And now, the doyen speaks...

And on the mic with Mr Nicholas, I hear the voice of my favourite commentator - 

Now I’m not quite so ashamed after all...

That’s it! I am now officially off the wagon...

The Mumbai massacre has finally been quelled. The poor people of Mumbai are now starting to recover from the sixty-hour plus assault on their ancient city - their home. Just as with the second plane on September 11, 2001 - when it swerved into the Tower - when I heard that the 'designer' terrorists had hit on the Jewish centre called Hariman House in an apparently nondescript part of the city, I felt certain that no negotiation was possible with these individuals, no matter what was being said on the media.

I followed the ups and downs as best as I could. BBC News, Sky News, CNN IBN news on the web - not sleeping properly, grabbing whatever I could get my greedy little mitts on news-wise. Wanting in spirit to see off these crazed ƒ•¢%€®$ who have so cruelly violated a beautiful citadel that I am unlikely to ever see live and direct (so to speak), but am glad to know is there just the same. How glad that I am to be a KrstYan (albeit a very poor one).

Now in the early hours of the last of November, I can finally feel normal again. Or, more accurately, feed my addiction. I searched for cricket to listen to on the BlackCaps site, on some other site and then did a search for ‘Australia vs New Zealand’ amongst my old friends, the informal webcasting community. You can’t be watching cricket at a time like this, you heartless ßi+¢§!!! What are you made of? But then I struck gold.

And as soon as I heard Mark Nicholas’s voice, I felt a rush.

I am now once more a cricket anorak in shameless pursuit of the metaphysical game.

And I am - quite rightly - ashamed of myself.

I just luuuuurve this picture! Reminds me of Jamaica

It's of the Oz playing a UWI Uni side in Barbados.

Sunday June 22, 04:13 AM
Australia's Nathan Bracken, second right, bowls during the tour match against the Vice Chancellor's XI at the 3W's Oval in the University of the West Indies in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 21, 2008.

(from Yahoo! cricket photos. ©Yahoo.com cricketing bit)

Will WIndies take it from the Oz...?

Well ! It looks as if the WIndies are finally taking the fight to the opposition...

It's good to see (sorry, I mean hear - I'm listening to this stream from the WIBC site (you can keep for future reference) )

http://stream.netro.ca/cananewslive

Sadly, there are now eight wickets down. It is good to note, however, that the WIndies are not going belly-up like they did at Durham Riverside last year...

The crowd are getting behind their 'boyee' Sulieman Benn (who is now just been out for unlucky 13!)

"This West Indies team can turn this corner and turn it very qu

ickly" according to the great man Sir Vivian Richards... encouraging the resurgent Windies team not to feel deflated even though the team may lose this afternoon to a gritty, determined Australia.
"they want to see a fight where the West Indies is concerned" Sir Viv again, referring to the hopes of the swelling crowd in the Kensington Oval (quite).

Looks as if the West Indies (new name required for the 21st century) are starting to really pick themselves up at 387 for 9. About time.

At least they're not New Zealand.

UPDATE: Australia have just taken the final wicket. 387 all out "they've put up a tremendous show here"... Jim Maxwell talking of the WIndies valiant, but ultimately doomed attempt to take this match back from Australia. Eighty-seven runs was the difference in the end. Australia had to struggle for this one. Fair play to the Oz. Great match to follow today, and all credit to Sir Viv for "keeping hope alive(!)"

Simon Katich is the Man of the Match for his 158 (or 157) runs. Shivnarine Chanderpaul gets Man of the Series for over 400 runs in the series.

What's with the Andrew Symonds 'eesh' ?

Andrew Symonds can make one green with envy...

There seems to be some seriously negative stuff around regarding Andrew Symonds today... an article on the BBC's 606 couldn't even be bothered to get his name right! 

Symonds has a unique way of getting people's backs up... he's Australian (yet he really isn't), he's a man of colour, yet clearly profiles as 'white' culturally (- but that ain't his fault. Many people of colour who grew up amongst their own are far worse and with much less justification). He seems like an ordinary bloke to me (yet he was the most expensive foreign import in the IPL). And his batting and fielding skills are truly world-class; yet - even now - some question his abilities and his entitlement to wear the prized 'baggy green' cap of Australian Test cricket.

The dreadlocked one (as opposed to the sleeping-in variety) has been accused of cheating by various sources for his refusal to walk when 'it clearly nicked the bat' (on this occasion during the Third Test in Bridgetown, Barbados against the West Indies). I don't know if he's guilty, I didn't see the alleged incident. But I do know that other Australian cricketers, and players from other countries, nations and federations also behave in this fashion. Why has Symonds been singled out again(?)

My personal view on the matter is this: if it is not illegal to stay at the crease until the umpire gives you 'out', then I don't think it's fair to criticise any player for not walking (even if you might consider it to be bad sportsmanship). Of course, I do recognise that walking is the decent, honest thing to do if you know that you, as a batsman, nicked the ball with the bat.

But with all this money swishing around cricket today, I'm not holding my breath waiting for cricketers to 'walk'. Umpires must be given full control over all available technology. That will confirm their authority at the crease, help to avoid controversies (à la Australia v India 2008)', and it's fairest to all sides.