1. ODI Cricket and T20 Cricket. Good to see a few new names and faces (Matt Short, Spencer Johnson, Ben McDermott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Xavier Bartlett...) hovering around, but we are still a little soft in the batting department. Too many all rounders can hurt as well. Tim David looks like he is lifting his game while the 'Big Show' was shining brightly tonight! A great batting deck.
The biggest news in cricket this week was the twin centuries by Kane Williamson v South Africa (an embarrassment to all who have gone before them). He gets into the 30+ Test century club now. An awesome achievement.
Looking forward to seeing India v England. True to form, India love dropping the first test of the series before powering home and winning the series. Jadeja looks to be back this test after missing the last one. Ominous. They need sharper bowlers to trouble India - maybe one more batsman and Root bowls more. Jimmy Anderson must be one of them too. Stokes needs to roll the arm over too. He is a match winner.
2. The Enhanced Games. Bring out the needles and drugs and go for it with no drug testing limits. Ben Johnson and others like Marion Jones may make comebacks. Commentators at least. Lance Armstrong will be commentating on the cycling. Can't wait to see Graham Olling open it with Sam Riley carrying our flag once Nathan Baguley delivers it by canoe (customs in tow). Alex Watson will be serving the coffee upon arrival. What could go wrong?
3. Phoenix Open (Scottsdale, Arizona). Those Yanks sure know how to hold their drink. What a spectacle for those spotted by their bosses on TV living it up on the 16th hole! Diving into bunkers, getting their kits off. Messy, but hey, LIV golf took the cake in South Australia of course. preparing for the long awaited PGA-LIV peace accord.
4. Rugby League Trials. Surely these should be banned. The injury tolls will mount soon. The good news though is that the season is not far away now. Barely a player discipline issue in sight.... yet. All trials will be televised too. Penrith will be smarting after losing the World Club Challenge last year. I can't see them losing it this year.
5. NRL - Bulldogs. Surely amidst all the shuffling of the chairs on the Titanic, the matter with the aggrieved player who didn't like the wrestling punishment at training would have been finalised. Honestly, talk about a distraction... and weak leadership by Gus and others. The pressure is firmly on Cameron Ciraldo. Will he meet Trent Barrett's career path?
6. Ange and Tottenham. An exciting end to their tussle with Brighton. A 2-1 win, but they will need to be tighter in defence. Brighton could well have scored 3 goals! The excitement in their crowds this year is unbelievable. So attacking! Son (12 goals) and Richarlison (10 goals) have been dynamite. That man Erling Haaland scored two goals in Man City's win over Everton. He's back on top of the EPL with 16 goals after missing about six weeks! Incredible.
7. Six Nations. Wales bit the dust again in a tight loss to England. A bad start to the tournament.
8. Rugby. The Tahs were down 29-0 at half time v the Reds (who are coached by the legendary Les Kiss), before losing. No shock. The Brumbies did enough to win - as they always do. A long season ahead for the Tahs.
9. U/19 Cricket World Cup Final (India v Australia) 2024. Here are the final two teams. How many legends will emerge in time from here...
Squads
India U19 Squad: Adarsh Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Musheer Khan, Uday Saharan(c), Priyanshu Moliya, Sachin Dhas, Aravelly Avanish(w), Murugan Abhishek, Raj Limbani, Naman Tiwari, Saumy Pandey, Aaradhya Shukla, Ansh Gosai, Dhanush Gowda, Rudra Patel, Prem Devkar, Mohamed Amaan, Innesh Mahajan
Australia U19 Squad: Harry Dixon, Sam Konstas, Hugh Weibgen(c), Harjas Singh, Ryan Hicks(w), Oliver Peake, Tom Campbell, Raf MacMilllan, Tom Straker, Mahli Beardman, Callum Vidler, Lachlan Aitken, Charlie Anderson, Harkirat Bajwa, Corey Wasley, Aidan O Connor
10. Cameron Myers. Sounds like a gun in the making. Beat an Australian 1988 record for 1500m held by the great Pat Scammell. 3:34:55 is good going for a seventeen year old!
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