Terrorism 'n' stuff

Here in Australia, the story of what's happened today in Pakistan is being used to validate the actions of Cricket Australia in continually 'postponing' Australia's tours of the country.

Sure, they were right.

But let's stop thinking about ourselves for a second and look at this from a different angle.

I am not sure whether I have mentioned this here previously, but I generally think the word brave is bandied around too liberally.

I won't go into where I think it's inappropriate, because you'll be queuing up to call me nasty names, also it's not really relevant, so let's move on.

The Sri Lankans were brave to play in Pakistan.

Sure, you could call them foolish, but that doesn't mean they deserved this attack.

On the flip side, I doubt they have the same 'get-out-of-jail' options available as countries like Australia and England.

They really were brave to be there, and I respect them for it.

Sri Lankans should be angry. Really, really angry.

If they were my boys over there, I would be livid. As it is I am angry on their behalf.

For a long time people have viewed cricketers as somewhat untouchable, because of the point of view that the love of cricket by people in cricketing countries outweighs their potential desire to inflict carnage and destruction, as it would a) do their cause no good and b) affect a major source of entertainment. I guess this is not the case.

I wonder what motivates someone to do something like this, what makes them think they have the right. These weren't politicians. But then I give up because it's not something I will ever understand.

It's a sad day for cricket in Pakistan. It's yet another sad day for Pakistan.

Got a beef with Sri Lanka?

So the Sri Lankan cricket team has been attacked in Pakistan, and while there are casualties and the act is totally reprehensible, four possibilities spring to mind:

1. coincidence
2. deliberately targeted by the 'terrorists' Cricket Australia want to avoid by not letting the Aussies tour there
3. deliberately targeted by 'terrorists' hired by Cricket Australia (and maybe pitched in for by other cricket boards who don't let their teams tour there) to make their point
4. Roy did it

Will we ever know the truth? Will Roy ever be sobre enough to own up? Will Australia ever tour Pakistan?

I think the answer is clear to at least one of those questions.

Alastair Cook naked

Salutations, and welcome to my blog!

The world of cricket has been alive and well this last week. Except for Chris Rogers, who effectively buried his future when he announced he was leaving WA to go 'elsewhere'.

It was confirmed that next year we will see him in the navy blue as he's going to play for Carlton, I mean, Victoria. More on that later. . .

Over the last few days I've had a bit of correspondence, which has, quite frankly, amazed me. It's nice knowing my readership goes beyond you five, even if it's not much further.

Firstly, a nice fellow sent me the link for a cricket quiz website. It's pretty good Flash I tell you (infinitely better than my attempt at a Flash assignment at uni... heh heh).

I wasn't very good at it because well, it would seem I don't know as much about the lovely game as I flatter myself, but still, you can register for free or just 'play in the nets' and get a feel for it.
You can play here.

Next up, I was alerted to the latest issue of English Cosmopolitan by these chaps. Now Cosmopolitan is not usually a mag I would read, in fact I'd probably rather... do a lot of other things that I'm not at all inclined to do, however this particular edition features a 'charity special' with of course, semi-naked cricketers.

Miss Wicket (?!!) commented that they look gorgeous. Mmm. They look more like pegs to me, but each to their own. You all know how I feel about Stuart Broad and I think Alastair Cook is definitely wearing eyeliner.

At least now I can jump on the bandwagon inspired by the title of this post. Still, yes yes it's all very worthwhile... I just think it could have been done better... using real men, for starters... who said that?

Congrats to AYALAC for being the Wisden Cricketer magazine's second favourite blog. I would just like to say here and now, that if all participants are willing (and if they're not I'll just ask my mate Gilly to step in) I intend to make a cricket blog calendar for 2009.

I will sell it to anyone who wants to buy it (I'm expecing a sell out, naturally) and then donate the profits to a very worthwhile cause. So, step up to the plate lads, and get into Wisden. In fact I know someone who deserves to be in Wisden, you can help him out here.

Finally, I have been admonished (a little) for my poor (read: lack of) mention of the test matches happening between the West Indies and Sri Lanka. As we speak I can hear the highlights of the second test on the TV elsewhere in the house. I will endeavour to rectify this... soon.

Until then... go the Windies!!

Woes and woefulness

A team is only as good as its last game. Sadly, this doesn't make us world champions. It makes us crap.

"The bottom line was we didn't get enough runs, we didn't bowl well enough or field well enough." - Ricky Ponting

Correct. These three deficiencies pretty much cover the whole game, so, it seems we've got some big problems.

Unfortunately though, a team needs to be lead from the front, and when the captain's form is poor, there's not much to be inspired by. And the vice-captain is leaving, so no one expects leadership from him.

I mean, apparently Ponting's been ripping into them about the collective performance. It needs to be done, yes, but could you help but sit there feeling a tiny bit mutinous and thinking "Well what about you, you tosser?"

And a mutinous team would make for a crap team. A team that can't bat or bowl or field to save its life. Or beat India. Or Sri Lanka.

It's not good when you're hoping that Sachin Tendulkar and Ishant Sharma's injuries will rule them out of the next final. That's not my team, that's not us. We should be better than that. I want us to be able to take on the best India has to offer and win. That's the Australian team I know.

And because of all the crap that's gone on this series, I want very much for us to win. The best way to stick it to someone is not by stooping to their level but by showing that you're better by kicking their arse.

I think our boys need to go back and train in the desert again. It did the trick perfectly last time.

Sri Lankan cricketers bring rain, catatonia

Oh no!

As I was driving to the train station this morning I saw a big, black front approaching from the east that resembled the mothership from Independence Day. And from the west, giant CB clouds that look like the clouded mountain in The Amber Spyglass.

It’s going to rain! At least the clouded mountain mothership will provide me with shade.

Also, I read this a few days ago and thought it was interesting.

Sri Lankan Captain Mahela Jayawardene says his team has a great chance of victory in Perth on Friday because he believes Australian players have lost their self belief in close matches.

While I hope this isn't the case, and it goes without saying that he's trying to talk us down in hope it'll affect our performance, I think he might have a point.

The last couple of games you could see that the effort was consistent, we didn’t just lie down when the going got really tough. But that said, the self-belief is different. There have been games where the self-belief and the effort have coupled (with ability, of course) to enable the boys to pulls off monumental and impressive victories.

But is the effort without the confidence enough? The team has been criticised relentlessly in the last few weeks for being arrogant, a term that implies over-confidence. Maybe the critics have been successful in shreading the confidence away. And so there have been losses.

However, this isn’t to say that a) the quality of the opposition hasn’t been enough alone to defeat us, and b) we just didn’t play well enough.

Roll on 1330.

A few things

I'm going to the one dayer on Friday. Yay! Just need to figure out how to skive off from work. Hmm. But I shall contain my anticipation and bask in the events of today.

New Zealand's defeat of England has been covered far more eloquently than I could ever be.

"fucking village..."

"England: useless like a dead monkey"

"spectacularly... pathetically... feeble"

et al

However I feel it was cricinfo who summed it up best with this headline...

Ryder and McCullum trounce England.

Yep, that's right. A two-man squad could defeat England, and even without the backyard cricket rules.

Sri Lanka beat India and this made me ever so happy, especially after they suggested we are scared of them. Fools! It was a good day in Canberra today.

Also it looks like the Australian tour of Pakistan won't go ahead. I'm pleased with this. Cricket is not an island, nor do I believe it should be (unless it was just up from Antigua, I'd go there in the winter).

The actions of cricketers and cricket boards reverberate, and I think touring countries that are governed by suspicious regimes is seen to endorse said suspicious regimes, whether they mean to or not is irrespective. Plus it's just so unstable with opposition forces as well in Pakistan. If it's not safe it is just not worth the risk.

I'd die if something terrible happened to my Andrew. Or any of them.

Anyway. I've decided to quit my job and play bass guitar in a Wolfmother cover band. Have fun, ya'll.

Open letter; why I should work for CA

Dear "The England",

Here in Australia, the summer of cricket needs a bit of refreshing. No I'm not asking you to mail any Hugo Boss products across, I am hoping you can find time in between beating the crap out of the Black Caps to visit. I know of 11 blokes who'd be pleased to see you.

You see, India bring controversy, Sri Lanka bring rain. You bring good sport. Think the Colosseum. Think Romans and Christians and gladiators and lions. Imagine the possibilities!

I propose at least one test match. India couldn't possibly have played five and so we have been denied the full lifeblood of our summer. If you can't find a spare five days (although I'm confident you'll only need to commit to three) between your rounds of golf and visiting Lord of the Rings sights, how about a one dayer?

