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April 16, 2008
Posted 3 weeks, 4 days ago in Offbeat
With just over a day left for the first match of the Indian Premier League, Rod Curtis looks at the game of cricket [kilikati rather] in an island far away from the glitz and glamour of the billion-dollar league in the Age.
Kilikiti is an interesting exercise in what happens when you take a sport and drop it in the middle of the Pacific and let it evolve without the guidance of wealthy guardians seated in plush chairs in north London.
Played between two villages on a cricket-sized ground — or any-sized ground that's mostly clear of coconut trees and ocean — kilikiti has a pitch running down the middle, with three stumps just off each end made from skinny, bark-stripped branches, that go all the way up to your armpits.
As does the bat — an unwieldy, 1.2-metre-long weapon carved from a single piece of the Fau tree, said to be a cross between an old cricket bat and a war club. And yes, "death by kilikiti bat" has occurred. A note for the weary traveller: if you're invited to bowl in a game, always agree with the Samoan wielding half a tree.
April 6, 2008
Posted on 04/06/2008 in Offbeat
Seeing India go through their motions on a lively Motera pitch, one got a feeling that Test cricket is on its deathbed, writes Pradeep Magazine in the Hindustan Times.
There has to be something terribly wrong in the order of things when the news of a Test match in India is relegated behind whether or not Shoaib Akhtar will be allowed to play in the IPL.
In the Sunday Telegraph, Scyld Berry, the editor of the Wisden Cricketer's Almanack, writes on the role of the yellow brick.
Test cricket is the most wonderful game. It has been played since 1877 and yet, still, the plot of every Test match is different - provided it is not hopelessly one-sided, like those involving Bangladesh. This month sees the end of an era, with 20-over cricket becoming the pinnacle of the game in the commercial and financial sense. But long may Test cricket continue to be played, and Wisden to record it.
March 9, 2008
Posted on 03/09/2008 in Offbeat
Racism in sport is not a new phenomenon, writes KN Anand in the New Indian Express.
It beats me why there is no world body in sport to initiate punitive action — I don’t mean little fines and suspension for a couple of games — on those indulging in racism in any form. It’s a hydra-headed monster with far more destructive implications than even doping. And we don’t need research to tell us whether a monkey chant is a racial taunt or a bhajan by devotees of Lord Hanuman.
January 16, 2008
Posted on 01/16/2008 in Offbeat
Angus Fraser retired from playing in 2001 to take up the role as chief cricket correspondent for the Independent but this month has made a comeback - playing beach cricket in Australia. He reports from the second XXXX Gold tournament which is touring the main beaches down under and says, after initial scepticism, that he is having a memorable time winning a few matches and catching up with old friends.
Darren Gough, as a current bowler, had been barred from playing after dominating the 2007 event and I was asked to replace him. It did not take me long to reach my decision – I had previously been paid a lot less to make a fool of myself in Australia, and that was when I was playing in the Ashes.
No, the prospect of spending three weeks travelling around Australia playing the occasional game of beach cricket was too good to turn down. I would be lying if I said the fee did not tempt me, but of equal attraction was the chance to spend time socialising with legends of the game. Lillee and Sir Richard Hadlee, who is playing for New Zealand, the third team in the tournament, were my heroes when I was growing up. Gooch, Allan Border and Martin Crowe are three of the players I admired most during my career, while Robin Smith, Gladstone Small, Chris Cairns and Darren Lehmann are great fun to be with.
November 6, 2007
Posted on 11/06/2007 in Offbeat
Cricket. You can play it on a pitch, on the beach, in the backyard... and even up a mountain. That's what a team of English cricketers including Graham Napier and Nick Compton are attempting to do to raise funds for the PCA – and they're trying to set a world record for the highest altitude cricket match while they're at it. Read the full story on the PCA website - they need 40 spare balls you know. And there's more about Napier's challenge here, as covered by Cricinfo in August.
November 2, 2007
Posted on 11/02/2007 in Offbeat
It would be a huge shame if an India-Pakistan series is deprived of Mohammad Asif's presence, writes Dileep Premachandran in his newly introduced blog in the Times Online website.
October 28, 2007
Posted on 10/28/2007 in Offbeat
Past and present cricketers talk frankly about their addictions as the Professional Cricketers Assocaition launch an initiative to assist their members. Watch on BBC Sport.
Also check out Sadiq Saleem's informal chat with Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik in the Dawn magazine.
October 16, 2007
Posted on 10/16/2007 in Offbeat
There is one Aussie in Mumbai these days that the cameras never leave. And he isn’t even a cricketer, writes Sandeep Dwivedi in the Indian Express.
Gus Worland can pass off as just another happy fan from Down Under expecting a 5-1 scoreline at Wankhede but he's actually here for an observational documentary called An Aussie Goes Bolly that has Worland in the lead role.
Posted on 10/16/2007 in Offbeat
Australia's cricketers might well be beasts on the field, but their charity work off it reveals a more humane side, writes Dileep Premachandran in the Guardian.
Through his ceaseless work for Udayan in Kolkata, Waugh also opened their eyes to the good they could do. Hayden, Gilchrist, Ponting and others have been quick to follow suit, and even though the current tour has been played out in a largely acrimonious atmosphere, the Australians have won hearts with their eagerness to promote worthwhile causes.
October 11, 2007
Posted on 10/11/2007 in Offbeat
Botham is nothing if not a rogue, as well, and the interviews he did with the British newspapers this week in the lead-up to the bestowing of his knighthood tell a tale or two, writes Martin Blake in the Melbourne-based Age.
October 8, 2007
Posted on 10/08/2007 in Offbeat
Should Inzamam-ul-Haq fall just shy of Javed Miandad's record, he will be in good company. In his Times Online blog, Patrick Kidd draws up a list of 11 cricketers who needed just one more game.
Ian Healy, 395 dismissals: The Australia wicketkeeper has been overtaken by Mark Boucher and may soon be passed by Adam Gilchrist but he could have been the first to 400 dismissials
October 6, 2007
Posted on 10/06/2007 in Offbeat
In the Sydney Morning Herald Alex Brown writes on his Indian experience: fascinating, frustrating and more than a little intimidating, this country is a 24-7 sensory barrage and a direct challenge to all you thought you knew about life and its possibilities.
On the flight from Bangalore to Cochin the pilot spent five minutes taking photos of the Australian cricketers. And that was on descent. Still, no real surprises: cricketers here can't take a breath without several scores of people documenting their exhalations on camera phones.
In the Melbourne-based Age Chloe Saltau writes on Chris Davies' return to Victoria:
Nearly four years after crippling shoulder and elbow injuries ruined the South Australian's career as one of the country's most promising batsmen, Davies has re-emerged in Victoria and will make his comeback when the Premier Cricket season starts today, alongside Mick Lewis, as captain-coach of Melbourne.
October 3, 2007
Posted on 10/03/2007 in Offbeat
Patrick Kidd has a few interesting thoughts in his Times Online blog:
All the big guns from the ICC are here and will presumably take the stand: Malcolm Speed, the chief executive, Ray Mali, the acting president, David Richardson, the general manager, and Sir John Anderson, the New Zealand representative on the board who was so engrossed by discussion today that he spent much of the afternoon working his way through a bumper book of Su Doku puzzles.
October 1, 2007
Posted on 10/01/2007 in Offbeat
Ian Botham said his 1985 trip to Hollywood turned him into a joke. But here his former agent tells Observer Sport's Monthly's Nick Greenslade how close the cricketer came to being the next Stallone.
With his action-man physique and blond locks, Botham, Hudson argued, could become a star to rival Sylvester Stallone and Charles Bronson, whose Death Wishseries Golan had produced. Unlike Stallone and Bronson, he could deliver significant audiences not only in Britain, but in India, Pakistan and Australia.
The movie mogul looked Botham up and down ('Well, he's better looking than Tom Selleck') and laid down his terms: if Botham stayed in town for six months and had acting lessons, then there was a real possibility that he could break Hollywood. There was just one problem. In the January of 1986, the all-rounder was due to fly out to the Caribbean for England's three-month tour of the West Indies.
September 7, 2007
Posted on 09/07/2007 in Offbeat
G S Vivek, of the Indian Express, traces the story of an Indian-origin entrepreneur who has made a name by selling the best cricket pads in business today.
Jagodia says, it was Gavaskar really, and then Sachin who helped his brand of pads become what it is now. And he still doesn’t pay any endorsements. “It was really Sunil. He started wearing it when it was totally revolutionary — with all that controversy of the ball bouncing off too much after it hit the pad, he actually established the product as such. No doubt that Sachin, who is such a huge star, took the product to the next level and made it a generic name in pads category,” he says gleefully.
The story is that when Sachin Tendulkar came along, Gavaskar was his hero and he gave Tendulkar a pair of his old pads and that’s how he started. “Sachin was very superstitious, and because those old-fashioned pads had leather straps, we had to make pads with leather straps, because he won’t wear sticker pads, like modern cricketers. Laxman also wanted leather straps, so it’s becoming kind of a nightmare for us.
August 23, 2007
Posted on 08/23/2007 in Offbeat
Germany’s coach is excited by Shane Warne’s passport adventures and has invited him to play for his team. And even if Warne refuses he is still welcome “just for a beer”.
"I was surprised when I heard he was looking into getting a German passport, it's hilarious really,” Keith Thompson told AFP. "I don't know if he would even come here, but we will try and get him over.”
July 27, 2007
Posted on 07/27/2007 in Offbeat
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'Perhaps I should chuck this for tinted contacts'
© Getty Images
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Players have the option of using lenses which increase the amount of light in their field of vision.Pranav Soneji caught up with Nick Dash, England and Wales Cricket Board's optometrist, who configures the England players' individual sunglasses depending on their optical needs.
Sartorial elegance is often the most important criteria for fashionistas when it comes to the ideal pair of sunglasses. And you could be forgiven for thinking the same parameters apply for a select group of cricketers judging by their eyewear of choice.
