Sri Lankan Board chaos

I wonder if this will have any effect on the Sri Lankan tourists? I suspect the new board might want to be seen to make its mark on the side - don't be too surprised to hear of changes to the coaching staff or selectors if the tour gets off to a bad start.

Poll results and a new poll

Last time I asked you what makes fast bowlers so sulky. One of you thought it was because their backs are under such pressure. One of you believed that they weren't frowning - it was just the G-forces pulling their mouths back. Three of you thought that fast bowlers were frowning in concentration because they find walking and breathing at the same time so hard. Two of you said that it was because the spinners get all the cute girls. And three of you thought it was because fast bowlers know what's on Daryl's video tape.

My new poll asks you to judge our new players. Let me know who you think is going to have a good and long career in the New Zealand team (please note that you can vote for more than one player).

Mike on Cricket is back

Well my holiday is over and I have returned to a damp and slightly chilly Wellington. A week or so of isolation means I can't really say much about the cricket with authority. But I heard short snatches of commentary whenever I took my car up a nearby hill (and it is amazing how many excuses you can find to drive a car up a hill when you need to) and one thing which has struck me is that there is a sense of a changing of the guard within the New Zealand team. Stephen Fleming's retirement is now within mentioning distance, while new faces are starting to establish themselves. For a while it seemed that every series would bring in an anonymous new player who would quickly vanish without trace when an old guard player returned (Michael Mason anyone?). But members of the old guard are growing fewer and those that remain are finding it harder to take their chances when they do return. And it is the new players who are starting to lead the way in grit and determination.

Okay, so the results haven't changed yet. But a new sense of team culture and character is starting to appear to replace the fading Young Gun image. And a change of culture might be just what the side needs.

Back on 28 April

As mentioned below, I am heading away for a summer holiday. I will be going here, where there will be no television, no radio and no internet. Hence, there will be no Mike on Cricket.

I will be back on Easter Monday to revel in the glorious victory of a resurgent New Zealand cricket team. Take care and I will chat to you all again then.

Australian team selection

Brett Lee has been omitted again and the line-up is unchanged. Interestingly after being told he was not playing Lee tried to charter a plane back to Australia so that he could play in a domestic match for New South Wales - only to be told that by the New South Wales selectors that he was not wanted. Oh dear.

2nd test preview

It is a very, very gloomy morning here in Wellington. Mist has sunk to sea level and the forecast is for the gloom to remain. Its not actually raining at the moment, but the forecast is for southerly winds (and for our foreign friends it might be useful to point out that the south where our southerlies comes from is covered in ice and penguins), some rain and continuing low cloud. This weather is set to continue for the weekend, with things beginning to pick up on Sunday afternoon. This means I would be unlikely to post much about the cricket even if I were going to be here. Which I am not. You see, I have picked this weekend to start my summer holiday. Perfect.

Cricket looks unlikely, but not impossible, today. Days like this in Wellington usually end one of three ways. Either the wind stays low and the gloom and mist hangs around, the southerly picks up and we get real rain for a while but the mist disperses - or the wind picks up and shifts direction and the mist disappears into a sunny day. The forecast would seem to indicate that we are in for option two - southerlies and a period of rain. And if that were to happen then expect a delayed start with the possibility of some cricket this afternoon.

Apart from the weather there is not too much for me to say. Peter English has said a little in Cricinfo - but he doesn't add much if you have already heard the news that Paul Wiseman might come into the New Zealand side. And I actually suggest you don't read this article unless you absolutely have too, because English makes the horrendous error of saying New Zealand has never beaten Australia at the Basin, forgetting the classic test of 1989/90 - played, incidently, in weather very similar to this.

Michael Slater

Michael Slater has been a revelation on this Australian tour for two reasons. The first is that he is a brilliant commentator - certainly the member of the current Sky line-up that I enjoy listening to most. And the second is that he is suffering bipolar disorder. I have e-mailed Sky Sports to say how much I have enjoyed his commentary, if you want to do the same (or to make any other comments about the TV coverage) - the email address is: cricket@skytv.co.nz.

Shane Warne

According to a fascinating article by Louis Nowra in this morning's Sydney Morning Herald Shane Warne's announcement that he is moving to England is "the equivalent of the boy who is so outraged at being given out in a game of backyard cricket that he heads off home with the only cricket bat".

Rice on cricket

The first sign that George W Bush is expanding his war against brutal tyrannies to include the cricket boards of Kenya, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe?

"I am going to make a promise to the Foreign Minister right now and that is that I will even try to understand cricket."
The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, acknowledges the importance of the game in Indo-Pak relations, as she arrives in New Delhi

New Zealand stonewallers

Having sighed as I read a typically Anglo-centric Wisden list of "The XI worst debuts"(*), I had resigned myself to seeing New Zealanders overlooked in the Guardian's list of "The ten greatest rearguard actions". Instead I was pleasantly surprised to see Mark Greatbatch's test (number 4) and the Danny Morrison/Nathan Astle act against England (rated number 2) high on the list. Its good to see that New Zealand's glorious history of boring batting has been remembered, even if our incompetence in the same field has been sadly overlooked.

(*) How on earth could they neglect Ken Rutherford - or Chris Kuggeleijn who not only made a pair but spent most of his only test in bed with food poisioning?

Second test preview

All the news seems to be that Brett Lee won't be playing at the Basin, so expect to see him charging in with a stiff southerly at his back come Friday.

As for the New Zealanders, well there has been call for changes in the batting order but John Bracewell has sensibly batted aside suggestions that players like Jesse Ryder, Jamie How, James Marshall or Peter Fulton be introduced. Blooding new players into a demoralised team being done over by the best in the business is not a good strategy. But it does beg the question, who else out there is performing? An analysis of the State Championship averages show that only six players have scored over 500 runs. They are:

Lou Vincent (563 runs at an average of 112.60)
Peter Fulton (797 runs at 72.40)
Jamie How (563 runs at 51.18)
Jarrod Engelfield (525 runs at 47.72)
Michael Parlane (517 runs at 47.00)
Greg Todd (511 runs at 42.58)

Jesse Ryder drops just below this group with 498 runs at 49.80 (with 236 of those coming in one innings against CD's dobbers), while James Marshall has 176 runs at 35.20 and Craig McMillan has 140 runs at 35.00 (those two missing games while representing New Zealand in pyjamas).

If a change were to be made, the figures clearly indicate that it should not involve Lou Vincent. Craig McMillan would be the obvious player to drop and, on form, Peter Fulton would be his most obvious replacement. Fulton though has a reputation for being a somewhat nervous starter and early nerves are not the things you want to be showing the Australians. Baring injury or calamity, expect to see the batting order remain unchanged until the Sri Lankans reach these shores.

On the ball

A new feature at Cricinfo is On the ball, an in-depth analysis of batting and bowling during a particular game. In the latest edition, On the ball looks at the first test and suggests plans for the next time Daniel Vettori bowls to Adam Gilchrist (don't), and plans for the Australians when they next bowl to Hamish Marshall (keep it full and straight). The article also looks at how Shane Warne stuck to a simple plan and waited for Marshall and McMillan to get themselves out in the second innings.

