IPL

I must be the last blogger with even the slightest interest in cricket to post about the IPL, but here goes.

Like many others in these parts I've kept awake longer than I should have to watch the matches, or some of them, or parts of some of them. Channel Ten hasn't helped by delaying the telecasts of many matches (some not even being screened until they are over). Why this is so is beyond me.

Enough for now about that.

Here are some (very general) observations:

• The League is a competition of high standard but some way below international standard
• That said some of the non-international players have performed very well
• While the main batting performances have come from established (if not all top drawer eg Brendon McCullum) international players the bowling achievements - economy rates as well as averages and wickets - have been spread more evenly across the spectrum of experience
• There have been more low scoring games than I expected, partly because of some poor pitches though also because of good bowling.