Saturday, 20th November
At this time in the Ashes cycle, it can be all too easy to forget about those less fortunate than ourselves. But I ask you, dear reader, to put off the thrill of watching Steven Finn bowl to Marcus North for a little while longer and take a minute or two to help a worthy cause. I’m referring of course to the “Save Our Spinners” Appeal. The campaign was launched today with the help of a moving video featuring a montage of slow bowlers from Hogg to Hauritz standing hands on hips, gazing forlornly towards the midwicket boundary. You can’t fail to be moved by their plight.
Since 2007, this native Australian species has been in drastic decline. Attempts to rear new spinners have not gone well. Too often they are released into the harsh international environment to fend for themselves before they are ready, with tragic consequences. So it is vital that we act now. Please sign our petition urging the Australian selectors not to pick Xavier Doherty for the first Test and to return him to the safety of his natural Tasmanian habitat, where he can live out his career in peace. Together, we can make a difference.
Wednesday, November 21st
The IPL may be the finest franchise-based Indian Twenty20 League in the world, but there is room for improvement. I’m thinking particularly of the unsatisfactory names with which many of the teams are burdened. I mean, Super Kings? A proper monarch should require no adjectival adornment. And Chargers? What does that mean? That they are in the habit of demanding a fee? That they are a team of electrical engineers? And don’t get me started on the redundant plural in the name of the team from Kolkata. Everyone knows that the Hoff worked alone.
Well Zimbabwe have shown the cricket world how it should be done. Their recently completed Twenty20 bash was stuffed full of teams with proper names, names to fire the imagination. I give you, in no particular order: Rocks, Mountaineers, Tuskers, Rhinos and Eagles. You see, a snappy title can transform a hum-drum sporting collective at a stroke. For instance, one of the teams is Mid-West. Yawn. But wait a moment. What about Mid-West Rhinos? Much better. Now they sound like a gang of armoured ruminants from the wrong side of town. Good work, Zimbabwe Cricket *
Thursday, November 22nd
Cricket isn’t just a religion; it’s far more useful than that. It can offer sound advice of direct relevance to everyone’s life. Indeed, cricket has saved my skin on more than one occasion. Take this afternoon, for example. Having recklessly volunteered to go shopping, I was presented with a lengthy list of items to purchase, a certain sum of money with which to purchase them and a deadline. My quest did not go well. I got lost on my way to the shopping centre, was unable to prevent a pigeon from eating the list and then rashly invested the money in the 3:40 at Uttoxeter.
Upon my return I was questioned somewhat critically on the missing money and the absence of shopping but thanks to my knowledge of the great game, I was able to draw on the wisdom of the great Kumar, from his Sermon after the first Test in Galle. It was suggested that I had failed. This was incorrect. I pointed out that I had not failed; I had just not executed my plans. Not executing your plans, I explained, is like failing, but nowhere near as bad. Aside from a little light bruising and the odd broken tea cup, this worked a treat. I’m planning to use it next week to explain to the Inland Revenue why my tax return is late. I’ll let you know how I get on.
* As far as I am aware this is the first time that this particular sentence has ever been used in public
RT On Air
Friday, 26 November 2010
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Captaincy fits like a glove for Gawthrop
Leadership brings with it a burden but it rests easy on the shoulders of Matthew Gawthrop.
The Toronto Workers batsman was handed the captaincy of the ACT Comets under-19 side on Friday for their national championships campaign in Brisbane, which begins on December 5.
It was an affirmation of the 19-year-old opener's maturity as a cricketer.
"I can't tell you how honoured I am to captain such a talented bunch of blokes at a massive carnival where the best young cricketers in Australia will be at," Gawthrop said.
Belmont wicketkeeper-batsman Beau McClintock and Newcastle City all-rounder Jesse Major have been included in the 14-strong Comets squad but Gawthrop will be the one under the most pressure.
"I definitely like leading the boys from the front and helping other guys out in the team," he said.
"I've done it a few times with the Newcastle under 19s, I love doing it.
"I've gotten a lot of help from Tooley [Toronto captain Paul Toole] on the captain's side of things just watching him and I've gotten a lot of ideas from him. There's definitely more pressure on you to create chances and wicket opportunities."
Under the Comets program, the Warners Bay junior has flown to Canberra five times this season for training sessions with the senior squad, working under former NSW and South Australian all-rounder Mark Higgs.
