England Cricket Blog...Welcome to Middle & Off's Cricket Blog

England v West Indies, Headingley - Day 1

2007-05-26T04:58:00.000Z

Good, yes that's good. Very good. Virgil was outstanding. Just fantastic. Aggers said of one of his cover drives that there is no one in the world who plays a better stroke and he is right. Vaughan is stylish and makes it look easy. Hats off to Virgil...the king is back.

KP's at it again. This guy is surely going to be the best Test batsman of all time isn't he?

Ok. 366 for 5. Start of Day 2. Good position but the weather is about to get involved. So, what's the plan? England will not want a draw. It looks like a decent day up there today but heavy rain for Sunday. Let's assume that they get 90 overs in today and England are either out just after lunch or declare. I think that 450 will be enough. That should still leave 50-60 overs to have a go at WI. Now Sarwan looks like he is out and we already know about Chiv. This leaves their batting looking very exposed. Only Chris Gayle stands as a potentially outstanding bat. We should knock them over easily. But with so much time about to be lost to rain we need to be clinical: get them out for around 250, bat again and declare at 150 which will set a target of 350. This target will inspire WI to play shots and if the weather holds Monday afternoon and Tuesday we should have a win in the bag!

So this morning KP and Matt the Gloves have got to come out blazing. I already think they have enough on the board to win this. The sooner they are bowling the better.

England v West Indies, Headingley - Day 1

2007-05-25T06:59:00.000Z

The return of Virgil was greeted with some scepticism by the sporting hacks at yesterday's press call. They have a point. After 16 Tests missed the skipper is back. But how long before he is injured again?

The weather in Leeds for today is set to be 16C with light right at times. This will favour our swing attack. I would like to see Sidebottom have a go as he seems to be brimming with confidence. No Freddie, which I think is right. He could do with a proper recovery time...like a year off. Harmison needs to be disciplined when they bowl, as does Plunkett. I am tempted to suggest playing both Anderson & Sidebottom (leave Plunkett on the bench) because they are superior at swinging the ball.

That said, England just need their bowlers to support their bats this time round. Should be an interesting day...especially if Harmy starts by spraying the ball down leg. However, I have a feeling that he will be on form today because he must be aware that his place will be under threat from the likes of Broad...and even Jones.

Would you like Onions with that?

2007-05-23T08:59:00.000Z

Of course, further to the suprise inclusion of Sidebottom, I would have liked to have seen Graham Onions in the squad. Here's why:

93 wickets in 35 1st class matches at an ecomony rate of 3.79

Only 24 years old and he adds to the fun for scorers:

caught Mustard bowled Onions

Sidebottom's Back

2007-05-23T08:00:00.000Z

So Sidebottom returns to the England fold after 6 years in the wilderness. A surprise choice (and he looks surprised doesn't he?) but it does show that Peter Moores is applying some thought to like for like replacements for injured players.

He didn't take a wicket for England when he was last called upon but, if he gets a game, he knows the Leeds conditions well and should 'come good'.

PS This was the only picture I could find of Sidebottom. I think it was taken before he grew his hair.

Ramps - Modern Day Cricket God

2007-05-23T07:09:00.000Z

Well, what can you say about this guy? Awesome is one word that springs to mind. Technically, the most correct batsman that this country has ever produced. He is showing the world that the form of the last two seasons was not just chance. He is a class act. Here's some numbers to look at:

1st Class

391 Matches; 644 innings; 82 Not Outs; 29309 runs(!); High Score - 301*; Average - 52.15; 91 Centuries; 130 Half Centuries oh! and 228 catches.

If you get a chance to see this guy before he retires I highly recommend it. His front foot cover drive is second to none. Watch his straight bat and the high elbow - all text book stuff. And the lesson that we can all draw from his game? Watch the ball. Watch the ball. When you see him facing any bowler that is all he does. He watches the ball and his mind then controls his body. Most batsmen start to lose their 'eye' and timing after 32 but at 37 this one is just fantastic.

Go see him him play. Oh, by the way, he's a bloody nice chap too.

England v West Indies, Headingley - Preview

2007-05-22T06:27:00.000Z

Right then. So Freddie & Virgil are bouncing back in time for Leeds on Friday. I'm a little concerned about Freddie I must confess. I suspect that he will be a straight replacement for Hoggard now and that Ian Bell is saved, at least for the moment, from the unfair deselection that hangs above his head like the proverbial Sword of Damocles. Virgil will push Shah out of the side, who hasn't really done anything to merit any re-inclusion in the future.

Time to get serious now. This is a must win Test. We simply must win. Our batting is looking really strong but our bowlers (Monty excepted) are just not fit for the task. I see that Peter Moores is defending Harmy and saying he will come good. But what we need isn't a come-good Harmy but a consistent stock bowler like Fraser & Caddick once provided. We don't need Harmison to have a devastating spell in which he picks up 3 wickets and then fails to knock the tail over. We need a steady Harmison who can control the game and run rate with accuracy of Glenn McGrath & the ferocity of Alan Donald. Whilst I am convinced that the Northern lad can provide such performances, I feel that he needs control. Back to basics time; figure out what the problems are with the line he bowls. Take the pace off his run until he gets some consistency. With that in mind, I would drop him now until he gets it right and bring in either Broad or Mahmood. This is a relatively unimportant series (important for Moores and team morale) so we can afford to draft in the stars of the future.

With Flintoff back on Friday (and I am assuming that he is actually fit enough to bowl - if he's not then don't pick him) we will have a strong attack (on paper) for a Leeds ground that traditionally favours those who can swing the ball. There is a some possibility that Moores will put Jimmy Boy Anderson on notice in case Freddie is not fit because the one thing that Jimmy can do is swing the ball. But my preference would be for Mahmood who has done well at this ground at county level. If it is overcast on Friday morning England will look to win the toss and field. This is Virgil's home ground and no one in the side will have more local knowledge than him.

And so my final message to Team England is this:

Batters - hey, great job lads, you have put the bowlers to shame.
Bowlers - (Monty excepted) Pull your finger out. Bowl to your field. Bowl wicket to wicket. Bowl on a length and find that rhythm early on.

England v West Indies, Lords - Day 5

2007-05-21T05:56:00.000Z

Here comes the rain...and it is forecast for light rain. There's a very good chance that this will end as a dead rubber. That said, Team England will need to attack whenever they can. So here's the run down on performance so far:

Strauss - 1st Innings 33; 2nd Innings 24. Good captaincy in places. 7/10
Cook - 105 & 65. 1 Catch. 9/10
Shah - 6 & 4. Poor decsion to bat him at 3. 3/10
Pietersen - 24 & 109. Superb 2nd inns. Awesome shots. 8/10
Collingwood - 111 & 34. Excellent 1st knock. 1 Catch, 1 Wicket. 8/10
Bell - 109* & 3. I like this guy. Class Act. Great 1st inns. 9/10
Prior -126* & 21. Set for a long stint now. Awesome batting. 9/10
Plunkett - DNB & 0. 2 Wickets. 6/10
Hoggard - DNB & DNB. 4/10
Harmison - DNB & 11*. 1 Wicket. Must do better. 3/10
Panesar - DNB & 3*. 6 Wickets so far. Will take more. Great attacking spin. 9/10

Good consistent cricket from our batsmen so far. We need our bowlers to make use of conditions today and what little time there is left.

A Declaration of Dominance

2007-05-20T17:40:00.000Z

Excellent. Good call. Can't remember the last time a England side declared twice in a match...the quite often gave up twice! Not this time.

Big ask...but the weather looks bad for Monday.

England v West Indies, Lords - Day 4

2007-05-20T17:11:00.001Z

I have deliberately avoided posting before now because I was eager to see if Peter Moores has the killer instinct that the conservative Fletcher always lacked. And, by the way the English batsmen are making hay, I would have to say that he has. We just need the declaration. A lead of 400 is safe and will give us a chance to bowl a few overs tonight. Put Monty straight on. Go for the throat!

England v West Indies, Lords - Day 2

2007-05-19T06:04:00.000Z

Ian Bell, this morning stands on the precipice of deselection, despite one of the best innings he has ever played. Even after being demoted down the order to 6 so as to allow the hapless Shah to take guard at 3, this 25 year didn't sulk. Instead he raised his game with a show of class and true Test batting. Of course, his innings will always be overshadowed by Matt Prior's magnificent knock because Prior has scored faster and has taken the lion's share of the runs in the partnership. But, in my mind this simply highlights why Bell is the superior player; there can be no doubt of Prior's class but had he been partner to KP or even Collingwood runs would have been harder, much harder to come by. Instead, Bell's maturity as a Test batsman who is versatile enough to adapt his game from top order to middle order made sure that Prior got the strike. This was very very good cricket. Of course, Bell will be dropped as soon as Freddie passes fitness. This will be a mistake. Freddie might be fit enough to bat but he is not fit enough to bowl. Let him rest. He has nothing to offer us with his bat at the moment and a spell of having to fight for his place will do him good.

It's funny because you know that Bell will accept whatever the Selectors decide and bide his time as he has done so often. What this man has written all over him is Future England Captain.

Back from the future and to the job in hand. A declaration will surely come first thing this morning. The Hoggard & Harmison Express will be chomping at the bit right now at the prospect of a shiny new cherry and a damp Lord's pitch. Away you go lads. To be honest England have already done enough to win this game. And we should win without having to bat again. Our strike attack will knock them over cheaply and enforce the follow-on. Moores will be crowned a hero and Fletcher will be admitting to himself that when it came to spotting a decent keeper he was a 1st Class Klutz. And then the other thing a comprehensive win will bring is this: Michael Who? Freddie What?

England v West Indies, Lords - Day 2

2007-05-18T07:11:00.000Z

Mmmm, nice to see some runs on the board and still some wickets in hand. Cook is 102 Not Out from 173 balls, which included 10 fours. Good steady innings. We need some more from him this morning but the light will be a problem again today.

The West Indies look like a side that haven't had enough practice. I'm glad that our strike bowlers have both been getting plenty of action and if rain doesn't spoil the day, England should be looking to get some overs in by tea. A lead of 400 will help that. It is vital that England play to win this; they must make allowances for bad light and rain. All England expects and a draw will not do. Peter Moores will be keen to start his own innings with a win.

So, if batting is good today and we still have wickets at 400 or 450 we should declare in order to make a match of it.

I haven't seen any of the match because I have cancelled my Sky Sports subscription. I am fed up with paying Murdoch's wages. He is ruining sport for everyone, including clubs. With no highlights available without paying for them I am having to make do with the tedium of Boycott, who despite being an all time class bat, can be a complete arse when it comes to opening his mouth without thinking about what diatribe is coming out.

England v West Indies, Lords - Day 1

2007-05-17T16:55:00.000Z

Ok, good toss to win but the Windies have failed to capitalise on the conditions. Pleased for Cook. He is a class player. The Shah at number 3 was a real odd decision. He is a decent top order player at County level. But Bell is the better and more obvious choice at 3, even if he has made runs at 6 before. Shah was obviously a bit rattled after briefly forgetting he was playing cricket and not football and trying to head the ball into the back of the net.

KP...well, what the hell was all that about? Sometimes he plays his innings inside out - Starts off with confidence and then goes back into his shell. Whenever he does this he gets a start and then stomps off after holing out. When he is at his best is when he comes out and plays himself in until he hits 20 and then puts his foot down.

200 for 3 isn't a bad score though. I have seen England do much worse than that. Really they should be all out for 400 after lunch tomorrow. I doubt there will be anymore play tonight. It will be nice to see young Cook make another 50 or so. Bell should make runs and so should Prior. This tail looks a bit long and scary...more of a snake than a tail! Monty was the right choice over Jimmy Boy and both Hoggard and Barmy Harmy are on top form. All set for a good game.

Peter & his Friends

2007-05-14T07:29:00.000Z

Here's the squad:

Andrew Strauss (captain),
Alastair Cook,
Ian Bell,
Kevin Pietersen,
Paul Collingwood,
Andrew Flintoff,
Matt Prior (wicket keeper),
Liam Plunkett,
Steve Harmison,
Matthew Hoggard,
Monty Panesar,
Owais Shah.

Shame no place for Bopara but they have got it right with Prior's inclusion and giving the captaincy to Strauss.

Now all they need is some sunshine...

At the Captain's Table

2007-05-10T12:19:00.000Z

So...who should skipper the side if Virgil's brittle bones don't heal in time?

Cork has come out for Lancs team mate Freddie 'Pedlo' Flintoff. Some are calling for Collingwood. And then there's out of form Strauss.

Now if it was on consistent form alone I would choose Figjam - although his golden calf is torn. However, why not look at Bell who is often pushed in front of TV cameras as if he is being groomed for the job. He has a decent cricket brain and is well respected within the side. I think Strauss has all the right qualifications but lacks form and that can be a real problem.

What do you think?

Bangers & Mash Please

2007-05-10T07:50:00.000Z

Looking at his stats this morning I am going to have to champion this guy. I had him in my Telegraph fantasy league about 8 or 9 years ago when he first got into the Somerset side and he did me proud. Here's some numbers:

Tests:

Matches - 76
Runs - 5825
HS - 219
Ave - 43.79
100s - 14
50s - 29
Catches - 95

1st Class:

Matches - 211
Runs - 12475
HS - 219
Ave - 35.84
100s - 24
50s - 65
Catches - 243

All looks pretty good to me. Now I need a revised line up:

1. Tressy
2. Cook
3. Strauss
4. Bell
5. Freddie
6. Collingwood
7. Prior
8. Jones
9. Hoggard
10. Monty
11. Harmison

That should sort it.

Figjam's Golden Calf

2007-05-10T07:28:00.000Z

Ok...so he's out and Virgil too. No big deal. There's a stack of big hitters looking to get a call. Ed Joyce will be keen. I'd like to see Bangers in for Virgil even though he has kind of ruled himself out...but read the words he said carefully:

"I don't think I'm in contention for a Test call-up.
"Nothing has changed compared to the last few weeks - I'm just going to go about my business playing for Somerset,"

That says to me that he would be flattered by the call and is desperate to prove his worries are over. And let's face it, his troubles only seem to appear when he is away from home.

Keep an eye on this story. 284 he scored yesterday. That strikes me as a no-brainer. Call him up now.

2007-05-09T07:22:00.000Z

Right, here's the schedule. The 1st match for the Windies should be very interesting if Bangers is playing. Especially as he appears to be on the form of his life. He is sitting pretty of 185 not out this morning against Northampton but seems to be ruling himself out of the series. Personally, I'd like to see him included. My verdict for the series? Well, the tests should finish 2-1 to England and the ODIs the same. It will be even honours in the Twenty20s.

May
12-14 v Somerset, Taunton
17-21 1st Test, Lord's
25-29 2nd Test, Headingley

June
1-3 v MCC, Durham
7-11 3rd Test, Old Trafford
15-19 4th Test, Riverside
21 v England A, New Road
24 Twenty20 v Derbyshire, Derby
26 Twenty20 v PCA Masters, Arundel
28 Twenty20 International, The Oval
29 Twenty20 International, The Oval

July
1 1st ODI, Lord's
4 2nd ODI, Edgbaston
7 3rd ODI, Trent Bridge

Bad Day at the Office...

2007-05-07T06:57:00.000Z

Yesterday, with eager anticipation, I trudged off to the far-flung regions of Greater Peterborough to play my first competitive game of the season. Our opponents? A side from a small hamlet. The pitch was well covered with green grass and was rock hard. Our skipper duly won the toss and choose to field. And when we had them at 40 for 4 the decision looked the right one. Their skipper had confessed to being a better bowling side that lacked definition to their batting. But something went wrong. And it went wrong badly. By the time we had reached 40 overs out of 45 they were 315 for 9. I suddenly realised just how all those hopeful opposition sides felt against the might of the Baggy Greens. So what went wrong?

Well, we didn't take the chances we should have done. Simple as that. In the very first over their big opener clipped one to square leg; a tough one-handed chance went to ground. He was then dropped at Long On - a chance that should have been taken. Two more chances were missed as well as being trapped plumb in front - their umpire was having none of it, stating that it was missing the stumps but wouldn't say if it was going down leg or past off. So five chances to get the big opener out missed. I felt that he had a weakness against a slower ball and was given my chance to prove it. My first ball was flighty affair, straight and on a good length which he tried to charge only to misfire completely. That was the ball. But whenever I tried to replicate it he was there. Two massive 6s in one over, one of which left the ground completely and was last seen bouncing off the tiles of a house in a neighbouring street. He finally fell to a very slow top-spinner bowled from the back of the hand just back of a length. His eagerness of his charge ensured that he was through the shot before the ball even landed and was stumped whilst still three feet out of his ground. He was on 149. Now, I wouldn't have minded if he had played some chanceless innings. But it wasn't. It was simply carefree - Matthew Hayden style. Rarely did he wait for the ball or pick it out of the hand. His more fluent shots were selected on length because of the slowness of the pitch. But the damage was done. 319 all out was always a big ask. We were skittled for just 137 in near darkness.

But the lesson from that is that one man can make a difference. Take him out of the equation and their batting did lack definition. Sadly this is the case more often than not with England's ODI side; one player carries the rest. Sometimes this means a win and sometimes a loss. The question remains however - how do England match Australia at ODI level? Simple really: get the same definition in the top six batting as Australia have. Time for a change? I think so. As RB's comments suggest in my previous post we have the players to do the job. Forget opening with three 'touch' players like Strauss, Vaughan & Bell. We need on-form Freddie, KP & Bopara opening up, setting the pace and sparing the lower order from keeping up with the run rate.

12 Good Men

2007-05-06T09:53:00.000Z

I refer to an earlier posting that English cricketers appear to be made from some brittle material. And I'm right. Once again Vaughan finds himself sidelined with an injury and once again the debate about who will fill his shoes is raging. Well, this is a real no-brainer. No debate required. Give the job to Strauss who, despite a poor run of form with the bat, is really the only man in the squad with a decent cricket brain.

And so, with the forthcoming series against the Windies on the horizon, I thought I'd stop sulking about our dreadful showing of the recent winter and focus upon a game we can play: Test cricket on green top pitches. This is our game. This is what we are good at. And, in a funny sort of way, the future is very bright. We have a decent squad of players, although we are lacking a couple of in form quickies (but Harmy & Hoggy are doing well at the mo). There is some good batting going on in the counties - mainly due to an exceptionally dry April, with a swave of young batters looking to break through. There is a leadership contest running for head gloveman - I reckon that Peter Moores will tip his hat to Matt Prior over part-time club doorman Paul Nixon. Simon Jones is in decent shape and even the ultimate stonewall blocker Matthew Hoggard managed to score 61 the other day. Add into the pot the ingredients of an out of form and out of control West Indies side and we have a competitive series in prospect.

So, here they are, 12 Good Men:

1. Cook
2. Strauss
3. Bell
4. KP
5. Collingwood
6. Flintoff
7. Prior
8. Jones
9. Hoggard
10. Harmison
11. Monty
12. Plunkett

Watdayareckon?

England Vs South Africa

2007-04-17T22:32:00.000Z

Piss Poor.

Putting Things Right

2007-04-09T12:42:00.000Z

Where do we start? Let's, for the moment, push the World Cup out of our minds. Take a look at this coming English summer: Two nPower Test Series against West Indies & India. Both sides are having struggles of their own. But that is the present. The past shapes up like this: West Indies have played 74 tests against us in Blighty and only won 29 of them. Their heyday of the 1980's has long past. And, depending on how they fare in the rest of the World Cup they could be coming here with their tails between their legs, probably with a new skipper and looking to establish themselves back into Test cricket. Currently they stand in 8th position in the ICC Test Rankings. They can only really improve. And I suspect they will be looking to start that evolution at Lords on 17th May.

By that time we ourselves should be clearer about Team England. Trescothick is playing again, Jones is playing again. Interestingly enough, both players are still on central contracts until the end of the forthcoming season. The ECB will be looking for a return on that investment. It is hard to tell whether Tressy will ever play again but he did score 256 the other day against Devon. And regardless of the strength of the opposition it was a big score and good to see. I suspect Jones' return will take a little longer but he will surely be included in the squad for training if nothing else. Now, I am not one for relying on individuals to change the fortunes of a team. Simply, we should work with what we have got. The Selectors however have had a tendency to gamble on unfit players like they did in the Ashes recently. I don't think there is any need to do that this summer.

Let's look at the bowlers:

Both Harmison & Hoggard enjoy the greentop wickets of England and have both found success at Lord's. Hoggard has taken 37 wickets in 10 matches there and Harmison has taken 30 in 7 matches. However, they haven't played for a longtime now and so are unlikely to be match fit.

Then's there is Freddie, who I think is carrying an injury. Certainly they will look to play him. But who else? Mahmood? Plunkett? Time to turn to Broad me thinks. If Hoggy, Harmy & Freddie are fit what better way to introduce new blood into the side?

Obviously Monty will play. At Test level he is great. He has struggled on the flat, slow pitches in the West Indies but give him a track with a bit of purchase on it and he's away. So, things can start to shape up a little:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Freddie
6.
7.
8. Hoggard
9. Harmison
10. Broad
11. Monty

But, wait up. Got to have a wicket keeper. So there is Nicco and oh, what were the names of these other two...eh? Surely we can't be thinking about playing Nixon at Test level? No, we can't. But then the toss up between Jones & Reed has never really been resolved. And add to that that neither of them have played for sometime we are starting to look at a series that begins in 6 weeks with very few match-fit players. Let's put Jones in For now.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Freddie
6.
7. Jones
8. Hoggard
9. Harmison
10. Broad
11. Monty

Batting then. Tressy? yes. Strauss? Yes. Virgil? Yes? Bell? Yes. KP? Yes. Collingwood? Yes. But wait. we only have 5 slots left. I suspect that Tressy will lose out for the first 2 tests until we have a dreadful collapse or someone hits a poor run of form. And so, here's what we should have left:

1. Strauss
2. Virgil
3. Bell
4. KP
5. Freddie
6. Colly
7. Jones
8. Hoggard
9. Harmison
10. Broad
11. Monty

Not perfect, but it's a start and when Jones and Tressy are ready they can slot back in nicely! Now discuss!

Decline & Fall

2007-04-09T05:32:00.000Z

The eternal optimism that I have long possessed for English cricket is fading fast. Long has it tortured me into believing that we will come good. And has the sun rises here with it hope is evaporating. I'm not sure where we can now change our fortunes. Bangladesh are no walk-over. Certainly SA are beatable but I'm sure our batting will be shown to be inadequate against Pollock, Ntini & Nel. Even the out-of-form West Indies look like a daunting prospect.

Yesterday was painful; yet another emotional roller coaster as we lurched from being on top of them to being well short. It is had to draw out the positives but there were a few; Bell looked good as an opener. He and KP played some excellent cricket on a slow pitch. Flintoff bowled tight as did Colly for most of his part. Apart from that all I see is failure. Failure by Vaughan & Strauss to take on Tait. Bell seemed to be playing on a different track to those two. He targeted McGrath well. The World Cup seems to be a watershed for all the main teams. Reshuffle time for coaches and captains. Virgil is the best captain we have had for many years but unless he can get his troops to raise their game to the levels we know they can play at then he is wasting every one's time. I can feel the winds of change gathering pace.

