Hurriedly arranged Lanka tour may fetch BCCI Rs.60 crores

(EXCLUSIVE)

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi: The recent One-Day International series in Sri Lanka not only provided Indian cricketers an opportunity to earn a few lakhs more, but it also came to the aid of the Indian cricket board in a big way – financially. The series is estimated to fetch the board a profit of up to Rs.60 crore.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the world’s richest organisation in the game and the numero uno amongst all sports federations in the country, had expected a surplus of well over Rs.235 crore for the financial year 2008-09. But the cancellation of the two home one-dayers against England last year and the tour to Pakistan this January threatened to dilute this projected figure. A hurriedly-arranged tour to Sri Lanka comprising five One-Day Internationals and a Twenty20 International, however, helped the board recover about half of the Rs.120 crore that was estimated to have been lost due to the two cancelled events, according to the BCCI treasurer.

“Now [after the tour of Sri Lanka], the loss will not be of Rs.120 crore as expected. The series in Sri Lanka has helped us recover 40% to 50% of that projected loss. Although the final figures are being calculated, it’s my guess that about 40%-50% of that amount will be recovered,” BCCI treasurer M.P. Pandove told me.

The BCCI had projected an income of Rs.882.57 crore and a surplus of Rs.2,353,541,212 from 2008-09. The cancellation of the Pakistan tour and the Guwahati and Delhi ODIs against England, following the Mumbai attacks, left a bit of a dent. But the board will be able to end the financial year with a surplus of Rs.1,753,541,212, thanks to Sri Lanka Cricket agreeing to host the Indian team for the ODIs and the Twenty20 International. Actually, the surplus could look still healthier when the profit from the 2008 Indian Premier League (IPL) and the extended tour of New Zealand in February-March is taken into account when books for 2008-09 are made.

The BCCI budget shows a projected income of Rs.514,801,409 from the maiden edition of IPL held in April-June 2008. Pandove, however, says that the eventual profit would be over Rs.100 crore. If that actually happens – and there is little doubt that it will be not be so -- the BCCI could well end up earning more than its budgeted surplus of Rs.235.35 crore in 2008-09.

The BCCI had expected a net profit of Rs.1,682.77 lakh from the Pakistan tour, comprising three Tests and five ODIs scheduled to start on January 4. The squad would have comprised 25 people, including 15 players, manager, coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, physiotherapist, physical trainer, computer analyst, masseur and travel assistant.

For this tour, the BCCI would have received Rs.1,617,28 lakh from the team sponsor Sahara alone and Rs.400.50 lakh from the team kit’s sponsor Nike. Out of the tour’s total income of Rs.2,017.78 lakh (this was before deducting the expenditure of Rs.335.01 lakh), the board would have distributed Rs.238.25 lakh as players’ fee, given Rs.10.50 lakh to the managers, travel assistant and masseur as their fee and Rs.1.26 lakh as entertainment allowance to the captain, coach and managers. The expenditure would have included Rs.30 lakh on travelling, Rs.25 lakh on officials and selectors, Rs.25 lakh on the extra member and Rs.5 lakh under ‘miscellaneous’ head.

The board has projected an income of Rs.432,133,600 from England’s recent tour of India, Rs.172,077,000 from the Test and ODI tour of Sri Lanka in July-August, Rs.164,465,200 from Australia’s tour to India in October-November, Rs.134,040,000 from last year’s Asia Cup held in Pakistan, amongst other heads for 2008-09.

India will now tour New Zealand – their last international fixture of the 2008-09. A Test match and a Twenty20 International were added to the tour schedule to somewhat make up for the cancelled Pakistan tour following attacks on Mumbai. This tour initially consisted of two Tests and five ODIs, from which the BCCI had estimated to earn a profit of Rs.1,441,86 lakh. This figure will now shoot up with the two additional matches, including the solitary but lucrative Twenty20 International.

The earnings of BCCI, worth Rs. 17,147,155,393 on March 31, 2008, broke the Rs.1,000-crore barrier in 2007-08 as it recorded an overall income of Rs.1,000.41 crore. This showed an increase of 46% over the previous year’s income of Rs.651.83. In 2006-07, the corresponding amount was Rs.430.05 crore.

This remarkable growth was possible mainly due to sale of media rights that fetched a whopping Rs.5,593,135,185 crore -- an increase of Rs.245.69 crore over 2006-07, when it earned Rs.3,136,284,351. In 2005-06, the corresponding figure was Rs.430.05 crore.

The second biggest source of income in 2007-08 was the surplus from tours/series, amounting to Rs.2,267,332,191, followed by the interest amount accrued (Rs.761,544,104) on a total fixed deposit of Rs.11,955,609,449. The increase in fixed deposits interest over the previous financial year was to the tune of Rs.25.84 crore. In 2006-07, the BCCI had Rs.745 crores in fixed deposits and Rs.545 crore in 2005-06. Indeed, the rise in BCCI stocks has been astonishing, to say the least.

During 2007-08, the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave the BCCI Rs.468,812,958 as its share from the 2007 World Cup, in which India crashed out in the first round itself. The BCCI also received from ICC Rs.18,599,707 as its share from the Champions Trophy that it hosted in October 2006.

During the financial year, the BCCI benefited from being recognised under Sec.12 A, allowance of exemption under Sec.11 and completion of assessment under Sec.143 (3) for financial years 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05. The board also made good progress in the unending income tax related matters arising out of the 2006 World Cup held in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. One big success was that the BCCI managed to convince tax authorities that PILCOM, the joint body that organised the World Cup, was “not an agent of foreign boards/players”. Obtention of Service Tax judgement in BCCI’s favour saw the entire demand of Rs.33 crore being deleted.

In the expenditure column of 2008-09, the board proposes to distribute amongst its affiliated units the TV subsidy money of Rs.3,590,330,189 (in 2006-07 it had distributed Rs.3,718,946,858), spend Rs.531,516,536 on the 16 national tournaments that it organises, will give Rs.90,000,000 as retainership to international players, has earmarked Rs.16 crores for the Platinum Jubilee Benevolent Fund (monthly gratis, or pension) for retired men and women players, umpires, and widows of umpires, and has set aside Rs.220,863,686 as TV production cost.

Rs.66 crore were distributed among the international players, as against Rs.43 crore in 2006-07 and Rs.31 crore in 2005-06 and Rs.26 crore in 2004-05. The domestic players’ share too was Rs.66 crores in 2007-08. A total of 26.5% of the total income that the BCCI makes every year is distributed among players.

Amazingly, despite boasting so much money, the BCCI does not have its own building. If its headquarters are housed in a leased/rented space it mainly due to disagreement between the two prominent groups, led by Jagmohan Dalmiya and IS. Bindra/Sharad Pawar. While Dalmiya/Ranbir Singh Mahendra wanted the BCCI offices to be shifted to Delhi, the Mumbai lobby in the board wanted it to remain in Mumbai.

The BCCI offices had been housed in a dilapidated, congested corner of the plush Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai for decades. Finally, when the Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) all-glass building came up inside the Wankhede Stadium – a stone’s throw from Brabourne Stadium -- the BCCI leased rented two floors in 2006. In 2006-07, it paid MCA Rs.179,360 but the expenditure shot up to Rs.8,183,293 in 2007-08. In addition to the two floors, the BCCI has also leased rented the fourth floor of the same building for IPL offices. Like every year, the board has earmarked Rs.1 crore in its budget for the headquarters’ lease.
These huge figures, however, do not reflect in the board’s manner of working, which still remains amateurish and secretive in many areas. Till last year the BCCI did not have its own website. A few years ago, the BCCI hired Tata Consultancy Services, but decided not to implement all of its recommendations. At its own slow pace, the BCCI expanded its staff, seemingly reluctantly bringing in a few former cricketers on its rolls.

Cheek to cheek: India-Pakistan cricket relations down the ages
(EXCLUSIVE)

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

(I have been to Pakistan only thrice and always to cover cricket -- 1996 World Cup, 2004 and 2006 -- and I found that general public in Pakistan loves cricket and adores Indian cricketers, esepcially Sachin Tendulkar. Following the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore on March 3, 2009, here is a piece I recently wrote on India-Pakistan cricket relations. Read on ...)

New Delhi: When the young textile mill owner, Naeem Gulzar, especially came down to Multan from Lahore to present a beautiful carpet to Virender Sehwag following his historic triple Test century on India’s unforgettable tour of Pakistan in 2004, he emulated Zia-ul-Haq. The late Pakistan president too had presented an expensive carpet to Sunil Gavaskar on his 100th Test match in Lahore in 1984. Exactly 20 years later, Gulzar made the presentation at Sehwag’s hotel room and had a quiet and friendly dinner with him.

These are amongst the many incidents that underline how intertwined cricket is with the masses in the two countries. It is also a very effective tool that politicians in both countries use frequently, unashamedly and selfishly. Therefore, when India’s scheduled tour to Pakistan — the third one in less than five years — this January-February, was cancelled after the attacks in Mumbai, genuine fans and players mourned the decision. No one knows for sure when the bilateral series would resume.

The first time the game was sacrificed at the altar of India-Pakistan politics was after the 1960 war. No series was held for the next 18 years. Later, a 15-year gap occurred between 1989 and 2004. During this period India did not undertake a tour of Pakistan due to political reasons, though a two-Test series did take place in India in 1999.

