The Wrap - A Myriad of Mess

1. ODI Cricket v Sri Lanka. A 2-0 series loss, but who really cares? The Sri Lankans were too good on their decks with bat and ball. In fact, where were some of these players in the recent Test series?

Sam Konstas hits an ODI ton domestically at the same time we crumble on the turning Sri Lankan decks. Like Matthew Short however, we may be good in Australian conditions, but the patience and skill needed on the sub-continent is a special quality. Maxwell continues to disappoint... so talented but so inconsistent. Our 'B Team' was either arrogance or opportunity, but it simply did not fire. 

Jake Fraser-McGurk is a current liability, too often lacking patience and poise. Reckless. Trying to be Dave Warner (without the cunning). He makes a lot of money for a bloke who gets out for less than 10 a lot. Champions League cricket is reserved for champions so he needs form and fast in the IPL. His aspiration is to be an international T20 player only, but he needs to learn how to play proper cricket shots at the right time. Cooper Connolly also needs to keep to the basics. He has had a rocky international start. 

Without our best fast bowlers, our bowling stocks were far too thin. The lack of genuine pace made things easy for Sri Lanka. Happily, no one was reported for throwing. Not a problem when you are winning.

2. ICC - Matthew Kuhnemann. What a joke. The ICC are a mess. Imagine if this was an Indian bowler? You get wickets and the accusations fly. I think we all know if someone is a full on thrower. There are signs that this is revenge for Murali (Boxing Day 1995 revenge for the ghosts of Darrel Hair), but a protractor from the old Kent set will be needed to work out the arm angles. If he throws, he does not do it very effectively. He bowls better than that. 

Where is Todd Greenberg? He has been very silent here and needs to step up. he seems to have forgotten that players lives are tainted and impacted by this. In fact, Murali rarely gets a mention or accolades for his incredible bowling feats. 

3. NRL Trials. Melbourne have no chance, Souths haven't got a hope and Parra or the Sharks will win the comp. Adam O'Brien (who has made the semis three of the past four seasons) is to be sacked? Stop. That's right they are preseason trials.

• The Indigenous v All Stars game. The risk of injuries must petrify every NRL coach. A physical game and a lot of feeling in it! It always sets a cracking pace to the season arrival. (How we miss the NRL!).
• Francis Molo's effort to escape his contract at St George (who is the 'other' club behind this?) is also being described by Shane Flanagan as "a mess".
• Joe Ofahenguae is a dill. He dacks Zac Zomax mid interview live on Fox Sports. Parramatta need to cut him free. He is a liability. Ill-disciplined on the field and off it. He is a fool. What's next Joe? A flick on the butt with a wet towel, a crow peck, a nipple cripple, a horse bite on the leg...please. Parramatta need to iron this rubbish out. Gutho turned up to a press conference last year in his speedos. Unprofessional. A bad sign for Ryles. He needs to rule with an iron fist!
• How about the first Super league game of the year? The Leigh Leopards, coached by Adrian Lam beat the Wigan Warriors 1-0! A late field goal. An extraordinary result in this era of rugby league.

4. Super Rugby - Waratahs. A rare win so early in the season and a good win v Highlanders. Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii gets the headlines, but they need to stay consistent and win close games. That is how you make finals. After the spoon last year and a 2014 title a distant memory, any Super Rugby positivity is a delight. A great start.

5. Jannik Sinner (by name and deed). Is there a greater mess than WADA? A three month drug ban at a time where world number one, Jannik Sinner misses nothing much - and no prize money removed or titles eg. The recent Australian Open. Like getting a school detention in the school holidays. The French Open starts on 19 May. How convenient...just over three months away! Perfect preparation. Honestly.

The integrity of tennis has always been pretty strong, but this is not a good look for your number one player. What came of the Tomic match fixing allegations? All a bit quiet now too. A mess. Especially when world number one, Iga Swaitek has also admitted drug taking!

Yet lower ranked players would get hammered for any violation! (Bol got four years, Shayna Jack got two years, Bronson Xerri got four years!). So inconsistent. Kygrios may have said something sensible.