England v Australia

2007-04-08T21:26:00.000Z

Another one lost. Blame must be apportioned to some poor batting. Yet another collaspe. Hats off to Bell & KP for a sterling effort. Time for a rethink. Regroup. Lick the wounds. We know that the Aussies are class but against their towering shadow we look very ordinary. No real depth to our bowling. Seem to lack wicket takers and people to make partnerships. Very dissapointing. Bangladesh, South Africa & West Indies to come. Pack your bags lads. Get on the next flight home.

England v Australia

2007-04-08T19:27:00.000Z

Looking at our batting, and the decision to bat first, I would have to say that it was right to bat first. The pitch is slowing up. Virgil obviously had faith enough to post a total. 247 wasn't enough at the time. 275 would have been better and 300 would have been comfortable. But in the last few overs on a slower pitch 247 is starting to look defendable. Freddie is bowling tight and Colly seems to unsettle both Ponting & Clarke. Just need to strangle the runs. The required rate is 5.4. We need to make that around 6.5 to make them sweat a little.

England v Australia

2007-04-08T19:22:00.001Z

Typical. Turn my back for a minute and a part-timer gets the on-form man out! The golf is looking just as dire...

England v Australia

2007-04-08T19:15:00.001Z

This is dire...reckon I might watch the golf to see if the Brits are doing any better in Augusta

England v Australia

2007-04-08T18:38:00.000Z

A wicket at last. About bloody time. Poor bowling from the two openers. We know how to get these two out even on flat tracks like this one. Freddie is not 100%. Surely he is carrying some niggle. He doesn't look right...troubled, wrinkled brow.

Let's see what Monty can do...

England v Australia - Preview

2007-04-08T09:00:00.000Z

Yep, big as they come this one. A must win, or at least a must compete. We started to show signs of what we are capable of against SL. Just need to step it up a gear or two. Antigua is a good wicket which has seen some interesting results so far in the Super 8s. West Indies won the toss against Aus and decided to field. Hayden was obnoxiously brilliant with 158 and WI could not respond; Then NZ won the toss against WI and also chose to field. WI were scuttled for a paltry 177 which NZ knocked off easilyin under 40 overs; Aus won the toss and fielded against Bangladesh and destroyed them; and then NZ won the toss and fielded again and also destroyed Bangladesh; Then England won the toss and also chose to field against SL in possibly the most exciting match of the cup so far...we lost by 2 runs. What does this tell us? Well, it means that none of the captain are really sure what a good score is on this track. The weather is set to be overcast with a 30% chance of rain which will suit our seamers but this series has seen sides overcome their betters with the use of slow bowling from part-timers.

So then. If Virgil wins the toss he should put Aus into bat. If we can restrict them to under 250 then we will give ourselves a chance. 200 would be fantastic. Our advantage is that once again the Aussies have written us off and we know them. In fact we have played more cricket against them in the past 2 years than against any other side. We have undone Gilchrest, Hayden & Ponting enough times to know what the plan for each of them is. Then all we have to do is bat well. Here's my line up:

1. Vaughan
2. Strauss
3. Peitersen
4. Bell
5. Flintoff
6. Collingwood
7. Bopara
8. Nixon
9. Mahmood
10. Broad
11. Panesar

England Vs Sri Lanka

2007-04-06T12:13:00.000Z

The thing with SL is that always fight. It is hard to say the same of England at times. The shoulders drop, the chat in the field stops and the game runs away from them. This game, however, was different. I have to say that the England performance in the field was the best I have seen in this competition. To restrict a team like SL to 235 is a great feat. And to bowl them out is massive. But...(there seems to always be a but when talking about and England performance)...as I said in my previous post, there is trouble at the top.

If you had offered Virgil 235 all out and a decent(ish) pitch to bat on he would have bitten your hand off. So what went wrong? First we need to look at the top order. The general consensus is that you put your best suited batsmen in first. Ok, so why isn't KP opening? He is certainly in form and obviously a class above Joyce. Why not open with him and Strauss? Then Virgil, Freddie and Bell. Leave Collingwood & Bopara as pinch-hitters down the order. When batting is tough England have a middle-order that withdraws inside their shell. I know that when I play at the weekends if we are facing a bowler who is taking the pace off the ball and restricting runs then the thing to do is to take them on. Hit them out of the bowling attack. But once again we saw part-time spinners like Jayasuriya and Dilshan hold us up. Things need to change. Virgil needs to find form. I know he has a good record batting against Australia but stats won't help on Sunday. Drop Joyce (for now - we will need him later) call up Strauss. Anderson doesn't look on top of things so bring in Stuart Broad - who really should have played from the start.

Sunday is a must-win. We know how to beat these guys. We just need to step up our game.

Trouble at the Top

2007-04-04T06:53:00.000Z

We have looked on in wonder over the past 6 months at the spectacle that is English cricket. From the lows of a 5-0 Ashes whitewash to stuffing Australia at their own game, on their own turf. And now, we stand bemused by a thus far lacklustre performance in the World Cup; still waiting for them to shine. Perhaps they won't.

It could be that they are at the top of their game already. That we are simply a poor ODI side. Or it could be that we have been holding back. Whatever it is, today we have a fight on our hands. I read with interest Mike Selvey's attack on the team in today's Guardian. He says that we rely too much on Collingwood and Figjam for batting and that without Monty & Freddie our bowling is poor. To some extent I will agree; we do lack depth in our bowling and even those two much esteemed ball flingers seem off colour. But I am more convinced that this is down to poor preparation. Everyone knows that West Indian pitches are slower but I don't think we realised how much slower. It has been fascinating to watch part time spinners doing damage across the matches. It seems to work too. Today, against one of the best batting lineups in ODI's, we will need to take the pace off the ball. We need to bowl with intelligence. Bowling length balls like we did on our last outing will only mean alot more fetching the ball practice as the likes of Jayasuriya & Tharanga pierce our in field defences. It really is time to step up to the plate.

Ok, so what's wrong? Well, to start with we must acknowledge that the ODI success of other teams is mainly down to how their perform with the ball. Batting first and getting a big score on a flat wicket is no guarantee to winning. SL's run rate is impressive. They attack bowlers. They also know us well. So it's time to mix it up a little. Get Jimmy boy to pitch it up. Don't give their batters time to adjust. It's a shame that Mahmood hasn't come good because his slower ball is great. Let Virgil & KP bowl their tweakers. SL won't have seen much of either of them. Attack them from the off. We know where Jayasuriya & Tharanga score their runs so strangle their supply. Take catches. Save the 1s. And most importantly, BOWL THEM OUT.

Our top order is in trouble. My bet is that Strauss will come in today for either Joyce or Bell. This is good. Not for his batting so much but because Strauss has a decent cricket brain and Virgil will need to turn to him in the field. But our batting still needs sorting. Strauss & Virgil open. KP at 3 and Colly at 4! That should put the cat among the pigeons. Freddie & Bopara to follow. At this level we shouldn't need anymore than that. These are impressive players who can all hurt bowlers. Today's the day to hit them with maximum pain.

Mmmm...Virgil's Spin

2007-03-31T15:22:00.000Z

It was a win. A poor performance, but still a win. It was nice to see Virgil say that we needed to improve our batting and bowling! We look like a 2nd rate county side at the mo. Being a incorrigible optimist means that I'm thinking that we will peak soon and be the best team in the comp. Of course this is simply insane. We are exactly what we are; not good enough to survive Sri Lanka & Oz this week.

Poor, Poor, Poor

2007-03-30T20:46:00.000Z

Oh dear. It's always won in the field and we are sloppy. I hate to agree with that mad Hussain chappy but he's right this time. We need to bowl full and straight not the bloody log hops that we are throwing up. We could lose this.

Head 2 Head

2007-03-30T06:36:00.000Z

England batters have scored 622 runs (excluding extras) between them.
Ireland's batters have scored 490.

England's bowlers have scored 17 wickets (run outs excluded) for the cost of 592 runs
Ireland have managed 19 wickets for 538 runs.

The highest score by an English batsman was the Irishman Ed Joyce - 75
The highest by an Irishman was scored by Australian Jeremy Bray - 115

Revised Prediction

2007-03-28T19:30:00.000Z

Ok...based upon where we are right now. I reckon the Super 8s will end up like like this:

SL v SA SA Win
WI v NZ NZ Win
IR v EN EN Win
AU v BN AU Win
WI v SL SL Win
BN v NZ NZ Win
IR v SA SA Win
EN v SL EN Win
BN v SA SA Win
AU v EN AU Win
IR v NZ NZ Win
WI v SA SA Win
EN v BN EN Win
SL v NZ SL Win
AU v IR AU Win
SA v NZ SA Win
BN v IR IR Win
AU v SL AU Win
SA v EN SA Win
IR v SL SL Win
WI v BN WI Win
AU v NZ AU Win
WI v EN EN Win

If so the table would end up like this:

AU 14 Points
SA 12 Points
NZ 8 Points
EN 8 Points
SL 8 Points
WI 4 Points
IR 2 Points
BN 0 Points

So based on current Run Rates England would not go through to the semi-finals. Therefore, because of the rules, it is likely to be like this;

AU v SL
SA v NZ

and that would mean AU v SA in the final...which is right because they are the best two sides...but (and it saddens me to say this) those baggy green reprobates will continue as World Champions!

England Vs Kenya

2007-03-25T15:22:00.001Z

Ok. Fair enough. "A professional win" according to Virgil. I wouldn't exactly agree but there were a few moments of a reasonable clinical performance that made me feel like we could progress further. However, the key to that progression will be whether we can find the gumption to perform against the rest of the best.

Highlights:

Mahmood back in the side and bowling a few straight ones.
Jimmy Boy sober enough to get some nice early movement - looked worn out after 6 overs though.
Pretty good fielding and getting a few run outs
Flintoff's inswinging Yorker to their skipper
Ed Joyce's batting
Figjam's clinical 'I'm gonna be here at the end and get the winning runs' batting
The look on Virgil's face when he was caught at Backward Point

Lowlights:

Failure to kill them off when they were 90 odd for 5
Ed Joyce's drop

All in all pretty good. Might even peak at the right moment. They really need to destroy Ireland later this week...I mean really destroy them. That will make the likes of NZ and SA sit up and pay attention. One convincing win will make these lads buzz. A sad testament to their confidence levels I know, but true nevertheless.

Murdered

2007-03-23T08:15:00.000Z

I don't want to discuss the conspiracy that will obviously surround the tragic killing of Bob Woolmer. That will run whatever. However, if his murder was directly related to Cricket, then the game has taken a very sorry course. The murky waters of the past which involved captains disgraced over betting syndicates has already done much to ruin the game's reputation. Let us hope the game hasn't entered a more sinister arena.

Bob Woolmer was a true lover of the game. It was a gentleman's game. Let us hope it can retrace its roots and be played once more in its true spirit.

England Vs Canada

2007-03-18T21:36:00.000Z

In years to come the books will show this as an England win. However, what actually happened was that Canada lost. Once again our middle order looked woeful. Once again we had them on the ropes and failed to go in for the kill. We need that killer instinct. English cricket is in all sorts of trouble. We need bowlers who can consistently take wickets in every game. We need an attacking middle order. KP should bat at 3. Bring in Bopara for JD and let him bat at 6. Find a death bowler. Develop a plan and stick to it.

A disappointing performance all round. Collingwood saved us...and only just.

Bob Woolmer

2007-03-18T18:37:00.000Z

A sad day. He was truly a decent man and a great coach. He gave a great deal to cricket and will be missed.

Rock Steady Freddie

2007-03-18T13:10:00.000Z

Well, well, well...

Pedalo Freddie is sidelined...One beer too many? Or perhaps one session too many? Let's face the music and dance...

World Cup Forecast

2007-03-18T07:59:00.000Z

Ok...complicated cup this. But let's make some assumptions that the groups will finish like this:

A1: AUS
A2: SA
B1: SL
B2: IND
C1: NZ
C2: ENG
D1: WI
D2: IRE

On this assumption England will have to play the following matches in this order:

WI v ENG - 2 points
ENG v SL - 2 points
AUS v ENG - 0 points
ENG v IND - 2 points
ENG v SA - could go either way
IRE v ENG - 2 points

Now, 2 points for a win. We could end up with 10 points, along with AUS, SA & NZ which would make a decent semi-final line up. Of course, we might only get 8 or even 6 points but could still go through. As I understand the rules, in the semi stage you can't play a team from your Group Stage so that would mean we would have to play AUS and SA v NZ would be the other match. Therefore it is likely to be a final between AUS & SA...which will be interesting.

England Vs Canada

2007-03-18T07:21:00.000Z

Make mine a large one...It seems that this was the cry of England's beleaguered bowlers after Friday's defeat against NZ. Players out on the razz, getting fined and rumours that Freddie got drunk and capsized a boat...good lads. In a way it's a shame they can't put as much vigour into playing cricket. I like a drink and a night out as much as the next man and cricketer's come from a long line of party animals...it's in the blood. But don't get caught! And it would have been fine if they had just thrashed Oz or even NZ...but after a losing match far better to sit in the corner with a beer and lick those wounds!

So today, hangovers will have resolved, players rested, time to take on the minnows. But wait, what happened yesterday? Pakistan outclassed by Ireland. India mauled by Bangladesh. Its worrying but Ireland could actually win the World Cup. What happens then? Give them Test Status?

England need to attack hard today and show their true spirit. To play defensively will be a mistake because Canada will be spurred on by what happened yesterday and will look to dump our drunken team overboard.

England v New Zealand - Group C Match 2

2007-03-17T06:33:00.000Z

It's good to see that we have found our consistency levels again: Consistently poor.

Ok. So we lost the toss. They put us in. That might not have been what we wanted but to be a world class side you have to take every chance you get. 209 wasn't ever going to be enough against NZ. It might be enough against Canada or Kenya but not these guys. Strange that the oldest & the youngest guys in the team managed to make the score vaguely respectable at the end. Losing 4 wickets for just 5 runs was dreadful.

And then with the ball we had them on the rack at the start with 18 for 3. For once I will agree with that mad Hussain chap; England lack consistent wicket takers in this game. Freddie seems to have lost his edge. I still find myself wondering why we decided that Hoggard is not suited for ODI games. Whilst expensive at 5.29 runs per over, he has still managed to pull off 32 wickets in 26 matches. We could have done with him yesterday. Flintoff by comparison has taken 122 wickets in 116 matches. Even Harmison has a better match average than that. We need to get away from this specialist ODI player thing and get to the point of fielding our best 11 for all matches. Players should be able to adapt. Look at Gilchrest. Plays both games. In tests he bats at 6 or even 7 and in ODIs he opens. Flexible see.

A poor performance that puts pressure on us now. Even Canada & Kenya will have the smell of blood in their nostrils now.

Anderson's Hopeful

2007-03-15T17:07:00.000Z

According to the BBC Sport site England are hopeful that Jimmy Boy will play. They will make a decision on Friday morning. Seems a bit strange to me. I mean, how can he possibly field effectively? What if we play him, bat 1st and he gets rapped on the knuckles? They should rule him out now. Yet another selection gamble on injured players. Utter madness. Beware the Ides of March!

England Vs New Zealand

2007-03-15T12:03:00.000Z

Right then. Strap yourself in. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

So Jimmy the Wonder Boy has manged to break a finger on his left hand and dislocate another on his right...and Team England are wondering if he will be fit to play! Of course he won't. I can tell that from here!

In a way this match is must win. If we lose and then find ourselves under pressure to beat Canada & Kenya then we will stuff those matches up too. But we should beat NZ. Especially if Virgil can get through a game without twisting his sweatband or pulling his hat. It would seem that the whole of our squad is made of some brittle material which means they get injured by gusts of wind. Poor lads.

The big question in my mind is why is Stuart Broad off with the A Team (presumably with Mr T & Face) and not in the West Indies as a backup for Jimmy Boy or John Lewis. From what I have seen of him he is certainly equal to both of them.

More Soon.

Off the Pace

2007-03-11T09:10:00.000Z

Mmmm. I like this guy. He is, without doubt, a class act. His batting is great; gently pushing the ball through mid-wicket in an effortless fashion; pulling across the line on length alone and his text-book cover drive all show that Virgil is an excellent timer of the ball. On Friday it was excellent to see him in the runs. He and Ian Bell played very well for that 2nd wicket. Any concerns that the mad Hussain had about both being in the top three of the batting order because they are 'touch' players are unfounded.

And Virgil was the first to admit that the real problem on Friday was that either he or Bell should have gone on to score 80 or even a ton. That was where we fell down. Freddie & Collingwood did what they have done before and retreat inside the comfort of batting within themselves. The plan failed. Playing that way infects the incoming batsmen. They see the lack of self-confidence and it seeps into their own game. Whilst I will always maintain that Hussain is a complete idiot, he does have a small point that is worth bringing up; We need at least one bat at the crease all the time who will be willing to take the opposition on. Good Cop, Bad Cop. What should have happened is when KP went Fred & Colly should have had a chat and one of them should have said ok I'll keep the strike and hit the rope and the other should have played the anchor.

Next week when we take on the Kiwi's we will have to be ready to adopt such tactics. Fleming is equal to Virgil in his captaining skills. There can be no doubt about his ability to lead a side and certainly no doubt over his batting and determination. The English top order need to be inspired by MV and the way he has come back from injury to score runs. It's true that Virgil likes the slower WI pitches, it helps his timing. But that aside he must inspire if we are to progress.

On the bowling front I'm not sure what to say. Wicket to wicket and look for bowled, LBW and inside edges is one plan. Monty & JD looping it up outside off stump is another. One thing is certain that unless Mahmood can hit the pitch without going wide he will be of no use. We need to support our batsmen by bowling well, and our batsmen need to support our bowlers by not playing within themselves and giving away silly wickets. I would rather see Freddie out hooking for six than playing the wrong line to a straight ball.

England v Australia - A Windies Wind Up

2007-03-10T07:07:00.000Z

Oh Dear...

What happened there? How did we get from 122 for 1 to 197 all out? Questions, questions. We need some answers. Anybody out there able to tell me what went wrong, because I'm sure I don't know. We seem to go into ultra-defensive mode once KP and Virgil were out and only scored two boundaries in the last 24 overs. What the hell was all that about? Can't blame the pitch because the Aussie openers wasted no time in scoring runs.

We failed to attack their bowling once again and we failed to attack with our bowling. As much as I rate Mahmood it has to be said that he is trying very hard to get deselected with those mad wayward balls. Our bowlers can't afford to be giving away 6, 7 or 8 an over at this level.

Another game thrown away. Another game given to the Aussies that we should have won with ease. If we can't beat the Aussies when they in this poor condition then we might as well go home.

England v Australia - A West Indian Warm Up

2007-03-08T16:05:00.000Z

Here we go...

Virgil is set to open with Joyce (no place for Strauss) which I think is a good move. Needs to get at least 10 overs at the crease. The real test in Friday's warm up will be for those bowlers on the edge like Mahmood & Plunkett. We need to remember that both of the guys are still young. And the Aussies will be keen to bite back hard. No doubt they will target both the youngsters. Hopefully Lewis will continue to bowl wicket to wicket as he really won't get any swing out there. JD thinks that spin will play a big part in the series, and I think he's right. Fortunately, we are blessed with a decent left-arm spinner in Monty and a pretty good off-breaker in JD. But add into that stew Virgil's own tweakers and KP's turn and bounce and we look pretty well endowed on the spinners front.

I'm pretty optimistic about us beating Oz on Friday. To lose would be disastrous especially when the Aussies are at such a low-ebb and seem to be uncertain that they have even brought the right team. Nice to see indecision; it shows a real like of self-confidence, which from the Aussies is the sweetest music they can play.

Expect plenty of sledging. Expect KP to whack the ball really hard. Expect quick decisions from Virgil about bowling and fielding changes...but most of all expect a tight game where neither side will be looking to take prisoners.

World Cup Warm Up #1

2007-03-05T19:41:00.000Z

Good performance all round really. Real shame about the opposition but it provides a decent confidence-boosting opportunity. Lewis was the obvious star with the ball but all the bowlers made excellent contributions. Freddie looked like his rhythm was spot on; Mahmood was a little wayward but once he gets used to the conditions I think he will do really well, although he won't be the 1st choice over Anderson or Lewis. And Anderson was even in the catches today.

The real test of our mettle will be on Friday against the Aussies who will still be smarting after their brief tour of NZ and recent destruction by England. Still, if we play like we did today we should roll them over easily.

England expects...

World Cup Warm Up #1

2007-03-05T18:32:00.000Z

Looking ok...Should romp this. JD turned out well. KP's taking catches and scored a few runs. Belly did the biz again...good lads

Emburey on the Attack

2007-02-15T11:33:00.000Z

Well, he has a point:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/6363049.stm

But if we are going to go down that route let's not stop too short of the mark; let's not let them into the country next time they turn up to play the Ashes here. That way we'll get a walk over!

World Cup Squad

2007-02-14T14:22:00.000Z

Here we are then. 15 of England's finest ready to pick up where they left off (hopefully).

So, Virgil is back at the helm but Mal Loye has gone. Once again the selectors have picked 3 unfit players (Vaughan, Lewis & Anderson). That old gambling streak is still present. Right, here's who we're taking:

Michael Vaughan (captain, age 32, Yorkshire) 77 matches scoring 1773 runs @27.70
Ed Joyce (28, Middlesex) 12 matches scoring 319 runs @ 26.58
Ian Bell (24, Warwickshire) 36 matches scoring 1172 runs @37.80
Kevin Pietersen (26, Hampshire) 42 matches scoring 1582 runs @56.50
Andrew Strauss (29, Middlesex) 74 matches scoring 2156 runs @32.66
Paul Collingwood (30, Durham) 112 matches scoring 2690 runs @34.05
Andrew Flintoff (29, Lancashire) 115 matches scoring 2984 runs @33.52
Ravi Bopara (21, Essex) 1 match scoring 7 runs @ -
Paul Nixon (36, Leicestershire) 10 matches scoring 104 runs @11.55
Jamie Dalrymple (26, Middlesex) 24 matches scoring 481 runs @21.86
Liam Plunkett (21, Durham) 22 matches scoring 258 runs @23.45
James Anderson (24, Lancashire) 57 matches scoring 89 runs @7.41
Sajid Mahmood (25, Lancashire) 19 matches scoring 83 runs @9.22
Jon Lewis (31, Gloucestershire) 12 matches scoring 33 runs @6.60
Monty Panesar (24, Northants) 9 matches scoring 6 runs @6.00

Average Age: 25.13
Total ODI Appearances: 622
Total Runs Scored: 13,737

These stats are meaningless and only included because I am at work with very little to do. However, some of them make interesting reading especially Plunkett's. Now Discuss.

Australia v England 2nd Final - No need for a 3rd!

2007-02-11T17:05:00.000Z

Well, what can I say? When Freddie does the press call he really ought to suggest that Oz put up some effective opposition. And if he could be looking at John Buchanan at the same time it would be sweet.

Ponting: You loser! You have slagged us off all winter and now you have been bitten on the arse by your own self assurance. Back to my earlier post on why we lost the Ashes....10 reasons? We didn't need 10; Oz peaked too soon and under-estimated the English spirit. Off you go to NZ with tails between your legs.

It's been a long time since we won such an important series. And, as Athers said earlier, if we can beat Oz 3 times on the bounce then we can [and should] win the World Cup.

Once again the baggy greens looked ordinary; over-trained and lack-lustre. And all this against a half-baked England made up of hasbeens and newlyborns. Hat's off to Colly again and to the whole team for sheer bloody determination to destroy that ego that has long kept Team Australia afloat.

