The Cricket Thread

[aniken]

Geez Louise, 5 defeats in a row

[aniken]

Something to lighten the mood

Two ninety-year-old men, Nev and Vic, have been friends all their lives. Vic is dying, and so Nev comes to visit him every day.

"Vic," says Nev, "You know how we have both loved cricket all our lives, and how we played together for so many years. Vic, you have to do me one favour. When you get to Heaven, and I know you will, somehow you've got to let me know if there's cricket in Heaven."

Vic looks up at Nev from his death bed, and says, "Nev, you've been my best friend many years. If it is at all possible, I'll do for you."

And shortly after that, Vic passes on.

It is midnight a couple of nights later. Nev is sound asleep when he is awakened by a blinding flash of white light and a voice calls out to him, "Nev....Nev...."

"Who is it?" says Nev sitting up suddenly. "Who is it?"

"Nev, it's me, Vic."

"Come on. You're not Vic. Vic just died."

"I'm telling you," insists the voice. "It's me, Vic!"

"Vic ? Is that you? Where are you?"

"I'm in heaven," says Vic , "and I've got to tell you, I've got really good news and a little bad news."

"So, tell me the good news first," says Nev.

"The good news is that there is cricket in heaven.

Better yet, all our old buddies who've gone before us are there. Better yet, we're all young men again. Better yet, it's always spring time and it never rains or snows. And best of all, we can play cricket all we want, and we never get tired!"

"Really?" says Nev, "That is fantastic, wonderful beyond my wildest dreams! But, what's the bad news?"

"You're opening the batting next Tuesday."

[mbjunior99]

What a hopeless performance! I hope we have learnt something from our past losses. We can't bowl for nuts!

[aniken]

Pakistan - the only cricket team to go to the world cup and come back with the ashes.

[phantomchic]

[SCRIBR]

India tour on hold

What a bunch of sooks!

Boycott would be extreme: Ponting

By David Lowden

17:00 AEST Mon Jan 7 2008

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting says a boycott by India of the remaining Tests would be "a little bit extreme".

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has suspended its team's tour of Australia pending the outcome of an appeal for banned spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan was suspended on Sunday by the International Cricket Council for three tests after being found guilty of racially abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds during the second Test in Sydney.

Harbhajan has denied the claims and the BCCI said the tour would be suspended until his appeal had been heard.

"The Board will appeal to the International Cricket Council to review the decision of the Match Referee and suspend its operation till the appeal is disposed of," the BCCI said in a statement released today.

"The Indian Board realises the game of cricket is paramount but so too is the honour of the Indian team and for that matter every Indian.

"To vindicate its position, the Board will fight the blatantly false and unfair slur on an Indian player."

The Indian team were due to travel to Canberra today to prepare for their next tour match but returned to their hotel rooms after sitting on their buss for two hours.

Australia lead the four-match series 2-0.

In an interview screened on the Nine Network's 'A Current Affair' tonight, Ponting pulls no punches on a number of issues but also holds out an olive branch.

On the subject of a possible cancellation of the rest of the tour, the Australian captain said that would be going too far.

"They're entitled to do whatever they think is appropriate at the time, but to me that would be a little bit extreme," Ponting told ACA.

"From what I, and the rest of the Australian players can take from the first two tests is a lot of fun and a lot of enjoyment.

"You'd like to think that one little incident like this wouldn't bring undone all the great work that's been done over a long period of time."

While Ponting was prepared to be conciliatory on the question of a possible boycott, he was forthright about accusations from Indian captain Anil Kumble that only one side played in the spirit of the game.

"It disappointed me to hear something like that, and probably disappointed me more to hear the reception he got from the media when he actually said that," Ponting said.

"If you look back at the game, I really can't see how we've done anything wrong by the spirit of the game.

"There's one incident that's come out of the first two Tests, and it didn't involve an Australian.

"In this test match there was one of mine (where) I wasn't sure if I caught Rahul Dravid in the first innings. I was 95 per cent sure (I'd caught it) … there was a little bit of doubt there for me. I said I wasn't 100 per cent sure, so Dravid stayed."

The Australian captain bristled at being branded a 'dobber' and defended his actions by saying he felt he had no choice.

"I know that there was some remarks made about me being a dobber," Ponting said.

"A lot of people who made those remarks know me pretty well, have watched me play a lot of cricket … and should have realised that this must have been something pretty serious for me to going and talking to an umpire about it.

"If you dish it out, you accept that you cop it on the chin.

"But when it's something … that I felt a certain individual has overstepped the mark … then it's my duty as Australian captain, and leader and someone that's trying to do the best they can by the sport to do what I did."

Despite their differences, Ponting is confident the turmoil can be resolved before the third Test begins in Perth.

"I've got no doubt that we can: the game is bigger than both me and Anil, and both Australia and India cricket teams", Ponting said.

[ETM]

yeah its pretty weak man.

sure there was some rough umpire decisions but that's cricket,it all evens out in the end.

if they really want to protest how about playing some cricket that we cant touch lol

[Kimberley Scott]

Now Now lets not sound like Indians.

Bloody great game wished I watched more of it.

Scotty

PS insert appropiate GIF here

[Lord Cyric]

Having spent most of the last five days at the SCG, for the most part this was a very special match. Yes, there were some very dodgy decisions made... and yes, Harbhajan looked like he "crossed the line" again (note that he was officially warned over the exact same racial outburst at Symonds in India a few months back)... but from a pure cricket perspective, the game itself was epic.

The opening hours of day one were bowler friendly with six aussie wickets disappearing (could have been more). Then when the wicket flattened out we saw 995 runs scored between both teams in their first digs with three century makers (Sachin's knock was priceless to watch). This brought us to the fourth day where on a wearing pitch with some rain about, the Aussies fought hard to put on 269 runs and set up a classic final day's play. Most people at the ground thought Ponting should have declared after Hussey scored his ton, but as it turned out the nasty turn on a fifth day SCG wicket was tailor-made for Pup's "last throw of the dice".

As for the "cricket politics" now on full display today, unfortunately this is sounding all too familiar for the sub-continent powers (India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka). I can fully understand the bitter taste of having lost the match due to some awful umpiring, but that's cricket so to speak. But the chance to chuck a hissy-fit was just too good for the BCCI to pass up.

The real issue is that people don't take responsibility for their actions when they get caught. The "Asian Block" have loved waving the stick at Australia & England in the past few years for what they call the use of "aggressive tactics & mindgames" to win matches... but as soon as they get caught doing exactly the same thing and then taking it well beyond that level, up comes "The Wall" with huge denials and boycott threats thrown in for good measure. I'm all for a hard, fought contest. But when you act like Sreesanth did during the Aussie tour back in October, that was embarassing for a lot of Indian cricket lovers. Gee, I wonder who started all this monkey nonsense... oops, I'm sorry... the BCCI said that it never happened...

Former test spinner Gavin Robertson said it best on Fox Sports News earlier tonight... "there are so many ways to get inside someone's head when you are playing cricket by focusing on your opponents mistakes and the level of pressure being placed on them to not screw up (remember that cricket in India is a religion). All this is okay and has been the accepted norm for decades. But the moment you take it to a personal level, then that is just not on."

In this day and age with all the media scrutiny, you'd think that sooner or later someone put their foot in their mouth with an open microphone to capture it all. Oh wait... that was Warnie's infamous "can't bowl, can't thrown" sledge at Shane Watson... nope, sorry... some idiot in the production truck left a cameraman's mic open on live TV...

[ktford]

Hey Phil, bet U had a blast at the SCG, don't we refer to them there dudes as being from the sub continent.

I love Roy but I believe that them referring to him as a monkey is funny, I mean talk about the pot calling the kettle, I can't understand why he would care what they call him, I mean we ain't at school now.

Yes they were on the receiving end of some sh*tty calls & should have a whinge or 2, but this sub continent penchant to threaten boycotts is laughable.

I hope they hang about mainly to see them duckin at perth from Wild Thing if he gets picked or Lee Clarke & Notch if he don't