Interestingly, the 2004 tour happened despite the Kargil war in 1999 and the failed Agra Summit between Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pervez Musharraf in 2001. Nobody could imagine that a cricket series would be played so soon because of the prevailing tension.

Bishan Singh Bedi, who was India captain on the path-breaking tour of Pakistan in 1978-79, is disappointed with politicians interfering with cricket. “I don’t have good views about all this [repercussions of India’s cancelled tour], that’s why I don’t want to say much,” he said.
The legendary left-arm spinner refuses to guess as to how long the suspension would last. “When we toured Pakistan in 1978, it was after 18 years. What happened?” Bedi probably implied that now the situation is different from what it was in 1960. Now, powerful voices are putting pressure on India and Pakistan to make up.

Former India all-rounder, Manoj Prabhakar, who toured Pakistan in 1989 for India’s last full-fl edged Test series before the 15-year gap occurred, is also unable to predict. “It will take a long time. Can’t see it starting soon in the present circumstances,” he said.

A quiet change in world cricket administration has occurred in the last few years with the International Cricket Council (ICC) becoming pro-active. It now tells countries to honour the Future Tours Programme, a long-term schedule for the Test-playing nations. An example of this was the Pakistan-Australia Test matches played in Sharjah in 2000-01, when the Kangaroos declined to tour Pakistan due to security reasons.

If a country declines to tour another country without solid reason, it faces fines up to $2 million. But in the Indian case the penalty doesn’t apply since the government stopped the tour not the cricket board. Indian and Pakistani boards are reportedly mulling over Abu Dhabi in UAE as an alternative neutral venue. Although the facilities there are excellent, it boils down to government permission and arranging foolproof security.

In spite of the ICC stipulations, says Prabhakar, politicians have the final say in India-Pakistan cricket. “It is true that good relations are often built because of cricket. If these days former players like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis or Ramiz Raja, frequently visit India for TV commentary or coaching, it is because cricket has opened options for them,” he reckoned. “Politics ties the hands of cricket boards and players. You have to listen to the government. But if the public wants relations to be good between the two countries, nobody can go against them,” he said, referring to the 2004 tour during which thousands of fans from both countries mingled like never before.

About 800 Indians visited Pakistan -- partly to watch the matches and partly to see their homes and mohallas that they were forced to leave after united India’s tragic partition in 1947.

I was part of the huge media contingent that covered the 44-day tour in 2004 and watched the unprecedented scenes of camaraderie on and off the field. While some people from either country stitched the flags of India and Pakistan together and splashed them with innovative slogans of unity, others painted the fl ags of the two countries on either cheek. I vividly remember watching some youngsters in Lahore wearing shirts made of the two countries’ flags. They shared food, anecdotes and placards in all the stadiums.

The most touching incident was enacted at Hotel Melrose in Lahore’s Liberty Area [just metres from where the Sri Lankan team’s bus was attacked on March 3, 2009] where some Hindu Indian fans had stayed. They arrived during the nine-day Navratras when they avoid eating non-vegetarian food. The hotel management, which used to serve eggs at breakfast, immediately replaced eggs with fruit juices in respect of their “esteemed guests”. No eggs were available for even non-vegetarians like me.

There were many incidents that touched the heart. Alas, politicians took little note of it. But the UN did. Acknowledging the teams as “catalysts of peace”, it announced: “The national cricket teams of Pakistan and India are appointed spokespersons for the International Year of Sport and Physical Education 2005 in recognition of the outstanding example both teams have set in overcoming regional tension and encouraging peaceful relations.”

When the Pakistani team visited India in 2005, Musharraf cleverly used the opportunity to have a dialogue with Manmohan Singh. He watched the Delhi ODI at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium. But, today, no one is ready to predict when Singh and President Asif Ali Zardari would meet and when cricketing ties would resume.

India-Pakistan cricket history is littered with politics, with politicians making maximum use of the game. There are many examples: suspension of cricket ties for 18 years following the war in 1960, Bal Thackarey’s resolve to not ‘allow’ Pakistan to play in Bombay -- the last time Pakistan played there was in 1987 -- Shiv Sainiks digging up the Kotla pitch just before the 1999 Test match in Delhi, and an activist tearing the shirt-buttons of captain K. Srikkanth in Pakistan in 1989.

Interestingly, when cricket is on, the same politicians vie with each other to join the cricket bandwagon to gain maximum mileage, blurring party lines. When India played the Karachi ODI in 2004, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, and BJP leader, Arun Jaitley, together, watched the action at the National Stadium -- seen by millions on TV back home.

Remember, it was the first match of the historic series and the security threat there was most intense. In Lahore, more politicians poured in and Ravi Shakar Prasad, then minister of information, went to the city’s famous Food Street along with captain Sourav Ganguly well past midnight.

Musharraf visited the venues thrice and personally hosted the Indian team on high tea in 2004 as well as in 2006. He seemed to enjoy the borrowed glory from the cricketers, and so did many local politicians and governors who hosted dinners and organised qawwalis.

Zia-ul-Haq too had used cricket for diplomacy to good effect. Three years after gifting the carpet to Gavaskar at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Zia flew down to Jaipur to watch the test match in 1987. His visit occurred when a war looked imminent. Zia’s unscheduled visit and Indian politicians’ shaking hands with him helped defuse the volatile situation. It was during that series that captain Imran Khan did the Cinthol commercial free of cost for his friend Parmeshwar Godrej. And Gavaskar had gone on record saying that he played the 1987 series, his last, only because his friend Imran wanted him “to have a go at each other”.

Despite the politics, cricketers enjoy playing against each other. Many of them have close relatives living across the border. Off the fi eld they are hosted, feted and showered with gifts. Prabhakar cherishes the 1989 tour. “We were welcomed like we were one of their own.” Javed Miandad never gave an inch on the field, but proved to be a gracious host off it. Gundappa Viswanath and Dilip Vengsarkar told me in Lahore in 2006 that on previous tours Miandad used to host dinners for them at his home.

The lucrative IPL has blurred the boundaries. Shoaib Malik and Mohammed Asif played under Virender Sehwag for the Delhi Daredevils while Shoaib Akhtar was a member of Sourav Ganguly’s Kolkata Knightriders.

A year before the IPL was played in April-June 2008, no one had even dreamt of this happening. And when Malik visited Sehwag’s home after his father’s demise in October 2007, a new chapter was written.

The IPL raises hopes. With massive money at stake, it is likely that players and administrators might approach politicians to allow the teams to play again. For that to happen, at least one of the two governments will have to take a bold initiative,as Vajpayee and Musharraf did in 2003.

(This piece first appeared in HardNews magazine’s February 2009 issue)

The IPL story – all about hidden figures

(EXCLUSIVE)

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi: Even as the books are being completed for the 2008 Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL), its organisers say the maiden edition is set to show an income of Rs.100 crore. This amount has exceeded their expectations and should serve as a morale booster in times of global recession and terror strikes in India that has impacted cricket too.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials have projected a Rs.51.48 crore surplus from the 2008 IPL, after deducting the expenditure from the income. But when the books close on March 31, this figure will go up considerably.

As per the BCCI records, the total income -- from sources like the sale of media rights, sale of the eight franchisee teams and other sponsorship deals -- was Rs.6,449,400,000 and projected total expenses were Rs.5,934,598,591. On deducting the expenses from income, the board projected a surplus of Rs.514,801,409.

BCCI treasurer M.P. Pandove, however, said that the surplus would be much higher than projected in the 2007-08 annual report. “The IPL books are still being finalised. But the income is going to be over Rs.100 crore,” Pandove told me. He also said that the budget for the 2009 tournament, which is scheduled to begin on April 10, is yet to be finalised. With IPL’s teething problems hopefully over with the first tournament, the second edition is expected to be organised smoothly – and, who knows, the books might show still healthier figures than the 2008 event would rake up.

But even Lalit Modi, the man who conceived the innovative and popular league, and his BCCI colleagues would surely not have anticipated the two events that affected their plans for 2009. They were the Mumbai terrorist attacks, which forced the Twenty20 Champions League to be postponed, and the global financial crisis. The world was already reeling under the recession when the November 26 attacks happened forcing the December 3-10 Champions League, another tournament that he had conceived, to be postponed for 10 months. It will now be held in October.

Even the general election, already slated to be held in April-May, could further derail the IPL 2009. Once the Election Commission announces the dates, IPL might have to adjust its own schedule, which is yet to be announced. Modi, however, says the starting date (April 10) and the final (May 29) are firm, only the match scheduled is to be drawn and it would be done after the Election Commission announces the election dates.

All this means Modi, also a BCCI vice-president and president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, has his hands full. While still smarting under the postponement of the 2008 Champions League, Modi will now be praying that the recession stabilises and the General Election does not force too many hurdles for the IPL.

Whenever IPL takes place, the slam-bang format seems a guaranteed formula for success, going by the tremendous success it generated last year when the stadiums were packed to the brims for most of the matches. Had it not been so, Modi and his BCCI colleagues would not been so gung-ho about the 2009 tournament.

Last year, the sale of media rights fetched IPL Rs.2,360,000,000 while the total sponsorship money was Rs.1,170,000,000. Besides, franchisee consideration brought in Rs.2,894,400,000 and ‘miscellaneous’ income was Rs.25,000,000. These figures add up to a handsome overall income of Rs. 6,449,400,000.

