Today we celebrate the end of an era, the 16 year career of one of the most prolific batsmen ever to play the game, with the retirement of Rahul Dravid from International cricket.
It is actually more difficult than one might think not to make this sound like a eulogy at a funeral, but a lot of cricket fans have been left effectively mourning the loss of such a great man from the sport.
Despite the news being hard to hear for many an Indian player and supporter, there will rarely be a player held in such high regard worldwide and leaving such a legacy on the cricketing stage, as a person and as a cricketer.
It is fascinating that, in sport, when a legend of the game steps down from professional duty, how the emotions and opinions of supporters and opponents alike are almost always parallel. Very rarely is a player of such stature and professionalism given a negative send off, but rather maximum respect is shown, even by those who's team has been haunted by the player's talent. Dravid is one of these legends. A true gentleman, he will be remembered as graceful and unassuming, but more importantly a team player, one who has dedicated his career to his country, not his stats.
We are of a privileged generation lucky enough to have witnessed Dravid carry his bat for India. He's been a batsman for whom the whole ground rises to welcome to the crease, someone who's 36 test centuries have been greeted with recognition from every cricket fan, and a test average of over 50 which sums up his talent. Without comparing the two, a worldwide standing ovation for Tendulkar when he shuffles to the crease is all very well, but the novelty of waiting for him to reach the ultimate landmark in Test cricket is beginning to wear off. Dravid's exit now puts the focus on Sachin's legitimacy in the team after multiple failures. Dignity was paramount to Dravid, and the Wall has toppled with the utmost of it.
Dravid will be missed most by those who value cricket for the game itself, for a man with such temperament and courtesy on and off the field is becoming rarer in today's sporting world, little thanks to football. Technique was of vital importance to him, and defence always came before attack. You could say his batting resembled his personality. 'The Wall' is a metaphor suited to firstly his sturdy defence and secondly his unfailing manners, for he would never snub a child stretching for an autograph, nor speak anything less than the truth to every admiring journalist. Even on his bad day, of which there were quite a few in the one-day format, he would accept criticism as he would a bowler beating his outside edge, with a nod and a smile.
If there is a hole in the wall, it is possible to fix and put right. But when the whole wall has gone, it is very noticeable and a void is left. This will be something the Indian team will have to learn to cope with and in turn replace, if this is at all possible. However, Dravid has surely been paramount to the continuous development of the younger generation of Indian talent. Virat Kohli is displaying the beginnings of a faultless technique and a cool head, both being Dravid-esque qualities. What more of a role model could you ask for than Raul Dravid; professional, dedicated and well-spoken, he is a role model in every sense of the word. It would not surprise me if he was soon to be involved in the Indian ranks again, this time behind the scenes sharing his wisdom. India will never be able to get enough of him.
To finish, I quote a run-of-the-mill Indian cricket fan: "People say Sachin is God...Ganguly is God of the off-side...Laxman is God of the 4th innings...but when the doors of the temple are closed, God is behind The Wall". Looks like you'll be missed Rahul.
Friday, 9 March 2012
Saturday, 25 February 2012
The enigmatic Joey Barton
Whatever your views on Joey Barton, you simply cannot ignore the man. Enigma is not a word suited to his playing abilities, for he has these in abundance. What does tend to confuse the footballing world however is the inconsistent nature of the diminutive Scouser. One moment he's stubbing out a fag in a team-mate's eye, the next he's citing the works of George Orwell on his beloved Twitter. What makes Barton enigmatic as such is his ability to bitterly disappoint us one day and fill us with pleasant surprise the very same evening.
