10 Things #56

GH on a private capital, a public painting, tragic records and reading recommendations

1/ The IPL is on.

2/ I can never get all that fussed about who’s flying, but am always intrigued by those who aren’t, for there is a terrible intensity about a T20 batter struggling to find the middle, swinging ever harder for diminishing returns. Viz Nicholas Pooran, at his best an imperious striker of the ball, especially down the ground and over cover, but is currently batting as if trapped in amber. Last night it was 22 from 25 as Lucknow Super Giants were swept away by Rajasthan Royals: he got off the mark with a boundary from a misfield, barely disposed of a half volley and a long hop, then as he strove to free his arms hit one straight up in the air. He had earlier butchered a straightforward run out with his beleaguered captain. Critics are clamouring; journalists are watching; social media is roiling.

Do they just? The ultimate insult - not out of nick, but actually corrupt. Such is the lot of the underperforming overseas player in the IPL, readily perceived as for sale to the highest bidder. Pooran is, of course, a thoroughly modern mercenary, having kissed off international cricket in order to daisy chain his T20 engagements. The result is that he’s now sixteen hits without a fifty since the start of the SA20, ekeing out 225 from 201 balls in that time, which by modern standards is almost going backwards. T20 leaves nowhere to hide - not when you’ve been retained for $3.12 million.

3/ While Australian cricket is further beguiled by private investment, rugby league continues grappling with its long-term impacts: on 19 May, the Brisbane Broncos will hold an annual meeting amounting to a giant rubber stamp of Rupert Murdoch’s head, thanks to News Ltd’s effective control of the NRL premier since the Super League omnishambles. If you live in Brisbane and have ever been interested in the raw stuff of governance, Friend of Et Al Stephen Mayne is seeking a proxy for his tilt at a board seat, because the Broncos decline to join the trend to hybrid meetings: on your phone, as Melbourne-based Stephen observes, you can watch the Broncos play but not vote. He wonders aloud how Australians tolerate an American billionaire owning the NRL’s most valuable club, and if they would feel the same way about Collingwood falling into foreign hands. It is one of those questions you won’t see asked in any News Ltd paper. Drop me a line if you’d like to help.