Monday
Almost nothing going on sport wise with the euphoria still continuing after the weekend before. However, I enjoyed Flintoff's Ashes roadshow live from the Southbank Bar in Nottingham. The start guest was Glenn McGrath, who recalled getting Mike Atherton out in 2001: Apparently it was "the only time I felt sorry getting a batsman out," and he thought to himself, "It shouldn't be this easy." Nice. Best of all was when Carl Froch arrived and faced up to Glenn, who was so scared he couldn't look him straight in the face.
Almost nothing going on sport wise with the euphoria still continuing after the weekend before. However, I enjoyed Flintoff's Ashes roadshow live from the Southbank Bar in Nottingham. The start guest was Glenn McGrath, who recalled getting Mike Atherton out in 2001: Apparently it was "the only time I felt sorry getting a batsman out," and he thought to himself, "It shouldn't be this easy." Nice. Best of all was when Carl Froch arrived and faced up to Glenn, who was so scared he couldn't look him straight in the face.
Ricky Ponting is playing his penultimate knock in first-class cricket and he gets out to... Samit Patel. Right.
Good tweet from Michael Vaughan during his Twitter Q&A: "@GavDolts: @MichaelVaughan how did Warney end up with liz #AskVaughany" Very good question... #lol
Tuesday
The big story of the day is apparently Luis Suarez re-iterating that he wants to leave Liverpool. It really is a slow news day. It is, however, the day before the Ashes begins. The opening day of the Ashes is like transfer deadline day, Christmas (ok Hanukah) and FA Cup third round weekend all in one. Writing this now the night before, without a clue what will happen, it is hard not to be excited yet nervous.
Wednesday
The first over is said to set the tone for the Ashes series, although nobody told England last time when Andrew Strauss got out. You think back to Steve Harmison hitting Justin Langer on the elbow or Steve Harmison hitting Andrew Flintoff at second slip. As Fred himself said on Monday, he was hoping the ball would reach him, but only after hitting the edge. This time, James Pattinson tried to rough up Alastair Cook with a short ball only for it to loop (Steve) harmlessly over his head to be called a wide. The rest of the over was not much better.
Such is the great thinking in Australian thinking that they picked two players in the opening Test who weren't even in the original squad. Steve Smith was put down to bat at 6 and Ashton Agar was handed his Baggy Green cap in what is only his 11th first-class match. Poor old Nathan Lyon, dropped once more. A slightly comical moment when Sir Ian Botham said he didn't know who Agar was. Let's hope he's more Xavier Doherty than Dan Vettori.
The most enjoyable part of the coverage is the commentary. First stint and there was Michael Atherton bantering Nasser Hussain over winning the toss at Brisbane in 2002 and electing to bowl. At the end of the day Australia were 364-2 and Matthew Hayden was 186 not out. Hussain countered by mentioning how Glenn McGrath was on the outfield this morning. The same McGrath who dismissed Atherton 19 times in 17 Tests.
More good news for David Warner, who has been sent to Africa with Australia A to get some match practice. But apparently he is still part of the Ashes squad. Huh?
The action itself lived up to expectations, in that both sides bowling attacks are regarded as much stronger than their batting. Peter Siddle got another five-for on the opening day in a day with relentless ebb and flow. I have never seen a single day with so much momentum swing. The topping on this delicacy was the Jimmy Anderson ball to Michael Clarke, a ball which will leave me purring at night for the next few weeks.
Thursday
I missed the opening session due to graduation but returned staggered at what I had missed. I mean, Phil Hughes scored runs! And some teenager on debut made the highest score for a number 11 in Test history... but Hughes!
More technology controversy with Jonathan Trott given out lbw on review despite there appearing to be a deflection of the ball (although hotspot and snicko showed no edge).
After a frenetic five sessions, it was good to see Cook and KP crawl along at less than two overs for the rest of the day. Real, hard, Test match grafting at it's absolute finest.
Meanwhile, in Surrey, Ricky Ponting finished his first-class career with a match saving 169 not out. Nice to end on a high.
