Asia Cup diary: All eyes on sold-out Sunday

By K.R. Nayar

The ICC Academy is where all teams for the Asia Cup commencing from August 27 train. Many fans of various teams gathered to have a glimpse of their favourite players. Since no one is allowed inside the Academy, the only chance to spot cricketers is while they alight from their respective buses. Though the tournament commences with the Afghanistan-Sri Lanka match, the buzz around is about the India-Pakistan match. “Do you have a ticket for the India-Pakistan match,” is what most cricket fans want to know after all tickets for this match were sold out in a flash. So much so that when the Sri Lankan skipper Bhanuka Rajapakse addressed a press conference, questions were on the importance of India-Pakistan match. He politely replied his focus would be on his team. 

This story was published in The Telegraph, India 

Vision only, but invisible 

This time, even the media were allowed to watch Team India train only from a distance at the ICC Academy. Since photographers could watch the action and shoot only with their telephoto lens, a journalist was heard asking a photographer if he could watch who was training at the nets through his lens. Alerts from the organisers about the day’s activities stated that Team India will have a ‘vision only session’ and that no player will address the media. After watching Team India train from far, a journalist quipped that it had tested everyone’s vision.

Photographers shoot with their telephoto lens 

Mohammad Nabi is at home in the UAE

Mohammad Nabi, captain of the Afghanistan team for the Asia Cup, is at home in the UAE. He was playing for Bukhatir XI in the CBFS powered by Fancode T20 tournament at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium till a few months ago. Interestingly, Nabi played in that tournament for Bukhatir XI along with his son Mohammad Hassan. Bukathir XI captain Khalid Shah feels that Nabi has a shrewd cricketing brains and said: “During the course of this T20 tournament, I asked him about a field change and suggested removing the mid-on fielder. He told me not to do it for a few overs and rightly the batsman got caught at the same position. Nabi is someone who teaches you in every possible way. One can sense he puts his 100% in everything he does as a cricketer.”

Khalid Shah with Mohammad Nabi  

Black and White whiskey? 

Journalists attending the pre-training press conferences for the Asia Cup were curious about one of the sponsors of the tournament. Among the various sponsor logos seen in the press conference room was Black & White, which is a well-known whiskey brand. Since alcoholic drinks are banned from sponsoring sporting events, a journalist rushed for a close look at the Black & White logo. In small letters below Black & White was written: ‘Ginger Ale – Non Alcoholic carbonated beverage.’ It brought no cheers for the journalist!

Black & White that caught the attention 

Questions in languages other than English

Journalists asking questions in the language of the participating country is something common these days. During the Sri Lanka team press conference, a journalist had a lengthy question in Sinhalese for Sri Lankan skipper Bhanuka Rajapakse even before the mike reached him. Watching the organisers trying to quickly reach the mike to the Sri Lankan journalist, an Indian journalist remarked: “Since most of us will not understand a word of what he is asking even through the mike, the organisers should take it easy.”  Chris Silverwood, Head Coach of the Sri Lankan team, who is from England, and was seated next Rajapakse, too, like other journalists, had no clue of the conversation between Rajapakse and the Sri Lankan journalist. As the temperature hovered around 40, almost all teams train only after sunset from 6.30pm. In fact, Bangladesh and Afghanistan trained only from 9pm.