Mary Jane in The World of Cricket

Dale enjoying his off-field life

2009-12-17T17:10:00.001Z

While the other SA players were giving everything they have to win this test, a cameraman managed to show us a glimpse of where our injured test hero has been..

Hmm I seriously wonder what Jeanne has to say on this.. where r u Kietzmann?? your man is drifting away..

Oh my..

AB, the Heart Breaker

2009-12-08T09:45:00.001Z

Well, unfortunately the rumours surrounding us about AB's new love is nothing but a Fact. And I'm thoroughly convinced about it now. Yes, AB indeed is no longer MY! :(
And here's the prove..

Apparently, you do know how obsessed I am with this man, so yes I've figured out every bit of who this girl is, what she does and yes EVERYTHING!

I'd be a lame liar If I dont call this girl pretty, because the fact is, that she really is pretty which kinda sucks!

Her name's Carly Weinberg and she's a journalist. She runs her own cricket blogging website too which is quite cool - www.carlyweinberg.com

Well this news, is certainly giving pain to my lonely heart, but Whatever! Atleast AB's found himself a prettier gf than that of Biff!

Hmph! My love stealer!

B & B

2009-12-08T09:34:00.001Z

^ Thats Biff and Brigitte for you!

So CSA has finally put up some new pics of the gals who went with our SA boys to the english welcome party, where they even got a few glimpse of Biff's Brigitte..

I TOLD YOU, Biff takes Brigitte everywhere he goes! Whats the obsession Skip? eh?

Boys and Girls..

2009-12-01T09:52:00.000Z

Everyone stand up and Congratulate our dear old Albie Morkel on becoming a Daddy today! Yes, today 1st December Albie becomes a proud father of his long awaited baby. And for heaven's sake, dont think this is some kind of a lame joke or something. A friend of mine has Morkel as a friend on Facebook, from where he has come to know of the good news and informed me.
Congrats Albie :)

Steyn, the Nobody

2009-11-28T09:52:00.000Z

So, Dale bowled pretty badly in yesterday's ODI against the Poms, which is now a usual thing from him these days (oh dale, what happened to you??) Morne and Parny made up for his poor bowling, by sharing 8 wickets between them though. But thats not gonna work everytime Mr Dale Williem Steyn!! You need to pick your wickets yourself and not run back to the dressing room even before the match is finished with the thought "Oh I rather go and rest now. Morne and Parnell are here to do the job!" Dammit! Before the match started I had HUGE expectations from Dale, because I thought its been pretty long time since he contributed with the ball, But *sigh* he failed again!
More of these performances, and we'll soon see a certain name, Dale Steyn, missing from the playing XI. Mind it oh people of the world!

Jacques Henry Kallis

2009-11-26T17:56:00.000Z

Injury Times baby!

The door opened. Jacques Kallis entered and spoke to the receptionist.

"I have an appointment about my rib problem," he said.

"Certainly, sir," said the receptionist.

"I got to the buffet and Graeme Smith had been and had the lot," said Kallis, visibly upset.

"There was hardly anything left and it's not fair. I've written a letter. I had to make do with just a few steaks and some chicken in jam and a trifle."
A figure looked up from playing Grand Theft Auto IX: Downtown Joburg on his Portable Nintendo Wii 360.
"Hiya Jacques," said Alastair Cook. "What are you in for?"

"I'm wasting away here," said Kallis. "Ribs. What about you?"

"I've picked up a bit of a back niggle," said Cook. "It's probably the pressures of leadership. A lot of great leaders have suffered from dodgy backs - Atherton, Brearley, Alexander The Great, the Green Power Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers."

"Oh ja," said Kallis. "Trotty was saying that you were not feeling too great."

"Trotty?" said Cook. "When did he tell you that?"

"Yesterday," said Kallis. "In the team meeting. Trotty was walking down the corridor. He heard Smith shouting in Afrikaans about mentally disintegrating Andrew Strauss and got confused. He thought it was Pietersen showing his full support for the England regime, went in the wrong dressing room and there you go."

Another patient looked up from his BlackBerry.
"I'm in a right old state," said Graeme Swann. "It's my side. I fear it may have split from all these hilarious tweets."

"You think you've got problems," said Stuart Broad. "First I had that operation to transplant in a really good cricketing brain for a young lad, then I had all those problems with my buttocks."

"Oh yeah," said Cook. "You did have to put up with a lot of kissing in that area after you bowled those three good overs in just the one match last summer."

"Too right," said Broad. "And now it's my shoulders. I can't keep carrying this team for ever, you know. Now I understand how Fred felt."

"Mr Flintoff?" said the receptionist. "One of our best customers. At least, until that unfortunate incident with the oxygen chamber and the stolen canister of helium that led to his rescue by the South African air force."

All present stood to salute the talismanic allrounder (or at least all those who could stand without feeling a niggle), before a nurse dispensed isotonic sports-recovery drinks to the England players and a small jug of gravy to Kallis.

Baby Morkel comes back

2009-11-24T18:53:00.002Z

Yep, he's coming back People!!
..To take his brother's place MOST PROBABLY?
C'mon all, lets be honest Who else would you drop from the starting XI, if you want to give Morne a place in the squad?? Maybe Alviro Peterson?? No, Gibbs has already booked his place there. And to worse things up, Parnell too might be coming back for the reminder of the series. Then? Whom will you drop from this squad to play Morne? I'm afraid to say, but Albie is the only option (Sorry Sid)

Albie's been bowling horribly and his batting is getting Worse every game.
Sorry Albertus, but looks like Morne is in for revenge here. Remember what you did to his Test place to make your Test debut?? Yep, Serves you right deary!

Back to spread love!

Evil Steyn!

2009-11-24T18:40:00.002Z

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=3066&art_id=vn20091122130248883C949687

Sorry for being so quite all these days.

Anyways, so The english demons have beaten some Protea butts in their ODI encounter then. Well, no comments regarding that! My boys played like losers and gave the bloody Poms a chance to beat them so comprehensively.

Above all these, one thing that I was worried about while watching the 2nd ODI, was AB's right foot. NO, Not because he's got lovely feet, but because a certain Dale Steyn managed to hurt his Long time Titans team-mate during the Team's football session, ahead of the 2nd ODI.

AB de Villiers had to undergo a lengthy treatment session during the side's warm-up kick-about before the first ODI after being spiked on the right ankle by Dale Steyn.

Despite this, he didnt even regret his silly mistake! Hmph!

"Of course I did it deliberately, he's a Manchester United fan," said Steyn, who supports Chelsea.

Wow! and you call yourself a friend, Dale?? Bloody hell. I seriously need to tell AB to stay away from you from now on.

Smith Dumps Kallis

2009-11-12T17:55:00.002Z

http://www.sport24.co.za/Content/Cricket/EnglandinSA/3513/952b17331736481ea83035b648172757/12-11-2009-02-43/Bosman_to_open_in_Eng_Pro20

LOL Biff betrayed his old time Boy Friend!!
So, mr Biff didnt pick Kallis in the playing XI for the first t20 tomorrow. I thought it was pretty strange of Biff to do something like this, seeing that he has never ever dumped his Boys, not even Boucher.
Oh well, Biff turns out to be a very harsh friend in the end then. See AB, thats why I always ask you stay away from the Meany man.

Anyways so he selected Loots Bosman instead to open the batting. Maybe he's good, but as good as Jacques?? Nah...

Mickey though says that he wants to give all the 15 players a chance to play and hence Loots got a chance. CHANCE Mickey?? What? Is this a match against Kenya or something?? You wanna experiment with your "already good team" against the Poms?? Why??

My Biff dumped me?? I'm going to commit suicide.

Poor Kid

2009-11-11T09:17:00.001Z

Just take a look at this horrible sight! An innocent kid captivated by Biff the Buffalo!! Bless my poor soul!

I feel so sorry for the child! Having been forced to sit with Biff for a conversation. My word! Wonder what he must be going through. Although scared, he is keeping a nice innocent smile on his face, because he knows what Biff can do.

I'm just thinking, what the conversation must have gone like? Something like..

Biff: Hello Boy

Kid: Hi Graeme! I'm a huge fan of yours and I...

Biff: Do you know you remind me a lot of Gibbsy?

Kid: Really? how?

Biff: Your hairstyle matches DUH!

Kid: Oh yes, I see. So, How are the preparations going for the England..

Biff: Have you seen my Girl friend?

Kid: Yeah I did

Biff: Isnt she GORGEOUS??

Kid: Umm, err.. actually, I guess.. err

Biff: Well ofcourse she is!! and if she isnt then I'll replace her with Shamone Jardim. I'm sure Kallis wont mind.

Kid: Jacques seriously wont mind??

Biff: He better not. More importantly, why should he mind?? He's got Bouch to give him company..

Kid: ...

Biff: Why are you wearing the same coloured shirt as me???

Kid: I didnt know that you too will wear..

Biff: No excuses please! I know you did it because you are crazy about me, like hundreds other right?? Ah, being famous feels goood!

Kid: I'm sure it does.. So the preparations for the Eng..

Biff: Did you read my amazing book??

Kid: Not full, but a little, its fantastic..

Biff: You havent finished reading yet?? OMG! Do you know I made all my team-mates read it, and even asked questions regarding the stories in the book just to see how attentively they read it??

Kid: They all read it???

Biff: Ofcourse! After all, they do care about their places in the team...I mean err.. yes they did!

Kid: Oh.

Biff: well kid. I gotta go now. Briggite must be waiting for me. You managed to waste 15 minutes of my precious time for this silly interview, so congrats!

Kid: But... oh well!

Well, what else did you expect from this interview Kid?? Thats what Biff is, accept it!

Well done England

2009-11-11T08:50:00.000Z

Well done on getting beaten by an SA A Side.
Well done on getting all out for 89 runs
Well done on letting the SA crowds know how you play
Well done on giving such a miserable performance against a List A side
Well done on making me so happy that you lost
Well done on playing in the same poor way that you played against the Aussies
Well done for proving me right, that you all are a bunch of lame losers!!
Oh, and well done on making me proud of my Proteas again

Thanks guys!! You all are really sweet! Except Broad ofcourse, because he's been growing a strange beard that I just cant Ignore!

Busted!

A Few Questions..

2009-11-08T16:40:00.000Z

So, SA beat Zimbabwe in the first ODI by 45 runs today, surprise surprise!
I thought it was a pretty average performance by the Saffas, as defending a modest total of 295, the bowlers looked so hopless against the batsmen of Zimbabwe. The bowlers started of pretty nicely, restricting Zimbabwe to 48-5 in the early overs, but all of them lost their momentum after the rain break.
Whatever, watching today's match, a few questions popped in my mind that I would really like my Saffa boys to answer. AND I MEAN IT!

Smith- Are you confused when to play your god damn bowlers and where to keep your god damn fielders during the important stages of the match?? And why the bloody hell did you not play Roela??

Amla- Just a little saying for you to remember.. Fielding is as important as Batting!

AB- Why do you have a habbit of getting out during the crucial stages of the match AND Taking so much risks while playing your shots??

Boucher- Dont you think you no longer Rock?? You dropped a bloody catch during the early overs of the match and you obviously sucked at batting AS USUAL!

Petersen- Who are you and why dont you field PROPERLY???

Albie- Did anyone teach you how to bowl?? if not, then please stop bowling for the team, and make it more difficult for them to win!!

McLaren- When you knew that breaking that long partnership was so easy, Why did you take so long to do so???

Botha- Do you play well only when you're the captain of the side??

Steyn- Did you see your economic rate?? Highly unimpressive!

Tsotsobe- Why do you have such a strange name AND why do you bowl so Bad??

Langeveldt- Who Brought you back in the side???? not even a single wicket to your name. Shame!

Arthur- Who the hell told you that Zimbabwe is an easy opponent, that you picked Such a Squad to face it???

Would you all please care to answer me????

The Morne Factor

2009-11-08T05:48:00.000Z

All these days, Morne was taken to be an inconsistent, highly un-economical and 'needs to be improved' sort of a player. He wasnt given any chance in any of SA's international squads (nor even in the series against Zimbabwe) by the selectors. South Africa called upon old boy Langeveldt when they fell short of a bowler, but didnt turn their eye on Morne. Why? Because he is inconsistent and Useless..Right!

Wrong! He's probably not as much useless as you think him to be South Africa. And his performance against the Lions the other day (where he took 5 wickets) just gave me enough courage to say this. Yes, he gives away too much runs, but who doesnt?? Yes he was inconsistent, and was sent back to the domestic arena to improve himself. But now when he has improved, why hesitate in bringing him back??
I am highly dissappointed that Morne was not given a place in the squads even against a team like Zimbabwe! C'mon SA, Is he THAT Bad??

Jobs for the Proteas

2009-11-04T17:12:00.002Z

http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/cricket/2009/11/04/jobs-for-protea-pals/
Lmao this is one funny stuff I found! Ok so literally, someone just came up with the idea of giving our SA boys, some suitable jobs. Ok, Here Goes!

Graeme Smith: Seeing he is left-handed he could be a taxi driver. It helps with collecting the fares.

Taxi Driver?? Hahahaha Imagine him giving free services to Minki and Briggite everytime they get on his cab!

Jacques Kallis: Judging from the Sanex commercial, he has no future in the screen trade. Judging by his demeanour, what better job than to return to Wynberg Boys High as a maths teacher.

Maths teacher? why? I rather see him as a cook, as he obviously spends a lot of time in his kitchen, I ASSUME!

AB de Villiers: He could join the Six And Out band with Brett Lee. They could perform a guitar duet.

Brett wont take him, so dont even think about it!

Mark Boucher: Put a hat on him, and he is the guy in the Farmer Brown ad. So farmer it is, then. I can picture him leaning on the farm gate, which will carry a big sign: TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT.

Right! the job is as confusing as the man himself!

Herschelle Gibbs : Barman at the Locomotive Hotel in Salt River. Or propping up the bar there.

Hehe! I can only laugh!

Dale Steyn: He’s keen on fishing, so put him in charge of a Hout Bay trawler. He’s always wanted to live in the Cape anyway.

Wanted to?? what do you mean?? He has already moved to Cape Town, for his Love.

JP Duminy: With footwork like that, a dancer.

Oh really??

Makhaya Ntini: He can go back to his roots and become a farmer (next door to Boucher) and run cattle.

Aww and he can sing Old Makhaya had a farm Eya Eya O! ..all day long!

Johan Botha: with an unchanging visage, and a hand that can bowl a doosra: Professional poker player

Cool!

Roelof van der Merwe: he’s good the build, he’s got the attitude… traffic cop. An angry one at that.

And the first person he'll arrest will be KEVIN PIETERSEN! I know he will. He promised me so!

Paul Harris: personal trainer.

*giggle*

Good Old Duminy

2009-11-03T15:46:00.001Z

These boys always find enough time to help the needed ones. See! I dont love them for Nothing!

http://www.sport24.co.za/Content/Cricket/245/4f4a47d429664a5caba79451b722568a/03-11-2009-09-39/Duminy_bats_for_Red_Cross

Cape Town - International cricketing sensation JP Duminy has been selected as the first ever Ambassador for the Children's Hospital Trust, the Fundraising Arm of the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape Town.

The Hospital is the only stand alone, specialist hospital in southern Africa dedicated entirely to children.

The launch of a formal Trust Ambassadors' programme provides the perfect opportunity for well-known and respected individuals to give back to their community in a meaningful way.

Trust Ambassadors are not remunerated and choose to give of their time to make a difference in the lives of children and contribute to the future of the country.

While Duminy continues to excel on the cricket pitch he will now extend his responsibilities to helping sick children who are treated at the Hospital each year.

As a Trust Ambassador Duminy will act as a public representative for the Children's Hospital Trust by attending high profile fundraising events and spending quality time with the Hospital's brave little patients.

Graeme Smith fans..

2009-11-02T15:24:00.002Z

Check out his new website. Its out!
Its not quite the site you'd expect a captain of a national side to have, but as they say it, Something is better than Nothing!
Anyway here's the Link-
http://graemesmith.co.za/

and by the way, did you know that Biff even uses Twitter? No? well he does.. http://twitter.com/graemesmith49

Love

2009-11-01T15:31:00.000Z

My Saffa lads always find a little time for themselves to mess around during matches. And one those Times occured during the Titans Match against the Eagles too..

Yeah see what I mean??

I know the person on the right is AB, although very confused who the other guy is. Any guesses? It cant be Paul coz he is acting innocent in the pic..

CJ You Piece of SHIT!

2009-11-01T15:25:00.001Z

That moron bowled my AB during their match against the Titans today, Can you believe it??
and I thought all De Villiers' were good! Pah!
Well I certainly wasnt right, was I?

Anyways I'm just glad that AB got out after scoring a well played 65 of 67 balls. Rudy the Rudolph got more than him though, 76 of 83 balls, oh well Nevermind!
Dale Steyn picked up 4 wickets, which he should really be proud of, especially after not giving a real good performance in their first match. He also bagged the Man of the match award.
I am totally thrilled now that all three of my boys played so well and made CJ and his team look like a bunch of hopeless jokers.

Now, I can say that my boys are well prepared to take on the stupid, nasty, irritating PoMs! oh and Zimbabwe too..

Star!

Come back Rudy!

2009-10-31T12:49:00.001Z

I meant Jacques Rudolph, the South African cricketer!
Anyone who watched his innings for the Titans yesterday would know exactly why I want Rudy to be back in our line-up!
Every Kolpak that has left SA succeeded in making me an enemy of them, except this guy. Ever since I started watching cricket, I managed to grow a soft spot for Jacques Rudolph in my heart. Not only because he was an arch enemy of Biff, but also because he was an absolute asset to the team. He was without any doubt, a treat to watch!

When I started supporting SA, it were the last stages of Rudy playing for them. He was on the verge of leaving SA and becoming another KP. I was shocked, deeply shocked! At that time he was my hero, just like AB is now. I couldnt believe myself that I wont be seeing Rudy in the ever beautiful green jersey ever again.
Just like every other fan, I too was upset to see yet another KP emerging from the country. But was equally pleased that the Proteas showed Rudy what he was missing! All their success down under and every where was a lesson for Rudy to take. Sadly, Rudy till today is known just an average domestic cricketer, whereas all his national team-mates are known as the players from the number one side in World Cricket (well sorta!) Serves him Right I guess

Days, Months, Years passed by and one day I heard that Rudy says he wants to come back and play for South Africa. I was overjoyed by the news, because although he betrayed my team, I still dont hate him. I didnt dream too much about the news though, because I thought it was just a rumour. Since that day, I've been waiting eagerly to see that rumour come true and see Rudy play for the Proteas again.
Well he hasnt gone back to the Proteas camp yet, and I have no idea if he will ever go back again.

Oh Rudy! What have you done??

EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN!

2009-10-29T12:57:00.000Z

Anyone! please explain to me, WHAT THE HELL is going on in this photo..

Option One: Graeme fixing the man's collar, unnecessarily though!

Option Two: The man actually kissing Biff's hand?

Option Three: Both of them holding each others hands and showing their care and love for each other??

..................EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

Graeme's Girl

2009-10-29T12:40:00.001Z

Well all these days I was searching for articles about Biff's new girl, Brigitte Sarembock. But couldnt get my hand on a single interesting thing about her or her relationship with our 'beloved' captain *ahem*
God finally took the trouble of listening to my wish, and sent a nice little mail with the link to a story about the Couple am talking about :
http://www.youmagsa.com/Open_Home.aspx?iCategory_id=57 TaDa!

So Biff's been taking Miss BRIGITTE SAREMBOCK everywhere he goes nowadays eh? ..even in Swimswear Launch Parties :-)

Finally we get a glimpse of Proteas captain GRAEME SMITH’s mystery gal!

Hehe for a second I went red because I thought that the writer wrote 'Mysterious' not 'Mystery' oops!

Despite the cricket skipper being a little camera-shy the loved-up couple posed for a pic at the Sports Illustrated Swimwear Edition 2009 launch party at HQ in Cape Town.

The lucky lady goes by the name of BRIGITTE SAREMBOCK and she’s a 25-year-old special-needs teacher at Tafelberg High School in Sea Point, Cape Town.

Graeme is tight-lipped about their relationship because it’s still “early days” but hopefully this isn’t the last we’ll see of her.

Ouch! Camera Shy??? Bullshit!

Someone taking out a little anger

2009-10-26T14:40:00.000Z

..ON AB!!! OH NO!

Bitch! I know why you doing this! he declined to marry you right??

Know what I love?

2009-10-26T14:35:00.001Z

Yes! NEW PICS!

My favorite brothers in world cricket (although they suck in advertising)

For some weird reason, AB is not wearing the same coloured dress as everyone else. Oh right, he's insane!

Oh and he has made his hair short again! damn

"And The basic advantages of Yogi Sip juice are..."

Look how cute I look with my stupidly LONG hairstyle..

Ok..AB doesnt look too intrested in this man eh? weird..

Fine! there are more pics of AB here than anyone else, so??? didnt you know I'm obsessed with the man? ahhhh...

Zimbabwe to tour SA

2009-10-20T20:58:00.003+01:00

Before I tell the whole story, would anyone please be kind enough to tell me that WHEN did these 2 countries become friends again?? Because the last I heard was that they were talking about Banning each other ..or was it only SA talking about the Ban? well whatever it is, I'm glad its over now. Who likes Bans and all in cricket anyways?? Except when the question is about banning Australia and England ofcourse.

Anyways so yes Zimbabwe will be touring SA early in November this year to play a 2 match ODI series. The matches will be played on November 8 and 10. I have no doubt in saying that no matter what, this tour is kinda disturbing. Because the matches will be played in between the England series. Pretty awkward man!

South Africa will take on Zimbabwe in a two-match ODI series in early November. It will be Zimbabwe's first international visit to South Africa since 2005. The two teams last faced each other in an ODI more than two years ago, in August 2007. Zimbabwe have just concluded a 4-1 series win at home against Kenya, but were beaten 1-4 by Bangladesh before that.

South Africa have had a good year in ODIs with series wins over Australia both home and away, but had a disappointing Champions Trophy where they were knocked out in the league phase.

The two ODIs will be staged at Willowmore Park in Benoni and SuperSport Park in Centurion on November 8 and November 10 respectively.

