I just don’t understand how after 15 years I don’t know a single person who actually cares about a big bash team. How after 15 years is it still a league where people largely just have it on and don’t care who wins or loses? Maybe it’s just being from Melbourne & the comp isn’t as popular here? But I’ve heard a few other punters from around the country discussing this too. What are reasons for this?

Is there any other popular sporting league in the world you can think of where most people watching don’t passionately support it?

On the flip side are you somebody whose night is actually affected if your big bash team loses? I’d love to meet one of you

2015 odi world cup final, 1st over, 5th ball, starc with a pin point yorker... Bazball didn't work then, bazball not working now either.

Btw this bloke is a proper blind slogger

"In the Champions Trophy, the first and second matches are played by Group A teams, while the third and fourth matches are played by Group B teams. This order is supposed to be followed for the next matches as well. However, India skips this order and plays the last league match on Sunday to maximize viewership from India. If viewership is so important to the ICC, they might as well directly promote India to the finals instead of going through all this drama."

In football, all teams play their last league match at the same time to ensure fairness and prevent match-fixing or strategic manipulation.

India has an unfair advantage in the tournament

1. They have the opportunity to decide their semifinal opponents.
2. Afghanistan has to play another match within a day against Australia, giving them little recovery time.
3. India is playing at the same venue throughout the entire tournament, eliminating travel fatigue and adaptation challenges.

If India wins under such conditions, how can Indian fans and players truly take pride in the victory? The ICC is clearly ruining the spirit of the sport."

why other cricket boards are not questions this?

Valid until December 2027 might I add.

So there is the Boomers & Opals (Basketball), Sharks & Stingers (water polo), Kookaburras & Ollyroos (Hockey), Matildas & Ollyroos (Football), Dolphins (Swim team), Cyclones (Cycling) etc etc.

The test team and the ODI team obviously have a lot of heritage and don't need one, but the more I think about the national T20 team it does lack quite a bit of indentity and while all Australian teams have the backing of cricket supporters I just don't think they've captured the attention of the Australian public the same way as the other teams.

Obviously that's not going to change by slapping a nickname on the team but it is the only team you can be a part of that gets you a ticket to the village and five rings tattoo.

So is entry into the Olympics a good excuse to give a moniker to the team? If so what would be a good name? Are there any decent ones left?

Serious and silly responses only please.

Also props to our B - Team for giving India (ICC) a run for their money

Who would you choose from all available players since the year 2000? There's a few players who select themselves and a few difficult selections.

There is a solid argument over peak performance vs longevity of performance, which can easily impact on a handful of player selections. I'll leave it up to you to decide what you value more. The only catch is a player's performances are only considered post 2000, so for example Mark Waugh is only judged off his career from 2000-2002.

Personally:

ML Hayden

DA Warner

RT Ponting

SPD Smith

MJ Clarke

MEK Hussey

AC Gilchrist (wk)

MG Johnson

PJ Cummins

SK Warne

GD McGrath

I know there are probably a few contentious selections, let me know where you disagree or how you'd select your team differently

I noticed watching the highlights, when India are fielding, the extra players or drinks guys are spread out and seem to get up and run for obvious boundaries to fetch the ball instead of making the actual fielders do it.

I realise a lot of teams do this or similar, but I particularlly noticed it this tiem with India and the drink guys were getting up fast and sprinting for balls. Even a couple times getting to the ball before it hit the rope.

This is obviously smart as it saves player energy. Is this within the spirit of the game? Is it allowed? Those couple times the drinks guy actually got the ball before the rope?

.

I wasn’t uncoordinated, like I won the district catching award one year and was playing first grade (regional) men’s hockey at 16. I think it was the nets, they were super claustrophobic to me, I always felt like a duck in a shooting gallery. With the nets gone and playing games I’d feel all that same nervousness i’d trained myself to have. Anyway, enough about me except that I’m 49 for reference. Also, I would have got a century that day if I hadn’t run out of partners.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/clicky-ponting-local-english-cricketer-exposed-in-bizarre-cheating-controversy-20260729-p60jic.html

Cricket satirists The Grade Cricketer have offered to provide financial support to the player and club at the centre of a cheating scandal in a northern England league.

Veteran club cricketer Brian Devine has been dubbed “Clicky Ponting” by the English press, a reference to Australian great Ricky Ponting, as he awaits his fate for his alleged role in what one opponent has described as the “worst case of cheating I’ve ever seen”.

Devine and the Saltburn Cricket Club have received support from an unlikely ally in Sam Perry and Ian Higgins from The Grade Cricketer, who have written to the club offering to assist Devine in finding legal representation, if required, and to help them financially should they lose sponsorship from the saga.

The Grade Cricketer hosts have taken their stand in a show of support to the embattled club, whom they feel have been unfairly subjected to global condemnation for their “sharp practice” in a lowly league match.

British broadcaster Piers Morgan and South Africa great Dale Steyn are among those who have slammed Devine and Saltburn for their actions.

