Wrap - Truth Hunting

1. Australia's T20 Campaign v India. Clearly we have discovered a few things. Nathan Lyon is terrible when under pressure in this form of the game. Zampa and Boyce - even Beer is better. Boland is also not the answer - no imagination and limited talent. Faulkner is getting one dimensional and predictable. Tye is a gun. Shaun Tait is an extravagant risk. Wade is terrible, brainless under pressure and needs to go. His batting has gone south. The wicket keeping options are a lot better elsewhere - Paine, Handscombe, Nevill even. Our team lacks flair with the bat too. There is no composure. George Bailey needs to come straight back in (despite Ian Chappell's bias). He is our modern day Michael Hussey - calm and composed. Unlike Watson who expects sympathy when he gets out. There is none Shane...none!

1A. The Australians look like they are not interested and half arsed. How Smith is not skipper is beyond me, if he plays. If he plays! He and Warner don't play Game 2? What gives? Early trip to NZ...are they kidding? Sick of on field microphone commentary? Australian cricket sees 20-20 as a joke. Sadly for them, the fans see it as important. Get rid of all non-BBL players. This has to be our breeding ground. Warner may be finished in T20. A harsh reality. No Lehmann around the team shows in their attitude.

2. Given the team chosen, our fielding is also simply not good enough. Does anyone remember the old Australian A team? The field: Langer, Ponting, Blewett....they were sharp. They set a new standard for Australuan cricket at all levels. We need to re-visit this. The Indians were a lot better in the field than us. Younger and fresh feet.  Finch...hamstring injury? Give me a break. He needs to get fit. Chris Lynn needs to mature. Hot head who has made some dumb choices so far. Maxwell's stupidity defies belief at times.

The Habibs may have done better.

 3. Cameron Bancroft, WA. How was he selected? (Exit Wade!). His BBL form was terrible. Peter Handscome is a wicket keeper and a smart bat who has proven form. Rod Marsh is wildly out of touch. He needs to go...and take his silly WA selections with him.

4. Is it a new conspiracy in world cricket that umpires do not want to fall out of favour with the Indian team and management. They are petrified of offending and rule in the Indians' favour very often. The Indians know it with no DRS. The umpires dread not being selected as an umpire v India and err in their favour...often. The wide rule outside off stump has even changed! Joke.

5. Mitchell Pearce. A seasoned loser. He is a senior player on ridiculous money who has lost the plot. A terrible Origin record. He has a long history of being a goose. The club is expected by some to take responsibility....he was the club captain! He needs to be cut free. Then re-apply. Great start to his career at the Roosters by Copley. What the hell was he doing there? 

Any coincidence that club stalwart and standards man CEO, Brian Canavan left the club last week? The Roosters have replacements. They do not need an immature time wasting, sexist and racist knob who has apologised more often than a Year 1 truant. No player is that important to the game or any club.

6. Serena. Superb in all elements. Her dominance is amazing, but she was surprisingly wasteful in the final. She needs to get back to volleying school. Terrible. She will equal then beat Steffi Graf's 22 Slams this year and edge closer to Margaret Court's 24. However, she seemed so pleased for her opponent. Maybe even too pleased. The pressure is biting.

Djokovic is the same. No peer at present in the men's and raking in the Grand Slams. An 11th win on Sunday night and he joins Laver and Borg. He is fast achieving greatness. Needs to win a French Open yet though to be truly "great". His unachieved mountain. Murray is an annoying whinger. He needs to change his attitude or be a bridesmaid forever. 

Did you know Nadal has as many Grand Slam wins as Sampras? (14). A great. One more to come hopefully.

7. Western Sydney Wanderers. Some significant leaps in attack. Defence still a concern. Mark Bridge is on fire. Scoring plenty. I noticed the fans are not troubled anymore. They've forgotten why they walked out.

8. Has Michael Clarke lost the plot...a comeback? Sounds like he does not know what real work smells and tastes like and is scared to move on. Australian selectors have never been big on having ex-captains in the national team - unlike England who at one stage had Botham, Atherton, Vaughan, Stewart...even SA have Amla in the team with de Villiers captaining. Clarke needs to close his mouth and play BBL. His 20-20 abilities are very limited however.

