CRICKET STORIES

Speciality of God Of Cricket "SACHIN TENDULKAR"

2011-10-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

Interesting facts about Sachin

1. Named after legendary music director Sachin Dev Burman by his father.
2. Grew his hair and tied a band around it to copy his idol JohnMcEnroe.Was called McEnroe by his friends. Admires BorisBecker, PeteSampras and DiegoMaradona.
3. Wanted to be a tearing fast bowler and even went to the MRF Pace Academy but head coach DennisLillee asked him to concentrate on his batting.
4. Has scored big runs on Indian festivals like Gokulashtmi, RakshaBandhan, Holi and Diwali.
5. Loved to have i-can-eat-more-vada-pavas-than -you competitions with cricket buddies VinodKambli and SalilAnkola.
6. A foodie who loves sea food. Co-owns a restaurant.
7. Sydney Cricket ground is his favorite ground.
8. Loves Kishore Kumar and rock group Dire Straits. Fusses over his personal stereo.
9. A Ganesh devotee, he visits SiddhiVinayak temple in the early hours of the morning.
10. Wears his left pad first, has the tri-color pasted inside his kit bag.
11. Remembers every Test dismissal – especially the bowler who dismissed him.
12. Likes to dunk his glucose biscuits into his tea.
13. Ambidextrous: bats with his right hand, autographs and eats with his left.
14. Used to sleep with his cricket gear during his junior days
15. Refused to shoot for a soft drink ad of him smashing cricket balls with a fly swatter. He reportedly told film-maker PrahladKakkar, " That would make me greater that the game." The ad was modified: he hit the balls with a stump .

16. A fast car fiend who likes to tear down Mumbai roads at 4 am.
17. Fell from a tree on Sunday evening during the summer vacation, when Guide was showing on national TV. His infuriated his brother ( and mentor) Ajit packed him off to cricket coaching class as punishment.
18. Came back from the four month tour of Australia after the 1992 World Cup and turned up to play from his college, Kirti College, in April 1992.
19. Was without a bat contract during the 1996 world cup where he emerged as the highest run – getter. A famous tire company signed up after that.
20. His coach at Shardashram RamakantAcherkar used to offer a one rupee coin as price to any bowler who dismissed him. If he remained not out, the coin belonged to Sachin. That he still has a good bunch of those coins tells the story.
21. Fielded for Pakistan as a substitute during a one day practice match against India at Brabourne Stadiumin 1988.
22. Was a ball boy during the 1987 world cup semi-finals between India and England at Wankhende.
23. The first ad he shot was for Luna mopeds.
24. In school he was once mistaken for a girl by good friend Atul Ranade because of his long curls
25. Amitabh Bachchan became his biggest hero after watching Deewar and Zanjeer.
26. Played tennis – ball cricket and darts during rain breaks.
27. Sang and whistled with Vinod Kambli during their 664 run record stand in the Harrisshield in 1988 to avoid eye contact with the coach's assistant, who wanted to declare while the duo wanted to bat on.
28. Teammate Praveen Amre brought him his first pair of international quality cricket shoes.
29. Was a bully at school but was kind to cats and dogs. His first captain, SunilHarshe, said that he loved to pick a fight. Every time he was introduced to someone. His first reaction was, " Will I be able to beat him? "
30. Used to go fishing for tadpoles and guppy fishes in the stream that ran through out the compound of Sahitya Sahwas, his building in Bandra East.
31. Made his mother once look for a frog bhaji recipe.
32. The nanny who looked after him is now universally called Sachuchi bai.33. Colony watchman's son RameshPradhe, was his playmate, said sachin would ask him to dip a rubber ball in water and hurl it at him. He wanted to see the wet marks left on the bat to know whether he had middled the ball correctly.
34. A prankster, he once put a hose pipe into SouravGanguly's room and turned on the tap. Ganguly awoke to find his gear floating. Calls Ganguly Babu Moshai. Sourav cals him Chota Babu.
35. Great spinner of yarns. If he had a cut on his finger it was because it had been chopped by a helicopter flying low.......

