Sport Today

* Oh dear,

* You must be a newcomer to the net Apurva, or you wouldn't have done what
  you did - to shatter jna's "humorous" articles, by responding to them
  in a *serious* manner, is just plain cruel. On jna's behalf, I ask that
  you refrain from doing so in the near future. You'll see in a few weeks,
  what Iam talking about - it'll be usually either a reference to Kapil Dev
  being the most swept/"belted" bowler, or to the prices of watermelons in
  China - or even better yet, a combination of the two.[anything irrelevant
  to the actual discussion of *cricket*] - why if you're quick, you won't
  even have to see the header of the post, in a months time, to know that
  the poster is Jawad - such is his trademark, and so profound are the
  marks he's made on this newsgroup with his sense of humour [or lack of it]
  and degree of tactfulness.

<Cricket-related>  

* People like jna,find it very easy to ridicule Kapil Dev's achievements
  without actually pausing to consider just how much he has done for India.
  As you might have all seen, some time back there was a short comparison
  between Wasim Akram and Kapil Dev [at his peak?] - and interestingly
  enough, their bowling stats were incredibly similar - Wasim's 23 [average]
  to Kapil's 25. I was talking to someone a short while ago, and he mentioned
  that prior to 1983, Kapil Dev had been timed [and I don't know how accurate
  this is] at 90 mph - to put it into present day terms, the *fastest ball*
  that Allan Donald has ever bowled. Now to me,this clearly indicates
  something [especially when you consider how frequently present day fast
  bowlers are injured] - Kapil Dev knew the limitations of his body, and knew
  that he just couldn't go on for much longer [chronic knee problem a
  factor too] at such breakneck pace - thus he wisely chose to sacrifice
  speed, to ensure that his career was prolonged - an act, which benefitted
  *INDIA* in the long run. Consider,that even at the fag end of his career he
  was averaging < 30 the ball [not to mention 40+ with the bat] - not too
  shabby by any standards. And you tell me, how many Indian *middle order*
  batsmen have scored centuries in tied tests, or in 31/6 scenarios, as well
  as taken 200 test wickets[after 83/84] - I think you'll find that there
  aren't that many.

<Don't even *think* about it Balky :-)>

  Personally, as much as I would like to see the waqars and wasim's of
  this world play for another 10 years and take 600 test wickets, I
  do feel that they [and other fast bowlers who are constantly breaking down]
  should seriously consider the "Kapil Dev" option - after all, as
  Michael Atherton will tell you, in the end, the country comes before the
  individual.

Cheeka.

j n a

   [.......]

JA> Touched a raw nerve, did I? :)

* Here we go again....with that *devastating* sense of *humour* :-)

JA> You may be absolutely right.  My only disagreement is that while the
JA> W&W's and Imran *should* have considered lowering their bowling to
JA> the level of Kapil, I dont think Kaipl ever had the option of raising
JA> his bowling to the level of those three.  That's just my opinion,
JA> others may feel differently.

JA> Now dont forget that *you* turned this into a comparison of Akram vs.
JA> Kapil...[...]

* Ok. First things first - by comparing Kapil Dev to Wasim Akram, was I
  in no way even trying to *suggest* that the former was as good as the
  latter (at any stage of his career, whatsoever) - the statistics came
  up, because they merely served to illustrate just how good he was prior
  to 1983/84 [a fact, which some people don't quite give him credit for].
  The same argument applies to the comparison with Allan Donald [in terms
  of pace].

  And anyway, I don't even think that the comparison between Akram (let
  alone Younis) and Kapil is a valid one because quite simply, [as much as
  some people seem to think otherwise]  one is an *all-rounder*, and one
  is well just a fast-bowler [no prizes for guessing who's who].  

JA> we were just talking about fast bowlers being
JA> swept, and Kapil's name came up more than that of anyone else.  That's
JA> all.

* I see. *Your* coming up with the "most swept bowler" theory constitutes
  "his name coming up more than that of anyone else" does it ? Ok then,
  consider this statement [and assume it was made on rsc].

  "Is Wasim Akram the most pathetic excuse for an all-rounder ever" ?  

   Now tell me - would *your* reply [to the above] have been all that  
   different ?

Cheeka.

P.S: Smileys excluded, you (or anyone else for that matter) may not
     think of Kapil Dev as the greatest bowler ever [between you and
     me, I don't think too much of Akram's batting abilities either].
     But coming up with absurd "swept/belted bowler" statements, and
     then expecting people not to compliment your sense of humor
     is asking for a bit much don't you think ?

j n a