Beyond the boundary

It can only happen in the BCCI. Almost three months after the elections, no one knows who heads Indian cricket. Ranbir Singh Mahendra was elected chief under dramatic circumstances but the fallout 8212; a slew of court cases 8212; was equally dramatic. The Board says Dalmiya is still president because the polls weren8217;t completed. The more things change8230;

HOCKEY8217;S HEAD-ROLLING

Weeks before the Athens Olympics, the IHF sacked Rajinder Singh and replaced him with Gerhard Rach. Six months later, Rach8217;s turbulent reign 8212; that saw several top players sidelined 8212; seems to have come to an end. Or perhaps not. Or does it really make a difference? Enigmatic as ever, KPS Gill holds all the aces 8212; or are they jokers?

CHUCK DE PHATTE

The long arm of the ICC got its hand on the wrong arm of errant bowlers. Conspiracy theorists insist that the target is Asians, with Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Muthiah Muralitharan, Abdur Razzaq and Harbhajan Singh all being reported. Next year, with across-the-board 15-degree tolerance levels, may give a clearer picture. Or maybe not.

THE FUN-DAMENTALS

MUJHSE ACTING KAROGE?

Only two things sell in India, cricket and Bollywood. So director David Dhawan simply wedded the two for his comedy Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. Joining Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra in various cameo roles were Irfan, Kaif, Bhajji, Srinath, Parthiv and Nehra. And a dash of Sidhuisms from the man himself. The film was a hit. Expect more in 2005.

LOVE GAME OVER

This was one doubles pair that had spanned several seasons. Indeed, Kim Clijsters and Lleyton Hewitt, the Second Couple of tennis, were due to wed next February; their on-court kisses were a shutterbug8217;s delight. But the end came sooner than expected, and in the subdued form of an announcement on Clijsters8217; website. The First Couple 8212; Graf 038; Agassi 8212; meanwhile were going strong8230;

SCORING AWAY FROM HOME

England8217;s top two football people, captain David Beckham and coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, were caught offside in the year8217;s biggest sex scandal. Eriksson shed his Swedish Cool in pursuit of the Fire Alarm, giving headline writers and photo editors a field day. Beckham, who couldn8217;t score much for Real, was the centre of several charges of straying from his position, with ex-aide Rebecca Loos and model Sarah Marbeck. He ended the year tearfully re-pledging his troth to Posh. Next time, it8217;ll be red.