Sad, 27 year old prodigy announces retirement !!!!!

 

Are you a Cricket fan ! – follow CSK and were upset when a soon to be 44 bit the dust of a very unlikely delivery.  Thala MSD made 12 ball 27 and churned hopes but a low full toss a mile outside leg, was hit straight to Chahal at short fineleg, who gobbled it up in two attempts.  !!! No post on CSK sinking  or on MS Dhoni but sentimental support to a young Cricketer who at 27 has called it a day !! Sad !!! 

He is quoted as saying – ‘Things didn’t leave me’:  born in Malvern, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. His father, Ján  had emigrated to Australia as a child from Serbia, has Czechoslovakian roots. Ján also played cricket, as a fast bowler, and was regarded as a "Caulfield legend". The Young Prodigy was awarded a sponsorship by bat manufacturer Kookaburra when he was still playing under 12s, making him the second youngest Australian after the great Ricky Ponting to be signed by the company. The parallels with Ponting continued as he rose through the junior ranks, there were even annual rumours in Melbourne cricket circles of Ponting sightings at his  matches. 

At the under 19 national carnival, he  officially announced himself as a star of the future by peeling off four consecutive centuries as he broke the tournament runs record with a tally of 650 from eight innings. Later that summer, he made his debut for Victoria in Sheffield Shield cricket and early the following season, he became the second ever Victorian, after the great Dean Jones, to smash a double century against Western Australia at the WACA. His unbeaten 243 also made him just the ninth player to score a Shield double hundred before their 21st birthday.

 

On 4th Mar 2018,  I had posted on this batsman .. ..  about the injury sustained by  Victorian batsman Will Pucovski in a  Sheffield Shield match against New South Wales after being hit on the head by a delivery from a fast bowler, who too  made headlines.  Pucovski had to be helped from the field after he was felled by a bouncer on day two of the match at the Junction Oval. The 20-year-old (then)  ducked into a short ball from  Sean Abbott and was struck on the side of the helmet, before kneeling on the ground. The bowler and other NSW players quickly went to his aid and signalled to the dressing room for help. Pucovski walked off the oval with assistance a few minutes later, retiring hurt on 4.   

Injuries on Cricket field are nothing new ~  way back in 1975, when Lankans were minnows in World Cup -   Australians piled on 328 for 5. In reply, Sri Lanka reached 150 for 2 in the 32nd  over, up with the clock and fighting hard. Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson wanted to be different when they could not dislodge the wickets ! - Sunil Wettimuny and Duleep Mendis were repeatedly struck on the body, with Thomson, steaming in from the Pavilion End, causing the most damage. Both batsmen were hit, but Mendis was laid out by a ball Alan Gibson in the Times described as "not a bouncer but a short ball aimed at the body".  The noise grew in Thomson's next over when he floored Wettimuny, who had already been hit sickening blows on the legs and body.   

For India at Sabina Park 1976 was more nastier experience ! ~ the bloodbath.   Five Indian batsmen were absent hurt in the second innings.   Michael Holding and Wayne Daniel were in the super-fast category, while Bernard Julien and Van Holder weren't far behind.  Aunshuman Gaekwad was hit on the left ear and spent two nights in hospital, while Brijesh Patel had stitches after being hit in the mouth (remember that these were pre-helmet days). Neither of them played any further part in the match - and neither did Gundappa Viswanath, who was caught off a ball which broke a finger of his right hand. Bishan Bedi, India's captain, declared before he and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar - two of Test cricket's worst batsmen - had to face the music. All 17 members of India's touring party fielded at some stage during the match - and one of the substitutes, Surinder Amarnath, was carted off to hospital during the game for an appendix operation. West Indies won the match by ten wickets, and won the series 2-1.  

On Monday, February 1, 2021 – down under, the 3^rd Test got underway at Sydney - debutants being Navdeep Saini and William Jan Pucovski .. .. the man who played well in that Test has retired from all Cricket today at age 27, having just that solitary test for his Nation.  He made a promising 62 opening the batting to confirm he was an international star of the future for Australia, but a string of concussions continued to hamper his progress.  

