new zealand

Today's Haka brought to you by the Tall Blacks

Submitted by Rick Eyre on September 3 2014, 9:17 pm

Before their game against Team USA in the FIBA World Cup on September 2 2014, the New Zealand men's basketball team, the Tall Blacks, did what all New Zealand national teams should do... perform the Haka.

Judging by the looks on the Americans' faces it can't be long before we see a USA equivalent... surely?

USA won the game 98-71.

Two-off Tests

Submitted by Rick Eyre on November 25 2011, 11:23 am

We've seen two great Test matches between South Africa and Australia in the past fortnight.

At Newlands, Cape Town, a dramatic South African collapse was followed by an utterly historic Australian one, after which the home side's batsmen stormed back to claim a stunning win by eight wickets within two and a half days.

How long is a piece of match fee?

Submitted by Rick Eyre on March 6 2010, 11:44 pm

The International Cricket Council is one of those organisations which will never truly satisify its public with the way it runs the game. No number of ex-politicians fed through the presidential revolving door will change that, but not all of the criticism is warranted. However, the ICC's approach to player discipline seems to win very few friends indeed.

Why John Howard is bad for world cricket

Submitted by Rick Eyre on March 2 2010, 9:06 pm

"Howard's future in retirement? I've come up with three options:
(a) A ceremonial role (eg: patron, no.1 ticket holder, mascot) with one or more of the Australian Rugby Union, Cricket Australia or the Australian Olympic team...."

- Rick Eyre, 1.12.07

Adelaide Day One: Somewhere between the sublime and the ridiculous

Submitted by Rick Eyre on December 5 2009, 11:43 am

And so it was on Friday that for about two hours we had the exhilaration of simultaneously following: Day Three, India v Sri Lanka at Mumbai; Day Two, New Zealand v Pakistan at Wellington; Day One, Australia v West Indies at Adelaide. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Just exhausting. Three games of wildly varying textures, each one with that joyous "Let's See You Do That In The IPL" feel about them.

Twittering at the cricket

Submitted by Rick Eyre on November 15 2008, 6:38 pm

Yesterday I attended the SCG for a session and a half of Day Two of the New Zealand v New South Wales tour match. To my eternal regret, it has been almost three years since I have been to a NSW game (namely, the Twenty20 game against Queensland at the NSO in January 2006), so it was my first opportunity to try out some mobile blogging at the ground. Hence, my debut on Twitter.

New Zealand 201/9, Bangladesh 202/3

Submitted by Rick Eyre on October 9 2008, 10:43 pm

Oh dear. Bangladesh cricket was supposed to have been gutted when their best players were poached to play for the Dhaka Warriors in the new ICL season, which starts tomorrow. Though not quite a second XI, only one player making his ODI debut, Bangladesh's first-ever limited-over win against New Zealand today is one heckuva triumph.

And the World's Best ODI Bowler went for 9-0-48-0.

ICL rebels? Who needs 'em?

Submitted by Rick Eyre on March 10 2008, 12:13 am

New Zealand flogged England in the First Test on Sunday. England were set 300 for victory, but just couldn't quite get there, all out for 110. Ryan Sidebottom's hat-trick was in vain, as was Aussie Tim Ambrose's debut first innings half-century.

But hang on a tic? Wasn't New Zealand cricket supposed to be on its way down the tubes having lost all its best talent to the Icicle?