Who is your favourite
Cricketer and why ? – are you following T20 WC and do you feel you have seen
this Officer on right somewhere !!!
At Dharamsala, a dead rubber in a qualifying tournament
disrupted by rain – there is not much reason for Ireland and Netherlands to
battle it out – before the tournament started, few would have given Oman a chance of
qualifying ahead of Bangladesh and Ireland from their group. Having beaten
Ireland in a last-over thriller, Oman, whose game against Netherlands was
washed out, will head into their knockout clash against Bangladesh in a few
hours from now. But confidence alone won't help them if the iffy Dharamsala
weather intervenes. It has been raining for the last two days, the first match is delayed by rain. If there
were to be another washout, Oman would endure heartbreak as Bangladesh are
marginally ahead on net run rate.
For the benefit of those
not following – in Group A were :
Bangladesh, Oman, Ireland & Netherlands. In Group B were : Afghanistan (qualified);
Zimbabwe, Scotland and Hongkong. Speaking
about novices, Cricket is a fitness-focused players, at first look one would
think 280lb Dwayne Leverock was an anomaly on the cricket field. In the lead-up
to Bermuda's first appearance in the World Cup, he quickly built up a fan base
on account of his large frame.
The ICC T20 Women WC is
also on : In Group A are : Australia,
Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka. In the other group : Bangladesh, England,
India, Pakistan and West Indies.
Among the stars is Australian
women’s team wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy, niece of legendary gloveman Ian Healy and
she is engaged to Aussie speedster
Mitchell Starc. Among the New Zealand women's team are multi-faceted
personalities. While skipper Suzie Bates
is a double international--having represented New Zealand in both cricket and
basketball, her teammates Sophie Devine (hockey and cricket) and Felici ty
Leydon-Davis (badminton and cricket) too belong to the same league. The team
also has Leigh Kasperek who played international cricket for Scotland, before
shifting to New Zealand.
The side also boasts of two
players --Katie Perkins and Erin Bermingham ---who both double up as
policewomen when not on the cricket field. I have had my share of car chases
and arrests, but have managed to balance both my duties as a cop and as a
cricketer,“ the 27-year-old Katie told TOI during a chat. The
earthquake that shook Christchurch in 2011 had a deep impact on Erin's life.
The man in uniform at the
start is, yes, Joginder Sharma, the man who bowled that eventful final over in 2007 World T20. As it comes in "Who will bowl the last over" advertisement, when everyone would had advised many things, Captain MS Dhoni put his faith in a relatively
unknown bowler on an occasion as big as a World Cup final – and the man rewarded his captain's trust in him.
Misbah-ul-Haq played a stupid scoop shot after hitting a six and was caught by
Sreesanth, sending India into delirium, and Pakistan into depression.
Joginder
never played a T20I for India after that. He did play in IPL for CSK. Life was tough for this mentally tough Haryanvi. In Nov 2011,
Joginder was seriously injured when his car rammed into a BPO vehicle in Dwarka
in south-westDelhi. Joginder suffered head injuries and was out of action for long time. He did come back to play Ranji – now he has
become a police officer, a Deputy Commissioner with
Haryana Police.
That
bulky man ~ Russell Dwayne Mark Leverock too is a policeman who also drove
prison van. Remember that catch he took
off Robin Uthappa in that match !
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
13th
Mar 2016.