Different Strokes (old)
Samba Cricket
It is infuriating when you come to another city with some urgent business and find that the other party is going to be very late for the rendezvous
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
It is infuriating when you come to another city with some urgent business and find that the other party is going to be very late for the rendezvous. Every place is not a cricket field though, and sometimes discretion asks you to look the other way till you have digested the green stuff instead of letting it out.
Finding little else to do in the silly free time, I cross the road and stroll into a nearby internet cafe, where I am writing this post....
Okay, okay, I'm coming to the cricket fast.
Checking mails is over pretty fast and I find myself having the leisure to recollect the frantic day's events since that very early Kolkata wakeup. While on the way from Delhi Airport (IG) to East of Kailash I was overtaken by a bus plying from Najafgarh to Delhi. The bus had to be seen to be believed. It was absolutely bursting at the seams with passengers, with people's backs pressed firmly even against the window glazings. Inadequate decentralisation of hubs at many Indian cities ensures that suburban commuters have to face this daily ordeal.
Full postThrowing out the stigma
It was reported several days ago that when Shoaib Akhtar finally decided to turn up at the conditioning camp going on in Lahore he twisted his ankle
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
It was reported several days ago that when Shoaib Akhtar finally decided to turn up at the conditioning camp going on in Lahore he twisted his ankle. Whilst Cricinfo mentioned this latest injury was not serious enough to rule him out of the England tour completely, I'm really not sure if that says a lot.
The Express is reporting today that Shoaib's recovery from his initial knee operation it self has been slower then the PCB medical panel expected. According to their "sources" he still has some swelling in that area which alone might take something like four to six weeks to disappear. Going by this, his chances of making it to the flight to London seem a far way of.
I suppose we can still hope till we hear some thing from some where more reliable then Express but you have to concede all the same that things aren't looking particularly good for the Rawalpindi Express, especially with Andy Roberts also having re-opened the seemingly never ending debate about his (and Brett Lee's) action.
Shehreyar Khan and Inzi as a result have had to in turn put up a public display of support for Shoaib highlighting how he's been cleared by the ICC and so on, but I'm not sure that's going to convince the likes of Roberts.The (almost)unforgettable series.
Australia remembers watching the last Ashes series like it was yesterday
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Australia remembers watching the last Ashes series like it was yesterday. We remember Ricky Ponting bleeding on the Lord's pitch, Dizzy Gillespie's plummet from grace, Flintoff's domination of Gilchrist, the tireless efforts of Shane Warne, and the unending arrogance of Pietersen.
Today, June the 1st, at 9am, Australia showed just how much we all remembered, when tickets for the Ashes went on sale to Australian Cricket Family members. Well, almost all of us...
It's all a little blurry, but I think it went something like this;
I woke up at 8am this morning to the sound of the alarm clock. Nothing unusual there, my girlfriend usually rises for work at this time, leaving me to contemplate leaving the warmth of the bed briefly before succumbing to the lure of slumber. June in Australia is cold, by our standards, and the idea of leaping forth to seize the day seemed at best comical. "Well," I thought. "What would Boony do...?"
My eyes snapped open. Ashes ticket go on sale today! I jumped out of bed, expecting to see water on the boil for tea, but found the house empty.. Crap, what time was it?? I must have fallen back asleep! Running to my computer, I flicked on the monitor to find- double crap - it was 9:20am, tickets went on sale 20 minutes ago!
I tried to stay calm as I loaded the website to buy tickets. "How many people could find time from work to register for the presale, and get here in the first 20 minutes," I wondered. The website failed to load, instead informing me "Due to a major event going on sale, the website is currently experiencing high demand... We apologise for the delay". Rapidly losing my cool, I hit the refresh button. Nothing. The magical talking miniature David Boon on top of my television asked where his thongs were in a a mournful voice. "Tickets first, then thongs, Boony!" I cried, reaching for my phone with one hand, while still refreshing the website with the other. Of course the website would be clogged, thousands of Barmy Army supporters would be trying to log on and purchase tickets through there as well. Surely sanity will prevail over the phone. Engaged tone. Damn it! Redial. Engaged tone. Refresh. Due to a major event going on sale, the website is currently experiencing .. Damn it!
