Tennis
Injury denies Nadal/Djokovic thriller
2008 Australia Open Champion and perennial World No.3 Novak Djokovic finally broke the sophomore hoodoo off his back last Sunday by winning his second major at the 2011 Australian Open. In the process he scored emphatic wins over the great man Roger Federer in the semi-final, and Britain's favourite choker Andy Murray in the final, both in straight sets. His form was so ominous to suggest that he could have gone even to beating a full strength Rafael Nadal than he managed in losing last year's US Open final in 4 sets. Until his quarter-final Nadal looked quite unstoppable, but a torn muscle in his thigh which started to show up during a marathon second game left him helpless against consistent but hardly world-bearing countryman David Ferrer. The injury denied Rafa perhaps not a sure Rafa-Slam, completing a non-calendar year grand slam by adding the Australian Open titles to the French, Wimbledon and US which he won last year, but certainly denied us a titanic final between two masters of power.
Aussie Kim class of the field
Belgian superstar and long time Aussie fan favourite Kim Clijsters has finally won the Australian Open, her 4th grand slam title adding to the three US Open triumphs she achieved previously. Clijsters may have suffered lapses throughout the tournament and played a particularly below-par first set in the final, but that she still so emphatically and inevitably won a tournament where was far from her best highlights gulf in women's tennis. If both Williams sisters are fit and motivated, Clijsters is at her best, and the plethora of talented tour players but Grand Slam chokers like Wozniacki, Zvonareva and Jankovic play to their potential, women's tennis could be absolutely captivating. The added factor of someone like Li Na, sweeping all before her in reaching the Australian Open final, and stunning youngsters like Petra Kvitova, defy popular claims that women's tennis is in a rough patch. The problem is that the majority of these top ranked tour players remain underachievers, and the Williams sisters remain committed to their questionable program of minimal tennis, which noticeably has not helped decrease their propensity for injury. As it is there is Clijsters. Although she falters on clay and grass courts, its hard not to imagine Kim starting a hard court legacy in Melbourne and New York.
Football
Last chance heartbreak for the golden generation
Australia's ever beloved Socceroos are still licking the wounds from a devastating Asian Cup final, in which the Socceroos dominated every facet of play only to watch Japan steal Asian football's biggest prize 1-0 from a freak extra time strike by substitute Tadahari Lee. The loss potentially represents the final chance at international silverware for many of Australia's aging legends. The Socceroos campaign had gathered steam at the perfect pace, but one can't help but wonder if Japan's emotion charged semi-final penalty shootout win over South Korea primed them for the pressure moments more than Australia's rather leisurely 6-0 demolition of a foul Uzbekistan did. The Socceroos dominated the first half, but were unable to put away the many chances that presented themselves, helped by the sterling efforts of Japanese goal-keeper Eiji Kawashima.
As the pressure built in the second half there were lapses however, with the Socceroos lucky to escape from a few counter-attacking raids, and the enterprising play of the first half game way to a more predictable series of increasingly inaccurate crosses into the box. A brilliant save by Kawashima denied Harry Kewell one-on-one, but it was nevertheless a goal Harry should in any normal circumstance have put away. Lee's strike came in the 109th minute, shortly after the half way interval in extra-time, and came about inevitably from two tiny errors from the Socceroos left backs. Luke Wilkshire allowed Yuto Nagamoto to break clear and find space to cross to Lee who's fresh legs were able to wrong-foot a slightly off the ball David Carney, leaving Lee unmarked with the way clear for a spectacular finish.
Spectacular Roar seal historic achievement
The Hyundai A-League is about to enter its final fortnight, and the setup of the top 6 is nearly clear. After all the troubles and disruptions caused by the flood disaster, the Brisbane Roar have managed to stay on track, scoring tough wins 2-0 over the Wellington Phoenix and 2-1 over the Melbourne Heart. These results seal the club's first ever minor-premiership. The job coach Ange Postecoglou has done can not be underestimated. The unprecedented amount of player swaps he did before the new season raised question marks but have resulted in arguably the most dominant single season by an A-League team ever. But now they must complete the job, against more experienced finals teams.
The battle over the final two spots in the six is nearly settled now. The Heart needed victory over the Roar to stay in touch with crosstown rivals the Melbourne Victory who they drew with 2-2 in a thrilling local derby, and with the Wellington Phoenix who bookended their loss to Brisbane with impressive displays against the Perth Glory (2-0) and the Newcastle Jets 1-0. The Victory and Phoenix look somewhat safe for 5th and 6th now. The Heart will need to score an upset win over the in form Central Coast Mariners to retain any realistic hope, and the Jets would need a miracle. The Mariners on their part have pulled clear in the battle for 2nd with Adelaide United, after winning their grudge match 2-1, rather tempering United's
Full Ladder here.
Cricket
Weary poms feel Ashes hangover.
Australia's cricketers are saving some sort of face with some impressive one-day performances in the needlessly long seven-match series which is ongoing. Even more encouraging with the World Cup pending has been the quality of cricket and the drama, most games have remained competitive until late in the contest with two last over thrillers. For all the criticism of Australian cricket, a 4th successive World Cup may not be out of the question. Injuries have wreaked havoc with the squad as Michael Hussey, Nathan Hauritz, Xavier Doherty, Steve Smith and Shaun Tait have all come down with substantial injuries of varying severity. Hussey's hamstring tear in game 1 and Hauritz' shoulder dislocation while fielding in game 2 are the gravest concerns. No player (with the possible exception of the superhuman Watson, and the comeback hero Lee) have showed any particularly consistency either. Yet through all the setbacks and periods of bad play, Australia lead the series 5-1, and everyone has put their hand up at some stage.
Game 1 was all about Watson's heroic 161 as Australia overhauled a formidable 294. Game 2 saw Hussey's replacement Shaun Marsh expose our idiotic selection policy by scoring 110 after not being picked for the World Cup. Australia were 4 for 33, then 8 for 142, yet still won comfortably in the end. Game 3 saw Brett Lee at his brilliant best and some useful overs from Xavier Doherty on his return to the team, before David Hussey and Brad Haddin overcame an early batting collapse to chase down 215. England won Game 4 but the performance of Steve Smith silenced his doubters with bat and ball. Captain Michael Clarke was the notable man missing from the form sheet. Then in Game 5 he made a gutsy 54 to anchor Australia's innings, before a disciplined display from the whole bowling line-up sealed a convincing win, and then struck a wonderful 82 off 70 balls in Game 6, leading Australia to a remarkable chase of 334, Australia's biggest ever successful run chase.
Even conceivable bit players like David Hussey, Steve Smith and John Hastings have performed well at times. The only player with no real form is Cameron White, but he is a class player and will surely come good sometime during the World Cup.
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
WORLD CUP: Injury horrors threaten selectors blushes
On Tuesday January 18, Australia's much maligned chairman of selectors and famous ball handling opening batsman Andrew Hilditch announced the nation's 15 man squad to travel to India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in just under a month's time and attempt to defend the world cup, a trophy which has made here its home over the last decade. As ever with our selection panel, the squad was devoid of any major surprises and, by extension, any particularly enterprising picks. By far the biggest surprise was the inclusion of Victorian all-rounder John Hastings, over a plethora of well qualified players such as batsmen Shaun Marsh and Callum Ferguson, all rounders Dan Christian and James Hopes, spinner Xavier Doherty and fellow Victorian quick Peter Siddle.
Structurally the squad follows the model that was to be expected, with 13 of the 15 players locked in well before the date. Watson, Haddin, Ponting, Clarke, White, M.Hussey, Smith, Johnson, Hauritz, Lee, Tait is the clear default 11that the selectors want in the best case scenario. David Hussey as a reserve batsman and Doug Bollinger as a reserve fast bowler were also as predicted. What was unknown was where the final two places would go. There were four principle options.
* Extra batsman - Shaun Marsh or Callum Ferguson most talked about, but Tim Paine also relevant as both batsman AND keeper.
* Extra all-rounder - Dan Christian a favourite with veteran James Hopes and the promising Hastings coming up on the rails.
* Extra spinner - Xavier Doherty trialled for the role in Game 1 against England last week.
* Extra fast bowler - Peter Siddle at the front of the queue.
There has been much frustration at the omission of Marsh, Ferguson and Siddle, as well as only taking one specialist spinner to the subcontinent. Ultimately though, as much as I may disagree on some of the defaults (David Hussey and Tait to be precise), the two that were picked are very clever choices. In Tim Paine the selectors simultaneously cover for Brad Haddin specifically behind the stumps, and the rest of the batting lineup. Likewise, Hastings kills two birds with one stone. The selectors have obviously felt that with the plethora of express pace, the balance of the side would be best served by an extra bowler, of more medium pace to be a death bowling specialist. Dan Christian is an explosive hitter but not really an international class bowler, and Siddle would skew the team slightly too much towards the bowling department. With Hastings we get the best of both worlds, a genuine all-rounder to maintain the team balance, but one leaning more towards the necessary bowling side than Christian or Hopes would.
However there is a far more pressing issue than the speculative nonsense of the masses. More than any opposition team, injuries could prove to be Australia's true death knell at the notoriously overlong tournament.
Typical fast bowler plights have denied Ryan Harris a certain world cup spot and Clint McKay a probable one. Their injuries have left Johnson and Bollinger (who I surmise would have been the original four along with Harris and McKay) to be joined by Lee and Tait. The misfortune of the pair may at least be a blessing disguise in the shape of Lee, who is in impressive form but looked gone from the reckoning for all money a month ago. But the four quicks we are left with wouldn't strike fear in to the hearts of top quality teams. Johnson remains extraordinarily inconsistent. Tait's body remains woefully inadequate for the demands of professional cricket, and Bollinger is always a hard worker but would hardly scare too many good batsmen. This leaves Brett Lee as the spearhead of the attack. So far he shows every sign of being able to handle this burden but it remains to be seen how his body and form will hold up over a six week tournament.
The Harris and McKay setbacks must feel an age ago though by now. As of writing Australia officially have eleven healthy players in their squad. A huge question mark remains over both the fitness and capabilities of Ricky Ponting, and the chances of Michael Hussey's hamstring healing sufficiently by game 1 look remote. Thirteen fit players on the day the squad was picked may have given the selectors some anxiety. By now their already receding hairlines must be disappearing by the inch every day. Shaun Tait predictably and inevitably pulled up lame during Australia's victory over England in Hobart yesterday, hot on the heels of Nathan Hauritz' graphic shoulder dislocation sustained while sliding on the dodgy Bellerive outfield. Although there will be no official word until after Hauritz's impending arthroscopic procedure, few who were watching on TV could confidently say that they were looking at a man likely to be fit and match-ready in a mere month.
Shaun Marsh added to the perpetual conveyor belt of morbid irony that constitutes the life of Hilditch and Co by coming in to the side in place of the injured Hussey and responding to his squad omission with a brilliant match-winning 110 in Game 2 of the seven match Commonwealth Bank Series yesterday.
Batsmen
All-Rounders
Spin Bowlers
Fast Bowlers
In coming days I will go through the recently announced squads of 14 nations. Obviously many batsman such as Clarke, White and David Hussey have useful and fairly regular part-time bowling skills as well, but my classifications specifically refer to their primary role within the squad, batsman, bowler, all-rounder or keeper. The elevens I outline are the optimum teams I would pick from the available squads of 15, as opposed to any attempt at omniscient predictions of what various national selectors, coaches and captains may do.
World Cup bolter John Hastings in action for
the Victorian Bushrangers.
Structurally the squad follows the model that was to be expected, with 13 of the 15 players locked in well before the date. Watson, Haddin, Ponting, Clarke, White, M.Hussey, Smith, Johnson, Hauritz, Lee, Tait is the clear default 11that the selectors want in the best case scenario. David Hussey as a reserve batsman and Doug Bollinger as a reserve fast bowler were also as predicted. What was unknown was where the final two places would go. There were four principle options.
* Extra batsman - Shaun Marsh or Callum Ferguson most talked about, but Tim Paine also relevant as both batsman AND keeper.
* Extra all-rounder - Dan Christian a favourite with veteran James Hopes and the promising Hastings coming up on the rails.
* Extra spinner - Xavier Doherty trialled for the role in Game 1 against England last week.
* Extra fast bowler - Peter Siddle at the front of the queue.
There has been much frustration at the omission of Marsh, Ferguson and Siddle, as well as only taking one specialist spinner to the subcontinent. Ultimately though, as much as I may disagree on some of the defaults (David Hussey and Tait to be precise), the two that were picked are very clever choices. In Tim Paine the selectors simultaneously cover for Brad Haddin specifically behind the stumps, and the rest of the batting lineup. Likewise, Hastings kills two birds with one stone. The selectors have obviously felt that with the plethora of express pace, the balance of the side would be best served by an extra bowler, of more medium pace to be a death bowling specialist. Dan Christian is an explosive hitter but not really an international class bowler, and Siddle would skew the team slightly too much towards the bowling department. With Hastings we get the best of both worlds, a genuine all-rounder to maintain the team balance, but one leaning more towards the necessary bowling side than Christian or Hopes would.
However there is a far more pressing issue than the speculative nonsense of the masses. More than any opposition team, injuries could prove to be Australia's true death knell at the notoriously overlong tournament.
Typical fast bowler plights have denied Ryan Harris a certain world cup spot and Clint McKay a probable one. Their injuries have left Johnson and Bollinger (who I surmise would have been the original four along with Harris and McKay) to be joined by Lee and Tait. The misfortune of the pair may at least be a blessing disguise in the shape of Lee, who is in impressive form but looked gone from the reckoning for all money a month ago. But the four quicks we are left with wouldn't strike fear in to the hearts of top quality teams. Johnson remains extraordinarily inconsistent. Tait's body remains woefully inadequate for the demands of professional cricket, and Bollinger is always a hard worker but would hardly scare too many good batsmen. This leaves Brett Lee as the spearhead of the attack. So far he shows every sign of being able to handle this burden but it remains to be seen how his body and form will hold up over a six week tournament.
The Harris and McKay setbacks must feel an age ago though by now. As of writing Australia officially have eleven healthy players in their squad. A huge question mark remains over both the fitness and capabilities of Ricky Ponting, and the chances of Michael Hussey's hamstring healing sufficiently by game 1 look remote. Thirteen fit players on the day the squad was picked may have given the selectors some anxiety. By now their already receding hairlines must be disappearing by the inch every day. Shaun Tait predictably and inevitably pulled up lame during Australia's victory over England in Hobart yesterday, hot on the heels of Nathan Hauritz' graphic shoulder dislocation sustained while sliding on the dodgy Bellerive outfield. Although there will be no official word until after Hauritz's impending arthroscopic procedure, few who were watching on TV could confidently say that they were looking at a man likely to be fit and match-ready in a mere month.
Shaun Marsh added to the perpetual conveyor belt of morbid irony that constitutes the life of Hilditch and Co by coming in to the side in place of the injured Hussey and responding to his squad omission with a brilliant match-winning 110 in Game 2 of the seven match Commonwealth Bank Series yesterday.
Australian World Cup Squad
Batsmen
Brad Haddin - 33 - Wicket Keeper - Right Hand Opening Batsman
Tim Paine - 26 - Wicket Keeper - Right Hand Opening/Top Order Batsman
Ricky Ponting (Captain) - 36 - Right Hand Top Order Batsman
Michael Clarke (Vice Captain) - 29 - Right Hand Top Order Batsman
Cameron White - 27 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman
David Hussey - 33 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman
Callum Ferguson* - 26 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman
All-Rounders
Shane Watson
Steve Smith - 21 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman - Right Arm Leg Spin Bowler
John Hastings - 25 - Right Arm Fast Medium Bowler - Right Hand Lower Order Batsman
Spin Bowlers
Jason Krejza** - 28 - Right Arm Off Spin Bowler
Fast Bowlers
Mitchell Johnson - 29 - Left Arm Fast Bowler
Brett Lee - 34 - Right Arm Fast Bowler
Doug Bollinger - 29 - Left Arm Fast Medium Bowler
Shaun Tait - 27 - Right Arm Fast Bowler
*Edit: Ferguson replaces original squad member Michael Hussey who was withdrawn due to a hamstring injury.
**Edit: Krejza replaces original squad member Nathan Hauritz who was withdrawn due to a shoulder injury.
In coming days I will go through the recently announced squads of 14 nations. Obviously many batsman such as Clarke, White and David Hussey have useful and fairly regular part-time bowling skills as well, but my classifications specifically refer to their primary role within the squad, batsman, bowler, all-rounder or keeper. The elevens I outline are the optimum teams I would pick from the available squads of 15, as opposed to any attempt at omniscient predictions of what various national selectors, coaches and captains may do.
Hosford's XI
Watson, Haddin, Ponting, Clarke, White, D.Hussey, Smith, Hastings, Johnson, Lee, Tait
If Ponting and Clarke perform and Tait doesn't kill his body this would be a formidable team, however over the long term Hastings or Bollinger would be a better bet than Tait, and my rebellious streak would rather like to replace Clarke with Tim Paine.
(Edit: Re-evaluating with the updated squad including Ferguson and Krejza, the question becomes one of bowling configuration. Outside whichever three of the frontline four quicks are picked, Hastings and Krejza essentially should fight it out for the final place in the team. Much has been said of the need for spin in India, but the need for your best team is greater. Although Krejza would take wickets, in Indian conditions he is liable to go for many runs, and Hauritz was picked specifically as a containing bowler. The mean pace trio of Lee, Johnson and Tait are the designated wicket-takers. Smith and David Hussey can handle the 10-15 overs of spin duties between them, with help from Clarke and White if more is necessary. Hastings and Watson, although not spinners, fulfil that role of slower containing bowlers. The tie is ultimately broken by Hastings' extra batting value. My choice of Hastings then determines who should take Mike Hussey's No.6 spot. In batting terms I was just favouring Ferguson, but by playing the four fast bowlers David Hussey is needed for his spin bowling.)
(Edit: Re-evaluating with the updated squad including Ferguson and Krejza, the question becomes one of bowling configuration. Outside whichever three of the frontline four quicks are picked, Hastings and Krejza essentially should fight it out for the final place in the team. Much has been said of the need for spin in India, but the need for your best team is greater. Although Krejza would take wickets, in Indian conditions he is liable to go for many runs, and Hauritz was picked specifically as a containing bowler. The mean pace trio of Lee, Johnson and Tait are the designated wicket-takers. Smith and David Hussey can handle the 10-15 overs of spin duties between them, with help from Clarke and White if more is necessary. Hastings and Watson, although not spinners, fulfil that role of slower containing bowlers. The tie is ultimately broken by Hastings' extra batting value. My choice of Hastings then determines who should take Mike Hussey's No.6 spot. In batting terms I was just favouring Ferguson, but by playing the four fast bowlers David Hussey is needed for his spin bowling.)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Local News Wrap - January 1-14 2011
Cricket
England complete Ashes rout
There was a bizarre feeling at the opening day of the 5th and final Ashes test in Sydney last week. I can attest to it as I was there personally. Although it would be harsh to claim it was an anticlimax, with a packed house piling into the SCG, there was definitely a feeling of perverse irony in all the hearty gusto with which the local fans cheered for the Aussies. As a test match it fast became a never ending tedious anti-climax, or a four day carnival of wonderment if you're English. England were not as devastatingly good as they'd been in Adelaide and Melbourne with bat or ball. Nor were Australia quite so bad as they had been at times during the series. Yet the game ended up every bit as distressingly lopsided, with England amassing their highest ever score in Australia, 644, on their way to a third innings win of the series.
Full scorecard.
Old rivals split short form pair
Although there remains a semblance of novelty and superfluousness to the Twenty20 game, it provided two particularly enjoyable contests this week. The spectre of Australia's Ashes horror meant that the traditional early January T20s were treated with amusingly over exuberant gusto instead of the usual lazy indifference. There have been higher quality games, but both went to the last over and for once it was an intriguing contest between bat and ball, not a nauseating six-a-thon.
England took a thrilling Game One when debutant Chris Woakes scored the necessary 158th run from the last ball of the match, off the bowling of poor old Shane Watson who smashed a wonderful 59 and took four wickets to boot, and still couldn't find himself on the winning team. Game two followed a similar formula, with more frustrating middle order performances limiting Australia to only 147. It would have been worse if not for the efforts of young Aaron Finch who hit an enterprising 53 not out off 33 balls. England looked comfortable with openers Ian Bell and Steve Davies at the crease but after a vital two-wicket over from Mitchell Johnson, the middle order stumbled. Watson once again was a standout with the ball and the pace trio of Lee, Tait and Johnson managed to withstand some late scares and hold on for a much needed 4 run win.
Game 1 scorecard.
Game 2 scorecard.
Football
Socceroos survive medical nightmare
The Asian Cup continues to throw up drama and surprises into its second week. Three time champions and general Asian superpower Saudi Arabia have already booked their tickets home with a shock 1-0 loss to Jordan, following up their 2-1 defeat to Syria in the first game. China also find themselves with a face full of egg after an unexpected 2-0 lesson at the hands of hosts Qatar. Australia's group seems on schedule to finish with the Socceroos and Koreans tied atop the table on seven points after they played out a scrappy but enthralling 1-1 draw. The Socceroos had the better of the first half chances after some good set piece play but found themselves 1-0 down after a defensive lapse in the centre of the park. Mile Jedinak equalised midway through the second half with his first international goal as the Socceroos continued to show impressive elements, but made far too many silly errors and couldn't match the sensational fast passing game of South Korea.
The biggest concern for the Socceroos is a trio of potentially tournament ending injuries to Jason Culina, Luke Wilkshire and David Carney. Culina's central midfield slot should not be hard to fill with Carl Valeri and Matt McKay showing good form, but the respective flank positions in the defensive line could be a bigger problem.
Roar paddle through flood waters
The devastating floods in South-East Queensland have had a profound impact on many in the sporting community. Australian and English cricketers and their respective boards have gone to particular efforts to provide financial support, and today saw a novelty fundraiser featuring the stars of the Tennis world in the lead up to the Australian Open. But it is the A-League who have, in unimportant sporting terms, been affected most of all. The runaway league leaders Brisbane Roar have trained on four different grounds in the past fortnight, and this week found their iconic home Suncorp Stadium under water. Sunday's game against the Wellington Phoenix has been postponed until January 26 but it appears that potentially the entire of the Suncorp's remaining allotment of fixtures may need to be shifted to other grounds around greater Brisbane, or even to Gold Coast United's Skilled Park.
It remains to be seen what effect the troubles of the past week will have on the Roar, who have the luxury of an upcoming bye. If Monday was any indication though the plight of their friends and families will only spur the Roar on. As the crisis in Brisbane began to play out, the team played a thrilling high quality 3-3 draw against an impressive Central Coast Mariners in Gosford. The top 4 remains safe with the Roar, Adelaide United, Mariners and Gold Coast still by far the pick of the competition. But the battle for the remaining two places in the finals remains particularly interesting. Melbourne Victory are looking likely to qualify but are doing their best to throw it all away, with an awful performance at home last weekend, destroyed 4-1 by Adelaide following on from a 2-0 loss to the 8th placed Wellington Pheonix, keeping them within striking distance. Sydney F.C have kept their slim hopes alive with a 2-1 win visiting an inconsistent and injury ravaged Newcastle Jets who nevertheless cling to 6th. Both the Jets and 7th placed Melbourne Heart scored rather inconsequential wins over a decidedly average North Queensland Fury to start the new year, but neither have yet shown enough to consistent form to suggest a finals place is in the bag.
Tennis
Hewitt pulls Kooyong surprise
Preparations are complete for the Australian Open which begins tomorrow at Melbourne Park. Aside from the odd inspiring cameo from names like Molik, Stosur and Dokic, local fans have had precious little to celebrate in the recent past. 2011's edition may not be different in the grand scheme, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal looking unbeatable and Kim Clijsters' favouritism shortening every day. But the signs have been promising this week. Hewitt, the clear outsider in ranking terms, took a somewhat unexpected trophy at the disappointingly tiny and insubstantial but still high quality AAMI classic at Kooyong. Hewitt scored three impressive wins over top players. Russian top 10 stars Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko were both quality conquests, and Hewitt wrapped up the title with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Gael Monfils. Hewitt will need all the form he can muster, for a first round clash with the class of long time rival David Nalbandian, who has come off a strong performance in Auckland where he was runner-up to David Ferrer in the Heineken Cup.
Aussie women reverse roles
There is massive hype around Samantha Stosur going into the Australian Open. The world No.6 who reached her first grand slam final in Paris in 2010, is seeded No.5 for the tournament, the highest Australian women's seed since Wendy Turnbull in 1984. However it was not Stosur who flew the flag for the Aussie girls this week but young up and comer Jarmila Groth. Groth took out her second WTA title this week at the Hobart International, beating fellow young sensation Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States. It follows Groth's maiden title at the Guangzhou International open in China just four months ago. Stosur meanwhile went out in the second round of the Sydney International to former World No.1 Svetlana Kuznetsova. Despite the setback, Stosur's challenge still looks on track. Kuznetsova was particularly impressive and Stosur gives every indication of being a woman who is peaking at the exact right time.
England complete Ashes rout
There was a bizarre feeling at the opening day of the 5th and final Ashes test in Sydney last week. I can attest to it as I was there personally. Although it would be harsh to claim it was an anticlimax, with a packed house piling into the SCG, there was definitely a feeling of perverse irony in all the hearty gusto with which the local fans cheered for the Aussies. As a test match it fast became a never ending tedious anti-climax, or a four day carnival of wonderment if you're English. England were not as devastatingly good as they'd been in Adelaide and Melbourne with bat or ball. Nor were Australia quite so bad as they had been at times during the series. Yet the game ended up every bit as distressingly lopsided, with England amassing their highest ever score in Australia, 644, on their way to a third innings win of the series.
Full scorecard.
Old rivals split short form pair
Although there remains a semblance of novelty and superfluousness to the Twenty20 game, it provided two particularly enjoyable contests this week. The spectre of Australia's Ashes horror meant that the traditional early January T20s were treated with amusingly over exuberant gusto instead of the usual lazy indifference. There have been higher quality games, but both went to the last over and for once it was an intriguing contest between bat and ball, not a nauseating six-a-thon.
England took a thrilling Game One when debutant Chris Woakes scored the necessary 158th run from the last ball of the match, off the bowling of poor old Shane Watson who smashed a wonderful 59 and took four wickets to boot, and still couldn't find himself on the winning team. Game two followed a similar formula, with more frustrating middle order performances limiting Australia to only 147. It would have been worse if not for the efforts of young Aaron Finch who hit an enterprising 53 not out off 33 balls. England looked comfortable with openers Ian Bell and Steve Davies at the crease but after a vital two-wicket over from Mitchell Johnson, the middle order stumbled. Watson once again was a standout with the ball and the pace trio of Lee, Tait and Johnson managed to withstand some late scares and hold on for a much needed 4 run win.
Game 1 scorecard.
Game 2 scorecard.
Football
Socceroos survive medical nightmare
The Asian Cup continues to throw up drama and surprises into its second week. Three time champions and general Asian superpower Saudi Arabia have already booked their tickets home with a shock 1-0 loss to Jordan, following up their 2-1 defeat to Syria in the first game. China also find themselves with a face full of egg after an unexpected 2-0 lesson at the hands of hosts Qatar. Australia's group seems on schedule to finish with the Socceroos and Koreans tied atop the table on seven points after they played out a scrappy but enthralling 1-1 draw. The Socceroos had the better of the first half chances after some good set piece play but found themselves 1-0 down after a defensive lapse in the centre of the park. Mile Jedinak equalised midway through the second half with his first international goal as the Socceroos continued to show impressive elements, but made far too many silly errors and couldn't match the sensational fast passing game of South Korea.
The biggest concern for the Socceroos is a trio of potentially tournament ending injuries to Jason Culina, Luke Wilkshire and David Carney. Culina's central midfield slot should not be hard to fill with Carl Valeri and Matt McKay showing good form, but the respective flank positions in the defensive line could be a bigger problem.
Roar paddle through flood waters
The devastating floods in South-East Queensland have had a profound impact on many in the sporting community. Australian and English cricketers and their respective boards have gone to particular efforts to provide financial support, and today saw a novelty fundraiser featuring the stars of the Tennis world in the lead up to the Australian Open. But it is the A-League who have, in unimportant sporting terms, been affected most of all. The runaway league leaders Brisbane Roar have trained on four different grounds in the past fortnight, and this week found their iconic home Suncorp Stadium under water. Sunday's game against the Wellington Phoenix has been postponed until January 26 but it appears that potentially the entire of the Suncorp's remaining allotment of fixtures may need to be shifted to other grounds around greater Brisbane, or even to Gold Coast United's Skilled Park.
It remains to be seen what effect the troubles of the past week will have on the Roar, who have the luxury of an upcoming bye. If Monday was any indication though the plight of their friends and families will only spur the Roar on. As the crisis in Brisbane began to play out, the team played a thrilling high quality 3-3 draw against an impressive Central Coast Mariners in Gosford. The top 4 remains safe with the Roar, Adelaide United, Mariners and Gold Coast still by far the pick of the competition. But the battle for the remaining two places in the finals remains particularly interesting. Melbourne Victory are looking likely to qualify but are doing their best to throw it all away, with an awful performance at home last weekend, destroyed 4-1 by Adelaide following on from a 2-0 loss to the 8th placed Wellington Pheonix, keeping them within striking distance. Sydney F.C have kept their slim hopes alive with a 2-1 win visiting an inconsistent and injury ravaged Newcastle Jets who nevertheless cling to 6th. Both the Jets and 7th placed Melbourne Heart scored rather inconsequential wins over a decidedly average North Queensland Fury to start the new year, but neither have yet shown enough to consistent form to suggest a finals place is in the bag.
Tennis
Hewitt pulls Kooyong surprise
Preparations are complete for the Australian Open which begins tomorrow at Melbourne Park. Aside from the odd inspiring cameo from names like Molik, Stosur and Dokic, local fans have had precious little to celebrate in the recent past. 2011's edition may not be different in the grand scheme, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal looking unbeatable and Kim Clijsters' favouritism shortening every day. But the signs have been promising this week. Hewitt, the clear outsider in ranking terms, took a somewhat unexpected trophy at the disappointingly tiny and insubstantial but still high quality AAMI classic at Kooyong. Hewitt scored three impressive wins over top players. Russian top 10 stars Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko were both quality conquests, and Hewitt wrapped up the title with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Gael Monfils. Hewitt will need all the form he can muster, for a first round clash with the class of long time rival David Nalbandian, who has come off a strong performance in Auckland where he was runner-up to David Ferrer in the Heineken Cup.
Aussie women reverse roles
There is massive hype around Samantha Stosur going into the Australian Open. The world No.6 who reached her first grand slam final in Paris in 2010, is seeded No.5 for the tournament, the highest Australian women's seed since Wendy Turnbull in 1984. However it was not Stosur who flew the flag for the Aussie girls this week but young up and comer Jarmila Groth. Groth took out her second WTA title this week at the Hobart International, beating fellow young sensation Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States. It follows Groth's maiden title at the Guangzhou International open in China just four months ago. Stosur meanwhile went out in the second round of the Sydney International to former World No.1 Svetlana Kuznetsova. Despite the setback, Stosur's challenge still looks on track. Kuznetsova was particularly impressive and Stosur gives every indication of being a woman who is peaking at the exact right time.
