20/20, this is serious business.

The cricketing world has accepted 20/20 is now a serious form of the game, why can't the Australian selectors do the same? 

20/20 cricket is here to stay. It's a phrase I'm sick of hearing, but it's true. The whole world has moved past the glitz and glamor, hit and giggle type ideologies that came with the first couple of years of international T20 cricket. The whole world, that is, accept the Australian selectors. And with the 2009 world 20/20 tournament just around the corner, the selectors have to get their priorities right, and fast.

The Australian selectors, ever since the introduction of 20/20 to the international stage, have used the format to 'blood' young (or in the case of Shane Harwood, old) cricketers. I reckon they've played a debutant in almost every single international T20 friendly I've seen, and often, the guy only gets one game, then it's, 'thanks mate, now on ya way back home to the domestic scene' At first, it was funny. But now it's plain annoying, and I don't think it's doing the team nor it's players any good. Take Luke Pommersbach or example. He played one T20 game for Australia, he played well, and was never considered for any game for Australia again. Now he's struggling to get a game in Western Australia's 1st eleven.

The selectors, right now, need to stop treating 20/20 like it's a bit of fun, and start producing the best 20/20 squad Australia has to offer. It's fine if they want to rest the big players for certain matches, but they simply can't just pull guys like Pommersbach or Voges or Harwood out domestic cricket to play the one game, and then send them home. What they need to do is pick 12 or 13 good young players, and stick with them. Build up a good 20/20 side, or even better, stick with exactly the same side they use for 50 over cricket.

Another thing the selectors get wrong is the batting line up. Michael Clarke should not open. Sure, he's a good stroke-maker, but he doesn't have that ability to hit out, and hit big. Brad Haddin is the ideal partner for David Warner at the top, with Clarke slipping in at 4. They also seem dead set on not needing a specialist spinner. I think (and statistics will show) that spinners are very successful in 20 over cricket. David Hussey proves that. We have so many part time spinners (ie. White, Clarke, Hussey) in the side. Why can't a guy like Nathan Hauritz replace one of them?

People love the 20/20 format of the game. There is now big money, and big prizes on offer for champion 20/20 sides. But at the moment, it is so hard for the Aussies to gain any sort of winning momentum, because the side keeps chopping and changing pretty much every game. The Australian 20/20 side will continue disappoint unless the selectors stop using it as a practice run and start taking it seriously. 

Dancing Under the Mistletoe

Chris says: This is a short story I wrote while procrastinating. It took me a couple of hours to write. Enjoy!

“Alex, that birdie is only sleeping isn’t he? Isn’t he Alex?” Despair trickled from Georgia’s eyes as she stared deeply into the face of his friend, trying to prize out the truth. Alex sat motionless, face void of any emotion. The little red and black bird remained just as still, stiller in fact, it’s eyes still tranquil and untroubled, just as they were on the day death relieved it from this world.

He wakes. It is morning again. Darkness still shrouds the world as he emerges from his sleeping place. Quietly, the wind whistles through the trees, but it is not cold. This part of the world is still pleasant at this time of year, for the warmth of the summer months gone still lingers in the air. He breathes a sigh of relief, or sorrow, no man or beast will ever know. He sets out on his journey. He does not have far to go. He does the same everyday. Today will be no different.

She stirs. Morning has arrived quicker than she thought, but she will not be late. The wind is gentle, even for this time of morning. A strange fog has set over the dry bushland; a sea of grey drowns the eucalypt trees that usually stretch as far as the eye can see. As the fog rolls and swirls around her, it brings with it a biting cold, strange for this time of year. Maybe winter has arrived early. The fog is unnerving, but still she sets out on her journey. She does not have far to go. She does the same everyday. Today is somehow different.

He arrives at his destination. It’s time to get to work. He stands tall, chest out, and registers his surroundings. It is suddenly cold. The chill pierces his lungs. It’s darker than he remembers it being when he woke this morning. A strange fog has set in around him, and it blocks out the sun. The usual bright glow of the giant star is reduced to a flickering whimper as it tries to break through the grey swirl. There is work to be done. His first feed hangs motionless; he can barely see it in the grey swell. He glances forward, and picks out his prize. He squeezes the sweet, sticky substance down his throat, and continues on to his next.

She watches on as he goes about his work. She will soon be doing the same, but for now, she watches. She sees him dance around gracefully, extracting his prizes and hopping to the next batch. Suddenly he stops. Only 30 minutes have passed since his first meal, a full days work remains. Why does he stop? She gazes on with interest. Then, almost as suddenly as he stopped, he springs back into life. He sways his body frantically from side to side. He gives back to nature what he first took, and as if nature silently nods back in appreciation, he moves along. She is finished watching. She slips unnoticed into the grey mist.

