Tour Diary
Eight and a half on the roar-ometer
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
The bass-heavy tannoy boomed. The crowd drummed on the stands and roared, teaming across the terraces with the Indian tricolour streaming behind them like ensigns on a fleet of speedboats. And from the pavilion emerged … not Sachin but MS Dhoni, the Indian wicketkeeper and pyrotechnic batsman.
For years the English have equated the Indian batting with Dravid, Laxman and above all Tendulkar – all members of the team immortalised by the miracle comeback to beat Australia in 2000-01.
Full postBlackie: a local hero a long way from home
For me a sleepy but significant day’s cricket was enlivened by the Test debut of Ian Blackwell
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
For me a sleepy but significant day’s cricket was enlivened by the Test debut of Ian Blackwell. You see Blackie and I first met over a french fry fight at an eighth birthday party in McDonalds and later went to school together at Brookfield Community School in Chesterfield, a red-brick and pint-of-bitter town in northern England.
Blackie was a proper local hero. He is still believed to hold the record for the most number of lost balls in a local league game. And although a few years back he moved to Somerset, he still turns out for Chesterfield when he’s not got a county game. He could hit the ball into the stratosphere and was fun to watch. Occasionally we would bump into each other down the ‘Brampton Mile’ (one mile, 24 pubs, not to be tackled in a single evening). When he made his one-day debut for England I wrote a quick postcard and got a nice note back.
When I hear people say that he’s doesn’t spin the ball much, I say to myself indignantly, well, he turned it enough to make me look daft in the nets. Overweight? Rubbish. The lad’s just big boned. Totally irrational but, well, that irrational part is an important part of the appeal of cricket.
Full postThe Last Flight to Nagpur
India has many many fine towns and cities but Nagpur is not one of them
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
India has many many fine towns and cities but Nagpur is not one of them. A nondescript industrial sprawl 800 kilometres east of the coast at Mumbai, it's bang in the middle of the country but very far from the nation’s heart. The town is unremarkable, largely unloved and famous in cricketing circles for having produced the odd outrageous greentop. It is, in fact, the Derby of India. Which, a cynic would tell you, is exactly why Jagmohan Dalmiya chose it for the First Test – revenge for all those years of English slights, perceived and real.
Tonight at 9.30pm, on the last possible flight, the final remnants of the Test circus touched down in the dark: the Sunday-newspaper and magazine men, with less pressing deadlines than the rest; Owais Shah fresh (if that’s the right word) from a West Indies-to-India epic to bolster England's depleted batting; and the last footsoldiers of the not-so-Barmy Army. They looked a bit glum, but then having forked out a few thousand quid to end up in Nagpur on a Tuesday night, with your team predicted to get ground into the red dust tomorrow … well it’s hardly reason to break out the champagne. ‘Shah and the Stragglers’: we could almost have been a ‘60s pop group.
By 11pm the main drag in Nagpur was as quiet as India gets, which is not very. The higgledy piggledy stained-concrete shops were dark except the paan joints and a box-like, neon-lit Biryani restaurant, glowing like a green and pink ice cube. Down the sidestreets, black as tar, the only light came from the single headlight of the odd rickshaw, like an oncoming train in the movies. The England hotel was as sombre as a church.
Perhaps it was just the weirdness of all of these Englishmen from Rochdale and Runcorn and Reading arriving in one of India’s slower backwaters, a place most never dreamed existed before the schedule was announced. Perhaps it was the late-night touch down. Perhaps it was the malaria pills sending me potty. And perhaps Super Fred really can do perform a miracle. But on the last flight to Nagpur there was an ominous feeling that we were about to watch something nasty happen.
Full postSend for Nasser
Today Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton, in India on Sky TV duty, slipped almost unnoticed through a busy airport and out into Mumbai, a money-making city of muggy sunshine and honking horns
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Today Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton, in India on Sky TV duty, slipped almost unnoticed through a busy airport and out into Mumbai, a money-making city of muggy sunshine and honking horns. Which made you wonder: is it just a lazy cliché to say that cricket’s ‘like a religion on the subcontinent’. Then, just as I had that thought, my bubbly taxi driver excitedly pointed out Hussain, started a detailed and unprompted analysis of his captaincy, asked me about Alastair Cook, and reeled off the exact scores that Dravid and Laxman made in the Eden Gardens Aussie-bashing of 2000-01. Later, I checked the scorecard. He was dead right.
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Given that in the 1990s England fetched David Gower out of a West Indies press box to play, the former captains Athers and Nasser must be a little worried. A fortnight ago it was India who had a captaincy problem: amateur psychologists suggested England could create confusion by stirring up the Ganguly situation like a wasp’s nest. Two weeks on, it’s England who have the problem. This tour was always going to be tricky for a captain: how to motivate an Ashes-winning squad who, as Andrew Miller recently pointed out, will never have to buy a meal or a drink in England again; how to switch focus from MBEs to India’s MO; whether to go for the throat or wait for their opponents to trip up. England have not won a Test in India since 1984-85; for Andrew Flintoff, in his first Test as captain, it's what they call a 'big ask'.
