Top 5 reasons why IPL must be banned

While the perception that cricket is a gentleman's game had received a severe blow way back in 2000, when the Match Fixing Scandal had erupted with Hansie Cronje being at the forefront, the recent turn of events have made sure in no uncertain terms, the clean image that the sport enjoyed is bid adieu for good.

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) embracing it's sobriquet of the 'Indian Problem League', and doing more harm than good for Indian cricket and cricket in general, it is high time that that the league is permanently shut and laid to rest. Why ? Here goes :

1. CORRUPTION: It was inevitable. A format that is tailor-made for malpractices (read spot-fixing), in a country that is the epicentre of betting, being organised by a board whose interests lie solely in minting money, corruption in IPL was destined to happen.

While the three Rajasthan Royals players - S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan have been arrested for their role in spot-fixing during this year's IPL, it seems that the BCCI couldn't stay true to the adage 'Once bitten, twice shy' when even last year the writing was on the wall. As many as five players were banned from the league after they were found guilty of spot-fixing in IPL 5. Medium pacer T P Sudhindra from the now-defunct Deccan Chargers was banned for life. Shalabh Srivastava was banned for five years while little-known names like Abhinav Bali, Mohnish Mishra and Amit Yadav were handed a year's ban each.

Unfortunately, what seems pretty obvious is that there exists an intricate nexus between the underworld, bookies, bollywood, police force, political bigwigs and the cricketers, constituting a vicious circle.  

2. LOSING TEST SPECIALISTS : It is often said that a Test specialist can play any form of the game as he has the requisite technique to excel in any format while a T-20 specialist can at best hone his skills to play limited overs cricket. Since the inception of the IPL in 2008, the priorities of budding cricketers have changed drastically. And such has been the pull of the so called 'domestic tournament'  in India with all its razzmatazz, that young players in India feel content if they are able to secure a place in any of the IPL franchise. The recent 4-0 whitewashes  in England and Australia are testimony to the fact that India is fast losing out on quality Test specialists. While at home, the team has always maintained its impeccable record, it's acid test will come once again when it tours South Africa in November 2013. And it will be interesting to find out the potential Test stars (if any) that are unearthed from the current set of domestic players playing in the ongoing IPL.

3. FEIGNING INJURIES :  Club versus Country. While this debate kept doing the rounds every now and then, it reached its peak in the fourth edition of the IPL, when players like Gautam Gambhir and Lasith Malinga chose the former in spite of carrying an injury and had to subsequently withdraw themselves from the international assignments that were scheduled post IPL. While Gambhir, bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a record $2.4 million aggravated his shoulder injury which he had picked up during the 2011 World Cup final by playing in the lucrative league, Malinga attracted criticism when he made himself unavailable for the Test series in England owing to injury claims while continuing to play in the cash-rich league.

4. EARLY RETIREMENT :  What does a player do when he is able to earn over ten times the annual salary from the parent board for just seven weeks' cricket in the IPL with glamour and popularity being additional perks. It's simple, he opts for an early retirement from international cricket and becomes a T-20 freelancer. From England's Andrew Flintoff to the Australian duo of Andrew Symonds and Brett Lee to even West Indies' Chris Gayle for some time, the big monies on offer have robbed the spectators and fans alike from witnessing these stalwarts ply their trade for their country for some more years.

5. CONTROVERSIES : IPL as a tournament has not only been besotted with controversies right from its inception but has somehow managed to thrive on it. From 'Slapgate' to 'Foreign Exchange Violations', from 'Fake IPL player' to suspension of Lalit Modi, from termination of the Kochi franchise to spot-fixing cases, the league has notoriously managed to stun the cricket fraternity along with the general public all along.

While the aforementioned reasons clearly justify banning the Indian Premier League for good, it is imperative that cricket administrators start spending the excess money in the coffers on the welfare of the cricketers. Closely monitoring the access to players will be a good start. 

Why Kirsten's absence is going to hurt South Africa ?

In an announcement that has sent shockwaves throughout the South African cricket community, Gary Kirsten announced that he would be stepping down as the Coach of the South African national team immediately after the Champions Trophy to be held next month. The South African had signed a two-year contract with Cricket South Africa in August 2011 and was given the option of a two-year renewal which was declined owing to family reasons.

Gary Kirsten took charge of the Proteas  post a highly successful tenure with the Indian cricket team of which the highlight was the 2011 ODI World Cup victory.

Being an avid reader and student of leadership, people and ways to get them to achieve their best, Kirsten has been able to instil a winning culture in the South African dressing room, which has propelled the national team to be a force to reckon with across all the formats of the game.

