There's been some very interesting cricket over the last few weeks. Whilst the Pakistan-West Indies series is drawing to a close, the other six major nations are all battling it out in the southern hemisphere. South Africa proved once again that they're a formidable one-day team, crushing India, who've slipped to low after low following the morale-breaking WC final loss in 2003. Australia have regained the Ashes wasting the minimal amount of time, whilst Sri Lanka are locked in a tight battle with the Kiwis.
First to South Africa, where a confident home team went into the test matches after a ruthless display against an Indian team all at sea with the unfamiliar conditions. South Africa played marvellous cricket, dominating with both bat and ball throughout the ODI's. The coach Mickey Arthur publicly asked the curators to prepare bouncy pitches so his pace bowlers could bounce out the Indians. The nation was all abuzz with optimism, but as usual, the South African penchant for going overboard with these things was their undoing. Not only were they under huge pressure from their public to put India to the sword, but their coach piled on the pressure as well, not only to dominate, but to bowl lots of bouncers and have the Indian batsmen ducking and weaving. As Arthur wanted, a bouncy, seaming pitch was delivered at Johannesburgh. To the South Africans' surprise, (though really it shouldnt have been), the Indian pace bowlers utilized the conditions masterfully dismissing the home team for a record-equalling 84 and 278. It shouldnt have surprised them because Indian bowlers have done quite well in South Africa- Srinath, Prasad and Kumble come to mind. This time around, Sreesanth was the hero. I saw this guy make his debut against a lacklustre Sri Lankan team. He conceded 50 runs in 7 overs or so without looking like getting a wicket. But the commentators, Dean Jones, David Hookes and Barry Richards, remarked that Sreesanth was the future of test cricket in India. I was taken aback by this because I didnt see anything remarkable in this slightly built, apparently ordinary medium pacer. A few matches later, he bowled 1/63 from 10 overs, again unflattering figures, but this time he had 4 dropped catches in the slips, gully and outfield. He created these chances through edges, top edges and leading edges, beating the batsmen with cut, swing and pace. But not until now has he truly justified the faith those commentators put in him. His superb performance, along with Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan and VVS Laxman, has really given the Indians a launching pad to win a series in South Africa.
New Zealand have never quite reached the heights they managed to climb back in 01/02 when they matched Australia with the bat, drew 0-0 in the test series and conspired to keep Australia out of the VB series final and forcing the Australian selectors to drop Steve Waugh. Unfortunately things have not worked out for the New Zealanders since then, particularly in the batting department, where they have continually failed to score large totals and even to unearth any decent batting talent. Sri Lanka have also struggled for a while now, with only the brilliance of Murali and Kumar Sangakkara maintaining a modicum of dignity for the Emerald Isle. So this series is an excellent opportunity for both teams to garner much needed momentum leading into the world cup. Remember, last before the WC, India were butchered 3-0 (tests) and 5-2 (odi) by New Zealand but went on to have a splendid tournament with the exception of two humiliating losses to Australia. Two closely contested matches have resulted in a drawn series 1-1. With 2 20-20's and 5 ODI's coming up, it will interesting to see how these teams fare, both considered stronger in the short format of the game. The state of the pitches in NZ will probably mean that the ODI's will be a shoot-out between the bowlers, though one outstanding batting performance could be the difference. But since neither team is a true contender for the WC, I must say I'm not all that interested in this series.
The Ashes have not lived upto their hype, it has to be said. England's woeful selection policies, together with their outdated tactics, and the absence of key players Michael Vaughan and Simon Jones, left them exposed to a rampant Australian team desperate to regain the Ashes. As far as selection goes, England made three mistakes:
1. not selecting Panesar from the outset- this is a no-brainer. This guy is a genuine wicket-taker. In Jones' absence, this is something England were bound to desperately miss.
2. picking five bowlers- this is completely pointless. Flintoff is not a no.6 batsman- he's simply a bowler who bats better than average (a bowling all-rounder if you will). The South Africans never select Pollock as a batsman, same as Pakistan and Wasim Akram. Flintoff should play as a bowler alongside Hoggard, Harmison and Panesar. It should be noted that the fifth bowlers, Anderson and Mahmood have taken 1 wicket in 3 tests. That way, Ed Joyce or Jamie Dalrymple could bat at no.5 and Collingwood at 6. I know he got the double hundred at 4, but Collingwood is at best a no.6 batsman, Pietersen should be at 4.
3. Geraint Jones- I have not seen a more redundant selection than England's persistence with Jones. He's not a good keeper (admittedly, he has dropped way fewer balls this time around, though he missed a crucial stumping off Monty in Perth) and he's a hopeless batsman. Chris Read simply has to come in. When Alec Stewart was keeping, the odd mistake could be accepted because of his consistent contributions with the bat, but Jones is a joke.
Having said all of this, even if England picked their best XI (Cook, Strauss, Bell, Pietersen, Joyce/Dalrymple, Collingwood, Flintoff, Read, Harmison, Panesar, Hoggard) I dont think the result would be any different. Australia are too good at the moment. Mike Hussey is simply unstoppable, as is Ponting. With McGrath and Warne somewhat out of sorts, Stuart Clark has stepped up and delivered with the ball. And once Gilchrist hits form, you know your in trouble. The Aussies are looking pretty good in terms of retaining the WC right now. It's take a huge reversal of fortunes for it to be otherwise, remembering that Australia is far more dominant in ODI's than in test matches.
Tuesday, 19 December 2006
Friday, 15 December 2006
They'll drink our water, say the people of Tamworth
Pauline Hanson must've woken up this morning a satisfied woman. Despite the fact that her One Nation Party has no political power, it is still strong in spirit, as you can see from this article in todays Sydney Morning Herald. This is quite disgusting actually; some of the Tamworth councillors' comments are sickening, not to mention displaying a breadth of arrogance and ignorance.
--"Earlier this month Tamworth won the Best Western Friendly Town award. It's hypocritical."--
I feel sorry for the few councillors who made an effort to accomodate the Sudanese refugees, and for the church that raised money for them. It is sad that they will all be lumped together and branded racist.
A Chinese friend of mine went on a road trip last year, after which he commented that of all the towns he travelled through, Tamworth was the least friendly and most racist. He felt so unwelcome that he cut short his stay and moved on. At the time I was surprised, mainly because I had never experienced this sort of thing in Australia, but obviously it exists.
-- several residents had said they did "not want the refugees coming and drinking our water supply, or taking our jobs, that sort of thing", Cr Woodley said. "I think you would have to say there was a racist element at play there."--
I've heard the "they'll take our jobs" argument often enough (there's a really cool south park episode on this issue), but "they'll drink our water"???????? Wow, the drought has really taken hold hasnt it?? I bet when they need cheap labour to dig a few more wells, they wont be complaining about bringing in a few refugees, at least temporarily.
Here are all the comments made by the councillors of Tamworth. I think Councillor Warren Woodley sums it up pretty well:
--"The explanations of my fellow councillors who voted against this proposal held no substance. In fact they reminded me of the ultra-conservative, right wing guard of the past that once ruled this region."--
The comments of those who opposed the refugee settlement all revolved around a few key key themes:
1. washing their own hands clean- it wasnt my fault, it was the people of this town that rejected the refugees.
2. taking the moral high ground- personally, i'd like to see the refugees settle in tamworth
3. blame someone else- the government has no plans to assist these people long-term. we dont have enough health-care resources for our people as it is.
4. bring in irrelevant material- we dont want cronulla riots in our backyard (excuse me, exactly how are 10 families going to cause cronulla riots. if i remember correctly, those were caused by a bunch of drunken young men. maybe tamworth should ban alcohol while they're at it)
--"Earlier this month Tamworth won the Best Western Friendly Town award. It's hypocritical."--
I feel sorry for the few councillors who made an effort to accomodate the Sudanese refugees, and for the church that raised money for them. It is sad that they will all be lumped together and branded racist.
A Chinese friend of mine went on a road trip last year, after which he commented that of all the towns he travelled through, Tamworth was the least friendly and most racist. He felt so unwelcome that he cut short his stay and moved on. At the time I was surprised, mainly because I had never experienced this sort of thing in Australia, but obviously it exists.
-- several residents had said they did "not want the refugees coming and drinking our water supply, or taking our jobs, that sort of thing", Cr Woodley said. "I think you would have to say there was a racist element at play there."--
I've heard the "they'll take our jobs" argument often enough (there's a really cool south park episode on this issue), but "they'll drink our water"???????? Wow, the drought has really taken hold hasnt it?? I bet when they need cheap labour to dig a few more wells, they wont be complaining about bringing in a few refugees, at least temporarily.
Here are all the comments made by the councillors of Tamworth. I think Councillor Warren Woodley sums it up pretty well:
--"The explanations of my fellow councillors who voted against this proposal held no substance. In fact they reminded me of the ultra-conservative, right wing guard of the past that once ruled this region."--
The comments of those who opposed the refugee settlement all revolved around a few key key themes:
1. washing their own hands clean- it wasnt my fault, it was the people of this town that rejected the refugees.
2. taking the moral high ground- personally, i'd like to see the refugees settle in tamworth
3. blame someone else- the government has no plans to assist these people long-term. we dont have enough health-care resources for our people as it is.
