It was a dark and stormy night. That’s a lie. It was a mild and unseasonably warm night and I was almost asleep, lulled away by Heidi Klum’s and Niki Taylor’s voiceovers on Bravo.
Then, something insane happened; I received a reality-bending email. But first, some unnecessary prattle back story.
From age 0-3.5, I had a much-adored stuffed bear, like most children my age. Unlike most children, my bear was named Babu, which totally proves that kids born here in the early to mid seventies might as well have been popped out “back home”. Anyway, Babu was wonderful as a confidante, hugging partner and drool-catcher…until we moved to San Francisco. Somewhere between Southern California and Northern, Babu disappeared, never to be seen again.
Last night, dazed and confused by exhaustion, I checked my email one final time…and did a sleepy double-take. There, in my inbox…Babu. The only justification I can offer for thinking what comes next is, um, Benadryl. “My Babu reached out to me from beyond!”, I gasped, and he did so via GMail no less:
Hi Anna,
It’s the biggest story happening in Indian Cricket and you are not covering it….that’s not right 🙂
Feed your cricket hunger with the story. I’m not sure if you are aware of the suspension of an Indian cricket player over racial abuse. This has created a cricket war between India and Australia. and YOU should write about it.
It has high drama, fight for honor, millions of dollars at stake and the big Indian ego Vs Australian. Australian media is supporting India as well 🙂
Link, link, link and link.
Well, I didn’t wanna vote in News tab and wait….hehe.. 😀
~Babu
Babu, after absorbing tears, snot and Lord knows what else, this is the least I can do.
All right people.
The cricket post I have received eleven requests for (not counting the above-pasted, impassioned plea from my bear) is up next.
India’s cricket team stayed in its hotel in protest Monday after one of its players was penalized for allegedly using a racial slur during a match against Australia.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India plans to challenge the “the unfair decision” by the International Cricket Council to suspend Harbhajan Singh for three matches because it said he made racist remarks to Australia’s only black player. The Indian board said it will “suspend its operation until the appeal is disposed of.” [IHT]
What the hell is going on, you might be asking. No? Well, I was asking…this is a lot of story for a blogger of little cricket brain. Apparently Indian cricket player Harbhajan Singh called Australian player Andrew Symonds a monkey. Symonds is black.
Admittedly, “monkey” would not qualify in the top hundred racist insults. Ian Botham used to revel in the nickname “Guy The Gorilla”. When all is said and done, we are all simian primates. But the word “monkey” had form, as everybody knew that Symonds had supposedly suffered such insults last year from Indian crowds. So case proven, the Indian spinner was guilty as charged. The Indian board should stop its posturing, accept what must be a galling reminder that it is the International Cricket Council that still runs the game, and get on with the tour.
Do not delude yourself, though, that in punishing Harbhajan cricket is punishing a sinner. It is punishing a victim. It is punishing a player who, it might be concluded, mentally disintegrated. Remember mental disintegration? It is Australia’s nauseatingly self-congratulatory phrase for sledging. And it worked. It worked so well that Harbhajan cracked and Australia have not stopped bleating about their shoddy little victory ever since. [Guardian]
Sledging is a cricket term for undermining players by talking a lot o’ tatti. Insult someone enough and they crack, not that I would know a damned thing about that.
Match referee Mike Proctor held a four-hour hearing at the Sydney Cricket Ground after Australia’s 122-run victory and ruled that the case against the India spinner was proved.
“I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Harbhajan Singh directed that word at Andrew Symonds and also that he meant it to offend on the basis of Symonds’ race or ethnic origin,” Proctor said. [IHT]
Beyond a reasonable doubt, eh?
“Unfair allegation of racism against our Indian player is wholly unacceptable,” said board president Sharad Pawar, who is also a senior government minister, in a statement. “The game of cricket is paramount but so too is the honor of India’s cricket team and every Indian.” [IHT]
Warning: cricket neophyte about to type.
The second test match of the tour = drama. Captain Kumble (that’s fun to say!) called the Aussies out on being dirty bastards while his team rolled their eyes the fifth time the umpires made a stupid and unfair decision.
The most blatant was an appeal that would have put Symonds out after just 30 runs in the first innings.
Symonds has freely admitted he should have been out. He went on to score 162 runs not out and was later named man of the match. [IHT]
We’re not alone in our hot tub of displeasure:
Several Australian newspapers agreed Monday that India should have won the second test, and criticized the behavior of Australian players during the test. [IHT]
I think what is pissing so many people off is the double-standard which is so evident in this unfortunate situation, the hypocrisy.
