IPL quarter end report and Kashmiri loyalties

dcsiva — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:37:00 GMT

Q puts together his Third Quarter report on the IPL:

Some people questioned that the length of the tournament, 45 days to be exact, would be taxing on the viewers who would lose interest. Nothing like that has happened and Q3 was witnessed with the same packed crowds and large number of TV viewers as Q1 and Q2.

With Q4 expected to be the most exciting quarter of the IPL, and the RACE to the Final Four in its concluding stages, expect the interest of the viewers to remain high, if not higher than the preceding quarters.

And the Indian Express reports on changing loyalties in Kashmir. Cricket was the site on which Kashmiri nationalism first expressed itself but the IPL and Mohammad Mudasir might be changing all that:

Mudasir was discovered during a pace hunt conducted by Javagal Srinath and T A Sekar of the MRF pace foundation at Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium, Srinagar in 2006. He represented the J&K under-19 team last season and bagged 35 wickets.
Mudasir has not yet made his debut but IPL has already confused the decades-old cricket loyalties in Kashmir which were always an expression of separatist politics here.
The cricket pitch was, in fact, the first platform for separatist politics. On October, 13, 1983 when West Indies came to play India in Srinagar, the separatists dug the pitch to protest. The police arrested Mushtaq-ul-Islam and Showkat Bakhshi — who later became militant commanders — inside the stadium while Hurriyat leader Shabir Shah too was charge-sheeted.

Finally, The Atheist and King Cricket write about Jacob Oram's wonderful clean hitting century that saved face for New Zealand.

IPL identities and blog sledging

dcsiva — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:25:00 GMT

Homer links to posts by Ducking Beamers on identities in the IPL. Beamers starts with:

Recently, I’ve found it difficult to make even the most basic points to my friends — the importance of empirical evidence in rational debate, for instance — but I want to take on a much complicated topic, involving post-colonialism, sledging, and media coverage. Stay with me.

And the first comment in response:

so you are ashamed of your fellow indians…they didn’t act western enough for you. I don’t think the problem is with indians i believe its with you…your are ashamed how this will reflect with your WESTERN friends.

Over in the West, Chrispy went to the Rose Bowl to see the England Lions take on New Zealand and has some great photographs to prove it.

And Patrick Kidd lists his probable XI:

So... Probable XI: Strauss, Cook, Vaughan, Pietersen, Bell, Collingwood, Ambrose, Broad, Sidebottom, Anderson, Panesar. In other words, no change bar the opening pair from the winter. I'd play Bopara instead of Collingwood and Hoggard instead of Anderson. And warn Cook, Vaughan and Bell that they owe a few big scores if they want to play against South Africa. And what about Saqlain Mushtaq...

Finally, Nanda points to a wonderful cartoon site reflecting on the IPL.

Cover Points : nationalism

IPL quarter end report and Kashmiri loyalties

IPL identities and blog sledging