In any other team in any other era, Gordon Greenidge would have been the top dog.  He just had the (mis) fortune to play in the same team with a certain Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards.

Starting off facing Lillee and Thommo, Greenidge finished on the cusp of 40 against a new generation of champion Aussie quicks.  After a long hiatus, the Twist is back to celebrate an iconic late career innings from this most destructive batsman, a true fan favourite.   

For us three 40+ yos a reminder that there is often life left in the old dog.

This week's scorecard:
4th Test, Bridgetown, Apr 20 - 24 1991, Australia tour of West Indies

And some video highlights:
Gordon Greenidge 226 versus Australia

In our special final episode for 2020, we bring back our favourite guest, Gaj, to discuss the best cricketers from this year's episodes.
 
We pick a Heroes and Villains XI from all the cricketers we have discussed in 2020.  It has been a tumultuous year with many twists and turns.  Through it all we have had a lot of fun and interesting discussions, perhaps none more than this one.  What do you think of our selections ?

Heroes XI:

Sunil Gavaskar
Richie Richardson
Viv Richards
Dean Jones
Dwayne Bravo
Brendon McCullum
Kapil Dev
Dougie Marillier
Merv Hughes
Ishant Sharma
Curtley Ambrose
Jonty Rhodes (12th man)

Umpire: Dickie Bird

Manager: Asha Bhosle

Villains XI:

Jack Hobbs
Virat Kohli
Ricky Ponting
Steve Waugh
Javed Miandad
Mike Gatting
Andy Flintoff
Ian Botham
Richard Hadlee
Brett Lee
Rodney Hogg
Eknath Solkar (12th man)

Umpire: Shakoor Rana

Manager:  Monica Lewinsky

No matches this week, But here is a link to confirm that Javed Miandad is related to Dawood Ibrahim by marriage

Shourov brings in a game from the 2006 Champions Trophy with standout performances from a number of the greats of Windies and Aussie cricket - and a rare game that had a successful musician and recording artist on each team! It's a great excuse to do something a little unconventional and  intersect our love of cricket with our love of music. The boys spend an enlightening session reviewing the most memorable cricketer-musicians in history, including some (uneven) performances from Brett Lee, Dwayne Bravo, Virat Kohli and more - before launching into a reminiscence of the songs that have formed a soundtrack to our own lives. Everything from Dire Straits to Bengali folk music to Tupac Shakur to Asha Bhosle has inspired us ... what are the songs that have formed the soundtrack to your cricketing life?

Brett Lee feat. Asha Bhosle - You're the One for Me
Curtly Ambrose and Richie Richardson on stage
Six and Out - Can't Bowl, Can't Throw
Dwayne Bravo - Beenie Man and Bravo
Virat Kohli's ad for pimple cream

Today's game - Australia vs West Indies, October 18th 2006, ICC Champions Trophy

March 6, 1971.  A revered day for Indian cricket fans. The debut of Sunil Manohar Gavaskar. 

A West Indian  team in transition  still has a star studded batting line-up and a usual bowling attack.   In opposition the fabled Indian spin trio, a colourful cast of journeymen and two young batting stars on the rise. 

A lot to like about this game, but Abhik has brought it in honour of one special man.  Eknath "Ekky" Solkar - enigmatic allrounder, unusual sledger, fast mover on the dance floor and perhaps the greatest short leg fielder ever. 

A carnival atmosphere, a famous victory and an unusual record leads to stories of special skills elsewhere in life.

Today's game:

2nd Test, Port of Spain, Mar 6-10 1971, India tour of West Indies 

Zimbabwe vs india at Faridabad in 2002 - a nondescript ODI that was the scene of something extraordinary - one of the cricket world's first scoop shots! Douglas Marillier came in at number ten and blew away the Indian bowlers with an inventive, astonishing innings, at the same time confounding them by playing a shot they had never seen before. Our special guest Arnav Datta takes us through this game and how it changed his views on cricket to see someone who did something truly different. We segue into an entertaining discussion about Arnav's own career as a Kuwaiti cricketer on the international stage, before exchanging notes on how we have "played the scoop" (metaphorically, at least) in our own lives.

