cricology by Madhav Drolia

CRicology

Rs 50 Issue 1 • October 2012

OLD MAESTRO SACHIN TENDULKAR

SWOT ANALYSIS TEAM AFGHANISTAN SPORTS VS ACADEMICS

Plus

MYTHS & REALITIES END OF AN ERA

RADIO COMMENTARY The FUTURE OF SPORTS In India

FROM CRICKET TO CRICKETAINMENT

APPROVAL OF PROJECT THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE MAGAZINE TITED… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . … … … … …BY … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …REG NO… … … … … … . … … … … … … … … … … … … . IS DONE BY HER/HIM DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-2013, UNDER MY SUPERVISION IS A PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE PAPER “MAGAZINE JOURNALISM”, DURING III SEM BAJC. THIS IS AN ORIGINAL WORK OF THE STUDENT AND HAS NOT BEEN SUBMITTED BEFORE FOR THE AWARD OF ANY DEGREE, DIPLOMA OR ANY OTHER TITLE. EXAMINERS: 1.

Ms. Gayathri Chakravarthi

Ms. Sherin Elizabeth

External Examiner

SUPERVISOR: Dr. Nandini Lakshmikantha, Ph.D Associate Prof & Head Department of Media Journalism and Communication Manipal University Bangalore Campus DIRECTOR Dr. Thammiah Chekkera DATE: PLACE: MANIPAL UNIVERSITY BANGALORE CAMPUS Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org • 3

4 â&#x20AC;˘ Designfreebies Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ www.designfreebies.org

NOTE OF THANKS DEAR ALL, JUST A SHORT NOTE TO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS ON THIS PROJECT. I GREATLY APPRECIATE THE EXTRA TIME THAT YOU’VE PUT INTO THE PROJECT AND FEEL THAT IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITHOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT.

SPECIAL THANKS TO : GAYATHRI MA’AM SRI KUMAR SIR INDIAN EXPRESS PRATIK PRAJOSH MANISH KUMAR GIRI SHREYAS RAO PRANAV KOHLI MEGHA JAIN ALSO LIKE TO EXTEND MY HEARTY THANKS TO CRICINFO, WIKIPEDIA YAHOO.COM, CRICKETNEXT.COM, WISDEN CRICKET MAGAZINE, WORDPRESS.COM, FOR SHARING PICTURES AND DOUCMENTS WITH US WITHOUT WHICH THE PROJECT WOULD HAVE BEEN INCOMPLETE. PLEASE ACCEPT MY PERSONAL GRATITUDE. SINCERELY, MADHAV DROLIA

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CONTENT

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NEXT CHANGE

FUTURE TENSE

NEW INNINGS

SPORTS VS ACADEMICS

OLD MAESTRO

MONEY MATTERS

END OF AN ERA

THE MISERABLES

CRICKETAINMENT

MYTHS AND REALITIES

RADIO COMMENTARY

SWOT ANALYSIS

E DITOR S PEAKS My first taste of the Cricket phenomenon happened when i was around five years old. By then ofcourse , Cricket was already the most liked and talked about sport in India. At that point of time what I understood of Cricket was just Bat and Ball. And yet I was blown away. It offered me a fine blend of intimacy and larger than life experience. Though it took me a while to understand and get acustomed to the game. The energy, the connect, the thrill and the enthusiasm of supporters all around was infectious and I certainly fell victim to it. The idea of the magazine came about from a desire to do something for the fans of the ever growing and ever revolutionising sport. Cricology looks to give its readers an insight into the cricketing world. In the inaugral issue we have taken great care to blend cricket, glamour and all the information the reader needs to know about the game and its present scenario, a true reflection of what the cricketing world stand for as of today. Beyond the merely functional, I am sure readers will enjoy learning about the revolutions that has taken place in cricket and people responsible for it, Sachin Tendulkar’s tryst with cricket, Myths and Realities of the game. For those of you who are cricket addicts there is much more in store for you in pages ahead. And for those who are new to the game, there are features included that would give you a heads up on all want to need to learn. I sure by the end of the magazine the new beeies would have started conversing in the cricketing language. Putting together this magazine has been a frenetic, fun-filled, rollercoaster ride.

CONCEPT, DESIGNING & COMPILED

MADHAV DROLIA

We will make sure we capture the best of the cricketing action from all around the globe in our next edition. Hope you enjoy thie Inaugral edition of the CRICOLOGY magazine. As a young publication which is in its nascent stage, we would love to hear what you think and what you liked about this issue.

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NEXT....

CHANGE !!

People responsible for changing the face of the game

ricket, today, features amongst the top sports of the world and its kitty is being filled with each passing day. While not yet in the same league as football and tennis, the sport has managed to make a mark itself. Even in sports rich countries like Australia, England and South Africa, where many other —both indoor as well as outdoor—are available at disposal, Cricket still holds a special place. The English and Aussies still look upon Ashes as the greatest challenge of grit and

determination and take a lot of pride in the outcome of the series. Similarly, the people of the sub-continent, most notably India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, adhere to cricket as their religion. But, as it is with all the great things, they don’t become great overnight, for they need to be fed with years of sweat and blood. Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day! Cricket, too, has run its course from its nigh obscure beginnings as an aristocratic sport in early 16th-century England to becoming the rai-

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1. WG GRACE 2. DON BRADMAN 3. DOUGLAS GARDIN 4. JIM LAKER 5. KERRY PACKER

son d’être for sports maniacs all across the globe. At almost every point of time in its history, the game of Cricket has seen itself undergo a tremendous transformation thanks to the peremptory intervention of the prime movers of the game. Whether for the better or the worse, the impact that these colossal figures have left on the sport has been staggering.

ILLIAM GILBERT GRACE

A father figure in Cricket, WG Grace carried the sport on his shoulders, raising it in status from merely being an instrument of amateurish indulgence to becoming the most popular summer spectacle in England. WG revolutionized the art of bating and made it an object of great cachet in Cricket. WG is widely regarded by many as the greatest player to have embraced the sport. A charismatic all-rounder, WG dominated the sport during his career and enriched the sport with the technical improvisations, the effect of which can be seen even today. Over the course of a career that stretched over 43 years, The stories of WG hitting yorkers for towering sixes still continue to both amuse and awe the Cricket pundits worldwide. It is indeed a matter of great pity that WG could only make his Test debut at an age of 32 when he had apparently passed his best. A couple of years

later, despite top-scoring, the father of cricket was part of England’s first home defeat—an inconsolable loss for the zealous English fans that marked the “death” of English cricket and the birth of the Ashes. WG was also the first English captain to lose the Ashes following the loss in 1891/92 series, which also turned out to be his first and only overseas series. However, these abysmal lows—being completely outweighed by his prolific success— couldn’t tarnish the iconic status that WG enjoyed, which he continued to enjoy even in his later years.