Monday, December 13, 2010
*Insert beer drinking pun here*
Australia's unlikely new recruit Michael Beer,
still looking thoroughly shell shocked.
The Australian selectors look like they have come full circle in their horrendous desperation, and have now become a distinctly unamusing parody of 90s England revolving door policies. The squad for Thursday's 3rd Ashes Test in Perth includes unknown Western Australian left-arm spinner Michael Beer, who only made his first class debut in October and has been picked supposedly for a knowledge of the Perth pitch despite only moving there from Victoria in this past year. Clearly the move smacks of desperation and has been panned from all corners. However it distracts (perhaps not without intent) from what is for once a well chosen squad. Although Beer being selected in the 11 would be an eyebrow-raising move, logical evidence (which unfortunately can't be relied upon when it comes to our selection panel) would suggest that Beer surely will not play, and that consequently the squad is a clever one.
The hype over Beer has overshadowed some astute selection calls. Conventional wisdom said Marcus North, Xavier Doherty and Doug Bollinger must go, and they have. Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus have returned and although it would be nice to see a new fresh batsman like Usman Khawaja, the focus has to be on fixing the bowling horrors of the first two Tests. Australia have picked a perfectly balanced squad for this vital Perth Test. However this is all conditional (and its a big if) on Beer not playing. Make no mistake I rate young Beer, in fact as astonishing as it may seem I had heard of him properly before this week. But the other eleven in this squad of twelve must surely be the correct team for Perth, out of anyone not just this set of twelve.
Obviously, with reason, people must ask why Beer would be selected over the experienced and in form Nathan Hauritz. Or if the selectors insist on troubling England with left arm orthodox spin why not opt for New South Welshman Steve O'Keefe who impressed against the Poms playing for Australia A. But the selectors from what I can tell have their eleven decided already, and if the fight is for a position as token twelfth man Beer does no harm. The reason the eleven seems set is because the needs of a notoriously spin-unfriendly Perth pitch, and the rigidity of the squad means there can only be one plausible team. Watson, Hughes (replacing the injured Simon Katich), Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Haddin, Smith, Johnson, Harris, Siddle, Hilfenhaus. Hauritz or O'Keefe may be obviously more qualified to play than Beer, but truthfully neither would fit into the team based on the squad picked. Furthermore having bowlers of that calibre could result in Ponting and the selectors failing to resist temptation and playing the specialist spinner, which would be a mistake. Playing a Hauritz or an O'Keefe with Smith would mean two spinners, something irrational for the demands of the Perth wicket. The only other option would be playing Hauritz/O'Keefe ahead of Smith, which would dramatically affect the balance of the side. Even with both Hauritz and O'Keefe being useful lower order batsmen, it would be very poor judgement to rely on a batting lineup with an out of form and short on confidence Mitchell Johnson at 7. Five bowlers only works when one of them is the all-rounder Smith.
On the surface it would seem that if a batsman like Khawaja or Callum Ferguson was picked instead of Beer, that would give the squad a better overall balance and offer more flexible options. Digging deeper even this proves untrue through. Playing an extra batsman at No.6 would mean one of two things. Either there would be four fast bowlers and no spinner, not the smartest option. Or Smith would play at No.8 which again is clearly a badly balanced side with one too many batsmen, and only three front line bowlers. With Beer in the squad he operates as a safe 'designated twelfth man' while the prescribed eleven can focus on preparation for the match.
It may seem rather cruel to hand the young man what looks like a miracle debut on his home track only to relegate him to 12th man, but I don't doubt Beer is aware of the plan. If the eleven is indeed set then there's no reason not to give a promising young player a week in the Aussie squad to really learn and help him develop as a player. I don't know if I'm being too lenient on the selectors but I just like the idea of bringing in an exuberant fresh face to remind the boys of the passion and excitement playing for Australia should bring, as opposed to bringing in an old hand like Hauritz to create needless selection dilemmas and dissatisfaction on the part of whoever is chosen not to play.
Maybe Hilditch and co are just panicking and we'll see our twelfth spinner in five years.
Australian Squad - 3rd Test vs England @ Perth, December 16-20
Ricky Ponting - Captain
Michael Clarke - Vice Captain
Shane Watson
Philip Hughes
Michael Hussey
Brad Haddin
Steven Smith
Mitchell Johnson
Ryan Harris
Peter Siddle
Ben Hilfenhaus
Michael Beer
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Local News Wrap - December 6-12 2010
Cricket: By far the most interesting, newsworthy and least painful (although not by much) set of breaking stories this week has involved off-field dramas of selection and injury, not the cataclysmic mess that was the cricket. The latest bizarre selection move on Australia's part is Western Australian off-spinner and general punny name cannon fodder Michael Beer being plucked from the deepest depths of obscurity for the 3rd test in Perth this week.
Rugby League: My beloved Parramatta Eels seem to be doing an unusual amount of publicity events recently, culminating in a Christmas visit to a local shopping centre. One doubts if more publicity is the best way to diffuse the speculation over Timana Tahu's future. But then it could be worse, they could have Timana's PR agents.
AFL: The amusing saga of all-round nice guy Gary Ablett and all-round vaguely suspicious character Mark Thompson continues unchecked. Recent revelations to fuel the fire were that former Geelong premiership coach Thompson was secretly in talks with Essendon well into the previous season, while simultaneously berating Ablett for considering his eventual defection to the Gold Coast Suns. Now it seems that Thompson also had the indignant hypocrisy to fall out with Ablett over his contemplation. Ablett revealed this week that the pair have barely spoken since April, angering club legend John "Sam" Newman.
"That is the most pathetic thing I have ever heard" Newman was quoted as saying. When Sam Newman is disgusted by something you know you have a problem.
Football: The A-League continues to take advantage of being the only substantial sporting league in the country over summer, with some compelling games this week. The Brisbane Roar have continued to show themselves as the real deal, scoring their first ever win in Sydney, 1-0 over Sydney FC. The result, a record-extending 16th straight game without defeat, leaves them an ominous seven points clear of Adelaide United, despite their comfortable 2-0 win over the North Queensland Fury. Gold Coast and Central Coast look solid in 3rd and 4th after a 2-0 win over the hapless travellers Wellington, and a 1-1 draw at Perth respectively. Meanwhile the Melbourne Victory pulled out one of their best performances of the year to win the local derby against the Heart 3-1.
Formula 1: Logic and reason has finally returned to the FIA's lawmakers, with the controversial team orders rule being repealed for 2011, an absurd 9 years after it came in. The rule was implemented in response to a pair of farcical staged finishes by Ferrari drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello during their dominant 2002 season. Regardless of opinions on whether the fans deserve better, or should hack the fact that F1 is a steam sport fundamentally, what was always unanimous was dislike of the rule because of its arbitrariness. Teams have taken to merely using predefined codes or careful wording to disseminate the same message, resulting in a product equally as 'staged', but less honest. For 2011 team orders will return, distasteful maybe, but transparent definitely. Meanwhile Mark Webber has admitted to sustaining a broken shoulder in a mountain-bike accident before the championship-deciding last four races of 2010 (before which he led the title chase). I believe Webber if he claims that the injury did not play a role in denying him the championship, but can't help but think that after two major incidents in a row, Webber should not go near a bicycle of any form ever again.
V8 Supercars: James Courtney has wrapped up the 2010 V8 Supercar title as expected, but he tried his hardest to throw it away, with a 15th and a 14th place finish in the spectacular final weekend on the streets of Sydney Olympic Park. A violent rainstorm in Race 1 resulted in the astonishing happening of all three title contenders hitting the barriers at the same time in the same corner (Whincup and Winterbottom joining Courtney in the wall). Courtney alone of the three was able to salvage some points, scraping home 15th as Dale Wood took a hugely unexpected maiden win. Shane Van Gisbergen looked on track to make it two debut winners from two on Sunday but had the heartbreaking misfortune of running out of fuel on the final lap, handing victory to Holdsworth. Courtney recovered from a comically inexact pit stop to finish 14th and deny Jamie Whincup a hat-trick of titles.
Boxing: Wednesday December 8 saw a thoroughly arbitrary yet strangely interesting exhibition bout between two-time world champion Anthony Mundine and Foxtel reality show "The Contender" winner Garth Wood. Interesting is meant quite liberally however as the fight was of consistently atrocious quality. But it instantly took on a special meaning when Wood landed a flush blow to Mundine's chin in the 5th and left him on the canvas. Wood's KO win was one of the biggest upsets in Australian boxing history. Moreover it was a pleasant surprise and general inspirational source of hope to any decent person to see Mundine dealt the kind of come-uppance any passively interested Aussie boxing fan (any greater interest results in far too much exposure to Mundine's intolerable character) has been desperately waiting for.
Rugby League: My beloved Parramatta Eels seem to be doing an unusual amount of publicity events recently, culminating in a Christmas visit to a local shopping centre. One doubts if more publicity is the best way to diffuse the speculation over Timana Tahu's future. But then it could be worse, they could have Timana's PR agents.
AFL: The amusing saga of all-round nice guy Gary Ablett and all-round vaguely suspicious character Mark Thompson continues unchecked. Recent revelations to fuel the fire were that former Geelong premiership coach Thompson was secretly in talks with Essendon well into the previous season, while simultaneously berating Ablett for considering his eventual defection to the Gold Coast Suns. Now it seems that Thompson also had the indignant hypocrisy to fall out with Ablett over his contemplation. Ablett revealed this week that the pair have barely spoken since April, angering club legend John "Sam" Newman.
"That is the most pathetic thing I have ever heard" Newman was quoted as saying. When Sam Newman is disgusted by something you know you have a problem.
Football: The A-League continues to take advantage of being the only substantial sporting league in the country over summer, with some compelling games this week. The Brisbane Roar have continued to show themselves as the real deal, scoring their first ever win in Sydney, 1-0 over Sydney FC. The result, a record-extending 16th straight game without defeat, leaves them an ominous seven points clear of Adelaide United, despite their comfortable 2-0 win over the North Queensland Fury. Gold Coast and Central Coast look solid in 3rd and 4th after a 2-0 win over the hapless travellers Wellington, and a 1-1 draw at Perth respectively. Meanwhile the Melbourne Victory pulled out one of their best performances of the year to win the local derby against the Heart 3-1.
