Fitness level of cricketers poor
By Abhijit Chatterjee
THE stress fracture suffered by Ajit Agarkar in his left leg, which forced him to opt out of the tour of New Zealand, is one more pointer that the fitness level of many Indian cricketers leaves much to be desired.

Zimbabwean cricket comes of age
By Gopal Sharma
KEEN India watchers must have been peeved a bit when at the beginning of the brief September-October tour Zimbabwe coach David Houghton assessing his team’s prospects against the visitors, particularly with the “Bombay butcher” Sachin Tendulkar going great guns, remarked: “They are a team we can beat and we’re certainly not too worried about playing them, although they do have one or two world class players.

An avoidable embarrassment
By Ramu Sharma
The Badminton Association of India had every reason to be embarrassed over the situation it was placed in following the detection of over-age players in the junior nationals in Chennai recently.

India-New Zealand Test highlights
By S. Pervez Qaiser
INDIA led by Mohammed Azharuddin will play a three-Test series against the home team in the current tour of New Zealand.

Fitness level of cricketers poor
By Abhijit Chatterjee

THE stress fracture suffered by Ajit Agarkar in his left leg, which forced him to opt out of the tour of New Zealand, is one more pointer that the fitness level of many Indian cricketers leaves much to be desired. Agarkar, who made his debut earlier this year, has so far played 30 one-dayers and one Test for the country, that is just 35 days of competitive cricket. For a cricketer of his age such a thing should not have happened. What might have led to the stress fracture is improper exercise and lack of weight training. For this fault Agarkar is being forced to stay out of the national team at a time when the Indian squad is struggling while playing on green-top wickets. One is very sure that Agarkar would have loved to bowl on New Zealand wickets, which are, in way, very similar to the wickets which the participating teams would get in England in next year’s World Cup.

The Indian cricket team now has one coach in Anshuman Gaekwad, one physiotherapist in Andrew Koknis, a medical specialist in Ravinder Chadha, as also a consultant in Bobby Simpson of Australia, who, however, has yet to prove his utility to Indian cricket. As far as Simpson is concerned he has so far conducted just one coaching-cum-conditioning camp for the Indian cricket squad prior to the Commonwealth Games and the Sahara Cup in Toronto. On the other hand, however, Andrew Koknis (whose credentials have been backed by Bobby Simpson to the hilt) has been with the Indian team since the beginning of this cricket season. It is he who works the exercise regime for each individual cricketer. Therefore, the question is: why did Koknis not draw up an exercise regime for Agarkar given the fact that the Mumbai fast bowler, who so far has proved his worth to Indian cricket and is turning out to be a very useful new ball bowler, definitely looks too lean and slim to stand up to the rigours of international cricket.

It goes to the credit of Ravinder Chadha who told Agarkar during the Mumbai camp prior to the departure of the team to New Zealand to consult an orthopaedic specialist so that the exact cause of the pain in the left leg could be detected. It was the specialist who detected the stress fracture suffered by Agarkar. In a way this was good since otherwise Agarkar would have travelled all the way to New Zealand and returned without playing a single game as had happened during India’s last tour of New Zealand in 1993-94 when Manoj Prabhakar had to come back as he was carrying an old injury.

While admitting that injuries are common for cricketers, specially fast bowlers , it is strange that Agarkar suffered a stress fracture so early in his cricketing career. Manoj Prabhakar, as has been mentioned earlier, suffered an injury after a long international career as also another Indian new ball bowler, Javagal Srinath, who suffered a rotary cuff injury when he had to shoulder the brunt of the Indian new ball attack after the retirement of Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar. Javagal Srinath had to return home from the tour of the West Indies last year. Also, as some critics of the game will say, the modern day cricketer is playing too much and hardly gets any rest. And with so much money involved they tend to carry along minor injuries which tend to aggravate at the most unexpected time.

The only Indian fast bowler who did not miss a single international match due to injury during his entire career was Kapil Dev, a fitness freak. His regimentation and level of physical fitness is difficult, if not impossible, to emulate, in modern times.Even today, so many years after retirement Kapil Dev looks as fit and trim as he was during his heydays. It would be worthwhile for Indian bowlers to learn fitness tricks from him if they hope to have as long an innings as he had in international cricket. Among the current members of the Indian cricket the fitness level of Robin Singh (Sr) or Mohammad Azharuddin are worth emulating. Both are extremely agile and athletic and hardly look their age.

It is not only Indian fast bowlers who are injury prone. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis of Pakistan, Glenn McGarth of Australia or Courtney Walsh of the West Indies have been forced to rest due to injury at one time or the other, but it must be remembered that all these players suffered injuries after a very long stint in international cricket. In the case of spinner Shane Warne of Australia he is out of international cricket as he was used more as a stock bowler rather than a shock bowler.

