The last hope for Steve Smith and David Warner to play Sheffield Shield and the Tests this summer may come from a bizarre source: the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
With India touring Australia for a Test series in 2018-19, the BCCI will insist on the strongest Australian team to challenge Virat Kohli’s number one ranked side.
In India, the stadia are almost empty during Test matches. It is the television rights that make the long-form financially viable – and with Smith and Warner on the sideline, income from TV rights will zoom down.
In a month or so, the headline could be: No Smith, no Warner and no Indian cricket team to visit Australia.
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Ever since India’s first tour of Australia, 71 years ago, controversies have regularly erupted.
Their pioneering 1947-48 tour started three months after India’s independence. Because of unsettled political situations and the formation of Pakistan, Muslim Indian cricketers Mushtaq Ali, Abdul Hafeez Kardar and Fazal Mahmood did not tour.
The Sydney Test of December 1947 is remembered for the dismissal of Bill Brown just before stumps on Day 2 – better known as the ‘Mankad’ incident.
Backing up at the bowler’s end, Brown was a yard from his crease when run out by Vinoo Mankad before delivery. Mankad had previously warned and subsequently run out Brown in similar circumstances in the match against the Australian XI on the same venue a month earlier. Mankad had also warned him in the subsequent match against Queensland.
The sportsmanship of Mankad’s actions were debated, with Don Bradman conceding that Brown should have learnt from his experience. Regardless, a new cricket phrase was coined: being Mankaded.
Two days after the January 1948 Adelaide Test, tragedy hit India – the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, was assassinated in Delhi on January 30.
It was one of the saddest days in history – a man of peace violently shot down on his way to pray for unity between Hindus and Muslims. The team seriously considered abandoning the tour but decided to go ahead.
Both teams and the umpires wore black bands and assembled on the ground before play started in the fifth and final Test in Melbourne on February 6.
Turn the clock ahead to 1977 and, due to the formation of World Series Cricket, all regular Australian Test cricketers except Jeff Thomson opted to play for ‘Packer’s Circus’.
In that exciting but topsy-turvy series, veteran Bob Simpson, aged 41, made a successful comeback as skipper.
Australia won the series 3-2, Simpson scoring 539 runs in five Tests at an average of 53.90, hitting two centuries (176 and 100) and two 50s (89 and 51). And that too against India’s mesmerising spin trio of Bishan Bedi, EAS Prasanna and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar.
The Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds ‘Monkeygate’ saga in 2007-08 saw the Indian team threaten to go home after Harbhajan was found guilty of racial abuse, before eventually being acquitted.
A Test was postponed on India’s last tour of Australia, when tragedy struck. During a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney in November 2014, 25-year-old Phillip Hughes was rushed to hospital after a sickening blow from a short ball. He never regained consciousness and died from his injuries.
I predict more pleasant episodes during India’s upcoming tour – reducing the ban on Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft to six months so they can provide scintillating and engrossing cricket against the tourists.
Savage
Roar Rookie
For India to win series in Australia,Pitches needs to be slightly more bowler friendly than usual.Australia will likely give flat tracks to India and would hope Handscomb and Khwaja turn into Bradman and Lara. Absence of Smith and Warner is a huge loss and Flat tracks is the only way Australia can lessen the damage.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
The Zimbabwe Test isn't happening, only a T20 tri-series. Dates were announced maybe two days ago. Even that had been in doubt, the lack of Test was unofficially confirmed months ago. Hosting Bangladesh, who knows. It won't rate locally, so CA might find an excuse to back out unless Bangladeshi media rights are big enough. On the other hand, getting the new look team playing in an almost hidden series might be of merit. Or CA might actually live up to their obligations.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Probably a good attack but both Starc and Cummins must be described as being injury prone.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
A good point but I suspect that we will have a better handle on those conditions than India!
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
So be it. Elitist you are!
Viren
Guest
A whitewash? No chance, I think it is going to be a competitive series. The Aussie attack is pretty darn good
At the end of the day the rankings are a system adopted by the ICC to rank teams, any ranking system has flaws, that is just the facts. The current ranking system is a reasonably fair system to use, if it says India is number one, then India is number one.
KenoathCarnt
Guest
SA where missing Dale Steyn and Ab for that Eng series. Du plesis also missed the first game and made an immediate impact on the series. Rabada was banned for a game and Philander was riddled with a stomach bug which was a big loss considering he was their most effective bowler. SA probly would not have beaten Eng but the series could have been alot closer.
Clyde
Guest
This article is disrespectful to the BCCI, and smells of desperation and fear for the upcoming series whitewash which will be handed out by the no. 1 ranked tested team.
Dave
Guest
Chris, whether you take the last 5 seasons or the last 10 South Africa have clearly been better than India when you look at wins away from home. SA have won 5 away series in the last 5 years, drawn 2 and lost 2. India in that time have one three, lost 5 and drawn 1. India’s only away wins were 2 series vs Sri Lanka and one in the Windies, plus a draw vs Bangladesh. SA have won in Australia twice, NZ and Sri Lanka, plus Zimbabwe, with draws against Pakistan and Bangladesh. India are ahead on the ICC rankings because they’ve been impregnable at home, whereas SA lost once each to England and Australia. If you go further back SA were even better. In the preceding 5 years (07/08 - 12-13). They did not lose a single series away! Beat England twice away, and Australia, Pakistan, Windies, NZ and Bangladesh once each, with two drawn series in India and one vs Pakistan. SA’s only series defeat in that period was the 08-09 loss at home to Australia. India had a couple of away wins in the subcontinent and Windies again but nowhere else except Zimbabwe.
JohnB
Guest
It happened in a top shelf test series (or at least what should have been one), and involved the test captain and vice captain and someone who doesn't play ODIs or T20s. If I think that means the punishment should be calibrated by reference to test matches and take into account the opposition, and if I think Australia should have higher standards, and if all those things make me elitist, I'm pretty relaxed about that.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Come on Pedro - the CA bans were not for the tampering. They allowed the ICC to hand down its punishments for that. CA's bans are for the lying, etc by the three players when questioned about it afterwards. I don't think there is any precedent for this actually. I'm very comfortable with the bans. It will cost Australian cricket in multiple ways - and if the three have the slightest interest in the wider game outside of themselves, this will/should have a massive impact on them.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
I think it's more likely that Michael Clarke will make a comeback. And that ain't happening either!!!
Dave
Guest
It’s a nice thought Kersi, but I don’t think your prediction is likely to be borne out. Can’t see CA backing down for fear of upsetting the sponsors and the mob that yelled for their blood in the first place. Meanwhile Faf du Plessis gets IPL contracts year after year without anyone batting an eyelid.
jameswm
Guest
They love their batsmen though...
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
I know it looks ridiculous but in case this happens -- highly unlikely -- remember, you read it first on The Roar!
JamesH
Roar Guru
I don't think our new batting lineup will last long in those conditions though, Pedro!
JamesH
Roar Guru
No match on the MCG will end inside four days (or at all) in the near future. The drop-in pitches are bowlers' graveyards.
JamesH
Roar Guru
It's probably the other way around when we're in India, where their spinners truly shine.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Make them play in Cairns then and get out the hoses! Maybe Hobart. It will be good for tourism