Australian Cricket: A Dilemma?

The posts have been few and far between the second half of December. I guess there has been too much going on with staff development days in Moree and holidays in Fingal Bay. And, of course watching the Ashes.

I have always been a cricket fan. Perhaps that is because of the traditions and importance of the game to a great many Australians. Or perhaps because I played as a youngster and was pretty good at it. So, I figure I am as qualified as most other pundits to make a few comments on the current state of play.

Boxing Day is always a big day on the Australian cricket calendar. Not only because there is the Christmas Day hangover of giving and receiving presents and indulging in way too much food, but because this signals the start of the Boxing Day test. However, more than 83,000 fans found their way into the Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch some cricket and enjoy Australia's resurgence in this Ashes series, only to watch the best English cricket has to offer rout the best Australian cricket has to offer on a day that saw Australia bundled out for 98; the lowest total in an Ashes test since 1877 (so, I am told).

This debacle has led, and will continue to lead, to some serious public and private discussions as to the fate of some members of the current Australian team and to the people who select them.

Some hard and tough decisions need to be made if Australia is to return to the dominant position it once held in world cricket. Any failure to make these tough calls will result in Australia floundering, as it currently is, around being the 5th or 6th best nation in test cricket. This is surely not acceptable for such a proud cricketing nation as Australia. Perhaps it is time that Australia adopted the English approach to the game?

One must give credit where credit is due. England has played excellent cricket, and for the most part has out-classed Australia in all facets of the game. The English had a bit of a hiccup in the third Ashes test in Perth, but the quality of their outfit has been seen in the way they bounced back and humiliated Australia on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne. The test will be whether Australia can exhibit the fighting spirit for which it is renowned and salvage a draw from the shambles of day one.

But I digress. What are the hard decisions that have to be made?

It must start at the top, at least in terms of the team. The captaincy of the Australian cricket team is one of the most important appointments in Australia. It is earned and the man given the responsibility is one who has achieved and proven their ability over many years. Many argue that it ranks second to that of the prime ministership. I would argue that it is more important than that! Therefore, it cannot be given and taken away easily. Yet, Ricky Ponting, despite his impressive record of achievement, needs to make some hard choices. It is time that he stepped down from the captaincy. Now, whether he stays on and tries to maintain his position in the team as a batsman alone, as Sachin Tendulkar has done in India, is a choice for him. But he needs to unburden himself of the captaincy and get on with his cricket or give test cricket away.

I like Steve Smith, and I think he is a wonderful talent, but he is surely not the best number six batsmen in Australia in 2010, is he? Nor is he the best spinner in Australia on current form. Let's face it, I am no big Nathan Hauritz fan, but the man gets dropped from the Australian cricket team, goes back to NSW and scores a couple of hundreds and takes wickets that see NSW on top of the Sheffield Shield table but a considerable margin. Despite the criticisms of Hauritz that he bleeds runs, it would seem that the selectors have erred in their haste.

Herein lies another tough decision. Australian selectors have to choose a spinner and stick with them, give them a chance to succeed in the Australian test team and the test cricket environment. It will be a long time before there is ever another Shane Warne, if ever, but to have burned through 9 spinners since his retirement smacks of desperation.

The final team dilemma, at least in terms of this post, relates to the captaincy in waiting deal. There is no need to annoit a captaincy in waiting beyond the selection of a vice-captain. Let that be as it is. Simply, the selection of the vice-captain suggests who the next bloke will be. Now, whether Michael Clarke is the man for the job is an issue for debate. Personally, I think there are better choices out there; Shane Watson for one.

It would be remiss not to address the matter of the selectors. After all, these are the men who put their heads together to come up with an Australian team. The only question I would have is this: Is this the best that Australian cricket has to offer?

Maybe it is time that Cricket Australia thought about changing its selection panel.

The final point is about coaching. Maybe Australian cricket needs a new coach. We were spoiled during the John Buchanan years with an excellent coaching staff and exceptional players. Yet, when things are going bad, then the coach needs to accept some of the responsibility too. Maybe it is time that the current coach fell on his sword?

The Captain's Walk -- Cootamundra...