Good news, bad news

According to the Black Caps website Scott Styris is undergoing investigative surgery on his knee and will be out for the second test and Jacob Oram is now out of not just the Australian tour, but the Sri Lankan tests as well.

Day Four

So after three days of holding firm, New Zealand fumbled to a miserable loss on the fourth. It was an ending as sad as it was predictable. Andrew McLean has a nice summary on Cricinfo in which he outlines the ruthless of the brilliant Australian attack - but we should also look at the way the New Zealanders played. There were seven LBWs, the result of poor footwork stemming from a lack of confidence and a lack of a plan. The side knows what it needs to do in the first innings of a test, but a run of failures means that its primary aim in the second innings is to not get out - particularly when playing against Australia. They weren't trying to set up a total for the Australians to chase yesterday, they weren't trying to bat out the match - they were simply trying to hold up the Australian juggernaut. And that is the wrong way to go about things. We don't necessarily need to send the side to a psychologist, but we do need to get them focussing on their own technique and their own game.

Hamish on the pull (not to be confused with Daryl Tuffey)

Ian O'Brien

Speaking of bowlers, I have now had an opportunity to spend some time watching Ian O'Brien. I watched him once in a four-dayer for Wellington a year or so ago during which some rather dim kids couldn't work out how to pronounce the name on the scoreboard, "OBRIEN", and kept loudly mocking Obri-ann for his weird name. I thought during that match that he looked a notch faster than the rest of the Wellington attack, and a speed radar reading of 144kmph yesterday confirmed that. He is a bustly bowler with a rough kind of action and bowls "into" the wicket, getting more bounce than batsmen seem to expect. He is also a bit loose, but perhaps that is just first test nerves. I think he is showing a bit of promise.

Lucky and unlucky bowlers

I would hardly describe Shane Bond as "lucky" given his injury problems, but according to a fairly comprehensive Cricinfo study that is what he is. Bond and Chris Cairns feature on a list which determines which bowlers take the greatest proportion of wickets with "potential wicket-taking balls" (ie balls which beat the batsman). The luckiest bowler of them all, by a huge margin, is Nantie Hayward who has taken 35 wickets but has only beaten a batsman 34 times. I would like to see a replay of that 35th wicket. No New Zealanders appear on the list of "unlucky" bowlers (headed by Ashley Giles), although Dan Vettori does feature on the list of players who have the most catches dropped off their bowling.

Hamish Marshall

There is a type of player who occasionally appears in cricket with a very average first-class record but who still manages to put in brilliant performances at the highest level. These players tend to be batsmen with limited technique but a great deal of grit and determination, and the level of grit and determination increases exponentially as the level of the opposition rises. Jeremy Coney (7872 first-class runs at 35.14, 2668 runs for New Zealand at 37.57) was one. Tony Greig (16660 first-class runs at 31.19, 3599 runs for England at 40.43) another. Andrew Jones (9180 first-class runs at 41.80, 2922 runs for New Zealand at 44.27) was a third. For Jones and Coney, their first-class figures improved only after they had established themselves at test level.

It is early days yet, but it looks like Hamish Marshall could be the latest in this movement. And currently he is the most extreme example (2146 first-class runs at 27.51, 212 runs for New Zealand at 212.00). Long may he, and all gritty and determined players, continue to shine.

A nation of Brett Lees

The Australian thinks that its not just the benched fast bowler who packs a sulk when things don't go his own way.

A new poll

For some reason my last poll decided to vanish off the planet. Oh well, it wasn't very interesting anyway. My new poll concerns the prima donna nature of fast bowlers (think Lee, Akhtar and Heath Davis). Can you tell me why they tend to be so highly strung?

First day impressions

I am sitting at home watching the replay of the entire day's play on Sky. Here is a summary of my thoughts while watching:

1. Stephen Fleming looks totally out of touch.
2. Brett Lee's sulky look is almost as good as Shoaib Akhtar's.
3. Craig Cumming is hook happy. I suspect the Aussies will aim to test the shot out during the rest of the series.
3. The miracle that is Hamish Marshall just keeps getting better.
4. Can Ricky Ponting make any sort of decision without his team needing to convene a group conference first?
5. Joe Bennett was the guest on the Dilmah tea party - and the Dilmah tea party is not shown as part of the replay. Bugger.
6. Chris Cairns has absolutely no future in commentary.

Technical issues

For some reason the system behind this blog is starting to play up and this has delayed the appearance of some posts. I hope things come right, but if they don't then there might be further delays.

Cricinfo's test series preview

I quite like this. Peter English is Cricinfo's Australasian editor and he has managed to capture the feel at the start of the series very well indeed.

The first test

Has anyone else got a really bad feeling about the first test? Don't you just wish this season were over? We are facing two whitewashes from Australia following on from another whitewash at the hands of England and I can't think of a New Zealand side at a lower ebb. It brings back memories of that terrible centenary year of 94/95 - but even that season contained a test victory over South Africa.

Brett Lee 12th man

And according to his agent he is devastated. Oh well, nothing wrong with a little dissention in the Australian ranks.

Meanwhile New Zealand have named Ian O'Brien in the starting eleven at the expense of Paul Wiseman and Craig Cumming comes in to make his test debut. Lou Vincent returns to the side on the back of some brilliant form for Auckland and Hamish Marshall plays in only his third test since his debut way back in 2000.

Tuffey's misconduct

I haven't seen it anywhere else yet, but the Sydney Morning Herald has the story behind Darryl's misconduct charge - and it doesn't sound nearly as bad as the rumours started by the New Zealand Herald's mention of "a milkshake, a video and two British backpackers".

More bad news for Darryl Tuffey

This does not sound good for Darryl.

Test series preview

Andrew McLean has previewed the test series for Cricinfo. He is not at his most optimistic:

If there is a third certainty after death and taxes, Australia winning the coming series 3-0 is right up there. I've rarely struggled to be optimistic about New Zealand's chances against anyone in the past, but, having seen Test humiliations at Brisbane and Adelaide, another outrageous run of injuries, and an embarrassing effort in the five home one-dayers that have just ended ... the next month doesn't bear thinking about.

Fixing the backs of all those future Shane Bonds

Hum. According to the Paediatrics magazine which just crossed my desk and the boffins at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington there are better ways to make kids bones stronger than school milk. Feeding them a cup of "turnip greens" each day. Or two-thirds of a cup of tofu. Or a cup of broccoli. All these contain the same amount of calcium as a cup of milk.

I have to say that I found this article hilarious. I mean, are these people mad? What sort of lunatic would suggest that supplying kids with a cup of tofu or broccoli every day would do anything but create a new compost heap behind the school cafeteria? And I have no idea what turnip greens are, but they sound bloody horrible. Nope. The Campaign to Bring Back School Milk has taken this study in its stride and is marching confidently onwards.

