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Dravid speaks out against "mad merry-go-round" of meaningless ODIs
New Delhi, December 14, 2011
File photo of Rahul Dravid. UNI PHOTO
Indian middle-order batsman Rahul Dravid today urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to chart a clear road-map for the three formats of the game and scale back the number of meaningless one-day internationals and instead concentrate on 50-over cricket or major tournaments like the World Cup.
"Cricket must find a middle path. It must scale down this mad merry-go-round that teams and players find themselves in: heading off for two-Test tours and seven-match ODI series with a few Twenty20s thrown in," Dravid said in the annual Bradman Oration.
The veteran middle-order mainstay, who is the first foreign player to be invited for the Bradman Oration, described Test cricket as "the gold standard" and the form that the players most wanted to play, and T20 as the version of cricket that fans wanted to see.
"Test cricket deserves to be protected, it is what the world's best know they will be judged by. Where I come from, nation versus nation is what got people interested in cricket in the first place. When I hear the news that a country is playing without some of its best players, I always wonder, what do their fans think?," he was quoted as saying by cricinfo.
Dravid, who is also nicknamed as "The Wall" also emphasised the importance of holding day-night Tests to encourage spectators back to Test venues.
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"People may not be able to turn up to watch Test cricket but everyone follows the scores. We may not fill 65,000 capacity stadiums for Test matches, but we must actively fight to get as many as we can in, to create a Test match environment that the players and the fans feed off," he said.
"For that, we have got to play Test cricket that people can watch. I don't think day-night Tests or a Test championship should be dismissed. In March of last year I played a day-night first-class game in Abu Dhabi for the MCC - and my experience from that was that day-night Tests is an idea seriously worth exploring. There may be some challenges in places where there is dew but the visibility and durability of the pink cricket ball was not an issue," he added.
The right-hander also pointed that although he was not in favour of scrapping ODIs altogether but believed that events like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy should be the focus, with other ODIs contributing to rankings for those events.
"Since about, I think 1985, people have been saying that there is too much meaningless one-day cricket. Maybe it's finally time to do something about it ... Anything makes more sense than seven-match ODI series," he said.
The Karnataka batsman also said he was surprised to see the poor turnout of spectators during the recently-concluded ODI series at home against England.
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"India played its first one-day international at home in November 1981 when I was nine. Between then and now we have played 277 one-dayers at home; the five-match series against England in October was the first time our grounds were not full for an ODI featuring the Indian team," he said.
"The India v England ODI series had no context, because the two countries had played each other in four Tests and five ODIs just a few weeks before. When India and the West Indies played ODIs a month after that, the grounds were full but this time matches were played in smaller venues that didn't host too much international cricket. Maybe our clues are all there and we must remain vigilant," he added.
Dravid felt the players need to take dope tests and the scrutiny of finances as necessary measures to keep the sport clean and further stated internet and modern technology may just end up being a step ahead of every anti-corruption regulation.
He said players should treat the inconveniences of dope tests, the possible scrutiny of finances, or even lie-detector tests as necessary measures to keep the sport clean.
"Cricket's financial success means it will face threats from outside the game and keep facing them. The last two decades have proved this over and over again," Dravid said.
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"As players, the one way we can stay ahead for the game is if we are willing to be monitored and regulated closely. Even if it means giving up a little bit of freedom of movement and privacy. If it means undergoing dope tests, let us never say no.
"If it means undergoing lie-detector tests, let us understand the technology, what purpose it serves and accept it. Lie-detectors are by no means perfect but they could actually help the innocent clear their names. Similarly, we should not object to having our finances
scrutinised, if that is what is required," he said.
The radical idea of lie-detector tests was first mooted by the MCC to strengthen anti-corruption measures. The proposal was backed by former Australia captain Steve Waugh, who took a lie-detector test himself, and England captain Andrew Strauss also said he would be willing to undergo such an examination. The Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), however, was opposed to the idea and its chief executive Tim May said lie-detector tests were "far from foolproof".
Dravid said that players needed to sacrifice a bit of personal comfort for the good of the game. His comments came at the end of a year during which three Pakistan players - Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - were found guilty of spot-fixing during the tour of England in 2010. They were sentenced to jail terms after a trial at Southwark Crown Court.
"When the first anti-corruption measures were put into place, we did moan a little bit about being accredited and depositing our cell phones with the manager. But now we must treat it like we do airport security because we know it is for our own good and our own security," Dravid added.
NNN
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