If it isnt Australian, it isnt right!

There is much to admire about the quality of cricket Australia bring to the table. Whether the way they play it is worth emulating, is another matter altogether.As they have displayed in ample measure so many times in the past, and as they have reiterated in India over the last three weeks, the Aussies set the benchmark with their aggressive, intrepid approach. Australia forever believe in going forwards, because taking a backward step is, their thinking dictates, a sign of weakness and submission.

Their belief in their abilities is awe-inspiring. Each time they have stumbled momentarily, they have found at least one man for the occasion. To them, there is no obstacle that can’t be surmounted, no crisis that can’t be tided over. Their brand of cricket is at once flamboyant and spectacularly alluring, appealing to the eye as they lift cricket to a fine art by amalgamating style and substance to a nicety.

So far so good. But hey, who appointed them the guardian angels of world cricket?

Proud peacocks
For almost as long as they have strutted around like proud peacocks aware of the admiration they evoke, Australia have genuinely believed that the standards they set are the only ones acceptable. And we are not, let’s be clear, talking skills with bat and ball in this instance.

Australia seem to be under the mistaken impression that the copyright for norms of behaviour, for the spirt of the game, for chat and aggression, for appearance and conduct, lies entirely with them.

They appear convinced that there is a direct correlation between on-field dominance and non-skill related demeanour, which is why they will trigger awe and respect around the world, but never generate any great fondness. The team that prides itself on setting the norms was the one that put on the most boorish behaviour on a public forum, less than 12 months back.

Today, Australia sit on the righteous moral horse and pass judgement on India’s outlandish reaction to their Twenty20 World Cup triumph. The same Aussies showed a massive disrespect for both age and authority at the presentation ceremony of the Champions Trophy in Mumbai last November.

Irreverential message
No sooner had a finger-wagging Ricky Ponting received the cup from BCCI president and union minister Sharad Pawar than the captain himself and Damien Martyn practically shoved Pawar away from the dais. That was perfectly acceptable from their point of view, we are told. That was a moment for the team to celebrate and savour.

‘You have handed over the cup, now get going,’ was the irreverential message they sought to convey to the man who, two years hence, will head the International Cricket Council. Benchmark? Thanks, but we shall pass. So we have Adam Gilchrist opting to ‘walk’ and demanding that he be complimented for it. So we have tons of Aussies questioning the actions of Muttiah Muralitharan and Shoaib Akhtar, among others, while some of their own with only slightly less questionable actions are wrapped in cotton wool and molly coddled.

So we have the moral guardians publicly questioning the wisdom of the ICC and the knowledge of the umpires while rising spiritedly in defence of the man who asked for ‘compensation’ to quit the Elite Panel of umpires in the wake of the ball-tampering and match forfeiture controversy at The Oval last year!So the Australians are peeved because we treated our Twenty20 World Cup-winning side like ‘princes.’ They are upset that every time they switch on the TV, Indian players stare them in the face from commercials. Surely, they have heard of remotes?!

Public forum
The John Buchanans, Steve Waughs, Pontings and Brett Lees have flown out to India during their off-season to honour contractual obligations to products they promote.The Australian players get more play in Indian media — print and electronic — than the Indians because the Board of Control for Cricket in India has prevented its players from entering into ‘exclusive’ deals with television channels or newspapers. Therefore, while the visitors have a public forum through which to shout themselves hoarse, the Indians are merely reduced to defending themselves against the plethora of allegations at official pre-match conferences.

Teams from across the globe have been visiting India for more than three-quarters of a century now. In the early days, touring India wasn’t the easiest task because the hotels weren’t top-draw, pollution levels were extreme. At no stage, though, did anyone question the sincerity of the people or the respect of the fans. Andrew Symonds has fired the first salvo by equating monkey chants to racist abuse.

There is no condoning the behaviour of an admittedly small group of spectators; Mark Waugh, however, hit the nail on the head when he questioned the invoking of the racial angle when not a single word was uttered.What Australia have managed is to whip up interest, passion and emotions back home.

