Shaun Tait to act in Bollywood ?

Australian cricketer Shaun Tait has been approached to step into the acting pitch in Bollywood with Abhishek Kapoor's directorial Kai Po Che! He is expected to play a prominent part in the movie. "Kai Po Che!" is the big screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's book "The 3 Mistakes of My 

Life". It features Sushant Singh Rajput, Amit Sadh and Rajkumar Yadav in key roles.

Since cricket is an integral part of the film, production company UTV Motion Pictures is on the lookout to cast a prominent international cricketer to cast.

It has already roped in Indian bowler Ashish Nehra to coach Sushant for his role of a cricket enthusiast in the film.

"Ashish suggested Shaun's name when the makers were brainstorming on who to cast for the part. But unlike Ashish, Shaun will actually play a prominent role in the film. UTV is in final talks with Shaun, who has shown interest in the film," said a source.

Manish Hariprasad, creative director, studios, Disney-UTV, confirmed the news, saying: "Abhishek Kapoor wanted a well-known international fast bowler for the climax. And Abhishek's good friend Ashish put us in touch with Shaun. We're in discussions with him, and hope to have him on board soon."

However, Tait will only do the film if his shooting schedule doesn't clash with his commitments towards the Australian team.

"Cricket will always come first for him. He liked the script and wants to do the film, but he will only give them a go-ahead if his timings work out," says the source.

UTV is working on the shooting schedule accordingly.

Why Ajmal deserved the ICC nomination

He has taken more wickets in all the formats.

Saad Shafqat

September 10, 2012

Many of us expected to see Saeed Ajmal on the shortlist for the ICC's Cricketer of the Year. The history of these awards dates back to 2004, and so far the only Pakistani name on the honour roll is that of Mohammad Yousuf, who won Test Cricketer of the Year in 2007. Of the nine Cricketers of the Year so far (the title was shared in 2005), six have been batsmen, and one a batting allrounder. We knew the 2012 list would be dominated by batsmen too, as such lists and awards usually are. But there has always been a bowler in the mix. Who else for 2012 but Ajmal?

The PCB was right to act on the fans' widespread sense of disappointment by lodging an official protest with the ICC. The feeling has been compounded by a misconception still prevailing in some quarters that Ajmal's exclusion was similar to Graeme Swann's in 2010. Swann was included after a public outcry; the fact that Ajmal hasn't been feels like a double insult.

But the two cases are different. Swann hadn't made it onto the longlist, which is picked by a five-member panel of selectors in a consensus exercise, that allows for decisions to be reconsidered. Ajmal has made it onto the longlist but failed to garner enough support at the next level, a private ballot by the 32-member voting academy that whittles the longlist down to a handful of nominees. This is a confidential exercise handled by a major management consulting firm.

In a nutshell, while Swann failed to get selected, Ajmal failed to get elected. The ICC is arguing that selections can be reconsidered but elections cannot be overturned. The voting academy's failure to pick Ajmal can be likened to one of those irksome umpiring decisions where everybody heard the snick except the guy who needed to raise his finger.

There is not much you can do with the resulting frustration, except just soak it up. The PCB is making noises about going one step further, by threatening to boycott the awards. That would be a silly dead-end reaction, leading to nothing productive. Ajmal's exclusion may be a bad umpiring judgement hitting Pakistan like a kick between the eyes, but there is no DRS here. Every now and then you just have to accept an unfair outcome and move on. It happens in cricket all the time.

As for the judgement itself, it remains perplexing why Ajmal would be omitted by members of the voting academy. This rather grandly named body comprises distinguished former players, respected media figures, representatives from the elite panel of referees and umpires, and Clive Lloyd, who chairs the ICC's influential cricket committee. It is charged with vigorous pursuit of the truth, but on Ajmal it has stumbled.

	It all boils down to this: in contrast to Philander, Ajmal took more wickets, was a force in all three formats, was involved in more wins for his side, and defeated the top-ranked side more often

Ajmal himself has shrugged this matter off without much fuss. He is a straight, open, plainspoken man, with a hearty innocence that utterly charms and disarms. There is no posturing about him, no grandstanding, no contrived theatrics. The only thing crooked and mysterious about him is his bowling, which has taken him to a sustained hover around the top of the ICC rankings.

Three of the four names picked for the 2012 Cricketer of the Year shortlist are batsmen, which means that Ajmal's competition for this spot had really only been with Vernon Philander, the talented South African bowler. Given their relative contributions and influence, the preference for Philander over Ajmal sends out a worrisome message. At best, it suggests that the academy members need a refresher in some of the basics. At worst, it affirms the existence of an unspoken caste system in world cricket, well into the 21st century.

