Well, the quarterfinals of the 2019 Super Rugby season is under starters orders as the Crusaders (Although star first-five eighth Richie Mo'unga was in fine form, scoring both tries as well as he nailed 5 conversions & a penalty) advanced through to the semifinal by continuing their dominance against the discipline ridden Highlanders (Including that yellow card by Liam Squire for a no arms tackle may have hurt the Highlanders chances of victory) at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch then the Chiefs season has ended because they were inconsistent against the Jaguares at the Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires therefore missing out on a chance of a semifinal place before the Hurricanes (Who had welcomed back brothers Beauden & Jordie Barrett as well as Ngani Laumape but one of their players, Salesi Rayasi scored both tries on that occasion just like Mo'unga did against the Highlanders despite a yellow card for a deliberate knock down resulting in a penalty try) marched on after a good win against the Bulls (Although the Hurricanes held on until the end) to go through to the semifinals to take on the Crusaders while the Brumbies capitalized against the Sharks at GIO Stadium in Canberra to go through to the semifinals against the Jaguares.
So here is the confirmed list for the semifinal games being played in the 2019 Super Rugby season (+ some of my predictions):
Crusaders Vs Hurricanes (If I was John Plumtree & play for that team, I would say pedal to the metal at this point for my beloved Hurricanes to win)
& Jaguares Vs Brumbies (And no wonder the Brumbies will get thrashed against the Jaguares)
And finally in the 2019 Cricket World Cup news desk, a century from David Warner has helped Australia beat Bangladesh at Trent Bridge while Sri Lanka have knocked over hosts England (Their batting was terrible during their run chase) at Headingley before India had another win with a hat-trick from paceman Mohammed Shami against Afghanistan at Hampshire Bowl then another Kane Williamson ton has helped New Zealand to another win against the West Indies (Who were on the verge of victory with a century from big hitting Windies batsman Carlos Brathwaite until Trent Boult caught the ball off the bowling of Jimmy Neesham therefore missing out on a chance of a win) at Old Trafford then Pakistan defeat the struggling South Africa who are now out of the Cricket World Cup at Lord's in London (And it looks like Pakistan have sent a message to New Zealand) before Bangladesh beat minnows Afghanistan thanks to a 5 wicket haul from the best all rounder in the world, Shakib Al Hasan at Hampshire Bowl while hosts England (Well, where to from here for England because they need to win the next 2 games against both India & New Zealand to go through to the semifinals) lose another game against Australia (Who also may have sent a message to New Zealand as well) who had become the 1st team in the 2019 Cricket World Cup to advance through to the semifinals at a packed Lord's in London while Pakistan become the 1st team to beat New Zealand (Who were down & out but I was like when Pops told Carole yesterday morning ''Oh that cost New Zealand a great deal...It may have cost us the match'') at Edgbaston but this is like 1992 all over again (Pakistan dominated New Zealand in the semifinal at Eden Park) but our semifinal chances would have to wait because their next game is against Australia (It's a hard task) & if we win, we are through to the semis then India are still unbeaten in the tournament after they defeated the West Indies (Who were also out of the World Cup along with South Africa) last night by 125 runs at Old Trafford.
So that is my 292nd blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 32nd of this year (8 blogs remaining til I reach 300).
P.S. Desperate and ravenous
I'm so weak and powerless over you
Desperate and ravenous
So weak and powerless over you
And it's been a few weeks passed since I printed off both the cricket & rugby commentary lines that I did on Microsoft word & a day after my birthday, Dad gave me something which is chromecast to plug it onto the TV so that me & Pops can watch Spark Sport during the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
And finally here are the English language commentators & co-drivers list of the games that I've got on the PS4:
Rugby Challenge 3: Grant Nisbett (Sky Sport rugby commentator) & Justin Marshall (Ex All Black, Crusaders & Canterbury rugby player)
F1 2016, F1 2017, F1 2018 & F1 2019: David Croft (Voice of Formula 1) & Anthony Davidson (Former F1 driver) + Alex Jacques (Voice of Formula 2) & Davide Valsecchi (Ex GP2 Champion) *1
Dirt 4: Nicky Grist (Former co driver of Juha Kankkunen & Colin McRae) or Jen Horsey (Rally & rallycross driver as well as a automotive journalist & television personality)
Rugby League Live 4: Andrew Voss (Fox Sports rugby league commentator) & Eddie Hemmings (Voice of Super League)
FIFA 18 & FIFA 19: Martin Tyler (English soccer commentator) & Alan Smith (Ex Arsenal player) + Clive Tyldesley & Andy Townsend *2, Derek Rae (Scottish soccer commentator) & Lee Dixon (Former England & Arsenal player) *3
Gran Turismo Sport: None
Ashes Cricket & Cricket 19: Michael Slater (Ex test & ODI player for Australia), Mel Jones (Former women's test & ODI player for Australia) & James Taylor (Ex test & ODI player for England)
AO Tennis: None
Dirt Rally 2.0: Phil Mills (Former co driver of Petter Solberg)
*1: F1 2019 Formula 2 commentary only
*2: Career mode only
*3: FIFA 19 UEFA Champions League mode commentary only
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Thursday, 20 June 2019
Super Rugby round 18 wrap & 2019 Cricket World Cup round up part 3
Well, with the final round of Super Rugby played, the Highlanders completely thrashed the Waratahs at Rugby Park in Invercargill followed by the Chiefs who completely disintegrate & troll the Rebels by completely thrashing them at AAMI Park in Melbourne then the Hurricanes produce a comeback win against the Blues at Westpac Stadium in Wellington after trailing at halftime.
So here is the confirmed list for the quarterfinal games being played in the 2019 Super Rugby season (+ some of my predictions):
Crusaders Vs Highlanders (My money is on the Highlanders winning this one)
Jaguares Vs Chiefs (Well, the Chiefs should quite frankly win this one)
Hurricanes Vs Bulls (So too is my beloved Hurricanes franchise)
& Brumbies Vs Sharks (I don't know, I would probably go for the Sharks)
And finally in the 2019 Cricket World Cup news desk, the match between India & New Zealand at Trent Bridge has been abandoned without a single ball being bowled then an unbeaten century from Joe Root helped the hosts & tournament favourites England defeat the West Indies at Hampshire Bowl while a ton from Aaron Finch set Australia up for victory against Sri Lanka at The Oval in London then South Africa get their 1st win at the 2019 Cricket World Cup against Afghanistan after their dominant display of bowling came after the rain break at Cardiff Wales Stadium while India continue their dominance against Pakistan (They won 7 in a row against their greatest rivals) at the Cricket World Cup at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground with another century by Rohit Sharma then a unbeaten ton from Shakib Al Hasan has helped Bangladesh beat the West Indies at County Ground Taunton followed by England who tamed Afghanistan in a record breaking World Cup game especially for Irish born English captain Eoin Morgan who got a century for his adopted country & then something happened as a unbeaten Kane Williamson ton has secured New Zealand a certain victory (That's 5 consecutive victories against South Africa at a Cricket World Cup (Their 1st meeting was in 1992 in which New Zealand won before losing 2 straight in 1996 & 1999 then winning 5 in a row in 2003, 2007 in the super sixes, 2011 in the quarterfinals, 2015 in the semifinals & now in 2019) against the struggling South Africa at Edgbaston (And wow! What a great match).
So that is my 291st blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 31st of this year (9 blogs more until I reach the triple ton).
P.S. And I have got a very important announcement to make that in December this year that I'll be watching a single Star Wars movie everyday for 8 days (That includes all 8 Star Wars movies) in the lead-up to Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (And I've got a movie to watch tonight which is The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers on TVNZ 2 then my favourite Lord Of The Rings movie which is Return Of The King tomorrow but I've watched The Fellowship Of The Ring yesterday (I put a blu-ray disc on my new PS4 Pro to see how it works).