Poetry and murder lived in him together. He would slice the bowling to ribbons and dance without pity on the corpse.’’ - R.C. Robertson on BRADMAN ON BRADMAN

Widely regarded as the greatest cricketer of the 20th century. Only WG Grace came close to matching Bradman’s towering stature as a sportsman. Bradman’s Test average of 99.94 has been claimed to be statistically the greatest achievement in any major sport. It is indeed a testament to Bradman’s dominance as a batsman that an entirely new form of game play, termed as “Bodyline”, was devised by the English to curb Bradman’s prodigious stroke play. Former Australian cricketer and journalist Jack Fingleton said, “Bodyline was

specially prepared, nurtured for and expended on him and, in consequence, his technique underwent a change quicker than might have been the case with the passage of time. Bodyline plucked something vibrant from his art”. While Bodyline did manage to put some hold on Don’s frenzied batting, allowing the English to regain the Ashes, it couldn’t deter him from finding new ways to score as he managed a total of 396 runs at an average of 56.57—almost half his career average at that time—an average that any contemporary batsman would be proud of. Bradman needed to score 4 runs in his final innings to maintain a career average of 100, but a googly from wrist spinner Eric Hollies undid him for a duck leaving his average at a staggering 99.94.

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OUGLAS JARDINE

As far as the sordid tale of “Bodyline” is concerned, if Sir Donald Bradman was both its victim and hero, then Douglas Jardine surely has to be its villain, or to be more precise, its perpetrator. The basic idea was to pepper the batsmen with short pitched deliveries aimed at the ribcage, terrorizing them in the absence of any body protection while also cramming them for room, with the aim of getting them caught on the leg side. England’s glacial, supercilious and opportunist skipper and middle order batsman Douglas Jardine looked to it as an opportunity to actualize the English dream of reclaiming the Ashes. Jardine seized on this framework of fear and leveraged it to devise the infamous Bodyline. He handpicked a battery of pace bowlers to suit his new set of tactics for the 1932-33 Ashes series that was to take place in Australia. What ensued was an ugly tradition that would continue to haunt Cricket for some more years to come. The entire series was played in an extremely hostile environment with situation becoming really during the third match with series already tied at 1-1. During the Australian first innings Aussie skipper Bill Woodfull was struck on the chest by a Larwood delivery to the rapture of Jardine while Bradman was at the non-striking end. For the next delivery, Jardine moved his fielders into the Bodyline fielding positions as a result of which the crowd

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became noisily angry. There was further anger later in the innings when Bert Oldfield suffered a fractured skull. The situation became so tense that it was feared that there may be a riot and that the crowd would jump onto the field to attack them; mounted police were deployed as a precaution. Despite England’s win, Wisden believed that it was probably the most unpleasant match ever played in the history of the game. However, it commended Jardine’s courage, claiming that the praise of his leadership was unanimous, and that he captained his team the match like a true genius. The thing that worked in England’s favor during this infamous series was that they possessed a battery of good, accurate fast bowlers Ironically, the talented quickies could never play for England again, paying the price for poisoning the sport with Bodyline, while the real architect Douglas Jardine escaped without a penalty. Despite being widely dubbed as the quintessential Ashes villain, one would be remiss to downplay the role played by Douglas Jardine in reinvigorating the sport with the You fellas have no nigh forgotten art of shortidea what sort of sumpitched bowling. mer this is going to be.”

- Don Bradman.”

AMES LAKER

While we talk of batsmen, who have had lasting impact on the game, it would be utterly obtuse to overlook the mammoth contributions made by the legendary bowler James Charles Laker, the English off spinner whose feats were such that they got an entire Test match to be named after him. Yes, talking of the famous “Laker’s match” in 1956 at Old Trafford, when Jim Laker took nineteen

ERRY PACKER

It may appear a bit odd to many to see a non-cricketer appearing on my list of men who changed the face of Cricket. So much changed in the world of Cricket, thanks to Kerry Packer’s brainchild! His intervention indeed left an unforgettable impression on the game, as its fate took a volte face. Cricket no longer remained an object of the elite and as the moolah got poured into the game,

wickets in England’s victory against Australia. It was Jim Laker who had planted the seed of terror in the minds of the Australian batsmen, an inescapable fear that continues to linger till this date. Australian wickets had become so unresponsive to finger-spin that the off-break had virtually disappeared and sides relied on pace and wrist-spin. Batsmen accustomed to playing the two varieties of bowling could help themselves from playing Laker’s vicious off-spin on the same lines, getting bamboozled in the process. Moreover, Laker’s accuracy as a bowler was such that the close-in fielders—primarily bat-pad fielders like silly point, short leg, slip and leg slip—could afford the luxury of standing very close indeed. In all first-class matches Jim Laker took 1,944 wickets at an incredible average of 18.41, and scored 7,304 runs with an average of 16.60. In a total of 46 Test matches that Laker played in his career, he took 193 wickets at a healthy average of 21.24. Laker was also a gifted close-fielder. his stature as a legendary spinner and as a great servant of the sport continues to rise as aspiring cricketers continue to revere him not only as a role model but also as an institution of spin bowling.

folks started looking at Cricket not just as a competitive sport but also as a lucrative profession. Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer was the son of Australian media tycoon Sir Frank Packer—the owner of the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press. He had approached the Australian Cricket Board with an offer of A$1.5 million for three years—a sum eight times the previous contract—yet he was shown the door. The contract was given to national broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Packer started looking for alternatives in order to feed his Nine Television Network with a much needed doze of Cricket. After some contemplation, Packer masterminded the World Series Cricket, a break away cricket competition comprising renowned players from Australia, England, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies. World Series Cricket—disowned by the Cricket’s governing body—turned out to be an instant success. The tournament’s success ensured that cricketers no longer remained underpaid as the sport attained a commercial status. WSC made cricket and cricketers much more competitive as much higher levels of fitness and commitment was required from them considering the taxing nature of the tournament.

My father worked bloody hard to survive, and I didn’t see him because he paid a price for success. “ - Kerry Packer

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THE FUTURE OF SPORTS IN INDIA LIES IN THE HANDS OF ITS YOUTH

FUTURE TENSE the facility suffers from a chronic lack of students, athletes and funds.

Over the years, sportspersons, visionaries, luminaries and many a passing canary, have often speculated the future of sports in India. But does a country that considers physical education a waste of time, even have a future when it comes to sports?

A visit to the Sports Authority of India’s Bangalore campus will tell you that

the answer to the above question is a firm ‘No’! Sports Authority of India or SAI as it is popularly called presents itself as the nation’s premier sporting academy. But if SAI is truly the best that India can do, in terms of sporting facilities and equipment, then India has a long way to go!

The SAI promises athletes and visitors with the nation’s best athletic tracks,

gyms, swimming pools, fitness equipment and biological labs. But the first thing that one notices upon entering the SAI campus is the lack of athletes! SAI has acres upon acres of unpopulated space with sporting equipment that is simply rotting due to lack of use!

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One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it” And instead of top-notch world class

on these issues, helped shed more light

tion in sporting facilities such as the SAI.

equipment, visitors and athletes are

on the subject. According to the SAI staff,

But neither organisation is prepared to

treated to bug infested swimming pools

the facility suffers from a chronic lack of

make an effort to remedy the situation.

and biological labs whose equipment

students, athletes and funds. The equip-

They are all content to simply jump the

doesn’t seem to have been used for a

ment, the SAI staff admits, is outdated as

gun, secretly hoping for the real issue to

decade, at the very least! SAI also boasts

the facility does not have the funds to

be forgotten midst all that mudslinging!

of a “Pressure Platform”. Imported from

upgrade it. However, far from being pro-

Switzerland, this platform is supposed to

active, the general attitude of the staff is

crisis is quite simple: one has to simply

be used for measuring the force applied

that of complacency; the entire facility

project sports as a financially secure

by athletes during the start of a sprint or

seems to be overjoyed at India’s 6 medal

and socially acceptable profession. For

jump. These observations go a long way

haul in the recent Summer Olympics

though Indian’s love to read about sports,

in improving the technique of an athlete.

(London 2012). While the SAI blames

few want their children to take it up as

However, at SAI Bangalore, this platform

India’s sporting plight on the lack of

a full-time profession. This job lies with

languishes in the cabin of the Head of

financial support from the Government

the media, the SAI and the Government

the Kinesiology Department. What this

of India and the average Indian parent’s

of India. And until and unless these three

platform is doing there though, is any-

attitude towards sports and physical

organisations can make common-cause,

body’s guess!

education, the Government of India likes

the future of sports in India is sure to

to lay the blame on the rampant corrup-

remain as bleak as ever.

An interaction with the SAI staff,

The remedy to India’s sporting

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I have always been a player. So coaching is a new fresh challenge. “

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NEW INNINGS

FOR GLEN & LILEE

ustralian legend and arguably one of the finest bowlers to play the game glenn Mcgrath was appointed Director of the MRF Pace Foundation in place of Dennis lillee who quit the foundation after a 25-year stint. Mcgrath who was once himself a trainee at the foundation has an arduous task ahead of him. Not only has he to fill in the big boots of lillee but also prove that great cricketers can also be good coaches. Lillee known to be a temperamental cricketer in playing days, changed his style of functioning, developed paience and built the foundation from scratch. Thanks to lillee and the MRF the foundation has all the infrastructural facilities required to groom a fast bowler. If lillee’s job was to build an institution from scratch, Mcgrath’s job is to maintain the high standards of the foundation which is a tougher task. “It’s a great honour for me to work with the MRF Pace Academy. I know it won’t be possible

to replace someone like the great Dennis lillee. His legacy will be hard to live up to, but I will try my best in my role as the Director at the Foundation. I’ll be more than happy to achieve at least half of what he has achieved. This is a great opportunity, and Dennis is someone who I have always looked up to,” said Mcgrath. Both lillee and Mcgrath have several similarities as a bowlers. They were stingy in giving away runs and were feared by the best in the busi ness. Mcgrath coaching skills is yet to be seen but he can certainly be more than useful as far imparting lessons in mental toughness and developing killer instinct vital for fast bowlers to survive in a batsmen dominated game. “It’s the right time to be here. I have always been a player. So coaching is a new fresh challenge. Hopefully I can pass on my knowledge and experience to the kids here. I believe skill can only take you to a certain level and the rest depends on your mental ability,” said Mcgrath.

Speaking about his first experience at the foundation and the challenging job Mcgrath said: “It’s always a challenge to be in the subcontinent”. On the job offer: “First I thought I would say no to the offer. but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. It’s the best opportunity to give something back to the game. I have a few ideas and let’s see how things work,”said Mcgrath.

New director of Pace Foundation keen to impart knowledge to young pacers

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SPORTS VS ACADEMICS

India U-19 skipper may lose a year in college due to poor attendance

ays after being hailed as a hero for leading the India Under 19 side to World Cup victory, cricketer Unmukt Chand is in an unenviable position as he stands to lose a year of college due to low attendance. Unmukt, a student of St Stephen’s college, could not attend the requisite number of tutorials owing to his cricketing engagements. While the cricketer’s case is in the Delhi High Court, St Stephen’s Principal Valson Thampu said it is up to the University ad-

ministration to decide as it is the varsity’s rules of attendance. “I spoke to my sports teacher and the Principal and they are willing to help me out in the next semester,” Unmukt said. He said the matter was now subjudice and the court will now hear it on September 16. Thampu, on his part, said he had no control over the University rules, and only the administration can make an exception. Asked if an exception can be made for a national level talent like Unmukt, Thampu said, “It depends on the University.

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UNMUKT WHO LED INDIA U-19 TO A WORLD CUP VICTORY IS NOW LEFT IN NO MAN’S LAND

The interesting thing is I take all the blame about an issue I have absolutely no control over. Do you think I can shortchange the rules of the University. According to university rules, a student should have at least 33.3 percent attendance after all exemptions to appear in an exam, and should pass 50 percent of all exams in both semesters combined to move to the third year. But Chand reportedly has just 8% attendance in college.

HrD Minister kapil Sibal spoke to Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh and is understood to have said that the cricketer’s case should be considered favourably since it is within his purview. Ministry officials said that Sibal is keen on pressing Unmukt’s case as the cricketer has brought glory to the country.

When I was representing the country i used to get special attention for all of that. Unmukt has won the World Cup for us. He is a good young man, he has secured good marks. Penalising him is really unfair on the part of the college” - Kirti Azad

IPL commissioner rajeev Shukla put the ball in Unmukt’s court by stating that the BCCI can’t interfere in the varsity’s rules of attendance. “It’s purely their own decision, their own procedures and they go by that. We can’t interfere in that. BCCI can only request the authorities,” Shukla said.

I think, it’s totally unfair. The University and the college authorities instead of disallowing him from exams should find a way out for sportspersons.” - Ajay Maken

Marks for sports takes back seat, attendance for now takes centrestage. This shows how much importance sports has in INDIA. Sad to hear”. - MS Dhoni

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OLD MAESTRO

SACHIN TENDULKAR TALENTED YOUNGSTERS DESERVE A CHANCE

is it time for the master blaster to retire from International cricket ?

t was a chilly September morning in Bangalore. It was Day 3 of the test match and Doug Bracewell

For all his love and passion for the game his technique and nat-

charged in from the Beml end delivered a ball on

ural ability seem to have deserted him. How else can one explain

middle & leg and the ball crashed into the stumps

the frequency with which he has been bowled or caught leg-

with a resounding thump! If you weren’t aware of who the bats-

before (a mode responsible for more than 70% of his dismissals

man was, you would have probably thought that it was a lower

in the past year)? This clearly suggests that the man who was

order batsman or a

once the uncrowned

tail ender who had

God of Cricket, is

missed a relatively

unable to cope with

straight ball. But that

straight balls!

was not the case as

India being an

the batsman in ques-

emotional

tion had been one of

would like to believe

the greatest batsmen

that Sachin would go

of all time: Sachin

on and on! But fortu-

Ramesh Tendulkar.

nately or unfortunate-

This mode of dismissal new

sight

wasn’t to

country,

ly, the ridiculousness

of such a notion is

the

fast becoming appar-

Indian cricket lovers.

ent. And the Indian

This started against

fans have been liv-

Australia in Melbourne

ing in a false sense of

and has plagued Sachin ever since. Many say that time is finally

security in a blatant attempt to get over the disastrous year that

catching up with Sachin and that his eyesight & reflexes are

the Indian team has had, ever since the conquest of the 2011

fading and becoming slower and slower. And they are probably

50-over World Cup.

right! Sachin has been with the Indian Team from the 1990s and

In an interview conducted recently, Sachin confessed

has worn his hunger and passion for the game, as a badge of

that the World Cup win at home had been the pinnacle he had

honour! But it is the cruelties and realities of life that are catch-

been looking for and that it had been the greatest moment in

ing up with seemingly timeless legends such as him.

of his career. Since then he has practically retired from the ODI

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Sachin has carried the burden of the nation for 22 years...but now he must look to hang his boots”

Team; he only played against Australia and Sri Lanka in the CB

Of late there have been a number of debates on who should

Series and the Asia cup. But does this mean that he is done with

replace the famed trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and

ODI cricket?

