Give me a cricket tidbit!

[angryboy]

Which reminds me of the best sledge ever.
I think it was Arjuna wanted a runner and the mic picked up Healy saying ,"You don’t get a runner for being an overweight, unfit, fat c**t!!!"

[MacGyver]

Which reminds me of the best sledge ever.
I think it was Arjuna wanted a runner and the mic picked up Healy saying ,"You don’t get a runner for being an overweight, unfit, fat c**t!!!"

Yeah every time I hear the word "runner" I think of that quote!

Now if Heals could only commentate like he could sledge...

[wilde_oscar]

Before a long slide into medicority, I played A grade cricket as a little kid.

I still recall that one week Javed Miandad called for a runner in a televised game and the weekend's next match one prima donna on the other side called for a runner after two balls at the non-strikers end. None of us had ever heard of runners as kids but he was insistent and argued if Javed could do it then so could he.

That fellow was Richard Chee Quee - one of the few Chinese-Australians to play cricket at a serious level.

[MacGyver]

That fellow was Richard Chee Quee - one of the few Chinese-Australians to play cricket at a serious level.

Yes very talented cricketer. Opened the batting for New South if memory serves. He couldn't be that long into retirement. Of course he only got a run with New South when the test players were away but still no one can doubt that he was a good cricketer.

[wilde_oscar]

That fellow was Richard Chee Quee - one of the few Chinese-Australians to play cricket at a serious level.

Yes very talented cricketer. Opened the batting for New South if memory serves. He couldn't be that long into retirement. Of course he only got a run with New South when the test players were away but still no one can doubt that he was a good cricketer.

As I recall, he was always a 'fringe' state player but had a very solid career as a player for Randwick Petersham.

[InTheColdLightOfDay]

First time on any of your cricket threads, but it appears that nobody's commented yet on the major story of the moment.
Scotland lost their grip on the ICC Intercontinental Cup after losing in the final to Afghanistan. Who, I'm sure, are awesome at cricket.
Still, it's not too bad being the second best out of all the countries that don't care at all about cricket.

[Are they the lemmings?]

You know how there's nanshiki (rubber-ball) baseball for kids? Well, at least there is here in Japan; I'm not sure about other countries. Anyway, did we ever have a similar thing for cricket? (I mean on a properly-organised-league scale). I certainly don't remember anything like that. Even when we were little, any organised cricket was played with the regular leather ball. There were some crappy plastic-covered balls floating around, but they were for practice purposes and never used in games.

[wilde_oscar]

These days there seems to be all sorts of graduated options for kids (boys and girls seem to be on the same teams) cricket to get them into the sport early without too much trauma.

The Milo cricket kids at the lunch break seem to play either a sort of tee-ball or 'kanga cricket' all with soft balls and without the need for protective equipment.

I think this is a semi-recent innovation. Once kids hit high school age I think they play with hard balls in whites, but some competitions seem to be like indoor cricket in that they bat as a pair for four overs and lose runs if they get out.

[angryboy]

A little tidbit I just stumbled upon ; Ian Healy`s niece is the keeper in the Aus. women`s cricket team.
She starred in the win over N.Z. the other day.

[Are they the lemmings?]

I notice NZ are playing Pakistan in Hamilton. Chris Martin... remember Chris Martin? The fast-medium bowler who is also a hilariously bad batsman? On Crifinfo, they were talking about Martin being "on 97". His total runs in test cricket number 97 in 85 innings (59 tests) at an average of 2.36. I reckon they need to replace the 50s and 100s column in his batting stats with a ducks column; he's got a goodly number in that area.

...equally well known for his comically inept batting. Getting Martin out is as difficult as making a cup of tea and often takes less time. No New Zealand player has made more Test ducks than Martin.

[allblacks]

Good one! Before he was ousted, I think youll find, Stephen Fleming had a really shitty run. I know he was very good before that but for something like 15 tests and a whole buncha one dayers this guy failed again and again. Something like an average of 5 or 7 runs only.

