when Erasmus delivered a dead-ball !!

 

The 18^th match of ICC T20 WC was a damp-squid – why the minnows put India in after the winning the toss is inexplicable, so also the decision of not giving another over to Varun Chakravarthi !!  

A massive 93-run win despite India not being great in patches. The chase looked to threaten when Sttenkamp and Frylinck started well but then came Varun, wrecking the attacking attempts of Namibia. Once Erasmus fell to Axar, the game was effectively done. Bumrah bowled all four, after being brought on after the powerplay. Every bowler got a wicket at least. 

After Pak match, Tariq has been in the headlines because of his unconventional action. The off-spinner, who has a hypermobile (double-jointed) elbow that prevents him from fully straightening his arm, a trait once associated with Muttiah Muralitharan, has been taking wickets consistently in T20 cricket.  What makes him particularly dangerous is his diagonal run-up and exaggerated two-to-three-second pause at the crease, which completely disrupt a batter’s timing and rhythm.  It appeared as though, he runs in, stops – waits to decide on whether to bowl or not !!  

India posted 209 for 9— a powerful batting effort against Namibia in their T20 World Cup clash in Delhi, driven largely by  Ishan Kishan at the top  and a late push by Hardik Pandyua.  India stormed to 86 in the powerplay, racing away in the first six overs. Then came a lull. Between overs eight and 12, India managed just 20 runs from 30 deliveries. That was when Namibia’s spinners — captain Gerhard Erasmus and Bernard Scholtz — tightened the screws and dragged the contest back.

 

            India were cruising at 104 for 1 at the end of the seventh over. Ishan Kishan was in destructive mood, sending the Namibian seamers on a leather hunt and peppering the stands with clean strikes. Erasmus changed the tone immediately. With the first ball of his spell — a half-tracker delivered from around the wicket — he tempted Ishan into a miscued pull that was safely pouched at deep mid-wicket. 

Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus caught the eye with a stunning performance in the game against India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. On a high scoring pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Erasmus picked up figures of 4/20 in his four overs. The all-rounder however came under the scanner for his bowling tricks along with his round arm action, reminding us of Kedar Jadhav.    

Somehow his action made many say him - 'Usman Tariq of Namibia'  - his ' action has been a major talking point throughout the ICC t20 World Cup 2026. He bowls with a round arm angle, crouching and then bringing the ball in from a wide angle.  It was going lower and lower and .. .. and he was delivering at will from every possible place ! – couple of times not even reaching the non-striker stumps !!  

He came to bowl the 8^th over and with a length first ball delivered in a obtuse angle, made Ishan crouch and hit to Shikongo at deep mid-wicket.  He was bowling slingers which perhaps Indian batters were finding difficult to read, locate and hit !!

Funnily enough the last ball of the 8^th over – wide down the leg was called a Dead ball, not a wide !!  It appeared as though the delivery took place immediately after crossing the Umpire but much before the stumps .. Umpire Rod Tucker was not happy.  He had a tiny conversation with the bowler.  Many slingers were to follow and on another instance, of a very similar delivery, the same Umpire did not take any action.  He was bending lower and lower but keeping his arms up, sending them to a nagging length just outside off inviting drives through the cover.  He then with a super slower ball that kept very low, beat Axar Patel into submission. 

 

Bowling from behind the stumps is not illegal in t20Is and Erasmus did that to good effect later to dismiss Tilak Varma. He also dismissed Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel in a fine spell of spin bowling.  Figures of 4-0-20-4 would make any bowler happy especially against Team India. 

Cricket law 20 deals with ‘Dead ball’ – it is more of situations after delivery – settling in the hands of keeper, when boundary or sixer is scored; when batter is dismissed; when trapped between bat and person or clothing or equipment – whether  the ball is finally settled or not is a matter for the umpire alone to decide.  

It is the Umpire at the Bowler end who may call and signal Dead ball if it is necessary to inform the players. Further either Umpire may call and signal a dead ball – when there is unfair play, possibly serious to a player occurs, one or both bails falling before Striker plays the ball; striker not ready; striker distracted and the like and when the  bowler drops the ball accidentally before delivery.  

While there is more sub-sections to the Law, there does not appear any condition on from where the ball is to be delivered when the line is not crossed. 

May we would get to read more on this dead-ball incident.

 

Regards – S Sampathkumar
12.2.2026

 

India play Namibia today ....... some interesting Tidbits !!

 

How good is your memory ?  - do you remember that 25^th  Match of ICC ODI World Cup played at  Pietermaritzburg, on  Feb 23, 2003- India won by 181 runs ! 

The match will start in few hours now !  -  the Q is Who replaces Abhishek Sharma in India's XI, if he hasn't regained full fitness after being hospitalised for a stomach bug and then discharged on Wednesday? Sanju Samson is likely to be the first choice as the reserve specialist opener, but a left-field option could be the allrounder Washington Sundar, who resumed training with the Indian squad on Tuesday after recovering from a rib injury. 

