Pakistan v England 2nd Test Review

A little under two weeks ago we had a preview of the test series between Pakistan and England. Our belief was like that of many that whilst this Pakistan side were indeed improving England the world number 1 rated side would have to much for the young, inexperienced and on paper overmatched Pakistan team how wrong we were.

England great and former captain Geoffrey Boycott summed up many an England fan thoughts when he told BBC Test Match Special: "I've seen some poor performances in 25 years of playing and 23 years of commentating and that's as bad as I've seen.

England may be the number ranked test nation in the world, but on this evidence it would seem as though they have a lot of work to do if they want to emulate the great Australian side that contain amongst others Warne and McGrath, which dominated world cricket for a decade or so. That Australian team were able to win all over the world and in all different conditions.

This England team seem to be lost playing the spin of Saeed Ajmal the combination of Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan and Ian Bell have scored 162 runs at an average of 10.1 so far in this series and to put that kindly that is simply not good enough.

Since their series victory in Sri Lanka in 2001, England have beaten only Bangladesh in Asia, being held or defeated in seven other Test series. In a era when there is no real dominate force in the test arena this may be able to be overcome, however if this current England team wants to go down as one of the great teams of all time, they must improve greatly in the sub continent.

Although the series is now over the England team will want to finish the series on a high with a win in the 3rd and final test. They will want some confidence as a team and individuals as they head to Sri Lanka next for another test series. The reign of the Captain Andrew Strauss could very much depend on how England’s winter unfolds

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Abu Dhabi Championship Final Day Preview

Heading into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Championship there are 10 different players within three shots of the lead at -11. The two leaders are Robert Rock and one Tiger Woods.

Robert Rock is one of the fastest improving players on the tour, he will not have been followed by the crowd that is certain to follow him and Tiger Woods. The occasion will be a big test of his temperament and potentially an invaluable experience for him unless things go very bad.

Tiger Woods looks to be nearing his best form after winning the last tournament he played in back in December, which end a long series of tournament In which Woods looked far from the force that he once was. This week in 3 rounds of golf Woods has only dropped two shots which has lead to him being very consistent.

US Open champion Rory McIlroy is one of 4 players tied on -9, after a very up and down 2nd round on Friday he went through 18 holes -4 and is very much in the hunt for his first tournament victory in his very first tournament of the season.

There are so any players in will a chance of winning this event that it makes it very difficult to pick a winner with any real certainty, however look for the whoever if anyone finishes above Woods to come very close indeed. Look for Rock to struggle at least early on in the company of Woods and Woods to continue his good form which could well see him starting 2012 with a very nice tournament victory.


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Australian Open Final Preview

Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal leads the head to head 16-3 overall, however Djokovic has won the last six matches which have all been in finals including at Wimbledon and the US Open. Djokovic is the current number one and was favourite to win this title before the tournament started, Nadal although the number two seed was not fancied to make it to the final or have a real chance of winning it.

The reason Nadal wasn’t favoured to do well here was because of the fact that before the start of the season he openly admitted that he hadn’t fully recovered from last season and was playing to take the whole of February off in order to fully recover.

Although Djokovic has won the last six meetings between the two it is very unlikely to be a one sided match for him here. Nadal admitted after losing the US Open final to Djokovic that the world number one was in his head, Nadal will want to make a statement in the final to show Djokovic and the rest of the top players that he means business for the rest of the season.

There semi finals were somewhat different in that Nadal looked very good throughout his four set win over Federer and was never in serious trouble even at one set down. Djokovic on the other hand, had an epic battle against Murray that went all 5 sets and Djokovic was very much up and down in this match looking sublime one moment and shocking the next.

Another key factor in the match could be that Nadal has had an extra 24 hours rest in order to prepare for the match up, which will also benefit his aggressive style of play. Djokovic on the other hand had a tougher semi final and less time to recover. Look for a very high quality match between the two with Nadal winning a close hard fought win in 4 or 5 sets, although it could very easily go in favour of Djokovic.



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NHL Weekly Report

Boston Bruins

The Bruins are still doing well of late, however the big story for the Bruins at the moment is the Tim Thomas situation. Thomas showed himself to be very selfish and not much of a team player by not going with his team to the White House, look for a trade for Thomas before the deadline.

New York Rangers

The Rangers are having a fantastic season thus far, they are 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are looking certainties for the playoffs, as they are 11 points clear of the 9th placed Maple leafs having also played to games less.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings have been in great form of late going 8-2 in their last 10 games, they have a 3 point lead over the Canucks although they have played a game more. Look for the Red Wings to continue their good form and be a very high seed for the playoffs.

