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"Let the crime happen, we can always investigate it later"
sp + nc
The Spot Fixing Investigations Begin
The usual suspects are seated in a cozy court room, Lord Condon begins the spot fixing investigations with an unrepentant Salman's Butt.
Lord Condon: Salman’s Butt, did you order the fix?
Yawar Saeed: You don't have to answer the question
Salman’s Butt: I'll answer the question. You want answers?
LC: I think I'm entitled to them.
SB: You want answers?
LC: I WANT THE TRUTH!
SB: You can't handle the truth.
SB: We play in a game which has money and that money needs to earned by men with talent. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Giles Clarke? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Amir and curse his teammates. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Amir’s no ball, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that field. You NEED me on that field. You use words like honour, code, loyalty. You use these words as the backbone of the life spent defending something. We use these words as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very entertainment that I provide and that questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a bat or a ball and take the field. Either way, I don't give a DAMN what you think you are entitled to.
LC: Did you order the fix?
SB: I did the job...
LC: DID YOU ORDER THE FIX?
SB: YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT I DID!!!
Yawar Saeed's face falls, and with it the Pakistan flag slips to half mast.
Extra ! Extra ! (or , Get Your Fix Of The Taking News)
From Randiv who paid for it to Aamer/Asif who received from it , tis No Ball season alright.
Pak bowlers and indiscipline have always gone hand in glove. It comes with the talent territory and is part of what makes them such a compelling watch. The difference is that while earlier they were giving away a few extras with their no balls , they are now taking away a few extras with their no balls.
Taking a cue from my neighbour Charlie who thought his car servicing agent spoke not English but dollars , perhaps the time has now come to count extras not in runs but in money.
(Charlie also thought aloud that if there was a price to pay for early success going to a young head , it was not Mhd Aamer doing the paying but his bookie. A bit of a wag is our Charlie - as you may discover if you visit Strawberry Fields Occasionally )
Anyway , yet another can of worms has been pried open on the type of subcon cricket that plays so much more by the bookie than the book. The questions are now flying out thick and fast - and by fast i mean faster than a Pak batting collapse.
Some of theose questions are valid :
Will Salman's butt be on the line ? Will he have to exit the captaincy or is that spot fixed ? Why did Afridi decide to play no ball with it ? What are the odds that he knew ? Who are the other , currently unnamed players to also overstep the line ? Who else could find themselves in a spot ? Was the incriminating video shot on the spot ? And was the camera fixed there or did it pan out to capture other instances as well ? Were the bets confined to no balls only ? How wide will be the berth given to the accused ? Did no player who was approached say bye to the offer ?
Others are vapid at best and ridiculously irrelevant at worst :
Why does YK have a smile fixed on his face ? Why doesn't MoYo fix the curls on his ? What were bowlers in the past using to tamper with the ball - Quickfix ? Is Azhar Ali really Mazhar Ali ? And who was Azhar Mahmood ? Is there a Mazhar Mahmood ?
Subcontinent cricket in general and Pak cricket in particular seems fixated with scandal. Arre baba , so many questions and so many problems all the time , na ! And none that look like they could be fixed anytime soon. PCB could try taking a gamble with a really out-of-the-box innovative approach - but I wouldn't bet on it .
We revealed FIP's identity before FIP revealed it himself.
Clue posted here on Bored, on May 15, 2009
Clue:
FIP is
In advertising
A Bengali in Bangalore
Initials are AM
Fact: FIP is Anupam Mukherji (AM) is a bong, in advertising, in Bangalore.
On Bored, April 29, 2009.
Clue:
Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders at Durban - Apr 29
Dear Fake,
How does it feel to have your teams play each other?
Fact: FIP’s a Bong who lives in Bangalore
On Bored, April 27, 2009.
Clue:
Dear Fake,
I've been in advertising too.
yours truly,
Bored
Fact: We're both from advertising
All clues on FIP's identity.
AM, care to reveal more of yoursef? Do come and blog on Bored.
Cricket's Greatest Betrayal
Dramatic, no? But allow me to make my case for how accurate that title is.
There were so many, simply unbelievably so many people who made this tour of England possible. And they all did it for one thing: they love cricket and they know how much cricket needs Pakistan. And you wouldn't be too far off the mark if you said Pakistan needs cricket just as much.
People are often quick to point out how many times Australia have refused to tour Pakistan. What they fail to also add is that, in years when Pakistan have hardly had any international cricket, they've played a lot against Australia, and plenty of those matches have been at neutral venues. Whether that was in the scorching, unforgiving heat in the UAE (both tests and ODIs), the oppressive humidity on slow pitches in Sri Lanka or in the most conducive of swing bowling conditions in England, Australia have not eschewed a responsibility to playing against Pakistan. And Pakistan needed those games, one might argue more than Australia did.
England gave Pakistan the opportunity to host matches on their turf against Australia, giving them the opportunity to entertain thousands of passionate fans in the British Isles while helping the PCB in the midst of their sternest financial crisis to date. The MCC went so far as to christen the two series as "The Spirit of Cricket", cognizant of the fact that Pakistan's tours of England in the past were marked by unsavory incidents and that the best way to help ensure this series went smoothly and benefited one and all, and particularly Pakistan, was to make the cricketers believe they had a greater responsibility to fair play. How utterly ironic and misplaced that theme was in the light of what has transpired.
The Pakistani people, starved of competitive international test cricket at home, facing hardship after hardship whether man-made or natural, willed their team on. They took heart, comfort and strength from the performances of gifted young men who were never expected to win too much, but excelled and excited everyone who loves the game. That delivery bowled by Amir to dismiss Mitchell Johnson was easily the best bowled this year. And despite the ragged and often comical fielding, the inadequate and inexperienced batting, the team won. And not once, but twice, written off before each match. For a nation of proud cricket crazy fans, there could have been fewer things that kept them going in such tough times.
All of these people were betrayed by those who gave in to temptation for a few dollars more. You might even say the ICC was betrayed since they also played a heavy role in facilitating this series, but as Straight Point argues, they are also culpable since their Anti-Corruption Unit seemed oblivious to what was going on when they should have been on high alert- young cricketers playing under a weak corrupt board, unsure of what might happen next to them, their careers, their families and their country were always going to be easy targets and the ACU had a responsibility to ensure they were given little opportunity to stray.
The players had a responsibility, they should have understood how dire the consequences of their actions were. The team, like the country, was in ruins and the future of the side was at stake. Already several veterans have been dismissed for their erratic and irrational behavior over the last couple of years. It seems like the team has been rebuilding since forever. And now everything that might have been achieved has been ruined. The game's future in the country is in doubt. People will lose faith.
The circus that is about to follow is so predictable that it would be hilarious if it were not so sad. There will be a commission created to find out what has gone wrong, there will be calls for blood and reform, there will be promises made that things will change and unscrupulous politicians will try to gain as much mileages as they can from these events. The media and ex-cricketers will demand someone who is distinguished and who has integrity take charge, but will they find such a candidate, one who is willing to work in an environment where at any moment a politician can demand and overrule any decision made? There will be some scapegoats made to ensure the best and most talented are allowed to continue, they will be painted as the scheming villains who fooled innocent and naive youngsters into bringing the game into disrepute for their (the scapegoats') sole benefit.