Gawthrop had contemplated a move to Sydney this season but he believes the Comets present a brighter avenue to improve his cricket.
"The Comets is the pathway I'm definitely going to give a good shake and try and pursue it as far as I can and if that doesn't work then Sydney is definitely the next path," he said.
Off the field Gawthrop has already made moves to make cricket his career path.
This year he began working as a promotional officer with Country Cricket NSW and he does some part-time coaching at Hunter Sports High with Newcastle's Konica Cup guide Gary Pinches.
However, at the forefront of Gawthrop's mind on Saturday will be to score runs in the Kookaburras' 50-over match against Charlestown at Ron Hill Oval.
His four innings in district cricket this season have produced 14 runs.
"Ron Hill at the moment has been a challenge for any batsman to play on but at the same time I've got to get that out of my mind," he said. "You can't do anything about the decks."
The Toronto Workers batsman was handed the captaincy of the ACT Comets under-19 side on Friday for their national championships campaign in Brisbane, which begins on December 5.
It was an affirmation of the 19-year-old opener's maturity as a cricketer.
"I can't tell you how honoured I am to captain such a talented bunch of blokes at a massive carnival where the best young cricketers in Australia will be at," Gawthrop said.
Belmont wicketkeeper-batsman Beau McClintock and Newcastle City all-rounder Jesse Major have been included in the 14-strong Comets squad but Gawthrop will be the one under the most pressure.
"I definitely like leading the boys from the front and helping other guys out in the team," he said.
"I've done it a few times with the Newcastle under 19s, I love doing it.
"I've gotten a lot of help from Tooley [Toronto captain Paul Toole] on the captain's side of things just watching him and I've gotten a lot of ideas from him. There's definitely more pressure on you to create chances and wicket opportunities."
Under the Comets program, the Warners Bay junior has flown to Canberra five times this season for training sessions with the senior squad, working under former NSW and South Australian all-rounder Mark Higgs.
Gawthrop had contemplated a move to Sydney this season but he believes the Comets present a brighter avenue to improve his cricket.
"The Comets is the pathway I'm definitely going to give a good shake and try and pursue it as far as I can and if that doesn't work then Sydney is definitely the next path," he said.
Off the field Gawthrop has already made moves to make cricket his career path.
This year he began working as a promotional officer with Country Cricket NSW and he does some part-time coaching at Hunter Sports High with Newcastle's Konica Cup guide Gary Pinches.
However, at the forefront of Gawthrop's mind on Saturday will be to score runs in the Kookaburras' 50-over match against Charlestown at Ron Hill Oval.
His four innings in district cricket this season have produced 14 runs.
"Ron Hill at the moment has been a challenge for any batsman to play on but at the same time I've got to get that out of my mind," he said. "You can't do anything about the decks."
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Captain's knock: Strauss must defy history for place in exclusive club
Can Andrew Strauss succeed where so many England captains have failed? Can he bring a team to Australia, arrive without a great fast bowler, face the might of the home nation and go back with the spoils? Since the First World War, 25 England captains have toured this country and only six have gone home victorious. Amongst them only Percy Chapman was in the same position as the current leader. Better than anything else that sums up the size of the task.
Douglas Jardine's triumph came between the wars. He arrived with a plan and a fast bowler capable of executing it. Between them, Jardine and Harold Larwood, the Spartan and the miner, broke and beat an Australian side lacking pace and unwilling to copy the tactics pursued by the visitors.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of bodyline, it indicated that England were prepared to resort to anything to subdue their rivals. Hitherto ruthlessness had been regarded as an Australian monopoly. Even now that series touches nerves. As a rule Australians are abrasive in manner as opposed to deed. In England's case it is usually the other way around. It's one of the many differences between nations that understand neither themselves nor each other. Happily, animosity has been rejected by a generation unwilling to be hidebound by history.
English cricket took eight years to recover from the Second World War (with its cliches of tea drinking Pommy generals and slouch-hatted Aussie battlers) and for a while the series were one-sided. Not until England appointed their first professional captain were the tables turned. Till then captains were appointed by pedigree. Their initials tell the story, JWHT, Honourable LH, APH, Honourable FS, Plum and AER and that does not include the surname. They should all have played for Hampshire. At such times Australians counted their blessings.
Len Hutton emerged from his mining village in Yorkshire and in 1954/55 brought to Australia a strong hand of fast bowlers led by Frank Tyson. No lesser judge than Richie Benaud regards this gentle teacher as the fastest flinger he has seen, quicker even than Thommo in his pomp. And in those days batsmen did not wear helmets. England lost heavily in Brisbane but dominated thereafter.
