Good to be getting back to the cricket after all of the political shenanigans. I've got high hopes for the forthcoming series against the West Indies. A lot of people seem to be assuming that England will win comfortably, but I think it could be a lot closer than that.
The West Indies are slowly improving under Chris Gayle, and seem to be believing in themselves a little bit more. They played well in patches in New Zealand but were a bit hit and miss... but that could be a pretty accurate description of England as well.
If the newer members of the team can contribute enough to support Gayle, Sarwan and especially Chanderpaul (probably the World's most effective batsman for the last couple of the years if not one you'd necessarily pay to watch) then I expect some more tight cricket and fifth day afternoon finishes.
I take England to sneak the test series on the basis of our bowling attack, but the Windies to win the one-days fairly comfortably.
One thing that's for sure though knowing the belligerent character of KP, I'll be taking a small investment in a ton from him in the first test.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
ECB to blame for the latest debacle
So it looks like we've managed to lose a coach and a captain.
We put all of our eggs in the Pietersen basket, so how on earth can we be surprised when he turns out to be demonstrative and egotistical - every single one of us know what kind of character he is - having put him in place we simply cannot afford to not back him now.
If it comes down to one or the other, only one of these two men is indispensible, and it's our best player, captain and talisman, not the anyonymous, out of his depth coach.
What happens now is anyone's guess - obviously a competitive England team needs a committed Kevin Pietersen to entertain any idea of taking advantage of the weakest Australia outfit that I think I've ever seen, but as a follwer of Nottinghamshire cricket, there's plenty of evidence about how destructive a presence an unhappy KP can be within the dressing room.
I also don't envy the task of the next captain taking over in a camp with such large ego's, not only, Pietersen, but also Flintoff in the side.
I fully blame the ECB, they knew exactly what they were getting as a captain, and simply had to back him to the hilt. If they wanted a captain to be a clean-cut, PR savvy stool pigeon then we should have gone for one of the nice young public school boys like Strauss or Cook. We went for the guy with a bit of fight, attitude and aggression, having done so we can't be suprised when he acts to type - and shouldn't try to clip his wings now...
From what I understand I'm not sure Pietersen's a particularly pleasant bloke, and I don't think he's someone I'd necessarily want as a friend, but for the love of good he's the best (only?) chance we have of winning the ashes, and that's a price I for one am willing to pay.
We put all of our eggs in the Pietersen basket, so how on earth can we be surprised when he turns out to be demonstrative and egotistical - every single one of us know what kind of character he is - having put him in place we simply cannot afford to not back him now.
If it comes down to one or the other, only one of these two men is indispensible, and it's our best player, captain and talisman, not the anyonymous, out of his depth coach.
What happens now is anyone's guess - obviously a competitive England team needs a committed Kevin Pietersen to entertain any idea of taking advantage of the weakest Australia outfit that I think I've ever seen, but as a follwer of Nottinghamshire cricket, there's plenty of evidence about how destructive a presence an unhappy KP can be within the dressing room.
I also don't envy the task of the next captain taking over in a camp with such large ego's, not only, Pietersen, but also Flintoff in the side.
I fully blame the ECB, they knew exactly what they were getting as a captain, and simply had to back him to the hilt. If they wanted a captain to be a clean-cut, PR savvy stool pigeon then we should have gone for one of the nice young public school boys like Strauss or Cook. We went for the guy with a bit of fight, attitude and aggression, having done so we can't be suprised when he acts to type - and shouldn't try to clip his wings now...
From what I understand I'm not sure Pietersen's a particularly pleasant bloke, and I don't think he's someone I'd necessarily want as a friend, but for the love of good he's the best (only?) chance we have of winning the ashes, and that's a price I for one am willing to pay.
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
lost generation
I won't shed a tear if Moores departs, but what this issue does raise the paucity of potential replacements...
Given the background of Moores' appointment it seems the prevailing wind is for an Englishman (although I'd go for Tom Moody if we could get him).
As in football there's a lost generation of English coaches with international experience. Where's the likes of Gooch,Gatting and Gower for instance. From the teams I grew up watching very few players have progressed to coaching / management - usually prefering the cosy sanctuary of the press room or Sky's studio. Let's call it Alan Shearer syndrome.
Embury and Fraser have flirted with Middlesex, but they should have a lot more to offer the game, similarly I think Atherton or Hussain could be in a position to be a respected and successful coach but they dont seem to have the interest or application to pursue a coaching career.
The saddest thing is with the increasing sums of money flowing into the game I can't see any of the current generation of players wanting or needing to get into coaching in ten years time.
Given the background of Moores' appointment it seems the prevailing wind is for an Englishman (although I'd go for Tom Moody if we could get him).
As in football there's a lost generation of English coaches with international experience. Where's the likes of Gooch,Gatting and Gower for instance. From the teams I grew up watching very few players have progressed to coaching / management - usually prefering the cosy sanctuary of the press room or Sky's studio. Let's call it Alan Shearer syndrome.
Embury and Fraser have flirted with Middlesex, but they should have a lot more to offer the game, similarly I think Atherton or Hussain could be in a position to be a respected and successful coach but they dont seem to have the interest or application to pursue a coaching career.
The saddest thing is with the increasing sums of money flowing into the game I can't see any of the current generation of players wanting or needing to get into coaching in ten years time.
Friday, 2 January 2009
South Africa - Worthy Number Ones?
Ahead of the third test between Australia and South Africa, the Aussies are still the world’s number one ranked team, but after the recent series against both India and the Proteas - in name in only. So if finally not Australia – who are the best team in the world right now?
If SA can beat the Aussies in the final test they’ll be the official world number one team for the first time since the rankings were introduced, so worthy world number ones?
The only contenders to the crown would be the other side to inflict defeat on the once unbeatable Australians in recent months, India. Both India and South Africa have beated England away and Australia in recent times, although the Saffers came up with the more groundbreaking result – beating Australia away from home (currently 2-0).
So on results alone Graeme Smith’s side hold the edge, but I’d favour India, slightly, to play a test match for my life. Man for man the Indian batting line up looks more dangerous from the successful and positive opening partnership down to Harbajan coming in at number eight , they’re more aggressive and adaptable. While Smith’s turned himslef into a genuinely world class performer with at least two potential ‘innings of a lifetime’ in the past twelve months with centuries in thrilling match winning run chases against England at Edgbaston and versus Australia at the Wacca, the rest don’t quite match up.
With Gambir establishing himself as a proilfic scorer alongside the exhilerating Sehwag at the top of the order, and with Tendulkar still fighting against the fading of thelight, there’s no discernable weakness in their batting order, whereas you get the feeling South Africa rely slightly more on a couple of stars and an etremely workmanlike, one paced, supporting cast.
Spin bowling – no question. Harbajan’s not quite what he was, but i haven’t seen a South African spinner that could turn tricks. Pace bowling is a slightly different matter; Steyn, Morkel and Ntini is a top quality trio led by Dale Steyn – the world’s leading fast bowler over the course of the last twelve months.
However again I’d just give India the edge in terms of variety in their bowling; pace, seam movement, left arm, reverse swing, leg and off spin for any pitch in any circumstance Dhoni would be pretty confident he’s got an option. In comparison South Africa’s seamers are all similar beasts.
As tradition would have it, South Africa are the better fielding outfit, but India are probably more athletic now than at any time.
So it’s India number one by a head above India... with third between England and Australia... it promises to be an interesting year!
If SA can beat the Aussies in the final test they’ll be the official world number one team for the first time since the rankings were introduced, so worthy world number ones?
