Abhishek AB
@ABsay_ek • 20,736 subscribers
Cricket & Chaos | Stories, stats & the moments people forget | Turning the spotlight on the ones who stood behind it |
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For Today: 37 Years Old Courtney Walsh foxed Graham Thorpe with pure genius... A late hand switch, feather-light grip, and that easy, angled run-up; it all masked the venom... The ball danced off his fingers like magic. Vintage Walsh: subtle, deceptive, timeless...
Abhishek AB250,374 views • 10 months ago
15 years of Murali’s Grand Curtain Call in Tests: It takes rare conviction to walk into your final Test knowing you're 8 wickets short of 800, and still announce your farewell... In classic Murali fashion, he made an impact right away in the first innings with his 67th five-wicket haul, like it was just another routine day at the office... On the final day, as the wicket tally touched 799, the cricketing world waited in anticipation. However, Murali, ever the competitor, He even attempted a direct hit to run out Ojha, smiling when the ninth wicket fell that way. His fire to finish the job was still very much alive... And then came the perfect ending. Wicket number 800. An edge, safely pouched by his long-time teammate and friend, Mahela Jayawardene, for the 77th time... It couldn’t have been written better. A fairytale farewell for the man who spun magic every time he held the ball...
Abhishek AB176,522 views • 10 months ago
Remembering Colin Bland on his birth anniversary : The man who made fielding sexy before anyone cared Cricket was never kind to its third skill. Batting got the statues, bowling got the glory. Fielding was what you did while waiting for tea. Then arrived this mad Rhodesian who turned chasing leather into an act of obsession, Or maybe love. Canterbury, 1965. The pitch looked like a swimming pool & no play was possible. Colin Cowdrey walked across to the South African dressing room with a bizarre request. Could Bland entertain the freezing crowd? What followed was a magical act with deadly precision. Bland sprinted 15 times. 15 throws at the stumps. He hit 12. From cover, from mid-wicket, from square leg. The spectators forgot their numb fingers. When someone praised his accuracy against three stumps, Bland laughed loud. "They spoiled me," he said. "I practice with one." Every morning before play, locals watched him try to hit a solitary stick for 30 minutes. If he missed, it was treated as breaking news. Same tour at Lord's. Ken Barrington was batting beautifully on 91. He pushed to mid-wicket. Easy single, he thought. Bland ran like someone had set fire to his boots, picked up one-handed on the run & threw down the stumps. Barrington stood frozen in the middle of the pitch. Later he admitted something honest. "A batsman always knows where Bland is. He has to know, to live." Jim Parks suffered worse. Bland ran him out by throwing the ball through Parks's legs to hit the stumps. Through his actual legs. The Daily Mail called Bland the Bradman of fielding. They were not exaggerating. John Reid at Wanderers walked off clapping his own dismissal after a diving catch, Australian writer R.S. Whitington called it the Catch of the Century. Bland had made fielders into heroes. He averaged 49 with the bat. Better than many specialists who played twice as long. But we only talk about the knee. 1966, Johannesburg. He was just 28 years old. Chasing another hopeless ball, he collided with the picket fence & his career over. Just like that. Fielding never got its statues. It got Bland for a brief while & then it went back to waiting until another South African blonde flied in 1992 World Cup. But those who saw him remember something else. They remember that for a few years, the man in the covers mattered as much as the man with the bat. That the third skill could make you hold your breath.
Abhishek AB42,388 views • 2 months ago
For Today: Still can’t figure out how this Bumrah ball kicked up like that even after passing the stumps... He has delivered countless jaffas in his career, but this one remains my favourite; an unplayable, physics-defying reminder of why he is a once in a generation bowler...
Abhishek AB145,475 views • 9 months ago
Happy birthday to Saeed Anwar... As Shane Warne once said, he was the best opener he ever bowled to, remarking, "It's the style you remember, not the figures." Equally dominant in every condition, Anwar was my favorite opener(combined formats)of the '90s. Last year, I wrote thiy thread highlighting his incredible career & few snippets from it: His impact was truly ahead of its time. By the time he played his first 30 ODIs as an opener, the overall strike rate for all ODI openers was just 58 with an average of 31. Anwar, however, boasted a strike rate of 86.6 with an average of 40.4—back in 1993! The next best opener’s strike rate was only 71. In Tests, 37% of his runs came in away wins itself, with 6 centuries in 14 games and an average of 63—best among Asian batters of his era... His match-winning knocks include: - 176 in England - 169 in New Zealand - 118 in South Africa - 188* in India - 94 & 136 in Sri Lanka (same Test) - 61 & 119 at the Gabba (though Pakistan lost there) Pakistan won every single time when Anwar earned the Player of the Match award... A true legend! If Jayasuriya’s shots were like a sledgehammer, Anwar’s were like a fine paintbrush—delicate yet leaving a lasting impression... Watch the second shot in this clip which was played in year of 1990 at SCG...
Abhishek AB265,710 views • 1 year ago
On This Day: 22 Years ago; The Cleanest hitting of the Red Cherry happened at Christchurch Nathan Astle; came to bat at 119/3 & in next 4 hours he smashed 222 runs in just 168 balls with 28 Fours & 11 Sixes in 4th inning while chasing the Target of 550 Now allow me to give some insights about this already celebrated inning: After 81 overs,Score was 315/8 & Nasser Hussain took the new ball & 89 runs were smashed in next 6 overs, in which one over was wicket maiden! Astle scored 70 runs in 20 balls after new ball taken & went from 100 to 200 in just 39 balls... Chris Cairns was not supposed to bat as he was injured but as per Stephen Fleming; Astle was in such a mood that they just wanted to see what else he can do & Cairns came to bat at the score of 333/9 118 runs were added for the last wicket in...10.5 Overs! Hoggard who picked up 7 wickets in 1st inning got smashed for 41 runs in his 2 overs... Caddick who picked up 6 wickets in 2nd inning got even worse hammering as his 7 consecutive balls went for 38 runs(4 6 6 4 6 6 6) Third man, Extra Cover,Midwicket & Down the ground straight, every corner of the ground Astle just smashed it... England tried even negative tactics to stop Astle as out of 168 balls he faced, 38 were pitched outside leg;But he was unstoppable... During this onslaught;Astle hit the new ball onto the roof of the Stand No. 2 stand where it was lost... The ball that was taken in his place was again hit by him onto the roof of the Stand No. 1 & again got lost. As Nasser Hussain himself said: "When every ball was disappearing out of the ground & I'm at mid-off, they are looking at me as if to say, "Skip, what do we do here, this doesn't usually happen." Anyone who watched that innings will always remember the horror looks on the faces of Nasser Hussain & English players... New Zealand lost this game by 98 runs when Astle finally dismissed but the way Astle was batting that day; it was matter of just extra half an hour ... Just listen sound of the bat 🔥
Abhishek AB318,302 views • 2 years ago
*43 Years of Botham's Blazing Triumph at Headingley* After fielding for 155 overs & bowling 40 Overs yourself, taking 6 wickets yet seeing the opposition declare at 401/9, you walk in to bat with your team struggling at 87/5. You manage to score a 54-ball fifty, but your team still follows on... In the second innings, with the score at 135/7 & all the specialist batters out, your team is 92 runs short to avoid innings defeat... At this point, Bob Willis & other teammates felt this in the dressing room: "We'd given up all hope. We'd checked out of the hotel on Monday morning, thinking that the game might be over & our careers might be over." Determined, you decide to take charge. You blast an unbeaten 149 runs off just 148 balls, raising the score from 135/7 to 356 & giving your team a glimmer of hope... Australia still needs only 130 runs to win. You get the first breakthrough before Bob Willis, who almost missed this game due to fitness concerns, takes 8 wickets... Voila! England wins a Test from literally out of nowhere, defying the 500-1 odds! This remarkable feat marked the pinnacle of Ian Botham's dazzling Test career (First Half), achieved at the age of just 25...
