Tour Diary
England fans: a breakdown
All sorts of people tag along with England on tours
Richard Kemp
25-Feb-2013
Whenever I inform a friend, family member or work colleague that I'm touring again with England there is always one question everyone asks. Who exactly are the people who manage to find the time and money to watch cricket overseas? It is a question that is repeated by the locals I've encountered in cricket grounds and bars across the world. After years of touring experience I believe the average England fan can be bracketed into three separate groups of people:
The tour group
These tend to be people of a slightly more "mature" age group. Quite often they are long-time retired folk spending their pensions and savings on watching England overseas. Undoubtedly, they will be staying in four- or five-star hotels, from where they are ferried to and from the ground in air-conditioned buses in the company of a retired English cricketer. They can be identified with relative ease thanks to the matching tour polo shirt with socks and sandals combination.
The budget traveller
Can be aged anything between 18 and 80. They are keen on doing everything, whether it be hostels, food or match tickets, as cheaply as possible and aren't afraid to broadcast that fact. Sometimes they can be on a "sabbatical" or out of work completely, and as of such are at the cricket whilst on a longer travel break to other parts of the world. The original Barmy Army, christened by the Australian media in 1994-95, were by in large in this bracket.
Full postWine, food and a wonderful weekend unwind
If only Test matches could melt into ODIs as easily as butter does on a hot stove
Firdose Moonda
25-Feb-2013
If only Test matches could melt into ODIs as easily as butter does on a hot stove. From a solid, steady, substantial base, similar to Test cricket, into an easy-flowing, fluid river of runs that the limited-overs game has come to represent with no mindset shift required.
Players often talk about the importance of adjusting to the different formats, be it in run-rate, bowling length or mental terms. In truth, they are not the only ones who need to change their outlook. Fans, journalists, scorers and ground staff all have to make the turnaround as well. They have to start thinking in immediate terms, minimise their contextual analysis and gear up for a smash and grab.
Luckily, there were a couple of days to do that in. In this case, a weekend in Cape Town.
Full postAn expensive hobby
Travelling the world to watch England play cricket can be costly. But it's usually worth it
Richard Kemp
25-Feb-2013
It was two weeks after my 18th birthday when I found myself in a rum shack outside the old Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. I was on a paradise island, happily supping rum punch whilst singing songs late into the night about Graham Thorpe's batting and Matthew Hoggard's bowling. My England cricket heroes had just wrapped up a three-day victory against West Indies to take the series 3-0, and here I was, right in the thick of the celebrations.
I was instantly hooked. What started as a holiday of a lifetime has turned into an expensive and time-consuming passion. Three separate trips to India, a full Ashes tour, a month in South Africa and Sri Lanka, plus another tour to the Caribbean - my love for watching England play cricket abroad hasn't wavered one bit since celebrating that Hoggard hat-trick back in 2004.
Whether it be several thousand of us celebrating an Ashes series victory in Sydney or just several dozen of us making the stupidly long trip from Chennai to Mohali to watch a re-scheduled Test played out in wintery fog, watching England is always great fun.
Full postSri Lanka kick about after first win
Tillakaratne Dilshan had a glint of mischief in his eye when he told the media what his team was going to do after they left Kingsmead on Thursday night
Firdose Moonda
25-Feb-2013
Tillakaratne Dilshan had a glint of mischief in his eye when he told the media what his team was going to do after they left Kingsmead on Thursday night. "We're going to celebrate!" he said.
And why not? After eight attempts at winning a Test match in South Africa, they had finally done it in smashing style. After being left battered and bruised in Centurion, they came out with more fight than anyone thought they possessed and meted out a right-royal thrashing of the hosts. After being accused of having no match-winners, they bound together as a team to play a game of cricket most of them will never forget. So, yes, a celebration well deserved.
This year, I have seen some memorable cricket festivities. I was in Centurion when South Africa clinched the one-day series against India and toasted the night away. I was in Harare when Zimbabwe announced their return to Test cricket with a win over Bangladesh and was invited to their epic dhindhindi (party) at the team hotel. I was at Newlands when South Africa beat Australia and was working in the press box long enough to see Graeme Smith, his wife and a collection of friends gather on the Newlands pitch to celebrate 47 all out and a crazy win. So, I was interested to know what Sri Lanka got up to in Durban after making history at Kingsmead.
Full postChristmas on Durban's Golden Mile
Perhaps soon Christmas cards will have pictures of an azure sky above a bluer sea, lit up only by the shining sun
Firdose Moonda
25-Feb-2013
Perhaps soon Christmas cards will have pictures of an azure sky above a bluer sea, lit up only by the shining sun. Instead of a man bundled up in a red coat, the person bearing gifts will wear colourful swimwear and mince pies will be replaced with ice-cream. In Africa, that's how we celebrate the holidays and no place does it better than Durban.
The east coast city markets itself as "the warmest place to be" and besides the steamy temperatures, the end-of-year vibe is at its best here. Last week, more than 2,500 cars passed through one of the major highway toll gates every hour en route from Johannesburg and other up-country destinations to the coast. Guesthouses, bed and breakfasts, hotels and holiday flats are booked out as everyone seeks out the city's best feature - the beach.
Durban's Golden Mile is a five kilometre stretch of hotels and restaurants that has gone from grubby to grand after it was revamped for last year's FIFA World Cup. It starts at the Suncoast casino - an attempt to recreate the art deco style that dominates elsewhere in the city but what is really an ostentatious monstrosity combining many of life's ills, gambling and junk food for example, under one roof. It ends at the African-themed Moyo restaurant, which is located in the uShaka aquarium theme park, where everything from springbok to crocodile is served. In between, there is the regular selection of fast-food joints, the raucous bar Joe Cool's and the trendy café Circus Circus.
