The Buzz
Wayne Parnell: the romantic
Wayne Parnell doesn’t appear the romantic type but he has a soft spot for love stories
Firdose Moonda
25-Feb-2013
Wayne Parnell doesn’t appear the romantic type but he has a soft spot for love stories. He was one of just two South African players who joined the management team on a visit to the Agra to see the temple of love, the Taj Mahal, on Saturday.
“I wanted to go because of the story behind it,” he told ESPNCricinfo. “It’s amazing that someone could love his wife so much that he built that.”
Embarking on the trip meant an early wake up call for Parnell, who was picked up around seven in the morning, but said that in hindsight it was worth it. “Even if it meant I would have had to wake up at 4am to go and see it, I would have done it.”
Parnell, who only finished school three years ago, also turned the excursion into a history lesson and said he “learnt a lot” about how the capital of the Mughal Kingdom was moved from Agra to Delhi in the 1600s. “It’s always good to know what’s going on around you and to see different places.”
Full postEden Gardens goes ‘healthy’ to draw the crowds
Having lost the marquee India-England World Cup clash, and being reduced to three decidedly lower-profile games, you’d have expected gloom and doom at Eden Gardens
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Having lost the marquee India-England World Cup clash, and being reduced to three decidedly lower-profile games, you’d have expected gloom and doom at Eden Gardens. Perhaps, but they aren’t giving up without a fight. There’s a free health check-up with every ticket to draw spectators to the remaining matches. So, for the cost of a ticket (Rs 750-1000) you get to watch any of the remaining three games, featuring South Africa, Ireland, Netherlands, Kenya and Zimbabwe, as well as a free blood pressure check, echocardiogram and consultation with doctors. “We have decided to do something benevolent for the spectators,” CAB joint secretary Sujan Mukherjee told the Indian Express. “Our president (Jagmohan Dalmiya) is in talks with private hospitals and health centres to put the plan into practice.” The cricket may not get your heart racing, but there’s no harm getting it checked. And this incentive could have a two-fold purpose. Poor attendance at non-India games has been a problem with the ICC writing to the BCCI to express its concern over the matter. So a ‘healthy’ benefit to watching these games might just drive the people to the stadiums.
Full postSreesanth knocks two over
Trouble shadows Sreesanth everywhere
Sriram Veera
25-Feb-2013
Trouble shadows Sreesanth everywhere. It didn’t leave him even during the nets session at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. Sreesanth, who has perhaps lost his place in the playing XI after a poor show in the game against Bangladesh, steamed in during nets to impress and regain a bit of confidence. Facing him was Yuvraj Singh, who himself is on trial to regain his batting form. It happened then. Suddenly, Sreesanth erred at release and slipped a pacy beamer in. Yuvraj tried to sway out of line of fire but couldn’t. It’s not sure whether the ball hit his helmet, as he used his hand as a face shield and toppled over on his back. Yuvraj was seen showing his wrist to the physio and didn’t bat again. The injury didn’t seem serious and he shared some light banter with Sreesanth before walking away.
More drama (fun?) was to follow Sreesanth, who now began to bat. He leaned into a crisp drive but wasn’t allowed to savour the delightful shot as another man went down. Eric Simmons, the bowling coach, had strayed into the area where Sreesanth was batting to pick up a ball and was struck on the wrist by the drive. Again, luckily, it wasn’t serious.
Full postPonting’s a smash hit – or not
A lazy run, an avoidable run-out, an angry captain and a dressing-room outburst
Jayaditya Gupta
25-Feb-2013
A lazy run, an avoidable run-out, an angry captain and a dressing-room outburst. Those are the undisputed facts surrounding Ricky Ponting’s reaction to his dismissal by Chris Mpofu on Monday, which has blown into the sort of controversy Australia can do without. Ponting, in his first full international innings since sustaining a finger injury, appeared agitated and was seen talking angrily to himself as he walked back to the dressing room. That’s the point from when reports differ. Australian team officials say once there he threw some of his gear at his bag, it bounced off and hit the back of the TV, which stopped working for a while. "The screen did not smash, the TV did not leave the table,” said team spokesman Lachy Patterson. “A small area of the screen had loss of picture. We apologised and went straight to the team manager and asked him the screen should be replaced which he immediately did. The issue is now closed."
