2014 FIFA World Cup NZ time

Here are the kick off times (NZ time) for all matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Group A 

Brazil, Croatia, Mexico Cameroon

Brazil vs Croatia - June 13 - 8:00
Mexico vs Cameroon - June 14 - 4:00
Brazil vs Mexico - June 18 - 7:00
Cameroon vs Croatia - June 19 - 10:00
Cameroon vs Brazil - June 24 - 8:00
Croatia Mexico - June 24 - 8:00

Group B
Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia

Spain vs Netherlands - June 14 - 8:00
Chile vs Australia - June 14 - 10:00
Australia vs Netherlands - June 19 - 4:00
Spain vs Chile - June 19 - 7:00
Netherlands vs Chile - June 24 - 4:00
Australia vs Spain - June 24 - 5:40

Group C
Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan

Colombia vs Greece - June 15 - 4:00
Ivory Coast vs Japan - June 15 - 13:00
Colombia vs Ivory Coast - June 20 - 4:00
Japan vs Greece - June 20 - 10:00
Japan vs Colombia - June 25 - 8:00
Greece vs Ivory Coast - June 25 - 8:00

Group D
Uruguay, Costa Rice, England, Italy

Uruguay vs Costa Rica - June 15 - 7:00
England vs Italy - June 15 - 10:00
Uruguay vs England - June 20 - 7:00
Italy vs Costa Rica - June 21 - 4:00
Italy vs Uruguay - June 25 - 4:00
Costa Rica vs England - June 25 - 4:00


Group E
Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras

Switzerland vs Ecuador - June 16 - 4:00
France vs Honduras - June 16 - 7:00
Switzerland vs France - June 21 - 8:00
Honduras vs Ecuador - June 21 - 11:40
Honduras vs Switzerland - June 26 - 8:00
Ecuador vs France - June 26 - 8:00
 
Group F
Argentina, Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria

Argentina vs Bosnia - June 16 - 10:00
Iran vs Nigeria - June 17 - 8:40
Argentina vs Iran - June 22 - 4:00
Nigeria vs Bosnia - June 22 - 10:00
Nigeria vs Argentina - June 26 - 4:00
Bosnia vs Iran - June 26 - 5:00

Group G
Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA

Germany vs Portugal - June 17 - 5:00
Ghana vs USA - June 17 - 10:00
Germany vs Ghana - June 22 - 7:00
USA vs Portugal - June 23 - 10:00
USA vs Germany - June 27 - 4:00
Portugal vs Ghana - June 27 - 4:00


Group H
Belgium, Algeria, Korea, Russia

Belgium vs Algeria - June 18 - 4:00
Russia vs Korea - June 18 - 10:00
Korea vs Algeria - June 23 - 7:00
Belgium vs Russia - June 23 - 4:00
Korea vs Belgium - June 27 - 8:00
Algeria vs Russia - June 27 - 9:40 

Round of 16

Match 49 - 1A vs 2B - June 29 - 4:00
Match 50 - 1C vs 2D - June 29 - 8:00
Match 51 - 1B vs 2A - June 30 - 4:00
Match 52 - 1D vs 2C - June 30 - 8:00
Match 53 - 1E vs 2F - July 1 - 4:00
Match 54 - 1G vs 2H - July 1 - 8:00
Match 55 - 1F vs 2E - July 2 - 4:00
Match 56 -  1H vs 2G - July 2 - 4:00

Quarter Finals

Match 57 - Winner 49 vs Winner 50 - July 5 - 8:00
Match 58 - Winner 53 vs Winner 54 - July 5 - 4:00
Match 59 - Winner 51 vs Winner 52 - July 6 - 8:00
Match 60 - Winner 55 vs Winner 56 - July 6 - 8:00

Semi Finals

Match 61 - Winner 57 vs Winner 58 - July 9 - 8:00
Match 62 - Winner 59 vs Winner 60 - July 10 - 8:00


Playoff

Match 63 - Loser 61 vs Loser 62 - July 13 - 8:00

Final

Match 64 - Winner 61 vs Winner 62 - July 14 - 7:00

Confederations Cup - Review

Italy have finish third in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup after beating Uruguay 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in  normal time.Italy coach Cesare Prandelli fielded a second, or even third, string side without the services of frequent starters Andrea Pirlo, Andrea Barzagli, Ignazio Abate and striker Mario Balotelli.

Attacking midfielder Alessandro Diamanti provided the goods for Italy. His first free kick was tapped in by defender Davide Astori and his second in the 78th minute was a thing of beauty - curving the ball over the Uruguan wall and into the corner of the goal.

Buffon is congratulated after the penalty shootout (Source)

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon saved three penalties, and had his best performance of the Confederations Cup after being below his best earlier on in the tournament. He currently has 133 caps for Italy, three short of former captain Fabio Cannavaro's record.

It brings an end to the highly entertaining two-week tournament in Brazil. Brazil thrashed world and European champions Spain 3-0 in the final, courtesy of a brilliant double by Fred and a Neymar goal just before half time. It was only the second time Spain have lost in their last 29 matches at international tournaments (the other being a loss to the USA at the 2009 Confederations Cup), their first defeat in 29 competitive matches spanning three years, and first defeat of any kind since losing a friendly 1-0 to England in November 2011.

As a lover of Italian football, it is my duty to review Italy's performance.

The Azzurri started with a solid but less than spectacular 2-1 over Mexico, courtesy of a vintage free kick from play-maker Pirlo and a 78th minute goal to Balotelli. It reminded me of how Italy played against Spain in the opener of the European Championships last year, not just because of the creative intent that Prandelli has installed in this young team, but also due to the fact Italy's form has been far from convincing in the build up - a 0-0 draw in a world cup qualifier against the Czech Republic and a shock 2-2 draw with Haiti in a friendly.

Giovinco celebrates his goal vs Japan (Source)

The next challenge was against Asian champions Japan, who Italy had only met once previously in a 1-1 draw back in 2001. Japan had lost their first match, against Brazil, 3-0, and Italy were expected to easily account for the Japanese and secure the three points. What a shock it was to see Italy go down 2-0 after no more than 35 minutes. Japan were dominating the match, had all the ball, and looked destined to finish off a major upset. But Italy struck back just before half time thanks to a Daniel De Rossi header, and 5 minutes after halftime from an own goal that prevented a Balotelli tap-in. Balotelli made it 3-2 from the penalty spot, but Japan struck back from a wonderful freekick-header combination. After a few very close calls for Italy, they found the winner in the 86th minute after De Rossi's through-ball found Marchisio, who then passed it across goal for substitute Sebastian Giovinco to convert the winner from close range.

Arguably one of the most entertaining and flowing matches I have witnessed. An unfair result for Japan.

Italy then had to face the red hot Brazil, who they had not beaten since their semi-final victory at the 1982 world cup. The match finished 4-2 in Brazil's favour. However Italy were without Pirlo for the whole match and lost Abate to a dislocated shoulder. If wing defender Christian Maggio's header found the back of the net instead of the crossbar, it would have been 3-3 with 10 minutes to go. Italy's ever-reliable goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon probably had one of his worst nights between the sticks. He was slow to react to Neymar's free kick and twice conceded goals after fumbling the ball.

Italy finished second in the group and were now up against the world's best team, Spain, in the semi-finals. To make things worse, Balotelli was sent home from the tournament with an injury.

The major disappointment from the group matches was that Italy conceded way too many goals - eight in three matches, seven in the last two. Italian teams of old with the likes of Nesta, Cannavaro, Maldini and Zambrotta would never let that happen.

Prandelli had to change tactics against Spain in the semi-final in order to improve the defense and compete with the classy Spanish midfield. Three at the back was the way to go, with a heavy midfield and a lone striker in Alberto Gilardino. The Gilardino experiment did not work, but Italy dominated large parts of the game and went close several times. The good news was they erased the memories of their 4-0 capitulation to Spain in the Euro 2012 final a year ago, bad news was the match finished 0-0 and Spain won a penalty shootout after defender Leonardo Bonucci's spot-kick went high over the crossbar. Still, Italy kept Spain scoreless for 120 minutes and took a lot of confidence from that match.

For me, the most impressive player during the tournament for Italy was Emanuele Giaccherini. The short, wing-midfielder who plies his trade for Juventus in the Serie A is not the most technically gifted player and has many critics back home in Italy. Despite this, he worked hard and produced moments of brilliance in this tournament.

Giaccherini surprised a lot of people with his performances (Source)

Against Mexico, he set up Balotelli's goal with a superb flick-volley. Against Japan, he hit the post near the end of the first half and provided the assist which led to an own goal after keeping the ball in play from a tight angle. He slotted home an equalizer versus Brazil and agonizingly hit the post against Spain in extra time. A man with a big heart, here is hoping he can do similar things with Juventus this upcoming season.

Prandelli will be concerned about the defensive frailties mentioned above, but 20-year-old Mattia De Sciglio had a great couple of weeks in defence considering this was his first major international tournament. But apart from a few sloppy penalties conceded and fumbles from Buffon in the group stages, it was not all bad.

The Azzurri are still missing the killer blow up front. Injury prevented in form striker Giampaolo Pazzini being considered for selection and Giuseppe Rossi is not quite match fit after recovering from serious knee problems over the last two years. Antonio Cassano has fallen out of favour with Prandelli and it will be interesting to see if he can regain his best form in time for the world cup next year. Juventus' Fabio Quagliarella has always been a favourite of mine but Prandelli has not paid much attention to him. If Pablo Osvaldo can sort out his discipline issues then he has a strong chance of making future squads.

Under-21 stars Lorenzo Insigne and Ciro Immobile both put in strong performances to help Italy take second place at the UEFA Euro Under-21s a few weeks ago. Also, it is only a matter of time before midfielder Marco Veratti, only 20, is a frequent starter for the national team.

Overall, I predicted Italy as losing semi-finalists, but they competed more than I expected against Spain in their semi-final clash. Although not scoring in that match, Italy proved that Spain are beatable and their defense can be broken down. If only they had converted their chances in front of goal.

The focus now turns towards the remaining four world cup qualifiers against Bulgaria (home), Czech Republic (home), Denmark (away) and Armenia (home). Italy lead the group by four points over Bulgaria and their September clash will be decisive. If Italy can win that match then they will almost certainly top the group and qualify for the world cup.

There is also a mouth-watering friendly with Argentina in Rome in August to look forward too.

US Open 2013 - Review

Justin Rose has won the US Open at Merion, finishing on +1 and two shots ahead of Australian Jason Day and now six times runner-up Phil Mickelson.

Rose came to the tee on the monster 500-plus yard par 4 18th with a one shot lead - unaware of Jason Day's putt for par up ahead. It was arguably the most important shot of Rose's life, where all his nerves would be tested. Rose put his drive down the centre of the fairway but still had a daunting second shot to play.

Justin Rose (Source)

Meanwhile, Day failed to get up and down from the left-hand bunker, and lipped out for par. He finished +3 and Mickelson sat on +2 with a birdie putt on 17.

Rose, not knowing that only about 20 percent of players had hit the 18th green in regulation in the final round, struck what I believe was his most crucial ever iron shot. It rolled onto the back fringe, but Rose was more than capable of chipping in for birdie and all but securing the victory. Remarkably, no one had birdied the 18th hole in rounds three and four.

Rose's hybrid chip shot ended up an inch from the hole. He tapped in for par and looked up to the heavens - presumably to give thanks to his late father xxx who died in 2002 - shook hands with fellow countrymen Luke Donald, and waited in anticipation for Mickelson to finish.

Mickelson has now finished runner-up at the US Open six times (Source)

Mickelson hit his tee shot on 18 into the left rough and tried desperately to chase a shot up onto the green. It came up short and he now faced a pitch shot to force a playoff.

You have to feel for Mickelson, he missed several makeable putts on what was coincidentally his birthday.

Even when he had a pitch shot on the last hole to force a playoff, I would not have been surprised if Mickelson had holed it. But he hit it long, and Rose became the champion.

It is the Englishman's first major victory, and he becomes the first English player to win a major since Nick Faldo in 1996 and the first to win the US Open since Tony Jacklin in 1970.

Many will argue that this moment is long over due for Rose.

As a 17-year-old amateur, Rose finished in a tie for fourth at the 1998 Open Championship. He seemed destined for greatness.

However, he struggled to make cuts in his early years on the European Tour and fell off the radar.

But since the late 2000s, Rose has had a renaissance of sorts. After being winless on the PGA Tour for several years, Rose has now picked up five PGA Tour victories since 2010.

Certainly helping his cause is his current coach  Sean Foley, who also mentors Tiger Woods and Hunter Mahan among others.

Rose's two top-10s in majors last year will now be forgotten. he moves up to a career-high ranking of third in the world.

Tiger's frustration continues (Source)

As for the world's two best players, they both had weeks to forget. World number one Tiger Woods finished a disappointing +13 - his worst 72 hole score at the US Open as a professional. Woods, who won the Players Championship last month but had a terrible week at The Memorial two weeks ago, struggled early on and looked in some discomfort with a sore wrist. His chipping and putting is nowhere near as consistent as it used to be pre-2009. His wait for his first major since 2008 continues.


World number two Rory McIlroy finished a further shot back at +14. He is taking a long time to adjust to his Nike clubs, but I am wondering if it is more mental than anything else. After all, McIlroy is so talented it should not matter what brand of equipment he plays. All players have ups and downs throughout their careers, and I guess Rory is going through one at the moment. It should only be temporary.

American Billy Horschel, one of the in form players in the world this year, ended in 4th place and for the most part held his nerve over the weekend with the big guns. Look out for his name throughout the rest of the year.

