Sports Kaleidopedia

England v Pakistan: Why Pakistan Lost The Old Trafford Test

2020-08-09T02:53:00.003+05:30

Sports Kaleidopedia Feature

England pulled out a victory from the jaws of defeat against Pakistan during the First Test at Old Trafford. Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes played aggressive cricket bringing Pakistan on their knees. They put on a 139 run partnership for the 6th wicket to turn the match on its head. Why did Pakistan lose despite being on the top for most part of the match? Is Azhar Ali 's horrendous and spinless captaincy responsible for the hugely disappointing loss? Here is match analysis by Murtaza Ali Khan, noted Indian journalist and a cricket enthusiast.

- Murtaza Ali Khan

Fire in Babylon (2010): A must-watch documentary about the dramatic rise of the West Indian cricket during the 1970s/80s

2017-01-12T10:04:00.000+05:30

Sports Kaleidopedia Feature

Fire in Babylon is a 2010 British documentary film written and directed by Stevan Riley that chronicles the two-decade-long supremacy of the indomitable West Indies cricket teams of the 1970s and 1980s first under the leadership of Clive Lloyd and then under Vivian Richards. Fire in Babylon features stock footage and interviews of several former West Indian players, sports journalists, officials, and musicians including Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Deryck Murray, Vivian Richards, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner and Colin Croft. Fire in Babylon also throws light on Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket and how it revolutionized the sport. The film begins by giving a brief account of the West Indian cricket during the 50s and 60s, prior to their ascension as a formidable force on the global platform when the highly talented breed of West Indian cricketers were condescendingly dubbed as ‘Calypso Cricketers’, for they were considered quite capable of entertaining in short bursts but not good enough to capitalize on their flashes of brilliance to eke out victories on a regular basis.

In the 1950s, Sir Frank Worrell became the first black man to captain a West Indies cricket team. The era also saw the emergence of great West Indian cricketers such as Everton Weekes and Sir Garfield Sobers. During the period, despite the individual accolades the West Indian cricket could never really emerge as a colossus because of regressive influence of colonialism that continued to the stymie any rising hopes of progression in the West Indian Islands until the late '60s. By the '70s, the West Indian Islands, having finally attained independence, entered a phase of reconstruction. But, the damage had already been done! It was at this point of time that cricket became the greatest hope of the West Indian people. The gradual success of the newly formed team under the leadership of Clove Lloyd seemed to serve as an elixir for the masses. The team’s unprecedented success not only galvanized the natives of the West Indian Islands but also the African community at large. The West Indian players became a beacon of hope for every black individual who was being made to suffer in the name of racism.

However, the team’s rise to unprecedented glory had been far from easy. On the 1975-76 tour of Australia the West Indies Cricket Team had faced utter annihilation at the hands of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson losing the six-match test series 5-1. A bruised and battered West Indian side then went face-to-face against a formidable Indian lineup in 1976. The throbbing at the hands of Australians had made Lloyd and his men learn the hard way that cricket was no longer a “gentlemen’s game” and that winning took more than just good sportsmanship. Prior to the Indian series, Lloyd had enough time to formulate a potent pace attack on the lines of the Australian Cricket Team. Lloyd unleashed his newly devised young battery of fast bowlers comprising Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Colin Croft against the Indians who found the pace trio too hot to handle and ended up losing the four-match test series 2-1. In fact, half of the Indian Team did not bat in their second innings of the fourth and final test match because of the fear of getting hurt at the hands of the West Indian chin music. Thus began a new chapter in the history of cricket that saw the emergence of West Indies as a force to be reckoned with. It’s a great testament to the might, power and heroics of the great West Indian players of the time that from the February of 1980 to the March of 1995 the West Indies Cricket Team did not lose a single Test series—a remarkable feat that's yet to be matched in any professional team sport.

Fire in Babylon further highlights the discrimination and disparity that the West Indian cricket teams were subjected to following their exaltation as a colossal force in world cricket. While the Press didn’t leave a single stone unturned to malign the West Indian cricketers, the authorities strived to alter the rules and mechanics of the sport in order to curtail the West Indian dominance. Fire of Babylon is a story of self-realization, revival and dominance of a group of men for whom winning became the very purpose of existence and whose struggle and triumph became a symbol of hope for millions of oppressed Africans all across the globe. While Michael Holding, Andy Roberts and Colin Croft earned the sobriquets of “Whispering Death”, "Hitman" and "The Bomber," respectively for their hostile pace bowling, Vivian Richards became the embodiment of courage and bravery for his intrepid style of batting. The tricolor wristband that Richards wore on the cricket field served to be a true manifestation of the African spirit: while green symbolized the evergreen African terrain, gold symbolized the plundered riches of the African land, and red symbolized the African blood shed over the centuries. But, as the West Indian dominance over cricket grew stronger the players who were hitherto termed as outcasts and slaves finally began to be treated as international icons and the cricketers from other nations too started to treat them with equality and respect as hostility made way for camaraderie and bonhomie. The synergy created by the West Indian dominance and Bob Marley’s revolutionary music bolstered the anti-apartheid campaigns taking place all across the world.

Overall, Fire in Babylon is a great means to make acquaintance with the arguably the most formidable lineup of players in any major team sport. Fire in Babylon is an unforgettable tale of human grit, struggle, hardship and triumph that's a must watch for any sports enthusiast. Highly recommended!

(A version of this article was first published in A Potpourri of Vestiges.)

- Murtaza Ali Khan

Apex Court shows Anurag Thakur the door

2017-01-02T15:09:00.000+05:30

Sports Kaleidopedia Feature

Toe crushing yorker... beaten for pace... hitting in line... missing off, missing leg but hitting middle... Yes, that's OUT!

In a historical judgment, the honorable Supreme Court of India has removed Anurag Thakur from the post of the BCCI President. Son of the former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Prem Kumar Dhumal and a Member of Parliament, Anurag Thakur has got elected as the president of BCCI on 22 May 2016.

Along with Thakur, the Apex Court has also sacked secretary Ajay Shirke. This decision has come after the BCCI authorities failed to implement the Lodha Committee's reforms.

Thakur also faces a criminal charge for perjury charge as well as contempt of court proceedings against him.

The landmark judgment, made by Justice Chandrachud, fully backed the recommendations of the Justice Lodha panel regarding the ouster of BCCI office-bearers as well as administrators of affiliated State associations above 70 years old.

According to the judgment, a committee of administrators would be appointed by the court to run the BCCI. Senior advocates Fali Nariman and Gopal Subramanium have been asked by the court to nominate qualified persons for the committee.

The committee of administrators would report to the Lodha Committee. The next hearing will take place on 19th January, 2017.

- Murtaza Ali Khan

The Men Who Changed the Face of Cricket: Part I

2016-12-29T17:03:00.003+05:30

Sports Kaleidopedia Feature

Cricket, today, features amongst the top sports of the world and its shimmering luster is getting shinier with each passing day. While not yet in the same league as Soccer, Golf, or Formula One, the sport has managed to carve a niche for itself. Call it globalization or commercialization, but the sport continues to attain new zeniths despite all odds. Even in sports rich countries like Australia, England and South Africa, where plethora of different sports—both indoor as well as outdoor—are available at disposal, Cricket still holds a special place. The English and Aussies still look upon Ashes as the greatest challenge of grit and determination and take a lot of pride in the outcome of the series. Similarly, the people of the sub-continent, most notably India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, adhere to cricket as their religion. Cricket is also followed with almost the same vigor and intensity by the people of Caribbean, who have many great memories of ancestral heroics attached to the decorated sport. With the ICC’s initiative to take Cricket to all the nook and corners of the world, the associate nations have been emerging well as potential hot spots for Cricket in the days to follow. But, as it is with all the great things, they don’t become great overnight, for they need to be fed with years of sweat and blood. Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day! Cricket, too, has run its course from its nigh obscure beginnings as an aristocratic sport in early 16th-century England to becoming the raison d’être for sports maniacs all across the globe. At almost every point of time in its history, the game of Cricket has seen itself undergo a tremendous transformation thanks to the peremptory intervention of the prime movers of the game. Whether for the better or the worse, the impact that these colossal figures have left on the sport has been staggering.

Today, we shall go back in time and try to decipher the role played by all those men whose exploits changed the very face of our most beloved sport: Cricket.

1). William Gilbert Grace

Well, what can be said about the man who single-handedly changed the very face of Cricket as a sport? The more one would try to say the less inappropriate it may become! A father figure in Cricket, WG Grace carried the sport on his shoulders, raising it in status from merely being an instrument of amateurish indulgence to becoming the most popular summer spectacle in England. WG revolutionized the art of bating and made it an object of great cachet in Cricket. WG is widely regarded by many as the greatest player to have embraced the sport and his exploits with both bat and ball are often regarded as superhuman considering he played his cricket in an era of under-prepared pitches. A charismatic all-rounder, WG dominated the sport during his career and enriched the sport with the technical improvisations, the effect of which can be seen even today. Over the course of a career that stretched over 43 years, WG scored 54,896 first-class runs including a whopping 126 centuries, and bagged a staggering 2,876 wickets. The stories of WG hitting yorkers for towering sixes still continue to both amuse and awe the Cricket pundits worldwide.

It is indeed a matter of great pity that WG could only make his Test debut at an age of 32 when he had apparently passed his best. It was indeed a privilege of the Australians to witness WG score a scintillating 152 on debut. A couple of years later, despite top-scoring, the father of cricket was part of England’s first home defeat—an inconsolable loss for the zealous English fans that marked the “death” of English cricket and the birth of the Ashes. WG was also the first English captain to lose the Ashes following the loss in 1891/92 series, which also turned out to be his first and only overseas series. However, these abysmal lows—being completely outweighed by his prolific success—couldn’t tarnish the iconic status that WG enjoyed, which he continued to enjoy even in his later years. Suffice it is to say that no account of Cricket as a sport can ever be deemed complete without the mention of WG Grace and his behemoth achievements, which still continue to encompass the sport. On 12 September 2009, William Gilbert Grace was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame at the Mecca of Cricket, Lords.

2). Sir Donald George Bradman

A famous Hindi movie dialogue translates to: “it is not only difficult to get hold of the Don but also impossible”. Coincidently, the cheeky dialogue perfectly describes the unparalleled exploits of the great batsman. Bestowed with the sobriquet of “The Don”, Bradman is widely regarded as the greatest cricketer of the 20th century. Only WG Grace came close to matching Bradman’s towering stature as a sportsman. Bradman's Test average of 99.94 has been claimed to be statistically the greatest achievement in any major sport. During a career that stretched over 20 years, Bradman scored at a rate that made him, in the words of former Australia captain Bill Woodfull, “worth three batsmen”. It is indeed a testament to Bradman’s dominance as a batsman that an entirely new form of game play, termed as “Bodyline”, was devised by the English to curb Bradman’s prodigious stroke play. Former Australian cricketer and journalist Jack Fingleton said, “Bodyline was specially prepared, nurtured for and expended on him and, in consequence, his technique underwent a change quicker than might have been the case with the passage of time. Bodyline plucked something vibrant from his art”. While Bodyline did manage to put some hold on Don’s frenzied batting, allowing the English to regain the Ashes, it couldn’t deter him from finding new ways to score as he managed a total of 396 runs at an average of 56.57—almost half his career average at that time—an average that any contemporary batsman would be proud of.

Bradman needed to score 4 runs in his final innings to maintain a career average of 100, but a googly from wrist spinner Eric Hollies undid him for a duck leaving his average at a staggering 99.94. The Australian team, however, won the Ashes 4–0, completing the tour unbeaten, and entering the history as “The Invincibles”. Bradman had an enormous fan following in England as well, where people used to come to the stadiums just to watch him bat. Former English cricketer RC Robertson wrote of the English reaction on Bradman’s retirement: “A miracle has been removed from among us. So must ancient Italy would have felt when she heard of the death of Hannibal”. Bradman’s role was not limited to a mere player; he excelled as an administrator, selector, advisor, sportswriter and cricketing statesman. It wouldn’t be a hyperbole to say that Australia’s transcendence as an independent nation, beyond the umbrage of its so called “mother country” Great Britain, owes a colossal debt to the remarkable feats of “The Don” of Cricket. On 19 November 2009, Sir Donald Bradman was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

3). Douglas Robert Jardine

Well every coin has that other side that completes the picture. While every story has its hero or a protagonist, it must also have its villain or an antagonist to bring about a much needed balance. As far as the sordid tale of “Bodyline” is concerned, if Sir Donald Bradman was both its victim and hero, then Douglas Jardine surely has to be its villain, or to be more precise, its perpetrator. The venomous tactics that comprised Bodyline came into being during the never-to-be-allowed-to-be-forgotten Ashes series of 1932-33, which for this very reason is also regarded as the ugliest in the history of Cricket as the gentlemen’s game touched a new nadir. Few sporting events have caused such an international furor as the 1932-33 series which threatened not only the tour but also political relations between Australia and England. The scars that the abysmal events of the series left lingered on for generations. The series gave rise to a new tactic called Bodyline, which was devised primarily to negate the genius of the young Bradman. Bodyline capitalized on the fact that the rules of Cricket then offered no restrictions on the number fielders allowed behind square on the leg side. The basic idea was to pepper the batsmen with short pitched deliveries aimed at the ribcage, terrorizing them in the absence of any body protection while also cramming them for room, with the aim of getting them caught on the leg side. The word has it that some players had noticed Bradman get frightened and jittery while being stuck on the body facing the short-pitched deliveries in 1931. England’s glacial, supercilious and opportunist skipper and middle order batsman Douglas Jardine looked upon this revelatory information as an opportunity to actualize the English dream of reclaiming the Ashes. Jardine seized on this framework of fear and leveraged it to devise the infamous Bodyline. He handpicked a battery of pace bowlers to suit his new set of tactics for the 1932-33 Ashes series that was to take place in Australia. What ensued was an ugly tradition that would continue to haunt Cricket for some more years to come. The entire series was played in an extremely hostile environment with situation becoming really during the third match with series already tied at 1-1.

Harold Larwood bowling to a classic Bodyline field

During the Australian first innings Aussie skipper Bill Woodfull was struck on the chest by a Larwood delivery to the rapture of Jardine while Bradman was at the non-striking end. For the next delivery, Jardine moved his fielders into the Bodyline fielding positions as a result of which the crowd became noisily angry. There was further anger later in the innings when Bert Oldfield suffered a fractured skull. The situation became so tense that it was feared that there may be a riot and that the crowd would jump onto the field to attack them; mounted police were deployed as a precaution. Despite England's win, Wisden believed that it was probably the most unpleasant match ever played in the history of the game. However, it commended Jardine's courage, claiming that the praise of his leadership was unanimous, and that he captained his team the match like a true genius. The English may have eventually won the series 4-1, but the kind of flak that they earned was too overwhelming to bear even for a nation like the Great Briton. The thing that worked in England’s favor during this infamous series was that they possessed a battery of good, accurate fast bowlers spearheaded by Nottinghamshire's Harold Larwood, who ended with 33 wickets at an average of 19.51. Ironically, the talented quickie could never play for England again, paying the price for poisoning the sport with Bodyline, while the real architect Douglas Jardine escaped without a penalty. Jardine led England in India a year later, while declaring his will not to play against Australia again. Despite being widely dubbed as the quintessential Ashes villain, one would be remiss to downplay the role played by Douglas Jardine in reinvigorating the sport with the nigh forgotten art of short-pitched bowling.

