The Future of Cricket?

I must admit this that it was the first time I watched a match from the first to the last ball after that famous quarter final encounter between the Indian and the Pakistani side during the 1996 Wills World Cup!

After gorging on Kangaroo steaks and pulping the Pakistani greens into a spicy chutney, the Indian team was a worthy entrant into the finals. And before the match, I tweeted that India deserved a good cup of Ceylon tea after the match.

But we all were disappointed to see Sachin and Sehwag get out in the first few overs, courtesy, the killer blonde, Malinga. Isn't it true that our countrymen have created a major hype around these so called "stalwarts"? How is it that despite their calibre, they always fail to deliver when they are most expected to?

Had this scenario played out a decade ago, the whole team would then have fallen like a pack of cards, but leading from the front is what mattered this time. Captain Dhoni's unbeaten knock alongwith the stabilising partnership of Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli silenced the lion's roar.

The rest was history! The cup was ours!

Yes, I said "ours" and not Sachin's. This team played for India, under India's tricolour and not for Sachin, so was it fair for the to be termed as Sachin's cup (is Sachin bigger than India?), especially when his contribution was a big naught in the victory?

But full marks to Dhoni and Gary Kirsten. It was Dhoni's maturity to take all this crap about this being an individual's cup in his stride, obviously he knew the cup was India's.

Isn't it true that the IPL was a game changer for Indian cricket - exposure to international players in franchisee teams helped us learn from their techniques, strategies, training techniques, etc. making them more confident and less dependent on the so-called biggies? We cannot take away the credit that is due to Lalit Modi for this.

The celebrations that followed the cup victory were spontaneous and lusty. The streets in Bombay were clogged with revellers on bikes and cars, with vuvuzelas, waving the tricolour (I had never seen so many tricolours in one place), with bystanders enthusiastically cheering those on cars and bikes. The festivities went on till early in the morning.

The spontaneous outburst of joy erupted in Delhi too, with a crowd as big as the Holy Ganga that flowed in and around the India Gate. And that was a great opportunity for the "First Family" of Indian politics to attempt to wash off all the sins of this government -- corruption and inaction and lethargy in this flowing Ganga of humanity!!!!

This is the popularity of cricket in the Indian sub-continent, but it isn't the same elsewhere. Rugby is more popular in Australia, football is more popular than cricket in England.

For cricket to be an commercially viable game, internationally, it has to take on soccer - today it isn't. Television viewership proves this. The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa had a viewership of 400 million per match, as against only 67 million for the finals of 2011 ICC World Cup. That speaks a lot about the global popularity of the game.

That is because cricket, internationally, is a game of the "bada sahebs" with only 10 nations entitled to play test matches (and world cups), despite having 105 members - the remaining 95 "minnows" have to compete amongst themselves to earn their right to participate! In the long run, this apartheid is not good for the commercial success of the game.

Let's not forget being a "minnow" does not mean that the teams are weak or don't have any potential, as ICC's apartheid makes it out to be. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe were associate members or minnows once. Sri Lanka went on to win the cup in 1996, while despite the talent, cricket in Zimbabwe got messed up in the Mugabe tangle.

What gives these 10 nations the birthright to participate in World Cups and tests, despite some of them pathetically performing, like say Zimbabwe, in this World Cup? Even the minnow, Ireland, was better than Zimbabwe this time around.

Should cricket not evolve like football, where regional qualifiers would determine who goes into the world cup? That way the minnows would get exposed to the so called biggies and this would also boost the popularity of the game in the countries where cricket is still evolving.

So if, say, Brazil has to play a Suriname in the Latin American qualifiers to earn a berth in the FIFA World Cup, India could do well to play against say Singapore or Afghanistan, or say, even Australia compete with the minnows of the Pacific, Papua New Guinea or Fiji to earn their respective berths in the ICC World Cup. The future of cricket lies in making it an inclusive game.

We did win the cup, it was a joyous occasion, but cricket still remains the opium of the masses, the intoxicant that stops the nation in its tracks (some of India's biggest corporates had an unofficial half day on the day of the most emotional, India-Pakistan encounter). Is that not a waste of valuable resources?

But for now, let the feel good factor last, till the next scam breaks out! And let me enjoy my cup of Ceylon tea!

Off The Cuff

Recently, I came across this anecdotal, "in your face", inspirational and witty speech delivered by the late Sri Lanka Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, to the Sri Lankan cricket team in the United Kingdom during the World Cup of 2003.

I sometimes wonder whether our sissy politicians would be savvy enough, or rather would have any time from their innumerable scams to take time out to inspire Indian youth. I would imagine no. But it appears that India's engine of enterprise, be it civil service, business or sports, would go on and on, despite or inspite of the government and our senseless politicians.

I can never imagine our "esteemed" external affairs minister ever taking a principled stand on supporting sportsmen on doubtful decisions. Knowing fully well that India is high on cricket now, as the World Cup in on right now, I have reproduced the speech in full over here, as these emotions are what all Indians would have:

"Captain Atapattu and members of the Sri Lankan team, Members of the Sri Lankan community, Friends of Sri Lanka, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Some historians say, I think uncharitably, that cricket is really a diabolical political strategy, disguised as a game, in fact a substitute for War, invented by the ingenious British to confuse the natives by encouraging them to fight each other instead of their imperial rulers.

The world is divided into two camps - those who revel in the intricacies of cricket and those who are totally baffled by it, who cannot figure out why a group of energetic young men should spend days, often in the hot sun or bitter cold, chasing a ball across an open field, hitting it from time to time with a stick - all to the rapturous applause of thousands, now millions, of ecstatic spectators across the world. The game has developed a mystical language of its own that further bewilders those who are already befuddled by its complexities.

In the course of my travels I have a hard time explaining to the non-cricketing world - in America , China , Europe and Russia - that a 'googly' is not an Indian sweetmeat; that a 'square cut' is not a choice selection of prime beef; that a 'cover drive' is not a secluded part of the garden; that a 'bouncer' is not a muscular janitor at a night club, that a 'Yorker is not some exotic cocktail mixed in Yorkshire or that a 'leg-break' is not a sinister manoeuvre designed to cripple your opponent's limbs below the waist.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me see whether politics and cricket have anything in common. Both are games. Politicians and cricketers are superficially similar, and yet very different. Both groups are wooed by the cruel public who embrace them today and reject them tomorrow.

Cricketers work hard; politicians only pretend to do so. Cricketers are disciplined; discipline is a word unknown to most politicians in any language. Cricketers risk their own limbs in the heat of honourable play, politicians encourage others to risk their limbs in pursuit of fruitless causes while they remain secure in the safety of their pavilions. Cricketers deserve the rewards they get; the people get the politicians they deserve. Cricketers retire young; politicians go on for ever. Cricketers unite the country; politicians divide it. Cricketers accept the umpire's verdict even if they disagree with it; politicians who disagree with an umpire usually get him transferred. Cricketers stick to their team through victory and defeat, politicians in a losing team cross over and join the winning team. Clearly, cricketers are the better breed.

It is said that the task of a foreign minister is to lie effusively for his country abroad. That may be true, but it is certainly true that he has to fight for his country and defend it at all times. Our cricketers may recall that in the run-up to the 1995 World Cup , Australia refused to play a match in Colombo, citing security reasons. Shane Warne said he wouldn't come to Colombo because he couldn't do any shopping there. The press asked me for a comment. I said "shopping is for sissies". There was a storm of protest in Australia. A TV interviewer asked me whether I had ever played cricket. I said I had played before he was born - without helmets and thigh guards, on matting wickets that were full of holes and stones, and I had my share of broken bones to show it. My friend the Australian foreign minister was drawn into the fray and phoned me. We decided to cool things down. A combined India/Pakistan team came to Colombo at very short notice to play an exhibition match in place of the Australian match. It was a magnificent gesture of South Asian solidarity.

Against strong security advice I went on to the field to greet and thank our friends from India and Pakistan . When the whole episode was over I sent a bouquet of flowers to my Australian counterpart. Flowers are also for sissies.

