Sports
The False prophet
by Rex Clementine
Throughout the history of Christianity, we have seen false prophets emerging at various times. St. Matthew in his gospel quotes Jesus of warning his disciples that there will be false prophets who preach in his name. One such false prophet was exposed in a report submitted to Minister of Sports by a panel that investigated Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup campaign where the team failed miserably and there was more attention paid for off the field activities than on field performance. There was so much distraction in Australia that in the end Danushka Gunathilaka was arrested in Sydney and charged with sexual assault.
The panel recommends strong punishment for Danushka so that others will learn a lesson and there won’t be any such incidents in the future. Country’s cricket hierarchy had several occasions to put Danushka on track but they let him off the hook every time. At least on four occasions he was given a mere slap on the wrist when he had misbehaved. They were selective about punishment. Someone like Kamil Mishara was not so lucky. He was straight away recalled from a tour and was taught a lesson.
The panel wants to go soft on Chamika Karunaratne on the count of double jeopardy as he has been already fined. Careful reading of the report gives you the impression that Chamika has hoodwinked the committee.
There’s a joke in cricket circles. Two seasons ago Chamika was bought at the IPL auction by Knight Riders. Team owner Shah Rukh Khan was asked what aspect of Chamika had impressed him. The Bollywood star had replied, ‘Chamika’s acting.’
While reiterating on the need to maintain high levels of fitness, the committee has failed to note that after the Asia Cup win, fitness tests were made null and void and that was one reason for the team’s horrendous show in Australia. After the Asia Cup everyone was on a high and the players had been given too much freedom.
The report also reveals that four other players were fined during the World Cup in Australia for breaking curfew. It’s also said that there may be a smoking culture within the team as there had been cigarette butts on the floors of the hotel the team was staying in Australia. That’s not something to be alarmed of as from Kagiso Rabada to K.L. Rahul all love a smoke or two. What needs to be found out is whether anyone is into drugs.
The report finds fault with SLC bosses for providing false information before the commission and some key office bearers are in trouble. It is noted that a dozen and half officials travelled to Australia on business class and were given allowances of USD 7000 each for a ten day stay. The allowances alone cost the board more than 100,000 USD while the airfare cost more than 25 million rupees.
One particular Executive Committee official wasn’t happy with a business class ticket and flew first class. Misuse of funds and privileges by Ex-Co members has been criticized in the report while some holding responsible positions are in trouble for holding back information and even telling lies.
The panel also recommended that visits to casinos during tours to be banned and didn’t buy into the story that casinos were the only place players could go and eat after games as most of the restaurants were closed. It was further recommended to allow wives on tour. But the panel had failed to find out why wives were stopped from touring in the first place.
A very good recommendation is player education on dos and don’ts while on tour as you are an ambassador representing your country.
That and all have been done on multiple occasions and while majority of the players are well mannered and well behaved, it is one or two bad eggs that bring constant trouble. It is those serial offenders that you need to kick out but sadly in cricket circles they have got too many godfathers. Otherwise when a Supreme Court judge recommended a two year suspension for someone for lack of remorse after a serious offence, why would you overrule it and reduce it to one year and then further cut it down to six months.
As for the false prophet, he was interviewed by the panel and he had spilled the names of his acquaintances who include powerful cricket officials, selectors, coaches, managers and players. The danger is that younger players are encouraged to follow the false prophet and unless they do so might face marginalization.
The report is somewhat flawed. For example it says that Danushka Gunathilaka’s incident happened after the Brisbane game when curfew had been relaxed. But the incident happened in Sydney and the committee had not done their homework. Their recommendations to take legal action against misbehaving and dishonest cricket officials could see major changes taking place at Maitland Place. An interesting week is ahead of us.
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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