Suddenly, things start to look a little bit ominous for the Australians. After a start to the summer that went far more smoothly than expected, they have not faltered much. But all of this came apart when they faced Sri Lanka in Sydney on Friday. A terribly lacklustre batting display saw the mighty Australians run through for 158, David Hussey being the only man to put runs on the board with a cool 58. Both Warner and Ponting were duped by the slower ball, by Malinga and Maharoof respectively, and Australia battled for any momentum as they continued to lose wickets. Besides David Hussey, no one made over 20 and they slumped to their lowest total in Sydney since 1997. 
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Australia vs India ODI Preview
Australia vs India, Commonwealth Bank Series, Sunday 19th February
Suddenly, things start to look a little bit ominous for the Australians. After a start to the summer that went far more smoothly than expected, they have not faltered much. But all of this came apart when they faced Sri Lanka in Sydney on Friday. A terribly lacklustre batting display saw the mighty Australians run through for 158, David Hussey being the only man to put runs on the board with a cool 58. Both Warner and Ponting were duped by the slower ball, by Malinga and Maharoof respectively, and Australia battled for any momentum as they continued to lose wickets. Besides David Hussey, no one made over 20 and they slumped to their lowest total in Sydney since 1997.
Suddenly, things start to look a little bit ominous for the Australians. After a start to the summer that went far more smoothly than expected, they have not faltered much. But all of this came apart when they faced Sri Lanka in Sydney on Friday. A terribly lacklustre batting display saw the mighty Australians run through for 158, David Hussey being the only man to put runs on the board with a cool 58. Both Warner and Ponting were duped by the slower ball, by Malinga and Maharoof respectively, and Australia battled for any momentum as they continued to lose wickets. Besides David Hussey, no one made over 20 and they slumped to their lowest total in Sydney since 1997. 
Friday, 17 February 2012
New Zealand vs South Africa 2nd T20 Preview
New Zealand vs South Africa, 2nd T20, Sunday 19th Febraury, 08:00
New Zealand drew first blood in the T20 series with a win in Wellington on Friday. It was a fairly comfortable win for the Black Caps who managed to restrict the Proteas to 147/6 after their twenty overs. Captain Brendon McCullum started off the innings by opening the bowling with his brother, Nathan McCullum. Nathan is no stranger to opening the bowling with his off spin, and it proved to be effective. Amla started off well, carving the ball through the off side with lovely lofted cover drives, until he was run-out by a Jonty Rhodes-inspired dive from Martin Guptill.
New Zealand drew first blood in the T20 series with a win in Wellington on Friday. It was a fairly comfortable win for the Black Caps who managed to restrict the Proteas to 147/6 after their twenty overs. Captain Brendon McCullum started off the innings by opening the bowling with his brother, Nathan McCullum. Nathan is no stranger to opening the bowling with his off spin, and it proved to be effective. Amla started off well, carving the ball through the off side with lovely lofted cover drives, until he was run-out by a Jonty Rhodes-inspired dive from Martin Guptill. Pakistan vs England 3rd ODI Preview
Pakistan vs England, 3rd ODI, Saturday 18th February, 13:00
Alistair Cook’s England emerged victorious once again in the UAE, beating Pakistan by 20 runs to gain a 2-0 lead in the series. Unfortunately for the Pakistani’s, it is only a 4-match one-day series so they can only hope to square up the series with two wins out of two. This is looking all the more unlikely as the English definitely identified key areas in which Pakistan team is lacking. England persevered towards a total of 250 that Captain Cook felt would be enough, and looked like an ODI team of old, making sure they batted all 50 overs and made them count.
Alistair Cook’s England emerged victorious once again in the UAE, beating Pakistan by 20 runs to gain a 2-0 lead in the series. Unfortunately for the Pakistani’s, it is only a 4-match one-day series so they can only hope to square up the series with two wins out of two. This is looking all the more unlikely as the English definitely identified key areas in which Pakistan team is lacking. England persevered towards a total of 250 that Captain Cook felt would be enough, and looked like an ODI team of old, making sure they batted all 50 overs and made them count.Thursday, 16 February 2012
Weekend Sports Preview
17 events. 5 continents. This weeks weekend preview takes you around the globe. Golf action comes to us from India and the US of A, while there's a host of cricket from Down Under. Then of course there's plenty of European football to look forward to. A top of the table clash in France is perhaps the headline act but there's plenty of other games of significant importance. The FA Cup returns for the 5th Round, which has served up quite a few intriguing ties. Finally the PSL is back in full swing, with both Kaizer Chiefs and Supersport looking to bridge the gap to Sundowns at the top. So go on, have a read and find your picks for the weekend ahead.New Zealand vs South Africa – 1st T20 Preview
New Zealand vs South Africa – 1st T20 Preview
South Africa will start AB de Villiers’ first tour abroad as captain with a T20 encounter against a much improved New Zealand. This will be the first tour of three abroad for the South Africans and in some ways, could act as the most important. Three T20s against the New Zealanders will be good practice for the World T20 starting later in the year, with the chance for experimentation as well as solidifying the set-up. Another side-plot to this tour will see the Proteas top of the test rankings if they are able to white-wash the New Zealanders in the test series.
South Africa will start AB de Villiers’ first tour abroad as captain with a T20 encounter against a much improved New Zealand. This will be the first tour of three abroad for the South Africans and in some ways, could act as the most important. Three T20s against the New Zealanders will be good practice for the World T20 starting later in the year, with the chance for experimentation as well as solidifying the set-up. Another side-plot to this tour will see the Proteas top of the test rankings if they are able to white-wash the New Zealanders in the test series.Australia vs Sri Lanka ODI - Match 6
Australia vs. Sri Lanka – Commonwealth Bank Match #6 Preview
India and Sri Lanka’s tie at Adelaide on Tuesday is what one-day cricket is all about. An even match with a tight finish, where the result can go either way going into the last over, indeed the last ball. The encounter was so evenly matched, that statistics from the match form two almost identical innings. This is all well and good, but Sri Lanka are yet to register a win in the Tri Series, and the tie against India puts them in an even poorer position for qualifying for the finals. Sri Lanka will need to win four of their next five games in order to do so, and with the amount of silly mistakes they have been making, this does not look likely.
India and Sri Lanka’s tie at Adelaide on Tuesday is what one-day cricket is all about. An even match with a tight finish, where the result can go either way going into the last over, indeed the last ball. The encounter was so evenly matched, that statistics from the match form two almost identical innings. This is all well and good, but Sri Lanka are yet to register a win in the Tri Series, and the tie against India puts them in an even poorer position for qualifying for the finals. Sri Lanka will need to win four of their next five games in order to do so, and with the amount of silly mistakes they have been making, this does not look likely. Kaizer Chiefs vs Swallows PSL Preview
Kaizer Chiefs v Moroka Swallows – Saturday 18th February – Soccer City (18:00)
The PSL has finally restarted after an eight week break due to the Africa Cup of Nations. It’s been a long and pointless break for the PSL since Bafana Bafana failed to qualify to participate in the tournament and coaches have had a tough job trying to keep their players motivated and focused for the second half of the season. This weekend’s fixtures sets up a vital clash between title challengers Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows, who lie 3rd and 4th in the standings respectively at the time of writing this article, prior to the midweek clashes.Barcelona vs Valencia - La Liga Preview
Barcelona v Valencia – Sunday 19th February – Camp Nou Barcelona (22:30)
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Northern Trust Open Preview
Northern Trust Open, 16th - 19th February, Riviera Country Club
The historical Northern Trust Open tees off on Thursday at California’s Riviera Country Club. The tournament, first played in 1926, generally draws a star studded field but this week the world’s top 3 have decided to sit this one out, opening it up for the likes of Phil Mickleson and Bubba Watson. The par 71 7298 yard course rewards players who can make birdies on the par 4’s, so let’s see who can win it this week.
The historical Northern Trust Open tees off on Thursday at California’s Riviera Country Club. The tournament, first played in 1926, generally draws a star studded field but this week the world’s top 3 have decided to sit this one out, opening it up for the likes of Phil Mickleson and Bubba Watson. The par 71 7298 yard course rewards players who can make birdies on the par 4’s, so let’s see who can win it this week. Avantha Masters Preview
Avantha Masters, Tri-sanctioned, 16th - 19th February, DLF Golf and Country Club
This weekend sees a tri-sanctioned tournament (by the European Tour, Asian Tour and Professional Golf Tour of India) tee off at the DLF Golf and Country Club in New Delhi, India. The par 72 7156 yard lay-out generally sees some low scores being shot and last year’s winning score of -15 combined with the previous year’s -14 shows consistency will be rewarded. Locals seem to have an advantage as rather unsurprisingly only one international player has won here. Finding the player who will take it may be a bit of a challenge as a few unknowns surface in these tournaments but I’ll see what I can do.
