Well, hello there. You can stop wondering whether I've been rested for Australia Day. Despite initially being left out of the Adelaide line-up, Cricket Australia insisted I watch telly and blog. "Nope," came the hard word from head suit, James Sutherland, "stakeholders need your product."
He specifically wanted me to count how many times Mark Nicholas said 'amazing', 'splendid' or 'wonderful'. Gut reaction leans to the latter, and indeed it's currently well in front, but when it comes to lavish adjectives it's quite a task keeping up with The Hampshire Gusher.
Afterwards Sutherland pulled me aside for a quiet word in my shell-like. "While you're at it, Tone" he whispered all guile, "suss out if the mug punters ... err ... consumers prefer Ian Chappell's 'Sri Lunker' or Tony Greig's 'Mooraly Doorun'." Apparently CA want to expand the Boony Doll repertoire. "The cricket's on the telly" just wasn't 'cutting through', as we say in advertising.
Bill describes Chucker Botha's response to that run out from Boucher the other day:
"That was one of the great replays of the last 25 years, that."
Great replays? Surely things are getting out of hand when the commentators start ranking the replays.
Posted by: Tony.T | 26 January 2006 at 18:29
Possibly Botha was amazed not to be called for another blatant chuck? It was a good moment - Boucher catching something other than a cold, Atapattu displaying his lack of brains, and Botha carrying on like a cretin - but Bill is a bit past it these days (as is Richie - please get him off the air before he embarrasses himself).
Posted by: nick | 26 January 2006 at 18:34
Richie is still all class, but he never used to say dumb things. Unlike now where the odd howler slips through. Naturally, I can't remember any specific examples.
I'll swear Marvy Marvin hit that ball, by the way.
Posted by: Tony.T | 26 January 2006 at 18:40
I think Tony has been rotated out of the commentary box today.
Posted by: DJ | 26 January 2006 at 18:54
Or is it rested?
Posted by: DJ | 26 January 2006 at 18:57
Listening to the Lankies bat, I heard Glenn Mitchell say of one of the openers "He's taken the opportunity to double his score and has moved to three runs."
Posted by: Dirk Thruster | 26 January 2006 at 19:24
Well, he may have been on 1 and a 1/2. I stress maaaayyy.
Posted by: Tony.T | 26 January 2006 at 21:29
Brilliant! Instead of having the poxy news, some crap reality TV or suchlike filler, Channel Nine are following the cricket with Mad Max II. Wish they'd show more top movies at this time, it's about when I tune in.
Posted by: Tony.T | 26 January 2006 at 22:24
Adelaide Oval, 26 January. The dullest run-chase of the summer is coming to a close, and who does Nine pair up for the final overs - Chappelli and Lawry. Nothing injects excitement like the constant repetition of the (painfully obvious) phrases: "Sri Lanka need a wicket" and "Dot ball. Sri Lanka need more of those."
Posted by: Tim | 27 January 2006 at 08:30
The cricket should take a leaf from Mad Max: let the action do the hard work and don't bother with all this chit chat. I don't reckon there were 50 words in that whole movie! Get Max and that crazy gyrocopter guy into the comm box stat!
Posted by: Adsy | 27 January 2006 at 08:42
Anything would be an improvement on Chappelli and Bill. Although, I could be mistaken, but is Chappelli slightly better this year? Sure Bill's a lost cause, but IC certainly seems have improved. Maybe he's feeling the heat from Tubbatha and Heals.
Posted by: Tony.T | 27 January 2006 at 11:54
That Marvellous Marvin runout (or was it a stumping?) was one to make you put down the remote. To be fair to Bill, you only saw Boucher and Botha's reactions on one of the last of those interminable replays and it was worth seeing. For once.
Mel Gibson's voice in Mad Max 2 and Russell Crowe's voice are identical.
Posted by: RT | 27 January 2006 at 14:37
Did you see this one from the ICC chucking panel Dr Paul Hurrion:
"They have changed the whole way spin bowling will be coached. Anybody with half a brain will push it to the limits."
Even those in the middle of realise what a quagmire they have created in there stupid fucking 15* rulings.
Posted by: Some Other Bruce | 28 January 2006 at 12:55
[because I hit submit before I was ready]
Anybody with half a brain will be doing it because they have half a brain more than the idiots who created the rules.
Posted by: Some Other Bruce | 28 January 2006 at 12:57
Who's "Marvellous Marvin"? Everyone knows Attapatu's correct moniker is "Starvin' Marvin". Don't worry about the fact his name is spelt "MarvAn", it's still pronounced the same.
Posted by: Yobbo | 28 January 2006 at 15:03
Bruce, any sportsman worth their salt would try to push the limits. Can you imagine the same sort of thing in Aussie Rules, and say, Kevin Sheedy was given the latitude to rough up the opposition. What the ICC have done is a sick joke that has virtually legitimised chucking.
South Park's like so yesterday, maaaan.
Posted by: Tony.T | 28 January 2006 at 19:11
Virtually? Sorry - actually.
Posted by: Tony.T | 28 January 2006 at 19:18