Now that's an innings
Richard Levi, in his second innings for South Africa in the Twenty 20 International v New Zealand
117 runs off 67 balls at a strike rate of 229.41...oh, and 13 6's
Richard who?
Richard Levi, in his second innings for South Africa in the Twenty 20 International v New Zealand
117 runs off 67 balls at a strike rate of 229.41...oh, and 13 6's
Richard who?
Is it time for Ponting?
It's official, Ricky Ponting has been dropped from the Australian One Day team with the selectors indicating it is time to head in a new direction.
With an average in the current ODI series v India and Sri Lanka of just 3.6 and scores of 2,1,6,2 and 7, the stats don't lie and no matter his standing it is very hard for him to justify his place in the team.
The quotes from the chairman of selectors John Inverarity seem to indicate that while a return to the squad for the 375-game veteran is unlikely, it is not out of the equation. "The National Selection Panel has spoken about moving towards the 2015 World Cup," Inverarity said. "The door is never closed on anybody but it's a strong indication there.""We need to at some stage move on, and we're not ruling him out because one never knows what's around the corner, but we've certainly got the 2015 World Cup now coming into mind."
While the decision may be the end of Ponting's ODI career it is unlikely we have seen the last of him. Ponting's stated aim is to play in the next Ashes series which is only 18 months away, and with scores from his last Test of 221 and 60 and a series average of 108, he's not going anywhere.
Can the Reds do it again?
A week out from the start of the Super 15 season and the question remains, can the Reds back up from last year and take out the title again?
What is certain is the Reds are unlikely to surprise anyone anymore. To use an old cliche, they are the hunted, not the hunter with a big target on their back. The Crusaders in particular will be desperate for revenge not to mention the Waratahs who will be desperate to win back the title of best Australian team.
In the Reds favour, they have much the same squad as last year with no noticeable losses. The Reds have also developed a plethora of talent from within their ranks last year with the likes of Mike Harris, Jono Lance and Ben Tapuai, who ended the just completed season a Wallaby from nowhere, sure to add to the teams depth.
The one big issue the team has to deal with is the enforced loss through injury of Quade Cooper for the first 8 or so rounds of the season. The draw though is relatively soft at the early stage with an away match against an "apparently" injury ravaged NSW Waratahs to start, followed by home matches against the Force and Rebels. It then gets harder with an away trip to South Africa with matches against the Sharks and Bulls sure to challenge. This is followed by home matches to the Brumbies and Stormers, both very winnable. If the team can win a majority of these matches to this stage, with the likely entry of Cooper into the team they should be in great shape to challenge in the run home.
It is not all doom and gloom without Cooper though. Mike Harris appears the man for the job and with a more controlled style of play, better defence and a great strike rate with his kicks, it's also possible his addition may give the team something different that could win games.
What is clear is that after the struggles of most of the 2000's, QLD Rugby and the Reds are at an alltime high. They have nearly 30,000 members and their crowds are sure to dominate other Australian teams, and likely the competition as a whole. If they can cope with the pressure and the expectation they will figure prominently at the tail end of the season. Whether they go Back to Back, only time will tell.
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