The Buzz
Hales offers fan 10% ticket refund
Slow over-rate at Edgbaston leads to gesture
ESPNcricinfo staff
06-Aug-2016
Alex Hales, England's opening batsman, has apologised for his team's slow over-rate during the third Test against Pakistan, by giving a disgruntled fan a partial refund on his match ticket.
Alexis Fuller, who attended the third day's play at Edgbaston, contacted several players on Twitter to ask for a 10% refund, after it had been pointed out by Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, that only 81 of the day's prescribed 90 overs had been bowled.
"I want 10% of my money back," Fuller wrote. "Wouldn't go to football and find it ended after 80mins."
Full postStuart Broad turns pub landlord
Presenting the Cat & Wickets Pub Company
ESPNcricinfo staff
13-Jul-2016
Stuart Broad has become a pub landlord after going into business with his Nottinghamshire team-mate, Harry Gurney.
The pair recently set up the Cat & Wickets Pub Company, in conjunction with another friend, Dan Cramp, and are in the process of refurbishing the Three Crowns, in Wymeswold, near Loughborough.
"It's 10 miles from Leicester and 10 miles from Nottingham, so there's quite a good hub of people around there," Broad told the Leicester Mercury. "The locals support it really well already, but we're just looking to take it to that next step.
Full postNasser bags a skier, and a Guinness World Record
Former England captain Nasser Hussain caught one sent his way from 150 feet straight up, to set the record for the "highest catch of a cricket ball"
ESPNcricinfo staff
06-Jul-2016
At 48, former England captain Nasser Hussain still has it when it comes to catching a cricket ball. Albeit with a mismatched pair of gloves on. Armed with one white and red wicketkeeping glove, and one black and yellow one, he settled under a drone at Lord's and caught his way into the Guinness Book of World Records. The drone dropped the ball from a height of 150 feet, the ball reached estimated speeds of 74 mph on its descent, it swirled around a bit, but none of it was too much for Nasser.
"It was great fun to spend the morning attempting to catch cricket balls dropped from a drone at the home of cricket - something I never thought I would do," he said after his record-setter, according to the Guinness Book of World Records website. "But I am looking forward to giving my hands a rest and getting back to the commentary box for the upcoming Test match [against Pakistan]."
Nasser had also caught one dropped from a height of 105 feet, and he attempted one more: a monster 400-feet drop - the highest the drone could go. The wind displacement, as expected, proved too much on that one, blowing the ball well out of his reach.
Full postFans 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."
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