Wrap - Bit Bloody Long (BBL)

1. Australian Cricket. Pretty dire financial times when we need to get to India for a nothing ODI series in the middle of our summer. What is worse is having India dictate our scheduling of possible Test venues and try and avoid the Gabba. Are we kidding? When did that start? It would be good to see Kevin Roberts show some spine here. I suspect that he is 'everyman'...four day Tests ('we'll look at it'), ridiculous betting bans ('we won't review'), Israel Folau playing Test Cricket (ummm), bushfire legend fundraisers (great).... Maybe he should just focus on getting cricket played properly in the country.

On the Bushfire Fundraisers...a public vote of ex-cricketers to be involved would have been the way to go...maybe Kerry O'Keefe would have bowled!

2. BBL. The BBL can drag on...does anyone remember a result from last week? Not sure if it is just Reserve Grade cricket for the IPL at times. Gratuitous entertainment for a thirsty cricket nation? Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis have certainly provided that. Plenty of sixes! Stoinis' 147 - awesome power! He is well cut!

All three look like specials for the Australian T20 World Cup team. AB de Villiers arrives this week so that will create more interest!

Love the nickname of that Hinchliffe for the Melbourne Stars - Ron Burgundy! Very funny.

Melbourne Renegades won it last year and can't win a game. Go figure. The import in any team needs to be a player that changes a game for you...not a pedestrian military medium bowler like Gurney and Gleeson! Harsh lesson learned.

3. Latrell Mitchell. At least he is keeping the violence and nonsense of the off season parked elsewhere. Long may he stay silent once his contract is resolved. Souths will need to back end it heavily so it may be one they pay for down the track.

Great signing really for Souths. Latrell needs to lose five kilos though. He looks to have beefed up. If James Roberts can aim up this will be an incredible backline... Reynolds-Walker-Mitchell-Roberts-Gagai-Campbell-Johnston...that is some sort of pace and strikepower out wide. Premiership winning if it is on song.

3. Shane Flanagan. Is the man to be trusted in his new role at St George-Illawarra? Coming out saying he wants a Head Coach role when he is a fresh, newly appointed Assistant Coach, tells me he has been promised something. Or has learned nothing. He needs to rebuild his own credibility first after blatantly defying rules... was there any supplements scandal involvement too? Then we have Issac Luke telling everyone he wants to end his career at the Rabbits. Honestly.

4. Alex De Minaur. Superb tennis, but you don't beat Nadal easily. Nadal is still king, but the Joker wins everything on hardcourts (read Australian and US Open) these days. Despite the talent of Nick Kyrgios, he is unpredictable and cannot string a week or two of quality performances together. Simple as that. As a result a quarter final is generally his PB.

5. Tim Tszyu. There is a lot of rubbish in the boxing game. The Jeff Horn v Tim Tszyu bout stands to be Horn's last bout and Tszyu is talking tough. Horn needs a lot of cash from it before his life comes under scrutiny and the pressures of setting up a new car wash franchise get to him and it is all squandered.

6. EPL. Liverpool are crushing it it this year, being 16 points ahead of second placed Leicester City. Remarkable streak. The rest simply implode although Lampard's Chelsea are hotting up. Norwich, Watford and Bournemouth look headed back the reserves now. A lot can change between now and May however.

7. NFL. Interesting to note the San Francisco 49ers are carving it up once again. And Jarryd Hayne has thrown that away too! The Tenessee Titans have excelled beating the Patriots and the Ravens yesterday. Awesome effort! Their coach has said he will cut off his own knackers if they win the Super Bowl! That is committed to the cause!

I love the honesty of the Green Bay Packers' QB, Aaron Rodgers: "I don’t know that even our fans felt supremely confident in us". Green Bay oust the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs triumphed too. The business end.

8. Yet another Cameron Smith excelling. Winning the Hawaiian Sony Open in a playoff was very clever. Good coin for a good guy.

Wrap: Lyon's Share

1. Cricket v NZ. The resting of Southee, the mystery virus that displaces a struggling captain, the arrival of a bloke from the beach, the weak batting line up, Ross Taylor's shockers... New Zealand have been quite the misery. Their efforts with the bat in the first innings have been pretty disappointing... one bloke bowled between the legs, one spooned to mid on, a ridiculous run out, a farcical stumping of no. 11, the batting of a bloke (Henry) with a broken hand. What gives? The number two Test nation in the world? Not on your life.

Very pleased to see no Swepson playing in this Test. He is not the goods as Warnie would love you to believe. There are better...Boyce, Short, Pope...

