Latest news with #Lillee
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.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
At briefing, Lillee & Thomson, Dinkar & Ramcharitmanas
Crater at Rahim Yar Khan airbase (left), DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai (centre), strike at Nur Khan airbase (right) NEW DELHI: In the 1974-75 Ashes series, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson raised hell on the pitch. The two fast men ran through the visiting Englishmen like hot knives into a pound of butter. The Aussie crowd sang teasing ditties. A Sydney Daily Telegraph cartoon captured the mood. "Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust, if Thomson don't get ya, Lillee (surely) must," the caption went. On Monday, Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai drew on the much-cited rhyme to underline the impenetrability of India's integrated Air Command and Control System . Ghai prefaced his remarks saying that a cricket analogy was appropriate on a day when Virat Kohli quit Test cricket. Thereafter, he made the point that incoming missiles or drones could not escape India's multi-layered and integrated air defence, just as the English batters couldn't get past Lillee and Thommo. "If you see the layers, you'll understand what I am trying to say. Even if you crossed all the layers... one of the layers of this grid system will bring you down," Ghai said. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around in 2025 Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Before the press conference, the Army played a video where passages from Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's epic poem, Rashmirathi, was used in the background. Responding to a query on the choice and message of the poem, Air Marshal AK Bharti said, he will reply by reciting a few lines of Tulsidas ' Ramcharitmanas . "Binay na maane jaladhi jadh, bhay teen din beet/Bole Ram sakop tab, Bhay bin hoye na preet" (The ocean remained unmoved by humble requests; three days passed. / Then Lord Rama, with rising anger, declared: Without fear, there can be no love).
NDTV
12-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
A Virat Kohli Mention In Indian Armed Forces' Operation Sindoor Briefing
New Delhi: "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. If Lillee don't get you, Thommo must," a witty caption in an Australian daily on a cricket match between Australia and England in the 1970s found a mention in the Indian Armed Forces' latest briefing today on 'Operation Sindoor', which was launched against terror bases in Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. During the briefing, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Rajiv Ghai used the cricket analogy to stress that it was India's multi-layered counter-drone and air defence grid that acted as a shield against Pakistan air attacks. Ace cricketer Virat Kohli, who announced his retirement from test cricket today, also figured in the briefing. Lieutenant General Ghai said, "Targetting our airfields and logistics is way tough," mentioning the cricket proverb to emphasise his point. Track Live updates here. "When I was in school, I believe in 1970s, there was the Ashes series between Australia and England. And at that time, two popular Australian bowlers, Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee, destroyed the batting lineup of England, and then Australia gave a proverb - "'Ashes to Ashes. Dust to dust. If Lillee don't get you, Thommo must...'". The iconic lines were written for fast bowlers Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee, who tore through the English lineup. "If you see the layers, you'll understand what I am trying to say. Even if you crossed all the layers, one of the layers of this grid system will hit you," he added. The defence systems destroyed Pakistani drones and PL-15 missiles on the nights of May 8, 9 and 10, preventing them from entering our airspace. 'Virat Kohli My Favourite Cricketer' Lieutenant General Ghai also said the analogy was significant as it was also the day when Mr Kohli announced his retirement. "This example is significant as I saw this morning that Virat Kohli retired from test cricket. Like many Indians, he is my favourite cricketer as well." The DGMO, sharing videos of a crater formed by India's strikes at Pakistan's Nur Khan airbase, said the "Indian airfields remain fully operational". 'Operation Sindoor' India launched 'Operation Sindoor' on early May 7, hitting nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation was in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, where 26 people were killed by terrorists on April 22. What followed was a wave of Pakistani attacks using drones and other munitions, which India said was "repulsed" by its forces, who gave a "befitting reply" to Islamabad's aggression. Air Marshal AK Bharti said, "Our fight was against terror, and on May 7, we hit only terror hubs, but the Pakistani Army converted it into its own fight by supporting terrorists". India and Pakistan arrived at an understanding for a ceasefire on Saturday. However, it was breached by Pakistan just hours later. The Armed forces on Sunday, warned Pakistan that India would retaliate "fiercely" to any violation in future.
