ov) 253-9 (50.0 ov) 252-7 (50.0 ov) 250-9 (50.0 ov) 250 (46.5 ov)

team totals

Match Australia v India at Johannesburg Zimbabwe v Namibia at Harare Australia v Sri Lanka at Centurion Netherlands v Namibia at Bloemfontein India v Namibia at Pietermaritzburg Australia v Pakistan at Johannesburg South Africa v New Zealand at Johannesburg Australia v Namibia at Potchefstroom Zimbabwe v Netherlands at Bulawayo India v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg West Indies v South Africa at Cape Town India v Pakistan at Centurion South Africa v West Indies at Cape Town Pakistan v India at Centurion England v Namibia at Port Elizabeth Sri Lanka v New Zealand at Bloemfontein India v Kenya at Durban Sri Lanka v South Africa at Durban Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at East London India v Zimbabwe at Harare Pakistan v Namibia at Kimberley South Africa v Canada at East London New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Bloemfontein Pakistan v Netherlands at Paarl Zimbabwe v New Zealand at Bloemfontein India v England at Durban Namibia v Netherlands at Bloemfontein Statistics Courtesy of International Cricket Council Website

48 Cricket International Magazine

World Cup

sr 200.00 200.00 175.00 156.94 150.00 150.00 141.17 138.20 133.33 130.30 126.66 118.94 118.42 118.18 115.78 114.01 112.00 105.42 105.00 103.43 102.89 101.90 100.78 100.50 100.00 100.00 100.00 98.30 98.22 97.53 96.25 95.94 95.87 93.75 90.55

BEST BATTING

strike rate

player A Nehra AJ Hall M Ntini RL Powell JN Gillespie GD McGrath Shoaib Akhtar AM Blignaut RC Irani SM Ervine ID Blackwell JM Davison AR Adams L Klusener M Dillon Rashid Latif Mashrafe Mortaza AC Gilchrist TJ Friend MO Odumbe Wasim Akram SB Styris HH Gibbs AJ Burger PT Collins PW Gunaratne M Zondeki Harbhajan Singh HH Streak C White KJJ van Noortwijk SM Pollock RR Sarwan DR Tuffey A Symonds

team Ind SA SA WI Aus Aus Pak Zim Eng Zim Eng Can NZ SA WI Pak BD Aus Zim Ken Pak NZ SA Nam WI SL SA Ind Zim Eng NL SA WI NZ Aus

mat 9 3 6 6 4 11 6 7 2 3 2 6 7 5 6 6 2 10 1 8 6 8 6 6 3 6 3 10 8 5 4 6 5 2 9

inns 1 1 2 5 1 1 4 6 2 2 2 6 5 3 3 5 2 10 1 8 5 7 6 6 1 1 1 6 6 4 4 4 5 2 5

runs 8 22 14 113 6 3 72 123 12 43 38 226 90 91 22 122 28 408 21 211 71 268 384 199 1 15 1 58 166 79 154 71 209 15 326

BEST BATTING

World Cup

bf 4 11 8 72 4 2 51 89 9 33 30 190 76 77 19 107 25 387 20 204 69 263 381 198 1 15 1 59 169 81 160 74 218 16 360

ave 7.00 28.25 72.00 20.50 6.00 43.00 38.00 37.66 22.50 91.00 7.33 30.50 14.00 40.79 21.00 42.20 23.66 53.60 96.00 33.16 14.50 41.50 26.33 51.33 17.75 104.50 7.50 163.00

economy rate

econ 2.00 2.00 2.87 2.95 3.00 3.26 3.37 3.39 3.45

player CD McMillan JJC Lawson A Flintoff AY Karim S Chanderpaul JN Gillespie M Ntini Ehsanul Haque AJ Bichel

World Cup

team NZ WI Eng Ken WI Aus SA BD Aus

mat 6 1 5 4 6 4 6 4 8

balls 12 48 292 140 12 180 313 60 342

runs 4 16 140 69 6 98 176 34 197

wkts 0 2 7 3 0 8 10 2 16

bb 2/16 2/15 3/7 3/13 4/24 2/34 7/20

ave 8.00 20.00 23.00 12.25 17.60 17.00 12.31

MOST DISMISSAL

as a wicketkeeper

Dis 21 17 16 12 11 10 9 8 8 7 7 5 4

Player AC Gilchrist KC Sangakkara R Dravid KO Otieno MV Boucher A Bagai BB McCullum RD Jacobs Rashid Latif T Taibu AJ Stewart J Smits M van Schoor

Team Aus SL Ind Ken SA Can NZ WI Pak Zim Eng NL Nam

Mat 10 10 11 8 6 6 7 6 6 8 5 6 5

ct 21 15 15 8 11 8 9 7 7 7 6 4 4

st 0 2 1 4 0 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 0

Statistics Courtesy of International Cricket Council Website

march 1, 2007 49

BEST BOWLING

World Cup

analysis

Figures Player

Match

7-15

GD McGrath

Australia v Namibia at Potchefstroom

7-20

AJ Bichel

Australia v England at Port Elizabeth

6-23

SE Bond

NZ v Australia at Port Elizabeth

6-23

A Nehra

India v England at Durban

6-25

WPUJC Vaas

SL v Bangladesh at Pietermaritzburg

5-24

CO Obuya

Kenya v Sri Lanka at Nairobi (Gym)

5-27

A Codrington

Canada v Bangladesh at Durban

5-28

Wasim Akram

Pakistan v Namibia at Kimberley

5-33

VC Drakes

West Indies v Kenya at Kimberley

5-42

B Lee

Australia v NZ at Port Elizabeth

5-43

RJ van Vuuren

Namibia v England at Port Elizabeth

5-44

VC Drakes

West Indies v Canada at Centurion

4-6

Yuvraj Singh

India v Namibia at Pietermaritzburg

4-12

RAP Nissanka

Sri Lanka v Canada at Paarl

4-16

L Klusener

South Africa v Kenya at Potchefstroom

4-22

WPUJC Vaas

Sri Lanka v West Indies at Cape Town

4-24

M Ntini

SA v Bangladesh at Bloemfontein

4-25

JM Anderson

England v Netherlands at East London

4-28

M Muralitharan Sri Lanka v Kenya at Nairobi (Gym)

4-28

TM Odoyo

Kenya v Canada at Cape Town

4-29

JM Anderson

England v Pakistan at Cape Town

4-30

J Srinath

India v Netherlands at Paarl

4-32

A Kumble

India v Netherlands at Paarl

4-35

AR Caddick

England v Australia at Port Elizabeth

4-35

TBM de Leede

Netherlands v India at Paarl

4-35

A Nehra

India v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg

4-35

J Srinath

India v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg

4-38

MO Odumbe

Kenya v Bangladesh at Johannesburg

4-42

Adeel Raja

Netherlands v Namibia at Bloemfontein

4-42

Z Khan

India v New Zealand at Centurion

4-42

JF Kloppenburg Netherlands v Namibia at Bloemfontein

4-44

AR Adams

New Zealand v WI at Port Elizabeth

4-46

Shoaib Akhtar

Pakistan v Namibia at Kimberley

4-52

JDP Oram

New Zealand v Canada at Benoni

4-58

IJ Harvey

Australia v Pakistan at Johannesburg Statistics Courtesy of International Cricket Council Website

World Cup

HIGHEST

wicket-taker

Player WPUJC Vaas B Lee GD McGrath Z Khan SE Bond M Muralitharan VC Drakes J Srinath AJ Bichel A Nehra JDP Oram GB Hogg CO Obuya Wasim Akram Shoaib Akhtar TBM de Leede Harbhajan Singh M Ntini ST Jayasuriya AR Adams JM Davison JM Anderson PA de Silva TM Odoyo SO Tikolo MO Odumbe C White SM Pollock CRD Fernando IJ Harvey JN Gillespie MA Suji AR Caddick RJ van Vuuren WW Hinds HH Streak Waqar Younis JF Kloppenburg A Flintoff DT Hondo G Snyman LJ Burger A Codrington Adeel Raja DS Lehmann Khaled Mahmud M Dillon L Klusener BA Murphy Manjural Islam D Joseph Sanwar Hossain DLS van Bunge Yuvraj Singh D Mongia A Kumble AJ Hall

Team SL Aus Aus Ind NZ SL WI Ind Aus Ind NZ Aus Ken Pak Pak NL Ind SA SL NZ Can Eng SL Ken Ken Ken Eng SA SL Aus Aus Ken Eng Nam WI Zim Pak NL Eng Zim Nam Nam Can NL Aus BD WI SA Zim BD Can BD NL Ind Ind Ind SA

Mat 10 10 11 11 8 10 6 11 8 9 8 10 9 6 6 6 10 6 10 7 6 5 10 7 9 8 5 6 9 6 4 9 5 5 6 8 6 5 5 8 5 6 5 3 10 4 6 5 5 6 4 6 6 11 11 3 3

Balls 528 499 522 530 468 526 311 547 342 415 420 454 467 285 264 275 512 313 384 346 252 282 348 324 219 264 270 288 288 216 180 408 264 300 119 378 181 230 292 302 288 330 150 137 216 192 295 150 180 253 186 144 72 87 193 162 138

Runs 331 394 310 374 305 319 208 369 197 289 295 322 374 201 252 253 335 176 315 347 187 225 276 219 153 226 179 172 268 157 98 277 178 298 88 303 177 168 140 265 281 297 129 123 138 153 192 137 139 207 170 108 85 70 135 107 103

Wkts Ave 23 14.39 22 17.90 21 14.76 18 20.77 17 17.94 17 18.76 16 13.00 16 23.06 16 12.31 15 19.26 14 21.07 13 24.76 13 28.76 12 16.75 11 22.90 11 23.00 11 30.45 10 17.60 10 31.50 10 34.70 10 18.69 10 22.50 9 30.66 9 24.33 9 17.00 9 25.11 9 19.88 8 21.50 8 33.50 8 19.62 8 12.25 8 34.62 8 22.25 8 37.25 7 12.57 7 43.28 7 25.28 7 24.00 7 20.00 6 44.16 6 46.83 6 49.50 6 21.50 6 20.50 6 23.00 6 25.50 5 38.39 5 27.39 5 27.80 5 41.39 5 34.00 5 21.60 5 17.00 5 14.00 5 27.00 5 21.39 5 20.60

bb 6/25 5/42 7/15 4/42 6/23 4/28 5/33 4/30 7/20 6/23 4/52 3/46 5/24 5/28 4/46 4/35 2/28 4/24 3/30 4/44 3/15 4/25 2/36 4/28 3/14 4/38 3/33 2/8 3/47 4/58 3/13 3/19 4/35 5/43 3/35 2/35 2/37 4/42 2/15 1/16 3/69 3/39 5/27 4/42 2/22 3/46 2/47 4/16 3/44 3/62 2/42 3/49 3/16 4/6 2/24 4/32 2/15

4wi 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0

50 Cricket International Magazine

World Cup

sr 14.40 17.00 17.39 19.43 20.00 21.00 21.37 22.50 22.68 22.83 22.95 23.75 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.33 24.85 25.00 25.00 25.19 25.85 27.00 27.00 27.52 27.60 27.66 28.00 28.00 28.00 28.19 28.80 29.33 29.44

BEST BOWLING

strike rate

player DLS van Bunge WW Hinds Yuvraj Singh VC Drakes A Patel JO Angara AJ Bichel JN Gillespie B Lee Adeel Raja WPUJC Vaas Wasim Akram CL Cairns Shoaib Akhtar PD Collingwood Saeed Anwar SM Ervine JJC Lawson SO Tikolo GD McGrath A Codrington TBM de Leede JM Davison Waqar Younis NA de Groot IJ Harvey SE Bond AJ Hall A Nehra S Thuraisingam Saqlain Mushtaq RC Irani JM Anderson Sanwar Hossain MO Odumbe Z Khan

team NL WI Ind WI Can Ken Aus Aus Aus NL SL Pak NZ Pak Eng Pak Zim WI Ken Aus Can NL Can Pak Can Aus NZ SA Ind Can Pak Eng Eng BD Ken Ind

mat 6 6 11 6 2 1 8 4 10 3 10 6 8 6 5 5 3 1 9 11 5 6 6 6 6 6 8 3 9 3 3 2 5 6 8 11

CARPET DOCTOR

wkts 5 7 5 16 3 2 16 8 22 6 23 12 2 11 1 1 3 2 9 21 6 11 10 7 3 8 17 5 15 4 4 3 10 5 9 18

ave 17.00 12.57 14.00 13.00 24.33 26.50 12.31 12.25 17.90 20.50 14.39 16.75 27.00 22.90 15.00 15.00 29.00 8.00 17.00 14.76 21.50 23.00 18.69 25.28 29.33 19.62 17.94 20.60 19.26 27.25 19.25 19.33 22.50 21.60 25.11 20.77

