Tour Diary
Barrington, beer and a new beach for Barbados
Two days at Windward Park was a pleasant distraction from what has been a Test series full of controversy, surprise and intrigue
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
Two days at Windward Park was a pleasant distraction from what has
been a Test series full of controversy, surprise and intrigue. The
players appeared to enjoy a less pressurised atmosphere and they were
cheered on by a healthy crowd, certainly on the Sunday as people made
their most of their weekend to enjoy a few beers and rums at the
cricket.
Not that there was a shortage of stories. Ravi Bopara and Amjad Khan
impressed after their 41-hour journeys from New Zealand, while Matt
Prior received news of his new baby and flew home. Not quite what
England needed ahead of a must-win game, but this tour has never
really gone to plan.
One of the highlights of the two-day game was some of the names on
show in the President’s XI team. Without a doubt the most eye-catching
was the opening bowler Barrington Bjorn Beckenbauer Yearwood. His
parents must been a fan of the former England batsman, have liked
tennis (or maybe Abba) and enjoyed German football.
But it’s back to the serious business now, and for England that means
trying to level the series and set up a decider in Trinidad. They
couldn’t have asked for a better venue. The redevelopment of the
Kensington Oval has been done in a way that has modernised the ground
but retained character - although it does look a little odd having one
side with no stands.
Full postSampling the domestic scene
If the most drastic reports are to be believed the West Indian domestic structure is being held together by sticking plaster
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
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So I thought it would be a good idea to try and grab a brief experience of the domestic scene. As one or two people will testify, I have a passing interest in county cricket back home. So how do the two compare?
Given the tight tour schedule and the two extra days in Antigua it was fortunate that there was a four-day game going on in Barbados as I arrived in the country. The Combined Colleges and Campus side was taking on Leeward Islands at the 3W's Oval, the University of West Indies' ground on the Cave Hill campus, just north of Bridgetown.
As I turned up it was the end of the lunch interval and the umpires were making their way back out. There was a double-take moment, because one of them was Richard Kettleborough, the English umpire, who is here on an exchange programme to help local officials.
Full postTendulkar troubles Bhajji
Sidharth Monga
25-Feb-2013
Over the last few days in New Zealand, one man has been talked about all over – the Master. One has heard stories of how people take a step back for Sachin Tendulkar when he passes. This would be next to impossible in India, what with the overbearing security never letting that theory be put to test. In New Zealand, though, Tendulkar has moved around freely during training, nets and what not, with only two security guards looking after the whole team.
The Indian team has attracted not only Indian expats, but New Zealanders too. Lots of students from the Lincoln University, whose cricket facility has been India's base camp so far, have been around to watch them train. The other day two youngsters walked across to see why there was a crowd around the nets. Just as they were about to turn, one of them said, "Hey wait the Master is batting." And they waited. Good old-fashioned Tendulkar.
Full postSkilled in Soweto
As the Australian players guided children through skills drills in Soweto, a tall, authoritative figure hovered on the fringes and kept an eye on the action
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
As the Australian players guided children through skills drills in Soweto, a tall, authoritative figure hovered on the fringes and kept an eye on the action. He looked so much like the actor James Earl Jones that when I introduced myself I expected him to tell me in a deep, sinister voice that he was my father. Instead he told me that he was Hoosain Ayob.
He's not a household name in cricket circles but he probably should have been. A first-class player who had the misfortune to thrive in their isolation years, Ayob was in 2000 voted as one of the top six South African fast bowlers of the century, alongside the likes of Allan Donald.
Rather than feeling any resentment for having been denied an international career, Ayob has spent his post-playing years working tirelessly to develop the game at grassroots level. He spent a decade as the ICC's director of development for Africa, spreading the sport from Malawi to Libya, and now is a development co-ordinator in Gauteng.
Full postIt's been quite a while, Mr. Raval
Sidharth Monga
25-Feb-2013
India have been mobbed by the expat community in Christchurch, but there was a known face for Ravindra Jadeja and Ishant Sharma. Jeet Raval had played against them when he represented the Gujarat Under-15 team, but he had to leave cricket - momentarily - when his parents decided to move to New Zealand when he was 16. After three years of waiting, he has qualified for selection to the New Zealand team, having made his first-class debut for Auckland against the touring West Indians.
When he met Jadeja and Ishant, he was representing the Emerging New Zealand Players who were taking on the England Lions in the ground next to where the Indians were practising.
Full postThe makeshift cabbie
If you don't have a car, taxis are the most reliable way to get around Johannesburg, usually
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
If you don't have a car, taxis are the most reliable way to get around Johannesburg, usually. Following the late-night trip back from Potchefstroom I was waiting in the lobby of my colleague's hotel, on the lookout for the taxi that the reception had called to take me to my own accommodation.
As the minutes ticked by, there was no sign of the cab. Not to worry, said the hotel porter. A security guard named Stevie was doing his nightly rounds and he was heading in the right direction and would happily give me a lift. I knew there would be a fee required but the alternative was sleeping in the lobby, so I gladly took him up on the offer.
As he pulled out of the hotel driveway I noticed that something wasn't quite right. The driver's side window had been smashed out and replaced by a plastic sheet, whose most alarming characteristic was that it was not transparent. When you're turning across traffic, it's good to have at least a vague idea of what's coming your way.
Fortunately, we made it onto the main road without incident, although Stevie appeared to be having some trouble staying awake. To his credit, his eyes stayed open at the crucial moments and he was knowledgeable enough to get me to my hotel without needing directions.
Full postGoing from Colombo to Barbadoes in Christchurch
Sidharth Monga
25-Feb-2013
"Go straight down Colombo, take a left from Madras and you will reach Barbadoes." To paraphrase a line usually spoken about India, it happens only in Christchurch. They are names of streets located close to each other. Other such specimens are Bengal Drive, Lucknow Palace, Worcester Street, Gloucester Street, Antigua Street and Durham Street. It helps that the “street” is dropped from the names in casual conversation. The origin of the names indeed lies in the names of famous places around the world. The spelling of Barbadoes is the same in the original plan of Christchurch drawn up by Edward Jollie.
There is a certain lack of imagination in the street names. And the city itself, named by John Robert Godley, the founder of Canterbury. Why Christchurch? Well, Godley studied at Christ Church, Oxford. The Avon river that flows through the city gets its name from the more famous one in Scotland.
Full postWhen spectators get a taste of the action
A fun lunch for those watching the tour game in Potchefstroom
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
"Patrons are reminded that they are not permitted on the playing arena at any time." That's the usual message that is broadcast over the PA system at cricket grounds around Australia, regardless of whether it's an international match, a state fixture or a tour game.
So it was rather unexpected to hear the announcement as the players left the field for lunch on the second day of Australia's warm-up game - a first-class match - against the South African Board President's XI in Potchefstroom. The PA system delivered a message telling the fans they were allowed to run amok on the oval during the break, though perhaps not in those words.
Full postLincoln University wakes up to the Indians
It was an ideal winter morning
Sidharth Monga
25-Feb-2013
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Elsewhere New Zealand Herald profiled some of the key Indian players under the headline, "The happy-slog millionaires".
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Lincoln University is about a half-an-hour's bus ride from the town. And it's some ride – through the green meadows, being watched by the hills, crossing the idyllic Prebbleton village. The Indian team took that ride for their first practice session of the tour, at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, which in itself is what a painter would produce after reading Cardus and the likes on countryside cricket. No wonder the players were all in a cheerful mood when they arrived.
For somebody new to the city, it was difficult to believe a team would go so far out of the city for the nets session. Getting directions to it were hard enough since not many had heard of it before.
Full postNew island, new stories
Another hotel check-in, another new sim card and another call to my bank to unblock my card which gets barred every time I try and use it in a new place
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
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The departure from Antigua proved a final intriguing moment from a crazy week. As we pulled up to the airport we drove past Stanford's grand office buildings, the Bank of Antigua and, of course, his cricket ground. The lights were still on in the Sticky Wicket bar, but it's safe to say no one was at home.
In some ways it was almost a relief to arrive in another country. That is one of the fascinations of touring West Indies as each island you arrive on is something new. I'm a bit of a fan of filling my passport up, too, so all the extra stamps are a bonus. All the immigration officers so far have noticed the job title I put down as journalist and quickly start talking about the cricket. They are incredibly disappointed when I tell them I'm actually here to cover a farming convention.
Although there are many things to link all the Caribbean islands, each is also subtly different. Flying in over the west coast of Barbados you have a great few of some of the prime real estate. Massive houses with extravagant pillars and balconies lined the shore and vast hotel
complexes, which look like small towns, prepare to welcome the well-off travelling support.
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