Cricketers Nicknames

English Cricketer's Nicknames

Marcus Trescothick = Banger (Loves eating sausages apparently)
Andrew Flintoff = Freddie (After Freddie Flintstone the cartoon character)
Derek Randall = Arkle (Reflects his speed when fielding)
Michael Vaughan = Vaughny and Virgil (Thunderbirds)

Robert Russell = Jack (Excellent wicketkeeper/ batsman for Gloucestershire and England. Also an excellent painter)
Ashley Giles = King of Spain (Ashley ordered several coffee mugs to be made to sell to raise money in his testimonial year. Apparently they were to have read ' The King of Spin' . They didn't and the rest is history as they say)
Phil Tufnell = The Cat (Phil liked taking naps)
Graham Dilley was known as Picca
Ian Botham = Beefy
Graham Gooch of course was Zap (Emilio Zapata moustache)
Chris Old was known as Chilli
Paul Collingwood = Nice Ginger
W.G. Grace = the Doctor
Keith Fletcher = The Gnome of Essex
Kevin Pietersen = K.P
Derek Underwood = Deadly

Australian Cricketer's Nicknames:

Mark Waugh was known as Afghanistan since he was often the forgotten Waugh; also he was known as Audi after he got 4 ducks in a row which was recorded in the scorebook as 0000.

Steve Waugh, as Tugga or Drobe.
Don Bradman = The Don
Glen McGrath = pigeon
Ritchie Benaud = Diamonds
Shane Warne = Warney, Hollywood, The Sheikh of Tweak
Ricky Ponting = Punter

The Aussie Twenty20 team took to the field against England in January 2007 with their nicknames on the back of their shirts. Thus we learn:

Michael Clarke = Clarkey. Yet another unimaginative one
Matthew Hayden = Haydos. Not the most imaginative choice
Ricky Ponting = Punter. He likes a bet, especially on the horses and the dogs
Mike Hussey = Huss. His name would be his nickname if his nickname was his name. Get it?
Adam Gilchrist = Church. Because the last syllable of his surname is "Christ"
Andrew Symonds = Roy. His dad's choice, after Roy of the Rovers.
Cameron White = Bear. Apparently because he is believed to resemble the Bundaberg Rum Bear, a polar bear used to advertise an Australian spirit
Nathan Bracken = Andy G. He looks like Andrew Gunsberg, host of reality show Australian Idol
Ben Hilfenhaus = Hilfy. It's easier to say than Hilfenhaus
Brad Hogg = George. Brad is his middle name - George is his first
Shane Harwood = Stickers. Because of his liking for tattoos.

Pakistan Cricketer's Nicknames

Wasim Akram = Prince of Pakistan, Sultan of Swing
Saqlain Mushtaq = Saqi, Professor (wears glasses and outsmarts the batsman)
Shahid Afridi = Boom Boom
Inzamam ul Haq = Aloo (potato)
Shoaib Akhtar = Rawalpindi Express (Fastest bowler in the world born in Rawalpindi)

Indian Cricketer's Nicknames

Sachin Tendulkar = Little Master
Rahul Dravid = The Wall (Difficult to bowl at or get out)
Harbhajan Singh =The Turbanator, Bhajji (by team-mates)
Saurav Ganguly = Maharaj, Prince of Calcutta, Dada, Bengali Tiger
Anil Kumble = Jumbo

West Indian Cricketer's Nicknames

Brian Lara = The Prince
Joel Garner = Big Bird
Clive Lloyd = Super Cat

South African Cricketer's Nicknames

Allan Donald = White Lightning (Extremely fast bowler)
Shaun Pollock = Polly
Graeme Pollock = The Little Dog
Lance Klusener = Zulu
Peter Pollock = The Big Dog

Sri Lankan Cricketer's Nicknames

Muttiah Muralitharan =The Smiling Assassin, Murali

Cricket Umpires' Nicknames

Harold Bird = Dickie Bird
Steve Bucknor = Slow Death
Brent Bowden = Billy

How to Reverse Swing a Cricket Ball

How to Reverse Swing a Cricket Ball:

In the game of cricket, when  ball gets old and worn out, it will get heavier on one side than the other due to wear and tear from hitting. This inequality of weight will cause ball to turn in the opposite direction that it typically would on a swing in the air, throwing off the batsman.

 
Instructions:

1- Find a cricket ball that has one dull side and one shiny side.

2- Hold the cricket ball with the seam of the ball. Keep the shiny side on the right if you want the ball to move away from a right-handed baseman and the shiny side on the left if you want to move the ball in. Keep the seam as vertical and straight.

3-Bend the wrist while holding the cricket ball downward so that the part of the ball that is closest to your body is positioned facing approximately 30 degrees downward.

4-Keep your head and hand at the shoulder at approximately a 50 to 60 degree angle. Your bowling hand should remain angled as you bowl and keep your hand as far away from your head as you can.

5-Pitch the ball up high and as fast as you can. The ball needs to be thrown at 80 miles an hour or so to make this swing work.

6- Make sure that the ball goes between your body and the stumps (the vertical posts) when you follow through on this swing.

Tips & Warnings

*While playing the game, try to wear your ball on one side more than the other and keep the shiny side as shiny as possible to create a ball that will work with this swing. Shine the ball on your leg on the shiny side of the ball as you play.

*Test the ball to see if you can use it for a reverse swing by throwing it straight. If it swings a bit toward the shiny side of the ball than you can use it for this swing.

*Practice this swing until you can get it right before using it in the game.

*Let the ball wear naturally. Don't tamper with the ball with knives and other things to speed the process. Ball tampering is illegal in the game and could get you banned.

Misbah ul Haq the best cricket brain in Pakistan: Geoff Lawson

Former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson believes Misbah-ul-Haq has the “best cricket brain” in Pakistan and is well-placed to handle the Test captaincy, surprisingly handed to the 36-year-old last week.

Misbah ul Haq was thought to be out of national reckoning when he wasn’t picked for the Asia Cup or the tour to England earlier this year. But a disastrous sequence of captaincy appointments left the board, in their own words, with little choice.

Geoff Lawson is well-placed having been coach during Misbah’s return to international cricket 3 years ago during the 2007 World T20, a tournament which he nearly won for Pakistan.

That sparked the most productive phase of his career and it was in Lawson’s time, between 2007 and 2008, that he established himself in the middle order; in 5 Tests under Lawson, he averaged 78 with two hundreds and a fifty; he averaged 41 in 28 ODIs, and over 67 in the ten Twenty20s Pakistan played with Lawson in charge.

“He definitely has the best cricket brain and intellect in Pakistan cricket,” Lawson said. “He has a statesman-like demeanor which so many Pakistan captains have lacked and he handles adversity analytically not emotionally. He knows how to get the best out of players and he is a winner, note his outstanding domestic record as a leader.

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Muhammad Asif Wedding

Pakistan paceman Mohammad Asif celebrated his wedding to childhood friend Sana Hilal in Lahore on Thursday.

Asif, who is being investigated by British police in a major spot-fixing scandal, officially tied the knot in March but the celebrations were held in the capital of Punjab after Asif’s return from England last month.

The 27-year-old was one of three Pakistani players provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council after a British tabloid claimed no-balls were delivered to order during last month's Lord's Test against England.

The ICC is expected to form a commission to hear the case after Scotland Yard completes an investigation.

“I hope marriage will be the turning point in my career and change my life in a positive way,” Asif was quoted as saying by local television channels.

Several team-mates, including Test cricketers Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq were reportedly present at the wedding festivities.

“Asif is very relaxed and is hopeful that he will be cleared of any spot-fixing charges. He hopes that his wedding will bring luck for him,” said a family friend, who did not want to be named.

Since his debut in 2005, Asif's career has been dogged by controversy.

He twice failed dope tests and twice tested positive for a banned steroid.

In 2006, he was banned for one year – a punishment overturned on appeal.

But when he tested positive again in the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) season in 2008, his appeal against a one-year ban failed.

He was then arrested at Dubai airport for possessing a banned drug while returning from the IPL.

He was detained for 19 days and deported after police found the quantity of the banned drug “insufficient” to pursue a case.

Further scandal came when actress and model Veena Malik claimed he owed her huge amounts of money.

She also alleged that Asif was involved in match-fixing and was said to have handed evidence to the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit earlier this month.

Source: Dawn.com

MCC brings Changes in cricket rules

The Marylebone Cricket Club has changed a few cricket rules which will take effect from October 1, 2010. Some of these new rules include empowering the umpires with more decision-making capabilities around bad light and the fielders being not allowed to start from beyond the boundary. 

So far, in Test match cricket, the umpires would offer the light to the batsmen in case they deemed it unfit for play. Usually, it was done if the bowlers were dangerous to face – that is the pace bowlers. However, the rules have now been tweaked to ensure that the batsmen do not get an unfair advantage by taking the light when they desire and continuing to bat at the same level of light when it is going to be an advantage to them.

The play will now be called off only when the conditions will be deemed a “dangerous or unreasonable” with the players not being allowed to go off the field when the floodlights were being switched on. It usually takes 5-10 minutes for all the lights to start coming on and another 10 for them to take full effect.

The MCC has also said that the fielders will be allowed to catch the ball at the boundary, throw it up in the air, go outside the playing arena, regain their balance and come back inside and catch it. However, the MCC has said that the fielders will not be allowed to start off from outside the playing arena when the bowler has started his run-up.

Amongst some of the other laws introduced, a batsman running on the track will be afforded one warning before his team gets penalised five runs. Earlier, batsmen were given two warnings. The same rule will be applicable for the fielders as well.

There has also been a change to a law that was probably the most interesting one. The MCC has mandated that the bowlers will not be allowed to practice with the ball used in the game by bowling to the fielders. The MCC has said that this constitutes time-wasting apart from damaging the ball.

Author: Daniel Smith