Latest book Elephant in the Stadium (one of Times' Best Sports Books of 2022, Shortlisted Cricket Writers' Club BoY, Sports Book Awards BoY)
senaiki@gmail.com
1 subscribed
1 subscribed
1 subscribed
And then he ran in fluid, silent, long strides, with an action almost hypnotic in its grace and athleticism. 
Unlike widely believed, however, that was not the first time SA cricketers played in India. 
Take a cut-off of 3000 runs for openers, and this is the order of merit - Sutcliffe, 4522 at 61.10; Hutton 6721 at 56.47; Hobbs 5130 at 56.37; and then there is Simpson, way ahead of the rest of the field. 
Then he would turn and rush in, building up speed along the way, exploding as he reached the crease. His arm would come over, at right angles to his torso, but would reach a height as his shoulder dipped. He would glide along his right toecap, hit the crease with his full weight. 
He was called ‘Mary Anne’ by the Sydney crowd because of his initials. His teammates called him ‘Boots’ because of the massive footwear in which he took the field.
It was a long, long journey. 
Effervescent, lovable, as charming in his game and as in his brilliant smile, with clean shaven boyish looks and golden locks on which sunbeams seemed to ripple, he perpetually looked the baby of the team — even when he led the side through the tumultuous late 70s and early 80s. 
One just had to close one’s eyes & the graceful, lithe run up could be seen, leap before delivery, head tilted to the left, right hand close to the chest left raised in front of the face, and then the left arm extended outwards as the right came around to send down the delivery 
It was a weather-driven accident. The first 2 Tests had been drab draws, both captains unwilling to take risks. When the Ashes moved to Melbourne, elements ensured two days had to be called off before play. Even adding a day to the Test match did not help as it kept pouring. 
The display covers Ranji, Duleep, Pataudi, Imran and Mushtaq. 
Craven was also a stellar scholar. 
Bishan Bedi’s magnificent career stuttered against the quick-footed Pakistani batsmen of 1978-79, stumbled against Alvin Kallicharran’s men immediately after that and came to a grinding halt after India’s tour of England the next summer. 
Perhaps moved by the boyish looks of the diminutive batsman, the veteran Walcott had passed on some valuable advice ahead of the innings: “Never try to hook Gilchrist.” 
Yes, Durani was handsome enough to play the hero in a Bollywood movie. In fact, he did so, pairing with Parveen Babi in BR Ishara’s Charitra. 
That incredible double of 22.Rxe6 fxe6 23.Be7+ against Bologan …
They had been the first Australian cricket team to tour England. Way back in 1868. It took 128 years before a man from their people played Test cricket 
Miller ended with 2958 runs at 36.97 and 170 wickets at 22.97 from 55 Tests. The figures put him at the top of the list of all-rounders when he retired, and has been matched by only the likes of Garry Sobers, Imran Khan and Jacques Kallis since then.
That child lived in him notwithstanding the truckloads of cocaine, the links with the mafia, the sex workers in his room, the fake penis to dodge drug tests, the hideously bloated self after years of substance abuse 
Len Hutton followed them a decade later. Together the triumvirate of Hobbs, Sutcliffe and Hutton stand head and shoulders above any other opening batsman … ever.