Wrap - Finch Becomes A Quail

1. Aaron Finch. An absolute liability in the ODI and T20 field. T20 is getting like baseball. If you cannot run at a certain speed, you are not selected to play, no matter how talented. This is where Clint McKay will struggle to play T20 internationals. It can cost a team 15-20 runs.

2. Great effort by Sydney Thunder to make the final. Great final. Chunder Thunder no longer. They were too good. KP is a big time player of class. The commentators seem to get more anxious than the players! The ratings would have been immense!!! Only 11 wins in their history...incredible win!

Great to see Andrew McDonald win a comp. That should just about do him. No one can believe he is still playing! Plenty to sack: McAndrew, Ronnue McDonald, Sandshoe, Patterson.....

3. Thrilled to see Usman Khawaja do so well this summer. Ever since I critiqued him, he has scored hundred after hundred! Hex.

 

4. Women's T20 Final (Sixers v Thunder) was enthralling too! Thunder too good there as well. Sounds like a brand on the rise! Happy birthday Mrs Hussey.

5. The Australian ODI record at home is pretty imposing....however nothing "bad hands"under pressure can't fix! Shaun Marsh and others need to concentrate. I am still a big believer that if you let the ball drop below your eyeline, you make a catch 50% more difficult. 

6.  Michael Jennings. Signed by Parramatta. Plenty of pace on the end of an improving backline. Would be nice to see a player give four years of great service. Typically contract renewal time is the only good year. I noticed another soon to be jail bird - Matt Lodge - is being shopped around to clubs...

7. Western Wanderers. Cruising along now. Adelaide United are rallying in an amazing run. Consistency is totally inconsistent in that league. Only that the Newcastle Jets still lose everything. Melbourne Victory are still favourites for mine.

8. Kygirios. Does anyone care? He is a prize goose. Tomic also looks slow and is full of excuses. These blokes own nothing. Brats. It is everyone else's fault. Some others expend their energy on getting better at tennis.Conversely, Hewitt leaves as a likeable bloke who at least shut up when he needed to. A fighter who gave his all for his country.

9. Don't you love how Australia is quick to own a foreigner in sport for our own? Gavrilova is the latest in the tennis.... Dokic? Tatiana Grigorieva...Fahwad Ahmed...Lote Tiquiri...on it goes. Only criteria? They have to be a winner.

More dangerous to be in the stands these days...must be some serious alcohol being consumed in the heat...stair stumbles, collapses, sickness...!

10. Chelsea v Arsenal looks was a cracking clash. Liverpool seem to be recapturing their spirit. Leicester keep surprising! Hotting up! Gus Hiddinck is looking for redemption after his terrible work with the Dutch National side. He is clawing it back.

Wrap - The Show Goes On

1. The ODI Show has been re-packaged clearly at the strict instruction of the Indian cricket masters (who else would get away with defying DRS?). Again, like always when they come to Australia, we are meant to produce featherbed wickets for them so that viewing audiences can watch all day and all night. And so it backfires on them! The Australian chases have been extraordinarily good. George Bailey and Steve Smith have been superb. Aaron Finch who lumbers around the field like an overweight cow in high heels at times, better watch out when Warner returns...Shaun Marsh has impressed. The Big Show has finally turned it on. I suspect that the Australian players play a lot harder against India. There is a hell of a lot riding on it financially. A big innings can equal IPL $$$$.

2. The Big Bash. It has been very entertaining and sure beats the IPL. The commentary of Ricky Ponting has been the best. Clipped and serious, but insightful. Mark Waugh yaks, Fleming tries to be too funny, Gilly too serious and Freddie Flintoff is a goose. He should go home and stay away and drink his Lipton Ice Tea in a jungle somewhere. The Lipton Ice tea is an old tactic to get a decent fridge into your shop so you can stock the stuff people want to drink.

3. Stuart Broad. His ability to win a Test match as a bowler is staggering. he has done this many times, including v South Africa on the weekend. They will smash us in the next Ashes if he is still around. When does he retire? He never rests, rotates or gets injured. He is exemplary. The best in the Test cricket world without peer. Accurate, fast and aggressive.

4. Trevor Bayliss. He can coach. Quiet and purposeful. His record with England is hotting up.

5. Essendon. How can a club, its administration and management be so dumb? How can the players be even dumber? Just quietly, is there a more boring world sporting topic?

