Nickname trivia

Which former Australian cricketer is affectionately known as "The Keg on Legs"?

We'll give you a hint - he's a batsman...

Boxing Day cricket is going to be awesome

This Boxing day has got to be serving up some of the most eagerly awaited Test cricket action we have seen in years and if you haven't yet put some moneydown and want to open a sports betting account then click HERE (you can bet from as little as R8).

The Ashes (4th test)

I would give my left nut to be at the MCG tomorrow when 90000 people turn out to support either the Aussies or the Poms with the Ashes sitting at 1-1. Therehas been a bit of verbal, there has been a bit of controversy and there are a few injury concerns going around at the moment.

Taking a look at the betting:

On the outright win:
SportingBet are offering Australia at 7/5 while England are at 2/1

Voltbet are offering Australia at 10/7 while England are on offer at 15/8. 9/4 for the Draw.

Personally I just think home ground advantage and a fired up team is likely to play in favour of the Australians. I've also backed Michael Hussey (4/1) andMichael Clarke (9/2) as the top run scorers for the Aussies in the first innings and knowing how Kevin Pietersen thrives on pressure games I've backed him asthe top English run scorer (4/1).

It is going to be an absolute thriller!

South Africa versus India

India really need to do something to get onto the score sheet and if there was a venue where they'd fancy themselves it would be Kingsmead. Personal feelingthough is that the home side just packs too much firepower at the moment. The Indians showed a bit of heart in the second innings at Centurion but I can't say the instilled any fear in our bowlers.

Sportingbet is offering evens on South Africa to win the test match while offering India at 9/2. 6/4 on the draw
Voltbet is offering 11/10 on South Africa and 9/2 on India

I've also backed Hashim Amla as the top run scorer at 9/2

Should make for a cracking couple of days of cricket!

Video - Herschelle Gibbs

For those who missed it, last month Herschelle Gibbs created quite a stir with the release of his book "To The Point". Lots of sordid tales of cricketers behaving badly, but also plenty of insight into what really happens on a cricket tour and some insight into who Herschelle Gibbs really is.

I came across this video interview with him and thought it might give another side to this world-class cricketer.



If you want to order the book online you can order it HERE

Test cricket is fun!

There are two absolutely awesome test matches on the go at the moment and both are proving absolutely brilliant adverts for test match cricket.

Australia fighting back against the English
The Ashes always come with an added edge but when the Aussies are on the back foot, the home crowd is asking tough questions of their players and the English players (firmed with some good old fashioned South African blood) have their tails up... THIS is what test cricket is all about. Really enjoying the fact that Australia are bouncing back and putting the poms back in their place.

South African versus India
I was a little worried when the first day nearly got wiped out by rain but the South Africans stepped up to the plate... and in between that Jacques Kallis FINALLY got his double hundred. Not sure that the Indians have the bowling attack to make themselves overly competitive this series but they sure as hell are not standing back on the batting front!

Damn this test cricket is exciting....

Crazy cricket bet

Two absolutely massive cricket matches kick off tomorrow and one has to believe that if the stage were ever set for a Test match cricket advert then it will be centred around tomorrows' matches.

I have actually taken a rather "wild" set of bets around these games and I'd like to think I'm in with quite a good chance despite what all the nay-sayers think.

Perhaps the most intriguing game is the match up between Australia and England in the third Ashes test. Who could ever have imagined that Australia would be on the ropes and staring down the barrel of a home series defeat? Certainly not I... which is why I have backed the Aussies to bounce back and not only win the third test but actually over-turn the 1-0 deficit and win the series.

My thinking is simple. Aussies at home - losing stings and much like South Africans they hate to lose and are at their most dangerous when their backs are up against the ropes.

Closer to home - and rain permitting - the South Africans kick off their test series against the Indians. India have proven to be a real handful under the watchful eye of Gary Kirsten but playing against South Africa in their own backyard is no easy ask.

I've backed South Africa to win both the first test match as well as the series.

So there we go. Aussies to overturn their loss and bounce all the way back to beat the poms and SA to kick off their series winning exploits with a win in the first match.

If you also want to take a punt on the cricket please click HERE and open an account.

Cricket SA versus Herschelle Gibbs

This whole story between Herschelle Gibbs and Cricket South Africa (CSA) is really a little bizarre.

Obviously there was going to be some fall out after the release of his autobiography but it doesn't seem like it has been handled very well.

On Friday the news headlines are all trumpeting that Gibbs has been dumped by CSA but then they send out the following press release trying to "clarify" the situation.

Still looks about as clear as mud to me. So he can play but he can't play?

CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA (CSA) today issued an apology to Herschelle Gibbs (Gibbs) for, on 3 December prematurely issuing an inaccurate media release regarding the termination of its contractual relationship with Gibbs.

The following correctly reflects the agreement concluded between CSA and Gibbs:

Following amicable discussions, and in the best interests of South African cricket, CSA and Gibbs have announced that they have agreed to terminate Gibbs’ National Cricketer Contract by mutual consent.

“It has been agreed that this is the best way forward for both parties,” commented CSA CEO Gerald Majola.

“On behalf of CSA I would like to wish Herschelle all the best for his future and to thank him for the contribution he has made to the successes of the Proteas over an extended period of time,” he added.

“Herschelle represented our country for 14 years with distinction and I don’t think any cricket lover will ever forget the magnificent innings he played in the famous 438 game against Australia.”

Gibbs remains eligible for selection for the Proteas, and has requested CSA to issue a “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) to allow him to play in a Twenty20 competition in New Zealand later this month. CSA has agreed to do so.

Gibbs said, “I’d like to thank CSA, my team mates and especially the public for the unbelievable support over the years. The fans have been incredible and they all rock. I look forward to entertaining everyone on the world stage.”

Neither Gibbs nor CSA will comment further on this matter, the content of the agreement concluded between them, being confidential.

