The Surfer
Simpson on coaching in India
Greg Chappell's lack of success with the Indian cricket team has come as no surprise to the Australian cricket fraternity
Sriram Veera
25-Feb-2013
Greg Chappell's lack of success with the Indian cricket team has come as no surprise to the Australian cricket fraternity. He is admired greatly for his wonderful, graceful and successful batting and I feel he was one of the greatest slip ...
Read the full article at the Sportstar.
Full postMcGrath plans fishing and flying in retirement
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Glenn McGrath has only a week left in his international career and he talks to Chloe Saltau in the Sydney Morning Herald about walking away.
The next time you see McGrath, he might be fishing with his son, James, or relaxing with his family at their property near Bourke in outback NSW or getting his helicopter licence. "To be honest, I was ready to retire a few months ago but this World Cup was that extra incentive to keep going,” he said. “That I'm the leading wicket-taker at the moment means I'm not just going through the motions."
So long, Brian
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
The joy of Brian Lara's batting was tempered by his inability to succeed as captain, writes Greg Baum in The Age, a Melbourne-based daily.
In The Daily Telegraph former England seamer Derek Pringle salutes the greatest batsman of this generation.
Full postCosmetic change, short-changing & compromises
The most anticipated team selections in the history of all international tours to Bangladesh was bound to raise a few questions, with a few seniors being 'rested', while the form of those being retained haven't been exemplary either
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
The most anticipated team selections in the history of all international tours to Bangladesh was bound to raise a few questions, with a few seniors being 'rested', while the form of those being retained haven't been exemplary either. Pradeep Magazine, writing in Hindustan Times, picks out a few bizarre decisions, such as the non-appointment of a vice captain. Read the full piece here.
What has saved Sehwag is his great match-winning hundred against a team like Bermuda and what has not saved Sourav Ganguly his place in the team is his six half centuries in the nine ODIs innings he has played after his comeback to international cricket.
Villagers beat the council
East Preston Parish Council have been forced to withdraw their application to build an ugly office block on Warren Recreation Ground, following angry opposition from hundreds of residents
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
East Preston Parish Council have been forced to withdraw their application to build an ugly office block on Warren Recreation Ground, following angry opposition from hundreds of residents.
Simon Locke, captain of the cricket club, said the council's U-turn was good news for everyone that used the pitch. He said: "The cricket club was organising the campaign but the whole point of it was that it was on behalf of the village, not just a small group. Shops have been displaying signs against it in their windows and everyone has given their support.
"It is a lovely piece of green land and it's great news it will stay that way. We can now get on with looking forward to playing cricket rather than leading campaigns."
Read more at Sussex's Argus newspaper.
Full postLauding Lara at Lord's
Following the announcement yesterday that Brian Lara will retire from international cricket, Charlie Randall informs us of an exhibition to be held at Lord's, in May, of the great batsman.
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
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Following the announcement yesterday that Brian Lara will retire from international cricket, Charlie Randall informs us of an exhibition to be held at Lord's, in May, of the great batsman.
The MCC say the exhibition has been organised with input from Lara himself and will feature many cricketing artefacts and photographs from the Trinidadian’s astonishing career. On loan from Lara will be several bats used in historic innings, including the left-hander’s 501 for Warwickshire in 1994, the world record score in first class cricket, and the 400 against England in Antigua, the Test record score.
In addition, there are balls, stumps and clothing from other significant matches on view -- and the jacket given to him by Nelson Mandela, the BBC overseas sports personality of the year award, as well as family photos from his personal collection. To complete the exhibition will be the acclaimed MCC-commissioned portrait of Lara by Justin Mortimer.
Full postStubborn coach is owed debt of thanks
After weeks where many have been calling for Duncan Fletcher to step down, now that he has the general reaction is one of praise for his time at the helm, while offering interesting insights about the reasons behind his decision.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
After weeks where many have been calling for Duncan Fletcher to step down, now that he has the general reaction is one of praise for his time at the helm, while offering interesting insights about the reasons behind his decision.
In The Daily Telegraph, Derek Pringle writes:
Duncan Fletcher's most eye-catching achievement as England coach was the 2005 Ashes, but his greatest was to make them a better team abroad. Before he took over, England travelled worse than a punnet of strawberries, until he showed them how to win in places as hostile to tourists as Karachi and Kingston.
Vaughan seeks Boycott's help ... under the radar
The Duncan Fletcher-bashing continues, this time from Geoff Boycott, who revealed to The Daily Telegraph that Michael Vaughan approached him for batting tips, insisting that it should be a hush-hush affair.
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
The Duncan Fletcher-bashing continues, this time from Geoff Boycott, who revealed to The Daily Telegraph that Michael Vaughan approached him for batting tips, insisting that it should be a hush-hush affair.
"This winter I had a captain of England requesting to have dinner with me to get my help on his batting but he said he must not be seen wtih me. He said it must be I quote: 'Under the radar'. Because I have been critical of the coach Michael Vaughan is now frightened to have dinner with me. What a farcical situation is that?"
New Zealand’s skills are better than sledging
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Stephen Fleming talks about New Zealand’s verbal approach when playing Australia ahead of the Super Eights game in Grenada on Friday.
"We've gone from open abuse, to not saying a word, to trying to be more aggressive, to being passive," Fleming said in The Australian. "We used to talk a lot about our approach towards it off the field but in some ways that detracts from the skills you need to beat them on it. It just naturally happens now that skills are what's going to beat Australia and the mental approach and the confidence that goes along with those skills."
A Caribbean malaise
West Indies have no hope of making it to the semi-finals of their own World Cup and their defeats agaisnt Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in the Super Eights have been so abject that Brian Lara was forced to make a public apology
Nishi Narayanan
25-Feb-2013
West Indies have no hope of making it to the semi-finals of their own World Cup and their defeats agaisnt Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in the Super Eights have been so abject that Brian Lara was forced to make a public apology. S Ram Mahesh from The Hindu visits the grave of Frank Worrell, the man who moulded a bunch of brilliant indivduals into a team and wonders where it all went wrong?
It hasn't been right for a while, say most experts: the Champions Trophy triumph in 2004, the success against India, the defeat of Australia and subsequent run to final in the 2006 Champions Trophy were exceptions in a decline unchecked by an inadequate structure.
Deryck Murray, World Cup-winning 'keeper and head of Trinidad's cricket, says, "In the amateur days, people didn't realise the serious structure, albeit informal, that we went through. Our administrators didn't see it. They thought a Gary Sobers fell out of the tree."
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