The Surfer
Batsman has a heart attack but plays on
A remarkable story in The Daily Telegraph of a man who put his approaching fifty ahead of the minor point that he was having a heart attack at the time
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
A remarkable story in The Daily Telegraph of a man who put his approaching fifty ahead of the minor point that he was having a heart attack at the time.
Full post"The old runs were a little bit lacking and I have been struggling to perform this season," he said. "But I was having a good game and found it too easy. I was getting sixes and fours and was feeling really good about my game. I think I was a bit of an idiot really. I should have stopped straight away because it could have finished me off there and then."
It's not just cricket's attitude that stinks
In The Times , former Wisden editor Tim de Lisle highlights the fact that cricket's international merry-go-round is not only hard on the players, it's also pretty environmentally unfriendly
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
In The Times, former Wisden editor Tim de Lisle highlights the fact that cricket's international merry-go-round is not only hard on the players, it's also pretty environmentally unfriendly. He recalled that while editing Wisden Cricket Monthly a few years ago, he commissioned an investigation into the mileage of top players:
"We named the first winner — Australia's Ian Healy, who had done, from memory, about 70,000 miles. Within a few years, the winner (by then Stephen Fleming, of New Zealand) was doing 100,000 miles. International cricket’s total emissions, for a relatively small sport, must be colossal."He then points out that the English county circuit is strewn with sponsored cars flying up and down the country's motorways. And then there is Asia.
"Open an Indian magazine and the chances are you will see Sachin Tendulkar sharing a little of his personal cachet with a motorbike. And administrators in the subcontinent still think it’s OK to give the man of the match a bike or even a car. Not even the umpires are immune. Fly Emirates, say their shirts, which is demeaning to them and damaging to the planet."
Ask the expert: Kevin Shine
Does Stuart Broad have as much potential as everybody is saying
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Does Stuart Broad have as much potential as everybody is saying? How satisfied have you been with the progress of Liam Plunkett, Saj Mahmood? England's bowling coach Kevin Shine answers these questions and more in The Guardian.
Full postClarke's helping hand for Warne
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
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The Sydney Morning Herald’s Alex Brown speaks to Michael Clarke about his role as a counsellor for Shane Warne during the 2005 Ashes.
"I had seen it at Hampshire, but during the Ashes it was a lot bigger," Clarke recalled, revealing for the first time his conversations with Warne. "No matter what he went through off the field, he never, ever let the team down on the field. He had nights when he slept two hours, and then we'd lose the toss and bowl and he'd be getting five wickets on the first day of a Test match. And then he'd make runs. Not many guys are that strong mentally. It's an unbelievable aspect that he brings to the team.
"For me, I was just there to listen about what was going on in his personal life. I was just there to be his friend. How could I give advice? I don't know the pain he's feeling. He's 36, 11 years older than me. It's probably something I learned from him. He's a great listener. If I go to him with a problem, he will sit for hours and not say a word. I didn't know the answers."
Full postFor Darrell Hair read the village vicar
It could have been a scene out of England, Their England ..
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
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Only one of the teams refused to play on after the Right Reverend Geoffrey Creese gave a controversial LBW decision and went home (but not before offering to pay for the uneaten teas!). As the local Forester newspaper reports, it's not just Darrell Hair who has problems ... and at least he doesn't have to give the sermon the next day.
As the captain of the Rev Creese's side said:
"He doesn't always get it right, but he's not biased ... he calls it as he sees it."
Damp Cardiff passes its first test
Cardiff was very much under the spotlight last night as it hosted its first one-day international since the somewhat controversial decision to award it an Ashes Test in 2009
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Cardiff was very much under the spotlight last night as it hosted its first one-day international since the somewhat controversial decision to award it an Ashes Test in 2009. While the rain was out of the authorities control, several papers reported on things that were.
In The Times, Christopher Martin-Jenkins gave the venue a warm(ish) pass mark, while noting:
“It may be safely said that it will have the shortest straight boundary for any Test match on the river side. Sixty yards is barely over the internationally prescribed minimum and it will be no more than a forward push for six when the likes of Andrew Flintoff start to put bat to ball against Australia in 2009.”
Charles Randall in The Daily Telegraph was a bit more upbeat:
Full postThe story of Ishwar Choudhury
If Munaf Patel could do it, so can Ishwar Choudhury
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
If Munaf Patel could do it, so can Ishwar Choudhury. Also hailing from a village in Gujarat, the young fast bowler's selection for the Under-19 squad against Pakistan is a reward for his toil, overcoming financial hurdles and other difficulties. K Muralidharan of The Indian Express charts his rise.
Sent to Gandhinagar by his father—a debt-ridden farmer—to nurse his flailing academic when he was 12, this tall strapping lad’s cricket instincts drew him closer to the game at the Sports Authority of India.
Some Vaseline for Hair
Speaking of umpires and controversies, Judah Reuben, a former Indian umpire, recalls his moment in the spotlight, during the John Lever-Vaseline controversy in Madras in 1976-77
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
Speaking of umpires and controversies, Judah Reuben, a former Indian umpire, recalls his moment in the spotlight, during the John Lever-Vaseline controversy in Madras in 1976-77. Reuben firmly beleives that Darrell Hair's actions were justified. Clayton Murzello of the Mid-Day caught up with him at his Pune home.
Full post“I walked up to England captain Tony Greig and he argued that Lever used Vaseline to ward off perspiration. I said, ‘skip, he can wipe away the sweat after every ball.’
Now who's the muppet, Pietersen?
Kevin Pietersen could be in hot water for branding Graeme Smith, the South African captain, "an absolute muppet" in his new book, Crossing The Boundary , feels the Mirror's Mike Walters
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Kevin Pietersen could be in hot water for branding Graeme Smith, the South African captain, "an absolute muppet" in his new book, Crossing The Boundary, feels the Mirror's Mike Walters. With a poor run of form in recent one-day internationals, Pietersen's jibe at Smith looked ill-timed, believes the writer.
"Kermit, Miss Piggy and the Swedish chef have so far kept their counsel, but firebrand Smith is unlikely to let the matter rest if England cross paths with him at the World Cup in seven months."
Bulky McGrath hopes to tip Ashes scales
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Glenn McGrath tells The Age’s Chloe Saltau he has bulked up to a career-high 100kg in preparation for his international return.
“In the gym I'm lifting a lot heavier weights than I've ever done in the past, which hopefully will mean I will maintain that strength longer through the year. I'm feeling really excited, actually, about how I'm going to put that in play in the middle, and hopefully that will make me even better than I have been in the past."