KHOTA & GARDA ON SA CRICKET

With all the hiring,firing and criticism being hurled at SA Cricket Swoosh0018 had to catch up with two community media pundits Aslam Khota & Ashraf Garda and get their views on whats been going on in South African Cricket

Firstly Aslam & Ashraf,great to have you back. Without further adue..
Hashim Amlas double Ton.Lets hear it, and the big question ...Was Smith Correct in declaring?
Aslam: Hashim had scored some really superb hundreds and the 156 he scored in Chennai in 2008 was his first on foreign soil. This must have given him confidence to know that he can bat on the surfaces in the sub-continent. This double has catapulted Hashim to another level. He has finally 'arrived' on the Test Scene. The confidence, self belief and ability will become even more clearer and evident as he continues to learn the craft of batsmanship. I am answering this blog after he got to his second hundred in the 2nd Test. Judging by how he compiled those runs vindicates the above statement. Like Kallis, Hashim is now genuinly a 'prize' wicket at the very top level of the game.
Smith without question was justified. The end justifies the means and the Proteas won by an innings! Many captains in the history of the game have done it at some time. I recall Mike Atherton declaring the England innings when Graeme Hick was on 98. In 1982 Imran Khan declared when Javed Miandad was on 280, chasing countryman Hanif Mohameds long-standing record of 333 (1953-54) and aiming to beat Sir Garry Sobers then record of 365. The result was another win for Pakistan. Many members of the public of all colours were critical of Smith, most I guess hardly watched (or listened!) the game, but made a hulla ballu. Hashim had batted for 11 and 1/2 hours, was suffering from cramp, needed pain killers and salt-Tablets at regular intervals. In essence he was exhausted. A players rule in Tests is that when a declaration is imminent, you stay not-out, especially when you score big! Hashim will be last to even consider that his captain was selfish.
Ashraf: I think Smith was right - the priority is to win a test match and we were not to know that India would fall so cheaply in both innings fo the first test.So SA needed enough time to bowl them out twice.( India in the first innings of the 2nd test just proved my point) Also it is common practice for teams to declare in the hope of getting a wkts or two before stumps.( India did that against SA in 2nd test) .My feeling - I think Smith declared too late I would have given the team atleast 8 overs to bowl or even 10 that day and not 4. I have followed the debate about Smith's "selfish" declaration - and I think it is mischief making .. Do we have any proof for such slander? Has anyone got it from Smith or Hash or someone on the inside that he's reason for declaring was to prevent Hash from breaking the SA record. Has anybody got it first hand from Hashim. I think if Amla is good enough he will break all records one day- but ultimately its a team game and the team is judged by victories not by individual records

Politics ,Politics,never part of Swoosh0018,But this time we eager to stick our nose in.

Arthur resigning,Hash dropped from the one day squad,Gauteng Cricket Board Fiasco. Are we reading in too much into this?
Aslam:The issues are completely seperate. Arthur was simply not happy with the new terms that was to come together with immediate effect. As a coach he had plans for SA till the 2011 World Cup when his contract was up for reconsideration. Hashims dropping simply stinks of deceit and skullduggery! If Loots Bosman HAD to be included did it mean a player of colour had to make way? The question is who is calling the shots - definitely NOT the selectors. The GCB is filled with old style colonial racists who are doing their best to divide and rule. May their intentions expose them for what they are as this country has come a long way since apartheid. Apartheid is not dead in Gauteng cricket! Hard words but true!!. I hope the sports ministry, the Government and the CSA act immediately and put the idiots to pass once and for all. This province will produce nothing substantial with the dishonesty and maladministration that so resembles some of the members.
Ashraf: Gauteng Cricket Board - don't know enough about it - can't really comment

Are you happy with the decision that the Selectors have been dropped ,Wessels in and calls for Husein manack and the likes to be axed from the board and be replaced..What is going on?
Aslam: Wessels has no involvement whatsoever! The selectors were only in office for 14 months! The board has been very vague in its dealings wih the media. They have yet to explain just why they were relieved of their jobs. The GCB situation has been covered in the previous question. You havent heard the last of that fiasco. I do hope truth will prevail. The members who were fired were adament on correcting the various ills of the past and were honest brokers.

