So what did you think? For me it was a match that didn’t quite make sense. The pitch was lifeless (a poor one for test cricket) yet the match ended in compelling drama. Both attacks spent most of the match aiming at the batsman’s head – even though there was no pace and bounce to speak of – and Alastair Cook set some pretty creative fields on day five. I know this was because runs weren’t an issue, but it was still jaw dropping to see. Maybe they put something in his water at...
Slow batting, runs outs and chucking – the 5th ODI
It’s a shame nobody could be bothered to go to yesterday’s deciding ODI at Edgbaston. They missed a game with plenty of talking points, not least Senanayake’s controversial run out of Jos Buttler. It was rather a shrewd move by the Sri Lankan spinner: it means nobody will be talking about his suspicious bowling action now. I am, of course, being facetious. Senanayake was perfectly entitled to do what he did. For me, the key fact is that Buttler was warned twice beforehand, and had received...
Time to Move On
They say moving on is hard to do. They’re wrong. It’s bloody hard. But, alas, we must. Moaning isn’t fun anymore and it won’t do us any good – unless someone, somewhere, does actually have a plan to storm the barricades at ECB headquarters. The uncomfortable truth is the ECB have got away with their dastardly deeds and there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s not the first calamity the ECB have overseen and it won’t be the last. What’s more, now the initial anger has relented I can actually see...
England’s Exciting New Era Takes Off in Mannofield Park
The phoney war is finally over. After five months of soul-searching, regrouping and meticulous planning for the future, the most ruthless cull in sporting history is over. The big cheeses at headquarters have made some brave, tough calls. You can’t buy that kind of integrity. That’s why they are paid the big bucks. The final pieces are now in place and the rebuilding process is complete. We all knew the ECB would be turning to youth, but when Paul Downton’s new model army assembled at...
The Cult of Alastair Cook
I feel sorry for Alastair Cook. It’s no secret that the English media, and certain fans, love to build someone up and then knock them down. We see it in other sports all the time. You’re either brilliant – a world class hero, a pin-up boy, a genius or an all time great – or you’re a waste of space, a steaming pile of donkey manure or even worse, Louis Suarez. But what makes Cook a unique case is that his employers have built him up as much as anyone. In order to justify the decision to sack you...
Kevin Pietersen And The ECB – Inside The Turtle Tank
I recall attending a conference a few years back when the guest speaker opened with an old joke – “Asked how many people worked in his organisation, a CEO replied “about half of them.” The conference was about motivation and engagement in the workplace, and Paul Downton’s interventions on the subject during the unveiling of Peter Moores as the England cricket head coach struck me as something that deserved a second look. Downton said there were no specific issues surrounding the ECB’s...