Last year, a medical panel recommended the 27-year-old retire. “I’m not going to be playing cricket again. It’s been a really difficult year to put it as simply as possible. The simple message is, I won’t be playing at any level again,” Pucovski said on SEN’s Whateley.  “It had always been my dream to play for Australia, I found myself in that position in 2021. My ambition didn’t stop there. I wanted to be that guy that was a leader of the batting unit. I wanted to play 100 Tests. “Unfortunately, one Test is where it ends.”  

Pucovski will not be lost to the game however, as he was also announced as the new men’s head coach of Melbourne Cricket Club, who he played Victorian Premier Cricket for from the age of 12.  Sadly, he has plagued by concussions on the field.  “In the couple of months post that (last concussion) I struggled to get anything done, walking around the house was a struggle,” Pucovski said. “From there it’s been a tough year, a lot of the symptoms didn’t go away which has led me to this decision. The first few months were horrendous, but things didn’t leave me. “I’ve only just turned 27, the space of concussion is very young. Speaking to a lot of specialists, this is a difficult space to deal with. “The technology isn’t quite there to understand what is what. When you have symptoms for over a year and I’ve had others for numerous years, it can be quite difficult to see how can I get out to play professional sport again when I’m struggling to live my life how I want to.”  

A few years earlier,  he shocked the Australian cricket community shortly after by taking a mental health break. Pucovski’s mental health issues were connected with his concussion woes, that began when he was tackled into another player’s knee while playing school football. The concussion incidents continued to mount. He was hit in the nets at Melbourne Cricket Club training by former Victoria and New South Wales quick Chris Tremain. NSW and Australian white ball fast bowler Sean Abbott also hit him with a bouncer in a Shield game, but the head knocks were taking place in other ways too. He slipped in the shower and hit his head on the shower door, a volleyball hit his head during a warm up game on the morning of a Shield match and he also hit his head diving the field while playing for Victoria.  

In several interviews in recent times, Pucovski opened up on how his body would essentially shut down in panic in each of the incidents.  He kept coming back however and consecutive double centuries against South Australia and Western Australia in October 2020 after moving to the top of Victoria’s order after having typically been a first drop, earned him his Test debut.  He was likely to debut in the series opener in Adelaide, but was felled by Indian quick Mohammed Siraj playing a lead up game for Australia A.  Pucovski’s much-anticipated first stanza in Test cricket had to wait until the third Test in Sydney, and after that is where it stopped.  

The following summer, he suffered another concussion blow while batting Victoria and then in October 2022, he took indefinite leave from the sport. He returned to the Victorian line-up during the 2023/24 summer and appeared to be heading towards a national recall with a century against a NSW attack that included Nathan Lyon, Tremain and Jackson Bird. But the next game, is career ended as he was struck by a bouncer from Tasmanian speedster Riley Meredith, his 13th reported concussion.  

Pucvoski retires with 2350 first class runs at an average of 45.19, including seven hundreds and nine fifties, and goes down as one of Australian cricket’s great what if stories. He played one Test match as the 460th cap for Australia, scoring a half-century 62 in his debut innings in 2021 against India and 10 in the second, before he suffered a shoulder injury whilst fielding that prevented further Test appearances.  The  13 known concussion injuries during his career along with mental health issues have put an end to his Cricketing career at age 27.   An independent medical panel was convened to assess Pucovski's future last year after the number of concussions that he had in his sporting career were estimated in the mid-teens dating back to his first head knock while playing Australian rules football as a teenager. That panel recommended Pucovski retire from the game although he took some time to make a decision while there has also been an negotiations with Cricket Australia on his contract, insurance and potential lost earnings which have yet to be concluded.  

It makes a very sad reading indeed.  Dear Will Pucovski – feeling very sad for you.  All the best in life Bro.  Stand brave !! – you are surely an achiver.

 
Regards – S. Sampathkumar
8.4.2025

Tariff mayhem ! ~ Insurance relevance

International Markets on edge as Trump and China exchange Tariff threats – is the global headline of the day !!  Tariff – what  !! – is that good or bad could be the natural Q but one must add – good for whom ??  tariff mayhem has undoubtedly stirred chaos across the globe. With a day left before they are imposed, a series of conflicts are emerging, ranging from a trade war to war of words. 