Doctorin' the pitch

A few years ago Indian Cricket accused New Zealand Cricket of doctoring pitches during an ill-fated tour of this country. The tour took place in the midst of an experiment in which curators had been asked to prepare pitches with "pace and bounce" to generate more exciting cricket than is seen on the typically low and slow New Zealand wickets. That experiment mostly came to a calamitous halt after the Indian tour thanks to wickets which were successfully spiced with pace, bounce but also with more sideways movement than my manager evading questions about a pay rise. But in one place the experiment was a success - Jade Stadium in Christchurch. And now, just when we really, really don't need it, a fast and hard deck is ready for test cricket. Welcome to New Zealand Brett Lee, we have done everything in our power to make your visit a pleasant one.

Things are not that bad

Okay, so we got thrashed by Australia again. But there are thrashings and then there are thrashings. Zimbabwe have just proven that there are worse places to be a cricket fan.

It is interesting to note how different the New Zealand test team will be from the one day side. Gone is the entire pace attack - Mills, Hamilton, Cairns, Canning and Wilson are out, and replacing them are O'Brien, Franklin and Martin. It could be a selection of horses for courses as Martin and O'Brien are both short of a length bowlers and that should suit the fast Jade Stadium surface. And incidently, who on earth decided to help the Australians by starting the test series on a surface tailor-made for their bowlers?

A glimmer of hope

Four overs, two maidens, no wicket for seven.

Shane Bond completes his first spell in first-class cricket since injury.

Debutants

Injuries at the top level has meant call-ups for those from the first-class circuit, creating gaps at that level. This means that the next round of the Shell Trophy will be a very interesting one with a whole pile of newcomers. The Herald has a breakdown of who is likely to be appearing. One player I am surprised to see missing from their list is Richard Sherlock. The young Canterbury pace man was selected for New Zealand 'A' in South Africa where he was hitting the 150kmph mark, then moved to Christchurch to play for Canterbury and has yet to appear for them at all this season. Still, Te Ahu Davis is making a mark with some pace (albiet not particularly well aimed sometimes) for Northern.

Poll results and a new poll

Well it looks like Twenty20 has a way to go yet. In my last poll I asked whether you saw it as a threat to the one-day game and twelve of you shouted "no", while only four of you meekly whispered "yes".

My new poll was posted just after the deeply depressing fourth ODI against Australia. I want you to cheer me up and tell me that this is just an abberation.

Uh oh

Things might get even worse. This is in this morning's Herald:

Fleming later offered to resign as the New Zealand captain.

"It still hurts. The team hurts a lot, as they probably should do." he said.

It sounds like someone is feeling let down by his team-mates and disillusioned with the game.

"Basin result a disgrace"

Jonathan Millmow really got stuck into the Black Caps in this morning's Dominion Post. Harsh it might be, but the fact remains that our bowlers seem unable to get even the fundamentals right - as Millmow points out, "line and length are basics of the trade."

Wellington

How poor is our current bowling line-up? Even Bangladesh has two good left-arm spinners to complement their rubbish pace men.

Brett Lee update

It was teenage tailender Bruce Martin who Brett Lee tried to maim in 2000 in an incident which led to the first calls for him to be dropped from the side for being a psychopath. The umpire who officiated in that match, Dave Quested, reiterated to the Australian this morning his belief that Lee deliberately ran almost a metre past the crease to deliver a ball that "whistled past [Martin's] nose".

Wellington preview

Stephen Fleming (captain)
Nathan Astle
Craig Cumming
Hamish Marshall
Craig McMillan
James Marshall
Chris Cairns
Brendon McCullum
Jeff Wilson
Kyle Mills
Lance Hamilton

Look at those names. After the Australian tour how many of those would you have picked to be in the New Zealand team on 1 March 2005? Fleming obviously. Astle and Cairns almost certainly. McCullum and Hamish Marshall probably. But Craig Cumming? Jeff Wilson? Lance bloody Hamilton? Not likely. On paper this would have to be one of the weakest one day teams we have ever sent out onto the park. We have an attack led by a real estate agent from blimmin' Central "Dobbers" Districts for crying out loud. But despite this I am still feeling reasonably confident that we won't get thrashed today. Fleming is due some runs and Hamish Marshall and McMillan are doing well in the middle order. I can't see our bowlers tearing the Australians out, but swing and accuracy do well at the Basin and if Wilson and Hamilton can overcome their nerves than that is the least they can manage.

Brett Lee beamers Part 2

Peter Roebuck has chimed in on the debate, arguing that Brett Lee should be sent home.

Brett Lee's beamer

If you Google the words "Brett Lee beamer" you find that they are mentioned on 10,300 different web-pages (make that 10,301). Brett Lee says he would never deliver one deliberately, but I recall he did to a tail-ender in a domestic match on his first tour of New Zealand and was sent off the park and almost sent home. Anyway, let's think in the past year or so I can recall Brett Lee beamers to Brendon McCullum (twice), Abdul Razzaq, Chris Harris, Paul Wiseman and Sachin Tendulkar.

As John Bracewell has pointed out, if the laws of the game are not going to stop Lee - then perhaps the laws of Australia might.

Highlights from the 3rd ODI

Okay, it is getting harder to spot them but there are still a few. The Marshall twins batting together was one. Brett Lee's sconing of Michael Papps was another. And the fact that Eden Park was a sell-out was the third.

The low-lights were simply the same as they have been in the past few matches - Stephen Fleming's loose strokeplay and our pace attack. From Fleming's reaction after the match it seems like Tuffey is thankfully cursed to a significant period of time on the bench and it will be interesting to see who is bought in to replace him. A chance for someone like Graeme Aldridge or Ian O'Brien perhaps?

Familiarity breeds contempt

At least, it does for Billy Bowden according to Ken Rutherford and Fox Sports.

John Wright

According to the BBC John Wright has said he is not willing to commit himself to a new contract as coach of India. If we can bring his expertise back home, this could be very good news for cricket in New Zealand.

One interesting little quote about Wrighty's style (and about our culture as a whole) came from former test player Maninder Singh, "I do feel only an Indian can understand the psychology of Indians", he said. "Wright naturally thinks like a Kiwi. Sometimes he is just too nice."

Christchurch

I s'pose it was always predictable that we would lose on the fastest deck in the country, and I s'pose it was predictable that the Australians would target Jeff Wilson and his bowling would go for a few. So I am not too disappointed in the final result in last night's match nor in Jeff's bowling. But I am worried about our top order batting and about Darryl Tuffey's bowling. And both of these concerns seem to have a very familiar ring to them.

Darryl hasn't looked right since the end of the last New Zealand summer. He has now gone through England, Australia and the current New Zealand summer either injured or severly lacking in rhythm. Perhaps it is time to take a risk and drop him. And dropping Tuffey will be a risk because everyone below him in the pecking order is a bit of a loose cannon - Andre Adams is as changeable as the weather and Jimmy Franklin can fall to pieces if his confidence takes a knock. But rhythm and confidence are linked, and I can't see Tuffey getting one back while the other is being tonked all over the park.

The top order batting has been an issue for far too many years now. We have far too many talented batsmen who are not performing. Stephen Fleming, rather predictably, was on fire when the pressure was off but has failed twice now against Australia. And Matthew Sinclair just falls to pieces as soon as he sees a yellow shirt. Flem is capable of tightening his game up and cutting out the loose strokes, but it will be harder for Sinclair to break his phobia. He is too good a talent to throw on the scrap-heap, but maybe a game on the bench to think things through could help. If his performances do not improve then Papps and Vincent should come into the picture via their current form in domestic cricket.

Peter Roebuck

You probably don't need me pointing you in his direction any more, his columns are so good I hope you read them without needing me to tell you where they are, but Peter Roebuck's article in today's Sydney Morning Herald is a real pearler. Okay, so he starts off by comparing Hamish Marshall to a hobbit yet again, but he also describes the curly-headed little tyke "scampering between wickets like a man chased by an irate fox hunter". And that description isn't half bad.

Akhtar injured

Handy this. Shoaib Akhtar can't tour India because he is "injured". The PCB press agent, errr I mean Inzamam-ul-Haq, said "It's a terrible blow for us, because it's difficult to go on a tough tour like India without your premier bowler. But I think Shoaib is at a stage in his career where he is the best judge of his fitness. I hope he makes speedy recovery and makes himself available soon."

Peter Roebuck says some nice things about New Zealand

Here. Which makes me feel slightly better. I am still highly annoyed with Billy Bowden and Aleem Dar though. And irritated by the sour-faced petulance shown by Simon Katich, Brett Lee and Ricky Ponting when things started to go against Australia.

The first ODI

Bloody umpires. Bloody arrogant Aussies. Bloody good match.

Coverage of the Twenty20 match

The Twenty20 match has attracted a good deal of international coverage, much of it due to the fashion than the cricket. Some of the broadsheets managed a little better than others. The Guardian somehow managed to reference Rotorua's Agrodome in its summary of the match, while the Daily Telegraph thought Hamish Marshall was wearing a wig. The stately Times was one paper which didn't run with the herd, ignoring the fashion and concentrating almost solely on the match.

Lord knows what the back pages of the tabloids are going to look like, but somehow I suspect Hamish might feature...

Thrashes, 'taches and terry-towelling

Peter Roebuck passes his verdict on the Twenty20 game in this morning's Melbourne Age:

Far from being an abomination as had been anticipated - a cricketing version of Desperate Housewives or Dancing with the Stars - the first 20-over match between nations was a hoot.

Read the rest here.

The Shoaib saga drags on

Akhtar has been fined and reprimanded by the Pakistani Cricket Board for "erratic behaviour", but the fine is loose change (US$500) and the chief of selectors, Wasim Bari, said that "Pakistan needs a fully fit Akhtar for the important India tour". To me this implies that the rumoured revolt by his team-mates to have him dumped from the squad has failed.

Twenty20

Quotes from those of us watching the game last night:

Its not much of a game for the bowlers.

We couldn't get that score even if we had 50 overs.

Its not f**king working, so stop bloody stepping away to leg all the time. [the ball before Scott Styris stepped away to the leg-side for the sixth ball in a Brett Lee over and was clean bowled]

If only they put as much effort into their cricket as they did into their hair.

They looked like clowns, they played like clowns.

The thing I don't like about this form of cricket is that it can slip away from you so quickly.

The Australians simply bowled better than us.

Ohmigod. Haaaaaa. Haaaaaa. Haaaaa. [all of us the first time we saw Hamish and his hair]

What did other people think of the Twenty20 experiment? If a game came to your town, would you go to see it?

George Gregan

A quote from Jeff Wilson on the FICA World XI matches:

"I must admit, the first ball from [Andy] Bichel, he mentioned George Gregan," Wilson said, referring to the tackle that won the Wallabies the 1994 Bledisloe Cup. "That's brilliant. It was a bouncer he bowled, I ducked underneath it and he said, 'It's just like George Gregan, eh?' I just said, 'What's that got to do with anything?' and got on with the next ball."

From this article in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Poll results and a new poll

My last poll asked you what should be done about the stress fracture crisis in New Zealand cricket. Six of you believed that free milk should be reintroduced into our school classrooms, two of you wanted to set an example and deter others by shooting a few stress fracture sufferers, and four of you wanted to ban cricketers from participating in any activities apart from cricket that involved use of their backs (having sex, sleeping, sitting, walking etc). Everyone thought that dosing the water supply with titanium and selecting only cricketers who are already in wheelchairs were not goers.

Of course, it did transpire that the entire crisis was a bit of an over-reaction as Jake Oram and Dan Vettori didn't actually have the damn things. Perhaps I should have included a "bugger it, it'll sort itself out" option in the poll?

You might like to wait a couple of days to vote in my new poll. Twenty20 cricket hits New Zealand on Thursday and I want your verdict on its impact on the one-day game.

Shane Bond

Today's issue of The Australian contains a profile of Shane Bond which reveals that he is very close to making a comeback - although he will miss the ODIs against Australia and has ruled himself out of test cricket until December.

The profile is worth a look, if only to read Damien Martyn's assessment that if Bond had been fit, he would have ended his career as one of the alltime great bowlers.

Application of the LBW law

Crickey! Even the Australians are beginning to question umpire bias in favour of their own players. This article in the Sydney Morning Herald points out that over the past five years visting batsmen have been 58% more likely to be given out LBW than Australian batsmen. In that time LBW has been the mode of dismissal for 11.7% of Australians and 17% of visitors. John Buchanan can't chalk this one up to the fact that dirty foriegners appeal for everything while good. honest Aussies only appeal when someone is clearly out either - because Australians are strangely prone to being dismissed LBW as often as anyone else outside those sandy shores.

One interesting side to the SMH's analysis is that they have looked at the world for comparisons and found that umpires who visit New Zealand are prone to give locals out LBW far more often than anyone else - 20% of New Zealand batsmen are given out that way in New Zealand compared to 12.7% of visitors. How depressingly predictable.

The heady smell of burning bridges

After refusing a Pakistan Cricket Board order to turn up for a physical examination to determine whether he is really injured or not, Shoaib Akhtar has decided to further inflame relations with the Board by refusing another order - this one to play in a Patron's Trophy domestic match.

For all his talent, I am very glad he is not playing for New Zealand.

A history of the Beige Brigade

Cricinfo has published a history of the Beige Brigade, including its recent clash with New Zealand Cricket over the sale of replica gear.

Scientific appealing?

Cricinfo has done a little analysis and come up with the following figures on lbw appeals during the VB series:

In the recently concluded VB Series, Australia had 47% of their lbw appeals upheld, while for Pakistan and West Indies, the other two teams in the competition, that figure was less than 14%. Of course, ask John Buchanan about it and he'll probably say that the Australians were choosy about their appeals, while Pakistan and West Indies went up for everything.

Country - Total appeals - Given - % given
Australia - 21 - 10 - 47.6%
West Indies - 15 - 2 - 13.3%
Pakistan - 20 - 2 - 10%

In fact, in all ODIs in Australia since April 2002 – when one third-country umpire was made compulsory for one-dayers – only 6.7% of Australian dismissals have been lbws (15 out of 222), while the percentage goes up to 9.3 for overseas players (28 out of 300). Simply a statistical quirk, or the result of scientific appealing?

The travels of Mark Greatbatch

Paddy is set to become English county Warkwickshire's next cricket academy director. Greatbatch coached Central Districts until 2003/4 when he left New Zealand citing frustration at salaries and opportunities. Lets hope he returns to New Zealand one day to share some of the knowledge he will no doubt develop in England.

Australian selections

Darren Lehmann's international career is almost certainly over after he was dropped from the Australian side to tour New Zealand. Matthew Hayden has been retained and newish names Mike Hussey (who has played one game for Australia) and James Hopes (who has played none) have been bought in.

Hussey is a middle order batsman with a career average of 51.86. He is 29 and in English county cricket has been lethal. Kerry O'Keefe however thinks he has plateaued and has said "I no longer hold great hopes for him". One of O'Keefe's reasons for this is that Hussey seems to be a slow wicket player only - which might actually be a good thing for him on this tour given the usual state of New Zealand wickets and the injury status of our quicks.

Hopes is an all-rounder and at 26 is the youngster in an ageing side. I suspect he is being picked as a one-day specialist as his bowling is described as being "medium paced" and "tight". A first class bowling average of 50.47 certainly doesn't herald too much threat. His first class batting average is 28.80.

The full Australian squad to tour New Zealand is:

Ricky Ponting (capt)
Adam Gilchrist (wk)
Michael Clarke
Jason Gillespie
Matthew Hayden
Brad Hogg
James Hopes
Michael Hussey
Michael Kasprowicz
Simon Katich
Brett Lee
Damien Martyn
Glenn McGrath
Andrew Symonds.

The State Shield

The good thing about not having any international cricket is that it has allowed our test players to have far greater participation in the domestic game. And most of them are doing very well for themselves. Most of the batsmen are getting good runs, most of the bowlers are getting good wickets and some - like Dan Vettori - are getting both. The State Shield has been a fascinating competition to watch and yesterday's ND vs Canterbury semi-final was a great game despite the relative ease of ND's victory. Perhaps the best thing about it was the hunger that the old hands showed. Players such as Vettori and Craig McMillan look to be enjoying their cricket and it seems that the more relaxed atmosphere of the domestic game has removed some weight from their shoulders. Lets just hope that the fire they have rediscovered lasts until the end of the season. And lets also hope that some of their desire starts to rub off on Chris Cairns (75 runs at 9.38 and 4 wickets at 70.5).

Umpiring in Oz

Australian umpires have always been amongst the worst in the world when it comes to favouring their own team (anyone else remember Martin Snedden's infamous catch which wasn't, or Lance Cairns being no-balled for intimidation) - and it seems that international umpires aren't immune to the Australian influence either. Mark Richardson has decided to give his opinion after hearing complaints from the Pakistanis. The Stuff website is running a poll based on this column and it is currently running at 85% of respondants agreeing with the statement that Australian umpires are biased towards their own players. Go and add your two cents worth.

Decline of the BBC

I have heard all the criticism of the BBC from US conservatives - calling it left-wing, biased and incompetent - but I didn't realise until now that they had sunk so low. Scott Styris is described as being "an important member" of the New Zealand side? Who the hell does their research?

Perhaps I am over-reacting. Perhaps they mean "important member" in the same way that a diseased limb is important.

Rewind to 1981

"His mouth gaped and he tottered as if he'd seen the devil himself." I used to have a workmate who would reminisce about this over - particularly after seeing Shane Bond bowl to Australia in the last World Cup.

A step too far

It looks like Shoaib Akhtar's antics have finally gone too far. According to a report on Cricinfo his team-mates have threatened to go on strike unless he is dropped for the upcoming tour of India. If you are shopping for team spirit, don't go looking in Pakistan.

Australian frailty

Those bloody Australians are trying to lull hope back into New Zealand souls, just so they can crush it again. If you read the Australian papers you would think that the team to tour New Zealand is on the verge of collapse. The Sydney Morning Herald this morning includes not one, but two articles about how weak the Australian batting line-up has become. Not to be outdone, today's Australian also contains two seperate stories about the team's poor batting - here and here.

Jeff told reporters asking about the '80s revival match to look at his forehead to judge his hair growth capacity. But I reckon he could still manage a 'mo...

Biege brigade antics

The Biege Brigade's latest scheme is aimed at the Twenty20 match with Australia on February 17. New Zealand Cricket decided to up the novelty factor of this match by putting the New Zealand team into classic 1980's style biege outfits and the Biege Brigade has decided to capitalise on this by offering any player who grows a moustache or afro for the occasion "a lot of beer". The Brigade has targeted Dan Vettori as a particular target of the afro side of the campaign and has offered a handicapping system for players at a natural disadvantage when it comes to facial hair growth - such as Nathan Astle and Brendon McCullum.

The Australian press has again raised one coy eyebrow in amusement. New Zealanders might not win as many games as Australians, but I suspect we have a lot more fun trying.

Stress fractures? Don't know what you are talking about.

Here is the best news of the summer - Jacob Oram doesn't have a stress fracture and should be back playing cricket in a couple of weeks, and Daniel Vettori doesn't have a stress fracture either, just some easily fixed tissue damage. Suddenly the prospect of an Australian tour doesn't seem quite so horrific.

In a slump

Australia's head of selectors, Allan Border, has openly discussed dropping Matthew Hayden from at least the first part of the tour to New Zealand. I am not sure whether this is good news for New Zealand or bad. Hayden is in shocking form and if his slump continues then the New Zealanders would love to see him at the top of the order. On the other hand, if he came out of the slump and returned to his bullying best then he could destroy an attack without Shane Bond or Daniel Vettori.

The other consideration in this equation is who might replace Hayden if he is dropped. And that is where New Zealand hopes take a little bit of a dive, because it is likely to be Michael "Australian cricketer of the year" Clarke.

The Unloveables Part II

In an article in the Observer, Neil Manthorp reports that the English team that visited South Africa was rude, arrogant and captained by a genuine _____. Don't ask me what a _____ is, Manthorp just says it is Afrikaans and not particularly nice.

Manthorp is not alone in his thinking. Clive Lloyd, as match referee in the final test, was so appalled by Michael Vaughan's attitude that he gave him a public roasting - calling the English captain "rude and dismissive".

None of this should be a surprise. I can't think of an England team that has toured New Zealand and has not been rude and arrogant. But I suspect this particular bout of hubris won't last long. It is hard to be arrogant when you are being stuffed by the Aussies - and the Ashes are not too far away.

Wilson's return

I suspect Tama Canning is set for disappointment. Before the World XI games he looked to be first choice of the rank for the role of New Zealand's bowling all-rounder. Andre Adams had drifted out of the picture after some indifferent form and no-one else really seemed to be on the horizon. The came the tsunami, the cancellation of genuine one-dayers and the chance for the selectors to experiment. And it was a chance that Jeff Wilson took with both hands. If we are honest he is not an exceptional bowler, but against the World XI he did three things very well - he bowled at a nippy pace (touching 140kmph), he got bounce by bowling into the pitch and he bowled very straight.

