Tag: Cricket

Chinaman by Shehan Karunatilaka- Book Review! 

Book that was recommended by a friend, who was reading The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida A Booker Prize winner book by the author. The author of Chinaman too!

The moment I heard about the title! The Australian bowler Brad Hogg came to my mind a bowler who is known as the chinaman bowler.

The book was indeed the concept of the spin Balling and Bowler but in contemporary fiction writing.

Chinaman is a story about a retired sportsman W.G Karunsena who is dying.

He spends his final months drinking arrack. ( A traditional alcohol from Sri Lanka) upsetting his wife, ignoring his son & tracking down Pradeep Matthew an elusive spin bowler whom he considers the greatest Cricketer in the world.

On his Quest to find this unsung genius, W.G. uncovers a coach with six fingers, a secret bunker below a famous stadium, an LTTE warlord and startling truths about Sri Lanka, Cricket and himself.

The Book is one of the best books on Cricket and Sri Lanka I have come across and read.

Explaining, the whole concept of the game. The rules and the type of delivery bowled by a spinner.

The writer also believes what a perfect team should look like by giving his breakdown.

A perfect team should be:

  • Two solid openers 
  • Three Aggressive batsman 
  • Two genuine all-rounders
  • One Agile Wicketkeeper 
  • Two unplayable fast bowlers 
  • One Genius Spinner 

The book is thought-provoking for a fan, reader and as a player from the sport. On the value and respect the sport offers. 

“But, once in a while, the very best of them will bowl a ball and bring an entire nation to its feet. There isn’t any practical use in that, but there is certainly value “

The book also touches upon The Superstitions in cricket , the Betting & fixing. 

The way he describes a single over is like a team going to war. 

“An over is six bullets in a gun! I don’t mind firing some into the sky if one hits the target” 

The struggles to keep dreams and hope alive for the sport We play because we have talent & passion. 

But, talent will leave the game if you earn no money 

With the pressure, outsiders have to deal with to prove themselves , Tamils have to be twice as good as Sinhalese to be recognised 

A few true incidents in the sport are highlighted too one of them being the use of 

Aluminium Bat by Dennis Lillee an Australian cricketer   in 1978 Ashes used an aluminium bat. 

On racism

On changing rules:

Whites have been writing the rules for centuries. It’s time we added ours. 

The writer also in the book compares cricket to other sports like  Table tennis: You switch services every 5 points and race to 21.

Badminton: You fight for service. only service grants you points.

Tennis: Four units of 15 constitute a game.

Games accumulate into sets.

Some keywords of the game: 

All arounder:

A genuine all-around should be able to make the team on either bowling and batting skill alone. A genuine one is as rare as a punctual Sri Lankan.

Maiden over: A over of six balls when there aren’t any runs scored.

Follow on: When the team can’t score the sufficient runs required for the other side to play.

Carrom Ball: The ball is released by flicking of finger between the thumb and a bent middle finger in order to impart spin.

Chinaman: Is considered to be a leg-spin delivery by a left-arm bowler

The Lissa Ball a type of delivery was invented by Clarrie Grimmet Aussie player in 1930. Snapped his fingers along the ball axis and made it skid off the pitch, keeping low and often connected with the wicket.

Floater: A Traditional chinaman, but bowled with an open chest and shrug of the shoulder causing the ball to linger in the air

Double Bounce Ball: The Mystery of Mystery Balls. A ball that bounces and changes direction twice.

NBA In India !

 

NBA in India was like IPL in the USA.
some of the iconic basketball players like Lebron James, kobe Bryant, Magic Jhonson and Jordon  are of the players and the only team you know is Lakers from Los Angels and nothing much. just like in our Cricket you know and must have heard about Sachin, Virat and Dhoni  who are  some of the legends  from the games. but it’s more about the experience, the carnival( Music, cheers, Madness, the energy the moments, And Deepening your knowledge about the game.)
The NBA  game has 30 Teams divided into Eastern into (Atlantic,Central and southeast and Western teams are divided into (Northwest,Pacific and southwest )  about 80 odd games are played  over a period of six months from November until April. Each game has  
4 quarters of 12 minutes, With time out breaks of 5 minutes and a fifteen minutes break at half time. Well in all it goes on for about 120 minutes to 180 minutes.
Each player was a  minimum 6”2 and  posses the ball for twenty four seconds, Before he could  pass the ball to another player or take a shot at the basket.  There were moments where a lot of the fans felt like minions and dwarfs if they would have stood against the players. The sprints, the dogging of the ball, the accuracy and sometimes the miscalculation of the shots made  the crowd roar and brings them on the edge of their seats and Scream and Cheers. The game  was all about what you actually experience with hundreds of people all there to witness the sport and sinking the feeling of having brought a sport other than cricket brought to our nation, At   the prefect time to introduce a sport that has a potential market.
The Match between Indiana Pacers vs sacramento kings was the first ever official game of NBA in India,Mumbai held on the 4 and 5th of Oct.  It was a great experience, Playing the virtual basket ball game during the breaks and winning Book my show vouchers  worth 500.   Jerseys and merchandises Were  disturbed randomly in the stadium,  And lucky contestant were  part  of  the  the real basket ball moment, with  jersey and Attire making them feel like the players out there. As part of entertainment act Kings united, the Winner of  an American Dance show from India  performed  during the break, To grabbing nachos and cola for the “Real American NBA experience in India.”
To be honest, those one twenty minutes of action, had many moments where we were lost with what’s was happening on the court, As when you are experiencing a live match there are so many distractions out there, you just want to enjoy the Experience, where as the telecasted matches focus on the game rather than the experience. This was my NBA experience in India, now I am pretty sure what a “Foreigner”  goes through while watching an IPL or a cricket match without having much idea about the sport or want to experience and know what the game is all about.

