tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7257710155114802522024-03-13T19:15:50.526-07:00Stumped!Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-78585141501845676132021-01-16T00:58:00.001-08:002021-01-16T00:58:36.203-08:00R. Ashwath Narayanan, at The Music Academy, 25th December 2020<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/DL3jdCnwNKk" frameborder="0"></iframe>Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-75304619855268516742016-04-06T20:03:00.002-07:002016-04-06T20:03:48.954-07:00A different ball game<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Watching the near-perfect World T20
over the last month, I could not help drawing parallels between my experience
of music of different periods and the cricket we have watched through the
decades. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The flashing blades, breathtaking
fours and sixes, acrobatic catches, and diving, sliding runouts of today can
dazzle your eyes, stop your hearts. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Old school as old school can be, you
may be a reluctant spectator to start with, but are inexorably drawn by the
magic of the twists and turns of the shortest form of the game. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once in, there
is no way out. You simply must stay up to watch that last over finish, even the
post match interviews, so complete has been the power the drama of the show has
exercised over you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Those born in the 21st century or
towards the end of the last, do not have much of a basis for comparisons
between the past and the present. Could the bowlers of the past, especially
spinners, even the great quartet, have survived the onslaught of today's
batting powerhouses, with their bludgeoning
bats and innovative shotmaking, they ask. Could they have measured up as
fielders, as catchers on the boundary line, as run-stoppers in the ring? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Were
they capable of holding their nerve as death bowlers in the pulsating finishes
of T20 cricket?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The questioning is so loud and
demanding that you almost succumb to their line of thinking. But then you think
of the likes of Garry Sobers, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Joel Garner, Kapil Dev,
Shane Warne, and you remember that the great can adapt to new conditions, new threats,
through the application of their genius. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The recent Marathi musical <i>Katyar
Kaljat Ghusali </i>is a modern drama with an old theme, just as T20 cricket is
a new version of an old game. It is packed with some of the most brilliant
songs I have come across in recent times. The music by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy can
compare with the best classical or semi-classical music in Indian movies of all
time. The purity and range of Shankar Mahadevan's voice, the power of the other
voices in the movie, their abundant talent that includes that of national award
winner Mahesh Kale, can captivate even a skeptic or musical ignoramus. To a classical music/old Hindi film music
junkie like me, with my healthy respect for the Shankar-Ehsan-Loy trio's
ability, it came as no surprise that they produced appropriate background music
for the revival of an old Marathi theatre classic, but the overall quality of
their original compositions--in addition to some old favourites composed in the
distant past by Jitendra Abhisheki--is very high, too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Listening to the songs from the film
on Youtube--I promise I parallelly ordered the audio DVD online--I idly clicked
on the video links to their older versions, fully prepared to come across
melodramatic theatrics and poor audio and video quality. What I found was
mind-blowing. If brilliant acting and wonderful singing in a resonant voice by
Chandrakant Limaye was a relatively recent offering of Natyageet, the older
rendering by Vasantrao Deshpande set the standard almost impossibly high.
Grandson Rahul Deshpande continues to perpetuate the Katyar Kaljat legend.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Mahadevans and Kales of today
are outstanding musicians accompanied by technology that can mask a false note
or two in lesser artists; they can cast a spell with their razzmatazz, but know
deep down that the old represented by the Deshpandes and Abhishekis is gold.
The same is true of a Virat Kohli with his pristine strokeplay: he too knows
for all his on-field aggression, that the game is greater than him. If Dwayne
Bravo, Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels do
not know their illustrious predecessors, then they should. Just as Brian Lara
and Sachin Tendulkar look on approvingly at their successors' explosive talent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With the onset of the IPL, the
action now moves on to an altogether higher pitch, often overloud and hyped up,
but a welcome change nonetheless in at least one respect. Sworn rivals will now
share locker rooms and dugouts. Snarling could be replaced by bonhomie, at
least within if not across teams. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But giants that roamed the earth will
be benched by local talent, if not pygmies. Drama queens, some of them bearded,
and fashion models dressed to kill will spout cricket wisdom of suspect
quality. Superlatives and verbal diarrhoea will flow unchecked. We must suffer
the abomination of strategic timeouts while the advertisers persuade us in the
worst possible taste.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In a way, the timing of the IPL is
unfortunate, at least for those whose appetite for instant cricket has been
sated. Its frenetic action may have some, if not many, of the exciting moments
of the World T20, but can it equal the enchantment of international
competition? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Can we, the viewing audience, survive the continued invasion of
our drawing rooms in the higher temperatures and stickier humidity that must
follow? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-85285062459102980202016-01-27T22:54:00.002-08:002016-01-28T00:15:04.115-08:00Match fixing in cricket--and other sport<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Lectures at the Observer Research Foundation, and The Madras Club, both at Chennai)</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some misconceptions</span></b><br />
<b style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">That match fixing is a phenomenon confined to cricket.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">That match fixing is of recent origin—if not since the advent of IPL,
post 2000 and Hansiegate.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">That match fixing in cricket is of Indian origin.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">That sub-continent sportspersons are more corrupt than their western
counterparts.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Finally, that matches are fixed on a regular basis. (The truth is that
in contemporary times, spot fixing rather than match fixing is the general
norm).</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Match fixing in the distant past</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">Match fixing has been occurring in many sports, almost since the time
competitive sport began.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Gambling took place in cricket as early as the 1700s.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Match fixing probably started in England. Bribing of players and
underperformance certainly occurred there in 1700.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> “Butchers, tinkers, gardeners, farm labourers, noblemen, gentlemen
and clergy, all were equal under the laws of the game. Villagers, their wives
and children, watched together and applauded their favourite team and players,
while sporting bets were placed.”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i></span><br />
<b style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(The Early History of Cricket by SM Toyne)</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">Toyne was quoting Trevelyan in his Social History of England.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">In the 18<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>century,
every cricket match was played for money. The aristocracy financed the game in
order to gamble on it.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Newspapers reported the odds and who won the wager, but did not provide
scores.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Matches were played for a crown a head, but after the game became
fashionable in the 1740s, betting rose to fantastic sums of 1000 pounds or
more.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">In one match, bets by spectators and players totaled 20000 pounds.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The laws of the game as first framed in 1744 were drawn up to settle
gambling disputes.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">In early 19<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>century,
the game was in danger of ruin. It was the chief medium for national gambling.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Bookmakers attended matches, odds were called as the game fluctuated,
side bets on individual scores led to bribery and cheating.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">One noted player took 100 pounds to lose a match.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US">“Matches were bought and matches were sold and gentlemen, who meant
honestly, lost large sums of money, till the rogues beat themselves at last. Of
this roguery, nobody ever suspected me.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US">Hundreds of pounds were bet upon all the great matches, and other wagers
laid on the scores of the finest players. And that too by men who had a book
for every race and every match in the sporting world—men who lived by
gambling.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">These are the words of Billy Beldham, a Surrey batsman, quoted in 1851
by the Rev. Pycroft in his book<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Cricketer’s Fields</i>, and <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>rated
as late as 1997 named as one of the 100 greatest cricketers of all time by John
Woodcock.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">According to an anonymous player Pycroft quoted, all the foremost
players met at the Green Man and Still, a pub on Oxford Street, London, to
drink, bet, play cards and sing.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">William Lambert was perhaps the first cricketer to be found guilty of
match-fixing and banned from playing at Lord’s for life.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">He was described as “one of the most successful cricketers that has as
yet appeared.”</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Pycroft said “It’s just not cricket” for the first time in The
Cricketer’s Fields.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Bookmakers, earlier found sitting under the pavilion were banned from
Lord’s.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The game was cleaned up.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Until the 1990s and Hansiegate.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Before we come to corruption in contemporary cricket, let’s take a look
at some other sport. First baseball:</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Baseball</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Baseball had frequent problems with
gamblers influencing the game, until the 1920s when the Black Sox scandal and
the resultant merciless crackdown largely put an end to it.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="mw-headline"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">1877</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Four players from the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville_Grays" title="Louisville Grays">Louisville
Grays</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>of the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_League" title="National League">National
League</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>were found to have
thrown games in exchange for bribes from gamblers.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">1908 bribery attempt</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">On the eve of the "playoff" game
between the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Cubs" title="Chicago Cubs"><span style="color: #0b0080;">Chicago Cubs</span></a> and
the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Giants" title="San Francisco Giants"><span style="color: #0b0080;">New York Giants</span></a> to
decide the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_League" title="National League"><span style="color: #0b0080;">National League</span></a> championship,
an umpire refused an attempted bribe intended to help the Giants win. The
Giants lost to the Cubs, and the matter was kept fairly quiet. It came out the
following spring, but the results of the official inquiry were kept secret.
However, the Giants' <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_physician" title="Team physician"><span style="color: #0b0080;">team physician</span></a> for
1908 was reportedly the culprit and was banned for life.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">1914 World Series upset</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">There was a stunning four-game sweep of
the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_Athletics" title="Oakland Athletics">Philadelphia
Athletics</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>by the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Braves" title="Atlanta Braves">Boston
Braves</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in the 1914 World
Series. The Athletics said to be angry at their miserly owner,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connie_Mack_%28baseball%29" title="Connie Mack (baseball)">Connie Mack</a>, did not give the Series their
best effort. Mack traded or sold all the stars away from that 1914 team.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">1917-1918 suspicions</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The manner in which the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Giants" title="San Francisco Giants">New York Giants</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>lost to the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_White_Sox" title="Chicago White Sox">Chicago
White Sox</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in the 1917 World
Series raised suspicions. Within two years, two players Zimmerman and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Chase" title="Hal Chase">Chase</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>were suspended for life, due to a
series of questionable actions and associations.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">There were rumours of World Series fixing
by members of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Cubs" title="Chicago Cubs"><span style="color: #0b0080;">Chicago Cubs</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>who lost the 1918 Series.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">1919 Black Sox Conspiracy</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1919_World_Series" title="1919 World Series"><span style="color: #0b0080;">1919 World Series</span></a> resulted in the
notorious Black Sox scandal. Eight players from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_White_Sox" title="Chicago White Sox"><span style="color: #0b0080;">Chicago White Sox</span></a> (nicknamed the Black
Sox) were accused of throwing the series against the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_Reds" title="Cincinnati Reds"><span style="color: #0b0080;">Cincinnati Reds</span></a>.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Acquitted of criminal charges as throwing
baseball games was technically not a crime, the eight players were banned from
organized baseball for life.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">It resulted in the appointment of a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioner_of_Baseball" title="Commissioner of Baseball"><span style="color: #0b0080;">Commissioner of
Baseball</span></a> who took firm steps to try to rid the game of gambling
influence permanently.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The Commissioners since then have been
ruthless, even <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>suspending
well-known players for long periods just for having been seen with gamblers.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">TENNIS</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Match-fixing or
throwing in professional tennis is widespread and highly profitable for
players, according to a new analysis of the outcomes of games.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">It found that
players outside the topmost ranks can make large sums from betting against
themselves and then feigning injury.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The cheating
goes on in the early rounds of less prestigious tournaments where junior
players stand to profit far more from betting scams than from winning a match,
the study said.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">When a player
retires because of injury, the match is awarded to his opponent and bookies pay
out as if the game had been completed.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The findings
are by academics from the Max Planck Research School in Munich and Cambridge
University. Tennis has been under the shadow of cheating allegations since a
betting scandal five years ago.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Based on
examination of 54,000 matches the researchers said that there was ‘strong
evidence that such behaviour might be widespread’.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">They called for
an end to all betting on matches in unimportant tournaments that the players
fail to complete.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">An October 2003 report said</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">International tennis players are
deliberately throwing matches for financial gain. It is believed that bets of
up to $200,000 have been placed by players, through their coaches and other
intermediaries, with internet betting exchanges, resulting in massive payouts.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Most of the players under suspicion are outside
the top 100.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The Association of Tennis Professionals
recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the British-based company
Betfair, which gives the ATP access to its clients' records.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A 2005 report</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238);">41 players were
suspected of involvement in rigged games by the Swedish newspaper Svenska
Dagbladet. They will be subject to additional monitoring by ATP.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238);">On the list were
top-ranked Nikolay Davydenko and Janko Tipsarevic.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
<br />
<b>A 2008 report</b></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Nikolay Davydenko was cleared following
the longest inquiry ever held into match-fixing in tennis.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The 27-year-old Russian lost to Martin
Vassallo Arguello at the Polish Open in Sopot last August, retiring injured at
6-2, 3-6, 1-2 in the second round match which attracted nearly $7million
(£3.5m) in wagers on Betfair.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The online betting company Betfair took
the unprecedented step of voiding all bets because of highly-irregular gambling
patterns in the match.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">At least 15 male players reported that
they had been approached to fix matches and several less-known Italian players
were punished for betting on matches, although none of the game's better-known
stars were implicated, bar the Russian.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">It is believed that since a tough stand
was taken by the authorities, questionable activity among players and their
associates was substantially reduced.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A new concern emerged of people trying to
gain a split-second advantage ahead of television pictures by being at the
match.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Two spectators were thrown out of a
women’s event in Antwerp for suspicious use of laptops, while another was
expelled from the recent tournament in Dubai after being caught giving a
commentary via mobile phone.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">6 September 2012</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">David Savic banned</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for
Sport (CAS) confirmed the decision of the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) that
David Savic be permanently ineligible to participate in any event organised or
sanctioned by any tennis governing body.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">"CAS has confirmed the decision ...
to rule that David Savic be permanently ineligible to participate in any event
organised or sanctioned by any tennis governing body," said CAS in a
statement.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<b>BADMINTON</b></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">2 AUGUST 2012</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">LONDON --
Eight badminton players at the London Olympics were kicked out of competition
Wednesday for trying to lose -- a display that drew outrage from fans and
organizers who said the women had violated the most sacred stage in sports.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">After an
unexpected loss by a powerful Chinese doubles team, the eight women appeared to
play poorly on purpose to secure a more favorable position in the next phase of
the event.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">The eight
doubles players from China, South Korea and Indonesia were cited by the
Badminton World Federation for "conducting oneself in a manner that is
clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport."</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">FOOTBALL</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white;">The<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>2006
Italian football scandal</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>involved<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy" title="Italy"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080;">Italy</span></a><span style="background: white;">'s top
professional<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football" title="Association football"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080;">football</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span style="background: white;">leagues,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serie_A" title="Serie A"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080;">Serie A</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span style="background: white;">and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serie_B" title="Serie B"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080;">Serie B</span></a><span style="background: white;">. The scandal was uncovered in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005%E2%80%9306_Serie_A" title="2005–06 Serie A"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080;">May 2006</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span style="background: white;">by Italian police, implicating league champions<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juventus" title="Juventus"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080;">Juventus</span></a><span style="background: white;">, and other major teams including<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.C._Milan" title="A.C. Milan"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080;">AC Milan</span></a><span style="background: white;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACF_Fiorentina" title="ACF Fiorentina"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080;">Fiorentina</span></a><span style="background: white;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.S._Lazio" title="S.S. Lazio"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080;">Lazio</span></a><span style="background: white;">, and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggina_Calcio" title="Reggina Calcio"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080;">Reggina</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span style="background: white;">when a number of telephone interceptions showed a
thick network of relations between team managers and referee organisations.
Juventus were the champions of Serie A at the time. The teams were accused of
rigging games by selecting favourable<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referee_(association_football)" title="Referee (association football)"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080;">referees</span></a><span style="background: white;">.</span></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">6 JUN 2013</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">33 people and Serie B club Bari were
called to a sports trial before the country's football federation.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The charges include fixing and failing to
report fixing for two Serie B matches - Bari-Treviso (0-1) in May 2008 and
Salernitana-Bari (3-2) in May 2009.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Among those named were the Bari captain, a
former Bari captain, the Torino goalkeeper and an ex-Juventus assistant coach
and Bari player.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Most of those named by the federation have
also been indicted by a judge in Bari on charges of committing sports fraud.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">At least 50 people were arrested in Italy
for match-fixing since the middle of 2011, with scores more under investigation
by prosecutors in Cremona, Bari and Napoli.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">27 February 2013</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">ZURICH (AP) —
FIFA banned 74 more officials and players from world soccer for helping fix
matches, this time in Italy and South Korea.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">FIFA imposed
sanctions on 70 people, including 11 who were banned for life, after a series
of cases prosecuted by Italian soccer authorities.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">The charges
involved "match-fixing (direct involvement or omission to report
match-fixing), illegal betting or corrupt organization (association to commit
illicit acts)."</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">Prosecutors
in Cremona, Bari and Napoli pieced together a conspiracy they believe was
organized from Singapore to bet on rigged Italian soccer games.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">DISHONESTY IN CRICKET IN INDIA</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Rigging has taken place in Indian cricket
for a long time. I have seen a few instances at both the league and the Ranji
Trophy levels, though these arrangements between two friendly teams were not
based on financial considerations (It was quite another thing that there was no
money in cricket then).</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I watched at least one Ranji Trophy match
in the early 1960s at Corporation Stadium between Madras and Hyderabad, in
which suspect declarations took place in both innings, with sub-50 totals in at
least one innings. It was apparently an attempt to ensure at least first
innings points in a rain-truncated match, rather than share points equally, the
case if one innings was not completed. This would of course have worked to the
disadvantage of Mysore, the other leading team in the zone. I could not locate
the scorecard for this match, though I am pretty sure I have my facts right.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">There was no doubt however about a similar
game a few years later between Hyderabad and Mysore at Bangalore. Umpire NS
Rishi gave a scathing report on the captains of the two sides, but nothing came
of it.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">There was a similarly dubious match
between Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu at Coimbatore in the 1980s, when the two teams
were charged with fixing the result of the match. I was particularly upset
because my brother Sivaramakrishnan played two outstanding innings in the game
on a treacherous wicket, and that performance was devalued by these reports.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Fixing was rampant in the local league,
mainly to save a friendly team to avoid relegation to the lower division or
help it win the championship. In one game I played, the two team managements
had evidently agreed we would give the opponents 2 batting points (the first
one when they made 175 and rthe second when they reached 225). My friend
Nedumaran and I were bowling when the score stood at 150 something for 7, when
the captain walked up to me and asked me to give away some easy runs. When I
refused, he tried his luck with Nedu who cursed him with some choice words. The
captain had no choice but to toe the line with these disobedient rascals, and
we bundled the opponents out under 175. Believe it or not, when we returned to
the pavilion we found the scorebook showed 226!</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">(There were also some comical situations
when teams deliberately tried to avoid taking wickets to improve their over
rate (the penalty for not maintaining it was a certain number of points) and
chaps dropping sitters to ensure that. In a match I played, a normally poor
fielder took a tumbling catch when the whole team was shouting at him to drop
it).</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I also remember another match when a team
yielded more than a hundred byes to help the opponents, and actually came out
unscathed from an inquiry set up by the association, because there was no way
of proving that the extras were deliberately given.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">This leads us to the point that fixing is
not something that can easily be proved beyond doubt.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">BETTING AND RIGGING IN INDIAN CRICKET</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Pakistan tour of India 1979-80</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Though big money came into cricket only
after India won the Prudential World Cup in 1983, the first time financial
wrongdoing by a player was reported on Indian soil was during the 1979-80
series between the touring Pakistanis and India.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Asif Iqbal, born in Hyderabad, Deccan,
played for Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy before his migration to Pakistan in
the 1960s. He led Pakistan in India after Pakistan under the captaincy of
Mushtaq Mohammad had thrashed India the previous season in Pakistan.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">This was a six-Test series, and at the end
of the 5<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Test, India
was already leading 2-0 in the rubber, leaving no chance for Pakistan to level
the series.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Two suspicious things happened during the
Calcutta Test. Sunil Gavaskar standing down from captaincy, GR Viswanath was
picked to deputise for him. At the toss, GRV was surprised when Asif told him,
“You win.What are you doing?” when he in fact believed he had lost the toss.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The second puzzle of the match was Asif’s
declaration of the Pakistan first innings at 272 for 4 behind India’s 331 all
out.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Though it could be read as a bold move to
try and win the match, there was a cloud over the decision.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Rumours were afloat that Asif was involved
in betting on the match. I met a man who claimed he was taking a certain sum of
money for Asif to Calcutta a couple of days before the Test. I thought it was
an empty boast.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">THE SHARJAH MATCHES AND OTHER ODIs</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Most of the matches involving India and Pakistan played at Sharjah came
to be suspect in time. In the end BCCI outlawed Sharjah as a venue where India
would take part.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">It was in 1997 that Aniruddha Bahal of Outlook came back from India’s
tour of South Africa and told his editor Tarun Tejpal, “Forget cricket stories.
