One of the best innuendo filled cricket commentary moments

Watch how a double entendre makes everyone else in the commentary box hysterical. One of the best commentating moments.

Shoaib Akthar- looks like he was set up!

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been sent home from the World Twenty20 following a dressing-room bust up with team-mate Mohammad Asif.

Though my initial reaction on hearing it was that Shoaib deserved it as he had gone too far, subsequent reports on the tele makes me think he has been set up.

Reports now indicate that Shoaib had likened himself to Imran Khan to Afridi, who not only laughed it off but repeated it to Asif, who in turn found it funny. This infuriated Shoaib and he went after Asif with a bat, causing an injury to Asif's thigh.

Now here is where I am intrigued, Shoaib immediately apologised to Asif, but Asif took it up to the team management and as a result Shoaib was recalled back to Pakistan.

Looks like someone manipulated his hot temper and had extracted whatever they wanted.

Sounds a wee bit like a set up isn't it?

Include Uthappa

Its obvious that Sachin and Saurav are struggling to impose themselves in the opening overs.

They start by playing cautiously and then try to open out only to perish.

They seem incapable of hitting the first ball for a six.

To do that, I suggest that we include Uthappa.

Uthappa seems a maverick and seems to be playing cricket for the joy of it.

Lets have Karthick joining him at the top with everyone else following in the batting order.

Obviously, this means Powar has to sit out.

 

 

Sreesanth- our mental disintegration weapon

Let us not bridle in Sreesanth. Lets hope the Indian team management realizes his value and let him loose.
Directly or indirectly, Sreesanth has played a major role in two of our recent overseas wins.

Far too long, we have been at the receiving end and knowing that we have a bowler who can give as well as he gets will add ‘spine’ to our batting. Surely, you will not see KP stepping up the pitch in a bid to unsettle, nor will you see others sweep our medium pacers.

Let us not be apologetic about having him in our team. Let his ‘bad boy’ image play on the oppositions mind. Let him not take a single wicket again in his career. Let us have him in our team as our mental disintegration weapon. Let the opposition know that we are not ‘jellybeans’ but hot spicy Indian ‘curry’. Let them know we are serious and mean business.

Let them know we here to kick arse!

G.R.Vishwanath- the next Indian coach?

BCCI President Sharad Pawar said that the Indian team would have a coach within a month. Other than, his cryptic assurance and rumors that BCCI plans to advertise for one, there is little evidence of their seriousness.

Curiously, the photograph accompanying the news showed G.R.Vishwanath sitting alongside Mr. Pawar.

Should we read anything more into it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Arseholes of International cricket.

Commenting on the ensuing sledging controversy,Simon Barnes chief sportswriter at The Times writes, “The England cricket team are suffering from confusion. The players believe to a man that behaving like an arsehole makes you a better cricketer. The fact is that it doesn’t. It only makes you an arsehole”.

Trifle harsh to describe the England team as arseholes. You can count atleast one gentleman among them. However, if you are itching to nominate any one team as the Arseholes of International cricket, I suggest the Australians. They are ahead of the others by a mile.

When it comes to consistent uncouth and downright boorish behaviour they are the undisputed champions, nee arseholes.

Turn down the mike.

Guardian Unlimited reports that England coach Peter Moores has defended the conduct of his players and believes stump microphones should be turned down and called for more on-field privacy during matches.

Would it not be easier to ask the players to shut up and get on with the game?

Intriguing news on Munaf Patel.

Indian Express, quoting a close associate of Munaf’s says the injured seamer is likely to give the pre-season Ranji Trophy camp a miss.

He would opt to play county cricket and hope to make a comeback to the Indian team just like Zaheer Khan.

Does he have a chance?

Tags: Munaf, Patel, Cricket, India, county, comeback

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How they made play possible?

According to Hunt, the rain was the heaviest in 38 years he was Head Grounds Man at Lord’s, but still play resumed just two hours after it stopped. Obviously, the excellent drainage system made it possible. Here is what went into making it effective.