Friday
A real hard day of Test match cricket with England battling away to eke out as big a lead as possible. There was one major talking point though, the decision not to give Stuart Broad out after he almost middled a delivery from Agar which found its way to Clarke at slip via Brad Haddin's gloves. Somehow Aleem Dar, a man well known for giving England favourable decisions at Trent Bridge (Simon Katich, 2005) gave it not out. It was a shocker from Aleem, but the waste of two reviews, especially the second one which was nowhere near out, is the Australians' own fault. If anything, the decision not to give Agar out stumped when he was on six was a worse decision. Marias Erasmus had replays to use and still couldn't see it was clearly out.
If people are having a go at Broad for not walking, they should remember that certain Australians behind the wicket cannot say too much about dodgy decisions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwopmHUy6jo&feature=youtu.be
Credit to Shane Watson whose first 12 overs only went for two runs. But bigger credit for the Sherminator himself Ian Bell for his innings. I have been a critic of Bell in the past, a man with such talent but who gives his wicket away so tamely so often that it becomes infuriating. Great to see his bottle here, a stunning knock considering the pitch and circumstances.
Also today, the FA announced new rules regarding retrospective action for incidents on the field of play, coming after the Callum McManaman shocker last season. Before, officials could only change their minds if none of them had seen it at the time, but now: "The FA will reserve the right to take retrospective action when match officials are not in a position to fully assess a 'coming together' of players." Well that clears that up then. About as obvious as the 'interfering with play' associated with offsides.
Saturday
The Saturday of a Test match is something special and today was no exception. A fine Bell hundred, Joe Root getting a wicket before tea, Clarke snicking off and Hughes getting out to spin. On that score at least normal service was resumed.
New Fulham owner Shahid Khan says he wants to move the club up a level. Does that mean he's replacing the Michael Jackson statue with one of Elvis?
Sunday
One of the great Tests concluded in suitable style. Jimmy Anderson was inspirational, snicking off each Aussie batsman as they came in during his 13 over spell before lunch and afterwards. Only in Test cricket would over four days of action lead up to a thrilling climax and then a 40 minute break be taken.
It was probably suitable that the final wicket came from a referral after an incorrect umpiring decision. At least Marais Erasmus got this decision right. Judging by the massive ironic cheers when he picked up his match medallion at the end, the crowd were thinking the same. It's funny that there was no outrage over Brad Haddin not walking. Imagine if England had no referrals left either.
The most relieved man on the pitch must have been Steven Finn after his two over spell went for 24 runs which he then followed up by dropping Haddin when Australia were nine wickets down.
After his classic performance on Friday, Stuart Broad once more showed why he deserves to be nominated for the next Oscars. In an attempt to make sure his final over of the morning session was the last one to be bowled before the break, he spent a good minute taking his shoe off, looking around, before slowly re-tying it. It made no difference, though, as Graeme Swann had to wheel away for six more balls. The result was a maiden.
News breaking that Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell failed drugs tests. So that means the silver and bronze medals at every major 100m event are now more open than before.
Thiago Alcantara signs for Bayern Munich. The odds on them winning the Bundesliga next season must be similar to Celtic winning the SPL.
Also today, David Moyes is as quoted as saying that Wayne Rooney needs to stay at Manchester United to be a back-up for Robin van Persie. Ok, he said more than that, but I'm not sure that will exactly make Rooney feel more loved.
Arsenal beat the Indonesian All Stars 7-0. Wenger in?
Meanwhile...
