The Wicked Cricket Column

He got a 50 but to call it excellent batting is stretching it a bit, looked more like a baseball player than a cricketer.

I do agree he’s excellent in the field. 

So, would this be termed a white supremacist act or does Stokes believe he is back in Bristol? Mind you, will the fan now sue Stokes
for verbal abuse or will Stokes sue him/her? And who is this fan? A black or Asian gentleman, perhaps, which only makes this transaction
more interesting? And what of spectacle companies, will they sue for abuse against their good name too?

In our snowflakery society the PC police may become rather confused over this one, but there is one thing for certain. They will lean
hard on the ECB to fine Stokes and even attempt to get him banned for a few matches.  

The word c*** appears to be getting more popular too. 




Perhaps, a common reaction from England supporters to this contretemps.

The Ben Stokes confrontation story develops. This from the BBC website:

In a statement released on Friday evening, Stokes said he was "subjected to repeated abuse from the crowd"
as he made his way towards the tunnel. "I admit my reaction was unprofessional, and I sincerely apologise for
the language I used, especially to the many young fans watching the live telecast around the world," he said. 



Question: Will the South African Cricket Board discover who these abusive people were in the crowd and then
ban them from watching live cricket for 2 years as the New Zealand Board did with the person who abused
Jofra Archer?

If not and the Ben Stokes abusers are let off scot free, is this not a case of racism?

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/51242042

Meanwhile, it doesn't take long for Piers Morgan to jump on a hot potato to boost his twitter figures. 
Make mine a jacket with lashings of hypocrisy.

Now Michael Vaughan weighs in to the Ben Stokes controversy.

Michael Vaughan Twitter

He will be punished & should be but we still shouldn’t accept fans abusing players ... How
@benstokes38 reacted is unprofessional some would say but are we just accepting people
can turn up at the Cricket & shout abuse to players !!??

Exactly, if the ECB punish Stokes for his outcry, then the South African Cricket Board should
find out which of the supporters in the crowd verbally abused Stokes and fine them appropriately
too as in New Zealand re: The Archer verbal abuse.

PS: Isn't the word c*** just getting a bit boring and predictable. At least use some fresh abusive
words for goodness sake.

Ah bless! Billy may be retiring but what a lovely touch from England and Captain Joe Root.

"A phenomenal match," says a breathless Simon Hughes on the commentary as the latest BBL09 game between the Hobart Hurricanes and the Adelaide Strikers draws to a close. A match of 'second highest' records, certainly, but for one player this was also a game where he 'came of age' and where a world T20 franchise future is now assured.

First, some of the records.

This was the second highest number of runs scored in a BBL game (424). Hobart's captain, Matthew Wade, struck 130* (61 balls) with his 100 coming from 48 balls, making this the second highest score in BBL history behind Marcus Stoinis 147* (Luke Wright's 117 from 60 balls in BBL01 for the Melbourne Stars now drops down to 4th). There were 52 boundaries and whilst most teams would not have even bothered to chase down 217 (the Hurricanes hold the tournament's record score of 223), especially when the side had already qualified for the next round, The Strikers attacked the chase with gusto and on an excellent batting wicket with a short boundary to one side, they almost succeeded, requiring 27 from the last 2 overs to win. But it wasn't to be.

Meanwhile, Phil Salt struck another 50 (66 from 33 balls), his fourth of the tournament, including ten 4s and two 6s. His performance was typical Salt, including various baseball strikes and some not even in the T20 batting handbook, for not only is he destructive and a joy to watch, but plays with a growing fearlessness. Yes, 'Salty' had his bit of luck being dropped on the boundary, but for any up and coming franchise batsman, luck is part of the course.

Also, our Sussex 'cheeky chappy' has quickly become a favourite amongst both supporters and the team, forging a particularly strong friendship with Rashid Khan, which only makes his cricketing future more assured. Like with England's Mark Wood, a popular teammate is a popular player.

List of BBL Records

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Big_Bash_League_records_and_statistics#Highest_totals



After all the fireworks The Strikers lost by just 10 runs and end the qualifying group in 3rd position. Having qualified it is unclear who they play in their next game. Special praise must be heaped on Luke Wright who is a batting coach for the Melbourne Stars in this BBL09. The Stars won the group with 20 points and only lost 4 games from 14.

live.cricket.com.au/match/2404/46350/adelaide-strikers-men-vs-hobart-hurricanes-men-kfc-bbl-09/scorecard



PS: Many congratulations to the Adelaide Strikers for raising over $123,000 for the SA Bushfire Appeal.