Let me begin by saying that I have not for the briefest moment supported Mike Denness' decision to sentence six Indian players at Port Elizabeth; the act was heavy-handed and unfair. Yet that does not prevent me from feeling strongly that the route Jagmohan Dalmiya has now taken is an absolutely senseless one.

For a moment, just consider ground realities. Both the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) and the South African XI that played the Centurion match have refused to recognise it as an official encounter. In fact, Shaun Pollock, the South African captain, had made it clear as early as the end of the first day's play that he did not consider it "a full-fledged Test."

It is another matter altogether that his team still won the game. But the nub of my argument is that, with one of the teams and their Board considering the match to be just another tour game, Dalmiya's whole stand of labelling the Centurion tie a 'Test' sounds ridiculous. It will continue to remain farcical even if Dalmiya goes ahead to win his argument in the International Cricket Council Executive Board meeting without the support of the South African Board. In fact, if the latter happens, the ICC would be embracing anarchy - for is it not elementary that a game cannot be considered a Test when one team fields an unofficial XI? The president of the Indian Board will do well to realise this and end the unnecessary crisis gripping the game.

Dalmiya, if he looks back at the whole controversy, began on the wrong foot. If he was really serious about contesting the decisions, he should have announced the withdrawal of the Indian team from international cricket until Denness' penalties were overturned or reviewed. Another path open to him was ensuring that the South African Board gave him a written assurance that they too were in favour of the match being reinstated as a Test before the Centurion game was allowed to proceed. Dalmiya did neither. Now he must show the good sense to understand that he is in a position where no amount of financial muscle-flexing can help him win the battle.

What the street-smart businessman from Kolkata should also keep in mind is that India are taking on what can at best be described a second-string England team in conditions that our batsmen relish. Even without Virender Sehwag, India should definitely be confident of their chances against a side made up mostly of tyros.

By going along with the ICC for the moment and resting Sehwag for the Mohali Test, Dalmiya would not only ensure that the series against England would go ahead as scheduled but also gain time, friends and universal acclaim. These would help him during the ICC executive meeting, which is scheduled to be held in March. There are many positive steps that he can take there to address the inherent flaws in the current set-up. This is what he should now concentrate on - to be the catalyst for a healthy change and become one of the builders of this great game, not remain the enfant terrible that many currently perceive him to be.

Someone once called politics the "art of making the impossible possible." What is currently happening is that Dalmiya is trying to make the possible impossible. He can do worse than mull on those words of wisdom come Friday.

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