Under his astute guidance, the South Africans have clearly looked a class apart - solid and clinical - raising the bar in all formats. His exceptional interpersonal skills combined with a peculiar behind the scenes approach has paved the way  to some fantastic wins in Tests, ODIs and Twenty-20s .

Though the unassuming former cricketer has been less successful with the limited-over teams, winning 13 of 24 one-day internationals and nine of 18 Twenty20 matches, it is in the test arena where he has truly stamped his authority with an almost near perfect record, taking  the Proteas to the coveted No.1 spot in the test rankings.

South Africa lost only two of 19 Tests under Kirsten, who has led them to series victories against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England, arch-rivals Australia, and Pakistan.

For time immemorial, the South Africans have had the infamous tag of chokers, which has continued to haunt them time and again. However, Kirsten as their coach has managed to instil in his boys some much-needed self-belief and intent to be all-conquering. These proved to be the factors that helped South Africa scale the summit of Test cricket, ODIs and T20s.

From being less of a coach who wants to teach to being more of a quintessential influencer in the team, Kirsten's philosophy of not viewing his players as performance tools but rather human beings with issues with the responsibility of making them tick the best way he can, has in fact been instrumental in Proteas enjoying a consistent successful run at the top.    

While the cricket establishment has been quick in appointing Russell Domingo, Gary Kirsten's assistant as the head coach of the national team with the aim of maintaining continuity in the management team and thus enabling seamless transition from one coach to another, it remains to be seen how fruitful this association is going to be. 

Back to school : Australia announces an experienced 16-man squad for the Ashes

In a rare departure from their ill-fated 'youth first' policy, Cricket Australia has announced an earlier than expected 16-man squad to take on "the Poms " for this year's  Ashes in England with a strong focus on leadership and experience. From facing the ignominy of having suffered a comprehensive  4-0 whitewash at the hands of the Indians in their own backyard to being labelled as 'the weakest test team to have ever represented Australia' , the selectors  it seems have left nothing to chance while finalising the squad to recapture the coveted Ashes urn.

Out of the 16 men selected for the tour, six specialist batsmen, two keepers, two all rounders, five seamers and the lone spinner in Lyon have been included. While the Aussie think tank could be excused for showing pragmatism over long term planning especially considering what has transpired in recent times, it is interesting to decode certain selections which are bound to raise more than an eyebrow.

The selectors have opted for a brace of 35 year-olds in Brad Haddin and Chris Rogers. The duo not only bring a lot of experience to the fore but what perhaps clinched the deal for them were their history of being strong leaders especially in the wake of the leadership vacuum that was exposed by Shane Watson's stepping down as Test vice-captain.

While the former has come into the team primarily due to Matthew Wade’s below par performances with both bat and gloves in the just concluded series, Haddin's batsmanship will provide the much needed impetus to a middle-order that has been woefully devoid of runs in recent Tests.

The recall of Chris Rogers- who last played in a solitary match against India in 2008 has been surprising to say the least, but his exceptional form in first-class cricket for both Victoria and Middlesex for many seasons finally found favour with the selectors. Besides, being a former captain of Derbyshire conceivably turned out to be the deal breaker for the southpaw.

Another noteworthy selection is of all-rounder James Faulkner. While justifying the selection of the youngster, Australian selection Chairman -John Inverarity was profuse in his praise stating that "James Faulkner has impressed us all in recent months and recent seasons. He's a very competitive cricketer who gets things done - he's never long out of the game. His batting has improved significantly, he's made runs, he's formed partnerships and he's always lurking and taking a wicket." While it seems there is more to this than meets the eye,  Faulkner's inclusion is sure to put Shane Watson's place in the side on tenterhooks.

The bowling attack made up of Starc, Siddle, Pattinson, Harris, Bird and Lyon is quite well suited to exploit English conditions -with the only question mark being over a backup for Lyon. With Ashton Agar and Fawad Ahmed still in selectors thoughts, pending his eligibility to represent Australia , it would not be surprising to see late changes to the spinners spot during the Ashes.

Despite selecting what Australia foresee as their best bet at being able to recapture the lost glory, it is no secret that the squad being announced so early is subject to change – with half the IPL still to go and the entirety of the ICC Champions Trophy, there are bound to be a few injury and form concerns leading up to the Ashes. Australia A also have a tour of England leading up to the Ashes and with an overlap of players, there will definitely be some eager players waiting to impress the powers that be.

Ashes squad: Michael Clarke (C), Brad Haddin (VC), Chris Rogers, Shane Watson, Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja, James Faulkner, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Ryan Harris, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Wade. 

Australia A squad: Brad Haddin (C), Steven Smith (VC), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Alex Doolan, Ryan Harris, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, James Pattinson, Chadd Sayers, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk.