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SOCCER DIARIES

World Cups!


Year Host Nation(s) Final
Winner Runners-up
1930 Uruguay Uruguay Argentina
1934 Italy Italy Czechoslovakia
1938 France Italy Hungary
1950 Brazil Uruguay Brazil
1954 Switzerland West Germany Hungary
1958 Sweden Brazil Sweden
1962 Chile Brazil Czechoslovakia
1966 England England West Germany
1970 Mexico Brazil Italy
1974 West Germany West Germany Netherlands
1978 Argentina Argentina Netherlands
1982 Spain Italy West Germany
1986 Mexico Argentina West Germany
1990 Italy West Germany Argentina
1994 USA Brazil Italy
1998 France France Brazil
2002 South Korea & Japan Brazil Germany
2006 Germany Italy France

Lets look at the above chart in quiz form!

Q1. Which country has won maximum World Cups?
A : Brazil has won 5 World Cups followed by Italy who have won 4.

Q2. Which country has been runners-up at the World Cups the most times?
A : Germany has been runners-up the most times, numerically 4 times.

Q3. Which country hosted and won the first World Cup?
A3. Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2.

Q4. How many World Cups have been organized till date?
A : Eighteen

Q5. In which World Cup, there World Champions were declared without a final match being played?
A : The 1950 World Cup. The tournament winner was decided by a final round-robin group contested by four teams (Uruguay, Brazil, Sweden, and Spain). Uruguay's 2-1 victory over Brazil was the decisive match which put them ahead in points.

Q6. When was a World Cup match first televised?
A : 1954

Q7. From which World Cup onwards FIFA introduced an official mascot for the tournament? Which was the first mascot?
A : From the 1966 World Cup. World Cup Willie, the mascot for the 1966 competition, was the first World Cup Mascot.

Q8. How many countries have at least played a World Cup Match?
A : 75 countries have at least played in a World Cup. 7 countries(Brazil, Argentina, Italy, France, England, Germany and Uruguay) have won at least one World Cup.

Q9. How many countries have won consecutive World Cups?
A : Only Brazil and Italy have won consecutive World Cups.

Q10. Why was the World Cup not organized in 1942 and 1946?
A : Due to the World War!

Q11. Which country has played in every World Cup organized by FIFA?
A : Brazil

Q12. Where will the 2010 and 2014 World Cups be held?
A : In South Africa(the first African team to organize the World Cup) and Brazil respectively.

Q13. Where, when and who played the first ever international football match?
A : It was played in Glasgow between England and Scotland in 1872.

Q14. When was FIFA formed?
A : 1904

Q15. Which country is an exception to the unwritten rule of adding a star to its crest for each World Cup won?
A : Uruguay has four stars even though it has won only 2 World Cups. The other 2 stars are for the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics victories.

Q16. Which was the first World Cup Match ever played?
A : 2 matches ( France v/s Mexico and USA v/s Belgium) took place simultaneously on 18th July, 1930.

Q 17. Which FIFA president played an important role in setting up the first World Cup?
A : Jules Rimet. The World Cup trophy which was originally called the Coup de Monde was renamed after Jules Rimet as the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1970.

Q18. Who designed the new World Cup trophy after 1970.
A : The Italian designer, Silvio Gazzaniga.

Q19. How many countries are expected to attempt at qualifying for World Cup 2010?
A : 204

Q20. Which country has the most appearance in a World Cup Final?
A : Brazil and Germany, (7 each).

The Underarm Bowling Incident of 1981

The Underarm bowling incident of 1981 occurred on 1 Feb, 1981, when Australia were playing New Zealand in an ODI match, the third of five such matches in the final of the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup, at the MCC. In order to prevent New Zealand from scoring the 6 they needed to tie, the Australian captain, Greg Chappell instructed his bowler (his younger brother, Trevor Chappell) to deliver the last ball underarm, along the ground to prevent the Number 10 New Zealand batsman (Brian McKechnie) hitting a six from the last ball to tie the match. This action was technically legal, but seen as being unsporting.

As the ball was being bowled, Ian Chappell (older brother of Greg and Trevor, and a former Australia player) who was commentating on the match, was heard to call out "No, Greg, no, you can't do that" in an instinctive reaction to the incident, and he remained critical in a later newspaper article on the incident. Australia won the game, but were booed off the field by spectators. The New Zealand batsmen walked off in disgust, McKechnie throwing his bat to the ground in frustration. Ironically, McKechnie was censured for bringing the game of cricket into disrepute by doing so.

Brian McKechnie bears no ill will over the incident, but both Chappell brothers have publicly stated their embarrassment over the incident and almost thirty years later are still reluctant to discuss it. Unfortunately for Trevor Chappell, the "Underarm '81" incident remains what he is best remembered for.

CRICKET LAWS - 2

There are 42 Laws (designed by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) ) that outline how the gentleman's game of cricket needs to be played.
The first 12 Laws are as follows:

Law 1
A cricket team consists of eleven players, including a captain.

Law 2
An injured fielder can be substituted. However, a substitute may not bat, bowl, keep wicket or act as captain. The original player may return if he has recovered. A batsman who becomes unable to run may have a runner, who completes the runs while the batsman continues batting. Alternatively, a batsman may retire hurt or ill, and may return later to resume his innings if he recovers.

Law 3
There are two umpires, who apply the Laws, make all necessary decisions, and relay the decisions to the scorers. The third umpire is not required under the laws of cricket.

Law 4
There are two scorers who respond to the umpires' signals and keep the score.

Law 5
A cricket ball is between 8 13/16 & 9 inches (22.4 cm and 22.9 cm) in circumference, and weighs between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces (155.9g and 163g). Only one ball is used at a time, unless it is lost, when it is replaced with a ball of similar wear. It is also replaced at the start of each innings, and may, at the request of the fielding side, be replaced with a new ball, after a certain number of overs have been bowled (80 in Test matches, 34 in ODIs).

Law 6
The bat is no more than 38 inches (97 cm) in length, and no more than 4.25 inches (10.8 cm) wide. The hand or glove holding the bat is considered part of the bat. The bat has to be made of wood.

Law 7
The pitch is a rectangular area of the ground 22 yards (20 m) long and 10 ft (3.0 m) wide. The Ground Authority selects and prepares the pitch, but once the game has started, the umpires control what happens to the pitch. Professional cricket is almost always played on a grass surface. However, in the event a non-turf pitch is used, the artificial surface must have a minimum length of 58 ft (18 m) and a minimum width of 6 ft (1.8 m).

Law 8
The wicket consists of three wooden stumps that are 28 inches (71 cm) tall. The stumps are placed along the batting crease with equal distances between each stump. They are positioned so they are 9 inches (23 cm) wide. Two wooden bails are placed on top of the stumps. The bails must not project more than 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) above the stumps, and must, for men's cricket, be 4516 inches (10.95 cm) long.

Law 9
Each bowling crease should be 8 feet 8 inches (2.6 m) in length, centred on the middle stump at each end, and each bowling crease terminates at one of the return creases. The popping crease, which determines whether a batsman is in his ground or not, and which is used in determining front-foot no balls (see law 24), is drawn at each end of the pitch in front of each of the two sets of stumps. The popping crease must be 4 feet (1.2 m) in front of and parallel to the bowling crease.The return creases, which are the lines a bowler must be within when making a delivery, are drawn on each side of each set of the stumps, along each sides of the pitch (so there are four return creases in all, one on either side of both sets of stumps).The return creases lie perpendicular to the popping crease and the bowling crease, 4 feet 4 inches (1.3 m) either side of and parallel to the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps. Each return crease terminates at one end at the popping crease but the other end is considered to be unlimited in length and must be marked to a minimum of 8 feet (2.4 m) from the popping crease.