So here is the confirmed list for the quarterfinal games being played in the 2019 Super Rugby season (+ some of my predictions):
Crusaders Vs Highlanders (My money is on the Highlanders winning this one)
Jaguares Vs Chiefs (Well, the Chiefs should quite frankly win this one)
Hurricanes Vs Bulls (So too is my beloved Hurricanes franchise)
& Brumbies Vs Sharks (I don't know, I would probably go for the Sharks)
And finally in the 2019 Cricket World Cup news desk, the match between India & New Zealand at Trent Bridge has been abandoned without a single ball being bowled then an unbeaten century from Joe Root helped the hosts & tournament favourites England defeat the West Indies at Hampshire Bowl while a ton from Aaron Finch set Australia up for victory against Sri Lanka at The Oval in London then South Africa get their 1st win at the 2019 Cricket World Cup against Afghanistan after their dominant display of bowling came after the rain break at Cardiff Wales Stadium while India continue their dominance against Pakistan (They won 7 in a row against their greatest rivals) at the Cricket World Cup at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground with another century by Rohit Sharma then a unbeaten ton from Shakib Al Hasan has helped Bangladesh beat the West Indies at County Ground Taunton followed by England who tamed Afghanistan in a record breaking World Cup game especially for Irish born English captain Eoin Morgan who got a century for his adopted country & then something happened as a unbeaten Kane Williamson ton has secured New Zealand a certain victory (That's 5 consecutive victories against South Africa at a Cricket World Cup (Their 1st meeting was in 1992 in which New Zealand won before losing 2 straight in 1996 & 1999 then winning 5 in a row in 2003, 2007 in the super sixes, 2011 in the quarterfinals, 2015 in the semifinals & now in 2019) against the struggling South Africa at Edgbaston (And wow! What a great match).
So that is my 291st blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 31st of this year (9 blogs more until I reach the triple ton).
P.S. And I have got a very important announcement to make that in December this year that I'll be watching a single Star Wars movie everyday for 8 days (That includes all 8 Star Wars movies) in the lead-up to Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (And I've got a movie to watch tonight which is The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers on TVNZ 2 then my favourite Lord Of The Rings movie which is Return Of The King tomorrow but I've watched The Fellowship Of The Ring yesterday (I put a blu-ray disc on my new PS4 Pro to see how it works).
Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Another developing story about the 10 iconic game-changing moments in Cricket World Cup history
Well, I have decided to do another blog about another developing stories of the 10 iconic game-changing moments in Cricket World Cup history.
10: Imran Khan's decision - Pakistan v New Zealand, Semi-final, World Cup 1992
New Zealand posted 262 for 7 in 50 overs against Pakistan in the first semi-final of World Cup 1992 (Including that hamstring injury by New Zealand captain Martin Crowe cost us a chance of heading to Melbourne for the final). Pakistan’s reply was not satisfactory enough and when Salim Malik was dismissed, they needed 123 more runs in 15 overs. Javed Miandad signalled towards the dressing room to send the left-handed batsman Wasim Akram instead of Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Wasim was a big hitter of the ball and was more experienced than the young Inzamam. Pakistan was in need of a quickfire knock and someone like Wasim Akram would have been the ideal choice.
But, the Pakistan captain Imran Khan sent Inzamam and he didn’t let his captain down. Inzamam played a swashbuckling knock of 60 from just 37 balls. That breezy knock had shifted the balance of the game towards Pakistan. The men in green went on to win the semi-final in style.
9: Craig McDermott's bowling - Australia v India, Group Match, World Cup 1987
India’s first match of the World Cup 1987 was against a young and inexperienced Australian side. Batting first, the Australians posted 270 for 6 in 50 overs. In reply, the Indian team was well poised at 202 for 2 with 70 more runs to get in 15 overs. Kris Srikkanth and a young Navjot Singh Sidhu were in splendid form to ensure India a victory in their opening game of the World Cup.
But the Australian team was a hard nut to crack. Allan Border brought on young Craig McDermott to bowl for a breakthrough. Immediately, McDermott bowled Sidhu and triggered a panic in the Indian batting line-up. Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and Ravi Shastri became the victims of McDermott as six wickets fell for just 54 runs. India lost the match by just 1 run (India faced England in the semifinal & lost while Australia beat Pakistan to go through to the final to take on England for cricket's ultimate prize).
8: Sachin Tendulkar's stumping - India v Sri Lanka, Semi-final, World Cup 1996
Sri Lanka qualified for the World Cup semi-final for the first time in their cricketing history. Their opponents were the hot favourites India who possessed a brilliant track record against them on home soil. Batting first, Sri Lanka posted 251 for 9 in 50 overs. Despite losing Navjot Singh Sidhu earlier, the Indian reply was rollicking. Sachin Tendulkar was mauling the Lankan attack ruthlessly and scripted a partnership of 90 runs for the 2nd wicket in no time.
Arjuna Ranatunga was searching for a breakthrough and threw the ball to Sanath Jayasuriya in the 23rd over. In the fourth ball of the over, Jayasuriya pitched one outside leg which Tendulkar tried to steer down to fine leg, but the ball hit his thigh pad and went to wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitharana. Tendulkar thought that the ball might have passed the keeper and left his crease for a single, but within a second Sachin realized that he was making a big mistake. In the twinkle of an eye, Kalu effected a quick stumping and Tendulkar was dismissed.
That stumping triggered a collapse – 7 wickets fell for just 22 runs. That collapse was too hard to bear for the passionate cricket fans of Kolkata. They responded violently by throwing water bottles on the field and setting fire on the seats. Match referee summoned the players in and later awarded the match to Sri Lanka (Who went on to win the final against Australia in style with that unbeaten century by Aravinda de Silva).
7: Clive Lloyd's decision - West Indies v Pakistan, Semi-final, World Cup 1979
Pakistan and West Indies met each other the semi-final of the second World Cup. On a flat track, batting first, the West Indies posted 293 for six in 60 overs. Pakistan lost Sadiq Mohammad early, but Majid Khan and Zaheer Abbas dished out an inspiring run chase by scripting a partnership of 166 runs for the second-wicket. For the next three hours Clive Lloyd was left to ponder whether his team was short of hundred more runs.
Zaheer and Majid staved off the early threat posed by Roberts and Holding and then opened out a superbly planned assault on the West Indies bowling. Just before tea, these two were cruising in such a carefree manner towards the target that Pakistan looked the likely winners.
During the break, Clive Lloyd realized that the attack was ill-directed at Zaheer and thus, he asked for the line of attack to be switched from off-stump to leg. As the game resumed after the break, Colin Croft followed Lloyd’s advice and proceeded accordingly. Zaheer went for a glance against Croft and was caught behind. Pakistan eventually collapsed to a defeat (Meaning that the West Indies are through to the final in which they took on England (Who beat New Zealand in the other semifinal) & managed to retain the Cricket World Cup).
6: Jonty Rhodes - South Africa v Pakistan, Group Match, World Cup 1992
Pakistan’s reply to South Africa’s 211 was steady. All of a sudden, rain visited Brisbane and an asking run rate of 4.9 in 28 overs became 8.5 in 14. As the game resumed, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Imran Khan dished out an assault to dent the Proteas attack – a partnership of 85 runs for the third-wicket came up in quick succession. Pakistan were cruising, especially Inzamam was in ominous form.
Then came the deciding moment.
In the 31st over, Inzamam attempted a single for a leg bye. Imran shouted “No” and while trying to get back to his crease, Inzamam saw Jonty Rhodes sprinting towards the stumps from deep backward point. And then, Jonty – grabbing the ball in his right hand - threw himself at the stumps with his feet off the ground to run out Inzamam in the most spectacular fashion.
