The Buzz
Giles Clarke v Shane Warne
ESPNcricinfo staff
20-Mar-2014
Giles Clarke is a pretty unloved person these days, whether it be the fall-out to sacking Kevin Pietersen or his role in the 'Big 3' around the ICC board table.
Now Shane Warne, never one shy to share an opinion, has called the ECB chairman "childish" for branding him an "Australian cheerleader." Warne's criticism of Alastair Cook did not go down well during the recent Ashes - to be fair to Warne it was difficult to find much to say from a positive view point - and it was reported that Clarke spoke to Sky Sports about Warne's commentary.
In his column for the Daily Telegraph, Warne responded: "I give the public an insight and it is sad that Giles Clarke has gone to Sky and said I am picking on England. Perhaps instead he could have called me and asked me what I saw. Maybe I could help England.
Full postSri Lanka looking to outlaw street cricket
A Sri Lanka Police spokesperson said playing cricket on the roads could lead to arrests, adding that three poor Colombo souls had already been apprehended for this 'offence'
Andrew Fidel Fernando
06-Mar-2014
Concrete blocks for stumps, a crudely-cut plank for a bat, and a chewed-up tennis ball, all carried off the pitch for honking motorists waiting to pass, then wheeled out again for a few minutes, until the next four-wheeled intrusion appears. Street cricket has been a centrepiece of the South Asian childhood for generations, but if Sri Lanka's authorities are to have their way, it could soon become extinct on the island.
On Wednesday, a Sri Lanka Police spokesperson said playing cricket on the roads could lead to arrests, adding that three poor Colombo souls had already been apprehended for this 'offence'. It is a symptom of Sri Lanka's rate of economic progress. In years gone by, cricket had had the critical mass to dominate the streetscape, but since this decade's economic growth kicked in, the tide has turned for traffic.
Though police have deemed cricket the biggest threat to traffic flow, other activities that may block the road - like washing parked cars and mixing concrete - may also lead to trouble. In cricket, though, as in so many other spheres of Sri Lankan life, much-vaunted development has been the death knell for a slice of old-world Sri Lankan charm.
Full postCannabis lamps aid Edgbaston pitch
Warwickshire may, in an indirect way, have cannabis to thank if they go on to win a trophy in the 2014 season
George Dobell
26-Feb-2014
Warwickshire may, in an indirect way, have cannabis to thank if they go on to win a trophy in the 2014 season.
The club is currently utilising hot lamps confiscated by West Midlands Police from cannabis growers in the area to promote grass growth on their Edgbaston playing surface. The police gave the lamps to the club free of charge, but did warn them that they could become a target for other cannabis growers in the region.
Warwickshire, who have made a conscious effort to improve their relationships with the police, the council and other community groups over recent months, hope the lamps will help them produce wickets with the pace and bounce to assist their impressive seam attack.
Full postMcCullum to be given Keys to Wellington
Brendon McCullum has been honoured with the keys to Wellington after his epic 302 at the Basin Reserve
21-Feb-2014
After becoming the first New Zealand batsman to score a triple-century - an epic, series-clinching 302 at Basin Reserve - Brendon McCullum, who grew up in South Dunedin and lives in Christchurch, has become an honorary Wellingtonian. Celia Wade-Brown, the mayor of Wellington, made this official by offering McCullum the Keys to the City.
McCullum became the first person honoured in this manner since director Peter Jackson, scriptwriter Fran Walsh and Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger of the New Zealand based special effects company Weta Workshop received the Keys to Wellington in 2002 for their work on the Lord of the Rings movies.
"Wellingtonians and the cricket world congratulate Brendon McCullum on his magnificent achievement," Wade-Brown said. "Brendon's magnificent innings will be remembered for decades to come by the thousands of people at the Basin, and the tens of thousands of others who stopped everything in the middle of a working day to witness sports history being made."
Full postSarfaraz's unique T-shirt tribute to father
India's 16-year-old batting allrounder Sarfaraz Khan found a unique way to pay tribute to coach and father, Naushad Khan
ESPNcricinfo staff
16-Feb-2014
One of the most influential figures in the life of Sarfaraz Khan - India's 16-year-old batting allrounder - is his father and coach, Naushad. One of the many things Naushad, a hard taskmaster, did to support and push his son's cricketing ambition was to install a synthetic pitch near their house to ensure Sarfaraz had access to practice facilities at all times. Sarfaraz who hit a half-century, took four catches and a wicket in India's first game of the Under-19 World Cup against Pakistan, found a unique way to thank his father at the tournament.
At the media conference after the game against Pakistan, Sarfaraz was asked why his shirt number had changed from 86 to 97. As it turned out, it was no clerical error but one done purposely, as a mark of respect to his father. In Hindi, '9' and '7' are nau and saat respectively. Said together, it rhymes with 'Naushad'.
Full postAustralia to expel English media
Australia's tougher immigration laws are set to see three English tabloid journalists deported and unable to cover the death throes of England's disastrous Ashes tour.
David Hopps
24-Jan-2014
Australia's tougher immigration laws are set to see three English tabloid journalists expelled and unable to cover the death throes of England's disastrous Ashes tour.
John Etheridge from The Sun, one of English cricket journalism's most experienced operators, has been refused licence to stay, as has Dean Wilson from the Mirror and Paul Newman of the Daily Mail. Etheridge said that Cricket Australia had tried to negotiate on their behalf but that "all avenues have been exhausted".
All three journalists were travelling on visas which had been recommended by the Australian visa department. They are the only three members of England's travelling press pack who had opted to cover the entire tour, so going beyond the 90-day limit. "We had hoped to stay long enough to see England win a match," Etheridge said.
