The Buzz
McGlashans and McCullums
It’s fair to say Peter McGlashan was a surprise call-up into New Zealand’s Twenty20 squad for Sunday’s game against Australia
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
It’s fair to say Peter McGlashan was a surprise call-up into New Zealand’s Twenty20 squad for Sunday’s game against Australia. But his parents didn’t need to make a last-minute dash to the travel agent to get on a flight to Sydney to watch their son play.
They were already going to be at the SCG that day to watch their daughter Sara. You see, Sara McGlashan is part of the New Zealand women’s side that will play a Twenty20 against Australia as a curtain-raiser to the men’s game. In fact she probably has a better chance of playing than Peter, whose fate rests with the fitness of the first-choice wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.
"Mum and dad had planned to go to watch Sara and we've shouted my little sister to go over as her 21st present,” Peter said. “And I rang mum with the news and said could she track my passport down. She said 'why, are you coming to watch?' and I said 'I might actually be playing'."
One way or another it should be a familial affair for the New Zealanders. If McCullum’s sore shoulder doesn’t keep him out he’s every chance to play alongside his brother Nathan McCullum, who was called in as a Twenty20 specialist.
Full post The one rupee sue
It could be the global financial crunch, or just plain ol' fashioned occupation of the higher ground but having come across multi-million dollar/rupee defamation cases, Shafqat Naghmi's decision to sue PCB chairman Ijaz Butt for damages worth one
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
It could be the global financial crunch, or just plain ol' fashioned occupation of the higher ground but having come across multi-million dollar/rupee defamation cases, Shafqat Naghmi's decision to sue PCB chairman Ijaz Butt for damages worth one Pakistan rupee (approximately US$0.012581) is worth nothing. Naghmi, a former chief operating officer of the board, is taking Butt and other officials to court for levelling charges of financial mismanagement against him.
Turns out, it is neither morality or recession. “I will claim a public apology from them and one rupee in damages to show these people what I think they are worth,” Naghmi told the News, which is, in the world of Pakistan cricket, a pretty sharp insult. “This board does not deserve to remain in power. They don’t know what they are doing. The defamation suit is meant to expose them before the public,” Naghmi said.
Given the unusual nature of the case, Naghmi's one buck could well be a million dollars for memorabilia addicts.
Full postThe battle of the Basin
The once natural sun trap which provided shelter from New Zealand's notorious southerly winds to cricket fans on the grass bank at the eastern side of the Basin Reserve is in danger
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
The once natural sun trap which provided shelter from New Zealand's notorious southerly winds to cricket fans on the grass bank at the eastern side of the Basin Reserve is in danger. The peaceful spot at 'The Basin', as Wellingtonians refer to it, may be disturbed by honking cars and exhaust fumes, if Wellington's administrators have their way.
Anyone with even a passing interest in cricket in New Zealand knows that the Basin Reserve, the gift of nature, is the best cricket ground in the country. But not so Wellington's pen-pushers, who have proposed to build a concrete flyover over the northern face of the ground, apparently to connect the second Mt Victoria tunnel that will lessen traffic jams that often occur at the one lane road in the course of the mountain.
Per the 1873 Deed of Trust which endows the ground to the people of the city, no thoroughfare was to be built across the ground. During the 1990s, it was discovered the actual boundary of the ground was one lane out on the road that encircles the ground. Since then, the venue's custodians have been tempted to solve the problems associated with increasing traffic usage in the city.
This could the most radical move yet, prompting the phrase "car-crash cricket".
Full postGet smart, play cricket
Cricket rarely inspires Britain’s football-obsessed politicians - you only have to remember Tony Blair's embarrassing display opening the World Cup in 1999 to prove that
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Cricket rarely inspires Britain’s football-obsessed politicians - you only have to remember Tony Blair's embarrassing display opening the World Cup in 1999 to prove that. But in a breaking of ranks, Ed Balls, the schools secretary, waxed lyrical about the game’s ability to cure many of the nation’s education defects.
He said that cricket helps develop skills such as managing statistics and working out sums under pressure, could boost children's grasp of science, and help their maths skills. It is also an aid to history when studying the Commonwealth.
“Cricket is part of our national identity," Balls said. "Not only does it have obvious health benefits for young people, it also develops them in other ways – co-ordination, balance, team work, tactics, and remaining calm under pressure.
Full postThrifty Vaughan's Jimmy Choos
With the possible exception of Lee Germon, most former cricket captains can slip on their suede moccasins and slump back into the garishly extravagant armchair of retirement, with little concern about their bank balance
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
With the possible exception of Lee Germon, most former cricket captains can slip on their suede moccasins and slump back into the garishly extravagant armchair of retirement, with little concern about their bank balance. Michael Vaughan, an Ashes-winning captain and a Yorkshireman to boot, is one such individual whose success ought to prevent him scouring the bargain bin for cheap-but-serviceable Primark underwear.