But the natty wraparound sunglasses serve a more serious purpose than just aesthetics.
Read the full piece in BBC Sport.
July 22, 2007
Posted on 07/22/2007 in Offbeat
Getting a name right has been a challenge for the English press, notes Stephen Brenkley in his Lord's Diary in the Independent.
There has been confusion about Sreesanth since he made his Test debut against England last year in Nagpur. For years he was plain Sreesanth, the name given to him by his parents, or S Sreesanth at a stretch, the initial standing for Shanthakumaran, which was his father's given name.
However, the idea at first took root that he was Sree Sreesanth. He explained this was wrong, and gradually he has become Shantha Sreesanth. But this too is incorrect. He is certainly not Sri Sreesanth as he appeared in the papers last week. He said that he did indeed have two names. "I am called Sree Santh," he said. But this announcement has perplexed Indian journalists whom he told last year that he wished to be known only as Sreesanth (one word).
July 10, 2007
Posted on 07/10/2007 in Offbeat
David Foot of The Guardian delves into an important aspect of a batsman's game.
There are many stories about cricket's calls of nature. Some players held out better than others. The popular Glamorgan left-hander Emrys Davies, according to a few Arms Park survivors, could rarely go through a session without the obligatory exit. We can only imagine the torment he went through during 7½ hours at the crease when he made 287 in Newport.
May 9, 2007
Posted on 05/09/2007 in Offbeat
Stop press: an Australian has come up with an innovative way to help a batsman. No, it’s got nothing to do with Adam Gilchrist and his controversial squash ball and everything to do with sweet spots. Bigger is better, so they say, and the developers in question certainly believe this is the case, lovingly creating a huge sweet spot on their Smart Cricket Bat.
And there’s more to tickle your fancy – “Its innovative handle is equipped with electro-mechanical sensors and a vibration-absorbing synthetic material which converts shockwaves into heat and dampens vibration” - according to a report in The Daily Telegraph.
March 26, 2007
Posted on 03/26/2007 in Offbeat
The USA’s ABC News reports how China has used the World Cup to score diplomatic points over rivals Taiwan. The Chinese involvement in building various stadia in the Caribbean has been well documented, but it appears the knock-on effect has been more wide reaching:
China gave Antigua a $55 million grant to build the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium. It gave $30 million to Jamaica for a new Trelawny stadium. St. Lucia has both a cricket and a football stadium courtesy of Beijing. The 70,000 people of Dominica have received the aid equivalent of $1,600 per person in the form of a cricket grounds, new drains for the capital and better roads.
The immediate reason for this largesse is Beijing's determination to diplomatically isolate Taiwan. Says Harry Sung of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, D.C.: "Their top priority is to isolate Taiwan. Most of the remaining countries that recognize Taiwan are located in the Caribbean and Latin America."
China's cricket diplomacy led to two West Indian countries, Grenada and Dominica, derecognizing Taiwan as an independent country. Of the remaining 24 countries that recognize Taiwan, four are in the Caribbean and two of these play cricket.
November 26, 2006
Posted on 11/26/2006 in Australian cricket
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Billy Birmingham relaxes
© SMH
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| Fantastic news for fans of the highly irreverent 12th Man CDs – and that includes most of the editorial team – comes with the release this week of the seventh offering – and the first for five years - from Billy Bimingham. Called Boned, it sees a return of the commentators whose utter scorn of political correctness has become legendary.
The Sydney Morning Herald caught up with Birmingham as he put the finishing touches to the double CD.
Here's the drum on the new 12th Man album. Richie Benaud is so peeved with Eddie McGuire's cost-cutting decision to sack the entire Channel Nine commentary team - and hire Billy Birmingham to do all their voices and cover the Ashes series himself - that he forms a band called Richie and Da Boyz who do a remake of Birmingham's song Marvellous in a bid to get their own back against a man who has forged a career out of taking the piss out of them.
And it’s apparent that Birmingham in the flesh is as irreverent as his characters.
I'm all over the place like a suicide bomber's sandshoe … There's so much material. The drama has been trying to cut it all down so it fits onto a double album … It couldn't have happened in any other country. We're a nation of sports nuts and piss-takers and all I've done is combine the two.
November 11, 2006
Posted on 11/11/2006 in Offbeat
Everyone has been batting the wrong way around, writes Peter Roebuck in the Sydney Morning Herald, and coaches have been barking up the wrong tree.
Chris Gayle spent the month belting the ball around Indian parks. Bats left-handed. Bowls, catches and opens beer bottles with his other mitt. Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Ever seen him send down a leg-break? Stephen Fleming? Writes his cheques with the easterly flipper. Jacob Oram? Thumps down his seamers with the right arm.
Consider the past. David Gower? Bowled his few overs in Test cricket with his cork-opening hand - and, for his pains, was called for throwing. Mark Taylor? Turns on his air-conditioner with the right paw. Sourav Ganguly? Kicks penalties with his right foot
October 12, 2006
Posted on 10/12/2006 in Offbeat
Boria Mazumdar takes a look at the new brand of cricket coverage on Indian television which is set to transform the nature of global cricket coverage.
