The Slips Drive – Issue 1
Welcome to ‘the Slips Drive’ – Making the Nut’s periodic (hopefully fortnightly) look at the world of cricket, focusing on the domestic scene and the Australian team, with a mixture of analysis and opinion.
We hope you enjoy the read and look forward to any reader comments via the MTN site.
Crime Does Not Pay: We start with the big story in cricket this week – It was pleasing to see custodial sentences imposed on the cheats at the centre of the Pakistani spot-fixing scandal. In what was a world first, cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir are now in jail for their part in conspiring to bowl no balls at the Oval last year in a Test against England.
The case against Butt was particularly damning. Elevated to the captaincy of his country, he used the position to gain considerable financial advantage by conspiring with his agent, Mazhar Majeed in ‘spot fixing’ certain elements of the match which would be heavily bet on by bookies in the sub-continent. In typical Pakistani style, Butt claimed innocence while the irrefutable evidence piled up all around him.
We can only hope that this action goes some way to deterring players from getting mixed up in this type of activity in the future. However, the real architects of the scheme – the crooked bookies – are largely unknown and definitely unpunished. There has long been a stinking aroma around the ‘fair-dinkumness’ of cricket played by Pakistan but one can only hope that the prospect of jail is enough to make players think twice before agreeing to put cash before cricket.
Simon Katich is a Great Man: Just when you thought that there was nothing the Kat man could do to make you like him more, he keeps surprising you. Firing the latest shot in the battle of the Men vs Metros, Katich did nothing more than honestly answer a journalists question and state that he didn’t expect to play for Australia again while Michael Clarke was captain.
This of course has sent the media into a frenzy and led Cricket Australia to force Katich to attend a hearing to explain his comments. For those out of the loop, the beef between the Kat and Clarke started after a Test match in Sydney when Clarke wanted the team song sung quickly after a match so he could attend a social function with his then missus, Lara Bingle. Katich, with words to the effect of “we will sing the f**ken song when we are ready to sing it”, allegedly held Clarke by his throat to the wall of the SCG dressing room.
Relations between the two are obviously frosty, at least from Katich’s side. Clarke has had the ability to irritate senior players during his time in the Australian team, with Matthew Hayden another former team-mate known to be mates with the new Aussie captain on the field only. Whilst it can be said that Clarke is doing a good job as skipper, there is a definite culture change in the Australian rooms as the younger generation starts to have more influence.
What about those Bulls?: A month into the new domestic season and the Queensland Bulls are the surprise leaders of the pack. Home wins against Victoria and Tasmania in both forms have new coach Darren Lehmann with an undefeated record. At time of writing, the Bulls have grabbed first innings points in Perth with a chance to wrap up the outright later today should rain stay away.
It’s a great start to the season for the young Queensland team, with offseason recruit Peter Forrest being among the chief contributors. Mentions must be given to unknowns Andrew Robinson (who is now injured) and Steve Paulsen, who have been brought in from Grade ranks at a mature age and performed well. The Bulls team that defeated Tasmania outright at the Gabba included 9 born and bred Queenslanders in the 11. It says a lot about the system up north, with excellent facilities, proper use of funds and strong coaching direction continuing to produce good cricketers. Other states (I’m looking at you SACA) should take a leaf.
Too many Chiefs in Victoria?: While it’s all smiles in Queensland, Victoria have limped out of the blocks in 2011/12, with an 0-3 record in the Ryobi Cup (which they won last year) and just 2 points from their opening two Shield games. Granted, there have been injuries and Aussie call-ups, but the Vics will be desperate to get all 6 points from their Shield game starting today in Hobart.
It’s got the potential to be a nightmare season for the Vics, who may be regretting the decision to split the coaching roles between Greg Shipperd and Simon Helmot for the different forms of the game this season. No matter how good the ‘working relationships’ are, there has to be some ego there and with a squad that includes Cameron White there is precious little room left for big personalities.
Dan Smith Scored 185* in a One Dayer: No matter how many games of cricket are played, or new trends that come and go, all cricket lovers enjoy watching a fat man slog. The Slips Drive was over the moon to see NSW batsman Dan Smith smoke the Vics all over North Sydney Oval last Sunday in compiling the second highest individual domestic limited overs score of all time. A noted Rugby League man (Wests Tigers fan), Smith would no doubt have been pleased to get the runs on a ground that was a former icon of the Greatest Game of All.
