Remembering the Titans ..
Doesn't take much for me to get nostalgic .. Most of my time spent longing for the days gone by.
And with Pink Floyd playing in the back ground , yearning can't be too far away.
Was lazing around in such a setting and then suddenly had this friend drop a bombshell..
" Shane Warne and Glenn Mcgrath retiring after the ashes !!"
Wtf !!! Come again bhai ... Are u drunk ? Or do u want to just want to get battered ? This ain't happening boss .. They aren't allowed to leave this way !!
Hesitatingly logged on to cricinfo.com only to have them confirming the dreaded news .. And just like the tears , the images came gushing ..
Mike Gatting getting bowled with the ball of the century .. The repetitive yet so unbelievable bowling in the 'corridor of uncertainty '.. Sachin getting caught behind for the umpteenth time .. The raucous celebration of Gibbs' wicket during WC '99 semifinals.. Some memories those !!
They used to call Bishen Singh Bedi "Poetry in Motion" .. ( That he has become so crabby now is another matter ).
But I don't think there has ever been a more fantastic image than watching the blonde legspinner toss the ball thrice , take those five steps towards the crease , coil his body , and then give that violent rip to produce yet another stunner..
Lara has the genius .. Tendulkar the talent .. Kumble the stubborness .. Murali the consistency .. But Warnie has all of those and something more. Something that always made the cricketing world eat out of his hands.
( Hes had all those pretty women as well ).
While Warne and his skill has always been something to be captivated by , Mcgrath never brought about the same emotions. Seeing a young Glenn with an 'Agarkaresque' built always made me wonder how long he would last. But hes gone on and on and on .. Kept bowling those maidens , kept getting the caught behinds , kept getting under every batsman's skin , ( and kept getting dubious lbw decisions against Tendlya ).
I've always thought to myself ... " What if Mcgrath was as good a batsman as he is a bowler ? "
Could've got pretty close to Hobbs' and Bradman's record .. eh ?
Yes they had their ugly moments too .. The Sarwan event , the silly doping scandal , the bookies episode , all the sledging , the smses ... And quite a few others too. But then , that is what the men were all about. Wholesome entertainers .. in their own very ways.
Hundreds of pages would be written about the two great Australians in the coming days ... Thousands of adjectives would be used. Probably a million tears too would be shed on hearing the news. But one thing is for sure...Nothing .. absolutely nothing would be able to fully capture what they meant to cricket. Come the final day of the Ashes test at Sydney , International cricket would be a poorer place.
In AC/DC's words(even though a lil contorted )
" For those who've rocked us .. We salute you "
And with Pink Floyd playing in the back ground , yearning can't be too far away.
Was lazing around in such a setting and then suddenly had this friend drop a bombshell..
" Shane Warne and Glenn Mcgrath retiring after the ashes !!"
Wtf !!! Come again bhai ... Are u drunk ? Or do u want to just want to get battered ? This ain't happening boss .. They aren't allowed to leave this way !!
Hesitatingly logged on to cricinfo.com only to have them confirming the dreaded news .. And just like the tears , the images came gushing ..
Mike Gatting getting bowled with the ball of the century .. The repetitive yet so unbelievable bowling in the 'corridor of uncertainty '.. Sachin getting caught behind for the umpteenth time .. The raucous celebration of Gibbs' wicket during WC '99 semifinals.. Some memories those !!
They used to call Bishen Singh Bedi "Poetry in Motion" .. ( That he has become so crabby now is another matter ).
But I don't think there has ever been a more fantastic image than watching the blonde legspinner toss the ball thrice , take those five steps towards the crease , coil his body , and then give that violent rip to produce yet another stunner..
Lara has the genius .. Tendulkar the talent .. Kumble the stubborness .. Murali the consistency .. But Warnie has all of those and something more. Something that always made the cricketing world eat out of his hands.
( Hes had all those pretty women as well ).
While Warne and his skill has always been something to be captivated by , Mcgrath never brought about the same emotions. Seeing a young Glenn with an 'Agarkaresque' built always made me wonder how long he would last. But hes gone on and on and on .. Kept bowling those maidens , kept getting the caught behinds , kept getting under every batsman's skin , ( and kept getting dubious lbw decisions against Tendlya ).
I've always thought to myself ... " What if Mcgrath was as good a batsman as he is a bowler ? "
Could've got pretty close to Hobbs' and Bradman's record .. eh ?
Yes they had their ugly moments too .. The Sarwan event , the silly doping scandal , the bookies episode , all the sledging , the smses ... And quite a few others too. But then , that is what the men were all about. Wholesome entertainers .. in their own very ways.
Hundreds of pages would be written about the two great Australians in the coming days ... Thousands of adjectives would be used. Probably a million tears too would be shed on hearing the news. But one thing is for sure...Nothing .. absolutely nothing would be able to fully capture what they meant to cricket. Come the final day of the Ashes test at Sydney , International cricket would be a poorer place.
In AC/DC's words(even though a lil contorted )
" For those who've rocked us .. We salute you "
posted by Puneet at 8:47 AM
5 Comments:
The cricketing world would be poorer not just by one cricketing legend, but two. And we would never be able to see 'mr consistent'...and the 'player'.. at what they do the best!
Extremely well written dude!
Whats happening...
First it was Damien Martyn- the man who helped Australia conquer the final frontier..
And now the big 2 of Aussie cricket..
Sporting Legends, as long as they grace the sports field are a treat to watch...but to imagine them as Husbands or Fathers or something else but not sportpersons, is so difficult..
I would like to quote Peter Roebuck here..
"Many people keep working as long as they can because they enjoy the company and the activity and fear the isolation. For them retirement is not a hard earned rest but an unsettling prospect. A man needs to know how to retire, but it is not something that can be gleaned from the manuals."
Hopefully we all will know when it is the right time to walk into the sunset with our heads held high like these two great cricketing heroes..
Nicely Written.. Test cricket will never be the same.. however i hated the way ricky ponting reacted to this by saying, "it will give younger cricketers a chance to shine".. damn him..
well they had to go sooner or later..
the time has come.
I just love the aussies strategy..
i.e. Have enough seniors on board.. slowly take in juniors.. make them accustomed to the team's ways and pass the baton to them.
So Hardik, Ricky Ponting is right in saying that.
I beg to differ.
Looking at the bright side (even if it does exist) is not a good thing to do when stalwarts like Warne and McGrath retire!
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