WindyBricks had a goalless draw against the mob from the palace of darting dreams, and it was, quite frankly, garbage. So we’ll go on about it no more…
Australia v South Africa. Well, well, well. Let me eat humble pie about being mentally tough. Let me also laugh at Australia who for years mocked us for having Ashley Giles. He’d walk into their team as the spinner now. Mitchell Johnson may have claimed 8 wickets in the 1st innings, but he isn’t going to carry you, and what the hell is up with Brett Lee? South Africa knocked the runs off pretty comfortably. Ian Chappell, who is a great authority on the game (just ask him) would probably like this article back…. It is also nice to see Ponting have the hump at the end of a game when his team should have won, but had their lunch handed to them by that nice man Graeme Smith, and the professional Jonty Rhodes impressionist AB De Villiers. That attack of Australia’s looks scary… and according to my Adelaide sources the return of Shaun “Mental Case” Tait is a mile off. No shortage of batting, but will they be able to take 20 wickets on a flat deck?
India and England are going through the motions in Mohali. After an insipid first day, England woke up about 26 hours too late, but by then the Indian fox had escaped the hen coop. All my preconceptions were healthily backed up (bar one or two I suppose) in the next 48 hours. Panesar looked unthreatening, Swann isn’t running through anybody, I’d like my Trojans to do more than clean up the occasional tail ender, and Anderson and Broad need help from the pitch to help England. With the bat, need I say more. Cook got to 50 and got out. Collingwood doesn’t do chasing bg leads, Flintoff bat padded again but at least this time he had some runs, and well, Ian Bell. Need I say any more. And what are we doing sending out a night-watchman for Prior? Eh?
In among all that was the giant that was Kevin Pietersen. A tremendous knock of 144 from our greatest batsman since… well in my lifetime. He is just the real deal, and he visibly intimidates very good bowlers. He’ll need to score 700 runs if we are to regain the Ashes because Strauss apart, this other bunch of numpties aren’t going to add anything to the scores. Sure, we’ll get a ton on a dead track from Collingwood to keep his place; Cook will add some 50s and 60s when we need them least; Flintoff will “bowl like a Trojan” and end up with 3 for 80, and Steve Harmison will be playing for Durham.
On to other things, and the Miracle of Miami is still on the cards. Just one win, and the Phins will reach the play-offs and in all likelihood knock the Patriots out. Miami won a ding-dong game with the Chiefs in freezing Kansas City last night and stand an unlikely win in Giants Stadium away from a first round elimination at home to the Ravens. The Jets, since they had that glorious spell of beating the Pats and the Titans on the road, have flat out choked. Miami have really surprised just about everybody by getting rid of their best player (Taylor), their talisman (Thomas) and virtually all their coaching staff, and in one year have gone from 1-15 laughing stocks to 10-5 contenders. They should be very proud.
I was told their were some premier league fixtures this weekend, and someone got sent off, while a team with a lot of money are now in the relegation zone. Someone also told me that Manchester United are world champions. Funny, I thought that was Italy.
Final thought. Who will finally be responsible for Evander Holyfield dying in the boxing ring. He was shot 8 years ago, yet someone keeps giving him chances to win a World Title when he should be getting medical treatment. When he gets very badly hurt will it just be too easy to blame The Real Deal for squandering his cash, or for the unscrupulous promoters who earn big bucks on the back of his stupidity. This weekend he fought a tree and lost on points. He believed he won. He’ll carry on because he wasn’t humiliated. I think it is just an absolute tragedy waiting to happen. You were a warrior in the ring. You will pay for taking it to the bank too often.
A final, final thought. Hatton is fighting Pacquaio? Oh dear.