FIRST One Day International (ODI) Match

2011-09-28T01:56:00.000-07:00

A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, in which a fixed number of overs, usually 50, but in the past 40, 45 or 60 overs, are played between two teams with international status. The Cricket World Cup is played in this format. One Day International matches are also called "Limited Overs Internationals (LOI)", because they are limited overs cricket matches between national sides, and if the weather interferes they are not always completed in one day. Important one-day matches, international and domestic, often have two days set aside, the second day being a "reserve" day to allow more chance of the game being completed if a result is not possible on the first day (for instance if play is prevented or interrupted by rain).
The international one-day game is a late twentieth-century development. The first ODI was played on 5 January 1971 between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. When the first three days of the third Test were washed out officials decided to abandon the match and, instead, play a one-off one day game consisting of 40 eight-ball overs per side. Australia won the game by 5 wickets.
In the late 1970s, Kerry Packer established the rival World Series Cricket (WSC) competition, and it introduced many of the features of One Day International cricket that are now commonplace, including coloured uniforms, matches played at night under floodlights with a white ball and dark sight screens, and, for television broadcasts, multiple camera angles, effects microphones to capture sounds from the players on the pitch, and on-screen graphics. The first of the matches with coloured uniforms was the WSC Australians in wattle gold versus WSC West Indians in coral pink, played at VFL Park in Melbourne on 17 January 1979. It was creditedwith making cricket a more professional sport.

THE FIRST TEST MATCH

2011-09-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

The big news at the start of the first Teston 2 December, 1932, in Sydney was that Donald Bradman was ill. He had succumbed to a generalmalaise that remains mysterious to this day, but doctors agreed he was in no fit state to play. Jardine stated, in 1934,that he thought Bradman had suffered a nervous breakdown.
This was the first Test series to be broadcast live on radio in Australia, so coverage was complete and instant toanyone within reach of a radio across the country.The journalists following the English tour had been discussing England's tactics in the pressrooms and tossed aroundsome ideas on what to call the English bowling strategy. Nobody knows who first said it, but Hugh Buggy of theMelbourne Herald was the first to write it. His story in the Herald of 2 December, the dawn of thefirst Test, contained the word that described where those fast balls were aimed: bodyline.
Not all the Englishmen were in favour of the tactic though. On the morning of the Test, Jardine said to bowlerGubby Allen, "We all think you should bowl more bouncers, and with more fielders on the leg side." Allen replied,"Douglas, I have never done that, and it's not the way I want to play cricket."
Bill Woodfull won the toss and elected to bat first. The pitch was tinged with green and the sixth ball of the day,from Larwood bowling to a standard field, rose sharply and just missed Woodfull's head. From the other end, Voceopened with a full Bodyline attack to a concentrated leg side field, and no slip at all.
The pitch was not particularly fast, and the openers scored 22 runs against the onslaught, Bill Ponsford hit onceon the hip, before Woodfull was out for 7. Jack Fingleton came in, with heavy padding covering his still recoveringbruises from the previous game, and also took a blow to the hip. Fingleton played the hook shot as he had done withsome success for NSW and the pair took the score to 65 before Ponsford, after having been struck again, on the rump turning toevade a ball aimed at him, was bowled by Larwood. Fingleton than fell to a leg side catch fending the ball away. ArthurKippax was next to go, after being struck a glancing blow on the head, and once on the knuckles.
Australia had slumped to 87/4 and there was a deathly silence from the crowd of 40,000 spectators. Bob Wyatt, fieldingnear the boundary, was pelted with apple cores and orange peels by disgusted patrons.

Stan McCabe rubs his chest after being struck by a ball.

