Breaking/Brief news
April 17, 2009
Breaking news: Pakistan will not co-host the 2011 World Cup
As noted on a twitter update just now, Reuters reports that the ICC has ruled that Pakistan will not co-host the 2011 World Cup.
If you have an opinion about who's to blame for this move, pick from the options below!
Labels: 2011, 2011 world cup, breaking news, icc, pakistan, security, terrorism
Thus spake Jagadish @ 8:06 pm | Sledge/Read 1 sledge(s)
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February 05, 2009
Breaking news: Andrew Symonds pulls out from IPL
In a stunning development, Andrew Symonds has exclusively revealed to this blog that he is pulling out from the Indian Premier League. The news comes a couple of days after Cricket Australia announced that he would not be considered for national selection until he completed his counselling & rehabilitation. He said that his decision was not related to any on-field related issue with Deccan Chargers.
Readers will recall that he was sent off during the Bangladesh one-dayers. Subsequently, he was recalled to the side. However, as part of his rehabilitation programme, Symonds was barred by Cricket Australia from going fishing anywhere.
Having looked at the various teams in the Indian Premier League, Symonds came to the conclusion that it would be impossible for him to resist the temptation to go fishing in the cities where the IPL games were played in. Delhi & Kolkota have rivers, Chennai & Mumbai have beaches while all the others (Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur & Mohali) had lakes (artificial & natural).
Symonds is the latest among prominent cricketers who've decided to give the IPL a miss - Michael Clarke, Stuart Broad and Mitchell Johnson. Michael Vaughan really doesn't count. With a ODI batting avg 27, sr 68 from 83 innings, there's a high chance that he gracefully stepped aside lest the IPL team owners ask him to pay up to go anywhere near one of the teams in the league.
Labels: breaking news, exclusive, indian premier league, ipl 2009, symonds, twenty20
Thus spake Jagadish @ 12:59 pm | Sledge/Read 0 sledge(s)
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January 07, 2009
Breaking news: Pietersen and Moores quit as England's captain & coach
According to Sky News, Kevin Pietersen has quit as England's captain. Cricinfo reports that Peter Moores, England's coach, has also resigned.
This follows the publicized clash of views between the two that required hurried intervention by senior folks at the ECB.
Pietersen had been named England captain 5 months ago.
I guess we'll have to await confirmation from the ECB, but this is about the worst thing that England cricket needs now with a tour of West Indies starting in a couple of weeks and a team that hasn't beaten significant opposition for 3 years now, the last one being the home win over Pakistan in 2006.
Now who'll be made captain? Strauss? But he isn't in the ODI team. Vaughan? Isn't that a retrograde move? Flintoff? He was cast aside after the 2006/07 Ashes thrashing. Collingwood? He gave up the job 5 months ago and I'm not sure how much of a certainty he is in tests because he seems to be in the team on a per-test basis. Cook? Far too early! My guess is that the ECB, if it does accept Pietersen's resignation, will opt for Strauss as test captain & persuade Flintoff or Collingwood to be the ODI captain.
As for the coach, that's a toughie because the main candidates that people have talked about are associated with either Pietersen or Moores. Andy Flower is a Moores pick while Graham Ford was being backed by Pietersen. I guess that also rules out Warne!
Do I love it when England cricket is in trouble? Of course!
Update: I just had a rather evil thought. Does it seem like Pietersen doesn't quite enjoy it when things don't work out the way he wants? He quit South Africa claiming that the system was unfair. Now he's quit as captain because he can't have his way with the coach.
Labels: breaking news, captaincy, coach, england, pietersen
Thus spake Jagadish @ 7:19 pm | Sledge/Read 2 sledge(s)
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October 07, 2008
Breaking news: Sourav Ganguly announces retirement
News trickling in just now - Sourav Ganguly has announced his retirement. He will be quitting after the test series against Australia.
It is unclear if he will be retiring from all forms of cricket, including book cricket. Remember, he captained the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL last year. Will he play in the 2009 edition?
The retirement, in my opinion, is poorly timed. The announcement means that he will definitely be picked for all four tests. It puts immense pressure on him, and the team. Just think back to Steve Waugh's farewell series against India in 2003/04. I'm fairly sure that Waugh's decision to announce his retirement before the series definitely impacted Australia's performances.
The other reason it is poorly timed is that it basically ensures that the likes of Kaif, Badrinath, Raina or Yuvraj have no hope of playing the series, barring injury affecting the rest of the middle-order.
Almost exactly a month ago, he declared that he had two more years of cricket left in him. So what has changed now in the meantime, especially considering he was picked for the first two tests?