We've had contaminated meat, bad toothpaste, too much sex, kissing girls in niteclubs, mum's tablet, coaches tablet, oral sex with pregnant wives and girlfriends, infusions gone wrong, bad medical teams, fake urine samples, ghosts (NY Jets), cross contamination of waste products on shorts... now a masseuse using ban products on a player's open wound....on it goes.

6. Sydney Kings. They crumbled and shrunk into oblivion v Adelaide in the finals. A poor end and Brian Goorjian the coach will need to recruit better international personnel. The player cocaine bust in the week of the finals was so disruptive. Maybe more sensible, wholesome recruiting will be required in future.

7. Super Bowl. Jordan Mailata and the Philadelphia Eagles are celebrating long and loud. A cracking win v the Kansas City Chiefs. Jordan can also sing... the complete package!

8. LIV Golf - The Grange. Golf on fire and an Adelaide crowd channelling the Phoenix Open! Not sure the team names are front and centre in fans minds - more the individual players. Simply put, the fans want to see the best players. There should be a peace plan very soon from Mr Trump (tick tock)! That and Ukraine. A complete mess.

9. Sam Kerr. What a shock. Not guilty after an absolute circus and waste of time. She should have been fined and suspended and everyone moves on. The policeman may need a new career or role in case his feelings get tested again. The courts must be a slow, choked place in that country.

10. Tottenham. It could all end for Ange this week. ManU tonight will not be easy, but he has tenacity. The Europa League is his last hope...crushed in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup! Even North Korea has banned Spurs games now because Son is their South Korean skipper - not because of their win-loss record!

The Wrap - Head Honchos and Chiefs

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!

The Wrap - Brown Bowl of Ashes

1. Sri Lanka. They are certainly not at the top of their game for a country who have produced some super star cricketers (Aravinda de Silva, Murali, Herath, Chaminda Vaas, Ranatunga...). In fact, Sanath Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana changed cricket with their outstanding aggressive work in the first few overs of ODI cricket. 

Angelo Mathews has retired six times and is struggling. The ill discipline of their batting (three or four stumpings) was incredible. Carey now has more dismissals than Paine and five more stumpings than Rod Marsh! Old straight breaking Ashley Mallet didn't do much for his stats there. Lots of old windy woofs and too many bowled.

Conversely, what a joy for Australia to bat against their four pronged attack (uniquely, three Sri Lankan bowlers were headed for 200 runs conceded each, when a declaration mercifully ended the plundering). This is the sort of bowling Root and Williamson have dined out on for a long time, so it was fitting for Smith to reach 10,000 runs+ and score his 35th Test ton (Ponting has 41). 

Khawaja hitting 200+ positions him well for an Ashes farewell in Sydney. Paul Kelly will be warming up his vocal chords for his song. Khawaja now has 16 test tons, one more than Doug Walters (15), one behind Gilchrist (17) now and three behind Taylor (19) and Hussey (19). He is fast becoming one of our modern greats.

The great Matthew Kuhnemann was a revelation. A great selection really of a guy who broke his thumb a few weeks back and who has traded states to get more bowling. Exceptional performance really with 9 wickets. Lyon (546) marches onto now only 17 wickets behind Glenn McGrath (563), but having bowled 800 more overs than the exceptional McGrath at 30.25 average per wicket (McGrath got them at 21.64 per wicket).

2. Australian Women Ashes. Interesting format but what a team. Mooney and Sutherland hit tons. Alana King gets a bagful of wickets with her wonderful leg spinners. Their fielding is first class. Compared to the hopeless English fielding, it was a major difference. Such a dominant display.

England are traditionally pretty strong, so they will have a review and of course, will need to build a centre of Excellence...a guarantee that failure will hand around longer, but a top excuse for under performing clubs.

3. Dylan Brown. If a club is willing to pay over a million for Brown, then good luck to them. Parramatta have to let him go - and fast. He is derailing their season already. Interesting to see Sean McElduff go as well in senior management. Made a strong initial difference after inheriting a mess, but these player clauses in contracts...honestly. Who thought that was a great idea? Moses is taking the high ground wanting Brown to stay, but is not rescinding his own clauses in his $1 million+ contract per year. Incredible.

Hopefully Ryles enjoys success and can dictate who stays and cut the cancer in the playing roster free. He has made some solid early steps, but needs halves who are not all about themselves. Moses and Brown are both highly talented selfish players. The club captaincy will not keep Moses there. Parramatta need some quality quick young halves on long term deals.

4. Tottenham. A huge week ahead. Automatically into the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League (in fourth place!) which is a great achievement. They also head to Liverpool for the second leg of the Carabao Cup later this week. A win here pits them against either Newcastle or Arsenal. This would be an incredible result for the injury stricken Spurs team. Not a lot of inclusions from the January transfer window either.

The EPL? Well every time we mention it they lose.

5. Rugby. The Waratahs are about to set sail again. Hopefully a bigger crowd than the usual. Maybe some wins will cure that! Wales absolutely smashed in the Six Nations too.

6. NBA Transfer. Luka Doncic to join the LA Lakers... That franchise never misses out on high quality. Playing with Le Bron James too. Incredible. Patty Mills picks up his seventh (!) NBA club too. Timeless.

7. Super Bowl. As predicted, Kansas City Chiefs v Philadelphia Eagles ("I love...love...love...yes I do"!). Mahomes and KC have a formidable record. Hard to see them losing to be honest. They won 11 games by seven points or fewer this year. They know how to win tight games. Awesome! A week of media and high jinks before the game now.

8. Tassie. Have won the next AFL franchise, have two Australian cricket captains (Ponting and Paine) and two Australian wicketkeepers (Woolley and Paine), the Jackjumpers have won the NBL finals and now...the Hobart Hurricanes smashed the Thunder to win their first BBL championship on the back of Mitch Owen hitting a sparkling 100. He was outstanding. Big crowd and big innings. Riches await him.

The Wrap - Bali Money

1. Cricket Australia. The complete absence of any form or derivative of cricket on Australia Day is a remarkable stuff up in the long history of stuff ups from CA. Hopefully the scheduling disasters, financial crap show and other nonsense will be addressed by Todd Greenberg, the new man in town. Fingers crossed. The European Cricket may be the only option!

2. AO Tennis. More injuries and questions have arisen over whether men should play three set matches to spare their bodies. Like the women’s draw. Madison Keys and Sinner were too good. Sinner now has three titles…both men’s finalists have sketchy integrity questions, but both made it and have some tremendous memories. Sinner looks like a younger leaner Djokovic, but needs to work on the personality. An awesome striker of the ball. Huge motor.

3. Novak Djokovic. An awesome record of 10 Australian Opens and 24 singles titles. Time may be up. Getting a bit cranky now… including media, his ‘poisoning’ and then injuries. A champion, but time may be up. Getting to the semi finals again is an extraordinary feat. 

4. Tottenham. Big month ahead. Their Sunday/ Monday night fixtures often end in misery - as it has overnight v Leicester City, 1-2. Ange is running out of excuses. This is an horrific loss. They have the second most goals in the season, but a dreadful defensive record. The January Transfer window needs to be open and profitable. Surely relegation is not an option! 

 Nottingham Forrest coming fourth but got dusted by Bournemouth 5-0. 

5. Australian Women’s Cricket. Completely dominant v England in their ODI-T20-Test v England for the Ashes. Their fielding and catching is brilliant! They have such a great pipeline of younger talent as well. It has been an impressive showing in this series.

6. Browned Off About Dylan Brown. Dylan Brown must be good at playing Monopoly - or an expert in the Bali rupee as a currency. His player manager is kidding. $1.2 million per season? Impossibly optimistic. Certainly not in the Nathan Cleary or Kaylen Ponga zone. Jason Ryles remains silent. Interesting. 

7. NFL. Bills v Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game and the Eagles v Commanders in the NFC game. Kansas City Chiefs v Eagles again for the Super Bowl? 

Kansas City have three wins in the past five years. 4 titles. The Eagles have one win all time (v Patriots). The business end of the season!

8. India v England T20. India have a completely new and different team and are 2-0 up. Crushing. Many decent English T20 players are with other world wide franchises!

Thunder v Hurricanes tonight will be tight, but the Hobart team are lining up for their first title and will be favourites.

