"Reports of my demise ...

... have been greatly exaggerated"

The First Time

The first one is not always the best but it certainly the most memorable. Jackson Bird will remember Boxing Day 2012 for a very long time.

In Starc Contrast

Have we seen the start of a new selection paradigm? Ground specific bowling attacks. Not just adding a spinner for Sydney or a bounce happy quick for the WACA, but a whole new horses for courses bowling line up. Like most new theories it will be popular for as long as it works.

He Who Spins Last...

... laughs hardest. Seems they get pretty cuddly as well.

This image was adjusted using Pencil Sketch Pro and Photoshop CS5.

One For The Album

David Warner will have lots of things to remember his first test by.

He might want to keep this photo, just to prove to the grandchildren that he was once a test leg spinner.

Words Of Wisdom II

"Just bend your back son, and keep your eye on the ball."

At The Crease

Getting to the crease is all very well but Ponting's future seems to rest on whether he can stay there with a bat in his hand.

Another in A Long (Twisted) Line

Nathan Coulter-Nile  seems to be another in the Aussie tradition of slightly unorthodox quicks.

To be fair to the guy, this image has undergone just a little bit of puppet warping. If anything I might have straightened his arm a little.

Eye Of The Tiger

Roar of the Lion.
Hair of the Echidna.
But what's with the eye piercing?
Imagine how good Dennis Lillee would have been if only he had a tongue stud!

Is This A Spinner I See Before Me?

Well time will tell, but 5 for 24 is a pretty good start to Nathan Lyon's test career - and boy do the Aussies need some one to fill that spinning role.

Go Hard

James Pattinson, with a little help from Photoshop's puppet warp, demonstrates the pressures the quick bowler puts on his body.

The worrying thing is I haven't touched his face!

It's A Simple Game

Bowl. Cut. Catch.

What else is there?

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.

Blast From The Past

I have been playing with a bit of vector graphics and offer up this very basic Craig McDermott as an initial offering. In fairness, McDermott was always a fairly straight forward character any way.

In Starc Contrast

I got the obvious headline out of the way early just in case this fella is around for a while.

What I like about Mitchell Starc is not that he is another fresh faced, fast, bouncy, left armer, but rather the absence of visible tattoos.

That can only be a good thing, as I am formulating a theory that once the tattoos reach below the sleeve the player starts to lose their mojo. More tattoos, less production. 

The X Factor

So Xavier Doherty is the next new great white hope of Aussie spin bowling - I wish him better luck than the last few to amble up to the crease.

I know Hauritz has been around for a while but he really only brings V Factor - V for vanilla that is.

Maybe, like most pro sports, we could have a trading marketing where the Black Caps could send Vettori across the ditch in exchange for a couple of openers and a fast bowler.

Stripped Down IV

Don't bother trying to guess who this is, even I didn't recognise the name.

I did like the image though, and having spent far too much time on creating this "simple" image it gets posted for the shear sake of it.

I would send it as a coaching tip to the Black Caps management but apparently they don't know anything about cricket anyway.

Legends

I am currently spending a fair bit of time working on t shirt drafts so nothing topical today, just one of my works in progress.

I would be keen on any feedback you could give me on this image of the great slinger.