We're churning out genetically modified cricketers

Hi Greg- I have a high regard for "Steely" Dan and have no doubt about his integrity. His remarks,if correctly reported, suggest he complained to the umpires. If he did this during the game it would explain why the Umpres "microscoped" the BALL AT EVERY oppurtunity. I can understand Younus Khan's annoyance because it does imply that something was "rotten" in the state of Denmark. Slander by innuendo is just as hurtful. When Imran Khan played with NSE he passed on the mysterious art of reverse to Mike Whitney and there were no bottle tops involved. Troy Cooley also imparted these skills to England's Ashes squad of 2005. Shane Bond has learnt to reverse it as have Zaheer Khan and RP Singh. Mitch Johnson and Peter Siddle have some control over it. Even going back to the Forfeited Test Atherton remarked that none of the cameras had picked up any ball tampering. I sometimes doubt the ethics of some administrators but cricketers by and large are honourable. I do not intend to burden you with the Moniker "Tongs" into perpetuity. It seemed apt at the time. I did allude to your statesman qualities also.

"Greg,I did want to ask you about Daniel V’s surprise at Umur Gul’s reverse swinging." Vinay, the T20 cricket is on in NZ from midnight to 6 am. Because I have two young children, I sleep during these hours, as I cannot get much sleep after 6 am! Thus I have watched very little of the T20 WC, and in particular I did not see Umar Gul's bowling against NZ. Of course I did wake up to Vettori's comments on the radio. He is correct that it is highly unusual for a ball to be reverse-swinging in the 13th over of a match. As I also commented to a friend in Australia asking the same question, Vettori is certainly an Honest Dan. More than these general comments I cannot say ... except for one thing. Umar Gul bowled respectably for WA in last season's Big Bash, but he certainly did not perform as the unplayable international matchwinner he has been of late. Yes, all these comments point in a certain direction. Let's call it scepticism - nothing more, nothing less. My father always said he was named Thomas for good reason, and I inherited this as a middle name from him. 'Thomas' is not too dissimilar to the moniker of 'Tongs' that you bestowed on me last week!

Brett,I cant let you off that easily. "Generatinal" is too simple an answer. Here I am espousing almost left wing anti-administration and you are slightly right of centre..More on this on another occassion. Rights and wrongs dont really matter. I am not particularly obsessd with being "right" And I fully understand the machinations at play with the ICC/BCCI. The Ashes is the one truly enduring cricket rivalry. India/Pakistan is based more on fractious emotions and stained politics. I am expecting Mitch Johnson to consolidate his growing reputation and for Philip Hughes to emerge stronger. England have a lot to do with their batting as Kevin Pietersen looks their only class batsman.

We obviously are Vinay, and I think the difference between our parallel lines can simply be put down as generational. We quite obviously have different views of the same things, which is fine, that's what The Roar is here for. It means neither of us are wrong too!! I'll just add that that the ACA fought very hard and publically for Jason Gillespie and the ICL-alligners, but in the end CA fell in line with the BCCI, sorry, meant ICC. You get my point. Very much looking forward to the Ashes, so many tantalising prospects already. Will Pietersen last or even take part in the series?? Can Mitch Johnson swing the Duke at 145kph+?? Can Michael Hussey resume his love-affair with English conditions?? Will Freddie Flintoff be fit??

Brett,I think we are both on parallel lines and the convergence is some way in the distance. Not an altogether bad thing as we both will need to think further on our minor differences. The players association fell down pretty badly in its representations vis a vis the ICL. Jason Gillespie was denied a coaching job at the centre of "excellence" and virtually made a pariah by CA. Where is Michael Bevan? Arguably our greatest One day player? Surely he could offer some tips on how to go about the shorter forms. All this experience is lost and really when it is done and dusted the Player's Association has failed the above two mentioned players and I could give you more examples. The "right" channels are littered with politics and conflicting agendas. Keep well and lets talk about the real cricket coming up. There is expectation that the Ashes Series will be a defining moment in where Test Cricket goes from here.

