Probably a bit harsh, although I did enjoy this bit of the story:Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
"I'm advised that the Indian Government is of the view that playing the IPL while the population is in lockdown provides a few hours of joy and respite each day at an otherwise difficult time for the country."
India has that cricket charm when it comes to us. Ethno-State is he as good as Tendalker?
The bookies need to take bets!
I don't doubt the sentiment behind it and that he's a Good Bloke, but it all seems very arse about face.
To be fair, they could replace that with rugby in NZ or football in the UK, and it would still sound plausible. Silly governments.
I particularly enjoyed Chris Lynn's contribution to the discourse:
Why don't they just collectively use some of their sweet sweet 90% to charter a plane?Mumbai Indians batsman Lynn said he had asked Cricket Australia to arrange a charter flight back home for Australia's players at the end of the IPL after the governing body had contacted players about their health and travel plans.
"I texted back that, as Cricket Australia make 10% of every IPL contract, was there a chance we could spend that money this year on a charter flight once the tournament is over?" Lynn told News Corp.
"We are not asking for shortcuts and we signed up knowing the risks. But it would be great to get home as soon as the event is over."
They really are pampered fucks.
Thanks to your in no way pearl-clutching government, he's not even allowed to go home. It's a perfect scene.
That is Scotty and the Liberals.
I hope he is stuck there forever carrying the drinks for different teams in all forms.
The Australian Cricketers stuck in India will quarantine in the Maldives for 2 weeks before they return home.
Well that is Cricket fucked for a bit most will be seething over this.
While the plebs are still banned from entry on pain of death?
Scummo threatened fines and jail time at the start of the week for people sneaking in (lol wat) before walking it back.
Sounds better than 2 weeks in the Formula 1, or do they have to do that as well?
Outside of all the family/organised crime links I like to think of this McGill kidnapping (and subsequent release when it turns out a restaurant manager isn't worth kidnapping) as just an extension of the relentless trolling of the poor guy his life seems to involve. Shane Warne was probably behind it.
https://wisden.com/stories/exclusive...-dont-know-yet
This is genuinely the most incredible sporting story I can remember. Like Ali Dia on acid.
Quality read.
Presumably there's a photo of Worcs signing To Madeira knocking around somewhere to. I bet that guy really hates Zafar Ansari.
Look forward to the next instalments.
Yeah, the fact that it was part one of SIX has basically seen me clear my diary for the next month or so.
I love the research that has gone into the story as well, particularly the bits where he presumably rings up Rangana Herath and says: 'Mate, have you ever been hit for five sixes in an over?'
That's amazing.
My two favourite bits are the unspecified life-changing experience and this:
Luke Sutton, a colleague on the Lancashire staff for two years, told in the Daily Mail of how he confronted Shankar over rumours he was three years older than he claimed. “His reply, straight to my face and without a shadow of doubt, was that he had been on a life support machine for the first three years of his life and was therefore physically three years younger than he should be. I challenged him on this and said that surely he grew during the three years on the life support machine. He simply replied ‘No, I didn’t’ and walked off.”
What a psycho.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...-uvat20-league
A little nugget to keep you going until Shankar pt.2 is out.
Is this going to be a movie?
The BBC's thing to select your team for the first New Zealand test has Haseeb Hameed as an option at opener and Cricinfo (hate their player page layout now) tells me he's actually in a good run of form at the moment.
Is he likely to actually be considered for for the squad as it stands?
Probably not, but he has had a bit of a renaissance this season, armed with a Samson-like mane of long hair. We may see James Bracey get a debut at 3 and Burns/Crawley open, assuming Sibley isn't fit and I haven't forgotten someone.
Where was Lawrence batting? 5?
5, where there may actually be a spot open as Stokes is bollocksed. Then there is also talk of 'rest' for the IPL crew. Could see something like:
Burns
Crawley
Bracey
Root
Pope
Lawrence/someone
Foakes
Woakes
Archer/Robinson
Leach
Anderson/Broad
Could also see defeat.
Cricketers returning from the Maldives today are predictibly enemy no.1 on the Social Medias.
Cameron Bancroft dropping more players in it over the sandpaper. Nathan Lyon weeping on national TV, please.
