| 
Posts and words
Loading ...
champions-trophy
Bloody good blokes
By Will last year, at the start of October, 3 Comments »
I’ve really enjoyed Telford Vice’s reports from the Champions Trophy, especially this on the possible reason Australia are so successful in sport: they’re a nation of bloody good blokes.
What to do? It starts, like so much, with attitude. I can’t recall meeting an Aussie reporter who hasn’t followed up their handshake with something like, “Mate, we’re off in search of a drink and a feed tonight. Wanna come?”
More than that, they will want to go to good, local bars and restaurants, and they will trust your judgment on that score.
You will then have to threaten violence to pay your share of the bill. One of News Corporation’s finest, who has since given up the touring life, used to be illegally quick on the draw with his company credit card and a rapidly delivered battle cry: “This one pays in (Rupert) Murdochs!”
If an Australian journo needs to “borrow” a quote or a phone number, you can be sure you’ll be amply repaid with quotes and phone numbers, sometimes without even asking for them.
Truth is, I never met an Australian I didn’t like. They are bloody good blokes, and that goes for the female reporters as well.
Most of them…
3 Comments »Welcome, West Indies!
By Will last year, at the end of September, 1 Comment »
Apparently there’s a one-day thing happening at the moment. That sums up my near-total end-of-season apathy at the approach of yet another anonymously dull one-day tournament.
But never fear, Alan Tyers is here.
1 Comment »It’s great to have Tino Best, a man who has an immense amount of experience as a bowler, and as a glazier, to show some of the young lads how it’s done
ICC postpone the rift
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of August, 8 Comments »
For once, common sense has prevailed with the news that the ICC have postponed the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. It will be held in October 2009 at the earliest.
When I put the story up, I was intrigued by the quotes from David Morgan, el presidento. Politically Pakistan is very fragile indeed, and the concerns players have in travelling to such a fractious country are entirely warranted. And instead of cancelling the tournament entirely, which seemed the most likely solution, it’s been postponed to appease Pakistan (and, one presumes, India, who backed the hosts to the hilt).
Morgan and co insist this was no act of appeasement, that the ICC aren’t merely avoiding a bigger issue by pacifying Pakistan. You have to wonder, though, just where this leaves Pakistan’s future as an international country. Australia haven’t been there since 1998. England crap themselves at the very thought of venturing there, and New Zealand, well, they’ve never really enjoyed the whole bombing thing.
The rift between the Asian bloc and other Full Member nations in the ICC is set to widen with each year I fear.
8 Comments »WORLD CRICKET IN CRISIS
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of July, 2 Comments »
“WORLD CRICKET IN CRISIS” screamed the Evening Standard today, because a number of players and teams are concerned about travelling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. “Cricketers in Pakistan fear” shocka. Well, no shit.
The tournament is clearly doomed, but this is far from a world crisis. It’s utterly expected.
2 Comments »England win a one-day international
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of October, 3 Comments »
How dastardly rude of them. It’s just not the done thing in England circles, ending tours on a high. How dare they? Did anyone else laugh at the fireworks at the end? How inappropriate can you get?
Nice to see them win though. Me and my editor have been musing on them all day, almost praying they’d lose just to ease our final pieces. Mine’s here and his is there.
Also…why have I not written more about Michael Yardy? I’m sure he’s a terrific bloke but I’m unconvinced he should be playing cricket (for England). As for Chris Read, well…say goodbye to Brisbane I’m afraid. Geraint Jones was like a pig in proverbial at Sky…
Time for wine.
3 Comments »Live discussion: England v West Indies, Champions Trophy
By Will 4 years ago, at the end of October, 8 Comments »
At last England have been put out of their misery, and today’s match is pleasingly meaningless. Therefore, they’ll probably win. If you’re watching, leave a comment.
8 Comments »ICC innovations structure isn’t very appealing
By Scott 4 years ago, at the start of May, 6 Comments »
It has been reported in today’s paper that the ICC are considering a trial where players can appeal against the umpires decision. They are talking about using the Champions Trophy as a test bed for the idea. I noted the other day that the players don’t take the Champions Trophy very seriously, and it appears that the ICC does not either.
The ICC cricket committee, chaired by Indian great Sunil Gavaskar and including former Australian captain Allan Border, will debate whether players should be allowed to appeal against a certain number of decisions per innings if they feel they have been wronged by umpires.
An appeals system has been used in the National Football League for years, and the ICC denied such a process in cricket could undermine the authority of the standing umpires.