There's so much you can write about him - being picked in 1992, a comeback in 1996, becoming India's best batsman in ODIs for 3-4 years (despite the presence of Tendulkar), his captaincy, the fact that the Indian team drastically improved its away performances when he was captain, driving opponents nuts with his own version of 'mental disintegration', the shirtless celebration at Lord's while continously mouthing obscenities, his repeat visits to the match referee room, the brilliant knock at Brisbane, his spat with Greg Chappell, being picked as an all-rounder, being picked for the tour of Pakistan in 2006, his batting in South Africa during his 2006 comeback, his double hundred late last year, his brilliant 80-odd against South Africa a few months ago, and so much more!
Will we hear of another retirement when the series ends?
Sourav, thanks for the memories.
Labels: aus v ind 2008, book cricket, breaking news, ganguly, india, retire
Thus spake Jagadish @ 5:04 pm | Sledge/Read 4 sledge(s)
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July 13, 2007
Breaking news: England to have two international teams?
A few weeks after announcing that England would have separate captains for tests and one-dayers, the ECB is apparently seriously considering the idea of having two teams represent the country in international cricket. Sources close to the ECB management told this writer that the decision has almost been taken.
The current test team will continue to play in test cricket, but the current one-day side (19 wins from the last 50 ODIs - 5 of them against Bangladesh, Canada, Ireland & Kenya) will step aside and the England 'A' team (called England Lions) will henceforth represent England in one-day international cricket.
The trigger for this decision is believed to be the strong start by the England 'A' side in the tour game against India , 98/2 in 19 overs at the time of writing.
The ECB source refused to comment when asked if the England ODI side could be referred to as TSFKATEOS.
Labels: breaking news, england, odi
Thus spake Jagadish @ 5:01 pm | Sledge/Read 0 sledge(s)
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February 07, 2007
Marlon Samuels could soon be forlorn
Breaking news on several news channels a short while ago said that the first one-dayer between India and West Indies at Nagpur was under investigation by the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit.
Marlon Samuels was specifically identified by Nagpur's Deputy Commissioner of Police as having leaked match related information (pitch conditions, team information and batting order) to a bookie named Mukesh Kochchar. There is as yet no mention if any money exchanged hands or indeed if Marlon Samuels was also paid to under-perform.
Section C of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players & Officials explicitly deals with interacting with bookmakers, betting, etc. Even if Samuels didn't accept any money/gift etc., he could be charged with having dealt with bookmakers under Clause 4 (xi) of the code. That is, if he hadn't brought his interaction to the notice of his captain, manager, senior board official or ACU official. He could be fined and banned for anything between 1 and 5 years if he is found guilty. In fact, if he did bring it to the notice of the above folks, they would be charged and get a similar ban & penalty if found guilty, but would Samuels get away with it?
It is perhaps worth noting that I'd nominated him for the 'Man of the match' award for his invaluable knock of 40 in 60 balls when West Indies needed 7 an over to win. Coincidence? Hmmm ...
Labels: breaking news, india, match fixing, samuels, west indies
Thus spake Jagadish @ 11:10 pm | Sledge/Read 2 sledge(s)
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August 29, 2006
Cricket Australia accedes to BCCI's demand on umpires
In breaking news available only to this blog, Cricket Australia has agreed to a quid-pro-quo with the BCCI which will ensure that the BCCI supports Cricket Australia's thoughts for Australian and English umpires umpiring this summer's Ashes.
All that the BCCI has asked for is that Cricket Australia allow SK Bansal and AV Jayaprakash to stand in as umpires when Australia next tours India for tests. As a bonus, Cricket Australia have agreed to the BCCI's proposal that Darrell Hair would appear in commercials to promote the SG brand of balls, the manufacturers of which are faced with the distinict possibility of going out of business.
Sources in to Cricket Australia confirmed to this correspondent that since Australia had anyway won in India after 35 years in 2004, they weren't overly concerned about the potential home team bias involved in the BCCI's proposal. "What's yet another series win in India compared to winning back the Ashes, mate?", the source remarked snobbishly.
Labels: bcci, breaking news, hair
Thus spake Jagadish @ 8:50 pm | Sledge/Read 2 sledge(s)
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December 13, 2005
Jayasuriya destroys his TV set
Breaking news
In news just coming out of Sri Lanka, discarded ex-skipper and opener Sanath Jayasuriya has just destroyed his television set by throwing his remote control on it.
While it is as yet unknown about whether it was pent up anger at his exclusion which forced him to do so, sources close to him inform us that he did so because he was livid at Sri Lanka's collapse from 109/1 to 123/5 on the fourth day of the Delhi test against India.
One of his friends, who wishes to remain unnamed, told this correspondent that he heard Sanath scream "I can bat better with the remote control than these buggers can do with the bat!". He also added that while that was just an approximate translation, there was a liberal dose of choice expletives in Sinhalese hurled at the players who got out, the Sri Lankan cricket board, the selectors and the team management.
Sri Lanka require 313 more runs to win with five wickets in hand and one day remaining.
Labels: breaking news
Thus spake Jagadish @ 4:46 pm | Sledge/Read 4 sledge(s)
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