The third Test between Australia and the West Indies in Sydney didn’t have a lot of statistical highlights and the action on the field was at the bare minimum with rain ruining a majority of the match.
Just 150 overs of play was possible in the final Test of the series and with weather playing spoilsport, a draw was always a distinct possibility, as was the case in the end. But before the start of play on the final day, Australia captain Steven Smith decided to make a match out of it and made an astonishing offer to his West Indies counterpart and the details of it are startling.
West Indies were 248 for seven after 86.2 overs and Smith asked if Windies skipper Jason Holder would be ready to declare his innings at that point, allow the Aussies to forfeit their first innings, bat again for a handful of overs where the Aussies would bowl ‘lob-ups’ for eight to 10 overs with most of the fielders close in so that the West Indies could set a target of around 370 in 70 overs.
That would have, theoretically, set up a challenging chase for the Aussies.
This proposal was made in the pursuit of a result and Smith said he wanted to provide something to the paying public who were there at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Holder declined the offer and said his team was not in a position to accept the challenge as they are in a developmental stage and such bravado would do them no good.
Innings forfeiture is not something new to Test cricket. The centurion Test of 2000 is still fresh in the mind where South African captain Hansie Cronje declared his first innings on 248 on the final day after England skipper Nasser Hussain said yes to the offer that was made before play started.
Both teams forfeited their innings after Hussain and England agreed to chase 249 in 75 overs. England won that match by two wickets.
As it turned out, Cronje was under pressure from a bookie to ensure a result and the entire effort was sullied by dirty money.
But that is not why I brought up that match. There is a reason why such voluntary forfeitures are a grey area in cricket. It is next to impossible to ensure a fair game when the ends assume greater significance than the means.
What Smith offered Holder was a promise of a certain number of runs in a certain number of overs so that the Windies could feel comfortable defending a big target like 370. To be willing to underperform (in a way) for whatever reasons defeats the whole purpose of sport.
Had the offer been taken by Holder, it would have made a mockery of cricket with the Aussies basically arranging for 100 odd runs in 10 overs. It’s simply preposterous. There is also more than a hint of arrogance in it, with the Aussies seemingly deciding for the Windies what they should be comfortable with, given their meagre bowling resources.
Result is the main target of competitive teams now, which is excellent. But sometimes, players need to be reminded that there are certain lines one should not cross, even if the intentions are noble. Once you agree to such a line of thought, you set foot into the unknown.
Pushing the boundaries when it comes to the spirit of the game is never a good idea and on the fifth day of the Sydney Test, Smith and the Australians did exactly that. It would be interesting to see what match officials and umpires have to say about this.
For the record, after England’s win in the Centurion Test, opener Mike Atherton said it was the “cheapest win of my Test career. For the first time in my life I felt completely flat at the moment of a Test victory”. And this before it was known that Cronje had fixed the match.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is in a legal tangle and it has got very little to do with cricket. A local court in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has issued a non-bailable warrant against Dhoni regarding a case filed in 2013 in which a morphed image of the wicketkeeper batsman was used on the cover of a magazine, depicting him as a deity endorsing various products.
Religious sentiments were apparently hurt in India and a case filed. Dhoni has apparently been asked to be present in court on February 25.
It is appalling that a warrant can be issued against @msdhoni for a photograph that was morphed.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 8, 2016Whatever the merits of the case, getting embroiled in a court case weeks before the World T20 at home, which starts on March 9, is not a good way to prepare for what could be Dhoni’s swan song.
The 34-year-old has a lot on his plate with his form dipping and the limited overs team not firing. He is still looking to finalise the side for the World T20 and while he will be keen to impress one final time at home, the timing of the court case could rock his boat.