During the review period for these awards, Philander played nine Tests to pick up 56 wickets at an average of 16.57 and a strike rate of 33.1 (he also played a solitary ODI, in which he took 1 for 39). Ajmal did far more. His figures over the same stretch include 12 Tests, 23 ODIs, and nine T20Is, for a collective haul of 120 wickets. Although his overall average and strike rate are higher than Philander's, if you pick out Ajmal's best nine Tests, his tally in this parity comparison turns out to be five wickets higher, at an average (20.11) and strike rate (47.98) that are fantastic by spinners' standards.

In terms of opposition quality and impact, Philander picked up three Man-of-the-Match and one Man-of-the-Series awards, while Ajmal collected two match awards and two series awards. Philander's nine Tests included five wins for his side; Ajmal's best nine included six wins. Philander had two victories against the top-ranked Test side; Ajmal had three. It all boils down to this: in contrast to Philander, Ajmal took more wickets, was a force in all three formats, was involved in more wins for his side, and defeated the top-ranked side more often. Ajmal easily holds his own against Philander in Tests; and he did so much more heft besides.

This episode may be an affront to Ajmal and his huge fan support, but its greater significance lies in the opportunity it provides to the ICC. One would be surprised if it doesn't trigger some sort of reform within the voting academy - either a review of its composition, or of the voting mechanism, or a stringent set of fresh guidelines impressed on each member. "Academy" is a hallowed and lofty term, evoking sanctity, precision, and intellectual depth. A few more gaffes like this one and it will begin to sound like a caricature.

Retiring at a high.

Players who ended their international careers in style

Steven Lynch

September 10, 2012

Seymour Nurse
Nurse, the big Barbadian, had announced his retirement before the final Test in New Zealand early in 1969. He'd warmed up for his Christchurch curtain call with 168 in the first Test, and now powered to 258, his highest Test score. Wisden observed: "In very poor light, he punished the New Zealand pace bowlers with superb drives off the back foot... it was a magnificent display of aggressive but responsible batting." Despite blandishments from his captain, Garry Sobers, Nurse stuck to his retirement plans.

Imran Khan
It's not a bad way to bow out: holding the World Cup aloft as captain of the winning side. That's the way Imran rounded off his stellar career, in Melbourne in 1992, after top-scoring and then taking the final wicket in Pakistan's defeat of England. The only others whose last international appearance came as part of the winning side in a World Cup final were Rohan Kanhai of West Indies in 1975, and the Australian pair of Paul Reiffel (1999) and Glenn McGrath (2007).

Bill Ponsford
The tall-scoring Victorian opener Ponsford retired from international cricket after the 1934 Ashes tour of England. He scored 181 in the fourth Test, then, in the final match at The Oval, added the little matter of 266, most of it during a partnership of 451 with Don Bradman, who made 244. This helped set up a crushing 562-run victory, one that reclaimed the Ashes, lost by Australia during the Bodyline series 18 months previously.

Barry Richards
As South Africa completed their 4-0 whitewash of Australia in Port Elizabeth in 1969-70, the peerless opener Richards made 81 and 126. After that, objections to South Africa's apartheid government meant they played no more official international cricket for 22 years, by which time Richards had retired. "If I'd known that was my last Test," he once said, "they'd never have got me out..."

Jason Gillespie
High-stepping, hair-flowing fast bowler Gillespie was an automatic choice for Australia for around six years, but he lost his place after struggling for penetration in the 2005 Ashes series, in which he took three wickets at an average of 100. Gillespie got his place back for the tour of Bangladesh early the following year, and did well enough with the ball... but it was with the bat that he surprised everyone. In the second Test, in Chittagong, "Dizzy" went in as nightwatchman late on the first day, after the early departure of Matthew Hayden. He was still there at the end of the (rain-affected) second day, and at the end of the third, by which time the man whose previous-highest score in first-class cricket was 58 had completed a maiden century. On the fourth day he accelerated, and eventually - after nine and a half hours at the crease - reached 201, at which point Australia declared, and went on to win by an innings. The sting in the tail was that this turned out to be Gillespie's final Test appearance.

Andy Caddick
The tall Somerset fast bowler Caddick bowled England to a satisfying victory in Sydney in the New Year Test of 2003 with ten wickets, including a decisive 7 for 94 in the second innings as Australia made it only halfway to a target of 452. The bad news for England was that this only reduced the series deficit to 4-1, as the Aussies had won the first four Tests. And the bad news for Caddick was that, mainly because of a foot injury which kept him out of the following English season, he never played for England again.

