The captain of India was sacked in the nastiest way imaginable, by being dropped from the team. His sin? Losing. That is even though India’s loss to Australia merely helped restore balance to the universe. Just as Pakistan’s to South Africa also did.
The whole point of admitting teams of brown people to Test status was so that they could lose to white teams. Like the draw Afghanistan and Zimbabwe played out. Of course, brown teams can posture, like India does, and refuse to play Pakistan. But when brown or black people play each other, they’re supposed to make their records against each other.
India seems to have developed ideas above its station, and actually expects its captain to justify hid place in the side as a player. Pakistan does not have this philosophy, which is why Shan Masood continues as captain, though he followed his outstanding performance in the 1st Test against South Africa (when he made 17 and 28) by a captain’s knock of 2. That was his gritty response to South Africa’s 615.
India does not seem to have done too well against Australia in the absence of Sharma, getting bowled out for 185. But then they took a first innings lead of 4. A token lead of 4 was all that was possible, and though new captain Jasprit Bumrah winkled out two Aussie batsmen before lunch, the damage was done by others, because Bumrah went off, saying he was injured. Virat Kohli, the last captain, became acting captain, though his batting may need a brush-up, for he made 6 in the second innings, which puts him in the Shan Masood class. He may make a comeback as captain, because Indi lost the match, putting Bumrah out of contention.
Shan may or may not be kind to animals, but he thinks Rohit Sharma is a fool for not kicking up a greater fuss. Actually, a sacking abroad is a good idea for the Board, for it avoids any tracks on the Board offices, any press conferences, any tours of newspaper or TV station offices.
Well, we can only hope that the New Year will bring a better time, and help the Indian and Pakistani Boards find new captains. One person who didn’t see the New Year come in was US President Jinny Carter, who died on December 29, at the age of 100. He was a one-term President, and definitely a man of the past. The next two Presidents after him are already dead, which leaves Bill Clinton as the most senior living ex-President. Not the oldest, for that will be Joe Biden. Clinton became President relatively young actually, only 46. And he seems in better health than Biden. Biden is even older than George W. Bush, who is 78, but we should remember that Barack Obama is only 63. He’ll be a shadow over the Democratic party for another 40 years if he lives to Carter’s age.
The New Year was used by military men to ram crowds. One of them was ex-Army and Muslim, one was serving. Both were Special Ops. The one in New Orleans was an ex-computer specilist for the 82nd Airborne, who are parachutists, but generally considered tough. Perhaps Shamsuddin Jabbar (a Black Muslim, not a Pakistani, despite the name) had become tired of being called a computer nerd, and did the most un-nerdish thing he could think of.
As for the Las Vegas incident, the attacker, Matthew Livelsberger, was one of the Green Berets. He blew up a cybertruck. The takeaway from the incidents is that there’s something wrong with US Special Forces NCOs. (Jabbar was a retired staff sergeant, the Las Vegas attacker was a master sergeant.) And trucks can be dangerous too.
Both men had served in Afghanistan. Livelsberger actually left behind a message referring to his comrades who had been killed. Right. Commandos who don’t like comrades being killed. But who are willing to die themselves. I see that there’s a new trope now. It’s no longer the Mad Moslem with Mentaal troubles, but the Moselm old soldier with a truck.
