Cricket is a game played by 11 fools and watched by 11,000 fools - George Bernard Shaw
Sorry George, if that is the case, we love to remain as fools for our lifetime..... and moreover, you got the count wrong by "yards"; there are 22 and at times 120,000 in the ground and 60 crores over television!!
It's Toss time in Lords!
India indeed have come with their tails up and wagging, after that smashing win in the second test at Leeds!
Bumrah is back after rest for India and Joffra is back after a long lay off for England - they both hit the dick.... oh did I really say that..... what I meant was deck!
Reminds me of that famous incident that happened in 1969 summer at Lords! In the words of Brian Johnston, "It was England vs New Zealand at Lords in 1969. Ward is bowling very fast from the Pavilion end to Glenn Turner. Off the fifth ball of one of his overs, he hit Turner a terrible blow in the box. Turner collapses, bat going one way, his gloves another. TV camera pans in. I have to pretend he's been hit everywhere except where he has been! Turner writhes in pain in the crease for a minute or so, then slowly gets to his feet. Someone hands him his bat, someone else his gloves. I say, "Turner looks a bit shaky and unsteady, but I think he's going to bat on - one ball left!"
Test matches ideally should be dominated by bowlers - fast and furious for 2 half days; slow but lethal turners for 2 half days; and rest of it for batting!
It's a sight to watch the speedsters steaming in towards the popping crease from the top of their bowling mark.... and.....
......hurl that cherry at the batsman, who, these days, decked up themselves as if they are going to space!
Those days, they didn't care much about their top or any part of their body, except the essential one which Glenn failed to cover well!
...... and the bowler or the close in fielders and even the umpires perhaps wondered "what a tough nut to crack.... that guy is" in awe as they look up how high the ball went after hitting the batters skull with only the hairs to cover it!
Most of the fast bowlers of that era seemed to have had great "killer instincts" literally!!
.......and the result......
......delible marks on their body (indelible in their psyche!), kissed by the red cherry dearly!
What a lovely sight! The batsman, is literally cordoned off on all sides! A rare sight these days!
Despite these, Cricket was a gentleman game after all! In Oval test 1964, Frederick Trueman grabbed the ball from his Captain Dexter's hands and bowled a lovely spell before lunch and had Ian Redpath and Graham McKenzie in his kitty and was on hattrick - which will be his 300th wicket - first bowler in the history of the game to reach there! After lunch, Neil Hawke, the Australian allrounder, came in and though avoided the hat trick, nicked one to slips into the hands of Colin Cowdrey to give Fred his 300th!
As Hawke stated walking, he went to Fred to shake his hands before his long walk to pavilion! The only occasion when a Batsman who got out, went and shook hands with the bowler!
Coming to Lords! Let us time travel a bit to probably half a century and back!
