The Wrap - Rexona Umpiring

1. Test Cricket. Australian Test Cricket batting has been bad for twelve months. Burns is a laughable selection. I am sure that if you were an opener in Shield cricket you would be none too pleased. Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Marcus Harris? Steve Smith single handedly kept us afloat, but as for some of the others. Wade is not a Test opener either. There just seems to be too many excuses for mine. Green needs more guidance, but has the goods bowling at 140kph+...impressive numbers  He needs to watch his hands hold up.

I would like to see Tim Paine be a little more attacking at times. He can be negative with one less slip or no leg slip. The only way we win is to take wickets.

Jadeja is an old pro cricketer who knows what is required and when. He plays key moments better than most other cricketers world wide. Rahane was brilliant!

2. Test Cricket Fumbles. There was some really poor catching on Sunday which cost Australia. None worse than that effort by Travis Head at the end. Honestly. So poor for a Test player. He disappoints too often, yet has a lot of talent. He is in trouble if he doesn't produce in the second innings.

3. Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc. As good as they both are, is it harsh to say that neither seem to get wickets when we need them most? Lyon rarely gets first innings, upper order wickets. Maybe because he doesn't open the bowling, but interesting stats below...

4. Kane Williamson. How good is this bloke? 22 Test tons at 52.50...not bad. He is hard to toss. Non-descript...like the bloke who reads your gas meter!

5. The BBL. Slowly picking up impetus. Nicholas Pooran (West Indies) was awesome on Saturday night for the Melbourne Stars. A big hitter and crisp! One to watch. Daniel Hughes was amazing too in reply. Liking this young Oliver Davies for the Sydney Chunder as well. A clean hitter of the ball. The Renegades were awful. The Sydney Sixes will be hard to beat again. They bat deep. Does there need to be so much noise from the ground MC at these games? Chris Lynn has more injuries than Eric Grothe.

Loving the shoe wear in season 2020-2021... Faulkner looks like he is wearing his school shoes, Rashid Khan looks like a tourist in Bali for the first time with his blue shoes and Chris Green's blue shoes are just shocking against the fluro outfit. Maybe a kid who visited the Nike shop for the first time.

6. BBL Umpiring. These BBL umpires are terrible. The number of howlers is extraordinary. You have to laugh that they then go to Hawkeye for the commentary team! What about for the players and crowd? This Nathan Ellis could become an Australian player.

The BBL umpires are worse than the umpire's decision in that Rexona advert where the umpire rules against his boss. Clearly too far forward and a shocking decision. He would get a start in the BBL with that!

7. NRL. We didn't have to wait long...an arrest of David Fifita and then a wedding cancellation from Mitchell Pearce. Poor Mitchell, his decision making has been questionable at times on and off the field, especially under pressure. 

8. EPL. Arsenal burst back to life and knock over Chelsea which is terrible from them. Leicester continue to sparkle while Man U and Man City circle ready to strike Liverpool. 

Wrap - Paine Staking

1. Skipper. Tim Paine really staked his claim as the longer term skipper with an innings when it mattered in our first innings v India, something he has been a little poor around since his arrival to be frank. He stamped his arrival when it mattered this time in the first Test of the summer. The batting of Travis Head is under the microscope. He under delivers frequently. Not sure Wade is a long term solution, but he fights hard which we all admire. Everything about Cameron Green looks good - especially his humility.

Joe Burns was shocking to be honest. In the first innings awful and then the same early on in the second innings. The only one off the middle was one off his shoulder. He was squaring up terribly to the short of a length ball. Lunging to the fullish ball too. As soon as he started playing shots (something Langer did well in his career when under pressure to be fair), he transformed. Nice to see his aggression against the short rubbish from India. 

Warner in for Burns I suspect. Wade will be nervous as that will be it for him if dropped.