	Anthony Stuart

Andy Sandham
What happens when you score Test cricket's first triple-century? Well, you don't play for your country again. That was the fate of the Surrey opener Sandham, who made 325 for England against West Indies in Kingston in 1929-30. Sandham's later non-selection isn't quite as bizarre as it might now appear: he was nearly 40, and the team in the Caribbean did not include many England regulars - especially the first-choice opening pair of Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe - who returned for the Ashes series at home in the summer of 1930.

Bill O'Reilly
The combative Australian legspinner O'Reilly was a major handful in the 1930s - and he showed, in the first postwar Test in 1945-46, that he was still a force to be reckoned with, taking 5 for 14 and 3 for 19 as New Zealand were humbled for 42 and 54 in Wellington. But O'Reilly, who was 40 and had been having knee trouble, knew it was time to go: "Returning to our dressing room... I removed my cricket boots and threw them through the window as a gesture of complete surrender."

Anthony Stuart
The lanky New South Wales fast bowler Stuart was naturally delighted to make his debut for Australia in a one-day international in January 1997 - and even more delighted less than a fortnight later when, in only his third match, he claimed a high-class hat-trick to reduce Pakistan to 29 for 5 at the MCG. But that was Stuart's last hurrah - he lost form and, not much more than a year later, couldn't even get into the NSW side.

Hugh Trumble
The tall Victorian offspinner Trumble came closer than anyone else to bowing out of Test cricket with a hat-trick: in the final Ashes Test of 1903-04, he took 7 for 28 to seal a 218-run triumph, and there was only one wicket left after he dismissed Bernard Bosanquet, the touring captain Plum Warner and Dick Lilley with successive deliveries. The last pair added 40 before Trumble finished things off with his last ball in Test (and first-class) cricket. He "bowled in his finest form, and was practically unplayable", according to Wisden.

Dennis Amiss
The last act of Amiss' distinguished international career was to hit the winning boundary in an Ashes Test - at Old Trafford in July 1977. That was Amiss' 50th Test - and his last, as after this the prodigal son, Geoff Boycott, returned to the fold and took his place. The previous month Amiss had played what turned out to be his last one-day international... and made 108 at The Oval.

The joy of Sachin

For what Sachin Tendulkar has given me over the years, I remain deeply, profoundly, grateful. Those calling for his retirement should be too

Ramachandra Guha

September 8, 2012

	Bangalore 2010: vintage Tendulkar © Getty Images  Enlarge
Related Links Guest Column : Pace a worry in Tendulkar's twilight  Sanjay Manjrekar : Tendulkar not finished yet Players/Officials: Sachin Tendulkar Teams: India

As Sachin Tendulkar walked back to the pavilion after being bowled for a low score in the first innings of thesecond Test against New Zealand, I heard a man in the row behind me say: "Time to think of retirement." This was a heartlessly cruel remark, especially in Bangalore, where India's greatest batsman has played some magical innings over the past 20 years.

There was worse to come. In the second innings, when Sachin failed again, the murmurings became louder. More people in the pavilion began voicing thoughts unthinkable a year ago, when, after India's World Cup victory, there was a widespread demand for the Bharat Ratna to be immediately conferred on Sachin.

The Indian cricket fan is notoriously fickle. No doubt the middle-aged men in the pavilion of the Chinnaswamy Stadium calling for Tendulkar's retirement earlier this week had been the most vigorous advocates of his being awarded India's highest civilian honour a year ago.

I am proud to say that I stood apart from the herd then, and I shall stand apart from it now. The Bharat Ratna should be reserved for great scientists, statesmen, scholars, social workers, and - at a pinch - classical musicians. As mere entertainers, cricketers can't and don't qualify. On the other hand, when this remarkable batsman is experiencing a lean time at the crease, it behoves us to not call for his retirement but to recall his better days.

In the early 1990s I lived in Delhi. I first saw Sachin in a match at the Ferozeshah Kotla, soon after his debut tour of Pakistan. He did not bat in that game but I remember, most vividly, his alarm and nervousness when hordes of fans rushed towards him as he went out to field, clutching at his sleeve, his cap, his foot, his arm, as is their wont. Three years later, by now an established Test star, he played for India against Zimbabwe at the Kotla, where he was involved in a long stand with his childhood friend and schoolmate Vinod Kambli.

Zimbabwe had one top-class spinner, John Traicos, who, although then over 40 years of age, had a fine high action, immaculate control, and subtle changes of flight. While Kambli came down the wicket and drove Traicos hard and high, Tendulkar stayed in the crease and deftly worked him past slip and behind square leg. When he had reached about 60 he mistimed a cover drive off the other spinner, a journeyman named Ujesh Ranchod, and was superbly caught at cover by Traicos, diving full-length in front of him. Kambli went on to score a double-century.

Soon after this Test, I moved back to Bangalore. The first time I saw Tendulkar play in my home town was in a match against Sri Lanka. Muttiah Muralitharan was then new to Test cricket, and the master took apart the novice, treating him much as he had done the veteran Traicos, with a series of cuts and sweeps. When the second new ball was taken, Tendulkar hit the fast bowler Pramodya Wickramasinghe for a series of cracking boundaries through the off side. He had got to 96, when, trying to cut that other journeyman spinner Don Anurasiri, he lost his off stump.

Four years later I returned from the west coast of the United States just in time to watch a Test against Australia. In the first two matches of the series, the Indian batsmen had comprehensively dominated Shane Warne. Navjot Sidhu, Tendulkar and Azharuddin all made merry at his expense, albeit by contrasting methods - Sidhu by lofting him straight, Sachin by sweeping and pulling him, Azhar by guiding him past point and flicking him through midwicket.

By the time of the third and last Test of the series, Warne was wholly demoralised. India batted first in Bangalore. This day, too, Sachin was in complete command, hitting a series of searing straight drives off Michael Kasprowicz while picking the spinners for twos and threes. He went on to make what at the time was his highest Test score, 177.

Fast forward five or six years, to another India-Australia match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a one-day game this time. I was sitting in the galleries, where the mood and spirit of the crowd is at its most revealing. The visitors, batting first, scored in excess of 300. India lost a couple of wickets, but so long as the great man was in, the game was not hopelessly lost.

	The Indian cricket fan is notoriously fickle. No doubt the middle-aged men in the pavilion of the Chinnaswamy Stadium calling for Tendulkar's retirement earlier this week had been the most vigorous advocates of his being awarded India's highest civilian honour a year ago

Sachin played a series of magically inventive shots, inside-out over cover, paddle sweeps behind the keeper, sublime late cuts, testing the anticipation and athleticism of some of the world's finest fielders. With every four he hit, the men (and boys) around me would raise their eyes to the heavens, and intone: "Sachin! Sachin!" They were privileged to have seen the divine in the flesh, performing acts of heroism and devilry more innovative than our gods had thought of, and against more devilishly asuric enemies too. It was a truly fabulous innings, made more remarkable by the timid showing of the batsmen at the other end. Sachin got to 89 off about 80 balls before he tried one late cut too many and was bowled.

Shortly after this innings he was afflicted by tennis elbow. This affected his mobility and his shot-making, so much so that in a column I wrote that the genius had become a grafter. Rest and expert treatment, however, cured him completely. In 2010 I saw him hit a magnificent double hundred in a Test against Australia at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where he unveiled his full range of strokes - cuts, pulls, cover drives, leg glides, and sixes into the stands.

Six months later I saw Sachin score another sublime hundred in Bangalore, in an early match of the 2011 World Cup. Once more, what stood out was his mastery of spin and pace. He demolished England's best bowlers, James Anderson and Graeme Swann, the former through flicks and glides and the latter through drives over and into the straight field. His innings was superbly paced, being matched in this respect by Andrew Strauss, who scored an equally fine hundred in England's chase, which ended in a rare tie.

I watched my first Ranji Trophy match in 1968, my first Test match four years later. In these four and a half decades of cricket watching, live, at the ground, no batsman has given me as much pure, continual pleasure over such a long period as Tendulkar. Not even GR Viswanath, the hero of my youth, the first Test cricketer I shook hands with, the jewel of my home town and my home state, and whom (unlike Sachin) I also often saw make runs (and with what exquisite grace and subtlety) in First Division cricket (for the State Bank of India) and the Ranji Trophy (for Karnataka) as well as for India.

For what Sachin Tendulkar has given me over the years, I remain deeply, profoundly, grateful - and so should those foolish and fickle-minded cynics in the pavilion of the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Historian and cricket writer Ramachandra Guha is the author of A Corner of A Foreign Field and Wickets in the East among other books. This article was first published in the Kolkata Telegraph

'I never found cricket very easy'

Warwickshire director of cricket Ashley Giles talks about his eventful journey with the club, during which they went from rock bottom to county champions, and his England aspirations

Ashley Giles.

September 8, 2012

	Ashley Giles: "Sometimes you find that the best coaches are the ones who have had to work a bit harder on their game, too." © Getty Images  Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Ashley Giles Series/Tournaments: County Championship Division One Teams: England | Warwickshire

"They laughed when I said I wanted to be a comedian," Bob Monkhouse used to say. "Well, they're not laughing now."