Formula 1: Logic and reason has finally returned to the FIA's lawmakers, with the controversial team orders rule being repealed for 2011, an absurd 9 years after it came in. The rule was implemented in response to a pair of farcical staged finishes by Ferrari drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello during their dominant 2002 season. Regardless of opinions on whether the fans deserve better, or should hack the fact that F1 is a steam sport fundamentally, what was always unanimous was dislike of the rule because of its arbitrariness. Teams have taken to merely using predefined codes or careful wording to disseminate the same message, resulting in a product equally as 'staged', but less honest. For 2011 team orders will return, distasteful maybe, but transparent definitely. Meanwhile Mark Webber has admitted to sustaining a broken shoulder in a mountain-bike accident before the championship-deciding last four races of 2010 (before which he led the title chase). I believe Webber if he claims that the injury did not play a role in denying him the championship, but can't help but think that after two major incidents in a row, Webber should not go near a bicycle of any form ever again.
V8 Supercars: James Courtney has wrapped up the 2010 V8 Supercar title as expected, but he tried his hardest to throw it away, with a 15th and a 14th place finish in the spectacular final weekend on the streets of Sydney Olympic Park. A violent rainstorm in Race 1 resulted in the astonishing happening of all three title contenders hitting the barriers at the same time in the same corner (Whincup and Winterbottom joining Courtney in the wall). Courtney alone of the three was able to salvage some points, scraping home 15th as Dale Wood took a hugely unexpected maiden win. Shane Van Gisbergen looked on track to make it two debut winners from two on Sunday but had the heartbreaking misfortune of running out of fuel on the final lap, handing victory to Holdsworth. Courtney recovered from a comically inexact pit stop to finish 14th and deny Jamie Whincup a hat-trick of titles.
Boxing: Wednesday December 8 saw a thoroughly arbitrary yet strangely interesting exhibition bout between two-time world champion Anthony Mundine and Foxtel reality show "The Contender" winner Garth Wood. Interesting is meant quite liberally however as the fight was of consistently atrocious quality. But it instantly took on a special meaning when Wood landed a flush blow to Mundine's chin in the 5th and left him on the canvas. Wood's KO win was one of the biggest upsets in Australian boxing history. Moreover it was a pleasant surprise and general inspirational source of hope to any decent person to see Mundine dealt the kind of come-uppance any passively interested Aussie boxing fan (any greater interest results in far too much exposure to Mundine's intolerable character) has been desperately waiting for.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
FINAL REPORT: Pietersen stars in unprecedented thrashing
Australia vs England, 2nd Test - Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Thursday December 2-Monday December 6 2010.
Australia - 245 (Hussey 93, Haddin 56, Watson 51, Anderson 4/51)
England - 5 dec 620 (Pietersen 227, Cook 148, Trott 78, Bell 68 n.o)
Australia - 304 (Clarke 80, Watson 57, Hussey 52, Swann 5/91)
England won by An Innings and 71 runs
MotM - Kevin Pietersen (Eng)
England lead 5 Test series 1-0 after 2 Tests
Full Scorecard here.
What to say and where to turn as an Australian cricket fan? The four and a bit days of horror which transmitted out of Adelaide this week felt as close to watching a friend die as any arbitrary frivolous sports game could ever possibly feel. I personally, with the typical sleeping pattern of my age (and it must be said of a lover of worldwide sport) found myself accidentally slumped in a post-late night stupor on my couch at 11am EST this past Thursday. After my fleeting nap I jerked awake to see AUS 3/2 on the screen in front of me. Never has missing the start of an important cricket match felt so good. All in all, for all the consistently good bowling of England on Day 1, for all the heroics of Cook and Pietersen with the bat, and for all the final morning wiles of Graeme Swann, in reality I missed the decisive point of the Test match. The stunned silence and general sense of amazement that filtered through from the generous Adelaide crowd (a post Bodyline-record) and the commentary box gave off an air of exasperated desperation, as if the death of the modern golden age of Australian cricket was playing out in front of our eyes. It was the way it happened too. Simon Katich run out for an astonishing diamond duck after yet another woeful misunderstanding with Shane Watson in the first over of the match. Next ball the trump card Ponting gone and Australia 2/0. Then at 2/2 Michael Clarke gave yet another sign of his immature impetuosity, and general inability to make vital runs in pressure situations. The airiness with Clarke swatted a James Anderson full ball, inevitably edging to slip, was enough to fry the blood.
From 3/2 Australia started to dig itself out of the hole, but any time it got close to some sort of comfort another wicket fell. Watson and North both threw away solid starts at crucial times. Michael Hussey led the Australian recovery again with another beautiful innings. But he was snuffed out on 93 by a gem from Graeme Swann. This was the end of any meaningful resistance. Brad Haddin was last man out for a well made 56, but the damage was done, Australia out inside a day for a paltry 245, paltry on such a flat batting beauty of an Adelaide wicket. After Day 1 the dialogue from the Australians to the press was that batting was not as easy as it was made out and a similar tight bowling display to the English could keep the match competitive. When Andrew Strauss left the third ball of Day 2 to go through to the keeper and was bowled by Doug Bollinger for 1 there were fleeting hopes of fight. But Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott, extending their Brisbane vigil, showed the true virtue of the pitch, adding another 173 to their unbeaten 329 from the week before. Trott fell for 78 to Ryan Harris, the only Australian bowler to maintain any sustained pressure, but that only brought Kevin Pietersen to the crease.
It seems astonishing to think that Pietersen's fear factor was paramount in 2005 and 2006, and that the last 18 months of scratchy form had consigned this supposedly to the history books. After all his iconic efforts in helping England win that special series in 2005 however, nothing came close to his achievements in Adelaide. His second career double century, a career best 227, batting from late on Day 2 until the 4th morning. KP's effort even put Alastair Cook in the shade, despite the fact that he made another 148 following on from Brisbane's unbeaten 235. Cook now has a ridiculous aggregate of 350 runs in 3 innings at an average of 175. One stat I know doesn't exist is the scoring of a double century in every match of a 5 test series. Would you rule it out on the Australian bowling evidence presented thus far?
So after compiling all of 620 runs for just 5 wickets lost, England saw fit to declare on the 4th morning and set about their first innings win over Australia in 24 years. Shane Watson looked good for 57 (his dismissal on such scores is fast becoming tiresome) and Simon Katich fought hard for 43 through an Achilles injury that has proved fatal to his series. But all in all Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey (with a little help from some ominous grey skies) looked like they might just give us a chance of getting away with the impossible, and heading to Perth still locked at zero in the series. Then Michael Clarke padded an amicable little dolly from Kevin Pietersen straight to the short leg fieldsman, Cook no less, in the last over of the day. Going to sleep on the final evening all looked lost after that final blow but you never know, there's fight to come in the batting order and rain to be showered. But the feeble resistance showed by as stoic fighters as Hussey, North and Haddin
The post-mortem was as swift and decisive as it was predictable. Former English captain Duncan Fletcher stated that Australia's worst case scenario was a 3-0 series defeat.
"The only ground I can see Australia getting a draw at is Melbourne. If the wicket there is as flat as it has been in previous years then Australia should be able to bat out the match." Fletcher said writing for The Guardian.
Comparisons to the lowest depths of Australian cricket in living memory, namely the early to mid 80s period of Allan Border led struggle and revival, are coming thick and fast. Perhaps inevitably, but still somewhat astonishingly, the calls for Shane Warne's return are louder than ever. Respected Australian journalist and noted Warne-basher Peter Fitzsimons leads the crusade, saying that the emergency need to save and win the Ashes is more important right now than any longer term considerations. Always looking on the bright side, The Courier Mail's Robert Craddock expressed a view that such a hiding may be what is needed to push Australian cricket in a positive direction.
"Sometimes a serious kick up the backside can do far more good than harm. Losing the Ashes in 2005 was one of the best things that happened to Australia in recent times."
I can't help but feeling however that is clutching at straws to an extent, the long term prognosis is far more dire than it was in 2005 and it seems unlikely that any real substantive rebirth in Australian prospects is less than a few years away at best. Malcolm Conn's ironic comparison to Australia's last innings defeat at the hands of England, in 1986-87, also presents as a veneer of false hope. But perhaps it is too presumptuous to say a 4-0 Australian victory in England in 2013 isn't out of the question. Or perhaps it isn't.
For all the much deserved Australia bashing however, credit must go to England. They played perhaps their most complete near-perfect Ashes Test in decades. Brisbane showed the potential for batting dominance but in Adelaide in some ways, considering how many more questions were raised about the attack, it was the fantastic bowling performance, particularly of James Anderson and Graeme Swann that really stole the show.
The question for Australia now is what to do with their team for Perth. Panicky wholesale switching would do little to anybody's confidence and have no greater effect than sticking with the same 11. However in all likelihood Marcus North and Xavier Doherty at least must go, joining Simon Katich on the sidelines. Katich's replacement is the easy part. Selectors are likely to go straight for their default of Philip Hughes, despite the fact that older, more experienced both domestically and internationally and more technically sound Western Australian opener Shaun Marsh has been in epic Sheffield Shield form, with statistics dwarfing those of Hughes.
Usman Khawaja coming in for Marcus North is not as simple as it sounds, especially as Khawaja has very little experience batting so low down the order. Nathan Hauritz chose this week's vital match for NSW against WA to score a rather unexpected maiden first class hundred rather than taking any wickets. However he took an impressive five wickets on a test-reminiscent Perth pitch very recently and must be a safer option than Steven Smith (although he at least would bolster our fledgling tail). The questions are endless? Do we bring Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus back? Should the selectors bite the bullet and breed Khawaja, Ferguson, McKay, George, Copland, or countless other youngsters. Maybe Warne should come back. It would at least be less complicated and although I am not convinced that he could truly weave his old magic, his mere presence might be enough and certainly his tactical nous would improve the situation. It has been quite astonishing to see how freely and easily Warne has been able to pick holes in Ponting's tactics live in commentary and suggest more interesting options, and how often his suspicions tend to turn out right.
Maybe you'll consider it Shane? It would be spectacularly newsworthy if nothing else.
Highlights
*** - It's hard to think of any out of such a disaster. Michael Hussey must come instantly to the surface though. His form and timing still look impeccable and if we are to somehow stay in the series more big hundreds will help the cause, if we can't then at least Aussies have one shining light. His rash shot to start the rout early on the final day has left quite a big scar on the match for him though.