Australia v England 2nd Final

2007-02-11T09:13:00.000Z

Typical. Spend all winter praying for rain in Australia and we get it today. The good thing is that if we can get through to 20 overs, Duckworth-Lewis will come in. We need to take wickets and keep taking wickets. For those of you who wish to know how the incredibly complicated system works there is a site title "Duckworth Lewis made easy" (a contradiction in terms if you ask me):
http://www.jritson.demon.co.uk/dl.htm

Ok, a fair performance though. BTW the D/L asking rate right now is 5.37 runs per over, according to Gower - but what did he ever know about anything?

The key for us is to build Plunkett's and Mahmood's confidence so that they bowl to their full potential. Mahmood has got a really good mixed bag of slow balls and bouncers and Plunkett can swing the ball really well. Freddie must step up and bully Gilchrest into going over the top. Come on lads!

Australia V England - 1st Final Match

2007-02-09T13:13:00.000Z

Oooh...that's gonna hurt!

Paul Collingwood has risen to hero status and should have his MBE upgraded to OBE (at least). Mind you Shane Warne might have a word or two to say about that!

Good lads. Held their nerve. The game was won in the field. 170 for 1 and all out for 252. Good fightback. And then batting...well at 15 for 3 I was thinking "Bugger me! What is the matter with these fools!" But Belly & PC did well and Freddie looked good. 1-0 up. Boy, I need to sit down. Can't believe it. The Aussies looked pretty ordinary and it is not often they get bowled out in an ODI. It's not often we bowl them out in Test matches.

Ricky Ponting: You smug idiot. Pride always comes before a fall (or is it a fool?).

England v New Zealand - Knockout Punch

2007-02-07T11:34:00.000Z

Right, I'm back! And, like England; bristling with confidence. For a while back there it got dark and I couldn't see the point. I was about to put my house on the market and move down under. But Uncle Tom Cobbley stopped me. Who is Uncle Tom? I haven't a clue but he has worked magic for England in these past two games.

Beating Oz by 92 runs was great. A good all round team effort. Joyce finally showed what he is made of and even Plunkett managed to bowl with confidence. Now usually moving into a must-win situation like we did against the Kiwi's England would flop. 270 was a good score. Defendable but not great. I'm surprised that NZ failed especially after skipper Fleming played so well. Virgil is a good captain who encourages intelligent cricket. He is the one man who can get the best from Flintoff - the run out on Taylor; Virgil throws the ball to Freddie who would normally hurl it as hard as possible at the stumps...instead he sprints against the batsman (who is already moving some) and knocks the bails off with ball still in hand. Intelligent cricket. And did you notice Freddie bowling late on. He bowled well back in the popping crease to prevent no-balls when the match was still balanced precariously. Only MV could get that type of cricket out of Freddie. Well done lads.

And now Stuart Broad is on the plane from India. About bloody time too!!!

Australia v England Tri-Series ODI Preview

2007-02-01T20:51:00.000Z

Right then. Another chance to get humiliated beckons. With Anderson on his way home and no Virgil it looks like it's up to Freddie to perform. But has he got anything left in the tank?

The thing is, this current England side, have got to the point of relying on single players.

Truth is we will get stuffed tonight. No one can save us. Not even Uncle Tom Cobley

How England can break their losing streak

2007-01-27T11:46:00.000Z

Ask any gambler about a run of bad luck and their will provide you with a whole host of reasons for it. Ask them what they do to change their luck and not many have a sensible answer.

Now, I am not saying that England are having a run of bad luck. They're not. Quite simply they are under-performing. However, the reason why I start with a gambling analogy is this:

From the very beginning of this tour the Selectors have gambled. They gambled on Freddie and lost (in respect of winning matches - the gamble on his fitness has paid off to some degree); they gambled on Trescothick and lost; they gambled on Giles and lost. In fact, when you look at wickets taken and run scored over the whole tour they placed very few safe bets.

So, how do they turn it round? Well, in OZ they can't. They have players that are good but the squad lacks depth. What they can do is use this as an opportunity to expose some of the under-used players to tough cricket in an attempt to ready themselves for the World Cup. They is now no point in trying to compete with Australia. Use the remaining games as practice matches.

Then go home and regroup. The 15 men that they take to the West Indies MUST be fit and up to the task. There is no point in taking them if they do not fulfil both criteria. Here's the 30 men picked so far:

England 30-man ICC Cricket World Cup squad:

1. James Anderson (Lancashire)2. Ian Bell (Warwickshire)3. Ravi Bopara (Essex)4. Stuart Broad (Leicestershire)5. Glen Chapple (Lancashire)6. Rikki Clarke (Surrey)7. Paul Collingwood (Durham)8. Alastair Cook (Essex)9. Jamie Dalrymple (Middlesex)10. Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire)11. Ashley Giles (Warwickshire)12. Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire)13. Ed Joyce (Middlesex)14. Amjad Khan (Kent)15. Jon Lewis (Gloucestershire)16. Mal Loye (Lancashire)17. Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire)18. Paul Nixon (Leicestershire)19. Graham Onions (Durham)20. Monty Panesar (Northamtonshire)21. Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)22. Liam Plunkett (Durham)23. Matt Prior (Sussex)24. Chris Read (Nottinghamshire)25. Owais Shah (Middlesex)26. Vikram Solanki (Worcestershire)27. Andrew Strauss (Middlesex)28. Chris Tremlett (Hampshire)29. Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire)30. Michael Yardy (Sussex)

Half will fall soon. Here's my selection:

Anderson
Bell
Broad
Collingwood
Cook
Darylmple
Flintoff
Hoggard
Loye
Panesar
Pietersen
Read
Solanki
Strauss
Vaughan

Enough is Enough

2007-01-26T07:59:00.000Z

That's it. I'm am going to sell up today and move to Oz...at least they know how to play cricket there.

Australia v England Tri-Series ODI Preview

2007-01-25T16:02:00.000Z

Rollercoaster time again. Looks like we won't and Anderson and Lewis. That might be a good thing. Especially when we have others in the squad looking to make a mark. Perfect opportunity!

But the bowling will look bare without those two. It's a shame Stuart Broad isn't with them. Tremlett will get a game I guess and will need to show what he is capable of. Time to shake off butterflies and hit the deck hard!

England v New Zealand

2007-01-23T12:22:00.000Z

Dismal state of affairs. It was obvious that NZ were out of form with the bat and yet we still threw it away. I can't believe it!

Dutifully, I rose at 3am to watch the lads and when we had them 67 for 5 I nodded off thinking that we'd be fine. What went wrong? Lack of a killer instinct I guess. And then even getting them out for 210 we should have strolled it. At least Joyce showed his mettle for once. Out to a very good catch too.

So where do we go from here? Fortunately, we can only improve. It is alright for Freddie to say they tried their best but if we intend to compete in the Word Cup then we must improve. And for heaven's sake somebody please put a sock in Paul Nixon's mouth. It's bad enough having to listen to Hussain banging on about how we should play without having to hear Nixon trying to encourage the lads. I mean, every now and then would be fine but every bloody ball!

Friday then...The Aussies again. Trouble ahead once more...who would you drop?

Numpties v New Zealand

2007-01-23T10:18:00.000Z

Unbelievable...simply unbelievable. What is it with these guys? Once again they failed to go in for the kill and lost the match...

31 for 3

2007-01-23T08:15:00.000Z

Good Grief...have we learnt nothing? What has happened to Ian Bell and Strauss for that matter? Loye you expect to get out because he plays strokes...but the other two should know better.

England v New Zealand - Tuesday

2007-01-23T08:05:00.000Z

210 all out is well below par on this pitch but a whole lot more than we should have allowed NZ to score. At one point we had them at 67-5 and some how we let it slip. That said though Flintoff bowled really well to pick up 4 for 21 from 10 overs. Lewis did well too as did Anderson. The fielding was pretty good but we really should have got shot of Oram early on.

And now we are 30 for 2 with Ed Joyce at the crease...so he's good for 5!

Bob's the Man?

2007-01-22T16:51:00.000Z

Bob Woolmer is being tipped as DF's replacement. Good thing. But I would love to hear your views...

England v New Zealand - The Next ODI

2007-01-22T16:29:00.000Z

Right, rumour has it that England will give Bopara a chance and recall Monty... so that means Ed Joyce is out and, I guess, Chris Tremlett... we shall see.

Adelaide is a good spinner's pitch so Monty should work and I would like to see what Bopara is capable of at this level.

We must win this one. We must! If we are to take the game to the Aussie team we must win this. And we can...More later

Australia v New Zealand Tri-Series ODI

2007-01-21T11:51:00.000Z

Ok...here's the table. Not looking that good for the Kiwis and doesn't reflect how close they got to the Aussies in the last match. I think that the Baggy Greens are starting to look a little tied as it goes. Just need England or NZ to go in for the kill. The last two matches Oz have played have shown some weaknesses....it's time to exploit those weaknesses.

Gilchrest...playing in a very cavalier style at the moment. That will be his own undoing. Getting Symons out early is vital. Starve Hussey of the strike...he can't stand being at the other end. RP will be back for Tuesday game against England and we need to be ready...

Australia V England

2007-01-19T11:43:00.000Z

Ok...better. That's the first time I have seen England actually take the game to the Baggy Greens. I know we didn't win but we made them work for it.

Full assesment later...

The Turning Worm...

2007-01-19T08:30:00.000Z

4 Down...oh! Ye Gods...could it be?

Australia v England Tri-Series ODI

2007-01-19T08:05:00.000Z

155 All Out. Not enough on a flat track...but, there's 2 quick wickets just gone down...is there a spark of life in the old banger yet?

Pleased that Loye scored some runs. England look tired though. Ed Joyce has failed again, Collingwood was determined to get out early as was Bell. Only JD & Freddie looked like they wanted to score some runs.

It needs a fantastic fielding effort now....very fantastic.

Here we go again...

2007-01-18T17:52:00.000Z

Ok....in a few more hours David will take on Goliath once more. Freddie has his sling shot ready and the chances are that Mal Loye will get the nod. With no Ponting (he's having a rest, bless him) Gilchrest will be running the show. McGrath's back too. Should be interesting...Freddie must be a sucker for punishment!

There May Be Trouble Ahead...

2007-01-17T21:13:00.000Z

Here's Freddie!

Ok....what do you think? Has he got it? Can he win a game as skipper? Not sure this is the right game to win. It would be nice...but the cynic in me thinks that Virgil has dived out in order to save his stats! Can't be so, can it?

Seriously, this match coming is a must-win. We won't win but we must compete. If we don't compete then we (and the Kiwi's) must simply get on the plane and go home.

He was good the other day though. Batted really well. Looked strong and stress-free. If anyone was the new IT Botham it's this man; brilliant with ball and bat but no good as a skipper! Sorry Freddie...but you're just not a captain...a fantastic cricketer but not a skipper.

England v New Zealand

2007-01-16T07:56:00.000Z

So England win their 1st match in nearly 32 years. It seems that it's been that long doesn't it? Only just won though. Bit of a scrappy performance really. Good to see Freddie score some runs but the top order need to make sure that one man doesn't have to see us home. Anderson managed to take some wickets...which was nice...oh, and Virgil picks up another injury!

New Zealand won the toss and choose to bat on a flat, slow pitch that had already been played on earlier in the week. This really should have been an advantage to the Blackcaps...but our bowling was pretty good in places and we took wickets regularly.

New Zealand only managed 205 for 9 (remember the Aussies scored 289 on the same track this week!). England's batting worries me because, yet again, we have players getting a start and then failed to go on. If you want to win an ODI at least one player needs to score 100. Only Bell and Freddie managed to perform well. I think the latter has finally remember that he is a batsman and is enjoying not being upstaged by Figjam.

Another nail biter at the end. Should really have got home with 5 overs to spare instead of leaving it to the final over. That's the fault of the top order not keep up the run rate and leaving the work for others.

That all said, good to be back to winning ways. Pat on the back to Freddie.

Played Two, Won too!

2007-01-14T08:17:00.000Z

England fans must look at this a good thing. New Zealand are a decent ODI side and yet, they too have been on the wrong end of a typical Aussie thrashing. 105 runs! That's going to hurt. And New Zealand even took a hatrick in the final over.

Is there a team in the world that can compete with the Baggy Greens? I'm not sure there is. Cold comfort it might be for England but this result does put England's defeat into some sort of context. At least England lost by fewer runs and made it through all 50 overs with men still standing. We didn't score enough runs...about 30 or 40 light I reckon.

Australia are rampant, confident and only several major injuries will dent their ability to run through unbeaten in this ODI series and the forthcoming World Cup.

And so, on Tuesday NZ take on England at the same ground. Both sides will be eager to win easily. Whatever the result, one thing is certain; Australia can beat them both.

Ulysses Joyce

2007-01-13T21:07:00.000Z

Here he is...the man from across the sea. He is here as a replacement for Figjam...but has he got what it takes to fill the boots of KP or is he just on a journey that leads to nowhere?

Here's the stats:

Although listed as an 'A List' player since 1998, Ed Joyce has only played 94 '1st Class' matches . His figures are good though. 94 matches, 158 innings, 6815 runs at an average of 47.32 which includes 17 centuries and 37 half-centuries. Not bad. Oh, and he took 79 catches in that lot too! So... how does he really compare to Figjam?

1st Class: 104 matches, 172 innings, 8106 runs at 51.30 (27 centuries & 34 half-centuries) and 94 catches. So he has a yard or two on Joyce.

So can Ed compete...technically? Yes. But in terms of ego, confidence and sheer bloody-mindedness? Probably not. But what choice do we have? The only real worry about Joyce is that he seems to spend a lot of time wandering around getting injured. Still, it beats wandering around Dublin I guess.

30 Good Men Wanted....No Timewasters

2007-01-13T08:14:00.000Z

Here's the list:

Batsmen:
Ian Bell (Warks) Ok. Got to take him. Need to look at the top order.
Ravi Bopara (Essex) KP's replacement. Lot of talent but lacks experience. Here's his chance.
Alastair Cook (Essex) Good Choice. Needs to step up his S/R in ODIs.
Ed Joyce (Middx) Still waiting this guy to shine.
Mal Loye (Lancs) Can't doubt his ability but we've seen him before.
Kevin Pietersen (Hants) Spare rib anyone? Simply the most exciting bat in the world
Owais Shah (Middx) Another one I'm waiting to see perform at this level.
Vikram Solanki (Worcs) I like this guy. Gutsy.
Andrew Strauss (Middx) Time to step up to the plate matey.
Michael Vaughan (Yorks) St Virgil of Vaughan. Top drawer.

All-rounders:
Rikki Clarke (Surrey) Fair enough.
Paul Collingwood (Durham) Yes
Jamie Dalrymple (Middx) Maybe
Andrew Flintoff (Lancs) Yes
Matthew Hoggard (Yorks) Yes
Jon Lewis (Glos) No
Michael Yardy (Sussex) Maybe

Wicket-keepers:
Paul Nixon (Leics) No
Matt Prior (Sussex) Maybe
Chris Read (Notts) Yes

Bowlers:
James Anderson (Lancs) Wake up call.
Stuart Broad (Leics) He's the one.
Glen Chapple (Lancs) Maybe.
Ashley Giles (Warks) Hope he brings his zimmerframe.
Amjad Khan (Kent) Good choice
Sajid Mahmood (Lancs) We should perservere with this guy. Natural talent.
Graham Onions (Durham) Good County man....
Monty Panesar (Northants) Of Course.
Liam Plunkett (Durham) He is getting a nickname - Sicknote.
Chris Tremlett (Hants) This could work.

Here's my team selection for the opener against New Zealand on 16th March.

1. Strauss
2. Vaughan
3. Pietersen
4. Bell
5. Flintoff
6. Read
7. Collingwood
8. Bopara
9. Broad
10. Panesar
11. Hoggard

8 Batsmen, 1 Wicketkeeper & 6 Bowlers....team and a half!

1st ODI - Review

2007-01-12T18:32:00.000Z

Bad day at the office. That said we are having a lot of bad days. What went wrong? Simple really; 30 or 40 runs short and then we bowled like a 'Pie 'n' a Pint Sunday League Side'.

Yes, it was that bad. Although, our middle order presented themselves fairly well. Our bowlers, however, did not.

And now with KP out for 6 weeks we are exposed. He is the only bat that has taken the game to the Aussies. Who will replace him? I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'd like to see Mark Ramprakash! He is about as old as Nixon! But we are struggling at the top. As Nasser said this morning: our top three bats are 'touch' players. One of them needs to be a bully like KP or Graham Hick. Hopefully they will pick a bully to bat at 2. Ed Joyce isn't good enough. Strauss and MV never get into that groove. We need a Gilchrest or a Hayden to make things happen.

Losing by 8 wickets today was bad...very bad. Our fielding was terrible...(perhaps they did have a pie and a pint at tea?). Lewis must go....good at county level but not good enough for ODIs! Get shot now. I have Stuart Broad's mobile number if Graveney needs it. He's the one. Lewis is worse in the field than Monty!

Here's the verdict:

1. Strauss: 12 runs. Not good enough. Must try harder: 4/10

2. Vaughan: 26 runs. Good to see to see him scoring runs again. Class bat this one. Real captain too. Up there with Mike Brierley. His side are letting him down badly. I guess he says to a bowler: " Bowl such and such a length" and the bowler fails. Not Virgil's fault. He can only work with the tools he's got. However, a few years ago he was a different bat; for Yorkshire this guy batted well and had that Yorks' cricket spirit that the likes of Hutton & Trueman had. Anyway, welcome back Virgil (see we have nicknames too!): 8/10 for effort!

3. Ian Bell: 15 runs.Ok. This one is good...as a test bat. Excellent average (around 42) but he is not a one day player. His talent is fantastic and he will (one day) end up in my top ten bats along with guys like Steve Waugh, Ramps, Compton & Lara. He has the same style and timing. Good in the field too; Randall & Rhodes had the same skills. Poor performance with the bat: 5/10

4. Pietersen: 82 runs; 1 broken rib. That ball was brutal. It didn't look that bad live but it was really brutal. KP is a tough guy who gets hit every now and then (too good a bat to get hit as often as Nasser did!) and when it happens he doesn't show the pain. Which is right; show no fear. But that ball hurt. 4-6 weeks break. So who would you call? Loye? Butcher? Ackerman? Knight? Put the phone down. I've already called Ramps and he is ready! He is the only class player in England that could come anywhere near to KP. KP's 82 earns him a pat on the back: 8/10

5. Collingwood: 43 runs. He has great stats as a ODI player but looks like a fish out of water against the Aussies. He was scrappy today. Skin of teeth innings again. Should bat at 7. Should learn how to play his own game: 5/10

6. Flintoff: 47 Not Out. Looked alright today. Slow starter...needs about 5 overs to get his eye in but once he does he is great. I think he is finding it hard to live in KP's shadow (got a chance to shine now!) and should remember that he was always a better bat than a bowler. A few nice shots over Mid On today: 7/10

7. Nixon: 0 runs. Tosser. Well that was worth the airfare then. If you can call him up then call up Ramps too. Nixon is great at county level but he has no place here: 2/10

8. Dalrymple: 2 runs. 1 wicket. Not convinced about this tweaker yet. In the side as a Giles replacement but doesn't pull it off. Put him on the plane: 3/10

9. Lewis: 9 runs. Send him home. Might get a discount for 3 tickets. Not good enough: 1/10

10. Panesar: 0 Not Out. 1 wicket. Simply one of the best that we have. Will take more wickets than any other English spinner at all levels because he believes in himself. Pick of the bowlers today and a much better fielder than that idiot Lewis: 7/10

11. Anderson: DNB. Never really pulled it off has he? Another tosser. I wonder if we could get 4 tickets back to Blighty for the price of 3? Send him home and call up Stuart Broad...at least he has some guts and determination about him. Anderson - it's over, let go, go home. Poor: 2/10

So that concludes today's post mortem. Tune in next week for another typical England day at the wicket.

Laughing Stock

2007-01-09T18:27:00.000Z

Ok, now that we have sunk to the depths of being the laughing stock of world cricket, we should be able to move on. Six weeks down under and we haven't won a single match. That's bad...really bad.

The only way is up! It must be...please....

Oh Dear...

2007-01-09T11:41:00.000Z

Well, speechless (and that's unusual!), utterly speechless.

I couldn't have been more wrong about the result.

Useless fools.

Old Boy Network

2007-01-09T08:17:00.000Z

Hope for all us old men yet! There was no way that Paul Nixon was flying out to Oz without having a game and he's got one. At 36 Nixon is the oldest debutant for nearly 20 years. Sign of the times? Or clutching at straws?

In his defence I rate Nixon. Having seen him a few times take the game away from opposition with his fearless keeping and hard-hitting batting I'm glad he's in the side.

Prediction? England to win by 4 wickets!

Welcome Back

2007-01-07T07:30:00.000Z

Welcome back to MV. Lot of work to do lad so best get started. Win the Twenty20 on Tuesday and you will be forgiven for getting injured in the first place!

Boy, have we missed this guy? Just a little. I must confess to feeling sorry for Freddie; he will never get another chance again to lead the side and will go down in history as the worst captain for 80 years. Not sure if his morale is going to be good after he told everyone he wanted to continue as captain.

Interesting to see Boycott saying that we should have separate coaches for Test & ODI sides. He may have a point there. If there is to be changes, however, Boycott will be the last person that the ECB consult! And as to asking Warne to help us....forget it. It's time for some home-grown input into the team.

Serious Stats

2007-01-05T08:10:00.000Z

Matches:

Australia 5
England 0

Wickets:

Aus 96 out of 100
Eng 59 out of 100

Runs:

Aus 3,114
Eng 2,530

Ok....here's the rub. This says it all.

Number of runs scored for each wicket lost:

Aus 52.77
Eng 26.35

Which means that Australia were twice as good as us.

Ashes are to be Scattered

2007-01-05T07:55:00.000Z

Boy, that's gonna hurt in the morning. How do you come back from that? Hat's off to the Aussies for coming back so strong and hard.

So Freddie & the Dreamers will go down in history as being the worst Test side in the history of the game. The question that Shane Warne asked Paul Collingwood (who was sledging him) whilst smashing the England attack all round the ground sums it all up: "So, you got an OBE? Was that for scoring 7 runs at the Oval?"

And KP's new nickname, Figjam, says it all. Figjam is an acronym, by the way, which stands for "Fuck I'm Good...Just Ask Me!"

And a slanging match seems to be what England resorted to, but even there the Aussies have out done us totally.

No point licking wounds. Move on. Accept that we were poorly prepared, played poorly & went there looking for a drawn series. Cowards. And we still have the ODI Series to get further beaten to a more mushy pulp. What's the betting Freddie comes home in the next couple of days....they can't let him captain the ODI side as well. One thing is certain: no hero's welcome for Freddie.

5-0

2007-01-05T07:19:00.000Z

Well team, just a few points I'd like to raise. On the whole that went quite well but we didn't really take enough wickets or score enough runs. Apart from that I thought we did well. There are a lot of positives we can take out of this like, er...erm...well actually there is none....

5th Test - Day 3

2007-01-03T22:31:00.000Z

Lot of work to do. That said, Harmy was bowling well and I suspect and Anderson will get the ball to swing. Just need to get Hussey and Symons out soon. Don't let them settle. Attack them hard; men round the bat, stop them driving.

If we can prevent them getting any sort of lead it will be fine...if not, well 5-0 isn't really that bad...is it?

5th Test - Day 2

2007-01-02T23:22:00.000Z

234 for 4. Not bad. I have to say that Freddie looked good. Kiss of Death from me. He'll be out in a mo. But the thing I noticed opposed the view of the Sky commentators who all said he was moving his feet well. I thought he didn't but was seeing the ball well, more like he used to. He played more like Tressy; Stand & Deliver. I suspect he is carrying an injury. We shall see....

5th Test...all bets off

2007-01-01T21:14:00.000Z

What do you reckon? Loads of talk. The Aussies are comfortable enough to have three of their major players retire. Job done. I get the feeling that they know that because of the age thing they are about to decline. It happened to the West Indies when they were on top of the world. Of course, if they know this, winning back the Ashes will be their swansong.

So, all bets off. So much hype that it's bound to be a draw. I'd like to see England stand and fight. If they do fight they will win. No doubt about it. Australia are full of heroes but beneath the surface England have real talent. Time to step up to the plate.

10 Reasons Why We Lost the Ashes

2006-12-31T21:56:00.000Z

Right. This is really a response to Simon Hughes' observations in the 2006 edition of the Wisden Cricketer' Almanack. The book is the equivalent of the Bible to sad anoraks like me. In Hughes' article (entitled "Ten reasons why England won* [In no particular order]) he states his claim that the reasons why we won in 2005 and regained that strange little urn were as follows:

1.Captaincy
2. Batting First
3. Central Contracts
4.Troy Cooley & the Fast Bowlers
5. Flintoff's Dominance of Gilchrest
6. Kevin Pietersen & Merlyn
7. The Age Gap
8. Australian Arrogance
9. The Siege Mentality
10. Billy Bowden

Ok. Let me get it straight from the start. Simon Hughes is one of the few cricket analysts who actually has something sensible to say. I like him. I confess that I have addressed some of his points earlier on in this blog. I do like him...really. However, those points qualified, I will take him to task on certain points. But that's for later. right now here's the ten reasons we lost the Ashes:

1. Captaincy: Andrew Flintoff is great. I love him. Prior to the start of this series my wife (who is a real cricket fan) said that Freddie shouldn't be captain and that Strauss should. At the time I disagreed with her and stated that AF should lead the team because the Aussie's feared him and would crumble as a result. I was wrong. How many many times I have had to admit this is unbelievable...but it's true. Freddie is a big guy, big personality (and God knows that cricket lacks real characters) and a fantastic talisman, but he is not a leader of men. It was very unusual for Selectors to change a winning captain. Strauss has not lost a Test match as captain. And, in the absence of MV, Andrew Strauss should have led the team. He has a decent cricket brain. So, on this point I agree with Mr Hughes.

2. Batting First: I have no idea what the stats say about batting first but I suspect that the vast majority of Test sides batting first generally win. England, however, have a tendency to buck that trend. At Adelaide England won the toss and batted first. They declared on 551 for 6 and still lost the match. Undoubtedly the decision by Ricky Ponting to field after winning the toss at Edgbaston in 2005 helped England win the Ashes. But can the toss hold such strong sway? I'm not so sure it can. England are a good side but failed to capitalise even when winning the toss. This wasn't because Australia were a lot better but because were we much worse.

3. Central Contacts: This is a bit of a nonsense. Simon Hughes suggests that these contracts helped England win. The real issue at stake is that if our Test players only play Test matches then they are lacking real experience. The every day experience that made players like Randall, Botham & Willis (who managed to play for both county and country) is missing from the current England line up. And what good does is really do players like Dalrymple, Lewis and Joyce who are sequestered to the squad only to be released on the first day or asked to hang around and hand out Lucozade Sport to unfit and inferior players?

4. Troy Cooley: Now, we are close to the bone here. Why did we let him go? Surely the ECB could have offered him more money? He did make the difference in 2005. He inspired the bowlers. But these guys are pros. And if that is true they should have been able to carry that inspiration forward and in the process inspire others. We miss Cooley. It is an outrage that we ever let him go.

5. Flintoff & Gilchrest: In 2005 Gilchrest was out of form. In truth out of 9 innings Freddie did get him out 4 times. However, the real reason was more metaphoric. It wasn't Freddie that dominated Gilchrest, it was England's attack that dominated the key Aussie batsmen. We lost this series because we failed to dominate any of their batsmen consistently.

6. KP & Merlyn: Well, this guy is great. Team player or not he is fearless and that is what wins Test matches. We lost this series because we failed to take our batting to the Aussie bowlers. Warne isn't any better than he was in 2005. In 2005 he took 40 wickets against us and was still on the losing side. So far in this current series he has only taken 21. Against Warne only a couple of our bats have really taken the game to him. We need attacking bats like KP. Freddie needs to remember that he was once the same as KP (remember him placing a six into his Dad's hands?). Form is temporary; class is permanent.

7. The Age Gap: Obviously this series has proved that age is unimportant. Those Aussie stars that have really shined have all been older than their counterparts. We didn't win in 2005 because we were younger. We won because the skipper made better use of his players in the same way that RP has done so this series. Dad's Army they might be, better than us they are.

8. Arrogance: If there was any reason that won the Ashes for England it was the Aussie's arrogance. They turned up here and expected to win easily because they were the best in the world. England, however, didn't go to Oz with the same attitude. They went looking for a drawn series and retention. Arrogance does help. Look at KP. Take away his ego and his edge is blunted. But we didn't lose this series because we lacked arrogance...we lost because we were poorly prepared and didn't come for a fight.

9. The Siege Mentality: The Australians struggled in England because of the overwhelming support for England from both public and press. As the series went on the increased interest in England's progress was astonishing. I don't think England have suffered in the same way down under. We simply turned up to a gun fight brandishing a blunt knife. Ponting was determined to win at all costs in the same way that Vaughan was in 2005. The Aussie's didn't need a Siege Mentality because England didn't want to fight.

10. Billy Bowden: Why mention him now? Because it's not about one man. It's about umpiring in general. I am a great traditionalist of the game. I believe that its continuity should be maintained but when it comes to umpiring why not use technology to make the game fairer? After all, (and I speak as someone who does plenty of umpiring every weekend of the summer) it's bloody hard work making sure the bowler doesn't tamper with the ball, step over the line or bend his arm without having to judge if the ball pitched in line, whether the bat was playing a genuine stroke or if the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps. Let the no-ball judgement be made by the 3rd umpire. This series has seen a few bad decisions but no more than any other series. Hughes harped on about the Kasprowicz at Birmingham (his hand that made contact with the ball was not actually on the bat at time of contact and therefore 'Not Out') but even the victim himself said he would have given it out. Umpiring is not the reason we lost this series.

Quite simply we lost because we failed to believe that Australia would learn any lessons from 2005. They did. We lost because we gambled on semi-fit players. We lost because we failed to attack with bat and ball. And we lost because we went there looking for a draw. Had we gone looking for a fight we would have got one...and we might even have won!

Final Test Preview

2006-12-30T07:28:00.000Z

Ok...regrouped by now, the England team should bounce back. They won't of course. Freddie's boys will go down in history as the first Ashes side to lose 5-0 since the 1920's. At best they can hope for a draw.

Statistically the odds are not good. In 52 tests played at the SCG Australia have won 26 and England only 19. However, on our last visit there we won by 225 runs. On that occasion England were also 4-0 down. The visitors batted first and put on 362 with a partnership of 166 between Hussain & Butcher. The Aussies hit back and made it to 363 which included centuries from Steve Waugh & Adam Gilchrest. Hoggard, Caddick & Harmison shared the scalps. In the 2nd innings England stepped up the pace declaring on 452 for 9 with Vaughan top scoring on 183 on a flat track. Now, at this point it was heading for a draw but for Caddick's 7 for 94. None of the homeside made above 50.

If England could reproduce that kind of form then, whilst they won't come home heroes, they will have at least wiped the wry smile from the face of Ponting. But England have no Trescothick; no Vaughan; no Butcher & no Hussain. They have men that could be all the aforementioned. Strauss could be Tressy and Cook has got a touch of Vaughan. Ian Bell is in the same class as Hussain and KP is certainly as powerful as Butcher on his day.

What needs to happen is simple. Not the clutching at straws type of cricket we have seen but a belligerence when batting that says I am not giving up this wicket. If you want it come and get it.

And when we bowl, we must bowl like Monty; we must believe that each and every ball could take a wicket.

I'd like to see the same team as Melbourne. Change the batting line up. Collingwood down to 6 and KP up to 3 or 4. More use should be made of Mahmood. I'd give him the new ball for 5 overs just to see what happens. Him and Harmy at either end should be lethal.

Whatever the result, this tour has shown that we lack imagination; we underestimated the way Australia would bounce back & the management of the team needs sorting out. Never again should we take players on tour who are not fit. We should not gamble like this. It would have been better to have lost using inexperienced players than this humiliation with unfit top players. We shouldn't take young rising stars on tour if we don't intend to use them. I feel for Joyce & Darlymple who have spent the whole tour carrying drinks for unfit players. Stuart Broad should have been given a run as a change bowler. How else will he ever gain the experience he needs?

It is a time for reflection. The end of each year brings such contemplation for all of us. The ECB need the same introspection &, indeed, catharsis.

4th Test - Review

2006-12-29T06:43:00.000Z

It pains me greatly to write a review of England's performance because it was so very poor. However, for the sake of the future some words must be written.

Andrew Strauss: Despite the fact that this guy is one of the class acts of the England top order, he has failed to shine. I do like his batting style; he plays well off both the front and back foot and deals with pressure well. Of the top order he tried the hardest but as Nasser Hussain has said elsewhere, he still lacked that 'over my dead body' spirit. 6/10

Alistar Cook: He really hasn't got enough runs on the board for my liking but I hope the selectors perservere with him. There is a calmness to him that makes him right for an opener. Only long term experience will help him with his shot selection, which alot of the time is very good. He occasionally looks undecisive against straight balls and needs to get forward. Technically correct but just needs to build his confidence with a few big innings. 6/10

Ian Bell: The pressure of being an Aussie target is getting to this guy. I'm still a little torn about him at 3. I'd like to see KP at 3 because he likes the ball coming onto the bat. For Bell the LBW issue is big. No real solution apart from getting further forward and making sure that the bat is in front of the pad. Not enough runs. 5/10

Paul Collingwood: Not a true No 4. Would be a much bigger assest down the order at 6. Always seems to get a start but doesn't always build on it. Needs to settle quickly. I'd love to see him play a 'chanceless' innings rather than getting away with it by the skin of his teeth. 4/10

Kevin Pietersen: I've seen a side of this guy which suggests that he is not as much as a team player as he claims. He constantly nicks a run off the first ball of an over and often leaves a tail ender at tha danger end. He is reported to prefer the number 5 slot but I'm sure he should bat at 3. 5/10

Andrew Flintoff: Before this series I backed this man as captain but he isn't a captain. He is a tailsman. Originally in the side as a batter who could bowl and the selectors should remember that. 5/10

Chris Read: The better option behind the stumps for sure. Ans his 2nd innings with the bat was well played whilst those around him crumbled. 7/10

Saj Mahmood: The most natural fast bowler we have and he is very underused. Experience will help him. His slower ball is well disguised and a great asset. 7/10

Steve Harmison: Looking better. Needs to gain confidence. Needs to watch the footage of the times when he has been at his best. 6/10

Monty Panesar: Surely this man will be on top of the world one day soon. He is determined and attacking. He does need to develop a more mixed bag of balls. One that goes straight on would be great. 6/10

Matthew Hoggard: I've been disapointed with a few of his spells but on the whole he is another Caddick or Fraser stock bowler. We need guys like this. 5/10

Sydney Line-up:

1. Strauss
2. Cook
3. KP
4. Bell
5. Flintoff
6. Collingwood
7. Read
8. Mahmood
9. Harmison
10. Monty
11. Hoggard

4-0

2006-12-28T07:03:00.000Z

Oh dear...