“What we are looking to do is increase the already high numbers of correct decisions made by our on-field umpires without diminishing their role and this approach has the potential to do just that,” said Dave Richardson, ICC’s general manager of cricket.
Presumably, a captain could appeal, say, two contentious decisions per innings and ask that they be referred to the third umpire. The standard of international umpiring has been a big issue recently.
The standard of international umpiring is in fact fine, if you ask me. Australia toured South Africa and Bangladesh and played 5 tests and 8 odi games and I don’t remember a single contentious decision.
While I am a crusty old curmudgeon, I do not in fact have a problem with new ideas in cricket. However, I do have notions about the proper place to test new ideas, and the ICC Champions Trophy, whatever its merits, or otherwise, is not in fact one of those places. If the ICC had asked a member country to test its ’supersub’ rule in a domestic competition, the flaws in the idea, which were manifest at the time anyway, could have been demonstrated in a slightly less public manner.
6 Comments »Brett Lee’s burnout tale is starting to wear thin
By Scott 4 years ago, at the start of May, 6 Comments »
I noticed another story in the Australian media about how Australian cricketers are highlighting the danger of ‘burnout’, this time it is Brett Lee doing the talking. Interestingly, he is in India doing promotional work. He may be burnt out, but clearly not so much that international travel is beyond him.
Local authorities are nervous about Australia’s commitment to the Champions Trophy after suggestions from Adam Gilchrist that some Aussies may need to rest from the event which ends a week before the Ashes series begins.
England coach Duncan Fletcher has suggested that players such as Andrew Flintoff may also need to be given a break during the one-day series.
According to local reports Lee was less than convincing when asked if he would return for the tournament.
“I would love to play it because that’s the only trophy we haven’t won. But, then, I will play if I am fit enough to play at that time. Frankly, I love coming to the subcontinent,” Lee said.
“To us the Ashes is more important than anything else. We had the hold over it for 18 long years. We are very keen to win it back.”
To be fair to Brett, I’m sure that he IS very tired right now, and promoting watches is not the most difficult of tasks. However, the Champions Trophy is not now, it is in October. The Australian players will be coming into the tournament after a five month break.
I think there is a hidden agenda here. I think that the Australians are planning to tank the tournament so that they can come home and play a couple of domestic first class games to prepare for the Ashes.
That is a big claim to make, and one that Australian players will, I am sure, deny with shocked expressions if you were put it to them. However, given the demands of the fixtures list in the 2006/07 seasons, it is in fact the only sensible thing to do. The Australian team has four different contests on its plate next summer.
- The Champions Trophy
- The Ashes
- The domestic ODI triangular
- The World Cup
Now, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to understand which two of those four contests are going to be a high priority for the players. If the domestic ODI triangular was axed, the Ashes could be spread out into January, and the players from both England and Australia could have a decent preparation. But it isn’t so they won’t get that preparation, UNLESS they take a dive in the Champions Trophy.
Of course it is not acceptable to say that in public, so they are coming out with this nonsense about ‘burnout’.
That dillema is actually made explicit in this story about Glenn McGrath’s preparation for his comeback next season.
McGrath, 36, wants to begin his comeback in earnest in the Champions Trophy limited-overs tournament in India in October, then return home for a couple of Pura Cup matches for New South Wales.
But if Australia reaches at least the semi-final stage of the Champions Trophy – a tournament it has never won – he won’t feature in the Pura Cup.
The Blues have matches between October 27 and 30 at the Gabba and November 3 to 6 in Adelaide, with their next from November 24 to 27 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The first Ashes Test begins at the Gabba on November 23.
Selection chairman Andrew Hilditch said this week McGrath was “gearing himself up” to be ready for the tournament, but captain Ricky Ponting has advised him to bypass the Indian trip and prepare via a stint in English county cricket.This would enable him to deliver some long and repeated spells and regain match fitness. McGrath traditionally takes times to find his rhythm, and Australia cannot afford to ease him into the Ashes.
“Personally, I feel that it would be perfect for me to (play in the Champions Trophy) and have a couple of games in the Pura Cup,” McGrath said.
“That’s my plan. But if they would prefer me to look at county cricket, I would look at that.”
So you can see where the priority of the cricketers lies. And I do not blame them one bit. It is the administrators that force this on players with ridiculous ODI tournaments. The Champions Trophy has no credibility because it is forced into odd places in the international calendar by the likes of Australia’s triangulars, a tournament that lost its credibility a long time ago anyway.
And these considerations apply just as much to the English who by coming off a busy domestic season have a much more valid claim to cite burnout.
6 Comments »