Not according to the Gujarat Cricket Association, whose secretary, Rajesh Patel, said it would take up the matter with the BCCI and the ICC. "This not fair on the part of the Australian team," Patel was quoted by PTI as saying, adding that the television set – which he said was “smashed” - was worth over Rs 35,000 ($770).
Both sides seem to agree that there was no bat involved – so at least there’s no need for a TV replay.
Full postTwo balls, four wickets, one angry scorer
We’ve all heard of teams losing wickets in a heap, but four wickets in two balls is stretching things a bit, right
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
We’ve all heard of teams losing wickets in a heap, but four wickets in two balls is stretching things a bit, right? Well, that’s what happened in a premier club cricket match in Napier on Saturday, when Napier Old Boys’ Marist claimed four wickets off two legal deliveries against Napier Technical Old Boys – and no run-out off no balls.
The drama began in the 48th over of the Napier Technical Old Boys innings. Offspinner Indika Senarathne had No. 7 Stevie Smidt stumped off an ‘unplayable wide’ and then re-bowled the delivery – legally this time – to knock over the leg stump of Liam Rukuwai for a golden duck. Senarathne did not disappoint with the hat-trick delivery that followed, flighting the ball to have JK Whyte caught and bowled. Things got worse for Napier Technical Old Boys; the flurry of wickets caught No. 10 batsman Craig Herrick off guard. He’d doubled up as scorer for the innings, and amid all the drama, had forgotten it was his turn to bat. Mindful of the three-minute timed-out rule, he rushed to the changing rooms from the scorer’s spot in the pavilion and wrestled with gloves, bat, helmet and various protective pads. Senarathne – credit him for his attention to technical detail – soon started appealing, with an eye on the watch. Going by the rules of the game, umpires Del Whyte and Paul Anderson had no choice but to give Herrick timed-out. Talk about troubling the scorer.
Full postWest Indies set off some sirens
Who said the West Indians are now one of the uncared-for, fringe teams of this World Cup who are not taken seriously
Sharda Ugra
25-Feb-2013
Who said the West Indians are now one of the uncared-for, fringe teams of this World Cup who are not taken seriously? The West Indians travelled through Delhi, a city that knows and stands down for all howling sirens of VIP traffic, in a convoy of seven vehicles. Their seven-vehicle cavalcade started with two police escort cars, flashing lights and sirens and all, ahead of the team bus. The bus was followed by another jeep behind it, behind which was said to be a second, empty 'decoy' bus.
Impressive but what kind of a decoy bus follows the real one a jeep-length behind? The non-decoy bus was probably added onto the travelling party in case the real bus had a breakdown in traffic. Bringing up the rear was not one but two ambulances, the last one clearly marked as an "intensive cardiac care ambulance". When manager Richie Richardson wanted to stay back at the Palam ground to finish his interview with a reporter who offfered to drive him back to the hotel, the security men would have none of it. No one from the West Indies tour party was allowed to travel with 'civilians'. The interview it was decided would be finished at the hotel, where the security men agreed to let the reporter in.
All very pucca, but one element of a high-profile cavalcade was missing: the fire engine. Or does everyone really believe, that the West Indians aren't really the kind to start any fires?
Full postPonting's latest woe: sleep deprivation
Ricky Ponting could have been forgiven for sleeping in a little on Saturday morning, but still managed to be on time for Australia’s 10am training session
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
Ricky Ponting could have been forgiven for sleeping in a little on Saturday morning, but still managed to be on time for Australia’s 10am training session. It had been a late night for the Australia captain, who flew back from the opening ceremony in Dhaka on Friday, only to be told his connecting flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad was delayed by two-and-a-half hours.
By the time he finally reached Ahmedabad after 11pm, a tired-looking Ponting was wearing an expression that put Australia's original Captain Grumpy, Allan Border, to shame. Still, he was willing to pose for some photos with fans while waiting for his luggage to arrive, although the smile wasn’t exactly convincing.
And, as if to highlight the gulf between the two sides, his opposing captain for their opening match, Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura, was standing not a few metres away, but was recognised by barely a soul. No photo requests, no autograph hunters, and a smooth path out of the airport. And Chigumbura got a healthy sleep-in the next day – Zimbabwe didn’t hit the nets at Motera until 2pm.
Full post'Indi Commandos'? Really?
When was the last time the name “Indi Commandos” brought to mind the image of a cricket team
Abhishek Purohit
25-Feb-2013
When was the last time the name “Indi Commandos” brought to mind the image of a cricket team? Never. So the Kochi IPL franchise must have had the novelty factor in mind when they bestowed their team with that strange choice for a name. In a league where the other franchises have stuck to city or state-based names to try and appeal to some sort of regional fan loyalty, Kochi’s queer combination of a pan-India identity and a combat unit hasn’t impressed many.
"Is this an indicator of a lack of identity or is it simply that the franchise owners' loyalties lie outside the state and the city for which the team was bought in the first place?" an irate fan posted on the team’s Facebook page. "Thumbs down for this ... omg …!! After all these months ... this is what you came up with ... shocking," another post said. Fans also aired their dismay on Twitter. One slammed the side by posting "IndiComman'Doomed" while another pointed out that "going commando is the practice of not wearing underwear under one's outer clothing".
The franchise had loftier intentions when they zeroed in on the name. "Indi stands for an independent Indian cricket team that will go ahead to win a billion hearts," their statement read. "Commandos stands for an elite fighting squad, renowned for attacking with speed, stealth and deadly power."
There might be more brickbats coming the Commandos’ way. Reports saying that they may play most of their matches outside Kochi, the city for which they won the team bid, have drawn flak from fans. But with the name they have, resisting the verbal missiles shouldn’t be an issue.
Full postDhaka to mosquitoes: You are terminated
There will be less buzz of the onomatopoeic kind at the World Cup
Abhishek Purohit
25-Feb-2013
There will be less buzz of the onomatopoeic kind at the World Cup. The Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) has announced deployment of spray teams to wipe out mosquitoes at the city's two stadiums, one of which will host the opening ceremony, while the other stages six World Cup matches.
"Mosquitoes have been breeding alarmingly in recent months so we have taken special measures to kill mosquitoes in the stadiums and for three kilometres around them," health chief Brigadier General Nasir Uddin told AFP. "Our special teams headed by DCC officers have been spraying extensively in every open space, drain, pond and sewer to make sure no mosquito can breed. We want to ensure a mosquito-free World Cup for spectators." Areas near hotels used by teams and supporters would also be sprayed. Malaria is usually restricted to rural areas of Bangladesh, but dengue fever is common in towns.
After the World Cup opening ceremony in Dhaka on February 17, the tournament kicks off with Bangladesh taking on India in the city two days later. The World Cup is the biggest event that Bangladesh has hosted since its independence in 1971, and Dhaka and Chittagong are in a race to get squeaky-clean before the tournament begins.
Authorities have already evicted beggars off Chittagong’s streets, ordered worn-out buses in both cities to “get fit, smarter and painted” and asked residents along Chittagong’s main roads from the airport to the city to paint their homes and shops. Now that Dhaka’s latest move is a mass termination of mosquitoes, it remains to be seen how Chittagong will strike back.
Full postGough turns down chance to be Tory MP
Darren Gough was offered the chance to stand as a Conservative Party candidate at the forthcoming by-election in his home town in Barnsley, according to The Guardian , but hung up on what he assumed was a prank call when the Prime Minister, David
Andrew Miller
25-Feb-2013
Darren Gough was offered the chance to stand as a Conservative Party candidate at the forthcoming by-election in his home town in Barnsley, according to The Guardian, but hung up on what he assumed was a prank call when the Prime Minister, David Cameron, rang him personally to make the overture.
The extraordinary offer came in the wake of the Conservatives’ poor showing at the recent by-election in Oldham East & Saddleworth. A Conservative party spokesman said: "Darren Gough is a supporter of the party and will be taking part in the campaign for Barnsley. He will not be standing as an MP, however."
Gough, who retired from professional cricket in 2008, is said to have cited his work commitments as the main reason for turning down the offer, which was eventually made to him when another Tory MP called him back to convince him that Cameron’s approach had been serious. Having won Strictly Come Dancing in 2005, he is much in demand for media appearances.
Had he chosen to take the stump, however, Gough would have been in good company, with several former cricketers choosing to go into politics after finishing their careers – including the former Sri Lanka captains Arjuna Ranatunga and Sanath Jayasuriya, and the former India captain, Mohammad Azharuddin.
Full post