Cricket: India are ranked world No1 for first time after crushing Sri Lanka

[JakeElwood]

It's good to hear from cricket fans in Canada and the USA. During The Ashes this summer I was surprised to hear Canadians and Americans e-mailing BBC's Test Match Special saying how much they were enjoying the series. You can't beat an Ashes Series, especially one when England wins. The 2005 and 2009 Ashes were fantastic, they brought back memories of England's wins in 1981, 1985 and Down Under in 1986-87. But between 1987 and 2005 the Aussies simply humiliated us, as they did again in 2006-07.

Test Match cricket will always be my favourite version of the sport, but Twenty20 is a great addition, and at three hours per game it looks like the 50 over One Day Game could be the big loser. I don't mind if the 50 over game suffers, because Test Mach and Twenty20 are both the real future of the sport.

It is great that Australia are no longer the #1 Test Side, but it is a bit of a surprise that it's India who are now #1. After all in India Twenty20 is king. However Indian batsmen of the quality of Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dravid, etc. have been the envy of many countries in recent years.

Although England have a couple of great batsmen in Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen (pinched from South Africa), along with a rejuvinated Andrew Strauss that may help us win the series in South Africa and move up from #5 in the rankings.

I was also pleased to hear Rugby Union mentioned. Less than a couple of months until the start of the Six Nations Championship on 6th February. February and March are the best months of the year for European Rugby Union fans.

I think Ireland have to be the favourites for the Six Nations in 2010.

My team are Saracens RUFC, originally based in Southgate, North London (the amateur set up remains there). The team trains in nearby St. Albans and plays home matches in Watford, sharing the stadium with Watford Football (soccer) Club.

I used to play for Saracens as a teenager, until I tore the anterior cruciate ligament in my right knee (playing football, not rugby), it ended my playing days (not that I'd have ever played for the first team if I'd stayed injury free) - three surgeries and my knee still gives me problems.

Saracens are currently top of the Guinness Premiership, but they don't always play the most attractive rugby. However they're winning so I'm not complaining. Hopefully they will continue to win this season and qualify for the Heineken Cup next season. In the 2007-08 Heineken Cup Saracens lost 16-18 to Munster (eventual Champions) in the semi-final, that was by far our best performance in European Cup rugby.

 

[gopher]

As much as I love North American sports, I have to say that European sports are a lot better than ours. Cric & rugby surpass our baseball & gridiron football.

It's so great that we have Internet so that we can watch all those sports. Up to a few minutes ago, I was watching an Oz-WI test. They are now at lunch and I'll go back to the match momentarily.

 

[EagleSmack]

I meant, We could KICK their ass. Just tell us what the rules are and we'll bash the crap out of that silly wicket league.

LMAO.

Very good Kreskin.

Just so you know...you Canadians can't be "pulling the sweaters" over anyones head during a cricket match.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

As much as I love North American sports, I have to say that European sports are a lot better than ours. Cric & rugby surpass our baseball & gridiron football.

It's so great that we have Internet so that we can watch all those sports. Up to a few minutes ago, I was watching an Oz-WI test. They are now at lunch and I'll go back to the match momentarily.

When first I saw rugby played, I was fascinated and horrified at the same time. Rugby players probably think that American football is a sissy sport. Rugby is pretty much same as American football, except played without any protection.

 

[gopher]

League code rugby is similar to USA football. Union code is a better brand, I think.

 

[AnnaG]

''Rugby is my game.''


LG,

Have you been watching Heineken Cup?

Today I watched Leinster over Llanelli 32-7. The Scarlets were lucky in scoring that one try. In fact, I thought the ref went real easy on them. Cup matches should be real good tomorrow.

Our programming doesn't include a lot of sports other than the usual hockey, American football, basketball, etc. Sometimes there's a rugby match on, but I think he isn't so much interested in watching as playing.

 

[AnnaG]

There's a great irony to the game of cric that you don't see in other sports: years ago it was for wealthy snobby types. Today in India, Pakistan, Windies, or wherever, it is now the poor man's sport. And that's great to see.

Hopefully, some day polo will be viewed that way!

lol Good luck finding a pony that a poor man can afford to buy and keep. lol

 

[AnnaG]

When first I saw rugby played, I was fascinated and horrified at the same time. Rugby players probably think that American football is a sissy sport. Rugby is pretty much same as American football, except played without any protection.

rofl That's like saying golf is like miniputt.

 

[AnnaG]

League code rugby is similar to USA football. Union code is a better brand, I think.

lol Vaguely. League is more spectator friendly and there's a lot fewer time-outs for lineouts, rucks, etc., so I hear. Fewer rules in League, also.
Rugby in general is quite a bit more demanding physically than American football and league even more so than union. Les says there's quite a bit of strategy in rugby and a lot less focus on individual players than American Football.
lol Other than the one about not being able to pass forward, don't ask me rules.

 

[JakeElwood]

League code rugby is similar to USA football. Union code is a better brand, I think.

As a former Rugby Union player I should support my code of the game, but some of the rule changes in recent years have ruined the game that I used to play.

Rugby Union (15-a-side) is a game of more variation, with rucks, scrums, mauls, lineouts, etc., but Rugby League (13-a-side) is more about open play (no rucks, no mauls, no lineouts, and scrums in League are merely a method of restarting play, League should do away with scrums). I can easily understand why some rugby fans call League the more interesting version of the game.

Personally I love both, I don't have to be loyal to only one code.

What do you think of Rugby Sevens? (That's the short 7-a-side version of Rugby Union).
I think it can be the most entertaining form of the game. But playing 7-a-side rugby on a full sized rugby pitch is the most exhausting sport I've ever played, even though the games only last 15 or 20 minutes. It's great to see Sevens in the Commonwealth Games and now it has been added to the Olympics for 2016 the sport should expand around the world.

 

[L Gilbert]

As a former Rugby Union player I should support my code of the game, but some of the rule changes in recent years have ruined the game that I used to play.

Rugby Union (15-a-side) is a game of more variation, with rucks, scrums, mauls, lineouts, etc., but Rugby League (13-a-side) is more about open play (no rucks, no mauls, no lineouts, and scrums in League are merely a method of restarting play, League should do away with scrums). I can easily understand why some rugby fans call League the more interesting version of the game.

Personally I love both, I don't have to be loyal to only one code.

What do you think of Rugby Sevens? (That's the short 7-a-side version of Rugby Union).
I think it can be the most entertaining form of the game. But playing 7-a-side rugby on a full sized rugby pitch is the most exhausting sport I've ever played, even though the games only last 15 or 20 minutes. It's great to see Sevens in the Commonwealth Games and now it has been added to the Olympics for 2016 the sport should expand around the world.

I'm not fussy about the brand of rugby either. I just love playing it even if I am getting a bit time-worn. I'll probably keep playing until my knees or something give out.

 

[L Gilbert]

rofl That's like saying golf is like miniputt.

lmao Pretty much. But he's right about what rugger players think of American football.

 

[gopher]

''What do you think of Rugby Sevens?''

I've seen several international 7s matches on justin.tv or rojadirecta and they are VERY exciting. But 15 minutes of actions are not enough for me. If the game could be stretched to a half hour it would be a lot better, especially if one or two more players could be added to the lineups.

 

[gopher]

''lol Good luck finding a pony that a poor man can afford to buy and keep. lol''


Actually, I've read where it is cheaper to maintain a horse every year than it is to maintain a car. Dunno if it's true but it is said that hay, natural grass, concentrated grain, & carrots, cost far less than the cost of gasoline.

 

[gopher]

Australia beat West Indies by 35 runs: Rediff Sports


My Windies gave it their best but, in truth, they looked sluggish and were unaggressive. How I wish we played as we did in the 70s-90s when our bowlers were the most wickedly aggressive pacers anywhere. Kudos to the Ozies.

 

[AnnaG]

''lol Good luck finding a pony that a poor man can afford to buy and keep. lol''


Actually, I've read where it is cheaper to maintain a horse every year than it is to maintain a car. Dunno if it's true but it is said that hay, natural grass, concentrated grain, & carrots, cost far less than the cost of gasoline.

It isn't so much the feed and stuff, it's that vet bills are big. Hay itself around here is about $120 a ton, and you can get 100# of culled carrots for about $15. Grain n stuff I don't know about except for chickens. Then there's the cost of tack. A decent saddle is about $300. Vet shots are about $2 to $300 a year. Farriers' costs are about $3 to $350 a year. If you do your own shots n stuff, you can squeeze by on about $1500 a year. Training isn't cheap either. I have no idea what that costs, though.

 

[JakeElwood]

''What do you think of Rugby Sevens?''

I've seen several international 7s matches on justin.tv or rojadirecta and they are VERY exciting. But 15 minutes of actions are not enough for me. If the game could be stretched to a half hour it would be a lot better, especially if one or two more players could be added to the lineups.

If you'd played Sevens you'd understand why 15 minutes is long enough. And Sevens is usually played in a tournament format rather than as an individual match.

A tournament usually consists of a 3-game round robin stage, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. Top internationals usually play these games over 2 days, but at grass-roots level this is usually packed into a single day.

Six 15-minute matches of Sevens in a single day is more than enough. What's more the reward for making it all the way to the final is pleasure of playing a 20-minute match!!!

There used to be nothing better than watching the great Fijian Sevens teams play the game. In Waisale Serevi, they had the greatest and most entertaining Sevens player of all time.

 

[JakeElwood]

Australia beat West Indies by 35 runs: Rediff Sports

My Windies gave it their best but, in truth, they looked sluggish and were unaggressive. How I wish we played as we did in the 70s-90s when our bowlers were the most wickedly aggressive pacers anywhere. Kudos to the Ozies.

I thought the West Indies were going to do it at 196-3 with Deonarine and Nash going so well. After bowling the Aussies out for 150 in the second innings, and then scoring 323, to lose by only 35 runs was a fantastic attempt at chasing a tough target.

I only hope England show as much determination today in South Africa. However I doubt if we'll come as close as 35 runs. The game has been pretty low scoring, less than 300 runs per day, so I doubt if we'll be trying to chase the 353 we need to win. A draw is probably England's best bet. We need a good start and hopefully Cook, Trott and Pietersen will bat well today. Day 5 starts in about 30 minutes.

 

[gopher]

''If you'd played Sevens you'd understand why 15 minutes is long enough.''

Long enough for the players but not enough for fans like me!


''Windies''

Don't know if you are old enough to remember the great Windies teams of the 70s-90s. We had very aggressive bowlers, great hitting, and very determined defense. They were very intimidating and every match was total war.

 

[gopher]

Heineken Cup update:

Munster > Perpignan 37-14


Sorry to say, I did not get a chance to watch England-Saffs. Perhaps it will replayed somewhere online.