Miraculously ok!
It was revealed yesterday that hall of fame cricket legend Matthew Hayden fractured his spine while surfing North Stradbroke, or Straddie, after running his forehead into the sandbar. Hayden, who is most famous for his ability as a batsman, holds the record for the highest score ever made by an Australian and the second highest innings by an Australian ever in India.
He was quoted in the Times of India as saying:
“It was an hour into the session and we had had half dozen waves together and I got this one right handed wave which I sort of ducked under and that is pretty much all I can remember.”
“I wasn’t knocked out. I was speared into the top of the sandbank onto the top of my head. Then it twisted my head with my own weight and the weight of the wave.”
“I heard this god almighty click in my neck. I did not get knocked out but I sort of came to and rolled up on my back.”
Hayden said he was able to get back onto the beach, but had scans later that day, which revealed the extent of his injuries.
It is a wonder, miracle even, that more surfers don’t get brutally and ghoulishly disfigured every day. Imagine all the things that can go wrong. Between water, rock, sand, kook, SUP, shark, brain-eating amoeba, etc. And yet imagine how rare news like actually is.
A miracle.
And back to cricket, briefly. It is not a popular sport in the United States, either to watch or play, and this is a great shame. I learned of the joys whilst in an Indian hill station many years ago. Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan was playing on the television in a coffee shop and a kindly Indian man spent two hours explaining the nuances of the game, the differences between test cricket and one-day cricket etc.
It very well might be the perfect game. Either cricket or Australian Rules Football.
Tell me a better. I dare you.
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It is a prohibition of blasphemy, specifically, the misuse or “taking in vain” of the name of the God of Israel, or using His name to commit evil. Exodus 20:7 reads: “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (KJV).
Australian Rules Footy is the best football code on this planet. Probably the galaxy
Heal well Haydos
A billion Indians can’t be wrong
No sport can out do
The thrill of Hide the Sausage
On a Sunday morn
There once was a cricketer who went surfing,
‘though his skills lay more on the turfing,
he fell awkwardly underwater,
thought he was for the slaughter,
but instead his neck gained a new sort of kerfing.
That dude looks like the East Area rapist. I’m glad he’ll be OK, but do we know if he was living in Sacramento during the 70’s?
Coasteering, duh!
You mean swimming, duh ?
Its a real sport, your sarcasm is not appreciated.
I was standing on the shoulders of giants ( your shoulders to be precise ) ?
AFL is constant pain and Cricket is the fear of potential pain .
AFL is Hemingway while Cricket is Dostoevsky.
Kok-boru. I win.
I once saw Omar Sharif playing Buzkashi late at night in my teens in “ The Horsemen “ . But would support any activity ,sporting or cultural, who would use our beloved GOAT as sport ?
The seaons compliment each other splendidly. Although I yearn for the day that cricket returns to being a gentlemans sport.
Weirdly enough I was ok with the ball tampering because it least they were trying to win . Would be far more disappointed had they bet against themselves . Either way the hero of Steve Toltz novel “ A Fraction of the Whole “ ,Terry Dean , would have went ballistic , literally, during his killing spree to clean up Australian Sport .
hockey is a good one.