Cricket: No Play and Yet, He’s Not Salty

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Wot’s this?? Apparently, boycandy Sreesanth will not be part of India’s opening line-up at the World Cup (damn you, Khan, Agarkar and Patel…damn you all!).
My Baby Daddy Sreesanth.jpg

Paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth looks likely to miss out on a starting place for the World Cup but said that could be the best thing to happen for him.
…”I like it this way,” he said at a team net practice near Port-of-Spain on Wednesday. “I like to struggle and get something rather than get it easily. I’m sure I will get the opportunity.”[Reuters]

I dig a good chase too, but if my sweet little neyyappam ain’t playin’, suddenly, I am way less inspired to impersonate Mandira Bedi poorly. Many of you might recall that my fling with Cricket commenced with a post which celebrated Sreesanth’s glorious obnoxiousness towards Andre Nel:

After hearing about Mallu hotness Sreesanth (thanks, DTK), I had to visit ye olde YouTube to find out about this right-arm fast-medium-pace bowler, who is a right-handed tailender. Apparently, excessively lippy South African Andre Nel questioned Sreesanth’s heart/courage/skillz after Sreesanth evaded something called a bouncer. Sreesanth responded by hitting Nel for a six and then performing a dance I’d normally associate with an end zone. Oh, that was just brutal to write. I can’t imagine how many men I’ve just annoyed. 😉
I may not know a damned thing about what is arguably the most popular sport in all of South Asia, but I know the art of trash talk well and if anything could get me to fall in love with this very Brown game, it’s the video I’ve posted…[SM, biatches!]

…Sigh. And we have so much in common, too:

Sreesanth, 24, one of India’s new crop of pacemen, has impressed with his spirit and wicket-taking abilities which won him Cup selection despite being expensive in one-dayers.[Reuters]

Hello??? I am too expensive for one-nighters! TOTAL SIMILARITY, I think.

Also this:

His natural aggression has caught the imagination of Indian fans since his debut against England in late 2005.[Reuters]

…sounds familiar, too. I’m naturally aggressive and I’ve caught the imagination of many Indian fans…though all of them are male…and for some reason, they’re way more in to my Flickr than my blog. Hmmm. I need to chew on my hair while I like, ponder this…wow, my conditioner smells fab. Wait what was I typing? Ah yes, I was discussing the kid who shares my nick:

The Kerala player was confident he would gain from his past Caribbean experience at the World Cup.
“I was lucky to play all the matches here last year,” he said. “One big lesson I learnt was to be patient, wait for the wickets to come rather than go looking for them.[Reuters]

I concur. The same philosophy has served me well; for example, I patiently wait for sales to come rather than go looking for them…and I nearly always score.

“It is not enough at this level to just run in fast.”[Reuters]

Enough talking darling, you’re ruining it for me. 😉 And stop with the fakakta highlights already, would you? You look better with dark hair. Oy, I sound like my Amma…thankfully, since she does not read blogs, she’ll never learn that and use it against me. 😀

248 thoughts on “Cricket: No Play and Yet, He’s Not Salty”

  1. My bro is getting drunk with rabid Indian fans in a movie theater. He said the mood is subdued but optimistic, given the manifest stregnth in the middle order of the Indian lineup. All agree that the portly, bare-chested fellow painted in the colors of the Indian flag (who DirectTV keeps displaying doing exited jumping-jacks) is an embarassment to all brownz.

  3. All agree that the portly, bare-chested fellow painted in the colors of the Indian flag (who DirectTV keeps displaying doing exited jumping-jacks) is an embarassment to all brownz.

    Aww, I have to see this!! 😀 Damn American cable, damn it to Walmart!

  4. Anna, if you’re in DC there’s this hole in the wall Pakistani restaurant near GWU that used to show matches for a $5 entrance fee. Crowded and dark and occasionally smelly but great fun. Watched the last India-Pak world cup semifinal there. Sigh.

  5. They are playing like its a test match

    Translation: Papa Dravid is earnestly cleaning up the mess left by the Galacticos.

  8. Gaaaah. Not dependable Dravid too…the shame, to Bangladesh of all teams. They probably underestimated and underprepared.

  10. Anna, if you’re in DC there’s this hole in the wall Pakistani restaurant near GWU

    Mehran? Home of the oiliest, least veg-friendly samosas, ever? 😀 Ah, I know it well. But wouldn’t I be the only girl there?? Eeek. This should be easier, like going to Lucky Bar to watch soccer.

    Did you go to GW, too?

  11. Aww, I have to see this!! 😀 Damn American cable, damn it to Walmart!

    I think he sat back down now 🙂 He’ll turn up on YOU Tube soon, I’m sure.

  12. Yes, Mehran, that’s it. Never ever went there to eat as it was too crappy 🙂 You will not be the only girl, you’ll be one a few girls. Lots of desi male energy which can be a good thing and a bad thing.

    Didn’t go to GW but lived in DC for years.

    See my post above for Irfan hotness links, btw.

  13. Solly’s at U street is also showing the games (and I think Flanagan’s Harp and Fiddle at Bethesda)

  14. Andy Bull from the Guardian jumped on the India bandwagon before this match started…

    And if, like me you’re an England fan, you can breathe a big sigh of relief and settle back to enjoy what promises to be a brilliant day of sport. Yes, England are rubbish. You might call it pessimistic, I’d call it realistic. They’ve no chance of winning this tournament, so there is no point getting overly emotionally involved. If I were you, I’d just pick another team to support, and today, in India, we’ve a chance to have a look at a team that are rightly among the favourites to take home the cup.

