Another normal day for Canadian cricket. A sometime senior Canadian representative team opening bat is left not out just 16 runs short of victory, this time against England. England failed to survive the full 50 overs and made 243 all out. Matt Prior, in mid-innings, made 78 after Pietersen (24) and Trott (57) lead the early going. The England tail wagged to a certain extent and two bowlers notched three wickets in the Canadian cause: Khurram Chohan and Harvir Baidwan. Canada was behind a series of 8-balls, to use the pool term rather than the number of balls that used to be bowled in an over in Australia. Zubin Surkari stuck around and Rizwan Cheema got going. Cheema eventually fell for 93, with support from Surkari (22) and Chohan, who battled along to reach 44 before being last man out against the bowling of Stuart Broad.
Joy, and “bah, humbug”, as Mr. Scrooge might say, in the same game, and for both teams. England by 16 runs. Various bits and pieces to sort out in both camps. But it is the systemic issues in both countries cricketing administration that lies at the heart of the mess.
I was hoping the Canadian tail might bring the battered ship home, but some might see the final tally as the revenge of the “Norfolk Broads” (or do I mean the actual Norfolk Broads in East Anglia?) over some of “Canadian cricket’s leaders”.
In this case the ‘broads’ are not the US slang for females, but some of the different people in cricket who will have chipped in a lot more time and money than a mere $200 to see games on TV in Canada. Or, indeed, not to watch the games. For some reason, I did not watch the game on TV. Some message about me having an unauthorized PC connection came up, rather than proper pictures some 3 or so months ago on TV at my home. Doubtless it would be easier to pay $200 (plus taxes) for the world cup feed (couple of minutes of phone time) than to spend however many hours trying to get the basic service restored.
It’s not only in cricket that there are problems in running things. Perhaps that is why the “M” for management has a different colour and style of letter in the CIMA logo!
It could be “M” for missing, as in thinking, communications and that various underlying elements of management, in several areas of business, politics and sport. “M” for missing, gives proper auditors, and decent folks in management, quite a few headaches in trying to restore “M” for management, or even establish proper processes.
I managed to upset one of the Maharajah’s of Canadian cricket (from his perspective) back in 2008, so I never saw the first ODI partnership of 200 by Canadian batsment. Abdool Samad (130) and Ashish Bagai (84) had a stand of 238. Such a stand would surely have carried the day today for Canada against England. But Stuart Broad ended the Canadian fight-back. His father had been unaware of the starting time for the Canada-day ODI at King City rather late in the day during the Sunday ODI, which had been game 2 of a three-match series. And I know that he did not know. And the official ICC match referee, or whatever the title is or was, is the eyes and ears, etc of the ICC on the day. Which might be a bit of bad luck, at some belated stage, for at least one of the Canadian cricket Maharajah’s. But I have not got time for that nonsense at present.
No thinking, no structure, no proper desire to raise money. Little gimmicks and pretty logos plus photo opportunities for the “administrative leaders”. Somewhere in the missing links last summer, the powers that be forgot to tell their own official photographer that the next day’s play in an ICC Intercontinental Cup match would be starting early. I bowed out after getting blown to bits on a cold September day that opened the Summer Festival at the “MCG” as the advertising card put it. One step forward; such cards were produced and distributed, but the Malton Cricket Ground is a bit different to a downunder MCG. I was nearby on the Sunday of the T20 series final. I’ve only just checked and found I was right to believe there would be no cricket due to the wet conditions at the ground.
Enough said for today. The sleeping dogs, especially the ones world-wide who consider themselves dynamic leaders, can just rest or do whatever they normally do. It’s Wednesday and time to keep St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians happy for an hour or so. “If music be the food of love, play on.”
Which could, of course mean, baton or bat on, bat sensibly, bat well. Especially with the ides of March lurking on the distant planis, foothills, hills and mountains of a spot in the quarter-finals or better of this ICC CWC 2011. Perhaps the wise old elephant on the logo knows. But he (or she) can keep quiet. An elephant never forgets, but can be compassionate or warn off danger using his trumpet marshall sounds!
Eddie Norfolk