In 2002, they dug to a depth of 80 c.m. and some 20,000 tonnes of the old London clay-based soil and clay removed. They replace it with materials ranging from a coarse gravel foundation, to a fine sandy mix below the new surface.

This increased the filtration rate to two inches per hour. Therefore, despite the heavy rains, water drained away quickly. Hunt and his 13-man team were at hand to hasten the process.

Tags: Cricket, Lord's, India, England, npower series, rains, drainage, MCC, Mecca of Cricket, ground, play, rain

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Will it be attractive cricket?

By all accounts, the Seniors in the team seem hell bent on going out with a bang.
Dravid,Gangualy,Tendulkar and Lakshman look determined to notch up tall scores.
However apart from Lakshman, others exhibit more of determination than form.
Are we in for more of Gavaskar's than Vishwanath's brand of cricket?

Tags: Cricket, India, 2007, English tour, Sachin, Gavaskar, Lakshman, Dravid, Ganguly, Vishwanath

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Kapil dares BCCI

Former captain Kapil Dev has dared the BCCI to sack him from the Chairman's post at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for his alignment with the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Kapils logic is that he is only an honorary appointment and as such, the board cannot dictate terms to him.

By daring the BCCI, what is Kapil trying to prove?

Is he trying to prove that he does not need the BCCI and it is the BCCI who need him or is he trying to make a point that he is one former cricketer, who does not depend on the BCCI’s largesse to make a living?

My feeling is he is trying to create another center of power in Indian Cricket albeit with him at the helm.

Tags: BCCI, ICL, NCA, Kapil, India, Cricket

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Chinese taking to cricket?

If you were nurturing the idea, that cricket has lost its balls, then, let me pour some cold water over it.

For instance, the Chinese government is funneling human and monetary resources into an effort to quickl make the nation a power in cricket. Recently, the International Cricket Council (ICC) -- the sport's governing body -- has seen an explosive increase in membership, with Guernsey, Jersey, Mali, and Slovenia joining in 2005. Two years earlier, an estimated 500 million people watched the World Cup telecast in India. The game is catching on in North America and Canada is expected to compete in the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

(This is actually old news)

If the Chinese are taking to cricket and if it is not an indication of cricket’s resilience then what is it?

Tags: India, cricket, Chinese, ICC

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India enjoy lie-in

India enjoy lie-in



"India's already-recuperated tourists will have the extra benefit of an extra hour in bed before the start of their four-day match against Sussex at Hove on Saturday."

Bangladesh 62 all out

Sri Lanka dominate


Don't know whether to laugh or to cry. Bangladesh 62 all out in their first innings.

To think this was the team which went into the Super eight.

I have come to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with our team, it was just that the stars were not aligned.

Better late than never

Pathan’s resurrection

I remember that most of the commentators during the recent India-Pakistan series were pointing out these very same faults on TV.

I also remember Pathan in reply saying that he was always bowling like this and he was not going to change his action.

A simple case of success going to the head.

Now that he has been dumped, he is willing to learn. As they say, better late than never

Do we need Umpires in Cricket?

Dylan Cleaver in an article Why Sports Needs Hawk-eye precision ( New Zealand Herald), brings out excellent arguments in favour of using Hawk-eye and other relevant technology in Cricket.

His argument is that other sports have incorporated technology so why not cricket.

“Which makes you wonder why cricket hasn't done the same. The technology is there. It gets it right. It takes a minimum of time. Everybody walks away happy. ...”

I take his argument further, by asking, why we need umpires.With all the excellent technology available, I suggest, let us do away with umpires.

All the players have to do is to go to the stump mike and appeal. The computers will use it as a prompt to check out all the probabilities and accordingly activate the green or red light.

The wait for the computer to make its decision will create further drama for the watching public and does away with the inexactitude of the umpires.

If it is a question of rules, the game is better served by computers as they have an excellent memory and we will not have  World Cup finals like goof ups.

What say you?

Tags: cricket, Umpires, Hawk-Eye, Technology, Snicko-meter, New Zealand Herald, Cricket, goof-ups

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