Adam Wakefield

“Baseball has the great advantage over cricket of being sooner ended.” These were the words of the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, perhaps complimented by the actor Robin Williams, who said of the gentleman’s game, “Cricket is basically baseball on Valium.” Both men and many other people have always tended to think Test cricket specifically, […]

It is a familiar scene at any Test match in South Africa: The teams have run onto the pitch and are lined up for the national anthems. The visiting team gets proceedings under way with their anthem, once concluded they receive a polite smattering of applause from the crowd. Now, it is the turn of […]

How quickly things change in a couple of months. Before the 2010 edition of the Tri-Nations began, South Africa were seen by many as favourites. Now that the Springboks round of fixtures has thankfully come to an end, the exact opposite is true. Judging by Bloem, and Loftus before it, we may have reached our […]

Its symptoms are quick, tricky to pick but all hope is not lost. After my crack squad of praat kak scientists and I dug into this terrible malaise (research actually began in earnest before the public-servants strike [who are they serving neow?] began … hence the delay in publishing) affecting society, these are some of […]

I awoke on Sunday awash with a dazed feeling (thanks Bokke … see previous post) which, after logging onto a well-known cricket website, was exasperated a thousand fold. News had broken that Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, among other team mates, had been accused of “spot-fixing” by a middle man sourced by the […]

I happened to be in a mate’s car driving past Loftus Versveld after the game against Australia, and what struck me was the sombre attitude of the supporters leaving the heartland of Bulle rugby. I’ve been privileged enough to watch the last two Tests against Australia and France at Newlands, and the difference in mindset […]

It’s the end of August, and the English Premier League (EPL — not to be confused with the IPL. Bloody acronyms) has only after two weeks swung into full swing. What should we expect? More goals, excitement, controversy and unpredictability? There have been a few 6-0 thrashings, with Newcastle’s hammering of Aston Villa over the […]

Saturday night’s absorbing Test match in Soweto left the rugby heartlands of South Africa in a state of suspended animation following Richie McCaw’s 78th-minute try, and most cruelly, Israel Dagg’s 80th-minute effort. Was it the fair result? John Smit’s parade went from a breezy sunny day to shitstorm in the space of three minutes, emotion […]

Graeme Smith can never be accused of not doing his best for his country. As a player, he thrives off the competitive juices produced in the heat of battle, and his large physical presence notwithstanding, he is an imposing player when chewing his gum at first slip or taking guard when opening the innings. As […]

The media’s role in a functioning democratic society is inseparable from the freedom enjoyed by such a society’s citizens. The Fourth Estate should act as a watchdog, hold those in political office accountable and keep the public abreast of what they need to know so they can play their part in what Lyndon B Johnson […]

Since the expansion of Super rugby arrived, there have been suggestions indicating that the days of the oldest domestic rugby competition in the world are numbered. It was a decent conclusion, considering that from next year the Currie Cup will be beginning later than ever, with Super rugby concluding in August (do I smell overkill […]

Picking a sports side is always an interesting venture. Apart from it being an exercise of tactics and planning, there is also the toughest facet of all when it comes to forming a competitive outfit: the human dynamic. History tells us a group of people that have spent a certain period of time around one […]