The greatest "sledges"

When hefty Zimbabwean chicken farmer Eddo Brandes kept on playing and missing to an increasingly frustrated Glenn McGrath, the Australian had had enough and decided a bit of verbals were called for: 'Oi, Brandes, why the hell are you so fat?' Quick as a flash, the answer came back: 'Because every time I shag your missus, she gives me a biscuit.' Few games have such a rich history of sledging as cricket, with the Australians famed masters of the art.

This collection, featuring contributions from talkSPORT's own Darren Gough and Ronnie Irani as well as many other cricket stars, brings together the best examples from around the world. To be effective, sometimes the sledge can be funny, as when Andrew Flintoff urged Tino Best, who was struggling to lay a bat on the ball, to 'mind the windows' at Lord's. Best immediately charged down the pitch to attack Ashley Giles' next ball and was stumped. But sometimes an element of real menace can do the trick, as when Malcolm Marshall commented to a struggling David Boon: 'Now are you going to get out or am I going to have to bowl round the wicket and kill you?'

Buy this book online now for R136 by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

Taking The Mickey

Mickey Arthur was one of SA’s longest-serving and most successful coaches. In 2008, along with the national team, he created history when the Proteas beat both England and Australia on their own turf. Beating Pakistan away from home the year before, set in motion an unprecedented journey to the number one ranking in both ODI and Test cricket. Since the world ranking system was introduced to international cricket, Australia has been the only other team to achieve this feat.

In 12 tours ‘down under’ spanning almost a century, South Africa has never managed to win a Test series in Australia. But Arthur, captain Graeme Smith and the rest of the team overcame incredible odds to chase a total of over 400 in the first Test in Perth. They faced what seemed certain defeat in Melbourne to win again and take an unbeatable 2-0 series lead. South Africa became the top ranked team in test cricket, finally unseating the mighty Australians who dominated for years. Soon after, they repeated this feat when they became the top ranked ODI team.


But behind the scenes, things weren’t always progressing smoothly. Whereas Arthur would do anything for the team, his uncompromising approach to administrators and refusal to be dictated to by men he believed were ‘out of touch’, was beginning to count against him. Not surprisingly, the Proteas failed to live up to the heights of 2008. They suffered the ignominy of a first round exit from the Champions Trophy at the beginning of the 2009 season. Soon after, they had to win the final Test of a four-match series against England to salvage a draw.

But there was nothing ominous about the players’ collective form and spirits were high as the squad prepared for a tour to India. The tour was for all intents and purposes a Test match ‘world championship’ between the two nations ranked first and second in the world. A week before the team’s departure, Arthur ‘resigned’. He was given no choice. A press conference was hastily called in his home town of East London and Smith flew from Cape Town to appear alongside him and quash rumours of deterioration in their personal relationship. Arthur never elaborated on the reasons for his untimely dismissal.

You can buy the book online from Kalahari by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

The Extraordinary Book of SA Cricket

The Extraordinary Book of South African Cricket is the perfect gift for any cricket fanatic. Following up on their tremendous success with The Penguin Book of South African Sports Trivia, Kevin McCallum and David O’Sullivan have trawled the South African cricket archives and put together a collection of behind-the-scenes tales, curiosities, trivia, quotable quotes, famous pranks, amazing-but-true scorecards, great triumphs and embarrassing blunders.

You can buy the book for R104 from Kalahari by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

International Cricket 2010

International Cricket 2010 has the most authentic and intuitive cricket gameplay you've ever experienced; featuring a range of innovations to deliver the definitive videogame representation of the sport.

Officially licensed by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket board) and Cricket Australia, IC 2010 includes official players, stadia and kits, for an authentic cricket experience.

Next-generation graphics, a stellar commentary team including Jonathan ‘Aggers’ Agnew and Shane Warne, and Hawk-Eye technology combine for a slick TV style presentation.

IC 2010 will take interactive cricket to the next level.

You can buy this game online for Xbox for R365.70 by clicking HERE or on the game cover.

Sachin Tendulkar - Biography

‘He’s a god in India and people believe luck shines in his hand . . . It is beyond chaos—It is a frantic appeal by a nation to one man.’— Matthew Hayden on Sachin Tendulkar In the twenty years that he has been in the public eye, Sachin Tendulkar has been explosive on the cricket field and just as reticent off it. He was barely fifteen years old when he first wrote his name into record books with a stupendous 664-run partnership with his childhood friend Vinod Kambli. A few months later, he struck his first century in first-class cricket.

At seventeen he became the second youngest man to make a hundred in international cricket, and after that there was no looking back. Today, Sachin is widely regarded as the world’s finest batsman, with impeccable technique, an incredible array of strokes, and maturity far beyond his years.

In this biography of the hero of Indian cricket, sports writer Gulu Ezekiel mines interviews, press reports and conversations over the last two decades and more to create an accurate and sympathetic account of the man and his first passion: cricket. He tracks Sachin from his childhood when he first caught the bug of cricket, through his early performances in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments, and follows him on his meteoric rise to international stardom.

Buy this book online from Kalahari for R120 by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

Herschelle Gibbs bio looks fun

There have rarely been few cricketers as precocious as Herschelle Gibbs and that's why I was quite excited to see that his autobiography is about to hit the shelves. Should make an awesome Christmas present.

It releases on 1 November and you can buy it from Kalahari for R160 or click on the book cover.

To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography:
There's something about Herschelle Gibbs - a certain quality that has endeared him to cricket fans in South Africa and around the world.

Despite the frustrating on-field inconsistencies of this towering talent, and the messy and very public off-field personal troubles that have tracked him through the years, Gibbs remains one of South African cricket's best-loved sons.

In his own, very frank, words, Herschelle Gibbs chronicles the ups and downs of his personal and professional life, and describes what it's been like to be part of the Proteas for the past fourteen years, through the controversies of its various captains, coaches and administrators.

