Sunday 4 January 2009

Matters arising from the SCG, and Joe Previtera

Brian Clough is said to have grabbed hold of one of his players who'd just made his international debut and asked him, 'young man, who won two England caps in one day?'
'I don't know,' came the reply.
'You did,' went Clough. 'Your first and your last'.

Cruel maybe, but it came to mind while watching Andrew McDonald at the SCG. 

It's the first time this century that the Australian team has included two debutants. The last pair were Scott Muller and some wicketkeeper called Gilchrist who appeared against Pakistan at the Gabba in 1999. Muller won two caps, although he probably could have done without the second, in Hobart, when he so incensed Channel 9 cameraman Joe Previtera with a poor piece of fielding he became the subject of the infamous 'can't bowl, can't throw' sledge.

Who knows if Previtera is at the SCG, or what he thinks of McDonald and Doug Bollinger. One man who might have a view is the best one-day bowler in the world, Australia's Nathan Bracken. Who has he upset?

2 comments:

Jrod said...

Didn't listen to that Joe the Cameraman crap, since when are channel 9 camera men miked up, never.

It was either Shane Warne or Simon O'Donnell.

Either of who are close.

And McDonald isn't much, but much better than Muller.

The Old Batsman said...

Yeah, I remember being in Oz when it happened and loved the endless voice analysis people on TV. It did sound like Shane, but of course it would be libellous to say so even on a blog...

McDonald just seems like a bits and pieces man. If they haven't got Symonds straight by the time they go to SA, I think the sensible course would be to play the extra bowler and try to take 20 wickets, especially with Johnson and Haddin batting well enough at the moment.