Cricket with an Accent Podcast

On this episode of the pod we look back at one of the true modern day greats - AB De Villiers. Helping host Saqib Ali do the honors are freelance cricket reporter from South Africa Dan Gallan and ABD superfan Prithvi. We needed an incredibly analytical fan and a cricket reporter for this episode to breakdown the highs and lows of the genius cricketer. 

De Villiers is a bit of an interesting study as well because his career shares the same timeline with other modern greats and he was also a mediocre captain unlike some of the greats. Prithvi and Dan also highlight the racial allegations on the man towards the end of this career.

Tune in and see how we remember this great talent.

https://ewn.co.za/2019/06/08/ab-de-villiers-the-one-that-got-away

Dan on twitter - https://twitter.com/danielgallan

Prithvi on twitter - https://twitter.com/puneite_/with_replies

The West Indies of the Clive Lloyd-Viv Richards era is arguably one of the greatest teams in all of sports. They did not lose a test series for a span of 15 years and won two cricket world cups among other laurels. In the 80's their most worthy adversary was Imran Khan led Pakistan side. The two sides clashed three times in a span of 6 years and produced three drawn series. In the latest episode of the podcast  I am joined by Pakistani cricket broadcaster Sohaib Alvi and podcast resident guest Vijay Arumugam.

Both guests fill this two hour long episode with great recall of historical sequence of the Pakistan West Indies rivalry. It is a great listen for all cricket fans to get the context of this clash of the titans. Key names covered are Clive Lloyd, Imran Khan, Viv Richards, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir and Desmond Haynes among others.

Sohaib on twitter -https://twitter.com/sohaibalvi

Vijay on twitter -https://twitter.com/VAAChandran

Saqib on twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba

Mohammad Azharuddin remains one of the most mystical figures in all of cricket. His rise and fall from grace have both been meteoric. How does one do justice in unpacking a simple career gone so complex in a podcast. Here's a very personalized attempt from all quarters with the panel consisting of senior cricket writer Sharda Ugra and super fan Vijay Arumugam. In a long free flowing chat we look back at Azhar the cricketer and the man and try to reflect our own recollections of how it all played out in public domain.

It's a must listen episode to revisit one of the games biggest fallen heroes. 

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the-inscrutable-craftsman-346898

https://muckrack.com/sharda-ugra/articles

Vijay on twitter - https://twitter.com/VAAChandran

Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba

Cricket with an accent website - https://cricketwithanaccent.podbean.com/

On this episode of the podcast host Saqib Ali is joined by podcast regular Aftab Khanna as the duo reminisce on favorite cricket books. The conversation paves a very candid path and terms like The Sportstar, Doordarshan and newspapers eventually lead the listener to the main topic of books. Both men share their evolutionary stories as young readers and how certain books help them evolve as cricket fans. 

The list is a combination of history of the game, its flawed superstars and some misunderstood figures. It is a fun and fast paced episode with lot of notes exchanging on the books and its heroes - Baloo, Imran, Larwood and Manjrekar!

Aftab Khanna on twitter -https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna

Saqib Ali on twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba

https://www.amazon.com/Corner-Foreign-Field-History-British/dp/0330491172/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?crid=EAL4PHHUD0SE&keywords=ram+guha+corner+of+a+foreign&qid=1677304528&sprefix=ram+guha+corner+of+a+foreign%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-1-fkmr1

https://www.amazon.com/Imran-Khan-Cricketer-Celebrity-Politician/dp/000731888X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10V6MPI907YPS&keywords=Imran+khan+christopher+sandford&qid=1677304587&sprefix=imran+khan+christopher+sandford%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Harold-Larwood/dp/B004GK1K1S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SOPC0AIXZO1F&keywords=Harold+Larwood+duncan+hamilton&qid=1677304615&sprefix=harold+larwood+duncan+hamilton%2Caps%2C64&sr=8-

1https://www.amazon.com/Imperfect-Sanjay-Manjrekar/dp/9352774515/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7Y9R72RTHB8D&keywords=imperfect+sanjay+manjrekar&qid=1677304656&sprefix=imperfect+sanjay+manjrekar%2Caps%2C63&sr=8-1

In the latest edition of the podcast host Saqib Ali is joined by podcast regulars Vijay Arumugam and Saahil Sharma to talk about the Border Gavaskar Trophy and its relevant talking points. Of course everything cannot be covered in one episode about this rivalry, hence the panel focused on their respective entry points and early memories.