Ashley Giles' was a similar case. When it was first suggested to him towards the end of the 2007 English county season that he should consider taking the role of director of cricket at Edgbaston - a job soon to be vacated by the hapless Mark Greatbatch - he laughed. He had never thought of himself as a coach and, having only given in to the inevitable and retired through injury a few weeks earlier, had given little thought to his future.

But the decision to appoint Giles at Warwickshire was wise. Not only has he revitalised the club, he has emerged as the obvious successor to Andy Flower as England coach. Not imminently; not in a coup, but when the times comes. England can make succession plans for the coaching role just as they did with the captaincy. That can only be a good thing.

It is worth reflecting on the club Giles inherited when he became director of cricket. Warwickshire were in sharp decline. They had just been relegated in both leagues - first-class and List A - senior players (such as Nick Knight and Dougie Brown) were retiring and those seen as the next generation (such as Mark Wagh, Alex Loudon and Moeen Ali) were heading for the exit. It was, arguably, the lowest point in the club's history.

Life had not been easy for Giles, either. His playing career - like most playing careers - was ended by injury before he was ready and, during the Ashes tour of 2006-07, his wife, Stine, was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

But sometimes adversity brings the best out of people. Giles, a man who had to struggle through much of his career, has never been afraid of hard work. So with a phlegmatic attitude acquired over years of suffering the vicissitudes of a playing career with more peaks and troughs than most, Giles patiently rebuilt a club and a team that had been living off reputation for longer than they could afford.

Now, with the CB40 final still to come, he can reflect on two major trophies in three seasons (the CB40 in 2010 and the County Championship in 2012) and having played a part in the development of several players who could have a role to play in the England team. While Ian Bell's development was well advanced by the time Giles took over, the likes of Varun Chopra, Chris Woakes and Jonathan Trott owe him plenty.

Trott, who scored just 473 runs at an average of 22.52 in first-class cricket in 2007, credits Giles as being the catalyst behind his blossoming as a batsman, while Chopra, who had never scored more than 650 runs in a season, has now scored 1,000 twice in a row and could well have earned a place on the Test tour to India. Woakes, you suspect, would have flourished in any environment, but Giles has helped him develop into an allrounder who might go on to win games with bat and ball at the international level.

"I had a horrid time towards the end of my playing career," Giles said, as he watched his Warwickshire side crush local rivals Worcestershire in the game that sealed the 2012 Championship title. "The Adelaide Test in December 2006 was my last international game and my last game for Warwickshire was the C&G final against Hampshire in September 2005.

"I had explored a few different options - mainly media work - and it was turning into a bit of this and bit of that. I'm not really that sort of guy. I like to know what I'm doing and I like to get stuck in.

"But then Dennis Amiss [the former England and Warwickshire opener and then chief executive] approached me towards the end of the 2007 season and said I should think about the Warwickshire job. My first reaction was to laugh. I wasn't looking for it. I swear on my life - and I have done to Mark Greatbatch - that I wasn't looking for the job.

"But Dennis planted a seed. I started to think about it more and more. And the more I thought, the more I realised that the club was going in the wrong direction and I wanted to help turn it around.

"I love commentating. But there were no bad days in the office. There was no ups and down. And although you have some real downs in this job, at least you're living. I was only 34. I was too young to be rolling over and just talking about cricket.

	The only way you gain instant success is by buying it and that's not sustainable over a long period. I don't just want to buy ready-made cricketers. I want to take cricketers who are not the finished article and take them on a bit of a journey.

"I was surprised at how bad things were at Warwickshire. It really wasn't great. We were poor. We had some good people, but no direction. There was a complete lack of discipline. Even the simple things like dress codes and time-keeping - and I know they sound like little things - but they all add up to big things. I remember our slip fielding: people used to let balls go if they bounced just in front of them. Everything lacked intensity.

"I remember saying at the time that I thought it would take five years to turn things around. The only way you gain instant success is by buying it and that's not sustainable over a long period. We are nowhere near the salary cap and that's fine. I don't just want to buy ready-made cricketers. I want to take cricketers who are not the finished article and take them on a bit of a journey. What we have now is beginning to look sustainable.

"Winning the Championship is huge in my career. The Ashes is probably as big as it gets, but this is right up there. Last year really was awful. It was horrible. That journey home; that night … I'm still living it, really."

There were many ups and downs on the way. Warwickshire's List A form in 2008 was grim; at times in 2010 it looked as if their top-order could be blown away by the softest breeze; in 2011 they missed out on the Championship title by an agonisingly small margin. And, through it all, the concern over his wife's health loomed over everything. A few months ago, during a routine scan, doctors discovered that the tumour had returned.