Or has it? In an interview with the Daily Telegraph Vaughan revealed that although he clearly raked it in as England captain, he is by no means extravagant with his money. “What’s been your best buy?” posed the interviewer. “The other day I bought a pair of shoes from Marks and Spencer for £1,” Vaughan said. “You can't beat that.”
A thrifty Yorkshireman? Whatever next?
Full postBaghdad betting
You won’t find many British punters willing to risk £50 on England beating West Indies following their calamitous collapse on Saturday
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
You won’t find many British punters willing to risk £50 on England beating West Indies following their calamitous collapse on Saturday. But clearly the debacle hasn’t affected clients’ confidence overseas, even one torn to shreds by war.
“We have taken just one £50 wager for England to beat the West Indies, from an internet client with a Baghdad address,” said a spokesman for the bookmakers William Hill. “I suppose compared with some of the problems affecting that part of the world, England's current cricketing plight is somewhat trivial.”
So there you have it. The only country in the world who has any confidence in England's cricket team is Iraq. Friends, at last.
Full postSydney standards suffer slippage
It sounds like a line from a Seinfeld episode
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
It sounds like a line from a Seinfeld episode. There’s been slippage. Those were the words of the delightfully named Rodney Cavalier, the chairman of the SCG Trust, in describing the recent conduct and appearance of that famous group of rascals, the SCG members.
The trust was so concerned that it sent its members a letter in the lead-up to Sunday’s ODI warning them that they risked fines, court appearances and suspension of their membership if they acted up. "At the most recent one-day match a fight broke out in the members' area,” Cavalier said in the Sydney Morning Herald.
"The trust takes the view that members should be setting a higher standard than the public. That's why they're entrusted with full-strength beer. They're also expected to set a higher standard of clothing and footwear. There's been slippage.”
His words were backed up by an 85-year-old member unhappy with the modern dress standards and lack of decorum from his younger colleagues. "In the old days you wouldn't get in without a jacket," he said.
Full postSourav's screen presence
When he retired from the game, many thought Sourav Ganguly’s next avatar would be as a TV commentator
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
When he retired from the game, many thought Sourav Ganguly’s next avatar would be as a TV commentator. He will be on TV this June but not as a commentator – he will be the host of a reality TV show called ‘Dadagiri’, according to a report in the Kolkata daily Anandabazar Patrika. The show’s name (loosely translated as bullying or bravado) is a pun on Ganguly’s nickname from his playing days; that’s one of the few “facts” known at this stage. “So far I know, I have to conduct a quiz show," the paper quoted Ganguly as saying, before adding that there would be other elements to it. It does cut a broad swathe, though; the “theme” is to restore Bengal’s glory, the sub-theme is to perform “dadagiri” in front of “Dada” (a third may be to spot the link between the two). There’s no singing or dancing but there will be chats (the perennial Bengali pastime of adda) with fellow celebrities - and, budget and ratings permitting, a trip to Lahore to interview Imran Khan. The report says the initial run will be 52 episodes; the commentary box can wait.
Full postDrop in, stay out
Attendances at Tests across the world are not so good that spectators can be treated poorly, and anyone watching the first three days of the first Test would have noticed banks of empty seats at Sabina Park.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Attendances at Tests across the world are not so good that spectators can be treated poorly, and anyone watching the first three days of the first Test would have noticed banks of empty seats at Sabina Park.
It seems, however, that the administrators in the Caribbean learned nothing from the farce of the 2007 World Cup. The concept of pass-outs is well established. It enables people to pop in and out during the day … for an office worker, for example, to amble in at lunchtime and then come back at the end of the day. Unlike some triumphs of poor planning, Sabina Park is close to the heart of business area of the city as well, making the drop-in, drop-out option a popular one.
But that all changed for this match, and once anyone had stepped foot inside the ground they either stayed all day or paid to get in again. The reasons were not clear, although there was a feeling that this was a hangover from the ludicrous rules imposed during the World Cup.
The end result was more obvious. Spectators, increasingly at a premium in the Caribbean, were given yet another obstacle if they wanted to watch cricket.
Full postPhillip Hughes Day in Macksville?
Phillip Hughes’ hometown of Macksville cannot wait for him to make his Test debut in South Africa
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
Phillip Hughes’ hometown of Macksville cannot wait for him to make his Test debut in South Africa. The anticipation of him donning the baggy green will result in the town’s local pub being packed to capacity on February 26, the first day of the Johannesburg Test. “It will be chock-a-block,” the pub manager Ben Padtridge told the Sydney Morning Herald. “There is talk around town of having a Phillip Hughes Day, everyone is loving it.”
News of Hughes’ selection was announced on the staffroom loudspeaker at his school Macksville High. His mentor Neil D’Costa singled out Hughes’ discipline as his greatest strength. “When he needs to rest, he will rest. When he needs to stay away from people, he will,” D’Costa said. “He is the type of guy that likes to go for a walk by himself and likes to go and fish.”
Full post