Month: July 2019

By Siddhartha Vaidyanathan Of the 12 sixes Chris Gayle hit at the CAA Centre on Monday, during the course of his 54-ball 122, only two stayed within the arena. The ten others soared over the stands and disappeared from sight – threatening parked cars, bystanders, security personnel, and the food in the stalls outside. Balls vanished into trees and bushes, and the umpires needed to call for replacements. It will come for no surprise if, during Gayle’s next innings, ball boys are stationed outside the arena. If not, Gayle may…

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan on a cricketer like none other Among the several unknowables in the world of Shahid Afridi is one rock-solid certainty. Everyone knows when he played his first match. And everyone in Pakistan who is over 30 probably knows where they were, and what they were doing, when Afridi played his second match. October 2, 1996 may be a generation away but Cecil Pervez, who was in high school back in Pakistan then, remembers the gravity of the occasion.  “I don’t know if that game was televised in Pakistan…

TORONTO, July 26th 2019 – Global T20 Canada and Bombay Sports Company Ltd. are pleased to announce SickKids Foundation as the Official Charity of the League. Established in 1972, SickKids Foundation raises funds on behalf of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and is the largest charitable funder of child health research, learning and care in Canada. Philanthropy is a critical source of funding for SickKids – one of the worlds foremost paediatric health care institutions. Thanks to donors, in the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2018, Sick Kids…

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan on a Canadian cricketer who came to the party at Brampton A day before this year’s GT20 tournament, Geoff Lawson set Salman Nazar 14 to get in one over. This was in the indoor nets at Brampton Sports Centre. Lawson, the former Australian fast bowler, who is now the coach of the Toronto Nationals, was taking a short run-up and hurling the ball towards 28-year-old Salman, a left-arm spinner who works assiduously on his batting. Lawson seemed to be increasing the pace of his throws with every ball.…

By Siddhartha Vaidyanathan Sunil Narine treats the off-side like Chris Gayle treats running: it doesn’t really matter. As far as Narine is concerned a whole half of the ground can disappear. That vast arc from third man to long-off, maybe even the two sightscreens: it can all vanish from the face of the stadium. And it won’t make a difference to Narine. He belongs to the leg side. The blind-side, some call it, but there is nothing blind about how Narine sees the ball and slams it, over and over,…

Match review by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan The first match of GT20 Canada 2019 was, as you would expect, full of firsts. Defending champions Vancouver Knights began with an emphatic win. We’re here to tell you how: The first toss: Chris Gayle won it and burst out in laughter. He laughed so hard that he almost forgot to tell the Toronto Nationals captain Yuvraj Singh what he was about to do. He was about to start his interview with Mike Haysman when he turned around and said: “Oh, we’ll have a bowl.”…

The first game of #GT2019 is here. Defending champions @vancouverknights take on @torontonationals today at 12:30 PM What are you waiting for? Get your tickets now for all the live action. Link: http://www.gt20.ca/tickets/