The dismissal of Inzamam dented Pakistan’s wonderful momentum and they lost the match by 20 runs and were at risk of getting out of World Cup from the preliminary stages (Although Pakistan would win all 3 games against Australia, Sri Lanka & New Zealand en route to the semifinal while South Africa advanced through to the semifinal against England on the back of a win against Zimbabwe & a loss against England under the Duckworth-Lewis system in the last 2 round robin games but proved them too costly as rain ruined the South Africans day in Sydney).
5: Mike Gatting's wicket - England v Australia, Final, World Cup 1987
After India and Pakistan’s shocking exit from the World Cup, the organizers thought that the stadium would be half-full if not deserted for the final between England and Australia. But to the surprise of all, almost 100,000 passionate cricket fans went to witness the final.
Australia won the toss and batted first. They posted 253 for 5 in 50 overs. Bill Athey and Mike Gatting scripted a threatening third-wicket partnership of 69 to dent Australia’s hopes. Both of them took calculative risks and ran as much as they could. The game was slipping away from the hands of Allan Border. A quick breakthrough was the need of the hour.
At 135 for 2, Border brought himself to bowl. Gatting faced the first ball from Border with enough circumspection. Then Border pitched one around Gatting’s off-stump who got down his haunches and executed the reverse sweep but edged it and the ball flew in the air. Australia’s wicketkeeper Greg Dyer took a magnificent catch to dismiss Gatting.
That reverse sweep by Gatting proved fatal for England and lost the match by just seven runs (It was Australia's joy at the end).
4: Ian Chappell's run out - Australia v West Indies, Final, World Cup 1975
Lord’s was doused in brilliant sunshine during the first World Cup final. The weather was excellent and the wicket a beauty – easy paced and of even bounce to facilitate stroke-play. Clive Lloyd won the toss and elected to bat first. The West Indies posted 291 for 8 in 60 overs.
In reply, Australia were cruising at 162 for 3 with 21 overs left to play. Ian Chappell and Doug Walters were in total command, but a young West Indian named Viv Richards came into action to change the complexion of the game.
Ian Chappell pushed the ball towards midwicket and ran for a quick single hesitantly as he saw Richards scrambling for the ball. Even though the ball went past Richards, he picked up the ball quickly, swooped, turned and fired it powerfully to Lloyd who ran out Ian. The dismissal of Ian Chappell had jolted the Australian batting line-up and they looked down and out. A gallant last-wicket stand between Lillee and Thomson revived the Australian hopes, but Thomson was run out and West Indies lifted the World Cup (It was the very 1st ever inaugural tournament that took place 44 years ago).
3: Herschelle Gibbs's dropped catch - Australia v South Africa, Super Six, World Cup 1999
It was the battle of two heavyweights of world cricket at Headingley. Australia had to beat South Africa to claim a place in the semi-finals. The South Africans were in supreme form throughout that tournament while Australia were a struggling unit.
Batting first, South Africa posted 271 for 7 in 50 overs. Australia’s reply was shaky and at 48 for 3, the Australian captain Steve Waugh walked out to bat.
While batting on 56, Steve slapped a simple catch to Herschelle Gibbs who was fielding at midwicket. Gibbs clutched on, but as he went to hurl the ball skywards in celebration, it slipped from his grasp and fell on the ground. It was perhaps the costliest of miss in the history of ICC World Cup. It was a significant game-changing moment. Steve Waugh went on to score 120 and Australia not only qualified for the semi-finals (Including that victory against South Africa again despite the match had been tied after Allan Donald was run out), but also won the 1999 World Cup.
2: Wasim Akram's over - Pakistan v England, Final, World Cup 1992
Pakistan’s road to Melbourne Cricket Ground for the finals of World Cup 1992 was not a rosy one. After losing to India and South Africa, their further progress in the tournament was under threat. But Imran Khan regrouped his young team and they started to pick themselves up in the right moment.
In the final, Pakistan met England against whom they were humiliated in the preliminary stages. Imran Khan won the toss and elected to bat first. Despite a sluggish start, Pakistan were able to post 249 for 6 on the board. Pakistan’s new ball bowlers – Wasim Akram and Aaqib Javed along with leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed had jolted the English batting line up. England were reeling at 69 for 4. But, Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother forged a 72-run partnership in 14 overs and revived the English hopes.
Imran Khan decided to throw the ball to Wasim Akram for a breakthrough. In the 35th over, Wasim Akram bowled two of the most unplayable deliveries ever bowled in the history of World Cups. He dismissed Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis in successive deliveries which simply blew away England’s chances. England never recovered from the havoc created by Akram and Pakistan lifted the trophy for the first time (Pakistan win the World Cup as legendary cricket commentator Bill Lawry would say after the game).
1: Kapil Dev's catch - India v West Indies, Final, World Cup 1983
India surpassed all the expectations when they advanced into the finals of the World Cup 1983. In the final, their opposition was the West Indies and during that time they were at the height of their powers. On a bowling friendly track at Lord’s, Clive Lloyd won the toss and invited India to bat first. India only managed to score 183 runs.
Such a total was supposed to be a cake walk for West Indies. Balwinder Singh Sandhu dismissed Gordon Greenidge early, but Desmond Haynes and Viv Richards stabilized the innings. Viv was batting in such a ruthless manner, it seemed that the game would be finished before tea.
But, then came the epic game-changing moment.
Madan Lal, pitched one short outside the off-stump and Viv set himself to clobber it behind midwicket. Viv played the ball a bit early, top-edged it and the ball went high in the air. While the rest of the Indian fielders gave up the hope of catching that, one fielder didn’t.
Kapil Dev, who was fielding at mid-on, began to run towards the ball and took an astonishing catch. Viv was dismissed and that catch completely changed the complexion of the match. West Indies continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and lost the match by 43 runs (That's out, yes it's all over this time).
So that is my 290th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 30th of this year (10 left until I reach 300).
10: Imran Khan's decision - Pakistan v New Zealand, Semi-final, World Cup 1992
New Zealand posted 262 for 7 in 50 overs against Pakistan in the first semi-final of World Cup 1992 (Including that hamstring injury by New Zealand captain Martin Crowe cost us a chance of heading to Melbourne for the final). Pakistan’s reply was not satisfactory enough and when Salim Malik was dismissed, they needed 123 more runs in 15 overs. Javed Miandad signalled towards the dressing room to send the left-handed batsman Wasim Akram instead of Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Wasim was a big hitter of the ball and was more experienced than the young Inzamam. Pakistan was in need of a quickfire knock and someone like Wasim Akram would have been the ideal choice.
But, the Pakistan captain Imran Khan sent Inzamam and he didn’t let his captain down. Inzamam played a swashbuckling knock of 60 from just 37 balls. That breezy knock had shifted the balance of the game towards Pakistan. The men in green went on to win the semi-final in style.
9: Craig McDermott's bowling - Australia v India, Group Match, World Cup 1987
India’s first match of the World Cup 1987 was against a young and inexperienced Australian side. Batting first, the Australians posted 270 for 6 in 50 overs. In reply, the Indian team was well poised at 202 for 2 with 70 more runs to get in 15 overs. Kris Srikkanth and a young Navjot Singh Sidhu were in splendid form to ensure India a victory in their opening game of the World Cup.
But the Australian team was a hard nut to crack. Allan Border brought on young Craig McDermott to bowl for a breakthrough. Immediately, McDermott bowled Sidhu and triggered a panic in the Indian batting line-up. Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and Ravi Shastri became the victims of McDermott as six wickets fell for just 54 runs. India lost the match by just 1 run (India faced England in the semifinal & lost while Australia beat Pakistan to go through to the final to take on England for cricket's ultimate prize).
