Posts
Loading ...brendon-mccullum
McCullum raises bar
By Will 1 month ago, 27 Comments »
“McCullum’s going spastic,” one of my colleagues said over messenger while I watched one, lone, bearded spectator trudge around the Arctic Bowl in Southampton in the mizzle. I didn’t see much of Brendon McCullum’s explosive 158, but the facts and stats behind such innings illuminate it perfectly adequately.
Let’s start with the facts. He hit 10 fours and 13 sixes, one of them an outrageous paddle over his left shoulder off a disbelieving Zaheer Khan, and ended up scoring more runs than anyone has ever done in the brief history Twenty20 cricket. The previous record-holder - Cameron White, who hit 141 not out for Somerset against Worcestershire two years ago but contributed just six to the Bangalore’s pitiful total - spent most of the innings watching helplessly as one ball after another disappeared into the night sky. The pre-match fireworks had nothing on this.
McCullum’s penchant for the spectacular is not new. Only last month he creamed 170 off 108 balls to help Otago make mincemeat of Auckland in the
final of New Zealand’s State Shield, but on that occasion hardly anyone bothered to turn up to watch. Now, he did the business in front of well over 40,000 fans, most of them barracking at the start for their local side but many giving McCullum the ovation he deserved as he took the Bangalore bowlers to pieces. Fair enough: it was a knock that transcended partiality.
What cricket is this? People have termed Twenty20 the sport’s fast-food, which correctly implies it’s cheap, nasty and fills you with guilt. But that doesn’t convey just how fleeting it really is. It’s amphetamined cricket. Ravers’ cricket. Cricket for a trance nation. Dumbed down. Speeded up. Some brilliant shots, some awful slogs, much shorter boundaries. Cheerleaders. Too much colour. Where is this all heading?
27 Comments »Broad in confidence
By Will 2 months ago, 3 Comments »
As Jonathan points out, Ryan Sidebottom has done what many of us feared he wasn’t capable of and lead England’s attack with verve. But my other stand-out player for the final day was Stuart Broad. He opened the attack this morning, partly because James Anderson was still sore from his injured ankle on the third evening, and bowled with fire, pace and aggression. Brendon McCullum was troubled by his bouncers in particular - quick, nasty vipers rising from just short of a length - which is no mean feat considering how in-form McCullum is, not to mention his offputting ploy of standing three feet outside his crease. Quality bowling, the like of which Steve Harmison once produced four years ago. Broad’s spell was arguably another nail in Harmison’s coffin.
3 Comments »Brendon McCullum in a hurry
By Scott last year, at the end of December, 5 Comments »
How about this for a one-sided ODI game?
5 Comments »Tait told to stop ‘mouthing off’
By Will last year, mid-December, 3 Comments »
Series between Australia and New Zealand are often spicy affairs, and that trend continued last week with New Zealand questioning the validity of Shaun Tait’s action. Ricky Ponting, his captain, acted all headmasterly by saying he was “disappointed” with New Zealand’s claims, and today Tait has offered to undergo ICC testing. But it doesn’t stop there; Brendon McCullum’s mouthing off and telling Tait to stop mouthing off.
“If he’s Glenn McGrath, he can probably throw comments like that out there,” McCullum told AAP on Saturday. “But my only advice would be to maybe get a few more statistics behind him before he starts mouthing off.
“I just thought it was a bit reckless from Taity. He’s a good bloke but he’s only played 15 games. When McGrath was very good at talking it up, he also had some unbelievable statistics behind him.”
Great stuff all round, really.
3 Comments »A nice night out at Adelaide Oval
By Scott last year, at the end of January, 1 Comment »
So I wandered along to the Adelaide Oval yesterday after all, and took up my seat in the Chappell Stands with New Zealand struggling at 3 for 60 after about 20 overs. England were right on top, and as I’d found myself next to a rather chatty fellow, we discussed the match, and also the possibility that we’d be going home early. As it was, we DID end up going home early, but that was because New Zealand had won the game.