At least it would let Gilly have one last chance of smashing sixes everywhere, and don't you want do your bit in giving him the fine send-off he deserves? For the purpose of making it a truly worthwhile exercise, please bring Andrew Flintoff. No one has perfected the gape in quite the manner he has (as demonstrated in December 2006). I'm sure Gilly would love it.

When I can't get home in time to watch Today Tonight, you help me see the funny side of life. Think Fawlty Towers... there's always someone worse off... oh really, I'd like to meet him, I could do with a laugh. Indeed. Sleep well knowing you are that laugh. New Zealand clearly don't get the joke. So come to Australia, where you're fully appreciated.

We can even pass the hat around for a collection to buy you all some soap. And in a similar fashion, you can recycle all that charming convict rhetoric. The prospect of such gaiety is surely irresistible.

Aren't you up for the challenge? Surely your seasonal 'secret weapon' hasn't injured himself yet. In fact your secret weapon is yet to reveal who he is. Perhaps you've been saving him, waiting for an offer like this. Well, bring it on.

Yours sincerely,

Miss Field for Cricket Australia

Lil Dodgeball, look at him go

Brad Hodge!

The tuxedo-wearing (mmm) ambassador for Wolf Blass has proven why he's worthy of this post by making a century in his one hundredth one dayer. Cricinfo are going with the following headline: Hodge rams into Bulls with match-winning century. Sounds pretty good to me.

In fact it was a career-best 119 not out from 134 balls, and he (and Cameron White) saved the game for Victoria. Aww! Good work D-ball. Just don't tell selectors how to do their job, and we may yet see your face in the national side more than just sporadically.

The thing is, if it is Victoria and Tassie in the final, who would I rather win? Captain Ponting hails from Tassie, but Hodgey is a Victorian. A Tassie-dweller egged the Sri Lankans, but the Bushrangers beat us in the Twenty20 final. Tasmania don't really do any other sport, and the Vics think they own the AFL.

Alright I think it'll be Tassie. But I hope the Hedgehog does well.

Twenty20 fun on the hallowed turf

I do love it when we win. I'm so proud to be Australian, for more reasons than just cricket, but cricket is one reason.

Imagine being at the MCG with that crowd! I went to a football game there last year and was in awe of the atmosphere, and it wasn't even my team playing. To have been there tonight, to see us demolish the Indians, and give Gilly a send-off, would have been something else. I didn't see any back-turning, although I doubt it would have been aired if it happened. But from what I saw the crowd seemed well behaved. And no cheerleaders (that I could see), praise the lord.

India played terribly and it was very disappointing. However, I would like to mention Virender Sehwag, who chatted to the commentary team, ala Gilchrist and Symonds. I think it's great that this happens, it's fun and adds a significant dimension of camaraderie for the television audience. Although, they were talking to Gilly just before he got out, so it could be very distracting, but it's his choice to do it. Anyway, when we played England, none of their players talked and it was quite disappointing (especially as Twenty20 is their creation). Balance is a good thing, and it makes things more interesting too. But not only did Sehwag join in, he said really nice things about Adam Gilchrist, and talked about his team's poor performance, and I imagine that must be quite a difficult thing to do when you're out in the middle of it all. Hurrah for Sehwag.

I also wonder why the other teams don't have their nicknames on the back of their shirts. I think it's good, although I did have a memory lapse trying to remember who Catfish is. A bit disappointing that David Hussey didn't get a bat, but he still did well. (Loved Mark Nicholas' comment "One of the Hussey boys is human! And it's... Michael!") Kudos to Adam Voges and Mr Wolf Blass, Brad Hodge, who is creeping up on my list of favourites.

A solid performance from Clarke and his boys. (First time I've said that. Feels funny). I know it's only Twenty20, but after the events of the last few weeks, especially the circus that was the appeal hearing, the best way to exact vengeance is by performing well, and we have done just that. You're only as good as your last game, and considering India are the Twenty20 world champions, I am quite impressed with our effort tonight.

Finally, on Sunday night I thought I'd look into getting tickets for the Aust/Sri Lanka ODI in Perth, and logged on and there were tickets available. When I went to work on Monday it said there were none left! Horrified at my poor timing, I rang TicketMaster and they said more might be released and to keep an eye out. Although he did say if it happened it would be closer to the day, at about 3:30 that afternoon I had an inkling, and logged on, and there were some available. It was my lucky day. I'm going to the game!

EDIT: My best mate Ruth has pointed out to me that Michael Vaughan actually did speak to the commentators during an Australia/England Twenty20. My mistake.