Not only did Wilson do well enough to stamp his name on the role, but Andre Adams suddenly hit form for Auckland - taking 4-93 and 6-25 against Wellington in the State Championship. Adams is currently out of cricket due to a virus, but with Canning suddenly anonymous (he didn't take a wicket against Wellington and scored 4 and 8 not out) he is still looking the best bet to be Wilson's back-up.

Hamilton

Sigh. Poor old Hamilton. New Zealand Cricket finally laid down the law last season and told the Hamilton City Council that international matches would not be staged there unless the crappy pitch was torn up and relaid. So the Council spent the winter tearing up the pitch and putting in a new one, which turned out to be even more crap than the old one. Its enough to make you want to smack a City Councillor's head against the wall. This is the fifth most read article in today's Sydney Morning Herald.

Poll results and a new poll

My last poll asked you which Australian cricketer got most on your wick. Initially it was a close competition, but at the end Brett Lee ran away with the prize. Seven of you found the blonde chucker even more irritating than the blonde spinner (who won four votes). Almost the entire Australian team managed shared third place with Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Adam Gilchrist and Michael Clarke all winning one vote apiece.

Having dealt with one evil foe of New Zealand cricket, my new poll asks you how to rid ourselves of our other great scourge. Stress fractures. Vote now, before your back goes.

Scott Angry

Scott Styris has sought clarification from the New Zealand selectors over the reason he was dropped from the second charity one-dayer. Scott didn't believe Stephen Fleming when he said Styris was dropped because he is "short of runs". After all, this claim is clearly rubbish because "I was man of the series three games ago in Bangladesh, so I'm not going that bad." And if you use the performance against a sub-par Bangladesh as your form guide and ignore the matches against Australia and Sri Lanka that followed and a horrendous domestic season then he might just be right. In justifying why the Bangladesh series is the only reliable indicator of his form Styris claimed that his poor one-day form for Northern (scores of 0,6 and 0) was the result of "three crap wickets". Having handily ignored the games against Australia and Sri Lanka (batting average 7) he then claimed that he has been doing well in the first-class game. These matches have been played on "very good" pitches and his scores in the "30s and 40s" show that he is in good form. While only quibbling slightly with his mathematics skills, I do have to admit that returns of 22, 36, 31 and 15 are actually pretty good given his meagre talents.

Having dismissed form as a reason for being dropped, Styris has hunted around for the real reason - and he thinks he has found it. It seems the selectors are trying to play mind games with him. They dropped him to boost his enthusiasm for the game. But clever Scott has seen through that, "I've played a few games now, so I don't think I need a wake-up call," he claims.

A banner at the stadium told us "Scott Styris: don't hate him because he's beautiful." And why would you when he gives us so many other good reasons.

"Stress fracture"

I never, ever want to hear that phrase again. Shane Bond has one, it looks like Jacob Oram has one and now it appears that Daniel Vettori has another one. What is it with New Zealand bowlers and stress fractures? I say the only solution is to bring all promising teenage cricketers in and replace their spines with titanium rods. Or bionic vertebrae. Or something. 'Cos bone is just bloody useless.

Fleming's knock

Here is a link to the Sydney Morning Herald's write up entitled "Fleming's innings 'the best ever'".

Cricket in the movies

Cricket has not often appeared in movies, but it looks like Lagaan and Wonderous Oblivion have begun a trend. A joint Australian-Indian venture is set to star Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee. Gee, I wonder if Lee will be able to cope with living the vain, preening, arrogant life of a movie star?

Fleming's knock

What can you say? A breath-taking knock against the two best bowlers in the world. Unbelievable stuff and the sort of thing to make his usual inconsistency seem all the more frustrating.

The ratings system formally known as PWC

LG has taken over sponsorship of the ratings system formally sponsored by Price Waterhouse Coopers and generally known as the PWC Ratings. At the same time the ICC has announced that the ratings system will be recognised as "official".

I have been discussing this move some friends. We all agree that the worst aspect of this is that the excellent PWC ratings website has been shut down and replaced by a very unexciting ICC website. The ICC website promises that it will be improved shortly - and I noticed that it was better today than it was yesterday - but unless it undergoes radical improvement, I can't see it ever beating the old PWC website for style and functionality.

Ben doesn't like the fact that the ratings are now "official" at all. He thinks the ratings are great, but should be just for fun. I disagree, mainly because the popularity of other rating systems are on the rise - particularly in the subcontinent where systems like CEAT are starting to overtake the PWC ratings in terms of popularity. The problem with these new rating systems is that they generally award points for player performances. For example under CEAT a player gets 1 point for every 35 runs they score with additional points depending on things like match outcome (see here for more on how CEAT works). The problem with this is that a player who plays 20 matches a year will generally outscore a player who only plays 10 matches - meaning that the ratings favour Indian players above the others because Indian cricketers play more games than anyone else. Recognition of the PWC ratings by the ICC should keep them at the top of the pile and do away with demand for these lesser systems.

Adams in Essex

Andre Adams' term as an emergency replacement player for Essex last season was so successful that the county has offered him a contract for next season.

Learning from Pakistan

Politically Pakistan might not be the most enlightened nation in the world, but a huge revamp of its cricketing structure has included some exceptionally enlightened and democratic ideas. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has started with the basics, by redrawing a map of the nation to ensure that the sides and the administration are as representative as possible. The 35 old associations have been abolished and replaced with 99 "divisions". These divisions incorporate the entire country - including the north-western provinces which have previously not had representation and which usually only make the news for reasons associated with Osama bin Laden. These will not be empty associations either (such as those in Kenya which have received huge amounts of funding despite having no players - funding which has subsequently vanished), the passion for the game has risen dramatically in this part of the country - something witnessed by the appearance of players like Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Yasir Hameed, Umar Gal and Riaz Afridi in the national side. The PCB has undertaken to ensure that each of the 99 divisions has at least three turf pitches of a good standard, four practice pitches, a pavilion and seating for a modest crowd. They have already built 34 new grounds and have upgraded the facilities in 10 other divisions to ensure that they are up to scratch.

The 99 divisions will play each other in 9 regional competitions - each competition including the teams encompased by one of the first-class associations (except for Lahore and Karachi which will stage one divisional competition apiece, but will provide two first-class sides due to their size). If this were to occur in New Zealand you might see a competition incorporating Wellington City, the Hutt Valley and other teams within the region encompassed by the Wellington first-class association playing each other, with similar competitions in each of Northern Districts, Auckland, Central Districts, Canterbury and Otago. This structure would see a club cricketer aiming to graduate to his divisional side and then to his first-class side and then to the test team.

This all seems perfectly logical and sensible, and it is remarkable that no-one has thought of it before. Or perhaps they have. The problem with most cricketing structures is that they are ancient and have developed over time and in a rather haphazard nature. The age and sentiment attached to them makes change a very difficult proposition.

But lets put sentiment a side and take a look at the current structure of divisional cricket in New Zealand (and it may surprise you to know that it exists, such is its low profile). A team like Hutt Valley might play two games a season in the Hawke Cup competition if they hold the cup, or only one if they don't, and, if the Wellington Association decides to organise them, the odd warm-up or trial match. Representative sides like these exist in a weird sort of limbo, tagged on to the structure of the game and generally ignored by everyone - including first-class selectors who generally rely on club cricket as an indicator of form and talent.

