Page 2
Sachin and the salad bar: a study of cricketing techniques
In which we analyse the buffet-table approach of a bunch of modern players
Alan Tyers
11-Nov-2014
Sachin Tendulkar's book has been a delight for many reasons, but chief among them is the revelation that the great batsman is also the Little Master of the salad bar at Pizza Hut.
"While we could eat as many pizzas as we wanted for a fixed price, we could only fill up our salad bowl once. [We used] lettuce leaves to construct a wall, so that the size of the bowl, which was normally just two to three inches tall, increased to five or six inches. We could then fill it with as much salad as we wanted."
AS IF Brian Lara could have thought of that. Here are the salad-bar techniques of some other cricketing legends…
Full postHow to recover from an India v Sri Lanka ODI series
Help is at hand for the many afflicted, in the form of this handy guide
R Rajkumar
10-Nov-2014
Are you depressed? Do you struggle with feelings of self-loathing, worthlessness and disappointment? Are you consumed by the thought that you might have frittered away the best years of your life? Do you find yourself having developed a glazed thousand-yard stare while watching television, oblivious to the drool that has seeped out of a corner of your slack-jawed mouth, or to the spouse who has slipped out the front door, having given up on you once and for all? Do you care?
If you answered yes to any or all of the above, you could be suffering from having just watched yet another India v Sri Lanka ODI series. But it helps to remember that you are not alone: prolonged, year-long exposure to India v Sri Lanka ODI series has affected millions of people, and recent studies have shown that it is possible to wrest back control of your life by following a few simple rules of action. Many have come back from this debilitating condition and can still just about function in society. There's no reason you can't either.
Act quickly: Experts agree that the first few minutes after sitting through an India-Sri Lanka ODI series are the most crucial. In this phase, when one is most vulnerable to acting on self-destructive impulses, it is imperative that you get yourself to an isolation booth at a specialty clinic as quickly as possible. Once there, you will be asked to observe a series of freshly painted walls slowly dry, the idea being to jolt the patient's dulled senses to life by exposing him to something more varied and intellectually engaging.
Full postShastri appointed India coach for 2005-2007
The BCCI goes into damage-control mode as Tendulkar's new book reveals unpleasantness with Chappell
James Marsh
07-Nov-2014
Seeking to reduce the fallout from Sachin Tendulkar's autobiography, the BCCI today announced it had retrospectively appointed Ravi Shastri coach of the Indian cricket team for the period 2005 to 2007.
Much of the early controversy around Tendulkar's memoirs has focused on the difficult two years when Australian Greg Chappell was at the helm, and insiders within the Indian board believe the best way to cool the scandal is to hand over the reins to Shastri, long seen as a calming influence on the side. Despite some critics making allegations that the decision seeks to play "fast and loose" with the very concept of "history", the move is set to go ahead as soon as secretary Sanjay Patel can get his hands on a working time machine.
Speaking from Mumbai, a BCCI spokesman explained the decision: "We accept that there will be the usual sniping at us, claiming that we are too big for our boots merely because we wish to replace the existing space-time continuum with a bilateral relationship between ourselves and the space-time continuum, but we very much feel this move is in the best interests of the side. If we just replace Greg Chappell with Ravi for those two years, then none of that unpleasantness would have happened and we wouldn't currently be dealing with all this unrest. Also, Ravi has assured us he won't hand Sreesanth his Test debut in 2006 either, which should also spare us some embarrassment down the line."
Full post'Gotta make sure the money keeps rolling in'
Early morning business, insomnia on airplanes, reflections on setting alarm clocks, and suchlike
Alex Bowden
06-Nov-2014
If you have ad-blocker software running, this page may not display as it should
Rodney Hogg sums up the first Test between Pakistan and Australia.
Full postThe four greatest mysteries in international cricket
Our great game is not without its share of occult secrets
Sidin Vadukut
04-Nov-2014
Ah yes, cricket. That most benign of all sports. That keen contest of calm. The very embodiment of tranquil athleticism. The high-water mark of serene sportsmanship. A game for gentlemen and elegant ladies. A contest that pauses for tea.
And yet, unbeknownst to all but a small, secret, ancient brotherhood - who call themselves The Jackson Five - cricket is, in fact, full of arcane symbols, secret signs and ancient mysteries. Hiding in plain view, amid scores, logos, stadium architecture and cricket literature are a plethora of mysteries, secrets and spells that have captivated investigators for centuries.
