Friday is Ubercatch day...
This is a particularly ridiculous catch from the Twenty20 a couple of years ago...
Friday, December 08, 2006
No Gilo bashing here today oh no.
Now that one of the founding fathers of this almost invincible Australian squad has decided to hang up his boots, will it open the door through which many of the other players will follow?
Anything other than divine intervention will mean that Australia will regain the Ashes some 15 months after losing them in England. Of the Australian squad currently playing, Michael Clark is the only Oz to be aged under 30.
Martyn, who was a respected and senior member of the squad will be missed by this squad who have been together warts-and-all for almost a decade. His stumbling stuttering career has been littered with highlights and the last 2 years have seen Martyn play some of the best cricket of his career.
It seems though that Martyn decided to jump ship before he was pushed aside by the young colts who are snapping at the selectors heels. With most of this Australian squad aged well over 35, will the players decide that a brutal Ashes defeat over England is enough to hang their boots up with?
It is a hard call to make. McGrath and Warne are irreplacable, and Hayden and Gilchrist rank as some of the finest players in any era. A loss of even two of these players would change the complexion of the Aussie squad entirely.
It seems like the next person to go will be Justin Langer, a man who many have great admiration for. Many pressmen have ribbed him througout a career that has given the world one of the premier opening partnerships in history. He has always been playing in the shadows of the higher averaging, and higher scoring top order. The legacies of the likes of Ponting, the Waugh's and Hayden will overshadow a man who has scored more runs than Bradman, in a style that is frequently thrilling.
If Langer goes, then Hayden will surely be hot on his heels. After that, it may be difficult to stop the rot. In the meantime, let's celebrate Martyn's career, a man who could possibly be included in the top 10 most underated players of all time.
Anything other than divine intervention will mean that Australia will regain the Ashes some 15 months after losing them in England. Of the Australian squad currently playing, Michael Clark is the only Oz to be aged under 30.
Martyn, who was a respected and senior member of the squad will be missed by this squad who have been together warts-and-all for almost a decade. His stumbling stuttering career has been littered with highlights and the last 2 years have seen Martyn play some of the best cricket of his career.
It seems though that Martyn decided to jump ship before he was pushed aside by the young colts who are snapping at the selectors heels. With most of this Australian squad aged well over 35, will the players decide that a brutal Ashes defeat over England is enough to hang their boots up with?
It is a hard call to make. McGrath and Warne are irreplacable, and Hayden and Gilchrist rank as some of the finest players in any era. A loss of even two of these players would change the complexion of the Aussie squad entirely.
It seems like the next person to go will be Justin Langer, a man who many have great admiration for. Many pressmen have ribbed him througout a career that has given the world one of the premier opening partnerships in history. He has always been playing in the shadows of the higher averaging, and higher scoring top order. The legacies of the likes of Ponting, the Waugh's and Hayden will overshadow a man who has scored more runs than Bradman, in a style that is frequently thrilling.
If Langer goes, then Hayden will surely be hot on his heels. After that, it may be difficult to stop the rot. In the meantime, let's celebrate Martyn's career, a man who could possibly be included in the top 10 most underated players of all time.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Ash and the Ashes
More than most I have been the first on the soap box outwardly criticising Ashley Giles for his impotent performances in an England shirt.
After reading what has been said about the antiquated spinner, I can't help but feel that none of this is actually his fault.
The current debacle that England have played their full part in, is nothing to do with Ashley Giles' 20-odd batting average. Nor is it to do with Steve Harmison's bowling which is akin to the US Forces shooting accuracy.
It is all a matter of selection. Ashley Giles does not pick the England cricket squad. He might be an old hand, but he is not the man (or men) that composes the team-sheet.
Just because he is picked, it does not grant him a divine right to perform on a cricket pitch with either bat or ball. As Giles hasn't performed either of these tasks with any great aplomb, he has been hounded and vilified by the press and public - me included. But his selection is only like the selectors picking me instead of Monty. Anyone but Monty wouldn't have sufficed - rightly or wrongly.
Had Giles (or I) bowled well and performed in Australia then this debate would not have been happening, and the selectors would be laughing into their VB's, claiming the moral victory.
Giles has been a disaster though. With the Australian batsman playing him like a club pro, he offers little of the attacking threat or intent of our bearded friend. Perhaps Monty would have been ripped apart, but conversely he might have been the one doing the ripping.
It's about time the selector's stood up for themselves and justified their salaries and took two steps forward instead of one step back. I look forward to seeing an altered squad in a week's time... I'm not holding my breath though.
