It's time for sports spam
Aug. 19th, 2003 11:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99Except to keep the variety going, it's cricket spam. For many reasons, mainly because the South Africa v England series is hotting up, and when those two play it get vicious. Must say that one of my favourite cricket moments came from the last South African tour.
It series was locked at 2-1 to South Africa, and it was the fourth test of a 5 test series. England were batting. Everything depended on how well Mike Atherton played. He'd been a rock in the series so far, and Allan Donald of South Africa (one of the best bowlers in the world at that time) was about to bowl. Now they'd had words before now, accusations of cheating, sledging, the lot.
For a ten over spell, Donald didn't try and bowl Atherton out, he was trying to destroy him. And Atherton stood there and took it. He got hit on the body from all angles, the crowd were screaming and shouting. Donald (a fast bowler) was tearing down the crease. It was primal.
But Atherton stood there and took it. He stopped trying to hit the balls and just ducked.
There was nothing Donald could do to get him out.
England won the test. It was 2-2, and everyone was expecting the same thing to happen again, but Atherton had demoralised Donald to such an exstent that he couldn't do it. Series win to England.
Anyway, one of my favourites, a Lancashire lad by the name of Andrew Flintoff did marvellous things. I say lad, he's 25, but it's the local epithet. It's wonderful to see him do so well. Plus he's 6 foot something and heavy-built so he's spent half his career being told he's fat, to which his traditional reply is to hit a century. He plays with flair, style and panache, plus he likes to go for big shots. Yes, this sometimes gets him out for low scores but when it works he's fantastic. Plus it makes for slightly better watching than certain other cricket players who go for one run and take 60 balls to score 20.
And so of course, pictures - http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030818/46/e6f4v.html
http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030815/59/e69vn.html
Flintoff.
Actually you can tell which two play county cricket for Lancashire, the rest are all smartly turned out and they've got stubble, earrings and, in James Anderson's case, a peculiar haircut. (James Anderson - http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030817/59/e6crt.html )
And now for a couple of pictures of the South Africans.
Shaun Pollock - http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030817/46/e6d4x.html
And Jaques Kallis, the best all-rounder in the world today. (Colin who is a Yorkshire man and hence genetically disposed to dislike Flintoff, pointed out how much better a player Kallis was, I agreed but said that as he's South African it would be difficult for the England selectors to pick him ;) ) - http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030817/46/e6d4z.html
It series was locked at 2-1 to South Africa, and it was the fourth test of a 5 test series. England were batting. Everything depended on how well Mike Atherton played. He'd been a rock in the series so far, and Allan Donald of South Africa (one of the best bowlers in the world at that time) was about to bowl. Now they'd had words before now, accusations of cheating, sledging, the lot.
For a ten over spell, Donald didn't try and bowl Atherton out, he was trying to destroy him. And Atherton stood there and took it. He got hit on the body from all angles, the crowd were screaming and shouting. Donald (a fast bowler) was tearing down the crease. It was primal.
But Atherton stood there and took it. He stopped trying to hit the balls and just ducked.
There was nothing Donald could do to get him out.
England won the test. It was 2-2, and everyone was expecting the same thing to happen again, but Atherton had demoralised Donald to such an exstent that he couldn't do it. Series win to England.
Anyway, one of my favourites, a Lancashire lad by the name of Andrew Flintoff did marvellous things. I say lad, he's 25, but it's the local epithet. It's wonderful to see him do so well. Plus he's 6 foot something and heavy-built so he's spent half his career being told he's fat, to which his traditional reply is to hit a century. He plays with flair, style and panache, plus he likes to go for big shots. Yes, this sometimes gets him out for low scores but when it works he's fantastic. Plus it makes for slightly better watching than certain other cricket players who go for one run and take 60 balls to score 20.
And so of course, pictures - http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030818/46/e6f4v.html
http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030815/59/e69vn.html
Flintoff.
Actually you can tell which two play county cricket for Lancashire, the rest are all smartly turned out and they've got stubble, earrings and, in James Anderson's case, a peculiar haircut. (James Anderson - http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030817/59/e6crt.html )
And now for a couple of pictures of the South Africans.
Shaun Pollock - http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030817/46/e6d4x.html
And Jaques Kallis, the best all-rounder in the world today. (Colin who is a Yorkshire man and hence genetically disposed to dislike Flintoff, pointed out how much better a player Kallis was, I agreed but said that as he's South African it would be difficult for the England selectors to pick him ;) ) - http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030817/46/e6d4z.html
