Never mind the Chicken, here's the Ferret Trent Johnston has the
chicken-dance celebration, and fellow Australian Dave Langford-Smith
unveiled a unique one of his own after getting his two wickets. Apparently, the Ferret was pioneered at his wedding reception, and had been seen at Ocho Rios - a holiday resort in Jamaica - as well
after the victory against Pakistan. Even the laid-back Guyanese raised an
eyebrow or two when it was seen at Palm Court, a popular watering
hole in town.
Are you Pat Jennings in disguise? Langford-Smith's first Ferret
celebration was sparked off by a spectacular catch from Eoin Morgan at
cover. Back-pedalling frantically, he threw his hands over his head to
gather the ball just as Jennings, the Northern Ireland goalkeeping legend,
might have plucked out a cross from under the cross bar.
Watch what you write Press box C on the second floor of the Media
Centre End is a spillover area, intended to accommodate journalists
arriving at the last minute. With few left in Guyana to watch this game,
it was mercifully near-empty when Brendon McCullum launched a huge six off
Trent Johnston that smashed one of the glass panes. After such a hit, most
journalists will be wary of penning anything that offends him.
Not quite a century Jeremy Bray started the tournament with a
magnificent century against Zimbabwe on a Sabina Park pitch that had
plenty of bounce. On the sluggish pitch in Guyana, he had 1-0-0 of a less
welcome kind, following up ducks against England and South Africa with
just one in this game. Give the man some pace and bounce.
[All]Black beard Edward Teach, or Blackbeard, was the original
pirate of the Caribbean, a man with an immense beard that made him "look
like the devil". If they don't get hold of a razor soon, Daniel Vettori
and Craig McMillan might be accused of auditioning to play him in some
movie.
O Brother, where art thou? For 15.4 overs, it was going
swimmingly, with Niall and Kevin O'Brien adding 75 to keep Irish fans
dreaming of an improbable upset. Then, Niall set off for a crazy run,
Kevin backed up, Niall said no, and it was all over. Given that Kevin was
playing so fluently, a little sibling sacrifice might have been in order.
Fans in high places Despite three defeats, the one thing Ireland
never lacked in Guyana was support. Varshni Jagdeo, wife of the Guyanese
president, was in the front seats of the VIP stand, dressed in an
autographed Irish jersey, cheering on the team that many in the region
have adopted as their own.
Dileep Premachandran is associate editor of Cricinfo
