David Saker (bowling coach) and Brad Haddin (fielding coach) might be more than a tad nervous and need to stand aside. Pat Howard surely has to go as well. They have tried to look tough when really they have been pathetic and useless for a long time.
Warner is unpopular and crass, but should have had his wings clipped some years back. However I clearly recall a ton in a session at the SCG, phenomenal striking of the ball, 21 Test tons (@48.2) which were always full of emotion and courage. He lost the plot in the end and with it sadly, all respect.
The hypocrites are certainly out in force. Fancy having South Africa lecture us on morality and human decency? They kill white land owners and own the awful human stain of apartheid, which many still there believe heavily in....and their record with ball tampering is awful. India are pathetic too with abject poverty and disgraceful treatment of their people rampant. Yet they always find the moral high ground quickly. It is never them. India have had more matchfixers than most (Mohammad Azharuddin, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Jadeja, Ajay Sharma, S.Sreesanth).
I am most intrigued in Mitchell Starc. He reverse swings the ball more than most and had no idea? Give me a break. He should front the media too...but won't. The bowlers knew what was happening. How could they not?
Not sure how much change comes under a Justin Langer or Ricky Ponting as coach. Gillespie made some dumb immediate comments too so he is gone already for mine..
We have also been treated to the hypocrisy of many former players who were all either banned, fined or discredited.
Think Atherton (in 1994 with dirt in the pocket), Tendulkar (picking at the seam - and then typical Indian reaction when accused...protest...appeal...plead and inescapable victimisation, national innocence...but what of ), Dravid (rubbing lollies on the ball), Michael Vaughan (captain of the Ashes team where Marcus Trescothik used lozenges to alter the ball), Broad and Anderson in 2010 v South Africa (rubbing the ball into the ground, captained by Hussain), Afridi (biting the ball), Faf du Plessis (2013, zipper on trousers to alter ball), Vernon Philander (2014, scratching ball with fingers/ thumb), Faf du Plessis (2016 - lollies). Funny how these fools all raise their stupid heads. Vaughan is an absolute disgrace. Yet the Poms too quickly forget their terrible history as well.
Meanwhile we see a demoralised Australian side too scared to say boo and ripe for the picking. We are a hated cricket nation, but not a successful one at present. The top order of Burns-Renshaw-Khawaja-Handscomb-S Marsh-M Marsh could be one of our worst since World Series cricket. Would you rather Darling, Weiner, Moss, Sergeant, Toohey, Whatmore and Laughlin?
The techniques of Smith and Hanscombe have been picked apart by the very good South African bowlers. A huge final innings for Shaun Marsh. This will be it for him with another sub-par performance. he has had a horrible tour really. So too has Lyon who has been smashed by Maharaj. Cummins and Paine are probably the only ones to excel in any meaningful way.
Tim Paine has shown steel top scoring in our first innings debacle, but I am struggling to see him as a long term option as captain.
I suspect too that Warner sits on the full truth. He knows more than most. Every bowler is into it. They have been at it in grade and in state cricket since Imran Khan was a lad.
The ludicrous nature of it all as more serious than drugs, murder and death was seen in that galoot from the Kyle and Jackie O show who thought Dean and Davina were worse! Somehow the stupidity of that comment sums up the whole saga and how the overreaction of the media has fuelled the most ludicrous circus. 'Crash' Craddock has been one of the worse and should know better. Ironically, he has lacked the same composure and calm that he accuses Warner of having exhibited.
I'll leave it to the great Richie Benaud when saying this after the underarm fiasco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIL6KZox6Ao . It's relevance now is still powerful.
2. Sledging/ Sin Bin. The banning of sledging in all levels of the Australian game would be an excellent development. Offenders should be binned. This would shut the lid on poor behaviour which breeds worse behaviour.
3. NRL. The NRL have completely lost the plot. There is nothing more entertaining than penalty goals! It will surely bring back the crowds. Great TV too. The game has gone backwards this year. Refs have returned to the Hartley era of referee self promotion and indulgence. And we have two of them in each game! More sin bins since Jack Danzey. Penalties right in front of the sticks are a specialty. An absolute delight for the crowd.
Channel 9 should stamp their feet. The fans have had enough. The game under Greenberg is in trouble. His arrogance is such that he now wants to give league a union flavour. I have written him an email this week myself.
There is a penalty in almost every play if you want to find it. If Kerry Packer was alive still, he would rip him to pieces for that debacle in the Storm v Sharks on Friday night.
Canberra are in big strife. Ricky is on borrowed time. He has lost the dressing room I suspect.
The Eels too could implode unless they win well against the Tigers. Really liking the spirit and fitness of the Warriors. Blake Green on fire. Tom Trbojevic was outstanding for Manly and needs to be in the NSW team straight up, if fit. Jake his brother is outstanding too. The Storm are missing Cronk and the Roosters are struggling to get him going early, which is understandable. However, Jake Friend needs to run the ball more often. They should be looking for a new hooker long term to be honest...a great defender, but not mobile enough to put pressure on the opposition defence.
How hard is the tipping at present? Titans win? Storm lose? Roosters lose?...on it goes.
4. Rugby Union. The Brumbies have fallen apart and they are having a season of failure... something that the Melbourne Storm will one day experience again. The Waratahs got over them, but only just.
5. A League Soccer. The Wanderers are a shambles. Gombau has to go. Not to make the top six in a comp that has more episodes than My Kitchen Rules, speaks of a weak leader and bad strategy. They need a clean out. Not a patch on the other teams.
6. EPL. You have to admire the English crowds. Every game is an event and they simply do not care that they are not winning the comp. There are other European options and midweek/ FA Cup games. Plenty of options. Leicester and Burnley as comparative minnows have had great years sitting at position 7 and 8 on the table respectively. Southampton, Stoke and West Brom look done.
7. AFL. It looks like Melbourne may have turned a corner. Scully's leg injury for GWS is a bad blow. Still think the Swans are too slow in the middle on a big field. They need two more centres with sheer pace. A bad loss once the sun set v Port. Their skills and overuse of the handball cruelled their chances. Too predictable, no targets up front and completely lacking pace to break away and convert chances into results. The Western Bulldogs are shot! How far have they have fallen in two years? Incredible.
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