August 02, 2009

An Anonymous Tournament.

I have a problem with The Emerging Players tournament. Basically the name, it stinks. What no sponsors? Why could they not rope in an Emerging Company. The new Cola on the block, Karma Cola or something. Then we’d know, right, must we spell it out?

By the same token, test matches could be called the Old Farts’ Fix or Record Hunters’ Graveyard or NGO Cricket. But no, we call it Test Cricket, and there’s edge to it. Enough edge to see it keel over, kill itself, with a little help from friends.

One Day Internationals, that name sucks. ODIs too, one-dayers, I really can’t say – it’s tough to fake it with ODIs. With Day/Night cricket, think they should just call it One-Night stand, and play the last one-dayer, pack up and leave.

Twenty20 has it, the name repeats itself, and the IPL takes its cue from there – the mixed trauma and joy of watching the first season, day-in, day-out, and then the 2nd season, and then the T20 World Cup, and then Pakistan play T20s in One-day games too – what just today they scored a perfectly respectable T20 score, 160 something. Did so in the test series too, that’s how addictive Twenty20 is – they’re not the World Champions for nothing.

Another thing, while all teams have ‘Emerging’ in their team name (India Emerging Players etc), the Aussie team is called the Australian Institute of Sports. Are they nuts, why play cricketers from an Institute?

They lost it badly the other day, 44 all out! While Emerging Chokers South Africa scored 227; won all their games, and then lost it in the finals.

Turned out to be the Submerging Players Tournament for them. Ok, bad one, but then the name asked for it.

Also, did you know India won the EPT?

2 comments:

Som said...

Come on NC, allow Badri to savour something at least.

Gaurav Sethi said...

It's not me who printed Virat Kohli's interview in the TOI. Btw have you ever read a Badri interview has he ever given one - soundbyte doesn't count