Latest news with #Stumped
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Reviews of Mohinder Amarnath's Fearless and Syed Kirmani's Stumped
Athletes are image conscious, both during their playing days and long after. Some may want to be remembered for their high skill and art, some for their nature, both pleasing and rebellious, and some for the legacy they leave behind and the many lives they touch and careers they inspire. And when athletes write memoirs, it is often a careful extension of this very image. They may be honest and forthright in their assessments of their own selves and the eras they played in and lived through, but all of it is bound by the persona that the sportspersons want to project. Two recent books by Indian cricketing legends — Fearless by Mohinder Amarnath (with Rajender Amarnath) and Stumped by Syed Kirmani (with Debashish Sengupta and Dakshesh Pathak) — lend credence to this argument. The stories, in fact, flow from the cover images. Amarnath's is of him executing the pull without the protection of a helmet, a shot synonymous with the batter and considered among the most daring strokes. The overarching theme in the book is of his many pitched battles against deadly fast bowlers like Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Imran Khan, his many selection controversies, the machinations of the higher-ups and his multiple comebacks. Kirmani's is a rather sedate and inexpressive photograph of him staidly waiting for the red cherry to nestle in his gloves. It seems like an ode to the book title, the tagline (Life Behind and Beyond the Twenty-Two Yards), and the sad fact that the great wicket-keeper's time in Test whites ended two shy of 200 dismissals. Defining moments It helps that the defining moment in Amarnath's and Kirmani's careers is also the defining moment in India's cricket history — the 1983 World Cup triumph. Both men capture in rich detail the victory of Kapil Dev and his band of merry men over the marauding and all-conquering West Indian side led by Clive Lloyd. But where the works diverge is in how they lead up to the success. Amarnath, admittedly, had a storied upbringing, for he was the son of independent India's first Test captain Lala Amarnath. Fearless recounts vividly the growing up days of Amarnath junior and his two brothers (Surinder, an international cricketer, and Rajender, a First Class player) under the giant shadow of their father and his steadfast goal to make Test cricketers out of all three. Amarnath's journey is laid out meticulously and chronologically, chapter by chapter, from tour to tour. There are also charming anecdotes from his childhood and school-cricket days that bring more than a chuckle, including the one where he escapes to Delhi from his boarding school in Jalandhar in a crowded train, hungry and with little money. Kirmani's, in contrast, zooms. Where it takes Amarnath 254 pages to reach the seminal point of his cricketing life (the 1983 win), Kirmani arrives in 35. This is, in fact, the biggest quibble one can have with the book — along with multiple factual inaccuracies, a feature, to a lesser degree, of Fearless too — for it limits Kirmani's retelling of his entire career to just 74 pages! The 90-odd sheets that follow are biographical accounts of the man. Surely, someone who played 88 Tests — 19 more than Amarnath — in a short span of just 10 years had more to tell? A glaring miss But history informs us that as much as memoirs are dressed up and promoted as 'tell-alls', they are also conspicuous by their many silences. What both books lack is a compelling picture of the eras Amarnath and Kirmani played their cricket in. While the volumes are no doubt windows into their respective sporting lives, they could have also shed more light on the culture of the sport back in the day. In the aftermath of India's 1983 World Cup win, the West Indies landed in India and blanked the hosts 3-0 in Tests (six-match series) and 5-0 in One Day Internationals as Marshall and Holding ran riot. In his six visits to the crease in Tests, Amarnath, a hero of the tour to the West Indies earlier in 1983, bagged five ducks. Lloyd's men were in India for nearly three months. Amarnath has given it the short shrift and dedicated all of four pages out of 428. Another jarring note, quite at odds with the title of the book, is his reluctance to name players and officials whose many acts and deeds he didn't approve of. Memoirs can also be for reflection and catharsis, and used as a tool to eventually make peace with all that happened. But Fearless and Stumped don't necessarily offer a sense of closure, both for Amarnath and Kirmani, and the reader. Fearless Mohinder Amarnath with Rajender Amarnath Harper Collins India ₹799 Stumped Syed Kirmani with Debashish Sengupta and Dakshesh Pathak Penguin India ₹499
United News of India
02-05-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
I have never spoken to McDonald: Bancroft
London, May 2 (UNI) Batter Cameron Bancroft said he is still motivated to earn a recall to Australia's Test side but has never spoken to head coach Andrew McDonald. Opener Bancroft, 32, played the last of his 10 Tests against England in 2019. He was dropped after four failures at the start of that summer's Ashes series, having been recalled following his nine-month ban for his role in Australia's ball-tampering scandal the previous year. Asked if he believes the scandal is a factor in McDonald's thinking, Bancroft told the BBC's Stumped podcast: "I would like to think not. "I have just been outside of that environment. "The coaches have been focused on the team and the players involved. "It is difficult to communicate with everybody." McDonald became Australia coach in April 2022 in place of Justin Langer. Under McDonald's leadership, Australia won the 2023 World Cup, retained the Ashes in England in 2023 and won last winter's Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. Bancroft said he has spoken to Australia's selectors - head selector George Bailey chairs meetings - in that time. The Western Australian was the leading top-order batter across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Sheffield Shield seasons when David Warner and Usman Khawaja were secure as Australia's openers and then Steve Smith was promoted following Warner's retirement. With Smith moved back down to number four at the start of the last Australian summer an vacancy became available but Bancroft had a poor run of form and was overlooked for Nathan McSweeney and then 19-year-old Sam Konstas. "Timing wasn't great," Bancroft said. "Also the reality is form comes and goes, runs come and go. That's just cricket. "I have never spoken to Andrew McDonald. "He has never spoken to me either. Understandably his focus is with the Australia team and that absolutely makes sense." Bancroft is currently captaining Gloucestershire in the County Championship and began the season with 163 against Glamorgan. Konstas impressed with 60 on his Test debut against India in December but was overlooked for Australia's most recent Test series in Sri Lanka, leaving doubt around who will partner Khawaja when Australia play South Africa in the World Test Championship final at Lord's in June. "Of course that an Australia recall is something that motivates me," Bancroft said. "I just try and go about my business and enjoy playing wherever I am, giving 100% to each ball and moment. "I know the way cricket works. It is still a driving force. I am just looking to enjoy my cricket and do my best." UNI BM
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
I have never spoken to McDonald
Batter Cameron Bancroft says he is still motivated to earn a recall to Australia's Test side but has never spoken to head coach Andrew Bancroft, 32, played the last of his 10 Tests against England in was dropped after four failures at the start of that summer's Ashes series, having been recalled following his nine-month ban for his role in Australia's ball-tampering scandal the previous if he believes the scandal is a factor in McDonald's thinking, Bancroft told the BBC's Stumped podcast: "I would like to think not."I have just been outside of that environment. "The coaches have been focused on the team and the players involved. "It is difficult to communicate with everybody." McDonald became Australia coach in April 2022 in place of Justin Langer. Under McDonald's leadership, Australia won the 2023 World Cup, retained the Ashes in England in 2023 and won last winter's Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. Bancroft said he has spoken to Australia's selectors - head selector George Bailey chairs meetings - in that Western Australian was the leading top-order batter across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Sheffield Shield seasons when David Warner and Usman Khawaja were secure as Australia's openers and then Steve Smith was promoted following Warner's Smith moved back down to number four at the start of the last Australian summer an vacancy became available but Bancroft had a poor run of form and was overlooked for Nathan McSweeney and then 19-year-old Sam Konstas."Timing wasn't great," Bancroft said."Also the reality is form comes and goes, runs come and go. That's just cricket."I have never spoken to Andrew McDonald. "He has never spoken to me either. Understandably his focus is with the Australia team and that absolutely makes sense."Bancroft is currently captaining Gloucestershire in the County Championship and began the season with 163 against impressed with 60 on his Test debut against India in December but was overlooked for Australia's most recent Test series in Sri Lanka, leaving doubt around who will partner Khawaja when Australia play South Africa in the World Test Championship final at Lord's in June."Of course that [an Australia recall] is something that motivates me," Bancroft said."I just try and go about my business and enjoy playing wherever I am, giving 100% to each ball and moment. "I know the way cricket works. It is still a driving force. I am just looking to enjoy my cricket and do my best."
BBC News
20-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Long wait for first IPL title brings 'opportunity' for RCB
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are still waiting for their first Indian Premier League (IPL) title after 18 years, but head coach Andy Flower says the expectation presents an opportunity rather than added pressure. They reached the play-offs in 2024 after a remarkable turnaround from losing seven of their first eight matches, but eventually lost to the Rajasthan described RCB as "one of the biggest franchises in world sport" which has been aided by Virat Kohli's presence in the side since the beginning of the tournament. "RCB and its fans should expect success," Flower, who was appointed head coach in 2023, told the BBC Stumped podcast."I would not necessarily see the fact that RCB has not won it, as a desperate situation or added pressure. It's a great opportunity, it's never been done before. "It's a very exciting opportunity for us. If we can bring some of that success and build an organisation or a dressing room that will give us that sort of success, that will be incredibly rewarding for us and our fans." RCB women won the Women's Premier League in to the full interview with Andy Flower on the Stumped podcast on BBC Sounds.
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
RCB aim for first IPL title with 'more balanced' squad
Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower says his squad is "more balanced" than previous editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which he hopes will deliver the franchise's first men's took charge of RCB in 2023 and they reached the play-offs in 2024 before defeat by Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator. The former England coach told the BBC Stumped podcast that their recruitment for 2025 shifted from RCB's usual batting-heavy strategy."We retained three players from last year. Instead of going for pace [bowlers], we're going for experience and skill, and if we put together a good tactical game I think we can not only defend but attack wisely at the Chinnaswamy and other grounds," Flower said."We've got some really good balance in our squad, good power in the batting line-up and real skill and experience in the bowling line-up, which is a little bit of a change for RCB. "Usually they prioritise their batting line-up with some big batting stars and we've shifted that to what we think is a more balanced team this year." RCB's bowling attack includes Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood and India fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, while England batter Phil Salt and all-rounders Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell are also in the batter Rajat Patidar has been named as captain in another significant change for the side, and Flower added that Virat Kohli - who led the side between 2013-2021 - remains a key part of the leadership set-up."Rajat has got all that experience to call on from Virat, and Virat's a big supporter of him, so rather than describing it as a shadow, I feel it's a ballast that can support us. "Rajat has been an outstanding batsman for us, particularly last year, but he's done some special things for RCB prior to that. He's very calm, he's very decisive as a leader."Listen to the full interview with Andy Flower on the Stumped podcast on BBC Sounds.
