The Fantastic Four: Imran, Botham, Kapil and Hadlee
It was in 1980 that the phenomenon was noticed. Of course, there was already Ian Botham. He had been around…
Continue Reading...The Great World Cup Takeover
24 June 1983. In London, the Indian Minister of State for Steel and Mines, Mr NKP Salve, met Rt Hon’ble…
Continue Reading...Absentee Princes of Batting during India’s inaugural Test match
The story of the first ever Test match played by India is oft-repeated. At least the tale of the first…
Continue Reading...Dilip Vengsarkar – stuttering to sublime
The memories are vivid. One hand held the bat, the other brushed the pads, adjusted the abdomen guard, and touched…
Continue Reading...Rahul Dravid and the magic of branding
Peshawar 2006. Sachin Tendulkar’s 108 had helped India set a target of 329. Salman Butt’s 101 had propelled the chase….
Continue Reading...Dickie Bird Umpire and Entertainer
Perhaps the most explosive situation he diffused was when Sarfraz Nawaz, charged up and aggressive, unleashed a beamer high enough…
Continue Reading...Mushtaq Ali The Eternal Stylist
The dichotomy between how and how much… The debate between the relative worth of beauty and substance. This was never…
Continue Reading...John Woodcock: The Long Life of The Sage
John Woodcock lived a long life. A really long life. He was born on 7 August 1926. That day Gloucestershire…
Continue Reading...The first ever Test in Pakistan – nothing short of a miracle
New Year’s Day, 1955. The Dacca Stadium. That was what it was called. Today it is enmeshed in the short…
Continue Reading...Alan Knott: The eccentric gloveman
Huish, Hubble, Ames, Levett, Evans … great work behind the wickets has been a feature of Kent cricket for long….
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