“Money, runs, winning and great appearances too – What a week for sports!”

Feb 03, 2013 Sports

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Colin E. H. Croft

Sunday morning, and I do not yet know if I won US$176,000,000 ($176 Millions) USA Power Ball lottery!
Like most people, I have several tickets too. I am sure that, if I did win, that that sum would keep me constantly in ice tea, protein bars and yogurt into my eventual ancient days! What great loot!
Oh, I would make donations to all churches I attended in my lifetime, other charities too, even though I have four of the latter already; two offspring, Lee and Shannon, and two “next generation” – grandsons – Zayde and Zarrin. I am sure that those four would be extremely willing to help with that disposal!
I make reference to that lottery, for it was only last week, in these very pages, while wishing them all the best, that I also cautioned about the maelstroms that both West Indies senior men and women teams were entering, for those continuing tours and competitions in Australia and India. What a big lottery!
Indeed, if I could predict lottery numbers, any lottery, then I may not even have to continue to write these diatribes for your eventual consumption.
But then again, I would not want to deprive you, the reliable readers, of either the mostly abuse or kudos meted out to me, very often, just for being almost always right!
Let me first state the real absurd as regards grand sums. Even I was severely shocked at this revelation this last week. This is really stupendous!
Last year’s USA general elections broke all records, according to its Federal Elections Commission. For Mitt Romney and re-elected President Barack Obama, Republican and Democratic nominees respectively, an astounding seven billion dollars, with a “B”, that is (US$7B), were spent on that election!
By CNBC’s reckoning, you could buy 28 brand new Boeing 787’s, that same troubled next generation aircraft that has been grounded world-wide, due to teething problems. Indeed, with today’s trends, you may even get “BOGO” – buy one, get one free! More big money!
Back to cricket! Did you ever see such abject surrender looking at West Indies cricket teams, as seen when West Indies played Australia in that first of five ODI’s, at Perth? Not at all on the money!
I know, in my playing days, that no team or player ever went to the field to lose – that may have changed, I do not know – but West Indies never looked like making a creditable score, much less to even think about winning.
It should be quite easy for West Indies to improve drastically in today’s game!
I do not know which was worse of the last two quite poor scenarios for our representative teams!
West Indies Men were effectively blown away for 70, after being 19 for 5 at one stage, courtesy of Australia’s marauding left-arm fast bowler, Mitchel Starc – 5 for 20 – to lose by a whopping nine wickets.
West Indies Women were annihilated by underdog hosts, India, to lose by a stupendous 105 runs, courtesy of India’s left-handed opening bats-woman, Thirush Kamini, who had to be run out, for 100!
Both games were total left-handed shambles for the touring West Indies teams and supporters. I know that I had warned about these possibilities, but even I did not expect such paltry displays by both teams!
Is it too late for West Indies to retaliate? No, not with so many games ahead, but that must start today!
The irony of this last capitulation in Australia is that only last week, Ashley Mallet, Australia’s premier 1970’s off-spinner, was alluding to, regaling even, the brutal massacre, severe battering, given to Australia, including great speedsters Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, in 1975, by Roy Fredericks!
On that same Perth pitch, infinitely quicker than it is now, “Freddo” lampooned Australia, for 169, from just 145 deliveries, with, as Mallet suggested, “Lillee at his most fearsome, Thomson at his very fastest, and it was not even a one-day game!” To complete this carnage, West Indies even won that Test too!
Present day West Indies even have a much more recent bowling performance, one of the best ever, on that same pitch, from one of our own fast bowling stalwarts, Curtly Ambrose, to refer to. 20 years ago, “Amby” stupefied the Aussies with a spell of 7 wickets for just one run! West Indies won again then too!
How does each team come back immediately? Simply, but not easy, each team must win its next game!
In the women’s case, in their group, at least their arch rivals, England, the defending Women World Cup champions, also surprisingly lost to Sri Lanka, so there could still be hope for our girls yet.
How the men do would be much harder, as the Aussies are not very “giving” sportsmen. They always mean to dominate!
Later today too, Super Bowl XLVII comes to New Orleans, that “come-back” city, after nearly dying, courtesy of Hurricane Katrina eight years ago, between personal favorites San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, coached by close brothers Jim and John Harbaugh respectively. This game will also generate many billions too.  Enjoy!

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