The omission of Nathan Hauritz from Australia’s squad for Brisbane sadly wasn’t a surprise. The press had been talking up Steve Smith (first class average 50) and Xavier Doherty (average 48) ever since Hauritz dared to have a couple of bad matches in India. Admittedly, Hauritz has a similarly underwhelming record in Shield cricket, but his test record is pretty good. And the Aussie selectors have seemingly forgotten that Hauritz performed admirably in 2009, when Australia probably would’ve won...
Sky’s Ashes Adverts: Pick up a bat and wallop an Aussie
Four years ago, Sky would never have positioned our cricketers backstage at a coliseum in the vicinity of roaring lions. The expectation would’ve been ‘it’s feeding time’ for the big cats. Confidence is so high this time round, however, that Sky’s latest advert for the Ashes portrays Pietersen and Co as gladiators, about to avenge the wrongs of 2006/07. It’s optimistic, it’s heroic, and it’s … err … a bit naff. Sky obviously forgot that Russell Crowe is an Australian. But perhaps...
ITV to show Ashes highlights
Good news – TV viewers in Britain will be able to watch an hour of Ashes highlights on free-to-air television, every day of the series. ITV yesterday announced they’d secured the rights to the coverage, which will be screened on ITV4, so you’ll need to have Freeview or other digital service to get access. The idea of cricket on ITV still seems a bit weird, even though the commercial channel covered the IPL earlier this year. But their coverage should feel very familiar, as...
Aussie woes continue, but Smudge won’t budge
Things have definitely gone topsy turvy down under. The Canary Yellows’ Ashes build-up has been a mirror image of England’s feeble preparations four years ago. Injuries have ravaged their squad, nobody knows what their best team is, and their batsmen can’t buy a run. And now Monty Panesar is taking unbelievable diving one-handed catches. It’s all a bit surreal. Just to underline Australia’s problems, five of their likely top seven batsmen at Brisbane were dismissed cheaply in Sheffield Shield...
Monty takes a blinder
We guarantee you’ll watch this several times just to convince yourself it really happened.
Blimey! The footage comes from today’s action in the Australia A v England at Hobart. At stumps we were 22-1 after bowling the hosts out for 230; Chris Tremlett the star performer with 4-54.
Australia’s bunch of crocks?
In Billy Birmingham’s hilarious parody of England’s last Ashes tour, the 12th Man revelled in England’s misfortunes with injury. The story even referred to a spoof print of the Poms’ walking wounded, which included a ball lodged in Paul Collingwood’s teeth and Steve Harmison paralysed by home sickness. The photographic montage, which was memorably called ‘a bunch of crocks’, was priced at a very reasonable one thousand dollars framed or two thousand unframed (or something similar) – an...
