The Tattle

Comeback Cut Short

A part of the 1996 World Cup winning team,Vaas8217; glory days seemed long behind him. He had been out of the squad for two years before an injury to Angelo Matthews earned Vaas a recall straight to the final. A rather surprised looking Chaminda Vaas was the cynosure of all eyes at the Wankhede,almost on the verge of matching Muralis record of playing in three World Cup finals. But that8217;s where the left arm seamers luck ran out. Vaas was disqualified from contention for the XI after the Sri Lankan team management opted against him and drafted Suraj Randiv instead.

Atkinson8217;s fifty

While a Sachin Tendulkar century is the only thing on peoples minds,almost everybody seems to have ignored a crucial crucial half-century in the tournament. Andy Atkinson,the ICC pitch consultant,scored 51 runs pitches for the rest of us enabling batsmen to prosper more than ever. After easing doubts over pitches in Delhi,Chennai,Mumbai,Atkinson is satisfied with the job and is looking forward to going on a short vacation with his wife. Atkinson, now hopes that his work helps him nab a contract to prepare pitches in the Caribbean.

Ticket hunt

It is not only the aam aadmi who is desperate for tickets to the World Cup final. While Sri Lanka8217;s Muttiah Muralitharan was left looking for tickets for his in-laws, even Indian cricketers have been hunting for passes for the grand finale. So when Indian cricketers met Mumbai Cricket Association MCA,joint-secretary Lalchand Rajput,the first query was for the coveted entry to the Wankhede stadium. 8216;Sir where are the passes? India opener Gautam Gambhir couldn8217;t stop himself after the afternoon nets session as he told Rajput,to give his blessings later and hand over the passes first.

Towel scoop

For two days now,Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan has been draping a pair of towels a red one around his waist and another slung over his shoulders after practice while cooling down. Dilshan had acquired some cult following in India ever since his advertisement for a soft drink company hit the TV screens. The ad has actress Anjala Zaveri teaching the cricketer to pull on a saree pallu a move much like his trademark dil-scoop shot. If his post training dress code has anything to say about it,Dilshan seems to have taken a liking for the drape.