Cric-Tok with Russel Arnold

When we started Cric Tok, it was to involve a famous personality from the world of Cricket. I as its editor in chief never imagined it could be fun and humorous as well.. I surprised myself and quite pleasantly so. The reason being quite obvious, the person on the other side of Crick Tok happens to be none other than the magical and often extremely funny Russel Arnold.

Russel is that type of a person with whom you can strike a conversation almost immediately. Instant humor follows. I was to do a very formal interview with Russel but with him around there has to be nothing but fun. So  I decided to change the rules of the game and we went in to do a Rapid Fire Round with the legend from Sri Lanka. The rules of the game were pretty simple. I would give him single word question and Russel in turn would return the fire, bullet for bullet. What Followed is pure fun. I tried to put Russel in a spot of bother but he managed to wriggle out each time with great finesse.

So Here Goes:

TBK:  My First Thought obviously goes to the Game of Cricket. 

Russel : Life

TBK: Thinks I will bowl the Doosra, so here goes my second bullet: Wife

Russels defence mechanism is as strong as ever, does not want to read this wrong, so his reply is as  solid : Rock(comes the reply)

TBK: Chennai, Southern State and my mind wanders around Tamizh which is my next word in query to Russel.

Russel is the man for the punch and this time the reply is one that touches a few chords. Russel: Mother(Tongue). 

By now I want to get him out, the tussle with Russel is getting interesting and as the bowler I want to dominate, not knowing that the man at the other end is a master at this game. For this I thought I would bring in the most loved Twitter Parody into action. My Question this time was about Srini Mama.

Pat comes the Reply from Russel: Twitter Thala. I can already hear the crowd breaking into applause and whistles.

TBK is not the one to accept defeat that easily so the war of words continue:

Ashwin had to come in some time in this blog so I decided to fire my next salvo. TBK: Ashwin.
Russel has this delivery well covered with his reply and I appreciate the way he plays out the Carrom Ball. Russel: Wizard.

I mark my run up to bowl a fast toe crushing slinging yorker at Russel. TBK: Malinga. Russel digs out this one at the right moment, saving his stumps for another delivery. Russel: Freak.

IPL season is just round the corner. I can feel the feverish pitch in my home town Chennai with hues of yellow everywhere. I quiz Russel around IPL and his reply is a typical Whistle Podu one. Russel: Chennaiyin Super Rajas.

The Term Wide evokes claps from the crowd or despair depending on the situation. Can you evoke Laughter from the word Wide. So I throw a Wide at Russel. His reply leaves me in splits: Idli Gundan.

Perhaps I can get him in his Home Country Sri Lanka, so I move outside of India and ask him about his own country: Sri Lanka. Again I nod in agreement with his beautiful Reply: Paradise. Of Course Sri Lanka is a beautiful nation, Paradise on Earth.

Talks of Ashwin and Russel, the subcontinent can never be complete without single reference to Off Spin. Its not an easy trade I think and the tribe a very rare lot. Russel is beginning to read my deliveries before hand: Art.

World Cup 2016, my next word for Russel, the answer is but obvious in my mind: Repeat 1983, 2011 . However Russel Fires Back: Repeat 1996. All the Best Russel on that one.

By now I want to get him out, I reserve the best delivery for the last and joy knows no bounds when I do manage to get him back to the hut with this one: Most Embarrassing Moment on the Cricket Ground. Russel: LBW to Ganguly. Howzzzzzzaaaaat, I shout. Simon Taufel at the Umpires end lifts his finger Out it is.

Well Played Russel. You must have played innings of great quality throughout your career, and this one of words was played out even more beautifully. In your second innings as a Cricket Commentator and a Social Media enthusiast you are winning over more fans. On Behalf of Gen Next we would love to wish you success in all that you do. Thanks for chiming in with your thoughts. I loved bowling the questions at you.

Back in Chennai we at Gen Next Cricket Institute have started planning for #SummerSlam 3.0. So if you are interested in joining our Camp this summer do call Sekhar on his mobile: 9884017371. Believe me its going to be a whole lot of fun!!!!!

