About the Book

Book: STUMPED: Life Behind and Beyond the 22 Yards

Author:  SYED KIRMANI

Publisher: Penguin

Price: Rs 599

“Stumped: Life Behind and Beyond the Twenty-Two Yards” offers an insightful look into Kirmani’s life, struggles and cricketing journey, writes KUMAR CHELLAPPAN

Thalassery, a small town in Kerala’s Kannur district, is known as the land of three Cs: Cake, Circus and Cricket. It is said that cricket made its first appearance in Thalassery in the 1830s, making the town the cradle of Kerala cricket. The game was introduced in Thalassery by Sir Arthur Wellesley, who led a military campaign to Malabar to defeat the Islamic aggressors and Pazhasi Raja, the monarch of the kingdom who had challenged the East India Company (EIC) for imposing heavy taxes on the people.

Wellesley’s mission was to subdue Pazhasi Raja, who had incited the local population to resist cooperation with the EIC and refuse to pay the arbitrarily imposed taxes. To keep his soldiers engaged, Wellesley introduced the game of cricket at the military station. He also included players from the local population to build trust. Although cricket was considered a game of royalty, Wellesley recruited washermen, porters, rickshaw pullers, and others from the working class.

The local players exceeded expectations, excelling in all aspects of the game. Talented batsmen, bowlers, and fielders emerged, and some quickly gained prominence. Notable players like Aboobaker, Ahmed and Kunjipakki became local legends. Aboobaker was famously nicknamed Anson Aboobaker for his batting style, which resembled Geoffrey Anson’s, while Kunjipakki earned the title Sixer Kunjipakki for his crowd-pleasing sixes.

Records of Kunjipakki and Aboobaker’s performances, chronicled in scorebooks imported from England, are preserved in the Arakkal Home, the ancestral house of the chieftain. This home, with its panoramic view of the maidan, houses a collection of cricket memorabilia from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Ernest Cowdrey, father of British cricketer Colin Cowdrey, regularly represented the English team at the Thalassery maidan. Old-timers fondly recall the golden era of cricket in Thalassery, when players’ names became part of local folklore.

The tradition of naming players after cricketing icons persisted. At Sree Sankara College, Kalady, Ramakrishna Iyer, a wicketkeeper-batsman, was nicknamed Kirmani Ramakrishnan for emulating SMH Kirmani, India’s renowned wicketkeeper. Kirmani was honoured with the Best Wicketkeeper in the World award after the 1983 World Cup, a recognition yet unmatched.

Despite his exceptional performance, Kirmani was often dropped from the national team for reasons known only to selectors. His eventful career, spanning nearly four decades, is documented in his memoir, STUMPED: Life Behind and Beyond the Twenty-Two Yards. Co-written with Debashish Sengupta and Dakshesh Pathak, the memoir includes articles by cricket writers and highlights Kirmani’s contributions to the game.

Cricket, once a status symbol for the elite, became a sport for the masses with players like Kirmani, Kapil Dev and Balwinder Singh Sandhu. Before their rise, the game was dominated by royals like M. A. K. Pataudi and Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In the 1970s, cricket coaching was a privilege, but players like Kirmani, born into a lower-middle-class family, worked tirelessly to succeed. Kirmani’s determination and resourcefulness, using bricks as wicketkeeper’s gloves in his school days - echo the humble beginnings of sports legends like Pele.

Kirmani’s memoir recounts his inspiration from England’s wicketkeeper Alan Knott and his experiences keeping wickets for unpredictable bowlers like Chandrasekhar, E. A. S. Prasanna and Bishan Singh Bedi. Despite his dedication, Kirmani was undervalued. While other players received `1 crore for benefit matches, Kirmani was allocated a mere `25 lakh, a glaring injustice.

Announcing his retirement from first-class cricket with sorrow, Kirmani criticised the selectors’ inability to appreciate talent. However, he remains a beloved figure in Indian cricket history, celebrated for popularising the game and his unparalleled skill as a wicketkeeper.

The only drawback in STUMPED is the occasional typos and grammatical errors, which detract from the reading experience. Penguin, the publishers, could have ensured a more polished presentation.