Two Greats Go At It

It’s been a tasty week in the build-up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India and Australia is always a fiery affair with players going toe-to-toe on the wicket, but before that begins, the battle has started with two national legends clashing with some war of words. Ricky questioned Kohli’s Test form, and Gautam took offence and questioned what the Aussie has to do with Indian cricket. Since then, Ricky has responded, and we’ve had Sourav Ganguly weigh in by backing (the already under pressure) Gambhir, whilst Michael Vaughan has popped up to support Ricky’s right to comment. It’s not quite kicking off, but it’s definitely getting a bit spicy, and we’re here for it.

All eyes are on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy kicking off, and Ponting will surely be in the commentary box. Just watch Virat drop a double ton now.

ODI Is Dying

Pakistan secured a historic win, taking down Australia to claim their first series victory in 22 years. That’s big news, right? Not so much. The Aussies fielded a C team at best for their summer-opening ODIs, but stars like Smith, Labuschagne, Starc, and Cummins are missing. The contest was over in just 139 balls, leaving this match dusted in embarrassing circumstances for the home side in a stadium that looked like it was preparing for demolition. With a relentless, never-ending schedule, the cricket merry-go-round continues to whirl while ODI’s are sidelined—much like most top-class cricketers. This format seems to be making way for T20 leagues and still-popular Test matches for the top players. It seems to have neither the money of T20 nor the mystique of Test. How much longer does the good old ODI have outside of the World Cup? Will Jay Shah gobble it up? 

Beef And Shark Stew

Sir Ian Botham has faced his fair share of adversaries in Australia. The England legend is used to hostile locals; last week, even the sharks got a crack at him. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ian Chappell finally put a hit out on him with their famous feud still raging. While on a fishing trip with his Aussie mate and ex-Australian fast bowler Merv Hughes, Botham took a tumble and ended up in the drink—alongside some of Australia’s most fearsome predators. Bull sharks were reported to be near their boat when he made his entrance. Check out the photos of the injuries—they do look pretty nasty. Beefy famously took Merv for 22 runs off a single over once, but word has it Botham’s flip-flops got tangled on a rope as he boarded. We call bullsh*t: Merv’s still trying to get his revenge. Simmer down, Merv—it was a long time ago.

Shot of the Week

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Issue: Weekly Picks - A Legendary Feud
Publisher: J. LaLonde
Editor-At-Large: Angus Wilson
Contributing Writer: Ollie Goodwin