9. Best NRL Club Coaches in Our Era. Are these the most successful (winning %, premierships) at each of the NRL clubs since 1980?

• Storm - Craig Bellamy
• Canberra - Tim Sheens
• Sharks - Shane Flanagan
• St George - Wayne Bennett
• Parramatta - Jack Gibson
• Manly - Bob Fulton
• Penrith - Ivan Cleary
• Brisbane - Wayne Bennett
• Newcastle - Malcolm Reilly
• Souths - Michael Maguire
• North Sydney - Peter Louis
• Canterbury - Warren Ryan
• Gold Coast - John Cartwright
• Warriors - Daniel Anderson
• Roosters - Trent Robinson
• North Queensland- Paul Green
• Wests Magpies - Roy Masters
• Wests Tigers - Tim Sheens. 

10. Neale Daniher. Awesome effort and fight by the former Essendon AFL Bomber against Motor Neurone Disease to become Australian of the Year. Incredible strength and resilience - and $100M+ raised!

The Wrap - Brats and Battlers

1. Our Most Disappointing Athlete Ever?. Talk about media exposure and drama. Injuries, coaches, social media posts, controversies, the lot. Honestly, what about some tennis from Nick Kygrios? He can play. Bundled out in the first round and then an absolute fiasco with his injured partner in the doubles. Then he threatens never to return which I am sure we will all cope with if it happens. Such a shame for one so talented. He is a Round 1-2-3 man in the Australian Open. His AO record is pretty ordinary for one so loud:

Compare this to Alex de Minaur. More class and character. Plenty of grit, steel and determination. A likeable Australian tennis champion. Kane Cornes, the ex AFL player, never holds back, but this was his assessment of Kygrios:

“I just feel we talk about this guy too much, I understand why, but he’s absolutely dominated the headlines in the last two-to-three weeks in the lead-up to the Australian Open. That’s not unusual, that happens, and we’re not going to hear the last of him. And despite him being our most disappointing Australian athlete ever, he will still have a role to play because people are interested in him.”

Who have been some of our most disappointing athletes across all sports was then raised. Supremely talented but never dominated as they should have...Shane Watson, Ben Simmons, Bernard Tomic, Jarryd Hayne, Brett Papworth, Raygun...

2. Tennis - Health. Tennis used to be a sport for the battler. Now it is the preserve of rich kids who at their worse, become spoilt brats. Take Danielle Collins. Retreating to privilege and elevating herself above others in a moment of vulnerability. Then smashed in the next round when a victory would have earned much respect. Now she can have her promised holiday. Sadly there will probably be a medical issue at the end of it with a mental health social media announcement in the next year or so and a sympathy story. The behaviour and choices of tennis players needs careful management. Mental health, physical health...a dangerous sport. They are a temperamental bunch. Djokovic sets the standard.

3. The Tennis Injury Excuse. With so much money involved in the game, it is rare a player simply says that the opponent was better than them and they lost fair and square. More and more bail out before the scheduled end, disrupting all and dudding the fans in the stadium. Has anyone ever bailed out when they were leading? Rather, there are medical timeouts, medical breaks, courtside treatments and medical excuses galore. The doctors and physios are busier than the SES.

4. BBL. The revolving door of T20 players is spinning madly on the eve of finals. No loyalty and no one cares. The player caravan moves on for more cash - and to our Test commitments in Sri Lanka (scheduling?). Who cares about franchise direction and loyalty? The Hobart Hurricanes are looking for a BBL series victory (first ever) but they need to play the Sixers who are surely the favourites again. What a high quality franchise they have been. 

For the Sydney Thunder to make the finals without Daniel Sams, is a minor miracle but the great Dave Warner still has it! The second top run scorer for the BBL season (346 runs) and a lot of it on that goat track at I Dream of Jeannie Stadium. He has such a stunning record in T20 worldwide. Cooper Connolly pipped him impressively for the yellow cap (351 runs).

Glenn Maxwell has been superb for the Stars who make the semis and could do anything from an 0-5 start. Big David from the Hurricanes is also said to be on the move for next season. Ah, loyalty...his team hasn't even played their semi final! So disruptive. The Sixers will crush them.

5. Womens Ashes Team Success. What a great team. Completely dominant. Reminds us of the male team of Ponting, McGrath, Warne, Waughs x 2, Hayden, Hussey, Gilchrist... A plethora of stars in Healy, Litchfield, Perry, Sutherland, Mooney, Gardner, McGrath et al. So talented.

6. Daniel Sanders - Dakar Rally. An awesome win! The second Aussie to win it since 2019. That is a super gruelling contest of skill, luck and hazards!

7. Dylan Brown. Brown is highly talented, but another of those who feels the grass is greener elsewhere. The player manager is a blessing and a curse. Interestingly, Jason Ryles has not made a song and dance about it at all. Pathetic initial contract negotiations and clauses firstly and now a player who has under performed looking elsewhere and not delivering for the club that backed him. Good luck to him but another underperforming sports star on a conveyor belt of such individuals.

8. EPL - Ange Postocoglou. The hearse has pulled up now. He needs EPL wins and fast. It starts with Everton then Leicester City next week. Patience with mid table superstar clubs is short. 

Conversely, Erling Haaland has just signed a 10 year deal for $26M a year... lucrative for the very best of players to stay at Man City for life.

9. NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs power on to another AFC championship game. The Super Bowl winner surely comes out of that side of the draw - Chiefs, Bills or Ravens. The Eagles in the NFC progress to the big decider...surely!

The Wrap - Nick Off

1. Australian Test Team to Sri Lanka. Some good signs that the selectors need new blood (and old). Smith's record as skipper is mightily impressive. Hoping for a more balanced approach from Konstas who can bat sensibly and powerfully and a team where the spin of Lyon leads us to victory. 

Kuhnemann is fortunate he switched to Tassie in the Shield this season and it has drawn benefits (beating Swepson to the airport). Webster is there to balance the team with his composure and Abbott looks a chance of debuting too. 

The great Sri Lankan, Rangana Herath and his left arm orthodox spin gives Cooper Connolly half a chance too. Connolly looks to be a special talent with bat, ball and in the field.

Is it time 'Australia A' played in the BBL as well? Our Australia A team back in 1994-95 was an enthralling team that played in the ODI series as you may recall. Many players then went on to dominate in Australian cricket for the next ten years (Ponting, Hayden, Langer, Lehmann, Merv Hughes). It laid a perfect platform:

2. BBL Warhorses. This past week has seen the great bats step up. Warner is now the leading run scorer with yet another 80+ score carrying his bat for the Thunder. Steve Smith set a mighty standard for the Sixers with 121no and Glenn Maxwell has lifted and has steered the Melbourne Stars to their current ladder position in the top four (at least for now). Amazing eye and hitting power. They have surged back into contention but need a top finish too.

The competition is forming up well for the only two teams who have never won it - the Hobart Hurricanes and the Melbourne Stars. Both are two of the leading teams. The Thunder seem to be imploding with two bad losses in the past week.

3. Australian Open Tennis. Nick Kygrios is hard work. Plenty to say, plenty to add in press conferences where he impersonates NBA players, but as Andy Roddick pointed out he has his own dark demons and worrying police record, so it may be a stretch to have Nick lecturing all the other players on the tour. If only he played, shut up and showed us all what he really has. Clinging to memories of victories over Nadal, Federer and Djokovic in satellite tour games wears a bit thin. One Grand Slam final (walkover v Nadal and a loss to Djokovic), it would be great to celebrate his skill and physical domination, without the mouth.

Did you know Djokovic beat Federer in every Grand Slam final they played bar one?

As always, lots of hype for the local Australian players and great Round 1, 2 or 3 exits await. de Minaur has a chance to shine. Making a semi would be an over achievement there.

Sabalenka looks too good for the women's singles title... even after the first round.

4. Tottenham. Scintillating win v Liverpool in the Carabao Cup this past week 1-0. Ange can beat the big guns and does so regularly. It is the minnows he struggles with and so tonight v Tamworth in the FA Cup will have the critics baying for blood if they do not win and win well.

5. NFL. The Ravens deliver and the Bills look good things as well. The Lions are the faves at this point.

6. A League. The Central Coast Mariners and Western Sydney Wanderers have been the disappointments in 2024-2025. Mid table and losing tight games...the same old story. They both need to start to surge now... or perish.

