The Surfer
Targeting the umpires
IS over-appealing leading to the spate of very poor umpiring decisions in international matches over the last 12 months
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
IS over-appealing leading to the spate of very poor umpiring decisions in international matches over the last 12 months? Bob Simpson answers the question in his column
There is no doubt that the players are less respectful to umpires than they once were. Perhaps this is because the changing world we live in is less respectful to authority in general. I wonder if bowlers who are verbally happy to chirp at umpires with such cracks as `Are you blind?', `How could you make that decision?', would enjoy it if umpires, after a bad ball, said things such as `Call yourself a Test bowler'? `Hell, my grandson is more accurate than you' or `What a lot of rubbish, how on earth did you get into the Test side?'
Rohit Brijnath agrees with Simpson and appeals for cricketing decorum, targeting Australia in particular.
Full postCertainly a team must express itself, but neither must it believe that winning makes any behaviour acceptable. For a decade, Australia's team has personified cricketing excellence, their play a triumph of discipline, desire, talent and courage. But leadership in sport is more than swinging a bat and hurling a ball.
Snakebite hat-trick
A 15-year-old cricketer from Australia was bitten by a brown snake last Thursday, and the following morning promptly took a hat-trick in his first A-grade game:
Will
25-Feb-2013
A 15-year-old cricketer from Australia was bitten by a brown snake last Thursday, and the following morning promptly took a hat-trick in his first A-grade game:He said he was tidying up around the nets before Thursday night training when the snake bit him.
"I didn't know I had been bitten at the time but about an hour later I looked at my ankle and saw it had swollen up," Grant said.
[...]
Full postBan the Kookaburra
Waqar Younis is fuming
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Waqar Younis is fuming. Reason? The Kookaburra ball being used in the India-Pakistan series. "The seam sinks after the first eight-ten overs and there’s nothing for the bowlers... Obviously, it gets worse on wickets such as the one prepared at the Gaddafi," Waqar told The Telegraph, the Kolkata-based daily. "The Boards should look at using the Duke [manufactured in UK] or even the SG-Test [made in India] balls... The seam is prominent and visible for much longer. Then, the balls stay harder for a longer duration and even the batsmen won't complain."
And how would have he fared against Virender Sehwag on such a flat track? "If I did, I would have had to wear a helmet... He’s amazing... He just punches and the ball is past the boundary... As he doesn't use his feet, he’s best equipped to negotiate the reverse swing..."
In an interview, Waqar picked his top 6 bowlers
Click here to read his picks.
Full postAmitabh, Aishwarya jostle for space with cricketers
Bollywood v Cricket Pakistan’s love and craze for Bollywood and Indian tele-serials continued even as the Indian team is there on a 45-day tour to play three Tests and five one-day internationals
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Bollywood v Cricket
Pakistan’s love and craze for Bollywood and Indian tele-serials continued even as the Indian team is there on a 45-day tour to play three Tests and five one-day internationals. English and Urdu newspapers in Pakistan are everyday splashed with photographs and write-ups on Indian cine actors, with Aishwarya’s photographs often featuring on front pages! Click here to read a writeup on the issue
Full postCricket... caught on tape!
Sanjjeev Samyal of Mid Day , the Mumbai-based tabloid, had a practice session with a local club to understand the nuances of tape ball cricket , which is a rage in Pakistan.
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Sanjjeev Samyal of Mid Day, the Mumbai-based tabloid, had a practice session with a local club to understand the nuances of tape ball cricket, which is a rage in Pakistan.
Full postWhen Roy and Mankad tormented the Kiwis
Clayton Murzello, sports editor of Mid-Day , the Mumbai-based daily , looks back at the world-record opening partnership of 413 between Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad in 1955-56 that Sehwag and Dravid came within an ace of breaking
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Clayton Murzello, sports editor of Mid-Day, the Mumbai-based daily, looks back at the world-record opening partnership of 413 between Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad in 1955-56 that Sehwag and Dravid came within an ace of breaking. Murzello wrote the tribute ten days earlier, not expecting the run-orgy by the Indian openers. Polly Umrigar, the former Indian captain who was there when Pankaj and Mankad tormented New Zealand, gives an eye-witness account. "Both played their shots and showed how determined they were by not giving their wicket away. Of course, Vinoo had his own way of going after the bowling.". Click here to read the tribute. And read Raju Bharatan's, the veteran Indian journalist, article on Pankaj Roy to get know more about the former Indian opener.
Full postThe mystery of spin
The ECB’s goal of England becoming the world’s best team by 2007 will probably elude them because they don’t have a quality spinner, says Vic Marks
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
The ECB’s goal of England becoming the world’s best team by 2007 will probably elude them because they don’t have a quality spinner, says Vic Marks. His piece in The Observer deals with the history of spin - and its importance.
Full postWe're here for the food, not the cricket
The Newkerala reports that "most" of the Indians travelling to Pakistan on so-called "cricket visas" aren't there to watch the cricket at all
Will
25-Feb-2013
The Newkerala reports that "most" of the Indians travelling to Pakistan on so-called "cricket visas" aren't there to watch the cricket at all. They're more interested in the food, history and meeting relatives and so on.
The News quoted an Indian national who came from Delhi with his wife on “cricket visas” after purchasing tickets on the Internet as saying that many of the Indians coming to Pakistan were not interested in going to the stadiums and more keen on sightseeing, eateries or visiting friends or relatives.
“Most of these people prefer to visit the historical sites, eateries and meet friends and relatives instead of coming to watch the matches,” he reportedly added.
Full postWhen Dravid charmed Bari
Wasim Bari, former Pakistan wicketkeeper and current chairman of selectors, appears to be floored by Rahul Dravid
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Wasim Bari, former Pakistan wicketkeeper and current chairman of selectors, appears to be floored by Rahul Dravid. And by the description of the events, it didn’t take a Herculean effort from Dravid. Bari is quoted as saying in India Abroad News Service, “He [Dravid] looked a very educated person to me. The other day he saw me and came over to me on his own and said 'How are you Baribhai?'," Bari told his fellow selector Iqbal Qasim during the first India-Pakistan Test at Gaddafi Stadium here. "It was nice of him to come and ask my well being. Normally, you do not find such players these days. I found him a decent person, unlike normal cricketers".
Full postWhat colour do you see the world in?
PCB definitely doesn’t see it red
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
PCB definitely doesn’t see it red. The Pakistan Cricket Board is all set to send a proposal to the ICC asking it to seriously consider the use of either orange or yellow coloured balls in Test cricket so that play can go on unhindered even in artificial light. Speaking to reporters Shaharyar Khan, PCB chairman, said, "This is a possibility and it will make it easier for the batsman to sight the ball. It is true that it becomes difficult to sight the red ball in such conditions and under lights".
All quiet at the Indian front
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has banned Indian players from getting into exclusive contracts with the media. No more direct exclusive quotes for television or columns in newspapers. Announcing the directive Sharad Pawar, BCCI chief said, “We had a meeting with the players on Friday and have informed them that except for the captain or one representative chosen by them; no one else will talk to the media”. Virender Sehwag, who wrote a column in English was sent a letter asking him to refrain in the future. A working committee meeting has been called for on January 23 where the issue will be discussed and a decision taken on whether to allow the playes to sign exclusive contracts.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has banned Indian players from getting into exclusive contracts with the media. No more direct exclusive quotes for television or columns in newspapers. Announcing the directive Sharad Pawar, BCCI chief said, “We had a meeting with the players on Friday and have informed them that except for the captain or one representative chosen by them; no one else will talk to the media”. Virender Sehwag, who wrote a column in English was sent a letter asking him to refrain in the future. A working committee meeting has been called for on January 23 where the issue will be discussed and a decision taken on whether to allow the playes to sign exclusive contracts.
Lahore, a maidan view
Lahore, which has given Pakistan 10 captains, holds a significant place in Pakistan cricket history. Mid-Day, the Mumbai-based daily, has a nice feature on it, tracking its history. Click here to read
Tax man comes knocking
The Press Trust of India reports that the Central Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has ordered the BCCI to pay Rs 3 crore towards its service tax dues for 1999-2000 to 2002-2003 by February 27. The BCCI is liable to pay Rs 11.19 crore as service tax for the revenue earned from advertisements and sponsorships from various companies for the Test matches during the period, Satyendra Singh, Commissioner of Central Excise (Service Tax) told PTI.
The commissioner said his office had issued show-cause notice to the BCCI asking the board to pay Rs 11.19 crore dues. However, BCCI filed an appeal before the appellate tribunal that stayed the order and asked the board to make Rs 3 crore as interim payment.
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