I'm going to get it out of the way early, I'm a fan of Barton. I don't approve of the violence, nor the obscene language, and I hate the diving. I'm also not a fan of the victimised image he likes to portray at times. From these criticisms you may wonder how I can be a fan at all, but Barton isn't all bad, in fact he's far from it. Yes there are too many off-field misdemeanors to begin to mention here, but it's hard to hold a grudge when the man continuously provides what we as football fans crave at the end of the day: non-stop entertainment. Granted, he has angered many an opposition fan over the years with rash challenges and seemingly unsporting behaviour, but we cannot judge a footballer purely on his on-field performances, for he has the right to be granted a human identity just like the rest of us.
It's important to acknowledge Barton's qualities and the positive side of his debatable character. As previously mentioned, Barton has reveled in the ever-growing Twitter phenomenon, being the perfect character for this form of medium and the perfect account to add to your news feed. His (very) regular tweets range from the stereotypical contextual football-related updates, to the fantastic disputes with the general public, to intellectual philosophical interludes, all of which serve to keep you scrolling. The latter is what I believe separates Barton from the majority of footballers. His, some would say surprising, intelligence is not always evident when the familiar red mist descends on the football pitch, but he is clearly a thoughtful individual with more to his personality than first thought. This is what I mean by entertaining, for he manages to encourage many a bite from the irritating Piers Morgan, while maintaining the moral high ground over his many haters with clever uses of sarcasm and wit that is wasted on the majority of thugs who join twitter just to insult.
Some may say that Barton says what he says and does what he does to get a reaction, an attention seeker in other words. Is it really the real Joey Barton in his tweets? Does he actually read Orwell and ponder over Plato's theories? Only he knows, but he does a damn good job of it. His millions of followers don't follow him because they don't like him, they are genuinely interested in the man, waiting on his every word. It is refreshing to have a player such as him in the modern game. As opposed to Aaron Ramsay telling us whether he is happy or sad after a match, Barton absorbs us with his tweets. Just as Mick McCarthy and Ian Holloway provide a breath of fresh air among managers with their down to earth approach and dry sense of humour, Barton emphasises the importance of individuality in sport, as opposed to jumping on the bandwagon that many Premier League players have already succumbed to. Some may say that there are twice as many negative attributes to Barton's personality than there are positive, but the characteristics that make his personality are the same ones that make him such a good player and a tribute to the English game.
It is easy to dismiss Barton as a typical footballer, a thug, maybe even a criminal. But I believe he is exactly the opposite of that. He is his own person, and no one will be able to change him now. He offers good and bad, like us all, but he does it with a bang. Everyone will have their own opinion on the guy, but be it good or bad, whether you love him or loathe him, appreciate him for who he is, a refreshing enigma of the English game.
I'm going to get it out of the way early, I'm a fan of Barton. I don't approve of the violence, nor the obscene language, and I hate the diving. I'm also not a fan of the victimised image he likes to portray at times. From these criticisms you may wonder how I can be a fan at all, but Barton isn't all bad, in fact he's far from it. Yes there are too many off-field misdemeanors to begin to mention here, but it's hard to hold a grudge when the man continuously provides what we as football fans crave at the end of the day: non-stop entertainment. Granted, he has angered many an opposition fan over the years with rash challenges and seemingly unsporting behaviour, but we cannot judge a footballer purely on his on-field performances, for he has the right to be granted a human identity just like the rest of us.
It's important to acknowledge Barton's qualities and the positive side of his debatable character. As previously mentioned, Barton has reveled in the ever-growing Twitter phenomenon, being the perfect character for this form of medium and the perfect account to add to your news feed. His (very) regular tweets range from the stereotypical contextual football-related updates, to the fantastic disputes with the general public, to intellectual philosophical interludes, all of which serve to keep you scrolling. The latter is what I believe separates Barton from the majority of footballers. His, some would say surprising, intelligence is not always evident when the familiar red mist descends on the football pitch, but he is clearly a thoughtful individual with more to his personality than first thought. This is what I mean by entertaining, for he manages to encourage many a bite from the irritating Piers Morgan, while maintaining the moral high ground over his many haters with clever uses of sarcasm and wit that is wasted on the majority of thugs who join twitter just to insult.
