Boxing Day Test 2011

This was a game that could have been won by either team but Australia was the team that deserved to win.  There will be many talking points from this game and most notable will be the issue of the DRS and India's ongoing stance of not allowing it to be used in any games it plays.  What I can still not understand is how India can hold their head up high on an issue like this and not bat an eyelid when the technology they refuse to use helps them get a wicket, when an umpire asks for the same technology to help decide if a wicket has fallen.  I have previously discussed this issue and I will state again that the ICC needs to be a controlling body as it is designed to be and say that it is to be there for every game or none at all.  If it is not to be available for the captains of each team then it is not to be available for the umpires either.  Or take the decision out of the hands of the layers and let the umpires review any decision they want.  The lack of DRS also highlighted why it is there to use, if the umpires didn't get so many decisions wrong there would not be any debate on the issue.  Will the umpires get a hauling over in the press though?  Doubt it.

The next issue to raise debate is that of the Australian batsmen.  Australia is very close to getting a solid team together but it is also a long way off.  But for the second innings, Hussey must have been close to playing his last game and may now last the summer out. But a run of low scores again may well be his last.  Ponting has answered his critics to a degree (myself included) and like Hussey may have guaranteed a start in every game for the summer, but Ponting too may not be too far off being tapped on the shoulder.  Warner showed what you get with a player of his style.  He now must learn to show he can curb his style on pitches where it is in favour of the bowler and put away the loose shots when the time calls. Cowan was very good on debut and can be forgiven for one bad call of judgement.  If anything it was nice to see a batsmen who knew what it means to play cricket over 5 days and not one session.  Could be some big scores in a batsmen who looks like he could bat for 2 days.  Then we come to the so called talented batsmen who must be told, sorry but you are no longer required, Haddin.  Yet again this is a batsmen who is not doing anything with the bat and knows how to get himself out more than a good ball gets him out.  Add to that his poor glovework (he may have taken a lot of catches but if the one he dropped cost them the game it would be a lot different.).

The final talking point will is the Australian bowling.  here is a lineup that is missing some of its best in the likes of Harris and Watson and promising young quick Cummins.  And it is the bowlers that won the game for Australia.  All the bowlers were amongst the wickets and when you look at the valuable runs they put in for both innings (84 1st innings & 55 2nd innings) it must be embarrassing for the batsmen who only have one role.

It is always great to see Australia win, it is even greater to see them win a game against a team like India.  Australia just need to go on and make India return to home soil with it's tail between it's legs.  Just because India has some talented players it does not mean we should let them showcase their talent on our turf.  When we tour no team is happy to see us win and do well, so it s only fair we return to the days of being a bit aggressive and arrogant on the field.  One does not become a feared opponent in top flight sport by being mild and welcoming.

No DRS or Is There?

Well it appears that the DRS is in play after all and and India have been on the beneficial end again.  No matter how you put it India are becoming hypocrites when it comes to the use of technology in cricket.

After what happened yesterday it was always going to happen.  Dismissals would be decided by video replay and the decision would benefit the team that did not want this technology used for the DRS system.  If India wants the umpire to make the call on the field then that is what should happen.  If the umpire thinks it is a noball then he should call it.  If a wicket did not fall would the umpire have still called noball?  How many more noballs were not called due to a wicket not falling on the delivery.

It was not long into the day when the first wicket fell and the umpire immediately called for a review of the noball and also to see if the ball carried.  Once viewed and given out, the Indians were more than happy to accept the use of the review system and celebrate the wicket.  In the last session of the day an Indian wicket falls, the valuable wicket of Dravid, and the umpire decides he thinks it might be a noball (if he thought it why not call it straight away), viewing the replay of the noball I can argue the point that it may not have been a noball as the foot might have slid forward but the frames are either side of the foot's initial contact with the ground.  Decision reviewed and it is ruled a noball, India benefit again from the use of technology that they have declined to allow the use of throughout the series.

Why do umpires not review every wicket to see if it is a noball?  Umpires do make mistakes and human error is part of sport, but when technology is available, why not use it.  India have shown their true colours, they are happy to accept decisions without technology and they are happy to accept decisions that use technology, either way India are happy with everything as long as it is good for India.

It is now time that Australian cricket fans said that it is not good enough.  If it is good enough for India to say that they are not happy with the DRS system it is good enough for Australians to say that we are not happy with the lack of DRS and India's acceptance of the DRS when umpires use it.

DRS Farce In Boxing Day Test

The Boxing Day Test kicked off against modern rivals India and what I always thought would be a controversial issue this series raised its head on the first day and will be a talking point all summer.

Under the rules of the ICC if both teams don't agree on the DRS then it is not used.  As usual India declined to use the technology and it showed why.  The decision to give out Hussey and Cowan were appalling decisions by the umpire as replays clearly showed there was no edge and also clearly showed there was no sound when the ball passed the bat on both occasions. With these facts it makes you wonder why India were appealing so loudly when there is no evidence to give the decision out.  Add to that the fact the biggest appeal on both occasions came from the keeper who is also the captain of the team.

The ICC has the power to enforce the DRS for every game.  The DRS is used for runout and stumping decisions and if I am correct it will also be used to see if a .ball carried to a fielder. The umpires will also use replays to confirm boundaries.  India cannot have it both ways, if they do not want to use the DRS because they do not trust the technology then they cannot also say they trust the technology for other decisions.

India were also unhappy with a declined LBW decision that did not go there way and clearly showed frustration.  Someone needs to tap then on the should tonight and remind them of earlier decisions that went there way.  For the rest of this series India maintain no right to complain about any umpiring decisions as they have handed themselves the deck they are playing with.  What India need to remind themselves of is how would they handle the tow decisions if they happened to their players.  Imagine the reaction in India if Tendulkar was given out first ball to a delivery that he clearly missed.

Analysis of the game with my sideline reporter had comments of cheating raised.  I am not saying that India have cheated but if they continue to refuse the DRS and then appeal for dismissals that are clearly not out then they have to accept the accusations that will go their way.  It will be interesting to see how today's play pans out in media reports and if either side makes any comments.  I will be watching closely.

Suarez Banned For Not Being Racist

This is how the headlines should read.  What I am trying to figure out is how the FA came up with such a decision.  Suarez has been found guilty of saying racist comments yet has also been found not to be racist.  The term in question throughout this whole charade is "negrito".  If anyone is offended by this term I wonder if they really know what it means.

To start with it is not what you think it is.  It is not the racist term that many American Rap artists uses frequently without anyone raising an uproar.  Negrito is a term for a class of ethnic groups from South East Asia with possible African heritage.  It is also has a literal translation of 'little black guy'.  If this term is to be considered racist then the FA have opened up a can of worms that would make the PC world look insensitive. One can not be racist if one uses a term that has been defined by anthropologists. How can the FA find a word that is not offensive in one language to be racist when translated to another?

From here Liverpool FC should take this to a court of law as part of their appeal to show how foolish this decision is.  If it is found that this term is no longer allowed, imagine how many other terms would be considered racist.  If you cannot refer to an ethnic group, would Australians be unable to say Aboriginal. How do we refer to the Chinese or Indians.  The UK government would be found guilty by the FA for terms it uses in its census for how it breaks down its ethnic classes:  ie, White, Mixed, Black, Chinese & other, and in those groups it broke it down even further.  Would a person be banned if in a game they referred to a redhead as a wranga.  Is it no longer acceptable to call someone a white guy?

The sporting field is a place where sledging will always take place and in my time I have heard some things that are not acceptable in most places.  It is not always a good thing but it is a part of sport.  Yes there are lines that should not be crossed, but from this point on the FA will need to carefully decide what it does and I will be watching to see how John Terry goes with his racist charge.

I have covered this issue before and I will state that I in no way support or condone racism.

Weekend Wrap

The weekend has well and truly past and Christmas is getting closer.  The sport though has not stopped or slowed down at a time when everything else seems to.  Plenty of talking points and more sport than I could manage to see with Christmas parties and birthday parties to attend to.  I will most likely miss plenty of topics but here are what I found to be the points of interest.

Frustration Is Setting In

Roar Lose Four

With the Roar losing again it is now four losses in a row from a team that a month ago had everyone wondering if anyone would beat them again.  But four games later and it is amazing how quickly everyone starts talking about what the Roar are doing wrong and what they need to do to fix it.  The same thing that people were praising for the last 12 months are now being criticised.  All Brisbane seem to be struggling with is injuries to key players which has disrupted their playing style. Suddenly all the things that worked are quite going smoothly, and the doubt is stating to show. They will bounce back to winning and once they do they will be a force again.  If anything it is better for them to go through this mid season then towards the finals.  Al teams should be worried that they are potentially in top form too early in the season and the Roar will be at peak come finals.  With the injury to Broich I can see the Roar playing for a big signing in the next transfer window.  

Big Bash Is Under Way

The Big Bash has one round under its belt, so where is it at?  The Big Bash will only get bigger and better and that is good for Australian Cricket.  With only a couple of international signings per team it will help grow our domestic scene as long as it does not get over populated with retired players deciding that they are no longer retired.  At the moment there is a good mix and it is needed to help mentor the up and coming players of the future.  Warner's century was a great knock but some of the calls about his greatness could be true, but lets see him perform at the top level on a consistent basis before throwing to many plaudits his way.    I will wait until a few more games have passed before passing too many judgements on players. Plenty of games to go and so far my tipping is not too great.  Looking to see the Heat bounce back at the Gabba and storm towards a final.  

Suarez Has the Opposition Chasing Ghosts

Suarez In Top Form

I sacrificed sleep on a sunday night to stay up and watch Liverpool play Aston Villa and it was worth the tiredness on Monday.  Suarez is in great form and even with a quiet first half, once he woke up he was almost unstoppable and on any other day would have scored at least 2 goals.  Unfortunately for Suarez though the woodwork was against him, which seems to be a common theme for Liverpool this season.  The whole team seems to be working well as a unit and they deserve the record of having the best defensive record this season.  With Chelsea drawing Liverpool have made some ground and with games against oppositions that they should account for over the next few games they should be able to move up the ladder and crack into the top four.  With the style they are playing I can some plenty more late nights ahead of me.

Barcelona and Daylight

I would not envy the person who keeps the trophy cabinet shiny at Barcelona.  Barcelona have added more silverware to their cabinet after winning the FIFA World Club Cup after defeating South American champions Santos, 4-0.  This was a game between a team that plays the best style of football in the world and another team that seemed happy to watch them do it.  It is not hard to be in awe of Barcelona as they have a system that should be the envy of every coach in the world.  And with that system is some of the best players in the world.  Many of their players would be happily snapped up by another team, it is just a matter of how to afford them.  I am not a supporter of Barcelona but it is always a pleasure to watch how they play.

This might be the last wrap for the year as I am planning on a Wrap of the Year post next.  Keep on passing the word and as always let me know if there is an issue or event that you want my thoughts on.

Fairweather Fans

With Brisbane Roar losing it's fourth game in a row and many headlines stating the declining numbers for Roar home games it is highlighting one of sports problems.  Everyone loves a winner.

When a team is on top it is amazing how many people support them, when they start losing though you soon find out who the true supporters are. When Brisbane start winning again you will see the crowd numbers rise and when a final comes around you will be lucky if you can get a ticket.  It is the same with any sporting event in Australia, or be it the world.  Only a few years ago the Reds were the laughing stock of Rugby and struggling to get crowds, now you will be lucky if you can get a ticket for games next season.  When state of Origin rolls around tickets are snapped up straight away, well in Queensland anyway, but how many of those ticket buyers ever go to another game of league.  For Australians it is all about the spectacle.  The majority only want to be associated with a successful team or have it known they were at a major event.

But once the team starts losing or the event loses it's appeal they all drop off the bandwagon and tell everyone what is wrong with the team or the system. A fickle fan will change who they follow to ensure they are following a winner.  A true fan will walk down the street in the jersey or shirt of his favourite team any time of the year and turn up to every game they can and watch every game they can on TV.

I will be the first to admit I can be very critical of teams I follow but at the end of the day I still follow them.  I have pride in my state and follow every state team, I follow teams from my home town regardless of how well they are going, I will support every team in my state in national competitions.  I have followed and are a member of the only foreign football team I have supported.  Fairweather fans will always be a part of the sporting world but I will always have respect for someone who is a true supporter of a team regardless of who they support.

Fairweather fans get my poor form nomination.

Big Bash Is Under Way

This for me was the deciding moment of the game.

Well the Big Bash is under way.  Here I was all buzzing and excited especially after Brisbane Heat won the toss and decided to bat.  Walking out to the crease were two destructive batsmen including my favourite player, Matthew Hayden.  With Brett Lee firing in, the fireworks were set to explode.  But with a crack it all fizzled out to be a game that I honestly can say I tuned off to before it was over.  Once Lee forced McCullum off the field with a crack to the nose, the game did not live up to the hype it deserved.  With a pitch that offered more than it normally would to a bowling attack in twenty20 cricket, the Heat could never get going with the continual fall of wickets.

Once NSW started batting, just by listening to the commentators one could tell it was all over.  How quickly they forget the form of past and how quickly they jump back on the bandwagon of a player scoring runs again. Haddin batted well but not too much should be read in to the form of a player in a game where he didn't really face any quality bowling.  And this for me is where the Heat lost the game.  The inexperience of the young bowlers let them down and there was no real threat from any bowler in the team.  For the Heat to have any hope in this competition they have already found out that you cannot rely solely on a batting attack, especially when the batting attack does fire.  Twenty20 cricket is just as much about stopping runs and getting wickets as it is hitting big shots.

The Heat do have promise though as Hayden looked good on his return, McCullum may have been a match winner had he not been hit and Christian showed his worth.  I can see the Heat bouncing back with a big performance at the Gabba.

Also of note for this game was the very average crowd that turned up, when the SCG management were expecting 20,000, getting a crowd of 12,285 is somewhat worrying.  Sydney will keep telling you they are up there as a sporting capital so to only have this many turn out on a Friday night is another example this year that Sydney is by no means a sporting mecca.