"Fortunately she has not needed an operation again, but six weeks of radiotherapy instead," Giles said. "I have tried not to let that have an effect on the team or our preparation.

"She has taken the pressure off me and said: 'You just get on with your work, you have got your job to do.' She has shown amazing strength and she has always been incredibly supportive.

"I sat the team down at Durham just before the start of the Twenty20 because I knew that Stine's treatment was about to start. I said: 'Guys if I am in and out there's nothing sinister going on, I'm not neglecting you, I'm not going somewhere else. This is why it's happening and I would appreciate your support.'

"The guys have handled it in different ways. Some don't mention it, some come up and ask how it's going. It's nice to talk about it."

So while Giles admits there have been moments when he has struggled to contain his equanimity, perhaps it is not surprising that the travails of cricket have seemed relatively minor in comparison.

He remains largely unappreciated as a player. But the fact is that Giles played a key role in England winning the Ashes in 2005 (it was Giles who hit the winning runs at Trent Bridge and made a vital half-century at The Oval), in sides that won Test series in Pakistan (in 2000) and Sri Lanka (in 2001) and was good enough to have Sachin Tendulkar stumped (the only time he has ever fallen that way in Test cricket) and produce a gem of a ball to bowl Brian Lara to claim his 100th Test victim.

"I never found cricket very easy," he said. "I had to battle very hard to get where I did. I had a lot of bad times during my career. I had my fair share of criticism from the media and spectators. I always felt I was doubted. You learn a lot about yourself in those moments.

"And sometimes you find that the best coaches are the ones who have had to work a bit harder on their game, too. Maybe, if you are not a genius, you have to think about things more and work a bit harder?

"The year 2010 was hard at times. I had some moments where I started to be a bit up and down; where I felt I'd said everything and it didn't make any difference. In the end our psychologist, Joce Brooks, told me the players were starting to second guess my reactions and I realised I had to get a hold of things. It was all part of the learning curve.

	"I've never hidden the fact that I'm ambitious. Otherwise I wouldn't have applied for the England job."

"It all looks nice today. You ask the players today and they'll all tell you what a good guy I am. But ask some of them halfway through the season when I'm on their backs, pushing them to do better and they'll tell you I'm a prick. We all have dark times.

"The important thing is to stay calm. Duncan Fletcher was icy. Phil Neale was pretty calm, too. Bob Woolmer was a bit up and down, but when that happens you see both sides of things and realise what works best. I'm a much better coach now than I was a couple of years ago."

Giles admits that missing out on the England coaching role - he applied at the time that Flower was appointed - was for the best. He also admits that it is a role he would still like to have one day.

"In hindsight, it was far too early for me as a coach and a manager," he said. "Andy is fantastic and I have much to learn from him, but we are similar in many ways. He's very structured, he believes in hard work, he believes the team comes first and that no individual is bigger than the team. And what that has done has reinforced my own beliefs and show that they work. It's fantastic for me to spend time with him.

"Like him, I think that people are everything. Character is everything. The quality of the person is the No.1 thing. Clearly you need to have certain skill sets and, looking at our squad, you can tell I'm a bit biased in terms of liking multi-skilled cricketers. That's a reflection of the Warwickshire side in which I grew up. It was full of allrounders.

"I've never hidden the fact that I'm ambitious. Otherwise I wouldn't have applied for the England job. But I don't want to take my eye off the ball. There's plenty of time.

"How long can I keep doing this job? I don't know. I believe I'm already the longest serving director of cricket Warwickshire have had. It's my home club. It's a big club. It's where I've always been and I love working here. But it's still a job and I need to get results. I'm constantly driven to do better and better."

He has his critics, though. Quite apart from those who deride his playing ability, there are those who feel his role as an England selector creates a conflict of interest with his Warwickshire role. They claim, without a great deal of evidence, that it provides an unfair advantage to the club in the transfer market and has created a situation whereby it is easier for Warwickshire players to win selection. Conversely, at the same time, it is also alleged that he keeps Warwickshire players from being selected so as not to weaken his team.

"I find it laughable," he said in an irritated manner that suggested he finds it anything but laughable. "I've been an England selector for almost four years now. I think it works really well. We've missed out on signing a few players - remember James Taylor last year? And we've two players in the England side and two or three pushing for a place. I think I still have a lot of value in that role. If I didn't, I wouldn't do it.

"I see all first-class cricket. Sometimes it works against Warwickshire as opposition players might try harder in front of a selector. But the suggestion that I have so much power in a system containing Andy Flower, Geoff Miller and James Whitaker … well, it's a joke."

