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« Previous EntriesUmpires are made of wood
By Will 2 months ago, 3 Comments »
It’s official: umpires are made out of wood after all. This genius shot of a dead tree carved into an umpire was found on Flickr:
When I eventually build my own house - one of my lifelong ambitions - I’d find it hard not to resist carving my own umpire. It’s a must-have for any cricket tragic and makes me wonder what else you might chisel out of an old tree…
3 Comments »Red Arrows in the South Hams
By Will 3 months ago, 2 Comments »
Nothing to do with cricket I’m afraid, but too good not to share. I just stumbled across this photo of the Red Arrows flying over the countryside in Dartmouth, near where my mum lives. Her friend’s son flies for them and, after the regatta over Dartmouth, they sped down to our local beach a few miles away for their own personal fly-by. Great to see a photo of it finally - must have been fairly awesome!
Lots more on Flickr.
2 Comments »The new Afridi
By Will 3 months ago, No Comments; be the first!
Maybe in 10 years, anyway. Great shot found on Flickr.
K a i r o s - Away in Pakland.
Cricket comes to St Moritz
By Will 4 months ago, 1 Comment »
St Moritz: playground of the rich and fameless, and now playground of the cricketer. The sport is no stranger to ice, and the novelty has totally worn off. Come on - can’t they think of anything new? We’ve had icey cricket, we’ve had desert cricket. Come on, Branson: let’s have gravity-free cricket on the moon.
Bollocks to the side strain: give me the ball
By Will 4 months ago, 1 Comment »
South Africa won the first one-dayer against West Indies by six wickets today in Centurion. You can tell by that sentence how excited I was by the game, but the dullness was enlivened dramatically by the most stunning of caught-and-bowleds from Dwayne Bravo. He has a side strain and was not, by his own admission, expected to bowl for another two weeks. But balls to that, he thought, and on he trundled.
He found one to bounce on Justin Ontong who was squared up, fending it up in the air about a metre from his crease. Somehow, Bravo sprinted down the pitch, dived, clung on with both hands with the ball just a few inches off the turf. A brilliant piece of fielding, of spirit in adversity, of courage - and of captaincy.
Photo by Neil Lane Cricinfo Ltd ©
Bend it like Samuels
By Will 4 months ago, 9 Comments »
So then, Marlon Samuels’ action has been reported. What’s the verdict? Legitimate action?
Marlon Samuels loses his head
By Will 4 months ago, 2 Comments »
Is Marlon Samuels finally growing up? I’m not so sure. It was a wonderful innings, his hundred against South Africa today, but all too often he nibbles and pokes at those decent deliveries outside his off stump. I admired his determination, and his coolness under raging pressure from Dale Steyn. The ball he fell to was spectacular, and I can’t remember seeing a better one. It was one for the memories.
Anyway, we have a photographer at the ground, Neil Lane, who’s been providing us with some excellent (and occasioanlly lewd) shots, including this one of Samuels ducking. Where’s his head gone?
The standard of photography from the agencies - Getty Images use Gallo Sports, Touchline and AFP - has been generally weak for the entire series. Neil’s, on the other hand, are crisp and inventive.
‘Please wait here for first available wicket’
By Will 4 months ago, 3 Comments »
This is superb:
Somehow, watching the West Indies collapse in fine style this morning against South Africa, I couldn’t help thinking about this sign I saw while waiting in line to renew my driver’s license.
From Sean, who built/administers CaribbeanCricket.com - a website about bicycle tyre pricing. No, not really; it’s dedicated to West Indian cricket.
He told me that a wicket (in Canada, and probably America, and probably everywhere else) is a ticket boot where you are served, like in a post office. Shamefully, perhaps because I’ve been a cricket fan most of my life, I was completely ignorant as to the other meanings of the word.
3 Comments »Light sabre batting
By Will 4 months ago, 2 Comments »
Enough of monkeys and racism and all that nonsense. Let’s talk light sabres.
Me and a colleague were remonstrating our dislike of Graeme Smith’s batsmanship today. At best, he is agricultural; at worst, his strokeplay is downright ugly. This isn’t to discredit him - he’s unstoppable on his day, as he was today against West Indies - but he’s a getter of runs, not a glider.
Anyway, wafflings put to one side, it got me thinking about those photos you see of him carving past point…and a static photo isolates the ugliness and turns his bat (and others like him) into a light sabre. Look, here’s Shaun Marsh:
WHOOSH:
And here’s Wasim Jaffer. WHOOMF:
Any others you’ve spotted?
2 Comments »Harbhajan gets the monkey off his back
By Will 4 months ago, 7 Comments »
Here’s Harbhajan Singh signing a fan’s t-shirt, and enjoying a rare lull from the media melee during India’s tour match against an Invitational XI in Canberra. But what’s that word on the front of the t-shirt?
It begins with an M and ends in a Y!
7 Comments »Here come the effigies
By Will 4 months ago, 36 Comments »
Surprisingly delayed, but here come the effigies of the three doomed members of the Sydney Test: Ricky “boooo” Ponting; Steve “Edges” Bucknor. And Mark “give us a” Benson:
Here’s how to make your point. LOTS OF FLAMES AND FIRE AND BURNING THINGS:
I have to tip my hat to this one though. Inspired use of the roadside donkey:
All in all, a disgraceful turn of events. Let them abandon it and let them bugger off home. Just spoken to my Indian friend who diplomatically asked my opinions on it. I told him how India have dug themselves a hole, and continue to act as though Australia have nicked their dummy. He and his mates, all Indian, agree. I fear he and they are in the minority.
Get over it.
36 Comments »Channel 4: Network Rail ‘over a barrel’
By Will 4 months ago, 2 Comments »
Congratulations are in order to the person at Channel 4 who decided to shame Robin Gisby, operations director at Network Rail, for their disastrous and unforgivable delays today. Shortly before his name popped up, “over a barrel” appeared for a few seconds…so I took a shot for posterity. Well done Channel 4!
Made me smile, anyway.
2 Comments »West Indian winners
By Will last year, at the end of December, 2 Comments »
Ryan has a couple of cracking shots of the West Indies celebrating their win over South Africa in their dressing room…including Dwayne Bravo doing a spot of karaoke:
And Chris Gayle
Burka on the boundary
By Will last year, at the end of December, 3 Comments »
Fascinating photo, found on Flickr
Ravi the Fokker
By Will last year, mid-December, 1 Comment »
Ravi Bopara does his best impersonation of a Fokker:
Neeeeeeeeyow neeeeeeeyow.
1 Comment » « Previous Entries