Carribean Collapso

A tour to the world's most powerful cricket board getting cancelled mid way is certainly an extra ordinary occurrence.  The impasse between the WICB and the players that led to this calamity is a storm that has been brewing for some time. Although, timely mediation has made sure, it remains inside the tea cup instead of spiraling out of control. At a time when a list of players from the islands ply their trade in the IPL, their returning home ruining a tour is bound to create flutters. With bilateral tours being suspended and a question mark over the player's participation in the cash rich league, its a melt down that could have been avoided if a few cool heads prevailed. But then, sensible negotiations is a quantity hard to tag in these days of chest thumping diplomacy. The whole episode is another strong indication toward crumbling international cricket. Players no longer put a premium on showcasing their skills for their countries. The burgeoning 20-20 leagues around the globe have become the main recourse for them. Its a carrot that is as easy to come by as its juicy. With just a handful of test playing nations clear of bankruptcy fears, time is nigh when only the clique of the top three that now control the ICC would really be playing any meaningful five day games. Times, they are a changing and most aficionados would not take heart from that. The gentleman's sport is now so much more closer to becoming the mercenary's gamble.

Serena Williams made sure she avenged her group stage defeat to Simona Halep in the finals of the WTA world tour final. She has been the dominant player on tour all year round, not without a few blips but has managed to round off the year in style. The challengers to her throne have been many including contemporary Sharapova and new comers like Halep. Most have dazzled like night flies without putting up a sustained fight. That she managed to get past Wozniacky in the semis after the Dane served for the match and led in the deciding tie break, is testimony to the fact that the competitive instincts remain intact within the American. One would like to call this the WTA rankings topper's twilight but the way she has blown opposition off the court, a few more years of winning majors is not out of the question. With 18 already in the bag, Margaret Courts' mind boggling all time record of 24 looks to be on the line. It would only be a question of hunger than anything else for the younger Williams as she fights forth for the highest laurel of them all.

Winner takes all

Rafael Nadal has had a few bad years with fitness issues. 2014 would count amongst one of them. With a glittering first half and a thundering 9th title on the Parisian clay, the season turned into a night mare for the Spanish matador. With back and wrist problems, he spent most of the time recuperating than competing and when it was time to return, that quite useless appendix made its presence felt. He has called time on the 2104 season opting out of the Paris masters and the world tour finals and whether the new year would bring him better luck is a question we all need to wait for an answer. With Rafa's withdrawal another slot opens up for the elite eight men season ending tourney. Murray did his chances no harm with a facile win over another man fighting for his place, David Ferrer at the Valencia open. The two men who would again be favorites to make the final and fight it out would be the top two seeds. Roger would have the additional incentive to go all out and finish at the top of the rankings should he land the title. By all means, that would be an achievement, few thought the Swiss was capable of after his troubles at the grand slams in recent years. Champions do have a way of making a mockery of popular opinion.

Real Madrid burst through two big games this week in getting past Liverpool in the Champion's League and then downing Barca at the Bernabeau. With Ronaldo in fine fettle, they are shaping up to be the team to beat this European season. With Man City losing out to the Hammers, Chelsea managed to consolidate their lead at the top. Man United and Liverpool continue to languish while the Saints occupy the second place behind the blues. Ronald Koeman's team have been a revelation this season and if they can hold their own till the Christmas games, a chance at playing Champion's League football next year is a distinct possibility.

Not the right formula

Racing circuits are supposed to get your adrenaline shooting, with competition and a good probability of magic happening. Formula one has been going from bad to worse in that department over the seasons and in spite of tinkering with the rules every year, is losing out on both on the television and the turnstiles. Racing on the water logged Suzuka track led to a sickening crash for the Frenchman Jules Bianchi and brought to the fore front safety issues plaguing the summit of motorsport. While one may argue that all protocols were followed in the wake of Adrian Sutil's crash and it was a freak accident, double yellow flags were probably not enough as coincidence showed us. In conditions where it was not possible to airlift a driver suffering from head trauma, the race still went ahead and a safety car wasn't deemed fit following a crash. There seems to be too much emphasis on getting on with the game even in the face of imminent danger. While this may be good for the coffers of the broadcasters and in turn the organizers, the lives of those who put the show together are put at stake and that certainly cannot be the right way to go. 

