1. Marnus Labuschagne. His two innings in Sydney (with plenty of help from the super talented Steve Smith) have helped shaped the game. Like Warne and Andrew Symonds said though (BTW, who thought putting the two of them together was ever going to be a good idea? Last time in England it landed in a disaster on that Ashes tour), he needs to iron out some stupid immature bits to his game. Asking inane questions from short leg, blowing bubble gum bubbles (often this signals he will get out soon) and the ridiculous exaggerated "no run" antics need to be removed from his game. Smith is no better on this last one. None of that does any favours to him. Stick to run outs, great catches and poise at the crease. He has been a remarkable find.
Warnie has probably summed up many thoughts of viewers (and he is teflon man at the best of times), but Roy always seems to be a bit too extreme. It started with chasing drunks and shoulder charging blokes running onto the field... then a string of silly advertisements. As many runs as Marnus has and will score, would have been a better memory.
2. Steve Smith. How good is this bloke? Smith (62.07) has now edged ahead to have the best Australian Test Cricket batting average since the great Adam Voges (61.87). Marnus currently averages over 60 in his 17 tests too. A fair start.
3. Nathan Lyon. Wicketless in this Test thus far. A million appeals and DRS nightmares (Paine has a problem on his hands...maybe Smith will get the captaincy again after all. Alex Carey or Daniel Hughes surely comes into the team. I like Nick Larkin too. Carey can play and might just replace the woeful Wade as well).
Lyon needs to roar and guide the team to victory! He needs to show class and patience on a favourable deck. That or give Allan Border the ball!
4. Racism - Sydney Tests. This Indian squad sometimes sound like Australia when we used to tour India in the 1970s and 1980s and whinge about the accommodation, the food, the weather, the people and everything else... The ugly side of racist taunts has no place in any part of our sport and society - including to our Aboriginal brothers and sisters - but to say it has happened for years revisits the famous two right handed gloves from the time wasting Ishant Sharma, the Michael Clarke wickets test... but I firmly remember Laxman and Tendulkar scoring so many runs it was ridiculous. That kept the fools very quiet.
5. Bumrah. He has done it at least twice now, but he is a spoilt brat sometimes. His latest trick? Knocking the bails off the stumps when the umpire rules against him...at the end of the over or between balls. Not when coming in to bowl - but when returning to his mark. I saw it Day 1 and again today. Fool. Such players should be penalised runs which go against their bowling eg. 20 runs.
6. Tests - Perfect Storm. The drums are beating louder. The Gabba Test could be off still, especially with an Indian loss tomorrow at the SCG. India seem very churlish at present. They need Shastri to exercise some leadership.
7. NFL Play Offs. Tom Brady has proven his class with a fine display with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (the things on the side of your buccan head). Meanwhile the New England Patriots sit at home. He was the difference and was moved on a trifle premature - especially when the Patriots had no ready made replacement.
8. NRL. No known catastrophes this week on 'Idiot Watch'. There is always a later pre-season goose or two...or an Australia Day cruise aftermath. AFL's Jonathan Patton is keeping them busy south of the border.
9. BBL. When will we see our first instance of five runs from one of the three caps worn by the skipper of a BBL team falling onto a saved or fielded ball? Are these umpires losing it? Are they going to catch COVID from a player in the bubble? Impossible, but this nonsense continues.
We had one bloke - Popeye - not even signal a power surge the other night and Carey and Finch needed to sort it out. That bloke is hideous. Watch out for him. He has the Southern Cross tatoo on the forearm. Popeye. He also specialises in LBW decisions off the bat.
No comments:
Post a Comment