VVS Laxman. But to be honest, those debates have been unable

I reckon his retirement should be planned in phases.

to solve the Indian team’s conundrum. From the current crop of

Sudden retirement, like that of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman

players, the only players who pick themselves are Virat Kohli

wouldn’t help the present Indian team one bit. Sachin should

(because of his obvious class and maturity) and Cheteshwar

probably start by announcing his retirement from ODIs. And

Pujara (because of

when it comes to Test matches, though Sachin has been playing

his temperament and adaptability). Others players who have

tests regularly, one gets the feeling that his days in test cricket

the potential of staking a claim in test cricket are Suresh Raina,

are numbered. In the best interests of the team he should play

Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwari, Ajinkya Rahane, A Murkand and even

the series against England and Australia and take a call on his

Yuvraj Singh and Badrinath to an extent.

retirement, based on his performance in the series.

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REFLEXS GETTING SLOWER & DAY BY DAY Perhaps the most complete batsman and the most worshipped cricketer in the world, Tendulkar holds just about every batting record worth owning in the game,

But to be picked for a nation’s Test XI the ideal situation, for the team, would be if players push for their selection by performing consistently in the domestic as well as international matches when given a chance. Picking players because you’re devoid of options won’t help the team in the long run. As stated earlier, Sachin’s retirement should be phased out. The young players need to be reared into quality international players and for this; the likes of Pujara and Raina should pick the brains of players like Sachin and Sehwag, 20 • Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org

while they are still around. Once they retire they will leave a huge gap which can only be filled by players who are settled and are able to perform consistently. So, should Sachin retire now? No. Should Sachin retire in the foreseeable future? Yes. The selectors need to be aware of this and need to plan accordingly. There is no point in Sachin, Rahul, Laxman retiring in the space of just 8 months. The Indian team now needs an experienced and level headed figure; a post that Sachin fits beautifully. The young players wait-

190 TESTS 463 ODIS 33959 RUNS 1 WC VICTORY 100 CENTURIES

ing in the wings, need to bide their time. Their time will come and they should be ready to grab it with both hands. A team in transition needs its big and experienced players to step up and perform. At the end of the series against England and Australia, it will become evident where India and Sachin stand in context to each other. Sachin over the years has transformed from a fearless destroyer into a solid accumulator. But the Sachin of late, has neither shown the glimpses of brilliance nor the solidity of consistent run making.

The recently nominated MP has several awards to his name including Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Padma Bhushan, Wisden Cricketer of the year, Castrol Indian Cricketer and many more. Tendulkar’s considerable achievements seem greater still when looked at in the light of the burden of expectations he has had to bear from his adoring followers,

However, as Sunil Gavaskar once said “It’s better to retire when people are asking why, rather than why not”. For all us cricket fans we can only hope that the little master would rediscover his form, be at his best against old foes Australia and England and maybe bow out gracefully, after having scored a host of crucial, series deciding centuries. And knowing the little master, he’ll probably do just that!!! Maybe some retrospection on his part would be just the right thing. There is never a perfect

time and reason to retire, especially for a man like Sachin; who has devoted his entire life to the game. The young players waiting in the wings, need to bide their time. Their time will come and they should be ready to grab it with both hands. A team in transition needs its big and experienced players to step up and perform. At the end of the series against England and Australia, it will become evident where India and Sachin stand in context to each other. Sachin over the years has transformed from a fearless de-

TEST DEBUT 1989 ODI DEBUT 1989 200* HIGHEST IN ODI 248* HIGHEST IN TEST 100 CENTURIES

stroyer into a solid accumulator. But the Sachin of late, has neither shown the glimpses of brilliance nor the solidity of consistent run making. Maybe some retrospection on his part would be just the right thing. There is never a perfect time and reason to retire, especially for a man like Sachin However, For all us cricket fans we can only hope that the little master would rediscover his form.after having scored a host of crucial, series deciding centuries. And knowing the little master, he’ll probably do just that!!!

MONEY MATTERS THE POOL OF MONEY BESIDES EMPTY WELL

rugs, drinks, women, gambling, spot fixing: Sounds like a cross between an early seventies rock festival and a sleazy bookies annual convention in Mumbai, with guests from Pakistan. No,

this is the Indian Premier League (IPL), the jewel in the crown of Indian cricket and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). At first glance, the IPL seems a stupefying achievement on the part of the BCCI. It has brought in humungous amounts of revenue, attracted celebrities, caught the imagination of the nation and after having done all this it actually manages to get some quality cricket out of its players; but does it?

Money and celebrities are like honey and bees; they

attract and feed off each other and in more ways than one, create each other. In the case of the IPL, the celebrities were attracted not by an inert passion for sports, but with the promise of making more money! And in the case of film stars such as Preity Zinta, Shah Rukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty, the opportunity to increase their popularity by promoting their movies and themselves, did the trick.That the celebrities and corporates who own the various franchises of the IPL, are in it for the money and popularity, is no secret. The fact that none of them showed any interest in the World Series Hockey teams, speaks volumes. The monetary farce aside, the viewers seem to simply love the IPL. For after all, it is a lot more entertaining to watch Preity Zinta and Shah Rukh Khan fight with the umpires and the security staff, than it is to watch the melodramatic tortures they try to pass off as films! And just in case the celebrities fail to stir up a controversy, the IPL features cheerleaders. In as sexually frustrated a country as India, scantily clad women who provide free dance-shows in cricket stadiums, are a dream (a ‘wet’ one at that) come true! For millions of men caught in unhappy marriages, and lakhs of desperate bachelors

24 • Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org

But the IPL is more than just a glamour-

ress. There was a time when cricket used

fest; it is after all, a cricket tournament.

to be a seasonal sport; tours were organ-

And a cricket tournament par excellence

ised to suit certain parts of the world

at that! The IPL is the sort of tournament

in certain seasons. But ever since the

that can turn anyone into a hero, even

conception of the IPL, the primary ‘rest’

substandard players like Manish Pandey

months for the Indian team, are instead

and Vinay Kumar. And the IPL has accom-

spent playing an exhaustive amount of

plished this, not by raising the level of

T-20 cricket. The saddest part of it is

performances, but by lowering the level

that with millions of dollars involved as

of competition.

