Sunday, January 30, 2011

Hateful Haddin reaches new depths

That Australian wicketkeeper "Brad" Haddin is a nasty piece of work is taken as read. He drips hate and post colonial self loathing. But his performance after the wicket of KP last night was as bad as it gets.

Be it Siddle's abuse of Prior, that ghastly effeminate skip as performed by that over grown child Brett Lee, or "Ricky" Ponting's increasingly pointless snarling, Haddin abusing KP as he trudged off (after yet another dismal innings natch) is just another in a long line of frankly pathetic examples of poor Australian behaviour. They wreak of arrogance, despite the fact they have just been humiliated in an Ashes series and are playing a tired, practically third string England side. It also shows rank cowardice, to abuse an opponent as they return to the pavillion. None of which will concern Haddin, the most hateful, nasty, spineless player in world cricket.

Where to start? His constant chirping behind the stumps is not what some will try to excuse as normal keeper behaviour. It is mindless, teeth grindingly boorish stuff. Haddin is entirely humourless. His insistance of feigning at the stumps EVERY time the ball is returned to him in the field is hugely irritating, as is his bizarre, exaggerated catching routine (catch it, watch it in slow motion into the gloves, move the gloves behind the body, throw ball between gloves three times and maybe for good measure, feign at the stumps again).

Haddin has nothing going for him. A hugely unpopular cricketer on the global stage, he is a truly loathsome individual for whom I wish nothing but the worst. He is one the of those individuals for whom life would be so much happier if he disappeared.

The Australian media's take on the KP incident was also depressingly predictable. Having totally and conveniently ignored what is up there with Doug Bollinger's claim of a catch v Windies which bounced over a yard in front of him, Smith claimed a catch which he dropped, which he then rolled over before picking it up with a DIFFERENT hand, the Channel 9 commentators, so myopic is makes south american football commentators seem well balanced, they brushed over Haddin's abuse entirely. As have the print press, incredibly accusing KP of getting into an argument with Haddin.

What a dismal state of affairs. Conduct and behaviour be damned. I hope they rot in the stench of ther own self loathing.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Cook - an apology

For 12 months I was trying to get rid of Alastair Cook. By rights, the boy should never have been near that England team. He simply did not deserve to be picked by his country. Yet picked he was. And boy did he deliver. Never let it be said I can't say sorry. I have been well and truly found out, just like Graeme Swann was on this tour. Cook went away and fixed his blindingly obvious technical fault. It may have taken far too long for him to realise he shouldn't chase pitched up deliveries outside off stump, but when he finally worked it out, wow - what a performance. Not that the Aussies seeemd to notice. MUCH more on the behaviour of the Australians to follow, but Alastair - I take it all back. Well played.