Lou Vincent criticises egotistical Australia
Lou Vincent has let loose a spray at the Australian team, labelling them a bunch of egotistical sledgers:
"I watched Federer the other day and thought, 'What a true champion'. He's the sort of guy you want to watch because he plays the game well and he's humble about it. You watch Australia and just their egos, you know what I mean? Sure, you're talented, you've got great players and you win most of the time, but as blokes they've got no time for you. So to take them on and stick it to them a bit is my motivation.Vincent isn't saying anything controversial in the sense that everyone already agrees with him. Australia do tend to play ugly. It's a given, like the Pope being Catholic or a bear defecating in the woods. What he is doing, as opening batsman, is opening himself to some heated deliveries (both with the ball and from the mouths of the Australians) when he next comes to the crease. Ironically, Shaun Tait has just joined the squad so Vincent is likely to be facing Lee and Tait steaming in with 150kph deliveries. I'll be making sure I'm in front of the TV when New Zealand start their innings next Sunday. So will many others, I imagine. Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young not only agreed with Vincent but was delighted with something finally happening to spice up the Tri-Series:
"It's never-ending. They're very close-knit. They hunt like a pack of dogs. There's not just one guy going at you, there's a little bit here, a little bit there. I mean, I love that part of the game, I think it's brilliant but as soon as they start calling you all sorts of stuff it gets a bit tiring. I personally think that they think they're bigger than the game. It's all about standing up to them. Baz (McCullum) does it well. We're not intimidated by them and that's the biggest thing. If you're intimidated by Australia, you're beaten. You've got to stand up to them. You might not be their friends but at the end of the day I don't care if I'm not friends with those guys. They're the enemy."
CA spokesman Peter Young claimed it was an example of the fierce rivalry between the two countries and added further to the standing of the annual Chappell-Hadlee limited-overs series, to be played in New Zealand next month. "We make no secret of the fact that we would like one day to see the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy up there with the Bledisloe Cup, partly because there is such an intense rivalry," Young said.On a personal note, I'm not happy about Australia's ugly streak. I was embarrassed to be an Australian after the way they behaved at the Champions Trophy. On the flip side, they also made a concerted effort to clean up their behaviour and 'play nice' during the 2005 Ashes. Matt Hayden's "well bowled" to Andrew Flintoff after Freddie knocked over his stumps had me just as angry as any of their nastier behaviour. It was at that point I realised I'd rather have an ugly, winning team than nice losers. It seems with Australia, you can't have your cake and eat it too.
| Posted by JC on Wed 31 Jan |  31 comments |
Tom Moody rejects Australian coaching job
In something of a shock announcement, Tom Moody has withdrawn from contention for the Australian coaching role. John Buchanan is shutting down the laptop after the World Cup and there's been a clamour for his job of coaching the #1 team in the world. This means Tim Nielsen, one time Buck's assistant and head coach at the Centre of Excellence moves to front runner position, at least according to Nielsen.
To be honest, I find myself more interested in who will replace Duncan Fletcher as England coach, charged with the unenviable job of rebuilding the shattered team. Will they go for an English ex-player like Mike Gatting? Harness some Aussie mongrel with Darren Lehmann? Or the typically English and therefore most likely option - just stick with Fletcher.
It seems most international coaching contracts end after the World Cup so there'll be a bunch of guys out of jobs and a lot of vacancies suddenly open. Somewhat like the end of footy season where player contracts end and the swapping begins. The best solution may be just to gather them together for a game of musical chairs. They could play Brett Lee's Bollywood song for backing music.
| Posted by JC on Tue 30 Jan | 10 comments |
Tri-Series 2007 Game 9: New Zealand win in scrappy match
I generally don't pay that much attention to the games without Australia. However, I confess a morbid curiosity to watching England play, like gawking at a car crash as you drive past. And the agony continued as New Zealand defeated England by 58 runs.
You knew England were going to have a poor day when they began with the news that injuries had ruled out James Anderson and Jon Lewis. The remaining bowlers sprayed the ball around, conceding 20 wides. The fielders dropped numerous chances. Even when they got it right such as Nixon stumping Taylor, the umpire neglected to go to the 3rd umpire - replays showed Taylor was out. The cricketing gods have truly turned their back on England.
As for New Zealand, their batting is clicking nicely with everyone pitching in. Stephen Fleming failed to contribute with the bat but at least he helped drive the team to the ground (read the comments). Lou Vincent continues his good start to the tour and Ross Taylor is developing some good form, scoring 71.
Apparently Stephen Fleming is right - Jacob Oram really is bullet proof. When New Zealand's innings began to stutter towards the end, he smashed 54 from 33 delivers - a strike rate even faster than his hundred against Australia. Oram's batting since he arrived in Australia has been Husseyesque - 241 runs off 3 innings with 1 dismissal and a strike rate well over 100. A handy guy to join the team mid-series (with Styris still to come). He helped New Zealand post 318, a score you'd have to think well beyond England's reach.
And so it was. England showed hints of good form. Ed Joyce scored his first substantial innings of the summer (indeed of his ODI career). Nixon contributed more than just cheerleading, scoring a quick fire 49. And most of the batsmen got starts. Unfortunately none of them could go on with it which was essential for victory. They fell short by 58 runs and yet 260 is their highest ODI score of the summer. It would've been a lot less if the Kiwis had held their catches - their fielding was diabolical tonight. Stephen Fleming seriously needs to address their catching problems - they could've been on top of the Tri-series table if they'd held all their catches against Australia.
Still, at least England didn't humiliate themselves like last week. I don't quite understand why the UK media committed collective hari-kari when they lost to New Zealand. The Black Caps are ranked #4, well above England. At least tonight England have already taken a first step on their goal of "improving". They've progressed from shambolic to merely insipid. They have to be happy about that.
| Posted by JC on Tue 30 Jan | 6 comments |
Tri-Series 2007 Game 8: Australia win by 8 runs in high scorer
I don't ask much as an Australian cricket fan. Just tight, competitive, see-sawing cricket that goes right to the wire (with Australia winning at the end, of course). And preferably 600+ runs scored in a day (or even 800+ on a good day). Finally we got to witness a high scoring, competitive game of one day cricket as Australia posted 343 which New Zealand just missed out on by 8 runs.
Ricky Ponting won the toss and the gusting Fremantle Doctor was outblown by the collective sigh of relief from the crowd, Cricket Australia and the WACA beer vendors. New Zealand continued their poor fielding from Game 5, dropping Matt Hayden on 0, 4 and 79. The errors proved to be crucial, perhaps the difference in the game, as Haydos took full opportunity to notch 117 off 111 balls. He just about booked his seat to the World Cup although one wonders if Hayden would've kept his spot if Vettori had held that initial catch. It's a funny game, cricket.
Power plays were introduced to bring unpredictability to what had become a stale 50 over format. Usually all they do is extend the initial 15 over field limitations to 20 overs. Occasionally, a fielding captain will get creative and delay the power plays until wickets fall. It backfired badly for Fleming today as Ponting (111 off 122 balls) and Hayden's partnership lasted 200 runs and his second power play came when the batsmen were well and truly set. What impressed me about Hayden's innings was his uncharacteristically unselfish batting. When New Zealand began the second power play, Hayden was in the 80's. Rather than nurdle towards a century, he went the tonk, striking 3 boundaries in one over to bring up 100. In the next over, he struck another 3 boundaries. It took Daniel Vettori (who else) to dismiss him, clean bowling him trying to smash during the power play. Vettori finished with 1 for 34 off 10 overs - impressive considering Australia's run rate approached 7 per over.
After some lackluster batting last week, Australia's innings today was executed as smoothly as one of Buchanan's power point presentations. The top order laid a strong foundation (at last) then big hitters Symonds, White and Hussey smashed 101 runs off the last 10 overs. I still marvel at the versatility of Hussey. Last week, he came in with Australia in dire trouble and batted like an opener, cautiously edging us home. Tonight, he went the tonk hitting 3 sixes and blasted 29 off 16 balls (pipping his ODI average over 80 again). Australia reached 343, the highest ever ODI total at the WACA.
New Zealand came out and had a good, hard crack at the imposing run chase. They struck boundaries and ran between the wickets smartly - it's hard to believe this was the same side that was rolled by Sri Lanka for 73 not long ago. They put pressure on the Australia fieldsmen who started dropping catches and misfielding. Fleming and Vincent started well, notching 46 runs for no loss in the first 9 overs. Vincent hit Glenn McGrath for six over long off which doesn't happen that often (his final figures were 1 for 72 off 10 overs). But inevitably when Pigeon gets tonked, he strikes back having Fleming caught behind in the next over.
Fleming's wicket didn't slow things down though. Fulton and Vincent took advantage of the power plays, putting on 60 runs off 54 balls when the partnership was broken by Johnson, having Fulton caught by a floating slip. Johnson's ability to induce edges from right handers will hold him in good stead when the selectors decide on a new Test bowler next summer. In came Ross Taylor who seems to be a hyperchondriac in the Shane Watson mould. He passed out against Sri Lanka, he's had cramps in earlier ODI matches and batted with a sore hand today. The boy has talent though, striking 41 off 49 until he was dismissed in the most unlikely manner - bowled around his legs by Michael Clarke. Is Pup the next Warnie? Nah...
Lou Vincent was unlucky to be given LBW sweeping when the ball hit him on the gloves, not even striking the pads. It was poor umpiring and unlucky for New Zealand as McMillan fell shortly afterwards, run out by a fantastic direct hit from Mitchell Johnson. At that point, Jacob Oram began an extraordinary innings. He hit Clarke for consecutive sixes followed by a four that brought back memories of Gilchrist in the 3rd Test (hitting the ball into the same WACA areas). Next over, he hit McGrath for a six so cleanly, the sound of ball on bat was like a rifle shot. He brought up his century in the final over off a mere 72 balls and while he faced a 10+ run rate from the moment he came in, his big hitting always had you feeling they could just make it. In the end, it wasn't to be - they needed 25 runs off the last over but valiantly managed 16 runs.
New Zealand's innings showed character and backbone - something England have utterly failed to display. Buck should be happy - his bowlers finally got the workout he'd been craving for. It reminded me of game 2 and game 3 in last year's Chappell Hadlee series. Each time, New Zealand were chasing impossibly large 300+ totals and whenever a wicket fell, you thought they were dead. But somehow, they kept putting partnerships together and scrapped their way towards the total. I can't imagine England are looking forward to playing them on Tuesday.
| Posted by JC on Mon 29 Jan | 13 comments |
Caribbean cricket on Australian cricket
Vaneisa Baksh at Caribbean Cricket has written a readable article on how Australia manages to maintain its winning ways despite losing so many key players recently (although the true cost of Warne and McGrath's retirements will be felt in next summer's Test series):
"Australia has managed to refine its cricket into a culture, so that the tendrils that could be once identified as part of the rugged, relentless, ruthless character, have taken root and have been honed into the cultural force expressed in the game. I feel that training and investment has built upon innate traits, refining them through the application of science, technology and discipline, and the result is now a performance standard so high that even their rookies can more than hold their own on debut.It's also interesting to read the comments on her article. There's a lot of anger in the West Indies at the WICB. And I thought Duncan Fletcher was annoying.
When they enter the arena, they do so with the imprint of their glory days as damp on their skin as sweat. It's fresh, a living legacy oozing out of their pores and it must steady the nerves to feel the weight of this power. Having once lived without it, the Australians have learned the value of this power, and have invested heavily in maintaining it.
