The king vacates the international stage

No words. Just awe!

'I want to be walk off the cricket field with a walking stick' - Vaughan

Speaking to the press on the wake of England's exit from the World Cup, the English captain Michael Vaughan was his usual self, effusive in praise of his team. "We had a gameplan, which was to suck in all departments, and as usual, we executed it without any glitches. The lads played upto their potential and all the efforts that we have not put in did not go in vain."

When quizzed on individual performances, Vaughan did not pull any punches back "I always back myself not to score runs, since I was leading the team and a real English captain never scores runs. Freddie, understandably, did not want to spend too much time in the middle with the bat since he has always thought that beer is a man's best friend. KP was as selfish as ever. Collingwood and Bell tried spoiling our party, but they weren't successful, were they?" he remarked with an evil grin.

A few years down the line, a walking stick might soon replace the cricket bat in the familiar sight of Michael Vaughan walking back to the pavilion

"The bowling has been excellent throughout the tournament. Sajid Mahmood and James Andersen have bowling averages more than the batting averages of greats like Sachin, Lara and Ponting. Take that Ricky" he roared demonstrating the fierce Ashes rivalry with the Aussie captain.

Vaughan also promised to carry forward the rich legacy of English captains and players playing on pointlessly well after their shelf-life. "It is a well known fact that Graham Gooch, Mike Gatting, Alec Stewart and many others were not in their primes when they retired. I want to take it one step ahead. I want to be walk off the cricket field with a walking stick" he coughed.

"The future definitely looks bright for English cricket. There are a lot of positives to take forward, especially with youngsters like Paul Nixon - who was blessed with a grandson recently - showing their potential and teenagers like Mal Loye waiting in the wings." he concluded.

Song of the week #3

Lynyrd Skynyrd's epic 'Free Bird'. The wailing guitar piece featured in the song is one of Rock's very best. My favourite bit comes at 4:55.



PS: An interesting article related to the song

BCCI shocker to Rajnikanth fans

In an unprecedented move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has called for a ban against the song 'Sahara Saaral thoovudo' from the much anticipated Rajnikanth blockbuster Sivaji. The reason, apparently, is that the BCCI feels that such a pathetic song being propagated by heavyweights like Rajnikanth and AR Rahman seriously dents the image of their official sponsors Sahara.

Commenting on the issue, the BCCI Seceretary Mr.Niranjan Shah said "It is a sad state of affairs that we have in our hands. A sorry song like this coming from the music maestro Sachin Tendulkar himself seriously tarnishes the reputation of the official sponsors of Team India. I did not expect this from Sachin." evidently confusing Tendulkar with AR Rahman.

Sources close to Dinesh Karthik claim that he is extremeley disppointed by BCCI's appeal. He is supposed to have said "First they say I cannot speak to the media. Now I cannot even listen to Thalaivar's song. What next, ban on Namitha movies?"

Sri Lankan ace spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who is a Thalaivar fan himself was vehement in expressing opposition. "They can stop us from hearing the song. But no one can stop me from singing it. Sahara Saaral Thoovodo, Bopara Bowled Aanado..." he quipped, manifesting his delight at winning against England.

BCCI received unexpected support from England Skipper Michael Vaughan. "I wholeheartedly support the voice of BCCI. This whole sledging thing by Murali has to be investigated. And there is no drinking culture in the team. Ulla-la-la-leyo, hic hic" he hicked before retiring with a sprained ankle.

"This is totally ridiculous. Perform or perish. Chappell must quit." howled Former Indian Captain Kris Srikanth on CNN-IBN in response to the question "Is Rajnikanth finally growing up?" put forward by Rajdeep Sardesai.

Other prominent Chennai Thalaivar fanatics like Lakshmipathy Balaji, WV Raman and Dennis Lillee were unavailable for comment.

Song of the week #2

Van "the Man" Morrison's definitive romantic song - Moondance.

Song of the week #1

Ok. Here is a new feature. Thanks to Radioblog, a song right out of my favourites list, will be available on my blog, every week. I will start with Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. Its a wonderful song with powerful lyrics.

A champion bids adieu

Anil Kumble's retirement from one day international cricket was expected and will serve Indian cricket well, since it will help extend his Test match career. He has not been the first choice spinner in the shorter version of the game for quite some time now. Ganguly and Dravid have shown an inclination towards Harbhajan Singh over Kumble and there was no point in him continuing. With all due respect, Kumble was just a shadow of the one day bowler, who tormented batsmen within the first 15 overs as well as at the death, post his return from the rotator cuff injury. His contribution with the bat was minimum and fielding was never his claim to fame.

But the fact remains that he is the best spinner the country has ever produced. What makes him the best is that, unlike the prolific quartet of Chandra, Venkat, Bedi and Prasanna, he never had a quality spinner to partner him at the other end. He had to deliver every time he stepped into the field, and he has managed to accomplish it more times than not. He has run through opposition more frequently and won more matches for the team in Tests, but his contribution in coloured clothing should not be overshadowed by his achievements in whites.