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Heads and tales

Mohammed Azharuddin's luck with the toss is just not cricket.

Here we are, being told it is a game of glorious uncertainities, a game where the law of averages catch up sooner than later.

Someone needs to tell Azhar that -- the guy has won the toss nine times in succession, thus far, and I for one can't think of any parallel for such luck with the toss, in the annals of international cricket.

Luck? It is an ugly word. Azhar may have been a brilliant batsman, he may have been the most successful captain in India's cricket history, in both Tests and one-dayers, he may have won countless tosses and yet, for each of his successes, his critics have used the luck factor rather than any intrinsic ability to account for his triumphs.

Thus, "luck with the toss," used so freely by writers when describing the moment, should be used carefully when it concerns Azhar.

"Actually, I was quite lucky with it today," said Azhar,at the end of the second one-dayer at the Queen's Club Ground in Bulawayo on Sunday. "Going by what had happened on Saturday, and also that it had rained, I did not think the pitch would favour the batsmen as it did early in today's match."

Indeed, Azhar and India were "lucky" that Zimbabwe did not manage more than 235 in their innings in 45 overs, so perfect did the pitch play. If ever there was a need to take first strike, it was on Sunday. But "luck" was on Azhar's side.

One is tempted to ask Azhar if there is a technique to tossing the coin, which he has mastered. Remember, captains are known to toss the coin with a certain push of thumb and for a certain height in the air, hoping it would flip a certain number of times before coming to a rest on the side they want. Arjuna Ranatunga is said to do so. But you ask Azhar about it, and he only looks perplexed.

If Azhar's success at the toss is legendary, so too are his monumental mistakes with it. The three instances which come immediately to mind are: the 1990 Lord's Test where he invited England to take first strike and saw captain Graham Gooch crack a triple hundred; the infamous 1996 World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka in Calcutta which exposed his batsmen later in the evening to dew and prodigious spin; and the last game of the Sahara Cup in Toronto where his openers did not have a clue to the seam and swing which the Pakistani pacemen were obtaining.

The Sahara Cup game was one of those rare instances when Azhar had chosen to bat on winning the toss. At least in the last seven games, he has opted to field first on six occasions. There are countless instances when he has preferred to chase, preferred to know the target for his batsmen, rather than set one for the opposition. It could be a safe tactic if you know your strength is primarily in batting.

Still, in perfect batting conditions, the option is doubtful at best. "Yes, you go to field first, as I did in Toronto, because you tend to feel your medium-pacers are fine and they would deliver the goods," said Azhar. In this instance, Azhar put his trust on medium-pacers for four games in a row and by the time he woke up to reality in the fifth match, the series was gone 3-1.

The rival captain, Aamer Sohail, could not help taking a potshot at it. "When I went in to toss for the fifth game, I was praying to lose it," said Sohail in mock-relief after his side had once again emerged victorious.

The Azhar of today is enormously popular with everyone - with fans, fellow cricketers, officials and even his worst critics, the media. Uday Shah, the sprightly joint secretary of the Cricket Club of India (CCI), was keen on knowing what Azhar felt about his new brainwave of putting the new markings at the boundary, instead of traditional boundary ropes or fences. "Udai Bhai, bahut achcha idea hai. Lekin dekhna, player ko chot na aaye. ICC se yeh point clear kar lena" (It is a very good idea but make sure players don't get hurt. Get the ICC's views on it)," said Azhar.

This new way of marking the boundary is brilliant. Apparently, the idea belongs to Duncan Kelly, the brain behind the Zimbabwe Cricket Supporters Club, and it is a hit with everyone. What happens with this idea is that an angular thick white cardboard is spread at the boundary markings, with advertisements on it, instead of a 6x8 space that usually is reserved for hoardings.

Thus, you get exposure on the entire field, and the cardboard is not as harmful as those metal hoardings you see most times.

Apparently, Shah has chosen to be a licensee of this concept by Kelly in India and Asia. The idea is well-registered and protected by laws, so they need not worry about "sharks" in India trying to make a raid at different grounds. The advertisements for the current Hero Honda Cup were for Cricket Stars (pvt) Cafe, India, which is a concept on the lines of Planet Hollywood, mooted by Ajay Jadeja who will be starting this Cafe at select places in November this year.