Afghan makes NW8

Afghan cricketer Hamid Hassan, who spent time last summer with the MCC Young Cricketers, has been selected to play at Lord's for the first time tomorrow. He has been named in an MCC team to play a 50-overs game against a Europe XI.

Hamid was first spotted by the MCC when he represented his country in the inaugural MCC v Afghanistan match in Bombay in March last year. The MCC, captained by Mike Gatting were soundly beaten by 179 runs.

The Nutley was present that day in Bombay. I don't think I have seen a ball being sprayed around the ground quite as much as that game: into the pavilion, onto Marine Drive, straight down the ground into a disused building site and, too finish all four sides off, onto a railway track. If memory serves me right, Gatt was out first ball, too.

Cricket's popularity in Afghanistan gained impetus after many of the refugees, who had fled the country in the early 1980s after the Soviet invasion, began to return from Pakistan, where they witnessed the game and started to play. In the last decade the membership of the Afghanistan Cricket Federation has grown from 500 to 12,000 members, according to Prospect magazine.

And then there was one

India's new reality show, Cricket Star, kicked off this week at its HQ in Bombay.

The show's premise is to find one lucky contestant (from the final 22) who will win a professional contract with Leicestershire CC.

Read the Simon Hughes piece from the Telegraph, which includes this TV money shot:

"The eviction, involving Manjrekar stepping forward to remove the Cricket Star
badge from the doomed player's breast pocket, before he is cast out through the
studio door, may sound brutal but it does make great TV."

Top 10 Indian moments

1. The fact it takes Farokh Engineer - who scored his first and last centuries at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) - one hour for the drinks he's ordered to arrive. He must have hinted to the waiter ten times, and when they finally do arrive, Freddie Flintoff moans, saying the glasses are dirty. The table erupts.

2. The "Kevin Pietersen Should Read This Award" for the best road safety sign in Nagpur, which reads: "Patience is heavenly, haste is deadly"

3. Being on the verge of the runs during an interview with Nasser Hussain in Chandigarh.

4. The Bombay jewellery vendor who upped his original offer when I lowered mine.

5. The British professional gambler who bet for three days on Betfair without being caught in the Press Box in Mohali. (Will keep you posted on his 30 March court appearance)

6. Monty Panesar's attempted catch at mid-on during England's heroic last day in Bombay.

7. Celeb corner: Jordan and Peter Andre spotted at the CCI during the Sport Relief cricket match, Stephen Fry at the final Test, and several hundred possible Bollywood actors with slick back hair.

8. The classic Murgh Makhani - my choice of curry in India.

9. Mike Atherton getting mobbed at the Gateway of India - especially the fan who came out with: "Hello sirs, I just have to tell you that I have an unbelievable, 24/7 crazy diet for cricket."

10. The professional road-side bat-makers in Nagpur who scrape a living without local government assistance.

Naked ambition

Middlesex are on a 10-day cricket tour in Mumbai, netting at the World Cricket Academy and playing three games.

Nobok gave a first interview of the season to Middlesex skipper Ben Hutton and what he hopes will also be the last. It was surprising when the stats told how his grandfather, the legendary Sir Len Hutton, never toured India with England.

The man to ask about touring is the Middlesex coach John Emburey. The former spinner toured three times with England, but he was dropped in a few Tests and underbowled in his eyes, while most of the memorable stories usually happened off the field.

***

Bombay is obsessed with celebrity. This week the public's attention has turned to waiting en masse outside the Taj Hotel as the player buses file back from the ground.

They stare blankly, the odd shriek of excitement aside, and stay long after they have ventured indoors. They could no worse than stop on the main road near Chowpatty beach and stare at cricket's star players adorning the big posters.

One features present England captain Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan advertising Kingfisher water, taken from the TV advert they filmed a few weeks ago. The players were given a sneak preview prior to the third Test, a different take on the usual video analysis they go through on these nights.

Flintoff took the whole episode in his stride, but here's the gist. Vaughan and Flintoff are seen in the showers (shoulder up) and the injured captain starts reciting an Indian melody. Freddie tries to repeat it but Vaughan keeps saying he can't get it right. Freddie insists he can do it but fails again.

It could be a serial to rival Beefy's Weetabix ads.

High tide at Wankhede

James Anderson's last-wicket dismissal seemed a bit soft yesterday.

England were bowled out for 400; but the tourists might have had a cunning plan up their sleeves.

They were all out shortly after 2:05pm here, and, in the words of Ray Parker Jr, something strange happens in the (Marine Drive) neighbourhood around that time.

According to those cricket lovers who live close to the Wankhede Stadium, the pitch favours the bowlers between 2 and 3 in the afternoon.

This is 'high tide' time as the sea is a 30 second walk from the stadium, the same with the Cricket Club of India, just a five minute stroll down the coast.

During this hour 'indipping' is known to occur in the humidity: the ball can suddenly drift in towards a batsman, even though the bowler has intended his delivery as an outswinger.

Chandu Borde, the former Indian all-rounder, used to stay in a hotel right next to the stadium when he played here in the 60s, and swore by it. Sachin Tendulkar was also out for a duck a few years ago in the same afternoon period.

So what was the result yesterday? Tea was taken at 2:40, India had made 8 for 0 in their reply and then their three wickets fell after 3pm. Humbug!

Bombay bites

I hear a couple of tigers were recently spotted at the famous reserve north of Nagpur. Well, I could have done with the same trackers in Mumbai over the last few days when I tried to get near our Beefy.

Harder to spot than a Shoaib Akhtar delivery, England's former all-rounder has been sighted in a helicopter (going south of Mumbai to India's new resort complex Amby Valley) and then on a boat, on his way to lunch at Ravi Shastri's joint the other side of town.

However, he might be easier to spot during the Ashes this winter. Beefy is continuing his efforts for charity by walking from Melbourne to Adelaide (Boxing Day to Australia Day) with fellow cricketing greats Allan Border and Dean Jones.

***

After interviewing Athers in front of the Gateway of India with a fantastic evening light, a young Indian came up to us and said a memorable one-liner: "Hello sirs, I just have to tell you that I have an unbelievable, 24/7 crazy diet for cricket."

***

If the constant noise of the city doesn't get to the hardiest of country folk, then breakfast at The Ambassador Hotel will. Meandering into breakfast, you are confronted with the sounds of furious Techno beats as you try and remember your room number.

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It's Bombay Test week and as well as society gossip columnists, former Indian greats are also in town. Nobok Legend Farokh Engineer is one who still commands much attention from cricket fans - even during an interview. Farokh looked up in disbelief as a middle-aged man thrust his hand out with the camera rolling. After telling him that the camera really wasn't a garden plant he responded: "Ah well, it's still good for an old man's ego."

Rod Gilmour in Mumbai