The Buzz
England cut Warne's run short
Shane Warne was never shy of uttering a word or two in an English batsman’s ear during his playing days, but it appears the English have finally found a way to silence him
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
Shane Warne was never shy of uttering a word or two in an English batsman’s ear during his playing days, but it appears the English have finally found a way to silence him. Warne, who has branched out into poker, commentary and even a line of gentleman’s underwear since his retirement, also had his own cricket-themed variety TV show, Warnie, on the Nine Network. However, the fifth and final episode of the show has been shelved, apparently because of the dominance of the England cricket team in the Ashes. The network decided "there is no need for a show on January 6" because the visitors have already retained the urn.
Warnie opened to viewing figures of 854,000, but that had dropped below 500,000 by the second episode despite guests such as James Packer, Sir Michael Parkinson, Dannii Minogue, Sting, Jeremy Clarkson, Susan Boyle and Coldplay's Chris Martin.
Full postPaint job for Chittagong
Bangladesh are taking their job of co-hosting the 2011 World Cup very seriously
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Bangladesh are taking their job of co-hosting the 2011 World Cup very seriously. And it’s not just the stadiums that are getting a face-lift: in the port city of Chittagong, residents and shop owners along the main roads from the airport to the city centre have been asked to spruce up their homes and shops with a new coat of paint. Bangladesh take on England and Netherlands in Chittagong, which will also host a warm-up match. The city corporation ran an advertisement in the newspapers on Saturday to appeal to its residents. “We need your cooperation to present the beauty of the city to players, officials and other dignitaries, who will visit us during the World Cup.” Bangladesh have never hosted a World Cup before and excitement levels are running high in the country – leading to clashes on Sunday between fans and police in Dhaka in the rush to buy tickets for the tournament.
Full postCricket's biggest egos - Pietersen and Yuvraj
Kevin Pietersen has never been shy about, well, anything really
Tariq Engineer
25-Feb-2013
Kevin Pietersen has never been shy about, well, anything really. But when he took credit for England’s Ashes success Down Under by claiming it only happened because he got Peter Moore fired as coach and himself sacked as captain, and that he did it all for the good of English cricket, his ego had officially taken him three or four steps too far. So its no surprise he finds himself named in the Daily Telegraph's list of top 10 sporting egos, alongside other big-headed stars such as golfer Nick Faldo and NBA star Lebron James.
Pietersen is not the only cricketer to make the list either. Joining him is Yuvraj Singh, who was once hailed as the crown prince of Indian cricket and a future captain but today finds himself dropped from the Test team altogether. “Ego, bank balance and waistline have all swollen in recent years, but his performances have deserted him.” As the paper suggests, Yuvraj’s Twitter biography sums up his impression of himself best: "Cricketer, Celebrity, Entrepreneur, budding Philanthropist aka Yuvi." At least he mentions cricketer first.
Full postEngland stamp their authority on the Ashes
Andy Flower may be trying to talk up the importance of the Sydney Test, but try telling the Cricket Philatelic Society that the Ashes series isn’t already over
Dustin Silgardo
25-Feb-2013
Andy Flower may be trying to talk up the importance of the Sydney Test, but try telling the Cricket Philatelic Society that the Ashes series isn’t already over. No more than 24 hours after England retained the urn on Australian soil for the first time in 24 years, the society has already designed a stamp to tribute the historic win at the MCG. The stamp has been approved by England’s Royal Mail, and will be available in post offices in the UK by the first week of January. The stamp that features both the Union Jack and the English flag, and has a message of congratulations to England is about as subtle a celebration of England’s success as Graeme Swann’s sprinkler dance.
Full postNeil Johnson is a yogi ... or is he?
In this internet age, there can often be a viral element to newsgathering
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
In this internet age, there can often be a viral element to newsgathering. This means, of course, that news travels fast, but also that it is much easier for less factually accurate stories to pop up on reputable sites.
Such was the case when a bizarre story that former Zimbabwe allrounder Neil Johnson had been appointed yoga instructor to the touring Indian cricket team mysteriously appeared online. Within hours, it had been picked up by several cricket news sites and even found its way onto the official ICC homepage.
The original story suggested that coach Gary Kirsten had hired Johnson “to get his players supple and as fit as they can be for their grueling [sic] South African sojourn”, and claimed Johnson "was seen doing a few yoga asanas along with the players after India lost the first Test at Centurion". It even went so far as to declare "the Indian team's manager Ranjib Biswal confirmed the appointment of Johnson but refused to let him talk to the media”
Full postCork to dance on ice
He was never known for twinkle-toed elegance on the field, but Dominic Cork is following in the footsteps of other former England cricketers Darren Gough, Mark Ramprakash and Phil Tufnell in signing up for a dancing-themed reality TV show
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
He was never known for twinkle-toed elegance on the field, but Dominic Cork is following in the footsteps of other former England cricketers Darren Gough, Mark Ramprakash and Phil Tufnell in signing up for a dancing-themed reality TV show. Cork, 39, who still plays for Hampshire, has been confirmed as a participant in the new season of ‘Dancing on Ice’ on ITV1. The only sportsman in a diverse line-up, Cork will be joined by the likes of former EastEnders actor Sam Attwater, Loose Women host Denise Welch and 90s pop-rap sensation Vanilla Ice. The series starts on January 9, presumably so as not to distract from England’s Ashes campaign which is due to end in Sydney on January 7.