Perhaps ultimately it will be that these cricketers have betrayed themselves. Promising world class talents who should have rewritten record books will either end up not playing and achieving their potential or having to live with the taint of fixing and getting away with it. The game was betrayed this weekend, and betrayal brings anger. But if people are to emerge from this better than when they went into it, then anger needs to be pushed to the backseat and sensible decisions must be taken with just one aim, securing the future of the game. For we love cricket and we know how much cricket needs Pakistan. But things must not be allowed to continue as they have in the past. And if Pakistan can't change and cannot free itself from this corruption, then cricket must not change for it. We must keep trying to support Pakistani cricket and give them opportunities, but at the same time we must demand that they are willing to help themselves.
Black Sunday
The day started normal. Woke up late. Got fresh and went for coffee with a friend. Chatted for a couple of hours. Came home. Put on the TV to see how Pakistan is doing in the 2nd inning. See them struggle. Comment on their Jeckyll and Hyde syndrome on Twitter. Then see some really strange Tweets. People are abusing Mohd. Aamer. Sidin is tweeting that no balls should be banned. Thought that dig was a week overdue. Then read on Cricinfo. SPOT FIXING ALLEGATIONS. I shrug. This is Pakistan. A heavy defeat leads to nutcases crying "fixing". Then see people whom I trust abusing Pakistan. Jarrod Kimber, Pakistan's biggest Australian supporter writes his most emotional post till date. You can see his tears dripping from each word. What the fuck is going on?
Still in denial. Think this team has made Test cricket more compelling just on its own. Cannot be true. Tweet about maintaining calm. Get a heated response on Twitter. Heated response on cricket is usual. But this was from Venkat Ananth. Something is not right. I still Tweet my support for Aamer. He is too precious a lad to go waste this early. Then I log on to Bored. Then I get hold of the NOTW link.
Blackout.
I see the ugly nature of cricket. Two of the best fast bowlers of the current times, two bowlers supposed to cary forward the legacy of fast bowling, whoring their souls for a fistful of dollars. I read the comments which the commentary team passed. They are incredulous. But they, like me and countless others gave these two the benefit of doubt. We needed concrete proof. Sadly, we got it.
Why would they do it? Asif, one can understand. Doping, fights with the Rawalpindi chindi, affairs and tifs with TV starlets, you can see him do such an act. But Aamer? The boy has "great fast bowler" written in his destiny in bright neon colours. Why does he have to do it? Do these fellows not have enough trust in their talent that they have to make money like this?
The story of the Pakistan tea of late has been akin to a Greek tragedy. I do not intend to recap it. Just will say that the last thing Pakistan needed as a team and a country (ravaged with floods, encroached by extremists, led by a dalaal) is this. The last thing Test cricket needed was this. This has been a Black Sunday.
For Pakistan. For cricket.
P.S. : The grand old man of cricket nails it:
What happens if a bowler runs up and bowls a ball which is correctly called 'no-ball' by the umpire?
Will fans turn to one another and raise their eyebrows or just shake their heads and think about walking out of the ground.
fixing saga: whom to blame...?
a call from bored member, naked cricket, was enough to shake me from the slumber of a lazy sunday afternoon...
since then i've been slipping from one emotion to another... but one thought which refuses to go away is... what was the ICC ACU (Anti Corruption Unit) doing all this while...?
as the video footage shows... it was THAT easy to spot fix... suddenly a reporter decides to check if it can be done and it was a cakewalk for him once the thought of this sting operation came to him....
and to think that actually ICC charge millions for ACU fees supposedly to keep the cricket clean... to keep not only the fixers at bay but preempt any move they may plan and nab them there and then...
but what does ACU actually do...?
now we know for sure, they just sleep... booze at respective board's expenses... stay in plush suites... screw cricket... and actually get paid for it...
and to think that pundits wrote scathing articles on bcci for not being serious about match fixing by not taking ICC ACU on board for ipl...
for what...? this...?
pak cricketers will get their just deserts... but will ACU officials ever be charged for their ineptness and failures...?
before you pound me for suggesting... consider this... when heads can roll for security lapses why not for such a serious...heinous cricketing lapse...?
For Aamer
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
by W.H Auden
News of the World link
India look to play 11 batsmen.
16th Oct, 2010.
On the eve of India’s 1st ODI against Australia at Kochi, it is learnt that India will pack itself with as many as eleven batsmen. In its last played ODI against Sri Lanka, India went in with seven batsmen including MS Dhoni.
Justifying some of the selections, team management said, “Yuvraj still has a lot of cricket in him, and all it takes is a few dropped catches, and lucky breaks from the umpire for Yuvi to bounce back and get some runs. In any case he is part of our World Cup plans and it’s too late to try new batsmen.
As for Rohit Sharma, these were the reasons –“he has only played 53 one-day games and averages in the low 20s (29.48), and we have now redefined his role as a lower order batsman, a finisher so to speak – he will be a floater, and will bat anywhere from No. 7 to No. 11 depending on the situation. Also, we are looking at playing him as the world’s first fielding all-rounder, a catching all-rounder to be precise.
FIFA join hands with ICC...
it had to happen some day...
although there have been some career threatening injuries....that have made the selectors look like fools... and left the team high and dry with unexpected turn of events, nothing has deterred cricketers from promoting football...
with cricketers hellbent on promoting the beautiful game whether they are about to play routine matches or sometimes even an important match... fifa felt humbled by the relentless efforts of cricketers, specially the coaching staff who come up with 'relaxation' exercises despite receiving some indifferent results, to promote football whenever they can...
finally fifa has relented and joined hands with icc... from now on in all football matches, footballers will play cricket in their spare time... pre or post match and whenever they can... this will not only help them relax... bind the team together... but will also help the globalisation of cricket because of football's obvious reach...
naturally the cricket fans world over are jubilant, looking forward to catch some action... but this time... in football matches...
No more India Sri Lanka games?
Which explains why the BCCI and SLC bosses have worked out a fresh plan for more cricket between the two teams. The Champions League (September 10-26th) is the perfect time, it doesn’t clash with the ICC Calendar yet provides a window for a 7 match one-day series between India and Sri Lanka.
While players from Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Bangalore Royal Challenegers, and Wayamba will not be available for the initial part of the one-day series, if and when their teams are eliminated, they will join their teammates on national duty.
Oh Those Aussie Boys, Such A Tease!
Peter Roebuck teases everyone with a classic article on cricket's spirit:
Ah those wascally larrikin Aussies, such teases. Yes, you're quite right Peter. Sledging doesn't travel well, especially to Australia. You see, it also makes a big difference who is sledging, sorry teasing. McGrath didn't take too kindly to Sarwan's little tease, nor did Brad Haddin or Mitchell Johnson appreciate Suleiman Benn's teases. In fact Shane Watson seems to have been the only Aussie who relished a West Indian tease and retorted with one of his own, but that dastardly ICC punished him with a massive... well, a fine for that. Its funny though, "supporters want to know what it is really like out there" only when it suits their narrow definition of whats acceptable, or more precisely, whats acceptable when said by one party to another and not the other way around. Speaking of which, here are the next pearls of analysis from Roebuck:Sledging is another contentious subject. Somewhat to their chagrin, Australians are constantly cross-examined about it. Partly it is the insight it offers to secrets of the field. Supporters want to know what it is really like out there. Accordingly they relish the remarks. Australians point out that their words are mere banter and that much worse is said in the backyards and gardens and beach matches of their boyhood. Aussies like to tease each other. It's their way of showing affection. Did genial Bill Woodfull once enquire of his men, "Which of you bastards called this bastard a bastard?"But sledging does not travel well. Other nations are not raised in the knockabout way. Teases can be taken as taunts, can provoke a fiery response, whereupon trouble begins.
Other cultures instill respect for elders and politeness. Others still, and sometimes the same ones, do not put racism as high, nor regard match-fixing or ball-tampering as rotten. Everyone knows all these things are wrong but opinions vary about their relative importance.Others we must presume, as a logical continuation to Roebuck's previous assertions, doesn't include the venerable Aussies. Who could put the importance of racism any lower though than Darren Lehman calling the Sri Lankan's "black cunts" and a certain fast bowler who threatened to sue the Sri Lankans for claiming he too had referred to one of their batsmen as a "black monkey"? And these are just two incidents of the many that have been laughed away by several of the ex-cricketers when "monkey-gate" came up. And we could of course ask none other than Shane Warne and Mark Waugh about the variance in opinions about passing harmless information in exchange for money to bookies.
Arjuna Ranatunga can hardly have realised how much refusing to shake hands after the match offended Australians.My, my, how stupid Ranatunga must be not to have realized this. No, he certainly wasn't capable of understanding what a calculated insult is, he's too fat, right? Certainly the Australians must have understood this though since they obviously took such umbrage at it, and repaid the compliment to another fat subcontinental, Sharad Pawar, by pushing him off the stage because their victory celebrations were so important!
His opponents can hardly have imagined the demons that had been raised by their confrontational approach.Yes, all that talk about mental disintegration, people are supposed to take that in their stride. It must be shocking to encounter people who take offence to uncalled for personal insults being hurled at them in the name of, whats that word again, ah yes, "banter" and "teasing." Please note Aussies, wink wink, your "confrontational approach" isn't taken too kindly by your opponents. Because they're not "mentally tough" enough. wink-wink.
You see, what you don't get Peter is that the spirit of the game simply perpetuates the self-righteous holier-than-though stand taken by one side over another to justify their behavior or condemn the lack of it in their opponents when they feel hard done by, and when there is nothing in the law that makes getting over it easy. All parties are equally guilty of this, it has nothing to do with overcoming the "cultural differences" of nations in creating a uniform code of respectful conduct, but rather the usage of those differences to say that some of those aspects of the spirit simply aren't as important. Case in point, sledging... or teasing, if you prefer that term. Another example, well lets take it right out of your own article:
Numerous Indians worked themselves into a lather when Andrew Symonds did not depart voluntarily in the infamous SCG Test a few years ago. It was a foolish response. He was under no obligation. When their own batsmen stood their ground, the same observers held their tongues.Stupid hypocritical Indian batsmen. Of course when an Australian batsmen refuses to walk it is ok! Don't work yourself into a lather over that pack of wild dogs you stupid same observers! You have no right to demand they should have walked after their captain made a request for both sides to agree to a pact on promoting the "spirit." And of course, when an Australian claims he's taken a catch cleanly, thats it, its not negotiable anymore, even if he has grounded it - lets tweak the subjective definition for the completion of catch and "having control over the ball" to suit when a catch is grounded - YOU MUST ACCEPT IT. Otherwise its perfectly fine for the likes of Slater to call your mother all manner of insults since in any case you don't believe his word counts for much! Foolish of you to think otherwise even if you were under no obligation to walk.
So spare us the sanctimony, the eloquently scripted history lesson of how the predominantly black nations' natives embraced Western presumptions, noble empire building as they were, even if they were propagated by pedophile vicars and their ilk. It isn't about respect, if it were there would be genuine efforts to appreciate other's so-called cultural differences and how not to talk or act in a manner that deliberately provokes your opponent. Invoking the spirit is nothing more than claiming that the way one party has acted appeals to the sensibilities of a groups understanding of what is fair play and acceptable and wins them a few gold stars for behavior. And it is more abused, universally so, than any of the sledges - sorry teases - that the Australians have become so famous for.
The Night Before (India's nth do or die match)
Kirsten: Boys, we gotta enjoy this – even if it’s a do or die match
MSD: Obviously, there’s no question about that – the boys want to have a fancy dress competition to keep it light. Obviously the theme will be cricket and help in our preparation for the match tomorrow where we take on New Zeal…
Kirsten: Mahi, easy, easy Mahi, this is not a post-match…
Dinesh Karthik aka BossDK enters dressed as the red cheery
Kirsten: DK, DK, DK, when will you get the format right…you gotta be dressed like a white ball
Next, Sehwag enters dressed in his kurta pajama
Kirsten: Viru, what’s the cricket theme…
Sehwag: Of course there has to be a cricket theme…with me the theme is that I can hit them in my sleep…
Everyone cracks up, Sehwag is as deadpan as ever
Next, Jadeja appears, he walks in, walks out, nobody notices, everyone still talking about Viru
MSD: Garry, what about Jadeja…
Kirsten: What about him?
MSD: Obviously we need to comment on his role
Kirsten looks back quizzically, by then Ishant arrives dressed as a spear but the head is missing
Kirsten: Ishant, I get it, you are saying spearhead, but where’s the head…
Ishant: Praveen…
Praveen Kumar appears with just the head
PK: He gave me head…
Everyone cracks up!
And then Yuvi appears, all flash, in shades, twirling his keychain, with the other cool dudes, Rohit Sharma, Viraat Kohli and BossDK in tow
Yuvi: Are we late for the fashion show, guys?
Next are Raina and MSD, both have on them a Harpic bottle and a toilet brush
MSD + Raina: This is to clean their shit.
Quick fix solutions for another do-or-die match
Apply lessons learnt from the IPL, play four foreign players against New Zealand. On such short notice, only the Lankans will be available. If this approach pays off, play four Kiwis in the finals. Rest Nohit Sharma and his entourage. What this team lacks in hair can be made up with Saurabh Tiwary.
Use MSD as a bowler, recycle BossDK as a wicketkeeper. Convince MSD to bat at 3, that’s the only way he’ll believe the conditions are easy and score big runs.
Seeing as both batting first and second have been rough, India must device plans to not bat at all. This may not be easy, explore a first time declaration in a one-day game with the Kiwis. Backlash: The match was fixed.
The Sehwag threat must loom till the very end. To facilitate this, provide false information on the team sheet, and drop Sehwag down the order with every wicket fall. At the same time, to counter any feeling of wellbeing in the Kiwi camp regarding Sehwag’s fitness, ensure he goes through his full fitness regime in full view of the cameras.
Look upbeat throughout the game, nothing irks the Kiwis more than a happy opposition. Lotta banter in Hindi, and random abuse in various regional languages, this will further confuse the black caps.
Use Lankan tactics with the umpires, especially with Dharmasena. Befriend him, speak to him in Sinhalese, and if and when in English, with a strong Lankan accent. BossDK as keeper could wear a Sangakkara mask. Sehwag must continue to hug Rauf.
Play with spongy bat to counter spongy bounce.
Sehwag's Accord
Delhi's rains like to mess with the drainage so the drainage can mess with your car. After the driver sunk the Civic in the Delhi roads-waterway, he reported to the Honda service station where a monster estimate greeted him. Depressed, he found comfort in seeing Sehwag’s Accord there. She too had drowned on the waterway, off RK Puran apparently – when Sehwag Jr was returning from school with the driver. Water entered engine, paralyzed the electricals leaving Jatman Junior locked in. Eventually the window had to be broken to get the little fellah out. Bad rains, harming car, troubling Sehwag ka bacchca! Lesson learnt: drive carefully, not just in Dambulla, but in Dilli too.
Sreesanth breakdancing on Onam!
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| I'm not crazy, I'm actually Mad! |
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| Any resemblance to Alfred E Neuman isn't a coincidence |
Player Profile: Rohit Sharma
In some circles he’s known as Nohit Sharma, as he barely hits the ball, and when he does, he’s wrongly given leg before. There’s a strong theory doing the rounds that Sharma should conserve his energy, and concentrate on the IPL. Instead he continues to be touted as the next big thing from Mumbai, shamefully compared to Sachin Tendulkar, playing more internationals than the quota of an entire generation of young cricketers. Is blessed with lazy elegance, though in unequal measure wherein lazy far exceeds elegance, but the selectors continue to think otherwise. There is another theory that Rohit is picked purely for his close-in catching, highly plausible seeing that chairman of selectors was a nifty fielder.
Dharmasena apologises to Sehwag.
Player Profile: Mohammad Aamer
Are You Upholding The Appeal?
So asked the umpires, and Paul Collingwood later admitted he probably made the wrong decision. The subsequent reactions from first New Zealand and later the press must have affected the English captain and a short while later he resigned from the position. New Zealand's reaction was viewed with cynicism by some, considering wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum infamously ran-out Muralitharan when the latter walked over to congratulate his skipper on reaching a fine century in December 2006, a move that then skipper Stephen Flemming justified by saying
You can't just wander off when the ball's in mid-air and if we'd had an overthrow I'm sure they would have taken that.Yet little over a year later, when McCullum pulled the stunt again (apparently he'd even managed to do it once more between these two occasions when he ran out Chris Mpofu as he walked out to congratulate his partner on scoring a fifty) to run-out none other than Paul Collingwood, skipper Daniel Vettori withdrew the appeal after Daryl Harper spoke to the Kiwi skipper.
The circumstances in which each of these incidents took place are interesting. In the first instance, the game was close and Elliot's run out swung the game heavily in England's favor. In the second, Sangakkara played an absolute blinder and with New Zealand batting last obviously would have wanted to chase as little as possible. In the final case New Zealand were in a reasonably strong position with England struggling at 27/3 in the 11th over but Collingwood's dismissal at that stage would no doubt have improved their chances of making the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. So its not like you could say that sides are ruthless when they need to be and willing to adhere to spirit of cricket only when the odds are already stacked heavily in their favor.
But the key issue here is that all three incidents could have had a decisive bearing on the match's result, and but for an umpire's intervention, all three captains were happy to stick within the laws at the cost of cricket's over-hyped conduct of sportsmanship because at the end of the day, as RajaB said in the last post, it comes down to the numbers. For this generation, maybe even the next, the circumstances will leave an indelible mark, but what about after that? History will remember the numbers, the stats and it takes considerable digging up to find the fascinating story behind the numbers, an effort that all too often will be too much bother unless the incident has been researched for that specific purpose.
Which is why sometimes in focusing too much on the numbers, in striving too hard to maintain the only records that history will judge you by, you do something that gains you notoriety. How you then react is what makes the difference between whether the issue will be deemed inconsequential and confined only to a paragraph in annual review, or whether it makes the centerpiece of the decade's review. Jardine's "I'm not here to win friends. I'm here to win the Ashes" gave writers the opportunity to paint him as cricket's primary villain for years. Steve Waugh's "They make the rules, we try to make sure we play within them" response* fitted perfectly with the ruthless, ice-man persona the press had created. Indeed you would find such retorts litter the landscape of events in cricket that went down as controversial, right from W.G.Grace to Fleming's stubborn support for McCullum.
By his early action on the field though, Vettori managed to successfully quash a controversy before it had the chance to become one, and but for the line about Harper's instigation, even if you did notice the event you would believe Vettori had conducted himself strictly by the Spirit of Cricket immediately. Collingwood made the wrong decision but did apologize after the match, which while not sparing him from criticism at the time, didn't leave him with the ridiculed legacy Brad Haddin will have to live with for flatly denying and refusing to believe even with available video evidence that he had made a mistake.
It would appear then that the only place where the spirit of cricket seems to find a place today is in making a qualitative assessment of a cricketer's morality in determining the degree to which an incident is reported and recorded, as inconsequential or outrageous. The only exception being in justifying whether an Australian captain is capable of counting and organizing, skills you would have thought were prerequisites for leading your national side, but that is another issue.
Which brings me to Randhiv. He might have been coaxed into bowling the no-ball, but whether by volition or by instruction, he did apologize and he hasn't complained about SLC's punishment. But the board's reaction is interesting, and not just because the common consensus is that it is over-the-top. In recognizing the place where the spirit has the most relevance, which is most certainly not on the field, they have acted in a manner that shall forever taint Randhiv whilst reflecting their actions in a quite different light. After all, can it honestly be asked a few decades from now whether theirs was an overreaction? Quite likely it will be remembered as the days when administrators felt they had an obligation uphold the spirit.
I'm not criticizing them. What I'm trying to say is, they felt they were asked "Are you upholding the appeal?" to which they answered decisively in the negative and so lives on this fascinating aspect of the game... where all manner of individuals use the spirit as required at the moment and then react based on how they believe history will judge them for it.
*In the match in question, Aus vs WI, the Windies had been bowled out for 110 and Australia crawled to 111 off 40.4 overs (in stark contrast to their lightning quick chase of 180 in under 20 overs against Bangladesh in the previous match) as they tried to prevent the West Indies' nrr from falling too far behind New Zealands'. The reason being the Kiwis had won against Australia and would carry those points forward to the Super Six stage which would mean Australia would carry none. With only a game against Scotland left, New Zealand would have to win by a large margin to overtake the West Indies nrr, which they did.
A day in the life of Younis Khan
While MoYo makes his mark in cricket, Younis makes the bed tea. Dazzling in an all-white kurta pajama (to remind him of the glory days), he wakes early, smile plastered on face, gotta be positive, and opens the door for the milkman.
Milkman: Younis Bhai, I have often wondered how you can be ever so smiling
Younis takes this remark personally, and walks away, as he often does with his cricket. But then again, as he often does in cricket, he returns smiling – this time, packed with a reply
Younis: Milkman bhai, I have often wondered if you learn your English from Goodness Gracious Me!
Milkman: 1000 apologies, Younis Bhai, it is from videos of Mind your Language…but tell me,Younis Bhai, how will you play for Pakistan again?
Cut to Ijaz Butt’s office
Butt: Younis, we just had a special screening of The Dark Knight for all the PCB – and you know what they’re saying – Younis is like that joker, he’s always smiling – he is evil!
Younis starts to sing Chris Rea’s You must be evil, all this while still smiling
Younis: You must be evil…
Butt as he often does, takes it personally, and accuses Younis
Butt: You are evil…how will you play for Pakistan again?
On his way back home, Younis picks some naans and mutton curry from the local restaurant. While doing so, the owner enters into conversation
Owner: Always so cheerful, always smiling – Younis, let me tell you this much – you must do something, burn Ijaz Butt effigies, retire from cricket, grow a beard, marry an Indian…but not smile
Younis throws the food in disgust and walks away, as he often does in cricket – only to return, smiling.
Owner: If you keep going away, how will you play for Pakistan again..
Younis Khan at home, watches as the kids play cricket – he asks to be included in a team
Kid: What, when the team if being made you always go away, then you want to play in the last minute
Kid2: Younis Chacha, forget playing with us, will you play for Pakistan again?
Younis smiles, and turns away...but as he turns away tears start to roll down…and it starts to rain.
And this song starts to play: The rain falls down...on last year's man
And Younis fades to black.
Why Cricket is no more a gentleman’s game…
Suraj Randiv, the latest reason for all of us to dive deep into the Old Testament of Cricket which contains incorrigible words and phrases such as “Fair play” , “Spirit of Cricket”, “Cricket is a gentleman’s game” et all. Before we proceed further, let me say what the world is saying… What Randiv and Dilshan did was criminal, especially denying a century for a beloved Indian cricketer. They should ideally have tried these guys at The Hague, than these hogwash fines and match bans.
As we keep fanatically persecuting the Sri Lankan cricketers for this dastardly act, I asked myself, “Is cricket really a gentleman’s game?”
You might see an answer to that question in this post. If you don’t, let me know your point of view.
1993, was the year when this famous word “recusal” was added to my vocabulary thanks to one Prof. Rajagopalan. This man was a cricketer of some repute during his youth, at 50+ he was a decent bat yet. He could famously win 3-point basketball challenges against the best of the basketball players from the college. He was the chief selector of our college cricket team. The man stood down because his son was in the fray, an aspirant for a place in the college cricket team. He made sure the others didn’t know who his son was, he wasn’t selected in the team that year although he came back into the B team next year flaunting his connection (or was that talent ?) to the Prof’s annoyance. That for me was an introduction to the “Spirit of cricket” and “a gentleman’s game”. But unfortunately that also was the last time I heard about those words or phrases.
1994, it was an intramural tournament and I was batting on 47 (I was sure). I glided the ball down the fine leg and ran 2 to hear & see my teammates standing up and applauding. They were sure that I had made my 50 and I played to the gallery, celebrated and promptly got out the next ball. As I was walking out, I could hear my captain telling the guys around “Come on we did well, this guy wouldn’t stop talking for eons had he made it to 50”. I didn’t quite understand it till I saw the scoresheet “R Baradwaj, Runout 49”
1996, many of the guys I knew were abusing a particular parent, the father of the guy who captained a cricket team. The accusation was that he interfered in selection, the toss, the field placement and the batting order. Why should he do it ? He always wanted his son on top of things.
1997, we were playing an intramural cricket match. It was the semifinals, a closely fought one. Our opponents need 33 with their last recognized batsman shepherding the tail. We needed to get “Srinivasan” out. He was having a ball in the middle, but still he was tense. After every ball he was rushing out like a mad man to speak to his partner who was playing snooker on the cricket field. The wicketkeeper (one Mr RajaB) took advantage of this attitude of Srini and ran him out, he knew Srini wasn’t trying to steal a single but still he put him out of the game. And his team won.
1999, I lived in a lodge (what they call a mansion in Triplicane, Madras) near the famed MAC stadium in Madras. Every morning as I went for a jog I could see kids, as young as 4-5 buried between the kitbag and the stepney of a slow moving scooter as his father ferried him to his cricket coaching camp. For want of space the kid invariably had his helmet on. One day, the curious I went in to see what happens in the nets. I could see parents standing behind the net and barking orders “put your leg forward”, “Drive that one straight”, “In the back foot”, “Fool, don’t commit yourself there” etc. I also saw fathers arguing with the coach about the time their kid got to bat vis-à-vis another
2000, I befriended a dad, who was an officer with SBI. His 9 year old son was too small even for that age. His kid had a problem, he was what we call the “Rabbit on headlight”. Every time he was put in a match situation, he had a problem running between wickets. He would freeze the moment he saw the fielder throwing the ball, endangering himself and his partner. The dad was livid as we spoke about this particular shortcoming of his son, “That idiot doesn’t change. Have told him many times… At least you don’t get out, I have tried to reason… but he doesn’t understand the value of his wicket… It is a minimum 30 runs”. I didn’t quite understand the 30 run logic till one of my friends confirmed that 30 is the minimum on board in your name you require to see your name on the next day’s papers.
There are many parents today who think cricket brings them easy money and hence goading and prodding their kids to take the game up. At one point they come to a stage where they do anything for their kids to get selected, to be in the playing 11 and to score and get seen. We have heard stories of parents gifting the selectors with televisions, mobile phones, mopeds and cars. There is also this nauseating story of a mother sleeping with a selector to ensure her sons selection (the fact that the selector found that the dad had tricked him by pressing the services of a prostitute to proxy for his wife is another story)
The expectations of the parents, the pressure they put on their kids, their greed for seeing their kids name on the scorecard and in the newspapers & television, the lure of IPL and the monies it offers, the endorsement contracts it would bring in and most importantly the urge for being on top at any cost have made this game a business.
No one cares anything about being a gentleman or about spirits, all they care about is the scorecard & winning, how they or their wards and their teams fared.
So, let us not recite the Old Testament and fool ourselves. Cricket is no more a gentleman’s game. The only spirit cricket and the cricketers have is Ethyl Alcohol !!
PS: Heard NC is upset with me not writing my two lines to commemorate the two years of BCC!, “Sorry NC, I’ve never wish myself on my birthday”
Happy Bored Day - Peep Lee Live
You could say that I am 7 days late for my Bored Day post. But the fact is I am 5 years early. For the 2nd Bored Day, I have already said my 2 lines, this post is coming to you from 2015. Yeah, it is one of those premonition posts, and you could stop reading right now, if you love the suspense.
------
Hi, this is Brett Lee reporting Live from the 7th Bored Day held here in a local coffee shop called Bored Coffee Crazy Indians in Delhi. Peeping in to the Bored Day celebrations has long been a dream and I am glad it is coming true.
xxxxxxx
Most of the bored memebers are present here, considering they all have to report to Red Fort day after tomorrow on account of India's Independence Day. If the rumours that are trickling in are to be believed, Indian PM Rahul Gandhi will be felicitating the entire Bored team, for making cricket bearable to its masses.
It has been decided (after a handful of choicest Punjabi abuses, hurling everywhere) that the shop will not be throwing out RajaB for not bringing in his suggestions to the Bored Menu for the coffee shop.
Som has come prepared with a 7 point agenda (it reads 7 entries in Shahid Afridi's Diary on 7 Bored Days)and ABisht's in a corner cartooning on stray tissues
The two Ankits cannot be seen, but I'm sure they're lurking around.
Although Homer and Maheka are seated alongside each other, they have entered into a heated discussion on Twitter
Achettup has arrived in trousers that are short on length and is the butt of most jokes here. Most of them are from Naked Cricket, as his 'Jokes are funny, Butt...' has become a best seller in Pakistan.
Breaking News: Bored has got a new member, the youngest at that. It should be remembered that her debut game was some years away, but then she was so very young too.
Straight Point can be seen beaming in a corner. Bored is like family, after all.
xxxxxxx
The futility of applying Randivian tactics for social welfare
INT . Inside BCCI offices. Some time in the near future. Much water , if not spirit-of-cricket , has flowed under the bridge since Randiv famously thrust his worst foot forward. We come in to the scene when a BCCI fixtures scheduling meeting is on . In attendance are the fixtures committee and a very socially-conscientious Bored Peon.
CHAIRMAN : " Hmm , OK , up next for us is a Sri Lanka series. 25 tests , 50 ODI's and 100 T20's , that will take care of the six months begining Aug 1st , 2013."
The s-c. Bored Peon , an adherent of sorts of Randiv's revolutionary tactics , very quickly and very deftly turns the pages of the calendar forward by a year.
BORED PEON (brightly) : " But sir , we are already in Aug 2014 - so we are past that date. I don't think the tour can take place now , sir"
CHAIRMAN : " What ! Oh , i see. Oh well , never mind. Let's start the tour tommorow then"
Meeting ends. We find a despondent s-c. B.P. utter a hollow groan.
BORED PEON (to himself) : " Nahi , nahi , nahi ! Not another Ind-SL series , please sir ji !!!! We can't take it anymore - those 22 bored players , those nine spectators and half a dog in the stands. No , we can't ! Society . . . , this country , .....why , humanity ...will collapse. ..."
ENTER News TV journalist
TV J (to camera) : " Breaking news , live from the BCCI . Collapse of humanity is imminent , says Bored Peon !"
to BORED PEON " But half a dog in the stands watching an IND-SL match you said .Explain? "
BORED PEON : " Yeah , its mind is not on the game."
Aftermath of Randivgate
a century to remember...
before you correct me by saying it wasn't a century... let me counter in advance by saying that you are in a way supporting that act of randiv...
more than the deliberate attempt of randiv to deny it... in fact had he thrown the ball out of the boundary he would have looked more innocent... i will remember this century for the way it was achieved...
sehwag from the very beginning looked like he was on some mission... he played the balls on merit and never tried to manufacture a shot out of a good ball... for once he respected conditions... bowlers bowling good balls and more importantly being the senior most batsmen of the team he showed remarkable restraint throughout the innings and yet he scored a run a ball century!
this just goes to show, as yours truly has been arguing at various platforms for some time, that those who think that the only way sehwag plays is to just attack and dominate from the start... ought to keep the dvd of this innings of sehwag and vow to never ever comment on this aspect of sehwag's game till he/she watches cricket...
Whither the laws?
Law 18 (Scoring runs)
1. A run
The score shall be reckoned by runs. A run is scored
(a) so often as the batsmen, at any time while the ball is in play, have crossed and made good their ground from end to end.
(b) when a boundary is scored. See Law 19 (Boundaries).
(c) when penalty runs are awarded. See 6 below.
(d) when Lost ball is called. See Law 20 (Lost ball).
2. Runs disallowed
Notwithstanding 1 above, or any other provisions elsewhere in the Laws, the scoring of runs or awarding of penalties will be subject to any disallowance of runs provided for within the Laws that may be applicable.
Notwithstanding 1 above, or any other provisions elsewhere in the Laws, the scoring of runs or awarding of penalties will be subject to any disallowance of runs provided for within the Laws that may be applicable.
Law 19 (Boundaries)
5. Runs scored
When a boundary is scored,
(a) the penalty for a No ball or a Wide, if applicable, shall stand, together with any penalties under either of Laws 18.5(b) (Deliberate short runs) or 42 (Fair and unfair play) that apply before the boundary is scored.
When a boundary is scored,
(a) the penalty for a No ball or a Wide, if applicable, shall stand, together with any penalties under either of Laws 18.5(b) (Deliberate short runs) or 42 (Fair and unfair play) that apply before the boundary is scored.
Law 21 (The result)
6. Winning hit or extras
(a) As soon as a result is reached, as defined in 1, 2, 3 or 4 above, the match is at an end. Nothing that happens thereafter, except as in Law 42.17(b) (Penalty runs), shall be regarded as part of it. Note also 9 below.
(a) As soon as a result is reached, as defined in 1, 2, 3 or 4 above, the match is at an end. Nothing that happens thereafter, except as in Law 42.17(b) (Penalty runs), shall be regarded as part of it. Note also 9 below.
(b) The side batting last will have scored enough runs to win only if its total of runs is sufficient without including any runs completed before the dismissal of the striker by the completion of a catch or by the obstruction of a catch.
(c) If a boundary is scored before the batsmen have completed sufficient runs to win the match, then the whole of the boundary allowance shall be credited to the side's total and, in the case of a hit by the bat, to the striker's score.
Law 24 (No ball)
11. Ball not dead
The ball does not become dead on the call of No ball.
The ball does not become dead on the call of No ball.
12. Penalty for a No ball
A penalty of one run shall be awarded instantly on the call of No ball. Unless the call is revoked, this penalty shall stand even if a batsman is dismissed. It shall be in addition to any other runs scored, any boundary allowance and any other penalties awarded.
A penalty of one run shall be awarded instantly on the call of No ball. Unless the call is revoked, this penalty shall stand even if a batsman is dismissed. It shall be in addition to any other runs scored, any boundary allowance and any other penalties awarded.
13. Runs resulting from a No ball - how scored
The one run penalty for a No ball shall be scored as a No ball extra. If other penalty runs have been awarded to either side, these shall be scored as in Law 42.17 (Penalty runs). Any runs completed by the batsmen or a boundary allowance shall be credited to the striker if the ball has been struck by the bat; otherwise they also shall be scored as No ball extras.
Apart from any award of a 5 run penalty, all runs resulting from a No ball, whether as No ball extras or credited to the striker, shall be debited against the bowler.
The one run penalty for a No ball shall be scored as a No ball extra. If other penalty runs have been awarded to either side, these shall be scored as in Law 42.17 (Penalty runs). Any runs completed by the batsmen or a boundary allowance shall be credited to the striker if the ball has been struck by the bat; otherwise they also shall be scored as No ball extras.
Apart from any award of a 5 run penalty, all runs resulting from a No ball, whether as No ball extras or credited to the striker, shall be debited against the bowler.
Law 42 (Fair and unfair play)
17. Penalty runs
(a) When penalty runs are awarded to either side, when the ball is dead the umpire shall signal the penalty runs to the scorers as laid down in Law 3.14 (Signals).