It may well be that the revolutionary Sony coverage is yet another fantasy, which has the power to enamour and also infuriate. We have already seen that the success of Sony’s entertainment focused cricket programming has led other Indian news and even sports channels to replicate the same model. In fact, the strategy—special programming with women anchors and other innovative attractions have become the standard way of covering cricket in India. With cricket across the world in need for infusion of new innovations, it is only a matter of time before it becomes the global norm.
October 8, 2006
Posted on 10/08/2006 in Offbeat
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Mike Young (left) finds solace in a 'strange game called cricket'
© Getty Images
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When Mike Young, Australia's fielding coach, came to Australia to play for the Queensland baseball team, his first taste of Test cricket was met with a kind of bemusement natural for young Americans.
"It was a Monday or Tuesday and I asked them when it was over. They said Friday. I said 'oh, my God'. We started talking about prizemoney and trophies teams win and they mentioned 'the Ashes'."And I said, 'You play for five days and might only tie or draw and all you win is some ashes'. I thought 'I hope Australian baseball is not like this'."
Well he has come a long way since then, and cricket has compensated what he couldn't achieve with baseball. The Australian players have given him the respect he deserves, chipping in out of their own pockets to pay for his own room during the 2003 World Cup.
Read the full piece by Robert Craddock in The Courier Mail.
October 2, 2006
Posted on 10/02/2006 in Offbeat
Cricket might not have affected Gandhi, but Gandhi certainly affected cricket. The political movements he led and the social changes he sought to bring about had their consequences on how the game was played in the sub-continent. Click here to read a article in The Hindu, dated 2001, by Ramachandra Guha on Gandhi and cricket.
In the Mumbai-based tabloid, Mid Day, Clayton Murzello recaps his Pentrich to Pietermaritzburg train ride, where Gandhiji was thrown out of a first-class compartment in 1893, during the 2003 World Cup
September 27, 2006
Posted on 09/27/2006 in Offbeat
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While Matthew Hayden hopes to strike such a pose at the Gabba, Lillee and Thomson will be manning the beaches of Queensland
© Getty Images
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The Ashes can wait... some serious cricket first as reported in The Australian
After decades of wasting their summers at Lord's, the SCG and Sabina Park, a clique of ageing Test cricketers has finally realised what the rest of us have known for years - the best games are played on the beach.
Mark Waugh, Damien Fleming and Dean Jones will make up the rest of the local side, which will face off old adversaries such as Courtney Walsh, Joel Garner, Curtly Ambrose, Graham Gooch, Allan Lamb and Graham Hick in the international clashes.
One side of the field will be constantly under water, which has caused concern for some of the West Indies players and the English, who either cannot swim or have heard too much about the man-eaters that surf at our beaches.
September 24, 2006
Posted on 09/24/2006 in Ashes
The Barmy Army have been entertaining supporting England for a number of years, through the dark depression of the nineties and out into the altogether brighter 2000s. But with the Ashes a mere 59 days, 13 hours, and 28 minutes (ish) away comes the news that Australia are urging their public not only to turn up at the cricket, but beat the Barmies at their own game. Further proof in video format here and here - two commercials airing on Australian TV at the moment.
Never mind the cricket; this winter's real contest could be in the stands.
Posted on 09/24/2006 in Offbeat
Ramachandra Guha has a look at a few fascinating stories linked to some cricketers' names.
If Pataudi's was the most democratic name change undergone by a cricketer, surely the most charming was that effected by the England fast bowler Bob Willis. He made his first-class debut with the two Christian names his parents gave him. Then he spent a winter following Bob Dylan around the west coast of America. After he returned to England, and cricket, he changed his name by deed-poll to "Robert George Dylan Willis
Read the full piece in The Hindu
September 2, 2006
Posted on 09/02/2006 in Offbeat
Vinod Kambli is all set for a new innings, writes Clayton Murzello in Mid-Day , the Mumbai-based newspaper. On September 8, he will marry model Andrea Hewitt in court.
Also check out Clayton Murzello's article on Madhav Mantri - the country’s oldest living Test cricketer based in India - on his 85th birthday.
By the time you read this, Mantri would have woken up at 4.30 am; done his free-arm exercises, walked for 45 minutes and after his daily prayers, it’s breakfast at 7.30 am.
August 31, 2006
Posted on 08/31/2006 in Umpires
It could have been a scene out of England, Their England ... two village sides battling it out in rural Gloucestershire, a vicar umpiring, cream teas about to be taken ...
Only one of the teams refused to play on after the Right Reverend Geoffrey Creese gave a controversial LBW decision and went home (but not before offering to pay for the uneaten teas!). As the local Forester newspaper reports, it's not just Darrell Hair who has problems ... and at least he doesn't have to give the sermon the next day.
As the captain of the Rev Creese's side said:
"He doesn't always get it right, but he's not biased ... he calls it as he sees it."
August 29, 2006
Posted on 08/29/2006 in Offbeat
He might have had a glittering career spanning three decades, during which time he played at some of the world's top cricket grounds, but Sir Viv Richards still has fond memories of hitting sixes towards ambulances watched by NHS staff when he played for Bath's Lansdown Cricket Club.
But Lansdown was always my favourite ground because we had the accident and emergency department of the (Royal United) hospital next door. We used to have quite a few people who were supposed to be taking care of others stopping and watching.
Read the full interview in The Bath Chronicle.
August 24, 2006
Posted on 08/24/2006 in Offbeat
If Darrell Hair may be assured of anything in these difficult hours, it is that smirking, jaded telly executives are even now dreaming up vehicles for him, writes Marina Hyde
Posted on 08/24/2006 in Offbeat
This day, 33 years ago, Garry Sobers produced his last Test hundred, an unbeaten 150, to charge West Indies to a massive win. Sobers later admitted that on the first evening (when he was 31 not out at the close), he had spent all night drinking port and brandy and was not in the best state when he resumed his innings. Click here to read an extract from the autobiography of Sobers, Garry Sobers: My Autobiography
I realised I had long gone past the need to sleep. “I have so much liquor in my head,” I said to Reg, “that if I go home to the hotel and go to bed, I’m not going to wake up.” He asked me what I wanted to do and I suggested that we go back to the Clarendon Court, where the team were staying, for a few more drinks and a little reminiscing about the good old days, and that’s exactly what we did. As morning dawned ...
August 23, 2006
Posted on 08/23/2006 in Offbeat
Zaheer Abbas refused to take the field on the last day during the 1983-84 Bangalore Test. Mid-day, the Mumbai-based tabloid, gives the inside dope, courtesy extracts from the autobiography of Madhav Gothaskar, who officiated in that match.
After 14 mandatory overs were bowled, he {Zaheer} along with his team walked off the field without the umpires declaring the close of the play.We maintained that if his team did not complete six more overs, India would be declared as winners. The ruse worked. The Pakistani team returned to the field. Gavaskar duly completed his 28th Test hundred, but it was an inconsequential century. After the Pakistanis left the field, Gavaskar refused to leave the ground and dissuaded his partner Gaekwad from leaving the field, despite the repeated entreaties of his skipper Kapil Dev.
August 22, 2006
Posted on 08/22/2006 in Offbeat
Writing in Hindustan Times, Pradeep Magazine asks if cricket world in danger of getting torn asunder by a new global order that is increasingly getting polarised in stark shades of black and white?
August 21, 2006
Posted on 08/21/2006 in Offbeat
Mukul Kesavan, writing in the Hindustan Times, looks back at the Dean Jones controversy and advocates a policy of zero tolerance.
The reason ‘kike’, ‘faggot’ and ‘nigger’ are taboo today is because public opinion backed up by social sanction made them unsayable ... Roebuck and Border and cricket’s commentariat seem to think calling a bearded Muslim a ‘terrorist’ doesn’t belong in the same category of proscribed words. Well, it’s up to us to persuade them that it does, through a policy of zero tolerance.
August 20, 2006
Posted on 08/20/2006 in Offbeat
With Monty Panesar and Sajid Mahmood in the current England side and Yorkshire teenager Adil Rashid provoking great excitement, the profile of British Asians in cricket has never been higher. But is the game as free from racism as it appears? Kamran Abbasi reports
August 17, 2006
Posted on 08/17/2006 in Offbeat
The acknowledgements section in John Wright's book John Wright's Indian Summers has a curious mention - Cafe Mondegar, a well-known joint in Mumbai, and one which he frequented often. This is where Wright broke bread, sliced butter and sipped tea or beer on happy and gloomy days whenever he was in town. Clayton Murzello of the Mid-Day finds out why Wright and his support staff could never resist this place.
Wright relished the Mango lassi and remembers Ramesh, who never failed to make him comfortable and offer him a seat by the window. It appears the window seat is special to many and the ‘Reserved’ sign says it all.
August 15, 2006
Posted on 08/15/2006 in Offbeat
In The Guardian, Frank Keating writes on Monty Panesar and other great sporting Sikhs.
If Panesar has, of a sudden, so delighted English cricket, he has warmed, too, the proud community of some half a million fellow Sikhs in Britain.
August 8, 2006
Posted on 08/08/2006 in Offbeat
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John Arlott - the first name in cricket radio commentary
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Speaking of commentary, it's time to focus on those who said the right things at the right time. Ted Corbett remembers John Arlott, the man chiefly responsible for young schoolboys cycling home furiously to grab the radio and listen to his analysis and curse if the batteries went dead. Arlott will always be a hard man to emulate. Read the full piece in Sportstar.
His Hampshire burr had become compulsory material for every mimic good or bad and round the world — in those days BBC could be heard everywhere — those in love with cricket arranged their lives around their need to hear him speak.
August 6, 2006
Posted on 08/06/2006 in Offbeat
It's not uncommon to see a legendary swinger of the cricket bat grab the nearest golf club and spend time on the greens. Kapil Dev and Brian Lara come to mind. Now it's the turn of Virender Sehwag. His technical skills were so impressive that he couldn't resist calling his former cricket coach for a crash course in golf. Read about his latest addiction in Indiatimes.
