I love this fred... lets me have fun.

OZ cricketers cheating now.

The baggy greens once had the world's best wicket keeper.

Now the cheatingest wicket keeper.

There was major controversy in New Zealand's chase when Neil Broom was bowled by spinner Michael Clarke for 29, but replays showed Brad Haddin knocked off the bails with his gloves and the ball missed the top of the stumps.

Both umpires missed it, but now it seems OZ has fallen so low.

Once on top now.... where they heading.?

PS: NZ was lucky........LOL

I disagree, after watching the super slow replay several times, I'm convinced the ball did hit the top of the off stump.

However, the worlds worst wicketkeeper had already broken the bails with his gloves, therefore it should have been called a no ball, and the batsman given another go. You could tell Hadden knew he had done the wrong thing by claiming it, and it certainly indicated a much different character than his predecessor.

Incidently, the NZ wicketkeeper claimed a legside catch that the batsmen didn't touch, so things even up.

Unfortunately, it is all go now, if ya c'n git away wiv it, gofrit.

Long gone are the days when a batsman knew he was out and walked regardless.

I love me cricket, only stuff woth watching in the antipodes at Xmas / New Year period.

I guess there would not be much of a coverage in LoS, Phuket in particular, for cricket fans.

Last word.....LOL

Haddin's hands were in front of the wickets.

(This is gunna be never ending, underarm bowling etc.... hehehe)

On the subject of dodgy 'keepers we may like to recall the abbreviated career of Greg Dyer who successfully appealed for a catch when the ball had hit the ground in front of him.

In a far more sportsmanlike era he lost his place in the side, making way for the 119 match Ian Healy.

Good points all. Cricket was one of the last bastions of real sportsmanship. There's no doubt the rot all started back in that disreputable bodyline era.

E: Next they'll be blaming Kerry Packer!

Nothing promotes colonial unity like blaming everything on the Poms.

Who are Ponting and co, gunna blame for ODI loses.

!st Sth Africa, now NZ 2 - OZ 0

I can't see Ponting blaming anyone but himself.

The record's on the board anyway, look up the results for the 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Cups.

I can't see Ponting blaming anyone but himself.

The record's on the board anyway, look up the results for the 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Cups.

Shouldn't live in the past - look to the rosy future of Pom cricket.

I wish I'd live long enough to see it Humphrey.

There's a whole generation of British youth grown up thinking "English Test Collapse" is one word. (Not original, I stole it from "Drop The Dead Donkey").

I wish I'd live long enough to see it Humphrey.

There's a whole generation of British youth grown up thinking "English Test Collapse" is one word. (Not original, I stole it from "Drop The Dead Donkey").

Here's the latest -

England humiliated by rampant West Indies•

West Indies go one up in series

• England reach rock bottom in Jamaica

Guardian report Observer report Over-by-over Scoreboard Vic Marks in Sabina Park

The Observer, Saturday 7 February 2009

England disintegrated under the searing Caribbean sun as fast as a discarded cube of ice. A match, destined it seemed for a decorous draw on a docile pitch, was lost within an hour in an astonishing transformation.

It was almost a mirror image of 2004 when West Indies were bowled out for 47 with Steve Harmison taking 7-12. But on that occasion the ball was flying into the keeper's gloves with venom on a surface that offered the pacemen constant encouragement. Here the pitch was brown and slow and on the first three days had provided only hard labour for the fast bowlers.

Yet, in a blistering spell of fast bowling, Jerome Taylor catapulted the England line-up to oblivion. The ball, on this occasion was not thudding into the gloves at regular intervals, but that was no hindrance to Taylor. Instead he bowled a full length, a perfect line and a befuddled batch of England batsmen had no answer.

Some of his dismissals were relatively mundane, others were spectacular and one was plain comic. Alastair Cook merely edged a full-length delivery to second slip, Andrew Strauss edged another while defending. Conventional dismissals for conventional players.

But the departure of Kevin Pietersen brought Sabina Park to life. Taylor's first ball to England's best batsman was the stuff of dreams. He found a full-length yorker that swung towards the off-side. A millisecond later Pietersen's off-stump was cartwheeling towards an ecstatic slip cordon. Pietersen had been tempted by runs on the leg-stump and missed the ball by a distance. Nothing could match that for Taylor, but the delivery that got Matt Prior would have given him considerable satisfaction. He bowled Prior through the gate for a duck and it was an off-cutter. We know that because Prior, as dapper in dismissal as his agent and mentor, Alec Stewart, demonstrated an off-cutter as he headed back to the dressing room. Very helpful to the pundits, no consolation to the England camp.

For comedy, albeit black comedy, we had to look in the unlikely direction of Paul Collingwood. Another venomous Taylor delivery took the inside edge of Collingwood's bat before speeding off towards the fine-leg boundary. Collingwood sped off eagerly but when he turned for a second he was greeted by the spectacle of the West Indies side indulging in another mass celebration. Unbeknown to Collingwood the ball had brushed the leg-stump on its way to the boundary.

So Taylor's figures were in Harmison territory: 9-4-11-5. Sulieman Benn at the other end had provided an ideal foil. He was accurate, patient and extracted sufficient turn to test all the batsmen. And he gained his due reward. Just before lunch Ian Bell was seduced into the cut shot, always a rescue against anything but a long-hop against a bowler of Benn's dimensions. Denesh Ramdin held a tricky catch deftly. Benn also accounted for Stuart Broad, neatly held at forward short-leg for a duck.