World Cup

bb 3/16 3/35 4/6 5/33 3/41 2/53 7/20 3/13 5/42 4/42 6/25 5/28 2/16 4/46 1/15 1/15 1/19 2/16 3/14 7/15 5/27 4/35 3/15 2/37 2/45 4/58 6/23 2/15 6/23 2/53 2/44 3/30 4/25 3/49 4/38 4/42

4wi 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 1

ct 11 8 8 8 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

MOST CATCHES

as a fielder

player RT Ponting B Lee V Sehwag D Mongia PA de Silva LJ Burger Z Khan DO Obuya CL Hooper ST Jayasuriya SB Styris DR Martyn M Kaif B Zuiderent M Dillon SM Pollock RL Powell HH Streak SP Fleming CL Cairns Sanwar Hossain A Symonds Younis Khan GB Hogg CO Obuya SR Tendulkar AO Suji PD Collingwood AF Giles

team Aus Aus Ind Ind SL Nam Ind Ken WI SL NZ Aus Ind NL WI SA WI Zim NZ NZ BD Aus Pak Aus Ken Ind Ken Eng Eng

mat 11 10 11 11 10 6 11 3 6 10 8 10 11 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 6 9 5 10 9 11 6 5

Statistics Courtesy of International Cricket Council Website

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No Regrets

On South Africa Photo by Martin Persaud

By Orin Davidson Lawrence Rowe was known as one of the world’s classiest batsmen back in the day, but there is another side of him many fans might not know.

As elegant as he was executing his drives and cuts, Rowe is also a forthright individual never shy to speak his mind.

Ensconced within the sprawling Trelawny stadium Rowe, during one of frequent visits to his homeland recently, said he never had sleepless nights after deciding to play in apartheid South Africa at a time when it was considered an abominable sin, considering the country’s treatment of black people then.

“No not at all,” he replied when asked whether he had any regrets about making two tours with so-called “Rebel” West Indies teams in the 1980’s.

“I had always wanted to go to South Africa, to see for myself what the situation was,” said Rowe, with the aplomb of the batsman who enchanted everyone during his peak. “At the time I was not selected for the 1980/81 tour of Australia and I was 31 years old, so the opportunity came and I took it.

“I don’t think if I did not go it would’ve changed anything. The black people there got an opportunity to see people like themselves playing at a high level and beating South Africa, and they realized that black people were

good too.”

He also feels the teams’ presence there never supported a racist regime, but rather helped trigger the eventual changes that ended apartheid.

“It was far different when we got there, to what we heard before going. Going there and seeing it, was good for us. At the time, there was not the type of segregation you would hear about. All we heard about black not being allowed to walk on the road at the same time with whites, was all different when we got there. They (blacks) were there at the grounds for all the matches we played.

There was one occasion when a newspaper published something saying blacks would

march 1, 2007 53

not be allowed for one of our games, and I called up the President of the South Africa Board about it and he said it was not true and the match went on with the black spectators attending.”

Rowe explained that the tour arrangements included conditions that allowed them to make certain demands as they saw fit.

“It was part of the host arrangement, we asked for certain conditions and they were met”.

The Jamaican batting stylist played many brilliant innings but none was more satisfying to him than his epic triple century against England in Barbados in 1974.

(Max) and Gilmore (Gary). It was Michael Holding’s first tour and he broke down and our backup bowlers were Keith Boyce and Vanburn Holder and they had some injuries too, so we lost some firepower which I think was the difference between the two teams,” Rowe said.

“The conditions were different, the ball bounced more and the pitches were fast. We learnt from the tour and the very next time we went back there, we took it out on them.”

On Thompson and Lillee, Rowe rates the latter better marginally.

“The 302 has to be special to me because I was only the 11th person to score a triple century and because of the quality and the length of it,” Rowe explained.

“They both were very good fast bowlers, Thompson was faster but Lillee bowled smarter and did different things with the ball. I would rate Lillee better because of his variety”.

In his time fitness did play a crucial role in his success. In the early days, during his time for Jamaica and in the beginning of his Test career, Rowe said he was not as professional as he was after he the team came out of the Kerry Packer experience.

“Most definitely, fitness helps you concentrate better and you don’t get as tired when you batted”.

These days Rowe lives in Miami where he owns a small business, but made a return to the competitive arena, coaching the United States Invitational squad against a Jamaica side in the Air Jamaica Cup in Jamaica early in Jamaica.

Back in his homeland he was well received and may well play a role in the future development of Jamaica’s cricket future, which could materialize immediately after World Cup 2007.

BARBER SHOP

TREND SETTERS

“The 302 has to be special to me because I was only the 11th person to score a triple century and because of the quality and the length of it,” Rowe explained.

He also was one of the first batsman to score a double century and a century on debut.

“Those two stand out as well too because, it was a world record on debut to score two centuries,” stated the right-hander of his 214 and 100 not out against New Zealand in 1972.

Yet for all his ability, Rowe said he never made a big deal of it.

“No not really, to be honest with you I did not know that I was that special myself,” he said when asked about his batting talent.

“You get a feedback from your peers and the general public. Even now coming back, at 50-odd years old a few spectators still talk about how good you (I) were at the time”.

And not many players made him feel that way too with the exception of the late great George Headley.

“George Headley was the only one. He saw me bat once and had a chat with me and said I had a lot of ability and could go far.”

Natural ability alone was not enough for Rowe who scored 2047 runs for an average of 43.55 in 30 Tests.

“I think it is a bit of both, I worked extremely hard and when you combine the two, it is easy to see why,” he said.

One of his most enduring traits was his unusual habit of whistling when piling on the runs.

Yet Rowe explained it was habit he did unconsciously.

“It is a form of concentration, sometimes to be honest I was not even aware I was whistling at the crease. Sometimes players get distracted and ask the umpire about it, and that is when I realize I am whistling,” he disclosed.

“It started at first class level and the longer I batted the more concentrated I became”.

One of the highlights of his Test career was his association with Alvin Kallicharran, the brilliant Guyanese left hander who made his debut in the same series with Rowe and who also notched a debut century and was the same age.

It led some fans to conclude a competition had developed between the two batsmen but Rowe thought differently.

“I never had a rivalry with him, actually we were very good batting partners, I liked batting with him and I think he liked batting with me”.

The 1975/76 tour of Australia was one West Indian fans will not forget easily. It ended in a heavy 5-1 defeat for the tourists amidst some controversy and pace like fire fast bowling from both sides.

Rowe was part of the West Indies batting lineup which had to contend with the might of Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thompson, Max Walker and Gary Gilmore.

“I don’t think the tour was disastrous as people made it out to be. If you remember the first Test was very close and we won the second, the third was also close and after that we came down with some bowling injuries which they (Australia) did not have. They had Lillee (Dennis) and Thompson (Jeff) and two others in Walker

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PREVIOUS RECORDS

54 Cricket International Magazine

Highest runs 188* 183 181 175* 172* 171* 161 152 145 145 143* 143 142 141 140* 140* 138* 137 137 134* 134* 132* 131 130 130 130 127* 126* 126 124 121 120* 120 119* 119 119 116 115* 115 114* 114 114

player G Kirsten SC Ganguly IVA Richards N Kapil Dev CB Wishart GM Turner AC Hudson SR Tendulkar PA de Silva R Dravid A Symonds HH Gibbs DL Houghton SB Styris SR Tendulkar RT Ponting IVA Richards DL Amiss SR Tendulkar SP Fleming KJJ Noortwijk NC Johnson KWR Fletcher DI Gower ME Waugh CZ Harris SR Tendulkar GR Marsh ME Waugh MS Atapattu J Kloppenburg SR Waugh ST Jayasuriya Rameez Raja IVA Richards CH Gayle BC Lara A Flower GA Gooch GM Turner Aamer Sohail RT Ponting

Individual Scores

match South Africa v UAE at Rawalpindi India v Sri Lanka at Taunton West Indies v Sri Lanka at Karachi India v Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells Zimbabwe v Namibia at Harare N. Zealand v East Africa at Birmingham S. Africa v Netherlands at Rawalpindi India v Namibia at Pietermaritzburg Sri Lanka v Kenya at Kandy India v Sri Lanka at Taunton Australia v Pakistan at Johannesburg S. Africa v New Zealand at Johannesburg Zimbabwe v NZ at Hyderabad (Dec) N. Zealand v Sri Lanka at Bloemfontein India v Kenya at Bristol Australia v India at Johannesburg West Indies v England at Lord's England v India at Lord's India v Sri Lanka at Delhi N. Zealand v South Africa at Johannesburg Netherlands v Namibia at Bloemfontein Zimbabwe v Australia at Lord's England v New Zealand at Nottingham England v Sri Lanka at Taunton Australia v Kenya at Visakhapatnam New Zealand v Australia at Chennai India v Kenya at Cuttack Australia v New Zealand at Chandigarh Australia v India at Mumbai Sri Lanka v South Africa at Durban Netherlands v Namibia at Bloemfontein Australia v South Africa at Leeds S. Lanka v N. Zealand at Bloemfontein Pakistan v N. Zealand at Christchurch West Indies v India at The Oval West Indies v Kenya at Kimberley W. Indies v South Africa at Cape Town Zimbabwe v S. Lanka at New Plymouth England v India at Mumbai New Zealand v India at Manchester Pakistan v Zimbabwe at Hobart Australia v Sri Lanka at Centurion

season 1995/96 1999 1987/88 1983 2002/03 1975 1995/96 2002/03 1995/96 1999 2002/03 2002/03 1987/88 2002/03 1999 2002/03 1979 1975 1995/96 2002/03 2002/03 1999 1975 1983 1995/96 1995/96 1995/96 1987/88 1995/96 2002/03 2002/03 1999 2002/03 1991/92 1983 2002/03 2002/03 1991/92 1987/88 1975 1991/92 2002/03

runs 113* 113 112* 111* 111 111 111 110 110 110 110 110 107* 107* 106* 106 105* 105 104* 104* 104 103* 103* 103* 103 103 102* 102* 102* 102 102 102 101 101 101 101 100* 100* 100 100 100

player Saeed Anwar Rameez Raja SC Ganguly SC Ganguly Aamer Sohail BC Lara JM Davison TM Chappell GR Marsh RB Richardson PV Simmons ME Waugh PA de Silva SC Ganguly CG Greenidge VG Kambli CG Greenidge DL Haynes GA Hick R Dravid ME Waugh Zaheer Abbas SM Gavaskar MS Atapattu Javed Miandad Saeed Anwar Imran Khan Rameez Raja NJ Astle CH Lloyd AJ Lamb RT Ponting A Turner NJ Astle HH Gibbs Saeed Anwar MD Crowe A Jadeja Saleem Malik DC Boon DC Boon

match Pakistan v New Zealand at Manchester Pakistan v England at Karachi India v Namibia at Pietermaritzburg India v Kenya at Durban Pakistan v South Africa at Karachi W. Indies v South Africa at Karachi Canada v West Indies at Centurion Australia v India at Nottingham Australia v India at Chennai West Indies v Pakistan at Karachi West Indies v Sri Lanka at Berri Australia v New Zealand at Chennai Sri Lanka v Australia at Lahore India v Kenya at Cape Town West Indies v India at Birmingham India v Zimbabwe at Kanpur W. Indies v Zimbabwe at Worcester West Indies v Sri Lanka at Karachi England v Netherlands at Peshawar India v Kenya at Bristol Australia v Zimbabwe at Lord's Pakistan v N. Zealand at Nottingham India v New Zealand at Nagpur Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at East London Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Hyderabad Pakistan v Zimbabwe at The Oval Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Leeds Pakistan v West Indies at Melbourne N. Zealand v Zimbabwe at Bloemfontein West Indies v Australia at Lord's England v New Zealand at The Oval Australia v West Indies at Jaipur Australia v Sri Lanka at The Oval N. Zealand v England at Ahmedabad South Africa v Australia at Leeds Pakistan v India at Centurion New Zealand v Australia at Auckland India v Australia at The Oval Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Faisalabad Australia v New Zealand at Auckland Australia v West Indies at Melbourne

season 1999 1987/88 2002/03 2002/03 1995/96 1995/96 2002/03 1983 1987/88 1987/88 1991/92 1995/96 1995/96 2002/03 1979 1995/96 1983 1987/88 1995/96 1999 1999 1983 1987/88 2002/03 1987/88 1999 1983 1991/92 2002/03 1975 1983 1995/96 1975 1995/96 1999 2002/03 1991/92 1999 1987/88 1991/92 1991/92

Statistics and Photo Courtesy of International Cricket Council Website

march 1, 2007 55

PREVIOUS RECORDS

BEST

BATTING STRIKE RATE Sr 121.17 118.94 115.14 106.31 101.90 100.70 95.87 94.18 91.85 90.55 90.00 88.05 87.92 87.70 87.56 87.05 86.66 86.57 86.17 85.93 85.71

Player L Klusener JM Davison N Kapil Dev Moin Khan SB Styris W Akram RR Sarwan AC Gilchrist AL Logie A Symonds SM Patil JN Rhodes M Greatbatch BC Lara S Tendulkar MW Gatting V Sehwag PA de Silva S Jayasuriya RW Marsh SG Law

team SA Can Ind Pak NZ Pak WI Aus WI Aus Ind SA NZ WI Ind Eng Ind SL SL Aus Aus

mat 14 6 26 20 8 38 5 20 15 9 8 24 7 25 33 15 11 35 27 11 7

inns 11 6 24 14 7 30 5 20 13 5 8 20 7 25 32 13 11 32 26 11 6

runs 372 226 669 286 268 426 209 632 282 326 216 354 313 956 1732 437 299 1064 698 220 204

bf 307 190 581 269 263 423 218 671 307 360 240 402 356 1090 1978 502 345 1229 810 256 238

ave 124.00 37.66 37.16 28.60 53.60 19.36 104.50 31.60 25.63 163.00 30.85 20.82 44.71 43.45 59.72 39.72 27.18 36.68 29.08 31.42 51.00

Sr 85.49 85.42 85.40 85.12 85.05 84.88 84.37 84.10 83.49 83.04 82.65 82.60 82.35 81.78 81.08 81.02 80.95 80.67 80.00 80.00

Player HH Gibbs CB Wishart Yuvraj Singh AC Parore IVA Richards CH Lloyd DL Amiss AJ Lamb MD Crowe ME Waugh S Malik CL Cairns DI Gower SC Ganguly DS Lehmann SR Waugh A Ranatunga WJ Cronje DR Martyn ML Hayden

(Qualification: 200 runs) team mat inns runs bf SA 15 15 725 848 Zim 8 7 293 343 Ind 11 10 240 281 NZ 14 11 206 242 WI 23 21 1013 1191 WI 17 11 393 463 Eng 4 4 243 288 Eng 19 17 656 780 NZ 21 21 880 1054 Aus 22 22 1004 1209 Pak 27 23 591 715 NZ 28 24 565 684 Eng 12 11 434 527 Ind 18 18 844 1032 Aus 19 16 360 444 Aus 33 30 978 1207 SL 30 29 969 1197 SA 23 20 476 590 Aus 12 10 352 440 Aus 11 11 328 410

ave 55.76 48.83 34.28 22.88 63.31 43.66 60.75 50.46 55.00 52.84 32.83 33.23 54.25 56.26 32.72 48.89 46.14 29.75 50.28 32.79

Statistics and Photo Courtesy of International Cricket Council Website

56 Cricket International Magazine

HIGHEST

HIGHEST

PREVIOUS RECORDS

RUN-SCORERS TEAM TOTALS Player SR Tendulkar Javed Miandad PA de Silva IVA Richards ME Waugh RT Ponting SR Waugh A Ranatunga BC Lara Saeed Anwar GA Gooch MD Crowe DL Haynes SC Ganguly M Azharuddin DC Boon A Flower G Kirsten R Dravid HH Gibbs SP Fleming Rameez Raja ST Jayasuriya N Kapil Dev Imran Khan AJ Lamb I Haq RB Richardson GA Hick AC Gilchrist GM Turner AJ Stewart Aamer Sohail Zaheer Abbas RS Mahanama CG Greenidge Saleem Malik DM Jones GR Marsh AC Hudson SO Tikolo DL Houghton CL Cairns SM Gavaskar S Chanderpaul MG Bevan A Jadeja K Srikkanth MS Atapattu Ijaz Ahmed GW Flower

team Ind Pak SL WI Aus Aus Aus SL WI Pak Eng NZ WI Ind Ind Aus Zim SA Ind SA NZ Pak SL Ind Pak Eng Pak WI Eng Aus NZ Eng Pak Pak SL WI Pak Aus Aus SA Ken Zim NZ Ind WI Aus Ind Ind SL Pak Zim

mat 33 33 35 23 22 28 33 30 25 21 21 21 25 18 30 16 30 21 19 15 23 16 27 26 28 19 32 20 20 20 14 25 16 14 25 15 27 16 13 12 20 20 28 19 17 26 21 23 15 29 21

runs 1732 1083 1064 1013 1004 998 978 969 956 915 897 880 854 844 826 815 815 806 779 725 722 700 698 669 666 656 643 639 635 632 612 606 598 597 596 591 591 590 579 571 569 567 565 561 541 537 522 521 521 516 512

hs 152 103 145 181 130 140* 120* 88* 116 113* 115 100* 105 183 93 100 115* 188* 145 143 134* 119* 120 175* 102* 102 81 110 104* 99 171* 88 114 103* 89 106* 100 90 126* 161 96 142 60 103* 80 74* 100* 75 124 70 78*

100 4 1 2 3 4 3 1 0 2 3 1 1 1 4 0 2 1 1 2 2 1 3 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 2 1 0 2 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0

ave 59.72 43.32 36.68 63.31 52.84 41.58 48.89 46.14 43.45 53.82 44.85 55.00 37.13 56.26 39.33 54.33 32.60 47.41 64.91 55.76 34.38 53.84 29.08 37.16 35.05 50.46 23.81 37.58 42.33 31.60 61.20 28.85 37.37 49.75 33.11 45.46 32.83 42.14 48.25 47.58 29.94 29.84 33.23 35.06 41.61 44.75 34.79 23.68 43.41 23.45 28.44

sr 87.56 67.89 86.57 85.05 83.04 74.98 81.02 80.95 87.70 79.08 63.21 83.49 57.50 81.78 77.19 73.75 68.25 75.46 75.26 85.49 73.00 64.22 86.17 115.14 65.61 84.10 74.76 62.89 74.00 94.18 64.01 61.52 69.29 78.34 56.54 59.15 82.65 72.74 58.66 76.95 66.70 63.00 82.60 57.36 66.05 64.38 71.40 68.28 79.29 71.96 57.20

Statistics and Photo Courtesy of International Cricket Council Website

Score 398-5 (50.0 ov) 373-6 (50.0 ov) 360-4 (50.0 ov) 359-2 (50.0 ov) 340-2 (50.0 ov) 338-5 (60.0 ov) 334-4 (60.0 ov) 333-9 (60.0 ov) 330-6 (60.0 ov) 329-2 (50.0 ov) 328-5 (60.0 ov) 328-3 (50.0 ov) 322-6 (60.0 ov) 321-2 (50.0 ov) 320-9 (60.0 ov) 319-5 (50.0 ov) 314-4 (50.0 ov) 313-7 (49.2 ov) 312-4 (50.0 ov) 311-2 (50.0 ov) 310-8 (50.0 ov) 309-5 (60.0 ov) 307-8 (50.0 ov) 306-6 (50.0 ov) 304-7 (50.0 ov) 303-4 (50.0 ov) 301-6 (50.0 ov) 301-8 (50.0 ov)

