Crucket

I have gone through my schedule of Black Caps’ fixtures and cleared out any series prior to 2010. The schedule itself is a monthly thing – the details are in the daily schedule, where the action starts at the ICC World Twenty20 2010.

Currently the rest of 2010 is dominated by 21 days of scheduled cricket against Sri Lanka. It also includes 2 ODIs against India, 1 T20i against Zimbabwe (with the tour to Zimbabwe itself has been canned) and warm up T20s against Ireland and the Windies.

What a stoush is developing in India. Come Monday, when the IPL are scheduled to meet, Lalit Modi could be out on his arse. How did the most powerful man in cricket end up so endangered so fast? Well, let me summarise, over-simplify and distort the story that has come to known as the ‘IPL mess’.

With so much money, personalities and politicians involved in the IPL, there inevitably were all sorts of shenanigans going on behind the scenes, hidden and of no concern to the cricketing public. However, Lalit Modi – having learnt nothing from his experience of shaming Chris Cairns, or maybe learning that attacking people over Twitter has no real consequences – opened the curtains somewhat by blabbing on Twitter the names of the stake holders in the new IPL franchise based in Kochi, bought by a consortium of varied interests, which had been brought together by government minister Shashi Tharoor, apparently for no personal gain.

I don’t know why Modi was so bothered by the Kochi consortium, but it is claimed that he offered them $50 million dollars to just walk away. They didn’t take it however, and Modi’s next move was to reveal the consortium’s silent partners by Twitter.

It was thus revealed that a close friend of Shashi Tharoor had been given a small equity in the franchise. Nothing like a bit of openess. A few days later Tharoor resigned on account of the apparent conflict of interest.

Really, you can’t go chasing goverment ministers out of their jobs.

It was around this time that the Indian government opened a massive probe into the finances of the IPL and the franchises.

Target sights were also trained directly on Modi, with the IPL calling a meeting for this coming Monday to discuss Modi’s fate. As his friends began to desert him, Modi desperately tried to defer his doom by climing only he had the authority to call a meeting of the IPL governing council.

By all accounts, the meeting will go ahead Monday and one’s money would be on Modi losing his job. He still has friend however and ousting him will not be easy or tidy.

It is a stoush for the ages.

The Compton Cricket Club:

Very cool.

It isn’t new or anything, but I have just recently been directed to it, and I was most surprised to see what must be Daniel Vetorri in his beardy phase playing drums. Here he is, the original left-arm orthodox gangsta:

With Bangalore eliminated in the first semi final, the NZ contribution to the IPL is done. (Okay, except for the 3rd place play off, and Fleming’s work as Chennai coach.) Just as I turn my attention to the competition.

Oh well. Time enough for me to summarise the NZers achievements before the whole thing wraps for another year.

Only four NZ players in the comp this year. Some were missing from injury – Ryder, Oram, Mills – and Styris was simply not wanted.

Brendon McCullum

114 runs in 5 innings. Half of those in his last. Ho hum. But of course, after his very first IPL innings, it was always going to be downhill for Brendon.

Ross Taylor

88 runs from 7 innings. Dear me!

Daniel Vettori

33 runs from 3 innings. And just 2 wickets, going for over 8 an over.

Shane Bond

1 run from 2 balls faced. A credible 9 wickets at an average of 25.

Nothing to write home about – pretty sorry in fact – but recorded for the record.

Congratulations to Australia, who are easy winners of the Aus–NZ–Pak test tri-series. And congratulations to NZ, who take second place due to alphabetical ordering.

Okay, it is now nearly a month since we mangled our slim chance in the second test after dismissing Aus for 231. I think I’m starting to get over it.

It was a nice opportunity, getting Aus out for less than 250. We haven’t had a first innings lead against Aus since 2005 (Christchurch, and that was only 1 run). And I can’t help but be disappointed. This is despite the fact that I should have expected the Aussies to fight back like rabid dingos. Also, Pakistan’s crash in their second test makes ours look fairly mild.

The truth is, there is such a gulf between Aus and NZ at the moment that it takes more of a miracle than a 231 for us to fluke a win.

So no improvement in the NZ team over the past year – in fact, a backwards step. 0-2 to Aus in 2010, 0-1 to India in 2009. Let’s see where we are in 12 months time.