OK.....JUST SO THERE'S NO BIAS....CRICKET CHAT

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Permalink Reply by Neil Amoore on January 20, 2009 at 2:03am

Oh the thrill! The day that Kevin "I am a raving narcissist who is not above lying to improve my image as a political exile" Pietersen gets his due rewards and is ousted as England captain, also heralds Grame "Pain? It's a mere amputation!" Smith's rise to demi-god status.

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Permalink Reply by Neil Amoore on January 26, 2009 at 1:01am

I agree about Vaughan and Freddie. I like the fact that they play it hard, but with passion. I see ol' Warney was at the Aussie Open, caught chatting up (ok, maybe that's just me being nasty!) an official! For me the Australian side have gone from being all-powerful to just being directionless. Very sad, because I admire the spirit of Australians, whether it be on the field, on the battlefield or in person. It'll resolve itself, though. It happened to the West Indies after their golden era, but Australia have the structure to ensure that they don't fade entirely (a la West Indies).

As for my Proteas side, keep an eye out for dramatic changes if our beloved Minister of Sport gets his way. He is going to be making a submission to parliament requesting almost complete control of major sports (football, cricket and rugby), which will make it nigh on impossible to field a side that he doesn't personally approve of.

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Permalink Reply by Neil Amoore on February 6, 2009 at 1:33am

The excitement back here in SA when the team arrived back shows just how much this meant to us - it also allowed YEARS of frustration at being whipped by the Aussies to dissipate! As for rugby, well... It's almost a bloody religion here, but it's a complete mystery to me just what the attraction is. AFL is even more confusing, I'm afraid! Football - soccer to a Kansas City native such as yourself! - another story, though. Ahhhhhh! The Beautiful Game....

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Permalink Reply by Neil Amoore on February 8, 2009 at 2:09am

I hate to sound like a Kevin Pietersen basher (I lie! I am and I love it!), but good for the Windies! English cricket is a mystery, it really is. Just when you think they can't get any more silly, they surprise you. As for the Aussies, this loss to NZ may just be the sting they need prior to coming to SA.

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Permalink Reply by Matt Severns on February 16, 2009 at 1:39pm

Whats an ODI?

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Permalink Reply by Neil Amoore on February 17, 2009 at 1:53am

Well, the Aussies are about to get cracking over here with their tour and I've got to say that - despite all the hype around the Super 14 in a rugby-mad country like SA - there's great excitement. As much as the Aussies of yore carried the label of "Ugly Aussies" because of their on-field approach, so the SA side carried the tag of "Chokers". With two young sides in the recent series in Oz we saw a new, fresh approach to SA vs Aus cricket, and here's hoping the same spirit pervades the upcoming series.

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Permalink Reply by Neil Amoore on March 4, 2009 at 2:19am

Hehehe! The Aussies played very good cricket and beat a SA team that looked complacent and thinking that all they had to do to win was pitch up at the ground. I was impressed by the spirit in the Aussie side, and hope they do well in the second Test against my boys.
The Sri Lankan team attack was horrific. I know that the SA team were under severe pressure to tour there recently, and went ahead with the tour at the insistence of politicians. With England's tour of India also recently marred by terrorism (albeit not directed at them), it makes you wonder whether the sub-continent is a viable host for matches for the forseeable future. The Sri Lankans are the real gentlemen of the game, and for them to be the target of such lunacy makes it all the more shocking.

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