ICC's weather bureau gets into the act

One month ago, the ICC announced that the next edition (let's not split hairs over whether it is the 2008 edition or 2009 one!) of the ICC Champions Trophy would not be held in Pakistan. While the decision on the new venue was to have been announced in April, there were rumours about Sri Lanka hosting the tournament.

Now, the ICC's general manager, Dave Richardson reckons that Sri Lanka was unlikely to host the event because of concerns over the weather. Well, here's what we tell him. We told you so, Dave!. If only you'd bothered to check with us!

We wrote, a month ago, about the impact of the weather.

There's talk of Sri Lanka hosting the tournament, currently scheduled for September-October 2009. But consider that Colombo, the main cricketing centre there with three international grounds, typically has heavy rainfall from end-September all the way till November. The only international cricket venue which will be unaffected by the monsoon is Dambulla, in the centre of the country. Can the pitch handle 15 matches in a span of 17 days? I suspect not!

Besides, as Patrick Kidd helpfully points out, the 2002 edition of the tournament was held in Sri Lanka in the last 15-20 days of September, and two attempts at a trophy-deciding final were damp squibs.

Spare everyone the torture. Just scrap the concept. Instead, ensure that the time that gets freed up helps test-playing countries play each other for at least 3-test series. Spend some time and come up with a way to get Bangladesh & Zimbabwe to improve more dramatically. If this requires a two-tiered test championship, figure out how to do so in the best manner without impacting TV rights owners.

Labels: 2009 champions trophy, champions trophy, icc, rain, sri lanka

Thus spake Jagadish @ 11:19 pm | Sledge/Read 0 sledge(s)
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ODI cricket digs its own grave

At a time when there is a lot of discussion about the future of 50-over cricket given the advent of Twenty20, yesterday's proceedings in the 2nd one-dayer between England and New Zealand came at absolutely the worst possible time.

The game started at 3 pm (local time) because of heavy rain, which wasn't a problem. But, fascinatingly enough, the players went for a 30 minute lunch break even though it was well past 'lunch time'. Like Vettori and Collingwood say, common sense seemed to be lacking.

I have ranted here in the past about some totally illogical decisions related to lunch and tea breaks.

In 2004, again in a game involving England and New Zealand, play started 2 hours late. Yet, the umpires called for 'lunch' even though conditions were perfectly okay for play to start. In 2005, during Pakistan's tour of India, play only started at 2 pm local time. So why on earth did they have to go off for tea!?

Also yesterday, New Zealand had a maximum of 23 overs (unless there was another rain delay) to get the runs but rain started at the end of the 19th over. Take a look at the ICC ODI playing conditions.

Clause 12.4.2 b (iii) which deals with the length of innings of the team batting second in a limited overs game says

To constitute a match, a minimum of 20 overs have to be bowled to the team batting second subject to the innings not being completed earlier.

. Law 21.2 defines a win in a limited overs game.

Save for circumstances where a match is awarded to a team as a
consequence of the opposing teams refusal to play (Law 21.3), a result can be achieved only if both teams have had the opportunity of batting for at least 20 overs, unless one team has been all out in less than 20 overs or unless the team batting second scores enough runs to win in less than 20 overs.

Save for circumstances where a match is awarded to a team as a consequence of the opposing teams refusal to play (Law 21.3), all matches in which both teams have not had an opportunity of batting for a minimum of 20 overs, shall be declared no result.

If a game has been reduced to 23 overs because of weather conditions, it is highly likely that 20 overs may not be bowled to the team batting second. Instead, the rules need to be changed in such a manner that a certain %age of the maximum overs for the innings need to be bowled. That number could either be 40% (20 overs for a 50 over game) or it could be something like '40% or 10 overs, whichever is higher'. Such a change would ensure that teams, spectators, fans and audiences get the satisfaction out of having watched a completed game.

It really is high time the ICC had a serious re-think about how to apply common sense in such situations as well as think about doing away with the tea break in test matches altogether. Surely if players can do without a rest day, they can do without a 20 minute tea break. Replace the tea break with a 5 minutes drink break and we can get in at least 3 more overs in the day!

Update: The 'Ostrich' has partially fixed the issue. Henceforth, umpires are empowered to alter the duration of the innings interval.

But, this is a classic case of missing the wood for the trees. By reducing the interval by say 15 minutes, 3 overs would be gained. Nevertheless, if the rains had come down in the 19th over, the game would still have been a no-result. The root cause here is the restriction that a 50-over game needs a minimum of 20 overs to be bowled to the side batting second for the game to qualify to have a result.

As per the ICC's rules for Twenty20 internationals, 5 overs need to be bowled for the side chasing. This is delicious irony: A 23-over game is a no-result because 20 overs haven't been bowled, while a 20-over game could have a result if 5 overs have been bowled!

Labels: england, icc, lunch, new zealand, odi, ostrich, playing conditions, rain, rules, tea

Thus spake Jagadish @ 6:17 pm | Sledge/Read 1 sledge(s)
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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

Thus spake Jagadish @ 12:14 pm | Sledge/Read 0 sledge(s)
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