To the Point is of course, a spicy story of excess - women, alcohol, money and plenty of runs - but it also reveals a warm and generous man who wears his heart on his slevee.

Slow Death: Memoirs of a Cricket Umpire: Memoirs of a Cricket Umpire

I came across this book earlier today and I thought it would make a fantastic gift for any cricket fan. The fact that it is a South African author, publisher and features a South African cricket icon makes it even better!

Rudi Koertzen is one of world cricket's most experienced and respected umpires. In a career spanning 29 years, he has stood in 100 Test matches and 200 One Day Internationals. (To date, he is the only umpire to have stood in 200 ODIs.) The slow and deliberate way in which he raises his left arm to give a batsman out has given rise to his nickname, Slow Death, which gives this memoir its title.

Zim bouncing back

Irrespective of whether it is a case that India has simply played poorly, Zimbabwean cricket seems to be bouncing back in some small way and that's fantastic for the game as a whole.

Some of their recent results:

• Zimbabwe v India at Bulawayo - May 28, 2010 - Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets (with 10 balls remaining)
• Zimbabwe v India at Harare - Jun 3, 2010 - Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets (with 70 balls remaining)
• Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka at Harare - Jun 7, 2010 - Zimbabwe won by 8 wickets (with 13 balls remaining)

This isn't T20 cricket, which is a bit of a lottery - these are good results against two of the better One Day International sides.

Sure it is early days and Zimbabwe has always had a problem with depth but there are definately some encouraging signs that maybe they are going to be a force to be reckoned with again.

On the flip side, Gary Kirsten must be tearing his hair out (what little he had to start with) over this hot and cold performance from his side. Even without having the best side around, you would have thought India had the depth to be able to run Zimbabwe hard.

What disaster?

I have been thinking quite a lot about this whole T20 World Cup "disaster" for the South African side and reading all the negative comments that have been going around in the various media channels.

Everyone is dragging up the whole "chokers" tag again and wandering around with the whole "I told you so attitude".

Game 1 - we played India - lost by 14 runs
Game 2 - we played Afghanistan - won 59 runs
Game 3 - we played New Zealand - won by 13 runs
Game 4 - we played England - got thumped by 39 runs
Game 5 - we played Pakistan - lost by 11 runs

We had 1 bad game against England and then two average games against India and Pakistan. The difference between the two sides was effectively one over.

Yes it irritates the shit out of me that Morne Morkel bowls no-balls in ODI or T20 cricket. Yes it irritates the shit out of me that we battle to pace ourselves to score at 10 an over from the word go. It also irritates the shit out of me that somebody would dare to double step Dale Steyn and slug him 90 metres for a six... but these things happen and in T20 it is going to happen on a regular basis.

With due respect if we took on any of those sides in a test or full 50 over ODI match up, our win ratio would be 75% or higher if playing at home and probably 60% or higher playing away from home.

We need to take a look at what we take away from this event:

• Morne Morkel is not an ODI / T20 bowler - let's not treat him as such. Let him mature as a test bowler
• There is a serious argument to let Johan Botha become the dedicated ODI / T20 captain. He has shown he understands the format of the game - let's use his knowledge
• In T20 cricket, where are we going to use JP Duminy? He's a great middle order batter but is he the big hitter that we need with four overs to go?
• I'm a Herschelle Gibbs fan but at some point he needs to deliver the goods

We have to be a little realistic about what this tournament says about SA cricket. It's not the end of the world - hell it is hardly a black mark on our record - its just that we need to understand what we want to do with this T20 side.

Best cricket captain in the game?

I was watching South Africa versus New Zealand in the T20 World Cup and it got me thinking about who the best captains in world cricket are at the moment.

I think one of the things about a good captain is that sometimes their skills and attributes are overshadowed by the quality of the players in their team.

Here was the list I came up with and would be curious to get feedback from our readers:

Daniel Vettori: The New Zealand captain is without question one of the most astute players in the game. He's never really had a quality team underneath him but he has made the most of the opportunities when they have presented themselves and in ODI and T20 cricket, Vettori has been surprisingly competitive.

Ricky Ponting: "Punter" inherited a top quality team but it is not easy to make a quality side "gel" and become one of the most successful units in world cricket for the better part of a decade. His competitive nature and his never say die attitude make him one of the best in the world.

Graeme Smith: Is Smith a good captain? This is one the questions that rolls around in my head regularly. There is no question he is an awesome cricketer and the kind of guy you would want in your corner in almost every fight. But is he tactically astute and can he think on his feet in the way that somebody like Johan Botha (his deputy / stand-in ODI captain) can?

Forget the whole "chokers" tage which gets bandied around. Every now and then I get the sense that Smith "innovates" for the wrong reasons or doesn't know how to change the gameplan when things are looking questionable.

Dunno - thoughts on who the best current captains are in world cricket and who are the more tactically astute players we should be watching in the next few years?

T20 World Cup - first 24 hours

Admit it, if you were a cricket fan you were intrigued to see how Afghanistan played today in their first outing in the T20 World Cup...

Apart from that first clown who came out and wanted to smash the ball to all corners of the park, I actually thought they played quite well against a more than useful Indian side.

(On a side note - how nice was that ground that they played at today? Very scenic!)

Noor Ali and Asghar Stanikzai actually played really sensible cricket in the middle parts of the innings - very few stupid shots. They ran the singles when they were there and they hit had no issues taking a crack at the Indian spinners when they saw the chance was there.

115 was never going to be enough against a side that included Dhoni, Ghambir, Pathan and Yuvraj Singh but it could have been far worse.

So what's happened so far:

• New Zealand have beaten Sri Lanka in a close match up
• West Indies have thumped Ireland but looked really bad doing it
• India beat Afghanistan

Pakistan actually look quite dangerous in this competition and they might not be worth a punt at 10/1... but remember T20 cricket is an absolute lottery.