It’s not just the BCCI that has got rich through IPL; the BCCI-affiliated associations who contest for the national Ranji Trophy championship will be walking happily to the bank. About Rs.203 crore, which is 70 percent of the franchise fees generated by selling the eight teams, will be distributed as subvention to the 27 associations for 2008-09.

With the start of Twenty20 tournament, the BCCI as well as IPL websites were also launched, at long last. Canadaian company Live Current Media Inc. secured the rights for both at a combined cost of $50 million, with the IPL portal alone fetching $20 million.

The main sources of IPL income were MultiScreen Media (new name for Sony television), which gave Rs.2,200,000,000, and the World Sports Group (Rs.160,000,000), as per the BCCI records. While DLF won the rights of the title sponsor with a commitment of Rs.400,000,000 for the first year, the co-sponors are Hero Honda (Rs.180,000,000), Vodafone (Rs.198,000,000), Kingfisher (Rs.212,000,000), Citibank (Rs.120,000,000) and the Web (Rs.60,000,000), as per BCCI documents.

And the main expenditure heads were the production cost, which was about Rs.392,000,000, the umpires’ fees Rs.20,650,000 -- the umpires were appointed by the International Cricket Council – referees’ fees Rs.5,150,000 and match officials’ expense Rs.20,000,000. The ICC also provided the Anti Corruption and Security Unit officials and it cost IPL about Rs.2,280,000 while the expense of conducting dope tests was Rs.1,000,000.

The two main heads under ‘other expenses’ shown in the documents were the franchise payments (Rs.2,246,952,000) and subvention to BCCI-affiliated associations (Rs.2,026,080,000). The other expenditure were on advertisement and promotions (Rs.502,200,000), fees to the International Management Group (Rs.205,013,500), which managed the tournament, tickets purchase (Rs.120,000,000), prize money (Rs.120,000,000), administration (Rs.80,000,000), payment to players (Rs.49,288,571), replay screens (Rs.46,600,000), ‘look and feel’ (Rs.28,000,000) and 3D signs on the grounds (Rs.7,384,520).

The BCCI will also have to pay service tax on the income. It has registered IPL under the category ‘franchisee’ as per the legal opinion it was given, and accordingly the board has remitted Rs.29.09 crore to the service tax department after deducting Rs.6.6 crore as input credit.

The IPL will also have to return to BCCI an amount of Rs.140,604,080, which it had taken as loan, though both are part of the same family. “Initially, the IPL had to take he loan as it had to pay the players,” explained Pandove.

The inflow of huge sums of money is not just making the players rich, but is also keeping IPL governing council members and other officials happy. The officials’ TA/DA is the same as that of the BCCI officials. A BCCI official gets Rs.10,000 for a day’s meeting besides another Rs.10,000 as incidentals per trip and Rs.7,500 as halting allowance. For example, if an official goes out of his city to attend a one day meeting and stays overnight in that city, he makes a cool Rs.27,500. Moreover, the board takes care of his air travel, food and accommodation, usually at a five-star hotel. The BCCI office bearers, the five vice-presidents and all former office bearers are a class apart and that’s why they are eligible for J class airfare.

That the tournament, eventually, turned out to be roaring success would probably justify the pampering of the officials, led by Modi, IPL’s chairman and commissioner. Interestingly, he claims to have registered the name Indian Cricket League (ICL), and not IPL, several years ago. ICL, says Modi, was hijacked by Zee that organises the rebel league under that name. Modi often threatens to move the court to reclaim the original name, but when you have a tournament that is as successful as IPL who cares about the name.

The TRP ratings went sky high during Saturdays and Sundays when matches were played between April 18 and June 1. According to TAM Media Research, around 13 matches scored 6+ to 7+ rating points and the rest logged above 4 and 5. Audience Measurement and Analysis (aMAP) threw a record high viewership rating (7.7) for the final match between Rajasthan Royals and Chenni Super Kings. The peak rating was 10.2 and aMAP suggested that a total of 2.4 crore people watched Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royal win the title in Mumbai. Even the two semi-finals were well watched as they had over 4 TRPs, as per aMAP.

Modi had started working on the concept of an inter-city tournament as long back as 1994. But at the time it was probably not the Twenty20 version. But it was probably only after Twenty20 format helped bring the crowds roaring back to the grounds in county cricket and gave a big relief to the English administrators did Modi change his plans. He approached the IMG and the two designed and launched the IPL on the lines of the National Basketball Association and the National Football League and the English Premier League.

Good humoured Viswanath wins BCCI's CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award 2007-08

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi: What a birthday gift! At times, even the Indian cricket board can time things to perfection (or was it accidental?). Just six days before he turns 60, Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath, the pint sized former India cricket captain and master batsman, was on Saturday declared the winner of the annual C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2007-08.

Viswanath, married to former captain Sunil Gavaskar’s sister Kavita and now a coach at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in his home twon Bangalore, wins a trophy, a citation, and a cheque for Rs. 15 lakh, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.

When I was in Bangalore to cover the India-Pakistan Test in December 2007, my sources told me that Viswanath had been appointed batting coach at the NCA. When the maestro was spending an evening with Roger Binny and other former Karnataka players at the superb club house at the M. Cinnaswamy Stadium, I decided to break the news to him that I had come to know a couple of hours earlier.

As Viswanath decided to take leave the club house (“I have to pick Kavita on way home,” he told them), I accompanied him to his car. And when I broke the news to Viswanath, now a bit inebriated under the influence of beer, he was pleasantly and genuinely surprised. “Have you confirmed it,” he asked me, as if to avoid a mishap. I assured him and the former bank man looked immensely pleased.

I did the following story on his appointment at the time:

Gundappa Viswanath appointed NCA batting coach

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

Bangalore, Dec 7, 2007: Former India cricket captain Gundappa Viswanath has been appointed the new batting coach of the National Cricket Association (NCA). “We have appointed Viswanath the NCA batting coach. The proposal came from NCA chairman Shastri himself,” an official who attended a top-level NCA meeting told me today.

Viswanath, who is also well-known for his gentlemanliness and remarkable sense of humour, was appointed in his new capacity at NCA headquarters at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday evening.

The diminutive 58-year-old maestro, who already has a role with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) academy, was known for his unflinching batting against both speed merchants and spinners during his illustrious international career between 1969 and 1983.

Viswanath amassed 6,080 runs at 41.93 in 91 Tests and 439 in 25 One-Day Internationals and also captained India. The five-foot-five-inch tall right-hander encountered the famed and relentless fast bowling attacks of the West Indies and Australia in 1970s and 1980s with ease.

“Once his appointment was made it was decided either Shastri or Javagal Srinath, who is also a member of the NCA board, would formally speak to Viswanath to inform him about the appointment,” he said. (But I broke the news to him a barely few hours after I wrote this story).

However, sources close to Viswanath said that since the maestro now has a lot of time he would be too happy to take up the assignment. He retired from his bank job in April 2006, and is only cricketing engagement is his association with the KSCA Academy.

FROM THE FILES

I survived Tsunami waves: cricketer Roger Binny

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi, February 6, 2009: Talking about Gundappa Viswanath in the above story, I thought that I should tell the readers of this blog how former India all-rounder Roger Binny and his wife narrowly escaped from the dreaded Tsunami waves in Thailand in 2004.

Binny, along with his former India teammate and fellow Bangalorean Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath and others, was spending an evening at the fine club house of the M. Cinnaswamy Stadium, when he narrated the incident to me. The same evening I had broken the news of Viswanath being appointed NCA batting coach. I had done the following story at the time:

I survived Tsunami waves: Binny

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

Bangalore, Dec 7, 2007: Former India all-rounder Roger Binny has disclosed that he and his wife had a narrow escape from the dreaded Tsunami waves while staying in a hotel in Phuket, Thailand. He was there on an Asian Cricket Council (ACC) assignment in December 2004.

“My wife and I were staying in a hotel near the beach in Phuket where I had gone for an ACC assignment. The waves entered my hotel room and the water was as high as my knees. It was only our destiny that we escaped the fury,” Binny disclosed to me today while sipping bear one evening at the Club House of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, venue of the India-Pakistan Test match.

“We ran out of the hotel, leaving our belongings there, including our passports. We later returned to the room to find that the passports and other things were safe,” said the Bangalore-based player.

More than 200,000 people were killed by surging sea waves that hit South Asia on Dec 26, 2004, with Indonesia being the worst hit country. Over 130,000 people died and 37,000 went missing there. Phuket island was amongst the affected places.

Binny, a member of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning side and now one of ACC Cricket Development Officers, said that although it was a horrific experience to be confronted by the gigantic waves, he found time to record the incident for posterity.

“I have recorded the ‘event’ on my mobile phone. I have still got it on the cell,” said the 52-year-old player with a smile.

Binny, who played 27 Tests and 72 One-Day Internationals with distinction in 1980s, said when the water first rushed inside his room he did not anticipate anything unusual. But when it again rushed in, did he open the window of his ground floor room and immediately realised its seriousness.

“When I opened the door to escape, suddenly more water rushed inside the room. Both of us ran out of the hotel to escape the waves, leaving everything in the room. Later, we returned when water receded,” he recalled.