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks are in a run of games where they are losing a lot, evidenced by the fact that they have only lost 3 of their last 10 games. They currently sit two points above the Kings having played three games less. Look for it to be a battle between the Sharks and Kings to win the Pacific Division.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks are on a nice run of form of late only losing 2 of their last 10 games. Their form is based on the fact that they are a top 5 team on both offence and defence, this has lead to them having the second best goal difference in the West Conference. They are 9 points clear of their closet rivals the Wild in the Northwest division.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues have the best defensive record in the Western Conference, which considering that they are in the same division as three of the top four scoring teams in the Western Conference is a very good achievement. Look for the Blues to keep rolling.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks compete in arguably the best and hardest division in the NHL this season. They sit 4th in their own division only 3 points from the top team at the moment in the Western Conference.

Ottawa Senators

We noted last week that the Senators are a very strange teams in many ways, they are an offensive machine, that also leak goals and were on a good run of 8-1-1, they have lost their last 3 games which has lead to them having a minus goal difference.

Nashville Predators

Nashville have won their last 4 games and 9 of their last 10. They have a 10 point cushion to the 9th place Avalanche. They are doing this by being an elite team on offence and mid table on defence.


Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers are an a goal scoring machine trailing only the Bruins in Goals for, they are a decent home but it is away from home where they have excelled this season, having won 18 of 27 games which has led to the Flyers having the best away record in the whole of the NHL.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils are very much a average team having winning records at both home and away without really being great at either, they are in a tie with the Leafs and Panthers for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have the lowest scoring offence in the whole of the NHL and are still challenging for their division and in the playoff positions due to their excellent defence which is the 3rd best in the Western Conference. The question is can this continue to be the case.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals are usually one of the best offence teams in the NHL, this season however they are mid table in both offence and defensive. They are very much in a fight to make the playoffs and a return to form by Ovechkin would greatly improve their chances of doing such.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins have been on a tear of late winning 7 straight games after losing their previous three games, this has meant they have gone from struggling at the fringes of the playoffs to now having a 5 point cushion to 9th place and 10 points to 10th place.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs are just outside of the Playoff places on head to head records at the moment, they have been in decent form of late winning 6 of their last 10 games. Unless they can go on a great run of winning games then it may be a close fight all the way for the Leafs in their playoff hunt.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche are sitting just outside of the playoff places, being one point behind the Wild. They have lost their last two games. For things to change the Avalanche need up their scoring or be more solid on defence.

Best of the Rest

Eastern Conference

The Panthers are not longer winning their division but are hanging in the playoff places due to making themselves difficult to beat only losing 3 of their last 10 games. . The Jets sit 5 points outside of the playoff places after losing 6 of their last 10 games, they have to start winning soon.


Western Conference

The current 8th seed in the West the Wild are still not in a great run of form at the moment only gaining 7 points from 10 games, however they have won their last two. In order to maintain their position or move up the Wild need to contain the form of their last two games.


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NBA Weekly Report

Eastern Conference

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls were a 3-1 last week. The Bulls are a defensive minded team and have the best points per game allowed in the NBA, however there is much more to their game. So far this season they are mid table in points scored per game, over the last 5 games the Bulls are averaging 98 points which is in the top third of the NBA in that time

Miami Heat

The Heat were 3-0 last week. After a poor run of form the Heat hit back by winning all three of their games last week. The heat have the best offence in the NBA in terms of points scored per game and are third in NBA in terms of differential, which means when they win they usually win big.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics were 2-2 last week. After a tough week the week before last the Celtics have improved slightly. Although they are still three games below 500 at 6-9 they are now in the playoff places, look for them to continue to get better and make the playoffs easily. However it is hard at present to see them being a real threat in the playoffs.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks were 3-1 last week. The Hawks are a good team on both defence and offence, being in the top 10 in both categories. They cannot however be considered an elite team due to there ability to chuck in very poor performances on far to often to be true elite team, for them to be taken seriously that needs to change.

Philadelphia Seventy Sixers

The 76ers were 2-1 last week. Are very much the team that some picked them to be, a young hungry team on the up. They are doing everything they are meant to do at present and it will be interesting to see what they do come playoff time.

