The Surfer
It takes team to tango in Essex
One, two cha-cha-cha; three, four cha-cha-cha ..
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
One, two cha-cha-cha; three, four cha-cha-cha ... Darren Gough's Essex team-mates may not yet be too familiar with his dance moves, but that's all set to change. Amazed by Goughie's twinkletoeing and hip-wiggling as would make your granny proud - as indeed Nana Gough was - Essex have announced that they are to incorporate dancing in their preseason warm-ups. "It should improve our poise and balance," explained dance guru Ronnie Irani.
Full postA butcher and a tandoori series
A butcher and an intelligent batsman "He is a butcher", Imran Khan said of Virender Sehwag
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
A butcher and an intelligent batsman
"He is a butcher", Imran Khan said of Virender Sehwag. Speaking on the news channel CNN-IBN, Imran dwelt on the contrasting styles of the Indian opener and Salman Butt, the Pakistan opener.
"He is a butcher", Imran Khan said of Virender Sehwag. Speaking on the news channel CNN-IBN, Imran dwelt on the contrasting styles of the Indian opener and Salman Butt, the Pakistan opener.
On Sehwag
"He reminds me of Gordon Greenidge who used to devastate bowling attacks. He hits the ball very hard with a short bat. He can play a match-winning innings anytime. I mean what he did to Pakistan in their first Test match, you know on the last tour of Pakistan, I mean that he just pulverised the Pakistani team. They never really could come back from that."
"He reminds me of Gordon Greenidge who used to devastate bowling attacks. He hits the ball very hard with a short bat. He can play a match-winning innings anytime. I mean what he did to Pakistan in their first Test match, you know on the last tour of Pakistan, I mean that he just pulverised the Pakistani team. They never really could come back from that."
On Salman
"Salman Butt is a very intelligent batsman; I mean his maturity is beyond his years, beyond his experience. The sort of innings he played in Kolkata, the one-day match with Pakistan, I mean only a mature batsman can play that innings. And he does not have that experience as yet. So he is clearly a player who uses his mind. I think he is going to be there in Pakistan team for a long time. He looked better as the tour went on. He improved against England and in the end he looked the most set opener Pakistan has had for a while."
"Salman Butt is a very intelligent batsman; I mean his maturity is beyond his years, beyond his experience. The sort of innings he played in Kolkata, the one-day match with Pakistan, I mean only a mature batsman can play that innings. And he does not have that experience as yet. So he is clearly a player who uses his mind. I think he is going to be there in Pakistan team for a long time. He looked better as the tour went on. He improved against England and in the end he looked the most set opener Pakistan has had for a while."
Imran went on to pick his top 6 in the batting line-up for the two teams.
Indian Top 6
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh
Full postIndian Top 6
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh
The hot and dosti tandoori Ashes
Nevermind the traditional Ashes, says Tanya Aldred
Will
25-Feb-2013
Nevermind the traditional Ashes, says Tanya Aldred. The clash between India and Pakistan is the real deal:
This time things are, if not normal, calmer. The third meeting in less than two years has produced shouts of overkill and greed from some quarters, though not many. The hype is still enormous but the posturing less ridiculous and the military similes are simmering nicely but not jumping out of the pot.
She does, however, remind us that there are but 315 days until England once again lock horns with the Antipodeans...
Full postPunter's thinning locks worry Warne
The stress of the Australian captaincy is taking its toll on their once baby-faced skipper, Ricky Ponting
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
The stress of the Australian captaincy is taking its toll on their once baby-faced skipper, Ricky Ponting. He's getting decidedly thin on top, according to his team-mate, Shane Warne, who recently underwent laser treatment to stymy his own hair loss.
"A few of them have already come to see me," said Warne, who may have lost his role as a Channel 9 commentator, but has a shoo-in career as Advanced Hair Studios leading spokesman.
Full postRoll up for your Ashes tickets
If you can't wait to get your hands on a ticket or two for the Ashes in Australia, The Times newspaper has come up with a handy guide on how to obtain them.
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
If you can't wait to get your hands on a ticket or two for the Ashes in Australia, The Times newspaper has come up with a handy guide on how to obtain them.
Full postAustralian muslim plans out cricket career
An interesting article in The Age profiles Usman Khawaja who, born in Islamabad, now dreams of playing for Australia :
Will
25-Feb-2013
An interesting article in The Age profiles Usman Khawaja who, born in Islamabad, now dreams of playing for Australia:
Muslims are few and far between in Australian cricket. Usman has not come across any. Searching for an explanation he suggests: "Maybe they prefer park cricket. Maybe they don't think they can go all the way. Also, studies are very important in subcontinental societies." Luckily his dad was mad keen on the game. Usman says that he can watch him play all day and then go home and watch another match on pay-TV. His bemused son adds that it's better his dad watches cricket than play Pakistani music that forces him "to leave the room quietly". Usman is too good natured to be a rebel.
Pash for cash
Following the banning of same-sex kissing at New Zealand cricket grounds, the excellent Beige Brigade ("It's About Passion
Will
25-Feb-2013
Following the banning of same-sex kissing at New Zealand cricket grounds, the excellent Beige Brigade ("It's About Passion. Not Fashion") are now running a "Pash for cash" scheme:
We’re encouraging all people to do a protest pash if they see themselves on TV at all during the upcoming NZ v West Indies cricket series. We will be giving out spot prizes to those involved too: ideas include Showgirls vouchers, cold hard cash, lip balm and Make Your Own Movie kits...
English fans face Ashes rip-off
The Ashes might be 11 months away, but Cricket Australia already seems to be getting itself in a mess over ticketing
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The Ashes might be 11 months away, but Cricket Australia already seems to be getting itself in a mess over ticketing. In The Times, Geoffrey Dean says that Australia are worried that too many English fans will buy tickets:
Officials here still have nightmares about the sea of red jerseys that made up the majority of the crowd for the Brisbane and Melbourne internationals during the Lions’ rugby union tour in 2001. The feeling is that there is enough demand from home supporters to fill the smaller grounds, such as in Adelaide and Perth.
The Daily Telegraph's Paul Bolton goes one step further, warning that England fans face being ripped-off. He quotes Paul Burnham of the Barmy Army:
What you are going to get is a lot of Australians who are not particularly interested in cricket, buying tickets and then selling them on the black market. The same thing happened in Barbados when the West Indies authorities said that only 40 per cent of tickets would be sold to English fans, but it ended up more like 95 per cent. The touts made a killing.
TV without frontiers
The Sydney Morning Herald reports on plans to expand TV technology ahead of the 2006-07 Ashes
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The Sydney Morning Herald reports on plans to expand TV technology ahead of the 2006-07 Ashes. It seems that many of the innovations used for Twenty20 will be tested. Heat-sensor cameras, scientific ball-tracking devices and "in game" player interviews are all being considered.
Steve Crawley, Nine's director of sport, said that the cricketers who were miked up during the Brisbane Twenty20 found the whole idea really interesting:
Our ultimate goal is to have the best cricket coverage in the world for the Ashes next year. We are working on technology that has never been seen before - some of it will come through, some of it won't. We're spending a lot of time on this. That's how big the Ashes are to us. There's scientific stuff with ball paths and a camera that shows heat off the ball. Real CSI stuff. It might come off.
Lesbicious suspicious
First it was full-baguette cavity searches in Queenstown, now New Zealand's prude police are back out in force, as two women are threatened with eviction for snogging on the big screen at Napier
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
First it was full-baguette cavity searches in Queenstown, now New Zealand's prude police are back out in force, as two women are threatened with eviction for snogging on the big screen at Napier. The incident has caused uproar, with one Kiwi MP declaring: "this is a human rights issue".
Of course it is! Move over, and let us all have a look!
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