Nathan Lyon picks up five wickets in an innings and leaps to 17th most in world cricket. Phenomenal really. He has plenty of time left yet too. Knocking over Harbhajan Singh would be a good goal. Steyn's strike rate (42.3) is amazing.

2. The Great Migration. Intriguing article (C/-Gus Masters) on the rise and spread of South African cricketers into New Zealand may tighten up their batting in the years ahead. https://m.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/111593/the-great-migration The politics and the shenanighans is incredible.

3. Latrell Mitchell. And still it spins on out of control. Talk about a fiasco and the Roosters don't want him around either which is fair enough. Getting Nick Politis offside is not smart.

4. Media. Loved the Daily Telegraph headline re Sivo..."Trouble Maika". Parramatta desperate he does not head the way of Semi Radradra.

5. New England Patriots. Absolutely shredded. A wild card exit and their season in tatters - ended. They need some receivers. Gronkowski has been missed more than anyone will admit it.

6. BBL - Chris Lynn. What an awesome player he is. Such power and skill. When AB de Villiers joins the Brisbane Heat, look out.

7. Initials. Speaking of which... cricket players known by their initials..AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, BJ Whatling, VVS Laxman, MS Dohni...others? WG Grace... which also led to SCG MacGill of course and even today: SPD Smith (Steven Peter Devereux).

The best are two West Indians:
1. Andy Roberts - AME Roberts (Anderson, Montgomery Everton) OR
2. Eldine Baptiste - EAE Baptiste (Eldine Ashworth Elderfield Baptiste).

Wrap - C'mon!

1. Test Victory. Great work from Travis Head on being man of the match in a Boxing Day Test. Great concentration when needed the most. Matthew Wade is now in the frame of being sacked. (Has anyone spotted Kurtis Patterson? A quad injury at the worst of times). The New Zealanders have been terribly disappointing. Winning the toss and bowling was a terrible decision in this last Test. The role of Warner in this Test cannot be underestimated. He was what held us together after Joe Burns tried his best to get sacked from the Test team in the first morning of the Test. The Australian attack is lethal - Pattinson, Cummins and Starc. Hazelwood is a long way off returning for mine.


The NZ big guns have not fired and they have struggled against our sheer pace. 0-2 down is a bad result for them. So many teams simply do not win away from home, including Australia.


2. Siddle Retires. The great Peter Siddle has thankfully retired from International Cricket. A war horse, but well past his best. We'd still be playing if he had played in Melbourne.


3. Classic Catches. Where has the BBL backyard cricket classic catches segment gone? The crowd catches? Some of these bits and pieces from the original BBL coverage actually made it work... then they stray from the formula. Like the original Classic Catches.


4. Bumpers. Neil Wagner's bumper barrage and seven wickets. Have the laws changed? Why are you allowed to bowl so many short pitched balls, a la the 1980s Windies? Surely this needs to be looked at. I bet if it was Starc bowling 140-150kph, the ICC would already have corrected this. It is almost that the underdog is allowed a bigger break than most here.




5. BBL Super Over (Sixers v Thunder). Cracking game. Can anyone work out why Khawaja faces the first ball of a Super Over - other than playing with a "hero mind set" and selfishness? This and the wide from Morris were fatal for the Thunder. Morris' efforts at the end were terrible. Hales was the man to win it for the Thunder and should have faced all deliveries. This is why Khawaja is easily dispatched as a Test player... lacks team spirit.


What gives with the indoor stadium in Melbourne? A terrible surface that is simply second rate - and has been second rate for a long time.




6. Australian Women's Cricket. Brilliant promo with the old "C'mon Aussie c'mon" jingle. The original Mojo voice seemed to be a bit croakier but great to hear it. The women's game get a lot right.




6. EPL. Liverpool are dead certs, but we had Man City win 14 straight last year to edge them out. Liverpool have beaten all the key rivals. Theirs to lose. Leicester holding up well. Arsenal have been abysmal.




7. A-League. So even and so drab... the teams are all the same. No one dominant. They are in desperate need of some star power.


8. Maika Siva. Hopefully not true and all will be well, but there is a disturbing trend for our Samoan/ Tongan players to be caught up in these matters this off season. Are they aware of their star status and what that brings? Some of the Integrity Unit findings of late have been quite special.

The Wrap - Commission of Feather Dusters

1. BBL. Chris Lynn is a matchwinner. Staggering talent but too often injured. 11 sixes in an outing is impressive in anyone's book. Threw away the ton really. The yellow cap (leading run scorer) is a good initiative. I am also proposing a blackcap for the worst bowling strike rate and a red cap for the bloke who drops the most catches. The BBL is very good TV however. Lots of Afghanis, South Africans, Pakis and Pommies. Not a West Indian in sight this year... Good to see matt Renshaw do something. Hasn't scored a run in two years.

2. Adam Scott. Big win in the Australian PGA. Nice to see Stewart Cink playing golf still. Scott has excellent poise, but I thought the broomstick putter was banned if anchoring was involved. Is Scott doing this? Obviously not, but is it policed? Disappointing crowds.

3. Boxing Day Test. Not sure that Steve Smith is in a batting slump. He just needs to alter his technique fractionally and stay composed. I will back him in for a Boxing Day ton. He seems easily frustrated this summer. Pattinson could be awesome in this Test. Bring in Cameron Green as well and get rid of Mitchell Marsh.


I noticed Peter Siddle had to be treated for smoke inhalation after the abandoned BBL game v the Sydney Thunder in Canberra on the weekend. I wonder if it was smoke being blown his way by Justin Langer who indicated he gets a call up before Jhye Richardson, James Pattinson, Jackson Bird and Riley Meredith!


4. NRL Integrity Commission. Some of their finest work with David Fifita. In jail for a few days, but no case to answer. Shapelle defence lawyers perhaps?


5. ManU. Hitting rock bottom in losing to Watford 2-0 when Man City and Chelsea power on. It is their lowest ever points total at this stage of the season. pathetic really for one of the great clubs ever. Liverpool a mile in front now and still winning silverware with the Club World Cup v the Brazilians - Flemenco.


6. NRL Sex Tape Scandal. Is it just about time for this sort of scandal to rock the NRL again?


7. New England Patriots. They have just won an incredible 11 straight AFC East Championships. Tom Brady and his team are steaming on to the Superbowl again.

Wrap - Circus Comes To Town

1. The President's Cup is extraordinary with how many world golfing stars descend on us so quickly. Super field and huge crowds really. A little raucous and merry, but amazing quality. The Internationals folded badly. Tiger was immense and is such a star. The Internationals were pretty weak comparatively, but the crowds were immense. Reed copped it badly, but outside of a boys' weekend of golf, you can't do that stuff. Iron it out!


And then the private jets were all gone again...!


2. Cricket. I have been struck by Steve Smith getting super frustrated this summer. He seems very tense and irritable. This is what got him into strife in South Africa. He needs to loosen and lessen the tension. His dismissals v Pakistan and NZ have been awful really. Both in this Test were appalling really. The trap set and he hits a catch twice!


3. Mitchell Starc. For someone with 236 Test wickets, you get the feeling he should have a hundred more. In scintillating form this summer. He has been the difference and if they still had the Benson and Hedges smokers BMW, he'd be favourite to do the lap of the SCG in it in early January.


4. Nathan Lyon. 375 Test wickets in 94 Tests. One short of Malcolm Marshall and on the way to Ian Botham's 102 Test 383 Test wickets. He has certainly picked up his game of late and seems to be picking up key wickets as he did once upon a time.


5. EPL Liverpool. Surely it is all over now. They are unstoppable and seem to find a way to win every time. A long season yet, but they are supremely positioned.


6. BBL. Starts again this week. The Melbourne Stars have every star in the book. Surely they win, although the Brisbane Heat with AB De Villiers won't be far away.


7. Peter Siddle. Is this bloke the luckiest cricketer in the modern era? Fancy bringing him back into the Australian team... surely we have better.


8. Shayna Jack. We might now be more worried than ever about her drug charge. Kissing someone who has had cocaine? Is she telling us something about her partner?


9. The Cricket Australia administrators who have barred the WBBL player for posting the team sheet early... please. That is over blown and ridiculous from an organisation who cannot get its crap right first. It is poor form and needs to be reversed. Would they have done it to a male BBL player?


10. Latrell. Can someone give Latrell a hug and a cheque so we can all move on?

Wrap - Gutsy Performers

1. Intriguing NFL Season. There are five teams on 10 wins-2 losses as the snow begins to fall in the USA. The New England Patriots of course are up there, but the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints. 16 regular season games a year means these teams are certainties really, unless they completely implode. The Ravens look the goods.


2. Australian Open Golf. How does that tournament keep surviving? Jones too good, but nearly came home in a hearse! It gets fringe players at best. I would have thought with the President's Cup so close, it could have pulled more names. Cash is the almighty in world golf. The Hero Golf Challenge hosted by Tiger just has more cash!


