It all began with a tweet by Yoko Ono on February 1, saying “Give us some advice that will make our lives heal and shine.” The International Cricket Council (ICC) replied with very practical advice for all batsmen – “Never leave your crease with M.S. Dhoni behind the stumps!”
The context: After Yoko’s tweet, Dhoni effected the cheekiest of run outs in Wellington when he noticed that New Zealand batsman James Neesham had ambled out of his crease following an lbw appeal. As the ball trickled behind the stumps, Dhoni, sensing Neesham’s brain fade, seized the moment and underarmed the ball to the stumps with a bewildered Neesham short of his ground. Yesterday at Hamilton, Dhoni’s lightening reflexes were on display again when he effected a quick stumping to send back Tim Seifert when he was looking dangerous.
At 37, Dhoni’s reflexes with the gloves haven’t waned and cricket tragics are already reaching for the tissues, unable to imagine life without Dhoni when he eventually quits the game. Perhaps taking cue from Dhoni, the ICC went one step further and seized the day with a rewrite of the legendary John Lennon’s 1971 ballad “Imagine”. The late Lennon’s wife Yoko would probably not have imagined that a simple one-line tweet would trigger off a reworking of lyrics of a song she co-wrote with Lennon, originally dedicated to world peace.
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In a Twitter thread, the ICC asks fans to imagine cricket without Dhoni, or umpires, or winter, which means no need for covers. England’s record breaking swing bowler James Anderson, who continues to keep the men behind the stumps on their toes, also gets a mention.
“You may say I’m a seamer
But I’m not James Anderson.
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I hope someday you’ll edge behind
And the cordon will appeal as one!"
What can we expect next? Keeping with Lennon and his former Beatles, maybe a song dedicated to umpires raising the finger to departing batsmen: “Get back (to where you once belonged).”
Lyrics
"Imagine there's no umpire,
it's easy if you try.
No one to signal boundary,
or raise both hands to the sky.
Imagine all the bowlers,
running in all dayyyyy...
Imagine there's no Dhoni,
it's so very hard to do.
No one to catch or stump you,
and no banter, too.
Imagine all the batsmen, running twos and threeeeees.
You may say I'm a seamer,
but I'm not James Anderson.
I hope some day you'll edge behind,
and the cordon will appeal as one!
Imagine there's no winter,
I wonder if you can?
No need for nets or covers,
just working on that tan.
Imagine all the matches,
played all year rounddddd...
Ooooohhhh [everyone now]
You may say I'm a seamer,
but I'm not James Anderson.
I hope some day you'll edge behind,
and the cordon will appeal as one!"