Stan McCabe was at the crease, and Vic Richardson joined him as Kippax walked off. McCabe's parents were at the ground,and before walking on to bat McCabe had said to his father, "If I get hit out there, make sure you stop mum fromjumping the fence." But McCabe weathered the Bodyline storm as he pulled and hooked and played defensive strokes onhis way to 187 not out. He punished the non-Bodyline bowlers: Gubby Allen, Wally Hammond, and Hedley Verity.But after Richardson was out on 49, Australia's tail collapsed quickly down to Tim Wall coming in at number 11, with thescore 305/9. Bill O'Reilly, batting at number 10, had lasted only 8 balls, the first of which from Larwood had nearlytaken off his head. There was to be no relaxing of Bodyline for the less skilled batsmen. But Wall defied the attack,refusing to get out for 33 minutes while he helped McCabe add another 55 runs, 51 of them off McCabe's bat. The58,000-strong second day crowd stood and cheered McCabe off the field.
The English team boasted a strong batting lineup though, and after Bob Wyatt was out for 38, Herbe Sutcliffe and WallyHammond took England to 252/1 at the end of the second day. Travelling home on the tram, the two umpires George Heleand George Borwick overheard many grumbled complaints from spectators about the Bodyline tactics. Discussing eventsthat night, the umpires decided they were powerless to do anything to prevent Jardine's tactics, as there was nomandate within the Laws of Cricket to cover such a situation.
After the rest day, England carried their innings to 479/6 on 5 December. On the fourth day, 6 December, England werefinally dismissed for 524, with a first innings lead of 164 runs.
Australia came in to face more rough treatment. Ponsford was cracked on the hand by Voce and ripped his gloves off in agony.Next ball he swayed out of the way of what he thought would be another bullet aimed at his body, only to see the ballsmash into his leg stump. Larwood smashed Woodfull's stumps soon after and Australia were 10/2. McCabe, promoted to number 4,put together 51 runs with Fingleton. At 61, Hammond trapped McCabe lbw and had the incoming Richardson caught at slip thenext ball. Wickets continued to fall and only the clock and a botched stumping attempt by keeper Les Ames let theAustralians see through the day. They ended at 164/9, with the scores level and only one wicket in hand.
Only 100 or so showed up to witness the 10 balls bowled on the fifth day. Voce bowled O'Reilly with the ninth ball ofthe day, with no score added. After his outstanding batting performance, McCabe was given the chance to cause a stirwith the ball, but Sutcliffe hit his first delivery for a comfortable single and the winning run. England had won by10 wickets.
McCabe had been hit on the body by the ball four times, Fingleton eight. But the Australian Board of Control remainedinactive. Harold Heydon, secretary of the NSW Cricket Association wrote Bill Jeanes in Adelaide, secretary of the Boardof Control, warning that any repeat of the Bodyline tactics at the Adelaide Oval might be liable to cause public disorder.Future Governor-General of Australia Billy McKell urged Woodfull to retaliate against England's batsmen in kind. Woodfullrefused point blank, and was called a "Puritan" by the editor of The Australian Cricketer for it.

Cricket History

2011-09-25T22:50:00.000-07:00

The origins of cricket are very vague, and many theories have been put forward suggesting its origins. Extensive studies and research have been conducted to trace its history and they have come out with different versions. However it is commonly accepted that the game originated from a very old leisure activity indulged by shepherds. The shepherds used crook and other farm equipments to hit a ball like deceive which used to be made up of wool or stone.

The first evidence of cricket being played was recorded in the year 1550, by the pupils of Royal Grammar School, Guildford. In the year 1611 it is reported that two young men from Sussex were punished for playing cricket instead of going to the church. The first match is recorded to have been played at Coxheath in Kent in the year 1646.

Earlier cricket used to thrive greatly as a gambling game. People used to place huge amounts of bets in matches and thus the game started to get recognition. Cricket was in fact a major gambling sport towards the end of the 17th century. It is recorded that in the year 1679, a 11-a-side match was played with stakes as high as 50 guineas per side.

During the 18th century cricket survived and thrived due to the huge amounts of money via monetary backing and gambling. The first instance of a match to be played between counties in England is recorded to be on 29th June in the year 1709. This match was played between Surrey and Kent at Dartford Brent.

The 18th century also witnessed the emergence of two types of cricket players. They were known as the retained player and the individual player. Generally the retained player was the servant of the lord and a cricketer as well. On the other hand the individual player was free to play anywhere with his skills. Basically it was something like the player could play anywhere with the amount of skill he possesses.

In the year 1787, the Marylebone Cricket Club also known MCC was created. The MCC has since then gone on to become one of the most prominent bodies in world cricket. Cricket in its initial days were restricted to the aristocratic class of England. Cricket gradually went on to become the national game of England.