Vinay, a quick final observation. You mention that everyone in the team was sorry to see Symonds go, but that there was "no one to take up the cudgels for him". (Aside from never hearing that phrase before) This to me was quite obviously becuase they'd all felt let down by a valued team-mate. As I said Symonds didn't just break a personal promise to his employers and himself, but to his team-mates. His team-mates would at the time of him rejoining the team have had no reason to not believe him, and so hence their disappointed reactions when he digressed. Also, I just wanted to touch on one last statement of yours: "My point still remains that Cricketers ought not to accept what I term onerous expectations from Administrators." Unfortunately, what you call "onerous expectations from Administrators" are now in reality 'terms and conditions of employment'. Young players coming through the system know that if they want to play cricket professionally in Australia, they have to play by CAs rules. On the plus side, the players' Assoc, the ACA, is very strong on standing up for players rights, and they do object to onerous expectations as you've put them. Tha ACA's big win for the new CBA is that players are rewarded for the more sponsor work they choose to do. It also means that those who choose to do the bare minimum (as they are entitled to do, if they so choose) just get paid the miminum sponsor fees. You'll recall during last summer that Andrew Symonds offered to take a major pay cut if he could be excused from sponsor activites. So the players can still fight the good fight, so to speak, but they now do it through th right channels. Thanks for your reply..

Onside,you are spot on. This is the essence of the article.

The nub of this article is not Symonds but the 'VB logo worn alongside the Australian coat of Arms'

Greg,I did want to ask you about Daniel V's surprise at Umur Gul's reverse swinging. Everytime a fast bowler from pakistan takes five fer he gets accused of cheating. The umpires further aggravated the situation by checking the ball endlessly. Why is it that the Pakistanis are under the spotlight. And invariably by the Poms and now the Kiwis. Cant we just accept the guy bowled well and deserved his success?

Hello Greg My sister back in India calls me a "traitor" and all my Indian friends call me "Uncle Tom" I hope they jest. But seriously I have always held the view that Harbhajan started the fracas in his typical fighting Sikh way. Symonds and hayden being the warriors picked up the gauntlet. The only way this could have been settled was a duel at six paces. Unfortunately politicians and administrators got involved and the initial conflagration was subsumed in a fire that was fervently stoked by Networks in India anxious for "news" I willl take up the cause of any cricketer I feel is being stood over by the administrators. Players sometimes are reluctant to spray their employer and turn the other cheek. Jesse Ryder is a character and a good cricketer to boot. Many of the past greats have been lovable rascals. Lillee,Thommo,Botham,Imran,Miller...the list is long.

Vinay says "What these Broadcasters dont realise is that a boring draw over five days is more likely to devalue thei advertisers’ products than an exciting three days on a green top.Its the quality not the quantity." Amen to that, unfortunately I am not sure its going to happen.

Greg, where have you been hiding. I have been defending Andrew Symonds since day one. I am a true blue aussie and to me, Symonds is what we badly need in our team. As a man, he is head and shoulders above any other Australian cricketer. So, don't bag him.

Brett,good to have your opinion. I did read in one of the papers Watson saying " Its unfortunate for Symo...he's a good mate..." It sounded hollow. Ponting opined "He's let himself down" Mike Hussey said "We'll miss him" Everyone in the team is sorry to see him go but no one to take up the cudgels for him. It also makes me realise that since I grew up in the Allen Ginsberg era( he,the first Modern poet) and the free love of the sixties maybe I am a rebel still looking for a cause. Is the younger generation all about maintaining the status quo or will it still challenge Administrators? Healthy debate is necessary lest we fall into the trap of "thats the way it is" and we can't do anything about it. There is a lot about Australian Cricket that is good. We have led the way in making Tests Attractive. Steve Waugh,Mark Taylor and also Ponting play to win and are not afraid of losing. My point still remains that Cricketers ought not to accept what I term onerous expectations from Administrators. I personally would have loved Ponting to say " I'm not playing if you send Simmo Home" Sheek,I personally dont rate the 20/20 and prefer Test Cricket but I grant that 20/20 will improve over rates and speed the Tests up a little more. I certainly dont expect the Australian Team to be a group of angel faced choir boys. El Capitan,I dont think Broadcasters want green decks. They would like all games,Test,ODI's and 20/20 to go the distance to maximise airtime for sponsors. What these Broadcasters dont realise is that a boring draw over five days is more likely to devalue thei advertisers' products than an exciting three days on a green top.Its the quality not the quantity. There is some truth in all the responses and thank god we differ on occassions. cheers

