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Last updated on August 9th, 2017 at 02:06 pm
It isn’t easy covering an unpredictable sports event like a five-day Test match, as The Age’s Peter Roebuck illustrates. Here he is on Monday:
Bewildering tactics and wayward bowling at the start of the South African reply undid much of the hard work completed by the batsmen during the course of Australia’s long first innings. After two early wickets had fallen, the Australians lost their way, repeatedly over-pitching and also sending down numerous no-balls … Australia played compromised and accommodating cricket. It might prove to be a costly mistake.
Then again, maybe not. South Africa subsequently lost six wickets for just 67 runs to end with a first innings deficit of 102. Roebuck on Tuesday:
Happily the bowlers made amends and a significant lead was secured.
- “Pretty much as I predicted, except that the Silly Party won.”Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2006 03 27 at 11:55 PM • permalink
- Roebuck is often wrong and has a delightfully pretentious style that sets himself up for a fall.
But my favourite is when he takes the high moral ground about the behaviour of players. Just google “Peter Roebuck caning”.
Posted by Margos Maid on 2006 03 28 at 12:09 AM • permalink
- Roebuck should stick to spanking firm young cricketers in the back shed. He’s a shocker.Posted by Bearded Mullah on 2006 03 28 at 12:50 AM • permalink
- Not a patch on John Arlott. See the Basil D’Oliviera and Clive Rice bits.Posted by Whale Spinor on 2006 03 28 at 12:57 AM • permalink
- Good God! Whale Spinor’s article contain’s this howler:
Ian Chappell refers to an incident involving Tony Greig, the former South African-born English captain who is highly popular as a commentator these days.
Posted by Tony.T.Teacher on 2006 03 28 at 01:23 AM • permalink
- Like a lot of lefties, Roebuck also finds it difficult to accept that Mugabe’s regime long ago wore out any post-colonial excuses it might have been owing. He was firmly in favour of the South African sporting boycott, headed a society of cricketers against racism or some such when he was a county cricketer, and recently wrote a contemptuous piece commemorating the rebel tours to South Africa in the eighties. Fair enough. Yet during the last World Cup and before cancelled or curtailed tours of Zimbabwe by England and Australia, he dismissed the impulses of each government and of many players to boycott Zimbabwe as moral grandstanding and mixing politics with sport.
- The purplest of prose;
“Justin Langer was no less comfortable at the crease than his partner. As is his custom, he nestled over his bat and examined every delivery with those blazing eyes. As is his want, he periodically flashed at a wide delivery. To his credit, he does not fiddle outside off-stick like an anaemic hen, but instead throws his bat at the ball with the air of a man cutting through bamboo in an attempt to reach the pub on the other side.
What pubs Peter been visiting?
Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2006 03 28 at 02:47 AM • permalink
- Roebuck is one of the most pompous turds in the media. Even the ABC wont hire him anymore.Posted by gustov_deleft on 2006 03 28 at 05:57 AM • permalink
- #7 Agreed and apologies. I should have said, “read only the Basil D’Oliviera and Clive Rice bits”Posted by Whale Spinor on 2006 03 28 at 07:37 AM • permalink
- Now we get the inane analysis of every stroke, ball, field placement, pitch cracks, weather conditions etc etc. “Rice bowls and paddy fields” is something the present lot could never come up with. Even well after the event.
Hopefully Arlott had counted correctly and Wes Hall had indeed struck poor old Basil with a brutal blow to the knackers with his fifth ball. If so, “Yes, d’oliviera ready to face Hall…. one ball remaining”, is truly brilliant.
John Arlott is sadly missed.
Posted by Whale Spinor on 2006 03 28 at 07:47 AM • permalink
- Umpire Morgan Freeman (Yas’m Miz Daisy) is doing a superlative job for Australia.
Judgement of a 3 year old and the faculties of a 90 year old.
How did the ACB (or Cricket Australia, or whatever they are called this week) manage to get him on the payroll?
Posted by Pedro the Ignorant on 2006 03 28 at 09:55 AM • permalink
- Tony Greig, the former South African-born English captain who is highly popular as a commentator these days.
With whom?
Posted by Mikie Slats on 2006 03 28 at 09:00 PM • permalink
- Roebuck’s taking the high moral ground on strictly sporting matters is easier to take than his constant off-topic ruminations that cricket reflects his multicultural, comunitarian, republican (in the constitutional sense) world view. He’s often ridiculously purple and sentimental.
But he’s a very kind man. Just ask him. I was listening to the ABC coverage one day this past summer & he told the audience how he supports 11 (I think) African kids. Knew all their names too. Highly commendable. But Jeez! Do you tell the whole world about it.
….and one is left with the nagging suspicion that one day they might get a damned good trashing.
Posted by Mikie Slats on 2006 03 28 at 09:05 PM • permalink
- #22 ”…trashing”
Er…that’s “thrashing”. I was getting all overcome.
Posted by Mikie Slats on 2006 03 28 at 09:12 PM • permalink
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