At that time, NZ was playing like Aussie is now. Top order collapses galore.

Theyre talking about you LEMMINGS!

David Leggat: Like lemmings over a cliff

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/best-of-sport ... d=10698760

[RalphWiggum]

The first T20 of the series was exciting - right down to the last ball!

[wilde_oscar]

The first T20 of the series was exciting - right down to the last ball!

Not a bad game.

Shane Watson hasd it right when he said the recent floods put his inning and in perspective.

The legendary Keith Miller had a similar take on the 'pressure' of playing onal sports.

[Wage Slave]

Pretty good first 50 over game. Shane Watson was absolutely magnificent. Some scrappy play in the field from both sides but Australia deserved to win in the end.

[allblacks]

Saw this joke somewhere and thought it was worth putting up here.

Billy was at school this morning and the teacher asked all the children what their fathers did for a living. All the typical answers came out, fireman, policeman, salesman, chippy, captain of industry etc, but Billy was being uncharacteristically quiet and so the teacher asked him about his father.

‎"My father is an exotic dancer in a gay club and takes off all his clothes in front of other men. Sometimes if the offer is really good, he'll go out with a man, rent a cheap hotel room and let them sleep with him."The teacher quickly set the other children some work and took little Billy aside to ask him if that was really true.

"No" said Billy,"He plays cricket for Australia but I was just too embarrassed to say."

[wilde_oscar]

Pretty good first 50 over game. Shane Watson was absolutely magnificent. Some scrappy play in the field from both sides but Australia deserved to win in the end.

Not really a clash of the titans, but enthralling to watch.

Watson was, as you state, magnificent, but Clarke was being booed for his dot balls and applauded when he managed to get off strike. This has rarely happened to an Australian captain.

The real turning point may have been Johnson's soccer skills which sent a in-form KP back to the sheds - MJ's bowling seemed unlikey to accomplish the same outcome. That limited the final score of the England innings into something 'gettable'.

Haddin had a shocker with the gloves and looked a bit wonky with the bat too. Doherty did not really threaten (note that Hussey, D and Smith, S both claimed two wickets so there was something there for the slower men) and Brett lee really gave a great performace, much like an older Dennis Lilliee (i.e. bowling within himself, having lost some speed and gained some accuracy and guile).

I am unconvinced by Yardy but Shahzad looks like a very good prospect (like England need more talented quicks!).

Roll on game 2!

[allblacks]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Travel-events- ... 576080.htm

You guys will say WHO WANTS TO WATCH NZ FAIL? But to me it would be a perfect end to NZ summer... Beer in hand with 3 mates... Less than 600 yen a head per ticket.

[wilde_oscar]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Travel-events-activities/Event-tickets/Sports/auction-347576080.htm

You guys will say WHO WANTS TO WATCH NZ FAIL? But to me it would be a perfect end to NZ summer... Beer in hand with 3 mates... Less than 600 yen a head per ticket.

If I was out that way, I'd go.

Not a bad price either.

Note that Vettori just picked up a century ably supported by ... Chris Martin!

[allblacks]

NZ collapse yet again for a pathetic total chasing bugger all against the Pakis.

[Are they the lemmings?]

It's a bad look for any team to lose 14 out of their last 15 ODIs. It might be excusable if that team was, say, Bangladesh, but when it is an established cricket nation and many of those 14 losses were losses to Bangladesh, that's quite sad indeed.

[allblacks]

Awesome batting display!

[angryboy]

That was brilliant!
Some are watering it down because it was against the Bangers but I don`t give a shit - that sort of
batting against any team is magic.
Most sixes in an innings,highest percentage of the team total.Too bad we weren`t chasing a higher
score.He would have scored 200 and beyond.

[allblacks]

I just wanna know his background behind that display. Did he get up in the morning and just feel that today was the day to go for it?

You do have to admit that he should have been out at least twice in that. I mean Banglers fielders just dropped him for no reason. Clumsy maybe?

My favourite was when Ramsen or whatever bowled that no ball full toss and he just whisked it down to long leg for 4. Of course the 6s were all nice but that shot was just out of it.