George Bailey Would Smile Even if his House was on Fire: The Tasmanian captain must be one of the happiest blokes in cricket. You will never see him without a smile on his face. During the tense final overs of the Tas-Vic one dayer on Wednesday night, you could reasonably expect Bailey to be pretty anxious as he was watching the Vics claw back into the game through some lower order hitting by Clint McKay and James Pattinson. However, every single time the Fox cameras showed Bailey moving the field or talking to the bowlers, he just did not stop smiling. This turned into a grin as wide as Bass Strait itself when the Tigers got up and he was interviewed by Jessica Yates (understandably). If anyone knows why George Bailey is so happy, please feel free to write in.
DOMESTIC STATE OF PLAY
Sheffield Shield
| TEAM | PLD | WON | LOST | DRAW | POINTS |
| Queensland | 3* | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Western Australia | 3* | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Victoria | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| South Australia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Tasmania | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| New South Wales | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
*Includes match currently in progress between QLD & WA
- Teams receive 6 points for an outright win
- Teams receive 2 points for leading on first innings if the match is drawn or lost
| Top Runs | Top Wickets | |||
| Adam Voges (WA) | 337 | Michael Hogan (WA) | 13 | |
| Liam Davis (WA) | 335 | Gary Putland (SA) | 12 | |
| Ryan Broad (Qld) | 232 | Ben Cutting (Qld) | 11 | |
| Peter Forrest (Qld) | 214 | Jayde Herrick (Vic) | 11 | |
| George Bailey (Tas) | 198 | Peter George (SA) | 10 |
Ryobi Cup
| TEAM | PLD | WON | LOST | BP | POINTS |
| Tasmania | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Queensland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| South Australia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| New South Wales | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Western Australia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Victoria | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
- Teams receive 4 points for a win
- Teams receive 1 bonus point for chasing target within 40 overs or bowling opponents out for less than half their score.
| Top Runs | Top Wickets | |||
| Dan Smtih (NSW) | 185 | James Faulkner (Tas) | 9 | |
| Brad Hodge (Vic) | 177 | Nathan Coulter-Nile (WA) | 7 | |
| Rob Quiney (Vic) | 168 | Michael Beer (WA) | 5 | |
| Callum Ferguson (SA) | 163 | Gary Putland (SA) | 5 | |
| Ryan Broad (Qld) | 122 | Moises Henriques (NSW) | 4 |
Aussies in South Africa: The Australian team have dusted off South Africa ‘A’ in their tour match before the Tests get underway next week. On a pitch that Shane Watson described as ‘dangerous’ (really?), Australia wrapped up a win by 7 wickets with more than a day to spare.
Mitchell Johnson picked up 9 wickets for the match in an ominous sign for the home side. Aside from Perth, South Africa is the only place where Johnson has looked a genuine world-class paceman in the last three years, so it’s fair to say there will be some South African batsman nervously sipping their Castle Lagers this week. Peter Siddle also performed well and looks set to get the nod over Trent Copeland for the third seamers spot alongside Johnson and Ryan Harris.
With the stick, Shaun Marsh (57 & 73no) was the standout performer and will bat at three in the Test matches, as he did since debuting in Sri Lanka. Watson himself even managed to shrug off the dangers of the pitch and smack 77 off 73 balls in the second innings in what was no doubt a truly courageous performance.
The Test series starts on November 9 and if there is the usual spice in the South African tracks, it promises to be very entertaining as both teams are chock full of fast bowlers. Johnson is the X-factor for Australia and if Harris can stay fit, the Aussies have a great chance of embarrassing the Proteas on home soil.
Probably Australian Line-up for First Test in Cape Town: Watson, Hughes, Marsh, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Haddin, Johnson, Harris, Siddle, Lyon.
Players Who Have Scored Just Two Test Centuries Shouldn’t Write Books: Shane Watson has got a book out. A man who has passed 100 just twice in Test cricket for his country has written an autobiography. Please. Don’t get me wrong, Watson is arguably Australia’s best cricketer at present, but surely the autobiography that is something that should wait until the end of your career.
He’s not the first and he won’t be the last to bring one out while playing, but it’s a trend that The Slips Drive has never understood. No doubt it will be a top seller and released just in time for Christmas, but a man who has spent more time injured than playing in the last decade should be working on making his career, not supplementing it. He’s got enough money anyway.
That’s all folks from Issue 1 of the Slips Drive, we will be back in a little while with the wrap up of the First Test from Cape Town as well as keeping you up to date with the happenings in the Shield and Ryobi Cup. Enjoy your cricket.
(Thanks to Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Europe for use of the photo)
