Expert
Joined June 2010
888k
Views
300
Published
5.4k
Comments
Geoff Lemon is a writer, editor and broadcaster. He's the host of cricket podcast The Final Word, and author of the book Steve Smith's Men: Behind Australian Cricket's Fall.
Published
Comments
In a lot of ways, Ashes series are like birthdays. Not in the sense of coming around twice every four years, and not in…
The great games don’t necessarily tell you they’re great at first. Two-thirds of the way through the tied World Cup semi-final of 1999, South…
Name your most iconic World Cup cricket duo. For South Africa, how about all-rounder Jacques Kallis and former Everton winger Steven Pienaar? For Pakistan,…
You can keep your tied semi-finals. Don’t bother me with iconic hundreds in deciders. Don’t even start about batting revolutions in the first ten…
This season, Tasmanian wicketkeeper Matthew Wade has become the emblematic hard-luck selection story. But is he actually lucky instead? There’s never any shortage of…
When the Test season wrapped up in Canberra this week, I mentioned the achievements of some Australian players. People promptly pointed out that they…
It shouldn’t be contentious to say that Mitchell Starc is far from his best with the ball this summer. But saying so can draw…
Chew on this: Kusal Mendis has made three Test centuries in the past year. Australia’s entire cricket team has made one. If you’ve never…
In my time following cricket, I’ve never known such a fevered atmosphere around selection. Belatedly, the national panel has recognised that fact. Cricket supporters…
The unfortunate thing is that it’s not Marnus Labuschagne’s fault. But the latest selection for Australia’s Test team is embarrassing for those who made…
It’s alive. Aliiiiiive. The Boxing Day Test has been a dead affair for years, but finally we’ve got one that counts. In truth, Boxing…
We keep hearing it. That Australia needs to play hard cricket. Or tough cricket. But not one person who says it can define what…
The triple century is cricket’s rarefied tier, the area of the stats sheet where mortals dare not tread. To cross the mark of 300…
Adam Gilchrist’s career was always about being fearless. As a batsman, he just came out and took the bowlers on, almost regardless of the…
For the rest of Mitchell Johnson’s life, the defining moment of his career will, of course, be the 2013-14 Ashes, with the early 2014…
Some moments, you always remember where you were when they happened. On the last day of the Adelaide Test in 2006, I was at…
Occasionally, it isn’t a matter of hyperbole to talk about something in terms of the best or worst ever. This is one such case.…
'Worst Ashes team to inflict a whitewash', was a description people started proposing in 2013. Now there's a contender in the works. The current…
It seemed fitting that international cricket should exit the WACA with a comedy of errors. Make no mistake, we’ve just seen its final Test.…
In Test matches, we love to look for symmetry. For England's loss and Australia's win at Brisbane, look no further than the two captains.…
Um, this was the commentary for the first wicket.
“Here’s Malinga, rushing up, bowls to Warner, Warner drives, he’s caught at cover. Change of pace and he’s chipped the ball straight to cover.”
Maxwell and Starc learn to surf Australia’s World Cup wave
Jesus, guys. It really pays to do some research before going around making ignorant statements.
Cricinfo is an international publication. It’s owned by ESPN, which is owned by Disney. Disney originates from the US but has huge offices in Bangalore, Mumbai and elsewhere. There’s an Australian office run by Daniel Brettig, a UK office run by David Hopps, and a network of writers across every cricketing country. Sambit Bal is the editor-in-chief, and an excellent one.
Trying to point at murky “allegiances” as affecting their day-to-day content is ridiculous. These guys are professionals, not fans. They don’t give a toss about talking one team up or down, they care about covering what they need to cover. Sometimes the ball-by-ball commentators are Indian, you say? Oh, you caught them out! Of course they are, it’s cheaper to pay rupees than pounds. Though Alex Winter, Andrew McGlashan and the like have done plenty of miles on the ball-by-ball.
As for “not allowing pro-Watson comments”, you’re just making stuff up. They commissioned a piece from me about Watson not even a month ago.
http://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/824155/pretty-hate-machine
Maxwell and Starc learn to surf Australia’s World Cup wave
Spot on, Cunning. Always a relief to hear from the people who get it.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
Hold on, just putting your prize in the mail.
Sorry South Africa, there's no way you'll win the World Cup
They have bowled well, and with a fairly no-name attack. All of their bowlers have taken wickets. The worst average is 23 and the worst economy rate is 4.5 across the tournament. Best numbers are 11 and 3.8.
Those bowlers can still be taken apart by a side on form, but if that’s the first innings then India can chase most scores.
Sorry South Africa, there's no way you'll win the World Cup
South Africa’s collapse against Pakistan shows what can happen. Decent bowling, pressure, and the rest of the team leaving AB to do it on his own. If they get to bat first throughout the knockouts they’d breathe easier, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens should they have to chase.
