ALL CHANGE
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Dan
Monday, March 12, 2007
Friday, December 22, 2006
Back after a nice break away... Wasn't that a chocolate bar?
Apologies for not updating the blog for a week, I've had a deserved week from all internet related activities.
Over the course of the next 24 hours I'm going to cover:
- Another test debacle for England.
- Shane Warne's imminent departure from the international scene.
- The current state of the test squad.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
All bets are off!! Monty WILL win Sports Personality 2007
An enthralling day at the WACA has left us all, whether Pom or Aussie, imagining what could have been.
Had England's hitherto idiotic selectors had a little more bottle than timidly playing a squad in Brisbane and Adelaide with the intention of RETAINING the Ashes then we might not have been in this dire situation.
For the Aussies, they're left thanking their lucky stars that we had a selection squad as inept as our players in the first two games.
Monty's fivefer came at a time where confidence in England's bowling attack couldn't have been lower. His inclusion seemed to brighten the spirits of all the players around him, and as a result even Freddy looked like he knew what he was doing.
The joy Monty brings to the game is boundless, whether watching or playing with him, I imagine that he is an infectious character. His demeanour today was in direct contrast to the times we have seen him glum-faced waiting near the boundary rope to bring the isotonics on-field.
His haul today, the third best by an Englishman, is a couple of fingers in the direction of the selectors - whoever does and doesn't select the team - and a big thumbs up to those who love him... Bring on the second innings....
The inclusion of Saj Mahmood is certainly another positive step for England. His batting on the tour so far silences those that encourage batting down the order, and his bowling today, although wicketless was quick and spritely by all accounts.
Had England's hitherto idiotic selectors had a little more bottle than timidly playing a squad in Brisbane and Adelaide with the intention of RETAINING the Ashes then we might not have been in this dire situation.
For the Aussies, they're left thanking their lucky stars that we had a selection squad as inept as our players in the first two games.
Monty's fivefer came at a time where confidence in England's bowling attack couldn't have been lower. His inclusion seemed to brighten the spirits of all the players around him, and as a result even Freddy looked like he knew what he was doing.
The joy Monty brings to the game is boundless, whether watching or playing with him, I imagine that he is an infectious character. His demeanour today was in direct contrast to the times we have seen him glum-faced waiting near the boundary rope to bring the isotonics on-field.
His haul today, the third best by an Englishman, is a couple of fingers in the direction of the selectors - whoever does and doesn't select the team - and a big thumbs up to those who love him... Bring on the second innings....
The inclusion of Saj Mahmood is certainly another positive step for England. His batting on the tour so far silences those that encourage batting down the order, and his bowling today, although wicketless was quick and spritely by all accounts.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Ashes 2006: Roy of the Rovers...
As a Brit, I'm delighted to hear that Andrew Symonds has been included in the test match squad for the WACA test tommorow.
The tests that Symonds has participated in have been somewhat topsy-turvy. A couple of 50+ star turns have been accompanied by some stuttering, incompetent turns which have seen him dismissed 6 times for less than 10 in just 15 innings.
'Roy' is clearly a man of talent though. Nearly 4,000 runs in the one day format of the game and 118 wickets, have seen him acknowledged as one of the premier all-rounders over the course of 50 overs. He himself was quite upfront when asked about his poor test form and said that the big occasion had got to him at times, but he's hoping to rectify the situation.
Personally I'll be delighted if he doesn't do that well for obvious reasons, but to see him back in the Test arena has certainly brought a smile to my face, and the thought of a 6 hitting competition is making me VERY happy.
Ashes 2006: Cricinfo and England expect??
This is a little excerpt from a cricinfo e-mail I received a minute or too ago - Even those guys seem to be optimistic about Monty's inclusion in the next Test at the WACA... Do they know something we don't?
C Cricinfo 2006Surely, this time, there's no keeping Monty away from the action. He is absolutely climbing the walls in his desperation to get involved in this series, and Ashley Giles's sad performance in the second Test has undermined Duncan Fletcher's insistence that Monty is an inferior batsman and fielder. Both spinners dropped a catch against Western Australia, but Panesar's direct-hit run-out shows his fielding is improving. If he doesn't play, there is likely to be a mutiny among England's fans back home, who installed Panesar as one of the 10 nominees for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. His time, surely, has arrived at last.
Ashes 2006: What's going on on the BBC messageboards?
Here's a new feature for the Website - Every week I'm going to produce a collection of articles from the BBC messageboards, print them on here and hopefully generate some debate on the state of both squads.