match fee, none of the players opt out

By restricting the teams from

of the extravaganza. The strain of this

fielding more than 4 foreign players, the

tournament becomes visible later on and

IPL presents itself as a more glamorous

has more than once hampered the Indian

and interesting Ranji Trophy tournament;

team’s fortunes abroad. Whether one

for after all, 80% of the players in the

looks at India’s tour of England last year,

IPL are in fact Ranji Trophy stalwarts. So,

or at Sehwag’s shoulder injury of 2009

when a Manish Pandey gets a century off

(an injury he received while playing the

a bowling attack that is slightly better

IPL, but kept quiet about it; the injury

than that of the average Ranji Trophy

later forced him out of the 2009 T-20

side, he is presented as a hero! And when

World Cup, destroying India’s hopes in the

a Vinay Kumar bags 5 wickets (four of

tournament), the pattern is quite clear.

which are invariably those of tail-enders),

Extraneous cricket has been the

he is praised to the skies and his absence

main reason behind India’s lack of quality

in the Indian team, questioned.

fast bowlers. By taxing promising bowl-

The IPL teams themselves are not

ers with non-stop round the year cricket,

too great. The fact that none of the IPL

the Indian team ends up reducing them

teams, barring Chennai Super Kings, has

to medium pacers. Bowlers like Ishant

made a splash against the other domes-

Sharma and Irfan Pathan, who once broke

tic T-20 teams from across the world is

out onto the cricketing scene by comfort-

proof of this.Moreover, in its relentless

ably notching 140-150 kms/hr with ease,

quest for profits and glory, the IPL has

today struggle to get past 135!

The amount of money and glamour involved in Club matches draws more attention of players.

been sucking into the Indian team’s prog-

The assumption now is that the interests of the brand and of the game overlap to the degree that cricket need hardly be mentioned. “ Cheerleaders add to the glamour qoutient

Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org • 25

When a Manish Pandey gets a century off a bowling attack that is slightly better than that of the average Ranji Trophy side, he is presented as a hero! “

No wonder Kirti Azad, a key member of Kapil’s Devils, the team

fruitless as the technique and composure of today’s players has

which won the 1983 cricket World Cup, has gone on a fast

been overridden by the adrenaline fuelled rush for runs.

demanding that the IPL be scrapped. Azad may be asking for

But to the BCCI, the fortunes of the Indian cricket

too much. Clean-up, yes; obliteration, no. All would agree that

team have seldom mattered; what matters in fact is the board’s

the 2012 edition of IPL has become something like the Augean

financial well-being. And sadly, the IPL is just a means to that end.

Stables. And we need a Hercules to divert the Ganges and clean up the IPL which has created a stench worse than Chennai’s Cooum River and the Buckingham Canal. In addition, the IPL has caused an unprecedented decline in India’s test performances. By heaping T-20 cricket on an entire of generation of players, the BCCI now finds itself in dire need of quality test-players! But the BCCI’s search has been

26 • Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org

Magnificence Of The Ordinary !!

mad...DDy Photography FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK HTTP://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MADDDYPHOTOGRAPHY

Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org • 27

28 â&#x20AC;˘ Designfreebies Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ www.designfreebies.org

END OF AN ERA SIMON TAUFEL RETIRES AS UMPIRE “I’m moving on from active international umpiring for personal and professional reasons.”

Pakistan attack changed game and me. It was a difficult telephone call which i had with my wife that day . “

ustralian Simon Taufel called it quit

after the Twenty20

World Cup in Sri Lanka to groom the next generation of elite match officials, The

41-year-old has umpired in 74 tests and 174 one-day internationals in his outstanding career, A Promising fast bowler who started out alongside Adam Gilchrist but suffered a career-ending back injury, Taufel shifted to umpiring very early by normal standards. His first ODI was in 1999, at the tender age of 27, and his first Test was the Boxing Day match between Australia and West Indies in 2000. In a field where middle-age has been the norm, it was a supreme vote of confidence that Simon Taufel was asked to umpire his first Test at 29. Over the next decade, he repaid that faith by being named the ICC’s Umpire of the Year every year from 2004 to 2008. His rise was so rapid that he quickly became one of the most experienced officials on the Elite Panel, despite being by far its youngest

Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org • 29

Respected by the players for his consis-

of his excellence.

tently accurate decision-making, Taufel

His final decision – to call it

stood in three World Cups. He deserv-

a day at 41, an age when most umpires

ingly got a chance to officiate in the

used to break into the process and get

2011 WC final, when Australia failed to

to know the ropes – will surely leave the

reach the decider for the first time in five

game poorer. It may have been instigated

World Cups. A usually calm and confident

by the terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan

person who always worked hard on his

tour bus in 2009 that left him and his

fitness, His concentration did not wane

family insecure. Taufel admitted that it

ever. Simon always used to be a bit ner-

had been a difficult telephone call to his

vous before start of a game, this shows

wife the day the attack took place. Part

that he cared about the role he had been

of his decision may also have been influ-

handed over.

enced by the increasingly crazy interna-

In one of the interviews earlier

tional cricket calendar that has kept him

when he was asked did he feel nervous

away for far too long from his family.

officiating the players older than him,

Both the cited reasons are undeniable

he replied saying, “ It’s not about age but

indications of the times and the demands

performance and merit. I derived confi-

made on the professional cricketers and

dence from the fact that we wouldn’t be

officials. His calm frame at the wicket or

given a game unless we were capable of

at square leg will be sorely missed, as he

doing the job. All my age did was help

had indeed become one of the respected

me focus on earning players’ respect by

and familiar figures of the game.

giving them what they expected. ” There

He joins the ranks of a select few

was a time when cricket umpires were

umpires who will be remembered for all

the proverbial elders on the field – which

the right reasons.

is saying a lot given the near-geriatric

Simon has been one of the most

ages to which a lot of the cricketers

respected umpires for over a decade due

themselves kept playing the game.

to his excellent decision-making and

Never demonstrative, never into the game, Taufel managed the impos-

AS UMPIRE 174 ODIS 34 T20I’S 74 TESTS TEST DEBUT 26 DEC ‘00 AUS VS WINDIS ODI DEBUT 13 JAN ‘99 AUS VS SRILNKA T20 DEBUT 12 SEPT ‘07 KENYA VS SA BORN : 21ST JANUARY 1971

SYDNEY ICC UMPIRE OF THE YEAR

5 TIMES IN A ROW

man-management skills. said the chief executive of the ICC David Richardson.

sible of getting noticed and becoming a performer cheered on the field because

He has been a role model for umpires globally who look to him for inspiration and guidance “ - David Richardson Cheerleaders add to the glamour qoutient

30 • Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org

NOT JUST CRICKET, ITS

RIVALRY !! ACTION STARTS ON 25TH DEC

THE MISERABLES Eleven who fell foul of cricketing fate 1. DON BRADMAN 2. BB NIMBALKAR 3. EVERTON WEEKES 4. HANIF MOHAMMAD 5. SUBHASH GUPTE 6. GARY SOBERS 7. CHETAN CHAUHAN 8. DESMOND HAYNES 9. MARTIN CROWE 10. SANATH JAYASURIYA 11. MARK TAYLOR

32 • Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org

Cricket history is replete with instances of so-near-yet-so-far: Clem Hill’s 99,98 and 97 in successive test innings. Chandu Borde’s sad failure to get a hundred in both innings of a test- he was out hit-wicket for 96 in the second innings, even as his hook sent the ball past the boundary. Jack Hobbs finishing his first-class career with 199 centuries. WR James’s 99 and 99 not out for Matabeleland in a 1995-96 match- a game in which he also took nine victims behind the stumps to equal the world record. And there are still other instances of players who had everything going for them, except good fortune. We look back at eleven of the most poignant down the years.