Ashraf,Are you happy with the decision that the Selectors have been dropped ,Wessels in and calls for Husein manack and the likes to be axed from the board and be replaced..What is going on?

Dyna Garda gave me permission to quote him and say that .
Why in Gauteng cricket the Indian litys or batsman are batting at ten and eleven and not given a chance...Thats what Dyna says. Are our guys doing something for community development or just there to occupy space
(if im correct with the above statement)
Ashraf: Development - I agree that since Unity not enough of an effort hasd been made by both Gauteng Cricket Board and Cricket SA to truly grow the game in the asian community-this despite the fact that they acknowledge the huge Asian support at games . In fact CSA acknowledges the massive asian attendance at the 438 game. They have to set up more acadamies in the communites Lenasia/ Eldorado Park /Soweto /Mayfair then the player will come through " this conveyor belt"The other school of thought is that overall our kids are not hungry enough and their is enough evidence of this

Aslam, Have you enjoyed the commentary recently. It was a great series against England.One we should have duely won if we werent allergic to Onions :)? Great performances from our guys.
What positives did you draw going forward.?
Aslam: I always enjoy commentating. You are right; Onions made PRO tears!! Get It? It is hard to win when the TEAM is not firing at full throttle. Sadly many lads were off form all at the same time.
There were good performances, but too late in the last Test. 2009 was an abyssmal season. Lost to Aussies. ICC Champs trophy, Couldn't beat England in ODI and TEST. It was the right time for Arthur to go. Fresh Ideas and approaches were needed going ahead for TESTs and the World Cup and beyond. Positives are that the team have match-winners but they must as a team rise and learn to stay at the top. This illustrates clearly just how great the Windies of the 70's, 80's and early 90's and the Aussies since then have been, to have sustained themsleves as top dogs in all forms of the game.

Duminy and Prince are horribly off form.Its surprising,Just a while back JP was offfered 900 000 US for the IPL, and this time round he is off form. BUT yet cost so much.
My point is cricketers will earn in the IPL more than they would earn playing for their country.Is the IPL destroying cricket......Will it drain the passion for playing for your country? Or on the contrary is it re-igniting the fire for the game?
'Form is temporary, class is permanent'. Prince has sacrificed his position and his proud record for his country. He cannot be dropped and will bounce back. Any team with the steel of Smith, Kallis, now Amla and Prince will be hard to beat. Duminy has lost confidence. Can the one day game revive his fortunes? I guess not. Test cricket is different and he will tell you that. Duminy is young, he needs to return to domestic cricket, clear his mind and find confidence all over again. Sport is so much about confidence. Look at Morne Morkel. There is very little change in the bowler. He is just clear of mind and doing the basics right. Duminy is worth that money in T20 and I believe he will perform in the IPL. T20 cricket has a place in the world game. However it must not take precedence and degrade the TEST scene. It is good for money for players and boards etc. A great injection for the game in all aspects including going to non-cricketing nations. Fortunately the players know that TEST cricket is the ultimate level at which to ascertain ones true ability, as a cricketer, as man, as a team man, for Big match temperament, for strong willed character. To know that you can perfom at the highest level with all the pressures that come with it. It is the greatest game on earth! How could you chose any over Test cricket. Sacrilegious

Ashraf:As for JP Duminy's form- that happens to the best of us- he has talent but is vulnerable as everybody is - at test level the opposition has time to work you out - it happened to Hashim and it's also happened to Smith and it will happen to others too

I think the IPL concept is great-but their is a glut of one day and 50 over cricket . Outside of the world cups international one day 50 over 20 over cricket is meaningless - lots of fun but it has no relevance..
Example What was the score between Australia and SA in the twenty over games in this country ? What was the Liverpool V Man United score last year ?Which games do u remember....
Thanks Guys...We hope to have you back again soon....

Oh ,Do you think SA will bat and save the second test in Kolkatta?
Aslam: Can you do the rain dance? Get Fordsburg to join u!!!!!!
Slmz
:
You can contact these guys directly
Twitter Ashraf Garda and on facebook: Ashraf Garda or catch him on his morning show SAFM
Aslam comentates for Supersport and radio 2000 and can be reached on
aslamcricket@polka.co.za