I think they’ve moved away from any notion of ‘deliberate’ or ‘unnatural position’ when it comes to adjudicating handball in this World Cup. There appears to have been a clear directive from FIFA that if the ball clearly strikes the hand in the area, it’s a penalty – no questions asked.
I personally think it was extremely harsh and definitely wasn’t intentional. But looking at the trend of this World Cup, the surprise was not that the penalty was given, but how long he took to give it..

It will be very interesting to see firstly if India picks him ahead of Ashwin. As you say Ronan, I think India still loves Ashwin’s ability to contribute with the bat, and by batting him at 7 it could potentially allow for the second spinner, particularly in Adelaide and Sydney..

If he does play, it will be interesting to see how Kuldeep does in Australian conditions. There was a lot of hype around Yasir Shah two summers back when he was in the top few bowlers in the world and said to be suited to Australian conditions, yet he was whacked all over Australia in those three tests, taking 8 wickets at 84. Not many spinners come here and thrive…

Well said Paul. The selectors have had a very scattergun approach to ODI cricket, but in this instance there just isn’t the quality to choose from. Obviously the blokes chosen haven’t performed well – Andrew Tye in particular who is a proven white ball bowler but conceded 100 runs in this game – but when the first and second choice bowling line-ups aren’t available for selection, this is what happens!

As for Faulkner, he has one trick with the bat and the ball. A slog to midwicket and back of the hand slower ball, that’s it. International players finally worked it out, and it was a surprise it took so long!

I think your last point is the crux of it Kris. VAR was not brought in to re-adjudicate these 50-50 decisions. It’s for the Argentina non-penalty, and for the Sweden penalty awarded the other night. That’s what the technology is for. If it’s obvious from the first replay, change the decision, like you would for goal line technology and offside..

Would have thought inadequate camera angles available to the VAR is imperfect technology JamesH? The VAR under its current technological inhibitions and inconsistent use from one case to another, means it is presently unable to reliably adjudicate on such decisions.
FIFA need to make their minds up as to what they want VAR to be: is it to ensure every decision is 100% correct, or is it intended to remove only major referee errors?

Agar is definitely someone to persist with. ODI cricket these days, if he can snag a wicket or two per game and keep his economy under 6s, that’s extremely good going. Plus he adds much greater batting depth and that clean striking ability is something that England clearly has over us at the moment… He’s the modern cricketer, and needs an extended run to demonstrate his talent..
Also, it is easy to forget how good a white ball player Shaun Marsh is. It’s very easy to be sceptical of Marsh because he can often get out to soft dismissals that belie his talent, but his record is impressive considering the stop-start nature of his career.

Will be interesting to see who is the first choice ODI attack when everyone is fit. Hard to leave out 2 of Stanlake, Tye, Hazelwood, Starc, Cummins, Coulter-Nile etc

I feel that Glenn Maxwell’s exclusion from the Australia A first-class squad puts a major dent in his test ambitions. Heard him on radio last week saying how he was hoping to be picked for the A tour and press his claims to not only play in the UAE, but also his first test on home soil next summer..

There are so many out there just waiting to strike LeBron down, waiting for the one moment where he shows some sign of weakness.
It doesn’t matter who is better out of LeBron and Jordan. They are the two standouts in NBA history, and who knows if/when we see another like him again. Appreciate the Greatness that is before us now, because he’ll be gone not before long..
Just sit back and admire how when the Cavs inevitably have their backs against the wall in the Finals, LeBron puts them all on his shoulders and leads the way. The way he just look control in Games 6 and 7 was incredible to watch…

Great play by Walt Disney company, expect it to kick a lot of goals commercially..
You build a Marvel superstore at the ground. Kids love all the different Marvel brands, and merchandise is where the money is made. The Marvel stadium will get kids coming to the footy and more importantly, spending more time looking at and getting Mum and Dad to pay for Marvel branded AFL products and merchandise than actually watching the footy…

Absolutely, should have been reworded to “we will promote cricket to inspire love for the game, within Australia.” Australia’s history of completely ignoring and blowing off smaller nations is something that is very shameful..
The Australian Cricket Board was very reluctant for a long time to play India when they were a developing cricket nation, but now that they have the big bucks, CA bow to their BCCI overlords!

