Renegades see Stars as they taste defeat in second derby

Kevin Pietersen flicks another one away at Etihad Stadium (Photo: CA/Getty)

Kevin Pietersen was the Melbourne Renegades boogeyman at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, as cross-town rivals the Melbourne Stars cantered home to an eight-wicket victory.

On Monday, Chris Gayle made headlines, and on Saturday night it was the man everyone knows as ‘KP’ who decided to change the tempo to one of sixes and big cheering.

CWC 2015: Chris Gayle absolutely destroys a Zimbabwe outfit with no answer to the onslaught

Chris Gayle goes down the track (photo: ICC)

Here’s some stats about THAT Chris Gayle innings:
-He scored a six off every Zimbabwe bowler
-First 50 took 51 balls, he reached his ton in 105
-100-200 took just 33 balls
-He equalled AB de Villiers record of 16 sixes in an ODI game
-Chris Gayle is the ONLY player to score a T20I century, ODI double century and test triple century
-This is his second ODI ton or better in his last 21 innings

Cricket: Australian Domestic scene: Doug Bollinger and Ben Laughlin

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.

Cricket: Players In Focus: Alastair Cook, Martin Guptill and Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle playing for the Sydney Thunder, Jan 2013 (photo mine)

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.

Cook

Since taking over the test captaincy from Andrew Strauss in August of 2012, Cook immediately established himself as a captain who could also be tasked to perform at the top of the order.

Cricket: Big Bash League: Home and Away Team Reviews

Brad Hodge v Melbourne Renegades, Jan 6, 2013 (photo mine)

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.

Cricket: 2012 World XIII (Tests, T20’s, OD’s)

James Anderson, 2010 (photo mine)

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.

Amla was ahead of McCullum in breaking into the squad however.

Cricket: ICC World Twenty20: Australian Team Review

 

George Bailey at the ICC Twenty20 World Cup

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.

Here is a review of each player that took to the field for Australia:

Cricket: ICC World Twenty20 Preview: Australia v West Indies

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.

Cricket: What has Twenty20 cricket changed?

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.