Raymond Illingworth from the selfsame mining village was England's next vanquishing leader. A canny customer, the niggardly offie had a love-hate relationship with John Snow, his mercurial speedster and poet. Snow loathed batsmen, captains and administrators. As it turned, out, though, he detested Australian batsmen even more. Illingworth saved him for the Tests and the great paceman did the rest.
England's other post-war successes Down Under were due in no small measure to disarray in the home camp. In 1978/79, Mike Brearley was able to exploit the fissures caused by the World Series uprising. His team trounced a weakened and poorly led host 5-1. A year later he was back and playing against a full-strength Australian side. His team was beaten 3-0. The victory secured the previous year was not exactly bogus; nor though was it achieved against a single-minded opponent.
In 1986/87, Mike Gatting's merry men overcame an Australian cricket community bruised by unsanctioned tours to South Africa. If his timing was lucky that was hardly his fault. Still, he enjoyed no further success as England captain and was soon replaced.
These results confirm that it is possible to win Down Under and also that it is damnably difficult. Moreover, these four captains enjoyed an edge denied Strauss. His task is harder because he does not have a withering fast bowler at his disposal and is pitted against the best Australia can muster. Despite appearances to the contrary, Australian cricket is battered but by no means broken.
Chapman alone has completed the challenge facing Strauss. In 1928/29, he came to Australia holding the Ashes, took on the might of Australia and went home covered in glory. Arguably his team was the strongest England has fielded. Certainly the batting was powerful, with Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe taking care of the new ball and Wally Hammond dominating the middle order. At that point, Hammond was probably the greatest batsman the game had known. His successor played in the first Test in Brisbane and was promptly dropped in favour of a Prussian doctor who held the javelin throwing record at university.
England's bowling lay in the hands of Jack White, a relentless left-arm tweaker with a reputation for lifting the seam. Upon returning to England, White was met at the train station by a vast throng, ropes were attached to his car and he was pulled the five miles to his farm.
If England were experienced in 1928/29, Australia were trapped between yesterday and tomorrow. That had a familiar ring. Bill Ponsford and the old guard were on their way out and the new fellows, a chap from the bush called Don Bradman and a brilliant stylist going by the name of Archie Jackson, were novices. Moreover, the bowling lacked penetration. Chapman's side romped to victory.
Now it falls to Strauss to follow in his footsteps. If he does, England will sing his praises and the Australians will lick their wounds and begin the search for fresh blood. History, though, suggests its not going to be easy. And history is seldom wrong.
Douglas Jardine's triumph came between the wars. He arrived with a plan and a fast bowler capable of executing it. Between them, Jardine and Harold Larwood, the Spartan and the miner, broke and beat an Australian side lacking pace and unwilling to copy the tactics pursued by the visitors.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of bodyline, it indicated that England were prepared to resort to anything to subdue their rivals. Hitherto ruthlessness had been regarded as an Australian monopoly. Even now that series touches nerves. As a rule Australians are abrasive in manner as opposed to deed. In England's case it is usually the other way around. It's one of the many differences between nations that understand neither themselves nor each other. Happily, animosity has been rejected by a generation unwilling to be hidebound by history.
English cricket took eight years to recover from the Second World War (with its cliches of tea drinking Pommy generals and slouch-hatted Aussie battlers) and for a while the series were one-sided. Not until England appointed their first professional captain were the tables turned. Till then captains were appointed by pedigree. Their initials tell the story, JWHT, Honourable LH, APH, Honourable FS, Plum and AER and that does not include the surname. They should all have played for Hampshire. At such times Australians counted their blessings.
Len Hutton emerged from his mining village in Yorkshire and in 1954/55 brought to Australia a strong hand of fast bowlers led by Frank Tyson. No lesser judge than Richie Benaud regards this gentle teacher as the fastest flinger he has seen, quicker even than Thommo in his pomp. And in those days batsmen did not wear helmets. England lost heavily in Brisbane but dominated thereafter.
Raymond Illingworth from the selfsame mining village was England's next vanquishing leader. A canny customer, the niggardly offie had a love-hate relationship with John Snow, his mercurial speedster and poet. Snow loathed batsmen, captains and administrators. As it turned, out, though, he detested Australian batsmen even more. Illingworth saved him for the Tests and the great paceman did the rest.
