On the eve of the high voltage clash at Sydney, where India would like to erase the bitter memories of the New Year test, I present to you the other side of the so called invincible Australian cricket team. May 29th 1999, Headingley, Leeds, in a crucial world cup encounter Pakistan took on hot favorites Australia. The enthralling battle took everyone’s breath away as the pendulum swung from one end to another as the Wasim Akram lead side beat the men from down under by just eleven runs. So what was so significant about that? Well, for those who don’t follow the records much, that was the last time the team from down under have lost in a one day international at the world cup.Time went on and the team. First lead by Steven Waugh and then by Ricky Ponting has perhaps won everything that the game has to offer. The talent and camaraderie that the team has shown, has been exceptional, and one that is hard to mach by any side till date. There is invincibility about the way they approach the game and how clinically they take the oppositions to the cleaners. Australia have proven time and again that in terms of temperament and skill, there is hardly any side that can mach them. Be it winning sixteen tests in a row twice, or winning three straight one day world cup events. Australia are streets ahead of others when it comes to big match cricket excellence. Over the years teams, especially from the subcontinent, have toured down under and felt let down on many a fronts. Apart from there performance, teams have with a silent mouth spoken of the kind of dubious umpiring calls that they have received. Its like in places like Australia, the umpires get intimidated by the manner in which the players from the host nation try to get the decisions in their favor. The matter has gone to such a point where people are talking about the art of appealing when it comes to the players from Australia. All this had lead to the ICC bringing in the ruling of making neutral umpires stand in test matches. But has that made things easier? I guess not. Rewind to the cricket world cup of 1992 and the first mach of South Africa in the world cup after apartheid. The first ball saw a big nick of the Ausie opener caught by Dave Richardson of Donald, given not out. There were no snickometers or third umpire for that matter. Cut to Jan 2008, sixteen years down the line, the face of technology as well as cricket has changed 360 degrees, but has the decisions? Andrew Symonds was out not once but thrice, but was given not out at the SCG, we had the third umpire as well as all the technology that a sport like cricket requires, still on one occasion the third umpire Bruce Oximford, went on a joy ride and gave Troy not out even when the TV replays showed he was gone. So what is there in Australia that makes it the place of a nightmare for tourists. I guess its time to have a serious thought about the state of events that take place in Australia whenever a team tours. I guess may be it’s the aura that Australia has which makes the athaurities sulk under pressure, otherwise how can one explain the fact that Ricky Ponting, the current Ausie captain goes Scot free even after abusing Harbhajan on field and mentioning it in a newspaper daily in India. Not even one person from the Ausie media or the ICC fraternity is mulling a sniff at what had conspired in the last one dayer at Adelaide. From the time of Allan Border or Mark Taylor in the 90s, to the so called invincibles of Sreven Waugh and Ricky Ponting, the behaviour of this much vaunted world champion side has taken a beating. They call it mental disintegration, probably a sophisticated word of taking a sport to the level of war. And today the side of Ricky Ponting poses a real threat to a sport which has been for long and widely regarded as one of the cleanest and gentleman like in the world. What conspired during the test in Sydney was definitely unprecedented but an incident which was waiting to happen. The Australia Cricket team is one of the best winners but perhaps the worse losers. We saw it time and again during that historic test series with India in 2001 as well as the 2003/04 Border Gavaskar Trophy. When the tide starts to turn against them, the men from down under not only lose their cool but their temper as well. Be it humiliating Rahul Dravid at Mumbai in 2001 or taking a plunge at Haarbhajan at their will, the world champion side wants to win at all costs. Avery popular and reputed writer from Australia, Peter Roebuck was categorical in pointing out the kind of harsh treatment India have got on the current tour. Its not that the teams from the Asian subcontinent, which has been put to the sword, who can forget that memorable run chase by WI to run down 418 in the test, where Glenn McGrath spared no words for Sarwan as if he was a dreaded criminal. There have been numerous incidents of such magnitude . But no major action is taken on behalf of the governing body. Its time the ICC look into the matter of so called mental disintegration, as called by John Buchanan which is eating into a sport which has already been tarnished by allegations of mach fixing and drugs. Author: Asif Islam, A dedicated sports lover since 1989, following closely the various aspects of popular sports worldwide. Writting articles and analytical reports on players and events since 2003.Email - asif2311@rediffmail.com
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