Abhishek AB265,666 views • 1 year ago
When Immovable object met an Irresistible force... On This Day; In 1998 at Trent Bridge, during the fourth Test between England & South Africa, cricket fans witnessed an unforgettable duel that has since become the stuff of legends... England, trailing 1-0 in the series, faced a crucial moment on the fourth evening of the match... In Allan Donald's third over, he unleashed a ferocious delivery aimed straight at Mike Atherton's throat. Atherton, trying to fend off the ball, was struck on the hand, causing it to balloon into the air... Umpire Steve Dunne, however, did not declare him out... Donald, stunned & angry, warned Atherton: "You better be f****** ready for what's coming because there'll be nothing in your half." What followed was 40 minutes of some of the most intense cricket ever seen... Donald bowled with unmatched ferocity, hurling bouncers at both Nasser Hussain & Atherton, who valiantly stood their ground despite being repeatedly struck... The tension reached its zenith when Hussain edged a delivery from Donald, only for the catch to be dropped by Mark Boucher. Donald, unable to contain his frustration, screamed in disbelief... This dramatic encounter proved pivotal, as England went on to win this Test & a thrilling final Test at Headingley by 23 runs, clinching this series by 2-1(After beind down & out in the 1st two Tests) Despite the fierce competition on the field, a moment of camaraderie emerged afterward. Donald & Atherton shared a beer, laughing about the umpire's controversial decision... Donald remarked, "He knew he'd gloved it, and we had a laugh about the fallibility of umpires. He said, 'What would you have done?' and I said I wouldn't have walked either." In a gesture of sportsmanship, Atherton signed the glove he used during that fiery exchange & gave it to Donald, a memento of a remarkable battle & mutual respect between two cricketing greats... To this day, this Test series remains my most favorite Test series...
Abhishek AB234,552 views • 1 year ago
44 Years of Headingley Miracle: You’ve bowled 40 overs. Taken 6 wickets. Spent 155 overs under a harsh sky. Yet the scoreboard reads 401/9 declared… and now you’re needed with the bat. Your team? 87 for 5. You fight. A 54-ball fifty full of defiance, but the mountain only grows taller. The follow-on is enforced. England was sinking. Then comes Day 4. Score was 135 for 7. No top-order batters left. Still 92 runs behind just to make Australia bat again. Back in the dressing room, bags are packed. Bob Willis later said, “We had checked out of the hotel. We thought the game and our careers; were over.” But one man hadn’t left. Ian Botham stood there, not as a saviour, not as a star; just a cricketer refusing to give in. And what followed was madness wrapped in genius. 149* off 148 balls. Hooks, pulls, drives; he rewrote the rules of survival with every stroke. From 135/7 to 356 all out, dragging England back into a match long lost. Still, Australia needed just 130. Then fate handed the ball to him again. First breakthrough? His. The rest? A fired-up Bob Willis, summoned by destiny, claimed 8 wickets in a spell stitched from dreams... England won. From nowhere. From beyond. Against 500-1 odds. And somewhere in the ruins of that match, Ian Botham became more than a cricketer. He became a moment. A miracle. A myth. It was the crowning moment of a young Ian Botham’s Test career, just 25 years old and already scripting folklore...
Abhishek AB112,672 views • 10 months ago
Long Post: Happy Birthday Cameron Green The world almost never saw Cameron Green. But here he is, standing tall at 198 cm, both literally and in spirit... Before he could even take his first steps, life had already thrown him into a fight. Diagnosed with stage-two chronic kidney disease before birth, doctors once told his parents he might not live beyond the age of 12. Weekly hospital visits, constant ultrasounds, and strict dietary routines were as much a part of his childhood as his love for the game... While most players focus on tackling the opposition, Green often had to battle his own body; pushing through frequent cramps caused by his chronic kidney condition while still standing tall at the crease... And yet, the boy who was expected to remain small grew into a giant. Not just in height, but in heart, hunger, and humility... He never asked for special treatment. In fact, most around him didn’t even know about his condition. Not even Justin Langer, who had known him since he was 15. Green just kept showing up. Quietly, consistently, determinedly... From becoming the youngest player to take a five-wicket haul in the Sheffield Shield to rebuilding himself into a reliable middle-order batter after injuries, Cameron Green’s journey is one of resilience and evolution... Since 2021, while batting in the middle order, he has scored 1143 Test runs at average of 39.4. That average climbs to an impressive 46 in outside home Tests. Many seasoned specialist batters have struggled to maintain even a 35 average during this same period... His bowling average of 34 during this period might not grab headlines at first glance, but it's actually better than that of Mohammad Siraj and Ben Stokes over the same timeframe... He is averaging close to 40 with bat in ODIs as well, and his T20 strike rate is touching 150, which is hard to believe for someone who once stitched a 116-run partnership for the last wicket with Josh Hazlewood on a green top, and went on to produce one of the finest innings of recent times with a masterful 174*. This is the same cricketer who fearlessly counterattacked the spinners of Pakistan and Sri Lanka on his very first away tour, delivering back-to-back crucial innings in Lahore and Galle to help Australia win two consecutive Tests in Asia... With the ball, he returned a bowling average of 15.7 in his first Ashes series, along with an economy of 2.54, which was better than even Cummins, Hazlewood, and Starc in that series... And all this while batting at number 6, then number 4, and now preparing for yet another role in a new position. But as always, Cameron Green will adjust. He will rise. A man whose kidneys may filter less, but whose spirit filters nothing; absorbing every setback, and turning it into fuel... The world hasn't seen the full version of Cameron Green yet. What we've seen is only the trailer; the main feature is still to come. And when it does, cricket may just find itself witnessing a once in a generation phenomenon who was never meant to make it… but chose to write his own script anyway...
Abhishek AB117,085 views • 1 year ago
Happy Birthday, Graeme Swann! If I had to pick one cricketer who made the maximum impact in a short span, Swann would be right up there. From debuting in 2000 to vanishing into oblivion for eight years, his story seemed like one of lost potential; until he stormed back at 30 & owned world cricket with his mesmerizing action, sharp turn & supreme confidence... Between 2009 & 2013, no bowler picked up more Test wickets than him; 247 scalps in just 58 matches. His golden run perfectly aligned with England’s rise, playing a crucial role in two Ashes wins, including the historic 3-1 triumph in Australia & a rare series victory in India... But he wasn’t just a bowler; he was an entertainer. With 1,220 runs at No. 9 & below, with 24.4 average & 79.6 strike rate, he could wield the bat with surprising authority... In ODIs during this same period of five years, he picked up 86 wickets at economy of 4.5, while in T20Is, he claimed 46 wickets in 36 matches at economy of 6.33. He was also England’s highest wicket-taker in their T20 World Cup-winning campaign in 2010. A spinner who played like a rockstar, bowled like an artist, and celebrated like a fan. Cheers to one of England’s finest match-winners...
Abhishek AB130,600 views • 1 year ago
When you're growing up & just started your love affair with Cricket...One of the first thing you always wanted to do it to hold the ball, run like a Cheetah, bowl as fast as possible & hear the sound of the timber... There's always one special Hero for everyone in childhood who made you fall in love with the Fast Bowling... For Me; It's "The White Lightning" ⚡️Allan DONALD⚡️ Today's Thread is dedicated to him... Let's Start the spell...1/n
Abhishek AB206,423 views • 2 years ago
You won’t often witness a batter unfurl 4 different cover drives against 4 different bowlers in same match; including legends like Ambrose and Walsh, on one of the most treacherous batting surfaces... Andy Flower scored an unbeaten 113 in this game where no other batter from either side crossed 50; a rarity in itself... He batted alone for almost 50 overs on a pitch so difficult that the next two innings combined lasted just 122 overs... While Flower stood tall with 113*, West Indies 11 batters together scored 163 & 119 in their two innings, and the rest of Zimbabwe managed only 150 across both... Sadly, chasing just 99, Zimbabwe folded for 63, denying my GOAT a deserved iconic Test win...
Abhishek AB62,763 views • 10 months ago
They say cricket doesn't remember the almosts, the what-ifs. But it absolutely worships the one-offs, the singularities & 81 years young today, Rodney Redmond might be the most magnificent singularity of them all... One Test. A hundred in first innings. A half-century in second. An average that looks like a typing error. 81.50. Higher than almost anyone who ever played the game. And yet, that was it. Just one appearance. Why? Answer lies in a perfect storm of administrative myopia & terrible timing, served up on an Auckland afternoon in February 1973. Pakistan were touring & New Zealand's opening slot had become a revolving door. John Parker, the anointed one, had his thumb shattered in Wellington. Terry Jarvis got two pairs of chances, two pairs of failures. By the time the series reached Eden Park for its final act, Selectors decided to try the local guy. Redmond was 28, his domestic prime arguably fading, but his moment had finally, accidentally arrived... What followed was anything but forgettable: Batting first, Redmond reached his hundred in 110 balls, hair flowing, collar open like a man who'd just walked off a Beaches album cover, driving Intikhab Alam with a disdain that suggested he'd been doing this his whole life. Crowd stormed the ground. Literally carried him. You don't see that at Eden Park anymore; the pitch invasion, spontaneous lifting onto shoulders, raw unmediated joy... In the second dig, he added 56 more. Just to be sure. Just to remove all doubt. Selectors, of course, had already removed theirs. Parker would return for England. The decision was etched in stone before Redmond had even marked his guard. He boarded the plane for England knowing he'd be carrying drinks... He was right. Redmond played just two ODIs; forgettable, as ODIs were in 1973. There were other complications. His eyesight wasn’t great. Contact lenses irritated him. He went back to glasses. Stories grew over the years, exaggerated & simplified, as these things often are. The truth was less dramatic. He still scored runs in tour matches. He wasn’t blind. He just wasn’t the chosen one.... What actually happened was more human. His wife fell pregnant. He skipped 1973-74 season, played club cricket, stepped back. By the time he returned for Auckland, the national team had moved on, its memory as short as a sponsor's patience. He played until '76, but the phone never rang again... Which brings us to the other Redmond. Aaron. The son who grew up in Perth, who flipped from Canterbury leg-spinner to Otago grafter, who played 8 Tests for New Zealand himself. A second chance from the same bloodline... It's the perfect cricket story, really. Not about bitterness or what-ifs, but about the absurd, exquisite lottery of it all. 81 years of life distilled into 163 runs that will live forever, while entire careers have vanished without a trace. Numbers don't lie, but they don't tell the full truth either. The truth is that Rodney Redmond, CEO, father, man-who-learned-of-his-Test-debut-on-the-toilet-via-radio, understood something most athletes never do: that opportunity is not the same as justice & that sometimes, one perfect afternoon is all the immortality you get... Happy birthday, Rod. Cricket's most beautiful statistical impossibility.
