The Buzz
Honorary doctorate? Dravid leaves it alone
Dr Rahul Dravid? We may have to wait for that one
ESPNcricinfo staff
26-Jan-2017
Over the years, cricket's had its fair share of doctors. In the early days, there were a handful of medical practitioners who even played cricket - the legendary Dr WG Grace being one.
In recent times, though, the doctorates have been more of the honorary nature - the likes of Mark Taylor and MS Dhoni are among those who have been conferred such degrees. Rahul Dravid could have joined the list on Monday, but he declined the honorary degree being conferred on him by Bangalore University. It's not the first time Dravid has shied away from a doctorate: in 2014, Gulbarga University decided to give him one, but Dravid did not attend the convocation ceremony.
But don't rule out calling him 'Dr Rahul Dravid' yet. In its press release, the university said that Dravid had "conveyed that he would try to earn a doctorate degree by accomplishing some research in the field of sport rather than receiving an honorary degree".
Full postKP snub riles British tennis player
Dan Evans has told of being turned down for a photograph with Kevin Pietersen
ESPNcricinfo staff
21-Jan-2017
Kevin Pietersen has won and lost plenty of fans over the years, so he may not be too disturbed by the news that he is no longer Dan Evans' favourite cricketer.
Evans, the British tennis player, has told of being turned down for a photograph with Pietersen while in Melbourne. Evans is currently competing in the Australian Open, where he has reached the fourth round - his best performance in a major - but was not pleased by Pietersen's rejection on a night out.
Evans is set to enter the ATP's top 50, having made his first final at the Sydney International last week, but Pietersen was not interested in
posing for a picture when stopped in the street. Pietersen, who plays for Melbourne Stars in the BBL, later apologised to Evans via Twitter.
"He didn't want me to have a picture with him," Evans said after his surprise win over Australia's Bernard Tomic to reach the last 16 in Melbourne. "I think he was worse for wear - well that was his excuse when he replied.
Full postCricketer's dad lifts court order to watch U19 tour
The father of an England Under-19 cricketer has successfully applied to Bradford Magistrates Court to have an all-night curfew lifted so he can watch his son on a forthcoming tour of India
ESPNcricinfo staff
18-Jan-2017
The father of an England Under-19 cricketer has successfully applied to Bradford Magistrates Court to have an all-night curfew lifted so he can watch his son on a forthcoming tour of India.
Harry Brook, a pupil at Sedbergh School, who made his Yorkshire debut against Pakistan A at Headingley in June, is part of the England Under-19 squad that will contest a mix of four-day and one-day matches against India next month.
His father, David, a former cricketer for Burley in the Airedale and Wharfedale League, was set to miss out on following the tour because of an all-night curfew which extended until March 8. He was given a community order in November after admitting causing criminal damage to a caravan.
Full postFour-fingered Hazlewood?
When the Australian quick's ring finger went missing
ESPNcricinfo staff
10-Jan-2017
Notice anything strange in the photo above? Wait, what? Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has only four fingers on his bowling hand?
Not really. It's not even Photoshop. The photographer, Matt King, just happened to snap the quick from the wrong - or right - angle at the wrong time.
This photo of Hazlewood appealing was published by Getty Images on day three of the Sydney Test against Pakistan, and three days later went up on the Australian team's official Facebook page to mark Hazlewood's birthday. Cue in a big round of doubts, disbelief and conspiracy theories on social media. The photo was so convincing, it forced King to dig up his original files and have a second look.
Full postShania-Lee Swart 160, others 0
A one-woman show perhaps unparalleled in the history of cricket
ESPNcricinfo staff
15-Dec-2016
One person playing for the whole team? That was pretty much the case for Mpumalanga in their T20 game against Easterns during the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Girls Under-19 Week in Pretoria on Monday.
Shania-Lee Swart, who has been playing for the Mpumalanga Under-19s since she was 15, smashed 160 runs from 86 balls while the other batsmen contributed a grand sum of zero. Besides Swart's 160, there were nine extras in her team's 169 for 8 from 20 overs.
The performance comes hot on the heels of another stunning feat - she scored 289 out of her team's 352 in a 50-over game on Friday. "She can hit you three fours and then if she sees her partner struggling, she will take strike and face the next over. That's what happened here," her father Baltus told ESPNcricinfo. "Easterns are a very good side, have really good bowlers, but the other girls just couldn't get runs. Shania is strong. The bad ball she can hit far, the good balls she can drive down the ground. So it's just that she is aggressive."