With the World Cup barely six months away the Board of Control for Cricket in India must work out a full exercise regime for the cricketers as only a fit cricketer can deliver the goods in the highly competitive cricketing world. And let it be remembered that India does need the services of cricketers like Ajit Agarkar if it hopes to do well in the 1999 World Cup. In case the Indian team physiotherapist is unable to improve the physical standards of Agarkar it would not be surprising if the Mumbai new ball bowler goes the way of Bruce Reid of Australia, who in spite of having immense talent could not have a long career in international cricket.

Zimbabwean cricket comes of age
By Gopal Sharma

KEEN India watchers must have been peeved a bit when at the beginning of the brief September-October tour Zimbabwe coach David Houghton assessing his team’s prospects against the visitors, particularly with the “Bombay butcher” Sachin Tendulkar going great guns, remarked: “They are a team we can beat and we’re certainly not too worried about playing them, although they do have one or two world class players.” As events unfolded and by the time the tour ended the former dashing middle order batsman was proved not exactly off the mark as India lost the lone Test match and the last one-day match of the three-match series.

Zimbabwe, deemed one of the best fielding sides in the world, has taken quick strides in the arena of international cricket and have proved beyond doubt that they no longer are mere pushovers they used to be, Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Alistair Campbell, Heath Streak and Paul Strang form the nucleus of the team which has come a long way since they beat Pakistan in 1994-95 by an inning and 64 runs in the Harare Test for their first Test victory. And now they have achieved the impossible, beating Pakistan in its courtyard.

A team like Australia, believed to be best in the business, had to wait for nearly four decades before the Mark Taylor-led squad was able to win a Test series in Pakistan recently. Zimbabwe exhibiting fine prowess and resilience rubbed further salt on the wounds of the beleaguered Pakistan, registering their first Test victory on foreign soil when they won the Peshawar Test by seven wickets with two days to spare. Not a mean achievement this, considering that not many teams have been able to achieve a similar feat.

Zimbabwe’s dream run began in the previous year when the hitherto babes in international cricket won as many as eight one-day matches, including victories over world champions Sri Lanka and New Zealand—a highly competitive side in the shorter version of the game. The year 1998 saw a completely transformed Zimbabwe. Their success began with the Christchurch one-dayer when they pulled off a sensational one-run win in March. In the tri-series in India involving Australia besides the hosts India, the African team served notice with its sound batting strength. On most of the occasions they came close to victories but let their rivals off the hook, primarily due to lack of experience and self-belief. In Vadodra they almost caused an upset but were bundled out for 263 in 48.3 overs chasing India’s total of 273 runs. In the next match against the same rivals at Cuttack they again gave a gallant batting display, before being bowled out for 269 in pursuit of a victory target of an imposing 301. Then against Australia at Ferozeshah Kotla they were in the hunt till the very last. Australia, batting first, amassed nearly three hundred runs (294 for three), but were able to win by a thin margin.

Zimbabwe proved that there was no room for complacency in the ultra competitive world of cricket, handing a 37-run defeat to the Jadeja-led team in the final one-dayer at Harare in which Azhar, Srinath and Kumble had been rested as the visitors had wrapped up the three-match series. A rejuvenated Zimbabwe again spoiled the Indian party snatching what would have been an easy victory in the one-off Test again at Harare when India failed to make 235 runs for victory in the second innings and lost the match by 61 runs.

During the Coca Cola Cup at Sharjah later they added a golden chapter to their fledgling cricket history by getting the better of Sri Lanka twice in the league matches and then defeating India once, courtesy raw fast bowler Henry Olonga, to ensure their maiden entry into the finals of a triangular tournament. That the experience proved far too bitter as a rock-solid Tendulkar is altogether a different matter.

Much of the success Zimbabwe has achieved in the recent past can be attributed to the emergence of good players like Murray Goodwin, Craig Wishart, Olonga and allrounder Paul Johnson who have chipped in admirably at crucial moments. Johnson, a South African import, in a short span of time has earned the reputation of being a solid allrounder. A fast medium bowler who made his Test debut when he was chosen for the one-off Test against India in October already has scored two centuries in international matches batting up the order. And what a debut it turned out to be for Johnson, who probably would not have imagined even in his dreams that he would claim the wicket of the world’s best batsman Sachin Tendulkar and that too in both innings of the Test!

Zimbabwe, by dint of all these superlative performances, have made it clear that they have truly arrived on the international stage and are a force to reckon with. They have played most of their cricket with teams like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The demand made by Houghton and skipper Campbell after the impressive Test win at Peshawar that they deserve to be given more recognition and matches against the West Indies, England and South Africa merits consideration by the International Cricket Council.

An avoidable embarrassment
By Ramu Sharma

The Badminton Association of India had every reason to be embarrassed over the situation it was placed in following the detection of over-age players in the junior nationals in Chennai recently.

What was worse was the fact that one of the players proved over-age was the top seed. It was surprising that of all the federations the BAI was caught napping particularly when one considers the players had been virtually brought up and nurtured by the association.

At the same time it must be said it was a very courageous decision on the part of the association to introduce medical examination to ensure that only players within the legal age limits would take part in a tournament meant for juniors. If only such a step was taken much earlier!

