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Rob Houwing’s TV sport column
Well, cricket’s gone more than a bit “bling” with the particularly rapid encroachment of the Twenty20 game recently … now stand by for the blingest (or does one say blingiest?) game of them all.
The Stanford Super Series, you see, is upon us, and hostilities at Texas billionaire Allen Stanford’s own ground in Antigua begin this Saturday with a bout of “warm-up” matches to the big - ridiculously big - one a week later: the Stanford Superstars against England in a dramatic, winner-takes-all encounter for the salivating sum of US$20m.
When I last looked, that amounted to a cool R234m in our terms. So will there be “pressure”? Oh, you betcha!
All of the action is live on SuperSport, starting with the warm-up between the Stanford side – led by Chris Gayle, and basically a West Indies Twenty20 team – and Trinidad and Tobago from 18:15 on Saturday on SS6.
Both England (skippered by that gung-ho Pietersen chappie once not good enough to command a “top-tier” salary at Kingsmead) and the Stanford Superstars will play two such limb-looseners before the monster clash next weekend.
England play their own domestic county outfit Middlesex on Sunday, and then T&T on Tuesday, while the Stanford crew finish their own preparations for the feverish booty hunt by playing Middlesex on Wednesday.
The Wisden Cricketer magazine in the UK describes Stanford himself as “faintly sinister” but whether he’s that or not, his big glass box of cash has had tongues wagging the world over.
Traditionalists are mostly apoplectic, and the Lord’s bosses defended their decision to allow England’s participation by spinning the line that it might stop their best players “defecting” in some respects to Indian T20 pastures. (Cynics reckon that might happen anyway.)
KP has warned his likely lads to remain humble – as he’s been all his life, of course – and not to forget that they’re probably like him in having mates who have felt the effects of the economic turmoil.
I know someone else who has felt the effects of the turmoil: he’s just bitterly penned this column, and wishing he could become a much, much better cricketer - fast. At 44, the odds are long …
Rob’s awesome foursome:
1. Sharks v Blue Bulls, Currie Cup rugby final
Durban, Saturday, 16:30, SS1, M-Net, M-Net HD
He may command a decidedly mixed bag of disciples and detractors, but SuperSport have opted for grizzled veteran Hugh Bladen as lead English commentator for coverage of the domestic showpiece. What it also means is that two ex-Transvaal Currie Cup-playing neutrals, if you like, will share the mike – “Blades” is paired with gargantuan Kobus Wiese, speaking his second language, so up-and-coming Matt Pearce, who is apparently doing the Bok tour, joins the field presentation crew. (Let us know what you think of that move!) Afrikaans could be said to include a tinge of biased blue, though – Joost van der Westhuizen shares duty with John van Rensburg and may have to be suppressed from a high-fiving bout if Bryan Habana dots a late, late winner. Only this time I suspect the Sharks may have a rather safer cushion, come the hooter …
2. Wellington v Canterbury, Air New Zealand Cup rugby final
Wellington, Saturday, 09:35, SS1 and CSN
It’s always worth comparing the fare when New Zealand hold their domestic showpiece on the same day as ours, isn’t it? This one ought to be a cracker, with Westpac Stadium advantage favouring expansive Wellington (losers in all of their last four final appearances), but wily old foxes Canterbury hoping to emulate their Super 14 success earlier in the year. It’s an emotional farewell to the visitors’ Greg Somerville, now destined for northern climes, while Wellington were sweating late this week on the fitness of their own man-mountain in the front row, Neemia Tialata.
3. Chelsea v Liverpool, English Premiership soccer
London, Sunday, 15:30, SS3 and M-Net HD
Chelsea top the table, but only on goal difference from Liverpool … so you couldn’t wish for a better juncture for these two to lock horns. It’s the Blues’ home advantage; obviously they will try to make that count, albeit that both league meetings last season were fairly cagey affairs, ending 0-0 at Stamford Bridge and 1-1 at Anfield. Also, both sides had fairly demanding Champions League engagements in midweek. With all of Gerrard, Keane and Alonso nursing niggles for the Reds, I reckon Chelsea might just nick this one, perhaps by the only goal.
4. India v Australia, 3nd cricket Test
Delhi, Wednesday to Sunday, 06:00, SS6
Well, the Indians appear to have a good deal more than just their noses in front, don’t they? The extent of the Mohali massacre hardly bodes well for an immediate Aussie reversal of fortunes and, now that a 1-0 lead has been secured by the host nation, I’m guessing a spirited campaign to bludgeon any semblance of grass on the Feroz Shah Kotla ground’s pitch has been in place ever since. That said, in the last Test played there, between India and Pakistan in late 2007, there was no problem getting a result – India won by six wickets early on day five and wickets throughout the match were shared among seamers and spinners alike.
