Burnt out with hot air

IN Opinion | 11/05/2006

S R Khelkoodkar

In a profession where words are easy and opinions even more so, it is not surprising that sports journos are so full of both. Usually, where, instead of being given the facts and drawing our own conclusions, we are given a set of opinions and made to choose from amongst them.

This is nowhere more apparent than in cricket, where in India every man and his father-in-law speak from the heart, and state even nonsense as facts. So when a cricket story comes along and sports writers show remarkable restraint, you are forced to wonder why.

The current hot topic, if you will, is that of player fatigue and burnout. Are cricketers playing too much? We`ve all heard of Shahid Afridi`s (subsequently withdrawn) retirement from test matches, for example.

However, all the leading newspapers have kept silent on the issue, at least as far as their own opinions are concerned. This absence, such as it is, should be enough to make us all grateful.

But is it? In other words, is the word limit now being filled by fact, as it perhaps should be? In this case, sadly, the answer is still no.

What we have instead of journalistic opinion is a whole lot of other opinions, although admittedly they are of those who matter a little bit more. Most stories on the issue are interviews. We have, over the last few weeks, heard what Sehwag, Dhoni, Dravid, Gavaskar, Miandad, and several others, have had to say on the subject.

Not surprisingly, even among them opinion is divided. The overall picture that the reader is presented with, therefore, is a similar mixture of opinion. Some people, mostly current players, say that the current schedule is too burdensome. Players run the risk of burnout, and boards should manage schedules better. On the other hand, there are those, mostly former players, who say that it is not so. `When we were players we were dying to play more` seems the general refrain of this group.

What makes the absence of journalistic opinion even more surprising is that here is a story that is almost packaged and ready for controversy and politics. Does, for example, the board really overwork its players for the sake of revenue? Is the ICC imposing some sort of limit that the boards transgress? The answer is we don`t know, although I, at least, am thankful that the point is not lost by drowning it in politics.

As a reader, I find that I am presented with little or no fact. I have to rely on my memory to see how many matches have been played this year. In truth, it does appear to me that India plays rather a lot of matches, but whether it is `too much` is a different matter.

What I would like to know, then, includes the following:

How many matches do teams play? How many rest days does that include, and how well-spaced are they?

What, if anything, does the ICC rulebook have to say on the matter? Are there rules, or mostly guidelines?

Are boards guilty of overburdening the schedule? Is it because of money?

How do cricket workloads compare with those of other sports? Football, for example, seems to have a tremendously busy schedule. During the year, teams end up playing matches almost every weekend, and even some midweek. And, this year, when the season ends in May, players don`t seem to have that much time to rest. After all, the World Cup begins in June. Do footballers complain of heavy schedules?

Maybe if these and other questions were answered, we might be able to draw better conclusions. Good job on staying away from opinion, and cricketers` opinions will help us make up our own minds, but we`d also love to have some facts.

Contact: khelkoodkar@gmail.com