Having put the cricket article online I thought it might be useful to let people know what major tournaments are coming up in the next year, so here’s a brief post.

From Oct. 7 to Nov. 5 the major cricket-playing nations will contest the Champions’ Trophy in India. This will be a series of one-day matches. I’m not sure as yet who will be covering this with Internet audio, but the BBC and ABC in Australia are good bets.

Although the Champions’ Trophy involves all of the major cricket-playing nations, it is seen as only a warm-up for the big event next year: the Cricket World Cup. This one-day game tournament will be played in the West Indies in March, and as well as the big boys it includes up and coming sides such as The Netherlands, Canada, Kenya, Scotland and Ireland. (The US team failed to qualify.) Again the BBC and ABC are good bets for coverage.

All of this, however, pales into insignificance compared to the goings on over the Australian summer (you know, Christmas and stuff). From November through January England will be touring Australia. They will play a five-match series of five-day games (proper cricket, none of this hasty stuff). This is war. It is a rivalry that has been going on since 1877, and which makes Yankees v Red Sox looks like a bunch of kids squabbling over a candy bar. National pride is at stake. Prime Ministers feel the need to get involved and support their sides. The contest is known as The Ashes (see here for an explantion and some history). England are the current holders, and you can expect almost the entire Australian nation to be out screaming for revenge when the matches start. I’ll be tuned into the ABC commentary. Hopefully some of you will too. (And if you think that US sports radio has some irritating comentators, let me introduce you to this chap called Kerry O’Keefe…)