What do these symbols mean? What do these secrets hide from the world? Will we ever truly understand the symbological implications of international cricket? Only time will tell.
Full postWG Grace hits out
The good doctor writes a tell-all book
Alan Tyers
03-Nov-2014
Controversial England batting genius WG Grace lifts the lid on the simmering tensions within the dressing room in an explosive new autobiography
Dr Grace, widely regarded as England's most destructive batsman and owner of its most famous beard, has at last had his say in the war of words that has cleaved English cricket asunder.
"There was a culture of bullying within the dressing rooms," claims the Doctor. "In fact, I made damn sure there was a culture of bullying by personally roughing up and generally frightening any young fellow who came through the door.
Full postGive pause a chance, plead bowlers
The administrators should not be allowed to police every single aspect of bowling
R Rajkumar
31-Oct-2014
For the first time since the ICC asked match officials to use their discretion to decide if the bowlers' pause is unfair play, those at the centre of the increased scrutiny have decided to speak out in an attempt to clear their names and show that they each have perfectly innocent reasons for doing what they do.
Mohammed Hafeez
Let me ask you this: have you ever stopped what you were doing because something profound occurred to you? Take the example of Archimedes, a personal hero of mine, whose experiments to determine the volume of an object with an irregular shape inspired me to take up slow bowling. Now Archie, as I like to call him, wasn't exactly in the middle of one of his experiments when he famously received his "Eureka" moment and ran, tumescent with newfound knowledge, naked into the streets. No, he was having a relaxing moment in his bathtub when the revelation came to him.
Let me ask you this: have you ever stopped what you were doing because something profound occurred to you? Take the example of Archimedes, a personal hero of mine, whose experiments to determine the volume of an object with an irregular shape inspired me to take up slow bowling. Now Archie, as I like to call him, wasn't exactly in the middle of one of his experiments when he famously received his "Eureka" moment and ran, tumescent with newfound knowledge, naked into the streets. No, he was having a relaxing moment in his bathtub when the revelation came to him.
That's right, he wasn't doing much of anything. Likewise, we spinners have our Eureka moments too, times when, all of a sudden, we know exactly how we are going to negotiate a dismissal.
Full postPakistan and Australia learn from the first Test
The two teams' coaches hold forth on the lessons from the game
Alex Bowden
30-Oct-2014
After a Test match, it's time to take stock. Whether you've won or lost, there are conclusions to be drawn and lessons to be learnt. Compare and contrast the coaches' reactions to Pakistan's victory over Australia in the first Test.
Batting
Darren Lehmann: We got a lot of things right, but if there was one weakness, it was in how we played straight balls. We have got to get better at playing straight balls. Instead of playing for the turn, we have to play for what the ball actually does. Some of the batsmen also played for the short-pitched delivery when it was full, and for a full toss when it was short. I actually suspect that several of them even played for swing against the spinners. These are the kinds of mistakes we need to eradicate. We need to play the ball according to what it actually does in real life - even if it basically does nothing.
Full postCSK dressing room transcripts released
Police release unseen video footage in the case
James Marsh
28-Oct-2014
Following the news a certain enthusiast's voice has been identified on tapes relating to last year's IPL scandal, Indian police today released video footage from inside the Chennai Super Kings dressing room in the hope the public can shed further light on the case. Their explosive contents are transcribed below:
Sometime in May, 2013: The home locker room at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. A boyish-looking man in a suit is dancing around enthusiastically, swinging his laminated official ID card around his head. The CSK players are getting changed. And a bit irritated.
Du Plessis: Dwayne, who is this guy? Some sort of fan?
Full postA cricket guide for judges
Our great game has much more in common with the law and its practice than we might think
Alan Tyers
27-Oct-2014
British High Court judge Mrs Justice Beverley Lang stunned her courtroom this week with her lack of cricket knowledge. Hearing a case about a planning application involving a Hampshire cricket pitch, the judge was told that boundaries might land on the roof of a nearby property. "I don't play cricket - what does that mean? What are fours and sixes?" asked the judge, who is absolutely definitely unaware that she shares a name with England and Hampshire legend Robin Smith.
It seems baffling that such an establishment figure does not have even a rudimentary grasp of England's summer game. But cricket and the law actually have a lot in common - so here's a guide to get the judge started.
As with criminal law, cricket has the concept of a victim, a technical term relating to a bowler getting a batsman out or "claiming him as a victim." It has a variant meaning when used by the cricketer Kevin Pietersen, who believes that he is a victim at all times.
Full postMost Read
Writers