After reading what has been said about the antiquated spinner, I can't help but feel that none of this is actually his fault.
The current debacle that England have played their full part in, is nothing to do with Ashley Giles' 20-odd batting average. Nor is it to do with Steve Harmison's bowling which is akin to the US Forces shooting accuracy.
It is all a matter of selection. Ashley Giles does not pick the England cricket squad. He might be an old hand, but he is not the man (or men) that composes the team-sheet.
Just because he is picked, it does not grant him a divine right to perform on a cricket pitch with either bat or ball. As Giles hasn't performed either of these tasks with any great aplomb, he has been hounded and vilified by the press and public - me included. But his selection is only like the selectors picking me instead of Monty. Anyone but Monty wouldn't have sufficed - rightly or wrongly.
Had Giles (or I) bowled well and performed in Australia then this debate would not have been happening, and the selectors would be laughing into their VB's, claiming the moral victory.
Giles has been a disaster though. With the Australian batsman playing him like a club pro, he offers little of the attacking threat or intent of our bearded friend. Perhaps Monty would have been ripped apart, but conversely he might have been the one doing the ripping.
It's about time the selector's stood up for themselves and justified their salaries and took two steps forward instead of one step back. I look forward to seeing an altered squad in a week's time... I'm not holding my breath though.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
The Ashes 2006 - Gone up in flames.
England's demise on the final day of the Ashes test in Adelaide can be summed up in the way that Robert Muldoon - one of the keepers in Jurassic park - stands in the middle of the forest waiting to be gobbled by a raptor. The look of doom on his face is priceless. He knows what's coming.
Similarly England suffered from a similar dystrophy in the last couple of sessions of what will be seen in history as the defining moment of this years Ashes.
By not scoring 600 in the first innings, England offered Australia an emotional lifeline. Australia already knew that they could score well over that without being bowled out as they showed in The Gabba, and England's willingness to declare early, gave Australia the time and flexibility to score an amount of runs comparible to that of England.
With England starting already ahead by 40-odd runs, they should have had a prime position from which to build a score of around 200 in good time, leaving Australia a target on the final day that whilst not unreachable, would have meant a cricketing equivalent of a cavalry charge by the Light Brigade.
England are a team that are inspired and not bolstered by the intervention of Flintoff as captain. What he provides in bravado, he lacks in real leadership. Strauss being the calm, focussed man he is, would seem a more sensible successor to Vaughan's legacy.
This is a fractured England team, left battled-scarred after a year of injuries which has left them lame both physically and mentally.
The remnants of which is a skeleton squad living off the past glories when they were (albeit briefly) the second best team in the world.
Australia played terrifically well, and ol' Warner was just teasing England in the first innings at Adelaide, but the gloss of their win has been removed by the utter profligacy of England's batting attack in the second innings.
Giles in as an 8 eighth batsmen? Let's get the first seven right before we get too carried away Duncan.
Similarly England suffered from a similar dystrophy in the last couple of sessions of what will be seen in history as the defining moment of this years Ashes.
By not scoring 600 in the first innings, England offered Australia an emotional lifeline. Australia already knew that they could score well over that without being bowled out as they showed in The Gabba, and England's willingness to declare early, gave Australia the time and flexibility to score an amount of runs comparible to that of England.
With England starting already ahead by 40-odd runs, they should have had a prime position from which to build a score of around 200 in good time, leaving Australia a target on the final day that whilst not unreachable, would have meant a cricketing equivalent of a cavalry charge by the Light Brigade.
England are a team that are inspired and not bolstered by the intervention of Flintoff as captain. What he provides in bravado, he lacks in real leadership. Strauss being the calm, focussed man he is, would seem a more sensible successor to Vaughan's legacy.
This is a fractured England team, left battled-scarred after a year of injuries which has left them lame both physically and mentally.
The remnants of which is a skeleton squad living off the past glories when they were (albeit briefly) the second best team in the world.
Australia played terrifically well, and ol' Warner was just teasing England in the first innings at Adelaide, but the gloss of their win has been removed by the utter profligacy of England's batting attack in the second innings.
Giles in as an 8 eighth batsmen? Let's get the first seven right before we get too carried away Duncan.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Oh....... My ........ God.
What a shambles.
To capitulate to such an extent isn't anything new for this over-hyped and underwhelming England squad.