Other federations would do well to follow the example of BAI and make it mandatory for players to undergo medical examinations to determine the ages. It is a cumbersome process and also very costly. But once started and the ages determined, the tests may not be required at future tournaments.

Sending entries with false certificates is not something new. But keeping up with the modern practice of birth certificates and registration is essentially an urban development. There is no such thing in the rural area where births are often left related to the season.

And this is something which must be realised by the federations when conducting medical examinations of players to determine the age. The player or his parents need not necessarily be trying to cheat. It is basically a question of ignorance or lack of facilities.

A distinction, however, must be drawn between those who deliberately produce false certificates and those who have no means of obtaining proper papers. But with more and more younger people from rural areas being drawn into the mainstream of sports at the national level some yardstick must be drawn to ensure fairplay at all levels. At the same time it is not fair on the organisers to be burdened with an additional task of carrying out mass medical examinations to determine the exact age of participants.

Most of the organisers have little or no financial backing and to expect them to bear the extra burden of having to pay for the doctors is bound to act as a deterrent to host such tournaments. Something that would harm the promotion of sport.

But a beginning must be made and the only place to start is when a boy or a girl make their first appearance in a junior national irrespective of the age-group. A medical examination to determine his or her age and other relevant data should be recorded and kept with the federations. A one time check at the beginning would automatically reduce drastically the percentage of boys and girls participating with bogus certificates.

Such one-time medical examinations coupled with registration of players both with the state associations, extended to federation level in the case of those graduating to all-India phase, would ensure a trouble-free, protest-free junior nationals. This is something that should have been done years ago though it is not too late to make a start now.

Football is perhaps the one game where some such practice exists but only at the senior level. There is no age problem there but there is that perennial protest during the transfers, objections about the ownership of the player. Some clubs have taken recourse to buying and selling players and have sorted out the problem to a degree. There is sound logic in their financial rating of players, a practice very much in vogue in Europe and elsewhere.

In light of the experience of BAI, coming is it does on top of the large-scale cheating among the participating teams in the Junior national Basketball in Patiala earlier in the year when as many as 178 boys and girls were found over-age following medical examination carried out by the board constituted for the purpose by the BFI, it appears to be the right time for the Indian Olympic Association to step in and take charge.

It must make it mandatory for all federations to register their players from the time they take part in their first nationals and forward the papers to the IOA which in turn will maintain a file for ready reference.

India-New Zealand Test highlights
By S. Pervez Qaiser

INDIA led by Mohammed Azharuddin will play a three-Test series against the home team in the current tour of New Zealand. The first Test match of the series will be played at Dunedin from December 18 to 22, the second at Wellington (December 26 to 30) and the third at Hamilton (January 2 to 6).

The current tour is India’s sixth to New Zealand where India have played 14 Test matches, won for, lost four and drawn six. Overall, India have played 35 Test matches against New Zealand, won 13, lost six and drawn 16.

The Indians first toured New Zealand in 1967-68 under the captainship of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and won the four-Test series by 3-1.

HIGHEST INNINGS TOTALS:

India’s 537 for three declared at Madras in 1955-56 is their highest total against New Zealand. Their highest against New Zealand in New Zealand is 482 at Auckland in 1989-90. New Zealand recorded their highest when they piled up 502 at Christchurch in the 1967-68 series.

LOWEST INNINGS TOTALS:

India were bowled out for just 81 runs at Wellington in the 1975-76 series which is their lowest ever total against New Zealand. New Zealand’s lowest against India is 100 at Wellington in 1980-81.

HIGHEST AGGREGATE:

As many as 1505 runs were scored for the loss of 25 wickets at Auckland in the 1989-90 series which is the highest match aggregate between the two teams.

LOWEST AGGREGATE:

The lowest match aggregate between India and New Zealand was recorded at Wellington in 1975-76 when only 635 runs were scored for the loss of 29 wickets.

HIGHEST SCORES:

GT Dowling’s 239 at Christchurch in 1967-68 is the highest individual score for New Zealand against India. Vinoo Mankad who scored 231 at Madras in 1955-56 holds the record for highest individual score for India against New Zealand. Current captain Mohammed Azharuddin’s 192 at Auckland in 1989-90 is the highest ever score by an Indian on New Zealand soil.

BEST BOWLING IN INNINGS:

EAS Prasanna’s eight for 76 at Auckland in 1975-76 is the best bowling performance for India against New Zealand. Richard Hadlee who took seven wickets for 23 runs at Wellington in 1975-76 holds the record of best bowling performance for New Zealand against India.

BEST BOWLING IN MATCH:

S Venkatraghavan’s 12 for 152 at Delhi in 1964-65 is the best bowling performance on either side. EAS Prasanna who took 11 wickets for 140 runs at Auckland in 1975-76 holds the record of best bowling performance in a match for India in New Zealand. Richard Hadlee’s 11 for 58 at Wellington in 1975-76 is the best bowling performance for New Zealand in a match.