1. Test Cricket. A great Test result v England to retain a 3-0 advantage. The SCG can serve up a great show... (and this is only the more recent games and only cricket...). Omitting the Dyson catch, the Boon hundreds, Kim Hughes, Greg Chappell runs, Lillee wickets...
- 1992 - Young Sachin Tendulkar hitting 148 not out at the SCG.
- 1992/1993 - The amazing Brian Lara 277.
- 1993/1994 - The Fanie De Villiers bowling South Africa to victory (the Damien Martyn test).
- 1994 - Warne v Cullinan flipper dismissals.
- 1998/1999 - Darren Gough hat trick (Healey, MacGill, Miller)
- Warne/ MacGill spin clinics
- 2003 - The Steve Waugh last ball century in 2003.
- 2004 - Tendulkar (248no)/ VVS Laxman power on as India hits 700.
- 2006 - Ponting twin tons v South Africa to chase down 280 and win.
- 2008 - The Australian victory v India when Michael Clarke spun three wickets in the last overs.
- 2008/2009 - The Mitchell Johnson v Graham Smith victory when he batted with the broken hand and was bowled late in the day.
- 2012 - Michael Clarke triple hundred.
- 2017 - The David Warner century before lunch v Pakistan.
- 2021 - The India "drawn victory" with Pant.
- 2022 - The mighty draw with England nine wickets down late in the afternoon.
The worrying thing for the SCG is that five of the last eight tests there have been drawn, albeit a few that went down to the wire. All without a drop in deck. They need to start getting results.
2. Alex Carey. Looks a composed competitor, but having spilled a few catches of late (especially when diving to his right hand side) and a ridiculous golden duck, he is on the ropes. When the keeper is putting them down, the tone of the whole team is impacted. It is noticed. Tim Paine in Hobart suddenly loomed as an option, especially with COVID lurking. Any more of that nonsense will see him deposed. He needs to pay attention.
Having said that, he has a few friends with the dropped catches. Marcus Harris dropped a sitter as well at short leg, which since Boon has been the station for the bloke at greatest risk of being dropped as a Test batsman. A good set of hands is assumed in the Australian set up. If you are not good, get good!
3. Scott Boland. A remarkable opening to his test career, remembering we are playing against a weaker test nation in England here. He hits a line and length very regularly and gives very little away, yielding fantastic outcomes. Glenn McGrath made an art form of it all. The great James Anderson is also looking better than ever with his contained run up, despite the critics (he got 40 wickets last year, the most of any English bowler).
Nathan Lyon has now edged over 415 test wickets, passing the legendary Wasim Akram. He is in the top fifteen wicket takers of all time.
4. Cameron Smith. What about his score at the Plantation Course in Hawaii. -34 to win it is amazing. A PGA Tour record. Jon Rahm is always there or thereabouts. Hopefully no more COVID for Jon. Four PGA titles for Cameron Smith and you get the feeling there are a few more to come.
5. No-vax Djokovic. A bureaucratic bungle like no other? Another spoiled tennis player? Government turmoil? The Melbourne crowd will have plenty to say regardless. Rafa Nadal will never have had greater support. Has he heard of vaccinations? I wonder if he had one for polio? If we all developed a yellow spike growing from the middle of our foreheads without vaccination, would he still refuse? Polio vaccination was very popular worldwide (and still is) when it landed to prevent physical deformity.
6. Champions. Meanwhile, two of the true competitors and those with the right mix of competition and results win tournaments - Ash Barty and Rafa Nadal. Funny how champions are defined in that sport. I note that Kygrios is in and out and getting plenty of media. Not sure why.
7. NFL. You have to love "Black Monday", the day after the end of the season when coaches are sacked en masse. We are not too far away from this in NRL and AFL. The sideline behaviour of Antonio Brown for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was diabolical at the business end of the season. It reminded everyone of that old story involving Mark Blackburn at St George, tossing his jersey away. The Patriots sneak into the play offs, but need a miracle.
8. Parramatta. Their recruitment of Curtis Scott to train on with them has now been derailed by domestic violence allegations. Hopefully all is resolved positively, but this aside, the club need more thorough background checking and monitoring of some of their players. This is an extremely worrying part of their culture in recent times, especially when you see behaviours like those of Michael Jennings and Blake Ferguson recently. Is money the only reason why players are moving on? Patient sponsors lose patience in time.
9. Kyle Flanagan. Poor old Kyle. The Bulldogs are denying any efforts to move him on, but it is hard to see where he may play. Not quick enough... a bit like Daniel Mortimer who reinvented himself, but won a premiership with Sonny Bill Williams with the Roosters.
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