The Blue Billion and Symonds the genial giant
Anil Nair looks at the week ending October 15, 2006
Anil Nair
16-Oct-2006
Click here to see a selection of the best pictures of the week
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Sourav Ganguly could do to Pepsi what Britney Spears did to Soluna Vios, a profile mismatch, what in advertising lingo they call 'heaven and earth', with nothing in between. In its latest ad, that coincides with the Champions Trophy, the cola giant, desperate to recover lost ground in India following recent revelations that its product contained pesticides, has featured Ganguly whose current fortunes have as much fizz as tap water. The former captain, on the back of his recent performance in the Challenger series, couldn't find a place in the Rest of India squad, let alone hope for a shoo-in to the national side. But for all you know Pepsi's strategists are thinking outside the box.
"I am Sourav Ganguly. I hope you have not forgotten me," is how the ad begins with the Prince of Kolkota sitting in an empty stadium. A definite climb-down from his star-sized tantrums but as a catch-line one cleverly angled to the Indian penchant for smarmy sentimentality. "Whatever happened, why it happened, I don't know... I am practising to come back into the team," says India's most successful Test skipper ever, who was unceremoniously dropped from the team a year ago. And then, as if to remind the audience that his core is intact he brandishes his bat and exclaims: "Who knows I might get another chance to swirl my shirt in the air (a reference to his heroics at Lord's) .... in the field or out of it, I won't sit quiet. I will cheer the team and so should you." And finally as the camera pans in for an extreme close-up there he goes misty-eyed again: "won't you listen to what dada says?" For someone who refuses to quit even when he's clearly going downhill - a hanging offence in any professional setup - only India's Blue Billion can confuse delusion with determination. In their eyes Ganguly's hubris sets up an unlikely but still possible comeback, an irresistible theme for romantics and cynics alike.
Ooh aah India!
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Andrew Symond's hairdo looks like a cornfield that a tornado's touched down on and often the man himself is all over the place. Or at least that's what sneak previews of Going For Broke, his first book due to be released next month, would have us believe. Symonds, one of the best allrounders in the world today, has always been known to relish a swig of breakfast beer and the resultant conviviality but surprisingly, considering his aggression in the field, he is also somebody who enjoys being the butt of jokes. Tales abound of various gaffes and The Age has hinted at a few. One of which involves his being aghast at "disabled adult movies" when looking up a TV menu in a hotel room while on tour. How could people stoop so low, he sniffled, and down at the reception the staff would have been running for cover had not somebody intervened and patiently reminded Symonds that the 'disabled' in question meant movie access being denied and not a new porn category! If the sample is indicative of the thing itself expect his book to be a grandstander.
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Modifying the market
"The cynics and sadists could not believe that India could organise the World Cup. We not only hosted one but two World Cups successfully within eight years. That saw the dismantling of other vestiges of the Raj but there are certain pockets that still seem to suffer from the colonial hangover." That's Lalit Modi, the Indian board's vice-president, for you. Do you pick up an authentic whiff of sulphur here? Given that the English wore red uniforms with white cross-hairs on their chests during the Mutiny, it is not surprising that in India they, and by extension the ICC, often become a lightning rod for all sorts of sniping. Some of these take cricket as a starting point but then move on far beyond its boundaries. Still, by any standard, you wouldn't expect an MBA, and one who has played a significant part in helping the ICC market the game as opposed to subsidize it, to rant like this? Talk of Jekyll and Hyde.
"The cynics and sadists could not believe that India could organise the World Cup. We not only hosted one but two World Cups successfully within eight years. That saw the dismantling of other vestiges of the Raj but there are certain pockets that still seem to suffer from the colonial hangover." That's Lalit Modi, the Indian board's vice-president, for you. Do you pick up an authentic whiff of sulphur here? Given that the English wore red uniforms with white cross-hairs on their chests during the Mutiny, it is not surprising that in India they, and by extension the ICC, often become a lightning rod for all sorts of sniping. Some of these take cricket as a starting point but then move on far beyond its boundaries. Still, by any standard, you wouldn't expect an MBA, and one who has played a significant part in helping the ICC market the game as opposed to subsidize it, to rant like this? Talk of Jekyll and Hyde.
Some pause for Buchanan
International cricket returned to Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium after 11 years when Sri Lanka played West Indies in the Champions Trophy. The venue has both pedigree and wonderful facilities compared to the builder's bulimia that the Wankhede is. So what if the pitch is a belter, Brabourne fans reckoned, especially as sponsorship conflicts had in any case ruled out Wankhede as a venue for this competition. But after Sri Lanka shot out West Indies for 80 and wrapped up the match by 9 wickets with 220 balls remaining there will be second thoughts. Not least for John Buchanan who might have expected Brabourne to provide something similar to what his wards encountered at the Wankhede for their practice match where the Australians made in excess of 300. In fact, after the match Buchanan had gone out of his way to seek out the curator and commend him. As Sudhir Naik, the curator and former India opener, told Mid-day, "everything went according to prediction, Buchanan was pleased and said: 'Thank you very much for providing us with such a good track. You are a true professional at your job and the conditions here were fantastic'." As it turns out, Brabourne seems to a replica of the Premadasa - slow pitch, little or no bounce, the ball coming on late making strokeplay extremely difficult, not conditions Buchanan may have bargained for.
