Sourav Ganguly turns Lecturer!Oxford

Thursday, July 23, 2009

As the International Cricket Council celebrates 100 years this year, the game's administrators have decided to go intellectual with a couple of lectures planned at the world's oldest university in the English speaking world. A choice selection of the game's greats has been invited to speak about various facets of the game, and among them is the true Royalty of Kolkata.

Sourav Ganguly spoke at the centennial celebrations of the ICC. But it was not all jovial, especially when an Englishman was harsh on the riches of the IPL.

"Money is good, but it hasn't done any good to the attitude. Lot more people in the game are calculating and managing their way to maximize the opportunity," said Angus Fraser, the cricket correspondent of The Independent.

But never one to back away, Dada was quick to counter.

"Players still want to play for their country. All established players only have IPL contracts. If you play in the IPL and not play international cricket, like Freddie is doing, you won't survive. You have to be a good international player to get your contracts ever year," said Ganguly.

Well, it would make sense for the former Indian skipper to guard the territory given how quickly he's made the transition from player to a commentator to an administrator. But he's already smartened up to the old BCCI game of not revealing too much too soon.

"It should be a balance of both. Administrative skills are required and both need each other. You need a mixture of both, you need everything from players, taking it baby steps at a time," added the southpaw who has played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs for India.

There is no doubt that Sourav Ganguly was the star attraction at this conference organised by the ICC on 100 years of cricket in Oxford University. But Sourav was quite the careful diplomat in what was an otherwise no holds barred, frank discussion, which perhaps is not surprising now that Sourav has openly stated his ambitions of a future in cricket administration.

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