Photo: Cricinfo

It was a jumbo hundred and no Cricket fan in India would have missed watching it today. The [:http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/engvind/engine/current/match/258470.html|second day of the test match at Oval] between India vs England was all batting to watch unlike the last two test matches where the Cricket ball ruled the contest. It came as a surprise to see Kumble stick to the crease and bat like he did - the innings was full of several surprises, not to mention the kind of stroke he played to get to his century! It brought laugh on to people watching it, but Kumble really deserved the century. Congratulations to Jumbo!

[:http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/304635.html|The Jelly Beans episode] has put a lot of speculation on the attitude of the English team on Cricket field. Lawrence Booth on Guardian.co.uk [:http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/08/01/jelly_beangate_the_unanswered.html|writes in an article probing] the unanswered questions about that episode:

Given the money spent on bowling coaches, computer analysts and masseurs, this comes as something of a relief. But a rumour has reached the Spin suggesting that England employed a similar ruse to unsettle Marlon Samuels during the recent visit by West Indies. And on that occasion, the confectionery of choice really was a jelly baby, standing proudly to attention.

(emphasis mine)

So, if this is what the English team has been doing in tests, should part of its success be attributed to sledging? Surely, it doesn't backfire all the time [:http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/columns/content/story/304671.html|like it did in the last test match] at Trent Bridge. And if this continues, and English team keeps winning (apart from one or two exceptions like Trent Bridge) would England go down in history not just for bringing Cricket to the world, but also destroying it?