DARREN BERRY Compliments of the season
Santa has delivered a sleigh full of cricket splendour over the break
COOK’S CHRISTMAS CRACKER
THE former England Captain had a horrible summer and it still may be his last series in an England shirt, but what cannot be denied is his class both on and off the field. The fourth Ashes Test will no doubt be one of his fondest memories. Scoring a double century at the MCG in the Boxing Day test is an amazing achievement. His marathon effort at the crease surpassed the great Sir Vivian Richards as the highest score by a visiting player against Australia in Melbourne. Sadly for England it took until the fourth Test of the series for Cook’s class to resurface.
LYON ROARS
NATHAN Lyon’s 12 months has been remarkable and to end this calendar year with the most Test wickets in the world should be applauded. He has made the art of off-spin very fashionable all of a sudden. Always seen as the poor cousin of leg-spin, his dipping offies have troubled the world’s best batsmen. To think just over 12 months ago he was on the verge of being omitted from the Adelaide Test to be replaced by Steven O’Keefe. If not for a last minute calf strain to O’Keefe, Lyon (pictured) may well have been done. Character and class has prevailed and the Lyon has roared loudest of all this year.
LYNN IS BACK
WOW! Chris Lynn only faced nine balls in his return to BBL but anyone who watched those nine balls will understand why he is the hottest T20 batsmen in the land. He is the cleanest striker of a cricket ball I’ve ever seen and hits them miles. The Brisbane Heat are a real dark horse to go all the way this BBL campaign as Lynn and his bash brother Brendan McCullum will cause chaos over the next few weeks. Make sure you pencil in your new year calendars all of the Heat matches. Strap your seatbelts on and get ready for the ride of your life.
BBL SURPRISES
THE Big Bash is once again proving a massive hit over this summer period and has thrown up some new exciting talent. The Melbourne Renegades were my pre-tournament favourites and have started well. Cameron White is in red-hot form and has shown his class and experience already this series. Perth Scorchers, with injuries to key players and Australian selection really hurting their list, are showing again that Justin Langer has built a culture of success over west and they continue to find a way to win. Melbourne Stars are notoriously slow starters and are 0-2 and playing poorly, so they must beat the Heat on January 2 or may well miss the finals for the first time. Adelaide has unearthed a beauty in overseas leg spinner Rashid Khan from Afghanistan as spin continues to be a crucial weapon in the shortest format.
VINES RIPE FOR PICKING
THE new year will surely bring good news for Geelong Cricket Club captain Eamonn Vines, who deserves an opportunity in the Victorian team. His summer of runs at grade and futures league level cannot be ignored any longer. 642 runs at 91 going into the Christmas break for Geelong has him on target to break all sorts of batting records. The Victorian selectors must create a spot for him when Sheffield Shield cricket resumes in February.
VALE: GEORGE MURRAY
I WAS deeply saddened to hear of the passing of legendary district cricket figure George Murray on Christmas Day. George served Fitzroy-Doncaster CC for more than 50 years as a player and then coach and finally in numerous administration positions. George recruited me as a 16-year-old schoolboy from Wonthaggi to Fitzroy-Doncaster and I am forever grateful for the faith and opportunity he presented me. He has influenced and guided so many sporting people over his 90 years on this earth. His days as a teacher/sports master at University High School were often spoken about by sporting luminaries such as John Coleman, Allen Aylett, Brent Crosswell, John Scholes, Gary Cosier, Les Joslin, Jack Potter, Colin Kinnear, Neil Balme and Joyce Brown. George was one of life’s true gentlemen and he will be sadly missed. RIP George Murray.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and look forward to a happy new year.