The Buzz
Learn from cricket's evil cousin
Jacob Oram delivered a wake-up call for cricket statisticians, claiming that the current system of compiling statistics in terms of averages and strike-rates for Twenty20 cricket was close to irrelevant
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
Jacob Oram delivered a wake-up call for cricket statisticians, claiming that the current system of compiling statistics in terms of averages and strike-rates for Twenty20 cricket was close to irrelevant. Instead, he suggested, measuring quality in cricket should be modeled around the system used in baseball, where 'intangibles' are quantified, enabling a better assessment of players.
"I'm a massive baseball fan and I look at the way they compile stats and that is the way cricket should go," Oram told the New Zealand Herald. "They have stats for everything but we don't seem to be able to look past average and strike-rate."
Baseball, on the other hand, follows more sophisticated tools of analysis, measuring movement, velocity, power and errors committed by fielders. Cricket records the number of catches taken, but that says little about a fielder's ability if not supplemented with the number of chances he's spilled.
Oram also questioned the use of averages to measure the ability of middle-order batsmen as it failed to take into the account the enormous impact they usually have in the outcomes of games."But maybe I'm just saying that because my numbers are never going to look that great batting where I do," Oram said. But he stressed he was not interested in 'padding up' his numbers with a few cheap not outs, taking another jibe at the loopholes in the game's most relied on indicator of quality.
Full postThe perils of Facebook
Steve Smith, the captain of Llandudno in Wales, has been banned for life and three other players suspended after insults against a rival side were posted on the club’s Facebook site.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Steve Smith, the captain of Llandudno in Wales, has been banned for life and three other players suspended after insults against a rival side were posted on the club’s Facebook site.
The action was agreed at a meeting of the North Wales Cricket League's management committee. The committee said it had to take "immediate action to protect the reputation of the league and its members".
Full postLet's play hard ball
In India they’re worried about cheap and heavy bats affecting children’s cricket skills, but over in the UK its soft balls
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
In India they’re worried about cheap and heavy bats affecting children’s cricket skills, but over in the UK its soft balls. That’s right, soft balls which, according to Conservative MP Tony Baldry, are jeopardising the future of the English game.
“The concern I was raising with ministers in the House of Commons was that a tiny number of cricket matches in schools – about 4% - are played with real cricket balls,” Baldry said. “If we’re going to enhance youngsters coming through secondary schools into club cricket, we have to let them play cricket with cricket balls. They’re playing with soft balls. A cricket ball has a seam, and if you’re a bowler, a batsman or a fielder you need to know how a cricket ball feels. "
His comments were disputed by former professional Wasim Khan, who works for the ECB’s Chance To Shine. He argued the type of ball did not matter. "If you look at India and Pakistan, for example, within schools they play tape ball cricket, which is just a tennis balls wrapped in tape and talent seems to come through there.”
Full postCurry craving
Whatever happens to the Bangladesh team in Monday’s match against Ireland, they have a treat to look forward to: Tuesday’s curry lunch
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Whatever happens to the Bangladesh team in Monday’s match against Ireland, they have a treat to look forward to: Tuesday’s curry lunch. Not just any old curry lunch, but “home style” curry flown in by helicopter from the Bollywood Spice restaurant and wine bar in Warmley, near Bristol, to their team base in Trent Bridge. The menu, says restaurant manager Naz Abdul, includes including honey lamb chops and chicken ramo dhakana – house specialities if not typically Bangladeshi cuisine. Apparently the players wanted to spice up their diet after the two group games – “If we eat too much before the games it will be bad for us,” allrounder Shakib Al Hasan wisely noted – and fell back on a restaurant that is used to such requests. Last year it reportedly delivered food halfway round the world to Beijing for the Bangladeshi athletes at the Olympics, so a hundred-odd miles to Nottingham is child’s play. And if Bangladesh do win on Monday, the dessert will doubtless taste extra sweet.
Full postSourav's second innings
What was probably the cricket world’s worst kept secret became public knowledge on Wednesday: Sourav Ganguly will join the ranks of former players-turned-commentators during the World Twenty20
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
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What was probably the cricket world’s worst kept secret became public knowledge on Wednesday: Sourav Ganguly will join the ranks of former players-turned-commentators during the World Twenty20. Ganguly, among the most controversial, colourful and outspoken cricketers of his generation, will be part of ESPN-Star’s heavyweight panel for the tournament and will be doing commentary stints in the knockout stages. His new colleagues will include Nasser Hussain, a sparring partner from Ganguly’s glory days as India captain – on the same day that Ganguly twirled his shirt on the Lord’s Balcony, Hussain had pointed his bat, well, rather pointedly at the media – and Ian Chappell, a critic of Ganguly’s captaincy style but not of course to the extent his brother was. Ganguly can be both petulant and charming but the hope is that he speaks his mind, as has been his wont.
