Wisden on Bangladesh

[fwullah]

Bangladesh

Lofty ambition: Since beating Pakistan in England four years ago, they have got progressively worse. The best-case scenario sees them upsetting one of the established powers. But a flutter isn’t recommended.

Cellar nightmare: Being hammered by the big boys might be painful, but it won’t even compare to defeat against Kenya, who are still without Test status – unlike Bangladesh who have done nothing to justify theirs.

Shine on, you crazy diamond: Alok Kapali Handy with his legspinners, Kapali is a fine middle-order batsman, capable of scoring at a fair clip against the best teams.

Duffer: The whole team are candidates unless they buck up really soon.

Encounters of the grudge kind: Kenya Cricket’s equivalent of a relegation dogfight, only Bangladesh have more to lose than Kenya.

Sleeper: Al-Shahriar Rokon His cavalier batting lit up a couple of their warm-up games recently. Can he take that form with him into the big matches?

=============================

I may not agree with Wisden in all the factors, but I do agree on one thing and that is:

Can he (Al Shahriar) take that form with him into the big matches?

[Sham]

Apparently our whole team are candidates for duffers. That hurts my pride but I can't help but laugh. I hope our team does buck up real soon and makes the arrogant bastard who wrote this look like a f*cking duffer. Come on guys, its personal now.

[Tehsin]

define

[Arnab]

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary:

Duffer \Duf"fer\, n.

2. A stupid, awkward, inefficient person.[Slang]

From Arnab's Revised and Unabashedly Scathing Dictionary:

Duffer \Duf"fer\, n.

1. Dileep Premachandran
2. People who think of the Bangladesh team like Dileep Premachandran.

[DOORBIN]

Arnab,

Would you please explain further ?

Who is Dileep Premachandran ?

[Piranha]

I used to have a bt of respect for this dileep guy. Now I want to kick him in the butt.

[Arnab]

Dileep is the guy who wrote that wisden article. I still have some faith in him, since he has almost the same feelings for his own country:

"Dileep Premachandran - Assistant editor of Wisden.com in India.

How far will India go?

No further than the Super Six, where they’ll finish either fifth or rock-bottom. "

[Sham]

Someone should teach Mr Premachandran the NASA motto - "This is the team. We're trying to go to the moon. If you can't put someone up, please don't put them down."

[Edited on 9-2-2003 by Sham]

[rafiq]

i don't agree with the part about bangladesh getting "progresssively worse" but his remaining comments are really not off the mark. ask yourselves, are they? plus he had positive things to say about kapali and rokon, and guess what, that's justified, too. so why get worked up? he writes with a little bit of cynicism, and he is equally unkind to india, who are playing like crap lately and that is what he wrote.

the sportwriters job is not the same as the die hard fan's (us) or the cheerleader's, am i wrong? looks like he has hurt our feelings, though, a price paid for writing bluntly.

[rafiq]

http://www.wisden.com/misc/free/page.asp?colid=44121071

fans here should read the full analysis of all teams, in the same format. so each team had a "duffer" eg

[Sham]

The point is, one can criticise without being condescending. But this is the man who thinks the duffer in the West Indies team is Brian Lara. I rest my case.

[Arnab]

Sham...true. But he also remembered to provide a leeway for himself about Lara:

"If he proves us wrong and bats like he did against South Africa in 1996, we won’t complain."

That's the sign of a good "diplomatic" writer.



[Edited on 10-2-2003 by Arnab]

[Orpheus]

Actually I agree with rafiq.... I don't know what you people expect from these sports writers? I am sorry to put it this way but it is a bit of unnecessary whining. Pride is one thing, whining is something else.

author: Sham
The point is, one can criticise without being condescending. But this is the man who thinks the duffer in the West Indies team is Brian Lara. I rest my case.

Well you just made Dileep look like a "duffer" but if you read the whole thing (I know you did) -he is not way off...

Duffer: Brian Lara He may still be among the world’s best batsmen, but his return could also disrupt the balance of a side that has done just dandy without him. If he proves us wrong and bats like he did against South Africa in 1996, we won’t complain. ///He had doubts!!

Encounters of the grudge kind: South Africa The last-ball defeat at the ICC Champions Trophy hurt and West Indies have waited five months for payback time. Expect the unexpected./// Not bad huh?

I think we all would agree on what he said about India. What the hell are those Indian fans thinking - Winning the World Cup .. HAHA. (But you never know right?)

Now the term Duffer..

author: Arnab
From Arnab's Revised and Unabashedly Scathing Dictionary:

Revised?? hehe. When is the next revision? I guess this is the only free of charge dictionary available world wide.

Jaihok:
Beside "incompetent", this term is used in golf. I remember it had something to do with golf, so I did a google search and this is what I came up with:

describes a hacker as simply a poor golfer. A golf hacker did not start playing young, does not have natural talent, and does not hit a lot of balls (the secrets of all top golfers). But what actually constitutes a 'golf hacker'? He or she is someone who goes out to the golf course to have a good time (admirable), but doesn't have a clue as to why he or she is such a poor player (not so admirable). Someone who occasionally has a great shot (and that keeps the hacker returning) but more often has poor shots: ....

....Often, the hacker doesn't even bother keeping score because the numbers are too high, or she fudges the numbers 'just a little' to come up with some score. Yet despite the poor play, the embarrassing shots, and general disregard for golf's basic rules, the hacker will often tell you that "it doesn't really matter. I had a good time, and that's what counts."

Hogwash. Lurking behind such rationalization is a frustrated golfer who really would like to play better, but just doesn't know how to start improving. Or, perhaps, he has an idea of what must be done but sees the effort as too great and "not worth it."

If you have three of more of the characteristics listed in the table, then (in my opinion) you could be considered a golf hacker. (The poor golfer is also sometimes called a duffer, but hacker is the term I prefer.)
http://www.lakesidepress.com/Golf/Preface.htm

I think if you put the above definition for duffer - Dileep writing is hillarious.

Sorry I made you read all these junk (if you read it) but think about the positive. You will never forget the meaning of duffer.

**looks like Arnab beat me to the post by a minutee**




[Edited on 10-2-2003 by Orpheus]

[Arnab]

I am assuming Duffer is a very common term used as a synonym for stupid in India. I have only watched a handful of hindi films in my life, but haven't missed one where the rich dad calls our poor nayok a "duffer." It's pretty commonplace in India.

[Edited on 10-2-2003 by Arnab]

[Sham]

India jodi world cup jite, Dhakai giye TV dekhai bondho kore dite hobe. In the unlikely event of that happening, boy am I glad I'll be here in the US for the first two months when they will go nuts. By the time I go back home for summer (late May), it might be slightly more bearable. I doubt it though, they are still freaking out over 1983!

[Orpheus]

"I doubt it though, they are still freaking out over 1983!"

HAHAHAH....

Halar jite India, Nache Bangalee - Ajab!!

[Sham]

No, I meant the Indians. You turn on your television sets in BD, and all you see are Indians. Indian songs, Indian programmes, Indian commercials .... Even bloody BBC is turning Indian. They have Hardtalk India, Top Gear India and Mastermind India. For Gods sake, I want to see Mercedes' on Top Gear, not bloody Maruti. This Christmas break, it was terrible watching TV, every commercial featured the Indian cricket team. If they win, its going to be terrible. We'll never hear the end of it.