8: Sachin Tendulkar's stumping - India v Sri Lanka, Semi-final, World Cup 1996
Sri Lanka qualified for the World Cup semi-final for the first time in their cricketing history. Their opponents were the hot favourites India who possessed a brilliant track record against them on home soil. Batting first, Sri Lanka posted 251 for 9 in 50 overs. Despite losing Navjot Singh Sidhu earlier, the Indian reply was rollicking. Sachin Tendulkar was mauling the Lankan attack ruthlessly and scripted a partnership of 90 runs for the 2nd wicket in no time.
Arjuna Ranatunga was searching for a breakthrough and threw the ball to Sanath Jayasuriya in the 23rd over. In the fourth ball of the over, Jayasuriya pitched one outside leg which Tendulkar tried to steer down to fine leg, but the ball hit his thigh pad and went to wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitharana. Tendulkar thought that the ball might have passed the keeper and left his crease for a single, but within a second Sachin realized that he was making a big mistake. In the twinkle of an eye, Kalu effected a quick stumping and Tendulkar was dismissed.
That stumping triggered a collapse – 7 wickets fell for just 22 runs. That collapse was too hard to bear for the passionate cricket fans of Kolkata. They responded violently by throwing water bottles on the field and setting fire on the seats. Match referee summoned the players in and later awarded the match to Sri Lanka (Who went on to win the final against Australia in style with that unbeaten century by Aravinda de Silva).
7: Clive Lloyd's decision - West Indies v Pakistan, Semi-final, World Cup 1979
Pakistan and West Indies met each other the semi-final of the second World Cup. On a flat track, batting first, the West Indies posted 293 for six in 60 overs. Pakistan lost Sadiq Mohammad early, but Majid Khan and Zaheer Abbas dished out an inspiring run chase by scripting a partnership of 166 runs for the second-wicket. For the next three hours Clive Lloyd was left to ponder whether his team was short of hundred more runs.
Zaheer and Majid staved off the early threat posed by Roberts and Holding and then opened out a superbly planned assault on the West Indies bowling. Just before tea, these two were cruising in such a carefree manner towards the target that Pakistan looked the likely winners.
During the break, Clive Lloyd realized that the attack was ill-directed at Zaheer and thus, he asked for the line of attack to be switched from off-stump to leg. As the game resumed after the break, Colin Croft followed Lloyd’s advice and proceeded accordingly. Zaheer went for a glance against Croft and was caught behind. Pakistan eventually collapsed to a defeat (Meaning that the West Indies are through to the final in which they took on England (Who beat New Zealand in the other semifinal) & managed to retain the Cricket World Cup).
6: Jonty Rhodes - South Africa v Pakistan, Group Match, World Cup 1992
Pakistan’s reply to South Africa’s 211 was steady. All of a sudden, rain visited Brisbane and an asking run rate of 4.9 in 28 overs became 8.5 in 14. As the game resumed, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Imran Khan dished out an assault to dent the Proteas attack – a partnership of 85 runs for the third-wicket came up in quick succession. Pakistan were cruising, especially Inzamam was in ominous form.
Then came the deciding moment.
In the 31st over, Inzamam attempted a single for a leg bye. Imran shouted “No” and while trying to get back to his crease, Inzamam saw Jonty Rhodes sprinting towards the stumps from deep backward point. And then, Jonty – grabbing the ball in his right hand - threw himself at the stumps with his feet off the ground to run out Inzamam in the most spectacular fashion.
The dismissal of Inzamam dented Pakistan’s wonderful momentum and they lost the match by 20 runs and were at risk of getting out of World Cup from the preliminary stages (Although Pakistan would win all 3 games against Australia, Sri Lanka & New Zealand en route to the semifinal while South Africa advanced through to the semifinal against England on the back of a win against Zimbabwe & a loss against England under the Duckworth-Lewis system in the last 2 round robin games but proved them too costly as rain ruined the South Africans day in Sydney).
5: Mike Gatting's wicket - England v Australia, Final, World Cup 1987
After India and Pakistan’s shocking exit from the World Cup, the organizers thought that the stadium would be half-full if not deserted for the final between England and Australia. But to the surprise of all, almost 100,000 passionate cricket fans went to witness the final.
Australia won the toss and batted first. They posted 253 for 5 in 50 overs. Bill Athey and Mike Gatting scripted a threatening third-wicket partnership of 69 to dent Australia’s hopes. Both of them took calculative risks and ran as much as they could. The game was slipping away from the hands of Allan Border. A quick breakthrough was the need of the hour.
At 135 for 2, Border brought himself to bowl. Gatting faced the first ball from Border with enough circumspection. Then Border pitched one around Gatting’s off-stump who got down his haunches and executed the reverse sweep but edged it and the ball flew in the air. Australia’s wicketkeeper Greg Dyer took a magnificent catch to dismiss Gatting.
That reverse sweep by Gatting proved fatal for England and lost the match by just seven runs (It was Australia's joy at the end).
4: Ian Chappell's run out - Australia v West Indies, Final, World Cup 1975
Lord’s was doused in brilliant sunshine during the first World Cup final. The weather was excellent and the wicket a beauty – easy paced and of even bounce to facilitate stroke-play. Clive Lloyd won the toss and elected to bat first. The West Indies posted 291 for 8 in 60 overs.
In reply, Australia were cruising at 162 for 3 with 21 overs left to play. Ian Chappell and Doug Walters were in total command, but a young West Indian named Viv Richards came into action to change the complexion of the game.
Ian Chappell pushed the ball towards midwicket and ran for a quick single hesitantly as he saw Richards scrambling for the ball. Even though the ball went past Richards, he picked up the ball quickly, swooped, turned and fired it powerfully to Lloyd who ran out Ian. The dismissal of Ian Chappell had jolted the Australian batting line-up and they looked down and out. A gallant last-wicket stand between Lillee and Thomson revived the Australian hopes, but Thomson was run out and West Indies lifted the World Cup (It was the very 1st ever inaugural tournament that took place 44 years ago).
3: Herschelle Gibbs's dropped catch - Australia v South Africa, Super Six, World Cup 1999
It was the battle of two heavyweights of world cricket at Headingley. Australia had to beat South Africa to claim a place in the semi-finals. The South Africans were in supreme form throughout that tournament while Australia were a struggling unit.
Batting first, South Africa posted 271 for 7 in 50 overs. Australia’s reply was shaky and at 48 for 3, the Australian captain Steve Waugh walked out to bat.
While batting on 56, Steve slapped a simple catch to Herschelle Gibbs who was fielding at midwicket. Gibbs clutched on, but as he went to hurl the ball skywards in celebration, it slipped from his grasp and fell on the ground. It was perhaps the costliest of miss in the history of ICC World Cup. It was a significant game-changing moment. Steve Waugh went on to score 120 and Australia not only qualified for the semi-finals (Including that victory against South Africa again despite the match had been tied after Allan Donald was run out), but also won the 1999 World Cup.
2: Wasim Akram's over - Pakistan v England, Final, World Cup 1992
Pakistan’s road to Melbourne Cricket Ground for the finals of World Cup 1992 was not a rosy one. After losing to India and South Africa, their further progress in the tournament was under threat. But Imran Khan regrouped his young team and they started to pick themselves up in the right moment.
In the final, Pakistan met England against whom they were humiliated in the preliminary stages. Imran Khan won the toss and elected to bat first. Despite a sluggish start, Pakistan were able to post 249 for 6 on the board. Pakistan’s new ball bowlers – Wasim Akram and Aaqib Javed along with leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed had jolted the English batting line up. England were reeling at 69 for 4. But, Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother forged a 72-run partnership in 14 overs and revived the English hopes.