Pandeynioum -Book Review 


Pandeynioum -Piyush Pandey on advertising .The Title comes from a whatsaap group that was created by the same name for the family .And the book

was a great read ,since it’s about his time at ogilvy ,and giving some of his best work in the field of advertising ,that we even recall today The one like the Fevicol ads ,the fevi quick fishing advertisement to give a few examples ,the book by Piyush Pandey also gives you the insights on the importance of experiences in life ,observation and how sports and games like cricket can teach you a lot on planning and running a company .

Also the quote “carnival outside the boundary lines ,pure cricket inside “to describe IPL cricket even more it all began sums up the passion for cricket ,Piyush Pandey

Also quotes like “don’t let the child in you die ,He or she is a genius you are not.” tell’s you the source of his inspiration .

Last but not the least the more insecure you are about your idea the less you will share it and the less the possibility for a good idea to became a great one.
The book is a must for all advertising students and ones looking to make memorable ads in advertising .

The World Cup performance 

Indians are crushed by the Australian in Australia once again ,some things in history don’t change .

Like today we couldn’t chase  300+ against Australia even after playing in their country for the last 4 months  ,chasing is surely are biggest weakness ,losing a toss is another thing that goes wrong with us .

The  team hasn’t improved at all ,about 12 years ago ,2003 World Cup final we just scored 234 and today too 233 on both occasions we were playing against the same team and had a good start but could not make use of it ,they were  too dependable on the top 3  batsmen and if they don’t performe  ,the middle order tends to collapse under pressure and added to this if the captain doesn’t perform it’s total disaster.

The fighting spirit is just not there 330 was not difficult ,they made it look difficult and the battle was lost with 4 down for 100 and not taking off when needed ,also Mostly everybody expected India to make it in the semifinals with the way there were placed and there were no surprises with other team too being part of the later knockout stages and the semi too were expected to be played amongst these ,only the hype of India playing against  pak kept the fans on their toes to watch the QF between the host and the visitor .

But the semi final was the real test ,the real World Cup and the real battleground which mattered ,but couldn’t be won .

Ok I agree we could not win 8/8 matches this World Cup ,today must not have been our day ,but what do you have to say about the loss by 95 runs and with 3 overs to spare and no where close to the target .

And what do you have to say about the missed opportunity that changed the game ?

Do you believe you were over confident this time ?for this real test .

If we were champions ,why dint we show it .has the Midas touch from our captain disappeared ?

One night stand/Date rape 

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The peer pressure can sometimes lead to circumstances, which can change your life within few seconds of the moment.

The teens too can be a difficult time for the guy & girls because it’s here where a lot of hormonal change that happens which in biological terms known as puberty and teens phase is known as the adolescent. Here I talking about this time and later in life when we hunt for a partner desperately but we might not really know what we are in for. Is it just the mind saying I have found somebody to show off to my friends and then the guy taking advantage? Or is it mutual admiration from both ends that see a future in the relationship if not in the long run but in the short run till you find the right one. Sometimes to find a companion is good enough. One can’t hit a bull’s eye in a go. So you keep trying by going out on date. And this also helps you fulfill your sexual desires. Like the girl who kissed a thousand toads before she met her charming prince. But are being used in your pursuit to find your Mr Right.

You might not know the answer until a situation arises and you might be taken advantage off especially when you are a girl. A blind date or a one-night stand can lead you to a disaster. This happened  to friend of  mine. She was very excited to meet this guy who she met in a chatroom. She bought a new dress to impress him since he claimed he was a son of a millionaire. They had dinner at a restaurant and then he got her drunk to the core at a pub. As an unexpected turn she was forced to fulfill his dirty sexual desires. She was too weak to retaliate. She was made to feel ugly almost like a whore. Her dreams, her youthful charm, her innocence, they all crashed in that one hour of extreme sexual molestation. She was looking forward to a healthy romantic relationship but she could barely walk out of the apartment that she was taken to by this self-proclaimed millionaire son. She was in physical pain but more of emotional trauma since she felt abused and emotionally cheated. So friends be very careful… you could be next. You too could become a victim of date rape. It could be even your boyfriend who you are seeing for a long time. He could lose control of himself and treat you like a prostitute. He could force his ugliness down your throat. Don’t take it lightly cause the scars that remain may torment you for a long long time. So stand up for your rights as a girl, as a woman. Don’t succumb to exploitation of any sorts just out peer pressure or to look socially uptight. A date is a romantic evening to share love and not to be used like an object of physical abuse or to pass on emotional trauma. Live to love and make love. Don’t make a love a means of living.

For more tips on finding love and your soulmate read the romantic caper novel Tiger Mates…

Visit: www.tigermates.com or you can buy it on: Flipkart  by clicking on the link  http://bit.ly/1L9pm3e

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