Hello and welcome to Stumped, your intercontinental hit of news, features,
and debate from the quirky world of cricket. I'm Alison Mitchell and I'm in Northamptonshire this
week in the Midlands region of the country, spending a bit of time with my parents.
The cricket season though domestic cricket season is just around the corner. County media days are
getting under way as we're heading into April and that, of course, means there's snow on the ground. Of course there is!
There's no snow in Sydney. Jim Maxwell here and plenty of rain,
record rain. So just as well we're not playing international cricket in Sydney at the moment, but
the game has been put just over there for the moment because of the Shane Warne memorial
last night at the MCG, which was the most extraordinary event. The Australian Royalty
is & has been people who play sport or even racehorses for that matter.
So, it was an unbelievable celebration of the extraordinary life of Shane Keith Warne,
whose name now adorns the great Southern Stand. It was a show and a half. We'll talk more as we go,
but it was quite a remarkable evening. We've heard of snow from Ali, we've heard of rain from Jim,
I can tell you about the heat here in Delhi. So, I think we ve got all bases covered on the weather
front! This is Sunil Gupta in Delhi where we witnessed the trauma of India crashing out
of the Women's World Cup because of a no-ball on the second last delivery of game
upon which a catch was taken and that would've made it three runs needed off the last ball,
but fortunately that's the way it goes. And if you talk about fortune changing moments in the game,
well, that is one you can chalk down for the record and of course, the IPL's off with a bang
with 200-plus scores being scored and chased down. Also, a low scoring thrillers. We saw one between
the KKR and RCB the other day. So, it's all happening as Tony Greig says, "it's all happening in India!"
Well, we're going to start this week with the state memorial service held for Aussie
cricketing legend Shane Warne. Tell you what, it was an extraordinary event, Jim, as you said. Not
many people get Elton John, Chris Martin and Ed Sheeran all performing at their funeral. That just
shows how big a star Warney was. Just to remind everybody, he died earlier this month at the age
of just 52 from a suspected heart attack and the state memorial service was held in front of over
50,000 fans at the MCG. That iconic ground was so close to his heart in his home state of Victoria.
And, well, stars from the world of cricket paid their tributes alongside
personal friends, longstanding friends and his three children; Summer, Brooke and Jackson all
shared their memories of a great cricketer, but for them just simply dad. I think that was the most
poignant part of the service for me, certainly. It's difficult not to shed a tear and they did
their dad proud as well. They held themselves together in the deepest of emotions, really,
and said some very personal and poignant things. Jim, from everybody we heard from, and even a
representative of the UN to reflect on some of the charity work Warney did. The whole event showed us
how many people & how many lives Warney managed to touch in his time.
He did, yes. It was beautifully played by his family, I think, which was really important. His father gave a flawless performance
really. I don't think he missed a beat in that eulogy, and nor did the three children. The
most impressive part of the whole show that they were so involved and showed so much humanity in
recognising the contribution that Shane Warne as a father, and as a son in Keith's case, had made.
I don't think there's any doubt when you think about Shane Warne, and you look at the coverage of that
service last night. It was on every major network as well as being on subscription TV. The numbers
will attest to the fact that he did have a massive following, even for people who didn't necessarily
enjoy the game of cricket. We're talking about someone who was theatrical in every aspect
of the way he played the game. And that's why he was a much larger figure than a chap who bowled
leg breaks like no one else had ever done in the game of cricket. So, it was an extraordinary
evening of celebration to farewell Warney. Yep, it really was. Sunil, we heard from Indian cricket
legends as well, who paid tribute to him and there was a moment which showed just how much
Warney loved the IPL in India. But it is true to say that the people of India loved him back just as much.
Oh, yes. The stories are legendary, the episodes are legendary. There's
so many anecdotes about Warney here in India. I'll just go back, if you give me a minute, to
the first time he came to India. He didn't know what to expect, and I remember reading a report
that he came here, and he brought his own baked beans and spaghetti
and used to eat baked beans and spaghetti on toast throughout that tour! Then he got to love India,
of course, I think his big time was where he led Rajasthan Royals to their up only title - it
was the inaugural title of the IPL, and he is the man responsible for discovering the guy he called
"the rock star" and that is Ravindra Jadeja, who now has made it so big and acknowledges it.
He was one of the first to acknowledge Warney's death and then give a very moving tribute to him.