Full postHales gets short shrift from Melbourne Uni
While turning out for Fitzroy Doncaster in the Victoria Premier, Alex Hales discovered the perils of being an England international playing in Australian grade cricket
ESPNcricinfo staff
06-Dec-2016
Alex Hales discovered the perils of being an England international playing in Australian grade cricket when he was subjected to a sustained spell of short bowling - and seemingly a few verbals - by Melbourne University CC.
Hales has been turning out for Melbourne side Fitzroy Doncaster and has done pretty well, with innings of 42 off 27 and 66 off 40 from four T20 appearances. But footage of a less-successful outing has appeared on Melbourne University's YouTube page.
Fitzroy Doncaster batted second in the Victoria Premier match on November 27, chasing a target of 111, and Hales managed just 5 off 10 balls. He faced at least four bouncers from MUCC opening bowler Steven Reid, before slicing a drive off Mark Stafford at the other end, although Fitzroy Doncaster still went on to win the match.
Hales chose to return to Melbourne, where he has previously played for Dandenong and Croyden, to get in some practice ahead of England's limited-overs tour of India in January. Hales had not played since England's series with Pakistan in September, having opted out of their recent tour of Bangladesh due to security concerns.
Full postJohnny Dennis, Voice of Lord's, dies aged 76
Johnny Dennis, who served as MCC's senior match-day announcer for 18 years, died on Saturday at the age of 76
ESPNcricinfo staff
06-Dec-2016
Johnny Dennis, who served as MCC's senior match-day announcer for 18 years, died on Saturday at the age of 76.
Dennis was an actor by trade, with roles in Doctor Who and The Bill among his more prominent credits, but he was best known in cricket circles as the 'Voice of Lord's'.
His career with MCC began during a Lord's Taverners match in the 1970s, when he encountered the Test Match Special commentator Brian Johnston.
Full postThe biggest cricket lesson in the world
Cricketers in Australia have successfully set a new Guinness World Record
ESPNcricinfo staff
02-Dec-2016
Five hundred schoolkids, 30 minutes, international cricketers, and the Sydney Cricket Ground. That's what it took to set a new Guinness World Record for the "largest cricket lesson".
The players present at the event, a "MILO in2CRICKET lesson", included Australia coach Darren Lehmann and national players Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Hilton Cartwright and Meg Lanning among others. As per Guinness' requirements, the kids had to participate in a 30-minute pre-approved coaching session, where they all took part in the same activity at the same time. And they did, batting, bowling and fielding their way through the half an hour, overseen by the coaches and Guinness adjudicators.
"It was a lot of fun out on the SCG today," Lehmann said. "It was certainly the most cricketers I've ever coached at one time. To help set a new world record is great, but it was just as exciting to see so many kids getting involved in our great sport."
Full postAmir's tainted Wisden goes under auction
A 2011 leather-bound copy of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, that was withheld from Mohammad Amir following his conviction for spot-fixing, is expected to break records
ESPNcricinfo staff
30-Nov-2016
A 2011 leather-bound copy of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, that was withheld from Mohammad Amir following his conviction for spot-fixing, is expected to break records as it goes under auction this week.
Although Amir was never officially named as the player in question, it is widely known that he was the absentee when Wisden's then-editor, Scyld Berry, took the unprecedented step of naming four Cricketers of the Year for the 2011 publication, instead of the usual five.
Amir, then 18, had been one of the stars of Pakistan's Test tour of England the previous summer, claiming 19 wickets at 18.36 in four Tests, only to be exposed by a News of the World sting midway through the final match of the series at Lord's.
Full postMarvellous! A coin for Benaud
The Royal Australian Mint has announced the release of the coin in honour of Richie Benaud
ESPNcricinfo staff
24-Nov-2016
Richie Benaud has been recognised with a commemorative Australian 50-cent coin. The Royal Australian Mint has announced the release of the coin, which was used for the toss in the third Test at Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
The coin has a limited product mintage of 95,929 coins, a number inspired by adding various statistics from Benaud's cricket career.
"Featuring Benaud's portrait surrounded by the atmosphere of a match, with a focus on the fan group 'The Richies', the coin design commemorates his reputable career in the many layers, from the Australian cricket team captain to his renowned status in the commentary box," Ross MacDiarmid, the Australian Mint CEO, said.
Full post