Archive for cricket

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Was it right to drop Pietersen?

Posted in Cricket with tags , , on February 5, 2014 by telescoper

Big sporting news this morning was the decision by a panel representing the  England and Wales Cricket Board to part company with Kevin Pietersen.   In his Test career Pietersen has scored 8,181 runs at an average of 47 in 104 Tests, which is pretty outstanding – certainly compared with other current England batsmen. And at 33 he’s probably still got a few years of international cricket in him. Can England really afford to cast him aside just because some of his team-mates find him a bit difficult?

I’m perfectly well aware that Pietersen is not the kind of player who always puts the team first, and being such a maverick he must be a very frustrating player to captain, but he is clearly also a prodigiously talented batsmen. It’s true that he didn’t play well in Australia, but then who did (other than Ben Stokes)? In fact Pietersen averaged better with the bat than his Captain, so you could argue that it’s Alastair Cook who should be dropped if the problem is between the two of them (as some have suggested).

And then there’s the fact that – love them or hate them – it’s players like KP who are the crowd-pullers. It’s never just been about the ability to play the game. People like to see larger-than-life characters in sport.

Anyway, I know that opinions differ  on this issue so I thought I’d try a quite poll:

21 Comments »

Ashes Whitewash Woe

Posted in Cricket with tags , , on January 5, 2014 by telescoper

I’m hoping that writing a blog post about the Ashes tour might provide some kind of catharsis, so here goes.

England lost the fifth and final Ashes test today by 281 runs and so have lost all five tests. It’s not that long ago that they suffered a similar fate on tour in Australia (2007, in fact) but I think this series has been a lot worse. None of the matches have been close-fought, as the following summary proves:

21-25 Nov: First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 381 runs

5-9 Dec: 2nd Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 218 runs

13-17 Dec: 3rd Test, Perth: Australia won by 150 runs

26-30 Dec: 4th Test, Melbourne: Australia won by eight wickets

3-7 Jan 2014: 5th Test, Sydney: Australia won by 281 runs

The final Test summed up the series. England briefly promised with the ball, having Australia in trouble at 97-5, but were unable to push home their advantage as the hosts recovered to 326. England’s batsmen then capitulated for a paltry 155 having been in danger (at 23-5) of being all out for their lowest-ever Ashes total of 45. The Australians amassed another 276 in only 61 overs and then watched England crumble again in pitiful fashion, for 166 in only 32 overs. Hopeless by England, but well played Australia.

So what has gone wrong? The obvious answer is England’s batting; they’ve scored under 200 in six innings in the series, and only one England batsman (Stokes) managed a century. Credit to the Australian bowlers, of course – Mitchell Johnson’s total of 37 wickets at an average of under 14 was truly outstanding – but good bowling can’t be the only factor. Experienced batsmen like Cook, Bell and Pietersen have all been found wanting. I know they had to hostile and determined fast bowling, but this is Test cricket. Top players have to stand up and be counted. The failures of less experienced players such as Carberry and Root are more forgivable, given the poor example set by senior batsmen, but I think they’re also symptomatic of something drastically wrong with the coaching system employed by the England team management. Good batsmen don’t spontaneously turn into bad ones.

The England bowling hasn’t been much to write home about either, with only Stuart Broad turning in a respectable statistic of 21 wickets at 27.52. Jimmy Anderson is a dangerous bowler when the ball swings, but that hasn’t happened for him on this tour and he only managed 14 wickets at an average of 43.92. Swann’s bowling average was a woeful 80 before he threw in the towel.

England coach Andy Flower has stated that this is the End of An Era for English cricket. I hope the powers that be have the courage and vision to take the steps needed to pull English cricket out of its calamitous downward spiral. That means rethinking the entire coaching set-up rather than just tinkering with the team selection.

It will, however, be interesting to see which survivors of this debacle will play Test cricket this summer. Trott and Swann are already out of contention. I’d be surprised if Cook remains as skipper, though he might keep his place as an opener if he shows form in county matches. Carberry does not look like a top class opener to me, and Root is no world class number 3 either. Let’s hope Bell can recover some form and provide some stability while the selectors look to blood new players. I think Pietersen should stay too, exasperating though he is.

The only ray of sunshine I can find is in the performance of young Ben Stokes, who topped the England batting averages with 34.87 and took 15 wickets at 32.80. It’s early days for him, as he is only 22, but has England at last found the genuine all-rounder that it has missed for so long?

3 Comments »

An Ashes Lament..

Posted in Cricket with tags , on December 17, 2013 by telescoper

It seems like yesterday that I was celebrating a famous England victory in an Ashes series in Australia. In fact it was a little under three years ago. In that series the difference between the two teams was primarily in the batting, with opener Alastair Cook having a particularly brilliant series. Now England captain, Cook has struggled with the bat on this tour. Yesterday’s dismissal, first ball, more-or-less sums up his team’s weaknesses. The batting has been fragile, their bowling ineffective and their fielding unreliable. A bit more resolve in the batting, a few more opportunities taken in the field and things might have been different. The truth is, however, that since the opening Test in Brisbane England have been playing like a side expecting to be beaten. Once you’ve lost confidence like that it’s difficult to get it back, especially with Test matches coming up in such quick succession. Australia took the initiative early on, and have been ruthless in exploiting it. In the early  hours of this morning, Australia won the Third Test in Perth to lead 3-0, and so take the Ashes having an unassailable lead in the 5 match series..

England had a good run of luck during this summer’s Ashes series in England – the weather getting them out of a couple of rather deep holes – but the Australian summer rarely shows such mercy on visiting teams, and England’s weaknesses have been cruelly exposed. I always thought England would have a tough time trying to retain the Ashes down under, but didn’t expect them to be so thoroughly outplayed.  I wouldn’t bet against a 5-0 whitewash the way things are going. Shades of 2006/7.

But enough of England. I would be churlish not to congratulate the Australians on their deserved victory. They have had a lean time for many years and I’m sure will enjoy the celebrations. There’s no doubt that the better side has won; they have trounced England in all departments. Well played the Aussies!

4 Comments »

The Ashes: an Apology

Posted in Cricket with tags , , , on November 24, 2013 by telescoper

In common with much of the professional sports media, this blog on a number of occasions has given the impression that England’s cricket team boasts excellent team spirit, a strong batting line-up and powerful bowling attack so, as a consequence, has a realistic prospect of retaining the Ashes on their current tour of Australia.

In the wake of their humiliating defeat in the First Ashes Test in Brisbane, however, I realise that this opinion was misguided and in fact they are poorly prepared, lacking in determination and confidence, their batting is flimsy and prone to collapse, and their bowlers ineffectual and unconvincing.

I would like therefore to apologize for having misrepresented the situation and for any inconvenience caused by this error.

Geoffrey Boycott is 73.

3 Comments »

The Ashes Retained

Posted in Cricket with tags , , , on August 5, 2013 by telescoper

I’m back home after a few days’ enforced absence. Don’t worry – nothing too serious! As soon as I got in I nervously switched on the radio to find out the score in the 3rd Ashes Test Match at Old Trafford. To my relief that stalwart of English cricket – The Weather – had intervened in decisive fashion. “Rain stopped play” never sounded so sweet..

It was just as well, actually, because England’s batsmen were struggling along at 37 for 3 chasing a formidable total of 332 to win (or, more realistically, trying to survive all day to secure a draw).

Anyway, with England 2-0 up going into the 3rd Test, this result means that England retain the Ashes; the best Australia can hope for now is that the series of 5 Tests will end 2-2 and in such a case the side holding The Ashes keeps them.

Commiserations to the Australians, though. They batted and bowled much better in this game and without the interruptions for rain and bad light would probably have won.

So do I feel guilty that England keep the Ashes because of the rain? Not at all. Test cricket is played outside, over five days. The changing weather and condition of the pitch have always been part of the game. If Australia had won, would anyone have asked them if they felt guilty that they won the toss? By batting first they had by far the best of the pitch and the weather. Rain is part of the game and long may it remain so. Especially if it plays for England.

5 Comments »

The Wonderful Game

Posted in Cricket with tags , , , , on July 14, 2013 by telescoper

Just crept inside out of the sweltering heat to post a quick item for posterity about the First Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, which has just ended in a victory for England by just 14 runs. I missed the first two days of the match, and most of the third, on my travels, apart from the odd update on the internet; it seems that Germans aren’t all that interest in cricket, for some reason. Yesterday I followed the action on the radio. Gripping stuff. Of course as an Englishman I’m delighted with the victory, but the Australians showed incredible pluck in this match, recovering from 117-9 in the first innings to post 280 thanks to an amazing knock of 98 from No. 11, the nineteen-year old Ashton Agar. England began their second innings in a state of shock after Agar’s onslaught and were 11-2 at one point, but gradually clawed their way into it. Ian Bell’s century and a determined contribution from Stuart Broad took them to a total of 375, a lead of 310. I always felt that a target of 300 in the last innings would be beyond Australia, and so it proved – but only just. They fought gallantly to 296 before Haddin was given out on an umpire review. Throughout the match the initiative ebbed and flowed. No quarter was asked and none given. It was magnificent.