The big story is that everyone—players, administrators, commentators,
journalists, everybody—is betting.All the time.”</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Bahal later met Manoj Prabhakar in pursuit of his match-fixing story.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Prabhakar eventually wrote in Outlook that a teammate offered him Rs. 25
lakh to underperform.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Prabhakar also mentioned a match in Sharjah where Indian batsmen <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>were told to play on in darkness by
the management</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Prabhakar also spoke of a match at Kanpur in 1994 when he and Nayan
Mongia were penalized for batting slowly.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Unfortunately for whistle blower Prabhakar, he was to be penalized by
the BCCI after it ordered its own investigation, following Hansie Cronje’s
confession before the King Commission of South Africa after Delhi police nailed
him.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Here’s the list of Indian players banned or punished by BCCI</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Mohd. Azharuddin, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma, Ajay Jadeja,</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Here’s a complete rundown of the betting/ match fixing timeline:</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1981</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Australian
players Dennis Lillee and Rodney Marsh bet against their own team, backing
England at the odds of 500 to one in the Headingley Test. No action was taken
against them.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1992-93</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Australian
batsman Dean Jones claims to have been offered $50,000 by an Indian to provide
information about the team during the Lankan tour.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1993</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Allan Border
alleges that he was offered £500,000 by Mushtaq Mohammed to lose a Test match
against England.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1996</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Former Indian
team manager, Sunil Dev alleges that some of the Indian players indulged in
match fixing and demands a judicial enquiry.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1997</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Manoj Prabhakar
accuses a fellow Team India player of offering him Rs 25 lakh to throw a match
in Sri Lanka in 1994. His revelation leads the BCCI to appoint a commission to
look into the allegation.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1998</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Pakistan bowler
Ata-ur-Rahman accuses Wasim Akram of offering him Rs 3 lakh to bowl badly
against New Zealand. As a result of this allegation, Wasim Akram resigns as
captain of the Pakistan team.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1998</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Rashid Latif
accuses Wasim Akram, Salim Malik, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Ijaz Ahmed of fixing
matches. He also accuses Salim Malik of fixing matches during Pakistan's twin
tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1994-95.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1998</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Mark Waugh,
Shane Warne and Tim May claim they were offered $50,000 to lose a Test by Salim
Malik during their tour to Pakistan in 1994. The Australian cricket board then
asks the ICC to appoint a panel to look into the allegations. The PCB in its
enquiry implicates three Pakistan players and recommends a ban on Salim Malik.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1998</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Shane Warne and
Mark Waugh confess to having accepted $11,000 from an Indian bookie to give
some information on playing conditions during a tournament played in Sri Lanka
in 1994. The Australian cricket board later says that it would impose a hefty
fine on Warne and Waugh.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1999</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Former England
player Chris Lewis says that he was offered £300,000 to persuade England
players to lose a match against New Zealand.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">April 7, 2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Delhi police
charge Hansie Cronje with fixing South Africa's ODIs against India. Delhi
police also reveal that they possess a conversation recorded during the ODI
series between India and South Africa in March. They allege that the taped
voices were of South African skipper Hansie Cronje and an Indian bookie, Sanjay
Chawla. The conversation was about divulging team information and the amount to
be paid to Cronje and his team-mates Herschelle Gibbs, Pieter Strydom and Nicky
Boje.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">April 11, 2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The South
African cricket board sacks Hansie Cronje after he calls Ali Bacher to confess
that he was not entirely honest and admitted that to have accepted $10,000 to
$15,000 from a London-based bookmaker, for forecasting results, not
match-fixing.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">April 15, 2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Now, clouds of
match fixing surround England's victory in the Centurion Test, where Cronje
took the unexpected step of forfeiting an innings.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">April 16, 2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">It is revealed
that South Africa nearly accepted a $250,000 to lose an ODI against India in
Mumbai in 1996. The players had discussed the offer in three meetings before it
was turned down as Jonty Rhodes, Dave Richardson and Andrew Hudson were against
it.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">May 24, 2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">After a year
long enquiry, Justice Qayyum finds Saleem Malik and Ata-ur-Rehman guilty of
fixing matches and recommends life bans for the two. The report also says Wasim
Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed should not be allowed to captain Pakistan in the
future. Today Wasim is a respected commentator and coach while Mushtaq is
England’s spin bowling coach.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">June 7, 2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Former South
African spinner Pat Symcox alleges that the team was offered around $250,000 to
throw an ODI, on the first day of the King Commission hearings.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">June 8, 2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Herschelle
Gibbs accuses Hansie Cronje of offering him a bribe to throw a match and tells
the King Commission that he had accepted Cronje's offer of $15,000 to score
less than 20 runs in an ODI in India.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">June 15, 2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Cronje admits
taking money for giving information to bookmakers and asking his team-mates to
play badly. But he tells the King Commission that South Africa had never thrown
or fixed a match under his captaincy.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">June 27, 2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Former
Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir Paul Condon becomes the
International Cricket Council's new anti-corruption investigator.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">July 20, 2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Indian income
tax officials raid the homes of top cricket players, including those of then
national coach Kapil Dev, former players Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Nayan Mongia
and Nikhil Chopra.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">August 28, 2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The United
Cricket Board of South Africa bans Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams from
international cricket for the rest of the year for their involvement in the
Cronje scandal.(Henry Williams agreed to give away more than 50 runs in his ten
overs, but had to stop after two overs because of injury. He gave 11 runs. He
was upset that Cronje who made him underperform did not support him when he was
in trouble).</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">October 11,
2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Cronje is
banned from cricket for life by the United Cricket Board of South Africa as a
result of his admission that he received money from bookmakers.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">"The UCBSA
council hereby intends to ban Hansie Cronje for life from all activities of the
UCBSA and its affiliates," says a statement issued by the United Cricket
Board of South Africa.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">October 31,
2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Bookmaker MK
Gupta names several players including Brian Lara, Dean Jones, Alec Stewart,
Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Martin Crowe and Saleem Malik of being
involved in match fixing, says a CBI report. The CBI also says that former
India captain Mohammad Azharuddin confessed to fixing games with the help of
colleagues Ajay Jadeja and Nayan Mongia.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">November 27,
2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">BCCI's
anti-corruption commissioner K Madhavan finds Mohammad Azharuddin guilty of
match-fixing, while Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma and former Indian
team physio Ali Irani are found guilty of having links with bookies.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">December 5,
2000</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">BCCI bans
Azharuddin for life and Ajay Jadeja for five years for their role in
match-fixing. Ajay Sharma is also banned from the game for life, while
Prabhakar and the Indian team's former physio, Ali Irani, are barred from
holding any official post in Indian cricket for five years.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">July 11, 2001</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Former England
wicketkeeper batsman Alec Stewart is cleared of allegations that he took money
from a bookmaker in return for providing team and pitch information during
England's 1992-93 tour of India.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">May 12, 2004</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Marvan Atapattu
is cleared of match-fixing allegations for lack of evidence by the Sri Lankan
Cricket Board.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">August 17, 2004</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Kenyan player
Maurice Odumbe is banned for five years by the Kenyan Cricket Association after
he is found guilty of receiving money from bookmakers.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">November 7,
2004</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Stephen Fleming
alleges that he was offered $370,000 during the 1999 World Cup to join a
match-fixing syndicate.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">May 13, 2008</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">West Indies
player Marlon Samuels is slapped a ban of two years for allegedly passing on
information to an Indian bookie during an ODI series in India in 2007.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2 style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">August</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">2009</span><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Australia
team's management files a report with the ICC's anti-corruption unit after one
of their players says he was approached by a man suspected of links to illegal
bookmaking, after Australia's defeat to England at Lord's</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2 style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">May 2010</span><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">The
Bangladesh captain, Shakib-Al-Hasan, confirms he received an approach, believed
to be in March 2008, from an unknown person who Shakib believes wanted him to
manipulate the result of a one-day match against Ireland</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2 style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">September</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">2010</span><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Essex
bowler Mervyn Westfield appears at the City of London magistrates court on
charges of spot-fixing relating to the Pro 40 match against Durham in September
2009, in which he bowled four wides and two no-balls</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2 style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">3 November</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">2011</span><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">Pakistan's
Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif are incarcerated over no-balls
bowled deliberately against England at Lord's in 2010. Their agent, Mazheer
Majeed, is jailed for two and a half years</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<h2 style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">12 January</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">2012</span><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">Westfield
pleads guilty to accepting £6,000 to give away runs in the Pro 40 match against
Durham and is warned by Judge Anthony Morris at the Old Bailey that he may face
a prison sentence</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">IPL 2012</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">5 players were banned for spot-fixing or bringing the game into
disrepute while gaining pecuniary advantage.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">IPL 2013</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-size: 13.5pt;">Three
Rajasthan Royals players were arrested for their alleged role in spot-fixing.
Sreesanth apparently agreed to bowl an expensive over in the May 9 clash
against Kings XI Punjab. The other two Chandila and Chauhan also agreed to act
at the behest of bookies, in return for money. BCCI suspended the trio</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-size: 13.5pt;">May 17: Ex-RR
player who turned bookie</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-size: 13.5pt;">Amit Singh,
one of the bookies arrested a day earlier played for Rajasthan Royals in the
earlier seasons. BCCI chief N Srinivasan stated ‘guilty will be punished’. More
bookies arrested, this time from Chennai.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-size: 13.5pt;">May 20: RR
suspends contracts</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-size: 13.5pt;">Royals
suspended the contracts of Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan. They also filed FIR
against the trio for violation of contract. An amount of Rs. 20 lakh was
recovered from the house of a relative of Chandila in Haryana. All three
arrested cricketers were sent to five-day police custody.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-size: 13.5pt;">May 21:
Bollywood link exposed</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-size: 13.5pt;">Vindu Dara
Singh was arrested for his alleged links with bookies.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-size: 13.5pt;">May 22: BCCI
comes into the picture</span></strong><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-size: 13.5pt;">In the most
striking instance of insider involvement in the betting racket, Vindu mentioned
the name of BCCI President N. Srinivasan’s son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, with
whom, the actor claimed, he was in ‘frequent touch’. Meanwhile, Vindu admitted
that he helped a couple of bookies escape to Dubai.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Extracts from the</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Findings of a study entitled</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US">Sports betting and corruption</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US">How to preserve the integrity of sport</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Carried out by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
IRIS (Institut de Relations Internationales et Strategiques), University of
Salford (Manchester), Praxes Avocats and CCLS (Université de Pékin)</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Modus operandi of corruptors in sport</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Direct approach or threats of violence by
the underworld</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Financial corruption by offering money for
underperformance</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">3 referees were approached by Greek
delegate to favour Greece in European Basketball Championship in Lithuania in
2011.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">German ref. was offered 20000 Euro. Tennis
players like Younis El Ayanaoui of Morocco was offered 25000 to lose to young
player.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Belgian player Giles Elseneer was offered
100000 euro to lose 1<sup>st</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>round
Wimbledon.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Another Belgian Dick Norman was similarly
offered bribes twice to lose <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>a
match.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Arnaud Clement of France was also offered
a bribe. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Corruption through intermediaries; grooming; honeytraps.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Just as a former Rajasthan Royals <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>player was an agent for the corruptor
in the recent RR spot fixing scandal, several former footballers were involved
in the football match-rigging scam that exploded in Italy in May 2011. They
contacted the captain or goalkeeper and paid them 400000 euro, which became the
official rate for buying a Serie A player.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The grooming of a player can be done gradually through money, gifts,
even sexual favours.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Punishing fraud in sport and the law</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Generally sports betting is poorly monitored.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Actions like phone-tapping and surveillance of bank data require police
and public authorities.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Bodies like FIFA, ICC and ITF hire former policemen to head anbti-match
fixing units.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">In England, cheating in betting became a criminal offence in 2005.
Without that amendment of the law, the Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt,
Mohammed Asif and Mohammad Amir could not have been awarded prison sentences.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">In Turkey a fixer can be imprisoned for 5 to 12 years.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">France is trying to legislate similarly.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">In Indian law, cheating in betting, i.e., match fixing is not yet a
criminal offence.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">RECOMMENDATIONS</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Regulation<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Standards prohibiting stakeholders from sports betting or communicating
sensitive information. Severe disciplinary sanctions are needed. Obligation to
report any attempted approach by bookies, or suspicious outsiders.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Raising awareness</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Information programme for managers of sports bodies focusing onknowledge
of global betting market and the risks connected with them</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Programme to educate at grassroots level focusing on methods of approach
of corruptors and the risk to your career if you take part in fraud</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Surveillance</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Knowledge of the dynamism of the market and commercial exploitation of
games by betting operators. Close coordination between sports bodies and
regulatory authorities</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Surveillance during matches, tournaments, especially during matches where
the result is not significant</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Testing operations to strengthen surveillance and deterrence among
referees, players, managers, coaches, umpires.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Integration of resources</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Coordination within a unit dedicated to combating fraud in sport
attached to the international federation.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Establishment of a network of points of contact or sports betting
integrity officers responsible for coordinating action within their
organization and linking up with public authorities.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Establishment of protocols to follow in trhe event of an approach or
suspicion, both within the sports organization and in conjunction with the
authorities</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Most important reform</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Establishment of a corruption-in-sport monitoring centre.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">A central database at an international federation level will facilitate
gathering and sharing of information on corruption in sport linked to betting.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The centre can provide quantitative data for suspicious cases and
disciplinary or criminal proceedings instituted within sports bodies and
countries across the world.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">It will be a think tank for creating an agency for the integrity of
sport, which will have formal competence and the power of constrant and
sanction over the sports movement.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Finally,</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Legalisation of betting</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Match fixing may never totally rooted out, legalization of betting will
produce a regulated market with proper trails of transactions. Names of
bettors, <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>IP addresses ,
email ids and phone numbers will be available, enabling prompt investigation of
suspicious behavior. Direct contact by punters with players can be prevented
thus.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US">Why do sportsmen cheat?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">I have found as a sportsman myself that the average sportsman is
different from the average person in mainstream life. He is likely to be
self-centred if not selfish, very ambitious, driven. He’s not afraid to take
risks, that’s why he’s a competitive sportsman. Sportsmen who are disciplined
outside sports as in studies, employment etc. are exceptional, not the norm.
Increasingly they come from non-traditional sporting backgrounds, with their
education inadequate. Often they grow up believing it is all right to give or
accept bribes, dowry, drive on the wrong side of the road, work hard so that
you can earn well in life, rather than pursue excellence for the sake of
excellence. So if someone is paying me one lakh to play for my team, and
someone else offers me 2 lakh to underperform, is it really wrong, especially
if I don’t get caught? Maybe that’s how the vulnerable youngster thinks.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">I believe education in honesty, commitment to excellence, focus etc. should
start young, at home. Parents play a vital role here. Selection of teams from
the youngest age-group levels could include psychological testing for qualities
like integrity, leadership, mental strength along with testing for skills. With
the kind of financial strength the Board has it should be a feasible
proposition to extend moral education to all levels of sport.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white;">“Cheating is especially easy to justify when you frame
situations to cast yourself as a victim of some kind of unfairness,” said Dr.
Anjan Chatterjee, a neurologist at the University of Pennsylvania who has
studied the use of prescription drugs to improve intellectual performance.
“Then it becomes a matter of evening the score; you’re not cheating, you’re
restoring fairness.”</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #464646;">"People have and continue to do what they can get
away with," says Andy Barton, a mental performance coach who has worked
with numerous elite athletes across football, rugby, Olympic sports and other
disciplines.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #464646; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #464646; font-size: 13.5pt;">"In sport there is constant analysis of what others are doing, from
using breathing strips to the effect of energy drinks," he says.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #464646; font-size: 13.5pt;">"Coaches and analysts become aware of what can change a game, so
that can even extend to things like seeing how players go down to win
penalties."</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #464646; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #464646; font-size: 13.5pt;">"Competitors who are ego orientated [always comparing themselves to
others] are prone to unsporting behaviour," he says.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #464646; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #464646; font-size: 13.5pt;">"This is often exasperated by a 'win at all costs' attitude in
their sports environment.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #464646; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #464646; font-size: 13.5pt;">"Some people are motivated by external rewards and are more likely
to cheat. Others enjoy the sport and self-improvement and that is their
motivation."</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #464646; font-size: 12pt;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Finally, is ICC doing enough?</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Most of you will agree with me that it is not doing enough. It has not
given evidence of its seriousness in uprooting cheating from cricket. World Cup
2011 was a prime example. The semifinal was surrounded by suspicion. Bookie
intelligence predicted the outcome of the India-Pakistan encounter with
startling precision. Sir Paul Condon, chief of ACSU, who had promised a clean
World Cup was not so sure afterwards, but no serious investigation seems to
have been instituted into that and other suspect matches in the tournament.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">I close with the words of<i> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>Jacques
Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 1 March 2011</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US"> “There will definitely be more rigged matches in future if the
world of sport closes its eyes to them, and if we do not have good contact with
betting companies and governments. Eventually the credibility of results will
be called into question. Sport is based on a hierarchy that derives its social
and moral values from the concept of merit. The winner should be the one who
has poured the most lawful resources into their preparation or who has worked
the hardest. If in future the concept of a champion as a model of excellence
becomes tarnished by the manipulation of matches or the corruption of players,
then the entire credibility of sport will vanish.</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US">(...) There are already countries where football competitions are no
longer credible and where the public has very clearly lost interest in that
sport.”</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-47367224913208099552015-07-08T21:19:00.000-07:002015-07-08T21:21:57.452-07:00Tales true and not so true<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>V
Ramnarayan</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The
mystery of the wicket keeping gloves</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Footloose
and fancy free one Sunday morning back in 1982 or thereabouts, Vasu (S
Vasudevan, who led Tamil Nadu to a Ranji Trophy triumph in 1986-87) and I
decided to amuse ourselves by watching a V division match of the Chennai
league. Actually there was an ulterior motive behind our decision: we wanted to
catch a glimpse of a young batsman who had scored a big hundred a couple of
weeks earlier, and just back from a masters' degree in the US, he was going to
be our new boss. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We
had heard unconfirmed stories of the imperious if quixotic ways of our
prospective employer, and he turned out to be quite an impressive figure on the
cricket ground. We didn't have long to wait to see him in action, as the tall
and athletically built young man, let's call him Raj, opened the innings, and
moved with great style if not speed between the wickets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Raj
seemed to continue where he left off in the previous match. He cut, drove and
pulled with great assurance and his powerful shots frequently pierced the
infield and found the boundary. He raced to nearly 30 in no time, and Vasu and
I wondered how we would deal with a boss with two successive centuries under
his belt, while breathing a sigh of relief with the knowledge he could not
become our teammate, at least till next season, having already played for a
lower division team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Something
then happened that not only cut Raj's innings short but provided some
unexpected comic relief. Between deliveries, Raj, the non-striker, took a few
steps to chat with his partner, when the bowler most unsportingly knocked the
bails off and made a loud appeal for run-out. The poor umpire, as shocked as
anyone else, had no choice but to declare Raj out. Furious with rage, Raj let
loose what seemed from beyond the boundary to be a barrage of expletives at the
bowler and stormed off towards the pavilion. Along the way, he applied the
brakes and just as angrily stormed off towards the wicket keeper. "Give
them back, you ungrateful, unsporting bastards!" he must have said to the
man behind the stumps, for he meekly surrendered his gloves, and Raj
triumphantly marked away, with two pairs of gloves tucked under his arms. Vasu
and I later learnt that the fielding side had discovered on arrival at the
ground that someone had forgotten to pack wicket keeper's gloves in the kit
bag. It had been wicket keeper batsman Raj who had sportingly lent the
opponents his personal gear. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-10682062731343384802015-04-22T05:09:00.001-07:002015-04-22T05:14:43.701-07:0050 not out: Hari Mohan's winner of a book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
I
spent over forty years on the cricket field. The game gave me greater happiness
than any other activity of my life. Through it, I made many friends, and some
of them have remained lifelong friends. Sadly, the friendships tended to grow
rarer as I progressed to the higher levels of the game, perhaps because each
man was increasingly concerned about looking out for himself. Competition does
breed selfishness and self-centredness, doesn't it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There
were exceptions. In my book <i>Third Man, </i>I have mentioned my genuine
friends, friends who selflessly took great trouble over mentoring me and
nurturing me because they believed in my potential. They derived happiness from
my success and worried for me when I met obstacles, encouraged me to fight my
way against them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In
cricket, as in life, new friendships are a remote possibility once you cross a
certain age. I have been lucky in that I have acquired friends after my
forties, into my sixties, even. Harimohan Paruvu, the former Hyderabad pace
bowler, has been one such. I met him first at the Chennai launch of his first book <i>The Men Within: A
Cricketing Tale, </i>a novel woven around young cricketers. In fact, I had
already read his novel before I met him, and been impressed with his seemingly
effortless story-telling ability. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hari
is a an extremely tall, strapping man, probably in his fifties, plain speaking
to a fault, but gentle and courteous, honest and generous all at once. A rare
quality in him is his ability to accept people as they are--non-judgementally.
Though I haven't met him too many times in the few years that I have known him, I
have come to count him as one of my friends, and that is why I experienced
mixed feelings when I heard that he had written a book titled <i>50 NOT OUT:
Powerful Life Lessons from Cricket to Excel in our Lives. </i>I have not been a
great believer in this genre of literature, and find many of the parallels
authors of such books draw between cricket and professional life quite
artificial and forced. I was wondering if Hari had fallen into a trap in attempting
such a venture. I still bought and read the book as a dutiful friend and
senior.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To
my pleasant surprise, I find 50 Not Out to be an exceptional book that uses
sport to illustrate management challenges and how to meet them. I am sure the
reason for the successful compilation of life lessons from on-field and
off-field cricket experiences, is that the author has been a cricketer, an
intelligent, resourceful one as well. And like other cricketers who have a
second string to their bow, Hari combines his engineering education, his work
experience in a bank, and the invaluable insights he gained rubbing shoulders
with cricketers greater than he, as well as his peers, to arrive at a
thoroughly useful road map for the journey that is life, no matter what your
profession. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hari
and I recently interacted gainfully at two different book events, one of which
related to both my book and his. At Hyderabad, my wife--a journalist,
translator, musician, playwright and theatre director--and I had the pleasure
of joining Hari at the Department of Dance, University of Hyderabad, where we
engaged graduate students in meaningful conversation on art management, a
course Hari teaches there. To my delight, I found that I could open any page of
50 NOT OUT at random, and find a resonance to the lives of our audience. That
is when I realised that Hari Mohan Paruvu had produced a winner of a book. Well
bowled, Hari! <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-42109995836313879592015-02-28T01:33:00.002-08:002015-02-28T01:35:24.319-08:00Third Man at the Madras Book Club<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A-Khu4xkm6c/VPGLGfX85CI/AAAAAAAAB_c/5JSIaDFno_A/s1600/dais1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A-Khu4xkm6c/VPGLGfX85CI/AAAAAAAAB_c/5JSIaDFno_A/s1600/dais1.JPG" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Earlier today, my friends
received a pornographic video, purportedly from my FB account. Before any of
you buy the book, let me give you the disappointing news that there is nothing
racy in Third Man, except for some references to maiden overs and long legs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">First, about the title Third
Man. I chose it to show off that I was the third off spinner in the country for
a while, definitely in the South Zone, after the great bowlers Prasanna and
Venkataraghavan. I wore that distinction like a badge of honour, and if the
title gives the impression that it is my expression of any disappointment, it
was far from my intention. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Why did I write this book? Mainly
because nothing happened in my career till I reached cricketing old age, and
then there was a miraculous change in my fortunes. Much of what happened, both
good and bad, was stranger than fiction. For several years after my playing
days, I insisted on regaling (or boring) my friends with stories cricketing and
off the field. I was lucky enough to play with and against some fine cricketers
and wonderful personalities. The stories I told were sometimes enriching and
uplifting but almost always funny. My friends repeatedly asked me to put all
those stories into a book. And I eventually succumbed to the temptation. I
actually started writing Third Man some 30 years ago, but shelved the project
as I was preoccupied with eking out a livelihood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It took the constant
persuasion of my friend and fellow author Krishna Shastri to make me take the
plunge. After writing it, I am convinced that there is a book in almost every
cricketer, and I hope some of my friends will start recording the highs and
lows of their careers. That is what I have done, and in addition to some
hilarious anecdotes, the book tries to document the crucial twists and turns of
a cricket journey. I thought long and
hard about including the unhappy moments in the narrative, because I did not
want to be seen as complaining, but decided to go ahead, as it would not be an
honest book otherwise. I have spared you some of the gorier details, but I
believe it is important to say it like it is, to provide a true account of a
cricketer's life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lci25YRLPeQ/VPGLU6R4T8I/AAAAAAAAB_k/KKdhWVDDaug/s1600/vr2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lci25YRLPeQ/VPGLU6R4T8I/AAAAAAAAB_k/KKdhWVDDaug/s1600/vr2.JPG" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The book is also my attempt
to remember and salute the many cricketers I have played with and watched,
those who supported, encouraged and mentored me. The cricket ground and
dressing room are among the most egalitarian spaces you can imagine. For
instance, I have always called our chief guest VV, not Sir or Mr Kumar as we
tend to do older people in any other walk of life. In the Hyderabad team I
played in, the former Nawab of Pataudi and champion cricketers like Jaisimha
and Abid Ali evoked awe and respect with the quality of their cricket and their
wisdom, not because of their seniority or social position. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A few words about VV Kumar.
He was quite simply the greatest Indian leg spinner I have seen and played
with. I did watch Subhash Gupte, but I was too young to appreciate the finer
points then. VV's magic was something my generation of cricketers knew
intimately. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">He had all the tricks of the trade of Shane Warne, except the huge
leg break, which VV did not fancy. He had two types of googly, while Warne was
not known for his wrong ún. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">He played only two Test matches and was unfairly
omitted thereafter, and though he was all the time improving as a bowler, the
genius of the freak spinner Chandrasekhar blocked his re-entry into Test
cricket. I am very sure that had he had a long run in international cricket, he
would have achieved great feats and merited comparison with Warne. At a vital phase of my career, he gave me
advice which I never forgot, and which stood me in good stead. The great
Hanumant Singh was another whose guidance shaped my bowling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I was once able to share my view
that VV was the best leg spinner after Gupte with Sir Garfield Sobers, when he
asked some of us our opinion on the subject. Sobers was then helping VV out at
his spin academy, and he nodded in agreement. "Even today, he bowls long
spells in the nets, and he is better than all his wards," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Though I pride myself on
being computer savvy, I have realised during the production of this book that I
am far from that. During the numerous exchanges of email between me and the
editor of the book, Karthik Venkatesh, I managed to lose a few chapters of the
book. It is a mystery I have not been able to solve, since I deleted much of
the contents of my outbox. I regret the omission of these chapters and hope
there will be a second edition so that I can restore them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One of the chapters was a
poignant one, recalling an emotional moment. During a conditioning camp for
Indian probables before the 1977-78 Australia tour, I learnt at the very ground where we were training,
that I had not been included in the South Zone squad to play the Duleep Trophy
before the tour. Every one of the other 32 players was picked and actually
played in the eleven for his zone. The young wicket keeper Bharath Reddy felt
so bad about it, he brought the South Zone skipper S Venkataraghavan to my
hotel room late that afternoon. Venkat told me I should have been in the team,
explaining that he had not been part of the selection committee and apologising
to me. His caring gesture softened the blow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Another chapter I managed to
lose was on GR Viswanath, my favourite cricketer. Vishy figures in the book more
than once, and I have expressed my admiration for him, but I feel my tribute to
this extraordinary cricketer should have been more complete. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally, also missing is the
story my late cousin Raman, who played competitive cricket and loved the game
enough to watch Tamil Nadu win the Ranji Trophy in 1987, knowing that his days
on earth were numbered. He proudly watched my brother Sivaramakrishnan play a
key role in that match. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I deliberately omitted
several stories involving my friend Meher Baba that Inspector Clouseau among
cricketers with his unintended humour. I would have certainly included them if
he had not died in the prime of his life. I know Meher, wherever he is, won't
mind if I tell one of his stories here. Shivlal Yadav, Shahid Akbar, Meher and
I, all members of the South Zone team, were walking past the Sachivalaya
building in Mumbai with its national flag and Ashoka Chakra, when Meher turned
to me and said, "Look Ram, Indian Embassy." I said, what are you
saying, Meher? He realised his gaffe, smote his forehead with his palm and
said, "Oh God, that is in Delhi, isn’t it?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Music has been an important
part of my life, and I now edit an arts magazine. There were always musicians
of varied capabilities around in my playing days, including the late Ravi
Kichlu my Rajasthan Club teammate in Calcutta and P Unnikrishnan in Parrys in
Chennai. You will find them both in Third Man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Many, many thanks to the
Madras Book Club, Ms Jayanthi Ramesh of Westland, Mr Muthiah, Mr Rajan, My daughter Akhila, my brilliant colleague
Ramkumar Shankar who so readily agreed to critique the book for us today, my wife Gowri, and
the great Mr VV Kumar, whom it has been my privilege to know and play cricket
with. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2RYAakMQUNA/VPGK8BTBu7I/AAAAAAAAB_U/ujgO3k4jQ8o/s1600/ravi%2Bdayakar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2RYAakMQUNA/VPGK8BTBu7I/AAAAAAAAB_U/ujgO3k4jQ8o/s1600/ravi%2Bdayakar.JPG" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your presence here this evening.</span><b style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
</div>
Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-9438683562348928042015-01-22T23:15:00.002-08:002015-01-22T23:16:25.666-08:00CRICKET, FOR LOVE OR MONEY<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-variant: small-caps;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>My talk </b></span></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-variant: small-caps;">at the madras club on 22 january 2015</b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-variant: small-caps;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-variant: small-caps;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>by v ramnarayan</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-variant: small-caps;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-variant: small-caps;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">SOME
MISCONCEPTIONS</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That
match fixing is a phenomenon confined to cricket.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That
match fixing is of recent origin-if not since the advent of IPL, post 2000 and
Hansiegate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That
match fixing in cricket is of Indian origin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That
sub-continent sportspersons are more corrupt than their western counterparts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Finally,
that matches are fixed on a regular basis. (The truth is that in contemporary
times, spot fixing rather than match fixing is more common).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Match
fixing has been occurring in many sports, almost since the time competitive
sport began.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gambling
took place in cricket as early as the 1700s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Match
fixing probably started in England. Bribing of players and underperformance
certainly occurred there in 1700.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> "Butchers, tinkers, gardeners, farm
labourers, noblemen, gentlemen and clergy, all were equal under the laws of the
game. Villagers, their wives and children, watched together and applauded their
favourite team and players, while sporting bets were placed." (The Early
History of Cricket by SM Toyne)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Toyne
was quoting Trevelyan in his Social History of England.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
the 18th century, every cricket match was played for money. The aristocracy
financed the game in order to gamble on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Newspapers
reported the odds and who won the wager, but did not provide scores.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Matches
were played for a crown a head, but after the game became fashionable in the
1740s, betting rose to fantastic sums of 1000 pounds or more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
one match, bets by spectators and players totaled 20000 pounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
laws of the game as first framed in 1744 were drawn up to settle gambling
disputes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
early 19th century, the game was in danger of ruin. It was the chief medium for
national gambling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bookmakers
attended matches, odds were called as the game fluctuated, side bets on
individual scores led to bribery and cheating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One
noted player took 100 pounds to lose a match.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">IT'S NOT CRICKET</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Matches
were bought and matches were sold and gentlemen, who meant honestly, lost large
sums of money, till the rogues beat themselves at last. Of this roguery, nobody
ever suspected me."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hundreds
of pounds were bet upon all the great matches, and other wagers laid on the
scores of the finest players. And that too by men who had a book for every race
and every match in the sporting world-men who lived by gambling."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These
are the words of Billy Beldham, a Surrey batsman, quoted in 1851 by the Rev.
Pycroft in his book The Cricketer's Fields, and rated as late as 1997 named as one of the 100 greatest cricketers
of all time by John Woodcock.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">According
to an anonymous player Pycroft quoted, all the foremost players met at the
Green Man and Still, a pub on Oxford Street, London, to drink, bet, play cards
and sing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">William
Lambert was perhaps the first cricketer to be found guilty of match-fixing and
banned from playing at Lord's for life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He
was described as "one of the most successful cricketers to have yet
appeared."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pycroft
said "It's just not cricket" for the first time in The Cricketer's
Fields.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bookmakers,
earlier found sitting under the pavilion were banned from Lord's.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
game was cleaned up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until
the 1990s and Hansiegate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before
we come to corruption in contemporary cricket, let's take a look at some other
sport. First baseball:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Baseball<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Baseball
had frequent problems with gamblers influencing the game, until the 1920s when
the Black Sox scandal and the resultant merciless crackdown largely put an end
to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1877
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Four
players from the Louisville Grays of the National League were found to have
thrown games in exchange for bribes from gamblers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1908
bribery attempt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On
the eve of the "playoff" game between the Chicago Cubs and the New
York Giants to decide the National League championship, an umpire refused an
attempted bribe intended to help the Giants win. The Giants lost to the Cubs,
and the matter was kept fairly quiet. It came out the following spring, but the
results of the official inquiry were kept secret. However, the Giants' team
physician for 1908 was reportedly the culprit and was banned for life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1914
World Series upset<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There
was a stunning four-game sweep of the Philadelphia Athletics by the Boston
Braves in the 1914 World Series. The Athletics said to be angry at their
miserly owner, Connie Mack, did not give the Series their best effort. Mack
traded or sold all the stars away from that 1914 team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1917-1918
suspicions<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
manner in which the New York Giants lost to the Chicago White Sox in the 1917
World Series raised suspicions. Within two years, two players Zimmerman and
Chase were suspended for life, due to a series of questionable actions and
associations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There
were rumours of World Series fixing by members of the Chicago Cubs who lost the
1918 Series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1919
Black Sox Conspiracy<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
1919 World Series resulted in the notorious Black Sox scandal. Eight players
from the Chicago White Sox (nicknamed the Black Sox) were accused of throwing
the series against the Cincinnati Reds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Acquitted
of criminal charges as throwing baseball games was technically not a crime, the
eight players were banned from organized baseball for life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It
resulted in the appointment of a Commissioner of Baseball who took firm steps
to try to rid the game of gambling influence permanently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
Commissioners since then have been ruthless, even suspending well-known players for long periods just for having
been seen with gamblers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Tennis<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Match-fixing
or throwing in professional tennis is widespread and highly profitable for
players, according to a new analysis of the outcomes of games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It
found that players outside the topmost ranks can make large sums from betting
against themselves and then feigning injury.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
cheating goes on in the early rounds of less prestigious tournaments where
junior players stand to profit far more from betting scams than from winning a
match, the study said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When
a player retires because of injury, the match is awarded to his opponent and
bookies pay out as if the game had been completed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
findings are by academics from the Max Planck Research School in Munich and
Cambridge University. Tennis has been under the shadow of cheating allegations
since a betting scandal five years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Based
on examination of 54,000 matches the researchers said that there was 'strong
evidence that such behaviour might be widespread'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They
called for an end to all betting on matches in unimportant tournaments that the
players fail to complete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">An
October 2003 report said</b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">International
tennis players are deliberately throwing matches for financial gain. It is
believed that bets of up to $200,000 have been placed by players, through their
coaches and other intermediaries, with internet betting exchanges, resulting in
massive payouts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most
of the players under suspicion are outside the top 100.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
Association of Tennis Professionals recently signed a memorandum of
understanding with the British-based company Betfair, which gives the ATP
access to its clients' records.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>A
2005 report<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">41
players were suspected of involvement in rigged games by the Swedish newspaper
Svenska Dagbladet. They will be subject to additional monitoring by ATP.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On
the list were top-ranked Nikolay Davydenko and Janko Tipsarevic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>A
2008 report<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nikolay
Davydenko was cleared following the longest inquiry ever held into match-fixing
in tennis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
27-year-old Russian lost to Martin Vassallo Arguello at the Polish Open in
Sopot last August, retiring injured at 6-2, 3-6, 1-2 in the second round match
which attracted nearly $7million (£3.5m) in wagers on Betfair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
online betting company Betfair took the unprecedented step of voiding all bets
because of highly-irregular gambling patterns in the match.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At
least 15 male players reported that they had been approached to fix matches and
several less-known Italian players were punished for betting on matches,
although none of the game's better-known stars were implicated, bar the
Russian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It
is believed that since a tough stand was taken by the authorities, questionable
activity among players and their associates was substantially reduced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A
new concern emerged of people trying to gain a split-second advantage ahead of
television pictures by being at the match.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two
spectators were thrown out of a women's event in Antwerp for suspicious use of
laptops, while another was expelled from the recent tournament in Dubai after
being caught giving a commentary via mobile phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>6
September 2012</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">David
Savic banned<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed the decision of the
Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) that David Savic be permanently ineligible to
participate in any event organised or sanctioned by any tennis governing body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"CAS
has confirmed the decision ... to rule that David Savic be permanently
ineligible to participate in any event organised or sanctioned by any tennis
governing body," said CAS in a statement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>BADMINTON</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>2
AUGUST 2012<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">LONDON
-- Eight badminton players at the London Olympics were kicked out of
competition Wednesday for trying to lose -- a display that drew outrage from
fans and organizers who said the women had violated the most sacred stage in
sports.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After
an unexpected loss by a powerful Chinese doubles team, the eight women appeared
to play poorly on purpose to secure a more favorable position in the next phase
of the event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
eight doubles players from China, South Korea and Indonesia were cited by the
Badminton World Federation for "conducting oneself in a manner that is
clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>FOOTBALL</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
2006 Italian football scandal involved Italy's top professional football
leagues, Serie A and Serie B. The scandal was uncovered in May 2006 by Italian
police, implicating league champions Juventus, and other major teams including
AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, and Reggina when a number of telephone
interceptions showed a thick network of relations between team managers and
referee organisations. Juventus were the champions of Serie A at the time. The
teams were accused of rigging games by selecting favourable referees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6
JUN 2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">33
people and Serie B club Bari were called to a sports trial before the country's
football federation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
charges include fixing and failing to report fixing for two Serie B matches -
Bari-Treviso (0-1) in May 2008 and Salernitana-Bari (3-2) in May 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Among
those named were the Bari captain, a former Bari captain, the Torino goalkeeper
and an ex-Juventus assistant coach and Bari player.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most
of those named by the federation have also been indicted by a judge in Bari on
charges of committing sports fraud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At
least 50 people were arrested in Italy for match-fixing since the middle of
2011, with scores more under investigation by prosecutors in Cremona, Bari and
Napoli.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>27
February 2013<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">ZURICH
(AP) - FIFA banned 74 more officials and players from world soccer for helping
fix matches, this time in Italy and South Korea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">FIFA
imposed sanctions on 70 people, including 11 who were banned for life, after a
series of cases prosecuted by Italian soccer authorities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
charges involved "match-fixing (direct involvement or omission to report
match-fixing), illegal betting or corrupt organization (association to commit
illicit acts)."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Prosecutors
in Cremona, Bari and Napoli pieced together a conspiracy they believe was
organized from Singapore to bet on rigged Italian soccer games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>DISHONESTY
IN CRICKET IN INDIA<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rigging
has taken place in Indian cricket for a long time. I have seen a few instances
at both the league and the Ranji Trophy levels, though these arrangements
between two friendly teams were not based on financial considerations (It was
quite another thing that there was no money in cricket then).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I
watched at least one Ranji Trophy match in the 1960s between Madras and Hyderabad, in which suspect declarations took place
in both innings, with poor totals in at least one innings. It was apparently
an attempt to ensure at least first innings points in a rain-truncated match,
rather than share points equally, the case if one innings was not completed.