Match Sri Lanka v Kenya at Kandy India v Sri Lanka at Taunton West Indies v Sri Lanka at Karachi Australia v India at Johannesbu rg Zimbabwe v Namibia at Harare Pakistan v Sri L anka at Swansea England v India at Lord's England v Sri Lanka at Taunton Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Nottingham India v Kenya at Bristol Australia v Sri Lanka at The Oval South Africa v Netherlands at Rawalpindi England v New Zealand at The Oval South Africa v UAE at Rawalpindi Australia v India at Nottingham Australia v Sri Lanka at Centurion Netherlands v Namibia at Bloemfontein Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at New Plymouth Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka at New Plymouth India v Namibia at Pietermaritzburg Australia v Pakistan at Johannesburg New Zealand v East Africa at Birmingham New Zealand v Netherlands at Vadodara South Africa v New Zealand at Johannesburg Australia v Kenya at Visakhapatnam Australia v Zimbabwe at Lord's Australia v Namibia at Potchefstroom Zimbabwe v Netherlands at Bulawayo

Season 1995/96 1999 1987/88 2002/03 2002/03 1983 1975 1983 1975 1999 1975 1995/96 1983 1995/96 1983 2002/03 2002/03 1991/92 1991/92 2002/03 2002/03 1975 1995/96 2002/03 1995/96 1999 2002/03 2002/03

LOWEST

TEAM TOTALS Score 36 (18.4 ov) 45 (40.3 ov) 45 (14.0 ov) 68 (31.3 ov) 74 (40.2 ov) 84 (17.4 ov) 86 (37.2 ov) 93 (36.2 ov) 93 (35.2 ov) 94 (52.3 ov) 103 (41.0 ov) 104 (35.5 ov) 105 (33.2 ov) 108 (35.1 ov) 109 (23.0 ov) 110 (35.2 ov) 110 (46.4 ov) 112 (30.1 ov) 116 (37.4 ov) 120 (55.3 ov) 120 (28.0 ov)

Match Canada v Sri Lanka at Paarl Canada v England at Manchester Namibia v Australia at Potchefstroom Scotland v West Indies at Leicester Pakistan v England at Adelaide Namibia v Pakistan at Kimberley Sri Lanka v West Indies at Manchester England v Australia at Leeds West Indies v Kenya at Poona East Africa v England at Birmingham England v South Africa at The Oval Kenya v West Indies at Kimberley Canada v Australia at Birmingham Bangladesh v South Africa at Bloemfontein Sri Lanka v India at Johannesburg Sri Lanka v South Africa at Northampton West Indies v Australia at Manchester New Zealand v Australia at Port Elizabeth Bangladesh v New Zealand at Chelmsford East Africa v India at Leeds Bangladesh v Canada at Durban

Season 2002/03 1979 2002/03 1999 1991/92 2002/03 1975 1975 1995/96 1975 1999 2002/03 1979 2002/03 2002/03 1999 1999 2002/03 1999 1975 2002/03

march 1, 2007 57

HIGHEST

BEST

PREVIOUS RECORDS

BOWLING ANALYSIS WICKET-TAKERS Figs 7-15 7-20 7-51 6-14 6-23 6-23 6-25 6-39 5-14 5-21 5-21 5-21 5-24 5-25 5-27 5-27 5-28 5-29 5-31 5-32 5-33 5-34 5-35 5-36 5-36 5-38 5-39 5-39 5-42 5-43 5-43 5-44 5-44 5-44 5-48

Player GD McGrath AJ Bichel WW Davis GJ Gilmour A Nehra SE Bond C Vaas KH MacLeay GD McGrath AG Hurst PA Strang L Klusener CO Obuya RJ Hadlee BKV Prasad A Codrington W Akram S Dukanwala RR Singh ALF de Mel VC Drakes DK Lillee S Mushtaq DW Fleming SM Pollock J Garner VJ Marks ALF de Mel B Lee N Kapil Dev RJ Vuuren Abdul Qadir C McDermott VC Drakes GJ Gilmour

Match Australia v Namibia at Potchefstroom Australia v England at Port Elizabeth West Indies v Australia at Leeds Australia v England at Leeds India v England at Durban NZ v Australia at Port Elizabeth SL v Bangladesh at Pietermaritzburg Australia v India at Nottingham Australia v WI at Manchester Australia v Canada at Birmingham Zimbabwe v Kenya at Patna South Africa v Kenya at Amstelveen Kenya v Sri Lanka at Nairobi (Gym) New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Bristol India v Pakistan at Manchester Canada v Bangladesh at Durban Pakistan v Namibia at Kimberley UAE v Netherlands at Lahore India v Sri Lanka at Taunton Sri Lanka v New Zealand at Derby West Indies v Kenya at Kimberley Australia v Pakistan at Leeds Pakistan v Bangladesh at Northampton Australia v India at Mumbai SA v Australia at Birmingham West Indies v England at Lord's England v Sri Lanka at Taunton Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Leeds Australia v NZ at Port Elizabeth India v Australia at Nottingham Namibia v England at Port Elizabeth Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Leeds Australia v Pakistan at Lahore West Indies v Canada at Centurion Australia v West Indies at Lord's

MOST

Season 2002/03 2002/03 1983 1975 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 1983 1999 1979 1995/96 1999 2002/03 1983 1999 2002/03 2002/03 1995/96 1999 1983 2002/03 1975 1999 1995/96 1999 1979 1983 1983 2002/03 1983 2002/03 1983 1987/88 2002/03 1975

UMPIRE APPEARANCES Match 46 34 23 18 18 18 15 14 13 13 12 12 11 11 11 10

Names DR Shepherd SA Bucknor S Venkataraghavan HD Bird Khizer Hayat ID Robinson RE Koertzen SG Randell DB Hair P Willey DJ Constant DL Orchard SJ Woodward RS Dunne KT Francis Mahboob Shah

Country Eng WI Ind Eng Pak Zim SA Aus Aus Eng Eng SA NZ NZ SL Pak

First 1983 1991/92 1995/96 1975 1987/88 1991/92 1999 1991/92 1999 1999 1975 1999 1987/88 1995/96 1995/96 1987/88