Ends up with an average of 99.94

innings for a test-record seventh consecutive half-century, but again narrowly missed extending the record when he was bowled by Vijay Hazare for 48 in the second innings.

When Don Bradman scored an unbeaten 173 at Headingley in the 1948 series against England, he had 6996 runs to his

name, at an average of 101.39. His next test, at the Kennington Oval, was to be his last. The England team welcomed the Don to the wicket with three cheers as the stadium applauded.

Misses out on the first-ever 500 It was in a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match between Karachi and Bahawalpur in 1958-59 that Hanif Mohammad broke

Bradman played his first ball, a leg break from Eric Hollies,

Don Bradman’s record – 452. As he batted

defensively. Hollies then bowled a googly, a ball he always

on, he appeared well on course for the first-ever 500 in the first-

believed the old man had difficulty reading. The ball beat The

class cricket. By the end of the day he had made 496, with two

Don’s bat and... bowled him! Had Bradman got a boundary off

balls remaining. He hit the first of them into the outfield, took a

the first ball and then got out he would have ended his test

run, and tried to come back for the second. But after more than

career with an average of a hundred, and 7000 perfect runs.

two full days at the crease, his legs just did not have the strength in them and he was run out by a yard-and-half.

Is stranded nine short of the highest-ever first- class score.

It was only when he got back t the pavilion that he learnt tat

It was in the Indian winter of 1948 that

balls left, he may well have not chosen to take the fateful single

Don Bradman’s record for the highest

that did him in.

the scoreboard was wrong, and that his final score was actually 499. Had he known that he was on 498 (and not 496) with two

first-class score – 452 for New South Wales against Queensland – came under threat from an unlikely quarter: After Kathiawar were all out for 238, openers KV Bhandarkar and Bhausaheb Nimbalkar added 455 for the second wicket. The score was 826 for 4 with Nimbalkar on 433 when the teams took a break. It was then that the Kathiawar captain, Thakore Sahib

Misses- out on a record equaling 10- for. When Anil Kumble took all 10 Pakistan wickets in the 1999 New Delhi Test, he

of Rajkot, decided that he would rather concede the match if

was only the second, after Jim Laker, to

Maharashtra decided to continue batting. Nimbalkar needed just

achieve the feat in tests. Few remember, though, that another

10 runs to better The Don’s world record, but all pleas- includ-

Indian had come close, just two years after Laker set the record

ing a wireless request from Bradman himself- that he be given

in 1956.

the opportunity, fell on deaf ears.It was not till 1958-59 that

At Kanpur in 1958 Subhash Gupte had the mighty West Indies

Hanif Mohammad beat Bradman’s mark. Nimbalkar’s 443 not

batting line-up, led by Gary Sobers and Rohan Kanhai, reeling

out remains the fourth- highest first- class score, and the high-

when he took the first nine wickets. The 10th wicket, and joint-

est- ever by a non- Test player.

ownership of the record, should have been his, if not for a lapse by Naren Tamhane, one of India’s greatest wicketkeepers. In

Fall 10 short of his sixth consecutive test century .

the event, Gupte finished the innings with 9 for 102 as the last wicket that of Lance Gibbs, Finally fell to Vasant Ranjane.

In 1949, Everton Weekes was in the form of his life. He came to India after scoring

141 against England in the fourth Test at Jamaica in April, 1948. In India he sustained his form with 128 in the first Test at New Delhi, 194 in the second at Bombay and 162 and 101 in the third at Calcutta o become the first batsman to score five hundreds in successive test innings. Weekes was on course to extend his incredible sequence in the next Test at Madras. He was batting on 90 when he cut Vinoo Mankad and started to run. But the ball was stopped at backward point and returned back to wicketkeeper . Probir Sen, who effected a narrow run out. Then, In the fifth Test at Bombay, Weekes scored 56 in the first

Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org • 33

Makes a duck in his only oneday International For many, Gary Sobers is the greatest cricketer ever. And yet, Sobers’s record

Is dismissed on 299 New Zealand’s unbeaten run in Tests at the Basin Reserve since 1967-68 looked in danger in the first test against Sri

bears a startling blemish: he ended his

Lanka in 1991. The visitors had dis-

ODI career with a batting average of zero.

missed the Kiwis for 174 and then replied

In what was to be his first OD England against in 1973 at Leeds,

with 474. Under pressure to save the test, Andrew Jones and

Sobers was caught behind off Chris Old for a duck. Sobers came

Martin Crowe added 467 runs for the third wicket- then a Test-

back strongly with the ball, exacting revenge by getting Old’s

Partnership record for any wicket.

wicket to end with 10.3-3-31-1, but it is that infamous blob that

After a vigil that spanned over 10 hours. Crowe was just one

stays in the memory. To heighten the ignominy, Sobers made a

run away from his triple century when, with three deliveries left

duck in his final test as well, which, too, Like the Leeds ODI, was

in which to get to the mark, he was caught behind off Arjuna

a lost match against England.

Ranatung. It was, and still is, the only instance in test that a batsman has been dismissed on 299. As Crowe said later: “It is a bit

Finishes his Test Career without a single hundred. Hobbs-Sutcliffe,Lawry-Simpson, Greenidge-Haynes, and now HaydenLanger, are the great opening partner-

ships - each pair comprising players who were equals or close to equal. The one noteworthy exception is Sunil Gavaskar and

like climbing Everest and pulling a hamstring in the last stride.”

10.

Come within a run of the first class partnership record for any wicket After India had put up 537 in the first innings in the first teat in Colombo in

Chetan Chauhan. In terms of talents and technique both, they

1997, the Jayasuriya- Mahanama jug-

were polar opposites. Every time Gavaskar crossed fifty, a century

gernaut got rolling, adding 283 on day three and 265 on Day

seemed almost inevitable; for Chauhan though it was the begin-

four. On day five, the second-wicket partnership had progressed

ning of the end. The first specialist batsman in the test history to

to 576- already the highest partnership for any wicket in Tests.

score 2000 runs without getting a hundred, seven of Chauhan’s

The pair was just two runs away from breaking the all-time

16 half centuries ended in the 80’s. The closest he came was in

first-class record for any wicket- 577 by Vijay Hazare and Gul

1981 when he scored 97. Ironically, he and Gavaskar had more

Mohammad for Baroda against Holkar in 1946-47- when

hundred-stands for the first wicket in Tests than all opening

Mahanama (225) was out lbw for 225. That did for Jayasuriya as

pairs save Hobbs and Sutcliffe and Greenidge and Haynes.

well, who went two balls later, 36 short of beating Brian Lara’s 375, The highest score in tests.

