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Showing posts from March, 2024

Is April Fool’s Day a fool’s day?

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By K.R. Nayar April 1st is considered as April Fool’s Day, a day of pranks followed by laughter; in short, a day unlike any other, where many funny things happen. Many prepare for some fun the day before to make it special. A lot of importance used to be given to this day while at school, and if one did not create at least a small incident to fool someone, then we would get the feeling that the day was not honoured. Of late, many don’t really care about this ritual. Last year, a friend messaged me "Happy April Fool’s Day," as one would wish "Happy Valentine's Day" or "Happy New Year."  Involuntarily, I thanked him and wished him the same. After that, I began to wonder whether he wished me so because he knew that someone had made a fool of me, or was he wishing me because if anyone fools me, let it be a happy one? I have always wondered how businessmen accept cheques dated April 1. The guy who wrote the cheque could say that he did it just to fool...

Aryan Saxena: The consistent journey of a young UAE cricketer with dreams

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By K.R. Nayar "Success is a journey, not a destination. The act of doing holds more significance than the outcome." UAE’s emerging talent, 18-year-old Aryan Saxena, firmly embraces this principle. I first wrote about this passionate cricketer in February 2022 when he had achieved remarkable feats: a double century, an unbeaten 145, a swift 101 in 51 balls, a five-wicket haul, and two four-wicket spells, all in prestigious tournaments within a single year.   Aryan Saxena with one among the many trophies that he won for his performance  His consistent performance and ongoing progress gave me the opportunity to write about him once again.    He serves as an exemplar of continually raising the bar through his displays on the field. In the UAE Under 19 National Academy League, he emerged as the tournament's second-highest scorer, amassing 383 runs from six innings, including a notable knock of 130 and three half-centuries, earning him the Player of the Match title t...

A 25kg cricket book and Ashwin’s 100th Test match ball at Shyam Bhatia’s museum

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By K.R. Nayar Cricket never ceases to excite. Like life, cricket is a game of various uncertainties. If you thought that only cricket matches will surprise you, then you are in for a correction. A cricket book too can   literally stun you. And mind you, this impact is even before start reading it.    I experienced it at the Shyam Bhatia Cricket museum – a cricket book weighing 25kg. In fact, the total weight is 32kg, including the 7kg book case. This is the latest addition to the Shyam Bhatia cricket museum that is filled with not only cricket memorabilia but also takes you through the history of the game through its exhibits.   Shyam Bhatia with his latest addition to his museum - the 25kg book on 1983 World Cup  If that was not enough to get a cricket enthusiast thrilled, there was more. The cricket ball with which Ravichandran Ashwin played his 100th Test match during the Dharmasala Test match against England is also here. Bhatia had recently gone ...

Adrian Griffith, who batted on all five days of a Test match, appointed as the Chief Cricket Operations Officer of Legends League Cricket

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By K.R. Nayar Dubai: Former West Indies cricketer Adrian Griffith will assume the role of Chief Cricket Operations Officer for Legends League Cricket (LLC), as announced by Raman Raheja, the Co-Founder & CEO of LLC.  Griffith, currently a sports consultant with over 15 years of experience in various facets of international cricket, including match officiating, technology, event planning, and operations, has been selected for this position. Griffith holds the distinction of being only the sixth batsman in Test cricket history to have batted on each of the all five days of a match, achieved in 1999 against New Zealand in Hamilton. During that Test, Griffith scored an unbeaten 103 on the first day and ended his innings on the second day with a total of 114, contributing to West Indies' first innings score of 365.   On the third day, New Zealand batted briskly to score 393 runs and Griffith who opened the second innings remained unbeaten on zero. On the fourth day, two ses...

Jacqueline Fernandez hogs the limelight as ‘Bell’ rings for the World Championship of Legends at the Edgbaston Cricket ground

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By K.R. Nayar Dubai. At a colourful function held at the Taj Hotel in Dubai, Bollywood actress and model Jacqueline Fernandez signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with owners of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) on Saturday, March 2, 2024. Former England batsman Ian Bell literally rang the bell for this six-nation tournament while unveiling the England Champions jersey.   Jacqueline Fernandez with Praveen Kumar Sharma, Meteora Developers Founder and CEO, Harshit Tomar WCL Founder & CEO and Omar La Omour, Meteora Partner Jacqueline signed the MOU with Meteora Developers Founder and CEO Praveen Kumar Sharma and WCL Founder & CEO Harshit Tomar in the presence of Omar La Omour, Meteora Partner. Meteora Developers also officially announced its acquisition of the esteemed England Champions cricket team and Jacqueline will co-own England Champions team. Introducing the event, Tomar revealed that it was Sachin Tendulkar who enthused him to thin...