Sports Quote Book: Diego Maradona, Chris Cairns, Virender Sehwag and Others

Ben Cutting, Diego Maradona, Manolo Santana, Chris Cairns and Virender Sehwag enthrall us with juicy sound bites in this edition of What They Said, Really Meant and Definitely Did Not.

Cutting finds his Australian Test debut in jeopardy.

Maradona is nasty, as ever, to Pele.

Santana is already celebrating a Spanish Davis Cup victory.

Cairns wants Ricky Ponting to retire to the elephants' graveyard.

And Sehwag professes helplessness dealing with tail-enders.

Ben Cutting Cannot Find Much Luck in the Corner Stores

What he said:

“If you could buy luck in a corner store, I’d throw my life savings at it.”

Ben Cutting, the young Aussie paceman, is cut up about his side strain that effectively ended his chances of playing the second Test against New Zealand in Hobart.

What he really meant:

“Good fortune, like gold and oil, is in short supply—even more so for pace bowlers.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I wonder what the odds are on my recovery at Ladbrokes?”

Diego Maradona Has Unwelcome Medical Advice for Pele

What he said:

"It seems Pele took the wrong medication."

Diego Maradona takes issue with Pele’s remarks that Brazilian teenager Neymar is as good as Maradona or Lionel Messi.

In an interview with ‘Programa do Jô‘ on Globo, Pele said (via SambaFoot):

"

They talk about Maradona and Messi, but we have Neymar—he is a great talent to have.

Santos is a factory of stars, creating several players without spending anything. It is a lucky team.

"

Pele advised the Santos forward to become smarter and stronger on the pitch.

"

It’s not about fighting back, it is about learning to defend himself.

He is very skilled, he is the best player on the team, so of course will be marked. He has to learn to defend himself.

"

Maradona, reacting to Pele’s comments, said (via Times Of India):

"

Instead of taking his night pill, he took the morning pill. He got confused and didn’t know what he was talking about …I suggest next time he take the right pills before making any suggestions and that he should change his doctor.

"

What he really meant:

“If I’m not the greatest footballer ever, it must be Messi. Anything else is heresy.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I know exactly what to do about "foot-in-the-mouth" syndrome. It’s my bete noire. ”

Manolo Santana Skates over Argentinean Davis Cup Hopes

What he said (via Tennis.com):

“We are superior on clay, grass, hard courts and, if necessary, even on roller skates.”

Spanish tennis great Manolo Santana holds out no hope for Argentina when they face Spain in the year-ending Davis Cup final beginning December 2, 2011.

Rafael Nadal leads the home surge to the team title.

Santana said:

"

From zero to 10, I would give Argentina a two to win Davis Cup, and that’s being nice. Spain is clearly superior to Argentina. We are playing at home with a large audience. We are superior on clay, grass, hard courts and, if necessary, even on roller skates. I am optimistic. I think they will win 4-1 or 3-2, unless something unforeseen happens.

"

The Argentineans will rely on magic from Juan Martin Del Potro and David Nalbandian to pull off an upset.

Speaking to Yahoo! Euro Sports, Sanatana wrote off Del Potro’s chances, saying, “I think Rafa today is far superior to Del Potro. Del Potro went a long time without playing. In Valencia, where I saw him play, he wasn’t very accurate. I don’t believe he’s going to arrive in perfect form.”

What he really meant:

“Mano a mano, we’re better and we’ll roll over them—come what may.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“It’s Davis Cup. Anything can happen, anytime.”

Chris Cairns Is Elephantine in His Pronouncements

What he said (via Sydney Morning Herald):

“And there’s an elephant in the room at the moment in Ricky Ponting that nobody is really addressing.”

Chris Cairns begins the mind games prior to Australia’s tour of New Zealand.

The Kiwi all-rounder believes that Ricky Ponting’s shelf life has neared its expiration date and called for his retirement.

Cairns said:

"

I don’t think you can have two years averaging 27 as a No. 3. I think it’s his time. And when you look at the likes of Mark Taylor, [Ian] Healy, Mark Waugh—they were told it was their time. And there’s an elephant in the room at the moment in Ricky Ponting that nobody is really addressing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got the utmost respect for Ricky Ponting, but there’s a time and a place. And for me, his time and place is Hobart in the second Test against New Zealand. That’s to say, ‘'Thanks very much'’.

"

Australian selectors have been kind to Ricky Ponting in comparison to his predecessors, none of whom were retained.

Cairns said:

"

And whilst [the Ponting saga] continues on, the media circus will go with it and the guys will just be surrounded by that talk instead of just getting on and playing cricket.

Absolutely [Cricket Australia are avoiding the tough decisions]. They’ve allowed Ricky to keep going because of his stature in the game and who he is. But why should he have to make the call? At the end of the day, for me, Australia has always been about the team and what’s best. He is behind Bradman, Australia’s greatest batsman, so they’re managing it. But I just think it’s an elephant in the room. I really do. Australia has got rebuilding to do.

 

"

What he really meant:

“Australia have one captain too many in the dressing room—a non-performing one to boot. They all know what needs to be done. The question is who’s going to bell the cat?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Ricky Ponting has to be nursed along much like Sachin Tendulkar. Treat him with kid gloves.”

Virender Sehwag Advises Against Advising Tail-Enders

What he said (via Times Of India):

“Whatever you tell No. 10 or No. 11, they always do what they want to do.”

Virender Sehwag is one relieved skipper.

Batting minnows, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav knocked off the required 11 runs to secure victory in the first ODI against West Indies at  Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.

Prior to the ODI series, the third Test match between the two sides ended in a thrilling draw with the scores tied. Then too, it was left to the tail-enders to complete the job.

Sehwag said:

"

I was sitting in the same place and not moving! It’s good to win another nail-biter. Whatever you tell No. 10 or No. 11, they always do what they want to do. I just told them to play till the end and whatever happens is fine. Rohit and Jadeja batted really well in that partnership and we should have won it easily from there, but still good to end up winning. We hope to learn from our batting mistakes in the coming games.

"

Darren Sammy was the disappointed captain—again.

Sammy said:

"

Everytime you lose it is quite disappointing. We just didn’t have the last spark to take us past the finish line. The opening bowlers did well to give us a start and we fought all the way to the end, but it wasn’t enough. We could have done things differently, we even bowled 23 extras, but I would like to commend the boys. They fought with never-say-die spirit and it is going to stick.

 

"

What he really meant:

“When tail-enders bat, they do what they want to and don’t want to, too.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Isn’t cricket a game of glorious uncertainties? So what if I’m missing fingernails?”