Random thoughts and observations
Charles Coventry this week set a new world record score for batting in a one-day international cricket match. The fact he achieved it for Zimbabwe against Bangladesh means it has largely slipped under the radar. It was a marvellous achievement. Likewise, the massive strike by Brendan Taylor a few years ago to win the game [...]
Most Australians are dismissive or ignorant of New Zealand sporting achievements. They beat us at rugby most of the time and we beat them at cricket most of the time. That’s the extent of our interest and understanding. I overcame parochialism and wrote once about how I enjoyed reading The Book of Fame. It traces [...]
I’ve just finished reading a great yarn by Greg de Moore on Tom Wills: His Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall. Thomas Wentworth Wills (1835 – 1880) is described in the book’s subtitle as a “charmer, scoundrel and visionary sportsman”. He was certainly all of those things; a fascinating man, a sporting hero laid to waste [...]
Australian minds turn to cricket on Christmas Day. The Boxing Day Test is a highlight on the national sporting calendar, along with the Melbourne Cup and the AFL/NRL grand finals. Browsing YouTube tonight I came across the original video of C’mon Aussie C’mon from the 1970s. Cricket in that era went from an amateur sport [...]
Michael Slater’s commentary
I wonder if Michael Slater has talked his way out of the Channel Nine commentary team. Twice today he called “great shot” when batsmen hit catches. It’s obviously not a great shot if the hitter gets out. I liked Slater’s daring as a batsman, but he’s a pretty ordinary commentator, in my opinion. He doesn’t [...]