The late 18th century was a very crucial phase for the development of the game, both within and outside Britain. The game was spread far and wide mainly due to England’s imperialism. Wherever they went, the game went with them and thus spread outside England. The first official match was held between Canada and United States was held in the year 1844.

In the present times, cricket has its own following of loyal fans. The International Cricket Council, better known as the ICC is the governing body in world cricket. The ICC was founded on the 15th of June in the year 1909. All laws relating to ODIs and Test Cricket are framed and implemented by the ICC.

CORRUPTION IN CRICKET

2011-04-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

CORRUPTION

The spot-fixing scandal that hit cricket over the weekend, when the News of the World revealed that two Pakistani bowlers had, seemingly, bowled no-balls at pre-arranged moments in return for money, is a great shame for Pakistan. If ever there was a country in need of some good news, this it it. Yet now they face being banned from international competition in their national sport.
It is also a tragedy for cricket. Mohammad Amir, the 18-year old fast bowler responsible for two of the dodgy no-balls, is inarguably one of the most exciting prospects in the game and – until Sunday’s revalations – had a brilliant career ahead of him. But if the allegations in the News of the World prove to be true, he may be banned for life. With the sport so worryingly devoid of fast-bowling talent, this is depressing beyond belief.
But one thing this scandal isn’t is an excuse for greater government intervention in gambling in the UK. Monday’s Times suggested that sporting authorities are already lobbying for a crack-down on gambling, citing French moves to regulate online gambling and tax sports wagers (effectively outlawing betting exchanges like Betfair in the process) as an example worth following. The Times also notes that ‘unregulated gambling’ in India is behind much of the corruption in cricket, implying that government action is the solution to cricket’s woes.
But this paints a very misleading picture. As former England captain Michael Atherton points out in the same paper:

The only only bookmakers who offer markets on elements of the game open to so-called micromanipulation are those in India where bookmaking is illegal and designed to avoid tax and service the black market. Ladbrokes wouldn’t give you a price on Mohammad Amir bowling a no-ball in the third over. [Empahsis added]

And this is the crucial point. Gambling in India is only ‘unregulated’ because it is prohibited (with the exception of 13 casinos, horse-racing, and state lotteries). But prohibiton doesn’t mean that the prohibited activity doesn’t take place, it just means that organized crime takes over. Corruption like that alleged in Pakistani cricket is the inevitable, inescapable result. Taxing sports wagers in the UK is a wholly irrelevant red herring

Cricket: A Game or Business?

2011-04-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

Cricket, whenever this word is uttered, many bats are wielded in a hurry to play, as the striker goes ahead to smash the balls. This is the game of “cricket” which is another name of religion in a country like India. However, the question “Is cricket a game or a business” is something to be pondered over in detail. In India, every child is given a bat and a ball on his/her birthday, and this is something which has been followed traditionally all over the country. However, slowly and slowly cricket is becoming more like a business than a game. The sportsmanship is no longer visible and there is an attitude of a businessman on the field. The words seem very harsh but this is the reality, cricket in India is losing its charm and is racing towards business. When the game was discovered in early eighteenth century, the prime objective of it was to entertain its audience and to deliver what it was made for.

