Thursday Editorials

Brett Lee has pulled the curtain on his wonderful test career. There was nothing that ignited a crowd more than a Brett Lee thunderbolt smashing some poor batsman’s stumps all over the place. Lee now has his sights set on the next World Cup, but you can’t help but think that Lee’s international career in all forms of the game is over. With a wealth of pace options including Harris, Bollinger, Johnson and McKay, Lee would have to dominate domestic cricket on return to rise above all these new guns in the minds of the selectors.

Steve Smith‘s international career got kick started this summer. He was a revelation in the field and he took some good wickets, yet to me Smith seems very, very raw. And throwing him into the Twenty20 scene doesn’t help. Yes, he gets some experience on the big stage, but he missed Shield games for NSW, which are much more important for the development of a young cricketer. Lets not rush Smith here, he needs to hone his skills for a couple of years yet. Get him to prove himself consistently at domestic level, only then should he be brought in as a worthy member of the Australian team.

Triple 8 have shocked the V8 world by dominating their first round in a Holden. I certainly didn’t expect it. What a stellar job, to jump ship like that and beat teams that have been using those cars for years. But can they keep it going and achieve the consistency they had in the Falcon? I don’t think so. And judging by round 1, it is only them stopping a Ford from taking the top step. If Holden are to dominate this season as expected, HRT need to step up their game and fast, otherwise fans of the red lion could be in for a rude shock when Winterbottom, Courtney and Van Gisbergen stake their claims for the title.

There is some good value in the V8 betting market for race 1 at Bahrain this weekend. Shane Van Gisbergen, after a very strong performance in Abu Dhabi including a podium is race 2 is paying a huge 6.50 for a top 3 finish. Winterbottom led race 1 only to be stopped by a penalty. 7.00 for a victory looks good. Lee Holdsworth also has good numbers, similar to Van Gisbergen.