Category: cricket

This guy is not my favorite commentator. Plummy Englishman Nicholas has been handed a golden opportunity to meet the Channel 9 Commentary Team on their own turf and give them some shit, but has morphed tragically into Australia’s #1 fan.

I decided to graph his comments in typical half hour period of commentary that were:

A. Embarrassingly eager crawling up Australian backsides, and
B. Everything Else

He made 16 comments during the test period, here’s the results:

Stats
Time on air – 30 mins
Score – Australia went from 3/99 to 4/125, losing Clarke
Overs – 7
Suckarse comment / minute ratio – 0.26

It’s not pretty is it? He must be hiding something big.

And Australian.

On Flickr

It’s brilliant to see Hamilton’s cricket ground is now Seddon Park again.

I gots me a photo on the Brigade‘s site of the NZ slip cordon packed to the gunnels. I bought a shirt last year, and they’re top blokes to deal with. I reckon they’re doing a great job and are a shining example to Kiwi sports fans on how to get organised and support their team with a bit of style (full marks in this department also go to the BOP Mafia). On ya, chaps.
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With all due respect to the ICC, what a bunch of dickheads they are. It’s a disgrace that ANYONE is even CONTEMPLATING playing sport in Zimbabwe under its present regime, let alone forcing our young cricketers to play there as though nothing is happening. The ICC has been holding a broken gin bottle to Martin Sneddon’s throat during this whole business, and the repercussions for not touring really did seem like they’d set the game back several years in NZ through no fault of our own.

And the players are stuck in the middle. Would YOU want to go to Zimbabwe right now? As a high profile sportsman who may be a target for nutters, or tacitly approving of Mugabe by your presence there? No bloody thanks. In that environment, even a Josh – style personal protest could be dangerous for you and your team mates.

Good on Helen Clark and the NZ Government for getting involved – but the ICC’s policies have made it almost impossible to take action short of putting the players on house arrest. The ICC should be less concerned with getting their photos taken with Warney and Punter at Lords, and more concerned with joining the 21st century. Heads out of the sand, chaps. Good show.
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I’ll make a disclosure here – I think Stephen Fleming is bloody fantastic. He came into the team as a young batsman with an elegant style of timing the ball to the boundary that reminded me of David Gower, one of the most gifted batsmen to have played the game. Flem has blossomed into arguably the best test and one day captain playing the game today. He’s given us moments of genius such as the way he sussed out Graeme Smith in the recent series here against South Africa, and of course the way he played the series that may be his finest hour, the tour to Australia in 2002. Recently he has fulfilled his promise with the bat, turning into the run machine we hoped he’d become. Flem’s only trophy is the ICC cup from that year, and I’d bet he would love to win some more before he leaves the international stage. An Australian Tri-series would be fantastic, or a test series win against the Ockers (let’s face it, it’s all about the Aussies). Fleming’s records today (most test runs for NZ and passing RJ Hadlee’s record of 86 test matches) consolidate his position as one of our best ever. Long may he continue.

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Richie Benaud, who has witnessed over 500 test matches, speaks about his career, Billy Birmingham (the Twelfth Man), and avoids the retirement issue. Benaud’s experience of the game all over the world for many, many years makes him unique among the great commentators. The Observer’s Kevin Mitchell feels “that if cricket has a Pope, his name is Richie”.

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