Some may say that Barton says what he says and does what he does to get a reaction, an attention seeker in other words. Is it really the real Joey Barton in his tweets? Does he actually read Orwell and ponder over Plato's theories? Only he knows, but he does a damn good job of it. His millions of followers don't follow him because they don't like him, they are genuinely interested in the man, waiting on his every word. It is refreshing to have a player such as him in the modern game. As opposed to Aaron Ramsay telling us whether he is happy or sad after a match, Barton absorbs us with his tweets. Just as Mick McCarthy and Ian Holloway provide a breath of fresh air among managers with their down to earth approach and dry sense of humour, Barton emphasises the importance of individuality in sport, as opposed to jumping on the bandwagon that many Premier League players have already succumbed to. Some may say that there are twice as many negative attributes to Barton's personality than there are positive, but the characteristics that make his personality are the same ones that make him such a good player and a tribute to the English game.
It is easy to dismiss Barton as a typical footballer, a thug, maybe even a criminal. But I believe he is exactly the opposite of that. He is his own person, and no one will be able to change him now. He offers good and bad, like us all, but he does it with a bang. Everyone will have their own opinion on the guy, but be it good or bad, whether you love him or loathe him, appreciate him for who he is, a refreshing enigma of the English game.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Mervyn Westfield - Charged
When it was brought to light that Essex all-rounder Mervyn Westfield accepted £6,000 to concede 12 runs in an over, despite the words reading clearly on the pages of newspapers it was hard to believe, or at least hard to accept.
As feared, the accusations turned out to be valid, and Westfield will face time behind bars as the first ever British cricketer to be convicted of corruption. For the fixer, revealed to be a friend of Danish Kaneria, and the spot-fixing network, this will be a time of celebration, proof that Englishmen are just as vulnerable and susceptible to foul-play than the Pakistanis. Whereas for English cricket, this is a shameful time, something that we'd like to forget but that needs addressing urgently.
It's ironic that just as Alistair Cook is making history in the UAE and English cricket is repairing the damage caused by the embarrassing Pakistan Test series, an English cricketer is found guilty of corruption. Cook must be experiencing some psychological discomfort, trying to enjoy his recent success with the bat while knowing that his former-team mate and beloved Essex side are in the papers back home for all the wrong reasons.
Maybe England's ODI success is merely papering over the cracks of what is, or may become, a much more serious problem at the heart of cricket in this country. We've celebrated ODI success and the return of KP, and rightly so, but while the team strive to remain superior to Pakistan on the pitch, Westfield has exposed the frailties of the anti-corruption measures in the English game which takes that superiority away.
As sad as it was to witness three talented Pakistani cricketers go down for such a shameful crime, the English didn't lose much sleep over it, safe in the knowledge that such a problem has and never will exist in our game, with claims of Strauss' men as criminals in the same series being shot down as false and insignificant. But now, those of us who have dismissed corruption as purely a sub-continental issue, now have to reconsider the integrity of the English game, and this, the ECB will lose sleep over. Granted, as far as we know, Westfield is the only English player to be involved in corruption, but even so, his lack of judgment and failure to report the approach gives spot-fixers hope of finding more vulnerable targets in England.
So what to do now? The ECB have said they are not complacent about fixing, but it must come as a shock to see English cricket in the headlines for a story such as this. Westfield's case must be a warning to all forms of English cricket, as it has been made clear that low profile names are just as vulnerable, if not more so, to corruption abroad. It is important that the ECB keeps an especially close eye on domestic cricket, for in the sub-continent, these matches seem to be followed eagerly for all the wrong reasons.
As feared, the accusations turned out to be valid, and Westfield will face time behind bars as the first ever British cricketer to be convicted of corruption. For the fixer, revealed to be a friend of Danish Kaneria, and the spot-fixing network, this will be a time of celebration, proof that Englishmen are just as vulnerable and susceptible to foul-play than the Pakistanis. Whereas for English cricket, this is a shameful time, something that we'd like to forget but that needs addressing urgently.
