TE: A Week Later Smith Grabs 177 + Another Telegraph Poll

After last weeks protesting against Steve Smith playing Twenty20s for Australia, he returned home just in time to play for NSW in their Shield game against Tasmania, which began yesterday. Good thing he did too, because he has finished up this morning with a huge 177 runs. Now imagine if the Shield game had started a day or two earlier, and he couldn't make the beginning? What would be worth more, a solid 177 in the most disciplined form of the game to take his first class average up to nearly 55, or a bit of hit and giggle? Smith seems to have his batting well in order, but it is his leg spin bowling the selectors are interesting in at the moment. And bowling today will go a lot further to developing that part of his game than the 3 overs he bowled on Sunday.

The Telegraph love their reader polls and they also love putting in the same typical questions every time they run one. Recently the annual NRL reader poll was conducted, which happens 2 or 3 times a year, and to be honest sometimes it felt like I was reading something from last year. One thing that shocked me however, was that they have finally removed the ridiculous, biased question about Souths relocating to the Central Coast. But then there were sections like, most over rated player, which Willie Mason defended his crown on. Honestly, does anyone still actually rate Mason? Everybody knows he has been rubbish for a while now, how could he be over rated? If he has a blinder for the Cowboys in round 1 he could be most under rated! In the same question, 8% voted for Benji Marshall... Yes. Great thinking. Then there were the usual questions about more games on Sunday, is food too expensive at games etc. that never have anything done about them. Oh well, at least these guys only have a limited time left running our game.

Mark Webber has been whinging about how unprofessional Formula 1 has looked with various teams scrambling around to fill grid places for 2010. Recently the US team crashed out, meaning there will now be only 24 cars. Look Mark, the fans love large grids and that's what it is all about right...? The so called professionalism of F1 is probably what has made it so, so boring in the past. It is heading in the right direction at the moment.

Monday Wrap

V8 Supercars and Jamie Whincup has defied my predictions (and hopes) 100% by taking out both races in Bahrain to make it 4 from 4 to start the season. Despite losing numerous spots off the grid in race 2, Whincup powered back through the field and fought off a brief charge from Mark Winterbottom to in the end comfortably complete a clean sweep of the Middle East. Van Gisbergen proved himself as a genuine chance to win races in 2010 after grabbing another podium and being generally strong all weekend. Ford fans can take heart from the fact that if Jamie does slip up, Winterbottom and Van Gisbergen will be ready to pounce.

To NRL and it was draws all round between the Rabbitohs and the Dragons on the weekend after the annual Charity Shield was deadlocked at 26-26 and the membership race to 10 000 ticketed members was declared a tie. Crowds were brilliant in all trial games over the weekend: 10 000 turned up in Darwin to watch Cowboys vs Titans, 18 000 watched the double header in Gosford, 17 000 New Zealanders turned up to watch their team have a hit out against Manly, the Dubbo Bulldogs Raiders clash attracted 8 000 and Knights Panthers 6 000 in Port Macquarie.

Cricket and the embarrassment continues for the West Indies, being demolished by ZIMBABWE of all countries in a Twenty20. Gayle may have been missing, but Chanderpaul and Bravo returned. The series is a real chance for Zimbabwe to re announce themselves on the international stage against a struggling West Indies team, and unless the Windies knuckle down I can really see it happening.

Tim Southee comprehensively showed up the Aussie quicks on a ridiculously flat deck in Christchurch. The super over failure marked the first defeat for the Aussies this summer. Southee was able to bowl a perfect over of yorkers which embarrassed the selected Aussie hitters, before Shaun 'the wild thing' Tait came on and really did bowl wild. Or maybe 'wide' is a better description. The lightning quick Aussie attack may be good on fast pitches, but on a flat wicket it comes down to pin point accuracy, the ability to execute yorker after yorker and they were shown up in this regard. The player of the match, Brendon McCullum, hit only the 2nd ever international T20 century. He was unbeaten on 116, and his innings consisted of simply incredible shots, including numerous scoops to fine leg for four and 6.