Nothing dodgy going on here... http://www.africareview.com//Sports/Nigerian-clubs-suspended-after-scoring-146-goals/-/979186/1910164/-/l5pfj7z/-/index.html?relative=true
Tweet of the Week: Anton Ferdinand after John Terry's Dad was charged with racially aggravated assault -https://twitter.com/anton_ferdinand/status/354690764929896448/photo/1
Story of the Week: Some footballers move into coaching or the media when they retire. It looks like Ronaldo has different ideas - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2363517/Brazil-legend-Ronaldo-hopes-buy-Playboy-franchise-begin-soft-porn-magnate-career.html?ITO=socialnet-twitter-dmailsports&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=socialnet-twitter-dmailsports
Chelsea target Bruma was allegedly a victim of a kidnap attempt by Sporting Lisbon fans. Tottenham fans might attempt something similar with Gareth Bale
Headline of the Week: Bony offers Swans 'something extra'
Tyson Fury tries to rile up David Haye at their press conference. Please wake me up when they actually fight on September 28 - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-2360159/David-Haye-Tyson-Fury-clash-press-conference.html
Team gets relegated because a player didn't pay a £16 fine. Seems legit - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23259898
Fair to say Gavin Henson's time at Bath isn't going quite as planned... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-23286282
Sport this week:
The Ashes 2nd Test
The Open Championship - my each way tips are Els and Bjorn (so don't back them)
Tour de France
World Matchplay darts
Tuesday
The big story of the day is apparently Luis Suarez re-iterating that he wants to leave Liverpool. It really is a slow news day. It is, however, the day before the Ashes begins. The opening day of the Ashes is like transfer deadline day, Christmas (ok Hanukah) and FA Cup third round weekend all in one. Writing this now the night before, without a clue what will happen, it is hard not to be excited yet nervous.
Wednesday
The first over is said to set the tone for the Ashes series, although nobody told England last time when Andrew Strauss got out. You think back to Steve Harmison hitting Justin Langer on the elbow or Steve Harmison hitting Andrew Flintoff at second slip. As Fred himself said on Monday, he was hoping the ball would reach him, but only after hitting the edge. This time, James Pattinson tried to rough up Alastair Cook with a short ball only for it to loop (Steve) harmlessly over his head to be called a wide. The rest of the over was not much better.
Such is the great thinking in Australian thinking that they picked two players in the opening Test who weren't even in the original squad. Steve Smith was put down to bat at 6 and Ashton Agar was handed his Baggy Green cap in what is only his 11th first-class match. Poor old Nathan Lyon, dropped once more. A slightly comical moment when Sir Ian Botham said he didn't know who Agar was. Let's hope he's more Xavier Doherty than Dan Vettori.
The most enjoyable part of the coverage is the commentary. First stint and there was Michael Atherton bantering Nasser Hussain over winning the toss at Brisbane in 2002 and electing to bowl. At the end of the day Australia were 364-2 and Matthew Hayden was 186 not out. Hussain countered by mentioning how Glenn McGrath was on the outfield this morning. The same McGrath who dismissed Atherton 19 times in 17 Tests.
More good news for David Warner, who has been sent to Africa with Australia A to get some match practice. But apparently he is still part of the Ashes squad. Huh?
The action itself lived up to expectations, in that both sides bowling attacks are regarded as much stronger than their batting. Peter Siddle got another five-for on the opening day in a day with relentless ebb and flow. I have never seen a single day with so much momentum swing. The topping on this delicacy was the Jimmy Anderson ball to Michael Clarke, a ball which will leave me purring at night for the next few weeks.
Thursday
I missed the opening session due to graduation but returned staggered at what I had missed. I mean, Phil Hughes scored runs! And some teenager on debut made the highest score for a number 11 in Test history... but Hughes!
More technology controversy with Jonathan Trott given out lbw on review despite there appearing to be a deflection of the ball (although hotspot and snicko showed no edge).
After a frenetic five sessions, it was good to see Cook and KP crawl along at less than two overs for the rest of the day. Real, hard, Test match grafting at it's absolute finest.
Meanwhile, in Surrey, Ricky Ponting finished his first-class career with a match saving 169 not out. Nice to end on a high.
Friday
A real hard day of Test match cricket with England battling away to eke out as big a lead as possible. There was one major talking point though, the decision not to give Stuart Broad out after he almost middled a delivery from Agar which found its way to Clarke at slip via Brad Haddin's gloves. Somehow Aleem Dar, a man well known for giving England favourable decisions at Trent Bridge (Simon Katich, 2005) gave it not out. It was a shocker from Aleem, but the waste of two reviews, especially the second one which was nowhere near out, is the Australians' own fault. If anything, the decision not to give Agar out stumped when he was on six was a worse decision. Marias Erasmus had replays to use and still couldn't see it was clearly out.