"Harmison has does nothing in this series to remotely suggest he can bowl match-turning spells; when England needed fine bowling to save the last Test, Andrew Flintoff turned to Ashley Giles ahead of him. While it is true that he has a tendency to drift in and out of form without warning, can England actually afford to risk selecting him for a Test they cannot lose?" extratime
"I think on the evidence of the two day match agaianst Western Australia, Read, Mahmood and Pensar all deserve a chance to prove themselves in the third test." Akira9b
"Surely now even Duncan Fletcher is left with no choice - Read and Monty in, Jones and Giles out. If he's worried about the tail, fine - play Mahmood instead of Harmison. Sajid seems on much better batting FORM (a word Fletcher hasn't discovered yet) than Giles." TobyMar
"Monty Panesar can bat! He isn't a walking wicket like so many people say. He just hsn't been given a fair chance to showcase his skills yet. He has hit some really nice innings down a t Northants, including a 34 this season, in which the summary of the game (I didn't go) said that he looked like a proper batsmen, playing his shots and driving through the gaps. " no1northantsman
"Flintoff has been deficient so far in his winter reign as captain, and at times he has looked lost. Muddled bowling changes and tactics which represent his archetypal schoolboy image have given creedence to the widely held suspicions." theashesblog
So, what do we think? Opinions please.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Here it is
This is the quote from Strauss denying the claims today:
"We're all 100% behind Fred. He's done a very good job in some pretty
trying circumstances in these last two games.
"There are no divisions. I
don't know where those stories are coming from."
Not much to go on, I'm sure you'll agree, but will Strauss be thinking that he could have done better himself?
It seems like this tour is going to end in a series of postmortems, with the issue of captaincy being at the top of the list for dissection.
A weekend of intrigue, if nothing else...
First of all, some time needs to be taken to absorb the news that there is a reported 'captaincy battle' going on behind closed doors in the England camp.
As you would expect, all parties 'involved' have denied any split, fissure, or crack in a team they like to present as a cricketing equivalent of the Famous Five. But as we all know, especially with journalists, players and PR people working in such close proximity, there is little smoke without fire.
Andrew Strauss, who did so well in the summer tests against Pakistan is probably still feeling aggrieved that he was not picked as captain for the winter tour. However, if these rumours have started with Strauss, his timing is far from impeccable. Half way through a critical tour is not a time to raise concerns or to start Chinese whispers.
Flintoff has been deficient so far in his winter reign as captain, and at times he has looked lost. Muddled bowling changes and tactics which represent his archetypal schoolboy image have given creedence to the widely held suspicions.
As you would expect, all parties 'involved' have denied any split, fissure, or crack in a team they like to present as a cricketing equivalent of the Famous Five. But as we all know, especially with journalists, players and PR people working in such close proximity, there is little smoke without fire.
Andrew Strauss, who did so well in the summer tests against Pakistan is probably still feeling aggrieved that he was not picked as captain for the winter tour. However, if these rumours have started with Strauss, his timing is far from impeccable. Half way through a critical tour is not a time to raise concerns or to start Chinese whispers.
Flintoff has been deficient so far in his winter reign as captain, and at times he has looked lost. Muddled bowling changes and tactics which represent his archetypal schoolboy image have given creedence to the widely held suspicions.
With Trescothick absent for the forseeable future and Vaughan unlikely to return for the series at all, there is nobody for Flintoff to fall back on, tactically, apart from Strauss himself. If these two men, the only members of the squad with real captaincy experience can't let the cricket come ahead of their personal ambitions, then England's demise will be completed by the 4th day at the WACA.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Friday is Ubercatch day...
This is a particularly ridiculous catch from the Twenty20 a couple of years ago...
No Gilo bashing here today oh no.
Now that one of the founding fathers of this almost invincible Australian squad has decided to hang up his boots, will it open the door through which many of the other players will follow?
Anything other than divine intervention will mean that Australia will regain the Ashes some 15 months after losing them in England. Of the Australian squad currently playing, Michael Clark is the only Oz to be aged under 30.
Martyn, who was a respected and senior member of the squad will be missed by this squad who have been together warts-and-all for almost a decade. His stumbling stuttering career has been littered with highlights and the last 2 years have seen Martyn play some of the best cricket of his career.
It seems though that Martyn decided to jump ship before he was pushed aside by the young colts who are snapping at the selectors heels. With most of this Australian squad aged well over 35, will the players decide that a brutal Ashes defeat over England is enough to hang their boots up with?
It is a hard call to make. McGrath and Warne are irreplacable, and Hayden and Gilchrist rank as some of the finest players in any era. A loss of even two of these players would change the complexion of the Aussie squad entirely.
