Monthly Archives: March 2012

The Curse of Number One

Amid the endless rounds of bi- and tri-lateral tournaments that dominate the cricket calendar, there are really only two honors that the major cricket-playing nations covet. One is to win the quadrennial World Cup, which uses the one-day (50-over) form … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Cricket, England, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Test Cricket, West Indies | Leave a comment

Baseball and Jazz

According to the Boston Globe, pitcher Ben Henderson may be the first individual to have used the word jazz. An April 2, 1912, headline says so. Different dictionaries, such as Webster’s Third and The Compact Oxford English Dictionary, furnish alternate … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Right Off the Bat Book | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ascending Mount Vernon

With his six-wicket haul in the third Test match against New Zealand, South African bowler Vernon Philander has taken over fifty wickets in only seven Test matches: the quickest to that feat since—wait for it!—1893. Unlike his bowling partners in … Continue reading

Posted in Cricket, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Test Cricket | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Great Khan

We at Right Off the Bat have already turned our magisterial attentions to cricketers-turned-politicians here, but it’s worth dwelling on the phenomenon that is Imran Khan. Simply put, Khan was probably the greatest all-rounder of his generation. (His heyday was … Continue reading

Posted in Cricket, Pakistan | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Better Luck Next Time, U.S.

As the more discerning of our readers will know, the 2012 World Twenty20 cricket championship is due to take place in September in Sri Lanka. In addition to ten places allotted to the top teams (Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri … Continue reading

Posted in Cricket, T20 Cricket | Tagged | Leave a comment

Sachin Finally Does It

It wasn’t exactly a crunch game; nor was the opposition (Bangladesh) the fiercest; nor was the location (Mirpur) a locus classicus for cricket lovers. But no one will remember the place or opposition—or even the fact that India still managed … Continue reading

Posted in Bangladesh, Cricket, India, One-Day Cricket, Test Cricket | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Poor Mets Fans, Poor Sandy Koufax

Mets owners Wilpon and Katz ducked a 95-mph fastball. Based on a ruling today, the club would only have to cough up $162 million. Fans of the New York Mets are stuck with the present ownership for as far as … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Ode to John Keats, Cricketer

Today is 193 years since John Keats was struck and injured by a cricket ball. Although I (Evander) am no writer of odes—and being twenty-four hours past Saint Patrick’s Day—permit me to celebrate (poorly) the event via “County Limerick”: There … Continue reading

Posted in Cricket, Right Off the Bat Website | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Tale of Two Series

Two cricket series recently ended. A resurgent Pakistan took on top dogs England in three Test matches (in which Pakistan thrashed a hopeless England 3-0), four one-day internationals (in which England thrashed a hopeless Pakistan 4-0), and three Twenty20s (in … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Cricket, England, India, One-Day Cricket, Pakistan, Sri Lanka | Leave a comment

Farewell to The Wall

Rahul Dravid, for sixteen years the seemingly impregnable foundation of an extraordinarily talented Indian batting line up, has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 39. He hadn’t had a particularly successful recent tour of Australia. But … Continue reading

Posted in Cricket, India | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment