The Heavy Ball
Indian fast-bowling clinic sued for gross incompetence
Bowlers blame academy for loss of pace, hair and sex appeal
R Rajkumar
13-Oct-2011
Jurors deliberated late into the night in Chennai yesterday as they tried to come to a decision on whether or not to penalise coaches at the MRF Pace Academy for alleged malpractice and gross incompetence.
A number of prematurely aged current players and ex-India internationals, all of them medium-pace trundlers in their mid-thirties and forties, have sued several officials, including head coach Dennis Lillee, for malpractice regarding compromised bowling actions and speed levels they say would never have befallen them had they been informed of the risks before joining the clinic.
According to prosecutors in the case, pace-bowling trainers at the clinic went about taking promising young bowlers with raw pace and "sucking the passion out of their bowling like living marrow from a healthy bone".
Full postAgeless body, pointless Zaheer
India's leading fast bowler has said Indian bodies are not designed to bowl fast. What utter balderdash
Sidin Vadukut
11-Oct-2011
As a proud Indian I hold many things about my country in high esteem. This includes our food, our films, our cultural heritage, NASA, Bhutan, and of course, Roger Binny.
One of the things I am most proud of is the Indian body. By which I mean the physique of my fellow Indian men (e.g. Sreesanth) and women (e.g. Elizabeth Hurley). Now many foreign people often tell me that Indians are smaller, thinner and overall feebler than people of western countries such as England, Ireland or Scotland. To these people I usually say two things:
1. Sharad Pawar
2. This could be an optical illusion because you are very far away from us. If you come closer, we look bigger. This is why when Indians go to the US, they look normal size. For example: The Great Khali.
Full post2. This could be an optical illusion because you are very far away from us. If you come closer, we look bigger. This is why when Indians go to the US, they look normal size. For example: The Great Khali.
England v Pakistan: not for the faint-hearted
Rancour, unsporting behaviour, waterboarding and elephantine memories: these two teams bring ulcer-inducing spice to cricket
Imran Yusuf
10-Oct-2011
A Pakistani player has reportedly accused an English counterpart of doing dirty things to a cricket ball. To some this comes as a surprise and an outrage. To those who know England-Pakistan cricketing relations, a little niggle like this is but a drop in the ocean. Indeed, compared to previous England-Pakistan contests, the summer's England-India contest was a love-in. The series was as rancorous as a dispute in an all-boys boarding school; tiffs over Vaseline were as sticky as it got.
For this reason I already anticipate with venomous glee the forthcoming series this winter. England versus Pakistan has often gone the same way as recent clashes between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The sport itself seems incidental. The dry pancake pitches of the Middle East don't promise particularly tasty cricket, but with England and Pakistan there's always enough masala off and around the pitch to spice up the play. Other series are kormas and bhunas and jalfrezis; this one is the vindaloo with the warning attached.
Relations were not always strained. Writing in the Times in 1954, Sir Pelham Warner applauded a wonderfully spirited series between the two sides: "There has not been one even remotely unpleasant incident." Oh, for those rosy days when there was decorum and decency, and people actually read the Times.
Full postThe cult of Thilan
There walk among us those who will rip your intestines out, fill them with Statsguru links and feed them back to you if you say a word against Samaraweera
Damith Samarakoon
06-Oct-2011
Thilan Samaraweera may well have played his last game for Sri Lanka. At least until the middle order has failed in a couple of games. And because of who he is, Thilan has a cult following. There are those of us who have been kicked out of pubs for defending his defence shot as being equal to that of past greats. You know who you are. We are that cult, and these are some of the lesser-known Thilan gems that make us gather in dark alleys to dissect his genius.
The tiff with Mahela
The Cult of Thilan despises Mahela. Not many know that Mahela and Thilan had a falling-out over the number of runs both have scored at the SSC. Mahela felt Thilan had no business scoring century upon century at what he calls "his" ground and showing him up. Things have eased up a little now, but it remains a contentious point between the two and their fans. Colombo suburbs have been split for years over this. Certain sections of the cult used to abuse Mahela's fans by yelling out Thilan's average at the SSC whenever he came out to bat. In fact, a poster that said "82 > 79" was banned at the SSC after the two sets of fans clashed in an ugly incident in early 2007.
The Cult of Thilan despises Mahela. Not many know that Mahela and Thilan had a falling-out over the number of runs both have scored at the SSC. Mahela felt Thilan had no business scoring century upon century at what he calls "his" ground and showing him up. Things have eased up a little now, but it remains a contentious point between the two and their fans. Colombo suburbs have been split for years over this. Certain sections of the cult used to abuse Mahela's fans by yelling out Thilan's average at the SSC whenever he came out to bat. In fact, a poster that said "82 > 79" was banned at the SSC after the two sets of fans clashed in an ugly incident in early 2007.
Left-handers are his bunnies
Who likes left-handers ? I mean, really. They walk around like their cover- drives are some sort of gift from the cricket gods themselves. Thilan did his best to put these freaks in their place, and we loved him for it. Ganguly, Lara, Hayden (twice), Langer, Hussey (!), Lehmann, Yuvraj, all brought to their knees by the brilliance of Thilan's deceptively magnificent offies. Don't believe us? Not many do. This is because: a) people often forget he bowled, b) they don't think Thilan can be cool like that. Why don't you Statsguru it before you end up looking like all the other fools? Many of us argue that Thilan's underrated bowling was the inspiration for Graeme Swann's resurgence. But obviously Thilan is better because he can score runs too.
Full postWho likes left-handers ? I mean, really. They walk around like their cover- drives are some sort of gift from the cricket gods themselves. Thilan did his best to put these freaks in their place, and we loved him for it. Ganguly, Lara, Hayden (twice), Langer, Hussey (!), Lehmann, Yuvraj, all brought to their knees by the brilliance of Thilan's deceptively magnificent offies. Don't believe us? Not many do. This is because: a) people often forget he bowled, b) they don't think Thilan can be cool like that. Why don't you Statsguru it before you end up looking like all the other fools? Many of us argue that Thilan's underrated bowling was the inspiration for Graeme Swann's resurgence. But obviously Thilan is better because he can score runs too.
Shoaib to appear on Oprah
Talk-show host enamoured of new book; to come out of retirement to host Pakistani legend
R Rajkumar
04-Oct-2011
Shoaib Akhtar is all set to appear on a special one-off edition of the Oprah Winfrey Show, after the talk-show queen invited him to Chicago to discuss his newly released autobiography, Controversially Yours.
A spokesman for Oprah confirmed that Ms Winfrey has reportedly been so moved by the book that she has decided to come out of retirement and host Shoaib in a two-hour special without commercial interruptions.
"OMG, Oprah loves the book. She can't stop talking about it to her friends. She's calling everyone up and telling them they have to read this inspirational story. We haven't seen her this excited since she first read James Frey's A Million Little Pieces."
Full postWelcome to the pack, Geoff
Sri Lanka's new coach gets introduced to the ways of the team's senior players
Damith Samarakoon
30-Sep-2011
Scene: Dilshan has summoned his former captains and Geoff Marsh to the middle at Pallekele in the fading light.
Dilshan: You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loose cannon.
Sangakkara: Loose cannon... reminds me of the award-winning poem I penned back in kindergarten about the last cannon fired on these great shores, that gave birth to unity and harmony amongst all Sri Lankans.
Full postShoaib accuses, Dhoni excuses, Sachin writes
All the action from the first week of the Champions League, and elsewhere, in this diary
Sidin Vadukut
26-Sep-2011
Day 1
The Nokia Champions League T20 2011 started with a glittering opening ceremony at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The ceremony involved performances by renowned international artists Jay Sean, Jay Z, Sean Z, Z Sean, Z Jay, Flo Rida, Rho Deisland and Wa Shington.
The Nokia Champions League T20 2011 started with a glittering opening ceremony at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The ceremony involved performances by renowned international artists Jay Sean, Jay Z, Sean Z, Z Sean, Z Jay, Flo Rida, Rho Deisland and Wa Shington.
The highlight of the event was when the captains of the 10 teams were asked to sign a Spirit Of Cricket Wall. The captains left various message of sportsmanship and fair play on the wall. Daniel Vettori wrote: "May the best non-Australian team win." In a stunning exhibition of selfless sportsmanship, Mumbai Indians stand-in captain Harbhajan Singh signed on behalf of his team-mate Andrew Symonds. Next to the signature he left a delightful picture of a small animal.
Unfortunately Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni was unable to attend the event. The team later clarified that they had not received invitations from the tournament organisers. The evening ended with a glittering award ceremony where Dhoni was given the "Spirit of Enthusiastic Participation In Cricketing Awards Events Without Creating Unnecessary Scenes Award 2011".
Full postWhat is a quick bowler, really?
Cricket is full of terms. Often their meanings are hard to agree on
Andrew Simoes
25-Sep-2011
Part of cricket's charm lies in its rich and highly contentious vocabulary. "Pitch" or "wicket"? "Movement" or "swing"? "Cut" or "seam"? "Howzzat" or "Aaaargh"?
In keeping with this tradition of cricket, the recently concluded India tour of England has thrown up plenty of dispute on certain fundamental cricketing terms, often overshadowing the rather one-sided cricket. We take a look at some of the most controversial angst-inducing terms:
Disgrace
Scene: Nasser Hussain and Ravi Shastri in the commentary box. Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott batting. Understandably the conversation meanders to the proper use of the word "disgrace".
Full postScene: Nasser Hussain and Ravi Shastri in the commentary box. Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott batting. Understandably the conversation meanders to the proper use of the word "disgrace".
BCCI set to join the UN
If this application is anything to go by, the cricket board may pip the country of its origin to the Security Council
R Rajkumar
23-Sep-2011
In an unprecedented move for a sport governing body, the BCCI yesterday applied for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Governments, think tanks, and other observers were generally in agreement that the power-hungry cricket board's move was inevitable in hindsight, and that, in the words of one diplomat who wished not to named, "we're all pretty much f****d now".
The following are excerpts from the petition letter.
To Whomsoever It May Concern (But let's be honest here, who wouldn't it?):
Full post