Calling all cricket fans

Fresh from the IPL action, we now invite you to play the ICC World Twenty20 Fantasy League. Select your team of global stars from the 12 countries participating in the 2010 edition of the ICC World Twenty20 series. The tournament starts on Friday 30 April with the opening match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at 19:00 SA time.

Enter your team now at http://fantasy.supersport.com/t20

With another exciting IPL series drawing to a close, the action now switches to the West Indies where the top cricketing nations will be challenging for the honour to be crowned ICC World Twenty20 champions. Will Pakistan be able to mount a serious defence of their title? The team is in turmoil and there are some strong challengers snapping at their heels, with the likes of Australia, India, South Africa and Sri Lanka all keen to claim the 2010 trophy. Fantasy managers can pick their team based on recent IPL form with top players such as Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan, David Warner, Kevin Pietersen and Lasith Malinga all available for selection.

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www.supersport.com/fantasy

Losing its lustre?

As a South African cricket fan, I have been a little disappointed by the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket this year and I can't put my finger on why?

I'm not sure whether it has become a little gimmicky or what but I've noticed this year that the quality of the cricket has not been particularly high. I watched the game with the Kings Punjab XI couldn't catch a cold, let alone a cricket ball.

Don't get me wrong - Matt Hayden and "The Mongoose" is a little innovative and something to at least keep the crowds a little entertained but not sure its enough to keep the fans coming back.

Some of the images from the games I've watched seemed to show that the grounds were a little emptier than they were in previous years? But now there are supposedly two new franchises coming in to play in 2011 - are they not diluting the brands which have been built over the last few years?

Surely it is only now that the brands and franchises are starting to build international fan bases?

Not sure whether it is a fair comparison but a few years ago there was quite a strong "Masters" setup in tennis where a lot of the players who were at the ends of their professional careers were involved in a league. The tennis wasn't the fastest or hardest but the players had fun and the crowds enjoyed it. The question for me is whether or not this is where the IPL is headed - a social graveyard where players go to have a bit of fun before they retire?

Dunno? Thoughts on the IPL?

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Sunday IPL action

Two IPL games on the go today with the Kings Punjab XI taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Daredevils playing host to the Royal Challengers Bangalore

Knight Riders vs Kings Punjab
T20 cricket is a lottery at the best of times but after the shocking showing from the Kings Punjab on Friday night I can't see how you can look beyond the Knight Riders to win this one.

Our picks for this match
Top Kings Punjab batsman - Youvraj Singh
Top Knight Riders batsman - Sourav Ganguly
Most sixes - KKR

Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

As for the Delhi Daredevils and the RCB, I'm leaning in favour of RCB for this one. Kohli really impressed me on Friday night and I've tipped him to carry on his form.

Top RCB batsman - Kohli
Top Daredevils Batsman - AB Devilliers

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Cricket picks - Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers

The Deccan Chargers need to pick up maximum points this afternoon against the Mumbai Indians if they are planning to make the knock-out stages of the IPL this year. Gilchrist and Co will be cursing the fact that they have dropped some points in earlier games and now need to make it up against Tendulkars men.

Our picks for this fixture:

• Split bet on top Deccan batsman - Andrew Symonds (5/1) and Herschelle Gibbs (4/1)


• Top Mumbai Indians batsman - JP Duminy

Come on Deccan!

Planning to take a bet on the Chargers today?
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What the hell happened?!

Did anybody watch the Kings Punjab XI versus the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL last night?

I have to ask half seriously whether the Kings Punjab team had a couple of phone calls from the bookies considering how they tossed away the game?

I think they dropped four catches, misfielded badly in close and let a couple of balls through to the boundary with some very average fielding attempts.

For crying in bucket - these are supposed to be well paid professionals, many of whom have represented their country at international level. Shocking stuff and certainly not doing the game any good.

Two new IPL franchises announced

Post a successful global Franchise Invitation to Tender process, the Indian Premier League (IPL) today unveiled the names of its two new official franchises for IPL 2011 next year. A fair and transparent bid process saw Sahara Adventure Sports and Rendezvous Sports World emerge winners for the exclusive franchise rights for the hottest sports league in the world.

The rights for the Pune franchise were won by the Sahara Adventure Sports - a part of the Sahara Group with a winning bid of USD 370 million, which was also the highest. Sahara had bid similar amounts for three cities namely Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Pune and finally selected Pune as the host city for the new franchise. The second winning bid was from a consortium named Rendezvous Sports World who won the Kochi franchise with a bid of USD 333 million. The level of interest in acquiring the two new franchises can be gauged by the fact that bids were received from five prospective franchises post an Invitation to Tender, including the Adani Group and VC Digital Solution (Videocon).

Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, Indian Premier League said, "We are absolutely delighted by the overwhelming response to our global Franchise Invitation to Tender process. As you can see the bidding for the two new official Franchises has been fair and transparent and is indicative of the revenue earning potential that the Indian Premier League represents. I am also certain that the IPL fans in Kochi and Pune would be particularly excited with an IPL franchise for their respective cities. Given the high quality of franchises that we have selected, we are certain that both the new franchises will do everything in their power to ensure good competitive teams for next year. All the bids received were of a very high standard and we would like to thank all of the organisations for their participation."

On winning the Pune franchise Abhijit Sarkar of Sahara Adventure Sports said, "The IPL is undoubtedly the most ground breaking international sports development in living memory. There is no precedent for what has been achieved by Mr. Lalit Modi and the BCCI over the last three years and the Sahara group is immensely proud to have won the Invitation to Tender from Pune. I can promise the people of Pune – a team they will be proud of in next year’s IPL 2011. I would like to thank Mr. Modi and the BCCI-IPL for running a very transparent process to allocate the Franchises. All of us within Sahara Adventure Sports just cannot wait for IPL 2011 to commence."