The word Tariff could mean many things – primarily it is a tax that is levied – it could also mean a list of prices ! (as Insurers we are more familiar with this usage of Tariff) 

Not long ago, there were Tariff for every class of business (most Tariffed and some non-Tariff) – Motor, Fire, Workmen Compensation, Marine Hull, Marine Cargo, Personal Accident and more were tariff governed.  In olden days, life of Motor Insurer was spent more on reading and interpreting the provisions of “AIMT” -  wonder what ? – All India Motor Tariff, the ultimate smrithi handed by Tariff Advisory Committee laying down rules, regulations, rates, terms and conditions in accordance with the provisions of part IIB of Insurance Act 1938.  The AIMT was revised from time to time – remember the big black book, it undergoing revisions in 1989 and present one coming into vogue since  30^th June 2002. (likely that you had not joined Insurance industry by these dates !)   

Then there was the more challenging ‘Fire Tariff’ - Indian market now predominantly follows the “All India Fire Tariff” effective 2001. The Tariff has been subjected to revisions and amendments from time to time. During 1980s, the Fire Tariff presented bewildering demonic proportions being of big volume and too difficult even for the Insurers. During those days, there were restrictions of ‘night work’, usage of petrol / flammable material, material in open and for each of these there were restrictions by way of warranties and additional premium. The Tariff was largely simplified and released with a new look effective April 1987 when there were three variants Fire Policy A, B & C.  

Moving away from Insurance, a  tariff is a duty (a tax) imposed by a national government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports (or, exceptionally, exports) of goods. Besides being a source of revenue, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and policy that burden foreign products to encourage or safeguard domestic industry. 'Protective tariffs' are among the most widely used instruments of protectionism, along with import quotas and export quotas and other non-tariff barriers to trade. 

US tariffs are taxes imposed by the US government on imported goods from other countries. They're used to regulate international trade, protect domestic industries, and generate revenue. Some countries have preferential tariff rates due to free trade agreements (FTAs) with the US. These agreements reduce or eliminate tariffs on certain goods, making them more competitive in the market. 

First start reading what Donald Trump earlier said :  ‘ There is no lipstick that can make the pig that is tariffs ‘beautiful’!!    The defensible case for tariffs is if not present, such things would  diminish the ability of the domestic economy to produce items essential for the national defense or to preserve national security.  Another  is - the industry to be protected is of potentially enormous national value because the broad benefits of its growth would far exceed the cost of the tariffs. 

Tariffs have come to stay and would remain forever !!  -  China’s government says it will “fight to the end” if the US continues to escalate the trade war, after Donald Trump threatened huge additional tariffs in response to China’s retaliatory measures.  On Tuesday, China’s commerce ministry accused the US of “blackmail” and said the US president’s threats of additional 50% tariffs if Beijing did not reverse its own 34% reciprocal tariff were a “mistake on top of a mistake”.  It vowed to “resolutely take countermeasures”, adding: “China will fight to the end if the US side is bent on going down the wrong path.” 

Asian markets appeared to improve slightly in early trading, a day after torrid day on the global markets that prompted the billionaire investor Bill Ackman, one of the US president’s backers in the 2024 race for the White House, to call for a moratorium. 

Tuesday’s response from Beijing is the latest in a worsening tit-for-tat between the two countries. Last week Trump announced a swathe of tariffs ranging from 10%-50% against US trading partners to come into effect.  He placed a 34% tariff on imports from China – in addition to a previous 20% levy. Beijing then retaliated with a reciprocal 34% tariff on all US imports. That prompted Trump on Monday to threaten an additional 50% tariff on to Chinese imports if Beijing did not reverse theirs. 

“If China does not withdraw its 34% increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose additional tariffs on China of 50%, effective April 9th,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Additionally, all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated!” 

Taiwan’s foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, has said it can have negotiations with the US at any time over tariffs, as the island’s stock market steadied after plunging on Monday. Taiwan – a major semiconductor producer – was singled out by Donald Trump as among the US trading partners with one of the highest trade surpluses with the country and was hit with a 32% duty.   Taiwan’s benchmark stock index, which logged its worst fall ever on Monday, down almost 10%, fell another 4% on Tuesday morning to its lowest level in 14 months. Shares in TSMC , the world’s largest contract chipmaker, dropped around 4%. 