Sergio Garcia during the first round (Source)

Sergio Garcia was able to withstand some heckling from the crowds after his "fried chicken" remark to make the cut and finish in a tie for 45th at +15. If anything, Garcia's true enemies this week were holes 14 and 15 - two brtual par 4s with tight fairway and out of bounds areas off the tee. Garcia played each of those holes four times (eight holes) for an accumulated a score of +16, even making a 10 on the 15th during his third round. His wait for his first major continues, unlike Rose's.


Master's winner Adam Scott could have kept his Grand Slam hopes alive with a win, got off to a good start on Thursday but faded away to finish on the same score as Sergio.

Kiwi Steve Alker is ranked 590th in the world but defied the odds to make the cut and finished alongside Scott and Garcia. Alker's final round was impressive, a 72, on a day when only six out of 73 players shot under par. Alker came within inches of getting a hole in one on the long 17th hole on Sunday. Alker climbs up to 528th in the world.

The best thing about the majors so far this year is the removal of two of the world's best players from the "Best Players To Have Never Won A Major" club. Adam Scott and Justin Rose have left the group, but Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald still top the list, followed closely by Ian Poulter, Dustin Johnson and Steve Stricker.

Next up in the majors is the Open Championship at Muirfield, Rose would love nothing more than to make it back to back in his homeland of Britain, even if Muirfield is in Scotland!

A memorable Players

A spat between two bitter rivals, an unheralded rookie who almost pulled off a remarkable victory, a potential victory for who would have been the oldest ever winner of the tournament - the 40th edition of The Players Championship at the short but tricky TPC Sawgrass course had it all.

Tiger Woods with his trophy (Source)

Tiger was in complete control of the tournament (three shots ahead) come the back nine on Sunday, until one bad tee shot led to a double bogey on 14. Some good play from overnight co-leader Sergio Garcia, 49-year-old Jeff Maggert and rookie Swede David Lingmerth, made it a four-way tie for the lead at 12 under. Things were getting really exciting.

Maggert found the water on 17 and Sergio found it twice. Lingmerth held his nerve, but needing to birdie the tough 18th hole to force a playoff with Tiger, he pushed his approach to the right part of the green and could not hole what would have been a remarkable long putt.

David Lingmerth (Source)

Tiger had his victory and his second Players to go with the one he won back in 2001. This was Tiger's 300th start on the PGA Tour. He also won on his 200th start and 100th start.


Lingmerth has won me over with the way he played this week and especially with how he handled himself in the final round. For a rookie who had missed his last few cuts, Lingmerth was very impressive. I look forward to seeing his name near the top of leaderboards throughout the season.


This is the earliest Tiger has won four tournaments in a season. I declared the "is he back" argument over when he was winning last year. Now, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that Tiger is playing some of the best golf of his life. Out of his last 22 starts, Tiger has won seven - at a strike rate of almost 1/3.

Here are some intriguing questions that we will know the answer to come season's end...

Can Tiger double his tally by the end of the 2013 season and win eight times?

Can he win five more times and make it 83 PGA Tour wins, therefore taking the title from Sam Snead as the most successful golfer ever on the PGA Tour?

Can anyone catch him in the FedEx Cup race?

Sergio Garcia (Source)

Will he win one of the three remaining majors or, even better, how many of the three will he win?


As for Sergio, I would like to see Sergio do an Adam Scott and erase the demons of his collapse by winning something big and soon. For sure, Sergio did not blow a big lead like Scott did last year at the Open Championship, but how will he bounce back mentally? How will he go in his next tournament? Will he keep up his ok start to the season (8/8 cuts, 7/8 top 25s, 4/8 top 10s) or will he fall off the radar for a while? I guess the history of Sergio's attitude and mental game tells us that those last two holes, especially 17, will haunt him for a while but I do hope he can move on from this and contend in the majors and the FedEx Cup.

Petulance vs Arrogance

I will not bore you with all the history surrounding the strained relationship between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia. Simply put, they do not like each other. Well actually, on the surface, it looks like they hate each other. 

Neither are golfing saints. Sergio: Spitting in a cup, blaming the gods for bad breaks, throwing clubs in the water; Tiger: Spitting on the green, swearing and throwing clubs.

The incident that occurred early in the second round of the weather-delayed 2013 Players Championship was just one of many examples over the last 14-15 years that prove Tiger and Sergio do not have a lot of time for each other.

Sergio was about to hit his second shot on the second hole, a par 5, when he heard some crowd noise, or to use his words, "everybody was screaming", from the area where Tiger was waiting to hit his second shot - some 50 yards away, in the pine straw, to Sergio's left.

Sergio claims the crowd noise was due to the excitement of Tiger pulling a 5-wood or 3-wood out of his bag - signalling he was going to go for the green in two as opposed to playing safe.

The crowd noise did begin before Sergio started his backswing, so there is the possibility he could have pulled out and gone through his pre-shot routine again. However, we will never know when Sergio first heard this noise - maybe it was during his swing as he said, or maybe Sergio was just looking for a quick and easy excuse for a bad shot. And who easier to blame than his arch-nemesis?

Awkward: Sergio and Tiger on the first tee (ESPN)

Still, what Tiger did and said does not add up. The video of the incident clearly showed Tiger putting his finger to his mouth and point in the direction where Sergio is about to play his second shot from, or in simple terms a gesture to hush the crowd - a good piece of etiquette from Tiger. But why would Tiger gesture to the crowd, wanting it to be quiet when, as he said afterwards in an interview, a marshal had told him Sergio had already hit and that was why he took the club out of the bag?

Let me break this down into sequential order according to Tiger's actions and his post-round comments about the marshal...

(1) The marshal signalled to Tiger that Sergio had played his shot.

(2) Tiger took a wood out of his bag and began to plan his shot.

(3) Tiger gestured to crowd (puts his finger to his mouth) and pointed in Sergio's direction, presumably asking it to be quiet while Sergio was hitting.

As you can see (1) cannot possibly occur before (3). There is no reason for Tiger to ask the crowd to be quiet for Sergio if a course official had already told him to play his shot.


Why would the marshal lie to Tiger? He wouldn't.

Of course, Tiger did not purposely pull a club out his bag in the hope the crowd would cheer and put Sergio off. No one is that cold-hearted.

Still, the mistake falls on Tiger for not waiting for Sergio to play and not seeing with his own eyes Sergio complete his swing. It is the responsibility of the player who does not have the first shot to make sure that they do not put the other player off until that player has completed their swing.

Watching on: Sergio and Tiger (Daily Telegraph)

It certainly makes for great viewing when these two complete the final few holes of their third rounds on Sunday. Here is some dialogue from separate interviews during and after the third round...

Sergio (during the weather delay and after the incident) - "...you do have a feel when the other guy is going to hit and right as I was in the top of the backswing, I think he must have pulled like a 5-wood or a 3-wood and obviously everybody started screaming. So that didn't help very much."


Tiger (at the end of the third day's play)- "The marshals, they told me he already hit, so I pulled a club and was getting ready to play my shot...Not real surprising that he's complaining about something."

Sergio (when told by a reporter what Tiger's response was to his initial comments) - "That's fine. At least I'm true to myself. I know what I'm doing, and he can do whatever he wants.''

The Players Championship - Trivia and Preview

The 40th edition of The Players Championship gets underway this Thursday at the TPC at Sawgrass course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Here is a bit of background on the tournament widely regarded as the "unofficial fifth major" because of its quality of field and the highest prize purse in golf (the winner picks up  just over 1.7 million US dollars).

• It has not always been played at Sawgrass. The fist three editions were played at three different courses: Atlanta Country Club in 1974; Colonial Country Club in 1975 and Inverrary Country Club in 1976. From 1977-1981 it was hosted at Sawgrass' Oceanside Course, before settling at the Stadium Course at the Tournament Players Club (TPC) at Sawgrass.
• Jack Nicklaus won the inaugural event and remains the only player to have won The Players three times. Four players have won it twice - Fred Couples, Steve Eklington, Hal Sutton and Davis Love III.
• Australian Greg Norman holds the record winning score at -24, a feat he achieved in 1994.
• Americans have dominated the event historically. Australia is in second place in terms of number of different winners (four).
• American Matt Kuchar is the defending champion and, if he wins this year, will become the first person to defend the title.

The daunting 17th hole (Source)

Even the smallest of golf fans should be familiar with the 17th hole - nicknamed the "island green". Although not technically an island, the green is almost completely surrounded by water and has destroyed the hopes of hundreds of golfers over the years. Did you know...

• In 2007, a record 93 balls ended up in the water. That is, 21 percent of all attempts.
• Australian Robert Allenby has the longest active streak of avoiding the water - 36 rounds - but don't tell him that!

Enough of the trivia - who are the contenders, favorites and dark-horses? Current Fed Ex Cup and world rankings in brackets.

Horschel with his first PGA Tour trophy (Source)

Billy Horschel (3-49) - Arguably the biggest talking point on the PGA Tour at present. Horschel won his first tournament just under two weeks ago - the Zurich Classic of New Orleans - and has the longest active streak of consecutive cuts made at 23. Five top 10s in 12 tournaments so far this year.

Luke Donald (44-5) - Has not been in his best form lately with only two top-10s in six starts in 2013, but he has finished in the top 10 at The Players the last two years.

Jason Day (15-25) - Almost pulled off a victory at the Masters last month. Four top-10s in nine events. Would be great to see him follow in Adam Scott's footsteps and pick up a significant victory.

Lee Westwood (38-12) - Four top-10s in nine starts, including three out of his last three. Westwood has improved his short game in recent years, and now ranks highly in sand save and all-round scrambling percentages.

Mickelson won The Players in 2007 (Source)

Justin Rose (23-4) - Ranked 2nd in scoring average, 1st in sand saves, 2nd in total driving and 3rd in ball striking. Rose has one of the more consistent games in golf at present and should be right up there come Sunday.

Phil Mickelson (6-10) - Mickelson had a late stumble at Wells Fargo last week but was his usual self - amazing the crowds with a vintage display of accurate putting from within 15 feet. First in birdie averages and par 3 birdie averages will certainly help at TPC Sawgrass. Has already won this year at the Waste Management Phoenix Open back in February - where he just missed a putt to shoot a 59.



What about the world's two best players? Tiger Woods is currently first in the FedEx Cup and has won three times this year, but has not won The Players since 2001. You would expect the world number to be in the mix come the business end of the tournament. Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, has had a disappointing season so far, but has regained some form lately with three top-25s in his last three tournaments, including a 10th place finish at Wells Fargo. However, in three attempts, he has never made the cut at The Players.

Short and sharp tribute to a great man

Phillip Leishman (Stuff)

Iconic New Zealand broadcaster, Phillip Leishman, has died aged 61. I was too young - and in some instances not even born - to remember the influence he had on broadcasting in New Zealand pre-1990s.

Over the last several years, his magazine-style golf show - which screened weekly throughout most of the year - provided the fix I needed to satisfy my continuous craving for golf (news).

“I have been lucky to live an amazing life and The Golf Show has taken me to some incredible places around the world,” - Leishman (New Zealand Golf)

I would say that it was the Open Championship of golf television in New Zealand. There was nothing better and it was always a treat to watch.

Phillip brought golf courses from all over the world on to our television sets. His commentary superbly accompanied the breathtaking camera shots.

Phillip provided a round-up of the weekly golf tournaments on the PGA and European Tour's, and interviewed some of the world's most famous golfers.

Still, Phillip always made sure that he added a local element to the show, with previews of New Zealand golf courses and interviews with household New Zealand names such as Michael Campbell and Lydia Ko.

His iconic voice provided viewers with a sense of familiarity and comfort and without doubt was synonymous with golf on New Zealand television.

His legacy in establishing The Golf Show will surely live on forever and will hopefully continue into a future without him. Even though it will probably never be the same again.

Rest In Peace Phillip Leishman. I will definitely miss you.

WGC Accenture Matchplay - Preview

The 2013 edition of the WGC Accenture Matchplay gets underway later this week at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Arizona, USA.

Previous five winners: 2008: Tiger Woods; 2009: Geoff Ogilvy; 2010: Ian Poulter; 2011: Luke Donald; 2012: Hunter Mahan.

Here is the run-down for those unfamiliar with the format and how the tournament plays out. The top 64 golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings are selected. If, for any reason, any of those top 64 cannot participate, then the next best ranked golfer is selected. In other words, if one player is unavailable, then the 65th ranked golfer would be selected, then the 66th, and so on. On a side note, Phil Mickelson, who won the Waste Management Phoenix Open only a few weeks ago, is not participating.

The format is a straight knockout matchplay, one on one, with the ultimate winner having to win six matches out of six over a five day period: Round of 64, Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semi Finals, and Final.

The participants are separated into four brackets (4 groups of 16). Bobby Jones bracket, Ben Hogan bracket, Gary Player bracket, and the Sam Snead bracket. The winner of each bracket goes into the semi-finals.

Defending champion Hunter Mahan (Accenture)

All 32 First Round matches are listed on the PGA Tour website, but here is my selection of some heavyweight match-ups on day one and possible choices of potential upsets and dark horses. Current world ranking in brackets.

Justin Rose (6) vs KJ Choi (62) - One of Europe's Ryder Cup heroes, Rose won the World Golf Championship's Cadillac Championship last year and was knocked out of the first round of the Accenture Matchplay last year. Choi was also knocked out in the first round in 2012. Current form would suggest Rose wins this one but not by much.

Adam Scott (7) vs Tim Clark (61) - Scott has excelled over the past year and a half with Steve Williams as caddy and a switch to the broomstick putter. It is hard to see Clark, who is making his first appearance in the tournament since 2011, causing an upset here.

Jason Dufner (12) vs Richard Sterne (57) - Sterne is one of many South Africans who have risen to prominence over the past few seasons. Dufner will have the home crowd on his side, but let's not forget that Sterne has already had success this year, winning two weeks ago in the Joburg Open by a comfortable seven strokes.

