The Cricket Badgers

You must know Sachin Tendulkar. Well if you don't, he is one of the best cricketers to have played the game. However, he wasn't always the best.  Back when Sachin was growing up, there was a player who was earmarked for massive success . His name was Vinod Kambli. You may not know him but many people say that, in his prime, he was much better than Sachin. The reason why he is not well known is the topic that we are discussing today. Vinod Kambli (left) and Sachin Tendulkar (right) They were in fact best friends. During their school cricket days, they put up a 664 run partnership. Sachin put up 326 and Kambli contributed 338. They both spend their teenage years  tearing teams apart with their batting. They both went on to play professional cricket. They both got selected to play international cricket. Sachin's debut was 1989 and Kambli's was 1991. Sachin was 16 at the time and Kambli was 19. They had such similar levels of talent and such similar ca...

Cricket has a long and illustrious history. In this article we will explore the development of cricket over time, the first EVER international cricket match, and how sheep farming is connected to the birth of the game. The sport of cricket (as it is played now) has a known history beginning in the late 16th century. Having originated in south-east England, it became the country's national sport in the 18th century. International matches have been played since 1844 and Test cricket, the longest and oldest current form of the game, began in 1877. The game has developed into the 19th and 20th into the sport that is viewed and played all around the globe. Let's first take a look at the first ever international match. Surprisingly, the two countries involved were Canada and the USA. British influence had left its mark on both the countries (and Canada was still occupied by them at the time) and it does beg the question, how did cricket disappear from the Americas? But tha...

Coaches are vital in every player’s development. It is well known that if someone is coached by someone else who is experienced in said sport or skill, they will learn and improve much faster. It is the same as the education system. A highly qualified individual (let’s say a maths teacher who has a degree at university) uses their expertise to teach the students. However, cricket is not like maths. There are no right or wrong answers. Cricket is more like art. You must nurture a player’s creativity and let them have their own style and methods, rather than following everything from a textbook of the ‘correct’ ways of doing things.  If you want evidence that the coaching manual alone can’t make you a successful player, look at the international scene. There’s Australia’s best batsman, Steve Smith, who wafts his lightsabre threateningly towards the fielder at gully before every delivery. And if you looked back to the Stone Age, you would find Virender Sehwag, who batted as if h...