4). James "Jim" Charles Laker

Cricket, like life, is a great leveler. The game of Cricket professes the perpetual battle between bat and ball and it is the delicate balance between bat and ball that adorns the game with its unmatched diversity. While we talk of batsmen, who have had lasting impact on the game, it would be utterly obtuse to overlook the mammoth contributions made by the legendary bowlers of the game. When one thinks of bowlers, the first name that one is most likely to encounter is that of James Charles Laker, the legendary English off spinner whose feats were such that they got an entire Test match to be named after him. Yes, we are talking of the famous “Laker's match” in 1956 at Old Trafford, when Jim Laker took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia. Over the years the Aussies have earned the reputation of being bad players of off spin bowling; be it Lance Gibbs, Erapalli Prasanna, Harbhajan Singh, or Graeme Swan, every class off spinner has got them to squirm. It was indeed Jim Laker who had planted the seed of terror in the minds of the Australian batsmen, an inescapable fear that continues to linger till this date.

Laker was known as an elegant off-spin bowler, who consistently bowled well with his best performances coming against the arch-nemesis Australia. When he took 19 Australian wickets for 90, he had figures of 9 for 37 in the first innings and 10 for 53 in the second. No other bowler has managed more than 17 scalps in a first-class match, let alone in a Test match. Laker hunted in pair with left-arm orthodox spinner Tony Lock, who also coincidently took “the other wicket” in Laker’s match. Remarkably, Laker had also taken all 10 wickets in an innings for Surrey against the same Australian lineup earlier in the season. The only other bowler to have taken all 10 wickets in a Test match innings is India’s leggie Anil Kumble, who accomplished the feat in 1999 against a fiery Pakistan lineup at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. Since the late nineteenth century, Australian wickets had become so unresponsive to finger-spin that the off-break had virtually disappeared and sides relied on pace and wrist-spin. Batsmen accustomed to playing the two varieties of bowling could help themselves from playing Laker’s vicious off-spin on the same lines, getting bamboozled in the process. Moreover, Laker’s accuracy as a bowler was such that the close-in fielders—primarily bat-pad fielders like silly point, short leg, slip and leg slip—could afford the luxury of standing very close indeed. In all first-class matches Jim Laker took 1,944 wickets at an incredible average of 18.41, and scored 7,304 runs with an average of 16.60. In a total of 46 Test matches that Laker played in his career, he took 193 wickets at a healthy average of 21.24. Laker was also a gifted close-fielder. Despite Laker’s larger than life persona, his staunch critics often snub his remarkable feats, deeming the opposition sides he bowled against weak and ill equipped against spin, but his stature as a legendary spinner and as a great servant of the sport continues to rise as aspiring cricketers continue to revere him not only as a role model but also as an institution of spin bowling. The game’s governing body ICC paid a tribute to the legendary spinner by inducting him into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on 23 August 2009.

5). Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer

It may appear a bit odd to many to see a non-cricketer appearing on my list of men who changed the face of Cricket, but all those who keep a great insight into the sport would agree with me that the if ever the cricketing history were to be written, it would be divided into two eras: the era before the World Series Cricket and the era post World Series Cricket. So much changed in the world of Cricket, thanks to Kerry Packer’s brainchild! His intervention indeed left an unforgettable impression on the game, as its fate took a volte face. Cricket no longer remained an object of the elite and as the moolah got poured into the game, folks started looking at Cricket not just as a competitive sport but also as a lucrative profession. Cricket no longer remained a mere mode of entertainment for the ruck or a mere means of indulgence for the aristocrats. Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer was the son of Australian media tycoon Sir Frank Packer—the owner of the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press. After the death of his father Sir Frank in 1974, Kerry Packer assumed control of his legacy. Packer did everything that was in his reach to resuscitate the moribund Nine network, but his efforts seem to go in vain. The situation worsened when he failed to get the contract renewed for the television rights of Australia’s home Test matches. He had had approached the Australian Cricket Board with an offer of A$1.5 million for three years—a sum eight times the previous contract—yet he was shown the door. The contract was given to national broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Packer was clearly perplexed by ACB’s partiality and pledged to turn the tables on the Cricket Board. Packer started looking for alternatives in order to feed his Nine Television Network with a much needed doze of Cricket. After some contemplation, Packer masterminded the World Series Cricket, a break away cricket competition comprising renowned players from Australia, England, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies. World Series Cricket—disowned by the Cricket’s governing body—turned out to be an instant success.

The World Series Cricket "super team" in 1977

The tournament’s success ensured that cricketers no longer remained underpaid as the sport attained a commercial status. WSC made cricket and cricketers much more competitive as much higher levels of fitness and commitment was required from them considering the taxing nature of the tournament. The unparalleled exploits of the West Indies cricket team leading to the global domination in the 1980s are widely attributed to the stint of West Indian players in the World Series Cricket. WSC drastically shifted the game’s balance to the entertainment side forcing the technicalities to take the back seat vis-a-vis the razzmatazz. World Series Cricket drastically changed the nature of the sport, completely rewriting its tenets, such that its influence continues to be felt even today as Packer’s spirit continues to reverberate through Cricket in form of novel concepts like the IPL, BPL, and the Big Bash.

- Murtaza Ali Khan

The Dying Art Of Fast Bowling

2016-12-28T20:10:00.001+05:30

Sports Kaleidopedia Feature

It seems eons ago when the cricket teams used to have a battery of fast bowlers on whose shoulders the fate of a match rested upon. Gone are the days when there used to be an even competition between the bat and the ball, when the pitches had enough moisture to encourage the pacers to bowl their hearts out, when the edges and the miss timed strokes didn't clear the boundaries, when the pacers didn't hesitate to bend their backs and when the rules were not partial towards the batsmen.