In the Trent Bridge test last summer England effectively did the same thing. Chasing 120-odd to win the game 'The Lions' tried to throw that away, and it was only due to the mettle of the lowest of low order batsmen that we survived.
The debacle of Brisbane and now Adelaide has shown not cracks in this makeshift England side, but huge seizmic fissures.
The decision to play both Anderson and Giles from the start proved that Fletcher was scared. He hoped that by playing 2 defensive bowlers that he could retain, and not win The Ashes.
With Panesar and Mahmood keeping cool on the sidelines, what did the england coach seriously expect Giles and Anderson to achieve.
Being a Lancastrian, I hate critiscing my own but James Anderson is in no way a test match cricketer, and he never will be. He has little in the way of variation, little ability to swing the ball, and his relatively pedestrian bowling speed will be little more than the Aussies face day in day out by their academy bowlers.
This is the Ashes, and it seems to me like the England team are over in Australia acting like it's an old boys reunion. With a laddish captain and squad stacked with inexperienced and anodyne players, it's no wonder we're getting one hell of a beating. I just wonder why we never saw it coming?
To capitulate to such an extent isn't anything new for this over-hyped and underwhelming England squad.
In the Trent Bridge test last summer England effectively did the same thing. Chasing 120-odd to win the game 'The Lions' tried to throw that away, and it was only due to the mettle of the lowest of low order batsmen that we survived.
The debacle of Brisbane and now Adelaide has shown not cracks in this makeshift England side, but huge seizmic fissures.
The decision to play both Anderson and Giles from the start proved that Fletcher was scared. He hoped that by playing 2 defensive bowlers that he could retain, and not win The Ashes.
With Panesar and Mahmood keeping cool on the sidelines, what did the england coach seriously expect Giles and Anderson to achieve.
Being a Lancastrian, I hate critiscing my own but James Anderson is in no way a test match cricketer, and he never will be. He has little in the way of variation, little ability to swing the ball, and his relatively pedestrian bowling speed will be little more than the Aussies face day in day out by their academy bowlers.
This is the Ashes, and it seems to me like the England team are over in Australia acting like it's an old boys reunion. With a laddish captain and squad stacked with inexperienced and anodyne players, it's no wonder we're getting one hell of a beating. I just wonder why we never saw it coming?
Monday, December 04, 2006
A quick laugh for the end of the day...
Everyone loves a bit of banter... Can you imagine anything better than Thomo and Llody having a 'chat' about crackers in their knackers. Fab stuff...
Just a quicky...
Ricky Ponting and Mohammed Yousuf have creeped into the top 10 rated batsmen of all time according to the ICC rankings and Cricinfo today.
They are the two leading run-scorers in world cricket presently and their inclusion in school boy all time XI's looks increasingly likely as time drags on, and the memories of pre-war heroes fade into insignificance.
To be included in such illustrious company as Hobbs, Richards and Bradman is high praise indeed for these two astonishing modern-day batsmen.
However, these figures raise into question the validity of such figures when taking into account individual averages against teams and styles of bowling. What is the fairest way to judge the 'greatness' of a player?
Who knows, but what is definate is that Yousuf and Ponting aren't your average pub team players...
They are the two leading run-scorers in world cricket presently and their inclusion in school boy all time XI's looks increasingly likely as time drags on, and the memories of pre-war heroes fade into insignificance.
To be included in such illustrious company as Hobbs, Richards and Bradman is high praise indeed for these two astonishing modern-day batsmen.
However, these figures raise into question the validity of such figures when taking into account individual averages against teams and styles of bowling. What is the fairest way to judge the 'greatness' of a player?
Who knows, but what is definate is that Yousuf and Ponting aren't your average pub team players...
FC post 2
Looking at some of the other teams competing alongside me in this rather daft game of fantasy cricket, raises a fascinating point of interest which is well worth a discussion.
The top 50 teams entered into the fantasy cricket league are very similar in their parallels. Everybody had a virtual 40 million to spend, and the majority of the teams opted to take a bulk of the 'premium' players. As you might be able to imagine the uptake for the likes of Ponting, McGrath and Pietersen was verging on fanatical.
However, those players that have achieved most in the Ashes so far, were mainly overlooked by fantasy teams entered.
Collingwood, Clarke and Clark have arguably been in the top 5 players in the first 3 tests, but why didn't anyone pick them for their fantasy squads? Was it a case of image - they're just not 'cool' enough to be in a fantasy side? Or a case of accepting an imbalanced side with a collection of excellent and poor players in it, to take advantage of an increased risk-reward equation?
