Sourav, I know what you did this summer!

By John Cheeran
Sourav, I know what you did this summer!
Yes, Sourav you have authored world's most famous email last week to betray Jagmohan Dalmiya. But what have you done with bat and ball in England?
Does everyone in Calcutta know that you were busy writing your email masterpiece and hence could not concentrate enough on batting that too in the Second Division of England's tepid County cricket?
I know, the world knows...I know what you have done this summer..
Ganguly, you have done a wonderful job of committing cricketing suicide this summer.
Thank you.
Here is how the world has chronicled it. If anyone feels that I'm biased against the Lord Snooty, then he/she should read The Guardian report on the former Indian captain.
Here is a chronicle of a cricketer's death foretold!

July 28, 2006
More agony for Ganguly : PTI report in Telegraph Calcutta
London: Sourav Ganguly had a tough match in Northamptonsire’s outing against Essex in the County Championship. Sourav, who scored only 9 off 11 balls in Northants’ first innings total of 660 for five declared, was wicketless in the three overs he bowled.
Earlier, centuries by D. Sales (225), S. Peters (178) and Lance Klusener (124 not out) propelled Northants. In reply, Essex were 382 for 6 at close on the third day.

July 26, 2006
Ganguly flops again / The Hindu
London, July 26. (PTI): Sourav Ganguly's county stint appears to be drawing to a disappointing close with the former Indian captain scoring just nine for Northamptonshire in a four-day County championship division two cricket match against Essex here today.
Ganguly struck two fours off 11 balls before he was caught by Ben Phillip off James Middlebrook on the opening day of the match at Northants' home ground.
Opener Stephen Peters was unbeaten on 106 with captain D Sales at 31 as the hosts reached 209 for three in 59 overs in their first innings after electing to bat.
Zaheer Khan also met with similar luck as his former captain, going wicketless in his 11-over spell while conceding 33 runs for Worcestershire in a match against Derbyshire.
Derbyshire were 214 for 6 in 61 overs in their first innings after electing to bat on the opening day at Queen's Park in Chesterfield.

July 25, 2006
Calcutta's Telegraph, the paper that champions Ganguly's come back cause, carried this item.
Northants lose
A STAFF REPORTER Calcutta: Sourav Ganguly made five as Northamptonshire lost to Nottinghamshire by 63 runs in the quarter final of the Twenty20 Cup at Trent Bridge on Monday, according to information received here.
In reply to Nottinghamshire' s mammoth 214, Northamptonshire made 150 for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. Earlier, Sourav was hammered for 39 runs from his three overs and picked up a wicket.
BRIEF SCORES Nottinghamshire 213/6 (David Hussey 71, Samit Patel 65; Ben Phillips 2/46, Sourav Ganguly 1/39). Northamptonshire 150/6 (Lance Klusener 72, Sourav 5). Nottinghamshire won by 63 runs.

July 22, 2006
Paul Weaver writes in The Guardian, London
Northants have made any number of shrewd overseas signings, many from the subcontinent, including Mushtaq Mohammad, Sarfraz Nawaz, Bishen Bedi and Kapil Dev, but Sourav Ganguly is unlikely to be included in that company.
The former captain of India signed a lucrative five-week contract, replacing the Australian Chris Rogers, and his first five first-class innings have produced 0, 2, 6, 2 and, yesterday, 5.
He did not bat against Pakistan in Northants' first innings and faced only 18 balls yesterday, the last of which, from Shahid Nazir, struck him on the chin as he pulled out of a hook stroke.

July 22, 2006
Christopher Lyles writes in Daily Telegraph, London
Overseas players are customarily offered a rest when touring teams visit, but not Sourav Ganguly, who is in the penultimate week of his disappointing mid-season sojourn with Northamptonshire.
On reflection, he probably wishes that he had been. After the county slipped to six for two in their second innings, Ganguly entered the fray seeking to improve on his lamentable return of 10 runs in four first-class innings for the club.
He improved on it to the tune of five runs before being forced to retire hurt when, shaping to pull, he edged a steeply rising delivery from Shahid Nazir into his chin. The result was two butterfly stitches to a small gash and the former India captain did not feel fit enough to return as his temporary team-mates were bowled out for just 140 to leave the tourists needing 160 for victory.

July 17, 2006
By Agencies Sourav Ganguly failed to make amends for his first innings flop, managing just two in the second essay for Northamptonshire who were staring at defeat in a four-day Division Two county cricket championship match against Surrey.
Northants needed a big hearted display from their top order batsmen after they were set a daunting target of 453 but none could stand up to the task, leaving the side tottering at 97 for six in the second innings at their home ground. Lance Klusener , unbeaten at 42, was the only batsman to reach double digits when play ended on the third day yesterday.
Ganguly (1 for 29), though, could take some consolation from the fact that he got rid of J N Batty when he appeared unstoppable at 133.
The former Indian captain had scored six while taking one wicket in the first innings.
Surrey made 328 and 424/6 declared in their two innings while Northants scored 300 in their first.

July 15, 2006
London: Sourav Ganguly's (6) batting woes continued and the solitary success with the ball didn't make much impact either as Nothamptonshire struggled to 61 for three in reply to Surrey's 328 on the first day of a Division two County Championship match at Northampton.
Ganguly hit a boundary in his short innings before being caught behind off an Azhar Mahmood delivery as Northants ended the day with Usman Afzaal (28) and Charl Pietersen (2) holding fort.

July 11, 2006
From PTI: Sourav Ganguly's stroke-filled 29 was not good enough as Northamptonshire went down to Warwickshire by 20 runs in a Twenty20 match at Edgbaston.
Leading his side's chase of a target of 188, the former Indian captain on Monday struck five fours in his 23-ball knock that broke a sequence of low scores. But the Northants failed to build on the good start given by Ganguly and Usman Afzaal (21) and were restricted to 167 for nine.

July 4, 2006
UNI Report in The Hindustan Times
Sourav Ganguly's 51-ball blitzkrieg of 73 powered Northamptonshire to an 11-run victory at home ground over Worcestershire in the Twenty20 Cup match.
The former India captain also grabbed a Worcestershire wicket with his gentle medium pace to cap a fruitful outing.
Northamptonshire overcame an early jitter and got off to a flier as Ganguly (73) and Rob White (66) came up with their personal best and put together a 105-run partnership.
Ganguly brought up his half-century and the 100 partnership in style when he launched Roger Sillence into the stands. His 51-ball knock included four towering sixes, besides seven hits to the fence before he was run out.

June 27, 2006
More misery for Northants
Warwickshire spoiled Sourav Ganguly's Northamptonshire debut with a 24-run winat Wantage Road. The former Indian captain did collect two wickets as the Bears scored 185-5after choosing to bat first.
Powerful contributions from sixth-wicket pair Michael Powell (44 from 25balls) Heath Streak (33 from 14 balls) gave a valuable boost to the final total.
Warwickshire off-spinner Ian Westwood then recorded figures of 3-29 as the hosts were bowled out for 161 after 19.3 overs of their reply.
Ben Phillips top scored for the Steelbacks with 38 not out, while Ganguly opened the batting and made 15 from 16 deliveries before being caught behind off James Anyon (1-32).