Tuesday 16th September, 2008 13 Chanderpaul gets his just desserts For a while there had been Lady was starting to clear her throat. when Chanderpaul scored a century in ter suited to Test cricket, but his aver- murmurs that all was not well That tour will hardly go down as the second one-dayer. He certainly left age of 40.49 shows that he is no mug in the Caribbean, but things one of his finest - after all he scored a lasting impression on me during that when it comes to the one-day game. He weren’t going too bad as they only two fifties and averaged a meagre series. showed during the first one-dayer came off a 3-1 series victory 26.60 in his five Test matches. It went a Almost 10 years on from that series against Sri Lanka in Port of Spain ear- over England at home and they little better in the limited-overs games and not much has changed. He still has lier this year that he can also provide still had three of the best crick- where he reached three figures once that awkward stance and a technique the fireworks when needed. With 10 eters in their squad in Brian Lara, for an average of 46.85. that you won’t find in the coaching runs required from the final two balls Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. However, on the few occasions that manuals, yet he continues to go from you would want an Andrew Flintoff, But once the tour came to an end every- the visitors’ batsmen managed to win a strength to strength. He still carries Yuvraj Singh or Lance Klusener fac- one realised that something serious session you’d always find Chanderpaul the West Indies’ batting attack and is ing. But cometh the hour, cometh the Shivnarine Chanderpaul was wrong with cricket in the West was batting. Lara received the plaudits more often than not the last man stand- man and Chanderpaul smashed the by Shahida Jacobs Indies and there were only one or two as he had that “wow” factor, but ing. If they do manage to win a game penultimate ball through mid-off for he West Indies’ tour to South shining lights in their team. Chanderpaul was the ultimate team my first thought is always four and then scored the winning six Africa during the summer (well, Lara was rightly considered the big player. When your team is in trouble “Chanderpaul must’ve scored some big over deep midwicket. Tthat’s summer for us down here fish for South Africa’s bowlers as he (as is often the case for the Windies) runs”. He is far from the flamboyant crick- in the south) of 1998 was the first time was one of the few players in Test then you’d want the diminutive It is no surprise that Chanderpaul eter we are all supposed to love these that I started taking “note” of cricket who can single-handedly take a Guyanan to come in next. Guess who is one of only a handful of Test players days, but he is definitely right up there Shivnarine Chanderpaul as a player. game away from the opposition in an was at the other end when Lara scored to have gone 1000 minutes without los- with the best we have seen in the past The visitors were woeful from start hour or so, but the wicket of 365 not out against England in 1994? ing his wicket. In fact he is the only decade or so and I, for one, is delighted to finish, getting whitewashed 5-0 in Shivnarine Chanderpaul was probably It is not surprising that the only player to have done so on more than that one of the grafters has managed to the Test series and getting a 6-1 drub- the most precious as you knew that time the West Indies managed to win one occasion. beat one of the flashy stars to cricket’s bing in the one-dayers. once Chanderpaul was gone the Fat against South Africa on that tour was He is considered by many to be bet- top award. Forget Olympics, cricket needs to look within by Ian Chappell like women in a shop full have a huge asset. Their t seems premature of diamonds; they just vote at the ICC is coveted for current and have to have one. Trouble and if the ICL were to Iformer interna- is there are a lot more sign a Bangladesh team tionals to be pushing for affordable diamonds than for the competition, it “cricket at the Olympics” there are coaches quali- would create an enor- when the ninth ranked fied to produce even the mous dilemma for tradi- side in the world can’t slightest improvement in tional administrators. beat a good Australian an international cricket Would the officials be club side. Bangladesh are team. prepared to let a currently a poor team The manic desire to Bangladesh third-string and the most disturbing have an international side flounder for the sake aspect is the rapid deteri- coach and then blame of the precious vote or oration of their standard. him when things go awry would they see sense and In 2005, Bangladesh beat and build academies at come to the negotiating a strong Australian side every street corner has table with ICL? in England and then seri- shifted focus from what Any show of common ously challenged them really builds a strong sense would only be ben- later in the tournament. cricket nation. eficial to the game. It At the 2007 World Cup, A system that pro- could serve as the con- they defeated India and duces good, combative duit to bring ICL into the South Africa to reach the young cricketers and official fold so that the Super Eights. then challenges them at player pool is boosted Bangladesh’s slide progressively tougher and the overall interna- The All Blacks team with the Bledisloe Philips Tri-Nations Trophy into mediocrity high- levels of competition is tional standard is lights the ICC’s glaring the best way to ensure improved. However, the misjudgement in prema- players are properly pre- real issue is the long- All Blacks home with Bledisloe Cup turely elevating them to a pared for international term future of the game. level way beyond their cricket. Currently, there’s by Sarath Dissanayake half time. ances. capacity. The obscene haste to excessive focus on glam- from New Zealand “I’m speechless. We ran ourselves South African was the third con- Bangladesh’s inabili- obtain an ICC vote for our and glitz; by contem- ragged,” said Wallabies skipper tender in the Philips 2008 Tri-Nation ty to repeat anything like Bangladesh has seen the plating cricket’s entry The New Zealand All Blacks Stirling Mortlock. “Unfortunately we which was held in New Zealand, the progress of Sri Lanka issue of player develop- into the Olympics it pro- returned home filled with joy and the didn’t get the result we wanted, but Australia and South Africa. brings into sharp focus ment neglected. With no vides more proof that Bledisloe Cup after an impressive 28- the growth of the group has been fan- Final score: Australia 24 (A. the way young cricketers threat of demotion if money is the prime moti- 24 win over the Australians Wallabies. tastic and I think the boys can hold Ashley-Cooper, J. Horwill, R. Cross are now being developed. standards don’t improve vator in the game. It’s The were the victors of an their heads high,” he added. tries; M. Giteau pen, 3 conversions) Currently, there and no suitable second- time for all sides to roll enthralling game played at Suncorp All Black skipper and flanker New Zealand 28 (M. Muliaina, T. aren’t enough good play- tier competition to moni- up the sleeves and con- Stadium in Brisbane, Australia. Richie McCaw said that he is Woodcock, P. Weepu, D. Carter tries; ers in some of the major tor the progress of other centrate on a few of the The Wallabies led by 10 points at extremely pleased with the perform- D. Carter 4 conversios). teams let alone the devel- prospective full member less glamorous aspects of oping sides. Ever since nations, it’s unlikely the cricket so that in future Australia appointed a situation will improve. the game is entertaining coach in the mid-eighties Despite Bangladesh’s and competitive. and the results improved, current lowly playing other teams have behaved status, ironically, they (Hindustan Times) Vaughan ‘lucky’ to get an England central contract by Austin Peters an another Ashes series There had been doubts next summer, though he whether Vaughan would accepts time is running be among the players given out for him to win back a new 12-month deals due to place. his poor form this season. Vaughan memorably He resigned as England led England to victory on captain last month after Australia’s last visit in the third Test against 2005, but he missed the los- South Africa at Edgbaston, ing 2006-07 series in a defeat that lost the series, Australia due to injury.He and then he opted out of Michael Vaughan said: “I need some runs. the final match at the Oval innings. I have had some That’s not something I am where his successor Kevin good times with the bat not desperate to do, I’m just Pietersen started with a too long ago. going to try to let it hap- victory. “I think they have just pen.