No one could quite understand how he kept getting a game, or the new ball. Is a very talented young kid, but maybe, just maybe, he should perform at the level below before he is given an opportunity.
David Hussey – Kolkata
98 runs @ av 24 sr 166 hs 43
0 wickets econ 8.5
Came late onto a ship that had already sunk, and decided to swing away. Looked in top touch, but kept getting out after amazing starts. Had a way better strike rate than McCullum or Gayle.
Lee Carseldine – Rajasthan
81 runs @ av 20.25 sr 119 hs 39
1 wicket @ 6 econ 6 bb 1/6
Came in first game and just smacked the ball everywhere when no one else could get the ball off the square, sadly that was about all he did in the tournament. Interestingly only bowled one over.
Rob Quiney - Rajasthan
103 runs @ av 14.7 sr 100.98 hs 51
Hit his first ball in the IPL for 6, then went out. Only really got two starts, and showed glimpses of his talent, but good spinners slowed him down or got him out. Hopefully he has learnt some good lessons, and will be able to score more consistently for Victoria.
Shane Harwood – Rajasthan
9 runs (no outs) sr 62 hs 6*
3 wickets @ 24.3 econ 7.30 bb 2/25
Only played 3 games, but did look dangerous. Rajasthan were more worried with making runs so he and Morne spent most of their time on the bench.
Luke Ronchi – Mumbai Indians
0 runs from 1 game
Sachin went into panic mode about half way through the tournament and threw Luke one game. He was run out for a duck.
Simon Katich – Punjab
145 runs @ av 16 sr 123 hs 50
His 50 was sensational, as good as I have seen the krab time the ball, but struggled other than that. 2020 really wasn’t made for him, and had his coach not been Moody, I doubt he would played too often.
George Bailey – Chennai
45 runs @ av 22.5 sr 115 hs 30
In both of his innings he looked in top form, and in both of them he ran himself out. The good news was smilin’ George looked completely at home at this level of cricket.
Andrew McDonald - Delhi
3 runs @ av 3 sr 75 hs 3
0 wickets (3 overs) econ 7.33 bb 0/22
Only played the one game when Delhi were resting players, and got a sensational Yorker from Anil Kumble.
Luke Pomersbach – Punjab
41 runs @ av 10.25 sr 83 hs 26
Looked out of touch, and small. When Luke is at his best he looks like a Hayden type bully, here he looked like a mouse imitating a flea.
It is just a shame that the game has been ruined by rain.
In the bits that haven’t been rain affected it is hard to know if Victoria has outplayed Queensland, or that Queensland has played like guys who knew there wasn’t enough time to win.
Heaps of dropped catches and a low total considereing the pitch and the start they got all could be due to the melancholy affect of the rain.
Or it could be that they wen’t in with a poor attack, due to injuries as much as anything, and Wade and White just did them in with the bat.
And that Dirty Dirk Nannes, Crazy Clint and the Angry Man Shane Harwood were just too angry, dirty and crazy for them.
It sort of feels shit that this game couldn’t be played properly so that Victoria could exorcise a few demons.
But then again, we are about to win the shield fucking final so who gives a fuck.
I raised some doubts about Victoria’s batting line up last post.
Should I have worried, well yes, but, they did make runs.
Lots of them did.
Not the number 4 or 5.
Lord Mash and X man failed, but since everyone else made runs, it didn’t matter.
Rogers started off with another 60 odd to add to his collection.
The Ego of Hodge smacked a 98, before the illegal Aaron Bird ended it. Bird who has bowled 11 no balls in this innings, umpires making percentage calls perhaps…
Then Wade made a 60 odd, probably annoyed he was batting behind two guys he is better than.
And everyone else chipped in.
Well except one.
I assume that Dirty Dirk was put promoted up the order because the angry man Shane Harwood was injured, because as we all know Dirty Dirk is a number 11.
