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Bristling moustaches abound, but cricket wins
By Alex Try 2 years ago, mid-December, 1 Comment »
Above anything which took place during today’s play, it is just a relief that cricket is back on again. The significance of this first Test for Indian cricket, with IPLs and Champions Leagues coming up, goes without saying. This might be the most important two-Test series ever played.
Security was tight but not oppressive. Lots of cops with bristling moustaches and ample girths glared at fans outside the stadium before play began. This moustache-to-belly ratio seemed to be an indicator of officer seniority but, despite their intimidating persona, almost everyone was welcoming.
Inside the stadium cameras, mobile phones and sun-cream were banned but many people managed to sneak them in anyway. A big screen which asks spectators to text messages onto it had a constant turnover, so the guards frisking can not have been that effective.
On the subject of ‘effective’ – England’s total was indebted to Andrew Strauss, who compiled his 13th Test hundred with minimum fuss. He and Alastair Cook seemed to be going some way to proving that a warm-up was not needed after all. If only the rest of England’s batting could have lived up to their start.
Paul Collingwood’s performance stood out in particular. Seemingly playing with a ping-pong bat, it would surprise nobody in the ground today if replays were used by the U.S Army to interrogate inmates in Guantanamo Bay. Given Owais Shah was England’s only consistent batsman during the one-day series, and Collingwood hardly scored a run, the England XI is confusing at best.
However, wherever England’s ended up at the end of the day’s play, the real story is that this Test is being played at all.
Alex Try is in India blogging England’s tour for The Corridor. He is envious of bristling moustaches
1 Comment »Over to you, Reg
By Alex Try 2 years ago, at the start of December, No Comments; be the first!
A couple of weeks ago I was staying in Colaba: I wandered into the Taj to have a look around, I checked-out the menu at Leopold’s café and caught a train from VT station. The horrible images from Mumbai were not diluted by the television set, they were infused with memories still fresh in my mind. If the Test Series even happens at all, I can completely understand some of the players staying at home.
I woke up this morning with the Indian media reporting that the first Test is going to be shifted to Mohali in the stable state of Punjab. Scrap that – a new report says Chennai could host the first Test and Mohali the second. Until I watch the players walking out onto the field I am not going to assume anything, Flights and hotels will only be booked at the last possible minute. Given what has happened this is the only way it can be.
Everything now rests on the advice given to the team by the Foreign Office and the ECB security chief Reg Dickason. As Michael Atherton finished off his column yesterday: “Over to you, Reg”.
Alex Try is in India blogging England’s tour for The Corridor. For how much longer, though, is anyone’s guess
No Comments »Fans warned: ‘Do not disturb’
By Will 3 years ago, at the end of November, No Comments; be the first!
I have to admit this piece from Christopher Martin-Jenkins completely passed me by yesterday, so I’m indebted to Patrick for pointing it out.
How crass it was, therefore, for the team’s permanent travelling security officer, the mustachioed Australian Reg Dickason, genial and popular figure around the team though he may be, to take it on himself to justify his presence by building barriers between the open dressing-room area on the grass in front of the intimate little mahogany panelled pavilion at the Colombo Cricket Club and the tiny smattering of spectators who had come to watch.
That was not sufficient for the eagle-eyed protector. A block of wood was added to close a gap between one pillar of the gazebo and the boundary fence; a table was placed to bar entrance to further grassed steps directly behind the players and finally, la pièce de résistance, up went a handwritten notice in green ink: “STRICTLY NO AUTOGRAPH PLEASE: It is a disturbance to the players. Please understand.”
This may seem a small matter, but it is an important one. It might conceivably have been excusable had the players shown any sign of being disturbed. In fact, like most professional cricketers, they seemed happy to sign the occasional autograph and they are perfectly capable of courteously refusing one when needing to concentrate on the match.
Good to hear that Andrew Walpole nipped this particular example of ridicularse in the bud. Even judging by photos of the team and interviews, it’s clear there’s a buzz of excitement there which, in the last year of Fletcher’s reign, was waning. Peter Moores and the ECB need to start afresh, and I hope examples like the one above aren’t repeated too often. It’s pathetic.
No Comments »England yet to decide on Karachi
By Will 5 years ago, mid-July, 3 Comments »
[via The Times]
England have asked for more time before agreeing to play in Karachi during the Pakistan tour this winter. The Pakistan Cricket Board wants to stage back-to-back one-day internationals in the city, which has suffered from terrorist attacks in the recent past, but the ECB is reluctant to play there more than once. Players have been guaranteed “head-of-state level†security at all venues.
A diplomatic nightmare to ensue?
3 Comments »