The fallout from the Cricket World Cup has been harsh, and I don't mean the blame game going on in the Caribbean by those who haven't seen the economic boost the event was supposed to yield. Two of the top cricket nations in the world, Pakistan and India, have experienced shake-ups and finger-pointing since the event concluded April 28. Losing brings out the worst in us, and in this case it was no different. Had India or Pakistan won the Cricket World Cup, their camps would have given the impression that harmony prevailed. But since both teams were eliminated in the first round . . .
-- Pakistan captain Inzamam ul-Haq resigned from one-day cricket and later criticized the security at the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica in wake of the death of coach Bob Woolmer. It was first called a homicide by investigators but reports have since said Woolmer died of natural causes.
-- Pakistan media manager Pervez Mir has criticized the team, saying players were more interested in praying than practicing.
-- Vice-captain Younis Khan turned down an offer of the captaincy, saying he was upset about how the team was treated when it returned home.
-- And the latest, a Pakistan Cricket Board committee blamed ul-Haq's "autocratic'' leadership and the failure of the board's chief selector -- Wasim Bari -- to stand up to him for the team's early exit from the World Cup.
In India, coach Greg Chappell resigned, and some of the infighting that was going on between the players came to light. Reports suggested that Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly conspired to make captain Rahul Dravid look bad because both desired to be captain again. It was also revealed that Chappell was not on speaking terms with some players, including Tendulkar.
Oh, and Chappell even questioned the commitment of Tendulkar, a comment the star batsman said was hurtful. And Ian Chappell, the commentator and former Australia captain, said Tendulkar appears to be just hanging on to pad his career statistics and should retire.
Both countries -- India and Pakistan -- take their cricket seriously, and the aftermath confirms that. Home fans turned on players for both countries, burning their images in effigy and even harassing their families. Will all be forgiven soon or will these feelings linger? That is left to be seen. But one this is certain. Winning helps everyone get along.
Well said. The only relaxed, happy cricketers on the sub-continent now seem to be the Bangladeshis. As well they should be.
Younis Khan seems to be having fun in England at the moment, playing some excellent county cricket for red-hot Yorkshire. I can't say that I blame him for not wanting the captaincy.
So, will there be any blogging on the England Test? I can't say the first day offered much hope for the Windies. They did a bit after lunch, but going into the first break on 85-0 after making England bat first ... erm, not so much.
Posted by: exile | May 17, 2007 at 04:12 PM