Category Archives: taking the piss

September 5, 2020 · 5:54 pm

Australian Implosion permits England Victory

ESPN Report, 4 August 2020, entitled “England storm back to choke chase and take 1-0 series lead”

England 162 for 7 (Malan 66, Buttler 44, Richardson 2-13) beat Australia 160 for 6 (Warner 58, Finch 46, Rashid 2-29) beat by two runs

Australia imploded in their first international game since March at the Ageas Bowl, falling two runs short against England despite needed 39 from the final 36 balls with nine wickets remaining in their chase. David Warner and Aaron Finch had put on 98 for the first wicket in the space of 11 overs to break the back of the chase, before Steven Smith flew out of the blocks at No. 3. But four wickets in the space of 14 legal deliveries gave England a foothold, as Australia went 5.4 overs without a boundary.

Glenn Maxwell reacts to his dismissal AFP

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Filed under Australian cricket, English cricket, performance, T20 Cricket, taking the piss

May 18, 2020 · 7:03 am

That Fat Bastard Shane Warne

David Runciman reviewing No Spin –Warne’s Autobiography

When the Australian cricketers Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were exposed tampering with the ball during last year’s test series in South Africa there was, along with all the faux outrage, some genuine incredulity. Why did they take such an insane risk? The subterfuge was so cack-handed – rubbing the ball with lurid yellow sandpaper, perfectly suited to be picked up by the TV cameras – and the potential rewards so slight that they seemed to be putting their careers on the line for next to nothing. Confronted with the filmed evidence, Smith confessed straightaway. As conspiracies go this one barely got to first base, since almost no thought had been given to keeping it secret. They can’t have wanted to be caught. Each of the three culprits looked distraught in the aftermath. But it does appear that they didn’t think getting caught would matter much.

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Filed under Australian cricket, baggy green, confrontations on field, cricket and life, cricketing icons, cricketing rules, foul tactics, memorable moments, performance, politics and cricket, spinning art, taking the piss, technology and cricket, unusual statistics

May 18, 2020 · 5:44 am

A Critical Appraisal of the Gentlemen’s Game of Cricket

Sarath Gamini De Silva, in Island, 6 June 2019 where the title was different**

I am an ardent cricket fan, being educated at a school giving pride of place to cricket. The annual “Big Match” was one of the most looked forward to events in the calendar. My own experience in the game was limited to playing with the soft ball in the backyard with my friends. Whenever time permits, I watch cricket on television but only occasionally do I go to see a match. I am overjoyed to see Sri Lanka winning matches, which unfortunately is a rarity now.

McGrath vs Sarwa Lara reprimands Waugh

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Filed under Australian cricket, child of empire, confrontations on field, cricket and life, cricket governance, foul tactics, politics and cricket, taking the piss, verbal intimidation

February 19, 2020 · 1:29 pm

Topsy-Turvy: A Tale of Ingenious Tactics from the Aussie Boondocks

A Note from Ron Slee …. an Aged Aussie Mate

Michael, my ‘old age indulgence’ lacks the verification of yours and while it bears some similarities, sadly, I have no pictures.

It was ‘64/65. I was captain of my High School Cricket X1. I provided leadership in neither batting nor bowling but I had a heightened sense of how difficult it was to score runs against good bowlers and how equally difficult it was to bowl to good batsmen. This profound weakness at batting and bowling led me to develop a strategy which produced success for my team.

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Filed under Australian cricket, backyard cricket, fair play, foul tactics, memorable moments, taking the piss

December 8, 2019 · 2:10 pm

Tripl Centuries!**! Huge Innings, Dull Games –From Adelaide to the SSC Grounds

Geoff Lemon, in Daily News, 7 December 2019, with this title “Like those of greats before him, David Warner’s triple century was a giant feat in a dull game”

When David Warner made his unbeaten 335 in Adelaide, a fair few people felt inclined to present some caveats. The pitch was flat, the bowlers were no good, the ball didn’t swing, Mercury was in retrograde. Those opinions would hardly have been muffled when the Pakistan tail-ender Yasir Shah made his first Test ton in reply, having never previously passed 50.

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Filed under Adelaide Oval, Australian cricket, cricket and life, cricketing icons, cricketing records, English cricket, performance, Sri Lanka Cricket, taking the piss, unusual statistics, work ethic

October 27, 2019 · 12:05 pm

Sri Lanka flattened at Adelaide Oval

Daniel Brettig, in ESNcricinfo, 27 October 2019

A yawning victory for Australia, a pugilistic century for David Warner, Steven Smith not even required to bat? Do not adjust your browsers. ……………….. Australia 2 for 233 (Warner 100*, Finch 64, Maxwell 62) beat Sri Lanka 9 for 99 ( Shanaka 17, Zampa 3-14) by 134 runs

Glenn Maxwell brought out all the shots AFP

Aaron Finch‘s team set down a brutal marker for the start of their 12-month run to next year’s Twenty20 World Cup by swatting Sri Lanka aside with their highest-ever total on home soil and fourth highest overall, as the captain and a promoted Glenn Maxwell provided the perfect complement to Warner’s triumphant return home after a nightmarish tour of England.

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Filed under Australian cricket, cricketing records, Daniel Brettig, Sri Lanka Cricket, T20 Cricket, taking the piss

October 24, 2019 · 11:08 pm

Sri Lanka’s Travails in Canberra … with Highs and Lows

Alex Malcolm, in ESPNcricinfo, October 2019 …. https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/19242/report/1204310/prime-ministers-xi-vs-sri-lankans-tour-match-sri-lanka-tour-of-aus-2019-20

Prime Minister’s XI 9 for 132 (Nielsen 79, Rajitha 3-21 Sandakan 3-21) beat Sri Lankans 8 for 131 (Fernando 38, Christian 2-16) by one wicket

A sublime 79 from South Australia youngster Harry Nielsen and some last-over heroics from Fawad Ahmed has seen the Prime Minister’s XI squeeze home by one wicket with a ball to spare against a rusty Sri Lankan side in the T20 tour match in Canberra.

Sri Lankan bowler Kasun Rajitha unsuccessfully appeals …

Dickwella in the dumps

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Filed under Australian cricket, backyard cricket, close finsihes, cricket and life, performance, Sri Lanka Cricket, taking the piss

September 25, 2019 · 3:38 am

Attenuated Sri Lankan Squads for Pakistan Tour …. with Blessings from the PIRIT NULA

ONE: Sri Lankan Squad leave for Pakistan with Prot

Sri Lanka’s depleted national cricket squad left for Pakistan on Tuesday expressing confidence in security promises by the hosts despite reports that the team could be targeted by militants. The Sri Lanka team were attacked in Lahore in 2009. Since then most international teams have refused to tour the South Asian country, leaving Pakistan to play nearly all their “home” games in the United Arab Emirates.

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Filed under cricket and life, memorable moments, performance, player selections, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket, T20 Cricket, taking the piss, terrorist intrusions, unusual people, violent intrusions

September 25, 2019 · 3:14 am

Thirimanne and Shanaka to captain SL Squads in Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo News Item, 11 September 2019 …. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27592241/lahiru-thirimanne-dasun-shanaka-lead-sri-lanka-pakistan

Lahiru Thirimanne and Dasun Shanaka have named Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20I captains respectively for the limited-overs tour of Pakistan. The announcement comes two days after Dimuth Karunaratne and Lasith Malinga, the incumbents, informed the Sri Lanka Cricket of their unwillingness to tour Pakistan, along with eight others, citing security concerns.

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Filed under cricket and life, player selections, politics and cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket, taking the piss, terrorist intrusions

September 15, 2019 · 2:49 pm

Afghan Unique! Seven Successive Sixes in Seven Balls from Two Different Batsmen

A rather monotonous T20 international between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe was brought to life by Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran when they smashed seven consecutive sixes across the 17th and 18th overs in Dhaka on Saturday. It was the second match of the tri-series being played between Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, which the latter ended up winning by 28 runs.

Afghanistan batted first and were ambling at 123/4 after 16 overs. Tendai Chatara bowled the 17th over with Nabi and Zardan in the middle and the pair took singles off the first two balls. Nabi, who recently retired from Test cricket after Afghanistan’s triumph over Bangladesh last week, started the carnage with a six over deep mid-wicket off the third ball of the over.