Musing The Week's Media
A Class Act
Papers around the world have been delighted at the news that Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza are to marry: starcrossed lovers as the fellow wrote; can't remember his name.
As cricket fans it is important to know, what exactly is our man bringing to the table?
The Times reports: "Think of Romeo and Juliet with a dash of Posh and Becks and a heavy dose of Bollywood melodrama. Shoaib Malik, Pakistan's former cricket captain, is to marry Sania Mirza, India's top women's tennis player, despite being accused of marrying another Indian woman and then dumping her for being fat."
The father of Malik's current wife has launched a lacerating attack on his behaviour. We await Mohammad Yousuf's analysis with interest.
Nose, glasses and moustache that all come off together
Cricinfo, Monday: 'Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's captain for the upcoming World Twenty20, has said that Sachin Tendulkar's absence from the Indian team for the tournament will be a blessing in disguise for the other sides.'
Tendulkar is one of the best batsmen in the history of world cricket and certainly the most distinguished playing today. He just scored the first ever ODI double century and is second in the Indian Premier League batting table.
So...what kind of disguise?
Number Crunching With England
6: Squad changes in nine-month period between 2009 and 2010 World T20.
7: Big-name coaches in charge of ECB Performance Programme last winter.
41: Players on that EPP - not including the 20 men in South Africa with Test and ODI parties.
4: Players in 2010 WT20 squad who were not among last October's 'elite' 61.
0: Number of people who will lose their job the next time the development programme is restructured.
Backing Himself
'Waqar salutes Afridi appointment' - Cricinfo.
Either the Pakistan coach has literally no say in how his team is put together or he's keen to build up his own confidence in the most difficult of cricket roles.
Scoop!
The Mail on Sunday had a belter of a headline last weekend: 'England skipper Andrew Strauss tells ECB: We want the Ashes Tests back on free TV'
In this on-message media age for the national captain to give orders to his own bosses on perhaps the biggest issue facing the English game today was nothing short of extraordinary.
Unfortunately, the story was nothing at all.
Actual quotes from Strauss: 'This is a tough issue. The funding is absolutely crucial as well. Without it, a lot of grass-roots initiatives wouldn't go ahead. We need players playing the game, not just watching it. The issue is, what is best for the game?'
Headline of the Week
'Conveyor Velt' - England keep pickin' em, The Sun keeps writin' em.
Cynic of the Week
'You should book somewhere to announce your comeback.' - At least one journalist at Mohammad Yousuf's retirement do is less than convinced.
Best of the Rest
'Sri Lanka All-Time XI'
'It simply doesn't matter who wins.'