Law 10
This law sets down rules governing how pitches should be prepared, mown, rolled, etc.

Law 11
The laws requires pitches to be covered wherever possible when there is wet weather.

Law 12
Before the game, the teams agree whether it is to be over one or two innings, and whether either or both innings are to be limited by time or by overs. In two-innings games, the sides bat alternately unless the follow-on (law 13) is enforced. An innings is closed once all batsmen are dismissed, no further batsmen are fit to play, the innings is declared or forfeited by the batting captain, or any agreed time or over limit is reached. The captain winning the toss of a coin decides whether to bat or to bowl first.

Law 13
For a game of five or more days, the side batting first must be at least 200 runs ahead to enforce the follow-on; for a three- or four-day game, 150 runs; for a two-day game, 100 runs; for a one-day game, 75 runs. The length of the game is determined by the number of scheduled days play left when the game actually begins.

Law 14
The batting captain can declare an innings closed at any time when the ball is dead. He may also forfeit his innings before it has started.

Law 15
There are intervals between each day's play, a ten-minute interval between innings, and lunch, tea and drinks intervals. The timing and length of the intervals must be agreed before the match begins. There are also provisions for moving the intervals and interval lengths in certain situations, most notably the provision that if nine wickets are down, the tea interval is delayed to the earlier of the fall of the next wicket and 30 minutes elapsing.

Law 16
Play after an interval commences with the umpire's call of "Play", and at the end of a session by "Time". The last hour of a match must contain at least 20 overs, being extended in time so as to include 20 overs if necessary.

Law 17
There may be no batting or bowling practice on the pitch except before the day's play starts and after the day's play has ended. Bowlers may only have trial run-ups if the umpires are of the view that it would waste no time.

Law 18
Runs are scored when the two batsmen run to each other's end of the pitch. Several runs can be scored from one ball.

Law 19
A boundary is marked round the edge of the field of play. If the ball is hit past this boundary, four runs are scored, or six runs if the ball didn't hit the ground before crossing the boundary.

Law 20
If a ball in play is lost or cannot be recovered, the fielding side can call "lost ball". The batting side keeps any penalty runs (such as no-balls and wides) and scores the higher of six runs and the number of runs actually run.

Law 21
The side which scores the most runs wins the match. If both sides score the same number of runs, the match is tied. However, the match may run out of time before the innings have all been completed. In this case, the match is drawn.

Law 22
An over consists of six balls bowled, excluding wides and no balls. Consecutive overs are delivered from opposite ends of the pitch. A bowler may not bowl two consecutive overs.

Law 23
The ball comes into play when the bowler begins his run up, and becomes dead when all the action from that ball is over. While the ball is dead, no runs can be scored and no batsmen can be dismissed. The ball also becomes dead when a batsman is dismissed.

Law 24
A ball can be a no ball for several reasons: if the bowler bowls from the wrong place; or if he straightens his elbow during the delivery; or if the bowling is dangerous; or if the ball bounces more than twice or rolls along the ground before reaching the batsman; or if the fielders are standing in illegal places. A no ball adds one run to the batting team's score, in addition to any other runs which are scored off it, and the batsman can't be dismissed off a no ball except by being run out, or by handling the ball, hitting the ball twice, or obstructing the field.

Law 25
An umpire calls a ball "wide" if, in his or her opinion, the batsman did not have a reasonable opportunity to score off the ball. A ball is called wide when the bowler bowls a bouncer that goes over the head of the batsman. A wide adds one run to the batting team's score, in addition to any other runs which are scored off it, and the batsman can't be dismissed off a wide except by being run out or stumped, or by handling the ball, hitting his wicket, or obstructing the field.

Law 26
If a ball that isn't a no ball or wide passes the striker and runs are scored, they are called byes. If a ball that isn't a no ball hits the striker but not the bat and runs are scored, they are called leg-byes. However, leg-byes cannot be scored if the striker is neither attempting a stroke nor trying to avoid being hit. Byes and leg-byes are credited to the team's but not the batsman's total.