Moreover the players showed sportsmanship whenever they were on the field. But today cricket has been obliterated with racism with players violating the very rules of the game. It is no longer a gentleman’s game. Few decades ago, when cricket did not have many sponsors, the only thing players did on the field was representing their country as the pride and honor of their country rested on their shoulders. Moreover, they played like true gentlemen and enjoyed every bit of it. The scenario has changed completely as cricket today has become a million dollar business. Is money, now, the sole reason why everyone wants to become cricketer is a question worth asking. Under the new IPL deal, there is a contract system for every player and each one gets a fixed amount whether he represents his country or not. The amount is really huge upto Rs. 50 lakhs for experienced players. The money is rated with the performance they show on the pitch. Moreover,every other player is approached by a company for endorsing their brands. The game has become so lucrative that more and more people want to become part of the Team. It’s the money which is attracting the nation and not the game. Cricket is more like a business now where salaries are being given to the ‘employees’. But in the midst of all this what is the role that the fans are playing? Are they coming to see the spirits of the players rising in unison and getting motivated or are they just the consumers of some product whose price they paid for the entry? Fans want to enjoy the game and also wanted that their favorite player performs on the field but to their surprise something else happens. The enthusiasm no doubt is there with the players but that drive is missing as everyone knows that whether they perform or not they will get their money. This needs to be changed for the improvement of the game and for maintaining the interests of the audience who is paying so much to watch the game. Cricket has become more commercialized and adding icing on the cake is the introduction of IPL by the BCCI. IPL (Indian Premier League) is the flagship of the BCCI and is basically for domestic cricket. Here, the players from different countries have been invited and a contract has been signed. A Sport is associated with the talent of the players, and not with the money associated with it. The high spirits that are an integral part of any sport, even cricket, seem to be fading with each passing day. Every other player is endorsing a new brand and their bank balances occurred to be prodigious. The time is to do something and bring back the lost glory of cricket and the very carriers of it. IPL and its franchisees have to understand that it is not possible to retain the fans unless something worth is shown on the fields and their main strategy should be on growing and nurturing real fans. The element of competition, a certain do-or-die situation seems somewhat suspect when neither national pride nor national honor is really at stake. And the huge money tags on players, both local and foreign, make them out more as mercenaries than real warriors in a game of cricket. The focus should be more on the sport that is being played on the field and not with the commercial aspect of it. The laurels will certainly come once every player’s endeavor to succeed no longer remains imaginary.

INDIA NEED A PUSH

2010-10-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

As I was playing my early morning ‘passive session’ of tennis my thoughts wandered to the competing sportspersons at the various Commonwealth Games (CWG) events in New Delhi.

Back at my workstation, I reminisced the good old days when my brothers and I would be chasing a football or a cricket-ball across vast green expanses that doubled as lawns at our colonial bungalow in the wooded fringes of Chhota Nagpur Plateau.

Sports definitely stood me in good stead.

I learnt to play with my ‘barbaric’ opponents, develop a team spirit with my fellow ‘barbarians’, turn tables when opponents were at an advantage and even learnt to take defeat most humbly.

Confrontations, direct and indirect, during matches established how opponents would never exhibit mercy while exploiting the enemy’s weaknesses and yet all of it would end on a ‘handshake.’

My thoughts on sports as a profession have thrown up ideas that I would like to share.

Firstly, as India makes a global mark in so many other spheres (software, medicine, hospitality, auto-sector, telecom, etc to name some) it desperately needs a comprehensive sports policy.

This should comprise multiple incentives --- cash, facilities, right diet, administration, guidance, etc for budding sportspersons to win laurels.

There is need to promote rural and urban talent, broad basing of sports, synergizing educational, employment and sports systems, harnessing of talent at the grass roots level and addressing sports infrastructure.

The idea cannot venture far from making honest efforts to shape talent and instilling a sense of pride and belonging to the state.

An important factor has to be money. In present times especially, it is clear that economics rules our lives, work and even passion.

Sports rewards and financial support during training periods have proved to be important catalysts to bring out high levels of performance.

Our current role models or icons, be it in IT, politics, banking, medicine, engineering, entertainment arena, sports, etc, are known for their excellence and also rank as highest earners.

The rhetoric for more funding cannot be taken as simply a debate of morality but of economics.

As in other vocations, professional players too have to invest their teenage and youth years in honing skills to perform.

Money incentives translate into a sustainable life and support, while proper management creates sports hubs and spirit.

Given loopholes, it will need to be ensured that such efforts are not reduced to a government led money-sapping enterprise. The linked enterprises of stadiums, coaches, endorsers, game sponsors, makers of memorabilia, caterers too need to make their ends meet.

Sportspersons, at the end of the day are not mere entertainers.

While passion may enable accomplishment of dizzying levels of success, ensuring a regular source of income/compensation would be needed to develop a bigger pool of talent, as is happening due to IPL cricket.

Consider the risks involved in playing games: players can get fired for a single bad or wrong performance or can get injured for a lifetime.

