Tag Archives: Zimbabwe
Ashes, Champagne And Yuck: The Ill-Defined Peeing Episode
So after the final test drew to a close after England's late charge towards victory was halted by bad-light, the Poms well and truly got to lay their hands on the historic Ashes urn. Australia was totally outplayed in the series and England fittingly won the series 3-0. No doubt the historic rivalry of the Ashes transcends ages and generations, but that doesn't call for an utterly disgusting way to celebrate the victory. For those who are wondering what I am talking about, a few players of the England team celebrated their victory by urinating on the Oval pitch.
Now comes the apology from the English camp for any offence that might have been caused to anyone by their actions. A few lines from the apology statement published in ecb.co.uk website are given below:
"The England cricket team would like to state that during our celebrations after winning the Ashes at no time was there any intention to disrespect Surrey CCC, the Oval or anyone else involved in the game we love,"
The interesting thing about this statement is that while England says that it did not have any intention to disrespect Surrey CCC, the Oval or anyone else involved in the game we love, what they actually ended up disrespecting was the very spirit of cricket by their "taking a leak" act. It was a shameful act to hear itself, let alone see it for the true connoisseurs of cricket. Wonder what MCC has to say on the English players' actions given that MCC is the custodian and guardian of cricket!
The apology goes on to say that the act was a simple error of judgement from the English players more than anything else. How much more mean could that excuse be? No international player in his sane senses is expected to indulge in an act like that whether it's a feeling of euphoria after the victory or something else.
In a series already marred by DRS controversies, Lehmann-Stuart Broad spat and so on, this was the last thing the series or more importantly the game of cricket needed. With interesting happenings in cricket on right now with Zimbabwe beating Pakistan in an ODI after 15 years, India A squaring the test series with RSA-A after their 2nd test loss, etc this post Ashes episode leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth. One can only hope that in their quest for becoming a world-beating side, the English team learns a bit of modesty and humbleness also along the way.
'We got carried away by Ashes euphoria': England say sorry for victory celebrations (standard.co.uk)
England apology after Ashes celebrations (nation.com.pk)
Grand England Cricket Pee Oval Ashes Madness (ramanan50.wordpress.com)
Ashes urinating controversy: ECB says matter is closed (dnaindia.com)
This entry was posted in Cricket, Crime and Punishment, IPL, Opinion, Sports and tagged Ashes, Cricket, England, England cricket team, Oval, Stuart Broad, Surrey County Cricket Club, Zimbabwe on August 29, 2013 by missionsharingknowledge.
Indian Rookies Have A Lot To Play For
By Kartik Kannan
India are currently ranked No. 1 in ODIs and one of the hallmarks of a top-ranking side over time is the quality of bench strength. While India get ready to play Zimbabwe without some of their senior players, it's a good opportunity for some of the newcomers to perform and prove that the team's DNA is not dependent on a few individuals, but is a high-performance culture that runs deep. I am reminded of the quadrangular series between England, Zimbabwe, Australia A and Australia in 1994-95, where the finals were contested by the two Australian sides. That showed to the world that Australia's second XI was better than many international sides. India can learn a thing or two from that series as they aim to build an ODI team for the future. Over to the youngsters.
Parvez Rasool
The offspinning allrounder from Jammu and Kashmir has made it to the team on the back of consistent performances in the domestic season. Rasool will be looking to ease himself into the international scene in Zimbabwe, where the pressure on him to deliver would be lesser. He's had a taste of the highest level, having played against the touring English and Australian sides recently.
If Rasool clicks, India would have found someone to share the spinners' workload with R Ashwin. Rasool's partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, who turns the ball the other way, will make for interesting viewing in the middle overs.
Mohit Sharma
Mohit Sharma's rise to the top was fast-tracked by his 2013 IPL season for the Chennai Super Kings. Mohit's key strength is the ball that goes away, and he bowls an impressive attacking line. He was handled well by MS Dhoni in the IPL, and that surely played a part in his success. Having Mohit and Bhuvneshwar Kumar – a swing bowler who bowls at a lesser pace – bowling in tandem will give India an edge with the new ball.
India's new-found performance man in Test cricket finally gets a chance to shine in the shorter format. Despite a tremendous List A average of 56.97, Pujara has unfairly been labelled as a slow run-getter. Given his recent successes, there's no question over his technique on tricky wickets or against good quality seam bowling. In recent times, India have missed a sheet anchor in ODI cricket, and with two new balls coming into play, Pujara could be just the man for them.
Unadkat sure knows the demands of international cricket, having endured a forgettable Test debut in South Africa in late 2010. He is a vastly improved bowler now, and has forced his way back into the set-up with consistent IPL performances. He has also had very successful A tours in New Zealand and England in the last couple of years. Zimbabwe's spongy bounce could be helpful to his style of bowling, which relies on hitting the seam more often than not. His inclusion brings variety to India's inexperienced seam-bowling group.
Ambati Rayudu
Having been one of the lynchpins of Mumbai Indians' renaissance since IPL 3, Rayudu's chance to represent the India team comes at just about the right time. He will lend depth to the middle order, and in Dhoni's absence, could slot in as a finisher. Dinesh Karthik is likely to be India's first-choice wicketkeeper, which could work against Rayudu. But if he gets a look-in, possibly ahead of Ajinkya Rahane, he should make it count.
This article was originally published at cricinfo and has been published with the authors permission
Zimbabwe- India's Achilles Heel In ODI's? (missionsharingknowledge.wordpress.com)
This entry was posted in Cricket, Entertainment, Ind In Zimbabwe, IPL, Opinion, Sports and tagged Australia, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Dinesh Karthik, India, One Day International, Ravindra Jadeja, Zimbabwe on July 23, 2013 by missionsharingknowledge.