England's other post-war successes Down Under were due in no small measure to disarray in the home camp. In 1978/79, Mike Brearley was able to exploit the fissures caused by the World Series uprising. His team trounced a weakened and poorly led host 5-1. A year later he was back and playing against a full-strength Australian side. His team was beaten 3-0. The victory secured the previous year was not exactly bogus; nor though was it achieved against a single-minded opponent.
In 1986/87, Mike Gatting's merry men overcame an Australian cricket community bruised by unsanctioned tours to South Africa. If his timing was lucky that was hardly his fault. Still, he enjoyed no further success as England captain and was soon replaced.
These results confirm that it is possible to win Down Under and also that it is damnably difficult. Moreover, these four captains enjoyed an edge denied Strauss. His task is harder because he does not have a withering fast bowler at his disposal and is pitted against the best Australia can muster. Despite appearances to the contrary, Australian cricket is battered but by no means broken.
Chapman alone has completed the challenge facing Strauss. In 1928/29, he came to Australia holding the Ashes, took on the might of Australia and went home covered in glory. Arguably his team was the strongest England has fielded. Certainly the batting was powerful, with Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe taking care of the new ball and Wally Hammond dominating the middle order. At that point, Hammond was probably the greatest batsman the game had known. His successor played in the first Test in Brisbane and was promptly dropped in favour of a Prussian doctor who held the javelin throwing record at university.
England's bowling lay in the hands of Jack White, a relentless left-arm tweaker with a reputation for lifting the seam. Upon returning to England, White was met at the train station by a vast throng, ropes were attached to his car and he was pulled the five miles to his farm.
If England were experienced in 1928/29, Australia were trapped between yesterday and tomorrow. That had a familiar ring. Bill Ponsford and the old guard were on their way out and the new fellows, a chap from the bush called Don Bradman and a brilliant stylist going by the name of Archie Jackson, were novices. Moreover, the bowling lacked penetration. Chapman's side romped to victory.
Now it falls to Strauss to follow in his footsteps. If he does, England will sing his praises and the Australians will lick their wounds and begin the search for fresh blood. History, though, suggests its not going to be easy. And history is seldom wrong.
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Surgery cut as nurses plan strike
TWO thousand elective surgery patients across NSW have had their operations cancelled or postponed this week due to tomorrow's strike by nurses.
But nurses say the situation will become far worse in the coming years if their demand for a reduction in the nurse-to-patient ratio is not met.
Thousands of nurses will walk off the job for between four and 24 hours tomorrow in protest against what they say are plunging staffing levels which threaten the welfare of both patients and staff.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Emergency departments and critical care units will function as usual. But nursing levels in other hospital wards will be cut back to night shift levels.
In its submission to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, NSW Health said the impact of the strike would be felt throughout the week.
The department's deputy director-general, Dr Tim Smyth, said surgery for some 2000 patients would have to be cancelled or deferred until next year.
A spokeswoman for the NSW Department of Health said nurses coming to work tomorrow would be redirected to caring for the most critically ill patients already in hospital and new emergency cases. Affected patients were currently being contacted, she said.
But nurses say the situation will become far worse in the coming years if their demand for a reduction in the nurse-to-patient ratio is not met.
Thousands of nurses will walk off the job for between four and 24 hours tomorrow in protest against what they say are plunging staffing levels which threaten the welfare of both patients and staff.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Emergency departments and critical care units will function as usual. But nursing levels in other hospital wards will be cut back to night shift levels.
In its submission to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, NSW Health said the impact of the strike would be felt throughout the week.
The department's deputy director-general, Dr Tim Smyth, said surgery for some 2000 patients would have to be cancelled or deferred until next year.
A spokeswoman for the NSW Department of Health said nurses coming to work tomorrow would be redirected to caring for the most critically ill patients already in hospital and new emergency cases. Affected patients were currently being contacted, she said.
Sunday, 21 November 2010
10 reasons I hate the IPL aka ‘the America effect’
Here are 10 reasons I hate the IPL:
10. I don’t need to see Warney attempt to relive his glory days on the pitch in between commercials that feature him and Adam Gilchrist speaking atrocious Hindi.
