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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 postBig Hits
The title might fit a countdown show for the latest pop songs but it concerns New Zealand Cricket's latest venture: a search for the batsman who can hit the ball farthest
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
The title might fit a countdown show for the latest pop songs but it concerns New Zealand Cricket's latest venture: a search for the batsman who can hit the ball farthest. The competition began on February 2, with the top batsmen from domestic cricket going head to head at Eden Park. A rather surprising winner was former New Zealand fast bowler Ian Butler, whose biggest hit measured 95.98 metres. A not-so-surprising outcome was Billy Bowden developing a special signal for shots over 70m. The competition runs for three weeks - regional public finals held during selected State Twenty20 matches will whittle down backyard batsmen and one representative from each region will be selected for the final - before concluding in Wellington, where six members of the public will go up against Butler and a player from New Zealand's limited-overs squad. Will IPL scouts be watching?
Full postMurali v Yusuf, redux
Wednesday was Sri Lanka’s Independence Day and the teams were invited to a Presidential function
Sriram Veera
25-Feb-2013
Wednesday was Sri Lanka’s Independence Day and the teams were invited to a Presidential function. Coming as it did a day after the series was decided, and the hosts had been routed, you’d have expected some awkward moments between the sides. Not a whit; the only distinction was in attire - the Indians dressed casually in team T-shirts and jeans, the Sri Lankans in formals - as they mingled fairly freely. The ice-breaker seems to have been the IPL, which has blurred national boundaries (and language barriers).
Before they left, Muttiah Muralitharan was chatting in the hotel lobby with Yusuf Pathan and L Balaji; Murali's Chennai Super Kings had lost to Pathan's Rajasthan Royals in last year's final. "We would have won if your catch had not been dropped off my bowling," Murali said. Yusuf laughed, and retorted, "Yeah, [Suresh] Raina dropped
me, didn’t he?"
"Why don't you try to hit me here in this series?" Murali taunted. Yusuf’s reply was a no-brainer - "I hit you in that final!" Yusuf hit Murali for three sixes, picking 24 runs from 12 Murali deliveries, in an innings of 56 that swung the game. "No turn in that pitch," said Murali, and the three laughed before leaving the hotel. The president was waiting.
Full postStanford tightens the purse-strings
Despite saying that he would reveal all about his future plans in January, Texas billionaire, former cricket-lover and renowned self-publicist Allen Stanford has been very quiet of late.
Andrew Miller
25-Feb-2013
Despite saying that he would reveal all about his future plans in January, Texas billionaire, former cricket-lover and renowned self-publicist Allen Stanford has been very quiet of late.
Rumours have continued to circulate that he was about to completely pull out of Caribbean cricket following his decision to disband his self-styled legends and close his cricket office in Antigua. There was also talk that the global recession might have dented his financial empire.
Prospects of him continuing to bankroll West Indies cricket were further undermined this week when 200 employees of the Stanford Development Company in Antigua were laid off, leaving the island's prime minister distinctly unimpressed.
A spokesman for the company said they "had to reassess the market in Antigua especially in light of the global economic downturn". Where pouring tens of millions into the region's cricket fits in with that remains to be seen.
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