7. NBL. The South East Melbourne Phoenix have recovered from their disastrous table low start to the season and sit mid table now. The Kings need to tighten up now at 14-10. They can produce better than this!

The Wrap - Wholly Kholi

 1. Test Cricket. Riveting play in the past two tests. Great viewing and a top result. A funny series in that the bowlers kept both teams in the chase.

• 1. Jasprit Bumrah (IND) – 32 wickets
• 2. Pat Cummins (AUS) – 25 wickets
• 3. Scott Boland (AUS) – 21 wickets
• 4. Mohammed Siraj (IND) – 20 wickets
• 5. Mitchell Starc (AUS) – 18 wickets.

The batsmen were much more sparse for Australia...

• 1. Travis Head (AUS) – 448 runs
• 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal (IND) – 391 runs
• 3. Steve Smith (AUS) – 314 runs
• 4. Nitish Kumar Reddy (IND) – 298 runs
• 5. KL Rahul (IND) – 276 runs

2. Beau Webster. A Wrap favourite who we have been pushing for higher honours for three years now, has done us proud. Our man Beau (Repairs, Derek, Desert, Champion, Scott, Duke - and Slug) Webster was superb. He played conventionally and looked the most balanced and sensible on the ground. Top hands and a wicket too. A handy start which may consign Mitchell Marsh to the dustbin of test cricket now with Cameron Green returning soon. Dan Christian is also coming out of retirement. What a great cricketer...like Beau Webster, the latter of whom will prove to be very useful in England too.

3. Kohli. Behaved like a brat in the last two tests and such unnecessary behaviour. His batting has fallen off a cliff and he is Boland's bunny now. He strikes you as the spoiled child who has never had any boundaries and has never had people around him to keep him in line. The Indian press and fans are also to blame. Fancy mimicking Smith re 'sandpapergate' again. What a clown! Kohli will be sadly remembered as a bitter fellow of ability but who played with hate at times, rather than intensity, not poise and no grace.

People talk of the 'tough Australian tour'. Honestly, these players are spoiled to the point of low golf handicaps. It is a great lifestyle for coaches and players in all countries. 

4. Bumrah - Best Ever? In the heat of the moment, we forget some of the great bowlers who have dominated in our summers... Ambrose, Warne, McGrath, Rodney Hogg (41 Ashes wickets)...but the greatest of all was Richard Hadlee. He got 33 wickets in three tests in 1985-1986. 16 in the first test and 11 in the third test. Awesome. Also won the BMW in the International Cricketer of the Year award!

Was Travis Head unlucky not to be Man of the Series in a 3-1 winning team?

5. Records. 

• Steve Smith. Stranded in the nervous 9,990s. 9,999 Test runs.
• Scott Boland's bowling average of 17.67 is the best for any bowler with a minimum of 50 Test wickets to have debuted after World War I. It is also the second-best of any bowler to have debuted after 1900 with the same criteria. 

6. Umpire Joel Wilson. Some strong efforts as umpire to resist the Aussie appeals in Melbourne (over ruled by the third umpire on three occasions), then mysteriously he is appointed as third umpire in the final test. Strange influence exerted by some in the game so it seems. Overuled the Smith catch and then the most ridiculous decision to deny a run to Australia on the final day when an Indian fieldsman's dive clearly saw the ball in hand with ropes touched. 

He should be in the IPL as an umpire soon. He had the worst record of every elite ICC umpire in the world in 2024. One in three decisions are overturned! Unbelievable. ('Popgun' Reiffel needs to sharpen up too).

7. Ange Postocoglou. The Tottenham team has hit rock bottom. Ange is on borrowed time. Sad, but he has to understand he needs to be more brutal around transfer windows and twist owner arms so he is never caught short of personnel as he is now. He is defending his players like never before. The last bastion of support.

8. The Sentry. Season opening event in Hawaii. Hideki Matsuyama is leading in fine style, but a certain Cameron Davis is bearing down on him! Came 12th and picked up $410,000US. Handy, beating Cam Smith's bet ever PGA score of -34, with a -35!