Those were the good old days when a Jeff Thomson bouncer hit the top of the sight screen, when West Indian wicket keepers stood right next to ropes for the pacers, when Jeff Thomson's deliveries defied the speed limits and when batsmen courageously hooked and pulled without helmets. Many regard that period as the golden era of cricket.

The era saw sparkling batsmen whose skills bettered the quality of their bats, ferocious bowlers whose deliveries had more venom than their sledging, phenomenal all-rounders who were equally skilled with bat and ball, zealous wicket keepers whose agility overshadowed their chattering. Those were the days of the 'Gavaskars', the 'Greenidges', the 'Richards', the 'Boycotts', the 'Lloyds', the 'Sobers', the 'Holdings', the 'Garners', the 'Roberts', the 'Hadlees', the 'Marshalls', the 'Devs', the 'Khans', the 'Bothams', the 'Marshes', the 'Murrays', and the 'Dujons'.

Since then, the game has come a long way, growing further as a commercial sport and hasn't failed to produce great batsmen like Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting, Hayden, Dravid and others. It has even managed to produce world class spinners like Warne, Murali, Kumble and legendary medium pacers like Mcgrath, Akram, Pullock and others. But the breed of express bowlers that has been the game's greatest legacy is facing extinction.

Nowadays, one hardly sees a match (especially a test match) won by a genuine speedster, most of whom are forced to reduce their pace owing to the averse cricketing laws and career shortening injuries (due to lack of rest). Even the pitches are laid and maneuvered in such a manner that they offer no assistance to a pacer, even in the initial overs, deflating the very spirit and zeal which drives an express bowler, forcing him to run for cover.

The game's ruling body, the ICC is mostly responsible for the current disheartening scenario and the plight of the fast bowlers. It injected the game with commercially favorable rules which are extremely hostile to Fast Bowling like the restriction on short pitched bowling, stringent wide bowl and no bowl rules, powerplays, free hits, the over rate criteria, etc. Youngsters no longer dream of being a fast bowler, as they don't want to suffer the fate of an express bowler.

The Cricketing Boards are also least supportive of the rare breed of pacers, not taking the necessary measures to nurture the talent of those gifted with raw pace and instead inveigling them to cut down on their pace in order to prolong their careers (so that over rate and extras can be taken care of) thereby catering to the desires of ICC. It's time that shackles be broken and necessary steps be taken to revive the dying art of fast bowling, giving special attention to the existing breed (instead of cashiering them away), so that the game is not robbed of its greatest legacy.

- Murtaza Ali Khan

Brian Lara's 153 n.o in the 3rd Test vs Australia at Barbados in 1999

2016-12-28T15:18:00.006+05:30

Sports Kaleidopedia Feature

Brian Lara during his match-winning knock of 153 n.o

Brian Lara's 153 n.o in the 3rd Test vs Australia in 1999 in my opinion is the greatest Test innings ever played.Chasing a target of 308 on a weary wicket, West Indies were in all sorts of bother at 78-3 (off 40.4 overs). In came the WI captain Brian Lara and within a span of 15 overs and 25 runs saw opener Griffith and Hooper fall to Gillespie. West Indies were now reeling at 105-5 (off 55.3 overs).

For Lara, winning the match was not an option but the only option and so he decided to take charge. During the course of next 65 overs, he single-handedly took his team to a nigh impossible win by just 1 wicket. During his innings of 153 he hit 19 fours and a six against arguably the greatest bowling attacks of all time featuring the likes of McGrath, Warne, and Gillespie. The Aussies tried everything but Lara was in no mood to relent. Eventually, the scoreboard changed from 105-5 to 311-9.

During the course of his illustrious career Lara played several memorable innings (including 375 and 400 n.o.) but none comes close to matching the brilliance of this one. The innings has been regarded by many cricket experts as the best innings ever played.

Watch it for Lara's strokeplay, his batting flair, flamboyant footwork, gritty determination but most importantly for his ability to consistently hit the ball in the gaps!

- Murtaza Ali Khan

West Indies are two-time World T20 Champions

2016-04-04T00:16:00.000+05:30

Sports Kaleidopedia Feature

West Indies team celebrate after Carlos Brathwaite hit the winning shot

2016 can now be described as the year of West Indies cricket. Their Under 19, Women's and Men's teams are all world champions now. Darren Sammy's team showed the world that they are not a one-man team and every player is a potential match winner.

‪Marlon Samuels‬ was also the hero in 2012 and he did it again today with some great hitting in the end from ‪Carlos Brathwaite‬. I have always felt that Samuels is a highly underrated batsman who never gets his due. I hope it will change after today. Today, I am sure he would have silenced his 'good friend' Shane Warne. West Indies have a new star in Brathwaite. Few people know that he is a very good lower middle order Test batsman as well.

Sammy himself didn't do much with the ball or bat throughout this tournament but showed that a player be in a team merely as a specialist captain. No one but Sammy could have kept this bunch together. In 2014 when the Windies were eliminated because of rain, Sammy had said that God wanted Sanga and Mahela to win the world cup and his prophecy turned out to be true. At the onset of this tournament, no one gave this team a chance. Experts like Mark Nicholas ridiculed them, their own board didn't support them. But today these 15 Caribbean players have certainly proved everyone wrong, perhaps even fading the line between man and myth.

West Indies needed 19 runs needed to win of the final over. Carlos Brathwaite‬ was up to the task and struck 4 humongous 6s of the first 4 deliveries of the 20th over bowled by Ben Stokes to seal the match.

PS. Virat Kohli deservedly won‬ is the man of the tournament.

- Murtaza Ali Khan

England stun New Zealand to book their place in Sunday's T20 World Cup final at the Eden Gardens

2016-03-30T23:49:00.000+05:30

Sports Kaleidopedia Feature

Jason Roy during his match-winning knock of 78

At the onset of the T20 World Cup, no one thought that England would have made it to the finals. After being hit by the Gayle storm, they announced themselves by chasing 230 against the Proteas, and in the Semi finals they have humbled the Kiwis, breaking their six-match winning streak. Roy at the top and Butler towards the end gave a fair estimate of the English fire power. Sodhi and Santer who have been the best bowlers of the tournament by some margin were made to look rather ordinary. The way Butler hit those sixes of Sodhi and Santner in the end was really scary. At last we will have a two time T20 World champion: for, India, West Indies and England are former T20 champions.

Kiwi captain Kane Williamson acted like a village idiot as Kiwis leaked 49 runs off the first 4 overs. Why didn't Williamson employ his spinners to begin with? Everyone knows that the English batsmen are comfortable against pace and yet the Kiwi skipper kept feeding them with pace, with Milne bowling at 151 clicks. Brainless cricket on the part of the Blackcaps... maybe it was once again the big match pressure that got the better of them!

As a cricket lover, I am really disappointed to see the Kiwis once again go down like this. In the Super 10s, they were a revelation but just couldn't cope up with the pressure of a knockout match. The real culprit in my opinion is the Kiwi think-tank. Nathan McCullum's absence was suicidal on the slow Kotla wicket. The NZ batsman looked clueless in the final 4-5 hours, thanks to Stokes, Jordan and Ali. But the biggest blunder was not to start off with spin from both the ends. Getting Jason Roy out early could have made the difference and the pressure could have then been built on the rest of the line up. Ultimately, it can be said that Williamson committed Harakiri by playing to England's strength.

P.S. T20 cricket is all about beefy and muscular power hitters with little finesse and it certainly is a disturbing thing for cricket.

- Murtaza Ali Khan

Virat Kohli's heroics take India to T20 World Cup semi finals

2016-03-28T00:34:00.002+05:30

Sports Kaleidopedia Feature

Virat Kohli takes Team India home

As far as 1.3 billion Indians are concerned, Virat Kohli is the man. Tonight, as the asking rate was slowly going up, Michael Slater said on air that hopes of 1.3 billion Indians now rest on Kohli. And, Kohli once again was up to the task. His heroics took Team India to the semis. Take a bow! Today, Kohli reminded me of one of my all time favorites, Arvinda de Silva. No one has ever seemed more at ease while hitting 4s at will than Kohli.

Today, Virat Kohli showed yet again how to finish off a chase. He also showed that even while playing proper cricketing shots you score 16-20 runs in a over if you back yourself. He now averages 122.83 in successful chases for Team India. He is not only a run machine but also a great team player as oppose to someone like a Steven Smith who comes across a very selfish player to me. It is because of his unwillingness to be flexible with his batting position that the Aussies were not able to get their batting order sorted and Warner and Watson had to bad at odd positions. Smith who is arguably the best player of spin in Australia's ranks got out cheaply to Yuvraj on the very first delivery he bowled in this World Cup.Australia's loss was always going to be Team India's gain. Smith's defensive captaincy then cost him dearly. He forgot that you just cannot contain Kohli. You must get him out. Yet, he allowed him to keep rotating the strike. The moment Kohli came out to bat, he took Shane Watson off the attack. Coulter-Nile too wasn't allowed to attack Kohli. Also, Smith didn't employ his leggie Zampa to change the pace. Faulkner is Kohli's bunny for sure. Yuvraj, to his credit, showed great courage. And Dhoni gave good support to Kohli in the end and once again finished off with a boundary.

The entire Australian lineup had a torrid time trying to get going on this slow Mohali wicket (vintage Ravi Shastri and BCCI). Australia won the toss and decided to bat first hoping to get a big score. But, I reckon 160 (at least 20 runs shot of what they were eying) was only a par score on this wicket and given that the Aussies don't have the same luxury of spinners that Team India have, it was never going pose a big challenge to Team India. But, they had a bad start and lost Dhawan, Sharma and Raina cheaply and once again Kohli had to come for the rescue. Fortunately for India, it proved to be a good wicket to bat on and changed little in the course of 40 overs. In what turned out to be his last innings for Australia, Shane Watson failed to impress with his bat. Au Revoir, Shane Watson... he bowled and fielded his heart out but his teammates were just not good enough today!

Au Revoir, Shane Watson!

Now that I have greatly rejoiced Team India's glorious victory at Mohali, it's time to put my critic's hat on and share some of my observations (maybe, I should blog about cricket more often as one of my friends suggested):

1. Australia in T20 Cricket is as overrated as an India v Pakistan cricket matches

2. Celebrities should take time out of their busy schedules to follow those matches of Team India as well which don't feature Pakistan 

3. The Indian top order needs to fire badly... please don't burden Virat Kohli like Sachin Tendulkar in the '90s

4. Virat has parted ways with Anushka and for good... his batting average most definitely has doubled since then

5. West Indies as a team should not be taken lightly... so what if they lost to Afghanistan today

P.S. Hopefully, Kohli will win us this World Cup as well as many more to come!

