CRICKET.com

Blog Posts

• Preview of India vs Australia - Part II

  India have a major decision to make.  Do they go into the series with a conservative approach and try to wear the Aussies down or do they go in all guns blazing and try to take control from the outset?
  The aggressive approach will be easier to adopt if they bat first in Bangalore.  This will […]

  
  
  No Comments

• Preview of India vs Australia - Part I

  Will the hype match the reality?  Australia and India lock horns for the Border Gavaskar Trophy and for the first time in recent memory, the Aussies may be starting as underdogs.
  It’s a tag that the embattled Australians probably prefer.  It’s a tag they might have to get used to in the next few years.  The […]

  
  
  1 Comment

• Do foreigners make the best cricket coaches?

  There has been some discontent over the Greg Chappell saga and his current role with the Australian cricket team.  It is clear that his involvement is primarily due to the fact that he has recently worked with the Indian set-up and that he would no doubt have excellent ‘inside information’ on the home team.
  To deny […]

  
  
  3 Comments

• The last word on sledging

  The final instalment of my sledging of sledging!
  We’ve covered some interesting territory and it’s clear which side of the fence I sit on.  In all honesty, it hasn’t been much of a debate because I haven’t presented both sides of the argument.  There’s a good reason for that – I can’t think of any justification […]

  
  
  No Comments

• The Sledging issue continues…..

  One argument I keep hearing from the pro-sledging camp is the following statement: “It’s all part of the game”.
  I beg to differ.  It’s actually not part of the game.  I can’t see anything in the rules of cricket that refers to sledging being a part of the game.  In fact, Law 42 actually legislates against […]

  
  
  2 Comments

• The Great Sledging Debate - Part Two

  In the previous blog, I tried to open Pandora’s Box by debating the contentious issue of sledging and whether it fits comfortably within modern cricket’s parameters.  The debate was triggered by an innovative strategy by the Gold Coast Cricket Association (near Brisbane) to implement a red/yellow card system for racist and violent abuse.
  Moving on….the way […]

  
  
  No Comments

• The Great Sledging Debate

  Cricket season is about to begin in earnest in Australia and for one innovative Cricket Association, the game is about to undergo a radical change.  Click here to see why: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2008/08/28/1219516623743.html
  This topic is so fascinating that it allows me to construct a two-part essay.
  For an old-fashioned chap like myself, this sort of leadership is to […]

  
  
  3 Comments

• Of paper tigers and fiery dragons - SA vs Eng ODI series

  So much for my informed predictions!  How wrong was I?  Apart from my earlier claims that England would be a much stronger outfit with Pietersen at the helm and that an in-form Flintoff would swing the balance of power considerably, my other predictions about this ODI series were sadly off the mark.
  Hindsight offers some wonderful […]

  
  
  2 Comments

• Gone fishin’ or lost at sea? The Symonds conundrum

  There’s a lot more to the Andrew Symonds story than meets the eye.  Underneath the media headlines and salacious gossip, there’s a much bigger issue at play than the career of one extraordinarily gifted athlete who is battling a few personal demons.
  To those of us who live in Brisbane and are ‘connected’ to the local […]

  
  
  5 Comments

• The Mendis Story - a victory for commonsense

  Watching the phenomenon that is Ajantha Mendis, it begs a more searching question of how Sri Lankan cricket allows so many unconventional players to reach the international stage.  Mendis himself, Lasith Malinga, Sanath Jayasuriya and even Muttiah Muralidaran are all products of a coaching culture that has been prepared to embrace, nay encourage, unorthodoxy to […]

  
  
  8 Comments