How did they escape? Well, Jacob Oram batted well. England made it easy though for him, because he came out to bat and was facing the fire and brimstone of Paul Collingwood. My own view that Flintoff should have brought Anderson back into the attack eventually filtered through to the England captain four overs after I had said it, by which time Oram had settled in.
He’s a big lad, is Oram. After a spell from the game, his footwork was understandably rusty but once he found his range, he was able to power the New Zealand innings onwards. He found an ally in Brendon McCullum, who looked totally out of form, but was still able to contribute by running like a whippet.
A late flurry by Franklin took New Zealand to 210. I wandered off for chips, a hot-dog, and a chocolate ice-cream, all the ingredients needed for a balanced diet. I think the Black Caps might have had something a little more healthy because they came out on all cylinders.
Franklin took the first over from the Cathederal End because of the considerable breeze coming from the south. He took three wickets in his opening spell, though he was helped by a withering blast from the River End by Shane Bond.
Bond bowls with the pace of a Brett Lee and the accuracy of.. well he’s not quite in the McGrath mould, but he’s certainly pretty accurate. He pinned down the English upper order, and Mal Loye was in no mood to try his sweep shot this time around.
Franklin and Bond bowled the first fourteen overs, before being relieved. It was the introduction of Daniel Vettori that proved England’s undoing. He bowled a lovely spell; with the breeze to bowl into, he obtained drift and flight, and England’s batsmen did not have the footwork to cope with him. What particularly struck me was the way that England’s batsmen were stuck in two minds about whether or not to come forward, or to play back. Quite often they were caught in no-man’s land.
This certainly didn’t help England’s scoring rate. Ed Joyce was the only batsman to get past twenty. New Zealand fielded much better then they did in Sydney with Gillespie’s catch the highlight. Bond came back to finish the game, taking his 100th wicket in just his 55th match, and New Zealand’s large contingent of fans in the outer celebrated in style.
Speaking as a spectator, it was a nice evening out. I rather enjoy going to these ‘neutral’ games because since my team is not playing, I’m not that emotionally invested in the outcome, and therefore I can enjoy the cricket as it happens. But I have to say it- England were indeed woeful.
1 Comment »Murali’s dismissal - unfair? (poll)
By Will 2 years ago, mid-December, Comments Off
The dismissal of Muttiah Muralitharan has understandably caused a tornado of fury from you and there’s a healthy debate rumbling on over in that post. I thought it would also be interesting to do a poll…so go and cast your vote.
Comments OffVideo of Murali’s run-out v New Zealand
By Will 2 years ago, mid-December, 148 Comments »
Here’s a video of Muttiah Muralitharan being run out in contentious circumstances. More info from Scott. Click here if you can’t see the video below. And click here to cast your vote.
It is all very curious
By Scott 2 years ago, mid-December, 13 Comments »
New Zealand wrapped up the First Test against New Zealand, winning by five wickets. The final day was not without controversy, after Muttiah Muralitharan was run out in strange circumstances.
Kumar Sangakkara had brought up his century with a neat flick down to third man. Murali finished the run, and without waiting for the ball to become dead, he motioned up the pitch to congratulate his team-mate. He had only advanced a few paces when the ball was returned from the deep and wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum promptly removed the bails, running him out.
It was a harsh act and Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene protested it was against the spirit of the game, but New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming pointed out that had the ball gone for overthrows, Sri Lanka would have gladly accepted them.
I can understand Sri Lankan fans being disappointed but it is the responsibility of the batsman to protect his wicket. Watching the Ashes, I have noticed that batsmen on both sides now refuse to pick up the ball in situations where they might do so in a club game, precisely to avoid the possibility of a controversial situation arising. To me, the bottom line is that Murali didn’t value his wicket highly enough, and he paid the price.
Your views?
13 Comments »