I remember vividly the incident that occurred in Australia when Murali was called for throwing and Arjuna led his team to the boundary, in protest, but cleverly refrained from crossing it. I was watching TV in Colombo. As a past captain I asked myself what I would have done in Arjuna's place. In my mind I had no hesitation in supporting his decision. A few minutes later the phone rang. The President of the Board called to ask for advice. I said Arjuna was right because a captain must, on the field, stand up for his men and protect them, but the consequences must not be allowed to go too far; good lawyers must be engaged and a reasonable compromise must be reached. That was done.

During that tour I paid an official visit to Australia. My friend the Australian foreign minister in the course of a dinner speech invited me to go with him the next day to Adelaide , his home town, to watch the final day's play. I knew what the result was going to be. In my reply I said that at the end of the match I did not want to be the one to tell him that Australia had "won by a Hair". Accordingly, I went back home, as planned, to maintain the good relations that we have with Australia..

Foreign ministers sometimes find themselves in very difficult situations. Take the case of the Foreign Minister of Uganda. President Idi Amin told him that he wanted to change the name of Uganda to Idi. The minister was asked to canvas world opinion and return in two weeks. He did not do so. He was summoned and asked to explain. He said: "Mr. President, I have been informed that there is a country called Cyprus. Its citizens are called Cypriots, If we change the name of our country to 'Idi' our citizens would be called... “Idiots". Reason prevailed.

A story goes that a shark was asked why diplomats were his preferred food. He replied "because their brains being small are a tasty morsel, their spines being supple I can chew on them at leisure - and they come delightfully marinaded in alcohol."

Ladies and Gentlemen, as I approach the close of this brief address I wish to speak directly to our Sri Lankan team. Today we lost a match. But you lost to the rain and Duckworth and Lewis. You did not lose to England. Only a few weeks ago you had a resounding victory against South Africa. You will win again tomorrow. What is important is to keep up your confidence and spirits.

All of us, your fellow countrymen and women, have been enormously impressed in recent times by the commitment, discipline, athleticism and determination that you have displayed in the field. The people are with you. We all know that each and every one of you, are constantly busy honing your skills. We can see that you are maintaining a high standard of physical fitness. When the people see this it gives them not only immense pleasure but the moral upliftment that Sri Lankans are capable of in rising to the challenge of sustained performance.

Every team loses. It takes two to play a game. One has to lose. It is the manner in which you play the game which gives the promise of success to come. It is a great pleasure to see how youngsters are being drafted into the national team. Our team is united; it reflects all the races and religions of our country. Cricket, like all international sport today, is highly competitive; and so it must be, and so it must remain. It must always be regarded as a very high honour to represent one's country at any sport.

All of you are role models for our youth. They will be looking to see how you take defeat. To exult in victory is easy, to remain well balanced in defeat is a mark of maturity. Do not allow yourselves to be disturbed by the armchair critics who will no doubt engage in a display of theoretical learning on how the game was played. Many of these critics have never put bat to ball. It makes them feel good to indulge in the past time of amateur criticism. They do not know what it is to face fast bowling in fading light; to engage in a run race against daunting odds; to find the stamina and sheer physical endurance to spend concentrated hours in the field of play. They know nothing of the psychological pressure that modern sportsmen are subject to. Therefore, my advice to you is - ignore them. Go your way with customary discipline and methodical preparation for the next game, the next series in different parts of the world under different conditions.

For me it has been a great pleasure and an honour to be here with you tonight. When I was invited to be the Chief Guest at this occasion on my way to New York for the General Assembly of the United Nations, I accepted with eager anticipation of meeting our cricketers and relaxing for a moment.

Nobody told me that I had to make a speech, until last night when it dawned on me then that there is no such thing as a free dinner!"

Redemption Could Not Be Sweeter Than This!

The world is going crazy over the grand opening ceremony for the XIX Commonwealth Games we are hosting now.

The foreign newspapers that I track, the New York Times and the Asian edition of the Wall Street Journal had been panning, so far, the Indian bureaucracy and lack of management skills for conducting an event of this scale.

However, after the ceremony was over, the mood changed from panning to swooning!