While Indonesia was the worst sufferer of the Tsunami waves, 8,850 people died in India in addition to 1,900 on its Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 31,000 in Sri Lanka, 5,395 in Thailand, 81 in Maldives, 68 in Malaysia, 61 in Burma and two in Bangladesh, besides the others in Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and Seychelles.

Pakistan not to host Champions Trophy, 2009 venue later: ICC

Perth, February 1: The Board accepted that, with several members expressing reservations about touring Pakistan, it would be prudent to relocate the event, scheduled for September/October, from that country.

In view of the challenges facing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which are out of its control, the Board agreed that, irrespective of the location of the event, Pakistan would retain the revenue due for hosting the tournament. The Board resolved to make a decision on the location for the event before its next scheduled meeting, in April. The Board also resolved to offer to form a task team to visit Pakistan and work with the PCB to find ways to ensure that, wherever possible, international cricket is played in the country in the future.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2009 will be an event featuring the top eight ODI sides in a short, sharp best-of-the-best tournament involving two groups of four teams with round robin matches followed by two semi-finals and a final.

Mr Lorgat said: “It is unfortunate the ICC Champions Trophy will not take place in Pakistan due to circumstances completely beyond the control of the PCB. However, the Board has accepted the need for certainty in planning for and delivering a world-class event and will now assess where the event should be held.”

Oval Test match, England v Pakistan, 2006

After reconsideration of the matter, which included consideration of legal advice and input from the MCC, the custodians of the Laws of Cricket, the Board decided that the original umpires’ decision to award the match to England, should apply.

The Board had originally changed the result to “match abandoned as a draw” in July 2008. ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “I’m gratified the Board reached the conclusion it did as this ensures the integrity of the game and the Laws of Cricket have been upheld. I am especially grateful to the PCB for its understanding in this matter.”

ICC World Twenty20 2010

The Board accepted the West Indies Cricket Board’s recommendation that the ICC World Twenty20 2010 be staged in Barbados, Guyana and St Lucia. It further agreed to the staging of a joint men’s and women’s event, mirroring the 2009 event in England, that the women’s group matches would be played in St Kitts and that the women’s semi-finals and final would take place on the same days and at the same venues as the men’s matches.

Regulations governing domestic cricket events and approved/disapproved cricket

The Board agreed to new regulations relating to the above subjects following recommendations from a working party consisting of former Cricket South Africa President Norman Arendse, Giles Clarke, the Chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Shashank Manohar, BCCI Vice President Lalit Modi and ICC’s Head of Legal David Becker.

The rationale for the new regulations was the need for clarity over how and who decides if an event is approved or disapproved and the sanctions available if there are any breaches of those regulations.

It was agreed that a host member could determine if a match or tournament within its territory was approved or disapproved. The ICC would also be given power to make such a determination in a non-member territory.

It was agreed that no foreign player could take part in domestic cricket unless he obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) from his home Board. It was also agreed that no members, members’ players, coaches or match officials could participate in disapproved cricket.
The new regulations will be implemented from June 1, 2009, and added to the ICC website in due course.

Hurray! Yuvraj escapes Chris Broad's axe

Colombo, February 1: Yuvraj Singh has been found not guilty of breaching the International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct following a hearing here Sunday. It was unusual that Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees did not penalise, considering he has punished many Indians in the past and, at times, unjustfiably, feel many.

Yuvraj had been charged under Level 1.3 of the code, which refers to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision”. But at the resultant hearing, Broad cleared him of the charge.

The charge related to an incident that took place after the first ball of the 33rd over of the second ODI of the current series between Sri Lanka and India when Yuvraj was given out lbw. The incidents was reported by on-field umpires Brian Jerling and Gamini Silva as well as third umpire Kumar Dharmasena, all of whom are members of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires.

“After reviewing video evidence of the incident, I am of the opinion that there was no conclusive evidence that Yuvraj showed dissent at the decision,” said Mr Broad. “He did stay at the crease but the delay in departing was not excessive and I felt he showed a level of disappointment rather than dissent.”

Present at the hearing was the match referee, the player, the three umpires who brought the charge, India coach Gary Kirsten and India team manager Prakash Dixit.

Wonder cricket statistician Bill Frindall of BBC fame is dead

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi: Well-known cricket statistician-scorer Bill Frindall, who kept scores in India’s successful campaign at the 1983 World Cup, passed away in England on Friday, January 30. He was 69 -- 43 of which he spent with the BBC Test Match Special commentary team. Also known as 'Bearders' and the 'Bearded Wonder', Frindall was suffering from Legionnaire's disease, according to BBC Sport.

I happened to exchange a few e-mail messages with Frindall when I needed some authoritative source to put a final seal of approval on a statistic or incident. He always replied promptly. We, however, never met. I missed him when he visited New Delhi in early 1990s.

The last time I wrote to him was on June 14, 2008, when I was doing a piece on the 25th anniversary of India’s historic and unforgettable World Cup triumph. And the same day he replied to my queries on the 1983 World Cup.

“I scored only two of India's 1983 WC matches -- the semi-final and final,” was part of Frindall’s reply. “In the semi-final, (Graeme) Fowler and (Allan) Lamb scored threes (runs). No Indian scored a three in the final,” was the more pertinent part.

He finished the mail with:

“As ever,
Bill Frindall”

Frindall joined the BBC in 1966 and wrote several statistical books, edited the Playfair annual since 1986, and was appointed an MBE in 2004 for his services to the game.

The England and Wales Cricket Board mourned his death. Said Hugh Morris, ECB Managing Director (England Cricket): “Bill Frindall was renowned for the sheer breadth of his knowledge and the deep and lasting affection he had for the game of cricket itself. He will be much missed not only by millions of radio listeners worldwide but also by the fraternity of cricketing scorers in England and Wales whose work he did so much to champion. On behalf of the many past and present England players who considered him a good friend, I would like to send our condolences to his family.”

Indian squad for women’s World Cup announced

Chennai, February 1: Lanky Bengal fast bowler Jhulan Goswami will lead India at the International Cricket Council Women's World Cup 2009, to be played in Australia in March. The national selection panel for women's cricket met here on Sunday to pick the squad for the tournament.

THE SQUAD:
1. Jhulan Goswami (captain)
2. Amita Sharma (vice-captain)
3. Mithali Raj
4. Rumeli Dhar
5. Priyanka Roy
6. M D Thirushkamini
7. Poonam Raut
8. Harman Preeth Kaur
9. Anjum Chopra
10. Sulakshana Naik (wicketkeeper)
11. Anaga Deshpande (wicketkeeper)
12. Reema Malhotra
13. Snehal Pradhan
14. Gohar Sultana
15. Shranvanthi Naidu

Stand Byes:
Diana David
Latika Kumari
Swaroopa Kadam
Pallavi Bharadwaj

Coach: Sudha Shah

Indian, England have reservations on enhanced Test Championship

Perth, January 31: The ICC Board on Saturday held here the first day of its two-day meeting -- the first of the four scheduled meetings it holds each .

Among the matters discussed were the following:

Future Tours Programme (FTP) post-2012
With the BCCI and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) expressing reservations about the idea of an enhanced Test championship, the Board agreed further consultation was necessary between ICC management and the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee with a view to producing an acceptable model. It was further agreed this process would be led by ICC General Manager – Cricket David Richardson and would take place in the lead-up to and during the next CEC meeting, due to be held in Johannesburg in February.

The Board endorsed the view already expressed by both the CEC and the ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat that over-rates were a key issue to be addressed in international cricket and CEC’s discussions should include consideration of ways to do this. The current FTP concludes in May 2012.

Zimbabwe:

Zimbabwe A task team, headed by Dr Julian Hunte, the president of the West Indies Cricket Board, presented an interim report to the ICC Board. This followed a visit to Zimbabwe by Dr Hunte and ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat in November last year. When a timetable was drawn up last October it was always the intention to present an interim report at this meeting with a final report to be submitted at the next Board meeting, in Dubai in April. Pending submission of that final report, the Board was told that none of the stakeholders spoken to during the visit were of the view that Zimbabwe was ready to return to Test cricket, with timeframes proposed ranging from six months to two years or more.The Board was informed that both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) had offered playing and administrative support to Zimbabwe Cricket. Zimbabwe stepped back from Test cricket in January 2006.

Indian Cricket League (ICL)

Consideration of the ICL’s application for approval by the ICC was deferred pending further discussions between representatives of the BCCI, ICL and the ICC.

Members attending were:
David Morgan OBE: ICC President
Sharad Pawar: ICC Vice-President
Haroon Lorgat: ICC Chief Executive
Jack Clarke: Australia
Mahbubul Anam (alternate for Lt. General Sina Ibn Jamali): Bangladesh
Giles Clarke: England
Shashank Manohar: India
Alan Isaac: New Zealand
Ijaz Butt: Pakistan
S. Liyanagama: Sri Lanka
Mtutuzeli Nyoka: South Africa
Dr Julian Hunte OBE: West Indies
Wilfred Mukondiwa (alternate for Peter Chingoka): Zimbabwe
Associate Member Representatives:
Neil Speight: Bermuda
Samir Inamdar: Kenya
Imran Khwaja: Singapore
In attendance:
I.S. Bindra: ICC Principal Advisor

SA dethrone Australia in ODI rankings, India at heel

Dubai, January 30, 2009: South Africa have gone to the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table following its 39-run victory over Australia in Perth on Saturday. India are on their heels at the third spot and sniffing the top spot.

