Ball-tampering is not the heinous crime it is being made out to be; it's time it had official sanction

Cricket is a great leveller. Nothing better exemplifies this truism than Shahid Afrid's shocking fall from grace. It took a fleeting moment of madness for him to become the villain of the game. Our hero's stocks are trading at zero today.
The wrath directed at him is understandable. The hardliners can certainly take him anywhere with this - to the cleaners or the gallows. They can push for his ouster from the team. Afridi's act may well have undone years of work towards dispelling the dark shadows of ball-tampering that seem to have hounded Pakistan cricket forever.
But it is also time to remind ourselves that this madness stems from a certain mindset and a background. Afridi comes from an era, a cricketing culture, where ball-tampering is considered a normal cricket activity, the done thing on flat Pakistani pitches - an art form and not a sin. It's been a part of the Pakistan team's standard operating procedure.
All teams have one. The Aussies have been brought up on sledging, and while the rest may see it as uncouth, offensive behaviour that is against the principles of this game, it is appreciated by them as a legitimate weapon to be used against oppositions. England moan when they make a tour of the subcontinent, and maybe this is part of their operating procedure.
Pakistan under the tutelage of Imran Khan learned the value of ''ball keeping''. It was a wonderful science. The instructions were to keep the ball dry; to parent the shiny side and ignore the other, so that the elements, like a dry pitch and bristly outfield, could naturally rough it up. Spinners were constantly asked not to dampen the ball with sweaty palms. The scratching was left to the elder statesmen of the team, but it was a last resort - an act of desperation that its perpetrators did not boast about. Only their sheepish behaviour gave away the story; that the ''hand of God'' had played its part.
Reverse-swinging the ball is certainly an art. And the condition of the ball is only one aspect of it. At times even a well-looked-after ball can behave against its masters' wishes and not bend. Factors like breeze and cloud are needed to aid the process. Most important in the process of reverse swing is the bowler's craft: the speed of the ball, the angle of the arm, the wrist position, the length of the delivery - these are what produce the magic.

If ball-tampering is being openly admitted by the players, and given that it is difficult to assign reasons for why reverse swing happens (since even tampering is often ineffective in generating reverse swing), shouldn't the authorities stop looking at the practice with suspicion?

Calling ball-tampering unlawful and an offence is regrettable. If ball-tampering is being openly admitted by the players, and given that it is difficult to assign reasons for why reverse swing happens (since even tampering is often ineffective in generating reverse swing), shouldn't the authorities stop looking at the practice with suspicion and instead look to bring it into the cricket syllabus so that we can all move on? It will challenge a batsman's technique and will improve the standard of competition. Test cricket in the subcontinent on dead pitches will perhaps not be boring to watch anymore.
As long as there is imbalance between bat and ball, there exists a possibility, a risk, of someone playing God and attempting to bridge the gap between the two. Bowlers have been dealt a rough hand by the administrators. Flat pitches, thick bats, short boundaries, limits on bouncers, free hit and Powerplays are just a few things that have neutralised bowlers. Is it not wrong that a game that preaches equality and fair play has confined bowlers to the status of inferiors in a master-servant relationship with the batsmen?
Offspinners were forced to revolt against the unjust system, and they created the doosra, which has managed to bring a semblance of balance to a skewed relationship and also reinvented a dying art. Some would say bowling the doosra is tantamount to chucking; others view it as a justified mutiny against the lop-sided rules bowlers operate under. The managers of the game need to understand that a six may bring momentary pleasure, but the fall of a wicket is, and will always be, the ultimate high in cricket.
So give Afridi a break. He may not have played this one by the book but he certainly did read from the book of his predecessors. And he was forced to play God

In a statement which is likely to dent Pakistan cricket's image further, Senator Enver Baig has accused the national team players of being involved in match-fixing.

Baig, who was especially invited to a meeting of the Senate's Standing Committee on Sports, asserted that match-fixing is the biggest problem in Pakistan cricket.

"The main problem in the Pakistan team is gambling and match-fixing. Most of the members of the Pakistan team are involved in it," The News quoted Baig, as saying.

Baig also blamed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the sorry state of the sport in the country.

"The PCB committed a huge mistake by ignoring the findings of the Justice Qayyum report. They should have made it their top priority to eradicate this menace but it is a great misfortune that they didn't which is why our cricket continues to suffer," he said.

Terming the cash rich Indian Premier League (IPL) as a 'den of gambling', Baig said the PCB should not allow Pakistani cricketers to participate in the lucrative T20 tournament.

"India has become a big bookie centre and the IPL especially is a gambling den. PCB should ensure that our players stay away from it," he said

Earlier, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt told the Senate that he had to sack a PCB employee on suspicion of match-fixing.

Eye witnesses, who attended the long hearing in Islamabad confirmed that Butt made the revelation on being asked whether recommendations of the Justice Qayyum report on match-fixing were being implemented by the Board.

"A senator was speaking on the fact that the board had not even implemented recommendations of the Justice Qayyum report on match-fixing properly when Butt made his startling disclosure," an eye-witness said.

"Butt said that he got a report from the ICC anti-corruption unit head Sir Paul Condon which pointed to the said person's involvement in match-fixing," the eye witness said.

"Butt told the committee that after reading the report he had no option but to sack the person after a tour, he also indicated that person was recalled from a tour."

An insider did point out that it was not necessary that Butt had told the whole truth before the Senate.

"It might not be an official after all it could also be a player against whom the action has been taken, don't rule out that fact," the insider said.

Eyebrows have been raised over the exclusion of wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal from the Pakistan squad announced for the two Twenty20 matches against England in Dubai.

Interestingly, Butt also disclosed before the committee that he had told the coach, manager and captain on the recent tour of Australia that if Akmal was included in the team for the final Test in Hobart, they would all be called back from Australia on the first available flight.

Bhopal's Mujaffar Ali and Bangalore's Pramod Joshua came up with a brilliant display in the Gulf Cup 'Clash of the Titans' in Bhopal on Sunday to emerge the undisputed kings of dirt track motorcycle racing in India.



Joshua, who showed the stuff champions are made of in the previous legs in Jaipur, Hyderabad and Nashik, again proved a distinct class above the rest of the field featuring only the top riders from the previous rounds in this final leg, organized by Sportscraft, Mumbai, in association with Bhopal Automobile Sports Club at the BHEL Dushera ground, Govindpura.



Besides winning the Indian Expert Class Group A Foreign Motorcycles upto 260 cc, Joshua also won the Indian Expert Class Group B upto 260cc 2 & 4 stroke.

Seasoned off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Friday lambasted his detractors for questioning his ability, saying a bowler who has taken more than 350 wickets in a 13-year career could not possibly be "dumb or an idiot".

Harbhajan, who was instrumental in India's dramatic win over South Africa in the second Test on Thursday, feels coming among the top 10 bowlers in ICC rankings itself speaks a lot in his favour.

"We are neither dumb, nor idiots. The idiots don't play 13 years for their country. Nor do they claim 350 Test wickets during their career," fumed Harbhajan, who picked five for 59 at the Eden Garden.

"Critics have a job to do. I respect it, however, I can make a few points for their benefit. Can a bowler, who often has been in ICC's list of top 10 bowlers during the last two years be that bad and that stupid?" Harbhajan told PTI over phone.

Harbhajan, who made his Test debut in 1998 against Australia , also considers the "straighter" deliveries as one of the effective weapons in his armoury and said it should not be seen as "inability" of the bowler to turn the ball.

"When a left-arm spinner bowls a straighter delivery, you credit him with one. Why a slider from an off-spinner is viewed as his inability to spin it?" asked Harbhajan, whose one such delivery dismissed Morne Morkel in the dying moments yesterday", he said.

"I bowl onto the stumps occasionally because on those wickets where ball does a little, you need to create angles for bowled and lbw decisions to come into the play. If the batsmen can use their feet, why you do not credit a bowler for not allowing a batsman to use his feet?" Harbhajan said.

The 29-year-old bowler also feels it was nothing but consistent performance which has helped India climb on top of the ICC Test ranking.

"Can the number one Test ranking be achieved overnight? Is it not a reflection of sustained progress achieved by the Team India over the last two years?

"Just as the critics have a job to do, we also have a job to keep India's tricolour flying. We know what our success means to millions of fans across the world and we are prepared to walk on the fire to bring honour and glory to the country," he added.

The spinner said that critics should put the interest of Indian cricket before everything.

"Everyone must keep the interest of Indian cricket as a priority. There is no reason to get personal, this success is as much for us as it is for our critics."

On Thursday's victory, he said: "Let this moment be dedicated to those fans who stay all nights, travel miles, bear hardships and have all the affections for the welfare of Indian cricket.

"Let it be a promise on our part that we would only treat this moment as just the beginning," Harbhajan said.

The blazing blade is not enough for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he has got himself a gun licence. A second one at that.
The Union home ministry has cleared the India captain’s application for a 9mm pistol licence, given to civilians only under a special provision of the Arms Act.

Since the cricketer, known for his explosive batting, already enjoys Z-category security and has had a licence for a 7.65mm pistol since 2006, some observers are asking why he needs further protection.

State home secretary J.B. Tubid said: “The Union home ministry has cleared the application of M.S. Dhoni and sent the documents to the state home ministry three days back.”

He refused to comment on why Ranchi’s most famous son, who had yet to buy a weapon against his earlier licence, had asked for another one.

“The licence of a prohibitive bore (9mm) is not allowed to civilians under the Arms Act but there are administrative orders which empower the Union home ministry to issue such a licence under special circumstances,” said Ranchi deputy commissioner K.S Soan.

“The licence has been issued under the rule,” he said, but did not elaborate what the special circumstances were.

“He (Dhoni) happens to be the Team India captain, so we want to ensure that there is no loophole in his security,” he added when it was pointed out that Dhoni enjoyed Z-category security.

Former advocate-general Anil Sinha agreed there were special provisions under which the Centre could issue a 9mm pistol licence. “The government has also categorised various persons who are entitled to such a licence,” he said.

Dhoni had expressed unhappiness at the security provided to him in his home state Jharkhand in December 2008 when the guards were missing as he drove from his home to the Birsa Munda airport.

Sania Mirza hasn't had the best of starts to the 2010 season - on and off court. A broken service game is one thing, but a broken engagement or a broken heart, is quite another.

Earlier in the week, the 23-year-old's father Imran, who coaches Sania and manages her career, called off his daughter's engagement to Mohammed Sohrab Mirza. Sania was formally engaged to the fellow Hyderabadi and longtime friend, now studying business in the United Kingdom, at a luxury hotel near her home last July.

The Indian star categorically refused to get into the why and what of the matter, but confirmed her engagement was off. "We were friends for half a decade, but found ourselves incompatible during our engagement period. I wish Sohrab the best in life," she said.

Even before the two got engaged, questions were doing the rounds about whether Mohammed could cope with the demands of being life-partner to a widely-travelled, hugely-popular athlete. Sania, who has been struggling with the differences for the last couple of months, hasn't taken the break-up well as her results on court show. However, she's doing what she always does at a time of crisis - surround herself with family and friends.

As it stands, Sania will have to turn her focus to the courts, and in time might find comfort there. She flies out to Kuala Lumpur late on Friday, where she leads India's challenge in the Fed Cup Asia Oceania Group II competition, starting February 2.