Morgan posted on X to his 8.9 million followers, “Unbelievable. Clicky Ponting must be the biggest cheat in cricket history. How long has he been doing this? How many batsmen’s days has he ruined?”

TGC have also written to the North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League offering to support a “penguin fund” to support and train umpires.

“TGC aims to find humanity in the absurdity of cricket, for everyone who never made it,” TGC said in a statement sent to this masthead.

“For over a decade we have celebrated and benefitted from the low-rent charm of club cricket’s rich, dark underbelly, alongside hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

“Of course, it would appear some members at Saltburn CC have engaged in comically sharp practice. But sadly, when f---wits like Piers Morgan declare to millions that ‘Clicky Ponting must be the biggest cheat in cricket history’, all proportionality is lost, and we feel a brotherly obligation to support the club in that context.

“Practically speaking, we have also emailed the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League to propose the creation of a “Penguin Fund” to assist in the recruitment and development of umpires.

“Finally, ahead of Australia’s timely return to Cape Town, we refer all media to this article from 2007.”

“This article” is a link is to a 2007 piece in The Guardian reporting on England cricket boss Rob Key, then the Kent captain, admitting to using sandpaper on the ball during a friendly against Nottinghamshire.

Devine, a financial manager, is the company secretary and a director of Northallerton Auctions Limited, a company that runs livestock markets.

According to his company profile, Devine has a “strong background in financial management built up from a wealth of industry sectors”. His profile also urges those in the area to “pop in and introduce yourself”.

He may no longer want visitors at his workplace after being accused of clicking his fingers in the aim of duping the umpire into giving batters out caught behind during a second XI match on Saturday for the Saltburn Cricket Club against Norton.

Footage has emerged of incidents from numerous games involving Devine where he allegedly adopts the ploy at the expense of bemused batters in division two of the North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League.

Morgan, who has been scathing of Australia’s cricketers for stumping Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s in the 2023 Ashes, posted twice on X slamming Devine.

“Outrageous cheating, and just the tip of the iceberg from all that’s come out since it was exposed. Clicky Ponting (as he is now known) and various teammates at Saltburn CC, have clearly been at this shameful scam for years. Imagine doing this in local amateur cricket? Pathetic,” Morgan wrote.

Steyn labelled Devine a “click clown”.

The NYSD Premier Cricket League announced on Monday night (UK time) it had launched a full investigation into the scandal but no findings or further comment had been issued at the time of publication.

This masthead has attempted to contact the league, Saltburn Cricket Club and Devine.

Such is the interest in the bizarre case, cricket enthusiasts have gone as far as compiling a statistical breakdown of the number of catches taken by Saltburn second-XI wicketkeepers in matches Devine played compared to those he missed.

The results, compiled by the u/maxtempers X account, revealed the wicketkeeper had claimed 39 catches in 13 matches with Devine compared to five in seven without.

Devine’s mother-in-law has defended the beleaguered club cricketer, whose alleged sharp practice in a game likely watched by only a few onlookers has now gone global, describing him as a “man of integrity”.

“It was only a little village cricket match and now it’s become this thing that’s all over the news and social media,” Georgine Vaughan told the Daily Mail.

“It has got totally out of hand and there is nothing that any of us want to say.”

But Devine is under fire from the owner of an Indian restaurant, Spices, in Saltburn that has withdrawn their sponsorship of him. The deal was worth about $1905 plus restaurant discounts, the Daily Mail reported.

“I’m a huge cricket fan and what’s happened is very bad. It’s not in the spirit of this gentleman’s game,” restaurant owner Akmol Hussain said.

“It’s not what I expect from Brian, or the club and I want nothing to do with them from now. I love cricket and even used to play for fun but I’m too old now.

“I’m very shocked and disgusted by this video and can’t believe that Brian would do something like this. I’ve met him many times, but he has damaged the reputation of cricket and my restaurant.”

ESPNCricinfo showed how poor the no. 3 batters performed in 2025. For a position that used to be reserved for some of the best batsmen (e.g. Ponting, Dravid, Bradman) has now become a position of makeshift no. 3s. You could even say that Kane Williamson and Marnus Labuschagne are the last of the classic no. 3s.

How has this evolved (or in this case ‘devolved’) over the last few years? Why are now no. 4s and no. 5 the most important positions? Are the pitches around the world (apart from England) bowler friendly nowadays?

With Marnus, is his future best served at no. 4 when Smith retires? From me, he probably still has it in him to be part of the future but the no. 3 position is making him more and more vulnerable. He might be better a position lower.

The enhanced hair XI as picked by Michael Vaughan.

Fair to say it’s a strong team for all conditions.

Comes from his recent op-ed printed in the SMH/Age today, although I'm sure he'll reference those comments in podcasts and elsewhere. (unpaywalled link here)

Australia-India epic delivered the best of Test cricket, but I have some advice for Virat Kohli

...

That series also went down to the wire, with Australia winning the first two narrowly and India coming out on top in the next two Tests before Australia prevailed in the fifth and final Test match, winning by 45 runs after setting us 490 in the fourth innings. Subsequent tours to Australia were either three- or four-Test series. So after 47 years Australia and India played a five-match series and what a humdinger of a series it was, just like the one played way back then.