It's ironic that just as Alistair Cook is making history in the UAE and English cricket is repairing the damage caused by the embarrassing Pakistan Test series, an English cricketer is found guilty of corruption. Cook must be experiencing some psychological discomfort, trying to enjoy his recent success with the bat while knowing that his former-team mate and beloved Essex side are in the papers back home for all the wrong reasons.
Maybe England's ODI success is merely papering over the cracks of what is, or may become, a much more serious problem at the heart of cricket in this country. We've celebrated ODI success and the return of KP, and rightly so, but while the team strive to remain superior to Pakistan on the pitch, Westfield has exposed the frailties of the anti-corruption measures in the English game which takes that superiority away.
As sad as it was to witness three talented Pakistani cricketers go down for such a shameful crime, the English didn't lose much sleep over it, safe in the knowledge that such a problem has and never will exist in our game, with claims of Strauss' men as criminals in the same series being shot down as false and insignificant. But now, those of us who have dismissed corruption as purely a sub-continental issue, now have to reconsider the integrity of the English game, and this, the ECB will lose sleep over. Granted, as far as we know, Westfield is the only English player to be involved in corruption, but even so, his lack of judgment and failure to report the approach gives spot-fixers hope of finding more vulnerable targets in England.
So what to do now? The ECB have said they are not complacent about fixing, but it must come as a shock to see English cricket in the headlines for a story such as this. Westfield's case must be a warning to all forms of English cricket, as it has been made clear that low profile names are just as vulnerable, if not more so, to corruption abroad. It is important that the ECB keeps an especially close eye on domestic cricket, for in the sub-continent, these matches seem to be followed eagerly for all the wrong reasons.
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Westfield case exposes corruption in English cricket
Exerpt: Marvyn Westfield has pleaded guilty to accepting £6,000 to concede 12 runs in his first over in a match between Essex and Durham at Chester-le-Street in September 2009.
Mervyn Westfield has proved today that, shamefully, corruption is very much a part of English cricket.
For those of us who think that spot-fixing is a passtime of merely a few people abroad, the actions of the former Essex all-rounder has proved that this is not the case. As the first player from this country to be convicted of corruption, Westfield exposed the frailties of the anti-corruption measures in the English game, while also moving the spotlight from Pakistani cricket onto this country.
As sad as it was to witness three talented Pakistani cricketers go down for such a shameful crime, the English didn't lose much sleep over it, safe in the knowledge that such a problem has and never will exist in our game, with claims of Strauss' men as criminals in the same series being shot down as false and insignificant.
But now, those of us who have dismissed corruption as purely a sub-continental issue, now have to reconsider the integrity of the English game, and this, the ECB will lose sleep over. Granted, as far as we know, Westfield is the only English player to be involved in corruption, but even so, his lack of judgment and failure to report the approach gives spot-fixers hope of finding more vulnerable targets in England.
Questions of why have been asked repeatedly by the world of cricket ever since the Pakistani incident, but it really is astonishing that cricketers seem to be so easily influenced by foreign bodies. It goes without saying that financial gain is the prime reason for corrupt activity in the game, both for the fixer and the player, but are players' wages really so bad that illegal activity is the only way for them to gain satisfaction? Footballers would probably turn their noses up at what a domestic cricketer earns, but cricketers play their sport for a reason, a love of the game. Well that is what we thought.
Spot-fixers strike me as pretty cowardly. Their prime targets are young, vulnerable individuals who, at the end of the day, may have no choice in whether they accept the deal or not. Take Mohammed Amir for example, at 18 years of age he was one of the most talented Pakistani bowlers ever seen, only to have his career cut short by someone with frankly no interest in cricket whatsoever. Westfield's case is similar, for he was 21 back in 2009 when the match in question took place. It goes to show how vulnerable young players are, and the importance of the ability to speak up before a potentially career-ending mistake is made.
