Ryder and McCullum revel together

With the retirement of several pivotal and vital members involved with New Zealand cricket since 2006, Daniel Vettori was eventually left with the job to captain the new breed of kiwi cricketers. NZC has seen its fair share of media attention as off-field rows escalated between ex-players and board members over conflicting interests. Shane Bond, Nathan Astle, Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan are the most notable faces who are now unavailable to play international cricket for the black caps. All seemed bleak, players turning their backs on their native country for the riches of the sub-continent joining the Indian Cricket League. The emergence of young starlets: Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Tim Southee and Ross Taylor are giving Kiwi fans something to smile about once again.

Jesse Ryder’s wonderfully crafted double hundred against India in Napier fully demonstrated his talents against one of the finest opposition the world has to offer. A blend of flawless timing and untainted shot execution saw Ryder score runs in front, behind and square of the wicket with ease. Martin Guptill exploded onto the one-day scene with a magificent unbeaten ton on debut against the West Indies. Tim Southee, the most promising youngster in the New Zealand bowling department. An impressive out-swing bowler who debuted at the ripe age of 19 against England after he accumulated Player of the Tournament at the U19 World Cup amassing 17 wickets in all. Ross Taylor, the veteran of the quintet, playing in twice the amount of test matches than any of his three compatriots. Averaging a respectable 32.74 over 15 test matches with two test hundreds will undoubtedly figure in NZC plans for the foreseeable future.

With youth there also comes experience, skipper Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum are also key figures who will be essential in the grooming and development of the Kiwi youth. Vettori has taken to the captaincy like a duck to water. His Test batting average has gone up from 25.28 to 35.71 whilst his Test bowling average has improved from 34.28 to 28.31. His example is a fantastic precedence for anyone to follow and I’m sure that Taylor and such likes will gain valuable experience from his leadership. For me Vettori or ‘The Librarian’ as he is known to many of his national teammates for his sensible nature along with his bespectacled complexion, is one, if not the most underrated player in cricket today. His intelligent off-spin bowling combined with his lower order marshaling with the bat has seen him become a formiddable all-rounder. Brendon McCullum is one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket today, a combination of power and strength has seen him destroy some of the finest bowling attacks around the world. His 73 ball 158 in the opening match of the inaugural IPL competition illustrates his talents.

Certainly promising times ahead for New Zealand Cricket. The retirement of past legends may just have been a blessing in disguise.

Last years winners: The Rajasthan Royals

Frustratingly, the Indian Premier league will now not be coming to England, but instead to the distant shores of South Africa. England had emerged as the front runners to host the tournament after chairman of the IPL, Lalit Modi, decided to switch venues amongst security concerns in the sub-continent. However, in a somewhat ridiculous turnaround, it has been decided that South Africa will yet again host a major sporting event.

The deciding factor? The vastly paramount issue of the weather. Now i know that England doesn’t have the scorching summers of places like Perth or Durban, and i know about the horrendous summer of 2007 which engulfed Britain throughout, but is it really that bad? It was only the year before that England saw the longest continuous period of hot weather, EVER. Last summer saw one of the dry-est summers in England for several years. It seems as if chief organisers have decided to egde England out of consideration, based on pure speculation. With the ashes just around the corner, would it not be the perfect antidote for cricket lovers in England and the world alike, to engage in, warming up for one of the most anticipated spectacles in national sporting history.

I think there is also a problem with cricket in England with regards to grassroots. Nowhere near enough is done in schools to help raise awareness about cricket or to encourage them to participate. Twenty20 fever could just have been the dawning of a new impetus that the ECB could have utilized, but hey, i guess we’ll never know. I know the pound isn’t doing too well at the minute or the economy for that matter, a massive influx of fans would have lead to partial financial relief  that everyone would have benefitted from in the long run, but hey, i guess we’ll never know.

It is sorely dissapointing that the ECB didn’t do more to sell themselves to Lalit Modi, from my perspective it seems like they were never too bothered about it in the first place. Just another chapter in English cricket that lists in dissapointment, heaven forbid that something positive, and the words English and Cricket all be involved in the same sentence.

All they had to do was look at last year’s event, every single match packed to the rafters, buzzing with excitement and nervous tension. All the talk of an English Premier League, this could have been the perfect warm up for tournament organisers or the perfect reason why not to do it. It would have been breathtaking to see the likes of Brendon McCullum blasting a 73 ball 158 or the unorthodox Sohail Tanvir taking a miserly 6-14 in just four overs. It would also have been great for those youngsters around the country who actually like cricket, something for them to aspire to. Maybe in hindsight it could be a rueful mistake by the ECB to let such an opportunity lapse, or it may prove to be a blessing in disguise for whatever reason. Time will tell!