Sydney Morning Herald
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Fifty years on, Dennis Lillee's spell still mesmerised the crowd
But now Lillee told us something we didn't know. A few months later, Lillee received a large envelope. Inside was a large photo of the incident, showing him fruitlessly proffering Her Maj his autograph book. Signed below, in her elegant hand, was written, Elizabeth R ... 'Oh, hang on! Now I'll be in trouble,' Dennis said, looking in your humble correspondent's direction. No, Mr Lillee, just this once, we'll let it pass! At the end of the chat, the entire room gave him a heartfelt, spontaneous standing ovation. It was a wonderful night, and a demonstration of cricket's capacity for community, and doing good things. They raised $435,000 on the night, of which 99.6 per cent will actually get to the homeless, including such great charities as Stepping Stone House. It was a great credit to principal organiser Darshak Mehta and his board, and proof positive that even 50 years on, D.K. has still got it. I kid you not, he was mobbed for a full 30 minutes afterwards. Dutton's input unwelcome Which brings us to today's election, and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's contention that Welcome to Country ceremonies are stinking up the joint, most particularly when it comes to sporting events. I respectfully beg to differ. The issue burst upon us in the last week when neo-Nazis in Melbourne interrupted an Anzac Day service during the Welcome to Country. Initially, after stating the obvious that the neo-Nazis were a disgrace, Dutton stood shoulder to shoulder with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in supporting the whole concept of Welcome to Country. Of WTC, Dutton said on the Friday that it is 'an important part of official ceremonies, and it should be respected. We have a proud Indigenous heritage in this country, and we should be proud to celebrate it as part of today … And we should always remember to do that and remind ourselves … that Indigenous Australians played a very significant part, and still do today, in the Australian Defence Force.' By Monday, however, in what was just the latest of many flip-flops in his campaign, he had reversed his position. When asked if Anzac dawn services qualified as being 'significant' enough to feature Welcome to Country ceremonies, he replied: 'No.' And he went further, also taking specific aim at the WTC at 'the start of a football game, [where a lot] of Australians think it is overdone and cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do. It divides the country ... ' Uh, no. What divides the country, Mr Dutton, is seeking to make it a political issue by focusing on it a few days out from the election, in an apparent attempt to harness racial division for your own political purposes. And it is a credit to the NRL and the AFL that they quickly came out and said they will continue with the practice, thanks anyway, as did Rugby Australia. And the RSL itself also came out in support of Welcome to Country! Not looking too divided to me? In the meantime, the first and most obvious thing to say is that if you find yourself on the same side of an argument as neo-Nazis – the very ones who got the debate going in the first place – it might be a fair clue that you're barking up the wrong tree, when siding with the barking mad? And yes, ideas are not responsible for the people who believe in them, but who truly thinks the WTC should be one of the main issues going into the last week of a federal election? Of course, there are many who think that Welcome to Country is overdone, and I, for one, think it really can go too far when successive speakers at a podium all say the same thing, and sometimes say it for too long. But, by and large, it is a wonderful Australian tradition, inclusive in nature, and sport, specifically, can take a bow for how it has embraced it. And thanks, I know, too, this item will draw fire from punters saying, 'How dare they welcome me to MY country? My mob has been here for four generations!' In the first place, if it comes to that, OUR Indigenous mob has been here for a thousand generations, and in the second place, in this sense 'country' is not as in 'Australia', but as in 'from the Hawkesbury to the Cooks River, from the ocean to the Nepean', etc. As once explained by Brendan Kerin, a cultural educator from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, 'A Welcome to Country is not a welcome to Australia. Within Australia we have many Aboriginal lands, and we refer to our lands as 'country'. So it's always a welcome to the lands you've gathered on.' And yes, too, Dutton may say whatever he damn well pleases, just as the Libs can – and I am not making this up – do preference swaps with One Nation, and put each other second on their card. No, really. We're a democracy, and today we can all decide who we want to run the show. But, I repeat, on this specific issue, if you find yourself on the same side of the debate as people who have swastikas up on their bedroom wall at mum's place, up against the RSL, yours might be the team letting the side down. Kiss and tell The appointment of Les Kiss as the next Wallabies coach? It was sort of ... odd. A good choice and all, but why announce something now, that is well over a year away, now that Joe Schmidt has agreed to hold on until July of next year? TFF went to the press conference and chatted briefly to Kiss afterwards. He did agree that his has been an amazingly peripatetic career, from being a rugby league star with the North Sydney Bears and Kangaroos to making his way in rugby coaching, all the way to the very top. When I asked him what he had learnt from the likes of the famous Bears coach Frank Stanton, his response was quick. 'I learnt that the best players are the ones who know how to pull it out and perform at the highest level, on the biggest occasions,' he said. Max Jorgensen, I think he was calling your name ... What they said Eddie Jones to the SMH's Tom Decent, whose number he once blocked, after denying Decent's story that Eddie was negotiating with Japanese rugby, while coaching the Wallabies: 'I apologise, mate. Serious. I didn't try to piss you off mate, but you know, I probably did treat you unprofessionally, so I apologise mate.' Benji Marshall before the West Tigers' game against the Sharks on picking Lachlan Galvin: 'Why would I care what people say? Everyone wants to know why [I decided to recall him]. I pick the team, you don't need to know why.' I'm going to go with, because it's been demonstrated that you lose without him. Did I get it right? Galvin after the Tigers' great win: 'All I want to do is play rugby league. That's the reason I live, to be honest, to play this game. That's all I want to do – work hard and let my footy do the talking.' I knew it. You knew it. Sooner or later, someone had to let their footy do the talking. Geelong coach Chris Scott on the AFL fining players for showing their middle finger in the 'up yours' manner: 'This stuff, it just doesn't matter. In the modern world, if flipping the bird is just horribly obscene and a shock to people's senses, then, I don't know, that's not the world I'm living in. You get a lot more obscene stuff watching music videos on YouTube, I would suggest.' Aussie Morgan Cibilic after a tough day at Bells Beach: 'It is what it is at the end of the day – you can't argue with the ocean.' Novak Djokovic after another first-round loss: '[It's] kind of a new reality for me, I have to say, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament.' Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi on 17-year-old Barcelona player Lamine Yamal: 'He is a talent that is born every 50 years. I had never seen him live [until today] and today he impressed me.' Bill Belichick after a controversial interview in which his 48-year younger girlfriend interrupted and made herself the story: 'The final eight-minute segment does not reflect the productive 35-minute conversation which we had, which covered a wide range of topics related to my career. Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative – that Jordon [ his girlfriend] was attempting to control the conversation – which is simply not true.' There's a dozen jokes available here, but I am not brave enough to make any of them. Do your own. This exchange took place between the Herald 's Michael Chammas and Andrew Johns, after the latter refused to commentate in protest at bunker decisions last Sunday: Chammas: ' You were telling me that you're just at the shops. I don't know how you can afford that because surely Channel Nine docked your pay for not calling the last 23 minutes of the game?' Joey: 'There's nothing like a silent protest. I was just so frustrated. That game was an absolute beauty. A full house with diehard Tigers fans, and once again, the bunker was deciding who wins. Let the players decide. When I saw the [Fonua] Pole contact, it was the softest one of the weekend. I just had a gutful of it.' Team of the week Jeremy Crawshaw. Aussie punter drafted by the Denver Broncos. Lachie Galvin. Hopefully this brings the saga to an end. He said he didn't want to re-sign, he was dropped, he came back, they won. Jack Crisp. Will break the streak of consecutive VFL/AFL games when he plays his 245th straight on Saturday. Jack Robinson and Isabella Nichols. The Australian surfers prevailed at Bells Beach. Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The 14-year-old scored the second fastest IPL century, hitting three figures in 35 balls, before getting a two-ball duck in the next match. Everyone after me, 'It's a funny game, cricket.' Liverpool. Champions of the Premier League for the 20th time. John Mayes. The former Kangaroos halfback, who won three premierships in three years in the 1970s with Manly and Easts, has been struck down by illness. All strength, John and family.
The Age
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Fifty years on, Dennis Lillee's spell still mesmerised the crowd
But now Lillee told us something we didn't know. A few months later, Lillee received a large envelope. Inside was a large photo of the incident, showing him fruitlessly proffering Her Maj his autograph book. Signed below, in her elegant hand, was written, Elizabeth R ... 'Oh, hang on! Now I'll be in trouble,' Dennis said, looking in your humble correspondent's direction. No, Mr Lillee, just this once, we'll let it pass! At the end of the chat, the entire room gave him a heartfelt, spontaneous standing ovation. It was a wonderful night, and a demonstration of cricket's capacity for community, and doing good things. They raised $435,000 on the night, of which 99.6 per cent will actually get to the homeless, including such great charities as Stepping Stone House. It was a great credit to principal organiser Darshak Mehta and his board, and proof positive that even 50 years on, D.K. has still got it. I kid you not, he was mobbed for a full 30 minutes afterwards. Dutton's input unwelcome Which brings us to today's election, and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's contention that Welcome to Country ceremonies are stinking up the joint, most particularly when it comes to sporting events. I respectfully beg to differ. The issue burst upon us in the last week when neo-Nazis in Melbourne interrupted an Anzac Day service during the Welcome to Country. Initially, after stating the obvious that the neo-Nazis were a disgrace, Dutton stood shoulder to shoulder with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in supporting the whole concept of Welcome to Country. Of WTC, Dutton said on the Friday that it is 'an important part of official ceremonies, and it should be respected. We have a proud Indigenous heritage in this country, and we should be proud to celebrate it as part of today … And we should always remember to do that and remind ourselves … that Indigenous Australians played a very significant part, and still do today, in the Australian Defence Force.' By Monday, however, in what was just the latest of many flip-flops in his campaign, he had reversed his position. When asked if Anzac dawn services qualified as being 'significant' enough to feature Welcome to Country ceremonies, he replied: 'No.' And he went further, also taking specific aim at the WTC at 'the start of a football game, [where a lot] of Australians think it is overdone and cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do. It divides the country ... ' Uh, no. What divides the country, Mr Dutton, is seeking to make it a political issue by focusing on it a few days out from the election, in an apparent attempt to harness racial division for your own political purposes. And it is a credit to the NRL and the AFL that they quickly came out and said they will continue with the practice, thanks anyway, as did Rugby Australia. And the RSL itself also came out in support of Welcome to Country! Not looking too divided to me? In the meantime, the first and most obvious thing to say is that if you find yourself on the same side of an argument as neo-Nazis – the very ones who got the debate going in the first place – it might be a fair clue that you're barking up the wrong tree, when siding with the barking mad? And yes, ideas are not responsible for the people who believe in them, but who truly thinks the WTC should be one of the main issues going into the last week of a federal election? Of course, there are many who think that Welcome to Country is overdone, and I, for one, think it really can go too far when successive speakers at a podium all say the same thing, and sometimes say it for too long. But, by and large, it is a wonderful Australian tradition, inclusive in nature, and sport, specifically, can take a bow for how it has embraced it. And thanks, I know, too, this item will draw fire from punters saying, 'How dare they welcome me to MY country? My mob has been here for four generations!' In the first place, if it comes to that, OUR Indigenous mob has been here for a thousand generations, and in the second place, in this sense 'country' is not as in 'Australia', but as in 'from the Hawkesbury to the Cooks River, from the ocean to the Nepean', etc. As once explained by Brendan Kerin, a cultural educator from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, 'A Welcome to Country is not a welcome to Australia. Within Australia we have many Aboriginal lands, and we refer to our lands as 'country'. So it's always a welcome to the lands you've gathered on.' And yes, too, Dutton may say whatever he damn well pleases, just as the Libs can – and I am not making this up – do preference swaps with One Nation, and put each other second on their card. No, really. We're a democracy, and today we can all decide who we want to run the show. But, I repeat, on this specific issue, if you find yourself on the same side of the debate as people who have swastikas up on their bedroom wall at mum's place, up against the RSL, yours might be the team letting the side down. Kiss and tell The appointment of Les Kiss as the next Wallabies coach? It was sort of ... odd. A good choice and all, but why announce something now, that is well over a year away, now that Joe Schmidt has agreed to hold on until July of next year? TFF went to the press conference and chatted briefly to Kiss afterwards. He did agree that his has been an amazingly peripatetic career, from being a rugby league star with the North Sydney Bears and Kangaroos to making his way in rugby coaching, all the way to the very top. When I asked him what he had learnt from the likes of the famous Bears coach Frank Stanton, his response was quick. 'I learnt that the best players are the ones who know how to pull it out and perform at the highest level, on the biggest occasions,' he said. Max Jorgensen, I think he was calling your name ... What they said Eddie Jones to the SMH's Tom Decent, whose number he once blocked, after denying Decent's story that Eddie was negotiating with Japanese rugby, while coaching the Wallabies: 'I apologise, mate. Serious. I didn't try to piss you off mate, but you know, I probably did treat you unprofessionally, so I apologise mate.' Benji Marshall before the West Tigers' game against the Sharks on picking Lachlan Galvin: 'Why would I care what people say? Everyone wants to know why [I decided to recall him]. I pick the team, you don't need to know why.' I'm going to go with, because it's been demonstrated that you lose without him. Did I get it right? Galvin after the Tigers' great win: 'All I want to do is play rugby league. That's the reason I live, to be honest, to play this game. That's all I want to do – work hard and let my footy do the talking.' I knew it. You knew it. Sooner or later, someone had to let their footy do the talking. Geelong coach Chris Scott on the AFL fining players for showing their middle finger in the 'up yours' manner: 'This stuff, it just doesn't matter. In the modern world, if flipping the bird is just horribly obscene and a shock to people's senses, then, I don't know, that's not the world I'm living in. You get a lot more obscene stuff watching music videos on YouTube, I would suggest.' Aussie Morgan Cibilic after a tough day at Bells Beach: 'It is what it is at the end of the day – you can't argue with the ocean.' Novak Djokovic after another first-round loss: '[It's] kind of a new reality for me, I have to say, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament.' Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi on 17-year-old Barcelona player Lamine Yamal: 'He is a talent that is born every 50 years. I had never seen him live [until today] and today he impressed me.' Bill Belichick after a controversial interview in which his 48-year younger girlfriend interrupted and made herself the story: 'The final eight-minute segment does not reflect the productive 35-minute conversation which we had, which covered a wide range of topics related to my career. Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative – that Jordon [ his girlfriend] was attempting to control the conversation – which is simply not true.' There's a dozen jokes available here, but I am not brave enough to make any of them. Do your own. This exchange took place between the Herald 's Michael Chammas and Andrew Johns, after the latter refused to commentate in protest at bunker decisions last Sunday: Chammas: ' You were telling me that you're just at the shops. I don't know how you can afford that because surely Channel Nine docked your pay for not calling the last 23 minutes of the game?' Joey: 'There's nothing like a silent protest. I was just so frustrated. That game was an absolute beauty. A full house with diehard Tigers fans, and once again, the bunker was deciding who wins. Let the players decide. When I saw the [Fonua] Pole contact, it was the softest one of the weekend. I just had a gutful of it.' Team of the week Jeremy Crawshaw. Aussie punter drafted by the Denver Broncos. Lachie Galvin. Hopefully this brings the saga to an end. He said he didn't want to re-sign, he was dropped, he came back, they won. Jack Crisp. Will break the streak of consecutive VFL/AFL games when he plays his 245th straight on Saturday. Jack Robinson and Isabella Nichols. The Australian surfers prevailed at Bells Beach. Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The 14-year-old scored the second fastest IPL century, hitting three figures in 35 balls, before getting a two-ball duck in the next match. Everyone after me, 'It's a funny game, cricket.' Liverpool. Champions of the Premier League for the 20th time. John Mayes. The former Kangaroos halfback, who won three premierships in three years in the 1970s with Manly and Easts, has been struck down by illness. All strength, John and family.
