Captains responsible for game’s health

challenge cricket faces. That the ICC was prompt in penalising Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and reserve player Nurul Hasan 25% of their match fee plus assigning one demerit point each, however, didn’t convince skeptics that the system was entirely fair.

It remains to be seen how the ICC’s minders respond to these recent events going ahead. But the matches between Australia and South Africa and Friday’s onfield conflict in the Nidahas Trophy shows up the complexities involved.

While rules pertaining to discipline and gamesmanship are terribly important, these are open to interpretation and, rather than resolve matters to everybody’s satisfaction, can lead to more rancour.

I can’t moot a foolproof solution but believe these matters demand greater participation from current players, and particularly captains as mentioned in my previous column. They need to be made to realise that they are the custodians of the sport, and therefore primarily responsible for its good health and reputation.

Elsewhere, Wasim Jaffer’s double ton in the Irani Trophy at age 40 is a remarkable story. It shows not just his class, but also his passion for the sport. These are the kind of players who have kept domestic cricket relevant, with their undying commitment.

Jaffer’s superb effort, otherwise the Irani Trophy this year has turned out to be quite a farce, what with Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha batting on for three days in posting 800plus runs before declaring.

I won’t blame Vidarbha captain Faiz Fazal entirely for not making the match more challenging, though his bowlers, especially young Rajneesh Gurbhani showed that they could have been trusted to defend even a smaller total.

In the absence of an outright result, winners are decided on the first innings lead, so captains aim to bat the other side out of the match. But this wouldn’t be a problem unless the pitch is so lifeless that bowlers are brought to their knees and teams can bat on endlessly.

This is unedifying for spectators. And certainly not in the interest of Indian cricket.