The IPL: Less action, more money

I’ve been following cricket now for almost four decades, and seen plenty of changes in that time. Some changes have lasted (the World Cup, helmets, the third umpire), some haven’t (limited-over cricketers wearing shorts, day-night Sheffield Shield matches, Super Max Eights). I’m not sure which category the Indian Premier League will fall into.

Twenty21 revisited

If we didn’t know before, we do now. Australia’s 5-0 drubbing of England in 2006-07 is the first such triumph since 1920-21. But which was the bigger achievement?

Eng-ger-land…. sigh

“The performance in the Ashes series has been a great disappointment and a number of lessons must be learned. This review will be comprehensive and broad ranging with the clear objective of regaining the Ashes in 2009 and significantly improving England’s results in one-day international cricket in the next four year cycle.” – ECB chief […]

Sydney Day Two: Warne’s 1000th vegetable

You have  to hand it to the Murdoch comic books. One week they are celebrating – in advance – the Lord Of The RingsText Alert’s 700th wicket, the next week they are celebrating his 1000th wicket. With that rarest or rarities, the full page colour liftout commemorative poster. So what are we celebrating again? Shane Warne’s […]

How much does a tabloid Urn?

Yes it’s that time again, when the populists and the ignoramuses (or in John Howard’s case, both) call for the urn holding the original “Ashes” to be kept in Australia. At least until England wins again. As Malcolm Fraser used to say: Let me be quite plain.

Sydney Day One: Con te partiro

Imagine an artist at the canvas on the boundary fence of a packed SCG on the opening day of the New Years Test. Imagine Jack Russell, brush in hand, white floppy hat, characteristic moustache, outlining the curves of Aussie Stadium peeking from behind the Noble Stand, the clock on the Members Stand showing a quarter […]

Climate change explained for cricket tragics

Unfortunately, John Howard was not in the House when Shadow Minister for Environment, Heritage and Water, Anthony Albanese, gave the following solution for reducing greenhouse emissions, speaking in Federal Parliament on Wednesday: Climate change is real and the threat of dangerous climate change is also real. What Labor would do is cut Australia’s greenhouse pollution […]