They've devised programmes that are continually revised and upgraded; they've empowered players with proper contracts and retainers and percentages; and they've brought the whole thing down to a science. You might not like their attitude and approaches, that is another matter entirely, but you've got to admire the way they set out their goals, planned strategies and stuck to the course knowing it would take time because cultural shifts do not happen overnight."
| Posted by JC on Sat 27 Jan | 4 comments |
Ashley Giles a victim of "Montymania"
Ashley Giles has hit out claiming he was a victim of Montymania. Apparently he wasn't dropped because Monty is a better spinner and more capable of taking wickets. No, he was a victim of media hype:
"I was battling not only against Australia but against Montymania. There's nothing personal between us but Monty had become such a major figure it seemed he had to play. It was almost as if they were stringing up effigies of Fletcher and burning them in the streets of London town because Monty wasn't playing. It was more than just competition for places - it was the hype around Monty, leading to the talk of Sports Personality of the Year and everything else (don't forget 'Beard of the Year', Ashley). There are moments when you think, 'Have people forgotten what I've done for this team?' But I suppose everyone gets p..... off at work sometimes."He goes on to say a spinner needs to do more than take wickets, he needs to score runs also. But Giles seems to forget that as a bowler, he's selected to take wickets before anything else. Throughout the Ashes series, England were only able to take 59 Australian wickets out of a potential 100. You cannot win a Test match without taking 20 opposition wickets (barring a declaration then a Day 5 brain explosion). England only took 10 Aussie wickets in 3 of the Ashes Tests. I'll concede this is also due to their batsmen unable to build defendable scores but the English bowlers undeniably struggled to take wickets. Giles is right about one thing - he didn't drop the Ashes in Adelaide. The selectors dropped the Ashes when they failed to drop Giles in Brisbane (not that it would've made any difference).
| Posted by JC on Fri 26 Jan | 5 comments |
Tri-Series 2007 Game 7: England plumb new depths in 9 wicket loss
Now I'm always up for some English humiliation but even my appetite has been more than sated after Australia defeated England by 9 wickets (with 25 overs to spare). When Andrew Flintoff won the toss and batted, the crowd booed. I was at home booing also - my hopes of some big Aussie hitting (and a game that went the distance) was gone. But despite the low expectations, England still managed to disappoint. Mal Noye began with one of his patented front foot sweeps off Mitchell Johnson onto the roof of the Chappell Stand. Unfortunately, he wafted at a wide one from Lee in the next over and nicked to Gilchrist.
What followed was a steady procession of English wickets. The worst was Collingwood who spooned Symonds to midoff. It resembled backyard cricket where you're hitting catches to the kids over the bowler's head. Even Andrew Symonds seemed bemused. England's innings ended at 110 in the 35th over, with their last 5 wickets falling for 7 runs. Brett Lee has the impressive figures of 2 for 8 off 8 overs but the pick of the bowlers was Mitchell Johnson taking 4 for 45. Johnson is looking very settled in the Australian squad - it's hard to believe the 25 year old has only played 13 ODIs.
Australia came out and at least had a crack at a speedy, entertaining finish. Gilchrist hit 4 boundaries off one Liam Plunkett over but was runout for one cheeky single too many. Nixon still managed to botch the runout attempt striking the stumps with his forearm but luckily for him, the umpire missed it. It then fell to Hayden and Ponting to finish off the paltry run chase within 25 overs (earning 2 bonus points). Hayden didn't particularly impress scoring 30 off 68 balls - the only question mark over Australia is whether Haydos has booked his seat for the World Cup yet.
The commentators were joking that the early finish would save the Adelaide Oval on electricity bills. I'm sure any money saved would be dwarved by the loss in beer sales with the game ending 3 hours early. In fact, selling these games as Day/Night matches might land Cricket Australia into false advertising issues - the sun hadn't even set by the time Australia posted the winning runs.
Considering the anticipation and excitement just a few months ago, it boggles the mind how deflating and one-sided this summer has ended up. As Duncan Fletcher seems to have no effect in motivating his troops, it fell to John Buchanan to try and fire them up with some insulting comments. After England's insipid performance today, perhaps he needed to slap them in the face with a glove and challenge them to a duel.
