338 Plays 338

If 676 runs and a tied game is not enough to make you wave your flag then you must be truly jaded. A great day out and just what the tournament needed to finally get under way.

Afridi Triumphant

It is only fair to show Afridi in his glory if I am prepared to show him struggling with smelly socks.

I am still picking Sri Lanka to win the World Cup but the enigmatic green machine is starting to look like a very real danger to the big boys.

Boom Boom, Boom Boom

It's caption time folks, and this has so many possibilities I expect to be buried in suggestions.

Sarwan Stays Cool

Ramnaresh Sarwan doesn't need an ice pack to look cool but it does help with the pain. Could this be the tournament he finally fulfils all that promise or will style triumph over substance again?

Hand Up For A Hand Out

Jason Krejza is not waving to his mum in the stands, nor is appealing to the umpire for a rare dismissal. Jason is making a simple plea to the selectors to be allowed to play two games in a row.

The Colour Of Speed

Pace was always going to be a bit too hot for Canada but I am not yet convinced that the Two Finger Slinger and his fast mates are the Aussies ticket to the World Cup final.

The Younger Little Master

As I am sure you can tell, I have been playing with a new Photoshop aging action over the last week.

Here is the young Tendulkar circa 1992. The grime is artificial as we all know he has been spotless from the very beginning.

Cometh The Hour...

... cometh the cricketing god.

Some people are bigger than car companies and Sehwag is a real people mover.

Six World Cups Is A Long Time

Sachin Tendulkar is about to participate in his sixth world cup. Thats a lot of balls faced, especially when you consider these were the guys running things in his first world cup. Those uniforms were great though!

Form Is Temporary...

... but class is permanent - and ageless.

I wonder what CB Fry would make of the latest Cricket World Cup?

He would recognize the game, I am just not sure he would understand it.

A Bit Of A Stretch

Can't bat, can't bowl, but please God let all that Black Caps fielding practice pay off.

Swash Then Buckle

The pirate captain gives it everything, which is very much his style.

It didn't work this time but I hope he keeps swinging.

Speechless

This one is crying out for a caption but for the life of me I can't think of one.

A little help someone?

A Four Taste

Piyush Chawla's four wicket haul may have tipped the Indian's edge just a little too soon. How many other teams can play quality spin bowling? Very few contain a quality spinner so playing two or three in one side is going to be real test for most of the teams.

Knowing about the problem and doing something about it are two different things.

World Cup Colour (Emerald Green)

As an underdog at the big dance the Irish cricket team have to come up with tactics that are a bit out of the ordinary. Here they are practicing an intimidation move they like to call Gang Green. If it works on Jesse Ryder it could well pay dividends on players more in touch with the real world.

World Cup Colour (Orange)

Ryan ten Doeschate seems a little overwhelmed. It could be culture shock, it could be colour shock, or he just might be trying to remember which team he is playing for this week.


One thing you can say about the Netherlands they are always easy to spot on the field , or in a crowd.

Trevor Bailey RIP

Sadly we have lost another link to our brylcreamed cricketing past.

Fortunately the quality of the writing and photography from the middle of the 20th century will help to keep the memory of players like Trevor Bailey alive.

Putting The Ashes To Bed

Wing Commander Strauss saying good night to the little urn before it is safely tucked away. Until the next family feud erupts over ownership.

Little Medal, Big Season

I have never been a big fan of Shane Watson's but I would say it didn't take a long discussion to decide this year's Border Medal.

In the end, if he is good enough for AB no one else should quibble.

Strange how a guy like Border could be so comfortable on an oval surrounded by thousands of people but  always seems to look shit scared in front of a camera.

Round Arm Gun Slinger

Does it matter what the action is like if you can propel it at 150 clicks?

Well maybe to his chiropractor.

Big Jesse Weighs In ...

... with a ton.

Nice to see the big fella back, but a thought does cross my mind.

If having a good team "truth, honesty and yelling" session works so well for the Black Caps, why don't they do it at the start of a series, rather than when it is too late to make a difference?

Here It Comes...

...like it or not. The World Cup (50 over version) is almost upon us and what better way to celebrate the event than with giant plastic replicas of the trophy. I am hoping the tournament is at least as colourful as the trophies.

Another Star On The Rise

The ODI series between NZ and Pakistan has  been a god send to the Paskistan team and yet another reality check for the Black Caps.

Young Ahmed Shehzad has been unearthed as a star of the future, bowlers like Riaz have developed confidence and valuable game nous and Misbah and a few other "oldies" have established some street cred.

Meanwhile, in the Kiwi camp, they couldn't spell (or manufacture) a win if you spotted them the "w" and the "n".

As a Black Cap supporter I would feel better if at least one of the players looked like fulfilling their potential.

Coming At You

Malinga the Slinger is one of my early picks for bowler of the tournament at the World Cup.

He is a little older, and perhaps wiser,  now but still has that knock out punch

Can't Make It Stick

Try as they might the Black Caps can't put a complete performance together.

Both batting and bowling they are able to cobble together a solid 10 overs only for things to start to come unstuck.

The day they manage a complete performance some poor sod is going to suffer.

A Bit Of A Puzzle

Ok, I don't actually know what, if anything, is on the Pirate Gayle's mind. I would like to think he is formulating a cunning plan that would see the Windies playing the Black Caps in the World Cup final, but he might just be thinking about what is for afternoon tea.