2 minute readThe more we think about it, the more these two things go hand-in-hand. The situation was this. Nathan Hauritz got the boot because he got wellied in India like just about every other spinner who ever goes over there. Demented selections ensued. Maybe Hauritz offended Ricky Ponting by suggesting that
Continue readingCategory: Australia
Australia’s Ashes team – an English perspective on what went wrong
< 1 minute readAs an Englishman in his thirties, there’s nothing we don’t know about pointing out a team’s flaws after it’s failed to win the Ashes. Might as well put our skills to more joyous use this year. Today, captaincy and spin bowling. Tomorrow, batting and pace bowling.
Continue readingRicky Ponting talking to the umpires
< 1 minute readWhinging Poms? Has the world ever seen a whingier cricketer than Ricky Thomas Ponting? Sport needs a bit of ‘us and them’ so that you can enjoy it properly, so it was perversely enjoyable to see Ponting spend three-quarters of an hour bending Aleem Dar’s ear. As he stamped his
Continue readingWishing Ricky Ponting’s finger all the best
< 1 minute readThis is a slightly weird feeling, but we really want Ricky Ponting to play at the MCG. Much as we want England to win easily, beating a side captained by Michael Clarke just wouldn’t be right. Ricky Ponting is the most significant player on either side and it brings the
Continue readingAustralia could get better or they could get worse
< 1 minute readDon’t come to this website if you don’t prefer inconclusive grey to black or white certainty. Australia’s batting could certainly get better. At the minute, England will feel like dismissing Mike Hussey for under 50 would win them the series, so there’s room for improvement there from Australia’s perspective. Their
Continue readingWhy does Shane Watson always get out in the 90s?
< 1 minute readWhy DOESN’T Shane Watson always get out in the 90s? Would it be unfair to suggest that for some players personal milestones bring more pressure because the player in question is – how shall we put this – massively self-involved with an overinflated sense of their own importance? It is
Continue readingNever feel sorry for Australia
< 1 minute readThere are some English people who have had sympathy for Australia during the first half of this Ashes series. We won’t hesitate to call these people idiots. Imagine being hunted by a carcharodontosaurus and then when you’ve somehow managed to trap it after spending 20 years digging an absolutely enormous
Continue readingTips for fast bowling
< 1 minute readOne, befriend Troy Cooley. Two, hang out with him for a week. Last week, we said that Cooley didn’t seem to have done a lot for Australia’s bowlers. We partly retract that. Overall, they’ve had a pretty woeful series, but to teach Mitchell Johnson how to swing a cricket ball
Continue readingAustralia’s implosion – it’s not the players, it’s the situation
< 1 minute readAustralia have brought in four players and nothing has changed. This series could serve as a case study for sporting depression and panic. Rational decision-making has gone out the window at every level, from selectors down to players and it’s formed a vicious circle. Players aren’t sure of their places
Continue readingPhillip Hughes and the short ball
< 1 minute readAn opening batsman who averages over 50 in Test and first-class cricket has not been ‘found out’ if he makes a right royal hash of a couple of short balls. Phillip Hughes had three Test innings in England in 2009 and got dropped. Had Don Bradman been found out in
Continue reading