Dhoni Does It All

Forget Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the star of Indian cricket.

Captain, wicket-keeper, spiritual leader of an Indian team which now regularly competes with the world’s best sides, and now master blaster batsman.

His stunning 124 off just 107 balls last night was one of the best one-day innings you’ll ever see.
He toyed with the Australians early, knocking singles around and rotating the strike first with Gautam Gambhir and later with Suresh Raina.
But when the 35th over came and went, Dhoni went into a different gear.
He slogged all bowlers to all parts – he was particularly brutal on Shane Watson – and brought up his ton with a majestic straight six.

It’s not the first time he has taken to a very decent bowling attack. He is the real star of this Indian side now. The crowd in Nagpur – who admittedly are incessantly noisy at the best of times – went absolutely mad every time Dhoni added to his score.
And what’s even better is he’s got a bit of mongrel about him. He prowls around the centre wicket area like a cage fighter. Twice he squared up to Mitchell Johnson who can certainly be an intimidating bowler.

On a related note, Ricky Ponting’s decision to send India in was one of the strangest things I’ve seen in 20 years of watching cricket.
It was a cracking pitch. Ponting said he wanted to exploit the dew factor which would make bowling difficult at night.
Never mind that rubbish.
As WG Grace once famously said : When you win the toss – bat. If you are in doubt, think about it, then bat. If you have very big doubts, consult a colleague – then bat.

The Inspirational Freddie Fox

We hear plenty of stories about footballers struggling with illness or injury, but it’s unlikely anyone’s done it as tough as Freddie Fox.

The 73-year-old has battled cancer for the last two years, but there was no way that was going to keep him off the football pitch.

Freddie was not far short of a great footballer in his younger days.
As a teenager he had two trials at Tottenham Hotspur – his local team in North London.

He scored at their famous home, White Hart Lane, and changed in the locker of Tottenham’s then England captain Alf Ramsey, who would later be the man in charge as England won the World Cup in 1966.

In recent years though, fate hasn’t been so kind.

"I’ve been going through Chemo recently because they diagnosed me a year ago with not much of a future, but I lasted the year, I’ve had a good year, the chemo knocked be around a bit but otherwise I kept playing," he said.

Every week, Freddie is pulling on the boots for the Albert Park All-Stars – an ad hoc mix of players from countless backgrounds.

"The amazing thing is the incredible support from this crowd – my football colleagues. They are an incredible bunch of boys."

Freddie’s cancer battle has hit him hard – but for a man who was told last year to enjoy his Christmas because it would be his last – every game here is a triumph.

"Well, I have to go back to see my specialist next week and tell him I feel quite normal," he laughs. "I’m not sure what they’re going to do with me, probably not to look forward to next Christmas, but if you feel ok, you’re probably ok!"

The story of his team is almost as remarkable.

One of the original organisers, John Christodulakis, says over the years, 64 different nationalities have represented the All-Stars.

"We play 51 weeks a year, the only week we miss is when the Formula One cars are here, but rain hail or shine we’re always here. Nothing stops us," he says.

Freddie says he loves the multi-cultural mix that makes up the teams.

"Well it’s just an amazing game. And the quality of game we’ve got here, is representative of the best things in football," he says.
"Because you’ve got the different continents with their different styles – you’ve got the technical skills of the French and the South Americans, the determination of the Croatians, and the Greeks and the British, it’s a terrific mix."

From humble beginnings 15 years ago in the grounds of the French Consulate, the All Stars have welcomed hundreds of footballers – mostly immigrants from countries as far flung as Surinam, Angola, Brazil, and Hungary.

They don’t always get a full size pitch – the days I saw them they had to resort to portable goals – but the enthusiasm never wavers.

And for newly arrived migrants who don’t know a soul – this is as much a social exercise as a sporting battle.

"Basically you come to understand that these people are your friends," John says. "The friendships have been lifelong and long lasting and I think it’s a beautiful story."

But for the whole squad – Freddie is their talisman – their inspiration.