Last 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 1987/88 1995/96 1999 2002/03 1995/96 2002/03 2002/03 1983 2002/03 1991/92 1999 1999 1995/96

Player Wasim Akram GD McGrath J Srinath AA Donald WPUJC Vaas Imran Khan CZ Harris SK Warne IT Botham M Muralitharan PAJ DeFreitas N Kapil Dev A Kumble CA Walsh SR Waugh CJ McDermott Shoaib Akhtar AME Roberts Mushtaq Ahmed DW Fleming Abdul Qadir M Prabhakar CEL Ambrose SM Pollock Saqlain Mushtaq RJ Hadlee S Madan Lal HH Streak Waqar Younis L Klusener B Lee MA Holding ST Jayasuriya GI Allott RMH Binny W Watson RGD Willis ALF de Mel RA Harper CL Hooper CL Cairns GR Larsen Aaqib Javed MO Odumbe Z Khan BM McMillan BKV Prasad SE Bond Sarfraz Nawaz M Amarnath CM Old AJ Traicos PA de Silva EA Brandes G Wickramasinghe TM Odoyo VC Drakes AJ Bichel BP Patterson D Gough PA Strang A Nehra

team Pak Aus Ind SA SL Pak NZ Aus Eng SL Eng Ind Ind WI Aus Aus Pak WI Pak Aus Pak Ind WI SA Pak NZ Ind Zim Pak SA Aus WI SL NZ Ind NZ Eng SL WI WI NZ NZ Pak Ken Ind SA Ind NZ Pak Ind Eng Zim SL Zim SL Ken WI Aus WI Eng Zim Ind

mat 38 28 34 25 21 28 28 17 22 21 22 26 17 17 33 17 16 16 15 16 13 19 17 21 14 13 11 22 13 14 10 11 27 9 9 14 11 9 14 20 28 19 15 19 11 15 14 8 11 14 9 20 35 16 17 17 6 8 7 11 12 9

balls 1947 1470 1700 1313 1104 1017 1166 977 1332 1127 1127 1422 984 948 1039 894 749 1021 810 800 814 871 987 1110 674 877 698 1050 559 605 499 695 911 526 570 792 709 542 792 924 880 1020 746 701 530 696 779 468 714 663 543 1128 810 775 817 720 311 342 396 598 520 415

runs 1311 935 1224 913 754 655 861 624 762 693 742 892 670 547 8 14 599 643 552 549 583 506 640 499 674 494 421 426 804 466 487 394 341 758 325 382 571 315 449 488 659 755 599 517 567 374 433 578 305 435 431 243 673 671 641 625 569 208 197 278 430 388 289

wkts 55 45 44 38 36 34 32 32 30 30 29 28 28 27 27 27 27 26 26 26 24 24 24 23 23 22 22 22 22 22 22 20 20 20 19 19 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 17 17 17 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 15 15 15 15

ave 23.83 20.77 27.81 24.02 20.94 19.26 26.90 19.50 25.39 23.10 25.58 31.85 23.92 20.25 30.14 22.18 23.81 21.23 21.11 22.42 21.08 26.66 20.79 29.30 21.47 19.13 19.36 36.54 21.18 22.13 17.90 17.05 37.89 16.25 20.10 30.05 17.50 24.94 27.11 36.61 41.94 33.27 28.72 31.50 20.77 25.47 34.00 17.94 27.18 26.93 15.18 42.06 41.93 40.06 39.06 35.56 13.00 12.31 18.53 28.66 25.86 19.26

bb 5/28 7/15 4/30 4/17 6/25 4/37 4/7 4/29 4/31 4/28 3/28 5/43 4/32 4/25 3/36 5/44 4/46 3/32 3/16 5/36 5/44 4/19 3/28 5/36 5/35 5/25 4/20 3/35 4/26 5/21 5/42 4/33 3/12 4/37 4/29 3/37 4/11 5/32 4/47 3/42 3/19 3/16 3/21 4/38 4/42 3/11 5/27 6/23 4/44 3/12 4/8 3/35 3/42 4/21 3/30 4/28 5/33 7/20 3/31 4/34 5/21 6/23

4wi 2 0 2 2 1 2 1 4 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1

Statistics and Photo Courtesy of International Cricket Council Website

58 Cricket International Magazine

MOST

PREVIOUS RECORDS

PLAYER APPEARANCES Match 38 35 34 33 33 33 32 30 30 30 29 28 28 28 28 28 27 27 26 26 25 25 25 25 25 25 24 24 23 23 23 23 22 22 22 22 22 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Player Wasim Akram PA de Silva J Srinath Javed Miandad SR Waugh SR Tendulkar Inzamam-ul-Haq A Ranatunga M Azharuddin A Flower Ijaz Ahmed Imran Khan CZ Harris CL Cairns RT Ponting GD McGrath Saleem Malik ST Jayasuriya N Kapil Dev MG Bevan DL Haynes AR Border RS Mahanama AJ Stewart BC Lara AA Donald HP Tillakaratne JN Rhodes IVA Richards K Srikkanth WJ Cronje SP Fleming IT Botham PAJ DeFreitas ME Waugh NJ Astle HH Streak GA Gooch MD Crowe A Jadeja SM Pollock G Kirsten GW Flower M Muralitharan WPUJC Vaas Saeed Anwar DL Houghton AJ Traicos AJ Pycroft CL Hooper RB Richardson AC Waller GA Hick Moin Khan GJ Whittall SO Tikolo MA Suji KO Otieno AC Gilchrist

Team Pak SL Ind Pak Aus Ind Pak SL Ind Zim Pak Pak NZ NZ Aus Aus Pak SL Ind Aus WI Aus SL Eng WI SA SL SA WI Ind SA NZ Eng Eng Aus NZ Zim Eng NZ Ind SA SA Zim SL SL Pak Zim Zim Zim WI WI Zim Eng Pak Zim Ken Ken Ken Aus

First 1987/88 1987/88 1991/92 1975 1987/88 1991/92 1991/92 1983 1987/88 1991/92 1987/88 1975 1991/92 1991/92 1995/96 1995/96 1987/88 1991/92 1979 1995/96 1979 1979 1987/88 1991/92 1991/92 1991/92 1991/92 1991/92 1975 1983 1991/92 1995/96 1979 1987/88 1991/92 1995/96 1995/96 1979 1983 1991/92 1995/96 1995/96 1995/96 1995/96 1995/96 1995/96 1983 1983 1983 1987/88 1987/88 1987/88 1991/92 1991/92 1995/96 1995/96 1995/96 1995/96 1999