Law 27
If the fielders believe a batsman is out, they may ask the umpire "How's That?", commonly shouted emphatically with arms raised, before the next ball is bowled. The umpire then decides whether the batsman is out.

Law 28
Several methods of being out occur when the wicket is put down. This means that the wicket is hit by the ball, or the batsman, or the hand in which a fielder is holding the ball, and at least one bail is removed.

Law 29
The batsmen can be run out or stumped if they are out of their ground. A batsman is in his ground if any part of him or his bat is on the ground behind the popping crease. If both batsman are in the middle of the pitch when a wicket is put down, the batsman closer to that end is out.

Law 30
A batsman is out if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler. It is irrelevant whether the ball has touched the bat, glove, or any part of the batsman before going on to put down the wicket, though it may not touch another player or an umpire before doing so.

Law 31
An incoming batsman must be ready to face a ball (or be at the crease with his partner ready to face a ball) within 2 minutes of the outgoing batsman being dismissed, otherwise the incoming batsman will be out.

Law 32
If a ball hits the bat or the hand holding the bat and is then caught by the opposition within the field of play before the ball bounces, then the batsman is out.

Law 33
If a batsman wilfully handles the ball with a hand that is not touching the bat without the consent of the opposition, he is out.

Law 34
If a batsman hits the ball twice, other than for the sole purpose of protecting his wicket or with the consent of the opposition, he is out.

Law 35
If, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and while the ball is in play, a batsman puts his wicket down by his bat or his person he is out. The striker is also out hit wicket if he puts his wicket down by his bat or his person in setting off for a first run. "Person" includes the clothes and equipment of the batsman.

Law 36
If the ball hits the batsman without first hitting the bat, but would have hit the wicket if the batsman was not there, and the ball does not pitch on the leg side of the wicket the batsman will be out. However, if the ball strikes the batsman outside the line of the off-stump, and the batsman was attempting to play a stroke, he is not out.

Law 37
If a batsman willfully obstructs the opposition by word or action, he is out.

Law 38
A batsman is out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing side.

Law 39
A batsman is out when the wicket-keeper (see Law 40) puts down the wicket, while the batsman is out of his crease and not attempting a run.

Law 40
Related to the wicket-keeper

Law 41
Related to the fielder

Law 42
Related to fair and unfair play.

CRICKET FACTS - 1

WORLD CUPS

Year Host Nation(s) Final Winner Runners-up
1975 England West Indies Australia
1979 England West Indies England
1983 England India West Indies
1987 Inda & Pakistan Australia England
1992 Australia & New Zealand Pakistan England
1996 India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Australia
1999 England, Ireland, Scotland & Netherlands Australia Pakistan
2003 Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe Australia India
2007 West Indies Australia Sri Lanka
2011 India, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh TBD TBD
2015 Australia & New Zealand TBD TBD
2019 England TBD TBD


quiz!


Q1. Who organizes the Cricket World Cup Tournament?
A : ICC (The International Cricket Council)

Q2. When was the first international cricket tournament played and between whom?
A : It was played between Canada and the United States, on the 24th and 25th of September 1844. However, the first credited Test Match was played in 1877 between Australia & England and the two teams competed regularly for The Ashes in subsequent years. South Africa was admitted to Test status in 1889.

Q3. What was the first three World Cups called and why?
A : The first three World Cups were held in England and officially known as the Prudential Cup after the sponsors Prudential PLC.(60 over innings, white uniforms, red balls)

Q4. Which teams participated in the first World Cup Tournament?
A : The six Test playing nations then (Australia, England, West Indies, India, Pakistan and New Zealand), Sri Lanka and a composite team from East Africa. South Africa was banned due to apartheid.

Q5. How many teams are participating for the World Cup 2011?
A : Fourteen.

Q6. Name the only two mascots for the world cups?
A : Dazzler, the zebra was the mascot for World Cup 2003. Mello, an orange-raccoon like creature was the mascot for World Cup 2007.

