Off to Kangaroo Island

Wednesday 8 December 2010

With the excitement of the cricket over until December 17th in Perth, I am heading out of the city today for two nights on Kangaroo Island, Australia's equivalent of the Galapagos Islands. KI is the third largest island in Australia, 150 km in length with 450 km of coastline. It is home to only 4,500 humans but many species of wildlife. With the din of the Barmy Army still ringing in my ears, it will be nice to get some peace and quiet for a change!

[Original comments]

Jayne December 8, 2010 at 8:34 PM

Do they not know how to spell in Australia ... or is it you!!!!!!

Richard December 8, 2010 at 9:58 PM

Ooops!

Glenn December 9, 2010 at 11:57 AM

So she can still nag from over 15000 km away - don't you love it ;o

Jayne December 9, 2010 at 6:32 PM

Sorry ...... so many spellings going on in this house every week that I can't switch off! Time for a holiday!

KP - from Lady Gaga to loveable pie chucker

Tuesday 7 December 2010

I don't want to bang on about it, but just how important was Kevin Pietersen's last ball dismissal of Michael Clarke yesterday evening? Answers on a postcard please (or leave a comment on this website, if you want it to arrive by Christmas): 1) Vital - the supremely talented "Pup" could have got 200 today and saved his team from defeat 2) Irrelevant - his teammates are so inept, it wouldn't have mattered 3) I don't care - we beat the bastards 4) Look in the book. At the post-match ceremony, KP was duly awarded "Man of the Match". Previously regarded as highly talented but unloveable - a sort of cricketing Lady Gaga - KP now seems to be fully in touch with his sensitive side. Albeit in the euphoria of victory, he gave a very engaging post-match interview in which he described himself as a "bit of pie chucker" as a bowler and, more tellingly, acknowledged the progress England have made in the last 18 months since he "lost the captaincy" (his words) and the role he now enjoys playing within a winning team. As well as being a complete and utter triumph from start (oh, what a start!) to finish for the whole England team, this match could yet prove to be an epiphany for the complex talent that is Kevin Pietersen. His 227 was both imperious and mature - a masterpiece of batsmanship. The surprise wicket of Clarke was the icing on the cake. Today's post-match prediction is that KP will become an even better player for England in the next five years than he has been in the last five. I hope I am right because that would be a truly awesome prospect. [2019 update: I wasn't]

[Original comments]

Sceptic Rationalist December 7, 2010 at 11:49 AM

Well, you said mercurial about KP, so who knows how long before he goes from hero to villain again? Anyway, an innings AND 71 runs. Ponting's reign must be almost over... Graham

Richard December 7, 2010 at 12:28 PM

Graham, that sounds both sceptic and rational. Punter must now wish he had quit with Warne and McGrath. Not sure why I used the word "mercurial" to describe a consistently brilliant knock by KP - that was complete rubbish and I have changed it to "imperious". Time will tell if he can become consistently imperious or remain frustratingly mercurial.

Sceptic Rationalist December 7, 2010 at 12:31 PM

We will see... I am taunting my Australian friends with such childish numbers as: "you only sing when you're winning"... I'm loving every second of this (apart from all the late nights and early mornings). You are definitely in the right place, at the right time....

BJ December 7, 2010 at 8:42 PM

Didn't know Pietersen (spelling? :-) ) could bowl. A fluke? Were you pissed when you wrote this? Not that I have anything against being pissed - on the contrary. But , it was a bit soppy about Pietersen! Yes, definitely pissed but after such a great win - why not :-). He is so good one might even question his nationality (bit like Obama). BJ

Richard December 7, 2010 at 10:58 PM

Of course, why wouldn't I have been? Came from the heart though. Not sure where you are going with the nationality point though - you're beginning to sound like an Aussie!

We're singing in the rain

Tuesday 7 December 2010

A little wet outside PJs today

Adelaide Day 5: Australia 304 all out. England win by an innings and 71 runs. AN INNINGS AND 71 RUNS!!! It's what we had all feared. At precisely 2pm, it started to rain in Adelaide like it had never rained for ten years. And I am just quoting the locals sat at the next table at the oyster bar next to PJ O'Brien's, the Barmy Army HQ (right). It's what we had all hoped. At precisely 11.20am, Graeme Swann took his fifth and final magnificent, beautiful, magical wicket to see England to victory. Let it rain! As it transpired, all Australia had to do was bat out one single session up to lunch, with six wickets in hand, in order to save this Test. Then the heavens would have opened and you could not have played cricket again for several days, let alone before the scheduled close today. Yet this task proved completely beyond them from the moment Michael Hussey played one of the worst shots of the series so far to gift England his and Australia's most valuable wicket. The beauty of it was the ball spent so long in the air and was so obviously going to be caught that all the England supporters were already on their feet and celebrating as the ball came down to rest in Jimmy Anderson's safe hands. At that moment, we knew the match was ours. Whatever the weather.