Edge Is Efficiency.

2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Mascot- Stumpy!

Road to World Cup 2011…

Someone once said 1/3^rd of the world is covered by fresh water and the rest is covered by Jonty Rhodes. One dive in 1992 cricket world cup brought in versatility into the game. Jonty’s trademark dive to run out Inzama-ul-Haq gave birth to the best fielder of all-times. Chasing every ball at an electric speed he seemed to be spring-legged. None has come any close to what Jonty was, but Gibbs, AB de Villiers, Kaif, Yuvraj and Collingwood have managed high fielding standards. With the World Cup(WC) round the corner it is mandatory for teams to work hard not only on their bowling and batting skills but also on the art of fielding.

Fielding, which is now considered to be a science, will be the difference between winners and losers. Currently, South Africa has the best fielders mainly because of their Rugby skills. India also has a few outstanding fielders. Legends like Kapil Dev and Sir Viv Richards have declared India the favourites for the WC. Sachin Tendulkar would want to lift the WC at least once in his playing days and why not, that man totally deserves it. The prayers of a billion people, sub-continent conditions, home support and good amount of experience might just work in India’s favour. Under MS Dhoni’s captaincy India has done well in home conditions. The perfect blend of youth and experience might take India a long way. India is good enough but misses the X-factor. I would be glad if the likes of Yousuf Pathan would prove me wrong.

England is being called the new Australia for their wonderful exhibition of talent on field. After the match at Adelaide in The Ashes series, England players have started believing in their abilities and have come together as a team. They have the brilliance of Cook and Pietersen back in form. Graeme Swann will prove crucial on the sub-continent pitches. Swann is a confident young spinner who has the potential to change the proceedings of a match. England is fine being tagged the minnows and that stops them from being a champion side. Strauss and Andy Flower have put in a lot of effort for positive vibes to flow in the team. Hopefully the effort shows in the WC. England has a bunch of outstanding talents but lacks confidence as a team.

Australia and Sri Lanka cannot be ticked off. They are capable of winning. Let’s wait and watch if there are any surprises in store for us. South Africa is above all in batting and fielding departments but isn’t good enough in bowling. Every WC winning team till date has had the best all rounders in its squad. Bangladesh, West Indies and Pakistan start as underdogs. 2011 Cricket World Cup promises to put up a tremendous show. An action-packed 2011 awaits every ardent cricket follower.

Did You Know?

’Sledging’ is a word used very fashionably by media. But where does the term originate from? The derivation of this word is known to very few people. I got to know about it when I was reading Richie Benaud’s "My Spin on Cricket". This is what Mr.Benaud had to say:-

"It happened many years ago at a party in Adelaide, in November 1967, and had nothing at all to do with anything that had occurred on a cricket field, or has happened on a cricket field since that evening. The New South Wales team threw the party but a couple of players had to leave to attend another function. When they arrived back at the party room it was to find a waitress, carrying a tray of drinks, knocking on the same door. The door was opened to display an almost empty room apart from a couple of players, one of whom, Graham Corling, who was at the time nicknamed ’I’ll be’, looked past the waitress at his two team-mates and said, using a well known four-letter expletive, that the party is over. Another player, embarrassed at the swearing in front of a lady, said: ’Aw I’ll be, that’s as subtle as a sledgehammer.’ In the way of Australian cricketers’ use of nicknames, Corling instantly became known as ’Percy’ because at that time the big song in the hit parade was ’When a Man Loves a Woman’ and the singer was Percy Sledge. From the moment anyone in Australian cricket who swore in front of a lady was said to have been guilty of sledging."

How funny it is. The word is now so commonly used and most of us don’t know where it came from. Mr.Richie Benaud does a wonderful job by keeping ordinary cricket lovers informed of what happens both on and off the field.

Save Trees to keep Cricket alive…

This World Environment Day help save Mother Earth.

As responsible citizens of the world there is a long list of things that cricketers can do to save Earth. Are cricketers doing justice to the publicity they get? They are worshipped everywhere but are they worth worshipping? Just being a responsible cricketer does no good to the world. A cricketer must also understand his social responsibilities.

Indian Premier League [IPL] might have made a lot of money and might have been in news for all the wrong reasons off late. But today let’s take notice of the good deeds IPL has undertaken. IPL has a long term partnership with United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP] to generate awareness about environment. IPL with its popularity has managed to promote UNEP. To reduce carbon footprint is one among the many projects of UNEP.

Cricketers no doubt have wide spread followers. Their hair-do, their dressing style, their accent, everything they do is copied. So cricketers have an opportunity to do good to the society. They are role models to many emergent youth. Many cricketers have made use of their status to give back to the society. It would be nicer if all cricketers make an effort to support a social cause. Steve Waugh, Sachin Tendulkar and Glenn McGrath set best examples. Steve Waugh has a charity foundation in New Delhi. He has raised funds to the underprivileged in Kolkata after being inspired by Mother Teresa.

Sachin Tendulkar has also done loads of charity work silently, away from the media glare. I wonder why! When people get to know that a Godly person like Sachin is doing charity there are more chances than not for people to follow the footsteps of their hero. I don’t get the point of doing all the good work without wanting anyone to take notice of it. This time I can’t help but disagree with the God himself. It’s important to let the world know that you are working for a noble cause. At least then people might derive inspiration to help the needy.

Cricketers with their profile and influence can do the world of good to the environment. But they have to take the initiative and spread the word to save environment.

I can’t imagine a world without trees. No trees means no bats. No bats means no cricket. No cricket means no writing for me. Having said that, I further wonder if cricketers are saving the environment or ruining it! The bats they use are made of fine willow. Hundreds of trees are cut down to manufacture bats. Is there no alternative to the present day bat? Aluminum bat might be the answer. But choosing aluminum bat over willow bat is a topic of discussion for some other day. Until then save the environment, save trees! You don’t want cricket to suffer, do you?