Maybe this will make a series, or maybe this just won’t be bettered. In Ponting’s post-Brisbane gloat, when discussing Glenn McGrath:

“He had his knockers leading in to this Test match and I know he was keen to prove them wrong”

(emphasis added, from link)
Glenn McGrath’s knockers? Those will be his manboobs from being old and a bit saggy? And he had his knockers… now he doesn’t? Was his sore heel just a ruse to cover the pain of last-minute surgery? And to whom was he proving what wrong? To his boobs? That he didn’t need them? Or to everyone else …read more

There’s not much to be said for the state of the game, and despite Paul Collingwood and KP salvaging a bit of pride for the English, it came too late – in fact, in true England style – when the game is lost, we’ll start to play. Man, I’m getting cynical.

The thing that defines all English fans of any sport – rugby, football, cricket – is that we’re hopelessly optimistic. We always believe we can do it. Sneak a cheeky one without anyone noticing. As Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell took to the field on the morning of Day 3, still requiring some 350 runs just to avoid the follow-on, the overriding sense of “never gonna happen, never gonna happen” was opposed by a faint echo of “But what if…?”. I mean, all they had to do was bat for 3 days. It’s a situation in which all England batsmen …read more

You can’t take it away from the Aussies that they do play some beautiful cricket. I enjoy watching cricket, and I’ve not seen much better cricket than today. Australia were clnicial, precise and deadly. They did their job brilliantly, starting with a glorious 196 from Ponting, and backed up solidly by runs from pretty much everyone else in the team. Posting 602-9 dec was job one, and it was a job well done.
Admittedly, when you have Brett Lee opening the bowling for you, you have the right to be a bit smug. But the difference between Lee’s opening delivery and …read more

Despite the hype and build up to yesterday’s first day, there was always a nag in the back of my mind, a kind of “impending doom” feeling. And despite only being half awake, not even really believing that it was all about to start, getting over the shock of Giles getting the nod ahead of Panesar, Sky Sports cocking up their coverage of the toss such that we had to guess that Australia had inserted themselves after winning it, after all that, Steve Harmison’s first ball – which was directed squarely at Flintoff at 1st slip for an enormous wide …read more