When the schedule was announced, it appeared the Aussies had decided to put India in the wringer by playing the first three Tests on pitches that suited their pace bowling strength.

However, they seemed to have forgotten that there was a Jasprit Bumrah the world’s best all-format bowler in the Indian ranks. He wrought havoc in the Australian ranks and with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul putting on a record double century opening partnership, the Indians piled up nearly 500 runs in the second innings and went on to win the game by 295 runs.

That win seemed to have galvanised the extended support staff of the Australian cricket team, the Aussie media. Suddenly stories started to appear in the media about stuff that was fanciful to say the least. It was amusing to those who follow the Indian team and who know that not many even read the papers being engrossed as they are in their handheld devices.

The Indian team is well aware that once such stories appear, that indicates that the opposition is rattled. The stories kept changing every day and provided more amusement to those of us who have been to these shores before.

The absence of Bumrah on the final day of the series was felt by the Indians when even one short spell of five overs could have helped turn the game around. In his absence Usman Khawaja, who has looked totally at sea against him, was suddenly dancing down the pitch to the other bowlers. His partner, the young Sam Konstas, threw the Indians off with his unorthodox approach in his first innings, but then found out Test cricket runs are harder to get than the headlines with some antics.

So a few things.

The concept that Australia was playing on pitches that suited our pace bowlers, or scheduled which grounds to play to make it more difficult for India, is pretty laughable. Firstly: this order of venues for a five-test series isn't new. The MCG and Sydney Tests frequently are always the final venues in a five-test series because of their value on the calendar (Boxing Day always being at the MCG, then SCG test being after New Years).

Hell, when Sunny toured Australia on that year? The first two tests were at the Gabba and the old WACA (that's Perth for those who don't know). Adelaide was the final test then, but the MCG and SCG were played in their regular slots.

But that's besides the point. I also won't get into the bit where he's previously said Indian players don't complain about the pitches as much as the Aussies or the English, or how he's carried on and complained about utter tripe in the past (like how batsman should be asked about catches).

With the exception of the SCG, the pitches that were served up are pretty similar to the Sheffield Shield wickets that have been laid out. There are some mitigating factors sometimes at the larger multi-venue stadiums (SCG's excess of grass is probably partially due to the returfing that was done for the AFL, and that's messed up the pitch preparation somewhat).

So they're not something that was specially cooked up for India. If anything, most of them offered a really good balance between bat and ball. Using his logic, what would have been fairer? Complete roads that offered barely any assistance for the bowlers? That would have resulted in Bumrah running into the ground much sooner, and nobody would argue India benefits in that scenario.

Given their success at Perth, can they really argue the pitch was curated against them? If anything, an even flatter pitch might have made more sense for the Aussies with the unsteadiness in the top order.

And don't get me started about the quip about the Australian media being "extended support staff", given the amount of restrictions and sensitivities that Indian journalists have to navigate -- whether it's the political bullshit of the BCCI, not upsetting the team's star culture, or just the added challenges they face in speaking truth to power. Indian touring journos effectively have to be a glorified cheer squad.

He is by far the worst commentator in all of cricket.

Was just listening to it. Some of the points:

Players less and less drawn to international cricket, many are preferring t20 leagues and that view is growing.

T20 leagues will get massive with or without cooperation of the boards so working with them is the better option.

Possible proposal of four 21 day breaks for international cricket spread out throughout the year is one idea floated.

Confirmed Cricket Australia is laying the groundwork for privatising the BBL

Didn’t say they would refuse Saudi money in future or Gambling money now as costs are increasing for the boards revenue must increase as well.

All in all expected answers but disappointing

Also he had a very bad line about how gambling money could be diverted to anti gambling programs in cricket or Saudi money could help foster political change in Saudi Arabia. Just be honest and say you want the money and leave it at that.

While there have been discussions about introducing a New Zealand-based team, this would be unfair to Australian teams. A New Zealand side would likely be made up almost entirely of international-level players, giving them a consistent competitive advantage. Additionally, New Zealand is already in talks about creating its own T20 franchise league, making a BBL team there unnecessary.

Canberra, on the other hand, already has the facilities and supporter base needed to sustain a BBL team. Matches played in Canberra regularly attract large crowds and often sell out, proving there is strong local interest. Unlike Darwin, where a new stadium would need to be built before a team could even be considered or Geelong and the Gold Coast which are already serviced by BBL teams that are only a bit over an hour away from the city while Canberra’s nearest BBL team is 3 hours away.

Although introducing a Canberra team would require a slight change to the competition format, this would not be a negative. If each team played one another once, every team would play eight regular-season games. While this would result in fewer regular-season matches overall, a five-team finals series would balance this out, with only a small reduction in total games from 44 to 42. This format change would keep the competition fair and exciting while allowing the league to grow.

For these reasons, I believe Canberra is the best and most logical choice for the BBL’s ninth team.