This weekend sees a tri-sanctioned tournament (by the European Tour, Asian Tour and Professional Golf Tour of India) tee off at the DLF Golf and Country Club in New Delhi, India. The par 72 7156 yard lay-out generally sees some low scores being shot and last year’s winning score of -15 combined with the previous year’s -14 shows consistency will be rewarded. Locals seem to have an advantage as rather unsurprisingly only one international player has won here. Finding the player who will take it may be a bit of a challenge as a few unknowns surface in these tournaments but I’ll see what I can do. Midweek Sports Preview
Midweek Sports Preview, Tuesday 14th - Thursday 16th Februaury 2012
European football makes a welcome return this week with a couple mouth-watering ties in both the The UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. A little closer to home the PSL makes it;s long awaited return from the mid-season break with Sundowns hoping pick up where they left off. And then to cap off the midweek action we have a couple cricket matches from around the globe, including the first round of the new MiWay T20 competition, which pits the two-finalists from last season against each other. What a week of sport we have ahead, and it's only Tuesday.
European football makes a welcome return this week with a couple mouth-watering ties in both the The UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. A little closer to home the PSL makes it;s long awaited return from the mid-season break with Sundowns hoping pick up where they left off. And then to cap off the midweek action we have a couple cricket matches from around the globe, including the first round of the new MiWay T20 competition, which pits the two-finalists from last season against each other. What a week of sport we have ahead, and it's only Tuesday.Pakistan vs England 2nd ODI Preview
Pakistan vs England, 2nd ODI, Wednesday 15th February, 12:30
Well, that was quite the unexpected turnaround. Not many people in the cricketing world would have expected England to bounce back with such ferocity. What is even more admirable about England’s triumph is how the captain Alistair Cook was the fore-runner in establishing such a momentous victory. He lead from the front in fine fashion, demonstrating to the rest of the England team just how to play spin bowling in the subcontinent, and if not for him, there would be almost nothing to speak of when it came to England’s total.
Well, that was quite the unexpected turnaround. Not many people in the cricketing world would have expected England to bounce back with such ferocity. What is even more admirable about England’s triumph is how the captain Alistair Cook was the fore-runner in establishing such a momentous victory. He lead from the front in fine fashion, demonstrating to the rest of the England team just how to play spin bowling in the subcontinent, and if not for him, there would be almost nothing to speak of when it came to England’s total. Monday, 13 February 2012
India vs Sri Lanka Preview
India vs Sri Lanka, Commonwealth Banks Series, Tuesday 14th February, 04:40
India have finally managed to inflict a win against Michael Clarke’s Australia, and will go into the fifth match of the Tri Series with their heads held high. In a nail-biter at the Adelaide Oval, MS Dhoni brought India home needing 13 off the final over to go level with Australia in the series with two wins apiece, Australia being one point ahead due to a bonus point. Sri Lanka will be seeking their first points of the tournament as they battle India in Adelaide on Tuesday. It is high time that Sri Lanka register a win in this series, before they are left completely in the dust trailing behind Australia and India.
India have finally managed to inflict a win against Michael Clarke’s Australia, and will go into the fifth match of the Tri Series with their heads held high. In a nail-biter at the Adelaide Oval, MS Dhoni brought India home needing 13 off the final over to go level with Australia in the series with two wins apiece, Australia being one point ahead due to a bonus point. Sri Lanka will be seeking their first points of the tournament as they battle India in Adelaide on Tuesday. It is high time that Sri Lanka register a win in this series, before they are left completely in the dust trailing behind Australia and India.Sunday, 12 February 2012
Pakistan vs England 1st ODI Preview
Pakistan vs England, 1st ODI, Monday 13th February, 13:00, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi will yet again witness the rebuilt Pakistani’s take on an English side whipped black-and-blue over a tumultuous test series. Abu Dhabi will this time host a limited-overs contest, this being the first of four ODI’s on the tour. England were thoroughly embarrassed by Pakistan in the test series. England arrived as the world’s number one test team, indeed that had not lost a series in more than four years, and much more was expected from them, regardless of them always having had a poor record in Asia.
Abu Dhabi will yet again witness the rebuilt Pakistani’s take on an English side whipped black-and-blue over a tumultuous test series. Abu Dhabi will this time host a limited-overs contest, this being the first of four ODI’s on the tour. England were thoroughly embarrassed by Pakistan in the test series. England arrived as the world’s number one test team, indeed that had not lost a series in more than four years, and much more was expected from them, regardless of them always having had a poor record in Asia.
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