This would of course have worked to the disadvantage of Mysore, the other
leading team in the zone. I could not locate the scorecard for this match,
though I am pretty sure I have my facts right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There
was no doubt however about a similar game a few years later between Hyderabad
and Mysore at Bangalore. Umpire NS Rishi gave a scathing report on the captains
of the two sides, but nothing came of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There
was a similarly dubious match between Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu at Coimbatore in
the 1980s, when the two teams were charged with fixing the result of the match.
I was particularly upset because my brother Sivaramakrishnan played two
outstanding innings in the game on a treacherous wicket, and that performance
was devalued by these reports.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fixing
was rampant in the local league, mainly to save a friendly team to avoid
relegation to the lower division or help it win the championship. In one game I
played, the two team managements had evidently agreed we would give the
opponents 2 batting points (the first one when they made 175 and rthe second
when they reached 225). My friend Nedumaran and I were bowling when the score
stood at 150 something for 7, when the captain walked up to me and asked me to
give away some easy runs. When I refused, he tried his luck with Nedu who
cursed him with some choice words. The captain had no choice but to toe the
line with these disobedient rascals, and we bundled the opponents out under
175. Believe it or not, when we returned to the pavilion we found the scorebook
showed 226!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(There
were also some comical situations when teams deliberately tried to avoid taking
wickets to improve their over rate (the penalty for not maintaining it was a
certain number of points) and chaps dropping sitters to ensure that. In a match
I played, a normally poor fielder took a tumbling catch when the whole team was
shouting at him to drop it).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I
also remember another match when a team yielded more than a hundred byes to
help the opponents, and actually came out unscathed from an inquiry set up by
the association, because there was no way of proving that the extras were
deliberately given.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This
leads us to the point that fixing is not something that can easily be proved
beyond doubt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>BETTING
AND RIGGING IN INDIAN CRICKET</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pakistan
tour of India 1979-80<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Though
big money came into cricket only after India won the Prudential World Cup in
1983, the first time financial wrongdoing by a player was reported on Indian
soil was during the 1979-80 series between the touring Pakistanis and India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Asif
Iqbal, born in Hyderabad, Deccan, played for Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy
before his migration to Pakistan in the 1960s. He led Pakistan in India after
Pakistan under the captaincy of Mushtaq Mohammad had thrashed India the
previous season in Pakistan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This
was a six-Test series, and at the end of the 5th Test, India was already
leading 2-0 in the rubber, leaving no chance for Pakistan to level the series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two
suspicious things happened during the Calcutta Test. Sunil Gavaskar standing
down from captaincy, GR Viswanath was picked to deputise for him. At the toss,
GRV was surprised when Asif told him, "You win.What are you doing?"
when he in fact believed he had lost the toss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
second puzzle of the match was Asif's declaration of the Pakistan first innings
at 272 for 4 behind India's 331 all out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Though
it could be read as a bold move to try and win the match, there was a cloud
over the decision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rumours
were afloat that Asif was involved in betting on the match. I met a man who
claimed he was taking a certain sum of money for Asif to Calcutta a couple of
days before the Test. I thought it was an empty boast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>THE
SHARJAH MATCHES AND OTHER ODIs<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most
of the matches involving India and Pakistan played at Sharjah came to be
suspect in time. In the end BCCI outlawed Sharjah as a venue where India would
take part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It
was in 1997 that Aniruddha Bahal of Outlook came back from India's tour of
South Africa and told his editor Tarun Tejpal, "Forget cricket stories.
The big story is that everyone-players, administrators, commentators,
journalists, everybody-is betting.All the time."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bahal
later met Manoj Prabhakar in pursuit of his match-fixing story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Prabhakar
eventually wrote in Outlook that a teammate offered him Rs. 25 lakh to
underperform. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Prabhakar
also mentioned a match in Sharjah where Indian batsmen were told to play on in darkness by the
management<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Prabhakar
also spoke of a match at Kanpur in 1994 when he and Nayan Mongia were penalized
for batting slowly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unfortunately
for whistle blower Prabhakar, he was to be penalized by the BCCI after it
ordered its own investigation, following Hansie Cronje's confession before the
King Commission of South Africa after Delhi police nailed him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's
the list of Indian players banned or punished by BCCI<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mohd.
Azharuddin, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma, Ajay Jadeja, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's
a complete rundown of the betting/ match fixing timeline:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1981</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Australian
players Dennis Lillee and Rodney Marsh bet against their own team, backing
England at the odds of 500 to one in the Headingley Test. No action was taken
against them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1992-93</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Australian
batsman Dean Jones claims to have been offered $50,000 by an Indian to provide
information about the team during the Lankan tour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1993</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Allan
Border alleges that he was offered £500,000 by Mushtaq Mohammed to lose a Test
match against England.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1996</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Former
Indian team manager, Sunil Dev alleges that some of the Indian players indulged
in match fixing and demands a judicial enquiry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1997</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Manoj
Prabhakar accuses a fellow Team India player of offering him Rs 25 lakh to
throw a match in Sri Lanka in 1994. His revelation leads the BCCI to appoint a
commission to look into the allegation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1998<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pakistan
bowler Ata-ur-Rahman accuses Wasim Akram of offering him Rs 3 lakh to bowl
badly against New Zealand. As a result of this allegation, Wasim Akram resigns
as captain of the Pakistan team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1998<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rashid
Latif accuses Wasim Akram, Salim Malik, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Ijaz Ahmed of fixing
matches. He also accuses Salim Malik of fixing matches during Pakistan's twin
tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1994-95.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1998<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mark
Waugh, Shane Warne and Tim May claim they were offered $50,000 to lose a Test
by Salim Malik during their tour to Pakistan in 1994. The Australian cricket
board then asks the ICC to appoint a panel to look into the allegations. The
PCB in its enquiry implicates three Pakistan players and recommends a ban on
Salim Malik.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1998<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shane
Warne and Mark Waugh confess to having accepted $11,000 from an Indian bookie
to give some information on playing conditions during a tournament played in
Sri Lanka in 1994. The Australian cricket board later says that it would impose
a hefty fine on Warne and Waugh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1999<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Former
England player Chris Lewis says that he was offered £300,000 to persuade
England players to lose a match against New Zealand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>April
7, 2000<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Delhi
police charge Hansie Cronje with fixing South Africa's ODIs against India.
Delhi police also reveal that they possess a conversation recorded during the
ODI series between India and South Africa in March. They allege that the taped
voices were of South African skipper Hansie Cronje and an Indian bookie, Sanjay
Chawla. The conversation was about divulging team information and the amount to
be paid to Cronje and his team-mates Herschelle Gibbs, Pieter Strydom and Nicky
Boje.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>April
11, 2000<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
South African cricket board sacks Hansie Cronje after he calls Ali Bacher to
confess that he was not entirely honest and admitted that to have accepted
$10,000 to $15,000 from a London-based bookmaker, for forecasting results, not
match-fixing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>April
15, 2000<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now,
clouds of match fixing surround England's victory in the Centurion Test, where
Cronje took the unexpected step of forfeiting an innings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>April
16, 2000<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It
is revealed that South Africa nearly accepted a $250,000 to lose an ODI against
India in Mumbai in 1996. The players had discussed the offer in three meetings
before it was turned down as Jonty Rhodes, Dave Richardson and Andrew Hudson
were against it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>May
24, 2000<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After
a year long enquiry, Justice Qayyum finds Saleem Malik and Ata-ur-Rehman guilty
of fixing matches and recommends life bans for the two. The report also says
Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed should not be allowed to captain Pakistan in the
future. Today Wasim is a respected commentator and coach while Mushtaq is
England's spin bowling coach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>June
7, 2000<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Former
South African spinner Pat Symcox alleges that the team was offered around
$250,000 to throw an ODI, on the first day of the King Commission hearings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>June
8, 2000<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Herschelle
Gibbs accuses Hansie Cronje of offering him a bribe to throw a match and tells
the King Commission that he had accepted Cronje's offer of $15,000 to score
less than 20 runs in an ODI in India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>June
15, 2000</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cronje
admits taking money for giving information to bookmakers and asking his
team-mates to play badly. But he tells the King Commission that South Africa
had never thrown or fixed a match under his captaincy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>June
27, 2000</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Former
Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir Paul Condon becomes the
International Cricket Council's new anti-corruption investigator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>July
20, 2000</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Indian
income tax officials raid the homes of top cricket players, including those of
then national coach Kapil Dev, former players Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Nayan
Mongia and Nikhil Chopra.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>August
28, 2000</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
United Cricket Board of South Africa bans Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams
from international cricket for the rest of the year for their involvement in
the Cronje scandal.(Henry Williams agreed to give away more than 50 runs in his
ten overs, but had to stop after two overs because of injury. He gave 11 runs.
He was upset that Cronje who made him underperform did not support him when he
was in trouble).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">October
11, 2000<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cronje
is banned from cricket for life by the United Cricket Board of South Africa as
a result of his admission that he received money from bookmakers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"The
UCBSA council hereby intends to ban Hansie Cronje for life from all activities
of the UCBSA and its affiliates," says a statement issued by the United
Cricket Board of South Africa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>October
31, 2000<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bookmaker
MK Gupta names several players including Brian Lara, Dean Jones, Alec Stewart,
Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Martin Crowe and Saleem Malik of being
involved in match fixing, says a CBI report. The CBI also says that former
India captain Mohammad Azharuddin confessed to fixing games with the help of
colleagues Ajay Jadeja and Nayan Mongia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>November
27, 2000<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BCCI's
anti-corruption commissioner K Madhavan finds Mohammad Azharuddin guilty of
match-fixing, while Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma and former Indian
team physio Ali Irani are found guilty of having links with bookies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>December
5, 2000</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BCCI
bans Azharuddin for life and Ajay Jadeja for five years for their role in
match-fixing. Ajay Sharma is also banned from the game for life, while
Prabhakar and the Indian team's former physio, Ali Irani, are barred from
holding any official post in Indian cricket for five years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>July
11, 2001<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Former
England wicketkeeper batsman Alec Stewart is cleared of allegations that he
took money from a bookmaker in return for providing team and pitch information
during England's 1992-93 tour of India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>May
12, 2004<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Marvan
Atapattu is cleared of match-fixing allegations for lack of evidence by the Sri
Lankan Cricket Board.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>August
17, 2004<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kenyan
player Maurice Odumbe is banned for five years by the Kenyan Cricket
Association after he is found guilty of receiving money from bookmakers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>November
7, 2004<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stephen
Fleming alleges that he was offered $370,000 during the 1999 World Cup to join
a match-fixing syndicate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>May
13, 2008<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">West
Indies player Marlon Samuels is slapped a ban of two years for allegedly
passing on information to an Indian bookie during an ODI series in India in
2007.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>August
2009<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
Australia team's management files a report with the ICC's anti-corruption unit
after one of their players says he was approached by a man suspected of links
to illegal bookmaking, after Australia's defeat to England at Lord's<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>May
2010<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
Bangladesh captain, Shakib-Al-Hasan, confirms he received an approach, believed
to be in March 2008, from an unknown person who Shakib believes wanted him to
manipulate the result of a one-day match against Ireland<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>September
2010<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield appears at the City of London magistrates court
on charges of spot-fixing relating to the Pro 40 match against Durham in
September 2009, in which he bowled four wides and two no-balls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>3
November 2011<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pakistan's
Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif are incarcerated over no-balls
bowled deliberately against England at Lord's in 2010. Their agent, Mazheer
Majeed, is jailed for two and a half years<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>12
January 2012<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Westfield
pleads guilty to accepting £6,000 to give away runs in the Pro 40 match against
Durham and is warned by Judge Anthony Morris at the Old Bailey that he may face
a prison sentence<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>IPL
2012<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5
players were banned for spot-fixing or bringing the game into disrepute while
gaining pecuniary advantage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>IPL
2013<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three
Rajasthan Royals players were arrested for their alleged role in spot-fixing.
Sreesanth apparently agreed to bowl an expensive over in the May 9 clash
against Kings XI Punjab. The other two Chandila and Chauhan also agreed to act
at the behest of bookies, in return for money. BCCI suspended the trio<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">May
17: Ex-RR player who turned bookie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Amit
Singh, one of the bookies arrested a day earlier played for Rajasthan Royals in
the earlier seasons. BCCI chief N Srinivasan stated 'guilty will be punished'.
More bookies arrested, this time from Chennai.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">May
20: RR suspends contracts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Royals
suspended the contracts of Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan. They also filed FIR
against the trio for violation of contract. An amount of Rs. 20 lakh was
recovered from the house of a relative of Chandila in Haryana. All three
arrested cricketers were sent to five-day police custody.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">May
21: Bollywood link exposed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Vindu
Dara Singh was arrested for his alleged links with bookies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">May
22: BCCI comes into the picture<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
the most striking instance of insider involvement in the betting racket, Vindu
mentioned the name of BCCI President N. Srinivasan's son-in-law, Gurunath
Meiyappan, with whom, the actor claimed, he was in 'frequent touch'. Meanwhile,
Vindu admitted that he helped a couple of bookies escape to Dubai.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Extracts
from the f</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>indings
of a study entitled</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Sports
betting and corruption <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>How
to preserve the integrity of sport<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Carried
out by <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">IRIS
(Institut de Relations Internationales et Strategiques), University of Salford
(Manchester), Praxes Avocats and CCLS (Université de Pékin) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Modus
operandi of corruptors in sport<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Direct
approach or threats of violence by the underworld<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Financial
corruption by offering money for underperformance <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3
referees were approached by Greek delegate to favour Greece in European
Basketball Championship in Lithuania in 2011. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">German
ref. was offered 20000 Euro. Tennis players like Younis El Ayanaoui of Morocco
was offered 25000 to lose to young player. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Belgian
player Giles Elseneer was offered 100000 euro to lose 1st round Wimbledon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another
Belgian Dick Norman was similarly offered bribes twice to lose a match. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Arnaud
Clement of France was also offered a bribe.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Corruption
through intermediaries; grooming; honeytraps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Just
as a former Rajasthan Royals player was
an agent for the corruptor in the recent RR spot fixing scandal, several former
footballers were involved in the football match-rigging scam that exploded in
Italy in May 2011. They contacted the captain or goalkeeper and paid them
400000 euro, which became the official rate for buying a Serie A player.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
grooming of a player can be done gradually through money, gifts, even sexual
favours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Punishing
fraud in sport and the law<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Generally
sports betting is poorly monitored.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Actions
like phone-tapping and surveillance of bank data require police and public
authorities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bodies
like FIFA, ICC and ITF hire former policemen to head anbti-match fixing units.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
England, cheating in betting became a criminal offence in 2005. Without that
amendment of the law, the Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and
Mohammad Amir could not have been awarded prison sentences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
Turkey a fixer can be imprisoned for 5 to 12 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">France
is trying to legislate similarly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
Indian law, cheating in betting, i.e., match fixing is not yet a criminal
offence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>RECOMMENDATIONS<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Regulation <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Standards
prohibiting stakeholders from sports betting or communicating sensitive
information. Severe disciplinary sanctions are needed. Obligation to report any
attempted approach by bookies, or suspicious outsiders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Raising
awareness<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Information
programme for managers of sports bodies focusing onknowledge of global betting
market and the risks connected with them<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Programme
to educate at grassroots level focusing on methods of approach of corruptors
and the risk to your career if you take part in fraud<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Surveillance<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Knowledge
of the dynamism of the market and commercial exploitation of games by betting
operators. Close coordination between sports bodies and regulatory authorities<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Surveillance
during matches, tournaments, especially during matches where the result is not
significant<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Testing
operations to strengthen surveillance and deterrence among referees, players,
managers, coaches, umpires.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Integration
of resources<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Coordination
within a unit dedicated to combating fraud in sport attached to the
international federation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Establishment
of a network of points of contact or sports betting integrity officers
responsible for coordinating action within their organization and linking up
with public authorities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Establishment
of protocols to follow in trhe event of an approach or suspicion, both within
the sports organization and in conjunction with the authorities<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most
important reform<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Establishment
of a corruption-in-sport monitoring centre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A
central database at an international federation level will facilitate gathering
and sharing of information on corruption in sport linked to betting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
centre can provide quantitative data for suspicious cases and disciplinary or criminal
proceedings instituted within sports bodies and countries across the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It
will be a think tank for creating an agency for the integrity of sport, which
will have formal competence and the power of constrant and sanction over the
sports movement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Legalisation
of betting<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Match
fixing may never totally rooted out, legalization of betting will produce a
regulated market with proper trails of transactions. Names of bettors, IP addresses , email ids and phone numbers
will be available, enabling prompt investigation of suspicious behavior. Direct
contact by punters with players can be prevented thus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Why
do sportsmen cheat?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I
have found as a sportsman myself that the average sportsman is different from
the average person in mainstream life. He is likely to be self-centred if not
selfish, very ambitious, driven. He's not afraid to take risks, that's why he's
a competitive sportsman. Sportsmen who are disciplined outside sports as in
studies, employment etc. are exceptional, not the norm. Increasingly they come
from non-traditional sporting backgrounds, with their education inadequate.