Steve Striker (16) vs Henrik Stenson (53) - Stricker might be 45, but is ever-consistent recording two top-10s out of the 4 WGC events in 2012. Stenson return after missing out on qualifying last year. Stricker for me.

Chris Wood (USA Today)

Bubba Watson (10) vs Chris Wood (59) - Chris Wood could be a potential dark horse in this event. Bubba, the reigning Masters champion, faces a man who won his first European Tour event last month by making eagle on the last hole at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and has improved his world ranking significantly in early 2013. Could this be the match of the first round?

Graeme McDowell (19) vs Padraig Harrington (50) - Harrington already has a top-10 on the PGA Tour this year but McDowell goes in to this one as the favourite. Harrington can take some comfort in knowing that McDowell has only progressed to the 2nd round in one of his last four attempts.

Ernie Els (22) vs Fredrik Jacobson (47) - Jacobson was unlucky not to win last week, missing a four-foot putt to make the playoff at the Northern Trust Open. Can he get over his disappointment in time?

Hunter Mahan (25) vs Matteo Manassero (44) - The defending champion comes up against the Italian teenager in what could could be a potential banana skin for Mahan. If Manassero finds his A-game he might cause a major upset.

Bill Haas (30) vs Nicolas Colsaerts (39) - A few years ago not many golf followers were aware of Belgium's Colsaerts, but he has since won a couple of European Tour events and chalked up some consistent finishes. However, he does face-off against 2011 Fed Ex Cup champion Haas who has 3 top 10s in only 5 events to start the season.

Martin Kaymer (28) vs George Coetzee (41) - Coetzee is another South African who has impressed over the past year. Came close to winning the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in January. Should be a close match against Kaymer who has found a return to form since mid-2012.

Nike duo: McIlroy and Woods in their "No Cup is Safe" Nike Golf commercial

The big names: Rory McIlroy's switch to Nike equipment has not started well at all, but he should live up to his world number one ranking and beat Shane Lowry in the first round. Spaniard Sergio Garcia has been known to let the pressure get to him at times and Thongchai Jaidee will put up a great fight. Tiger Woods meets Charles Howell III; Ian Poutler, triumphant in 2010, faces fellow Brit Stephen Gallacher; Lee Westwood locks horns with Rafael Cabrera-Bello; and Luke Donald, 2011 winner, will battle Marcel Siem for a place in the second round.

As you can see, there is a lot to be excited about.


Fun trivia fact to end on.  Tiger Woods is credited of having the biggest winning margin in the tournament's history - a 9/8 win over Stephen Ames in 2006. Why else was this significant? Shortly before his first round match up against then world number one Tiger, Ames took a swipe at the state of Tiger's golf game: "Anything can happen, especially where he's hitting the ball." Moral of the story - Let the golf do the talking to shut up your opponent.

Cynical, suspicious and fearful

I cannot remember a more farcical start to the sporting year than what has occurred less than two months into 2013. Forget who won, forget what sport, the only thing that has dominated global sport so far this year has been controversy. Drugs, match-fixing, speculation, allegations, criminal investigations, conspiracies, it goes on and on.

The Mayans predicted the end of one world and the beginning of another. Are we witnessing the new world order in sport - where controversy completely destroys fans' and spectators' love of a true and just sporting contest?

Recap of the controversy so far (or at least what I have been aware of) ...

The now iconic image of Armstrong confessing to Oprah (OWN)

Cycling - Lance Armstrong confesses to Oprah Winfrey in a televised interview that he used performance enhancing drugs throughout his cycling career and, most significantly, in each of his seven Tour de France victories from 1999-2005. Armstrong's adoption of a "win-at-all-costs" mentality led him down a dangerous road of serial doping. However, in that same interview he continued to deny accusations that he was involved in covering up a supposed positive test for EPO during the 2001 Tour de Suisse, and stated that he rode the Tour de France "clean" upon his return in 2009 and 2010.


Football/Soccer - A global investigation by Europol - a European law enforcement agency - produced evidence of widespread match-fixing in football/soccer that was linked to organized crime syndicates in Asia, or more specifically Singapore. Approximately 380 matches in Europe were affected by illegal betting practices in Asia and this was accompanied with over 400 fraudulent officials. The integrity of fixtures in the UEFA Champions League, World Cup and European Championship qualifying, and league matches in South America and counties such as Turkey and Germany, are under serious investigation.

Deer oh deer: Vijay Singh (The Telegraph)

Golf - Successful Fijian golfer Vijay Singh was revealed to have used deer-antler spray on a daily basis since late 2012 and soon after admitted that this was true. What is the problem? The deer-antler spray contains a substance banned by the PGA Tour,  IGF-1, which is a "natural, anabolic hormone that stimulates muscle growth." Singh claims that he was unaware that the spray contained "a substance that is banned under the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Policy." It is still unclear whether Singh will be suspended as he keeps in regular contact with PGA Tour officials.

Boxing - Where to begin and, even more confusing, where to end? Sonny Bill Williams defeated Francois Botha on points to win their bout in Brisbane last week but the validity of the result has yet to be confirmed. The fight only went 10 rounds when WBA (World Boxing Association) rules clearly state that "All sanctioned bouts shall be scheduled for twelve (12) rounds." Sonny Bill's manager Khoder Nasser is adamant that everyone knew the fight was scheduled for 10 rounds and that the marketing of the fight being 12 rounds was a misunderstanding. The T.V. commentators were certain that the fight was scheduled for 12 rounds and expressed their shock at the start of the 10th round when the umpire said it was the last round. T.V. footage shows that the judges had the "11" and "12" cards on their tables. Sky TV New Zealand advertised the fight as 12 rounds, so did Fox Sports Australia. Betting agencies in both Australia and New Zealand had betting options open for knockouts occurring in rounds 11 and 12.

Sonny Bill himself is quoted as saying "He'll [Botha] do 12 rounds pretty easy" just days before the fight yet after the fight claimed he always prepared for a 10 round fight. To make matters worse, Botha failed a drugs test from a urine sample that was taken three days before the bout, even though he was not officially obliged to. Botha has since claimed that the test was administered by someone with close association to Nasser and will undergo another test in his home country South Africa sooner rather than later in order to clear his name.

Can this get any more farcical? WBA official Brad Vocale claims that the championship belt won by SBW after his victory was not genuine and that there was no WBA official at the actual fight. The credibility of both Nasser and Sonny Bill have taken a huge blow and this is certainly not the end of the story.

Fuentes outside court (The Telegraph)

Multiple sports -  Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes is currently undergoing a trial in a court case dubbed "Operation Puerto." Fuentes was previously arrested in May 2006 after an investigation into his Madrid-based clinic revealed 186 code-named blood bags belonging to professional athletes and the illegal possession and use of EPO and Human Growth Hormone. Fuentes has worked with top cyclists, footballers, football teams, tennis players, boxers and swimmers.Fuentes has stated that he is willing to name all the athletes he helped through blood doping by matching up the blood samples and codes with the real athletes' name. Judge Julia Santamaria told him that he is only obliged to name the cyclists due to a previous ruling, but officials from agencies such as WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) have called for all names to be revealed. Fuentes apparently saw doping during the 2006 World Cup. It would shatter me if Fuentes revealed that Italy were involved, but so far he has not named any countries. In what could have serious ramifications, Fuentes allegedly told a prison informant that if he was to talk, Spain could be stripped of their World Cup 2010 and European Championship titles.

