A few months ago we explored the subject of cricket computer games, and bemoaned the general lack of authentic, engaging and realistic electronic versions of our favourite sport. Our investigator-in-chief was my colleague James Morgan, who is rather better versed than me in the world of consoles and gadgets. I had never owned such a device, or really played computer games at all – until Christmas, when my other half presented me with a Nintendo Wii. My first response, as you can imagine...
Punter should retire while the going’s good
After everything he’s won, now is the time for Ricky Ponting to head into the sunset Australia’s thrilling victory over South Africa in the second test gives Ricky Ponting a chance to do something he has never been good at: quitting. His 62 in the second innings rescued his team from a perilous situation, and although he couldn’t finish the job himself, he steadied the innings and played a valuable role in their pursuit of 310. It was one of the few highlights of what has been a...
An England supporter’s greatest dilemma
We’ve now had a few days to digest the extraordinary story of last week’s Cape Town test match, in which South Africa beat Australia by eight wickets, despite being bowled out first innings for 96, and conceding a deficit of 188. The Saffers regained the initiative by blowing away the visitors for 47 second dig, before imperious centuries by Hasim Amla and Graeme Smith forged an eventually emphatic victory. All the feedback we received from our original post about this remarkable...
How to stop worrying and forget about ODIs
How much does our annihilation in the India one-day series matter? In some ways, quite a lot. Our year of hitherto unalloyed glory and excellence – the Ashes, the India test whitewash – has ended on a very sour and disappointing note. It’s not as if we were edged out 3-2. The actual scoreline – 5-0 – has a very ugly look to it. In four of the five matches, we were simply hammered, despite often getting into good positions. The middle-order continually imploded...
India: a different sporting planet
If you have a thick skin, and the ability to ignore countless uneducated, one eyed and quite frankly aggressive and anti-English comments, check out the comments under cricinfo.com articles. They’re flooded with Indian fans that appear to either know nothing about cricket or have a habit of consuming narcotic substances before they sit down at a keyboard. Initially, it’s hard not to get worked up by what fanatics in Mumbai and Delhi write, but after a while your enduring mood will be one of...
Politically-correct scorelines, and a supporter’s dilemma
Telford – an unassuming Shropshire new-town – has been the unlikely centre of this week’s biggest sporting controversy. Its junior football league triggered a rumpus after organisers decided to publish results only as 1-0, 1-1, or 0-0, whatever the true scoreline. The intention was to spare embarrassment for their schoolboy players in the event of a hammering. Following widespread criticism, the league has withdrawn the policy. But is there more to the idea than meets the eye...
