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Mariners squeeze past Glory

Written By Unknown on Senin, 31 Desember 2012 | 18.48

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Tight ... Oliver Bozanic is tackled by Jacob Burns. Source: Dean Lewins / AAP

Substitute Bernie Ibini ensured an understrength Central Coast entered the new year on top of the A-League ladder with the decisive goal in the Mariners' 1-0 home win over Perth at Bluetongue Stadium on Monday.

Ibini's 68th-minute goal was the first shot on target of a match dominated by two well-drilled defences.

However, after what looked like a hand-ball, Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson felt Ibini's goal should not have stood.

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"I felt he was all over Jamieson and also he has used his hand to get the ball around to him and score the goal,'' he said.

"We've lost three points there.''

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It was the Mariners' sixth win from as many home games this A-League season.

Without the suspended trio of playmaker Tomas Rogic, leading goal-scorer Daniel McBreen and captain John Hutchinson, Central Coast struggled to penetrate the Glory rearguard.

Mariners coach Graham Arnold said the win furthered his belief in the group.

"(The win) confirmed to me that we definitely have the depth to continue and go forward,'' Arnold said.

"The performance in the first half I think was a bit down for both teams because of the heat, but in the second half when the sun was gone it was a much better spectacle,''

Perth were a man down from the 76th minute when Dutch central defender Bas van den Brink was sent off after collecting a second yellow card.

Glory created the only decent chance of the first half, but it was spurned by normally deadly striker Shane Smeltz.

The unmarked New Zealand international put a sidefoot volley wide from six metres out following a good cross from Steven McGarry.

At the other end, former Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic pushed away a couple of dangerous crosses, but the home team struggled to create a genuine shot on goal in the first half.


Re-live the action between the Mariners and Glory with our A-League Match Centre, featuring video highlights and all the important stats!


The Mariners upped the tempo in the second half and looked the more likely to score.

Striker Adam Kwasnik had a headed goal disallowed in the 47th minute for offside and headed wide 12 minutes later.

The breakthrough came shortly after when 53rd-minute substitute Ibini won a challenge with Scott Jamieson to an Oliver Bozanic cross.

The 20-year-old striker drilled the ball past Vukovic for his third goal of the season.

Glory didn't create much in the second half and their hopes plummeted after van Den Brink, who had earlier been booked for a foul on Michael McGlinchey, was given his second card for an illegal challenge on Mile Sterjovski.

Perth didn't have an attempt on target in the whole game, while the Mariners had just two.

Ferguson lamented his team's inability to make their chances pay.

"For the first half we looked very comfortable, I thought we moved the ball about well and we had a couple of half chances here or there,'' he said.

"In the second half, they came out with the bit between their teeth and probably towards that 65th, 70th minute mark we started to tire and that took its toll at the end.''


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McGrath inducted into Hall of Fame

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Inductee ... Glenn McGrath the latest Australian to enter the ICC Hall of Fame. Source: Phil Hillyard / News Limited

Fast bowling great Glenn McGrath will be the latest Australian to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

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The ICC announced on Monday the right-arm speedster, who claimed 563 Test wickets in 124 Tests from 1993-2007, will become the third inductee in 2012-13 after West Indian maestro Brian Lara and Englishwoman Enid Bakewell were honoured in September.

The ceremony for McGrath will take place on Friday during the lunch break of the second day of the third Test between Australia and Sri Lanka on his home ground of the SCG.

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The 42-year-old will become the 68th male member of the Hall of Fame in recognition of a career that also included 250 one-day internationals and playing in three straight ICC World Cup-winning sides in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

McGrath took more Test wickets than any other seam bowler - current or retired - while he sits second behind leg-spinning legend Shane Warne (708 wickets) as Australia's leading wicket-taker.

"I am very much looking forward to celebrating the occasion with not only my friends and family, but all those at the SCG which is of course like a second home to me,'' said McGrath in a statement.

Alan Davidson, Fred Spofforth and Belinda Clark were inducted into the Hall of Fame last year to join fellow Australians including Don Bradman, Richie Benaud, Allan Border and Dennis Lillee.

The SCG will be bathed in pink in support of cancer charity the McGrath Foundation on the third day of the Test.

A fourth and final Hall of Fame inductee for 2012-13 will be announced next summer.


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Vidosic helps Reds cruise on NYE

Class above ... Adelaide were far too good for Sydney on New Year's Eve. Source: David Mariuz / News Limited

Adelaide United maestro Dario Vidosic scored twice to orchestrate a 3-0 drubbing of an off-key Sydney FC in Monday night's A-League match.

Vidosic's first-half brace, and a second half tap-in by Iain Ramsay at Hindmarsh Stadium, ensured the Reds keep snapping at the heels of ladder leaders Central Coast Mariners.

Second-placed Adelaide remain two points shy of the Mariners, who earlier on New Year's Eve downed Perth Glory 1-0.

Vidosic's double took his tally to eight goals in an influential season - he also hit the cross bar with an audacious curling 20 metre free kick, and struck the post with another hat-trick attempt.

But more importantly for the 10,934-strong Adelaide crowd, Vidosic helped break the Reds' two-game losing sequence, opening his account with an 18th minute header.

Creative Marcelo Carrusca delivered a nifty pass which Iain Ramsay wisely let run for teammate Cassio, streaming down the left. Cassio's cross found an air-borne Vidosic, whose header floated into the top right corner of the net.

Just 11 minutes later, Vidosic sliced through slack defence before passing to frontman Bruce Djite, who was felled by a tackle from behind by defender Sebastian Ryall.


Relive the action with our A-League Match Centre, featuring video highlights and all the key stats.


Vidosic calmly slotted the penalty and the Sky Blues were on their way to a ninth loss in 14 matches.

Adelaide winger Ramsay rubbed salt into Sydney's wounds in the 61st minute after Djite outmuscled Ryall, charged at goal, and aimed a low left-footer at goal.

The shot was well saved by diving goalkeeper Vedran Janjetkovic but the rebound fell kindly into Ramsay's path and he tapped in from two metres.

Sydney, without injured star Alessandro Del Piero, were hampered by the loss of midfielder Adam Griffiths who hobbled off in the 12th minute with a leg injury.

The Sydneysiders have now conceded a whopping 30 goals this season and will return to the bottom of the ladder should Melbourne Heart defeat or draw with Newcastle Jets on Tuesday.

Adelaide coach John Kosmina said the Reds could have scored seven or eight goals, such was their weight of scoring chances.

"It was a really good, solid performance," he said.

Reds defender Nigel Boogard was substituted with tightness in a hamstring as Kosmina warned of a challenging January including away matches against Newcastle, Melbourne Heart and Central Coast.

"We have a tough month in January ... it's not going to be easy," he said.

Sydney coach Frank Farina agreed his side could have copped eight goals, saying the match turned into a "virtually a training run" for the Reds.

"To be brutally honest, we were outplayed," he said.

Midfielder Griffiths' early exit was caused by knee medial ligament strain suffered last week, but Farina expected Del Piero to return against Perth on Saturday.


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Stosur crashes out in Brisbane

Disappointing ... Stosur got her Australian summer campaign off to a poor start. Source: Dan Peled / AAP

Australian tennis fans must be braced for another deflating home summer for Samantha Stosur following a worrying first-up failure at the Brisbane International.

In a terrible blow to her Australian Open preparations, an off-key Stosur crashed 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 to Swede Sofia Arvidsson to be the second top-10 star upset on Pat Rafter Arena on Monday.

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The Queenslander followed former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, who lost to Ksenia Pervak, out of the tournament in a disappointing one hour and 44 minute display.

Underdone heading into the 2013 season following a minor ankle operation five weeks ago, Stosur moved freely but her groundstrokes were rusty and judgment off.

While she showed plenty of fight to save five first-set points, the world No.9 leaked 48 unforced errors, including seven double faults.

Stosur had enjoyed a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over world No.41 Arvidsson and had swept the tall Swede aside in the first round of her 2011 US Open triumph.

However the writing was on the wall in the seventh game as she lost her serve with a string of poor groundstrokes.

The 28-year-old seemed to produced her best when it most mattered - breaking Arvidsson twice when she served for the set - but paid for her inconsistency.

She did her best to hang in in the second set, as Arvidsson held serve with ease, before producing a forgettable last service game to fall on her sword.

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Stosur's inability to cope with local expectations has been well documented and the loss continues a poor run at her "home" tournament where she's never progressed past the second round.

It will heap even more pressure on her as she just has the Sydney International to fine-tune her game for the Australian Open.

Last summer, as the reigning US Open champion, she only mustered one win Down Under, beating little-known Belarussian Anastasia Yakimova in Brisbane before crashing in Sydney and Melbourne Park.

In more bad news for local fans, Australia's top-ranked male player Marinko Matosevic went down to Japanese No.5 seed Kei Nishikori 7-5 6-2.


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Hussey says his shoes can be filled

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 30 Desember 2012 | 18.48

Replacement ... Mike Hussey says there is enough talent to replace him in the team. Source: Lakruwan Wanniarachchi / AFP

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Michael Hussey insists there is quality and quantity to replace him despite leaving a second chasm in Australia's middle order ahead of a critical 12 months.

  • PJ Hughes (SA) 518 at 51.8
  • CJ Ferguson (SA) 463 at 42.09
  • UT Khawaja (QLD) 438 at 39.81  
  • AJ Doolan (TAS) 409 at 58.42  
  • MJ Cosgrove (TAS) 373 at 37.30
  • RT Ponting (TAS) 355 at 118.33  
  • BCJ Cutting (QLD) 348 at 38.66
  • CJL Rogers (VIC) 340 at 42.50
  • BJ Haddin (NSW) 337 at 67.40  
  • MC Henriques (NSW) 314 at 78.50

Hussey's announcement on Saturday that he'll retire from international cricket after this summer came exactly a month after Ricky Ponting revealed he was calling time on his storied career.

That leaves another middle-order batting vacancy going into February's tour of India, followed by two Ashes series, in England then Australia.

But 37-year-old Hussey - set to play his 79th and last Test this week against Sri Lanka at the SCG - said on Sunday there was talent available to step in after his surprise decision to retire despite averaging close to 80 this summer.

And he said his 35-year-old brother David, a regular contributor at domestic level for Victoria, should be among those considered.

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"I'm not worried about the team whatsoever. We've got some fantastic candidates to come in - probably too many to name,'' Hussey said.

"Maybe David Hussey could get a run - one Hussey out, one Hussey in. History has shown players have come and gone. But the game continues to move forward, and it'll be no different with me.''

With Phil Hughes already recalled to replace Ponting, Queensland batsman Usman Khawaja is almost certain to get first crack at Hussey's spot, while Victorian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is in the 13-man squad for the Sydney Test as injured Shane Watson's replacement.

Maxwell bats at No.5 or 6 for Victoria, and comes with the bonus of bowling decent off-spin.

The younger Hussey and fellow Victorian Rob Quiney - used and discarded already this summer - will also be among the candidates, along with Tasmania's Alex Doolan and South Australia's Callum Ferguson.

Hussey said his decision to walk away - mostly for family reasons as he didn't want to commit to a six-month-plus stint away from home next year - had shocked teammates.

He rang them all personally on Saturday after he had broken the news to Michael Clarke and Mickey Arthur.

Paceman Mitchell Starc admitted he was surprised, and believed Hussey's replacement would have big shoes to fill.

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"He's still in great form with the bat, as we've seen through this summer so far,'' Starc said in Sydney on Sunday.

"He's going out the way he wants by the sound of things and it's going to leave a big hole.

"It's hard to replace Ricky Ponting. Now we've got to replace him and Mike Hussey, so it's a big gap.''

The Australians will also have to find a replacement for Hussey in his role of leading the singing of the team song after Test victories.

He refused to say who his preferred candidate was, but said he had already spoken to the player.

Hussey said he was comfortable with his decision to walk away after Sydney, despite his great recent form.

"I do still love the game, but I'm not up to the rigours, pressures and stresses of international cricket any more,'' Hussey said.


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Velasquez downs Dos Santos in Vegas

Belting ... Cain Velasquez lays into Junior Dos Santos. Source: David Becker / AAP

Cain Velasquez reclaimed the UFC heavyweight championship by battering Junior Dos Santos on the way to a lopsided unanimous decision in UFC 155 in Las Vegas on Sunday (AEDT).

Velasquez (11-1) took early control of the rematch of his only career loss, flooring the champion with a big right hand midway through the first round.

The American spent most of the match stalking and pounding on Brazil's Dos Santos (15-2), who never fully recovered from the first-round shot that left him bruised and woozy.

Velasquez won every round on every judge's scorecard in the UFC's traditional year-end event in its hometown.

Dos Santos took the UFC belt away from Velasquez in November 2011 in just 64 seconds, earning a first-round stoppage victory with one vicious overhand right in Anaheim, California.


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Rogic to learn from send-off: Arnie

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Tomas Rogic ... will learn from his shocking red card against Sydney FC. Source:News Limited

Central Coast Mariners coach Graham Arnold say Tomas Rogic's wild tackle which earned him a three-match ban was a result of frustration, not a character flaw.

Rising star Rogic has always been singled out for talent rather than tempest during a meteoric 12-month rise to become one of the A-League's best players.

But the 20-year-old's shocking challenge on Sydney midfielder Rhyan Grant in an ill-tempered end to the Mariners' loss last week brought a new layer of scrutiny for a player likely to be a key Socceroo for the next decade.

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The lunge could have had dire consequences for Grant - also a young player feeling his way in the game.

Tellingly, the Mariners accepted the match review panel's three-match ban which rules Rogic out of the New Year's Eve clash with Perth Glory.

Arnold admitted it "wasn't a great tackle".

But he defended the youngster's character, saying he would learn from an incident the coach blamed on pent-up frustration from a succession of fouls committed against the youngster.

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"It's a learning lesson for Tommy,'' Arnold told reporters on the Central Coast on Sunday

"He's got to realise in his career, a player of his style is going to attract physical attention.

"(The ban) is very disappointing, because Tommy's not that type of player.

P W D L GD Pts
1 Central Coast 13 8 3 2 12 27
2 Adelaide 13 8 1 4 4 25
3 Victory 13 7 2 4 -1 23
4 Western Sydney 13 6 2 5 5 20
5 Perth 13 5 3 5 3 18
6 Wellington 13 4 4 5 0 16
7 Newcastle 13 5 1 7 -8 16
8 Brisbane 13 4 2 7 0 14
9 Sydney 13 4 1 8 -11 13
10 Heart 13 3 3 7 -4 12

"He's an entertainer, he puts bums on seats and you see players get away with a lot plenty of other times."

Arnold reiterated his post-match call that referees needed to do more to protect Rogic and players like him, saying the midfielder had been "lined up" several times during the match.

Also on Sunday, Sydney FC coach Frank Farina made a similar plea about his Italian star Alessandro Del Piero.

He will miss the Sky Blues' away clash with Adelaide United on Monday because of niggling injury - Farina saying it was as a result of increased physical attention the 38-year-old has been getting during matches.

Arnold will also be without captain John Hutchinson, another sent off against Sydney FC, and leading goalscorer Daniel McBreen through suspension.

With veteran centre-half Patrick Zwaanswijk also out injured, Arnold has made Kiwi midfielder Michael McGlinchey skipper against the Glory at Bluetongue Stadium.

"It's a great honour to be the stand-in captain for Hutch," said McGlinchey, one of his side's best in their top-of-the-table season so far.

"I've been at the club four years now and hopefully it can add to my game."

Arnold will bring Adriano Pellegrino, Adam Kwasnik and Oliver Bozanic into the starting side to replace his suspended trio.

The Glory will be without centre-back Michael Thwaite following a bad calf injury sustained in the team's draw with Western Sydney Wanderers last week.


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Unsung Hughes helps Sixers win derby

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Match-winner ... Daniel Hughes (L) and Brett Lee celebrate the victory. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

Unheralded youngster Daniel Hughes played a starring role as Sydney Sixers won the local derby against Sydney Thunder at ANZ Stadium on Sunday night.

T20 - ANZ Stadium

30 December 2012 - Day 1, Session 2

Sixers 1st Innings

D. Hughes 51 36 4 2 141.67
B. Lee 12 6 2 0 200
S. Coyte 4 0 26 0 6.50

The Sixers were in big trouble at 5-89 in the 15th over in their chase of the Thunder's 6-132, but Hughes showed maturity beyond his years to guide his team to victory with a classy 51 off 36 balls.

Earlier, a couple of the Sixers' other lesser-known players, Luke Feldman and Josh Lalor did the damage with the ball, removing Matt Prior and Chris Gayle respectively during the Thunder's innings.

While Gayle failed yet again, Usman Khawaja gave a subtle reminder to Australia's selectors of his immense talent by smashing 66 runs off 47 balls.

 Khawaja came to the crease with his team in trouble at 2-18, and could only watch on as they were reduced to 5-56 in the 12th over.

But he combined well with Simon Keen and Scott Coyte to smash more than 50 runs off the final five overs of the Thunder's innings and help the home side post a competitive total of 6-132.

Khawaja will switch back into Test cricket mode after Sunday night's game, with many tipping him to return to Australia's XI in the New Year's Test.

With Shane Watson out injured, Khawaja's only competition for a starting spot comes from uncapped all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.

Relive the game with our Match Centre, featuring videos of every wicket and boundary!


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Hussey announces retirement

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 29 Desember 2012 | 18.48

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Mr Cricket ... Hussey will pull up stumps from internationals at the end of the summer. Source: Chris Crerar / AAP

Michael Hussey has made the shock decision to retire from international cricket.

TEST CAREER

Matches: 78

Innings: 135

Runs: 6183

Highest score: 195

Average: 51.52

50s: 29

100s: 19

ODI CAREER

Matches: 185

Runs: 5442

Highest score: 109*

Average: 48.15

50s: 39

100s: 3

Hussey will play his final Test against Sri Lanka at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3. He will also play the one-day international series against Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

The 37-year-old told Cricket Australia his desire to spend more time with his family was his primary motivation for announcing his retirement.

"I was quite excited to tell them (children) that I'm not going to go away and play for Australia any more," Hussey said.

"They were happy, but not as excited as I thought they were going to be. So it was a bit of a shock."

Hussey has scored 6183 runs at 51.52 from 78 Tests. He has also represented Australia in 185 one-day internationals and 38 Twenty20 internationals.

Usman Khawaja is likely to replace Hussey in the Test batting line-up.

Hussey was a central plank in Australia's plans for the forthcoming tour of India and the 10 Ashes Tests to be contested over the next 12 months.


Tell us what your favourite memory of Mr Cricket's career is by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.


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His retirement means Australia will field a new-look top order that includes Phil Hughes, who replaced Ricky Ponting after he too retired after the third Test against South Africa earlier this summer.

Hussey said any Test match is a stressful experience, but admitted next week could be different.

"That's one thing about playing for Australia, there is always a lot of stress and pressure to perform," he said.

"I feel like I can come into this last Test match with no pressure whatsoever.

"I can just really go out there and enjoy it.

"It will be nice to be able to sit back when it's all finished and really reminisce over some fantastic memories and great wins for Australia."

Hussey refused to reveal who he had chosen as his replacement as the team song leader.

"I have made up my mind and I haven't told him officially yet, I want to keep it to myself until I have spoken to him," he said.


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Greig's unique cricketing story

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Journey ... Tony Greig lived a rich cricketing life, Robert Craddock writes. Source: Adam Ward / AAP

There has never been another cricketing story like Tony Greig's and there never will.

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The son of a Scottish migrant was a South African-born, England-finessed, Australian-residing citizen of the world, a Test captain who loved stirring the pot, a revolutionary who fought the establishment, losing some battles but spectacularly winning others.

At times throughout his colourful life all of nations mentioned above claimed and cursed him but that was the essential flavour of his story as a man who followed in no other man's steps.

In an attempt to intimidate rivals Greig would stand within breathing distance of the batsman and make subtle jibes, making the term silly point as suitable for what he was saying as where he was standing.

He would bait crowds when few of his generation would never have been so bold and found verbal combat stimulating.

In some ways his trademarks - such as the windmill swings of the bat when he came to the crease - were unforgettable, in other ways the footprints he left on cricket have been underplayed.

He was among the first to wear motorcyle helmets for protection, to stand upright in his batting stance and to slice fast men deliberately over slips ... a trailblazer in every sense.

Later in life, with Channel Nine, the playful side of his personality shone through as a commentator who enjoyed playing the contrarian, the man in black.

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The cricket world, though hearing Tony Greig as a commentator for more than three decades with the Nine network, never really heard the best of him. 

His finest work was done as perhaps the best dinner company in cricket, a man whose colourful stories ranged from tales of Bradman to Tendulkar, from Shane Warne's brilliance to Muttiah Muralidaran's family biscuit factory in Sri Lanka, to Kerry Packer's private world.

Some of his greatest battles were ones kept mostly away from public view such as his battle with epilepsy which once saw him collapse at Heathrow Airport after the return of the 1975 Australian tour. 

As an all-rounder Greig was no Sir Garfield Sobers but certainly he was in one of next drawers down.

He was dynamic and, like Sobers, a master of versatility. His Test record of 3599 runs at 40.4 and 141 wickets at 32.2 in 58 Tests may not make the jaw drop but he was robust competitive force in everything he did.

As a player he carried himself like a man who had the key to every lock; his body language radiated the vibe "just watch this'' and he often got wickets through the force of his personality.

Greig arrived in England from South Africa having played just one first class match but such was his exceptional talent he reached 1000 Test runs in just his 14th Test and won Test matches bowling medium pace on some occasions and off-spin on others.

No lesser judge than keeping icon Alan Knott rating Greig's - at his peak - the best off-spinner in the world.
Sometimes Greig's combative nature got the better of him and he lived to regret a throwaway line made against the West Indies in England in 1977 when he said he intended to "make them grovel.''

With their sensitivities over the region's slave ancestry raging, the West Indies never forgave or forgot.

After one dismissal of Greig in that series Viv Richards said: "Who wouldn't want to maybe have one-up on your colonial masters at some point? ... I just wanted to send that message we are all equal. It's pretty simple."

Greig will almost be remembered for his role in quitting English cricket to help Kerry Packer organise the World Series Cricket circus in the late 1970s.

No other cricketer in World Series was closer to Packer than Greig; their mutual admiration knew no bounds. 

One theory has it that Packer and Greig gained their rebellious streak from having domineering fathers who they could never please. 

Greig's once said his father was "exceptionally critical of every move I made" while Packer could never recall his father praising him to his face.
 
Greig was given a brutal working over from the English public and media but his final decision to join Packer was made when he felt shattered by a snub to his daughter.

"I went to pick up my daughter, Samantha, from school," he recalls. "Her best friend had a party the next day. The mother was handing out invitations and my daughter didn't get one. The mother looked at me and said she's not getting one.

"I was gobsmacked. That caused me to phone up and tell Kerry 'I'm out of here'. Within three days, we were out of England."

Greig had cricketing life like no other. It's hard to know where he fits best in his history but one thing is sure - history will never forget him.


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