Full postThe <i>other</i> Simone Callahan
A woman who shares the same name as Shane Warne’s long-suffering ex-wife Simone Callahan has been receiving plenty of undue attention from the tabloid press following news of Warne’s relationship with socialite Liz Hurley
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
A woman who shares the same name as Shane Warne’s long-suffering ex-wife Simone Callahan has been receiving plenty of undue attention from the tabloid press following news of Warne’s relationship with socialite Liz Hurley. The other Simone Callahan, from Geelong in Victoria, has been mistaken for Warne’s ex in the past and is once again being hounded by journalists from the British and Australian tabloids.
“It seems as though whenever there’s a drama with Warne they’ll contact me and knowing Warne there’s always a drama,” said Callahan.
“The British tabloids are the worst. They’ve called my dad’s house and left messages for my cousin. Dad’s also getting contacted by emails and on Facebook. He loves it; he thinks he might make a few dollars out of it.”
Full postRoach causes a stir before the WACA
Eoin Morgan has earned a reputation for ice-cool innings under all sorts of pressure on the field for England, but his reaction to an unexpected visitor during a pre-Test dinner with his England team-mates may have dented that aura somewhat
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
Eoin Morgan has earned a reputation for ice-cool innings under all sorts of pressure on the field for England, but his reaction to an unexpected visitor during a pre-Test dinner with his England team-mates may have dented that aura somewhat. "Mid sentence ordering my dinner tonight..a massive cockroach crawled down my arm and all over my leg!!" tweeted Morgan after the incident. "Filthy nic!!"
"Never seen @Eoin16 [Morgan's twitter name] move so quick," Steven Finn tweeted in return. "Cockroach up the trouser leg tends to do that though. Came dangerously close to me too." Shortly afterwards he added: "Were not eating in that restaurant anymore. Might have crawled up my nose."
Full postWarne's latest selection
Shane Warne has been a making a few headlines of late, but rather than his suggestion that Michael Beer should be called up it’s now his private life that is back in the spotlight
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
Shane Warne has been a making a few headlines of late, but rather than his suggestion that Michael Beer should be called up it’s now his private life that is back in the spotlight. Following News of the World pictures (and video) that apparently show him embracing Liz Hurley, Warne has confirmed his on-off relationship with ex-wife Simone Callahan is off again.
“Sadly and unfortunately, Simone and I split up a while ago, our close friends and family were informed at that time," Warne said in a statement on his website. "It is a private matter so we did not make it public. We remain friends and will continue to be good parents."
Hurley, too, has been responding to the recent pictures on everyone's favourite outlet – Twitter. "For the record, my husband Arun and I separated a few months ago," she wrote. "Our close family and friends were aware of this."
Funny how those two statements sound so similar. Almost as if they were planned, isn’t it? Anyway, wonder what Hurley has made of Beer’s selection.
Full postRose Bowl is the fans' favourite
Lord’s may be the home of cricket but it appears that it is things other than majesty and history that appeal to the modern cricket fan; Hampshire’s Rose Bowl ground has been named the best international venue in an independent online survey of
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
Lord’s may be the home of cricket but it appears that it is things other than majesty and history that appeal to the modern cricket fan; Hampshire’s Rose Bowl ground has been named the best international venue in an independent online survey of cricket fans commissioned by the England & Wales Cricket Board.
Nottinghamshire’s Trent Bridge ground was named the best domestic venue and second best international venue with Glamorgan’s Swalec Stadium rated third in the annual survey in which nearly 7,000 fans took part nationwide. The Swalec Stadium was rated the second most popular domestic venue with The Rose Bowl finishing third based on online responses from fans who attended a range of domestic Friends Provident t20 and international matches last season. Lord’s came in fifth for both international and domestic fixtures.
Venues were rated across a range of different criteria including ticketing, car parking, stewarding, signage, catering, ground atmosphere and concourse and interval entertainment. Strengths and weaknesses were assessed in four key areas: overall satisfaction, likeliness to re-attend, recommendation and competitive advantage over other sporting venues.
“This research gives all our international and domestic venues a clearer understanding of what matters most to spectators when they attend matches and we send our congratulations to Hampshire, Nottinghamshire and Glamorgan on their strong performances in this year’s survey,” said David Collier, ECB chief executive.
Full post