Test cricketers who were sent home...

It happened in the last match of the Indian-leg, at Amritsar, where the North Zone played the West Indies. A friend of Alexander's who had been with him at Cambridge University, was the captain of the North Zone team, and had said that he was very keen to do what none of the other Indian batsmen had been able to do. And that was to give Gilchrist a good hiding. And Gilchrist felt that his old pal Alexander would not have been sorry if Singh had done it. Singh had really got Gilchrist riled up from the very start. When he went out to bat in the first innings, Gilchrist got him first ball. Clean bowled neck and crop. That certainly did not go down very well with Swarnajit Singh. In the second innings, he was doing much better. He had scored 15 and was looking very pleased with life. 

Now if a fellow is bowling flat out in a temperature of 90-100 degrees, he gets hot and bothered in more senses than one. And Roy Gilchrist will be the first to admit that he is no saint, when someone tells him something out of line, which is exactly what Swarnajit Singh did. It was the last over before lunch on the third day of the match, and Singh was looking as if he was going to stay there until tea. But Gilchirst was working on a plan to give him the whole afternoon off. Gilchrist gave him a bouncer and Singh did not like it at all. The next one was pitched up and Singh drove it through the covers for four. Gilchrist did not like that, and it made matters worse, when Singh strolled down the wicket and asked him "Did you like that one? Beautiful, wasn't it?" That made Gilchrist hopping mad. The next ball was a real scorcher. Just about the fastest ball that Gilchrist ever bowled in all his life. Now Singh did not like that bouncer any more than Gilchrist had liked that four. Neither did Alexander. Next one was snicked and Alexander dropped it. It looked as if the whole world had turned against Gilchrist at that moment. So he gave Singh two more that almost singed his beard. And was the end of the over and tea time. After they had walked off the field, Alexander told Gilchrist very coolly, that he had bowled his last ball in that match and that he had requested the North Zone to field a substitute, and they had agreed. But they did!

Gilchrist then asked Alexander, if he could finish the match even if he was not going to bowl. But Alexander said, that he had made up his mind and that was that. Gilchrist took it well. Certainly better than Singh took those two bouncers. The game continued without Gilchrist and when it was over came the biggest bombshell. One of the biggest ever in Test cricket. The selection committee consisting of Berk Gaskin, Alexander, Holt and Ramadhin met - and then Alexander broke the storm. "Gilchrist, you don't go to Pakistan. You will leave for home on the next plane. Good afternoon". There was nothing that he could do about it, so he just went up to his room and stayed there. But some of the team thought that he should not take it lying down and the decision was a bit too hard. 
 

-Bruce Maurice

Wilma Rudolph was simply tops

By Annesley Ferreira

The case of Wilma Rudolph the spectacular athlete of the sixties is a case in point. Eight years after putting on her first pair of shoes without a brace, Wilma became the greatest American female sprinter ever by winning three gold medals at the 1960 Rome Olympics."

"Wilma Rudolph died too young, for she was an inspiration to thousands of young girls through the years after her great gold medal performance at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. Because of many childhood illnesses, she was unable to walk without braces until she was 12. Eight years after wearing her first normal pair of shoes, she stood on the Olympic award podium three times, the winner of the 100 and 200 metres, and part of the victorious 4 x 100 relay team. 

During the filming of 'Wilma' (Bud's two hour NBC documentary) life story, I asked her which victory ceremony she savoured the most, thinking she would say the 100 or 200 individual events. She quickly replied 'oh, it was the relay, because I wanted so much for my team mates to enjoy the celebrations I already had." 

Such was Wilma's extraordinary character.

The battle for the top ten women of the century was as tight as for the men. In a narrow decision, "Jackie of all trades" edged Irena Szewinska.

Here are Track and Field News top ten women athletes of the 1990s.

Jackie Joyner Kersee (United States)

Even if she always said the long jump was her favourite single discipline Jackie simply was the finest multi-event athlete of all time. 

Missing the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Heptathlon Gold by just five points fired her determination. That and the goading of coach/husband Bobby Kersee that she could be the world's best heptathlete drove her to both titles at the 1987 world's and 1988 Seoul Olympics. The Seoul seven-eventer heptathlon is a still standing world record of 7291 points.

Irena Szewinska (Poland) 

Nobody ever scored more world ranking points than Irena, who totalled 342 in 43 appearances in six events: 100, 200, 400, Long jump, 400 low hurdles and the multi events. Overall she had a record of 16 number ones. During her 16 season international career established ten world records and among her seven Olympic medals, won gold in the 200 and 400 (where she was the first ever to break the 50).

Iolanda Balas (Romania) - 

From 1956 thru 1967, history's greatest high jumper compiled an unapproachable string of 150 consecutive victories. That effort included 1960 Rome and 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and 13 world records and a tie. Those 14 record entries are the most in history by a woman and included the first ever clearance of 6 feet. Her highest record of 6-3 1/4 lasted more than a decade.

Marita Koch (East Germany)

Possessing an unmatched range in the sprints, Marita once held the indoor 50 metre record while owning the outdoor world record in the 200 and 400. A two-times athlete of the year in 1979 she was ranked No: 1 in both the 200 and 400 as well as No. 3 in the 100. She set four 200 world marks and the first to go under 22 flat. Among her seven 400 records, she was the first under both 49 and 48 seconds.

Fanny Blankers - Koen (Holland) -

Even though she carved her place in history at the 1948 London Olympics - titles in the 100, 200, 80- hurdles and the 4 x 100 relay - she had been an international level performer since first competing in the 1936 Games. She set her first world record in 1938 and accumulated a dozen in the sprints. Hurdles and long jump during a career that lasted until 1955, when she was 37.

Heike Drechsler (East GErmany)

Joyner-Kersee's career-long rival burst on the world stage by winning the 1983 world championships long jump title at 18. She added the 1992 Barcelona Games and the 1993 World Championship Golds. A fine sprinter as well. At one time she also held the 200 world record.

Babe Didrikson (United States)

This rawboned athlete is the only, man or woman, to medal in a running event, a jump and a throw at the same Olympics after her 1932 Olympic wins in the 80 hurdles in a world record, and Javelin and a 2nd in the high jump (equalling a world record).

Tatyana Kazankina (Soviet Union) 

Up to 1980 no Olympic 1500 champion man or woman had ever repeated. The Soviet became the first, dominating with an Olympic record 3:56.56 to strike gold by more than a second. Kazankina prefaced her defense with a world record 3:52.47 which stood for 13 years. It was one of the six world records in her career 800 thru 3000 metres.

Shirley De La Huntry (Australia) -

The first woman to defend an Olympic title with her 80 - hurldes wins in the 1956 Olympics. She remains the only successful defender in the women's hurdles. Her individual medal collection included 3 bronzes: 100 and 80 hurdles in 1948 Games and 100 in 1952 Olympics. She set two world records in the hurdles.

Tamara Press (Soviet Union) -

In the last half of the century, no thrower dominated the shot putt and the discus like the Russian. She set a dozen world records 1959 - 65, six in each throw. She surpassed barriers in both events as the first to reach all the foot markers between 56 and 61 feet in the shot and 188 and 195 feet with the discus. She won the 1960 Olympic shot putt then took both events at the 1964 games.

Significant support was there for those named in alpabetical order: Evelyn Ashford, Betty Cuthbert, Gail Devers, Florence Griffith Joyner, Ruth Fuchs, Gisela Mauermayer, Ulrike Mayfarth, Wilma Rudolph, Mary Slany Wyomia Tyus, Grete Waitz and Wang Junxia.

Courtesy: Olympian and Track & Field News - in asociation with C. Vijitha Fernando, DWSF

Stop unwarranted appealing by bowlers

By Bernie Wijesekera

Appeals, are within the laws of the game, but certainly not making blind appeals for the sake of appealing when the bowler fails to make a breakthro'. 

This was evident at the recent tour made by Sri Lanka to Pakistan where some bowlers tended to overdo it, on either side.

Others may be doing it. Then why should we emulate them as an example. Imagine bowlers looking up to the heavens and then going on bended knees to kiss the good earth in disgust when its being turned down. Put a side the bowler, the 'keeper and the fielders (close-in) but also the third man and the players in the deep joining them. It isn't cricket.

A certain official, who managed a Sri Lankan team on a tour abroad told The Sunday Times. "A couple of players were constantly howling at the umpire. Well, after the match I hauled them to my room and advised them to refrain from unwarranted appealing. Sorry manager", and it stopped there.

The seniors must set an example to the juniors by their conduct on and off the field. True, professionalism and money has plagued the game and to win at all cost. Even today the kids, whilst watching the seniors on T.V. have taken to this bad habit of appealing at every turn. 

There is no match referee to reprimand them. But its the duty of the master-in-charge or the head of the school, who should take them to task, for this unwarranted appealing.

Among the schools today there are no likes of the calibre of Christie Gunasekera (Royal), T. Kan-daswamy (Nal-anda), G.W. Rajapakse (Ananda), Johnpulle (St. Joseph's) etc., or personalities like F.C. de Saram, Bertie Wijesinghe, Orville Abeynaike and A.V. Fernando handling school cricket. Apparently unlike today there was no outside interference.

Former Sri Lanka "double international" at cricket and rugby dusky Mahes Rodrigo who captained Royal in 1946, agreed that there was, too much of appealing even among the schoolboys. 

The youngsters in their first lesson - should have been taught how to conduct themselves besides playing the game? 

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