Last 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 1995/96 1999 2002/03 2002/03 1999 1999 2002/03 1999 1991/92 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 1999 2002/03 1991/92 2002/03 1991/92 1991/92 1999 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 1987/88 1991/92 1999 2002/03 1991/92 1995/96 1999 2002/03 2002/03 1991/92 1991/92 1999 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 1991/92 1991/92 1991/92 2002/03 1995/96 1995/96 1999 1999 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03 2002/03

MOST

CATCHES AS A FIELDER ct 18 16 15 14 14 14 13 12 12 12 12 12 11

player RT Ponting CL Cairns ST Jayasuriya PA de Silva SR Waugh A Kumble CL Hooper CH Lloyd N Kapil Dev DL Haynes GA Hick I Haq Ijaz Ahmed

team Aus NZ SL SL Aus Ind WI WI Ind WI Eng Pak Pak

mat 28 28 27 35 33 17 20 17 26 25 20 32 29

ct 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

player M Azharuddin ME Waugh BC Lara GP Thorpe DJ Cullinan Javed Miandad IT Botham AR Border SR Tendulkar WJ Cronje ADR Campbell SP Fleming SM Pollock

team Ind Aus WI Eng SA Pak Eng Aus Ind SA Zim NZ SA

mat 30 22 25 11 15 33 22 25 33 23 19 23 21

MOST

DISMISSALS AS A WICKETKEEPER dis 35 30 23 22 22 22 21 20 18 18 17 17 16 16 16 15 15 14 14 14 12 12 12 11 10 10

Player AC Gilchrist Moin Khan AJ Stewart Wasim Bari MV Boucher RD Jacobs IA Healy PJL Dujon RW Marsh KS More Rashid Latif KC Sangakkara DL Murray NR Mongia R Dravid DJ Richardson KO Otieno SMH Kirmani D Williams A Flower DL Houghton IJ Gould RS Kaluwitharana GC Dyer WK Lees A Bagai

Team Aus Pak Eng Pak SA WI Aus WI Aus Ind Pak SL WI Ind Ind SA Ken Ind WI Zim Zim Eng SL Aus NZ Can

mat 20 20 20 14 15 11 14 14 11 14 12 10 9 14 12 9 16 8 8 22 12 7 11 8 8 6

ct 33 23 21 18 22 21 18 19 17 12 14 15 16 12 15 14 11 12 11 11 10 11 8 9 10 8

st 2 7 2 4 0 1 3 1 1 6 3 2 0 4 1 1 4 2 3 3 2 1 4 2 0 2

Statistics and Photo Courtesy of International Cricket Council Website

march 1, 2007 59

Opinion Editorial

Why is

US Cricket In Such A Mess?

By Deb K. Das

In 2006, US cricket reached two mile- loosely gathered confederation of cricket trains ran on time.

The change that took place could be stones it had never attained in the past 50 clubs, with few objectives beyond that of years. bonhomie and general goodwill. Its funding called, basically, a revolt of the palace guard.

It swept all opposition in the North structure was incapable of doing more. Con- The last autocratic president was ousted by American U-19 Championship, and sent a US sider, for example, that the annual member- a cabal of his own lieutenants who wanted team to a World Cup for the first time in its ship fee for USACA member clubs is $30, or power for themselves. The result can be best history. In Sri Lanka, facing the best teams about a penny or two per individual cricket called dictatorship by committee, i.e. without in the tournament, it turned one of the best club member! That is not enough to even pay the flair and style of its predecessor, and less performances of any non-Test nation in the for a postcard per year. And every attempt able to run the affairs of US cricket. USACA tournament, and even secured its first ever to change the membership fee, let alone the was well on the way to becoming the seriously victory in any World Cup tournament. methods of payment, is stubbornly blocked by dysfunctional organization that ICC’s President Ehsan Mani called it in his scathThen, a USA senior team led by ing remarks three years ago. new captain Steve Massiah placed Today’s USACA is the successor second in the Ontario Americas to those bad old days. Most members Cup Tournament, and ended up as of the palace guard are still there, the toast of the competition – a though they have assumed different testimony to the youthful talent roles and functions; most of them still available in the USA. have no idea what needs to be done That was the good news. for US cricket-- or if they do, they The bad news was that the USA take care not to have those subversive Cricket Association, or USACA, ideas into their mutual deliberations. continued the perfect record of They are content to simply rule the non-performance that it had set roost, allowing US cricket to wend its in the past three years. Within own way to oblivion. the last three years it never met the ICC requirements essential to Deb K. Das is USA Corresponmaintaining Associate memberdent for Cricinfo and Wisdens Alship, not secured any major sponmanack for the last ten years. sors in fifty years of existence, had An artist, poet, writer, photojournalICC suspend its funds, was kicked United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) of- ist, editor, Artificial Intelligence reout of ICC’s Annual General Meet- ficials including President Gladstone Dainty (second left) searcher, and econometrician, Deb ing, spent most of its time and meet WICB President Ken Gordon (third left) at a gather- K. Das graduated from Cambridge money in legal disputes over elec- ing in Florida.

University in England, and served tion irregularities, still has not as Managing Editor of CRICKETER INTERNATIONAL’S North American Edition. come up with a working constitution, and did the head honchos in USACA. not launch a single program to meet its own In the past, USACA got around the prob- He has translated documents from Vedic, stated missions and goals. To make things lem by relying on the deep pockets of its early Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, Avestan and Cuneiworse, it imposed a total code of silence on its presidents, who reportedly spent considerable form; lectured and written on “Ancient CuiBoard and its Executive, and took draconian moneys on the USACA. The price of this was a sines of Europe, Asia and Africa”, and “Immeasures against anyone who leaked informa- not especially benign dictatorship-- those old- pacts of Industrial Energy Efficiency on the tion to the outside world. This was a flagrant time USACA presidents appointed their own Global Economy”; and researched “History abuse of power, with not much to show for it officers and regional representatives, and used of Cricket from 700 to 1700 AD”, “Cricket in them as sounding boards for their oratory. Not America” and “Cricket for Baseball Players”. except complete and utter silence.

To understand how this could happen, that this was so bad, when you think about He is a former Chairman of the Seattle Cricket we need to look at its history. today’s it could have been said, as has been Club, and a co-organizer of the First North In its earliest days, the USACA was a remarked of other dictators, that at least the American Tournament in 1995.