International cricket returned to Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium after 11 years when Sri Lanka played West Indies in the Champions Trophy. The venue has both pedigree and wonderful facilities compared to the builder's bulimia that the Wankhede is. So what if the pitch is a belter, Brabourne fans reckoned, especially as sponsorship conflicts had in any case ruled out Wankhede as a venue for this competition. But after Sri Lanka shot out West Indies for 80 and wrapped up the match by 9 wickets with 220 balls remaining there will be second thoughts. Not least for John Buchanan who might have expected Brabourne to provide something similar to what his wards encountered at the Wankhede for their practice match where the Australians made in excess of 300. In fact, after the match Buchanan had gone out of his way to seek out the curator and commend him. As Sudhir Naik, the curator and former India opener, told Mid-day, "everything went according to prediction, Buchanan was pleased and said: 'Thank you very much for providing us with such a good track. You are a true professional at your job and the conditions here were fantastic'." As it turns out, Brabourne seems to a replica of the Premadasa - slow pitch, little or no bounce, the ball coming on late making strokeplay extremely difficult, not conditions Buchanan may have bargained for.
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One lucky urn
The transfer of the relic of St Cuthbert couldn't have been more solemn. Cricket's holy grail is set to cross the oceans, only the second time in its 124-year history. Reminiscent of the all-night vigils and the feretories of gold and silver in which medieval Christianity preserved saintly remains, the all-of-four-inch-high Ashes urn is ready to leave Lord's on the 10,500-mile journey to Australia handcuffed to the wrist of a museum curator. The urn's crumbling ceramic, firmed up after four years of painstaking repairs and encased in a new metal container, will occupy a £6,000 business-class seat in Virgin Atlantic and have three security guards accompanying it. It will be part of a small traveling exhibition which includes other MCC memorabilia, like the velvet bag presented to the then England captain Ivo Bligh in which the urn was kept and the original 1882 scorebook from the match at The Oval that led to the bails being burned and the beginning of the legend.
The transfer of the relic of St Cuthbert couldn't have been more solemn. Cricket's holy grail is set to cross the oceans, only the second time in its 124-year history. Reminiscent of the all-night vigils and the feretories of gold and silver in which medieval Christianity preserved saintly remains, the all-of-four-inch-high Ashes urn is ready to leave Lord's on the 10,500-mile journey to Australia handcuffed to the wrist of a museum curator. The urn's crumbling ceramic, firmed up after four years of painstaking repairs and encased in a new metal container, will occupy a £6,000 business-class seat in Virgin Atlantic and have three security guards accompanying it. It will be part of a small traveling exhibition which includes other MCC memorabilia, like the velvet bag presented to the then England captain Ivo Bligh in which the urn was kept and the original 1882 scorebook from the match at The Oval that led to the bails being burned and the beginning of the legend.
But whatever Glenn McGrath - who has already named his bunnies - or any other Aussie may think about it, the urn's destination is certainly not one-way. As MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw put it: "I expect to get some press over there if Australia win - but the Ashes are definitely coming home."
Running in the family
Well, David Lloyd was known for the passion he brought to the game and in refusing to call a chuck by any other name. Now we know where all that pluck comes from. Lloyd senior, just seven years short of a century, still believes in, true Methodist fashion, in earning his keep and do the good works. For the last ten years, twice every week, he has been helping out his local church's play group, singing a song for the children or narrating a fairy tale. A native of Accrington, his commitment to the church spreads beyond the nursery and goes back a long way too. "I have been coming here every day for over 80 years," he told the Lancashire Telegraph. He used to be part of the church's adult choir and helped groom junior aspirants. On his son being a famous face on TV these days, where his broad Lancashire accent makes him so distinct, Lloyd senior had just this to say: "Football was always my game when I was a lad. David is full of bounce, he is never stuck for words. I think I am the opposite, although the children at the nursery might disagree." So would 'Bumble'.
Well, David Lloyd was known for the passion he brought to the game and in refusing to call a chuck by any other name. Now we know where all that pluck comes from. Lloyd senior, just seven years short of a century, still believes in, true Methodist fashion, in earning his keep and do the good works. For the last ten years, twice every week, he has been helping out his local church's play group, singing a song for the children or narrating a fairy tale. A native of Accrington, his commitment to the church spreads beyond the nursery and goes back a long way too. "I have been coming here every day for over 80 years," he told the Lancashire Telegraph. He used to be part of the church's adult choir and helped groom junior aspirants. On his son being a famous face on TV these days, where his broad Lancashire accent makes him so distinct, Lloyd senior had just this to say: "Football was always my game when I was a lad. David is full of bounce, he is never stuck for words. I think I am the opposite, although the children at the nursery might disagree." So would 'Bumble'.
Quotehanger
"Is that a nuclear attack or something..." an alarmed Geoff Boycott, commentating during the Jaipur match, after fireworks lit up the sky for a full five minutes as local zealots unable to hold themselves back began celebrating a good half hour before India completed the formalities against England.
"Is that a nuclear attack or something..." an alarmed Geoff Boycott, commentating during the Jaipur match, after fireworks lit up the sky for a full five minutes as local zealots unable to hold themselves back began celebrating a good half hour before India completed the formalities against England.
Anil Nair is managing editor of Cricinfo in India