Tag Archives: cricket

The ‘West Indies’ Cricket Team Is An Anachronism. No Need Now. Throw The Bums Out Of The ICC.

by Anura Guruge
on July 17, 2024

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Click to ENLARGE. From my old blog, from 9 years AGO.

Click to ENLARGE. THE letter.

They no longer can play cricket, especially Test cricket. They proved it again, this week, with their amazingly inept performance at (my beloved) “Lord’s”. They are a disgrace to International cricket.

They are not a cohesive, unified team — & NOW never will be. You can’t play for a country that doesn’t exist. A fake country. That is my WHOLE point. There is NO country called the ‘West Indies‘ — never have been & never will be.

All the other ICC teams represent a COUNTRY.

The West Indies is NOT a country.

That is why they play like pillocks. Yes, it did NOT used to be like & I speak of one who has a son named after ‘SIR Gordon Greenidge‘. But, now they have quite literally LOST IT. No identity. No team spirit. Time to kick them out.

Very simple. Only genuine, bona fide countries belong in the ICC.

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I THINK Afghanistan THREW The Semi-Final To Avoid The Risk Of Facing India In The Final!

by Anura Guruge
on June 27, 2024

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Click to ENLARGE. Base image from ‘Google News‘.

Yes, this is (atypically) NOT an original thought on my part. It has already been aired a few days ago.

I watched a fair chunk of the Afg vs SA semi-final live last night on ‘Willow TV‘. I was kind of shocked. Afghanistan, when batting, looked lacklustre. Half-hearted. All out for 56!

I am DELIGHTED for ‘South Africa‘. No secret that I am HUGE fan of the South African cricket team. To I they come across as a very united, committed team that genuinely play for their country, each other & their fans. You don’t see that with the West Indies. They do NOT have a country to unite them — or play for!

I also worry about the Afghan team. That they CHEATED, blatantly, in the previous match, against Bangladesh, upsets me greatly. I don’t like MY cricket being besmirched. So, there is also the Instant Karma aspect. They deserved to lose.

But, in the end I can’t stop thinking that MANY of the Afghan players were fretting about their LUCRATIVE IPL contracts. They didn’t want to risk facing India. IF they threw that match — THE FINAL — it would have looked bad. This was an easier option.

I could be wrong. Just what crossed my mind — BUT then again, I am not alone. SMILE.

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It Is Complex Laws Like This That Makes CRICKET Such A Beautiful & Fascinating Sport — & Will Always Confound The Americans.

by Anura Guruge
on June 21, 2024

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Click to ENLARGE.

Click to ENLARGE.

How brilliant? I kind of worked out what had happened just from the headlines (i.e., it had to be related to the No Ball). I then read further … & I was right to an extent. So beautiful. So classic. So CRICKET. Wow. Just love it. Made me so happy.

I have always maintained that cricket is chess played on a large field. Very cerebrial.

It is NOT just “crash-bang-wallop. Thank you Ma’am” (though T20 does make it look like that). There is so many intricacies. This is a great example. No wonder cricket will always confound the Americans — though the current U.S.A. cricket team, made up mainly on ex-pats, are doing quite well.

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Feels Surreal To Be Having A Bona Fide ‘ICC Men’s T20 World Cup’ In The U.S.A. — As We Speak.

by Anura Guruge
on June 3, 2024

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Click to ENLARGE. Montage that I created.

Yes, I am in the process of watching the warm up game, viz., ‘Ind v Ban’. The Indian batting, following up from the just finished ‘IPL‘, was superb. Not so for poor, outclassed ‘Bangladesh‘.

Though I have known about it for years, I still can’t get my head around a CRICKET World Cup happening in the U.S. WOW. Amazing. Cricket, thanks to all the Asian ex-pats, is taking off in the U.S.

A lot taking place. Too much even for I to follow — though I will confess I am kind of busy & distracted. A portable stadium in New York! Some very serious security risks! Yikes.

Yes, I did THINK about going to a match in New York — but the logistics were a tad to overwhelming. IF I had been 20-year younger.

I just wanted to make sure YOU knew that a bona fide, ICC World Cup is happening, even as we speak, in the U.S. of A. WOW.

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TATA IPL 2024: I Had NO Idea It Had Started (Plus That It Was On The ‘Willow’ APP). I Am Psyched!

by Anura Guruge
on March 27, 2024

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Click to ENLARGE. For ‘Willow‘.

I came to the ‘IPL‘ late — about 5-years ago. But, now I love, just love it. I think it is the MOST exciting cricket you can see. The BEST. Not sure how they manage it, but every match proves to be classic.

The IPL had NOT been available on the ‘Willow‘ APP (on ‘Roku‘) for the last few years. They did NOT have the U.S. streaming rights. That was a PAIN. Willow is my favorite way to watch cricket — &, as such, I have a rolling, full-time subscription.

This year the IPL is on the Willow APP. That is brilliant.

I, however, had lost sight as to when the IPL was starting. Went to Willow last night & BINGO they were already on Match #7. So some catching up to do. But, I am delighted.

Wow.

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U.S. Professional Cricket ‘Major League’ Makes A Very Poor Font Selection — Harms Credibility.

by Anura Guruge
on February 16, 2024

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Click to ENLARGE. I got this in an e-mail this morning.

Click to ENLARGE. Link to the Website.

I get e-mails from them. So, I got the above this morning. I started to glance through the ‘New York’ list. ‘Rashid HHan‘? Ah! That is how I saw it … read it. The ‘K’ looked just like an ‘H’. I started looking through.

I HONESTLY thought they had screwed up BIG TIME & got the names wrong.

It was ONLY when I looked at the names, again, more carefully that I realized that it was FONT ISSUE.

Come on!

Really, really, really BAD FONT choice.

How could they NOT have spotted that. Wow!

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‘Pope Francis’, The New ‘Warrior Pope’, Excommunicates An Italian Priest For Calling Him An Antipope.

by Anura Guruge
on January 3, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. Headlines from ‘Google News‘.

Wow. Wow. Wow. He claimed, 10 years ago, that he had a sense of humor. He has obviously misplaced that somewhere in the Vatican. He really has become a crotchety, vindictive, ol’ man — NO MERCY, no compassion. Warrior Pope.

But, we should get one thing right, as far as I can tell Francis is NO Antipope. Everything we know, & has been made public, indicates that the conclave that elected him played by the rules. BUT, as with any conclave, BY DEFINITION, we don’t know what happened behind the closed doors of the Sistine. We really don’t. But, if we assume that the voting was done, behind closed doors like it is supposed to have been done, then Francis is legit. Not an antipope.

I am CONFUSED, utterly, by the ‘usurper’ part. He didn’t have to usurp anyone or anything. There was NO antipope ahead of him.

Poor priest. No free speech. Wow.

He should not have been excommunicated. Just not cricket. But Francis never played cricket. Shame. He would be a much better person & pope if he had.

Hail Pope Francis the NEW ‘Warrior Pope’.

‘Willow TV’ No Longer Showing The Fall Of ALL WICKETS In Their Cricket Highlights.

by Anura Guruge
on September 26, 2023

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This, i.e., NOT showing the fall of ALL the wickets in the HIGHLIGHT (reel), has been going on for a few months now. [Well, it is not exactly new, BUT it never used to be widespread.]

I was watching the EXCITING 1st ODI between ‘Australia & India’. They did NOT show the fall of MOST WICKETS. One or two I could understand. We are talking 6,7 or MORE. Totally ruined the FLOW of the game. One minute there is one pair batting & then with NO WARNING a totally different pair.

This is inexcusable.

Willow used to be SO GOOD. They knew their cricket.

Yes, I am going to complain. I did.

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The U.S. Now REALLY Has A Proper, Professional Cricket League, With 2 Grounds & TV Coverage.

2 Replies

by Anura Guruge
on July 11, 2023

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Click to ENLARGE. Link to the Website.

Contrary to what many Americans know & realize cricket has been in the U.S. since at least the 1920 — when British actors coming to Hollywood set up cricket teams.

I played cricket in Boston in the 1990s. You could see weekend cricket games in D.C. around that ear too.

Now with all the Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans & those from the Caribbean living in the U.S., it was inevitable.

I have been falling the rise of ‘Major League Cricket‘, the U.S. professional league, since its formation a few years ago.

Yes, we have had a few T20 games in the last few years.

This year, starting in a couple of days, we will have a proper T20 League — a micro-version of the ‘IPL‘. There is even a team that has ripped off a IPL Team logo!

This is GREAT. NOT this year, but one of these days I will try to make it to North Carolina to watch a game live. I have not see a professional, LIVE cricket match since c. 1997.

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TATA IPL 2023: I Am Falling Way Behind Watching The Highlights, In Order, One-At-A-Time.

by Anura Guruge
on May 1, 2023

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Click to ENLARGE.

Click to ENLARGE. Screenshots from my 60″ TV.

Click to ENLARGE. Full SCHEDULE for the 70 league matches. This will help you keep track. See below for downloadable PDF.

I am very disciplined & methodical when it comes to watching the IPL. I don’t skip around or just follow a few favorite teams. I watch the HIGHLIGHTS of EACH match in order in which they are played. I have the schedule printed out (ABOVE) & I go through it, systematically. This year (as you can see) I also put a tick against the team that won!

The ‘Willow TV‘ highlights this year, from what I can see can vary from ~40 mins. to just over 1 hour. So, in general, it takes me 2 days to watch a single game. Plus, I don’t watch cricket when I am away. So, I was always going to be a bit behind BUT now I realize I am way, way behind.

But, that is OK. I am in no rush. The matches will remain on Willow TV for at least another 3 months. I should be caught up by then.

Right now I am ONLY watching IPL cricket — forsaking all the other series! I LIKE THE IPL. Something about it. Higher class of cricket than average. It took me a LONG time to warm up to the IPL. I have only been watching it for about 5 years, if that. But, now I am hooked.

For simple, no frills schedule of the 1st 70 matches.
Click to download PDF.

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