The Buzz
Indian air farce
Mistaking the letter ‘H’ painted in the corner of a cricket field an unlucky pilot landed a helicopter smack in the middle of a domestic cricket game in India
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Mistaking the letter ‘H’ painted in the corner of a cricket field an unlucky pilot landed a helicopter smack in the middle of a domestic cricket game in India. The players, at first looking on in bewilderment as the chopper swooped down, quickly scurried for cover.
The match was a Ranji one-day between Punjab and Services at the Indira Stadium in Una, Himachal Pradesh. According to the Hindustan Times, a fire near the ground added to the uncertainty of the pilot, who mistook it for smoke signals, and also confused the letter ‘H’ for a landing pad. The ‘H’ stood, in reality, for the name of the home team, Himachal Pradesh.
The impulsive appearance of the helicopter, owned by a private airline, halted play for 26 minutes. "It landed suddenly. No one knew what was happening," the Punjab team manager told the paper. "There was chaos. Everyone ran for cover."
Full postBeing paid to watch the girls
As a captain Sourav Ganguly was never shy of expressing himself
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
As a captain Sourav Ganguly was never shy of expressing himself. Now he claims to be fighting for the rights of others to express themselves – namely a group of 24 young female cheerleaders. Ganguly is the judge of ‘Knights and Angels’, a reality show that will whittle down the competition to six lucky ladies who will cheer the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
Asked if cheerleaders distracted players, Ganguly rejected the claim adamantly. When one of the journalists checked if his new role wouldn’t embarrass his daughter back home in Kolkata, Ganguly hit back, asking, “What is so bad with dancing?” Even if it isn’t a career choice, Ganguly said the girls were just doing something they liked and he even compared them to gymnasts. “Would you call gymnastics a bad sport then?”
Ganguly said the girls need to be knowledgeable on cricket and understand the match situations better so that they can pump up the energy levels of the crowd and support the team. He did much of that during his captaincy years, though without having to shake a leg.
Full postBlunt Yorkshiremen
Yorkshire-Derbyshire might not rank as one of cricket’s greatest rivalries, but there is clearly someone at the Sheffield Star (motto “Serving South Yorkshire”) with a chip on their shoulder and no end of cross-border bitterness.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
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A somewhat innocuous story about Derbyshire hosting back-to-back Twenty20 matches was enlivened by the description of the hosts in the headline as “Derbyshite”. It is unclear whether this is editorial policy but clearly the chief sub shared his colleague's view.
Full postJust as Sir Allen thought it couldn't get any worse
It is not just the USA federal agents who would like to know the whereabouts of Allen Stanford right now
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
It is not just the USA federal agents who would like to know the whereabouts of Allen Stanford right now. His estranged wife, Susan, is also wondering what has happened to him, after the date of their divorce hearing, scheduled for 9am local time today, had to be postponed,
An attorney for Mrs Stanford told ABC News that the rescheduling had nothing to do with the recent revelations, but nevertheless, the timing is sure to raise one or two eyebrows. And, in the light of her husband's financial meltdown, she might wonder what will be left for her after the settlement is finally agreed.
Among the conditions of the divorce, according to the temporary orders filed on May 29, 2008, Robert (sic) Stanford must pay Susan Stanford $100,000 a month in spousal support. In addition, he will provide expenses and coverage for a 2004 model Mercedes G55, a 2008 Mercedes S63, and a 1998 Porsche Boxter.
Full postCutting it fine
You rarely find the Indian team in any state of anxiety these days, such has been their on-field form, but there was palpable tension when they boarded the bus at their hotel en route to the airport for the flight to New Zealand early on Thursday
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
You rarely find the Indian team in any state of anxiety these days, such has been their on-field form, but there was palpable tension when they boarded the bus at their hotel en route to the airport for the flight to New Zealand early on Thursday. It had nothing to do with the much-debated playing conditions nor with the seaming tracks; instead, it was a missing team-mate that broke through even Mahendra Singh Dhoni's zen-like calm. Everything seemed routine till team manager Niranjan Shah started the head count. There was then a hold-up and, as the players gazed towards the team hotel's entrance, the motley crew of fans and journalists sensed something - or someone - was missing.
The minutes dragged on and the smiles disappeared; finally, Gary Kirsten got out and asked the hotel staff to check on the missing man, now identified as Dinesh Karthik. Not in his room, Kirsten was told, to which he replied, "Then we will leave without him." He headed back to his seat and, seconds later, Karthik emerged and ran towards the bus with a sheepish grin. He boarded to the sound of slow-handclaps and choicest abuses. His team-mates obviously weren't going to waste such an opportunity and let him go scot free: as soon as he got on the bus the entire team, including Kirsten, greeted him with claps and later a few players had a select few words for his late arrival. Karthik's return to the Indian squad has started on a 'late' foot but at least he went one better than Bryce McGain - earlier this week the Australian legspinner missed an internal flight and travelled separately to South Africa late.