Hey man, did no one tell you that we were already present to Play Cricket in this country??

Parny and Lonwabo found 'Socializing'

2009-10-20T20:40:00.002+01:00

These two surely tend to be very helpful. As Helpful as an Umbrella actually..

And I have absolutely no problem about their socializing as long as AB gets benefited from it ..:-)

I mean just look at this picture. Two helpless lads standing under the hot sun, holding this huge thing..and AB taking all the advantage of it from every sense...Not Fair Abraham! These guys are International Cricketers, not Umbrella Men by any chance..

Slinga Malinga joins Lions

2009-10-16T10:22:00.001+01:00

My favorite hair stylist in world cricket has joined The Highveld Lions of South Africa. Malinga will apparently be participating in the Lion's match against the Cape Cobras in February next year.

Article Here!

"" Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lankan fast bowler, has joined South African domestic side Highveld Lions as their overseas player for the Pro20 competition.

Malinga, 26, will leave for South Africa in time to participate in the Lions' first match against the Cape Cobras on February 5 in Cape Town.

"We are delighted to confirm that franchise coach Dave Nosworthy has successfully reached an agreement with Lasith Malinga to play in our Pro20 for the coming season," said Alan Kourie, the chief executive of the Lions.

"We are thrilled to have someone of Lasith's calibre joining us for what will be a very important season." Malinga was the leading wicket-taker among non-Indian players in the recent IPL, collecting 18 wickets at 17.33, and his fast, slinging style will presumably prove a handful for South African domestic batsmen.

"I am really looking forward to playing for the Highveld Lions," he said.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity given to me and I hope that I can repay that faith by helping the Lions win the tournament.

Playing cricket in South Africa is always a challenge and I'm hopeful the experience will make me a better cricketer." Nosworthy said the side had been looking for a world-class strike bowler and that Malinga ticked all the right boxes.

"He is an outstanding bowler and his performances for the Mumbai Indians and Sri Lanka over the past year show just how valuable he is in the Twenty20 format.""

Hmm first the Boom Boom man Afridi joined the Dolphins, and now Malinga is joining the Lions. Wonder how so many International stars are suddenly interested in playing for SA's domestic sides..

Biff to be back in action

2009-10-15T15:47:00.000+01:00

Well practically, he'll be taking part in some domestic games, where he'll be playing for a side named Rygersdal.

Cape Town - Proteas' captain Graeme Smith will return to action in a club match this weekend.
It will be his first competitive cricket since he scored his marathon century for the Proteas against England at the ICC Champions' Trophy tournament at SuperSport Park last month.
He will turn out for Rygersdal against Bellville in a WPCA limited overs fixture.

"I had my first net since the ICC tournament on Monday," commented Smith, who has been concentrating on ongoing rehabilitation and strengthening exercises for the last few weeks. "It went very well and I am looking forward to getting back into the middle again.

"I have a lot of friends playing at Rygersdal which is why I opted to play for that club," he added.

Hmm so Biff means to say that he hasnt been even around the Nets since the Champions Trophy?? And I was thinking that its good Biff and AB opted out of the Champs League, as they'll be able to prepare well for the England tour in the mean time..
But now I know that neither Biff is practising, and neither AB...Great! How you 2 gonna beat the Poms without training and practising huh???

New Saffa Players' website to be launched soon

2009-10-15T13:01:00.003+01:00

I came to know about it from the same evil writer who provided us with scary pics of the Proteas from India, remember??
Anyways so according to her, JP, Albie, Morne, Gibbsy (Purny!! for you!) & Bouch will be getting their own websites by the end of november. Boucher already had a site, but probably his new site will be better.
I'm personally really excited about the websites of the Morkels, cant wait for it to be launched :)

""Now that I am safely back home and can only watch the games from the comfort of my home, I doubt I will have anything regular to write…if anything pops up, I will get blogging. Have a look out for my client’s personal websites which are due to go live at the end of November.

http://www.herschellegibbs.co.za

http://www.jpduminy.co.za

http://www.markboucher.co.za

http://www.albiemorkel.co.za

http://www.mornemorkel.co.za

and my own website – www.bigsportsmanagement.co.za ""

http://blogs.sport24.co.za/DonneCommins/Back-on-home-turf

Tata Deccan!

2009-10-15T12:49:00.001+01:00

Haha guess what?? The IPL Winners of 2009, the Deccan Chargers from India has been knocked out of the Champions League. Not that am surprised by their exclusion, I just thought that being the Winners of the so called million dollars IPL, they should have given a much better performance in this Champions League Tournament. Watching them lose to a 'not so tough' Team from West Indies, was actually a treat to watch! The team from West Indies was just simply brilliant in winning the nail biter match against the Indian Domestic team.

I didnt watch the full match, so dont have much info about it, but from what I came to know was that the Deccan captain, Gilly smashed a 36 ball 51 in his attempt to bring out Deccan as victorious in the end. Well that obviously didnt happen, but to say the truth Gilly seemed to have played a real good innings..a captain's knock infact! I know am violating my own rule of not praising the Aussies at any cost, but cant help you know. All these years, I've hated each and every member from the Australian cricket side, except Gilchrist. I never went through his profile page on Cricinfo, so have no idea what milestones he has crossed. I never searched for "Adam Gilchrist" on Google, so have no idea about any intresting/bad facts about the guy. I just saw him batting and wicket-keeping in the field, and sometimes saw him in the T.V during intervies and Press Conferences, nothing else. Still a slight likeness grew inside me for him but oh well, my hatred for the Aussies was more than my liking for him, and hence I never supported neither Gilly nor his team.
Although I still appreciate every milestone Gilly passes even now (ONLY GILLY, NOT AUSTRALIA)

Anyways, about the Champs League am really very eager to see Modi's face now. His Deccan Champs from India wont be getting any of the money or fame in His OWN Tournament...PITY!

Oh Please..

2009-10-12T20:44:00.003+01:00

I want to hit AB with a basketball in his head!
You know what he's doing?? He has been influencing his fellow team-mates to chose the same profession as him.. Modeling/Acting blah blah blah!
Now I recently stumbled accross a video on youtube, which I tried my best to avoid, but couldnt stop myself from seeing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iFbiHk4EKU
Nothing special, it just shows Albie Morkel and Morne Morkel doing ads for a fruit juice! Yeah you heard me right...Fruit Juice Ad!
After seeing it, I couldnt stop myself from calling Albie for an interview. Where I'd simply ask him....WHY? WHY? WHY DID YOU DO THIS??

And the conversation went something like this..

MJ: Hello Albie thanks for coming
Albie: Ah Pleasure!

MJ: I'm glad its a pleasure for you. Coz if you hadnt come I would've sent my body guards to fetch you, or should I say forcefully bring you here!?
Albie: Umm.. Fetch sounds better.

MJ: Whatever.. So now to the main topic. You know why I called you here?
Albie: To get my autograph I suppose?

MJ: bad joke!
Albie: Oh not for my autograph?? gee I thought I managed to make quite a lot of fans through my TV Ads

MJ: Dont know about others, but your TV Ads and Acting/Modelling have managed to make me an enemy of you and AB! (temporarily obviously)
Albie: Why?? I thought I looked damn handsome in those Ads...actually I think I even performed better than MorrASS!

MJ: Oh you and your Morras! You both are a Flop in Ad Business!
Albie: Thats so mean *sob*

MJ: Sorry! But its true Albie!!
Albie: You're just jealous because AB didnt get any Ad offers, and me and Morne did!

MJ: I'm glad AB didnt get any offer. Otherwise I would have been forced to call AB for this interview instead of you!
Albie: But whats wrong in it?? Doing Ads just make players more glamorous and famous you know!

MJ: Albie please! dont give any explanation. Even you know that you both arent good in acting in Advertisements! I mean did you watch a clip of the latest Ad you made about..
Albie: FRUIT JUICE!! Loved it! So which flavor do you prefer?? Cherry or Lime? I suggest you take Cherry, they're cheaper and with every Cherry Juice Pack we give you 1 Lime Juice Pack free! *clap* *clap*

MJ: This Is Crazy! Why the hell are you advertising your stupid Juice in my blog??
Albie: ohh am sorry! The Advertising lines have been stuck on my head since the Ad was launched! You know what, during the match with the Titans, I mistakenly appealed for a LBW saying "Cherry or Lime?????" to the umpire instead of "Howzzat??"

MJ: And...?
Albie: The Umpire said Cherry.

MJ: I cant take it anymore!! The Interview is OVER! Bye-Bye!
Albie: Ah Thank god! I was getting late for the studio for my next Ad! Its about..

MJ: Dont wanna hear. Please go!
Albie: Whatever! your loss!! Tata!

See AB! Even the umpires have gone insane here! Soon the whole cricketing world will become like you and the Morkels! Oh Bless my poor soul!!

Makhaya, Cherry or Lime?

Tour Diary from India

2009-10-12T16:59:00.000+01:00

Just incase you're intrested in knowing what our South African cricketers have been upto, read this Blog / Tour Diary or whatever you wanna call it.
http://blogs.sport24.co.za/DonneCommins
http://blogs.sport24.co.za/DonneCommins/page/2

Honest confession, I didnt go through these posts for a single time. Because I dont think I've got enough time to actually read 2 paged Diary entry, by a person I dont even know.
But, I surely had time to see at a few pics provided by her, which I thought were pretty...PAINFUL!
Dont believe what I say?? See for yourself..

Gibbs shirtless.....YIKES!!!! this sight scares me..

Closer view of scary Gibbs....*more* YIKESSS!!!!

Gibbs has spoiled good boy JP too....:-(

Dont get me wrong, but for a second I thought that the person in the middle is Jacques..oops

Dress-less Kohli + Roela in Pink = Hell on earth!!!

What an evil writer!! Has she gone to India to fascanate us or scare us???

Champions League so far..

2009-10-11T10:35:00.000+01:00

This league has definitely not been something for the Indian sides participating in it to be proud of.
The top 3 teams of the recently concluded IPL, Deccan Chargers, Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Delhi Daredevils have all tasted defeat in this million dollar tournament.

The most eye catching teams though have been South Africa's pro 20 champions Cape Cobras and Australia's Victorian Bushrangers & New South Wales

Speaking of the Cape Cobras..
Participating in the competition without their Captain Biff, the Cobras showed no signs of setbacks, as did Delhi (they're without AB and Vettori)
The most amazing performers from the Cobras have been JP Duminy and Andrew Puttick. With JP even scoring a match winning 99* against Bangalore, despite his Saffa team-mate Kallis trying his best to distract his attention and motivation from the game using his ever foul mouth. (what an ass he is!)

..Now, even if its in the form of Domestic Championship, can SA finally hope to bring an International Trophy HOME??? Well, we can only hope!

Champs Trophy : HUGE FLOP

2009-10-05T18:02:00.001+01:00

The last thing that I wanted to happen is on the verge of happening right now..Australia winning!
Our good old NZ are back to their losing ways, and are handing the Aussies an easy win in the Final! Pah!
And our Not Anymore Mighty Aussies are crawling their way back into the Cricketing world, after their disappointing 2008-2009 season.

The world will become a bad place again, where we'll get to hear Punter the Ponting boasting his heart out about his bunch of Kangaroos! And everyone will be giving ideas on "How to become as successful as the Aussies" in random newspapers and cricketing sites!
And worse.. Brett Lee will launch his new song, "We showed them who you are" in response to AB's amazingly stupid song!

Shit Shit Shit!!!
The Cricket God definitely isnt in our favour here!!

Hmm! I'll be famous again!!

Stay Away Warner!

2009-10-05T16:50:00.000+01:00

Thats what he was told by the Delhi Daredevils!

Well we are all aware of the fact that Warner will NOT be playing for the Delhi Daredevils in the Champions League this month. He will instead be playing for his home side, New South Wales (NSW)
Now, all of you must be thinking how loyal he is to have chosen his home side ahead of some international club eh? Well then, you're 100% wrong in thinking that!
Because news are that it was not him who didnt play for Delhi, it was Delhi Daredevils who told their Australian player to stay away!

According to New South Wales team sources, reports in the media about Warner “choosing” to play for the Blues were actually an “eyewash”.

“Delhi didn’t want him. They told him to stay away, so what was he supposed to do? Obviously we’re glad that a player of his caliber is going to play for us in the Champions League,” said a senior NSW team member.

Oh my word. How more rude can you expect a team to be towards an international star? lol Bless you Daredevils! :)

Steyn : We are Unmatchable

2009-09-21T11:42:00.002+01:00

What else an opinion can I expect from such an amazing lad? This guy is awesome!
He knows very well how to lower down the confidence of the other teams right ahead of a major tournament. All these days, I was reading articles about Biff, AB, Boucher talking about the Champs Trophy. But never got a chance to know what Steyn has to say about South Africa's chances in the Tournament, and what he thinks about it.
Now just a day before the tournament starts, we hear a very determined and confident voice, not talking about SA's chances in the Champs Trophy, but talking about other teams' very low chances against South Africa.

"I believe that this team has played fantastic one-day and Test cricket in the last year and we have really hit our straps," Steyn told reporters ahead of the second most prestigious ODI tournament after the World Cup.
"If the team play to their potential, and this might sound cocky, I really believe no side can match us at the Champions Trophy."

Now for god's sake fello SA/Steyn haters, dont burst out reading his opinion. Yes he sounds over confident, but hell! Whats bloody wrong in being so? If being over confident boosts their moral power and makes them mentally unbeatable, than I rather prefer South Africa to always be an over confident side.
I dont care what the output will come from people who dont support SA or didnt like Steyn's statement, but all I know is that anyone who doesnt look at the brighter side of Steyn's words, he/she doesn't know what Steyn and his team-mates are going through.

Having only a single International tournament Trophy to their name, Being the Number 1 team in the World, in both the formats of the game is not something that the SA players would ever be proud of. And for this reason, they will and should try to do every possible thing to be crowned as champions in the ICC Champs Trophy 2009.

The least expected of Smith and his squad is that they qualify for the October 5 final

I say, if people can call South Africa chokers about every little matter and totally smash their hopes ahead of a tournament, saying that No one will expect South Africa to even reach the Finals, forget about getting the trophy, then why on earth cant Steyn say that No team can match SA or that SA is the best?
If calling South Africa chokers is never opposed, than calling South Africa Unmatchable shouldnt be opposed either hey!

This is just a response to the thoughts of a few people I know, who were bashing Dale for no reason for saying this. Sick people they are I say you!

Champ!

Love you Poms!

2009-09-21T11:09:00.000+01:00

No I didnt have change of heart towards them. Its just that, because they won the last ODI against Australia, SA has regained its Top spot in ODIs. Evil Aussies had snatched the No.1 spot from the Proteas, after beating England in 6 consecutive games..amazing job ENGLAND!

But as always, Good triumphed over Evil, means.. South Africa triumphed over the Aussies and got their precious top spot for themselves in the latest ICC Rankings. And poor Australia didn't only lose their top spot to SA, they also lost their No.2 spot to India. They have slipped to No.3 position.

Johannesburg - Australia slipped two places to third on the ICC ODI rankings after losing by four wickets to England on Sunday in the final match of a series they won 6-1 ahead of the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
Champions Trophy hosts South Africa and India climbed one place each to first and second respectively ahead of the two-week mini-World Cup starting at Centurion on Tuesday.

ODI rankings:
1. South Africa 127 points
2. India 126
3. Australia 125
4. Pakistan 109
5. Sri Lanka 108
6. England 105
7. New Zealand 105
8. West Indies 78
9. Bangladesh 55
10. Zimbabwe 26
11. Ireland 25
12. Kenya 0 .....??.. 0?? ..what the..?!

Love this pic!

Hate you Sri Lanka and New Zealand!

2009-09-19T13:19:00.002+01:00

Well, they just proved my predictions wrong!

Sri Lanka losing to Pakistan is acceptable. Pakistan is a brilliant team, and am not at all surprised that they beat such a good side like SL by over a 100 runs..*ahem*
Sri Lanka didnt bowl well and gave Pakistan a great chance to post a 300+ total. And as we all know, chasing a total of anything around 300 under the lights is nothing but Hard!
So Sri Lanka's top order shattered, with only Chamara Kapugedara providing some useful runs from the middle order. Dilshan, their most reliable top order batsman currently, failed to perform with the bat. He went back to the pavilion facing just 2 balls. And that was a major setback for the Lankans. After Dilshan none of the batsmen showed enough consistency as to be able to chase down a target of 308.
Pakistan on the other hand clearly showed how good they can get on their day. They batted and bowled equally well, and all the players gave out a match winning performance for their team.

Now to the topic of Shame Zealand! Thats New Zealand's name from today actually. And the reason of attaching 'shame' with their name is that...They lost their match against a weak South African domestic side in the Champs Trophy Warm up Yesterday!
Now has everyone congratulated NZ on their memorable achievement?? If not, then please do!
They deserve it! Black Caps my foot! Call yourself Loser Caps from now!
Dont blame me for being so rude towards our beloved Team, I'm just too shocked!

The only team to have proved my predictions correct was my sweet sweet Proteas! Wow! What a match they've had yesterday! Everyone was mind blowing with the bat, expect for ......AB YES! HE MADE ONLY A LAME 16. Oh man. I just hope he hasnt lost his amazing form right ahead of the Champions Trophy. I'll be shattered if that happens! :(
But on the other hand, our very own Roela was mind blowing with the Ball. He picked up wickets at important times, and made it harder and harder for the opposition to reach the Target. Pure Class he is!

Yeah Baby!

This new kit is No Good!

2009-09-19T12:54:00.002+01:00

I meant this one-

I have no idea what others think of this kit that the Proteas are using currently, but I simply hate it!
Its nothing but a stupid mixture of colour combinations that look no good!
I hated it when they wore it during the T20 WC, and will still hate it when they come to the field wearing it in the Champions Trophy now!

The last I heard was that the players dont like it either, but are wearing it because they think its more comfortable than their previous ODI kit. What bunch of perverts??! How can a change of colour make them feel comfortable?!

And anyways, I bet this new Kit is a stolen design from the Ireland team. If any day SA (in this kit) plays with Ireland, it'll be way difficult to know which team is SA, and which team is Ireland!

Anyone who likes these new kits, are welcome to like it. But for me, the previous one was FAR FAR Better!

I miss you my Old Beautiful Kit

AB, The Audi Man

2009-09-18T15:22:00.002+01:00

As usual I was wandering around sites to get hold of some Cricket related stuffs, and now I finally got one!
And more importantly.. its about my man! And its pretty cool too :)

The Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool in Pretoria is buzzing. Learners are crowding, waving, taking pictures with their cellphones, ignoring the bell that signals the start of another period. AB de Villiers, one of this school’s most celebrated sons, has come to visit. “AB is a legend. And to think he is from our school! He is one of the best cricket players in the world,” says Eduan Bosman (14). “He is my hero—for sure! We are very proud of him,” adds Bennie van der Merwe (15). Just like Eduan and Bennie, AB donned the Affies’ blazer and walked this school’s corridors. And like many pupils he also stayed in the Affies’ residence. A younger AB often passed the school’s honours board, listing the names of former learners turned national sporting heroes, and wondered: ‘could that be me?’

This question was answered four years ago when he became a member of the Protea squad. Only 20 at the time, AB was immediately recognised for his versatility and determination. He has excelled as a top order batsman, fielder and wicket keeper, and has proven his abilities in diverse conditions by scoring centuries in India, England and Australia. Moreover, AB made a major contribution to the Proteas’ historic ODI series win against Australia. His fielding has taken on legendary proportions as South Africa’s best in this position since Jonty Rhodes. He has also nailed down the number four batting position.

Affies may have played an important role in his rise to the top, but his talent was discovered much earlier. AB started playing cricket with his two older brothers when he was just four years old. Although Jan and Wessel mostly demoted him to ‘field worker’ and ‘water boy’, they quickly realised that AB was a force to be reckoned with. “Saturday games at our house in Bela Bela were very competitive. My brothers were merciless. They were monsters. There were always a lot of tears—usually mine,” he laughs.

AB fell in love with this game despite his tears. “I was eight years old when I saw Jonty’s world famous run out against Australia in the 1992 World Cup. It really made an impression on me. I remember thinking: this is a cool game! I started dreaming of following in Jonty’s footsteps,” he says. Recognising their son’s cricketing aptitude, AB’s parents decided to send their talented son to Affies. “At that stage I participated in various sports and wasn’t sure what I wanted to focus on. However, when I made the South African Colt team at 16, I realised cricket was something I could pursue professionally. I started working harder. I wanted to be the best in my age group.”

While playing for the South African Schools Eleven, he was spotted by the Titans’ coach Dave Nosworthy. Dave gave him a chance to play for this team against Canada in a 2003 World Cup warm-up game. “It was the first time that I played a televised game. I was very nervous, but I thrive under pressure, especially if people are watching. Life is all about grabbing opportunities. I grabbed the opportunity with both hands,” he says.

AB scored 100 in this game, securing his place in the Titans team. It wasn’t long before he got a call from the national team and South Africa started taking notice of this resourceful player. He made his début for the Proteas in the first test against England in Port Elizabeth in 2004, and has been part of the national side ever since. In fact, he played his 50th consecutive test against Australia at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium in February this year.

“Making cricket my career and playing for the national squad are dreams come true. We have been in a learning phase for the past few years—and it has paid off. It’s all about consistency. In the past we may have been guilty of not playing a consistent game. But we have returned to the basics, we know and understand each other and we have worked consistently towards the same goals. We have also stuck to the same ‘brave’ brand of cricket.

“Personally, I have grown as a player in the past two years. I have found my feet on the field. Performing consistently has also been a personal highlight for me and it remains my number one goal,” says AB. However, he emphasises that his life isn’t just focused on cricket. Off the field, AB loves spending time with his family and friends. He also plays golf (off a five handicap), tennis and the guitar.

AB and a friend, Ampie du Preez released the motivational song ‘Show them who you are’ at the end of last year. This song became the anthem of the Proteas’ rise to victory against Australia. By the end of 2009, AB and Ampie are hoping to release their first CD. “It has always been my dream to make and record music. And we’re not merely dabbling in it—we’ve decided that our CD can’t be anything but great,” says AB who also took piano lessons and sang in the school choir in primary school.

