Up all night
Sport Review #177
You can enjoy pizza for dinner, you can enjoy pizza for breakfast. Love comes in many forms.
One of my favourite Kane Williamson quotes was a response to being asked how he liked T20 cricket, as a somewhat surprise selection in the 2014 World T20 squad, when the line between red and white ball cricket and cricketers was thought to be much wider. Kane’s answer? “It’s in my top three.”
That was then, this now etc. Cricket changes, and T20, once poo-poohed by the bacon and egg tie, picket fence and queue monitor crowd now runs this game.
We were all up in the middle of the night to watch the World Test Championship. (Did I mention we won that? We won that.). We’re up in the middle of the night to watch the T20 - cricket is cricket and this has been brilliant. I’ll be up on Monday morning too.
To start, T20 was a batter’s game with a few cute shots like scoops and reverse sweeps added to the coaching manual, raining sixes and turning bowlers into just bowling machines - but the thinking is much deeper now. With elements of Moneyball, T20 is now all about maths and tricks.
Seemingly impossible chases can now be pulled off with a bit of clear thinking - as Brendon McCullum said, if you need 57 off 4 overs, you need five sixes, then it’s 27 off 19, a much more manageable chase.
There are tricks in the match ups (say keeping your left arm slow bowler away from the batsman who’s strong against them, which is why Mitch Santner only bowled one over yesterday morning, to stay out of Moeen Ali’s way).
Bowlers run in with a last-card hand full of 2’s, 5’s and Jacks, ready to devastate batters - everyone has five different slow balls and plans that make balls like a slow bounder a genius move at the right time.
Again, the BLACKCAPS are showing what makes them special - three formats, three finals and all done with the low key and unbreakable sportsmanship and culture - with new players coming in to the group that can step up, often forged in years of domestic cricket - this could go on for years. Let’s hope so.
Thanks for reading - Richard
This week's best NZ sport content
The Black Ferns’ double thrashings by England have been a proper cold shower after the Olympics - Alice Soper has some ideas on how to turn it around [Locker Room]
Neat little analysis of how the BLACKCAPS got home from Brendon McCullum [SENZ]
This mega pod with Leigh Hart makes you appreciate the work that’s gone in to fund and create some of the weirdest TV produced in NZ [Between Two Beers]
Scott MacLean has had enough of Jarvo [Sportsfreak]
Times are pretty tough for sports clubs - Bridget Tunnicliffe joined her local tennis club, wound up on the committee and is now helping plan its survival [RNZ]
Video nasty
HEADPHONES!
Long read
The Olympic cyclist who became a bank robber that used a bike for a getaway vehicle [Chicago Mag]
Recommendation
The Once Upon A Time At Bennington College podcast gives Bret Easton Ellis and Donna Tartt fans more backstory on the notorious sex n drugs n not much learning university years than you ever thought you needed [Apple podcasts]
Bring back the gif
When you think your phone is vibrating in your pocket but it’s actually in your hand and you’re looking at it.
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