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shane-warne
« Previous Entries Next Entries »McGrath calls it quits as well
2 years ago, at the end of DecemberSo he’ll stay on until the World Cup, and then hang up his boots.
No Warne and no McGrath. Who will shower the opposition with verbal abuse and unplayable deliveries now?
Shane Warne’s wickets on video
2 years ago, at the end of DecemberA nice video collage of Shane Warne’s first, 100th, 200th, 300th (etc) wickets.
Warne: 700 not out
2 years ago, mid-DecemberIn some ways, the unexpected is what we have come to expect from Shane Warne. I’ve only just heard about his retirement, but it seems to be have been scripted from the gods. What better way to sign off than now? The Ashes are “home” and he will end as the leading wicket taker in history. Brilliant.
Your favourite moments from his career, ladies and gents? I’ve too many to mention…but his haul in the 2005 was quite special as was his batting. And his duel with Darryl Cullinan will always stand out. Champion.
Retirements?
2 years ago, mid-DecemberThere’s plenty of gossip going around that Warne and McGrath will retire at Sydney. Maybe. I think McGrath will say nothing but retire after the World Cup. As for Warne, I don’t think even he himself knows what he’s going to do.
But I’d still be a bit cautious on this one. I’ll wait till there’s an actual announcement.
UPDATE - Warnie has confirmed his retirement. Bugger!
But wait, there’s more!
2 years ago, mid-DecemberI’m tired of reading post-mortems about the Ashes. The result is decided, but there are two Tests to go. As an Australian, I’m absolutely delighted that Australia have won the series. But the future of both teams is not set in stone yet.
It seems to me that both sides, but especially England, have a lot riding on the outcome of the final two Test matches. It is by no means a given that Australia will go on for the 5-0 outcome that is being loosely bandied about, but if that happens, 2007 will be a year of woe for England. The inquisition will be a sight to behold.
On the other hand, a fighting England performance, with England coming home 3-2, will give a tremendous filip to English morale. There will be positives for the English team to hang their hats on.
For Australia, a 5-0 win will be the peak for several of the team’s veterans to call it a day. While Australia will seek to manage the retirement of their key players, looking ahead to 2009, the batting looks strong, with Michael Clarke, Hussey and Ponting being a core middle order to build around.
So it is not over yet kids. The Fourth Test starts in a week, and Warne is one wicket away from 700 wickets.
Warne: 694 and counting
2 years ago, mid-DecemberMark Nicholas was on commentary for Channel 4 when Shane Warne took his 600th wicket. Unusually for Nicho, his delivery was restrained. “Six…hundred…wickets for Shane Warne. What a moment” (or similar). It was one of those mountainous events in cricket which passes by all too quickly. I seem to remember the crowd gave him a standing ovation but, as this is a sport, we were immediately back into the action. I remember Courtney Walsh picking up his 500th and being astounded. Warne taking 600 was almost unfathomable.
And he’s now six away from his 700th. I need to sleep now, but if anyone has the inclination, it would be interesting to see against which countries he took his 100th, 200th etc (and how many were against England)
Warne’s little jab
2 years ago, mid-DecemberThe whole debate about the English team selection and who is responsible for it is music to Australian ears, and Shane Warne must be finding the possible conflict between captain and coach to be an especially sweet tune.
In his Times column, Warne has obviously backed Flintoff against his old foe Fletcher.
A few of the England players stayed with us until the early hours. I think the spirit of 2005 lives on. I feel for Andrew Flintoff at the moment as he’s copping some unnecessary flak. It was the right choice to make him captain and I’m not sure if he’s getting the side he wants.
As a captain, you should get the players you want in the XI. If you’re looking around the field at 5pm and you’re not going to bowl a guy, then he shouldn’t be in your side. Having said that, England’s selection issues don’t really interest me, to be honest. To go 2-0 up in Adelaide was our aim at the start of the second Test, but a win for either side looked highly unlikely on the fourth day.
That sort of support is like when the Chairman of a football club issues a press release expressing full support of the manager. Warne might be pals with the likes of Flintoff off the field but that won’t stop him playing any head games necessary to win back the Ashes.
Blimey Marto, we didn’t mean it!
2 years ago, mid-DecemberFrom the Corridor last week:
Martyn (Retail Manager): The irritating but smooth bloke you’re always trying to get rid of but customers love him and he sells just enough to keep his place.
I think there’s a bit more to Damien Martyn’s retirement then meets the eye. With Martyn, there always is. He is a sensitive and wary character that doesn’t care for the spotlight, and he’s had enough of the guff that comes with being a Test cricketer. That’s what I am guessing has happened here.
He wasn’t always so shy though.
Martyn was the brightest star in a ‘new wave’ of talented young Australian batsmen that emerged around 1990. He captained Australia’s under 19 side that toured England, leading the likes of Adam Gilchrist. There were plenty of other good players in that ‘new wave’ like Matthew Hayden, Darren Lehmann and Justin Langer. But there was no doubt that ‘Marto’ was the best.
He was ‘fast-tracked’ as they say, and along with Justin Langer, he was cast into the furnace of facing Ambrose and Walsh and co at their height in 1992-93. He proved he had the makings, scoring a vital half century in the same match that Warne first made his name.
But he couldn’t score that breakthrough century that would have sealed his place, and there were stories going ’round the traps’ about his attitude. He had replaced Dean Jones in the side and brought not only a Jones-like talent, but a Jones-like mouth. When he specacularly failed to bring Australia home in a Test match the next summer, he was made the scapegoat, and cast back into the grind of State cricket.
The demotion was hard for Martyn and he lost his way for several years. He was even dropped from the West Australian side for a while, and it seemed a great talent had been lost.
I do not know what it was that turned things around for him. However, he got back into the side when Ricky Ponting injured his knee prior to the New Zealand tour of 1999/2000, and made some valuable contributions. However he was a different sort of player- still as elegant and obviously talented as ever, but clearly not altogether anxious to attract attention.
He piled on the runs though, and had the support of his team-mates. 2004 was his golden year, as he scored centuries against India and Sri Lanka that were crucial to series victories. In 2003 he had played in the World Cup Final with a broken finger and still scored a masterful innings, albiet completely over-shadowed by Ricky Ponting. And this year in the ICC Champion’s Trophy, he was playing as well as ever.
Well, whatever is behind this, good luck to ‘Marto’ in whatever he decides to do. He got married in the off-season, and maybe he just wants to settle down and enjoy life. He left plenty of fond memories in the minds of cricket lovers not just in Australia but around the world.
The bowlers have a good day for once.
2 years ago, at the start of DecemberBowlers around the world are actually full of the joy of living today.
In Faisalabad, Pakistan’s bowlers have been right on top in the Second ODI, and have bowled out West Indies for 151.
Meanwhile in Christchurch, Mahela Jayawardene showed that making bad decisions is not a monopoly of the English coach, because Sri Lanka batted on a greentop in the First Test, and were skittled for 154. New Zealand had some early alarms with Lasith Malinga, as you do when he’s sending them down at 94 mph, but are 2 for 85 at stumps.
In Ashes news, Shane Watson has been ruled out of the Third Test, with his hamstring injury not recovering in time. I really feel for the guy. He has had a torrid time with injuries throughout his career.
And Shane Warne has (and you’ll NEVER believe this) still got plenty to say about Adelaide and the Second Test, and the Third…
“At this stage we are not getting carried away with the win,” he said.
“We are just concentrating on playing good cricket. We said all the way along we are just going to play each Test match and just keep our feet on the ground and keep playing good cricket.
“If we keep playing good cricket then hopefully things will go our way for the rest of the series. Tp win a Test that way has given us a bit of momentum going into next week’s match and we are 2-0 up which means they have to win two of the next three Test matches to retain the Ashes.
“Hopefully we can win in Perth and go 3-0 up and win the series.”
Warne admitted that bowling 27 straight overs took its toll on his body and he was looking forward to the week’s rest before the next Test in Perth, beginning on December 14.
“Yeah, the body is pretty sore and I’ve got a bit of a headache,” Warne said after the Australian team celebrated long into the evening.
“So I am glad we have a week until the next Test.”
Indeed. There are, in effect, three Tests in a row once the Perth Test starts, which is a drain on the players, and even the spectators. Blame Cricket Australia for that one.
More blogs!
2 years ago, at the start of DecemberAh, there’s nothing like a good cricket blog.
I need to make a list of good cricket blogs. If you have one, or know of one, let us know in the comments.
My current favourite is “The Reverse Swing Manifesto“, not least for posting this on Saturday:
Saturday, December 02, 2006
End of an Era?
I wouldn’t tempt fate by suggesting it myself - not half way through a crucial test match for heaven’s sake - but I’m happy to let others state their point of view - especially when it coincides with mine. For example…
You have to appreciate top shelf mozzing like that.
Spin City
2 years ago, at the start of DecemberJohn Buchanan’s attempts to spin Australia’s bowling in the Second Test looked even more ineffective then Shane Warne’s leg-spinners.
Admittedly, the pitch offered nothing, and England batted superbly, but you can hardly say Australia have bowled well after taking only six wickets in nearly two full days.
McGrath spent time off the field fixing his boot in the opening session to ease a heel problem. Although he has not been complaining about the injury, his effectiveness was limited and his speed has dropped significantly on the flat surface. “He pounded down 20-plus overs,” Buchanan said, “so, so far so good.” He returned 0 for 103.