If people are having a go at Broad for not walking, they should remember that certain Australians behind the wicket cannot say too much about dodgy decisions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwopmHUy6jo&feature=youtu.be
Credit to Shane Watson whose first 12 overs only went for two runs. But bigger credit for the Sherminator himself Ian Bell for his innings. I have been a critic of Bell in the past, a man with such talent but who gives his wicket away so tamely so often that it becomes infuriating. Great to see his bottle here, a stunning knock considering the pitch and circumstances.
Also today, the FA announced new rules regarding retrospective action for incidents on the field of play, coming after the Callum McManaman shocker last season. Before, officials could only change their minds if none of them had seen it at the time, but now: "The FA will reserve the right to take retrospective action when match officials are not in a position to fully assess a 'coming together' of players." Well that clears that up then. About as obvious as the 'interfering with play' associated with offsides.
Saturday
The Saturday of a Test match is something special and today was no exception. A fine Bell hundred, Joe Root getting a wicket before tea, Clarke snicking off and Hughes getting out to spin. On that score at least normal service was resumed.
New Fulham owner Shahid Khan says he wants to move the club up a level. Does that mean he's replacing the Michael Jackson statue with one of Elvis?
Sunday
One of the great Tests concluded in suitable style. Jimmy Anderson was inspirational, snicking off each Aussie batsman as they came in during his 13 over spell before lunch and afterwards. Only in Test cricket would over four days of action lead up to a thrilling climax and then a 40 minute break be taken.
It was probably suitable that the final wicket came from a referral after an incorrect umpiring decision. At least Marais Erasmus got this decision right. Judging by the massive ironic cheers when he picked up his match medallion at the end, the crowd were thinking the same. It's funny that there was no outrage over Brad Haddin not walking. Imagine if England had no referrals left either.
The most relieved man on the pitch must have been Steven Finn after his two over spell went for 24 runs which he then followed up by dropping Haddin when Australia were nine wickets down.
After his classic performance on Friday, Stuart Broad once more showed why he deserves to be nominated for the next Oscars. In an attempt to make sure his final over of the morning session was the last one to be bowled before the break, he spent a good minute taking his shoe off, looking around, before slowly re-tying it. It made no difference, though, as Graeme Swann had to wheel away for six more balls. The result was a maiden.
News breaking that Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell failed drugs tests. So that means the silver and bronze medals at every major 100m event are now more open than before.
Thiago Alcantara signs for Bayern Munich. The odds on them winning the Bundesliga next season must be similar to Celtic winning the SPL.
Also today, David Moyes is as quoted as saying that Wayne Rooney needs to stay at Manchester United to be a back-up for Robin van Persie. Ok, he said more than that, but I'm not sure that will exactly make Rooney feel more loved.
Arsenal beat the Indonesian All Stars 7-0. Wenger in?
Meanwhile...
Nothing dodgy going on here... http://www.africareview.com//Sports/Nigerian-clubs-suspended-after-scoring-146-goals/-/979186/1910164/-/l5pfj7z/-/index.html?relative=true
Tweet of the Week: Anton Ferdinand after John Terry's Dad was charged with racially aggravated assault -https://twitter.com/anton_ferdinand/status/354690764929896448/photo/1
Story of the Week: Some footballers move into coaching or the media when they retire. It looks like Ronaldo has different ideas - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2363517/Brazil-legend-Ronaldo-hopes-buy-Playboy-franchise-begin-soft-porn-magnate-career.html?ITO=socialnet-twitter-dmailsports&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=socialnet-twitter-dmailsports
Chelsea target Bruma was allegedly a victim of a kidnap attempt by Sporting Lisbon fans. Tottenham fans might attempt something similar with Gareth Bale
Headline of the Week: Bony offers Swans 'something extra'
Tyson Fury tries to rile up David Haye at their press conference. Please wake me up when they actually fight on September 28 - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-2360159/David-Haye-Tyson-Fury-clash-press-conference.html
Team gets relegated because a player didn't pay a £16 fine. Seems legit - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23259898
Fair to say Gavin Henson's time at Bath isn't going quite as planned... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-23286282
Sport this week:
The Ashes 2nd Test
The Open Championship - my each way tips are Els and Bjorn (so don't back them)
Tour de France
World Matchplay darts
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