Today's game - Zimbabwe vs India, Faridabad, March 7, 2002

... and Arnav's cricinfo page

Finally a game with no Australian or Indian connection. 

Or is there ?

This game features Sir Ian Botham and Sir Richard Hadlee, two players we loved to hate, and Dickie Bird, an umpire we loved to love.

Why do we hate some players and teams more than others.  Not just a phenomenon unique to sport, do our enemies define us more than our friends ? And do we need the other side to define our own existence ?

Today's game: 4th Test, Nottingham, Aug 25-29 1983, New Zealand tour of England

And a picture of the three protagonists

Abhik brings another game that is obscure to many but well known in the right circles.  Perhaps the greatest Ranji trophy final of them all. In May 1991, A star studded Bombay team looking to continue their dominance of Indian domestic cricket.  Standing in their way, Kapil Dev and an upstart Haryana team looking for their first bit of silverware. 

After a back and forth battle over 5 days, it comes down to one final last wicket partnership, as the two old stalwarts, Dilip Vengsarkar and Kapil Dev,  team-mates and protagonists over a generation, face off in the final stretch. 

But why did this game mean so much to these storied cricketers, who had already achieved so much in their lives ?  We discuss tradition, culture and passing the torch between generations in the context of perhaps the last time when domestic first class cricket really meant something. 

Today's Game: Ranji Trophy Final, Bombay vs Haryana, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, May 3-7 1991

And the story from Cricket Country

January 1984, at the height of the apartheid regime, a team of West Indian cricketers is in the middle of a "rebel" tour of South Africa.  Fringe players unable to break into one of the strongest test teams of all time take the opportunity to play international cricket and earn a tidy sum of money.  They play good cricket, break down barriers and receive almost universal adulation wherever they go.

However, when they return home, all hell breaks lose. They are banned for life, ostracised by society and many end up destitute.  But was what they did so bad ? And why was the reaction to this tour so much more visceral than those faced by English and Australian sides of the same era. 

A serious discussion with a surprising denouement, this episode has resonance with a number of modern thematics on race relations, cancel culture and political polarisation.

Today's game:
3rd 'Test' (D/N), Johannesburg, Jan 13-17 1984, West Indies XI tour of South Africa

The article:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/21298477/the-unforgiven

The book:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Unforgiven-Ashley-Gray/dp/1785315323

**BONUS episode with Special Guest**

Everyone loves a list, and most of all our special guest Gajanan Skandakumar ('Gaj'). Not only a handy left-handed batsman, Gaj is also a student of the game, and today he brings in his special "Impressionist" list of his most memorable cricket players (one from each Test-playing nation).

From the expected candidates such the great Viv to more obscure choices such as Kris Srikkanth, there is plenty of passion and argument in this episode - everything from cricket to political wrangling over the monarchy to a comparison to Monica Lewinsky. Many of these players aren't necessarily the best on paper - which leads us into a more philosophical discussion on the value of data itself. Do we rely too much on data to make decisions, and have we forgotten that there is more to life than what can be captured in the numbers? 

Join us in our special bonus length episode - and send us your own impressions via social media!

Perth 2008 - after the bitter acrimony of the "Monkey-gate" affair, two fired up teams face off on a unusually placid WACA track.  Australia brings one of the fastest bowling attacks ever assembled, but a lanky young fast bowler from Delhi turns heads by shaking up the legendary Ricky Ponting.

Shourov brings a classic game full of surprises, including a characteristically execrable spell from Shaun Tait and an uncharacteristic brain-fade from Rahul Dravid.  But Ishant Sharma vs Ponting is the real game within a game, leading to tales of other young firebrands from our lives.

Today's game: 3rd Test, India tour of Australia at Perth, Jan 16-19 2008