Latest news with #TheGradeCricketer
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why neutrals should back South Africa against Australia in WTC final
On a recent episode of The Grade Cricketer podcast, the hosts, Sam Perry and Ian Higgins, tore lumps out of South Africa in a foul-mouthed tirade about the World Test Championship final against Australia. Perry predicted a finish 'inside three days' and Higgins, practically thumping the table, said: 'If I don't look at a scorecard and South Africa are three for spit my TV is going through the window.' Cue big alpha chuckles and main-character knee slaps. I know they were joking, skewering Australian arrogance as much as South African frailty, and that they have built a formidable brand that runs on side-mouthed jibes and hyperbolic bluster. Still, the lizard part of my brain lit up in protest. How dare they dismiss my countrymen? I wasn't alone in taking offence. Advertisement Related: 'It would be better as a T20': Welsh Fire's Sanjay Govil questions Hundred format Then my prefrontal cortex took the wheel and my anger turned to resignation before morphing into sadness. Not because they're probably right, and that anything other than an Australian romp would constitute an upset, but because of what a one-sided affair would say about the game. What we are looking at might one day be remembered as a high-water mark for global Test cricket. This could be the last chance a team other than Australia, India or England have a shot at claiming Test cricket's big prize. Notions of a competitive ecosystem are already threadbare. Captains representing one of the three wealthiest boards have lifted 71% of ICC titles since 2006. Another trophy for Pat Cummins would only emphasise this gulf. So we are all supporting South Africa next week, right? We should be. Even proud Australians who recognise there is more at stake here than bragging rights. Remember when Fanie de Villiers skittled Allan Border's boys to win a nail-biter in 1994? What about JP Duminy's 166 in Melbourne in 2008, a knock that convinced Ian Chappell to prematurely declare Duminy as 'the young batsman most likely to usurp [Ricky] Ponting's title' as 'master of the willow wielders'. Would you like to see visitors from West Indies, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka put up a fight on your own patch? If so, you'll swap gold for green and consider the implications if events at Lord's unfold as expected. Advertisement As things stand, South Africa will not host any men's Tests next summer. The official line is that this barren spell – the first since the country was readmitted to international cricket in 1992 – will allow for stadium upgrades for the 2027 50-over men's World Cup and provide a rare stint at centre stage for the women's team. But it is hard not to interpret this as a harbinger of things to come. Sure, Australia (in September) and England (in December) visit for three Tests in 2026, but what happens then? If the Proteas, considerably outgunned compared with their richer rivals, get hammered in those marquee series and fail to take games beyond four days, how long until the beancounters at Cricket South Africa decide to focus instead on white-ball glory? And what of the players? They have held up their end of the deal, qualifying for the final. It is not their fault their board cannot organise more Tests. How long until Kagiso Rabada decides that third spells in the late afternoon dirt are not worth his time? There has already been a haemorrhaging of talent from the Test arena. It has been more than a decade since West Indies started battling to field their best players in whites. South Africa's fastest bowler, Anrich Nortje, opted out of a central contract to focus on white-ball cricket. So, too, has New Zealand's Kane Williamson, the winning captain of the first WTC in 2021. These aren't canaries in the coalmine. They're the equivalent of hornless white rhinos, stripped of what made them majestic, not by nature but by necessity. Advertisement There is a cruel irony to South Africa clinging on to relevance in the shade of cricket's rulers. As Tim Wigmore chronicles in Test Cricket: A History, an epic telling of the 148-year story from its inception to Bazball, it was a South African who was the architect of the original big three. Abe Bailey, a mining magnate with close ties to Winston Churchill and Cecil Rhodes, helped establish the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909. Almost six decades before the 'I' stood for 'International', cricket's first governing body was a flag bearer for the British empire. This meant teams such as the USA and Argentina, at the time more worthy of a seat at the top table than South Africa, were left to wither on the vine. The next WTC final is scheduled for 2027, the same year Test cricket turns 150. A century and a half of a game prized for its depth and difficulty, but who will be there to celebrate? This tournament, flawed and fiddly though it may be, has proved to be the last thread keeping teams such as South Africa tethered to relevance. Their victory at Lord's would be a victory for all cricket, a reminder that those on the periphery still matter. Time for a format change In an interview with Ali Martin this week, Sanjay Govil, the new co-owner of the Welsh Fire, made a prediction for the future of world cricket. 'Cricket might go the way of football in Europe, where they play for the clubs but then play for the country when required,' the Indian IT mogul said. 