South Africa’s 4-1 series win puts them ahead of Australia by a fraction of a ratings point but Ricky Ponting’s men have immediate chance to regain number one place

The match may have been a dead rubber as far as that series was concerned with South Africa having already won three out of the previous four matches but there was still plenty at stake and Johan Botha can now claim to be captain of the highest-ranked side in the world.

The Proteas had been three ratings points behind Ponting’s men going into the fifth and final ODI of the series but now they move ahead by a fraction of a point and top the ladder for the first time since April 2008 when they briefly wrestled number-one spot from Australia’s grasp.

But the good news for Australia is that it has an immediate opportunity to go back on top as its five-match series against New Zealand begins on Sunday. The table is so tight at the top that victory in that first ODI will send Australia right back to where it has spent the vast majority of the past seven years since the rankings were devised.

Meanwhile, India are hovering just outside the top two and is now only five ratings points behind South Africa and Australia after winning the first match of a five-ODI series in Sri Lanka. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men will be doing their best to keep the pressure on the top two with plenty of ODI cricket coming up on the horizon.

At the other end of the table, Zimbabwe has moved up one place to 10th in the rankings after winning the opening two matches of its five-ODI series in Kenya. Prosper Utseya’s team has now beaten the home side in the two games in Mombasa and so heads to Nairobi full of confidence for the remaining three.

That means Ireland slips to 11th position while Kenya loses ratings points and stays in 12th spot. However, if Kenya was to win the remaining three matches, it would move to 11th place, just one ratings point behind the Irish while Zimbabwe would fall all the way to 12th and last spot on the table. So there’s still plenty to play for in the series.

Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship (as of 30 January)

Rank Team Rating

1 South Africa 125
2 Australia 125
3 India 120
4 New Zealand 113
5 Pakistan 111
6 England 108
7 Sri Lanka 106
8 West Indies 91
9 Bangladesh 46
10 Zimbabwe 20
11 Ireland 19
12 Kenya 1

BCCI to help Zimbabwe cricket

Mumbai, January 30: Peter Chingoka, chairman of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, had a meeting with Shashank Manohar and N. Srinivasan, president and secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) respectively, in Mumbai.

They discussed the role the BCCI can play in the redevelopment of Zimbabwe cricket, which is in turmoil for various reasons. It was decided that a Zimbabwe President’s XI will participate in the Deodhar Trophy in March 2009, along with the usual five zonal sides.

The BCCI has also agreed to invite the Zimbabwe President’s XI to participate in the Duleep Trophy from the 2009-10 season onwards, besides extending the facilities at the Bangalore-based National Cricket Academy for the training of Zimbabwean players.

A team from Zimbabwe will also participate in the Buchi Babu tournament later this year.

Under fire Lalit Modi forms arbitration tribunal

Jaipur, January 30: In order to resolve certain issues raised by some district associations of Rajasthan, Lalit Kumar Modi, president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) has appointed a three-member arbitration tribunal with immediate effect. The bench of arbitrators comprises Justice R.C. Lahoti, retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India (SCI), Justice Kuldeep Singh, retired Justice of the SCI and Justice A.R. Lakshmanan, retired Justice of the SCI.

Modi’s action is as per Article 43 of the RCA by-laws that makes it a duty of the president to refer any dispute relating to constitution, management and election of the Association to Arbitration. In order to put an end to all controversies and any doubt with regard to the impartiality/integrity of the arbitrators, Modi appointed the eminent judges to arbitrate on the following terms of reference:

A. Whether the Resolution dated 28.1.2009 passed by the RCA is a valid resolution and should be acted upon;

B. Whether the election of the RCA should be held immediately or should it be held subject to the outcome of the interim application filed before the Supreme Court;

C. Whether the resolutions of the RCA have been validly passed;

D. Whether there have been any financial irregularities on part of any member of the executive committee of any office bearers of the RCA;

E. Whether the office bearers of the RCA, including myself, are entitled and fit to continue in our respective posts;

F. Any other matter that may be raised by any other member

In the resolution adopted by the Rajasthan Cricket Association on January 28 it was decided to move the Apex Court to seek appropriate directions with regard to holding of election for the Rajasthan Cricket Association immediately.

The election was last held on Feb 21, 2005, under the supervision and chairmanship of Justice Anil Dev Singh, the retired chief justice of the Rajasthan High Court. Since the term of the elected body is four years as per the constitution of RCA such a resolution became imperative.

Accordingly, the RCA secretary Subhash Joshi approached lawyers to move the Apex Court. In a curious turn of events Joshi retracted the steps initiated, which led to RCA president Modi to move the court as per the resolution and curtail the power and authority of Joshi as secretary of RCA.

The application was moved by Abhishek Manu Singhvi before the Chief Justice wherein he strenuously argued that the elections are due on February 21, 2009, as the four-year term of the existing committee was coming to an end. However, the Court listed the matter for February 23 keeping the urgency in view.

The said action has been taken to ensure proper management of the affairs of the association and due to certain action taken by Subhash Joshi that were prejudicial to the interest of Rajasthan Cricket Association.

The President was constrained to invoke his emergency powers provided under Article XI(1)(IX) of the Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the Association to divest Joshi of all his rights, powers and duties as the honorary secretary of the association.

The public is advised that Rajasthan Cricket Association shall not be responsible or bound by any action taken by Joshi claiming to be taken on behalf of Rajasthan Cricket Association.

112 cricketers for second IPL auction on Feb 6

Mumbai, January 29: The Indian Premier League on Thursday announced a final list of 112 cricketers from around the world for the second player auction to be held in Goa on February 6.

The list comprises the cream of cricketing talent from around the cricketing world. It includes 21 Englishmen, 27 Australians, 13 South Africans, 15 Sri Lankans and an assortment of players from across the West Indies, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.

Indian and indeed IPL fans all over the world will for the first time be able to witness the best-of-the-best from England led by the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Monty Panesar, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Shaun Udal, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swan and Owais Shah, who have all signed up to participate in the second edition of the DLF Indian Premier League, which is set to kick off on April 10.

The 26-strong Australian contingent up for grabs at the auction includes Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke, Bradd Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Stuart Clark, Bradd Hogg, Shaun Tait, and Jason Krejza, amongst a host of other international stars.

South Africans Charles Langeveldt, J P Duminy, Andre Nel and Paul Harris will also be a part of the auction.

As per the guidelines set by the Governing Council for the DLF IPL 2009, each Franchisee will have a maximum purse of $ 2 million, less any amount spent on signing temporary replacements from last year to select the cricketers best suited for their team's strategies.

Speaking on the occasion Lalit Modi, Chairman & Commissioner, DLF Indian Premier League said: "The enthusiasm and interest displayed by players from all around the world to participate in the second season of the league has been truly overwhelming. Clearly the DLF Indian Premier League has set new standards in helping uncover and hone some exciting new talent, that have gone on to gain international recognition, all of which augurs well for development of world cricket. We are extremely happy with the interest the league has garnered globally and look forward to the action at the second player auction in Goa."

FULL LIST:

Australia: Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, Nathan Hauritz, Stuart Clark, Brad Hogg, Beau Casson, Mark Cameron, Peter Forrest, Lee Carseldine, Doug Bowler, Michael Dighton, Jason Krejza, Nathan Reardon, Chris Hartley, Shaun Tait, Ashley Noffke, Bryce McGain, George Bailey, Travis Birt, Michael Hill, Chris Swan, Michael Klinger, Ben Edmondson, Aiden Blizzard, Mark Cosgrove, Adam Voges, Shane Harwood

England: Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Ravi Bopara, Monty Panesar, Robert Key, James Foster, Tyron Henderson, Sajid Mahmood, Matt Prior, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Owais Shah, Shaun Udal, Darren Gough, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright, James Anderson, Ed Joyce, Dominic Cork

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Rajin Saleh, Ziaur Rehman, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Raqibul Hasan, Nadif Chowdhury

New Zealand: Mark Gillespie, Tim Southee, Jesse Ryder, Jeetan Patel, Kyle Mills, Chris Martin, Jamie How, Peter Fulton, James Franklin

Pakistan: Asim Kamal, Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed, Danish Kaneria, Yasir Arafat

South Africa: Gulam Bodi, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt, Ashwell Prince, JP Duminy, Martin van Jaarsveld, Roelof van der Merwe, Andre Nel, Neil McKenzie, Yusuf Abdullah, Paul Harris, Johan Botha, Morne van Wyk

Sri Lanka: Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Mahela Udawatte, Dammika Prasad, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Jehan Mubarak, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Malinga Bandara, Malinda Warnapura, Michael Vandort, Prasanna Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Jeevantha Kulatunga

West Indies: Sylvester Joseph, Darren Sammy, Andre Fletcher, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Fidel Edwards, Dwayne Smith, Kemar Roach

Zimbabwe: Vusi Sibanda

FIFA, world’s largest publisher of collectibles sign deal

The exclusive agreement will cover the next two FIFA World Cup in South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014 for trading cards and sticker album collections. Panini collections have proven to be so popular over the last 10 tournaments that Panini became the natural choice to continue its work with FIFA.

