'Ding, dong'
Whenever you see or hear an interview with Ian Bell (like this one in yesterday's Grauniad) the overarching message is that his emergence as a dominant test batsmen producing a run of big scores is 'just around the corner'.
Funnily enough - that's what we used to say about revolutionary socialism and the 'inevitable' collapse of capitalism...
One game at a time
And while we're totally unjustifiably picking on Belly - see how many 'tired cliches' you can spot in this article - par score is seventeen...
Northern Uproar
A couple of friends of mine who are members of Lancashire CCC tell me that Saj Mahmood has, sadly, become totally insufferable since becoming something of a regular in the England set up. To be honest, I'm not quite sure why - his bowling performances for Lancashire so far this season demonstrate that he's still spraying it around like a drunk pissing in an alley.
On the plus side, they report that Jimmy Anderson has returned to being a normal bloke, having blazed the trail for Mahmood's descent to 'dickheadland' a few years ago - and that Freddie seems to be enjoying his cricket more than at any time since about 2004. Shame the domestic tranquility is going to end tomorrow.
I'm So Tired
May 17th is a truly ridiculous time to start a test match in the UK. It's less than a month since World Cup, which came at the end of an arduous winter that made Napoleon's retreat from Moscow seem like an amble in the park.
It would actually serve the cricketing authorites right if it were to lash down for the next five days resulting in a total wash out. Ask the players, hand on heart if they'd rather be back on the international treadmill or be able to spend another couple of weeks on the county circuit. There are some tired minds and bodies in the squad, and it's going to take more than the four days in Norfolk that Bell refers to in his interview to recharge the batteries.
The West Indies have had about two and a half days of cricket to acclimatise to English conditions. I don't mind the Aussies having that kind of truncated warm up, but the Windies are in enough of a mess as it is without having to kick their heels in the dressing room staring at the monsoon conditions we've had in the past week.
Survival of the Twittest
Why is this test being played at Lords? I know I've banged on about it before, but when there are already more test match grounds than tests, why on earth does Lords automatically qualify for TWO tests (and a couple of ODIs) each summer?
'...and finally...'
Todays fearless prediction, hardly an outlandish one, is that Tresco will be back for the ODIs this summer.
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3 comments:
Funnily enough, as I read Bell's "article" in the Grauniad I thought of you making some such comments... presumably those members of the England team who can actually pass a literacy test have signed up with newspapers that pay more than peanuts.
And you know why Lord's gets so many internationals: they can sell more seats for more money at the London grounds than anywhere else. Don't you want English cricket to have the dosh for development? (Yes, I know there are too many counties, but that's another can of worms altogether.)
Why two tests at Lords? Ah yes, of course! For MONEY! Because the problem in the Winter was that we hadn't chucked enough of it at the England set-up. Barely as many coaches as players in the touring party, and Freddie could only afford a pedalo instead of a speedboat (now that would've been interesting...)
Why not go the whole hog and stop putting on a show at all for the Northern Hard-ups. Play 'em all at Lord's and (insert current sponsors name here)Oval.
It's not just greed- it's also twin tours. Touring teams visiting England expect to play a Test match at Lords.
Fancy being the ECB and explaining to India that they can't play at Lords. Not much chance of that.
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