'There is still going to be Test cricket, but maybe – again, I'm just thinking through it – it is played just three months a year in two blocks of six weeks. Then X amount of time for the IPL, MLC, the Hundred etc. And not all players overlap. But I see the calendars evolving.' Advertisement At first I was alarmed. A franchise owner proposing structural reform to Test cricket is enough to spike any purist's blood pressure. We have all seen how short-format cricket has cannibalised the game. South Africa sent a significantly weakened team to New Zealand last year as their best players were contractually bound to a domestic franchise competition. But what if he is right? Change is necessary and clearly something isn't working. Test matches are costly and unwieldy, and while mismanagement is a root cause, stubborn nostalgia will not save the format. Four-day Tests might be the solution, at least for the smaller teams who would then be able to play three-match series rather than unsatisfying two-Test shootouts. Plug those into Govil's two six-week windows and Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and the rest of the game's second tier could end up playing 12 Tests in four series in the year. No team is scheduled to play more than 11 Tests in 2025. Sometimes you have to go backwards in order to go forward. Quote of the week Imagine getting us five-down and Will Jacks comes out to bat?' – Harry Brook appears more than satisfied with the strength of his batting lineup. Memory lane No one needs to go too far down memory lane to recall World Test Championships of yore as the inaugural one was held as recently as 2019 but the proposal for such a tournament was first championed by the West Indies legend Sir Clive Lloyd in 1996. Lloyd was centrally involved in a universally acknowledged great inaugural final, also at Lord's, the first World Cup final in 1975. Now this is a match cricket fans go misty-eyed about and Tim de Lisle was our guide in 2019 when he wrote about his recollections as a 12-year-old at the time: 'The players were wearing whites, with no names or numbers on their backs. The bowling was opened, for Australia, by Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, a pair to strike fear into any opponent, yet no batsman felt the need for a helmet. Clive Lloyd of West Indies made a match-winning hundred wearing glasses. The past is another planet.' Still want more? England managed to see off traffic and West Indies in the third ODI. Advertisement Jonathan Liew hails the great Joe Root. And Gary Naylor examines the opening week of the Blast. Contact The Spin … … by writing to Daniel. In? To subscribe to The Spin, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
West Australian
5 days ago
- General
- West Australian
World Test Championship final: Why West Australian Cam Green is now the key to Australia's batting order
Steve Smith has been confirmed as Australia's No.4 for next week's World Test Championship final, leaving Cam Green to shape the rest of the order. Australian captain Pat Cummins said Smith will retain his place in the middle-order — rather than being bumped up to make way for Green's return — during an interview released on Wednesday. It means Green — who will play his first Test match in 16 months against South Africa at Lord's from June 11 — could bat at No.4, lower down the order, or even open the batting. Smith joins opener Usman Khawaja as the only members of the batting unit with their positions now in permanent marker. 'I can confirm that Smudge will definitely be batting four,' Cummins told The Grade Cricketer. 'Everyone else I am probably not willing to confirm, but I can confirm Steve Smith will be at No.4.' Smith had given up his No.4 position for Green in the months after David Warner's Test retirement, but slotted back into the middle-order when the West Aussie was injured last summer. Australian players gathered in Scotland last week for an under-the-radar pre-Test camp, but have now headed to London. West Australian Josh Inglis and quick Josh Hazlewood will be the final players to join the squad after Inglis' Punjab Kings lost Tuesday night's Indian Premier League final to Hazlewood's Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Inglis is an outside chance to force his way into the side after a strong IPL where he scored 278 runs at 30.88. Marnus Labuschagne had been considered the frontrunner to open the batting, but a lean stint in the second division of the County Championship may have opened the door to Sam Konstas, Green or Inglis pinching that spot. If Labuschagne opens, Green's most likely spot is at No.3. The all-rounder has not returned to bowling yet, which means Beau Webster is a strong chance to play to bat at No.6 and support the pace attack. Green could slot into the middle-order if Australia chooses to back in a four-man pace attack, although dry early-season wickets are likely to require some seam-bowling support. The 26-year-old's versatility will open the door to selectors squeezing in their six most in-form batters. Australian coach Andrew McDonald said last week Green 'could bat anywhere'. 'He could be three, he could be five, he could be six, he could open. He's got all bases covered. 'You're not going to get a negative word from the coach about Cameron Green and his batting.' WA teammate Jhye Richardson, who spent time in rehab with Green during his nine-month layoff after back surgery, said the all-rounder's county cricket form was an ominous warning to both South Africa and England ahead of this summer's looming Ashes series. Green scored three centuries during a five-match stint at second-division side Gloucestershire and finished with 467 runs at 66.71. 'I think we've seen a little bit already, with the success he has had over in England,' Richardson told The West Australian. 'If you can have success over there with the Dukes ball, it holds him in really good stead to come back here in familiar conditions. I'm really looking forward to it.'
