The Heavy Ball
Lamb b Akram 31, Lewis b Akram 0
Unlike others, our commentary duo weren't at a loss for words as they watched England being bamboozled by Akram in 1992
Alex Bowden
10-Nov-2011
Stuart: 141 for 4 and Lamb and Fairbrother have rebuilt well here in the 1992 World Cup final.
Ash: They've dug in.
Stuart: Imran's now turned to his strike bowler, Wasim Akram. I guess he's looking for a wicket, Ash? This partnership is now worth 72.
Full postBCCI composes FAQ in transparency bid
Indian board attempts to improve its image by becoming more accessible
R Rajkumar
03-Nov-2011
In what appears to be a major public relations coup aimed at addressing recent allegations of a lack of transparency, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to draft an FAQ to help answer queries and improve its image with the public. The FAQ currently contains questions the BCCI says it is most frequently inundated with on its website. The following is a sampling.
What does the "I" in BCCI stand for?
Your guess is as good as ours. It appears to be something left over from generations past, when the organisation stood for something. Something else, we mean, back in the days when it hadn't evolved as yet into the success that we clearly are today. We've chosen to let the mysterious "I" be for the time being, though some say it now stands for "Inconceivable." Others say it stands for "India", which is silly, because that implies our influence is limited to just one country.
Your guess is as good as ours. It appears to be something left over from generations past, when the organisation stood for something. Something else, we mean, back in the days when it hadn't evolved as yet into the success that we clearly are today. We've chosen to let the mysterious "I" be for the time being, though some say it now stands for "Inconceivable." Others say it stands for "India", which is silly, because that implies our influence is limited to just one country.
Why is India the only team that has the sponsor's name appearing larger than the team's name on the players' jerseys?
Simple. Chances are you already know which nation's team is playing the game when you turn on the TV. Or are you that stupid that you have to see it plastered over the uniform of each player? No, didn't think so. But not too many people know who the sponsor of the team is. Therefore, the sponsors deserve the greater exposure. We are nothing if not equal opportunity here at the BCCI.
Full postSimple. Chances are you already know which nation's team is playing the game when you turn on the TV. Or are you that stupid that you have to see it plastered over the uniform of each player? No, didn't think so. But not too many people know who the sponsor of the team is. Therefore, the sponsors deserve the greater exposure. We are nothing if not equal opportunity here at the BCCI.
How to pick your XI for India
The English invented the game. Surely they ought to have cracked the Final Frontier by now?
Steve Coleman
01-Nov-2011
Going to the subcontinent? Need a strategy? Let the England team show you how with their tried and tested method, established since 1996.
Position 1 The tone-setter. India have Sehwag, Australia have Watson, Sri Lanka have Dilshan. Even Bangladesh have Tamim. But ignore all this and pick a wicketkeeper to open, even though in the history of this game this has never actually worked for you.
Position 2 This is where you can hide your captain. Ideally he won't have played 50-over cricket for at least a year before being given the armband and/or will have an ODI record worse than Robin Uthappa and Marlon Samuels. Look forward to years of trying to ram a square peg into a round hole.
Full postHow to gloat with class
Every Indian fan must memorise these tips before approaching any disconsolate England fan
Sidin Vadukut
31-Oct-2011
First of all, dear readers, I would like to wish all of you a happy, if belated, Diwali. Diwali is a time for great joy and sulphurous gases in India. This is the time of the year when we blow up things to celebrate the symbolic victory of good over evil. Indeed, the literal translation of the word Diwali in Sanskrit is "a festival to remind you of fire insurance".
For Indian cricket fans this Diwali was doubly sweetened by the stupendous performance of their ODI team against England. I don't know if you were able to keep track of the results, but the eventual scoreline of the five-match series was 5-0, with India winning all five matches. India won the first, second, third, fourth and fifth matches, while England lost the first, second, third, fourth and... wait... yes, the fifth match as well. For a brief moment during the third match, in Mohali, it looked like England might win. But India won. And England lost.
Basically the point I am trying to make is that India won all their matches, as opposed to England, who did not win any.
Full postBC Lara not out 400
Our intrepid commentary duo were in St John's when the record for the individual score in Test cricket was broken
Alex Bowden
28-Oct-2011
Stuart: Lara sweeps and there it is - 400. Have you got some statistics for us, Gordon? When was the last time someone scored 400 in a Test match?
(Muffled speech in the background)
Stuart: No, I meant an individual. It's not so unusual for a team to score 400.
Full postMS Dhoni and England's angry men
In which India's captain pays a visit to the opposition dressing room
Alan Tyers
25-Oct-2011
MS Dhoni knocked on the door of the England dressing room.
"Good evening, Alastair. Good evening, everybody," he said. "Perhaps you would care to join us for a light supper?"
Steven Finn leapt to his feet and began shouting and swearing angrily. "I hate supper. You can shove your supper where the sun don't shine," he yelled at Dhoni.
Full postMW Gatting b Warne 4
In the first of a new series that revisits iconic cricket moments, we bring you the ball of the century
Alex Bowden
24-Oct-2011
Over the years, the greatest moments in cricket have frequently been enhanced by fine commentary. Two consummate professionals who you may not have heard of have covered some of the most memorable matches in history, and ESPNcricinfo is now proud to bring their words to a wider audience. These sporting moments may be familiar, but we think you'll agree that the contributions of these master practitioners elevate the action still further.
Stuart: 80 for 1 and Australia bring Shane Warne into the attack. What will Shaun be looking to do here, Ash?
Ash: He'll be looking to put it in the right areas; build some pressure.
Full postCricket losing popularity in India
Country's cricket fans endure the absence of live games and the threat from a new sport
R Rajkumar
20-Oct-2011
Renewed efforts are being made to give a much-needed boost to cricket in India after a study commissioned by the ICC recently found the sport was suffering from a lack of exposure, and was, in fact, showing unmistakable signs of marginalisation in the country.
The controversial report threw up many uncomfortable truths for cricket administrators trying their best to raise the profile of the game in countries where cricket continues to struggle to gain a foothold. For example, it was found that in spite of their best efforts, there were still as many as 11 days last year that failed to offer a telecast of some form of live cricket in India. Just as confounding was the discovery that during the 354 days in which live matches were shown, ratings plummeted steadily, in some cases even lagging behind reruns of Masterchef Afghanistan.
The report also highlighted other problem areas. While it would appear that the basic infrastructure for the game in India has, after decades of struggle, just about been put into place, and a national team finally been scratched together from far-flung regions across this vast land, these are but surface details that flatter to deceive.
Full postIf Steve Jobs had run cricket
The sport would have been played in pristine outfits, by beautiful people who'd get all their problems solved by someone smarter than the umps
Damith Samarakoon
18-Oct-2011
Many worldly scholars have often wondered what the world would have been like had Steve Jobs been given the chance to run it. Naturally, we went a step further. Where would cricket be had Jobs been at the helm? We suspect it would have ended up a publicly listed entity with insanely priced stock. And that it would have spread like wildfire to all corners of the globe, even enjoying a brief stint as the world's most popular sport. New formats would have been unveiled and discontinued. And the governing body would have become wildly popular (imagine that).
It's all in the "i"
The little "i" has served to add a sense of mystique to all Apple products. So rebranding the ICC as iCC wouldn't really have made a huge difference. After all, what are ICC decisions if not mysterious and confusing enough to alienate half the cricket population? But it would have made cricket cool to the Americans.
The little "i" has served to add a sense of mystique to all Apple products. So rebranding the ICC as iCC wouldn't really have made a huge difference. After all, what are ICC decisions if not mysterious and confusing enough to alienate half the cricket population? But it would have made cricket cool to the Americans.
All whites
All cricket matches would have been played in whites - with a hint of a silvery glow. Boards would have been expected to pay more if they wanted coloured clothing.
Full postAll cricket matches would have been played in whites - with a hint of a silvery glow. Boards would have been expected to pay more if they wanted coloured clothing.
What happened on Sky during the blackout
Did Beefy and Co take things lying down? No sirree
Alan Tyers
17-Oct-2011
Sir Ian Botham bristled. Grabbing the microphone in a ferociously tight grip, he thundered: "I just don't know what is going on out there. I'm sorry, can somebody tell me why on earth we only have one slip in when…"
A nervous producer tried to catch his attention.
Sir Ian covered the microphone and mouthed: "Medium rare. And no vegetables this time."
Full post