http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&category=33 In the wake of the Delhi bomb blasts engineered by cowards of the highest order, this is what I visualise in the coming days: The Australian cricketers set to tour India later this month will express fears (on and off the record) especially over Delhi which is one of the Test venues ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=662 Very few players would have the kind of mental firmness of a Sourav Ganguly ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1067 MARK Mascarenhas would surely be the other deceased person apart from father Ramesh Tendulkar whom Sachin Tendulkar would think about a lot in his hour of glory ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1050 It's a great pity to true lovers of the game that Andrew Symonds will not be seen during the India vs Australia series ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=591 THE Australian team is indeed fortunate to have a set-up which understands their needs ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=592 WE read about how the Indian board declined any tour invitations in the wake of the Champions Trophy being postponed to next year ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=106 DON Bradman’s birth centenary which was celebrated on August 27 caused me to glance through his coaching bible Art of Cricket ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=107 AN out and out Don Bradman fan would have not enjoyed Ian Chappell’s piece (which he wrote in 2005) reproduced in the Hindustan Times on August 27 ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=108   NOT sure whether fellow cricket enthusiasts will agree with me, but many of the bat stickers nowadays appear so huge and ugly ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1037   While Sachin Tendulkar is all set to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket, it is important to note that he, like any other young cricketer, suffered from self doubt too ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1024 IT was interesting to read Anil Kumble admitting that he couldn’t help taking notice of what has been appearing in the media about him during and after the Bangalore Test ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1007 IT is good to see the Indian Cricket League gaining ground in its second season ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=779 Little Gundappa Vishwanath was not the only sporting soul to recall a batsman after being declared out by the umpire ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=910 I found Geoff Boycott’s view of India’s senior cricketers playing on for endorsement deals annoying ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=913 India’s batting line-up warmed the cockles of the heart on Monday when they batted out the day against the relentless Australians on Day Five of the opening Test at Bangalore ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=990 Hope the 20-20 addicts have woken up to the fact that there's nothing to match the excitement and mystique of Test cricket after watching the ongoing traditional battle between India and Australia in Bangalore ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=973 AUSTRALIAN coaches ensure they are in the news on the Asian sporting scene ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=741 IT was good that television expert Ian Chappell spoke about Rod Marsh’s contribution in recalling Derek Randall in the Australia vs England Centenary Test at Melbourne in 1977 because cricket lovers only remember Gundappa Vishwanath inviting Bob Taylor to resume his innings after the umpire declared him caught behind in the Golden Jubilee Test in Mumbai, 1980 ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=967 IT feels great to see someone achieve success after the toil and years they've put in ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=956 It's going to be a great series if you happen to be a television addict ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=951 RAMEEZ Raja's plea to his former captain Imran Khan to leave politics and rule their country's cricket affairs is an interesting one ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=714 SOMETIMES the BCCI gives the impression that they put their commercial deals ahead of commonsense ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=947 ONE of the national selectors has taken the BCCI’s orders of not talking to the media very seriously, if a story I heard last night is true ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=928 WHILE Indian cricket aficionados can rejoice in the fact that the Australians are not making a great fuss over touring India despite the recent Delhi bomb blasts, the Pakistan Cricket Board is justified in being livid over Cricket Australia’s decision to tour India and back away from the Champions Trophy ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=680 IT’S good to see Mohinder Amarnath as coach of Bengal ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=679 SIMON Katich has been fortunate to be with the Australia A squad here which means he has a head start over his more illustrious batting counterparts in the Australia Test team ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=671 AUSTRALIA have a very weak spin attack and that is a worry simply because if the fast bowlers have a poor day, a Test can be lost in a session considering the Indian batsmen's ability to take on the spinners (what happened in Sri Lanka notwithstanding) ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=656 WHEN I was a younger man, I used to get very excited to see photographs of the interiors of cricket establishments ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=840 THE visiting Australians would be having a nice laugh at the way our country’s cricketing fraternity has gone about reacting to them being at the receiving end of some professionalism dished out by the Rajasthan Cricket Association ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=852 Having your former coach in the enemy camp does not give one a good feeling ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=825 Cricket enthusiast: Hello, hello, is this the BCCI office in Mumbai?  Operator: Yes, it is ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=804 MY cricket expert neighbour was full of bounce this morning as we simultaneously opened our respective doors to fetch the morning newspapers ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=892 The Australians are experts when it comes to winning in a war of words ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=800   SO Australia have discovered they have a problem child in the form of Andrew Symonds, who could well miss the vital India tour if not retire from the game as some reports have suggested ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=317 NO wonder Gideon Haigh is the world’s best cricket historian by a country mile ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=329  THE Board of Control for Cricket in India must - for this year at least - change the name of the team, which takes on Ranji Trophy, champions Delhi for the Irani Cup ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=375 THE more you look at the Irani Trophy and India A selection, the more questionable it gets ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=397 THE empty stands at Mohali are off-putting and the Punjab Cricket Association I S Bindra has got it right when he attributed the poor response to spectator facilities ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1098 Nagraj Gollapudi, one of Cricinfo’s most consistent writers, has done a nice interview with Greg Matthews, the former Australian all-rounder, who was one of the heroes of the 1986 Tied Test against India ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1120 IN these hypocritical times, Kevin Pietersen has spoken up on a subject that needs the voice of the men who play this game ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1185 CRICKET is not getting less exciting these days with two of the three forms of the game looking healthy (it will be a challenge to keep 50-over cricket alive) ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1174    THERE will be no shortage of positive energy with Krishnamachari Srikkanth coming in as the new chairman of selectors ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=857 THE India vs Australia series is going to be such an interesting one if the build-up to it is anything to go by ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=860 YOU never know what you end up becoming ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=874 Wonder whether Sourav Ganguly will announce his retirement one of these days ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=539 NO one would like to be in Anil Kumble’s shoes if they are the same ones which he uses to stand tall among the pantheon of greats ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1133 THE festive season reminds me of a story involving two Mumbai first-class cricketers whose families met for a Diwali dinner in the early 1980s ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1152   WONDER how good Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland was with his timing while batting ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=580 AUSTRALIA umpire Simon Taufel has claimed yet another Umpire of the Year award from the International Cricket Council ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=577 IT’S a pity channel Star Cricket which is not always occupied with live telecasts did not bring the ICC awards live to their viewers ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=578 A quarter century ago, Pakistan were becoming a strong force under their new captain Imran Khan ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1215 INDIA has rarely earned such respect in international cricket ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1567 My moment of the Delhi Test was a sight before even the first ball was bowled: Matthew Hayden sharing a joke with Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar as both teams trained prior to the needle game which could decide the series ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1217   JUST as cricketers sport black armbands to pay respects to departed players, how would it appear if they wear coloured bands to celebrate good things? That would mean breaking new ground, but there has to be a way to hail great performances publicly ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1226 WHILE cricket administrators continue to show their true colours (not referring to Gilchrist’s book True Colours) especially when it comes to Mickey Mouse cricket, I thought I should relate a story ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1233 That the BCCI have decided to appeal against Gautam Gambhir's one-match ban is true indication of two things ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1234 If the BCCI are serious about beefing up their spin stocks, their big guns ought to fly down to Bangalore and talk to Anil Kumble about a role at the National Cricket Academy ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1244 There are a lot of options for Anil Kumble as to how he is going to spend his post-playing days ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1257 WHILE India’s cricketers are slowly convincing its followers that they are capable of displacing Australia as the number one team in world cricket, the BCCI is no where near top billing ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1267 It's heartening to see a young opening batsman coming out and playing well against a world champion attack ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1285 FOR Sourav Ganguly to score nearly two hundreds against the world champions in his last series as captain is a highly creditable achievement ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1296 THE impurity surrounding India vs Australia cricket would make several journos think of changing their profession ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1299 I don’t know how experienced a commentator is Brendan Julian, but he’s certainly a new face in this part of the world ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1307   IF Gautam Gambhir finds nothing wrong what he did to Shane Watson during the third Test against Australia in Delhi, he needs to be examined from head to toe ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1321 NEXT time you read about a cricketer saying that he doesn't read newspapers, you can bet your last rupee that he is not being generous with the truth ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1329   NIRANJAN Shah, the boss of cricket in Rajkot where the first one-dayer between India and England is being played doesn’t seem to have done much to the ground which I first visited in 1995 ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1332 THAT Mumbai cricket is not in the best of shape has become a common refrain ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1349 The BCCI haven’t made a statement via their secretary - (supposedly the most important office bearer when it comes to daily affairs of Indian cricket) about Dhoni and Co’s visit to Bhandara to grace the opening of a cricket academy owned by politician Praful Patel’s father ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1362    RICKY Ponting does nothing to advertise his ability to look at the big picture when he talks about the past antics of players turned commentators/media men ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1385 INDIA'S win over England in the third one-dayer at Kanpur on Thursday brings them one step away from a series win ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1396 INDIA tours New Zealand early next year if the BCCI needs any reminding ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1427 THOUGH cricket fans will be saddened by the postponement of the 20-20 Champions League and the cancellation of the last two India vs England one-dayers, the game is lucky not to lose anyone through the terrorist attacks in Mumbai ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1458 Mysteries never fail to follow cricket ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1534 INDIAN former Test and first-class players are indeed fortunate to receive a monthly pension from the Board of Control for Cricket in India ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1615 SACHIN Tendulkar completes 20 years of first-class cricket today (as reported by MiD DAY) ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1667 SOURAV Ganguly reckons Rahul Dravid is too good a player to be out of form for long ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1676 FRUSTRATED at India’s poor batting display against England in Chennai, I decided to watch some top quality cricket played between Australia and West Indies in 1992-93 ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1703  NOT all great sportsmen are masters of whatever they survey ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1725 A few days ago, the media reported on out-of-form Rahul Dravid meeting up with chairman of selectors K Srikkanth ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1748 IT was amazing to hear Richie Benaud recall the Wankhede Stadium wicket for the fourth and final India vs Australia Test of the 2004-05 and call it ‘Polly’s wicket’ during commentary during the fifth day of the Perth Test on Sunday ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1753 SRI Lankan cricket is in trouble again with Arjuna Ranatunga sacked as chief ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1772 INDIAN cricket chiefs should be using their good offices with their New Zealand counterparts to get an extra Test for a wholesome series rather than to break the break as it were for the Indian cricketers, who won’t be Pakistan bound ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1785 RICKY Ponting’s dismissal for 99 in the second innings against South Africa on Monday would probably prove that India are destined to be the toast of centuries in both innings ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1792 One year ago, Australia were celebrating another instance of being in a position of not losing a home series – after winning the Melbourne and Sydney Tests against India last year ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1807 THE BCCI was proud to announce on Saturday their plans to organise a huge prize money corporate tournament ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1814 SACHIN Tendulkar’s disapproval of the Ranji Trophy knock-outs being played at neutral venues will find support with most cricket fans and administrators ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1823 WE all saw how South Africa Graeme Smith braved the pain and walked out to bat with an injured hand and elbow when the ninth wicket fell in the last session of the Sydney Test on Wednesday ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1833 QUITE often, cricket associations waste money on functions that can be either avoided or scheduled for a more appropriate time ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1852 WHILE the cricket in the Ranji Trophy final is as absorbing as it was in the semi-finals, the television commentary has been appalling save probably Arun Lal and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1872 MUMBAI’S 38th Ranji Trophy triumph will be cause for celebrations, not only the players, but the Mumbai Cricket Association officials too ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1889 AAKASH Chopra has to be commended for deciding to belong to the rare breed of Indian cricketers who not only wrote books, but did so during their playing days ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1901    ONE can understand Virender Sehwag speaking his mind over Greg Chappell’s coaching approach ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1929 WHILE Australian cricket supporters can’t stop mourning about the drop in performance, Australia’s ill health can only be good for the game ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1952 I can understand if people felt sick after watching the Indian Premier League auction ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1971 There has been a lot of talk about the challenge of conquering New Zealand conditions but cricket-wise, Mahendra Singh Dhoni should welcome the favourites tag ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=2037 IS Brett Lee being brave or foolish by saying that he will not allow terrorist threats to dampen his plans to be part of the second edition of the Indian Premier League? Take your pick ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=2090 THE Indian cricket board took their dadagiri to new heights the other day when they objected to Indian Cricket League player Craig McMillan’s presence as commentator for the India vs New Zealand series ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=2122 It’s interesting that television broadcasters Sony appealed to the New Zealand board to start the India vs NZ Test matches at 12 noon which would enable the Indian audience to start their cricket watching day at a more decent hour than 3 ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=2140 Rahul Dravid was the first to face ridicule after his performance as captain for the Bangalore Royal Challengers ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=2205 When an expert like Dilip Vengsarkar says that the Indian Premier League will have a damaging on Indian cricket’s fortunes on the international stage then the mandarins of the BCCI need to sit up and take notice ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=2569 Whoever cajoled Anil Kumble into accepting the role of a commentator for the ICC World T20 needs an award ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=2794 http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&category=34 Leander Paes must rank as India's most enduring champion in contemporary sport ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=326 http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&category=35 Former Mumbai fast bowler Abdul Ismail played domestic cricket at a time (late sixties and mid 1970s) when India relied heavily on spin ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=109 NICKNAMES are something cricket lovers will hear more about as soon as the England team arrives for the two-Test series ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=1628 http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&category=36 Virender Sehwag is well on course to enjoy his best year in Test cricket ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=110 http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&category=37 Ashley Mallett’s new book on his teammate Doug Walters ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=111 http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&category=48 A journalist decided that he had enough of cricket during the Calcutta Test of 1983-84 when West Indies under Clive Lloyd were giving Kapil Dev's World Cup-winning outfit a taste of sweet revenge ... http://blog.mid-day.com/blog.php?user=clayton&note=330