[angryboy]

Close to 300 runs in the 3 games for him is not to be sneezed at either.

[wilde_oscar]

Pinky really is in a purple patch.

[MacGyver]

Scotland lost their grip on the ICC Intercontinental Cup after losing in the final to Afghanistan. Who, I'm sure, are awesome at cricket.

Pffft....we played 'em a few years ago in Jersey. Wasn't impressed. With their cricket, and even less so with their manners/attitude. We rolled 'em for 180 on a smallish ground and could well have chased it, but in the end only made 90-odd. Worth noting that there were at least 3 LBWs, none of which looked out, and one of our best bats was given out ct behind when he clearly didn't hit it (same ump who gave all the LBs).

In other cricket news, I'm off with the Japan team to Botswana tomorrow to play in WCL Div 7. Should be an interesting tournament.

[Are they the lemmings?]

In other cricket news, I'm off with the Japan team to Botswana tomorrow to play in WCL Div 7. Should be an interesting tournament.

Cool. You playing, coaching, helping out or just hanging on?

[MacGyver]

Cool. You playing, coaching, helping out or just hanging on?

Officially, I'm the manager. But until March I was the coach. The JCA (Japan Cricket Association) hired someone out of NZ who replaced me. Now I'm officially "assistant coach". While the timing was poor (we've been working toward this tournament for the past year and the new coach show up just in time for him to have a say in a team he knows almost nothing about), I can't say I'm bitter. To be fair, they did offer me the job but poor pay (300K yen) and location (Tochigi) were the main reasons I said no, although there were other reasons as well. So they did the right thing I think. But as I say its just a pity it was not long before this tournament. Can't say I wanted to go as manager and as the time approaches I am looking forward to it less and less.

I've thought about playing but the old body prolly wouldn't hold up to tournament play (6 games in 8 days) and it really isn't an ambition of mine. Had I been 10 years younger and had the fire in the belly like I did as a teenager playing junior/senior grade cricket, then I'd defo give it a go. I prefer what I'm doing now coaching-wise. Its just a shame that I am going on this trip as manager. Did that in 2008 to Jersey and said I'd never do it again and I thought this time would be different when I committed as coach. Too late to pull out once they hired a new coach so now stuck being manager on tour. I'm supposed to be going to PNG in July as well for ICC EAP Div. 1 but that'll depend on how this tournament goes....

[Are they the lemmings?]

Admit it! You're the guy who wears the fluffy mascot suit!

J/K of course. How do you like Japan's chances?

[MacGyver]

Admit it! You're the guy who wears the fluffy mascot suit!

Haha you'd be surprised to hear at times it isn't much of a step up from that....Other teams treat their manager as that: a manager. But Japan seems to treat their manager as a shitkicker: someone who does all the shitty jobs on tour, like doing their laundry, taking breakfast orders for the team, etc., etc. I also have to sit in front of a computer all day using a data collection program (called PitchPad). I did that last time and absolutely hated it cause due to the nature of the role you can't be near the team. And to make matters worse the coach on that tour didn't even use the data. I thought I wouldn't have to worry this time but the JCA CEO told me on Saturday night he expects me to do it again.

J/K of course. How do you like Japan's chances?

Good question. Hard to say. Last tournament we played was also Div 7 and we finished 4th (out of 6), and that was without several foreign players as they couldn't get visas (to Guernsey where the tournament was played). No such issues this time so we are at full strength and have a better team this time I reckon. But the timing of these tours is always shit for us as we're just coming out of winter and no where near our peak yet. The CEO reckons we should win but I take a more conservative (realistic?) approach and hope that we go one better and finish 3rd. If we finish top 2, we'll be promoted to Div. 6 which is being played in Aug. or Sept. this year in Malaysia. My goal (which if course I have never verbalised to the team) is to finish 3rd or 4th and not get relegated to Div. 8 (bottom 2 get relegated). If we stay in Div. 7 I'll be happy and consider the tour a success.