IPL-Bollywood Points Table
Star Played Won Points 13 5 (1 NR) 11 13 8 16 13 7 14
Another batch of random thoughts, in no particular order (are random thoughts ever sequenced?):
West Indies beat Pakistan in the first Test match. The most laughable captain in world cricket, Darren Sammy, comes up trumps claiming a fifer as the Caribbean side wins an encounter between unpredictable “a-bit-more-than-minnows”.
Devendra Bishoo and Saeed Ajmal impress. Ajmal gets eleven but ends up on the losing side.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul lets his bat do the talking. Walking the talk? Certainly.
2nd May, 2011
Shivnarine Chanderpaul continues to raise a ruckus about his axing from the West Indian side.
In a second letter to West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Ernest Hilaire, the batsman questions his dropping for the Pakistan tour of West Indies.
Hilaire had squarely blamed the West Indies Player Association (WIPA) for Chanderpaul’s outburst in his response to his earlier missive.
The Guyanese was quick to respond saying:
“I may not be Dr. Chanderpaul, but I have been a top-ranked international batsman and we have to be able to think critically under the most intense and stressful situations.
It is therefore distressing that you blame WIPA by implication, if not overtly, for my letter saying that WIPA was offering me "ill advice". You may not be aware but I have faced the best bowlers in the world in my career and I know how to counter-attack. Furthermore, I am my own man and would ask that you respect that!"
The West Indian bat raised issues on the mishandling of injuries by the administrative body.
Coming on the back of a controversial decision by Chris Gayle to play the IPL rather than represent the band of nations that is the West Indies, the episode paints a sorry picture of the state of Caribbean cricket.
Chanderpaul may no longer be a sprightly young man but he should be allowed to decided when to quit the game.
Chanderpaul rarely courted scandal in his distinguished career but the lackadaisical attitude of the powers-that-be raised his hackles.
This man will not go quietly into the night.
David Lloyd, in the Independent, remarked thus: “England’s first series since the Ashes euphoria of four months ago may feel more like a ‘come as you are’ street party than a suited-and-booted city pageant.”
The comment was directed at the up-coming tour of England by Sri Lanka.
Bumble was, of course, referring to the current state of unrest in Sri Lankan cricket; a change of captain and vice-captain, the resignation of the selection committee, the retirement of Lasith Malinga from Test cricket and the lure of the IPL putting paid to plans of a training camp before the team embarked on the series.
The English team would be well-advised to welcome the tourists with this Nirvana song, penned by Kurt Cobain.
What he said:
“England’s first series since the Ashes euphoria of four months ago may feel more like a ‘come as you are’ street party than a suited-and-booted city pageant.”
David Lloyd aka Bumble on the up-coming tour of England by Sri Lanka.
What he meant:
“The Lankans will hardly have any time to slip out of their IPL pyjamas for the Tests.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“Why not play the Tests in pyjamas? And at night? Lalit Modi’s here, let’s ask him to help out.”