a drawn series at home against new zealand should be seen to be a defeat.—
Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 16, 2010

Daniel Vettori can be proud of his Kiwis, who have bounced back unexpectedly strong after the ‘Bangladesh disaster’.

But it does makes me wonder why we still uphold the facade that Test matches are about the best playing the best when the general feeling is that New Zealand have got nothing to offer competing against India.

It also makes me wonder why everybody keeps saying Test cricket is as good as dead, when we have these totally unexpected results while in Sri Lanka Chris – “I don’t give a fuck about Test cricket” – Gayle is blasting his way to a triple ton for West Indies against Sri Lanka.

With the Ashes yet to come, are we witnessing a Test revival? Or is the flu that’s been bugging me for weeks still clouding my better judgement?

In a follow-up post on Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard turning down WICB contracts, this is what Ms. Print writes:

Is it good for cricket? Yes, because players like Pollard have a solid fan base and him being a nomad will create an interest in all the leagues he plays in. More interest, more revenue…that’s good for the ‘small’ leagues, right?

No, I’m sorry Ms. Print, but you’re wrong.

Freelancers are in it for the money, big money. Not something the “small leagues” will be able to offer. That is why Bravo and Pollard are playing domestic Twenty20 in the wealthiest nations England, Australia and India.

Only the top nations can afford to get the best players and by doing so are effectively draining quality from others, who don’t have money in abundance.

In the case of West Indies, clearly not one of the big guns, it means Bravo and Pollard will pick the games they want to play for them.

This won’t do cricket in the Caribbean any good, because people will lose interest in international cricket if the best aren’t playing. Which leads to less revenue, leading to more players opting to go freelance, and so on ..

Bravo and Pollard know West Indies need them and thus they do as they please. I am not blaming these two, but I think to much freelancing could really harm cricket.

Dwanye Bravo and Kieron Pollard turned down one-year contracts from the WICB. The reason is simple: money.

The WICB wants its central contracted players to be available for all international matches. The sum they are offering for this is 80.000 dollars.

Not bad, you might say, but both Bravo and Pollard make about ten times that money playing just a couple of weeks in the IPL.

Which leaves them with enough time on their hands to make appearances for various teams in domestic Twenty20-leagues all over the world. And getting paid plenty for doing so.

This doesn’t sit well with many cricket fans, who claim they have no national or professional pride, but I think Bravo and Pollard can’t be blamed.

Have they no national pride? Rubbish, they play for Trinidad & Tobago, their home country. West Indies is not a country in any sense, or sport, except in cricket.

And what about excelling at the highest level, Test matches, and being the best player you can be? Well, Bravo and Pollard didn’t say they don’t want to play Test matches for the West Indies, now did they?

And besides, not everybody – Chris Gayle, their Test captain, to name just one – agrees Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game.

So what do I think of their move? Not much really. Bravo and Pollard are just willing to take a bet on their international careers in return for a lot of money. A safe bet.

The WICB is still going to select them, because there are no real alternatives available. Bravo and Pollard know that too.

They will play for West Indies when its suits them and not when they have better-paying jobs lined up.

And in the unlikely scenario they won’t get selected anymore, there is the comforting knowledge of having enough money in the bank to last them a lifetime.

Doing what you like best and getting paid millions; I must admit I’m a bit envious.

Gisteren ben ik begonnen in Grovel – het boek van David Tossell over de beruchte Test-serie van Engeland en West-Indies in 1976.

Aangespoord door een nogal ongelukkige uitspraak van de Engelse captain verpletterde West-Indies hun tegenstander. Een van hoofdrolspelers in het boek is de legendarische Sir Vivian Richards; een van cricket’s spectaculairste batsmen aller tijden.

Ieder kind wilde in 1976 en vele jaren daarna zijn zoals Richards. En wie de video hieronder – een eerbetoon aan Sir Viv – bekijkt, zal dat gevoel begrijpen.

Richards is cool, stoer en straalt uit dat hij de bowling gaat domineren als hij naar het wicket loopt. En Sir Viv heeft bovendien de beste bijnaam van allemaal: Master Blaster.

Scyld Barry – de nieuwe editor van Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack – roemde Richards onlangs nog op cricinfo.com.

In case you’re wondering, the above is written in Dutch. If you are looking for more of this Dutch non-fiction, I suggest you go to the archives and read any post between November 2007 and July 2008.

Het is de vijfde dag en Sri Lanka heeft nog twee wickets nodig om voor het eerst een Test te winnen op de Caribische eilanden.

update - Een geweldige vang – achteruit rennend, gestrekt met één hand gevangen – van Muralitharan bezegelt de wedstrijd met nog enkele overs te gaan.  Geweldige finish van een boeiende Test.

In case you’re wondering, the above is written in Dutch. If you are looking for more of this Dutch non-fiction, I suggest you go to the archives and read any post between November 2007 and July 2008.

Met uitzondering van Devon Smith – bowled voor 2 runs – speelde iedere speler van de Windies zijn rol naar behoren en lieten de Zimbabwanen kansloos. Alles is dus weer zoals het hoort en veel meer valt er dan ook niet over te zeggen.

In case you’re wondering, the above is written in Dutch. If you are looking for more of this Dutch non-fiction, I suggest you go to the archives and read any post between November 2007 and July 2008.

Ik begon de wedstrijd kort na het vallen van het eerste wicket te volgen. Toen gaf ik West-Indies nog alle kans…

Natuurlijk gaan de West-Indies een target van 275 tegen Zimbabwe nog eenvoudig halen. Toch?

update - Kennelijk niet:

6.3 Chigumbura to Smith, OUT, wide outside the off stump, Smith chases it and gets an edge through to Taibu behind the wicket.

West-Indies 22 voor 2.

update - bijna nog meer problemen:

8.6 Chigumbura to Samuels, 1 run, edge and dropped! Samuels slashes it hard on the front foot, gets the outside edge, the ball flies to the lone slip, who puts it down.

update - Na dertien overs heeft Zimbabwe de beste papieren. Vergeet niet dat Australië dit team ook al eens onderschatte met pijnlijke gevolgen.

update - Samuels uit! En net als hij en Chanderpaul de innings van West-Indies op de rails lijken te krijgen.

19.4 Masakadza to Samuels, OUT, edge and taken by Taibu. Short and wide outside the off stump, Samuels seeing the width goes after it, cuts and gets the outside edge, Taibu who is standing up takes a sharp catch. West Indies in deep trouble.

update – Dertig overs voorbij en de required runrate is tot boven de 8 uitgelopen. West Indies moet nu wat regelmatiger de boundary halen, anders wordt het een mission impossible.

update – Chanderpaul overleeft simpele vangbal

32.2 Utseya to Chanderpaul, 1 run, dropped! Cuts it hard in the air behind the wicket, Sibanda drops it, that was a simple chance.

update - En Chanderpaul net binnen…

33.1 Price to Chanderpaul, 2 runs, RUN OUT! low full toss driven through the off side to wide long off, Chigumbura puts in a good throw to Taibu, who collects it and whips off the stumps, referred to the third umpire, green light flashes. Chanderpaul made a desperate dive in the crease to get back in.

ondertussen op een ander veld… heeft Nieuw-Zeeland Zuid-Afrika in de tang: 54/4. Het is een goede dag voor de underdogs.

update - Na 37 overs is de required runrate exact 10, West-Indies schommelen rond een runrate van vier.

update – Hit out and get out! Morton gaat voor de slog en verliest bijna zijn wicket, gelukkig voor hem komt hij – en bovendien 6 runs – ermee weg.

40.6 Dabengwa to Morton, SIX, dropped! Down the track and hits it straight in the air to Masakadza at long on, drops it and in the process gives away a six.

West-Indies heeft meer van dit nodig. Derde keer dat Zimbabwe een kans op een wicket letterlijk laat vallen.

update - Twenty20?

West Indies require another 92 runs with 7 wickets and 40 balls remaining

In een Twenty20-wedstrijd zou nog niet alles verloren zijn, maar niets lijkt erop dat West-Indies nog een paar versnellingen over heeft.

update - Chanderpaul heeft een century uit 122 ballen met 3 vieren en 2 zessen. Normaal gesproken een prima fundament om een runchase op te bouwen.

update - Morton uit.

45.2 Chibhabha to Morton, OUT, a full toss, Morton has a big heave and misses it, the ball makes a mess of the stumps.

update - Hoppa! Lewis zorgt meteen voor vuurwerk.

45.4 Chibhabha to Lewis, FOUR, good shot, driven well in the gap between extra-cover and mid-off, the ball races to the fence

45.5 Chibhabha to Lewis, SIX, another wonderful strike from Lewis, launches it over the midwicket fence for maximum.

45.6 Chibhabha to Lewis, 2 runs, dropped! Hits it in the air to deep midwicket, Matsikenyeri was slow to get to the ball, drops it.

Morgen verplichte vang-training voor Zimbabwe! Spektakel komt wel allemaal te laat, 68 runs uit 24 ballen gaan ze niet meer halen.

update - Lewis uit. Bravo uit. West-Indies all-out?

46.4 Brent to Lewis, OUT, heaves it in the air straight into the hands of Chigumbura at deep square leg.

47.1 Chibhabha to Bravo, OUT, Bravo goes for a duck, cleans him up, keeps it full, Bravo makes room and looks to go through the off side, misses it completely, knocks back his stumps.

update – Zimbabwe wint met 31 wickets. Op beide fronten – batting en bowling – overtreffen ze vandaag hun tegenstander. West-Indies verliest nog twee wickets in de laatste over, maar Chanderpaul blijft overeind en eindigt met 137 uit 128 ballen. Een teleurstellend optreden van de West Indies, die hun tour door Wimbabwe en Zuid-Afrika allicht beter hadden willen beginnen.

In case you’re wondering, the above is written in Dutch. If you are looking for more of this Dutch non-fiction, I suggest you go to the archives and read any post between November 2007 and July 2008.