The New York Times had a full photo feature on the opening ceremony. The paper also wrote: "In sharp contrast to the run-up to the Games, the opening ceremony started on time, and appeared to be meticulously planned."

As if this were not enough, there were two other features on the ceremony. One article examined the economic impact the Games could potentially have on India. The article quoted John Lee of the Center for Independent Studies in Sydney saying “Nothing will progress without the cooperation of China, India and Brazil ...... events and parades can be overrated as a measure of economic prowess .... North Korea has great military parades with 200,000 people, but no one looks to them to predict the future”.

I agree, but India cannot be compared with North Korea for sure!

The third article in the New York Times spoke of the "sharp contrast to the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, the opening ceremony started on time Sunday night and appeared to be meticulously planned, with a throbbing musical number that included hundreds of intricately costumed drummers, the world’s largest helium balloon and enormous dancing puppets...... The exuberant ceremony was a welcome change from preparations for the games, which were notable for missed deadlines, accusations of corruption, filthy living quarters for athletes and the collapse of a footbridge "

The Wall Street Journal ran a feature "Colors of India Come Alive in a Dazzling CWG Opening Ceremony" which had a round up of stories on the spectacular opening ceremony.

The Times of India also ran a sidebar, "World Goes Ga-Ga" featuring headlines from international publications. The Guardian from the United Kingdom is reported to have said "India Has Arrived: Spectacular Ceremony Opens Commonwealth Games".

The Daily Telegraph said "After weeks dominated by reports of corruption and chaos, the new ‘Incredible India’ of diversity and cultural pride showed its face. It even managed to start on time, to the very second, proving there are some deadlines that Games organisers are capable of meeting....... India put on its best face on Sunday and pulled off a brilliant opening ceremony that was extraordinary in its ambition and execution. It was everything the organisers had promised and more — an energetic celebration of all India has been and intends to be."

The Sydney Morning Herald said "An ancient land opens its heart to the world!" I cannot believe that this came from Australia!

The comments of The Australian " The XIX Commonwealth Games crawled up off the canvas last night with a display of pageantry and technical wizardry that, finally, projected the image India craved on to two billion television sets around the world" were a bit(?) appreciative.

The gushing news reports were followed by India's grand performance on the medals tally on the first day. Given that India has not had much of a sporting history to talk of, this level of performance was something to be proud of.

The successful hosting of the games does prove a couple of things.

One, India succeeds inspite of a corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy. As we become a bigger economy, can we afford to let that happen anymore?

Two, we as a country have a distinct management style. We thrive in chaos, or what my friend on Facebook, Aditya Kiran called the "Big Fat Indian Wedding Style of Management", which is hard for Westerners to fathom. Work will go on till the guests arrive, and yes, we have no "wedding rehearsals".

Three, we in India need to be proud of our heritage and appreciate the worth of its diversity and richness. For some of my close friends and colleagues, the ceremony was too much of heritage, just stopping short of being a cultural programme or somewhat of a Republic Day parade. But people abroad thought otherwise. Unless we take pride in our culture and value it, no one will appreciate us and respect our country. Look at the Japanese. They are proud of their culture and traditions, yet at the same time are very, very modern, and are respected.

I would love to be optimistic on all this. The Games are perhaps just a beginning, of bigger achievements to come our way, of grander successes that we would earn, rightfully. Perhaps for most of us, it may be hard to fathom how and when this would happen.

But the history of India has shown a lot. We lose hope, but we turn the hopeless situation into a grand stepping stone. The economic crisis of 1990-91 was one such epochal event.

I think the XIX Commonwealth Games is another such event.

But for now, the redemption that the initial successes have shown is sweeter than anything I could have imagined.

I am not alone in thinking that way.

The New Zealand flag bearer, Irene Van Dyk's comment that "The most colourful, beautiful and well-organised games I have ever been part of!" proves that the redemption is true and sweet indeed!!!!

Commonwealth Games - A Splendid Delhi and India on show...

Jai Ho!

