Ashes Dreaming

by Barry Nicholls Chapter One: The beginning the 1970s   The year is 1975 or thereaboust. Life is full of big smiles sunburnt faces, freckles and crooked teeth. Television is transforming from black and white to colour. Suddenly studio sets and sporting fields are alive with a rainbow of colours. Sprinklers click away each morning, [Read more]

Herschelle Gibbs

Photo by Peter Argent Big Bash League: Herschelle Gibbs – even his teammates are in danger when he gets going.

Is having a 20/20 team the real question?

Ok, having  just read the Almanac article by Chris Riordan piece and the responses, I thought this occasion called for another fuller response.  My thought is, who cares about the team, just join the party. You see, I have witnessed a 20/20 game on Thursday night, the Melbourne Stars versus the Adelaide Strikers in fact, [Read more]

Graham Yallop v India @ the Adelaide Oval

As we head across to Adelaide for the final test of this series, my mind drifts back to my youth; last century. In the fifth test of the Australian India series of 1977-78, the sides were tied two tests all heading into the Fifth and final test. We had won the first two tests, India [Read more]

Cricket Explained

Barry Nicholls of ABC WA alerted us to this gem. American comedian Reginald D. Hunter has a fine grasp of cricket’s finer points. He explains the game here: http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/16/video-of-the-day-an-american-explains-cricket/

4 – 0? WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?

Two and a half days! That was all the time it took for Australia to twice lay waste to the once-mighty Indian batting line-up. And doesn’t it all suddenly feel like such an anti-climax? The series started so promisingly, with a brilliant and closely-fought match in Melbourne. Immediately, Australia had the momentum, and with nostrils [Read more]

Bowlers do the job again

  Australia v India, Perth – Day Three by Patrick O’Keeffe It’s a sunny Melbourne day. Though I’m sitting in near darkness; feeding my cricket addiction away from judgmental eyes. I turn on the television and Mark Nicholas is interviewing Micky Arthur. The interview appears laid back. I see Mark Nicholas’s hand, a microphone pointed [Read more]

Warner continues. And so do the Indian batting woes.

Australia V India – Perth, Day 2 – 14 January 2012   India 161 & 88/4 Australia 369   Events surrounding this match have unearthed one of Cricket’s greatest conspiracies, the existence of The International Cricket Curators Association (India Excluded) and the weird rituals practised by their members to thwart the plucky Indian players in [Read more]

A Tale of Two Captains

It seemed like a classic contest:  India’s batting monuments facing Australia’s rejuvenated pace attack,  with one last chance to claim a series victory in this country at stake for some. It has only taken eight days of cricket for conversation to turn to consideration of a whitewash. Instead of a great confrontation, we’re left reminded [Read more]

Premier Cricket Round 12 Preview

Five rounds of the 2011/12 Premier Cricket Home & Away season remain commencing with Round 12, a two day fixture to be played over the next two Saturdays (14 & 21 January).   MATCH OF THE ROUND Melbourne (2nd) 37pts v Geelong (5th) 31 pts @ The Albert Ground Melbourne 2011/12 MCC LLWWWWDWWLW G’long WWLLLDDWWWW [Read more]

Premier Cricket – Round 11 Review

  by Mic Rees Whilst it has taken eleven rounds, all First XI teams have now experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat as Carlton suffered the blues and at long last you can confidently say they’re a happy team at Hawthorn. At Mervyn G Hughes Oval, Hawthorn Monash University (9/227 cc) [Read more]

IT IS A GAME OF MILLIMETRES

  In a clash between the Queensland Country side and the SA Outbacks in the Australian Country Cricket Championships in Geelong – this delivery seams to defy logic and missed the stumps by millimetres. Delivered by off-spinner Andrew Frick, in the Twenty20 fixture at South Barwon Reserve, the ball deceived the batsman, but frustratingly didn’t [Read more]

Triple centurions and wickets

One of the best things about Michael Clarkes triple century was he took a wicket in the same match. Other Australian triple centurions, Bradman, Hayden, Taylor, and Simpson, did not manage a wicket(s) in their match when they passed 300, and i’m 95% sure Bob Cowper did not take a wicket in the MCG test [Read more]

Why Not Have A Trundle?

2nd Test, Australia v India Day 4, January 5th, 2012   All the overnight talk was about Tendulkar. Would he finally get that 100th century? It had been proving elusive, even for the Little Master. He was 8 not out at stumps, and had not looked all that convincing in the final hour of play. [Read more]

Premier Cricket: Round 11 Preview

Premier Cricket returns from the holiday hiatus this Saturday (6/1). Round 11 is a 50 over a side contest, the remaining matches for season 2011/12 (Rds 12 to 16 inclusive) arel two day fixtures.   After 10 Rounds the undefeated Carlton (45 pts) lead the pack with a 13 point lead over Melbourne (32pts). Richmond [Read more]

TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS

The Diva decides that today will be the day for spring cleaning.  ”But I have to cover the cricket today” I said.  No reply but I did understand that it has to be done today and definitely not tomorrow (the cleaning that is).   I work it out that I can assist at drinks breaks, [Read more]

Day 2: Cricket in Summer Australia

Another summer’s day.

Two captains and two old prime ministers

India 191 Australia 4/482 This was one of Test Cricket’s memorable days. A resurgent Australian XI againt a fading Indian XI. Australia were in real trouble when Ricky Ponting came to the wicket at 8/2 late yesterday. They were no further advanced when Ed Cowan got a poor umpiring decision shortly thereafter ( 2 out [Read more]

Shaking the tree

  AUSTRALIA v INDIA Second Test – SCG Day 1 – 3 January 2012 Matt O’Connor To borrow an expression from a West Indian cricket radio report of a few years ago, wickets have been falling like ripe mangoes from de trees this summer. And today the thudding continued as batsmen once again failed to [Read more]

Sydney Test blog – Of movies and hundreds

  by Andrew Gigacz The 100th Test at the SCG is about to get underway. Will we see Tendulkar get his 100th 100 in Sydney’s 100th Test? And while on the topic of Tendulkar, his name was one of many that has appeared on Twitter over the past 48 hours. Not in relation to his [Read more]