Facebook Glass Print

The emergence of social networking sites over the past number of decades has been colossal. Facebook is one of the largest social networking sites around the world with over 175 million users, recently surpassing MySpace but the question is; has it become too involved in some people’s lives? Personal details, family arrangements and live updates are just some of the things that can be found on a solitary users account, with as much or as little information given the users discretion.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, created the site originally whilst studying at Harvard University. The eventual popularity of the site was unforeseen as membership was only available at the time to those currently studying at the University, before other Ivy League school across the USA, finally expanding worldwide. Along with being a commendable asset to someone with regards to their social lives, it does possess aspects which could be potentially harmful to users. There has been a vast range of controversy ever since Facebook’s establishment including advertising problems, user privacy and various lawsuits aimed at the Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg respectively.

Zuckerberg was at the centre of a lawsuit filed against him by his former classmates who now own ConnectU. Claiming to have broken an oral contract between the party’s, an out of court settlement was rumoured to have been agreed in the area of $65 million. A sum dwarfed by Facebook’s alleged valuation of between $3.5/5 billion reported by BusinessWeek in August 2008. Alessandro Del Piero recently sued Facebook after a false account was created on his behalf. The fraudulent profile cited Del Piero’s support for Neo-Nazi interest groups throughout Italy. The Italian football legend categorically denies any involvement or support for Neo-Nazi propaganda.

I myself have a personal account, it does have information about me and my interests, but cautiously I’ve set privacy settings so that only my friends can see my account, i would advise anyone to do the same. During my first semester last year, we were given a lecture which focused on online journalism and social networking un-surprisingly featured. Astonishingly, job recruitment can also be affected by your personal account in the social network community. Racy photos and love for recreational pass times are just a number of things that have lead to application rejections from a number of firms according to an online survey by ComputerWorld.com.

As much as appreciate Facebook for all its qualities, all the hype about identity fraud, recruitment disputes and all, it has led me to become somewhat sceptical about how much social networking can affect your personal affairs. Not to mention the recent influx of parents which are now currently scrutinising Facebook profiles of their sons and daughters. Scary times indeed.

You want advice? Dont declare anything that you wouldn’t want your parents to know!

Phil Hughes acknowledges the crowd after his 160

After Matthew Hayden’s recent retirement from international cricket, i felt that Australia would never find anyone who could have replaced the belligerent Queenslander, certainly not for a few years at least. Hayden, dominant at the crease, annihilated bowling attacks from around the world, year upon year. 30 test hundreds and 8625 test runs certainly is a feat that not every test player can put on their CV. Many questions were asked about the impact that Haydens departure would have upon Australian cricket. A disappointing series defeat to South Africa on home territory certainly did them no favours with regard to media attention.

20 year old Phillip Hughes of New South Wales was drafted into the return series squad to face South Africa. Maybe seen as a gamble with players such as Phil Jacques, who in the past scored runs succesfully at the top of the order, available for selection. Or, a statement of intent by Cricket Australia to try a groom their youngsters into the same mould as some of the cricketing legends that precede them. Hughes’  impressive first class debut season, I’m sure influenced many selectors to give him a chance at the highest level. Averaging 62.11 in his first season for New South Wales and becoming the youngest centurion in a Pura Cup final, presented undoubted talent in such a massively gifted youngster. He received the Don Bradman young cricketer of the year earlier this year to add to his ever growing list of accolades.

A somewhat jekyll and hyde style debut followed for Hughes against South Africa in Jo’burg. Overshadowed by fellow debutant Marcus North in the first innings who smashed 117. Hughes out nicking behind to Dale Steyn in only the fourth ball of the match. To be fair, he hasn’t been the only one to be beaten by a Dale Steyn delivery over the past couple of seasons and he wont be the last. That’s part of cricket I’m afraid, the harsh reality, but its that old saying; you win some, you lose some. The second innings did however prove more enjoyable for Phil, he scored a smooth flowing 75 before Paul Harris claimed his wicket. I suppose there has to be a sense of satisfaction on his part, claiming some retribution for his first innings torment. Significant signs of determination and immaculate temperament highlight how apt he is to fill the void left by Matty Hayden.

Hughes’ highest achievement to date surely came in the second test against South Africa in Durban. Scoring 115 and 160 in each innings against the next best cricketing nation on debut isn’t that shabby in all fairness. Hughes looked reassuringly comfortable at the crease, sustaining an early barrage of short balls from Dale Steyn, before executing an array of strokes to all parts of Kingsmead. His technique, wristy and animated, reminds me of Shiv Chanderpaul in a way, contrary to his predecessor Matty Hayden who much preferred to dominate attacks with his physical presence and expansive driving ability. Certainly promising times for Hughes and Australian cricket as they look to recover from losing the several legends who ruled the cricket world throughout the nineties and noughties. If Cricket Australia continue to assemble such promising young cricketers such as Phillip Hughes, then i am in no doubt that they will be able to continue to assert themselves at the top of the cricketing hierarchy.

Ronaldo unveiled for Corinthians

Anyone remember Ronaldo?, no not Cristiano Ronaldo who everyone has become alto involved with over the past few years, but the Brazilian striker Ronaldo, who also at one time dazzled the world with utter brilliance just as Cristiano does today. Whilst browsing through the sports segment on BBC online, i noticed that Ronaldo made his first competitive appearance for Corinthians yesterday, after 13 months out with a career threatening knee injury picked up whilst playing for AC Milan back in February last year.

It was great to hear that such a phenomenon that once was, winning his personal battle with injuries that could have seen his career ended prematurely. Although Ronaldo played only 29 minutes he showed flashes of skilfull wizadry and even came close to opening his account for Corinthians. Hopefully, big Ron, as he became known for more infamous reasons towards the end of his Real Madrid career can keep his fitness levels at their peak, and he can recapture the form that saw him collect the Ballon d’or on three occasions.

However, has Ronaldo signed for Corinthians for more selfish reasons than he lets on? The terms ‘stepping’ and ’stone’ springs to the minds of some sceptics I sense. Ronaldo’s contract seems pretty lucrative, earning around £115,00 per month but has only signed a one year contract with the newly promoted side. Personally i feel that clubs will not want to fall into the trap of taking a risk, just as AC Milan did. The Italian giants paid around 7.5 million euros for Ronaldo, he completed only 22 league games in two seasons. For all my admiration for Ronaldo, battling through injury and fitness saga’s and all his past critics, i regret to say that i dont think we will see the legend back on European shores anytime soon. The question still remains over his ability to actually last through a competitive season again, whilst being able to compete at the top level.

It would take a braver man than me to bring Ronaldo to Europe again, but still, just one more season of Ronaldo at his best, would be breathtaking!

Phil Taylor in Action

The late nineties and throughout the noughties has seen the evolution of a game which dates all the way back to medieval times. But ever since the first bristle dartboard was produced in 1932, the game of darts has rapidly grown from a game what people would enjoy whilst drinking a pint down at the local pub, to a national phenomenon which has taken Britain and parts of the World by storm. The sport comprises of two major companies in the industry, the BDO (British Darts Organisation) and the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) in which both contain a healthy roster of professional darts players.

I for one have been lured in with the rest of darts adoring fans with the new modern era of professional darts, which boasts many international events scattered across the world. The meteoric rise to fame could arguably be down to one Phillip Taylor. Accredited with 12 world titles since the PDC’s formation, and numerous other honours during his illustrious career, Taylor has relentlessly conquered all before him to reach unreachable heights within sporting history books. Taylor first won his world championship in 1995 defeating Rod Harrington after finishing runner up to Dennis Priestley the previous year. Amazingly, Taylor has appeared in every World Championship Final since 1994 barring the 2008 final between Canadian John Part and surprise package Kirk Shepherd who entered the tournament as a 500-1 qualifier.

Barry Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport and the PDC, deserves major credit for his role in darts’ new found popularity. Not only that, but Hearn has also used his influence in the sporting industry to promote other sports in the UK such as snooker and boxing. The Premier League of darts, a new tournament introduced in 2005 which sees the top eight players in the world based on tournament earnings, has generated  a massive income for the PDC. Sweeping the UK from Edinburgh to Brighton, the Premier League has added an exciting new dimension to darts, with flashing lights, colorful animation, and not to mention the very attractive walk on girls. From a personal perspective, the Premier League of Darts is a memorable experience. I attended the Hallam FM arena in Sheffield when the PDC was touring in 2007. The atmosphere could have emulated that of a steel city derby between United and Wednesday, nevermind just a night of darts.

Sid Waddell, the eccentric geordie who commentates along with John Gwynne, Stuart Pyke and Dave Lanning on PDC televised events, is someone who with outrageous and sometimes ridiculous comments to suit, has amassed a huge fanbase within the sporting world of darts. He has written many biographies of modern day players including Jockey Wilson, Phil Taylor and John Lowe. His book “Bellies and Bullseyes” was nominated for the British Sports Book Award for 2008. A feat which i would not dispute.

These are certainly exciting times for darts players and fans alike, prize money and the numbers of tournaments involved in the circuit across the world are fastly growing thanks to media coverage and advertising. World Championships finals have seen well over 500,000 viewers for the past 6 years and in 2009 it reached its all time peak of over a million viewers. This year there is up to £5 million up for grabs on the PDC circuit giving an opportunity for participants to relieve some of their money worries in this current economic doom and gloom.

Who knows what the future holds for the sport of darts…