Losing like you’re winning
So the compromise solution cooked up by NZC to allow six Indian players to participate in the State Championship ahead of the test series without them having to play with or against the NZ ICL players looks like it has satisfied everyone. The BCCI is happy because none of its players have to play with the radioactive ICL players, the NZCPA is happy because none of its ICL players are being pushed aside and NZC is happy because the BCCI is not upset and the Indians should give the Championship a bit of a boost.
Really though, this is no victory for the BCCI. They are coming out of this and the masters match with egg all over their faces. There will be few cricket followers either outside or inside India who would think that the actions of the BCCI are anything other than childish. And they have achieved nothing for that.
The purpose of the BCCI’s position is to drive ICL players out of other countries’ domestic competitions by forcing those other countries to choose between their ICL players or India. Quarantining the ICL players from the BCCI players is just a means to that end, not an end in itself. So if all they have achieved is to avoid contact with ICL players without having them excluded, then they have failed.
If the BCCI really had the courage of their conviction they would refuse to allow their players to be involved in competitions involving ICL players. That is, no Indian players in the State Championship if any ICL players play for any team.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:05 am
No victory indeed, but life goes on.
End of the day, this was the best outcome for all parties, even if it did leave a slightly bitter taste.
You had the nail on the head though – the BCCI have no courage of their convictions!
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:21 am
I wish it was as straightforward as that.
Even before the ICL player issue became a problem, there was some discord with regards to the Indian players participating in the State Championship because of the limit on foreign players allowed per team.
And the Indians would not even have had to play in another country’s domestic competition but for the fact that the Cricket Board of the said country agreed to ( and maybe pushed for) a revised itinerary that included one extra test and T20 at the expense of a warm up game.
And the BCCI agreed to the change in itinerary only on the condition that its players got adequate match practise before the first Test – hence the Indians playing in the State Championship.
So no, the NZC is not doing India a favor by playing the Indians in the State Championship. If anything, it is the BCCI that has done the NZC a favor.
And maybe, just maybe, the NZC should go back and introspect on how they always manage to screw things up after making prior commitments/promises ( think this episode, think Shane Bond).
Cheers,
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:27 am
Hi Homer. You’ve got most of the facts there, but you have them around the wrong way on the whole.
The sequence of events that led to the revised tour schedule and the arrangement for the Indian players to be involved in the State Championship are as follows.
So you can see, it all arises from the BCCI’s request for an extra test. And it’s quite an elegant solution as well. The only problem is the BCCI’s fixation with the ICL, that extends outside it’s own circle and infects ours.
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:04 am
Good summary Ben,
The other factor in the mix here is that NZ “A” is playing against England “A” at the moment, as well as the ODIs of course.
So some composite match involving the 6 Indian players and the next best 15 NZers would have meant that the NZ domestic competition would’ve turned into a 2nd XI event.
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:04 am
Putting to one side the hassles of rescheduling and so on – some of the Sony $50m can be sacrificed here – why not just have England A play a composite India/NZA side. End of all the BCCI paranoia, the “you’ve got Dravid and we haven’t” problem, and the State Championship’s integrity is not compromised. Players from NZ A not selected go back and play for their Major Association.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
But that would mean the NZ “A” side would miss out on an “A” Test.
“A” games are really important as it lessens the step-up as well as giving the likes of Timmy Mac, How, Franklin etc the chance to find form before the tests.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:58 pm
But that would mean the NZ “A” side would miss out on an “A” Test.
But assuming that rescheduling is no hassle, we just shift the a-test.
I like the idea Beige HQ. If only someone had thought of it earlier.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Rescheduling the “A” Test would mean extending the tour by at least a week.
Totally impractical.
Imagine the anti-BCCI uproar if that was to happen.
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:03 pm
If only NZC and the BCCI were listening to the most recent podcast, eh Beige HQ?