Q7. How many nations have qualified for the World Cup at least once?
A : Nineteen.

Q8. Since when was the "Man of the Tournament Award" given at the World Cups?
A : Since 1992
Year Player Performance details
1992 New Zealand Martin Crowe 456 runs
1996 Sri Lanka Sanath Jayasuriya 221 runs and 7 wickets
1999 South Africa Lance Klusener 281 runs and 17 wickets
2003 India Sachin Tendulkar 673 runs and 2 wickets
2007 Australia Glenn McGrath 26 wickets

Q9. Who has scored the most runs in World Cup History?
A : Sachin Tendulkar (1796)

Q10. Who has taken the most wickets in World Cup History?
A : Glenn McGrath(71)

Q11. Which team has been most successful at the World Cups?
A : Australia (4 World Cups out of 9).

Q12. What are the highest and the lowest team scores at the World Cups?
A : India v/s Bermuda (413/5) in 2007 being the highest and Canada v/s Sri Lanka (36/10) in 2003 being the lowest.

Q13. What is the highest individual score at the World Cups?
A : Gary Kirsten (South Africa) scoring 188* against the UAE.

Q14. What is the best bowling figures by a bowler at the World Cups?
A : Glenn McGrath (Australia) with a 7/15 against Namibia.

GENERAL AWARENESS - 4

151. 'Lawsons Bay Beach' and 'Ramakrishna Beach' are located in which port city on the Bay of Bengal --> Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
152. Which ancient Indian physician is known as the 'Father of Modern Plastic Surgery' --> Sushruta
153. Who directed Oscar award winning short documentary film 'Smile Pinki' (2008) --> Megan Mylan
154. On which planet, due to its clockwise (east to west) rotation on the axis, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east --> Venus
155. By what name is British lady Madeleine Slade, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, better known --> Meera Ben
156. For his major role in the development of computer chip 'Pentium', which Indian IT expert is called the 'Father of Pentium' --> Vinod Dham
157. Pinaka, the multi barrel rocket launcher produced in India, is named after which Hindu God's bow --> Shiva
158. Which disease, named after a Japanese city where it was first observed, is caused by severe Mercury poisoning --> Minimata
159. Name the bird than can imitate human speech better than a parrot --> The hill myna
160. Which river forms the marble falls --> Narmada
161. Which river is called ‘Bihar’s river of sorrow’ --> Kosi
162. Which is the oldest dam in India --> The Grand Anicut across the Coleroom River
163. Who designed the bhakra dam --> Henry Slokan
164. Who was known as the ‘Thug hunter’ in history --> William Sleeman
165. Who has earned the title of ’India’s cataract king’ --> Dr. M. C. Modi
166. Murli Dhar Devidas is the original name of which well known social worker --> Baba Amte
167. What is the original name of Mother Teresa --> Agnes Gonxha Bejaxhiu
168. Name the English man, who is called ‘Father of Calcutta’ --> Job Charnock
169. Who is called the ‘first lady of Indian screen’ --> Nargis Dutt
170. Which English man helped to form the INC --> Allan Octavian Hume
171. In which year The International Finance Corporation (IFC) was established --> 1956
172. The first American president who resigned Presidency was --> Richard Nixon
173. Where is Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management --> Shillong
174. The " liberty , equality and fraternity " enshrined by Preamble is inspired by which revolution --> French Revolution
175. Which organ in herbivorous animals helps in digestion of starch through bacteria --> Caecum
176. Rennin enzyme is secreted in --> Stomach
177. Heiroglyphic Writing is a part of which ancient civilization --> Egyptian
178. Which instrument is used to listen and record underwater sounds --> Hydrophone
179. Vedic mythology refers to an ancient settlement called Pushkalavati after Pushkal who was the son of King Bharata in the epic Ramayana. What is the modern location of Pushkalavati --> Peshawar (in Pakistan)
180. Baffin Island is located in which ocean --> Pacific Ocean
181. Karl Pearson is related to which branch of Mathematics --> Statistics
182. Whose had original name " Mula Shanakar" --> Swami Dayanand Saraswati
183. In which year "Gandhi" got Oscar Award --> 1982
184. Where is located the Airforce Academy --> Hyderabad
185. What is the currency of Mexico --> Peso
186. Which is the highest civilian award in India --> Bharat Ratna
187. Which is the highest honour forsports in India --> Rajev Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
188. Which is true about the trade agreements SAFTA & SAPTA? (SAFTA- South Asian Free Trade Area & SAPTA- SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement) --> SAFTA, came into being on 1 January 2006 replacing SAPTA
189. Dunkel Proposals are related to which of the following rounds of GATT --> Uruguay Round
190. SAARC has designated the decade 2001-2010 as --> SAARC Decade of the Rights of the Child
191. Which of the following country backed out the 16th SAARC Summit scheduled to be held in 2009 expressing its inability to arrange the gathering due to the current economic recession --> Maldives , It was scheduled to be held in Male this year
192. India has requested membership in APEC, and received initial support from the United States, Japan and Australia but was not admitted because of the 10 year moratorium imposed in 1997. This moratorium was prolonged till which year later on --> 2010
193. Which among the following ratios correctly denotes Money Multiplier --> M3: M0
194. Which among the following is an alternate word used for " Buyer's Monopoly" --> Monopsony
195. katrina, Ike, Andrew, Wilma are the names of --> Tropical Cyclones
196. A mountain range which extends along the southern margin of Eurasia. Stretching from Java to Sumatra through the Himalayas, the Mediterranean, and out into the Atlantic is called --> Alpide Range
197. What is the name of the mountain range in central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together --> Altai Mountains, also called as onion range
198. Arete,Cirque, Groove, Moraines, Flood planes etc are the landforms associated with --> Erosion Activity
199. What does an "Epicenter" of an earthquake means --> point at ground level directly above the point of initial rupture. point of initial rupture is called Hypocenter
200. In which country Chukha Valley project is located --> Bhutan

NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS 2009

I. Literature

Herta Müller (German)

Profile:

She is a German novelist, born in Romanian. She has been awarded for her poetic and prose writings. She writes about the hardships faced under Communist Romania, the history of the Germans in Banat, and the persecution of Romanian ethnic Germans by Stalinist Soviet occupying forces in Romania.

II. Physics

1. Charles Kao

Profile:

A Chinese physicist who proposed using fibre optics in telecommunications. He is also called the father of fibre optic communications

2. Willard Boyle

Profile:

He is a Canadian physicist who co-invented the charge-coupled device (CCDs) used in digitizing images (scanners, cameras etc use CCDs).

3. George Smith

Profile:

He is an American scientist who co-invented CCDs with Willard Boyle at Bell Labs in 1969.

III. Medicine

1. Elizabeth Blackburn:

Australia born American Scientist. She Conducted ground-breaking research on DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and cell division that has provided a new line of inquiry into the chemical bases of life. She helped in discovery of a key enzyme, telomerase, which is necessary for chromosomes to make copies of themselves before cell division. This discovery will have lasting impact on cancer cure.

2. Carol W Greider

An Americam molecular biologist at the Johns Hopkins University. She helped co-discover telomerase, an enzyme that maintains the length and integrity of telomeres.

3. Jack W. Szostak

London born Canadian A biologist and Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. He was awarded for his contributions to the field of genetics.

IV. Chemistry

1. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

Born in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India, He is a structural biologist at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Medical Research Council located in Cambridge, England. He has Citizenship of United States.

2. Thomas A. Steitz

He is a Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University in the USA

3. Ada E. Yonath

She is an Israeli crystallographer best known for her pioneering work on the structure of ribosome. She is the director of the Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

V. Peace

Barack Obama

He is the current President of the USA. He was awarded for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples

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