Monthly upkeeps, rewards, allowances, etc cannot be so trivial that the players are distracted psychologically and physically in meeting ends to sustain their family living and sports training on or off games’ seasons.

When it comes to the prize money, it has always bewildered me to see how often it is grossly inadequate.

Perhaps there could be a creative linking up of grass roots schemes like National Rural Employment Guarantee Act with sports system to tap the aggressive and raw talent at the bottom of socio-economic pyramid.

When it comes to earnings within the sports or from endorsements it is only the top creamy layer of a chosen few games that rake the moolah. The rest have to somehow fend for even a decent livelihood.

It is too harsh to grudge many of our sports persons a sense of purpose while pursuing such a short-lived career? Not every player gets absorbed as a coach.

Another idea is an efficient sports management system to spot talent and an information dissemination system with the help of the web-based online platform. As technology is quite accessible it would not be a very expensive proposition.

Profiles of players could be posted online to showcase their experiences and videos of their played matches.

Of course care has to be taken not to make sports move away from its core values as in any other profession. There can not be a let away for declining performance especially when a player is busy endorsing high end products.

Indian sportspersons today tackle diverse set of challenges to win laurels however few they may be. This has been amply demonstrated at the ongoing CWG where Indian sportspersons have already won the 15th gold for the country.

Sporting potential has never been India’s forte.

It is time sports are not left anymore to the individual efforts of the sportspersons or media or canny endorsers.

DO YOU KNOW ABOUT DON BRADMAN?????

2010-10-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

Personal information

Full name	Donald George Bradman
Born	27 August 1908(1908-08-27) Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia
Died	25 February 2001 (aged 92) Kensington Park, South Australia, Australia
Nickname	The Don, The Boy from Bowral, Braddles
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right-arm leg break
Role	Batsman
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut (cap 124)	30 November 1928 v England
Last Test	18 August 1948 v England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1927–34	New South Wales
1935–49	South Australia
Career statistics
Competition	Tests	FC
Matches	52	234
Runs scored	6,996	28,067
Batting average	99.94	95.14
100s/50s	29/13	117/69
Top score	334	452*
Balls bowled	160	2114
Wickets	2	36
Bowling average	36.00	37.97
5 wickets in innings	0	0
10 wickets in match	0	0
Best bowling	1/8	3/35
Catches/stumpings	32/–	131/1
Source: Cricinfo, 16 August 2007

Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), often referred to as The Don, was an Australian cricketer

Bradman's birthplace at Cootamundra is now a museum.

Donald Bradman was the youngest son of George and Emily (née Whatman) Bradman, and was born on 27 August 1908 at Cootamundra, New South Wales (NSW).^[10] He had a brother, Victor, and three sisters—Islet, Lilian and Elizabeth May.^[10] When Bradman was about two-and-a-half years old, his parents moved to Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands.^[10]

Bradman is chaired off the ground by his opponents after scoring 452.

Playing in only his tenth first-class match, Bradman, nicknamed "Braddles" by his teammates....

Ind vs Aus Test Series 2010 | India Clean Sweep 2 test series | Ind in top ICC Test Rankings | Ind vs Aus Test Series 2010 | Border Gavaskar Trophy

2010-10-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

Border-Gavaskar Trophy – 2nd Test at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
India v Australia, India won by 7 wickets, India complete a 2-0 sweep
India last won a Test in Bangalore in 1995, when they beat New Zealand. They have played seven Tests since and lost four. Overall, India have won only four of the 18 Tests at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, while Australia have won two out of four at this venue.
MS Dhoni: “This toss the bowlers won’t mind too much with me losing! The forecast is for cloudy throughout the day; hopefully the moisture will remain and help the bowlers. We can’t think about the first Test , not past nor future. Just concentrate on this game. M Vijay in for Gambhir, Pujara for Laxman and Sreesanth for Ishant.”
Sachin Tendulkar got Man of the Match and Man of the Series Prizes
MS Dhoni received the Border-Gavasakar Trophy from Sunil Gavaskar

INDIA v/s AUS CRICKET

2010-10-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

India sweep Australia Test series 2-0

India thrashed Australia by seven wickets in the second Test to make a clean sweep of the series and win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Bangalore.