Quote of the Day: Andrew Strauss on England retaining Ashes....

Its a great day today for the English cricket,  Barmy Army and the English fans too... because England beat Australia by an innings and 157 runs in the forth test match played in Melbourne.. thus taking an unbeaten lead in the series 2-1 and retaining the "Ashes Cup".. the famous urn...

Hence, deservingly.. the Quote of the Day goes to Andrew Strauss.. on retaining the Ashes...

"Winning the Ashes in Australia has always been a bit of a Holy Grail for English sides," Strauss said. "We haven't won the Ashes yet, but we've retained the urn, which was one of our primary goals"

"Our objective was to come out here and win this series, and we haven't done that yet," Strauss said "It's very reassuring to know the Ashes is going to remain in England for another couple of years, but it would leave a very sour taste in our mouth if we weren't able to convert our position into a series win in Sydney."

Wishing the English team for their Ashes victory and wishing Strauss the very best for the final match to win the series too..

Funny Cricket Pictures: Bowden and Pitch Invasion by Bees!!!

We've seen quite a few pitch invasions done by over-enthusiastic fans and sometimes even dogs :P
But, have you ever heard of "Bees", yes you read it right.. a swarm of honey bees.... invading the pitch... making the players scurry for cover :)

Yes, it happened in the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi when India was playing against Australia.
Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden thanked their stars that day for not getting stung by the bees :P.. cos they were the ones batting when the bees attacked the ground... hehe..

Can't believe it.. check out the pictures then...

Billy Bowden and the Swarm of Bees.... The Story goes like this..... 

Umpire Billy Bowden unaware of the bees attack says.... "Come on guys... you can't sleep on the pitch.. I know the paratha's for lunch were good.. but we still have a cricket match to play... "

Suddenly, Bowden saw the swarm of bees and realized that he was at danger... and scurried for cover quickly saying... "Weee maaaa...... Now I understand that it was not the parathas but the bees which kept you down.. Sorry guys... I'll join you in the party"

Bowden still waiting for the bees to go.. feels that Ricky Ponting and Hayden have slept in the ground... so, he asks the bowler Anil Kumble.... "Jumbo, do you think that Ponting and Haydos would have slept waiting for the bees to go??"

Kumble quickly saw that Hayden was still surprisingly looking at the swarm of bees and replied to Bowden,
"Looking at Haydos, I don't think he would sleep even tonight after witnessing such an incident in the ground........ hehehee :P"

Bowden decides.. enough is enough... "Come on guys... lets all pray to the Queen Bee to call back her troops... so that we all can resume the game without being in danger... "

 

 

Atlast, sense prevailed.... and the bees having made the best of the time mid pitch decided that they got to go back to their routine.... Billy Bowden relieved resumed his umpiring duty and called for all the players to get back to their positions.... but beware Bowden!!!! Bees version 2 is on its way.... so, watch out :P

Anil Kumble retirement pictures...

The post about retirement of the world's highest wicket taker Muttiah Muralitharan prompted me to do another post on the Indian legend leg spinner Anil Kumble

Nick-named Jumbo, Anil Kumble's contribution to Indian cricket is one that many wouldn't forget.
Kumble, the third most successful bowler in test history with 619 wickets, announced his retirement at the end of the third test against Australia on November 2nd, 2008.

Anil Kumble in a press conference announcing his retirement from Test cricket

The then skipper - Anil Kumble announced his retirement after the third Test against Australia, quitting the game at his favourite Ferozshah Kotla ground.

Anil Kumble walking onto Feroz Shah Kotla ground for the final time in Test match for India

He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches. He still captains the Bangalore Royal Challengers in IPL

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the person who took the captaincy from Anil Kumble after the latter's retirement carries Kumble for the last honour lap

 Kumble was known to be a humble and intelligent person and was widely respected too.  He is married to Chetana and has three kids.

Anil Kumble with his wife Chetana and children waiting for the presentation ceremony to honour him

Anil Kumble waves at the crowd as he waits for the presentation ceremony with his wife Chetana and children on his last Test match

Anil Kumble is one of only two bowlers ever (the other being Jim Laker) to have taken all 10 wickets in a Test innings. Kumble achieved this against Pakistan in the second Test played in Delhi between 4 February and 8 February 1999. It was an amazing feat and one that I saw live in Television :)

Kumble being congratulated by Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain on his retirement

Kumble is also remembered for his tenacity in bowling even when injured, especially after an incident in a match against West Indies where, despite having his broken jaw being heavily taped, he came back to get the wicket of Brian Lara.

