Curator to stay away from Eden, hits out at Dhoni

Terming as “immoral and illogical” Indian captain M.S. Dhoni’s insistence on a square turner from the opening day of the Eden Gardens Test against England, veteran pitch curator Prabir Mikherjee Saturday said he would stay away from the ground for a month.The 83-year-old Mukherjee, however, initially tried to hedge his anger, citing health and family issues for his decision.
“Last (Friday) evening I was not feeling good. I had high pressure. The doctors attended to me and told me to take rest for at least one month. Only six months back I lost my only daughter and wife. The condition at home is not at all well,” Mukherjee told the media, even as he chose not to come to the ground Saturday morning.
However, he burst out when pressed further on the issue.
“Dhoni is openly asking for a square turner from the very first day. This is immoral. You (organisers) have taken money for a five-day Test match. But Dhoni is asking for square turner where the match will end in three days. You are robbing people of two days play.
“It is immoral and illogical to tamper with the pitch as per the liking of the captain. I have not done it in my life. So I want to get rid of it,” said Mukherjee, who has been the Eden curator for around 15 years.
Lashing out at Dhoni, he said: “You are on contract, you are getting crores from the board to play good cricket. The contract never said they will be allowed this (square turner).
“Every state has its own climatic conditions. What you get in Mumbai, you will not get in Kolkata because of the difference in climate.”
Asked to spell out his idea of a ideal track, Mukherjee said: “I am of the belief that cricket is a batsman oriented game. Cricket should be played on a firm even bounce wicket.”
The curator, a former Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) joint secretary, complained that the Dhoni fiat was not being given in writing.
“They are not giving it in writing. If they give in writing I can say they are honest.”
Saying the curator’s job was his passion, not a profession, Mukherjee said: “I don’t want to be a party to tampering the pitch at Eden Gardens. So that if anything goes wrong, I won’t be hanged.”
Mukherjee felt aggrieved after the Board of Control for Cricket in India, acting on Dhoni’s demand for a dust bowl, moved its East Zone curator Ashish Bhowmick to Eden to supervise the pitch preparation alongside the octogenarian.
BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale also called up CAB and spoken to Mukherjee asking him not to talk to the media and keep in mind the Indian captain’s wish regarding the track.
In Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium, the Indians were given a turner but the home spinners failed to come good on it. However, the English slow bowlers excelled, resulting in a 10 wicket triumph for the visitors.
“I read the Mumbai curator saying he will lose his job if he talks,” said Mukherjee. But he had nothing against Bhowmick.
The new curator (from Tripura) is a good chap. He is a good learner. Unfortunate he can’t say I won’t do this. because he is just starting. On the other hand, I am at the fag end of my life.”
Mukherjee said during the last 15 years, except a break of 20 months in between, Eden Gardens and the CAB had helped him grow.
“I am proud that my name is now attached to Eden Gardens and I am now well known in the world of cricket.”
CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey said he would go to Mukehrjee’s residence and try to convince him to change his mind.
“Only four days are left before the Test starts. We need him. If he is hurt, we will try to mollify him.”
But Dey said he saw nothing wrong in Dhoni asking for the home advantage. “It happens all over the world”.

BCCI unhappy with Green Park's preparation for Ind-Aus Test

City's Green Park stadium could lose its right to host the third Test between India and Australia, starting March 14 next year as the BCCI is unhappy with the slow progress of the renovation work at the ground and has set a January 2013 deadline for the UPCA to complete the work. BCCI chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty and Suru Nayak, cricket operations manager, Saturday inspected the Green Park stadium and expressed their displeasure over the tardy nature of work being done by the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA).

The UPCA officials, however, have managed to convince the two senior BCCI officials and assured them that the ongoing work would be completed before the first week of January. The BCCI delegation was received by UPCA's general manager Rohit Talwar and Anil Banodha, the deputy director of UP Sports Department. In his meeting with the two UPCA officials, Shetty cited a previous instance where the UPCA had informed the BCCI about their reluctance to host a game involving India as the spectators' stand was not constructed on time.Shetty said that UPCA has to take a final stand on the issue of construction of its own stadium and give a written submission to the cricket board in the month of January that they have completed the renovation work at the ground and are ready to host the third Test between India and Australia. Shetty, during his inspection of the stadium, was clearly unhappy with the players' dressing room and dining hall, which are in a dilapidated state and also discussed issues related to accommodation of match officials. .
There were also concerns related to the renovation of the pavilion block and spectators stands while a heap of debris could be seen lying unattended outside the stadium.
Shetty said that another delegation of the BCCI will visit the city on January 9 and 10 to inspect the ongoing renovation work and a decision to allot the match to Kanpur or any other state would be taken after the two-day tour. He also informed that a delegation from the Cricket Australia will also visit the stadium to check its readiness for the third Test. Banodha assured the BCCI officials that the construction work would be completed by January 15 and the match will remain with the UPCA.
Talwar, while interacting with the reporters, said that the report of these two officials will be of prime importance in deciding the fate of Green Park stadium for future international cricket matches. UPCA last played host to a Test match in November 2009 between India and Sri Lanka. The second ODI during South Africa's tour on February 24, 2010 had been shifted to Gwalior after it was reported that a section of the stadium, allotted for students, was not in a good condition. If that humiliation was not enough, the second Test between India and New Zealand from November 12 to 16, 2010 had also been shifted to Hyderabad due to the ongoing construction work.

CAB finally persuades curator to join work

The drama surrounding the preparations of the Eden pitch for the third Test between India and England ended on Saturday after CAB President Jagmohan Dalmiya persuaded Prabir Mukherjee to return to work, hours after the peeved curator had threatened to proceed on medical leave.

Mukherjee, unhappy at being sidelined, had decided to go on a month's medical leave in the morning but was persuaded to change his mind by the evening after meetings with CAB officials."There is no issue at all. We have sorted out the differences. Prabir Mukherjee was the Eden Gardens curator. He will be in-charge of the Test match against England stating on December 5 and the India versus Pakistan ODI on January 3, next year," CAB chief Dalmiya said after his meeting with the veteran curator.
"I'm hearing all sorts of stories everyday. These are all unncessary media created stories. Yes, he is really unwell but I've asked him to come and stay for lesser time," Dalmiya added.
Mukherjee, who has been at the centre of controversy for apparently refusing to toe the line of India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's demand for a rank turner, expressed his desire to go on leave on medical grounds as he felt that the host association was not standing by him.
After East Zone curator Ashis Bhowmick joined Mukherjee, there were reports that the 83-year-old curator's wings have been clipped although it has been mandatory for zonal curators to visit each venue of their respective zones.
Following his U-turn, Mukherjee was back at the Eden Gardens towards the evening and was seen enjoying good camaraderie with CAB top brass.
It was a sort of moral victory for Mukherjee after CAB's treasurer and their 'Crisis man' Biswarup Dey went to Mukherjee's house and took him to Dalmiya's residence for a discussion.

South Africa in control of Perth Test; reach 230/2 at stumps on day 2, lead Australia by 292 runs

Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith clobbered Australia's bowling attack on Saturday in one of the quickest century stands ever in Test cricket to seize control for South Africa after two days of the series-deciding match. The 178-run second-wicket partnership made a mockery of the seemingly hostile conditions for batsmen on a WACA pitch that had delivered 21 wickets by the second over of the sixth session.
South Africa were dismissed for 225 on day one and skittled Australia for 163 before tea on day two. Smith and Amla combined after Alviro Petersen (23) was out in the first over of Saturday's last session and scored at 6.98 an over before Smith was out for 84. Amla was unbeaten on 99 and Jacques Kallis was not out 17 to help lift the tourists to 230-2 at stumps, an overall lead of 292.Three extraordinary catches led to wickets on the second evening. Alviro Petersen took a hopping, juggling catch on the long-off boundary rope to remove John Hastings and end the Australian innings 22 minutes before tea, and then lost his own wicket when Mitchell Johnson sprinted almost the length of the pitch to pouch an athletic return catch that lobbed off the shoulder of the South African opener's bat in the first over after tea.
The Amla-Smith stand finally ended when the South Africa skipper pulled Mitch Starc over square leg and Nathan Lyon ran in from the deep to grasp a diving catch millimeters above the ground. After draws in the first two tests, this test — which will decide not only the series but the world No. 1 ranking — is headed for a result.
After a dozen wickets tumbled on the opening day, another 10 fell on day two after Australia resumed at 33-2. Dale Steyn took a pair of wickets in the second over Saturday, triggering a collapse in which Australia slumped to 45-6, and returned 4-40 for the innings, belatedly making his mark on the series. Robin Peterson took the last three Australian wickets with his left-arm orthodox spin after Matthew Wade's rearguard 68 came to an end.
Australia only added two runs to their overnight total before opener David Warner (13) was caught behind, playing rashly outside off stump to Steyn to spark a half hour of carnage and a collapse of 4-11 — including the wickets of ex-captain Ricky Ponting (4) and skipper Michael Clarke (5). Ponting got a standing ovation from the crowd when he went in to bat in his 168th and last test match and got off the mark quickly with a single, then watched as night watchman Nathan Lyon was out two balls later, slicing Steyn to du Plessis at gully.
Ponting faced seven balls before he was trapped lbw by Vernon Philander. Australia's position deteriorated further when Clarke got an edge to a perfect away swinger from Steyn to make the total 45-6. It was Clarke's first serious failure of the series, after scoring double centuries in the first innings of both the drawn first and second tests. It could have been even worse for Australia. Wade should have been out without scoring but Amla missed a run-out chance at the striker's end after Hussey took off for a dangerous, quick single.
But Wade recovered to share partnerships of 55 with Mike Hussey (12) and 40 with Hastings (32) to drag the hosts to 140-8. Wade raced to his 50 from 51 balls, raising his half century with his third six, but dug in after the lunch break and slowly helped reduce the deficit before his dismissal triggered another late collapse.
Peterson bowled Johnson (7), also attempting to sweep a ball that didn't turn, and Hastings drove him to long-off. The No. 1 ranking is on the line in Perth, where South Africa needs only a draw to retain top spot and Australia requires a victory. Smith's batting indicated it doesn't want anything less than a big victory at the same ground where South Africa chased 414 to beat Australia for a series victory in 2008.
He and Amla were scoring at 7.59 an over as their partnership hit 124 but were slowed down by a spell from Mitchell Johnson. The record for the fastest century stand in terms of run-rate was the 7.32 an over in a 144-run opening stand between Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya against Bangladesh at Colombo in September 2001. The Amla-Smith stand eclipsed the South African record of 6.22 an over which Smith and AB de Villiers scored at while compiling 217 against Zimbabwe at Cape Town in 2005.