Abhishek AB25,708 views • 5 months ago
An Open Letter to Aravinda de Silva on his 59th Birthday : As a lifelong fan, I’m at a loss for words when it comes to expressing just how much you’ve meant to the game & to all of us who grew up watching you... At just 5ft 3 ½ inches, you didn’t just play cricket; you redefined it. You weren’t merely an entertainer; you were an artist, painting a masterpiece with every shot. Your incredible footwork, sharp judgment & extraordinary eye for the ball made every delivery seem like another stroke of brilliance. You could read a bowler's intentions almost as soon as the ball left their hand; an ability that set you apart from the rest... I still remember how my father keep telling me in my childhood about those little yet iconic moments like when you played against India for the first time in Tests & in that game smashed 1st ball of the 4th inning for a Six to Kapil Dev or on your 20th birthday, when you took on the great Imran Khan & sent him for a towering six on the leg side to bring up your first Test hundred... That fearlessness was just a glimpse of what was to come as you & Sri Lankan cricket embarked on an incredible journey together, lifting a nation from its early struggles to the pinnacle of world cricket... In those early days, Sri Lanka may have been the underdogs; smiling, talented, but often on the losing side. Yet, you were always there, a quiet force, crafting your way to greatness with grace & determination... We remember you as "Mad Max" : a daring batsman with an insatiable hunger to dominate, lighting up every match with flashes of brilliance... For many, it’s easy to focus on raw numbers, but for us, it was never just about the stats. It was the magic you brought to the game, the joy you instilled in every fan... And then came that unforgettable 1996 World Cup: You didn’t just lead Sri Lanka to victory; you made history! In the final against my team: Australia, your all-round brilliance: three wickets with your cunning off-spin & a dazzling century: was nothing short of heroic... But it’s the semi-final at Eden Gardens that still stands out. Battling sickness, you walked in with Sri Lanka in trouble & silenced a 100,000-strong crowd with a batting masterclass by hitting 14 boundaries in just 47 deliveries... Calm, controlled & precise; you weren’t just attacking for survival; you were taking the game to the next level. That moment mesmerized me, a 5-year-old boy, and today, as a 33-year-old, it still resonates... For a few golden years, you stood alongside legends like Tendulkar & Lara, unstoppable between 1997 & 1999, scoring runs with breathtaking consistency. And even when the fire seemed to fade, you found a way to return, at 37, after shedding 12 kilos, showing us all flashes of the Aravinda we adored. Though it wasn’t the sustained brilliance of your prime, you remained a middle-order force, capable of single-handedly changing the course of any match... All Sri Lankan fans must remember the heartbreak of your run-out in the 2003 World Cup semi-final, knowing that your dismissal signaled the end of Sri Lanka's hopes. But even then, your importance to the team was undeniable; your presence alone lifted the spirits of every fan & player... You may not have had the consistency of a Sangakkara or the explosive hundreds of Sanath, but in those fleeting magical moments, you achieved heights that very few could. You brought a kind of magic to cricket that lives on in our hearts... Here’s to you, Aravinda; the legend, the magician, the soul of Sri Lankan cricket... Happy Birthday! Sharing this short clip where you smashed sixes for fun to likes of Akram, Lee, McGrath...
Abhishek AB67,879 views • 1 year ago
