Hello and welcome to Stumped, your intercontinental hit of news,
features and debate from the quirky world of cricket. I'm Alison Mitchell in London,
where Covid finally caught up with me, I'm afraid. Thank you to Eleanor Oldroyd for sitting in for me
last week, but I'm much better now, I'm glad to say. And I've been enjoying some really
close games in the women's 50-over World Cup, it has to be said. Australia though continued
to be juggernauts. They're through to the semi-finals along with South Africa also through.
England, they look like they're good for the semi-finals, but it's still going to come
down to a bit of a crunch I think for India in their last group game as well. But it's
been a fascinating tournament out there in New Zealand, that's for sure.
Long-time listener, first time guest co-host, Brett Sprigg here in Sydney, Ali, where the wet conditions across
most of Australia's east coast haven't dampened the enthusiasm of Aussie cricket fans who have
been not only proud of Meg Lanning's team and their efforts throughout this women's World Cup,
but also an enthralling men's Test series over in Pakistan. Hi, I'm Sunil Gupta in New Delhi, where
it's really hotting up. Not just because it's got really hot, it's the warmest March for many years,
but also because we have had no international men's cricket for quite some time now, which
is about two weeks and everyone's really looking forward to the one and only extravaganza called...
Yes, you've got it absolutely right. The lull before the storm... The IPL.
It is the 15th season of the Indian Premier League and with two new teams entering the competition this year
and the biggest stars in World Cricket competing, it promises to be bigger and more extravagant than
ever. Sunil, just how is the excitement in India for this new season, especially fingers crossed
with the whole season expecting to be played in India. That's right, it's not going to be played
all across India, there are just three or four venues in which it's going to be constantly played, but
I can tell you the type of coverage that I've seen in the sports pages of the national newspapers
is as if India has won a World Cup. That type of full spreads and pictures and statistics and
predictions and what have you, so it's really, as I said in the beginning, that everybody is waiting
with bated breath for this IPL. It promises to be a really super show coming up.
Brett, some of the Australians, of course, aren't going to be there for the start of the IPL, like
Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood because of course they are on international duty, but listening to
Andrew Mcdonald, the Aussies interim head coach out there with them, he actually sees the IPL as a
real chance to improve Australia's chances for the T20 World Cup coming up?
Absolutely. Whether he's right or not, I personally believe he is Ali. It speaks to a change in approach from an Australian
perspective that hasn't previously given credence to the shortest format, particularly in franchise
cricket. We've always tended to look down on players who perhaps prioritise things like the
IPL over playing for their country. Not that that's the case this time around because Cummins,
Hazlewood and David Warner, are in fact, being rested from the one-day internationals in
Pakistan. I imagine just to get some family time or something off the back of the Test series,
but the Australian coach has a point about the need to coexist alongside these tournaments. As
you mentioned, it's 15 years now of the IPL. It's not going anywhere and Josh Hazlewood is a great
example here. He played a key role last time around for the Chennai Super Kings in winning
that title, then backed it up in the World Cup and was among the top five wicket takers there. Now,
of course, he's with RCB this time around. But if that's good enough for a three-format player,
to work some IPL cricket into your personal schedule, then it will be something that Cricket
Australia and the high performance department are probably more inclined to give their blessing to.
It's funny how you say the IPL is not going anywhere, because I remember how long it took
for T20 - the format - for people still to be saying "T20's here to stay," ten years into the T20's so
the IPL? Yeah, it's absolutely here and it has been for a very long time. It's a fixture.
Let's just take a look at the two new teams for this year. Firstly, the Lucknow Super Giants.
They'll be captained by KL Rahul and they look to have a pretty strong bunch of all rounders from
different corners of the world, including Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya. Sunil, is it
refreshing, do you feel, to have two new teams? Can the IPL Golden Goose ever be overcooked?
You've just stolen my thunder, Ali, because I was just about to use those words!
Just before that I just wanted to pick up on something that Brett said,
which was assaulting by building up towards the world T20 in Australia later this year.
The ironic thing about India and the world T20 is that the only time we've won the world T20 is
when there was no IPL back in 2007. Since 2007, we've never won it! So, this thing about there's the new
captain, there's Rohit Sharma. To build the right team and the right balance, we had completely the
wrong balance for the Asia Cup that took place in Dubai. But right now, I think that getting
the team together. So that's one aspect of it. As to ten teams, Ali, you're absolutely right. You're
killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, or the tipping point, or call it what you will,
because there will be no end to the clamour from other state capitals to say" "We want a
share of this, we want our share this." As it is, it will be two months long. 27th March 29th May.
Can you ever think has there ever been a tournament that long in the history of mankind?
In the case of the IPL, it's a re-expansion isn't it, cos it's not the first time we've
had ten teams. Of course we had the same number of teams back in 2011. Long live the
Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala, but I'm especially keen to see what Marcus Stoinis does.
It feels like he adds a little bit more to his IPL resume every year, although he did miss a lot of
last year with the Capitals through injury. He has the security of a marquee contract at a new franchise.
It's a new challenge for him and I can't wait to see what he, for example, does with it.
And what about the second team then, Gujarat Titans? Their batting, I suppose you could say, looks a little
bit thin on paper, maybe. They've lost Jason Roy now. A bubble fatigue situation with him taking a
break from cricket. Captaining the side, Hardik Pandya, and he's won the IPL four times with
Mumbai Indians. He's taking that attitude that maybe they shouldn't expect too much, that sort
of sense of downplaying things. Then I suppose he can only ever exceed expectations, can't you?
I read this and I said is he talking about himself or the team because he's been in a bit of the
centre of the storm because he's not bowled. He's had a stress fracture.
There's a lot of talk about him playing in the world T20. He's not been bowling,
and he has never been a captain, and of course, it's a new team. They have never
played together before as a team, so there are a lot of challenges in front of him, so I think
he's right in playing expectations down because in this part of the world,
if you raise expectations beforehand... And he's a bit of a high-profile guy: the way he dresses, the
tattoos and shades and everything else. It's right to downplay things right now and I can show what I can do on the field.
The defending champions are, of course, Chennai Super Kings. They've got a pretty
similar line up to last year. However, they have lost Faf Du Plessis to Royal Challengers Bangalore
and leg spinner Deepak Chahar's injured as well. Sunil, do you think it's going to take something
pretty special from them to win the trophy again this year? Yes, I think so. And I'll tell you why.
It's not so much whom they've retained and whom they have lost because there has been so much
churn in the teams. There are only two people or three people or players that teams have retained
and so a lot of the big names have moved to other teams. I think, therefore, it's going to be a very
open IPL. If you look back over the last few years, it's been either Mumbai or Chennai and they've
really been ruling the IPL. But I think right now you have a much more open IPL. Of course,
there ten teams and many more matches to play and therefore juggling things. So I think absolutely.
I think they will have a difficult time retaining the trophy and that makes for a much, much more exciting IPL.
So go on, then. If I put you on the spot, Sunil and Brett, who are perhaps...
give us a young player to look out for and then your pick for the team who could lift the trophy?
Maybe this is recency bias, but I saw a couple of these players recently, but Royal Challengers
Bangalore now having Josh Hazlewood and also Wanindu Hasaranga, the exciting leg spinner from Sri Lanka
returning for his second year in the IPL. I think he'll have much more of an impact this time
around. He was leading wicket taker in the World Cup last year. It's a dangerous call to make, as
Sunil mentioned. They have not won the IPL despite the array of talent they've had over the years.
They call them the Under Achievers or the bridesmaids. Whatever the old terminology is
for the team that hasn't quite gone there. But, I'm saying this year is the year that RCB finally breaks through.
I don't know whether you guys have been reading my script because
Ali spoke about golden goose. You used bridesmaid, and that's exactly what I was going to say!
You've talked about RCB, but I think it's really time for the Delhi Capitals. They have a really
good team. If you look at that batting it is a powerhouse. They've got Prithvi Shaw, they've got
Rishabh Pant, they've got David Warner who didn't do well at all with Hyderabad last year.
They've got this very exciting young player. He was the Indian captain in the U19 s that
India won in the West Indies - Yash Dhull. And I watched some of his play, and I can tell you
he is mature beyond his years. The way he played and the way that he led the team that really to my mind
and not because I'm from Delhi, but I really do believe that they have an excellent batting team
and eventually at the end of the day. Say what you will. T20 is about putting up those big runs.
Then having a good fielding site. Yes, bowling is important, but if they're able to defend
a big total put up every time, it always puts pressure on the opponent.
Just to prove, Sunil, we don't liaise before doing this show. Delhi Capitals was my pick as well! I think they've
got a really strong XI when everyone is available...Warner and Mitch Marsh. I think Lungi Ngidi and
Mustafizur Rahman aren't available from the start, but when they are at full strength,
they look a pretty formidable side to me. Next on Stumped, a much changed England men's Test team
are currently in action in the West Indies in the third of their three match series in the Caribbean
and that's a series that's tied after both of the first two matches were draws on pitches
that unfortunately are a far cry from the fire and brimstone Caribbean pitches of old. But whilst the
action on the field between the two sides these days is very amicable, that wasn't necessarily
the case on the MCC's tour of 1953-54. A new book called Who Only Cricket Know -. Hutton's men in
the West Indies tells the story of the second most controversial tour in English cricketing
history coming only after body line. The cricket was full of incidents on and off the field,
much of which involving race and social class. Now, the author of this book is Dr David
Woodhouse, and he's with us on Stumped. David, welcome to you. Tell us a little bit more about
this tour. It wasn't any ordinary Test series. Just what went on?
