Marcus North knew he was “under the pump”. Young NSW all-rounder Steven Smith was in the Test squad and under consideration for a place in the side for the first Test against New Zealand, while North hadn’t made a strong case after averaging under 30 in Shield cricket this summer.
Big fast bowler Doug Bollinger took the prize wicket of Ross Taylor as Australia put New Zealand under enormous pressure on day two of the first Test.
Victoria will on Sunday be crowned Sheffield Shield champion again, and it’s only a case of whether it comes after a win or draw against Queensland in the final at the MCG.
Some time during the very slow period of play during the Test at Wellington, when Simon Katich and Michael Clarke seemed becalmed, I heard one of the good old boys at the Basin Reserve say to a weather-beaten mate: “They’re batting as if they’re Kiwi batsmen.”
“I’ve read every paper possible,” Australian Test cricket’s vice-captain Michael Clarke said, breaking all the rules of sports stars talking to the media.
It has been said that Australia’s premier first class cricket competition will be ditching its final to make way for a bigger Twenty20 competition.
Michael Clarke will lead Australia when Ricky Ponting retires and will finish his career as a respected and successful skipper. The chaos of the past couple of weeks will not hinder this in any way. Rather, it genuinely begins Clarke’s path to the post of captain.
Marcus North will hold his spot in the Test side for at least one more match, although skipper Ricky Ponting admits North is feeling the heat.
Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals have been flogged in the Indian Premier League, Royal Challengers Bangalore winning their encounter by ten wickets on Thursday.
A storm of driving wind and rain hit Wellington a couple days ago and fieldsmen at the Basin Reserve for the New Zealand-Australia Test can expect stinging hands if they are unfortunate enough to have to catch a hot chance.
Sachin Tendulkar has inspired Mumbai Indians to a crushing 98-run victory over Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday. Tendulkar cracked 63 off 32 balls as Mumbai scored 7-218 off their 20 overs.
Michael Clarke has broken his silence following his spilt with model Lara Bingle, saying he expects to be sledged by New Zealand players during Friday’s first Test.
The indoor training nets at Wellington’s Westpac stadium were bulging with camera crews tripping over each other in a bid to film Michael Clarke putting his pads on, chatting to a team-mate, anything really.
An outstanding record in Tasmania suggests the South Australian paceman Peter George can be a grey day specialist should he be picked to contest the Trans-Tasman Trophy in New Zealand.
It’s hard to believe the Michael Clarke-Lara Bingle drama is “Groundhog Day” for the Australian cricket team. But Tuesday was nothing out of the ordinary, according to Australian coach Tim Nielsen.
As Australia gets ready to meet New Zealand in the first Test in Wellington, starting on Friday, let us go down memory lane and recall the first ever Test between the neighbours 64 summers ago.
Big-hitting India opener Virender Sehwag has blasted Delhi Daredevils to a comfortable six-wicket win over Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Michael Clarke arrived back in New Zealand on Monday the same way he left a week ago, with his head down and trying to avoid attention. As plumbers at his Bondi apartment searched for Lara Bingle’s engagement ring, Clarke was hoping the media wouldn’t plumb new depths seeking news on the celebrity couple’s split.
Michael Clarke’s hasty departure from the New Zealand tour is another step in the evolution of cricket to a modern entity. Consider twenty years ago a future Australian captain leaving mid-way through a tour to be at the side of his twenty-two year old girlfriend?
“I see the IPL is becoming bigger than the NFL, the NBA, the English Premier League.” So said Lalit Modi, Commissioner of the Indian Premier League, ahead of the third instalment of the competition which opened with the Deccan Chargers facing the Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday.
