The Roar
The Roar

The Roar

Tigerbill44

Roar Guru

Joined May 2017

63.9k

Views

139

Published

2.1k

Comments

FOREST FOREVER

Published

Comments

Older Submissions

The schedule for the Bangladesh tour That I have learned from local tv is
T20 matches on
3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 9th of August.
Weather of course will be a factor, but COVID an even bigger factor. Given the situation here, I still have big doubts about the tour going ahead.

Crazy scenes as Australia's ODI postponed at the last minute due to COVID

View Comment
Cricket
 
1w

Pakistan for me. I think their best performance was In WI in 1988. They surprised the Home side in the first test; fought till the very end in the drawn 2nd test and were a bit unlucky to lose the 3rd test by 2 wickets.
I have lot of respect for the Kiwi team at the time, I think they did wonderfully well with their limited resources. But, player by player, I don’t think they were any match for the Paks.

Who were the second best Test team of the 1980s?

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

While I described Deano as a dead rubber specialist, I do rate his 184 at SCG in early 1987 very highly. To me it wasn’t a dead rubber. Aus really really needed to win this test, In those difficult times, SCG was their only place of continuous success.
For the record Eng lost the match by 55 runs after losing their last 5 wickets for 31 runs on the final day. Waugh dismissing gatting ct and bowled changed the fortunes. The 84 runs that Deano added after completing his hundred was extremely important in the final context.
What would have happenned had Aus lost 3-0 in that series. First of all AB would have resigned, A number of young players would have come for lots of criticism and Steve Waugh probably would have lost his place in the team. Although the fighter that he was, he would have returned sooner rather than later.

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

He was in the British Army during the war. And after coming to India his posting was in Centrla India. But he was given permission to play Ranji trophy cricket for Holkar. The Calcutta match was between East Zone and the Australian services team.

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

Thanks. Yes, all the signs were that after getting past Sobers at Delhi, Boycott had no more interest in test cricket.

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

correction: India still needed 47 runs.

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

The mid 1980s was dire time for Both Aus and Eng cricket. The difference was that the Aus selectors had the foresight to invest for the future. The England selectors just kept changing and chopping without much plans.

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

Lots of players of WI origin were (and possibly still are) very dominant in associate level cricket. Most of these players were not good enough to represent WI. Nolan Clarke a hard hitting opening bat from Barbados was once considered a WI prospect in the 70s, but then he became something like a ‘Viv Richard in ICC cricket’ playing for the Netherlands. He played without much success in the 1996 wc.
Normally teams like USA, Canada, Bermuda have few players from WI origin. I checked the scorecard of Bangladesh v USA in 1994 (Kenya) and there were at least 2 players with Windies connection; fast bowler Hopeton Barrett and Derek Kallicharan, an off spinner and the brother of Kali.
Back in the in 1982 Bermuda bowled out the Tigers for 67 to win by 7 wickets, fast bowler Lionel Thomas took 4 wickets, he had represented the Leeward Islands.
Plenty more such examples are available.

West Indians who also played for another country

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

Then in Jan 1982, Geoff Boycott skipped fielding duties and was playing golf in the famous golf course close to the ground. He was sent home in the next available flight and never played for England again.
But my favorite story is related to 5th test of 1979 series between Ind and Aus. With the openers struggling Yallop was sent as an opener. Things started badly as Kapil dismissed Hilditch with no runs on the board. But then Yallop hit a hundred to lead the Aus fightback. He was 114 at the end of the days play.
Next morning, as Yallop started his walk from the pavilion Geoff Lawson called him back and handed him his Helmet. Now, in Bangla culture calling someone back when he is on his way to something is considered a bad omen. So one spectator predicted that Yallop will be soon out. When this was translated to the Aus the whole dressing room burst in to laughter.
Yallop was eventually dismissed for 167 and the whole ground gave him a standing ovation.
The test had a dramatic end. with Aus already 1-0 down Hughes made a bold declaration . India finished on 4-200 they just needed 37 runs more and 22 balls were still available. Yashpal Sharma, who died in Delhi last week from a heart attack. was 85*. But everyone was surprised when the Indian batters accepted the bad light offer.

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

sorry I don’t know too much about the history of the ground. But I know plenty of stories related to this famous ground. I think I can write an article for roar about it. Back in 1946, Denis Compton was unbeaten on 90 plus when the rioters entered the ground. They stopped play but also showed due respect to Mr. Compton. This riot had nothing to do with religion, I think it was a left aligned student group calling a strike.
When play resumed Compton completed his hundred with a four through the slips, catchable height. The slip fielder was more concerned about what going on outside.
Compton of course played domestic cricket in India during and after the war. He also played football. One sports journalist from Calcutta who had watched Compton in action once wrote that he (the journo) could never decide Compton was better in which sports. He was so good in both.

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

‘the other Steve Smith’ scored 41 runs in 3 tests. To be fair to him, his tests were against WI. I think Ken Rutherford of NZ also had a miserable time in WI making his debut as an opener in 1985 .

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

Apart from the 4 Aus mentioned here, Steve Smith (Sr.) an opening bat, and Murray Bennett, a left arm spinner also made their debut in 1984.

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

No, I think Punjab was much worse. I have heard my mom talk about rioting at Shantipur, her mom’s place. But not much else.
The case of my Dadi (paternal grandmother) is somewhat different. My grandfather was in govt service and his posting was at Dacca. He died of a heart attack in 1948. After that my Dadi went back to her village in Bakura while my dad carried on his studies at Dacca.
It was in early 1960s that one of my dadi’s brothers influenced her to settle here. There was something called a land-exchange program at the time. So, A Hindu settling in WB got her lands there , while she got some lands at Mymensingh, north of Dacca.

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

Both Md. Azharuddin and Salim Malik were wonderful natural talents. It’s a shame that they wasted their talent in such disgraceful manners.
About going to Calcutta in Jan 1985, it was a family tour lasting about 15 days. All my 4 grandparents were from what is now known as West Bengal, India. They decided to settle in Dacca after 1947.
So, we spent about 7 days in Calcutta and the rest travelling to places like Bakura, Bardhwan, Shantipur etc. I went to the Eden Gardens on two days, the 3rd and 4th day of the match. It wasn’t the most entertaining match, rain on the 2nd day and ultra cautious batting by the Indians ruined any hopes of a result in the match.
But at least I watched David Gower bowl, he used the right arm for it. In the 4th afternoon with the Indian 1st innings still going, he bowled a few overs. Such was the defensive mentality of the home batsmen that they didn’t take any risk even against Gower’s bowling.

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

certainly the double ton at Madras helped him in establishing himself in the Aus team, and it was great effort in the heat. But the opposition bowling wasn’t great; India still mostly rely on spin for home matches. Yadav, Maninder and Shastri were rather poor substitutes of the great Indian spinners of the 70’s.
In contrast, the Pak attack at Adelaide was truly world class.

Deano, Boonie and co: The 1984 debutants

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

Oh, okay.

Aussies learn opponents for T20 World Cup

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

Isn’t that the case always? I think all the major cricket events ensure that there is at least one Pak v Ind match.

Aussies learn opponents for T20 World Cup

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

Great read. Enjoyed it thoroughly .

Ashes anniversaries: Armstrong’s Australians

View Comment
Cricket
 
2w

* big

Australia's greatest: Victor and the Don

View Comment
Cricket
 
3w

Trumper is my 2nd favorite Aus citizen of all times. Kylie Minogue tops the list. Had a bit crush on her as a teenager.

Australia's greatest: Victor and the Don

View Comment
Cricket
 
3w

Not overly excited yet. The tigers surely know how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Australia's greatest: Victor and the Don

View Comment
Cricket
 
3w

According to Cardus, both Trumper and Don represented their respective eras almost perfectly.

Australia's greatest: Victor and the Don

View Comment
Cricket
 
3w

Looking at the list it looks like the Belgium soccer team. Lots of individual talents, but whether it can deliver in the filed remains the question.

Australia’s opposition watch: West Indies T20 squad

View Comment
Cricket
 
3w

Devon Malcolm, specially when his radar was working. certainly Steve Waugh rated him very highly.

The starting XI of intimidation

View Comment
Cricket
 
3w

Being an opening batsman; playing against WI. Surviving with couple of blows in the body against Roberts and Holding. Then see Garner and Croft come as the back up bowlers.

The starting XI of intimidation

View Comment
Cricket
 
3w
Older Comments
close