The Surfer
Good on yer, South Africa
Many Australian critics, typically recapturing their gung-ho voices not long after the dust settled on the Test portion, quickly latched on to Johan Botha’s status as leader as a source of mystery and potential weakness
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
Many Australian critics, typically recapturing their gung-ho voices not long after the dust settled on the Test portion, quickly latched on to Johan Botha’s status as leader as a source of mystery and potential weakness. Rob Houwing in Sport24.com doffs his cap proudly to the South Africans for their highly successful tour of Australia and the sparkling and utterly professional way they have gone about their instant business despite the emotional demands of the prior Test phase for the many dual-role players in the camp.
While the batsmen did well and hogged the headlines, the man who had a quietly monumental series was Botha. It had been tough to fill Graeme Smith’s shoes and he not only managed that, he also bowled quite beautifully. Alex Parker in his blog on the website of the South African daily, the Times, believes Botha is the Man of the Series by a stretch.
Full postA role model for Strauss
The Guardian 's David Foot wonders which former captain would be an ideal role model for Andrew Strauss.
Nishi Narayanan
25-Feb-2013
The Guardian's David Foot wonders which former captain would be an ideal role model for Andrew Strauss.
Jardine happens to be one of the best. He had an austere, patrician manner and, as far as I could discover, went in for rib cages rather than too much laughter ... I advocate the Aussie-born, Somerset-reared Woods because, apart from being a good rough-and-ready captain he had life and humanity nicely in perspective. Like Jardine, he had no time for draws.
NZC walking a tightrope
New Zealand Cricket has decided to waste more time, effort and, no doubt, money in its latest attempt to reinvent the wheel, writes Lynn McConnell in the Sportal website
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
New Zealand Cricket has decided to waste more time, effort and, no doubt, money in its latest attempt to reinvent the wheel, writes Lynn McConnell in the Sportal website. What is it about a country as poorly resourced in cricket as New Zealand that it keeps falling into administrative holes time after time, the writer asks.
Full postWest Indies cricket in hard times
Oliver Brett, writing for the BBC Cricket website, analyses the continuing decline of cricket in the Caribbean in the aftermath of the 2007 World Cup, reflected by the lack of sponsors in the domestic circuit and the sport's rapidly dwindling
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
Oliver Brett, writing for the BBC Cricket website, analyses the continuing decline of cricket in the Caribbean in the aftermath of the 2007 World Cup, reflected by the lack of sponsors in the domestic circuit and the sport's rapidly dwindling appeal among those who were once its most passionate patrons. He speaks to Tony Becca, one of the region's most well-known cricket-writers, and Donald Peters, the chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board.
Tony Becca: "Cricket is really losing its appeal. I never believed it when people said soccer was pushing cricket into the background, but when you look at how many people support a big football match in Jamaica it's fantastic compared to the turnout for cricket.
...........
Donald Peters: "We know that we have not been doing too well, but with the right administration and plan we will address some of the difficulties."
Becca, in Sports Jamaica, emphasises the need for good leadership in West Indies cricket to bring about a reversal in fortunes
Full postAustralia's ODI batting looks one-dimensional
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Australia's 50-over batting is ripe for reconstruction. Apart from Shaun Mar sh and his captain, none of the incumbents have batted with conviction, Peter Roebuck writes in the Age after Australia's loss in Adelaide, which helped South Africa gain an unassailable 3-1 series lead.
None of the other local batsmen caught the eye and most will be hard-pressed to hold their positions. Maybe Twenty20 has taught them about the big shots but not the little shots. Once cast in steel, Michael Hussey nowadays seems to be made of china. Maybe No. 4 is not his best position because it leaves him betwixt and between. His strength lies in his ability to rearrange an innings. He is a match player not a machine. Even in the Test side he might be happier at No. 5.
'Fast bowling is the toughest job in cricket'
Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan fast bowler, now serving as a senior coach at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), shares his thoughts on the upcoming talent in Pakistan and the role of his institution in grooming young players to play top-level
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan fast bowler, now serving as a senior coach at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), shares his thoughts on the upcoming talent in Pakistan and the role of his institution in grooming young players to play top-level cricket. He spoke to Pakpassion.com in a two-part interview.
On how the NCA functions.
It would be impossible for the NCA to go to every village which is why we have 11 regional academies working under the NCA. The way it works is that these acadamies identify regional talent at a young age and develop it, their job is to groom their local players. They give these youngsters personal development plans and teach them how best to utilise their talent.
.............
On bowlers struggling to make the transition to hard balls after impressing with tennis balls
.............
On bowlers struggling to make the transition to hard balls after impressing with tennis balls
You need a really big heart, you have to really want it and you must have a good professional attitude too. Fast bowling is the toughest job in cricket, you wont make it unless you're totally dedicated to your bowling. The tennis ball gives you the basics and it encourages you to bowl fast but there has to come a point where you move on to the hard ball
Full postThe domestic downslide
Hamish McDouall in his blog Googlies and Grass Stains recalls watching the 1993 Shell Cup final in Carisbrook, and lists three reasons why domestic cricket in New Zealand is currently on the decline - television, the lack of international stars,
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
Hamish McDouall in his blog Googlies and Grass Stains recalls watching the 1993 Shell Cup final in Carisbrook, and lists three reasons why domestic cricket in New Zealand is currently on the decline - television, the lack of international stars, and the poor scheduling by NZC.
The first is obviously television. New Zealand is among the highest TV watchers in the world, and for the ordinary bloke in Caversham, a cricket dilettante who might wander down to the Brook in ordinary circumstances in 1993 might prefer to stay at home in 2009 and watch a movie on Sky, or the A1 GP qualifying, or some tissue-strength documentary like When Monks Go Bad.
Vettori 'a veteran among the greats'
Huw Richards, writing in the International Herald Tribune , pays tribute to Daniel Vettori, who turns 30 tomorrow, for being one of the greatest servants of New Zealand cricket, and for the way he's led his team by example in times of declining
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
Huw Richards, writing in the International Herald Tribune, pays tribute to Daniel Vettori, who turns 30 tomorrow, for being one of the greatest servants of New Zealand cricket, and for the way he's led his team by example in times of declining fortunes.
Vettori epitomizes that aptitude for maximizing talent. It was evident when he played his first five-day test for New Zealand in February 1997, only a few days after his 18th birthday - becoming his country's youngest player in its 82 years as a test-playing nation - that he was a spin bowler of authentic quality.
The arts that have served him throughout the ensuing 12 years were already evident. He was a left-hander who bowled with great control and a range of subtle variation in flight, line and pace. That control and subtlety make him a tough bowler for batsmen to attack. They have also made him a master in the one-day game, where he is rated the best bowler in the world.
The most striking development in his game, though, has been his improvement as a batsman. He began as the last man in the order, but has worked his way up through a tough-minded application of his abilities.
Full postBotha an inspired choice for ODI captain
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Peter Roebuck in the Sydney Morning Herald says he is impressed by Johan Botha's captaincy of the South Africa ODI side in the absence of Graeme Smith.
By no means was it a simple assignment. Replacing a highly regarded leader was itself a challenge, more so since it meant a forceful opening batsman had been lost.
Lord Marland on Stanford, Clarke and television
Lord Marland is challenging Giles Clarke for the chairmanship of the ECB and hoping to tap into the split that is forming over Clarke's handle of his dealings with Sir Allen Stanford and the absence of cricket from terrestrial TV
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
Lord Marland is challenging Giles Clarke for the chairmanship of the ECB and hoping to tap into the split that is forming over Clarke's handle of his dealings with Sir Allen Stanford and the absence of cricket from terrestrial TV. In wide-ranging interview with Peter Hayter from the Mail on Sunday, Marland outlines his plans for English cricket.
'The fact is that we have suffered a terrible period where nothing done by those running the game has been done well. I believed the decision to sell out TV rights to Sky in 2004 was breathtakingly shortsighted and I believe the decision to do so again this time round was just as myopic.
'Sky do a great job televising cricket, but the ECB continues to deny access to the vast majority of the viewing public. We've got to get cricket back on BBC or Channel 4, even if it is through a Match of the Day-type highlights package at the very least.
'People will ask where the money is coming from for my idea to raise £100m. There is already £25m in the ECB coffers lying untouched, but I'd raise an extra £100m on top and I'll do it the way I've always done it, for the Conservatives and for Boris Johnson and for a number of charities.
Full post