IPL 3 Auction – Conspiracy or No Conspiracy...

Its favorite pass time for the neighbours as a nation to blame everything on India no matter what so ever problem they may have; it may be the problem of rodents in their households or water problem or it may be as sophisticated as Players across the borders are shown doors at IPL auction 3 this year. They have a very well planned and documented reason grilled in their constitution to blame the Indians.

These theories do keep me interested in what exactly their state of mind as they could sniff a conspiracy out of nowhere as they themselves are good doing it politically. As if Indian Corporates; owners of IPL franchise had nothing else but to hatch a conspiracy against Pakistan players from last 3 months. They are confused and not use to these kind of diplomatic issues. They are used to instructions like “Take ball, bowl at stumps”. Any extra information leads to wides and no-balls. Now they are in the highly unenviable position where they need to decipher an argument, understand what makes sense and then decide their own course of action. For this bunch it is as tough a task as sending Man to Moon. Someone needs to make them understand; while going into Auction no body guaranteed them a spot in any of these teams; no matter how good every player is or no matter how much resemblance every player has to a Greek God.

On top of it; No franchise would want to get into Legal hassles with Indian Government and their investment made in Pakistani player would not get them anywhere hence creating an embarrassing situation for Indian Government & Franchise themselves. Also adding to the jitters of the IPL teams were apprehensions of possible disruption of IPL matches by parties like the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena in the event of Pakistani players participating. With Mumbai slated to host a major chunk of IPL matches in the forthcoming season.

Now back to Pakistani players, I once again reiterate that they are among the best in the game, and to be fair to them, the way the auctions were held was unsavory. Here, assuming that the IPL or the government was instrumental in nudging franchisees not to bid for Shahid Afridi and others, as a respect to the sportspersons at least, it should have been handled differently. Instead of including them among the players available and then ‘humiliating’ them, they should have simply said, sorry, given the current scenario, we are unable to welcome you for the IPL. It would have hurt too, but less.

Franchise do have right to select whom they want in their teams; ultimately it’s the loss of cricket and fans where we all are denied of the fact that we wouldn’t be able to watch one of the few finest cricketing talents across the border in this IPL3. They do have right to be depressed about the events happening around them; but let’s not forget it’s all about what a franchise wants from a player as a team. They cannot alienate fans, they don't want to create a security issue, and they do not want any more uncertainty - part of the reason some fine Australian cricketers were turned down too.

Ultimately, as I said, it is the franchisee that is spending and if he feels it does not help his brand, he would not. In that context therefore, it would help if Pakistani politicians stop the rhetoric that says this is India’s attempt to derail the peace process.

The conspiracy that Abdul Razzaq talks about is the reality of our times. The IPL will be poorer for the absence of some extraordinarily gifted cricketers, but this is just another victory for those that infect us with hatred. To believe there is a conspiracy against cricketers from Pakistan is wrong. It is the times we live in.

Cricket – Excitement Continues; Funnier for some and Gruesome for others….

So have we entered the New Year with the Rank of No. 1 on our chest making the dream come true for the team who has battled it out last 18-20 months to earn this spot. This is what we all aimed for as a cricketing nation and fans loved every bit of it. The problem on getting on top is solved but major one remains to be there for a while and make other teams sweat it out to achieve from the current champions. India have not set foot on the summit by stepping off a helicopter; they have got there after establishing several base camps and making steady, sometimes hazardous, progress. Any attempt to think otherwise would be unfair. This lot of players has put the ribbon on the box, but the cake was baked by many; they have scored a goal but you usually cannot do so unless someone has passed the ball to you.

In particular, India have been served by three very fine captains. Under Sourav Ganguly, India realized that winning overseas was an option. Rahul Dravid was the perfect captain to follow, with his strong commitment to the team and to the cause. It is easily forgotten that under him India won in the West Indies for the first time in 35 years and in England for the first time in 21 and Anil Kumble was the leader at a decisive moment in Indian cricket: in Australia in 2008, where the Test win in Perth must rank on par with the win at Kolkata in 2001 for significance. Don't forget, too, that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's current record reads: played 10, won seven, lost zero. Included in that is a series win against Australia, an away win in New Zealand, and now one against Sri Lanka. There are no freebies there. Something is right in Indian cricket.

But something is surely not right with Pakistan Cricket as it requires some talent to lose it when you have the lead over 200 runs in first innings and have to chase 175 odd in the next. They are not sure who would be captain; who shall be main coach; who shall be the balling (oops as they say I meant bowling coach) coach; and more importantly they wouldn’t mind a coach for their openers and every position till No.11 on the field with pads on. So many People and so much confusion; someone needs to tell them cricket is played with some common sense and with things like bat and ball. On top of it every one is upset that; no one from team got a look from franchise in IPL.

I don’t want to dedicate this blog to Pakistan bashing and let’s not forget Aussie played well and let’s not take away their credit while they played brilliantly and exhibited some wonderful mental & cricketing skills as Tuga (Steve Waugh) says it’s all in your head. India and South Africa may have moved ahead on a slightly dodgy ranking system, but there is still much fight in the dog, as Pakistan have discovered. Short of match-winners and with a captain currently not matching the high standards he has set, Australia must seem vulnerable. But they have gone back to doing what they do best: scrapping for every run and putting a price on their wicket.

These are also qualities that define Australian sport. When you have a solid system, when work ethic is largely non-negotiable, when athletes follow a fairly robust process, decline is unlikely to be as dramatic as the one West Indies suffered. Pakistan, on the other hand, must be kicking themselves for letting a great opportunity go by. You beat good teams when you compete over the entire duration of the match; Pakistan discovered that you can be ahead on points but still lose on a knockout.

From a cricketing perspective; Pakistan forms a very important cricketing nation for the rest of the world & South Asia in particular. It sometimes is fearing that the Pakistan Cricket Board is a bit like the Indian Hockey Federation - happier with the perks of the job than an intense desire for the greater good of the game.