“Precisely why anyone would try headbutting a dude in a helmet isn’t clear” – Australia’s Mitchell Johnson and New Zealand’s Scott Styris seem to have mistaken cricket for all-in wrestling.
“Fans cast further doubt over one-day cricket’s long-term future by voting with their feet, as only 25,463 spectators attended Sunday’s game between Australia and West Indies at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground)” – The glass is half-full for Australia’s The Age newspaper. Not.
“I didn’t get bowled, but I did not exactly cover myself with glory either” – Prince William, touring Australia, finds himself in an impromptu cricket match with Brett Lee, Matthew Hayden and a number of small children.
That’s possibly good enough. What does he have pencilled in for December?
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
“England’s players are like the planets of an orrery: when one is passing close to the sun and in decent nick, another will inevitably be orbiting on the dark side and struggling for form – and so the cycle continues with each passing series. The planets will need to be perfectly aligned against the Aussies, or England could get buried” – Ben Dirs reflects on the series for BBC sport.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
“This has been a particularly good Test match. We were a little bit disappointed we couldn’t finish things off last night, being my birthday it would have been nice to get one more wicket, but I’m pretty proud and happy with what the boys have achieved over the last few weeks” – Ponting is gracious in victory after his team took three and a half overs to finish off the West Indies.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
“I have not resigned as an elite panel umpire. I had withdrawn after the first day’s play as I felt that due to my general health, I was not up to the task and felt it was in the best interests of the game, the ICC and myself that I step down and hand over to my colleague on the elite panel, Asad Rauf. I have been in discussions with the ICC since my return from Australia and we have agreed that I will undergo a series of medical assessments. We will then discuss my future and my position as an ICC elite umpire” – a statement from Mark Benson following his withdrawal from officiating at the Adelaide Test between Australia and West Indies. His decision was widely blamed on controversy over the referral system.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
“I know we have only just finished an Ashes series in England but I also know that the Aussie players – and Australian cricket in general – are already thinking about the Ashes series down under which starts in just over 12 months. Australia has a very good Ashes record at home and I’m hopeful that will continue next summer and we can bring the urn back to Australia” – Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, understandably keen to get on with things, after the dates of the next Ashes series were announced.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
“So what have we learnt? Not much. We are worse than Australia. We can be better than other teams but our batsmen are inconsistent. We have a couple of good young players coming through. We need more wicket-takers. Doing something about it is slightly more difficult. Perhaps first we, as a country, should focus on being slightly better losers” – Sam Collins, writing on The Wisden Cricketer website.
“Faced with the prospect of an afternoon’s worth of strict objectivity and disinterested neutrality, I’ve decided to become an honorary Kiwi for the day” – The Guardian’s live text commenter Andy Bull. Sadly, it didn’t do them any good.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
“Ponting’s undefeated 111 under the lights at Centurion was his 28th one-day international hundred, and he became the first Australian to register 12,000 runs in the process. It also charged him to the top of the tournament’s scorers’ chart and kept the Australians on course to claim their fourth 50-over crown in five attempts” – Yes, the Champions Trophy semi-final was a tall order for England, as The Northern Echo points out.
Cricket Blips: England feed