Tag Archives: cricket

TATA IPL 2024: I Had NO Idea It Had Started (Plus That It Was On The ‘Willow’ APP). I Am Psyched!

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by Anura Guruge
on March 27, 2024

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Click to ENLARGE. For ‘Willow‘.

I came to the ‘IPL‘ late — about 5-years ago. But, now I love, just love it. I think it is the MOST exciting cricket you can see. The BEST. Not sure how they manage it, but every match proves to be classic.

The IPL had NOT been available on the ‘Willow‘ APP (on ‘Roku‘) for the last few years. They did NOT have the U.S. streaming rights. That was a PAIN. Willow is my favorite way to watch cricket — &, as such, I have a rolling, full-time subscription.

This year the IPL is on the Willow APP. That is brilliant.

I, however, had lost sight as to when the IPL was starting. Went to Willow last night & BINGO they were already on Match #7. So some catching up to do. But, I am delighted.

Wow.

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U.S. Professional Cricket ‘Major League’ Makes A Very Poor Font Selection — Harms Credibility.

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by Anura Guruge
on February 16, 2024

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Click to ENLARGE. I got this in an e-mail this morning.
Click to ENLARGE. Link to the Website.

I get e-mails from them. So, I got the above this morning. I started to glance through the ‘New York’ list. ‘Rashid HHan‘? Ah! That is how I saw it … read it. The ‘K’ looked just like an ‘H’. I started looking through.

I HONESTLY thought they had screwed up BIG TIME & got the names wrong.

It was ONLY when I looked at the names, again, more carefully that I realized that it was FONT ISSUE.

Come on!

Really, really, really BAD FONT choice.

How could they NOT have spotted that. Wow!

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‘Pope Francis’, The New ‘Warrior Pope’, Excommunicates An Italian Priest For Calling Him An Antipope.

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by Anura Guruge
on January 3, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. Headlines from ‘Google News‘.

Wow. Wow. Wow. He claimed, 10 years ago, that he had a sense of humor. He has obviously misplaced that somewhere in the Vatican. He really has become a crotchety, vindictive, ol’ man — NO MERCY, no compassion. Warrior Pope.

But, we should get one thing right, as far as I can tell Francis is NO Antipope. Everything we know, & has been made public, indicates that the conclave that elected him played by the rules. BUT, as with any conclave, BY DEFINITION, we don’t know what happened behind the closed doors of the Sistine. We really don’t. But, if we assume that the voting was done, behind closed doors like it is supposed to have been done, then Francis is legit. Not an antipope.

I am CONFUSED, utterly, by the ‘usurper’ part. He didn’t have to usurp anyone or anything. There was NO antipope ahead of him.

Poor priest. No free speech. Wow.

He should not have been excommunicated. Just not cricket. But Francis never played cricket. Shame. He would be a much better person & pope if he had.

Hail Pope Francis the NEW ‘Warrior Pope’.

‘Willow TV’ No Longer Showing The Fall Of ALL WICKETS In Their Cricket Highlights.

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by Anura Guruge
on September 26, 2023

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This, i.e., NOT showing the fall of ALL the wickets in the HIGHLIGHT (reel), has been going on for a few months now. [Well, it is not exactly new, BUT it never used to be widespread.]

I was watching the EXCITING 1st ODI between ‘Australia & India’. They did NOT show the fall of MOST WICKETS. One or two I could understand. We are talking 6,7 or MORE. Totally ruined the FLOW of the game. One minute there is one pair batting & then with NO WARNING a totally different pair.

This is inexcusable.

Willow used to be SO GOOD. They knew their cricket.

Yes, I am going to complain. I did.

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The U.S. Now REALLY Has A Proper, Professional Cricket League, With 2 Grounds & TV Coverage.

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by Anura Guruge
on July 11, 2023

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Click to ENLARGE. Link to the Website.

Contrary to what many Americans know & realize cricket has been in the U.S. since at least the 1920 — when British actors coming to Hollywood set up cricket teams.

I played cricket in Boston in the 1990s. You could see weekend cricket games in D.C. around that ear too.

Now with all the Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans & those from the Caribbean living in the U.S., it was inevitable.

I have been falling the rise of ‘Major League Cricket‘, the U.S. professional league, since its formation a few years ago.

Yes, we have had a few T20 games in the last few years.

This year, starting in a couple of days, we will have a proper T20 League — a micro-version of the ‘IPL‘. There is even a team that has ripped off a IPL Team logo!

This is GREAT. NOT this year, but one of these days I will try to make it to North Carolina to watch a game live. I have not see a professional, LIVE cricket match since c. 1997.

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TATA IPL 2023: I Am Falling Way Behind Watching The Highlights, In Order, One-At-A-Time.

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by Anura Guruge
on May 1, 2023

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Click to ENLARGE.
Click to ENLARGE. Screenshots from my 60″ TV.
Click to ENLARGE. Full SCHEDULE for the 70 league matches. This will help you keep track. See below for downloadable PDF.

I am very disciplined & methodical when it comes to watching the IPL. I don’t skip around or just follow a few favorite teams. I watch the HIGHLIGHTS of EACH match in order in which they are played. I have the schedule printed out (ABOVE) & I go through it, systematically. This year (as you can see) I also put a tick against the team that won!

The ‘Willow TV‘ highlights this year, from what I can see can vary from ~40 mins. to just over 1 hour. So, in general, it takes me 2 days to watch a single game. Plus, I don’t watch cricket when I am away. So, I was always going to be a bit behind BUT now I realize I am way, way behind.

But, that is OK. I am in no rush. The matches will remain on Willow TV for at least another 3 months. I should be caught up by then.

Right now I am ONLY watching IPL cricket — forsaking all the other series! I LIKE THE IPL. Something about it. Higher class of cricket than average. It took me a LONG time to warm up to the IPL. I have only been watching it for about 5 years, if that. But, now I am hooked.

For simple, no frills schedule of the 1st 70 matches.
Click to download PDF.

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TATA IPL 2023: Streaming In The U.S. On ‘Willow’ On ‘Roku’ — What A Delight & RELIEF.

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by Anura Guruge
on March 31, 2023

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Click to ENLARGE. Screenshots from my 60″ TV.
Click to ENLARGE. Full SCHEDULE for the 70 league matches. This will help you keep track. See below for downloadable PDF.

I have BOTH ‘Willow‘ & ‘ESPN+‘ subscriptions for cricket (& just for cricket).

I only watch ESPN+ under duress IF there is some cricket that is ONLY available through them. I even check poor-quality ‘YouTube’ before I opt to watch cricket on ESPN+. They just don’t have a clue — though, of late, they grudgingly provide HIGHLIGHTS for matches involving ‘India‘ (& just India).

On the other hand, cricket is Willow’s main business. Though NOT perfect they do a decent job. You can enjoy watching cricket on Willow.

I wasn’t, at first, a fan of IPL. I only got hooked on it in the last 4 or 5 years. During that time I was forced to watch it on India’s ‘Hotstar’ & ESPN+. ‘Hotstar’ is the PITS. Outright crooks. I will never, ever, ever have anything to do with them. I would rather just watch what I can find on YouTube. As I have already said, ESPN+ is not great.

But, having the IPL on Willow is MAGIC. I am delighted. I am relieved.

I just hope they don’t let me down now that I have raved about how happy & relieved I am. That tends to be just my luck — the Reverse Midas Touch that I have been blessed with. SMILE.

For simple, no frills schedule of the 1st 70 matches.
Click to download PDF.

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Why Is South Africa, Long A Staunch Ally, Now Participating In Naval War Games With Russia & China?

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by Anura Guruge
on February 4, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. From ‘Google News’ (right) & from U.K. ‘Daily Mail’ (left).

This is NOT just crazy but stupid?

South Africa has been an ally of the West since the 1900s. They fought with US in both the World Wars. So, what are they now doing with Russia & China. This is NOT right.

South Africa, for heaven’s sake, is a CRICKET & RUGBY playing nation! They are not Commies — at least the last I knew.

This should not be happening.

They have to be brought back into the fold.

I am going to keep a keen eye on this. Not right. Not cricket.

Sri Lanka’s 75th Independence Day Celebration, With Much Military Pageantry, Not That Well Received By The Locals.

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by Anura Guruge
on February 4, 2023

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Click image for ‘Aljazeera’ coverage.

I am too far away & too divorced to see the supposed ‘dire economic crisis’. From what I see on ‘Facebook‘, cricket match coverage & occasionally here from the one Sri Lankan that I am in regular contact, things don’t look that bad. Life seems to be proceeding much as usual. But, I am willing to believe that there are some — maybe MANY — who are suffering. That is a shame. I wish we, in the West, would get MORE visibility of those in crisis, those in need, those in dire straits. All I see on Facebook is people living it up & enjoying the good life.

I had a quick look at the above YouTube. Looked like the usual, ex-British colony, Independence Day celebration. Yes, it could have been scaled down. That would have been appropriate. Would appear that it would have been appreciated by some too.

But, this is Sri Lanka — that has always loved marching to the beat on a different drummer.

‘Boxing Day’: Just Plain Crazy That The Americans Haven’t Caught On, Given That They Love ‘Black Friday’.

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by Anura Guruge
on December 26, 2022

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Today, the DAY AFTER Christmas, December 26th, is ‘Boxing Day‘. A major British holiday celebrated with gusto across the GREAT ‘British Commonwealth‘.

‘Canada’, a part of the Commonwealth, as such, still celebrates it.

Found it on ‘Facebook’ — via ‘Amherst Police’, NY.

I love, & always make a point of enjoying, BOXING DAY.

Happy Boxing Day to you. Enjoy. It is a wonderful day.

Amazingly, we don’t know for sure, as to the origins of this holiday or its name! So, I won’t bother going into that.

In Britain & some of the other Commonwealth countries it has become a HUGE discount shopping day — markdowns after Christmas.

So, it is like ‘Black Friday‘.

In Britain & the Commonwealth it is also a MAJOR SPORTING DAY. We have the ‘Boxing Day Test Match‘ (i.e., a 5-day cricket match between COUNTRIES) played in Australia. Given the time difference I managed to watch the start of it yesterday, i.e., Christmas.

Great Holiday. Makes Christmas into a 2-day feast.

Amazing that the Yanks haven’t cottoned onto this as yet. They will, they will.