| Posted by JC on Fri 26 Jan | 12 comments |
Sinking the boot into England
Everyone is lining up to sink the boot into a hapless England. In what's been described as their 'worst tour ever', disgruntled Barmy Army members are flying home ahead of schedule:
Dismayed at England's pathetic efforts in both forms of the game, hundreds of British tourists have returned ahead of schedule despite booking tickets to upcoming limited-over matches. The head of the Barmy Army in Australia, Craig Gill, said last night that organisers had dumped dozens of tickets for the Commonwealth Bank Series with the edict: "Get whatever you can for them".Even Australian coach John Buchanan is unhappy, complaining that England's and New Zealand's dud performances are "stunting his squad's development ahead of the World Cup":
Easier said than done. Of the 19 spare tickets Gill has for next Friday's Australia-England clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground, only two have been taken. "I can't give them away," Gill said. "People just won't pay $60 to risk seeing England get out for 150 and the game being over by eight o'clock."
"Our ability to deliver yorkers, length balls, bouncers, variety balls (such as slower balls, cutters, etc) has not been placed under constant scrutiny by an opposition batting lineup. This testing of our bowlers' response to situations when we have lost control (temporarily, hopefully) is not happening. In essence, the batting efforts of our opposition are not assisting the development of our bowlers' one-day skills, and the decision-making that accompanies being placed under the microscope of competition. And while this is not occurring, we cannot have our fielding tested also for its ability to create and make opportunities."And if you thought Buck was harsh (as well as somewhat incomprehensible), that's nothing compared to the English press who must be digging deep in the thesaurus to come up with variations on 'pathetic', 'debacle' and 'shambolic'. So says The Sun:
"Andrew Flintoff and his England side produced a batting collapse here yesterday that should have them squirming with embarrassment. It is a big call - because there have been plenty to choose from - but this was England's most excruciating display with the willow all tour. They lacked guts, technique, purpose, patience and any sort of game plan. This latest game of the tri-nation competition was noteworthy for confirming England have no chance whatsoever of winning the World Cup"But I think the most damning criticism comes from Stephen Fleming's mild summation of New Zealand's victory over England: "We were massively surprised at how easy it was in the end".
| Posted by JC on Thu 25 Jan | 8 comments |
Nixon unrepentant over sledging
English wicketkeeper Paul Nixon is unrepentant over sledging Michael Hussey after Mr Cricket was given not out when allegedly nicking it in Game 4:
"It's his choice not to walk. In the heat of the battle he wants to win the game and that is exactly what I want to do. If I feel strongly that he's nicked it and not walked I will give him a bit of stick and rightly so. The Aussies would be exactly the same if it was the other way around.I've got no problem with Huss not walking or Nixon sledging him for it (I do have a problem with Gilly walking but that's for personal reasons). Frankly, Nixon should be encouraged to sledge. Considering he can't bat and isn't so crash hot with the gloves, sledging is all he's got.
I am not a walker. You get the rough with the smooth. But if you don't walk you're going to cop a bit of stick and that is fair enough. If I get under other people's skin then that's their prerogative. It is easy for Huss to say that it spurs him on because he won the game. If he had nicked off and been given it's a very different story."
| Posted by JC on Wed 24 Jan | 5 comments |
Tri-Series 2007 Game 6: New Zealand crush England
After England defeated New Zealand in Game 3, it was joked that England had finally found a way to win a game - not play Australia. Even that option is gone as New Zealand just thrashed England by 90 runs. With New Zealand hobbling to 210 and England faltering to 120, it seemed more a contest of mediocrity which England won hands down. Some highlights:
- It's been a season for the new ball bowlers - most innings in the Tri-series has featured top order collapses. Gilly's prediction of 400+ scores must've jinxed the whole summer as teams struggle to reach half that score.
- Daniel Vettori's 4 for 24. I've got a lot of time for Vettori who hadn't taken that many wickets yet this summer - it's good to see him bag a few. His figures were bettered by Flintoff's 4 for 21 but in the end, Flintoff failed when he was needed with the bat.
- Jacob Oram's very welcome return to the side. When the Kiwis were reeling at 5 for 67, Oram and McCullum's 120 run partnership proved the difference... and some. Styris is still to return from injury so New Zealand are getting stronger while England are falling apart. I don't hold out much hope of an Australia Day contest.
| Posted by JC on Tue 23 Jan | 6 comments |
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