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April 2007

Happy birthday Ashley Noffke

As Mitchell Johnson decides what to do with his one-fifteenth share of Australia's $US 2.24 million prizemoney for winning the 2007 World Cup, spare a thought for his Queensland team-mate Ashley Noffke. And wish him a happy 30th birthday today. If things had gone just a little differently over recent years it could have been Noffke, not Johnson, sitting in the dug-out watching the Australian eleven thrashing the daylights out of all comers without making a single World Cup appearance of his own.

Finals day

For the first time since 1983, the Cricket World Cup Final is on a Saturday. I think that's fabulous, especially as the game will be played overnight Australian time (11.30pm to about 7am).

Seeing my pre-tournament prediction of South Africa fall in a screaming heap in the semi-final, I would be very doubtful of anything other than a decisive Australian victory tonight. Sri Lanka, while they'll be the popular favourite and will no doubt have all of South Asia behind them, would in reality have to pull off an upset to win this time around.

States rights

I have always been a vigorous supporter of the national interest taking precedence over states' rights in this country. The Australian Constitution, while in many ways robust and successful, was also a document of compromise, with the six states ceding specific areas of responsibility to the Commonwealth, and retaining everything else.

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