1. Australia v Sri Lanka - Test Cricket. Steve Smith (36 test tons, equalling Joe Root and Rahul Dravid) is a gun. He averages in the high 50s, up there with Sangakarra (and Adam Voges!). So prolific and when he is skipper he bats even better! His record as a skipper is pretty awesome with a moderate team for much of it. He has a better winning percentage (in 40 test matches) than Mark Taylor and Michael Clarke, not quite as strong as Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting however. better than Greg Chappell and Ian Chappell who usually rates himself more highly than the statisticians.
Lyon has 550 test wickets and Steve Smith has 10,271 test runs and the most catches ever for an Australian fieldsman, cracking 200 catches, ten behind the all time record of Rahul Dravid (210).
Are Nathan Lyon and Paul Kelly related? He is so patient and persistent. The deception in flight is such a strength. The Sri Lankans are too often not patient enough at the crease.
Kuhnemann has done super well. He can't get a wicket in Australia, but on the sub-continent he is awesome. Funny how Jayasuriya for Sri Lanka bowls so slowly. It is the key as to why Murali and Herath got so many wickets. These conditions teach slower bowlers many new tricks. Travis Head was near unplayable late on Day 3. 16 wickets for Kuhnemann. Player of the Series? (Smith won it which was fair enough).
Carey has really stepped it up in this Test and was MOTM. A 150+ score and some super keeping. He looks like he believes he belongs now.
Beau Webster is such a professional cricketer. English County Cricket need to sign him up. Super safe hands, a decent bowler and a safe, sensible batsman. The full package and a talent we have been calling to play here for a few seasons now.
Full steam ahead for South Africa and the World Test Championship in June. Looking forward to the next Amazon Prime Test Cricket series.
How about WA, all out for next to nothing. Once again the pitches served up in Australian domestic cricket are quite ordinary. How do teams getting rolled for 120 and 70 help the national cause? McAndrew got U/11 figures... 7/11. Also, memo: don't bowl short at Victorian, Harry Dixon. He can play.
2. Travis Head. A deserved winner of the AB Medal - and Annabel Sutherland a winner too. The women need to play more teams internationally now. Surely the game has matured.
Head has turned so many games for Australia with the bat and the ball in this last short while. Did he put his fingers in ice before accepting the award? He does throw his wicket away too often however.
3. Joel Wilson. He may possibly be the worst umpire ever. So many of his decisions are overturned on review. One in three are wrong. Not good enough. He actually generates reviews because the players all think he is a lottery...and he is.
4. Sam Kerr. Is this as big a fiasco as it sounds? The British legal system must be ridiculously slow and expensive. She was drunk, stupid and offensive, but a court case? Is there a compensation claim coming here as well by the police victim? Honestly, fine her, censure her, apologise and do some educative programs and move on. Spencer Leniu would have been doing jail time for the Vegas matter if it happened in England. It all seems very British.
5. Ange. He has won a few hearts through persistence in the face of many injuries, sits mid EPL table in 14th place (dreadful) and got whacked in the Caraboa Cup semi final 4-0 by Liverpool mid-week. He needs to keep winning and has signed a few in the January Transfer window, including Martin 'Chariots' Offiah's son.
6. SuperBowl Sunday. The Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have a stellar record, winning 2020, 2023, 2024. Three Super Bowl titles/ one loss in the past five seasons. This will be quite the dynasty with a win here in 2025.
7. The Phoenix Open. A wild tournament - The People's Open - sees Min Woo surging in the second and third round to T12. The 16th hole is so exciting for golf. Great to see.
8. NRL. Is a player who seeks to explore their value on the open market trouble - and do they actually reduce their value in a quest to eek out more shekels? Greedy player managers and self-centred players... honestly.
This is the same Dylan Brown caught in an embarrassing situation in a public toilet and a fellow seen misbehaving when out at off season events, even if the media is blind to it. Ryles has not offered a cent more. Nor should he. Is this the quality of a premiership winning player? Compare this to a Cooper Cronk for example.
Great to have the greatest game back on our TV screens however meaningless the trial NRL games are! All Stars game upcoming.
9. UFC. Nil. Brutal.
10. Tennis. Alex de Minaur into the final of the Rotterdam Open v Carlos Alcarez. Now World No. 6!
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