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To see the full story with Freddie Fox and the Albert Park All-Stars, watch The World Game on SBS ONE this Sunday afternoon from 5pm.

Drama On The Mountain ... Again

Is there another race in the world like the Bathurst 1000?

From the demanding Mount Panorama track to the frankly bizarre weather conditions, the traditional enduro is surely the most unpredictable and exciting long distance race in the world.

Sure, Le Mans is amazing – but Bathurst regularly throws up more sub-plots and more twists than any other event.

Today alone, there was a lead change and a spin in turn one, and even before the race had started there were showers and periods of sunshine in equal measure.
Mark Winterbottom – the man they call Frosty – was ironically bailing out of his car halfway up pit lane on Lap 50 as his Ford burst into flames.
Through the gloom, the unlikely duo of Greg Ritter and David Besnard emerged as possible winners - or would it be the sentimental favourites, veterans Mark Skaife and Greg Murphy … only for yet another crash at the Dipper prompting another safety car period, and Garth Tander and Will Davison surviving a three-lap sprint to the end.

It was just the latest chapter in a catalogue of dramatic moments at Bathurst.

We all remember Jim Richards hitting that kangaroo, Dick Johnson hitting that rock when leading in 1980, and a plastic bag in the radiator nearly costing Skaife victory a few years ago.

We remember Brocky’s nine wins and those amazing duels with Allan Moffat in the 1970s and 80s.

We remember Craig Lowndes in tears winning the year after Brock’s death, and Glenn Seton’s luckless attempts at conquering the mountain – he was second three times and his engine gave up when leading in 1995.

The only thing you can expect about Mount Panorama is that it will throw up the unexpected.

Big Four becomes Big Eight in Premier League

The same four teams have taken the Champions League spots in the Premier League – apart from Everton’s brief incursion into the top four in 2005 – for the best part of a decade now.
But things are more likely to change this year than any other.

The ‘Big Four’ might have lost their aura. Already this year Manchester City has beaten Arsenal, Tottenham has knocked off Liverpool and Aston Villa too went to Anfield and won.
Manchester United and Chelsea will most likely battle it out for the title but beyond that the next six spots are really up for grabs.

Everton started dreadfully this year but will cause teams some headaches when they get their best team on the park.

It might be the tightest contest yet for the cash-cow that is the Champions League.
Liverpool and Arsenal will have to be at their best to claim what they probably believe is their right to a top four finish.

I expect a real gulf to open up between their eight teams mentioned above and the rest.
Sunderland are probably best placed to break up that group, but it’s unlikely. The depth of their squad will be tested and it’s here that the top eight look streets ahead.

For those at the bottom, it’s an uphill battle.
This season five and six goals in a game has been a regular occurrence –Hull, Burnley, Blackburn, and Wolves have all conceded five goals or more in a match to teams placed well above them.

With 227 goals already scored in just 75 games (that’s three goals a game) and first and sixth separated by just six points, this could be the best season - and tightest at the top - in recent memory.

Will Someone Call Carlton's Bluff?

So Fevola is on his way out of Carlton, is he?
Not likely.

Fevola is a key ingredient in that team – arguably THE key ingredient – and for a team that is entering its premiership window in the next two years, an 80 to 100 goal full-forward will be worth his weight in gold.
Make no mistake – Carlton don’t really want to get rid of Fevola.
It’s simply the threat of being traded that they hope will be the rocket that makes him change his ways.

Any team that does fancy Fevola will have to offer something good to get him – a very high draft pick (probably below 10) or a top line player.
Only problem is, clubs will be extremely reluctant to do that because of his chequered past.
He has so much baggage that for most young teams, his influence will be more trouble that he’s worth.
His worth is also a stumbling block – he has two years left on a contract worth something in the order of $700,000 a year.

So by the end of next week’s trade period, Fevola will still be a Blueboy, Carlton’s board can say “well, we tried to offload him” and he’ll be back in time for pre-season training.

What will really rattle Carlton is a club willing to come to the party and offer something of value. Then they’ll really have a decision to make.