The only contenders to the crown would be the other side to inflict defeat on the once unbeatable Australians in recent months, India. Both India and South Africa have beated England away and Australia in recent times, although the Saffers came up with the more groundbreaking result – beating Australia away from home (currently 2-0).
So on results alone Graeme Smith’s side hold the edge, but I’d favour India, slightly, to play a test match for my life. Man for man the Indian batting line up looks more dangerous from the successful and positive opening partnership down to Harbajan coming in at number eight , they’re more aggressive and adaptable. While Smith’s turned himslef into a genuinely world class performer with at least two potential ‘innings of a lifetime’ in the past twelve months with centuries in thrilling match winning run chases against England at Edgbaston and versus Australia at the Wacca, the rest don’t quite match up.
With Gambir establishing himself as a proilfic scorer alongside the exhilerating Sehwag at the top of the order, and with Tendulkar still fighting against the fading of thelight, there’s no discernable weakness in their batting order, whereas you get the feeling South Africa rely slightly more on a couple of stars and an etremely workmanlike, one paced, supporting cast.
Spin bowling – no question. Harbajan’s not quite what he was, but i haven’t seen a South African spinner that could turn tricks. Pace bowling is a slightly different matter; Steyn, Morkel and Ntini is a top quality trio led by Dale Steyn – the world’s leading fast bowler over the course of the last twelve months.
However again I’d just give India the edge in terms of variety in their bowling; pace, seam movement, left arm, reverse swing, leg and off spin for any pitch in any circumstance Dhoni would be pretty confident he’s got an option. In comparison South Africa’s seamers are all similar beasts.
As tradition would have it, South Africa are the better fielding outfit, but India are probably more athletic now than at any time.
So it’s India number one by a head above India... with third between England and Australia... it promises to be an interesting year!
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
No Owais, No Way
Pleased to see Swanny get the call for the first test against India. It was a no-brainer playing two spinners in this match… but that’s not always meant a lot where the England selectors are confirmed.
What I don’t understand though is why we’re STILL not playing Owais Shah. He’s been arguably our best one day batsman for a good year now, and on current form he surely, surely has to be in the side ahead of Collingwood. His inventive, manipulative technique is also much more suited to the demands of Indian bowlers and pitch conditions than Collingwood’s bottom handed style.
Maybe Collys bowling option has given him the edge, but he’s going to cause next to no danger with his dobbers on flat, dry Indian wickets.
I’d be feeling very hard done by – once again – if I was Owais….
What I don’t understand though is why we’re STILL not playing Owais Shah. He’s been arguably our best one day batsman for a good year now, and on current form he surely, surely has to be in the side ahead of Collingwood. His inventive, manipulative technique is also much more suited to the demands of Indian bowlers and pitch conditions than Collingwood’s bottom handed style.
Maybe Collys bowling option has given him the edge, but he’s going to cause next to no danger with his dobbers on flat, dry Indian wickets.
I’d be feeling very hard done by – once again – if I was Owais….
A talent not to be sniffed at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7772950.stm
Wow, Chris Lewis arrested for allegedly attempting to bring £200,000 of cocaine into the country – that’s a bolt from the blue, but at least it gives the opportunity to talk about something other than the politics in India.
I guess many of his critics – and there were certainly a few around Nottingham – would say he’s always been a big time Charlie, but I’m genuinely sadden by this news. In my formative years watching cricket at Trent Bridge, Lewis was one of my first heroes. Already an international all rounder, that bowled fast, batted aggressively and fielded sensationally – all with the real possibility that it could go wrong at any moment – what boy wouldn’t.
I’m not honestly sure I’ve seen a more talented all round English cricketer than Lewis in my time watching England – call him the Stan Collymore of Cricket – turned up in Nottingham as the next big thing with more ability than most players can dream of… but always being a little bit too unhinged to fulfil his promise. There have been plenty of better players, but while someone like Flintoff relies to a great extent on his supreme physicality, and a sensational eye, Lewis was able to bowl quickly, and the hit the ball vast distances without ever really looking like he was trying.