Less than 24 hours to go on my focus week! I am looking forward to getting home. This is not because I have not enjoyed Cootamundra, the high school (staff and students), or the White Ibis. It is simply because I miss my family. Although Sydney is not all that far away at about four hours drive, it is too far away to drive to and from school everyday!

That said, I am looking forward to coming back to finish off the final four weeks of my practicum life as this represents the culmination of my Masters. I get a satisfactory grade on the practicum and then I am applying for a casual teaching number, and then I am on my way. I have casual teaching work lined up for the first working day after I finish. However, all that depends on successful completion of this practicum placement. So, there is a need to remain a little focused.

The focus week has been relaxed. I was expecting it to be. After all, it is the last week of term 3 and both the students and staff have wound down in preparation for the school holidays. Nevertheless, I have done what I needed to do; found out what I am teaching and who, and observed plenty of classes. I am thinking that I might get roped into helping out with the LOTE class as the LOTE stream here is Indonesian.

I must add that "roped in" is said in the most positive of ways. It is something that I would enjoy doing; passing on my enthusiasm for Indonesia and the Indonesian language to others. Going to Indonesia and learning Indonesian was a wonderful experience and has provided me with a lifetime of memories already. Not to mention that my better half is Indonesian and my Will is half Indonesian as well!

Anyways, I digress. This post is about this really cool walk that they have here in Cootamundra. It is called the "Captain's Walk". It is just a short winding path through a small park just down from Cootamundra High School. I think the park is called Jubilee Park (I will check on my way to work in the morning). The path has brass busts / sculptures on either side of the path of each of the men who have captained the Australian Cricket Team from the very first to the current.

I photographed each and every head. Unfortunately, I have not formatted the photos in order to decrease their size. So, I will only post a few here. I am not sure that it is worth coming to Cootamundra just for the Captain's Walk, but if you were ever in town then it is certainly worth a look. I figured that I would be able to use them at some point in teaching Australian / Modern History. I am guessing that I could put them into a PowerPoint presentation and add some biographical information to each slide.

The first captain is an Aboriginal gentleman by the name of Unaarrimin (Johnny Mullagh - there seems to be an alternate spelling of his Aboriginal name; Unaarrimim). He was part of the first ever Australian team to tour to Britain in 1868.

The following is Australia's greatest ever cricketer, Don Bradman.

And the last, is the current captain, Ricky Ponting.

White Ibis -- Cootamundra...

I am staying at the White Ibis while I am in Cootamundra. It is described on its website as "boutique accommodation". It is a renovated hotel / pub that was originally built in 1876 (I will post some more photos in addition to the one here, later). I might have described it as quaint. I like it the rooms are big and the beds comfortable, which are two keys to a good stay.

However, if you are looking for internal bathrooms and kitchen facilities, then you probably need to remember this was once a pub. The bathrooms are shared. They are, however, big and clean with lots of hot running water. There is a kitchenette upstairs attached to 'the lounge' and it has a microwave, a toaster, and a kettle. It also have all the necessary crockery and cutlery.

Last night I was here by myself, no other patrons in sight. Although, judging by the voices wafting in through the room door from the lounge area, I am guessing there are people here who have checked in through the day. Or, there are very chatty ghosts that I have not heard in the past.

So, if you are ever in Cootamundra then this is a pretty good place to bed and breakfast from.

Oh, Cootamundra is also the Birthplace of Don Bradman. I am pretty sure Bowral takes most of the credit for his cricket, but hey you are born where you are born, and the Don was born in Cootamundra. The actual house that he was born in has been bought and converted into a museum. There is also this thing called the "Captain's Walk" just down from the high school. It is a walking path that has a bronze relief of all of the Australian Test Cricket Captains from go to whoa. And, as we all know being Prime Minister of Australia is the second most prestigious and important job in Australia after the Captaincy of the Australian Test Cricket Team!

See you in Cootamundra!

Little Known Facts...

This is something that seems to be doing the rounds on the blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and email. It depends on where you live as to what sport is involved.

The version that I received relates to cricket. But, I have recently seen a version for hockey. I am guessing there is probably one floating around for lacrosse as well.

Anyways...

A little known fact...

The first testicular guard (Box) was used in cricket in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. It took 100 years for men to realize that the brain is also important.