A phantom menace lies hidden. It watches as they dance under the mistletoe. It is not from around here, an alien brought from a distant land. It is an efficient hunter, a destroyer of natural beauty. The hunter usually hunts at night, but today is different. It watches, they dance. The time comes, the hunter’s thin black pupils violently dilate into deep black holes, and its sheathed claws are unsheathed once more. The predator engages its enemy. It is an efficient hunter. There can only be one winner.

She escapes. She cheats death. He is nowhere to be seen. The mist begins to clear. The cold retreats as the grey tide rolls out. The sun blazes. She regains her bearings. Still no sign of predator or prey. Then she sees him, a glimmer of red and black and white, lying, lifeless and twisted in the cold grey dirt, his eyes tranquil and untroubled. She hears a rustling in the distance. She has lingered too long; there is work to be done. As she takes flight, a lumbering beast that stands upon two limbs, another destroyer of nature, another alien from a distant world, reaches down and takes his body from the grey dirt.

“So, the mistletoe bird eats the seed of the parasitic mistletoe plant and it only takes 30 minutes for it to come out of the other end. 30 minutes, beak to bum” Doctor Groom grins following his witty remark “The bird then has to wiggle his bottom from side to side to make sure the sticky seed is removed from the birds ‘rear end’ and is attached to the host plant”

“Alex, that birdie is only sleeping isn’t he? Isn’t he Alex?” Alex plays along, and pretends to stare into the depths of despair, before he chuckles at Georgia’s imitation of a naïve child who can’t understand why the stuffed bird she’s staring at won’t move. The class giggles as the lecturer sways his body frantically from side to side, imitating the mistletoe bird giving back to nature what it first took.

McDonald's the man.

The has been hardly enough time to draw breath and take in the fantastic win we pulled off yesterday, before diving back into the deep-end  of the second test against a South African team undoubtedly rearing to get stuck in. 

The Aussies played brilliantly in Joburg, the bowling attack was especially impressive. Siddle, Hilfy and especially Mitchell Johnson bowled accurate, tight spells during which the Saffies could not break the shackles at all. But the bowler that impressed me the most was Andrew McDonald. 

Yes, the red-headed, and very unimaginatively nicknamed 'Ronnie' McDonald from Victoria bowled incredibly well. He gave away less than 1.5 runs per over in the second innings, and took the wicket of the first innings century maker, AB deVillers. He hardly bowled a loose ball all game. Figures show he only got the 2 wickets for the match, but I don't think it's unfair to say he helped create at least 4 or 5 wickets at other end. 

In my opinion, I think he plays the perfect role in this current Australian side. With Johnson, Siddle and Hilfenhaus having played only about 25 tests between them, McDonald sends down over after over of scoreboard pressure from one end while the talented but inexperienced strike bowlers attack from the other. McDonald could do the same from the opposite end while Bryce McGain bowls.

So the question is, as the second test in Durban approaches, does McDonald play? Apparently, the conditions will be hot and humid, which means a flat pitch and tired bowlers. I think a specialist spinner needs to play on any pitch in any match, but McGain especially needs to play this match. Johnson, Siddle and Hilfenhaus shouldered a huge workload in the first test, and can't be asked to execute the same quality of bowling in hotter conditions. McGain can play as an attacking or defensive option while the quick men attack from the other end in short spells, but if McGain goes for runs, there is nobody else to bowl long, tight spells, unless McDonald plays.

But then, who gets the axe? Only 11 men can be picked for friday. If McDonald plays, it will either be the same side with no specialist spinner (which is a mistake!) or one of the batsman will be dropped. Marcus North will be terribly unlucky if it is him, but he would probably be the most likely choice. The other candidate is the out of form Hussey, but I think his experience is needed in this rather fresh Australian side. On the other hand, McDonald could be the one dropped and the spinner would come in for him.

When you've been following cricket religiously for as long as I have, sometimes, you get certain feelings about certain things taking place on the cricket field. As I watched the first test unfold, I got the feeling that Andrew McDonald had a much larger role to play in this Australian side then first thought. What I love about him is that he always has a huge smile on his face, he enjoys his cricket, which is the most important thing overall. The selectors have been know to make some interesting decisions in the past, and I wouldn't be surprised if the side for the second test is nothing less than that. I just hope the tall red-headed all rounder is in the forefront of their minds.