After Hughes' death, postponing first Ind-Aus Test was the human thing to do

December 1, 2014

Hughes death1Sydney, Dec 1: The decision to postpone the first India-Australia Test is the right one. Yes, going ahead with the game in Brisbane might have served as a distraction for players and fans alike, but this is not the time for distractions. This is a time for being human.

Grieving is a vital part of the human experience. We should make space to lament the loss of those we care about. We should give grief our deepest, fullest attention. We should not rush to put it behind us or distract ourselves with other pursuits.

The players, especially the Australian players, need time to grieve over Phillip Hughes’s death. They need time to come to terms with what has happened and to once again find meaning in the sport they play. That one ball, one short moment in time, could shatter all their universes forever is not easy to absorb, let alone overcome.

Take David Warner. As Greg Baum writes for the Sydney Morning Herald:

“He was a mate of Phillip Hughes, his one-time opening partner. He was on the spot that tragic day at the SCG, he rode with Hughes in the ambulance, he was an ever-present at the hospital … Might it be that India could promise to bowl nothing but long-hops and he still would not give a stuff for this cricket match?”

Those of us who follow sport, any sport, with even a little bit of passion tend to treat what happens on the field as something of the utmost importance. Winning or losing a match can seem like a cataclysmic event that alters the fabric our lives. But in truth, little changes. We either celebrate a victory over mope over a loss. Then we get up the next day and everyone we love is still there and we repeat the cycle.

When Australia lost the Ashes in England in 2013, it felt like despair. Less than two years later, Australia smashed England 5-0 to win back the urn and were on top of the world. The wheel had turned. Despair had become joy, and joy despair.

If a player is dropped, he can always win his place back. It is precisely because sports is not permanent, because today’s loser can become tomorrow’s hero, that we imbue sports with so much meaning. We want to believe it can, and will, get better.

Death, however, is final. There is no tomorrow. It cannot, and will not, get better. Hughes’ voice will not echo around the dressing room again; his cheeky grin will only be seen in photographs. This is what the players have to come to terms with. This is what the sport has to come to terms with.

To expect the Australian players to do that while also being mentally and physically committed to five days of cricket is expecting too much. As former Australia captain Ricky Ponting wrote in his column for News Limited Newspapers on Saturday, 29 November 2014: "Even if the boys think they can play it would be a miracle if they find the right frame of mind needed for five days of cricket.”

In our 24/7, always-on-the-go world, time and attention have become precious commodities. We tend to flit from one thing to another and multitasking has become a badge of honour. But death, especially when it is sudden and unexpected, as in the case of Hughes, demands our full attention.

Normal life will eventually resume, of course, but it should do so naturally. There will be time again for cricket but the time to mourn is only now.

In postponing the first Test, cricket has honoured not just the memory of Phillip Hughes, but also the humanity of those that played alongside him and counted him as a friend.

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News Network
May 24,2020

Melbourne, May 24: Former Australia captain Mark Taylor does not foresee the T20 World Cup scheduled in October-November going ahead and wants the ICC to take a decision during its Board meeting this week.

Taylor also feels that if IPL takes place during the window the T20 World Cup was to be held, the Australian players are likely to be cleared by their Board to take part in the cash-rich league in India.

The ICC Board meets on May 28 to discuss a host of issues related to COVID-19 pandemic, including a revamped schedule and the fate of the men's T20 World Cup in Australia.

For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here

"My feeling is the World T20 won't go ahead in Australia in October as planned. Is it going to be viable to have a world tournament in October or November? The answer to that is probably no," Taylor, also a former Cricket Australia (CA) director, was quoted as saying by 'Nine Network'.

"It would probably be good (if a decision is made this week). Because then everyone can start planning and we can stop sitting here and saying 'well ifs, buts or maybes'."

CA chief executive Kevin Roberts has said that a call on the fate of the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held from October 18 to November 15, may potentially not come until August.

Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

But players and administrators around the world are keen for some certainty and many have predicted that the 16-team event will soon be postponed.

There are reports that the BCCI is eyeing the October window for the IPL though officially it maintained, that it will not consider new dates of the cash-rich league until the T20 World Cup's fate is decided.

Taylor said the CA wants to keep BCCI happy so the Australia players are likely to be cleared for the IPL if it happens in October.

Pat Cummins, who was bought for a record amount of Rs 15.50 crore in last year's IPL auction, is among the Australians keen to take part in this year's competition.

"The Cricket Australia board will want to keep India happy. So they may want to let the players go to India if the IPL goes ahead," Taylor said.

"Because they want India to come here this summer and play, which will be our biggest summer in terms of dollars. That's the sort of discussion going on. No doubt."

Virat Kohli's team is scheduled to arrive in Australia for a Test tour starting November, which will go along way in addressing CA's financial woes triggered by teh COVID-19 pandemic.

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News Network
March 29,2020

New Delhi, Mar 29: Former Indian batsman Wasim Jaffer on Sunday picked his all-time IPL team and appointed wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni as its captain.

Jaffer's team's feature opener Rohit Sharma, current Indian skipper Virat Kohli, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, spinner R Ashwin, and pacer Jasprit Bumrah as seven domestic players.
While the foreign players spot have been occupied by West Indies' swashbuckling batsman Chris Gayle, all-rounder Andre Russell, Afghanistan's spinner Rashid Khan, and Sri Lanka's veteran pacer Lasith Malinga.
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been picked as 12th man by Jaffer.

Earlier this month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to postpone the IPL to April 15, 2020, as a precautionary measure against COVID-19 outbreak.
The board also assured that it will work in unison with the Sports Ministry and will adhere to the guidelines issued.

The 13th edition of IPL was scheduled to commence from March 29. 

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News Network
July 5,2020

Colombo, Jul 5: Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Mendis was on Sunday arrested for knocking down a pedestrian while driving, police said.

Mendis hit a 74-year-old man, killing him in the wee hours, in the Colombo suburb of Panadura.

He is to be produced before a magistrate later today, police said.

The 25-year-old wicket-keeper batsman has represented Sri Lanka in 44 Tests and 76 ODIs. Mendis was part of the national squad which had resumed training after the Covid-19 lockdown.

Sri Lanka's international assignments, including a tour by India, have been cancelled due to the pandemic.

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