#cricket

History generally records that Michael Vaughan quit the England captaincy in tearful circumstances following the Test-series defeat to South Africa in 2008. But the Top Spin can reveal this version of events is little more than a smokescreen. For it appears that what actually tipped Vaughan over the edge was a phonecall from a stricken team-mate - a call so harrowing Vaughan decided he could cope no longer. The ex-skipper was enjoying a barbecue at home with friends two summers ago when he took a rare call from Monty Panesar. 'Hello, Monty.' 'Hello Vaughany. I've got some bad news for you.' 'Oh?' 'Yes, you know I was telling you about my parrot Gary last week?' 'Er...' 'Well, he's gone missing. Just thought you'd like to know.' 'Sorry to hear that Monty.' 'Bye.' 'Bye.' So aghast was Vaughan that captaincy duty now extended to fielding calls from team-mates about escaped pets that he knew his time was up. Sure, the tears at the farewell press conference left an impression on us all. But it was Monty's ex-parrot that sealed the deal. ↗

— Lawrence Booth

#michael-vaughan #monty-panesar #home

He suddenly exploded in a flurry of arms and legs, out of which flew a ball. ↗

— Douglas Adams

#cricket #description #game #play #life

Still, I believe it is only a passing phase and cricket will one day produce an abundance of great players. ↗

— Frank Woolley

#believe #cricket #day #great #i

I think we are going to see exciting cricket all the way. We are watching the two best teams in the world-and I think England will eventually go on to pip Australia by a single Test. ↗

— Ian Botham

#best #cricket #england #eventually #exciting

A cricket ball broke my nose when I was a kid so I couldn't breath through it. Before I had it operated on I used to stand on stage with my mouth slightly open. ↗

— Damian Lewis

#before #breath #broke #cricket #had

I really got into the cricket and staying up late watching the World Cup. ↗

— Jeremy London

#cup #got #i #into #late

What I'd really like to give a try is cricket, because I grew up playing American baseball. ↗

— Jeremy London

#baseball #because #cricket #give #grew

One afternoon when I was 9, my dad told me I'd be skipping school the next day. Then we drove 12 hours from Melbourne to Sydney for the Centenary Test, a once-in-a-lifetime commemorative cricket match. It was great fun - especially for a kid who was a massive sports fan. ↗

— Hugh Jackman

#cricket #dad #day #drove #especially

The crickets sounded like maybe in the trees. They were pretty loud to be so unsure of themselves.
 ↗

— Jarod Kintz

#loud #maybe #nature #noise #self-esteem

One keeps looking out for innovation in IPL, but of late it hasn't been all that obvious. Lionel Richie as an opening act? Johnny Mathis must have been busy. Matthew Hayden's Mongoose? Looks a bit like Bob Willis' bat with the "flow-through holes"; Saint Peter batting mitts are surely overdue a revival. The only genuinely intriguing step this year, bringing the IPL to YouTube, was forced on Modi by the collapse of Setanta; otherwise what Modi presents as 'innovation' is merely expansion by another name, in the number of franchises and the number of games. ↗

— Gideon Haigh

#cricket #expansion #indian-premier-league #innovation #johnny-mathis