Recent sporting quotes that don't make any sense

Top of the no sense quotes belongs to the vastly experienced Shane Richardson, South Sydney’s general manager of football.

“I, along with the rest of our club, have the greatest of confidence in our medical and coaching staff to make the best possible decisions about our players well being“.

That being the case, how did Souths skipper Greg Inglis spend 50 minutes playing on one leg against the Wests Tigers on Friday night before either the medical staff, or coach Michael Maguire, replaced him?

In the seventh minute Inglis fell awkwardly in what appeared to be quite innocuous, but Inglis was in agony.

He’s as tough as they come, and what should have alerted the decision makers, the agony was in his good knee.

It’s been his right knee that has caused concern in the past, never his left.

And for those watching, they didn’t need a doctor’s degree to realise Inglis was in serious trouble.

That scans proved yesterday morning he had ruptured his ACL, came as no surprise

So why was he playing for those extra 50 minutes?

The net result is the skipper is out for six months, a huge blow to South Sydney’s season.

Darren Lehmann owns the next nonsense quote.

“It will be a close call between Matt Renshaw and Usman Khawaja to open at Pune“.

For starters, Lehmann as a selector, shouldn’t have talked publicly about any selections until after the team was announced, and then it’s the chairman’s prerogative.

And secondly, the team should never have been tampered with after a Test win over South Africa, and three wins at Pakistan’s expense.

The team ain’t broke, so don’t fix it.

But the selectors did tamper, leaving out Khawja and naming Shaun Marsh.

That not only showed no loyalty to a winning side, but it changed the successful batting order.

Instead of David Warne, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb, it became Warner, Renshaw, Smith, Marsh, and Handscomb.

Sure Australia won against all odds by 333, but Marsh didn’t contribute with 16, and a second innings duck.

Yet Marsh has been picked again in the current Bangalore Test and will bat sometime today. Another failure and he must be sacked and the status quo resumed.

Marsh’s career has been blessed by selectors who have treated Khawaja shabbily before.

Pre-series, Mike Hussey suggested the Australians don’t sledge champion Indian batsman Virat Kohli, while champion sledger Steve Waugh thought a few well chosen words might stir up Kohli’s volatile nature.

Both were making their suggestions after Kohli became the first Test batsman in history to score double centuries in four successive series – 200 against the West Indies at North Sound, 211 against the Kiwis at Indore, 235 against England at Mumbai, and 200 against Bangladesh at Deccan.

In the end both suggestions didn’t matter, Kohli self-destructed.

At Pune in the first dig, Kohli chased a wide delivery from Mitchell Starc and was caught at slip by Handscomb for a second ball duck – India scored 105.

In the second dig he failed to play a shot and Steve O’Keefe cleaned up his castle for 13 off 37 balls – India all out 107.

And yesterday at Bangalore, Kohli shouldered arms and departed leg before to Nathan Lyon for 12 off 17 – India all out 189.

No need to sledge Virat Kohli, he’s only scored 25 runs in three digs, and when he fails so do India, scoring only 401 in three as well – very containable.

But have-a-chat Lehmann has been busy.

“Lyon and O’Keefe are playing off for an Ashes berth next summer,” were his latest words of wisdom prior to the Bangalore Test and after O’Keefe had captured 6-35 in both Pune digs, with Lyon 1-21 and 4-53.

Spin twins O’Keefe and Lyon took all ten wickets in that second dig for the first time since Shane Warne with 5-82, and Tim May 5-89 at Edgbaston in 1993.

But Lyon will be mighty hard to dislodge next summer as Australia’s first-choice spinner.

Yesterday he posted a career best 8-50 to take his tally to 241 Test wickets, just eight away from moving past Richie Benaud’s 248 to be second only to Shane Warne’s 708 among Australian spinners.

But Lyon is well ahead of former offies Hugh Trumble 141, Ashley Mallett 132, Bruce Yardley 126, and Tim May 75.

No doubt Lehmann will make some more memorable quotes before this series is decided.