The ECB have said they are not complacent about fixing, but it must come as a shock to see English cricket in the headlines for such a shameful reason. Westfield's case must be a warning to all forms of English cricket, as it has been made clear that low profile names are just as vulnerable, if not more so, to corruption abroad. It is important that the ECB keeps an especially close eye on domestic cricket, for in the sub-continent, these matches seem to be followed eagerly for all the wrong reasons.
Mervyn Westfield has proved today that, shamefully, corruption is very much a part of English cricket.
For those of us who think that spot-fixing is a passtime of merely a few people abroad, the actions of the former Essex all-rounder has proved that this is not the case. As the first player from this country to be convicted of corruption, Westfield exposed the frailties of the anti-corruption measures in the English game, while also moving the spotlight from Pakistani cricket onto this country.
As sad as it was to witness three talented Pakistani cricketers go down for such a shameful crime, the English didn't lose much sleep over it, safe in the knowledge that such a problem has and never will exist in our game, with claims of Strauss' men as criminals in the same series being shot down as false and insignificant.
But now, those of us who have dismissed corruption as purely a sub-continental issue, now have to reconsider the integrity of the English game, and this, the ECB will lose sleep over. Granted, as far as we know, Westfield is the only English player to be involved in corruption, but even so, his lack of judgment and failure to report the approach gives spot-fixers hope of finding more vulnerable targets in England.
Questions of why have been asked repeatedly by the world of cricket ever since the Pakistani incident, but it really is astonishing that cricketers seem to be so easily influenced by foreign bodies. It goes without saying that financial gain is the prime reason for corrupt activity in the game, both for the fixer and the player, but are players' wages really so bad that illegal activity is the only way for them to gain satisfaction? Footballers would probably turn their noses up at what a domestic cricketer earns, but cricketers play their sport for a reason, a love of the game. Well that is what we thought.
Spot-fixers strike me as pretty cowardly. Their prime targets are young, vulnerable individuals who, at the end of the day, may have no choice in whether they accept the deal or not. Take Mohammed Amir for example, at 18 years of age he was one of the most talented Pakistani bowlers ever seen, only to have his career cut short by someone with frankly no interest in cricket whatsoever. Westfield's case is similar, for he was 21 back in 2009 when the match in question took place. It goes to show how vulnerable young players are, and the importance of the ability to speak up before a potentially career-ending mistake is made.
The ECB have said they are not complacent about fixing, but it must come as a shock to see English cricket in the headlines for such a shameful reason. Westfield's case must be a warning to all forms of English cricket, as it has been made clear that low profile names are just as vulnerable, if not more so, to corruption abroad. It is important that the ECB keeps an especially close eye on domestic cricket, for in the sub-continent, these matches seem to be followed eagerly for all the wrong reasons.
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Cricket: Sehwag at the heart of Team India's problems
On the back of two convincing wins in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia has rubbed salt further into India's wounds by suggesting that their opponents' problems lie deeper than out on the fast, bouncy pitches down under.
An apparent rift in the Indian squad has been brought to light by a number of Australian players, who claim to have witnessed personal issues within the team. It's hard to believe that professional cricketers, not to mention some of the most talented and experienced in the world, are guilty of bickering like schoolboys and taking sides like schoolgirls, but this is apparently the case in the Indian dressing room.
Some would say it's not surprising, with team relations playing such a vital role in a team's unity and consequent performances, that India's poor displays have more complicated roots than simply poor batting displays. However, an Indian side with veterans such as Tendulkar, Dravid and Dhoni simply shouldn't let this sort of unsettled atmosphere even begin to creep into the dressing room.
What is surprising, however, is that one of these veterans is the cause of the problem. Virender Sehwag is "polarizing opinions in the Indian dressing room" according to the Australian Herald Sun newspaper. It is almost juvenile that the apparent divided opinions in the team are not a result of the team's poor displays or how they can improve, but based on who should be captain. As I said before, schoolboy bickering. Here we're taken back to the playground with jumpers for wickets and flowerbeds for boundaries, and, like a tennis ball being lost over a hedge, India are losing their dignity.
Some members of the team want Sehwag as captain, whereas some see no problem with Dhoni continuing, apart from his debatable decisions to bat first. Australian seamer Ryan Harris told the Australian press that the Indians were "fighting amongst themselves" in Sydney, and this has been backed up by keeper Brad Haddin, who believes India "break quicker than anyone in the world" and blame each other for things going wrong on the pitch.
It is therefore evident that Australia were fully aware of the tourists' issues, which could suggest a reason for keeping them in the field for almost three days in Sydney, aside from Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey's outstanding innings'. They may have more experience than a developing Australian side, but India are certainly proving to be mentally weak. Even Tendulkar can't seem to muster the mental strength to reach his personal landmark. Is he weighing out Sehwag and Dhoni's pros and cons when he's 30 short of a century? Possibly.
If India are to achieve anything in the remaining two Tests, they must get in the nets and concentrate on their individual performances before worrying about who will call the toss in the next series. Sehwag's glaring lack of runs down under is due to nothing other than personal underachievement and a pretty dyer technique, along with an inability to adapt to Australian pitches. An opening batsman failing to put runs on the board is dreaming if he wants to Captain his country, so he and Dhoni need to put an end to the arguing before it puts an end to their cricketing status.
An apparent rift in the Indian squad has been brought to light by a number of Australian players, who claim to have witnessed personal issues within the team. It's hard to believe that professional cricketers, not to mention some of the most talented and experienced in the world, are guilty of bickering like schoolboys and taking sides like schoolgirls, but this is apparently the case in the Indian dressing room.
Some would say it's not surprising, with team relations playing such a vital role in a team's unity and consequent performances, that India's poor displays have more complicated roots than simply poor batting displays. However, an Indian side with veterans such as Tendulkar, Dravid and Dhoni simply shouldn't let this sort of unsettled atmosphere even begin to creep into the dressing room.
What is surprising, however, is that one of these veterans is the cause of the problem. Virender Sehwag is "polarizing opinions in the Indian dressing room" according to the Australian Herald Sun newspaper. It is almost juvenile that the apparent divided opinions in the team are not a result of the team's poor displays or how they can improve, but based on who should be captain. As I said before, schoolboy bickering. Here we're taken back to the playground with jumpers for wickets and flowerbeds for boundaries, and, like a tennis ball being lost over a hedge, India are losing their dignity.
Some members of the team want Sehwag as captain, whereas some see no problem with Dhoni continuing, apart from his debatable decisions to bat first. Australian seamer Ryan Harris told the Australian press that the Indians were "fighting amongst themselves" in Sydney, and this has been backed up by keeper Brad Haddin, who believes India "break quicker than anyone in the world" and blame each other for things going wrong on the pitch.
It is therefore evident that Australia were fully aware of the tourists' issues, which could suggest a reason for keeping them in the field for almost three days in Sydney, aside from Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey's outstanding innings'. They may have more experience than a developing Australian side, but India are certainly proving to be mentally weak. Even Tendulkar can't seem to muster the mental strength to reach his personal landmark. Is he weighing out Sehwag and Dhoni's pros and cons when he's 30 short of a century? Possibly.
If India are to achieve anything in the remaining two Tests, they must get in the nets and concentrate on their individual performances before worrying about who will call the toss in the next series. Sehwag's glaring lack of runs down under is due to nothing other than personal underachievement and a pretty dyer technique, along with an inability to adapt to Australian pitches. An opening batsman failing to put runs on the board is dreaming if he wants to Captain his country, so he and Dhoni need to put an end to the arguing before it puts an end to their cricketing status.
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