3. Andy Ruiz Jr. Proving the first world heavyweight title was a fluke, Ruiz was showing more guts than the SCG Hill. He has a power punch however and is tough! Anthony Joshua out boxed him with superior power and reach. The heavyweight belts of the world are well worn items!

4. Latrell Mitchell. How sad is it to see a bloke surrounded by bad advice and open hands. He should be staying at Bondi, but the attitude was not going to be tolerated. Disrespect I suspect landed him offside with the Roosters. He was still the highest point scorer for the season out of all clubs.


5. Moises Henriques. Please don't tell me he will be recalled. He has had a bumper batting season thus far, hitting a few tons and a ninety odd. Another 116 on the weekend. Has never quite delivered on his promise.


6. MCG. Can Melbourne get anything right at the moment? Their cricket wickets are appalling. Fancy in this day's level of technology, getting a drop-in pitch so wrong. Too much water? Check the dials and gauges and give yourselves an upper cut. True to cricket's pathetic obstinacy, do we go to a neighbouring oval... no call the whole thing off. Fools. You would not be happy if you were pressing your claims for national selection. Stoinis looked sick playing on that deck. No different to the West Indies pitches way back.


7. Besart Berisha. This guy is amazing the way he keeps scoring goals and he doesn't mind who he plays for...Roar, Victory...now Western United.


8. Son - Tottenham. The goal on the weekend in the EPL by Son was stunning: https://www.news.com.au/sport/football/tottenham-hotspurs-star-son-heungmin-scores-goal-of-the-century/news-story/af6e168ae6ddb647d1d3ebcdb2375ff6


9. Patrick Reed. He needs to come on a boys golf weekend and educate us all on how to improve your lie in a bunker! Cracking 'camera angle' excuse! And he was leading at the time.

Wrap - Currency of Runs and Wickets

1. David Warner. Much maligned and deservedly so. However he gets 335* that probably could have been over 400. I love the critics who dare speak out about the quality of it or the timing or the Hayden record...lap it up it is rare. We have seen three in our lifetimes! (Taylor, Hayden and now Warner). He has extraordinary talent and has redefined the game. Now though is not the time to be talking about cutting back on cricket. Brain first...then mouth.


The way the Aussies fielded they needed to declare. Their catching and ground fielding was woeful in the first innings. Starc should have had 8 for. The ineffective nature of Nathan Lyon is another concern. Rarely does he rip through a team for us. Can you recall a recent one? Yasir Shah should never score a 100 against you.


2. Selection Problems. You have to give credit where it is reluctantly due sometimes and despite thankfully leaving the Australian Cricket Selection table, Greg Chappell is still coaching/ mentoring/ guiding our youngest U/19 cricketers. (Not sure why they can't just send him into retirement with Trevor Hohns?). It was Chappell that unearthed Marnus Labuschagne in the Test arena. A good find now he has matured his game, but let's see how he goes against India and South Africa... even New Zealand.


3. Captain-Coach Selectors. A new era. Interested to see how George Bailey fares. Is he tough enough? He said he might use social media to inform players of their sackings... how ridiculous. You are either selected or you aren't. More runs and wickets - the only currency that matters.


4. Pink Ball Tests. No one really wants to bat under the lights with the swinging pink ball. Australia even enforced the follow on to avoid it. One thing the sub continent teams love doing is batting! Under lights tests everyone, especially when Starc is steaming in. We could regret the missed stumpings and catches.


5. Oh The Pain... Paine looks like he is struggling. A chronic finger/ hand injury could be the perfect out for him as skipper. His batting is terrible these days. Meanwhile Carey belts 143 for South Australia...


6. Latrell Mitchell. Is there anything sadder than a sports star with a million hangers on and a future of regret? Evander Holyfield lives in a two bed apartment these days. The player becomes filled with silly greedy ideals (for the benefit of others) and loses out. His entourage rivals that of King Lear. No club needs a star who is hard work. Think Hayne. The Roosters, Bulldogs, Cowboys and now Tigers have shunned him. Is there a message there? The saddest thing is that Latrell is the last to see it. Then roll out the old "I'm going to rugby" line.


7. Anthony Mundine. Perhaps Mundine is sadder, but he is not stupid. He gets beaten in the ring by a nuffy. Time to stop Anthony... you are losing credibility. Does he need it on social media to advise him? He has the cash however.


8. Liverpool. 11 points ahead and now destined to win big in the Premier League this year - barring a disaster. They rarely lose these days!