The XIX Commonwealth Games are now open.
What a splendid, splendorous display of India's richness, a riot of color and celebration of joy it was, to see the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium all decked up with joyous performers and sports persons.
For me, the celebrations came as a big relief that the games were finally happening! Finally happening, despite the controversies that Kalmadi generated (and inspite of his "common wealth" principles).
The Commonwealth Games chief, Mike Fennell, should hang his head for his shameful comments on India, Indians and hygiene. Perhaps he should go, take a walk and chew some saunf or fennel(!!!!) to give him some relief for his absurd statements.

The opening ceremony represented a riot of colour. It was a real treat to watch flags of the 71 Commonwealth territories participating in the Games, for a vexillology (or a flag) freak like me.

To see the colourful flags of Antigua, Vanuatu, Niue, Tuvalu, Saint Kitts, Wales, Gibralter, Swaziland and Kenya flying in my city Delhi was indeed exhilarating. Sadly, flags of Tokelau, Fiji and Zimbabwe could not flutter in my Delhi - the latter two have been suspended from the Commonwealth.

I waited for the teams of my three Commonwealth countries to march. My heart skipped a beat when the team from my "motherland" Uganda came in. The other two countries that I have been associated with, Zambia and India came in to a thunderous applause by the crowd.

The English team walked in wearing a red sleeveless bandhgalas! I wondered whether that was that reverse colonialism at work?

Our desi, Indian, contingent walked in traditional, royal, smart and sexy maroon sherwanis and saris, showing the richness of our culture. The Scots looked amazing in their resplendent kilts! The Zambians behind the the flag bearer carried their full-size eagle flag in their hands, bringing back old memories!

It was particularly revolting to hear an applause for the Pakistani contingent. I wonder how many of those who have come in were actually ISI agents, being responsible for terror in India?

Despite the rumours that certain contingents may pullout, partially, the turnout was amazing especially from the Australians and New Zealanders. Reports also came in that the teams were rather pleased with the facilities on offer especially when compared to earlier Commonwealth Games, held in Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur. It appears India's growing economic clout prevailed over the nay-sayers.

A couple of things stood out - the applause for Atal Behari Vajpaypee, who credited for getting the Games to India were particularly thunderous. So were the mentions for President APJ Abdul Kalam and Ms. Shiela Dikshit. It would not be wrong to to say that Mr. Vajpayee and President Kalam are still much-loved and should surely be credited for building a resurgent nation that we see today, while Ms. Dikshit, despite all the flak she got recently, cannot be ignored for transforming my Delhi to a true world city!

(I sometimes wonder if Bombay was awarded the Games, surely, there would have been potholes, crazy bandobast, sheer chaos and endless confrontation between BMC, MMRDA, the state government, the armies(!), etc.)

The aerostat served as the impressive backdrop for the flags of the Commonwealth fraternity. The real killer was the aerostat which was made the Mahabodhi tree for our visitors to see.

The depiction of the seasons (particularly the Monsoons), yoga, Indian mornings and the railways was amazing.

We may hate to admit it, but we have the capability, we have the resources, the ingenuity to turn a failure in success, to create a masterpiece of out of a mess. (I can say that for sure - I have closely seen a number of luxury hotels under construction - one month to two weeks before launch, there is always a royal mess, but it is all turned around for a grand opening. Those hotels where I used to be sceptical now earn over $500 a room for a night!)

I knew that could happen with the Games facilities too - that's what I used to tell my sceptical friends and colleagues!

And I have been proved right!!!!

And now we have the next target - the Olympics - Chalo India Ne Bula Liya!

Can Terror Limit Africa's Potential?

If India gave the world chicken tikka masala in the 1980s, South Africa has given the world, its Vuvuzelas in 2010.
South Africa's potential goes beyond the cultural influences like the Vuvuzela.
South Africa's potential has been showcased in the FIFA World Cup. Sceptics were livid at South Africa's bid, but Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela's charm and international goodwill saw it through, though governance and effective administration did play their parts well.
And if South Africa has done it, the rest of Africa will follow, in a few years.
Increasingly I am getting coinvinced that Africa is the future, the growth engine of the world after India and China.
I recall meeting a seasoned senior telecom executive who did remark that Africa is the direction Indian firms will be increasingly taking. Ten years back people would have laughed at that comment. But today, Africa is emerging as a preferred location, as has been reported about Bharti Airtel.
But the bombings in Kampala, Uganda prove that Africa is not immune to global and homegrown terror emanating from fundamentalist hotbeds like Sudan and Somalia.

