Pie Chucker

Honk! 

Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait has told Big Star cricket that he feels all better now after his break from cricket.  Loved by English fans for his comical fielding during the 2005 Ashes (it’s been a while since we mentioned the 2005 Ashes - England won them, y’know) Tait opted to take a break from cricket thus leaving himself open to being sledged mercilessly for the rest of his career:

“The break was what I needed at the time. Hopefully, down the track, I will look back and say that was the best decision I ever made. It wasn’t an easy decision, though, and I had a tough time for a couple of weeks before announcing what I was going to do.”

Sorry, Shauno - you had a tough time before announcing  your need for a rest?   What do you mean?  Deciding to take a break was easy, but letting the world know… hmmm … Were you scared you might be ridiculed?  Still, with all these high paying Indian Leagues snapping up former great players and some currently average ones for fat fees, I guess now isn’t such a bad time to return?

“My name was floated around for the second IPL auction and I don’t really know much about that, though it was never really a serious probability because I haven’t played much cricket lately,” he said waving a placard with his agent’s phone number on it.  What is the world coming to when Australians need to recharge the batteries? 

Dean Jones was once batting with Allan Border in a test match in India and feeling a little under the weather, Jones suggested to his skipper that he might retire ill.  Border put it to his underling that if he couldn’t handle the conditions, then they could “get a real Australian.”  Jones stayed put and made a double ton, but back then men were men.  Even those from a country where the accent is camp and moustaches commonplace.