** - Ryan Harris. He may only have 2 for 84 to show for his work at the Adelaide Oval, but this is substantially better than any of his front line counterparts, all of whom conceded more than 100 runs. Aside from Siddle's first innings heroics in Brisbane a decade ago it now feels like, Harris is the only bowler available who really deserves to play in Perth at all. Ben Hilfenhaus surely must also return as he I felt did very little to deserve being dropped in the first place and certainly couldn't perform any worse than Doug Bollinger did in Adelaide.
* - As unusual as it may be to see me giving praise to Michael Clarke, his second innings 80 was a tough fighting knock at a time when Clarke didn't look to be any right state form wise to provide such an innings. It also could have gone partially the way in silencing those who say he doesn't make scores in pressure situations, if he hadn't of thrown it away on the last ball of the day. Nevertheless it gives hope that he might be able to put some sort of runs together in coming Tests.
Lowlights
*** - It's difficult to know where to begin. Yet when you consider that the last two English innings have cost 1037 runs for just 6 wickets, it isn't really. Five fast men, and a woefully underused Shane Watson, have tried and none have effectively succeeded in stopping the terrifying flow of runs from English bats. With every pitch in Australia usually playing decidedly flat, and with every logical fast-bowling option tried already, its impossible to think how we're going to stop them and frighteningly rational to wonder if England will just keep racking up 500,600,700 in every first innings.
** - Ricky Ponting. Today I will not speak of his captaincy, primarily because his shortcomings are now so visibly self-evident that I have little need to say anything. It is his batting which is really letting us down. For all the talk of being past his best (which he may be in terms of consistency at least), Ponting showed in India that his actual skills and talents have not diminished one bit. Watson is batting solidly enough, and Hussey so beautifully, that if Ponting could put some big innings together under pressure (as opposed to superfluous knocks like Day 5 at the Gabba) it would make a huge difference, not just in the obvious way but mentally for the whole team. Ponting is the talisman. Advancing he may be in age but he remains that golden prized wicket everyone wants. Like Pietersen, it doesn't really matter what form Ponting is in, you know he can take the game away from you and lift the whole team with him. If he can score a few hundreds now he might just save his place in the team post-Ashes even if his captaincy is beyond salvation.
* - Xavier Doherty. It may be harsh to give him his own star, particularly after all my praise for him as recently as Brisbane. But this star is more earned by the selectors and whoever is running the spin bowling program in Australia in general than for Doherty himself. For all his admirable effort and through my general enthusiastic support of him, must however go, he has shown with figures of 1 for 158 in 27 overs that he really isn't up to Test standard. Some may say that Shane Warne started similarly and faith should be shown? Yes it should be but only when all prevailing evidence says so. The faith should have been in Nathan Hauritz in the first place. Even if he comes back for Perth it's impossible to know how his sacking has affected his confidence.
Thursday December 2-Monday December 6 2010.
Australia - 245 (Hussey 93, Haddin 56, Watson 51, Anderson 4/51)
England - 5 dec 620 (Pietersen 227, Cook 148, Trott 78, Bell 68 n.o)
Australia - 304 (Clarke 80, Watson 57, Hussey 52, Swann 5/91)
England won by An Innings and 71 runs
MotM - Kevin Pietersen (Eng)
England lead 5 Test series 1-0 after 2 Tests
Full Scorecard here.
A pained and perturbed Ricky Ponting forced
to face the media music again.
What to say and where to turn as an Australian cricket fan? The four and a bit days of horror which transmitted out of Adelaide this week felt as close to watching a friend die as any arbitrary frivolous sports game could ever possibly feel. I personally, with the typical sleeping pattern of my age (and it must be said of a lover of worldwide sport) found myself accidentally slumped in a post-late night stupor on my couch at 11am EST this past Thursday. After my fleeting nap I jerked awake to see AUS 3/2 on the screen in front of me. Never has missing the start of an important cricket match felt so good. All in all, for all the consistently good bowling of England on Day 1, for all the heroics of Cook and Pietersen with the bat, and for all the final morning wiles of Graeme Swann, in reality I missed the decisive point of the Test match. The stunned silence and general sense of amazement that filtered through from the generous Adelaide crowd (a post Bodyline-record) and the commentary box gave off an air of exasperated desperation, as if the death of the modern golden age of Australian cricket was playing out in front of our eyes. It was the way it happened too. Simon Katich run out for an astonishing diamond duck after yet another woeful misunderstanding with Shane Watson in the first over of the match. Next ball the trump card Ponting gone and Australia 2/0. Then at 2/2 Michael Clarke gave yet another sign of his immature impetuosity, and general inability to make vital runs in pressure situations. The airiness with Clarke swatted a James Anderson full ball, inevitably edging to slip, was enough to fry the blood.
From 3/2 Australia started to dig itself out of the hole, but any time it got close to some sort of comfort another wicket fell. Watson and North both threw away solid starts at crucial times. Michael Hussey led the Australian recovery again with another beautiful innings. But he was snuffed out on 93 by a gem from Graeme Swann. This was the end of any meaningful resistance. Brad Haddin was last man out for a well made 56, but the damage was done, Australia out inside a day for a paltry 245, paltry on such a flat batting beauty of an Adelaide wicket. After Day 1 the dialogue from the Australians to the press was that batting was not as easy as it was made out and a similar tight bowling display to the English could keep the match competitive. When Andrew Strauss left the third ball of Day 2 to go through to the keeper and was bowled by Doug Bollinger for 1 there were fleeting hopes of fight. But Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott, extending their Brisbane vigil, showed the true virtue of the pitch, adding another 173 to their unbeaten 329 from the week before. Trott fell for 78 to Ryan Harris, the only Australian bowler to maintain any sustained pressure, but that only brought Kevin Pietersen to the crease.
It seems astonishing to think that Pietersen's fear factor was paramount in 2005 and 2006, and that the last 18 months of scratchy form had consigned this supposedly to the history books. After all his iconic efforts in helping England win that special series in 2005 however, nothing came close to his achievements in Adelaide. His second career double century, a career best 227, batting from late on Day 2 until the 4th morning. KP's effort even put Alastair Cook in the shade, despite the fact that he made another 148 following on from Brisbane's unbeaten 235. Cook now has a ridiculous aggregate of 350 runs in 3 innings at an average of 175. One stat I know doesn't exist is the scoring of a double century in every match of a 5 test series. Would you rule it out on the Australian bowling evidence presented thus far?
So after compiling all of 620 runs for just 5 wickets lost, England saw fit to declare on the 4th morning and set about their first innings win over Australia in 24 years. Shane Watson looked good for 57 (his dismissal on such scores is fast becoming tiresome) and Simon Katich fought hard for 43 through an Achilles injury that has proved fatal to his series. But all in all Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey (with a little help from some ominous grey skies) looked like they might just give us a chance of getting away with the impossible, and heading to Perth still locked at zero in the series. Then Michael Clarke padded an amicable little dolly from Kevin Pietersen straight to the short leg fieldsman, Cook no less, in the last over of the day. Going to sleep on the final evening all looked lost after that final blow but you never know, there's fight to come in the batting order and rain to be showered. But the feeble resistance showed by as stoic fighters as Hussey, North and Haddin
The post-mortem was as swift and decisive as it was predictable. Former English captain Duncan Fletcher stated that Australia's worst case scenario was a 3-0 series defeat.
"The only ground I can see Australia getting a draw at is Melbourne. If the wicket there is as flat as it has been in previous years then Australia should be able to bat out the match." Fletcher said writing for The Guardian.
Comparisons to the lowest depths of Australian cricket in living memory, namely the early to mid 80s period of Allan Border led struggle and revival, are coming thick and fast. Perhaps inevitably, but still somewhat astonishingly, the calls for Shane Warne's return are louder than ever. Respected Australian journalist and noted Warne-basher Peter Fitzsimons leads the crusade, saying that the emergency need to save and win the Ashes is more important right now than any longer term considerations. Always looking on the bright side, The Courier Mail's Robert Craddock expressed a view that such a hiding may be what is needed to push Australian cricket in a positive direction.
"Sometimes a serious kick up the backside can do far more good than harm. Losing the Ashes in 2005 was one of the best things that happened to Australia in recent times."
I can't help but feeling however that is clutching at straws to an extent, the long term prognosis is far more dire than it was in 2005 and it seems unlikely that any real substantive rebirth in Australian prospects is less than a few years away at best. Malcolm Conn's ironic comparison to Australia's last innings defeat at the hands of England, in 1986-87, also presents as a veneer of false hope. But perhaps it is too presumptuous to say a 4-0 Australian victory in England in 2013 isn't out of the question. Or perhaps it isn't.
For all the much deserved Australia bashing however, credit must go to England. They played perhaps their most complete near-perfect Ashes Test in decades. Brisbane showed the potential for batting dominance but in Adelaide in some ways, considering how many more questions were raised about the attack, it was the fantastic bowling performance, particularly of James Anderson and Graeme Swann that really stole the show.
The question for Australia now is what to do with their team for Perth. Panicky wholesale switching would do little to anybody's confidence and have no greater effect than sticking with the same 11. However in all likelihood Marcus North and Xavier Doherty at least must go, joining Simon Katich on the sidelines. Katich's replacement is the easy part. Selectors are likely to go straight for their default of Philip Hughes, despite the fact that older, more experienced both domestically and internationally and more technically sound Western Australian opener Shaun Marsh has been in epic Sheffield Shield form, with statistics dwarfing those of Hughes.
Usman Khawaja coming in for Marcus North is not as simple as it sounds, especially as Khawaja has very little experience batting so low down the order. Nathan Hauritz chose this week's vital match for NSW against WA to score a rather unexpected maiden first class hundred rather than taking any wickets. However he took an impressive five wickets on a test-reminiscent Perth pitch very recently and must be a safer option than Steven Smith (although he at least would bolster our fledgling tail). The questions are endless? Do we bring Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus back? Should the selectors bite the bullet and breed Khawaja, Ferguson, McKay, George, Copland, or countless other youngsters. Maybe Warne should come back. It would at least be less complicated and although I am not convinced that he could truly weave his old magic, his mere presence might be enough and certainly his tactical nous would improve the situation. It has been quite astonishing to see how freely and easily Warne has been able to pick holes in Ponting's tactics live in commentary and suggest more interesting options, and how often his suspicions tend to turn out right.
Maybe you'll consider it Shane? It would be spectacularly newsworthy if nothing else.
Highlights
*** - It's hard to think of any out of such a disaster. Michael Hussey must come instantly to the surface though. His form and timing still look impeccable and if we are to somehow stay in the series more big hundreds will help the cause, if we can't then at least Aussies have one shining light. His rash shot to start the rout early on the final day has left quite a big scar on the match for him though.
