Every international team fixed matches in 1990s: Condon

[carnish]

Azhar saying that his case is going on in HC and his name will be cleared.. LOL.... like no one knows that he offered Cronie money... i mean that guy has publicly accepted the fact and revealed Azhar and others in the INDIAN team... and such a guy is an MP... It happens only in INDIA

[akshayxyz]

Even if there is a bit of truth in Kambli's statement, it is difficult to take him seriously. And if it is true that Azhar chose to field first against the initial plan - then there is something fishy. But I am not sure how is it possible w/o coach's consent.

[SachDan]

Kambli in tears...crying over same match after 15 years!

[asterix]

Kambli is an attention seeker.. He has to earn too and he uses these tactics to seek attention. I remember some time ago he claimed that "Sachin never supported him in his career" etc. Then he apologised to Sachin and the issue was settled... However, Azhar and few others in the team were match fixers and that fact shouldn't be glossed over..

[Karan114]

Kambli is an attention seeker.. He has to earn too and he uses these tactics to seek attention. I remember some time ago he claimed that "Sachin never supported him in his career" etc. Then he apologised to Sachin and the issue was settled... However, Azhar and few others in the team were match fixers and that fact shouldn't be glossed over..

This sums it up for me. Azhar and others were scumbags, but it doesn't give Kambli any credibility. Everyone knows his drunken antics during the World Cup that used to hassle other players.

[Raghav_12]

Not a fan of Azhar and hate him to the core for whatever he did, but here agree with what he says about Kambli. This guy, Kambli, can go to any extent to stay in limelight. Didn't he indirectly blame Sachin for his downfall? Sorry, can't be taken seriously.

[akshayxyz]

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How can one not remember that match - we were taking Engineering Drawing Major test in the afternoon, and still somehow (invigilator or someone) kept us uptodate with SL wickets. There was huge cheer in the exam hall when Kalu and Jayasurya were removed cheaply and we went on to complete the test in high spirits.. only to be spoiled later when we came back to hostel :((.

[Precambrian]

I'd take Kambli's words over a proven cheater Azhar's words anyday It's a joke when an 18-yr old is languishing in jail for bowling 2 no balls under his captain's pressure while a proven cheat who got a life ban for match fixing is a lawmaker.

[akshayxyz]

Kambli is a cry baby and is the sole reason why he failed despite being very talented.

[akshayxyz]

And that match is the typical template of what SRT went through most of the 90s.

[Precambrian]

An avg of 54.5 frm 17 tests. Would'nt call that having failed. He was dropped harshly, and was dealt a raw deal. Contrast that with Yuvraj who got more than double that no. of tests and still languishing in mid thirties. And that too in th 00s. I'd give an arm and leg to wear the Indian test cap for once leave alone 17 tests.

[mishra]

An avg of 54.5 frm 17 tests. Would'nt call that having failed. He was dropped harshly, and was dealt a raw deal. Contrast that with Yuvraj who got more than double that no. of tests and still languishing in mid thirties. And that too in th 00s. I'd give an arm and leg to wear the Indian test cap for once leave alone 17 tests.

+1. During Kambli+Azahar era, I used to think that Azhar was scre wing Kamblis career. I still think his relationship with Azhar was definitely not the best. And he definitely paid for it. And yes. Kambli used a very talented International batsman

[ViruRulez]

To be honest, IIRC SL were massacring the opposition during that WC. In those days, it used to be around 50 runs after 7 overs in good matches when Sachin etc. were playing .. on the other hand, I distinctly remember SL was above all and was scoring 40-50 in just 2-3 overs. Jayasuriya and another opener (perhaps the w/k) was on fire in those days. SL used to chase scores in half of the overs in most of the matches while chasing and destroyed the game even more than we do when Veeru clicks. So, not surprising decision. Kambli was not an ODI regular but was fading away with his form dying out. Sachin had taken the lead by then while Kambli was fading away after being better than Sachin a few years earlier. I remember that WC clearly and was watching most of the matches closely and there was hardly any element of doubt in most of the matches which would point to fixing. SA and SL were the dominating teams but SA choked and SL won.

[Precambrian]

I cannot grasp this logic. If a team is batting extremely well, how does it make sense to choosing to bat second to subvert that? If anything it is only going to reduce this thing called "scoreboard pressure" and let their batsmen all the more perform to their strengths. Delhi & Kolkota ODIs were not at all comparable. In Delhi we lost toss and were sent into bat and ended up abt 25-30 runs short tbh due to the conditions. Also our bowling wasn't abysmal, just Prabhakar was. It's also wrong to say Kambli was fading in ODIs back then, especially when he had just made a matchwinning 100 against Zimbabwe just 2 matches previously.

[bulbul]

I'd take Kambli's words over a proven cheater Azhar's words anyday It's a joke when an 18-yr old is languishing in jail for bowling 2 no balls under his captain's pressure while a proven cheat who got a life ban for match fixing is a lawmaker.

+1 Azhar is the guy who told once he was targeted becuase he is from minority community....how should anyone trust this fellow..

[mishra]

+1 Azhar is the guy who told once he was targeted becuase he is from minority community....how should anyone trust this fellow..

:hysterical: Wen you remind it, Yeah i remember it now

[Manny_Pacquiao]

Kambli cried coz he knew he was going to be dropped lol. It was as if he was going to win the match for us . He was in horrible form.

kambli had batted very well in that world cup.

[vvvslaxman]

kambli had batted very well in that world cup.

no chance.. we were literally pissed off at his performance bar that 100 against pathetic zimboks. until semi final he was the chief enemy for fans alongwith prabakar.

[phaedrus]

no chance.. we were literally pissed off at his performance bar that 100 against pathetic zimboks. until semi final he was the chief enemy for fans alongwith prabakar.

+1

[Raghav_12]

I cannot grasp this logic. If a team is batting extremely well, how does it make sense to choosing to bat second to subvert that? If anything it is only going to reduce this thing called "scoreboard pressure" and let their batsmen all the more perform to their strengths. Delhi & Kolkota ODIs were not at all comparable. In Delhi we lost toss and were sent into bat and ended up abt 25-30 runs short tbh due to the conditions. Also our bowling wasn't abysmal, just Prabhakar was. It's also wrong to say Kambli was fading in ODIs back then, especially when he had just made a matchwinning 100 against Zimbabwe just 2 matches previously.

Well, batting second against SL was not such illogical thing to do for that match. SL openers, Jayasuriya and Kaluvutharana was on rampage during that tournament and they were chasing down any target with consummate ease. India had set up a target of 271 in Delhi, just few matches ago, which was definitely well above par total in those days (India was yet to score a 300 in an ODI) but the ease with which SL won that match was enough to scare anybody. On top of that Jayasuriya had murdered England also in his previous match. The line of thought, going into SF was that we would never know how much target would be enough for these Srilankan so if we know how much we have to score we can atleast have some game plan, I agree that was very pessimistic way to come up with a strategy but it was something on most of the people would have agreed on. I don't think what Kambli is saying makes much sense. It is just to create some sensation and reels in media.