cricket with balls

Special pre-xmas treat.

If you have ever wanted to see Richie, Geoffrey, Ricky, KP and Sachin dance in a B-boy style with little christmas hats on, I suggest you go to the Village cricketer’s website and click on his link.

Australia

It all came so easy in the first session with 3 wickets and an injury.  But then for the first time the West Indies batsmen thought they’d try and bat.  Australia looked rather pedestrian from there on in. It all came so easy in the first session with 3 wickets and an injury.  But then for the first time the West Indies batsmen thought they’d try and bat.  Australia looked rather pedestrian from there on in, except for a bizarre over where the “Obvious Mistake” referral system was stretched and Watson took two wickets.

West Indies

If your batsmen can’t make runs at Radelaide Oval, they should  take up crochet.  The top order was largely useless, but the middle order and even DJ Sammy has stood up.

Who is in front

Pretty Even. At Radelaide you can make over 500 in the first innings and lose (sorry English fans). So while this is a great platform for the Windies, if they don’t get to 500, it might be pretty useless.

Play of the day

Siddle had a dirty day. He seemed to bowl pretty well, but his figures were shocking. He had a few edges going to the rope, dropped a caught and bowled, had balls bunted just over the head of fielders and then the cherry on top:

Siddle bounced Bravo with two men out, Bravo put in the hook, hit it straight down the throat of Watson, who caught it right on the rope, threw it up in the air as he went over the rope, then came back in to collect the ball, but he hadn’t actually thrown it forward, so when he came back onto the field he had to forlornly try and arch himself back to catch it, he couldn’t, and he had essentially thrown the ball for six.

Watching Watson was funny, but watching all the different reactions of those behind him was sensationally, my favourite was the lady who started laughing straight away.  Next ball Bravo hooked again and got a top edge away from the fine leg fielder.

Commentary masterstroke

The cricket was good, but lacked what we call in the business ‘the LOL factor’.  My favourite moment was Ian Chappell telling a story about Joel Garner and then trying to imitate him. He made Garner sound like a grizzly bear that was being anally violated by a swarm of bees.

Testicular moment of the day

Dwayne Bravo was demoted in the batting order for this match.  You wouldn’t know it, instead he went out and played pretty much the same way he always does and it worked.  he played across the line, got dropped twice in 4 balls, caught over the rope, hit some big drives and made his 3^rd test hundred (His first for 4 years, and 2^nd against Australia).

Working class moment

Brendan Nash only made 44, but in two sections. The first one ended with him retired hurt after getting hit by his mate Mitch on the arm and probably saving him from going out. Yet he still made sure the Windies didn’t lose a 4th wicket before lunch. Then after he eventually came back in, he had to guide the lower order to stumps with an arm that still looked ouchy.  Neither job is glamorous, but neither is Nash.

Useless stat of the day

With Radelaide Oval being in the middle of a renovation, we were saved from hearing about how beautiful a ground it was 4 times an over.  Last Ashes the record was broken when on the first day it was mentioned 421 times in day.  Yesterday it was only mentioned 72 times, but the renovations were mentioned 143 times.

Question of the day

Can Shane Watson pick up a six wicket haul?

Check out my book, ashes 09: when freddie became jesus.