Imran Khan decided to throw the ball to Wasim Akram for a breakthrough. In the 35th over, Wasim Akram bowled two of the most unplayable deliveries ever bowled in the history of World Cups. He dismissed Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis in successive deliveries which simply blew away England’s chances. England never recovered from the havoc created by Akram and Pakistan lifted the trophy for the first time (Pakistan win the World Cup as legendary cricket commentator Bill Lawry would say after the game).
1: Kapil Dev's catch - India v West Indies, Final, World Cup 1983
India surpassed all the expectations when they advanced into the finals of the World Cup 1983. In the final, their opposition was the West Indies and during that time they were at the height of their powers. On a bowling friendly track at Lord’s, Clive Lloyd won the toss and invited India to bat first. India only managed to score 183 runs.
Such a total was supposed to be a cake walk for West Indies. Balwinder Singh Sandhu dismissed Gordon Greenidge early, but Desmond Haynes and Viv Richards stabilized the innings. Viv was batting in such a ruthless manner, it seemed that the game would be finished before tea.
But, then came the epic game-changing moment.
Madan Lal, pitched one short outside the off-stump and Viv set himself to clobber it behind midwicket. Viv played the ball a bit early, top-edged it and the ball went high in the air. While the rest of the Indian fielders gave up the hope of catching that, one fielder didn’t.
Kapil Dev, who was fielding at mid-on, began to run towards the ball and took an astonishing catch. Viv was dismissed and that catch completely changed the complexion of the match. West Indies continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and lost the match by 43 runs (That's out, yes it's all over this time).
So that is my 290th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 30th of this year (10 left until I reach 300).
Tuesday, 18 June 2019
Developing story about the greatest cricket tests ever
Well, I have decided to do a blog about the developing stories of the greatest cricket tests of all time but 1st it was way back in 1992 that Australia beat Sri Lanka in the 1st test in Colombo in one of the most dramatic test. And the reason why Sri Lanka lost to Australia? They were defeated by a mere 16 runs & lost their last 8 wickets for 37 runs & suffered one of the biggest humiliations & launched Shane Warne on the glory path in cricket - he took the last 3 wickets for 11 runs in 5.1 overs.
And in 1999, the Bridgetown drama one must first understand the disastrous condition of West Indies Cricket at the time. The boys had just returned from a nasty 5-0 licking in South Africa and just did not seem to be able to put up a challenge but leave alone mighty Australia. The Caribbean people wanted Brian Lara's head, but because there really was no one else to take the mantle, the selectors reappointed him captain. The entire team was on "two-Test probation".
The first went as expected as the West Indies were bowled out for a record low of 51, but the genius of Lara emerged in the second Test as his 213 ensured an amazing 10-wicket win in Jamaica. Nothing prepared the cricketing world for the drama to follow. The 3rd test was one of the greatest battles the cricketing world has ever seen. Amazing performances abounded, with heroic knights fighting for the supremacy of their kingdom. Steve Waugh's brave 199 was ably supported by Ricky Ponting's 104. Then Sherwin Campbell's 105 still left the Windies 161 behind at the end of the first innings.
It was Ambrose and Walsh who gave us a semblance of a chance bowling the Aussies out for 146, leaving an improbable 308 to win. Enter Lara. The man whom everyone wanted out of cricket a few weeks earlier mastered the mighty Shane Warne, a nasty McGrath and an unplayable Gillespie before the drama unfolded when he was hit on the head by a nasty McGrath bouncer - the 2 icons had to be separated by the umpires - and the sound of the next ball as it crashed into the midwicket boundary. When Lara truck the winning four to the cover fence to carry him to 153, he was proclaimed by Tony Cozier as the "Prodigal son turned Messiah". The last 63 runs came with Ambrose and Walsh at the wicket.
Sydney 1994, The first Test was a washout and this game wasn't going our way at all. The South Africans were inexperienced and were totally outplayed for the first 4 days. Shane Warne took 12 wickets in the game and it looked as if he would take one with every ball he bowled to us.
In the end, they set Australia 117 runs to win. On that 4th afternoon, Australia were cruising on 51 for 1. And then Fanie de Villiers came back to bowl. He had this irrepressible spirit, and 3 quick wickets later, Australia closed the day with four down and about 60 runs to get. The odds were still heavily with them. On the fifth morning, Fanie bowled from the start. And this time, Allan Donald joined him, taking three wickets of his own. Australia were wilting under the intensity. They just couldn't score any runs. Damien Martyn looked like a hare caught in the headlights, and got out to perhaps the only stroke he played all morning, having faced almost 60 balls for his 6.
Fanie just kept pegging away. At last, he bowled to Glenn McGrath. This was back when McGrath had no illusions about his ability with the bat and a tentative prod from him sent the ball looping gently back to Fanie, who grabbed it with glee. Australia were short by five runs, and it felt as if Fanie's sheer force of will beat them.
And in 1997, it was in Edgbaston in Birmingham, England that the likes of of Atherton, Hussain and Caddick hammer the Aussies.
Dunedin, circa 1980, West Indies and their famed and feared foursome - Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Colin Croft - had breezed past Australia 2-0 in a three-match series and probably viewed New Zealand as an unwanted and unworthy addendum to their tour. Indeed, Viv Richards was given dispensation to skip the New Zealand leg of the tour and Roberts missed the first Test. However, New Zealand, led by county pro Geoff Howarth and spearheaded by Richard Hadlee, were in the process of gathering the self-belief to become one of the hardest teams to beat at home during the '80s.
This Test was the spark that ignited that belief. Played at Carisbrook, dreary and cold, the Windies were bundled out for 140 with only a Desmond Haynes half-century saving complete embarrassment. Bruce Edgar played a similar role for New Zealand with Hadlee's hitting at the end providing a 109-run lead. Haynes scored a gritty 300-ball century in the second but when West Indies were again bundled out cheaply, New Zealand needed just 104 to win.
Suddenly, it seemed to dawn on West Indies that they might lose to this bunch of predominantly part-timers, and they bowled with a fury never seen on these shores. Howarth had his helmet knocked off twice and wickets tumbled regularly. Just three fours were scored as New Zealand inched their way to glory. Lance Cairns top-scored with 19, though he was bowled without the bail dropping much earlier, but was the ninth man dismissed with four needed. Gary Troup and Stephen Boock, one of the world's great bunnies, eked out three singles before Boock's front pad provided the most cherished leg bye - via a missed run-out opportunity - in New Zealand cricket history.
And way back in 1997, as far as see-sawing action goes, few Test matches can compare to the thriller at Port Elizabeth in 1997. On what was an extremely green pitch, South Africa struggled to 209 in their first effort, with Australia apparently on top. The next day, the Aussies crumbled to 108, and the South Africans proceeded to march to a 184-run advantage, with all second-innings wickets intact. Mark Taylor - himself in the middle of a horrific run of form - and his men were staring down the barrel, but incredibly, they staged a valiant recovery, leaving themselves a target of 270.
Few gave them a chance, but nobody told Mark Waugh. He produced a classic of elegance and poise - 116 of the finest on a minefield against the might of an Allan Donald-led pace attack, in a match where there was only one other half-century. When Healy slogged Cronje over square leg, they had closed out a two-wicket win, replete with some of the most exciting cricket ever seen in South Africa.
Lord's, 2000, England's recent revival can be traced back to one of the most extraordinary wins ever. They trailed 1-0 to a weak West Indian side coming into the second Test at Lord's and had already pressed the panic button (remember that?) by making four changes, including the recall of Dominic Cork.
