The Surfer
Star studded talent
“We really should have known better as we wondered who the hell was Mitchell Johnson as he loped over the turf for the first overs of his life against England,” writes Simon Wilde in The Sunday Times as he profiles Australia’s latest pace sensation
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
“We really should have known better as we wondered who the hell was Mitchell Johnson as he loped over the turf for the first overs of his life against England,” writes Simon Wilde in The Sunday Times as he profiles Australia’s latest pace sensation who rocked England on Saturday in a crushing Champions Trophy defeat.
Neither, he posits, is this the last we will see of him. Read the full article here.
Full postBond motor could go a really good tune-up
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Writing in The New Zealand Herald, Mark Richardson, the former New Zealand opener, reckons that Shane Bond needs to be played as much as possible. The long he sits on the sidelines mulling over his fitness, the greater the chances that he may even become obsolete.
Writes Richardson:
Full postTriumphant trip to 'homeland' for rookie Patel
It's his first time playing the game in father Shashi's homeland and, albeit for just a moment, Jeetan Patel is public idol No 1
Sriram Veera
25-Feb-2013
It's his first time playing the game in father Shashi's homeland and, albeit for just a moment, Jeetan Patel is public idol No 1. Read more at the New Zealand Herald
Patel's passion for the game goes back to his father's fanatical background, having been born in the Gujarat province - of which Ahmadabad is the main city - before immigrating to England in his early teens and moving to New Zealand after marrying.
"At our home in Wellington, Dad and I would just play cricket day and night. I'm glad to be playing in his country of origin, but I'm here to play for my country now."
Full postHussey's embarrassment at being No. 1
In an interview with The Australian’s Andrew Ramsey, Michael Hussey speaks about his embarrassment at being ranked the world’s No
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
In an interview with The Australian’s Andrew Ramsey, Michael Hussey speaks about his embarrassment at being ranked the world’s No. 1 one-day batsman.
If Michael Hussey were the egocentric type, he would doubtless feel miffed by his comparative lack of celebrity in cricket-crazy India. Even within the relative sanctuary of the Australia team's hotel, players are routinely stopped by guests, security personnel and the occasional staff member to pose for photos and sign scraps of paper.
Cries of "Ponting, Ponting" or "Brett Lee" announce the imminent arrival of big-name players, but Hussey seems free to move about in much the same way he plays cricket: purposefully, unobtrusively and brimful of good humour. However, the 31-year-old says he feels uneasy about the latest development in the extraordinary career progression he has undergone since securing a place at international level 18 months ago.
Australia’s win over England at Jaipur is analysed in the Sydney Morning Herald by Peter Roebuck, who says Andrew Flintoff’s side received a prod in the belly.
In the same paper Trevor Marshallsea writes about how England won their early battles with Glenn McGrath.
Full postGilchrist the philanthropist
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
Steve Waugh started it. Now, it's Adam Gilchrist making a difference. The stark divide between some vast riches and devastating poverty in this country tugs at the heartstring of all Australian cricketers when they visit here. Gilchrist took it upon himself to sponsor a young impoverished boy in Mumbai, giving him an education he could never have dreamt of.
"The smile on his face said it all when he was able to meet me. Regardless of whether I was an international cricket player or ran my own local shop it meant little to him.It was a look of great gratitude to meet the person that is helping his family and his life."
BCCI on a collision course with the ICC
The Indian board's decision to take on the ICC could split the cricket world, warns Mike Coward in The Australian
S Rajesh
25-Feb-2013
The Indian board's decision to take on the ICC could split the cricket world, warns Mike Coward in The Australian. Launching a scathing attack on the BCCI, he says it has become "drunk with power", and its "behaviour is becoming increasingly reckless and potentially destructive".
Indeed, no longer can it be taken for granted that the international cricket family will be together after what is bound to be one of the most rancorous meetings in the ICC's 97-year history in Mumbai on November 3 and 4. If the puffed-up, cashed-up Indian powerbrokers reckon they can prosper without Australia and England they may just opt to leave the fold.
Punish the drug offenders: Parore
Adam Parore, the former New Zealand wicketkeeper, looks back at his experience of playing against Pakistan and wonders how their bowlers managed to bowl "25 overs on a searing hot day and seem to get faster as the day wears on".
S Rajesh
25-Feb-2013
Adam Parore, the former New Zealand wicketkeeper, looks back at his experience of playing against Pakistan and wonders how their bowlers managed to bowl "25 overs on a searing hot day and seem to get faster as the day wears on".
I remember thinking more than once in the subcontinent, "something's not right here". I prided myself on being pretty fit during my career. I'd look at some of these guys and think "you can't do that".
Read the full piece in The New Zealand Herald.
Full postCourtney Walsh in Ireland to promote World Cup
Courtney Walsh, the former West Indies fast bowler, is in Ireland on October 31 to urge fans to support their country in next year’s World Cup in the Caribbean
Will
25-Feb-2013
Courtney Walsh, the former West Indies fast bowler, is in Ireland on October 31 to urge fans to support their country in next year’s World Cup in the Caribbean. Walsh is Jamaica’s official ambassador for the World Cup and will be joined on the trip by Robert Bryan, Jamaica Cricket 2007’s executive director, and David Shields, deputy director of tourism for the Jamaica Tourist Board.
“There is an incredibly strong cricket fan base in Ireland and we are very much looking forward to meeting and personally inviting people to come and party with us in Jamaica,” Shields said in a statement released today.
“We are also gearing up across the entire island to ensure that accommodation at all levels, attractions and transport are ready so we can offer the warmest possible Caribbean welcome to visitors from across the globe.”
Full postRise of West Indies makes Australia nervous
Peter Roebuck writes in the Sydney Morning Herald about the return to form of West Indies and how Australia looked flat .
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Peter Roebuck writes in the Sydney Morning Herald about the return to form of West Indies and how Australia looked flat.
Funny how much can change in a day. Bowled out by Sri Lanka for about two dollars and fifty cents, Brian Lara and his boys were supposed to be the easybeats. Beating them was the banker.
Not that a defeat in a single one-day match played on a pitch held together by a mysterious plastic substance need provoke too many long faces. Still, the fact remains that Australia must win their next two matches or catch an early flight home ...
If excuses are wanted, then at least one finger can be pointed at a pitch that, like many an ageing lover, did not quite last the night. Moreover, a light evening breeze blew over Mumbai, causing the dew to seek calmer pastures.
Full postCricket must not drop its guard
Over the past few decades, cricket has had its skirmishes with drug problems, but generally, when placed alongside the issue in many other sports, they have been small ripples, writes Mike Selvey in The Guardian .
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Over the past few decades, cricket has had its skirmishes with drug problems, but generally, when placed alongside the issue in many other sports, they have been small ripples, writes Mike Selvey in The Guardian.
The cases of Shoaib and Asif are different, with more serious implications as this is the first time players have produced positive tests for steroids, and in so doing it suggests a parable for our times. While on the one hand the ICC condemns drug use and encourages full cooperation by all its members with the demands of the World Anti-Doping Agency, it has made a rod for its back by increasing the physical and mental demands its schedules are placing on players.