da 888casino： The England side is back in India after a break, and they are currentlypreparing in Kolkata for the one-day internationals
da leao： Woorkheri Raman15-Jan-2002The England side is back in India after a break, and they are currentlypreparing in Kolkata for the one-day internationals. The break haspushed many issues to the back burner, and the main thing to be seen nowis if the visiting side can win the one-day series. They will quiteobviously be short of match practice, while the Indians have just playedfor the Challenger Trophy in Bangalore. Nasser Hussain is sure to havedrawn up a game plan to choke the Indians, and it remains to be seenwhat his counterpart does, in terms of both strategy and batsmanship.England have shown a lot of grit in India over the years, and althoughthe current team lack extraordinarily talented cricketers, it hassufficient spirit and determination.
© Stamp Publicity
When talking of talented cricketers from the British Isles, the names ofIan Botham and David Gower spring to mind. Botham was a tremendouscrowd-puller all over the world, as was Gower. The Indians got a chanceto see him in action in 1981, in the Jubilee Test at Bombay, which hewon for his side almost single-handed. Though many of his followers mayhave failed to pronounce his name correctly, they were on the money whenit came to his achievements.If Botham was the hero for his aggressive brand of cricket, Gower wasthe people’s favourite for his elegance and fluent touch with the bat.Gower’s performances dictated the mood swings of his followers, and atthe end of the day, they were content to see him out in the middle. Theirony in Gower’s case was that he was generally dubbed as a “laid-back,”and this description apparently did not please him. Mind you, his recorddoes indicate that he did things right somewhere down the line. It was apity that these two players ended their careers in a run-of-the-millway. Their attitudes did not go down well with the team management atthe time, resulting in their being dropped. Their exit was not on theirown terms, and they called it quits when they realised that they werenot going to get back into international cricket.
© CricInfo
Another former English legend whom the Indian public did not get to seemuch of was Geoffrey Boycott. Although he figured in a few Tests in theearly 80s, he broke off in the middle of the Indian tour under KeithFletcher, and one got the impression that he was eager to tour the subcontinent during his career. Fate has decreed that Boycott spend moretime in the sub-continent as a commentator, and his Yorkshire accent hasmade him a favourite with the viewers in this part of the world. Hisanalysis and his forthright views are refreshing, although hisdetractors might find it strange that he talks about how runs should bescored quickly by batsmen to set up a victory.Be it Gower, Boycott or Botham, they are all aware of the difficultiesin a cricketer’s career, and they ensure that they do not run down thecurrent lot. They have chosen their own way of expressing their views,with objectivity being the main criterion. These renowned cricketershave kept in touch with the game after their retirement, and theycontinue to entertain and enlighten television viewers with theirpleasant comments and insightful observations. As the saying goes, menmay come and go, but this trio will go on for ever.
