Had a hit today with a few of my Yarras teammates. We'd all been out to see bands the night before. I'd been to see The Models at the Espy, they'd been to see Mick Thomas at the Corner, and had passed a considerably heaver night. Found myself, as a result, in relatively sparkling form. It's all about preparation.
We no longer play cricket in Australia on Christmas Day - except maybe in the backyard in the afternoon, to stave off post-prandial stupor. Oddly, perhaps, given how long Sabbath observance persisted in Australian cricket, we used to. West Indies won a Test at Adelaide Oval on Christmas Day 1951, and the ground also developed a tradition of Queensland v South Australia Sheffield Shield matches at the time. One day, the story goes, a barracker from the hill shouted to Ken Mackay: 'Piss off Slasher. You've been bumming Christmas dinners off us for long enough!' These days, however, Christmas is merely Boxing Day Test Match Eve. So enjoy whatever you're up to and I'll meet you back here in a couple of days.
melbourne weather is crap! Had to see it to believe it..
and thats coming from someone from canberra (visiting melbourne for a week)..
seasons greetings to everyone and gideon :)
Posted by: Knockbax on 12/25/2006
Was at the Mick Thomas gig myself and can atest to the fact that it was a heavy night - no wonder Sven bowled badly at you!!!
Posted by: George on 12/25/2006
It's also remarkable how long Sabbath observance persisted in English cricket, despite the devastating financial consequences it had for first class cricket. When they did finally introduce the Sunday League, they shortened the matches to 40 overs and started at 2pm so people could attend church beforehand. That was in 1969!
Posted by: Venu on 12/25/2006
For any Cricket Fan, Christmas is just a drag. I can't wait for boxing day. Generally, there have been three test matches, but today there will only be two :( and a Twenty20 :)
Posted by: MIchael Deayton on 12/26/2006
OK, I have been watching the Melbourne Test and congrats to Warnie on his 5 wicket haul, and of course, the 700th. An Amazing cricketer.
I have a beef though (not with Warnie) and the TV commentators seem to be ignoring it and I cant find anywhere else to post about it.
Kevin Pietersen batting with the tail. I noticed in Perth in the second innings he quickly gives the strike to the tailender and lets them face the majority of the over, and rarely tries to get a single at the end of the over to take the next. I saw this again today at Melbourne in the first innings.
Pietersen is a great batsman, but surely his role is to get as many runs for the team as possible and the best thing to do is similar to Hussey or Steve Waugh or countless others.. farm the strike and pile on the runs. Glenn McGrath has been in a 100 run partnership for heavens sake..
But Pietersen seems to be looking out for his average, not for his team. And why do the commentators ot see this? They keep saying it is a shame he is not batting higher in the order so his talent can truely be appreciated with better batsmen. This may be true, but not one of them mentioned how crap he was at batting with the tail.
Anyone else feel the same?? (it seems the guys commentating on cricinfo's live scorecard do! :)
I watched for 6 painful overs while Pietersen looked for the single on the first ball of the over and I found myself wishing that he would go out instead of the tail.
Posted by: sven on 12/26/2006
At least Mick Thomas was fun....much more fun then being alternately spanked through the legside and being the victim of another imperious gideon leave...and then wanting to just have a big sleep...
Posted by: Shawry on 12/26/2006
Michael,
Cannot agree more with your summation of KP. Was coming onto this site to make the same observation. How can a guy who claims to be as good a batsman as he does, an opinion roundly agreed on by commentators and pundits the world over, show up as completely incompetent when asked to do something as basic in cricket as manage the strike. He farms himself to the non-striker's end as early as possible in the over, then tries looks the hero as he stands shaking his head as the wickets tumble through the tail.
As for the assertion made by observers that he throws his wicket away out of desperation, give me a break. How do you explain the same shot getting him out when he is batting with the higher order as well. No, let me guess, that's just the way he plays, live by the sword, all that rubbish. The man simply lacks the mentality to control his blood rush and keep his head when his team needs him the most. Again and again he loses his tiny mind and as a result his wicket (the sweep in Adelaide...how many times was he dropped off silly shots in the final test in 2005 - one held catch and he would have lost England the Ashes - just dumb luck he didn't) and the blind morons commentating the game forgive all with the broad statement of "that's how he plays".
Don't get me wrong, the bloke is a sensational striker of the cricket ball - he and Inzamam give hope to all budding youngsters that don't have great technique or a useful brain that you can rely on a natural eye and get away with it (for a while at least).
Forget putting him up to bat at 4, drop him down to 6 - that way he'll have an understanding of the job he is required to do - score and score quickly - without him trying to get his head around what is beyond (and detremental) to his game - trying to build and craft an innings. It really is painful to watch. His skill is hitting bowlers out the attack - England need to give him the freedom to do it. Going the other way and trying to turn him into a batsman is wasting the resource when there is no guarantee he can make the adjustment. Current indications are that he can't.
Posted by: john Lennon on 12/27/2006
Wow wat a stupendous acheivement another feather in that guys cap is all wat i can say
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Gideon Haigh has written sixteen books and edited six more, mainly concerned with sport and business, in twenty-three years as a journalist. He now writes mainly for the Australian current affairs magazine The Monthly. He lives in Melbourne with a cat, Trumper, and is taking time off from his cricket club, the Yarras, to cover the 2006-7 Ashes for The Guardian.
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