Still there is a sliver of hope. Funny things happen in India. En route to the hotel, we stopped at a set of lights and a kerbside salesman tried to sell me a book, a work by the Cambridge University economist Amartya Sen. In London, hawkers looking for a bit of cash squeegee your windscreen; in Mumbai they sell you books on philosophy. Yes, funny things happen in India. But England Test wins are not usually one of them.
Full postThe end of the road
Sarfraz Ahmed slept with the World Cup last night and you can hardly blame him considering it looked to have slipped away from him yesterday
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
Sarfraz Ahmed slept with the World Cup last night and you can hardly blame him considering it looked to have slipped away from him yesterday. The Pakistan team savoured their victory today, as the Indians made a hasty retreat back home – although, to be fair, it was always their schedule to fly out of Colombo early this morning. However, I expect they are now fairly happy with that planning.
After filing my last couple of stories I had some spare time before heading to the airport. One final chance to do a spot of shopping, making sure I have souvenirs for everyone. Today was also an example of things happening when you least expect them – and bit like India’s collapse last night.
I’ve got to the stage of not thinking twice about the driving skills of the tuk-tuk drivers and that was always a recipe for something to go wrong. On probably my last journey after three weeks of some near-misses but no actually hits we had a full-blown prang on the way back from the shopping centre. Speeding up a narrow street a van was pulling out in front of the tuk-tuk; I could see it, surely the driver could? Well, he hadn’t, or he liked a challenge. With his foot on the gas we headed towards a narrowing gap between the van and the wall, it was time to just cross your fingers.
I thought we might just squeeze through. Nope. Clunk, snap, screech. I can’t really use the words that came out of my mouth as we pulled to a sudden halt. Sticking my head out of the cab I could see a very irate guy holding up his front bumper. My driver obviously had certain priorities; first he checked his tuk-tuk, which had a huge dent in the side, then went to placate the van owner.
Full postA bagful of memories
This is the end and time to head back home with a bagful of memories
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
This is the end and time to head back home with a bagful of memories. At this moment, events of the last 45 days remain a blur. So much has happened in so little time – we started the tour freezing at the Bagh-e-Jinnah in Lahore, ended up sweating at the National Stadium in Karachi - that it will take some time to soak in the experience.
Considering it was my first full cricket tour of any kind, it proved to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Reporting from the ground can often make you feel one with the action – in Peshawar we were literally at midwicket – and to have been able to watch some marvelous performances close-up was hugely fulfilling.
In a delicious mix, there was plenty of off-field action as well – gossip, conspiracy, off-the-record statements, speculation regarding team selection – and one often felt in the thick of things. It was so much a case of being at the right place at the right time – like we were on match eve when we heard that Ganguly wouldn’t be picked for the Faisalabad Test – and there’s a certain high in getting some important news before most. Lurking in the lobby of team hotels, exchanging notes with fellow journalists, hoping for the reliability of the “sources”, and being stumped when contradictory reports emerged all resulted in a frenzied mix of intrigue, excitement, and analysis.
Added to all this was the chance to journey around Pakistan, meeting people as one traveled around, and the sights and sounds will remain etched in memory. There was joy to be had in accidental encounters, like meeting Adnan in Lahore, hospitality to be overwhelmed by, like the warmth imparted by Munna in Lahore and Naek in Peshawar, and a sense of being readily accepted by the locals.
Full postFinal drama
What an extraordinary match; 180 runs, 20 wickets, 60 overs
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
What an extraordinary match; 180 runs, 20 wickets, 60 overs. They are the bare numbers but don’t do justice to the sheer drama of today. One minute Pakistan had been routed for 109 – World Cup over. Twenty minutes of chaos later India were 9 for 6. As they say, cricket’s a funny old game.
It was an unusual day all round really. There was a sense of anticipation surrounding the Premadasa as I walked in shortly after lunch time. A number of TV crews had flown in especially for this match and the press box was the busiest of the tournament. The Pakistan supporters, who had turned out to watch the semi-final, were back in force. When India were bowling they were noticeably subdued, but certainly came alive as Anwar Ali produced his triple-wicket over. They made a heck of a noise, considering they were all concentrated in one stand, and I tried to imagine the ground full of Sri Lankans cheering on their heroes.
Many of the fans hung around to watch the trophy be presented to Sarfraz Ahmed and then to cheer the players on a mini lap of honour – a full circle would have been rather pointless as no one was in three quarters of the stadium. But, post-match presentations are a strange beast, especially at the end of a tournament or series. You have the excruciating part of the beaten side having to trudge up to accept their medals, while probably wishing they were a million miles away. Then they have to stand there as the winners grab hold of the silverware before being able to skulk off to the dressing room to lick their wounds.
Then comes the press conference and after two weeks of two or three journalists having a casual chat with the coach or captain, this one was a bit more serious. At the back there was a bank of cameras, next to them there was the guy – he’d obviously drawn the short straw – who was keeping the spot lights on by holding two bare wires into the socket. One false move and we would be plunged into darkness. And the questions were, shall we say, thorough with some being longer than the answers they received.
Full postBahawalpur's quaint charm
Non-availability of tickets from Multan led one to undertake a two hour journey to Bahawalpur before boarding a Karachi bound flight
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
Non-availability of tickets from Multan led one to undertake a two hour journey to Bahawalpur before boarding a Karachi bound flight. The Bahawalpur airport is so non descript that it could easily be a bus terminus.
Flights to Karachi ply on just two days of the week and the airport is the only oasis of activity in an idyllic countryside. When asked if we will get anything to eat, the man behind the counter jocularly responds, “Be happy you’ve got a ticket.”
I associated Bahawalpur with two factoids - India played a Test here in 1955 in a curiously named Dring Stadium, and Hanif Mohammad scored his mammoth 499 for Karachi against their state side.
My colleague, observing the charming setting, joked that a donkey cart might take us from the terminal to the aircraft; another wondered what Tom Hanks’ plight might have been had he been stuck here for nine months. It was all too unreal and the sight of a modern PIA flight in the most quaint environment was the most paradoxical sight of them all.
Full postDancing the night away
This evening was the closing dinner for the World Cup, an event attended by the two main finalists and the two teams who contested the Plate final – New Zealand and Nepal
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
This evening was the closing dinner for the World Cup, an event attended by the two main finalists and the two teams who contested the Plate final – New Zealand and Nepal. There were the usual speeches which we can gloss over, the main fun came after the official part of proceedings had been done and dusted.
The Indians and Pakistanis were on their best behaviour, they have a fairly important match tomorrow, and were heading for the door shortly after the tiramisu had been served. However, they did stay around long enough for a second dose of the very attractive Sri Lanka dancers who brought some lively entertainment to proceedings. There certainly seemed a few more interested faces for the dancing than pre-dinner speeches.
The New Zealand team had sat through the first part of evening looking rather glum at their team table, still trying to digest how they had managed to lose the Plate to Nepal. But they soon began to loosen up and treated the hall to a passionate rendition of the famous Haka, which is performed by the All Blacks ahead of rugby internationals. They received a generous round of applause from everyone and perhaps the cricketers should consider adopting the routine before their matches. Good on them, too, for not wallowing in defeat and enjoying their final few hours in Sri Lanka. In the morning they start a 25-hour journey home, via three countries and many more timezones.
Then, as the sound system took over and started to churn out some more recognisable tunes Nepal started to let their hair down. Soon, they were ‘giving it large’ to the R&B tracks, prompting more interest from the photographers who had decided to hang around. There was certainly no holding back as jackets came off and the dancing got more exuberant.
Full postPakistan passion
Was that the Aussies choking that I watched today
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
Was that the Aussies choking that I watched today? “The pressure got to us,” said Moises Henriques, their captain. The favoured outcome of today’s match was the powerfully consistent Australians (at least in this tournament) to out do the talented but inconsistent Pakistanis. But that depended on which Pakistan arrived. For 17 overs it seemed for all the world that it was the reckless version, but then an extraordinary turnaround occurred. When Pakistan were 80 for 5 we all feared another one-sided final, that’s what it was – but for the other side.
The Australians lost their composure in the field, discipline with the ball and just had an old-fashioned stinker with the bat. They were well-coached, well led and had the best possible support team – but today all that was outdone by raw talent. Mansoor Rana, the Pakistan coach, has had his squad together for about two months – other teams have been together up to two years. But as Rana said: “It is the nature of Pakistanis to do things when they are needed most.”
Rana also said the Pakistan support, the first meaningful fan base to appear at the tournament, helped to spur the side on and they showed their appreciation by going over to them at the end. The Khettarama area of Colombo, where the Premadasa is built, has a strong Muslim community and one small corner of the ground was decked out with flags and banners. The noise level steadily rose during the evening and the final wicket brought a chorus of delight.
With two huge rivals now set to clash in the final there is certainly an increased interest, especially with the series in Pakistan now being dead. Two more TV stations are making their way to Colombo and, according to the tournament media manager, a batch of journalists are making the short hop from India. Rahul Dravid has also shown his support for the Under-19s following saying: “We heard the news [about them reaching the final] and we all cheered and are right behind the guys.”
Full post