Sorry South Africa, there's no way you'll win the World Cup
There’s a massive difference in the forms though – being good at one doesn’t imply being good at the other. Starc’s pace, for instance, is down to knowing he only has to bowl 10 overs. He couldn’t maintain that across 25 or 30, so that involves doing things differently.
You can rip in 10 overs of fast yorkers in a Test match, but won’t good batsmen just block you out, give you 10 maidens, then go on to score from you and others once you’re cooked?
Maxwell and Starc learn to surf Australia’s World Cup wave
Pretty surprised at these comments. Jim Maxwell is one of the best in the world for my money – he catches the feeling and emotion of the game in a way that few can match. I reckon Glenn Mitchell, who worked with him for so long, would agree.
Maxwell and Starc learn to surf Australia’s World Cup wave
Don F, making a statement doesn’t make it true. There is not one sentence in my article that supports your contention.
Nudge, I’m puzzled that I need to explain the difference between disputing an argument and attacking someone’s motivation for making it. “You hate X” is a long way from “Your argument about X is wrong because…”
If you don’t rate my opinion on cricket, I’d suggest not reading my opinion articles about cricket.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
Hello Mike. I’m not trying to stick the boot into anyone. I think he made a bad call, and I’m talking about why.
The right thing by the team would have been for Clarke to bat at No. 3. He needed the time, and there was every chance the first couple of batsmen were going to bat long. Everyone’s talking about the team – the team needs Clarke firing. The fans need Clarke firing. They need to be able to rely on him in the knockouts, not hope that he’ll come good. Batting 40 overs on the WACA would have been due diligence. And even if he’d come out at 4 and gone slowly, Australia would still have made 350 and the game would have been safe.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
I’d love Clarke to make a ton and win the final. I just think that parachuting him into the team was reckless and getting riskier.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
Spruce, he was on the team sheet at No. 3, and he needed a long innings more than anyone else. It was completely logical that he should bat there.
First drop in ODIs is very different to Tests. He’s batted most places in ODIs, including opening for a fair while. Why not give him as long at the crease as possible?
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
Guys, these last few comments are absurd. Clarke was asked to play five pool matches by the selectors and has barely batted in the first three. Declining an innings was a poor decision. Somehow you reckon that being critical of that decision equals “anti-Clarke rhetoric” that’s “crucifying” and “having it in for him”.
I’m criticising the process, not the individual. It’d be nice if you could afford me the same courtesy.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
Because they’d dropped Watson, needed a new 3, and clearly Clarke had been nominated for the spot. Which makes sense given his batting style, and makes sense given he desperately needs a whole lot of batting before the knockouts.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
Malinga doesn’t have long to get right, and he’s physically out of shape. It’s very iffy, but they’re a shout to chase big totals or lay them on batting first, and might squeak through with their bowlers.
Sorry South Africa, there's no way you'll win the World Cup
Would it be worse for his confidence to move him now? You’re right about his appearance at the crease, it’s fascinating how quickly someone’s demeanour can change.
Sorry South Africa, there's no way you'll win the World Cup
The size of the victory mattered far less than getting our most suspect player some time in the middle. Clarke’s lack of preparation makes him a major weak link. Declining the chance for an innings was irresponsible. Even if he comes good in the finals, it’ll be good fortune rather than good management.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
No one in the entire tournament is as short of match practice as Clarke. Malinga is the only one close.
Typifying legitimate criticism as “bashing” is hyperbolic and misleading. You can criticise someone’s actions without holding a personal grudge.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
Absurd that offering criticism gets someone defined as an “x hater”. You can do better than that, Vas.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
[Refrain:] Except he should have come in first drop.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
Except he should have come in first drop, where he was listed.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
No, he’s one of the most versatile in world cricket. But when he tries to destroy a team in the late overs, he might come off one time out of two or three. It’s a bit of a lottery for the side bowling to him – do they get lucky today?
My take on South Africa is based on gut feeling as much as analysis: I just reckon that fourth and fifth bowler will cost them at some stage in the knockouts.
Sorry South Africa, there's no way you'll win the World Cup
I’ll leave you to find the turkey blood and do the necessary incantations, Dingo.
Sorry South Africa, there's no way you'll win the World Cup
Haha, they’ve been thorough! All good, Marsh has plenty of potential to improve, I just think it’s silly that people are already talking him up based on one good bowling return amongst his otherwise very plain ones.
Sorry South Africa, there's no way you'll win the World Cup
Don Freo – apparently you’re no longer just telling me who I hate and why I write each article, but who my friends are as well. We’ve never met. You don’t know anything about me. We talk on the internet. Previously it’s been fun but recently there’s a nasty edge. Please cut the personal commentary.
Maxwell and Starc learn to surf Australia’s World Cup wave