World T20 Favourite Moments: Six sixes in one over

#2: Six sixes in an over (Kingsmead, Durban, England v India, 19 September 2007)

Although India qualified for the super-eights after Favourite Moment #1, our campaign was thrown into disarray after a loss in the first super eight game against New Zealand. India had to win this game to have any hope of qualifying for the semi-finals. Again, this was a crunch situation.

India got off to a great start with quickfire fifties from both Gambhir and Sehwag. Out-of-form Yuvraj Singh was slated to come in at number 4, but instead skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked in to bat at the fall of the second wicket.

Yuvraj would have to wait to bat and he was not happy about it. Visibly agitated, he paced up and down in the dug-out. When the third wicket fell with the score at 155 in 16.4 overs, Yuvraj sprinted out to the middle.

Death of a Gentleman : Film review

Starring: Ed Cowan, Lalit Modi, N Srinivasan, Giles Clarke

Directors: Jarrod Kimber, Sam Collins

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Arrogance. Entitlement. Corruption. Greed.

Watched a pre-screening of “Death of a Gentleman” on Thursday 23 July at the BFI Southbank.

The movie starts with our heroes (Kimber and Collins) in Australia, making polite enquiries into whether test cricket will survive the advent of T20.  Things get murkier as they dig deeper. Through a series of interviews with top cricket administrators in Australia, India, England and Dubai the movie packages the major events of the last four years into 90 minutes (2011- 2014). 

Is cricket on it’s way to becoming a contact sport?

Who can ever forget Lillee kicking Miandad and Miandad rushing at him with his bat?

A relic of a bygone era?

Sample this.

• A week or so ago, Rilee Roussow was fined fifty per cent. of his match fees for shoulder-barging Tamim Iqbal during an ODI game.
• Tamim Iqbal is in the news again today. This time for rubbing shoulders with Quinton de Kock while walking off the field for lunch.
• Mustafizur Rahman was fined fifty per cent. of his match fees on debut for making contact with Dhoni. Dhoni was fined seventy five per cent. for the same offence.
• The Trent Bridge saga last year where Jimmy allegedly abused and pushed Jadeja in the corridor and Dhoni threatened “to squeeze the juice” out of Anderson.
• Warner’s alcohol fuelled punch-up with Joe Root in a bar in the last Ashes in England.
• Kieron Pollard throwing his bat at Mitchell Starc during an IPL game.
• Marlon Samuels throwing his bat over Shane Warne’s head in a Big Bash game.
• Gambhir elbowing Watson.
• Gambhir elbowing Afridi.

Why has cricket descended into this poor advertisement for WWF ?

The simple answer is that the ICC is a limp organisation with no teeth. Fines mean nothing to these players. Something more drastic needs to be done before the gentleman’s game disappears for good. 

Mustafizur needs to walk the straight and narrow

So Bangladesh thrashed a full strength Indian side in the first ODI to take another step towards qualification for the Champion’s Trophy in 2017. A debutante took 5 wickets bowling some wicked cutters – Mustafizur Rahman. Full marks to Bangladesh but Mustafizur only got half his match fees.

I’ve looked around on the internet to see what the fuss was about. Ignoring the dramatic title, this footage sums it up nicely – watch this video and come back. 

Sports day? Captions invited!

Was sent this awesome photo on WhatsApp the other day.

(Takes a second before you recognise the kid at the receiving end from the legend that is Mr. Ashish Nehra but so worth it. Also please note ex cricketer Atul Wassan chilling in the background.)

Go wild commenting!

PREVIEW: Australia v India, Fourth test, Sydney Cricket Ground

The Border-Gavaskar trophy will be making its way back to Australia. However, even with the scoreline reading 0-2, there are a lot of talking points from India’s point of view.

A new captain.

A new number 7 batsman.

A new wicket keeper.

Ishant Sharma is the most capped Indian test player. This is the new team India.

It will be interesting to see how the new “aggressive” team India plays at the SCG. Virat Kohli’s “in-it-to-win-it” attitude in Adelaide was commendable but one has to wonder whether the series would have been different India had been able to draw the first test? Is the Shastri – Kohli combination willing to do anything to win? Will they accept a 3 – 0 scoreline in search of a win? With the history between these two teams, will Kohli cool off on the sledging front?

At the end of the day, this is the attitude that will set up 2015, a World Cup year.

Our team selection for the final test at the Syndey Cricket Ground:

India v Australia : Fights, Sledges, Tantrums and Bad Behaviour !

Tempers have always run pretty high in this top of the table clash.

So as a part of the build-up to this much-awaited test series, a selection of the best “fights” across India v Australia games:

HARBHAJAN v PONTING:  17 year old Bhajji scurries for cover after giving Ponting a send-off in Sharjah, 1998.

SACHIN v MCGRATH : The Big Man drops an F Bomb, Nairobi, 2000

MICHAEL SLATER v DRAVID: Michael Slater loses his shit, Mumbai, 2001.