Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

Today, the 22 Jan, Pakistan, by losing to Australia in first ODI, has proved it is still a weak team unable to control both bat and ball. The same is tur of Bangladesh, but BD is indeed an upcoming team. So, once again one has to talk about records in cricket that could be more fake than real. Countries like India spend huge resources to boost the image of select cricketers. More the resources more the matches and more the match-fixings and better the records- that is the cricekt, rather sport, logic!.

Pakistani batsman and former captain Inzamam Ul Haq had made a record 11739 runs in ODI when, unexpectedly, he declared calling his international innings off. His exit was abrupt and the Pakistan team was put in tight corner thereafter, followed by the Indian sponsored terrorisms in Mumbai and Lahore and US drone terror attacks on Pakistanis. Had Inzamam continued he would have continued to score runs by all possible ways with help from fellow batsmen as well as magnanimity of opponent blowers. That has been the age-old practice in cricket. Inzamam was a good cricketer, though!

Today, Pakistani players are not fully tuned to mastery of cricket. India does not want Pakistan to play any where and the players themselves seem to have some problems. So, there are not many competitive cricketers in Pakistan . But the fact it remains like Pakistani players, even Indian players are also not sold like hot cakes for the Indian 20/20 show IPL. Only Mohammed Kaif has some standing in IPL auction. But Indian media on 19 Jan boldly announced that Pakistanis are not favored for IPL. Pakistani media hawks think Indian media exist only promote Pakistani interests.

If one continues to play for ever, obviously ones’ record can go on moving up. In India not many cricketers want to retire on their own. They want to keep playing, making money extra and update their records to outsmart others. But Sachun Tentulakar is being pampered to keep playing to get all extra runs he could mange while the cricket mafia, the regime and industrialists promote him aboard by paying huge sums and pumping in plenty of cash in trade and investments. UK supports Indian cause in many ways as a former European democratic colonizer.

Indians want records at any cost for various selfish purposes. Cricketers claim they can manage win easily, but Sri Lanka clinched the Asia Trophy recently. JAN 26 Republic day is fast approaching and Indian and regional governments are busy preparing their choicest smart people for national and state awards for excellence. The President of India, though otherwise a rubber stamp, would pick up and distribute all awards to “needy” people. Cricketers must compete with each other for some of national awards too apart from special privileges.

Maybe weaker than India in cricket, but Bangladeshis are also courteous to Indian guests and offered enough runs to them including 50s and 100s. Ably supported by other batsmen before Indians happily declared at 413/8, though they could have further trusted the BD blowers and fielders, Delhi Gambir brought up yet another century. Bangladesh will have to survive close to 75 overs tomorrow, unless the light improves dramatically.

Correctly comprehending the BD mindset to focus on wickets instead of victory, Indian provoked the hosts by challenging them to remove all batsmen in both innings. The ongoing Bangladesh-India Test cricket began on 17 Jan in Chittagong with a challenge from India team to BD to try for all 20 Indian wickets, but however, BD did not accept the challenge at the face of it. BD was aiming at that but failed. Bangladesh bowlers and fielders have offered every Indian batsman at least a couple of FOURs possible in a friendly gesture to appease the regional super power. It appeared if Indians had not declared by keeping last two wickets unused, BD would have given 100s to another couple of players by letting them blast expansive shots for Fours and Sixes, unable to control the flow of runs for the opponents. BD would have offered 500 plus to India . India , by doing so, denied a possible opportunity to have all 20 wickets- now short of two. It appears already BD has gifted 100 plus runs extra to the guests from India .

Winning the first Test may not be so easy at t his stage, though not impossible! What exactly Bangladesh aims at - fight to win or lose or to save the match? Early wickets will put the pressure on the hosts while a good stand will just frustrate India . Indians hope to be in good books of Bangladeshis by giving nothing in return to the hosts. If India wins the Indian media and cricketers take full credit for their brilliance and tricks, but they lose, which may not be difficult if BD batsmen play with enough alert, they would blame only the bad pitch and would never give any credit to BD skills or tricks or abilities, but only find fault with their bad performance- as usual. After all, this cricket series has political inputs too.

Bangladeshis maybe socialists in approach with regard to offering good runs to Indian cricketers playing in BD, however, one does not know if they also show same resolve in equalizing opportunities for Muslims in the country and region at large. Of course, India is opposed to equality in true sprits because it has only Hindu agenda.

For India , cricket is as much politics as its politics itself is a set of gimmicks. India IPL maybe officially a private affairs, but it is indeed sponsored by the central regime through their service personnel like RAW and IB that in turn alert the industrialists to do the “needful”. Those in Pakistan and India who are never tired of talking to build bridges chiefly to make frequent trips to each other nation and attend press meets, should condemn this cricket attitude on the part of New Delhi. It is up to the Pakistani policy makers to decide what exactly the nation needs and should give a serious thought to the ever changing Indian attitude ill-focusing Pakistan and should devise its policies to regain prestige for Pakistan in politics, life and sport.

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