Shailendra Gaikwad of Rendezvous World Sport further added, “We have closely been following every development within the Indian Premier League right from the inaugural year. Today, I am very happy for our consortium of Rendezvous World Sport and the people Kochi as we finally have a team to call our own in this amazing city based sports franchise”

For more information on all the action in IPL 2010 log onto - www.IPLT20.com - the official online destination of the league.

IPL standings after game 22

After 22 matches in this years IPL these are the standings. Our picks for the season were the Deccan Chargers and the Rajasthan Royals who are at present slugging it out in third and fourth place respectively.

Mumbai Indians 8 +1.167
Royal Challengers Bangalore 8 +0.961
Rajasthan Royals 6 -0.017
Deccan Chargers 6 -0.031
Delhi Daredevils 6 -0.618
Chennai Super Kings 4 -0.079
Kolkata Knight Riders 4 -0.851
Kings XI Punjab 2 -0

So has IPL 2010 caught your eye? Is it losing any of its "novelty" factor yet? I won't lie I haven't watched as much of it this year as I did last year and its been more of the quirky things like Matt Hayden and "The Mongoose" which has made the news.

Kemar Roach

Does anybody know much about this West Indian cricketer that's apparently making a bit of a name for himself at the Deccan Chargers?

Apparently he is quite quick!

Just looked him up on CricInfo - full profile here - I like this bit though: "He won admirers in Australia for his hostile pace and in one Test, forced Ricky Ponting to retire hurt. He was one of the top draws in the third IPL auction and was bought by Deccan Chargers for $720000"

I'm a fan of anybody who roughs up the odd Australian!

Two match ups in the IPL on Sunday

The Deccan Chargers take on the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League today and this is followed up by Chennai vs Kings XI Punjab.

Here are our selections for the Sunday match ups:

Match-up one selections:

• Deccan to win
• Deccan top batsman - Herschelle Gibbs
• Delhi top batsman – AB Devilliers

Match up two:

• Chennai to win
• Top Punjab batsman – Yufraj Singh
• Top Chennia batsman – Either Matt Hayden or Albie Morkel (12/1)

Happy punting!

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Some odd SA selections to say the least!

Earlier this week South Africa named a number of its shortlists for touring teams to do duty in some up-coming tours:

ICC World Twenty20 Squad (prov)
Graeme Smith (Cape Cobras, captain)
Jacques Kallis (Warriors, vice-captain)
Loots Bosman (Dolphins)
Johan Botha (Warriors)
Mark Boucher (Warriors)
AB de Villiers (Titans)
JP Duminy (Cape Cobras)
Herschelle Gibbs (Cape Cobras)
Justin Kemp (Cape Cobras)
Charl Langeveldt (Cape Cobras)
Ryan McLaren (Diamond Eagles)
Albie Morkel (Titans)
Morne Morkel (Titans)
Wayne Parnell (Warriors)
Vernon Philander (Cape Cobras)
Dale Steyn (Titans)
Rusty Theron (Warriors)
Roelof van der Merwe (Titans)

I'd be a little surprised if either Kemp or Morne Morkel made the final cut here... Kemp's 33 now and while age shouldn't be grounds for exclusion I'm not sure he adds much. Why not take somebody like Thami Tsolekile and an up and coming "skiddy" type bowler like Francois Plaatjies along?

ODI Squad for West Indies Tour
Graeme Smith (Cape Cobras, captain)
Jacques Kallis (Warriors, vice-captain)
Hashim Amla (Dolphins)
Loots Bosman (Dolphins)
Johan Botha (Warriors)
Mark Boucher (Warriors)
AB de Villiers (Titans)
JP Duminy (Cape Cobras)
Charl Langeveldt (Cape Cobras)
Ryan McLaren (Diamond Eagles)
Morne Morkel (Titans)
Wayne Parnell (Warriors)
Alviro Petersen (Highveld Lions)
Dale Steyn (Titans)
Lonwabo Tsotsobe (Warriors)
Roelof van der Merwe (Titans)

Not much more you could have done with this side although I'm surprised that they are not giving more game time to a Mark Boucher backup of some description. I suspect the West Indies are going to get rolled again pretty much irrespective of what side we roll out - why not let some of the youngsters have a run? Should Duminy be there over a performing young batter like Vaughn van Jaarsveld or Steven Cook?

Test Squad for West Indies Tour
Graeme Smith (Cape Cobras, capt)
Jacques Kallis (Warriors, vice-capt)
Hashim Amla (Dolphins)
Johan Botha (Warriors)
Mark Boucher (Warriors)
AB de Villiers (Titans)
JP Duminy (Cape Cobras)
Paul Harris (Titans)
Ryan McLaren (Diamond Eagles)
Morne Morkel (Titans)
Wayne Parnell (Warriors)
Alviro Petersen (Highveld Lions)
Ashwell Prince (Warriors)
Dale Steyn (Titans)
Lonwabo Tsotsobe (Warriors)

Again a similar question about whether or not Duminy should be there (on current form). I don't like Ryan Mclaren as a test cricketer but I seem to be in the minority here so I'll just mumble quietly under my breath...

IPL Season 3 betting

The third season of the T20 cricket bonanza that is the Indian Premier League (IPL) is on its way and it looks like quite an open season this year.

The pre-season odds as supplied by the team at World Sports Betting:

Delhi Daredevils – 3.5 / 1
Chennai Super Kings – 5/1
Deccan Chargers – 5/1
Bangalore Royal Challengers – 6/1
Mumbai Indians – 6/1
Kolkata Knight Riders – 7/1
Kings Xi Punjab – 7.5/1
Rajasthan Royals – 8/1

I am a Deccan Chargers fan so I’ve backed them and the Rajasthan Royals in this years competition.

The Chargers are a quality outfit and surprised that they are not favourites this year but I’ll take those odds thank you very much!

The Royals also surprised me that they were so far out of favour with the bookies. The side includes some quality T20 players including:

• Graeme Smith
• Shane Warne
• Morne Morkel
• Shaun Tait
• Yussuf Pathan
• Johan Botha

Suffice to say they are my outside bet but the Chargers remain my first pick. Bring on the IPL!