In addition, he is a partner in his brothers’ fast food businesses. They will soon start a catering business together. This move is part of his long-term after-cricket strategy. AB is also passionate about his involvement in Francois Pienaar’s Make a Difference Foundation. This organization gives underprivileged children the opportunity to attend the country’s best schools. “I am a devout Christian and would like to pursue a goal in this regard one day. I’d like start an initiative through which I can touch people’s lives and make the world a better place in whatever way I can.

At this stage, it is still just a dream, but I see it as the measure of true success. I can’t just live for myself.” When talking to AB you get the feeling that it is only a matter of time before this dream also becomes a reality. Realising goals is all about self belief and hard work, he says. “Success is 99% self belief. You have to be confident in your abilities. And hard work comes naturally if you have a passion for something.”

Warm-ups Today

2009-09-18T12:03:00.003+01:00

So Today,

New Zealand is taking on The Warriors

South Africa takes on West Indies

Pakistan takes on Sri Lanka

NZ vs Warriors :
To say the truth, I dont really bother who wins in this first match. Thats because, its obvious that this clearly looks like a one-sided competition. And NZ should easily win this match, as they have got a not so tough first class team facing them. But as I have not been following much of NZ cricket lately, I'm not too sure how NZ has been playing.
Now my pick is NZ. They should win in this match, unless if they've been performing worse than a domestic side currently..

SA vs West Indies:
Yes! This is the match that I'm actually looking forward to watching play today. Although interestingly I've never watched this new West Indies side play. Thats because, West Indies have decided to play a second string team in the tournament, instead of their actual pretty strong team. What a load of shit??! They clearly dont care a heck about getting the Trophy here do they?? Otherwise why on earth would any team want to play a second string team in such a major tournament? Anyways, its their headache! Why should I bother?

My pick in this match would be South Africa. Not because I'm being biased, or because West Indies is playing a weak side. Its because, I know SA can!
But, if they dont, then I wont be too surprised either. I've never ever seen some of the players from this new West Indies side play, so I never know how good they can get. But definitely, I hope they're not that good, atleast in this match!

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
Another interesting match! I seriously have no idea as to who'll win in this match. Gone through the recent SL vs Pak series in Sri Lanka lately. And although SL came out as the winner, Pakistan gave a brilliant competition.
Both the teams have got amazingly talented batting and bowling line-ups. Both the teams have been playing some brilliant cricket lately. But seeing the recent results and performances, I'd say Sri Lanka has the edge in ODIs. They can become a pretty tough opponent, once they hit the momentum, and can beat any team that day.

Mickey Not Happy

2009-09-16T13:47:00.003+01:00

Article here!
Nor am I Mickey!!
Well am sure most of us are aware of the fact that the 3 Proteas nominated in the ICC Awards List, have been over looked for the Short List of the ICC awards. Which means that there will be no chance for ..
Smith
De Villiers
Steyn
..to get their hands on any of the awards. Go to Hell Bloody ICC!

And as expected their Coach was unhappy with the fact that his team's players were over looked for the Awards.

Mickey Arthur has expressed disappointment that none of his South African players have been shortlisted for any of the International Cricket Council's annual awards.

"It's very disappointing, particularly considering how well the team performed over the last year."

"We have not had time to discuss it in the team context, but I'm sure it will only motivate guys to perform well in the tournament," he added.
"We remain the best team in world cricket, irrespective of who wins the prizes."

*Sob* This is not fair ICC!

AB in the Cover of Men's Health Magazine

2009-09-13T18:00:00.003+01:00

Its out!!

Your face looks kinda strange AB!

Seriously his face does look a little strange! Lots of art work a.k.a make-up might just be the reason here.

Ok, I definitely need to stop blaming things! The fact is that, this photo shoot is no where near I expected it to be.

AB's no good in Modelling EITHER!

AB, Please! You're just perfect the way you are! Stop trying stuffs like Singing and Modelling to improve your perfectness!

I rather see you holding a wooden bat, wearing a helmet and facing deadly bowlers, than walking on a ramp!

You are better this way!

Interview with Dale Steyn and His Wag Jeanne Kietzmann

2009-09-13T15:35:00.000+01:00

Interview with Dale Steyn and Jeanne Kietzmann
Its not that old. Just a month old, so Dont Complain!

Interview with Dale:

Tashi: So are you and Jeanne going to get married? (Jeanne out of earshot)

Dale: We're still young - I've got my career to worry about, she's got her career to worry about so there's nothing like that at the moment - we're just enjoying the life ride together.

Tashi: How long have you been dating?

Dale: Two-and-a half years now.

Tashi: Oh - that's a long time.

Dale: Yes, we've been living together for about a year now so that's pretty cool but life's too hectic at the moment. I'm always out of the country and she's always working and everything like that so there's no time. Stability comes when I basically retire, things'll slow down then so we'll look at them later down the line.

Tashi: Being a sporstman's wife, there's always trickiness with that.

Dale: Yes, she does her best to do all the travelling around - whenever she's free she travels to be with me and I try to be in Cape Town as much as possible. If we were married though, not being together, it's something we'll have to look at.

Tashi: Okay, big question (themed to the occassion too): what would you say the most hectic moment on the field has been?

Dale: When it comes to cricket, I've been asked this a million times: how does somebody go out there and face a bowler bowling at 160k's an hour. It's pretty hectic - the thought that the ball could end your life.
People do extreme things like skydiving, skateboarding, diving with great whites, which I've taken part of, standing in front of a cricket ball that could kill you, it's extreme.
At club level it's extreme and when you get to the big stage and know the guy has legal deliveries to try to take your head off, it's pretty intimidating.

Tashi: So what do you? How do you psychologically handle it? Do you just go like "rwwwwwoar* (roar)

Dale: Your body takes over - you set yourself up for what's gonna come - you set yourself up for the worst. Your body knows it's gonna come, you basically set your body and eyes up and do you best to get out of the way. Sometimes you can't and it can end up in stitches or concussion or hospital.

Tashi: I know. (sounding thrilled for some bizarre reason)

Dale: It's intimidating, especially for a bowler - I'm a bowler who tries to bat so for me, I go out there, I'm not used to facing me.

Tashi: You.

Dale: Yes, I'm the one who does the damage, I don't face the damage so for me it's the most intimidating thing.

Tashi: As I've watched the game more and more I've started to understand the psychology behind it more - espesh the longer games.

Dale: Yes it's fascinating - with the shorter games they're over, you've got to be on your feet, it's over in a blink, you've got to know exactly what's going on.
Then when you get the longer games you've got to be in it for the full five days. Two days afterwards you're finished, not just physically but mentally. It's a mind-game, you're permanently thinking - it's probably 30% skill - 70% mental. It's scarey, almost like playing chess.

Tashi: When I get stressed out I always think of Gary Kirsten's motto of batting one ball at a time.

Dale: Ja that's it - that's what it boils down to. Whatever's happening with the next ball is what counts most. As a player you can always fall back on watching the ball - one ball at a time - but when you sit down at the end of a game, it's eighty overs of those you've had to watch.

Interview with Jeanne:

Tashi: Are you and Dale gonna get married? (Dale out of earshot)

Jeanne: The fact is we're too young. I've got so much in my life I want to accomplish and as soon as you get married things slow down. I'm studying at the moment, I'm doing a Bachelor of Consumer Design - it's sort of like fashion design but more along the lines of fashion buying, marketing and so on with business so I'm concentrating on that before getting knocked up and all that.

Tashi: So you're not Minki?

Jeanne: Different people do different things, I don't plan it anytime soon. Also, we've been only been dating for two-and-a half years and I don't feel you can base a marraige on knowing someone for two-and-half years. You've really, really got to get your heart and soul into it, you don't want to get married and divorced.

Tashi: Yes. (thinking: but two-and-half years is long. It could be 'cos she's only seen him for about 17 days out of it?) How did you meet?

Jeanne: I was working at a restaurant in Constantia, Peddlars On The Bend, he came in and I didn't know who he was, I didn't know anything about the cricketers. He took my number, called me the next night and that was it.
It's so strange seeing him him on the field on TV, thinking that he's my boyfriend, it's so difficult to think he's the same person because he's a completely different from how people see him.

Tashi: I once did an interview with Adrianna - Paul Adam's wife about whether or not life as a sportwife is Footballers Wives.

Jeanne: A lot of people assume it's a glamorous lifestyle to live. People are like "You get to travel the world and watch cricket." Firstly, I don't like cricket, and secondly I never see Dale so it's not as normal or amazing as people make it out to be. You also get a lot of flak from fans who might not approve of you or whatever . "She's just using him. blah blah blah" - I get that all the time.

Tashi: You get that a lot? (Was gonna ask natch)

Jeanne: All the time - when I hear it nowadays I'm like "whatever." At the end of the day there's only two people in the relationship Dale and myself and it's got nothing to do with anyone else - that's how I see it.

CSA congratulates Boks

2009-09-12T14:30:00.001+01:00

Ok so I really aint one of those real Rugby Fans, but yeah am aware of the fact that today the South African Rugby Team won the Tri Nations Trophy, defeating the All Blacks (wow Kiwis are losing everywhere!) ..... Source: Supersport

Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Saturday extended its warmest congratulations to the Springboks on adding the Tri-Nations Trophy to their earlier successes against the British and Irish Lions.

“It has been a wonderful season for the Springboks who have won seven out of nine tests against the best opposition in both the northern and southern hemispheres,” commented Proteas’ captain Graeme Smith.

“They clinched the Tri-Nations in real style by beating the All Blacks on their home territory and it gave them three wins out of three against New Zealand which is a singular achievement,” he added.

“Although it has been a great team effort, I would like to extend particular congratulations to John Smit who has established himself as one of the great leaders in South African sport and as an outstanding sportsman and ambassador for our country.
“It has been a good year for South African sport in numerous different codes and hopefully these successes will inspire us to keep the trend going,” he concluded.

National coach Mickey Arthur paid tribute to his rugby counterpart, Peter de Villiers. “Peter has had to endure a lot of criticism but he has answered it in the best possible fashion by putting every trophy available to the Springboks in the display cabinet at Newlands for at least another year,” he commented.

“Winning five out of six matches in arguably the toughest international competition outside of the World Cup is a huge achievement and beating the All Blacks at home will give the Boks a lot of confidence as they prepare to defend the World Cup in New Zealand in two years’ time,” he added.

Whoop! Whoop! Go Bokke!!

Biff to be there for the Cape Cobras

2009-09-11T12:56:00.001+01:00

According to the recent reports, Biff will be there to Lead the Cape Cobras in the Champions League next month

Graeme Smith, South Africa's captain, will lead Cape Cobras in next month's Champions League Twenty20 tournament in India. Two other top South African batsmen, Herschelle Gibbs and JP Duminy, are also part of the 15-man squad announced on Monday.

The Cape Cobras will consist of a liable batting order, consising of Biff *ahem* JP and Gibbsy. They will also boast a powerful bowling attack with the likes of Langeveldt and Monde Zondeki in the squad.

Fast bowler Charl Langeveldt and offspinner Claude Henderson, who were key bowlers in Cobras' Standard Bank Pro20 victory earlier in the year, will be assisted by quick bowler Monde Zondeki. Other players who weren't part of the domestic campaign are wicketkeeper Ryan Canning and 23-year-old Francois Plaatjies.

