umpire

Daryl Harper: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

What he said:

“It’s about as common as Indians eating beef burgers."

Australian umpire, Daryl Harper, takes a huge swipe at Indian cricketers— simultaneously defending his track record, following the criticism directed at him  by the Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. In a series of caustic remarks—interpreted by some as having racist overtones— that included “I should never have applied the laws of cricket to Indian players.", the Australian let fly letting Indians know how he felt about their accusations. Harper says that the ICC  proved that 94% of his decisions were right and that his mistakes were as rare as Indians eating beef.

What he really meant:

“That’s how strongly I feel. So there!”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m a vegetarian.”

“McDonald’s have offered me a job—in India.”

Sachin Tendulkar referrals to be voted in by television audience (Satire)

MUMBAI—

The glaring error made by television broadcasters while replaying different camera views of a referred Sachin Tendulkar dismissal in the IPL has prompted tournament CEO, Sundar Raman, to propose a unique, innovative solution.

Every time an appeal against the master batsman is referred to the third umpire, the replayed feed will be telecast to television viewers prior to the third umpire.

Viewers will be provided a number to text where they will vote on whether the batsman is out or not.

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Recap and implications of ICC’s Cricket Committee recommendations

Cricket Ireland will welcome the recommendations made by the ICC’s cricket committee on Wednesday, the 11th of May, 2011.

Associate teams will be allowed to participate in the 2015 World Cup through a qualifying process. The next World Cup will not default to Test-playing nations. Teams will have to earn the right to be in the elite group of participating nations.

Cricket fans will start to believe again that “yes, the administrators are playing cricket.”

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E-book readers kill book cricket (Satire)

MUMBAI.

Exponents of ‘book cricket’ are concerned about the future of the game.

The advent of e-books and e-readers threatens to make the game obsolete in schools and colleges all over the country.

“Once e-books and e-readers become prevalent, ‘book cricket’ as a sport will die out.” says Mr. Raddiwallah, an avid book-cricketer.

India Versus South Africa: Thoughts before the first ball is bowled

Image via Wikipedia

If this is the Final Frontier for India, is the run-up to the series the Final Countdown?

If Tendulkar scores his 50th ton in the first Test, will he be a centurion or a half-centurion at the Centurion?

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Do our sporting heroes deserve us?

A nation gets the politicians it deserves.

By the same token, do fans get the sports stars they deserve?

Kumar Sangakarra instructed his young teammate and bowler Suraj Randiv to ensure that Sehwag be denied the single he needed to complete his century. Sangakarra was seen to have deliberately allowed four byes past earlier in Randiv’s over ensuring the scores were tied with Sehwag still stuck on ninety-nine.

The youthful Randiv bowls a blatant no ball to finish the match. His interpretation of his skipper’s exhortation was translated into controversial action. The transgression over the line was clear-cut; there was no shadow for doubt. It could not have been overlooked by the hapless umpire.

The shameful act has been debated by cricketing pundits all over the world; more so in the Sri Lankan and Indian media. Can we say that winning at all costs has now become the mantra of the hour?

This was not about winning either. It was the petulant act of a spoilt child when denied a lollipop.

“If I can’t have a win, you shall not have a century either , however well-deserved!”

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