BBC Four's Grand Prix: The Killer Years [2011]

Now that was an incredible programme. I learnt a lot about the early decades of Formula One racing and I never realised how little consideration was given to safety in those days. We've come a long way. A must-see!

(One thing I love about Twitter is doing a real-time search to get a sense of what other people think of a TV programme. With most programmes there are strong opinions either in favour or against it, with at least a handful of critical tweets. But with this documentary I've not found a single critical tweet about the programme itself, merely some dissatisfaction with the title. It really was moving, esp the final scene involving David Purley).

My tweets

• Sun, 12:24: RT @paul_tomkins: RT @alanmcevoy: RT? @paul_tomkins How Hillsborough was reported at the time. A collection of videos from 1989-1997 htt ...
• Sun, 13:07: Well if we can bat like this for five more sessions, we can deny the Poms the whitewash that they deserve. #EngvInd #GreatExpectations
• Sun, 13:47: I think Britain should remain in the EU & I'd never replace the HR Act, but the British people deserve a referendum on our EU membership.
• Sun, 13:53: RT @TheMediaTweets: Good Lord! Huffington Post fooled by anonymous Twitter account http://t.co/zTB4TKc
• Sun, 14:43: Accoring to TMS/Vic Marks, Dravid has batted longer than anybody else (by minutes) in Test cricket. #EngvInd #TheWall
• Sun, 15:32: 300, thank f*ck for that. First time we've crossed it since January (first in 7 Tests). Not good enough for any higher-ranked side. #EngvInd
• Sun, 15:35: Dammit Harsha. Get your stats right the first time around. Apparently we got 300+ at Bridgetown. #EngvInd #FalseFacts
• Sun, 15:44: Dravid's value to Indian cricket? Priceless. #EngvInd
• Sun, 15:46: Only Sehwag would play a shot like that off the first ball of a Test innings with a team following-on, 291 runs behind... #EngvInd
• Sun, 15:49: RT @ZaltzCricket: STAT ALERT: Dravid 448 runs, average 89, off 933 balls. Next highest in all categories for India, Dhoni: 217 runs; 36 ...

( Read more... )

Varun Aaron

"It's an individual thing, I guess. I don't know why they decided to give up on their pace. I love bowling fast, and it is my strength. I will never compromise on my pace. And it's a lot of fun to hit people on the head."

Varun Aaron says he won't compromise on pace.

This is the uncapped 21 year-old tearaway from the Indian state of Jharkhand (home to Dhoni as well) who will replace the injured Ishant Sharma for the ODIs. What's so special about him? Oh nothing much, aside from the fact he's the fastest recorded Indian bowler. Ever. During the 2009/10 Vijay Hazare Trophy he reportedly bowled a 153-kph delivery and regularly bowls above 140-kph. A succession of good performances capped by his ten wickets in three games during the recently-concluded Emerging Players Tournament in Australia has impressed the selectors enough to draft him into the one-day squad in England. Apparently Andy Roberts was his childhood hero and judging by his quote above, he seems to share an enthusiasm for chin music. Meanwhile, the replacement for the injured Virender Sehwag will be another uncapped player who did well in the Emerging Players Tournament. Mumbai's Ajinkya Rahane, who averages over 67 in first-class cricket, has just scored two centuries Down Under. The 23 year-old averages nearly 39 in List-A matches and seems a promising recruit.

Why did India get whitewashed?

(This post was inspired by a similar one about the riots from a couple weeks ago. Enjoy!)

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Poor preparation; England's bowling superiority; England's batting superiority; England's fielding superiority; England's coaching superiority; World Cup hangover; IPL hangover; Foreign tour syndrome; Bouncy pitches; Lateral movement; reverse swing; normal swing; chin music; fast bowling; slow bowling

The Lord's slope; English weather; Boredom; New ball; Old ball; Green pitches; Weight of expectations; Unrealistic expectations; Sunil Gavaskar's commentary; Michael Vaughan's tweets; Joey Barton's tweets; TMS; HotSpot; DRS; Back-to-back Tests; Back-to-back Tours

Anna Hazare; Full-capacity Test crowds; Arul Suppiah; Raina's misleading century against Somerset; Zak's injury; Harbhajan Singh; Charl Willoughby; Stuart Broad's hat-trick; Pietersen's double-century; Cook's double-century; Prior's stump commentary; Lack of fitness; SRT's 100th international century; Ishant's line and length; Sreesanth; Sehwag's hearing; Sehwag's shoulder; Sehwag's approach to batting;

Hostile Trent Bridge crowd; Bell-gate; On-field umpires; Off-field umpires; The Laws of the Game; Corruption in India; RP Singh; Mishra's no-balls; Impatience; Lack of application; Balls bouncing above knee height; bouncers; yorkers; length deliveries; off-breaks; the one that straightens; innocuous deliveries; Ian Bell; the BCCI; Overcommercialisation; Ian Botham; the Top ranking; the 2000th Test; the 100th Test

The England riots; Duncan Fletcher's humour; the media; the experts; player sponsorships; too much wealth; lack of patriotism; physical exhaustion; mental exhaustion; Ishant's haircut; Strauss's captaincy; Dhoni's captaincy; dropped catches; hands in pockets; bad luck; shit happens; somewhere in the world, a butterfly flapped its wings

Does that cover everything?