Their convenor of selectors says he is very pleased with the squad and is confident of the Cape Cobra's success in India

"It is going to be an exciting experience for our team which has a good balance of experience and youth," Omar Henry, the convenor of selectors, said. "We have the skills required with both spin and swing bowling, in addition to talented attacking batsmen. It is a great squad to go to India and the big challenge will be to adapt to the local conditions."

Cape Cobras Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Henry Davids, Jean-Paul Duminy, Justin Ontong, Richard Levi, Ryan Canning (wk), Derek Brand, Rory Kleinveldt, Vernon Philander, Claude Henderson, Charl Langeveldt, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Monde Zondeki, Francois Plaatjies

Ice Bath Buddies!!

2009-09-11T12:39:00.007+01:00

Dont blame me! I just had to post these!

AB: Go away from here Bouch! You are interrupting us!

Now where does Hashim fit here??

Change of name for St George's Park

2009-09-11T12:08:00.001+01:00

From now on, this well known ground situated in Port Elizabeth will be known as Axxess DSL St Georges . ..must say its a very complicated name!

St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, South Africa's oldest Test venue, has been renamed Axxess DSL St Georges following a R9.8 million (US$1.3 million) sponsorship deal with Eastern Province, the host association.

"The sponsorship is unique because while having a commercial base it is much more than that." Dave Emslie, chief executive of the EP Amateur Cricket Board and Jumbo's Cricket, said. "Our business model is designed in such a way that one of the roles of our commercial company, Jumbo's Cricket, is to generate sufficient funds to maintain the stadium and to provide funding for amateur cricket."

The venue has hosted Tests since 1889, making it the world's seventh oldest Test venue. It was earlier known as Crusaders Ground, before being renamed the Sahara Oval. Several venues in South Africa have undergone name changes in the recent past. Sahara already has two stadiums in its control - Newlands (Cape Town) and Kingsmead (Durban). Others are Liberty Life (Wanderers), Senwes (Potchefstroom), OUTsurance (Bloemfontein) and SuperSport (Centurion).

White eyes WHITEwash

2009-09-11T11:55:00.000+01:00

You'll get it if you play like u played in the last match mr white!

"At the moment if we keep playing good, consistent cricket, keep bowling and fielding well, there is no reason why not," Victoria all-rounder White said when asked about the possibility of a clean sweep.
"In saying that, winning seven one-dayers against a really good side is a pretty strange thing to happen. But I am not saying that it can't.
"We want to keep the momentum going and I don't think we are playing at our total best at the moment.
"There are still probably some areas that we think we can improve in, so there are things we need to work on to get better for these four games. Then, come four games' time, we are hopefully at our peak."

But, poor he! Even after playing so well in the last match, he'll be losing his No.3 spot to his captain.

Although he has scored 200 runs in three innings, White is set to lose his place at number three this weekend as Australia captain Ricky Ponting returns from his post-Ashes break.

And then he talks about their miserable Ashes Series...

White is one of several players in the Australia ODI side who played no part in the Ashes series, which ended last month with England winning the five-Test campaign 2-1 with two draws.
"The big for us was to halt the momentum and then change it," said White. "We have done that now. The new guys coming in have added a bit of energy around the group.
"Not that everyone had their heads down or anything when we got here but there is a good feeling around the group again."

AB - Actually a Member of Supersport?

2009-09-08T09:58:00.002+01:00

While going through Supersport Website, the Partners option thingy on the top right caught my eyes. When I checked it, I saw a certain AB De Villiers, under the Cricket Catagory also a part of the Partners' List Of the Channel / Site.

Now who was aware of this?? Certainly Not Me!
No wonder I see Supersport giving more importance to AB ahead of the other players..whether when it comes to Videos, AB's website or even Blogging on the site!

Yes! Supersport is My!!

I think I saw a post in The Cricket Corollary site where Brandon mentioned that AB is Mr Supersport...Well he sure is!

Father and Sons Cricket Coaching

2009-09-07T19:06:00.002+01:00

The first Father and Sons cricket coaching of the year went really well in Centurion. This Coaching Clinic saw South African Cricketers like Morne Morkel, Shaun Pollock, Paul Harris and many players from the Titans, coaching young children to learn how to play cricket.

The first of this year's Father and Sons cricket coaching clinics took the Centurion Protea fans by storm. Whilst the children were coached by some of the best, the parents enjoyed some off-field entertainment such as spa treatments and a stadium tour. Supersport Park was in sublime form ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, despite the hundreds of children running exuberantly across the outfield for the greater part of the day. Ex-Protea player Shaun Pollock and current players Morne Morkel and Paul Harris assisted with the coaching clinics held throughout the day. Several Titans players including Bodi, Kuhn, Walters, etc

With over 1500 people attending the first of the three events, even star batsman Paul Harris felt somewhat overwhelmed, “It is unbelievable the support that the public give us, and even after so many years as a professional, I am still touched by the people's passion for the game. Because of this, day's like today are so important as it give's us players the chance to share some of the skills that we have been lucky enough to learn.”

It is Toyota's objective to ensure that family fun and cricket become one. With over 50 coaches attending the day as well as off field entertainment, Toyota SA Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Mr Kirby, was delighted with the public's support,

“There is no doubt that the fans of South Africa long for such opportunities to interact with our cricket bests. I would like to thank all those involved, from the stadiums, to suppliers, to Cricket South Africa - everyone has been a pleasure to deal with, and it gives me great pride to be a South African here today.”

Perhaps the greatest superstar of the day was Protea stalwart and Toyota ambassador, Shaun Pollock.

“There's no doubt that I thoroughly enjoy myself at such events. Having done this road show last year as well, I am heartened by the continued support of corporate South Africa, namely Toyota. I believe that cricket in this country is extremely healthy, and hope that our boys can bring the Champ's trophy home for our fans.”

We miss you Polly!

Graeme Smith speaks ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy

2009-09-07T14:16:00.001+01:00

Here!

SA our Benchmark - James Hopes

2009-09-06T19:34:00.000+01:00

Wow Hopes thinks Aussies should follow SA?! ..Feels so good to hear!

It's a sign of the times when Australia are looking at other teams as the benchmark for success. Having lost their No.1 ranking in both Tests and ODIs they are now aspiring to reach the levels of South Africa, the team which has usurped them at the top, as they build for a new generation.

The day has Finally come people! Australia is now looking forward to become as good as South Africa..The better team!!

James Hopes says..

"I think the turning point for us was when we saw South Africa as being the benchmark and they did us over pretty good in two series.We were a bit off the pace, then we went to Dubai to play Pakistan and we fought out some really tough wins against a very good team. I think that was our turning point and we have carried that on over here. We thought we were in control, but always at the back of our minds was what happened against South Africa. A couple of times when we thought we were in a pretty good position, they'd take the batting Powerplay and overcome us at the end."

I used to think that "Hopes" was actually a "Hopeless" person, but he isnt! He is probably the only wise member in the team! Atleast he openly accepts the fact that SA is the better team. ..unlike most of his team-mates who keep it in inside themselves instead!

My Favorite Pic ever!

Oh England...I feel so Proud

2009-09-06T19:07:00.003+01:00

....That I never expected anything from you Lazy Bones!

See even Today our sweet, lovely, but extremely horrible National team made me Proud again! I Love you guys!! No, Really!

So England lost today again against Australia in the 2nd ODI, in a match where I thought Any team would have won pretty easily, had it been in England's place. But! Thats England, and you gotta respect everything they get..even Loses.

Failures are the Pillars of Success and I can bet that the Eng team theme song begins with this sentence, doesn't it boys?

And this is what Cricinfo had to say about England's sweet defeat:

England's failure to claim the final Powerplay until the game was as good as over will come under some considerable scrutiny, but in truth they screwed up their chase long before that. Strauss was too busy plane-watching to carry on a fine innings, Owais Shah proved once again he is lousy between the wickets, and Brett Lee showed what is possible with a fast, full and late-swinging length.

Whoever wrote this thing, has actually got some good knowledge about the Poms Cricket Team.

:) Remarkable!

Kallis: I'm a youngster Baby!

2009-09-05T19:31:00.002+01:00

Jacques' had quite a conversation with team-mate Makhaya Ntini, in this Link, where he says he's still a Youngster ..yeah right Jaky!

Makhaya Ntini, nominated as the non-batting player in the practice game against the Lions, had had his spell in the spring sun and was sitting on the side of the park taking a break.

"What are you doing off the field?" asked Jacques Kallis of the most popular man in South Africa.

"All the youngsters are off the field now," smiled Ntini.

"I'm a youngster, how come I don't get a break?" asked Kallis.

"Because you bat as well," answered Ntini.

Haha Lovely answer Ntini!

Thats not all. Jacques, the youngster has also lost a few kgs during the winter season!

Kallis - the youngster, let us not forget - has lost 8kg during the winter through hard gymming and running, and he sent down three overs for just eight runs without really breaking a sweat. His length was spot on and his pace measured without being frenetic.

I seriously dont understand where the "I want to be thin and fit" thing has popped in Jacques' and Boucher's minds suddenly! But whatever the reason may be, am just glad that they are finally caring about their..ahem..Fitness!

8kgs? Bravo!

Graeme Smith / Biff / Buffalo...anything you like!

2009-09-05T08:59:00.002+01:00

Did it ever cross your mind, as to WHY Smithy is called Biff?
Well if it ever did, then I've found the answer through..This Link

Q. Hey Graeme, I've watched a lot of South Africa recently as its been better than watching England, brave cricket is definitely the way to go. I was wondering why you are called Biff? (from Laura, England)

A. It's a nickname I wish I could get rid of. It started when I was playing provincial cricket. Being a tall lad who hit the ball pretty hard, one guy likened me to a buffalo which became 'biff' and unfortunately it has stuck ever since.

Hahahahaha!! Now who could have guessed that?? Biff for BUFFALO?!

Mr. Buffalo Courageous!

Business vs Sport...by Graeme Smith

2009-09-05T08:20:00.000+01:00

Graeme Smith talks again
..Well, when doesnt he??

Anyways, so Biff here speaks about the difficulties to find the balance between on-field performance, having a private life and managing sponsors’ expectations.

“It’s very difficult to find a compromise when you’ve got banks putting hundreds of millions into sponsoring a format of the game … when we arrived back from Australia we wanted to celebrate (our) victory, but suddenly went straight into the 20/20 format… we weren’t really allowed enough time to plan and prepare for the home series,” he explains.

Then he talks about his and team's lovely sponsers..

“With South Africa it’s really about the team sponsors. When we’re wearing our gear it’s all about the team environment, the team sponsors and representing those brands. On an individual basis you represent your own brands. As an example I’m sponsored by Adidas, but I can’t promote Adidas when I‘m with South Africa, who’s sponsored by Reebok, so on an individual basis I’ll promote Adidas. It’s about understanding, and not everybody gets it early on in their career.”

He continues..(curse you chatterbox!)

He continues that “…you’ve got to look after (your sponsors) and find time to do functions with them, because ultimately you’ve also got to give them something back besides obviously wearing the brands and hopefully performing (on the field) … they require a bit more, so managing those sides of your life is important.”

And ends his chat (finally) by talking about the recent conflict between CSA and Gauteng Cricket Board.

“The challenge is to create a consistent environment … with players knowing that they are there on merit. We manage just to keep ourselves improving within the team, and not allow that stuff to filter in. It’s a reality in sport. You’ve just got to toe the line and really focus on what I can control, and what I can control is the team and the way we are thinking and the way we prepare, and focus mainly on that.”

Oh look! Biff and a Kid! HORRIBLE!

Proteas VS Lions

2009-09-04T18:03:00.001+01:00

Result: Proteas won by 5 wickets
Scorecard: Here

Wow what a game for Jacques, Amla and Albie! AB was a no-show again though..
Looks like Jacques and Bouch have really been working hard! I mean just look at the outcomes..Bouch rocked yesterday and Jacques Rocked today! Good on ya boys!

We rocked! And thats our Reward!

Morne and Albie in a Hilarious Quiz Show

2009-09-04T08:13:00.002+01:00

Here!

Its a little old, but still worth watching!

See how bad we are in Quizzes??

Biff to miss warm-ups

2009-09-03T19:11:00.001+01:00

Because of his rehabilitation from a tennis elbow surgery

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, will miss his team's two practice games against the Highveld Lions this week as part of his rehabilitation from a tennis elbow surgery. However, the team physiotherapist Brandon Jackson assured that Smith was progressing well, and that he should be fit for the Champions Trophy warm-up match against West Indies in Potchefstroom on September 17.
"Graeme's elbow is healing well post surgery," Jackson was quoted as saying in Cricket South Africa's official website. "He is in week 11 of a structured 13-week return to full activity programme. He is currently batting against tennis balls and against underarm bowling with a cricket ball, together with intensive gym strengthening and boxing.
"This excludes him from matches this week. We expect him to return to full batting activity in ten days' time."

But they're assuring that Biff will be fit by the time Champions Trophy arrives and fit enough to captain the side...bad luck Bothy :(

He finally went under the knife after the World Twenty20 and was confident of recovering before the Champions Trophy at home, starting September 22. He has already been named in South Africa's squad for the tournament, as well as the Cape Cobras' squad for the Champions League in India next month.

Another injury.. ai ai skip?

Kallis XI vs Botha XI

2009-09-03T18:54:00.001+01:00

Bothy's army beat Jacques' team by 4 wickets
And wow, what a match for Bouch...though am still amazed that he wasnt a part of Kallis' team!
The full Scorecard:


Kallis XI innings (50 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
HH Gibbs	c & b van der Merwe	35	41	7	0	85.36

HM Amla	run out (Morkel)	26	43	2	0	60.46

JH Kallis*	b van der Merwe	50	61	2	0	81.96

JP Duminy	st †Boucher b Botha	68	78	4	0	87.17

C Jonker†	c Botha b Tsotsobe	31	31	2	0	100.00

RJ Peterson	c van der Merwe b Tsotsobe	19	24	0	1	79.16

R das Neves	not out	13	9	0	1	144.44

WA Deacon	not out	19	13	2	1	146.15

Extras	(b 2, lb 3, w 4)	9

Total	(6 wickets; 50 overs)	270	(5.40 runs per over)

Did not bat DR Deeb, F de Wet, M Ntini

Fall of wickets1-61, 2-61, 3-173, 4-186, 5-235, 6-235


Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
DW Steyn	10	1	33	0	3.30	(2w)

LL Tsotsobe	8	0	54	2	6.75

A Morkel	4	0	25	0	6.25

HW le Roux	4	0	32	0	8.00	(1w)

RE van der Merwe	10	0	42	2	4.20

J Botha	9	0	45	1	5.00	(1w)

J Symes	5	0	34	0	6.80


Botha XI innings (target: 271 runs from 50 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
J Symes	c de Wet b Ntini	14	14	2	0	100.00

AN Petersen	c Deacon b Peterson	53	75	3	0	70.66

AB de Villiers	c Amla b Deacon	23	18	4	0	127.77

MV Boucher†	b Deacon	96	91	4	3	105.49

A Morkel	b Deeb	13	20	1	0	65.00

T Bavuma	c Amla b de Wet	24	36	2	0	66.66

J Botha*	not out	35	24	4	0	145.83

RE van der Merwe	not out	8	4	0	1	200.00

Extras	(b 1, lb 4, w 2)	7

Total	(6 wickets; 47 overs)	273	(5.80 runs per over)

Did not bat HW le Roux, DW Steyn, LL Tsotsobe

Fall of wickets1-19, 2-55, 3-143, 4-169, 5-218, 6-254


Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
F de Wet	7	0	44	1	6.28

M Ntini	6	0	27	1	4.50	(1w)

WA Deacon	8	0	44	2	5.50	(1w)

JH Kallis	5	0	16	0	3.20

RJ Peterson	10	0	63	1	6.30

JP Duminy	4	0	23	0	5.75

R das Neves	4	0	29	0	7.25

DR Deeb	3	0	22	1	7.33

AB seems tired of the workload!

2009-09-03T18:32:00.001+01:00

He seems so!

According to AB, in the last few days, he's been going through the toughest of times in the practice sessions.

The South Africans have this past week been preparing for the Champions Trophy series, which starts at the end of this month. De Villiers said that they were training hard.

"It's the hardest I have trained with this team. We run three or four times every day, attend net sessions, sweat in the gym and work on our fitness in the pool," he said.

Haha tired already eh AB??
He also tells that the team is Professional enough to gear themselves mentally for the tournament.

"We have not played much cricket in recent times, but have a few training games behind us. I believe we are all professional enough to gear ourselves mentally for the tournament."

And in the article, I also become aware of the fact that Parny is having Flu...Hopefully Only Flu, and not any S word before it..

Oink Oink??

Picture Imperfects!

2009-09-01T14:36:00.002+01:00

Get your eyes on the ball, Not the ball in your eyes Dumbo!

Dont argue, Thats called hit wicket too!

Oh Please, this game is NOT for you!

Told you, you'd suck!

Nap time everyone!

Its a crazy game.. this Cricket!

Micky Speaks..."We Want Trophy"

2009-09-01T10:56:00.000+01:00

Micky says, Proteas want Trophy!

The South African cricket team is poised to end its victory drought in major tournaments, says Proteas coach Mickey Arthur on the eve of the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Please Micky, dont just speak. Make your words come real!

South Africa have only won the tournament once in their five previous attempts – in Bangladesh in 1998.

The Proteas have not been able to emerge triumphant from five World Cup tournaments and two Twenty20 World Cups.

Yes this is the part that scares me the most ahead of any major Tournament..The fact that SA's win percentage is way below mark in Major Tournaments!

However, Arthur said that they were "more determined than ever" to put this right.

"I can assure the public that we can't wait to win a tournament of the International Cricket Council (ICC)," he said from Potchefstroom, where the Proteas are holding the first of two training camps before the so-called mini World Cup.

Duh! We too cant wait to actually see you take the trophy of a Tournament!

He said the players' break of approximately two months was "well deserved".

NO! They deserved a break, but not seeing them in action for 2 Long Months, is Not a good choice!

Enough with the break, Get down to Business Now!

The Movie Maniac Cricketers

2009-08-31T15:29:00.002+01:00

At least there's something common between us, other than the game itself!
MOVIES!!

Jimmy Andy's favorite film is 'Pulp Fiction'

Steyn's Favorite movie is 'Happy Gilmore'

David Warner's Favorite movie is 'Top Gun'

Collingwood's Favorite movie is 'Dumb and Dumber'

AB's favorite movie is 'Gladiator'

The rest, you can check it Here

Picture Perfects!

2009-08-31T14:46:00.003+01:00

Dale clearly has No Idea where the Ball is..

Why the hand on your face? ..Someone slapped you?

What the..?!

Ice Bath Buddies!!

No need to do all this Morne..Girls already love you!

Dont disturb him, Meditation going on..Peace Neil, Peace!

Sri Lanka eyes South Africa’s number-one spot

2009-08-31T09:20:00.000+01:00

They want my South Africa's place!!
Those wicked evil things!! And I actually supported them against NZ in the test series?? Curse me!

Sri Lanka’s 202 runs victory in the first Test at Galle and its 96-run win at Colombo has earned it a crucial ratings point which has put it on 120 points – just two behind South Africa and one ahead of third-placed India

Just 2 points??? That wont be of any help!?

The first Test series after the ICC Champions Trophy is West Indies’ tour to Australia for three Tests, followed by Sri Lanka’s tour to India, England’s tour to South Africa for four Tests and a three-Test tour by Pakistan’s to Australia.

This gives both India and Sri Lanka the first shot at the number-one spot as the first Test between South Africa and England starts after the conclusion of the Test series in India which, according to the Future Tours Programme, is likely to start in November. While Sri Lanka will need to win the series to go top of the table, India will have to win 2-0 to topple South Africa.

See, how cruel this world is?? SA played their last Test match in March-April, whereas SL and India has been continuously getting to play test cricket now and then. How on earth is that fair??

This world is an unfair place! *woe*

Pics from CSA Season Launch & Annual Meeting

2009-08-30T19:17:00.000+01:00

I'm competely in Love with the Cricket SA official fan page on Facebook! They post DA most awesome pics you'll ever find!

What award is that for??

Thats right! Concentrate!

Why you wearing a different coloured shirt AB??

Nice eyes Dale! haha

Ryan The Muddy Man!

2009-08-30T15:39:00.001+01:00

Already there has been So many controversies regarding the Taller Morkel since the last few days. But still these people dont wanna leave Morne alone.
The Times newspaper says, Ryan Mclaren, a A South African / Kent player is on his way to totally shut the National Squad's door for Morne and that He is Muddying Morne's Picture from the National Arena.

The road to Morne Morkel’s return to the South African one-day team became potentially more complicated yesterday when it was announced that Eagles all-rounder Ryan McLaren was eligible.

No one messes with my picture, Understand MuddyMan??

Micky, Smithy Ready!

2009-08-30T15:14:00.001+01:00

And they're raring to go!
During the Cricket South Africa's launch of the 2009-10 season in Johannesburg on Friday Arthur said that the key to Proteas success in the coming days will be to always strive to improve the quality of both squads.
Micky also praised the performances that was given by the new players in the Squad.

He Says "One of the highlights of last season was to see the way that our new caps - Imraan Khan, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Wayne Parnell, Roelof van der Merwe and Yusuf Abdulla - were able to slot into the national side successfully,"

Biff said he is looking forward to the England Home series in November, and that he intends to keep the D'Oliveira Trophy to SA's name this time around too.

"There will also be the highlight of the home season in playing the Test series against England as well as the ODI series and the International Pro20s.

"We currently hold the D'Oliveira Trophy for our Test series win in England and we intend to keep it."

Nashua Titans Gearing Up

2009-08-30T14:48:00.002+01:00

Gearing up for yet another promising season! My Champions!

