Friday, October 16, 2009

Dave Mohammed's 'shoe phone'


The most interesting part of Mohammed's celebrations is the one where he does the shoe phone.

Sitting with former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and watching a Caribbean team play is always an enjoyable experience. The master technician of the 1970s and 1980s loves Trinidad and Tobago. He is much loved in those islands and naturally loves their style of play.

So when you have a typical Caribbean celebration with their bouncing laughter and the high-fives you are bound to have some kind of reaction from the maestro.

Gavaskar's object of attention at Bangalore's M Chinnaswamy Stadium, when Somerset struggled against Trinidad spinners was Dave Mohammed. A chinaman bowler, Mohammed is at the heart of any celebration that Trinidad has at the fall of a wicket. He has some quirky ways of celebrating and in one of those he turns an alligator. He rolls over like an alligator and can sting like one. Another antic has him rolls over and tap himself four times all over the body so as to signify that he is yet to get over the fall of wicket.

Confused?
The shoe phone is part of celebrations in the Caribbean where the spinners revel when they get a batsman out stumped.

In the Caribbean if a spinner flights and invites the batsman to step out of the crease and gets him out stumped, it is a huge moment to celebrate. The spinner removes his shoe, behaves as if he is dialing a phone and talking. It is their way of asking who called outside the crease,'' explains team manager Colin Borde.
No wonder then Mohammed is one of the real characters of the game from the Caribbean.

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