News18
09-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
IPL's Aussie Players Anxious Over Safety, Podcasters Flying Back To Melbourne: Report
Last Updated: Australian players in the IPL consider exiting because of India-Pakistan tensions. As cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan escalate along the Line of Control, several Australian players are considering exiting the Indian Premier League as they grow anxious over their safety, obvious after the increased firing from both sides on Thursday. As per multiple player agents, who spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald under the condition of anonymity, a growing number of Aussie players have expressed anxiety over their safety. Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh have been plying their trade in the Indian Premier League, while Aussie coaches Ricky Ponting and Brad Haddin have been caught up in the latest drama. Cricket Australia and the Aussie cricketers association are in regular contact with cricketers and have been giving support as the situation evolves. Aussie pair of Sam Perry and Ian Higgins, who form the popular The Grade Cricketer podcast, have decided to cancel their live shows in India and return to Australia. Perry and Higgins have been performing live shows to Indian audiences recently, but confirmed to the Sydney Morning Herald that they will be flying from Mumbai to Melbourne because of safety concerns. BCCI is considering postponing or moving IPL 2025 after increasing tension between India and Pakistan following drone and missile attacks in recent days. The situation has already disrupted Pakistan's domestic competition, with the Pakistan Super League shifted to Dubai following similar safety concerns. Given that the Pakistan Super League has already bagged the UAE as an alternative venue, the Indian Premier League might be forced to relocate to South Africa, which has hosted the tournament before. An Indian Premier League game between the Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala was called off on Thursday because of a blackout near the LoC after air-raid warnings in nearby Jammu and Pathankot. 'We are reviewing the situation right now. It is an evolving situation. We haven't received any directive from the government. The decision will be taken keeping all the logistics in mind," Indian Premier League chief Arun Dhumal told PTI. 'It is an evolving situation, and any decision will be taken keeping the best interests of all stakeholders in mind," Dhumal added. Players in Dharamsala will leave the city on a special train on Friday, though their next destination remains unclear. First Published: May 09, 2025, 08:36 IST
Straits Times
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Boy with a bat reminds us of the wonder of prodigies
The world of Vaibhav Suryavanshi is out of control and it's all his brilliant fault. Great players in cricket are fumbling for suitable adjectives to anoint him with. Newspapers in India reserve almost entire pages for him. Nothing is in proportion but then neither is the skill he displayed for his age. Under the bright lights of the big time, for one magical night, a kid with puppy fat didn't blink. On April 28, in his third match at the elite level, Vaibhav hit the second-fastest century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 35 balls. At any age, in a league soaked in competitiveness, it was a performance to swoon over. At his age it was akin to speaking classical Greek. Oh wait, did I mention his age? Maybe it's best to repeat the opening line of an Australian podcast, The Grade Cricketer, which began its show on Vaibhav with the incredulous repeating of his age. '14! 14! 14! 14!' Prodigies rewrite the script of human development and make us all feel inadequate. At 11, while many were stuttering their way through Que Sera, Sera on the piano, Stevie Wonder was signing a contract with Motown. At 12, when kids romance Harry Potter, the philosopher John Stuart Mill – so Encyclopedia Britannica tells it – was 'reading Aristotle's logical treatises in the original'. Unlike science or mathematics, in sport the prodigy has a public moment, a skilful introduction. Pele, all innocent dazzle at 17 at the 1958 World Cup. Fu Mingxia, a falling Olympic angel from the 10m diving board at 13 in Barcelona in 1992. Nadia Comaneci with her perfect 10s at the 1976 Olympics which led The New York Times to write, 'at 14 years old, she is not a woman. An athlete, yes; an artist, yes'. Vaibhav is not quite their equal, but disbelief over his feat flashed across social media. Did you see? Can you believe it? Amrit Mathur, the former CEO of IPL team Delhi Capitals, was sitting alongside Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara during Vaibhav's century, and told The Straits Times: 'Kumar said he'd rarely seen anyone with such clean striking of the ball. It's a gift to hit the ball with such ease but with power.' On April 28, the century. On April 29, Vaibhav had