** - Ryan Harris. He may only have 2 for 84 to show for his work at the Adelaide Oval, but this is substantially better than any of his front line counterparts, all of whom conceded more than 100 runs. Aside from Siddle's first innings heroics in Brisbane a decade ago it now feels like, Harris is the only bowler available who really deserves to play in Perth at all. Ben Hilfenhaus surely must also return as he I felt did very little to deserve being dropped in the first place and certainly couldn't perform any worse than Doug Bollinger did in Adelaide.
* - As unusual as it may be to see me giving praise to Michael Clarke, his second innings 80 was a tough fighting knock at a time when Clarke didn't look to be any right state form wise to provide such an innings. It also could have gone partially the way in silencing those who say he doesn't make scores in pressure situations, if he hadn't of thrown it away on the last ball of the day. Nevertheless it gives hope that he might be able to put some sort of runs together in coming Tests.
Lowlights
*** - It's difficult to know where to begin. Yet when you consider that the last two English innings have cost 1037 runs for just 6 wickets, it isn't really. Five fast men, and a woefully underused Shane Watson, have tried and none have effectively succeeded in stopping the terrifying flow of runs from English bats. With every pitch in Australia usually playing decidedly flat, and with every logical fast-bowling option tried already, its impossible to think how we're going to stop them and frighteningly rational to wonder if England will just keep racking up 500,600,700 in every first innings.
** - Ricky Ponting. Today I will not speak of his captaincy, primarily because his shortcomings are now so visibly self-evident that I have little need to say anything. It is his batting which is really letting us down. For all the talk of being past his best (which he may be in terms of consistency at least), Ponting showed in India that his actual skills and talents have not diminished one bit. Watson is batting solidly enough, and Hussey so beautifully, that if Ponting could put some big innings together under pressure (as opposed to superfluous knocks like Day 5 at the Gabba) it would make a huge difference, not just in the obvious way but mentally for the whole team. Ponting is the talisman. Advancing he may be in age but he remains that golden prized wicket everyone wants. Like Pietersen, it doesn't really matter what form Ponting is in, you know he can take the game away from you and lift the whole team with him. If he can score a few hundreds now he might just save his place in the team post-Ashes even if his captaincy is beyond salvation.
* - Xavier Doherty. It may be harsh to give him his own star, particularly after all my praise for him as recently as Brisbane. But this star is more earned by the selectors and whoever is running the spin bowling program in Australia in general than for Doherty himself. For all his admirable effort and through my general enthusiastic support of him, must however go, he has shown with figures of 1 for 158 in 27 overs that he really isn't up to Test standard. Some may say that Shane Warne started similarly and faith should be shown? Yes it should be but only when all prevailing evidence says so. The faith should have been in Nathan Hauritz in the first place. Even if he comes back for Perth it's impossible to know how his sacking has affected his confidence.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Weekend Headlines
Cricket: 1/517. That's all I'm going to say. Details here.
Rugby: How many times in Rugby history can a front rower be lauded the hero of a 40 point drubbing? At least one now thanks to Wallaby bench prop Ben Robinson. He came on with Australia locked in a 13-13 struggle with France in Paris, having just conceded a penalty try because of typically atrocious collapsible scrum work. Robinson proved the missing link and was able to keep the pack standing, then promptly scored the first try of the second half after diving across the line from a metre out. That took Australia to a 20-16 lead and with newfound confidence they went on to a rather surprising but thoroughly impressive record demolition, the final score 59-16.
Football: David Beckham showed his usual sense of generally being kind of average on a football field in Saturday's showcase against the Newcastle Jets. In all fairness however he was carrying at least one, perhaps several niggling injuries throughout the game and showed glimpses of his best, a best that remains comfortably beyond A-League class. However for the second visit from two the Galaxy strangely found themselves on the losing end against a team with an incomparably smaller and capped salary pool. The Jets coming from 1 goal down to win 2-1.
Tennis: At the end of one of the worst years of his illustrious career, former world No.1 Roger Federer has finally won only his 5th title of 2010. However this happened to be the most important-non grand slam tournament in the world, the ATP tour finals in London. What's more, Federer achieved the success, his 5th at the year end championships, with a mighty display over an equally in form world No.1 Rafael Nadal. The result reminds us that when both on their game, Federer remains comfortably the better hard court player and consequently should be favoured for January's Australian Open.
Cricket: In light of the flat beast the Gabba wicket became this week, Hobart has reminded everyone why it is so underrated as a test venue with a juicy pitch allowing South Australia to beat Tasmania by 43 runs in the Sheffield Shield despite only making 55 in their first dig. Can you imagine this at Adelaide?
Football: The A-League is beginning to have a distinctly 2 horse race feel about it, with Adelaide United's 2-1 win over the Gold Coast being backed up by a 5-1 thumping of the Central Coast Mariners dealt by the top of the table Brisbane Roar. The losing teams are 3rd and 4th on the ladder, now more than 7 points behind Adelaide on 34 points, while Brisbane dominate on a mammoth 40. Is it worth noting however that Adelaide are notorious grand final chokers and Brisbane are as yet unproven on the big stage. This is still any one's league.
Rugby League: Timana Tahu. What the hell? One has to wonder where his mind is at around this time. After a controversial year involving Andrew Johns' and then his own dunderheaded racial slurs, he had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. Tahu had yet to show to practice sessions for the Parramatta Eels and coach Steven Kearney admitted he couldn't guarantee his playing future. Yet it turns out he spent last weekend playing in a charity touch competition apparently without any visible signs of physical injury or emotional distress.
Rugby: How many times in Rugby history can a front rower be lauded the hero of a 40 point drubbing? At least one now thanks to Wallaby bench prop Ben Robinson. He came on with Australia locked in a 13-13 struggle with France in Paris, having just conceded a penalty try because of typically atrocious collapsible scrum work. Robinson proved the missing link and was able to keep the pack standing, then promptly scored the first try of the second half after diving across the line from a metre out. That took Australia to a 20-16 lead and with newfound confidence they went on to a rather surprising but thoroughly impressive record demolition, the final score 59-16.
Football: David Beckham showed his usual sense of generally being kind of average on a football field in Saturday's showcase against the Newcastle Jets. In all fairness however he was carrying at least one, perhaps several niggling injuries throughout the game and showed glimpses of his best, a best that remains comfortably beyond A-League class. However for the second visit from two the Galaxy strangely found themselves on the losing end against a team with an incomparably smaller and capped salary pool. The Jets coming from 1 goal down to win 2-1.
Tennis: At the end of one of the worst years of his illustrious career, former world No.1 Roger Federer has finally won only his 5th title of 2010. However this happened to be the most important-non grand slam tournament in the world, the ATP tour finals in London. What's more, Federer achieved the success, his 5th at the year end championships, with a mighty display over an equally in form world No.1 Rafael Nadal. The result reminds us that when both on their game, Federer remains comfortably the better hard court player and consequently should be favoured for January's Australian Open.
Cricket: In light of the flat beast the Gabba wicket became this week, Hobart has reminded everyone why it is so underrated as a test venue with a juicy pitch allowing South Australia to beat Tasmania by 43 runs in the Sheffield Shield despite only making 55 in their first dig. Can you imagine this at Adelaide?
Football: The A-League is beginning to have a distinctly 2 horse race feel about it, with Adelaide United's 2-1 win over the Gold Coast being backed up by a 5-1 thumping of the Central Coast Mariners dealt by the top of the table Brisbane Roar. The losing teams are 3rd and 4th on the ladder, now more than 7 points behind Adelaide on 34 points, while Brisbane dominate on a mammoth 40. Is it worth noting however that Adelaide are notorious grand final chokers and Brisbane are as yet unproven on the big stage. This is still any one's league.
Rugby League: Timana Tahu. What the hell? One has to wonder where his mind is at around this time. After a controversial year involving Andrew Johns' and then his own dunderheaded racial slurs, he had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. Tahu had yet to show to practice sessions for the Parramatta Eels and coach Steven Kearney admitted he couldn't guarantee his playing future. Yet it turns out he spent last weekend playing in a charity touch competition apparently without any visible signs of physical injury or emotional distress.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Weekly news wrap: November 21-27 2010
Cricket
Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin are Australia’s latest sporting heroes after an inspired triple century to put Australia into a commanding position of the first Ashes test at the Gabba. For more on the Ashes see my series preview and daily reports.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
After fighting admirably for ten days to hold Test No.1s India to two solid draws, New Zealand’s cricketers succeeded in thoroughly ruining yet another series for their poor superstar captain Daniel Vettori. A distinctly typical middle order batting farce saw the Black Caps bowled out for 193 and 175, allowing India to amble comfortably to 8 declared for 566 in the interim.
A few thousand Pakistani expatriates, the families of the players and half a dozen local fans gathered in Abu Dhabi’s ridiculous looking cricket stadium last week to watch South Africa’s bowlers thoroughly fail to bowl out Pakistan in the 4th innings for a second consecutive test match. Credit this time must also go to their batsmen however, for their uninspiring one paced effort at a crucial time when aggressiveness was needed.
Chris Gayle once again showed evidence of his completely lack of maturity and responsibility, by immediately celebrating his removal as West Indian captain with a mighty triple century, of rather strong maturity and responsibility. Gayle’s 333 led an admirable Windies team as they had the running of the 1st Test against Sri Lanka at Galle. The substantially higher ranked home team were strangely lethargic and had to fight just to escape with a draw. This week’s 2nd test also finished in a draw, with rain ruining the match but leaving just enough time for Sri Lanka to regain the psychological edge over a less impressive Windies side before next week’s series decider.
Rugby League
The preposterous debacle of Greg Inglis shows no sign of ending any time soon. First South Sydney Rabbitohs owner and general super-spruiker had the intelligence and foresight to reveal the financial terms of Inglis’ arrangement to American late night talk show host and all-round non-Conan O’Brienish Jay Leno. Perhaps Crowe relied on the cluelessness of Australian TV and the inexplicable lack of American variety programming in this country to not disseminate such a howling admission. Unfortunately it seems that David Gallop and/or other league officials once again have shown themselves to possess magical powers beyond any mere mortal, or at least a basic understanding of Internet browsing, and came across the program.
The latest development has seen the Rabbitohs finally submit Inglis’ contract to NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert, who has given no indication of being a sure bet to pass the contract at all. To cap it off the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos have confirmed that should Inglis’ deal fall through, which remains a very real possibility, he will not be welcome back at either club.
Rugby Union
Despite kicking 8 from 9 in the win over Italy last week, Wallabies inside centre Berrick Barnes has been relieved of the goal-kicking duties for this week’s spring tour finale against France. Australian coach Robbie ‘New Zealand’ Deans has handed the duties back to the last gasp hero of our irrelevant Hong Kong Bledisloe win over the All Blacks, 12 year old James O’Connor. Mr ‘Kiwi’ Deans was quoted today as saying Australia’s success on the tour will be judged by this weekend’s result in Paris. I would say unless the Wallabies win 145-0 the tour has already well and truly been judged.
Football
This humble reporter (googling random news articles at 2am on a Saturday night is journalism now right) lives in the (very) humble Hunter Valley location of Toronto, NSW. Therefore the hype surrounding the unprecedented local visit of renowned underwear model and one time decent footballer David Beckham has reached fever pitch. Beckham’s LA Galaxy (or Donovan’s LA Galaxy as known by Landon Donovan) face the bizarrely not bankrupt Newcastle Jets at Energy Australia construction site tonight.
While the Newcastle Jets are busy making a publicity buck, Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United have a golden chance to pull even further away in their two-horse race at the top of the A-League ladder when United face the third placed Gold Coast while the Roar face fourth placed Central Coast Mariners.
The decision as to who will host the 2018 and 2022 world cups is now just a week away. Australia’s bid for the 2022 tournament suffered a blow when Oceania representative and sure fire Aussie vote Reynald Temarii was suspended by FIFA for alleged involvement in yet another now customary bribe-taking and vote-rigging scandal. Our bid still looks to be on good track however, with a detailed analysis of the potential voting patterns of FIFA member showing Australia as unlikely favourites to win the rights to the world’s greatest single sport showcase. A recently leaked FIFA report showed that many on the voting panel are inclined to vote against our principle rivals Qatar and the United States for reasons of extreme heat and unfriendly time zone respectively.
Motorsport
Australia’s much loved and internationally renowned V8 Supercar series has once again lived up to its selling point by providing a series of spectacular accidents over the weekend. Holden Racing Team drivers Garth Tander and Will Davison both had high speed shunts at an absurdly unsafe kink on the Sandown circuit. Paul Dumbrell was the feel good story of the weekend by finally taking his first race win after 11 years in the sport. Dick Johnson Racing’s James Courtney increased his championship lead over reigning champion Jamie Whincup
Young Australian superstar Daniel Ricciardo has ascended to the final step on the ladder below a Formula One race drive, with the Toro Rosso team (sister team to 2010 championship winners Red Bull) announcing Ricciardo will be their third driver in 2011. With the bordering on dangerous testing ban still in place for next season, Ricciardo’s test and reserve role in reality involves very little time in the car and he will remain in the Formula Renault 3.5 series full time. But Ricciardo will gain vital experience when he alternately replaces Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari in one of the two race cars for every Friday morning free practice session. Ricciardo recently dominated a young driver test in Abu Dhabi in the championship winning RB6.
Tennis
After an exciting and unpredictable year of men’s tennis, a disappointingly predictable semi line-up of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray has been set up in the ATP world tour finals. However the juicy matchups, Nadal vs Murray and Federer vs Djokovic promise a grand spectacle for the fans London’s mystifyingly named O2 arena.
Athlete of the week
The ageless and luckless Jacqui Cooper has announced her retirement from Aerial Skiing during the week. The 1999 World Champion was considered a great chance at our first Winter Olympics gold medal in Nagano in 1998 before crashing out in qualifying. Her most infamous heart-break came when she went to Salt Lake City in 2002 as outright favourite but had a violent crash landing in practice a week out from the games, pulverising her knee. A similar fate befell has in Turin 2006 when she entered the final as favourite but crashed twice. She was selected for an unprecedented fifth Olympic campaign in 2010, the first Australian women to attend five summer or winter games. Although past her best at age 37 and unable to challenge for medals, she finally put the Olympic demons to rest with a clean trouble free run to 5th. Cooper’s importance lays in her pre-eminent as Australia first true winter sports star (along with perhaps Stephen Bradbury). Her pioneering status paved the way for the future gold medal success of Aerialists Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila. We wish her luck in her retirement. Why I am referring to myself in the plural sense I don’t know.
Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin are Australia’s latest sporting heroes after an inspired triple century to put Australia into a commanding position of the first Ashes test at the Gabba. For more on the Ashes see my series preview and daily reports.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
After fighting admirably for ten days to hold Test No.1s India to two solid draws, New Zealand’s cricketers succeeded in thoroughly ruining yet another series for their poor superstar captain Daniel Vettori. A distinctly typical middle order batting farce saw the Black Caps bowled out for 193 and 175, allowing India to amble comfortably to 8 declared for 566 in the interim.
A few thousand Pakistani expatriates, the families of the players and half a dozen local fans gathered in Abu Dhabi’s ridiculous looking cricket stadium last week to watch South Africa’s bowlers thoroughly fail to bowl out Pakistan in the 4th innings for a second consecutive test match. Credit this time must also go to their batsmen however, for their uninspiring one paced effort at a crucial time when aggressiveness was needed.
Chris Gayle once again showed evidence of his completely lack of maturity and responsibility, by immediately celebrating his removal as West Indian captain with a mighty triple century, of rather strong maturity and responsibility. Gayle’s 333 led an admirable Windies team as they had the running of the 1st Test against Sri Lanka at Galle. The substantially higher ranked home team were strangely lethargic and had to fight just to escape with a draw. This week’s 2nd test also finished in a draw, with rain ruining the match but leaving just enough time for Sri Lanka to regain the psychological edge over a less impressive Windies side before next week’s series decider.
Rugby League
The preposterous debacle of Greg Inglis shows no sign of ending any time soon. First South Sydney Rabbitohs owner and general super-spruiker had the intelligence and foresight to reveal the financial terms of Inglis’ arrangement to American late night talk show host and all-round non-Conan O’Brienish Jay Leno. Perhaps Crowe relied on the cluelessness of Australian TV and the inexplicable lack of American variety programming in this country to not disseminate such a howling admission. Unfortunately it seems that David Gallop and/or other league officials once again have shown themselves to possess magical powers beyond any mere mortal, or at least a basic understanding of Internet browsing, and came across the program.
The latest development has seen the Rabbitohs finally submit Inglis’ contract to NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert, who has given no indication of being a sure bet to pass the contract at all. To cap it off the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos have confirmed that should Inglis’ deal fall through, which remains a very real possibility, he will not be welcome back at either club.
Rugby Union
Despite kicking 8 from 9 in the win over Italy last week, Wallabies inside centre Berrick Barnes has been relieved of the goal-kicking duties for this week’s spring tour finale against France. Australian coach Robbie ‘New Zealand’ Deans has handed the duties back to the last gasp hero of our irrelevant Hong Kong Bledisloe win over the All Blacks, 12 year old James O’Connor. Mr ‘Kiwi’ Deans was quoted today as saying Australia’s success on the tour will be judged by this weekend’s result in Paris. I would say unless the Wallabies win 145-0 the tour has already well and truly been judged.
Football
This humble reporter (googling random news articles at 2am on a Saturday night is journalism now right) lives in the (very) humble Hunter Valley location of Toronto, NSW. Therefore the hype surrounding the unprecedented local visit of renowned underwear model and one time decent footballer David Beckham has reached fever pitch. Beckham’s LA Galaxy (or Donovan’s LA Galaxy as known by Landon Donovan) face the bizarrely not bankrupt Newcastle Jets at Energy Australia construction site tonight.
While the Newcastle Jets are busy making a publicity buck, Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United have a golden chance to pull even further away in their two-horse race at the top of the A-League ladder when United face the third placed Gold Coast while the Roar face fourth placed Central Coast Mariners.
The decision as to who will host the 2018 and 2022 world cups is now just a week away. Australia’s bid for the 2022 tournament suffered a blow when Oceania representative and sure fire Aussie vote Reynald Temarii was suspended by FIFA for alleged involvement in yet another now customary bribe-taking and vote-rigging scandal. Our bid still looks to be on good track however, with a detailed analysis of the potential voting patterns of FIFA member showing Australia as unlikely favourites to win the rights to the world’s greatest single sport showcase. A recently leaked FIFA report showed that many on the voting panel are inclined to vote against our principle rivals Qatar and the United States for reasons of extreme heat and unfriendly time zone respectively.
Motorsport
Australia’s much loved and internationally renowned V8 Supercar series has once again lived up to its selling point by providing a series of spectacular accidents over the weekend. Holden Racing Team drivers Garth Tander and Will Davison both had high speed shunts at an absurdly unsafe kink on the Sandown circuit. Paul Dumbrell was the feel good story of the weekend by finally taking his first race win after 11 years in the sport. Dick Johnson Racing’s James Courtney increased his championship lead over reigning champion Jamie Whincup
Young Australian superstar Daniel Ricciardo has ascended to the final step on the ladder below a Formula One race drive, with the Toro Rosso team (sister team to 2010 championship winners Red Bull) announcing Ricciardo will be their third driver in 2011. With the bordering on dangerous testing ban still in place for next season, Ricciardo’s test and reserve role in reality involves very little time in the car and he will remain in the Formula Renault 3.5 series full time. But Ricciardo will gain vital experience when he alternately replaces Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari in one of the two race cars for every Friday morning free practice session. Ricciardo recently dominated a young driver test in Abu Dhabi in the championship winning RB6.
Tennis
After an exciting and unpredictable year of men’s tennis, a disappointingly predictable semi line-up of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray has been set up in the ATP world tour finals. However the juicy matchups, Nadal vs Murray and Federer vs Djokovic promise a grand spectacle for the fans London’s mystifyingly named O2 arena.
Athlete of the week
The ageless and luckless Jacqui Cooper has announced her retirement from Aerial Skiing during the week. The 1999 World Champion was considered a great chance at our first Winter Olympics gold medal in Nagano in 1998 before crashing out in qualifying. Her most infamous heart-break came when she went to Salt Lake City in 2002 as outright favourite but had a violent crash landing in practice a week out from the games, pulverising her knee. A similar fate befell has in Turin 2006 when she entered the final as favourite but crashed twice. She was selected for an unprecedented fifth Olympic campaign in 2010, the first Australian women to attend five summer or winter games. Although past her best at age 37 and unable to challenge for medals, she finally put the Olympic demons to rest with a clean trouble free run to 5th. Cooper’s importance lays in her pre-eminent as Australia first true winter sports star (along with perhaps Stephen Bradbury). Her pioneering status paved the way for the future gold medal success of Aerialists Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila. We wish her luck in her retirement. Why I am referring to myself in the plural sense I don’t know.
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