Cricket and I...

Was a bit bored recently, so I decided to write a blog on cricket. I've only just been bothered to finish it up and post it! :) Might do others in the future for other sports I love- apart from football, as all the time in the world wouldn't be enough to do it justice.


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Ah, the sound of leather on willow is one of the best sounds in the world! But when did my 'love affair' with cricket begin? Not as far back as you might think! I didn't grow up in a cricket-mad country, meaning cricket wasn't in my dictionary until late on in life, and even then, it wasn't really something I cared for.

I remember it was summer 2008 that I got into cricket. It was my 3rd year (uni) summer, and having finished my final exams early May, I was bored to my skull, and I really needed something intellectually stimulating. Trust me, about a month or so (or maybe 3!) after you're done with Uni, you ARE going to go crazy during that in-between phase with no exams to worry about, no coursework to think of, etc, and it's not just the geek in me talking! :D So yeah, doing absolutely nothing to do was doing my head in, and I needed a challenge (surprisingly, I find myself in that boat yet again!). So that's where cricket came in. Because of my addiction to football, I was always watching Sky Sport news, and since cricket was on at the time, there were regular bulletins updating on the games. I remember that it was the series against New Zealand that was on at that time. And since I didn't understand what on earth they were going on about, I decided to do some research into it and learn it! I was fascinated by whatever 'LBW' meant and wanted to find out what it was! Then there was the whole furore about Paul Collingwood 'accidentally' shoulder-barging Grant Elliot leading to his run-out & refusing to call him back, KP and his new switch-hitting shot, and these all got me interested. And the umpires with their funny hand-signals and the cricket lingo all seemed so cool! Yesh, cool!

So I went on google for my 'research' and read a few 'guides to cricket'. Then I also came across a 'Glossary of Cricket' terms on Wikipedia, and it became my 'Bible'. I had so much time on my hands, and I gladly filled it up with cricket research. Ok, maybe this time around, it was more than just boredom. That's because when I decide to get into something, I get into it really deeply! One would think I've been into cricket all my life (and all the other sports I follow!), based on all the stuff I know about it, past and present!

Anyways, the next bit of cricket on after my 'lessons', was South Africa's tour of England, and the bit of drama between Graeme Smith and KP added more spice to the build-up and I was looking forward to it. If I remember correctly, it was the Test series that was on first, which South Africa won, England then going on to win the One Day International series. I absolutely loved it, and I couldn't have picked a better series to get involved with cricket. It was the unpredictability of it all that got me hooked, but I guess that's the nature of sports. So even when summer came to an end, and I finally got proper 'intellectual' work to do when I started my Masters in September, I wanted more!

Then there was the December/January series Down Under between South Africa and Australia, obviously, and that was a corker! In my opinion, that was the best-ever cricket series! I guess the 2005 Ashes might rival that, but well, since I didn't watch that, it doesn't count! :D There were loads of highlights from that series- Mitchell Johnson's 7-wicket haul on Day 1 of the 1st test, including 5 for 2 runs!; JP Duminy's half-century on debut helping South Africa alongside AB de Villiers, chase down the 2nd-highest total in Perth to win the first test; Dale Steyn's 10-for in the 2nd test; Duminy again helping South Africa win the 2nd test with his maiden test century amongst others, but the stand-out moment for me was Graeme Smith's heroics in the 3rd test. After having his hand broken by a nasty ball by Mitchell Johnson (who else?!) in the first innings, he had to retire hurt and couldn't open the 2nd innings as usual, as a result. South Africa needed to bat out the last day to prevent Australia winning the test, but found themselves in deep trouble. And when South Africa went 9 wickets down with 8 or so overs, it looked as if Australia had won the test, but who should come out to bat to save the match for his country, if not Graeme Smith, broken hand and all! He even had a tennis elbow as well! He could barely hold the bat properly and winced in pain every time he hit the ball, but he battled on, facing more hostile bowling from Mitchell Johnson again! But alas, it was not to be. He lasted 6 of those overs, facing 17 balls, before eventually being bowled by Johnson to hand Australia the test. They might have lost the test, but Smith definitely won loads of fans, me included! No one expected him to come out to bat, especially as South Africa had won the series already, so it didn't matter whether Australia won or not, but he decided to brave it by coming out to bat. I'm sure not even the Aussies would have begrudged him if he'd lasted the remaining 2 overs.
I'm guessing sportsmen/women make similar sacrifices often, but in this case, he totally didn't have to come out to bat. I know Andrew Flintoff consoling Brett Lee after the Ashes is widely seen as test cricket's iconic moment, but for me, it was Graeme Smith, and no matter what ever happens, he'll always have my total respect!
But yeah, those were the first cricket series I ever watched, and I've watched/followed practically every other series since then- in all forms of the game. Who can forget England's tour of the West Indies? Epic series! Twenty20 is obviously awesome, but Test cricket will always remain the best, as far as I'm concerned- it's the ultimate!

There's the sad bit though- remember Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan early last year, when their bus got attacked? Pretty identical to the Togo bus shooting during the ACN in Angola. It's really a shame that such a thing actually happened. One can only hope that it never happens again. Security's definitely much tighter now as it definitely shocked everyone concerned. Don't think teams will be touring Pakistan any time soon though, unfortunately. But they're currently playing a couple of their 'home' matches against England in Dubai, though- glamourous, eh?
Ah, I just remembered the series they just completed Down Under. Oh my word, that was a shambles, wasn't it? They lost ALL the games they played! I might be wrong, but I swear it was about 9 of them, across all 3 forms of the game. What a series to forget. I was actually supporting them, and at one point, I couldn't take it anymore! I can't imagine how their real fans must have felt. There was a particular game where it looked for all the world that they were going to easily win- but they found a way of blowing it! Granted, they had a young and somewhat inexperienced team out there, but I can't help but conclude it's a mental thing (remind you of a certain London team? :p). It's not like they're are a rubbish team- afterall they're the current Twenty20 World Champions, but playing Australia at home IS a daunting task, considering their record.

But yeah, there's so much fun involved watching/listening to cricket- 5live extra's coverage is excellent, and so is Sky's. I love the banter! But it's even more fun playing! I made sure I joined my Uni team last year, and it was brilliant. After I had my first training session, I was in pain for almost a whole week- I couldn't even walk properly! It was worth it, though. We played indoors during winter and outdoors during summer. We even got to go Lord's, although we played indoors, but it was just special being there. A couple of my team-mates actually ran on to the pitch at Lord's just as we were about to leave- and got caught! That was hilarious! They were going to get fined, but they were lucky enough to get away with just a warning! Good times. I do need to find myself a local team though, but I 'll wait until summer, because really, indoor cricket is a bit pants! ;)


My favourite (present) cricketers? Dale Steyn's one hell of a cricketer. He's been in blinding form for such a long time, and I can't begin to imagine how much of a daunting task it is, facing him! He was in devastating form against the Indians just a few days ago, and I just hope he doesn't get injured! I absolutely love Stuart Broad as well, and can't stand seeing him tonked all over the ground :( Apart from being cute, he's an amazing talent- can't wait to see how good he can become in the next few years. Hmm, and I see he's cut his hair. Interesting stuff! Other cricketers I love- KP (there's always drama/excitement surrounding him), JP Duminy, MS Dhoni & AB de Villiers. Oh wow, notice a pattern? That sooo wasn't planned! Anyways, honourable mentions to Andre Flintoff, Chris Gayle, Graeme Swann, Michael Clarke, Nathan Hauritz and Jimmy Anderson. Used to adore Mitchell Johnson, but I don't anymore- he smiles too much! Haha! :) Can't think of any more at the moment, but trust me, there are loads more!

Cricketers I can't stand? Ricky Ponting's got to be No.1! Urgh! That's all that needs to be said about him. Shame he's a brilliant brilliant cricketer, though. Oh, and Shane Watson. I'm glad there are only 2 of them I don't really like, but it had to be the Aussies! I do love Aussies, really, but their sportsmen? Meh. They're just too smug! but then, they're really good at what they do, so you can't blame them, right? But it's awesome when they don't do well, but it's quite a rare occurrence. They do have a few nice ones- I liked Glenn McGrath, but I think the standard requirement is to have a bit of a mean streak. It serves them well though, maybe if England had a bit of it, they'd be a bit more successful...

Oops! I've been going on and on! I can still go on and on and on, but I think that's enough really! I probably lost you halfway, didn't I? :)
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So yeah, that's my brief cricket history. But it does kind of feel like it's been a part of me for a really long time. Weird, isn't it?

Thought I was going to be able to get through this post without mentioning Arsenal, but I've just got to wish the lads goodluck against Sunderland later on. Crush 'em, please! :)

Meh...