Cover page of the report (ACC)

Australian sport - February 7, 2012, could go down as the "blackest day in Australian sport." On this Thursday, the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) shocked Australian sports fans, players and officials with the release of a report entitled "Organised Crime and Drugs in Sport." The year long investigation gives damning evidence of banned substances such as peptides, human growth hormone and, disturbingly, even substances that have yet to be tested on humans, being distributed to athletes, pharmacists and coaches in multiple sports through illegal means.

Aussie Rules and Rugby League are the two sports under the most suspicion even though the public have yet to be made aware of specific athletes and teams who were involved. The Hyundai A-League (football/soccer) has not escaped the controversy. Tens of millions of dollars were placed on a single fixture from an Asian-based betting agency in Melbourne in late 2012. It is unclear as to what two teams were involved.

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I will now point out two specific sporting fixtures that happened last week which I find suspicious. Even though there has been no official investigation, I find some instances in the following hard to believe.

English Premier League - Manchester City vs Southampton. I am sorry, but this match just smelt of match-fixing. Joe Hart, first choice goalkeeper for England, fumbles the ball when it is kicked straight at his paws. Fellow teammate Gareth Barry kicked the ball into his own net while Hart did not make much of an effort to prevent the ball rolling into the goal. For goodness sake, it did not even look like a back-pass from Barry but more like a tap in goal from a striker.

Cricket - The New Zealand cricket team (Black Caps), who usually are a composed side in the field, dropped five catches against England in their first Twenty20 match. This is a bit of a tongue-and-cheek example.

For me, the end of 2012 marked the end of my belief in many things spectacular in sport. From 2013 onwards, almost every achievement of epic proportions will have a cloud hanging over it. I might even abandon my one-eyed view that teams and players I support are free from all this.

Veratti rescues Italy

Italy escaped with a 1-1 draw away to an impressive Netherlands, thanks to a stoppage time goal to substitute Marco Veratti. It allows Italy to maintain their unbeaten friendly record against the Oranje in friendlies, which now stretches to 13 matches (6 wins and 7 draws).

Both Louis van Gaal and Cesare Prandelli - coaches of the Netherlands and Italy respectively - fielded largely inexperienced sides as they look to build depth leading into the World Cup qualifiers later this year.

Van Gaal's side were the lesser experienced with 7 players in the starting lineup under 23, but started the stronger of the two sides. Robin Van Persie almost capitalized on the early pressure with a shot on target in the 18th minute, but it was saved by the legs of Gianluigi Buffon.

The Dutch almost scored in the 26th minute with Buffon having to make back-to-back saves. They were finally rewarded in the 33rd minute through a clever piece of ball control by Jeremain Lens who converted from short range to make it 1-0.

The Italians made two subs at halftime with Alessandro Diamanti and Alessandro Florenzi replacing Antonio Candreva and Andrea Pirlo. Pirlo showed glimpses of his best in the first half but it seems as though Prandelli wants to give a few of the other players some game time.

The Oranje continued to control possession in the second half as Italy continued to lack cohesion and rhythm.

The introduction of Arjen Robben for the Dutch added some more fluidity to their game, and on several occasion he got the better of the Italian defensive line, combining with players such as Lens and Maher. Yet again, the ever-reliable Buffon held strong, producing some fantastic saves to keep the Italians in the game even if they did no deserve to be.

Controversial Italian striker Mario Balotelli showed his frustration with half an hour to go by violently kicking the ball into the advertising hoardings. This was met with jeers from the crowd. He was soon replaced by AS Roma forward Pablo Osvaldo.

It should have been game over in the 87th minute. Adam Maher put Dirk Kuyt into open space, but he duffed his shot into Buffon's gloves.

Osvaldo made his presence felt in the 30 minutes he played. His pair of headers were off target, and the second one in the 88th minute really should have been converted after a brilliant right cross from Ignazio Abate.

Alberto Gilardino added to the strong finish by forcing Dutch goalkeeper Krul into a quick save.

When watching the last 10 minutes of this match you would think it was Italy who had played the better of the two teams throughout the 90 minutes, which was far from being the case.


The Azzurri were rewarded for their late attacking pressure when Gilardino combined well with 20 year old Marco Veratti, who superbly scooped the ball over Krul to give Italy a draw at the death.

That is how the match finished and I'm sure Van Gaal and his troops will feel like they let that one slip.


To conclude, I believe that Veratti it set for a huge future. At such a young age he has excellent technical passing skills, has a sharp turn, and is very quick at beating his tackler. When Andrea Pirlo eventually does retire, Italy will definitely miss his talent, but at least there is someone in waiting to take his place.

Golf update - You can rediscover your golf game

I thought I might as well add a diary-like entry on my golf game because I find it remarkable at how quickly my game has improved over the least two weeks. More specifically, I dropped 21 shots off my score in two weeks. I put it all down to one golf lesson and a lot of hardwork. If you are having trouble with your own golf game, then I hope this can give you the confidence that you can turn it around and trust what you are doing.

Saturday, January 19, 2013: This was probably the darkest day on the golf course for me since 2007. It came after several months of a deteriorating golf swing and countless hours on the driving range hitting hundreds of balls without making any progress.

For some reason I thought that my golf game would magically reappear. Why? Because it magically disappeared several months ago where I went from shooting in the mid 70s to mid 80s within the blink of an eye.

One problem led to another, and I found myself tossing and turning ideas in my head, all to no avail.

Anyway, back to that day - a 36 hole interclub trial on a very windy day in Wellington. I shot 87 in the morning and 90 in the afternoon. It was the first time I had failed to break 90 since early 2007. In other words, this was the worst golf I had played in over 5 years.

I guess I could blame the wind for a few shots, but it did not hide the fact that my ball striking was absolute rubbish. I used to be able to hit 9+ greens a round without even trying. In that 90, I only hit 2 greens.

I never thought about quitting. All I could think about was how great I would feel when I finally got my talent back.


I finally said enough was enough and decided to get a lesson with the coach at Miramar - Renee Fowler.

Thursday, January 24, 2013: Immediately, Renee saw the problems in my swing. The two key things were an incorrect weight shift on the downswing and a failure to extend the arms at impact (see this blog post). Renee gave me a few drills to work on and a few things to think about while practicing.

Saturday, January 26, 2013: My practice had begun. Mainly hitting balls with my feet together to work on the correct weight shift on the downswing and keeping my body centred over the ball, as opposed to leaning back. Nothing fancy today, just little half swings with my pitching wedge.

Sunday-Tuesday, January 27-29, 2013: Kept going hard at it. Started to hit more longer clubs - 6,7 and 8 irons - while hitting more balls with my feet apart, always remembering to keep those arms extended at impact and shift that weight foward.

I decided to go out and play 9 holes on Tuesday afternoon to put my early hard work to the test. I shot +4 which is nothing spectacular, but a breath of fresh air when considering how bad I was just over a week ago.

Wednesday, 30 January, 2013: Now I really began to feel confident that I had put the past behind me. In practice, I was hitting the ball noticeably further higher, and getting more consistent divots. Even better, my notorious bad shot - the weak push to the right - was not happening as often.

Thursday, 31 January, 2013: Played 7 holes and shot +3. Which was alright and I did hit more greens percentage wise than I had been over the last few months. After that, I did some skill tests with my 8 iron and they went really well, with regards to starting the ball on the right line and having it end up at/near the target.

Friday, 1 February, 2013: The big day. Played 18 holes for the first time since that 90 score. How would I cope physically and mentally? As it turns out, I played my best round in almost 13 months, a 1 under par 69! I could not believe at how quickly I had transformed my game. Hit more greens, more fairways, holed more putts, and even my chipping was up to standard. Had to birdie the last hole to break par, and did it by making a 15 foot birdie putt from the fringe. I was back!

Saturday, 2 February, 2013: Had to back up my previous day's play with a good first up showing in interclub for the season at an away course. My short game was woeful, but my full swing kept me in the game as I hit many fairways and greens. I was 3 holes down with 5 to play, and made my best ever comeback to win the last 5 holes and win the match 2 up. I was only +1 for those last 5 holes and hit 4/5 greens, including some long 2 putts to make par. I shot a +11 82, but if my short game was half decent, it would have easily been a 76-77. It is not always easy putting and chipping at a course you are not familiar with.

Sunday, 3 February, 2013: Backed it up again - a 75 at Miramar. Bad news? I only hit 4 greens in regulation, but of those made 2 birdies. Looking back, I was a bit lazy with my full swing and I do not know why. Maybe it was just one of those days where you hit the ball bad. They happen. Good news? Short game was spectacular. Made 7/14 up and downs and holed several putts from the 10-15 foot range - something I usually struggle to do. I even holed out from a bunker for the first time which I was stoked about. The way I see it, the confidence I now have in my long game has fed into my short game, along with the time I have spent on the putting green practicing those middle-range putts.

So there you have it: Shoot 90, get a lesson, work hard, shoot 69. It all came down to confidence and having trust in the process of improvement. I owe most of that to coach Renee for her help.

Again, if you are struggling with your golf game, no matter how bad it may seem, you can turn it around through three things: confidence, trust and hard work.

Courageous Cambo

How can any New Zealand sporting fan not be pleased to see Michael Campbell playing some decent golf again?

"Cambo" finished tied for 16th place in his most recent event on the European Tour - the Qatar Masters - but it could have been even better when considering he was fifth equal after the completion of the third round. Nonetheless, it gives the New Zealander his second consecutive top twenty finish, in two weeks, to start 2013. That is not exactly a spectacular fortnight of golf, but when considering what Cambo has been through over the past several years it makes me wonder how he ever found the will to continue.

Since Cambo had that unforgettable year in 2005 when he won the US Open, HSBC World Match Play Championship, and was ranked inside the world's top 15, his golf has been just the opposite: Forgettable. Cambo missed cut after cut, year after year. I cannot remember what exact year it was (might have been 2010), but he was not even ranked inside the world's top 1000 at one stage. His golf was nothing short of a disaster.
 
Cambo's results in 2011 and 2012 paint a very sad picture. Of the 27 tournaments he entered in 2011, he failed to make the weekend on 19 occasions and only recorded one top 20 finish. From September 2011 to March 2012, he missed 12 straight cuts on the European Tour.

At the beginning of 2012, Cambo's world ranking hovered around the 750 mark. He missed 11 out of 13 cuts to start that year.

At this stage, some people would ask themselves: What is the point? I cannot bear to imagine the emotional turmoil he must have gone through and the constant self doubt that must have crossed his mind; wondering if he could ever discover his form of 2005 that made him the talk of the golfing world. It would have come as no surprise to me if Cambo decided to wave the white flag, give up, and accept the fact that he has had a successful career but his time is now up.

But Cambo stuck at it. He persevered and fought back from the depths of despair. 

Finally, in late 2012, Cambo chalked up his best finish on the European Tour, not to mention his best finish worldwide, since 2008, with a tied for third finish at the Portugal Masters. I cannot remember the last time he shot four sub-par rounds in a golf tournament like he did that week. Less than a month later he backed up his performance in Portugal by participating in the UBS Hong Kong Open and coming eighth equal.

It is safe to say that we are witnessing the early stages of a Cambo comeback. His last 12 tournaments are a testament to his fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude: Nine made cuts (four in a row), and six top 20s that include four top 15s. Again, nothing spectacular, but pretty decent when taking into account what Cambo has been through in recent years.

His world ranking has skyrocketed from 910th in July 2012 to where it is currently - 264th.

His recent return to form is partly due to his reunion with former swing coach Jonathan Yarwood - the same man who helped bring him major success almost eight years ago.

It seems that this reformed partnership has brought about a change in attitude for Cambo. In an interview after the Portugal Masters late last year with Brendan Telfer on Radio Sport, Cambo stated that he is enjoying his golf again, and that his goal in the final round was to essentially have fun and, as he put it, "smile."

In that interview Cambo also addressed the root of his previous problems - he wanted to hit the ball longer and consequentially tried to change his swing. It came as a surprise to me at how easy it is for one decision to lead to a catastrophe.

But Cambo had faith in himself and trusted his ability to rediscover his golf game. Full credit to him in doing that.

Now 43, Cambo has drawn his inspiration from fellow golfers in their 40s such as 2012 British Open winner Ernie Els, Fiji's Vijay Singh, and Paul Lawrie.

From the doldrums of the last several years, this newly relaxed, confident and smiling Michael Campbell is fantastic to see. He is performing at a level he has not done so in a very time. He has turned a huge corner and sparked a glimmer of hope in what looked like the back-ends of a diminishing golf career. I look forward to what he achieves throughout the rest of 2013.

Cambo probably has five or six years left to make some noise again on the professional golfing circuit. Are we on the verge of something special? Who knows. He was at 500-1 odds to win the US Open in 2005, was completely out of form throughout the first half of that year, and holed a two metre putt just to qualify. How did that turn out?

Openers? Where does this leave McCullum?

I want to get a few things off my chest first before I, like an Italian football lover would, dive into the main argument of this opinion piece.

Lethal: Dale Steyn  (Gallo Images)

The Black Caps have just suffered one of their most embarrassing test series loses since I can remember, 2-0 to South Africa. Yes, this South African team is the best in the world. The quality of their batsmen match the deadly nature of their bowling attack. They recently won a series away in Australia as well. Still, that is no excuse for losing two test matches by an innings. That is no excuse for losing ten wickets for 45 runs in the first match, no excuse for another notorious batting collapse in the second test match, and no excuse for hardly lasting three days in the first match and not making it past lunch in the fourth day.