Put Lewis alongside that lost generation of England players in the 1990s – usually led by the enigmatic talents of Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash, that for one reason or another failed to deliver for their country. That’s quite a threesome we missed out on there for want of more enlightened coaching and captaincy.
At his best, batting down the order he made batting look ridiculously easy, scoring some brilliant hundreds for Notts, as well as one I remember distinctly away in India for England (did he bring it up with a straight six?), he was great down the ground, and square of the wicket. He bowled at a good pace – when he wanted to, could move the ball off the seam and in the air, and could be a brilliant one day bowler… added to that he was one of the best fielders I’ve seen, and so quick across the ground. A real athlete.
It was pretty sad to see reports of his return at the age for 40 as a Twenty/20 Specialist for Surrey, a distant memory of Lewis at his best.
Mentality – so often the difference for talented players was probably the problem. The incident when he went out to spend a day in the full intense glare of the West Indian sunshine with a glinting newly bic’d head and ended up with sunstroke (well der), and the time when he turned up 40 minutes late for an England game blaming a phantom puncture prove that he’s always been capable of doing something stupid. This time he appears to have surpassed himself.
Wow, Chris Lewis arrested for allegedly attempting to bring £200,000 of cocaine into the country – that’s a bolt from the blue, but at least it gives the opportunity to talk about something other than the politics in India.
I guess many of his critics – and there were certainly a few around Nottingham – would say he’s always been a big time Charlie, but I’m genuinely sadden by this news. In my formative years watching cricket at Trent Bridge, Lewis was one of my first heroes. Already an international all rounder, that bowled fast, batted aggressively and fielded sensationally – all with the real possibility that it could go wrong at any moment – what boy wouldn’t.
I’m not honestly sure I’ve seen a more talented all round English cricketer than Lewis in my time watching England – call him the Stan Collymore of Cricket – turned up in Nottingham as the next big thing with more ability than most players can dream of… but always being a little bit too unhinged to fulfil his promise. There have been plenty of better players, but while someone like Flintoff relies to a great extent on his supreme physicality, and a sensational eye, Lewis was able to bowl quickly, and the hit the ball vast distances without ever really looking like he was trying.
Put Lewis alongside that lost generation of England players in the 1990s – usually led by the enigmatic talents of Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash, that for one reason or another failed to deliver for their country. That’s quite a threesome we missed out on there for want of more enlightened coaching and captaincy.
At his best, batting down the order he made batting look ridiculously easy, scoring some brilliant hundreds for Notts, as well as one I remember distinctly away in India for England (did he bring it up with a straight six?), he was great down the ground, and square of the wicket. He bowled at a good pace – when he wanted to, could move the ball off the seam and in the air, and could be a brilliant one day bowler… added to that he was one of the best fielders I’ve seen, and so quick across the ground. A real athlete.
It was pretty sad to see reports of his return at the age for 40 as a Twenty/20 Specialist for Surrey, a distant memory of Lewis at his best.
Mentality – so often the difference for talented players was probably the problem. The incident when he went out to spend a day in the full intense glare of the West Indian sunshine with a glinting newly bic’d head and ended up with sunstroke (well der), and the time when he turned up 40 minutes late for an England game blaming a phantom puncture prove that he’s always been capable of doing something stupid. This time he appears to have surpassed himself.
Monday, 1 December 2008
To stay or go?
To bastardise the words of the Joe Strummer, should I stay or should I go
While it would be very harsh to criticise any England player that takes the decision that they don’t want to return to India to complete the tour with the two test matches in December, but I would still be pretty disappointed were any to go ahead and drop out.
If as seems likely the security advisors say it’s safe to go back and play (or as safe as anywhere can be in ‘these times of heightened security’), then that’s what we should do. The nature of your modern 21st century terrorist seems to indicate that there’s as likely to strike in one place as almost any other – excepting perhaps St Albans where nothing exciting has happened since roughly 1878.
A large number of the current England squad have young families, which will quite rightly be their first concern in deciding whether they want to travel. But I’m not genuinely concerned that there will be a raised threat on the team’s safety. That the recent attack took place in the hotel they stayed in recently, and were due back to later in the schedule will have brought things home to the players, and only naturally, but if there terrorists had wanted to target the England cricket team – they surely would have done already... they’ll have had ample opportunity and wouldn’t have sent out a vast clanging advance warning bell. Forewarned is forearmed.
KP has said that he won’t force any player reluctant to travel to go. But purely on a selfish level, career –wise surely it’s a risk. Of KPs current foot soldiers, very few are so nailed on in the team as to voluntarily forgo their place in the side confident in the knowledge that they’ll be able to slot comfortably back in when we’re on more familiar ground next spring. With men waiting in the wings like Owais Shah, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel and Michael Vaughan, who’s to say someone like Paul Collingwood or Ian Bell would get back in the team if one of the others grabs a chance with both hands. And with the Australian juggernaut on the horizon that’s a huge risk.
Probably only Andrew Flintoff, and perhaps Alastair Cook would be able to return immediately to the set up. Even Monty Panesar – who as our number one spinner is earmarked for a huge role in the test series – surely wouldn’t want to see someone like Adil Rashid trotting in to bowl – a couple of big wickets against the calibre of batsman like Tendulkar or Dravid could catapult him straight into contention for the Ashes next year. Monty should know that’s pretty much how he got established himself on the previous tour of Indian (albeit in more conventional circumstances).
At the end of the day we employ experts for a reason, if we’re not prepared to follow their expert advice then there’s no point in asking them in the first place.
While it would be very harsh to criticise any England player that takes the decision that they don’t want to return to India to complete the tour with the two test matches in December, but I would still be pretty disappointed were any to go ahead and drop out.
If as seems likely the security advisors say it’s safe to go back and play (or as safe as anywhere can be in ‘these times of heightened security’), then that’s what we should do. The nature of your modern 21st century terrorist seems to indicate that there’s as likely to strike in one place as almost any other – excepting perhaps St Albans where nothing exciting has happened since roughly 1878.
A large number of the current England squad have young families, which will quite rightly be their first concern in deciding whether they want to travel. But I’m not genuinely concerned that there will be a raised threat on the team’s safety. That the recent attack took place in the hotel they stayed in recently, and were due back to later in the schedule will have brought things home to the players, and only naturally, but if there terrorists had wanted to target the England cricket team – they surely would have done already... they’ll have had ample opportunity and wouldn’t have sent out a vast clanging advance warning bell. Forewarned is forearmed.
KP has said that he won’t force any player reluctant to travel to go. But purely on a selfish level, career –wise surely it’s a risk. Of KPs current foot soldiers, very few are so nailed on in the team as to voluntarily forgo their place in the side confident in the knowledge that they’ll be able to slot comfortably back in when we’re on more familiar ground next spring. With men waiting in the wings like Owais Shah, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel and Michael Vaughan, who’s to say someone like Paul Collingwood or Ian Bell would get back in the team if one of the others grabs a chance with both hands. And with the Australian juggernaut on the horizon that’s a huge risk.
Probably only Andrew Flintoff, and perhaps Alastair Cook would be able to return immediately to the set up. Even Monty Panesar – who as our number one spinner is earmarked for a huge role in the test series – surely wouldn’t want to see someone like Adil Rashid trotting in to bowl – a couple of big wickets against the calibre of batsman like Tendulkar or Dravid could catapult him straight into contention for the Ashes next year. Monty should know that’s pretty much how he got established himself on the previous tour of Indian (albeit in more conventional circumstances).
At the end of the day we employ experts for a reason, if we’re not prepared to follow their expert advice then there’s no point in asking them in the first place.
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