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Sidarth Monga on Cricinfo
By TJ for Stani Army in General Cricket, Pakistan Cricket
I’m not sure if anyone else remembers reading cricinfo’s bulletin for the Super 8s match Pakistan played against New Zealand, but there were parts of it that made me wonder. It was written by Sidarth Monga who, in the past, has been accused by various fans of his obvious bias. Here it was in regards to Pakistan being able to recall Abdul Razzaq after the ICL cancelled his contract. Have a read of his bulletin and see what you make of it.
Sidarth Monga:
“How Pakistan would want to thank BCCI for the “amnesty” it accorded the ICL players.”
“Once the euphoria of this performance dies, Pakistan will want to thank the man returning to international cricket for allowing them to go ahead with their preferred bowling strategy.”
He is an Indian fan at the end of the day, but he should keep his bias from articles on sites where it is required of him, and expected by us, that he should be impartial. In the past, cricinfo has been accused of being favourable to England and India so I am amazed the editor of cricinfo let this article through as it was.
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June 28th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Spot on Stani.. I noticed it too and thought of why Monga just doesn’t keep his mouth shut…
He’s done it in the past too calling Australia’s t20 team third string when Pak beat them in the T20 in Dubai…
Strange that we haven’t seen him comment after Pak’s WC win…
June 28th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Q,
That’s true. He seems to have disappeared. I’ve seen fans of other countries raise issues about his comments too on other blogs.
It’s a shame cricinfo would risk their reputation in such a way.
He is basically putting our success down to the BCCI? Why should we “thank” them? If it were not for them (IPL), these players would not be banned in the first place. Absurd insinuation to make especially in a match bulletin. It was as if he couldn’t wait to write something.
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:41 pm
IPL and ICL both fought a Nura Kushti neither party was interested in pushing its case against the other to the final limit. Just because of ICL, many countries had to ban their key players and just because of that an average Indian team for a moment looked like invincible. The funny thing is India reaped both the economic benefit and also got key players from other major cricket nations banned using it’s influence at ICC.If they were so sincere then they should have never allowed that league to start on their soil. They have been the culprits from the beginning so thank them for what?
PCB should have shown BCCI the middle finger long time ago.
Any dimwit dolt who have fingers and a laptop can write anything so don’t take this idiot seriously.
Most of these guys are living in a LaLa land when it comes to their own country and they try to belittle and demean every triumphant moment for other people.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 am
Wasim,
You raise some interesting points there, particularly about the perceived strength of the Indian side. You may be right as they didn’t even manage a single point in the super8s where as before the tournament they were “favourites” who had the benefit of playing in the IPL. It’s a smack in the face that a nation who couldn’t play in the IPL won the World Cup.
The PCB are notoriously reactive rather than proactive in their decision making.
Thing about Monga is why is he allowed to do this on the world’s no.1 cricket site, which is supposed to be neutral? Did you see the way cricinfo turned into skynews when the attacks happened in Lahore? It had no business in reporting some of the propagand rubbish it did; it’s a cricketing site for goodness sake.
So you would blame the ICL rather than the ICC/BCCI/IPL for the banned players?
July 4th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
I have always said BCCI and ICC has been responsible for banning the players.
July 4th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Wasim,
I agree. Do you see the ICL as a victim too? Was you in favour of the league?
July 4th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
TJ
I was against both ICL and IPL. I think a league like IPL should have been only allowed if it was under ICC’s control and all the participant board’s should have recieved share in profits as they were sharing their resources i.e players. The host countries should have been rotated.
Under the present set up BCCI is dictating all the terms not only that it making all the money but is also dominating world cricket like a monopolist in many ways.
I only favored the legalization of ICL because the policy of banning players in order to protect BCCI’s monopoly would have completely destroyed cricket in a few countries.
July 5th, 2009 at 12:08 am
Wasim,
Very interesting. I thought the same thing in regards to your IPL points about resources, profits and hosts.
I did have a soft spot for the ICL though because they seemed much less sinister and more inclusve than the IPL. It was sad how the ICC and BCCI ganged up on them just so they could carry on sleeping together.
What was your views on the players that joined ICL then? I thought they were looking to earn a decent wage for themselves by doing what they’d always been doing, playing cricket. They were made to seem as criminals by their own boards who continued to back thee BCCI and ICC even though the IPL hardly benefitted these boards. A strange scenario and this is what miffed me the most. Did you not feel the same about the ICL players?
July 5th, 2009 at 7:46 am
TJ
Any league which will hire players without getting approval from the home boards will only damage cricket. You can only regard such leagues as poachers. National teams will not only lose their bench but might risk losing some marquee players.
I understand that the players were only trying to make some extra money, but I did not had any sympathy for players like Yousaf who deserted their team before an important tour.
Yousaf made Malik a scapegoat but the fact is that he joined ICL twice.
There can’t be any excuse for any breach of contract, Yousaf is a greedy person.
Those players who do not have any central contract can play cricket anywhere in the world but those who are employed by their national cricket board should abide by the terms of their contract, and shuld give priority to their national duties.
July 5th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Wasim,
This then comes back to the issue of our boards backing the IPL and ICC rather than its own players. ICL had no bars on its members representing their countries so would have released them for tournaments/series. It was the PCB and their backside kissing of the BCCI and ICC, which deemed our players were in breach of contract in the end.
As for the PCB; they were notoriously reactive, hesitant and inept in their handling of our players in regards the ICL. No timely, clear and proper advice so what did our players do? They relied on their agents.
In regards to Yousef, they deliberately messed up his visa application to Canada so that it would come back rejected. Yousef was ready to re-commit but they messed him about.
Our players, because of their deprived backgrounds, need more administarial, professional help then others. This was the PCB’S job but they were no where to be seen.
I agree, what Yousuf said about Malik was just rubbish. But this is the disease our people have, that seniority is superiority.
July 5th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
TJ
ICC made all the boards tow the line of BCCI but they made very cautious statements in the press so that they don’t get sued by ICL.
As regards Yousaf the visa thing was also BS he was going to ICL anways.If you remember PCB did every thing in their capacity to lure Yousaf out of his first ICL contract they compensated him financially lore than any other player.
July 5th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Wasim,
The ICL had and still have a very strong case in my opinion. They should still pursue it.
I think the PCB messed Yousaf about too much leaving him uncertain. Had they been decisive then it would have made it easier for him to stay. No other board would have treated their best batsmen like this. When you feel you’re not being loved, you go searching for it elsewhere.
I think they were right to compensate him, as he proved today.
His comments about Malik were very wrong though but I hope they have learnt. It was funny how them two were at the crease together today when Yousaf brought up his century.