The MCC’s Pink Balls

For your delectation here are some blury photographs illustrating the fabulous florescent pink cricket ball, well two types even.  They are blurry because the light was rubbish, and so was the photographer on this occasion.  Two makes of pink ball were trailed on a dull April day.  The MCC bowled with the Kookaburra ball [picture above] and Scotland bowled with the Duke and son ball below.

Below is the bog standard duke ball under similar light conditions, as bowled by the very wonderful Mr Tendulkar.

The Pink ball is fab.  Yes really!  You can see it for a start.   The Duke is more pink the Kookaburra is more fluorescent orange looking and highly visible from a distance.  These luminescent balls were generally popular popular with the spectators I spoke to on the day.

Despite this ECB staff seemed to be wearing a blindfold at the time, the balls made no difference to them.

Here is the first of the player feedback that I have seen from Abu Dhabi on the current pink ball trials.  Pink balls have also been trailed in Australia for some time.

League Sports Marketing, India and IPL Fever

A Quick Catchup; India, Cricket Globalisation, and the IPL.  An Indian media perspective as waffled by ESPN Journalist and Business analyst Harsha Bhogle

He’s Just a Bit Special!

No matter if it’s limited overs or Test cricket Tendulkar can pull the goods out of the bag.  Today it was the first double century in a one day match, against strong opposition; the South Africans.  Well done Sir!  [And that was some wagon wheel too!]

And yes – a picture of Tendulkar as a Test bowler – what else did you expect from this blog?

And ….. India Win! So do Tests!

Yet another thrilling match,  with a fantastic home following at Eden Gardens spurring on their team.  India retain the top Ranked Test Team spot.

With 5 for 59 in the last innings and 8 wickets for the match the Terbanator,  Bhajji is back in business. Not to mention the truly daring do from  ‘Man of the Series’ Mr Amla, yet again.

A two match series with two result matches, these tests were scheduled at the last minute as an afterthought.

And the masses are now saying is that all there is – just two Tests – it was just warming up!

5 Tests is where it’s at!

Bring the Test to the People?

Day 1, 2^nd Test Kolkata – India v South Africa. After a couple of smooth centuries it all kicked off.  The Turbanator was on a hat trick – the crowd was going crazy, really crazy!  This was a Test in India and there was a crowd.  There was plenty of action and the crowd was right in there.  Isn’t this how it is meant to be?

It was a Sunday, it may even have been a bank holiday…..but there were pretty much as many people there today on day 2.

Appropriate February weather, an inner city venue easy to get to, Kolkata has it, what does that tell you?