Published: May 10, 2011, 11:37 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 22, 2014, 03:52 PM (IST)
By Golandaaz
In a game on Saturday between two IPL team, the production company faced with a staff on a total strike, decided to telecast a replay of a previous game; originally held a little less than a week back between the same two sides instead. According to the TVR ratings, approximately 22 million viewers consumed the replays thinking it was a live event. This was 5% higher than the ratings registered by the same match when it was originally telecast!
Well into the game, when absolutely no one had realized that they were watching a T20 game from just a week back, the production company thought that they had almost pulled off the heist. However, with a few overs still remaining in the game, executives at Sony got a call from Danny Morrison, claiming something was fishy.
“I can’t possibly be covering a live event when I am having a Viagra moment of intimacy at home,” he thundered excitedly on the phone.
Specialized captains
The ECB became the first board in the world to recognize that the various formats of the game represent the need to cultivate specialized skills, leadership and management techniques. What does not work for Tests may not necessarily not work for ODIs, and whatever fails for ODIs may need some more specializing for T20s.
In line with this thinking England named an army of captains to align each person to the specialized needs of the various formats, sessions, and match situations
1. Andrew Strauss will lead England in Tests for the pre-lunch and post-tea sessions on days 2 and 4 of a Test match.
2. Kevin Pietersen will be captain on all other days; except when the match situation requires declaration decisions, in which case Alastair Cook will take over.
3. Stuart Broad will be T20 captain for all games when England is not setting a target.
4. Paul Collingwood will be T20 captain for all games when England is setting a target.
5. Alastair Cook will be captain of the ODI team for all sessions and situations except during Ashes years when James Anderson will take over when Cook will be rested.
Dial ‘C’ for Clean Cricket
Sports Illustrated – Timbaktoo, in a cover story for an issue that will be out on the stands on May 14, claims that cricket may be far cleaner than people think. The story is based on 4000 minutes of taped conversations between fans, commentators, ex and current cricketers, bookies, politicians corporate executives and celebrities. The conversations where people talk endlessly about the excitement of coming World Cup games and predict outcomes and specific individual performances is proof that there is no match fixing because nine out of the 10 predictions never come true.
The 1 in 10 that do are being investigated by Sports Illustrated – India.
(Golandaaz is a blogger @Opinions on Cricket and likes to see the humorous side of the game. He often sketches cricketers in black and white. You can follow Golandaaz his blog on Twitter @oponcr Facebook/Opinions on Cricket)
