26 March,2011 08:44 AM IST | | Fiona Fernandez
From being dubbed as an illegal pastime or incurring the wrath of the Church for playing it on a Sunday, cricket has come a long way, as Geoff Tibballs' No-Balls and Googlies will tell you. Sit back and enjoy all the off-field action from the funny game
This would makes for an ideal gift to the cricket naysayer. Particularly in these World-Cup-climaxing times. Geoff Tibball's book has enough to keep the fanatic and the newbie engaged about the 'elegant game'. Be warned, it's very English in character. Also, prepare to overlook woefully dated records and references - most don't cover the game post 2006.
Still, No-Balls and Googlies goes to great lengths to uncover the origins of the game, dissect its traditions, records, milestones and quirks, hand picked from regions where the game is followed. Skip it if you're looking for obvious cricket jargon and facts - you'll find it in tons of tomes on bookshelves. Instead, savour the lighter, alluring side of cricekt. You might fall in love with it. Like a billion Indians.
The Guide picked a few gems that will pique the imagination of mid-day readers
'LOO'KING FOR BACHER: The chief executive of South Africa cricket, Ali Bacher failed to make a planned speech in the President's Box at the 1998 Lord's test because he was trapped in the ladies' toilet. He had wandered in there by mistake to read through his notes.
SHERLOCK'S CRICKET CONNECT: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle played cricket for the MCC. Moreover, he took the name of Sherlock Holmes from the Derbyshire cricketer F Sherlock Holmes. Another Derbyshire player, Thomas Mycroft, inspired the name of Holmes' brother, Mycroft.u00a0
TEA BREAK, ANYONE? Before the introduction of the tea interval (in test matches), players would take turns to leave the field for a few minutes, thus leaving the fielding side a man short, either for a cup of tea or perhaps something stronger.
I'M ON A CALL: Former Pakistan test player Parvez Mir was disciplined by the Carrow club in Norfolk in 1995 for interrupting his bowling in the middle of an over to take a call from his fianc ufffde on his mobile phone.
MATRON ON CALL: In the late 1880s, English women cricketers were forbidden to use their real names and were chaperoned by a matron wherever they went!
A DAMP WICKET: On August 1983, Oval groundsman Harry Brind spotted a man urinating on the wicket. The police were called and Robert Shedan was charged with causing criminal damage to the wicket. He was fined 10 Pounds and ordered to pay 10 Pounds to Surrey County Cricket Club, who had to relay the damaged area of the pitch.
STOP THIS GAME: The game was introduced to Samoa in 1884 and became so popularu00a0-- with matches lasting weeks on endu00a0-- that work was neglected and the King had to issue a proclamation to put a stop to his subjects' cricketing excesses. And finally, this quote by Barry Richards might be of special interestu00a0-- "The only time an Australian walks is when his car runs out of petrol."u00a0
No-Balls and Googlies, Geoff Tibballs, Rs 150, Scholastic India. Available at leading bookstores.