Giles is used to critics, though. And he knows he will never win them over. But if he keeps producing players and keeps winning trophies, it may well be that, by the time he retires, he is remembered more for his coaching than his playing. It is surely only a matter of time before an international team - maybe England, maybe another country - comes calling.

Low expectations made Sri Lanka Premium league a success

The first season of the Sri Lanka Premier League ticked a fair few boxes - mainly because few expected it would

Andrew Fernando

September 9, 2012

	Angelo Mathews during what he later called his best T20 innings, in the SLPL final © Ron Gaunt/SPORTZPICS/SLPL  Enlarge
Related Links Features : Munaweera, Dananjaya make SLPL XI Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka Premier League Teams: Sri Lanka

By the time the fireworks erupted above the R Premadasa Stadium after the Sri Lanka Premier League final late last week, most of the 26,000 fans who had braved the evening's weather had filtered out.

It had been a long night. The pyrotechnics had been planned to coincide with the lifting of the trophy, but it was too wet to hold the presentation outside. This final act of the SLPL fit the tournament perfectly. The audience was small and it was 1am, but the fireworks still went off in the damp, at times spectacularly. Those who saw them enjoyed the show. The disgruntled and the apathetic would have felt they hadn't missed out on much.

Earlier in the evening, Angelo Mathews had played an innings he rated his best T20 knock and Dilshan Munaweera confirmed himself one of Sri Lanka's most exciting prospects. It had been a match that had the makings of a great final, but couldn't quite deliver a satisfactory climax.

Perhaps it was the SLC's carousel of embarrassments in the preceding 15 months as well as the SLPL's stuttering birth, but almost everyone approached the tournament with low expectations. "It was good to see it get off the ground at all," former Sri Lanka cricketer and commentator Russel Arnold says. "With the false start last year and the problems leading up to [the SLPL] this year, it went much better than expected, and the fact that it happened was positive." The bar had been lowered to such an extent that even the mildest success became a resounding victory. In the tournament organisers' own words, the SLPL "over-delivered" on what had been anticipated, primarily because before the tournament it had been difficult to find someone who was not a skeptic.

Each of the SLPL's accomplishments, though, came with significant disappointments, the most conspicuous of which were the poor crowds. Of the 16 evenings on which cricket was played, only five nights were well attended. The cheapest tickets cost less than a loaf of bread, and partway through the tournament, organisers began to let people in for free, but still, apart from three nights in Kandy, the first semi-final (the other was rained out) and the final, the stadiums remained largely vacant.

"When you play in the same ground for a week, it's going to be tough to fill it up," Arnold said. "Also with the World T20 coming, the SLPL was sharing that market. People were probably looking ahead to that and this wasn't in their plans. The small crowds were understandable, but next year they will need to get the logistics right so the crowds can come in."

The fact that not enough buzz had been built around the tournament before it began did not help attendance either. There were plenty of SLPL billboards around Colombo, but beyond knowing of the tournament's existence, most people were unaware of the specifics. "Oh it's like the IPL?" "Who is playing then?" "When is the next match?" Even Colombo tuk-tuk drivers, who can usually cram a 40-minute ride with their opinions on the game, were unable to speak knowledgably about the SLPL until two weeks in, when they had begun to match players with the correct franchises.

Pick of the league The innings Angelo Mathews' unbeaten 73 from 27 balls in the final transformed a stagnating Nagenahira Nagas innings and propelled them to a challenging total. The spell Jacob Oram's 3 for 16 from four overs in the first semi-final gutted the Wayamba United middle order and laid the foundation for the biggest upset of the tournament. The match Following Oram's burst, and two wickets apiece for Umar Gul and Sachithra Senanayake, Wayamba were reduced to 27 for 7 in pursuit of 172. But a world record 120-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Azhar Mahmood and Isuru Udana breathed unexpected life into the chase, and made for an entertaining finish. Biggest disappointment Organisers insist no reserve day could have been named, but the semi-final washout that denied Kandurata Warriors a chance to contest for a place in the final was a poor lead-in to the tournament's climax. Most notable absentee Chris Gayle was to be the marquee overseas player for the tournament, until he sustained a groin injury during New Zealand's tour to the West Indies. His team still won the title without him. Cheerleaders causing distress The dancing girls at the SLPL were well-covered to suit Sri Lankan sensibilities, but while they were still too racy for many, those who generally enjoyed cheerleaders asked, "If they are not going to show any skin, why have them at all?" The surprise Thilan Samaraweera has a reputation for being one of the most obdurate batsmen in the world, but he stuck it to the doubters with a stroke-filled 71 from 45 balls in Pallekele - an innings that included two over-the-shoulder scoops to the boundary.

The few games that did enjoy good support, though, were notable for their lively atmosphere. "It was like an international match, maybe even better," Arnold said, echoing a sentiment several players had already expressed. The music, dancing and horsing around associated with cricket in Sri Lanka were all on show even before the stadiums began to fill, but when the number of partakers grew, so did the party.

"In the later on stages of the tournament, the atmosphere really rocked," says Salim Shaikh, co-owner of the Uva Next franchise. On the night his team upset Wayamba United to go through to the final, the contrasting emotions you would expect at any high-level knockout match were on display at the Premadasa. The Wayamba fans who had been brought in from their province in 15 packed buses were stunned to see their side reduced to 27 for 7. The Uva supporters in the upper tier screamed themselves hoarse. "The crowds didn't shoot up as much as we thought during the tournament, but when they came, you could see that it was very enjoyable for everyone," Shaikh says.

The local TV station that broadcast the SLPL reported that viewership never matched that for an international game, but that it was good enough for advertisers to remain interested and for the broadcast to be profitable. The channel in Bangladesh that aired the tournament could hardly speak more highly of it. They had jumped to second in the ratings from seventh, and they credited the SLPL for providing much of that boost. Interest was good in Pakistan too, given the heavy involvement of Pakistan players in the league, though in India, where organisers had advertised, the SLPL only barely registered. An official YouTube channel showing half a million hits perhaps sums up the tournament viewership: the numbers were not extraordinary, but they were not pathetic either.

In terms of the cricket played, the SLPL provided a platform for local players to perform, and featured several thrilling spells and ravishing innings, but the exciting finishes often seen in other T20 leagues were in short supply. Of the 22 completed matches, only one came down to the last delivery, and perhaps two more were decided in the final over. In preparing sporting pitches conducive to seam movement with the new ball, the tournament missed out on the high-octane innings and tense endings synonymous with the format. One good burst from an opening bowler could burn through the top order and make it difficult to compete. With even the older ball moving around at times, the late-order blitzers were often blunted.

"The standard of cricket has been good, but I won't say great," Uva Next coach Robin Singh said. "The understanding of the format is lacking. When I speak to many of these young players, they have played little of T20 cricket, so they have not understood the game. It's not just slam bang - you need lots of skill as well to play this format. That's why you have seen lots of panic and batsmen getting out."

	The weather was show spoiler.

The poor fielding also left a sour taste. Boundaries were waved through widespread legs, sixes were palmed over the ropes, catches were spilled regularly, and the half-chances rarely came off. Inone match in Pallekele, the Nagenahira Nagas dropped four straightforward catches in eight balls to reprieve Mahela Jayawardene, who went on to make the tournament's highest score.

"There is a gap between the IPL and SLPL," Singh said. "The IPL is in its fifth year. The Indian local players have been exposed to a lot more cricket. Even the international pool is bigger in the IPL. The quality is different. You have good international players in the SLPL, but not the best players, for various reasons - board clearance, injuries and so on."

The tournament will take steps towards closing that gap if it proves itself a reliable paymaster, which the star players the first edition lacked will count in the SLPL's favour when deciding whether it is worth their time in future years. Only one franchise fell behind the payment schedule, but this was sorted out before it affected the cricket - though players' organisations say the funds were only transferred after players had threatened withdrawal. A week after the tournament finished, it appears that all players have been paid, though again players' associations are yet to receive confirmation of this.

For now, though, the players and the SLC are the only ones making money from the SLPL, with the board putting its profit at around US$1.6 million. The franchises have collected hefty losses, having paid the tournament organisers and their players, as well as having incurred numerous other operational costs. But despite the lack of returns, they seem largely content. Wayamba United CEO Gaurav Modwel said he saw "potential for growth" in the inaugural SLPL. "The end product was better than what we expected, and we're in it for the long-term, so we're happy with how it went." The same went for Shaikh, who said his franchise would look at transporting even more fans from their province to matches next year. "I think the SLC has to take more of an initiative in the provinces and really make the people aware of the SLPL there," Shaikh said. "But other than that, I think it will be a tournament that will take off in the next few years."

Crucial questions still remain about the SLPL's future. The first season threw up plenty of awkward hurdles, though amongst the myriad problems there was also some good cricket. The league is yet to prove itself profitable, even if investors are willing to stick around in the hope of eventually breaking even. The audience also has not yet given its wholehearted approval, particularly at home, and also in cricket's biggest marketplace, across the strait. The SLPL survived its first foray thanks partly to low expectations, but if it is to make good on its global ambitions and command the IPL-like demand it aspires to, it must attract bigger stars and bigger crowds despite its limited resources. When it returns next year, it will still be a tournament on trial.