Crick-Tok with Simon Taufel

Its always been our endeavor to bring before you the very best be it the world of cricket, on field or off the field, through our lively blogs. It is only because of your overwhelming response and encouragement that we come up with new initiatives from time to time. Starting this month we have this new column called Crick-Tok which will feature Famous personalities from the World of Cricket. These Blogs will be fast and furious, short and enjoyable and most importantly you will derive immense learning pearls from each one of them, leaving you wiser, happier and richer in experience. We are sure that as the clock goes Tick-Tock, you will enjoy each moment of Crick-Tok, Pun Intended.

In this edition of Crick Tok we bring to you a conversation that TeeBeeKaa-(thats how Akhira and Aadhya love to call him) :) aka TallBoyKarthik has with the unarguably the Worlds Best Umpire Simon Taufel. The world knows him as the best umpire but I would love to introduce him to you as a gem of a person. I met him the first time at the Loyola College Grounds on his visit to Chennai. We struck off a conversation like old mates would and credit goes to Simon for making me feel so comfortable. Humility in its meritorious place, the Ability to charm people with his friendly approach, that is Simon in short for you. So its now over to Crick-Tok between Simon Taufel and TBK.

Your childhood memories of Cricket and idols of the game that you loved to follow as a child. Who were you inspired by? 

I grew up watching players from Australia like Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh, Greg Chappell and Alan Border, and Malcolm Marshall, Desmond Haynes, Ritchie Richardson, Joel Garner and Clive Lloyd from the West Indies. It was when my mother brought me home an autograph from Dennis Lillee one day that I really was inspired to play cricket and be a bowler. Being a bowler, I also admired the smooth effortless rhythm of Richard Hadlee.

What or rather How were you drawn into Umpiring?

Umpiring chose me, I didn’t chose it. One of my team mates wanted to become an umpire and asked me to join him at a NSW umpires course in 1990. I agreed and we both did the course. Unfortunately, my friend David did not make the 85% pass mark and I did. He went back to play cricket the next season and I decided to give umpiring a go. I was inspired through the course when I met the likes of Dick French (former Australian Test umpire) and first class umpires and trainers, Alan Marshall and Arthur Watson.

 Any interesting anecdotes that you would like to share while you were on the field as an umpire and learnings thereof.

I’ve seen many interesting things on the field. Everything from a gas bottle blast in Faisalabad, dogs on the field in Kandy, cats in England and plastic bottles thrown at the MCG. Greg Matthews was probably one of the most interesting characters – he would often tell me what type of delivery he was going to bowl before he bowled it and regularly reminded me that he would only appeal when it was out! I quickly learned that cricket was very much a mental game and I had to be mentally tough to manage all these distractions.

I have always felt that the CEO of any organization is much like an umpire, needs to make correct decisions, has to be seen as impartial, your thoughts? 

I can understand that. Umpires need to take in all the facts and evidence before them and make a fair, unbiased, considered and accurate decision. We expect our decisions to be respected and accepted. The strength of an appeal should not influence our decision. We need to know all the rules (the Laws) and operate within the agreed framework and apply these conditions without fear or favour. Being a leader of people or a company is no different – we need to be true our own values and responsible and accountable for our decisions.

Integrity means that both business leaders and umpires live their values of honesty, fairness, trust, accountability and leadership through their actions and behaviours. Our behaviours and motives need to be above reproach.

Lessons learnt on the Cricket Field that can be incorporated in the Corporate World.

There are many. In fact I advocate that the basic skills of being a good umpire start with being a good person. We are who we are 7 days a week. We don’t change into someone different on the cricket field or in the office. The fundamental transferrable skills underpin success in any chosen vocation – preparation, effective communication, hard work, a growth mindset, self discipline, leadership, teamwork, resilience, goal setting, mental toughness, being coachable, fitness and building trust, just to name a few. I’ve been really lucky to work at an elite level of sport for many years and to learn from some excellent people. I now owe it to them to be able to pass on this knowledge to others who have the desire to be the best that they can be.