Thank you Alison. Thank you for having me on. It's a great thrill to be on the World Service. I've listened
to the station all my life and it remains the best radio station in the world. To come back to this
tour, it was billed beforehand actually, as the unofficial World Championship of cricket
because, as some listeners may remember, England had just beaten Australia for the first
time at home in 26 years in the coronation ashes in 1953, and the West Indies had thrashed England
in 1950. That's the series that produces that famous calypso cricket, lovely cricket. So even
before the series, the press of both sides were hyping it up as the World Championship
and then as you say once it had finished, everyone said it was the second most controversial tour of
all time. I actually wonder if it was the most controversial in fact. It had all the
three key ingredients of body line. So, it had intimidatory bowling:
Five batsmen were put in hospital during the tour, including the great Jamaican legend
George Headley, it had diplomatic incidents. One of which involved the Chief Minister of Jamaica.
And afterwards, just as in the case of body line, there was a court martial, at Lord's,
where Fred Trueman had his good conduct bonus docked. Trevor Bailey was stripped of the vice
captaincy and in fact, there was a conspiracy by MCC to remove Hutton. He was the first
professional captain of England and replace him David Shepherd for the tour of Australia, which,
of course, Hutton went on to win thanks to Tyson and Statham. So I think it's fair to say strange,
actually, that it's not so remembered as body line today and there maybe some reasons for that.
But I think it's fair to say that at the time, it was considered to have been a diplomatic disaster.
Even though the cricket itself was very exciting. You're right. We don't revisit it in the same way
I suppose that Australian Ashes series... You look back at past histories and is so much literature
on them. Is that one of the driving forces for you behind revisiting this tour and tell us a bit
about your own background and a love of cricket? Yes, I think I came to the tour writing another
book on the language of cricket many years ago when I read Len Hutton's autobiography to try and
find some Yorkshire dialect. There wasn't much of that cos it was ghosted by a southerner, but
when I reminded myself of this series, I thought, why have thirty books been written about body
line and none about this series? While body line is interesting in the way it happens at a time,
which I'm sure you've discussed on this programme, at a time when Australia is flexing its muscles
as a fully-fledged dominion, the period where this series happened is even more interesting.
In England, we've got all these social developments after the war;
less deference to the establishment and Hutton is a very symbolic figure, I think, on a lonely pioneering
journey through the class barrier, having to deal with all these mandarins at Lord's.
In the West Indies, of course, we're on the way to independence. That famous question:
"What do they know of cricket that only cricket know?" CLR James actually asked that question in
the context of series like these where he says the islands are in the full tide from colonialism to
independence. It takes another decade, actually, for all the West Indian islands to become
independent. In a moment in history where you get this tremendous mixture of individual personality
and historical forces. That's what attracted me to the series in which I hope makes it... Certainly, I'm fascinated by it.
I guess we could apply this question to cricket or a geo-politically
more broadly, what lessons were learned in the immediate aftermath of the tour, David?
Well, I mean, it's a good point you make about geo-politics because you knew when you re-wisdom.
So, on this tour, there was a riot. The first riot in Test cricket. There was an arson attack on
one of the stands in Trinidad and Hutton was booed remorsefully in Barbados for the slowest
day in Test cricket at 124 runs in 118 overs, can you believe. It makes the current Test series
look like there was fast scoring. So there was all that going on
and I think the lessons that were learnt from it was should cricketers, I suppose, be considered as
diplomats, all the time? So I think that's one lesson and I suppose the other lesson is that
cricket at that time had structures that were not necessarily progressive. I mean that might
still be said today, of course. I suppose my book has two journeys; one is the journey of Hutton as
the first professional captain of England, who has to deal with people like Pelham Warner at Lord's,
who eventually triumphs in Australia and the other is the journey of West Indian cricket from 1950.
Clive Lloyd described that first victory as VE Day and then Worrell leads them to victory in 1963,
which one English journalist called the celebrations like
VE night. That take 13 years and it takes over a decade for Worrell to become captain of West
Indies when he was probably more qualified to do it in 1953-54 than anybody else.
Now, that is all we've got time for on this week's Stumped. My thanks to Brett Sprigg, and to
Sunil Gupta and to you all for listening. Make sure you join us again next time. Until then. Bye for now.