Username
Password
Cricket Roundup
By ICF Staff
January 16 2009
Although international cricket has been missing for a while following India's cancelling of the Pakistan tour, there is never a dearth of cricket news. South Africa has beaten Australia in Tests, English cricket is going through some stormy times, ICC is kicking up typically unnecessary controversies, and a reviled Australian player has retired to the relief of cricket followers the world over.

Kevin Pietersen, always controversial and puffed with self-importance, has brought infighting in English cricket to an embarassingly public stage. After doing his best to push out coach Moore, Pietersen was reportedly pressured to give up captaincy by both his teammates and board, along with the resignation of the coach himself. Since being relieved of captaincy after a losing streak in India to start off his short stint, he has managed to stoke more controversy with contrasting statements every other day. His continued presence in the dressing room will not make it easy on the team, and he cannot be dropped on form.

South Africa has built on India's destruction of Australia 2-0 by following it up with another demolition of the yesteryear champs, defeating them 2-1 in the Aussies backyard before they narrowly pulled back a meaningless final match. Even friendly ICC umpires have been unable to arrest the nosedive in Australian cricket following retirement of some of their best players.

ICC has stoked up its own controversy by producing yet another nonsensical ranking of so-called "greatest" batsmen and bowlers, in which the likes of Hayden are in the top 10 while Tendulkar and Lara languish far down in the bogus list. They have reacted with typical hypocrisy after unanimous slamming of the naked bias in the their rankers. Are all their statisticians jingoistic English high-school dropouts?

Finally, the exit of universally disliked Matt Hayden from international cricket is being greeted by applause from across the cricketing globe. Always abusive and disrespectful of other teams, and often in the midst of the ugliest fights on field, Hayden is ushered out of cricket by a grateful cricket audience that is hopeful the equally obnoxious Andrew Symonds will be able to join him soon.

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

16 Jan, 2009 22:23 Report
Indian Cricket Fever (IP Logged)
Unregistered User
Cricket Roundup
What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.

ReplyQuote
17 Jan, 2009 06:46 Report
chandra (IP Logged)
Registered User
Date Joined: Apr, 2007
Location:
Posts: 796
Re: Cricket Roundup
I would not mind Ponting joining the ranks of Hayden also - the shifty eyed captain can retire as far as I am concerned. The fly in the ointment - the obnoxious Clarke will be the captain next.

One negative on the aussie side though is the Brett Lee's lack of form and injury -- for a player who plays his heart out, he is liked and respected by most opposition players and fans alike. Hope he returns.



-------------------------------------------------------
Off break, doosra, yorker, googly, straight drive, sweep, square cut, late cut ... I love them all.

ReplyQuote
17 Jan, 2009 11:59 Report
THE LEGENDARY LOVERBOY (IP Logged)
THE LEGENDARY LOVERBOY
Date Joined: Apr, 2007
Location: LEEDS 9
Posts: 10182
Re: Cricket Roundup
How insulting and unneccessary to attack a great player,who may have personal failings ,but has graced the game for so long and contributed hugely to The supremacy of The Australians in recent years.,by his fantasticllyy entertaining batting.Perhaps I should mention all the obnoxious devious self -centered egotistical Indians we've seen playing in the past.

ReplyQuote
17 Jan, 2009 23:16 Report
Birbal (IP Logged)
Registered User
Date Joined: Apr, 2007
Location:
Posts: 7825
Re: Cricket Roundup
Well, Hayden has been involved in a lot of things that make his nasty nature, especially towards opponents quite clear.

He was the one to call Bhajji an "obnoxious little weed" and he was the one to complain that he did not do well in India because of "Third World conditions"...

His run ins with everyone from Ganguly to Zaheer and Tendulkar are well known... if Indian fans have no love lost for him, they can't be blamed...

Even as a player he reserved his best performances for weaker opponents... e.g. his 380 v. a hapless Zimbabwe attack... Most neutral observers would place him below greats like Jack Hobbs, Sunil Gavaskar, Gordon Greenidge, Geoff Boycott, etc. as an opener...

ReplyQuote
18 Jan, 2009 13:09 Report
THE LEGENDARY LOVERBOY (IP Logged)
THE LEGENDARY LOVERBOY
Date Joined: Apr, 2007
Location: LEEDS 9
Posts: 10182
Re: Cricket Roundup
Test Batting and Fielding Against Each Opponent by Matthew Hayden
Opponent Matches Inns Not Out Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Bangladesh 4 5 0 168 72 33.60 0 2 7
England 20 35 3 1461 197 45.65 5 2 29
ICC World XI 1 2 0 188 111 94.00 1 1 3
India 18 35 3 1888 203 59.00 6 8 23
New Zealand 11 18 0 658 136 36.55 1 5 5
Pakistan 6 10 2 374 119 46.75 1 2 3
South Africa 19 36 2 1486 138 43.70 6 5 22
Sri Lanka 7 13 0 664 132 51.07 3 1 9
West Indies 15 27 3 1237 177 51.54 5 3 23
Zimbabwe 2 3 1 501 380 250.50 2 0 4

Not true Birbal,a batting average of over 45 against England,over 46 against Pakistan,over 50 against West Indies and Sri Lanka and as much as 59 against India indicates he is one of the greatest opening batsman the Test arena has ever seen and most neutral and unbiased commentators would acknowledge that fact.His least successful stats are against the relatively weak New Zealand and Bangladesh,which rather destroys your arguement.
You don't have to love him to try and distort the true quality of his batsmanship.
He's only batted three times against Zimbabwe.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:01:18:13:13:04 by ''My Luvver''.

ReplyQuote
18 Jan, 2009 14:46 Report
Indian Well Wisher (IP Logged)
Registered User
Date Joined: Apr, 2007
Location:
Posts: 2218
Re: Cricket Roundup
Hayden is an a.ss hole and deserved to go out on an all time low..Cricket is so much better without him..

Myluveer..on his batting, he was 2nd fiddle to even guys like Mark Taylor and Slater, and could not break through into the team even when they were limp..

To be compared against the greats..one has to maintain a consitently high average over sustained period (> 10 years)..ALAS Haydo blew off withing 6 years..Had he played earlier or later for 10 years, he wud have been averaging 40..

so much for your argument of his being all time great..

ReplyQuote
21 Jan, 2009 11:36 Report
THE LEGENDARY LOVERBOY (IP Logged)
THE LEGENDARY LOVERBOY
Date Joined: Apr, 2007
Location: LEEDS 9
Posts: 10182
Re: Cricket Roundup
I shouldn't really bother responding to such provocative nonsense coupled with gross personal insults towards Matty.
However to present a hypothetical arguement
mr well wisher is absurd.His stats. are there for all to see,and nothing you say can disprove the true facts.
Go away and stop wasting my time!

ReplyQuote
21 Jan, 2009 18:13 Report
Gabbar (IP Logged)
Registered User
Date Joined: Apr, 2007
Location:
Posts: 3971
Re: Cricket Roundup
Aussies are just plain rude



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln

ReplyQuote
Goto Thread: PreviousNext
Goto: Forum ListMessage ListLog In

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
We record all IP addresses on the Sportnetwork message boards which may be required by the authorities in case of defamatory or abusive comment. We seek to monitor the Message Boards at regular intervals. We do not associate Sportnetwork with any of the comments and do not take responsibility for any statements or opinions expressed on the Message Boards. If you have any cause for concern over any material posted here please let us know as soon as possible by e-mailing abuse@sportnetwork.net
 

Indian Cricket Poll

Who should bat at No.6 in Indian Test team?