Blogs & Pods

Date: March 22, 2018 / Posted by Glenn Mitchell

In the space of one Test, Australia’s fortunes have swung dramatically. After a convincing win in the opening Test at Durban, the tourists entered the second encounter at Port Elizabeth on a roll. That confidence was soon pricked by some explosive fast bowling from Kagiso Rabada and a brilliant century from A B de Villiers. […]

Date: March 6, 2018 / Posted by Glenn Mitchell

We may be only a quarter of the way through this series but Mitchell Starc is already shaping as the gamebreaker. His 9-109 and rapid-fire 35 in Australia’s first innings earned him the man-of-the-match award. With conditions conducive to reverse swing he proved insurmountable to the Proteas’ tail. It is one thing to be able […]

Date: February 27, 2018 / Posted by Glenn Mitchell

Over the next month, the Australian Test team will be looking to continue an amazing modern-day run. Since the Proteas were readmitted to Test ranks in the early-1990s, Australia has toured South Africa seven times and has never lost a series, with five wins and two drawn outcomes. In reverse, South Africa has also had […]

Date: February 8, 2018 / Posted by Glenn Mitchell

Twenty20 cricket was seen as a gimmick when it emerged on the scene. Fourteen years after it was introduced at domestic level by the ECB it has grown into the sport’s most marketable commodity. The rapid rise was stimulated by India winning the inaugural World Cup in South Africa in September 2007. Remarkably, that tournament […]

Date: January 19, 2018 / Posted by Glenn Mitchell

Tennis has descended into farce as a result of inactivity by the sport’s authorities. The lack of desire to quell the ever increasing grunting, shrieking and squealing by players has turned a lot of people off the sport. Rather than stepping in when the problem first emerged in the days of Jimmy Connors and Monica […]

Date: January 1, 2018 / Posted by Glenn Mitchell

Picking the 2017 Test team of the year is not an easy task. Several players excelled during parts of the year but also had significant flat spots while a team like India played eight of its 11 Tests at home with the other three in Sri Lanka meaning similar conditions throughout the year. Anyway, here […]

Date: December 7, 2017 / Posted by Glenn Mitchell

The theory that the 2001 Kolkata Test influences Australian captains re the follow-on is baseless and makes no sense. It is time to abandon the concept altogether. Let me explain. Steve Waugh’s first Test series as skipper was in the Caribbean in March 1999. He had a dream start with the Windies shot out for […]

Date: November 27, 2017 / Posted by Glenn Mitchell

If Steve Smith was to now make 20 consecutive ducks he would still average 50.1. No, that is not a typo but rather a stunning statistic. It simply underlines the career that the Australian captain has compiled so far. His unbeaten 141 in his first innings of this Ashes series leaves him with an aggregate […]

Date: November 18, 2017 / Posted by Glenn Mitchell

Shaun Marsh has been recalled to the Test side for a eighth time. Yet, the Gabba Test will be only his 24th for Australia. Not every omission has been due to form but the significant majority have. Not even John Farnham can boast as many comebacks. Given his Test record – 1476 runs at an […]

Date: November 14, 2017 / Posted by Glenn Mitchell

Adam Gilchrist changed the way we look at wicket-keepers in Australia and it has little to do with what he did with the gloves. In 96 Test matches he amassed 5570 runs, compiled 17 centuries and averaged 47.6. He finished his career with a then Test world record 416 dismissals. His predecessor, Ian Healy, previously […]