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IPL Fantasy League brought to you by Standard Bank - starts Fri 12 March

Rock Star Cricket scales up a notch as we move to the sub-continent for the next action-packed edition of the IPL tournament. With an exciting domestic Pro20 series drawing to a close, now is the time to select your Rock Star team of IPL superstars. Once again, we have some awesome cash prizes up for grabs thanks to Standard Bank. The first round of the IPL Fantasy League kicks off on Friday 12 March. Enter your team now at www.ultimatedreamteams.co.za/cricket

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Kudo's to the little master

Sachin Tendulkar has been around for such a long time in professional cricket that sometimes people forget how good he really is.

We've seen so many generations of "the next big thing" and yet 20 years after he made his test debut, Sachin is able to blast 200 in a One Day International against one of the premier ODI lineups in South Africa.

15 November 1989, Tendulkar went out to bat against Pakistan in Karachi and in a display of sheer bloody-mindedness he stands up after being hit in the face by a Waqar Younis quick delivery. He was eventually out for 57.

24 February 2010 Tendulkar went out to bat against some of the worlds best fast bowlers and he proceeded to smash 200 not out.

It really is phenomenal stuff. Thanks for the awesome memories and contribution to the game Sachin!

Hashim Amla - greatest ever?

There is an interesting post on the SA Cricket Blog where Shaun asks whether or not Hashim Amla is the best batsman ever produced... sorry let me correct that...

... his headline says: "Hashim Amla, the greatest batsman that South Africa has produced" and then in the post he writes: "I’m of the opinion that Hashim Amla will become the highest scoring Test batsman that South Africa has ever produced."

There's an important distinction that needs to be made there because highest scoring versus greatest are two very different categories.

"Greatest" batsman ever will always be a contentious issue. You will always remember the positives about the batsman you watch and the guy you remember scoring the winning runs / digging you out of trouble when the chips were down. One generation for instance will always remember the Pollocks of the world.

Me, I think that the Gary Kirsten and Graeme Smith are the two greatest batters SA has produced. Others like Amla while others say that AB De Villiers will still go on to be the greatest. At the moment Amla's record speaks for itself.

At the moment De Villiers, Amla and even Smith to some extent live in the shadow of Jacques Kallis. Have a look at the great mans record below and you will see what I mean! 21000+ runs for South Africa - a true servant of the game.

I dunno - I think it would be an interesting debate. Who is the best and what have they done to get there?

Here is some food for thought in terms of stats for Amla, Smith, Kallis and Kirsten:

Hashim Amla
Age: 26
Test runs: 3261
Average: 47.26
ODI runs: 848
Average: 47.11

Graeme Smith
Age: 29
Test runs: 6799
Average: 49
ODI runs: 5613
Average: 40.47

Jacques Kallis
Age: 34
Test runs: 10843
Average: 54.76
ODI runs: 10498
Average: 45.44

Gary Kirsten
Age: No longer playing
Test runs: 7239
Average: 45.27
ODI runs: 6798
Average: 40.95

They're all awesome cricketers that's for sure.

Fair result

1-1 was a fair result for this test series... but geez it was achingly close!

I really thought that Hashim Amla and Morne Morkel were going to hang on for those last few overs. But it was not to be and kudos to India for fighting to the end.

This was good quality test match cricket!

Although having said that, both sides really did blow hot and cold over the series. Amla was brilliant through the series, but he was the only one to really stamp his authority down on the game - he really was an asset for the side.

Big question marks continue to hang over Ashwell Prince and JP Duminy. They can't buy runs at the moment. It was really encouraging to see Alviro Petersen making the step up to test cricket - he's going to be pushing hard for a place and one has to wonder whether it will be Prince or Duminy who gets the boot?

And now for the ODI's - should be brilliant.

Feel good story

There is a fantastic story today on The Times Live website today around Hashim Amla and I think this is the kind of story that South Africa needs to hear more of.

For those of you with a little bit of a memory you will remember that there was quite an outcry when Hashim Amla was selected to first play for the Proteas. The issue that was raised at the time was that he requested not to wear the logo of the South African Breweries (the national team sponsor) because ultimately it was against his religious beliefs.

It raised some issues because a lot of people felt that he was setting a bad precedent and could ultimately damage SAB's relationship with cricket.

However SAB relented and it the sport has been graced by a fantastic cricketer... even if Dean Jones did once infamously call him a terrorist on national television.

I won't lie - when Amla first came on the scene I didn't think he was good enough to play such a critical role in the team. I thought he would be technically found wanting against genuine quick bowlers and wouldn't be able to hold his place.

Earlier this week he moved into the top 10 batsmen in the world after his double century against India and another century in the second test. He's a good player.

He has an average just under 45. He has scored a double century and has multiple centuries against India and England. He has not got one against Australia yet but hopefully that will change in the not too distant future.

Even ODI cricket (which he hasn't played a lot of) he has an average over 45.

On behalf of South African cricket we thank a great cricketer for a great contribution to the team and our enjoyment as fans!

How bizarre is this cricket?!

They say that cricket is a funny old game and this second test match between India and South Africa just highlights it!

One moment Alviro Petersen and Hashim Amla were cruising along with both of them smashing centuries and the next moment we are 257/8 with De Villiers (12), Price (1), Duminy (0), Harris (1) all going cheaply.

So much for Ashwell Prince anchoring the middle-order!

It is good to see India fighting back like this. It would have been a bit miserable if we had simply steam-rollered them into submission like we did in the first test.

Kudo's to Petersen making a century on debut - he's played nicely.

Well this is exciting cricket news!

The Cape Cobras today announced plans to become part of the world’s first global and continental sports franchise, linking up with teams from four other leading cricket nations.

