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[sudzz]

I was watching an interesting debate last night on NDTV where they had 5 panelists and Charu Sharma arguing on whether cricket is on its last legs and what needs to be done to revive the game.

The main thrust of the argument from guys who make money off players and sponsorship ie the sports management companies and advertisers was that now they will pay less for players and sponsorship given the shoddy job that players and BCCI have done.

The broadcaster on board was saying that its not that these are the only ones who matter(ie indian sponsors and sport management co's) but there is a slightly larger world outside (this was the VP Marketing of Nimbus Colaco ..)

Of course then there were sportsmen Jadeja and Viren Rasquiniha who were saying that a kid plays a sport any sport because he enjoys the sport and once around the age of 12-13 realises that he is skilled enough to try and make the cut to the next level and only then tries to technically perfect their game etc.

The reason why Iam posting this because this is the context of my thread....

There is science in the sport like never before, we today know how many milliseconds did it take for a slip fielder to react before he could catch the ball. We also have excellent management (read coaching techniques) from the Buchanan's of the world to even the failed Chappell's and King's had very very good methods it is a different matter that they messed up the implementation.

So why then is there no passion in the sport as it is played today. I can understand the lack of passion in the players of the subcontinent. It is impossible to sustain the passion living in a crucible where people around you want to know what you are doing every living minute.

But what about the West Indian's or the Kiwi's or the Pom's etc even their players are just showing up to office and trying their best (for the money that they are paid). There is almost no joy that you see, there are no rivalries like in the past.

The term atmosphere is electric has all but disappeared from the vocabularies of commentators. It is always percentages, no one is willing to back players and teams that play with total abandon just to enjoy being on the field.

The price of doing the above is not just monetary but as one has seen could even be with your own life...I mean who in his right mind would want to play the sport in any otherway than play percentages and ensure an adequate income and also save ones life.

The blame could lie for all this at many different places, players, the boards, the over commercialisation of the game etc etc.

But I feel fundamentally the shift has taken place due to the games movement further east than was warranted. While as an Indian I feel immensly proud and grartified that my nation calls the shots at the ICC but as a pragmatist who loves the sport I am also saddened because I know that the BCCI and its denizens will gladly cut off their noses to spite their face. More importantly these are the very same people who really dont know their frontal orifices from their rear.

Iam feeling increasingly helpless that I love this sport over a lot of others yet my views like those of almost all of yours dont matter, decisions are taken and thrust down upon us but absolute morons who would make players play in total darkness on the one side yet will gladly take players off the field even if they are willing to play under lights.

Unlike other major sports of the world in cricket the spectator, the viewer, the audience comes last and thats resulted in the actors, performers, artists lose their passion and they now play as if its their day in the office and are mentally prepared for as many bad days as good ones because they know that their pay is guranteed one way or the other.

[fineleg]

A big applause sudzz.
I like the passion that you wrote the post with. Thats really really nice to read that.

I dont know how the % game started, but now that its there, we need to get our next gen players trained to be precise and sharp. The only way we can achieve #2 status (atleast) in cricket in the long run.



Regarding BCCI buffoons? Sad but what can poor fans do other than debate!?

[Libran]

Good writeup Sudzz...

You are right...the passion has gone out of the game...standards have dropped or stagnated across...and Australian way of cricket has become monotonous...

For someonw who even to this day vividly remebers the six by Clive Lloyd in Bangalore and the injury to Faroukk Engineer, the class act of GRV at Chepauk to as late as the WC semifnal of 2003, the game is not the same anymore...

But, one thing is sure...cricket is not everything in life ...and definitely not the only past time....
Nothing is gonna change...and for every step forward, BCCI will take our cricket two steps backwards...

I, for one, am switching to playing Squash and Tennis and spending lesser and lesser time on Cricket....unless something  drastically positive happens

[sudzz]

Thanks Ravi and Fineleg, my ctake on the issue is that it is the proverbial case of the goose that lays golden eggs...the BCCI does not know when or where to stop.

The unfortunate part is that with the amount of money at their disposal they are dragging the whole sport down with it, BCCI forces and foists upon other countries impractical schedules, unnecessary matches, bizzare locations etc etc. All of this in the name of revenue.

While revenue generation is all fine where is the money going, there is absolutely no accountability to anyone (not even to the players). There is no grass roots development of the game. There have been no new stadia that have come up in new locations, none in the older locations like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai etc.

There has been no investment in ancillary activities like developments of sports medicine centres, sport psychologists etc.

At the base level the game is grappling with the same problems that it had 50 years back. Australia, England, NewZealand produce consistent players (ie players with a semblance of skill and lot of attitude etc) Australia more so than the others. India on the other hand produces inconsistent players, half baked skills, incomplete learning and low levels of maturity.

Why is it that in a country where there is so much interest and passion such basic issues dont get addressed?

Simple example we had a opener par excellence in Sunil Gavaskar, a touch artist in G Viswananth, A great all rounder in Kapil Dev, one of the best keepers in Kirmani and these are just in the 70's and 80's why is it that after these greats retired we are still trying to find a settled opening pair, a genuine middle order talent who will replace a Rahul Dravid in the near future? a good (forget great we wont have one) wicket keeper, A genuine all rounder who has all the goods?

Every successful organisation has a detailed succession planning in place, has a dossier of potential aspirants and their relative merits. What does BCCI have, assuming SRT, SG and RD all quit at the same time who will replace them (with the same levels of success at least?), Who has replaced Srinath (let alone Kapil).

The BCCI is just not interested in the sport of cricket, it is more keen on the business of cricket. Thats why after the world cup debacle the only decision they have been able to take is to curb advertisements that players are allowed to appear in.

Finally Indians were the lords of spin what about now? do we even have a plan to develop spinners?

The passion in the sport is slowly being squeezed out like the very life that gets squeezed out of a deer in the grip of a python.

The sad part is we the spectators dont realise that and spend precious amounts of time in watching this debacle. My children dont like cricket and Iam not encouraging them to watch it, my elder son like Ice Hockey, F1 racing, MotoGP etc and the younger one like Tennis and Soccer and Iam encouraging them to carry on trying those sports rather than waste their time on a sport that will not last out this decade (at least not in its current form)