New York Knicks

The Knicks were 0-4, last week. The Knicks are currently in free fall losing then last 6 games in a row to drop to 6-10. The same problems that plagued them last season and at the beginning of this season do not seem to want to disappear, they simply cannot/do not play defence. At present their offence is not firing enough to bail them out. Something needs to change for the Knicks to move forward.

Orlando Magic

The Magic were 3-1 last week. The Magic have a nice balance between offence and defence, sitting in the top 10 for both areas of the game. Considering all the talk surrounding the future it is a bit of surprise that the Magic are still doing well to his credit the want away Howard is still playing to a very high level.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers were 1-1 last week. The Pacers had a very quite week playing just 2 games which they split, through 5 home games they are still unbeaten. The future looks bright in Indiana and the rest of the season should by interesting.


Western Conference

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks were 2-2 last week. After a sluggish start to the season, the Mavericks have won 7 of their last 10 to move to 10-7 and now sit in the 8th place in the Western Conference. Look for the Mavericks to continue their recent good form and continue to grow as a group.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder were 2-1 last week. The biggest news out of the Thunder this pass week is the resigning of Westbrook to a new long term deal, which means that Westbrook and Durant will be thrilling fans in Oklahoma for a while yet. A title looks a possibility.

L.A. Lakers

The Lakers were 1-2 last week. The Lakers are doing ok at the moment nothing more nothing less, Bryant is playing the most minutes per game that he has done for a fair few years. One of the main reasons for this is as Lakers coach and Bryant put it the offence is a work in progress, in order for the Lakers to make playoff progress and win a championship a trade could well be needed.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs were 2-3 last week. The Spurs are great at home and awful away having lost 1 game at home whilst just winning one away, at this point the veteran Spurs will not be overly concerned. The Spurs do however have to look at address their imbalance in form..

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies were 4-0 last week. The Grizzles had gone two weeks in which they had gone .500, we said if they are make the playoffs in the Western conference they are going to need to be better then 33-33 team. Going 4-0 last week is certainly a good start.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers were 2-2 last week. The Blazers had a average last week, it means that over the last two weeks the Trail Blazers have played below 500 basketball. After getting off to a great start the Trail Blazers are now 9-7 and just outside of the playoff positions

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets were 4-1 last week. The Nuggets had another good week and currently have the 2nd best record in the Western Conference, if the Nuggets continue playing with their current confidence there is no reason why they cannot cause damage in the Western Conference playoffs.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz were 3-1 last week. They are now among four teams in the Western Conference who sit on 10 wins. So far the Jazz have had a very heavy sided home schedule winning out of their 10 home games and just playing 5 away. It will be interesting to see how the Jazz cope when they have to go on the road more.

L.A. Clippers

The Clippers were 3-2 last week. The Clippers where the talk off the off season with their additions, they didn’t get off to the best of starts. However the Clippers have been on a good run of late winning 7 of their last 10 including wins of the Lakers and the Heat. It will be interesting to see if they can keep playing well.



The Rest

The East

The Cleveland Cavaliers although below a .500 record are still hanging onto the final playoff spot at present, due to the Knicks bombing of late. Toronto Raptors meanwhile have lost their last 7 games straight.

The West

The Houston Rockets have won 6 games in a row to move to 9-7 and just outside of the playoff positions. At the opposite side of the form table is the New Orleans Hornets who have lost 7 straight games and 9 out of their last 10.

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Australian Open First Week Review Second Week Preview

The Favourites

Novak Djokovic

Djokovic has not been tested thus far in the Australian Open having won all of his matches in straight sets, conceding a mere 10 games in total.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal has won all four of his matches n straight sets, with his best performance coming against Lopez in his 4th round match. This fact is likely to please Nadal and his team greatly as he usually saves his best form for when it matters in slams. Next up he faces Berdych in the quarter finals.

Roger Federer

Federer has Only played three matches due to a 2nd round walk over, he has played the minimum number of sets in these matches and looks fresh and strong. In the sapping heat of Melbourne playing one full match less then everyone else could help Federer title challenge greatly. Next up is Del Potro in the quarter finals.

Andy Murray

Since losing his very first set of the tournament Murray has not dropped another one. He had looked comfortable in every much thus far and looks to be enjoying his tennis which has not always been the case. His new coach Ivan Lendl will be very happy with Murray first weeks work in Melbourne. Next up is Kukushkin.