Western Cape Cricket Chairman Mohamed Ebrahim and Chief Executive Andre Odendaal flew to London last night to discuss an agreement which will bring together the Rajasthan Royals of India, the Hampshire Hawks of England, Trinidad and Tobago of the West Indies, the Cape Cobras and one of the top Australian teams, soon to be announced.

The deal will apply to Twenty20 cricket in the five countries.

Details of the planned super-franchise, Royals2020, were announced at a press conference at Lord’s in London this afternoon.

Odendaal said that the partnership would have big benefits for the franchise, the players and the Cobras’ supporters, provided that all the details could be worked out.

“We have been talking about and developing this initiative for well over a year,” said Odendaal. “If formal agreements can be reached in the next few weeks, this new ‘family’ will be opening up a whole new path in cricket. The partners will continue to operate as they do at present in domestic cricket but with the benefits of working together.

Gerald Majola, CSA CEO, said: “CSA endorses this initiative and is confident that all stakeholders will conclude the details.

“This global link up will have benefits for the Cape Cobras through the injection of new funds and new energies that will bring further cricket development to the region and ultimately to South African cricket.

“The parties concerned are to be congratulated on this creative dimension to our sport. It is yet another bonus in this exciting era for domestic players to compete in the global arena”.

Mickey Arthur departs

I've never been a fan of Mickey Arthur as the South African cricket coach. Yes he has a decent record but in reality he acquired a really top quality team.

At any stage in his tenure he had the worlds top all-round cricketers (Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock), one of the worlds top batters and longest serving captains (Graeme Smith), the worlds top-ranked fast bowler (Dale Steyn) and a host of other superstars in the side.

I was thinking back over his time in charge and trying to work out what were the real highlights for him.

• We won in Australia - but that result was courtesy of some exceptional individual performances. Does that get attributed to the coach?
• We couldn't follow this up with a win at home (Mental toughness? Unlucky?)
  
• We drew with England at home with the side blowing hot and cold. Some odd selections and a side that looked very undercooked for the ODI and at least the first two test matches

The only one that really jumped out at me is the performance on the sub-continent where really strong management is vital. Winning a test series in India requires a concerted effort both by the players as well as the support staff and this we managed.

As a slight aside - it is interesting to see our Corrie Van Zyl continues to chug along as a regular feature in this side. He's obviously doing something right!

The real question now is who is going to takeover in the long run. I suspect that it has to be somebody with a really strong personality that can work well with Graeme Smith. Is Van Zyl or somebody like Kepler Wessels the right man? Maybe...

My personal choice would be Gary Kirsten but I'm not sure he'd give up the big money India job just yet.

JP Duminy

Well at least we have a win at the Wanderers and a draw in the series preventing the English pigs from taking our pride and dignity by beating us on home turf.

A small observation is that JP Duminy has just picked up the last two wickets with his off-spinners and has actually been surprisingly good with the ball in this series. Maybe if the SA selectors are not keen to have Harris as part of the test setup then one idea might be for Duminy to come in at number 7 in place of Ryan Mclaren so we have some variety in the attack.

We could then find an opener and shift Prince back into the middle-order.

I wonder if the South Africans and English side are keen to paly a T20 game to decide the series?

England destroyed

Well England took a bit of a pasting on the first day of the fourth test against South Africa at the Wanderers.

Hostile bowling from Dale Steyn (5-51) and Morne Morkel (3-39) reduced England to 180 all out. Ashwell Prince (15) and Graeme Smith (12) managed to see us to the close of play at 29-0 which was encouraging... I guess the real question is whether or not the weather is going to play ball.

It still looks a little overcast in Johannesburg today.

It was nice to see Wayne Parnell get a run but he managed to roll off just 3 overs for 18 run - fortunately the rest of the team (including Ryan Mclaren) managed to pick up his slack and roll over England.

Mclaren was useful (1-30) although I'm not totally convinced he's long-term test cricket material. I can't see what he brings to the party. Fortunately JP Duminy has been delivering with his off-spinners so it does provide some variety for Graeme Smith to call on.

Will be interesting to see how the SA batters fare today. I got the impression that Englands batters contrived to get themselves out rather than problems with the pitch.

Let's see what Day 2 holds

Does Mickey Arthur have a plan?

I know that coach-bashing is a popular past-time in South African sports, but the more I look at the selections and planning around our national cricket team, the more I wonder whether or not Mickey Arthur really has a clue about where he’s taking this team?

The openers crisis
Our inability to find a decent opening pair is a starting point. Yes Ashwell Prince has had some success there but he’s indicated that he doesn’t want to play there on a regular basis and it puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the team when he gets out cheap.

Yes these may be our six best batters, but why are we trying to make an opener out of somebody out of a middle-order batter?

We have the Andrew Putticks and Stephen Cooks of the world who are chalking up the runs, but whenever the mess hits the fan we draft Herschelle Gibbs back in or try and invent an opener.

Friedel de Wet
De Wet at the age of 29 has come out of nowhere to represent the test squad and somehow is now the first choice back up to Dale Steyn. With Ntini’s retirement this makes him part of the first-choice attack. Where did he come from? He was never given a run in the ODI or T20 side before he suddenly got a surprise call-up.

Wayne Parnell, Lonwaba Tsotsobe, Rory Kleinveldt, Johan van der Wath, Yussuf Abdullah, Ryan Mclaren and Albie Morkel have all been given a crack in the ODI side. Somehow De Wet leapfrogs over all of these guys and Johan Botha into the first test team?

Imran Tahir
The Pakistani / we think South African spinner was out of the blue included in the fourth test match squad at the Wanderers.

Then he was dropped when questions around his eligibility were raised.

All of a sudden he has jumped ahead of all the other bowlers – including the very successful and experienced Johan Botha as a test candidate?

For sure it is easy to be an armchair fan and criticise Arthur and the selectors for the makeup of the team, but there doesn’t look like there is any real process happening here to develop and build a sustainable long-term team.

