The Surfer
Warne's bunnies
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
Warne's contribution must count amongst the mightiest of his career, writes Peter Roebuck in the Sydney Morning Herald
Greg Baum, writing in the The Age, describes the historic scenes at the Adelaide Oval:
Pie stalls re-opened. The authorities threw open the gates. The stands and terraces filled, the crowd's voice became a force. The tide had turned.
Aussie TV goes English
For those watching the Ashes through the dark winter days in England and don't have access to Sky (or just fancy hearing a different set of commentators) there has been the chance to sample Channel 9's coverage through the BBC's highlights
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
For those watching the Ashes through the dark winter days in England and don't have access to Sky (or just fancy hearing a different set of commentators) there has been the chance to sample Channel 9's coverage through the BBC's highlights. During England's first-Test mauling there was much predictable bemoaning of the performance, but at Adelaide the Australian commentators have seemed to have gained as much enjoyment out of England's improved show as the Barmy Army. David Hopps assess Lawry, Greig, Chappell at Co in The Guardian.
The real surprises remained with Lawry. He anointed Pietersen as "a great cricketer" by the end of the first day, and on the second he even turned on Warne, his fellow Victorian, as he retreated into leg-stump line. "We've had enough of this round-the-wicket rubbish," Lawry barked. O'Donnell added of Pietersen: "This guy is stunning; he has only played 20 Tests and he has taken one of the world's greats and made him look skill-less."
What a load of utter balls
It’s good to know that the British Transport Police are keeping public transport in London safe from would-be criminals
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
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Mr Hurd, who was wearing a suit and had just finished work at the major City firm Ernst & Young, said yesterday: 'It was a ridiculous over-reaction. She was completely humourless and inflexible, and showed no understanding of my excitement about the Ashes.
'But she confiscated the ball for most of our conversation, gave me a verbal warning and said she was being very lenient. She filled out a stop-and-search form and finally gave the ball back at the end and sent me packing.'
But a spokesman for the police raised a hitherto unforeseen danger: “What if the ball was dropped and hit an old lady further down the escalator? "
Full postWarne to be interviewed by Parky
Cricket Australia announced today that Michael Parkinson, the renowned television interviewer and fervent cricket fan, will interview Shane Warne
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Cricket Australia announced today that Michael Parkinson, the renowned television interviewer and fervent cricket fan, will interview Shane Warne. The show will air early next year.
Parkinson: The Shane Warne Interview will be recorded before a live studio audience and will air in early January, 2007, exclusively on UKTV.
The interview will have no boundaries and will cover Warne’s stellar career on the cricket field, as
well as his personal mishaps and controversies on and off the field.
“It will be a real pleasure to interview Shane Warne,” said Parkinson. “He is a man who evokes different emotions from people depending on the subject in question. He is in my view the greatest bowler of them all, certainly in my lifetime.
Should MPs comment on Indian cricket? No!
In The Times of India , Rajeev Shukla, a member of parliament as well as being chairman of the BCCI’s media committee, argues that politicians should not wade into discussion and arguments about cricket.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
In The Times of India, Rajeev Shukla, a member of parliament as well as being chairman of the BCCI’s media committee, argues that politicians should not wade into discussion and arguments about cricket.
Nobody can deny MPs the right to speak and express their opinion on any issue. But they should be careful in taking up issues they have little knowledge or concern for.
If one does not understand an issue, there is no point commenting on it. Criticising the Indian cricket coach for the sake of it or to merely ride popular sentiment, is not a healthy expression. General criticism is fine, but exhortations to recall the coach and captain or hurling abuses at them is not just unsavoury, but also demoralising for the players.
Full postWho was the most boring?
Accusations of negativity and boring play were coming thick and fast after day two at Adelaide Oval, but the Australian media couldn’t decide which team was at fault
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
Accusations of negativity and boring play were coming thick and fast after day two at Adelaide Oval, but the Australian media couldn’t decide which team was at fault. Writing in The Sunday Age, Peter Roebuck was in no doubt.
Australia has played its most negative cricket for 20 years. A nation that relishes adventure on the field has been forced to twiddle its thumbs as its highly paid cricketing representatives resorted to the most persistent form of leg theory seen since Trevor "Barnacle" Bailey dumped his bags in the attic. A side proud to the point of boastfulness about its unceasing aggression put up the shutters in the most craven manner. Far from entertaining a crowd agog for a stoush, the home side pursued tactics calculated to kill the game.
In his column in The Sunday Mail, Robert Craddock agreed.
Zzzz. That is the kindest four-letter word that could describe Australia's go-slow tactics against England star Kevin Pietersen yesterday. The sight of Shane Warne bowling over after over around the wicket into footmarks in a bid to stop Pietersen scoring was a major victory for the batsman. With a sell-out crowd at the Adelaide Oval, and millions watching around Australia, it just didn't seem right that the contest between the greatest slow bowler of all time and perhaps the game's next batting superstar should be reduced to no contest at all.
Passage to the World Cup won't be a cakewalk
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
The team chosen for Tests against South Africa reflects the diminishment of authority of Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid in selection, writes Ayaz Memon in Daily News and Analysis.
Meanwhile Pradeep Magazine from the Hindustan Times profiles Greg Chappell, the man who was initially hailed as Indian cricket's messiah but is now slammed.
Full post'Live for each day'
It’s been 15 years since Dave Callaghan was cured of cancer, but memories of those scary months in 1991 cannot be erased, writes Mid Day 's Clayton Murzello .
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
It’s been 15 years since Dave Callaghan was cured of cancer, but memories of those scary months in 1991 cannot be erased, writes Mid Day's Clayton Murzello.
'I lost all my hair through chemotherapy sessions. Everyone was very concerned about my health. People used to ask me how I was and when I said I’m fine, I could see that they were not convinced. But as a cancer patient, you are always positive and you always believe that you will live.'
Writing off old man Langer
Andrew Miller
25-Feb-2013
It seems a batsman scoring 182 runs in a Test match is not enough for some critics. Ben Dorries in The Courier Mail writes that Justin Langer must retire at the end of the Ashes series for the greater good of the Australia team.
If Langer won't willingly walk the plank, chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch must have the courage to push him. Ask yourself a simple question: do we really want a 37-year-old opening batsman taking block against Sri Lanka and India next summer? He's not going to get any better and he's keeping out a bold new wave of openers like Phil Jaques and the underrated Chris Rogers from Western Australia. If Langer keeps taking block, the extraordinary talents of the generation-next openers could be lost completely.
The more things change ...
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
It is in its utter simplicity that cricket attracts and bewilders in equal measure, writes Harsha Bhogle in The Indian Express.
We cannot view Ganguly, as we cannot VVS Laxman, as this shining knight charging out with sword in hand to take on six hundred of the opposition. And some in his camp! Ganguly’s return can neither be a media event nor can we look upon it through the eyes of romantic scriptwriters.
Meanwhile R Kaushik, writing in the Deccan Herald, feels that Ganguly's recall and Laxman's elevation indicate a victory for the old guard.
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