2. Indian Batsmen. The Indian batting effort in the second innings was curious. All out for 36 is a complete embarrassment. Very few if any Indian players put the boot in however in the media. They are very reluctant to bag their own players. They will never get into the lucrative inner circle if they criticise. Instead there is the hollow compliment to the Australians. So many batsmen got edges it was amazing. The bowling length really troubled them. Hazlewood getting 5/8 is so much like U/10s it is scary! Not to mention the pink ball which was seaming around like a tennis ball with tape on it!

No Kohli will make for an interesting tour from here on. He is a gun.

3. COVID. Where is Peter V'landys when you need him? As the COVID-19 pandemic hype grows, the Sydney to Hobart yachting race has been canned, talk of the SCG New Year's Test being canned... All the while, the MCG Test continues without a whisper. I bet there is no one at Cricket Australia talking to V'landys. They need an overhaul. The A-League is also floundering without too much of a plan. 

4. Golf. Young Charlie ('The Cub') Woods is looking like his old man Tiger and playing like him too! A great swing for an eleven year old.

5. Boxing. Paul Gallen was fortunate and probably should have been knocked over. Lucky to get the decision. On the other hand Tsyzu looks to be capable of some serious international inroads. 

6. Raelene Castle. She keeps landing the big gigs. SportNZ CEO now. She must have some talent.

7. NRL. No outrageous scandals this week, but maybe because it is Christmas!

8. EPL. Liverpool are warming up now with a 7-0 victory. Arsenal have been terrible with Everton dusting them. Liverpool well poised, but a few teams are huddling up close to them. Very interesting this year.

Wrap - Can Openers

1. Openers. The lack of decent opening batsmen at present is a big concern. Joe 'Carpet' Burns surely can't play after 5 runs in four innings against the Indians this summer. They have his measure! Then genius Coach Langer (who is under pressure) suggests Shaun Marsh should play. That would be Marsh's seventh call up to the team! Staggering that Langer's allegiance cannot be separated from the future of the country's team. Is the answer not simple... Green has to play. Then we need one opener and we need to convince one of our current top six to open as well!

If Green plays we only need one opener... Marcus Harris = Opener 1 and Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Wade, Green, Paine, Cummins, Starc, Lyon, Hazelwood. 

When the bouncer is outlawed, openers will be in plentiful supply! The pink ball Test cricket is farcical as well and will die off soon. Too much night time advantage to the seamers. 

2. BBL - T20 Batsmen. The fascination with all rounders in cricket is mystifying. Although Cameron Green is a special talent. Rare, but most teams simply do not have enough batsmen. Often times, does it really matter who goes 0/30? Hard to think it does. I noticed another all rounder, Roston Chase in the Windies Test team picked up a pair on the weekend...not enough batsmen!

3. BBL Standards. The standard of players is a problem...I am with the TV executives here. Too many old names and no current ones. Why have we not got an IPL window so our best play? Can we not also have an Indian or two in each side? Our imports are sub standard. The ratings are tumbling already...except if you have the Cricket Australia calculator. Not a publicity campaign in sight either. 

Added to that, no DRS as it costs cash and the integrity of cricket is at an all time low. Hopeless joke.

4. Australia A. A complete disgrace. They got hammered and were awful. No spine. They all need to be asterisked. Joe Burns is woefully out of touch mentally and Swepson was horrible too. Thumped and belted on Saturday night. Again, not enough batsmen and an obsession with underperforming all rounders who bowl mostly.

5. EPL. ManU v Man City. Is the fierce rivalry waning? A tame draw.

6. Boxing - Gallen v Hunt. Gallen could be ended here once and for all! Hunt will not be a pushover.

7. NRL Rules Changes. Still the two biggest rule changes needed in the game go untouched: (1) When the ref rules a try...time off until kick off. (2) Throw the ball away or delay surrender of the ball (any situation) = a 25 metre penalty with quick tap permitted. These time wasting tactics need to be eliminated.

8. The Olympics. The Olympics are an expensive waste of money when you allow 'breakdancing' into the games...Sure we have had rhythmic gymnastics, synchronised swimming and a few other odd ones over the years...skateboarding, surfing, taekwondo, BMX biking, beach volleyball, rugby sevens, but surely this tops them all. 