So we pondered how deep the ignominy would be. Avoiding the innings defeat seemed to be hoping for too much – earlier West Indies had increased their first innings lead to 74, but perhaps England could go beyond the 46 all out of Trinidad in 1994. Remember, though, that it was Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose on the rampage then.

There were ironic cheers and a bewildered chant of "Super, super Fred" from the English contingent when Andrew Flintoff became the first man to reach double figures in the 28th over of the innings. He then thumped a boundary off Benn to take England beyond 46. There followed a faltering rendition of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.

It's hard to see how England can do that after a numbing collapse that will finally give those down in Australia something to smile about. Four of England's number may be much wealthier after the IPL auctions of Friday, but they dare not wear their broad smiles in public around Kingston.

Taylor's spell and England's submissiveness requires everyone to reassess this series at breakneck speed. The tourists were supposed to win here, yet they have been humiliated. Strauss might do well to call up the Times cricket correspondent, Mike Atherton. He was captain when England were dismissed for 46 in Trinidad. To general consternation, England moved on to Bridgetown for the next Test and won there for the first time in six decades.

Anything is possible in this game. But the spectacular nature of England's collapse may well hasten the decision-making process before the next Test in this series, in Antigua. There are plenty of chiefs out here: managing director Hugh Morris, national selector Geoff Miller and chairman Giles Clarke are coming to Antigua. They will be in the "something-must-be-done" mould. Lord Marland may be wondering whether he withdrew prematurely his candidature for the chairmanship.

What can they do to arrest the slide? After the Trinidad collapse, England kept exactly the same team for the match in Barbados. Atherton wanted to send a message that he would back his players and that the yo-yo selection policy had been abandoned, but we are in different times now.

Yo-yo selection has long been abandoned. Nowadays it requires a calamitous performance for the top half of the team to be changed. So the temptation, scrupulously avoided over the past 12 months, to bring Owais Shah into the team, presumably at the expense of Bell, may well be irresistible. Mind you, neither Collingwood nor Cook engender much confidence at the moment either.

Monty Panesar is also under threat. It was mildly alarming how a relative novice such as Benn outbowled Panesar in this match on a pitch that favoured spin far more than anticipated. The worthy Sidebottom could be replaced by James Anderson on the basis that England now need a minimum of two victories in this series. Containment is not enough.

But there was no containing Caribbean joy last night. Just beaming smiles everywhere and a little poser. I wonder what Peter Moores is making of it all.

Hope still for Ricky and Co, congrats Baggy Greens.

Good win over Black Caps.

Rather BCs won, but now series is still alive.

Mite go to the last game, be good for cricket, speshully Kiwi cricet.

Very sporting, Pete.

I wasn't aware they played cricket in NZ, just thought they picked a national team out of Kiwi players in the Sydney grade sides.

I'll get me hat.

Seems I spoke too soon.

All goes to the wire at The Gabba on Friday nite.

I do wonder at the close scores, is there some skullduggery by the teams to keep the public filling the stands?

Exciting finishes, or fxt?

sceadugenga, ya betta have more than a hat if we eva meet........grrrrrrr

Don't worry, I'll dress appropriately.

Don't worry, I'll dress appropriately.

French armour?

And holding a foot-soldiers halberd?

Don't worry, I'll dress appropriately.

French armour?

And holding a foot-soldiers halberd?

Ah, you picked the back plate was twice as heavy gauge iron as the front did you?

And seeing as the RSPCA is not going to let you anywhere near a horse dressed like that what weapon would you suggest?

Shame on you sceadugenga.

Wot ya do to ya poor horsey.....?

............ ........ ............

A tree hugging horse?

There could be hope for the planet yet.

A tree hugging cricket horse? Well I never!

By the way, did someone mention the cricket? (Or more particularly, who gets to keep the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy?)

Bad luck about that, Pete. Nothing beats a good drop of rain...

E:T

Next match to be played in Antigua ????

Did you watch it, Ping?

Good ball smashing game.

NZ better team on the day, typical Ocker trick, get abos to do rain dance, no doubt,.grrrrrrrrrr.

BLACK CAPS SHUDDA BEATEN BAGGY GREENS.

And you had all those Italian women doing a haka for your side as well.

War dance

Bragging ?

Word of mouth has been sufficient without any self promotion on my part.

I'm amazed they could make any sound at all.

India has arrived in NZ, we will see if the Black Caps are any good, or how BAD letting OZ win.

Ha, they'll spend the tour running to the dunny with Wellington Belly.

Have to put this sumwheres

Loved this, typical Ockoor, Ping excepted, he's a mate.

a dumb and dumber story....

CANBERRA (Reuters) -

A bungling Australian car thief was nabbed after accidentally locking himself in the vehicle he was trying to steal, police said Wednesday.

Police were called to a house in Adelaide after two thieves were heard trying to steal a car. On arrival they were surprised to find a 53-year old man hiding inside the vehicle.

"The man, while breaking into the car, had locked himself in the car and couldn't get out," South Australian police said, adding a second thief was found hiding in nearby bushes.

........still laffing......

.... ....... .......