It seems like the next person to go will be Justin Langer, a man who many have great admiration for. Many pressmen have ribbed him througout a career that has given the world one of the premier opening partnerships in history. He has always been playing in the shadows of the higher averaging, and higher scoring top order. The legacies of the likes of Ponting, the Waugh's and Hayden will overshadow a man who has scored more runs than Bradman, in a style that is frequently thrilling.
If Langer goes, then Hayden will surely be hot on his heels. After that, it may be difficult to stop the rot. In the meantime, let's celebrate Martyn's career, a man who could possibly be included in the top 10 most underated players of all time.
Anything other than divine intervention will mean that Australia will regain the Ashes some 15 months after losing them in England. Of the Australian squad currently playing, Michael Clark is the only Oz to be aged under 30.
Martyn, who was a respected and senior member of the squad will be missed by this squad who have been together warts-and-all for almost a decade. His stumbling stuttering career has been littered with highlights and the last 2 years have seen Martyn play some of the best cricket of his career.
It seems though that Martyn decided to jump ship before he was pushed aside by the young colts who are snapping at the selectors heels. With most of this Australian squad aged well over 35, will the players decide that a brutal Ashes defeat over England is enough to hang their boots up with?
It is a hard call to make. McGrath and Warne are irreplacable, and Hayden and Gilchrist rank as some of the finest players in any era. A loss of even two of these players would change the complexion of the Aussie squad entirely.
It seems like the next person to go will be Justin Langer, a man who many have great admiration for. Many pressmen have ribbed him througout a career that has given the world one of the premier opening partnerships in history. He has always been playing in the shadows of the higher averaging, and higher scoring top order. The legacies of the likes of Ponting, the Waugh's and Hayden will overshadow a man who has scored more runs than Bradman, in a style that is frequently thrilling.
If Langer goes, then Hayden will surely be hot on his heels. After that, it may be difficult to stop the rot. In the meantime, let's celebrate Martyn's career, a man who could possibly be included in the top 10 most underated players of all time.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Ash and the Ashes
More than most I have been the first on the soap box outwardly criticising Ashley Giles for his impotent performances in an England shirt.
After reading what has been said about the antiquated spinner, I can't help but feel that none of this is actually his fault.
The current debacle that England have played their full part in, is nothing to do with Ashley Giles' 20-odd batting average. Nor is it to do with Steve Harmison's bowling which is akin to the US Forces shooting accuracy.
It is all a matter of selection. Ashley Giles does not pick the England cricket squad. He might be an old hand, but he is not the man (or men) that composes the team-sheet.
Just because he is picked, it does not grant him a divine right to perform on a cricket pitch with either bat or ball. As Giles hasn't performed either of these tasks with any great aplomb, he has been hounded and vilified by the press and public - me included. But his selection is only like the selectors picking me instead of Monty. Anyone but Monty wouldn't have sufficed - rightly or wrongly.
Had Giles (or I) bowled well and performed in Australia then this debate would not have been happening, and the selectors would be laughing into their VB's, claiming the moral victory.
Giles has been a disaster though. With the Australian batsman playing him like a club pro, he offers little of the attacking threat or intent of our bearded friend. Perhaps Monty would have been ripped apart, but conversely he might have been the one doing the ripping.
It's about time the selector's stood up for themselves and justified their salaries and took two steps forward instead of one step back. I look forward to seeing an altered squad in a week's time... I'm not holding my breath though.
After reading what has been said about the antiquated spinner, I can't help but feel that none of this is actually his fault.
The current debacle that England have played their full part in, is nothing to do with Ashley Giles' 20-odd batting average. Nor is it to do with Steve Harmison's bowling which is akin to the US Forces shooting accuracy.
It is all a matter of selection. Ashley Giles does not pick the England cricket squad. He might be an old hand, but he is not the man (or men) that composes the team-sheet.
Just because he is picked, it does not grant him a divine right to perform on a cricket pitch with either bat or ball. As Giles hasn't performed either of these tasks with any great aplomb, he has been hounded and vilified by the press and public - me included. But his selection is only like the selectors picking me instead of Monty. Anyone but Monty wouldn't have sufficed - rightly or wrongly.
Had Giles (or I) bowled well and performed in Australia then this debate would not have been happening, and the selectors would be laughing into their VB's, claiming the moral victory.
Giles has been a disaster though. With the Australian batsman playing him like a club pro, he offers little of the attacking threat or intent of our bearded friend. Perhaps Monty would have been ripped apart, but conversely he might have been the one doing the ripping.
It's about time the selector's stood up for themselves and justified their salaries and took two steps forward instead of one step back. I look forward to seeing an altered squad in a week's time... I'm not holding my breath though.
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