9. It makes ‘sixes’ boring.
8. Anil Kumble bowling some random under-19 player isn’t my idea of fierce competition.
7. Politics play too much of a role (aka “give me Pakistani players!”).
6. I’m tired of thinking the Mumbai Indians are the Mumbai Mastercards.
5. Cheerleaders at a cricket match? I love the ladies, but really?
4. The fact that the Tamils I know root for Delhi Daredevils and my friends from Uttar Pradesh are die-hard Chennai Superkings supporters.
3. Corruption.
2. What the hell is a Knightrider?
1. It’s not cricket!
I enjoy the IPL, I really do. I watched almost every match last season. It’s not necessarily in the cricket that I find my dislike of the tournament nor is it in the Twenty20 format. It is in how this Twenty20 money-fuelled circus is run. Personally I blame my home country and I think it could learn a few things from ‘real cricket’.
I’m not talking about fixing the conduct of a team or artificial enhancements or sex scandals. All these can be found in the world of cricket too, but they are simply more prevalent in America’s ‘big three’ – baseball, basketball, and American football. What I am talking about is how we treat sport here in the US. As much tradition as there is to the ‘big three’, I simply have not found an equivalent to ‘the spirit of cricket’ among the ranks of their players and fans.
Think about it: even if it doesn’t concern the actual game, when something is a little off, the phrase “that’s not cricket” most certainly applies. Cricket is rich in etiquette, prestige, grace and passion. Cricket without these things simply isn’t cricket. Does that make it baseball?
Quite obviously, no. Still, I have seen many “that’s not cricket” moments in my time, on pitches across the globe, and the IPL is often on the verge of causing an utterance or two. However, that sportsman’s attitude that stands out in cricket still drives middle-aged men to leave their homes on an early Sunday morning and spend an entire day wilting in the sun, fidgeting with and hitting a little leather ball. It is also that same attitude, or more appropriately, devotion, that has encouraged me since I was fourteen to disregard age, ethnicity and cost in order to stand in the same outfield as that middle-aged man.
We cricketers love our little game. We love it to a point that it might even be bad for our health. US cricket attests to this. If not for the dedication to cricket brought over by immigrants from all over the world, the sport would not exist here. People would simply have assimilated and taken up baseball or some other ‘American’ sport because it was easier to access, and I’ve seen this happen sadly. What is so unique about cricket is that while there is an Englishman in some hollowed out countryside hauling his kit into the boot of his car to head over to the pitch down the road, a Brooklynite is waking up twice as early, carrying equipment, which is in half as good condition, to his team-mate’s car so they can drive together to a pitch in New Jersey – a whole other state – for a match that will give him nothing more than satisfaction. Two men separated by so much, but united by passion for the game.
Maybe it is because we take our local teams more seriously than national teams in the US (it’s only when famous NBA players are used in the Olympics that we support the USA basketball team). However, cricketers’ passion has meant that for a long time fame and fortune have been out of the picture when moving up the ranks of cricket’s system. When cricketers retire, they retire so they can be with their families or continue the love of the game, not exploit their reputation. Even those select cricketers that make it onto the television screens in Mumbai and Sydney (Tendulkar and Warney per say) don’t carry themselves with the same smugness that money-grubbing athletes in America often do (Williams sisters much?). That has started to change though…
With the match-fixing allegations against the Pakistani trio still fresh in everyone’s mind and the IPL approaching its fourth cycle, I can’t help but think the American obsession with money in sport is starting to ruin our beloved game. Look at the West Indies. Shame on Gayle, Bravo, and Pollard. These boys have raw talent that could bring back the glory days of Walsh, Sir Viv and Lara, but instead they focus on money. West Indies Cricket isn’t in shambles because of a lack of talent, it’s in shambles because of a lack of drive and the only people that still have the passion that led to the greatest sports dominance in history are not supported well enough. I have a lot of faith in the squad currently in Sri Lanka because I feel captain Sammy and his boys are bringing that passion back ever so slowly.
The common misconception is that only Twenty20 will succeed in the US. That is false. Twenty20 is cricket for people with ADD or who have a train to catch (I guess that is why New Yorkers are so good at it). However, the American cricketers I know all agree: cricket doesn’t need flashy colors, dancing cheerleaders and ads being stuffed down our throats every ten seconds to make it enjoyable. Cricket is our beautiful game and we will play it to play and nothing more.
Gregory Uzelac is an American cricketer from New York City, currently studying in the Midwest
10. I don’t need to see Warney attempt to relive his glory days on the pitch in between commercials that feature him and Adam Gilchrist speaking atrocious Hindi.