Uganda, which has been an oasis of peace, so far, shining brightly as the pearl of Africa, was ravaged by a blast at an Ethiopian restaurant, while the World Cup final was on.
Will the potential of Africa be limited by the tentacles of Islamic terror, I hope not.
For a Ugandan by birth, I can only pray and wish for the very best for my motherland!

The Oracles of Paul, the Octopus....

The oracles of Paul the octopus seem to be far, far more spicier than the games itself!

While some Germans fans are throbbing with anger directed at Paul the octopus, threatening to chop it up and cook it to meet the fate of any other octopus, I wonder if there really is anything psychic about Paul, or is it that chance has been on Paul's side far, in the so called "oracles".

It is worth investigating whether the hype surrounding Paul's oracles demoralised the German team, leading to its debacle in the World Cup. That should be an interesting assignment for any psychologist.

Now, it appears, Paul's oracles have competition.

Mani, the parakeet, from Singapore's Little India, will have its moment of fame tomorrow, when his predictions are put to a test.

But like any foodie, I would rather not worry about Paul's oracles. I would rather think about whether Paul would make for a delectable meal or not!!!!

Waka Waka, the Time for South Africa!

As the Bafana Bafana get ready to take on the world, no one can dispute that the South African nation and its identity have come of age.

If one looks at history of sport, in recent times, hosting of major sporting events have coincided with a new wave of growth for the host country, an epochal change. I can recall that the Seoul Olympics were followed by the emergence of South Korea as a major economy and a member of the OECD. The Beijing Olympics was a harbinger of China's emergence as an economic superpower. (I hope the same for India with 2010 Commonwealth Games.)

Certainly, the FIFA World Cup will be a game changer for the Rainbow Nation as well!

But in September 2008, as President Thabo Mbeki was making way for Jacob Zuma, I alongwith others watched with bated breaths, with a deep sense of fear on what was going to happen next. Was South Africa going to go the Zimbabwe way?

Today I can happily say that I have been proved wrong.

And the credit for keeping the Rainbow Nation intact goes to the Madiba, Nelson Mandela, who despite his 27 years in prison at Robben Island had the grace to forgive and forget.

On assuming office in 1994, post-Aprtheid, despite apprehensions, Mandela laid the foundations of a new resurgent nation but also forged ties with his captors. There are numerous examples that Mandela's moderating influence that are obvious, many will never be known in the public domain.

One of them was the transition from the old Afrikaans national anthem, Die Stem van Suid-Afrika (of the Apartheid era) to the present harmonius multi-lingual anthem of the anti-Apartheid hymn, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika along with the Die Stem.


Most of us are familiar with the movie, Invictus, which was based on the real life incident of 1995, in which Mandela inspires the whole nation, which had been torn apart by 50 years of racial tension, to support the Springboks, white majority rugby team led by François Pienaar. Mandela used sports as the glue that made the communities stick together. Of the people I know who have seen Invictus have nothing but pure admiration for Mandela.

A lesser known incident that healed quite a few wounds was the renaming of the Day of the Vow, a commemoration of the bloody victory of the Boers over the native Zulus in 1838. The Day of the Vow was regarded by the masses as a symbol of racial subjugation. In 1994, Mandela's government renamed the Day of the Vow as the Day of Reconciliation, with the intention of fostering reconciliation and national unity.

Even today, his sobering influence on the country is visible all over the Rainbow Nation.

A recent example of the sobering influence was the way the Zuma government handled the situation following the murder of the white-right wing leader, Eugène Terre'Blanche.

Mandela's graciousness was evident when he gave up office after his first term, preferring to groom and mentor his successors. This leads me to think how different India would have been, had Nehru done the same.

Now that the foundation for a multicultural nation is fairly strong, South Africa is well poised for success at the world stage. And I also hope the Bafana Bafana suceed in the World Cup.

As Shakira sings, "Waka Waka", this is truly the Time for South Africa!