The Buzz
Australia try their hand at hurling
Do you know how to hurl
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Do you know how to hurl? Neither did many of the Australians until they were given lessons by one of the legends of the sport. Ricky Ponting’s team, which is currently in Ireland, play the hosts in a one-off ODI in Dublin on Thursday. But on Monday, the Australians as well as the Irish team indulged in a spot of hurling at Clontarf under the guidance of one of the greats of the game, Kilkenny’s DJ Carey. Both teams played a Long Puc competition at Croke Park. The Australians started off with mixed results but got into the groove soon enough with big-hitting Cameron White looking the most natural. “They can certainly adapt,” Carey told Irish Times . “They’re very athletic and the eye-hand coordination is there.” Ponting, being competitive as ever, couldn’t wait to improve on what was a sluggish start at hurling for him. “I’m itching to get back out there and have another go,” he said. “It wasn’t the best start with the first couple of hits.”
Full postCorruption fears block miking of players in ODIs
The fear that corrupt cricketers could send coded messages to illegal bookmakers live on air means that the ICC will not allow broadcasters to strap microphones to players during one-day internationals, and could review their use in Twenty20
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
The fear that corrupt cricketers could send coded messages to illegal bookmakers live on air means that the ICC will not allow broadcasters to strap microphones to players during one-day internationals, and could review their use in Twenty20 internationals as well, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
Channel Nine, the Australian broadcaster, is trying to get the ICC to ease their stance, and argue that if players are allowed to be miked up in Twenty20s, then there is no reason they couldn’t be in ODIs.
''There is absolutely no difference as far as we're concerned, that is one thing we're going to investigate, we can't see any problems with it,'' said Brad McNamara, Nine’s executive producer of cricket. ''I think it is a little bit overprotective, we think they are being way oversensitive about it.”
''We allowed players to wear microphones in Twenty20s in the early days because it was a new form of the game and we wanted to give it every opportunity to succeed,'' said an ICC spokesman. ''There is a relaxation to players being miked in Twenty20s, but the board can review that decision if it wishes.''
Full postTendulkar to 'bat' for Amin?
The prospect of making your debut for one’s country can be thrilling enough, but what could possibly add more excitement to it
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
The prospect of making your debut for one’s country can be thrilling enough, but what could possibly add more excitement to it? Definitely, a helping hand from a legend of the game. Pakistan’s rookie batsman Umar Amin is looking forward to making a successful debut for his country in the upcoming Asia Cup and he plans to do it by playing with a bat that belonged to none other than Sachin Tendulkar.
The bat was gifted to Amin, who plays for Rawalpindi, by Shoaib Akhtar after Amin played well in a domestic game last year. “I got the bat for scoring a match-winning innings in a domestic game and I still have it with me," said Amin. “It is a treasured possession for me. I intend to make my debut for Pakistan with that bat.” The 20-year old Amin has been a prolific scorer for Pakistan at the domestic level and has also enjoyed success with the Pakistan U-19 and A teams.
Full postDriving for show
England’s cricketers no longer have to worry about the cars they drive
Tariq Engineer
25-Feb-2013
England’s cricketers no longer have to worry about the cars they drive. In a sponsorship deal with Jaguar, 11 of England’s contracted players got to choose a free XF, XK or XJ model. The players who benefited form the deal are James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Graham Onions, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann. In return, the players will be available to Jaguar for promotional appearances.
The Times reports the younger members of the squad went with the quickest car on offer - the supercharged XKR sports model (starting at $109,700) - while the “family men” went with the roomiest option - the XF saloon model (starting at $43,600).
As part of the deal, Jaguar will also form a strategic partnership with the ECB’s National Cricket Performance Centre. The deal is for four years and replaces the 2008 deal with Volkswagen that supplied the team with Touaregs.
Swann reacted to the news on his Twitter page, saying “Am going to give my mum and dad a lift home from Lord’s. I estimate at least ten ‘slow down son’ and five ‘you’re too close to that car’.”
Full postCricket takes root in France
The French are coming and they want to conquer Lord's
Tariq Engineer
25-Feb-2013
The French are coming and they want to conquer Lord's. Banned as an alien sport by the Vichy regime 70 years ago, cricket has been introduced in primary schools in France, where, Adam Sage writes in the Times, “pupils are getting to grips with le coup d’équerre (the square cut), la balle courbée vers l’extérieur (the outswinger) and a triumphant cry of et alors (howzat).”
The prevalence of a sport traditionally mocked as an “incomprehensible activity practised by British eccentrics” can be put down to the widespread immigration of Britons and South Asians, who make up the bulk of France’s cricket-crazy community. The country has also established a state cricket diploma, which is expected to received official approval this year, in order to develop its own professional coaches.
To help its new coaches understand the MCC’s 42 laws and five appendices, France Cricket has translated them into French and published the translated version on its website for the first time. If you have ever wondered what the French term for bouncer is, the answer is rase-tête, which literally translates to head shaver.