It wasn’t quite as close as the famous Edgbaston Ashes Test in 2005, which England won by just two runs, but it certainly had my stomach tingling, nerves churning, and metaphors mixing as the plot twisted one way then another. I couldn’t even eat my lunch. No wickets at all in the first hour, then two in quick succession, then the dramatic fightback, snuffed out by the final twist of a “not out” overturned by the third umpire.

You can say what you like about the DRS system, but it certainly adds an extra element of tension to the proceedings. The world seems to stand still as we wait for the third umpire to ponder the decision with the use of replays, hawkeye, hotspot, snickometer and the rest. One crucial factor in this Test was that Alastair Cook used his reviews much more intelligently than Michael Clarke.

I would say, though, that I think this was a game England should have won much more easily. The hapless Finn  fell apart when Agar had a go at him and contributed very little to the rest of the match. With only four bowlers to start with, England can’t afford to have anyone underperform. I strongly suspect Finn will not figure in the next match, but I remain uncomfortable with the policy of picking only four bowlers. If only England had a proper all-rounder. Still, at least they’ve got Jimmy Anderson, who bowled magnificently and took ten wickets in the match.

Anyway, there are four more Tests in this series and if they’re all like this one was it will be like 2005 all over again. Except that series began with a defeat for England.

Test Cricket is the best game in the world. Discuss.

19 Comments »

Cover

Posted in Cricket, Poetry with tags , , on June 23, 2013 by telescoper

Think twice
and then don’t

Zero tolerance
that’s me

Step out of line
and I’ll have you

sprawled in the dust
as the warning shot

screams past your ear
into the gloves

A sniper’s brain
a hair-trigger arm

Take me on?

Make my day

by Simon Rae

1 Comment »

All that matters in football….

Posted in Cricket, Football with tags , , , on May 19, 2013 by telescoper

..is the relative position of the two teams in 16th and 17th place in the final Premiership table!

league

Of course, it would have been more satisfying if Sunderland had finished one place lower but then you can’t have everything!

Anyway, that’s the Premiership over for another season. Time to concentrate on the cricket. If the Ashes Tests producing anything like today’s play against New Zealand then it should be an exciting summer!

3 Comments »

R.I.P. Tony Greig

Posted in Cricket with tags , , , on December 29, 2012 by telescoper

Shocked and saddened by news of the death of former England cricket captain Tony Greig, at the age of only 66.  He was a controversial character, but a fine all-rounder and skipper as a player, and also part of the finest comedy double-act in cricket history (with Geoffrey Boycott) when he became a commentator:

4 Comments »

Monty Sunshine

Posted in Cricket with tags , , , , on November 26, 2012 by telescoper

It’s a dark and wet Monday morning in November and I’m up early again for my nine o’clock lecture. Before I go however I couldn’t resist a quick post to mark the England cricket team’s splendid victory in the 2nd Test Match in Mumbai, India.  It’s an especially good result because it comes after a weak performance in the First Test in which they were comprehensively beaten.

I know I wasn’t alone in thinking that it was madness to have gone into the First Test with  Graham Swann as their only spinner. That, some inaccurate bowling by the other bowlers, and poor fielding led to England conceding over 500 runs in India’s First Innings. I was relieved, therefore, that the selectors saw sense this time and put Monty Panesar in the team. He bowled beautifully, achieving exceptional bounce and turn from Day 1. Here you can see a few examples of his bowling in India’s First Innings.

I’ve always liked Monty, actually. It’s not just that he’s a fine spin bowler, and I always enjoy watching a good spinner. Nor is it his infectious, almost child-like, enthusiasm. Most of all it’s the fact that he’s clearly by no means a natural athlete; he’s a man who has had to work very hard at his game to get where he is. We’ve always known he could bowl, but when he started out he was a truly hopeless fielder. He subsequently put long hours in during practice and is now at least competent. As for a his batting, he’s a genuine No. 11 but he tries hard at that too. And of course there was that memorable day in Cardiff in 2009 when he and Jimmy Anderson held on (somehow) to save the First Ashes Test against Australia.

So from a cold and gloomy morning in Wales, here’s a heartfelt “thank you” to the England team, and especially to Monty Panesar, for bringing us a bit of sunshine from the sub-continent. Now I’m looking forward to the remaining two test matches in what is already a fascinating series.

P.S. Apologies if you thought this post was going to be about jazz clarinettist Monty Sunshine.

1 Comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »