Latest news with #BaggyGreen
The Age
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
‘He's a generational talent': Beau Webster wants to team up with Cam Green in WTC final
'I'm very, very proud of what I've done,' Webster said. 'But it's only the start and I'm looking to build on what I've started in the Baggy Green. 'It was a bit of a whirlwind. It all went so quickly and I do wish I had soaked it up a little bit more. To be out in the middle with Travis [Head] … was something I will never forget. To this day, [hitting the winning runs] was my favourite cricketing moment, without a doubt. 'I was also very proud to be able to jag a new CA deal. It's something I probably never thought would happen for a lot of my career. It obviously puts a bit of confidence in me that I'm still in their plans going forward. I'll be looking to try and repay the faith of selectors and play some more Test cricket for Australia.' As it stands, there is a strong chance Webster will be included in Australia's XI to face South Africa at Lord's on June 11. He's had a steady stint in the UK, with 172 runs at an average of 28.7 to go with 10 wickets at 27.8. With Cameron Green not expected to resume bowling duties until the Australian summer, Webster's all-round credentials play into his favour at the selection table. Green has been in magnificent touch, plundering three centuries in five county championship matches for Gloucester to remind selectors of his value at the top of the order. There is a scenario where Green and Webster slot into the same XI. The latter is certainly hoping so. 'He's a generational talent and a phenomenal cricketer. He's only going to get better,' Webster said of Green. 'He's only 25, so he's got a lot of cricket ahead of him. 'I don't really know what the make-up of the top six is going to look like or which way they're going to go with in terms of all-rounders, but I'm certainly hoping we can both be in there. 'I like testing myself with the Dukes ball in different conditions. Hopefully, I can keep putting my name in front of selectors and become hard to drop out of that XI. That's probably my main purpose coming over, to keep my game ticking over.' If selectors go for the double-pronged option of Green and Webster, either Sam Konstas or Marnus Labuschagne are likely to miss out. Labuschagne's form for Glamorgan has been patchy, with scores of 0, 4 and 23. Selectors have flagged that opening with Labuschagne is a live option. 'When he's at his best, he's unbelievable,' Webster said of Labuschagne. 'His record speaks for itself. He's a 100 maker and a game winner. I'm sure going to the top wouldn't phase him too much. Whoever gets the nod for that final is going to be raring to go.' Over the past few weeks, Webster has had time to reflect on the summer that was. He says he was more nervous joining Australia's Test squad in Adelaide late last year than actually getting the nod for a debut in Sydney. A solid first-class cricketer for Tasmania, Webster wasn't sure he'd ever get a look-in for Australia. A Mitch Marsh form slump ultimately opened the door for the man affectionately known as 'Slug' to be brought in for an SCG decider. Loading 'In my mid-20s, I was pretty happy and resigned to the fact I could just be a really good cricketer for Tasmania. If the top level eluded me, I was pretty content with where I was at,' Webster said. 'We all dream of playing Test cricket. I thought the Australian Test cap was well and truly done. To my surprise I managed to spring a few good seasons together. When the stars do align, you're not that far from the top level.' All things going well, Webster also could be an important figure for Australia in their three-Test tour of the West Indies, which takes place after the WTC. Cricket in the Caribbean? Webster just keeps ticking them off the bucket list. 'It's a pretty magical place, the Caribbean,' Webster says. 'You grow up watching all the great West Indians and to get over there … it will be unbelievable.'
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘He's a generational talent': Beau Webster wants to team up with Cam Green in WTC final
'I'm very, very proud of what I've done,' Webster said. 'But it's only the start and I'm looking to build on what I've started in the Baggy Green. 'It was a bit of a whirlwind. It all went so quickly and I do wish I had soaked it up a little bit more. To be out in the middle with Travis [Head] … was something I will never forget. To this day, [hitting the winning runs] was my favourite cricketing moment, without a doubt. 'I was also very proud to be able to jag a new CA deal. It's something I probably never thought would happen for a lot of my career. It obviously puts a bit of confidence in me that I'm still in their plans going forward. I'll be looking to try and repay the faith of selectors and play some more Test cricket for Australia.' As it stands, there is a strong chance Webster will be included in Australia's XI to face South Africa at Lord's on June 11. He's had a steady stint in the UK, with 172 runs at an average of 28.7 to go with 10 wickets at 27.8. With Cameron Green not expected to resume bowling duties until the Australian summer, Webster's all-round credentials play into his favour at the selection table. Green has been in magnificent touch, plundering three centuries in five county championship matches for Gloucester to remind selectors of his value at the top of the order. There is a scenario where Green and Webster slot into the same XI. The latter is certainly hoping so. 'He's a generational talent and a phenomenal cricketer. He's only going to get better,' Webster said of Green. 'He's only 25, so he's got a lot of cricket ahead of him. 'I don't really know what the make-up of the top six is going to look like or which way they're going to go with in terms of all-rounders, but I'm certainly hoping we can both be in there. 'I like testing myself with the Dukes ball in different conditions. Hopefully, I can keep putting my name in front of selectors and become hard to drop out of that XI. That's probably my main purpose coming over, to keep my game ticking over.' If selectors go for the double-pronged option of Green and Webster, either Sam Konstas or Marnus Labuschagne are likely to miss out. Labuschagne's form for Glamorgan has been patchy, with scores of 0, 4 and 23. Selectors have flagged that opening with Labuschagne is a live option. 'When he's at his best, he's unbelievable,' Webster said of Labuschagne. 'His record speaks for itself. He's a 100 maker and a game winner. I'm sure going to the top wouldn't phase him too much. Whoever gets the nod for that final is going to be raring to go.' Over the past few weeks, Webster has had time to reflect on the summer that was. He says he was more nervous joining Australia's Test squad in Adelaide late last year than actually getting the nod for a debut in Sydney. A solid first-class cricketer for Tasmania, Webster wasn't sure he'd ever get a look-in for Australia. A Mitch Marsh form slump ultimately opened the door for the man affectionately known as 'Slug' to be brought in for an SCG decider. Loading 'In my mid-20s, I was pretty happy and resigned to the fact I could just be a really good cricketer for Tasmania. If the top level eluded me, I was pretty content with where I was at,' Webster said. 'We all dream of playing Test cricket. I thought the Australian Test cap was well and truly done. To my surprise I managed to spring a few good seasons together. When the stars do align, you're not that far from the top level.' All things going well, Webster also could be an important figure for Australia in their three-Test tour of the West Indies, which takes place after the WTC. Cricket in the Caribbean? Webster just keeps ticking them off the bucket list. 'It's a pretty magical place, the Caribbean,' Webster says. 'You grow up watching all the great West Indians and to get over there … it will be unbelievable.'
Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Lillee and Thomson: Decades on, an enduring metaphor for inevitable destruction
Cricket is not war, and war is not cricket. Still, cricketers and cricket pundits jump into battle metaphors at the slightest instigation, just as diplomats and generals jump into cricket analogies. So during Monday's briefing on Operation Sindoor, when Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai wanted a metaphor for the impenetrability of India's air defence system, he turned to cricket. He referred to the lethality of the Australian pace bowling duo of the 1970s and 1980s, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, and quoted perhaps the most iconic line about their greatness: 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if Thommo don't get ya, Lillee must.' It was a line that first appeared in a Sydney Daily Telegraph cartoon caption during the 1974-75 Ashes, and it went on to become an Aussie anthem and a chant during the series. Lillee and Thomson, a study in contrasts, blew apart England, who were playing under the auspices of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), 4-1 in the six-Test bout. Thomson, a shock of long blonde hair, clean-shaven face, and catapult action attended with the heaviest grunt in the game, grabbing 33 wickets at 17.93. His partner in the kill, Lillee, his near-Jheri curls bouncing the breeze, his action sculpted in cricketing heaven, grabbed 25 at 23.84. But as it often happens with sport, it's not so much about the numbers as it is about the chilling terror they whipped up. Lillee and Thomson were men of varied dispositions. Thomson, the first ever to clock 160 kph according to records, was quicker, wickedly so, and wilder. But he was no artless tearaway as he seamed the ball into the right-handed batsman at unnerving pace. He purchased devilish bounce from not-a-particularly-high release point. He broke bones, teeth, and stumps, and became a byword for terror. Off the field, he was a gentle, amiable figure with a crackling laugh. Lillee had his action remodelled and pace reduced after vertebral surgery. But what he compromised for longevity, he made up with his cunning and his persona. Tall and broad-shouldered with eyes of a desert fire, and a thick, drooping moustache that became a signifier of Baggy Green machismo, Lillee imposed on the field. He seamed the ball both ways at lively pace, and deployed the short ones with devastating dazzle. Without the ball in his hand, he wound up the opposing batsmen with his dry humour. He was combative, and would not shrink from getting into fisticuffs with the batsman. He met his match in Pakistan's wind-up merchant Javed Miandad, with whom he came to blows at the WACA, his home-ground, in 1981, after the Pakistani virtuoso collided with him while completing a single. Whether it was deliberate remains unknown. When in the mood, Thomson didn't refrain from verbal jousts either. England had recalled Colin Cowdrey for the Ashes and the legendary batsman, then 42 years old, congenially introduced himself to Thomson. He was taken aback by the bowler's response. The story, in Thomson's words: 'As I handed my hat to the umpire, I was revved up and just wanted to kill somebody and Kipper walked all the way up to me and said: 'Mr Thomson I believe. It's so good to meet you.' And I said: 'That's not going to help you, Fatso, now piss off.'' Even with mere words, 'if Lillee did not get ya, Thommo must.' Describing to The Sydney Morning Herald his new-ball spell with Lillee in the first Test at the Gabba, Thomson himself referred to the series as 'war'. England had stirred the vipers' pit by bowling short to Lillee at the end of Australia's innings. The story goes that after Lillee perished hooking and falling over, England all-rounder Tony Greig taunted him, saying a shower might help cool the heat. Lillee, infuriated, shot back: 'Just remember who started this.' In the dressing room, Lillee kept mumbling to himself. Captain Ian Chappell wondered what he was going on about, but was happy that his lead bowler was in a rageful mood. Lillee told Chappell: 'Just remember who started this: those bastards. But we'll finish it.' When the England batsmen arrived, Lillee was already on the ground, standing at the top of his run-up, tossing the ball in his hand. Chappell sensed the intensity and energy, and asked Thomson to share the new ball with Lillee. 'Mate, it was full-on war,' Thomson said, 'and we gave it to them'. The two fast men subjected the England batsman to an ordeal of the most brutal scale. Thomson cracked the thumb of Dennis Amiss, and Lillee broke the hand of John Edrich and battered the chest of captain Mike Denness. 'For the next few overs,' said Chappell, 'I looked on in awe.' Wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh leapt to claim a Thomson bouncer, and then started wringing his hand in pain. 'Hell, that hurt,' he said to Chappell, 'but I love it.' Over the years, there came more frightening fast bowling partnerships. There was the Caribbean quartet, Clive Lloyd's four horsemen of the apocalypse: Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, and Colin Croft. There was the South African trio of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander — an axis as fearsome as any. And there were the famous duets — none more magically deceptive than Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis of Pakistan. But none of these partnerships could match the aura of the Australia pair, because few matched the personalities of Lillee and Thomson — a combination of skill, character, feistiness and courage. Four decades after they last played together, Lillee and Thomson remain a metaphor for inevitable destruction — as the resonance of Lt Gen Ghai's words in India showed this week.
India Today
13-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Did Virat Kohli time his Test retirement right?
Just 770 runs shy of the fabled 10,000-mark in Test cricket, Virat Kohli stunned the cricketing world by announcing his immediate retirement from the longest format on Monday, 12 May. While it's understood that the decision had been made days in advance and that the Indian cricket board had been informed, many had hoped he would still make the trip to England and lead a relatively inexperienced batting line-up, particularly in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who had hung up his Test boots just five days discussions with the BCCI top brass to public endorsements by cricketing greats, there was widespread hope that Kohli would carry on. The legendary Brian Lara, in a rare social media post, expressed confidence that Kohli still had much to offer, predicting he could average over 60 in the remainder of his career. With such voices urging him to reconsider, the inevitable suddenly didn't feel quite so Kohli had clearly made up his mind. "As I step away from this format, it's not easy - but it feels right. I've given it everything I had, and it's given me back so much more than I could've hoped for," he wrote in an emotional farewell adored Test cricket. He championed its cause at a time when attention spans were shrinking and the T20 format was rapidly transforming how the sport was played and consumed. "Test cricket is dying," they said. But Kohli stood firm as one of its most passionate modern-day flagbearers. His commitment reminded a new generation of cricketers that donning the whites for India -- what he called the 'Baggy Blue' -- was the ultimate he coin that term in his farewell note? It's clearly a nod to Australia's cherished 'Baggy Green': a symbol of Test prestige. That alone tells you how deeply Kohli cherished every moment he spent out in the middle representing India in the purest form of the game. advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Virat Kohli (@ never backed away from a fight when donning the whites. Be it the Ranji Trophy match just hours after his father's death in 2006, or pushing for a 364-run chase in Adelaide in his first Test as captain in 2014, Kohli constantly pushed the limits -- of himself and his why it was a bit surprising to see him give up Tests at 36, especially when he remains the fittest man in the India spinner and Delhi Ranji Trophy coach Sarandeep Singh revealed that Kohli had spoken about his keenness to play in England in June-August when he returned to play for Delhi against Railways earlier this year. Sarandeep noted that Kohli was even prepared to feature in the practice matches with the India A very fact that Kohli returned to play domestic cricket after 13 years-following the disastrous tour of Australia-was an indication that he wasn't ready to walk away just what changed in three months? Did Virat Kohli arrive at this decision himself, or was he nudged by the powers that be in the BCCI and the selection committee?Having stepped away from the T20 format after India's triumph in the 2024 World Cup, Kohli was expected to focus on one-day internationals and Tests for at least a couple more years. The 2027 ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship final in the same year were seen as realistic targets for the Big Two-Rohit and Kohli's form wasn't helping his pressure was mounting. At times, it must have felt MASSIVE DIP: INEXPLICABLE?Between 2016 and 2021, Kohli was at his peak. He scored 4,324 runs in Test cricket at an average of 62 (second only to Steve Smith's 65) and notched up 16 centuries-more than anyone else in that post-2021, the graph dipped. Kohli managed just three centuries and averaged 31-the fourth-lowest among Indian batters with a minimum of 500 runs in that the same period, his contemporaries-Smith, Root, and Williamson-averaged 48, 61, and 55 respectively. The famed 'Big Four' was slowly shrinking to a Big Three as Kohli lagged behind in red-ball 2024-25 home season proved definitive - the troubles against high-quality spin and high-quality pace only intensified. After the high of the T20 World Cup, India set their sights on another World Test Championship final. However, a historic series defeat at home to New Zealand and the subsequent thrashing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia were largely due to the failures of their batting stalwarts -- Rohit and scored 382 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 22.47. Rohit fared worse, with just 164 runs in eight Tests at an average of was a fleeting spark in Perth, where Kohli struck a hundred in the series opener. But what followed was a nightmare for fans. In the remaining four Tests, he mustered just 85 runs. His perennial weakness against the fourth- and fifth-stump line resurfaced-seven out of ten dismissals in Australia came from edging and being caught in that loud roar of frustration he let out after falling to Scott Boland in what turned out to be his final Test innings in Sydney told its own story. Virat Kohli endured a lean patch in his final tour of Australia (AFP Photo) WHY THE DIP AND WHY WAS IT IRREVERSIBLE?But nothing worked. For all his grit and preparation, Kohli couldn't find a way back. And that's the tragedy of it-this wasn't a man giving up. This was a champion exhausting every is a bottom-hand player. He is doing well because of his fitness and it is supporting him. The moment he will face a decline, I don't think Kohli can make a comeback," former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif once said. Harsh? Maybe. But stubborn forward press and habit of batting outside the crease -- tactical changes made post the 2014 England debacle -- had served him well for years. But with reflexes slowing, that very rigidity became his undoing. Critics like Sanjay Manjrekar had long called for a stronger backfoot game, but by then, it may have been too late to this was never just about technique. Kohli lived and breathed Test cricket with unmatched intensity. Even in his final match, he was sledging, barking back at the crowd, throwing himself into every moment. That kind of fire can burn bright-but it also burns fast."Why the decline? Any number of factors possibly - age (he is 36), time of life, family, post-captaincy blues - but my guess is that zealous and intense commitment in the earlier part of his career took its toll and that a slight mental weariness took hold, dulling a little of his edge," wrote former England captain Michael Atherton in The know what it is like to play in the goldfish bowl of Indian cricket for so long. The time had come."Could Kohli have gone on? Perhaps. Reports suggest he was even ready to lead the side in Rohit's absence for the England tour. But selectors, with an eye on transition, reportedly warned that failure would bring scrutiny. That apparently was the writing on the wall. What if India's greatest Test captain had to be dropped?That, maybe, was one indignity too good things end. And the start of a new World Test Championship cycle offered a dignified exit-for both Rohit and there would have been conversations with both of them because the one thing nobody would have wanted to see was them being dropped from the team," Sunil Gavaskar told India Today on Monday."Nobody would have wanted that."In the end, Kohli didn't wait to be eased out. He walked away on his own terms-bat raised, head high, fire that's how the greats go. Tune InMust Watch
India Gazette
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Gazette
"No individual has done as much for Test cricket": Vaughan, Warner pay heartfelt tribute after Virat's retirement
New Delhi [India], May 12 (ANI): Former England captain Michael Vaughan and Australia's decorated opener David Warner paid homage to Virat Kohli's illustrious career after the Indian batting mainstay announced his retirement from the Test format. The world stood silent on Monday morning when days of speculation turned into reality after Virat called it a day on his distinguished career in the red-ball format. The 36-year-old dropped a heart-stirring note on Instagram to confirm that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia was the grand stage for his last dance. Tributes poured in not just from India but all over the globe. Vaughan sang a verse in Virat's praise and couldn't single out any individual who had done as much for Test cricket as the Indian stalwart. 'In my time playing and broadcasting, no individual has done as much for Test cricket as Virat Kohli... his passion, energy and commitment to the greatest format has helped so much .. I hope the next generation of Indian players take on his mantle,' Vaughan wrote on X. Warner, one of the most illustrious openers to don a Baggy Green, took a trip down memory lane and reminisced about his first encounter with the Indian. Warner thanked Virat for bringing the best out of others. 'Absolute legend of our game. I'll never forget our first game against each other when we were young. I thought this guy was a serious competitor and going to be great, someone everyone would admire. You had to fill the shoes of some great players to ever play for India and carry the nation,' Warner wrote on Instagram. 'Wow, did you not disappoint? Thank you for being you, which got the best out of all of us who competed against you. Enjoy the time now away from the whites. Enjoy the extra family time. Thanks @ he concluded. Virat's exit from red-ball cricket has continued the trend of exodus from the format in the Indian setup. Before the Indian batting bigwigs, the illustrious frontline off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin called it a day on his international career midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia earlier this year. In a career that rejigged the demands of the game, Virat's unparalleled contributions saw him rack up 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties and finish as India's fourth-highest run-getter in the format. (ANI)