Full postOpen slather on redhead Ronnie
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
It’s one thing for an Australian cricketer to take jibes from the English press but from an Australian selector? Andrew McDonald was recently compared to Ronald McDonald by Bob Willis and the Sun accordingly mocked up a photo of the allrounder with the fast-food clown’s head.
McDonald has been nicknamed Ronnie for years and he thinks the least Willis could do would be to come up with a more inventive taunt. “Pretty original, Bob, obviously over six foot tall, redhead and last name McDonald,” he told AAP. “It's quite original, I've never heard it before.”
Full postEngland wear a good cause on their sleeves
With no shirt branding permitted during the ICC World Twenty20, England’s cricketers have chosen instead to wear a good cause on their sleeves for the duration of the tournament.
Andrew Miller
25-Feb-2013
With no shirt branding permitted during the ICC World Twenty20, England’s cricketers have chosen instead to wear a good cause on their sleeves for the duration of the tournament.
“Cricket Against Hunger” is a partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), whose aim is to raise awareness of the problem of global hunger.
England’s teams have frequently been involved with the WFP on recent tours, most notably in Sri Lanka two years ago, when they attended a coaching session in Galle, ahead of the first Test to be held in the region since the devastating tsunami of December 2004.
Full postDeath in flight
Given the amount of time birds spend lounging on the outfields of the world’s cricket grounds, it’s a surprise that more don’t get killed by flying balls or speedy fielders.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Given the amount of time birds spend lounging on the outfields of the world’s cricket grounds, it’s a surprise that more don’t get killed by flying balls or speedy fielders.
A few do prove too slow to take evasive action - one, a sparrow killed in flight at Lord’s in 1936, was stuffed and is on display in the museum there. Only last season a pigeon was culled by a Matt Nicholson late cut while dozing down at third man at The Oval.
But few have been as unlucky as the bird splattered while flying across the pitch at Headingley during last weekend’s Twenty20 Roses match. One moment it was contemplating the next statue to perch on, the next it was brought down by a deadly-accurate throw from Jacques Rudolph. Its final ignominy came when it was picked up by Rudolph and dumped on the boundary edge, awaiting collection by the cleaning staff, or the local fox.
The bird may be gone but not forgotten. Its last moments live on thanks to YouTube.
Full postTopley junior drops his chance
For young cricketers the chance to be asked to bowl in the nets at an international team is a dream come true, but for Reece Topley his encounter with Kevin Pietersen had a nasty end.
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
For young cricketers the chance to be asked to bowl in the nets at an international team is a dream come true, but for Reece Topley his encounter with Kevin Pietersen had a nasty end.
During England’s net session at Loughborough a straight drive from Pietersen hit Reece on the ear and left him needing stitches.
Now, if the surname rings a bell you’d be right. Reece’s father is Don Topley, the former Essex cricketer, who became famous when he almost took a brilliant catch while on as substitute against West Indies at Lord’s in 1984 but put his foot on the boundary. He later claimed to know of matches that had been fixed but nothing was proved.
And he showed his caring side when asked about his son’s mishap. “I did suggest to Reece that he might have dropped a catch – to which he replied he had stopped it going for six.”
Full postBy hook or crook
It was hardly a dangerous sequence, but actor John Abraham would have wished he used a body double
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
It was hardly a dangerous sequence, but actor John Abraham would have wished he used a body double. Abraham and India fast bowler L Balaji were filming a cricket training camp scene for the movie Hook Ya Crook when a yorker from Balaji broke the actor’s ankle.
But like a true professional, Abraham continued to shoot. It was much later that an X-ray revealed a fracture. The injury will keep Abraham out of action for 15 days but he has no shooting scheduling during that period.
Abraham received a thumbs-up from Balaji. “The wicket was a bit uneven and the ball hit his ankle, but he was a complete sport, he immediately went back to the pitch and played his next shot. I was very impressed with the kind of shots he played to my bowling,'' Balaji said.
Champion stuff from the ‘reel’ batsman.
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