Also where's the rest of these Shankar articles? I'm sure it said it was 6 parts over a fortnight but I haven't seen any more on Wisden.
He said there were 'legal issues' around the next bits (lol in itself) but it would be up shortly.
That was a real treat hopefully Boot gets more.
The fact they are trying so hard to get Smith back in the Captain's role says it all really. Warner should have been booted from the squad never to return as well
Warner should have been booted for the poor acting alone.
I love those moments where you feel you've absolutely nailed a reference that the other party is totally oblivious to.
He'd better not have missed the "oh no".
Although, looking at the lyrics to that song, making reference to it is probably somewhere on the hate crime spectrum.
Adrian Shankar part 2: https://wisden.com/stories/exclusive...ose-connection
Adding another string to his weirdo bow with a cheeky 'Only last week another female described me as ‘aloof and distant,’' in amongst all the other bullshit.
Were the basic details of this well known among cricket devotees in the way that Ali Dia was, say, or would most people who'd even heard of him just had him down as a player who briefly appeared but never made it?
It was reasonably well known at the time, yeah.
Cracking stuff. That final cup write-up and its dissection is amazing.
I've no recollection of 'Shanks' from the time (unless he was also part of the double act with Bigfoot) but I do remember those [fucking daft] bats.
Always associated Mongoose as a bike/BMX brand though.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...derappreciated
I'd never heard of this fella before now but I like the article.
DI Stevens is an absolute menace. If he stays fit I don't see why he couldn't continue to deal in death more or less forever.
Shankar part 3: https://wisden.com/stories/exclusive...d-the-ipl-push
I'm glad you linked this Jimmy, because I never normally look at the Wisden website.
Strong 'Big Cheese' energy here.he headed to Botswana in October with the Cricket Without Boundaries charity (whose mission was to raise AIDS and HIV awareness in schools alongside cricket), where he was apparently known as ‘The Eye Candy’: “a nickname of uncertain origin.”
"A friend of mine works in the office at the Oval, and he says that people actually stop what they are doing when Shankar is training there to go and watch him."
"But like Zak Crawley in India, [Foakes] has slipped on a dressing room floor and torn his left hamstring."
Sounds like cricket teams need to start investing in shower mats or something.
Hameed is back in. I didn't think I'd ever see the day again it appears he's been doing ok this year.
I'm getting Phil Olivetti vibes.Shankar part 3: https://wisden.com/stories/exclusive...d-the-ipl-push
I'm glad you linked this Jimmy, because I never normally look at the Wisden website.
Strong 'Big Cheese' energy here.
In fact, it does have a very made-up feel generally, maybe that's the part 7 pay-off, it was all a long game wind-up and the author is actually Adrian Shankar and a gig with Wisden was the aim all along.
Imagine being the guy who would write this about yourself and pass it off as the work of fictional journalist 'Manoj Ramachandran'.Shankar fits neatly into the mould of Kohli and Vijay – young, gifted and with an explosive game suited to entertaining the large crowds of the IPL. His brand appeal may be unparalleled, with an almost perfectly scripted combination of cover model looks, an Indian father and a Cambridge educated turn of phrase.
'Cambridge educated turn of phrase' deserves a public lashing.
Bearded players.
The Demon back row on the left (standing), what a menace he was. Bannerman front left who holds the most ridiculous record in all of sport.
https://wisden.com/stories/exclusive...ion-manouevres
Part 4. A lot of IPL draft admin stuff which is pretty dry but does set up Shankar's later antics and wriggling out of the Royals trial.
Also I dunno if I know about the footballer, Carlos Kaiser, he links to an article about so I'll be reading that too.
That Carlos Kaiser stuff is a good read too. I think they did a movie/doc on him but I haven’t had chance to watch it yet.
First Test at Lord's this morning, another slice of glorious normality. We seem likely to go with this somewhat patched up XI:
Burns
Sibley
Crawley
Root
Pope
Lawrence
Bracey (debut/wk)
Robinson (debut)
Leach
Broad
Anderson
Would have NZ as favourites despite no Boult. Devon Conway will debut for them, he is a serious player.
Glad you posted that as I'd totally forgotten it was today. I gather Burns has been going well this season so I hope he gets a good score today.
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