Precambrian
Banned
Ian Chappell hits back hard at Ponting regarding over-rates
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/379260.html
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/379260.html
"The game has changed" is a common cry when a captain attempts to defend his tactics from criticism by former players. Ricky Ponting defended the tardy over-rate that led to a bewildering fourth day's play in the Nagpur Test thus: "Some of these guys [offering opinions] haven't played for 30 years." It's worth examining "the game has changed" defence to see if it's as impregnable as Sunil Gavaskar's or as wafer-thin as New Zealand tail-ender Chris Martin's.
These chats are even more bewildering when team meetings have become so important as to banish Andrew Symonds because he missed one such gathering in Darwin. Team meetings are now more prolific than Sachin Tendulkar, and as over-rated as computer rankings. Former Australia coach John Buchanan was never one to shy away from a team meeting, and Mark Waugh, tiring of one elongated get-together, quipped, "John, 'hit the top of off with the occasional bouncer' used to work.