Contrary to what Symonds would have the world believe, it is Australia more than India which is a hostile place to tour. The media, the fans and the players themselves are like one unending stream of aggression, collectively elevating mental disintegration to a fine art. For three months from December, India will alternately have wrath, ire and disdain heaped on them Down Under. And neither moan nor grumble. Now that is worth emulating, for sure.

Craig McMillan retires from all cricket

Craig McMillan has ended speculation about his future in international cricket by announcing his retirement, citing health and personal reasons.

A diabetic, the abrasive middle order batsman confirmed the end of his decade-long career with the Black Caps at a media conference at New Zealand headquarters in Christchurch.

McMillan, who fought back from near obscurity to star in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy-winning side in February, was retained for the subsequent World Cup in the West Indies.

His swansong was last month’s Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa, where he was one of the biggest hitters – clubbing a tournament high 13 sixes before the Blacks Caps were eliminated in the semifinal by Pakistan.

The 31-year-old’s future has been the subject of intense speculation since he indicated he wanted out of his New Zealand Cricket contract after missing selection for the test squad that leave tomorrow to tour South Africa.

Although he would have been an automatic choice for the one-day segment of the tour after the two-tests, McMillan has instead decided to retire.

“I have decided that the time is right for me to retire from cricket to spend more time with my family, as well as look after my health, as I have had ongoing issues related to diabetes,” he said.

“I feel that the past season has been one of the best of my cricket career and I am happy to be retiring on a really positive note.

“I will now spend time with my family before deciding what direction I will take with my future.”

One potential option could be for him to join the rebel Indian-based Twenty20 cricket league which has already secured the services of his brother-in-law, former Black Caps veteran Nathan Astle.

He said this was under consideration but he also wanted to explore business interests.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said the organisation was disappointed to lose a player of McMillan’s experience.

“His performances at the recent Twenty20 World Cup were tremendous and it is clear he could have contributed greatly in the future,” Vaughan said.

“However, I have decided to release Craig from his NZC contract on compassionate grounds. I understand his reasons for wishing to retire and wish him all the best for the future.”

The selection panel will now discuss a replacement for McMillan on the contracted players list.

McMillan made his test debut against Australia at Brisbane in 1997 and made the last of his 55 appearances, again Australia, in March 2005 in Wellington.

He scored 3116 runs at 38.46, including six centuries and 19 half centuries.

Regarded as a one-day player in the latter stages of his career, McMillan’s career appeared to be over after he failed to figure after the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series in 2005.

However, an injury to Astle saw him return against Sri Lanka last December and retained for the one-day tri-series across the Tasman involving Australia and England.

Arguably McMillan’s greatest contribution came in February when he was instrumental in propelling the Black Caps to a 3-0 Chappell-Hadlee series whitewash.

After clubbing a match winning-half century at Eden Park, he surpassed that feat with an extraordinary 117 in the dead rubber at Hamilton as the Black Caps chased down 347 with a wicket in hand.

His 100 off 67 balls in the fastest ever scored by a New Zealander in ODIs.

He played the last of his 197 ODIs at the World Cup semifinal loss to Sri Lanka in the West Indies in April.

McMillan amassed 4707 runs at 28.18 in ODIs with three centuries and 28 50s. His nagging medium pacers also snared 49 wickets at 35.04.

Mallya, Hero, RCom in talks to own Twenty-20 teams

Liquor and airline baron Vijay Mallya, auto major Hero Honda and leading telecom company Reliance Communications have started negotiations with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to buy the rights of teams that will play in the Twenty20 tourney, which was announced to counter Subhash Chandra’s Indian Cricket League (ICL).

The BCCI had announced the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is modelled on the popular soccer tournament, English Premier League.

The IPL will include domestic and foreign teams that will play tournaments, including in the Twenty20 format. Under the Twenty20 format, the company is not a sponsor but the owner of the team.

Apart from the ownership amount, a company will have to deal separately with each cricketer it wants in its team. The amount the company will pay for a player depends on the company’s bargaining power.

Spokespersons of Reliance Communications and Hero Honda declined to comment. The sources said Mallya has initiated talks with the BCCI.