6. Perhaps only the tantrums of Tomic and Kyrgios. Neither have changed a thing, despite the trumped up pathetic commentary by a few of the old Australian tennis dingbats. The sport is full of spoilt brats who deserve little from the public. The true champions deserve a lot of respect from the public. Djokovic, Federer and Nadal...three of the best ever.

7. The Sydney A-League Derby. Love a passionate crowd (and a few flares, darts, fire crackers and numchakas between friends). Graham Arnold is a big occasion coach without parallel in Australian football/ soccer.

8. Australian Open Tennis. Is there any prospect of having half the current number of players in the draw? Add a few fast tennis games in as well....Looking forward to seeing some foot faults at clutch plays...love a good tennis umpire stoush.

Wrap - Daryl Brath-weight

1. If you had to choose a 'Big Bash T20 All Stars (Aussies)' team for this season, who would you choose? Here's mine:

Aaron Finch
Tim Paine
Shaun Marsh
Chris Lynn
George Bailey
Travis Head
Dan Christian
Cameron Boyce
Brad Hogg
Jason Behrendoff
Clint McKay
Andrew Tye

2. Is it just me or is Stephen O'Keefe the best non-turner of the cricket ball since Ray Bright gave birth to the legend of Tom Hogan. Can you imagine the fear in the Indian batsmen? He is simply not the answer.

3. Women's cricket. Great skills showcased. The fielding in particular can be quite spectacular. A few of them bowl quicker than the blokes. Your beefy middle order bat is a popular 20-20 boundary option. Chris Gayle might get a start at number 7.

4. Third umpire. Checking the Andre Russell catch for the Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes. Are you kidding? Third umpires are a joke. Their commentary on their own decisions only highlights their stupidity of self justification. Sounds like they become overawed with their own self importance. Was it that bad before third umpires? I don't think so.

5. IPL - big contracts ...James Faulkner. He has declined significantly since his brush with the law! That ODI team looks terrible.

6. 80,000 at MCG. Phenomenal. Stars v Renegades. The Renegades need some bowlers. Doherty is done. Terrible. Peter Handscombe is one of the smartest players in the league. Top pressure player. Technically crisp. George Bailey too.

7. Fielders are too deep at MCG. Teams lose the plot. They would be 30 metres closer at any other ground. Make them hit over your head! Surely. If you looked at the boundary length of most other grounds the fielders would be well in the crowd.'

8. The stupidity of some players under pressure has been amazing... Think the Chris Hartley run out for the Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes. The pressure does it. Rimmington was terrible too against the Stars. Abbott struggled v Strikers too. Some big atmospheres!

9. How did Parra miss out on signing Russell Packer and James Roberts? Great wrap when players say they don't want to play at your club because there is no hope of a premiership. If they had kept Jacob Loko the whole side except Foran would have felt the leather of the seats inside of the court room. Enter Michael Jennings (?). Surely not. Another near miss jail bird.

10. The NRL top eight has almost been finalised for mine:

1. Broncos
2. Roosters
3. Cowboys
4. Souths
5. Bulldogs
6. Manly
7. Storm
8? Sharks, Saints, Warriors, Eels...Raiders, Panthers, Tigers, Titans and Knights.

11. BBL - A lot of "squirting" of the ball these days...plenty of bowling "shape" and "in good areas". Some have had some frightful "tap". Looking forward to Daryl Braithwaite opening the bowling for the Windies soon...."How - zat, you messed around I caught you out howzat?"

Wrap - A Kick In The Gus

1. Big Bash. Surely the fact that a game is on every night and there is a reliable viewing habit established, makes it the huge success that it is. People watch regardless of the team and quite frankly very few care who is playing...they will watch anyone. The love of cricket.

Why Channel 9 did not show the vision to snap it up is beyond me. Would Kerry Packer have missed out on that? No.

2. Khawaja looked in great nick. His hitting down the ground was impressive. How anyone can say that that T20 form sets him up well for Test performance is beyond me. Shaun Marsh cannot be in the team, even though he has hit form against the equivalent of a first or second grade team in the Windies?

 

3. A League. Starting to hot up. Some big crowds are returning now. Wanderers are carving it up consistently, despite their away draw in Perth, but Melbourne Victory will challenge again despite their recent slump. 

