Really?
A newspaper article at the beginning of the year mused that 2007 could be a really, really good year for New Zealand sport. Not only the Rugby World Cup to look forward to, but the America's Cup is on soon where apparently we have a reasonable shout and at the end of the year the Netball World Championships.
But any respect I had for this particular journo went out the window when he mentioned the Cricket World Cup as well. Really? We've never even made the final of this particular event (even when, in 1992, we were the best side) so you really need a strong shade of rose-tinted glasses to seriously believe we have more than a starter's chance in a few months time.
M'lud I present Exhibit A - NZ's performance against England yesterday. England - possibly the worst side in ODI international cricket currently. A record of 4-14 last year and 5-10 the year before. Currently minus their best batsmen - out with cracked ribs.
Winning the toss and batting first should have sealed their fate on a pitch that would get harder to bat on during the day. But oh no, our beloved Blackcaps have to yet again rely on bowlers at the end to put up a barely acceptable total, and then when England did their level best to chuck away the game at their turn to bat we rolled out the winners mat for them to stagger over the line. Even the umpires got involved in the mediocrity on display with one of the worst decisions seen in a long time (Strauss LBW when he smashed the cover off the ball into his pads) and while some will argue with me, the no-ball called when Flintoff was caught was dodgy as well.
Not for a long time have I seen a sporting "contest" (I hesitate to use that word) where there should be two losers and no winners. The only redeeming feature was it's "competitiveness" (I also hesitate to use that word), but as I said the other day, while competition is nice, excellence is preferred.
I see Styris, Oram and Mills are booked on a Saturday flight to Australia. Praise the lord. But I fear their inclusion will not help what remains our problem - runs at the top of the order. At least the England - NZ games are providing betting opportunities (and I suppose comedy value), but geez, they are painful to watch.
But any respect I had for this particular journo went out the window when he mentioned the Cricket World Cup as well. Really? We've never even made the final of this particular event (even when, in 1992, we were the best side) so you really need a strong shade of rose-tinted glasses to seriously believe we have more than a starter's chance in a few months time.
M'lud I present Exhibit A - NZ's performance against England yesterday. England - possibly the worst side in ODI international cricket currently. A record of 4-14 last year and 5-10 the year before. Currently minus their best batsmen - out with cracked ribs.
Winning the toss and batting first should have sealed their fate on a pitch that would get harder to bat on during the day. But oh no, our beloved Blackcaps have to yet again rely on bowlers at the end to put up a barely acceptable total, and then when England did their level best to chuck away the game at their turn to bat we rolled out the winners mat for them to stagger over the line. Even the umpires got involved in the mediocrity on display with one of the worst decisions seen in a long time (Strauss LBW when he smashed the cover off the ball into his pads) and while some will argue with me, the no-ball called when Flintoff was caught was dodgy as well.
Not for a long time have I seen a sporting "contest" (I hesitate to use that word) where there should be two losers and no winners. The only redeeming feature was it's "competitiveness" (I also hesitate to use that word), but as I said the other day, while competition is nice, excellence is preferred.
I see Styris, Oram and Mills are booked on a Saturday flight to Australia. Praise the lord. But I fear their inclusion will not help what remains our problem - runs at the top of the order. At least the England - NZ games are providing betting opportunities (and I suppose comedy value), but geez, they are painful to watch.
Labels: cricket
posted by Rob Crawford at 7:36 AM
1 Comments:
painful is the word.
but, gah! we'll come right, beat the poms in the remaining pool games, fluke a win over the aussies at some point, and get thumped in the finals.
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