India play Namibia at Kotla this night !!  Namibia,  is a stable parliamentary democracy in Southern Africa. Known as the "Land of the Brave," it is the second least densely populated country in the world. It is home to the world's oldest desert, the Namib, and the second-largest canyon, the Fish River Canyon. Namibia  borders the Atlantic Ocean, Angola, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa. Zimbabwe lies less than 200 metres (660 feet) away along the Zambezi river near Kazungula, Zambia. Namibia's capital and largest city is Windhoek. 

The Namib   is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and northwest South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba River in Angola, through Namibia and to the Olifants River in Western Cape, South Africa.  Annual precipitation ranges from 2 millimetres (0.079 in) in the aridest regions to 200 millimetres (7.9 in) at the escarpment, making the Namib the only true desert in southern Africa. 

Namibia became a German colony in 1884 under Otto von Bismarck to forestall perceived British encroachment and was known as German South West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika). The Palgrave Commission by the British governor in Cape Town determined that only the natural deep-water harbour of Walvis Bay was worth occupying and thus annexed it to the Cape province of British South Africa.  From 1904 to 1907, the Herero and the Nama took up arms against ruthless German settlers. In a calculated punitive action by the German settlers, government officials ordered the extinction of the natives in the OvaHerero and Nama genocide. In what has been called the "first genocide of the 20th century", the Germans systematically killed 10,000 Nama (half the population) and approximately 65,000 Herero (about 80% of the population). The survivors, when finally released from detention, were subjected to a policy of dispossession, deportation, forced labour, racial segregation, and discrimination in a system that in many ways foreshadowed the apartheid established by South Africa in 1948.  The German minister for development aid apologised for the Namibian genocide in 2004. However, the German government distanced itself from this apology.  Only in 2021 did the German government acknowledge the genocide and agree to pay €1.1 billion over 30 years in community aid.

 

Etosha National Park is a famous  park in northwestern Namibia and one of the largest national parks in Africa. It was proclaimed a game reserve in 1907 in Ordinance 88 by the Governor of German South West Africa, Friedrich von Lindequist. "The Ghosts of Etosha" are elephants at the Etosha National Park in Namibia. They were given the name because they are often covered in the white dust found in the reserve. [pic from X] 

Back on that day in 2003 at South Africa, India first piled up a mammoth score - 311/2 - and then used spin to tighten the screws on an inexperienced Namibian side, skittling them for 130 and winning easily by 181 runs. 

Namibia was introduced to cricket through its southern neighbour, South Africa, before and during World War I. And the game grew in the country during its time as a South African protectorate for over 70 years when the team (as South West Africa) played in South Africa's domestic system from the 1960s to the 1980s, and then again in the 2000s. More recently, Namibia gained some players from South Africa, including allrounder David Wiese, whose father was born in Namibia, and leading ODI wicket-taker Ruben Trumpelmann. Namibia gained global recognition after playing in the 2003 World Cup, but had to wait 16 years to regain ODI status.   

Namibia's challenge always lay in resources with a population of a little over 2.5 million and limited facilities. There are only five premier league clubs in Namibia, nine cricket fields and the national team play their fixtures at a club ground, Wanderers. At the 2021 T20 World Cup, they made it to the Super 12s, securing an automatic spot for the 2022 tournament in Australia, although they were unable to repeat that feat there. In February 2024, No. 5 batter Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton hit then-then fastest T20I century, off 33 balls, against Nepal. A year later,   Namibia beat South Africa in the first international between the neighbours. Fast bowler Ruben Trumplemann took 3 for 28 and left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz conceded only 16 runs in his four-over spell to clinch a low-scoring T20I thriller. A reliable middle-order batter and a handy offspinner, Gerhard Erasmus has been a key figure in Namibia's rise in the 2020s and now captains the team. 

The India Namibia match in WC 2003 was played at – Pietermaritzburg, the capital and second-largest city of the KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. Known as the "City of Choice" or the "City of Flowers," it is a major administrative, industrial, and educational hub situated about 80 kilometres inland from Durban.   Pietermaritzburg Railway Station is the main railway station was constructed in the 19th century, lying  between Durban (KwaZulu-Natal), Cape Town (Western Cape) and Johannesburg (Gauteng). 

 

Gandhi statue here – by  Vanbasten 23 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72400042. Historically, the station is famous as being the place where Mahatma Gandhi was thrown off a train for riding first class in 1893.

 

Interesting !
 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
12.2.2026

Mattress !! ~ மெத்தை வாங்கினேன் தூக்கத்தை வாங்கலை !?!?

 

When do you hit bed daily ~ how long and how well do you sleep !!    For sure a cosy bed gives a comfortable sleep,  while there are gifted some who can literally sleep on any floor !! 

Sleep is a vital biological process that plays a crucial role in maintaining physical and mental health. It allows the body to rest, repair, and restore itself, impacting various functions including memory, mood, and immune response.  

 

பூங்காற்று திரும்புமா;  என்பாட்டை விரும்புமா ?

