I would like to welcome everyone to the first edition of The Weekly Test. Every Friday night the best cricketing posts from around the world will be celebrated for all to enjoy. Just in case you have missed the cricketing news, opinions, and analysis of the previous week, it will all be laid out in front of you.

Thankfully the first week of 2008 is one of the best for both cricket and controversy. The major source this time has been the umpiring of the Australia-India test in Sydney. To sum up the events I would like to call on our very own Sridhar Natarajan.

This very same test has also been a huge source of discussion over at Cricket-Blog.com. The post itself is just a summary of the day’s play, but the really exciting part is the discussion that follows. I encourage you all to read through it and participate yourself.

Dinnie from Six and Out has compilled a great selection of Cricketing videos showcasing the newsmaking images of the year gone by.

A great analysis of the boxing day test was published by Gagan. For anyone who missed this amazing match I urge you all to read for yourself and see exactly what happened.

And finally for the cricket players out there, David of Harrowdrive has reviewed a number of scientifically proven ways to reduce fat without losing strength.

That concludes the first post of the Weekly Test. Please send me your great posts for next week’s edition, so I can consider entering them. Thanks for listening.

To err is Human but to err repeatedly is just foolish.

On the first day of the test when most Indians switched on their Television sets and saw umpire Steve Bucknor officiating at one of the ends, they must have had a premonition of disaster. But even the biggest critics of Steve Bucknor would not have thought that he would make such a huge blunder which pretty much ensured that India was shut out of the match.

Incompetence deserves no sympathy. Mistakes are inevitable, but somehow Steve Bucknor has had a penchant for haunting the Indians at crucial stages of matches. It is not a recent phenomenon. Way back in 1992-93 when you were more likely to see pigs fly than see an Indian victory outside the subcontinent, India had a brilliant chance to beat South Africa in alien conditions. South Africa was reeling at 70 odd for five and there was a huge appeal for a run out. Third Umpires had been allowed in the game to adjudicate run outs but no, Mr Bucknor thought it was beneath him to let someone else make the decision for him.. He erred, South Africa got a huge reprieve and they battled their way to a draw.

Indians became wary (read: started loathing him) of Bucknor since their last tour down under where Steve Bucknor made a number of erroneous decisions. That was not the terrible part, he went on to mock Rahul Dravid when he walked out to bat at a time when there was a controversy about Rahul and ball tampering. Even the Australian public would have found it hard to believe that a gentleman like Dravid could be accused of ball tampering but to see Steve mocking Rahul’s act of rubbing the ball made one’s blood boil.

Mr Bucknor, famous for his nod of death must now be given the nod from the ICC to pack his bags, stretch his legs and enjoy the sights and sounds of Jamaica. The elite panel is not where he belongs anymore.

Steve Waugh believes there is no need for neutral umpires anymore. I am a touch apprehensive about that. Although he makes a good point when he says that the best must officiate the fact is too many questions are raised and have been raised in the past when an umpire judges in favour of his own national team even though in most cases it may be an honest mistake.

Does it mean that we must give thumbs up for technology? I am a bit iffy on that. That is definitely the future but we are not quite there yet. This was something made obvious by another dodgy decision given by the Third Umpire in the Sydney test, again in favour of Symonds. It is a path that the ICC must tread cautiously on but that does not mean they can drag their feet on this issue. A group must be set up to monitor and implement the use of technology to aid on field umpires. The operative word being aid and not replace them!

Sridhar Natarajan

I am currently watching the Twenty20 match between Australia and New Zealand, and I am once again reminded of the one reason that I love this form of cricket – players with microphones.

In a usual game the only people who get to hear from are the commentators, and sometimes their opinions can deviate a huge amount from what is actually happening. Hearing from the players on the ground is a fantastic opportunity to learn their strategies, and what they are really thinking.

I can recall last year when Glichrist scored several (I think it was 3) 6′s in a row after being urged on by the commentators. This level of participation and insight into the game is fantastic! Unfortuantly Gilly got out for 1 run, but there are still a lot of players left to come on.

 It is also nice to listen to what the oppositions have to say. From the media’s portrayal and the immediate dislike just for wearing their national colours, it is remarkable how they actually behave, and think on the field.

From this Cricket Fan, Twenty20 Player Microphones get two thumbs up!

Image from Jagadish

Slips are very important in any fielding team’s arsenal, for both fast bowlers and spinners. For those that don’t know what a slip is – they are the players on the fielding side who stand next to the wicket keeper. Their goal is to catch any ball that comes near them, which is usually a nick or an edge.

The number of slips on the field at any one time depends on the circumstances, but as you can see from the picture above, every player can do it if necessary. Slips must have extremely fast reflexes and outstanding catching abilities.

In the modern game of cricket the slip is of greater importance than ever before. As players become more skilled, and the game gets faster the ability to get them out off the slightest mistake is a must.

Because batsman must then take even greater care in each and every shot, they are more likely to score large amounts of runs. In my opinion the ever increasing talent of every playing position, including slips, makes for a faster, more entertaining game.

Cricket is the best sport in the world, but for people new to the game it can be very confusing. There are multiple kinds of cricket, which can last for days at a time, and this in itself is difficult to understand. Thankfully there is a now a guide to explain to the newcomer all the rules and terminology.

Welcome to A Beginner’s Guide to Cricket

THE TEAMS

Cricket teams consist of 11 players as well as a 12^th man (can be compared to a reserve). Cricketers can be classed in several ways: a batsman, a bowler, or a wicket keeper. When a game begins one team bats and the other team fields. The batting team sends in two batsmen who attempt to score as many runs as possible (see SCORING).

The fielding team tries to stop the batsman from scoring runs by getting them out (see GETTING OUT). This is done by the bowlers. Bowlers throw, or ‘bowl’ the cricket ball down the pitch towards the batsman in a very specific manner – their elbow must be straight when the ball is released. There are three types of bowlers – fast, medium, and spin.

Fast bowlers try to bowl the ball as fast as possible to beat the batsman’s reflexes. They also rely on the ball snicking the edge of the bat and the ball being caught. Some fast bowlers are also able to swing the ball in the air.

Medium paced bowlers are not very common, but are between fast bowlers and spinners. They are used to try and catch the batsman out after they have been facing one of the other bowlers for a long period of time.

Spin bowlers do not take speed into account, but spin the ball either with their fingers or their wrists. When the ball hits the ground the spin makes it move, often up to a metre from where it is expected to go. Spin bowlers are very impressive to watch, as they can get the batsman out by beating through their guard completely.

SCORING

In cricket points are awarded when the batting team runs from one end of the pitch to the other, which is ways they are also called ‘runs.’ Another ways of getting runs is through boundaries. The edge of a field is usually designated by a white rope. If the batsman hits the ball and it goes over this rope, then either 4 or 6 runs are given. If the cricket ball doesn’t’ touch the grounds before it goes over the rope, then it is a 6, but if it does hit the ground first it is only a 4.

GETTING OUT

Batsman can get out in two ways – if their wickets (set of three upright poles on each end of the pitch) are hit by the ball when they are standing outside their crease (a line in front of the wickets), or if the ball is caught on the full after it has been hit.

When the wickets are hit there can be several names for it:

            Stumping – if the wickets (also known as stumps) are hit when the ball is held by the wicket keeper.

            Run Out – if the ball hits the wickets when the batsmen are running between either end.

            Bowled – if the ball hits the wickets without the batsman hitting it, eg. The bowler hits the wickets.

TEST MATCHES

Now you know how a game of cricket is played you should be able to enjoy watching a game without being bamboozled, but there is still one difficult concept to understand – the different forms of cricket.

The original and still the most popular is the test match. Test matches last for up to 5 days and consist of 4 innings. Each team has 2 innings each to try and make as many runs as possible, while the opposition tries to get them out.

There is also a rule called the follow on rule, but as a beginner you do not really need to know this right know.

ONE DAYS

As you can guess from the name, a One Day match only lasts a single day. Each team has one opportunity to bat and one to bowl. There is a total of 100 overs (there are 6 balls in an over). This means that there are a lot more boundaries and risky shots. One Day Internationals (or ODIs) are becoming much more popular because of their exciting nature. Players wear their team colours and there are more runs, and wickets in a single day than in a day of a test match.

TWENTY20

Twenty20s are a very new addition to cricket. They are designed to be more entertaining than any other form, but are opposed by traditionalists. They are simply a shortened form of an ODI. Instead of having two 50 over sessions, there are two 20 over sessions.

And that is virtually it.

From this guide you can now be upgraded from a beginner to a fan. There are only two ways for you to test out your new knowledge – watching or playing cricket.

I guarantee that now you understand cricket, you will enjoy the game a lot more. You can look forward to a fulfilling life, enriched with a knowledge of the greatest game of all – the game of cricket.

On one of my many searches throughout the online world of cricket I came upon this masterpiece. It truly shows the best of cricket throughout the past decade. If you ever wanted to convince someone that cricket was the best, most entertaining, and most enjoyable sport on the planet, then get them to watch this video. It is extroudinary.

Watch out for some of the best bowls, catches, and run outs in the history of cricket.

Image from Nellistc

There are few players in the modern game of international cricket who have earned as much respect as the Australian captain Ricky Ponting. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest batsman currently playing, but it is his leadership skills that are truly outstanding. His individual honours truly show his on field strengths:

• ICC Player of the Year: 2006, 2007
• ICC Captain of the Year: 2007
• ICC Test Player of the Year: 2006
• ICC World Test XI: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
• ICC World ODI XI: 2004, 2006, 2007

 Few players can claim the success that Ponting has achieved throughout his 12 year career. Punter, as he is also known, is Australia’s leading One Day International run scorer, and was the first Australian to ever reach 10,000 runs in ODI cricket.

His current playing performance in the 2007 Australia v Sri Lanka test series has also been incredible, with Australia winning the first test by 40 runs after a follow on was proclaimed. Truly Ricky Ponting is one of the greatest players that Australia has ever produced, and with the likes of Don Bradman to compare against, that is a great achievement.