Michael Epis: Another sulking journo!

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DeadlyAkkuret

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Mar 10, 2007
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You'll love this one!

Why Ponting's heroes just don't appeal to me.


I DON'T like cheats. And I don't like this Australian cricket team.

When Andrew Symonds bowled a straight one on the last day of the SCG Test to Rahul Dravid, who padded up, deflecting the ball into the gloves of Adam Gilchrist, did any of the Australians really think it was out? I doubt it. No one watching on TV thought it was out. It wasn't out. Ricky Ponting and his cohorts knew it. Dravid's bat was behind his pad. To appeal when you know the batsman is not out is, to my mind, cheating.

It's the Australian way. Has been for years. Gilchrist's predecessor, Ian Healy, enunciated the rationale perfectly while commentating — he appealed when he thought the batsman was out, or when he thought the umpire might give it out. That is, he would appeal if knew it was not out but thought the umpire might give it out. As I said, cheating.

The heroes of this Australian team say that in cricket you cop the good with the bad. That's exactly what captain Ponting conspicuously failed to do in this Test. In the first innings he was given not out when clearly out. Quite some runs later he was given out when he was not out. Did he cop it? No, he stood and glared at the umpire. He should have been fined for dissent. He should have acknowledged it was an easy mistake to make, given the bat was next to the pad, making the deflection all but imperceptible. And it wasn't just the heat of the moment: the tantrum continued at the dressing-room. He should have been ashamed of himself. Back to the Bourbon and Beefsteak, mate.

But Ponting is not ashamed. "I really can't see how we have done anything wrong by the spirit of the game," he said when the furore blew up. I can. So can a lot of others.

The Australians have just equalled the game's longest winning streak. Next week in Perth they should better it. Then go one better again in Adelaide. Who knows where it might end. Well, they can stick their streak where they can stick their 3 mobile. After this effort, I couldn't care less.

Which is a pity. There was much to like in this contest. Brad Hogg an unlikely saviour in the first-innings revival. The Indian response was better still: Dravid's doggedness, Laxman's elegance, Tendulkar's mastery. Even Ponting's properness in declining to appeal for a line-ball low-down take. But the match was marred and entered the halls of infamy by the poorest of umpiring, Australian petulance — and Harbhajan's Singh's wrongdoing. If, that is, you accept the Australians' version of events and not his.

But when the Australians stand at the crease when they edge the ball to first slip and appeal when the batsmen is clearly not out — well, why then would you believe anything they say?

The lack of good grace marked the Australians throughout this match. And series — what a cheek of Matthew Hayden to say that Anil Kumble "stole" five wickets in Melbourne. You could say Hayden has stolen 29 Test centuries, having barely faced one decent fast bowler in all that time. The lack of grace was there when Ponting motioned to the commentary box after the game, from where Tony Greig had dared to criticise the timing of his declaration. And it was there at the post-match media conference when he blasted an Indian reporter for daring to question him.

Ricky, time to have some KFC and calm down. Me, I think I need a bucket.

You know what I mean.
 
I'd like to know how these journos and the internet heroes definitively 'know' that the Dravid dismissal wasn't quite right when it happened. Easy for us to say with our tv replays.......
 
I don't think he is a sulking journo. It is better written article than what Peter Roebuck offered, calling for Pontings sacking.

The lack of grace was there when Ponting motioned to the commentary box after the game

Is this where Ponting was pumping the air ala Ben Cousins this past year? Distasteful if it was specifically aimed at the commentators.
 

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This is one of the most turgid, vile and toxic pieces of journalism I have ever read, maybe even eclipsing the Robert Walls 'evil' article at the start of the 2007 AFL season.

It smacks of hyperbole and broad, sweeping tabloidesque statements that fail to hit their target, unless of course that target was to highlight the author's own bitterness and dislike for the Australian cricket team, probably borne out of years of frustration of having to 'endure' such magnificent cricket provided by the Australians.

A lot of people have failed to examine the facts in this Test and instead have blindly edited them to suit their own agendas. Given the time between now and the conclusion of the Test on Sunday, a lot of editing has taken place and blame lain at the feet of certain individuals, rather than a thorough analysis of the events that took place and the circumstances surrounding them.
 
All of this media hype has also drawn attention away from the fact that India were in a good position to draw the test and that that's where the game looked to be headed, yet they choked and lost.

India need to take a good look at themselves before blaming anyone else, at it seems to me to indicate a lack of character and humility and is the attitude of a team who has lost and is waiting for someone to deliver success on a plate to them
 
Are you serious? It's one of the most one sided, disgusting, bitter articles i've ever read.

It is about one side Aus .
Sadly for Aus it is what this Aus team are being remembered for around the world .The WI totally dominated for years they like Aus were a hard determined team .Why are this team disliked so much whereas WI were feared more than disliked .Aus werent totally abhorred in the 90s what the difference between now and then .
 
Im so confused by all of this Ponting blame. Did he not say he didn't catch a ball which was about to be given out.

