From: moghal@usc.edu (Nadeem Moghal)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket
Subject: Coming back to RSC. But need help!
Date: 12 Jan 1993 20:14:30 -0800
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu



Hi all:

It's been a very long time since I last posted on this newsgroup. Those
of you who have been "active" for quite a while might remember me for
an almost uncontrollable flurry of postings I used to have, on literally
every topic that pertains to this wonderful game.

If you still don't remember, then all I can do is sigh! I guess, it
really *has* been a very long time.

Anyway, even despite having "survived" being away from the game for so
long, I made a new-year resolution. Well, I made quite a few of them,
but this is one that I would really like to stick to.

I want to come back to rec.sport.cricket. And I want to do it with a 
bang! if you know what I mean! And that I can do if I talk about my 
main specialization. More about it in a minute.
 
Before coming to the United States, I used to be a regular contributor
to a four magazines, a couple of them with cricket as their only concen-
tration. Those of you from  Pakistan might remember Riaz Ahmed Mansuri's
"Cricketer" and Munir Hussain's "Akhbar-e-Watan" (tranalsation: Newspaper
of the Nation). Together, these two magazines easily enjoyed exposure to
80+% of the followers of the game. I wrote for them from December '83 to
July '90 (or, was it June?).

My main emphasis was on statistics, though strolling down the memory lane
was something I grew quite good at. And, in fact, RSC has helped me a 
great deal in "developing" that "speciality," if I may call it one!
Those of you who might remember my postings would recall how easy
it is for me digress from one topic to another, and then to yet
another one, and on and on the chain would go.

  (Talking of statistics, I still have most of my stuff as data files on
  Lotus 123. Is there any way I could translate them into a binary or
  ASCII file, so I could mail them? Any help in this area would be 
  greatly appreciated. And do let me know if you'd really like me to post
  those articles (they're all published pieces). There would, however, be
  one small problem: the records are not uptodate. Most of them date back
  to '87 - '90 period. And my speciality was test cricket, though I have
  countless analysis on One-Day Int'l too.

  So, any takers out there?)


At one time, I remembered each and every figure that pertains to the game.
People used to marvel; this cousin of mine used to open any page of Wisden
Almanac at random and ask me something, and I would invariably hit the
bull's eye. But that was then. Now, I pity at myself. I have rusted. And
that is in the very true sence of the word.

Anyway, with the new-year resolution, and my decision to "utilize" my 
aptitude to its proper capabilities, let's see what I can do. If given
access to the scorecards of the last couple of years, I can maintain
all sorts of statistics. 

Now, this is really a very general thing to say. So, let me pose you with
a question. Is there any publication that has all the scorecards of matches
played after the summer of 1990 (Graham Gooch's summer, I might add!) If
not, then is there any kind soul out there who might help me get some
Xerox copies? I am willing to pay for the costs.

I would ask for some annual publications, like Wisden, but they tend
to get rather expensive, specially if we add shipping (and not to forget,
handling!). But, what the heck! Anybody out there who can get me a '92 
Wisden? Anybody who has already read it from cover to cover :-)  and is
willing to part with it. Do let me know.

Or, if not wisden, then what about some Australian annual publication.
Theyr CRICKET magazine, at one time, used to come out seven times a 
year. Now, I am not too sure of its periodicity. But I remember that
did have some sort of an annual publication. Even West Indies had some-
thing, with a foreward by Tony Cozier.

I went through the posting of Rob Picket, of Canterbury, with an absolute
delight. (He mailed the career figures of all the English players who played
in 1992) I would be very close to having sleeplies nights till he sends
the career records of other contries too, as he has promised. Once I have
all these figures, I can surely prove that figures indeed are fun.

Enough rumblings for the time being. Let me see if there is anybody
out there who can help me get the information that I need, to know
what I am talking about. As it is, my knowledge about the game is not
upto date. In fact, quite a few of the important features of the past
couple of years have escaped me. But let's hope that I can change it all!

Please help me do that.


Take care.


Nadeem Moghal
University of Southern California


Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket