The Buzz
Pakistan to release movie on Afridi
Before Shahid Afridi announces his retirement yet again, the Pakistan film industry has decided to release a film on his heroics in cricket
Vishal Dikshit
09-Jul-2013
Despite the wild swings in his form, Shahid Afridi has been massively popular in Pakistan for around two decades, and now the Pakistan film industry has decided to release a film on him. The filmmakers are hoping the cricketer's popularity will translate into big numbers at the box office.
Titled 'Main Hoon Shahid Afridi' ('I Am Shahid Afridi'), the film is about a boy who dreams of becoming as great as Afridi. Producer Humayun Saeed said the role was first offered to the player but Afridi turned it down. "They offered me the role but my elders didn't let me act as it is against our traditions but I happily give permission to use my name as this film will give a positive message," Afridi told AFP.
Saeed said the film cost close to $1 million and will be released on Eid. "It's an underdog story which centres on the game of cricket. It's all about wealthy versus poor, as both try to make a name in cricket but the passion of the poor wins the day.
Full postPants down player makes Hants frown
Hampshire are investigating after a member of their second XI was allegedly caught out attempting to buy alcohol from a shop whilst naked
ESPNcricinfo staff
05-Jul-2013
Hampshire are investigating after a member of their second XI was allegedly caught out attempting to buy alcohol from a shop whilst naked. The supermarket streak, which took place in the early hours of the morning, is thought to have been as a result of a dare between team-mates.
The unnamed player was refused service at a Sainsbury's in Ashford, Kent, where Hampshire's second XI were staying before a T20 fixture the following day. The Kent Messenger reported that a man aged between 20 and 25 was refused service and although police were called to the store at 4.20am, no offence was recorded.
"We realise this was meant to be a bit of fun, but to avoid any embarrassment we asked the young man to leave the store straight away," deputy manager Jamie Curtis said. "We look forward to seeing him in store again - fully clothed."
A Hampshire spokesman said: "We are aware of an alleged incident in Ashford last week and are conducting a thorough internal enquiry. Swift and appropriate action will be taken depending on the outcome of our own investigations."
Full postBorrowed bat sparks Dhawan's revival
Shikhar Dhawan just happened to come across, and like M Vijay's bat during a nets session before his Test debut in Mohali. The rest, as they say, is history.
Rohan Sharma
26-Jun-2013
Just two days before his magical Mohali debut, Shikhar Dhawan was having a nets session when he happened to pick up M Vijay, his opening partner's, bat and found that it was to his liking. While other cricketers tend to know the exact weightage of their bats and how many grains they want across the blade, Dhawan has a more intuitive approach, taking in the bats' balance and how it 'feels' when he gets into his stance. He walked out with Vijay's bat that fateful day on March 14, and has not looked back since, stroking the fastest century on Test debut, and then adding a further two centuries and a fifty in his ODI comeback during the Champions Trophy. Its safe to say that Dhawan will not be too perturbed if he smuggles a few more pieces of willow out of Vijay's kit bag.
Full postRicky Ponting the second
One Ricky Ponting might just have retired, but another is only beginning his Australian journey
ESPNcricinfo staff
21-Jun-2013
One Ricky Ponting might just have retired, but another is only beginning his Australian journey. Last year, a couple named Udaya and Radha fled Sri Lanka on a boat bound for Indonesia and in October they arrived on Christmas Island with 186 more asylum seekers.
Radha was heavily pregnant at the time and gave birth to a baby boy once the couple was in South Australia, waiting on their asylum claim. As cricket fans, the given names they chose for their Australian-born boy were "Ricky Ponting".
"We would love to work here and bring up Ricky," Udaya said. "I love cricket in Sri Lanka and I watch it here."
Young Ricky is now six months old and is living in the Adelaide suburb of Glenalta while the family awaits their refugee status being approved by the government.
Full postWhat's in a name? Plenty, say T&T
Keeping with the trend in the regional domestic competitions, the six teams in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League have been named after, well, regions, but Trinidad and Tobago aren't about it
ESPNcricinfo staff
20-Jun-2013
Keeping with the trend in the regional domestic competitions, the six teams in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League have been named after, well, regions, but Trinidad and Tobago aren't about it. The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) has objected to using the name 'Trinidad and Tobago' in the name of the franchise, Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel, since all teams have a mix of players who are not necessarily from the region.
"While the team will be captained by national player Dwayne Bravo, it is not a national team and should not be named, such that the words 'Trinidad & Tobago' or the word 'Trinidad' be included in the naming or branding of the franchise," said a statement from the TTCB.
One of the players, legspinner Samuel Badree, shares the same sentiment. "I think the names should not be that of the countries. They need to come up with something creative," Badree said. "To have (Kieron) Pollard (from Trinidad) playing for Barbados and calling the team Barbados does not make sense and won't reflect what they are trying to achieve with the CPL".
The CPL is the only global T20 league of its kind to have the teams named after countries. In similar leagues in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Australia, teams are represented by cities, towns and districts.
Full postA very Beefy piggyback
Allan Border has made a bold promise if England win 5-0
ESPNcricinfo staff
12-Jun-2013
Michael Clarke won't be the only captain hoping desperately that Australia avoid a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of England on this year's Ashes tour. After Ian Botham predicted such a clean sweep, Allan Border, the man in charge of Australia's 1989 Ashes triumph made a promise.
"I'll piggyback Beefy round Piccadilly Circus if England beat Australia 5-0," Border told the London Evening Standard. "England deserve to be favourites. But Botham's 5-0 just won't happen, it's going to be a lot tighter."
The 1989 success came as a surprise to many in England and Clarke's 2013 squad has been compared to Border's group in terms of the lack of experience and expectations. Border said any disparagement of the Australian outfit in the media could actually be used to their advantage.
"The best way to motivate an Australian side is to grab a few of those headlines and stick them up around the dressing room," he said. "It's amazing how it puts a bit of fire in the belly.
Full postGower's Ashes sledging
Too early to start Ashes sledging? Never.
Andrew McGlashan
04-Jun-2013
Too early to start Ashes sledging? Never.
David Gower has heated up the pre-Ashes talk by claiming Australia has no culture and that the cricketers have an "animal mentality."
When asked, in an interview with the Radio Times magazine, if England verses Australia was a clash of cultures he said: "I'm tempted to say, how can you have a clash of cultures when you're playing against a country with no culture? That would almost be sledging."
And he did not stop there, recalling memories of being an England cricketer in Australia. "If you're on the boundary you have to be very, very thick-skinned, because the Aussie crowd will try you with absolutely anything."
Full postCardiff's catcher in the deep
Thrifty Champions Trophy organisers in Cardiff have come up with a scheme to prevent too many balls being lost to the River Taff that flows behind one end of Glamorgan's ground: a man with a net in a boat
ESPNcricinfo staff
29-May-2013
Thrifty Champions Trophy organisers in Cardiff have come up with a scheme to prevent too many balls being lost to the River Taff that flows behind one end of Glamorgan's ground: a man with a net in a boat (or, to be specific, a coracle).
With the likes of Chris Gayle - who last month hit a world-record 17 sixes during one IPL innings - Eoin Morgan and MS Dhoni expected to play in Cardiff, coracler Karl Chattington may also need a helmet to protect from flying projectiles.
The first coracle to set sail on the Taff will also save Glamorgan a few quid each time its operator fishes another ball out of the water.
Full postPETA's plea to Sreesanth
Following the alleged spot-fixing in the IPL, PETA invites Sreesanth to build goodwill by campaigning against the "unchecked breeding" of dogs and cats
Alagappan Muthu
23-May-2013
Sreesanth is currently in the headlines for all the wrong reasons - his shopping list, romantic gestures and dance moves - but People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have zeroed in on an idea they think could bring him some goodwill.
"Star in a PETA ad promoting a different kind of 'fixing' - sterilising dogs and cats. No one would call you 'out' about that," said a statement from the organisation, who want Sreesanth - who was PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Alive in 2009 - and the other cricketers, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, to participate in a campaign against "unchecked breeding".
All three players are currently back in police custody, until May 26, after a Delhi court remanded them without bail on Tuesday. So they might just be a while answering.
Full postTussauds hands Tendulkar wrong t-shirt
Sachin Tendulkar's wax figure at the SCG is unveiled with a 2012 World T20 jersey, a tournament the master batsman was not a part of
Rohan Sharma is a sub-editor with ESPN cricinfo
28-Apr-2013
Sachin Tendulkar has the honour of having a wax model of himself on display at Madame Tussauds in London. It doesn't need telling that his contributions to cricket have elevated him to 'godlike' status, not only in India, but across the world. So it is not very often that a goof up regarding him is made. Such was the case though, when his second wax likeness - this one at the SCG in Sydney - was unveiled by the iconic wax museum; the jersey that the figure sported was India's kit from the 2012 World T20, a tournament Tendulkar wasn't part of, Mid-Day reported. It has been almost seven years since Tendulkar suited up for a T20 international, his only such game being India's maiden T20I, against South Africa in December 2006. Madame Tussauds has admitted to the rather embarrassing gaff and will change the figure's kit to reflect Tendulkar's crowning glory with a 2011 World Cup India jersey.
Full post