Full postGoing easy on the kids
With trepidation I headed to the "Test Series Christmas" celebration on Southbank in Melbourne only because the official press conferences were supposed to happen there.
Sidharth Monga
25-Feb-2013
As a rule I hate sponsor events around cricket series. Trying to capitalise on the two things dearest to the country I am in in the last week of the year - Christmas and cricket - I am positively miffed. So with trepidation I headed to the "Test Series Christmas" celebration on Southbank in Melbourne only because the official press conferences were supposed to happen there.
I was in for a surprise. Yes there was sponsor presence, but it wasn't the main event. The main event was cricket and a few carols. Select cricketers from both sides first signed autographs for all the fans that turned up - given the presence of people of Indian origin here, it was a big number. The real deal followed when a group of kids got to play soft-ball cricket with the cricketers. Host Peter Lazer was a ripper too, touching upon touchy issues, like comedians should. He is not one, though.
Michael Hussey came out first, and deliberately missed on the first swing to be out bowled, and then threw his head back in mock disappointment. Lazer sledged him saying if he batted like that, this could be the last time Australia was seeing him bat. Hussey deliberately missed the next one too, to be hit high on the thigh. "He has given him," Lazer went, "Huss, we don't have DRS so you can't appeal against it."
Full postMemories of cricket in Australia
Long flights can sometimes be good, especially when you have spent the last couple of days thinking of foreign exchange, malfunctioning credit cards, lost keys, and generally lived through Murphy's Law
Sidharth Monga
25-Feb-2013
Long flights can sometimes be good, especially when you have spent the last couple of days thinking of foreign exchange, malfunctioning credit cards, lost keys, and generally lived through Murphy's Law. Once on the flight, though, for 15 hours without communication devices and with no way back, all you think of is forward. On my flight to Australia, all I thought of was Australia, a place every cricket lover who grew up in the nineties in India has a special bond with. Back then you watched cricket from Australia more than you did from India, mostly because you could catch it before going to school. In no particular order I thought of:
It's the post-tea session at the MCG, the sun is out, and Australia haven't taken a wicket for some time. The 85,000 voices then go, "Waaaaarnie … Waaaaarnie," until Shane Warne is brought on.
The Channel Nine coverage, which would begin at 5.30 am in Indian winters. Made you want to be there, in the sun, even as you had breakfast.
Full postRiding the Gautrain
With skyscrapers whose summits get lost in smog, shopping malls that teem with sophisticated who's who, suburbs that sprawl for as far as the eye can see, Johannesburg is like any modern, first-world city
Firdose Moonda
25-Feb-2013
With skyscrapers whose summits get lost in smog, shopping malls that teem with sophisticated who's who, suburbs that sprawl for as far as the eye can see, Johannesburg is like any modern, first-world city. The only thing missing from it was a subway, until late last year.
Eleven years ago, the city announced an ambitious project to build a railway system that would link Sandton, the main commercial district, to the airport and the country's capital Pretoria. Back then, no-one believed it could be done. In 2006, when construction started, even fewer people had faith in the idea. For one, the construction company had to buy numerous blocks of flats and other private property to make way for the tracks. Many owners refused to sell. Worker strikes were inevitable and delays along the way meant that when the football World Cup was a few weeks away and the venture appeared no closer to completion, it was classified a failure.
In the 18 months since then, reasons to doubt the dreams of the provincial government have become fewer and fewer. The Gautrain launched, initially with just the airport route operational, for the Word Cup, but now can take passengers all the way to Hatfield, where Pretoria's main university is. Along the way, it stops at Centurion, a little more than a kilometre away from SuperSport Park.
Full postBenoni charms despite starkness
If not for Charlize Theron or Charlene Wittstock, Benoni would be as nondescript as Pietermartizburg, Welkom or Colesburg
Firdose Moonda
25-Feb-2013
If not for Charlize Theron or Charlene Wittstock, Benoni would be as nondescript as Pietermartizburg, Welkom or Colesburg. It would be just another simple and ordinary South African town with few frills or fuss. But, the two Cs have ensured that Benoni will forever be known as the place that has produced both an Oscar winner and a princess, despite being worlds apart from Hollywood or any kind of royalty.
Willowmoore Park is a 20-minute drive from the centre of Johannesburg and almost 40 minutes away from Johannesburg's main cricket hub, the Wanderers, on the edge of Sandton. It lies at the top of Tom Jones Road, the pulmonary vein of the East Rand town, dotted with motorcar spare shops, casual grocers, gas stations and dodgy looking beauty parlours. As far as stadiums go, Willowmoore Park is no great beauty.
Concrete is the defining feature, an acceptable material for any building, but when used in hulking masses, as it has been for this stadium, it emphasises its own garishness. The grandstand is painted green and topped with a tin roof - it could easily be mistaken for a shed. The rest of the ground is humble, with covered seats in the main pavilion and new concrete stands eating up the once ample grass embankment.
Full postAn Aussie fan with a difference
Ian Reid is not your typical Australian cricket fan. For one thing, he's not Australian. In fact, he has never visited the country
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
Ian Reid is not your typical Australian cricket fan. For one thing, he's not Australian. In fact, he has never visited the country.
But at Australia's nets sessions at Newlands at the weekend, he was one of the few people who turned up to watch the team train. To watch them rebuild after their all-out-for-47 debacle.
He's as passionate in his support of Australia's side as just about anyone around the world. A South African who grew up in Cape Town, Reid, 25, has been enamoured with Australian cricket since the Steve Waugh era.
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