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nathan-bracken
Are we going to miss Australia’s dominance?
By Will 3 years ago, at the end of March, 27 Comments »
This has been nagging at the back of my mind for a while, so am just penning it down before it disppears completely. Someone was recently talking about the West Indies, and how the World Cup could provide the spark needed to relight passion in the country. Fledgling interest, and so forth. Everyone, so he said, loves the West Indies and wants them to succeed – wants them to be back on top of the world, like they were in the 1970s and 80s.
Back then, I imagine there was a similar feeling of foreboding toward West Indies as there is nowadays for teams facing Australia. They steamrollered the opposition, trampling all over them like bastards. Like Australia have been doing for the past 12 or so years. But, if and when this Australia side collapse into an arthritic heap, will we mourn them? Will we, in 10 years, have the same feeling that we now have for the West Indies: wanting Australia back to their best?
Not bloody likely. I will dance from the rooftops when some of their ageing limbs start to crumble. I’ve had enough of their strutting, their casual arrogance, their one-handed mis-hitting-for-six-over-long-on (Hayden; Gilchrist; whoever). It’s not big, it’s certainly not clever and it’s boring and ugly cricket.
Oh, and while I’m ranting – Nathan Bracken wears a hair band. Nathan Beckham he should be known as. Or, perhaps, Alice Bracken.
27 Comments »More injury woes for the Australians
By Scott 3 years ago, mid-February, 9 Comments »
Ye gods, the news keeps getting worse.
While New Zealand will field their first choices during the three games, Australia have left their captain and vice-captain at home and Andrew Symonds is recovering from a serious arm injury.
Adding to the visitors’ lack of power is a Brett Lee ankle injury and a hip problem to Michael Clarke, who is second-in-charge after Ricky Ponting decided to have treatment on his back and Adam Gilchrist rested. The changes mean Australia have picked a raw squad, including Adam Voges, Cameron White, Brad Haddin and the on-standby Phil Jaques, and the competition that has been wedged into a crammed itinerary has become an inconvenience, even though they were upended in the CB Series finals.
If Clarke is ruled out, Matthew Hayden will be the only one of Australia’s top four who is batting in his usual position while Brad Hodge, the No. 5, is keeping Symonds’ spot warm. The third-year series that the organisers pipe-dreamed would develop into an All Blacks-Wallabies rivalry is achieving the credibility of a pre-season warm-up.
Well, rivalries take some time to develop. And this particular chapter of the Chappell-Hadlee trophy is suffering because it is caught in a wedge right before the World Cup. There wasn’t time to hold it earlier in the summer though. I like the concept of the annual series though, and given ten years it will be a highlight of the summer.
The injury to Lee gives Mitchell Johnson a chance to strut his stuff as a key strike bowler. When fit, Lee, Bracken and McGrath are just about certain starters, and there is a lot of competition for the fourth bowling slot. Johnson has a chance to take it.
Meanwhile New Zealand have the chance to win back the trophy against an unbalanced Australia which is collectively as out of form and low on confidence as any Australian side has been in limited overs cricket, at least in the last decade or so. I’m looking forward to watching three very keenly contested matches.
9 Comments »Separated at birth: Amelie Mauresmo and Nathan Bracken
By Will 3 years ago, at the start of January, 2 Comments »
Well, have you ever seen them in the same room? Nor me. [via the chaps at The Tonk]
2 Comments »Never too old to learn
By Scott 4 years ago, at the end of April, 1 Comment »
Brett Lee is making good use of his time in Bangladesh, talking to Wasim Akram about reverse swing.
Wasim Akram has given Brett Lee, the Australian fast bowler, a tip or two on reverse-swing and believes he will unleash it on England in this winter’s Ashes. Lee and two of his Australian bowling mates, Nathan Bracken and Mitchell Johnson, approached Akram, now a television commentator, during the second Test against Bangladesh earlier this week.
“These guys want to improve, so they want to ask the top cricketers [for advice] and that’s good,” Akram told AAP. “I did tell them the little details about reverse-swing. I think soon in the Ashes we will be seeing Brett Lee bowling reverse-swing.”
Akram, perhaps the finest practioner of the art of reverse swing, tormented many batsman during the 1990s in partnership with Waqar Younis. “It was about action, about seam, a lot of talk about reverse-swing,” Akram said. “Brett Lee is a sight to watch in world cricket. Any bowler comes to me from any nationality, I am there to help.”
I’m very glad to see the Australian bowlers go out of their way to learn. Wasim Akram was one of the all time great bowlers, a player I loved to watch, and I’m glad that he’s been willing to teach. One of the best ways for players to learn is to ask, and I hope that when he’s retired, Lee in turn will help all comers in the finer points of fast bowling and reverse swing.
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