The green, green grass. The white, white clothing. The royal family, the pineapple on the top of the trophy, the mandatory underwear checks. It all adds up to the greatest tennis tournament of them all. Wimbledon.
The match fixing scandal took another confusing turn last week. Chris Cairns returned to New Zealand after heading to the motherland to clear up a few things and upon his arrival he not only continued his denial of any involvement but he kinda ramped it up.
Chris Cairns was my first favourite cricket player. I loved him. Nobody in the world could hit a cricket ball harder and further than Cairnsy in his prime, and that slower ball was one of the most lethal weapons a bowler ever had.
Despite what we wanted to believe, Alex Leapai never really stood a chance against the mighty Wladimir Klitschko. The Ukranian behemoth helped himself to his 53rd career knockout with a fifth round TKO Sunday morning.
Folks, we definitely have a conundrum. I wouldn't say we're in a pickle, but there are a few people who have a fair bit of thinking to do and I reckon they should do that thinking relatively soon. You see we have a guy named Jesse Ryder who has talent by the bucket load but is also a bit of a character, a character who may not fit in to this very focused Black Caps unit.
Supermac (Andrew Cornaga/www.Photosport.co.nz)
It's hard to single out Neil Wagner for special praise when it really was a group effort from the three Kiwi pace men. Wagner's speciality is his effort and intensity which was the key on a track which offered a little assistance for the bowlers but not enough to be relied upon. The Swami Army tried to get under the skin of Wagner as they chanted "vaaaaaaaaaaaaagner" to which Wagner responded by pointing to the fern on his chest and charged in again. What more do you want? Especially from a bloke who wasn't born here. The pride and passion Wagner displayed made me proud to be a Kiwi and his efforts resulted in key wickets which turned the game in our favour. I can understand if Wagner isn't your favourite cricketer, but he is definitely up there in my mind.
Chin Chin. Hannah Johnston/Getty Images AsiaPac
What was also interesting was the way in which the Black Caps went about their business on the field. They were very aggressive. Wagner offered plenty of advice to the Indian batsmen as did Tim Southee and Trent Boult. What made me smile was BJ Watling chirping away behind the stumps. He's a keeper so you expect that from him but it looked like there was a clear strategy to let the Indians know that they were in New Zealand, against a team in form. When you combine that aggressive mindset with the way in which Brendon McCullum captains, you have a team who really want to win. Reminds me a bit of the Australians??
Brendon McCullum continues to provide a great counter attacking option in the middle order and all ya'll haters must be running out of things to say. He came in when the Black Caps were under the pump after loosing three early wickets and he showed his ability to not only defend smartly but to also punish any crap bowling. His double century is a fine reward for his toil and I struggle to see how anyone can make a case for his omission anymore. Any other player who scored a century and a double century in a summer would have a spot secured for a year, so stop, just stop.
Rollin' Deep. Phil Walter/Getty Images AsiaPac
The wicket at Eden Park could possibly be the best in New Zealand with the last two test matches at Eden Park producing absolutely cracking cricket. Ross Taylor said he was pretty nervous heading out to bat after seeing the ball move around a bit, but realised it wasn't doing as much as he thought. Perfect. There's enough in the pitch to help the bowlers if they're are good enough as well as providing good pace and bounce for the batsmen who are good enough to get in. That's the best thing - if you're good enough. If your technique or mental state isn't up to it, you'll be found wanting.
Wagner is a sensational battler, Boult is the smooth, swinging leftie but what about Tim Southee? Southee is the leader of this attack. No questions about that. He's been on the scene for a while now and is starting to show what made him such a prodigious talent growing up. We'd all like him to be bowling 140km/h but his current pace seems perfect for swing bowling and he's tall enough to trouble batsmen with the short ball at any pace. He's capable of executing the wide variety of plans needed and is always up for the contest. Tim Southee has the ability to bowl deliveries that can get any batsman out. The nut he bowled to Rohit Sharma first ball back, case and point.
I've talked about the openers for a while now and they once again failed and put pressure on Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor who had to come to the crease early. But there's not much that can be changed at the moment. I'd say Mike Hesson will stick with the same team (minus Taylor possibly) for the second test and allow Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford to work their way out of their rut. Why change a winning team?
Dr Dhawan. Phil Walter/Getty Images AsiaPac
Yes the Kiwis let the game get away on them, but the Indians showed some tremendous ability and mental strength to get back in the contest. Their bowling attack is no joke, especially on these Kiwi decks. Mohammed Shami looks the goods, bowling at good pace and able to move the ball around while Ishant Sharma offers a point of difference with his height. Sharma also showed great toughness to be be able to run in for long periods when things weren't quite going his way. Zaheer Khan is Zaheer Khan. He's one of India's greatest bowlers and will play a vital role in Wellington. Throw in some batsmen who looked at home in the whites and you have a very tough opposition. Shikhar Dhawan played a fantastic innings to not only push India closer to saving the test but also put them in a position to win it.
