Muhammad bin Tughluq is the ICC's consultant

Muhammad bin Tughluq was a Sultan of the Tughlaq dynasty which ruled over northern India in the 14th century CE. He attempted to move the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, in modern day Maharashtra (Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra, for those who may not know). But his plan was to get the entire population of Delhi to move to Daulatabad (1000+ km away). The plan was a sure fiasco right from the start, and a couple of years later, he pressed the 'Undo' button and got the population to move back to Delhi.

The ICC has always displayed characteristics of an ostrich.

In my post after the PCB's Anti-Doping Appeals Committee let Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif get away scot-free, I referred to a Pakistan v West Indies ODI which was washed out.

The second farce that happened in Pakistan cricket was the news that Inzamam will return to international cricket tomorrow after the first ODI against West Indies was washed out without even the toss having taken place.

The ICC decided, quite stupidly in my opinion, in 2004 that a game was deemed to have started as long a the toss had taken place. So, in the light of there not having been a toss at Rawalpindi, that game doesn't count as a recorded one-day international.

Hence Inzamam should actually be sitting out for one more game to ensure that he completes his ban period of four one-day internationals.

The ICC now seems to be veering around to the idea that it was a bad decision in the first place. In a media release dated yesterday, the ICC announced that for this World Cup, that earlier decision wouldn't hold good. i.e. if a toss took place and rain prevented any play, then the reserve day would have a new toss and the teams could be changed. The first day wouldn't count towards player caps and that it would count as one match having taken place, not two.

But the ICC also adds that this change of playing conditions is only effective for the World Cup and that a decision would be taken in May. The idea was pathetic at the outset anyway and objected to by several statisticians and followers of the game. It made no sense. The ICC is now only going half-way towards pressing the 'Undo' button. Let's hope sanity prevails in May this year!

Labels: 2007 world cup, icc, ostrich, rain, toss, world cup