And what happened, Dirk got ahead of himself at 10, and went out, for the first time this year, if you believe his answer in my interview.
Harwood is currently batting with McKay, and making a mockery of Dirk’s 6.
The vics are now over 200 in front, and they will need it, if Dirty Dirk or the Angry man can’t bowl in the second dig.
Oh and good news, after Casson took 3 early wickets, and we all started reaching for the razor blades, Hodge, Wade and Wright took him to the cleaners, luckily for out wrists.
Here’s one for AB DeVilliers, just to let him know we show our own batsmen the same compassion that he received after what JC describes as
[Tait's] third ball thwacked into AB de Villier’s midriff. Doubled over in pain, de Villiers’ bat crashed into the stumps. As he crumpled to the ground in agony, the Australians clustered next to his quivering body, high fiving and celebrating. I think I may have seen Cameron White kick de Villiers in the ribs a few times while noone was looking. It was a moment that would’ve brought a tear to Jeff Thomson’s eye.
For me the highlight was the Victorian keeper Adam Croswaithe running up to the stumps for the sole purpose of clapping the bowler right in front of the batsmen. The bowler returns to his runup without so much as checking the fallen batsmen for a pulse. Actually, the slo-mo Chewbacca sounds are pretty cool too.
At least Hartley had the forethought to keel over away from his stumps. Good boy.
This evening will see Victoria and Queensland fight it out at the Gabba in a high stakes elimination final T20 match. The winner will not only gain entry to the lucrative world club championship, but also the privilege of a Twenty20 lesson from the top dog in Australian domestic Twenty20 cricket at the SCG on Sunday.
The Victorians are píssed off, as having their top players unavailable due to national service is a new problem for them. Now they’ll have to go without the services of Cameron White and David Hussey, who have a ODI on Friday and need their beauty sleep. There is no factual basis to reports that Cameron White Cried, again, at hearing the news, though it does sound likely.
Ryan Harris has been dropped from the national squad so will be available for Queensland, however they’ve replaced him with Mitchell Johnson so that’s probably worse for the New Texas Bulls, who’ll also be missing James Hopes.
CA have also denied requests for the players to be available of for the final, so NSW will be missing David Warner, Michael Clarke, Nathan Bracken, Brad Haddin and Nathan Hauritz.
This could well end up a good experience, as Michael Hussey is keen to explain IPL loyalties come before the state that bought you up, so depending on which IPL teams make the club championship any Australian side could be without their stars when the big bucks are on offer.
Victoria squad: Brad Hodge (capt), Aiden Blizzard, Rob Quiney, Aaron Finch, Andrew McDonald, Matthew Wade, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Damien Wright, Shane Harwood, Jon Holland, Bryce McGain, Dirk Nannes.
Queensland squad: Chris Simpson (capt), Wade Townsend, Ryan Broad, Lee Carseldine, Nathan Reardon, Glen Batticciotto, Craig Philipson, Chris Hartley (wk), Ryan Harris, Nathan Rimmington, Ben Cutting, Alister McDermott, Ben Laughlin.
That is the real win, imagine he made a 50 ball hundred, ok so you can’t imagine it, but imagine he made runs and they won, that would suck too.
Fair to say the bowlers got a bit of stick, but Angry Man Harwood was all over it with 3/27 in 4.
Not too shabby.
He got Harris out for 98, which is a nice effort.
Then the batsmen all chipped in, Headline started the ball a rolling, and then Ego and the big bear got the game well in hand, before Future PM had to win it for them.
Never has there been as important a 7 off 5 balls, probably.
Now we are in charge of every competition, have two test players, and Bryce is on his way back.
Victoria continue their pretty annihilation of the New Texas bulls.
Queensland may not be very good, but Victoria has chased in twice this week, this time with a bonus point.
It all started when the angry man was released from his cage.
2/18 off 8 with brutal snarling and the like is good numbers from harwood.
Apparently he doesn’t like being ridiculed in the media, and Queensland found out the hard way.
Queensland got to 220 odd, and that was not enough.
10 point Quiney is loving playing the bulls this week, and he continued his good form in one day cricket from last year with a 70 at better than a run a ball.
The usual suspects of Hodge and Hussey helped.
And the bonus point will work out well.
2 from 2 in the one day arena, ofcourse we are still yet to play anyone.
Sometimes when you are the bigger man, you need to pick up your family, your friends, your team mates and say, this one is on me.
Dirty Dirk Nannes had one of those games.
He started with 4 wickets in the first innings.
4 of the only 5 batsmen Queensland have, Hopes, Love, Noffke and Harris.
Then when he batted, which he does with no skill at all, he got 10 points Quiney to his maiden first class hundred, and put on a lazy 70 odd for the last wicket.
He made a solid 16*.
That would have been enough for a normal man.
Dirty Dirk is no normal man.
He is the Genghis Khan of modern first class cricket.
He is a beast.
He is Elvis pre jump suit days.
He is the freakin Predator of Victorian cricket.
So he follows up his excellent all round performances with a devastating 7/50.
GAME OVER MAN, GAME OVER.
He came, he saw, they paint balled.
Would the Cricket Victorian person who called him a hack please resign, you’re embarrassing yourself.
What I wouldn’t have given to watch the big fella destroy the New Texas bulls.
Dirty Dirk in full brutal flight is like nothing you have seen.
When those limbs come in at full pace you are not sure if he is going to hip and shoulder the umpire, clean bowl someone or fall over.
The action is one of such ungraceful beauty, that it defies words.
Dirty Dirk just has to be seen to be believed.
And apparently the bulls didn’t see too much of him.
Back to the game…
It wasn’t overly impressive, other than DD and 10 points.
Chris Rogers made ANOTHER half century, and Wright did well with 4 first innings wickets, i’m slowly warming to Gerard.
Jon Holland was rested incase he had to travel to India, i suppose.
Victoria really needed this, you can’t play the two worst teams in the comp to start with and not get some points from it, but more importantly, it was a brutal victory and 10 points finally broke his hoodoo.
Eyelids has a dud groin, and you know who we have to blame for this, Notts.
They made him, and then they broke him.
And what do we have left Gerard White.
Not good enough.
I want Eyelids goddammit.
I have watched him destroy Notts all year, and now, just as he is to do the same for us he is no where to be seen.
Someone fix his groin please.
In other news Victoria is still splitting the difference on the keepers. The X man was good enough for last years final, but Wade is back.
I do hope Wade keeps better than last year, because that was freakin horrible.
And in even other news.
Who is Jon Holland?
Being that the info I have on him is that he is a left arm orthodox spinner, I’d have to say he is the son of Bob Holland.
It’s not true, but it has wonderful symmetry.
He shall be called F(ake)SOB for the time being.
I know he plays for Carlton.
That he was picked because McGain is injured and White is living a surreal moment.
And on wikipedia it tells me “He is an Australian cricketer who played in the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka where he was a very good bowler.”
He looks like he will make his debut in both forms of the game next week, although its hardly a baptism of fire against the redonkbacks.
And in even otherer news the future PM David Hussey is to skipper, which is a good thing, cause I thought it might be the Ego of Hodge.
The squads are…
Victorian squads:
Ford Ranger Cup: David Hussey (capt), Aiden Blizzard, Adam Crosthwaite, Shane Harwood, Brad Hodge, Jon Holland, Andrew McDonald, Clinton McKay, Dirk Nannes, Robert Quiney, Chris Rogers, Damien Wright.
Sheffield Shield: David Hussey (capt), Shane Harwood, Brad Hodge, Jon Holland, Nick Jewell, Andrew McDonald, Clinton McKay, Dirk Nannes, Robert Quiney, Chris Rogers, Damien Wright, Matthew Wade. (12th men to be named).
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