Letter to the Sports Editor...Allan Donald way off mark with hasty pronouncement on Pollard

Letter to the Sports Editor…Allan Donald way off mark with hasty pronouncement on Pollard

May 15, 2014 Sports

Dear Sports Editor,
I was reading an article on Cricinfo titled “Arrogant” Pollard got away lightly. The article was focused on the altercation that occurred during the IPL matchup between RCB & Mumbai whereby both players (Mitchell Starc and Kieron Pollard) admitted to a level two offence under the IPL’s code of conduct and each lost 75% of his match fee.
Donald’s contention is that Pollard pulled out deliberately at the last moment and that’s not acceptable to him. He further went on to berate Pollard as a fairly arrogant individual and that he cannot stand a player who wants to throw his bat at the bowler (but he can stand the bowler pitching the ball dangerously to the defenseless batsman). I really cannot believe that Donald was watching the same game as I was. Donald has been a great exponent of fast bowling and commands a fair amount of respect in the cricketing world for his extensive experience and ability so much so he has now been appointed as the bowling coach for the RCB. I am of the firm opinion that Allan Donald erred immensely in his judgment in this altercation and the same can be said about the match referee that imposed the penalties as I see the situation quite differently. For those persons who did not witness this match, I invite them to relook at this match and make their own individual judgment on the matter.
This imbroglio started with Pollard facing up to Mitchell Starc and pulled out of his batting stance prior to Starc’s delivery and ended up close to the edge of the pitch. Quite obviously, Starc became furious with Pollard’s actions and continued to deliver the ball in a menacing manner, not towards the wicket or outside off stump if he was already in his delivery stride as Donald would want us to believe, but towards Pollard with the clear intention of hitting or injuring Pollard. The game of cricket has become full with mind games by players against each other with the constant teasing of your opposition to unsettle them and gain the upper hand is now very commonplace.
Bowlers intimidate batsmen all day and batsmen use whatever little tricks they have up their sleeves and in this regard, Pollard used his trick of pulling out of his stance claiming he was not ready. That was his prerogative and it was not as though he was constantly doing same. This was the first and only time in the game that he did so with Starc. The fact that Pollard pulled out at the very last moment, even if we are to believe Donald, does not justify Starc to pitch the ball towards Pollard.
After Starc’s deliberate delivery of the ball towards Pollard, he justifiably reacted with anger at the thought that Starc was deliberately trying to injure or maim him and hurtled his bat towards the bowler but managed to control himself somewhat by holding back at the very last moment and the bat ended up close to his feet similar to just throwing his bat to the ground. The thrown bat did not go anywhere near to Starc like how the ball ended up near to Pollard who had to run away to avoid being hit. The only dangerous action in this entire altercation was the menacing hurtling of the ball towards the batsman by the bowler and not the other way around as Donald would want us to believe.
The game of cricket has no place for such distasteful behavior and further it is worse when match referees cannot adjudicate properly or senior match officials pass judgment against players displaying their jaundiced point of view.
Yours faithfully,
Raj Singh

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Letter to the Sports Editor…Allan Donald way off mark with hasty pronouncement on Pollard

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