“I hope my manager allows me to play next week”
June 14, 2024 11:46 AM Subscribe
GQ: “It’s happening very fast,” said Saurabh Netravalkar, the Team USA cricket player with the world-famous LinkedIn profile ... Several fans in attendance held up signs calling Kohli a god; one held up a sign asking Netravalkar for a job reference. Guardian: As it happened: USA beat Pakistan. The Athletic: So, for a son of Mumbai to inflict such a humiliating defeat on the old enemy was a case of Netravalkar - in the words of his younger sister Nidhi on social media - “making two countries happy”. Times of India: Balancing his dual roles as a cricketer and a software engineer at Oracle, Netravalkar manages his demanding career alongside his sports commitments. Interviewed in cricbuzz: “I filed for a patent. It was an innovation algorithm that we had.”
Cricinfo: After the Pakistan win, a screen grab of his Slack out-of-office message was all over social media. It said he would be away from work until June 17, when the group phase of the World Cup ends. Netravalkar is not thinking ahead to whether he might have to extend his leave of absence in case USA make it to the Super 8s...
...update on that: As of an hour ago, the USA have enough points so they can't be caught by Ireland, Canada or Pakistan in their group. This means the USA qualify, along with India, into the final group stage of the current World Cup: this also gives the USA automatic qualification for the same World Cup tournament in 2026, two years before cricket returns to the Olympics in Los Angeles. Saurabh is going to need to ask for an extension to WFWCM (Work From World Cup Matches).
Cricinfo: After the Pakistan win, a screen grab of his Slack out-of-office message was all over social media. It said he would be away from work until June 17, when the group phase of the World Cup ends. Netravalkar is not thinking ahead to whether he might have to extend his leave of absence in case USA make it to the Super 8s...
...update on that: As of an hour ago, the USA have enough points so they can't be caught by Ireland, Canada or Pakistan in their group. This means the USA qualify, along with India, into the final group stage of the current World Cup: this also gives the USA automatic qualification for the same World Cup tournament in 2026, two years before cricket returns to the Olympics in Los Angeles. Saurabh is going to need to ask for an extension to WFWCM (Work From World Cup Matches).
> they may yet lose out to Scotland
You think Scotland can beat Australia?
> the USA to win it.
Their Super 8 match-ups are
1) vs. South Africa on 19th 1430 GMT
2) vs. West Indies on 22nd 0030 GMT
3) vs. England (or Scotland) on 23rd 1430 GMT
The middle one, maybe but it's a long shot.
posted by Gyan at 12:08 PM on June 14 [2 favorites]
You think Scotland can beat Australia?
> the USA to win it.
Their Super 8 match-ups are
1) vs. South Africa on 19th 1430 GMT
2) vs. West Indies on 22nd 0030 GMT
3) vs. England (or Scotland) on 23rd 1430 GMT
The middle one, maybe but it's a long shot.
posted by Gyan at 12:08 PM on June 14 [2 favorites]
You think Scotland can beat Australia?
Unlikely, even (or more so) after Hazelwood's remarks. But a weather-abandoned match is worth one point which would be enough for Scotland.
1) vs. South Africa on 19th 1430 GMT
South Africa have a historical reputation in their big matches...
(But yes, against the WI looks the most winnable than either SA or England)
I see you are from, or in, Mumbai? Is there much talk of Netravalkar there, and any regrets he now plays for the USA and no longer for India?
posted by Wordshore at 12:15 PM on June 14 [1 favorite]
Unlikely, even (or more so) after Hazelwood's remarks. But a weather-abandoned match is worth one point which would be enough for Scotland.
1) vs. South Africa on 19th 1430 GMT
South Africa have a historical reputation in their big matches...