Full postBoys in blue can't jump
Perhaps the BCCI does have a heart - as if in sympathy for their team captain's fear of heights, the board has included bungee-jumping in the list of banned activities on their tour of New Zealand
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
Perhaps the BCCI does have a heart - as if in sympathy for their team captain's fear of heights, the board has included bungee-jumping in the list of banned activities on their tour of New Zealand. Mahendra Singh Dhoni had been invited by Tourism Auckland to bungee jump off the Harbour Bridge as a way to “see the city in all its glory” but he can take refuge in legalese. "Our tour contract does not allow us to do bungee jumping,” Yuvraj Singh responded to a question from an incredulous Harsha Bhogle at a sponsors' event in Mumbai.
Or perhaps the BCCI has taken lessons from cricket history - trace your memory back to the Tiger Moth incident involving David Gower and John Morris and you’ll know why it’s better to stay firm on the ground. It’s no secret that New Zealand is a haven for adventure sports lovers and the temptation to flirt with the wild side is sometimes too hard to resist. During India’s 1998 tour of the country, commentator Charu Sharma bungee jumped in Queenstown and the cameras were there to cover it.
Full postWatching the Ashes for free
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Ashes tickets are likely to be rarer than hen's teeth this summer, but there is one way Britons (and probably Australians too) can watch the Ashes without parting with any notes: by becoming a ground steward at Lord's. Not only do you get the Ashes, but the ICC World Twenty20 too. Admittedly, the role does include the less than savoury prospect of coping with thousands of drunk English fans (and probably Australians too), but the upside is surely too sweet.
Lord's has already received 1200 formal applications, "more than the total we received for the entire season in 2008" which comes as no surprise. And they're open to more, too. "There are a variety of stewarding roles within the ground such as the media centre, members and friends enclosures, turnstile operators, scorecard sellers and of course, the famous pavilion.
Full postDrinks break for Shah Rukh Khan
The war between the cola majors has found a new turf, the IPL
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
The war between the cola majors has found a new turf, the IPL. After Pepsi ended its ten-year association with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Coca Cola has swooped in to sign a two-year deal to associate its popular Sprite brand with the team. It is learnt that Coca Cola will be involved in sponsorship of merchandise and serve beverages at Knight Rider stadia.
Pepsi, who shifted its focus to younger consumers, had earlier dropped Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly (the KKR captain) as brand ambassadors. Shah Rukh’s contract which expired in 2008 was also not renewed, though he may now be signed up by Coca Cola. “I am now perhaps too old for Pepsi,’’ he told the Times of India
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is Pepsi’s new face but in a twist that could add fizz to the cola wars, Ishant Sharma, who will spearhead the KKR pace attack, features in Pepsi’s mini-campaigns. Did someone mention ambush marketing?
Full postGoing to the movies ... sort of
When in India, go to the movies
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
When in India, go to the movies. And when you get there, don’t watch one. Put on your face paint, throw on that snazzy jersey, and root for your favourite cricketers.
Perhaps borrowing from the USA where, in 2003, certain cinema chains telecast Boston Red Sox baseball games as the team surged toward the World Series, the IPL has decided to try something new and exciting.
Following an increase in requests from cinema owners in India, the IPL has decided to float tenders to sell these rights for the 2009 season. "We have decided to issue tenders for selling these rights for one year or so," said IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi. "We will decide on continuing this after seeing how it goes on."
Come to think of it, a Twenty20 game lasts about three hours, which is the average length of a Hindi feature. In India the concept of a ten-minute interval is still there, which is almost the equivalent of an innings break. And India loves movies and cricket. Who'd a thunk it?
Full postA tall order for batsmen?
Mohammad Zahid and Aamer Nazir
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Mohammad Zahid and Aamer Nazir. When they appeared on the scene for Pakistan in the 1990s, it sent everyone scurrying to find out their antecedents. Not much was discovered about either of them, except that they impressed Wasim Akram despite not much first-class experience.
Now, like a bolt from the the blue, comes the spotting of a 7'2" fast bowler from Multan who has former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed excited. At 6'8", Joel Garner and Bruce Reid were the tallest fast bowlers to play international cricket, but Mohammad Irfan is reportedly something else.
"I spent the whole day thinking to myself that we might have something really special here," Aaqib told PakPassion.com. "At the moment he has no clue about what he's trying to do, but we can teach him that stuff at the [Pakistan] academy."
Irfan, 21, has apparently never even played a proper game of cricket. Aaqib wants Irfan to "pack his bags and come straight back" because he is keen to get cracking on improving Irfan's mental and physical fitness. It may take some serious work, too. For someone that tall, even landing a ball on a length could turn out to be a bouncer to the man down the other end of the pitch.
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