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Famous World Cup chants decoded
In which we deconstruct what the fans are yelling in the stands
R Rajkumar
20-Feb-2015
Consider the sports chant. Whether it takes the form of a song, cheer or jeer, whether fuelled by piercing wit or the diffuse haze of an alcoholic bender, it has become part of the fabric of watching a game live. There are those that have accomplished histories ("You'll Never Walk Alone" was originally a 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune before becoming synonymous with Liverpool defeat), and others notably less so ("Aloo! Aloo!" was simply, before it became synonymous with cricket's most famous player-fan altercation on a fateful fall day in Toronto, a description of what's for lunch).
Whatever the provenance and intention behind a particular chant, there's no escaping its often prickly presence in the room, and the influence it can have on both fan and team. World Cup 2015 is no exception, and the sooner you familiarise yourself with some of the more ubiquitous of these ditties making the rounds, the more life will start to make sense for you, at least over the course of the next few weeks.
"Dil Dil Pakistan"
This deceptively simple pop song by the Rawalpindi band Vital Signs has since its release become something of an institution for Pakistan cricket fans. A song that is unique in that it apparently consists of all chorus and nothing else, it can be heard often during home games, especially in instalments of four-second blasts over loudspeakers whenever a Pakistani cricketer has scored a boundary, taken a wicket, or run his hand through his flowing hair.
Full postThis deceptively simple pop song by the Rawalpindi band Vital Signs has since its release become something of an institution for Pakistan cricket fans. A song that is unique in that it apparently consists of all chorus and nothing else, it can be heard often during home games, especially in instalments of four-second blasts over loudspeakers whenever a Pakistani cricketer has scored a boundary, taken a wicket, or run his hand through his flowing hair.
Jason Holder is in charge
When it comes to dealing with his independent-minded players, the West Indies captain is a mixture of strict, cajoling and totally grown-up
Alex Bowden
19-Feb-2015
West Indies captain Jason Holder says that his team's shock defeat to Ireland didn't come about because of a lack of intensity from senior players and claims that there is no substance to rumours that he may not have the full backing of his squad.
Questions have been asked about whether Holder, 14, wields sufficient influence to lead a side in which all of the other players are many years his senior. Holder himself feels it is not a problem.
"I may not have a great deal of captaincy experience at first-class level or anything, but I do have a track record of managing people who are significantly older than me. Back in 2012, I took Witton Albion from Northern Premier League Division One to the Championship on Football Manager, and if we hadn't lost the 2018 play-off semi-final to Leeds United, I truly believe we would have beaten Watford in the final and reached the Premier League."
Full postEngland go Fifty Shades of Grey
Team decides to give submission and humiliation a proper go
James Marsh
16-Feb-2015
In a surprise addition to the already fervent publicity surrounding the film release of Fifty Shades of Grey, the England cricket team today confirmed they had entered into a submissive relationship with their Australian counterparts. After an Ashes whitewash last year and defeat in nine of their previous ten ODIs against their oldest rivals, coach Peter Moores admitted that his side had decided to completely give themselves over to Australian domination "for the foreseeable future".
"We'd all heard about this film, of course," Moores said. "But, to be honest, excessive discipline was more Andy Flower's thing than mine. However, as the beatings just kept getting more and more severe and the ECB, with its insistence we play Australia every two weeks, ensuring the players suffer near-constant humiliation, we had a team huddle and decided we'd actually give this submissive thing a go officially.
"I know these sorts of things are meant to be monogamous, but - and don't tell Darren Lehmann this - we're actually planning to have a similar relationship with other teams in our group, though allowing Scotland to overpower us might be taking it a bit too far."
Full postFootball managering with Harmy
Steve Harmison gives a pep talk to his amateur football club
Alan Tyers
13-Feb-2015
Steve Harmison has become manager of his local amateur football team, Ashington, which plays in the Northern League Division One. How might his first team talk have gone?
"Howay lads. Gather rooond. Everyone help themselves to a bit of orange. That's an exotic fruit, that is. From Foreign. Little insight from my days as an international sportsman that's turned up, done it, and more often than not put it in the right areas all around the world. The cricket ball, not the exotic fruit. I won't touch that fancy stuff myself. I always made sure I had a suitcase of Geordie produce with me wherever I was sent to.
"Good performance out there tonight. We all know that playing away from home is more difficult - things in Bishop Auckland are very, very different to what we're used to at home in Ashington. For one, the climate is totally different. And they have other sorts of biscuits to what we're used to having. And you sometimes can't get a decent cup of tea. It's like a foreign country, only without nice hotels.
Full post'Australia here I come!'
