Submitted by rickeyre on
Before their game against Team USA in the FIBA World Cup on September 2 2014, the New Zealand men's basketball team, the Tall Blacks, did what all New Zealand national teams should do... perform the Haka.
Judging by the looks on the Americans' faces it can't be long before we see a USA equivalent... surely?
USA won the game 98-71.
Submitted by rickeyre on
A weak New Zealand side was expected to be easybeats for the Australian eleven, and in the First Test at The Gabba they were. But at Hobart, they prevailed, in three-and-a-half days by seven runs in an exciting if low-scoring match on a greentop.
Submitted by rickeyre on
We've seen two great Test matches between South Africa and Australia in the past fortnight.
At Newlands, Cape Town, a dramatic South African collapse was followed by an utterly historic Australian one, after which the home side's batsmen stormed back to claim a stunning win by eight wickets within two and a half days.
Submitted by rickeyre on
The International Cricket Council is one of those organisations which will never truly satisify its public with the way it runs the game. No number of ex-politicians fed through the presidential revolving door will change that, but not all of the criticism is warranted. However, the ICC's approach to player discipline seems to win very few friends indeed.
Submitted by rickeyre on
"Howard's future in retirement? I've come up with three options:
(a) A ceremonial role (eg: patron, no.1 ticket holder, mascot) with one or more of the Australian Rugby Union, Cricket Australia or the Australian Olympic team...."- Rick Eyre, 1.12.07
Submitted by rickeyre on
And so it was on Friday that for about two hours we had the exhilaration of simultaneously following: Day Three, India v Sri Lanka at Mumbai; Day Two, New Zealand v Pakistan at Wellington; Day One, Australia v West Indies at Adelaide. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Just exhausting. Three games of wildly varying textures, each one with that joyous "Let's See You Do That In The IPL" feel about them.
Submitted by rickeyre on
There's only one thing that could stop the 2008 Rugby League World Cup from being a totally forgettable, ill-conceived joke. And that is Australia not winning the final.
Congratulations New Zealand!
Submitted by rickeyre on
Yesterday I attended the SCG for a session and a half of Day Two of the New Zealand v New South Wales tour match. To my eternal regret, it has been almost three years since I have been to a NSW game (namely, the Twenty20 game against Queensland at the NSO in January 2006), so it was my first opportunity to try out some mobile blogging at the ground. Hence, my debut on Twitter.
Submitted by rickeyre on
Oh dear. Bangladesh cricket was supposed to have been gutted when their best players were poached to play for the Dhaka Warriors in the new ICL season, which starts tomorrow. Though not quite a second XI, only one player making his ODI debut, Bangladesh's first-ever limited-over win against New Zealand today is one heckuva triumph.
And the World's Best ODI Bowler went for 9-0-48-0.
Submitted by rickeyre on
New Zealand flogged England in the First Test on Sunday. England were set 300 for victory, but just couldn't quite get there, all out for 110. Ryan Sidebottom's hat-trick was in vain, as was Aussie Tim Ambrose's debut first innings half-century.
But hang on a tic? Wasn't New Zealand cricket supposed to be on its way down the tubes having lost all its best talent to the Icicle?