The Nashua Titans are gearing up for the new domestic cricket season as they look to build on their impressive performances last season. The Titans pulled off a domestic double last year when they captured the four-day SuperSport Series and the 45-over MTN Domestic Championship. However, last season was not all sunshine and roses for the men from Centurion and they would have been disappointed to miss out on the semifinals of the lucrative Standard Bank Pro20 series.
One thing that the Titans will not be doing is spending a lot of money on new players although there has been a change in the coaching hierarchy with Chris van Noordwyk taking over as coach from Richard Pybus.
The Titans are a formidable team and, at full strength, will include such luminaries of South African cricket as Dale Steyn, Roelof van der Merwe, AB de Villiers and Paul Harris as well as the Morkel brothers Albie and Morne.
Many of the afore-mentioned players came through the ranks at the Titans which is one of the reasons why the franchise have not opened their cheque book to sign new players.
“If you utilise local players you can be successful. We have been successful with local players and the Titans don’t go out and buy for the sake of it,” Van Noordwyk told SuperCricket.
With Van Noordwyk taking the coaching reigns it would be reasonable to expect the new man to want to implement a new regime but the new coach is having none of it.
“We have kept the same environment although we have changed a few small things in training. We have got a winning formula and we will stick to that and utilise our strengths,” he said.
“The key thing about the squad is that they know how to win. It is a happy team and a balanced team off, and on, the field,” he added.
The Titans are indeed a very balanced side. On any given day their top six batting order could include dashing batsmen of the calibre of Gulam Bodi, Heino Kuhn, Martin van Jaarsveld, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis.
The fast bowling cupboard is well stocked with the likes of Steyn, Ethy Mbalathi, Basheer Walters and the Morkel brothers able to test the best batsmen.
If spin is required then left-arm spinners Harris and Van der Merwe and leg spinner Imran Tahir are three of the finest exponents of their art in the country.
The Titans also have the wily allrounder Pierre Joubert as captain to ensure that the right choices are made on the field of play.
The Centurion-based side will get their 2009/10 season under way on September 24 when they take on the Nashua Cape Cobras in a SuperSport Series match and Van Noordwyk is confident that his team will be ready for the challenge.
“Everything is going well. We have had a good winter programme and there are some young guys coming through so we are very happy where we are at the moment,” he explained.
One obstacle that the Titans will face is national call-ups. It is reasonable to expect that up to six members of their squad, De Villiers, Harris, Steyn, Van der Merwe and the Morkel brothers will be involved at some time with the Proteas during the up-coming season.
Not only will Van Noordwyk have to find players to fill the spots vacated by men on international duty, he also faces the challenge of integrating the internationals back into the team when they become available.
“It is a good challenge. The national players are assets for the country and we have to balance it (their appearance in the team) but they are always fully focused when they play for the Titans,” Van Noordwyk said.

Go and Show Them Who You Are! ..right AB? :-)

Little AB

2009-08-30T10:33:00.000+01:00

This site's got a couple of mind blowing videos of AB.
And as the title says, the video also shows a few glimpse of AB as a child!!
http://beta.mnet.co.za/fanclub/Kwela/FanClubArticle.aspx?ClubId=12&AId=21061

Superman!!

2009-08-30T10:24:00.001+01:00

Yes, am talking about AB, the Superman!
Believe me, This man can actually Fly! Now thats what I call Talent! The Talent of Flying! haha
Can your favorite players Fly? Can They? Can They??? NO They Cant! And they never will, Coz They aren't AB! Got it?

You Go Boy!

Fathers and Sons Cricket Days

2009-08-30T09:46:00.000+01:00

Just before the Champs Trophy kicks off, few of the Proteas players are attending
second annual Fathers and Sons Cricket Days, hosted by Toyota South Africa in various parts
of the country today. The players participating are Morne Morkel, AB de Villiers,; Paul Harris,Yusuf Abdullah, Dale Steyn, Shaun Pollock and JP Duminy.

South African cricket fans can welcome Spring with participation in the second annual Fathers and Sons Cricket Days, hosted by Toyota South Africa.
Kicking off in Joburg on 30 August 2009, the popular Fathers and Sons Cricket Series will see hundreds of youngsters participating in coaching clinics with some of the Protea stars.

Toyota South Africa became the official vehicle supplier to Cricket SA and the Proteas at the beginning of 2007, re-entering the cricket arena after a four-year absence. The Fathers and Sons initiative is one of the ways in which Toyota decided to leverage its vehicle sponsorship.

“Toyota is a caring brand focused strongly on family values, whilst cricket is a sport in which the whole family can enjoy. We believe that cricket can assist our brand in speaking to and forming lasting relationships with our target market,” says Andrew Kirby, Toyota SA Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing. “The Fathers and Sons initiative is a perfect fit for our brand values, and based on the success of the inaugural tri-series held in 2008, we're hoping that the 2009 events will be equally well supported.”

The 2008 series' turnout was overwhelming, with over 1000 people - fathers, mothers and sons - arriving at the ground and joining in the festivities, which included a live performance by Heinz Winkler, face-painting and clown entertainment. All three coaching clinics were a hugely successful, with the children clutching to their heroes at every available opportunity. The cricket celebrities included the likes of Shaun Pollock, Paul Harris, Alan Dawson, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan Canning and Richard Levi. Other celebs included the Morkel brothers, Neil McKenzie and a whole host of Dolphins players at the Durban event held one week after Cape Town.

This year is bound to see the event become even bigger and better, and so we would like to urge all the eager young fans to enter early, as no doubt the entries will fill up soon. The first of this years events will take place at Supersport Park Centurion on 30 August, with the second event one week later at Sahara Oval, Kingsmead Stadium on 6 September. The last of the 2009 series will take place in Cape Town on 13 September at Sahara Newlands Stadium.

The events will follow much the same format as last year with children divided into groups and coached in the areas of batting, bowling and fitness and fielding. The fourth session of the day will be a motivational talk by Shaun Pollock and some of the Proteas who will provide tips for both children and parents. Mothers are welcome to a treatment of pampering and relaxation courtesy of various spa treatments and there are fun activities arranged for children under six years old.

Protea players who will be joining in the coaching festivities include Morne Morkel and AB de Villiers at Centurion; Paul Harris and Yusuf Abdullah at Kingsmead and Dale Steyn and JP Duminy at Newlands. Shaun Pollock and Paul Harris will be present at all three events.

In support of the event Gerald Majola, CSA CEO, said: "Cricket South Africa's heritage is based on the inherent values of loyalty and the pursuit of excellence being passed on from generation to generation within the family of our nation. CSA is very proud of these values, and we are privileged to share them with the world-class Toyota brand. We urge all families to come on this wonderful adventure with CSA and Toyota."

Toyota's official ambassador, Shaun Pollock concludes with his thoughts on last year's events: “The events were filled with fun and enjoyment from all involved. Coaching and interacting with the children was an awesome experience, and to be able to share my skills and experience with them is something that I place great importance on. Who knows, we might just identify South Africa's next fast bowler amongst all these boys! I think that this is a great initiative by Toyota, and would like to thank both Toyota and Let's Play for supporting the game that so many people love, so much.”

The Fathers and Sons Cricket events will be taking place on these following dates:
30 August: Johannesburg at Supersport Park, Centurion
6 September: Durban at Sahara Oval Kingsmead Stadium
13 September: Cape Town at Sahara Park Newlands Stadium

Mary Jane's Interview with Mark Verdon Boucher

2009-08-29T20:33:00.003+01:00

So, Mark Boucher visited our blogsite a few days back. Here's what he had to say:

MJ: Hello Mark, Firstly thanks a lot for coming to our Blog, really appreciate it!
MB: Ah thats a pleasure. And I'm extremely glad that you called me for this interview to say the truth, you saved me from Jacques!

MJ: Saved you from Kallis? How?
MB: He's gone crazy! He says that we both have put on a lot of weight, and need to exercise daily! I mean, Pah! what a silly ass! How could he say that I've put on weight?? I am the most Perfect man in the team!! eh??

MJ: ahem Yes ofcourse you are! No Doubt about it. I say, you make a perfect model actually!
MB: *blushes* send me your pic, I wanna make you Fan of the week in my Website! Thats a huge honour, mind you!

MJ: err yeah Okay I will....Anyways so what are your hobbies?
MB: GOLF, I'm brilliant in it!! Actually it was ME who gave Jacques the idea of holding Golf Days every year. But, what a pity! The golf day is called "Jacques Kallis blah blah blah Golf Day" instead, whereas it should have been in my name!

MJ: Oh Thats unfair. Lets now talk about Cricket then. We've been hearing controversies regarding Morne Morkel's exclusion from the squad, tell us more about it.
MB: I dont want to get into this, as I dont have a habit of interfering in other players' problems you know.

MJ: Okay...I see you've changed a Lot then Mark!
MB: Ofcourse, thats why I told the selector himself that I want His Head Off instead of saying any mean things in public and...Ooops! I meant to say that...errr that I dont want to get into this matter..umm yeah I dont...

MJ: aha I see.. Anyways, what are the plans for the Champions Trophy?
MB: You are from??

MJ: UK, why?
MB: Ohhh!! KP's wicked army?? Forget it, am not telling you then!

MJ: Whatever..umm so what do you think of Graeme's new Duckling (girl)?
MB: Oooh you mean, Graeme's Ugly Duckling ?? haha...err I meant..NO COMMENTS!

MJ: I see... Okay then Mark, Interview's over. Hope you enjoyed!
MB: Ah I did enjoy! except for the last part, but yeah it was good..Sorta!

What sorta?? I hated it!

Gibbsy Says "I am here to Say"

2009-08-29T19:52:00.001+01:00

NO, He's Not talking about the South African squad. He's talking about Glamorgan..His County team.

Cape Town – He might be 35 but it seems clear retirement is not on the radar yet for crowd-pleasing Proteas batsman Herschelle Gibbs.

The BBC quoted Gibbs this week as saying he would like to renew his deal with Glamorgan in 2010 – he is presently playing his last couple of County Championship matches of the season for them before returning to hook up with the Proteas for the Champions Trophy next month.

He will then represent his long-time domestic franchise, the Cape Cobras, in the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 tournament in India.

Gibbs scored 42 in the first innings of their current game against Northamptonshire before being stumped by Riki Wessels off the bowling of England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar.

It is his second, part-season stint at Cardiff; in 2008 he played just their Twenty20 campaign and this year he has been available across competitions since the start of July, with some varied personal results.

His Cape Town-based manager Donne Commins confirmed to Sport24 that Gibbs had “thoroughly enjoyed” his time with Glamorgan, was still “fit and fresh” and wanted to play in England again.

“But nothing is in concrete (for next year) yet.”

Gibbs told the BBC he had had preliminary discussions with Glamorgan director of cricket Matthew Maynard about his future.

“I’ve spoken to Matthew and they are very keen for me to come back and I’m keen too.

“I’ll definitely come here as long as I possibly can if I come back next year.”

Glamorgan are pushing hard for promotion out of County Championship division two.

Oh Captain, My Captain!

2009-08-29T17:58:00.002+01:00

What the hell is wrong with your eyes Captain??
You know what I'm talking about right? Yes, His New Girl
So apparently Mr Biff has found himself a girl friend, and that too a weird one!

Boy wasn't I shocked when I first caught the glimpse of our captain courageous' new gal!
This girl, by no means is a good choice, and the sooner Biff accepts it, the better!
I mean, Just Look at her!! Absolutely shocking (oh please! don't expect me to praise something that's
not praiseworthy dammit!)

Boooooooooo!!!!!!!