Full postCute Little Prediction
I've been having serious misgivings about The Strongest Batting Line Up In The World ™ for some time now
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
I've been having serious misgivings about The Strongest Batting Line Up In The World™ for some time now. Yes, we've been doing fairly well in One-Dayers (present month excluded), yes, we have some of the best batting brands in the world, but the present Indian team has got me rather worried, what with the Windies Tests due to start in less than a week...
So, here's how I predict each player will fare. Let's see, in one month, how right I was.
1. Entire team- Will lose 2-0.
2. Sehwag- One century. Three scores in the 30s. Four below 10.
Full postThe Fall Guy
As Ajit Agarkar sent down a thrilling fast yorker to an ominous looking Imran Farhat during the 1st DLF Cup match to shatter his stumps, an unusual vision presented itself
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
As Ajit Agarkar sent down a thrilling fast yorker to an ominous looking Imran Farhat during the 1st DLF Cup match to shatter his stumps, an unusual vision presented itself. Unusual mainly in that such instances of glory for an Indian quickie, besides being rare, have never featured this nippy underachiever in eight long years since those phenomenal first few months following his international debut.
It has been a disappointing downward curve since for a man who started off that well. Ajit Agarkar kept getting regular breakthroughs but the costs, in terms of runs conceded, were often too much. His batting stance and stroking ability spoke of a hesitant yet capable lower order batsman hiding behind that lean frame but he never got the coaxing and cajoling that would help transform that potential into substantial performances.
In the 2000s Agarkar was forever in and out of the national side. His selection depended on non availability or loss of form of other key bowlers. And to give his critics their due, Agarkar never delivered that one string of good performances that would have elevated him in the eyes of the cricket loving folk of his country.
The one aspect of Ajit Agarkar's cricket that kept him in the reckoning even in the worst of times was his athletic outfielding and possession of a great throwing arm. This advantage on the field has seen him outlast bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, guys who once were thought to be far ahead of the little Maharashtrian in the race to bowling greatness.
Full postThat tap on the shoulder from Father Time
Peter Roebuck muses here on ageing greats Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar as each batting icon runs his own steeple chase against time
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Peter Roebuck muses here on ageing greats Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar as each batting icon runs his own steeple chase against time. Sentiments left aside, every leading cricketer needs to take a few ahead-of-the-game decisions about his playing future just around this "early to mid thirties" phase of his career, when every little stretch of 'poor form' starts getting viewed suspiciously without exception.
The game splitting up into two formats spiritually different from one another did nothing to aid such complex decisions. Jai Arjun Singh once wondered about the astonishing brevity of the graph of a cricketer's life in this blog. The archetypal modern player has a lot more incentives than his earlier counterparts for playing on. Personal milestones, dedication to the team's cause and love of the game are all there and are now joined by the crack of mass adulation of a growing global audience and thoughts of maximising financial returns in order to insure the very long post retirement life ahead. "Let me try one more season," he would probably tell himself at a corner of the dressing room while the youthful raise the decibels oblivious of his turmoil.
The trick is to tell playing on from staying on. A player who comes thus far in his career must walk this emotional tightrope to a longer career over the trap of carrying on beyond his "sell-by date" (to quote Jai) and time his departure from the great stage while the halo is still intact. He needs to do it sensing that gentle tap on the shoulder from Father Time, else he leaves himself at the mercy of earthlings named selectors. Going by the trends, this particular sense of timing is a rare gift even amongst players of sublime virtues.
Full postMarlon's 82 mph Hurl-in
Marlon Samuels exhibited fine fitness in the first two ODI's versus India at Jamaica
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Marlon Samuels exhibited fine fitness in the first two ODI's versus India at Jamaica. That takes care of his 'knee-gling' fitness woes of late. He contributed to a stabilising partnership with Sarwan, and that must give him batting hope for the coming matches. And as always his off-spin bowling was a handy plus for his team. Samuels bowled exceptionally well during each of his spells in the 2nd match that culminated in a classic final over, reminding viewers of the tied Australia - South Africa semi-final of 1999 World Cup. His constrictive bowling was pivotal to a stunning West Indian effort that broke India's 17 match streak of consecutive successful chases by a solitary run.
But what on earth was an 82 mph delivery doing in his armoury?? Yeah, that is EIGHTY TWO Miles an hour!
Faster deliveries from spinners are getting to be as commonplace these days as slower ones from the quickies. Kumble once bowled a quicker one at about 73 mph in some match from the late nineties and it stuck in my mind then.
