i havent written anything about the cricket world cup so far. partly its because of work- unfortunately i need to rested and punctual, unlike the student days, so i havent been able to catch much of the live action, relying instead on highlights and cricinfo reports. partly because there's been so much negativity surrounding the whole event (the murder investigation, bad organizing etc etc). partly because sachin tendulkar flew in and flew out of the carribean before i got back from coffs harbour. but mainly because of the inexplicable length of the tournament combined with the fact that from the outset, it was a certainty that australia would win (viv richards answered, correctly i must say, "salmonella poisoning" when asked what or who could stop australia).
the previous 4 world cups were exciting affairs, even if there were clear favourites. in 92, the west indies were still the kings of cricket but turned in a woeful performance and missed the semis. new zealand were the form team, storming thru undefeated until they threw their final match against pakistan to keep the aussies out of the semis. that plan backfired as a rampant young pakistan team led by the evergreen imran khan trampled over the kiwis in the semis and an inzamam special demolished england in the final. ironically, the way they were playing, new zealand would probably have beaten australia in the semis had they played properly against pakistan the first time. 96 was the best world cup i've ever seen. south africa were clearly the best odi team leading into the tournament, but were cruelly sent home following a brian lara classic. sri lanka re-shaped the direction of odi cricket with a new paradigm- slog in the early overs with players like jayasuriya and kaluvitharana, consolidate in the middle and slog some more at the end. it seems quite simple now, but it was a revolution back then. no-one was used to seeing teams bring up 100 after 15 or 16 overs. sri lanka clearly deserved to win in 96 for their innovation and tactics. 99 will be remembered as the world cup that south africa threw away. at the time, south africa was the most formidable line-up ever assembled in one-day cricket. but they choked, choked badly. and since then, south african cricket has never been the same. australia, stinging from the surprise sprung on them by sri lanka in 96, embarked immediately on a mission to update their game and "modernize" their tactics. adam gilchrist and mark waugh opened the batting and refined the slogging sri lanka brought to the game. an emphasis was placed on "bowling at the death" and fielding (inspired by the brilliant jonty rhodes; espn used to have these statistics which showed that rhodes saved 15-20 runs every match with his fielding, which when added to his batting average showed how valuable he was). and over two classic encounters against south africa, australia proved that they were the deserving champions- the final was only a formality, a rather quick one too...03 was a world cup that australia dominated from start to finish, but at one stage there was a real hope that india could provide an upset. after being humbled in the first group match against australia, india regrouped and convincingly won all their matches (including that sweet, sweet win over pakistan when sachin played one of the best-ever world cup innings) until the final, when again they were humbled.
07.....well not much to say really. australia never looked like losing- none of their matches were even close. sri lanka and new zealand, the next best teams, proved to be far inferior to australia when they got their chance to play them. and there were lots of other problems with world cup. expensive tickets and the ban of musical instruments ensured that no match attracted a capacity crowd and thus the atmosphere for the entire tournament was rather dull. of course, the quality of cricket didnt greatly contribute either. bob woolmer's murder cast a black shadow over the tournament. india and pakistan's premature exit ensured that every second super 8 match would feature bangladesh or ireland, i mean seriously, what a joke!!! kenya made the super 6 in 03, but they played good cricket and actually earnt their semifinal spot. bangladesh and ireland scored fluke wins over insipid opposition and diluted the quality of the world cup. (i'm not blaming the minnows for a generally woeful tournament, but still, it contributed.....)
i think the saddest thing is that there is not much to look forward to for the next world cup. no exciting young talent, no promise of something greater in four years' time. the younger players in the australian team acquitted themselves well, and the likes of tait, bracken, watson and clarke will form the nucleus of the team for the next world cup. but look elsewhere, and you will find little to be excited about. of all the younger generation of players that took part in the carribean, ross taylor of new zealand looks to have a bit of class. i'm sure he'll be there next time as an accomplished batsman. india and pakistan will unearth plenty of talent over the next four years, but it remains to be seen whether they can be nurtured into world class players before they become superstar celebrities who spend more time posing for ads and doing interviews than training and playing cricket.
anyway, enough of my complaining about cricket.......
Sunday 29 April 2007
Sunday 8 April 2007
kiama
the blowhole at kiama
the blustery conditions ensured that there would be plenty of action
this is the inlet to the blowhole- the ocean was much rougher than it appears on these photos
Friday 6 April 2007
dorrigo
i wrote about dorrigo in a previous post, but now i've got photos!!! i realize that i should have these photos is some sort of order, but there's too many and i cant be bothered....so i'm just going to put a few random comments after some of the photos...
dangar falls- a kilometre out of dorrigo.....it is no co-incidence that the road that leads to dorrigo from the pacific highway is called the waterfall way. the steep winding road from the village of Bellingen up to Dorrigo must have at least 15-20 waterfalls. just the drive itself is well worth it...