The BCCI has asked corporates to pay between $50 million and $60 million (Rs 200 crore to Rs 240 crore) to own an IPL team (for lifetime). In turn, the BCCI will offer companies a revenue share from stadium advertising and gate money.

The teams can also be listed on the stock exchanges and buyers have the right to resell the team at a premium. However, the team owner will not have any share in the revenue the BCCI earns through selling television rights.

The sources close to the development said these companies have shown interest and negotiations are on with the BCCI. BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi declined to comment.

Vijay Mallya had recently bought a 50 per cent stake in the Dutch Formula One team Spyker for $120 million through a consortium, Orange India Holdings, which he formed with Michiel Mol, director of Formula 1 at Spyker.

Retired Macca may join rebels

For one of the few times in his career Craig McMillan did what was expected yesterday – he retired.

The man who brought us reverse sweeps, the front-on stance to spinners, loopy bouncers, scored runs when no one expected and failed miserably when they did, secured a release from his New Zealand Cricket contract on compassionate grounds.

The timing is suspicious with a contract from the rebel league in India sitting on his dining-room table, but McMillan was adamant yesterday that it was coincidence and his career had to end because of family and health reasons.

A father of two, McMillan has been on the road for a decade and by all accounts his wife, Cherie, has said “enough” to raising the family alone.

Because he is a diabetic, McMillan’s health has been a continuing battle for most of his life and there was a scare last week when he was in hospital for two days suffering from a combination of influenza and diabetes.

McMillan, 31, has been released by NZC in “good faith”, meaning it will be disappointed if he turns around and signs with the rebel league, starting next month.

McMillan hinted he will sign but hoped people would see the bigger picture. “I’m retiring for health and family reasons and I’m happy about that, especially because the last 12 months has gone pretty well for me.

“The Indian thing (rebel league) is something I’m seriously looking at but I haven’t made a decision yet.

“When I do, it might disappoint some people but it will come down to what is best for me and my family – simple as that.”

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan indicated he would not fall off his reclining office chair if McMillan became a so-called outlaw.

“First and foremost, I have no doubt his reasons for retiring are genuine” Vaughan said.

“But I’ve expressed to him I’d be disappointed if he did sign with the rebel league, because our position is we don’t agree with that league.

“The annoying thing from what we understand is the initial tournament clashes with our tour in South Africa so we’d far rather Craig was playing for us. I’ve told him that, but for his health and for his personal reasons he needs to get off this constant travel bandwagon.”

McMillan said he had wrestled with retirement for 14 months but chose to sign another year-long NZC contract in August because he could not reconcile the decision.

Now he feels content after a career than promised the world, faltered badly and then finished with a flourish during the Chappell-Hadlee series last summer and most recently at the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup.

“Ever since I was five or six years old, all I wanted to do was play cricket for New Zealand and for some reason I never had any doubt I would,” he said.

“I’ve lived my dream and like any career there have been good and bad times and I look fondly on most of it.

“The way I have played the last 12 months is good. A lot of people had written me off, so to show them I had something to offer was great.

“If I wasn’t a diabetic and didn’t have a young family, I reckon I’d play another three years but unfortunately I do have a health condition and I do have a young family who want more time from me.”

McMillan scored 3116 runs in 55 tests at 38.46, including six centuries and 19 half-centuries.

He played the last of his 197 one-day internationals in the World Cup semifinal loss to Sri Lanka. He amassed 4707 runs at 28.18, with three centuries and 28 50s.

Dhoni gets it right

The Indian skipper handled the media with aplomb when asked to compare his team’s World Twenty20 triumph with that of Kapil Dev’s men in the 1983 World Cup.

After India’s nail-biting win in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 tournament the Indian skipper was asked to compare his team’s triumph with the 1983 World Cup win by Kapil Dev’s men. What has been most impressive about Dhoni is not only his cool demeanour under pressure, but the disarming manner in which he can react to a potentially explosive question. It can never be a practised and acquired skill but one that comes naturally. With so many news chan nels and newspapers and magazines vying to get their TRPs and circulation soaring and looking for a peg on which a story can be developed, it is extremely tough to be the captain of the national cricket team or for that matter a public figure in India nowadays.

