KUALA LUMPUR TO KATHMANDU

All loyal readers of the Thunder should be well aware that your globetrotting correspondent is on a pre-season tour of the cricket hotspots of South East Asia. The past week has been spent playing and watching cricket in and around the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur and a fine hot and sticky satay time has been had by all.

During this sublime and sunny week, the Malaysian Cricket Association have been hosting a ten nation ODI tournament that serves as the Asian qualifier for the 2008 U/19 World Cup, also to be held at the same location next March. The ten teams competing include the host Malaysia, three times winner Nepal, Afghanistan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuwait and Oman.

The winner of this tournament automatically qualify for the U/19 World Cup finals as do hosts Malaysia. The runner-up will play off against Scotland, the European division’s runner-up, at a yet to be decided venue in a last ditch chance for glory next month.

It has been a fantastic tournament and, I am reliably informed, a wonderful experience for all the young players and families involved. There is only the final to played on Wednesday with overwhelming favourite Nepal up against the hard and motivated lads from war-torn Afghanistan.

The Thunder was a spectator at yesterday’s semi-final between Malaysia and Nepal at the lushly modern Bayuemas Oval and the match was won in aggressive style by the Nepalese. Fast bowling allrounder and Nepalese captain Paras Khadka (pictured) routed the Malaysian top order with a fiery opening spell and finished with the figures of 5/21 from his allotted ten. I spoke with this impressive young man after the match and through his broken English I understood these words, “Australia, kangaroo, Ghurka, mother, father, win, good, thank you, fast, proud and happy”. Make of that what you will but the huge smile of satisfaction on Paras’ face breached all language barriers.

While near meaningless ODIs are being played in England and Zimbabwe this past week, it was heartening to be one of the few hundred to witness a crucial match with real consequences for the players and their representative nations. The cricket played was skilled, competitive and spirited and once again I was reminded that cricket is a grand global game played respectfully, and enjoyed peacefully, by people of all ages, cultures and beliefs.

The Nepalese who defeated South Africa and New Zealand at the 2006 U/19 World Cup are an emerging force in world cricket and within a few decades should be joining Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as full members of the powerful Asian bloc. All of us at the Thunder wish them the best of luck as they climb the steep ladder to full recognition.

Back at the Shed spring has well and truly arrived. The wattle is in full bloom as is Peg’s predictable hayfever. Cookie our resident kookaburra has returned from her winter migration and Davo has finally cleaned the spark plugs on the lawnmower. Apart from Peg's sniffling and complaining all seems well in my absence and in between setting up the backyard telescope and stocking the esky for tonight's full lunar eclipse, Davo begrudgingly relayed news from back home.

Shaun Tait's elbow injury and Ben Hilfenhaus’ consequent selection in the T20 WC squad has had ramifications for other teams representing the sandy federated continent. Australia ‘A’ formerly known as the Second XI, are departing for a full tour of Pakistan on September 1 and Hilfenhaus’ ascendency has given Victorian veteran Shane Harwood another chance to prove himself internationally. Additionally, fellow Victorian allrounder James McDonald has succumbed to injury and his place has been taken by rising star, Tasmania’s Pura Cup final centurian and Man of the Match, Luke Butterworth.

Butterworth, who has only five first-class matches under his belt, was initially selected for full state honours halfway through last season after a recommendation to selectors from state and national captain, Ricky Ponting. Given his chance, 23 year old Butterworth proved Punter an astute judge. Young Luke turned four of the five games he played to Tasmania’s advantage, not only with bat and ball, but also with some brilliant outfielding and his performances were crucial to his team’s historic season. The Australian selectors are more impressed by cricketers who can impose themselves on a match rather than pure stats and The Shed has it on good authority that Butterworth is in the frame to one day replace Andrew Symonds as another versatile matchwinner in the national side.

In other good news from Downunder, Cricket NSW this week announced that the next Women’s World Cup will be played at various venues throughout metropolitan and rural NSW. Australia are defending champions and are hoping to once again hold up the trophy at the SCG in 18 months time. More than half the Australian team has retired since the last victorious campaign and with six teenagers in the 13 woman squad much work needs to be done before the start of this most important tournament. Women’s cricket is receiving more and more coverage in Australia and the cricketing family is hopeful that the ninth World Cup will raise the profile of the women’s game even further.

Lastly, as predicted by the Thunder months ago, Ricky Ponting has publicly championed Shane Watson to be Justin Langer’s replacement for the next Test versus Sri Lanka in November. Other opening contenders Phil Jaques and Chris Rogers have had abysmal County seasons averaging in the low 30s and will need some big scores on the board in the first two Pura Cup matches this coming season if they are to change the skipper’s mind. Ironically and paradoxically, thousands of County runs mean little to the Australian selectors - they do not rate the competition - but consistent failures are duly noted for future reference.

The team and I are headed to Kathmandu this afternoon in what we imagine to be a white-knuckle flight on a rusting ex-Russian wing-prop into the teeth of the Himalayas. We are expecting to be joining the street celebrations while avoiding the predictable government response after Nepal’s talented youngsters see off the gallant Afghanis to qualify for their fourth consecutive U/19 World Cup finals. If that is the case, and the form suggests it, then the cricket played in Nepal should be even more friendly, fun and engaging than promised.

T20 WC ROUND UP

Spring has arrived and for Davo and the rest of us at The Shed, that means pre-season training. While Davo's slogging his way through backyard circuit work and cursing interminably about the lawn not being mowed, I've been chinwagging with my mates, er, I mean, contacting the Thunder's excellent eavesdropping sources.

Slowly but surely Australian cricket is recovering from it's post-World Cup hangover and this week in preparation for the coming Twenty/20 World Championships we’re delighted to bring you a wrap of all the recent news concerning this somewhat premature tournament that begins on September 11.

Twenty/20 is still in its infancy Downunder - Australia has only played five matches - and the perpetually smirking Australian skipper Ricky Ponting constantly and patronisingly refers to the format as ‘hit and giggle’.

However, cricket starved paceman Brett Lee has an entirely different view, “Twenty/20 cricket has got a lot of merit. Parents can take the children down after school," he enthused. "On a hot day, it won't start until afternoon and there is lot of entertaining cricket as well - people hitting sixes, stumps flying everywhere."

Few in the squad share Brett’s ardency. Taking a breather while training with the Brisbane Broncos Rugby League squad earlier this week Andrew Symonds was bemoaning the fact that he, ”might have to take it seriously”. Considering that Andrew already has a T20 century under his belt and a career strike rate of 200+ one can only wonder what he will achieve when forced to apply himself.

In their infinite wisdom and natural indolence, the Australian selectors decided that the all-conquering and undefeated 2007 World Cup squad deserved first crack at the inaugural T20 tournament. There are however, a couple of forced changes to the bowling attack.

Brett Lee returns replacing the irreplaceable and incomparable Glenn McGrath and in what The Thunder considers a fantastic development, Shaun ‘Snowtown’ Tait failed to recover quickly enough from elbow surgery and has been substituted by the 2007 Bradman Medallist and cult Tasmanian hero, Ben Hilfenhaus.

It is lamentable that we will miss the shadenfreude of Lee and Tait bowling in tandem with a new ball at makeshift openers like Matt Prior, but there is no doubt that Tait would have been wayward and that is a luxury in such a short format.

23 year old Hilfenhaus, the brightest bowling prospect in a generation, has spent the entire winter working with reverse-swing guru and fellow Tasmanian, Troy Cooley. Hilfy's ability to move the ball away from right-handers, in the air and off the pitch, make him an ideal counterpoint for the pace of Brett Lee and the metronomic Stuart Clark. Add the left-arm angles and expert changes of pace that Nathan Bracken delivers, with the precocious ability of Mitchell Johnson, and Ponting looks to have more seam-bowling variety at his disposal than at any time during his successful reign.

The T20 Championships will be new coach Tim Nielsen’s first foray into international cricket and this alone is enough to make sure that Australia arrive in South Africa with all guns blazing. Tim noted this week that, “Pride is at stake” and reminded all that ”Australia take every match seriously”. That the team will wear their surnames on their backs instead of their nicknames and that Gilly won't be commentating is, I suppose, evidence of Australia's more earnest approach.

With a fit and motivated bowling attack and the strongest batting list in world cricket, Australia are overwhelming favourites to add the T20 Trophy to their already overflowing cabinet. It promises to be an interesting tournament and all of us at The Shed are anticipating a green and gold parade on the national team's return.

In other news, there is a rumour flying around The Shed, no doubt started by local chain-smoking gossip and irascible resident tea-lady Peg Milkingthorne. The unconfirmed whisper from The Dungeon is that a Googly Fantasy League will be created for this exciting tournament that begins in just under three weeks.

Davo, Peg and I certainly hope this is the case, for it sure will be fun matching wits with the other correspondents and especially our loyal readers. Pipping the Tooting Trumpet on the line again - as was the case at the last World Cup - would make it extra special.

We await further developments.