Third world facilities ?

[Guest Hiten.]

First the roof collapses and now the champions are *forced* to bowl 17 overs in the next 40 mins (i.e. again the over rate is bothering the champs). How come the champions don't get to play in First class conditions rather than the third rate ones ? :giggle:

[Willow_on_fire]

bcoz...hayden is a jackass...:haha:

[DomainK]

Not to forget that Hayden was having more trouble withe sight screen movements than ever.

[Chandan]

First the roof collapses and now the champions are *forced* to bowl 17 overs in the next 40 mins (i.e. again the over rate is bothering the champs). How come the champions don't get to play in First class conditions rather than the third rate ones ? :giggle:

Why did you not post the link of the article, b_b? I thought it was written in an interesting way! Anyway, I'll post the article: NO matter how calm a cricketer tries to be amid the distractions on and off the field, karma has a way of sinking its frustrating teeth into his behind. Matthew Hayden may have had reason to rue his own words when he took strike at the Gabba yesterday. Lacking diplomacy last week, the big Queenslander had blamed "Third World" conditions for some of the over-rate problems on the subcontinent. He pointed out there were often delays because of sightscreen malfunctions and the like. "Often we find ourselves with hands on hips waiting for someone to either face up or someone in the sightboard to move away - all the little frustrations that happen in Third World countries," Hayden had said. India exploded with righteous indignation. It was unfortunate because Hayden is a long-time fan of the country and an enthusiastic tourist to the subcontinent. The big man loves the big place and embraces its culture with genuine warmth. He had been singing Indian cricket's praises just minutes before dropping the phrase, but by now Australian cricketers of all people should know that ill-chosen words can cause all sorts of problems. And so there was Hayden back in the alleged first world and ready to face the first ball at the Gabba yesterday. The ground was a bomb site after storms the night before. The large white sails that once formed the roof above one section of the stand lay shredded across a broad expanse of the seats while engineers were called to test the structural integrity of the supporting pylons. A few weeks ago the Australians had been disappointed to see the small crowds attending Indian Tests, but only 12,498 people showed up yesterday. The fans with tickets to the damaged area and the corporates who were due to eat in the dining room below were redirected to other sections of the ground. There was plenty of room. Later a section of sail fell down on to an inhabited section blocking their view. Outside traffic was diverted as cranes were brought in to repair the damage. Play started half an hour late because the covers had blown off during the night and the square had taken a soaking. Ground staff worked feverishly with oversized hair dryers trying to fix the problem. As Chris Martin stood at the top of his mark ready to deliver the first ball of the game, Hayden pulled away. There was a problem with movement near the sightscreen. Play was delayed for a few more minutes while the fourth umpire climbed into the relevant section and suggested the entrance above it not be used. A few overs later there was another delay as Tim Southee waited to bowl. Again there were sightscreen problems. After much arm waving, somebody realised what was going on but more time was lost. The same thing happened later and drinks were taken early. New Zealand's cricketers were patient and understanding. After all it wasn't as bad as they had put up with the week before in the dusty provincial cricketing outpost of Sydney during the tour match. The Paddington end sightscreen there had malfunctioned on Saturday. Come Sunday the Randwick end machine had given up the ghost. The ground staff decided to use two small tractors to shift it when needed, which had led to long delays and comical scenes as the vehicles bucked and slipped and struggled to move the screens. It's a tough tour for the Kiwis. Jesse Ryder had copped a bad stomach bug from the water or the food and had spent a few days in the team hotel on a drip, but had recovered enough to be back for this Test. Hayden only lasted 18 minutes at the Gabba yesterday, caught out by the foreign bounce and a touch of indecision. The day before the match he had said a batsman had two options on such a wicket; belt it or block it. The first 20 overs, he said, were the hardest. As it was, he was done by the trampolining bounce inside 20 balls. Hayden started to hit his stride in the last two Tests in India. He came into the series after a long lay-off with an injury, struggled to find rhythm and good umpiring in the first pair of matches but was getting there with 83, 16no, 16 and 77 in his last four innings. Now he has to quickly readjust his game to trying home conditions. Australia's second innings will almost certainly be Hayden's last Test knock at his home ground. He would love to give Queenslanders something to smile about after a hell of a week. ---------------------------------------------------------- A funny piece from Lalor!!

[Kohum]

Thisjust shows that these conditions can occur anywhere - but only malice can get words like "third world countries" out of the mouth of a moron.

[Guest Hiten.]

Chandan, I posted during the game. One of the commentators mentioned that Aus are behind the overrates. I was not aware of the article.