First time an Australian A tour has gathered a bit of attention for a long period of time. Absolutely agree with playing the incumbents of the test line-up to get much needed match practice on the sub-continent. Australia has seemingly put a greater emphasis on preparation leading into series on the subcontinent, last year practicing on dust bowls in Brisbane then flying to the UAE as well for a training camp before heading to India. What a surprise, they played better because they prepared better!

I think the horses-for-courses approach will be relaxed for the short-term with stability the key at the moment. So despite their previous struggles I think Burns and Khawaja both play against Pakistan, while Handscomb can remind everyone of his talent and what got him into the test team in the first place.
Hope Maxwell takes his chance, because he has that something that can win you matches in a moment…

Played pretty well last night did Cook. Pakistan pitched it up and he looked pretty comfortable coming froward and driving on the front foot..

Cook is still the rock that England need up the top of the order. With Root moving to 3, Stoneman and Malan still needing to establish themselves, plus Stokes and Buttler coming into the side, Cook is the one constant that can be relied upon

An absolutely champion, so it’s unbelievable she hasn’t been seeded! I hear a lot of the other top players aren’t too pleased about it either…

I think Murphy will have retired by the time the Carlton rebuild is completed. But he would be a useful final piece of the puzzle for a side looking to take a swing at the flag next year, potentially Melbourne? High quality midfielder that can drift forward and hit the scoreboard, and add midfield depth. Players in unsuccessful teams like Murphy I think would be more willing to take a paycut to try and actually achieve success…

An unbelievable player in all three formats. Probably one of the first to adapt his game to suit tests, odi and t20 cricket. Didn’t matter what the conditions AB always found a way to make runs, a mark of a great player..

Is he available now between December-February? Every Big Bash franchise should be throwing their entire cheque book at him! Best player in the world, and would have fans flooding through the gates!

Love both sports, and this article is brilliant! These comparisons could go on forever…

“at this stage of our development, with football not being too strong in this country, we should probably be grateful to just be allowed to take part”

Well said. As Australians we love the underdog tag, but even more than that, we love winning! Some realistic expectations and perspective would say that qualifying for the world cup and just having the opportunity to test ourselves against a country as strong as France is reward enough!

I dare say if the injury riddled GWS don’t make finals this year, they will have a fair crack at Clarkson. An experienced and proven coach to guide the amount of talent on that list, success would be around the corner..

But if he has no intention of leaving, he can stay as long as he likes at Hawthorn. He has built up so much goodwill at the Hawks having taken over during a period down the bottom of the ladder and building the list up to then win 4 flags, I think it would take one hell of an offer to get him to leave Waverley.
Pretty sure his bronze statue is on order already!

The Socceroos were always going to be up against it regardless of which group we were drawn in! If it’s the world cup, every group should be a group of death!
I think that if we can avoid a belting from France first up, we have the potential to put up a decent showing against Peru and Denmark though if we can defend well. But I still can’t see us finishing higher than 3rd in the group though

I read last week that scrapping the toss in County cricket hasn’t increased the winning percentage of away sides.

The biggest advantage of the Big Bash is it’s family atmosphere and ability to get people through the gates and watching on TV every night. In February, kids are back at school and parents at work, so I can see TV ratings and attendances dropping again next season.. But more games = more $$$ for CA, and as long as that equation holds, we will see more games and more teams introduced in the future!

Yes a full home and away season will make it more fair, but sport is never supposed to be fair

In hindsight absolutely getting dropped has given him a huge boost. Watching his highlights for Somerset, he looks a completely different player. Matt Renshaw, getting off the mark with a six against Yorkshire!

Personally I would have backed him at the time, but no doubt what he has worked on during his time away from the limelight of test cricket is paying off and will hopefully hold him in good stead for the next English summer

Renshaw showing the talent that he has, and why he probably shouldn’t have been dropped in the first place. Those two hundreds would give him heaps of confidence knowing that in English conditions he can score freely or stonewall if needed, depending on the conditions and situation. Good traits to have as an opener

Head is putting together a strong case for at least inclusion in the test squad. I don’t think he will be picked at the beginning of next summer, but if he keeps putting scores on the board, maybe he’s a chance against Sri Lanka if things don’t go well against India?

You make a really good point Cat, and if it hasn’t happened already then you can bet it will in the future if the current system remains.
I think the suggestion in the article of prospective players that are eligible for the father-son cannot be eligible for an academy is a reasonable one. The academies are important to growing the game in the Northern states, but it should be the AFL nurturing this program, not the clubs

Plus Moeen Ali at eight, and that’s a line up that should be regularly posting 350+