    …and with he seems to have brought that wretched English luck. Whats the form of Indias bowlers? Any good? The batting is atrocious.

  15. The pitch is apparently exceedingly slow (according to the commentators); makes it that much harder score of spin.

  16. “AMAZING NEWS IS THAT PAKISTAN ARE 58 FOR FOUR AGAINST IRELAND. Both Yousuf and Inzamam are out! Incredible!”

    Schadenfreude!

  17. Whats the form of Indias bowlers? Any good?

    Not bad and they certainly pull their weight. Unlike the legendary batting order.

  18. “AMAZING NEWS IS THAT PAKISTAN ARE 58 FOR FOUR AGAINST IRELAND. Both Yousuf and Inzamam are out! Incredible!” Schadenfreude!

    You definitely don’t want to play Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day! (At least not this early in the day…)

  19. Not bad and they certainly pull their weight.

    Excellent. Gird your lungi’s bowlers!

  21. AMFD – those are fighting words around here. Retract, now.

    Bowlers have been much more consistent than batsmen and yet are rotated more frequently (which makes sense partly for fitness reasons but also doesn’t give them a chance to prove themselves, often). Whatever happened to Balaji?

  22. fifty for Ganguly! sehwag must be feeling rather wretched now(wonder what vvs laxman is thinking – although he isn’t an ODI blazer) . dicey for india, but probably a good test for them (providing they don’t lose and if they do, a good wake-up call for them) in their first match rather than a blowout of bermuda a la australia vs. scotland or south africa vs. netherlands. after all, they got blown away by australia in the first match of the last world cup and went on to the finals. pakistan need to get over that windies loss. but the performance of bangladesh, ireland pokes holes in michael holding’s argument that they shouldn’t be at the world cup. this is how they will improve and gain confidence.

  23. AMFD – those are fighting words around here. Retract, now.

    Well, as far as India-Bangladesh game goes whats wrong with cheering for the small neighbor? Its a perfect David v. Goliath match-up.

    As for the Pakitan-Ireland game, you absolutely cant pick against Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day!

  24. “Whatever happened to Balaji?”

    think he suffered some injuries. gone the way of nehra for now.

  25. Look at the bright side. India and Pakistan fans can get together and ask for a group discount on effigies.

    Re: two-paced pitch. Whatever happened to skillz? Little schmoopsy can’t bat unless it’s a flat track?

  26. “Pakistan are 72 for six and Shoaib Malik is out! There is one of the great upsets of all time going on over in Sabina Park. Incredible.”

    Die suckers!!!

  27. hope robin uthappa doesn’t turn into a sehwag faster than sehwag. bigger hitter than gautam gambhir, but thought gambhir-ganguly or gambhir-sehwag was a steadier opening pair.

  28. A wicked thought passed my mind.. Lets consider both India and Pakistan loose..they both will be treated as some kind of traitors.. Indian players have to ask for asylum in Pakistan.. Pakistanis have to ask for asylum in India 😉

  29. India showing signs of life late in the innings… Can anyone give us novices a form sheet on how India bowlers vs. Bangladesh batsmen match up? I think I’m pulling for the upset but I’d love some straight-up dispassionate mid-match analysis to help me appreciate the rest of the match.

  33. siddhartha,

    Shahriar Nafees and Habibul Bashar are good, especially against spin.

    I have to agree w/ ANNA’s expert opinion 🙂 on Sreesanth. He’s wayward but can be good strike bowler. Zaheer Khan is in good form. Agarkar can keep one end tidy. Munaf is the best Indian pace bowler right now assuming he’s match-fit. A score of 210 could be interesting.

  34. siddhartha, not specifically an indian bowler vs. bangladesh batsman analysis (cricinfo is a good source though – their stats guru link), but this is a general overview (so much for form!)

    and, in keeping with cricinfo, india has most runs at world cup as a team, decent in the bowling, but our tail lags. what was that cute shot harbhajan tried?

  35. A score of 210 could be interesting.

    Looks like not happening…. The wickets are tumbling, or falling, or whatever wickets do, left and right…

  37. I just woke up after a late night….and What is the world coming too?? India are 159/9 against who…Bangla..who..what? maybe I am too hungover and cant read straight Pakistan are 92/6 against Irish???

    I am going back to bed!

  38. This is freakin’ crazy. Pakistan are 103 for 7! If they lose they might be out of the tournament?

    And look at India. This is crazy stuff going on!

  41. well, this isn’t called the group of death for nothing – the hardest of the groups. now up to the indian bowlers. good show from zaheer and patel – second highest partnership – should shame top order batsmen.

  43. Guardian couple weeks ago on Indias WC chances: So India could win it, or maybe even lose to Bangladesh? Like William Goldman said, nobody knows anything.

  44. Like William Goldman said, nobody knows anything.

    rather..nobody knows anything about team India

  46. good show from zaheer and patel – second highest partnership – should shame top order batsmen.

    Bowlers have been bailing out batsmen for a while now. WITH THEIR BATTING SKILLS.

  47. “Bowlers have been bailing out batsmen for a while now. WITH THEIR BATTING SKILLS.”

    right now we need them to bail us out by taking wickets (and zaheer strikes on cue!) but we’ve already given away 8 extras in four overs. if ireland hadn’t bowled 29 extras, pakistan would have been out for about 103.

  49. zaheer takes out the first one..nine more to go

    I am quite sure India will win the match…the Bangladeshi batting order isn’t too great. I only wish they could have done it with more style.

  50. not with the banglas are playing right now. Chargin down to zaheer and consecutive fours!