9. The Panthers. Starting to get worried that big heads and big mouths are dominating in the club when big hearts and big reputations were once there. They have won nothing so far and will need to replace Tamou as well. An experienced forward is required to win a comp - Lazarus, Edge, Bugden, Nikau, Webke...it has been ever thus.

The Wrap - Wallabies Spoon

 1. Wallabies. Great anthem, but same rubbish product. Rugby simply refuses to shift to accommodate the modern viewer. As such, it is a park sport at best (bring back half time breaks in the circle on the field) and will never rake in the dollars that it did, once upon a time. There is a complete lack of patience with stodgy referees who believe the game centres on them.

We also need someone who can kick straight. Reece Hodge step aside. Diabolical draws v the Pumas. Honestly, mark them down as losses. The Spoon is ours again.

2. Cricket. The ODI series came and went and most people were wondering whether Mitchell Starc should ever be selected again. If he doesn't get a wicket in his first two overs, he is shot. Yet to get anything like runs in an ODI too. The frustration of Glenn Maxwell as the talented guy that rarely delivers is another challenge. Finch is cooked too. Far too slow in the field. Liked the look of Cameron Green - big, athletic and a powerful striker of the ball.

3. Justin Langer. Simply put, he should not be the coach of all forms of the game. Ricky Ponting is the best T20 coach in the world. We need to prepare for life after Langer. I am seeing some bad signs. This 'like for like' is the current rule. It suited India to put their replacement in, but it did not mean that our batsmen needed to turn it up when things got challenging. It was our fault and we wanted to blame India! Please. Langer needs to check himself.

In the Australia A v India game, Pujara (54) and Rahane (108no) were amongst the runs and James Pattinson was clearly our best. I suspect we will need every good ball he owns!

4. Captaincy Joke. Fancy putting Matthew Wade in as skipper of Australia (T20) ahead of Steve Smith. Please, when does the bloke get a break? Wade lacks credibility and should not even be in the team. Josh Phillipe is the best performed Australian keeper-batsman. The current CA administration needs a rocket. They can't get a thing correct.

5. NRL. Great to see some off season biff with a Canberra player again. Last year it was Curtis Scott. This year, Tom Starling. He looked like he was being a complete clown and then the biff. Far too common. After Ricky's reaction last year, I will be interested in how Ricky reads this one. And they signed young Hopoate as well. Hopefully his discipline holds.

6. Daniel 'Dry Shoes' Ricciardo. It is almost a weekly mystery how a different excuse seems to be made to explain Ricciardo's poor form. He is an under achiever in F1, despite the fairytale many want. Bring back Mark Webber. 

7. EPL. Kevin Muscat has been sacked from his club as coach in Belgium, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's job looks safe. ManU are back with a bang! Suddenly EPL order has been restored with ManU, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham all clustered at the top of the table. Sheffield United are almost spent already after 10 games. They will need a miracle!

8. Boxing and UFC Fighting. Every weekend the same story...dodgy officiating, massive injuries and outrage...until next weekend!

9. AFL Draft. Braeden Campbell from my son's junior team and a Swans Academy product looks to be in the frame for a top 5 draft pick. A great effort from a kid from Pennant Hills way. He lacks a little pace, but has steel and smarts.

10. Manny Ramirez. He has arrived to play for the Sydney Blue Sox this season (starting 17 December). He is an absolute legend of the MLB and has already made his mark in the new team. Already gifting his bats to young team mates, like my son. It is the pre-season team party that has me worried. ASADA are already all over the team!

Wrap - Keeping Up With The Smiths Part 2

 1. ODI Cricket. It's a long time since the Australian public was excited about a cricket season. Not sure fooling around with the traditions in Australian cricket works...start with Tests...ODIs in late Jan. The diversity of media forums these days also makes it hit and miss and so few actually ever care about commentators. Bull, Tony and Rich were legendary, but these days... Kerry O'Keefe, maybe Warnie is who you'd feed. Ponting perhaps...the rest... 