Howard Snubbed for the Status Quo?

It would seem that being a cricket tragic and the former Prime Minister of Australia for 10 or so years are not qualifications enough to be rubber-stamped as a vice president of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The current format sees a rotational policy in operation where the vice-presidents rotate through the presidency of the ICC.

Unfortunately, for the former PM and self-declared cricket tragic, the powers that be aligned against him and have seemingly thwarted his attempt for a chair at the big table.

I am not sure that this should necessarily be seen as an insult to either John Howard or to Australia. The wash-up of this is likely to focus on a desire of some nations to keep the status quo, perhaps even some might want to discuss that the corrupting nature of power is at work here where vested interests are not going to allow the organisation to be cleaned up. There have been charges in the past that corruption is rampant in cricket and that the ICC does not have the desire or the power to clean it up.

There is one thing for sure, John Howard would be coming in all guns blazing. But, this is all hypothetical now as his nomination has hit the skids big time.

Too bad, but Ho Hum...

A Cricketing Saga!

The racial vilification saga that plagued the Second Test between India and Australia seems to have been resolved in India's favour...no shock on that one. There should be no shock either in realizing that the International Cricket Council (ICC) caved into the demands of the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket India). Nor should there be any confusion that the threats of the Indian management that they would have been required by the BCCI to pull out of the tour and that planes had been chartered to squirrel the team out of Australia in the middle of the night be under-estimated because from all accounts this is true.

Could the result of the appeal gone any other way...I thought that India was a country with a common law tradition and an understanding of an independent judiciary. This is not to say that the judge in the appeal here was threatened or caved into any particular wishes. He did not! But the mere thought of the BCCI jumping up and down on the spot like a petulant child leaves a sour taste in one's mouth.

What suffers here is cricket!

There should be no doubting that the ICC must now vote itself out of existence and let the BCCI run the game particularly if what is being reported is true. That is; Cricket Australia (CA) was more worried about a potential USD 60 million lawsuit than making a principled stand against racism in sport and forcing the players to follow their less than courageous lead supposedly for "the good of the game".

The appeal and review process seems to have set the standard for racism at the "beyond all reasonable doubt" level before a penalty can be imposed. So, the alleged offender had the charge downgraded and eventually was fined 50% of his match fee -- in essence a slap on the wrist and sent home without a ban. The alleged offender as part of the deal did acknowledge that he used offensive language (see an earlier blog entry as to what he said) although at the time this whole sorry saga broke he denied he said anything offensive either...what is the truth, who knows!

So, the BCCI has effectively flexed its muscles and had an umpire replaced and sent home, forced the ICC to alter the rules governing appeals, and forced the ICC to back down on the racism charge...in a boxing analogy this is no mere points decision, this is a first round KO for the BCCI of the ICC. The ICC should not be allowed back into the ring until it gets a medical clearance stating that it is fit to represent the interests of world cricket. I thought these blokes were paid well to have a spine!

The idea that the outcome of the hearing would see India go off and try and establish a separate cricketing organization is fear-mongering at its worst. The reality is that the BCCI has some much financial clout because of international cricket -- the BCCI needs the teams from the rest of the world to remain profitable. It is about time that both the BCCI and the ICC realized this...If the rest of the world was to pack its cricketing kits and tell the BCCI to shove there demands in a place where there aint no sunshine, then BCCI revenues would soon fall.

The World Series of Cricket and rebel cricket tours to South Africa during the hey day of apartheid showed us that rebel leagues have only passing fascination and ultimately the fans return to the real deal.

All in all it has been a sorry saga and a saga hopefully not to be repeated.

Racism in Sport

Some news from my homeland, the land down under, Australia!

The conclusion of the second cricket test has left a bitter taste in many mouths not so much by the way India capitulated on the final day to lose a test which seemed destined for a draw and an end to the Australian pursuit of the all time consecutive wins record at 15, just one shy of the magical 16, but rather as a result of the subsequent suspension of Harbhajan Singh for a racist taunt against Andrew Symonds. Symonds alleges that Singh called him a monkey.

Now, calling someone a monkey in and of itself is not racist, but when the person being called a monkey is Australia's only black player then the question was almost certainly going to arise as to whether it was a racist taunt. But what about if Singh had called Ponting and Symonds a pair of monkeys would that have been racist?

