Ireland manages to lose at Lords

Not sure whether this is bad advertisement for Test Cricket or a good one at that ! ~ yet Ireland would rue their chances for ever !!

England who recently won the ODI Cricket World Cup 2019  are playing Ireland in a Test at Lords.  20 wickets fell on day one – Ireland too were all out for 207 but lead by 122 runs.  Barely a week since England enjoyed one of the most triumphant days in their international history, they were pulled down to earth by an Ireland side making their first Test appearance at Lord's. On the ground where England were crowned World Cup winners, applause quickly turned to gasps as Tim Murtagh claimed the quickest five-for - in terms of deliveries bowled - in the history of Test cricket on this ground.  England bowled out for 85.. .. .. 23.4 - Overs in which England were bowled out against Ireland.

England skittled out made all the news ~ but the champion side has made amends.. .. coming back strongly.

Indian cricket lovers would still remember that Test at Karachi in 2006 – and that sensational first over by Irfan Pathan exhibiting great swing bowling.  Pathan made Salman Butt struggle in his first 3 and off the 4^th got a leading edge to Rahul Dravid; then the dangerous Younis Khan was caught plumb in front – LBW in Pakistan ! ~ then Yousuf Youhana (Mohammad Yousuf) was bowled through the gate by a big inswinger.. .. India rocking – Irfan Pathan – a hatrick

At Lords – England were baffled – and some blamed the pitch too – Ireland having bowled out England for 85 and taking first innings lead too could not complete over the finish line.  Ireland had been set just 182 to win after Stuart Thompson struck with the first ball of the morning. But in gloomy conditions, Woakes and Broad bowled with great control and gained sharp movement to dismiss them for the lowest total in the history of Tests on this ground (the previous lowest was 42 made by India against England in 1974) and in the fewest number of deliveries (94).   It is the seventh lowest total in Test history and the lowest anywhere since South Africa were bowled out for 36 in Melbourne in 1932. Woakes finished with 6 for 17 - his Test-best figures - in completing the third five-for of his Test career; all three have come at Lord's.

While Ireland looked every inch the equal of England for much of this game, in the defining moments the extra experience and quality showed. Sensing Ireland's nervousness in gloomy conditions, Broad and Woakes seemed to raise their game in a manner they struggled to achieve in the first innings. Supported by some fine catching in the cordon, England will know the final margin of victory - and the fact that it was achieved in just seven sessions - does not fully reflect the competitive nature of the entire match.

The total of 38 by Ireland is the   seventh lowest in overall Test cricket history and lowest in the last 64 years. Eighth of the ten lowest totals in Tests have come against England. 94 Balls for which Ireland's innings lasted, is the joint second-shortest innings in Tests. The only shorter innings was 75 balls by South Africa at Edgbaston in 1924.

In Cricketing history only 4 times Teams have won   after making a first-innings score less than England's 85 in this Test. All the four instances occurred more than 100 years ago. The only other instance in the last 100 years of a team getting all out for less than 100 and winning a Test is Pakistan (99) against England at Dubai in 2012.

Chris Woakes had career best figures of 6/17 making it   the cheapest six-wicket haul in Tests at Lord's. Woakes has got 24 wickets in four Tests at Lord's at an average of 9.75. In the last Test at Lord's, he scored his maiden Test century, against India.  

If you still remember that Karachi Test of Feb 2006 –  despite Pathan hattrick,Pak managed 245 in their first; restricted India to 238 – made 599/7 decl and bowled India out for 265 – a big win by 341 runs in a match where there were 0/3 !!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

26^th July 2019.

Ship Registry, Flag of Convenience and more !

Flag perhaps would need no elaboration.  A flag – is a piece of fabric generally of rectangular design, used as a symbol, a signalling device or a decorative piece.  All political parties have distinctive flag and are known by the colour and the figure printed on it. It gets a different connotation when it symbolizes a country – that time lot of sentiment and National interests get attached to it.  It represents the country and needs to be reverred.  There are also maritime flags – those pieces used on ships, boats, and other water crafts.