The first day, which the West Indies closed on 267 for nine highlighted their batting frailties but no one was prepared for the incredible events of day two. The crowd saw play from all four innings as Caddick knocked over the last man with the first ball of the day. Ambrose and Walsh then put their side's total into perspective by taking four wickets each as England conceded a lead of 133.
If England had gone on to lose the match, and with it probably the series, who knows where they might be now? Before Caddick between innings because he produced an unstoppable spell of hostile fast bowling that left West Indies all out for 54.
Remember that this was a team England hadn't beaten since 1970. There was still time for England to start their run-chase, which culminated in Saturday's diabolically nervous crawl to the depths of 160 for eight, from where Cork's penchant for limelight-stealing rescued them.
Thrilling, emotional stuff.
And in November 1989, New Zealand played Australia in a one-off Test at the WACA. New Zealand were without Richard Hadlee and Andrew Jones, and were expected to lose heavily against an Australian team that had been rampant in England. The game started predictably enough when Australia won the toss and ground out 521/9. David Boon scored a double-century and Dean Jones was given out to an appallingly bad lbw decision on 99.
New Zealand started day three with nothing ahead of them except for the distant hope of a draw and the more obvious prospect of a heavy defeat. Terry Alderman bowled Robert Vance almost as soon as play got underway and that brought Mark Greatbatch to the crease.
Carl Rackemann was ferocious and had the ball bouncing and screaming from the hard and fast WACA pitch, but each of his rockets was met by a Greatbatch defensive stroke which dropped the ball, quiet and dead, to the ground. There were no flashy strokes and no prospect of a New Zealand victory, just a solid forward-defensive shot that acted like a hypnotist's charm, a buzzsaw of tension and a building realisation that there was a damn sight more to cricket than jeering at Dean Jones.
Karachi, circa 1994, Australia had not won a Test match in Pakistan for more then three decades and were looking to break the jinx with their inexperienced bowling attack led by the two future greats, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. The Aussies had the upper hand in the first innings getting an 81-run lead but the real drama started in the second innings.
Australia started disastrously with Mark Taylor, captain for the first time, gone for his second duck of the match. David Boon played a classy and courageous knock to hold the innings together but the 2 W's, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, started an all-too-familiar collapse with the last 4 wickets adding just 26. Pakistan required 314, and ended the fourth day still requiring 159 with 7 wickets in hand.
On the 5th day, Warne weaved his magic, rattling the home team with his vicious leg breaks. Pakistan slumped to 258 for 9 and were staring at defeat, but a brilliant rearguard led by Inzamam-ul-Haq kept them in the hunt. In the end, with three runs still needed, it came down to the battle of three legends - Ian Healy, Warne and Inzamam. Warne's leg break pitched on middle stump, turned a little, touched Inzi's pads and skidded along the ground. Inzamam was out of his crease but Healy missed the stumping much to the joy of home crowd. Pakistan were gifted the winning runs, and Inzamam was the saviour, adding 58 for the last wicket with Mushtaq Ahmed.
So ended one of the great Test matches of all time, one that was never out of reach of either side but never in the firm grasp of one or the other. The Aussies were made to wait another four years to win a Test in Pakistan, and Dickie Bird, the legendary English umpire, termed it the best match in which he stood.
So that is my 289th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 29th of this year.
And in 1999, the Bridgetown drama one must first understand the disastrous condition of West Indies Cricket at the time. The boys had just returned from a nasty 5-0 licking in South Africa and just did not seem to be able to put up a challenge but leave alone mighty Australia. The Caribbean people wanted Brian Lara's head, but because there really was no one else to take the mantle, the selectors reappointed him captain. The entire team was on "two-Test probation".
The first went as expected as the West Indies were bowled out for a record low of 51, but the genius of Lara emerged in the second Test as his 213 ensured an amazing 10-wicket win in Jamaica. Nothing prepared the cricketing world for the drama to follow. The 3rd test was one of the greatest battles the cricketing world has ever seen. Amazing performances abounded, with heroic knights fighting for the supremacy of their kingdom. Steve Waugh's brave 199 was ably supported by Ricky Ponting's 104. Then Sherwin Campbell's 105 still left the Windies 161 behind at the end of the first innings.
It was Ambrose and Walsh who gave us a semblance of a chance bowling the Aussies out for 146, leaving an improbable 308 to win. Enter Lara. The man whom everyone wanted out of cricket a few weeks earlier mastered the mighty Shane Warne, a nasty McGrath and an unplayable Gillespie before the drama unfolded when he was hit on the head by a nasty McGrath bouncer - the 2 icons had to be separated by the umpires - and the sound of the next ball as it crashed into the midwicket boundary. When Lara truck the winning four to the cover fence to carry him to 153, he was proclaimed by Tony Cozier as the "Prodigal son turned Messiah". The last 63 runs came with Ambrose and Walsh at the wicket.
Sydney 1994, The first Test was a washout and this game wasn't going our way at all. The South Africans were inexperienced and were totally outplayed for the first 4 days. Shane Warne took 12 wickets in the game and it looked as if he would take one with every ball he bowled to us.
In the end, they set Australia 117 runs to win. On that 4th afternoon, Australia were cruising on 51 for 1. And then Fanie de Villiers came back to bowl. He had this irrepressible spirit, and 3 quick wickets later, Australia closed the day with four down and about 60 runs to get. The odds were still heavily with them. On the fifth morning, Fanie bowled from the start. And this time, Allan Donald joined him, taking three wickets of his own. Australia were wilting under the intensity. They just couldn't score any runs. Damien Martyn looked like a hare caught in the headlights, and got out to perhaps the only stroke he played all morning, having faced almost 60 balls for his 6.
Fanie just kept pegging away. At last, he bowled to Glenn McGrath. This was back when McGrath had no illusions about his ability with the bat and a tentative prod from him sent the ball looping gently back to Fanie, who grabbed it with glee. Australia were short by five runs, and it felt as if Fanie's sheer force of will beat them.
And in 1997, it was in Edgbaston in Birmingham, England that the likes of of Atherton, Hussain and Caddick hammer the Aussies.
Dunedin, circa 1980, West Indies and their famed and feared foursome - Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Colin Croft - had breezed past Australia 2-0 in a three-match series and probably viewed New Zealand as an unwanted and unworthy addendum to their tour. Indeed, Viv Richards was given dispensation to skip the New Zealand leg of the tour and Roberts missed the first Test. However, New Zealand, led by county pro Geoff Howarth and spearheaded by Richard Hadlee, were in the process of gathering the self-belief to become one of the hardest teams to beat at home during the '80s.
This Test was the spark that ignited that belief. Played at Carisbrook, dreary and cold, the Windies were bundled out for 140 with only a Desmond Haynes half-century saving complete embarrassment. Bruce Edgar played a similar role for New Zealand with Hadlee's hitting at the end providing a 109-run lead. Haynes scored a gritty 300-ball century in the second but when West Indies were again bundled out cheaply, New Zealand needed just 104 to win.
Suddenly, it seemed to dawn on West Indies that they might lose to this bunch of predominantly part-timers, and they bowled with a fury never seen on these shores. Howarth had his helmet knocked off twice and wickets tumbled regularly. Just three fours were scored as New Zealand inched their way to glory. Lance Cairns top-scored with 19, though he was bowled without the bail dropping much earlier, but was the ninth man dismissed with four needed. Gary Troup and Stephen Boock, one of the world's great bunnies, eked out three singles before Boock's front pad provided the most cherished leg bye - via a missed run-out opportunity - in New Zealand cricket history.
And way back in 1997, as far as see-sawing action goes, few Test matches can compare to the thriller at Port Elizabeth in 1997. On what was an extremely green pitch, South Africa struggled to 209 in their first effort, with Australia apparently on top. The next day, the Aussies crumbled to 108, and the South Africans proceeded to march to a 184-run advantage, with all second-innings wickets intact. Mark Taylor - himself in the middle of a horrific run of form - and his men were staring down the barrel, but incredibly, they staged a valiant recovery, leaving themselves a target of 270.
