ONCE IN A LIFETIME

I COULD PERHAPS WRITE THE WHOLE BLOG IN CAPS. But I'll let sanity prevail and just fill up my diary with the the Ashes memoriblia that I've collected over the net.

'Where were you when England won the Ashes?' I'd asked everybody who'd bother getting through the bore. My answer : 'At work - where else!'. But it wasn't as bad as it sounds. I was in the cafeteria watching the whole show. Wrote to EVERYBODY and got back some pretty interesting replies!

Now for my Victory Chronicles. Legend has it that the great Steve Waugh had remarked "You've just dropped the World Cup" when Gibbs dropped his catch in the semi-finals of the 1999 Cup. His then team-mate might be living the same words for the rest of his life. When he put down KP at 15 no one, including the 'hubris' (what say you now Sir Boycott?) himself wouldn't have known that he'd poke a further 143 daggers into the Aussies. I really don't know how much longer he can continue to pull and hook fast bowlers of the front foot - The King Viv Richards has done it his entire life - but while it lasts it would be great to watch. And now he's put his bat where the mouth is by scoring the highest number of runs (473 at 52.55 with a massive strike rate of 71.45). We can now also forgive his dropped catches (6) in the series. With those big mitts he'll hold a few.

And now to the king of Spain, Gilo, Ashley Giles! Somebody in the selection committee has his head screwed on straight, a rarity! With the press and people calling for his head after the Lords debacle it took courage and some common sense to keep him on. And while he might not be your Warne he got some pretty crucial wickets (10) and runs (155 at 19.37) not to forget the 5 catches. Considering England's battery of fast bowlers it was hard to keep your respect but Gilo did. The grit he showed when the younger and more capable Geraint Jones collapsed was highly commendable and pleasent to the discerning cricket eye. He remains the sole proof for me of somebody who sought psychiatric help and got his life turned around as a result.

Contrary to the selectors beliefs (and they won so who's complaining) Paul Collingwood could have made quite an impact on the Ashes. And he was hitting centuries at will on the County circuit. He could very easily be the unsung hero of the Oval Test. Unless you have my microscopic eye you are quite likely to forget that the time he spend at the crease defending was crucial to the outcome of the match and the Ashes. I hope they bring him to Pakistan for the Bell that refuses to chime. But sanity and especially long stints of it are not something the English selectors are known for. Just ask Thorpe. The victory would have been far more comprehensive had he been there.

And now to the man who could safely call the Ashes his! Andrew Freddie Flintoff. You needed somebody to take on the entire Australian side and he did just that. Most wickets (24 at 27.29) punctuated by the continous aggression of the yesteryear West Indians proved to be the biggest dent in the Aussie armour. And how's Adam Gilchrist for a bunny? His runs (402 at 40.2) came when they mattered. He epitomizes the new England team of heroes with their feet on the ground. Ian Botham said this before the Oval Test:

"Win or lose the Ashes, I'm going to find the best bottle of red wine in town and present him with it."

There have been comparisons of the two throughout the Ashes but they are if anything extremely accurate. Although Freddie still has quite some way to go.

To answer xanaxoverload....

Xanax asks why I love the game of my colonial masters..... What masters??? I am using the PC invented by them that runs on software THEY made that runs on electricity THEY got out of water and coal!

The religion I follow originates from Arabia.... most of my favourite food has an Indian origin!

Point of the matter is that quality in anything will always attract followers. And the world has moved on just too much for me to be restricted by barriers of country, race, religion or such to determine what I like. And I don't honestly care what people of any country might think about me... I still love them all.

The oracle spoke too soon though and as I write Australia are 192-1 and unless the weather saves them England are against the wall. At the Manchester derby United haven't scored as yet and it's almost the end of second half. Not to forget that Ms Sharapova also lost last night! So much for sporting euphoria.

The oracle has spoken........


The toss turned the right side up and Eng-er-land are batting! Collingwood comes into the side at the best possible time and the test match of the century is well and truly on it's way. A day to be remembered for sporting delight as Andre Agassi recovered to the kind of victory only he can muster up. After losing 3-6, 3-6 he recovered to 6-3, 6-3 before taking the final set 7-6. Why I like aging have-beens is a mystery to me. To quote Jean Kerr "I am hopeful about the past and nostalgic about the future".

The oracle says 450-500! We are approaching lunch and England has 109/3. Trescothic's promise of the century yet unfulfilled. Bell didn't ring yet again. Vaughn is perhaps too confident after his 160+. Maybe Straus could do it. Upto Messrs. KP, Flintoff, Collingwood and Jones.

For once the Beckham boys escape the scythes of the press as no self respecting sports journalist can be bothered with their 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland. Shaun-Wright squandered so many chances that it got boring. Sometimes I wonder if Sven is really the right person for the job. He's a very level-headed guy and with the cult idols that are the England football team he does a pretty decent job. But England haven't done anything substantial for an ice-age and maybe it's time for change.

(The self-contradiction - Sven vs Agassi - is quite evident!)

apologies to the non-cricketers reading this. I still treat the blog as a diary more than anything else and it's virtually impossible to talk about much else at the moment. (Found out that some people actually read my blog and for that I am grateful).

Tossing and turning.........

Could one small thing actually be that inspiring? An Erma Bombeck title comes to mind: "If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What am I doing in the Pits". So there I was, in the pits. Melancholic for all and nothing. The perfect Antonio! The past month or so had brought one misery after next. First my sister got mugged, then I did. Woke up to the sound of someone being looted at gun point right outside my window; all the while lying there waiting for the gunshot. So I had my reasons.

Then this happens. I wake up on Saturday, for once not for work. With eyes still not fully awake I turn on the tele and there she is: Bipasha Basu in all her glory! And just like sometimes a sudden jerk would bring a long dislocated joint into place, she brought me out. Don't know much about her. Haven't seen any of her movies. But somehow the cliché "Life is beautiful" came to mind and here I am the clichéd lark! Not everyone's idea of a beauty with dark and large features but she's been my tonic.

Went on my annual pilgrimage to the Paramount Bookfair. I can still remember the days when I'd wait for my birthday. Not really caring about the day itself but sure in the knowledge that my dad would give me money which I'd save and spend at Paramount. Used to do the most ridiculous of things there: look for copies of the same book with the lowest price tags and sometimes actually fooling them by changing the stick-on tags. Stole a book too. Years later actually went there and had to go through quite an ordeal to get them to accept money for all my "crimes".

While the world moves to the Da Vinci code and the likes I bought Aesop's Fables, Alice in Wonderland, Alice through the Looking-Glass and Collected Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. He's considered the guru of the macabre so this would be an experience. Though the first story pointed yet again to my absolute lack of European languages, something that I must correct if I am to enjoy some of the better books.

And now to the title (I love you Asher Noor for bringing me this outlet!). When the two captains head out for the toss tomorrow it would perhaps be the most important flip in cricket for over a decade. No one has come closer to challenging the Aussie supremacy and if they escape I doubt if anyone would. For order to be restored England must win. The toss is crucial. The side batting first would be at a great advantage. A 450-500 score could well secure the Ashes, for either team.

The oracle in me refuses to speak. It could really go either side. England have been chokers since time immortal. Australia haven't been this badly dominated for a while. Enough of this ranting! Tomorrow will tell the tale.

Dedicated to Asher Dude