Anil Kumble carried for the last lap of honour by his Indian team mates

"It was a very tough decision, especially when you have performed for 18 years and been so competitive," Kumble said at the presentation ceremony on the final day of his test match career.

Anil Kumble - waving good bye to International cricket for the final time...

Muttiah Muralitharan Retires with 800 Wickets - Pictures

Sri Lankan cricketing legend Muttiah Muralitharan retired from test cricket playing his last testmatch at Galle in Srilanka against India from July 18-22. He was instrumental in Sri Lanka winning the match and retired on a high with 800 wickets.

He is the highest wicket taker in Tests with 800 wickets and in One Day Internationals with 515* wickets.
Often being criticised for his bowling action started when Darrell Hair called him a chucker during a test match against Aussies. After that he had tough times with cricketing greats like Dean Jones & Bishen Singh Bedi too criticising him. But Murali came back strongly and proved to everyone by taking tests that his bowling action is not illegal. No one can question him now and Murali now is regarded as the greatest spin bowler of all times (some say Shane Warne is the greatest, but no comparisons to him pls)
 

Muralitharan with his wife Madhimalar coming to the press conference prior to his final match to announce his retirement.  He is the leading wicket taker in both Test matches and ODI matches and said he didn't have anything more to achieve and wanted to leave the field on a high...

Muttiah Muralitharan walking onto the ground for the final test match againt India... getting a red carpet welcome...

Muttiah Muralitharan with his wife Madhimalar on the ground on his final test match for Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan cricketer Muralitharan's wife Madhimalar with their son Naren watching the awards ceremony as her husband Murali is being felicitated for his contributions to the Sri Lankan cricket.

Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse felicitating Muttiah Muralitharan's contribution to World Cricket and Sri Lankan cricket.

Indian cricketers honouring Murali when he walks onto the pitch to bat for Sri Lanka for the final time

Muralitharan elated after getting his 800th wicket when he dismissed Pragyan Ojha caught by Jayawardene

Muttiah Muralitharan being taken for a lap of honour by Sri Lankan captain Sangakkara and Prasad after winning his final test agains India in Galle

There ends an important era in the Test match history of Cricket  - The era of spin bowling domination by three spinning legends - Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble...

Exclusive pictures - Indian captain MS Dhoni weds childhood friend Sakshi....

The hottest news all over India now is regarding Dhoni's quick marriage to his childhood sweetheart Sakshi.

Indian cricket captain cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni married Kolkata girl Sakshi Singh Rawat on July 4 in a well-guarded resort in the foothills of the Himalayas in Dehradun.  They are the hottest new couple in India and media & fans are looking all over for any piece of information regarding his marriage and reception.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sakshi Singh Rawat - The Hottest New Couple in India

Dhoni, one of India's most successful captains, got married just three days before his 29th birthday. The marriage ceremony was held according to Kumaoni customs.

Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his childhood friend Sakshi Singh Rawat got married in Dehradun on 4th July 2010

The couple is expected to host a reception soon before the new couple Dhoni and Sakshi leave for New Zealand for their honeymoon.

Indian cricket captain cool Dhoni with Sakshi during their wedding ceremony

Bollywood star and Dhoni's friend John Abraham (who happens to be a biker fan like Dhoni) also attended his wedding (minus Bipasha Basu though who wished Dhoni via twitter)

Dhoni's good friend John Abraham attended Dhoni and Sakshi's marriage

His close friends and fellow cricketers RP Singh, Rohit Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina were all present at the wedding.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni with his friends at his wedding...RP Singh and Rohit Sharma too are present at his wedding...

Dhoni celebrated his 29th Birthday just 3 days after his marriage. He spent the time in Ranchi and took sometime out to reach out to his fans....

Dhoni and his newly wed wife Sakshi wave at the fans in Ranchi. Dhoni was celebrating his 29th Birthday

Dhoni and wife Sakshi Singh Rawat at the Kolkata airport couple of days after their marriage

Dhoni's wife, Sakshi did her schooling from the famous Welham Girls' School in Dehradun. She completed hotel management two months ago from Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Sakshi had been friends with Dhoni at DAV school in Ranchi. It is speculated that they had been dating each other for the last two years. Their fathers were colleagues in MECON.

