Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Off-Stumped Vision

It was the worst of times and it was the worst of times. Of the two firangi coaches in Indian subcontinent, one was left murdered after an un-predictable defeat and the other was seen hiding behind a bullet-proof glass while his team was getting booted out of world cup. That, in short, was how cricketing fate of two neighbors had been over the last one week.

While Bob Woolmer's yet to be solved murder mystery throws a light on the criminalization of the gentleman's game, India's defeat and the aftermath surely shows the huge scale of commercialization of the game. The only thing common between legitimate and illegitimate businessmen sitting on the two sides of the fence is the exorbitant amount of money they throw in.

But the glaring difference lies in the fact that while betting rings can hedge their investments, the corporate world doesn't have much cushion when their logo displaying players flop. So likewise the hype is created before the tournaments, the media thrashing is largely driven by interests of those who have invested into this circus. That's probably I'm ranting my investment of S$100/- that allowed me to watch only 3 matches played by India.

I'm now curious how the corporate world will implement the hedging concept when they will sign the next contracts with these walking bill-boards. Would there be penalty clause for every catches dropped, every ball misjudged and every extras bowled? If that be the case then the cricketers could hedge their earnings by secret tie-ups with the betting association for each of these penalties. So the thrill will be in speculating for every ball bowled whether the sponsor paid more for the batsman to hit a six or the better paid more to give a lolly catch to a pre-determined fielder. Just like stocks and bonds, the game of cricket will again enjoy the odds of uncertainty making the matches worthwhile watches. Also if you have access to inside information, you can make some hay while the sun shines.

And those of you complain about Krish Srikant's nonsensical analysis – there’s good news for you as well. In future you might see these ex-cricketers replaced with market analysts and conmen who’ll be much more knowledgeable on the odds and evens of the game than those who have wielded the willow. Add a lil dash of Rakhi Sawant and Mandira Bedi to this cocktail and what you get will be total entertainment.

Till all these goodies come to the cricketing world, left with much less option, I'll be cheering for Sri Lanka in this world cup, for their obvious Bong Connection.

9 comments:

Persona non gratis said...

the tale of vijaya was a fascinating read, I did not know of it. How did you get this piece of info? Are you a history buff?

Bishu said...

Not exactly a history buff, but rather a poetry buff. There was a line from a poem by Satyendranath Dutta "Bangalir chele Bijoy Singha korila Lonka joy" that directed me to the story of Vijaya.

DITO said...

'Bangalir chele'??? Was the lion in the story also a Bengali lion? I never knew that we had lions in Bengal.

Biplab said...

Obviously I am not the right person to comment on cricket. But just loved the information you provided on Sinhali – Bengali connection. It inflamed one of my long standing wish to start a genetic study on origin and dispersion of Bengali population. Wish I catch a hefty funding for that. Would love to read some article from you on this topic too.

Bishu said...

@Dito: You've raised a valid point that missed my mind entirely :) But we can declare Satyen Dutta guilt-less on grounds of poetic justice. However come to think of it lions do share the Bengali traits of having all the potential yet lazily dozing while waiting for the food to be delivered from the lionesses.

Bishu said...

@Biplab-da: I don't think there is enough scope of research as the adventerous Bong characters that dared to venture across the Indian waters and finally settle aboard is very few - starting from Vijay Singha to Suresh Biswas there was always a handful. But with Bengali doctors and CAs migrating to UK and now this rush of IT engrs abroad Bengalis are spreading all over. Add to this list those migrants from Bangladesh - a friend of mine was greeted in Rome's Leorando Da Vinci Airport with a "Dada Cha Khaben" by a Bangali tea-seller. Wait for a few more decades- We will spread over. Jai Bangla.

Persona non gratis said...

have you given up on blogging?

DaysasIremember said...

Hi Bishu,
How r u? I was going thru my older posts and found your comments in it........so thought to drop by and say a quick hi.Hope you are doing well.

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