Well, cricket’s gone more than a bit “bling” with the particularly rapid encroachment of the Twenty20 game recently … now stand by for the blingest (or does one say blingiest?) game of them all.
The Stanford Super Series, you see, is upon us, and hostilities at Texas billionaire Allen Stanford’s own ground in Antigua begin this Saturday with a bout of “warm-up” matches to the big - ridiculously big - one a week later: the Stanford Superstars against England in a dramatic, winner-takes-all encounter for the salivating sum of US$20m.
When I last looked, that amounted to a cool R234m in our terms. So will there be “pressure”? Oh, you betcha!
All of the action is live on SuperSport, starting with the warm-up between the Stanford side – led by Chris Gayle, and basically a West Indies Twenty20 team – and Trinidad and Tobago from 18:15 on Saturday on SS6.
Both England (skippered by that gung-ho Pietersen chappie once not good enough to command a “top-tier” salary at Kingsmead) and the Stanford Superstars will play two such limb-looseners before the monster clash next weekend.
England play their own domestic county outfit Middlesex on Sunday, and then T&T on Tuesday, while the Stanford crew finish their own preparations for the feverish booty hunt by playing Middlesex on Wednesday.
The Wisden Cricketer magazine in the UK describes Stanford himself as “faintly sinister” but whether he’s that or not, his big glass box of cash has had tongues wagging the world over.
Traditionalists are mostly apoplectic, and the Lord’s bosses defended their decision to allow England’s participation by spinning the line that it might stop their best players “defecting” in some respects to Indian T20 pastures. (Cynics reckon that might happen anyway.)
KP has warned his likely lads to remain humble – as he’s been all his life, of course – and not to forget that they’re probably like him in having mates who have felt the effects of the economic turmoil.
I know someone else who has felt the effects of the turmoil: he’s just bitterly penned this column, and wishing he could become a much, much better cricketer - fast. At 44, the odds are long …
Rob’s awesome foursome:
1. Sharks v Blue Bulls, Currie Cup rugby final
Durban, Saturday, 16:30, SS1, M-Net, M-Net HD
He may command a decidedly mixed bag of disciples and detractors, but SuperSport have opted for grizzled veteran Hugh Bladen as lead English commentator for coverage of the domestic showpiece. What it also means is that two ex-Transvaal Currie Cup-playing neutrals, if you like, will share the mike – “Blades” is paired with gargantuan Kobus Wiese, speaking his second language, so up-and-coming Matt Pearce, who is apparently doing the Bok tour, joins the field presentation crew. (Let us know what you think of that move!) Afrikaans could be said to include a tinge of biased blue, though – Joost van der Westhuizen shares duty with John van Rensburg and may have to be suppressed from a high-fiving bout if Bryan Habana dots a late, late winner. Only this time I suspect the Sharks may have a rather safer cushion, come the hooter …
2. Wellington v Canterbury, Air New Zealand Cup rugby final
Wellington, Saturday, 09:35, SS1 and CSN
It’s always worth comparing the fare when New Zealand hold their domestic showpiece on the same day as ours, isn’t it? This one ought to be a cracker, with Westpac Stadium advantage favouring expansive Wellington (losers in all of their last four final appearances), but wily old foxes Canterbury hoping to emulate their Super 14 success earlier in the year. It’s an emotional farewell to the visitors’ Greg Somerville, now destined for northern climes, while Wellington were sweating late this week on the fitness of their own man-mountain in the front row, Neemia Tialata.
3. Chelsea v Liverpool, English Premiership soccer
London, Sunday, 15:30, SS3 and M-Net HD
Chelsea top the table, but only on goal difference from Liverpool … so you couldn’t wish for a better juncture for these two to lock horns. It’s the Blues’ home advantage; obviously they will try to make that count, albeit that both league meetings last season were fairly cagey affairs, ending 0-0 at Stamford Bridge and 1-1 at Anfield. Also, both sides had fairly demanding Champions League engagements in midweek. With all of Gerrard, Keane and Alonso nursing niggles for the Reds, I reckon Chelsea might just nick this one, perhaps by the only goal.
4. India v Australia, 3nd cricket Test
Delhi, Wednesday to Sunday, 06:00, SS6
Well, the Indians appear to have a good deal more than just their noses in front, don’t they? The extent of the Mohali massacre hardly bodes well for an immediate Aussie reversal of fortunes and, now that a 1-0 lead has been secured by the host nation, I’m guessing a spirited campaign to bludgeon any semblance of grass on the Feroz Shah Kotla ground’s pitch has been in place ever since. That said, in the last Test played there, between India and Pakistan in late 2007, there was no problem getting a result – India won by six wickets early on day five and wickets throughout the match were shared among seamers and spinners alike.