The Issue of the test is Umpiring to BOTH SIDES (mainly India) and Singh being racist. Face it we all know Symonds was called a monkey and not in fun, tendulkar may not have heard. Aussies give it on field but they gave the racist stuff away ages ago. India just don't know who 2 give it.

If this happens in AFL would all these people be so blind 2 the racial issue? These Journos would not be sayin, the racist should not be dobbed in. In AFL there would be hell to play, it is not acceptable but these people bagging Ponting think its a non issue and H Singh is getting protected by all and sundry. Cricket is behind the times.

Being called a monkey is racist and if u said it 2 someone in certain countries, you would be lucky to live.

Forget Ponting, he was no worse this test than any other Focus on Mr Singh.
 
The funny thing is when I was watching the Dravid dismissal I thought it was out, it was only subsequent replays that showed that it wasn't.

I think a lot of people are getting precious over TV replays as I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw it live and thought it was out (before seeing replays).

BTW this was another article written by a 15-yo Indian cranking off that has been bought and sold under the name of a journo.
 
The funny thing is when I was watching the Dravid dismissal I thought it was out, it was only subsequent replays that showed that it wasn't.

I think a lot of people are getting precious over TV replays as I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw it live and thought it was out (before seeing replays).

BTW this was another article written by a 15-yo Indian cranking off that has been bought and sold under the name of a journo.

I thought it was out efore I saw a zoom in replay which definately show it wasnt. For this joker to say without a shadow of a doubt that it wasnt out without replays from the comfort of his lounge chair is complete crap.

Another journo that perhaps should think of a career change.
 
There's also been alot of talk that Gilly and co would have known the Dravid catch was not out as the sound of ball on bat and ball on pad makes a completely different sound, however, what they fail to point out is that the sound of ball on glove sounds just like the sound of ball on pad.

Ho says that the Australians appealed because they thought it hit Dravid's bat. The ball was nowhere near the bat but passed within an inch or so of his gloves.

It is onkly after watching slow motion replays that you can see it only hit the pad and not the glove (or both). Watching live on tv the first reaction is that it looks out.

Neither the players nor the umpires have the benefit of these endless replays and have to make a decision in a split second. If you think it could have been out you appeal! The umpire makes the decision.
 
I reckon it was a great article, and summed up what anyone who is not a one eyed Australian cricket fan thinks.

Aussie fans love to bandy about the word 'cheat' about any decision they don't like when another country is involved, and get all high and mighty when others seek to defend that decision. However when the blowtorch is applied in the other direction, the Australian response, from both players and fans is almost laffable. Once again, a great example of the Aussies being able to dish it out but not cop a bit for their own corner.

Don't think i'm sticking up for the Indians behavior here either, but this is the classic Aussie cricket manouever. They push the limits or move the fence posts altogether, and then when they get called out for something, they throw their hands in the air and say 'What? Who us? We are the Aussie cricket side, the bastion of fair play and sportsmanship and we never do such things' even when it's there for all to see that this is not the case.
 

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It is the moral high ground these people try to take and their lack of balance in their articles I can't take.

Don't get me wrong, the Aussies are no angels and I don't like appealing when you know they are are not out. If you have major problem with this and label people who do it as cheats, then all teams and all sports are cheats.

a. Is appealing for a catch when the ball goes down the leg side in cricket in an attempt to bluff the umpire from calling a wide cheating? All sides do it.

b. All sides stand their ground after an appeal and many carry on at bad decisions. Not great behaviour, but if you an issues with the Australians doing it, then you have any issue with all teams.

c. Are soccer players and Matthew Lloyd (just stirring bomber fans) cheats because they dive? It is embedded in soccer.

The lack of balance and the assumed moral superiority of many of the journalists is what I am finding very hard to take.

Remember if you have a major problems with the Aussies behaviour, you have an issue with all teams, as Aussies do not have a mortgage on bad behaviour.
 
I don't think he is a sulking journo. It is better written article than what Peter Roebuck offered, calling for Pontings sacking.

.

You're an idiot.

It's a poor piece of writing. Clearly unbalanced.

How can he say that the Australian players appealled knowing Dravid wasn't out and then say the ponting dismisal was an easy mistake to make, given the bat was next to the pad?
 
When your beaten by a better team, there is only one option- sook that the winning team plays against the spirit of the game and run off to Daddy and tell him that you won't play again unless he can make it 'fairer' for you. The ICC are gutless in giving in, the Indians poor sports and the Aussies champions. Aussies might not be angels but at least we play harder on the field than off it! There was so much talk about racism before the series that you would have to be a couple of stubbies short of a 6 pack to try it!

I wish India had been made to grow up and play according to the rules mor bugger off home and be punished. Once a governing body gives into a team....*Opens Pandorras Box* What if this was the WC finals??
 
It is about one side Aus .
Sadly for Aus it is what this Aus team are being remembered for around the world .The WI totally dominated for years they like Aus were a hard determined team .Why are this team disliked so much whereas WI were feared more than disliked .Aus werent totally abhorred in the 90s what the difference between now and then .


I find the thoughts of the West Indies being a hard-nosed but fair and likeable side in the 80's curious.

Who remembers Colin Croft elbowing an umpire, Clve Lloyd leading walk offs, Michael Holding kicking over stumps, Viv Richards threatening journos physically in the commentary box?
 
It is about one side Aus .
Sadly for Aus it is what this Aus team are being remembered for around the world .The WI totally dominated for years they like Aus were a hard determined team .Why are this team disliked so much whereas WI were feared more than disliked .Aus werent totally abhorred in the 90s what the difference between now and then .

I find the thoughts of the West Indies being a hard-nosed but fair and likeable side in the 80's curious.

Who remembers Colin Croft elbowing an umpire, Clve Lloyd leading walk offs, Michael Holding kicking over stumps, Viv Richards threatening journos physically in the commentary box?

Haha i will love to see how this australian side woud react. If they were subjected to that kind of one sided umpiring..... as that West Indian side did in Auckland with the kiwi umpires.
 
Again it's not the point that Australian sides may or may not have or will react a badly, as they sometimes do, it's that everybody views other countries through rose-coloured glasses when they misbehave.
 
Of all the “perceived” incidents, I find the Dravid one most annoying. I wonder how many games of cricket Mr Epis has kept wicket in? Now, I may not be a test standard wicketkeeper, but I have kept up to the stumps to my fair share of spinners.

Here’s a little experiment. Take an object say a pen and hold it in front of your face. Stare at the top of the pen, I mean really stare at it – 100% concentration. Notice how everything else gets blurry. This is how hard you need to watch the ball when keeping. Now hold a big object, say a pillow up next to the pen, move the pen quickly past the pillow towards your eyes, occasionally flicking the edge of the pillow. Can you tell me exactly where the pen is touching the pillow?

Now, imagine that the pen is a cricket ball and it’s travelling towards you at between 80-100 Km/h. Imagine the pillow is a mix of bat/pad/gloves. Do you see where this is going?

The first mistake all new keepers make is they watch the bat. But after getting whacked in the guts with the ball a few times, you work out pretty quickly that unless you’re concentrating 100% on the ball, you’re not going to get very far.

I’ve had multiple occasions where I appealed after taking a catch that I knew deflected of something (the deflections are obvious – you’re watching the ball like a hawk remember) but had NFI what it actually hit. You see, that’s why there’s an umpire to adjudicate (he just has to watch for the edge/glove contact, not catch the damn ball).

Like a lot of people, when I saw it live, I thought it looked out (taking the glove). Wasn’t till the third replay that I was pretty sure it hadn’t hit glove on the way through. Maybe next time, Dravid will try using his bat (pet hate tucking the bat behind the pad).


I can tell you one thing, though. I ALWAYS knew when the ball had bounced half a foot in front of my gloves.
[YOUTUBE]7TmryWZ5VG8[/YOUTUBE]
 
"And series — what a cheek of Matthew Hayden to say that Anil Kumble "stole" five wickets in Melbourne. You could say Hayden has stolen 29 Test centuries, having barely faced one decent fast bowler in all that time."

Ambrose and Walsh anyone? Donald??? Are they any good? I must have forgot the time when Walsh was the leading wicket taker in cricket, the time when Ambrose took 7/1 in a vicious spell of fast bowling.
 
"And series — what a cheek of Matthew Hayden to say that Anil Kumble "stole" five wickets in Melbourne. You could say Hayden has stolen 29 Test centuries, having barely faced one decent fast bowler in all that time."

Ambrose and Walsh anyone? Donald??? Are they any good? I must have forgot the time when Walsh was the leading wicket taker in cricket, the time when Ambrose took 7/1 in a vicious spell of fast bowling.

He's also faced Kumble and Murali. 1 and 3 on the all time wicket takers column. How about Waquar Younis (373 wickets), Pollock (416 wickets), Nintini (326 wickets), Singh (255 wickets), Hoggard (247 wickets).

Hayden's 100's in the first and second test have been two of the best "gritty, determined, backs against the wall" 100's you'll see. Batting on a very difficult wicket in Melbourne and playing with in injury in Sydney.

This guy is a muppet of the highest order. Did he just start watching cricket this test?
 
He's also faced Kumble and Murali. 1 and 3 on the all time wicket takers column. How about Waquar Younis (373 wickets), Pollock (416 wickets), Nintini (326 wickets), Singh (255 wickets), Hoggard (247 wickets).

Hayden's 100's in the first and second test have been two of the best "gritty, determined, backs against the wall" 100's you'll see. Batting on a very difficult wicket in Melbourne and playing with in injury in Sydney.

This guy is a muppet of the highest order. Did he just start watching cricket this test?

Let's add another one - he would have faced Wasim Akram as well wouldn't he?

By the way, I would class Hoggard as a medium pace bowler ;)
 
Let's add another one - he would have faced Wasim Akram as well wouldn't he?

By the way, I would class Hoggard as a medium pace bowler ;)

Akram:
Maybe in ODI's, not sure about tests?

Hoggard:
I was just going down the wickets list, I debated whether I should put Hoggard in ;)
But, 250 wickets at just under 30 ain't that bad.
 

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Michael Epis: Another sulking journo!

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