There is a long history of racism associated with calling a black person a monkey. If you do not believe it, then a simple Google search with the right terms will enlighten you no end. The insinuation is that the person is a throwback to the apes, perhaps representative of the missing link, and it is undoubtedly derogatory and intended to offend. Human beings can be really offensive when they want to be.

If Singh called Symonds a monkey he should be punished for it. Is a 3 match ban the most appropriate form of punishment; maybe, maybe not. But even more appropriate would be for the offender to get some counselling and then be required to make public service announcements regarding the danger of racism. This would go to the fundamental goal of achieving a recognition that racism has no place in sport.

But what about more general forms of sledging and taking the piss out of your opponents. Unfortunately, the good ol' days of "ya mother wears army boots" are long gone. Insults of this nature just no longer cut the mustard. Yet, is the best course of action in the light of this fiasco to ban sledging altogether?

Back to the case at hand. I have read some interesting articles and attempts to justify and execute Singh for the alleged comment. It was heard supposedly by a number of people although Singh has strenuously denied he uttered the offending word. But the most interesting article I read related to the Hindi word for motherfucker (the debate on whether an insult, and it is an insult with sexist connotations, is offensive based on whether it is an adjective or a noun is a different debate and a different post, but for an excellent academic discussion on the use of "fuck" see this link) which is "Maa Ki" to an untrained Australian ear this may indeed sound like 'monkey'. So, should Singh be given the benefit of the doubt here? Perhaps and particularly so in light of his vehement denials that he used monkey.

Let's face it, motherfucker may not be racist but the connotation is clear and as such it is offensive. The difference here is it is not racist and as such would have seemingly attracted no ban (but see the next point on the counter claim relating to the use of the word bastard--this may attact a ban of up to 4 matches). Further, the fact that Singh has now been labelled a racist this is a tag that will follow him for the rest of his career and into his post-cricket life too. What happened on the field should have stayed on the field and been settled there as well. In this age of political correctness the Dons that rule our little worlds would never stand for it. Is Dons racist or something offensive...Dons is used here in the sense of the head honcho of a mafia outfit, The Don. My Ma tells a great story about going to a wedding in her youth where the bride and groom were both of Italian ancestry.

Keeping on the offensive theme. India has lodged a counter-claim against Brad Hodge that he used the term 'bastard' when addressing a couple of the Indian players. Bastard in the technical sense refers to a child born out of wedlock and initially was intended to offend. Overtime the term has lost much of its offensiveness and it is now used in a number of ways like 'you lucky bastard' to signal that someone has enjoyed a considerable bit of good fortune. For example, when Symonds was given not out after edging the ball and standing his ground, you could safely say you were a lucky bastard not to be given out. Unfortunately, for Brad Hogg he suggested he was going to run through you bastards, which simply means he intended to take the Indians wickets as cheaply as possible, has become a test of consistency for the Match Referee.

So, in a country or culture that does not look favourably on children born out of wedlock, then being a bastard is stigma that is particularly offensive. Australians are likely to argue that bastard is no longer an offensive term as it is used regularly. The Indians made a similar claim that in Indian culture the monkey is a revered creature, and it is a deity, and as such hardly offensive. This is perhaps an oversimplification and India would be better served to argue that Singh did not use a racist epithet but rather he called Symonds a motherfucker. I am not sure that I can see the overall distinction here on an offensiveness level but if someone thinks that the insult of one's mother is less offensive than racism on the offense scale then so be it. Let the powers that be explain that one!

Hopefully, this is a storm in a tea cup that over time will dissipate and be dispatched into the pages of history. Racism is a serious issue but there are too many questions about whether there is a sufficient preponderance of circumstantial evidence to convict and punish Singh for his alleged indiscretion.

The bigger issue in the long term was the preponderance of mistakes made by the umpires which had the impact of completely changing the outcome of the contest. This has given rise to an active debate as to how much technology should be allowed into the game. These are separate but related issues. Related because better microphone technology might have picked up the exchange between Singh and Symonds putting to rest once and for all the dispute as to whether he did or did not say it.

The optimist in me says that cricket and sport will be a better game for this experience.