(But yes, against the WI looks the most winnable than either SA or England)
I see you are from, or in, Mumbai? Is there much talk of Netravalkar there, and any regrets he now plays for the USA and no longer for India?
posted by Wordshore at 12:15 PM on June 14 [1 favorite]
Considering the significance of the loss, IMO Pakistan should have burned the bails and put the ashes in a little urn and created a new great rivalry
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:30 PM on June 14 [7 favorites]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:30 PM on June 14 [7 favorites]
That would be an interesting call to get from a report — “you need extra time off… why? Uh huh, uh huh, wait, WHAT?”
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:39 PM on June 14 [5 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:39 PM on June 14 [5 favorites]
Boss: You need extra time off... why?
Worker: I have a cricket match to play.
Boss: Uh huh,
Worker: My team got into the Super 8s at the World Cup.
Boss: uh huh,
Worker: We're playing for the USA.
Boss: wait, WHAT?
posted by johnabbe at 8:59 AM on June 15 [1 favorite]
Worker: I have a cricket match to play.
Boss: Uh huh,
Worker: My team got into the Super 8s at the World Cup.
Boss: uh huh,
Worker: We're playing for the USA.
Boss: wait, WHAT?
posted by johnabbe at 8:59 AM on June 15 [1 favorite]
Looks like England will be the next one to exit thanks to rain.
> any regrets he now plays for the USA and no longer for India?
He's a decent bowler but India has enough bench strength to not miss him.
posted by Gyan at 11:26 AM on June 15 [3 favorites]
> any regrets he now plays for the USA and no longer for India?
He's a decent bowler but India has enough bench strength to not miss him.
posted by Gyan at 11:26 AM on June 15 [3 favorites]
So, for a son of Mumbai to inflict such a humiliating defeat on the old enemy was a case of Netravalkar -. . . - making two countries happy.
I agree that it's better to sublimate old enmities by throwing balls around a green field than actually mobilising tanks at the Wagah Crossing in Punjab.
In the college where I taught in the Irish Midlands, we used to have an annual International Students' Day giving them a chance to showcase their food and culture. One year I paused at the booth for India. and made some quip about having two display boards behind their table. One chap put his arm round the shoulder of his pal explaining that he was from Pakistan but had thrown his lot in with the Indians because there were only 4 or 5 Pakistanis on campus and they had, this year, been snowed under with assignments and exams. I was quite affected by this casual statement because people have been killed in Indo-Pakistani conflicts in 1947, 1965, 1971, 1999 with stand-offs and shape-throwing in 1986, 1987, 2001 and 2008, not to mention the perpetual simmering aggro over Kashmir. I quipped that the (articulate, sunny [and probably Sunni ho ho] and clearly intelligent) young man would be the next President but three back home in Pakistan. It's not impossible to imagine that an subcontinental friendship forged in Ireland 3 decades before would open up the dialogue to avert a nuclear meltdown on the subcontinent in 2044.
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:01 PM on June 15 [3 favorites]
I agree that it's better to sublimate old enmities by throwing balls around a green field than actually mobilising tanks at the Wagah Crossing in Punjab.
In the college where I taught in the Irish Midlands, we used to have an annual International Students' Day giving them a chance to showcase their food and culture. One year I paused at the booth for India. and made some quip about having two display boards behind their table. One chap put his arm round the shoulder of his pal explaining that he was from Pakistan but had thrown his lot in with the Indians because there were only 4 or 5 Pakistanis on campus and they had, this year, been snowed under with assignments and exams. I was quite affected by this casual statement because people have been killed in Indo-Pakistani conflicts in 1947, 1965, 1971, 1999 with stand-offs and shape-throwing in 1986, 1987, 2001 and 2008, not to mention the perpetual simmering aggro over Kashmir. I quipped that the (articulate, sunny [and probably Sunni ho ho] and clearly intelligent) young man would be the next President but three back home in Pakistan. It's not impossible to imagine that an subcontinental friendship forged in Ireland 3 decades before would open up the dialogue to avert a nuclear meltdown on the subcontinent in 2044.
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:01 PM on June 15 [3 favorites]
Looks like England will be the next one to exit thanks to rain.