You know, he used to go to people's houses and have dinner. He used to go casually in shorts, in
slippers as if he was going next door in Melbourne to have something on the barbie and a beer.
That's how he was. He just completely, I think, got in people's hearts because he was so real.
Yes, there was an element of the theatrical about him when he was on the field. But when he met
people, when you heard him on his commentary, there was no artifice. You saw what you saw,
and you got what you saw and that was it. I think that's why people loved him. And, um,
you tell me how many players or people have teams of every nationality... I remember the day he passed
away, or the day after, the Pakistan team, the Australian team, the umpires, the Indian team,
the Sri Lankan team, the umpires were all playing international cricket and they had black armbands on.
Now, if that doesn't say anything, then nothing ever will, and testify to what Warney stood for,
not just in India, but in the cricketing world. He was a boy from Black Rock, but he was absolutely
a man of the world and the way cricket had taken him around and the impact he made on
everybody who he met, whether they were in cricket or outside cricket,
whether it was a fleeting moment. There are so many little anecdotes and on his eating anecdotes,
I did enjoy from one of his daughters who talked about you know if they were going out for a family
meal, or if they were on holiday and they would go out and eat somewhere and he knew in advance
that he'd have food that he didn't like and he wouldn't eat, he wouldn't make a fuss or
say "let's not go there because I'm not gonna be able to eat anything." He'd just order room service
in advance, so he had his fill, and then get to the restaurant and say "that's alright, I'm not
hungry. You guys eat." So little things like that they're very personal little anecdotes that came
through on the night and of course, the evening finished with the unveiling, as Jim mentioned,
of the Shane Warne Stand and the honour of that moment was quite rightly, and very appropriately,
given to his three children. They really did their dad proud, I thought, with their words and the
way they held themselves through emotion of that evening. It still feels surreal that he gone, but
Shane Warne will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone who came into contact with
him and I feel there is some element of comfort in knowing that he will forever be
watching on from the lofty heights of the MCG and able to always watch his beloved sports.
Now, let's talk Women's World Cup, because after 30 matches, 433 wickets and 50 6s, we now know
it's going to be Australia versus the defending champions, England in the final. I think it's fair
to say that the Aussies have been the dominant ones throughout the competition. They have won
all eight of their matches. Who's really stood out for you, Jim? Is it the likes of Jess Jonassen?
We saw Alyssa Healy has got into the century stakes as well leading into the final.
When it comes to the bowling, they're all contributing. I always enjoyed ever since she came into the side, the
leg spinner, Alana King. I think she's made a great contribution. But
the surprise player always, with bat or ball is Ash Gardner and in the field for that matter too.
That innings that she played against New Zealand to cap off an extraordinary run glut at the Basin Reserve
was a remarkable demonstration of power and hand eye co-ordination,
and then she takes the ball, and she bowls a straight ball better than Nathan Lyon I reckon.
You look at the number of times Ash Gardner gets someone out with a ball
that goes dead straight; that kind of topspin stuff. She's a remarkable cricketer, so Australia's just
blessed. I mean, as I say if a couple of players dropped out and Ellyse Perry has dropped out.
There's more than sufficient quality to cover and of course,
a player that can really give it a nudge and bowl outstandingly is the all-rounder Tahlia McGrath.
What a player. So Australia just seems to have everything covered: batting, bowling and fielding
and maybe England can put on a show in the final to make it a close contest. That's what we want.
Sophie Ecclestone has been really impressive for England as the tall
left arm spinner and she's got 20 wickets, Jim, in the tournament so far. 6-36 in the semi-final
against South Africa. Do you think she could cause some problems for the Australian batters?
There's trouble around the corner for Australia if they get off to a dodgy start and I suppose
after putting on 200, they're due for a smaller contribution from the openers, if you like those
sort of numbers that go around and everything else. But if they get through the first three
defending a score, yes that's when it could become a very interesting contest. For England to win,
they do need to put a score on the board and hope that their catching and the rest of it
comes together to put pressure on Australia's batting. That could happen, I agree with you.
Eccleston is an excellent bowler - a very fine cricketer, and England have got a number of them.
How they package all that in the atmosphere of a final is the question.
Sunil, we've got to talk about India because there were such high hopes weren't there for this India team to
break through and win a World Cup and how that could transform women's cricket, but I've read
a lot about India's exit from the tournament. There's quite a bit of fall out; some newspapers
in India, saying that there's been fitness issues and infighting. What have you made of the fall out since India's exit?