Often they grow up believing it is all right to give or accept bribes, dowry,
drive on the wrong side of the road, work hard so that you can earn well in life,
rather than pursue excellence for the sake of excellence. So if someone is
paying me one lakh to play for my team, and someone else offers me 2 lakh to
underperform, is it really wrong, especially if I don't get caught? Maybe
that's how the vulnerable youngster thinks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I
believe education in honesty, commitment to excellence, focus etc. should start
young, at home. Parents play a vital role here. Selection of teams from the
youngest age-group levels could include psychological testing for qualities
like integrity, leadership, mental strength along with testing for skills. With
the kind of financial strength the Board has it should be a feasible
proposition to extend moral education to all levels of sport.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Cheating
is especially easy to justify when you frame situations to cast yourself as a
victim of some kind of unfairness," said Dr. Anjan Chatterjee, a
neurologist at the University of Pennsylvania who has studied the use of
prescription drugs to improve intellectual performance. "Then it becomes a
matter of evening the score; you're not cheating, you're restoring
fairness."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"People
have and continue to do what they can get away with," says Andy Barton, a
mental performance coach who has worked with numerous elite athletes across
football, rugby, Olympic sports and other disciplines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"In
sport there is constant analysis of what others are doing, from using breathing
strips to the effect of energy drinks," he says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Coaches
and analysts become aware of what can change a game, so that can even extend to
things like seeing how players go down to win penalties."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Competitors
who are ego orientated [always comparing themselves to others] are prone to
unsporting behaviour," he says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"This
is often exasperated by a 'win at all costs' attitude in their sports environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Some
people are motivated by external rewards and are more likely to cheat. Others
enjoy the sport and self-improvement and that is their motivation."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Finally,
is ICC doing enough?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most
of you will agree with me that it is not doing enough. It has not given
evidence of its seriousness in uprooting cheating from cricket. World Cup 2011
was a prime example. The semifinal was surrounded by suspicion. Bookie
intelligence predicted the outcome of the India-Pakistan encounter with
startling precision. Sir Paul Condon, chief of ACSU, who had promised a clean
World Cup was not so sure afterwards, but no serious investigation seems to
have been instituted into that and other suspect matches in the tournament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I
close with the words of Jacques Rogge,
President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 1 March 2011 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> "There will definitely be more rigged
matches in future if the world of sport closes its eyes to them, and if we do
not have good contact with betting companies and governments. Eventually the
credibility of results will be called into question. Sport is based on a
hierarchy that derives its social and moral values from the concept of merit.
The winner should be the one who has poured the most lawful resources into
their preparation or who has worked the hardest. If in future the concept of a
champion as a model of excellence becomes tarnished by the manipulation of
matches or the corruption of players, then the entire credibility of sport will
vanish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(...)
There are already countries where football competitions are no longer credible
and where the public has very clearly lost interest in that sport." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-28696987108506496742014-12-31T23:32:00.001-08:002014-12-31T23:32:07.684-08:00EVEN-TEMPERED GENIUS | Gundappa Viswanath<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/71WY3lHdJ30" width="480"></iframe>Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-80706216785596159042014-12-07T07:34:00.004-08:002014-12-07T07:37:20.012-08:00AG Ram Singh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0.5in;">The greatest cricketer not to have played for India</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">By V Ramnarayan</span></div>
</span></h3>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The bright spot of my school years at Chennai was my school sending
me to attend coaching camps at the Madras Cricket Association’s BS Nets. I was
lucky enough to come under the benevolent gaze of AG Ram Singh and TS Worthington,
two wonderful coaches. Both knew when to coach and when to leave well alone. KS
Kannan, who assisted them, was another marvellous coach with great empathy for
the diffident among the boys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Almost every cricketer who knew A G Ram Singh not only loved and
respected him but owed him at least a small debt of gratitude—for a kind word
at the right time, a vital piece of advice when things were going wrong with
our cricket, or just his strong, quiet presence in the sidelines at important
games. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ram Singh was the chief destroyer of Mysore in the inaugural Ranji
Trophy match at Chepauk in December 1934, taking eleven wickets in the match.
For years after that, he repeated that kind of bowling performance many times,
and was also the team's most consistent batsmen. A tribute written in 1953
said: "Anybody who goes through the scorebooks of the Madras Cricket
Association will be struck by the amazing consistency of A G Ram Singh, the
stockily built all-rounder. It would
indeed be a truism to repeat that Ram Singh bore the burden of Madras cricket
on his shoulders as very few had done before and none after him. Centuries flowed from his bat while with his
left-handed spinners he sent many a batsman to his doom. More than any other, Mysore and Hyderabad
States have cause to remember Ram Singh's prowess, for against them he was in
his best form. Not that Ram Singh did
not prove himself against better teams than those. Just after the war, he bearded the lion in
its own den, when in the zonal tournament at Bombay he played a magnificent
century knock against the best of India's bowlers. It was an innings that many who witnessed it
said should have earned Ram Singh a place in the Indian team to England in 1946
but the 'nabobs' of cricket thought otherwise."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Before his father moved to Madras, young Ram Singh lived just a huge
six away from the scene of the Jallian Wala Bagh massacre in Amritsar. "He
and other members of the family were locked in a small room and they could hear
the gunshots and the shrieks of the people," wrote K Sunder Rajan, Sports
Editor, The Hindu, in 1980. An avid spectator of British soldiers' cricket, the
young sardar was fascinated by the doings of the Englishmen on the Island
ground and Chepauk once he came to Madras, and found he was a natural. According to Sunder Rajan, "On the day
he landed at Madras, his father wanted to take him to the beach. On the way he saw members of the Madras
Cricket Club practising at Chepauk. He
was so passionately fond of cricket that he appealed to his father to watch
cricket rather than go to the beach."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">In the first Ranji Trophy season, Ram Singh took 6 for 19 and 5 for
16 against Mysore, scoring 14 in a total of 130.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Against Hyderabad, he scored 74 and 70, and
had bowling figures of 5 for 88 and 6 for 71.</span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">In the second season, 1935-1936, he made 25 and zero versus Mysore,
but took one for 63 and 5 for 55. against Hyderabad, he claimed 2 for 77 and 6
for 32, besides remaining unbeaten in both innings with 121 and 57. In the
semifinal, which Madras won by 91 runs, he made 9 and 11, while capturing 4 for
43 and 4 for 30 against Bengal.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">In the
final that Madras lost to Bombay, the sardar scored 32 and 3 while returning
figures of one for 77 and 5 for 92.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ram Singh was overlooked when the Indian team to tour England was
chosen in 1936. Ten years later, he once again missed the boat despite a
brilliant century in a trial match prior to the tour of England. (In the only Ranji Trophy tie Madras played
in 1935, losing to Mysore, Ram Singh had scores of 40 and 17, and took 3 for 64
and one for 80. Next year, the same fate
befell Madras, and Ram Singh scored 32 and went wicketless in a short spell
against Mysore). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Madras, or for that matter, Tamil Nadu later, has not produced many
genuine left arm all rounders. Ram Singh
was certainly the only one in that category to show equal prowess in both
batting and bowling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A keen student of the game who came under the influence of the Sussex
professional AF Wensley, Ram Singh eschewed all frills in his batting and
believed in spending long hours at the nets.
He was a strong hooker of anything pitched short, but generally waited
for the bad ball, rather than try to play extravagant strokes. He played long
innings and revelled in crisis situations. In short, he was the Mr Reliable of
the pre-Independence Madras team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Starting out as a quickish spin bowler in his youth, Ram Singh
developed "a tantalising flight" in his mature years. His accuracy was proverbial and 'never say
die' his philosophy as a bowler. On a
rain affected wicket or a turner, he was virtually unplayable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ram Singh took to coaching in his retirement from cricket playing,
serving in the National Institute of Sports and under the Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
scheme. He coached well into his eighties and was much beloved in the Venkata
Subba Rao school where he continued his work after his retirement from official
duties at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">He was arguably the greatest cricketer never to have played for his
country. He had the satisfaction of
watching two of his sons grow up into Test players and at least one more
develop into a Test class batsman kept out by injury. His grandsons too played
good cricket, living testimony to the Ram Singh heritage. They, like hundreds of other Tamil Nadu
cricketers, learnt their cricket at his knee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-73138195825946488562014-10-30T23:20:00.001-07:002014-10-30T23:21:58.450-07:00M J Gopalan <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By V Ramnarayan</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #626262; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: justify;">He
was one of the most respected elder statesmen of Tamil Nadu cricket, long after
his playing days were over, even beyond his days as a selector and
administrator. He could be seen at the stadium, tall, handsome, ramrod straight
and a picture of dignity, watching matches and appreciating the finer points of
the game. When he could no longer make the effort to commute, he turned to
television to absorb every nuance of the game. Not a single cricket match did
he miss well into his nineties.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #626262; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When
M J Gopalan died on 21st December 2003, after a brief illness, he was 94, the
oldest Test cricketer in the world and the lone survivor from the Madras team
that played the first Ranji Trophy match. He it was who bowled the opening
delivery in the national championship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #626262; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One
of India’s two double internationals—the other was left hander C Ramaswami, who
represented India in cricket and tennis—both from Madras of yore, Gopalan achieved
excellence in cricket and hockey, but it was never an easy path for him.
Hailing from a family of modest means, he had to fight his way up the sporting
ladder, but he took good care of his health and fitness, and, naturally well
endowed with strong bones and sinews, he was able to devote all his time to the
pursuit of excellence on a cricket or hockey ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #626262; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
1926, Gopalan played for the Indians for the first time against the Europeans
in the Presidency Match the greatest cricketing event in Madras before the
advent of Test matches. In 1927-1928, when the first MCC team visited Madras,
Gopalan captured four wickets for 87 for the Indians and three for 108 for
Madras in the two matches the tourists played in the city. He also had a fine
all round performance against West Indies, playing for South Zone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #626262; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It
was C P Johnstone, the Kent, England-born Madras captain, who, instrumental in
securing him a job with Burmah Shell, introduced the first element of security
in the young all rounder’s life. Another Englishman, R C Summerhayes provided
the inspiration for Gopalan to achieve excellence in hockey. On any match day,
young Gopalan would cycle to Chepauk after finishing his daily rounds visiting
Shell petrol stations, enter the arena just before the start of the match,
change into his hockey shorts and run on to the field, accompanied by the roars
of a cheering crowd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #626262; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gopalan
bowled the first ball in the Ranji Trophy, on 4 November 1934, at Chepauk,
opening the bowling for Madras against Mysore, a match Madras won by an innings
in a single day of cricket. Gopalan’s figures in the match were 8-2-11-0 and
12-4-20-3. He also scored 23, second to the topscorer C Ramaswami (26) in a
Madras total of 130. On a rain-affected wicket Mysore managed only 48 and 59,
AG Ram Singh wrecking their innings with his left-arm bowling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #626262;">Forsaking
hockey and a chance to be selected for the Olympics—with the clear prospect of
a gold medal—in favour of playing Test cricket, Gopalan was chosen to tour
England in 1936, but was given few opportunities on the trip </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">made
notorious by the idiosyncratic captaincy of </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">the Maharajah of Vizianag</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">a</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">ram</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">, who sent Lala Amarnath home midway on
so-called disciplinary grounds</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #626262;">. Earlier, a fine piece of bowling for an All-India XI in
Calcutta against Jack Ryder’s Australian XI had won him a place in the Indian
team for the second ‘Test’ in that series.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #626262; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“On figures alone Gopalan
is entitled to an honoured place in the history of the game, but his greatness
can never be measured by the yardstick. If only he had wanted he could have hit
more centuries, but Gopalan never stays at the crease unless he must. To him
the game alone is all that matters and nothing else. He approaches it in a
cavalier spirit and bats and bowls with a freshness and vigour that fill the
field and heighten the game”, wrote P N Sundaresan, The Hindu’s sports
correspondent, during Gopalan’s silver jubilee year in cricket.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #626262; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gopalan was a spontaneous
strokemaker, who breathed aggression all the time he was at the crease. As a
bowler, he began his career trying to bowl fast and short, but with experience,
especially after his 1936 tour of England, he concentrated on length and
movement. Gopalan’s subtle variations and control made him a feared bowler even
in his forties. He might have been capped more often for India but for the
presence of a galaxy of fast bowlers during his period, like Nissar, Amar
Singh, Jehangir Khan, and Nazir Ali.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #626262; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gopalan served the game of cricket
for long after his career was over. As a national selector, he was responsible
for Tamil Nadu cricketers of the calibre of A G Kripal Singh, A G Milkha Singh
and V V Kumar playing for India. He took his job as Madras University selector
equally seriously, and this writer is one of several young cricketers to have
benefited from his ability and courage to recognize talent overlooked by his
colleagues. In his old age, he became a great fan of Kapil Dev, in whose
swashbuckling ways he saw glimpses of his own versatile talent. The two all
rounders often met whenever India played a Test match at Chennai, and they made
a striking looking pair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The permanence of
Gopalan’s place in the annals of Indian cricket was—or should have been—assured
when the annual tournament between Madras and Ceylon was named after him.
Unfortunately, after Sri Lanka gained Test recognition, enthusiasm for the
Gopalan Trophy contests between the island nation and Tamil Nadu flagged and
efforts to revive the tournament since the 1990s have been less than
successful. The last attempt was in 2007, when R Ashwin led Tamil Nadu against
not Sri Lanka, but a squad comprising under-19 and ‘A’ team players. For over three decades, however, the
tournament, launched in 1952-53, gave much pleasure to spectators in both countries
and exposed young cricketers to the international experience.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-34512256954686777382014-09-08T08:24:00.002-07:002014-09-08T08:26:54.827-07:00My favourite team: Karnataka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">V Ramnarayan</span></h1>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">As
someone who rubbed shoulders with some of the most charismatic personalities in
domestic cricket of the 1970s, I loved the Hyderabad cricket team of the
period. The 1975-76 season, when I made my first class debut, was particularly
memorable as my teammates included MAK Pataudi and Abbas Ali Baig, both in
their last season, our captain ML Jaisimha and Syed Abid Ali, each a fantastic
cricketer and fabulous character. With abundant talent at our disposal,
however, we somehow managed to not win the Ranji Trophy in the two decades
Jaisimha led us.</span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My
respect and admiration, therefore, went to another glamorous side in the South
Zone, Karnataka, which actually won the title a few times, toppling Bombay from
its high perch for the first time a couple of seasons before my first. In March
1974, it prevailed over Bombay in the semifinal by virtue of a 78-run first
innings lead. Two master batsmen, the wristy Little Master GR Vishwanath (162),
and that king of domestic cricket, Brijesh Patel (106), starred in that
triumph, while spin twins Prasanna and Chandrasekhar were outstanding while
defending a total of 385. Prasanna’s floater that removed Gavaskar’s off bail
was the magical delivery of the match. The victory was no mean achievement, as
Bombay’s batting line-up included the likes of Ajit Wadekar, run out for 62 and
Ashok Mankad, who made 84. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In
the final that season, Karnataka beat Rajasthan fairly easily in the end, but
not without a few alarms early on. Both Vishwanath and Patel failed, but its
dashing all rounders came to the fore: VS Vijayakumar who opened both the
batting and the bowling, left arm spinner and hard hitting batsman B
Vijayakrishna and medium pacer-batsman AV Jayaprakash in the middle order. Each
of them was considered Test material at one time or another.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In
addition to these splendid youngsters, who formed the nucleus of the team of
the seventies, others too came good during the decade. Sudhakar Rao’s 200
against Hyderabad in 1975-76 won him a berth on the West Indies tour that
season, Roger Binny soon came into the side, Sanjay Desai became a solid
presence as an opening batsman, though kept out of keeping duties by that world
class stumper Syed Kirmani, who was also frequently a thorn in the flesh of
opponents, just when they thought they had got rid of the cream of Karnataka’s
batting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Karnataka
was to win the Ranji Trophy once again in that decade in 1977-78, when
Vishwanath hammered a magnificent double century in the final against Uttar
Pradesh, following a hundred in the semifinal against Delhi after a newspaper
reporter made the mistake of dubbing him Bishan Bedi’s bunny. The state has
repeated the feat five times since then. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If
the honour of leading the team to its first two title triumphs went to Prasanna,
Vishwanath was the unfortunate captain to lose two finals—once after Karnataka
made 705 in the first innings, only for Delhi to gain a lead. Brijesh Patel was
the captain next season in 1982-83, when Karnataka beat Bombay in a gruelling
final at Bombay. Significantly, the winning eleven had as many as five players
from the champion side of a decade earlier—Vishwanath, Patel, Sudhakar Rao,
Jayaprakash, Vijayakrishna. Syed Kirmani had been eclipsed by young Sadanand
Viswanath—who played a winning hand—only to make a comeback a few years later.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Prasanna
and Chandrasekhar of course spun a great web together around batsmen for well
over a decade, but amazingly, the team always found a place for at least one
other spinner like Vijayakrishna in the playing eleven, besides some excellent
seam bowlers like Vijayakumar, Jayaprakash and Binny. Each of them could be
counted on to come up with hundreds or five-wicket hauls, especially when the
team badly needed them. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Both
Prasanna and Patel were astute leaders, and Vishwanath a thoughtful one with a
softer touch, and the men under them somehow managed to play consistently
winning but rarely boring or defensive cricket. With one of the world’s finest
middle order batsmen in Vishwanath, a great keeper-batsman in Kirmani, and two
members of India’s famed spin quartet in Prasanna and Chandrasekhar, Karnataka
managed to be an attractive, entertaining outfit throughout the time I watched
them at close quarters.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">V Ramnarayan</span></h2>
</div>
Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-22268329919050182162013-10-14T21:44:00.002-07:002013-10-15T01:01:54.010-07:00Farewell to runs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">"Sachin
aura about him", I punned shamelessly, while headlining one of his
performances in the 1992 World Cup. We already knew how gifted he was, but it
was his batting at the top of the order in that tournament that gave the first
indications that he was probably superhuman. I was working for an eveninger
then, and what better way of blackening white pages than going gaga over the
premier one-day tournament in the world! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The
young Tendulkar still looked ridiculously boyish. He gave the impression he
believed he could hit every ball to the boundary or over it. True, he did not
quite annihilate bowling attacks in quite the ruthless way he was to hammer the
likes of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne years later, but his straight drives and
cover drives were gorgeous—a sign of things to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The boy
wonder took a while to earn the sobriquet of The Little Master, which had
belonged to Hanif Mohammed and Sunil Gavaskar before him. Though his first Test
hundred arrived a year after his debut, at Old Trafford in England, we had to
wait for two more years before he repeated the feat in Sydney and Perth, in the
same year as the World Cup.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">By the
end of that decade, he had scored 22 Test hundreds, including three marvellous
efforts at Chepauk, every one of which I was privileged to watch. His 165
against England and 155 not out against Australia had resulted in Indian wins,
but his peerless 136 amidst excruciating back spasms in January 1999 ended in
tragedy for India and a lap of honour by the triumphant Pakistani team to
thunderous applause from a Chennai crowd that did India proud. By that time,
his batting in One Day Internationals had already assumed awesome proportions,
with his two hundreds against Australia in successive matches at Sharjah going
into the annals of cricket history as fables.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">An
Australian writer, Christine Williams, interviewed me about Tendulkar a few
years ago, when many of us were wondering why he was prolonging his career, so
obviously over the hill was he. Or so we foolishly thought. I said to her then,
"He has remained for the major part of his career a completely natural
cricketer; he follows his instincts." I had, however, found him going
through an annoying phase. "He's trying to be a different kind of
player—very watchful, extremely, irritatingly watchful," I had told her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">I was
convinced it was the end of the road for him. In all fairness to Indian
cricket, he must retire, I strongly felt. But even amidst the gloom of his
scratchy, tentative ways, he was still scoring more runs than most, at a faster
pace than most. The redeeming feature of that depressing phase was that the
little boy in Sachin Tendulkar would break through every now and then in ever
so many playful ways, when he would launch into outright aggression all of a
sudden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">He came
back so strongly that he seemed to return to full bloom, with a seemingly
unending flow of runs, a rediscovery of the joys of batting, and irrepressible
pleasure in the success of his peers and juniors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Sachin
Tendulkar has done everything on a cricket field, except perhaps keep wickets.