Kemar's announcements, Saqlain's wisdom, and Freddie's brags - in this Twitter round-up
Alex Bowden
12-Feb-2015
Ahead of the World Cup, ESPNcricinfo's been asking current players whether they've ever had a proper job. But real life doesn't just apply before their careers. Ex-players have to find a way to occupy themselves as well.
Andrew Flintoff's had a colourful time since retirement doing any number of weird and wonderful jobs. This even includes a highly unlikely recent stint working as a professional cricketer. But what's he up to now?
Full postWarner to box kangaroo in opening ceremony
And how can there be a World Cup without Pitbull?
R Rajkumar
09-Feb-2015
David Warner will box a kangaroo as part of the World Cup opening ceremony in Melbourne, organisers have revealed.
"The Boxing Kangaroo has long been a proud symbol of Australian sporting culture and character, and David Warner is… well, never mind what David Warner is," said World Cup 2015 CEO John Harnden, who went on to explain that the decision to pit Warner against a fully grown 200-pound adult male marsupial was taken after realising the tournament needed "something drastic and out of the box" if it was going to top Katy Perry riding that massive tiger thingy during the recent Superbowl half-time show.
"We bandied about a few potential names, but in the end there was only one logical candidate we could think of who would even agree to do such a thing," he added. "As it turns out, we were right."
Full postAmir only allowed to bowl offspin
Pakistan bowler will not be allowed to get away easy, authorities say
James Marsh
06-Feb-2015
Following criticism of Mohammad Amir's early return to cricket after his spot-fixing ban, the ICC today announced the left-arm quick would only be allowed to bowl right-arm offspin in a long-sleeved top so "no one can ever forget he's a bit shifty".
There had been fears letting Amir back ahead of schedule sent a message his past behaviour was completely forgiven, but this latest sanction, the ICC believes, will ensure the Pakistani youngster will continue to be widely stigmatised because, in the words of one Dubai official, "everyone knows what these offspinners get up to".
Speaking outside the Indian Supreme Court, Head of the ICC Ethics Enforcement Unit, N Srinivasan, explained the idea: ''A lot of people were a bit miffed at us letting Amir come back early, so we decided to add an extra punishment to guarantee no one will ever, ever consider him above suspicion. We couldn't think of anything more likely to ruin his reputation in the current climate than forcing him to play as an offspinner.
Full postICC looking to bring back run-a-ball hundreds
World body decides run-scoring has become just too prodigious to stomach
Alex Bowden
05-Feb-2015
ESPNcricinfo understands that the ICC has grown concerned by inflated rates of scoring and is considering taking action. A source has told us that several senior executives are struggling to come to terms with what modern batsmen are capable of and have therefore been reduced to committing the gravest cricket sin of all, namely asking those seated nearby, "Who's winning?"
A combination of modern bats, smaller playing areas, fielding restrictions and the influence of T20 has meant that it is not uncommon for sides to score at 10 an over for extended periods. Our source - a senior figure in the ICC, who unfortunately cannot be named because we missed his name at the start of the phone call and then felt too embarrassed to ask later on - told us that these incredibly quick scoring rates mean he now struggles to follow 50-over matches.
"Time was you knew where you were with a run chase. Four an over was pretty much standard, five an over was challenging, and then you waited for that moment when the required rate tipped above six. At that point, the commentators would say: 'They need more than a run a ball now,' and you'd know that the fielding side had basically won."
Full postA history of sledging, part two
In which we learn horrid truths about the Don, Dougie J, Warnie and others
Alan Tyers
01-Feb-2015
Last week we learned how cricket has been plagued by aggression and abuse since its earliest days and that potty-mouthed bullies like David Warner are merely standing on the shoulders of the game's giants. Here we discover more about the development of on-field aggro.
The period from the 1890s until the First World War is regarded as the Golden Age of sledging. Figures like Ranji and CB Fry dazzled crowds with the elegance of their repartee, and the cavalier approach to industrial language, as long as there were no ladies present. But it was the Australian Victor Trumper who is most associated with the Golden Age, epitomised by the famous picture of him leaping out of his crease to attack a close fielder with a perfectly timed "Mate, how does it feel to have dropped the Queen's Empire Trophy?"
The late '20s saw the debut of the man who would become beyond question the greatest sledger the game has seen. But Donald Bradman was just as famous for nearly being on the wrong end of a legendary sledge, when he scoffed at Alec Bedser, "There's no way you're good enough to be playing for England." Bedser shot back "Maybe not, but at least I'm the best player in my family." Always keen to have the last word, the Don replied, "Bollocks", much to the amusement of the slip cordon, and was knighted as a result.
Full post