Warne gave up 167 runs for the wicket of Geraint Jones while Brett Lee also won praise from Buchanan for his 1 for 139. “I think Brett’s bowled exceptionally well,” he said. “He’s held his pace and bowled good lines. It’s encouraging for the second innings and the rest of the series.
“The measure of Shane’s bowling is how many bad balls there were. He bowled a couple late yesterday when he got tired and maybe a few today. His control has been excellent, he hasn’t got the rub of the green, a bit like Brett.”
Stuart Clark was the only bowler not to win compliments from Buchanan and he was the man who performed the best. Throughout the first two days he troubled England with short and full deliveries and added three victims to continue his strong series.
Excuse me while I roll my eyes at that one. McGrath was clearly not fully fit, and the Australian team heirarchy deserve censure for allowing him to play. Mitchell Johnson probably wouldn’t have fared any better but at least there wouldn’t have been a worry about him worsening an injury.
From an English point of view, the day belonged once again to Collingwood and Pieterson. They were, it has to be admitted, magnificent. They learned their lessons from Brisbane and gave England the whip hand. And it was good to see that Flintoff was prepared, late in the day, to lead aggressively from the front. Fancy declaring, and taking the new ball for himself. Full marks to Freddy on that one!
England can attack on day three. It will be interesting to see how Australia’s batsmen, and England’s bowlers, respond to the challenge.
England fight back, and some thoughts on coaches
2 years ago, at the end of NovemberTo the audible relief of South Australian cricket administrators, England provided some much needed resistance on day four, and saved them the prospect of half-empty stands for the Second Test starting on Friday.
England were set an insane target, worked out by Ricky Ponting on the formula of multiplying my overdraft times the speed of light, or some such nonsense, and let his bowlers loose, while retiring to the massage table. He would have dined well as England lost two early wickets, and with Cook playing a range of loose shots, promise of more to come.
However, Pieterson and Collingwood provided stout resistance and some fiery entertainment for another large crowd, stated as being 37,000.
Yet England will surely lose, and they deserve to lose- while there was some magnificent batsmanship today, there was also some shameful episodes. Strauss, Cook, Collingwood, Flintoff and Pieterson were all guilty of some dreadful shot selection at various points in the day, treating an Ashes Test as little more then a knockabout in the park.
Pieterson’s innings was an instructive example. There was some lovely drives, all through the V, yet there were also some grotesque cross-bat swipes. None of these have cost him his wicket (as yet), but what happens if rain comes about three PM tomorrow and England have been bowled out at 2.35?
If England had batted with a slightly more applied approach, they might well have been three wickets down tonight, not five. That’s a big difference.
****
What do readers think about Andrew Flintoff’s dismissal? Shane Warne gave him an ugly serve on his way, and Justin Langer was smiling in delight even before he took the catch; the arrogance of it will grate on English sensibilities.
But it is an arrogance reflective of an Australian team that knows the value of their wickets, and the absolute folly of Flintoff’s shot. I don’t recall Ricky Ponting playing such an agricultural heave during his defensive masterpiece at Old Trafford last year. Duncan Fletcher may or may not remind his charges of that innings between now and the morning.
****
Speaking of coaches, I came across this article on my web-meanderings this evening, asking about the worth of overseas coaches. Given the kvetching about Duncan Fletcher that I’ve read in British media outlets the last few days, I wondered about the role of the coach.
It seems to me that for a coach to be a benefit, rather then a hindrance, there needs to be an absolute understanding between the coach and his captain. In many first class teams, it seems to be the increasing trend that the coach is the top banana and the captain merely his on-field lieutenant, rather in the way a football manager operates. That may work, but there does need to be a clear line driven, and both sides working in tandem.
It’s never been the Australian way. Would you fancy being the coach telling Steve Waugh how he was to arrange his batting order? John Buchanan always knew his place in Waugh’s order of things.
I’m not sure about the inner workings of England’s team, but Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher certainly were working on the same wavelength. It may well be that the relationship between Fletcher and Andrew Flintoff isn’t quite so attune.
Postcards from the Sledge (8 of 10)
2 years ago, mid-NovemberThe eighth of 10 postcards from Postcards from the Sledge
“Warney, put your wanga away”
2 years ago, at the end of OctoberDunno why I’ve not heard or seen this before, but it’s a bit good. The limited lyrics are not Lennon-beating lines of genius, which is probably why I enjoy it so much. They include things like:
“So Warney…put your wanga away
That pecker’s gonna get you into trouble one day”
It’s basically an Australian Chas and Dave
A new mechanical Shane
2 years ago, at the start of OctoberJust seen this story about a new, mechanical Shane Warne. I thought England were already using a spin machine (and I’m not talking about the ECB marketing people) - Merlyn, or Mervyn or Madge or whatever it’s called - so they now have two. Perhaps they’ll get them together to see if they can mate; it’s the end of cricket as we know it!
Pictures from BBC
