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india is celebrating raksha bandhan...
i can understand slow net traffic today...eligible bachelors...and some self proclaimed hunks will be hiding in their bunkers ...while gals will be busy chasing them...
...but i was smart and took my laptop with me...to post a post on raksha bandhan...cricket style!
so who will be tying rakhi to whom in cricket today...
badrinath, amit mishra will be tying the rakhi on MSD's hand which will make him duty bound to include them in final xi at least when selectors select them for future tours...
pujara, our own CHE, will be looking to do the same to selectors to at least select him first...as playing in final xi is a distant dream...
while indian players are looking for wada officials to tie rakhi and requesting elimination of whereabouts clause...icc will be looking to do the same to bcci to end impasse...
deshis have prolonged their stay in west indies just to tie rakhi to wicb and wipa officials to provide them a wonderful opportunity to win test and odi series with a request for similar tours in future...
aussie players have taken cue from indian culture and prepared a special rakhi for rudi koertzen to go easy on them...
while i will by tying the rakhi to the those who will come up with more such instances...
happy raksha bandhan to one and all!!
who is tying rakhi to whom today...
Beer Cricket.
The ball behaved like a hooligan. Streaked past the boundary and then knocked the beer of its perch. The beer stumbled, emptied itself on the ball. Beer and ball frolicked on the grass, it was a moment. The bereaved (the beer-eaved) was overcome with shock and media glare excitement.
Then the beer-ball was dried, and bowled with.
Minutes of tweets, 2nd Day Ashes:
Beer on ball. Look out for beamers.
In spite of the beer, the ball kept low.
Rudi though was high as a kite. Guess he drank the ball.
If that didn’t make sense, well, neither did Rudi.
Let's talk about umpires, baby!
I'm thinking umpires, after this chat about chases at Well Pitched –
Golandaaz:
I think it’s the case of too little too late for Australia. All 400+ chases in Test Cricket have been architected by the top order. The only 350+ chase I remember, not starred by the top order, was against Pakistan by Gilchrist and Langer I think.
Australia winning is highly unlikely.
Q:
Golandaaz, You are right abt the Langer / Gilchrist chase orchestrated by the lower order.. however had the umpire given Langer out, as he was edging Wasim Akram behind the stumps, it would have never happened.
How that loss still hurts.
Coming back, so yeah the big chases have been due to the top order.. but if a fresh Clarke and Haddin can come firing in the morning, who knows what can happen..
Naked Cricket:
Q, Golandaaz, that Langer test of yours - Parker and Wiley umpired.
It was Parker who didn't give Langer's edge, right?
The edge was thick, and so was Parker.
Btw not that we care, but Parker turned 50 y'day. The Langers were over.
Ok, here is what I’m driving at: Peter Parker was an Aussie umpire officiating in a test match played by Australia v Pakistan. That was November, 1999. Ten years on, we have neutral umpires.
And while games like Hobart are tough to let go off, how easy will it be for the Aussies to forget Lord’s and forgive the neutral South African umpire?
Much as Lord's will be about Freddie for the Poms, it will be about Rudi for the Aussies.
The argument that Australia was outplayed 5 outta 5 days and England would still have won, doesn't hold here.
How far can Human Technology be? If ever there was a case, for a strong Nokia branding (human technology is their line), to interface man and machine, it is now.
The umpire can be the coat rack, ball counter, PR man on field, there are still many roles for him - best of all, we need him to stand there, fill space. Almost like a tradition we cannot let go off. But at the same time, these moronic mistakes (albeit human and unintentional) are starting to sully the sport.
Bring on the machines. Sir Don said so a long time ago, what do you say sir?
England's best hope.
As Indian bloggers(and commenters like yours truly) went rabid on Aussie blogs, annoying the sh*t out of the latter by use of the word ‘karma’, quietly, the tough b**tards went to work. The unlikely duo of Pup and Mr.Spirit-of-Cricket(jr)* a.k.a. Brad Haddin quietly hauled Oz back into the game. As things stand, Australia stand on the verge of breaking the door open for a famous victory
So, one mulls, what’s England’s best hope? Is it that so-called great bowler, and greatest all rounder(since Botham, screw it, greatest ever) Freddie Flintoff? But then, he already has taken 2 wickets, and that’s pretty much his quota for an innings in general.
Is it going to be Swann? One hardly thinks so, Pup is the best player of spin in this team, and Haddin knows enough to block and beat Swann.
Would it be Onions or Anderson then? Well, surely Anderson got 80% of his haul for the series in the 1st innings? And Onions? Ha!Ha! Woe betide the world where Onionses hack off Australia?
That leaves Stuart Broad and Paul Collingwood, both bits-and-pieces all rounders, and it is a telling comment that Strauss would be better off trusting the latter than the former.
Who then can save England?
One thinks, thinks, and thinks….and then it strikes one…Eureka!
Why, it is Rudi of course? England’s only hope today.
What a riot that would be – 3 South Africans in English garb screwing Australia? Sounds delicious.
by Raj
Pick your end wisely.
Pakistani umpires are likable. They give guys out.
Better still, today, they (Asad Rauf is royalty) gave some Aussies out.
Still, Kumble bowled himself and Ishant from Rudi’s end. Which is a lot less likable than Howard’s end.
When India bat, will howling wolf Lee bowl from Rauf’s end?
Whoever does, you can bet your bottom Aussie dollar, he’ll get more from Rauf, than Rudi gives.
Or will Rudi finally come around by then?
On a dour note, it’s a shame about the referrals. We could’ve collectively blamed Saheba sahib, the TV umpire.
But then, we still got Lee’s beamers to look up to.
But before that some quick runs, wickets or both. The IPL leg of the test match starts tomorrow.
Bring on dear Watson. Elementary!