Vinay has caught me genuinely by surprise: an Indian defending Andrew Symonds when one has not even heard any Australians prepared to defend him? I think the "Australian" case against Vinay has been presented very well by Brett McK, so I won't elaborate on that. The angle that has most interested me from the beginning was Ian Healy's, which I quote from an ABC report: "Former Test vice-captain Ian Healy says Andrew Symonds was "cooked" and hoped to be released from national duties so he could focus on part-time cricket and fishing." This makes sense to me. Quite clearly Symonds still has psychological problems from past incidents that he just cannot shake. I do not want to reignite debates over Bollyline, except to say that I am totally sympathetic to the cause of Symonds, and I will not desist from this view, no matter what curses and/or arguments (I've heard and considered them all before) are hurled at me. All Symonds's problems stem from January 2008, and at last he has found some sort of release from them, by drinking his way out of the Australian cricket firmament. No-one appreciated the amazing influence of Andrew Symonds as a cricketer more than I did - at his peak he would make fleet-footed batsman nervous just by going near the ball in the field - but I feel that the best resolution has now been found. It's just a pity that he couldn't find it by retiring from international cricket, as opposed to bringing it on by the sham of having a drink too many. But that's all part of the problem in which he felt trapped.

That should read V V! I don't know the full Symonds story, but I think, taken on face value, it's a sad indictment of the politically corrct world we live in. Guys like Ian Chappell, Doug Walters, Rod marsh, etc would have been cruxified in today's environment, for nothing else but being themselves. Kerry O'Keeffe tells a story of going out for a drink in NZ with Walters & Gary Gilmour, who were the overnight not out batsmen. O'Keeffe kept crying off drinking because he was next bat in the next day, & wanted to be alert. Walters & Gilmour didn't hold back their drinking! The next day, Walters completed a double century, while Gilmour reached his only test hundred. O'Keeffe got a duck. I think the morale to the story is to be yourself, as long as it's in moderation. O'keeffe, who likes a few drinks, should probably have had a few drinks.

VV, You can't compare a player's form in T20 to test cricket. Hayden delayed retirement by about 6 months waiting for his footwork & form to return. It didn't. At 37 going on 38, he realised neither he nor CA could wait around for him to rediscover his touch. Had he been 27 going on 28, it might have been a different story. T20 cricket is a slog fest. You don't need a solid technique, just a good eye & quick reflexes. Perhaps as the game becomes more sophisiticated, that will change. El Capitan, In all the years i've followed cricket, poor form has rarely been judged equally. Some players are more expendible than others. With Hayden, a once great player, the perception was he had over-stayed his welcome, & it was time for him to step aside for someone younger. Mark Taylor was persevered with for about 18 months of his batting drought. This is extraordinary! In my time I cannot remember anyone being given so long to rediscover their form. Maybe CA wasn't prepared to repeat the Taylor experieince. Sure, Hayden might rediscover his form - but how long's a piece of string? He could have hit a century next test, or next year, but obviously his age factor became an issue. I've read cricket experts, particularly ex-test cricketers say that, once you lose your form in your mid to late 30s, it's almost impossible you're going to get it back, or it takes much longer. It's an age thing.

I've thought Hayden was judged by the media too quickly cause Mike Hussey had a piss poor summer but managed to keep his job, as like you said Justin Hayden played well in the IPL (perhaps the pressure was lifted off him?) We could have green decks but our curators (or cricket Aust) prepare good hard bouncy decks. I remember when cricket was a real skill and the decks were not dried out or greened up before a match. if it rained for 3 weeks in brisbane then the test would have been a green top. Now they can play consisantly on the harder pitches. I think its going to be a hard series against the poms. some players have never experienced the english summers, nor the green decks that can provide good movement off the seam. It might take 1 or 2 games for players to find their feet?

El Cap - fair enough, we dont have "green decks" but I think you may understand what I am getting at. We do play OS, have a look at the conditions in SA in the last tour. And thanks for supporting my argument - Hayden cant even score runs on hard bouncy deck ;)

Justin, When was the last time Aust played on a greenish deck? Most of the pitches here are rock hard and have good bounce. The truth is Symonds was not ready to go back to international cricket. The selectors rushed him back and his little stumble has now cost him a CA contract. I'd rather see plyers get into a side based on skills than past performances.