Thierry Weil, FIFA’s director of marketing said: “FIFA is proud to work with our long-term licensee Panini for the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup, especially after the success story of Germany in 2006.”

The 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany created the opportunity for Panini to mastermind the most successful collectable campaign in history. Panini sold its programme in almost 100 countries around the world, smashing all previous sales records.

Trading cards and stickers are collected by an increasing number of consumer groups. Three generations have now grown up with the hobby as a firm favourite, with many children benefiting from the keen assistance and involvement of their parents and grandparents. However, many enthusiasts within the older age brackets do not need children as their excuse to get involved and are openly as keen to complete their collections.

Peter Warsop, Panini’s Group Licensing Director said: “The Panini Group is privileged to have been appointed the exclusive collectible sticker and trading card licensee again. FIFA’s decision to re-appoint us as its licensee is a great reward for the investments made previously. We are already in discussions with our promotional partners and are committed to continuing the positive trends we have already seen across all product categories.”

The Panini Group was established almost 50 years ago in Modena, Italy and with its subsidiaries throughout Europe and Latin America, it is the world leader in the published collectibles sector. Panini is also the leading multi-national publisher of comics, children’s magazines and manga in Europe and Latin America. The Panini Group is expected to record sales in 2008 of approximately $1 billion, has distribution channels in more than 100 countries, and employs a staff of more than 700.

Number of appeals in umpire decision review trial reduced

Dubai, January 29: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that the ongoing trial of the umpire decision review system will afford each side two unsuccessful reviews per innings rather than the three that have been available up to now.

The change to the playing conditions of the trial has been made after receiving initial feedback from players and match officials and will apply to the upcoming Test series between the West Indies and England, the ICC announced here on Thursday . If it proves to be a successful modification in the first two Tests of that series, it will also be introduced for the final series to be used in the trial, namely Australia’s tour to South Africa.

Both the West Indies and England have approved the change.

Once those series are finished, a full appraisal of the trial will be undertaken and the issue of whether to continue with the review system or discard it will be debated at the ICC Cricket Committee in May.

“The umpire decision review system trial has so far received mostly positive feedback from players and officials but we want to get it right before we consider applying it to international cricket on a permanent basis,” said ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat.

“That is why we have made this refinement to it. It has become clear during the trial so far that three unsuccessful reviews per innings is too many as there is potential there for frivolous or unnecessary reviews to be made by one side or the other.

“This is all part of the trial process. We are testing different playing conditions so that we can find the best one and give the trial every chance of succeeding. We listen to feedback and we have been hearing that two is a preferred option.”
With this change, the system will see the fielding and batting side allowed two unsuccessful appeals to the umpire per innings to change a decision if it is perceived to have been incorrect.

The rest of the playing conditions for this trial remain unchanged. The appeals can be made only by the batsman in receipt of the umpire’s original decision or the captain of the fielding side, in both cases by the player making a “T” sign with both forearms at shoulder height.

The on-field umpire will consult with the third umpire, who will review available television coverage of the incident before relaying fact-based information back to his colleague.

The on-field umpire will then deliver his decision either by raising his finger to indicate “out” or by crossing his hands in a horizontal position side to side in front and above his waist three times – as per a “safe” decision by an official in baseball.

If it is different to his original decision, the umpire will touch both shoulders, each with the opposition hand, to revoke the previous signal and then make a fresh signal as per the revised decision.

Commenting on the trial, ICC General Manager – Cricket David Richardson, a former Test and ODI player for South Africa, said: “Our Emirates Elite and International Panel umpires already ensure the vast majority of decisions made in any Test or ODI are correct but we want to see if we can enhance the game further by reducing or removing the few clearly incorrect ones.

“The fact that each side is now allowed only two unsuccessful requests to review in each innings should mean that players will not make frivolous challenges and, instead, only seek a referral to decisions that, it is quickly clear, are highly likely to be incorrect.

“By seeking to reduce these potentially contentious decisions we believe we can help remove a source of tension and frustration among players and spectators as well as any resultant pressure on umpires.
“At the same time we have sought to ensure the continued primacy of the on-field umpire. The man on the field’s role is to consult with his colleague, not to refer the decision away, and he still decides whether or not to change his original decision.

“Once the trial is over we will conduct a thorough review of the process before deciding whether the trial was successful and worth persevering with.”

The four-Test series between West Indies and England begins in Jamaica on 4 February while the South Africa v Australia series gets underway in Johannesburg on 26 February.

IPL bid for Kevin Pietersen set to start at $1.3 million

London, January 29: Telegraph Sport can reveal that Pietersen has been valued at the highest ever fee by the IPL and will almost certainly smash the record of $1.5million paid last year by Chennai Super Kings for India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, writes Nick Hoult.

Andrew Flintoff has been valued at $900,000 at the auction when the IPL futures of 13 other contracted England players will be decided. The auction on Feb 6 clashes with England's first Test against the West Indies and the tour management will have to ensure the players remained focussed on the match at Sabina Park.

That will not be easy with salaries bandied around beyond the dreams of many cricketers.

Flintoff and Pietersen's advisers will have noted last year's auction during which Dhoni cashed in on a bidding war which saw his base price of $400,000 rocket.

Both Pietersen and Flintoff have been courted by almost all of the eight IPL franchises and competition for their signature will be fierce despite their limited availability this year. "Pietersen can name his own price," said one franchise owner recently.

England's centrally contracted players will be available for only 21 days of the IPL and will be paid on a pro-rata basis. That could still represent a minimum of $86,000 per match for Pietersen who could cram six appearances into three weeks.

Pietersen and Flintoff will also benefit from the dollar's current strength against the pound and their IPL salaries will also be swelled by the hugely lucrative marketing and endorsement opportunities afforded to India's leading cricketers.

The Bangalore Royal Challengers, owned by the flamboyant billionaire Vijay Mallya, met with Pietersen last year and remain the favourites to sign him while Flintoff has been linked with joining Sachin Tendulkar at the Mumbai Indians.

The base prices for the remaining England players will be decided today (January 29) although none is likely to be valued higher than $250,000.

Dominic Cork and Sajid Mahmood were among other English cricketers to be added to the auction list sent yesterday to the franchise owners. Ed Joyce, the Sussex batsman, has also been listed as has Darren Gough, Rob Key and Essex's James Foster.

The eight franchises will be able to spend $16million between them and the auction list is expected to contain 50 players. Middlesex' South African Twenty20 specialist Tyron Henderson is also hoping to pick up a deal.

Symonds fined $4,000 for breach of code of conduct

Melbourne, January 29: A Cricket Australia Code of Conduct Commission hearing has upheld a charge that Australian player Andrew Symonds has breached the Cricket Australia (CA) Code of Behaviour Rule 9 relating to detrimental public comment.

Symonds pleaded guilty to the breach at the hearing. Code of Conduct Senior Commissioner Gordon Lewis issued a fine of $4,000 as penalty for the breach.

CA reported Symonds for the CA Code of Behaviour breach following a radio interview in which Symonds made comment about New Zealand and NSW player Brendon McCullum last Friday.

The hearing was held at CA’s offices in Melbourne this afternoon.

BCCI, ECB agree on IPL, bilateral tours after acrimonious battle

New Delhi, January 27: Following meetings in India prior to Christmas and a further meeting in Singapore this month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and England Cricket Board (ECB) are pleased to announce that England players will be available to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction on February 6 and to play in the Twenty20 tournament for a minimum of three weeks in 2009 and 2010.

The two boards have further agreed to work together to seek materially similar dates for the IPL in 2010 as 2009 within the international fixture schedule.

BCCI and ECB have also agreed to schedule Test and ODI series over a four-year cycle commencing 2011.

ECB Chief Executive David Collier commented: “The discussions held between our respective Boards have been most productive and ECB is grateful to the president and honorary secretary of BCCI for the excellent relationship which has been developed with the BCCI on a wide ranging number of issues. Our agreement is good for the players, the respective boards, our counties and for cricket. We look forward to welcoming India, the reigning ICC T20 World Champions, to England for the T20 World Championship this summer and for the tour of England and Wales in 2011.”

BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan said: “We are very pleased with the out come of the discussions. BCCI looks forward to building upon our warm relationship with the Senior Officers of ECB.”

Wow, what an end to an acrimonious battle for one-upmanship between the BCCI and ECB.

Moral of the story: Money can turn best of enemies into best of friends.

More tickets go on sale for ICC World Twenty20 England 2009

London, January 25: A new release of tickets to the ICC World Twenty20 England 2009 will go on sale later this week, at 11 a.m. on Thursday, January 29.

These newly available tournament tickets will give cricket fans and families the opportunity to enjoy this summer’s most exciting international tournament being staged at four venues across England: Lord’s, The Oval, Trent Bridge and Taunton.

Beginning on June 5, 2009, and finishing on June 21, the two-week ICC World Twenty20 will set a sporting global precedent with the men’s and women’s tournament integrated for the first time. The semi-final days, which are being hosted at Trent Bridge and The Oval, and the final day at Lord’s will feature the women’s match followed by the men’s.

“We saw unprecedented interest when the first allocation of tickets went on sale in June 2008 with all those match days selling out in hours,” said tournament director Steve Elworthy.

“We welcome the new release of these tickets to fans and I urge cricket spectators and families who missed out on the chance last year to get in early when these tickets go on sale on January 29.”

All prices have been tailored to ensure a value day out for fans and families with 20 of the match-days including two games showcasing four international teams. This double-header format allows spectators to view two games for the price of one match-day ticket.

“Twenty20 is fun, fast and exciting. This year’s tournament brings together the world’s top male and female players in a competition that pits nation against nation and where the top prize is to be crowned the ICC World Twenty20 champions,” said Mr Elworthy.

“This latest ticket offer also gives fans from Associate countries Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands, who qualified after the first ticket launch, a chance to purchase tickets.”

Tickets can be purchased via the ICC website, www.icc-cricket.com. UK-based fans can also call 0844 847 2020 to purchase tickets.

More information can be found at the tournament website: www.icc-cricket.yahoo.com/wt20-2009/. UK fans can also check out the latest news at http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/world/icc-world-twenty20-2009/

ITINERARY CHANGED

India to play only one ODI in Dambulla

New Delhi, Jan 22: As per the revised the itinerary, India will now play only one one-day international in the central Sri Lankan city Dasmbulla in the five-match series starting January 28, the Indian board has announced.

Four of the five ODIs will now be played in Colombo, with the second and third matches deferred by a day.

REVISED ITINERARY:

Jan 28 - First ODI at Dambulla

Jan 31 - Second ODI at RPICS, Colombo *

Feb 3 - Third ODI at RPICS, Colombo *

Feb 5 - Fourth ODI at RPICS, Colombo *

Feb 8 - Fifth ODI at SSC, Colombo

Feb 10 - Twenty20 at RPICS, Colombo *

* denotes day/night match

IPL PLAYERS' TRANSFERS

Warner, McDonald and Nehra strengthen IPL Delhi Daredevils

New Delhi, January 23: Australia's latest sensation, David Warner, and another upcoming Australian star Andrew MacDonald have been signed up by Delhi Daredevils, it was officially announced at the end of the Trading Window, which closed on January 22.

Daredevils signed up McDonald and Warner as uncapped players, but soon after that both made their international debuts. McDonald featured in Australia's Test match victory at the SCG at the start of this month, whilst Warner made a sensational Twenty20 International debut against South Africa at the MCG last week.

Warner, 22, has since also made his one-day debut. In his T20 debut, he smashed 89 off 43 balls, in a stunning assault against the South African bowling attack. This included six sixes and seven fours.

Warner's debut has caused a sensation in Australia, and the experience is likely to stand him in good stead when he comes to India later in the year to play in the Season II of the DLF Indian Premier League.

Commenting on his upcoming debut for the Delhi Daredevils in the DLF IPL, David Warner said: "I am thrilled to be joining the Delhi Daredevils, and I can't wait to play in the IPL. My international debut has given me a taste of what it is like to score runs in front of a big crowd, and I am looking forward to more of the same in India. Playing alongside top players from all over the world like Virender Sehwag, Glen McGrath and Daniel Vettori is going to be an amazing experience."

A right-hand batsman and right-arm medium fast bowler, McDonald made his Test debut for Australia in the first week of January against South Africa. The 27-year-old player scored 15 in his only innings but took three wickets in the match as Australia won the Test.

Daredevils also got India international Ashish Nehra during the Trading Window. Nehra, who had a successful first season in IPL while playing for Mumbai, came in for Shikhar Dhawan, who moved to Mumbai Indians.

Amrit Mathur, Chief Operating Officer of the Delhi Daredevils, was excited about his new additions. "We are really delighted to have signed David . His debut game for Australia the other day has been sensational and we are hoping he will carry forward this brilliance into season 2 of the DLF IPL. We are also looking forward to having Andrew (McDonald) and Ashish (Nehra) and they will strengthen our side," he said.

The closure of the one-month long trading window on Thursday saw a total of seven players being traded. In addition to the trades, four temporary replacements from the inaugural season were re-signed by their respective franchises and three of cricket's top up-and-coming young players are now set to make their debut in the Season II of the DLF Indian Premier League.

The IPL revealed that in all there were 82 enquiries made for 54 players, with 36 enquiries coming in for the Indian players and 18 for the overseas cricketers who played the inaugural season. In all 17 players were subject to enquiries from more than one franchisee and seven players were traded.

Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, DLF Indian Premier League commented: "I know that all the Franchises are putting in a lot of work to ensure that their playing squads are even better than last season. The second player's auction at Goa on February 6 will be an opportunity to sign some experienced internationals to complete their playing squads. Following the Goa auction I believe that we will have most of the world's top cricketers registered to play in the DLF IPL."

"I am particularly pleased to see franchises investing in the Gen-Next of World Cricket with the addition of many top young players. One of the most exciting aspects of last season was seeing some of the young players really develop and enhance their reputations – players like Yusuf Pathan, Shaun Marsh and Shikhar Dhawan. I am sure that the likes of David Warner and Ryan Harris will relish the opportunity to play in the IPL, and our crowds will love watching these young guns play some exciting cricket."

The 2009 player auction will take place in Goa on February 6, where Franchises will have the opportunity to purchase current international players to fill the remaining slots for overseas players in their squad. The Season II of the DLF Indian Premier League is set to kick off on April 10, with the final to be played on May 29, 2009.

Sehwag leads race for 2008 Castrol Indian Cricketer Award

Mumbai, January 22: Swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag is a clear frontrunner for the Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year 2008 award. He has 59 points – seven points more than his closest competitor Gautam Gambhir. The others in the race are skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma.

Sehwag has had a phenomenal year in Test cricket with a triple hundred against South Africa and a double hundred against Sri Lanka, along with some blazing starts at the top of the order in one day cricket.

Carrying on with his splendid form against the Australians in the Test series, Sehwag also came good in the one day series against England with a blistering 85 in the first game at Rajkot, propelling India to a massive total of 387/5 in their allotted 50 overs. He followed that up with knocks of 68 in Kanpur, 69 in Bangalore, and missed out on a scintillating century with 91 in the fifth game at Cuttack.

He ended the year with a blistering 83 in the second innings of the Chennai Test against England, which facilitated India's series win.

Gambhir is a close second with 52 points, after matching his opening partner's good run with scores of 51,70 and 40 in the one-dayers against England, along with a gritty century in seaming conditions in the second Test against England in Mohali.

Dhoni finished one of the most successful years by an Indian captain, with four wins in five Tests. Dhoni led from the front with sterling performances at crucial moments to take the third position with 48 points.

Two young bowlers walked away with the fourth and fifth positions with pivotal spells against the visiting English team. Harbhajan Singh kept the pressure on the Englishman with some tight spells during the one-dayers, and picked up crucial wickets during the Chennai Test, to capture 41 points.

Ishant Sharma enhanced his reputation as India's new speed sensation, spearheading the attack with 6 wickets in the two Tests against England, and holds fifth position with 37 points.

According to the awards criteria, all Indian cricketers who have played international cricket for India will now be invited to vote for their choice of the Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year from amongst the top five.

The annual Castrol Awards for Cricketing Excellence were instituted in 1997-98. The rating system takes into account performances by Indian cricketers in Test and One-Day International matches during the calendar year. The Awards have been dominated over the last decade by Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid and this is the first year when neither of the three legends -- Sachin, Rahul and Sourav -- features among the top five.

In 2008, Castrol also initiated the Castrol Asian Cricketer of the Year Award, which was won by Ganguly for 2007.

‘Tense, hard-fought’ England-West Indies series in offing

Kingston (Jamaica), January 22: West Indies head coach John Dyson is expecting “tense, hard-fought” cricket against England in the upcoming Digicel Series 2009. Dyson noted that his players will be fully prepared and ready when the first ball is bowled in the first Digicel Test Match at Sabina Park, Jamaica, on February 4.

“The much awaited home series against England should produce tense, hard-fought cricket between the two teams. England is placed two spots higher than the West Indies at Number 5 on the ICC Test table which is enough incentive to spur the West Indies team on to perform well,” Dyson said.

“The cricket loving public should be ready for some engrossing cricket. It is time for West Indies to stand up and prove that we are climbing the International Cricket Council’s [ICC] table.”

The West Indies recently returned from New Zealand where they drew the two-Test series 0-0. Dyson said he will be looking for more good performances from the experienced members of the team, in the four Test matches, on home soil.

“Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been in consistently superb form over the past 12 months and Chris Gayle is fresh from a magnificent 197 against New Zealand at Napier. Both will be keen to continue their excellent touch with the bat while Ramnaresh Sarwan, will want to make amends for a moderate tour -- by his high standards -- of New Zealand,” Dyson said. “Brendan Nash, after an excellent debut series in New Zealand , will look to build on his impressive start to Test cricket and post his first Test century. All other hopeful West Indies batsmen will be desperate to score significant runs and secure their place in the team.”

The head coach also looked at the opportunities available in the bowling department. “The bowling will again revolve around the pace of Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell. The trio is no longer a ‘rookie’ combination and big things are expected of them. Edwards had a fine series in New Zealand and returned his best ever haul of 7-87 at Napier,” Dyson said.

“His pace and controlled aggression will be important weapons in the ‘home series’ and strong support from Taylor and Powell will be required to bowl out England in the Tests. Jerome will also be aiming to build on his new ‘all-rounder’ status following his free flowing, maiden Test century at Dunedin.”

