Saturday 10 May 2008

Of liver cancer, stupid cupid and Knight Riders


Sourav Ganguly can’t be faulted if he looks a sulking misanthrope. And as if the Kolkata Knight Riders didn’t have problem enough.

Already depleted by the exit of Ricky Ponting (so what if he forgot to put bat to ball) and Brendon McCullum (so what if he sizzled only to fizzle subsequently), Shahrukh Khan and Ganguly hurriedly roped in Brad Hodge for his well-documented Twenty20 prowess. But call it quirk of fate, the hitherto-out-of-favour Hodge also gets an SOS to forget IPL and join the Australian squad in West Indies as shadow for a cupid-struck Michael Clarke.

Reports say though Clarke’s father is fighting Hodgkin's disease, it’s the condition of his fiancée Lara Bingle’s father, who is battling a liver cancer, that prompted the Australian vice captain to stay back. Well, while that may fetch Clarke a nomination for the inaugural ICC Lover of the Year 2008 award, I doubt it does not win him a friend in Ganguly.

Tourism Australia had Lara as its face till the slew of scandals forced them to replace her with Croc-Hunter Steve Irwin’s daughter Bindi. Lara featured in the 2006 campaign “So where the bloody hell are you?”

Ganguly was last seen wielding his bat and searching for the stupid cupid, mouthing the line he borrowed from the campaign.

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6 comments:

straight point said...

SOM, thats why they say love is blind...

it also goes to show how much value he gives to the vice captaincy of world champion team leave alone playing in it...

as for ganguly, i dont know whether he will be happy that its hodge who is going not david hussey?

Q said...

Its good i guess that Hodge is going - despite being the highest run scored in all 20-20 cricket, he hardly scored a run for KKR, like Ponting before him.

Bless Clarke then from KKR's point of view.

I guess Salman Butt will get a chance now. Hopefully he will score some.

Anonymous said...

SP, definitely Ganguly would be relieved that it's Hodge and not Hussey. But still, HOdge has an impressing track record behind him and one on earth expected him to get a call from Andrew Hilditch & Co. Poor Ganguly.

Anonymous said...

Q, I would give the devil his due. Just flying him in and expecting runs to flow frmo his blade is being a little harsh on Hodge. But yes, Butt should grab the chance with both hands, provided he get a look-in. Akash Chopra ploy won't work, that's for sure.

Admin said...

Som, we just added your blog to the 50+ list at Cricket Buzz (www.cricketbuzz.org). Sorry for the miss earlier.

Som said...

Sagar, Thanx