The Buzz
Fans to take to the field ahead of England-Pakistan series
A clash of fans of the friendly kind is all set to take place at Edgbaston
ESPNcricinfo staff
22-Jun-2016
A cricket match between England's fans and their British-Pakistani counterparts will take place in Birmingham on the eve of next month's first Test at Lord's.
Teams representing the Barmy Army and the newly formed National Asian Cricket Council will compete for the Edgbaston Fans Trophy at Attock Cricket Club on July 13. The T20 fixture will start at 6pm, and it will be free entry for spectators.
"Edgbaston has been working closely with both supporter groups for several years and, with excitement building towards the start of the Investec Series, we wanted to give a greater profile to the fans," Neil Snowball, chief executive at Edgbaston Stadium, said.
Full post'We thought you were Grey Worm'
Of the many experiences of Ross Taylor's county stint this year is 'The One Where He is Mistaken for Torgo Nudho'
ESPNcricinfo staff
21-Jun-2016
Celebrities being mistaken for other celebrities is a common enough occurrence. Only in Ross Taylor's case, the confusion nearly caused an embarrassing blooper.
Taylor, who is playing as an overseas professional for Sussex this season, was set to make his debut as an IPL expert for Sky Sports in late April. Instead, on the day of the shoot, he inadvertently found himself in the wrong room preparing for an appearance on the wrong show and mistaken for someone rather far removed from the world of cricket or the IPL. It took a while for all parties to catch on to the fact that something wasn't quite right.
"So the driver picks me up and drops me off at the gate," Taylor told blackcaps.co.nz. "He said a runner was going to come pick me up, so a runner comes and picks me up and introduces himself. He said, 'You come with me,' so I followed him.
Full postWhen Jadeja crossed the lions
India allrounder Ravindra Jadeja visited Gir National Park, a wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat, and caused a stir
ESPNcricinfo staff
17-Jun-2016
What happens when a Gujarat Lion goes to visit actual lions? Trouble.
Ravindra Jadeja was taking a guided tour of Gir National Park, a wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat, this week, when he reportedly got out of the vehicle to take pictures with the lions. That, however, is against the rules. A park official told Times of India that "the dos and don'ts clearly mention that getting down from the Jeep or even smoking inside the forest is an offense, and in this case Jadeja has taken photographs in the vicinity of the lions".
Gir National Park is under the jurisdiction of Junagadh wildlife circle and its chief conservator of forests, Aniruddh Pratap Singh, has asked for an inquiry into the incident.
Full postGillespie reveals his beef with leather
Jason Gillespie has suggested he would prefer it if cricket balls were not made of leather in a discussion about his vegan beliefs
ESPNcricinfo staff
07-Jun-2016
Jason Gillespie, the Yorkshire coach and former Australia fast bowler, has suggested he would prefer it if cricket balls were not made of leather, in an interview about his veganism.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Gillespie was critical of humans consuming animal products - aiming a volley at one of his club's sponsors, cheese-maker the Wensleydale Creamery. He said that his views on health and nutrition and the treatment of animals had changed after his father died suddenly of a heart attack in 2013.
"My wife and I often talk about it, because she's vegan as well," he said. "I feel like I'm looking through eyes without blinkers on. We treat animals like s**t, we really do. And in my opinion there's no justification for that.
Full postFrom coach to coach driver: Maynard gets his licence
The director of cricket at Somerset will be helping drive the team bus this season
ESPNcricinfo staff
19-May-2016
Somerset's director of cricket, Matthew Maynard, has decided to take a hands-on approach to team travel arrangements by qualifying as a bus driver.
The former Glamorgan and England batsman passed his Public Vehicle Licence this week and will get behind the wheel when the squad leaves for Canterbury on Thursday, for Friday's opening T20 Blast game against Kent.
"It was something I thought about last year," Maynard said. "There were times when our driver Nick Yeo had to stop on the way home to collect another driver to bring us back. As you know, on the longer journeys, one driver cannot do the whole trip.
Full postDusingizimana's batathon for a Rwandan field of dreams
Rwanda cricket team captain Eric Dusingizimana batted for 51 hours to highlight the goal of building an international cricket stadium in the country
ESPNcricinfo staff
14-May-2016
By the time he played the final ball of his session, bowled by his wife in front of a large crowd in Rwanda's capital, Kigali, Eric Dusingizimana had batted for 51 successive hours, setting a new Guinness world record for the longest individual net session. Despite having batted for more than two days, he still had energy to pull off an unusual celebration: a headstand.
Dusingizimana, the Rwanda cricket team captain, beat the record set by India's Virag Mare last year, and did it with the aim of raising money for the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation, which was set up to help fund the country's first international cricket ground.
He began batting on May 11 and was allowed a five-minute break in every hour of his batting session, giving the player time to undergo health checks and eat. By the time he completed his session on Friday, Dusingizimana had faced throwdowns from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the British High Commissioner to Rwanda William Gelling and Miss Rwanda.
Full postCricket explained, on your mobile
Given the complexities of cricket, here's a handy new app courtesy the MCC
ESPNcricinfo staff
13-May-2016
Haven't you always wished you had all the laws of cricket at the tip of your fingers? Well, now you can have them at the tap of a finger.
The MCC has launched a free app that lists and explains each of the 42 laws of cricket. It also features 15 animated clips that take the user through the practical application of the laws of cricket, narrated by noted British actor and comedian Stephen Fry. It includes videos of the various signs an umpire may have to use in a match and helps one understand laws that don't often crop up during the course of a match, like "obstructing the field".
"This app is the perfect introduction to the game for a new supporter," Derek Brewer, MCC president, said. "There is also plenty within it that will appeal to players of all ages, officials, coaches and more traditional cricket supporters who want to brush up on their knowledge."
Full postHawk-Eye app to end club disputes?
Paul Hawkins hopes to end arguments about walking in the amateur game with his latest invention
ESPNcricinfo staff
28-Apr-2016
The inventor of Hawk-Eye, Paul Hawkins, has developed a system for detecting edges in club cricket, using a small, attachable sensor and a smartphone app.
The sensor, which is the size of a coin, can be fixed to the back of a bat and is then able to detect vibrations, which are transmitted to the app. The umpire uses the phone's camera to record the delivery and then software matches it up to the audio to help pick up the faintest of nicks.
Hawkins, a keen cricketer himself, believes that technology could help settle disputes in the amateur game.
Full postCaught Healy, bowled Starc
They were team-mates competing for the wicketkeeping gloves at the Under-10 level. On Friday, Mitchell Starc and Alyssa Healy became husband and wife.
ESPNcricinfo staff
15-Apr-2016
They were team-mates at the Under-10 level, battling for the wicketkeeping gloves. One kept the gloves, and became Australia's No. 1 keeper. The other turned to fast bowling and eventually took the new ball for Australia. On Friday, Alyssa Healy and Mitchell Starc were married at an undisclosed waterfront location in Sydney, and were quick to coin the hashtag #stealy.
In attendance were a number of players from Australia's men's and women's teams, including Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Ellyse Perry.
Full postDelhi Daredevils take the train to work
As Delhi makes a push towards greater usage of public transport, the city's IPL franchise might offer some inspiration
Sidharth Monga
15-Apr-2016
On Friday, Delhi goes into round two of its odd-even experiment: to ease some of the vehicular pollution in India's capital, the state government had in December come up with a plan under which only odd-registration-numbered vehicles could be used on odd dates, and even on even dates. The idea was to encourage car-pooling and use of public transport. While the system was praised by many, quite a few felt significantly inconvenienced at being asked to use public transport.
For those rich folk who complained, there might be inspiration: some of the highest-earning people in the city are taking the metro to work. Delhi Daredevils - Zaheer Khan, Rahul Dravid, JP Duminy and all - finish a major part of their journey from the team hotel to Feroz Shah Kotla on the train.
The team stays in a hotel near the international airport, which is on the outskirts of the city, but they have to travel to the heart of Delhi, where New Delhi meets Purani Dilli (old Delhi). The commute takes more than an hour by bus, so two years ago someone came up with the idea to board a train at Aerocity station and alight at Shivaji Stadium - this leg of the journey takes them 15 minutes. A team bus awaits there, and gets them to the Kotla in another 15-20 minutes. Of course, it helps that Daredevils' owner, the GMR group, has close links with the train service to and from the Delhi airport and can easily manage to get the team a dedicated compartment.
Full post