The Buzz
From fast bowler to bodybuilder
David Lawrence, the former Gloucestershire and England fast bowler, is remembered for the horrific knee injury that all but ended his career in 1992. But, aged 50, he has reinvented himself as a champion bodybuilder
ESPNcricinfo staff
12-Nov-2014
David Lawrence, the former Gloucestershire and England fast bowler, is remembered for the horrific knee injury that all but ended his career in 1992. But, aged 50, he appears to be stronger than ever, having reinvented himself as a champion bodybuilder.
When Lawrence fractured his knee bowling in a Test at Wellington's Basin Reserve, the crack was heard around the ground. He attempted a brief comeback with Gloucestershire in 1997 but, after suffering "a bout of depression", embarked upon a career as a nighclub owner and restaurateur in Bristol. Then came a new chapter, which led to him being named the National Amateur Body Building Association's West of England champion for the over-40s.
"I went to a competition in my mid-forties with a friend of mine who was competing and I looked at the people on the stage and I thought, 'I can do this'," he told the Mirror newspaper. "But after turning my hand to it, I discovered the hardest part wasn't the weights and training in the gym, by far the toughest part was the 14 weeks of dieting before competition.
"It is the toughest thing I've done mentally and physically and that is the difference between guys who want to get big and look good, and guys who are serious body-builders and want to compete."
Full postMalala trophy for Pakistan U-21 women
The Pakistan Cricket Board has named the country's Under-21 women's tournament after activist and 2014 Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient Malala Yousafzai in an effort to encourage girls to take up the game
31-Oct-2014
The Pakistan Cricket Board has named the country's Under-21 women's tournament after activist and 2014 Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient Malala Yousafzai in an effort to encourage girls to take up the game.
"PCB has decided to honour Malala, Pakistan's young Nobel laureate for peace 2014, by naming its inaugural Under-21 national women cricket championship 2014-2015 after her," a PCB release said.
PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said he hoped the move would give female cricketers "inspiration and stimulus to excel".
"Our women cricketers have gradually picked up and only last month the women's team has retained the Asian Games gold at Incheon," he was quoted as saying by AFP.
Full postMohammad Amir, movie star
15-Oct-2014
With close to a year still left to serve of his ban from cricket, Mohammad Amir has found a novel way of keeping himself occupied - he is all set to play the lead role in Blind Love, a film by the Pakistani director Faisal Bukhari.
"I am the hero of the film and my heroine will be an Indian. Don't you think Pakistani people will like this combination? I am excited," Amir said, speaking to the Hindustan Times. "Of course, you have to try different ways to clean your image in the public. I want to be loved by Pakistani people again and hope this film will improve my image."
Amir is serving a five-year ban for his part in the spot-fixing controversy during the 2010 Lord's Test against England. His ban is set to end in September 2015.
"Amir's bad phase is going to end soon. If he performs well, people will love him," said Bukhari, who is in India to scout for a female lead to star opposite Amir. "He is young. He wants to reform. He also deserves a chance like everybody. I find an amazing protagonist in him because he himself is a story."
Full postMo' 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 post