The Buzz
Mo' Johnson set for summer return
Does Mitchell Johnson make more of an impact on the batsman's psyche when he is sporting a moustache? He certainly seems to think so
ESPNcricinfo staff
10-Oct-2014
Does Mitchell Johnson make more of an impact on the batsman's psyche when he is sporting a moustache? He certainly seems to think so, and says the mo' will be back to intensify his stare at batsmen this summer. Johnson is presently wearing a goatee in the UAE, but the handlebar will make a return in time for Movember and South Africa's visit down under.
"I think it does give you that little bit of extra agro as well when you have the stare going on," Johnson told News Corp Australia. "I've looked back at some footage when I've been clean shaven and it doesn't really have the same effect.
"When you look at all the (great) fast bowlers in the history of the game … Dennis Lillee had a mo', Merv Hughes … (there have been) all different shapes and sizes and it definitely adds an effect to being a fast bowler. I will be doing Movember again this year so I'll have to start from scratch and we'll have to see. I'll probably do the full mo' again."
Did Johnson's mo' have anything to do with England losing the Ashes 5-0 last summer? Maybe KP's book will have the answer.
Full postDhoni's other Chennai franchise
ESPNcricinfo staff
07-Oct-2014
With Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli already on board as co-owners of franchises in the Indian Super League, it isn't a surprise that MS Dhoni, who famously began his sporting life as a goalkeeper, has claimed a space for himself in the IPL-style football tournament. It's even less of a surprise that the team he has a stake in is the Chennai franchise, Chennaiyin FC.
"I am fortunate to get associated with the team," Dhoni said, when he was unveiled as one of the team's co-owners. "I have played seven years of Indian Premier League from this city. It would have been emotionally difficult if I had been associated with other teams like Mumbai or Kolkata. So I am glad to be a part of it."
Like the IPL, Dhoni said the ISL would allow Indian players to interact with and learn from foreign players.
"The sport is different. But the format is quite similar," Dhoni said. "When CSK was formed, we also had foreign players. It helped us understand different cultures. I feel our Indian footballers should look up to these international stars and learn from the different footballing styles that they bring in."
Full postCurtains on the pig saga
The case is closed on Ash the pig, who was smuggled into the Gabba during the last Ashes
ESPNcricinfo staff
02-Oct-2014
Remember Ash the pig? He was the one smuggled into the Gabba on a steaming summer's day during the last Ashes and later found to be dehydrated and in fairly sorry condition. Well, the update is that David Gunn, accused of smuggling him in wrapped in a blanket, his snout taped shut and ensconced in a baby harness, no longer faces charges of animal cruelty. The charges were reportedly dropped by Brisbane's prosecuting authorities because they couldn't prove that Gunn was the same person who'd smuggled in the pig. And Ash? Well, he was adopted soon after his ordeal and spent his recuperation eating liver and swimming in his own pool. He's now reported to be in good health.
Full postKuwait's feelgood father-son achievement
Kuwait are not a powerhouse at the Asian Games cricket competition, but they provided one of the feelgood moments of the tournament.
ESPNcricinfo staff
02-Oct-2014
Forty-year-old Shivnarine Chanderpaul and his son Tagenarine playing together for Guyana is one thing, but imagine a 58-year-old father joining his son in a national side. That was the case at the Asian Games this week, when Bastaki Mahmoud and his son Bastaki Fahad turned out for Kuwait in matches against Nepal and Bangladesh.
It is fair to say that Kuwait are not exactly a powerhouse in the cricket competition at the games - they were bowled out for 20 by Nepal and for 21 by Bangladesh - but they certainly provided one of the tournament's feelgood moments. That occurred when Fahad, a spinner, managed to claim the wicket of Tamim Iqbal, one of the top 40 batsmen in Twenty20 internationals, according to the ICC's rankings.
"Though it was a bad delivery, it gave me a lot of pleasure, especially because my father took the catch," Fahad told the Daily Star. "As I'm also a wicketkeeper, I have taken many catches off my father's bowling, but it was the first time today that the reverse happened. I will remember this moment for the rest of my life.
"I have seen these players on TV only. This is the first time I am seeing them in person and talking to them. It is a dream come true."
Full postNew Zealand's no-no to nudity
Fines, not fun. That's what awaits you should decide to streak at World Cup matches in New Zealand next year
ESPNcricinfo staff
28-Sep-2014
Fines, not fun. That's what awaits you should you decide to streak at World Cup matches in New Zealand next year. And that's if you're lucky. Else you might find yourself locked up for three months.
Keen to 'showcase New Zealand in a perfect light', the powers that be have sanctioned penalties for streakers which include fines up to NZ$ 5,000 (US$ 3900 approx) and jail terms of up to three months, the Dominion Post reported. "We will have waited 23 years for the return of what is now one of the world's biggest sporting events," a World Cup spokesman was quoted as saying. "This is not the time to let the side down."
Full postMS Dhoni, the movie
He's a regular in the advertising circuit. He's shared the stage with Shah Rukh Khan during IPL opening ceremonies. It was only a matter of time before MS Dhoni crossed over to movies. Well, his story at least
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Sep-2014
If it is superheroes in Hollywood, it is sports biopics in India. After the stories of Olympic medal-winning boxer Mary Kom and legendary athlete Milkha Singh hit theatres, it is the turn of India's captain MS Dhoni.
MS Dhoni - the untold story is a biopic produced by Rhiti Sports, the company that manages Dhoni's commercial interests. The film, due to release in 2015, hopes to highlight Dhoni's life prior to becoming one of the most successful cricketers on the international circuit. It will be directed by Neeraj Pandey, who was at the helm of the acclaimed thriller A Wednesday. Sushant Singh Rajput, who is two films old and also has experience on the television circuit, plays the lead.
"MS Dhoni is one of the biggest sporting icons in this world, and his biopic will certainly be an inspiration to those who dare to dream and then go all out to achieve their dreams," said chairman of Rhiti Sports Arun Pandey.
Full postTendulkar's South Korean touch
Nasir Khan, a Pakistani-born coach living in South Korea, has found an effective way of motivating South Korea's Asian Games team: showing clips of Sachin Tendulkar to the local players
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Sep-2014
Nasir Khan, a Pakistani-born coach living in South Korea, was searching for a way to motivate South Korea's Asian Games team. His idea: showing clips of Sachin Tendulkar to the local players. Nasir's efforts have led to several local girls slowly shifting disciplines from swimming, golf, tennis and badminton, to a "new sport" called cricket.
Eunjin Lee, a 21-year-old former lifeguard, is one such batsman who has copied Tendulkar's style. "She used to fret over the lack of strength in her arms, and her height. But I motivated her by showing her videos of the great man," Nasir told Daily News and Analysis. 'See, this guy is short in stature, but he's very tall in his achievements'," Nasir tells Lee and her other team-mates during training sessions.
Though South Korea has had a cricket league in place since the early 90s, it mostly consisted of players from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia. It wasn't until the 2010 Asian Games that South Korea even formed a men's team, and it took another three years to create one for the women. Nasir was then tasked with finding women who could be trained for these games, and he set out by putting up banners in colleges and universities for the same. He next had to take these women to a cricket-playing country for exposure, and surprisingly, Nasir chose Nepal.
Full postKohli, football team owner
Virat Kohli has become the third high-profile Indian cricketer to own a stake in a team in the franchise-based football tournament Indian Super League
ESPNcricinfo staff
24-Sep-2014
The Indian cricket team loves its football. It plays the game pretty competitively before every training session. Now one of the biggest stars of the team will help pay wages of FC Goa in the upcoming Indian Super League, a franchise-based domestic football tournament.
"Some might think I am pretty young to do something like this or it is a step taken too early, but nothing is never too early," Virat Kohli said. "If you believe in something, you have to put your 100% commitment to it, and I decided to do it because I want football to grow in India.
"Cricket is not going to last forever so, whenever I am done, whenever I retire, I am keeping all my options open. It is something that excited me a lot and I tried to go ahead with it."
Full postDenied biryani, Dhoni shifts hotels
It is not often that MS Dhoni loses his cool, but if reports are to believed, the India captain was upset by a rather trivial matter: home-cooked Hyderabadi biryani sent by his international team-mate Ambati Rayudu
ESPNcricinfo staff
20-Sep-2014
It is not often that MS Dhoni loses his cool, but if reports are to believed, the India captain was upset by a rather trivial matter: home-cooked Hyderabadi biryani sent by his international team-mate Ambati Rayudu.
The day before Chennai Super Kings were handed a three-wicket defeat by Kolkata Knight Riders in the Champions League T20, Dhoni and his Super Kings team-mates were busy shifting hotels from the Grand Kakatiya to the Taj Krishna. The reason: Grand Kakatiya's strict policy against consumption of outside food in the hotel premises.
Though the Grand Kakatiya was willing to relent a bit and allow the players to partake the biryani in their rooms, Dhoni was adamant on using the board room, after which the hotel put its foot down. Dhoni's response was to leave the hotel itself, and take his squad along.
While BCCI and Super Kings officials, as well as the hotel staff, said that the players had abruptly moved out on Tuesday, they refused to give a definite reason.
Full postTendulkar meets baseball legend
Sachin Tendulkar was in New York, where he met Yankees legend Derek Jeter
Peter Della Penna
07-Sep-2014
Derek Jeter chats with @PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi and Sachin Tendulkar, the "God of Cricket," before tonight's game. pic.twitter.com/bc8e88ZLWA
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 5, 2014It may have only been included as a footnote in a wire service report of the New York Yankees late season encounter with the Kansas City Royals, but a meeting between a pair of baseball and cricket titans occurred on the field before Friday night's game at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
Derek Jeter, the Yankees all-time leader in hits and games played, met with Sachin Tendulkar during batting practice ahead of the game. The Yankees posted a photo on social media of Friday's encounter in which they described Tendulkar as "the god of cricket". The pre-game meet up also included another industry leader, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi.
There's been no word on whether or not Tendulkar was able to convince Jeter to come out to India for a chance to watch the IPL in person.
Full post