Pondering under the starry sky what fate befalls cricket in the year 2013, entertainment certainly pops into the mind. India will take on Australia, then the Ashes series, then a Champions Trophy, the calendar is filled with cover drives and flicks providing days of unbridled cricketing joy. If the start of this year is anything to go by, this year will witness drama, tension, tears and controversies. It's only the second week of January and already we're off to a fine start.
Shane Warne and Marlon Samuels have been fined by Cricket Australia for their little lovers' spat in the Big Bash League. CA found Warne guilty of using offensive language, showing dissent at an umpire's decision and deliberate physical contact. However, he was not found guilty of throwing "the ball at or near a player or official in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner." Apparently lobbing the ball at Marlon Samuels' shoulder is not considered inapropriate. Perhaps aiming a little lower would have been sufficient to indict him of that as well.
Marlon Samuels threw his bat. Nothing says I'm beginning to develop into a consistent batsman for West Indies like throwing one's bat.
Prior to this borderline violent incident, India's nurturing instincts shone to light. Apparently Mahendra Singh Dhoni was given the man-of-the-match award in the third ODI against Pakistan just to boost his morale. Isn't the award supposed to be unbiased and given to the player who actually deserves it? As noble as the intentions were, it perhaps reeks of the disease that is festering in the Indian team – 'wusslititus' aka lack of killer instinct.
Hearing this, Nasir Jamshed felt sorry for the entire Indian team and left his man-of-the-series award behind.
The series itself was a killer. A report said, the BCCI made a killing in terms of revenue earned. Paul Nixon, former England wicketkeeper and an inspiration to all geriatric cricket aspirants, doubted the legitimacy of these earnings.
An Indo-Pak series can never be without these allegations. It is what adds to the excitement. A serious between these two nations without an uproar is like eating biryani with a spoon. It's still enjoyable, but you don't get the satisfaction of licking your fingers.
It could also be equated to Shane Watson saying he doesn't want to bowl anymore. Australia could still avail his services as a batsman, but that will mess up the balance of the squad. Having said that, Australia would want him to spend more time on the field batting than walking his dog.
2012 witnessed the retirements of quite a few amazing cricketers. With that, it also brought a bunch of young cricketers the chance to enthrall the audience and convince them of their talent. It's going to be fun to watch them succeed and sadistically pleasurable to watch them fail. Either way, 2013 won't be without noteworthy cricket moments.