- Murtaza Ali Khan

Tour de France 2013: The 13th stage of the 100th edition

2013-07-12T22:44:00.002+05:30

Mark Cavendish: The winner of the 13th stage of Tour de France 2013

Number 13 has always been a much dreaded number. Unlucky for some, number 13 also has a phobia associated with it: Triskaidekaphobia. The 13th stage of Tour de France seem to carry the ominous touch of number 13. The stage proved to be a completely topsy-turvy affair as lucks of many riders seem to do a volte face.

Chris Froome still leads the General Classification

Just when everyone was thinking that Chris Froome would easily succeed in doing a Bradley Wiggins, things seem to have taken a funny turn. While Froome (though he is still leading by 2' 28" over Mollema) lost more than a minute of his lead in the general classification to Bauke Mollema and Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde dropped out of top 10 following a nightmarish stage number 13. With as many as 8 more stages to go, the competition for the coveted Yellow Jersey seems to have opened up really well.

Rider to watch out for: Alberto Contador

And the juggernaut of Marcel Kittel that seem to be enjoying the rub of the green for the last couple of flat stages finally hit a major roadblock. But, there is always a flip side. Number 13 can also prove to be quite auspicious for a lucky few. A major beneficiary on the stage number 13 turned out to be none other than Mark Cavendish. The wheel of fortune finally favored the gritty Brit as the ace sprinter completed his record 25th stage win taking his points tally to 273 points. Peter Sagan, who finished second in the stage, still leads the points classification with 357 points.

References:

1). Wikipedia

2). Guardian

Shamelessness: A Pyrrhic Victory or A Modern Virtue?

2012-04-13T01:36:00.002+05:30

In an unscrupulous world, where the shameful are castigated and the shameless are exalted, shame is the last thing that a person can feel proud of. More often than not, failure is a prelude to success, but the Shameless is so daunted by the fear of failure that he is willing to resort to any means to ward off the possibility of a failure. In his deceitful efforts to actuate a situation of success, he can easily stoop lower than the most wretched of the creatures and in the process become the most heinous species of the despicable lot. The Shameless is a random anomaly that cripples a system with his malice and endless opportunism, thereby completely rendering it order less. The Shameless has a soul that’s tainted by his own sins, which he commits at a rate faster than his heartbeat. A victory that’s earned at the cost of scrupulous virtues is nothing more than a Pyrrhic Victory – A victory won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor. Success earned at the expense of others is ain’t no victory and is worse than a defeat most shameful, but that’s what the Shameless find impossible to decipher. There’s always a thin line that separates virtue from vice and when one crosses it on several occasions it ceases to exist. That’s precisely what the Shameless excels in! Adorning a heinous clad of shamelessness he walks down the boulevard of others’ broken dreams, which he shatters mercilessly on his way to earning the PSEUDO-GLORY. The Shameless is a paragon of desperation and often wears a mask of virtue behind which his fiendish personality proliferates. They say that it is the end that defines the means, but the Shameless toys with the means to tie his loose ends so frequently that no one can tell the means from the end, for it all becomes a part of a complex mismash that only he and his likes can fathom. With a sense of ridiculous ease, he wipes out his hapless victims who often find it difficult to identify the perpetrator. Amidst the pervasive darkness what goes through the mind of the Shameful is too loud to be ignored. He is forced to ask himself the following:

To be or not to be that is the question:

Whether it is nobler to go down with pride,

Or to settle for a pitiful existence

Is it bravery to keep on fighting a lost battle?

Or is it desperation to eke out a pittance

What of the efforts that go in vain?

Where the opportunistic trouble-makers are ever victorious

And those worthy are robbed of the glory

Where the undeserving bask in the sun,

And the righteous are treated with contempt

If the end result is always a painful failure,

Then ain't it futile to keep on trying

When dealing with the unworthy and the ungrateful:

Whether one should quietly suffer the torments of ill fate,

Or one should fight for when the outcome is a certain destruction

To fail to try or try to fail that is the question?

Corporate Calling: The Quintessential Parvenu

2012-03-06T22:45:00.006+05:30

Following the unprecedented success of the first edition of my much appreciated Corporate Calling series, I present to you the highly anticipated sequel, Corporate Calling: The Quintessential Parvenu.

They say life is a joke that very few people can afford to enjoy. But, the sad part is that ever fewer realize its true importance. As one climbs up the ladder, one encounters a whole bunch of different individuals. While some want fame, others want money; some have a liking for glamour, while others have an eye for voyeur. Yet, there are some whose want exceed not only their grasp but also their imagination. They are insatiable, for they want virtually anything and everything. Such species of quintessential parasites is termed as the The Quintessential Parvenu.

The Quintessential Parvenu, a dangerous creature oozing with malice and arrogance, has nothing but contempt for fellow human beings. His comfort at deceiving his peers, and his uncanny ability to bend the rules helps him attain new heights in almost no time. There are not many who are aware of his obscure past. His mastery over deception makes him more lethal than a viper. Like a rattler, he can strike from both the ends, and often does. He is a paragon of desperation. His apparent sense of superiority is a facade to hide his grave sense of inferiority, and that's what makes him fallible, but yet he's difficult to dispose, for he's not afraid to stab you in the back, and he'll do it with ridiculous ease and utter lack of compassion. He is the incarnation of Evil, and yet he would be the first one to portray himself as an Angel in front of those who he want to impress.

