Wow. What a day we had yesterday. I’m bored of the whole Pietersen saga to be honest, but I have to say that yesterday was very, very interesting to say the least. I’m kind of glad I kept out of it! Anyway, as you’ve probably read enough about Pietersen, Flower, Cook, Downton, Clarke etc I’d like to move discussion in another direction. The breaking news is that Pakistan and Worcestershire’s Saeed Ajmal has been banned from bowling in international cricket. What is my reaction...
Turtle tank-gate: the author responds
As we discussed earlier today, Jonathan Agnew is an angry man. It is an emotion that does not suit him. He is angry with me and he is angry with Piers Morgan. But most of all he is angry at a perceived injustice he feels has been dealt to Andy Flower. Regular The Full Toss readers may recall an article I posted here at the beginning of May. No? Well, that would not surprise me since, by all accounts, it was read by the proverbial one man and his dog. In round terms ‘Inside The Turtle...
The turtle tank revisited
Over the last twenty four hours this blog has found itself at the eye of a Twitter storm. It began yesterday when Piers Morgan reTweeted a link to an article by Tregaskis we published in May – Inside The Turtle Tank. It examines the management culture of the ECB, and how its failings in regard to Kevin Pietersen led to his estrangement and ultimate sacking from the team. Jonathan Agnew took fierce exception to the article, describing it as “embarrassing garbage”, and a...
Our Number’s Up – England Player ODI Ratings
Let’s get this straight. The goal of the recent ODI series was to get some jolly good practice before the World Cup, identify players that might succeed in Australia, and create some optimism and momentum. Our victory in the fifth and final match achieved these goals handsomely. The series was therefore a success … a vindication of Alastair Cook’s captaincy and evidence of Peter Moores’ genius. Yes, the team has had a rough ride this summer, and lost more games than its won (across all...
The fifth ODI
And so to Headingley, for the final ODI of the series, and Alastair Cook’s last international appearance of the season. Will England adapt their tactics and approach? Can they find solace in a consolation victory? Or will India complete the whitewash? We welcome all your comments as the match progresses. However, James and I (separately) are both away from internet access for most of the day, so apologies in advance for not be able to respond in much depth. And of course, other websites...
So what’s next – part three
Here’s an further update on our approach to the ECB to interview Giles Clarke, its chairman, about relations between supporters and the governing body. For the background, see here and here. Last Thursday evening I sent this follow-up to Andrew Walpole, the ECB’s head of press. The next day, he sent me this reply: That’s probably the end of the line as far as that idea goes. So in terms of getting our views across to the ECB, and holding them to account, what could we do...