Marine Insurance is as vast as the expanse of the sea – practitioners or anybody dealing with insurance of cargo whilst they are in transit from places, would sure have heard of the term ‘Flag of Convenience’.  In earlier days, when there was tariff, there were many extras charged – which included Overage, Under-tonnage, non-classification, non-approval and of these Overage again depended on whether the carrying vessel was flag of convenience.

The cargo ship Stena Impero, seized by Iran last week, was sailing under a British flag - but it was owned by a Swedish company and had no British nationals on board. This Red Ensign Group, which includes the United Kingdom, the Crown dependencies (the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey) and UK overseas territories (Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena and the Turks and Caicos Islands) is the ninth largest fleet in the world.   It's very common for ships to fly the flag of a country that differs from that of the owners. Just like Motor vehicles registered in Regional Transport Office, Ocean going ships are also registered.  Ship registration is the process by which a ship is documented and given nationality of the country that the ship has been documented to. The nationality allows a ship to travel internationally as it is proof of ownership of the vessel.  International law requires that every merchant ship be registered in a country, called its flag state.   The organization which actually registers the ship is known as its registry. A registry that is open only to ships of its own nation is known as a traditional or national registry. Registries that are open to foreign-owned ships are known as open registries, and some of these are classified as flags of convenience.

According to Maritime rules, every merchant ship must register with a country, known as a flagged state. Under the open-registry system, "flags of convenience" as they are sometimes known, can be flown by any vessel regardless of the nationality of the owners.  Other systems of flagging have tighter rules on who can own and operate these vessels.  Panama, the Marshall Islands and Liberia are the leading flag states.  An interesting article in BBC on Ship flags states that there  are about 1,300 vessels listed on the UK Ship Register.  The reason for choosing a particular register would  include regulations, taxes and the quality of the service provided.  Quoting a maritime expert, the article points to Greece - the world's leading ship-owner. Many of its vessels do not fly the Greek flag, a big factor being they would have to pay more tax.  The Panamanian ship registry contributes tens of millions of dollars to the country's economy. The system allows for the hiring of crew from anywhere in the world, which can lower costs.  This system of "flags of convenience" has been criticised because of the potential for looser regulation and even the flouting of international maritime rules. But shipping practices are generally seen as having improved significantly in the past three decades.  It is stated that the  owners tend to choose to register with a flag state based on reputation or because major shipping registries have a presence in every major port. Registering under a different flag makes it more difficult to hold ship-owners to account over wage disputes or working conditions, according to the International Transport Workers' Federation.

After signing up to a flag, the laws of that country are conferred on the vessel and each country is responsible for ships flying their flag. This includes ensuring that ships conform to relevant international standards - through survey and certification of ships, says the IMO. Flag countries sign up to international maritime treaties and are responsible for enforcing them, with rules set by the IMO in regards to the construction, design, equipment and manning of ships. Under the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea, flag states are required to take measures for ensuring safety at sea.

However, it not uncommon for a flag registry to be managed in a different country.  For example, Liberia, is administered by an American company with its headquarters in Washington DC. The land-locked Mongolia Registry is based in Singapore.  The Comoros Registry is based in Bulgaria. Far-flung Vanuatu has its base in New York. The unusual geography of the registry system can pose security challenges.  It's unrealistic for a flag state to provide security to all the vessels registered to it, says Mr Chapsos, even though vessels are essentially an extension of that state.

Flag of convenience [FOC]  is the business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. This term has been in vogue since 1950s and vessels with FOC are considered inferior. In 1968, Liberia grew to surpass the United Kingdom as the world's largest shipping register.

Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) is an internationally recognized, independent ship classification society, founded in India in 1975. It is a Non-Profit organisation, Public undertaking and a member of the 13 member International Association of Classification Societies(IACS). It was inducted into IACS along with Croatian Register of Shipping (CRS) and Polish Register of Shipping (PRS).  Now,  IRS acts on behalf of the Maritime Administration of the Indian government as the sole authority for final assignment of Load Lines in Indian flag vessels and also as the security organisation that determines compliance under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) code for Indian flag ships and port facilities.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

25^th July 2019.

Go bananas ~ the cost of the fruit !!

Robusta, Dwarf Cavendish, Rasthali, Poovan, Nendran, Karpooravalli, Monthan, Virupakshi, Sirumalai, Manoranjitham , Kathali ……. – simple – varieties of banana, that delicious fruit.   Then there is the ‘green banana’ – in one way green is unripe …having starchy texture and inedible – but green banana is a variety – generally big in size …… modern technology is supplying that yellow banana in green (confusing !) –  Banana, that delicious fruit is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa ~ interestingly, bananas do not grow from a seed but from a bulb or rizhome. 

Big burly fast bowlers require energy and they have health diets ! ~ an interesting story of Australian Quickie Peter Siddle who upon getting engaged to  Anna Weatherlake, turned Vegan. .. .. his staple diet became bananas !

Most of us relish food – sure you would have noticed that in luxury hotels, the food cost and the cost of beverages is surprisingly high .. .. but then we are used to dosa at Saravana bhavan being much costlier than other ordinary hotel !  - there was some fuss when  Rahul Bose who is currently shooting in Chandigarh and is staying at the JW Marriott, took to Twitter to share a video and wrote, “You have to see this to believe it.

Down under, competition for Ashes selection is heating up among Australia’s fast bowlers, with Jackson Bird, Peter Siddle and Michael Neser all making strong cases on day one of an intra-squad match. While Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson are all guaranteed to be picked in Australia’s squad for the five-Test series against England, the fifth-seamer’s spot remains firmly up for grabs.  With a charging run-up, powerful delivery, worrying bounce and elongated appeal, Peter Siddle was a reassuringly consistent presence in Australia's Test attack and is part of Australia's illustrious 200-Test wickets club.

I live on a plant-based diet now,” said Siddle. “My partner has been a vegetarian and vegan all her life. I have had a few niggles through my career and I have done a bit of research on different ways of approaching my game and that is the lifestyle I have worked out now. It is working. I am feeling fit and strong. It can vary anything between 15-20 bananas a day. Obviously it is a fruit-based diet and a lot of vegetables. It keeps my healthy, it keeps me strong and that is what is working at the moment.” 

Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner and Excise and Taxation Commissioner Mandip Singh Brar on Wednesday ordered a high-level investigation into an “illegal and exorbitant charge of GST” by Hotel JW Marriott on two fresh bananas, for which actor Rahul Bose was given a bill of Rs 442.50. On Sunday, Bose had posted a video on Twitter expressing shock at being charged Rs.442.50 for two bananas at the high-end hotel, located in Sector 35.

Attempts were made to contact JW Marriott officials, but to no avail. After calls to the communication manager went unanswered, their PR agency was asked for the hotel’s version, but they did not respond. The AETC has also been directed to inquire whether or not the hotel was depositing GST on other chargeable items with the excise and taxation department.

Ajay Jagga, who has authored two books on GST, told Newsline, “Fresh fruits and vegetables are not chargeable under GST. Offering two bananas in the garb of a fruit platter and charging exorbitant GST is also a matter to investigate under the Consumer Protection Act. If it would have been a proper fruit platter, even then they are authorised to charge only 5 per cent GST and not 18 per cent as was done in this case.”

n the 38-second video, Bose says, “So I am shooting in Chandigarh and I am staying at this beautiful suite at JW Marriott where they give you all these elegant freebies like these chocolate cookies…god knows how much these beautiful flowers must have cost…but get this…I was in the gym and I asked for two bananas…and check the bill out.” According to the bill shown in the video, the actor was charged for a ‘fruit platter’.  Till Wednesday night, Bose’s tweet had been retweeted 1,500 times and 1,200 users had replied to it.

‘Go bananas’ – is an idiom – which means – to become  irrational or crazy.

Interesting !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

25^th July 2019.

Tim Murtagh rips open England !!