The game in New Zealand is built on remarkably unsteady roots and the addition of a decent divisional structure might be one way to make these roots stronger. Realistically we currently only have two levels of cricket beneath the test game - first-class cricket and club cricket. Club cricket is played on substandard wickets and the first-class season is exceptionally short. The task of upgrading every club wicket is probably beyond us, but playing a divisional competition on the best club wickets might be possible. The competition could be staged on weekends at the same time as club cricket, and being regional this should mean very little additional administrative and organisational cost.

If divisional cricket seems like an unnecessary layer to the game in New Zealand, then we should do the unsentimental thing and scrap the Hawke Cup competition altogether. We could use the money saved by doing this to extend the first-class season. The old argument was that the first-class season had to be short because players couldn't afford to take more time off work to compete in it, but the professional era has put paid to that.

Whatever we do, more cricket of a higher standard is what our promising cricketers need. The current system fails to give them that and it is time to be a little inventive. Pakistan is one place showing us how.

Batsmen coming into form

The New Zealand batting order is taking on a bit of a rosy sheen thanks to the form of batsmen in the first-class game. In the latest round most of the top players did well, despite generally average team totals:

Craig McMillan - 51 (out of 198) and 82 (out of 238)
Nathan Astle - 53 (out of 198) and 3 (out of 238)
Michael Papps - 3 (out of 198) and 13 (out of 238)
Tim McIntosh - 21 (out of 198) and 4 (out of 238)
Peter Fulton - 18 (out of 198) and 23 (out of 238)
Jamie How - 4 (out of 350) and 13 (out of 275)
Matthew Sinclair - 17 (out of 350) and 95 (out of 275)
Ross Taylor - 42 (out of 350) and 0 (out of 275)
Matthew Horne - 76 (out of 404) and 72 (out of 223/3)
Lou Vincent - 185 (out of 404) and 8 (out of 223/3)
Rob Nicol - 35 (out of 404) and 14* (out of 223/3)
Hamish Marshall - 51 (out of 184) and 13 (out of 195)
Scott Styris - 31 (out of 184) and 15 (out of 195)
Stephen Fleming - 56 (out of 220) and 80* (out of 160/2)
Jesse Ryder - 20 (out of 220)

So McMillan, Astle, Sinclair, Fleming and Marshall are all looking good in the middle order - with the form of Vincent and Horne putting some pressure on them. A word also on Rob Nicol, whose 35 came off 180 balls in 242 minutes and who I think has the technique and temperament to be a test opener.

There are some concerns. None of the youngsters did particularly well and on current form, Michael Papps would have to be pretty lucky to be selected to open the batting against Australia. Meanwhile Scott Styris has barely scored a run all year. But overall, I think we are starting to look in fairly good shape.

Test cricket

A quick glance at this morning's test scoreboards shows what we are missing with the cancellation of the Sri Lankan tour. Test cricket is abounding with cracking matches. A superb spell of swing bowling by Matthew Hoggard sent South Africa stumbling to a dramatic defeat in the last overs at Johannesburg while in Dhaka a brilliant 153 by Tatenda Taibu has set up an extremely even looking last day between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

Poll results and a new poll

In my last poll I asked you what you wanted most for Christmas. The majority of you (7 of 13) were of one mind - you wanted a fit Shane Bond. One of you thought a new opening batsman was a more pressing need. Three of you didn't care which players were involved, as long as they won a test match against Australia. Two of you just wanted to see some cricket that wasn't going to be interrupted by the weather before the tsunami made your votes tragically redundant.

My new poll asks you which of the Australians' you would most like to see on the end of a Shane Bond bouncer.

Cricket in Kenya

Things might be taking a turn for the better in Kenya. A couple of years ago Kenya were looking a far better side than Bangladesh and entry to the test cricket arena looked a formality. But since then, the game in Kenya has been torn apart; Maurice Odumbe, an international class all-rounder, was suspended by the ICC for match-fixing and another ten players were placed under investigation; while the Kenyan Cricket Association (KCA) has been outstandingly corrupt in a game already known for the corruption of its ruling boards.

Now it seems the KCA has gone too far. After refusing to hold elections and treating its most powerful associations shabbily in favour of mysterious provinces which didn't actually seem to have any players, the Kenyan Minister of Sports has sacked the entire Board, appointed an interim Board and ordered that a constitution be drafted which includes such radical concepts as open accountancy and elections.

It is too soon to put Kenya forward as a potential test side again, but there is a feeling of hope around the game again. If the Board can get itself into order, then the players have the talent to succeed. Steve Tikolo, for one, is a batsman who would be welcomed into most international sides.

The middle order moves up

According to Richard Boock in this morning's Herald, Stephen Fleming could well be chosen as an opener against Australia. With Skippy Sinclair already at the top, this means that both openers for the first test are likely to be converted middle order batsmen.

There has always been debate in cricket about whether you should select specialists in each position, or whether you choose the country's best XI players and jiggle the batting order around to fit them all in. New Zealand is almost unique in following this second course and I can't think of too many occasions when it has actually worked. Ken Wadsworth was turned from a batsman into a wicketkeeper and Bryan Young went the other way to become a successful opener. Jacob Oram has also done well as a top order batsman turned all-rounder, but other players we have tried to wedge into uncomfortable slots have not lasted so well. Recent failed experiments include Lou Vincent as an opener, Jeremy Coney at number three, Dipak Patel as a front-line off-spinner and Ken Rutherford as an opener. Of these different transitions, I would suggest that the most difficult is the one from middle order batsman to opening batsman. It involves a change of mind-set from aggressor to defender and a change of technique to adapt to the moving ball. It is also the request we seem to ask of our players most often.

The government steps forward

When he arranged the World XI matches Martin Snedden must have been worried about the cost. The tour would be expensive to host, with New Zealand Cricket having to cover the expenses and wages of the tourists as well as of their own side. To make matters worse, New Zealand Cricket naturally felt obliged to pledge some of the revenue earned towards tsunami relief. Snedden said he hoped sponsorship would cover some of the cost and he must have been very relieved whenthe New Zealand government announced that it will be the series first major donor. Our taxes will be contributing $20 for each run, $1000 for each four and $5000 for each six scored in the series to the relief fund, on top of the money the country has already pledged.

The first-class season starts again

The national four-day series resumes again today, with most international players available for this round. This means we will see Daniel Vettori and Darryl Tuffey bowling to Stephen Fleming in the opening match, between Northern Districts and Wellington. Perhaps even more interesting than the prospect of seeing how our national representatives fare when facing each other, is the prospect of seeing how Jesse Ryder does against the same bowlers and how big the talent gap is between established test-class cricketers and those on the first-class circuit. The Black Caps website is promising live coverage so we can tune in and find out.

