Australia not taking T20 seriously

Andrew MacDonald - contract. David Warner - no contract.

They'll be the only country who'd really rather win the 50 over World Cup soon.

NB: There's a case to be made for running international T20 squads a bit like an IPL franchise, as a separate entity, separately developed. Imagine what Australia might be like with SK Warne as captain/coach.

Backyard T20 with Steve Waugh

A terrific interview with Steve Waugh at Cricinfo today, in which the great man reveals he's created a version of T20 to play in the back yard with his son Austin, 10.

'The way we play is, I bowl 20 balls to him. He gets as many runs as he can. He tallies his score up and then I get my 20 balls... It's full on, there's no charity for him...'

Nope, there isn't... In a recent match exclusively seen by the Batsman, young Austin went first to the immaculate backyard pitch in the Sydney suburbs. As he walked out to face his opening delivery, the familiar voice of Australia's most implacable and flinty captain was heard: 'Here he comes boys', it went. 'He's got the big name but has he got the game...?'

Austin did well to post a score of 25, and waited patiently between innings as his father delayed his entrance as he was preparing to 'bat for the Baggy Green' and also because he 'wanted the light to be like that evening at the SCG'.

Eventually he came out, waving a red rag to check the wind, and made steady progress until he twanged a calf taking a quick single while Austin tried to find the ball in a flower bed. Austin offered to 'call the game a draw if you like, dad', whereupon Waugh fixed him with a stare and asked his son 'if he wanted to go inside so that they could get someone tough out here...'

Ultimately Waugh's wife, and Austin's mother, Lynette was summoned from the kitchen to act as a runner, her protestations that the dinner was almost ready dismissed with a curt 'just get your head down and leave it to Tugga'. 

Shortly afterwards Austin spilled a caught and bowled chance, and appeared tearful as his father grunted, 'you just dropped the World Cup, son' out of the side of his mouth.

Australia's former captain approached Austin's total rapidly, but waited until the penultimate ball to cover drive the winning runs, holding the pose for a second before walking off with bat raised.

Lynette then attempted to serve dinner, but was told firmly that the meal wouldn't be happening 'until Pigeon arrived to sing the team song'.

Austin, 10, got to bed around 12pm, but was kept awake by several raucous renditions of 'Beneath The Southern Cross' emanating from the kitchen. Before falling asleep he said that he 'prefers it when Uncle Mark comes round because he just scores a quick 70-odd, knocks me up an easy catch and then goes and sits inside to watch the racing'. 

Afghan Plan

England are in the midst of a five-year plan to become the number one Test team and win a major limited overs trophy. Five years? Hopelessly unambitious.

Twenty years ago, cricket in Afghanistan didn't exist. Ten years ago, it was banned by the Taliban. Until a few years ago, it was less popular than rugby on horseback with a sheep's carcass for a ball. 

Now Afghanistan are the twelfth best T20 team in the world. The players get a maximum of £200 per month, meaning that it would take them around three and a half years to earn enough to download Lalit Modi's tender form for new IPL teams. There will be an Afghani player in the IPL before then.

Life's not so bad for the team. They've been given laptops and parades, and posters line the streets of Kabul and Jalalabad. 'In the shops,' says all-rounder Raees Ahmadzai, 'whenever we buy something, we get another thing free...'

They beat Ireland to get to the World T20 and then a couple of days after that chased out 494 to win a four-day game against Canada. 

Their coach, Kabir Khan, told the Observer, 'During the cricket, the guns are put down'.

Now that's a plan.