Friday, December 7, 2007

The Guess Who - An Auld Game

it would only be a marginal inaccuracy to refer to our man as a 'saucy or impudent girl'. except, this person happens to be rather more disciplined, almost as straight-laced as a victorian corset and plays in a manner that can hardly be described as saucy. even the nickname given to him by his team-mates is boringer than watching grass grow on a dead wicket. so much so, one of the two most conspicuous things about him is his name. the other of course is his first-class record before he got his break as an international player with an appetite for large constructions. no, he was not born in zimbabwe. and no, he does not flinch from genuine fast bowling. so that should straightaway eliminate many comparisons with other players who had illustrious, longer-than-usual domestic careers to go before their initiation into the big, bad world of test cricket. speaking of late bloomers, there's much about misbah that reminds us of this man - no, not misbah's comedic running between the wickets. rather, it's the quiet, systematic and calm way in which they both go about establishing their presence in the middle. (come to think of it, our conundrum for the day happens to be one of the finest runners between the wickets.) in other news: it took him 166 days of test cricket to beat andrew strauss' world record. actually, from just the looks of it, strauss and he share a fair bit in common. going forward, captain kumble and company would do well to spend a little time reading up on him. for they can be sure as his front and back foot play that he'll be eagerly awaiting their arrival shortly. though not quite in the same manner as we shall for the arrival of your non-existent answer in comments.

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