David Shepherd Out for 68!!

Who  would jump on the Nelson figure? The world of cricket is at a loss of great umpire David Shepherd. Chubby and jovial is how every one remembers him as. He was the most respected umpire amongst all the players and officials. 'Play Gentleman' would be his words even as he would indicate the players to get ready for the action.

Shepherd was a right handed batsman from Devon. He played county cricket for Gloucestershire from 1965-1979.  Sheps made his international debut as umpire in 1983 World cup. He officiated for the final time in 2005 in a Test Match in Kingston. He would always wish luck to the umpire at the other end. He earned respect from all the cricketers and his decisions were impeccable. If some time he erred in the decision, he would take it too seriously and feel bad about it.

Sound of timber is the death rattle for the batsmen for the innings; same is the case with this great umpire David Shepherd as he reached the end of his innings as he succumbed to cancer at the age of 68.

May Sheps soul rest in peace!!

Orange Aussie Squash

Nagpur is famous for its Oranges, and now people will remember it for the Orange Aussie Squash. The way the Men in Blue  brutally murdered the Aussie attack was absolutely outstanding. Lethal and ruthless was the approach of the Indian’s on the field.Loss in the first match at Vadodara  had made a huge dent and people had already started writing off the Indian’s. Due credit goes to  Dhoni & Co, they got back with vengeance and slaughtered the Aussies. MS displayed his skills and played all the ‘lactose power’. Gautam Gambhir, who continues to be in a good form along with Raina & Sehwag supported the skipper with valuable knocks.

The Ton in this pressure match would now silent Dhoni’s critics. All he had to do is to let his blade do the talking and he obliged.357 is India’s highest against Australia and Dhoni’s 124 run is the highest made by any captain against Australia (Previous best Sanath Jayasurya 122) The mammoth total of 357 was too much for an ask for the Aussie as they were reduced for 45/3 in the first 11^th over.

India won with a huge margin of 99 runs.

Time to remind Brett Lee that his wish of 7-0 has already been shattered.

Huma Akram Left Heavenly Abode

Cricketer’s life is full of shocks, both on the field and off the field.
Wasim Akram- got one such shock when his wife Huma Akram left for heavenly abode.
She died at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on 26th October 09. As per the sources, she was struggling and battling for life for past 5 days
Huma died of multiple organ failure. In Wasimbhai’s own words” She has been a rock to me in so many ways, not least in getting me mentally strong for challenges on the field"

Shams N Wags  deeply regret the loss of Wasimbhai’s wife. May her soul rest in Peace!!

Tame the Sledging Kangaroos

"Aussie Sucks Aussie Sucks" will be the buzz in the ground at the Reliance Stadium in Vadodara where the Kangaroos will clashing the Indian Tigers for the first match. Playing mind game has always been the trait of the Australians and sledging has been a part of their hygiene. The Indians are no less when it comes to giving it back Although the Australians are on the high after crushing England 6-1 in the ODI and also the T20 World Cup triumph, they can’t breathe easily as they are up against the Indians in their backyard. The ground and weather conditions in India are very different to the situations that they are used to. It’s altogether a different leather hunt when it comes to the conditions in the subcontinent. The attendance in the ground is always in huge numbers and the cheering sound can be deafening for the visitors. I am sure these conditions are no alien for the Aussie, but still they have to hold a hard grip in case they don’t want themselves to be slaughtered as the top guns of the Indian squad are back with vengeance after injury.

With Viru back in top along side Gambhir, Yuvi to patrol the middle order, it’s going to be good competition in the making. Not to forget our swashbuckling master blaster Tendulkar who can adapt to any situation as the team demands. Indian bowling attack seems to look weak at the moment with Zak still out of contention. The ‘Men in Blue’ have to play to their potential well as a unit to beat the Aussie.Bhajji factor always work well against the Australians, lets see if he is able to cast a magical web on the Kangaroos.

There’s loads of excitement as the last match is scheduled in Mumbai at the DY Patil Stadium, a wonder full stadium in Nerul-Navi Mumbai and we are looking forward for that. Things can’t get any better if the last match becomes the decider.

Rest assured for some exciting moments, both cricketing and non cricketing action.

Lets wait and watch how the Indian Tigers tame the Kangaroos!!

Till then good bye from Shams N Wags.

Kudos - South African Dwarf

Even as India is out of the ICC Championship tournament, the only resentment for Nicholas Nicolaides would be that he won’t be singing the Indian National Anthem for some time to come. Nicholas comes across as vertically challenged South African who spell bounded every one by a distinct quality. He sung Indian National Anthem' Jana Gana Mana' with out any mistakes,with proper pronunciation and that too live before the start of the match. This is first time in the history of the cricket event that a local guy has sung the national anthem of different countries live.

Nicholas is an avid cricket fan, and if not for singing, he would have been a cricketer.

Two decades of singing , he is still going strong. In his own words, “There was no part of the Indian National Anthem that was more difficult than the rest to perfect. But I understood the meaning of what I am singing. The words have a powerful meaning”

I am  very much impressed by Nicholas because as it is,our National Anthem brings goose bumps to me, but this time  listening to the National Anthem by a foreigner left me with moist eyes and a lump in my throat. Kudos Nicholas!!