Full postBoycott motivates Tamim
After scoring the fastest Test century at the home of cricket for 20 years, Tamim Iqbal revealed he had an unlikely source of inspiration: Geoffrey Boycott
Tariq Engineer
25-Feb-2013
After scoring the fastest Test century at the home of cricket for 20 years, Tamim Iqbal revealed he had an unlikely source of inspiration: Geoffrey Boycott. The former England opener was on television the night before saying Bangladesh should not be playing Test cricket. Well, Tamim happened to catch that segment and was none too pleased about it.
"I felt very bad and could not sleep until 1am,” he said. “It made me determined to do something to show him. They are the senior cricketers whom we respect. We expect them to respect us as well. I wanted to prove to the world that we are getting there.”
Tamim defended his team’s improvement over the last five years and went on to compare the Bangaldeshi side to a chocolate company that wants to compete with Cadbury. “If you start a chocolate company you can't compete with Cadbury in the first 10 years because they are a big company."
With his 94-ball century behind him, Tamim showed there were no hard feelings, saying he would love to be coached by Boycott. "Maybe he could coach me defence. There are lots of guys who attack and they can teach me that. Geoff was a good defender I think."
Full postAmericans thrown by world powers
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
It’s enough to strike fear into the heart of any Sri Lankan fan: a photo labelling one of their bowlers as a thrower. The Associated Press photo coverage of the New Zealand-Sri Lanka games in Florida featured this image with the caption “Nuwan Kulasekara throws against New Zealand”.
It seems some of the intricacies of the game are still lost on some of the Americans who saw the strange sport for the first time over the weekend. The Miami Herald reported that the matches were being played by “perennial world powers New Zealand and Sri Lanka”, which the teams in question were no doubt pleased to read.
Full postBhajji helps Zimbabwe out
Harbhajan Singh has made an unexpected contribution to Zimbabwe cricket after a chance meeting with Heath Streak and Alistair Campbell in the West Indies
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
Harbhajan Singh has made an unexpected contribution to Zimbabwe cricket after a chance meeting with Heath Streak and Alistair Campbell in the West Indies. Harbhajan was shocked at the state of the kit used by some of the Zimbabwean players at the recent World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, and after returning to India, used his contacts to organise new kit for the team.
“It was sad to hear Zimbabwe didn’t have sponsors to fund even the basic equipment for the sport,” he told the Mumbai Mirror. “But I was shocked to find the kind of cricket gear they were using in the West Indies. Some of their top-order batsmen carried the type of bats usually used in school cricket. I couldn’t believe it and asked how they were playing with such kit in a tournament as big as the World Cup.
“When I saw those school bats I realised how lucky we Indians were. I remembered my under-16 days in Jalandhar. All I had was a pair of Ace shoes in my bag. That was the world for me. It was only when I enrolled myself in the Punjab academy that I got a proper cricket gear.
“On return, I spoke with some of my friends,” he explained. “I was keen they have the right shoes, the right bats required at the highest level. Reebok volunteered to help and so did KG Sports. I also approached a friend of mine who works with ANM Sports. These three firms have been extremely supportive. I think the kits have already reached Zimbabwe by now.”
Full postModi explains...sort of
The irrepressible Lalit Modi was at it again, this time at the Google Zeitgeist 2010 Conference in London, where he was part of a three-person panel during the Trailblazers session
Tariq Engineer
25-Feb-2013
The irrepressible Lalit Modi was at it again, this time at the Google Zeitgeist 2010 Conference in London, where he was part of a three-person panel during the Trailblazers session. The session was led by BBC Radio 4 presenter Evan Davis, who pointedly asked the suspended IPL chairman if he was guilty of the charges levelled against him. “No,” said Modi in a rare public appearance, before launching into an impassioned defence that suggested jealousy was the raison d’être for the charges.
“I guess I became the focus of so many charges because we got 149 million viewers to watch the IPL final. Everybody wondered how we got there. We grew too fast. We blew every number on the table; we blew everything that anybody said that can't be done. We surpassed every plan that we put on the table. We p****d off a lot of people."
Unfortunately, that was the only question thrown at Modi about the allegations he faces, reports India Today. The theme of the session was the rapid success of the IPL, not its troubles, and so the rest of the conversation turned to the move to South Africa in 2009 and how the rest was history.
Full postSouth African outfit falls to pieces
The South African team faced an unusual problem during their win in the first Twenty20 against West Indies on Wednesday
Nitin Sundar
25-Feb-2013
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The South African team faced an unusual problem during their win in the first Twenty20 against West Indies on Wednesday. The names and numbers of players began to peel off their jerseys during the game, prompting Cricket South Africa and kit supplier Reebok to issue an apology.
"The Proteas are our premier brand, and we will do everything to ensure we protect the team's integrity and provide you with a professional environment in which to carry out your duties," said CSA chief executive Gerald Majola in a letter to national captain Graeme Smith. Majola added that the CSA were in urgent discussions with Reebok to rectify the situation.
"On investigation, our supplier has informed us only [Thursday] morning they used a new vinyl for the names and numbers without our prior knowledge and this turned out to be a vinyl that has not bonded to the fabric," said Reebok South Africa chief executive Bruce Joubert in a letter to the cricket board.
Full post