Aaron Robinson takes a look at the madness surrounding another week on the punt in the sporting world.
When you can’t find sense in things, you may as well make a few laughs instead.
What’s wrong with a mankad?
THE cricket world has flown into a fit of blind rage at the bald-faced audacity of the under 19’s West Indies cricket team at the under 19’s Cricket World Cup.
In the final over, with the game on the line, Zimbabwe had one wicket in hand and needed just three runs to win. It was tense, nail biting stuff. West Indies quick, Keemo Paul, steamed toward the crease and intentionally knocked the bails off the stumps with Zimbabwean batsman, Richard Ngarava’s bat ON the line, not behind the line. This little known form of dismissal in cricket is known as a Mankad.
Officials umm’d and ahh’d before asking the Windies players if they were sure they wanted to uphold their appeal. Of course they did. The decision went up to the third umpire who had no option but to give Ngarava out. The game was done. Zimbabwe had lost and the West Indies had won.
Since then every Tom, Dick and Harry to have ever held a cricket bat aloft has been lambasting the West Indies players. They have been called despicable, cheats, disgraceful: every colorful name under the sun.
I agree whole heartedly.
How dare a cricketing side do whatever is necessary to win a game? It’s ludicrous that a competitive sports team would exploit any avenue to win. What vile act will the Windies dream up next to win? An under arm ball or something? Surely no side is low enough to do something like that…
Now that would be truly despicable.
If you’re still jonesing for a fix of cricket the ICC T20 World Cup gets underway in early March. WilliamHill.com has odds available on each match and futures betting too.
Bennett to coach Poms
The proud English tradition of outsourcing coaching of their national sports teams continues with the NRL’s Brisbane Broncos coach, Wayne Bennett, being appointed coach of the English Rugby League team.
This comes after Aussies Eddie Jones and Trevor Bayliss were appointed coaches of the English Rugby Union and Cricket teams respectively. These appointments essentially concede to the world that you should never send an Englishman to do an Aussie’s job. Even if that job is coaching an English side.
Despite this obvious influx of Aussies coaching English national teams rumors still persist of a solitary Enligshman in Essex coaching a girls under 16’s national volleyball squad. Sounds a bit far fetched though.
Wayne Bennett is one of the most successful coaches rugby league has ever seen.
England are currently third in the world when it comes to rugby league, behind only New Zealand and Australia on the ladder. With Bennett at the helm the English hierarchy hope to move one or two rung’s up the ladder.
Bennett’s coaching prowess is so impressive that his NRL side, the Brisbane Broncos, are $4.50 favourites at WilliamHill.com to outright win the competition in 2016.
Cam Newton and the green people
Cam Newton, quaterback of the Carolina Panthers, had people talking ahead of the Super Bowl this Monday, when he said “this game is bigger than black, white or even green.”
People began to wonder if Newton was privvy to some secret government business. Are aliens real? Were little green men interested in the Super Bowl? If so, what were their intentions? Is Cam Newton a little green man in disguise? How many other aliens are playing in the Super Bowl?
Some NFL commentators attempted to point out that Newton was trying to distance himself from being pigeon-holed as a “black quaterback” but the vast majority of American’s dismissed that instantly and are demanding to know what Newton knows about these green men. What do they want? Are they dangerous?
Green people or no, WilliamHill.com has a great array of markets available on the Super Bowl including 12 betting markets available on Cam Newton himself. None of which have anything to do with green men.
Cranky Costa
Diego Costa has been at it again. The crankiest man in the EPL has thrown a hissy fit and caused a bit of push and shove during Chelsea’s 0-0 draw against Watford.
It doesn’t seem to be a decent Chelsea outing these days if Costa isn’t stamping around, hurling abuse at the opposition, getting in arguments and causing a bit of a fracas. Despite Costa’s perpetually angry disposition he has never received a red card during his time with Chelsea.
WilliamHill.com sits at $101 for Premier League relegation and $19 to take out the UEFA Champions League.
Despite all my searching though I can’t find odds on when Costa will actually receive his first red card with Chelsea or odds on when Costa will finally chill out in general. The way Costa is going I imagine odds would be pretty long on either of those options.