Well, you know as they say, "failure has no parents and success has everybody"
and failure is awful. I don't know about the politics. Everybody talks politics. There's been a
chopping and changing of coaches as you obviously would know, but let's come back to the team.
The team that played, the team was an experienced team. Let's talk about Deepti Sharma, who bowled
the last over. She's an experienced player, she has been around for yonks. She used to, in fact,
come up the order in batting and is a very good off spinner. Now, when you've got three runs
to defend in two deliveries, what is the first thing you think of? I should
not bowl a no-ball, and that's one thing that you must have in the top of your mind.
The captain also or whatever it might be. You've got to take double care of that,
and that was the problem that you were careless. I think India were careless
throughout the tournament. But do you know what we're missing, and this is something I don't know
whether you've picked up or whether a lot of people here have glossed over it. Actually,
this rot... The loss started when India were batting and I'll give you a stat:
India were 234-3 in the 43rd over. Three, right. Mithali Raj was there and I won't be poor with
her. They're two of the biggest players, biggest hitters. Harmanpreet Kaur was the one who knocked
Australia out of semi-finals in the 2017 World Cup - that fantastic century! 234-3 ended up 277.
They scored only 51 runs in the last ten overs. Nobody's talking about that, you're talking about
the no-ball, right, which of course was important but nobody's talking about where it all started.
Today, England were in a very similar... Not today, the semi-final. England were in a very similar
position. They were about 240 in the 43rd over. Where did they end up? 290-odd plus. That's the difference.
And there's the individual responsibilities of those who are in the moment
with ball in hand, with bat in hand, in the thick of it at the climax of the game, but there's also
the leadership and the senior players. I do just want to ask you Sunil about the careers of
Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami. I mentioned she missed the last game with injury. Mithali Raj
was asked about her future after the semi-final defeat and she did say, "everything should come to
an end. It will take time to settle the emotions, but that is sport" and she then thanked everyone
who turned out to support them and urged them to keep supporting the women's team into the future.
It feels as if this would be the end of the road for her. She has all but that said so, it feels.
But how will India go about replacing those two if they both choose to retire and who would pick up
the captaincy? Is it as simple as Harmanpreet Kaur is vice and therefore she steps up?
She captained India before in the shorter version of the game so it's not as if she's a stranger to that. She plays
in the Big Bash - the Women's Big Bash as well. She's doing well, so she's an international player
and I think, yes everybody's time does come. If Mithali decides that she has to go, then her at least she's
going on some sort of high, rather than people turning round and saying, "why is she
not retiring?" and so on and so forth. Jhulan Goswami's 39. How long can you keep dragging
yourself along?
She is a marvel.
Absolutely sensational. You have to hand it to them, but then you've got some strength. I think that's the whole point.
You got to be able to get the bench up. That's where really, as Jim said, about Australia. I mean, if you don't have any spare,
you've got other people stepping in. You must have that. I come back and I want to make this point about the mental
make-up of the team. If there's anything, the coaches should concentrate on, its that and their 2017 final again. That's
something that I wanted to speak about. I don't know whether you remember the final India played at Lord's against England?
Yeah, I was commentating. Well, there you are. England scored 228 and India were 190-3 in
the 43rd over. Now, you think about that. They had it in hand, they had it in their foot, they had it
all over the place. And then to lose by nine runs. What are we talking about? You cannot do that!
It was an absolute slide. Words fail me. We were all speechless when we were watching
that. 191-3, the drums are beating and everything was happening and suddenly you see this whole thing going.
That to my mind; fielding, all that can be improved, everything can be done. How do you get your mind
strong? That, in any sport, as Jim will know and you see much more sport than I, and you have as
well, Ali. That is the thing saying, "yes, we can win. Even from this position" rather than,
"Oh. Are we going to win? Can we do it again? Can we get over?" Moments of doubt creep in. That's it.
You're history.
Well that's all we've got time for on this week's Stumped here on All India Radio. Don't forget you can follow us throughout the
week on Twitter. We're @BBCWSSport and use #BBCStumped. You can check us out on Youtube as well, go to
the BBC World Service's Youtube channel. Thanks to Sunil Gupta and Jim Maxwell, and to you all for
listening and watching. See you soon. Bye bye.