Or has he? His bowling when he was younger and fitter must rank as perhaps the
most versatile on a cricket field, with the exception of the magic of Sir
Garfield Sobers. The same boyishness that made him attempt every variation as a
bowler, except extreme pace (though he did try to learn that as well, from
Dennis Lillee at the MRF Pace Foundation) was also perhaps behind his
occasional reluctance to walk when he knew he was out. The same boyishness also
gave the game away almost every time that happened, because his facial
expression said it all. The 2011 World Cup showed him in a new light when he
walked in the match against the West Indies, though the umpire had declared him
not out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Followed
the final phase of his grand career, when even his wellwishers began to wish he
would announce his retirement. That has been a sad part of a wonderful career.
It is painful to watch him struggle like a mortal, often surprised by ordinary
bowlers. What new record is he chasing, has been the question his critics are asking? Though Sachin has stoutly denied that he was ever interested in records, we
all know how he tends to slow down in the nineties, how agonizing the
wait for his hundredth hundred was. Yet, if that charge were true, how come he
has never scored a triple hundred in Test cricket, when carefree Sehwag achieved
that feat apparently effortlessly? Had Tendulkar wanted, could he not have
scaled that peak?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">As Ian
Chappell has said, Sachin Tendulkar is the reason why millions watch cricket
today; every Test cricketer in the world owes him for that. Millions will
probably stop watching the game (Test cricket, at least), the way they used to
desert the stadium in an exodus the moment he was dismissed in a match. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">How
will he remain connected to the game after his 200<sup>th</sup> Test? As a television commentator? As a
captain on the field, Tendulkar spoke constantly to the bowlers, overdid it perhaps.
Did he do the same thing in the dressing room? So many young cricketers have
spoken of how he has motivated them, cheered them up when the chips are down.
Will he give us glimpses of his cricket wisdom, his world view, as a
commentator? Or will he choose a different role to play—as a mentor, as an
administrator? </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">I can’t wait to watch Tendulkar Version II in action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-4014495850354136982013-08-06T17:17:00.003-07:002013-08-06T17:25:00.211-07:00CD Gopinath: An aristocrat among cricketers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 15pt;">CD Gopinath was the aristocrat of the Madras team of the 1950s.
Not only was he from an elite social background—his father CP Doraikannu was general
manager of Indian Overseas Bank—his cricket too was quite regal. He batted with
panache, and seemed to have the kind of time to play his shots that tends to
invest batting with an air of majesty. Of erect stance and equipped with a
range of shots all around the wicket, he averaged over 50 in Ranji Trophy
cricket during an era of uncovered turf wickets and matting. He scored two
brilliant hundreds in the year Madras won the national championship for the
first time under Balu Alaganan’s stewardship, sharing the batting honours with
his younger teammate AG Kripal Singh. He scored 122 against Bengal in the
semifinal and 133 against Holkar in the final. Remarkably, those were the only
two Ranji matches he played that season, and they also happened to be his first
two hundreds in the championship. He had debuted as far back as the 1949-50
season, starting most inauspiciously with a pair against Mysore. His 74 and
unbeaten 53 against Mysore at Bangalore in the 1950-51 season must have
cemented his place in the side.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The late Alaganan who lauded Gopinath’s role in that success—along
with those played by Kripal Singh, indubitably the star of the season, MK
Murugesh, AK Sarangapani and others—also credited Gopinath with vital tactical
inputs. He said, “In the semifinal, C D Gopinath plotted Pankaj Roy’s dismissal
on the hook shot off the bowling of BC Alva with his fastish offbreaks. We had
a fielder about halfway to the boundary, Alva bowled short and Roy could not resist
the temptation.” (</span><span style="color: #333333;">Alaganan and Gopinath had played for college and club together
as well. In an interview, Alaganan once related with much delight an anecdote
involving young Gopinath, who did not see eye to eye with the Madras Christian
College principal’s view that his cricketers could not play for other teams.
According to Balu, Gopinath played for a club under an assumed name and scored
a hundred once).</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gopinath who became state captain the very next season following
Alaganan’s retirement, came to be known for his capable leadership, but could not
repeat Alaganan’s success, though he continued in his role till 1963. He had
been much more successful as captain of the Madras Cricket Club in the local league,
leading the team to the Palayampatti Shield title in his very first season as
captain in 1957-58. He repeated the feat the following season, and twice again
in 1960-61 and 1965-66. As captain of Madras, Gopinath relied on his spinners led
by the champion leg spinner VV Kumar, and played a key role in the development
of his bowlers. In the league, however he had to rely on swing and seam, with N
Kannayiram, all rounders MK Balakrishnan and MM Kumar, and Burmah Shell’s HW
Joynt leading an effective pace attack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gopinath’s nine first class hundreds included a highest of 234
against Mysore in the Ranji Trophy and a grand 175 versus the touring New
Zealand team in 1955. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He made an impressive Test debut in 1951-52, playing two lovely innings
of 50 not out and 42 against England in a drawn match at Bombay. It must have
been a daunting experience for the young man to bat at No. 8 in a line-up that
had Roy, Mantri, Umrigar, Hazare, Amarnath and Sarwate and Adhikari bat ahead
of him in the order and Vinoo Mankad after him! He seemed to have coped very
well, scoring a fluent half-century in a first innings total of 485. The story
was different in the second innings. India were 77 for 6 when Gopinath went in,
and soon 88 for 7, before he and Mankad put on 71 for the eighth wicket. He
made 35 in the final Test at Madras, which India won, its first Test victory over
England. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gopinath fared quite well in an unofficial Test series against
the touring Commonwealth team, a fighting unbeaten 67 that helped India to ward
off an innings defeat the highlight of his performances. He made a few runs in the limited opportunities
that came his way in Pakistan in 1954-55, after declining an invitation to tour
the West Indies a couple of seasons earlier! Those days, it was not unthinkable
for a player to make himself unavailable for Test cricket for business reaons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Omitted for the tour of England in 1959, but brought into the
team again in the final Test against Australia at Calcutta in the 1959-60 season,
he played a fighting knock of 39, topscoring in the first innings as India
collapsed, but made no run in the second innings—when India fared much better.
He was Richie Benaud’s victim in both innings. He never played for India again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is difficult to resist the conclusion after studying
Gopinath’s career records, and having watched him bat with great style and
confidence, that he did not receive a fair deal from the selectors. His was
certainly a talent worth nurturing. In domestic cricket, he continued to bring
joy to the Madras partisan, with several top innings of great authority. This
writer had the pleasure of bowling to him in a local match in the 1960s. None
of his skill had left him, though he was by now essentially a Sunday cricketer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After his playing days, Gopinath became a national selector and
toured England in 1979 as the manager of the Indian team. Today, he comes
across as a thoughtful commentator on the game, when approached for his views.
At a recent function to launch the Wisden India almanac, he gave the audience
some amusing glimpses into the past by recalling the infinitesimal “smoke
allowance” Test players received in his days, and the nature of the accommodation
they enjoyed in Pakistan: a railway compartment! He also suggested that 20-20
cricket be renamed as something else than cricket, just like snooker
and pool as different from billiards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nowadays 83-year-old Gopinath and his wife Comala, a champion
golfer in her day, live at their Coonoor residence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="ciplayerprofiletext1">
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Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-73553613986707506152013-07-26T20:06:00.000-07:002013-07-26T20:06:11.686-07:00Bishan again! From DNA as modified from an earlier post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=49355&boxid=16796&ed_date=2013-7-27&ed_code=820009&ed_page=18">http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=49355&boxid=16796&ed_date=2013-7-27&ed_code=820009&ed_page=18</a></div>
Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-53247903578647199032013-07-04T19:00:00.001-07:002013-07-04T19:00:14.096-07:00At the Madras Cricket Club<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>An excerpt from "The Spirit of Chepauk", 1998.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">I first set my eyes on the
beautiful English village green-</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">like outfield of that elite Cricket club of Madras, the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">Madras CC, in the Sixties. Every youngster
dreamt of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">playing there one day, of
diving full length on its </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">springy, velvety
grass, without bruising himself badly <span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;">as he
was likely to on any other ground. The only </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">other exception to the general rule of matting wickets </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">and less than adequately grassed outfields
prevalent </span>then in all of Madras was another lovely ground, this <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">one in distant Tambaram, inside the sylvan campus
of </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">the Madras Christian College.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">There was magic in the air as I stepped into the
old pavilion of pre-stadium vintage. Everything looked as <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">I had imagined an English clubhouse would look
like, </span>from years of being brought up on a diet of <i>Wisdens, <span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">Sport and Pastimes </span></i><span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">and Test Match Specials. There were </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">wrought iron chairs — and cane ones — there was a </span>coir
carpet on the wooden floor, the bathrooms were <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">tiled and there were lockers for players to keep their </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">stuff in. It all seemed luxurious and ever so
stylish. </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">The names of Indians and
Europeans, Test teams and </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">other first
class cricket elevens who played at Chepauk </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">inscribed on the wooden panels on the walls lent just </span><span style="letter-spacing: .8pt;">the right touch of nostalgia and enchantment. </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">C P Johnstone and H P Ward figured in so many
places. </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">Nailer was someone I had
heard my uncle P N Sundaresan describe, with rapture in his voice, for the
daring </span>of his strokeplay. There were other names which ex<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">cited my interest for more immediate reasons. A W </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">Stansfeld was someone who lived not very far from </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">my home and to realise that he had batted, bowled
and </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">fielded on this very ground all
those aeons ago was to </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">feel a
quickening of the pulse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">I could not wait to change
into my cricket gear and </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">run on
to the ground to knock a few around or take some catches or merely take in
lungfuls of Chepauk </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">air. I
dashed out of the gracious old clubhouse, past </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">the lawn and on to the tree-shaded ground only to find </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">that half my teammates were already there
showing </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">rare alacrity and
athleticism while they were making </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">the most of a rare opportunity. Can today's young cricketer who has so
many first rate cricket grounds </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">and such splendid facilities to choose from, ever un</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">derstand the thrill we felt in our hearts on
our first </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">outing at Chepauk?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">It was what is known in
Madras cricket parlance </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">as a
practice match, meaning nothing was at stake </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">beyond aching bones and good natured leg pulling at </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">the end of the match — no trophy, no title, no points <span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">won or lost. My team, Nungambakkam Sports Club </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">'A', was led by the irrepressible D Ranganathan,
popularly known as 'Don' Rangan, a fiercely competitive </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">wicketkeeper-batsman who singlehandedly leased
the </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">Pithapuram ground at present day
Nandanam and </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">provided top class
practice facilities for his players as well as anyone else who wanted to have a
regular net. </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">Rangan felt his team
could beat just about any side and entered every match with that kind of cocky
self-assur</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">ance. It was hardly
surprising then that he approached </span><span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;">the
Madras CC pavilion that morning more than 30 </span><span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;">years ago and announced to all and sundry how we </span><span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;">proposed to pulverise the opposition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">Talking to Rangan recently,
I came away with the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 150%;">story
that we had thrashed the Madras CC in that </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">match, though my own memory suggests that it was a drawn encounter in
which we finished on more or less level terms with our redoubtable opponents.
Whatever the result, the match was an unforgettable experience. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt; line-height: 150%;">For most of us, it was our first experience of
a turf </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">wicket. I remember that
fielding was an undiluted plea</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">sure
that day and we all chased, dived and picked and </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 150%;">threw as we had only seen happen in Test matches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 150%;">I also remember that the
Chepauk wicket was a </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">truly
sporting one. It had some purchase for the quicker </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">bowlers as well as the spinners, without
offering much turn, but the bowlers could hardly complain of lack of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">life in the turf. Batting on it was sheer
delight. Even I, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">normally
a tailender, enjoyed a measure of success, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt; line-height: 150%;">driving off both front and back foot. I had on that </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">occasion my first glimpse of the teasing
swing of Bala, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">the
accurate medium pace of M Subramaniam and the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt; line-height: 150%;">relatively quick bowling of Prabhakar Rao. I was to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">play strokes with a freedom seldom experienced
by me on matting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">There were loud guffaws from
the close-in </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt; line-height: 150%;">fielders every time I sent
the ball to the boundary and </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">I
was puzzled if not hurt by their seeming amusement </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt; line-height: 150%;">at the way I batted. It took me a while to
realise that </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">they were actually pulling
the legs of their bowlers; it </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">was
all part of the camaraderie and sense of fun that characterised the Madras CC's
matches — the practice matches at any rate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">Before all that, I had my
first and, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">perhaps, last glimpse of C D
Gopinath's batting. The </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">veteran
was no longer very active in cricket, but all of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">us could easily see that he had been a class batsman, very
correct and stylish. His timing was admirable as </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">was that of M K Balakrishnan, whose elegance and </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt; line-height: 150%;">assurance took my breath away. Bala was easily
the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">best batsman I had seen up
to that point at close quarters, and why this versatile sportsman did not play
for </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 150%;">India was a mystery to me
that day. It still is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">I don't remember achieving
any great success as a </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">bowler
on the occasion, though that was my area of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt; line-height: 150%;">specialisation. Rangan, however, assures me that I </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">bagged six of the best. I think I got one or
two wickets </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 150%;">at the most — and if that
was hardly sensational, I </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt; line-height: 150%;">didn't
disgrace myself either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">That was my first encounter
in a match situation with one of the most popular characters of the Club, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">the late Phil 'Clubby' Clubwala. Clubby was
the sort </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">of person you had to see
to believe. His close-cropped </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">hair,
soupstrainer moustache and ruddy complexion </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">gave him a distinct, military bearing even if his bow-legged walk and
easy affability did not. His essential good nature, sense of humour and
gregariousness made </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">him
popular in more than one sport at the Club, but, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">here, I shall try to paint a picture only of the extraor</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">dinary devotion with which he pursued cricket.
Clubby </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">practised with the
singlemindedness of a Bradman. He </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">would be the first person to arrive at the BS Nets on </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">the north side of the ground and get his quota of bat<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">ting on the coir mat wicket there. Playing and
missing </span>countless times, he would frustrate the poor bowlers who, being
the optimists most of us are, lived in hope <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">—
hope that one day they would find that elusive edge </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">or that, when they did, the snick would go to hand.
</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">Then he would send down some
elaborately delivered </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">off-breaks
which, more often than not, went straight as </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">an arrow. Clubby wouldn't be satisfied with all the </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">huffing and puffing that went into all this
hectic activ</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">ity. He would troop off
to the Madras CC net and get </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">a solid
45 minutes of batting on turf, engaging the mark</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">ers and ballboys and some unsuspecting college crick</span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">eter he whisked away from the BS Nets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">For all the practice he
did, Clubby was a strokeless </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">wonder
in matches, once remaining 37 n.o. in a full </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">day's batting. His bowling had more sting than did his
batting and everyone admired his wholehearted effort and cheerful demeanour,
regardless of success or fail</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">ure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">From 1981 to 1990, I
played regularly against the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">Madras
CC in the TNCA League and, while the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">oldtimers
of the Club fought gamely on, the inroads <span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">made
by corporate teams could not be resisted for long. </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">And the Club eventually got relegated to the
Second </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">Division.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">I had the pleasure of
accompanying to Australia </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">the
Madras Occasionals, consisting mostly of Madras </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">CC members and led by Ram Ramesh. I was one of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">two guest bowlers who bore the burden of the
attack, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">much in the manner of the early professionals in
En<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">glish and Australian cricket, while the
Madras CC bats</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">men made merry at the
expense of club teams in Austra</span><span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;">lia.
The two Arvinds, Gopinath and Subramaniam, </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">made tons of runs. Arvind Gopinath looked particu</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">larly stylish and classy as he dominated some
quality </span>attacks on that tour. He, like many of his teammates, <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">was an excellent ambassador for his country with
his </span><span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;">polished demeanour on and off the
field, but his </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">laidback attitude to cricket,
though blessed with oodles of talent which should have taken him much farther, </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">puzzled me. When I probed further, he admitted he </span>didn't
pursue cricket with the dedication of his father <span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">because he did not wish to face the heartbreak of disap</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">pointments and dejection that can befall any
sports</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">man.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The men who surprised me on the tour were those <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">cheerful fringe players who I had assumed had
merely come to have a good time. It was an assumption based </span>on their
seemingly blase attitude to matters cricketing. <span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">I was to soon find out how mistaken I was. On the few </span>occasions
their services were required, Jaspal Singh, <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">Navtej
Singh and Kumar Calappa showed that for all </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">their casual exterior, they gave 100 per cent on the </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">field. It was important for every one of them
that the </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">Club's fair name be
protected — and, as a consequence, </span>they, as much as the more regular
players, contributed <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">to our unbeaten record
on that tour during which we </span>played at some wonderful venues and against
at least <span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">one Test cricketer, Ross Edwards. A
couple of young</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">sters who showed
considerable promise on that tour </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">were
leg-spinning all-rounder Renjit Kuruvilla and </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">wicketkeeper-batsman 'Sunny' Ramesh. Both had an excellent tour.