England sneak home

Graham Onions is probably the most hated man in South African cricket right now as he once again frustrated the home team and made sure that England for the second time in three test matches hung on for an improbable draw.

There have been some incredibly exciting moments in this test series and to have had two of them go down to the absolute wire is good for the game.

One of the commentators summed it up perfectly that South Africa have outplayed England for most of the series and apart from one really bad day in the second test, we should be 2-0 or 2-1 up. Yet somehow we are not.

The Proteas are going to have to take a long hard look at themselves going into this last test match. There is some gnashing of teeth and threats that JP Duminy, Ashwell Prince and Paul Harris are under pressure to maintain their places.

Prince is in a no-win situation at the moment. He is playing a role he doesn’t like, he’s relatively short of cricket and he knows he is under pressure in terms of his form. If they are not prepared to shift him down the order, they are doing him no favours keeping him there.

Duminy’s success with the ball in this test match means he will almost certainly keep his place, but he really needs to get some runs and add some stability to our middle-order.

Ironically Paul Harris is the one player whose position is under threat with many people blaming him for our problems and inability to bowl out opposition. The criticism laid at Harris’ door is that he doesn’t take wickets – the reality is that he has taken 11 wickets and only Morne Morkel (12) has taken more than him. Admittedly Steyn missed the first test but the statistics don’t lie.

The wickets he has taken have also not been mugs. Pietersen, Cook, Strauss, Collingwood – they’ve all been taken by Harris at some point in this series.

More important than all of this is the initial reason Harris was included in the side. Harris does a very specific job in the side that allows Graeme Smith to rotate his seamers. Harris ties up and end, squeezes out wickets and he has done it very well for South Africa.

We have one test match to go in this series and it is a must-win situation. By all means look at a jiggle in the batting line-up and find a way to get Wayne Parnell into the side, but don’t lay the blame at the door of Paul Harris.

That's better!

Ah a MUCH more satisfying day in the cricket. My only grumble is that World Sports Betting didn't have any bets up for a top SA batter in the second innings as I was trying to lay down some moola on Graeme Smith.

I actually thought that Hashim Amla batted particularly well today and while Smith got the really big score, it was Amla who looked more fluent - surely it makes more sense for Amla to move up to partner Smith and drop Prince in the middle order if the selectors want to stick with this top 6?!

Otherwise it is time to give either Andrew Puttick or Stephen Cook a crack at the opening berth... unfortunately the selectors don't appear to have given much thought to building squad depth and haven't really given them much t of a run in the ODI side so its a bit difficult to know how they fit into this side.

While the Prior / Onions partnership for the last wicket was a little frustrating, I thought that we actually bowled really well. Morne Morkel finally looked like he wanted to show the world what he can do and Dale Steyn looked fast and scary. While Friedel de Wet didn't pick up any wickets I thought he played his role well and his figures were respectable (16 3 36 0).

I have to say that I am a little surprised that Steyn didn't pick up the original new ball - will be interesting to see what happens in the second innings.

Very satisfying to see the Poms being belted around "Fortress Newlands".

Predictions - 3rd test at Newlands, England vs. South Africa

The third test match is here and the Proteas are smarting from the hiding they took in Durban.

You can see that Graeme Smith is not a happy man and I’m expecting the Proteas to finally come to a game switched and ready to scrap. When this SA team has its back to the wall and is taking flak from supporters and the media alike they tend to bounce back … and hard!

With the first innings I am backing either Graeme Smith or Ashwell Prince (no announcement has been made that he won’t play) to top score for us. I’m getting odds of 3/1 for Smith and 5/1 for Prince.

Smith is likely to lead from the front and Prince is too good a player to get himself bogged down after two bad performances.

For the English I am backing Jonathan Trott who I got at 5/1.

C’mon the Proteas.

Two tests down and its not looking good

By: Marc Ashton

So South Africa and England have squared up against one another in two test matches:

• Result one was a hard-fought draw with the poms hanging on for dear life.
  
• Result two - the English steam-roller the home team at Kingsmead

Before the first test match started, I had concerns that the South African attack was lacking sufficient penetration and variety in their attack. They managed to take 19 wickets but for big parts of that final day it looked like their attack was going to let them down.

The second test match was a disaster with the English team only needing to bat once and the South African bowlers chasing leather.

In both test matches spinners Paul Harris and Graeme Swann have proven their worth. The second test match, Harris was not his usual tidy self and the lack of variety in the attack was shown up for what it is worth.

Where to from here?
This is the question on all the South African fans lips at the moment.

Let's look at the weaknesses at the moment:

• Ashwell Prince has been short-changed being forced up into the openers berth. He' s a middle-order batter and is worth his weight in gold when he holds an innings together. He has said he doesn't like opening but will take one for the team. I am not totally sure that this is the most appropriate treatment for one of your most senior players?
  
• We need a genuine opener and if he has to come in for either JP Duminy or Prince then we need to bite the bullet and bring somebody who is used to the new ball. A bold selection would the decision to include Andrew Puttick but I doubt that the selectors will make that move and will instead plug away with the team that they have.
  
• Wayne Parnells exclusion is completely baffling. Neither Makhaya Ntini nor Morne Morkel have fired in the last two test matches and both Parnell and Friedel de Wet are chomping at the bit and on song.
  

Graeme Smith has said that wholesale changes are not needed but you have to ask how hungry this South African side really looks at the moment. You can see that the English have come to fight - that has been their attitude from the time they touched down in the country.

De Wet - a selection I admittedly didn't think had merit - and he showed how hungry he was in the first test and got rewarded with wickets. Two or three fringe players being given the chance to create a bit of competition for places isn't the worst thing in the world. Look how hungry Duminy was when he finally cracked the nod last year against Australia - he piled on the runs.

I am pretty sure that the South African selectors won't make any real changes for the third test. There may be consideration to either a swap with Morkel or Duminy, but nothing in the past has shown that Micky Arthurs selection policies are likely to be particularly bold.