4. bring in irrelevant material- we dont want cronulla riots in our backyard (excuse me, exactly how are 10 families going to cause cronulla riots. if i remember correctly, those were caused by a bunch of drunken young men. maybe tamworth should ban alcohol while they're at it)
Sunday, 3 December 2006
Kashmir
In a very interesting development, Pervez Musharraf, the military dictator of Pakistan, has indicated that he is considering lifting his country's claim to the state of Kashmir, if India is willing to do likewise. This is a highly unexpected twist in the Kashmir saga as both India and Pakistan have avidly maintained that Kashmir is a part of their respective countries (though in recent times, India has been pushing for the Line of Control to be declared an international border effectively splitting Kashmir, a solution vehemently opposed by Kashmiri Muslims but supported by all the other minorities).
There is huge pressure now on Indian PM Manmohan Singh to declare that India has no claim on Kashmir and move forward with the peace process. In a brave but brilliant move, Musharraf has stormed onto the moral high ground in this issue making it very difficult for India to do anything but follow suit.
But politics aside, this is fantastic news for Kashmir; the best since Partition surely. If the resources that have gone into fighting the six-decades long war for Kashmir had been put into its development, then Kashmir would probably be a rich, industrialized country by now. But as such, it is one of the most underdeveloped, underprivileged parts of the Indian sub-continent. Rich in natural resources, and natural beauty, Kashmir is well endowed to be successful. After years of war and poverty, there may finally be light at the end of the tunnel......
There is huge pressure now on Indian PM Manmohan Singh to declare that India has no claim on Kashmir and move forward with the peace process. In a brave but brilliant move, Musharraf has stormed onto the moral high ground in this issue making it very difficult for India to do anything but follow suit.
But politics aside, this is fantastic news for Kashmir; the best since Partition surely. If the resources that have gone into fighting the six-decades long war for Kashmir had been put into its development, then Kashmir would probably be a rich, industrialized country by now. But as such, it is one of the most underdeveloped, underprivileged parts of the Indian sub-continent. Rich in natural resources, and natural beauty, Kashmir is well endowed to be successful. After years of war and poverty, there may finally be light at the end of the tunnel......
Vineyard Creek Reserve 2
Since it was such a lovely day in Sydney today, I decided to go out to Vineyard Creek Reserve (its just a small patch of bush in the Telopea valley 5km north-east of Parramatta, 5mins walk from my house) and a find a way down to Kissing Point Road. I know that such a path exists because I have seen it at the Kissing Point Road end. But the directions once you get into the reserve are not easy to discern. Once before, I ended up at the cave when I was looking for Kissing Point Road. This time, I ended up at the Oatlands golf course, so I was closer than before, but still I couldnt find the path I was looking.
But anyway, I found a few other things today. At the end of a small incline, I came across a vast clearing in the middle of which was a large concrete cylindrical structure. Some of the earth was extremely dry and had huge cracks, whilst there was bright green grass nearby. Beyond the clearing, there was a clump of pipes draining into a black reservoir of water. I wondered whether this was the result of the reflection of the sheer sandstone wall, out of which the reservoir and the clearing appear to have been cut, but on closer inspection, the water was in fact, black, and full of junk. A path off to one side quickly led to a dead end, so I decided to follow the other direction for a 
while to see where it led. I was hoping that it would curve to the left and climb, as I felt that this was the direction Kissing Point Road was in. As it happened, the path did climb, and did curve to the left somewhat, and led me to a small sheltered creek bed which must have been a wet pocket as it was full of ferns, moss and cool green shade. Presented with two options, either to follow the creek bed or to cross the bed and follow the path as it curved sharply to the left, I took the leftward option.
while to see where it led. I was hoping that it would curve to the left and climb, as I felt that this was the direction Kissing Point Road was in. As it happened, the path did climb, and did curve to the left somewhat, and led me to a small sheltered creek bed which must have been a wet pocket as it was full of ferns, moss and cool green shade. Presented with two options, either to follow the creek bed or to cross the bed and follow the path as it curved sharply to the left, I took the leftward option. But it only led me to the golf course. Now I could've gone out through the golf course and continued by street, but I wanted to explore more of the bush so I went back the way I came to the creek bed. By my reckoning, given that the golf course was where it was, I needed a right turn to get to my objective, so I kept an eye out for right forks, but alas, none materialized. So I ended up back at the creek bed, and so walked along it for a few minutes. There were lots of birds in this part of the reserve, especially kookaburras. But the creek bed became impassable after a short distance so I headed back.
The reserve was full of wild flowers today, though most of them were out of reach of my camera, with its crappy digital zoom. But there was one plant with white flowers that I could get near. These flowers looked vaguely familiar, but I cant recall seeing them in anyone's garden.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)