Cricket is in the air

In the run-up to the World Cup, media is coming out with all sorts of special features to grab the attention.

"Dumped" List

CricInfo has an article today titled "They dumped me". As the names suggests, it is about those players who were dropped from the team. The article tries to guess the reasons. And it is quite hilarious. The part about Runako Morton is specially hilarious for those who don't know yet:

In the course of his career, Morton been expelled from the squad in 2002 for lying about a grandmother's death

Read the complete article [:http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/wc2007/content/story/281201.html|here].

Media Campaigns

IBN-Live (read tv18) has started a "[:http://www.cricketnext.com/features/2007/cheerindia/|cheering campaign]" this time. It doesn't need to be mentioned that Indian team doesn't have time to listen to one billion cheers. Maybe this one is for them to read after their retirement (There are going to be many after this World Cup, anyway). Or, probably, we'll have to read back our own cheers, or maybe even if the players read it, these cheers might in no way ensure better performance of Indian team. From what we know, it could only tickle their nerves, what with the heavy responsibility to answer the billion people. The billion cheer now, but boo if they come back without winning. :P This campaign, although, is much saner compared to some media campaigns that happened last time. Last time, some TV channels acted financial institutions collecting funds from Cricket fans to be given to the Indian Cricket team in the case they won the world cup. The nice trick had worked greatly, what with India reaching the finals. The loss in the finals, though, ensured them some trouble handing over the money back. It must've made exceptional business, though, considering that it pulled in some audience as well.

Monotony

Unsurprisingly, Gary Sobers' words "And there will come a time when they will fall like the West Indies did" [:http://www.cricketnext.com/news/australia-will-fall-like-windies-did/23…|was shrewdly quoted] as "Australia will fall like Windies did", as though Australians are going to fall in this World Cup. But that doesn't seem so. Most Cricket fans would be hoping that the team winning would be something other than Australia at least for the sake of change. Things might turn out bad for already fading people's interest in Cricket if Australia wins again.

They ain't fat, they're just built on generous lines

Cricinfo is running [:http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/columns/content/story/281064.html|another special article] on the "fat" but in their own words "(mostly) talented players". Representing India is [:http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/32391.html|Ramesh Powar]. Somehow, Virendar Sehwag is missing from the list. Ganguly would've made it to the list, too, if he were the same as he was almost an year back. And I hear someone say "Dhoni" - eh? really? ;) For Pakistan, though, it is, I quote: "Obelix-ul-Haq", the indomitable skipper who has won many matches for them single handedly :)