Must have been the pitch...oh, wait how come the Aussies managed to bat on it? In fact two of their bats managed to score almost as much in one innings as all 11 England batsmwen did in two innings. That must mean that they are 10 times better than us?

Freddie just said it was time to regroup....not sure that's going to help. All the way through this series England have had the chances and failed to capitalise on them. Even in this match when they had them 84 for 5.

After losing the Ashes in 2005 Australia had a full review of everything. We should commission this review now. The management team have been clutching at straws the whole tour.

I am ashamed at England's performance.

4th Test - Day 3

2006-12-28T00:38:00.000Z

OK...alot has been said about bowling plans. For the record, England copied my bowling plan for Hayden, Langer & Pointing from this blog!

260 runs behind now. England need to score at least 420. They won't, even though the track is flat. It could be an innings defeat. The next half hour will tell. Get through that and we might be ok.

269 for 5

2006-12-27T05:06:00.000Z

What the hell is going on? I fell asleep for a while back there. When I did the score was about 85 for 5. When I woke up I thought I was watching a different game...and I think I am. Once again, we are not attacking these guys. Poor cricket, very poor cricket.

159 All Out

2006-12-26T06:38:00.000Z

mmmm...let me see 159 divided by 11. Well that only makes 14.45 and we only had 3 players make more than that. Give it up lads. Go and get jobs somewhere else. Here's some ideas to think about:

Andrew Strauss: Stock Broker
Alistar Cook: Travel Agent
Ian Bell: Traffic Warden
Paul Collingwood: Dustman
Kevin Pietersen: Cricketer or full-time celebrity
Andrew Flintoff: Doorman
Chris Read: Park Keeper
Saj Mahmood: 2nd Hand Car Salesman
Steve Harmison: Giraffe Keeper
Monty Panesar: Civil Servant
Matthew Hoggard: Security Guard

4th Test - Day 1

2006-12-26T05:32:00.000Z

Not really sure what's happening to English cricket. We seem to be sliding into decline once more. After years of great work getting back on our feet we currently look as if we would struggle against Bangladesh.

On a damp track, for some reason, we choose to bat. Tough call. But one that suggested Freddie lacked confidence in our bowlers, rather than being confidence we could post a high score. And now at 127 for 5 that's not going to happen. Only Strauss has played a fairly decent innings. Runs are hard to come by (there was just a single boundary in Strauss' 50). Once again we are being kept on the square. If we were planning to avoid a whitewash this isn't the way to do it.

England have only made one change: that of Read in for Jones. Whilst I think this is the right choice for the wicketkeeper's role I do think that the Selectors have now put both men in an impossible position. Read is now playing in only his 3rd innings of the tour and suddenly he is in front of 98,000 people at the MCG and having to prove a point. Out now. Driving at something he shouldn't have. 3 runs. Not his fault. Not enough practice. Time for the selectors to say sorry. But they won't...they never admit they are wrong. Disappointing.

Botham has just said that KP should be batting at 4 and he is totally right. Once again KP is batting with the tail. And, in theory, he will be the last man standing again. He is ranked world number 3 batsman and should bat higher than Collingwood.

These guys are wasting everyone's time and should come home and cancel all further engagements until the management sort themselves out and actually start doing a decent job of managing this team.

Dropping like flies

2006-12-23T07:33:00.000Z

In the last three weeks we have seen three top Aussies either retire or announce their retirement. And so, it would appear, the full squad of the world's top side will all have followed suit by the 1st week in May 2007.

This gives the rest of the world a chance to beat them!

Follow the yellow (and green) brick road...

2006-12-21T09:14:00.000Z

....the wonderful Wizard of Aus...Well it's (almost) time to say farewell to this guy who has proved a nemesis for so many class batsmen around the world. Whilst I confess to being a fan of his unique leg-spin, flippers & googlies, I have not always been a fan of the man himself.

Statisically, you cannot fault this guy:

Bowling

Matches: 143

Balls: 40315

Runs: 17818

Wicket: 699

Best Innings: 8 for 71

Best Match: 12 for 128

Average: 25.49

Economy: 2.65

Strike Rate: 57.67

5 Wicket Hauls: 36

10 Wicket Hauls: 10

Not bad for an Aussie. I think it is time that England looked hard at themselves and ask why we don't produce players of this calibre as regularly as the Aussies do? After all, we invented the game...surely we should be the best in the world?

3-0

2006-12-18T06:20:00.000Z

During the 1980's the West Indies were what Australia are now: the best side in the world. They crumbled because of old age. Australia will also crumble one day. But for now we must face that this series is likely to finish 5-0.

Here's my verdict on the players and staff:

Duncan Fletcher: This obstinent man is still spinning his spin and even in his post-match interview he wasn't prepared to accept the obvious selection mistakes. One thing in his defence over selection is that the other selectors weren't there and perhaps coaching, managing & selecting his team is too much for one man. Fletcher has been a good coach since 1999. He has a good record. But this series has been one too many for him. I would like to see a bit of honesty from him and be prepared to face up to the mistakes in selection that have been made. Backing players who were available but not match-fit is surely unwise? DF now needs to inspire this squad so that they can come back and win a couple of games. After all, in 20 years time when we regain the Ashes, Wisden's will show a 3-2 as a much closer result than the reality.

David Graveney: As Chair of Selectors you would expect this man to be out there helping DF but instead he is back in Blighty. Time to face the music David and accept that our whole selection process and policy is wrong. The series so far has proved this.

Andrew Strauss: This man has been unlucky on three occasions in the series when replays have showed that he wasn't out. However, he hasn't played the same game that he has before. Poor shot selection at times has revealed many weaknesses. His foot movement at the crease is less positive and he seems reluctant to get forward. 6/10

Alistar Cook: At 21 this young talent should excite everyone at his prospects for the future. If he stays fit he should dominate this opening slot for another 10 years. But he will always need a foil for his style of batting and the way Strauss is playing at the moment doesn't provide such a contrast. A fit Trescothick all full of flare and power would make a better partner. This guy needs to found the right sort of partner, be it an in form Strauss or someone like Rob Key. Cook is impressive and we are lucky to have such a talent so young. 8/10

Ian Bell: In 2005 I thought that Bell had spent his last chance at Test level after a run of poor scores. But we must give this man his due. He fought his way back into the side and has now cemented his place. He has the right temperment for a No 3 and is totally unflustered by the sledging. His shot selection is good, particulalry square of the wicket. Only poor form will see this man dropped. Its funny because he is often put up for interviews and deals with the media quite well. Possible candidate for FEC? 8/10

Paul Collingwood: I was never moved by this guy at Test level until this series. I would like to see him bat down the order where he could prove to be more of an assest. At times he plays fantastic cricket and takes on short balls without fear. However, his array of shots do not justify the No 4 slot and when he plays that defensive game instead of attacking he is dreadfully boring and would lose his place if I had my way! Bat him at 6 and make him play aggressively. This England has long missed Thorpe who was always a great player to come in at 5 when we were 35 for 3. He would always see us home. Colly could play a similar role at 6. 6/10

Kevin Pietersen: This guy should really bat at No 4. His average so far is great. He has real character and true natural talent. He plays exceptionally well under pressure and fears no one. He is awesome. 9/10

Andrew Flintoff: In a way Freddie has been overshadowed by KP. They are both big personalities and perhaps there isn't room for that in a side. However, he does always give his all. His poor form with the bat could be atrributed to his capatincy roles but I'm inclinced to think that he is simply not match-fit. I don't think he is a captain and should step down so that he can do waht he does best. In 2005 MV got the best out of each of his players. Freddie hasn't managed that and by asking him to captain the side he has been spread too thin. He came into the side originally as a batter who can bowl. We need to remember that and use his talents accordingly. 5/10

Geraint Jones: 3/10 duckie.

Saj Mahmood: What a great prospect. The most natural run, leap & bound in test cricket. I feel this one will come good...soon. 7/10

Matthew Hoggard: This guy is a real performer at key times. Bowling Langer 1st ball was outrageous and brilliant. Langer is rarely bowled and to be bowled by us twice in a match is very bad for him! Hoggard needs to be used in the way that suits him best; ie at very key times. He can swing the ball both ways and has an extraordinary yorker that is under-used. Excellent effort. 8/10

Steve Harmison: We haven't seen the best of this guy yet. He has talent but fails to unlock it sometimes. His figures for the match do not reflect just how well he bowled. He was great. 8/10

Monty Panesar: Hey! A real competitor this one. He will always fight and to finish up with 8 wickets for the match was very good. Long time since we have had a finger spinner who could produce such results. And of course he bowled Langer who is very difficult to get past. For the stand with Harmy alone he is worth inclusion. 9/10

Oh Dear...

2006-12-18T06:07:00.000Z

When the alarm clock went off at 2.15 this morning I decided to stay in bed and I am glad I did.

Sitting here now watching the post mortem on Sky. The key points that all agree on (apart from Nasser - who doesn't agree with anyone) are selection & preparation. These are obviously very important issues. The most crucial issue is that when it really mattered, when we had our backs to the wall, when the real pressure was on we failed. Nothing else to say really. This defeat will smart for a long time. Later today I will compile a review of the match. For now though I am going to bury my head in my coffee and wonder why I bother thinking that we could ever compete against these guys.

3rd Test - Day 5...what happened next...

2006-12-17T20:38:00.000Z

Ok....here's what needs to happen: England need 292 to win. Simple really. And this is how it should play out....

Early on in the first session will be tough but KP will protect Freddie until he finds his feet. KP will get fed up with being defensive and start lashing the little red fellow all over the ground. He will do this because Gilchrest will have upstaged him and he can't cope with that sort of thing.

This aggression will jog Freddie's memory that before KP turned up that was his role in the side and he will start doing some of the same. Then KP will hole out of a top-edged pull for about 104 and enter the young welsh lad.

Now...if there was ever someone who was due an innings (beside Freddie and the unlucky Strauss) it's Jones. He and Freddie have batted well together many times before. So with the visitors still needing around 150 with just over a session to do it in these two will crack on until Jones goes for 56. Then the young pretender Mahmood will join his captain and whack 30 or 40 off about 25 balls before getting a serious yorker off Lee. By this time we are still around 50 runs light with Freddie in the 90's and up steps Harmy...out for a duck! And now it's Monty...the man of the moment. 7 overs left and Freddie starts heaving Lee and Clarke over Long On and sweeping Warne round the corner. Whilst Monty chips in with a few more of those delicious straight drives....It's tight but we are home with 8 balls to spare and all is forgiven.....

Of course, the alternative is that Freddie is out 2nd ball of the morning and once more KP is stranding after running out of partners...oh! and the Ashes are lost!

Down, Under and Out

2006-12-16T08:26:00.000Z

Well, you can kiss goodbye to that Michael, my ol' lad.

Down: 2-0 (almost 3-0). Down in heart, down in style and down in class.

Under: under-performed, under the cosh and under the illusion that we could compete against the best in the world.

Out: Out of luck, out of time and out of the running.

Time to pack up and go home. Concede now Freddie. Put us all out of this dreadful misery. How can there be such a vast chasm of different between these two sides? I would actually expect lowly Bangladesh to put up more of a fight than these guys have. For me there is only one player on the field that is making any real effort and that is Monty, who, whatever the result, will come home a hero. Whereas the Management Team, the Selectors and certain others will not be welcome here. It took 20 years to regain the Ashes and this lot have given them back in a few innings. This pitch is obviously flat, quick and true. How can the Aussies bat on it and we can't?

Duncan Fletcher: YOU MUST RESIGN NOW

David Graveney: YOU AND GEOFF MILLER MUST RESIGN NOW

And when you have you will have to make a public apology to us the fans that provide the money that pays your wages and to Michael Vaughan for managing to undo all the good work of the past few years.