The outsiders

David Ferrer

Ferrer has been his usual self so far in Melbourne, winning matches in his usual manner. Ferrer had a tough five set match in the 2nd round against Ryan Sweeting, which in many ways could be a good thing for Ferrer it puts miles on his legs which he likes and he does not mind winning ugly. Next up for Ferrer is Frenchman Gasquet.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Tsonga is was one of the form players coming into the Australian Open and has thus far looked good making the 4th round, dropping only one set in his opening round match. He has a lot going for him and will be a danger as this tournament gets into the business end.

Tomas Berdych

Berdych has so far never looked in any trouble in any of his 1st 4 matches and therefore has not been overly stretched, which as he faces Nadal next could be very good as he will need looks of stamina there. The head to head does not favour Berdych at all and it will be interesting if he can turn around the situation which has seen him lose 10 matches in a row in the head to head.


Juan Martin Del Potro

Del Potro has looked good thus far in the Australian Open and looks to be nearing his best which saw him win the US Open before suffering a career threatening injury. Next up is a meeting with Federer who he beat to win his maiden grand slam, while his overall head to head record is not great against federer, he has won 2 of the last 3 matches between the pair.
Look Ahead to the remaining 4th round matches

[1] N Djokovic vs L Hewitt

Novak Djokovic leads the head to head 5-1 with Hewitt only win coming in their 1st ever meeting. Djokovic is the worlds best player at present, Hewitt is a faded force. Two or three years ago this might have been a tough match for Djokovic, that is not the case at present. Look for Djokovic to win fairly easily and unless the home crowd can lift Hewitt greatly he will not win a set.

[4] Murray vs M Kukushkin

Murray has what looks like a fairly easy 4th round match up as he faces Gael Monfils conquer Kukushkin. Kukushkin was 2-0 against Monfils before winning against a badly limited Monfils in terms of movement, however after letting slip a 2-0 lead he should bottle to get through. Given all of the above look for Murray to win in 3 sets.

[17] R Gasquet [5] D Ferrer

David Ferrer leads the head to head 5-1 with Gasquet sole win coming in the Masters event in Toronto. Gasquet is very much a top talent and in terms of pure natural ability has the advantage over Ferrer, however Gasquet often does not use his talent correctly and has under achieved thus far in his career. Gasquet often struggles in longer matches and Ferrer Loves them, this should to a Ferrer win possibly in 5 sets.

[24] K Nishikori vs [6] J Tsonga

Nishikori has been steadily climbing the rankings and is now a top 30 player, however this match is all about Tsonga if he plays anywhere near his top level he wins and if he plays at his best he could win easily. Tsonga to win in 3 or 4 sets.

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NFL Conference Championship Playoff Weekend Preview

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

This game pits Tom Brady and the Patriots against Joe Flacco and the Ravens This game is very much a Offence v Defence game. The Patriots lead by the all time great Brady appear able to score at will have won their last 8 games. The Ravens on the other hand are a defensive beast and really mainly on this side of the game in order to win, in Flacco they have a good serviceable QB rather then a game changer.

The problem in this game for the Ravens is that as good as they are defensively, they will still give up points to the Brady lead offence and the question is can the Ravens offence score enough points on the Patriots much maligned defence. Although the Patriots gave up the 2nd most yards per game in the regular season, when it came to points allowed they were mid table. Taking everything into account look for the Patriots to point enough points on the board and the Patriots defence not allowing Flacco to match Brady and his offence numbers. Patriots to win.

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers

A lot of analysts in the media are suggesting that the Giants are the hot team going into this game, however that is simply not true. Both teams have won their last 4 games in a row, yes the Giants are on a hot streak simply because before this run they have been very up and down this season. The 49ers on the other hand have been hot all season only losing three games.

The Giants are led by Eli Manning who is having his best season consistent season since joining the NFL, he even broke the record for most 4th quarter touchdowns in a season. For much of the season Manning was carrying the Giants until the rest of the team woke up in the playoff run towards the end of the season. They reached the championship game by beating the Packers and as good as the Giants were the Packers played a large part in their own downfall with to many turnovers and weak defence.

The 49ers in the regular season relied greatly on defence, with Alex Smith and the offence not being great in the red zone put putting up enough beats for their superb defence. Last week for arguable the first team all season defence and offence worked in tandem against the Saints. The defence held the Saints to 32 points, which a lot of analysts did not think would happen. However maybe a greater surprise was the fact that the 49ers offence put up 36 points and Alex Smith won the game with a late drive, which many have doubted he was not able to do.

Look for another close game here, which is really a 50/50 type of game. The 49ers due to their elite defence and being at home are slight favourites and look for them to sneak the win.


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