The Buzz
India wear their hopes on their sleeve
We've all heard that superstitions play a role in sports. The Indian cricket team believes in wearing their hopes on their sleeve, literally
Abhishek Mukherjee
25-Feb-2013
We've all heard that superstitions play a role in sports. How about this for an example? The Indian team, at the BCCI's behest, have abandoned the new team kit that was unveiled in Mumbai last month for the World Twenty20. Why? Because they will play the marquee tournament with the jerseys they had worn during their successful 2011 World Cup campaign.
"It's our decision to ask the players to wear the jersey that they had used during the 2011 World Cup," the BCCI's head of operations, Ratnakar Shetty, told the Times of India. "This [the old kit] was not something the players had offered to wear." And some say the Indian powers that be might not being doing all they can to turn the team's faltering fortunes around!
Full postGayle backs the cricketer in Usain Bolt
Can Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man, hold his own on a cricket field? Chris Gayle, one of the most destructive Twenty20 batsmen, certainly thinks so.
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Usain Bolt said he'd be interested in playing the Big Bash League. But can Bolt, the world's fastest man, hold his own on a cricket field? Chris Gayle, one of the most destructive Twenty20 batsmen, certainly thinks so.
"In a charity game he [Bolt] played against me, he almost knocked my head off with a good, competitive bouncer," Gayle said. "He wouldn't embarrass himself. I'm sure he wouldn't put himself in that position. Once he gives himself that actual chance to train and get back in the groove again then he'll actually put on a show. He can handle himself."
Melbourne Stars had a couple of spots on their roster and had expressed interest in Bolt. Gayle bats for Sydney Thunder, so there's a possibility of another Bolt-Gayle bounce off.
Full postNow, the 'instant' bat
From timeless Tests to Twenty20, cricket has been increasingly compressed as a sport
Nikita Bastian
25-Feb-2013
From timeless Tests to Twenty20, cricket has been increasingly compressed as a sport. Some traditions were sacred, but they too are falling by the wayside - the latest being the practice of players breaking in their bats by knocking balls around over several days. Well, a Bangalore-based entrepreneur claims to have a quick-fix solution: a bat-seasoning machine that does the needful in 25 minutes flat.
The process is simple – the machine bounces a leather ball on the bat 4,000 times (or whatever be the number of bounces programmed in) at high speed, and the bat is good to go. While the jury’s still out on the authenticity of the ‘seasoning’, you can’t question the business reasoning behind the idea. “Now those who buy bats from us can also get it seasoned within minutes,” the machine’s inventor told Mail Today. “We installed the machine a few days ago and some people come just to see how it works, they find it so fascinating.”
Full postThe Murali Cup
Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are supporting an initiative to promote the game in the war-affected northern region of Sri Lanka
Andrew Fernando
25-Feb-2013
What was a paddy field 40 days ago was the scene of the first competitive cricket match near the town of Mullaitivu, the central military base of the LTTE during the Sri Lankan civil war and the location of one of its bloodiest battles. Cattle were cleared off and truckloads of soil hauled in to transform the field at Oddusuddan High School, which has now become a cricket venue replete with pavilion and practice nets. The development was to prepare the ground for the Murali Cup, which brings 20 teams from around the country to compete in a Twenty20 tournament across five venues in the war-torn north of Sri Lanka.
The venue was opened by Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who had first hatched the idea to bring the Murali Cup to the north. "When Mahela visited this area last year, we thought we had to play the tournament in the north because of the passion for cricket that we could see here," Sangakkara said. "It's about giving an opportunity for the local kids to develop and showcase their skills and providing them with the facilities to improve."
The Murali Cup is an initiative of the Foundation of Goodness, of which Muttiah Muralitharan is chief trustee. The tournament is also supported by Jayawardene's Mahela Foundation, and Sangakkara's Bikes for Life campaign. Newly developed grounds at Kilinochchi and Vankulam also hosted matches, as well as venues in Jaffna and Vavuniya.
Full postFlintoff's latest venture
Seemingly bored once more with retirement, Andrew Flintoff has decided he will turn his hand to boxing in his latest search for publicity
Alex Winter
25-Feb-2013
Seemingly bored once more with retirement, Andrew Flintoff has decided he will turn his hand to boxing in his latest search for publicity. Flintoff will be trained by former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan ahead of his debut fight in Manchester on November 30. The training regime will be turned into a two-part documentary.
"It's a huge challenge - probably the biggest I have ever undertaken, especially in such a short time-frame," Flintoff said. "I have a long road ahead and a lot of work in front of me. The stakes are high."
Since retirement, Flintoff spent 18 months living in Dubai before moving to Surrey because he "missed the sunshine". He has been a captain on sports panel shows, the celebrity face of Morrisons supermarket, a guest commentator (briefly) on darts and his greatest role to date, the star of Freddie Flintoff vs The World, in which he explored bat caves in Borneo, tracked wallabies in the Australian outback and faced Kyran Bracken in a shooting challenge in the American desert - boxing sounds quite mundane by comparison.