The problem is that Australia’s dividing line is not a reliable division between the morally upstanding and the indefensible. Australia’s dividing line is repugnant, enabling the condemnation of the likes of Harbhajan whilst legitimising obnoxious behaviour that cricket should have had the bravery to root out a generation ago.
Racism cannot be countenanced. But it is a rum old world that bans a man for three Tests for calling someone a monkey, yet allows the sort of boorish behaviour that allows first slip to drone to a batsman that he is shagging his wife, or that convinces any fast bowler with half a brain that personal insults every time a batsman plays and misses are essential for any cricketer of spirit. As long as you are careful not to refer to the colour of his skin.
It needs to be remembered that Harbhajan’s assault did not come without provocation. Before he was abused as a monkey, Symonds had been indulging in a phrase or two out of the corner of his mouth. Australia and Harbhajan have been at each other for years. But Australia have been obsessed with “reverse racism” ever since Darren Lehmann, their batsman, became the first international player to be banned for the racial abuse of Sri Lankan players five years ago. They have been intent upon revenge and now they have gained it. [Guardian]
What I found interesting is how Harbhajan Singh’s outburst might have been overlooked (vs. becoming the subject of 5,000 blog posts and news articles) had Aussie captain Ponting not whined about it to the umpires, thus drawing attention to it. That’s classy.
Well, Ponting may have won this pathetic, wee, jeer-worthy (no! sledging-worthy) battle but after everything I’ve read online, he has lost far more, most notably respect and credibility because of it. Well-played. Idiot (note: must be pronounced the way Naseeruddin Shah did in Monsoon Wedding, kthx bai).
why does india do all the hard work and then contrive to throw away wickets just before tea in every innings?
I thought going away would help. Sorry.
I dont know about you lot, but this the point where I usually start swearing at the TV.
everyone, don’t move an inch.
Shhhh….just.keep.criticising…
Did anyone see Dhoni’s dismissal ? Did he really play a ‘cheeky paddle sweep’ as crickinfo writes ?
Off to pub, hope Laxman pulls one out and makes it 300….
WTF is a “cheeky paddle sweep?”
250 finally.
ha! kangaroos have learnt to talk again :).
hahaha east is the right direction flygirl 🙂
yes, dhoni did play that rather silly shot and get out. i think it’s only cheeky if you get away with it:) meanwhile, rp singh has to be india’s find of the year. 50-run partnership between him and laxman.
anything they get is crucial now. all said and done, i am happy they have the gumption to stick it back to the oz’s. they somehow are 400+ ahead, plodding and crawling on all fours maybe.
ok, just jinxed him. but good knock.
” they somehow are 400+ ahead, plodding and crawling on all fours maybe.”
I know. that didn’t look possible some time back. boundary from ishant sharma. 🙂
ok 413 to win, we still have a game on. neither side has been able shut the other out completely.
Well, they need 348 to win and have 8 wickets in hand. Kumble’s third ball reared up off a good length and had Ponting in a fix; we need more of those tomorrow. I can picture him speaking to the guys:
Kumble: “I am Anil Kumble. And I see eleven of my countrymen,here in defiance of tyranny! You have come to fight as free men. And free men you are! What will you do without freedom? Will you fight?”
Anonymous voice: “Thirteen against Eleven?”, “No! We will run – and live!”
Kumble: “Yes, fight and you may die. Run and you will live at least awhile. And dying in your bed many years from now,would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here as young men and tell the Aussies that they may take our lives but they will never take our Freeeedooom!”
Anil Braveheart Kumble, ComeOndaaaaa…
Shastri’s calling it for India by tea time (well, we’re not really that surprised).
Pointing out….this is a real match…
Symmo given LBW after an edge onto pad! Finally he knows how it feels to hurt so bad.
Rahul, mate, in here don’t rhyme, The other thread serves that crime;)
Sorry about that UberMetroMallu. But I’m so glad Sehwag made Gilly look like an ullu.
Five down with 200 to go, and talk is about how Australia can really put pressure on India if Gilly and Clarke put on an additional 100 runs. Seven down, and Healy admires Mitchell Johnson’s soft hands (not in that way! Get your mind out of the gutter!) which allow his edge to drop just short of Laxman. Is Healy’s name spelt B-I-A-S?
YES!
Well, this game is fine and dandy and all that – but guys, the match between Federer and Tipsarevic going on in down-under is getting interesting by point. This new kid got some heart and he keeps coming back.
472 · Prasad said
Well, right now, unless Leander Paes has a chance of winning that Federer-Tipsarevic game, I am hooked to the cricket match. At least to hear Dhoni’s agonized “Oye!”s, encouraging “Shabaash, Viru!”s, and the almost concerned “Oh, Oh!”
473 · Rahul said
🙂 I can see that. I am really in awe of Indian cricket fans. More power to y’all.
Yours humbly (A true fan of Indian cricket fans)
Finally! Heart makes gentle descent from mouth back towards chest.
At last! RP knocks down Tait’s wicket, India tells the Aussies to stick it. Sixteen is where it all stops, The Indian dressing rooms are where the champagne cork pops.
🙂 🙂 🙂
wow, federer-tipsarevic is exciting. no sleep tonight.
As is Mark Taylor’s name. Only Benaud is old enough to remember the days of truly circumspect native favoritism. I just wish Ranjit Fernando would learn by osmosis and start talking about how Lankans invented the popping crease AND the internet while he ‘comments’ on matches.
But he does, doesn’t he? For me Ranjith is one of the most entertaining commentators primarily because he also ‘fights to the bitter end’ (only with his comments) just like the awesome Sri Lankan team.
Slater and Healy are ‘Bill O’Reilly’ and ‘John Gibson’ that commenting outfit, Slater was counting “runs to win†when Aussies were 8 down.
Aussie Gutter Press is already pushing notions that Aussies were “too nice†in the field and allowed Indians to win. So permit me to send a big FCK YU their way.
Lastly, for sepia commentators who ‘woofed’ a smashing Aussie victory in Perth, please do the same again for the next match 😉 . Who knows it just might work again for the Indians. 🙂 🙂
Anna,
Thanks a lot for this post.
India/Oz on Sopcast… then watching Federer go to 5 sets… rolled into Hewitt’s match…
Ohhh, Melbourne Desi, I wish I was still in Oz.
Truly, the “Lucky Country” 🙂
Hurrah! Bring on Adelaide!
Tennis, schemnnis! At least Hewitt got knocked out.
I will also be hugely grateful if I never have to hear Jim Maxwell going on…and on and on and on about “popping creases” ever again.
Thanks for the post, Anna.
12 days of listening to Channel Nine have given me a new found respect for the likes of Rameez Raza and Navjot Sidhu.
Is there a way to subscribe to star’s commentary through directv?
But yeah,champagne time baby….
paging rahul flygirl wgiia ubermetromallu sulabh and others…
please to note that it was us posting on this thread that caused india to win in perth. you think they won by themselves? 🙂
I hope Pagla_Admi will oblige with a reverse woof like this (posted before Perth) 😉
I’d say – “may the best team win” or a meaningless cliche like “may the great game of cricket be the ultimate victor” ….but we know what I am trying to say here!
I am getting so spiritual – “Hanuman Chaalisa” when Sehwag is batting and “Navgrah Strotam” when Dravid is on strike.
Man, whoever those Navagrahas are, they really weren’t aligning themselves (as they tend to) for Dravid. Oh well. Hopefully, Viru will keep going.
Yo, yo yo whassup me homies…
Hanuman Chalisa? Dude, I prefer Ganapathy Prarthana and Gayatri…
Apparently on the offside, first there is God, then there is Ganguly.
Rahul, that was GOLD. And that statue…words fail me.
Ah, Tendulkar’s at the crease. Will he, won’t he? Will he, won’t he?
Is that Ganguly’s penultimate international innings given that he’s out of the one-day side? Seems a little unfortunate that he was given out from the side-on view.
“please to note that it was us posting on this thread that caused india to win in perth. you think they won by themselves? :)”
ok:) . although i’d like to think all my childish jinxes on ponting helped sharma:)
i don’t think this will be ganguly’s penultimate international innings. i’m pretty sure he will still be considered for Tests.
Socan we please ensure that we meet for all Lanka and India matches? (tho perhaps not the Lanka-Indian matches?)
anyone think tendulkar’s almost stump was really really close?? i think the cover umpire missed that tendliya’s foot even went into air.
and thanks to gilchrist for laxman’s life :)..
hahaha :).
the commentary i am listening to is pretty funny as well. good to knwo all the cliches of cricket commentary is alive and kicking.
ok, all india/lanka matches, but if it is india-lanka?
And this even without the services of Shastri. Tubby goes, “Laxman is in really good form, as good form as any of the Indian players.” Where is Azza’s, “The boys batted badly, bowled badly, fielded badly” when you need it?
the best cliched cricket commentary was michael slater saying at the beginning: india need a big score, australia need wickets.
good century from tendulkar.
almost got stumped too..
hope that neutralizes your careless comment, wgiia. dude, what are you up to????? shit, another close appeal..
Hi everyone, Hundred up for Tendulkar; with 19 overs to go, I really, really, hope that we don’t lose another wicket, as we tend to do, before close of play.
Please elaborate:)