 

4. Chelsea. New coach....GUUUUUS...has come to save the sinking ship. Hard to believe the players have not been tanking. Watch them turn it around now.

 

5. Kane Williamson and BJ Watling look likely to win yet another test together. This time v Sri Lanka. A good test!

 

6. How fat is Jaques Kallis? He has eaten a lot of sheep...Still has it however!

Wrap - Training The House Down

1. West Indian cricket seems to have just one problem for mine. Lack of heart and spirit. Forget academies and basketball (How many West Indian NBA players are there? Surely no more than the Aussie crop!). Watch the old tapes and see smiling assassins who knew how to win - and smiled doing it. These current blokes are spoilt brats who don't care generally. The self indulgence starts with the bangles and necklaces...but cricket form and ability is a nonsense. What they really need is some experienced leadership to bring a few of these raw talented blokes through.

I saw that two fast of their bowlers were refusing to bowl into the wind. What a joke! Banish them to the Afghanistan league for a short while. That may smarten up the whole show...and quickly I suspect.

2. Are there any NRL clubs 'training the house down' and 'ready to rip' in 2016? I am sure that there a few...all the underperforming ones...Tigers, Titans, Knights, Eels....A great 2016 awaits. Had to laugh that Parramatta were interested in James Roberts. Another bloke who has had a brush with the police and courts. How many can one squad hold? Is it just me or do Penrith get everyone they want? Hiku is a tidy player. A great signing.

3. Let's not get too excited about Shaun Marsh just yet. More shots along the ground and down the ground are required for mine yet. He should replace his brother or sit on the bench. Joe Burns is not the answer as opener. Gets bowled too often for mine. Adam Voges has been exceptional. A strong leader.

4. Western Sydney Wanderers. Great to see the fans back. From what I can work out, the fans achieved nothing, soccer achieved nothing and the game goes on...sound familiar?

5. EPL. How Leicester City are at the top is beyond me, but they are there...and Bournemouth keep beating leading teams. Is Alex Ferguson available to return to Man U. They have had a week from hell losing the unloseable!

6. Simon Katich risks becoming a permanent goose in the minds of many. He discloses that he held the power to sing the team song and preferred not to do so. Clarke gets upset and Katich exults in his brief fame...Go figure. Clarke is petulant as we all know.

Wrap - Windies Protest

1. What a cracking venue for a Test match - Tasmania. Any chance Cricket Australia knew it was going to be a frightful dud? Maybe they should have barred BBL appearances from Windies players to assist their test strength? The Windies are terrible. I suspect they need a Super League type war and get the stronger more sensible leaders together. However we have been saying this for twenty years. They are horrible and may be dropped from world top tier test cricket soon. Enter Afghanistan. How many Ladies Stands are at their minefield of a cricket ground?

What price a draw on the back of drizzle, rain, sleet or similar at the map of Tassie?

2. NRL Truce With the Clubs. Thanks Dave McGuiness for getting this off the sport pages. It is boring summer time reading too. Nearly as boring as watching Sevens Rugby. This is the 20-20 Cricket equivalent and could not excite a feral cat.

3. India v South Africa. Rahane hit twin tons in a really low scoring game. Some sort of effort on another low turning deck. South Africa look weaker than our test team at present. No Philander. No Steyn. No joy.

4. V8's at Homebush. Looks a bit like harness racing to me. Once someone gets in front, no chance to overtake them!

5. An exciting finish in the Australian PGA with Nathan Holman in a play off. Tough conditions, but a few stumbles too. How bad was the touring pro and former legend Brandt Snedeker. Must have been on the drink to miss the cut. He hit an 84 on the Gold Coast...a few boys weekenders do better than that!

6. Love a fan protest. They are right up there with player strikes. The A League is a cracker. Remarkably, and quite surprisingly...the show goes on regardless! Who would have thought...?

It seems like a never ending dummy spit for mine. Interesting to see the list and pics of banned fans - I taught a couple of them years back!

7. Not hearing a lot of outrage at Hopoate's imminent move from Parramatta. A bit like when Willie Tonga left and the Bulldogs turned him into a sensation. Hiku is a great talent if they can snare him. Manly are making a big error there. Another long year at Parramatta. They won't need a fan shut out with another year like last year...it will just happen in July as usual.