Full postUnmukt's college blues
Unmukt Chand, captain of India's Under-19 World Cup winning team, may be the toast of the country right now but back in his college he's just another student paying the price for skipping classes
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Unmukt Chand, captain of India's Under-19 World Cup winning team, may be the toast of the country right now but back in his college he's just another student paying the price for skipping classes. Chand, 19, a first-year Arts student in New Delhi's prestigious St Stephen's College, has not been promoted to the second year as he does not have the required attendance. "There is no way he can be promoted. The rules don't permit that," Valson Thampu, St Stephen's principal, told DNA. "We've not detained him. Unmukt detained himself."
Unmukt was admitted to the college last year under the sports quota but cricketing engagements meant he was not able to meet the minimum attendance stipulated by the college. His lawyers say the college cannot be so strict on the attendance for students admitted via a sports quota, but Unmukt hopes the situation will get resolved soon. "I shouldn't sit here and say that the college should change its rules just because we have won the Under-19 World Cup," he said. "They have helped me a lot in the past. I have been in touch with the sports teacher and principal. I hope things are sorted out."
Full postNew Zealand's own Thommo
New Zealand have not had the best of times on the cricket field off late and actor Ryan O'Kane has taken a break from perfecting Jeff Thomson's action to offer his services to the national side
Nikita Bastian
25-Feb-2013
New Zealand have not had the best of times on the cricket field off late. They struggled in the West Indies, and the struggle continues, so far, in India. So what would they say if they were offered the services of say, a Jeff Thomson? Enter Ryan O'Kane.
An actor from New Zealand, O'Kane has spent the past few months perfecting the distinctive slingshot action of Thommo, for his latest role: that of the tearaway quick in Howzat! Kerry Packer's War, a much-anticipated Australian television drama. Presumably, he has a flair for cricket too - he also stars in Save Your Legs, an Aussie film featuring comedy, cricket, Bollywood and Sir Richard Hadlee in a cameo role.
So how about stepping in and giving the national team a hand? It has crossed his mind, he told the New Zealand Herald in jest. "I think I'm going to get away from the acting and give the Black Caps a call," O'Kane said. "They are [already] paying me to go out and play a game of cricket."
Full postStorm in Hyderabadi dinner-plate
It's the most unlikely spat - a storm in a dinner-plate, if you will - between the most unlikely protagonists
Jayaditya Gupta
25-Feb-2013
It's the most unlikely spat - a storm in a dinner-plate, if you will - between the most unlikely protagonists. At his retirement press conference on Saturday, VVS Laxman was asked, by the way, whether he'd informed his India captain, MS Dhoni. "I was trying to get in touch with MS, it's difficult to reach him, everyone knows that," he replied with a smile on his face.
A couple of days later the Indian team hit Laxman's hometown of Hyderabad ahead of the New Zealand Test match. Laxman had a few people - including Tendulkar, Gambhir, Sehwag and Zaheer - over for dinner but among those not on the list was the India captain. Sure enough, the issue was raised at the pre-match presser, and Dhoni responded with a straight bat. "People who know me have always complained that I'm someone who's difficult to get hold of. It's not something new, I'm trying to improve but just not improving."
Next question: What did he think of Laxman's retirement? "You need to ask VVS about it."
Finally, the straight one: Were you invited for the dinner party hosted by VVS last night? The answer was short and crisp: "No."
Full postMichael Clarke's academy dreams
Michael Clarke has bought a multi-million dollar property in New South Wales with the intention of turning it into a cricket academy
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
Michael Clarke has bought a multi-million dollar property in New South Wales with the intention of turning it into a cricket academy. The property, which already features its own private cricket oval, is located near Berrima in the Southern Highlands of the state, close to Don Bradman's boyhood home town of Bowral, where the International Cricket Hall of Fame is located.
"I have dreamed about doing something like this all my life but because of my playing schedule I never had the time to act on it," Clarke told the Sunday Telegraph. "[My wife] Kyly has played a big part in turning this dream into a reality. Her experience in design and property management will help make this academy happen and I couldn't be happier about it.
"I'm at a stage of my career where I'm getting older and one day I'll retire or be dropped. This gives me a great opportunity for a job after my playing career is over, doing something I can be proud of.
"I remember going down to Bowral when I was a kid and walking in Don Bradman's footsteps. It's a big part of the reason why we chose this area."
Full postFilching the floodlights
Night cricket is an institution in Pakistan but comes into its own during the month of Ramadan, when daytime activities are severely curtailed
Abhishek Mukherjee
25-Feb-2013
Night cricket is an institution in Pakistan but comes into its own during the month of Ramadan, when daytime activities are severely curtailed. What's fun and games for the participants, however, can be a problem for others - as reflected in recent troubles at Karachi's bustling Empress Market.
The market's parking lot is being used for night-cricket matches, and the organisers have reportedly barricaded one end of the busy approach road. That's caused a traffic snarl but even that doesn't seem to be the biggest problem. The city's municipal officials say the youth are powering their floodlights with electricity taken off nearby transformers. Surely that's not cricket!
Full post