The Buzz
Kids teach Gayle new dance move
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
It’s no secret that West Indies captain Chris Gayle is one of the best dancers in his team. Come the four-match series against India, it would be worth keeping an eye on him because he has promised a new dance move. Gayle made a surprise visit on Wednesday to his old school - Excelsior High - where a bunch of enthusiastic boys demonstrated the new move to him on stage. One of them, Ronaldo Fletcher, asked Gayle to show it to the rest of the world when he takes a wicket against the visiting Indians. Gayle, who earlier presented a full sized autographed bat signed by the entire West Indies cricket team to the school principal, agreed. Here's looking forward to a Gayle wicket and... shall we call it the Excelsior dance.
Full postSymonds' agent in England to gauge interest
Andrew Symonds' playing future could become clearer in the coming weeks following the arrival of his agent to England
Alex Brown
25-Feb-2013
Andrew Symonds' playing future could become clearer in the coming weeks following the arrival of his agent to England. Matt Fearon will meet with county officials to gauge their interest in signing Symonds for next year's Twenty20 Cup and P20 competitions. Symonds is already committed to Deccan Chargers for the next IPL season, and is considering offers from at least one South African Pro20 franchise. The allrounder, who will feature on Australia's 60 Minutes programme this week, could also play for Queensland, despite turning down a central contract from his home state.
Full postIntroducing the Chic
Women cricketers now have their own bat – the Chic, a blade specifically designed for them
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Women cricketers now have their own bat – the Chic, a blade specifically designed for them. Holly Colvin, who was part of England’s triumphant World Twenty20 squad, will be one of the first to use it against the unsuspecting Australians during the upcoming Ashes Test.
"The Chic feels fantastic,” Colvin gushes. “It is really light and feels great in your hands but the sweet spot is so big. Every time you middle one it speeds off the bat."
The bat, made by Sussex-based manufacturer Newbery, is smaller than the standard one used by men. It has a marginally thinner handle and a bigger sweet spot. "Women's cricket is growing in popularity and we have been inundated with girls and women of all ages to hand-craft a bat specifically for them and we think they will enjoy using the Chic," Neil Lenham, Newbery chief executive, told the Mirror.
First the Mongoose, now the Chic, what next?
Full postSalary delay for Dhoni and Co.
The economic recession is finally having an effect on Indian cricket
Nishi Narayanan
25-Feb-2013
The economic recession is finally having an effect on Indian cricket. No, next year’s IPL is not being cancelled but the salaries of players employed by Air India, the national carrier, are not going to be paid on time. The airline announced wage cuts for its employees earlier this week and this will affect the salaries of international players like MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, RP Singh, Sreesanth and the women’s captain Jhulan Goswami. “Frankly, we are still not clear on the status but yes, the salary has been deferred by a fortnight,” Shekhar Guha, the head of Air India’s Sports Promotion Board, said. So... tough times loom for Indian cricketers.
Full postSymonds tackles another sport
A streaker once felt the brunt of Andrew Symonds’ strength when he was on the wrong end of a shoulder charge at the Gabba
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
A streaker once felt the brunt of Andrew Symonds’ strength when he was on the wrong end of a shoulder charge at the Gabba. Symonds was always keen to put that power into action on the rugby field, so much so that he once considered quitting cricket to try out for the Brisbane Broncos.
Now that he doesn’t hold a Cricket Australia contract, Symonds is free to pursue activities that would have been considered too risky for a professional cricketer. It didn’t take him long to indulge his passion for rugby, playing against a Men of League All-Stars team including Steve Renouf, Marcus Bai and Ben Kennedy on the weekend.
The Courier-Mail reported that Symonds played wing for the first half and was given a jeer by the crowd when he dropped the first pass that came to him but then performed well. "I couldn't sleep last night," Symonds said.
There were a few impressive moments from Symonds, including when he closed in on Bai, a former rugby league star, and laid a strong tackle. "One thing I will say about him is that he is very strong," Bai said. "I thought I would bump him off, but I couldn't."
Full postMore movie stars yearn for IPL
It appears the IPL is to Indian movie stars what commentary is to retired cricketers
Nishi Narayanan
25-Feb-2013
It appears the IPL is to Indian movie stars what commentary is to retired cricketers. They all want a piece of it. The latest to turn franchise-hopefuls are two filmmakers from southern India who are keen to nurture local talent and have approached the Kerala Cricket Association to take their proposal to the BCCI.
Priyadarsan, a noted movie director, and Mohanlal, a superstar in regional films in south India, sent some young players for selection trials to the Kolkata Knight Riders and though none of their players were picked, Priyadarsan said the exposure to international players certainly helped.