Sports or the Corporate World is all about handling pressure . Your advice to the Youngsters.

Pressure only exists when you care what other people think, including yourself. Nerves and butterflies in your stomach are good provided you can control and embrace them. If they are excessive, then they will control your mind and often that makes your body tense up and you cannot play freely. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself (internal pressure) to perform. Realise that it’s just a game and if you work hard, keep it simple, then good things are likely to happen – so trust in yourself and your ability. Don’t let other people or the occasion distract you from your game and what you want to do (external pressure). Keep it simple, watch the ball, see where you want to land the ball and enjoy every moment. We cannot be perfect but we can be excellent.

 You gave up umpiring when you were at your peak. Any reasons why. Can you spell out your future plans.

I needed a new challenge (professionally) to keep me involved in the sport as I had been umpiring for around 23 years. I love going places where no one has been before and umpire performance and training programs gave me that challenge. I also wanted to spend some more time with my family (personal) and be around more for them. They had supported me so much by allowing me to be away for so long, I felt it was time to support their career choices and needs.

Having spent the past 6 years in sports administration and match official support, writing and delivering training and accreditation programs, I’m now focusing on building my own business. It involves writing a book, providing consultancy and project support to corporate clients and sporting organisations. I’m focused on helping people identify performance gaps, offering them ideas on how to reduce those gaps and sharing what worked and what did not at the elite level, and it is very rewarding. I also deliver keynotes and development sessions for students and young players /match officials as I think it is most important to put back into the game and help the next generation – just like others helped me during my career.

You visited Chennai recently and it was our pleasure to have you at our institute. Any thoughts about the interaction that you had with the children here?

It was an honour to visit Ashwin’s academy and see the great effort being put into future of the game. What impressed me was the commitment and energy of the cricket coaches – they appeared to have a genuine love for cricket and to help the kids grow. I really enjoyed talking with the young players and seeing the smiles on their faces that the game brings. Cricket unites us, across different languages, different age groups, religions and cultures. We connect using the language of cricket. I was impressed to see so many people delivering programs for the kids not only to develop their sporting ability but to also help them become good people and better citizens of India.

Any message that you would like to pass on to the parents of the young budding cricketers?

Let the kids enjoy their cricket. Please don’t put additional pressure on them to perform and if they make mistakes, that’s ok. It’s means that they are learning. If they enjoy what they are doing, then they will stay in the game longer and will give more fully. Try to resist living your love of the game through your child and allow them to be themselves. They need your love and guidance, not your dreams and goals.

A conversation with me can never end without talking about our mentor Mr. Ashwin. Your thoughts about him and umpiring when he was bowling? 

I believe everyone should have a coach and a mentor – they are different roles by different people. A good coach asks the right questions at the right time. A mentor is a trusted person who knows you well and someone who you can confide in. A mentor should be committed to supporting you make decisions in your best interests.

When Ashwin is bowling, if it is tough for the batsmen, it is tough for the umpires. Normally the batsman don’t know which way the ball is going to turn with him and that made it harder for me when I was umpiring. My experiences with Ashwin showed that while he competed hard, he was easy to work with. We seemed to have a professional working relationship and focused on our own roles on field – I think there was a healthy mutual respect for each other. He seemed to work to a plan, didn’t waste time with his field settings and had enormous trust and faith in his captain. He gave his best and applied himself fully in the best interests of the team.

Quite a session of Crick-Tok. Lots of Pearls picked up and there is wide ranging advice for people of varying age groups, right from Parents to Youngsters. Shukriya Simon, that's the Simon way of saying thank you. a Hidden Secret, he knows Hindi quite well. We at Gennext are eagerly looking forward to his next visit to Chennai. Keep watching this space for more lively sessions of Crick-Tok. Till we meet next time, Goodbye from all of us, stay well and God Bless..