Roar Guru
Joined February 2017
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Cricket and soccer I know a fair bit about, other sports not so much - but that won't stop me commenting!
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Cooped up at home at the moment, watching more Indian Premier League than normal, I’ve been thinking for a while that this campaign seemed…
If the IPL has taught us anything meaningful over the years, it’s that you must stay ahead of the competition in T20 cricket, otherwise…
Not long after Twenty20 cricket first reared its shiny head to the cricket world back in the noughties, a wise old friend said, “I…
The finalists have been decided in this year's domestic four-day competition, with Queensland and New South Wales set to play each other again from…
How different things could have been. Australia’s men’s team should be one week away from starting their home T20 World Cup campaign right now.…
Nearly a year after managing a miracle against Australia at Headingly, Ben Stokes once again showed his full array of skills in Manchester this…
The announcement that NSW’s and Queensland’s second-tier rugby league competitions were to be cancelled this year due to coronavirus came earlier than expected. Way…
At a time of mind-numbing headlines around the world, it’s no surprise the first-class retirement of Steve O’Keefe happened without much fanfare this last…
New Zealand’s aggressive left-arm bowler Neil Wagner has had a memorable 2019. At the time of writing, he’s taken 40 wickets this year inside…
If Australia want to win an Ashes series on English soil again, it's high time they selected Mitchell Starc for the fourth Test. Despite…
Cricket is planning a run at the Olympics again. But is it just wishful thinking from administrators or could it actually happen this time?…
This week’s demolition by the old enemy in the World Cup semi-final will surely pain Australian cricket fans for some time. Despite a promising…
I did a double take when I saw Alexander Baumjohann being unveiled as Sydney FC's new signing in front of the city's famous Opera…
They’ve been stars of their respective teams for over a decade in 50-over cricket, but Chris Gayle and MS Dhoni should call time on…
Was it just an illusion or has this European football season had more upstart teams and closer league ladders? Perhaps, in a sport where…
Australia’s female tennis players have a historic opportunity when they take on Belarus in the semi-finals of the Fed Cup this weekend. But you’d…
Mention the name 'Lindsey Vonn' to most Aussie sports fans and you’ll often get an uncertain first reaction. “Wasn’t she Tiger Woods’s girlfriend for…
With the end of the series against Sri Lanka, most of Australia’s Test players plan on re-joining their Big Bash franchises, but they would…
In the PR-savvy landscape of commercial sport, the modern tennis press conference remains a last surviving bastion of emotion, honesty and downright awkwardness. At…
Justin Langer was fast-tracked into the Australian coaching role over seven months ago now, so in the professional world of modern-day cricket, a job…
Great points guys… really appreciate the feedback!
Australia's stars reduced to mere onlookers at IPL as cricket's new world order takes shape
Brilliantly written Tagger… I really enjoyed this article. Bravo.
The two-headed Monster: Blurring of cricket and footy seasons will force fans to choose their poison
Hi Paul.. thanks for your thoughts. Yes, it will be interesting to see what role the novelty factor plays and how much new people keep coming in the gates each year. I guess that still happens in the BBL, but probably not at the rate it used to. Most people who go and watch a Hurricanes or Heat game these days are presumably fans who have been around for a while.
'Drinking beers and making balloon animals': The Hundred set to shake-up cricket – again
As a former Associate nation cricketer, I know that cricket at the Olympics would be huge for the game outside of the main cricketing strongholds. Those ‘non-cricketing nations’ will essentially be forced to engage with the sport, as their national side takes to the field. It will grow awareness from Europe to SE Asia, to the Americas. I think it’s worth a decent crack.
T20 in 2028? ICC wants cricket at the Olympics
Some good analysis here Paul, as always. I agree that Kohli is not at his best at the moment… reaching for balls that he doesn’t need to bother with. Let’s see if he turns that around in the next Test starting this week. You can never write him off, that’s for sure.
Never mind England, India’s batting lineup needs re-jigging
The team is in dire straits on the basis of last night’s showing. They looked as bad as Manly the week before against Penrith. Presumably if they could free up some of that Milford money in the future, they may be able to build a stronger team across the park in the future, a little faster. I heard Gus Gould talking last night about the benefits of someone like Karmichael Hunt making a return to the Broncos – presuming it’s possible, what do people think about that?
The Broncos must make radical changes, starting with Milford
Gosh… a lot to unpack here. Rellum, you should put together a longer piece explaining how this might happen. I’m intrigued.
Five things we learnt from the final round of the Sheffield Shield
Hi qwetzen.. I remember from previous articles that you are not a fan of Mr Starc. I can also see his limitations – especially when he is in the form he is in at the moment. Here, I’m just paraphrasing my last article, but saying that things are now starting to go downhill. Give us a break.
Also, FYI we can’t all do CricViz deep dives on every sentence we write. If you are so adamant that Starc is a myth – both in his clean up jobs against the tail and his new ball impact – why not jump into the data and write a meaty analysis piece yourself. I’d be keen to read it… Go for it!
Five things we learnt from the final round of the Sheffield Shield
That should have just read “domestic cricket” generally, my bad. After all, this article focuses on Shield performances primarily. Looking across the board he has had four Sheffield Shield sticks in the last month where he failed to reach 50 – plus another three in the Marsh Cup where he also didn’t reach a half century. That’s 7 innings. I’m not surprised that he may have been a bit over-confident though, after the month he had before! I am definitely not saying he shouldn’t be picked for Australia ever… merely, that he still has work to do. I think he’s a great talent… but after the Greg Chappell selector years I’ll always remain hesitant about picking youth in Test teams, just because you can.
Five things we learnt from the final round of the Sheffield Shield
Surely Jackson Bird could get a start “if it’s a bit green”. He’s shown again this season that he can capitalise on good bowling conditions, because his control is so good. And his batting seems to be getting better with age!
Starc's Sheffield Shield flop puts Ashes spot at risk
Seems a few people are thinking the same way on this, Ronan. I mentioned it in my article and Munro Mike also wrote on the same topic – all off the back of that last Shield round. Thanks for crunching the numbers here too – Starc’s numbers don’t make for great reading. I’m sure he’s aware of that. I agree with much of what you have said here, except for your view that at 31 Starc is “likely approaching the end of his Test career”. I think there has been plenty of evidence of older pacers performing well recently – I’m sure I don’t need to name the pairing in England that still seem to be doing ok!
Even in past decades older the really top quick bowlers have at times reinvented themselves, to increase their effectiveness in old age – thinking Lillee and Hadlee. I’d love to see Starc go back to the drawing board on his action a little. I can’t believe how low he gets at delivery these days – he’s crouching through the crease. If he stood taller he may be able to produce a bit more of that Courtney Walsh effect of bringing it down from such a height that reading the length (and therefore scoring fast) becomes much harder for the batsmen.
But I’m sure he’s got enough coaches around him giving him tips.
Starc's Sheffield Shield flop puts Ashes spot at risk
Gower had a pretty tough gig going up against Lara… but I guess Brian had to win that one.
Not left overs: Lefties XI
Thanks for crunching the numbers Peter85! The point I was trying to make … and which pops up on here every now and then… was that averages alone don’t tell the story of whether one player is better than another. Miller’s biography certainly mentions a number of times he put in heroic, selfless efforts with bat or ball – which didn’t pay much attention to his averages, but which may well have swung a match.
With Stokes I think it is fair to say already that he has the ability to win a game through a one-off performance – albeit mainly with bat in hand at the moment. Let’s see if he manages that with the ball too in the remainder of this series.
Ben Stokes on course to match it with one of Australia's greats
Good to hear from you Paul. It’s a good point about England’s bowling stocks – none are truly in the class of Anderson and Broad … yet. I do believe that Archer has what it takes to be a consistent bowler for England for a considerable period of time. But, I guess only time will tell if batsmen work him out. I agree that this will have some bearing on whether Stokes can really focus on his batting.
Ben Stokes on course to match it with one of Australia's greats
I’m really enjoying watching Paine grow into this role and I hope he holds onto it for a few years yet. After all, it gives all of us an important lesson: you never know when you are going to be confronted with a challenge that could act as a lifeline for your career. So, take every opportunity you can!
The most important job in Australia
A wonderful player.. but time for us and him to move on I believe. Now is the perfect time to give a young (or not so young) Indian player a decent chance in this keeping role. Yes, they will always be compared to MS – but that’s how it has gone for years for Aussie keepers in the wake of Gilchrist leaving the Aussie team. It’s never easy following a great player.
Celebrating 39 years of MS Dhoni
Good on you Stephen for taking the time to mark Shane Tuck’s life. It’s been so very sad to have lost so many great Aussie athletes over the last few weeks.
Hopefully it will cause sports fans to pause and realise that every player that takes to the field is a person too, with feelings and challenges that they are dealing with.
Vale Shane Tuck
Hi Train… I understand that business approach, of course. It’s a bit like the hotel or restaurant that doesn’t bother to open during COVID-19, because it knows already that it won’t be able to balance its books. Still, I figure the NRL could have put its hand into its pocket and offered some assistance here for its main feeder leagues. They were obviously partially involved in the decision to shut down the comps. Maybe their financial situation – or if Channel 9 is to be believed, their financial discipline – didn’t allow it.
Second-tier competitions forgotten while NRL rolls on
I also hope he gets to make that debut soon, Michael. You are very right to point out the ramifications for the young players’ livelihoods and finances. It’s something I glossed over a bit in the article above. These young players are yet another segment of Australia’s sporting scene that have been hit hard by the coronavirus lockdown.
Second-tier competitions forgotten while NRL rolls on
The statement above is from Luke Ellis from the NRL.. basically because it summarises the background of the move … but the decision to cancel the comps came from the NSWRL and the Queensland Rugby League. The statements went out on their websites first and they are pretty clearly taking responsibility for the decisions.
Second-tier competitions forgotten while NRL rolls on
A very interesting read Jon – thanks for putting in all this research
Kings of country: the top non-metropolitan cricketing birthplaces
A great read.. and nicely presented too. Keep these long reads coming!
Des Hasler: Kooky, mad and perfect for Manly
That’s me. Go the Whales!
Australia's stars reduced to mere onlookers at IPL as cricket's new world order takes shape