Musings about sports in general, & Cricket in particular. With baseball season coming up, will look into that, too. And lots of good cricket in 2007, including the World Cup.
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This is where you stick random tidbits of information about yourself.
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20030418
If there is a better team in the world than Australia now, I don’t see them. I’m not just talking cricket: football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, whatever sport you want to name, I think the Aussies are head & shoulders above everyone else right now. The Yankees & Man U notwithstanding…anyone. Their pounding of West Indies only serves to make this point. While the Windies are but a shadow of their former selves, let us not forget that Australia has had an extremely busy (Northern Hemisphere) winter. This is a team that should be totally worn out, but seems fresh as the proverbial daisy. Let us not forget their unbeaten run through the World Cup. Granted, leaving Langer & Waugh out of that Cup team seems now to have been a good move, as both (especially Langer) seem to be heating up & lifting the other boats with their rising tide. The Windies are profiting from a reinvigorated Lara & some aggressive bowling: against any other side, they would probably be competitive. Yet they can’t get started against the Aussies. And with the news that both Ridley Jacobs & Jermaine Lawson are out for the 2nd Test, which starts April 19, the news just went from bad to worse.
I know that this is starting to sound like some kind of Down Under lovefest, but the fact is that teams like this come along very rarely. Even the Windies during their heyday were not as dominating as this Aussie side. They’ve only lost one Test in the last two years, & that was to India at home (and let us not forget that India had to score several records to recrd that series win (including that magnificent win after being forced to follow on—only the 3rd time that had happened in Test Match history). Since then, in addition to their Cup triumph, they totally destroyed a South Africa side (& I sincerely believe that crippled the Proteas in their quest for the Cup at home), & only superb play in one match kept them from sweeping England at home to retain the Ashes. Indeed, it seems to require the best possible effort just to take one match out of a series away from these blokes. They’ve also proved that they can win without their stars: where else could you have lost Shane Warne & Mark Waugh & still roll like thunder. They can even win without McGrath, even though he’s back in now. Australia seems to have answered some questions vis a vis the retirement & aging of key players, & those answers are unfortunate for other sides.
It’s indeed amazing how things have turned around in the previous year: Australia was a question mark, South Africa seemed poised to take over, India & Pakistan seemed strong…my, how quickly things turn around! Other than the Aussies, the aforementioned teams are in shambles—although each certainly has the ability to turn things around (especially the Proteas). No matter how strong other sides are, the Aussies just seem to be stronger, regardless of whom they field.
It’s Holy Week, & that means the return of English County cricket! Surrey looks poised to perhaps repeat this year, & while Kent were looking good, their captain Fulton has gone in hospital for a bout of surgery. Two scores in already: Surrey beat Leicestershire by 483 runs (Surrey 494 & 492-declared; Leicestershire 361 & 142) & Warwickshire beat Sussex by 3 wickets (Sussex 352 & 341; Warwickshire 293 & 405-7).
4:38 AM
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