பாராட்ட மடியில் வச்சு தாலாட்ட,  எனக்கொரு தாய் மடி கிடைக்குமா

 

முதல் மரியாதை 1985 ஆண்டு  வெளிவந்தது -  பாரதிராஜா இயக்கத்தில்  சிவாஜி கணேசன், ராதா, வடிவுக்கரசி, இரஞ்சனி மற்றும் பலர் நடித்து இருந்தனர். இசைஞானி இளையராஜா இசையில் பாடல் விரும்பி கேட்கப்பட்டன.  Not exactly a Movie review but a Photo post on mattresses and sleep !!

 

Malaichami is unhappily married to his cousin Ponnatha, a shrew who always shows him contempt. Though they live together, they do not share a husband-wife relationship. Years roll by. Malaichami, the village chief, is respected by one and all. Kuyil, a young woman, comes to the village with her father looking for work. They build a hut on the river bank and Kuyil works as a boatwoman with a coracle. Malaichami and Kuyil become good friends despite the wide gap in their age and socioeconomic status. Since Malaichami receives no emotional support or love at home, he enjoys Kuyil's company. 

Circle of Two is a 1981 Canadian drama film starring Richard Burton and Tatum O'Neal.  Its theme – of a 60-year-old artist, who has lost his inspiration when his muse left him 10 years previously, regains it when he falls in love with a sixteen-year-old reportedly was the knot for Muthal Mariyathai. 

 

என்ன சொல்லுவேன் என்னுள்ளம் தாங்கலை

மெத்தை வாங்கினேன் தூக்கத்தை வாங்கலை

இந்த வேதனை யாருக்குதான் இல்லை

உன்னை மீறவே ஊருக்குள் ஆளில்லை

எதோ என்பாட்டுக்கு நான் பாட்டு பாடி

சொல்லாத சோகத்தை சொன்னேனடி

 

One can buy a good mattress but cannot guarantee getting good sleep !!!  

சின்ன வயதில் வெறும் தரையில் படுத்தல் தவறு என  பாயில் படுக்க சொல்லுவார்கள்.   உங்களுக்கு பாய் விரித்து தரையில் படுத்து தூங்கிய அனுபவம் உண்டா !  அந்த காலங்களில், தனி பாயும், ஒரு தலைகாணியும், தலைக்கு மேலே ஓடும் மின்விசிறியும் கிடைக்கப்பெற்றவர்கள் பெரும் செல்வந்தர்கள்.  இயற்கை முறைகளில் தயாரிக்கப்படும் பாய்களில் படுத்து தூங்குவதால் நமக்கு ஏராளமான நன்மைகள்  உண்டு.  தென்னங்கீற்று, பனை ஓலை, தாழை மடல், நாணல் மற்றும் கோரைப்புற்களைக் கொண்டு பாய்கள் தயாரிக்கப்படுகின்றன. கம்பளி, பிரம்பு, ஈச்சம், பேரீச்சம், மூங்கில், இலவம் போன்றவற்றில் இருந்தும் பாய்கள் தயாரிக்கப்படுகின்றன.  

கோரைப்பாய் என்பது கோரைப் புற்களால் செய்யப்படும் ஒரு பாரம்பரியப் பாய், இது உடல் நலத்திற்கு நல்லது மற்றும் இயற்கையான குளுமையைத் தரும்.  கோரைப்புல்  கரும்பு போலத் தோற்றமளிக்கும், நீர்ப்பிடிப்புள்ள பகுதிகளில் வளரும், அறுவடை செய்து, இரண்டாகப் பிளந்து, உலர்த்தி, நெய்யப்பட்டு, உடல் சூட்டைக் குறைத்து குளிர்ச்சியாக இருக்கும்.   

It is claimed that the  different layers in a high-quality mattress all have their unique functions and have configurations accordingly. For the most part, the higher the foam density, the better your mattress is, in addition to other factors. Not every layer (like the comfort layer needs to be breathable and not dense) needs to be high-density, but most layers of your mattress do. They need to be soft, help you sleep (the most crucial part) and last longer with minimum care as per the mattress type. 

For those working, in Office and reading this now – it may not be right time but Sleeping instantaneously as one hits the bed is a gift !! (irrespective of the time). Every day sleep in time, sleep well, sleep for long hours !!

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
12.2.2026
 

high-arm bowling action !!

 

Watching ICC T20 WC 2026 – feel that there are only  few bowlers with High arm bowling action  -  where the bowler's arm remains nearly vertical—close to 12 o'clock position—at release, maximizing pace, bounce, and control. 

This action involves a straight arm path from shoulder to wrist, generating higher ball speed through physics like increased release radius (similar to a windmill effect). It promotes raw bounce and swing, as seen in bowlers like Mitchell Starc and Jofra Archer. The head stays aligned toward the target, with hips and shoulders rotating fully for power. 

While higher  arm position offers greater accuracy margin over slingy or round-arm styles, reducing error from shoulder misalignment, it demands strong shoulder drive and can risk injury if arm speed drills aren't balanced.  

 

Here is a Rose-ringed Parakeet in flight 

Regards – S Sampathkumar
12.2.2026