B-Mac's 200 odd was awesome, but if you want a true all round man of the match it's hard to go past Ravi Jadeja. This bloke does it all. He's their best fielder, a more than capable batsman as well as being the number one spinner. He'll face a challenge from Ravi Ashwin for the spinning spot in Wellington as India could have used Ashwin in Auckland, but you can't leave out Jadeja.
#Clutch
The Black Sticks scraped through by the skin of their teeth here, but were rewarded for a sound display that could have easily gone more in their favour. The Black Sticks are playing some great hockey, stringing passes together, putting pressure on their opposition and their defence continues to improve. Against Argentina we saw the continuation of their improvement but they couldn't put the majority of their chances away which kept the South Americans in the game. Kane Russell again scored for the Kiwis with a well executed flick but his team mates have the opportunity to not rely on penalty corners if they can take their chances. Dean Cousins unfortunately missed a great opportunity when his penalty stroke hit the post which is usually bread and butter for the Kiwi skipper. Argentina came back with a good strike mid way through the second half before the game went to a penalty shootout. These shootouts are awesome, player vs keeper, 8 seconds on the clock, what you got? A bit of drama followed as they traded misses and the Argentina keeper decided to tackle a few of our blokes but it was Blair Hilton who slotted a reverse shot from a few metres off the baseline to seal the deal.
Wow, what I would have done to have been a part of the local supporting contingent when India went 2-0 up early in the first half. They were both very well taken goals, in true Indian fashion but they couldn't maintain their lead as Australia stormed back to end up the victors 7-2. The Aussies play a special style of hockey that is unique to them and their sublime passing and high work rate resulted in a big victory. The Kookaburras were able to withstand the initials stages only conceding the two goals and their superior fitness resulted in them being able to roll forward with ease.
My name's better than yours - Seve van Ass
The Germans would have thought that had walked in to a hockey hell when Mink van der Weerden put the Dutch ahead in the opening minute. The Germans would have been confident of a come back but their resolve was tested when Seve van Ass beautifully touched a deflection in to the goal just before half time. The Dutch would face a much stiffer opposition in the second half however as the Germans rallied back and were rewarded when Florian Fuchs dribbled in to the circle, to the baseline and gave Oliver Korn a simple tap in. 2-1 and the Germans were defending for their lives before they had a goal over turned late in the game.
England and Belgium battled hard in a game which was a war of attrition. English goalie George Pinner was named man of the match and kept England in the contest thanks to some fantastic work between the pipes. The England players owe their goalie a few beers for his work, but it was Tom Carson who managed to get the winning goal with a drag flick.Both teams will be lameting missed opportunities but at least the English have another chance.
Now to the semi finals. Any hockey fan would be relishing the opportunity to see the best teams go head to head and the fact that there are Kiwis involved makes it that much better!
The Black Sticks have a real opportunity to do something special here. One look at their result against England in pool play will show a bit of a thumping. This however isn't a fair reflection of how the Black Sticks performed, especially before Ashley Jackson slotted a drag flick and momentum swung in England's favour. The Kiwis looked good as they rolled forward with fluid passing and great skill but couldn't manage to convert this great work in to goals. This will be high on the agenda as the Black Sticks can't afford to let opportunities slip and will need to either stay in the contest for as long as possible or get a go ahead goal. The midfielders will be crucial as they will be responsible for getting passing movements flowing, holding the ball and supporting the strikers. Look to Steve Edwards, Arun Panchia, Phil Burrows and Shea McAleese to look to dominate the midfield, which will be a tough ask against a great English unit. The Black Sticks defence will have to be on form, but this will be a team effort. It will be all hands on deck to ensure to cheap penalty corners are conceded and entries in to their circle are limited. England will be strong, they'll be confident - rightfully so given how they have played. Hopefully the Black Sticks are able to shake things up a bit!
The Australia vs Netherlands match will be one that will make many hockey fans drool. Two of hockey's powerhouses coming together at semi final time. Both teams play with amazing skill and ability but have differing styles that will make for fantastic viewing. The Aussies will be aggressive and physical. Don't expect to see any Dutch player with time on the ball as the Kookaburras will be looking to put a heap of pressure on the Dutch. I can't imagine the Dutch defenders will be getting much sleep tonight as they think about the prospect of 2 or 3 Australians putting them under the pump. The Dutch have the ability and know how to be able to deal with this threat however and I'm looking forward to seeing the skill of the Dutch midfielders coming forward. As a neutral, I just want to see hockey at its finest. Fine defending, amazing dribbles and the best finishing you'll ever see. It would be stupid of me to make a prediction, I'm just going to sit back and be entertained.
So the West Indies have/are about to jump on a plane and head back to their lovely climate, lovely beaches, lovely oceans and lovely islands. While they return to paradise, we welcome the Indians. Any time we get to welcome the Indians to our shores, it is a special occasion. The big boys are here. We've roped in a bit of help to educate us on the Indians and what they will offer.