(a) When penalty runs are awarded to either side, when the ball is dead the umpire shall signal the penalty runs to the scorers as laid down in Law 3.14 (Signals).
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Law 21.6 (Winning hit or extras), penalty runs shall be awarded in each case where the Laws require the award. Note, however, that the restrictions on awarding penalty runs in Laws 26.3 (Leg byes not to be awarded), 34.4(d) (Runs permitted from ball struck lawfully more than once) and Law 41.4 (Penalty runs not to be awarded) will apply.
--
34.4 Randiv to Sehwag, 1 no ball, match is over, but Sehwag has been denied the century. And this is a big no-ball, must I point out? His back foot was close to over-steeping, forget about the front foot. Anyway Sehwag smashed it for six over long-off, but they don't count because the game finishes at no-ball. He raises his arms, but then realises the century is not completed. Doesn't matter to him. He says: "It often happens. When a batsman is on 99 and the scores are level, bowlers try to bowl no-balls and wides. It happens in cricket. Fair enough." What a man
So much for the rules, eh?
Suraj Randiv's inpiration and other assorted confessions.
As a young boy I was inspired by Murali, especially that time when he was called for no-balling down under. More than learning how to bowl new deliveries, I always wanted to bowl no-balls to create new controversies.
While chucking the ball is one way to be called, you can’t always rely on this method. It is very complex, what with the angles, and umpires shying away from their responsibilities.
The moment Sehwag hit me for that big six I decided, I will also hit him for six. First the four byes, you’ll never know, will you? And then when India needed just one run to win.
Thanks to all the ICC Rules books I’ve consumed, I knew, if I bowled a no-ball, Sehwag will be denied a richly deserved hundred. That will hurt, just like he hurt me with that 6. Of course, I could have bowled a wide, a beamer but that would’ve been too blatant.
I was first thinking to run halfway down the pitch and bowl the ball, but again too blatant. So before I overstepped, by only a few feet, mind you, I nudged the umpire, Ranmore Martinesz, and then whispered to him in Sinhalese…watch my foot, watch my foot. First he replied no ball in Sinhalese, and then extended his arm. Just proves, no balls speak a universal language but we Sri Lankans have a better accent.
Player Profile: Mohammad Yousuf
Once upon a time, he scored runs like he was stocking up for the off season. Made so many hundreds in that bumper harvest, appears some of his lesser colleagues approached him for a Run loan. This of course MoYo agreed to, but at such a high interest, that borrowing from MoYo would entail being in his run-debt for life.
MoYo has no friends, nor does he have any enemies; possibly because nobody knows who or what he is. Left to himself, he likes to field at third man. Possibly because MoYo is not his own man, he is his third man.
Get swell soon, Yuvraj.
While you wait it out with Shantaram, there’s possibly one positive, you don’t have to play Sri Lanka again this month. It’s a high price to pay, be so much better if these one-dayers against Sri Lanka could have caught dengue instead.
It’s been a rough year alright, if it’s not bad enough playing Lanka in your sleep, you had Sanga and Mahela in your IPL team too. Can’t blame you for that loss in form, it’s a wonder you turned up to play.
Stock up on the fluids (y’kno which ones) have a chat with Bhajji, take in the good vibes on twitter, and get fit fast. Team India needs you. For the entertainment, and yeah, for the cricket too.
also by me: Yuvi sings the blues
Freedom 2010
Commitments to you, commitments to who?
Commitments to another India Sri Lanka series that’s who
Commitments to a tri series, yahoo!
Commitments to a Hi! Hi! Series
How low can it get
How low can it get
Let’s go to the paradise island below, again
And again, and again, and again
Let’s go, again, and again, and one more time,
Again…
The people change, the board stays the same
The people change, the board stays the same
Shame, shame, the board stays the same
And same, same, the board stays the shame
Hardened men in white safari suits
If they bowled a ball, or batted an eyelid
It wasn’t in this lifetime
No, no, not in this lifetime
For
Cricket is commerce
It’s terse and it’s dirty
Cricket is commerce
Commerce, commerce
Terse, terse, commerce, commerce
I’m above India Sri Lanka, Dhoni was once
I’m above India Sri Lanka, Sachin is
And Gambhir and Bhajji
And you and me
And Viru and Raina for the weekend
Why can’t we all be
Free of India Sri Lanka
Happy Bored Day India.
Here’s to freedom from India Sri Lanka series
They're bad, they're bad, I know it they're bad!
Some ads subtract.
According to Nimbus sport, India can use the UDRS (Umpire Decision Review System) if and when the BCCI approves it.
Frankly I’m not very pleased to know that Neo Cricket can handle the technology that UDRS requires. What hassles me are the ads.
After Set Max screwed around with the ads, Neo went a step further during the Asia cup showing ads every damn ball.
Forget the video, Nimbus had audio ads planted where Arun Lal and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan yapped to eternity about this company called Micromaxxx.
Now if BCCI gives UDRS a go, I wonder how thrilled the money bags at Nimbus will be?
I feel sorry for the creative guys. Can you imagine the vague ideas they’ll have to come up with – the scene could be something like...
Dhoni appeals...appeal denied by umpire Harper....Dhoni opts for a review after consulting Harbhajan Singh. And then the unwanted happens...
"And Dhoni has gone for a Tata Docomo review", screams Ravi Shastri...And as soon as he says that, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Donald join him and the trio sing "tu tu du, tu tu du" – the by now obnoxious Docomo tune as the technology tries and reviews the decision. That goes on for 30 seconds before the decision is made.
Can you take that every review? And if Ravi, Sunny, and Allan refuse to sing, they'll be asked to do something like...
"And Dhoni has gone for the IDEA review", screams Ravi. This time Sunny and Allan, along with Ravi shout, "What an IDEA sirji?"
Also don’t be surprised to hear something like…
“And Ponting has gone for the Manikchand review. Unche log, unchi pasand.”
And if Idea and Docomo don't invest, there’s always micromaxxx.
by Rahul Bhagchandani
who blogs at Snicked Cricket
This is Jatman speaking
achcha waqt toh khushi khushi nikal jaata hai... kharab daur ka ek ek lamha kaatna mushkil ho jaata hai...
Refreshing to see a message from Viru to his fans, even if it was to push his new website, www.sehwagworld.com But then you see RP Singh, Ishant, MSD and Sree, with their messages to the fans. What next, Ponting's message - probably not, he doesn't have any fans.
And here is the fake one down player sounding...fake?
happy bored day – the day after…
bored could not see tears in the eyes of bored fans so they decided to throw a party on their 2nd happy bored day... although it was a 'rushed' affair after the 'grueling' days of being bored... surprisingly everybody turned out...
here is some inside stuff bored fans might be interested in...
afridi came with so much of zest and hoopla... but to everybody's surprise... announced he can’t take it anymore after just one hour into the party... declaring ‘i wasn’t good enough’ to attend it for five hours... and left abruptly...
pakistan team came to the party but were ‘out’ before anyone could notice... although no official statement was issued but apparently they could not handle the swinging beauties...
although invited... MoYo could not attend the party coz he was too tired...
broady was game for it... ‘I liked this idea of bored ‘throwing’ the party on 2nd bored day as they call it...’
pricky looked bit uncomfortable throughout the party... he kept elbowing fans to create his own personal space on the dance floor... once he settled into the party after a good patiala peg or two... he started ‘pulling’ one joke after another from his hat but for all his jokes he could not ‘pull’ any laughter from the audience... he seemed in denial mode and kept on pulling them till he realised he was alone in his own personal space...
finally after 'grueling' test series parties in sri lanka... dhoni and his troops arrived late into the bored party and seemed a little upset as soon as they stepped on to the dance floor... the floor appeared too ‘spongy’ to them... although they refused to offer any excuse for ‘tossing out’ so early (from the party)... some bored members saw dhoni complaining to BCC! president for the ‘rushed’ scheduling of bored party... but before leaving... he thanked BCC! for arranging the helicopter to the party venu...
watch this space for more details...
The Sandwich Maker
They first sandwiched a test series between two ODI series. Then they sandwiched a poor pitch between two good ones.
First the base: the Asia Cup: Plenty of context. You'd think it's at the bottom and no one cares about it but it matters. Your appetite can always use ingredients from all over the subcontinent adding their own flavours. The Boom Boom especially was entertaining. There were a few complaints that it was good for brunch but not exactly great for evenings under lights.
The stuffing. Three layers of it. Some important Indian ingredients were missing so it was always gonna be a little imbalanced.
Galle was a Sri Lankan delicacy, it takes getting used to to. Some can have it for 4 out of 5 courses, some can barely keep it in. Watching the non regulars struggle with it can be entertaining.
SSC was stale meat. Just a lot of chewing. Just when you'd feel like you were about to extract some juice, there came more chewing. Tasted like road. Left with no choice when some of their old stuff became spoilt, India toyed with a new ingredient which surprisingly tasted good with the fine old wine. it was the highlight, I feel.
The P Sara. A good mix of greens and meat. The very, very special garnishing left you with a good taste if you didn't enjoy the Galle and the SSC.
Overall I'd say they got it right, but the stuffing within the stuffing can improve. That's the road I refer to.
by Crownish
blogs at FCKING BLOG (Fantasy Cricket Kings Blog)
Happy Bored Day: Get Bored !!
 |
| Bored is celebrating its second B'day Today |
The first time I visited Bored, I actually thought it was a site by the official BCCI. :-) Only later did I realize it was something far more important - the best online community of cricket bloggers with the best variety of opinions and writing on cricket today. Long like BCC!
- Krish
2 lines about myself: I talk nonsense.
And I will never stop.
2 lines about cricket: Cricket is a way of life
If you don't watch cricket, you have no life
2 lines about Bored: Fact: We are all bored
Fact: BCCI just does it in style
-Purna
Cricket has begun to border on boredom. And there comes in Bored for me.
Bored Cricket Crazy Indians has come in as my savior, for bored makes cricket bearable.
-Ankit Poddar
Two lines for two years, 4 lines for four, 2635 posts and counting, coz we want more
-Homer
First, I liked the name. Then I liked the cartoons. Then the songs, the Bored game, the opinions, the quips, the debates, the favourites-lobbying and the philosophy of bored. This here is the one outlet of our voices and our thoughts on the game. Who are we? We are all Bored Cricket Crazy Indians!
- Crownish
About Me,
Socially awkward techie in normal life. expletive-spewing, shadow-searching, butter fingered fast bowler on the cricket field
Cricket,
is not my religion, sachin not God. but its something which has given me great memories, good friends
Bored,
Is a fun place to be in. To say one thing in a thousand different ways, that we love cricket
-Prafs
For me, cricket and Bored have merged, reckon I watch more Bored than cricket. 2 years on, it's still the bored anthem for me. Who's gonna be the next bored member, what's his cricket story?
-naked cricket
About me and bored…
I don’t know for sure whether bored reflects me or I reflect bored… but the one thing I know for sure is that the moment I know the answer to the question, that started it all… ‘what is cricket to you’… I won’t be bored anymore…
- sp
In a nation where those who are powerful and those who have most listeners have indoctrinated the masses and cricket lovers with most biased and self serving notions-- Bored has shown how bored talk can be more powerful than most listened to notions and opinions. I still say, before anything else; I write for Bored.
--A Bisht
I had been stalking BCC! for awhile till one day I got the courage to walk up and ask it out for a date. BCC! agreed and let me wine and dine. I had an interested "member" while being a "bored" guest. In the end, we just hit it off and we are going all the way! Yeah baby, Yeah!
-the cricket couch
Achettup: Assumes cricketing harbingers enlightened the totally unassuming perfunct
Cricket: 'Coz running in circles keeps everybody tired
Bored: Because our readers enjoy discussion
Happy Bored Day Bored - Bored for two years, here's to being Bored forever!
That's all from me for now; if u thought that was brief, you obviously missed the Indian innings against NZ the other day. Well, no worries, the Indian batsmen did too.
-Bhaskar Khaund
The first time I came across BCC! was during the 2009 T20 World Cup. Ironically, it was the banter of a Pakistani and Sri Lankan that was the rage at that time. Going deeper into the dark dungeons of the blog one could see it didn't spare any cricketer of criticism when it was called for, but it also did so in a very good-natured way. None of that effigy burning, expletive spewing rubbish. No, the criticism was registered through screenplays, cartoons, tapped phone conversations and khufia reporters. Reminded one to be sincere about the game but not take it too seriously. Happy Bored Day to all Bored Members.
-Mahek
I had this sneaking suspicion that cricket was invented to facilitate and justify the existence of Bored Cricket Crazy Indians and two years down the line, I stand vindicated.
-Som
Stranded halfway around the world with no TV meant I had to look elsewhere for the cricket I could not do without. Bored has been filling just that void for me and then some. Between Homer's didactic rendering of the laws of the game, Mahek's trenchant critiques, SP's straight points, NC's many many gems and all the others, guests and members alike, it's been an experience to savour. And one that I will continue to enjoy in the years to come.
Happy Bored day!
-Rohit Pillai
The enthusiasm and fervour with which Bored members write about the game and the intricacies they point out is just amazing and cannot be found anywhere. Have been hooked on to Bored for an year now. By the look of things will be hooked for life as well..
-Aditya
Bored is an adda; come, hang out, shoot the shit with fellow Desis. Check all reverence at the door; kick off your shoes. Wait, keep them on, coz' there's nothing holy about this place and we want to keep things secular. Like Good Desis, dontcha know? Indians often don't make sense to each other; cricket brings us together. Bored is where it comes together.
-Samir Chopra
I started blogging roughly 3 years back using my internet persona (VM, VMM, Victoria, VMMinerva, either way is fine). Some very nice folk stumbled on my blog and then more followed. With time, we are all buzzing at each other's virtual homes. Most of these folks joined BCC! on NC's request and it has been a lot of fun ever since.I still vividly remember that day 2 years ago when NC had mailed us very excitedly about his thoughts on Bored. It's wonderful to see that it has blossomed into a very entertaining site. When I'm bored and not so bored, I check by. Thanks to everyone here who's made it a great place to visit! Cheers!
-VM
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