I was getting told off (ish) by my Aunt today, and she was making a few references to marriage. But for some reason, any time anyone mentions marriage to me, I ALWAYS roll my eyes. It's kind of become a sub-conscious thing (kind of like anytime I accidentally drop something, my lips ALWAYS turn into a frown for a split second!). I have to proper steel myself against it, sometimes. Weird, right?
Anyways, I just don't see myself as the marrying kind, and I really can't be bothered to mention that to the adults in my life, because really, I'm not ready to listen to any lectures. They might as well keep thinking it'll happen one day. But then again, you never know what'll happen in the future (I just sounded like a footballer there! Haha).
But for now though, I guess the eyes'll keep rolling! :)

History? Back in the day, and right now...

Wow. I don't watch loads of movies because well, I watch mostly sports nowadays :) But I did watch a couple on tv the other day, and they both made me cry. It wasn't proper sobbing and all- I don't do that! Haha. One was
'Changeling', and the other one was 'Boy in the Striped Pajamas'. Not loads of movies make me cry, and the only other such one I can remember was 'Kite Runner', and adaptation of the book by Khaled Hosseini. I read 'Kite Runner' about 3 years ago in my 1st year at summer, watched the movie a year or so later, then bought the book about a year ago. I'm pretty sure it's not meant to work in that order! But yeah, it's one of those stories that captivate you and leave a lasting memory, and even though I don't like bother buying books, as I never read them again, I just had to buy this one. (I do have a John Grisham collection, though. That's standard, since I want (wanted?) to be a lawyer!).
Anyways, back to the 'Boy in the Striped Pajamas'. Totally didn't have any idea what the movie was about (as I live under a rock!) until I watched it, and it blew me away. I didn't study History at school, as you had the choice of either History or Literature. I obviously went for Literature, as I'm a bit of a bookworm. So I didn't learn about the whole Nazi/Jew thing, but over the years, I became familiar with it. Not in complete detail, but just a few bits and bobs here, thanks to Hollywood and the internet. I'm sure that what was depicted in the movie's only a fraction of what the Jews had to go through. I can't even begin to imagine how the Jews felt back then, and how some of them might even still feel. It just makes you put your life into perspective. I'm pretty sure nothing I'll ever go through in my life will ever come close to what the Jews went through, and one can only hope and pray that nothing ever so remotely close, ever happens.

Enough of the gloom and doom, anyways! :)

I was chatting to my cousin the other day, and we were talking about 'best' things. Like best colour, food and all of that sort, and we actually both concluded that we didn't have any bests! Obviously I've always known I didn't have any 'bests', but I thought it was just me, as I'm a bit of a special case most times! Haha!
I do actually remember back in school, when at the end of each school year, we all used to fill in something called a 'slum-book'. Most people had one, and you'd get all of your friends to fill in yours. We always had the same format- everyone's book had a page for each person, and you had to fill in your name, nickname, address, best friend, best food, best colour, best actor/actress, role model, embarrassing moment and other similar things. And thinking about it, we all just used to write whatever came to mind at the time! Or you'd flick to someone else's page and copy what they wrote in theirs! Then you had to use the last bit of the page to write stuff about the owner- good or bad! I totally wish I still have one of mine, as I'm sure it'd be full of jokes and absolute nonsense! But I do have my year book though, and that's like the mother of all slum-books! So much better than the slum-book, as you only got to make one in your final year at school. (It's different from the official school year book. Ours was called 'Aurora'. Why, I haven't got a clue!).
Anyways, the year book is a much bigger book, and we did away with the silly questions, so it was more about writing stuff about the other person, and if you have any dirt on them during the course of the 6 years- best place to write it! The first few pages were usually reserved for your best friends. I think I had about 10 of them, but that's because I had like 3 different cliques! There's a long story for another day in there! :) But yeah, I filled loads of year-books, and it would be interesting to actually read what I wrote in some, and I bet if I showed mine to some people, they might either die of laughter or embarrassment! I'm still friends with most of them (thanks to Facebook!) and I'm pretty sure my year-book'll come in handy one of these days- there are some gems in it. Ah, and there are pictures as well! Some are hideous! Might dig it out one of these days...


