only_this_nothing_more

In these days of mega franchises like MI, CSK and KKR, I can never forget the first franchise team I read about! It featured H G Wells, Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, P. G. Wodehouse, G. K. Chesterton, Jerome K. Jerome and A. A. Milne and assorted professors, architects, big game hunters and painters. Their captain and founder was the writer of Peter Pan, James Barrie. The team's name was a portmanteau of Barrie's name and the mistaken belief that 'Allah akbar' meant 'Heaven help us' in Arabic, very apt, given that they were wonderful authors and terrible though hugely enthusiastic cricketers. But Barrie always encouraged his players. He praised one teammate's performance by observing that "You scored a good single in the first innings but were not so successful in the second." His selection policies were also unique. In his words, “with regard to the married men, it was because I liked their wives, with the regard to the single men, it was for the oddity of their personal appearance.” He was a canny captain. He would never allow his players to practice on the ground just before a game as the sight would invariably boost the confidence of the opponents. He would also remind his players that, “should you hit the ball, run at once. Do not stop to cheer." It was tough captaining the Allahakbarries. As it was the easiest position to field, most of the fielders would go to long on, sometimes as many as seven would gather there with huge gaps in the rest of the field. The team played all their matches in the magical pre-war era, and some of them lost their lives later in the great war of 1914. But the story of the Allahakbarries remains an inspiration to all cricket enthusiasts, and Barrie's book about the team had a foreword by Sir Donald Bradman when it was re-released in 1950!