He Tore A Hamstring Dot Mee Dot UK

The Weekend That Was … Sunday 31/1/2010

Another week of sport has passed into the record books, with this weekend in particular ranging between the sublime and ridiculous. Whilst one Wayne Mark Rooney duly completed a century of Premiership goals, the headlines will probably focus on the achievements of a tearful Scotsman, and the bizarre antics of a ‘hungry’ cricketer.

Starting with the aforementioned Rooney, his performances in recent weeks have been nothing short of phenomenal. He has seemingly made the transition from prodigal, but temperamental, talent into genuine World Class performer. Whilst some may have accused Sir Alex Ferguson of mind games in stating that Rooney had always been more important to Manchester United than the departed Cristiano Ronaldo, the England striker has taken it upon himself to prove his manager correct. Whilst far from a one man team, Rooney is in a different stratosphere to any of his colleagues, combining pace, vision, with a more controlled aggression and a deadly eye for goal.

The fact that he has scored 20 Premiership goals for the first time in his career, and has done so before the end of January, simply proves the form that he is in, and also that Manchester United have altered their focus to revolve around his strengths. England supporters can only hope that he maintains this type of form, not to mention fitness, going into this summer’s World Cup.

He has now become the type of all round player that can be the difference at the highest level, combining the ability not only to link with runners from midfield, but also to lead the line on his own. With 23 goal in 30 starts for his club this season, and 9 goals in World Cup Qualification, there is every chance that Rooney is only now entering the prime of his career, at the age of 24.

Another sportsman with time on his side is Andy Murray. I have not always been his biggest fan, but the dry wit of the Scotsman, as well as his exploits on court have genuinely begun to win me over. He possibly did not endear himself to the ‘Anglo-Saxon’ community with his comments that he would “support anyone but England” at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, albeit that they were said in jest, and as a riposte to being teased about Scotland’s non-qualification.

It is probably not easy being Scottish for 44 weeks each year, and then Britain’s ‘Golden Boy’ for the duration of the 4 Grand Slam tournaments. Simply, he is Britain’s Number 1 tennis player, and it is a sad indictment on those who refuse to let go of bygone eras of tribalism between the English Saxons and their Celtic cousins.

Murray prefers to do his talking on the court, and has become increasingly eloquent at doing so. British tennis fans have, of course, long suffered in the 74 years since Fred Perry won the US Open in 1936. Tim Henman was oft berated for continually ‘choking’ in big matches, losing 6 Grand Slam Semi-Finals. My simple opinion is that Henman made the very most of his talent, but performed in an era where he was surrounded by greats in Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, not to mention the likes of Ivanisevic, Rafter and Agassi.

It seems that many would already like to make predictions that Murray will go the same way, but he has already shown that he can mix with the very best. At the age of 22, he already has 1 Semi-Final and 2 Finals under his belt and there is no reason why there will not be many further opportunities. He has consistently challenged Federer and Nadal in recent years, and has been unfortunate to encounter Federer in prime form in both of his finals, at the 2008 US Open, and in this morning’s Australian Open Final.

There will of course be criticism of Murray, but we should perhaps congratulate him on a top class performance over the 2 weeks, and congratulate the great Roger Federer on another subliminal effort. Whilst Federer a his best is peerless, he will not be around forever, and Murray can beat any of the other contenders, Nadal included, on any occasion. With this in mind, it is safe to predict that Murray will win a Grand Slam, and hopefully multiples of.

Australian viewers also saw a slightly more bizarre episode on their screens this morning. During the 5th One Day International between Australia and Pakistan at Perth, Shahid Afridi was seen by television apparently biting the ball. There have been many types of ‘ball tampering’ through cricket’s history, but surely nothing quite like this. Having apparently admitted the charge, Pakistan’s stand-in captain has been banned for 2 matches by the ICC Match Referee, Ranjan Madugalle.

This is not Afridi’s first encounter with the authorities. He was previously banned for deliberately damaging the pitch, and also reprimanded for an altercation with a spectator. Far be it from me to criticise the ICC (see here and here), but yet again they have shown no spine, and refuse to make a statement for the good of the game.

There has been much more to entertain in the world of sport this week, but as usual we hope that you enjoyed the highlights of our week, and encourage you to comment and discuss appropriately. Next week, we will preview Super Bowl XLIV, between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. For now, however, it’s over and out … the Ed. wants to watch 24!