Sebestian Vettel has decided to leave the Red Bulls and enter uncharted territory with Ferrari. While his reasons for switching teams for a change may be true, a down swing in fortunes seemed to have played a bigger role. Having won four consecutive titles, the German has had to play second fiddle to the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg this season. That should have hurt a bit for the ultra competitive Seb and the change looks like a step to jump a slow car. Who would his team mate be come March next year is a moot question. Fernando Alonso would surely be the one and that means new avenues beckon Kimi Raikkonen again.  The Mercedes team wrapped up the constructor's title at the inaugural Russian grand prix amidst much fanfare but the fight between the two white draped men is still on. Lewis Hamilton became only the fourth driver to win nine races in a season starting from pole and with Nico winning four more for the Brackely based outfit, only three of the sixteen races have gone to another team. Tellingly, even all of those three have been won by the defending champions. In summary, it has been another one sided season, albeit with a different car leading the points table. Red Bull has been found wanting and would surely want to strike back sooner than later. Hami has opened up a seventeen point lead over Rosberg and with just three races to go and just 100 points up for grabs, the driver's title is for the Briton's to lose. 

In pole position

The Shanghai masters had proved elusive for Federer over his career. That changed today with a hard fought win over Giles Simon. Having beaten Novak in the semis, the Swiss ace was the favorite to land his second masters 1000 title of the season and it surely didn't come easy. It took two tie breaks to settle the final and with a busy end to the season beckoning, a jump in the rankings is a welcome result for the now world number two. He would certainly play his home tourney in Basel followed by the Paris masters. The ATP world tour finals and an enticing Davis cup final is all in line for the great. Its lining up to be a strong show leading to the new season and another fight to add to that tally of seventeen.

One for the victors

The Indian contingent returned from Incheon with fewer medals when compared to 2010 and an 8th position on the medals tally. While the downturn was not catastrophic, the number of yellow metal performances left a lot to be desired. The shooters disappointed massively with just Jitu Rai living up to his reputation. Given that the guns have boomed for India at multi-sport meets as well as world championships, this would be considered a massive let down. The wrestlers and boxers only managed a few bronze finishes with Yogeshwar Dutt being the exception. The Haryana lad surely stepped out from the shadow of Sushil Kumar and the determination and grit that he wore on his sleeves was found missing in most of his compatriots. The other Punia made sure that the track and field events would not go bare. Seema Punia has been outperforming the more celebrated Krishna Poonia for some time and should surely be one of the few medal hopefuls in Rio. The 4x400m relay has been an Indian stronghold for some Asiads and the quartet of Priyanka Pawar, Tintu Lukka, Mandeep Kaur and Machettira Poovamma Raju made sure of the continuing hegemony with a games record. While she was made to fight it out to qualify for the Asian games, Mary Kom was the only pugilist to stand up and deliver. She has stood up against all odds and this gold certainly puts that extra shine on an already exemplary CV. The Sarita Devi episode is one that led to much heart burn and given that dubious decisions are part of boxing judgement, her meltdown on the podium left a sour taste in the mouth. 

There were a few pleasant surprises in the team events other than the wins in the traditional gold mines of Kabaddi. Though trailing for a significant part of the final, the men's team did manage to stage a smart come back and make it to the top. Two golds did lend an iota of respectability to the final position that India finished with. A gold in the mixed doubles tennis, squash and compound archery were welcome given that the expectations were low from these events. Sourav Ghoshal did make some amends for his upset loss in the single's finals by helping win the team event. The one gold that brought the most joy was that on the hockey field. The team led by Sardar Singh brought back the top finish after a gap of 16 years. A direct entry to the 2016 Olympics is a shot in the arm for the team that has been relegated to also rans in most events lately. That should provide some much needed boost to the sport in the country and also a chance for the team to prepare for the marquee event against stronger teams without having to worry about qualification. That they beat both Korea and Pakistan en route to the gold was heartening to watch. Some cheer to end what was largely an underwhelming performance by the athletes. There is a lot of work to be done and the euphoria of this performance should not drown the hard yards needed to even make the top 8 at the Olympics. 

Rio needs an encore

Rafael Nadal's return to the hard courts did not pan out as expected. After having lost the doubles in the opener, his comeback ended short in the quarters at the China open having lost to the qualifier Martin Klizan. With the ATP world tour finals fast approaching, things are not looking sunny for the Spanish matador. The question of whether he can bag another four grand slams to be crowned the undisputed king of all time should be answered next year. With Roger more a miss than a hit at the majors these days, the ball is certainly in Rafa's court to eke out a few more before the dodgy knees and wrists make it a bridge too far.