Kuruvilla has gone on to do extremely well for the Club, with his clean hitting
and his </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">fastish leg-breaks, and still
turns out for it, while </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">Ramesh, who
has represented the State, no longer plays </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">for the Club.</span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-12699244706858332292013-06-04T08:04:00.000-07:002013-06-04T08:04:00.884-07:00Speed merchant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fast bowler CR Rangachari was one of the more outspoken Tamil Nadu cricketers I knew. I had the pleasure of getting to know him when he officiated as the manager of the South Zone cricket team for its Duleep Trophy and Deodhar Trophy matches during the 1978-79 season. The venue, Nagpur, was notorious for being somewhat player-unfriendly. The Indian captain Bishan Bedi for instance had to face the firing squad after he had demanded orange juice for his team at breakfast and hot water for their bath at the MLA hostel where they were staying during a Test match. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The manager spared nobody with his sharp comments made in a loud voice, be it star batsman Brijesh Patel or the brilliant TE Srinivasan. The all rounder Roger Binny came in for special mention (remember he was some distance from playing for India). Rangachari told me, “This Binny, do you call him an opening bowler? He has no pace and no skill. Later he told Narasimha Rao, “What kind of opening batsman is Roger Binny? He has no technique.” That night, Roger, suitably lubricated during the team meeting in my room, knocked continuously on Rangachari’s door with the long pole kindly provided by the management for us to hang and unhang washed clothes in the tall clotheslines that decorated every room (Yes, the noises made by Bishan Bedi a few years ago had had no effect on the Vidarbha Cricket Association, our hosts, who believed that Spartan conditions brought out the best in cricketers; hot water was still a distant dream, and orange juice was still not part of the menu). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rangachari was particularly harsh on the newly married TE Srinivasan who had brought his wife with him. “Has he come to play cricket or enjoy marital bliss? He should have self-control,” he thundered. “When I had a Ranji Trophy match to play soon after marriage, my wife told me, “No mischief (I have censored the word Rangachari actually uttered) before the match!” He was indignation personified when Brijesh Patel was late for a team meeting. “Mr Patel may be a Test player, but I do not tolerate indiscipline from anyone,” he told the assembled team. However, we discovered that Mr Rangachari was something of a paper tiger, because he stopped all the ranting and raving the moment the player in question entered the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The team meetings were the best part of that trip, and they invariably took place in my spacious room, which the leg-n-leg players used as their watering hole every evening after a long day in the sun, with the two umpires Piloo Reporter and Rajen Mehra joining us and trading several rollicking stories with us. Reporter’s humour and flair for anecdotes merit a separate chapter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For all the leg-pulling we indulged in at the manger’s expense, we had healthy respect for his cricketing prowess. <span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">His exploits for Madras were good enough for him to lay claim to being the best fast bowler his home state has produced.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">With MJ Gopalan, he formed a deadly pair of opening bowlers, with Gopalan growing with the years into a seam and swing specialist and Rangachari himself remaining wedded to sheer space for most of his career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">Born on April 14, 1916, Rangachari learnt his cricket on the streets and bylanes </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">Triplicane very much as his senior M J Gopalan had. Strongly built, Rangachari tried even as </span>a kid to be a genuine fast bowler, and succeeded in generating considerable pace <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">throughout his career. He was also a willing bowler of long spells.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">Rangachari first caught the selectors' attention with a fine 9 for 45 against Mysore in the inter-association junior match of 1938. He made his Ranji Trophy debut the same year, and performed reasonably well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 12.05pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">In the very next season, Rangachari took 4 for 38 and helped </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 12.05pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">bundle Mysore out for 108 at Chepauk. In his third season, his</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 12.05pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> splendid bowling against United </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.25pt; line-height: 12.05pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Provinces. led Madras to a win by 25 runs, Rangachari </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 12.05pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> 5 for 75 and 3 for 31</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt; line-height: 12.05pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.45pt;">Rangachari, Ram Singh and leg spinner </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">NJ Venkatesan had the formidable Maharashtra reeling at 56 for 5, before Vijay Hazare </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">(137) and CT Sarwate (33) took the score to 284, gaining a match winning lead in the </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">process. Ranga's 4 for 71 included the scalps of openers Bhalekar and Sohoni, as well as the </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">redoubtable Prof. DB Deodhar.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">In the second innings, he had the prolific Babu Nimbalkar caught behind by </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt;">JAGC Law, but Maharashtra won by six wickets. Ranga also distinguished himself </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;">in the Presidency match, in which he took 4 for 41 and 4 for 30, helping the Indians win by </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">97 runs.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">Rangachari joined the police force, and his cricket career developed nicely, as </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">naturally fit and healthy, the policeman found in his official training new ways of keeping </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;">fit. He soon gained a reputation of being a tireless fast medium bowler and brilliant close-in </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt;">fielder. He took several smart catches off the bowling of Ram Singh, fielding at silly mid-off. </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">He also batted stubbornly towards the end of the innings.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;">Selected as a member of the Indian team to Australia under the captaincy of Lala Amarnath in 1947-48, Ranga forced his way into the Test side with </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">some good performances in the first class matches including a hat trick against Tasmania. </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">In his first Test at Adelaide, he bowled well without luck, beating Don Bradman a few times, and winning his appreciation. He dismissed Keith Miller, </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt;">Neil Harvey, Ray Lindwall and Ian Johnson to emerge as the most successful Indian bowler </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">with four for 141 off 41 eight ball overs. On a visit to Chennai in 1998, Ranga was the first person Neil Harvey remembered from the city.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">The Triplicane Express’s best Test performance was his 5 for 107 against West </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">Indies in the New Delhi Test of the 1948-49 series. He claimed the wickets of Allan Rae, </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;">Jeff Stollmeyer and George Headley in a fiery opening spell and West Indies were reduced </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">to 27 for 3. He also played in unofficial 'Tests' against the Australian Services team in </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">1945 and the first Commonwealth team in 1949-50.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">In the Ranji Trophy, Rangachari led the Madras attack for many years and his 104 </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">wickets cost him only 20.79 apiece. In a first class career that stretched from the late </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">1930s to the mid fifties, Rangachari took 200 wickets at an average of 25.98.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">As a selector, coach and manager, Rangachari was known to be a good sport who spent considerable time mentoring his young wards, lightening the mood in the dressing room with entertaining if apocryphal stories from his own youth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">During the match at the beginning of this story, a young cricketer asked him if he was quicker than Kapil Dev. “Have you seen Wes Hall? Same speed!” was Rangachari’s instant response. Only it sounded like <i>shame shpeed</i>, thanks to the tobacco he was chewing. The resultant giggles and tittering were understandable as the young listeners had never seen him in action or even read about his sterling deeds in first class cricket.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">Those who actually did, remembered him as a speed merchant, tireless and persistent, even on dead wickets. He was a brave soldier of Madras cricket.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-74396054203287120262013-05-18T20:32:00.002-07:002013-05-18T20:32:40.011-07:00Champions of Madras cricket: MJ Gopalan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://madrasmusings.com/the-triplicane-legend.html">http://madrasmusings.com/the-triplicane-legend.html</a></div>
Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-18704658570726962642013-05-14T06:12:00.000-07:002013-05-14T06:23:14.348-07:00Left-arm Genius<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Dated 1<sup>st</sup> June
2003, The New Sunday Express</span></b></div>
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<i style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Wasim Akram was a
wonderful competitor. But he will never
be the ultimate role model, says V Ramnarayan</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">When
Wasim <span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">Akram first </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">played at Chennai, way </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;">back in 1986-87, </span>he was a wiry, excitable
young fast bowler with seemingly <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">inexhaustible
energy. He </span>charged in and delivered the <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">ball with an arm speed rarely </span>seen before or since in the Test
arena. His captain and mentor, <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">Imran Khan,
who came to India </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">with a huge
reputation and a </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">past record to
defend, had dis</span>covered his raw talent when he <span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">was barely 18 — give or take a </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">couple
of years to make allowances for regional varia</span>tions! — and believed his
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">young protégé would one day </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">be acknowledged as a phenomenon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">How prophetic he proved to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">be, with the young tearaway <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">developing, in a career span</span>ning 18
years, into the most <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">complete left handed purveyor
of speed, swing and seam the game of cricket has known!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">Neither the ustad nor the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">shagird had much success with the ball in
that Chepauk Test, <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">though they were far
more productive with the bat, involved, </span><span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;">as they were in a century part</span>nership for the eighth wicket, <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">with Imran Khan making an </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">impeccable, unbeaten 135, and </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">each batsman smashing five huge sixes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">Wasim had already shown </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">evidence of huge
natural abil</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">ity with the bat, but in the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">years
that followed, he pre</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">ferred to concentrate on domi</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">nating batsmen with pace,
though he was still some way yet from 'making the ball talk' <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">as he began doing in his </span>mature years.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">He remained a genuine quick for most of his career,
sacrific</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">ing
only a little of his pace as he added a whole range of <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">deliveries that no batsman </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">could honestly claim to decode </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">from his action or his grip </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">before the ball was upon him, </span>hissing and
spitting fire, <span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">swinging one way and seam</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">ing another.</span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">The </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">speed </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">with </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">which he <span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">brought his arm </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">down at the start of his </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">career
hardly diminished </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">nor did his
bustling run-up slow down with advancing years, while </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">his wrist stayed supple </span>and strong, changing
the <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">angle of delivery and </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">degree of deviation ever </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">so subtly and causing </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">havoc in the minds of </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">unsuspecting batsmen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">Wasim never did </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">make the transition </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">from
a fierce, versatile pace bowler who could also on his day demolish most bowling
attacks with the power and sweep of his bludgeoning bat into a consistent all
rounder in the mould of an Imran Khan, an Ian Botham or a Kapil Dev.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Like that
other modern master of fast bowling who found greater meaning in perfecting his
bowling craft than in occupation of the crease, Sir Richard Hadlee, Wasim chose
to express his genius rather more through the seemingly infinite variety of
tricks he played on the best batsmen of the world, than harnessing his
explosive batting talent to the prosaic task of building innings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Yet his
immense batting potential flowered occasionally; he is that rarest of bowlers
whose batting average column reads 22.64, followed by a highest score of 257
not out!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Indian
batsmen seldom enjoyed the prospect of facing Wasim in his prime, or even in
the twilight years of his career. The
younger Wasim tended to thud into their rib cage, find the outer edge of their
dangling bat or have them scrambling for cover or mishooking, rarely giving
them the width or length to score off him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The older version
drew them more often on to the front foot, but the invitation to drive was </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">generally
treated with suspicion and rarely accepted with </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">confidence. It needed the
genius of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; line-height: 150%;">Sachin Tendulkar and all the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.35pt; line-height: 150%;">courage
of his colleagues to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">survive his torrid opening </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">spells
when he toured <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> last as
captain of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">If he continued to bowl with </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">relentless
aggression, constantly probing batsmen's weaknesses, he captained positively,
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">never giving up a game as lost </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">until the last ball was
bowled. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">An electrifying example was </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">the
victory he and his men, led </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">by off spinner Saqlain </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">Mushtaq,
fashioned at Chepauk </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">after Tendulkar, in the compa</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">ny
of Nayan Mongia, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">brought <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> to the doorstep of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt; line-height: 150%;">victory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt; line-height: 150%;">If the three Ws, Weekes, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">Worrell and Walcott
dominated </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">the West Indies batting of the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt; line-height: 150%;">1950s,
captivating enthusiasts </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">with both wristy elegance and </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">sheer
power, the nineties belonged to Pakistan's two Ws, Wasim and Waqar, two dreaded
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">fast men who perfected the art </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">and science of reverse
swing, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">first unveiled to the world by </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">Sarfaraz
Nawaz and Imran </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">Khan in the seventies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">Much praise has been show</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">ered on the pair and their <span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">inventive skills, but equally substantial has been
the criti</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">cism of their methods.
Ball-</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">tampering and scuffing up </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">the cricket ball selective</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">ly to make it do </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">unexpected things </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">when it is
old, is perhaps as </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">ancient a prac</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">tice among </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">weary </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">bowlers doing the
county cir</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">cuit as </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">English cricket itself, but </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">it </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">is
the Pakistanis </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">who succeeded in
adding a new genre of bowling to the game, a </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">contribution to cricket that rivals the googly and the leg glance for
sheer originality. This they did by
teaching the old ball new tricks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">What Wasim and Waqar achieved in the course of mastering
reverse </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">swing was to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">shorten Test innings
forever. For nearly a decade they dismissed an incredible number of batsmen in
the lower order for </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt; line-height: 150%;">negligible scores. No longer </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">could
nine, ten or jack plonk </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">his front foot forward and hope to survive
by offering stout resistance. An amazing number </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">of batsmen were out
bowled or </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.35pt; line-height: 150%;">LBW to Wasim (53 per cent), his </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt; line-height: 150%;">partner,
Waqar Younis (57 per </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">cent) being the only bowler to </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">send
a greater percentage of his victims to their doom by </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">the
same route.</span><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">There are many who believe that </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">Wasim
was the greatest left </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">arm pace bowler of all time, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">even
better than <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">Alan Davidson or Sir Garfield </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">Sobers. Even dissenters will
concede that he has been quite the best bowler of all time in </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">one-day
limited overs cricket. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">His 500 wickets in that form of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">cricket at a miserly rate
of <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">under four per over is a monu</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">mental achievement, and com</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">ing on top of his 414 Test wick</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">ets, is unlikely to be bettered </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">by any bowler.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">In one-day cricket, Wasim and Waqar were responsible for </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">attracting
a new breed of spec</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">tators to the ground: those who came to watch
their bowling in contrast to the usual crowds </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">assembled solely to
cheer fours </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">and sixes. At their best, they made the first 15 as well
as the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt; line-height: 150%;">slog overs completely irrele</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">vant.
Invariably, Wasim man</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">aged to prise out early wickets and often
came back at the death — to spell just that to batsmen hoping to launch an </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">offensive
towards the end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">A cricketer of such surpassing accomplishments should </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">have
been the recipient of the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">highest accolades, but there's a </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">question
mark over Wasim's conduct off the field, as is well </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt; line-height: 150%;">known
by now. Though charges of abetting match fixing were never conclusively proved,
he </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">did not come out of the scam </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">with
his reputation untar</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">nished. And, unlike his mentor Imran, who
unearthed and nurtured some of the best young </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">talent <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> has
produced, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">Wasim has not played elder </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 150%;">brother
to aspiring fast </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">bowlers, nor has he always </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt; line-height: 150%;">given
100 per cent to the cap</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">tains who replaced him. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">History
will remember him as </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">a great competitor and a genius </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">of a
bowler, but he will never </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">be the ultimate role model.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 150%;">V Ramnarayan is a former </span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.1pt; line-height: 150%;">Ranji
Trophy player who </span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">bowled off spin for <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hyderabad</st1:place></st1:city>
<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;">between 1975-80</span></span></i><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">WASIM AKRAM</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Born:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> 3 June
1966, <st1:city w:st="on">Lahore</st1:city>, <st1:place w:st="on">Punjab</st1:place>;
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Major Teams:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
Pakistan Automobiles Corporation, <st1:city w:st="on">Lahore</st1:city> Cricket
Association, <st1:city w:st="on">Lancashire</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region> International Airlines, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
Hampshire; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Batting Style:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
Left hand bat; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bowling style:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Left arm fast; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Test debut:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region> v <st1:country-region w:st="on">New
Zealand</st1:country-region> at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Auckland</st1:city></st1:place>,
2<sup>nd</sup> test, 1984/85; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Latest test:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region> v <st1:country-region w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:country-region>
at <st1:place w:st="on">Dhaka</st1:place>, 1<sup>st</sup> Test, 201/02; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">ODI debut:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region> v <st1:country-region w:st="on">New
Zealand</st1:country-region> at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Faisalabad</st1:city></st1:place>,
2<sup>nd</sup> ODI, 1984/85; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Latest ODI:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region> v <st1:country-region w:st="on">Zimbabwe</st1:country-region>
at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bulawayo</st1:city></st1:place>,
World Cup, 2002/03; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1993.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-54667775322367008492013-05-05T00:09:00.000-07:002013-05-05T00:09:05.873-07:00Abdul Jabbar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Abdul
Jabbar came to Madras some time in 1972, to join State Bank of India as a
cricket recruit, leaving his native Hyderabad where job opportunities for
sportsmen were limited. State Bank was a good employer and entry into the
Hyderabad Ranji Trophy team did not seem easy. When the talent scouts of State
Bank of India, Madras landed in the twin cities, and the captain, VV Kumar
walked into the Nizam College ground where Jabbar and his mate Rashid Mirza
were playing a match and made them both an offer of a job in Madras, neither
had any hesitation in accepting. Jabbar had a brilliant record at the
university and junior level.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
young left hander was athletically built and quickfooted. His batting was
marked by commonsense rather than any exaggerated notions of style. Compact in
defence and fluent in strokeplay, Jabbar played very straight, concentrated
hard, but could hit the ball explosively hard, when he chose to. He was a good
judge of a single, his sense of timing and placement was sound, and his
demeanour on and off the field was sober, alert, conservative. A pious Muslim,
Jabbar came from a middle class family with a keen interest in sport. Elder
brother Wahed was a more than useful medium pacer and younger brother Abdul
Azeem, a successful batsman for Hyderabad, once scored a triple century against
a Jabbar-led Tamil Nadu attack. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once in
Madras, Jabbar began to make a positive impact on State Bank's and Tamil Nadu's
cricket, lending the middle order unprecedented stability. By temperament, he
was a long innings player, and time and again he gave evidence of that in the
league, Ranji Trophy and Buchi Babu matches. Tamil Nadu was those days in the
process of developing into a good batting side, but not yet so consistent as to
provide a No.6 batsman ample opportunity to build innings. Jabbar often ran out
of partners, and had to be satisfied with forties and fifties. Only in 1976,
did he cross three figures for the first time in the Ranji Trophy, making 201
not out against Karnataka. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In due
course, Jabbar accumulated more than 3600 runs at a healthy average of 44.57,
and became known for his ability to rise to the occasion whenever the chips
were down for his state. Given belated recognition in Duleep Trophy, Jabbar had
a reasonable run in the tournament, but it came too late in his career to take
him further upwards in his career. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jabbar
developed into a very useful off spinner, in which role he was a huge asset to
the State Bank team, in the local league, in intra- State Bank competition and
for the all India team in national level tournaments, especially in limited
overs cricket. His state captain Venkataraghavan too saw merit in Jabbar as an
off spinner in his mature years, and he was a quite a good foil to Venkat and
left arm spinner Vasudevan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jabbar
was a brilliant close-in fielder, a brave short leg in the early years, and a
fine catcher in the slips later. He was a team man all through his career,
someone the youngest player felt free to go up to for advice and comfort when
in trouble. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After
serving State Bank for 18 years, Jabbar joined the Sanmar group and turned out
for its team Jolly Rovers in the league for a few years, achieving tremendous
success with the bat. In the second innings of his career, he began to play
some daringly attacking cricket. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After
his playing days, Jabbar has turned to coaching youngsters. He is especially
good with very young players, grounding them well in the basics, and motivating
them with a gentle touch. His coaching clinic is one of the most popular in the
city, with pupils and parents alike. He has also been the coach of the Jolly
Rovers and the Tamil Nadu teams, besides other state teams.</span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-55617578360794958392013-05-02T20:56:00.002-07:002013-05-02T22:12:05.995-07:00V Sivaramakrishnan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V Sivaramakrishnan, the tall, left handed opening batsman, who played first class cricket between 1973 and 1988, had the highest Ranji Trophy aggregate for a Tamil Nadu batsman for a long time, before another lefthander, S Sharath, went past him. My youngest brother, he had a great appetite for runs even as a boy. Five years older, I did not watch him much in competitive cricket until we were pitted against each other in the Ranji Trophy. At that level, he was my senior, making his debut for Tamil Nadu three seasons before I made mine for Hyderabad. As he was playing for Bihar during my first season, I had to wait one more season before I bowled to him for the first time outside our home compound back in Madras all those years ago (Had we not surrendered to Bombay after gaining the lead in the quarterfinal, we might have faced Bihar in the final). Fittingly as his elder brother, I got him out in that game at Lal Bahadur Stadium, Hyderabad, but only after he had made a bright 61. Thereafter, we sort of shared the honours more or less equally, with him scoring consistently and I dismissing him more than once in Hyderabad-Tamil Nadu matches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sivaramakrishnan represented the beginning of a batting revival in Tamil Nadu cricket which gradually turned the state's fortunes around in the seventies to a position of dominance in the South Zone, until its batting reached its pinnacle towards the end of the eighties—when it won the Ranji Trophy—and the nineties. He was a product of university cricket, an important member of the Madras University team that won the Rohinton Baria trophy for the first time in its history. The year was 1971 and under the captaincy of R Ravichandran, Madras discovered a galaxy of young stars in Sivaramakrishnan, Krishnaswami, Mukund, Sushil Haridas, Bhargav Mehta, P R Ramakrishnan, and a whole host of others. The left hander's best contribution in the tournament was a fine hundred in the final against Bombay. I watched most of the games Madras University played that season at Waltair, Visakhapatnam, as I was working at nearby Anakapalle. A hundred and other good scores in the Vizzy Trophy followed, South Zone winning the title. Sivaramakrishnan's good form continued the next season in which he scored a double century, besides playing several innings of character.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Making his debut against Karnataka in 1972-1973, Sivaramakrishnan wasted no time in establishing his credentials. Run out for zero in the first innings, he gave evidence of his class in the second, when he punished Prasanna and Chandrasekhar in a display of quick footwork and daring strokeplay to make 53.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With stiff competition building up for batting places in the Tamil Nadu eleven with the arrival of P Ramesh, another left hander of great promise, and a line-up that had in it Krishnaswami, TE Srinivasan, Jabbar, Satvinder Singh and Mukund, Sivaramakrishnan, moved to greener pastures in the steel town of Jamshedpur in Bihar, where he played for the TISCO team and Bihar in the company of Ramesh Saxena and Daljit Singh. His consistent performances, with a highest of 99 versus Assam, won him a place in the East Zone team straightaway, and he scored runs in the Duleep and Deodhar Trophy matches against North Zone, dancing down the wicket to Bishan Bedi and the like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sivaramakrishnan returned to Madras in the very next season, with his reputation enhanced by his Bihar sojourn and an earlier stint in Calcutta where he had proved his competence against the moving ball, playing quality swing bowlers with consummate ease.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Back in Madras for the Ranji Trophy, the left hander batted in the middle order against Karnataka and scored a magnificent century against Prasanna, Chandrasekhar, Vijayakrishna and Co.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sivaramakrishnan went from strength to strength from that point onwards to become Tamil Nadu's most reliable batsman and consistent rungetter. He was a strong driver of the ball and revelled in the cut. He was particularly good when the chips were down and when there was something in the wicket for the bowlers. His 5039 runs in 126 innings included 11 hundreds and an equal number of dismissals in the nineties. One of the most brilliant close-in fielders Tamil Nadu has produced, he held more than a hundred catches in the national championship, besides occasionally turning his arm over usefully with gentle in-swingers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sivaramakrishnan came close to being picked to tour Australia in 1977-1978, when he made 74 for South Zone against North at Bangalore. His rival to the second opener’s slot Chetan Chauhan failed in that game, but North piled up a large total after debutant Yashpal Sharma made an impressive 173. The only way South could have gained the first innings lead and by virtue of it, the match, after being down at 50 plus for 3 was for Siva and TE Srinivasan (who scored a hundred) to put on a massive partnership, but Siva virtually threw his wicket away just when the attack was tiring and South Zone yielded a lead of over 100. North went on to win that match and Chetan Chauhan made a hundred in the final at Bombay, to clinch a place in the squad. The rest is history as Gavaskar and Chauhan struck a durable partnership thereafter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Opening the innings for South Zone against Tony Greig’s Englishmen at Hyderabad (I was warming the reserve benches), Siva negotiated the seam and swing of John Lever and Co., and was on the verge of launching an all-out attack on the spinners, when he was run out while he and GRV attempted an impossible single to Derek Randall. He had made 27. In those pre-helmet days, he was out fending off bouncers from Imran Khan and Malcolm Marshall in the tour matches against Pakistan and West Indies, and failed to convert a good start against Rodney Hogg and Co. of Australia. These failures kept him out of the Test berth he otherwise richly deserved. His last chance was against England again in 1983, following a hugely successful Ranji season, but again he was dismissed for 38 and 30, though he made batting look relatively easy facing Bob Willis at his quickest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of Siva's best batting against fast bowling came in Colombo in 1982, and Perth, six years later. In Sri Lanka, he batted so well in the first innings of the Gopalan Trophy match, against genuinely quick bowling on a fiery wicket, that the coach Peter Philpott advised the captain not to enforce the follow on so that the Lankan bowlers gained more practice bowling to a quality left hander, ahead of the forthcoming tour of Australia, which had a few southpaws. In Australia, playing for the Ranji Trophy champion Tamil Nadu, he blunted a pace attack which had three Test fast bowlers on the Perth wicket notorious for its pace and bounce. It was a brave counterattack amidst a general batting collapse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Winning the Ranji Trophy that season was a personal triumph for Sivaramakrishnan. He had come back successfully into the side for the knockout stage of the championship after announcing his retirement at the start of the season, scoring heavily in all three matches he played, including a hundred in the semifinal and 94 in the final. That had been the crowning moment of this extraordinary team man's first class career -- unrewarded at the highest level, but deeply satisfying at the State level. He continued to play league cricket in Chennai for many more seasons, playing selflessly for his team and amassing runs.</span></div>
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Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-46116542876628645192013-05-02T06:13:00.002-07:002013-05-02T06:13:35.367-07:00K R Rajagopal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">K R
Rajagopal came like a breath of fresh air to Madras cricket from Bangalore,
when he joined the star-studded Jolly Rovers team of the 1960s. He quickly
established himself as one of the most entertaining batsmen in the state, an
opener crowds went miles to watch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rajagopal
was one of the most aggressive opening batsmen around. He played his shots from
the word go, shots based on a straight bat, free downswing and follow-through.
With his keen eye, swift footwork, perfect balance and steely wrists, all
buttressed by a sound technique, he looked for scoring opportunities all the
time, and for a few years culminating in the 1967-68 season, he electrified
both local and national matches played at Madras.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In an
era of swing bowling, Raja had an equally delightful answer to the outswinger
and the inswinger. He cover drove imperiously, but he also played a gorgeous
ondrive. He was equally fond of hooking and cutting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Raja
struck a fine partnership with his teammate and captain Belliappa. Both were
openers and wicket keepers, and as state captain, Belliappa was the first
choice behind the stumps, though Raja was brilliant in that department. When
Raja was a strong contender for a place in the Indian team touring Australia in
1967-1968 after a magnificent domestic season as a batsman, another wicket
keeper Indrajitsinhji was preferred to him on the pretext that Raja did not
keep for his own state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Raja is
a simple man. For most of his playing days in Madras (he earlier played for
Mysore), he worked at Sankarnagar, Tirunelveli, and took the night train to
Madras to play league matches on the morrow for Jolly Rovers, the highly
successful team sponsored by his employers. He brought as luggage a
ridiculously small bag and went straight to the house of another
"Raja", P N Sundaresan, <i>The Hindu's </i>cricket correspondent and
the father of his teammate P S Narayanan. On the morning of the match, Raja
would jump on to the pillion of Narayanan's Lambretta, tousled hair, stubble on
his chin, crumpled shirt and trousers and all, with his cricket shoes wrapped
in an old copy of The Hindu. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Such
was Raja's pre-match preparation, but once he put on his pads and settled down
to face the first ball of the innings, the change in him was electric. Slight
of build and short in stature, he was a picture of poise as the bowler started
his run towards him. Little notice did he give of the daring strokes he would
soon play all round the wicket. Few
batsmen in the history of Tamil Nadu cricket have given as much pleasure to so
many.</span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-41534189458049564262013-05-01T10:59:00.004-07:002013-05-01T10:59:58.869-07:00Vaman Kumar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When Sir Garfield Sobers came to Chennai ten years ago to assist former India leg spinner Vaman Kumar at the MAC Spin Academy, he was obviously impressed by the energy and dedication of the veteran who was already well into his sixties. During an informal dinner some of us were privileged to attend at the Madras Cricket Club at the end of the camp, Sobers was therefore not very surprised when we named VV the best orthodox wrist spinner in India after Subhash Gupte in reply to his query if Subhash’s younger brother Baloo would have fitted that description.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like many cricketers of my generation from the south, I have been a life-long admirer of VV Kumar the leg spinner, and an equal fan of his sense of humour and eccentric, unpredictable ways on and off the cricket field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Long before I saw him in flesh and blood, Kumar had excited my imagination with his heroic deeds in Pakistan as a member of the Indian Starlets team that toured that country circa 1960 under the captaincy of Lala Amarnath, by then retired from Test cricket. It was a great opportunity for young Test hopefuls on both sides of the border to impress the national selectors. On the Indian side, Kumar and fellow Madras cricketer AG Milkha Singh were the undoubted successes of the tour. At my grandfather’s Trivandrum residence, I excitedly awaited the arrival of The Hindu around 4 pm everyday from Madras bearing all the cricket news of the day. VV and Milkha rarely belied my expectations that summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I first saw VV in action when he made his Test debut not long afterwards at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla and my father, then working in the capital, took me and my brothers to the match. I was barely 14 then and my memory of the action is clouded by the passage of time, but I can never forget the thrill I experienced when VV snared his first victim—Imtiaz Ahmed, the Pakistani wicket keeper. Kumar went on to take five in the innings and seven in all in the match.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unfortunately, Kumar’s dreams of prolonged success as a Test bowler were crushed after his second appearance for India. By a strange coincidence, I happened to be one of the spectators at the Brabourne Stadium, Bombay, next season, as my father had by then joined Bank of India there. It was a miserable match for Kumar, as he finished with none for 70 in the first innings, did not bowl in the second and did not distinguish himself in the field. There were murmurs about a hidden finger injury leading to this debacle, and even though only one of the four Indian spinners, Chandu Borde, was among the wickets, VV’s failure was highlighted by his critics. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the other Madras players in the Indian team, left-hand batsman AG Milkha Singh—who had a decent outing at the Kotla versus Pakistan—failed too and was booed by an unsporting crowd, while his elder brother Kripal Singh scored 38 and 13, both not out. Neither VV nor Milkha played for India again despite sterling performances in the Ranji Trophy for several seasons, and Kripal came back into the side under Tiger Pataudi’s captaincy. It was all so depressing for the young fan from Madras.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Returning to Madras in 1962, I had several opportunities to watch Kumar bowl in the local league and the Sport & Pastime (later Hindu) trophy matches and eventually play with and against him—with him in the BS Nets organised by the cricket association, and against him in league games. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He was a master bowler who was constantly improving, adding new weapons to his armoury while perfecting those he already possessed. He did not believe in exaggerated flight, but tossed it up in a tantalizing arc, varied his pace, bowled two different types of googlies and bowled an effective flipper, though it was not yet known by that name. He was accuracy personified, as was his younger spin partner in the state team, S Venkataraghavan. Both were workhorses, wheeling away in the nets for three hours every evening. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I once made the foolish mistake of charging VV in the nets with some success, and he made my life miserable forever afterwards by switching over to the net I was batting in from wherever he was bowling in the practice complex of half a dozen wickets. He did this day after day for a whole season, even though I was a miserable tailender, not a frontline batsman. He was really intent on testing himself against someone who seemed to master him for a solitary session of practice. It is this competitive streak that made him such a successful bowler against all the top batsmen in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kumar some 12 years my senior, was always kindly disposed towards me, as he knew my father as a banking industry colleague. As I left Madras soon after my first full season in the First Division, I did not get to play too often in his company, but vividly remember the few occasions I did. The first instance was a warm-up game for Madras Cricket Club Mr Annadurai of the cricket association arranged against a young eleven of future state prospects to be led by VV in a mentoring role. I bowled a few blistering overs to PK Belliappa, the state captain who seemed all at sea against me. Frustrated by the several near misses, I lost my patience and tossed up a couple of lollipops which the experienced Belli promptly dispatched to the boundary. That is when my captain walked up to me and said, “Don’t ever do that. You had the batsman in trouble. You should keep him under a tight leash, never offer him free hits.” It was the exact opposite of the advice I received at the Brabourne a few years earlier; and the captain kept me on as well! This is a piece of advice I never forgot in my cricket career, and it also gave me a glimpse of VV’s own cricket thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also witnessed another side of the VV Kumar persona in that game. Once when stand-in umpire CS Dayakar (our own teammate) negatived an lbw appeal by VV, the bowler reprimanded him sharply, and then carried on as if nothing happened. He’d actually snapped “Idiot” at Dayakar but, made of sterner stuff, Dayakar was unmoved. It was one occasion when Kumar’s gamesmanship had no effect on the umpire, unlike the occasion when he barked at KB Ramaswamy. He caught the umpire nodding away at the crease and waking up startled by his appeal for leg before. “Told you not to stuff yourself with curdrice at lunch,” he admonished. “Come on VV, mind your tongue,” the umpire retorted. A couple of balls later, VV rapped the batsman on the pads again, but though the ball was clearly missing the leg stump, he nonchalantly turned to the umpire, and said: “How about this one, I say?” This time, up went the umpire’s finger (This story appears elsewhere in this blog).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No batsman in domestic cricket mastered Kumar, with the solitary exception of V Subramanyam of Karnataka, who in the course of a double century in 1967, punished his bowling severely. In the South Zone, the leading lights of Hyderabad and Karnataka, like Pataudi, Jaisimha, and Vishwanath always found him a handful. He had more than 400 Ranji Trophy wickets and 599 first class scalps in all in his long career. He took part in two hard fought Ranji Trophy finals against Bombay in 1967-68 and 1972-73, both of which Madras lost despite Kumar’s splendid bowling. Despite all his consistent successes, his return to Test cricket was blocked by the emergence the unorthodox but match-winning leg spinner BS Chandrasekhar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I was lucky to win Kumar’s approval for my off spin bowling—he even mentioned me as a Test prospect in a newspaper article. He and I were teammates in the SBI side in the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup, when I enjoyed his company on and off the field. To cricketing matters, he always brought an original perspective, as when he said Rakesh Tandon bowled brilliantly in a particular match between Bombay and Hyderabad, though he did not watch the match and two of us who played in that game insisted that Tandon had been extremely lucky to get six wickets in the final innings of the match despite bowling full tosses and long hops galore. VV just dismissed our version of the story as baseless!</span><br />
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Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-65276439487761622242013-04-28T21:17:00.003-07:002013-04-28T21:17:32.957-07:00My first captain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">I was
immeasurably saddened by this morning’s obituary notice about Vaastu Sastri S
Raman, who was my first captain in the Madras cricket league back in the 1960s
(not counting the 1962-63 season when I warmed the benches for MRC ‘B’). I had
been meaning to make contact with him for the past few months, because I
remember him with gratitude for recognising my talent and encouraging me
unstintingly when I was a beardless stripling. The path to hell is paved with
good intentions, and I kick myself for missing yet another opportunity to do
the right thing by old friends and mentors. The following was written a while
ago and will be part of my forthcoming book.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">"Do you
remember who got dropped by the MRC B captain in a league match back in the
sixties after his team entered the field and a quick headcount revealed twelve
on the ground?" he asked. Though taken aback by these opening remarks of
the bridegroom at a recent wedding I attended at Coimbatore, even as I greeted
him, I knew the answer in no uncertain terms. "It was me," I informed
Krishna, but he was not so sure, so he asked his father, N Murali, who bowled
medium pace for the club after I left it. "It was either your brother
Sivaramakrishnan or 'Vaalberi'," he confidently asserted, referring to
Thyagarajan of that unfortunate nickname. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">I maintained my
stand and confronted "Bobji" Rangaswami -- who had led the side in
1962 and pointed the offending finger that signalled my inglorious exit from
Teachers College B. "Bobji" smiled vaguely but seemed to have no
recollection of the episode. Soon enough, in came Vaalberi, who too stoutly
denied being given the marching orders after entering the ground all those
years ago, but admitted to carrying a grudge still about being unfairly
excluded on some other occasions, mainly on account of a rival's superior
resources that enabled him to foot the lunch bill at matches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> Murali was still not convinced I had been the
victim of Bobji's belated success at counting up to twelve, so two days later,
he asked my brother at the reception held at Chennai, if it had been he who had
suffered the indignity of being found supernumerary at such a late hour.
Sivaramakrishnan assured him that he had never played for MRC B and that the
child prodigy he had in mind had indeed been his brilliant and deserving elder
brother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> Murali should not have bothered to ask so
many people, because I could never be wrong about an incident that had had me
close to tears. Ask any fifteen year old who has been dropped from the eleven -
before or after the toss -- and he will tell you that he is not likely to
forget the experience in a hurry. To be dropped after actually crossing the
ropes to take the field was much worse than my friend Balu's experience of
being run out first ball of the match off a ricochet from the bowler's hand,
after he had sat up all night brushing up on Don Bradman's coaching tips for
batsmen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">Though that
first year in league cricket was forgettable in terms of personal achievement,
the lunches courtesy the Hindu family were excellent, and I learnt to swear
like a Madras rickshaw wallah from the good doctor Bala who opened our innings.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">My second
season was memorable. Playing for Jai Hind CC under the adventurous captaincy
of the inimitable S Raman, I blossomed as an off spinner. He had complete faith
in my bowling ability and gave me some superbly attacking fields. He was our
best - and often only batsman - and my bowling efforts were wasted as my team
invariably crashed to two-digit totals, losing ten matches and barely managing
to draw one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">Decades later,
Raman—a good TT player in his youth
like his younger brothers Lakshmanan and Bharathan, and now a vaastu
expert—stopped me at a petrol station and extolled my bowling virtues, much to
my embarrassment, moved as I was by his warmth and generosity. "You are
good enough to play for India; next time I meet Venkataraghavan, I'll ask him
why you could not play along with him for the state, so that the national
selectors can consider you," he threatened. This was at the end of my
career, but Raman felt I was still fit enough to bowl off spin for Tamil Nadu
and India! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">My
embarrassment that morning was nothing compared to what I was to experience
soon afterwards. He accosted Venkat and me at the upanayanam ceremony of a
young cricketer, and actually proceeded to ask him why he had done nothing to
promote my cricket career. He gave him a detailed account of my many sterling
qualities of head and heart, and described the glory of my flight and the
viciousness of my spin in such glowing terms that a passerby would have been
pardoned for mistaking the object of his admiration to be Jim Laker or Erapalli
Prasanna.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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(The brothers S Raman, S Lakshmanan (bharatanatyam artiste
Krishnaveni’s husband) and S Bharathan were all outstanding sportsmen in cricket
and table tennis. All three of them are no more).</div>
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Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-81112380625968968472013-04-19T21:51:00.001-07:002013-04-19T21:51:26.766-07:00The unpretentious precursor of T20<a href="http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=44021&boxid=16414&ed_date=2013-4-20&ed_code=820009&ed_page=10">The unpretentious precursor of T20</a>Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-725771015511480252.post-533967650772905572013-04-13T00:10:00.001-07:002013-04-13T00:10:52.917-07:00School Spotlight: ‘Mozart of Indian Music’ visits Middleton-Cross Plains : Wsj<a href="http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/local_schools/school-spotlight-mozart-of-indian-music-visits-middleton-cross-plains/article_ccf9e83c-a080-11e2-bb5a-0019bb2963f4.html#.UWkE8FyRcvQ.blogger">School Spotlight: ‘Mozart of Indian Music’ visits Middleton-Cross Plains : Wsj</a>Ramnarayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00725485560951538975noreply@blogger.com0