Few gave them a chance, but nobody told Mark Waugh. He produced a classic of elegance and poise - 116 of the finest on a minefield against the might of an Allan Donald-led pace attack, in a match where there was only one other half-century. When Healy slogged Cronje over square leg, they had closed out a two-wicket win, replete with some of the most exciting cricket ever seen in South Africa.
Lord's, 2000, England's recent revival can be traced back to one of the most extraordinary wins ever. They trailed 1-0 to a weak West Indian side coming into the second Test at Lord's and had already pressed the panic button (remember that?) by making four changes, including the recall of Dominic Cork.
The first day, which the West Indies closed on 267 for nine highlighted their batting frailties but no one was prepared for the incredible events of day two. The crowd saw play from all four innings as Caddick knocked over the last man with the first ball of the day. Ambrose and Walsh then put their side's total into perspective by taking four wickets each as England conceded a lead of 133.
If England had gone on to lose the match, and with it probably the series, who knows where they might be now? Before Caddick between innings because he produced an unstoppable spell of hostile fast bowling that left West Indies all out for 54.
Remember that this was a team England hadn't beaten since 1970. There was still time for England to start their run-chase, which culminated in Saturday's diabolically nervous crawl to the depths of 160 for eight, from where Cork's penchant for limelight-stealing rescued them.
Thrilling, emotional stuff.
And in November 1989, New Zealand played Australia in a one-off Test at the WACA. New Zealand were without Richard Hadlee and Andrew Jones, and were expected to lose heavily against an Australian team that had been rampant in England. The game started predictably enough when Australia won the toss and ground out 521/9. David Boon scored a double-century and Dean Jones was given out to an appallingly bad lbw decision on 99.
New Zealand started day three with nothing ahead of them except for the distant hope of a draw and the more obvious prospect of a heavy defeat. Terry Alderman bowled Robert Vance almost as soon as play got underway and that brought Mark Greatbatch to the crease.
Carl Rackemann was ferocious and had the ball bouncing and screaming from the hard and fast WACA pitch, but each of his rockets was met by a Greatbatch defensive stroke which dropped the ball, quiet and dead, to the ground. There were no flashy strokes and no prospect of a New Zealand victory, just a solid forward-defensive shot that acted like a hypnotist's charm, a buzzsaw of tension and a building realisation that there was a damn sight more to cricket than jeering at Dean Jones.
Karachi, circa 1994, Australia had not won a Test match in Pakistan for more then three decades and were looking to break the jinx with their inexperienced bowling attack led by the two future greats, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. The Aussies had the upper hand in the first innings getting an 81-run lead but the real drama started in the second innings.
Australia started disastrously with Mark Taylor, captain for the first time, gone for his second duck of the match. David Boon played a classy and courageous knock to hold the innings together but the 2 W's, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, started an all-too-familiar collapse with the last 4 wickets adding just 26. Pakistan required 314, and ended the fourth day still requiring 159 with 7 wickets in hand.
On the 5th day, Warne weaved his magic, rattling the home team with his vicious leg breaks. Pakistan slumped to 258 for 9 and were staring at defeat, but a brilliant rearguard led by Inzamam-ul-Haq kept them in the hunt. In the end, with three runs still needed, it came down to the battle of three legends - Ian Healy, Warne and Inzamam. Warne's leg break pitched on middle stump, turned a little, touched Inzi's pads and skidded along the ground. Inzamam was out of his crease but Healy missed the stumping much to the joy of home crowd. Pakistan were gifted the winning runs, and Inzamam was the saviour, adding 58 for the last wicket with Mushtaq Ahmed.
So ended one of the great Test matches of all time, one that was never out of reach of either side but never in the firm grasp of one or the other. The Aussies were made to wait another four years to win a Test in Pakistan, and Dickie Bird, the legendary English umpire, termed it the best match in which he stood.
So that is my 289th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 29th of this year.
Wednesday, 12 June 2019
Super Rugby round 17 wrap (+ the 2019 Cricket World Cup round up part 2 & French tennis open report)
Well, with round 17 of Super Rugby played, the Bulls had another draw against the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin then the Blues season is all but over because they were inconsistent against the Reds who came back strong to win at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane then the Crusaders completely thrashed the Rebels 66 - 0 with both hat-trick of tries scored by All Black prospect Braydon Ennor & rookie Sevu Reece at Christchurch Stadium in Christchurch before the Hurricanes demoralized the Lions at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg to book their place of a home quarterfinal.
And in the 2019 Cricket World Cup news desk, a bad decision by New Zealand umpire Chris Gaffaney who wrongly gave Chris Gayle out has cost the West Indies certain victory against Australia in Nottingham then the match between Pakistan & Sri Lanka in Bristol has been abandoned due to rain then England return to winning ways after losing to Pakistan, beating Bangladesh by 106 runs with a century by Englishman Jason Roy in Cardiff then New Zealand continue their dominance against Afghanistan with victory in Taunton followed by a Shikhar Dhawan century helped India take victory against Australia by 36 runs at The Oval in London (Well it's good that India won against Australia) then South Africa were 29 for 2 against the West Indies before rain stopped play & the match ended with a no result then the match between Bangladesh & Sri Lanka in Bristol has also been abandoned due to rain before Australia also continue their dominance against Pakistan with victory in Taunton.
And finally in tennis news, Australian Ash Barty (Who is bringing the Barty party to France) has won the women's singles title against young teenage 19 year old up & comer, Marketa Vondrousova in the French Open at Roland Garros but nobody could even stop Spaniard Rafael Nadal from winning another men's singles title, beating the man who ended Novak Djokovic's hopes for an historic grand slam, Austrian Dominic Thiem, in a rematch of last year's final.
So that is my 288th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 28th of this year.
P.S. And I had a fantastic birthday on the 7th of June (It seems that I'm 28 now because not only I'm getting old eh?) especially having a breakfast meal at Mud Ducks then getting the Cricket 19 game (I pre-ordered it last month) on the PS4 & pre-ordering the new Grid game locked in on possibly the 10th or 13th but it doesn't matter & had a great time with my family having a birthday dinner at Caroline's (I had that chicken salad on my main then my birthday cake (Which is rhubarb & coconut cake) for dessert).
And in the 2019 Cricket World Cup news desk, a bad decision by New Zealand umpire Chris Gaffaney who wrongly gave Chris Gayle out has cost the West Indies certain victory against Australia in Nottingham then the match between Pakistan & Sri Lanka in Bristol has been abandoned due to rain then England return to winning ways after losing to Pakistan, beating Bangladesh by 106 runs with a century by Englishman Jason Roy in Cardiff then New Zealand continue their dominance against Afghanistan with victory in Taunton followed by a Shikhar Dhawan century helped India take victory against Australia by 36 runs at The Oval in London (Well it's good that India won against Australia) then South Africa were 29 for 2 against the West Indies before rain stopped play & the match ended with a no result then the match between Bangladesh & Sri Lanka in Bristol has also been abandoned due to rain before Australia also continue their dominance against Pakistan with victory in Taunton.
And finally in tennis news, Australian Ash Barty (Who is bringing the Barty party to France) has won the women's singles title against young teenage 19 year old up & comer, Marketa Vondrousova in the French Open at Roland Garros but nobody could even stop Spaniard Rafael Nadal from winning another men's singles title, beating the man who ended Novak Djokovic's hopes for an historic grand slam, Austrian Dominic Thiem, in a rematch of last year's final.
So that is my 288th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 28th of this year.