Back home, Indian stock market too turned very volatile - as Indian equity markets panic turn and exporters brace for US President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs to kick in, the question is - will it be as harsh as feared? Regardless of gloom forecasters, pragmatism is the key.   

The worst impact could be  felt by the electronics, gems, and jewellery sectors, experts fear. But that impact will be limited and short-term because of the country's moderate share in global exports. The impact of the tariffs on competing economies is another aspect that may end up benefiting India, sources said. India is negotiating with seven countries for a free trade agreement and trade talks will soon begin with Bahrain and Qatar, sources pointed out, suggesting that such deals would resolve the tariff tangle. New Delhi will also find new markets for its marine and jewellery products and other sectors impacted by the tariffs, they said. 

India's share in global exports has doubled between 2005 and 2023. It stood at 2.4 per cent in 2023, according to a report by the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The share of merchandise exports was 1.8 per cent and that of services export was 4.3 per cent.   Higher tariffs may put Vietnam and Thailand on the back foot and India - with initiatives like the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme - may help the domestic electronics manufacturers better position themselves in the global markets, it is stated.

 

In life, one needs abundance of wealth, food !!  -  even when leaves fall and Tree has nothing there could be fruits aplenty just as this squirrel discovered on this papal tree.  For Insurers, Tariff regime was good – when it was withdrawn, it was mayhem and prices fell down the abysmal levels (so also the claim ratio getting berserk)

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
8.4.2025 

White Sanku Pushpam & sawfly

 

 

Nature has its wonders !  .. .. there are so many species – all surviving with some green cover.  Here is one found on a sangu pushpam (Clitoria Ternatea)

Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones.

Regards - S Sampathkumar

6.4.2025

fish school !!

In a meeting of people, there was cacophony – everyone was shouting their thoughts !!  then there was this school, in Unison and harmony !!

 

I realized a bit late that – ‘do you like fish’ can have different meaning depending on the person to whom it is posed !   Are you attracted to ‘fish’ as pets ? – have you raised aquarium at home ?? – it is stated that  smaller fish have shorter lives. Some have less than a year ! It is  so enchanting looking at fish swimming whether in a pond or in an aquarium.  Fish keeping is a popular hobby which sure would provide one  lot of mental peace and tranquility. 

In a pond – where water is clean and there is no disturbance, one could observe large school of fish moving in unison, in so well coordinated pattern, moving together as if under radio control, performing movements both simple and complicated. Schools turn, contract, expand, even part and come back together all without missing a beat. When a Cormorant or some other predatory bird lands in the water, the fish contract and then billow in fractions of a second, changing shape and pattern. This split-second teamwork isn't just entrancing—it's a matter of survival for the fish. Swimming together helps them evade hungry predators, spot rich feeding areas, find mates, and even makes swimming easier by letting them slip through the water using less energy. Scientists are so fascinated by how fish work together that they're using their findings to unlock mysteries beyond the ocean—from how our brains work to how crowds of people make decisions together. 

Fishes swim by using their streamlined bodies and fins to move through the water, with the tail fin providing the primary thrust and other fins aiding in steering and stability.  Fish primarily propel themselves through water by contracting muscles on either side of their bodies, generating waves of flexion that travel from head to tail.  

Schooling saves the fish energy — lots of energy.  Sometimes they move slowly and gracefully. Other times, they will dart quickly in one direction, then another. How do hundreds  of fish move together as fluidly as dancers, knowing when to turn or react to danger in an instant? Fish have a superpower for sensing their underwater world: a line of special cells along their bodies that feel pressure changes, called the lateral line.  Fish use their lateral line to maintain the perfect distance from their neighbours -- a “sweet spot” where they can sense each other’s movements without bumping into one another. This spacing allows them to conserve energy through a behavioral rule, “vortex phase matching,” which lets them ride the water swirls created by nearby fish, similar to how geese fly in formation or cyclists draft behind one another in races to reduce drag.  

The lateral line works differently depending on the situation. Scientists discovered this by conducting experiments that blocked certain senses. Even without their lateral line, fish could still swim together by using their eyesight. But in dark, crowded waters, fish could only coordinate with their closest neighbors and had trouble staying in formation with fish that were farther away. Both vision and the lateral line play an important role in schooling.

 
Interesting !
 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
6.4.2025