The Surfer
Prime minister's tour offer not a solution
Prime Minister John Howard's offer to pay the $2 million fine Cricket Australia (CA) would incur should it refuse to tour Zimbabwe in September may only further complicate an already difficult and delicate situation, writes Malcolm Conn in The
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Prime Minister John Howard's offer to pay the $2 million fine Cricket Australia (CA) would incur should it refuse to tour Zimbabwe in September may only further complicate an already difficult and delicate situation, writes Malcolm Conn in The Australian.
Also in The Australian, Conn says that "it is the intense jousting for places in the national team that should help keep Australia at the top of the tree. But the secret of more World Cup success is to mix the old and the new, to keep more players than the team loses."
Full post'I believe we have set new standards in the game'
"It is not just that we have made history by claiming an unprecedented third successive World Cup, it's the way we did it that I have found most satisfying," writes Ricky Ponting in The Australian
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
"It is not just that we have made history by claiming an unprecedented third successive World Cup, it's the way we did it that I have found most satisfying," writes Ricky Ponting in The Australian. "I believe we have set new standards in the game and while the other teams must now reach that benchmark to challenge us, it is up to Australia's next generation to ensure we can maintain our No.1 position. When there is a benchmark set, that's where everyone has got to get to again."
"None of these players was born great, merely with a gift that was nurtured. Australian cricketers respect the basics of the game. They don't bother much with trickery or improvisation," says Peter Roebuck in The Hindu.
Full postAustralia (and the World Cup) damaged but not broken
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Alex Brown writes in the Sydney Morning Herald the World Cup picked up some bumps during the Australian celebrations.
Cricket Australia will take the trophy to the silversmiths Flynn Brothers of Kyneton, in Victoria. "The players and the cup were both a bit the worse for wear," a Cricket Australia official said.
Sarwan needs support, not targets
The West Indies Cricket Board has given Ramnaresh Sarwan, the new captain, performance targets for the upcoming tour of England; what he needs is their whole-hearted support, writes Donald Duff in the Guyana based Starbroek News .
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
The West Indies Cricket Board has given Ramnaresh Sarwan, the new captain, performance targets for the upcoming tour of England; what he needs is their whole-hearted support, writes Donald Duff in the Guyana based Starbroek News.
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Full postShould Malcom Speed resign?
An interesting debate in The Guardian where Asif Iqbal and Gideon Haigh debate both sides of the case why Malcolm Speed should or should not resign following the World Cup debacle.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
An interesting debate in The Guardian where Asif Iqbal and Gideon Haigh debate both sides of the case why Malcolm Speed should or should not resign following the World Cup debacle.
Asif, who says he should quit, writes that Speed, as CEO, must take responsibility:
The chief executive may be only one person but he must shoulder the blame when things go wrong. If your stakeholders, who are effectively your employers, are indicating they have no confidence in your leadership, how is it possible to continue?
But Haigh disagrees:
Full postLooking for a challenge within
Everywhere teams are obsessed and stimulated by their sporting enemy
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
Everywhere teams are obsessed and stimulated by their sporting enemy. But Australia's cricket team has had nobody to provoke it to greatness. It makes them a unique and interesting team, writes Rohit Brijnath in The Hindu.
Barcelona eyes Real Madrid when it buys players, Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett compelled each other to go faster, Nadal's lefty forehand has necessitated an improvement in Federer's backhand. Australia has been disadvantaged by not being able to learn from its rivals. Still it has surged.
Forget neutral umpires and pick the best
Darren Lehmann and Derek Pringle say the light troubles of the final could have been avoided if Simon Taufel, the world’s best umpire, was able to stand
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Darren Lehmann and Derek Pringle say the light troubles of the final could have been avoided if Simon Taufel, the world’s best umpire, was able to stand. Malcolm Conn reports in The Australian Taufel was ineligble because he was not neutral.
"I have a view that the best umpires should umpire the best games regardless of what country they're from because they'll do the best job," Lehmann said. "Neutrality should not be an issue when you are pursuing excellence," Pringle wrote in The Daily Telegraph.
Conn also writes a comment piece questioning the ICC’s inconsistent decision making when it concerns umpires.
So here's the very clear message. If you're determined to try and enforce the rules of cricket without fear or favour, you're every chance of being sacked ... But if you stuff up the game's major moment then you're OK because the ICC stuffs up things all the time.
Gillespie thought contract news was a joke
Jason Gillespie, speaking in The Advertiser , is surprised the Australia selectors handed him a place in the 25-man contracted list for 2007-08.
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Jason Gillespie, speaking in The Advertiser, is surprised the Australia selectors handed him a place in the 25-man contracted list for 2007-08.
"I had to look at the calendar, I thought it was April 1," Gillespie said. “I must admit I am very surprised to be offered a contract, there's absolutely no denying that. It's nice to know I am still thought about and may be of some use."
Brown shows England's failings
Anything Adam Gilchrist can do Alistair Brown can do better
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
Anything Adam Gilchrist can do Alistair Brown can do better. The day after Gilchrist's 149 in the World Cup final, Brown smashed 176 for Surrey as they piled up a record 496 for 4 against Gloucestershire in the Friends Provident Trophy. David Fulton, the former Kent batsman in his new role as a cricket writer for The Times, has spoken to Brown about the innings and how it further showed up England's tactics at the World Cup.
“It’s obvious we need to be more attacking up front,” he said. “Maybe Flintoff at the top of the order could give us much needed momentum. I hope under Peter Moores they go with a positive opener. I like the look of Owais Shah and Rob Key. They’ve got the necessary ability and look like they could handle themselves at international level."
The tough life of David Gower
Never mind the players or the organisers (or even the fans)
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Never mind the players or the organisers (or even the fans). The one person who's really had to tough out the World Cup is David Gower, writes Giles Smith in The Times.
Was it possible to imagine life any other way? How far away Hampshire must have seemed to the Sky Sports front man. And would his dog even recognise him after all this time, or chase him back up his own garden path, snarling wildly?
To say these less than testing broadcast conditions had suited him would be to be guilty of grave understatement. Short of presenting in a towelling robe, Gower couldn’t have looked more like a man with his feet up. The only dark spot came right at the end, when he had to go to a cricket match. Throughout the tournament, the message had been clear: Gower wasn’t going to the cricket; the cricket was going to have to come to Gower. And ultimately, it did.
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