The Buzz
Found: India's dossier on Sri Lanka
India did their homework on Sri Lanka - there's more evidence than the tour's scoreline to prove it
Andrew Fidel Fernando
15-Sep-2017
Attention Pakistan: if you are presently in the process of scouting Sri Lanka's batsmen and formulating bowling plans for the forthcoming Test series in the UAE, India has given you a head start on your homework.
A rundown of India's bowling plans was found attached to the dressing room door at Galle International Stadium, seven weeks after India's match against Sri Lanka had ended there. A photo of the plans and scouting summary for each batsman is presently doing the rounds on social media:
.@andrewffernando Not sure this was supposed to be left lying around post-Test Galle Intl @officialslc @BCCI #slvIND #redbullcampuscricket pic.twitter.com/BDtmTz0Xy8
— Hugo Lewis (@Hugo_555) September 15, 2017
Angelo Mathews, for example, is "uncomfortable against right-arm offspin" while a backward or forward short leg is in place, India's coaches and analysts thought. Despite Mathews' seeming proficiency with the pull shot, India's coaching staff advised their bowlers that the "short ball is a good option".
Full postWilliamson stumped by young fan's question
Remember the thriller at Eden Park? Kane Williamson doesn't
ESPNcricinfo staff
13-Sep-2017
Do you remember the thrilling finish of the Chappell-Hadlee ODI at Eden Park in Auckland earlier this year? If not, you have Kane Williamson for company.
"At the Chappell-Hadlee series last season at Eden Park, how do you remember the finish?," Jimi Samuels, a seven-year old, asked Williamson at an event. The New Zealand captain's stunning run-out of Josh Hazlewood from short mid-on had prevented Marcus Stoinis from pulling off a heist.
Shoeless in Chittagong?
The Australia batsman's Eid festivities took an amusing turn
Adam Collins and Mohammad Isam
02-Sep-2017
Usman Khawaja's festivities took an amusing turn in Chittagong when he lost his shoes at a mosque while participating in morning prayers for Eid.
The Australian No. 3 attended the Eid prayers on Saturday at the Dampara Police Line Mosque, along with Bangladesh players Sabbir Rahman and Mominul Haque.
He was flanked by an extensive security detail that has followed both the Australian and Bangladesh teams wherever they have travelled since Australia arrived in the country.
Full postDuckett v Ashwin sequel will have to wait
Ben Duckett's struggles against R Ashwin are well known, and the left-hander cheekily regretted not having to face the offspinner in more familiar conditions
ESPNcricinfo staff
16-Aug-2017
Ben Duckett, whose Twitter timeline is a constant stream of banter, and musings on British dating reality show Love Island, turned his attention to county cricket's latest recruit, R Ashwin. Ashwin has signed for Worcestershire following India's Test series win in Sri Lanka, and his side play in the second division of the County Championship, where his bunny Duckett plies his trade for Northamptonshire.
In a nod to his struggles during England's tour of India last year, where Ashwin dismissed him three times for a grand total of 18 runs, Duckett offered the Indian offspinner a cheeky welcome to county cricket.
Shame we've already played Worcester twice https://t.co/ZyLURZPQAF
— Ben Duckett (@BenDuckett1) August 15, 2017
Pranking Geoffrey Boycott
Jonathan Agnew and his colleagues leave Geoff Boycott in a state of trepidation with a well-executed prank
ESPNcricinfo staff
14-Aug-2017
Long before Sachin Tendulkar got to his 100th hundred - 35 years to be precise - Geoff Boycott got to his own milestone in front of his home crowd at Headingley in an Ashes Test. In his case, it was 100 first-class centuries, and would turn out to be his last in a career spanning 24 years. The occasion is now nearing its 40th anniversary, which the Boycott family is commemorating with a charity dinner at his house on August 11.
Boycott, currently covering the series between England and South Africa for BBC's iconic Test Match Special was wound up by his co-commentator Jonathan Agnew, who executed a well-prepared, perfectly-timed prank on the Yorkshireman.
When @Aggerscricket received a 'press release', @GeoffreyBoycott wasn't expecting what was to follow...#bbccricket pic.twitter.com/4poNOfQRlN
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 31, 2017
Agnew referred to one of Boycott's 100 hundreds, in a game at The Oval against a Rest of the World side, which was demoted from a Test to a first-class game, and read off a "press release". One meticulously crafted detail led to another, and soon, Boycott was left fuming, calling it "a load of tripe" and "absolutely ridiculous".
Full postBravo v Pollard: CPL 2017 edition
Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have had a long on-field rivalry going in franchise T20s, and their latest encounter had Bravo showing off his dance moves
ESPNcricinfo staff
14-Aug-2017
West Indian allrounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard are friends off the field but have never been shy of a run-in or two whenever have they have faced each other in franchise T20 cricket. The Caribbean Premier League game between Trinbago Knight Riders and Barbados Tridents was just the latest setting for their no-holds-barred rivalry.
Bravo started things off with a toe-crusher to get rid off Pollard at the end of Tridents' innings, before going on a tour of the stadium with his famed celebration. At the end of a close game, in which Bravo's home side came out on top, the stadium PA blared out his "Champion" song before the post-match presentation. A lengthy trolling gag followed, leaving even the usually expressive Danny Morrison stunned for a while.
Full postHambantota authorities ensure safe distance between elephants and fans
With the stadium set to host its first international match in two years, the cricketing action is the least of the authorities' worries
Andrew Fidel Fernando
04-Jul-2017
Elephants have been known to invade the Hambantota stadium pitch in the dead of night, but it is spectators who are likely to stray into elephant territory when the venue hosts three ODIs in the coming week, a forest warden has warned. Hambantota's Widlife Department office confirmed they will deploy staff between the stadium and the nearby jungle, to ensure no cricket fans stray into the range of an elephant herd known to forage in the area.
"The jungle starts about 300-400 metres from the stadium, and we know there is a herd whose range can be about a kilometre or two from the venue," forest warden JAC Vijaykumara said. "It's unlikely that the elephants will come towards the stadium during the day, but people have been known to go into the forest - sometimes even to have a drink - so we've prepared a team which will be stationed there to prevent that."
The ground, which is surrounded on three sides by thick vegetation, is situated in the southeast of Sri Lanka, which is renowned for its wildlife. Leopards, sloth bears, deer and water buffalo roam nearby national parks and forest reserves, along with all manner of reptile and bird life. During previous series in Hambantota, elephants have charged the vehiclse of cricket journalists returning to their hotel after a match, and on another occasion, a vehicle belonging to venue staff collided with a water buffalo resting on the road. Venomous snakes are also frequently seen in the vicinity of the ground.
Full postBumrah rages at road safety meme
Jasprit Bumrah was not thrilled at an image of him bowling a no-ball becoming part of a traffic rules awareness message
ESPNcricinfo staff
23-Jun-2017
Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah bowled a costly no-ball in the final of the Champions Trophy: Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman was on 3 when he nicked to the keeper, but Bumrah had overstepped. Zaman went on to score a match-defining century as Pakistan took the title.
Police in the northern Indian city of Jaipur, who have been using memes to increase awareness about traffic rules, tweeted a photo with Bumrah overstepping, captioning it: "Don't cross the line. You know it can be costly". With over 500 RTs, the tweet was a hit, and the police put up a billboard of it as well.
Bumrah didn't appreciate it though.
Full postDermot Reeve sells Wisden to raise money
Dermot Reeve, a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1996, has placed his leather-bound Almanack up for sale in a desperate attempt to raise some money.
George Dobell
19-Jun-2017
Dermot Reeve, a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1996, has placed his leather-bound Almanack up for sale in a desperate attempt to raise some money.
Reeve, once a millionaire with lucrative opportunities in coaching and the media, is currently staying with his brother in the UK as he seeks work.
He was awarded the 1996 Wisden, with his name printed on the front cover in golden gilt, as one of the Almanack's traditional Five Cricketers after a 1995 season in which his Warwickshire side won the double to complete a 24-month period in which they claimed six trophies. It is signed on the title page by both Reeve and the Wisden editor at the time, Matthew Engel. It is believed to be the first time that such an item has come up for sale from a living player.
Full postIndia beat Pakistan in fans warm-up
India's fans secured the early bragging rights ahead of next month's showdown by defeating a team of Pakistan fans in a series of indoor games at Edgbaston
ESPNcricinfo staff
17-May-2017
India's fans secured the early bragging rights ahead of next month's Champions Trophy by defeating a team of Pakistan fans in a series of games for the Edgbaston Fans Trophy.
The event, which had originally been scheduled to take place at Attock Cricket Club, was.moved indoors to the Edgbaston Cricket Centre following heavy rain. After two eight-over games ended with one win per side, a Super Over was called to decide the winner with India securing victory by four runs.
The event, which formed part of the Nissan Trophy Tour, was a partnership event between Warwickshire County Cricket Club, the ECB, the National Asian Cricket Council (NACC) and Attock Cricket Club, aimed at deepening the ties between Birmingham's South Asian communities, ahead of India's clash with Pakistan at Edgbaston on June 4.
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