Hey YOU!

Yes, You!

Have you...

• Thought of waking up early and study?

• Tried to wake up early but woke up after sleeping up to 9-10 hours?

• Thought of reading today with dedication but couldn't do?

• Again thought to study whole night without sleeping but don't know when eyes closed?

 If your answer is Yes and if you keep on repeating this cycle, you'll not know when your life destroys!!!

Small things become habit to delay big things in this way and you'll never notice. So, immediately throw such unnecessary works from your to-do-lists to recycle bin because these things are not your needs, but you made them needy, you became habitual of these things. You are giving a little time in studies if you get some spare time after doing these unnecessary works. 

Always remember! Small steps taken at the right time can save you from big problems in the future. If your eyes do not open early in the morning, then don't sleep whole night. Take a vow that whatever happens, "I'll watch the rising sun today." Take an oath - "I'll not eat anything until I complete reading this chapter." Nothing should be important for you than studying. I repeat — Nothing should be important for you than studying! Nothing, nothing, nothing! Neither food, nor water, nor sleep, nor thoughts. If you started thinking, you'll stick to it and don't know when time fled away. You'll close the book and possibly enter world of thoughts. Whenever a thought comes in your mind that- "I can't do it", always remember only you can do it. 

Stop thinking that you have shot a 'Brahmastra' by studying 1 or 2 hours in a day. Aim to study 16 hours a day. But you'll say - That's insane! Yes! That's crazy and Craziness is necessary, insanity is vital, madness is imperative if you want to achieve something in your life. If you keep on aiming simple things, if you try to do what other people around you are doing, you'll never be at height. Aspire to reach the height where eagle dares. 

Gossiping about big things, dreaming about bright future will lead you nowhere. Positive thoughts and affirmation should always come with action. There is no any destination in the world which is beyond reach of human. Look at all the successful people in history around the world. If you search why people like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Alexander the great, Nelson Mandela, Marie Curie, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi etc. were successful? Then the answer is, they never believed the prediction which demotivated them. They never let "I can't do it!" thought enter their mind. They tried and tried until they succeed. They proved a person can do whatever he/she wants; all he/she needs is a strong mindset and unbreakable courage.

Conclusion: How to find the motivation to study? Strategies to Stay Motivated to Study etc. are most searched term in internet. One can never be satisfied with one answer and runs for another click. This click never ends.

So, if you have made some aim for future, if you have strong desire to perceive something in your life, run after it with a passion and without any hesitation. And make up your mind that until you achieve that specific goal, you won't let anyone stop yourself.

Billy Bowden: Ex — Cricket Umpire Image Source: Internet

• How cricket umpires keep a track of number of fair deliveries in an over?

• What regular actions do umpires follow while officiating in a cricket match?

• What sort of tools or equipment they use to count the number of fair deliveries?

• What sort of assistance do umpire at bowlers end get from Square leg-umpire?

We will explore all these in this article.

    In Cricket of all categories and almost every form of cricket, an over must include six authentic deliveries omitting a playing condition which revoke that rule. It is necessary for an Umpire to tally six legal balls in a row excluding the wides and no-balls before signaling completion of an over. It depends on umpires when to count the ball, Some prefer to count before the ball being released whereas some prefer to count after ball becomes dead (Here, ball becomes dead when it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or bowler/when a boundary is scored/when a batsman is dismissed). Cricket Umpires use pebbles, coins, or counting device to tally the number of balls in an over. We'll discuss all of them one by one.

1. Traditional Counting method: Earlier, the cricket umpires used six coins or pebbles to count the number of deliveries. Umpires used to take six pebbles/coins at one hand (say left) before over starts. As soon as the bowler delivers a right delivery, he transfers one coin or pebble to right hand. When second delivery is fairly bowled, he again passes one pebble from left hand to right hand and so on. However, this method of ball counting is now only used in Gully crickets.

2. Hand tally counter: Also called as Sheep counter by few, this counter has four major components —

 i) Finger Loop

ii) Lever

iii) Knob

iv) Display Meter

The finger Loop is used to hold the counter, the lever is used to count the number of balls bowled and the knob is used to reset these numbers. These counters have only one display. In order to record six deliveries, umpires press the lever six times. It now displays the number of balls being bowled. To record an over, umpires click the same lever four times which now shows that an over has been bowled.

1^st  ball      :     0001      (Over 0.1)

2^nd  ball    :     0002     (Over 0.2)

3^rd   ball    :     0003     (Over 0.3)

.

.

6^th  ball     :     0006

1 over         :     0010     (Over 1.0)

Similarly, for the second over, Umpire will press the lever six times for the six deliveries and in order to record the second over they would have to press the lever four times which now displays 0020 which means two overs have been bowled.

7^th   ball     :     0011      (Over 1.1)

 8^th  ball     :     0012     (Over 1.2)

 9^th  ball     :     0013     (Over 1.3)

.

.

12^th ball     :     0016

2 overs       :     0020     (Over 2.0)

This counter has got four units- the first unit will always be used for ball Counting and the rest of the units will be used to record the number of overs. Without help of any external energy source (eg: battery), this counter has intrinsically mechanical structure, displaying four digits accurately. To reset the readings, umpire Only rotates the knob in clockwise direction. Nowadays, this counter is rarely used in international cricket. However it is used widely at local level cricket as it is cheap. Apart from cricket it has wide application for any occasion which demands a counter such as Sports Coaching, Knitting, Crocheting, Children Education, Fishing, Events, Warehouse, Sheep Counting, School & Office, etc.

3. Umpire's Counter: This counter allows umpires to keep track of the number of deliveries, the number of overs and the wickets unlike the hand tally counter.

There are very few moments that stick in the minds of football fans. No matter how big an event they may easily forget, but the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final between France and Italy on July 9, 2006, held at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, is universally accepted as an immortal moment in the world of football history. This event revolves around the then captain of the France national football team, Zinedine Zidane, which overshadowed other moments of that historic match. After this day, if someone mentions the name of the legendary French midfielder and captain Zinedine Zidane, he will certainly not end the conversation without mentioning this moment in history.

During the scheduled 90 minutes of the match, both teams tied 1:1 and as the final whistle of the extra time was approaching, the audience's heart rate was also increasing. At that time, the tension in Berlin's Olympiastadion reached a fever pitch. Zidane, who once announced his retirement from the national team, returned to the World Cup, displaying his best skills in the tournament, leading France to the final with a mixture of elegance and determination. However, fate took an unexpected turn in the 110th minute of the final match when Zidane hit Italian defender Marco Materazzi with his skinhead on the chest.

Image Source: theguardian.com

 Watch video of Zidane's headbutt on Materazzi

The incident, now immortalized, saw Zidane headbutt Materazzi, resulting in Zidane being shown a red card and an abrupt end to his illustrious career on the grandest stage like the World Cup. Zidane's brilliant career came to an abrupt end. It was a painful moment for French fans and fans of the beautiful game, as they witnessed the unexpected departure of a footballing maestro.

Following the conclusion of that final match, then French President Jacques Chirac uttered words that resonated with Zidane's spirit. Chirac praised Zidane as "a man of heart and faith" and emphasized the emotional connection Zidane had built with the French people over the years. Aside from the infamous headbutt, Chirac acknowledged the broader story of Zidane's career, giving a broader narrative of extraordinary skill, leadership, and commitment to his team and country. Zidane's journey from the streets of Marseille to the pinnacle of world football is a story of resilience and triumph. His ability to transcend the sport and become the epitome of French footballing prowess is a testament to his exceptional talent and charismatic leadership.

The 2006 World Cup final may be remembered for the moment of controversy, but this moment alone should not overshadow the brilliance that Zidane brought to the table through the beautiful game. His legacy extends far beyond this headbutt incident, encompassing his storied career as well as leaving an indelible mark on football history.

Finally, despite Zidane's behavior on the pitch during the World Cup finals is controversial, it adds complexity to his narrative. He will remain as "a man of heart and conviction" behind not only his success but also the human elements that define his journey. Zinedine Zidane is a shining star in the world of football whose legacy transcends the limits of victory and defeat and his extraordinary contributions to the game are forever etched in the hearts of all sports lovers.

On 10 July, 2006, some general citizens roaming at Paris were asked question about the performances of France in final of world cup 2006, to which they gave following opinions:

1. "As for Zidane's send off, it is a shame that it ends like that, but he is a human being. He must be an example for the youth and all, but I wasn't that shocked, if the other player really pushed him around and annoyed him, there's no problem."

3. "They did their best. It was a very nice game anyway. It is a stroke of luck for the Italians. It's more about chance than anything else."

4. "I think Zidane did not behave very well, it is a shame, but it is our cousins who won after all."

5. "I was sad regarding Zidane's gesture because I know he is very unhappy about it. I'm sad for him. Apparently the Italian did something. He must have insulted him or said something serious. That's why Zidane reacted accordingly. It's unusual for him to react like that. We all know Zidane, he's the coolest guy in the world, as everybody says. It's a pity!"

For many French fans, Zinedine Zidane's head-butt in the 2006 World Cup final left a lasting impact, overshadowing the disappointment of France's loss and tarnishing his iconic career. But, when France national football team returned back to Paris at 10 July 2006, the crowd screamed wildly for Zidane.  Jacques Chirac said, in his speech at the Elysee Palace, where he received the team, "By bringing France to the final for the second time in eight years you gave us enormous honour and enormous pride." Fans waiting at the airport to greet the team were asked about Zidane's behaviour, to which fans replied:

1. "(We are here) to support them and tell them thank you for exciting us for a whole month, for making us dream, because we never thought we would get to the final. We were living it day after day, especially after the first round, we were living it day after day, it was a dream."

2. "Zizou is the best, and I think he is going to apologize with such a gesture, with all the pressure he had, it wasn't right, but I don't know what happened, what was said. In any case he is a great player."

3. "I really hope that he (Zidane) is going to explain himself in front of the cameras but it does not seem that will be the case to explain his gesture, because in France he represents today's youth. It is important for the young people to understand what happened, that it's not right."

In a nutshell, disheartened supporters paid homage to the retiring French captain Zinedine Zidane and refrained from placing blame on him for their team's loss in the World Cup final against Italy. Despite being sent off for head-butting an opponent, fans chose to honor his contributions instead of criticizing his actions.

—   Omnath Pokharel

For the video where fans shared their feelings (Including Reference Image which is actually screengrabs from following videos) :  

1.Reaction from Paris the day after France's WCup final defeat

2. Reaction from then President Jacques René Chirac the day after France's WCup final defeat