Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Editorial: This time the choke's not on us

By Mark Story
Hawkes Bay Today·
30 Mar, 2015 08:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Did the Black Caps choke? No, they just failed to execute.

Did the Black Caps choke? No, they just failed to execute.

Two days later and we're still dumbstruck.

Cricket was one win away from becoming the new black.

To lift the spirits, I came up with a quick-fire sketch of the peeves and positives to help survive the inevitable post-mortem.

Antipodes stronghold: The dominance of the limited overs game is based not in the northern hemisphere, not in the subcontinent, but Australasia.

Batting belligerence: Some argue Brendon McCullum's Tyson-esque approach cost us the final. Others (including this writer) prefer to think his pugilism got us to the final.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Alternate Commentary Collective: Another great Kiwi initiative from a caravan. Lewd, yet one of the most enjoyable narratives and welcome deviations from mainstream commentary. So popular these guys will inevitably cease to be alternative.

Tui's Catch a Million: A supporters' groundswell that rendered games played in Australia dull by comparison.

Mitchell Johnson: Twice as arrogant as the other Mitchell (Starc) with half the talent. Still, his is a sneer the likes of which we haven't seen since countryman Craig McDermott in the late 80s.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Yellow fever: While the Aussies' jubilation was depressingly familiar, there's something satisfying about an 11-man victory dance in canary yellow.

The question on the street is, did we choke?

If the definition is having control but failing to execute, then no. The Black Caps never had the ascendancy.

In sport circles "choke" has become a lazy synonym for "lose". Its new usage seems to arise when a team or athlete fails to meet punters' expectations.

Discover more

Editorial: Night staff vulnerable to robbery

26 Mar 08:00 PM

Editorial: Passengers always good for one-liners

27 Mar 08:53 PM

Editorial: A bold new approach to CBD needed

29 Mar 08:00 PM

Editorial: Beware of pranksters before noon

31 Mar 08:00 PM

But fear not. We'll do it all again in 171 days when the All Blacks risk the global stage - and risk choking.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

House damaged by fire in Maraenui

03 Jul 05:19 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Claims councillor breached code of conduct by saying Napier had 'ignored its core infrastructure'

03 Jul 04:45 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Wider, stronger and quieter: New one-lane bridge coming for Napier-Wairoa Rd

03 Jul 04:07 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

House damaged by fire in Maraenui

House damaged by fire in Maraenui

03 Jul 05:19 AM

It was one of two fires within 15 minutes.

Claims councillor breached code of conduct by saying Napier had 'ignored its core infrastructure'

Claims councillor breached code of conduct by saying Napier had 'ignored its core infrastructure'

03 Jul 04:45 AM
Wider, stronger and quieter: New one-lane bridge coming for Napier-Wairoa Rd

Wider, stronger and quieter: New one-lane bridge coming for Napier-Wairoa Rd

03 Jul 04:07 AM
'Go for your dreams': 22-year-old Māori cloak maker reaching international markets

'Go for your dreams': 22-year-old Māori cloak maker reaching international markets

03 Jul 12:24 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP