Something for the weekend

I woke early this morning and when I got downstairs realised that I would be in good time to watch the Big Bash match between Sydney Sixers and Derbyshire Old Boys - sorry, Sydney Thunder.

It is an easy mistake to make, as the Thunder batting was led off by Usman Khawaja and Martin Guptill, with Chris Rogers at three. It turned out to be a non-event of a match, as the Sixers won in a canter on a track that appeared somewhat two-paced.

The match reaffirmed my belief that neither Khawaja nor Rogers play this format well. Rogers played several horrid hoiks, aiming for the shorter boundary on one side with only sporadic success. He eventually edged through to the wicket-keeper after a sixteen ball cameo for 23 that never suggested permanence..

Khawaja played several flashing strokes through the covers but found the fielders consistently. Then he adopted a different tactic and opted to move across his stumps and whip Mitchell Starc through midwicket. The first time he played it was brilliant and it went over midwicket for six. The next ball went a little squarer for a one-bounce four. The third just cleared the fielder at mid-on, which should have set alarm bells ringing, but Khawaja went for the shot for a fourth straight time.

Against a poor bowler, on a good track and when you're seeing it like a football you can get away with it, but none of those applied and Starc, a canny bowler, fired it in a little more full and quickly and Khawaja was palpably leg-before.

The best T20 players pick the ball to hit and few would expect to get away with the same shot four balls running. Usman didn't and nineteen from sixteen balls was neither here nor there, especially when there are places in the national side up for grabs.

Most disappointing was Martin Guptill, making his only appearance for the Thunder. He looked nothing like the player that we admire at Derbyshire, seemingly hesitant on the front foot and hitting only one four in a twenty-seven ball stay for twenty. An article on Cricinfo in the week suggested that technical issues had crept into his game and for me he wasn't playing as straight as I have seen him in the past. A couple of long hops that he would usually have buried into a distant stand went unpunished and he looked like a player in need of either a break or a little technical help.

Nor would his humour have been helped by a stint "miked up" in the field. After answering a few of the usual questions (How's the pitch? Have you got enough runs? What do you do from here?) he said that it was his only appearance in the competition and he was heading for New Zealand after the game.

"Oh?" came the reply. "Who are you playing for out there?"

Now that was a daft question on two counts, as the questioner, a very well-known cricketer, should have known that Gup plays his cricket for Auckland. But as a professional commentator, paid to know about cricket, one might have hoped that he knew that New Zealand were leaving next week to tour South Africa.

Hope Gup is in better form for what will be a testing time at the hands of Messrs Steyn and Morkel.

Enjoy your weekend.