                      Have never heard of - John James Ferris &   Charles Thomas Biass Turner  ~ remember following that test at Port of Spain in Mar 1994.  WI made 252 & 269 and England made 328 in first essay – yet lost that match chasing not so big total – skittled out for 46 ! .. a strong line-up on paper – captained by MA Atherton, Alec Stewart, Mark Ramprakash, Robin Smith, Greame Hick, Graham Thorpe, IDK Salisbury, RC Russel,  CC Lewis, Andy Caddick  &  Angus Fraser – skittled out by Curtly Ambrose 10-1-24-6 & Courtney Walsh 9.1-1-16-3  - will read more of Tim Murtagh ..

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom  is a sovereign country located off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands.  The United Kingdom is a unitary parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. The current monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 1952, making her the world's longest-serving current head of state.  The United Kingdom consists of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast, respectively. Apart from England, the countries have their own devolved governments, each with varying powers.

Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles.  Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

England who recently won the ODI Cricket World Cup 2019  are playing Ireland in a Test at Lords.  20 wickets fell on day one – Ireland too were all out for 207 but lead by 122 runs.  Barely a week since England enjoyed one of the most triumphant days in their international history, they were pulled down to earth by an Ireland side making their first Test appearance at Lord's. On the ground where England were crowned World Cup winners, applause quickly turned to gasps as Tim Murtagh claimed the quickest five-for - in terms of deliveries bowled - in the history of Test cricket on this ground.  England bowled out for 85.. .. .. 23.4 - Overs in which England were bowled out against Ireland. It is their shortest Test innings ever at home, about 21% shorter than the 30 overs they lasted against West Indies at Edgbaston in 1955. Overall, this is their fifth-shortest completed innings ever in Tests. The last time they lasted fewer overs was against New Zealand in Auckland last year, when they were bowled out in 20.4 overs. England's World Cup honeymoon was gatecrashed in sensational fashion at Lord's as Ireland skittled their hosts for a calamitous 85 all out on the first morning of the historic Specsavers Test. Just 10 days after their greatest achievement in one-day cricket, England were back at the scene of a triumph that has instantly entered sporting folklore but found themselves blown away by their first-time visitors.

The authors of their downfall were an unlikely bunch - 37-year-old seamer Tim Murtagh using all his nous and knowledge to take sensational five for 13, with the other five split between debutant Mark Adair and a man who once wore the Three Lions, Boyd Rankin.  Only three batsmen reached double figures in England's tale of woe, while the five World Cup winners on show mustered just seven runs between them.

Tim Murtagh is a bustling swing bowler with a marching run-up who late in a career that has stretched deep into his thirties has enjoyed the chance to play international cricket with Ireland. His pace is lively without being express but he has become a valued member of Middlesex's attack - and one of the most reliable new-ball bowlers on the county circuit. He can also be a destructive lower order hitter. Though now a stalwart at Lord's, he actually came through Surrey's age-group sides and was a member of the England Under-19 squad during the 1999 World Cup, subsequently touring Sri Lanka with a British Universities side in 2002. He battled his way into the Surrey side, and in 2005 took a competition-best 6 for 24 in a Twenty20 tie against Middlesex at Lord's.

Tim Murtagh has been plying his trade at Lord's for more than a decade, but it took him just 78 minutes on his first visit as a Test cricketer to achieve his most cherished ambition. At 12.18pm, he found the edge of Moeen Ali's bat to bag his fifth wicket of the morning in just his eighth over, to secure a coveted place on the dressing room honours boards.  And when England were all out for 85 on the stroke of lunch, it was Murtagh's honour to lead his Irish team-mates off the field, boasting the stunning figures of 5 for 13 in nine overs.  According to Cricinfo - Murtagh, who turns 38 next week, first played at Lord's in 2004 when he was on Surrey's books, but has been a regular here since 2007, racking up a first-class haul of 291 wickets at 23.98 until this morning's crowning glory.

England’s lowest ever came at Sydney way back in Jan 1887 !  ~ a timeless Test – England made 45 & 184 but beat Australia who made 119 & 97.  CTB Turner had figures of 18-11-15-6 & his bowling partner JJ Ferris had 17.3-7-27-4.  Charlie Turner was alter inducted into Australia Cricket Hall of Fame – playing between 1887 – 1895, 17 tests, all against England, Truner took 101 wickets at an average of 16.53 and was known as Terror.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

24^th July 2019