Fall 10 short of his sixth consecutive test century . In over 125 years and more than 1600 tests, five batsmen have carried the bat twice in their careers; only one, Desmond

11.

Misses out on scoring a century and a triple century in the same test Scoring a century in each innings of a test is a feat that some of the most

Haynes, has done it thrice. Haynes almost did it twice in a single

prolific batsmen in cricket haven’t man-

match- against New Zealand at Dunedin in 1980. On a wicket

aged. Only six batsmen have made a double- hundred and a

where the ball kept low, Haynes stood outside the crease to

century in the same test. And the mind blogging feat of a triple-

play predominantly off the front foot. Only six other double-

century and century in the same match has been achieved just

digits scores were recorded in the two West Indies innings, and

once: by Graham Gooch against India in 1990.

just two batsmen from either team, besides Haynes, managed

Eight years later, in the second Test against Pakistan at Peshawar,

to score fifties in the test. Haynes batted 711 minutes in all to

Mark Taylor came within eight runs of the mark. Taylor was

score 55 (in a total of 140) and 105 (in a total score of 212). He

batting 334- level with Don Bradman as Australia’s highest indi-

narrowly failed to carry the bat in both innings- last man out

vidual scorer in the tests- when he, putting the team’s interests

on each occasion.bowled by Vijay Hazare for 48 in the second

before his own, declared the first innings at overnight score.

innings.

Then, to compound the agony, Taylor was bowled for 92 in the second innings.

34 • Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org

Cancer may be the best thing to have happened to me and maybe I will realise this in the future. There were more bad days than good. I haven’t played cricket for one year, and it has been the toughest battle of my life. “ - Yuvraj Singh

BORN : DECEMBER 12, 1981 NICKNAME

S I N G H I S

: YUVI

SHOT : PULL TV SHOW : FRIENDS FOOD : RAJMA CHAWAL

K I N Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org • 35

FROM CRICKET TO

CRICKETAINMENT CRICKET’S EMERGENCE AS A PRIME DRIVER OF ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION IN INDIA IS A RELATIVELY NEW PHENOMENON.

ince time immemorial, cricket was always polarized on the male gender and this is a well-known fact, but going by the latest trends in the recent years, what has happened is something worth discussing. In the last 15 years, Cricket always had to struggle for viewer share as women had their own favorite TV shows conflicting with crucial parts of a cricket match. Let’s revisit the age old grumble of the Indian women “11 fools playing, 11 thousand fools watching”. The tussle for the remote was evenly poised, but what T20 has done is quite remarkable; it has made the complaining gender swallow its words. It then became “11 fools playing, 11 thousand fools watching, but with their families”. This was the birth of “CRICKETAINMENT” and the sad demise of the omnipotent soaps & reality shows in 2008, when IPL redefined viewing habits. The IPL is tangible evidence of this stark change in India and when IPL 5 arrived in 2012, the very foundation of entertainment was shaken, the Film Industry became wary of the IPL phenomena while planning the movie releases and deliberately

36 • Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org

avoided new releases. Every big marketing and promotional campaign of large advertisers was hovering around the IPL and those that couldn’t put their money on IPL preferred silence over counter marketing strategies. Integration of the game and Bollywood has definitely added that glam and spice factor to the game but what IPL seems to be struggling with is consistency in TV ratings over the years. It started off with a BANG since its inception in 2008 but has fizzled out along the way. It is clear that the ODI format has been looked at as the ugly sister with the birth of the T20 format. This glitzy fast paced format has added great value in terms of entertainment and has revolutionized the game of cricket in a big way and by the looks of it for the better. Do a bit of introspection and you would find that a good ODI game has a lot to offer; Plenty of sixes, a dazzling hundred, over 650 runs in the day, even a thrilling run chase. But all the action spread over 100 overs and 8 hours but the recent T20 carnivals have shown just why the game’s shortest and crisp format offers the paying public what

one-dayers’ just can’t. Big hits, sharp fielding, imaginative bowling spread over 40 overs and in a 3 hour package as opposed to a whole day invested at the game or in front of TV screens which simply means that the T20 format has been a box office success. Many believe that the

cricket fraternity and cricket viewing public, is gradually gravitating towards T20 cricket and will soon run out of patience with 50-over matches.

The unique blending of entertainment with sport dilutes the essence of cricket”

Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org • 37

CRICKET SOME MYTHS & REALITIES The Indian cricket team, consequently, is in the public eye for more number of days in a year than any other national team can be.

IS IT TIME FOR A MUCH NEEDED BREAK ?

nyone who takes to any sport, essentially, does so

marathon 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run, raced in that order and must

for the love of it. The benefits that might or might

be gone through without a break and need to be completed in

not accrue is another matter altogether.But in

17 hours. The Ultra man is exactly double the distances in all

today’s highly commercialised environment, finan-

three events.

cial rewards, awards and or other material benefits play a major role in pushing people into a particular sport.

Has any sportsman or woman been even appreciated for taking up this challenge which stretches human ability

Some like and love

to it very limits and

the challenges a sport

beyond? But we hon-

offers.

pre-

our cricketers, golfers

fer easy sport, some

Some

and billiards players.

tough ones and many

Surely, they must be

others tougher or the

but why ignore and

toughest ones. If not,

neglect all others?

we would not have

Rewards and awards

had marathoners or

are easy pickings in

ultra and Iron man tri-

our sporting culture

athlon exponents or

and approach. So it is

even triathletes.

that there are more

Surely not

people playing cricket

all, but a majority of

and other compara-

people in India, pre-

tively easy pursuits.

fer the easier options

Even in cricket, most

because the demands of physical capability needed to pursue

parents would want their children to play cricket with a tennis

and excel in them are not many and can be met. Secondly,

ball rather than a regular leather, cricket ball. Now this has led

rewards and awards for easier sport in the country are far more

to a situation where cricket is being viewed as the most popular

that those for people who take to tougher sport and excel. In

sport. Is that so? The following for cricket in India is not for crick-

fact, participating in them itself deserves applause and rewards.

et but for the Indian national team and the national team players.

Take the Iron man marathon for example. It involves 2.4-mile

When the Indian team plays, stands are ful l. The IPL is a

(3.86 km) swimming, a 112-mile (180.25 km) cycling and a

recent recent phenomenon and the IPL is more about entertainment

38 • Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org

rather than sport. But when domestic cricket takes place any-

following is for Indian team and not for cricket.

where in the country the stands are deserted. That too there

Another telling proof of this has been provided whenever India

being no tickets. Even when the entry is free, people don’t go to

has hosted the cricket World Cup. Stadiums which hosted non-

watch the best players, be it Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman or

India matches were virtually empty. When England play South

anyone for that matter.

