The Hindu : Sport : The day of reckoning has come

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 15, 2006

Sport

Sport

The day of reckoning has come

The time has come for well-placed cricketers in India and Pakistan to form an association

PETER ROEBUCK

Before it is too late India's senior cricketers need to start flexing their muscles. Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and company are in a powerful position. Bigwigs may run the game but the public cares only about players. Hitherto the top cricketers have failed to harness this power for the betterment of the game.

Now the day of reckoning has come. Not so long ago the game's governing body issued a statement disdaining the importance of the worldwide Players' Association (FICA). It pointed out that the FICA did not have any members from India, Pakistan and other countries in the region and therefore could not speak on their behalf. Accordingly it ignored the arguments presented by the FICA officers.

ICC's contention

Plain as day the gauntlet has been thrown down. In effect the ICC is saying that it alone runs the game and that the voice of the players is of little importance. Not that the association was seeking anything unreasonable. Rather, it was pointing out that too much was being asked of cricket's leading players and that as a result the toll of injuries was rising.

No one familiar with contemporary cricket could doubt that the legitimacy of this case. Consider recent events in India. Andrew Flintoff, one of the giants of the age, has been obliged to rest his mighty limbs and burdened brain. Hardly any of the bowlers who reclaimed the Ashes in 2005 are still standing. England's captain and the former vice-captain have been forced to withdraw.

Meanwhile in Dhaka the Australians have also voiced concern about burn out. By some minor miracle both New Zealand and South Africa are more or less at full strength for their engagement starting on Saturday but both had previously been pared to the bone.

Of course it is absurd that a Test series is being played in South Africa at this time of year. Likewise it is ridiculous that England's main players are expected to return from a long tour and plunge into a demanding domestic programme followed by an intense trip down under.

But that is what happens when bosses rule the roost. They will try to squeeze every last rupee from the enterprise.

It's up to the players to stand their ground. The time has come for well-placed cricketers in India and Pakistan to form an association strong enough to present their case to their authorities. They must support their colleagues around the world. No longer should officials be able to throw out proposals put forward by a players' body. Apart from anything else such conduct is arrogant and destructive.

Lead the way

Dravid, Sehwag and their friends must lead the way because they can protect their backs. Others can be dismissed as rabble-rousers and quietly dropped. When Australian cricketers sought a fairer distribution of the game's income their case was presented by Steve Waugh and Shane Warne. Assisted by a compliant media, officials tried to portray them as greedy whereas in fact, they were simply using their position to advance the interests of professionals across the country.

Nor has Australia suffered from the advent of professionalism as had been feared. Many youngsters are pursuing academic courses and the national team continues to prosper.

India's senior cricketers must organise themselves into a proper association to protect the interest of local players. Then they must add their weight to the international body so that it cannot be ignored by the people in high places who currently refuse even to listen to the voice of those who perform on the field.

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