The discussion also touched upon some of the favorite highlights and talking points like the rise of VVS Laxman, Final Frontier, the Tendulkar McGrath matchup and the infamous saga surrounding the Nagpur test of the 2004 series.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/cricket/2023/feb/06/given-a-chance-ill-again-prepare-the-same-wicket-2004-nagpur-test-curator-kishore-pradhan-2544945.html

https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/cricket/greentrackitis-when-hayden-gilchrist-accused-ganguly-harbhajan-of-missing-2004-nagpur-test-due-to-pitch-article-97695302

https://www.amazon.com/True-Colours-Life-Adam-Gilchrist/dp/1405038969

vijay on twitter - https://twitter.com/VAAChandran

Saahil on twitter -@faahil

Saqib on twitter -@saqiba

Rahul Dravid's tenure as Indian cricket coach has had mixed results so far. With the ODI world cup coming up in 2023 we decided to break silence on this podcast and take a comparative look at Dravid the coach vs his predecessor Ravi Shastri. 

Help me do the honors are podcast regulars Vijay Arumugam and Gurkirat Singh Gill. It's a rich conversation with lot of analysis and opinions. 

Vijay Arumugam on twitter - https://twitter.com/VAAChandran

Gurkirat Singh Gill on twitter - https://twitter.com/gurkiratsgill

Saqib Ali on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba

In this episode of the podcast we pay homage to the careers of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Pujara and Rahane may or may not play again for India but they both have been mainstays of the Indian team. It's only fitting we reflect on their respective tenures in the middle given how both men polarized the Indian fandom. Doing the honors are Aftab Khanna and Saahil Sharma as we look back these careers and more.

The second phase of this conversation is an extension to some of the main architects of Indian middle order. In a free flowing conversation three fans take stock of Dravid, Laxman, Azhar and Ganguly among other names. Get your choice of caffeine and get ready to tune in this exercise where some of your favorite middle order names get mentioned.

Aftab Khanna on twitter -https://twitter.com/aftabkhanna

Saahil Sharma on twitter -https://twitter.com/faahil

Saqib Ali on twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba

Duncan Hamilton is the podcast guest for this episode where he revisits his award winning book on English cricketer Harold Larwood. Hamilton who is a three time winner of the prestigious https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hill_Sports_Book_of_the_Year award has brought Larwood back to life through his maginicent account. Larwood remains one of the most tragic characters the game has ever seen given his relationship with MCC, English fans and the English cricket community suffered a great deal post the infamous Bodyline series.

Hamilton talks about why he chose to write about the man from Trent Bridge and how one of the most misunderstood stories in cricket history had to be retold with a fresh perspective. No conversation on Larwood would be complete without the following men - Douglas Jardine, Bill Voce, Arthur Carr and of course Don Bradman. In this episode we revisit some of the key events from the Larwood story which is stranger than most fiction works on sporting figures and helps the reader to fully understand the journey of the fast bowler.

We also talk about the paperback release of Hamilton's upcoming novel - Injury Time.

https://www.amazon.com/Harold-Larwood-Duncan-Hamilton-ebook/dp/B077Y6DCLD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10O8OL7EN7TDR&keywords=duncan+hamilton+larwood&qid=1648963867&sprefix=duncan+hamilton+larwood%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Injury-Time-Novel-Duncan-Hamilton/dp/1529408431/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1C8IG3FZ7L5AY&keywords=duncan+hamilton+injury+time&qid=1648963925&sprefix=duncan+hamilton+injury+time%2Caps%2C59&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/One-Long-Beautiful-Summer-Red-Ball-ebook/dp/B09L7XR9N9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=21PO3FC60F8HH&keywords=duncan+hamilton+cricket+books&qid=1648964279&sprefix=duncan+hamilton+cricket+books%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-3

In the latest episode of the podcast Aftab Khanna and Vijay Arumugam join Saqib Ali to look back at the impact and larger than life legacy of the late Shane Warne.

On the eve of Australia's upcoming tour to Pakistan Abhishek Chopra(https://twitter.com/El_Chopernos) joins the show this week to look back at the evolution of this test rivalry. Chopra is an avid reader - who shares his recollections of the early days of this contest dating back to the Aussies first visit to Pakistan in 1956. Context is king and Chopra provides a lot of it - be it the political importance of these tours to the matting wickets. This tour did set up the beginning of a new rivalry between two nations that have played their cricket with lot of similarities. 

Chopra unpacks some of the central figures of these contests from Fazal Mahmood to DK Lillee. The podcast is super rich in detail as it should be since we covered cricket spanning seventeen years.  The conversation comes full circle when Pakistan tours Australia for a full three test series in 1972-73 where aggression and sledging of the Aussie attack leave an everlasting taste in the visitors psyche. Dive into the pod to learn more.

Recommended reads by Chopra -