Here are the headlines. And the real situation. Tony Robb being as acerbic (and insightful) as ever.
Clarke off to a good start
September 22, 2011 by 2 Comments
A lot of us have found it difficult to warm to Michael Clarke for a lot of reasons, but the achievements of he and his team in Sri Lanka can’t be ignored : they did exceptionally well. So well, in fact, that Australia is now back on track towards respectability. It’s easy to trivialise Australia’s [Read more]
Hussey avoids the finger of blame
September 20, 2011 by 3 Comments
by Darren Dawson The finger of blame could be pointed at Sri Lanka, Australia and the wicket. All were culpable in allowing the Third Test in this hitherto interesting series to peter out into the tamest of draws. In what seemed a reaction to the raging turner produced for the First Test, the home [Read more]
Dawdling Sri Lankans still a chance
September 20, 2011 by 7 Comments
I have played in cricket teams which lacked direction. Ones where you sat around the dressing room comparing hangovers, and talking about Friday’s play in the Test match. Then wandered out to bat. Or sauntered out to field. No chat. No plans. No sense of where we were on the ladder. But not many of [Read more]
Sri Lanka v Australia Third Test Day 3
September 19, 2011 by 7 Comments
Over the generations, Test cricket connoisseurs have savoured many great tandem acts. For Australian fans, the incandescent bowling partnership formed by the menacing moustachioed DK Lillee and the frightening beach-bum-looking JR Thomson unfortunately shone all too briefly. Other partnerships, like those two miserly yet very attacking bowling geniuses Warne and McGrath, or the masterful English [Read more]
Dave Goodwin’s dreaming
September 18, 2011 by 3 Comments
by Dave Goodwin I have a dream. An unusual obsession. I want to see Australia play a Test match in each of the ten Test-playing nations. Today I’ve ticked off Sri Lanka. I’m now six down, four to go. Bangladesh is in my sights. I doubt I’ll make it to South Africa this [Read more]
Re-Lyon on Technology
September 17, 2011 by 2 Comments
by Andrew Gigacz I have a feeling I’m going to end up talking about Lyon today. If there’s no cricket due to Sri Lanka’s dodgy weather, it might be Ross Lyon, after the Thursday night bombshell he and Fremantle dropped. It might be Garry Lyon. Is his team close to announcing the Demons’ [Read more]
Looking for a win for the improving Australians
September 15, 2011 by 3 Comments
It may not be the Ashes, it’s September in the footy season and cricket certainly doesn’t seem to be at the forefront of many sports fans’ minds. But the Third Test against Sri Lanka starting in Colombo on Friday is very important for the rehabilitation of Australian cricket after the problems of recent times. Michael [Read more]
DAY 5 AT KANDY
September 13, 2011 by 4 Comments
One of the surprising sites in Kandy is to see a dog with four legs. There are not as many dogs as at Whitten Oval which has surprised me. Most of them laze around on the very edges of the main roads. None are fat (Georgie Bissett) but lean (Robert Murphy). As a dog lover [Read more]
Galle Photo essay
September 12, 2011 by 1 Comment
As Australia closes in on victory in Kandy, we revisit some images from their win in Galle. Pictures by Phil O’Rourke Captions by Marvin Vaas
KANDY DAY 4: THE WISDOM OF DON
September 12, 2011 by 1 Comment
The tsunami has taken care of St Kilda and Essendon. Hawthorn and West Coast have injury problems to star players as well and could fall at the next hurdle. It is hard to feel the suffering that must be going on for the Saints. Forget about Essendon who cares about their effort. My friend Heather [Read more]
2nd Test Sri Lanka v Australia Day 4
September 12, 2011 by 6 Comments
For those not au fait with cricket’s more obscure global locations, the neutral observer might better associate the “City of Kandy” with say, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or one of Heath Ledger’s more low-budget arthouse productions. As nightclub names go, it wouldn’t look out of place on King Street either. Kandy is located [Read more]
A Day With Jim
September 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment
DAY 3 AT KANDY A DAY WITH JIM Many, many of us have listened to the voice of Jim Maxwell from all around the world describing cricket to Australian aficionados. I sat next to him on day three at the second test in Kandy. The day starts with Jim saying that he will be having [Read more]
Great Scott, Scotty and Marsh too
September 10, 2011 by 1 Comment
Today was just a little too much for me. What with day 2 of the Test, the Cats v Hawks and Adelaide (B&F) all live. It was a dilemma Fortunately the test did not provide too many highlights from a spectator’s point of view with the exception of the Marsh and Hussey partnership. The [Read more]
Australians on top in Kandy
September 9, 2011 by 1 Comment
DAY 1 AT KANDY Pallekele is a wonderful cricket ground in fact I would go further and say it is one of the most beautiful grounds in the world. A word of warning though. I hope that they do not build pavilions all the way round the perimeter and so destroy the wonderful views of [Read more]
Train to Kandy
September 7, 2011 by 1 Comment
by Bob Utber Forget about the cricket, the train trip from Colombo Fort to Kandy was worth its weight in chocolates. The British (as the locals call them) built the railway in the 1860’s as their route to the tea plantations that they were establishing. The engineering skills of the Brits can still be seen. [Read more]
Good signs in Galle. To be confirmed in Kandy?
September 6, 2011 by 5 Comments
The positive signs that were evident during the one-day series were on show again during last week’s morale-boosting Test win in Galle, and, despite the loss of Ricky Ponting, the Aussies will head into Thursday’s second Test in Kandy in buoyant spirits. Michael Clarke couldn’t have hoped for a better start to his permanent leadership campaign. His [Read more]
True Blue Siddle
September 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
by Bob Utber You can take the boy out of the bush but you can’t take the bush out of the boy. So it is with Peter Siddle. When he saw me on Day 1 that cheeky grin came over his face and he first words were “what the hell are you doing here? [Read more]
BROWNLOW VOTES IN GALLE
September 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The final day at the G saw a brave defence by Mahela J and Angelo M with Mahela equalling DGB’s 29 test centruries and Angelo missing out by 5 playing the same windy woof that caused his demise in the first innings. Five wickets to Ryan Harris was the best performance in an attack that [Read more]
Marvin Vaas is ‘Indisposed’
September 4, 2011 by 6 Comments
Tragedy in Galle? Was it the tuk-tuk? Was it the humidity? Or simple ‘over excitement’ at Australia’s victory. The Almanac’s intrepid correspondent Marvin Vaas was mysteriously indisposed and unable to file a fourth day report from Galle. The last sighting of Marvin is below.
Aussies Ward off Sri Lanka
September 4, 2011 by 8 Comments
by Andrew Gigacz The inevitability of Australia taking the last five wickets and taking a 1-0 lead against Sri Lanka was delayed by several events. Firstly by another almost inevitable occurrence, morning rain in Galle, after just a few minutes of play. Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews had time only to take the [Read more]
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