Posted by That’s a reference to his name cropping up in talk of IPL match fixing and the fact that he’s won 12 international tosses in a row, including all of them on this tour of New Zealand (without yet winning a match). Top tossing, Mahendra. Top tossing.
Even if the perfect toss record continues, the winless streak might end, as India are in a very strong position after day one of the second Test. Ross Taylor’s missus has a lot ot answer for. He’s away for the birth of a new Taylor and New Zealand’s seemingly-resilient middle-order looked rather more wonky without him. Kane Williamson couldn’t even benefit from twice being dismissed off a no-ball.
As for the match-fixing thing, is anyone else surprised by how little coverage there’s been, even if things haven’t yet got past the question marks in headlines stage.
The problems involved with reporting match fixing come down to:
1) the issues are a libel lawyer’s erotic fantasy.
2) sports journalists may not have a huge amount of legal training and thus a lot of the more esoteric parts may fall inside what can be called “Panicsville”.
3) it’s more depressing to write about than Dennis Lillee’s decision to wear Mitchell Johnson’s skin like that guy out of Silence of the Lambs
4) administrators seem to actively encourage people not to take an interest in how they actually administer the game (although I cannot for the life of me think why).
Much of that is true, but this is still abnormal. Very few newspapers outside India have even gone so far as to publish ‘it is being reported…’ stories.
You’re right and to the list we can probably add a 5th reason- the slump of newspapers has led to most reporters reduced to little more than glorified bloggers and purveyors of “colour pieces”. Actual investigative reporting is beyond the realm of most sports desks.
The 5th reason is very important. It has been no secret since last summer that an “un-named current very major Indian player” had appeared on police tapes in the fixing investigation. But any journalist to publish that in India would never cover cricket again, nor would his paper ever be granted even the limited access to players that they are now allowed.
And if no-one publishes anything, there’s no problem, is there?
Say it ain’t so, MS.
The issue (pun intended) with Ross Taylor highlights a serious weakness in the management of international players. Given that human gestation times, and indeed ovulation windows, are reasonably predictable, and also that the Future Tours Programme is in place for a few years yet, it surely isn’t beyond the wit of team managers to schedule “Attempted Procreation Days” into a player’s programme. In fact, I’d be surprised if Andy Flower hadn’t already tried to do this.
Now I know what you’re all going to say – what are these red-blooded alpha males going to do with themselves during ONPWs (Official Non-Procreation Weeks)? Here, as in many things, MS Dhoni appears to be leading the way, as I understand from a cursory reading of this article’s first paragraph.
Or maybe a more communal approach to procreation where each wife bears the child of a player but nobody knows the specific paternal identity. Ergo any child is a child of the team as a whole and therefore it is in its greater interest if the fathers are all pulling together on the field of play rather than waiting anxiously in a hospital.
My club has had a fines system in place for many years – any child born to a player during the season incurs a £10 fine. Looks like we’re miles ahead of the competition in old-man’s Sunday friendly cricket as usual.
Don’t think thats what Flower meant when he told players to f*ck off.
@Alec so a breeding programme then. If NZC could lure a few of the Hockey chicks away from the Rugby players our current rich vein of relative competence coud extend for generations. (though I worry about the Rutherford bloodline to be honest)
He may not come hurtling back on form as the ‘Biology of Dad’s’ shows men’s testosterone levels fall while their wives are pregnant so they will be gentle with the new baby.
In my next idle moments I might correlate new fatherhood and loss of performance in competitive sport. I must remember to allow for the mitigating effect of being away on tour.
There’s too much disgusting stuff happening at the moment. I’ve gone ostrich, I don’t want to hear about it.
On the bright side, with India NZ happening between 3:30 and 11 AM and Aus SA happening between 2 and 9:30 PM I’m a happy ostrich. For the next two days anyway.
regarding today’s Badger, the only players from that Australia side that aren’t on this tour to SA are Ponting and Hussey.
Maybe Arthur really was the problem.
They were more likeable back then though, what with all the losing and all. Good fact though.
I’m skeptical of MS Dhoni being involved in any kind of match fixing. Dhoni is in the top 50 most well paid sports people in the world. I don’t think a bookie would be able to pay him nearly enough.