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...
What to expect from Kevin Pietersen’s book
How many times during the last six months have we heard the phrase, “when Pietersen’s book comes out in October…”. October is no longer very far away. His book will be published on Thursday 9th of that month, and we should expect a newspaper serialisation – presumably in the Telegraph – to begin the previous Monday, the 6th. The date has a double significance. Pietersen is free to publish because the confidentiality agreement he signed with the ECB will have...
So what’s next? An update…
Last weekend we discussed the future of relations between disgruntled supporters and the ECB. How do we make our voice heard? How do we get our questions answered? How do we – to use Giles Clarke’s phrase – move on? You can see the original post here. The most suitable first tactic, it seemed to me, was to request an interview with Clarke. On Friday afternoon I sent this e-mail to ECB press chief Andrew Walpole. Andrew responded the following day: I then replied briefly to...
So what’s next?
The test match summer may be over, but there’s still plenty of unfinished business – and I don’t mean the one-day internationals. As the blogger Dmitri Old observed this week, “the disgraceful conduct of our governing body has caused a schism between fans and the ECB that may never be healed. In my lifetime I cannot remember feeling such antipathy towards a national team”. You only have to read the discussion boards, either here or any cricket site, to realise the...
Anything else we can do for you, India? Day one at Trent Bridge
India 259-4 stumps Is this test match in the midlands or Mumbai? India probably couldn’t believe their luck: here they are, in England, with an inexperienced seam attack and batsmen who struggle to cope with bounce and movement, and the Trent Bridge groundsman serves up a lifeless dust bowl. So much for home advantage. We might as well have given all the Indian players comfy sofas and cigars too. They were completely in their comfort zone. In a way, the conditions at Nottingham reflected the...