Sehwag connects with the ball perfectly, making it sail high, straight out of the field and on to the terrace of a flat at a distance. The sound of the ball hitting a green fibre sheet on the terrace was clearly audible. Even the woman of the house heard it and quickly came out to see if nothing was broken, before returning the ball.
August 5, 2006
Posted on 08/05/2006 in Offbeat
It all happened too fast for Sadanand Vishwanath. His lightning reflexes in the 1985 Benson and Hedges World Championship promised a long career but sadly, he faded away, after his form deserted him. In an interview to K. C. Vijaya Kumar of The Sportstar, Vishwanath reveals his emotional and financial struggles over the last two decades and how things are finally looking up for him in his new career in coaching and umpiring.
"I was young, popular but feeling lonely and insecure. I would never blame my parents' demise for the way my career shaped up. In fact, on the field, I gave my best but at that young age I wish I had some guidance. May be, if we had a Sandy Gordon then, things would have been different."
July 30, 2006
Posted on 07/30/2006 in Offbeat
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The pavilion at Old Trafford
© John Dawson
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Even the most one-eyed Lancastrian cannot claim that Old Trafford, the ground immortalised by the prose of Neville Cardus and the deeds of Cyril Washbrook, Brian Statham and Jim Laker, is the most picturesque of grounds, writes Michael Atherton in The Telegraph.. Yet, there are reasons to love this strange ground.
The club now finds itself in the invidious position of having to rent back office space it sold in the 1960s; a two-tier stand built in the 1990s has been rarely utilised fully, and only Lancashire could name one of its ends after its greatest bowler who always bowled from the opposite end.
July 28, 2006
Posted on 07/28/2006 in Offbeat
"I love maiden overs in the same way that civil servants do forms or VAT inspectors a pile of receipts," says Mike Selvey. "What is boring to one person can send waves of pleasure coursing through the veins of another. If this sounds slightly anal then part of it is the feeling of giving nothing away and maintaining control." Read on ...
July 26, 2006
Posted on 07/26/2006 in Offbeat
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'Hard luck mate. It happens'
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Camaraderie between opposite teams is dying out.The sight of Andrew Flintoff consoling Brett Lee at the end of the Edgbaston thriller last year was a rarity,a reflection of the good old days, feels David Foot in The Guardian.
There was the pre-Gordon Ramsay tirade from Allan Border when Robin Smith innocently requested a drinks break. Charlie Griffith ran out Ian Redpath at Adelaide without a warning from the bowler. Derek Randall was similarly treated by Ewan Chatfield at Christchurch.
Posted on 07/26/2006 in Offbeat
Talk about permutations and combinations and if Thandi Tshabalala happens to be around, chances are he would pounce at the opportunity to narrate his real-life tale. In the age of frequent-flyer miles, his journey from Brisbane to Colombo would have fetched enough for a free ticket to his dream destination. Oh and with 72-kilos of luggage in tow, he was spotted with borrowed clothes. Confused? Read the full piece in Supercricket.
Distance is measured in many different units but, so far, there has never been a unit of measurement that combines distance travelled with the amount of hassle, confusement and jetlag encountered along the way. Now there is: Thandi Miles.
July 24, 2006
Posted on 07/24/2006 in Offbeat
Read David Llewellyn's email conversation with Steve Waugh on topics as diverse as which four people in history Waugh would want to invite to a dinner party, whether Australia had it coming in the 2005 Ashes series, what his predictions are for 2006-07 battle, and whether he is a culture vulture or adrenalin junkie.
I think Australia will start favourites. I think it will be a pretty close series. I think it will be 2-1 or 3-2. There won't be much in it. Obviously those scores are in Australia's favour. That goes without saying.
July 23, 2006
Posted on 07/23/2006 in Offbeat
Saurab Chatterjee was a frustrated young man after waiting three years in the Bengal team reserves.With no state-level opportunities in sight, Dr Ali Bacher had an offer he couldn't refuse - to play league cricket in South Africa, and also be the first Indian to do so.Read what the latest star of the Gauteng Lions has to say about his experiences, in BBC News.
"I jumped at the chance. I talked to my parents (who live in Calcutta as do his three brothers and a sister) who said if the standard of cricket was good, I should take up the offer. I have played continuously for the club since then."
July 22, 2006
Posted on 07/22/2006 in Offbeat
Ray Illingworth recalls the day Mike Atherton was accused of ball-tampering.
The first I was aware of any problem was when the South Africa team manager, Mike Procter, came to see me on the Saturday afternoon and said: "You'd better have a look at this." I thought he was joking at first but, when I saw the TV footage of Mike Atherton with the ball, I agreed with Procter that it didn't look right
July 19, 2006
Posted on 07/19/2006 in Offbeat
'Whispering Death' aka Michael Holding aka Mickey walks tall with a Civil Law degree from the University of East Anglia for his contribution to cricket. Read on in The Jamaica Observer.