Maybe, maybe not. As I type this, they're trying for an 11 over match starting at uh 4pm (?) local time. There will be three overs of powerplay. Three bowlers can bowl a maximum of three overs. (this all assumes no more rain, which is 50/50)
(It would be funny if they did manage to get a match on, and England lost)
posted by Wordshore at 12:24 PM on June 15
Maybe, maybe not. As I type this, they're trying for an 11 over match starting at uh 4pm (?) local time. There will be three overs of powerplay. Three bowlers can bowl a maximum of three overs. (this all assumes no more rain, which is 50/50)
(It would be funny if they did manage to get a match on, and England lost)
posted by Wordshore at 12:24 PM on June 15
One year I paused at the booth for India. and made some quip about having two display boards behind their table. One chap put his arm round the shoulder of his pal explaining that he was from Pakistan but had thrown his lot in with the Indians because there were only 4 or 5 Pakistanis on campus and they had, this year, been snowed under with assignments and exams.Did me good to hear this, BobTheScientist. I was just explaining to someone on Reddit the other day that "Indian" is not an ethnicity, but a nationality. Unless one wants to get weirdly expansive and consider Indian to be a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, subcontinent-wide ethnicity.
Your comment also reminds of hearing about a (the?) anarchist-communist soccer match in Berkeley, I think in the 2000s. (For anyone not aware, in the past anarchists and communists have often been at odds, sometimes to the point of violence.)
posted by johnabbe at 12:04 AM on June 16 [2 favorites]
Just catching up with the overnights (being in England) and dammit Scotland were seriously unfortunate to not make it through to the final group stage. Despite the abundance of dropped catches, that was a good match against Australia.
With due respect to Oman and Namibia, England's quality remains uncertain so far in this tournament. Getting hammered by Australia, and struggling in an abandoned match against Scotland, doesn't bode well.
posted by Wordshore at 5:19 AM on June 16 [1 favorite]
With due respect to Oman and Namibia, England's quality remains uncertain so far in this tournament. Getting hammered by Australia, and struggling in an abandoned match against Scotland, doesn't bode well.
posted by Wordshore at 5:19 AM on June 16 [1 favorite]
Afghanistan has just defeated Australia, the first time they’ve done so in any cricket format.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 8:50 PM on June 22 [2 favorites]
posted by the duck by the oboe at 8:50 PM on June 22 [2 favorites]
And now they have knocked them out of the tournament and made the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time ever!
posted by Gyan at 11:59 PM on June 24
posted by Gyan at 11:59 PM on June 24
Before we get too romantic about plucky Afghanistan, note that their women's team is not only not supported by their Government, but it's in political exile in legitimate fear of persecution, mostly in Australia.*
* [Disclaimer, I am Australian]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 12:26 AM on June 25
* [Disclaimer, I am Australian]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 12:26 AM on June 25
The players here were part of the Afghanistan men's national squad since before the Taliban took over in 2021. Their home base is currently outside the country, in the UAE.
Their performance is not an endorsement of or reflection upon Taliban rule. Their status as underdogs and the historic nature of today's result derives from their cricketing pedigree not geopolitcs. Let's just appreciate the cricketing achievement here.
posted by Gyan at 5:01 AM on June 25 [1 favorite]
Their performance is not an endorsement of or reflection upon Taliban rule. Their status as underdogs and the historic nature of today's result derives from their cricketing pedigree not geopolitcs. Let's just appreciate the cricketing achievement here.
posted by Gyan at 5:01 AM on June 25 [1 favorite]
That was an absolutely fantastic final - the best T20 matches come down to the last over. Both teams played so well all the way through the tournament. A really great World Cup all around! The ICC should possibly consider whether playing in the tropics in the wet season is the best idea, but otherwise some great cricket.
posted by goo at 5:25 PM on June 29
posted by goo at 5:25 PM on June 29
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(that will require several things to happen first, one of which will be for England to actually qualify for the later stages, as they may yet lose out to Scotland)
posted by Wordshore at 11:53 AM on June 14 [3 favorites]