Dhoni's wife Sakshi Singh Rawat's childhood pictures

Best wishes to Dhoni and Sakshi for their marriage and may the couple live happily everafter :)

Paraguay soccer team encouraged by Larissa's promise...

Early this week, Paraguay soccer fans got into the quarterfinals of the World Cup soccer held in South Africa. There was something more to cheer for the Paraguayans too.

Paraguay Soccer team for 2010 World Cup in South Africa

Its the news about Paraguay's famous lingerie model Larissa Riquelme running naked through the streets of Paraguay's capital Asuncion if Paraguay soccer team wins the World Cup in South Africa. Now, thats a big encouragement for the players of the Paraguay team Isn't it? ;)

Paraguay's biggest soccer fan model Larissa Riquelme

Larissa Riquelme is a famous Paraguayan model who has become Paraguay's biggest soccer fan supporting her team in the ongoing soccer world cup in South Africa.

Larissa supporting Paraguay soccer team in World Cup 2010 held in South Africa

The 24-year-old Larissa has been cheering for Paraguay watching the team's matches at a public screening in downtown Asuncion - Paraguay's capital city.

The 24-year-old Larissa is seen cheering for Paraguay watching the matches in downtown Asuncion

Pictures of the sexy model Larissa cheering for Paraguay with her cell phone in between her breasts have spread like wildfire around the internet.

Larissa promised to run naked in the streets  if Paraguay wins WC

Paraguayans celebrate with Larissa after their national soccer team qualified for the quarterfinals of 2010 World Cup in South Africa, in downtown Asuncion.

Fans celebrating with Larissa on Paraguay's quarterifinal progress in the World Cup

Larissa Riquelme blowing the Vuvuzela... celebrating with the fans on Paraguay's victory...

Larissa blowing Vuvuzela to cheer the fans

I hope now lots of fans all around the world would be cheering for Paraguay... in addition to the biggest Paraguayan soccer fan Larissa ;)

Larissa - from an unknown model to overnight Paraguay's biggest soccer fan & celebrity

Once a little known model Larissa became the talk of the internet because of these pictures and her promise to run naked in the streets of Paraguay painted in Paraguayan colors.
This is Larissa Riquelme for you if you are wondering how her lingerie modelling pictures would be...

Larissa during her lingerie modelling days

To top this news, Riquelme isn’t the first person to promise this streaking run if their team wins the World Cup. Surprise... surprise.... Argentina head coach Diego Maradona said he’d run through Buenos Aires nude if his team brings home the World Cup. heheee..

Diego Maradona says - I can do it too :)

That I bet wouldn't be a pretty sight for anyone :) I would rather support for Paraguay...

India vs Pakistan - Asia Cup winning moments...

As always, India vs Pakistan matches do live upto expectations... making the contest a pulsating one.... down to the last over...

This time at the Asia cup encounter, it was no less.. with Harbhajan Singh providing India with a well-deserved victory hitting a six of the penultimate ball...
There were a couple of tiffs in between too to add masala - one involving Gambhir and Kamran Akmal and the other with Bhaji and Shoaib Akhtar...

The winning moments captured in this video here... 
 

Here are a couple of winning moment pictures... Bhaji roaring like a lion after hitting the winning six...

Bhaji roaring after hitting the winning six against Pakistan

Bhaji celebrating India's victory over Pakistan

Its World Cup Soccer season babie!!!

This is the season of Soccer fans with the World Cup started in South Africa last week. The first week saw some special soccer action from the top football nations all around the world...

Being a soccer fan (am a huge fan of the Team Italy - The Azzuri's), I thought I should convert this cricket site to showcase some soccer action too.. Hope all cricket fans too would like this change too... :)

Here is a special World Cup 2010 Schedule for people who wants to follow it.

If you want to see what the teams are playing for.... here is the picture of the World Cup Trophy...

Watch out for more pictures and action from the World Cup in South Africa...

Note: The images and pictures I share in this site are from the internet and I'm just presenting some images which I like and I like sharing the same with everyone...