"My mother was a teacher and she used to tell me when I was a young man, 'Mikey, I know you love sport, but I want you to remember one thing: you've got to get a piece of paper behind you.' Well, now I have"
July 14, 2006
Posted on 07/14/2006 in Offbeat
Funny as it may seem, but for the first time, yesterday was the first time David Shepherd watched a Lord's Test as a spectator. Geoffrey Dean of The Times caught up with 'Shep', watching England bat, proudly sporting his bacon-and-egg MCC tie.
He admitted to popping up to the umpires’ room in the lunch break to say hello to Steve Bucknor and Simon Taufel. Bucknor, with whom he stood on many occasions.
July 13, 2006
Posted on 07/13/2006 in Offbeat
Owing to Graeme Smith's ankle injury, Ashwell Prince will lead South Africa on their tour of Sri Lanka in August. He answers a few questions on his reaction to the appointment and his plans to counter Muralithraran from his fans on News24.com.
Haroon Lorgat, the convenor of selectors, called me around midday on Tuesday to break the news. I'd heard that Smithy had injured his ankle and was in doubt for the tour. Obviously it's a massive honour to lead your country and the phone has been ringing off the hook with well-wishers so no complaints - it's been fantastic.
June 30, 2006
Posted on 06/30/2006 in Offbeat
How do South Africa's busy international cricketers spend the off-season? In the bush, on the beach, and all in white, it would seem. Telford Vice plays Roving Reporter in Supercricket.
Calls to the cell phones of Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher on Wednesday went unanswered, probably because they were together on a golf course somewhere.
June 27, 2006
Posted on 06/27/2006 in Offbeat
Football is considered 'The Beautiful Game'. Or is it? Mike Haysman questions the veracity of that title, showing where cricket can teach people a lesson or two. Read on in Supercricket.
Controlled aggression is an adage you will often hear bandied about by analysts. The best sportsmen do exactly that, control their pent up anger and deliver the killer blows in a lethal manner.
June 26, 2006
Posted on 06/26/2006 in Offbeat
If the Chinese Cricket Association's development plans are even half successful, it is only a matter of decades before the cricket world could be looking at the new giants of the game, The Age reports.
The Chinese Cricket Association is hoping that by the end of 2007 China would have 30,000 players, 600 coaches and 600 umpires. Their target is for 150,000 players by 2020.
June 17, 2006
Posted on 06/17/2006 in Offbeat
Mike Selvey recounts the times when a glass of water in death-like humidity was just a mere mirage - with examples from his own playing days, when the curse of the Albatross struck. And they say Europe is getting hot! Read on in The Guardian.
Opening the bowling beneath the ramparts of the old Dutch fort in Galle, in extreme heat, but more pertinently drenching humidity and flat calm, it felt as if I was breathing in flames while simultaneously being hit in the chest with a sledgehammer.
June 5, 2006
Posted on 06/05/2006 in Offbeat
We’ve all heard of mystery spinners, but what about mystery pitches? Residents of the Mallee in Victoria are puzzled by the discovery of a concrete pitch and are hoping to find out more – and they even wonder if there may be others like it, too. Discover more here.
June 4, 2006
Posted on 06/04/2006 in Offbeat
Shane Warne's life is a bit of a gift for scriptwriters everywhere. No surprises, then, that he's about to be given the Broadway treatment. Coming to a theatre near you is Shane Warne: The Musical. More at the Sydney Morning Herald.
May 15, 2006
Posted on 05/15/2006 in Offbeat
If even Elton John comments on player burnouts, who else wouldn't, one would have to wonder. With his penchant for flamboyant costumes and riotous parties, it may surprise some to learn that prefers Test matches to one-day pyjama cricket. Read the full piece in BBC Sport.
"I was on tour when we won by two runs at Edgbaston. I was in the south of France and on the phone to Michael Caine - who is a big cricket fan.
I was saying 'For God's sake' and he was saying 'I can't look'."
May 12, 2006
Posted on 05/12/2006 in Miscellaneous
Now the Surfer is going to try its best to stay away from Shane Warne and chopper gags… but it is sorely tempted to after it hears the news that Warne is to fly in by helicopter to deliver the match ball for Saturday's FA Cup final between Liverpool and West Ham in Cardiff. Warne is the first Australian in history to have such honours. Lucky boy.
May 10, 2006
Posted on 05/10/2006 in Offbeat
Scandals and regular tabloid appearances never seem to erode Shane Warne's mastery on the field, with England seeking his divine help to arrest their legspin woes. And no better way than to start with young kids in the 'Spin to Win' programme, as Derek Pringle elaborates in The Telegraph.
When he demonstrates the grip, the three-quarter size ball looks vulnerable as he clamps it into his powerful right hand. For the last 15 years, cricket balls around the world have been squeezed, exhorted and spun with such ferocity from that hand that it should look deformed.
April 25, 2006
Posted on 04/25/2006 in Offbeat
Oh blimey, is Darren Gough becoming the new Phil Tufnell? Let's hope not, but if he continues to embrace gimmicks with as much gusto as his bowling then words might just have to be had.
His latest bandwagon de choix? Well, Dazzler is all set to appear in a video for a football World Cup song.
Stand up 4 England is a song by pop punk band Koopa and, The Surfer is surprised to hear itself confessing as it reaches for the repeat button, the tune is actually pretty good.
The cameras are set to roll down at Essex CCC on Tuesday to capture Goughie singing the seminal line "Ner ner ner ner" as he revealed to Cricinfo: "As a keen football fan myself it's exciting to be doing my bit for the World Cup cause - albeit in a small way". Good old boy.
So, does a pop career await? Well, he's keen on any form of TV exposure, as he told The Times. "TV is the way I want to go. It suits my personality."
April 22, 2006
Posted on 04/22/2006 in Offbeat
iafrica.com sports editor Dan Nicholl had earlier proposed an ingenuous proposition for injecting a little life into very forlorn stands in domestic games. Nudity!
Now comes its side-splittingly funny sequel. Click here for a hilarious read.
April 17, 2006
Posted on 04/17/2006 in Offbeat
Gold, silver, diamonds and more... read the detailed description of the trophy India and Pakistan are playing for at Abu Dhabi in the Khaleej Times.
The 45-inch tall trophy is made of gold, silver and diamonds with Jaipur's famous meenakari work around. There are five players in action at the bottom representing different cricket playing nations. The Indian and Pakistani players are given symbolic colours of their teams — blue and green. They all are playing around five artistic bats, which have intricate designs and are studded with diamonds. The centre part is like a blooming stem unfolding in a flower like platter. This has 10 gold wickets with red ball striking them at from different directions.
April 13, 2006
Posted on 04/13/2006 in Offbeat
Dhruba Hazarika went to the Nehru stadium in Guwahati before the match to meet Sunil Barua, the curator. Click here and scroll down to read the piece.
I stared at his knuckles, fascinated by the small, round hardened fleshy blobs on the back of the palms. They were hands that had caressed soil and earth, felt the bricks and the stones, hands that had dug into bags of urea, fingers that had separated dubori grass from the rest. It was not just a farmer’s hands. There were the hands of a sculptor and I kept on watching, fascinated.
April 10, 2006
Posted on 04/10/2006 in Offbeat
Even a seasoned politician like Sharad Pawar has been stumped by the cricket economics.
The BCCI has marketed 25 off shore matches each for $ 8 million plus. This works out approximately to Rs. 40 crore per match. I don't understand this.
April 9, 2006
Posted on 04/09/2006 in Offbeat
iafrica.com sports editor Dan Nicholl comes up with an ingenuous proposition for injecting a little life into very forlorn stands in domestic games. Nudity! Click here to read the hilarious article.
March 30, 2006
Posted on 03/30/2006 in Offbeat
What is it that drives cricket fans insane, analysing every minute detail of the game to death? Amrit Mathur in The Sportstar lists out the possible reasons why the game encourages so much opinion.
Indian fans are cricket PHDs who analyse every angle, discover every hidden agenda. Cricket is a social glue, a sport and a religion, and a hot, spicy conversation tool.
March 11, 2006
Posted on 03/11/2006 in Offbeat
Freedom of expression came at a high price for a teenager sent home from school for styling his hair like his cricketing hero Kevin Pietersen.
Read the full story in The Guardian
But, but, but ... it's not even the first time this has happened. Just what is it with KP inspiring a generation of rebel-headed students? Back in September, another boy got sent home for school for copying KP. And that one was without doubt a worse crime - he was apeing the skunk. Dark days indeed.
Now The Surfer wouldn't pretend to have much sense of style but, really, whether these dudes are choosing to copy the GI Jane look or the dead animal isn't important, we just want to know why.
March 4, 2006
Posted on 03/04/2006 in Offbeat
As you may have noticed President Bush has been in Pakistan over the last few days, and he has tried his hand at cricket. By some accounts he wasn't too shabby. Chances of him trying to push the game forward in the USA, though, are still pretty slim.
Bush, an avid baseball fan, even had to be shown which way around to hold the willow blade when he met local schoolchildren and members of Pakistan's team
March 3, 2006
Posted on 03/03/2006 in Offbeat
Mike Selvey on the extraordinary reaction in India to his interview with Greg Chappell.
February 17, 2006
Posted on 02/17/2006 in Offbeat
England are going to be looking at the world through rose-tinted, er, contact lenses on Saturday. Michael Vaughan and four other of his team are trialling some new eyewear which aims to enhance light and remove the need for sunglasses. More details are here.
January 21, 2006
Posted on 01/21/2006 in Offbeat
Fancy your coach digging graves to make ends meet. Mike Haysman takes us through some of the most bizarre secondary careers of cricketers in the 'less fortunate' era. Where would life be without cricket, you'd have to wonder...
Many to this day will have nightmares of what could have been. Often as a fledgling sportsman trying to make the grade, you are forced to roll up the sleeves and seek employment to make ends meet whilst spending whatever spare time you have forging a career in your chosen sporting field. Often that secondary career choice is suspect.
January 20, 2006
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