The SMH has printed quite a negative piece on the forthcoming IPL, with writer Andrew Stevenson all but savaging some of the game’s greats.
… in what looms as a tragic case of sport imitating art, McGrath seems set to follow the sad spectacle of the Rolling Stones and continue wandering the globe like some lost troubadour singing his song wherever rich men will throw coin in his cap.
Of Warne, we can expect little else, both spruiking himself and the IPL: his cap has been out for years, but Gilchrist revolutionised cricket with his play, and invigorated the game with his character. Now, too, his cap is out, catching coins tossed idly by the game’s new sahibs.
Frankly, Stevenson’s piece is grossly exaggerated. You’d think these guys had been retired for 15 years, or something, and were trying to make some sort of hopeless comeback on creaky old legs. I mean, let’s look at some facts:
- Warne and McGrath are barely retired and both of them retired, arguably, too soon – maybe even two or three years too soon in Warne’s case.
- Although retiring, Gilchrist is still playing. He scored 118 just last night.
- The IPL is only Twenty20, anyway. It’s not like they’re signing up for a massively long series of Test matches that are taxing on older players.
I venture that Stevenson wanted to write something controversial and, in that respect, it’s fair to say that he succeeded. But in the pursuit of making much sense as an analytical sports writer, I think he’s failed pretty badly.