the view from dorrigo national park rainforest centre....on a clear day like this one, u can see Bellingen halfway down the valley (above) and the pacific ocean 40 km away (below)
one of the ancient rainforest giants- an ecosystem in itself, sustaining all sorts of vines, mosses, insects and birds, not to mention possums, bats etc
the simple beauty of a perfect spider web wet with perfect round drops of dew
the cool, moist environment of the rainforest is perfect for these colourful mushrooms
i found it fascinating how these small plants take seed and grow half way up a large tree
one of the rare breaks in the thick rainforest canopy allow some sunlight in...
these tasty looking fruits were very tempting, but despite the fact that i had two more senior doctors with me, i decided against taking a bite
with a sheet of tarpaulin, this tree would make a brilliant campsite
the thick fog descends to the rainforest floor
on a clear day, u can see the pacific ocean....on a cloudy day, u r confronted by a wall of fog
compare this to the earlier photos where u can the bellinger valley...
the pathway down into the rainforest
that wall of clouds again
as u would've figured by now, i really loved dorrigo. its a sleepy little town nestled in the mountains (well hills really, but we'll call them mountains anyway). the surrounding area is largely national park (dorrigo, bellinger river and new england national parks) and contains world heritage-listed rainforests. the east coast of australia used to be one long uninterrupted stretch of rainforest millions of years ago- now, only small patches of this ancient ecosystem remain. as the australian continent dries out and gets warmer, even these pockets of rainforest are drying out. hence the importance of creating national parks and nature reserves to protect and raise awareness about australia's dwindling rainforests...
walking thru rainforests is a surreal experience, especially when its an overcast day and there is some fog about....no matter what the outside temperature is, there is usually an undercurrent
several degrees lower that keeps the rainforest floor cool...the dense canopy keeps out direct sunlight- the light that does filter thru feels like it has a soft green flourescent tinge to it....the undergrowth is thick and luscious with a huge variety of small plants, flowering bushes, vines, ferns, mosses, mushrooms etc.....the feast provided by these plants attracts a variety of wildlife, particularly birds. i dont know much about birds, but the dorrigo national park is full of all sorts of birds, and the rainforest echoes with birdsong...
so if ur ever in the area, go to dorrigo...heading north, the waterfall way is a left turn off the pacific highway about 25 km before coffs harbour, just after the little village of urunga. dorrigo is the town u come upon after u pass about 20 waterfalls...
dangar falls- a kilometre out of dorrigo.....it is no co-incidence that the road that leads to dorrigo from the pacific highway is called the waterfall way. the steep winding road from the village of Bellingen up to Dorrigo must have at least 15-20 waterfalls. just the drive itself is well worth it...
the view from dorrigo national park rainforest centre....on a clear day like this one, u can see Bellingen halfway down the valley (above) and the pacific ocean 40 km away (below)
one of the ancient rainforest giants- an ecosystem in itself, sustaining all sorts of vines, mosses, insects and birds, not to mention possums, bats etc
the simple beauty of a perfect spider web wet with perfect round drops of dew
the cool, moist environment of the rainforest is perfect for these colourful mushrooms
i found it fascinating how these small plants take seed and grow half way up a large tree
one of the rare breaks in the thick rainforest canopy allow some sunlight in...
these tasty looking fruits were very tempting, but despite the fact that i had two more senior doctors with me, i decided against taking a bite
with a sheet of tarpaulin, this tree would make a brilliant campsite
the thick fog descends to the rainforest floor
on a clear day, u can see the pacific ocean....on a cloudy day, u r confronted by a wall of fog
compare this to the earlier photos where u can the bellinger valley...
the pathway down into the rainforest
that wall of clouds again
as u would've figured by now, i really loved dorrigo. its a sleepy little town nestled in the mountains (well hills really, but we'll call them mountains anyway). the surrounding area is largely national park (dorrigo, bellinger river and new england national parks) and contains world heritage-listed rainforests. the east coast of australia used to be one long uninterrupted stretch of rainforest millions of years ago- now, only small patches of this ancient ecosystem remain. as the australian continent dries out and gets warmer, even these pockets of rainforest are drying out. hence the importance of creating national parks and nature reserves to protect and raise awareness about australia's dwindling rainforests...walking thru rainforests is a surreal experience, especially when its an overcast day and there is some fog about....no matter what the outside temperature is, there is usually an undercurrent
several degrees lower that keeps the rainforest floor cool...the dense canopy keeps out direct sunlight- the light that does filter thru feels like it has a soft green flourescent tinge to it....the undergrowth is thick and luscious with a huge variety of small plants, flowering bushes, vines, ferns, mosses, mushrooms etc.....the feast provided by these plants attracts a variety of wildlife, particularly birds. i dont know much about birds, but the dorrigo national park is full of all sorts of birds, and the rainforest echoes with birdsong...
so if ur ever in the area, go to dorrigo...heading north, the waterfall way is a left turn off the pacific highway about 25 km before coffs harbour, just after the little village of urunga. dorrigo is the town u come upon after u pass about 20 waterfalls...
Monday 2 April 2007
i'm back
Finally back in sydney!!! it was a long drive on saturday, but a weekend of eating, sleeping and watching football (not cricket) was just what i needed....
