The Buzz: When Geoff Boycott was a T20 star

All the bantz, the jousts, and little bit of eavesdropping from the social media playground and beyond

22-Jun-2020

Geoffrey Boycott's first-class career with Yorkshire began in 1962

All the world's cricketers walked into a bar. The LOLs, the chatter, and the occasional mini-brawls, they were endless. And the news cycle was never the same again! Welcome to ESPNcricinfo's Social Buzz, your go-to destination for all the bantz, the jousts, and little bit of eavesdropping from the social media playground and beyond.

June 27

He might have been dropped for batting too slow in a Test match, but once upon a time, Geoff Boycott was a T20 player.

I was 15 years old, it was Ackworth CC evening 20 overs knockout competition. https://t.co/XViKeVypbt
— Sir Geoffrey Boycott (@GeoffreyBoycott) June 27, 2020

Moeen Ali and Saqib Mahmood will never walk alone…

… and, well, who can blame them! Saqib Mahmood and Moeen Ali haven't gotten out of their red strips yet, and don't look like they want to either.

These two @LFC fans have been wearing their kits all day! pic.twitter.com/cBpu9Lx7mT
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 26, 2020

June 26

How to wear a sports bra

Yes, we can confirm that Lisa Sthalekar is correct (and also so supportive).

Love the bra look boys!! We normally wear it under our top but I guess you do things a little differently pic.twitter.com/0AZbvNTjRO
— Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93) June 26, 2020

Steven Smith's pizza bread

TikTok maestro David Warner is delighted to have Steven Smith on the platform, it would appear.

He's doing his first TikTok as a chef, what he eats in a day @plalor https://t.co/Tn8OmUucJf
— David Warner (@davidwarner31) June 26, 2020

The doggy-dog world of cricket

Forgotten how to be in the outdoors or how to socialise during the pandemic? Dogs will help you out.

Mohammed Shami gets an intense workout buddy.

View this post on Instagram

Speed work with jack

A post shared by Mohammad Shami , محمد الشامي (@mdshami.11) on Jun 25, 2020 at 9:01am PDT

Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma get together for a canine play date.

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Thanks for coming had a good time Toy and coco

A post shared by Umesh Yaadav (@umeshyaadav) on Jun 25, 2020 at 7:49am PDT

June 25

Sachin Tendulkar's teenage rebellion

You'd better believe Sachin Tendulkar was a teenage rebel. We can just see him now, at 16, a little tousle-haired leather-jacketed badass, kicking things over in his room and cranking his two-in-one stereo up to 11 to blast… Dire Straits' Sultans of Swing. Not Iron Maiden or Metallica or even AC/DC - even in rebellion Tendulkar is entirely wholesome.

Mark you weren't the only one who was doing that at 16.
I too drove my parents mad at 16 by blasting your music on my stereo at home. https://t.co/MlWEMXgUUX
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 24, 2020

Cheteshwar Pujara's fashion inspiration? Virat Kohli

A very dapper Cheteshwar Pujara showed up on Instagram all dressed up with somewhere to go in this lockdown, and his makeover seems to have impressed captain Virat Kohli, who commented, "What a look pujji!" Turns out Kohli was ChePu's fashion inspiration all along.

View this post on Instagram

Appreciation & Gratitude

A post shared by Cheteshwar Pujara (@cheteshwar_pujara) on Jun 23, 2020 at 8:46am PDT

June 24

No ball-kissing for Lasith Malinga anymore?

Waiting to see Lasith Malinga air-kiss the ball like a Hollywood celebrity post-Covid.

A certain someone will have to also change his run up routine with the new @icc rules! What say Mali?#LasithMalinga pic.twitter.com/rHqbXZ3LMj
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 23, 2020

The Pandya brothers' push-up challenge

If we're taking bets on the fittest cricketers post lockdown, we have a couple of candidates. Because regular push-ups are for wimps, Hardik Pandya challenged his brother Krunal to a set of Superman push-ups.

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Stronger. Fitter. Still under construction @krunalpandya_official, I challenge you bhai! Let's see how many you can do #PandyaBrothers

A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya93) on Jun 20, 2020 at 10:03am PDT

And Krunal obliged, because who can resist a dare from the younger sibling.

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Challenge accepted Challenge completed Bring on the next one bhai @hardikpandya93 #PandyaBrothers

A post shared by Krunal Pandya (@krunalpandya_official) on Jun 23, 2020 at 5:28am PDT

David Warner's sting in the tail

Which tailender does David Warner back for a fifty at the crunch?

Josh Hazlewood, all over gully and through cover off the back foot https://t.co/Lj2iOkDsNa
— David Warner (@davidwarner31) June 24, 2020

Wriddhiman Saha is fake

Hazards of fame.

Been locked out of my @facebook personal account for the last 7 months, for pretending to be Wriddhiman Saha. Now, can't open a new one, too. #facebookindia someone please look into this and help me out!
— Wriddhiman Saha (@Wriddhipops) June 24, 2020

June 23

Wouldn't female Kane Williamson have great hair?

Nuh uh, Neesh. You're wrong. Kane Williamson would be the type of girl who wakes up with hair that looks like it's been brushed by fairies and woven with sunshine and who compliments our ratty ponytail like it belongs in a shampoo commercial.

Kane would never have his hair like that. Too much effort. He'd be a messy ponytail kinda girl https://t.co/AZ0R1Mui0R
— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) June 23, 2020

An in-your-face welcome for Tom Banton

Whoa! That's certainly going to get you ready for Test cricket. Tom Banton is one of our 20 cricketers to watch out for in the 2020s and Marcus Trescothick, Somerset's assistant coach, said about him: "I've challenged him to keep improving, to get fitter and stronger, and then he'll hit the ball even further and harder. We'll see a lot of him in the next few years."

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Nice to be back..Thanks @marcustrescothick

A post shared by Tom Banton (@tombanton) on Jun 22, 2020 at 7:50am PDT

June 22

Sunil Gavaskar, cricket prophet

Nostradamus has nothing on Sunil Gavaskar. Back when Sachin Tendulkar was a wee babe, Gavaskar made a thundering prophecy about his career - he foresaw, with eerie prescience, that Tendulkar would make a minimum of 15,000 runs and 40 Test centuries by the end of his career. Don't believe us? Cricket fan Subu Sastry has dug up video proof on Twitter. Either Gavaskar has the makings of a real prophet, or the threat of a strangling was the driving force behind Tendulkar's remarkable career.

This happened very early in my career.

Special words from the great man. I am just glad that I could live upto his expectations.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful moment Subu!
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 20, 2020

Missed all the chatter last week? Catch up on it here.