Informed Commentary on the DRS in Cricket: CMJ, Tissera, Mahela and Others

Michael Roberts

I insert a series of opinions on the working of the DRS system from ex-cricketers and knowledgeable observers, commentary that is spiced at the end by Mahela Jayawardene’s response to questions from Tony Greig at a critical point during the Second Test match versus England in Sri Lanka. The sequence here is as follows

 

A: A web site reference to my slashing criticism of Indian cricketers and the Indian board for their position on the DRS in cricket, namely, Hegemonic Idiocy: BCCI and Dhoni on the DRS in cricket http://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/hegemonic-idiocy-bcci-and-dhoni-on-the-drs-in-cricket/

B: my “Exploring Reader Opinion, an Addendum” in http://www.islandcricket.lk/columns/michael_roberts/168720221/exploring-reader-opinions-an-addendum ……………..which, alas, drew no comment.

Tributes to Ranil Abeynaike: Thomian, Sri Lankan Cricketer, Curator, Commentator

 ONE: Ranil’s illustrious innings comes to an end – Lal Guneskera in The Island, 21 February 2012

Former top class cricketer, curator and well known TV and radio commentator and former The Island columnist Ranil Abeynaike (57) died of a sudden heart ailment, last morning (21), at Asiri Hospital, in Colombo. Abeynaike captained S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia in 1973 and was adjudged the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year and Best Bowler. In the same year, S. Thomas’ were adjudged the Best Schools Cricket Team.

A slow left-arm spinner and middle-order batsman, he was in the national squad from 1974 to 1985 and led the Board President’s XI against Australia, led by Greg Chappell. Abeynaike played in the Bedfordshire League in England between 1978 and 1982. During that period, he also represented MCC. He was a member of the MCC.

He qualified as a curator in England and when Sri Lanka gained Test status in 1982, SSC appointed him as its curator and he assisted in preparing pitches at Nalanda, Wesley, Panadura CC, Uyanwatte Stadium in Matara, Air Force grounds, Katunayake etc. He did up the turf at St. Benedict’s too in 2006.

ICC reveals spineless greed on issue of Test play-offs

Gideon Haigh, in  the Weekend Australian, 29-30 October 2011 with different title… Gideon Haigh is one of Australia’s best sports writers and has expertise in financial analysis as well. He has now joined the Weekend Australian’s columns and must be listened to avidly. Web Editor.

HYPOCRISY, the saying goes, is the homage that vice pays to virtue. In cricket, it is the homage administrators pay to Test matches. Time and again, administrators assure us of their continued regard for Test cricket as the game’s ultimate form. Then they pull sneaky little manoeuvres like winnowing Australia’s planned three-Test series against South Africa away to two, and England’s promised five-Test series against South Africa next year to three.

Their recent decision to welch on playoffs for the World Test Championship is perhaps their most destructive move yet. Destructive and also instructive: because it demonstrates how far the game’s welfare now falls behind self-interest and short-term financial expediency as a governance priority.

At their July annual meeting inHong Kong, the executive board of the International Cricket Council, on which Cricket Australia’s representative was its chairman Jack Clarke, agreed to advance plans for playoffs to the World Test Championship: semi-finals and a final among the top four ranked countries. It was welcomed as a much-needed innovation: a chance to contextualise the game’s most skilful and historic format, and enrich it with a finale worth the name.

World T20 for Sri Lanka next year– launch media event

 Courtesy of the Daily News, 21 Sept 2011 The ICC and Sri Lanka Cricket launched the WT20 Sri Lanka 2012 with a grand ceremony at the Ceylon Continental, yesterday. Reigning champion England will start its title defence at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on September 21 against one of the two qualifiers for the tournament. Stuart Broad’s side will complete its opening group commitments two days later against 2007 champion India at the same venue. Haroon Lorgat [CEO, ICC], Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka women’s team captain Shashikala Siriwardena, andUpali Dharmadasa, chairman, SLC,  at yesterday’s launch

Australia, chasing the one global trophy to have eluded them, will go head-to-head with the other qualifier in Colombo on September 19, part of a double-header that also features India and a qualifer. Sri Lanka, which lost toEnglandin the semi-final of last year’s tournament in the West Indies, will open its campaign against Zimbabwe under lights in Hambantota on the first day of the tournament (September 18) before taking on South Africa at the same venue on September 22.

A Letter to Sanath from an Unhappy Cricket Fan from Matara

Andrew Fernando,whom you can get to know better at  The Pigeon and here

Pic by AFP 

Dear Mr Jayasuriya,

In April 2010 you were elected to office as the Member of Parliament for the Matara district, in which I live. At the time you were full of promises and the electorate was full of hope for you. “I’d like to give back to society,” you said. “Man of the people,” said we, in turn. However, over the last year and a bit, there have been a few things bothering the people of Matara. You seemed completely preoccupied.

First there was the World Twenty20 brouhaha – you left for three weeks, scored about two runs, and then returned. It must have been the least productive foreign visit in the history of politics, but we were willing to cut you a break. Then there was the awkwardness of the campaign to be included in the World Cup squad. It didn’t end well for you, but we stuck in there. Finally there was the trip toEnglandfor your farewell game, which we were overjoyed about because we thought you’d finally stop worrying about cricket and focus on your political duties.

But now we find that you’re doing television commentary for the home series against Australia. Have you completely forgotten that you are an MP? This is very distressing for your constituents. I won’t go down the cynic’s path of claiming the only vaguely political thing you have done in the last 15 months is to get yourself in the cricket team (or the commentary box). But I will now present a list of things you have done in your role as MP that signalled to the people of Matara that your mind is focused on only one thing: