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Hoggard’s last of the Summer Wine
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 3 Comments »
The Barmy Army have already been busy in Mumbai. Prior to the Test they held a cricket match and also had a sponsored one mile run through the city streets, all to raise money for Sport Relief.
They’ve also been in fine voice and have brought with them a brass band, who let rip every now and then, especially to signify bowling changes. When Freddie Flintoff comes on they play Meet The Flintstones. Rather more whimsically, Yorkshire man Matthew Hoggard is greeted with the theme from Last Of The Summer Wine.
From Miles Jupp’s brilliant blog. I need to write more about this guy. I know he’s a comedian, or has written things in the past, but I still don’t know why he’s out there. But out there he is (in India for the Test series) and his blog has made for really entertaining reading; the type of stuff I hope I’d come up with if ever given the chance to tour. I suppose I’m especially thankful to him for bringing to our attention Matthew Hoggard’s theme tune!
For those not familiar with it, Last of the Summer Wine is a long-running and particularly dull sitcom set in Yorkshire (I believe) with a bunch of old duffers making mild and pathetic “ooh er, kinky” jokes. It’s utter tripe, but its theme tune is rather apt for Hoggy who is a reet bread-n-butter Yorkie.
Good stuff Miles, keep at it. (Oh, have mentioned him before at El Googly)
3 Comments »It’s Sreesanth, not Sreesunth
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 14 Comments »
Sreesanth, the India fast bowler, is my latest favourite player. Not because of his cricketing credentials, but for his name. Sreesanth. It’s singular; his first name is too long and complicated (it’s Shanthakumaran if you must know) and I have a curious liking for names and words and things.
I don’t know why…it’s probably because it’s so uncommon in Britain to be known nationally by your last name. Only if you’re a celebrity, and usually not a very good/popular/talented one, are you afforded notoriety by your surname. In the subcontintent, it’s common!
Anyway, I really am talking some rubbish here. The point of all this is highlighted by John Stern who, as I have mentioned before, is writing a diary for us at our Tour Diaries blog. And today’s entry should provide great reading for those of you interested into the world of a cricket journalist (John’s the Editor of The Wisden Cricketer):
14 Comments »But after leaving his seat and made for the exit, he promptly returned to the microphone-laden table. “I want to make an announcement,†he said. Comments like that lead to wild and excitable speculation. Journalists could see their careers flashing before their eyes. Is this the big one?
“I would like everyone to know that my name is Sreesanth. That’s S-R-E-E-S-A-N-T-H. Thank you.â€
You what? We don’t do jokes ten minutes before deadline. Was it a joke? Not a very funny one clearly. Apparently, there had been a misspelling of Mr Sreesanth’s name (there was a U instead of an A, if you must know). And he’s not amused. But the culprits have been apprehended and they will be facing him and Munaf Patel in the nets tomorrow.
India v England, 3rd Test, Mumbai, Day Two
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 24 Comments »
(Posted in advance) - chat away, night owls
24 Comments »India v England, 3rd Test, Mumbai, Day One
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 17 Comments »
Sorry - forgot about this Test! Good start for England…chat like the cricket-crazed fools you are
17 Comments »Stern blogs
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 1 Comment »
Much to his amusement, John Stern, the Editor of The Wisden Cricketer, can now be called a blogger. He’s kindly offering his thoughts over at our Tour Diaries blog while in India for the third Test. Check it.
1 Comment »India v England, 2nd Test, Mohali, Day Five
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 8 Comments »
The final day of the second Test at Mohali. England are in a bit of strife. Chat away, if you can bear it.
8 Comments »India v England, 2nd Test, Mohali, Day Four
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 14 Comments »
This Test is just about springing into life….which way will it swing?
14 Comments »India v England, 2nd Test, Mohali, Day Three
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 1 Comment »
Sachin’s gone! Rock on
1 Comment »India v England, 2nd Test, Mohali, Day Two
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 9 Comments »
Day two from Mohali. Our Indian office are covering this Test, so we won’t be alive until 9am GMT…but if any of you night owls are watching, leave a comment.
9 Comments »India v England, 2nd Test, Mohali, Day One
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 6 Comments »
Woops, sorry. Forgot all about the blog, and was out til very late last night, so apologies for that. I’ll have templates ready for the remaining days, and will blog with gluttonous glee as soon as I can.
6 Comments »Marcus Trescothick’s reasons for leaving India
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of March, 27 Comments »
Update March 22, 2008
Trescothick retires from internationals
Update November 14 2006
He’s left the Ashes
Update April 10 2006 He had a virus
In this age of unstoppable news broadcasts, 24/7 programmes and a culture desperate to hear the dirt on anyone remotely famous, the news blackout on Marcus Trescothick’s departure from India has been nothing but welcome.
It’s rare these days for anyone in the public eye not to bear the brunt of a seedy tabloid investigation; Shane Warne is one obvious example, and Ian Botham was perhaps the first cricketer in the modern era to really be exposed for his off-the-field misdoings (or not, whatever).
