Is this better than Wade??

Boxing Day Massacre

For those who attended day one of the second test they can proudly claim they saw nearly half of the entire test. What a shame. Sri Lanka's bowling was always going to be challenged; however, more was expected from a batting lineup with experience and determination. With Mahela looking out of sorts and Dilshan unable to curb attacking instincts, only 7 wickets to protect in the second innings were never going to be enough to prevent a win inside three days. With Sangakkara out for the rest of the summer Mahela will be looking forward to giving up the captaincy to Angelo Mathews or Samaraweera. With other injuries to key players Sri Lanka are so up against it heading to Sydney Aus could hand out 3 or 4 baggy greens and still be confident of winning. This is not meant to sound arrogant but Sri Lanka's indifference to test cricket has been exposed; as has the lack of depth. So much depends on Sangakkara and with Mahela looking distracted at the crease; uncharacteristically feeling for the ball outside off stump, it's hard to see how Sri Lanka can rebound. What have we learnt about Aus cricket this summer? If the series against South Africa had been 5 tests South Africa may have well have picked up two more wins; such was their improvement as the series wore on. A soft landing was provided by Sri Lanka's arrival. After an impressive introduction to 'Invers' this author has made a u-turn of opinion and is now scratching his head at two very different decisions. The first is the selection then non-selection of Quiney. 'Protecting' Hughes suggests one is afraid he is unable to handle the best attack in world cricket. How on earth can you then argue he is good enough for test cricket if you hide him against certain teams? So, Quiney was good enough to bat in the top order for his country BUT he was keeping a seat warm?!? Sorry, Invers, irrespective of one's view on Hughes's ability (and Lango is right about his back leg moving to leg-side; that's a terrible flaw to have against the moving ball) you have done a huge disservice to Quiney and sent a message that selection does not come with continuity. The second issue is bowlers being picked by conditioning experts rather than a panel paid to serve this role. To keep things simple; if a guy has a great game, improving as the game goes on and pulls up ready for the next challenge - why would you ever, ever not pick him for the next game? Do you want to bowl him out of form? What message are you sending this guy and all pace bowlers? 'Regardless of how you perform you're missing the next one, son'. Siddle missing the test following Adelaide was perhaps justified if he was doubtful he could perform his role. However; what is happening to Starc and Johnson is far from a horses for courses approach. What's next? Telling Clarke how many overs the bowlers should bowl? I wonder what Trent Copeland is making from all this. Did everything asked but it seems he was the bowling equivalent of Quiney. It appears picking the best 11 is secondary to warming seats so I hope players' bums don't burn. Leftriteout DTW

Backyard Champions

On indulgence but one I think you'll enjoy ...

 Christmas Day Test Matches

Have a great day in the lead in to the "G" all you DTW types.

Well Said Deano!!

B day D day

Wednesday 26 DecemberSummary Min 13 Max 22 Partly cloudy. Melbourne areaPartly cloudy. Winds southerly

The Hughes Protection

Can someone please explain to me why if, as stated by the national selectors, he was ready for a call up based on solid shield form, he was not ready for South Africa? For me Rob Quiney was the unfortunate victim of a protection plan for Hughes to work his way back to a regular spot in the side, whilst in the side batting against substandard bowlers.

 What changed between the two series for Quiney not to be given another chance? Is that the only chance you give a Victorian thrown in at number three when the best batsmen in the world at the moment refuses to promote himself up the order?

 Now Quiney is no doubt set for another year at least on the sidelines watching Hughes plunder junk runs against crap sides and then ultimately getting worked out again in England and at home next year.

Hughes' second innings dismissal told me he still hasn't put away the bad offside shots even though he has added a bit to his repertoire.I guess it doesn't matter if he wears a red cap now, he will always be a NSW boy and get opportunities and selection as a result.

day 5

Big day today, this is Test cricket!

110 runs per session- doable.
8 wickets required- doable.
One of the games best at the crease, dropped anchor, but always a potential match winner.
5 wickets to the SL spinner, so last days track should provide something  for Lyon...maybe?


and what about a Clarke replacement for Boxing day? Haddin! WTF!

an open letter to DTW

To my friends that i disappointed last summer when i pulled out of DTW, i'm sorry...but before i start sounding like K.Rudd, let me explain some more, please.

I was, at that time mentally exhausted with the effort of trying to make DTW more than what it actually needed to , which i now know it is best served as OUR place...for US. I had an idea of what i wanted it to be, and failed to see what it best served; a place for friends... i let my personal disappointment of my vision (and the amount of effort i poured in) govern my emotions and over ride what was really great about it...mate ship!

I was, at the time also very focussed  on another pursuit- still am, but am learning to balance life a little better, even though i'm still struggling with a few personal issues.

To me, the times we have together are just the most fun, and re-reading some of Nos' trip reports remind me of why they are so much fun.

To my OS and interstate friends, i'm sorry if my pull out came across as a snub, i've always valued your input and hope for more in the future.

The shut down was ALWAYS how i felt about my self, not how i felt about my friends.

Please PM if any of you would like to talk further.

Also, do any of you think this might work better as a FB page instead? Let me know.

Cris/Stoph/some twonk!

Screw Christmas, I Await the Day After

Awesome. DTW is back, and Boxing Day is just around the corner. It's what we wait for from the final siren of the oval ball game. There has been the disappointment of missing Brisvegas for various reasons but every cloud has a silver lining. Had we ventured up QLD we would have missed a whole day play, much like Boxing Day of a couple back... The last series posed more questions than it answered. Some of which I will list below.

 1. Why was Hughes protected from SA and Quiney thrown to the wolves? He now gets to plunder junk runs against a T20 side dabbling in test cricket. He will get found out in the Old Dart and although he has worked on his technique I think when things get hard he will revert to carelessness to bail him out.

 2. Why does Clarke continue to bat at five when his country needs him at three? Australia were three for not many so often he came in when a number three would anyway. This series is perfect for Clarke to cut his teeth at three and make it his. He doesn't bowl enough to use the Steve Waugh example and lets not forget Steve had his brother doing OK to justify it. When Clarke sent Ponting to four it should have been so he himself could bat at three.

 3. Is Mitch Johnson back? The selectors bumped a few others to make room, has he been given the green light? He bowled well in Perth but was hardly deadly. I like the guy and would love to see him prosper but the other Mitch is better off with the opportunity at this stage.

 4. Should Nathan Lyon say something to Warnie regarding his disrespect for all spinners in the country? Lyon is the quickest to fifty wickets of any offie and Warne makes out he would be a walk up start. Apparently he is bowling better than he has since he retired. I can only guess he retired because his bowling was going downhill so why would we want to step back six years?

 5. Will Dave Warner make the fastest double tonne ever against SL? It's on the cards. I hope it's in Melbourne on day one.

 And so these are my queries on the current state of Australian cricket. Certainly not all encompassing but nevertheless intriguing. I look forward to seeing most of you on the holiest of holy days. Lefty, get your phone set up for video chat as I will stream the first ball for you so you will see what we see.

Return of the Ring(hole)

Thank you Nos for helping me see that i've been an absolute TWONK regarding this site.

3 Tests down without a word, so i'll just throw these few out about Hobart starting today:
Bellerive green top expected to be a minefield?

Siddle being a veggo resulted in him not backing up for Perth?

Mitch J's return at Perth?

Hughes back...at 3?

SR or Aus?

Watto at 4 so he can bowl more?

wish we were there now as my plans to take a lunch time swim in the Derwent would be well loved during the current heat!

HOWZAT! Run out? No, just retiring.

Well, after 355 posts (including this one), 2 T-shirts, kilts, kilometers, 20528 views from all parts of the globe a couple of road trips -and flights by Lefty- many beers, even more overs and innings, team changes, legends leaving, mentions in the Vic Pol newsletter,4 changes in page layout, hundreds of posts in other blogs/forums/sites to gain interest in DTW, and laughs; great belly laughs, i've decided it is time for me to pull the pin on DTW. Well, my involvement with DTW that is; if anybody is interested in taking over control please let me know and i'll arrange access.

I'm not taking this course without a lot of reflection and consideration- it has certainly been a lot of fun. At times (behind the scenes an incredable lot of work too!), but i've arrived at this descision based on my passion dwindling away to the point that i think what i had as a vision for the blog has now become redundant and unworkable; it is certainly not motivating me.

I still remember the day i set it up, i was sick in bed and i was sick to death of forum keyboard warriors flexing their enter key in everyones faces, safely tucked away behind a monitor. The common theme was attack everybody and every thing, never give a reason and never make a consession... very boring and pointless. i decided that there must be a more fulfilling way and so looked around for something.

The hours it took me to put together the first format were frustrating but to see it up and running left me totally rapt!
Then as you blokes joined in and shared your passion for this game that we love it all seemed so worth it as i posted comment and copy in every format i could find on the net so as to try and build interest and a following.

Now that i have asked you all your thoughts on the direction of DTW, it seems it can not be all things to all people and at this time now it is nothing to me.
I no longer have the time to pursue this with the passion i conceived it deserved, and quite frankly, i have other interests that i am wishing to advance and are engrossed in.

It is not that i'm no longer keen on all things cricket, but i just don't think i have steered this to a place i originally thought it could have gone.

thanks once again Sledgey, Nos, Lefty and Lango for all of your contributions, encouragement and comment. It's been... ongoing!

stoph

DTW 2012, the Next Frontier!

Another Test summer has come and gone and am feeling a little empty now...nothing on TV, the grandstand team are talking about our individual women's synchronised swimming prospects at the Olympics......I nearly watched tennis!

So thought I would bring our next trip into some sort of focus.

Seth Efrika are touring for 3 tests from the start of November, I am guessing Perth, then Brisbane then Adelaide?

Then we have the Lankans for Three tests as well as other shenanigans...Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart (again guessing) I have not been able to find any fixed venues or dates, although that far from means that they don't exist.

So, since it will be a flight to the next venue and more time would need to be taken off work, it might be best to get some half baked ideas at least...where do we want to go?

We have Engerland again in 2013 for 5 Tests so that may mean Hobart is off the menu for watching the soap dodgers down there.

I am easy, but then again you knew that.

DTW Sydney Tour 2012

Welcome everybody to the third installment, and second interstate trip for the DTW crew.

This time we venture to picturesque Sydney as we take in the sights of lovely uptown Oxford Street and the quaint SCG facilities.

The boys arrived at my place in Greensborough right on time for a 7 o'clock departure and I took the first driving post. Selfish I know but it's my car so go suck a slips cordon.

Lefty was good enough to provide the box set of Twelfth Man so we laughed our way to Sydney. Who will ever forget the Hansie Cronje segment, which I am sure, is our favourite.

Our arrival in Sydney was seamless as was the hotel check in and we were greeted by the sight of beautiful Hyde Park and the War Memorial. We unpacked our bags and decided to pay our respects and also venture through the surroundings.

Hunger struck and it was off to Oxford Street to se what was on offer. Apart from strip clubs and closed pubs it was starting to look a bit hopeless but we found a lovely little Brazilian place, with an even lovelier waitress so we stayed to sample the culinary delights of the Latino people.

My run in with the insecticide the day before was starting to really punish me so I darted to the latrine for a salute to Huey. Someone else entered but my care was almost zero as I vomited what amounted to only bile to loud dry reach sounds. Luckily it was only Lefty.

Thankfully I was able to hold down to the food but drinking was definitely off the menu.

Back to the hotel and it was time to utilise the facilities on the roof. Pool, spa and sauna and then I was feeling much better. Laughs were had as we lounged in luxury to a spectacular view of Sydney's nighttime skyline twenty-three floors up. Magnificent.

I plummeted again as I lay in bed later and watched as the boys got well and truly lubricated. It was then time to share the bed with a very amorous Lefty. Not much sleep was had but excitement about the coming day's cricket may have had more to do with it than Lefty's hands...but they were everywhere.

And so it was up the next morning for a quick workout and swim and then it was off to the real stuff. The walk up Oxford Street punctuated by the sounds of Ghost Chips and Twelfth Man impersonations. Stoph grabbed some sly booze and we eyed the SCG for the first time. A truly lovely Members Stand the first scene.

As we entered to the news that India had won the toss and would bat all manner of predictions were bandied around and I must admit I thought we were in for a long day of watching them pile on the runs. If not for the surroundings, company and the thought of a Sachin master class I may have felt a little down.

What followed was a great day of Aussie bowling. It was so good to see the young fellas and Victorians serving it up to the seasoned veterans of India's top order. I won't bore you with all the statistics and reviews of the actual cricket, as you know them already.

Some kids behind had obviously been allowed out by their mothers and decided it would be gnarly to annoy the grown ups as they ate their packed lunches. And by kids I mean twenty and very smart mouthed. It was all I could do to not turn around and give them a serve. Not why we were there.

Stoph was on a mission and was doing fine by the time I wandered up to him with about an hour left. I greeted him and was treated to some good old-fashioned drunken gibberish. It sounded important so I smiled and nodded.

Outey decided it might be a good idea to give him a big hug but failed to notice he was nursing a cup of water so it was splashed on everyone in front of us. A member of the local constabulary of the female persuasion was forced to ask if he was drunk, or just a dickhead. Harsh, very harsh. She then proceeded to order him to sit down like she was his mother. Thankfully Outey has testicles and proceeded to ignore her. So many comebacks could have been aimed at her but getting ejected was not what any of us wanted.

And so it was time to leave with the Aussies in a commanding position in the cricket but Stoph in not such a commanding position with his faculties. Outey and I began talking and within minutes had lost Stoph and Lefty. Our hope was they knew how to get back to the hotel.

We eyed some of the finest eye candy known to man as we headed back and Outey eyed a pair of breasts from across the road. Having experienced Oxford Street before I was dubious as to "her" gender position and pointed it out. My fears were confirmed but there was no remorse from Outey. A set of big tits, is a set of big tits.

We ducked into the bottle shop with still no signs of Stoph and Lefty.

Our arrival in the hotel was met with relief as our friends were already preparing for a swim. We still have not confirmed why they felt it necessary to run 1km in order to beat us back to the room, or how Stoph managed to do it in his condition.

How good did the swim feel? Outstanding!!. Soaking up the heat from the day and replacing it with a feeling of relaxation we once again moved to laughter and shenanigans. We really are not right...

Another relaxing swim and it was downstairs to greet my mate Bernd. Introductions in the room were carried out to the sight of Stoph’s landing gear and full frontal nudity. Who doesn’t want to be introduced to a naked man?

Pizza and wine on the rooftop with some more laughs and again it was time to crawl into the bed with Lefty. Earplugs helped a little as the three of them performed a snoring sonata. Outey the rumbling bass, Stoph the rhythm and Lefty carrying the harmony quite well. Eventually fatigue got me but not before I considered sleeping in the bathtub.

Morning arrived to a relaxing swim and it was off to watch Clarke smash them to all parts on his way to a classy 200 not out. The happenings of the day were a little more subdued. Stoph kept his vow to stay off the turps.

I attempted to push through the bloated barrier and tie one on, but crashed not long before tea. The next hours spent strolling around the SCG, up and down levels to finally settle just beside the Channel 9 cameraman to watch Clarke reach his double ton. What a crowd reaction!

The days play ended and we settled in for the long stroll back to the hotel which seemed to get longer each time we did it. Eye candy aplenty was accepted with glee. Pashing lesbians greeted us at Taylor Square as all and sundry ogled them. Not uggos neither!

And so back to the room, a swim and then a search for a more suitable place to dine than the cosmopolitan that is Oxford Street. We headed towards George Street instead.

We settled on a counter attack and adjourned to an upstairs table and a view over the passing parade of lovely lasses. Sydney girls truly know how to dress.

I turned my attention to the menu and had the misfortune of raising the topic of a good steak. For our readers I will only say that Lefty should not be questioned on this matter. His rebuke still stings a little even to this day.

So the meal was had and we once again returned to the room. Some more drinks later it was time to venture to the farter only to discover that the maid had taken my earplugs. Whore! What followed was six unbroken hours of torturous insomnia. Jesus boys, see a doctor.

Morning came and breakfast was the idea. I proceeded to get the boys lost in The Rocks looking for a park so we assholed Sydney and headed home. Cheers boys for taking the driving duties. The kip was nice to the sound of Clarke teasing the Indians as 300 cam and went.

And so that was the DTW Sydney trip. Once again a champion adventure with even better blokes. We now look forward to planning our next trek to the greatest game on earth.

As the stocks rise

With the trophy already in the cabinet Australian cricket can breathe a sigh of relief as the test summer winds down with a dead rubber in Adelaide remaining. This pitch will be the first absolute road from ball 1 for the summer and one can expect India to look forward to batting first should they win the toss. India will be without Dhoni - hopefully someone else can fill in on details with the penalty for slow overs rates. On the surface this looks to be too large a penalty but I haven't found any reports as to exactly what Dhoni has been penalised for. I am also unsure who will be India's keeper. Dravid does the job when Dhoni bowls or is off the field but as Dhoni won't start the answer is unclear.

Before getting into Australia's performance a few comments on India's abject display. Noone could have forseen such a pityful display with the bat. Sehwag is obviously the biggest issue as being 1 for within half an hour every time puts the batting side on the back foot right away. I don't care what anyone says, if your natural game is to waft outside off to a seaming, steeply bouncing ball and you either don't or can't curb that habit when you're continually getting out; you're not doing your job. Dravid has shown signs of resilience but not been able to go with it as he did in England. Tendulkar has sparkled and confused in the same innings while Laxman looks like playing his last test in Adelaide. Gambhir has improved as the tour has worn on and Kohli's stocks have risen. It's easy to assume India will relish on the Adelaide Highway but............

There's every reason to believe Aus will unleash hell with the bat too. Save Marsh every batsman has contributed in this series. Marsh will play so this will provide him a great opportunity to spend hours at the crease and get some confidence back to take to West Indies. Cowan and Warner look solid as an opening pair; Ponting, Clarke and Hussey have made big scores. Then there's Haddin. I don't hide my dislike for the guy; he seems to be an unintelligent human being and with the publicity being an elite sportsperson receives if you are stupid then it's best you don't say much. He does and then backs it up with shoddy glove work and poor batting. I actually gave him a send-off when Zaheer got him out in Perth. Poor form indeed but no poorer then him running toward the Swarmy Army after taking a regulation catch in Sydney. They are supporting their team you idiot; not targeting you! Can Watson keep?

Anyway, since my heart rate has returned to normal, onto the bowlers. It's always a great sign when you have a revolving door of quicks that can go into the side and do a job. Anyone of Cummins, Harris, Pattinson, Starc, Hilfenhaus or Siddle could get a run and you'd back them in to perform. The interesting thing for me is not that noone is saying 'I wish Johnson was available' but has anyone heard Bollinger mentioned? I bet the answer is 'no'. The youth and inexperience of the pace bowlers is no more evident than Siddle being considered the leader with Hilfenhaus and Harris seen as seniors of the attack. There are 59 test appearances between the 3 of them.

Before Perth, pundits claimed there was still big problems with Aus' top order. 2 out of the 3 have then made runs. The big question now is 'how long can Ponting and Hussey play?' They will both tour West Indies and then the next test series is next summer. Will they tour England 2013? Should they? What should be used as a gauge of their worth? There's little doubt Ponting has contributed with more than just the bat, Hussey likely the same. While we're watching the price of carrying dad's army in a test series through India, it's unlikely Aus will experience anything like that. Hussey and Ponting look fit and firing in the field while Laxman and Sehwag look tired. Personally I don't think either Hussey or Ponting should go to England in 2013. This then provides the timeframe for a transition strategy. One gets the feeling with both of these players, however, that a tap on the shoulder will be needed.