< 1 minute readIn 2006, we started writing about how Matthew Hayden spoke bollocks. At that point, his batting drew most people’s attention and it hadn’t been widely acknowledged that the man was sucking all meaning out of words and then piling them together arbitrarily. Now everyone has noticed. Even Michael Atherton’s slagging
Continue readingCategory: Australia
Australia have found the new Warne
< 1 minute readSouth Australia off-spinner, Nathan Lyon, has been called up to the Australia Test squad after just four first-class matches. Can we be the first to brand him ‘the next Shane Warne’? You have to get that in early with your Aussie spinners these days, what with the rapid turnover and
Continue readingTendulkar has been better than Bradman
2 minute readOver at The Cricketer, John Emburey has made the point that Sachin Tendulkar has been tested in ways that Bradman wasn’t. It’s a fair point. Different eras In Ed Smith’s damn fine book, What Sport Tells Us About Life, there’s a whole chapter dedicated to Bradman’s average. Someone somewhere did
Continue readingSimon Katich dropped – the understated reaction
< 1 minute readThis is a quote from Australia’s federal defence minister, Stephen Smith. And yes, you read that job title correctly. “Well historically of course there have been a series of atrocities committed by the Australian Cricket Board or Cricket Australia or the Australian selectors against Western Australian cricketers but this one
Continue readingShane Watson is a batsman
< 1 minute readIf you want to be taken seriously as a batsman, one of the worst things you can do is bowl. Every team is desperate for all-rounders, but the label gets misapplied so much it tars those who actually warrant it. Shane Watson probably just about qualifies as an all-rounder –
Continue readingRicky Ponting is not Australia captain
< 1 minute readGetting a new Australia captain is like getting a new Doctor Who. It takes quite a while to get used to the new one because his face is all wrong. As a captain, Ricky Ponting was both hugely admirable and a world-class tool. A Ricky Ponting interview normally features lots
Continue readingShaun Tait retires from Twenty20 to prolong Super Over career
< 1 minute readAustralian fast bowler, Shaun Tait, has announced his retirement from Twenty20 cricket, saying that at the age of 28 he can no longer subject his body to the punishing two-over spells demanded of him. Tait said: “I’ve never really been the biggest fan of cricket and I just don’t know
Continue readingIndia beat Australia in the World Cup and everyone is happy
< 1 minute readIndia are through to a World Cup semi-final. Australia are out. Ricky Ponting’s proved his class with a hundred. Everyone’s happy. There are no losers in this situation. None whatsoever. No-one who matters is in any way disappointed with the events of today. It is one of those rare moments
Continue readingCricket World Cup storylines
< 1 minute readThe great thing about actual, proper tournaments is the way that narratives develop. Every remaining team already has a good story in place if they eventually go on to become World Champions. Pakistan – Would defy what was a catastrophic build-up to the tournament even by their standards. Being as
Continue readingAustralia’s World Cup winning streak bookended by losses to Pakistan
< 1 minute readAustralia lost in the World Cup yesterday. Turns out we were there last time that happened, at Headingley in 1999. That match featured one of the all-time great run-outs with Inzy taking a quick single in the time it took Moin Khan to run two. Nothing unusual in that, but
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