Let me make one thing clear: I did not expect the Black Caps to win either of those matches. I expected them to, perhaps, draw one. Sadly, what was missing, or at best only seen rarely, was one thing: fight. This team did not fight. They were brought to their knees figuratively, and, in Jeetan Patel's case, were literally scared of the bowlers. Do you think the South African's had any sympathy for their helpless opponents? I do not really care. What I do care about, and want to see, is some fight, even if it occurs in a losing performance.

Like the fight Nathan Astle showed when he scored 222 not out vs. England at Jade Stadium in 2002, when the Black Caps were certain to lose. Like the fight Stephen Fleming showed when he scored a century at the 2003 Cricket World Cup against South Africa, in a sudden death match, to knock-out the hosts of their own tournament. Like the fight Chris Cairns showed to overcome an injury to guide his team to victory in vs. India in the final of the 2000 ICC Knockout Tournament.

Fighting spirit: BJ Watling defends against South Africa

Back to the recent series against the Proteas, credit to B.J. Watling (ironically born in South Africa) for refusing to give up his wicket. I have been skeptical about his position in the team in the past, but his performance in that second test illustrates that he has that fighting instinct I want to see from all of our batsmen. He even received some praise and kind words from South Africa's lethal fast bowler Dale Steyn. Dean Brownlie also fought hard in that first test to score a century. Having said that, he was dropped a couple of times, but still proved he can fight.

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Now to the main issue.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has hinted that captain Brendon McCullum is not a guarantee to open the test batting during England's tour to New Zealand next month. McCullum himself was non-committal. Tony Veitch on Radio Sport raised a very interesting point on his breakfast show on Wednesday morning (January 15) and it deserves some analysis: Can McCullum warrant his position in the test team?

On the surface, it is hard to fathom that our newly appointed captain might not be deserving of his position in the team. But if we look at the current situation, it makes you wonder what, if any significant role (captiancy aside) he can play as a player, not as a leader.

McCullum refuses to wicket-keep in test matches and sights the long hours on the field in test matches as putting a strain on his back. I say fair enough to that. As long as you can justify your selection based on another component of cricket. McCullum does not bowl at all and now, since his position at the top of the batting order is seriously under question, if means he will have to prove his worth in the middle order.

The problem is that the New Zealand test team already has a plentiful supply of middle order batsmen. Firstly, there are Dean Brownlie and BJ Watling - the later possibly opening if push comes to shove. Kane Williamson has been out of form of late but his young talent is too good to ignore. Stick with him and it will pay off over the next decade, for sure. Williamson has essentially had to play as an opener recently with the continuing failure of the openers. Ross Taylor seems likely to return for the upcoming England series following his short-term exile and it was confirmed today that Ryder will meet with NZC in late January to discuss a return to the national side. Daniel Flynn will probably make way for those two guys. Please, this time Jesse, be on your best behavior and no one will have any ammunition to use against you.


So as you can see, there are some very astute batsmen there already and between them there is very little experience when it comes to opening the test batting. They do not need to be sacrificed in that position. McCullum did alright in seeing off the new ball in South Africa on some occasions, but that might not be enough to justify a position at the top. Ryder does open for Wellington in the HRV Cup Twenty20 competition, but international test cricket is a whole different kettle of fish.

In jeopardy: If McCullum does not open, there might be no space for him in the middle (3 News)

Martin Guptil has really struggled as an opener in the long form of the game. I reckon the selectors still persist with him for the time being, but if he fails to do anything against England then he probably needs to be dropped from the test team. Do not get me wrong, he is a valuable asset to the limited overs sides.

Many have been calling for former Australian representative Luke Ronchi to be called up to the national team. Born in New Zealand, Ronchi is now eligible to play for the Black Caps and has been in great form for Wellington so far this season. Additionally, he is arguably the best glove-man in the country at the moment. Again, he is a middle-order batsmen.

Where does all this leave McCullum? There is no way New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and Hesson are going to drop their newly appointed captain, even though I think (here comes the main argument of this article) he is not performing well enough to warrant selection. McCullum might be a great leader, but perhaps NZC misssed the point that McCullum does not wicket-keep in tests anymore and based on current batting form is far down the pecking order.

Therefore, here is my proposed test team for the England tour. Not entirely what I want, but what I think the selectors will go with. Choices in bold.

Possible recall? Aaron Redmond (Getty Images)

Openers (1 and 2 in the batting order): This is a tough one. Hesson has suggested that Watling might not be used in this role. Guptil? There is no room for him in the middle and I think the selectors will give him one last chance in tests against a top-tier nation. Jamie How, Tim McIntosh, Peter Ingram? Probably not. They have all been tried before with not much success. Matthew Sinclair? He has been tried before and failed consistently, but continues to perform at domestic level. I have always been a fan of his. I say, maybe give him one last crack at international cricket. Sadly, that will not happen. On current form in the Plunket Shield (four day domestic cricket), Otago's Aaron Redmond is the best performing opening batsmen in terms of total runs scored, at an average of 53. Michael Papps and Peter Fulton are not far behind but have better averages, 69 and 72 respectively. McCullum will be retained, but needs to do something special to get the public back on his side.

Middle order (3-7): Taylor and Ryder return. Watling and Brownlie remain. Williamson at three.

Lower order (8-11): Assuming Daniel Vettori returns, he will bat at eight and be used as the spinning option. If not, Bruce Martin should be given the nod. He is the best performing spinner at domestic level this season - 22 wickets (second highest) in 5 matches at an average of 27. Tim Southee returns from injury and Bracewell and Boult retain their spots to complete the trio of fast bowlers.


1. Guptil
2. McCullum (saw off the new ball well, but Hesson has different ideas it seems. Should be retained though)
3. Williamson
4. Taylor
5. Ryder (if unavailable, then Ronchi)
6. Brownlie
7. Watling
8. Vettori (if unavailable, then Bruce Martin)
9. Southee
10. Bracewell
11. Boult

More personal choice of team:


1. Redmond (deserves a recall after great domestic form)

2. Watling (has that fighting spirit, even though Hesson says Watling wont be used in this role)
3. Williamson (worth persisting in, make him captain and breed him while he is young!)
4. Taylor (possible co-captain? Hesson did say he wanted to retain Taylor as test captain)
5. Ryder (if unavailable, then McCullum returns and holds on to the captaincy)
6. Brownlie
7. Ronchi
8. Vettori (Bruce Martin if injured)
9. Bracewell
10. Southee (rumored to be a possible vice-captain)
11. Boult

Extended squad: Colin Munro, Neil Wagner, Chris Martin, Peter Fulton, McCullum.

Overall, McCullum has to open if Ryder and Taylor play against England, otherwise there is no room for him based simply on playing value. Deep down, I hope he goes out and scores a truckload of runs vs. England to overcome all the public scrutiny.