High-tech pants, magic bands, and Binga's undies
Dhoni gets a Swiss invite, Kapil goes missing, and politicians aren't impressed with the IPL
Kanishkaa Balachandran
09-Jun-2008
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Euro calling
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is set to rekindle his association with soccer - he played district-level football - and via one of the most prestigious tournaments around at that. At the forthcoming Euro 2008 tie between Portugal and Switzerland in Basel - the hometown of tennis world No. 1 Roger Federer - Dhoni could well have the honour of giving away the Player of the Match award. The tournament sponsors, Carlsberg, announced that it would be the first time in the history of the Euros that someone from India had been asked to grace the occasion. However, Dhoni may have to race against time to get there. Should India reach the final of the tri-series in Bangladesh, on June 14 - which won't be terribly surprising if it happens - he'll have to get to Switzerland in less than a day's time to attend the game. A chartered flight by the sponsors would help a great deal.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is set to rekindle his association with soccer - he played district-level football - and via one of the most prestigious tournaments around at that. At the forthcoming Euro 2008 tie between Portugal and Switzerland in Basel - the hometown of tennis world No. 1 Roger Federer - Dhoni could well have the honour of giving away the Player of the Match award. The tournament sponsors, Carlsberg, announced that it would be the first time in the history of the Euros that someone from India had been asked to grace the occasion. However, Dhoni may have to race against time to get there. Should India reach the final of the tri-series in Bangladesh, on June 14 - which won't be terribly surprising if it happens - he'll have to get to Switzerland in less than a day's time to attend the game. A chartered flight by the sponsors would help a great deal.
No fans in high places
Sometimes you just can't please everybody. The 45-day madness called the IPL may have multiplied cricket's fan base in India, but some of India's leading political figures weren't impressed, including the prime minister. Manmohan Singh confessed he was "not a great fan of cricket" and instead appealed to the sports ministry to pay more attention to other sports like hockey and football, which he felt had "greater significance to the ordinary people of India, than cricket".
Sometimes you just can't please everybody. The 45-day madness called the IPL may have multiplied cricket's fan base in India, but some of India's leading political figures weren't impressed, including the prime minister. Manmohan Singh confessed he was "not a great fan of cricket" and instead appealed to the sports ministry to pay more attention to other sports like hockey and football, which he felt had "greater significance to the ordinary people of India, than cricket".
It's easy to forget that hockey is, in fact, India's national game. Singh even found support from the opposition party leader, LK Advani. The BJP leader confessed to being a purist. "I have been more exposed to spending five days watching a particular match," he said, "but now everything gets over within three hours." What can Lalit Modi possibly do to overcome this resistance? Watch this space for a whole new IPL - Indian Parliament League.
Kapil vanishes from Mohali
An unmistakable sight that greets anyone passing by the PCA Stadium in Mohali is the giant poster of Kapil Dev in his delivery stride. Well, not anymore, and the reasons for its absence seem fairly obvious. A top BCCI official apparently asked for it to be removed during one of the recent IPL games because of Kapil's involvement in the rebel Indian Cricket League. However, MP Pandove, an official with the Punjab association, told the Indian Express that there were plans to shift the poster to a new extension being constructed inside the stadium.
An unmistakable sight that greets anyone passing by the PCA Stadium in Mohali is the giant poster of Kapil Dev in his delivery stride. Well, not anymore, and the reasons for its absence seem fairly obvious. A top BCCI official apparently asked for it to be removed during one of the recent IPL games because of Kapil's involvement in the rebel Indian Cricket League. However, MP Pandove, an official with the Punjab association, told the Indian Express that there were plans to shift the poster to a new extension being constructed inside the stadium.
Magic bands beat the pants off high-tech trousers
New Zealand's "high-tech' trousers and IonX BaseLayer performance underwear have competition. England have discovered their own performance-enhancing whatnots in the form of Trion-Z "magic" bands, which are medically proven to increase blood flow around the body, improving concentration levels and rates of cell-regeneration. Two "fans" of the bands, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, drove New Zealand up the wall with a partnership of 76 for the eighth wicket at Trent Bridge. And there's more. Anderson went on to take 7 for 43 to set up an innings victory inside four days.
New Zealand's "high-tech' trousers and IonX BaseLayer performance underwear have competition. England have discovered their own performance-enhancing whatnots in the form of Trion-Z "magic" bands, which are medically proven to increase blood flow around the body, improving concentration levels and rates of cell-regeneration. Two "fans" of the bands, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, drove New Zealand up the wall with a partnership of 76 for the eighth wicket at Trent Bridge. And there's more. Anderson went on to take 7 for 43 to set up an innings victory inside four days.
Have you worn a Lee yet?
Staying with underwear, Brett Lee is set to launch his own line and model it himself. Lee has collaborated with fashion designer Bruno Schiavi and the range is set to hit stores in August. This is Lee's second venture into clothing, after his menswear label, BL, which was launched in 2001. Schiavi went on to compare Lee's image - clean cut, guy next door - with that of David Beckham.
Staying with underwear, Brett Lee is set to launch his own line and model it himself. Lee has collaborated with fashion designer Bruno Schiavi and the range is set to hit stores in August. This is Lee's second venture into clothing, after his menswear label, BL, which was launched in 2001. Schiavi went on to compare Lee's image - clean cut, guy next door - with that of David Beckham.
You're way out of our league
A league cricketer in England takes 7 for 35, dismisses the hapless opposition for 56, and gets reported to the authorities for being "too good" a player. Ian Nicolson, a former Zimbabwe Under-19 allrounder, had his eligibility for an all-amateur league questioned by the opposing captain David Townsend, who said his batsmen were unable to face Nicolson's freakishly quick deliveries, bowled off just four or five paces. Nicolson was later cleared to play, based on the fact that he held a valid UK passport and that he had not been a paid professional cricketer in the last two years.
A league cricketer in England takes 7 for 35, dismisses the hapless opposition for 56, and gets reported to the authorities for being "too good" a player. Ian Nicolson, a former Zimbabwe Under-19 allrounder, had his eligibility for an all-amateur league questioned by the opposing captain David Townsend, who said his batsmen were unable to face Nicolson's freakishly quick deliveries, bowled off just four or five paces. Nicolson was later cleared to play, based on the fact that he held a valid UK passport and that he had not been a paid professional cricketer in the last two years.
Quotehanger
"Gentlemen, don't believe all what you read in the media."
Geoff Lawson tells a media gathering not to trust, well, themselves
"Gentlemen, don't believe all what you read in the media."
Geoff Lawson tells a media gathering not to trust, well, themselves
Kanishkaa Balachandran is a staff writer at Cricinfo