Visitors to India find that out the hard way, but because they are here for only a short time they are spared the mess, which is sometimes created for neither rhyme nor reason. A stray comment or a remark can make headlines and those in India are mostly aware of this. But the foreigners don’t always know, when they are asked to react to something, whether such a comment has been made at all or has just been made up in order to get a reaction that will keep the story going further.

So, when Dhoni smartly said he was only two years old at the time of the 1983 World Cup triumph and did not remember much of it, the media was not going to let him off easily. But Dhoni played safe by saying comparisons between the two triumphs was simply not on as they were in different eras and in different formats of the game. That was nifty footwork from the Indian skipper, for if he had indulged in any comparison he would have been on a sticky wicket.

The only realistic comparison in sport is when you play the same opposition at the same time. That’s when you know who the champion is or who the better player or team is. In cricket it is even more so as the conditions change from country to country, even venue to venue and session to session. You can only compare players from the same team and not from different teams. So a Hayden and a Ponting can be compared, but not a Hayden and a Dravid because they are playing bowlers of different quality even in the same match.

That the Twenty20 format is different from the 50-over format, which again is different from the Test format, is obvious and so any comparison is going to be dicey. The lesser the number of overs, the better the chance for even low-ranked teams to surprise the higher ranked ones. This is simply because the margin for recovery is much less than in the longer games.

Champion teams invariably find a way to get back into the game when they have the time and the overs to do so. It’s virtually impossible to corner good teams in Test matches because even if they have had a bad session or two, they can bounce back. Similarly, in a 50-over game a good team has a chance to recover the lost ground of a few bad overs, whether batting or bowling.

However, as the ICC World Twenty20 showed us, it wasn’t always easy to come back into the game even if there were just a couple of bad overs. That’s why a team like Zimbabwe with plenty of newcomers was able to surprise Australia in the tournament. It’s even more hazardous for such teams in a shorter format like the six-a-side tournament where sides like Hong Kong have beaten the top teams.

Thus, though the Indians humbled the Aussies in the Twenty20 format, they found the world champs too hot to handle in the 50-over version of the game.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was therefore quite correct in refusing to be drawn into comparing the two champion Indian teams. His team’s performance was thrilling and has given rise to a belief that under him the Indian team will go places. Yes, there will be hiccups playing against the world champs, but there are more chances of the Indian team winning against the other teams than ever before.

The Indians will be playing a lot against Australia over the next few months and there is plenty to learn from the world champs. If they can pick up a few valuable lessons, then it will go a long way in making the team a consistent winner in all formats of the game.

Cricket board chiefs condemn racism

Cricket board chiefs of India and Australia have condemned racism in the sport, saying there was no place for it in the game on or off the field.Andrew Symonds was racially abused by spectators during a one-day international in Baroda last week and the Australian team, especially Symonds, was booed by spectators in the seventh and final one-day match in Mumbai on Wednesday..

The International Cricket Council (ICC), which strengthened its anti-racism code last year, has written to Indian officials asking them to comment on events in Baroda.

Cricket Australia spokesman Philip Pope said the staging association was immediately informed of the inappropriate behaviour of the crowd.

“Cricket crowds in all cricket nations are often noisy and boisterous, which is part of the fun of cricket,” Indian board president Sharad Pawar and Cricket Australia chairman Creagh O’Connor said in a joint statement.

“But all cricket nations have to be on guard to ensure that the fun does not cross the boundary into unacceptable behaviour.

“If it does, it is our expectation that the specifics of ICC Anti Racism Code be enforced without fear or favour.

“Players of all countries have a right to expect they will be treated with respect wherever they play in the world,” the statement said.

The statement said Pawar and O’Connor were concerned that the ICC Anti Racism Code could only work if it was genuinely embraced.

They have instructed their respective managements to ensure the objectives of the code were understood and implemented appropriately at all venues.