Full postQamar Ahmed's special quadruple
Freelance cricket writer and commentator Qamar Ahmed completes his 400th Test as a reporter, at which point he has been to 19% of all Tests every played
Andrew Fidel Fernando
16-Jan-2014
Sunil Gavaskar's 10,000th run, Richard Hadlee's 400th wicket, Anil Kumble's cleansweep, cricket's 1000th Test in 1984 and its 2000th in 2011 - Qamar Ahmed; has seen them all. The Sharjah Test; between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is his 400th as a reporter, and he has been present at 19% of all Tests played to date.
His favourite is Gavaskar's last innings, a 96 in a losing cause against Pakistan in Bangalore, memorable because even spinners had the ball rearing chest-high on a poor pitch. Michael Holding's furious 14-wicket haul at The Oval in 1976 is Qamar's bowling equivalent.
A first-class left-arm spinner in Pakistan in his youth, Qamar was based out of the UK for most of his reporting career. In addition to having written extensively in English, Urdu and Hindi, he has also been a broadcaster for Test Match Special, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Television New Zealand, among others.
Full postMurali runs into the Williams sisters
Big-hitting Melbourne Renegades captain Aaron Finch has indicated he wouldn't mind dropping down the order for his team. Why? Because he has come across a couple of mightier hitters of the cricket ball than himself
Nikita Bastian
09-Jan-2014
Big-hitting Melbourne Renegades captain Aaron Finch has indicated he wouldn't mind dropping down the order for his team. Why? Because he has come across a couple of mightier hitters of the cricket ball than himself. Who? The Williams sisters.
USA tennis stars Serena and Venus, in Melbourne for the Australian Open, tried their hand at batting on Thursday, and smashed Finch and a certain Muttiah Muralitharan all over the rooftop on which they were playing. "They're more than welcome to bat up the order, I might have to slide down a few spots," Finch joked after the Renegades event.
Yes, a heavy bat might have had something to do with all the carnage. "I just hit it as hard as I could. But the bat was heavy," Venus laughed. "We don't play cricket, it's not our sport, but we were excited to come out and try." A good workout in the lead up to their tennis commitments then? "Think so. Feeling loose," Serena said. "We had a few nerves but we got through it."
Full postThe Sunil-Rohan Gavaskar partnership
We've all heard or read about the pressure on famous cricketing sons to live up to their family names on the field. But what happens when a son finds himself in same commentary box as his famous father?
Nikita Bastian
08-Jan-2014
We've all heard or read about the pressure on famous cricketing sons to live up to their family names on the field. But what happens when a son finds himself in same commentary box as his famous father? If you happen to be Rohan Gavaskar, be ready for a bit of ribbing. Sitting in on his first television commentary stint with father Sunil, at the Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Mumbai and Maharashtra, Rohan was asked about his lack of Ranji titles - he played for Bengal, while his father used turn out for Ranji giants Bombay back in the day.
Speaking about the experience, Sunil joked: "For a change I could actually pull someone's legs and get away with it. Generally when I am doing it at the international level, my fellow commentator can come back at me. Over here that was the big plus. I started by saying that he has not been a part of the Ranji Trophy winning team, but thankfully he didn't come back to me saying he has scored more runs at Eden Gardens [Bengal's home ground] than I have."
Batting tips apart, Rohan also gets commentary advice from his father. "Sometimes we do talk about little things, like the things I have learnt from Richie Benaud and by observing other commentators," Sunil said. "I haven't heard much of him [commentating] because of my travels, but the feedback that I get, generally, has been pretty good. That is good to hear."
Full postBrett Lee 6 Piers Morgan 0
Anyone looking for a tasty Ashes subplot needed to be at the MCG nets at tea time on the second day of the Boxing Day Test
Kanishkaa Balachandran
27-Dec-2013
Anyone looking for a tasty Ashes subplot needed to be at the MCG nets at tea time on the second day of the Boxing Day Test. Brett Lee, retired but no less lethal, ran in to bowl a fiery over to Piers Morgan, the television host and former editor of the Sun tabloid. Never shy of rustling a few feathers on Twitter, Morgan - frustrated at England's no-show after three Tests in the Ashes - claimed that he was good enough to face Mitchell Johnson. Lee then challenged him to a duel in the nets and Morgan didn't shy away. After several exchanges between the two on Twitter, including one Morgan tweet requesting fielders on the roof and in the street, the stage was set. Watched by spectators, Channel 9's commentators and a television crew, Morgan took guard. To everyone's surprise, Lee wasn't being charitable as he ran in in full throttle.
The verbal barbs began when Morgan told the commentator Mark Nicholas: "I'm about to ruin a great Australian career and legend." An unfussed Lee replied, "I want one six." Here's how our ball-by-ball commentary would have recorded it:
0.1 Lee to Morgan, no run, hit on the body. Morgan has the guts to give Lee the charge first ball! Who cares for reputations? Lee bangs it in, too quick for Morgan to react. Morgan fails to show his bat to ball but instead points it towards the run-up. "Where's the pain? asks a concerned Nicholas. "I don't feel it," says Morgan. Michael Vaughan offers his tips: "Stay at the crease!"
0.2 Lee to Morgan, no run, the 48-year-old is felled! An unplayable bouncer from Lee and a hapless Morgan tumbles backwards. Morgan steps forward, tells the bowler to bring it on and wants him to "try pitching it in his half." Shane Warne is a fan of Morgan already: "What about the 'come on, come on'. He's showing some courage!"
Full post