“We’re trying to nurture local talent, as the most successful IPL players this year have been little known guys like Manish Pandey, Pragyan Ojha, and Kamran Khan,” Mohanlal told the Times of India. “There are a lot of youngsters in the small towns of Kerala and Tamil Nadu waiting to get a break. They have the talent, but lack exposure and world-class training facilities.”
Priyadarsan said the state association will approach the BCCI with their proposal. However the IPL does not plan to add teams to the existing eight next year. So the Malayali Marauders/Kerala Crusaders will have to make do with talent-spotting for now.
Full postHodge in harmony with India
When Melbourne police get called into one of the city’s pokey alleys it’s not usually for a happy reason
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
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When Melbourne police get called into one of the city’s pokey alleys it’s not usually for a happy reason. But on Friday there were smiles all round as police took part in a laneway cricket match with members of the Indian community as a show of harmony following the recent attacks on Indian students in Australia.
Cricket Victoria helped organise the event and Brad Hodge was the star attraction at the game, which took place in an arty graffiti-lined lane, and he took special delight in sending down a couple of quicker balls at the police. When he reverted to offspin a ball sailed back over his head and into the crowd of onlookers, so it was lucky the result was secondary to the message Hodge and the other participants were aiming to send.
“Whenever any Australian cricketers go to India, we’re welcomed with open arms,” Hodge said. “Today is about standing alongside Indians who’ve come to Australia and letting them know that we welcome them, and value highly their contribution to our country.”
Full postIndia's biggest hitter?
It’s not been a good few days for India’s cricketers with the current crop crashing out of the ICC World Twenty20 in the Super Eights
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
It’s not been a good few days for India’s cricketers with the current crop crashing out of the ICC World Twenty20 in the Super Eights. Perhaps they should have been looking at English league cricket for the answer where Abhijit Kale, who played an ODI for India in 2003, smashed 39 off an over included six sixes in a row.
Kale was playing at Catford in London for Linden Park when he took apart bowler Damion Grosscel. The over included three no-balls and it was the last six deliveries which Kale launched over the boundary. "Never in my life have I had six sixes. I was so happy,” he told BBC Radio Kent. “"It's great to have my name associated with such a great man as Gary Sobers.”
Kale’s professional career lasted 12 years and he averaged an impressive 54.45 in first-class cricket. However, his only chance for India was a single ODI against Bangladesh in 2003 and later that year he was charged with attempting to bribe two national selectors, for which he served a six-month ban from the game.
His rehabilitation has been slow and painful but at least in the last few days he’s been the most successful Indian batsman and he is getting a flavour of what it’s like to be a star – if only for a short time. "I'm getting a lot of media attention in India as well," he said, "so of course the pressure will be there."
Full postCricket for Russian intellectuals
If there was an unlikelier place than Cardiff for Ashes mania to kick off this year, St Petersburg would be it
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
If there was an unlikelier place than Cardiff for Ashes mania to kick off this year, St Petersburg would be it. But that’s where a team of Australians has taken first blood against a side made up of English ex-pats.
The Crusaders, a Melbourne-based team consisting of players aged 16 to 60-plus, like to spread cricket to parts of the world where it normally wouldn’t be played. Outside the State Russian Museum certainly qualifies.
The match was played in the famous Mikhailovsky Garden and a small team of gardeners prepared a ‘pitch’ that could be generously described as an extremely green-top. The Australians won the day but just as entertaining was the way the St Petersburg locals struggled to comprehend what was going on.
"It's something new, something unusual for Russia," Elena Naydenko told ABC television. "It's for intellectuals I think, because of its rules. Only an intellectual can understand the rules.”
Full postVillage killjoy fails to stop club
A victory for common sense after a Surrey homeowner/killjoy (delete as applicable) had his initial attempt to get an injunction to ban his local club from playing were kicked out by the court
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
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Burgess, who clearly knew he was moving into a house next to a cricket green, claimed that he was acting in the interests of health and safety and moaned the villagers treated cricket “like a religion”. He also suggested a “six and out” rule for matches on the green.
In a clear big to further ingratiate himself with his neighbours, Burgess said he would continue with his legal action despite warnings from the judge that he faces considerable costs. “It’s only just begun” he insisted. “It will highlight to the country that our democratic rights are going to the wayside. I think it is outrageous when cricketers have got a right over everybody else. Shamley Green has played cricket for 169 years, but there have been rapes and pillages for longer than that and it is still not right.”
There are 15ft-high nets protecting Burgess’ house but he wants these raised to 25ft. He also insists that as the ground is bordered by roads, there was a danger to passing motorists and walkers. However, many neighbouring villages are equally close to roads – Bramley, Shalford and Cranleigh to name three – and there are no issues with those.
Full post