Oh the Ashes, the Ashes..

I love the Ashes. I've been watching the India-New Zealand series for the past three weeks and tuning into day one of the Ashes at the Gabba the other day felt like walking out of the desert and into some sort of oasis where quality cricket thrives.

Sure, NZ competed well in India but I hadn't realised how much I'd missed seeing really GOOD cricket. And there really is nothing like a 120 year old sibling rivalry to draw the best out of a sport - as Peter Siddle quickly discovered.

By chance, I dropped by mum's on Thursday to drop some stuff off and decided to stay for a few quick minutes and watch some of the game. What a treat! Only four English wickets had fallen in the day to that point, but in the 20 odd minutes I was watching, Siddle had Cook caught at slip, Prior clean bowled for a golden duck and Broad (who I always think looks a bit like Draco Malfoy) out LBW for the same. It was the first test hatrick I've ever witnessed. And just for good measure he took the wicket of Graeme Swann just as I was getting up to leave. The line and length he was bowling (ie. full and straight) is so far removed from the innocuous stuff dished up by India and NZ as to seem almost like revelation.

Good to see a pitch with at least a little life in it too.

Also, loved watching Hussey and Haddin bat today. I never really saw Hussey playing during his purple patch a few years ago but if it was anything like the way he batted in this innings, it must have been something to see.

Hopefully Aussie can push on for a win and first blood!

Bowling update #1

So, my plan to post on this blog very day of the test series between India v New Zealand has so far been a big fail. Honestly, I've had a busy couple of weeks. I think I'll just review the whole series after the third and final test in Nagpur.

Now, to the topic at hand.

I mentioned in my introductory post that I'm a budding leg spinner. I only took it up at the start of the year and already I think I'm making really good progress. Most weeks I have a bowl in the nets with my friend Tony, but last night we got a few mates together and had a bit of a hit around on an actual pitch. When I saw the footmarks at the batsman's end, my eyes lit up. It was a veritable dust bowl, perfect for leg spin. My first wee spell bowling to Tony, I don't think he got a single shot out of the middle as the ball was turning pretty sharply. Later on, I bowled to another guy who used to play as a top order batsman. I quickly learned the dangers of straying on to his legs, as every time I did he whipped me away square. After one such ball, I decided to try and set a bit of a trap for him. I bowled one fullish on off-stump which turned away fairly dramatically. The next ball I bowled a googly which pitched on the same line but went straight on, maybe even turned the other way a little. It caught him playing all around his pads and eventually hit him in line with middle and leg. I was pretty stoked with that one because I'd come up with a plan and not only had I managed to execute it in terms of line and length, but it actually worked!

It was really encouraging to see that I can get plenty of turn on an actual pitch. Much more so than what I'm used to getting in the nets.

Wish List..

I'm super excited about the first test between New Zealand and India starting tomorrow. I love test cricket - even the games where my team has little to no chance of winning. Seeing as I've already written off any chance of a Black Caps victory, I have compiled a short personal wish list for this series.It reads something like this:

1. Kane Williamson to make his debut, and perhaps Hamish Bennett
2. Centuries to Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder and Williamson (if he debuts)
3. Brendon McCullum to open the batting and play a few innings in the Sehwag mold
4. To run India close in at least one match

If a few of those wishes are fulfilled I'll be reasonably happy with how the series has gone.

Over the course of the series, I'm going to attempt to update this blog daily.We'll see how we go.