Gideon Haigh

“The risk is, as ever, that the hyperbole of IPL will simply smother the cricket; perhaps the members of the IPL's cheer…

— Gideon Haigh

A Writer says: read what I have written An historian says: listen to my lecture A critic says: listen to what I…

— Gideon Haigh

“One keeps looking out for innovation in IPL, but of late it hasn't been all that obvious. Lionel Richie as an opening…

— Gideon Haigh

“The assumption now is that the interests of the brand and of the game overlap to the degree that cricket need hardly…

— Gideon Haigh

“[I]f Modi is toast, it will in one sense be a tremendous pity. In his way, he represents a third generation in…

— Gideon Haigh

“Far from marking the end of nationalism, the IPL is the ultimate triumph of that principle: a global tournament in which the…

— Gideon Haigh

No cricketer is so dependent on the turf on which the game is played as the spinner; it can make, break, enfang…

— Gideon Haigh

“Sambit Bal may be right that this is a scandal the IPL needed. It certainly brings fans face-to-face with the tangled reality…

— Gideon Haigh

“Since inception, the IPL has worn its brand value like a corroboration of inner virtue. On the eve of this tournament, under…

— Gideon Haigh

“Tavaré played 30 Tests for England between 1980 and 1984, adding a final cap five years later. He filled for much of…

— Gideon Haigh

“Batting, for once, in his accustomed slot at No. 3, Tavaré took his usual session to get settled, but after lunch opened…

— Gideon Haigh

“The IPL, involving the socialist principle of a salary cap and the protectionist mechanism of quotas, is not perhaps the best example…

— Gideon Haigh

George Orwell famously described international sport as 'war minus the shooting'. But for all Orwell's greatness as a thinker, this was one…

— Gideon Haigh

“Since Modi's Mumbai sign-off, much commentary has been focused on the brand-dilution potential inherent in its scandals. MS Dhoni doesn't think we…

— Gideon Haigh

“As an ersatz opening batsman, Tavaré did not so much score runs as smuggle them out by stealth.”

— Gideon Haigh

“Some years ago I adjourned with a friend to a nearby schoolyard net for a recreational hit. On the way, we exchanged…

— Gideon Haigh

“Nearly 30 years since his only tour of Australia, mention of Tavaré still occasions winces and groans. Despite its continental lilt, his…

— Gideon Haigh

“[F]or all its reputation for conservatism, cricket in its history has demonstrated a remarkable capacity for innovation. What game has survived subjection…

— Gideon Haigh