A couple of recent good results have boosted the Northern Districts side and the contest between them and Wellington should be more even than you would expect from a game between last year's champions and last year's wooden spooners. One of those recent good results was the superb victory over Central Districts before Christmas and someone called Jack Solock has produced "game graphs" to demonstrate exactly how that match panned out. They are worth puzzling through, but I can't see them replacing the could old score card.

Summer just got longer

New Zealand Cricket have just announced that the Sri Lankans will return here in April to play the two tests which were cancelled by the tsunami.

This is late in the year for cricket, but I actually it could actually be a much safer proposition in April than it is in January - especially given the weather we have seen so far in the new year.

The tour means that our test programme for the season will be completed. Sadly, the one day programme has been badly restricted and the money-spinning holiday season has been left vacant. In addition to the loss of New Zealand Cricket's main source of revenue, the World XI games brought in to replace them could also be a financial downer - money from the games will go to help tsunami victims and the Board will be the ones paying the tourists' wages and travel costs (the expenses of touring sides are usually met by their own Boards) - making this a financially disastrous year for the game.

Another issue is where the games will be played. The tests will take place during the Super 12 rugby programme, which means that the choice of venues is likely to be restricted. The Basin is an obvious choice for one match given that it is not used for rugby, but perhaps this tour is also a chance to take cricket a bit further afield. McLean Park in Napier maybe. Or the Queenstown Events Centre (but only if they change the name to something a little more exciting). Cricket in April is unlikely to draw crowds anyway, so a chance to give the highest level of the game more exposure in the provinces will not result in too much additional cost.

Cricket in Zimbabwe

Greedy white players, corrupt officials, racism on both sides and an inept world governing body. The sad decline of cricket in Zimbabwe is chronicled in an excellent piece in the Observer.

Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh

You might ask whether it deserves to be called a test match, but Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are currently battling out a bit of a classic in Chittagong. With one day remaining, Bangladesh are on top with Zimbabwe are 46/3 in pursuit of 381.

The Zimbabwe team is full of new faces, but of those a couple are making a good impression. Elton Chigumbura scored 71 in Zimbabwe's second innings and took 5 for 54 as Bangladesh tried to set up a target. Chigumbura is only 18 and made his first-class debut as a 15 year old before destroying Australia in the under-19 World Cup final. He is definitely a player to watch for the future. Apart from Chigumbura and the increasingly impressive Tatenda Taibu, the Zimbabwe batting has been a little weak, but another youngster, Christopher Mpofu took four wickets in the first innings and another in the second to show promise with the new ball.

Bangladesh performed badly against New Zealand late last year, but you shouldn't judge them on just that tour. Their captain, Habibul Bashar missed most of that series and admitted to Wisden that he was very disappointed in the side's performance after they had pushed Pakistan and the West Indies hard. They are a side developing a solid core of players and some of those individuals are starting to shine. Bashar gives the batting line-up a bit of steel and the very talented Mohammed Ashraful is starting to flourish in the middle order while Nafis Iqbal is a young player with talent and the sort of never-say-die attitude the side probably needs. Tapash Baisya and Mashrafe Mortaza might not inspire fear in too many batting line-ups at this stage, but Mortaza is forging quite a decent record and Mohammad Rafique is up there with Daniel Vettori in the left-arm spinning stakes.

A victory will give the Bangladesh side a huge boost (and will sadly ensure New Zealand retains the record for most games played before achieving a first test win) and could lead to even better things over the next year. Zimbabwe on the other hand are a side in dire need of both development and political stability. The Bangladesh tour is not going to help with the latter, but it is certainly an opportunity for the former.

NZ vs the Rest

It might not sound that exciting at first glance, the Sri Lankan tour replaced with a handful of one-day games against players not selected for their own national teams - but when those players include Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lance Klusener, Andy Flower, Heath Streak, Graeme Hick, Justin Langer, Michael Bevan, Ian Harvey, Matthew Elliot, Andy Bichel Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas and Kumar Sangakkara it starts to sound a lot better. It is all still unofficial, but an announcement is expected today and according to the leaks these players will be here to play the New Zealand team in games on January 22, 24 and 26.

Shane Bond is back

There is so little cricket news to concentrate on that everyone has gone gah-gah over the fact that Shane Bond had a wee bowl in club cricket. The man himself admitted to being surprised by the number of headlines and demands for an interview, and 10 overs against Canterbury Country is hardly anything which would normally earn you a front page cover on the Dominion Post's sport supplement. But then, this is Shane Bond. And he did look quite sharp. And he did say "It could be two weeks, it could be four weeks, but it is going to fall into place for me." And Australia are here in four weeks' time. And, dammit, that means it is bloody exciting news.

Another poll for you to vote in

The BBC is asking you to vote for the greatest sports commentator of all time. Sadly the list is a little limited and is no room for you to scribble John Parker's name at the bottom, but it is still worth voting - Richie Benaud is currently top of the table and he needs your help to stay there.

I have to say that I am really enjoying the rambling of the Australian radio commentators at the moment - in the brief periods given over to them by Radio Sport. Jim Maxwell and Geoff Lawson are a brilliant combination, the rambling dry wit of Maxwell sparks nicely with the, errr, rambling dry wit of Lawson. It reminds me of the glory days when Coney, Waddle and Parker shared a commentary box - back in the time before Waddle became all bitter and twisted - Parker's voice cracking like a school-boy's and wit so dry and sharp you weren't sure whether it would burn you or stab you.

Shane Warne - hero or zero?

Here's a link to someone else's poll, and an article arguing for and against the case for Shane Warne as a great Australian. So far 63% of people voting in the Sydney Morning Herald don't think Shane Warne comes up to scratch - but then, it is a Sydney paper and he IS a Victorian...

Personally, I think Warne is a superb cricketer and a flawed human being. He will go down as one of the game's alltime greats and did cricket a fantastic favour by restoring the place of spin-bowling in test cricket after a decade where pace ruled all, but he is also a bit of an idiot who has managed more than his fair share of loutish moments. But his skill as a cricketer should outshine those moments. You can find plenty of idiots in Courtenay Place on a Friday night who could easily wake up on Saturday to remember that they sent dodgy text messages to someone who is not their partner. If the papers were to report on any of them, then there would be no room for anything else. Unless he breaks the law, what Shane Warne does outside of cricket shouldn't be our concern - no matter how amusing it sometimes is.

Cricket langour is summer's language

I missed this guest editorial in last week's Sydney Morning Herald. Those of you who enjoy musing on how you can enter and exit two different states of mind while watching cricket will enjoy it.

Captaining the Rest of the World

The Rest of the World XI has been chosen for a charity one-day match to play and Asian XI to raise money for tsunami victims. Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori and Chris Cairns have been chosen in the side, but Ricky Ponting has been appointed captain. Richard Hadlee and Steve Waugh were the selectors and Hadlee has stated that he and Waugh agreed on the choice of captain. This is quite a snub to the New Zealand skipper coming, as it does, from our chief of selectors. Fleming is certainly the better captain and even the one-eyed Australian commentators have been critical of Ponting's recent decision-making. Perhaps Sir Paddles simply wants Flem to have a bit of a mental break, but if that was the case then I hope he spoke to the skipper first.