Reverse Swing

Responding to accusations from Thommo and others that he is past it, Glenn McGrath states he is “not a man of leisure.”

“The World Cup is what I am aiming for, but it’s not the cut-off period for my career.

As I have said before, I would like 400 one-day wickets and 600 Test wickets.

The story that I was a “man of leisure” this week also surprised me. A lot of the time playing and bowling out in the middle is the easy part. The hard part of being a fast bowler is the training and travelling that goes with it.”

It shocks me sometimes to think I am almost 36.

Jason Gillespie may have disappeared from the Aussie team halfway through the Ashes, and has not featured since, but chair of selectors Trevor Hohns has not forgotten him.

“It’s not too late, he’s only 30,” Hohns told AAP. “It’s up to him. He’s got to be bowling how he was before the Ashes and we’ve got to make a judgment on that.”

But it was fellow paceman Shaun Tait who caught the eye with 4-32 in South Australia’s win over Victoria.

time for a comeback

Somerset have chosen to go down the path of up and coming overseas stars rather than the international test captains of recent years. Cameron White is the leg-spinning all rounder, Dan Cullen, the highly rated off-spinner, and Charl Willoughby the experienced left-arm seamer. Hopefully, this approach will bring more continuity to the team

Attending a badly organised presentation Indian captain, Rahul Dravid, takes
a certain path

While the Pakistan Cricket Board resorts to giving away free tickets for the forthcoming series
against India
Cricket Australia debates restrictions on the sales of
Ashes tickets

It’s not just Simon Jones who is going to the Dennis Lillee Academy in Chenai on 25th January. When he tests out his ankle Troy Cooley and Kevin Shine will accompany him. The ECB plan for the succession to Troy Cooley as fast bowling coach may very well be a Dennis Lillee/Kevin Shine combo. Sajid Mahmood of Lancashire and Mark Footitt of Nottinghamshire will also be making the trip

Ian Blackwell joins the speculation and without revealing his hand, confirms that neither Ponting nor Smith have signed. Of the two overseas players who have signed, one of them is relatively unknown

Some speculation on the Somerset unofficial website Grockles, as to the identity of the county’s overseas signings for next summer. Somerset is the last county to declare any overseas signings, and apparently an announcement is due on Monday. Names have been bandied around but the “insider info” claims both Smith, and Ponting are out of the picture: the former because of SA commitments and the latter because he wants to spend some more time with his wife.

In true insider fashion the informant is unable to name the names of those who have been signed.

With the test series between India and Pakistan imminent, the inventor of reverse swing, Safraz Nawaz, offers some thoughts on the slower ball, cocking the wrist, using the crease, as well as Shoaib’s run-up.

As he says, it’s not just shining the ball

Mike Selvey exposes the folly of Cricket Australia as they announce plans to put players’s nicknames on their shirts for the Twenty20 match against South Africa.

Tanya Aldred comes up with an alternative New Year’s Honours List including both Ricky Ponting and Gary Pratt.