There has been no investment in media publicity by that shoddy Cricket Australia leadership for years now.

2. Warner Injury. Suddenly Pucovski has got the sprig tightener out... Carpet Burns must be a lucky bloke. He has done nothing. Dave Warner did not look too happy in the back seat of the station wagon leaving the stadium after getting injured. He actually looked like he was part of a family going on holidays to the North Coast after the old man had just launched a scathing summation of the family's behaviour.

Thank God Finch can bat, because he can't field and is a serious liability really. Skipper for how long?

Steve Smith was awesome. His hitting and stroke play was something else...back to back hundreds. Warner and Maxwell too. 

Not sure if Mitchell Starc deserves a spot in that team either. Wayward and wasteful. No early wickets...no glory.

3. Indian Batsmen. The strength of some of the Indian batsmen - as thin as they appear physically - is highly impressive. They generate power through fluid stroke making.

4. Humanitarian. Mike Tyson has turned into a lovely fellow. He did not seem too worried by yet another ridiculous boxing judgement v Roy Jones Jr. They have both still got lots of skill. Talk about wanting more money to have a re-match. Tyson looked well cut. Looking like the rest of us 50 year olds!

5. Thunder T20 Girls. Great success by that team. The standard of girls cricket has become a lot better.

6. English Super League. The end to that Grand Final when the missed field goal resulted in a try off the posts, was incredible. James Graham played there in the winning ..that bloke has played forever.

7. EPL. Liverpool, Tottenham and Leicester look the goods this year. They are all falling over each other and leaking points, but intriguing nonetheless. Man City may finally be lifting their game. Sheffield United and Fulham can just about pack their bags already. Disappointing for them.

8. Rugby. The Pumas glory lasted a week. The All Blacks can do that to you. They have been doing it to Australia for the past 20 years.

9. Great Signing. Great to see Parramatta's new signing the reformed Bryce Cartwright keeping a low profile in his first week of a new contract...definitely has changed his spots. Out on the punt and in the papers with Corey Norman and Matt Moylan (who needs to get his head and body right). Corey is a great familiar face at the disco in Jupiter's...seen him there myself a few years back.

Wrap - Keeping Up With The Smiths

 1. Cameron Smith. He better write his book quickly and start writing one for Harry Grant. Keith makes a good point...how do Sydney clubs keep missing out on these guys? Harry Grant changed Origin in what was a tired and lacklustre affair really. NSW simply do not have the firepower in attack (not helped by Tedesco's early exit). Fittler has become a little stubborn of late and to leave Papenhuyzen out was daft. Cody Walker unfortunately is not the answer. Jack Wighton is at five eight.

His namesake also did well at the masters and gets a return invite. Tied second on -15 and now the first EVER golfer in the history of the Masters to post four rounds in the 60s! Some sort of effort...when is his book out? 

Never like reading a sports story where the wife/ partner starts to be a dominant figure. It is about the player. Not sure that Smith needs to retire either. This seems something that the media want more than the player or his partner! The form of Munster the other night tells you that Melbourne will be a success for some time to follow... especially when Harry Grant arrives home.

2. Manny Ramirez. Has jetted into Sydney and tails off his remaining days in quarantine, before hitting the ballpark for the Sydney Bluesox baseball team. A rich pedigree. The crowd will be hoping he stays injury free and hits a few out of the park! There is some suggestion he may play a couple of park warm up games. That would be something! Drug record or not, his reputation is unbelievable.

3. ODI Cricket. The start of the cricket season is hard to warm into. The game is like an old jumper. Much loved but needs a revamp. ODI series do not take the eye too much now. Richie Benaud, Tony, Bull and the boys made cricket in this country. A new batch and new ideas need to arise. Nine is flat and so is their product.

