After a mini hiatus over Christmas and new year, I was hoping to turn over a new leaf in terms of my blog topics. Unfortunately, the age-old Aussie approach to cricket in the recently concluded SCG test is torturing me to add my word on the test match, the series and beyond. For starters, look the image of Ponting claiming a clearly grounded catch. Someone should show Ponting this pic in private and plead with him: "Grow up, Mr. Ponting, PLEASE!!!"
My previous post titled "Sunny Days..." turned out to be more of a damp squib. India's unpreparedness in the first test was clearly exposed by a ruthless Australian attack. Personally, I expected India to bounce back at the SCG. Being an ardent follower of the game, I must say, my expectation was vindicated. Yesterday, we had a not so cool discussion at the university about the 2nd test. One of my Australian-born colleagues remarked, "A fair result would have been a draw but the Aussies changed it with some horrible sporting spirit". I couldn't hold back my retort: 'A fair result would have been an outright Indian victory on the 4th day if Symmo a.k.a the mon**y, had been given out on Day 1'. Hold on.....
Do not call me racist. I am only stating what Symmonds would love to be called! Thats why he jumps around trying to catch every other person about him calling him that name. Well, that is what I could make out of the theatrics over the monkey-calling issue. Either that or I am afraid, Ponting is so bamboozled by Bhajji that he wants to see him off at Perth, one way or another.
All in all, no words can express my disappointment after the 2nd test match. Two things really hurt. It was sickening to see Ponting go to any length to equal Steve Waugh's record and it was heartbreaking to see a fantastic series being killed off at the halfway point by forces that just were NOT CRICKET.
3 comments:
And to think Ponting said he did not worry too much about the record of 16 straight test wins! Well, proves that old adage again- all's fair in war and love.
A charitable view of the match would be to say that the umpires (all three of them!) with the aid of technology are supposed to ensure that the right decisions are taken.
But as in all other aspects of life, in cricket too the normative- what should be- and the positive- what is- are so divergent. Sigh!!!
Obviously you're well-educated, and should recognise 'bias' when you see it, maybe even when you're guilty of it yourself.
Please, man...
On Symonds 'not being given out', well... allow me to point you to Indian Suresh Menon, who writes for cricinfo.com
"Let's get a sense of balance. No Indian writing or broadcasting from Sydney mentioned that replays showed Sachin Tendulkar was out leg-before when he was in the twenties. He added roughly the same number of runs that Symonds did after being reprieved when he was first out."
(http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/329824.html)
And lest ye forget, how did the match end - if there had been a draw, we'd be all embroiled in a 'time wasting' fiasco.
It's appropriate to be disappointed by a loss in a very tight situation - as the 2nd test was... but to make wild, base-less accusations and unsupported claims over it? Quite demeaning for everyone.
Mr Malice, the post wasn't a whine about wrong decisions or half chances or even India losing. It was about Australia and especially Ponting losing integrity and cricket losing gamesmanship.
On a sidenote, dont whine over LBWs ... (if you have played the game out in the middle, you know what i am talking about) ... why do you say "No Indian mentions the Sachin dismissal"... because I do not recall enough Australians or even enough Australian commentators mentioning it... and there is a reason they didn't because it was one of those that could go either way and thats the way the game goes...
But to agree to trust the fielder's word before the match and then go on to claim a grounded catch.. Now thats not the way cricket goes.
Like Ponting, I think even you need to grow up!
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