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Watch out or cricket will get you, child
A concerned parent writes a letter of warning to his ten-month-old daughter
Sidin Vadukut
24-Oct-2014
My dear Butternut Squash,
The time is now 3.23am and your father is lying in bed reading a news article on ESPNcricinfo that starts as follows: "Joe Denly will return to his home county of Kent next season having been released from the final year of his contract at Middlesex following three difficult seasons."
I do not know who Joe Denly is. I heard of Joe Denly for the very first time in my life at 3.22am. I will probably never hear or read about Joe Denly ever again. Tomorrow if you ask me, "Daddy did you read that thing about Joe Denly?", I will be like, "What nonsense is this Joe Denly? Any updates on teething? Ashwath's son already has seven."
Full postWorld Cup replaced by India-Sri Lanka ODIs
West Indies' pullout forces seismic changes to the world cricket schedule
James Marsh
21-Oct-2014
In a widely predicted move, the ICC on Tuesday confirmed that next year's World Cup will now comprise 49 ODIs between India and Sri Lanka. Following the farcical cancellation of the current West Indies tour, ICC chairman N Srinivasan said it was "too great a risk" to go ahead with the tournament in its present form because "despite my best efforts, cricket is nowadays clearly sadly run by people who love money more than the game itself". The 49 clashes, which for logistical reasons will all take place in Chennai, will replace the scheduled plan for a full tournament in Australia and New Zealand between 14 nations.
Denying suggestions that the idea was yet another step towards cricket becoming the preserve of a centralised elite, a buoyant Mr Srinivasan was defiant: "This is simply not true. Just because only two teams will contest the World Cup doesn't mean it won't be a truly global event. We have invited Dwayne Bravo to do his lovely dancing at the opening ceremony, for example. Er, actually there is a bit of a problem over his fee, but I'm sure it will be fine.
"Also, I know some of the Associate nations who were set to play are complaining that, yet again, we have found a way of holding them back, but let me tell them this: when he is not on commentary, Danny Morrison will be manning a stall selling Guinness and haggis at all 49 matches, so it's pretty hard to claim we're not doing our bit for these countries."
Full postSecond biomechanist tests positive for chucking
Ailment begins to affect those exposed to contaminated bowlers
R Rajkumar
20-Oct-2014
A second biomechanist who provided care and instruction at a rehabilitation centre for suspect bowling actions has contracted the dreaded chucking virus, according to preliminary test results released recently. The scientist reported a crook in his arm over the weekend and was immediately isolated at the ICC-accredited Sri Ramachandra Medical College in Chennai, health officials said in a statement.
"Until recently, it was thought that chucking was only communicable via the exchange of bodily fluids and close proximity to Darrell Hair," said a spokesman for the National Centre for Disease Control in New Delhi, "and people were generally thought not to be contagious before symptoms such as high fever and dodgy quicker balls start to manifest. So we are a little stumped as to how these care workers are getting infected."
It had also been previously thought that only bowlers were susceptible to the virus, but the latest case marks the third time a care worker has contracted the bug in the past few weeks since what the ICC calls the "UWA Disaster", when an entire team of previously ICC-accredited specialists from the University of Western Australia allegedly became so infected that they were rendered incapable of detecting a straightened bowling arm.
Full postGoochie in the kitchen: a clean striker
England's former batting coach finds it hard to let go of his old job
Alex Bowden
16-Oct-2014
"I believe Alastair and others should get on the front foot a bit more," Graham Gooch said this week. He was actually talking about how they should have reacted to Kevin Pietersen's book, but you could be forgiven for thinking that he was talking about batting. After all, Graham Gooch is always talking about batting…
The Gooch kitchen. Graham and Mrs Gooch are preparing a meal.
Mrs Gooch: Graham, please would you chop the vegetables?
Full postECB appeals Nobel Peace Prize decision
England board outraged at its peace-keeping efforts being overlooked
James Marsh
13-Oct-2014
Somewhere in Oslo this week
Morten (Nobel Peace Prize big cheese): So, Mr Clarke. I understand you're not happy with our selection for the prize this year?
Giles Clarke: Well, that's putting it mildly. I think it's the worst decision since Kevin Pietersen bought a typewriter.
Full postOne man's life as a Sachin hater
A new book tells of a Tendulkar basher's 25 years of torment
Sidin Vadukut
06-Oct-2014
On November 6, 2014, thousands of impatient cricket fans from all over the world will finally be able to purchase Sachin Tendulkar's eagerly awaited autobiography Playing It My Way. No doubt the book will go on to sell millions of copies, thereby securing the financial future of the Tendulkar household and not at all impacting sales of books by other authors, who anyway have plenty of royalty earnings to finance their lavish lifestyles with.
Little known to these fans, however, is the name of another book that will be releasing the same day that will sell far fewer copies. This book may not rake in the millions for its author, Kishore Ambwani, but it is as deserving of scrutiny by the cricketing fraternity as Tendulkar's "autobiography".
Ambwani's autobiography is named Haters Will Hate (With Statistics): Sachin Can Take The Highway. This book is the riveting story of a man who has spent his entire life being a Sachin sceptic. However, this "rowing against the current" has not come without a great personal and professional cost for Ambwani.
Full postIllegal offies flee persecution
Plus, cricket snippets from the Asian Games
R Rajkumar
03-Oct-2014
Record number of seats sold for Asian Games cricket
It may come as a surprise that no fewer than 200,000 seats have so far been sold in total for the Asian Games cricket tournament being held in Incheon, South Korea.
It may come as a surprise that no fewer than 200,000 seats have so far been sold in total for the Asian Games cricket tournament being held in Incheon, South Korea.
"It's a staggering number that has exceeded all our expectations," said Seong-chul Park, CEO of Super Happy Fun Time Chair Limited, the company that won the contract to install seats in all the stadiums used for the cricket matches. "This is the first time that we have supplied seats for cricket games, and it's been great," he enthused, before adding: "Is there some point during the competition that they'll actually be filled?"
Illegal offies flee persecution
The relentless crackdown by authorities on offspinners with illegal actions continues to throw lives into turmoil. Reports have been pouring in from many parts of the world that hundreds of thousands of spinners, fearing the increasingly long arm of the law, have taken flight and are returning to their families, braving hazardous journeys and the prospect of increasingly bleak futures.
Full postThe relentless crackdown by authorities on offspinners with illegal actions continues to throw lives into turmoil. Reports have been pouring in from many parts of the world that hundreds of thousands of spinners, fearing the increasingly long arm of the law, have taken flight and are returning to their families, braving hazardous journeys and the prospect of increasingly bleak futures.
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