Africa or Australia, there are only a few people in. When they play

Whenever the Indian team plays any other sport, the

India, it is a full house.

following is the same. Indian teams drew packed houses at the

So the following is for the national team and not for

Commonwealth Games, World Cup hockey, World Cup football

the game. On the contrary, the following for football at all levels,

qualifiers. Saina Nehwal or a Sania Mirza are a huge draw. But

local, national, international, club, state or the Indian team far

the difference is in the structure of the sport.

exceeds the following for cricket at that comparative level.

Cricket is played by only seven to eight countries in the

These are irrefutable facts and anyone can easily find that out

world. As such, they are involved in bi or tri series non-stop. The

for himself or herself. It’s time people give it a thought and

Indian cricket team, consequently, is in the public eye for more

decide for themselves rather than be guided or misguided by

number of days in a year than any other national team can be. A

self-seeking elements.

CWG cannot happen everyday. Add the Media, which also benefits by way of advertisements, and the picture. Cricket comes to be portrayed like no other sport. Yet, the fact remains that the

Rewards and awards are easy pickings in our sporting culture and approach. “ Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org • 39

one are those days when an entire cricket commentary was relayed to FM and AM frequencies and people would hold a transistor close to the ear to catch every action from the crease. It indeed was an era which made radio a very strong medium. However its way much cooler now! Radio stations take no trouble in down linking a running commentary or place an expert talk over every cricket series. Tracing the history, when radio was more dominant than television, it is believed that cricked commentary was plugged with radio frequencies which created a dull impact because of actions being poorly narrated. It is also believed that the level of noise and blank sounds filled the shows. When television became dominant, radio slowly started shrinking its cricket quota to just news which again was delayed and was in reported form. Radio stations today believe in having a shortest form of score update. A quick score link is done in every few minutes just so that people travelling around just get that info with some music. Some stations also take it to another level by opening a discussion or just take in opinions which

40 • Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org

definitely make a match more interesting. A short score update (as short as 30 seconds) can be of a great advantage. Firstly it doesn’t require a listener giving full attention. Plus for the listeners who are not really keen also aren’t given a round of boredom. Moreover, these formats can be very profitable. In most cases, a radio station creates a “spike” which basically means a running program with a catchy title such as “20-20 fatafat” or “take a break, get a kitkat score update”. These are the title sponsors who team up with a station for score updates so that it gives way for a mutual promotion. These score updates are however less on analytical thinking or critical opinions unlike television. But this hasn’t been a complaint at all! A score update can be of all the benefit and help when there is an intense game on and you are stuck in typical city traffic! A household name in the cricketcrazy India, Saraiya delighted the listeners of radio cricket commentary for well over four decades during which he broadcast over 100 Tests and 150 One-Day Internationals, including four World

REMEMBERING

RADIO

COMMENTARY RADIO COMMENTARY HAS BECOME AN OUT OF FASHION THING IN THE CURRENT SPORTING WORLD

Cups, not forgetting a number of first-class games. As far as radio commentary in English was concerned, no one but Saraiya deserved the moniker, the Golden Voice of Indian Cricket, after the retirement of Anant Setalwad. He was one of the most natural and original of commentators. With his impressively articulate baritone, smooth delivery and distinct style, Saraiya commanded a large fan following across the country. Often he ran into strangers who identified him from his voice. Indian commentators in general are heavily patriotic flavoured. They’re afraid of airing frank observations. They lack in humour and very laborious approach and bank on ackneyed phrases.

Also, some have pompous approach with vanity of self voice being a major factor.”

It’s not true I had nothing on, I had the radio on.” - Marlyn Monroe

Designfreebies Magazine • www.designfreebies.org • 41

THE ABOVE ADVERTISMENT IS FROM A SPIKE THAT BIG FM CREATED.

THIS WAS A PARALLEL SERIES THAT TOOK CRICKETING MADNESS

TO ANOTHER LEVEL. THIS WAS SPONSERED BY CERTAIN BIG BRANDS.

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THIS WAS SIMPLE BUT VERY GOOD BRANDING THAT FEVER CREATED.

SOME CONTEST TO GET SOME ACTION, CRICKET SCORE UPDATES & A

MEET AND GREET SEASON.

“THIS BLENDS PERFECTLY WITH SOME GREAT MUSIC”

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SWOT ANALYSIS TEAM AFGHANISTAN The Men in blue&Red have surely caught the eyes of one and all with thier impresive performace over and over again.

LIGHTS.... CAMERA.... ACTION !! DESTINATION NOT FAR AWAY.

he earliest record of cricket in Afghanistan is of British troops playing a match in Kabul in 1839, though it appears that no long lasting legacy of cricket was left by the British. In the 1990s, cricket became popular amongst the Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan, and the Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed there in 1995. They continued to play cricket on their return to their home country. The national team was formed in 2001, which played in the 2009 World Cup Qualifier after rising rapidly through the World Cricket League, starting in Division Five in May 2008. In the 2011 Cricket World Cup qualifying tournament, Afghanistan failed to progress to the World Cup, but earned ODI status for four years. Their first ODI was against Scotland in the 5th place playoff, having previously beaten the Scots earlier in the tournament; Afghanistan won by 89 runs. When big seasoned teams like Australia, South Africa, India and a few other Test playing nations are competing at the big stage, one would hardly take notice of Afghanistan let alone giving them a chance. But somehow they have made their presence felt, after qualifying for the 2012 T20 World Cup. Here we take a look at the strenght, weekness, oportunities and threats of the team which if takes cricket seriously, colud go on to become a test playing nation very soon.

We want to show the world that Afghanistan is not just about the war, we know other things as well not just killings or being killed. “

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Due to the absence of big names, would lend a lot of stability the unity of the Afghani con- and balance at the top. In-form tingent has always been their Dawlat Zardan plays a very big strength. This would pos- crucial as he tends to provides sibly enable them the much to shock a few big needed early teams. The presbreakthrough. STRENGHT ence of Mohammad Samiullah Shahzad, Noor Ali Shenwani would strengthen and Shapoor the batting department. Karim Zardan will also play vital roles Sadiq and Javed Ahmadi for the success of Afghanistan.

The fielding has always est level is a point of let them down. Seen concern. The bowlover the years, their ers have also not hit fielding is one aspect WEEKNESS the target consistentof the game, which ly, which is why they has just not improved. cannot restrict teams Losing wickets and not convert- to low scores. ing starts into big scores due to lack of exposure at the high-

They would be expected to give a good account of themselves or

advance to the next level. An individual could have the day of

OPPORTUNITIES there could go a long way in making their mark. A solitary win could see them

his life, and that is very much possible considering the nature of the game.

T h e t h e i r presence s h o w of big could t e a m s THREATS i n s p i r e is more a lot of than just a threat. Though Afghanis to take their chances are cricket as a real minimal but still career option.

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Sunil Narine

The Mystery Man

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mad...DDy Photography FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK HTTP://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MADDDYPHOTOGRAPHY

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