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 — a slew of court cases — was equally dramatic. The Board says Dalmiya is still president because the polls weren’t completed. The more things change…

HOCKEY’S HEAD-ROLLING

Weeks before the Athens Olympics, the IHF sacked Rajinder Singh and replaced him with Gerhard Rach. Six months later, Rach’s turbulent reign — that saw several top players sidelined — 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 — 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 shutterbug’s delight. But the end came sooner than expected, and in the subdued form of an announcement on Clijsters’ website. The First Couple — Graf & Agassi — meanwhile were going strong…

SCORING AWAY FROM HOME

England’s top two football people, captain David Beckham and coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, were caught offside in the year’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 couldn’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, it’ll be red.