In the gentleman’s sport of cricket, it would not be complete without the humble man in a white coat and hat, watching over the game.

In fact, there are two on each end of the pitch- this helps to get a greater scope of what is going on. Thanks to new technology a third umpire settles off the field- and has many resources and tools to make a final informed decision- tools like the snick-o-meter, which records the sound of the ball hitting the bat. And ball tracing which follows the path of the ball to see where it would end up, to determine if it would hit the wicket.

Unlike a referee that just implements the rules and runs around and blows whistles. An Umpire on the other hand has more responsibility; they inspect the equipment, choose which balls to play with, decide the duration of breaks during a match, judge whether the crease is up to standard, Umpires can even call off matches due to weather and bad lighting and even fine players for misconduct.

There is no doubt cricket has had a facelift. Long are the days where overweight hairy men would bowl and bat and most of the crowd would fall asleep. See my article on “How T20 cricket revolutionised cricket”  With the introduction of T20 cricket, the format encourages sponsors, partnerships, and shares of ownership are bought by corporations. Just like a dragon’s den situation. In return, they get a huge audience as potential customers. Therefore millions and millions are invested, this adds more pressure for the Umpires.

They face serious sticks and sometimes get their lives threatened if they make a decision that does not agree with the fans. Thankfully the third umpire can lighten the load by taking some of the blame, but some fans still don’t see it like that. With the responsibilities and in some cases lives at stake. Umpires get compensated for their time at 100 thousand dollars a year. This works out at 3k per ODI match 5k for a test match 1.5k for a T20 match and 3k for ICC Tournament. All of this and not much attention is given to Umpires outside of the pitch.

The life of an umpire is hard, with over 200 days of work abroad a year, it would make it difficult to raise a family. It was this precise reason why the legendary Umpire Dickie Bird was never married. He wrote an autobiography that sold millions of copies, he was knighted and had a statue made of him with the famous finger. Dickie bird had it all-but the biggest regret is not being married. He said he was married to cricket and got very close but decided otherwise.

Aleem Dar from Pakistan is one of the most experienced umpires in the game. With over 100 test matches and over 200 ODI matches, under his belt and winning umpire of the year 3 times in a row. His house is decorated with trophies and pictures of himself with cricketers and Bollywood film stars. This success is due to accurate decisions, Aleem dar can tell if a ball traveling over 80mph has kissed the bat or not. This is even before the third umpire looked at the cameras. Aleem is over 50 years of age, supports a beard, and has a wife and two kids. Yet his expertise is still in demand. Aleem Dar is part of the elite panel of umpires. This consists of umpires from all over the world to officiate in Test matches and ODI matches.

The Covid 19 epidemic has affected the world, many people are suffering and many competitions have been put on hold. Pakistan was one of the first countries to be hit. However, Aleem Darr felt the need to kindly distribute free food from his restaurant “Darr’s delighto” in Lahore.

So next time you watch a cricket game remember that being an umpire is not as easy as it looks, it involves a lot of responsibility and dedication. Some have regrets whilst others have managed and wouldn’t change a thing.

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All eyes on the Batsman

Cricket is the second most-watched sport in the world with an audience of 2.5 billion. A game of two halves, one half involves using a bat. In some cases the whole team end up batting for hours and hours. A high score is always the plan. A high score could make a better chance of winning the game, so hitting it hard over the boundary is what the audience expects, with every ball. The bat is the only thing that can make that happen.
Each batsman has his own style and brand and the manufacturers boast about their celebrity customers. Chris gayle is a big hitter and his bat gets a good knock. He has his own brand called Spartan, his bat has larger bow depth and longer handle for grip.

Where is the cricket bat made?

The source of the bat comes from the woodlands of England. English willow and Kashmiri willow from Pakistan has been used to make cricket bats for centuries. The wood is shipped to India and Pakistan to be made in many different brands.
A sign of quality is the grain on the bat. It is usually a mix of hardwood and sapwood which is softer. This alternate surface ensures that it packs a punch. Some bats have more grain than others, the more grains the more expensive it is likely to be.  Click here to see a good quality English willow cricket bat

What is the secret to a strong bat?

Even with the quality craftsmanship and best-sourced wood. Batsmen are still signaling after overs, for a replacement bat. Scratches, chips, and cracks can appear and can affect their performance.
So care and attention is needed to make sure the bat is strong enough to last longer. What is the secret?…..
Bat oil.

Many years ago cricketers would soak the bat in oil for a long while to smoothen out any cracks to make supple and last longer, but this is not the right way.
The trick is to use Raw Linseed Oil- just two tablespoons on the face of the bat. Using the fingers instead of cloth to lather the bat. This is enough to keep the bat strong. A cloth would soak more of oil than the bat- making it pointless.
The hardwood needs the oil to prevent and chips and cracks. A second light coat is applied after 24 hours. Followed by a light dab of the cloth to take off the excess.
Kashmir willow is darker as it consists of hardwood whilst the English Willow is very light in colour and thicker in depth. Both need the oil treatment- more so the Kashmir willow because of the hardwood.
Over 50% of bats are returned to manufacturers for repair because the bat has not been sufficiently oiled. Other oils can be used but Linseed oil has been advised because it oxidises and hardens and seals the outer surface of the bat.
Make sure you oil your bat regularly it could save you hundreds. You can buy the oil here….The best oil for your cricket bat

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Akash Chopra, former Indian cricketer turned commentator, came up with the best words to praise the abilities of Wasim Akram while wishing him on his 54th Birthday: 

“Happy Birthday to The Harry Potter of the bowling clan….was born with a magic wand that ensured the ball rarely disobeyed his commands.” 