So although as a cricket fan and wannabe-journalist, I’m itching to know when Trescothick will return - purely for the good of the Test side - I couldn’t care less what his reasons for leaving India are. A tabloid, or someone with a burning desire to know, will no doubt find out soon enough but, for now, it’s a welcome relief from the norm, that a sportsman can get on with his life and deal with his problems in private. Let it remain that way (but let’s also hope whatever it is doesn’t stop him from returning for the one-dayers!)
27 Comments »Cricket’s status and popularity in India
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of March, 7 Comments »
After the Ashes, cricket’s stock rose significantly in England. But even in September 2005, with most of the country drunk on Ashes fever - literally, in some cases - it probably only matched India’s insatiable appetite for the game.
This remarkable fact has been highlighted by Paul Coupar, who’s out there for The Wisden Cricketer and is kindly blogging for Cricinfo too. It makes quite startling reading:
And that appetite for cricket has not changed if Nagpur’s local Sunday paper, The Hitavada, is anything to go by. In a 16-page paper, there are 15 cricket pieces. Remarkably, one of them is headlined ‘Chappell has acknowledged receipt of email’. Over on the front page, the three lead stories are: ‘England Cook up a defiant story’, ‘Keep restraint, Pawar tells Chappell in surprise meet’ and, finally, the tiddling matter of President Bush snubbing a proposed nuclear deal with Pakistan.
I agree with Paul that the appetite for cricket has, in recent times, been somewhat gluttonous; Chappell-Ganguly-gate was unnecessarily long-winded, but it nevertheless demonstrates the unparalleled lust for cricket. Is there any other sport which binds a country’s people together as much as cricket does for India?
7 Comments »India v England, 1st Test, Nagpur, Day Five
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of March, 26 Comments »
(Day one comments | Day two | Day three | Day four)
England 393 and 297 for 3 (Cook 104*, Collingwood 36*) lead India 323 (Kaif 91, Hoggard 6-57) by 367 runs
Who can believe it? England are on top. Alastair Cook, a debutant, is unbeaten on 104. Truly a funny game, this cricket thing. Shall attempt to get up even earlier tomorrow, although I’m expecting a draw. Chat away!
26 Comments »Alastair Cook’s maiden Test century
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of March, 2 Comments »
If he showed a glimpse of his class in the first innings, Alastair Cook proved it today with an innings of remarkable composure, restraint and maturity to give England a genuine chance of forcing the most unlikely of victories on the final day. First came Marcus Trescothick as England’s fresh-faced left-handed opener. Then Andrew Strauss, albeit in fortuitous selectorial circumstances. England have unearthed a third who, on the basis of one innings at Nagpur, could be better than both.
The prophets of doom, myself included, predicted nothing less than a 3-0 drubbing by India before the Test started; Michael Vaughan’s wonky knee, Trescothick’s undisclosed problems and a swathe of injuries afflicted England. Not even the most optimistic observer could have forseen the situation England find themselves in after four days.
He joins Andrew Strauss, with whom he opened in this Test, to make a fifty and a hundred on debut. Michael Clarke was the last to do it for Australia; Virender Sehwag for India; Scott Styris for New Zealand and Dwayne Smith for the West Indies. In fact, Smith’s highest score since that hundred against South Africa is 42. Against the might of Bangladesh. So it’s not a certainty that debutant centurions should forge a successful Test career but - and I’m willing to eat my hat, if I have one left, should this not be true - Cook showed he has more than enough ability and determination to succeed at Test level.
Against a true master of legspin, Anil Kumble, he was calm and in control, deftly back-cutting and waiting for a bad ball. Against Kumble’s partner in crime, Harbhajan Singh, he was flustered but was patient enough, and disconcertingly mature, to realise that eventually a bad ball would come. Singh, like his team-mates, didn’t have a day to remember - nor was lady luck smiling on them, or even grimacing. However this was Cook’s first outing at this level, and he coped with absolutely everything. Strauss’s debut against the West Indies in 2004 was one to remember, undoubtedly, but Cook’s magical knock today was technically superior and all the more astonishing given his late arrival; it was made in the second innings, too.
If England win this Test - and there’s an awful lot more work to do - it must surely be regarded as one of the best in recent times, given their pre-series disasters. If anything, it proves one thing: never write a team off, and left-handers have a bloody easy time of it 
India v England, 1st Test, Nagpur, Day Four
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of March, 60 Comments »
(Day one comments | Day two | Day three)
A fascinating Test, the fourth day ought to decide the likely outcome. England, remarkably, have their noses in front - but all that could change within the first hour. India are short on runs, and their number eleven appears to be a muppet with the bat (emphasis on appears; I no longer have any hats left to eat), but even if they can knock 20 runs off the deficit, it’ll be priceless. England need to bat well, score quickly and heavily. The Indians would fancy 200 on this pitch, possibly even 230 given their absurdly talented lineup. All to play for - I’ll try and rise from my pit for 8am, but it’s not looking likely. Chat away!
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