Anyways, back to the present day! :)

I agreed to something on Monday, which I guess only time will tell if it was a good or terrible idea! There's this Arsenal blog, World of Arsenal, which I started reading about August 2008, which was round about 2 years after I started to take a proper interest in football, especially the Premier League. It was the first Arsenal blog I read, and I actually remember that day! Anyways, I regularly leave comments on there, and I've agreed to actually start writing a weekly (or thereabouts) Arsenal blog for it! It's either going to be a total disaster, or it might turn out to be awesome! I write my first post either today or tomorrow- an Arsenal v Liverpool post-match report! Hopefully I'll be writing about a win, and the ever so predictable Arshavin goal! And a Tommy V screamer, ofcourse! ;)
Wish me (and the boys!) luck...

Chelsea v Arsenal. Ouch.

Déjà vu. I think that pretty much sums up that game, really. Not much else to add, except that we played a bit better than in our last few games against Chelsea and Man U, and I think we deserved a goal today.

Oh, and next time I see Drogba, I'll be sure to shoot him. And Malouda as well, for giving Tommy V a war scar on the corner of his left eye! Twat!

Anyways, on to the next one, right? I'm off to listen to some music (for the next few days!) to make me feel a bit better...

Moving on swiftly, right?

It's been almost 7 full days since we lost to, or rather, got thrashed by Man U, I'm still not over it! :( I honestly thought I was over it can be as soon as the final whistle went, as I was relatively happy for the rest of the day, but reality hit as soon as I woke up the next day.
It's one thing to be absolutely gutted because of the result and performance, which I'm sure everyone was, but it doesn't help matters much when the doom and gloomers are out in full-force as well. I've had to disappear off Twitter for the time being, as I couldn't stand it anymore. I tend to take matters really personally, rightly or wrongly, when it comes to Arsenal, and some of the vitriol being spewed at some of the players was downright embarrassing, and it kind of felt as if it was directed at me personally! Even more annoying, is the fact that it's the same idiots who'll be full of praise for the players in question if they do something special in subsequent games. Make up your mind, will you- do you rate the player or not? Stop blowing hot and cold, or just go support Sp*rs, or something!
Anyways, not sure how much longer I'll be miserable for, but I win against Chelsea in a few hours' time will more than make up for it and will hopefully return most of the meanies back to their usual hiding place!

So yeah, enough of the mini-rant! Here's hoping for a cracking performance (and result!) later on today... Come on Arsenal!!!

First of the rest...

Why on earth do I have a blog? I have no real career aspirations in journalism, but I like writing. Whether I'm any good, is very much up for debate! :)
I think all the time, (even whilst sleeping!) and even though I speak (ramble) loads, there's always so much I end up not saying. It doesn't always make sense, mind!
But anyways, for whatever reason, I tend to forget most of what I think of, really quickly! Leaky brain, maybe?!

I can't promise to blog daily, weekly, after each Arsenal game, monthly or whatever- I try to avoid routine as much as I can!

Arsenal may have lost heavily to Manchester United on Sunday, but at least Roger Federer won yet another Grand Slam! Rewind 12 months when he lost to Nadal and cried like a little kid, and you can tell this victory was so much sweeter than past ones! Especially as he breezed past the latest challenger to his 'throne' in Murray. This season looks to be maddd exciting; what with Nadal's dodgy knees, the ever-improving Murray, and Federer proving to everyone that he's in no hurry to commit to full-time fatherhood! He's definitely on-course to break Pete Sampras' all-time record of weeks spent as Number 1. It's only a question of what the new record'll be! It'll also be lovely to see Roger complete a calendar Grand Slam. He definitely can, but I don't know whether he will. I guess we'll find out soon enough!

As for Arsenal, we play Chelsea at the Bridge on Sunday, and a win there will compensate a bit for the United loss, as we'll be right back in the title race. Wouldn't it be awesome if we actually won the league this season? We've been written off twice this season already, but I've still got hope. I guess I'll always have hope until it's mathematically impossible for us to win the League!

A funny thing happened to me today- went to put some money into my bank account. I really don't like getting receipts, as I end up having too much scrap paper in my bag, so I didn't bother with one. So I happened to check my account when I got home, and instead of showing that I'd deposited money into my account, it showed that I had taken money out, meaning I'd lost double the amount I put in. Bumbling NatWest clerk, right? What makes it funny is the fact that the exact same thing happened to my cousin a few months back, and he also didn't get a receipt! It was a different bank this time round, though. Anyways, I'll call them up tomorrow, and hopefully, they'll sort it out.

Anyways, I think that's enough rambling for one day. Not bad for a first post, right? :)

PS- If you haven't seen this Shahid Afridi video, I've posted it below, if it still works!. What on earth was he thinking? He's got a 2-match ODI ban for his troubles!