In the end I opted for a fairly conservative squad, based on not wanting to get it too wrong, rather than trying to get it right:
1) Hussey
2) Ponting
3) Cook
4) Clark
5) Pietersen
6) McGrath
7) Warne
8) Giles
9) Monty
10) Jones
11) Flintoff
But this proves the point - in sport you are rewarded for bravery, and even though Colly has been one of the best cricketers for England in the last 6 months, I didn't believe that he would have the mettle or technique needed to succeed on the hard, bouncy pitches that Australian touring would dish up. But then again, I'm not sure why I thought Gilo WOULD.
However, Collingwood, like Clark and Clarke have critics and doubters. In sport, when an opportunity is presented to you to stake your claim in a team, those who take their chances are normally rewarded with faith from the selectors, and those that don't are a long forgotten memory.
These three men have shown that of all arenas, The Ashes is THE place to stake your claim to an position of invincibility in a national squad.
If only I'd known that before I picked my fantasy side, I might just have had the beating of 'Freddie is a blue' and 'BACKLANECHIPPY'
The top 50 teams entered into the fantasy cricket league are very similar in their parallels. Everybody had a virtual 40 million to spend, and the majority of the teams opted to take a bulk of the 'premium' players. As you might be able to imagine the uptake for the likes of Ponting, McGrath and Pietersen was verging on fanatical.
However, those players that have achieved most in the Ashes so far, were mainly overlooked by fantasy teams entered.
Collingwood, Clarke and Clark have arguably been in the top 5 players in the first 3 tests, but why didn't anyone pick them for their fantasy squads? Was it a case of image - they're just not 'cool' enough to be in a fantasy side? Or a case of accepting an imbalanced side with a collection of excellent and poor players in it, to take advantage of an increased risk-reward equation?
In the end I opted for a fairly conservative squad, based on not wanting to get it too wrong, rather than trying to get it right:
1) Hussey
2) Ponting
3) Cook
4) Clark
5) Pietersen
6) McGrath
7) Warne
8) Giles
9) Monty
10) Jones
11) Flintoff
But this proves the point - in sport you are rewarded for bravery, and even though Colly has been one of the best cricketers for England in the last 6 months, I didn't believe that he would have the mettle or technique needed to succeed on the hard, bouncy pitches that Australian touring would dish up. But then again, I'm not sure why I thought Gilo WOULD.
However, Collingwood, like Clark and Clarke have critics and doubters. In sport, when an opportunity is presented to you to stake your claim in a team, those who take their chances are normally rewarded with faith from the selectors, and those that don't are a long forgotten memory.
These three men have shown that of all arenas, The Ashes is THE place to stake your claim to an position of invincibility in a national squad.
If only I'd known that before I picked my fantasy side, I might just have had the beating of 'Freddie is a blue' and 'BACKLANECHIPPY'
FC Post 1...
Michael Clark you little devil, you've only gone and upset and delighted me in equal measures...
In scoring his beautifully crafted ton against us early this morning, 'Pup' proved that he has the potential to go on and be a fabulous cricketer for Australia in the future.
Being only 25, he's got plenty of time in which he can improve his technique against the quicks and score those previously elusive centuries.
So why am I delighted that an Aussie has scored a big hundred against the poms?
FANTASY CRICKET!
I'm currently placed 9th in the OrangeWorld fantasy Ashes cricket competition - Due in no small part to Michael's innings last night. After taking a hammering at the end of the last test and the start of this, (I didn't have Colly in my squad - oops) I've made a significant recovery having had Ponting, The Huss, and Clarke in my side. Great points, great for the rankings, but...
Not great for England's position in the test match. Damn if only life and fantasy could combine in a way which made me 100% satisfied.
In scoring his beautifully crafted ton against us early this morning, 'Pup' proved that he has the potential to go on and be a fabulous cricketer for Australia in the future.
Being only 25, he's got plenty of time in which he can improve his technique against the quicks and score those previously elusive centuries.
So why am I delighted that an Aussie has scored a big hundred against the poms?
FANTASY CRICKET!
I'm currently placed 9th in the OrangeWorld fantasy Ashes cricket competition - Due in no small part to Michael's innings last night. After taking a hammering at the end of the last test and the start of this, (I didn't have Colly in my squad - oops) I've made a significant recovery having had Ponting, The Huss, and Clarke in my side. Great points, great for the rankings, but...
Not great for England's position in the test match. Damn if only life and fantasy could combine in a way which made me 100% satisfied.
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