what a shame!!!

Like one of its most progressive thinking coaches, the game of cricketwas poisoned yesterday. It was then strangulated because it was not dying soon. It was found lying in its own feces and vomit, unattendedand abandoned.

It was a good final when it started though. Ground staff worked hard to get it running even if reduced to 38 hours. Gilli did what he does best, blasted off and was the best batsman from both the sides by quiet some distance.

It was still cricket when the ball suddenly started swinging without any perceptible change in the cloud cover. It was in fact pretty good cricket when Jayasurya and Sangakkara bided their time till the situations became favorable. Once the sun got out and the swing suddenly disappeared, they cashed in their patience, very good indeed.

Sri Lanka was quiet sure they won't have anybody playing the innings Gillie did for the Aussies. The trick was for everybody to play his own part in the chase. It was pretty much followed. Sangakkara did his job by first playing out the difficult overs and then cashing in on 2nd powerplay. The chinaman from Hodges did him in but by then he had played his hand and played it well.

From then things started going slowly downhill. The clouds became dark and ominous. Srilankan batsmen had too many things on their mind. What about D/L score, what if it does not rain till the end, what if they lose yet another wicket while trying one of these theories, all that along with a fading light caused Jayasurya to misread Clarkes innocuous skidder. It was bad that Sri Lanka should be put throught his hardships while chasing a daunting total, but still it was rules and cricket. But this is the last thing to be accepted under the vagaries of glorious uncertainties of cricket.

What happened next was incredibly stupid and unprofessional. Silva andMahila were going pretty strong and refused light and held fort through high wind and heavy rain. Even if it increased their net required run rate, they were slowly taking D/L out of the equation.The rains were about to let up and at this juncture first of many incredulous idiocies were committed.

With wind taking away rain clouds and sun peering through the web ofclouds, the light was offered and the covers were brought on. Byaccepting light and going off the field, Lanka lost whatever chance they had of making it a game then and there. It was sad that because of one official misjudgement, a dark horse lost the chance to unseat the champions. A seasoned follower can forgive them that.

But then the real bizarre things started happening. SriLankan tail accepted the light in almost a pitch dark condition. A D/L situation would have nominated Aussies as outright winners, just for one rule where the play can be resumed the next day. The umpires were adamant that they will start the play the next day, But by then the Aussies had started celebrating, the score board declared them as winners, the clowns and dancers for the farewell program were almost in the ground when the on-field umpires shooed them off.

Only after confusion reigning supreme for an eternity, Jayavardene decided to break the deadlock by asking his batsmen to reject the earlier accepted light offer. The farce continued in pitch dark.Umpires prolonged the agony by brooding over the third umpire decisions, giving wides and trying their max to beat the dead horse.


Now I am sure they were exactly following the book. I do not know exactly whose fault it was. But I know that Aussies did not deserve the final they had. They had to break their celebrations and bowl last three overs like a naughty school boy us is caned on his knuckles.They had ruled the roost in this edition and they surely deserved more honor than they were accorded.


Neither did Lanka deserve this end. They were in the game just to be denied their chance at the victory by the weather first and then thestupid officialdom.

Neither did we, the viewers who kept the faith and burnt midnight oil,and kept awake at some ungodly hours like 3.0-4.00 am deserved this end.

One last picture sums up the tournament for me. After dias is brought in and then dismantled and took off the field on the umpires behest, a man with Rastafarian pile of hair on his head, lazily and reluctantly putting back the 30 yard markers back again, umpires asking the ball and the stumps, taken as a souvenir to start the game again !!!

Hope things will get only better for cricket from here.