9. It makes ‘sixes’ boring.
8. Anil Kumble bowling some random under-19 player isn’t my idea of fierce competition.
7. Politics play too much of a role (aka “give me Pakistani players!”).
6. I’m tired of thinking the Mumbai Indians are the Mumbai Mastercards.
5. Cheerleaders at a cricket match? I love the ladies, but really?
4. The fact that the Tamils I know root for Delhi Daredevils and my friends from Uttar Pradesh are die-hard Chennai Superkings supporters.
3. Corruption.
2. What the hell is a Knightrider?
1. It’s not cricket!
I enjoy the IPL, I really do. I watched almost every match last season. It’s not necessarily in the cricket that I find my dislike of the tournament nor is it in the Twenty20 format. It is in how this Twenty20 money-fuelled circus is run. Personally I blame my home country and I think it could learn a few things from ‘real cricket’.
I’m not talking about fixing the conduct of a team or artificial enhancements or sex scandals. All these can be found in the world of cricket too, but they are simply more prevalent in America’s ‘big three’ – baseball, basketball, and American football. What I am talking about is how we treat sport here in the US. As much tradition as there is to the ‘big three’, I simply have not found an equivalent to ‘the spirit of cricket’ among the ranks of their players and fans.
Think about it: even if it doesn’t concern the actual game, when something is a little off, the phrase “that’s not cricket” most certainly applies. Cricket is rich in etiquette, prestige, grace and passion. Cricket without these things simply isn’t cricket. Does that make it baseball?
Quite obviously, no. Still, I have seen many “that’s not cricket” moments in my time, on pitches across the globe, and the IPL is often on the verge of causing an utterance or two. However, that sportsman’s attitude that stands out in cricket still drives middle-aged men to leave their homes on an early Sunday morning and spend an entire day wilting in the sun, fidgeting with and hitting a little leather ball. It is also that same attitude, or more appropriately, devotion, that has encouraged me since I was fourteen to disregard age, ethnicity and cost in order to stand in the same outfield as that middle-aged man.
We cricketers love our little game. We love it to a point that it might even be bad for our health. US cricket attests to this. If not for the dedication to cricket brought over by immigrants from all over the world, the sport would not exist here. People would simply have assimilated and taken up baseball or some other ‘American’ sport because it was easier to access, and I’ve seen this happen sadly. What is so unique about cricket is that while there is an Englishman in some hollowed out countryside hauling his kit into the boot of his car to head over to the pitch down the road, a Brooklynite is waking up twice as early, carrying equipment, which is in half as good condition, to his team-mate’s car so they can drive together to a pitch in New Jersey – a whole other state – for a match that will give him nothing more than satisfaction. Two men separated by so much, but united by passion for the game.
Maybe it is because we take our local teams more seriously than national teams in the US (it’s only when famous NBA players are used in the Olympics that we support the USA basketball team). However, cricketers’ passion has meant that for a long time fame and fortune have been out of the picture when moving up the ranks of cricket’s system. When cricketers retire, they retire so they can be with their families or continue the love of the game, not exploit their reputation. Even those select cricketers that make it onto the television screens in Mumbai and Sydney (Tendulkar and Warney per say) don’t carry themselves with the same smugness that money-grubbing athletes in America often do (Williams sisters much?). That has started to change though…
With the match-fixing allegations against the Pakistani trio still fresh in everyone’s mind and the IPL approaching its fourth cycle, I can’t help but think the American obsession with money in sport is starting to ruin our beloved game. Look at the West Indies. Shame on Gayle, Bravo, and Pollard. These boys have raw talent that could bring back the glory days of Walsh, Sir Viv and Lara, but instead they focus on money. West Indies Cricket isn’t in shambles because of a lack of talent, it’s in shambles because of a lack of drive and the only people that still have the passion that led to the greatest sports dominance in history are not supported well enough. I have a lot of faith in the squad currently in Sri Lanka because I feel captain Sammy and his boys are bringing that passion back ever so slowly.
The common misconception is that only Twenty20 will succeed in the US. That is false. Twenty20 is cricket for people with ADD or who have a train to catch (I guess that is why New Yorkers are so good at it). However, the American cricketers I know all agree: cricket doesn’t need flashy colors, dancing cheerleaders and ads being stuffed down our throats every ten seconds to make it enjoyable. Cricket is our beautiful game and we will play it to play and nothing more.
Gregory Uzelac is an American cricketer from New York City, currently studying in the Midwest
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