The Quintessential Parvenu is a wolf in sheep's clothing, a venom that has no anti-dote, a disease that has no vaccine. He is like a malignant tumor that refuses to be cured. He is a parasite of the highest order, for he knows whom to exploit and how. His ways are vitriolic and his style silken. He is both vengeful and unforgiving, and hates the guts of others. He is good at identifying his soft targets, and can enslave them on a mere whim, and they remain enslaved for a long time to come. The Quintessential Parvenu is a shameless creature who knows no bounds. Like a true fanatic, he is always concealing a secret and a doubt; secret that, if disclosed, could shake the very roots of his existence, and a perpetual doubt in his own abilities that often makes him ruin the lives of others out of a mere sense of insecurity.

The Quintessential Parvenu is an illegitimate heir to a disputed crown. He is a certified sadomasochist, who enjoys the after-thought more than the activity itself. He is incorrigible villain, a contemptuous reprobate who is both pitied and despised, more pitied than despised.

But, since the great leveler, the wheel of fortune is unbiased, and acts completely of its own accord, nothing is guaranteed in the world of great highs and lows. What goes around, comes around! It doesn't take long for the hunter to become the hunted, for time is a master trickster. The higher one climbs, the more fatal is the fall. Alas, The Quintessential Parvenu often fails to realize that change is the only consistency in life! Once he is down, he must be delivered a knockout punch, for there is no wisdom in being bitten by the same scorpion over and over again. The courage to fight such a diabolical spirit can only come from within, and so one should not give up until the evil has been obliterated and the order has been restored.

Always remember, those who have the power also have the responsibility to fight anarchy and injustice!

Note: The first edition, The Quintessential Parasite can be read at the following link:

http://www.apotpourriofvestiges.com/2011/09/corporate-calling-quintessential.html

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The ‘Ice man’ returns to Formula 1

2011-12-05T02:26:00.004+05:30

The cat is finally out of the bag! The commonplace has made way for the sublime with the 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen signing a two year contract with Lotus Renault GP, putting to rest months of conjecture. The world of motorsports had been rife with speculations pertaining to Kimi’s F1 return with his name being linked to a number of different teams. Post Italian Grand Prix, there had been several occurrences alluding to his possible link up with Team Williams. There were spiced up talks of Williams trying to strike a deal with Kimi at Abu Dhabi during the penultimate race of the season, but nothing could be substantiated.

However, it is Lotus Renault GP which has finally succeeded in acquiring the services of the Finn. The news was made public by Lotus Renault GP’s team principal and FOTA’s vice chairman, Eric Boullier soon after season finale atBrazil. The inclusion of the flying Finn, who is widely renowned for his inexorable composure and equanimity as a driver, has taken the number of world champions competing in 2012 season to a record six, which already includes Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Raikkonen will drive alongside Vitaly Petrov for the 2012 season.

Post Schumacher, only one charismatic driver has managed to fill in his shoes by winning the world championship driving for Ferrari. Yes, that driver is none other than Kimi Raikkonen! It is indeed ironical that it was Schumacher who had stymied Raikkonen from winning his maiden world championship back in 2003. On his arrival in Formula 1 in 2001, Kimi was downplayed by many as Miki Hakkinen’s dummy, but he proved them wrong through sheer assiduity and managed to carve a niche for himself in the world of high octane and drama. Popularly known as the ‘Iceman’, the Finnish driver is as much notorious for his off-circuit mood swings as he is renowned for his driving exploits. But, when it comes to the on-circuit daredevilry, the Finn comes second to none.

Kimi’s F1 journey has been nothing short of a vivid dream. He entered Formula 1 as a regular driver for Sauber-Petronas in 2001 before joining McLaren Mercedes in 2002. His sublime show at McLaren quickly catapulted him to title contention. He finished second, losing the championship to Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso in the 2003 and 2005, respectively. He joined Ferrari in 2007 and ended up winning the driver’s championship, becoming the highest paid driver in motor sport with an estimated wage of $51 million per year. He left Formula 1 after the 2009 season to try out a career in rallying.

If one goes through the record books, one would find Kimi Raikkonen’s name associated with quite a few of them, especially the ones dealing with raw speed. But, this vivid picture also happens to have a darker side. Harsh questions have been raised over Kimi Raikkonen’s commitment and professionalism after his shocking move to quit F1 in 2009 in spite of being under a contact. His stubbornness and caprice have earned him the notorious tag of a temperamental driver. His critics refer to him as “all or nothing driver”.

Now that Raikkonen has finally decided to make a comeback to Formula 1, he will not only have to once again prove his mettle, but will also have to work extremely hard towards rebuilding his professional image. Raikkonen is reportedly swooned over by the ambitious roadmap laid down by Lotus Renault GP. The Lotus Renault GP team is going through a phase of reconstruction after Renault’s role got reduced to that of an engine provider after it sold its 25 percent stake to Lotus Cars back in December last year. The Lotus Renault GP team is equally excited to have a former world champion within their ranks and are hoping that Raikkonen’s entry would fit well in their plan of things.

However, the question that is lurking on everyone’s mind is whether these two colossi of the bygone era could actually strike some much needed chemistry to spark up their prospects in the 2012 season?

Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your feedback is highly appreciated!

Please note the article was originally published at sportskeeda.com, the link for the same is:

http://www.sportskeeda.com/2011/12/03/the-ice-man-returns-to-formula-1/

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