4. Rugby - Wallabies. Some sort of fortnight for the Pumas beating the All Blacks and drawing with us (not such a great triumph really). Chieka would be enjoying this. We have learned little and the leadership around the park looks haphazard. No tries...please. What sort of spectacle is that? Great for the self centred refs and turtle-like TMO...they would love the spotlight. The fans switched off hours ago. The balance of the team looks out. Surely Vunivalu comes straight in to that team.

5. EPL. Tottenham under the Great One, "Jose I say" are striking form, but Man City are not. Liking the open competition this year, but it is a multi bet killer! Liverpool are ready to strike still, as are Leicester. The foxes are on the run!

6. Wests Tigers. What a unfortunately miserable reputation they have for keeping and recruiting talent. They have Joey Leilua, James Roberts, Douhei and Reynolds, Mbye, et al. I cannot see them beating their customary ninth position on the ladder. No Fox. No Harry Grant. No real leadership. They are losing decent forwards like McIntyre. They could have a lot of blokes mowing the grass at Leichhardt. They need young guns and stars on the up. 

7. Paul Gallen. Love the media hype with boxers. The trouble is it is so familiar and so tiring. Paul was a good footballer, but does he really need this? The silent player who does the business (eg. Sonny Bill) is far more impressive.

8. Court of Appeal. Michael 'Flash' Gordon, Jarryd Hayne and Jack de Belin are all in strife. How players can become so muddled professionally and put themselves in bad situations is one thing. Putting others in danger is another thing. The off season seems to be where most of the NRL salaries are spent - defending themselves. The Burgess case is another one. The media love an NRL court case with all the angst, powerplay, battered reputations and pain - and sadly can't wait to make it their own. Why do some clubs never face this?

Wrap - Mastering the Course

1. The Masters. This Cameron Smith is a talented bloke. 400+ games of NRL and a Green Masters jacket in sight. No wonder he doesn't want to retire. What's more, he has a book out at present that stands to do what Steve Waugh used to do...make heaps of cash out of an average book!

Odd tournament without the galleries, but great it progresses in view of the woeful USA management of the dreaded disease. Surely Dustin doesn't enter the dust bin.

2. Justin Langer. Just when you thought we may have had traction, Justin makes a complete goose of himself in saying that Joe Burns is a better fit for the Test team than a bloke who is currently in form after two double tons. Langer is kidding surely. His loyalty (think PJ Marsh, Mrs Marsh and Graham Marsh) has been misguided before and it will bring about his undoing. I suspect that young Pucovski needs certainty and clarity in his life - not more mind games. We have a very traditional coach here who needs to modernise the thinking.

3. The Pumas. An incredible win, but the All Blacks are human. They have lost before and will again. Rarely do they lose the ones that count however.

4. State of Origin. Amazing how we get crowd concessions by the dodgy Queenslanders on the eve of Origin. This should not be forgotten. Seeing Papenhuyzen on the golf course Sunday is another poor selection by a coach who sometimes loses it as well. How Gutherson keeps a centre position ahead of others with his poor defence is staggering. Hopefully Gus can get there for the game too. We need polarising figures of derision and fun. For as useless as he was, Gomersall made Origin a contest. Lewis...Gillmeister...

Should be a NSW win ahead, but stranger things have happened in Origin...especially in the cauldron!

5. Lewis Hamilton. Basically now the best ever. What an extraordinary talent. Equals Schumacher and wins a seventh world championship to tie with the great man. He has more to come yet. His Mercedes team has dominated for too long as well. 

6. AFL Trades. Collingwood have suffered, but needed to shed players. A great lesson to others about hanging onto players too long (Swans - Jack, et al). It can stuff your club up. The best clubs recruit the best.

7. Tigers. Lose out on Addo-Carr, then can't sign anyone except Jimmy The Jet Roberts... please. They need young talent - not recycled guys who for sad reasons, would rather be elsewhere. They need an overhaul. Douhei is one who I would cut instantly...Reynolds, Mbye, Packer... All signed by the great Ivan Cleary who inherited Anthony Griffin's squad of gun juniors. Saints will be hoping for this in 2021. There is a marked difference between AFL and NRL in our Tiger cousins!