The other thing I wanted to pass comment on is the Australian cricket team's current insipid performance in India and their fading star in general. I can understand and would tolerate a downturn in performance a whole lot better if they didn't continue this whining, hypocritical and let's be honest - childish attacks on (particularly) Harbajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir and even less gracious, Sachin Tendulkar.
It makes me cringe when they go running to mummy because someone on the other team calls one of the Aussies a monkey, or digs an elbow into the bowler as they run past. I mean these aren't exactly the kind of attack that warrant global indignation. The hypocrisy of it (even if the Aussie's sledging is relatively innocent) is awful.
Ponting is one the finest batsman we've ever put on a cricket field, and a pretty decent captain generally. But there's something wrong in that head of his that just seems to make all these situations worse. Whenever he complains about something he only seems to aggravate the situation.
And as for the Aussie's cricket, well, they are looking pretty rag-tag these days. We've no consistently good bowling attack, and while all the bowlers are good on occasion, more often than not none of them are firing, which is no good thing, especially on the subcontinent. The batsmen can scrape together some runs between them on occasion but the lustre has well and truly gone.
The golden period is over for Australian cricket - with the loss of Warne, McGrath and Gilchrist, Australia has been reduced to a grumpy old toothless guard dog who thinks he still has it, but in truth should just stay in his kennel and keep out of the rain. But it's not going to stop him barking like mad at all and sundry.
It was an amazing time, and I'll still enjoy watching Pointing bat for a while longer, but the truth is that it's over.
RIP Aussie cricket.
P.S. "
Warne - The Musical" has started its run here. You know cricket is dead when it gets reduced to comic farce in the theatre.
No! No! November...
