Mundane sightings of high-profile cricketers

[271 & 16/166]

'G'day fellas' from Geoff Lawson to a mate and I, at a Thai take away one night after a days play Aust vs World X1 2005 in Sydney.
You did say mundane

 

[Smudge]

You've met the brief, @271 & 16/166 - I'll allow it.

 

[Marius]

I saw Darryl Cullinan in a bookshop once in Johannesburg.

In London in 2022 I was staying at my friend's flat which is about a five minute walk from the Oval. There was a Hundred game on that evening and Graham Gooch was with someone at the cafe under her flat.

Another time on that trip I was walking back to my friend's flat and was walking past the Oval when Tom Moody came walking past the other way, couldn't talk to him because he was yakking on his phone though.

Saw Roelof van der Merwe in the stands of a rugby match between Italy and the Springboks in Witbank in 2010.

Saw Graeme Hick, Darren Lehmann, Brad Haddin, and Peter Handscomb in a bar in Durban during the 2018 series.

 

[Shady Slim]

dave warner at the sydney domestic airport victoria’s secret out the front on a phone call looking surly and waiting for his wife to finish her browse inside is probably the closest it is for me, but it’s an airport in the summer which is a likely place to catch the odd star

had one of the old gray body and blue (?) sleeve polos on that CA gave to the players around that time

 

[Burgey]

TOTAB currently on Afternoon Briefing talking about the need for increased funding for Parkinson's Disease sufferers.

Obviously no sighting of TOTAB is ever mundane, but it's outside the cricketing context. As was the time I was drunk and being driven back from a NSW Bar cricket match at Coolum to the Hyatt Regency by the then Mrs Burgey, who yelled out "There's [TOT]AB!!" which prompted me to sit up from being slumped in the passenger's seat to see the great man and his son loading their golf clubs in the back of his car.

I couldn't let the moment pass, so naturally I wound down the window, leaned out of the car and screamed "Al! Hey Al!!!" while waving frantically to him. He's such a lovely bloke, he looked up from his car with a smile and a wave - then realised it was some pissed rando and not anyone who he knew, so he ignored me and drove off.

One of the greatest moments of my life, being ignored by Allan Border.

 

[Molehill]

I once saw Charlotte Edwards and Suzi Bates at the local Land Rover dealership.

It was actually a cricketing event, but if I left it there it would be pretty mundane.

 

[Molehill]

TOTAB currently on Afternoon Briefing talking about the need for increased funding for Parkinson's Disease sufferers.

Obviously no sighting of TOTAB is ever mundane, but it's outside the cricketing context. As was the time I was drunk and being driven back from a NSW Bar cricket match at Coolum to the Hyatt Regency by the then Mrs Burgey, who yelled out "There's [TOT]AB!!" which prompted me to sit up from being slumped in the passenger's seat to see the great man and his son loading their golf clubs in the back of his car.

I couldn't let the moment pass, so naturally I wound down the window, leaned out of the car and screamed "Al! Hey Al!!!" while waving frantically to him. He's such a lovely bloke, he looked up from his car with a smile and a wave - then realised it was some pissed rando and not anyone who he knew, so he ignored me and drove off.

One of the greatest moments of my life, being ignored by Allan Border.

I presume AB is top of the (what I assume is a long) list of people who have ignored you?

 

[nightprowler10]

I guess maybe this fits in here?

So as mentioned in What are you thinking? thread, I went to watch a day of cricket at something called Unity Cup (T20) in Chicago. I really just went to accompany my brother-in-law who played for the Madison team, but what I found while there was that this is an ICC approved event with several international players participating. I found the list on PakPassion after a bit googling (I met/watched the bolded play):

Kamran Akmal (Pak Team)
Hammad Azam (Pak Team)
Shazaib Hassan (Pak Team)
M. Sami (Pak Team)
Shabbir Ahmad (Pak Team)
Khalid Latif (Pak Team)
Sohail Khan (Pak Team)
Tahir Khan (Pak Team)
Azeem Ghumman (Pak Team)
Jimmy Hansra (Canada Team - Captain)
Ricardo Powell (West Indies)
Mervyn Dillon (West Indies)
Fahad Babar (Usa Team)
Adam Sanford (Usa Team)
Orlando Baker (Usa Team)
Steven Taylor (Usa Team - Captain)

Only guy I'm missing was a Nepalese cricketer who is apparently a very explosive batsman.

Sami, Shabbir, Khalid, and Sohail (I actually talked to him without realizing who he was) were all on the same team - Punjab Lions - and won the whole thing by pretty much dismantling every single team. My BIL's team got taken for 290 runs and only managed to scored 110 in response.

Akmal didn't keep, just played mid-on and extra cover but still managed to miss an easy runout. Watched him bowl as well. Great 1st over followed by giving up 3 huge sixes. He batted very well in a team full of knobheads. Sami and Shabbir weren't really doing anything special on the day I went, but Sohail was bowling very well, faster than Sami. Steven Taylor was great to watch. He reminds me of Jayasuria. He also made one of the best fielding moves saving a 6 that I ever watched live.

All the guys I met were very nice and accommodating. Got some bad quality pics and videos (remember, I didn't realize how big this thing was so didn't bring a proper camera) that I'll upload later.

One thing that really stood out to me was just how much better the bottom of the barrel international players are compared to us mortals. Most of the local guys participating play in the Midwest Cricket Conference, which has probably the highest standard of cricket in this part of the country, yet they were consistently getting blown away by a 40 year old Dillon.

 

[Burgey]

I presume AB is top of the (what I assume is a long) list of people who have ignored you?

In terms of my own rankings, yes. From a position of power perspective it’s probably John Howard, who ignored me when we passed each other on Elizabeth Street, Sydney during the 2007 election campaign and I called him a ****.

 

[Burgey]

I was right ftr.

 

[honestbharani]

I was right ftr.

So was he to ignore you, tbf.

 

[vicleggie]

On Jan 1, 2014, I was going for a leisurely drive through an affluent beach suburb in Melbourne.
Was trying to catch a glimpse of the ocean, but I didn't know the area too well, so I got lost in all these random streets

One street had massive, luxury houses... I see a little gnome looking fella standing outside one. I drive closer - it's Ricky Ponting standing outside his house with a little suitcase - presumably waiting for a cab to the Airport.

Now, as I type this, I live about a mile from that very house.

 

[Burgey]

See kids, you can be upwardly mobile in modern Australia.

 

[hendrix]

as a 10 year old I stared for 5 mins without blinking at Shane Warne at the Manners Square Mcdonald's. He was eating a cheeseburger meal. Must have been around 99.

He gave me a smile and a thumbs up, then lit a cigarette.

 

[Coronis]

So was he to ignore you, tbf.

Being called a **** is probably background noise to him, no?

 

[The_CricketUmpire]

Steve Waugh also sledged me on Lambton Quay in Wellington back in the day. In front of Greg Campbell and Mark Taylor. Asswipe.

What did he say?

 

[Ali TT]

See kids, you can be upwardly mobile in modern Australia.

Or he lives in the ocean

 

[Burgey]

What did he say?

Steve has a Heart of Gold, so he asked "What are you doing Out on the Weekend, Old Man?

 

[Binkley]

I just saw David Boon coming out of a lift in my hotel. Which, given I am staying in Wellington, has easily been my cricket-related highlight of the weekend.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Saw Harry Brook and Brydon Carse going into a restaurant last week in Christchurch on what was meant to be the 5th day.