The Buzz
Steve Waugh rides the Magic Bus
In a continuation of his laudable charity work in India, former Australian captain Steve Waugh was back in the country to meet and play sport with children from Mumbai’s slums
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
In a continuation of his laudable charity work in India, former Australian captain Steve Waugh was back in the country to meet and play sport with children from Mumbai’s slums. Waugh was in the city on behalf of the Magic Bus project, backed by the Laureus World Sports Academy, of which he is a member. Magic Bus is a sport for development project which helps to improve the lives of children living below the poverty line. Mumbai’s overwhelming slums have produced famous personalities in sports and various other fields and Waugh did his bit in trying to make a difference to their lives. His contribution to Udayan, a home for children of leprosy patients near Kolkata, has been well documented. “I have a 24-year history with India and am inspired by the people of this great country. For over 12 years I have been involved in charity work in India and over this time learnt a lot about the challenges that young people face," Waugh said. "So many of India's children do not have the opportunity to meet their full potential. Magic Bus is an inspirational programme making a difference for some of the children in India.”
Laureus gives you a chance to win an exclusive cricket bat signed by Waugh. The competition ends midnight March 31. Click here for details.
Full postSaxelby's shoulder curse
Injuries are part of a pace bowler's life, but Gloucestershire seamer Ian Saxelby has found a bizarre way of putting himself out of action after dislocating his shoulder during an appeal.
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
Injuries are part of a pace bowler's life, but Gloucestershire seamer Ian Saxelby has found a bizarre way of putting himself out of action after dislocating his shoulder during an appeal.
It's the second time during the winter he has suffered a dislocation having also done it while climbing out of the pool when he was with the England performance squad in South Africa.
"It was pretty embarrassing and I am taking some stick over it," he told the Bristol Evening Post. "I don't think I'll bother to appeal when the season starts. I'll leave it to the keeper and slips."
Full postDasti bites the dust
The scourge of Pakistan's cricketers, a self-styled moral crusader and head of the national assembly's standing committee on sports Jamshed Dasti has been forced to resign from his seat...after allegations that his MA degree in Islamic Studies was
Osman Samiuddin
25-Feb-2013
The scourge of Pakistan's cricketers, a self-styled moral crusader and head of the national assembly's standing committee on sports Jamshed Dasti has been forced to resign from his seat...after allegations that his MA degree in Islamic Studies was fake.
Dasti stepped down after being given little option by a six-judge bench of the Supreme Court who were looking into the case filed against his certificate in religious education. Geo News reported that Dasti could not answer a volley of basic questions about Islam or even his education hurled at him by the judges. The judges ultimately gave him the option to either be sacked or step down himself and he chose the latter.
The news - and the nature of it - is sure to bring a smile to the faces of many in the cricket establishment, including PCB officials and players such as Younis Khan. Dasti shot to a dubious infamy after he alleged, in the aftermath of Pakistan's semi-final loss in the Champions Trophy, that the side had fixed matches. He summoned Younis to a hearing in the national assembly, where Younis resigned in protest at the treatment. Dasti was widely lambasted for having instigated the chain of events.
Undeterred by the criticism, he continued his campaign to sort out the PCB, regularly calling top officials including chairman Ijaz Butt to hearings and grilling them over any number of issues, from board finances, to selection, to results on the field. With uncertainty over whether he is allowed to stand for elections again, it is unlikely he will be meddling in the country's cricket affairs anytime soon.
Full postDouble impact
What connects Ellyse Perry , Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
What connects Ellyse Perry, Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine? All these women have represented their country in cricket as well as another sport. Perry also represents Australia in football, Bates was part of the New Zealand basketball team at the Beijing Olympics and Devine is a hockey international for New Zealand.
Add to that list: Liz Perry. Perry made her debut for the New Zealand women’s hockey team, the Black Sticks, last year and will play her first international cricket match at the World Twenty20 in the West Indies in May. “It has always been a goal of mine to play for two teams at an international level,” Perry said. "I never thought it would happen so quickly because the hockey international programme has kept me busy."
Full postHero to zero and back again
Nothing ceases to amaze in Pakistan cricket
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Nothing ceases to amaze in Pakistan cricket. In less than a fortnight you could go from being branded a bad influence to being rewarded for your performance by none other than the President himself.
On March 10 the PCB - the President of Pakistan is its patron - banned Younis Khan (and Mohammad Yousuf) from playing for Pakistan in any format for an indefinite period because his infighting - according to the PCB - brought down the morale of the team and resulted in the side's disastrous, winless tour of Australia. Shahid Afridi, of ball-biting infamy, was punished by the PCB for that very incident during the Perth ODI, where he was captain, with a fine of Rupees 3 million. On Tuesday, both Younis and Afridi were awarded the President's Pride of Performance Award. Seriously. Both were nominated for this award a few months ago and their names were recommended to the President. Talk about changing perceptions.
Full postFranchise breeds friendship?
We’ve heard of cricket bridging boundaries between countries – remember India vs Pakistan, Jaipur 1987 and Chennai 1999
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
We’ve heard of cricket bridging boundaries between countries – remember India vs Pakistan, Jaipur 1987 and Chennai 1999? – but has had limited opportunities in India’s bitterly fractious national politics. Step up the IPL. According to the Telegraph, Shashi Tharoor, the junior – but very high-profile – foreign affairs minister, sought the help of Arun Jaitley, one of the senior-most members of the opposition BJP, ahead of the bidding for the two new IPL franchises. Tharoor is a known cricket fan and helped Rendezvous Sports World to win the Kochi bid; Jaitley heads the Delhi cricket association.
The Telegraph quoted “sources” as saying Tharoor sounded out Jaitley for some informal advice on the IPL’s bidding process – the sort of reachout he would harp on during his days at the UN. Jaitley , though, has denied that Tharoor ever approached him “He did not ask me,” Jaitley told the paper. “He is a very good friend of mine and I knew he was speaking to various people but I was certainly not one of them.”
Full postHitler played cricket
Adolf Hitler wanted to use cricket to train German troops according a new book about to be published by the BBC’s former World Affairs Editor, John Simpson.
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
Adolf Hitler wanted to use cricket to train German troops according a new book about to be published by the BBC’s former World Affairs Editor, John Simpson.
However Hitler, who was taught the basics of the game, found the complex rules too much to comprehend and wanted to do away with the use of pads because they were “unmanly and un-German”.
Simpson’s claims are based on a report in the Daily Mirror in 1930 by Oliver Locker-Lampson, a British right-wing MP and Nazi sympathiser, who claimed Hitler thought cricket would be the ideal preparation for war.
In his book Simpson says that, after recover from injuries from being shot, he challenged the British to a “friendly” game but afterwards said the sport was “insufficiently violent”.
Full postSmile, you're on Kumble's camera
Anil Kumble, on the boundary’s edge, or from the team balcony, camera in hand, ready to capture a historic moment for posterity, has been a common sight for years
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
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| Picture perfect: The Indian team take a speedboat ride during their tour of New Zealand in 2002-03 © Anil Kumble |
Anil Kumble, on the boundary’s edge, or from the team balcony, camera in hand, ready to capture a historic moment for posterity, has been a common sight for years. His passion for photography, however, was not restricted to cricket and now you can see what Kumble’s been capturing in his book, Wide Angle, which was released by Shane Warne in Bangalore on March 17.
“I always told my team-mates that while I am in the Indian team, there will be no privacy for them because I would be taking pictures,” Kumble said at the launch. “I have always been fascinated with photographs. I travelled on my first longish trip from Bangalore to Srinagar for an Under-17 national camp. My brother gave me a small aim-and-shoot camera, and you could say the bug bit me then. I have always had a camera with me on every tour after that.
“There have been some interesting events over the years and, as I said, there have been great characters in the team – [Venkatapathy] Raju, [Javagal] Srinath, Vinod Kambli and Harbhajan. Bhajji is the one of the funniest guys in the team, he is always a livewire irrespective of what may have happened. And Srinath, with all his antics, he was always game.”
Full postBakers ends sponsorship of Mini Cricket
It is the end of an era
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
It is the end of an era. By mutual consent, after a 27-year partnership Bakers will no longer be sponsoring the Bakers Mini Cricket programme after its contract with Cricket South Africa expires in June.
The programme is the longest running developmental sports programme in South Africa. Over 100,000 primary school children from over 5,000 schools take part in the programme annually, and it was the starting point for some of the country’s most famous cricketers, including Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher and Makhaya Ntini.
The brainchild of Ali Bacher, who was managing director of the South African Cricket Union at the time, the progamme was designed to bring together young children of all races to play cricket together in a structured environment that promoted racial harmony and healthy relationships.
“It is with much regret that CSA announces that the contract with National Brands Limited, through its brand, Bakers Biscuits, will not be renewed this year,” said Gerald Majola, Cricket South Africa’s chief executive. "Over many years, we have together pioneered the way for children, boys and girls, from all communities to gain entry into the game through Bakers Mini Cricket.
Full postDilshan's latest 'scoop'
From the creator of the ‘Dil-scoop’, here comes his latest creative offering
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
From the creator of the ‘Dil-scoop’, here comes his latest creative offering. And this time the canvas has shifted from the cricket field to the big screen. Yes, after electrifying the cricket world with his audacious batting at the top of the order, Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan is now set to dazzle tinsel town.
Dilshan, who had started writing a film script almost two years ago, confirmed it was now ready. Speaking to the Times of India Dilshan said, “I am relieved now as I am done with the script.” And true to his unconventional batting style, Dilshan said he had worked on a “different” plot line. “It’s [the script] is very different from the conventional ones. I have added a twist to it by putting in love and loads of thrills and drama,” he said. Though it is set to be a Sri Lankan film, Dilshan plans to market the movie in India as well. The title and cast is yet to be decided, but don’t be surprised if the cast has an Indian connection. “I am thinking about the cast, though I want to have someone like Hrithik Roshan in it,” said Dilshan.
Full post