Doug Bollinger in action during the 2013 Ryobi Cup (source: ESPN Cricinfo/Getty Images)
They both play for the same Big Bash League team, the Hobart Hurricanes. When it comes to the two longer forms of the domestic game, the left-arm and right-arm quick respectively are on opposing sides.
Enter New South Welshman Doug Bollinger, and Tasmanian Ben Laughlin. One steams in with sheer determination, the other bowls extremely well at the death of 20 over and 50 over matches.
Sports teams need leaders. Whether it be a captain, or an experienced head, someone on the field needs to be able to take charge and encourage.
England captain Alastair Cook, New Zealand opener Martin Guptill and West Indian whirlwind Chris Gayle continue to light up stadiums around the world with powerful performances, and are three such players who are not only leaders for their team, but also their country.
It was a competition full of surprises, monster sixes, and above all, some great cricket (even if there was a bit of controversy, but hey, that’s normal!)
In this review I’ll take a look at all eight teams during their ‘home & away’ campaign during their eight matches. There was a whole lot of mayhem throughout. On the upside, TV ratings for the Big Bash were fantastic. The crowds were also very engaged, especially at the two Melbourne Derby clashes.
Fox Sports once again has provided us with excellent, if not biased, coverage of every game. The insights that the likes of Damien Fleming and Brendon Julian offer is second to none.
Well, it is that time of year again. The time where obsessed cricket fanatics (such as myself) sit down, ponder for hours, and then finally write some sort of scribble about the top players for the year.
This is a first for me, and I’ve decided to pick 13 players worldwide who will make up my inaugural World XIII. They are in no particular order.
When some of you read this, you might ask ‘where’s Brendon McCullum, or perhaps Hashim Amla?’ Yes, I did consider them, but in my mind didn’t make the cut for 2012. Their years were both excellent and helped lead their teams to some great victories, but in my mind they were beaten by others for consistency and other similar factors. Add to the fact that picking just thirteen players is extremely difficult.
Australia’s ICC World Twenty20 Tournament came to a close on Friday night on the back of a large 74-run loss to the West Indies. Chris Gayle led the charge and helped the Windies post 205. Australia never looked like threatening them, aside from a knock of 63 from captain George Bailey.
After scintillating and crushing form in their first four games, the Aussies seemed to “tone” things down against Pakistan, scraping through to the semi-finals on net run rate. Against the West Indies, the firepower of Gayle was the key in setting up a monstrous victory.
Having come into the tournament ranked 9th, the Aussies looked the goods until their Super 8 match against Pakistan, where the question was raised: ‘what do Australia care about?’ after their appalling loss to Pakistan.
It will also serve as a reasonable base coming into the Australian summer, which commences next month.
Australia’s second and final group stage match is against the West Indies at midnight September 23 AEST.
For Australia, their seven wicket win over cricketing minnows Ireland will serve as a confidence booster when they face a much tougher West Indies outfit. With explosive opener Chris Gayle back in the side after a pay dispute, the line-up is looking much more threatening. Continue reading Cricket: ICC World Twenty20 Preview: Australia v West Indies→
The introduction and subsequent explosion of Twenty20 cricket onto the international stage saw radical shifts in the nature of all forms of the game. The smash and dash three hour time slot of the game has given rise to new innovate and risky strokes, clever and unique strategies, as well as giving Test cricket a much needed spark. However, T20 cricket brought about one thing: money. Continue reading Cricket: What has Twenty20 cricket changed?→