P.S. And I had a fantastic birthday on the 7th of June (It seems that I'm 28 now because not only I'm getting old eh?) especially having a breakfast meal at Mud Ducks then getting the Cricket 19 game (I pre-ordered it last month) on the PS4 & pre-ordering the new Grid game locked in on possibly the 10th or 13th but it doesn't matter & had a great time with my family having a birthday dinner at Caroline's (I had that chicken salad on my main then my birthday cake (Which is rhubarb & coconut cake) for dessert).
Thursday, 6 June 2019
Super Rugby round 16 wrap (+ UEFA Champions League final review, the 2019 Cricket World Cup round up & the biggest boil over in boxing history)
Well, with only 3 rounds to go, only 8 teams can make it through to the playoffs of Super Rugby as round 16 got started when the Blues had a disappointing draw against the Bulls at Eden Park in Auckland then the Chiefs caused the biggest boil over in Super Rugby, dismantling the top of the table Crusaders in an epic comeback victory & a 10 try thriller to still keep their season alive & kicking at ANZ National Stadium in Suva, Fiji then the 14 man Hurricanes (Who had blindside flanker Vaea Fifita red carded after a dangerous head high tackle on a Sharks player) finally deserve a win against the Sharks at Jonsson Kings Park in Durban.
And in European soccer news, Liverpool win the Champions League title against Spurs for the 1st time in 14 years but the match began when Liverpool had been awarded a penalty for an illegal handball by Moussa Sissoko inside the penalty area allowing Mohamed Salah (Who missed his club's epic comeback win against Barcelona in the Champions League semifinal) to put them in front (Welcome back eh? What an untimely return to the starting lineup for Mo Salah to convert a penalty like that) then during the later stages in the 2nd half, Liverpool scored another goal, this time to substitute Divock Origi (Who got 2 against Barcelona in the semifinal) who had just come on for Roberto Firmino (Who also missed his club's epic comeback win against Barcelona in the Champions League semifinal along with Salah) but the match ended after 90 full on minutes as Liverpool (Which is England's most successful club in the UEFA Champions League) claim their 6th European title (They 1st did it in 1977, then 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005 (Including that dramatic penalty shootout win against AC Milan) & now 2019)...And yes, they managed to complete their redemption mission (And they were back to its best) after missing out last year to Real Madrid (The most successful Spanish & European club in the UEFA Champions League because they won it 13 times (Their last triumph was last year but this year, they lost to Ajax in the Round of 16 & missed out on claiming their 4th title in a row).
And the 2019 Cricket World Cup is underway with hosts England (Led by captain Eoin Morgan) began their campaign with a win (Including that catch of the century by New Zealand born player playing for England, Ben Stokes) against the Faf du Plessis led South Africa (They dropped both games against the Mashrafe Mortaza led Bangladesh (Who narrowly lost to New Zealand (Captained by Kane Williamson) in their next game) & the Virat Kohli led India (Rohit Sharma scored the 1st century of the World Cup when he got 122 not out) before eventually fallen to the Safaraz Ahmed led Pakistan (Who had just lost to the Jason Holder led West Indies (They are due to play against Australia tonight) in their opening game) in their next game then New Zealand beat the Dimuth Karunaratne led Sri Lanka (Who had beaten the Gulbadin Naib led Afghanistan (Who nearly pulled off the biggest boil over in the Cricket World Cup) in their next match) by 10 wickets to start their World Cup with a flourish then Australia (Led by Aaron Finch) began their title defence with victory against minnows Afghanistan.
And finally in boxing news, something has just happened as Andy Ruiz Jr completed the biggest boil over, knocking over Britain's Anthony Joshua (AKA AJ) in a surprise win which shocked the boxing world to become IBO, WBA & WBO heavyweight boxing champion of the world meaning that Joshua's undefeated record is over (Well, remind me of James 'Buster' Douglas shock win against 'Iron' Mike Tyson in Tokyo, Japan way back 29 years ago, well that sets the tone eh?).
So that is my 287th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 27th of this year.
P.S. Well, my 28th birthday is coming up tomorrow (Dad had his birthday yesterday so we went to the St John's club for dinner where I had ham steaks with roast vegetables (Except corn) & pasta & cous cous salads then I had that lemon cheesecake for dessert but we're going to Caroline's for my birthday dinner tomorrow night) but I've finally got the PS4 Pro for my birthday (I got it from The Warehouse & the graphics look sick (That means good when young people say that) because it has clear cut graphics) on Sunday (I used my money to buy it).
And in European soccer news, Liverpool win the Champions League title against Spurs for the 1st time in 14 years but the match began when Liverpool had been awarded a penalty for an illegal handball by Moussa Sissoko inside the penalty area allowing Mohamed Salah (Who missed his club's epic comeback win against Barcelona in the Champions League semifinal) to put them in front (Welcome back eh? What an untimely return to the starting lineup for Mo Salah to convert a penalty like that) then during the later stages in the 2nd half, Liverpool scored another goal, this time to substitute Divock Origi (Who got 2 against Barcelona in the semifinal) who had just come on for Roberto Firmino (Who also missed his club's epic comeback win against Barcelona in the Champions League semifinal along with Salah) but the match ended after 90 full on minutes as Liverpool (Which is England's most successful club in the UEFA Champions League) claim their 6th European title (They 1st did it in 1977, then 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005 (Including that dramatic penalty shootout win against AC Milan) & now 2019)...And yes, they managed to complete their redemption mission (And they were back to its best) after missing out last year to Real Madrid (The most successful Spanish & European club in the UEFA Champions League because they won it 13 times (Their last triumph was last year but this year, they lost to Ajax in the Round of 16 & missed out on claiming their 4th title in a row).
And the 2019 Cricket World Cup is underway with hosts England (Led by captain Eoin Morgan) began their campaign with a win (Including that catch of the century by New Zealand born player playing for England, Ben Stokes) against the Faf du Plessis led South Africa (They dropped both games against the Mashrafe Mortaza led Bangladesh (Who narrowly lost to New Zealand (Captained by Kane Williamson) in their next game) & the Virat Kohli led India (Rohit Sharma scored the 1st century of the World Cup when he got 122 not out) before eventually fallen to the Safaraz Ahmed led Pakistan (Who had just lost to the Jason Holder led West Indies (They are due to play against Australia tonight) in their opening game) in their next game then New Zealand beat the Dimuth Karunaratne led Sri Lanka (Who had beaten the Gulbadin Naib led Afghanistan (Who nearly pulled off the biggest boil over in the Cricket World Cup) in their next match) by 10 wickets to start their World Cup with a flourish then Australia (Led by Aaron Finch) began their title defence with victory against minnows Afghanistan.
And finally in boxing news, something has just happened as Andy Ruiz Jr completed the biggest boil over, knocking over Britain's Anthony Joshua (AKA AJ) in a surprise win which shocked the boxing world to become IBO, WBA & WBO heavyweight boxing champion of the world meaning that Joshua's undefeated record is over (Well, remind me of James 'Buster' Douglas shock win against 'Iron' Mike Tyson in Tokyo, Japan way back 29 years ago, well that sets the tone eh?).
So that is my 287th blog of the year 2019 (MMXIX) & my 27th of this year.
P.S. Well, my 28th birthday is coming up tomorrow (Dad had his birthday yesterday so we went to the St John's club for dinner where I had ham steaks with roast vegetables (Except corn) & pasta & cous cous salads then I had that lemon cheesecake for dessert but we're going to Caroline's for my birthday dinner tomorrow night) but I've finally got the PS4 Pro for my birthday (I got it from The Warehouse & the graphics look sick (That means good when young people say that) because it has clear cut graphics) on Sunday (I used my money to buy it).
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