He indeed was the Harry Potter of fast bowling.  

Here are some of Wasim’s unbelievable bowling performances the world witnessed during the prime time of his career. 

1) 1992 World Cup Final Spell 

Pakistan clinched the title for the first time. He helped his side win the final. Even though he took only 3 wickets in the match,  the timing of the wickets was crucial. He took two wickets in 2 deliveries with vicious in-swinging pacey deliveries, knocking the stumps of Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis in the 34th over.  

2) 1992 England tour  

Pakistan’s 4-month long tour of England in 1992 truly defined Wasim Akram to the world stage. The Left-arm swing bowler, along with his counter-part Waqar Younis, dismantled the English batting line-up. The two Ws played an ample role in Pakistan’s famous 2-1 test series win over England. The king of swing bamboozled English batters with his swing and pacey deliveries. He took 21 wickets in 4 matches, including 9-103 in the deciding 5th test match of the series.  

3) 1989 ODI hat-trick against West Indies 

Wasim Akram has had 4 hat-tricks in his career. All of them are a treat to watch, but his first ODI hat-trick is a special moment. The Windies were needing 40 odd runs with 5 wickets in hand in a match, and then came the Harry Potter’s magic. He took 3 successive wickets 3 swinging fast deliveries and uprooting the stumps of Jeff Dujon, Malcolm Marshal, and Curtly Ambrose. The match was eventually won by Pakistan with Wasim Akram taking 5 wickets.   

The left-arm swing bowler from Multan had an illustrious career. He had 916 international wickets in 460 matches, including 4 hat-tricks in all formats. He is still in touch with cricket through his commentary or coaching in Franchise based Leagues.  He unfortunately now suffers from Diabetes but remains strong-willed and also helps with a lot of charity work with his own foundation

The post The King of Swing- Wasim Akram appeared first on Cricket's Finest.

Cricket has come a long way- from it’s 50 over matches with chubby hairy men bowling and batting until the sun goes down.

Things had to change and it began in England in 2003, where cricket was born.

They had to find a way to make the game shorter in length but more exciting. The 20/20 idea encouraged players to be fitter, stronger and smarter with the ball and bat.

This way it would get the crowd on their feet and not sleeping reading a book like in test cricket.

It became a hit and was rolled out throughout the world. This new dynamic twist to the sport attracted younger crowds. With more crowds came more money.

Sponsors would queue up to get a slice of pie. Companies would compete to get their name on advertising boards on the pitch and through televised sponsorship and sponsors for prizes and tournaments

A cricket-mad country like India took advantage of this. The IPL (Indian premier league) started a T20 tournament and it has become the biggest tournament the world has ever seen.

The IPL brand is worth $6.3 billion US dollars, and it contributes $114 million to Indian GDP in 2015 It was a matter of time other countries followed suit: The Big Bash League in Australia, Natwest T20
Caribbean premier league and The BPL Bangladesh Premier League.

The leagues almost compete with each other, flaunting cash on prize money, celebrity endorsements and drafting new players and old legends from all over the world.
In India filmstar, Shahrukh khan owns KKR Kolkata knight riders it is worth 105 million dollars. Whilst in Bangladesh BPL earned $51million just on sponsorship in 2017. In the Natwest, T20 teams are given a $45
million budget for players.

How is t20 cricket played?

As the name suggests each team has 20 overs (120 balls) to make the most runs and bowl batsmen out.
There are 9 batsmen and teams can only use 5 bowlers with a maximum of 4 overs each (24 balls)

Bowlers have to bowl with a straight arm and not overstep the mark- to get a no-ball. They would be facing the batsmen and behind him a wicketkeeper ready to catch a ball that clips the bat or run him out.

Only five fielders to stand in the circle and only two players patrol the outside. If they catch a ball the batsmen are out, that is if they don’t hit the ball over the head for a 6 or let it go for a 4 when it rolls to the boundary line.

After 13-15 overs they have a tea break and then back for an exciting run chase.

Prizes go for the man of the match sometimes best fielder, most sixes, and most wickets.

It is a very exciting 3 to 4 hours of cricket. Players are tested. Every bowl, run, catch makes a massive difference. You hear the crowds roar. Trumpets blowing after every boundary,
Cheerleaders dancing.

We have to thank the ECB (English cricket board) for concocting the idea and revolutionizing the sport. Cricket is not just “the gentlemen’s game” it is a beautiful game played and watched by all.

More recently with the Coronavirus pandemic has put a halt to cricket tournaments and matches around the world. This is because of the worldwide social distancing law that disallows any large gathering
Pakistan Super League was due to start this year. It would of been 4 years this year that they have played on their home soil. The IPL has also been canceled. It has caused drama in the camps over pay and contracts

We hope that this virus fizzles out soon and that we can all enjoy once the beautiful game.

The post What is T20 Cricket?  And how has it revolutionised the beautiful game. appeared first on Cricket's Finest.