Dyson also noted that a number of other fast bowlers and seamers will be knocking at the door to “press the senior bowlers for a spot in the team”.

“The series is a further opportunity for a spinner to make a major contribution to the bowling effort. Hot competition for the spinning role exists between Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Amit Jaggernauth, Dave Mohammed and others and all should be desperately keen to impress the selectors in the regional four-day matches. Whoever is ultimately given the job must provide the wicket-taking variety West Indies need to balance the established pace attack,” he said.

ENGLAND’S FULL ITINERARY:

January 25-27: vs St Kitts XI
At Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts

January 29-31: vs West Indies “A” Team
At Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts

February 4-8: 1st Digicel Test
At Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

February 13-17: 2nd Digicel Test
At Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua


February 21-22: vs Barbados Cricket Association’s President’s XI
(Venue to be determined)

February 26 to March 2: 3rd Digicel Test
At Kensington Oval, Bridgetown , Barbados

March 6-10: 4th Digicel Test
At Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

March 14: vs West Indies Players Association XI
(Venue to be determined)

March 15: Digicel T20 International
At Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

March 20: 1st Digicel One-Day International
At National Stadium, Providence, Guyana

March 22: 2nd Digicel One-Day International
At National Stadium, Providence, Guyana

March 27: 3rd Digicel One-Day International
At Kensington Oval, Bridgetown , Barbados

March 29: 4th Digicel One-Day International
At Kensington Oval, Bridgetown , Barbados

April 3: 5th Digicel One-Day International
At Beausejour Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet , St Lucia

ROAD TO WORLD CUP IN ASIA

Six countries vie for two berths as they get closer to 2011 WC cricket
New Delhi: Six countries will try to take a step closer to qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 this week when they participate in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3 (WCL Div. 3). But only two teams will succeed.

The tournament, being held in Buenos Aires from 24-31 January, will see host team Argentina , Afghanistan , Cayman Islands, Hong Kong , Papua New Guinea and Uganda battle it out with the finalists progressing to the 12-team World Cup Qualifier in April.

There are many rewards on offer at that event, with the top four sides winning places in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, while the top six teams will receive ODI status for the next four years as well as an automatic place in the prestigious ICC Intercontinental Cup 2009-10.

Much attention this week will be focussed on Afghanistan , which won both the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 5 and 4 events in Jersey and Tanzania to qualify for this stage. It has been a long road already but the appetite is still there to continue on their epic journey.

Fast bowler Hamid Hassan, who finished as the leading wicket-taker at the WCL Div. 4, admits he and his colleagues are in confident mood ahead of the Division 3 event.

“I am very excited as we have won the last two tournaments and now I am hoping to get through to the World Cup Qualifiers. All the players are in good touch ahead of the event,” says Hamid. “I was the top wicket-taker for my team at Division 4 and I would like to win the player of the tournament at this event.”

The team, which prepared for the tournament in the past month with a training camp in Lahore , Pakistan where they received coaching from the likes of former Test player Aamer Sohail and others, is enjoying the experience of being part of the global qualifying structure for the ICC Cricket World Cup and the travel experiences that the tournament provides.

“You get to see lots of countries – I never thought I would ever get the chance to go to places like Jersey , Tanzania and Argentina . It’s like a dream because two or three years before I started playing for the national team I didn’t even play cricket,” said Hamid. “I’ve never been to South America and I think Argentina is a very nice country. It is very good conditions for playing cricket as the weather is about 35 degrees.”

The Afghanistan team, which has attracted media attention from all over the world, has also received good luck wishes from England’s Monty Panesar. The left-arm slow bowler has painful memories of a previous encounter with Hassan, who reputedly can bowl at speeds of around 140kph.

Hassan, who was part of the MCC ground staff in 2006 and 2007, had been an England net bowler when he accidentally hit Panesar on the head with a quick delivery and he was able to relive that experience with the England spinner at a chance airport meeting this week on the way to Buenos Aires.

“When we were at the airport in Johannesburg on the way to Argentina, we saw Monty Panesar. I went up to say hello to him and he said: ‘Hi, how are you?’ He didn’t know who I was and I then told him I was the bowler who hit him on the head at Lord’s two years ago and then he remembered me,” said Hamid with a smile.

“All the coaches were there, along with players like Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen, and Monty ducked into the ball and told me I had cost him £200 for a new helmet and I would have to pay. I told him I can’t afford to pay that and then he told me he was joking!

“We talked for a long time and he wished us well in qualifying for the World Cup and told me and (Mohammad) Nabi we were very talented. He asked about Afghanistan cricket, how are the grounds and he knew about the World Cup qualifying event.”
Afghanistan will face some tough competition, in what is expected to be a tightly fought tournament. Uganda and Argentina , who both won promotion from the WCL Div. 3 in May 2007 only to be relegated after the Division 2 event in Namibia six months later, are expected to be among the main contenders.

Uganda, which showed some excellent pre-event form in their warm-up series against Kenya , is arguably the favourite for the tournament and the players can rely on the experience of its South African-born coach Ebrahim Mohamed to guide them during the event, while Hamish Barton, a former first-class cricketer in New Zealand , has an important player-coach role for Argentina .

Papua New Guinea’s batsmen received excellent preparation for the event, when they formed the backbone of the ICC East-Asia Pacific team that took part in the Australian Country Cricket Championships earlier this month, and with the experience that many of them have from playing in the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup they should be a tough test for any opposition.

The potential of Cayman Islands to cause an upset should not be ignored, particularly after it recorded a crushing 108-run win over Argentina in the ICC Americas Division 1 Championship in November.

Hong Kong won the ACC Trophy Elite 2008 and also reduced Pakistan at one stage to 161-7 during last year’s Asia Cup so no team will be taking it lightly. Hong Kong is coached by former England batsman Aftab Habib and he believes his side is well placed to do well.

Aftab said: “I am very excited. It is reward for all the hard work that we have put it since I joined as coach 15 months ago. Hopefully we can perform well in the six games while we are here.

“I think we can achieve quite a lot. We are playing a higher level of cricket and having taken part in the Asia Cup last year we have the confidence to play against bigger teams.”

While the primary focus of all six teams taking part in the WCL Div. 3 is to finish in the top two at this event, the dream of playing ODI cricket and in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is a shared ambition among all the players.

“It is our dream to play a One-Day International if we qualify. I want to play international cricket so people can see the Afghan team. It would be the biggest day in my life,” said Hamid. “There are lots of Test countries I would like to play a one-day international against like India, Pakistan , South Africa , Australia and England . I would like to play against England at Lord’s and against Australia in Melbourne.”

DRAVID TURNS 36

From keeping willow in socks to reading Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

NEW DELHI: Master batsman Rahul Dravid, who turned 36 on January 11, simply loves his willow, often keeps it in socks, and gets a firm control on the bat -- and the bowling attack -- with double-barrelled gloves.

When the former India captain is not scorching the turf with polished strokes, he is immersed in books, though not necessarily on cricket or sports. For example, he read ‘The Art of War’, written by famous Chinese writer Sun Tzu, after he borrowed it from Indian envoy to Sri Lanka Nirupama Rao at her Colombo residence in 2006.

Also in the island nation, Dravid carried his prolific willow in white socks. When I asked him as to how long he has been doing this, he said he had been keeping his bats that “way for some time”.

Dravid is a batsman for all seasons, pitches, conditions and opposition. And his batting seems a natural extension of the person he is -- well read yet not arrogant, sophisticated and yet uncomplicated, down-to-earth yet assertive.

He has millions of fans but he bats with an aim not to earn praise. It is because the Bangalore-based Dravid has set for himself higher standards than his followers.

"I will be happy if I live up to my own expectations (rather than people’s)," he had told me when I interviewed him for the first time, in the huge vacant hall of the Pride Hotel in Nagpur, now the city of his in-laws, for The Asian Age newspaper in 1998.

Dravid is immensely focussed, single-minded and is always seeking perfection. He hardly ever smiles or indulges in conversations with his team mates at net practice sessions. No, not because he is arrogant or aloof, but he utilises the time to the hilt and is always seeking to remove the shortcomings, if any, in his batting.

In many ways, Dravid is like Olympic silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore -- fully devoted and focussed. And much the way the double trap shooter takes utmost care of his custom-made Perazzi, the master right-handed batsman also keeps his willow close to his chest.

A few years ago, someone had asked New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming in Mohali that if given a chance, which Indian player he would like to take from the Indian side. Without a pause, Fleming had replied: "Rahul Dravid." Just for the record, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were part of that team than also.

When Dravid was the national captain it was quite appropriate -- in a way, it was a natural extension of the cricketer. He brought dignity to the job, a gracefulness of old times that is rare in today's cutthroat competition in the commercially driven game.

Still, Dravid is businesslike, on and off the field. While his team mates may indulge in jokes and gossip while waiting for a plane, Dravid is likely to be browsing the internet or writing e-mails even at airports.

You are unlikely to find earphones permanently tucked in his ears, as is the contemporary cricketer's style. He has no hang-ups about himself; he is so confident of himself.

Dravid is a brand ambassador that not just Bank of Baroda or Max New York Life or Hutch, which he endorses, would like to have on their teams, but many other companies as well.

But the Indore-born Dravid seems to be in no hurry. After all, he now has to share off-the-field time with a growing-up son, Samit, besides his doctor wife, Vijeyta.