one million Instagram followers. By May 2 it was two million. His hello to the world had the feel of a meteor, a sudden burst of light in the cricketing sky. The word comes from the Greek 'ta meteora' or 'things in heaven above' which is a fair description of the 11 sixes he smote that day. Of course in his next match, on May 1, he lasted two balls for zero runs. Sport is the great chastiser. The sporting phenom is hardly greater than other prodigies but perhaps more daring. The young mathematician juggles theorems on a blackboard, the athletic whizz-kid plays before 60,000 loud folk and 30 examining cameras. Talent doesn't work here without audacity. Vaibhav feels what the painting virtuoso doesn't, which is a competitive heat. His unmerciful rivals don't care about age, only defeating him. And so a kid who'd normally be studying Newton's laws of motions must apply force on heroes twice his age by displaying a quality which his Rajasthan Royals coach Rahul Dravid said he has. 'Fearlessness.' This being India and cricket – a high-decibel, high-strung, high-octane relationship – news spread rapidly. Of his father who sold their farmland to fuel a dream; his mother who woke at 2am to prepare things; his almost-three-hour trips to a bigger city to practise; his town, Samastipur, which everyone had to find on a map. Vaibhav's story speaks of beautiful things: of the love for cricket which snakes like an overflowing river into the tiniest corners of India; of a game which holds the powerful promise of economic escape; of the depth of talent in a wide land and the undaunted belief of small-town kids. Fame in Indian cricket enriches young people yet pins them under the weight of constant attention. After silly comments were made about photos of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah's child, he and his wife issued a statement which began 'Our son is NOT a topic for your entertainment'. Worship can be an idle business. Hostile bowlers will be more fun for Vaibhav than the calls, advice, invitations, interviews, which await him. Prodigies need protection and fortunately his coach, Dravid, is a patient man of serious substance who knows about prodigies and sport's unchanging truth. Only from years of sweat comes legend. There is talk that Vaibhav isn't 14 but older, but even for a 16-year-old his feat is outrageous. Anyway, in the end, age stops mattering and only talent does. All young athletes wait to stand out, yet once they do no one looks at them the same way again. And so right now a teenager's challenge is not just to score runs. But to keep his balance as the ground shifts beneath him. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Sydney Morning Herald
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why Albanese is leading Dutton in ‘podcaster election' stakes
After Donald Trump's embrace of various bro podcasters helped lock in the male edgelord vote and pave his return to the White House, it was no surprise that Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton would race to the mics ahead of Saturday's poll. But as the election campaign reaches the home stretch, the prime minister isn't just leading the polls – he's also edged ahead in the podcast/YouTuber stakes. After ruffling a few press gallery feathers by rolling out the federal budget red carpet to a few Labor-friendly influencers, Albanese has taken plenty of time out of his campaign schedule for interviewers well outside the Canberra bubble. Last month, the PM sank non-alcoholic beers with Perth-based YouTuber Ozzy Man Reviews during a near hour-long interview. He popped up on a new show from the brains behind popular podcast The Grade Cricketer. And last week, he did an interview with a podcast called Bloody Brilliant Beers, a couple of blokes from Brissie who post about footy and frothies. Sounds like a perfect platform to reach the kind of normie suburban young male voters Dutton would desperately love to pick off. Loading But the opposition leader has had less time for such engagements. Before the campaign, he did an interview with Olympic diver Sam Fricker. Like Albanese, he's sat down with Mark Bouris, the businessman and wannabe Joe Rogan, who's interviewed politicians across the aisle. Both leaders have sat down with Kate Langbroek on the No Filter podcast from women's media empire Mama Mia. But it was Albanese who got the weirdest internet celebrity endorsement of the campaign on Wednesday from none other than Joseph Allen Maldonado, aka Joe Exotic, star of the pandemic-era Netflix documentary Tiger King. Maldonado, who is serving a 22-year prison sentence for animal abuse and the attempted murder-for-hire of rival zookeeper Carole Baskin, told his Instagram followers to support the PM. Rather than the work of some enterprising Labor apparatchik, the endorsement came courtesy of 2DayFM hosts Jimmy and Nath, who asked Exotic to back the PM during a radio interview this week. It's a bit of social media love that Dutton probably didn't envy.