My next job (started today) is at Mt.Druitt rehab- it is so much cruisier than i imagined. I mean, i was expecting a change of pace from Coffs Harbour, but today surprised me. I did about 1/50th of what i would do in a standard day at coffs.....
so i'm looking for a good book to read....
anyway, i've got to find the photos i took at coffs and put them online. one of the best things about working at coffs was that the location- the midnorth coast region has lots of things to see and places to explore. we were a bit lazy as a group and didnt really do everything on offer. but still, there is a lot of natural beauty in that region. i'll write more about some of those places once i locate the photos.
whilst i've been away, i've neglected the blog and i plan to rectify that (sort of). but i'm pretty out of touch with the world right now after being cocooned in a remote corner of the world for 10 weeks. the obvious starting point is the world cup- considering all the stuff i wrote about the soccer world cup, u'd think that i would at least have a single entry about the cricket.....i just havent gotten into the cricket this time like i normally would, and i cant blame it all on coffs. something's missing this time around. when a sri lankan team that got roasted 6-1 by india a year ago and new zealand, who had trouble dealing with England recently, are the only teams that look like even being passably competitive with australia, it is difficult to get excited....but anyway, i'll find something to write about, after all it IS cricket...
My next job (started today) is at Mt.Druitt rehab- it is so much cruisier than i imagined. I mean, i was expecting a change of pace from Coffs Harbour, but today surprised me. I did about 1/50th of what i would do in a standard day at coffs.....
so i'm looking for a good book to read....
anyway, i've got to find the photos i took at coffs and put them online. one of the best things about working at coffs was that the location- the midnorth coast region has lots of things to see and places to explore. we were a bit lazy as a group and didnt really do everything on offer. but still, there is a lot of natural beauty in that region. i'll write more about some of those places once i locate the photos.
whilst i've been away, i've neglected the blog and i plan to rectify that (sort of). but i'm pretty out of touch with the world right now after being cocooned in a remote corner of the world for 10 weeks. the obvious starting point is the world cup- considering all the stuff i wrote about the soccer world cup, u'd think that i would at least have a single entry about the cricket.....i just havent gotten into the cricket this time like i normally would, and i cant blame it all on coffs. something's missing this time around. when a sri lankan team that got roasted 6-1 by india a year ago and new zealand, who had trouble dealing with England recently, are the only teams that look like even being passably competitive with australia, it is difficult to get excited....but anyway, i'll find something to write about, after all it IS cricket...
i'm back
Finally back in sydney!!! it was a long drive on saturday, but a weekend of eating, sleeping and watching football (not cricket) was just what i needed....
My next job (started today) is at Mt.Druitt rehab- it is so much cruisier than i imagined. I mean, i was expecting a change of pace from Coffs Harbour, but today surprised me. I did about 1/50th of what i would do in a standard day at coffs.....
so i'm looking for a good book to read....
anyway, i've got to find the photos i took at coffs and put them online. one of the best things about working at coffs was that the location- the midnorth coast region has lots of things to see and places to explore. we were a bit lazy as a group and didnt really do everything on offer. but still, there is a lot of natural beauty in that region. i'll write more about some of those places once i locate the photos.
whilst i've been away, i've neglected the blog and i plan to rectify that (sort of). but i'm pretty out of touch with the world right now after being cocooned in a remote corner of the world for 10 weeks. the obvious starting point is the world cup- considering all the stuff i wrote about the soccer world cup, u'd think that i would at least have a single entry about the cricket.....i just havent gotten into the cricket this time like i normally would, and i cant blame it all on coffs. something's missing this time around. when a sri lankan team that got roasted 6-1 by india a year ago and new zealand, who had trouble dealing with England recently, are the only teams that look like even being passably competitive with australia, it is difficult to get excited....but anyway, i'll find something to write about, after all it IS cricket...
My next job (started today) is at Mt.Druitt rehab- it is so much cruisier than i imagined. I mean, i was expecting a change of pace from Coffs Harbour, but today surprised me. I did about 1/50th of what i would do in a standard day at coffs.....
so i'm looking for a good book to read....
anyway, i've got to find the photos i took at coffs and put them online. one of the best things about working at coffs was that the location- the midnorth coast region has lots of things to see and places to explore. we were a bit lazy as a group and didnt really do everything on offer. but still, there is a lot of natural beauty in that region. i'll write more about some of those places once i locate the photos.
whilst i've been away, i've neglected the blog and i plan to rectify that (sort of). but i'm pretty out of touch with the world right now after being cocooned in a remote corner of the world for 10 weeks. the obvious starting point is the world cup- considering all the stuff i wrote about the soccer world cup, u'd think that i would at least have a single entry about the cricket.....i just havent gotten into the cricket this time like i normally would, and i cant blame it all on coffs. something's missing this time around. when a sri lankan team that got roasted 6-1 by india a year ago and new zealand, who had trouble dealing with England recently, are the only teams that look like even being passably competitive with australia, it is difficult to get excited....but anyway, i'll find something to write about, after all it IS cricket...
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