Then came Shahid Afridi, the leg spinning all-rounder. After playing at the highest level he re-assessed his bowling capabilities, quickly developed a faster one - and delivered it just as quickly. Seriously it is a fast yorker that looks more Waqar than Qadir. Even as Afridi keeps improving as a leggie in every match, that rocket delivery remains a weapon used by the strongly built all-rounder to engender doubts in minds of accelerating batsmen.
Full postBeware of the Imposter!
There's a strange cheat lurking around the world's cricket grounds these days
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
There's a strange cheat lurking around the world's cricket grounds these days. He loves to hijack some specifically chosen international cricketer on the eve of a Test match. Then he painstakingly dons an impeccable physical makeover, Hollywood style, in order to resemble this missing player, all for the sake of a scarcely believable kick. And what's his kick?
Pretending to be that player and going through an entire Test match on the field and in the dressing room in full view of teammates, spectators and media - without ever getting caught!
With the well being of our beloved international cricketers' fraternity in our hearts, some of us friends at DS tried to play Sherlock Holmes and figure out a way to trap him. Apparently he has an eye for one day specialists who are brilliant in the field and still finding their feet in Tests. And here's the clue: Mr. Imposter isn't too clever a fielder.
He 'replaced' Yuvraj Singh of India in the Mumbai Test a few weeks back and dropped more catches there than Yuvraj did in his entire ODI career of nearly six years. After a few weeks of hibernation he was back to his favourite trick once again and this time he chose no less a stage than the Headquarters itself to brandish his unique trade. As per reports (lack of them, rather) Paul Collingwood appears to have returned home safely.
Full postICC proposes appeals against umpire
While I was away the International Cricket Circus Council Executive Clown Officer Malcolm Speed announced that they'd be toying with the sanctity of umpiring experimenting with technology in umpiring, again
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
While I was away the International Cricket Circus Council Executive Clown Officer Malcolm Speed announced that they'd be toying with the sanctity of umpiring experimenting with technology in umpiring, again. The ICC Cricket Committee voted 6-4 in favor of an appeals system that will allow each team three appeals to the third umpire per innings. If an appeal is successful the team will retain the right to three appeals but if not, then it is lost.
This latest ‘experiment’ should change the face of the game as we know it. Gone are the days when you could revel in a sense of moral superiority by telling your football loving sibling/pal etc. about how supposedly the whole difference between cricket and football and indeed any sport in the world was that you could not argue against the verdict of the umpire no matter what.
Like destiny you just had to accept their verdicts and move on, so much so that the ICC’s very own much raved about Code of Conduct guards against players showing dissent at an umpire’s decision. But now, thanks to the wonderful ICC, instead of that, we can look forward to explaining to our friends how teams will have the right to question every decision it feels it is being hard done by, that is, if we manage to understand this new ruling our selves first.
Apparently, I’m not the only one who is some what confused. But assuming that other more intelligent folks like Jag and Geoff for instance have interpreted this correctly you could have a grand total of no less then 26 appeals per match and assuming each would take a minimum of 1 minute you can be rest assured this new adventure will be perfectly non-time consuming.
Full postBird flies south on players appealing
Dickie Bird, the Denny Krane of umpiring, I love him to bits
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Dickie Bird, the Denny Krane of umpiring, I love him to bits. Some years ago, my wife bought me his autobiography at one of his book-signing events and the kindly old fella wrote some nice words inside (although exactly what I can’t remember, in fact I must confess to never having finished the book!), but still, for cricket fans of my era, Dickie will always be a special character and remembered as a top class umpire, albeit more than a little odd.
Dickie has though, been a long time dissenting voice against the calls for more technology in umpiring decisions, and it seems that the recent decision to allow players to appeal against a set number of umpiring calls has him again beating the drums for the umpiring status quo.
Dickie seems perturbed that the sacred role of umpire is in danger of transitioning into a human abacus, positioned at the crease to do nothing more than count balls and get jiggy with their signalling. And whilst I’m not sure that players appealing against judgements is the absolute best use of technology, (the ICC has a woeful record of following through with half baked experiments), I do know that some form of change in umpiring practises is as inevitable as Oprah doubling her mass before next Christmas.
Dickie, in the immediate aftermath of his retirement, would still have been a relevant commentator on umpiring practises, but I fear these days, that he sounds more like your Grandfather complaining that the “music these days just sounds like noise”.
Full postMost Read
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